Hail the Conquering Hero

Much as with Saturday’s lifeless beginning, I have no focal point for Monday’s effort. There’s a theme in my head, but it’s one best left unwritten just now. OK, you win. The theme would be love. That’s dangerous territory, boys and girls. I’ll tread lightly, which is no easy task in worn-out shoes. I’ll be shopping at Go Outside and Play this morning for new ones.

At times I feel like I'm writing a blog about nothing.

Bear with me as I randomly address the subject based on the confluence of events yesterday. Musically speaking, I was struck by several songs Monday:

“Mr. Pitiful,” in which the singer laments lost love: “They call me Mr. Pitiful, cuz I lost someone just like you.”

“No One Like You,” by the David Crowder Band, a Christian rock group. I like how songs of praise can be interpreted to apply to romantic love and adoration for that someone special in one’s life. Conversely, I have used secular love songs in church to express love for God.

“Love You To”: Love me while you can / Before I'm a dead old man. / A lifetime is so short / A new one can't be bought / But what you've got means such a lot to me.

“You’re Gonna Make Me Cry,” because that’s the blues, baby. Luther warns: Love will bring you happiness / And love will bring you sorrow. / Love can be here today, yeah / If you don’t watch out it’ll be gone tomorrow.

You get the point, right? Love is crazy. It does things to your mind, your soul. Controls your actions. Fills life with distractions. Blots out the unwanted. Brings out the animal.

Now, combine that with the endorphin rush of the runner’s high. See where this is going? A good, invigorating run on a temperate spring morn magnifies all those feelings until you want to shout it from the rooftops. And the energy released from the depths of your being is like something from a superhero story: all powerful, nearly uncontrollable. Hence the conquering hero.

Coincidentally and confirmationally (yes, I just made up that word), the lone treasure found Monday was a small, metal jewelry box. The lid was detached and the main body dented, but it will clean up to make a nice little piece for some table. The legs of the bottom are formed from the curled trunks of tiny elephant heads. Confirmation of the theme was on the lid: lovers. A man and a woman in what appears to be colonial-era garb. She’s reading a book (well, the book is splayed open, she looks fawningly toward her man) and he is brushing her hair. How sweet.

That’s love.

.

Today's Stats

Temp: 64 degrees F

Distance: 5 miles

Treasure: 1 small jewelry box, lovers on the lid, elephant heads and trunks for the feet.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Mr. Pitiful - The Commitments

Castle Attack - Robert Kral ("Angel" TV soundtrack)

No One Like You - David Crowder Band

Broken (New Version) - Lifehouse

I'm Every Woman - Whitney Houston

Rock of Ages - Def Leppard

Dirty Life & Times - Warren Zevon

Love You To - The Beatles

Come Sail Away - Styx

Bennie and the Jets - Elton John

You're Gonna Make Me Cry (live) - Luther Allison

Track 05 - I have no idea what this instrumental is from, though it sounds like a movie score.

  

You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet

They say you never forget your first girl. I don't think you
really forget any of them.

Not sure where I’m taking this one, but the title comes from the lyrics to “Best is Yet to Come,” which was playing as I neared the end of East North Street and headed up the ramp to the Farnham Street bridge to continue north Saturday morning.

Two days removed, I have no more idea what I was contemplating Saturday morning than I know what a cat staring at a wall is thinking. I could posit a few notions, but it would all be conjecture and supposition. What I do know is that the love theme had its genesis Saturday morning with “Best is Yet to Come.” Check out the lyrics:

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything starting to hum
Still it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come
The best is yet to come, and babe, won't that be fine
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine
Wait till the warm-up's underway
Wait till our lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet
The best is yet to come, and babe, won't it be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine
Come the day you're mine
I'm gonna teach you to fly
We've only tasted the wine
We're gonna drain that cup dry
Wait till your charms are right, for these arms to surround
You think you've flown before, but baby you ain't left the ground
Wait till you're locked in my embrace
Wait till I draw you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
ain't nothin' like it here
The best is yet to come, and babe won't it be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine
Come the day you're mine
And you're gonna be mine

[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/f/frank-sinatra-lyrics/the-best-is-yet-to-come-lyrics.html]
  

That’s good stuff. Ol’ Blue Eyes had the knack.

Today's Stats (Saturday, May 19)

Temp: 82 degrees F

Distance: 5.25 miles

Weekly Total: 14.6 miles

Treasure: 1 shiny penny; 1 wheel balancing weight; 24 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

By My Side  JJ Grey & Mofro

Mohammed’s Radio – Warren Zevon

Narrow Daylight – Diana Krall

Best is Yet to Come – USAF Band of Mid-America

The Grey Havens – Howard Shore (LOTR soundtrack)

Tumbling Dice (live 1972) – The Rolling Stones

Worried – Michael Been

Walk Between the Raindrops – James McMurtry

Wrapped Around Your Finger – The Police

The Ballad of Billy the Kid – Billy Joel

Pictures of Lily – The Who

Love On The Air – David Gilmour

Shine (Re-Mix) – Newsboys

Tin Man – The Avett Brothers

So Emotional – Whitney Houston

Mr. Roboto – Styx

Poor Poor Pitiful Me (live) – Warren Zevon

Chalking in her sleep

I had the good fortune of seeing art as it happened yesterday. I delayed my run until late Thursday afternoon, mostly because I had no time earlier in the day. And because of that I happened upon Sarah Mohr draped over the front walk to her home on North Broad Street, coloring away with sidewalk chalk.

I stopped and chatted a minute and snapped a couple of photos of her at work, not thinking to actually introduce myself. That’s a shortcoming of mine. But having discussed her chalk art via Facebook, I felt like we knew who each other was and it didn’t dawn on me to say, “Hi, I’m Rob.” Gotta work on that, I know.

Anyway, it was early in the process and I had no idea what she was creating. The lyrics were written out in a thin script, too faint in pink chalk for me to really read. I asked what it said and she read it to me: "Keepin' an eye on the world goin' by my window / And takin' my time."

“ ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ is kind of my theme song right now,” she said.

We talked about other Beatles songs. I tried to recall the one from the “White Album” about sleep and couldn’t catch the title (“I’m So Tired,” I think it’s called – yeah, that’s it). Then I was on my way.

Later I realized I should interview Sarah to learn more about the Beatles Chalk Quotes. Here are her responses to my hastily jotted questions via FB message.

Sarah Mohr in the early stages of her chalk art.

1. How long have you been doing the chalk art?
A. chalk arting for about 6 years. But I'm not an artist. I'm more a crafter/doodler. (This is a pretty important distinction if you ask any of the real artists I know.)

2. Why The Beatles?
A. I'm not sure why the Beatles. It just sort of ended up that way and I stuck with it. I guess they just inspire me more than most. So...

3. Do you ever do lyrics by others?
A. Nope. Always Beatles. I've considered doing others but then I have such trouble deviating once I've found my niche.

4. How long does it take to do a piece, on average?
A. It usually takes me 2-3 hours to color one. Depending.

5. How often do you do new ones?
A. I usually do a new one whenever it comes to me. We call it the Beatles Quote of the Week, but it really only happens once or twice a month.

6. What inspires you? That is to say, how do you choose each one?
A. I like to listen to the Beatles when I'm working, "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" being my favorite albums. I usually hit the sidewalk when a lyric seems to make a bigger impression than usual or seems to fit the circumstances I find myself in at the time. Today I was looking out my window thinking of what song to choose when the most recent lyric ("Keepin an eye on the world going by my window") was sung. And once I'd heard it, it had to be that. Nothing else would do.

Sarah Mohr begins to color the curtains in the window.

7. What has been your favorite?
A. My favorite peice thus far has to have been "I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello." It was bright and just so ridiculously appropriate for the front stoop.

8. What do you do besides chalk art? Your vocation?

9. Do you have other artistic pursuits?
A. (8+9) Other than coloring on my sidewalk like a child, I'm half of the Leahy/Mohr jazz duo, along with doing vocals for/with several other local musicians. I write (mostly for myself on that last one), I act, serve on the board for the Prairie Players Civic Theatre. I also find myself participating in life on a daily basis. You know, the normal stuff.

10. Tell us something random.
A. Something random huh, ok... "Something random."

Thursday's Stats
Temp: 76 degrees F?
Distance: 3 miles
Weekly Total: 9.35 miles
Treasure: 1 business card.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Wide Boy – Nik Kershaw
For the Love of a Princess – James Horner (Braveheart)
Prove Your Love – Taylor Dayne
Haven’t We Been Here Before – Styx
Lonesome Day – Bruce Springsteen
Slipstream – Jethro Tull
Father, Son – Peter Gabriel
Starkville City Jail (live) – Johnny Cash
Tom Sawyer - Rush

The Inspiration of Imperfection

Just a couple of dandy lions.

We’re often implored in church to strive to be Christ-like. Try to be like Jesus, who was perfect.

I’m afraid I find little inspiration in unachievable goals. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire Christ in his perfection, but he doesn’t exactly inspire me to better myself. And that’s not to say I don’t work at that. Perhaps not enough, but I do make an effort. Oh, and yes, I understand that nobody really expects us to achieve perfection, but I think I've made my point.

I learned last week that I, in my imperfection, inspired another runner in the Bishop Hill Swedish Stomp 5K a couple weeks ago. Holly A., who would have finished ahead of me or tied me had she not stopped to help an ailing runner, said she was committed to finishing on pace with me.

“I thought, if Rob can finish, wheezing like he is, I can finish with him,” she said. (Or words to that effect; my memory ain’t what it used to be.) Well, Holly, I’ll take that and run with it, though I prefer to think of my labored breathing as chugging or even huffing and puffing. Wheezing is the sound of an old man dying of emphysema. Not quite there yet.

The tape says "open trench." Looks like a
hole to me, rather than a trench.

Likewise, I find a certain inspiration — though mostly great frustration — in the poor grammar that abounds in our world. All those misplaced apostrophes, abused commas, randomly applied capital letters and other affronts to good English usage, are an affirmation of one thing at which I happen to be pretty good (though I am far from perfect even in that realm). And they inspire me to get better at my craft – the art of editing.

While we’re on the subject of inspiration … I went in search of some this morning as I neared the end of my long run. I was struggling and found myself walking for short spurts four or five times. I needed a boost in the last leg.

I’ve posted photos a couple of times before of colorful sidewalk chalk art quoting Beatles lyrics. They’re beautiful, uplifting creations. I discovered a while back they are the work of a lovely young lass I know only through Facebook and her occasional appearance with guitar and mic at Seminary Street Pub. Alas, either I forget where she lives or she simply hasn’t had the chalk out since the last rain. (She's since confirmed that the chalk has lain idle for a bit, but hinted at a new dose of lyrical sunshine later this week.) For that art I cry, "Mohr, Mohr, Mohr."

Again, this sign says "road closed at
tracks," but methinks it's actually
the sidewalk that is closed.

Today's Stats
Temp: 75 degrees F
Distance: 6.35 miles (walked about 3/4 mile total over four or five slow-downs)
Treasure: 13 cans; 1 orange ponytail holder.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Ashes to the Wind – Rachel Portman
Say You Love Me – Fleetwood Mac
Absolute – The Fray
Catch My Disease – Ben Lee
White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane
Mockingbird – Ryan Adams
I Believe in You and Me – Whitney Houston
Be Still – Story Side B
Keep Me In Your Heart (Strings only) – Van Dyke Parks
Lawyers, Guns & Money – The Wallflowers (cover)
I’m Game – Christophe Beck
The Girl I Knew Somewhere – The Monkees
Until the End of The World – U2
The Great River – Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings soundtrack)
Rock You Like a Hurricane – Scorpions
Keep Me in Your Heart – Jorge Calderon and Jennifer Warnes (cover)
Words – The Monkees
Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me – Warren Zevon
Wine Snacks (Studio banter) – Ryan Adams
Venus - Bananarama

It's a two-fer Tuesday
From May 9 (Because I just never got around to it last week)

A Modest Proposal

I woke this morning to the sounds of a heart breaking and rising with hope in the same moment.

I've an idea for a new reality TV show. An actress, a former child star let's say, who's been through the ups and downs of Hollywood relationships decides she wants to find a simpler life, one she's never really experienced given her early beginnings in the actor's craft. She heads to the heartland to find inner peace and maybe a crazy little thing called love.

Since it's my idea, I think I should be cast in the role of small-town guide to the show's star. And I think I should be entitled to cast the star, too. How about Melissa Gilbert. She's now free of her "Dancing With the Stars" commitment and hopefully can distance herself from that pawing prancer Maks.

Melissa Gilbert, I've had a crush on you since we were kids. We went to school together, played hooky together, learned life lessons together. You were called "Half Pint," I was called "Half a Buck." That's a pretty solid connection, I think.

Even if you don't want to do the reality show (I really don't either, I just needed a contrivance to attract your attention), you should come to my little town on the prairie. It's called Galesburg and it's in Illinois (don't go to one of those other Galesburgs, like Michigan or Iowa). You just might find happiness. As a catchy bumper sticker here states: "One day in Galesburg will sweep you off your feet!" I promise.
 

Temp: 50 degrees F
Distance: 4.5 Miles
Weekly Total: 10.5 miles
Treasure: 1 CD; 1 penny; 14 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Against the Grain – Garth Brooks
Hey Jude – The Beatles (Anthology 3 version)
I Forgot to Remember to Forget – John Prine and Mac Wiseman
The Lazarus Heart – Sting
Just Like a Pill – Pink
What’s on Your Mind (Pure Energy) – Information Society
Levelland – James McMurtry
In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins
The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles (From Let it Be …Naked)
Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen
Close to the Borderline – Billy Joel

The English Major Who Went Up the Stairs and Came Upon a Mountain

My nostrils were assaulted with a wretched stench as I crossed the lobby and approached the exit. Upon opening the inside door of the foyer, the full force of the affront slammed me. I glanced around but saw no immediate source; so vile was it that I expected to see feces smeared on the walls. Not spying the evidence, I hurried out to escape the reeking air.

This house on North Cedar Street has a yard and terrace full of greenery. Lots
of hostas, but a lot of other stuff, too. No pic but an aerial will do it justice.

When I returned an hour or so later, the stink hung in the air, a nearly visible cloud of odious odor. More visible still, distinctly physically manifest, in fact, was the mountain of poop at the base of the steps. And when I say mountain, I mean mountain. This pile of crap resembled the ginormous glob of triceratops plop into which Dr. Ellie Sattler plunges her latex-encased arm in "Jurassic Park." I mean to say it surpassed the measure by which the Welsh distinguish a mountain from a foothill. This was an epic shite.

Hyperbole? Perhaps. But you didn't see it, I did.

I hurled past it, through the locked inner door and up to my apartment. There I grabbed a bottle of Febreze and a cereal box from the recycling bin. Back in the foyer I tore the box in two because I realized there was a mini plop a couple feet away from the base of the mountain. I scooped the poops carefully onto the cardboard and carted it at arm’s length (in a vain attempt to soften the olfactory blow, but most importantly to keep it from landing on me should I jostle it) to the Dumpster out back.

Fast forward to this morning. Up at 6:30 in a renewed effort to run regularly and early, I was out the door by 7. Back through the stench. The closed doors had trapped the foul atmosphere like a bottle, or one of those aerosol cans of fart smell for party gags (only worse). Then I noticed a smear on the door handle. WTF!? Who does something this disgusting? And why? Some twisted vendetta against the property management? Spiteful ex-lover of some resident? Urgent drunk unable to make it home? None of these potential answers seems to be truly plausible. Well, maybe the first. It is the most direct.

Today's haul: Cans, a bouncy ball, a super straw cup
and some sort of plumbing piece. Love the cup.

I did the run – 6 miles, a couple of treasures and a handful of cans. A success, all in all. And I soldiered through the foyer upon my return. Dashing upstairs to my abode, I grabbed a bottle of generic Oxy Clean, a scavenged cleaning rag (thus most certainly disposable) and returned to the pit of putrescence. There I proceeded to douse the remaining stains with Oxy and scrub away with the cloth to remove any remnants. Then I hastened to the back of the building in search of a brick with which to prop open the outside door in hopes of refreshing the air within the vestibule. 

I’d seen the cleaning woman arrive about the time I returned from my run, so I was hopeful, too, that she would add to my efforts and restore a semblance of acceptable atmosphere to the confined space through which we all must pass, if not for entry to the building, then at least to retrieve our correspondence. Satisfied with my good deed for the day, I went to the office to notify Kathy, the manager/secretary/whatever, that there was a legitimate reason for the door being propped open today.

Finally, it was time to shower and be off to work.

Hope my focus on this random event didn’t result in a crappy blog. Yeah, I suck at puns. 

Today's stats

Temp: 66 degrees F and rainy

Distance: 6 miles

Treasure: 17 cans; 1 blue super ball; 1 plumbing fitting.

iPod Playlist (Shuffle)

Fly Me to the Moon - Diana Krall (She's just "dead setsy," as Fat Bastard would say)

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

Turpentine - JJ Grey and Mofro

You Give Good Love - Whitney Houston

Over the Hills and Far Away (live) - Led Zeppelin

Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey

Sleepwalking - Lyle Lovett

Mutineer - Bob Dylan (cover of Zevon)

Thunderbird - ZZ Top

That Was Me - Todd Snider

Theme from Alamo Bay - Ry Cooder

You're Only Human (Second Wind) - Billy Joel (Video's kind of a cheesy take on "It's a Wonderful Life," but kinda fun, too.)

Dream On - Glee Cast feat. Neil Patrick Harris

The Lie - Matthew West

Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung

Elected - Alice Cooper (Featuring Rob Zombie and Slash)

If you feel it, do it

Do you believe in karma? How about plain old good luck? One of those things kicked in two days ago.

You’ll recall that I left behind a hoodie the other night in hopes that the rightful owner might reclaim it, given its presentation on a large rock. In that tale of karmic harmony, I noted that my friend had lost her new iPod and I hoped someone might find it and that all would be right with the world.

Window blinds reflect in the screen of the
iPod Nano. It sort of works.

Well, lo and behold, as I was walking to my car (I know, it’s a sinful word) Thursday morning I was stopped by one of the neighbors in my building who said she’d found something she thought might belong to me. I assumed that is because she’s seen me head out to run in full regalia, including iPod in armband. Well, what she described was my friend’s iPod Nano. I was flabbergasted.

The wee Pod had been caught in the deluge Thursday, so its survival was questionable. Neighbor lady, from Apartment 1, had wiped it off, but done nothing else. I immediately initiated the rice treatment, though likely too late; it had been four days, corrosion undoubtedly begun. To my surprise, the little Nano powered up when I tried it a couple hours later. Power. Play. All good. Or so I thought. Alas, it was not so.

Connecting the Nano to my laptop proved fruitless. It would not show in iTunes or in My Computer. I tried a few solutions, but to no avail. Well, we shall see if there is a solution to this problem. Ultimately, my faith in humanity is emboldened.

OK, so that wraps that story. Now on to the great Half Marathon Entry Fee Giveaway, courtesy of Carmen Peterson. Cut to the chase: I did not win. There weren’t many contestants, and the odds were fairly even among us. So maybe my loss was a combination of karma (trade-off for the iPod?) and, well, another karma that was looking out for me. Like I could really do a half marathon next month?! Honestly, I am prepared to stick with the 6-mile run for a while. It’ll be good preparation for doing the 10K RR Days run and the BIx 7 in July, should I decide to go for that one again. Bix is a killer. Literally. It’s a harsh, hot run.

The night's storms downed this tree in Hawthorne Centre.

I was encouraged the other day, however, by my weight on the scale after that run: 197 lbs. Back to 201 today, but it’s a sign. Longer runs, more weight loss. The clothes I shrank into two summers ago will be comfy still. Gotta keep going. I was in the 185-190 lb. range then. It felt so good. Diet, of course, is part of it. Really, that’s the harder part.

Today's Stats (5/4/12)

Temp: 74 degrees F

Distance: 6 miles

Weekly Total: 12

Treasure: 5 cans.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Oye Como Va – Santana

Lawyers, Guns and Money – Warren Zevon

I’m Not Moving – Phil Collins

Flying – Secret Machines (Across the Universe soundtrack)

One Room CountryShack – Buddy Guy

Oklahoma – The Call

Tell It to My Heart – Taylor Dayne

Splendid Isolation – Pete Yorn (cover)

Calliope House – The Waterboys

(There’ll Be) Peace in the Valley – Johnny Cash

You Keep Me Hangin’On – Kim Wilde

Rock and Roll Music – The Beatles

Come Go With Me – Expose

Looking for the Next Best Thing – Warren Zevon

Don’t Let it End – Styx

Watching the Wheels – John Lennon

I Can Dream About You – Dan Hartman

Blinded by the Light

“Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.”

My route to Walmart took me past Watson Funeral Home.

That’s right, another night run. It wasn’t planned, but sometimes you have to take it when you can get it. I’m not sure where this is going tonight. It’s late – again, unplanned. Watching “Pulp Fiction” for the first time in years because I need entertainment to unwind at the end of the day. Uma Thurman is telling her story about “Fox Force Five.” Oh, don’t know it? Rent the freakin’ movie, folks. Catch up with the times. It’s like 15 years old and you should be ashamed if you’ve never seen it.

So the point of this exercise is to write about what I find, right? But nighttime runs tend to come up short on the treasure. I picked up a blue dish towel that was pretty grubby, but I figured a washing will make it suitable for shop use (for bike work). The smattering of cans was typical, the Bic lighter empty as usual. I may have left the real prize behind.

Spread on a large volcanic rock by 4L Plaza on North Broad Street was a zippered hoodie of some sort with a colorful print pattern on it. I could have taken it, but it seemed it may have been left there for its rightful owner. A friend just lost her new iPod Nano and I’m a little sensitive to the sense of loss right now. Maybe the rightful owner of that hoodie lost it in some totally random and legitimate way, just as the iPod was lost. Price disparities notwithstanding, the owners are entitled to a little honesty by the unknown finders, right? You’d want your lost goods returned, wouldn’t you? 

Not entirely sure where that came from or where it was going, but I left the hoodie in hopes that somebody who can use it will pick it up, wash it and wear it. Maybe whoever found that iPod needs it more. I hope so. It really is crummy luck.

Well, that’s not much of a story or a blog entry, but it’s all I have tonight. Take or leave it. Maybe you’ll find some pleasure in the music below. Bottom line is, yeah, I was revved up. I did nearly 6 miles (the break was unnecessary but welcome). The resulting runner’s high was great. I always love that!

Today's Stats

Temp: 76 degrees F

Distance: 5.9 miles (Last .9 came after a short visit with a friend.)

Treasure: 1 dirty blue towel; 1 empty Bic lighter (black); 9 cans.

Stopping by a friend's for a visit before
finishing the run. This was the 5-mile mark.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)

Mystify – INXS

Green Earrings – Steely Dan

Sometime in the Morning – The Monkees

The Scientist – Coldplay

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window – The Beatles (Anthology)

I Have Nothing If IDon’t Have You – Whitney Houston

Turn That Heartbeat Over Again – Steely Dan

Can’t Go Home Anymore My Love – The Factotums

Luther Played Guitar – Stan Ridgway

Twistin’ the NightAway – Sam Cooke

Running to Stand Still – U2

It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace) – Styx

Part of Your Own – John Gorka

Lately – Greg Brown

Rip This Joint (Live) – The Rolling Stones

All My Loving – Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe soundtrack)

Desperados Under theEaves (Live) – Warren Zevon