Life Lesson # 79

Ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right? You know, little things start happening the minute you wake up? You nick yourself shaving, you get out of the shower and discover there's no clean towels, you burn the coffee, you don't have any food for breakfast, then you rip a hole in your sock! Been there, done that.

Well today, I make it to work in one piece then get hit with a million little "fires" all of which require about 2-3 hours to sort through. Today was suppose to be an easy day- yeah right.

The afternoon has to be better.

Time for a quick restroom break. Business finished, I wash my hands only to discover there's no paper towels. What to do? Hey those toilet seat covers look like they'll work. I grab about five out of the wall holder and immediately determine this is not a good idea. You see, toilet seat covers are apparently made from the thinnest paper in the world and begin to disintegrate the minute moisture hits them.

Now picture this- I'm standing there, hands dripping wet holding onto what now looks like a glob of papier-mache for a 7th grade art project. I try to wash all of this off my hands but of course that wasn't too smart. The sink drain clogs up from all the toilet seat cover "pulp" and I'm mad as hell. So I'm flailing my hands in the air trying to dry them before someone comes in and sees me having a freakin' hysterical fit! A sight to behold.......

Life lesson learned today-AVOID DRYING YOUR HANDS WITH THE TOILET SEAT COVERS. THEY AIN"T PAPER TOWELS!!!!!!

Did You Just Blow Feathers Out Of Your Nose?

Reading the internet news sites has me worried. All you hear out of Asia is bird flu, bird flu, bird flu. Seems like there have been several confirmed human bird flu deaths recently. The reports say the victims contracting the nasty stuff from handling or eating infected poultry. The big question now is how much of a global problem this will become. All the major health agencies are hyping it to be the next pandemic. I know, I know, big scary word pandemic.

So, after being invited over to a friends house for Thanksgiving dinner and sitting there feasting on the best tasting bird I've had in a while, I came to a decision. No more poultry for me until bird flu season passes. Now, this is going to be tough since poultry is such a big part of my life. It is doable however.

I thought I could achieve this by switching from poultry to fish but there's already a fish flu- Nanophyetiasis. Humans get it by ingesting infected fish and it's parasitic in origin. AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

What to do?

Sure can't find a damn flu shot to prevent the stuff so it looks like a diet of vegetables, fruit, and rice are the best ways to avoid getting sick this season. Oh, and I'll be sure to include frequent handwashing and a daily multi-vitamin!

Later,

Gimme a Big Old Chunk Of It!

One thing about being single, you definitely learn to eat on the cheap and out of cans. Now I've been trying different brands of tuna fish over the past several months and finally discovered a favorite. The criteria was simple- great taste and quality. While the brands I sampled tasted pretty much all the same it became apparent that quality would be the deciding factor. Quality to me was measured in how "chunky" the tuna was. Bumble Bee, Starkist, and most of the generic store brands were all losers. I began to wonder if the tuna packed in these brands were leftovers from the packing room floor. Drain the water out of these cans and you'll end up with half the contents slipping away down the sink. Some people may like this style and I suppose if you were making some mutant kind of tuna fish salad it would be easier to mix in all the other ingredients. Not me.

The winner and hands down favorite in my apartment- Chicken of the Sea. I've yet to find a bad can of Chicken of the Sea tuna. Talk about chunk's (it's the chunkiest national brand. Says so right on the label)! There's real tuna fish meat in every can. Keep in mind how important this is for a bachelor. It's so much easier eating chunky tuna right out of the can. You can use a fork or chopsticks instead of a spoon. Mix in a little rice or instant potatoes and you've got a quick and easy meal.

AAHHHH, the joys of being a satisfied man.........


Later,

Damn, That Was Good!

Just can't say enough about Paul Thorn and his band at the Neighborhood Theater Friday night. The down home boy from Tupelo, Mississippi brought the house down. Paul told his trademark stories between songs and sang a whole list of favorites. Best of all is when he invited all the ladies up on stage (Not the best looking bunch and there were some "Man Ladies" mixed in the group).

Then during the encore he did it again, this time inviting everyone who wished they'd gotten up on stage the first time. The show ended like an old time tent revival. Can't say I've ever seen as many drunk people singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"........

AMEN Brother!!!

Paul Thorn is a definite must see when he makes it back to the city.

Let's Take a Moment to Consider the Common Fig

So, I'm sitting in the dentist's office waiting to see if I need a root canal and I pick up an old copy of Backpacker Magazine. Flipping through the pages, I spot a little blurb about, of all things, FIGS! Man, I never really considered the fig as anything special but was I ever wrong.

Seems like this super fruit has been revered throughout the ages. Fig remnants have been found in archeological digs dating back to at least 5000 BC. Ancient cultures considered the fig tree a symbol of peace and plenty, abundance and initiation, and power and life. It was a sacred luxury fruit.

Plato called figs "food for athletes" and rightly so. Figs are fat free, sodium free, and cholesterol free. The fruit contains proteolytic enzyme which aids digestion and also psoralens which is used to treat skin pigmentation diseases and promotes tanning. Figs have more dietary fiber (both soluble and insoluble) than any other fruit and provides 526.18 mg of potassium and .29 mg of manganese not to mention iron and calcium. Their high alkaline rate has even helped people quit smoking.

Gophers love to chew on fig tree roots while birds love to peck away at the fruit itself. All harvested figs in the United States come from California's Central Valley.

Now, knowing all this information caused me to go out and buy a tub o' figs at my local grocery store yesterday. I must say they're purdy darn tasty! I consumed a half dozen for breakfast this morning then went out and had a short jog in the chilly air. I felt remarkable and damn if my skin doesn't feel more toned!

Summary- GO EAT SOME FIGS!!

Time to get Exhausted!

I'm very excited. Seems like a fellow Mangum Track Club member, Tom Gabell, is planning a 24 hour run in North Carolina in 2006! I've been intrigued with the idea of doing a 24 hour run ever since completing two Ultra-Marathons (one 50 mile run and one 50k run). Heck, just to be out with friends is reason enough for me to stay up all day and night.

If all goes well the run will take place on a new lake trail near Rockingham, NC. Tom says it's flat and measures 1.5 miles. The trail will officially open in early 2006 so there needs to be more discussion on the exact date, logistics, etc...

Guess I better start stocking up on water, gels, e-tabs, and other assorted foodstuffs.

Spreading Idiosyncratic Messages - What???

Had a great 12 mile run this morning. Got a late start since I was out late for 2 nights in a row! My cheap little mp3 player made the time fly by. The earbuds need to go though.

Sir Elton comes to Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Some one asked me earlier if he was the Queen of England. Good question. We may get the answer after seeing what he's wearing during the show.

Lots of friends will be there tonight, maybe not all Elton John fans but at least it's a good excuse to get out and see the brand new building. Go ahead indulge in some Center City nightlife afterwards.

Just added a couple of links to the site, the cult favorite "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" and the "Moon Song".

From Wikipedia:
"All your base are belong to us." (sometimes referred to as "All Your Base" or abbreviated AYBABTU or simply AYB) is a phrase that sparked an Internet phenomenon in 2001 and 2002. The text is taken from the poorly-translated opening found in the English version of the Japanese video game Zero Wing, originally produced by Toaplan in 1989. Groups of game enthusiasts began to digitally alter various images to include the phrase. Eventually, these images were collected together onto one site and a Flash animation produced from them, which was widely downloaded. The original Quicktime movie can be found here. The most popular version of the video, set to music by The Laziest Men on Mars, can be found here.

The infamous quotations were taken from the European localization of the Sega Mega Drive port released in 1992. The arcade version of Zero Wing does not include the quote, nor any other dialogue; the intro for the PC Engine version has CD quality spoken dialogue, but has a completely different introduction. Zero Wing was never released in North America, and therefore never came to the Sega Genesis, the North American Mega Drive.

"All Your Base" is interesting because it demonstrated the Internet's power to quickly spread idiosyncratic messages that would never have been covered by the traditional mass media. Although the fad has died down, the phrase continues to be one of the most commonly quoted examples of "Engrish". The phrase is also often used as a battle cry on many competitive video games, particularly ones played over the Internet.

Take a break and sing along. It'll make ya smile........

REK,REK,REK!

Live music was back at the Neighborhood Theater on November 9th with a visit from 'ol favorite Robert Earl Keen. I was first in line and able to snag a great seat once the doors opened. The house was packed with an older, rowdy, beer drinking crowd. One guy drove down from Virginia to catch the act. The sound was decent. Lots of people sang along all night long. You could definitely tell who the Keen fans were. The highlight was a rousing rendition of "Merry Christmas from the Family" Simply brought the house down! Great encore set. We all got our moneys worth.

Paul Thorn is playing November 18th. May have to go to that one.

How to Speak French

Found this tidbit in another email thread.........


President Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to begin drawing up a battle plan to pull France's ass out of the fire again.

Facing an apparent overwhelming force of up to 400 pissed-off teenagers, Mr. Bush doubts France's ability to hold off the little maggots.

"If the last two world wars are any indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now," said Bush. Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President that it might be necessary to send up to five Marines to get things under control.

The general admitted that five Marines may be overkill, but he wanted to get this thing under control within 24 hours of arriving on scene. He stated, though, that he was having a hard time finding even one Marine who would volunteer to help the French out for a third time.

President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our Marines out of there as soon as possible after order was restored. He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure the Marines did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. "The less they stand out, the better," he said.

Getting Back Into The Swing

Well, it's time to start back running to get ready for the Charlotte "Thunder Road" marathon on December 3, 2005. This is new territory for me, three marathons in 3 months (MCM, Charlotte, and the Disney Triple) I plan on doing at least 4 miles in the morning and then run at least 12 this weekend. I hope I have a good enough base!

Having Fun

"The most potent muse of all is our own inner child"

--Stephen Nachmanovitch

Just Great Harmony

"Del McCoury and the Boys" visited the Neighborhood Theater Friday night and played a two hour set with Dread Clampitt opening. Dell and the band pumped out some of the best Blue Grass music I've heard in a while-nothing but smooth. After a set of introductory tunes Dell moved on to play songs requested by the crowd. I'm still in awe at all the great harmony and crisp instrumental sounds. A good time was had by all. If Dell ever visits your city go see him. You won't be disappointed.

Watch This....

"Humor is a rubber sword- it allows you to make a point without drawing blood"-- Mary Hirsch

Sure They Look Funny

.........but they're oh so comfortable. Succumb to the rubber shoe! Your feet will thank you for it.

HOOAHH! (Say It Like Ya Mean It Boy)

Had a great time at Marine Corp Marathon this past weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather-cool temps and clear blue skies. I started out too fast and suffered in the end. I was 2:06 at the half then felt the hammer drop at around mile 17. Completed the course in 4:54. This was the 30th running of the MCM and the finishers medal was super nice.

Now on to do "Thunder Road" in Charlotte, NC on December 3, 2005 then the Disney triple run in January 2006. Pray there's no shortage of liquid Advil!