I got back into running - finally - 9 months after the Los Angeles Marathon. I have good reason though for it taking so long. I've been in transition of moving to New York. It's a big change. Further, it's freakin' cold here! How the heck are you supposed to run outsite when it's below freezing?! Well, I've been doing it, and it's actually REALLY great! I think the cold air keeps your body cool which makes your entire system run more efficiently, ultimately enabling you to go further distances, and at faster speeds. Really awesome...
I completed my first "big"run yesterday of 7.1 miles. I basically did the entire perimeter of Central Park, and then some. My time was 64 minutes, including waiting for stop lights and getting stuck behind pedestrians who aren't aware that when three people side by side, they take up the entire sidewalk - not bad speed - and I wasn't pushing hard. I half-way rolled my ankle at the end because I made the mistake of running down Lexington Avenue on an early Saturday evening when EVERYBODY apparently goes shoppping at Bloomingdales - ugh, humans... it should be alright though. All the people gave me road rage... you know, like when you are driving in traffic, and you just want to go faster. So I ended up sprinting down Lex, REALLY FAST, it was rad to run fast and dodge all the humans. Kind of like a video game.
Central Park has an amazing maze of trails and roads that runners can use. It's great because you can take a different path every time, and the scenery is gorgeous. Further, the paths are packed dirt which is definitely ideal for training. And as always in New York, the runners are wearing gear that is the height of fashion. Gotta love it.
To all you vegans out there, I've got to admit... I pity you... When you have to eat things with names like "tofurkey meatloaf"... sad times. Let's get real here. I'm not the healthiest eater, but I think that we could all agree that there is a balance between vegan and carnivore that is the optimal diet for homo sapiens. I don't know exactly where exactly that fulcrum lies, but I know that the optimal diet would definitely include protein from meats (a.k.a animal flesh), and I can't deny that I LOVE meat, so I think this works out in my favor. As "they" say, "everything in moderation, including moderation". Later - I'm off to the steak house.
So I landed in New York a few months ago on a visit to work with Google. My now in-law put me up in his vacant apartment which really was vacant in that it was devoid of the common luxuries such as eating utensils. I was hungry, as I get after flights since I don't care much for airplane food, even though the food on Virgin America is definitely a step up from other air lines... So I cruised around the corner and found Pax Food which seemed like a pretty wholesome place. I got me a salad, and headed back to the apartment.
To make this short - I sat down to eat, Pax forgot to give me utensils, so I mixed the salad and dressing with my hands and ate it with my hands much like I imagine our great ancestors, the barbarians in caves, would have done (I wonder what kind salad dressing they used?). I felt surprisingly liberated from the confinements of modern societal etiquette, and suprisingly in-touch with our great ancestors.
Moral of the story - step out, try something new. It seems to lead to getting more in touch with yourself. Word.
So later, I got in touch with the guys who owns trysomethingnew.com - I though it would be a great idea to setup a site that created a community of people who were looking to try new things, who could share ideas, etc. Then I got busy with all the other crazy ideas I have swimming in my head. Stay tuned for their releases.
Get this - you know how in commercials for cat food, the food is always in a really nice crystal bowl of some sort? Well, I've been told by a not-so-credible source, but credible nonetheless that the reason for this is because the number one purchaser of cat food is poor old people because it's the most cost effective way to eat. I have no idea if that is true, but sad if it is. We should really pay more attention to caring for the elderly. After all, we are all going to be old some day, and I hope that I get good care then. Dismal.
I don't remember exactly how I came across this term... I think I was looking at wedding stuff or something - don't ask me why. Anyways, it's a strange word, and even used in context, it's hard to figure out what the heck the word means. So here it is: A gobo is a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.