tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311652682024-03-13T14:27:42.619-05:00The Way I See ItObservations about this n thatPawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-12861923644738549592018-03-09T19:23:00.003-06:002018-11-06T12:58:59.423-06:00ON BEING A JANITOR<style type="text/css">
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">April 15<sup>th</sup>
of 2013 was my last year to work for HR Block.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I disliked the
corporate pressure to make us call customers to try to sell other
services to them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried to find work
in areas where I had previous experience.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a couple of
interviews but no success.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just to prove to God
that I was willing to do almost any kind of work, I applied for work
as a janitor.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had no experience
as a janitor, but I completed an application anyway.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In response to my
on-line application, I received an invitation to come to a company at
a specific time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought it was to
be an interview.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was not.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a group
meeting of about 30 people to fill out paperwork for going to work.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was the best
dressed man in the room.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pamela Raney, a
black lady in her mid-thirties, sitting near me was the best dressed
lady in the room (other than the HR ladies).</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She thought it was
to be an interview, also.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were both “hired”
on the spot with no interview. (she had experience, I did not.)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We became friends
and got along well.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We ended up working
in different areas at the same school, until she took another job.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I worked at the same
school the whole time I was employed as a janitor – Huntsville High
School.<br />
It was conveniently located only three miles from my
home.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was employed in
this position for 44 months – three years and eight months.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">September 2013 to
April 2016.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I worked the night
shift – 3 PM to 11:30 PM Monday through Friday until February 2016.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hated the night
shift.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It disrupted my
life.<br />
It prevented me from attending the mid-week meetings of my
church.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It caused me to have
to eat my “dinner” at my usual “lunch” time and my “lunch”
at “dinner” time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It disrupted my
sleep, because, even though I was physically tired when I got home
each evening, my mind was active at 11:30 PM and it would take me an
hour or two to relax enough to go to sleep. <br />
It forced me to
take my “afternoon” nap – which I was accustomed to – in the
late morning, when I was usually not sleepy.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a few months
on the job, I began bending some of the rules.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While we were
supposed to eat dinner at 7:00 PM – and all the other janitors did,
I always ate mine at 5:00 PM – the specified break time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I seldom took a
break, not at 7, nor at 9.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The exception to
this was when we got a new team member named Mark.<br />
I remembered
him from that first big meeting when we were hired.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He had been a
janitor for 15 years or so and knew a lot about it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though we had little
in common, we became friends and he believed in taking breaks.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So every night, he
would call me when he was ready to take his breaks and I would sit in
his car with him and visit.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We worked the
summers together as a team and accomplished more than any of the
other janitors.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One reason we did so
well is because we could anticipate what the other needed and not
waste time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our communications
ended when he was transferred to another school.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And when he left I
stopped taking breaks again.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are still friends
on Facebook, but we have not seen each other since I quit and do not
communicate much.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The evening crew had
as many as eight members, as few as three (when other members were
sick or laid out).<br />
When crew members were absent, the remaining
crew members had to fill in for them – do your assigned area and
the area(s) of the missing crew members.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time I quit,
I had been a janitor on the night shift longer than anyone else
there.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I first started
I was assigned to clean the Auditorium building, which included the
band practice room, Theater classroom, Choir practice room, six
restrooms, the Auditorium lobby, main Auditorium seating area
including balcony, stage, hallways and dressing rooms behind the
stage.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When there was
activity in the auditorium, I had to time my work so as to not
interfere with the event/activity, and be able to clean up the area
after the event.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These activities
included band concerts, play rehearsals, play productions, choir
concerts, and public meetings.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got used to
walking through and around the main auditorium in the dark, even
though it was supposed to be haunted. (the aisle LEDs were always on)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never saw or heard
the ghost (supposedly a female student who was killed in a car wreck
during a play rehearsal)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were several
small sounds that I had to learn to identify.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a child, I was
afraid of the dark. (partly because of a nightmare I had when I was
about 2 – which I still remember in great detail)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So this was a bit of
a challenge for me.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On nights when there
were no activities in the auditorium (usually 3 -5 nights each week),
I could rest or goof-off for an hour or so if I had finished my work.
<br />
I would occasionally take a short nap in the top row of the
balcony in the dark Auditorium.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes there was
something interesting to read in the theater classroom, which I would
take advantage of.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When there was a
play performance, which would run three to five days, I was very
busy, but always finished at the normal end of my shift.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just spent less
time on my classrooms.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Fall of 2014
(?) my work area was re-arranged so that I had to clean several
classrooms in addition to the Auditorium.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was assigned to
clean 12 Science classrooms and labs, two sets of boys and girls
restrooms, a stairwell and the hallway in front of these areas, in
addition to all I had been doing in the auditorium.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This new area
amounted to about 20 percent of all the classrooms in the main school
building.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This put an end to
any leisure time in the Auditorium building.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had two janitor
closets and one cart in the Auditorium building.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This helped make
cleaning easier, in that, I did not have to walk so far to get
supplies or equipment – which saved time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After I was assigned
the classrooms, I had another janitors closet and cart for that area.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I learned many
things about industrial cleaning from this job.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were trained on
how to clean, sweep, mop and dust.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were provided
with most of the tools and equipment needed to clean the school.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much of it was
applicable to home cleaning.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I soon found that
some of those methods and tools were not always the most efficient.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were instructed
to turn in our dust mop heads once a week or so to be cleaned, and
replace them with clean heads.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I found that all
“clean” mop heads are not equal.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some were worn out
and did not clean as well as newer ones.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were three
different sizes and the more-experienced janitors picked through bags
of clean dust mop heads and got the best first.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This led me to
eventually finding three nearly-new dust mop heads and keeping them
to myself.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When my mop heads
became dirty, I took them home and washed them myself, at my expense.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This allowed me to
have cleaner-looking rooms and halls.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did this for over
three years.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only a few people
knew about this.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found that for
certain areas and situations, my 24 inch dust mop was too bulky and
imprecise.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I bought a nice
12 inch nylon-bristled long-handled broom, with my own money.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It proved to be
perfect for sweeping the stairs and the gymnasium bleachers, quickly
and throughly.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(my head custodian
borrowed it one evening for a couple of minutes and liked it so well,
he wanted one also. I don’t think he ever got one, however)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also stopped using
the school-provided chemicals in certain applications.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I found that
using the prescribed amounts caused a buildup of soap residue in
certain areas, so I used half-strength or less mop solutions in my
areas and had better results.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In contravention of
instructions, I started using bleach in all of my restrooms, diluted
to the extent that it did not give off a strong oder.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted just enough
to evoke a subconscious recognition of a “clean” smell.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wet mopping was a
learned skill.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Something I had very
little experience doing.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I learned that, for
my areas, there were three kinds of mop saturation needed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Dry” mop,
throughly rung out for dusting (after sweeping) for fast drying.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Damp” mop, for
normal mopping or for spills – wet enough to dilute dried liquid
spills.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Wet” mop, for
bathrooms, where the mop is only slightly rung out, and the tile
floor is throughly soaked and left to air-dry overnight.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the
grey-brown buildup around bathroom hardware was from old soap
accumulation.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I brought in an old
toothbrush and cleaned the chrome fixtures in all of my bathrooms.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of my restrooms
looked the best in the school.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the other
janitors just did what they were told and did not seem to care what
the results were.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a result, my
areas always looked better than theirs.<br />
I found out accidentally
that the teachers loved my work.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After I took an
evening off, they told me that they cold tell that I was gone because
their rooms were not cleaned up to the standard they were used to.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, honestly, I
spent less time in my classrooms than most of the other janitors.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I looked after
the details in my rooms.<br />
If a teacher sees just a single tiny
scrap of paper on the floor when she first walks into her room in the
morning, can cause her to wonder if her room was completely cleaned.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, the last thing I
did when I left each room was to pause at the door and look at the
room one last time to see if I had missed anything.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found that most
spills in the school are sugar-water (sodas, juice, etc.) and can be
cleaned up with just water.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found that the
diluted ammonia-based window cleaner worked on mirrors and windows as
well as desks and walls</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Often, while
working, a song would go through my head and it gave me an urge to
listen to some music.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, in February
2015 I bought a pocket music player.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the other
janitors listened to music on their phones.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My phone was an old
flip-phone and did not have enough memory or a headphone jack to play
any music.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of my music
collection is not MP3.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I bought one of the
best music players there is, which had a premium DAC to handle the
lossless encoding of my music.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had just
transferred all of my home music collection onto my computer (5000
songs!) so it was not difficult to build some playlists to take to
work.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Usually, I would
listen to my music after my dinner break.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In February 2016 I
was offered a day shift position, which I accepted.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I worked from
6:30 AM to 3 PM.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I worked alone and
usually unsupervised.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My assigned work
areas changed completely.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was to pick up
trash from the entire school parking lots before school.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, during the
day, clean the baseball team locker room, offices and restroom, the
tennis court restrooms, the softball team dressing room and
restrooms, the boys and girls soccer teams locker/dressing rooms and
restrooms, and the football team locker rooms, offices, gym and
restrooms.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition, I was
to pick up trash from the entire campus.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I traveled around
the campus outside, driving a little ATV, with all of my cleaning
supplies loaded on the back bed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bad weather was not
an excuse for not doing my assigned tasks, so I had to dress for
rain, and cold.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I started
working day shift, I stopped listening to my music player.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During my time as a
janitor we went through four Head Custodians –
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wanda (Sep 2013 –
Jan 2014), an older black lady, she taught me a lot about how to do
the job.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kelly (Jan 2014 -
Aug 2015), a white lady with physical and mental problems, not a very good
supervisor.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James (Aug 2015 –
Aug 2016), a dear older black man, I loved him and we got along
well.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vincent (Aug 2015 –
Jun 2016 ?), a good Christian black man, whom I liked a lot.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried to
warn/advise Vincent about the difficulties of working at that school
when he first started.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He listened and
handled things as he thought best.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just before I left
this job, he told me that everything I had warned him about had
turned out just like I had told him.<br />
I felt validated but felt
sorry for Vincent.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was a nice guy
and I hated to see him suffer from some bad decisions.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then there was
Ellie.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ellie started
working at our school in the Fall of 2015.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She was a quiet
older black lady with eyes that did not point the same direction.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I sometimes do, I
immediately felt sorry for her.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I imagined all the
teasing and cruel comments from other children she must have had to
endure as she was growing up.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt the urge to
be extra kind to her.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She was assigned to
work in another part of the school so I only saw her during our daily
team meetings for a few minutes.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was soon able to
win her trust and we sat together during our team meetings.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was apparent that
she appreciated my kindness to her.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She was a very sweet
lady.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I quit the job
I made a special effort to give her a goodbye hug.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the other
janitors were black.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And most of them
were less educated and used some crude language when talking with
each other.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was my biggest
problem with being around this type of people.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This type of
language is very offensive to me.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While three of the
four Head Custodians were black, I did not have any problems working
with them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The biggest laugh I
ever got out of my co-workers was near the end of my time working
night shift.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of them asked
me, in a kidding way, about the special attention I was showing to
Ellie.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All I said was,
“Well, me and Mrs. Jones…...”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This response
resulted in loud, table pounding laughter from my co-workers – the
exact response I was hoping for.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a calculated
statement, based on what little I know about black American culture.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I was correct in
my assumption that they would understand the implication from my
statement.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, the
implication was not true.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was not having an
affair with Ellie, just being kind and friendly to her.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has been almost
two years since I quit my janitor job.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Strangely, once in a
while I catch myself missing it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Occasionally, I will
look at my clock in the evening and remember what part of my assigned
areas I would have been cleaning.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In spite of the
unpleasant work hours, I found some satisfaction in making things
clean, rolling my little cart around the big, quiet, empty school by
myself.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-64443265147396717732018-01-12T12:25:00.000-06:002018-01-12T12:25:30.607-06:00PLAYING WITH THE TOYS<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wow.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Some backstory...)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In June 2015 I
acquired a new (to me) software application for audio recording on my
computer, called Reaper.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Think of someone
who goes into a field that is ripe for harvest and gathers the grain,
not the creepy guy who comes to remove you from the living.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The User Manual is
over 400 pages.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is deep,
complex software, but it can do amazing things.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Actually, it does
what most other audio recording software does, but is very simple to
use.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Back in 2015 I read
through the user manual, but missed a few key details ( I know
now….), so I had a less than pleasing experience making my first
recording with it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I muddled through
that recording project but lost my enthusiasm for recording with it,
because it seemingly would not do what I wanted it to do.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was not pleased
with the semi-finished product, but most of that displeasure was
because of some errors on my part, not because of the software.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, for that reason
and being busy on other things, I did not record anything for two
years.<br />
I wrote some songs, and pondered some arrangements during
that time but produced no audio.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
(End backstory)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then, a few weeks
ago, I was inspired to have another go at recording.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I looked at two
other recording software packages – Garageband, by Apple, and Audio
Desk, by MOTU.<br />
And, I had in my mind that I might give Reaper
another chance if these other choices did not produce acceptable
results.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I tried recording a
simple song with each package.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Garageband has been
simplified since the last time I played with it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It seemed pretty
limited.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were several
editing functions that I wanted/needed that were missing.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is almost like a
toy.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Audio Desk is
a pretty full-featured package that came included with the digital
interface I bought a few years ago for the purpose of recording.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is basically a
stripped-down version of MOTU’s premier recording software product,
Digital Performer, which costs $500.00.<br />
I had the manual for
Audio Desk and began to read it.<br />
I recorded a simple track or
two to see how it worked and was not overly impressed.<br />
It
sounded fine, but I was having to learn new commands and new ways to
perform them.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Having to climb a
new learning curve through a 300+ page User Manual was not
encouraging.<br />
(especially since I had already slogged through the
Reaper encyclopedia a couple of years before and still remembered
many of the methods/commands/key strokes)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So I went back to
the Reaper User Manual and began to read it again.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And I watched a few
videos on how to use it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was in one of
those videos that I found the most vital and useful feature.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It turned out to be
the key feature/command that unlocked many of the other features of
the package.<br />
I double-checked the manual, and, sure enough, the
book confirmed the feature.<br />
I had read over it twice before and
had seemingly missed it both times.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
To do most editing
functions, you move the cursor to the place in the track that you
want to work on and press “S”, then, just move the cursor to the
place in the track where you want the effects of your editing to end,
and press “S” again.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
That is it.<br />
From
there, numerous manipulations of the recorded items can done.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I did a test
recording in Reaper, utilizing my new-found knowledge and it was like
the world opened up for me.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So I started to redo
the project I had done in Reaper two years ago.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had a difficult
time trying to get the first track down all the way through.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was not the fault
of the software.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was nervous. (I
always get nervous when I record myself.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I think it took 7
takes, but I finally got it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then I recorded the
drums – high hat, snare, bass drum – one track for each.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And I time aligned
each track with the others.<br />
Then I got the bass down after a
couple of tries.<br />
This time I learned how to get all of these
elements in tight time alignment.<br />
Recording software these days
allows you to move the individual tracks – or parts of each track -
around in time so that they all are in perfect lock step.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is amazing.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then I did two
electric pianos, each on its own track.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I added two organs,
each on its own track, because I could not decide which organ sound I
liked better. (I still have not decided and am keeping them both for
now.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then I added a
stereo track of strings.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And finally, after
an hour of practice relearning the parts from the original recording,
I recorded a lead guitar sound.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
10 tracks in all.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
All of this took
three days.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was very pleased
with the results, so far, and was doing a practice vocal to see how
all the recorded instruments sounded with each other and with my
voice, when I realized I had made a major mistake. (MAJOR)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had recorded an
extra half of a verse that is not in the original song and not
intended to be in this version.<br />
I was faced the daunting task of
re-recording half of the song, or chopping eight measures out of the
middle of the10 tracks.<br />
But instead of feeling discouraged, I
just felt challenged.<br />
I had learned so much about using this
amazing software that I believed that I could perform this major
surgery on the existing tracks instead of re-recording half or all of
it again.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, after some
thinking about how to execute this somewhat complex operation, I
began by making a copy of my song thus far.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This was done to
preserve what I had accomplished, should I totally fail in my attempt
to correct my original mistake.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then I began cutting
and pasting, deleting and attaching, copying and pasting sections of
each of my 10 tracks.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
The whole
final guitar solo had to be moved up eight measures and precisely
aligned with the chord changes of the other instruments.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Click and
hold, slide and stop.<br />
Listen.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nope, not quite.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Off about a whole
note.<br />
Click and drag a bit.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Listen.<br />
Almost.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One more click and
drag just a hair.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Perfect.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One neat thing about
this software is that you can make changes to the elements while it
is playing and hear the result as it plays.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The whole surgery
only took about 15 minutes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I played it back a
few times to be sure that all the drum parts where still in the
pocket, and all of the keyboards and bass had all of their chord
changes at the same times and to the same notes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I did it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wow.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I cannot wait to
finish this project and begin the next one.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I still have about
three or four tracks of vocals to do.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And maybe some final
detail clean-up on the instruments.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I pretty much have
the instrument mix like I want it, but it may get a final tweak
before I call it done.</div>
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Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-29217224940322529752017-04-24T19:50:00.001-05:002017-04-24T19:50:32.297-05:00SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After last weeks poor performance, I decided to abandon the six-mile course that I love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After two successful runs on the 10k path, my third try failed to meet the criteria for a good run.<br />I had to stop and walk four times in the last three miles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fail.<br />Even though I backed off on the amount of leg work in my weight workouts, it was not enough to allow my body to rebuild between long runs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I am giving up on the 10k distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reluctantly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, this past Saturday, I was present and accounted for for the old, tried and true 3.6 mile hill course.<br />The weather was cool and pleasant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As was the case the week before, I did not get a nap on Friday, which put more pressure on me to get a bit more good sleep Friday night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which did not happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I woke up at 4 AM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I forced myself to go back to sleep, and dozed for the next hour or so, until my alarm ever so gently mumbled its quiet announcement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was ready to get to the task at hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This, in spite of the feeling a bit tired.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started out gently, hoping all joints and connective tissue were ready for the ball.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right ankle requested special treatment as it resisted change in angle of Tibia and Fibia with each step.<br />And left knee attachments were not ready to play with the team for the first hundred yards or so.<br />It even tried to play dead, with an important nerve trying to shut down the whole party by going numb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, this mis-fire only happened once and was gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had it persisted to its maximum potential, this posting would a good bit more morose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything got sorted out in the first couple of minutes of the trot, and there were no more physical problems the rest of the ho-down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except for respiration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I climbed the first incline, Level 3 breathing wanted to supplant my more comfortable Level 2 breathing rate.<br />And midway into mile one, Level 3 breathing took over.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience has taught me that if this happens, I am not as strong as I need to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was an unwelcome guest, and he overstayed his welcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even when I got up on the relatively flat plain of Toll Gate Road, the accelerated breathing stayed with me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is I was not struggling, but I was not comfortable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Midway through the final mile, I was working hard enough that I entertained the thought of stopping to walk for a minute or two.<br />All Runner got from Running Central was a silent glare for even allowing the thought to coalesce.<br />So we ran on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the end of the course, Runner was looking forward to stopping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as he rounded the last corner, a Ledecky finish seemed unlikely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, as has happened so many times before, even when there seemed to be no more Wheaties left in the bucket, a sprint was attempted.<br />It was feeble and, no doubt, pathetic to watch, but it was attempted.<br />And so another run is in the log.</span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-41876882406318853402017-04-15T16:05:00.000-05:002017-04-30T16:41:59.286-05:00EDUCATIONAL FAILURE<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The answer to my question has been answered.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Depending on one's mood, you could summarize this mornings six-mile run as a disaster or just informative.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I call it a Murphy run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Almost anything that could go wrong - did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only thing that did not go wrong was that there were no physical breakdowns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All tendons, ligaments, muscles, lungs, feet, etc. performed well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everything else?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eh...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I got about five hours of sleep prior to the endeavor, apparently, it was not enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Wheaties ran out at the beginning of Mile Three.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not sure I can blame the outcome on lack of rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Murphy's Law camped for an extended visit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could have turned around at that point and gone back to the car and saved myself a few minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But time was not really a factor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just wanted to run (as in, RUN) the whole course without having to walk because of some physical weakness on my part.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fail.<br />I had to walk in Mile Three (as mentioned), Mile Four, Mile Five, and Mile Six.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These walks were each about two minutes in duration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They were because of a lack of strength, which manifested itself in Level Three breathing early in the party and inability to recover to Level Two breathing even on downhill sections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was disappointing because as a result of last weeks difficult - though more successful - performance, I purposely cut back on my weight workouts this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My leg work was reduced by half, and I cut my workouts from four to three.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently, that still took too much of me to share with my running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems that the amount of strength/effort to run six miles is so close to my maximum overall capability that the slightest deviation from my ideal effort margin prior to a run is fatal to my running capacity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This makes me seem a bit fragile. (but I AM rather old....)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Humph.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to my general weakness today, a biological imperative interjected itself midway into Mile three. (more Murphy...)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortunately, there was a construction site on the course, from which I borrowed a handy portable plastic booth for a minute or two, to correct the situation.<br />This problem was successfully eliminated, in spite of adding another unplanned stop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, today's jaunt has provided answers to two questions: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 Can I run the six-mile Cotton Row Race course?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Yes, sort of, sometimes, under ideal circumstances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 Can I run the Cotton Row 10k race, in four weeks or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> No.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thus, next week I will return to my previous 3.6 mile uphill course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In one sense, my gambit to run the long course was a success three times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did it as planned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But today proved that I just need to dial back my running a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would rather run a little than not at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it still is a delightful privilege to be able to run at all at my age.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-68168802238262472412017-04-12T20:33:00.001-05:002017-04-15T16:10:22.049-05:00WEEK 3 - SIX-MILE COURSE<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Saturday morning six-mile jaunt was a qualified success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The temperature was not ideal - 35 or so degrees, clear, with virtually no wind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not my favorite temperature for a run (or anything else, really).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This atmospheric environment required judicious layers to keep the body temperature in an optimal range.<br />All that remained was a nice, steady rain to throw me into a total snert.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that did not happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other qualifier on the project was lack of sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stayed up too late Friday night -until about 11 or so, and I did not get a nap that afternoon - to which I am accustomed (read: spoiled).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I hit the bed with a deficit of a hour or two (depending on how one wants to score it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I woke up at 2:30 AM for no discernible reason.<br />I tried to go back to sleep, but succeeded only in imitating a rotisserie for an hour or two.<br />Somewhere around 4 AM I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, my alarm was ever so gently mumbling that it was time to rise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Which I did. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt only slightly tired as I walked to the starting line, but I was wary.<br />This six-mile course has a way of finding your weaknesses and rubbing your face in them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first serious little hill shows up at the 2 mile mark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was there that I felt my lack of strength.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were no specific parts complaining, just a general overall feeling of "I really kinda sorta don't want to do this."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is NOT the sort of thing I want to hear before the half-way point in this race course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I fastened my seatbelt for a difficult slog for the rest of the hike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it was so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I walked The Hill, as planned, and forced myself to resume running the last 200 feet or so of it, as I usually do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But at this point I was wondering if I was going to be able to run the rest of the course (even though it is virtually all down hill from that point).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had to stop for traffic at California Street for a few seconds, much to my dislike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last mile felt like two miles, and that I was dragging a 45 pound barbell plate along the pavement behind me by a rope. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I made it.<br />No unplanned stopping because of my physical failure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I walked back to my car, I was pondering how to alter my weight workouts to reduce my leg work.<br />Perhaps changing the work balance between weights and running would make the Saturday morning picnic a bit easier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I have found in my 20+ years of weight lifting and 17 years of running, is that it is easier to fine-tune the weight workouts than it is the running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Weight workouts can be micro-tuned by changing exercise order, exercises, number of sets, number of reps, and number of workouts per week.<br />The only thing one can do with running is modify your pace, change the distance, or change the course for more or less elevation.<br />Over the years I have found and used a three-mile flat course (nearly so), a six-mile flat course, a three point six-mile hilly course, and a six-mile hilly course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once you are on a course, you are pretty much stuck with what you have chosen to run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love to run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I have learned to live with the rules of the game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At my age, it is a distinct privilege to be able to run ANY distance at any speed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am blessed.</span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-65127082317930568832017-04-01T12:25:00.001-05:002017-04-01T21:32:07.077-05:00Round 2 - The Six-Mile Course<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The saying goes, "if you play, you pay".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it is true.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel "weak", sort of tired, stiff, and .... happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The happiness is drug-induced from the big shot of endorphins this morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the other stuff is run-induced physical issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did the six mile course again today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was cold - 48 degrees or so - so I had to fiddle with layers and whatnot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hate cold weather.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I chose my layers carefully and they proved to be exactly appropriate to the task at hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cold air was calm, so the wind chill was minimal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As usual for this distance, I was scared and cautious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I am pushing my limits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started out slowly, carefully, intent on getting all participants warmed up and happy for the extended journey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And ten minutes into the party, I was daydreaming and enjoying the familiar scenery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt a bit tired, for reasons I do not know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for this reason, my breathing - which is the element I use to pace myself - wanted to go from my comfortable rate of Level 2 to more intense Level 3, on each of the steeper portions of the course in the first three miles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it always settled back down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not have to strain to keep my pace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked The Hill at mile three, as planned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sky was clear and a million shades of blue as I topped The Hill at 5:50 AM or so, and bopped to the high point of the course a quarter mile away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then it was all down hill (well, mostly).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I crossed California Street and did not have to dodge a firetruck as I did last week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, there was very little traffic today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This, on top of there being very little traffic at this time of day in downtown Huntsville.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I did not feel strong, all participants in the effort seemed reasonably happy to be part of the team.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The connective elements around my left knee, that began whining halfway through mile six last week, seemed to be content with the platter presented to them today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I approached the finish line (actually it is a three-inch dash of paint next to the curb with "5k" next to it), I wondered if I would have any Wheaties left to give for a final effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consciously, I thought, "maybe not today". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then I felt my tired self digging in and going marginally faster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for the last 100 yards or so, another Ledecky finish was in progress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still do not know where that comes from, but it is in me somewhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was disappointed in myself that I let up my pace one full step before I passed the finish mark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was lazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I am sure I could have given one more max step to the cause.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next week.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, it was another wonderful experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another privilege to do at my age.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The proof of the rarity of this event?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was alone the entire way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one else, of any age, was out running on this course, at this time of day.</span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-48136517456855731092017-03-25T10:46:00.001-05:002017-04-01T21:28:12.945-05:00WOW, A VISIT TO AN OLD FRIEND<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The idea has been tickling my mind for the last three or four years.<br />Just every once in a while.<br />Could I do it?<br />Just once more?<br />But, I do not need any further ego boosts.<br />Not at my age.<br />But still, every few months the thought would come around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It" is the 10K Cotton Row race course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love that course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I do not know why.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />But, several years ago, after three or four failures to finish the full journey without having to walk for a minute or two, I decided that I could no longer do that course. (June 2011)<br />I was getting older, after all....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I came up with a four-mile practice course to continue running. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I purposely included a substantial hill to make up for the shortened distance.<br />It included part of the Cotton Row course that I love.<br />Then I found that I had to walk for a minute or so on THAT course, so I dropped back to a 3.6 mile version of that course.<br />I will have to do some research to see when all of that happened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But for the last year or so (?), I have been running this 3.6 mile loop to scratch my runners itch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it has kept me happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sort of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But in spite of this gradual contraction of my running capacity, the thought would still visit me from time to time; could I do the whole six-mile loop again?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, this past Thursday, as I watched what the weather would be for my Saturday morning run, as I usually do, the thought came again - do you wanna try?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The weather this morning was partly cloudy, temp in the low 60s, slight breeze - perfect running weather.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perfect 10k running weather.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And as I packed by duffle bag and ran through my mental checklist of the things I need to bring for my run, my mind was also running through a list of contingencies, should I choose to do the long course and I suffer a physical failure.<br />I have run the 10k course dozens of times.<br />I know every hill, every mile marker, every street, every turn, in this course.<br />If something breaks, I know what points are turn-around points.<br />If I turn around at mile marker two, that would equal a four-mile run - approximately what I have been doing lately.<br />Mile marker three is the half-way point (give or take - mostly give - a hundred yards or so), so it does not matter which way you go from that point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You might as well keep going.<br />Plus, the 10k course is virtually all down-hill from the three mile point to the finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was nervous - and a bit scared.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I pointed my car a different direction from the way I go to my short course.<br />In past years, I used to run the 10k course twice each week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The route I took today to the 10k starting line was a very familiar one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I have not driven it in several years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a deja vu moment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After parking my car, I walked to the start line and began to run.<br />Slowly, carefully.<br />My usual non-warm-up warm-up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Testing all the connections and support structures to make sure everybody was happy.<br />I was biting off a big chunk today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No gradual build-up of distance to break-in the body in smaller steps.<br />I know better.<br />But Plan A was to go for the whole enchilada.<br />If something broke, I would walk, limp, run, or crawl, back to my car.<br />I had no time constraints other than my own little Saturday schedule.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plan A strategy was to take it slow, keep my breathing at level two and finish without walking.<br />How fast I went was not a priority.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it was so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To my delight and amazement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Early in mile six, Left Knee began to complain about the unfairness of life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I blame this on my turning around to the right to see if there is a car coming from behind me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I consciously told myself to not do this because of this very result.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It only happened a couple of times, but that was enough to cause a problem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes adjusting my stride and concentrating on keeping my form very linear can mitigate some joint problems.<br />This was done and it did help some.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By that time, my breathing was up to an easy Level 3, but I did not care.<br />After the last left turn you can see where the finish line is, a half a mile away.<br />I have found that, at that point, you tend to forget about a lot of details in life and focus on getting to that little mark on the planet.<br />I knew at that point that, barring a major surprise catastrophe, I was going to finish Plan A.<br />It was a wow run.<br />Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege to be able to do this one more time.</span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-91115227096808630262016-10-31T21:34:00.002-05:002016-10-31T21:34:48.602-05:00AN INTERESTING PROGRESSION<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of you may find this of interest.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SOME BACKGROUND</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started lifting
weights when I was 50 - 1995.<br />
I started running when I was 54 -
1999.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have done both off
and on, or one or the other since then.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been
periods when I did neither.<br />
The lapses have mostly been dictated
by my job situation.<br />
I have never stopped doing either of them
because I did not enjoy them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stopped doing
weight workouts and running when I took a job as a janitor in 2012.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found that, while
the work was relatively easy, there was a lot of walking and plenty
of pushing mops and large brooms for eight hours a night.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The initial effect
the new job had on me was to make me tired.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not believe I
could do both, so I stopped working out and running.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE PROGRESSION IN
2016</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my job hours
changed in January 2016, I immediately began doing my weight workouts
and running again.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I assumed that I
would not be as strong as I was when I stopped doing weight workouts,
but I was surprised how weak I was.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Understand that I
was doing weight lifting to maintain my strength rather than to build
muscle, as I was trying to do when I was younger.<br />
At my age (71)
there is little hope of gaining any muscle mass.<br />
The battle is
to hang on to what little I have remaining.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These exercises were
selected because they require little set-up, use my bodyweight for
resistance, and are compound/full range movements.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because pull-ups are
so difficult for me, I can do only a few.<br />
This causes my biceps
to receive a smaller amount of reps compared to my triceps and other
areas.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I added standing
barbell curls to give some added work volume for my arms.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My point of
reference was what I was doing in my last weight workout in February
2016.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My last workout was
as follows:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crunch 30
repetitions</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pull-up 6.5</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Push-up 12</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing Heel
raise 60</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing barbell
curl 16 x 40 pounds</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I count a half a
repetition or incomplete movement as a half a rep for more accurate
statistical analysis of my work load.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first workout in
April 2016 after I quit my job was as follows:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crunch 30</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pull-up 4</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Push-up 6</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing Heel
raise 50</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing barbell
curl 16 x 40 pounds</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Squat (no extra
weight) 20</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PUSH-UPS</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was surprised by
my poor push-up performance, which had fallen to almost half in just
two months.<br />
The next workout, the following day, I did 10.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following week I
was up to 12 and stayed there for about a month.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then in May I did
14.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks later I
did 16.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In July, I felt like
I could do more, so I began doing two sets of each exercise.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first two-set
session I did 14 and 10 reps of push-ups.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bounced around
between 14 and 16 reps on the first set and 12 and 15 on the second
set for the next three weeks.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then on August 18 I
did 18 push-ups on the first set and 16 on the second set.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fluctuated between
18 and 12 for the two sets for the next eight weeks or so.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then on September 23
I did 20 push-ups on the first set and 16 on the second set.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since then my
push-ups have varied between 18 and 14 repetitions for the two sets.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On October 26 it did
20 reps on my first set, then 17 and 14.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An average reduction
as the muscles fatigue.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">STANDING BARBELL
CURLS</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing barbell
curls demonstrate another interesting progression.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started doing them
to provide a better balance of work volume for my arms.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are one of my
weakest areas.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February I did
one set of 16 with 40 pounds in my last workout before stopping for
six weeks.<br />
When I restarted my weight workouts in April I did 15
reps with 40 pounds – almost no loss of strength.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day I did
17 reps with 40 pounds.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following week I
completed 18 reps.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following week I
did 20.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two days later I did
21.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A month later –
June - I did 22 reps.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following month
I completed 23 reps with the 40 pound weight.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of July I
started doing two sets of each exercise.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My reps dropped to
21 for the first set and to 17 for the second – same weight both
sets.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the beginning of
August my reps were holding at 20 – 21 for both sets.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first week in
September I increased my weight to 50 pounds.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did 15 reps the
first set and 11.5 for the second, an expected decrease.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following week I
was doing 14 and 14 reps.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In October first set
reps increased to 16 and second set reps stayed at 14.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER EXERCISES</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In September I
decided to add some variety to my exercises.<br />
I replaced push-ups
with bench dips and pull-ups with bent barbell rows using 135 pounds
in the Wednesday workout.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first workout
with these new exercises produced the following:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BB Bent Row 20 x
135, 20 x 135</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bench dip 24 reps,
22 reps (partial bodyweight = 110 pounds)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This change in
exercises has had the effect of improving my push-ups a little.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Push -ups are
holding at around 18 and 16 reps.<br />
Bench dips are up to 26 and 24
reps.<br />
At this rate I will be doing 30 reps soon.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Since I prefer
to hold my high rep exercises to a maximum of about 20, I may have to
consider replacing bench dips with parallel bar dips.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which has the effect
of increasing the weight, which will decrease the reps.<br />
I do not
like parallel bar dips as much because they seem to not work the
chest as much and work the triceps more, because of the angles of the
range of motion involved.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the variation
will be useful in rounding out my “development” - such as it is.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As of mid-October
2016 I have increased my sets to three per exercise.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The downside of
increasing the number of sets is it takes more time – about 15 more
minutes per session with these exercises.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After just a couple
of three-set workouts, I am surprised at how easily my system has
accommodated the increased work volume.<br />
I do not feel tired, and
only slightly sore a day or two after the workouts.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The downside is this
added volume may make it easier to overtrain.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will have to watch
my reps.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If my reps begin to
drop, it is an indicator that I am overtrained and need to take some
days off.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be continued…..</span></div>
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Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-33680590684385426272016-10-22T21:23:00.001-05:002016-10-23T21:36:11.111-05:00BALANCING THE FITNESS LOAD<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Balancing the Fitness Load</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am a planner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Almost everything I do is part of a plan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I started lifting weights in 1985, I recorded my sets, reps, weights, dates, and exercises.<br />Some of this I picked up from reading several magazines and online sites on exercise.<br />They taught that progress came in spoonfuls and fractions of an inch over time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Visible changes were difficult to see in the short run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of my interest in recording data was my genetic disposition to plan everything out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I assumed that it would be useful to know my physical baseline to be able to see if the exercising was doing any good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2016 has been an interesting year for my weight lifting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started out just trying to maintain what strength and mass I had left.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aging is not fun to watch on oneself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The normal progression - or rather, regression - is to lose strength and mass as the years progress past the age of 40 or 50.<br />And I have experienced this slow decline.<br />I have fought it kicking and screaming the whole way, as much as I could.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And one more thing - as you age, your body takes longer to recover from exercise - both after each set during the workout, and after each workout session.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So.... I set my exercise program to be simple to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It consisted of simple compound exercises that mostly used my bodyweight as resistance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One set of each exercise, three days a week, and a run on Saturday morning, mainly because I love running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The exercises were: push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and standing barbell curls.<br />All upper body exercises.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My leg work consisted of my hill run each Saturday morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But gradually my body became accustomed to the work load, and I found myself seeking more work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I increased my exercise to two sets. (I will present more details of this progression in another blog post)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Soon, I was craving more work, and went up to three sets of these same four exercises</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, I felt that I needed to find some alternate exercises to work these same areas of my body.<br />So some workouts stayed the same and other workouts involved different exercises.<br />Then I decided to add some leg work to compliment my running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this culminated in the inclusion of deadlifts into my exercise plan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deadlifts are, along with squats, an exercise I love to hate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They are hard work, and involve almost your entire body.<br />They call into service your thighs, back, shoulders, chest and arms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They require strict form and, if done incorrectly, you can injure yourself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So it was with some caution and concern that I scheduled three sets of deadlifts in my Friday workout.<br />I kept the weight to 95 pounds to break myself in to this new exercise.<br />The concern had to do with my recovery time - how long would it take my body to recover from this new (new in this year - I have done them before with more weight) exercise, and would it adversely affect my run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wrote all of this to write this.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a fantastic run this morning.<br />When I first started out, my left hip and knee were acting like they wanted to collapse with each step.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was concerned that I would have to cancel my run if things did not improve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took about a quarter of a mile in the 40 degree darkness for things to sort themselves out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But eventually everybody got happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was in the darkest parts of the road that I realized that I had a big full moon to light the way for me.<br />Thus, I did not need the little flash light I had in my hand JIC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I started up the steepest part of the hill, I found myself running slower than I could have.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I call it passive running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just bopping along at a certain pace because it is comfortable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is instead of putting just a bit more effort into your stride and push against your capability.<br />I called to mind the mindset of my new athletic object of admiration, Katie Ledecky, who pushes herself every lap of every day of practice, so she can win races.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am not trying to win any races these days, but I am trying to challenge myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I put a little more effort into my run today.<br />Just a little.<br />I was mindful of my heavy workout yesterday.<br />Would any extra effort empty my bowl of Wheaties before I reached the end of my course?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I decided to push this a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To my surprise, I felt strong - as evidenced by my level 2 breathing the whole way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I pushed my pace both up the hill and down the hill to the end.<br />I was able to push hard all of the last quarter mile of my course and sprint the last 200 feet or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another Ledecky finish.<br />Wow.</span>Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-3761791377368370472014-12-20T23:17:00.001-06:002014-12-30T14:23:06.178-06:00A Christmas Story<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following is a bit of fiction that is surrounded by actual events that came to me this week.<br />Enjoy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She knew she had to
tell Joseph. But she worried how. Her condition would violate all
the customs and moral values of her people. And she knew these
customs and values were from God's law. Her parents had been
teaching them to her since she could remember. How could she violate
them now and not be punished? But the angel had said....
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The angel.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How was she going to
explain the visit by the angel? They would surely think her insane.
And what would Joseph think?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mary returned to her
chores but could barely keep her mind on her tasks. She wanted to
tell Joseph but wondered how to explain it to him. Would he believe
she had been visited by the angel? Would she if he were to come to
her with the same story? She admitted that it would be difficult.
As she worried, her mind raced with different introductions and
descriptions of her encounter. In spite of her urgent desire to tell
Joseph she finally came to the conclusion that it would be best to
wait. Perhaps some clarity would come to her if she slept on it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was not as simple
to do as it had seemed. Her mind seemed to spin within her skull as
she lay on her sleeping mat. She tossed from side to side, dozing
for a few minutes only to be shocked awake by a dream of the angel
visiting her again. Only this time is was just a dream. Frustrated
and angry at her inability to sleep, she tried to force her mind to
drop the topic. Finally, sometime during the night, she slept.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mary opened her eyes
again, after yet another vivid dream. She looked around the dark
room. No one stirred in the inky silence. She looked over at the
closed window, and through the thin cracks between the wooden
shutters she could see the first dark grey shading of the coming
dawn. Still exhausted from her previous days work and lack of sleep,
she lay dozing for a few minutes, but her mind began to rehearse yet
another scenario of her explanation to Joseph. Suddenly, she was no
longer sleepy. With a sigh, she tossed her thin blanket off of her,
rolled to her knees and stood up.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The table was for
one of the Pharisees, a Rabbi Ben-David. Though simple in overall
design, the client had requested a few details to make it unique.
Joseph carefully tapped the iron chisel with the large wooden mallet,
trying to make the grooved design in the leg he was working on match
the other three he had already shaped. He stopped to examine his
work when he heard a soft knock behind him.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turning, he saw Mary
standing at the edge of his outdoor work area.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hello”, he said
in surprise. By mutual agreement and conformity to local custom, she
rarely visited him at his father's shop.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hello,” she
returned as she stepped under the large covering of the shop.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He reached for her
hand to give her a small tactile expression of affection. It was
then that he noticed more details of her appearance.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were tears in
her eyes and her hands were trembling.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Mary, what's
wrong?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joseph, forgive
me for this interruption,” she began, hardly looking into his eyes.
“I … I have something I must tell you.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He had never seen
Mary in such an emotional state. This was so unlike her usual calm,
quiet demeanor. And her last words had caused him to now be on alert
to what she would say next.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is it, my
love?” He tried to keep his voice even, in spite of his mounting
concern.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“S... something
has happened,” she began. Her lips trembled as she spoke. “I
pray you will understand....”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A sickening dread
welled up within Joseph as he absorbed the unusual, breathless
urgency in her voice. Had she changed her mind about their
engagement? Her tear-filled eyes met his for a brief moment, then
she continued. “Joseph, something has happened and I fear you will
think I am moon-struck when I tell you. But it is true, may God
strike me dead if it were not so.” She paused to take a breath.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perplexed, fearful
and curious, Joseph said, “Tell me, dear, what has happened?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mary took another
trembling breath. “Last night ... I was visited... by an an...
angel.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She had said it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With her heart
pounding, she waited for Joseph's reaction.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her dread of what
was about to come was almost more than she could bear.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph jerked his
head back in an involuntary expression of skepticism.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know this
sounds crazy, but it is true,” she said solemnly.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph's mind was
now swirling with many thoughts. One of the many things he loved
about Mary was her quiet spirituality. She listened carefully and
thought deeply about the law and the teachings they received. In
their conversations on such things, she had impressed him with her
understanding and perception. So, now, this revelation was not
something she would say lightly, or without deep, careful
consideration.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph said, “Are
you sure it was not a dream?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,” she said
evenly, looking into his eyes now. “I am sure.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was impressed
with her assurance.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Did.... did he
say anything?” Joseph said after a moment.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,” she
began. “He said....” She paused again. “He said that I am
going to have a baby.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph's first
thought was that this was hardly news to a girl about to be married.
It would be normal and common for a young, health girl to have a
baby.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph spoke this to
Mary.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“No, my love, you
don't understand,” she said quietly. “He was not speaking of
after we are married.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph stood,
holding her hand, still and silent as he absorbed the meaning of her
words.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Before we are
married?” He said with growing distress.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mary nodded as a
tear rolled down her cheek.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How?” He asked.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I don't know
exactly. He said the Holy Spirit will come over me and I will have a
…. boy child. He ….will be.... the Messiah.” She took another
trembling breath. “He said his name will be Eyaysus.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph stood looking
down at the woman he loved with all his heart, as a sickening ache
grew within him. If she had this child before they were married,
what would their families say?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about the
neighbors and elders? They might stone both of them!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As his mind raced,
Joseph stood silent and still. A growing feeling of sickness and
hurt filled him. After so much anticipation and learning to love
this quiet, delightful girl, must he now let her go?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joseph,” her
quiet voice interrupted his swirling thoughts. “Do you... believe
me?” Her dark, tear-filled eyes looking intently up into his, she
held her breath.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph's mind raced.
Her story was beyond strange. Coming from anyone else, he would
have easily doubted such a tale. But he knew how seriously Mary took
her obedience to the law. Given that, it gave her description even
more weight.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,” he said
finally.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this, she
collapsed against him and wept.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His arms encircled
her shaking shoulders as she released her fear and tension.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a minute or
so, she settled down.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joseph, I'm so
scared,” she spoke against his shoulder.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes, I
understand,” he said, gently stroking her hair with his hand.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why have I been
chosen for this?” she said quietly. “I... i am nobody special.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Perhaps you think
so, but God sees you differently.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, she let go
of him and stepped back.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I'm sorry,” she
said, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve. “I fear now I have
brought added shame on you for my improper behavior.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Don't worry about
it. No one saw us that would care.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After a quiet
moment, she said, “What do we do?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I don't know,”
he said with a sigh.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Can we go some
other place?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I don't know,”
he repeated, almost in a whisper. “Any place we go in Israel, we
will surely be shunned.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Or stoned,” she
added.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Perhaps, but not
likely,” he said. “The angel said you would deliver our
Messiah.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You will be
protected somehow.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I do not want to
dishonor you, Joseph,” Mary said.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How can you
dishonor me, giving birth to our Messiah?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You and I may
know my baby is our Messiah, but others will only see a baby boy with
un-married parents,” she said.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A least I assume
he will look like other babies,” she added.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Perhaps, you
could go to Samaria,” he said after a moment.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Perhaps,” she
said in her sweet whisper. “But they might kill me just because I
am a Jew.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,” he said
with a sigh. “They might.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Do you think we
should stay apart for a few days and think through what we should do?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,” he said.
“I don't want to, but you must be protected.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I.... love you,
Joseph. I am sorry I have brought this trouble to you.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sorry?” he
chuckled, in spite of the overpowering decisions that suddenly faced
them. “You have been visited by an angel of God. We must do as
His messenger has said.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I must go now,”
she said abruptly.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He understood her
concern with proper behavior between betrothed couples in their
society.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Shalom,” he
said with a wave, as she turned and walked out of the covered work
area into the street. He forced himself to turn away from where she
had stood. He would have much rather held her in his arms again.
Comforting her also comforted him, as well.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph tried to go
back to his project but concentration was nearly impossible. He was
sick with hurt and concern for his dear betrothed. Losing her was
one thing, protecting her from the laws and customs of their people
was another.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later that evening,
laying on his sleeping mat, his mind raced with possible scenarios
for his beloved. Should he send her away? Should they both leave?
Should they travel together or separately? Should he break the
engagement? What shame would that bring on his family and clan?
What should they do? Finally, he slept.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deep into the night,
a vivid dream filled his mind. An angel, fearful-looking and
authoritative appeared. He spoke with a deep, calm voice, and said,
“Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child she
will give birth to is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a
son and you will name him Eyaysus, for He will save His people from
their sins.”
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joseph came awake
with a jump. He lay there on his mat, looking around the room
quickly. There was no one awake. All was quiet and dark. Yet his
mind could recall every detail and word spoken in his dream of the
angel and his message. He wanted to go tell Mary. But this was not
the hour to be visiting his bride-to-be. His surprise and excitement
settled into a calmness and strength. God had given the answer to
his dilemma. Yahweh would provide a way to fulfill His plan.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After rehearsing the
events of his dream a few more times in his mind, Joseph fell asleep
and rested.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-85566280230558138412012-09-25T08:53:00.000-05:002012-09-25T08:54:52.541-05:00The EndHe made it all the way home before he cried.<br />
The last he saw her, she was standing in the little cell at the animal shelter, trembling.<br />
It is an image that will be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.<br />
He knew it would be painful, and it is.<br />
Though not as painful as his last loss.<br />
<br />
And the circumstances were different this time.<br />
This time, he made the decision about when and why, not some unplanned, unknown circumstance.<br />
But it is still painful.<br />
<br />
He had to steel himself to go through with the task.<br />
It is not something he did easily.<br />
He felt like a zombi as he delivered his dog to the shelter man, trying not to think about what he was doing, emotionally, to himself and to his dog.<br />
He just plowed ahead and did it.<br />
It had to be done.<br />
<br />
He knows that the pain will last for a while.<br />
And there will be the emptiness in the yard and house.<br />
The silence, where other sounds used to be.<br />
No more barking in the night, or scratching on the back door.<br />
Now it will be quiet.<br />
Quiet even when he wished there was some sounds.<br />
It will be quiet now.<br />
Always quiet.<br />
Silence is the sound sadness makes.<br />
<br />
The sad thing is, his dog trusted him.<br />
After all her pain in her early years, she recognized quickly that this place was different.<br />
She had found a home where she was loved and understood.<br />
<br />
She opened herself to him, as much as an animal can.<br />
He was her Alpha.<br />
He provided the food, the prime task of an Alpha.<br />
It was a task he took seriously, and spoiled her with special additions to her bland diet – eggs, oatmeal, meat, leftovers.<br />
It was not something that she really could appreciate beyond the moment of enjoyment.<br />
This, because dogs do not do comparative thinking.<br />
<br />
And for the time they were together, he gave as much of himself to her as he could.<br />
He loved her and gave her as much Tender Loving Care as he could, given the constraints of his life/schedule.<br />
And she responded in the only way an animal can – she wanted to be around him as much as she could.<br />
And she exercised her instincts to warn and protect him from outside threats real and imagined (or at least, not understood).<br />
<br />
The good news is animals do not do comparative thinking.<br />
They live in the moment.<br />
But they do develop expectations about how “things” will go from day to day.<br />
They get used to the daily routine – even if each day has no repeated routine.<br />
So, as shocking as another trip to another kennel is for her, she will adapt.<br />
And she will forgive him.<br />
Because she does not know how to hold a grudge or seek revenge.<br />
She will accept her new life.<br />
She will deal with the changes.<br />
<br />
Perhaps she will find another good home.<br />
At worst, she will be put to sleep.<br />
That is the good news.<br />
After all, she is just a dog.<br />
<br />
The bad news is he feels like he has failed another person.<br />
Another person who trusted him.<br />
Another person who depended on him.<br />
And he has.<br />
This is like getting a divorce.<br />
Again.<br />
<br />
For almost the same reasons.<br />
Almost.<br />
Then, it was because he did not know how to continue to deal with the situation he was faced with.<br />
After years of no change and no knowledge of how the assist in a change, he gave up trying.<br />
So, he ended it.<br />
<br />
This time, he knew how to deal with the issues, but also knew he could not continue to do so.<br />
It was taking too much out of him.<br />
Too much time.<br />
Too much energy.<br />
Actually it was his job that was taking all the time and energy, but of the two elements, the job was more important than the pet.<br />
Priorities force us to make some very difficult decisions sometimes.<br />
This was one of those times.<br />
<br />
So he now must live with the feeling that he has betrayed the trust of a simple animal.<br />
One who trusted him to be different from her past owners.<br />
One who cared and would be her friend.<br />
And it was so for a few months.<br />
Then things changed.<br />
And now he must live with this guilt of betrayal for the rest of his life.<br />
<br />
So this is yet another decision that he will regret the rest of his life.<br />
Actually, he regrets that he ever gave into his heart and adopted this second dog.<br />
Better to have never made a commitment than to make one and break it.<br />
So, along with the emotional pain, is the knowledge of yet another broken promise in his life.<br />
So many broken promises.<br />
So many....<br />
Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-39424161490097439522012-09-08T18:33:00.000-05:002012-09-08T18:33:17.864-05:00Life ChangesAfter four months of searching I have been blessed with a job.<br />
It is not an ideal position but it will supply my needs.<br />
I knew when I pressed the Send button that there was the risk of being hired in this less-than-ideal job.<br />
But the situation worse than having a less-than-ideal job is no job at all.<br />
And I have had six months of that.<br />
So here I am.<br />
<br />
I am working on my Philippians 4:12 skills (along with learning the details of my new job).<br />
To prevent you from having to look it up, it goes like this......<br />
<br />
Philippians 4:12<br />
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.<br />
<br />
What is the job, you ask?<br />
I am a janitor, tasked with cleaning a part of one of the Huntsville city high schools.<br />
My shift is from 3 PM until 11:30 PM.<br />
Most of us get finished with our assigned area by 9 PM.<br />
Sometimes sooner, sometimes later.<br />
When we complete our work, we sit in the cafeteria and wait for our leader to dismiss us.<br />
Sometimes that is earlier and sometimes it is 11:30.<br />
But while we are working, we are moving around – emptying the trash, sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning toilets, cleaning windows and mirrors.<br />
<br />
I am the only white-skinned person on the crew.<br />
I am also the oldest person on the crew.<br />
<br />
One good thing about his job is that it is harassment-free. <br />
Our leed person leaves us alone to do our work.<br />
I want Miss. Wanda to come by to inspect my work to be sure that I am doing my job correctly.<br />
And she does.<br />
But she does not stand over me.<br />
I like that.<br />
I get nervous when someone is standing by, looking over my shoulder.<br />
<br />
As I expected, this job is very taxing on me, physically.<br />
While the work is not hard, as I count hard, I am constantly busy and moving around.<br />
it makes me go home very tired every evening.<br />
Because I cannot do as much as I used to do, or for as long as I used to do, I have had to re-arrange my physical activities.<br />
<br />
I have always hated second shift because of the disruption it causes in my daily life.<br />
This job is no exception.<br />
Here are some of my life changes.....<br />
<br />
No more morning weight workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.<br />
No more morning walks around the neighborhood on Tuesday and Thursday.<br />
No more running on Saturday morning.<br />
I can no longer attend church on Wednesday evenings.<br />
I can no longer attend the meetings of my neighborhood association, neighborhood council, or community watch group.<br />
I have not had a regular dinner until tonight (Saturday) since I started last Tuesday (Monday was a holiday and my last regular dinner).<br />
You cannot cook a steak and prepare a salad at work.<br />
So I eat two lunches, one at lunch time, and one at work.<br />
Just walking the dog each morning is less enjoyable than it was before.<br />
<br />
The pay is just slightly above minimum wage.<br />
But even at this wage, it will be enough to supply my needs.<br />
Even if they start adjusting our pay to actual hours worked instead of padding the timesheets like they are now.<br />
The good part of this job is that it is monday through friday.<br />
I have my weekends off.<br />
<br />
There is talk of some occasional overtime on weekends but I will steadfastly resist such activities. <br />
There are people on the crew who want more hours (= more money) that I will gladly give my extra time to. <br />
<br />
So, am I happy?<br />
Sort of.<br />
<br />
Do I hate my job?<br />
No.<br />
Hate is too strong a word.<br />
<br />
Would I rather be doing something else?<br />
Yes, but it depends on what the other something is.<br />
There are other jobs around that are harder than this one.<br />
With more difficult people to work with.<br />
<br />
I am still looking at Help Wanted ads.<br />
Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-88325763328261342882012-08-03T13:54:00.000-05:002012-08-03T13:58:06.738-05:00Consequences<br />
Patty is miffed at me today.<br />
She has good reason to be – sort of.<br />
Let me explain.<br />
<br />
Last night, Patty awoke from her evening nap at 12:30 AM, came to my bed to be let outside.<br />
I drowsily complied and went back to bed.<br />
We had a pretty good rain yesterday afternoon and the ground was damp.<br />
I was in the bed but five minutes when Patty began to bark.<br />
This was not her usual announcement barks – deep, slow, grouped in fours or fives.<br />
These barks were quick and short, grouped in threes or fours.<br />
I let this go on for a about five minutes then reluctantly decided to investigate.<br />
<br />
Outside, I find Patty with her nose under my utility shed and her butt in the air, tail in full wag.<br />
Evidently, she has found some critter under the shed – perhaps a cat or raccoon.<br />
Patty is running from side to side of the building, furiously digging in the nice soft clay to get closer to her prey.<br />
Her nice white fur, from her elbows down, is a nice dark brown.<br />
This can be seen even in the moonlight.<br />
<br />
I ask her to stop but she pays me no mind, totally absorbed in the nocturnal hunt.<br />
I dread what she will look like when she is done with her adventure, and what I must do to accommodate her dirty state.<br />
I went back to bed, after locking the back door, so she could not reenter the house, disturbed by what was going on in my back yard.<br />
<br />
What do I do?<br />
Lock her out?<br />
Yes.<br />
Give her a bath?<br />
Certainly, but when?<br />
Outside, with the water hose, given her muddy state? (I had just mopped the floor yesterday because of another digging session by the quad-paw.)<br />
But I know she would not like that and would be hard to keep still given that she would have the whole back yard to avoid me.<br />
Or a bath in the tub – the usual method?<br />
And when?<br />
When we first wake up?<br />
Before breakfast?<br />
After breakfast but before her walk?<br />
It might help her dry out to do it then.<br />
Or give her a bath after her walk, when she is tired?<br />
Or...<br />
My mind was a whirl.<br />
Meanwhile, Patty continued to bark.<br />
After another 15 minutes or so of non-sleep I got up again and went out into the back yard.<br />
<br />
Patty was more responsive to my presence this time. (a good sign).<br />
She stopped barking and came over to me.<br />
She was indeed muddy.<br />
And happy to have something to do.<br />
She seemed proud of herself.<br />
<br />
At that point, the critter apparently escaped from under the shed and ran under my rear fence.<br />
Patty gave chase but was too late for a capture.<br />
After sticking her nose under the back fence (and rubbing her chest in more brown dirt/mud), she returned to me (standing on the concrete patio) for affirmation.<br />
I complimented her on her keen senses and advised her to stop barking (which at this point was all but unnecessary – she had stopped barking on her own.)<br />
I advised her to go to sleep, which she seemed to obey by laying down in the grass, and I went back to my bed.<br />
<br />
I lay in the dark, my mind spinning at 10k rpm, regarding what to do with my mud-ball dog.<br />
After ten minutes or so, I turned on the light and began to read my History of the Christian Church, Volume 2. After about 30 minutes, I was ready to try darkness and Alpha brain waves again.<br />
I slept.<br />
<br />
So this is what happened Friday morning and why Patty is ill with me.<br />
I woke up at – correction – I GOT up at 5:50 AM (yes, I slept in...).<br />
Shaved and did my usual Friday weight workout.<br />
I fed Patty her dog food (no embellishments) outside.<br />
I fixed my breakfast, ate it, and cleaned the dishes.<br />
Then got myself ready for our usual dog-man walk.<br />
<br />
I went outside, put the leash around Patty's neck (she is getting better at holding still while I install her chain collar around her neck), and off we went.<br />
We did our usual walk, but I had a plan....<br />
After about 50 minutes we were home again.<br />
I left patty in the dining room while I prepared the bathroom for a doggy bath.<br />
I removed her collars and gently grabbing the skin of her neck, guided her into the bathroom (which she does not like for this very reason).<br />
I lifted her into the tub and began the soaking of her very substantial fur.<br />
<br />
I did my best to clean her muddy legs, paws, chest, and tummy.<br />
Patty tolerated my ministrations as best she could, but it was clear she wanted OUT.<br />
Finally, I was done.<br />
She was glad and did not take much urging to climb out of the tub on to the drying matt. <br />
After a few shakes and towel rubs she was free to go hide in her place of choice.<br />
It was at this point that I got The Look from my dog.<br />
<br />
A mixture of betrayal and disappointment in her eyes.<br />
And body language that said I am ready to run from you again if you have any further plans for me.<br />
But I was mostly done.<br />
<br />
I went to the store to buy our weekly food, leaving Patty inside to air-dry her remaining dampness.<br />
<br />
We are slowly returning to our previous levels of cordiality.<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-54356460085963182422012-07-30T10:44:00.002-05:002012-07-30T10:44:45.126-05:00More On The Theory Of Dog WalkingWalking Patty the dog is an interesting experience.<br />
It also allows me to ponder the differences between Patty and my previous, short-lived dog, Sally.<br />
<br />
First, the basics...<br />
For me, walking the dog is all about the dog.<br />
It provides exercise for the animal, helps her get used to her neighborhood, meet other people and animals, and see other things outside of her fenced-in plot of dirt.<br />
For the most part, I let my dog choose which path/street/direction to go.<br />
I don't care (with qualifications).<br />
I only intervene when I have to, for the safety of the dog or simple convenience (meaning that our presence in/near a situation ahead may cause a disruption that will be bothersome to someone else).<br />
I don't care if she stops and sniffs every other mailbox post, etc.<br />
That is why we are out there.<br />
I watch the time and try to keep our jaunts to about an hour, mostly because I am a scheduled kind of guy.<br />
<br />
When I lived in the country, Woof, my big yard dog was free to roam the fields at will.<br />
He trotted a path around the neighborhood every morning just after sunrise, often with a friend of his from next door.<br />
I observed that the normal pace for a morning explore was a brisk trot with lots of stops to sniff.<br />
I guessed that this was the equivalent to the wolves going on a hunt. <br />
After about an hour, Woof would come home, plop in the driveway and be on station for the rest of the day to guard and protect his two-legged charges.<br />
<br />
I did not take Woof for walks because he did not need any.<br />
If the two-leggers did go for a walk, he came along as a part of the family, but he knew this walk was not for his benefit.<br />
Living in the city is different.<br />
Dogs need to be walked for several reasons.<br />
Now to my observations....<br />
<br />
Sally was a strutter.<br />
She was proud to be a growing big white doggy and when she walked along the street or sidewalk, you could hear her front paws slap the pavement.<br />
Patty is less vigorous.<br />
<br />
Sally liked to be my leader/hunter/protector and she liked to pull me along.<br />
To the point that I had to literally brace myself to hold her back when she wanted to examine something out of leash distance.<br />
I was constantly having to make her stop pulling.<br />
<br />
Patty is less vigorous.<br />
She likes a slight pressure on her neck as we walk, but she is constantly trying to adjust to my pace.<br />
Seldom will she test the tensile strength of her nylon tether.<br />
Often, I have to keep a slight tension on her leash because she is walking very close to me.<br />
If I did not keep this gentle pressure in her string, the chain collar would just fall open.<br />
<br />
In both cases, I am less intolerant of being dragged along on the journey because I understand that the normal pace of a dog on his/her morning walk is a trot.<br />
They are excited to get out and see/smell who has been around overnight.<br />
This is not an urgent pace, but it is clearly exciting to them.<br />
It is important business that they must be about.<br />
It is what they must do.<br />
I am less excited about this task, so I am less enthused.<br />
But I try to go along with the program because I understand the drill, to some extent.<br />
<br />
Still, being dragged along the sidewalk with 74 pounds of tension on the line can be tiring and bothersome, so I do try to moderate it occasionally.<br />
I believe Sally would have been perfectly happy to be pulling me along in a Radio Flyer, if we had one.<br />
Patty, once reminded, does try to moderate her pace.<br />
She is a very compliant dog.<br />
We can likely tally some of Sally's exuberance to her youth.<br />
She may have settled down had she been allowed to live long enough.<br />
<br />
Sally was the explorer of the two dogs.<br />
Once she got used to one path, a process that took just two or three trips, she was ready to blaze a new trail.<br />
She took me all over the neighborhood.<br />
She never took the same path two day in a row.<br />
<br />
And she wanted to sniff both sides of a road.<br />
Everything needed to be checked.<br />
<br />
Patty is 180.<br />
I let her choose the direction of our walk the first morning and we basically walk the same course every morning.<br />
Sometimes she explores the church grounds that is on our route (like yesterday) and sometimes she ignores it (like today).<br />
But these are minor variations to a very predictable pattern.<br />
And she is content to stay on the sidewalk.<br />
Rarely will she seek to sniff something across the street.<br />
<br />
Only today, did she seek to turn and go down a street she has never traveled.<br />
This path actually led to two other streets she has never been on.<br />
True to her form, Patty stayed on one side of the street and did not zig-zag from side to side very much.<br />
<br />
We shall see if this breaks her walking pattern.<br />
These are streets that Sally knew well.<br />
<br />
Sally liked to run.<br />
When she got excited (like when greeting another dog), she wanted to run to burn off the energy such situations generated in her.<br />
Being a runner, I always complied.<br />
One reason was because I know that Great Pyrenees dogs are not long distance runners.<br />
They will lumber along for a few hundred feet, then slow to a walk.<br />
Three or four sessions like this during an hour walk and they are done for the day.<br />
This may have been a symptom of Sally's youth that would have diminished with time.<br />
We will never know.<br />
<br />
Patty trots.<br />
Period.<br />
She stops and assesses her item of interest for several seconds.<br />
Sometimes a full minute.<br />
Then walks on.<br />
Only occasionally will Patty trot and even more rarely will she run.<br />
And then, only a few dozen yards.<br />
<br />
Sally did all of her biological business in her yard.<br />
While on a walk, she seemed to not care if other animals knew who she was or where she had been.<br />
So, she seldom left any momentos for the other animals to sniff.<br />
<br />
Patty is the opposite.<br />
She saves her liquid and semi-solid gifts for the neighbors yards.<br />
So I must attend to our walks with the appropriate baggage.<br />
Patty will squat 20 or so times on our walks.<br />
And provide two bags worth of other material along the way.<br />
From my observations, Patty is a very healthy dog.<br />
I am not sure why it is so important for Patty to mark her path so often.<br />
<br />
I am sure there are more differences between these two interesting creatures, but I have run out of items for today.<br />
.Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-4811092173800042332012-07-04T15:03:00.000-05:002012-07-04T15:03:18.020-05:00The Progress of Patty the Pooch<br />
Patty is a sweet, smart dog.<br />
It is difficult to believe that she was mistreated before I found her.<br />
She responds to her new name (Patty) without any special training on my part.<br />
When she misbehaves (mainly trashcan diving) she acts contrite just from my voice inflections.<br />
She has never yet messed in the house.<br />
And Patty does not play with my dirty clothes. (like my former fuzzy friend did...)<br />
<br />
Around food she is mostly well-behaved.<br />
She did steal something off the dining table once when left unattended.<br />
This may have been because she did not know the rules as much as being a sneak.<br />
Most of the time, she just sniffs and looks and licks her lips.<br />
We will see how she does in this area.<br />
<br />
Early on she was nervous about fast hand movements, but that seems to be mostly gone.<br />
Occasionally, she will shy away from a fast hand movement, especially by strangers.<br />
<br />
Her initial resistance to being on a leash is nearly all gone.<br />
She does well 99 percent of the time and only occasionally tries to pull away.<br />
Patty is learning to negotiate with me on pace and direction during our walks.<br />
<br />
My philosophy is that walking a dog is for the benefit of the dog, not the human.<br />
It is not a victory lap to show off my trophy animal for all the neighbors to admire.<br />
It is to exercise the dog and allow her to get used to her area.<br />
So some of the pace and direction of the walk should be left up to the dog.<br />
My overrides to her decisions are mainly for her safety or a time constraint.<br />
<br />
Early on, there was some resistance to having a collar around her neck.<br />
But that went away the second day I had her.<br />
Now she has a collar on all the time since then (except for her bath).<br />
<br />
Today, I started using a chain choke collar for her walk, - as I did with Sally - to see how she would respond.<br />
She did fine.<br />
Zero resistance to having a new, heavier piece of hardware around her neck, and she responded well to the new feel.<br />
As with Sally, I use it only for walks.<br />
Sally liked to pull me along, apparently from the need to be my guide through the neighborhood.<br />
Patty is more relaxed.<br />
She will spend most of a walk with a loose leash at my side or just ahead of me.<br />
<br />
My goal with the choke collar is to keep it loose most of the time, with just a small amount of tension on it so she knows I'm there.<br />
If she needs some guidance, then more tension can be applied – typically, very little is needed and only for two or three seconds.<br />
If more urgent or aggressive guidance is required, the choke function is there to mimic the teeth of an Alpha pack leader administering discipline.<br />
But the need for this last application is rare.<br />
<br />
Often times, Patty will respond at just a quiet word from me.<br />
She is learning my command, “wait”.<br />
Which means to stop at the end of a sidewalk before walking into the street.<br />
The command involves a slight tug on the leash to let her know the needs to stop.<br />
Sally was learning it, too.<br />
Patty is already tuned into this command.<br />
<br />
She is doing well with my other commands, “this way” (some other direction than the one she is going), and “be with me” (= “heel”).<br />
As you can see, I do not do traditional dog commands.<br />
I just talk to them like I talk to peoples.<br />
They get it. (the dogs....)<br />
<br />
My version of the traditional command, “come” is “come here”.<br />
We are still working on this one.<br />
There is no real problem here, I just have not spent much time training Patty.<br />
Mainly because she is so smart and well-behaved.<br />
We have not spent any time on “sit”, “stay”, or “lay down”, yet.<br />
Interestingly, I have told her to lay down on two occasions and she laid down.<br />
I don't know if she really understood the command or if she was just lucky.<br />
I was impressed, nonetheless.<br />
<br />
The summary of all of this is that Patty has not been as difficult to adjust to (and seemingly, vice versa) as I was expecting.<br />
I do not know what her former life was like, but she seems to be doing just fine here.<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-30007583068642483342012-06-30T19:57:00.001-05:002012-07-01T06:47:54.787-05:00Patty - Post opPatty had her internal female parts modified Thursday.<br />
I delivered her a 7 AM, per instructions, and picked her up at 4 PM that afternoon. <br />
<br />
She was barely able to walk at pick-up time.<br />
I had to help her into the car.<br />
Once home, she had no appetite not even for water.<br />
She wanted to stay outside even though it was very hot (100), I thought she would be more comfortable inside.<br />
I prevailed because she was in no shape to argue.<br />
Bad idea.<br />
<br />
She got sick and barfed on the gym room carpet. (a common reaction to anesthesia, I understand)<br />
So I let her out for a while.<br />
After a couple of hours she requested to come inside and I accommodated her.<br />
She slept all night in her two favorite locations - next to my bed against the wall, with her head on the A/C vent, or, in the dining room on the cool vinyl floor, in front of her little fan.<br />
<br />
Friday morning Patty was better but in obvious pain/discomfort.<br />
She spent the morning going from place to place in the house, trying to find a comfortable place/position.<br />
She was sleep for a while in each spot then have to get up and find another spot.<br />
She even went to places she has never slept before - head under my bed, under my keyboard, in the gym room, in the back storage/workshop room.<br />
<br />
Sometime at mid-morning Patty drank some water.<br />
This was a good sign as she had gone over 24 hours with out drinking anything.<br />
When she woke up from her noon nap, she nibbled at her food.<br />
More good.<br />
And when I scratched her, her tail responded with more enthusiasm.<br />
<br />
By Friday evening, Patty was eating small snacks every couple of hours.<br />
I responded by giving her some roast turkey bits along with her dry dog food.<br />
<br />
Saturday morning Patty wanted out at 4:30 AM - her usual time.<br />
I let her go out and went back to bed for few minutes before I needed to get up for my weekly run.<br />
<br />
THE RUN<br />
<br />
I felt tired Saturday morning.<br />
I knew that I would break no records during this mornings jog but that was of little concern to me.<br />
The big deal was to finish the whole distance with no stops or injuries.<br />
That goal was accomplished, but not without some challenges.<br />
First, my tiredness wanted part of me to whine about how hard this was.<br />
The firm, consistant answer to that was "shut up and run".<br />
And run we did, even though I was forced into Level 3 breathing for the last third of the party.<br />
<br />
Second, was my left leg.<br />
It had some muscle/nerve/connection problem that made each step chirp some undefined complaint.<br />
It felt like a neurological issue except that there was some low-level pain in there also.<br />
Every time I moved my leg forward to take the next step, there was a vague pain around my Sartorius muscle upper connection. (the muscle that lifts the leg forward toward the body.)<br />
Or some place near there.<br />
And as I placed my foot and the weight of my body transfered to my left leg, my thigh muscles acted like they did not want to support my weight.<br />
A precursor to my left leg collapsing.<br />
Not good.<br />
That is the bad news.<br />
<br />
The good news is that I finished my four-mile run with no problems.<br />
No stopping.<br />
No collapsing.<br />
No broken parts.<br />
Woo hoo.<br />
<br />
Patty - Day 3 Post Op<br />
<br />
Patty was much better today.<br />
Her tail was up to at least 90% full wag.<br />
She was hungry and more playful/responsive.<br />
I cooked her an egg to go with her dog food, for breakfast.<br />
She went outside a few times and barked a few times (her first utterances since being sliced upon).<br />
She slept more comfortably and could not get enough food.<br />
All good signs.<br />
<br />
The day was not without its troubles.<br />
Patty trangressed the Tradition of the Elders - twice - this afternoon.<br />
She dove into the kitchen trash can and stole the egg shells from this mornings breakfast.<br />
For this, she was banished to the back yard.<br />
<br />
Thirty minutes later, she fished something else out of the same can to sniff/lick/taste.<br />
Out to the back yard she went again.<br />
<br />
When I invited her back inside a few minutes later, she refused.<br />
She wanted to enjoy the 104 degree heat.<br />
She would show me.<br />
<br />
After about an hour, she requested entry to the coolatorium.<br />
Which I granted.<br />
It appears we are still friends.Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-54875745037009201862012-06-23T16:42:00.000-05:002012-06-23T16:42:00.477-05:00Patty n Me - Day 2We slept better last night - about 6 hours.<br />
She spent the night in the narrow (24 inch)space between my bed and the wall.<br />
She seemed to do a lot less scratching during the night.<br />
<br />
I put her out when I went running at 5:30.<br />
She was a bit stressed but hopeful.<br />
When I returned an hour or so later, Patty was glad to see me (duh).<br />
<br />
THE RUN<br />
<br />
The run itself was a total success (again - I am spoiled with blessings)<br />
Because of my lack of sleep, I felt tired from the time we woke up at 4:30 AM.<br />
I let Patty out but she seemed to have no urgency in her.<br />
She came in and I went back to bed hoping to doze off for a little while before my "official" wake up time of 5 AM.<br />
The time came too soon and I was not ready.<br />
I would have slept-in another half hour but I wanted to get done what I planned to do.<br />
So I got up and began the day.<br />
<br />
From my first steps on the course I could feel the tiredness in me. (does that make sense? Do we "feel" what is not in us or just what remains?)<br />
But my strategy was, as always, do what I can do.<br />
So I did.<br />
<br />
The session really did not go that badly.<br />
The long uphill was a challenge but not significantly more than other times.<br />
In fact, I did better than I have at other times (faster breathing, etc)<br />
On the return loop a part of me flirted with the thought of "stop and walk for a minute or two".<br />
Ego, Runner, Coach, and Running Central, all said "no" to that idea.<br />
Tired equals slower, not, stop and walk.<br />
So I finished my weekly four-mile loop in good shape. (no pains, no injuries, no stops)<br />
<br />
PATTY<br />
<br />
After a shower, we had breakfast together and she did not eat all I gave her.<br />
That brought flashbacks of dark events 8 weeks ago.<br />
She was also very calm/sleepy lying on the kitchen floor on her side.<br />
More concern.<br />
But my worries were unfounded, it seems.<br />
<br />
I ate my eggs and let her lick the plate.<br />
She liked that and was obviously surprised.<br />
While I washed the dishes, Patty took turns laying on the cool kitchen<br />
floor and playing with her new tennis ball in the back room.<br />
<br />
Then, after doing the dishes, I let her out in the backyard again.<br />
This time, the neighbor dogs were out and started to yap.<br />
Patty seemed to want to play with them (a first in my seeing).<br />
She was galloping around the yard when I left her.<br />
I went food shopping (including a 50 p bag of dog food...)<br />
<br />
When I returned, she was lying in the shade next to the fence and did<br />
not hear me.<br />
I unloaded the car then let fur-face in.<br />
After everything was put away, I decided to take her for a short walk<br />
to do some more leash training.<br />
<br />
The walk was a slow affair.<br />
I had to let her test/examine every new bark and smell and sound.<br />
And she has to learn to come around each telephone pole and mailbox on<br />
my side (as Sally did so amazingly).<br />
We went around the smallest, nearest block, as I had planned.<br />
I did not intend for this to be an extended session.<br />
She needs to get used to a lot of stuff - me, the leash, the noises,<br />
dogs, smells of the neighborhood, etc.<br />
It just will take some time.<br />
<br />
A highlight of our walk was when she allowed a neighbor lady to pet her.<br />
Patty was VERY cautious at first, but within two or three minutes,<br />
scratches were being received.<br />
The lady has a rescue dog, as well, so she knows the drill.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow will be a test because I will be gone for almost four hours at church.<br />
Patty may not know how long because she cannot read a clock.<br />
<br />
Interesting factoid - Patty came to the shelter the same week Sally<br />
died - four days apart.<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-65258874068870064302012-06-22T10:59:00.000-05:002012-06-22T10:59:23.858-05:00THE FIRST NIGHT WITH PATTYI don't know if this is going to work.<br />
<br />
My nights sleep amounted to about three or four hours.<br />
Hers must have been about the same.<br />
At midnight she seemed like she wanted to play.<br />
Midnight is not my play time.<br />
<br />
She loves my attention. (duh).<br />
She does not lick me - not face, not hands - she nuzzles with her<br />
nose. (using her nose, she wiggled it into my relaxed hand and moved<br />
my fingers so that I would scratch her)<br />
She does not jump up on me, but does lift her front paw to get my attention.<br />
She has laid down on her side/back and allowed me to rub her chest and<br />
tummy - which she seems to LOVE.<br />
She seems a bit hyper at times and when I rub her tummy, I do it very<br />
slowly, which seems to calm her.<br />
She is not as ticklish as Sally - very little hind leg kicking when I<br />
pet various parts.<br />
<br />
<br />
Patty is a sweet dog.<br />
But....<br />
She has some issues.<br />
<br />
1 - she cannot stand to be away from me.<br />
If I leave her alone in the back yard for longer than five minutes,<br />
she tries to get out.<br />
I have seen her trying to climb over my low gate (to go where?)<br />
<br />
2 - she is hot natured.<br />
She pants like a freight train (steam).<br />
All night.<br />
I fixed a little fan for her in the dining room and she laid in front<br />
of it for a few minutes off and on, but she preferred to sleep next to<br />
my bed.<br />
I turned on the ceiling fan for us, which, no doubt, helped a little.<br />
<br />
3 - She has allergies.<br />
Evidently, Patty is allergic to my carpet. (or something....)<br />
She spent the night gnawing and scratching herself.<br />
At first I thought it was left-over fleas but her fur is pure white<br />
down to her pink and tan skin.<br />
I have not seen a single flea on her.<br />
When she is in the kitchen for a while or outside, she does not scratch as much.<br />
<br />
It occurred to me this morning that Patty may be an "Inside" dog.<br />
<br />
Sally was an outside dog from her third day with me as a puppy.<br />
She liked being inside with me, but she was happy to play and sleep in<br />
the backyard all day and night, hot, cold, rain, snow, whatever, with just visits inside at meal time.<br />
This was changing (spending more time inside as she matured), but I<br />
think she would have always preferred to be outside most of the time.<br />
<br />
Patty is very well behaved inside.<br />
She does not try to climb on the furniture/bed, she does not try to<br />
play with my clothes, she has not wet or plopped in the house (yet).<br />
<br />
More later.Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-15552065080585558042012-06-19T16:10:00.000-05:002012-06-19T16:10:47.397-05:00Testing The Waters For A New DogNo, I have not died.<br />
Just busy, and not much to say.<br />
<br />
What follows is my report to my sister on my visit to a rescue kennel to inquire about a Great Pyrenees dog.<br />
…...................................<br />
<br />
I just got back from the SPCA Kennel in Pisgah, Alabama.<br />
It is about 80 miles away.<br />
I met "Perl". (her name given by the kennel).<br />
I went into her "cage" and sat on the floor by the gate, Perl stayed<br />
outside in her little area.<br />
She wagged her tail tentatively but would not come closer than about 12 feet.<br />
She has a very raspy bark, but did not bark very much.<br />
The manager/lady gave me some doggy snacks to use to entice Perl to<br />
come nearer to me.<br />
I sat there for about an hour and she (the dog) would come no closer<br />
to me than about three feet, and then only to quietly pick up the<br />
treat and take it outside to eat it.<br />
<br />
Finally, I gave up.<br />
The dog was obviously sweet and wanted to engage, but was scared or<br />
shy and was uncomfortable around me/stranger/male(?).<br />
If I lived closer and could come over every day or so for a week, I<br />
felt that we could gradually bond, but that was not possible with the<br />
distance as it is.<br />
<br />
The manager offered to bring the dog into the lobby.<br />
I agreed.<br />
She said I would have to help her carry the big dog through the rear<br />
kennel area to the lobby.<br />
I agreed (suspicious that the dog, who did not want to engage me alone<br />
would allow me to touch her and carry her hind end).<br />
But the dog allowed us to pick her up and carry her into the lobby<br />
with no problems.<br />
<br />
Once she was in the lobby she was a different dog.<br />
Her tail wagged off and on, she sniffed around a bit (there were<br />
several cats in cages in there).<br />
The lady broke out some kind of doggy snack that looked like a baby<br />
hot dog. (different from what she gave me in the kennel)<br />
She fed Perl a couple of bites then she gave it to me and I broke off<br />
a bite and offered it to the dog.<br />
She ate it out of my hand immediately.<br />
<br />
Soon, Perl was allowing me to pet her (gently) all over her. (head,<br />
ears, neck, chest, back, hips, etc)<br />
She had a serious case of fleas, but was otherwise in good shape.<br />
She does NOT like a leash and wants to pull away when one gets put on her.<br />
But Perl was well behaved even when distressed.<br />
She reminds me of Sally in her coloring.<br />
I told the lady that I wanted to think about whether to take her or not.<br />
<br />
In anticipation of a possible transfer, the lady took Perl into the<br />
washing area to give her a bath (she needed it...)<br />
Just before she took the dog into the wash area, Perl was standing<br />
next to me, with her head pressing against the side of my leg,<br />
allowing me scratch her head and ears. (was this a "bond"?)<br />
While the lady sprayed the shampoo on the dog, she stood quietly in the wash area,<br />
enduring her bath.<br />
<br />
I am scared to take this animal.<br />
I am not sure why.<br />
It is clear that she needs some training and some time to adjust from<br />
a bad beginning, but she is clearly a sweet animal with a calm<br />
disposition.<br />
I argue with myself - what's not to like?<br />
All we need is some time.<br />
<br />
As much as I wanted to treat Sally right, I feel a double<br />
responsibility to rehabilitate "Perl" if I were to adopt her.<br />
We do not know all that she went through as a puppy other than she was starved.<br />
At the best, she was just neglected.<br />
She has no scars to indicate any worse treatment.<br />
This weighs on me - irrationally, I suspect.<br />
The good news is, dogs don't expect much others.<br />
…..................................<br />
<br />
Stay tuned....<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-1923809974878815342012-05-26T19:33:00.001-05:002017-03-25T11:55:14.516-05:00Status Revision<br />
The Run<br />
<br />
The run this morning was interesting.<br />
I did not get as winded as I have the last two sessions – meaning going into level three breathing in the first half mile.<br />
….....................<br />
Level 1 = normal, every-day breathing rhythm – a breath every two or three seconds.<br />
Level 2 = preferred running breathing rate of one in and out cycle every four steps.<br />
Level 3 = accelerated breathing rate of one in and out every three steps.<br />
Level 4 = all out panting reserved for emergencies, and short end-of-race sprints of one minute or less.<br />
…........................<br />
I know you all wanted to know that.<br />
<br />
So today I was able to hold my breathing to a more comfortable rate which MAY mean that I was stronger that the last two weeks.<br />
Assuming this is so, I do not know why it is so.<br />
I have not felt sick or “weak”.<br />
The previous two weeks performance MAY have been an Indication of the stress I was feeling because of 1) the death of my dog, and/or 2) looking for a job.<br />
While I was not conscious of any exceptional stress during that time, it was there.<br />
Which begs the question, Why was this session any different/better?<br />
To which I reply, I don't know.<br />
<br />
My dog is still dead and I am still unemployed.<br />
Starting a new job is even more stressful than being unemployed, methinks.<br />
So, why the improved performance?<br />
I don't know.<br />
<br />
There is one possible motivator – the Cotton Row race is this coming monday.<br />
While that could easily be intimidating to me, it is also exciting.<br />
I have been watching my diet all this past week, cutting down on my carb intake to diminish my abdominal flab a bit.<br />
Even though my practice course today does not cover any of the roads that the 5K race will cover on Monday, I still thought about the race today.<br />
The other good news is, no body parts squawked today.<br />
There were a few minor mumblings from left foot, knee and hip in the first quarter mile, but all of these hushed up as we all got warmed up.<br />
<br />
Speaking of warmed up – weather was mid-60s and a bit humid.<br />
While it is not “ideal” running weather, I prefer it to 15 degrees with a 20 mph head-wind and sleet falling on me in the dark.<br />
So I would rather sweat than have freezing nose/hands/ears/toes.<br />
<br />
ON THE DOG FRONT<br />
<br />
What is a dog front?<br />
Never mind.<br />
I have a method for dealing with my passions/desires sometimes.<br />
If I find myself wanting something for a long enough period of time, I get tired of arguing with myself about it.<br />
I may make a list of the pros and cons of such a purchase/project, or I may write a scenario of my life with the desired object/circumstance.<br />
And sometimes I take some preliminary steps to actually acquire the desired item.<br />
<br />
This last step may seem like a temptation, but it is actually a measured step to snap the imaginary desire to have the item with a dose of reality.<br />
Such as, if I wanted a particular new car.<br />
One way to kill the desire is to go test drive the car and talk with the sales person, and see the BIG numbers on the sticker in the window.<br />
Thus, the realization that I cannot afford the new toy will sink in and my desire will cool.<br />
I have done this similar method before and it works for me.<br />
<br />
So, for the last week, I have been debating about whether to get another dog.<br />
I even went online and found two candidates within 30 miles or so.<br />
Both of these dogs are in shelters and are full-grown.<br />
I pondered and argued with myself for several days over this.<br />
So yesterday I called one of the shelters to inquire about one of the dogs.<br />
I found out the details of the animal and the cost to adopt ($150).<br />
I told the lady that I would think about a visit.<br />
That ended my curiosity. <br />
<br />
The truth is, I cannot afford another dog.<br />
I am unemployed and have small chance at landing a job at my age (67).<br />
If I do not find something, I may have to file for bankruptcy before the end of the year.<br />
Not complaining, just stating a fact.<br />
<br />
I am now deathly afraid that any new dog I get will also get sick and die.<br />
I do not have the income to pay for more doctor bills.<br />
The dog now lying in the hole in my back yard cost me $450 and died 34 hours after the doctor gave her a clean bill of health.<br />
I dread going through the emotional trauma of another loss like I just went through.<br />
<br />
If I DO get a job, it will reduce my free time, which I need to spend (some) with the new dog.<br />
I cannot get a dog and then leave it alone in my back yard all the time.<br />
That is not fair to the animal.<br />
What is the point of that?<br />
But I still have that one percent desire/interest of getting another dog.<br />
That is my heart speaking.<br />
My head says, no.<br />
No way.<br />
For many reasons.<br />
<br />
We will see who wins.<br />
<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-89438317611775860302012-05-19T10:50:00.001-05:002012-05-19T10:50:33.953-05:00The One Percent DecisonI promise I will not keep boring both of you with this topic but I need to purge a few last thots about it.<br />
<br />
As I noted in an earlier blog, just a few seconds after Sally died, the thot came to my mind, “this is my last dog”.<br />
I was not crying then, or even grieving at that moment. (that would come a few minutes later...)<br />
I was as coldly lucid as I have ever been in my life.<br />
I was tending to my friend as a doctor and friend.<br />
Observing every detail of her last minutes of life, trying to comfort her as much as possible.<br />
<br />
I did not dwell on it then, but I have had some time to ponder the thot since then (and my subconscious dreams have worked through more of the possible scenarios and details, it seems).<br />
In addition, several of the well-wishers who have stopped by or otherwise expressed kind thots and feelings to me, have asked if I plan to get another dog.<br />
To all I have said, no.<br />
<br />
Would I LIKE another dog?<br />
Under certain conditions – yes.<br />
Do I NEED another dog?<br />
No.<br />
Do I WANT another dog?<br />
No. (not in my present or foreseeable circumstances)<br />
<br />
This is not a decision made out of bitterness or anger or emotional distress of the moment.<br />
It is coldly logical.<br />
All of the reasons why I did not want a dog in the first place last year, still hold – small yard, lack of time to devote to the animal, etc.<br />
I love animals in general, I love dogs in particular, and I love them enough to want to avoid placing them in circumstances that will make them uncomfortable, unhappy or unhealthy.<br />
And now that I am looking for a full time job (again...) I will have less time to devote to an animal, should I be successful in that quest.<br />
<br />
And I have told some that this is a 99 percent firm decision.<br />
The one percent is to allow me to change my mind at some point in the future.<br />
Maybe.<br />
<br />
But my subconscious mind, it seems, has already run several scenarios for the one percent decision.<br />
It has been only as my conscious mind probed some questions related to this topic that I discovered that I already had come to some conclusions about them.<br />
<br />
Here they are:<br />
<br />
Scenario 1<br />
<br />
I wake up one day (or come home from work/errand/church) and find a large, open box on my door step with a puppy in it.<br />
Donor - unknown.<br />
I can choose to keep the little creature or I can take it to the Huntsville Animal Services office and let them deal with it.<br />
Outcome depends on my situation at the time of discovery.<br />
<br />
Scenario 2<br />
<br />
I wake up one day (or come home from work/errand/church) and find a dog lying (alive) on my porch, in my yard, etc. tail tentatively wagging.<br />
This could be a small puppy, an older puppy, or a full-grown dog.<br />
Circumstances for the arrival of the animal – unknown.<br />
I can choose to keep the creature, seek to find its owner or I can take it to the Huntsville Animal Services office and let them deal with it.<br />
Outcome depends on my situation at the time of discovery.<br />
<br />
Scenario 3<br />
<br />
I go to the Huntsville Animal Services office (which is about three miles from my house...) to seek a new dog for my yard and life.<br />
This is done simply out of desire to have a new fuzzy friend.<br />
The new animal could be a puppy or a more mature animal depending on how the introductions go at the animal facility.<br />
Sometimes you know right away, other times, you take a chance and the relationship develops over time.<br />
This would only be done if my life situation allowed me to devote the proper amount of time and effort to training/caring for the animal.<br />
<br />
Scenario 4<br />
<br />
I contact the same people who provided Sally the Dog, contract for another animal from the next litter and get a more-or-less exact replacement for the big white dog I used to have.<br />
This, knowing that no two dogs are ever the same, even of the same breed, even from the same mother, even from the same litter.<br />
So I know from the this moment that no other dog will be an exact replica of Sally.<br />
I am under no delusions about this.<br />
We will learn each other and develop a relationship based on how our personalities interact.<br />
The new dog will be named Patty.<br />
<br />
Frankly, I am amazed that my mind has constructed each of these possibilities without my authorization.<br />
If you were to call me delusional, I would not argue.<br />
<br />
Below are the last pictures of me and my dog.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKDKFZkMABYykwrZY68tJLxoklk89JdKGXnvtZzNQhq1tt3xBVnJEVjj4lffburfawi7785DJtlcRFJmTPuCSLf-96mpQhSZA7i39SCvLEdbJtXJGHfnXJkxZH_-o3YxN0w_yzg/s1600/Sally+n+mee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="352" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKDKFZkMABYykwrZY68tJLxoklk89JdKGXnvtZzNQhq1tt3xBVnJEVjj4lffburfawi7785DJtlcRFJmTPuCSLf-96mpQhSZA7i39SCvLEdbJtXJGHfnXJkxZH_-o3YxN0w_yzg/s400/Sally+n+mee.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgortAArRoO8CTDMN9M0Lnq2pgadyYfc1WDOLi9Mmko_5b1mZ_GAXm4PWqPPW3DBbb7i9D1wIKkXrHHGW8qkIxIKox02nlo-m3F-pkHJpl5TxoCRJNjtexrrZqlueqoiVvfIPVCEA/s1600/The+last+pic+of+Sally.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgortAArRoO8CTDMN9M0Lnq2pgadyYfc1WDOLi9Mmko_5b1mZ_GAXm4PWqPPW3DBbb7i9D1wIKkXrHHGW8qkIxIKox02nlo-m3F-pkHJpl5TxoCRJNjtexrrZqlueqoiVvfIPVCEA/s400/The+last+pic+of+Sally.JPG" /></a></div><br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-68629766207409354972012-05-12T20:24:00.001-05:002012-05-12T20:24:10.829-05:00Leftovers...LEFTOVERS<br />
<br />
It was one week ago tonight that my dog died.<br />
Strangely, it seems both longer than that, and as if it were last night.<br />
But I am slowly moving on.<br />
<br />
I can go long stretches of time without feeling the strong, sad emotions of a few days ago.<br />
But when they come now, they come so suddenly that they surprise me.<br />
Like today while I was shopping for groceries.<br />
I guess I got too close to the pet supply aisle.<br />
I actually did not go into that area and I did not consciously look there.<br />
But I guess I subconsciously saw some pet stuff peripherally from where I was and that set me off.<br />
The emotion came suddenly and I fought to suppress it just as quickly.<br />
Then it was over, leaving me with just another reminder that that big white dog meant more to me than I realized.<br />
There is still a lot to learn about myself, it seems.<br />
<br />
THE RUN<br />
<br />
I tried to go to bed earlier last night so I would be rested for my four-mile run this morning.<br />
I tried.<br />
It was still after ten before I switched off the light.<br />
I slept pretty good most of the night but had to get up about four-something to piddle.<br />
Because it was so close to my regular getty-up time I had a bit of a battle getting back to sleep.<br />
And as usually happens in this situation, I was just getting good and snuggly asleep when my alarm gently poked in my ear drum.<br />
Now, too sleepy to want to get up, I turned off the alarm and resumed sleeping with my mental clock set for ten more minutes.<br />
And sure enough, that is what my head did.<br />
<br />
I rolled out of the Royal Bed and began my pre-run ministrations.<br />
<br />
The run went well the first three miles.<br />
I felt reasonably strong, though my breathing went into level 3 before I was one mile into the party. (level 3 is one in-and-out breathing cycle every three steps)<br />
But I was more or less comfortable and bopped along without a problem.<br />
<br />
But after walking up most of Mountainwood Drive, my left knee began whining loudly as I began running again.<br />
The reason for this is unclear.<br />
I had not done any fancy footwork, stepped in any holes, landed badly with that foot, etc.<br />
<br />
But the ligament under the front of my left kneecap was NOT happy.<br />
And it told me about it every single step I took.<br />
Loudly. (read: painfully)<br />
So much so that Runner, Coach and Running Central were in intense discussion about whether to stop running and walk a while.<br />
The pain felt similar to someone poking the end of a small piece of wood into the bone behind my lower left knee ligament.<br />
<br />
The consensus was to keep going and see if things could be sorted out.<br />
So I continued on along Tollgate Road trying subtle changes in the way I put down my left foot to see if I could make the pain go away.<br />
Nothing seemed to help, but after half a mile or so, I realized that the sharp pain had gone away.<br />
It was replaced with a dull, muted mumble of mild discomfort.<br />
This was easy enough to bare that the conference was cancelled.<br />
I finished the run feeling delightfully tired and jacked up on my endorphins.<br />
All in all, another good run.<br />
<br />
There were several other runners out this morning.<br />
The big Cotton Row race is in two weeks.<br />
I am running in the 5K this year with the wife of a friend from church who is a new runner.<br />
This will be her first race.<br />
This will be my 135th race or something like that.<br />
I don't know.<br />
It doesn't matter, really.<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-73184779174608741382012-05-12T08:03:00.002-05:002012-05-12T08:03:54.297-05:00Almost...Well, I almost made it through the day without a crackup.<br />
Almost.<br />
I cleaned my back door off today, to remove all the dried muddy paw<br />
marks, and slobber residue.<br />
I did fine.<br />
I can look at the grave in the back yard and just feel an emptiness now.<br />
<br />
I hung my bed sheets out on the clothesline today for the first time<br />
this year without any concern that someone would see them as a game<br />
and pull them off.<br />
I managed that okay, too.<br />
All the toys are picked up and safely in the landfill, inside and out.<br />
<br />
I still go the back door and look in the back yard out of habit.<br />
I know there is nothing to see out there now.<br />
Just the grass with that little patch of brown dirt out next to the fence...<br />
But I go anyway, and look.<br />
I don't know why.<br />
Maybe just to test myself in some way.<br />
<br />
But as I was pondering what to fix for dinner tonight, I saw the beef<br />
strips in the refrigerator I bought for my friend two weeks ago.<br />
I had cooked them so that they would be ready to warm up and mix with<br />
her corn-ball food.<br />
I could not decide if I wanted to have dinner from Mexican Express, or<br />
fix something here, maybe using those un-used beef strips.<br />
And somewhere in my attempt to make a decision, I lost it.<br />
It kind of surprised me.<br />
<br />
Meal time was a special time for us.<br />
Breakfast and dinner.<br />
We would eat together....<br />
Well, we ate separately but at about the same time.<br />
Just a few feet apart in the same room.<br />
<br />
She would always finish hers first.<br />
It was never enough.<br />
And she would shadow me as I sat down at the table with whatever I had fixed.<br />
In the last couple of months she had settled into a routine of sitting<br />
or laying next to my chair, or at my feet under the table and quietly<br />
wait while I ate.<br />
Sometimes her paw would settle on my foot.<br />
<br />
And I spoiled her by letting her lick the last residue from my plates<br />
or bowls when I was finished.<br />
Then while I washed the dishes, she would play in the back room with<br />
some of her toys.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the place where my chair sits while I eat, is the exact<br />
spot where she choose to lie down for the last time.<br />
Did she knowingly choose that spot to die?<br />
Or was that a coincidence?<br />
Somehow I doubt it.<br />
But sometimes I try to read too much into situations.<br />
<br />
Still a ways to go....<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-37998968820652728632012-05-09T09:00:00.004-05:002012-05-09T09:01:13.139-05:00Second GuessingI caught myself second-guessing my actions in the last days of Sally the dog again this morning.<br />
If only I had done this, or not done that.<br />
If had known she was going to die so soon Saturday night, I would have stopped reading the stupid book I was reading and sat with her in the dining room that whole last hour.<br />
(Jesus said, "What, could you not watch with me one hour?" Matthew 26:40)<br />
<br />
Then my mind goes to the thought I had Sunday morning as I was going through this line of thought,<br />
<br />
She does not care now.<br />
She does not hurt now.<br />
She holds nothing against you.<br />
<br />
The truth is, Sally just wanted to be near me.<br />
She expected very little from me.<br />
She had no expectations about what I could do to ease her discomfort or heal her illness.<br />
She only knew that she was sick/uncomfortable.<br />
My time with her those last three days was all she expected and thus, all she wanted.<br />
All she knew to receive from me was food (which she could not use at the time), water (which I provided for her and she drank the first two days), physical proximity (which meant I was interested in her), my occasional petting/scratching/rubbing, and my occasional chatter.<br />
The truth is, even when I was busy doing other things, she was happy just to be near me in the same room, or in the room next to me, or in the same house with me.<br />
<br />
If you watch two healthy dogs, they occasionally play with each other, which involves running/chasing each other, chewing/biting each other, and pawing/touching each other.<br />
At other times, they simply lay near each other.<br />
Occasionally they will sleep touching each other, but not always.<br />
The key element in friendship/relationship for a dog is proximity.<br />
I have learned this over the last 20+ years and did my best to apply this understanding to this relationship with this dog.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, only humans pet/scratch animals.<br />
Animals do not do this among themselves, though they will occasionally lick each other.<br />
<br />
The human element in my relationship with my dogs is that I talk to them.<br />
Not in a squeaky baby-talk voice, but in a regular tone, like I would a child or adult.<br />
I understand that dogs do not understand english (or any human language), but they do understand the emotion/energy (as Cesar calls it) that we humans have.<br />
Over time, they learn what we want them to do and not do, and we learn what they like to do and not do.<br />
<br />
The animal I named Sally was just a dog.<br />
Although humans and some animals can develop strong relational bonds, in the final analysis, animals are still just animals.<br />
It is easy for we humans to over-interpret the actions and thinking of our pets.<br />
<br />
I still catch myself feeling guilty for some of the things I did or did not do with Sally.<br />
The truth is, she probably did not notice.<br />
Even if she did, she did not hold it against me.<br />
<br />
I miss my dog.<br />Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31165268.post-36984354650607666842012-05-08T08:10:00.003-05:002012-05-08T08:10:42.858-05:00My First Walk Alone Since....<br />
<br />
I promise this will not go on forever.<br />
But I have to purge my mind/heart of this pain.<br />
And I am getting better.<br />
<br />
I walked around the neighborhood this morning at dawn.<br />
This is the first time I have done this in several months.<br />
My daily walks with Sally had become my exercise walking time.<br />
Now I am back to the solitary method.<br />
It felt both strange and comfortable.<br />
<br />
While walking, I think about stuff.<br />
Not unexpectedly, my thoughts lately have been predominantly introspective.<br />
And perhaps a bit selfish.<br />
One thought I had this morning was, did I even have a big white dog?<br />
Were the last 150 days real?<br />
Or did I just imagine it all?<br />
<br />
I did okay for most of my walk, but my mind wandered into forbidden territory toward the end.<br />
I was in the last quarter mile of my walk and my mind replayed my last 20 minutes with Sally.<br />
Why do we do this to ourselves?<br />
I don't know but I did it.<br />
Again.<br />
How many times in the last two days have I tortured by heart with a re-run of those last twenty minutes or so?<br />
<br />
I remembered when I came into the dining room to check on her, her tail did two weak flops.<br />
It was her acknowledgment that she knew I was there and she appreciated my presence.<br />
She was giving me all that she could at that moment.<br />
Two little tail wags was all she had left to give to me.<br />
<br />
I lost it then.<br />
Right in the middle of the street.<br />
I kept going, struggling to get my childish boo-hoo's under control.<br />
It took a few long seconds, but I managed.<br />
<br />
It will be hard not to think of her when I walk alone again because we walked these streets together.<br />
I see things that she found worthy of a extra sniff.<br />
<br />
Sorry to prattle on....Pawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003672216646451102noreply@blogger.com1