Lawng Eyelind Run

Another day, another run. Kinda monotonous but it's A) in the name of healthy living and B) with the hope that I can eventually use running to raise money for charity. So to use a horribly out-of-date phrase -- It's All Good.

68 minutes on the trail...

Running Time -- 17 minutes & 31 seconds (+14 from yesterday)

Nicole McKenna

self-titled debut (2003)

Inside Out

Conversation Never Had
Long Ago & Far Away
Four Walls
Run Dry
Giving Up Your Ghost
Hanging By A Thread
You Can't
Daydreams & Candy
Cry Yourself To Sleep
Goodnight

+

Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders

(7/10/73 Keystone Berkeley)

I Second That Emotion

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

Sometimes I seriously have no idea what to expect when I press play. I'm not sure how I ever found out about Nicole McKenna. I think I was under some sort of odd impression that she was kind of a lounge sort of singer. Ahhh -- no. She's got a great voice and writes darn good songs. I'm glad that I downloaded this girl from Commack, Long Island. Most definitely gonna give this album another listen and check her out some more.

ugh

Private Lessons (1981) ½ star out of 5

Horrible movie starring Sylvia Kristel and Howard Hesseman. A housekeeper for a rich L.A. kid and his dad, is paid to seduce the boy and make him a man, to show him, ummm, how to be with a woman, to give him private lessons. The boy, nervous at first, really gets into it. Basically this is a movie condoning statutory rape which isn't really rape in the mind of many people, it's consensual casual sex. This is nearly every boy's fantasy come true but in the eyes of the court system of America it's illegal considering the housekeeper is at least ten older than the kid who's not even 16 years old.

All in all quite a bad movie. This should never have been made.

Pair of One Sevens

Sometimes a run the day after a day without a run is nothing less than a piece of cake. Today was exactly like that. Kinda felt like I was floating at times. The last couple minutes I had those urges that occur from time to time to speed up. So overall a great run!

Time on the trail: 74 minutes...

Running Time -- 17 minutes & 17 seconds (+ 10)



Ziggy Marley

Dragonfly (2003)



I Get Out
Rainbow In The Sky
DYKL (Don't You Kill Love)
Shalom Salaam
Melancholy Mood
Good Ol' Days (featuring Cedella Marley)
Looking
Never Deny You
True To Myself
Dragonfly
In The Name Of God

+


Jerry Garcia-David Grisman

4 songs from: Shady Grove



Dreadful Wind And Rain
The Handsome Cabin Boy
Down In The Valley
Hesitation Blues

Hmm. Ziggy, mon... the sound you chose to go with on your first solo album, Dragonfly... it be messed up, mon.

The album still has an underlying reggae feel but without the Melody Makers, Ziggy nearly completely heads off into this poppy-rock-reggae sound that does him no justice. I liked the album but then again, I'm not difficult to please... but while the music was and can be enjoyed, it pales in comparison to what the Melody Makers were doing on their albums.

Since Dragonfly was released, Ziggy's gone on to record another solo album which apparently has gotten only mediocre to negative reviews. So sad. No doubt he won't be down long.

zilch, whoops

Was so close to going for a run this evening... so close but no cigar. Stoopid numb-nut, I layed my head down to kill some time, to kill just 20 minutes of time, and I fell asleep. Duh. Woke up and it was nearly dark so too late to hit the trail. Ideeut. Oh well.

The Diceman Shineth

Casual Sex? (1988)

Oh yay, a movie that promotes casual sex. Wait... doesn't practically every movie with romance promote casual sex? Of course. I guess on the positive side, this came out when AIDS awareness was in the midst of exploding into the consciousness of the American public so it does also promote caution.

Lea Thompson is super-cute in the starring role. Her sidekick is Saturday Light Live alum Victoria Jackson. The surprise of the movie is Andrew Dice Clay who can actually act, play the sensitive type and be a charming male species.

I saw this flick years and years ago. Since it's from the oh so glorious late 80's, I thought it would be fun watch, might make for some entertaining flashback kinda viewing. It doesn't scream late-80's, though. The year could almost be any time since then (at least up until the cell phone era.) Still not a horrible experience but the content of the movie leaves a lot to be desired. It's great for Dice and Lea and (even though it's pink) a 1959 Cadillac convertible... but otherwise there's no reason for anyone to watch this

zilch day

Again, 3 runs & 1 hike in 4 days so today is a day for rest,
a zero day, a zilch day . . . and welcomed!

short hike...

After 3 days in a row with a run
I almost took today off.

Decided to get out for a little while,
for a short but sweet hike.

1 hour & 39 minutes
on the trail...

tunes...

Grateful Dead ~ 4-14-78
Virginia Tech

(listened to the 1st Set before I left the house.)

listened to the 2nd Set while on the trail.

review/comments on the show at a later date...

17: Stellar or Still Sucky?

I achieved another milestone on my run this evening. A sort of milestone -- up to (and a little past) 17 minutes. Is it even significant? In a way it is. A year ago I never imagined running for what to me is so long. But now in my not-that-serious quest to be able to run a marathon, 17 is still pretty lame. All I want is to be able to run exactly like this at least a few times a week in order to help maintain a healthy heart, etc. Within the long range scope of desiring to be able to finish a marathon in about 240 minutes, well, LOL HAHAHAHA I'm a wicked long way off so 17 isn't significant at all. Perhaps I'll just keep on adding on little by little and think about 20 being the next milestone...

75 minutes on the trail...

Running Time -- 17 minutes & 7 seconds (up 12)



Sammy Kershaw

Don't Go Near The Water (debut album from 1991)

Anywhere But Here
Every Third Monday
Don't Go Near The Water
What Am I Worth
I Buy Her Roses
Yard Sale
Real Old-Fashioned Broken Heart
Kickin' In
Cadillac Style
Harbor For A Lonely Heart
+
some Sammy Kershaw tunes for Christmas...
Up On The Housetop
Christmas Won't Be Christmas (Without You Here)
We Three Kings
Winter Wonderland
&
Billie Holiday -- Fine and Mellow [Jazz Lounge Remix]
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) -- Sinatra
+
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders -- I Second That Emotion

Sammy Kershaw's debut album is pretty good early 90's Nashville country. Cadillac Style, I believe, still has radio play today, maybe one of his biggest hits. But the music kinda stunk for running to at least in part due to the fact that I blindly chose -- or chose without first hearing -- songs to run to that were too slow for my pace. Around the halfway point I nearly pulled up 'cause I wasn't satisfied by what I was hearing; the tunes didn't give me enough to concentrate on to take my mind off the seemingly uselessness and boredom of jogging. Almost felt like I was crawling along and a fast-paced hike woulda been just as good plus a hundred times more enjoyable than running. But I pushed on and succeeded once again. I'll revisit Mr. Kershaw's music again someday but to run to, the best thing will be to choose faster paced songs ahead of time!

Smashing Run. Simply Smashing...

Fairly easy run. I just kinda wish I could do this mid-day but it's always gotta be in the evening when the sun's goin' down. Kinda also wish I could sometimes go in the morning but the grassy areas of the trail get too much dew which would soak my shoes... not good. Oh well. Evening runs are fine and dandy so long as I keep succeeding!

Trail Time: 70 minutes...

Running Time -- 16 minutes & 55 seconds (+22 seconds!)

Smashing Pumpkins

Siamese Dream (1993)

Cherub Rock
Mayonaisse
Soma
Geek U.S.A.
Disarm
Sweet Sweet
Silverfuck
Quiet
Rocket
Spaceboy
Luna
Hammer
Today

Siamese Dream, the follow-up to their debut album, Gish, is without a doubt on the same level of greatness. Perhaps the best band to ever come out of Chicago? Probably. And later this spring they'll be going back out on the road, primarily in Europe at first, to play shows in support of their new album coming out in July. Hey, way to go Corgan! Solo stuff and side bands are excellent side projects but to abandon The Pumpkins forever woulda been a tragedy in the music world. Lookin' forward to the new album!

Another Dead Run

74 minutes on the trail...

Running Time

16 minutes & 33 seconds

(only up 6... that's okay)

tunes...

Preservation Hall Jazz Band -- When The Saints Come Marching In
Basin Street Blues -- Diana Krall
+
Grateful Dead ~ 2/4/70
Family Dog at the Great Highway
San Francisco

Hard to Handle,
China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider,
St. Stephen-> Not Fade Away-> St. Stephen->
In The Midnight Hour
+
an almost ten minute chunk of the end of show Jam
featuring: Jerry, Jorma, Jack Casady, Santana's rhythm section, etc.
&
Miles Davis -- My Funny Valentine

Great music makes a run so much easier. During the first three Dead songs I almost felt like I was floating down the trail. So easy.

Nice little show. A pretty good Soundboard for early 1970. Unfortunately there are a few noticeable cuts/slices but that doesn't distract from the music too badly. This show was originally videotaped by PBS for a documentary about the San Francisco music scene. Perhaps someday I'll hunt that down but today the audio alone was just perfect. The Dead were only on stage for a mere just under 40 minutes but a great 40 minutes that was. The All-Star Jam at the end is harshly incomplete. The beginning is cut into, there are 2 or 3 slices within and the end cuts off early... all of that in this case is somewhat of a distraction. If this was one fluid piece of music it would be so sweet. But no such luck which is so often the case with tunes from this era. Oh well.

In any case, still a great outing on the trail this evening. Fine music plus another run (even though it was only by 6 seconds) exceeding my previous run.

Pushing Furthur!

zilch day

3 runs and 1 hike in 4 days.

Not bad.

That certainly earns today off.

My body could certainly use the rest.

Running in the Presence of the Lord

Only plus six seconds this time running but six welcome seconds, six seconds closer to being able to run a marathon. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... yeah, like that'll ever happen!!! (Maybe... just seems like I'm a hundred years away from being able to do that.)

Trail time: about 72 minutes...

Running Time -- 16 minutes & 33 seconds

2 tracks from...

Marlo Thomas & Friends:

Thanks & Giving All Year Long

benefit album for the

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...

Rosie Perez -- Josie's First Allowance Day
Uncle Kracker & Marlo Thomas -- I Want It!

Blind Faith

their one & only album from 1969...

Had To Cry Today
Can't Find My Way Home
Well All Right
Sea Of Joy
Presence Of The Lord
Do What You Like
&
Eric Clapton -- Can't Find My Way Home
(from 461 Ocean Blvd, Deluxe Edition)
+
Jerry Garcia & Davis Grisman -- Louis Collins, Fair Ellender

Nice. And that's an understatement! Blind Faith's album is mucho classico! A few songs there made for a very good run. The epic Do What You Like + Jerry & David helped hike me home. I'd say that I'd love to check out Blind Faith's other albums but all I can do is pick up the Deluxe Remastered Reissue from a few years ago. Like 75 minutes of music on that that ain't on the original LP. Lookin' forward to it.

Hiking all of this Big Country

Same trail, different pace. With this (semi-) new (semi-) addiction to improving my running times (even if it's only little by little) I almost can get to forgetting what it's like to enjoy a nice hike. Six months ago hikes would out-number 20 to 1 my runs. I'm a hiker and even though runs seems to out-number 20 to 1 my hikes now, I still consider myself a hiker. I'm confused.

In any case, a very nice time out there this evening.

Just a few minutes over 2 hours on the trail...

musico de Scotland:

Big Country

Come Up Screaming (2000)

(Hmmm... i don't know how it happened but i listened to the 2cd set backwards, this order being the exact reverse of how I shoulda listened to it... next time.)

Fields Of Fire

In A Big Country

Chance

Porroh Man

We're Not In Kansas

Wonderland

Inwards

13 Valleys

Lost Patrol

The President Slipped And Fell

You Dreamer

Look Away

Dive In To Me

Somebody Else

Come Back To Me

Where The Rose Is Sown

The Storm

John Wayne's Dream

Driving To Damascus

King Of Emotion

Harvest Home
+
In A Big Country (acoustic studio version)

Well, that was an incredible set of music! When I listen to it again -- in the correct order -- I'll get a better feel of what it was like to be there. Recorded live on May 31, 2000 at The Barrowlands in Glasgow, this was Big Country's second to last show (they played one more not too long after this in Malaysia.) The band had decided to call it quits... or sort of? Lead singer Stuart Adamson decided to move to Nashville and take time off from Big Country although I believe it's said that he wanted/hoped to revisit the band in the future. Sadly, that was never to be. He took his own life in a hotel room in Hawaii a year and a half later, right at Christmastime... a not so Mele Kalikimaka.

I've always known Big Country as a one-hit wonder because of their hit song In A Big Country. It's interesting, though, that in Scotland and the rest of the UK, they were not the same band they're widely known as here in the U.S.... across the pond over there, Big Country, since that song, has been an extremely popular and much-loved band. On their final tour the band never sounded more tight, together, and rockin'. But Adamson wanted to explore other avenues and that's fine. It's just a shame he felt the need to off himself. There's no way on Earth his life coulda been that bad. I'm not one who understands the connection between depression and suicide so to me it's just... it's sad, of course, but I just don't get it and I guess I'm not expected to. Like that insane dude who blew away all those people at Virginia Tech last week. He turned into some evil being due to his mental illness... why he did what he did is another something that we, normal citizens, aren't expected to understand.

Suicide's whacked. More often than not it's just a loss that wasn't necessary so Just Say No to offing yourself!

Anyway, I am so looking forward to exploring, in the future, more of Big Country's music. And what I'm wondering now -- why the heck did they leave off the last encore song: Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World?!?!?!?!?! OUCH! Since this was a 2cd set clocking in at about 112 minutes, there was plenty of space left. Ohhh man. Oh well. If I had never accidentally found a setlist for their final European show I never woulda known and all woulda been good. Now I'm kinda bummed... but give me a minute or so and I'll get over it.

Running Furthur Across The River

They say, "Milk, it does a body good," but it's running that I say does a body good. Yes, running indeed. And oh joy, do I hate it. Well, maybe hate's too strong a word. Certainly, though, I despise running. It gives me no pleasure what-so-freakin'-ever. But the effects of running are beneficial far more than anything else I care to physically take part in... lifting weights? no, thanks. cardio workouts? oh, heck no. So running it is plus I get to listen to some good to great music, I'm OUTDOORS on a trail, and so my ultimate hero Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

around 65 minutes on the trail...

Running Time

16 minutes & 27 seconds

(+25 seconds!)

tunes...

Bruce Hornsby ~ 7/12/97
Furthur Festival
Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus, Ohio

Harbor Lights, Across The River,
Another Day->
It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry->
Another Day,
Black Muddy River, Hothouse Ball,
The Valley Road

Ahhh, a sweet Bruce Hornsby soundboard from what now seems like the almost ancient, so very long ago Furthur Festival of the year nineteen hundred and ninety-seven. Marc Ford of the Black Crowes sat in for a song or two but no Bobby on this set. Oh well. Maybe next time I'll pick a '97 FF Hornsby set with Bobby on a Jack Straw or other tune... it just so happened this show has an almost perfectly timed 16 minute long Across The River. That plus a little in-between song time made for a perfect run. The highlight of the show, of course, would be Black Muddy River. This was almost two years after Jerry died and even listening to the SBD I could almost sense a sigh from half the crowd or more... I bet some were even crying. But with Jerry gone, The Music Never Stopped... it changed some, with different singers, but the tunes are still the same. In any case, so glad I dloaded this for my run and listening pleasure.

dload in one long .wma file
Bruce Hornsby 7/12/97 from SugarMegs.org

Church-like Run

Excellent run!!!

About 68 minutes on the trail...

Running Time -- 16 minutes & 14 seconds (+12 seconds)

Steve Kilbey -- Unearthed (1987)

Nothing Inside
Guilty
You Once Told Me
Heliopolis
Out Of The World
Judgement Day
Othertime
Rising Son
Arm Chair
Swampdrone
Forgetfulness
My Birthday, The Moon Festival
Nonapology
Design Error
Life Like Love
Someone Calls On You
Transference
Famine
Pretty Ugly, Pretty Sad
Tyrant

First time I've ever heard any solo material from the leading man of the great Aussie band The Church. Why'd I wait so long? Well, 'cause I've never been a huge collector of music. Now with a subscription service, I get to indulge in everything I ever wanted to, plus try out other stuff that I may never have listened to. Steve Kilbey was in the first category and it was great to finally be able to hear one of his albums. And this one is from that certain era that I really dig. That's not to say other albums from other years aren't just as good... they could even be better, but this was so sweet! A few songs made for a great run and the rest for a great hike back up the trail. Definitely lookin' forward to downloading this dude again.

find a download @ GNOMOMUSIC

mp3 download

Zilch Day

no hike. no run.
no excuse for taking today off.

news break

Had to turn off the tv and get OUTSIDE. All this news is a huge part of why people become desensitized to the worst shooting in American history. So I had to take a break from it and I went on a relatively short hike...

Time on the trail:
1 hour 38 minutes

tunes...

The Terminal (2004)
Music Composed & Conducted by
John Williams

&

Grateful Dead ~ 12-20-68
Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles

The Eleven,
Mountains of the Moon,
Turn On Your Lovelight

+

Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders ~ 7-11-73
One Kind Favor (from Keystone Encores)

Movie score classical... is there any better classical music? Many, many, many would say yes but I just don't have time for classical music but I love movies and every now and then some John Williams just hits the spot. It would probably drive me nuts to try to run to it but for hiking it's good thinkin' music... I don't especially concentrate on the composition or the instrumentation, it's really just nice background music allowing me to think about this, that, and whatever.

Followed up The Terminal with a little GD and oh how sweet that was!! Actually it's a bad recording, a lot of hiss for what one would want from a digital format but better that little piece of hissy show than nothing exisiting at all!

The Eleven fades in and is followed by a nice Mountains. Except for the aforementioned hiss, just a really good couple o' songs. Lovelight took me near the end of my hike and I had an epiphany or two along the way. Should I start a charitable foundation, I've got the name now, the perfect name to accompany charitable giving! And listening with headphones (earbuds) to a Pigpen Lovelight is just an awesome way to end a hike at sunset. This one from 12-20-68 wasn't the wildest but it wasn't bad at all. Two or three times I just had to stop hiking and dance along for awhile. To just keep walking would have done the Dead a great injustice; that ain't just listenin' music, that's dancin' music!!! (Bobby, at the start of the song, even urges the crowd, "You might wanna get up and dance now.") Ahhhh.... what an intense way to wind up a hike. Along the Applachian Trail I'm gonna plan to listen to a lot of Pigpen Lovelight-ending shows as I'm coming into a campsite or a shelter for the evening. So sweet! Unfortunately all the dancin' will make the body a lot sweatier and when the day hasn't been too hot, that dancin'll add up to the need to wash up a little more than you would have to at the end of the day on the trail... but oh how it'll be worth it!

I can understand no music when there's a chance you might bump into a grizzly (basically anywhere in Alaska!) I can understand no music when the scenery is especially breathtaking. But when a trail is just a trail and nothing particularly great about it except for the fact that it's a trail, there ain't nothin' better than some Dead in the ears to enjoy along the way!!!

Now up to 31 dead...

Not only the worst shooting on a college campus ever -- it's the deadliest shooting ever in the United States ever. EVER.

Is there any wonder as to why I wanna renounce my American citizenship and move to Scotland or Australia?

a record breaker

Wonderful shooting today! (sarcasm, of course.)

Deadliest ever on an American college campus.

Utterly unbelievable? No. I'm not surprised that it happened but I am surprised by the number of dead. It's actually impressive in a totally sick & twisted way... I mean, 22 people shot accurately enough to kill (at this time that's what's being reported.) Twenty-two?!?! Columbine was like 14 and that was WHACKED. 22 is the surprising part of this. 22's not a whole lot more than 14 but it's exponentially greater.

Really makes me believe in the American citizen's right to carry a concealed weapon (while at the same time despising the fact that American gun violence is undeniably pathetic and sad and deplorable and etc, etc, etc.) If I was packin' a 9 (mm,) I woulda been makin' every effort to blow this person away, absolutely not wanting to, but I woulda taken every risk possible to end this if I had the opportunity.

Did the shooter take his own life. No word yet. If yes -- WHY?! Why can't such shooters live and tell their story? Instead they're cowards.

What even makes a person commit such a crime? Living in glorious America, I have become completely desensitized to this but still I wonder, as do millions of others, WHAT MAKES SOMEONE DO THIS?!!? Absolutely not rational. It goes beyond sane thinking. So sad that someone can have a mind that's capable of such a slaughter of human life.

22 immediate families left to grieve. How many more friends and family affected? Where was God in the shooter's life? Where was God in steering that person towards a life where this would never have happened?!? The possibility of this happening will go down so tremendously is someone who has a strong faith in Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. But apparently this shooter did not have that.

Not nearly as bad but still whacked in its own way, the Wikipedia entry for this tragedy, at some point in the early afternoon, was edited by someone who doesn't especially like America too much...

Was it really necessary to put down capitalism like that? If America was some sort of socialist society, would this not have happened?

P.S. now about 20 minutes later while watching on CNN someone's cell phone video while crouched outside somewhere on the Virginia Tech campus, being able to clearly hear a couple dozen gunshots, and knowing people died a horrible death from some of those bullets, I'm clearly now in quite a somber mood. Desensitazation doesn't always last. This tragedy is just mindboggling.

And now some active SWAT member on the phone with CNN is advocating physical security on college campuses, checking bags and bodies for weapons before they enter buildings. YAYYY, America the Police State (even more so than it already is.)

Zilch Day

After two days in a row with a run, even though the first of two was a failed run, today was a day for rest.

Back on Track...

It seems clear that my best running occurs when the temperature is a bit cooler, when the sun's not shining down from directly overhead with a clear blue sky. Once again, a run today at sunset was successful... the way it shoulda been last time.

About 80 minutes on the trail...

Running Time

16 minutes & 2 seconds

(successfully back on track!)

tunes!

Natalie Imbruglia -- White Lilies Island (2001)

Talk In Tongues
Hurricane
That Day
Do You Love?
Come September
Everything Goes
Satellite
Wrong Impression
Butterflies
Goodbye
Beauty On The Fire
Sunlight
+

"Pigpen Rap" a.k.a. "Nobody Cares Rap"

(possibly) from the 2-11-66 Watts Acid Test,

Youth Opportunities Center, Compton, California

&

Grateful Dead

The Barbed Wire Whipping Party, unknown instrumental

(1969 Aoxomoxoa outtakes)

Nothin' bad to say about any of today's music. First time I've ever heard and of this and it made for a great hour plus on the trail. The Pigpen Rap, in particular, is quite interesting and so is Barbed Wire Whipping Party... man, weird, wild stuff.

FAILURE

I failed.

After like 25 straight runs where I successfully added onto my previous time, I finally failed.

Usually my runs happen late in the evening as the sun is headed below the horizon, when it's not so hot out, even a bit chilly upon my return. This afternoon I left when the sun was nearly directly overhead, when the Heat Index was well above 80°F. I thought it would be doable. Nope.

Starting at only about 3 or 4 minutes into the run I began to so very seriously want to be done a.s.a.p! Starting at about halfway I began to pray, really conversin' with God and askin' Him to help me through this run. I hate selfishly asking for Him to help me but I know that my physical health can and will be used for good in the future, not just so I'm healthy. But anyway, with a 2 minute and 38 second song + about 20 seconds on the song before to go, I came to a screeching halt mid-prayer. Did God answer and tell my body I'd better stop or else maybe something bad'll happen? (Maybe I would injured my hamstring again?) Or maybe God just wanted to show me His power over me? I just don't know if it was Him who killed my run or was my body just not able to go the distance this afternoon? I just don't have a clear answer.

Disappointed? Yes, somewhat. At the same time it's no big whoop 'cause if it was God then I ain't gonna be mad at His doing! Disappointed I will be for sure if I am not able to improve on my last time... and continuously improve. But I'm mostly alright with this failure... just hope they don't continue!

About 58 minutes on the trail...

Running Time -- about 13 minutes

blink-182 -- Dude Ranch (1997)

Untitled, Emo, Voyeur, Dammit, A New Hope,
Josie, Waggy, Dick Lips, Lemmings, Boring,
Degenerate, Enthused, Apple Shampoo, Pathetic
+
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders -- Money Honey
(7-11-73, from Keystone Encores)

blink-182 is horrible to run to. I bet this might be good music to play really loud while cleaning around the house or maybe in the parking lot while getting ready to go surfin'... but it was definitely too fast-paced for a medium-paced run.

I'm not sure I even care for them but I'll give another album another chance someday. But at this moment I've not a positive thing to say about 'em.

Great song from Jerry & Merl to take me home, though! It's no wonder I save the best for last!

zilch x 5

five freakin' days off in a row.

FIVE?!?!?!

pathetic.

zilch

no run or hike today.

rest.

filling in this date with this movie. it's now been 7 weeks since i've seen it.

Cyclone Fury (1951)

Charles Starrett and Smiley Burnette in a Durango Kid B-western.

Zilch Day

No go out on el trail hoy.

Zilch Day.

good western

went through a short spell where i got backlogged and didn't post about a week's worth of movies i watched. watched this on april 10. Writing this entry on may 24. in the immortal words of Red Forman -- "Dumbass."

Face of a Fugitive (1959)

Starring Fred MacMurray as a dude falsely accused of murder who starts a new life elsewhere but eventually the law catches up with him.

Since it's been, as of this writing, 6 weeks since I saw the movie, I ain't a gonna be a writin' any more about it. Oh well.

Zilch Day

Another day with no hike and no run. Not good.

5 weeks later...

Five weeks ago I watched the following movie. That's a way long time to go before I write something about it. Though I remembered the star and the setting, I had to even refresh my memory what it was about. Goes to show it wasn't a very memorable movie.

In The Shadow Of A Killer

1992 (Made-for-TV)

Set in New York in like the 60's, Scott Bakula plays a hero cop who is soon the most despicable officer on the force due to his opposition to the death penalty. Some things happen. We're told Death Penalty Bad through Bacula's character's eyes. We're told Death Penalty Good through every one else's eyes. In the end more things happen; some stuff, too. The end.

zilch day

Day Off. No Run. No Hike. No Excuse.

Nice Ferrari

Body Slam (1987)

It's just a shame that the Academy overlooked this movie for an Oscar. How could you go wrong with a movie directed by Hal Needham who directed the Burt Reynolds classics Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, Stroker Ace, and the Cannonball Run movies?! Add in the guy who plays Face in The A-Team along with wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper and many other popular WWF dudes from that era and what we've got here is, well, it's just a mildly entertaining mid-80's piece of mostly junk. (I can see how the Academy passed this one over.

Dirk Benedict plays a down-on-his-luck entertainment manager who accidently signs a couple of wrestlers. Together with a terrible hair band called Kicks, they hit the road in an old RV rocking and wrestling small-town America before getting to the big-time. Along the way, manager Smilac romances Candy played by Donna's mom in That 70's Show a.k.a. the Bond Girl from A View To A Kill.

Probably the highlight of the whole movie is a shiny red Ferrari seen throughout the opening credits. A beauty! It also kind of has appeal in that one gets to view 80's fashion and a whole slice of time that was fairly unique in its own, weird way. One thing to surely keep in mind about Body Slam -- this is without a doubt the best wrestling movie released in 1987.

Finally After 5 Days...

Four full days without being on the trail. Five days total. To go that long without any serious physical activity is just horrible.

62 minutes on the trail...

Running Time
15 minutes & 45 seconds
(up 21 seconds!)

Weezer
self-titled debut album (1994)

find it at My Musikita

No One Else
Say It Ain't So
In The Garage
Only In Dreams
Undone -- The Sweater Song
Buddy Holly
My Name Is Jonas
The World Has Turned And Left Me Here
Surf Wax America
Holiday
+
Jamie (DGC Rarities version)
The Christmas Song
&
David Cullen
Eyes Of The World, Sugar Magnolia

Have heard a couple of those songs from Weezer before but it's been years. Good music and good to run to. Finished off my time on the trail with those couple o' tunes from David Cullen. Finally done with that album. Cullen's GD (and Jerry) songs on acoustic guitar, instrumental only, aren't bad. Not sure I'll ever listen to that again but the 12 or so songs made for good filler on my hikes/runs.

When Animals Attack

The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955)

From outer space comes the beast and it lands in the California desert near a date farmer's home and family. It's out to kill and slowly takes over the minds of those who are near, people and animals alike.

One man figures out what's happening to his wife and daughter and to the cows and dogs and birds that the beast is affecting. It's all up to him.

Fortunately it's all up to the viewer whether he or she wants to change the channel and be spared from the unbelievable ridiculousness that is this film. It could almost be thought that 10th graders made this movie with their teachers attempting to play each role. The shop teacher built the beast and the whole budget couldn't go over what it would cost everyone for lunch in a week.

So bad. So lame. I could almost be certified as a true blue idiot for watching this all the way through.

zilch x 4

Fourth day in a row without hitting the trail either by hiking or running.

Day 4.

Why?

I'm not sure.

There most certainly is in me the desire not to become a fat, lazy person. Why then have I gone a fourth straight day without significant movement outdoors??!?

Just a Rock In The Sea

The Edge of the World (1937)

This terrific little film is so completely different than almost everything Hollyweird was putting out in the years leading up to World War II. Based on a true story, we're given a view of life on a tiny island in the North Atlantic that is facing its demise. The island is Hirta which is part of the St. Kilda archipelago off the western coast of Scotland. Sheer cliffs rise dramatically from the sea below while life on top carries on in a very simple way compared to what exists in the outside world. Unfortunately, civilization here, for the most part, came to an end in the early 1930's. The last remaining few dozen residents evacuated to mainland Scotland.

After I finished watching the movie and doing a little research, I found out that St. Kilda today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and probably ranks fairly high amongst the least visited places in the world. Automatically it's been elevated on my list of places I most wanna visit (as well as the Shetland island of Foula where The Edge of the World was filmed.) Gobs of tourists? Trouble with pickpockets? Gotta worry about exchanging currency? None of that. Just a few surviving archeological sites on a rock in the ocean.

Spooky Pea Soup?

The Fog (2005)

A long time ago, well, maybe not that long ago, The Fog was one of the very first horror movies I remember watching. That was back when it was often shown on HBO... and that The Fog was director John Carpenter's The Fog. It's been many, many years since I saw that original version but still I have a decent (even fond maybe?) memory of it, at least of the main events and feel of the film.

Then, a couple years ago, along came a commercial for a remake. I was intrigued. I never went to see it in the theater but finally I caught a viewing on tv.

Perhaps the best way to describe the 2005 version would be -- an interesting mess. Tom Welling, who I think plays Superman in the ABC Family(?) show Smallville, wasn't bad as the lead male character, Nick Castle. Maggie Grace, from Lost, as Elizabeth, was, well, super-amazingly cute and Selma Blair as D.J. Stevie Wayne was pretty sexy, too, but in a different way from Ms. Grace, in a way that I can't really explain only she was way attractive. Anyway... not a horrible cast but the screenplay left a lot to be desired. It failed to all bind together and flow towards a decent conclusion. On top of that, the special effects were not so great. Obviously in order to dazzle the viewer, a lot of CGI was used in order to help us be able to truly believe the ghost story. Know what? Not so much CGI was needed if the movie had better writing bringing together the story and all the characters better.

Aside from Maggie & Selma, I really liked the setting. There are just not many places in North America more beautiful than the Pacific Northwest. Aesthetically it was used here well... unless you really know how British Columbia can't truly step in for Oregon. That was just a minor infraction, though, compared to the rest of the mess that is this movie.

It's too bad that a pretty good, semi-classic was not done acceptable justice here in this 2005 remake. I wanted to like it, thought it was an almost okay watch, interesting in its own way, but just not a great movie.

Long Way To Go

After the severe disappointment of losing in the National League Championship Series last October, it wasn't completely easy to watch the New York Mets this week. When the Sunday night game on ESPN rolled around, I was super-psyched, first game of the year, ready to steamroll through the NL again! But at the same time it brought up memories of that dreadful Game 7 against the Cards.

So far this year it's lookin' good. If anyone doubts the Mets will be a contender then, well, I hate to say anything bad about someone but they're nuts!

After the Opening Night win against St. Louis, a day off and then the Mets won again... and then again tonight they completed the sweep of the World Series champs, made 'em look like chumps, like the Devil Rays or perhaps a terribly sad double-A ball team. How freakin' sweet!!!!!!!! 3 In A Row!!!!!!!!

Yes, three in a row but about 95 wins away from the Division Title. At least I got to see two of the first three on TV. Hopefully many more. Considering the Mets were the best team in baseball last year, they're owed that by ESPN and Fox.

MORE NATONALLY TELEVISED GAMES!!!!


Mr. Met at Shea Stadium
Flushing, New York

A Republic Failure

Oklahoma Annie (1952)

It's probably impossible to count the number of decent B-westerns produced by Republic Pictures. That's one studio that could continually be trusted to provide something quite entertaining and worth watching.

They failed with this picture.

A storekeeper falls in love with the new sheriff in town, even becomes his deputy in an attempt to clean up some of the county's crime. The sherriff, who happens to drive a shiny new police car rather than ride a horse, doesn't see Judy the storekeeper deputy as the competant type but in the end she gets the job done while singing a song or two.

I'm really not sure about the effectiveness of when a western meets modern day. Not that it really matters but was western America really like that circa 1950, all Old West looking but with cars as well as horses? That was accomplished well in many Roy Rogers films but I didn't like it here.

Also very interesting is how the female lead isn't attractive. That is very uncommon in Hollyweird. It's the beautiful people who are almost always cast as the lead but not here. It was hard to get past that. That might seem shallow but it's not, it's pure and true human nature -- we gravitate to beauty and some people just aren't all too wonderful to look at.

In any case, this movie failed. The biggest thing it left me with is the wondering of what the heck "Oklahoma Annie" has to do with anything in the film. There was no Annie. There was no mention of Oklahoma. It's like someone thought of the title and but then forgot to rename the main character. [shaking my head at the ridiculousness of that and the whole dumb movie.]

Waste of time. The end.

zilch

i probably could've run today but have decided on a day of rest. coulda and shoulda substituted a hike of a couple hours or so... but running a half hour in 2 days ain't 100% easy and has taken some toll on me -- i'm tired!

Hairy Legs Intact

Whoo-ahhhh!

82 minutes on the trail...

Running Time -- 15 minutes & 24 seconds (only +10 this time)

Deana Carter -- Did I Shave My Legs For This? (2004)

To The Other Side
I've Loved Enough To Know
Love Ain't Worth Making
That's How You Know It's Love
If This Is Love
Strawberry Wine
Did I Shave My Legs For This?
We Danced Anyway
Count Me In
Before We Ever Heard Goodbye
How Do I Get There
+
some Deana Carter tunes for Christmas

Boogie Woogie Santa
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
White Christmas
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Silent Night
+
Scarlet Begonias
They Love Each Other
Uncle John's Band -- David Cullen
&
Hi-Heel Sneakers
It's Too Late (She's Gone) -- Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders

Deana Carter's got such a sweet voice. She's quite the opposite of Charlie & Bruce Robison -- she's a Nashville born and raised, Top 40 on the Country charts performer. While I don't care all too much for Made-for-Radio male Nashville, a bunch o' female performers just are too resistable. Deana's one of those. Lookin' forward to hearin' her again!