Everybody's Got Their Own 13

 "Next thing you know, I'm high and flyin'."

Matthew West's "Next Thing You Know" is a song about discovery and belief. For some, like the singer, God becomes real at a very specific moment in life. In this case it was at the age of 13 when he felt the joy of salvation as the Rev. Billy Graham and "the people" sang "Just As I Am."

Paused for a self-portrait at the corner
near Silas Willard School. Hoped to get
the temp on the sign at the chiropractor
office down the street, but it was stuck
on the time -- and it usually has the temp
wrong anyway.

OK, so I felt no joy of salvation today as I trod the snowy streets of Galesburg. But since none of the songs in today's shuffle mix inspired a quotation for this entry, I was drawn first to thoughts of Lucky 7 (the temperature) and "unlucky" 13 (the date). That led to the line from "Next Thing You Know." There you have a little insight into how the musical mind works. 

What I did feel today as I ran downtown and back into the northern neighborhoods near mine was exhilaration and a little relief. Honestly I thought a run in this air with icy, snowy streets would be miserable and treacherous. But it wasn't that bad. I'm not spouting bravado here. It was COLD! But my lungs weren't burning and my body was warmed by the layers I wore and the exertion of pumping legs and arms and heart. 

Alas, it wasn't a rich treasure day for the street scavenger. On Prairie Street I spotted a plastic bucket with a handle, the kind ice cream comes in, and I picked it up and carried it a few strides before deciding it was a worthless object. Sure, I could have brought it home and used it for potting soil or gardening supplies, but we have buckets for that already. So I dropped it. Later, in front of Cottage Hospital I spied a black elastic ponytail holder, but didn't give it a second thought. With four women in my household there are thousands of those things hiding in every conceivable nook and crevice. 

Finally, just two blocks from home, I ran across a dime, frozen to the pavement. Really, it was frozen to the street, though thankfully not exactly encased in ice. I did have to use a key to pry it loose, though. So another cash cow day. Yea!

Today's stats:

Temp: 7 degrees F

Distance: 5 miles

Treasure: 1 thin dime (1994 Denver mint), frozen to the pavement.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

From Me To You - The Beatles

The Prefect Space - The Avett Brothers

I Hate You (My Friend) - John Oszajca

What Kind of Love - Rodney Crowell

The Longest Time - Billy Joel

Back 2 Good - Matchbox Twenty

Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran

Lawyers, Guns And Money - Warren Zevon

Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) - Pink Floyd

Bright Lights - Matchbox Twenty

Wolves - Garth Brooks

One After 909 - The Beatles

I Was In The House When The House Burned Down - Warren Zevon

Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick

Gone To California - Pink

That was then ...

... This is now. Then being 1839, the year slaves aboard the Amistad rebelled and took control of the ship; the year Michael Faraday clarified the true nature of electricity; the year Charles Goodyear vulcanized rubber; and the year Louis Daguerre brought the world the first publicly announced photographic process. It also is the year a North Carolina farmhand accidentally discovered "bright leaf tobacco." Which brings us to the now.

U.S. Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Inc., launched its 1839 line of cigarettes in 2007. According to the company's website, here's the story behind the name:

Why the name 1839? In the year 1839, a farmhand in Caswell County, North Carolina accidentally discovered what was called "bright leaf tobacco" through a process that imparted a distinctive golden color and mild flavor and aroma to the tobacco but left a residual charcoal taste. After the Civil War, U. S. growers standardized the use of flues in their barns to remove the charcoal taste and called the result "flue-cured tobacco". Today, the tradition lives on in our new tobacco products' brand name 1839.

So, you're wondering why I, an avowed anti-tobaccist, am giving a history lesson on a smoking product. Well, today's treasure trove started with a single Titleist 4 golf ball found in the gutter along Sandburg Drive. I would have been content with that. After all, a golf ball is theoretically a useful item (I could give it to a golfer I know) and it's better than coming home empty-handed again. But a a quarter mile later, as I looked for that pile of black socks I've seen twice before (had a bag along just in case) I spot yet another pack of smokes on the ground. But this one is different: There are smokes sticking out of it; in fact, it's nearly full.

The pack of 1839 cigars is noteworthy simply because every other cigarette pack I've seen has been empty. It's hard to draw a conclusion here, though. Maybe these cigars suck. Maybe the smoker suddenly decided to kick the habit. Maybe they fell out of his or her pocket. Maybe an infuriated friend/lover grabbed the pack and pitched it out the car window. It doesn't really matter. It's 19 fewer cancer sticks out there killing someone. I feel like I've saved a life. OK, not really.

My 1969 Robin Hood 3-speed with transplanted Huffy
Santa Fe chain guard. Now time for a new saddle.

The real "find" of the day, however, is the gold 1969 Robin Hood bicycle I picked up on Seminary Street. OK, so it wasn't really a found item. It's my bike (one of a growing stable), which was at Dad's for a little work. Thanks to Dad's creative tinkering, a gift inherited from his late father, king of the creative tinkers, my old English 3-speed again has a chain guard to protect my pants (should they be called pants guards, then?). Thanks, Dad!

Today's stats

Temp: 27 degrees F

Distance: 4.5 miles

Weekly Total: 13.5 miles

Treasure: 1 Titleist 4 golf ball, 1 pack 1839 cigars (nearly full), 1 Robin Hood bike by Raleigh (reclaimed).

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

I Me Mine - The Beatles

Breaking Us In Two - Joe Jackson

Don't Ask Me Why - Billy Joel

Leave - Matchbox Twenty

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel

Kody - Matchbox Twenty

Love You 'Til The End - The Pogues

Tell Her About It - Billy Joel

Dig It - The Beatles

Why Georgia (Live) - John Mayer

Cold Turkey

... Has got me on the run / My body is aching / Goose-pimple bone ...

In memory of John Lennon, murdered 30 years ago today. I was eating breakfast on the 9th when I heard the news. Stopped the spoon before I could take another bite and the cereal hung there in midair for a moment as I pondered what I had just heard. One of The Beatles, dead. A hard day's night that was.

Which makes running in the cold of winter (I know, it's still not really winter) seem not so bad. Except when you come up empty. What do you report in a blog about finding stuff while running when you don't find anything? I even altered my route to be sure to find a real treasure. You see, I noticed while riding my bike downtown yesterday that the house on Kellogg Street just north of Water Street that is perpetually a mess, with trash and toys scattered across the terrace and into the street, was its usual unkempt state. But lying in the street about two feet from the curb was a small Cowboy Woody figure, from the movie "Toy Story."

I decided to leave it because I was riding, not running, and besides, the kids might actually rescue him. Indeed they must have done. Too bad for me, because I returned home empty-handed. I did spot the back of a cell phone case. Otherwise, nothing but trash. So, I have put on my Christmas wish list a pair of grabber tongs so I can walk sometimes and pick up some of the trash on my running route. At least that's my proclaimed noble intent. We'll see if I follow through.

Today's stats

Temp: 15 degrees F

Distance: 4.5 miles

Weekly Total: 9 miles

Treasure: Nada.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds

In the Flesh - Pink Floyd

Choctaw Bingo (Live) - James McMurtry

For You Blue - The Beatles

Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville

Waiting for the Worms - Pink Floyd

When Ye Go Away - The Waterboys

Lightning Crashes - Live

All You Need is Love - The Beatles

Mad Season - Matchbox Twenty

If You Should Go Skating ...

... On the thin ice of modern life.

Well, be sure your wearing the right shoes. Running shoes give good traction on pavement, not so much on ice. Snow isn't bad, but those slick patches that look like snow can mess up your day. Thankfully I'm kind of a wuss, which translates to extra caution in this weather. So, no slips, sprains, strains or broken bones yet.

But running the cold with snow and ice on the streets and sidewalks isn't quite as fun as running in the leaves on a temperate fall morn. In fact, it's a little nerve-wracking. It'll improve, though, with experience. The worst part is the lack of treasure to be found. On the up side, I didn't see a lot of trash either. Not that it wasn't there, but it was mostly snow-covered, so all I glimpsed was a Keystone Light can, a smashed Fresca can and a Marlboro box (gold label).

Today's stats:

Temp: 10 degrees F

Distance: 4.25 miles

Treasure: Nada. .

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

She Loves You - The Beatles

Two of Us - The Beatles

Something - The Beatles

For a Dancer - Jackson Browne

Anna Begins - Counting Crows

Can't Make It Here (Live) - James McMurtry

Reunion - Collective Soul

Time for Me to Fly - REO Speedwagon

It Goes On and On - The Avett Brothers

In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins

Crutch - Matchbox Twenty

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) - Pink Floyd

Billy Talent - maybe

Not sure how much talent I'll attribute to Billy Talent based on the one CD. Not really my kind of music, so it's not quite fair of me to criticize. But, that tells you one thing: The CD I found played and it wasn't absolutely terrible. Some of the songs cut off, but I was surprised the disc made it through from Track 1 to Track 20 without hanging.

I'll give the band another listen. I must admit I am intrigued by their sound and some of the lyrics. May have to dig a little into this one.

It's a Bear Necessity!

"The bare necessities of life will come to you. ..."

That is if you consider a wad of blue yarn, a discarded CD and somebody's old socks among the bare necessities. Of course, one man's junk is another's ... well, you know.

Frost glazed the grass and steamy breath fogged my glasses this morning when I failed to exhale out the side of my mouth or turn my head like a swimmer, which was often. Wednesday's dusting of snow, no more than you'd get on your French toast at a restaurant, is mostly gone, but baby blankets remained where piled leaves provided insulation against the sun, though he's been largely AWOL the past couple of days.

I returned to my commercial route today, north on Seminary Street to Carl Sandburg Drive and out to Henderson Street. The return brought me through the residential neighborhoods of Dayton, Academy and Mary streets. First find of the day was a tiny tangle of blue yarn. I almost passed it up, but as my wife is a knitter, I thought there might just be enough to create something -- perhaps a nose warmer for a runner; it could loop over the bridge of my glasses!

It was along Sandburg Drive that I spotted the pile of black socks I'd seen last week. Hmm, maybe I'll take a bag next time and gather them up for a good washing. Ha! No, not for me; I'd stick 'em in a sale or something. OK, maybe not.

Traffic was light between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. Tunes drowned out whatever sound the cars and trucks made anyway, so I was in my own world, mind a-wandering. The Marlboro Man looked to be making an effort to catch up with Newport Ned in marking the town with his brand name. Ned's still the champion among litterbug smokers.

Coming down Academy Street near the back entrance to Churchill Junior High, I discovered a shiny silver CD in the leaves near the street but in the cushion of the terrace. Maybe it wouldn't be too scratched up to play. I washed it off and dried it; I'll test it's playability and listen-ability later.

The home stretch on Mary Street brought me to a poor frosty bear holding a big red heart. He looked so forlorn lying there in the terrace by the street. But I know the folks who live in that house have children, so it likely belongs to one of them; I left him there in hopes that he'll be rescued soon before he suffers frostbite.

You know, Lyle Lovett tells us "some folks never seen a bear at all" and "some to see a bear would pay a fee." Me, well, "I just bear up to my bewildered best. And some folks even see the bear in me."  

Today's stats:
Temp: 25 degrees F
Distance: 4.5 miles
Weekly Distance: 13.5 miles
Treasure: 1 tangle of blue yarn; 1 sweetheart bear; 1 pile of black socks; 1 CD-R - Billy Talent, "Trapt"; more trash.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd
Nobody Home - Pink Floyd (oops, backed up the iPod too far and these first two are repeats)
American Pie - Don McLean
Brick - Ben Folds
Don't Panic - Coldplay
World Party - The Waterboys
Laundry Room - The Avett Brothers
Step One - Ryan McCullough
Don't Let Me Get Me - Pink
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

Against the wind

"Well, I'm older now and still runnin' against the wind."

There really wasn't a strong wind today, but the breeze out of the west bit with nippy little kitten teeth in the open space of the Cottage Hospital parking lot. And with the thermometer hanging at 21 degrees F, well, I can say today's finds were more of the intangible variety. Running in the cold, you'll discover heart and guts. I guess I didn't exactly find those things just today -- I believe I've exhibited spirit and intestinal fortitude before -- but I certainly plumbed them from the recesses where they were lurking.

Aside from that, I found and saw a lot of trash today. Picked up a flattened and frozen terry cloth glove (a wash glove perhaps), a white knit glove and a brilliant blue bow (it might just end up on somebody's Christmas gift in a few weeks). I also picked up a plastic six-pack ring; those things are deadly to wildlife and it really pisses me off when people pitch 'em without cutting 'em up first. Grrrr!

Trash spotted today: lots of aluminum cans (Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller High Life, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Monster energy drink, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Keystone Light), a tiny 5-Hour energy burst bottle, two Swisher Sweets boxes and an empty Newport pack. Newports are the most popular smokes among litter-bugs, followed by Marlboro.

Snow? No, just butts from the smokers
at Cottage Hospital.

 
Today's stats:
Temp: 21 degrees F
Distance: 6 miles
Treasure: 1 blue bow, 1 terry cloth glove, 1 knit glove, 1 butt-load of trash.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
More Than a Feeling - Boston
It Could Have Been Me - The Call
Hasten Down the Wind - Warren Zevon
My Vietnam - Pink
Bring the Boys Back Home - Pink Floyd
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
Checklist - Ryan Patrick McCullough
My Life - Billy Joel
Smooth - Carlos Santana (Ft. Rob Thomas)
Falling Slowly - The Swell Season
I'll Believe You When - Matchbox Twenty
Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd
Nobody Home - Pink Floyd
Wonderful - Rob Thomas