Where's my mind?

Blue towel, leather glove and
a Camel cigarette box.

Anyone who answered, "In the gutter," knows me too well. But you're still wrong. I think it's really gone missing. Or at least it's in hiding. I had witty things to say this morning as I ran. A song would inspire a thought, or a passing vehicle or whatever. By the time I'd returned home and showered, it was gone. Couldn't even remember the clever title I'd conjured for today's post.

Then a trip to Peoria to put my sister on a plane and to pick up some bicycle parts (new shifters, new chain) derailed what was left of my thought train and I've got nothin'. So, I think the best course of action is to load this with lots of video links under the playlist and get to work on some long-overdue video.

Today's Stats
Temp: 59 degrees F
Distance: 5 miles
Treasure: 1 blue dish towel; 1 canvas and leather work glove (right); 1 Camel cigarette box; 17 cans.

The nylon Army shorts I found a while back are repaired
now and they are great for today's run.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Hold On Loosely - .38 Special
O'Sullivan's March - The Chieftains
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac
Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (Live) - Johnny Cash
I'm Amazing - Keb' Mo'
A Bird That Whistles - Joni Mitchell
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
Sister Golden Hair - America
Concerning Hobbits - Howard Shore (LOTR Soundtrack)
Oh Girl - Paul Young
Arizona Skies - Los Lobos
I'm Game - Christophe Beck (TV series "Angel")
The Distance - Cake

Sometimes it's just random

As with life in general, a runner doesn't always know where he's headed when he sets out for the day. He may have a route he likes to follow regularly, or several routes he runs depending on the desired distance or scenery. Other days there is a goal or destination: a shopping center, a friend's house, errands. Then there are the days when he just starts one direction and waits to see where his feet lead him. So it was today.

Not my intention to suggest taking out the trash; merely
apropos coincidence this morning.

Maybe it was coincidence. Perchance it was fate. Might it have been subconscious suggestion that led me on a path past history? Ultimately I found myself running in the vicinity of Lombard Middle School and I decided to stop for a gander at the grand old "Zephyr Dome," last vestige of Lombard College. The dilapidated dome — which, incidentally, is not a dome at all — is at the center of a war between the local school district and the regional office of education. For some reason the ROE has authority over the fate of the structure. The ROE has sided with local preservationists in the face of the school district's determination to demolish the hazardous hall.

The editorial board were going to sound off on the subject Sunday, but we opted instead to take a united stand with a single editorial. It was a well-written piece and I agree with its premise. But I had a few other thoughts on the matter. Here is my original response:

Should Regional Superintendent allow demolition of the "Zephyr Dome" at Lombard Middle School?

To put it simply, yes, Regional Superintendent Bonnie Harris needs to sign off on the demolition of the old Lombard gym. To get more complex, let me qualify that with an alternative: Have a plan. I love historic buildings, particularly if they're cool looking like the inappropriately named "Zephyr Dome" ( it's a box, no curves, most notably not in the roof). The old gym has that castle-like appearance that screams for preservation and reuse.

But the building has sat dormant for too long. It deteriorates further by the day. It is a health hazard on a couple levels: it is likely a haven for vermin and it's dilapidation could prove harmful to anyone who gets close enough should it start shedding bricks, as some of Galesburg's older buildings have been known to do.

If it retains enough structural integrity to be saved, great. What happened to the task force? If somebody wants to save it, come up with a plan and a timeline. And that may mean coming up with some money quickly to slow its decay. No such action has happened. The preservationists plead for a stay and Bonnie Harris uses the power of her office to halt true progress.

So unless somebody wants to stop talking and start acting to actually preserve the old gym, tear it down.

 After the old gym came a decaying building that has historical significance to me: Pinebrook Western Store at the corner of Pine and Brooks streets. I visited that store a lot in my later teens, having grown up on John Wayne, the Lone Ranger, "Rawhide" and the Cisco Kid. Then I spent some summers in the Southwest, where everybody wears cowboy boots and hats and snap shirts. It was kind of a dream of mine.

Alas, with the passing of the shop's proprietor, Monte Gifford, several years back, the vacant building is posted with No Trespassing signs and bears the scars of age and negligence: broken windows, crumbling bricks and mortar, rotted wood... Nobody cries for the salvation of the Pinebrook building. It does not have the cool, castle-like countenance of the old gym. Its history isn't linked to Carl Sandburg. And yet, it was the longtime home to a unique local business run by a unique man who cared enough about this town to serve on the City Council. 

The backside of the former Pinebrook Western Store.

Today's Stats
Temp: 60 degrees F
Distance: 4.7 miles
Treasure: 1 skull (animal, mandible missing); 1 glove; 1 cigarette box; 1 Walgreens photo CD (too damaged to view); 16 cans.

Morning glories on a fence glow in the
light of the rising sun.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Venus (dance mix) - Bananarama
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of - U2
We Shall Be Free - Garth Brooks
Spell No. 30 (For the Judgment of the Dead) - Alberto Acosta
Lady - Styx
Money Is the Name of the Game - Koko Taylor
Highway Patrolman - Bruce Springsteen
Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias - The Beatles
Stay the Night - Chicago (Check out the awful video)
You're My Thrill - Joni Mitchell
Mr. Roboto - Styx

Time is fleeting, madness takes its toll

I don't know the point of today's title. It struck me this morning during the run but I've lost the meaning. To top it off, I really don't have anything to say today. I guess you'll have to make do with some photos and videos. Check out the links in today's playlist.

Today's Stats
Temp: 79 degrees F
Distance: 4 miles
Weekly Total: 7.9 miles
Treasure: 1 small screwdriver; 1 yellow No. 8 (like the previous No. 2 found in the Main Street construction zone); 21 cans. 

Leftovers from the car cruise

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Crucifixion - John Debney ("The Passion of the Christ" soundtrack)
Counting By Tens - From the Discovery Toys Sounds Like Fun CD (that's why you keep the kids' iTunes libraries separate)
Castle Attack - Robert Kral (from the TV series "Angel")
Yellow - Coldplay
I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie
Innocence Maintained - Jewel
Phoenix Song - Harry & the Potters
We Will Not Be Lovers - The Waterboys
Sink or Float - Aberdeen (from the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
Friends - Page & Plant
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - The Yardbirds

Fighting the build-up of plaque. Get it, build-up?

Danger! Danger! He could go postal.

Moving Day(s)

A comfortable morning run was followed up by five hours of moving furniture and boxes and 90-plus minute church session meeting Monday evening that found me volunteering to head up the nominating committee. That's kind of a 180 from my recent inclinations.

Helping a church friend move into her new house was a fun time actually. Quite a crew showed up to load and unload a U-Haul, a pickup and a minivan. The movee was well organized, which is always a help. We had some big pieces to tote but we had adequate muscle. And know-how. We had a couple experienced movers who were smart at packing and maneuvering.

After the lugging was done, the movee had a scrumptious lunch for us (barbecue chicken, veggies, chips and sodas/water. We all dined outdoors (except the kids, who divided their time indoors and out) in her amazing yard. There are flowers galore, and a giant conifer mini-forest in back sectioning off a portion for the garden. It is wonderful.

And get this, the hoouse is right across from my second boyhood home on Olive Street! And, coincidence continued, that house is now occupied by a former coworker and his wife. Topping it all off, I learned that my first school, dormant a few years now and sold to private ownership, is being at least partially converted into apartments. Pretty cool.

Today was moving day, round 2. Daughter No. 2 is now in her freshman dorm at Monmouth College. I must say, it was a much easier move (one car-load and a couple other items in a second car) than yesterday and not even on a par with Daughter No. 1's first college move-in four years ago.

He must be the supervisor.

Today's Stats (Monday)
Temp: 59 degrees F
Distance: 3.9 miles
Treasure: 1 cotton glove; 1 pair nylon Army shorts; 1 empty can Grizzly chewing tobacco; 12 cans (14 bonus cans from the moving crew and my office desk).

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Power to the People - John Lennon
All This Time - Sting
Keep Me In Your Heart (Strings Only - Van Dyke Parks
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
I've Had Enough - Lyle Lovett
Theme from Alamo Bay - Ry Cooder
Rosanna - Toto
Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
The Fans - Alabama
Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles

No deposit, no return

I think it was the sight of me hauling a garbage bag full of aluminum cans through the office last Friday morning, a week ago that is, that sparked the conversation with a couple co-workers about recycling and redeeming cans and bottles in states that charge a deposit on beverage containers. It got me to thinking about all the containers and other trash I don't bother to pick up most days. I'll stop on a dime for a penny and make a U-turn for a can. Sadly, I think there are far more plastic bottles out there than cans. And there they stay.

I had an eye for plastic bottles today -- a blight upon our fair city.
The construction shirt was an unexpected bonus.

So today I made it a point to pick up the bottles I passed, just to take a tally. The numbers are below and I am certain I missed a few, though I did make an effort to walk a couple yards down the railroad tracks to pick up three containers left there. (The train had just passed, so I figured it was safe.) It's disgusting the amount of trash on our streets, and a good portion of it is single-use plastic beverage containers.

I editorialized on the subject three years ago when I still had to write an editorial each week. You can read it here, but I'll give you the nutshell take. So-called bottle bill states see a greater recovery rate of plastic bottles through recycling than states that simply recycle. The majority of those states have seen a large reduction in plastic bottle waste. The deposit not only encourages recycling, it discourages littering.

Will some people still toss their water and soda bottles? Sure. But you know what? At a nickel or dime apiece, they'll quickly attract attention by folks looking to cash in on the free source of income. Aluminum cans are one thing -- it takes about 33 to make a pound, which sells for 44 cents (minus 10 percent for impurities) at G&M Distributors' recycling center in Galesburg. By comparison, 33 plastic pop bottles at a nickel each would net you $1.65. That would add up quickly.

I'm just old enough to remember the days of glass pop bottles on which you paid a deposit; the money was refunded when you returned the bottles to the store. If you bought more pop, you essentially rolled it over. If you were giving it up for lent or whatever, you pocketed the change or bought some candy bars. It's really not that difficult. And again, the lazy mopes who still wouldn't bother to hold onto their bottles until they found a depository would simply be out a few cents and the resulting littler likely wouldn't be around long because some thrifty soul would snatch 'em up for a mini-payday.

Today's Stats
Temp: 81 degrees F
Distance: 2.7 miles
Weekly Total: 12.95 miles
Treasure: 1 orange sleeveless T-shirt with reflective stripes (thanks, Gunther Construction); 11 plastic bottles; 1 glass bottle; four aluminum cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
You Keep Me Hangin' On - Kim Wilde
Give Me Back My Wig (live) - Luther Allison
Veracruz - Santana
Walk Between the Raindrops - James McMurtry
Handle With Care - Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (Concert for George)
I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
One Lonely Night - REO Speedwagon
The Grand Illusion - Styx

Left Behind

When you run with a group it becomes obvious where you rank. I am typically last. I don't mind. But it doesn't help one's cause to always be the last to arrive for the run. And when you stop to take a few photos along the way, well, you end up so far behind that everybody decides to head home to clean up for work before you've even rounded the last bend. Again, I don't mind. And with a day off work today, I didn't have to rush at all. Hell, I lingered and drank down the Gatorade I found on the way out and enjoyed a short walk along the lake shore. I saw a turtle that was too fast for me to get a photo but I did capture a few nice shots of the lake and log he had been sunning on.

Yeah, I know, you're still stuck on my drinking the Gatorade from the road. It was an unopened, seal unbroken bottle. I examined it for obvious cooties and found none. Ironically, today was one of the few that I remembered my water bottle for post-run hydration. Needless to say, I didn't need it. I was refreshed with that G2 grape-goodness, which also replenished my depleted electrolytes.Did I mention it was tasty? And with the cool fall-like morning air, the liquid was adequately chilled, to boot.

As chance would have it, I actually took along a plastic bag for any goodies I might find today. I usually don't bother because the lake trail is pretty well-kept. That was the case again, but as I paralleled North Lake Storey Road just past the police pistol range, a little ways before the curve toward the spillway bridge, I spied a lump of white in the middle of the road. As is my nature now, I had to investigate. It was a fairly clean washcloth. How handy.

Back in the park near the Lions Shelters, I noticed a few of the trash barrels were tipped onto their sides. They were mostly empty, which was nice to see, but one had a couple of aluminum cans inside (one beer, one Pepsi). I grabbed those, too, and added a hand towel in Lincoln Park and nine more cans on the bike ride home. Not bad for a day at the lake.

Today's Stats
Temp: 57 degrees F
Distance: 5 miles
Weekly Total: 10.25
Treasure: 1 Gatorade G2 (grape flavor); 1 white washcloth; 1 white and pink checkered hand towel; 11 cans; another 111 cans from the receptacles at the newspaper.

Turtle log, sans turtle.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp (I liked this video because of the bicycles.)
For the Love of a Princess - James Horner (Braveheart soundtrack)
The Marauders - Tears for Fears
If Ever You're In My Arms Again - Peebo Bryson
Bicycle Song - Kevin Brown
Sleepwalking - Lyle Lovett
I'm Not Moving - Phil Collins
I'll Take My Sorrow Straight - Iris Dement
All My Loving - The Beatles
Dream On - Glee Cast (feat. Neil Patrick Harris
Father, Son - Peter Gabriel
Luther Played Guitar - Stan Ridgway
Calliope House - The Waterboys
On Any Other Day - The Police
Fancy Man Blues - The Rolling Stones

Fair trade policy

This was supposed to be my triumphant return to running and blogging. Alas, the run was refreshing but uneventful, my day was busy and I am only now getting around to writing. And, as is often the case, or so I have heard, my head is empty.

All I have is the happiness brought by one decent find on a day that seemed likely to produce nada. I expanded my lanyard collection with a nice black one from First Midwest Bank with a clip for an I.D. card. I still wonder how good items end up in the middle of the street. I mean, it's one thing for something to fall out of your car in the driveway. I guess maybe it was from a car parked in the street and it got kicked, blown or otherwise relocated. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all these lanyards. They seem so useful, and I guess they are to some people. High school and college kids seem to use them for their keys and I.D.s and discount scan-cards. Daughter No. 2, who is off to college next week, already has one from her chosen future alma mater. (Is that overly optimistic thinking? Nah. She's a good student and a motivated individual.) I found one from her school and passed it along to Daughter No. 3 for encouragement. I have a feeling it's lying on her bedroom floor.

Others I have collected hang from the doorknob in my apartment. Therein lies one possible outlet for the goodies, should I decide to part with them. In the lobby downstairs stands a long side-table where residents leave cast-offs and things to share: the morning paper after it's been read, an odd sock, a stick of mascara or whatever that stuff is you brush on your eyelashes, an old separator for sharing a phone line with a computer using dial-up Internet access, and so on.

Somebody on Seminary Street had a dozen yummies from
Denny's Doughnuts and Bakery, Bloomington.

I laid a baseball there a couple weeks ago and it was gone in a few hours. A decorated sweatshirt and a Nike running shirt I found went in an afternoon. The cheap Cyber Acoustics USB PC speakers I left lingered for a couple days before someone finally found them worthy of carting off to God knows where (maybe the trash). I like the Exchange Table, as I call it. I snagged a box of notecards with Washington, D.C., scenes on them. So it really is an exchange. 

Best be careful, though, not to leave something you want back. When I was riding the purple girlie bike a while back, I dared to park it at the end of the table one day because I didn't want to haul it up the stairs (I was coming right back down). When I returned to the lobby a woman resident said to me, "Sir, you just left that in the worst possible place." I thought she was going to reprimand me for cluttering the area. "The stuff on that table is for anybody to take. You wouldn't want somebody to take your bike."

Well, maybe I would. It's a purple (OK, it's pink) little girl bike. It wouldn't upset me too much. In fact, I plan on giving it to a co-worker who commented one day that, "My daughter would love that bike." Now that I have rolling wheels of my own, with more soon to be in riding condition, I can part with the Mongoose Freestyle Girl. Thank you, city auction. She was a worthy steed.

p.s. I did pick up some trash just to throw it away today: three McDonald's bags and contents and a lid from a box of doughnuts (sadly missing the important part) from Bloomington.

Today's Stats
Temp: 70 degrees F (6:25 a.m. start)
Distance: 5.25 miles
Treasure: 1 white T-shirt (size XL, seriously nasty — it'll be a shop rag); 1 First Midwest Bank I.D. lanyard (no I.D., very good condition); 2 cigarette boxes (1 Camel, 1 Doral); 1 box lid from a Bloomington doughnut shop; 17 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Fly Me To The Moon (live) - Diana Krall

Poor Poor Pitiful Me (live) - Warren Zevon
Goodbye Muirsin Durkin - Off-Kilter
Two of Hearts - Stacey Q
Rip This Joint (live '72) - The Rolling Stones
Impossible Dreamer - Joni Mitchell
Absolute - The Fray
Heaven, Hell or Houston - ZZ Top
Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC
Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
I Forgot to Remember To Forget - John Prine & Mac Wiseman
Best Is Yet To Come - USAF Band of Mid-America
Edith and the Kingpin - Joni Mitchell
Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung

New shop in town: Dunham's Sports

I didn't hear the question but the reply was clear: "No, we don't sell handguns. We just have the ammo."

Yeah, and two display racks full of military-style longarms, what anti-gunners like to call "assault rifles." They're semi-automatics but I reckon you could find some pretty high-capacity clips for the AK47 and AR-15 knockoffs.


I hope you'll excuse the divergence from the Lost & Found theme. I haven't run since the Bix (I will tomorrow, I promise), and I realized last night I needed to write. What to share? Well, I did find a pink bra while biking out Henderson Street Saturday morning after breakfast at Steak 'n Shake. Daughter No. 3 pleaded with me to not pick it up, but I told her it was unavoidable. They're getting bigger -- this one's a 38D. How does that end up in the Perkins parking lot drive?

Anyway, we made our first trip to the new Dunham's Sports store. I've been to a Dunham's a few times before: Quad Cities, Michigan. But now Galesburg has one. And that's pretty exciting. I don't mean that in the, "Ooh, we're big time now, we've landed a big-city market sporting goods store" way, as was the reaction around town when we learned Galesburg had been chosen for a Starbucks. (It's long gone.) It's just nice to have a store with a large selection of sporting goods.

Anyway, I am speculating here, so feel free to read this with a skeptical mind, but I would guess Dunham's, like Walmart, does not sell handguns as a concession to the anti-gun lobby who like to see handguns as good for one purpose: killing people.

That's an argument for another time. For now let me just point out that the two cases of military-style fun-guns at Dunham's, sandwiched between some hideous modern black powder rifles and a variety of everyday and self-defense rifles and shotguns, technically fill the same niche as handguns. Don't get me wrong. I'm a gun guy. I don't have a problem with either type, I'm just wondering, why the double standard?

It's a lot like Walmart's refusal to sell certain music CDs because corporate mopes object to the lyrical content. And yet they'll sell ultra-violent video games and horror films that feature extensive gore and intense, brutal rape scenes. Again, I am not advocating for censorship, but stick by your standards. Sell the CDs, too, or eliminate the videos and games that are equally "offensive."

To continue my critique of the new outdoors mega-store, let me share the positives before getting down to some personal brass tacks. I returned a second time Saturday to snap some more pix with my phone (I still find that funny -- taking photos with a phone) but I've really only made a cursory review of the store. It's pretty good size and carries A LOT of stuff. There appeared to be considerable space devoted to athletic apparel, including some items with local school logos; baseball gear; golf equipment; fishing, firearms and archery goodies; shoes for running and walking and field sports (cleats); and a variety of other things I don't quite recall in detail. I'll admit, it's a fun place to wander. I'd rather walk the aisles of Dunham's than Lowe's or Menards, and I like those big-box bonanzas pretty well.

Now, I don't know if ballplayers, golfers and campers are satisfied with the selection at Dunham's. A lot of it seems adequate to me. But I don't play ball, I don't golf and it's been a while since I've been camping. Frankly, I really want to support local -- I mean truly local -- business as much as possible, so my running shoes and accoutrements will come from Go Outside and Play Running Company. But I'm sure I'll do some shopping at Dunham's. I like the store overall. But beyond the corporate gun shop philosophy (or my interpretation of it), I was disappointed in Dunham's treatment of my area of interest: bikes.

At left above, you'll see something is missing from this display of men's running shoes. If you can't tell from the photo, re-read that first sentence and compare it to the picture.


The Bikes section of the store, located in the far back, left corner (no criticism, just directing you), is marked by a huge sign hanging from the ceiling. The three-tiered rack of bicycles contains the usual big-box assortment -- nothing of even mid-level quality from what I saw in my quick perusal. Of course, the display area is not very conducive to investigation. The top tier is out of reach and practially out of view for shoppers under 7 feet tall. No way to eyeball the components, sit on a saddle, check the size, fit, feel.

The wall of accessories is dominated by an array of saddles, mostly cushy types with a thpe of nylon cover that, in my experience, wears quickly and results in a seat that leaves black marks on your butt. There were a handful of tools you won't find at Walmart, Target or Kmart (the only other outlets for cycling supplies in town). But the tires and tubes are the same limited selection of basics. Riding an older, classic 10-speed with a 27x1 1/4 tire, you'll be ordering online. Need new grips? You can get sponge-style and one other type for mountain bikes (I think). No cruiser grips. No bar tape. No real selection at all.

Now, admittedly, the offerings of Dunham's (or the big-box discount stores in town) probably fit the needs of the casual or introductory cyclist in Galesburg. But there is a small cadre of bicycle enthusiasts here and I believe that core is expanding. We need a bike shop. I know what you're thinking: Shut up and do it yourself. I would, but I am woefully lacking in the mechanical skills necessary. I am just not mechanically adept. And from what I have heard from one other small-town bike shop owner, it's not the kind of business that can support multiple employees. The clerk needs to be the wrench-man, too.

Maybe someday I'll be up to the task or somebody who has the necessary skills will find it a profitable enough venture. Until then...