Hey, I got a cat for a week. Lee is out of town and the (as I call him) racoon needs to be kept away from Mr. Captain. I just hope that, ahem, little Nicky doesn't howl while I'm away. He is getting used to the apartment right now, and he seems content. I've already said that he is smart, so maybe he'll believe me when I try to tell him that this arrangement is only for a week. Now it is time to get the ice off the back of my knee and then get to bed. G'night.

I don't have much news. I completed the radiation therapy application again and dropped it off at the school last Monday. While running with the maniacs this morning in West Seattle I was encouraged to keep trying by a family doctor. The marathon maniacs are an impressive group of runners. The other doc in the group is a neurologist. We ran about twenty miles. As I'm typing, there is a bag of ice strapped to the back of my knee. I hope it wards off any further injury. I've only recently started doing this. I'm very pleased with the results. I usually get back and after a shower I would go straight to bed for a nice nap. In sleep the body would try to fix itself and then the inflammation would complicate the recuperation. That area would get so full that the blood would have a tough time bringing nutrients in and carrying stuff out. At least that is how I think the process works.

Yesterday some of us from the ESR group did about eleven miles at the Mercer Slough. I hope my knee lets me run tomorrow. If it does, then it'll only be for a relatively short distance. I entered the Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon and the St. Patrick's Day Dash for the month of March. You'd think I'd be losing weight with all of these miles, but think again. I'd love to lose just five pounds. I think it'd make a significant difference. I'm gonna try to get some sleep now. Y'all enjoy your week.

I was listening to NPR this morning and I was struck by the optimism of this young man's belief. It comes from a series called, "This I Believe." Listen to or read this piece. It illustrates the dictum that we create our own reality. The right is all over this, and the left, to their detriment, doesn't understand its significance. I don't want to say that we can wash our hands of helping out our brothers and sisters, but there is a time when creating a new reality from a failed situation is the only good course of action.

It was cold and a little windy up there yesterday. I finished with a 42:14, a couple of minutes off my best. I don't think anyone I ran with did their best. The course is flat as it does an out and back through the skagit farmland. La Conner is always nice to visit. Have a great day.

I'm headed for La Conner with a friend this morning for the Smelt Run. They have a festival up there about Smelt (with running and selling stuff I'm sure, and beer). Needless to say it is an old, quaint fishing village. I don't go to these planning on doing badly, but I think I might do well.

I was going to put in an entry this evening but I've run out of time...later kids.

From Kos:

"The King's henchman have sounded the death knell for Presidential accountability. Just a few weeks ago, Republicans from Specter to Hagel to Snowe were calling for a congressional inquiry into the domestic spying program. On the eve of a Senate Intelligence Committee vote to determine whether such an inquiry should take place, the Washington Post reports that a "full court press" by the administration has swayed many Republicans against such an investigation:
...
Republican Senate DeWine says he will introduce a bill sanctioning the program, explicitly exempting it from the requirements of FISA. Both Hagel and Snowe are said to be in favor of the bill. So suddenly, Republicans are comfortable with the President breaking the law? Where was the bill in the 90s condoning Oval Office blow jobs and Presidential perjury? Oh, that's right. The lawlessness of a President is exempted only when that President wears a 10-gallon hat and calls himself a "conservative."

Good lord, our Founding Fathers must be shaking their heads in shame at the mindfuck that is about to occur in Congress."

I've been trying to find something which approximates Sonya's textbook reference in this post. What I've found so far is this. It is pretty close:

"At cellular levels the world exists with a kind of social interchange, in which the birth and death of cells are known to all others, and in which the death of a frog and a star gain equal weight. But at your level of activity your thoughts, feelings, and intents, however private, form part of the inner environment of communication. This inner environment is as pertinent and vital to the species' well-being as is the physical one. It represents the psychic, mass bank of potential, even as the planet provides a physical bank of potential. When there is an earthquake in another area of the world, the land mass in your own country is in one way or another affected. When there are psychic earthquakes in other areas of the world, then you are also affected, and usually to the same degree."

Jane Roberts, The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events. pg.38

Anyways. We are all connected, and to a degree you can't imagine. That's why we are supposed to be good to one another. It sounds cliche, but we are all One; an ever expanding, spiraling, and changing being. Can you feel the pull of those distant planets and stars? How about the cries from those in Pakistan or India or Sumatra? Y'all have a great day.

I did more today. After that stupid football game yesterday and then feeling this morning that I had enough energy, I invited a new runner to join me in an early loop prior to the regular 6:00 run in Redmond. She was looking a bit pekid at the end. We ran the powerline trail up and up and up. Peter said there are never enough hills. Then we ran the 5 mile route with the group. So we did almost 12 miles this evening. That makes my total from Saturday until this evening about 35 or so miles. I'll take tomorrow off from this endeavor in order to get some other priorities addressed and to give myself a break. Peace.

Some of us from the Eastside Runners ran with the Maniacs this morning in West Seattle. We started at the statue of liberty on Alki and then ran a 12 mile loop in the area. Half of the group continued on with another 8. We'd had enough. I don't want to get injured, though I think I could have done more.

On the way back I snapped some pictures of the city,



and of the home of the Seahawks who are to play in the Superbowl in a little over an hour from now.



Here is a neighborhood cat. I think it is very happy, as are the rest of us, that the sun has finally come out. I think it has been raining, until yesterday, since mid December. Enough is enough.



The 520 bridge was closed yesterday due to high winds and water going over the floating bridge. All of our properties should be a mess this coming week. In another attempt to leave the landscaping behind, I picked up this year's applications for school. I don't have much to show between last year and this, but I've been told all around that I should apply anyways. I plan on making concrete moves toward this direction this year.

I'm on my way to a friend's to see the game now. Go Hawks!

Here is another boring post about running. I met a few people in Redmond after work today for a run on the almost completed Eastlake Sammamish Trail (I'm not sure if that will be the name). We went out for about an hour and a half, east along the trail toward Issaquah. The county is doing a really nice job on the project. A few of the runners had head lamps, but even then there weren't many obstacles to worry about. The grading was even and the trail sits up far from the water. and that is a good thing, because of all the rain we have received this past month. I can see why the homeowners on the lake wanted to keep their piece of paradise to their selves. It is very nice down there on the water. Looking at the nice cars and homes and multiple garages, I surmised that within those walls were full fridges and cupboards. Maybe I'm reading this wrong since I don't know any of these people, but if they can afford a home like that then I expect that their food choices are wide open.

Physically the running is catching up to my legs. I'll take tomorrow off from exercise and I'll get some laundry done. Wednesday will be the track workout and I'd like to get back into a pool on Friday. The Saturday run is at Bothell Landing and then the maniacs run on Sunday. Maybe this week I can ramp up the miles. I've got to do some better listening too. You know, that still, small voice. Peace.

I did 14 miles with the marathon maniacs this morning. Eric was nice enough to stash sports drinks part way through the run. We went from the Mercer lid, across the floating bridge, out to Seward park and back. Here at home I was able to pick up the apartment a bit and cook for the week. I'm glad we ran when we did because it really started to come down this afternoon and evening. I still have a lot to do on the homefront but at least I put a dent in it today. I don't have much else to say other than I got a little bit of inspiration and and a reminder of an expanded potential from doing the simple thing as watching (listening really to) Tom Petty's DVD about his Last DJ tour, recorded at The Olympic. Maybe it has something to do with creativity.

I spent the good portion of this evening looking at pictures from exploding dog. If you haven't already seen his work, you really should take a gander. This has been the last month or so.

So, what have I been doing lately? I'm presently not worrying about school/no school. I hope that my gut is right on this one. In the end that is what I have to go on.

Saturday I went to Benaroya Hall, almost at the last minute, and watched Bob Newhart do a standup comedy act. He did a few of his signature talking on the phone routines and he insulted the Germans, the Irish and the Japanese, if I remember right. What I found amusing on top of his jokes, was that I got the distinct impression he was up there firstly making himself laugh. We were of a secondary importance. He let us in on what he finds amusing. You can tell this because right before he started telling his jokes, he would start to laugh to himself. I think going was worth the money.

Work is going well. I'm doing my properties every other week, so that leaves more time to get something done on every visit. This means I only have about from two to five stops a day. Not bad.

I'm running again. The IT-band is still sort of there, but it isn't bad enough to stop me. I'm also stretching it. I think the next race will be either the Mercer Island Half Marathon or the St. Patrick's Day Dash down on the waterfront (literally on the viaduct). I hope to be in marathon shape for The Capital City Marathon in May.

I can feel things going on behind the scenes. As usual there is nothing solid. But there is hope. Only if I need to know. This may make sense at some time.

I have more pictures to post. They are already at Flickr. As I linked to before, here is a slideshow. Y'all have a great rest of the week. Go Seahawks!

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

Give 'em hell Ed. Ed Schultz on Air America. Listen to this piece. It has some common sense that the left needs to hear, unless they enjoy losing all the time.

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

Good morning.

We saw a little of the Seahawks game at the Skagit River Brewery after the Nookachamps Winter Runs yesterday. I wasn't aware that the Patriots were also playing yesterday. I watched them lose on a field graph on my computer screen. I guess I'll be rooting for the 'Hawks now.

I ran a little better yesterday than I had on the second of January. I brought my 10k time down to 44:30 or so; still a bit slow. It barely rained on us. The trip back to the Eastside area park and rides was a wet drive. Almost unbelievably the sun is now out. Right outside my window I have a lot of evergreen type trees, so from here it looks almost warm out there. My screen says it is 40 degrees though. It isn't spring yet.

Many of us went up in a rental van. It made for an easy trip, for me anyways. Two of our runners brought their half marathon times down to 2:08 personal records. Many others were not so successful. All in all a good time was had by all. I even got to meet the woman who told me two years ago to join Eastside Runners. She lives on Bainbridge and hasn't been running because of a car accident and injury and a car break-in. So, she really does exist! I never saw her after that initial meeting and I thought to wonder if she was real. She is. Thanks Holly.

I have posts about more animals from home, how I surprised the family, how I won't be taking a course this quarter, and maybe some metaphysical stuff that seems to be just out of reach right now. I just won't be writing them down now. I got my tent back. I found out it seems much bigger when it is set up in my living room. I'm also in the process of paring down some of my bills. Always a work in progress. There are more pictures at my flickr account. Here is a slideshow.

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

Mmmm.