Auspicious start of my 41st year

First, gratuitous dog photo:



Loki running in the snow. He was running toward the door to get back inside after taking care of business. I guess he wanted to catch a few snowflakes on the way. Snow is a rare treat in these parts. Texas A&M will be delayed until 10:00 am tomorrow. This is assuming I even feel like going in at all. I celebrated my 41st on Sunday; in addition to some neat gifts, birthday greetings and hearing an excellent dharma talk, I got a cold.

I have plenty of sick leave and my work is not so terribly important that its worth infecting others.

Today, I felt like getting dressed and off the couch. Even stood on the porch to film the snow. Yesterday, it was bed or couch. The oddest thing about yesterday is that I channel surfed for hours and did not catch one bit of Law & Order, not even one little donk-donk. I made up for it today by watching part of an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

I tried to watch some Olympics because I've become rather fascinated by curling but all the NBC-Universal stations that my cable provider carries were acting up.

Would it kill NBC to have a commentator explain curling or at least provide a crawl with a definition of terms & how the scoring works? I suppose I could drag my laptop to the couch and look up this stuff while watching but I don't feel like doing that and what about the viewers without wireless networking?

I become fascinated by curling every four years because of the absurdity of the sport.

This blog got a shout-out from uuworld.org: the interdependent web.

An American Gothic in the Snow

American Gothic sculpted in snow.

Yesterday, snow fell in Bryan - College Station. This brought out lots of cameras, snowball fights, short snowmen and a sense of wonder and play. It was magical. It looked like a snow globe outside my office window.

Most of the snow has melted today. Just remnants of larger snowmen remain. Some students managed to get enough snow together to build a few human-sized snow persons.

This weekend the temperatures will reach 70 degrees F. Several seasons in the space of a week. I love Texas.


Rarely anyone says a single thing worth $2,000 but maybe 2,000 people will say something worth $1.00.

News from family

My mother's house is undamaged. My sister's house is one of the few on her street that did not get major damage. My aunt and uncle's house was hit by 4 trees. They are all still without power but everyone is okay.

On this front the bird's cage is back in its place in front of the window. My brother-in-law is spending the night here because he does not have power and the place he was staying is very crowded.

Both of us are off tomorrow. Walter was scheduled this day off and I took some annual leave. This had nothing to do with Ike.

Made it through

We just got rain and wind gusts but no power outage nor flooding. My family closer to the coast made it through but they do not have power. Last time I checked on them they did not sustain any damage to their homes but they have a lot of debris in their yards. I don't know if my mother's mobile home made it through undamaged.

The pets made it through. I think the birds were more upset about having their cage moved than the goings on outside.

Mary Worth Watch

I will miss a couple of days of Mary Worth because of Hurricane Ike. I'm 150 miles inland but in the storm's path and will likely receive heavy rains, high winds and maybe power outage. I don't run the computer during nasty weather anyway. The nasty weather is expected to hit my area by Saturday morning.

Most of my family lives ~50 miles inland - northwest of Houston. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

When this passes I will go back and check on Mary and her background. Maybe Joe Giella can surpass his previous record of 2 days of background continuity.

Help is on the way

The AC repairman is on his way. Our AC went out last night. Fortunately, it is relatively cool right now (highs in the low 90's, lows in the upper 60's). I'm sitting in the hottest room in the house writing this blog entry.

It was nice to be able to sleep in and then run in the daylight, today.

This week I biked and ran 23.53 miles, burned 2369.4 calories and weigh 149.3 pounds.

Monday: ran 3.47 miles in 41:18
Tuesday: bike 3.09 miles in 13:57
Wednesday: ran 6.09 miles in 1:07:21
Thursday: ran 2.41 miles in 26:32
Saturday: ran 8.47 miles in 1:35:42

I skipped Friday because it was so pleasant in the shade and I did not feel like going to the gym. I had talked Walter into a sunset canoe trip but his head hurt and we went out to dinner instead. I did get Loki into his life vest and was able to make adjustments. I may need to make some more adjustments to make it easier for him to urinate. He doesn't mind wearing the jacket.

We will attempt an evening canoe trip on Sunday.

I love Texas

One day snow, the next day great weather for running. I just finished an one hour run under blue sky and 50 degree (F) temps with a slight breeze. The dogs are outside and the birds are chirping along with all the new sounds that they hear through the open windows.

Walter finally got a day off so he is puttering around the house.

Exercise log:
This week I ran, biked and rowed 18.36 miles, burned 1,874 calories and weigh 163.7 pounds.
Monday: row - 1.33 miles in 10:00
Tuesday: run - 3.28 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: bike - 3.07 miles in 15:00
Thursday: run - 3.33 miles in 35:00
Friday: row - 1.82 miles in 15:00
Saturday: run - 5.53 miles in 1:03:37

Snow

That is snow on my car. Snow fell in huge flakes but it was not cold enough for it to accumulate on the ground. Walter took some pictures of the snowflakes coming down. Now the sun is out and any traces of snow is gone. Should have saved some in the freezer.

The dogs were not impressed with the snow. They looked out the door and then resumed playing in the living room. They have short coats, they were not designed for this weather.


Seems that Jake does not find Ballard Street to be the nirvana that I envision. I like artist's ability to capture the Ballard Street style, down to the lighter ink.

Thank you Jeff and Bil Keane for not drawing that.

The wise person that Mary quotes is the Dalai Lama. He was not mentioned by name because he would probably be annoyed at Mary Worth for twisting the spirit of his philosophy. Silly Toby, you don't need religion in order to be a meddling biddy that mistakes platitudes and unwanted advice for kindness.

Mary has lived in Charterstone for years and no one knows about her background?

This could foreshadow some interesting back story but since this is Mary Worth probably not.

I posted a poll about Mary Worth's possible religion. Likely, a very white bread protestant religion. I included Rastafarianism for fun.

Exercise Log

This week I ran, rowed and biked 10.25 miles, burned 970.9 calories and weigh 167.1 pounds.

Monday - rowed 1.33 miles in 10:00
Tuesday - ran 3.20 miles in 35:00
Wednesday - biked 2.65 miles in 15:00
Friday - ran 3.07 miles in 36:16

I picked up my packet for the Armadillo Dash Half Marathon and will race tomorrow. The weather will be perfect for a race.

Exercise Log

Did not update cartoons because of thunderstorms over the past two days.

This week I ran, rowed and cycled 22.68 miles, burned 1389.2 calories and weigh 169.7 pounds. Tracking my food on Spark People has really helped me become more mindful of what I eat.

Monday: Bike - 3.01 miles in 15:00
Tuesday: Run - 3.27 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: Row - 1.29 miles in 10:00
Friday: Bike - 3.92 miles in 20:00
Saturday: Row - 3.17 miles in 25:00, Bike - 5.72 miles in 30:00, Run - 2.30 miles in 30:00
On the run I started at my planned speed but then I felt a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee so I slowed down until the pain went away. I then slowly worked my way up to speed and the pain did not return. I stretched a bit too far on Friday and that hurt my knee a bit. I needed more recovery time.

Next week's plan:
Monday - row and strength training
Tuesday - 30 minute run
Wednesday - bike and strength training
Thursday - celebrating my birthday - try to see Spirit of the Marathon
Friday - 30 minute run
Sunday - Armadillo Dash Half Marathon

Like, engage, dude.

An image for the cooler temperatures: I got this from some one's Flickr photostream but I don't remember the user name or the location. Good Photoshop work. The image made me laugh.

Curtis' younger brother makes a cameo appearance in Family Circus.

I don't get the joke. I want to get it. Somebody help me, please.

Loki woke me up last night so that I would let him out. He grabbed one of the legs of my pajama pants and pulled in an effort to make me go to the back door faster. This only resulted in a half-asleep Linda attempting to walk off balance. I walked into the hallway wall. When Loki, 75 pounds of Bullmastiff/ Pit Bull mix with the head the size of a regulation volleyball, has to go out at night he has to carry something outside with him. A stuffed animal, a toy or in the case of last night, a towel that was on the kitchen floor. He has attempted to drag his bed outside if he could not find anything else. I draw the line there. He has to drag this stuff out but does not feel the need to take anything back inside. At 6:30 this morning, I traipsed barefooted across a cold, wet backyard to retrieve the towel he dragged out. I don't understand the reason for Loki's behavior but I find it sort of amusing.

During the winter break, I will make a trip in the backyard and pick up all the stuff Loki has dragged out and wash what I can. It will all end up in the backyard eventually.

Ga Ud Endeligt Nedsla!

I did not update my cartoon last night because of a thunder storm and I was a bit tired from doing speed work last night. In lieu of my cartoon here are some other people's cartoons.

Rhymes with Orange gives us a slightly surrealistic pun. The older generation is familiar with nose rings just not used to seeing them on Americans.

The artist has captured the essence of cat.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who enjoys the calming influence of Danish thrash metal. When I layed out the orders of service for my church I listened to Scandinavian death metal.

I can feel the love that Giella put into rendering those bits of hair in Wilbur's comb over. Dawn is withholding information because Wilbur and others at Charterstone will stage an intervention and suck all the life and happiness out of her.

Holy crap! Those are big flys.
Another slightly surrealistic pun.

The wall

Clouds! Gray! Depression!

Abbey had her stitches removed last night. She behaved quite well during the procedure. Not a single peep. She also slept through storm that came in early this morning. The same storm knocked out the power and screwed up my alarm clock. I did not get out of bed until 7:00 am.

I'm attempting to make it through the 10:00 am wall. Everyday, I have trouble staying awake from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Sometimes the sleepiness starts at 9:30 am. If I can make it to 11:00 am then I'm okay. The years of screwing with my natural rhythms are taking a toll. Morning people would be more tolerable if they did not act as if it was some kind of special virtue.

I'm looking forward to the fishing trip. Walter is looking forward to it more. He doesn't care whether or not we actually fish, he just wants to get away.

Still looking for someone to temp foster Abbey. Loki will be boarded.

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

Snow!?! WTF!?

The day before Easter and it's sleeting, snowing and 35 degrees F in south Texas. All this screwed up cold weather happened after Al Gore won the Oscar. I believe the cosmos decided to make Al Gore its bitch. The northeast U.S. received the brunt of the nasty cold weather. Thankfully, in the south, it will go away in a day or two.

I spent most of the day in bed snuggled under blankets. Visited the few garage sales open for business, ran at the gym and went to Doc Green's with Walter.

This week I ran 13.51 miles, burned 1692.2 calories and weigh 172.5 pounds. This weight gain bothers me. I might consult a nutritionist at Scott & White. I could exercise more but I have a life. I should do some serious meal planning. Both of us could benefit from a visit with a nutritionist.

Monday: 3.32 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: 2.34 miles in 25:00
Saturday: 5.89 miles in 65:00

I planned on running Friday but opted to take Loki to the park and the dog wash. The dog wash has a ramp leading up to the wash basin; a great feature if one has a dog that will walk up a ramp. I do not own such a dog. Loki can alter his weight at will but I can still lift him.

Now there is a strong man event I would like to see - the lifting a reluctant Bullmastiff into a tub event.

Have a happy Easter.

I did not update the cartoon last night because of a thunderstorm. On the plus side, I watched Enterprise and got a decent night's sleep. I could have done something productive like put up the clean clothes and load the dishwasher but I think I benefited more from the rest. The clothes and dishes can wait.

Last night's workout frustrated me a bit. Another long wait for equipment, annoying people, still a bit of tightness in the back and I could not do a single clean and jerk. I skipped working my calf muscles. The work day and lack of sleep probably affected my performance. I understand the benefits of changing workouts every four weeks. I'm on my last week on this particular workout.

I will run tonight. I enjoy running.

Mary, looking remarkably manly in the first panel, has met her first introvert and does not know what to make of human being that does not need constant companionship, chatter and prefers to not talk too much about anything. Will Mary learn to accept Vera as simply a part of the 35% of the U.S. population who operates in the world differently than herself and allow the friendship to develop at its own pace? The answer: of course not! Mary, as an extrovert gone mad, will ignore all the hints, signals and restraining orders until the whole story ends in an ugly way. Mary will blame Vera. Mary will never realize that the problem lies with her.

All the creepy touching did not help matters, either.

I need to seriously evaluate my life.

I'm tired of these damn clouds! I want clear skies! I demand clear skies! I need to see blue sky!

Happy birthday to Leonard Nimoy! All hail, Mr. Spock!


Wow, an unfunny fart joke. Add that to my list of things I've experienced before the age of 40.


I would have stayed in the ratty apartment. At least the doors remained the same size and an old lady wearing a purple pants suit did not attempt to cut off the blood circulation to my hand with her vise-like death grip. Vera needs that hand for her clerk typist job.

Nothing particularly interesting in the funnies. Ballard Street made me laugh out loud.

Took Loki to Petco to purchase some dog food and then I got the car washed and the oil changed. Loki's presence made the oil change guy uncomfortable. Loki enjoyed the attention he received from the people in the car wash waiting room. The car looks good. They got most of the dog hair out of the upholstery.

Finally, have some sunshine today. Ground is still soggy so Loki won't be going to the dog park.

I did not update last night because of a thunderstorm. I will do an update after I finish with this blog entry and another update this evening. I have the rest of the week off. I hope to get some things done at my pace.

The worst depiction of God I've ever seen. I thought it was some kind of troll, dwarf, ogre or other mythological character. Thank badly drawn God for captions.

WTF?!? Good badly drawn God, what the hell is going on in this Heathcliff cartoon? Oh badly drawn God, my head is spinning trying to figure this cartoon out. Can I squeeze in one more badly drawn God damn joke into this blog entry? Badly drawn God damn it! This is a bad way to begin a vacation.

This week I ran 9.32 miles, burned 1127.3 calories and weigh 169.2 pounds.

Tuesday: 5.05 miles in 55:00
Thursday: 4.27 miles in 55:00

Tomorrow, I will be running in the Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon. There will be up to 1,000 runners. Not bad for a first time event. I hope the timing chip pick up goes smoothly.

My sinuses are still a bit stopped up. Mentally, I feel foggy. Running helps clear out some of the fog so I should be able to run tomorrow. I might have to re-evaluate my goal time (2:30:00); not run as fast as I intended.

I plan on resting and drinking lots of fluids today. May take Loki to the dog park. It is such a beautiful day.

Today's funnies were uninspiring. I did wonder about the competence of Dr. Cory's son, the doctor. I'm learning to ignore the folding of space in Mary Worth, the comic strip not the character.

This morning the fog was dense and 39 people did not know how to turn on their fog lights or headlights. 39 stupid people wondering why life treats them so badly.