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Showing posts from November, 2009

Resetting my running habit

Thanksgiving is not known for gift-giving, but I got all I wanted for Christmas on Thursday night. My brother-in-law Scott Craig gave me his Garmin Forerunner 205 , because he upgraded to a new model. I had not expected to have something so useful. And now, I may just run a marathon on March 21, 2010 . Since not running the Richmond marathon, I've not really been formally training for anything. I've not crossed 10 miles since time in late September and have gotten into a rut of doing the same 7 miles again and again. The training program got me in the habit of wanting to know my pace, and wanting to know how fast I ran each mile. I've been too scatter-brained to map out each course so I can manually keep track of my pace on my bumblebee Timex. One of the first lessons I learned from Mark Lorenzoni of Ragged Mountain Running Shop is to buy a watch. Without a watch, there's no point in considering becoming a competitive runner. And, if you're running, you may as well

Hurling messages of appreciation into the universe

Since last Thanksgiving, my life has completely and utterly transformed in some ways. Mostly for the better, though I am most definitely not entirely over the break-up of my marriage. It happens, you know? I'd like to first be somewhat grateful I didn't use this blog to air all of my dirty laundry. I did, however, use it to reach out to people, and I'm thankful for all of the people who did help me out throughout the course of the year. I am doing incredibly interesting work for Charlottesville Tomorrow. This has been our busiest year to date, with the Daily Progress partnership, the launch of cvillepedia, and so many other things we've done. I am thankful to work with Brian Wheeler, who has been a good mentor for me and has made me into a much better journalist. I am back at Court Square Tavern, a place that grounds me in Charlottesville and serves as a nice counterpart to the other work I do. Working with Katie Fox has been a blessing, because I've had to learn ho

Before the day begins

My house is not in tip-top shape, but it's not in rotten bottom condition either. My ears are being assaulted by a recording of guitar and vocals I did back in October. I record about an hour of raw material a week. In some ways, creating music has taken over from running as the thing that fuels my expanding view of myself. Greater than running a marathon is the idea of becoming a very good musician. Both take practice, a willingness to train, patience and concentration. Last night after I got off work at 1:00 AM, I went down to Miller's like I do every Friday that I can to catch the last set of the Rogan Brothers. Last night I met up with some friends, hung out with them until last call and then went home. At ten to three I started playing music, risking waking up my housemate. I played for 23 minutes, using the energy from the Rogan Brothers, as well as the experience of serving at least a hundred people last night at the tavern. New regulars, familiar faces as well as strang

Stream of consciousness

I'm standing behind the bar at the tavern. Nirvana's "Lake of Fire" is playing. There are not many customers. I recognize everyone in here. A party of 9 is sprawled out at 10 having sampled at least eleven different kinds of beers by now. The bar is filled with a mix of people who work here and people who know we work here. I've got maybe 45 minutes or so until I can cash out the drawer and get on with my own evening. Now the music switches to a song by the Kooks that I've never actually heard in its entirety. I've only heard in snippets from a podcast I used to listen to from Virgin Radio, now known as Absolute Radio. The song is called "She moves in her own way" the title of which couldn't be more appropriate, especially on a day when the process of my divorce has begun. I know you're not supposed to talk about such things in polite company, but this little box is my chance to tell the world what's going in my life, and what I'm

Scary situation on Old Lynchburg Road

Last night I drove down to a house on Old Lynchburg Road to pick up a stereo system through freecycle. It was pitch black at 6:00 PM, and as the road went from four lanes to two to barely two, I began to get really nervous driving. I no longer like driving at night on rural roads. When I was younger and gasoline was free, I would roam Campbell County just to see how my hometown was put together. My friends and I explored every road, and I got to know the whole place. As I got older, I found more things to do with my time, I stopped driving as much. When I was at Virginia Tech, I did a little of this but that was mostly in conjunction with time spent delivering pizza for Backstreets. When I lived in New Hampshire, I drove around a lot, too. Then I got older, and my night vision decreased a bit. Gasoline got more expensive, and it didn't seem like a fun leisurely activity. And then my life became saturated with responsibility. I don't really need a new stereo system, but I figure

Let's have a little rant, shall we?

Most of us do not use public transportation. I do not use it on a regular basis, even though the Route 4 comes past my house twice an hour during peak periods. I work downtown, so it should be a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately, like most of us, I do not have a set schedule. I have something different to do pretty much every day, whether it be drive to a meeting, or pick up my kids at their daycare near Albemarle High School. I also can afford a car, and there's been no compelling reason for me to give it up, or to switch my choice. But, this morning, I am steaming, absolutely steaming, about a bus driver's performance. I left my keys at a meeting in a government building, being somewhat distracted by a friend of mine that I was chatting to. I realized this seconds after walking out the door. So, I had another friend of mine come pick me up. No matter, I thought. I have the bus as a reliable means of transportation. So, I woke up this morning, got ready, loaded up the Charlotte

Towards equilibrium

One of my new life goals shall be equilibrium, where I try to balance my work life with my need to be alive and human. This is a tricky objective, akin to a very complicated move in billiards. If I stop and think about the juggling required to keep everything in order, balls tend to fall to the ground. Unfortunately, some of them roll away. But, it's a new month, a new day and the sun is shining in the sky. The construction of the new Smith Pool has now shot steel pillars into the ground. We're entering the final days of autumn, and the brilliance of chlorophyll depletion is fading. Cold days ahead, with dark nights, and I'm looking forward to making it through. I will do by seeking this balance, seeking a little pepper to go along with the salt I produce from my time in the mines.

Simple moments to keep up the pace

Sometimes my electric kettle won't turn off, and the steam pours out, coating my kitchen in layers of moisture. Sometimes the valve on my toilet warps and the water keeps feeling up until I come and fix it. Things break, but they can always be fixed if you stay attentive. Other times, there is so much information pouring into my brain and I can't stop it. I'm pulled in so many different directions and seem to always need to be somewhere other than in my own space. Thankfully, my friends keep reminding me to breathe. There are also the mornings when a good cup of tea sorts the mind to the point where some of it begins to make sense. One good deep breath and the slight push of a handle, and life begins anew, as it does every moment. We're a string of frames being put through the projector one shot after another. On this rainy November morning, my mind is awash with thoughts of this whirlwind Halloween week, and with thoughts of how to prepare for the end of the year. I