Walked 5,881 steps/ 4.41 kilometers yesterday.

Moderated a rather lengthy meeting last night. It ended a bit earlier than scheduled. A lot of information was shared at this meeting. I hope the participants found it useful.

Finished a large copy job. I was feeling rather grumpy about the whole thing because it took three days and created a bit of frustration because of time and equipment malfunctions. Nothing is in optimal working order after running three hours straight.

Anyway, I count it as a blessing (not because I deserve it for any particular reason - just lucky) that I have a home and a job and a city. A natural disaster on the order of Katrina certainly puts things in perspective. My concerns are quite petty in comparison.

Here is a blog from a NO resident http://gutterboylive.livejournal.com/
I know him from a newsgroup that I spent too much time in.

The son and his family of a couple whose house I'm watching will be taking refuge in the house. They do not know if their home still exists.

I'm not sure how I would handle having my life disrupted for several weeks.

The fundies are blaming it on the gays. The anti-abortion people are blaming it on the number of abortion clinics in New Orleans and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is blaming Haley Barbour's role in convincing President Bush to not sign the Kyoto Protocol for the amount of damage Mississippi received.

This has been all over the internet: http://www.wonkette.com/politics//finding-versus-looting-123124.php
White people find, black people loot.

Thoughts and prayers to the people suffering through this.

Walked 9,619 steps/ 7.21 kilometers

Today was the first day of class. I got to work early because I thought there was an 8:00 am class in my classroom. There is brand new equipment in the classroom but it was not fully functioning until about 5:00 pm. The new equipment looks cool and I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

It was a busy day.

I miscalculated my marathon training time. I am four weeks behind schedule. I'll be increasing my long runs a bit more quickly to compensate.

This week's book:

It's Science With Dr. Radium (Dr. Radium Collection Series)

I was reading the customer reviews of Star Trek Titan: Taking Wing at the Barnes and Noble website. There were two reviewers that objected to the presence of gay characters in the book. Actually, only one strongly objected the other one cannot spell very well or really believes that there is no place for "guy characters in Star Trek". Isn't homophobic Trekkie a bit of an oxymoron? How can anyone watch 5 different Star Trek TV series, 9 movies, read countless novels and comic books and miss the central point of tolerance and appreciation for those who are different?

Homophobic Trekkie - now that is irony.

This week I ran 17.63 miles, burned 2,187 calories and weigh 163.2 pounds. I think my father-in-law broke the scale. My increased consumption of Dairy Queen Blizzards have nothing to do with my weight gain.

Monday - 5K - 34:50
Wednesday - 4 miles - 48:43
Friday - 5K - 33:42
Saturday - 6.3 miles - 1:00:29. That time includes traffic stops.

I miscalulated distance and turned around at the wrong place. I was attempting to run 7 miles. I ran in the late morning again. It did not affect me like last week but my performance is extremely compromised by the heat. I will not run before 10:00 am until it becomes cooler. I had every intention of getting out of bed this morning and running but it did not work out. If I can't get my butt out of bed maybe I should wait until after 6:00pm to run. That would make things a bit difficult for the extremely long runs but hopefully the weather will be cooler by the time I get to those.

Friday I walked 9,380 steps/ 7.03 kilometers.

Lola was well behaved at adoption today. She is a great dog and is a great ambassador for all Pit Bulls. With some training she would make a great therapy dog.

I'm going to a church board retreat tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

Walked 4,713 steps/ 3.53 kilometers.

Had another short and efficient meeting.

TRANSPORTATION FUTURISTICS
What will transportation be like in the future? The
transportation galleries feature futuristic art, drawings
of inventions that could be the way that transportation
will go in, you guessed it, the future.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/news_events/exhibits/futuristics/index.html

I like the "futuristic" art.

I want my flying car and personal jet pack!

Walked 11,924 steps/ 8.94 kilometers yesterday.

The meeting went well.

Walked 4,611 steps/ 3.45 kilometers.

Walked 11,254 steps/ 8.44 kilometers.

I have a very long meeting tomorrow. It is an exit interview. At least there will be pizza.

Spam Zen koans:
Get a natural advantage (as opposed to artificial?)
Unsecured loans are there when you need it (How about free money? Why isn't it there when I need it?)
roofing nails
Good for you (Thanks!)
We may be looking someone like you (What a waste of plastic surgery)
this is not a spam email or an advert its a request for help (If you have to say it is not spam, then it is spam)
Waiting for your responce and remain blessed.
No think it ban (No kill I)
Read carefully (Always good advice)

This week I ran 17.35 miles, burned 2,187.6 calories and weigh 160.8 pounds.
I ran 5K on Monday at 35:28 and on Friday at 34:15.

I ran 6 miles on Saturday in 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was early afternoon and hot. It was very stupid to run at that time. I got a sunburn on the base of my neck and a headache. I drank a lot of water and Gatorade but it must not have been enough to prevent the headache. I'll get my butt out of bed next Saturday and run in the morning.

A damn rash has flared up on my arms and legs again. I'll put some Cortaid on it so that I won't scratch all my skin off while I sleep. Ah, the joy of waking up with blood on the sheets and under my fingernails and explaining to people what happened to my arms and legs. People look at me funny when I say I did this in my sleep. I have self control when awake but sleeping is a different matter.

Yes, I'm a weirdo that scratches herself bloody while she sleeps.

It is too hot to wear long pants while running. Especially since this is a heat related rash.

This week's book:

Van Helsing's Night Off

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Relax, you're in the Bahamas (How did they know that is where my mind was?)
I need a good person (We all do.)
Become the man that women desire (Isn't Cary Grant dead? Why would I want to be Cary Grant?)
Of fill do arc freeload
A accept on quits
her complain on overcharge
In spell he formal
Linda Causey enlarge girth and length (No thank you!)
IT'S SO SIMPLE
Of lose on frigid
Assertive and strong
Rock solid

Walked 5,945 steps/ 4.45 kilometers.

Lola is coming back. The person who adopted her decided that she was not ready for a dog.

A very interesting site: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
On open is grizzle conceal
For say in lengthways yang

Walked 12,000 steps/ 9.00 kilometers.

I received my Matt Furey Inner Circle CDs and newsletter. It is a sample. I was sent two months of CDs instead of one. I can't wait to check them out.

My neck hurts when I move it a certain way.

So stop moving it that way.

But it is the way to be able to check for oncoming traffic.

Well then do like everyone else in this town. Drive by faith. Just pull out and trust God to handle the rest. What do you think all those fish emblems are for?

I once saw a bumper sticker that asked, "How would Jesus drive?" This led me to ask, "Why do people assume that Jesus would be a good driver?"

Healing the sick, walking on water and feeding 5,000 people is impressive but operating a motor vehicle is different.

Walked 4,265 steps/ 3.19 kilometers.

Lola made herself at home. She jumped on to her new owner's couch and got comfortable. It looks like she found a good home.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
It doesn't hurt to check Theodore
you study at concernedly blackthorn
on go at vindication guesswork

Walked 11,332 steps/ 8.49 kilometers.

My father-in-law starts his new job tomorrow.

Lola goes to her forever home tomorrow. She has been the best foster dog so far.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
casserole portend
sack defuse
No trees were harmed in the making of this floor.
on fill to inferential
on have of scrappy
The use to unshod

This week I ran 16.89 miles, burned 2,116.6 calories and weigh 161.7 pounds.

This week's book:

Nodwick Chronicles II: Of Gods and Henchmen

There are a lot of nerds at church.

Walked 9,944 steps/ 7.45 kilometers. Ran 5K in 34:50. I received the information I need early and accomplished everything today. Even made the copies early.

A nice relaxing evening for me.

Walked 4,114 steps/ 3.08 kilometers.

Salvador needs his own blog.

Walked 10,933 steps/ 8.19 kilometers.

I should not have eaten that second serving of taco pie.

Avoid the seconds and I might lose a couple of pounds.

Start where I am at.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Don't go round the bend
Summer time means no cellulite
was reply he bluecoat

Walked 5,013 steps/ 3.75 kilometers.

What am I running for?

Walked 11,103 steps/ 8.32 kilometers. Ran 5K in 36:10.

I will update the cartoon tonight. A thunderstorm came through while I was working on the newsletter. I got that out just in time.

Yes, I have surge protection and battery back-up but I still prefer to avoid the risks of a lightning strike.

Lola has been adopted but she will not be going to her forever home until the 20th.

I received a great e-mail that made me realize that my attempts at comedy are worth doing.

This week I ran 19.83 miles, burned 2,484.9 calories and weigh 160.8 pounds. So far this year I have ran 455.07 miles and burned 56,517.2 calories.

Lola is now completely clean. She smells nice too.

I have started training for the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco. It is on October 23rd. I think I will take advantage of the tax free weekend next week to purchase some new running shoes.

I posted a multi-panel cartoon. It has been two weeks since the last one. I don't have a story in mind so it is hard to draw the multi-panel toons. I need to put in some serious writing time.

I considered myself blessed to know some very amazing people. On the surface they seem quite ordinary but when faced with difficulties they are amazing.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Being Alone must suck
plaintiff knox
Our God is able
second notification Bradley
your private invitation Lenora
chaucer
elmer
your private invitiation Alan
Is try of promote

I did not realize that I had so many identities.

I did not update last night because of an electrical storm. I've received a jolt through my keyboard once - that is enough for a lifetime. No rain - just lightning.

Lola overturned a container of old motor oil. Walter cleaned up the spill because he has expertise in that area. I cleaned up Lola. Some parts of her body are still discolored. I will clean her some more tonight. Hopefully, there will not be an electrical storm rushing things. Lola tolerates bathing very well. She is a very sweet and goofy dog.

Here is a column that portrays a ray of hope within the Republican party:

Who We Are
By Bob Herbert
The New York Times

You won't find many people willing to accuse John McCain, John Warner or Lindsey Graham of being soft on terrorism. But the three Republican senators are giving the White House fits with their attempt to get legislation approved that would expressly prohibit cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of detainees in U.S. custody.

There was a dramatic encounter during the floor debate last week when Senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, spoke out against the legislation, saying there was no need for it because, as he put it, the detainees are not prisoners of war, "they are terrorists."

Senator McCain, of Arizona, argued that the debate "is not about who they are. It's about who we are." Americans, said Mr. McCain, "hold ourselves" to a higher standard.

The stakes in this confrontation are high. Senators McCain, Warner and Graham are all influential members of the Armed Services Committee (Senator Warner is the chairman), and
they have introduced the legislation in the form of amendments to the nearly half-trillion-dollar Pentagon authorization bill for fiscal 2006.

That such an initiative would come from high-ranking, hawkish Republicans is extraordinary, and the White House is not happy about it. In addition to prohibiting cruel and degrading treatment, the legislation would restrict military interrogation techniques to those authorized in a new Army field manual.

The senators seemed clearly to have been moved by the dismay expressed by current and former members of the military over the lack of uniform standards for the treatment of
detainees. Many have argued that the lack of standards and clear guidance from the highest levels of government have led inexorably to abuses.

Senator McCain has been the point person on the legislative amendments, and his office has released a letter from more than a dozen retired officers, including generals, admirals and former prisoners of war, offering support for his effort to establish standards designed to rein in the abusive treatment of prisoners.

The letter said, in part, "The abuse of prisoners hurts America's cause in the war on terror, endangers U.S. service members who might be captured by the enemy, and is anathema to the values Americans have held dear for generations." Senator Graham, who is from South Carolina, successfully sought the declassification and release of memos from current high-ranking military lawyers who were critical of the legal interpretations by the Bush administration that led to the harsh interrogation policy at Guantánamo. One of the memos, from Maj. Gen. Jack Rives, deputy judge advocate general of the Air Force, said, "Several of the more extreme interrogation techniques, on their face, amount to violations of domestic criminal law" as well as military law.

The White House has fought intensely, but so far unsuccessfully, against this revolt in the usually steadfast Republican ranks. Vice President Dick Cheney, in a meeting with Senators Warner, McCain and Graham, said the legislation would interfere with President Bush's ability to fight terrorism. He was not able to change their minds.

Unable to fend off the amendments, the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, put off further consideration of the defense bill until September. Senator McCain and his allies will try to build further support for the amendments during that period. The White House has threatened to veto the defense bill if the amendments are approved.

We should take a moment, however this debate turns out, to applaud the effort by three Republican senators to stand up to the White House and insist that the United States not
just fight harder than its enemies, but also stand taller. No one should be surprised that these voices of reason are coming from men experienced in the ways of war. Senator McCain was a POW for five years in Vietnam. Senator Graham spent many years as an Air Force lawyer. And Senator Warner is a veteran of World War II and Korea.

A few days ago I spoke with John Hutson, a former admiral who is now president of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H. He was one of the signers of the letter to Senator McCain. He stressed that this is a very big issue for the country. If the United States fails to get its act
together with regard to the humane treatment of detainees, he said, we will "have changed the DNA of what it means to be an American."

---------------------------
The opposition is coming from those who claim to hold a "culture of life" sacred. I guess that proves that the "culture of life" is only for the unborn and vegetative white women. The rest of us can go to hell.

The first step in becoming a terrorist yourself is to no longer recognize the humanity of your perceived enemy. Once that is done suicide bombing, torture and other acts of brutality are no problem to perform.

I pray that when Senator Jeff Sessions prays to his God that his God will grant him the wisdom to understand that as Americans we should hold ourselves to a higher standard and strive to meet and at our very best exceed that standard.

Yes, the people being detained may be terrorists but they are also humans and we should treat them as such. Perhaps they do not deserve to be treated humanely but that is not a determination for us to make. We should do the right thing and give our soldiers the guidance necessary to do the right thing.

Confession time: I worked on Pat Robertson's presidential campaign in 1988.

The journey from Evangelical Christian to Unitarian - Universalist is not as interesting as it appears on the surface. I hold no malice toward Evangelicals but I think the rank and file Evangelical needs to speak up when one of the leaders does something very un-Christ-like. A loving brother or sister corrects another if they are straying from the path.

From: http://tinyurl.com/7aujx (Americans United for the Separation of Church and State)

TV Preacher Prays For More Vacancies On U.S. Supreme Court
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Robertson Seems To View God As 'Divine Hit Man,' Says Americans United's Lynn

TV preacher Pat Robertson is so eager to see the Supreme Court overturn decisions upholding civil liberties that he’s praying for God to create more vacancies on the high court.
Speaking on his nationally broadcast “700 Club” program Aug. 2, Robertson blasted the court for “egregious decisions that have taken us far away from the Constitution.” Among the rulings under fire from Robertson were Roe v. Wade, rulings on the “the so-called separation of church and state,” decisions protecting the civil rights of gay people and the ruling barring the death penalty for juveniles.

The Virginia Beach-based televangelist later launched into a prayer asking God for swift confirmation of Bush nominee John G. Roberts and more vacancies on the high court so that new justice can “dramatically change” judicial policy.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, criticized Robertson’s actions.

“Robertson and other Religious Right leaders are so desperate to take over the Supreme Court that they’re trying to move heaven and earth,” Lynn said. “They’re even trying to enlist God in their nefarious court-packing scheme.

“Robertson seems to view God as a divine hit man, taking out justices or anyone else who gets in the way of the Religious Right agenda,” said Lynn. “I think most Americans don’t like to see God dragged into this kind of divisive and demagogic politics.”

In the “700 Club” broadcast, Robertson laid out a religious political agenda for controlling the high court. He urged viewers to participate in “Operation Supreme Court Freedom,” a month-long prayer project intended to beseech God to replace current justices with “righteous judges.”
“Well, the time has come for somebody who says we’re not going to legislate from the bench, we’re going to abide by the Constitution,” Robertson said. “So the president has put forth one person, but there needs to be a couple more.”

Robertson then prayed: “Father, Lord, the government is in your hand, the rulers are in your hand. This great and mighty nation, Lord, stands as a beacon of hope to so many oppressed people. But Lord, if our foundations are crumbling, then this great beacon won’t stand for long. And we pray, Lord, that this one key area of our government might be dramatically changed, that we might see people who respect the Constitution and who respect the fundamental law of the land.

“Lord, give us righteous judges who will not try to legislate and dominate this society,” he continued. “Take control, Lord! We ask for additional vacancies on the court, and we ask for additional fine people like John Roberts. Lord, speed this hearing process; may there be no rancor. May the Senate comport itself as it should, and may we see peace, harmony and a rapid confirmation process. Do miracles, Lord. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Lynn noted that Robertson has a history of controversial activity, whether it’s commanding hurricanes to go out to sea or smiting communities that incur his wrath. He once speculated that Orlando might be hit by a meteor for allowing gay flags to be flown on city streets.

------------------------------------

It would be sort of funny if God answered Rev. Robertson's prayer by killing Justices Scalia and Thomas. I suppose the additional vacancies can happen through retirement.

I took Monday off. I needed to rest.

Went shopping, bought some clothes. I don't enjoy clothes shopping. I enjoyed the company but not the shopping.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
The put of superior man
grace singlehanded

The sea of negativity is up to my ankles.