Happy Halloween!

Quote of the day.....

            I like this.

     I went to running group last night.  I have been remiss in getting there this year.  I don't enjoy running at night, or in the dark, or in the cold. But winter approaches, so if ever I am going to go, I need to go now.  It was a beautiful night.  I had a headlamp to see where I was going for the last  half.  I ran with 3 others who are about my speed.  It was really enjoyable.  Chatting makes the time go faster. We run 2 laps around a small lake in a park.  The moon was out.  The breeze across the lake was actually pretty warm.  And we always get frozen yogurt afterwards (they do have dairy-free).

More turtle

     This cute video has been making the rounds.  Does it make you want to dance or take a shower or hug a turtle?

"'Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock
Turtle replied, 'and then the different branches of
Arithmetic--- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and
Derision'" 

- Lewis Carroll quotes (English Logician, Mathematician,
Photographer and Novelist, especially remembered for Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland. 1832-1898)

My lop-sided pumpkin pi

     The concept was better than my execution of it.  I am loving the roasted seeds, though.

 

     Now compare with my artist friend Sue's jack-o-lantern-scape.  It has arms, legs, and is juggling painted mini-pumpkins.  It even has blinking Christmas lights.  Wow. Of course, I spent 2 hours. She must have spent 2 days, and it shows.  She has creativity and talent.

     Here are a couple of pictures of my Grandkids doing a 5 K for water this past weekend.  They are terrific kids, and so speedy.  I wish they'd teach me how to run fast like they do.  It comes so naturally to them, both being speedy and being terrific.

     Sunday my daughter and I went out to eat at a new Native Foods restaurant near her home. It is in the fast-casual category and is 100% vegan.  The food was outstanding and reasonably priced.  This restaurant started in California and now they have 3 in the Denver area, and will soon have one each in Fort Collins and in Colorado Springs. I wish there was one near me....I would go out to eat often.

     Yesterday when I blogged about the talented performers at Phamaly, I should have mentioned their website which is:  http://www.phamaly.org/

Pity Pity Bang Bang

     Yesterday my daughter and I went to see "Pity Pity Bang Bang,"  an original sketch comedy about living with disabilities.  It was done by the Phamaly Theater company (formerly known as the Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artists League.)  We have previously been to a couple of musicals they have done but this is the first show I've seen that they have written.
     It was absolutely fantastic, done in the manner of Saturday Night Live.....drop dead funny, sometimes raunchy, sometimes heartbreaking.  I hope my descriptions can do them a little justice.
      There was the sketch by Paul who is blind and deaf, with bilateral cochlear implants, he called himself a modern day Helen Keller.  The sketch was called "Dyslexia in Dots."  He talked about learning braille as a child in a Catholic school taught by nuns, and how he couldn't distinguish between Ds and Fs.  He was spot on in imitating the nun's voices as he read aloud in a little child's voice.  He said that to this day he hates those god-damned little f....klings from the book.
       They did a skit about late-night product advertisements, and about new condom packages with braille writing so you can solve that pesky problem about distinguishing between mints and condoms in your pants pockets. You can visualize the hysterical scenes in demonstrating the need for this new product.
       Stephanie is a tiny older woman with cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair.  One of her sketches was "I got this" and was about surviving another day.  It was about locking her keys in her apt., and trying to figure out how to get back in.  She did wheelies on the sidewalk outside her apt. in Arvada for hours while contemplating what to do.  Finally she elevated her wheelchair to its utmost, and after more hours of trying, reached a lockbox to retrieve a key.  She survived another day.  But if she ever didn't, we will probably find her dead on the sidewalks of Arvada.
      She had a one-liner about how her Aide puts her pants on one leg at a time.....just like we do.
      And when they did a routine on how to distinguish if your partner is having an orgasm or a seizure, she did an impeccable imitation of the scene from "When Harry met Sally,"  the "I'll have what she's having" scene. You don't expect this from a tiny older woman in a wheelchair.
      Two  women who have great difficulty talking, one with Parkinson's disease and one who has had eight brain surgeries, did a sketch where they were in customer service at a cable company.  A frantic  customer whose service had gone out in the middle of an important football game, called in.  They each tried to assist him, one speaking slower and more succinctly, than the other.  The caller kept asking to speak with someone higher up. Finally one of them spoke very slowly in a marked Hindi accent trying to assist.  The caller was so frustrated, he demanded to speak to an American.  This time the actor who has had all the brain surgeries responded by imitating the voice recording of a very slow US telephone automation queue. It was spot on.
      There was a tribute to Robin Williams. This was done by Lucy, the tall slender woman with Parkinson's, who has a great deal of trouble walking and talking.  She had met Robin three times, most recently at a Michael J Fox Parkinson's fund-raiser.  As she stood there alone in the spot-light, holding her eyes open with her shaking fingers because often they remain closed on their own, she talked about Robin's recent diagnosis with Parkinson's.  She mentioned that it makes your body move frenetically, but that it freezes your face into a clown-face, and how that diagnosis must have affected a prominent person such as him. And she said how her membership in Phamaly has helped, and how if he had had a Phamaly to talk to or if he had joined their Phamaly, he might still be around. Not a dry eye in the house.  
   

Siri

     Did you see the movie "Her" where a man falls in love with the personal assistant in his cell-phone?  Once, after seeing that movie, as I was trying to stay awake while driving home in the early hours of the AM I asked Siri repeated questions, like what is the population of Omaha, of Denver, of Chicago, of Austin.  It was amusing and kept me alert. I never thought of taking the conversation further, however..
     Here is a great article about a boy with autism and his friendship with Siri.

Judith Newman in the New York Times with an incredible read on the friendship between the iPhone's Siri virtual assistant and a boy with autism. 

"Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die." .....Paul Simon

More turtle motivation

Halloween approaches....

     I have been searching for an idea for a jack-o-lantern this year.  I thought this one was really cute, especially for a turtle like me.  I don't have the appropriate-sized pumpkin or small butternut squashes, though.

Worried about Soy?

     I've had a couple of people ask how much soy I eat, as if it were a bad thing.  I do always choose organic, and only buy organic tofu and tempeh. I never get processed items with soy protein powders or soy protein isolates. I eat soy maybe twice a week.
     Tofu originated 2000 years ago in China, so soy has been around a long long time.
     These same people seem unaware of the massive amounts of soy they take in because they eat meat. They are eating processed and non-organic soy multiple times a day.

I would hate to be accused of being dull!

 

The youngest I'll ever be

     Yesterday's race was good.  It was a new course, however, and was very hilly.  I felt bad for the full marathoners when they pulled off at mile 13 and had to run another 13+ miles.
     The weather was terrific.  It was a cold 41 degrees waiting at the start for 90 minutes, but soon warmed up once we were finally moving.
     I had my alarm set for 3:30 AM again, but woke up at 2:30 and couldn't sleep thereafter, so it was a very long day.
     I finished in 2:42.  I had been hoping for 2:30 but the hills, including a half mile one going up a humongous viaduct, set me back.  For women in my age group I finished 33rd out of 81, so not terrible, but the top woman in my age group finished in 1:47.  Those are 8 minute miles!  Wow!
     This was my last planned race of this year.  Now to start planning for next year.
   
   

With friends at 6 AM.  I'm in orange.  I guess my jacket really is reflective as advertised.

Cute race t-shirt and nice medal.

Rock 'n' Roll Denver Marathon & 1/2 Marathon - Half Marathon

October 19, 2014

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Participant Detail

16319

Deborah Johnson

Littleton, CO

Age: 63 | Gender: F

Finished In:

02:42:39

• Overall: 6672 out of 8113
 
• Division: 33 out of 81
• Gender: 4139 out of 5260

• 5 km
• 10 km
• 10 mi

• 37:56
• 1:17:30
• 2:04:09

• Pace
 
• Chip Time
 
• Clock Time

• 12:24
 
• 02:42:39
 
• 03:06:16

Sea

1/2 Marathon Day, posted at ass-o-clock in the morning

A few more motivational quotes as my last scheduled race of the year is in the morning.

I have found my hero, and he is me.

"Success rests in having the courage and endurance and, above all, the will to become the person you are, however peculiar that may be. Then you will be able to say, I have found my hero, and he is me."

-George Sheehan, Running & Being: The Total Experience




"A goal is just an awesome way to force growth on yourself."
                                            Deena Kastor

"It doesn't matter what happens between the starting line and the finish line. All that matters is that you cross both."

-Tracey Maher

"I'm the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I'm the type of person who doesn't find it painful to be alone... The hour or so I spend running, maintaining my own silent, private time, is important to help me keep my mental well-being. When I'm running I don't have to talk to anybody and don't have to listen to anybody. All I need to do is gaze at the scenery passing by. This is a part of my day that I can't do without."

-Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

"Everything we do is a choice—every action, every thought, every feeling. We choose every day whether to feel apathetic or passionate, lazy or inspired, and the easy choice is often not the one that is best for us. Denial is easy. Inaction is easy. Selfishness, excuses, and indifference are easy. Honesty, positivity, and action, on the other hand, take bravery."

-Ben Davis, Do Life: The Creator of "My 120-Pound Journey" Shows How to Run Better, Go Farther, and Find Happiness

http://theoatmeal.com/

 
     Yesterday I posted a link to a Columbus Day comic by on-line artist Matt Inman, aka The Oatmeal.  He spoke last night at the Tattered Cover independent bookstore in Highlands Ranch.  He is funny, sometimes a little twisted, sometimes a little crude, plus is a runner.  He was there doing a book signing for his fifth book, which is about why he runs. It is on the NYT best seller list.

     All of those who know me know I got there predictably early.  Thank goodness.  A few hundred people showed up and must have been in line for hours after his talk to get their books signed.
     Ben, I wore my Blerch tee shirt.  He liked it.

A day of contrasts

     Today is Columbus Day; a day which celebrates a monster we have disguised as a hero, a man who actually never set foot in America.  Learn more about the real Columbus in the links below.

     http://www.the-open-mind.com/8-myths-atrocities-about-christopher-columbus-columbus-day/

     http://theoatmeal.com/comics/columbus_day



     Several cities have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. How great is this?

     http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-indigenous-peoples-day-came-to-be/ar-BB93wtA




     Contrast Columbus with 17 year-old Malala Yousafzai.  Here is the speech she gave after winning the Nobel Peace Prize 3 days ago.  All young people should listen and learn..

                                   (email subscribers go to blog to view video of her speech)




      Also, I love this photo of which I just became aware.  It shows Indian Space Research scientists and engineers cheering after India's Mars orbiter successfully entered Mar's orbit, at their spacecraft control center on 9-24-14. It confirms Malala's position of girl's needing education and being able to do anything.

http://www.newsweek.com/how-india-achieved-cheapest-ever-interplanetary-mission-mars-273588

Help get the message out.

     Here is a great health video.  Please watch and share.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/advanced-study-weekend-experts/dean-ornish/

With friends you grow wings.

                                                        shared from Rumi

"You dance inside my chest where no one sees you...." Rumi

It is time to Woman Up.

      Today I am sharing a few links to good articles.  The first is by professional runner Lauren Fleshman titled "Do I look like a man?" and discusses women, femininity, and athleticism.  I love her quote, "At what point does physical strength become a trait reserved for men?"
      It has been 42 years since the Title IX Amendment was passed:  "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
      That was after my time in high school.

http://www.runnersworld.com/womens-running/do-i-look-like-a-man




     The second lists Monsanto's Dirty Dozen.....the 12 most awful products they have made.

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/10/07/monsantos-dirty-dozen-the-12-most-awful-products-made-by-monsanto/



       The last article is about the USDA starting a program to support local and organic farming.  At last!  I guess because of the large increase in money being spent by consumers in that direction, the USDA decided to join in.  Thank you USDA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/business/usda-to-start-program-to-support-local-and-organic-farming.html?_r=2

I'm counting on it.....

                                                           shared from Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series

Update, today's Hot Chocolate 15 K

     I have to admit I was questioning my sanity when my alarm went off at 3:30 AM.  I needed to get up by then to eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, walk my dog for a mile, and leave for the light rail by 4:45,  I allowed 30 minutes to get to the light rail, buy my ticket, and get in line.  It took a half hour to get downtown, and then there was the 3/4 mile walk to the race start.  I was freezing and ended up buying a second shirt to help keep warm.  Why was I doing this?

    Once the sun came out and I met up with friends, all was good. It became a beautiful day.  The race was well-supported.  The volunteers were fantastic. The race supports a great cause. And I finished.  What more can one ask?  Well, maybe a bit more speed next time would be nice.

     And most special, just as I crossed the finish line the band was playing "Hooked on a Feeling" (the Ooga-Chaka song). Do you believe in coincidences?  I don't.  I had my own cheering section.

State Capitol at 6 AM

Me with the Capitol in the background, 10 AM

Great race bling: a hooded jacket, a hat, a medal, a bag, and a hot chocolate finishers mug which had been filled with hot chocolate, chocolate dip, and lots of dippers.  I'm still on a sugar high.

Best finisher's medal ever....a chocolate bar, of course

Synonyms: Fire, hunger, the right stuff....

     Running has its ups and downs....no pun intended.  I seem to have lost my mojo the past couple of weeks what with the shortened days and cooler damp weather. Therefore, I have been seeking out motivational quotes.  I hope they work.  There is a long winter ahead.
     Maybe you need some extra inspiration, too?


Nothing can stop you, except you!

You're never a loser until you quit trying.

Age wrinkles the body.
Quitting wrinkles the soul.
               General Douglas MacArthur

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
                Lao Tzu

Maybe strong is just what you have left when you've used up all your weak.
                 Saucony

Your race is simply a victory lap celebrating the completion of all your training.

If it is important to you, you will find a way.  If not, you'll find an excuse.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
                  Robert Collier

The inspiration you seek is already within you.  Be silent and listen.
                  Rumi

Consistency requires discipline.  Force yourself out the door.
                   Bob Glover and Shelly-Lynn Florence Glover

You don't have to go fast.  You just have to go.




     Don't get me wrong....I am still doing some running. just not enough to really get anywhere; half of what I'd like. I'll be running a 15K Hot Chocolate Run today.  I think it may be painful as I am under-trained.  But, all that chocolate at the end should make it worthwhile!

Books and chocolate make life bearable.

Dad jokes

     I wish people wouldn't put dartboards on the ceiling.

     They make me want to throw up.



(Sorry, I couldn't help myself)

     I went to a free showing of the movie "ET" last night at my local running store.  It was BYOC....bring your own chair.  They served popcorn and Reese's Pieces, of course.  I won a $25 gift certificate to the store.  There were several families there and it was the first time many little ones ever saw this special movie.
     I hadn't seen it in decades.  It is still absolutely fabulous.  It brought me back to the very first time we saw it when it was first in the theaters.  We took the kids, who were little then.  My daughter, Kate, was about the age of Drew Barrymore's Gertie.

"I'll be right here."

In the garden of your mind

My kids watched Mister Rogers when they were little because I loved his show.  I also love this video remix.  Please watch.  Are your fingers snapping?  Have you put on a cardigan?  Simpler times.

The spread of social media and t.v. to the rest of the animal kingdom

     A funny video to lighten a cold autumn day.

                                        (email subscribers go to blog to view video)



"The greatness of a nation and its moral process can be judged by the way its animals are treated."   Gandhi

Happy Birthday to Mahatma Gandhi.