Thursday June 24th, Day 116....Ran 4 miles. Yesterday I ran 3 miles. Total so far: 198/ Miles to go: 802
Realized I got my numbering off in terms of number of days I have been on this challenge and had to correct it. Maybe the lesson is that I need to return to my daily blogging. Need some gently razing from readers about where are the posts. Have gotten lazy. In part my excuse is that this summer by teaching summer school at 7:50 at night, by the time I get home at 10 or later I just don't feel like writing. But I know that is just an excuse and that if I sit down and start I will be able to write. But here I sit Friday morning with first cup of coffee trying to wake up.
Learned something last night in class. In a case we were discussing I was explaining that when a loan is in trouble the lending is often faced with the "Hobbesian" choice between advancing more money to save the company (which the bank might lose if the company cannot turn around and become successful) or calling the loan and suffering a loss, perhaps at once or if this action forces the company into bankruptcy. I asked the class if anyone knew what I meant by a Hobbesian choice. No one raised their hand. One student volunteered that he had heard the expression before. He thought maybe Hobbes was some philosopher.
Disappointed I went on a little rant about how we have lost some of our common cultural underpinnings when concepts are not shared between generations, etc. I then explained in my pompous professorial manner, that a Hobbesian choice meant a choice between two alternatives, neither of which were very appealing...a dilemma, no pain free solution.
After class, a student called to me and I went to his chair. He had googled Hobbesian choice and discovered that I was not quite right. It is actually "Hobson's" choice, named after an English livery man, not Hobbesian after the philosopher Hobbes. It also does not mean a choice between two bad alternatives, but rather, a "take it or leave it" choice. Seems Hobson would tell his customers they could take the first horse in a stall or nothing as he did not want to take the time to show them all his horses.
I was a bit chagrined by my mistake in usage, but also was placated a little by the google commentary that explained that my mistake in both attributing the idea to philosopher Hobbes and believing it meant the dilemma of no good choices, was a common mistake. But it made me wonder what other word uses I had assumed I was educated enough use were actually incorrect.....oh well, if I have to make the Hobson's choice of not using phrases I think I know for fear of making a mistake or using them, I will go on using them. Wait, did I use Hobson's choice correctly in that sentence? Oh well, and lest you think I am the only one with this problem, below is a little article making fun of another lawyer who may have used Hobbesian choice wrong....in an argument before the U.S. Supreme Court! Life is Good!
Peter Wood
Archive E-mail Latest
April 21, 2003 8:50 A.M.Hobbesian Choice An oral translation.
I thought that's what I heard Mr. Payton said, but I had to wait for the transcript to be sure. John Payton is the lawyer who argued the University of Michigan's case to the Supreme Court in Gratz v. Bollinger on April 1.
His defense of racial preferences in undergraduate admissions was amazingly inept. Listening to it, I began to wonder whether diversiphiles are paying an unexpected price for having ostracized all dissenting opinions for the last two decades. Perhaps by having refused to debate the issue on campus, they now don't know how to debate it in Court.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -No, that's probably not it. Maybe Mr. Payton was just having a bad day. Justice Scalia asked him why, if the University of Michigan put such a high value on diversity, it didn't just lower admission standards for everybody. Mr. Payton thought that approach would impose an unwelcome choice, which is what prompted his remark about a "Hobbesian choice." What in the world is a Hobbesian choice?
It sounds a bit like a Hobson's choice. Tobias Hobson was an innkeeper in 17th-century Cambridge, England, who gained lasting fame for requiring those who wanted to rent a horse from his stable to take whichever horse was in the stall next to the stable door. Hobson's approach was praised by the Spectator as a way of ensuring that "every customer was alike well served, according to his chance, and every horse ridden with same justice." But the phrase has come to mean a "choice" in name only: an imposition.
So was Mr. Payton objecting that Justice Scalia's question implied no real choice for the University of Michigan? That doesn't seem right. To the contrary, Justice Scalia's question pointed to existence of choices that the University could make within the law. It could set high standards and apply them consistently to all students regardless of race or it could set lower standards and apply them consistently to all students regardless of race. It could take the horse in the stall next to the stable door, or any other horse in the stable so long as he agreed to treat that horse fairly. No Hobson's choice there.
So presumably Mr. Payton didn't mean "Hobson's choice." A "Hobbesian choice" must be something else. A choice like that made by Thomas Hobbes, the English political theorist best known for his justification of monarchy, The Leviathan? A choice that once weighed on Hobbes the stuffed tiger in Bill Watterson's comic strip "Calvin & Hobbes"?
Thomas Hobbes is perhaps best known for his exceptionally gloomy view of the human condition. Humans, he thought, are driven most basically by a "restless desire of power after power." If men are not subjected to a king or other dominant authority, they live, said Hobbes, in a state of war "of every man against every man." That condition puts all in "continual fear and danger of violent death; and [makes] the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
So did Mr. Payton mean that, in the absence of racial preferences, the state of Michigan would be reduced to the Hobbesian state of nature, with the war of all against all? That is, I suppose, one way of considering race neutral college admissions criteria. Every student for himself. Still, I doubt that the result of race-blind admissions in Ann Arbor would lead to an increase in the number of students who elect the solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short lifestyle.
If Mr. Payton was in fact referring to Thomas Hobbes, he may have been paying wry tribute to the guiding spirit of diversity. After all, Hobbes is a kind of patron saint of illiberal oppression. He not only favored a powerful central government but, like today's diversiphiles, recognized the merits of high-minded obfuscation. Hobbes recommended encouraging people not to think too deeply about official rationales, lest they discover the phoniness inside. "For it is with the mysteries of our religion, as with wholesome pills for the sick, which swallowed whole, have the virtue to cure; but chewed, are for the most part cast up again without effect."
So with diversity? Swallow it whole and it will work, but start to chew it over and all the magic effects of "critical thinking," promotion of democratic participation, and loads of good fellow feeling will be lost?
I understand that lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court have only a few precious minutes, and many of those are taken up with answering questions. Thus they have to give pithy answers and sometimes depend on sly allusions that may convey a lot to the Court but can puzzle laymen. Mr. Payton appears to be a master at this kind of coded communication.
And therefore he may have intended to combine this erudite reference to Thomas Hobbes with his comic-strip namesake, the skeptical plush toy tiger whose shares the adventures of Calvin, the six-year-old boy with the hyperactive imagination. In the strip, the dubious Hobbes repeatedly gets into the transmorgifier with Calvin knowing it will propel them into mischief and disaster. The Hobbesian choice, in this context, is to assume unwanted adult responsibility — and I can understand why Mr. Payton would object to that. He would rather transmogrify unqualified kids into college students.
But perhaps I am misreading Mr. Payton's remark. It may be that he was not referring to the transmorgifier episodes, but to some other Calvin & Hobbes adventure. "Attack of the Snow Goons?"
The New York Times, the Washington Post, and dozens of other news outlets are busy spinning the story of what happened at the oral arguments. Essentially they are saying that higher education's "diversity" doctrine looks like it will survive the twin legal challenges of Grutter v.
Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. That could be, but I read the Court differently. Several of the justices — including some who are thought to be soft on racial preferences — asked the University of Michigan's lawyers skeptical questions.
That day diversity's defenders came across as stridently self-righteous and pretty sloppy about the details. Mr. Payton's aversion to making a "Hobbesian choice" captures that perfectly.
— Peter Wood is author of Diversity: The Invention of A Concept and a professor of anthropology at Boston University.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day 113 A room with no view! By By pitbulls!
Monday June 21st Ran 6 miles. Miles so far 191/ Miles to go 809. Bought two weekly grands and the Wednesday lotto ticket. Won 4 dollars on the Weekly Grand so my $5 investment became only $1. Gambling investment so far $63/ Winnings $37...Total losses $26
Ran 6 miles at lunch. It felt good to be in such a mileage deficit reduction mode. Two days in a row at six miles. But all afternoon I was dragging and I had to teach my class at 7:50 so by the time I got home around 10:15 I was really tired. I stopped at the Kroger to get some essentials. We were out of paper towels and I needed contact lens solutions and new tooth brush and some face and body soap, etc. Since I am trying to do more high protein Atkins kind of eating I picked up some fiber mix because one of the recommendations from my roto routering was to be sure I had plenty of fiber in my diet. Orange flavor...will be like my morning OJ with out the OJ lol. By the time I checked out, my little stop for a few items ended up costing around $70. I wonder how that is possible.
Yesterday as I filled up a water bucket to water the four large crepe myrtles that I planted in from of my house which do not look too good in this 100 degree heat and are certainly not blooming yet like most of their older cousins at other houses on my block, I realized that I had lost my 1960s era kitchen window view. My house is in a vintage sixties ranch style home neighborhood. I am one of the few with an upstairs. Next door the son of the woman who owned the house is moving back in after her death and has been renovating for what seems like forever. He is cheap and seems to always hire contractors whose prices are too good to be true because they aren't. Then they walk off the job leaving him with half finished projects and more expense than if he hired a good one to begin with.
From my kitchen window I used to have the vista of a chain link fence through which I could see into his yard and see an old fashioned clothes line...yes the original I am sure. It always reminded me that when I was a kid I used to hang by my knees from the cross beams of cloths line poles until one time when there was still dew on one and I slipped bumping my head and injuring my pride more than anything else. I don't know if kids do that sort of thing anymore. It may have died along with tree climbing and bottle rocket wars. I even remember coming home one time from Tony Komen's house covered in peach juice. He had several peach trees in his yard and several of the neighborhood gang had participated in a rotten peach fight. The pits could really hurt if they hit you square on. It was a much more rough and tumbled world I suspect that many kids of my contemporaries where mothers arranged "play dates" at public parks where kids could be watched 24/7. I remember leaving the house after breakfast and returning after dark for dinner. Oh well....I know my younger readers and thinking "and you trudged six miles to school in the snow yada, yada, yada...
Back to my kitchen window view, before all the renovation began, the side and back fences of my neighbor's house were hidden by very mature shrubs so that after looking through his yard, I saw just the hedge and the tops of neighbors' trees beyond. It was a pleasant, pastoral sight. The first time I realized that this was going to change was when I heard the chain saw and looked out to see all the side yard hedges being unceremoniously chopped down. I wondered how long they had stood there. The naked stumps looked so forlorn and suddenly through now revealed chain links I could see the next neighbor's yard which contained a large tent like structure covered with ugly blue plastic in which he keeps pit bulls that we suspect are used for fighting. I am told the police have been to his house many times and he has many tickets, etc. The owner of the bulls is the son of the house owner I am also told. In any event this view was no substitute for the nice line of 12 foot hedges.
My neighbor had decided he needed an 8 foot wooden privacy fence and three contractors and several weeks later, it is up. Now from my kitchen window I see the metal poles and wooden slats of his castle walls....bad news...no more shrubs....good news, no more blue caped killer dog tent, bad news...my vista is gone. I plan to plant some vine or something on my side of the fence so over time I will see something other than the ugly side of the fence. But this entire episode made me long for a simpler time of chain links and clothes line poles....
More on vistas in a later post.....but life is good!
Ran 6 miles at lunch. It felt good to be in such a mileage deficit reduction mode. Two days in a row at six miles. But all afternoon I was dragging and I had to teach my class at 7:50 so by the time I got home around 10:15 I was really tired. I stopped at the Kroger to get some essentials. We were out of paper towels and I needed contact lens solutions and new tooth brush and some face and body soap, etc. Since I am trying to do more high protein Atkins kind of eating I picked up some fiber mix because one of the recommendations from my roto routering was to be sure I had plenty of fiber in my diet. Orange flavor...will be like my morning OJ with out the OJ lol. By the time I checked out, my little stop for a few items ended up costing around $70. I wonder how that is possible.
Yesterday as I filled up a water bucket to water the four large crepe myrtles that I planted in from of my house which do not look too good in this 100 degree heat and are certainly not blooming yet like most of their older cousins at other houses on my block, I realized that I had lost my 1960s era kitchen window view. My house is in a vintage sixties ranch style home neighborhood. I am one of the few with an upstairs. Next door the son of the woman who owned the house is moving back in after her death and has been renovating for what seems like forever. He is cheap and seems to always hire contractors whose prices are too good to be true because they aren't. Then they walk off the job leaving him with half finished projects and more expense than if he hired a good one to begin with.
From my kitchen window I used to have the vista of a chain link fence through which I could see into his yard and see an old fashioned clothes line...yes the original I am sure. It always reminded me that when I was a kid I used to hang by my knees from the cross beams of cloths line poles until one time when there was still dew on one and I slipped bumping my head and injuring my pride more than anything else. I don't know if kids do that sort of thing anymore. It may have died along with tree climbing and bottle rocket wars. I even remember coming home one time from Tony Komen's house covered in peach juice. He had several peach trees in his yard and several of the neighborhood gang had participated in a rotten peach fight. The pits could really hurt if they hit you square on. It was a much more rough and tumbled world I suspect that many kids of my contemporaries where mothers arranged "play dates" at public parks where kids could be watched 24/7. I remember leaving the house after breakfast and returning after dark for dinner. Oh well....I know my younger readers and thinking "and you trudged six miles to school in the snow yada, yada, yada...
Back to my kitchen window view, before all the renovation began, the side and back fences of my neighbor's house were hidden by very mature shrubs so that after looking through his yard, I saw just the hedge and the tops of neighbors' trees beyond. It was a pleasant, pastoral sight. The first time I realized that this was going to change was when I heard the chain saw and looked out to see all the side yard hedges being unceremoniously chopped down. I wondered how long they had stood there. The naked stumps looked so forlorn and suddenly through now revealed chain links I could see the next neighbor's yard which contained a large tent like structure covered with ugly blue plastic in which he keeps pit bulls that we suspect are used for fighting. I am told the police have been to his house many times and he has many tickets, etc. The owner of the bulls is the son of the house owner I am also told. In any event this view was no substitute for the nice line of 12 foot hedges.
My neighbor had decided he needed an 8 foot wooden privacy fence and three contractors and several weeks later, it is up. Now from my kitchen window I see the metal poles and wooden slats of his castle walls....bad news...no more shrubs....good news, no more blue caped killer dog tent, bad news...my vista is gone. I plan to plant some vine or something on my side of the fence so over time I will see something other than the ugly side of the fence. But this entire episode made me long for a simpler time of chain links and clothes line poles....
More on vistas in a later post.....but life is good!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day 109 Wonderful Fathers Day Weekend but I think Nolan Ryan should stick to Baseball!
Sunday, Day 109, Ran 6 miles, also ran 1.5 miles on Saturday. Total so far 185/ Miles to go 815
Did not win lottery Saturday and they did not have any weekly grands at the Exxon where I purchased my lotto ticket. May buy one today on the way to work. Gambling investment so far: $58/ Winnings $33 Loses $25
Was a wonderful Fathers Day Weekend. I love June....double goodies of my birthday and Fathers Day. Friday oldest and dearest friend, Nickie, whom I have known and loved since the 6th grade, cooked me a lobster and shrimp salad at her beautiful Lakewood Home. Over crisp Chardonnay we laughed about good times we have had over the years and conspired to visit the mountains of Mexico again soon....maybe for her birthday in August.
Friday night son Eric and wife Karla treated me and Karla's Dad, Mike, to Korean Barbecue at a local Richardson Restaurant. I love that place and it is the same one where two weeks or so before I celebrated by birthday with friends. It was a Fathers Day meal fit for a king and I left stuffed and content and mellow (helped I am sure by the Korean potato vodka I shared with Karla!)
Saturday friend, Pat Parise treated me to brunch at Cyclone Ananas, a trendy Mexican restaurant named for the founder, a famous wrestler whose half naked pictures are found all over the walls. A scotch mary (bloody mary made with scotch instead of vodka....yum) accompanied my eggs scrambled with spicy choriso (mexican sausage) and cheese. This was another late birthday lunch.
Lunch was followed by a short nap then a work out at Golds Gym at their north Dallas location with Gym Rat. Part of my routine now is to add weigh lifting to the running and Gym Rat should have been a personal trainer. We worked legs and arms and this helped overcome some of my guilt for not running on Friday and for all the meals and celebrations. Ran only 1.5 miles though, so that meant another "deficit day" i.e. a day of less than 3 miles. If I am going to meet my goal I have to reduce these deficit days and increase the "deficit reduction days" i.e. days of more then 3 miles, which I plan to do.
Gym Rat took me to the Black Eyed Pea, for a country birthday dinner. The yeast rolls and corn bread are to die for and the vegetables (fresh mashed potatoes with skins on and lightly breaded crisp fried okra) were also good. I made the mistake, however, of ordering the Nolan Ryan sirloin steak which was about at tough and tasteless as a baseball hit off of a Ryan fast ball....why do we think that fame has anything to do with quality when it comes to another field of interest? The two large onion rings that accompanied the steak and the nice bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms tried their best to make up for the poor quality of the meat....but they failed miserably!
After dinner, we decided to try out the Kings Spa. Gym Rat had never been and had heard about it. It was packed with families, mostly Korean, and most of whom were there for the night. It stays open 24 hours on the weekends and there were kids everywhere and people sleeping on mats and couches. If you are not Korean and want to feel like you are in another country you do not need to purchase an expensive ticket to the far east. Just go to the Kings Spa late on Saturday night. We did enjoy the time in the hot pools and sauna and some of the specialty saunas and the banana shake I got at the restaurant in the middle of the spa, which was open late, was very tart and tasty.....not too sweet. Unfortunately Gym Rat's mango shake was not sweet enough. Oh well, it was not his birthday/fathers day month.
Sunday I went to the Dedman Center at SMU to run only to find that it was closed and would not open until 1. So I went back to Golds Gym uptown and ran 6 miles which felt really good, especially as it was a big deficit reduction day. I hope to run at least 4.5 miles Monday.
The run and late night tired me out so I took a long nap. Of course loved talking to the kids and hearing their well wishes for Fathers Day. I was a little melancholy to no longer have my dad to call, but thought of him with fond memories. The weekend ended with a dinner of pork spare ribs at Cyclone Anayas, this time with Gym Rat. They were excellent, falling off the bone no need for a knife tender and a little spicy. The margarita with sangria swirl was as tasty as it was pretty.....and I told Dr. Atkins where he could stick it as I stuffed the chips and hot sauce in my mouth...vowing that Monday I would return to the low carb lifestyle but this was my weekend and a little splurge I could overcome. Life is Good.
Did not win lottery Saturday and they did not have any weekly grands at the Exxon where I purchased my lotto ticket. May buy one today on the way to work. Gambling investment so far: $58/ Winnings $33 Loses $25
Was a wonderful Fathers Day Weekend. I love June....double goodies of my birthday and Fathers Day. Friday oldest and dearest friend, Nickie, whom I have known and loved since the 6th grade, cooked me a lobster and shrimp salad at her beautiful Lakewood Home. Over crisp Chardonnay we laughed about good times we have had over the years and conspired to visit the mountains of Mexico again soon....maybe for her birthday in August.
Friday night son Eric and wife Karla treated me and Karla's Dad, Mike, to Korean Barbecue at a local Richardson Restaurant. I love that place and it is the same one where two weeks or so before I celebrated by birthday with friends. It was a Fathers Day meal fit for a king and I left stuffed and content and mellow (helped I am sure by the Korean potato vodka I shared with Karla!)
Saturday friend, Pat Parise treated me to brunch at Cyclone Ananas, a trendy Mexican restaurant named for the founder, a famous wrestler whose half naked pictures are found all over the walls. A scotch mary (bloody mary made with scotch instead of vodka....yum) accompanied my eggs scrambled with spicy choriso (mexican sausage) and cheese. This was another late birthday lunch.
Lunch was followed by a short nap then a work out at Golds Gym at their north Dallas location with Gym Rat. Part of my routine now is to add weigh lifting to the running and Gym Rat should have been a personal trainer. We worked legs and arms and this helped overcome some of my guilt for not running on Friday and for all the meals and celebrations. Ran only 1.5 miles though, so that meant another "deficit day" i.e. a day of less than 3 miles. If I am going to meet my goal I have to reduce these deficit days and increase the "deficit reduction days" i.e. days of more then 3 miles, which I plan to do.
Gym Rat took me to the Black Eyed Pea, for a country birthday dinner. The yeast rolls and corn bread are to die for and the vegetables (fresh mashed potatoes with skins on and lightly breaded crisp fried okra) were also good. I made the mistake, however, of ordering the Nolan Ryan sirloin steak which was about at tough and tasteless as a baseball hit off of a Ryan fast ball....why do we think that fame has anything to do with quality when it comes to another field of interest? The two large onion rings that accompanied the steak and the nice bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms tried their best to make up for the poor quality of the meat....but they failed miserably!
After dinner, we decided to try out the Kings Spa. Gym Rat had never been and had heard about it. It was packed with families, mostly Korean, and most of whom were there for the night. It stays open 24 hours on the weekends and there were kids everywhere and people sleeping on mats and couches. If you are not Korean and want to feel like you are in another country you do not need to purchase an expensive ticket to the far east. Just go to the Kings Spa late on Saturday night. We did enjoy the time in the hot pools and sauna and some of the specialty saunas and the banana shake I got at the restaurant in the middle of the spa, which was open late, was very tart and tasty.....not too sweet. Unfortunately Gym Rat's mango shake was not sweet enough. Oh well, it was not his birthday/fathers day month.
Sunday I went to the Dedman Center at SMU to run only to find that it was closed and would not open until 1. So I went back to Golds Gym uptown and ran 6 miles which felt really good, especially as it was a big deficit reduction day. I hope to run at least 4.5 miles Monday.
The run and late night tired me out so I took a long nap. Of course loved talking to the kids and hearing their well wishes for Fathers Day. I was a little melancholy to no longer have my dad to call, but thought of him with fond memories. The weekend ended with a dinner of pork spare ribs at Cyclone Anayas, this time with Gym Rat. They were excellent, falling off the bone no need for a knife tender and a little spicy. The margarita with sangria swirl was as tasty as it was pretty.....and I told Dr. Atkins where he could stick it as I stuffed the chips and hot sauce in my mouth...vowing that Monday I would return to the low carb lifestyle but this was my weekend and a little splurge I could overcome. Life is Good.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Day 106 - Take Care of Your Mother!
Thursday, June 17th, Ran 3.3 miles/ Total so far 177.5/ Miles to go 822.5! Gambling - did not win lotto or weekly grand Wednesday :) Total investment so far $57/ Winnings $33 Net Loss $24!
Got up at 4 am to catch the red eye back to Dallas Wednesday. Gym Rat Picked me up at DFW Airport. But before he arrived as I was waiting in front of the terminal a husband and wife with a boy about 11 drove up. As the father unloaded the pick-up truck and said his goodbyes it became apparent that his wife and son were going to visit her father for father's day. There were the customary kisses and hugs and his wife wished him a happy father's day too. Then, as the son and wife walked off and were about to enter the terminal the father yelled to his son "Son, remember what I told you. Take care of your mother!"
I was so touched. What a wonderful value to be instilling in that young boy. In a world where parents lavish children with things and experiences and we have televisions shows about spoiled girls and 16th birthday parties, how great to remember the responsibilities that come with being a son or a daughter. And the admonition was also a recognition of the role of being a man in the future and all that entails.
I remember that my father had to drop out of school in the 9th grade to take care of his mother and younger two brothers when his family was abandoned for a while by an alcoholic father. Not and easy time. He moved his mom and brothers to Little Rock Arkansas were there were more jobs and started working in a drug store.
Gym Rat teaches in a public school and is always asking his students what they do for their parents who work so hard and buy them so many things....and asking indulgent parents what the expect from their kids and why they do not require them to do their homework, etc. I am glad that this family reminded me a this value. I think that television and movies have contributed to this in some way by how parents and adults in general are portrayed. Usually kids are portrayed as smarter and parents as idiots. It may be funny but not such a great signal or role model for the next generation.
Oh well, off my soap box. Despite it all Life Is Good!
Got up at 4 am to catch the red eye back to Dallas Wednesday. Gym Rat Picked me up at DFW Airport. But before he arrived as I was waiting in front of the terminal a husband and wife with a boy about 11 drove up. As the father unloaded the pick-up truck and said his goodbyes it became apparent that his wife and son were going to visit her father for father's day. There were the customary kisses and hugs and his wife wished him a happy father's day too. Then, as the son and wife walked off and were about to enter the terminal the father yelled to his son "Son, remember what I told you. Take care of your mother!"
I was so touched. What a wonderful value to be instilling in that young boy. In a world where parents lavish children with things and experiences and we have televisions shows about spoiled girls and 16th birthday parties, how great to remember the responsibilities that come with being a son or a daughter. And the admonition was also a recognition of the role of being a man in the future and all that entails.
I remember that my father had to drop out of school in the 9th grade to take care of his mother and younger two brothers when his family was abandoned for a while by an alcoholic father. Not and easy time. He moved his mom and brothers to Little Rock Arkansas were there were more jobs and started working in a drug store.
Gym Rat teaches in a public school and is always asking his students what they do for their parents who work so hard and buy them so many things....and asking indulgent parents what the expect from their kids and why they do not require them to do their homework, etc. I am glad that this family reminded me a this value. I think that television and movies have contributed to this in some way by how parents and adults in general are portrayed. Usually kids are portrayed as smarter and parents as idiots. It may be funny but not such a great signal or role model for the next generation.
Oh well, off my soap box. Despite it all Life Is Good!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Day 104 Conquered Central Park!
Tuesday, June 15th Ran 6.2 Miles/ Miles so far: 174.2/ Miles to go 825.8
What a glorious run today. Taka and I ran all the way around Central Park....6.2 miles from Columbus Circle to Harlem and back. The weather was perfect and the Park is beautiful in summer....much of the run was under a canopy of huge old trees of many varieties. People who have not been to Central Park have no idea what an urban oasis it is.
What made me especially happy was that when I began this blog in March, Leigh and I ran at Central Park and the 2.5 mile loop was all I could do. So to be able to run the long loop and almost triple the mileage felt really good. I have to admit, it was not easy and there is one steep hill after you turn the corner of the park and head back from Harlem towards Columbus Circle that is a killer and I did not know if I would make it. I kept thinking of the children's book of the little engine that could. Taka was good at encouraging me to and we stopped along the way for water.
After the run and a quick shower, we went to the park across from the apartment at World Wide Plaza and ate take out Japanese food which we washed down with vodka cranberry in tall thermoses. It was a perfect lunch after a wonderful run which I followed with a nap.....wish I could recreate more of those days....in fact...think I will! Life is Good!
What a glorious run today. Taka and I ran all the way around Central Park....6.2 miles from Columbus Circle to Harlem and back. The weather was perfect and the Park is beautiful in summer....much of the run was under a canopy of huge old trees of many varieties. People who have not been to Central Park have no idea what an urban oasis it is.
What made me especially happy was that when I began this blog in March, Leigh and I ran at Central Park and the 2.5 mile loop was all I could do. So to be able to run the long loop and almost triple the mileage felt really good. I have to admit, it was not easy and there is one steep hill after you turn the corner of the park and head back from Harlem towards Columbus Circle that is a killer and I did not know if I would make it. I kept thinking of the children's book of the little engine that could. Taka was good at encouraging me to and we stopped along the way for water.
After the run and a quick shower, we went to the park across from the apartment at World Wide Plaza and ate take out Japanese food which we washed down with vodka cranberry in tall thermoses. It was a perfect lunch after a wonderful run which I followed with a nap.....wish I could recreate more of those days....in fact...think I will! Life is Good!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Day 103 Prosciutto and Fig Sandwich....who would have thought it?
Monday, June 14th, Day 103 Ran 3 miles/ Miles so far 168/ Miles to go 832
Was a wonderful day in new york. I wish I were here all week instead of having to return on Wednesday. "Summer's Lease has all to short a stay." to quote Shakespeare. I slept in late and after my coffee went to the Gold's Gym on 54th near 8th, just a few blocks away where I ran three miles on the treadmill. I could have gone further but I have promised my close friend, Charles Michell that we would have brunch and he was picking me up with a cab at 49th and 9th avenue at 1. After a quick shower and change I walked the block from our apartment at 49th and 8th and at the appointed hour Charles and the taxi arrived. Charles is a world class voice coach and has a company called the Voice Bank which if anyone is interested in making money doing voice overs, they should contact for on line coaching. He has lived in New York since moving here right after college and we share the same age and birth month. It was his and my birthday celebration that I last wrote about.
Charles said we were heading to the Village (Greenwich Village to non-New Yorkers) to get out of our neighborhood. We were dropped off in its heart and just sauntered down a few tree lined narrow streets till we stumbled upon a small little Italian restaurant with an outdoor seating area. The weather was perfect as was the ambiance and I ordered some kind of fru fru fruity drink with various fruit liquors and an open faced sandwich which had prosciutto ham and figs on that Italian bread that begins with a F that I can never pronounce.
I have patterns that I seem to follow (some would say ruts) when it comes to ordering at restaurants. I either get the same thing every time I go to a restaurant because I love it and that is the reason I go to that restaurant; or I get what I consider the "gold standard" for that type of cuisine to see how the restaurant measures up....usually for the first time I try it so I would order meat lazzannia at an Italian restaurant or Cheese Enchiladas at a Mexican, etc.; or I order something I have never had and would probably never make......hence the figs and ham sandwich was was actually very tasty and was paired with a small green salad. I ended my repast with a crisp glass of proseco while Charles ordered a cappuccino and nibbled on a few cookies they supplied. I was a wonder brunch which I followed with a nice nap back at the apartment.
After my nap I met daughter Leigh for coffee across the street at our neighborhood Starbucks. She was grabbing a quick bite before going to Proof Reading Class. Later I met a friend for Thai food down the street and a couple of beers. Soon it will be sleep time and a wonderful day will be just another memory....but Life is Good!
Was a wonderful day in new york. I wish I were here all week instead of having to return on Wednesday. "Summer's Lease has all to short a stay." to quote Shakespeare. I slept in late and after my coffee went to the Gold's Gym on 54th near 8th, just a few blocks away where I ran three miles on the treadmill. I could have gone further but I have promised my close friend, Charles Michell that we would have brunch and he was picking me up with a cab at 49th and 9th avenue at 1. After a quick shower and change I walked the block from our apartment at 49th and 8th and at the appointed hour Charles and the taxi arrived. Charles is a world class voice coach and has a company called the Voice Bank which if anyone is interested in making money doing voice overs, they should contact for on line coaching. He has lived in New York since moving here right after college and we share the same age and birth month. It was his and my birthday celebration that I last wrote about.
Charles said we were heading to the Village (Greenwich Village to non-New Yorkers) to get out of our neighborhood. We were dropped off in its heart and just sauntered down a few tree lined narrow streets till we stumbled upon a small little Italian restaurant with an outdoor seating area. The weather was perfect as was the ambiance and I ordered some kind of fru fru fruity drink with various fruit liquors and an open faced sandwich which had prosciutto ham and figs on that Italian bread that begins with a F that I can never pronounce.
I have patterns that I seem to follow (some would say ruts) when it comes to ordering at restaurants. I either get the same thing every time I go to a restaurant because I love it and that is the reason I go to that restaurant; or I get what I consider the "gold standard" for that type of cuisine to see how the restaurant measures up....usually for the first time I try it so I would order meat lazzannia at an Italian restaurant or Cheese Enchiladas at a Mexican, etc.; or I order something I have never had and would probably never make......hence the figs and ham sandwich was was actually very tasty and was paired with a small green salad. I ended my repast with a crisp glass of proseco while Charles ordered a cappuccino and nibbled on a few cookies they supplied. I was a wonder brunch which I followed with a nice nap back at the apartment.
After my nap I met daughter Leigh for coffee across the street at our neighborhood Starbucks. She was grabbing a quick bite before going to Proof Reading Class. Later I met a friend for Thai food down the street and a couple of beers. Soon it will be sleep time and a wonderful day will be just another memory....but Life is Good!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day 102 New York State of Mind
Sunday, June 13th, Day 102 Ran 4.5 miles on Wednesday and 4.5 miles on Friday and 3 miles on Saturday. Miles so far, 165/ Miles to go 835. Gambling investment so far $54, won 2 dollars on Wednesday with weekly grand and 4 on Saturday for a total winnings so far of $33 Means I am down $21!
Flew to New York on Thursday for a seminar and a little vacation. Leigh moved this weekend from her Mid Town Times Square apartment to a 5th floor walk up in China Time. Taka, Leigh and took two cabs and drug all her stuff out of old apartment and into the new. I am totally exhausted. Happy for her. We will go to dinner tonight to celebrate.
My flight to New York was quiet eventful. One of the Executive Platinum American travelers who was among the privileged who get to board first was stopped by the luggage gestapo because he was trying to carry on both a roller bag and an overstuffed computer bag which obviously would not fit under a seat. She told him he would have to check on of his bags. He insisted that he always carried both these bags and she said he could not put one under his seat and told him to look at the tester space. He tried to put the computer bag in the space but had to take his computer out to fit and she said "See!" He then demanded to speak to a supervisor and she said fine and one was called. As he fumed and waited the platinum traveler asked the boarding agent again..."What is different this time from my flight here when I took both on?" She replied....."You did not have me to deal with last time I guess." Lovely vignette . Meanwhile on the plane there was a new mother with baby in some kind or new age wrap with all hosts of bags and baggage which, since she was sitting in the front row, all had to go in the overhead bin. There was all kinds of problems and baby crying and as she was adjusting passengers were trying to pass by and getting more frustrated. Then a man tried to put a small bag in the overhead bin and another gestapo yelled to him "Put that under your seat...overhead bins are for roller boards! Shear Chaos.
But once in New York, Thursday night found me at a wonderful Greek Tapas restaurant with Leigh as we munched on grilled octopus, sausage and fried cheese. The cheese arrives with a flame and flourish. A pitcher of sangria was the perfect complement. After tapas we wandered down the block to one of our haunts, Vice Versa for a cheese plate, bottle of wine and more catching up on life.
Friday and Saturday I attended the American Association of Law Schools Property Section Mid-Year meeting, the justification for this trip. But Friday afternoon Taka and I ran along the Hudson River for 4.5 miles and Saturday I ran 3 miles at the Gold's Gym nearby. Friday night we ate at a neighborhood Chinese noodle joint called Mee. Saturday we went to a family run French Restaurant, Tout Va Bien for a joint birthday dinner for me and friend Charles Michells. They know us there and the evening was full of merriment....escargot, mussels, lamb, Beaujolais, champage and a multitude of desserts.
Today, after a wonderful brunch at Mont Blanc, an Austrian Restaurant ran by Marie where we ate in her garden under a real Apple Tree, in the Middle of Manhattan! Taka, Leigh and I took two taxis and moved all of Leigh's things into her new apartment....up 5 floors. I thought I would pass out....but we made it. Tonight Taka and visiting friend from Japan, Shin are going to the Tony's. Leigh and I will hopefully have a nice quiet dinner in the neighborhood....Life is Good!
Flew to New York on Thursday for a seminar and a little vacation. Leigh moved this weekend from her Mid Town Times Square apartment to a 5th floor walk up in China Time. Taka, Leigh and took two cabs and drug all her stuff out of old apartment and into the new. I am totally exhausted. Happy for her. We will go to dinner tonight to celebrate.
My flight to New York was quiet eventful. One of the Executive Platinum American travelers who was among the privileged who get to board first was stopped by the luggage gestapo because he was trying to carry on both a roller bag and an overstuffed computer bag which obviously would not fit under a seat. She told him he would have to check on of his bags. He insisted that he always carried both these bags and she said he could not put one under his seat and told him to look at the tester space. He tried to put the computer bag in the space but had to take his computer out to fit and she said "See!" He then demanded to speak to a supervisor and she said fine and one was called. As he fumed and waited the platinum traveler asked the boarding agent again..."What is different this time from my flight here when I took both on?" She replied....."You did not have me to deal with last time I guess." Lovely vignette . Meanwhile on the plane there was a new mother with baby in some kind or new age wrap with all hosts of bags and baggage which, since she was sitting in the front row, all had to go in the overhead bin. There was all kinds of problems and baby crying and as she was adjusting passengers were trying to pass by and getting more frustrated. Then a man tried to put a small bag in the overhead bin and another gestapo yelled to him "Put that under your seat...overhead bins are for roller boards! Shear Chaos.
But once in New York, Thursday night found me at a wonderful Greek Tapas restaurant with Leigh as we munched on grilled octopus, sausage and fried cheese. The cheese arrives with a flame and flourish. A pitcher of sangria was the perfect complement. After tapas we wandered down the block to one of our haunts, Vice Versa for a cheese plate, bottle of wine and more catching up on life.
Friday and Saturday I attended the American Association of Law Schools Property Section Mid-Year meeting, the justification for this trip. But Friday afternoon Taka and I ran along the Hudson River for 4.5 miles and Saturday I ran 3 miles at the Gold's Gym nearby. Friday night we ate at a neighborhood Chinese noodle joint called Mee. Saturday we went to a family run French Restaurant, Tout Va Bien for a joint birthday dinner for me and friend Charles Michells. They know us there and the evening was full of merriment....escargot, mussels, lamb, Beaujolais, champage and a multitude of desserts.
Today, after a wonderful brunch at Mont Blanc, an Austrian Restaurant ran by Marie where we ate in her garden under a real Apple Tree, in the Middle of Manhattan! Taka, Leigh and I took two taxis and moved all of Leigh's things into her new apartment....up 5 floors. I thought I would pass out....but we made it. Tonight Taka and visiting friend from Japan, Shin are going to the Tony's. Leigh and I will hopefully have a nice quiet dinner in the neighborhood....Life is Good!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 97 Long Run before Roto Router Day!
Day 97, Monday - June 8th, Ran 6 miles/ Miles so far 153/ Miles to go: 147
Got up early this morning to take Taka to the airport for his return to New York. I was so glad that I could use the HOV Lane on IH 635 (also known as LBJ Freeway) as the traffic was really bad at rush hour. There is the phenomenon about highway names in Dallas. It seems that most of them have more than one name and so people get really confused who do not live here. Natives tend to call them by person names, like "Take LBJ to the Central Expressway Exit then south to Woodall Rogers" When the road sides will say IH 635 and State Hghy 75, etc. We name all the main roads after someone but then street signs usually just have the highway number. Glad I am a native is all I have to say, although they are building or widening so many roads, especially toll roads, that I fall victim to this same phenomenon when I travel to a new area of the MetroPlex. I think they should sell naming rights to the roads instead of naming them after dead people. That would at least help pay for the confusion! But then, no one really has asked for are cares about my opinion on that issue I suspect.
After dropping Taka off, I went straight to the gym at school. I wanted to get my run in because I knew I would not be able to run tomorrow, Wednesday. This is because I had to have a "procedure" i.e. what I call the "Roto Router" done...a colonoscopy and if you don't know what that is you are lucky....google it if you want more info. I have this done every 5 years since my Dad had colon cancer and detecting it early is the best way to beat it should I follow in his hospital slippers.
Fortunately they put you completely asleep and you really don't remember a thing about the procedure. That is the good news. The bad news is that the day before you have to have a total cleanse. They make you drink only clear liquids and take laxatives then drink about 64 onces of yucky fiber stuff, mixed in lime gatorade which then lets you travel about every 10 minutes or so for several hours back and forth to the bathroom. So much for a good night's sleep.
My procedure called for me to be there at 6:30 in the morning. Upon arrival the admission nurse was sickeningly sweet. I am sure she gets tired of saying the same thing every day over and over but she acted like she was a pre-school teacher and I was 3 years old. "Mr. Camp, let's go over our papers." (Just as an aside, don't you hate it when medical people use the plural "we" when it is really about "me"? These are my papers, my body that is about to be pricked and poked!) She continued "I will mark all the places that you need to initial or sign to make it easy for you. You don't have to go over all this unless you want to....it is a lot I know. This page just says that if anything goes wrong we told you it might so you wont' sue us and in fact you agree that if anything goes wrong it is your fault...." Well, she did not actually say those things about not suing, but she did tell me where to sign and mark it and honestly, I did not see a single patient read any of the consents or disclaimers, etc. After completing the 7 pages of materials, I was called to the back where they gave me heated socks and a blankie...nice. Another nurse came and got me to sign more of my life away with more papers for the anesthesiologist who would put me to sleep.
After that, I was stick for the IV, wheeled into the procedure room and, after greeting the pleasant young "put me to sleep" doctor and the older pleasant "I saw you 5 years ago" doctor, whom I am sure did not remember me from Adam, I was put under and woke up an hour or so later to a box of berry juice followed by an ice cold real with sugar coke that tasted fantastic! Gym Rat took me to his apartment, since I was not allowed to drive, where I took a long nap. The release papers told me I could not make any important decisions that day either. As I write this blog, I am about to teach my class. I suspect I will be a little more spacey than usual but this too shall pass. Oh...and the good news? Clean bill of health with the admonition to eat more fiber! Life is Good!
Got up early this morning to take Taka to the airport for his return to New York. I was so glad that I could use the HOV Lane on IH 635 (also known as LBJ Freeway) as the traffic was really bad at rush hour. There is the phenomenon about highway names in Dallas. It seems that most of them have more than one name and so people get really confused who do not live here. Natives tend to call them by person names, like "Take LBJ to the Central Expressway Exit then south to Woodall Rogers" When the road sides will say IH 635 and State Hghy 75, etc. We name all the main roads after someone but then street signs usually just have the highway number. Glad I am a native is all I have to say, although they are building or widening so many roads, especially toll roads, that I fall victim to this same phenomenon when I travel to a new area of the MetroPlex. I think they should sell naming rights to the roads instead of naming them after dead people. That would at least help pay for the confusion! But then, no one really has asked for are cares about my opinion on that issue I suspect.
After dropping Taka off, I went straight to the gym at school. I wanted to get my run in because I knew I would not be able to run tomorrow, Wednesday. This is because I had to have a "procedure" i.e. what I call the "Roto Router" done...a colonoscopy and if you don't know what that is you are lucky....google it if you want more info. I have this done every 5 years since my Dad had colon cancer and detecting it early is the best way to beat it should I follow in his hospital slippers.
Fortunately they put you completely asleep and you really don't remember a thing about the procedure. That is the good news. The bad news is that the day before you have to have a total cleanse. They make you drink only clear liquids and take laxatives then drink about 64 onces of yucky fiber stuff, mixed in lime gatorade which then lets you travel about every 10 minutes or so for several hours back and forth to the bathroom. So much for a good night's sleep.
My procedure called for me to be there at 6:30 in the morning. Upon arrival the admission nurse was sickeningly sweet. I am sure she gets tired of saying the same thing every day over and over but she acted like she was a pre-school teacher and I was 3 years old. "Mr. Camp, let's go over our papers." (Just as an aside, don't you hate it when medical people use the plural "we" when it is really about "me"? These are my papers, my body that is about to be pricked and poked!) She continued "I will mark all the places that you need to initial or sign to make it easy for you. You don't have to go over all this unless you want to....it is a lot I know. This page just says that if anything goes wrong we told you it might so you wont' sue us and in fact you agree that if anything goes wrong it is your fault...." Well, she did not actually say those things about not suing, but she did tell me where to sign and mark it and honestly, I did not see a single patient read any of the consents or disclaimers, etc. After completing the 7 pages of materials, I was called to the back where they gave me heated socks and a blankie...nice. Another nurse came and got me to sign more of my life away with more papers for the anesthesiologist who would put me to sleep.
After that, I was stick for the IV, wheeled into the procedure room and, after greeting the pleasant young "put me to sleep" doctor and the older pleasant "I saw you 5 years ago" doctor, whom I am sure did not remember me from Adam, I was put under and woke up an hour or so later to a box of berry juice followed by an ice cold real with sugar coke that tasted fantastic! Gym Rat took me to his apartment, since I was not allowed to drive, where I took a long nap. The release papers told me I could not make any important decisions that day either. As I write this blog, I am about to teach my class. I suspect I will be a little more spacey than usual but this too shall pass. Oh...and the good news? Clean bill of health with the admonition to eat more fiber! Life is Good!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 95 Braving the Heat on the Katy Trail
Day 95, Saturday June 5th Ran 4.5 miles/ total so far 147/ miles to go 853. Won neither the lottery nor the weekly grand so now gambling investment so far 51 dollars and winnings of 27 dollars so down 24 dollars so far. :(
Saturday Taka and I took to the Katy trail around 10 a.m. Taka is hard to run with because he runs much faster and further which I attribute to the 9 years age difference (ignoring that he runs more consistently than me these days it seems). He wanted us to run 7 miles on the trail (3.5 out and 3.5 back). It was hot and I forgot my baseball cap. I did put on some sun block, but soon sweated it off. After 2.75 miles I had to stop and let him continue. I walked and then he returned after completing the leg out and we walked back together. I tried to run again and stopped after 1/4 mile, content that I had at least ran 3 miles. But when we got to the marker that said there was only 1.5 miles left Taka pushed me to run some more. I had intended to just run another 1/4th mile or so, but I put my head down and started doing a counting game and before I knew it I had run over 1.2 mile and then I realized that in around 10 or 12 minutes I would reach the end of the trail and so I just kept running and counting and even sprinted at the end to make a good 4.5 mile run with about another mile and a half of walking.
There was an old fashioned lemonade stand manned (or should I be PC and say, personed or peopled) by three young girls and Taka and I truly enjoyed the 50 cent glasses of tart lemonade. The run was followed by champagne cocktails and a nice salad that Taka prepared and a nap. I love weekend naps.
Saturday night we spent with good friends in Ft. Worth at their lovely home. We had a gourmet dinner and then and ended up singing until the early morning hours. I never knew you could find most songs in a karaoke version on UTube and their was connected to the television. Music of the Night has never been song the way I did it after too much red wine I am sure!. Saturday was a wonderful day and life is good!
Saturday Taka and I took to the Katy trail around 10 a.m. Taka is hard to run with because he runs much faster and further which I attribute to the 9 years age difference (ignoring that he runs more consistently than me these days it seems). He wanted us to run 7 miles on the trail (3.5 out and 3.5 back). It was hot and I forgot my baseball cap. I did put on some sun block, but soon sweated it off. After 2.75 miles I had to stop and let him continue. I walked and then he returned after completing the leg out and we walked back together. I tried to run again and stopped after 1/4 mile, content that I had at least ran 3 miles. But when we got to the marker that said there was only 1.5 miles left Taka pushed me to run some more. I had intended to just run another 1/4th mile or so, but I put my head down and started doing a counting game and before I knew it I had run over 1.2 mile and then I realized that in around 10 or 12 minutes I would reach the end of the trail and so I just kept running and counting and even sprinted at the end to make a good 4.5 mile run with about another mile and a half of walking.
There was an old fashioned lemonade stand manned (or should I be PC and say, personed or peopled) by three young girls and Taka and I truly enjoyed the 50 cent glasses of tart lemonade. The run was followed by champagne cocktails and a nice salad that Taka prepared and a nap. I love weekend naps.
Saturday night we spent with good friends in Ft. Worth at their lovely home. We had a gourmet dinner and then and ended up singing until the early morning hours. I never knew you could find most songs in a karaoke version on UTube and their was connected to the television. Music of the Night has never been song the way I did it after too much red wine I am sure!. Saturday was a wonderful day and life is good!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Back on the Track and Post! Birthday Fun and the United Nations Gas Station.
Day 94 Friday, June 4th. I ran 3 miles today and 4.5 miles on Thursday. Total so far 142.5/ Miles to go 857.5 Gambling investment 48 dollars, won $2 Saturday and Wednesday so winnings total 27 dollars...total losses so far, 21 dollars
But, someone from Dallas won 98 million with a lotto ticket from a 7-11 in Garland on Saturday. I have to admit I experienced disappointment and the sin of coveting of my neighbors goods, or at least his lotto ticket. I mean, here I have been supporting my local Richardson Indian owned gas station convenience store and someone in the DFW area wins with a ticket from 7-11? What is up with that? My store is like a mini-United Nations. The owners are Indian but they rent out the little cafe area to a Pakistani family! Talk about peace among peoples! And it is only one block from the Mosque so there is a constant stream of Arabs and other Muslims, especially since it is also right next to the small Arab strip center where there is an Islamic Bookstore, cafe, hair salon and a space formerly occupied by a Hookah Cafe....now boarded up. I do not know if the cafe failed because there weren't enough Hookah officianaldos (don't really know what one calls those who partake of the Hookah) or if the construction in front of the center drove them out of business. Spring Valley Road has been torn up for about a year as they construct a new Light Rail mixed use development with apartments, town houses, restaurants, retail and office. The construction also brings a menagerie of construction workers into the store where I buy my lotto tickets....Mexican Americans, blue collar whites, etc. Yes I think that my store should have been the one to receive that winning lotto ticket and I should have been the one to purchase it....in the name of World Peace....But as I joked with the cashier when I did not win....maybe next time!
My running and blogging has suffered lately. Memorial Day Weekend found me grading exams all day long all weekend long. It is a tedious task, like reading the first chapter of War and Peace a hundred times and trying to find out minor differences in language and grammar. I am almost through and can't wait to turn in my grades. Unfortunately, summer school has already began and I am teaching Real Estate Transactions at 7:50 on T/W/Th until 9:30 for seven weeks. The good news is that I love to teach and get paid extra to teach summer school. The bad news is that I have not had a real break and psychologically I am tired...especially with all this grading!
Wednesday was my birthday and dear Mrs. Savage arrived with delicious beef tenderloin in tow to prepare a birthday feast. She also baked Boston creme pies for my birthday cake! Good friends celebrated with me and I will need more runs to work off the birthday calories. My birthday celebrations continued Friday night as I joined friends at a Korean Barbecue Restaurant for a second Birthday celebration. Life is Good!
But, someone from Dallas won 98 million with a lotto ticket from a 7-11 in Garland on Saturday. I have to admit I experienced disappointment and the sin of coveting of my neighbors goods, or at least his lotto ticket. I mean, here I have been supporting my local Richardson Indian owned gas station convenience store and someone in the DFW area wins with a ticket from 7-11? What is up with that? My store is like a mini-United Nations. The owners are Indian but they rent out the little cafe area to a Pakistani family! Talk about peace among peoples! And it is only one block from the Mosque so there is a constant stream of Arabs and other Muslims, especially since it is also right next to the small Arab strip center where there is an Islamic Bookstore, cafe, hair salon and a space formerly occupied by a Hookah Cafe....now boarded up. I do not know if the cafe failed because there weren't enough Hookah officianaldos (don't really know what one calls those who partake of the Hookah) or if the construction in front of the center drove them out of business. Spring Valley Road has been torn up for about a year as they construct a new Light Rail mixed use development with apartments, town houses, restaurants, retail and office. The construction also brings a menagerie of construction workers into the store where I buy my lotto tickets....Mexican Americans, blue collar whites, etc. Yes I think that my store should have been the one to receive that winning lotto ticket and I should have been the one to purchase it....in the name of World Peace....But as I joked with the cashier when I did not win....maybe next time!
My running and blogging has suffered lately. Memorial Day Weekend found me grading exams all day long all weekend long. It is a tedious task, like reading the first chapter of War and Peace a hundred times and trying to find out minor differences in language and grammar. I am almost through and can't wait to turn in my grades. Unfortunately, summer school has already began and I am teaching Real Estate Transactions at 7:50 on T/W/Th until 9:30 for seven weeks. The good news is that I love to teach and get paid extra to teach summer school. The bad news is that I have not had a real break and psychologically I am tired...especially with all this grading!
Wednesday was my birthday and dear Mrs. Savage arrived with delicious beef tenderloin in tow to prepare a birthday feast. She also baked Boston creme pies for my birthday cake! Good friends celebrated with me and I will need more runs to work off the birthday calories. My birthday celebrations continued Friday night as I joined friends at a Korean Barbecue Restaurant for a second Birthday celebration. Life is Good!
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