Blogging Ain't Cheap

Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who's left? Repeat.

Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who's left? Repeat.

Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who's left? Repeat.

Approaching the northwest corner, looking southwest.

OK, enough of that. You get the point. I'm about to repeat myself with this entry, at least a little. That'll happen when you run in circles. The scenery is the same, there are no treasures lying in the path. But I think it's been a while since I described the track or shared any images from the old YMCA gym.

Here’s a quick refresher: For those who don't know, I live in Swing's Leisure Apartments, which happens to be the old YMCA here in Galesburg. The gym is used mostly for storage but is divided by a temporary wall with a door in it. A couple months ago the east side of the gym was cleared out. Now all the old refrigerators, stoves, air conditioners, bookshelves, chairs and miscellaneous detritus of SLA residents and other Swing properties is confined to the west side.

Somebody kindly installed a rim and net on the basketball backboard on the east side and half a dozen chairs line the north wall. Pickup game, anyone?

The mezzanine level, accessible from the second floor, is flat and carpeted and plastic netting helps keep errant shots within the confines of the court below (nobody wants to chase up the stairs to retrieve a ball from amongst the musty mattresses and dust-covered couches that line the perimeter of the mezzanine.

Nice morning light streaming in through the northeast corner window.

Level three houses the track. It's tiny. I'm told it takes 34 laps to make a mile and that seems about right. That's a lot of counting for a numerically challenged guy like me. But it's comfortable, despite the threadbare condition of the patchwork carpet that covers the former wood surface (I'm speculating it was once a cool hardwood surface). Like a mini-velodrome, the curved ends of the oval are banked and even the straight-aways have a bit of an inward tilt. Metal railing and cross-hatched grillwork prevent weary runners from tumbling into the appliance graveyard below.

Cold weather is in the forecast so I should have made an effort to run outdoors today. Again, for those of you who haven’t been with me from the start, I ran outdoors all last winter, even in temps in the zero range. I’m not a wuss about this, just lazy. I don’t feel like suiting up for a cold run right now, especially since I don’t have to these days. I suppose I will soon, just to get out in the air and in hopes of finding some goodies.

Anyway, I suppose you're wondering about the title, what it’s got to do with anything and what's so expensive about blogging. It’s a good-natured poke at a photographer buddy of mine who Facebooked an item about the cost of doing photographry and how people should realize that the craft is expensive and requires knowledge and all that. Expect to use a photographer’s work without compensating him/her, then you’re insulting the artist. I mostly agree. Now I'm not suggesting you pay for this drivel, but it doesn't come free. Let's take a look at the cost of writing for pleasure and entertainment.

Digital camera: $90 (I usually use my cellphone but needed better light-handling capabilities today.)

Running Shoes: $60 (That's cheap, by the way, and they were on sale.)

Running Shorts: $20 (Admittedly I have two pair I found while running that I sometimes wear, so that balances out.)

Running Shirt: $10

Rent: $325/month (That's how I have access to the awesome track.)

3 lbs. of sweat: ? (The bathroom scale read 201 after this morning's run and it read 206 last night just before bedtime. I figure a couple of pounds can be attributed to sleep-thrashing and whatever.)

TOTAL: $505 plus a bit of me.

I just hope you appreciate all that I give for you. You'll note there was no computer cost involved. Thank you, First Presbyterian Church, for allowing my personal use of the laptop on which I program the weekly worship service presentations.

Today's Stats

Temp: 27 degrees F outside

Distance: 3.5 miles

Treasure: Really nothing. The gym is half full of castoff appliances and furniture, but I've already claimed what I wanted from the heap.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Canary in a Coalmine - The Police

I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You - Alan Parsons Project

Burning Down the House (live) - Talking Heads (Thought myself quite clever to notice how the white lines on the highway went up the nose of David Byrne's projected face when I first saw this video before a movie at WIU in 1984 or '85.)

Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - Joni Mitchell

I Don't Wanna - The Call

For the Love of a Princess - James Horner ("Braveheart" soundtrack)

Give Me Back My Wig (live) - Luther Allison

Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - The Yardbirds

Soda and Salt - James McMurtry

Watching the Wheels - John Lennon