Discrimination Against Poodles Is OK

Hooray for Barack Obama. In a statement from his campaign, it was made clear that if you want to be Vice President or President of this great nation, well, if you're from a small town and one of your first political offices is mayor of that small town, forget it, you're not good enough.

Children of the United States from small towns who have an aspiration to become President someday, and to all Small Town Americans -- you do not have what it takes to be a leader in America. Go away you inbred, hillbilly, road kill-eating, gun-toting, Bible-thumping, polar bear-hunting, brainless hicks. Washington is not for you. Elitist snobs only!

Now a reason to not vote for Obama:



I'm a dog person, I love dogs... but that is NOT a dog. That is a disgrace. That does NOT belong in the White House. No way. No how.
Please keep this from happening!!!!

Despite the crappy (hot) weather -- I ran.

Friday Evening Run: 21 minutes 5 seconds

+ 4:18

6:50 p.m. -- 81° F
some "cold" air & clouds moved in to push the daytime high of 92° (with a 97° Heat Index)
down to a much more acceptable temperature in the low 80's... horrible but not way horrible
XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Aug? :: +39 sec· XXXXXXXXXX

August: 2 hours 39 min July: 2 hours 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

Since it wasn't wicked hot I was able to push through a pretty good 14½ minutes with relative ease. That was Part One. I turned around at a certain point when I would be assured to be close to my Gatorade when I'd hit my End Cue. Sip, sip, rest, rest... sip, rest, sip, rest... or something like that.

I had a bunch o' songs lined up where I could leisurely hike down the trail awaiting Running - Part Two. One more song would be my Part Two -- about 5½ minutes long. First it would be a pretty good 20 or so minute walk. I turned around and my Start Cue sounded... I ran a bunch of the way back and Part Two was successful; finally I hit a Grand Total of 20 minutes. It took me two parts to accomplish that, I'm still looking forward to running 20 minutes straight through, but never-the-less, even though I was nearly 100% drenched in sweat afterwards, tonight was some good running.

Running tunes...
	Rush [self-titled debut album] 1974
Finding My Way Need Some Love Take A Friend Here Again What You're Doing In The Mood Before And After Working Man

Canada's National Band used to be my favorite band once upon a time. Rush kicked ass. Apparently they still do. I wouldn't really know since seeing a show of theirs isn't something I've done since about 1990 or so. Through the years I've listened kind of often to some tapes I've had and I've had a few CDs but they've long since been pawned off for concert ticket or travel or rent money or something. But thanks to this new digital age (new to me, well, I've been involved with it for only like a year-year and a half now) I'm able to get my hands on many albums I've never heard, or in this case, not heard in years. And interestingly, I don't really get my hands on the tunes since it's all in mp3 form. Can't touch it like you could an LP or a cassette or a compact disc.

Anyway... early Rush was never my favorite (I favored stuff from the 90's) but a long, long time ago, probably in a galaxy or two really far away, I used to have this 1974 debut album on vinyl. Yeah, I used to spin this on a good old-fashioned record player. I don't think I ever upgraded to cassette or CD so listening to this digitally was a first for me and the first time I've heard it in like 20 years!

It's all pretty good music, kinda similar to Led Zeppelin at times, and really not like the Rush of the 90's that I became quite familiar with. Though I do dig it just fine, I truly don't know if I'll ever listen to it again. I did get a kick out of using it for running this evening. I've also listened to it a bunch o' times over the past couple weeks or so and the past few days especially.

As far as Rush goes, I'll look forward to working my way (slowly) through their catalog of albums but this early stuff isn't my favorite.

128 kbps dload @ MusicSharing4all

320 kbps mp3 download

"Finding My Way"
from: Don Kirchner's Rock Concert
1974 or '75

"I might be Teddy Roseyvelt, but I ain't"

Because there'll be nothing else, I'll make this a cartoon day.

"Hillbilly Hare"

Interesting that this was once edited censored (like many others) to remove "violence." Whatever... it's Bugs Freakin' Bunny! Eventually it even got banned from the ABC television network. Banned?!?! This doesn't really surprise me -- people are just too sensitive sometimes. There's actually a fair amount of violence in Looney Tunes but I don't think "The cartoon rabbit made me do it" defense would ever stand up in court. Even the judge would agree -- it's Bugs Freakin' Bunny... it's funny!! Case dismissed.

Release Date: August 12, 1950

Directed by: Robert McKimson
Voices: Mel Blanc ~~ Music: Carl Stalling

Still Summer Stones Run

So today is Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention.

I'm so happy that 16.something million dollars of taxpayer money is being used to fund something that is absolutely NOT needed.

The same is (will be) true for the Republican Convention.

Gifts, Cash Bonuses Allowed at Conventions -- on Taxpayers' Tab

"up to $20,000 in public money can be used at each convention to purchase gifts for staff and volunteers of up to $150 each.

Ain't that swell?!

At least Congress is doing something for us... they did make July "National Watermelon Month."

2:05 p.m. -- 90° F, way sunny, way warm, hot really, not pleasant.

Tuesday Afternoon Run: 16 minutes 47 seconds

- 3:02

XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Aug? :: +21 sec· XXXXXXXXXX

August: 2 hours 18 min July: 2 hours 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

Twas a dumb, dumb thing to run during the hottest part of the day. Twas dumb only because it was just so friggin' exhausting. The heat zapped the energy from me and didn't allow me to run as long as I would have liked (20 minutes.) I also had to run in two parts again.

Part One -- 12 minutes even... well, 12:02 actually. Really easy going the first two songs but soon after that I started getting tired and it was a bit of a challenge to finish up. I could have quit, wanted to about 20 times, but my End Cue was just a short time away. I just concentrated times 50 on reaching my goal and while 12 minutes seemed like it would never arrive, I finally got there.

Intermission: I had turned around about midway through Part One and arrived back at my frozen (and quickly thawing) Gatorade ... yet again, yet again, yet again (for hot, hot weather) the same old story. Sat in the shade, sipped, rested, eventually began to hike down the trail.

Part Two -- one more song, 4:45, went pretty easily and I could have even run longer.

Overall: not bad but I should have gone out in the morning when it was only warm and not hot. Only problem with the morning is there are parts of the trail with long grass/weeds and with all the dew in the morning (i.e. Morning Dew) my shoes and socks woulda been soaked. Ahh well, maybe I'll just have to put up with that now and again.

Running tunes...
	The Rolling Stones Beggar's Banquet 1968
Sympathy For The Devil No Expectations Dear Doctor Parachute Woman Jigsaw Puzzle Street Fighting Man Prodigal Son Stray Cat Blues Factory Girl Salt Of The Earth

A classic album? One of the top 50 albums of all time or something like that? Since the record was released, only two songs truly survived the decades, each becoming a classic and a Stones staple -- Street Fighting Man and Sympathy For The Devil. Everything else is, well, just eh, I think. I mean, it ain't bad... just eh. And since my opinion is the only one that matters, ever, then I hereby declare this to only be the 210th Greatest Album Of All Time.

128 kbps dload @ The Roadhouse

320 kbps mp3 download

"Sympathy For The Devil" ~ December 11, 1968
from: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
not released until 1996

Nice makeup, Mick. You look pretty.

Thank God the Communist Games Are Over! Time to Mutter

11:00 a.m. and the Olympics are over. Of course NBC isn't gonna show the Closing Ceremony until 8 o'clock tonight because they're dorks but what are ya gonna do? Not really all about the events themselves; all about ratings, isn't it?

At least this morning/last night I got to watch the USA men's basketball team win Gold against España. The one-time Olympian Gold Medal winner wannabe in me loved seeing not just the game but the medal ceremony and celebrations afterwards.

Coach K and the team's Gold Medals

I just wish it wasn't from 3 until nearly 5 in the morning. Now today I'm way too tired. Oh well.

I also wish it wasn't in Communist China. The Olympics being there was all wrong. Such a pathetic, despicable government who treats human beings like dirt. They do deserve to have nuclear bombs dropped on them. If the bombs would just kill the Commies and have no collateral damage, leaving the citizens alone... and not cause any environmental destruction... hmmm...... actually no, No Nukes, not now, not ever. But China needs to change.

Well, even though I don't really give that much of a crap about the stoopid Summer Games, at least next time it'll be in London, Great Britain.

Time for...

Unconscious Mutterings

a free association game -- I say... and you think ... ?

1. Cry :: ouch

2. Stretch :: running. I actually thought "horse" first... I think because of how in horse racing they come into the home stretch.

3. Efficient :: smooth

4. Brunch :: "Hey! So what's the deal with brunch , I mean that if it's a combination of breakfast and lunch, how comes there's no lupper or no linner?"

5. Afro :: Fletch

6. Preheat :: oven

7. Delicious :: girlfriend

8. Global warming :: Al Gore

9. Actions :: the actions of a few often ruin it for the rest of us. Dillholes.

10. Ride :: park 'n ride

Kinda lame words this week. I wonder what they were when I skipped doing this last week but this is the week I shoulda skipped. Oh well.

"Change We Can Believe In"

So Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Senator Joseph Biden to be his Vice Presidential running mate.

This signifies Change.

Wait... it does? How? Biden's just another politician. Just another politician... hooray. Just what America needs (<--that's sarcasm.)

At least Biden doesn't bow down to special interest groups.

Wait... he does? He's accepted over $5,000,000 from lawyers and lobbyists since 2003? Gee... that's nice (<--more sarcasm.)

Well, okay, so Biden's another politician. We'll see what happens.

At least he's not racist.

"You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

Ohh... he isssss racist.

Good Luck, America!

Scrap Happy Daffy - Looney Tunes from WWII

66 Years Ago, theater-goers weren't all happy-go-lucky and exactly completely loving life. I mean how could one be that way considering World War II was well underway? We were losing members of our armed forces every single day while some assface jerkwad named Hitler was hellbent on taking over the world. Add onto that the fact that Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan were Hitler's buddies and, well, it wasn't the most bright and cheery time in the history of this planet we all share.

Fortunately there was Hollywood backing the war effort, doing all they could to boost morale back home and maybe even give people something to laugh at... and give people hope. If Daffy Duck in 8 minutes can defeat the Nazi scumbags then so can the Allied forces!

"Scrap Happy Daffy"

America doesn't quit!
And everyone should be doing their part to help...
even Daffy Duck!

Release Date: August 21, 1942

Directed by: Frank Tashlin

Running with Fay

Coffee sucks. When a 20 ounce mug is the minimum intake each and every day -- and 40 ounces is often the norm -- skipping out on coffee means HEADACHE And that's how coffee sucks.

I don't know how it happened today, I just didn't make any. As the hours went on, a headache came on. Oh joy. I felt it in the bridge of my nose and the back of my head. The pain wasn't terrible but quite annoying. Ibuprofen didn't help. Finally around 3 o'clock I made coffee. Way too late in a hot day for coffee but the caffeine, or absence of, was what caused the headache in the first place... so it would make sense that caffeine intake would help wipe out the headache? Eh. It kind of worked but not really. What didn't help was driving back and forth to the hospital three times to check on my dad who was admitted yesterday for a kidney infection.

He finally got discharged late this afternoon, I finally had my coffee, and after 3 days I finally got a run in.

The headache remains. If I had it my way... I'd probably just cut my head off and be done with it... best way to get rid of a headache, I'm tellin' ya.

4:35 p.m. -- 80° F, overcast & windy (bits of Tropical Storm Fay) ... raining upon return

Thursday Afternoon Run: 19 minutes 49 seconds

+ 52 sec

XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Aug? :: -2 sec· XXXXXXXXXX

7 runs in July: approx: 2 hrs 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

Having a headache almost prevented me from running... but, unless there truly are circumstances to keep me from running, going 3 days without a run is UNacceptable.

My headache had seemed to subside enough to allow me to run and there being wind but no rain from the tropical storm, that helped, as well.

I'm not sure what I was thinking in thinking I could run 19 minutes straight through with my head feeling like it was. My Running Time was pre-planned for not-so-hot weather but also for not having a headache.

After two songs I quit and walked back to my Gatorade. A short rest later and I was hiking down the trail for awhile. I rolled back the Playlist so I could run for the two more songs that I had planned. Done deal.

Once my running was accomplished, the hike home had quite a bit of rain. A rain band from Tropical Storm Fay moved in and I just got soaked. Thankfully I had the foresight to put my mp3 player in a small zip-lock bag to make sure it wouldn't get waterlogged (in case it started raining) otherwise right now I'd quite possibly not have a working mp3 player.

Overall, I'm doin' pretty good with running and could (and should) soon be up and over 20 minutes again. For really hot and sunny weather my running times would be different (shorter and that's okay) but I'm doin' pretty good for temps in the low 80's.

Running tunes...
	Casting Crowns Lifesong 2005
Lifesong Praise You In This Storm Does Anybody Hear Her? Stained Glass Masquerade Love Them Like Jesus Set Me Free While You Were Sleeping Father, Spirit, Jesus In Me Prodigal And Now My Lifesong Sings

A few years ago I was spending a lot of time listening to some Christian radio and Casting Crowns was just emerging on the national scene at the time with this album.

From McDonough, Georgia (outside of Atlanta) by way of Daytona Beach, Florida, Casting Crowns offer up a great collection of praise and worship that is just screaming to played at high volumes ONLY. Anything less seems like it would be an insult to the loudness contained within these tunes. Plenty of guitar and loud singing drives these tunes and that need to be played loud, plain and simple.

Before the first two tracks (which are both just freakin' incredible!) each spent numerous weeks on top of the Christian music chart, a couple of mildly unflattering reviews were written for Lifesong on Christianmusictoday.com and Jesus freak Hideout. For shame. For shaaaaame. Well, hey, those are just two writers and their opinions (and they just happen to be missing the greatness in this album. Too bad.) While sometimes not so deep, the writing's often great and the music is just excellent. Formulaic? Dime-a-dozen? In the same mold of others before them? Yeah -- may be. But when it comes to Christian music, even if they're similar to others: the more bands the better. The lack of tremendous variety needs to made up for and bands like Casting Crowns help fill that void.

Download @ 320 kbps - Lifesong

320 kbps mp3 download

"Praise You In This Storm" (live)

Olympic Gold Glitters Gluttonously

God Bless America -- Home of the Free, Land of the Feed Those Who Can Already Feed Themselves.

Michael Phelps, swimmer extraordinaire/fish, is coming back to the United States with a record 8 Gold Medals. Beijing been berry berry good to Michael Phelps. He ain't just a-comin' home with gold but with sponsorships up the old ying yang. Speedo, maker of those hideous things some call bathing suits (a.k.a. banana hammocks) is giving Mikey $1,000,000 for winning those 8 golds. Not bad, I guess. Perhaps he earned it. I'm all for capitalism.

But there are two very shocking things related to the winning of those Olympic gold medals -- Mr. Phelps' diet is one.

What kind of pathetically selfish human being consumes 12,000 calories a day? Phelps starts "his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

At lunch, Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs - what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza.

He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks."

Hey, Mike, how many nations on Earth have children who don't consume 12,000 calories in a month? Maybe you know? I'm just wondering. There are places where children have to scavenge through garbage dumps in order to find a few precious morsels that they'll share with their siblings. I could be wrong but I'm guessing they don't quite get 12,000 calories from their daily trips to look through the trash. Maybe you'd like to sit down and take some video of you eating just one meal, send that video to them, and maybe it'll make them feel better.

Does winning so many gold medals help rid the soul of the guilt? The million bucks probably helps, too. Maybe you had no guilt to begin with?

Also disturbing in The Gluttony of Michael Phelps is Pizza Hut's involvement. Between 3 and 5 million dollars is what Phelps, pre-2008 Summer Olympics, was estimated to be earning. So long as it's made morally and legally (I guess illegally would be immorally,) once again, I'm all for capitalism and that's fine. I've just gotta wonder -- does the dude really need free pizza and pasta for a year? You've got to be kidding me.

Hey, Pizza Slut, rather than give free food to someone who can afford to buy a few dozen pies every single day, why not donate food/money to feed human beings who live in poverty and may die from starvation? Just a thought. If not then I want to congratulate you for helping feed someone who is rich, someone who can afford to feed himself. Way to go!!! You've done well!!!!

To help feed those Michael Phelps and Pizza Hut neglect, consider a donation to Oxfam International. Just click the logo or link below for more information.

www.oxfam.org

Never a More Vivid Run

Apparently school in South Carolina has started, or at least in parts of South Carolina. How idiotic is that? Don't these people understand that IT'S STLL SUMMER?!?!?!

Helll-looooooo???

Summer: time to hang out with friends, go on vacation,
and NOT be in school???!!!

Morons. I'd stage a revolt... and/or a peaceful sit-in.

HELL NO,
WE WON'T GO!
NO SCHOOL 'TIL SEPTEMBER!!!

HELL NO,
WE WON'T GO!
NO SCHOOL 'TIL SEPTEMBER!!!

Not until after the Labor Day Weekend should school start. LABOR DAY! A family should still have TWO MORE WEEKS for vacation! TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!! Ay caramba.
Starting school before September -- just plain stoopid.

4:15 p.m. -- 80° F, mostly cloudy, some light rain here & there

Monday Afternoon Run: 18 minutes 57 seconds

+ 3:08!

XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Aug? :: -2 sec· XXXXXXXXXX

7 runs in July: approx: 2 hrs 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

A very good run today even with the light rain falling during part of it. The sun was not out, the temperature was unseasonably low, and my Running Time was achieved with relative ease. I did do two parts, though. I knew I wanted to run close to 20 minutes but wasn't sure how easy that would be even at 80 (or about 85 with the Heat Index due to wicked high humidity.) Three songs comprised Part One and then I hiked for a few and then ran for one more song pushing me almost to 19 minutes. Hmm... why didn't I decide to run for three second after one of my End Cues to get me to 19? Dumbass. Oh well. Still a darn good run and I'm glad I finally got out there. After letting all weekend go by without a run, after letting three whole damn days go by without a run, I freakin' needed some exercise!

Running tunes...
	Living Colour Vivid 1988
Cult of Personality I Want To Know Middle Man Desperate People Open Letter (To A Landlord) Funny Vibe Memories Can't Wait Broken Hearts Glamour Boys What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song) Which Way To America?

Once upon a time I had a Living Colour tape, this album actually. It's been a long time since I last played a cassette so it's been awhile since I last heard this. Since I acquired this digital copy not too long ago, I've been able to dig it again.

Definitely some cool songs here... pretty much all of them. It's no wonder Mick Jagger saw potential in these guys when he caught a show of theirs at CBGB's one time way back when. They broke onto the hard rock scene scoring a bunch of awards courtesy of MTV and the Grammy's (both of which mean jack-shit, I'm just sayin'...) Calling them metal, though, is a little wrong considering this is no AC/DC or Black Sabbath or nothin'. These guys even got play on traditionally "Alternative" radio stations so uhhh, some people seemed to be a little confused as to exactly what Living Colour's music was/is.

Bottomline truly is that it's good stuff and this debut album proves it. Kinda makes me wonder, though -- what the hell happened to them? Why do great bands only survive a short while? They're actually back together nowadays... kind of. Lead singer Corey Glover isn't with the band while he's in a play but apparently he's going to rejoin the band eventually? Beats me. In any case, this is some cool music.

find a dload @ Walldill

320 kbps mp3 download

"Cult of Personality"
The Arsenio Hall Show - 1989

Eagles Run

When I get back from a run all I wanna really do is veg out and do nothing. But here I am typing this up... just like usual. I'm so tired that my mind isn't actually working so well. One of the consequences of that is I just can't think of nuttin' to post about. Nuttin'. Seriously -- nuttin'.

2:00 p.m. -- 87° F, partly cloudy, not wicked hot but still hot

Friday Afternoon Run: 15 minutes 49 seconds

- 2:36

XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Aug? :: -2 sec· XXXXXXXXXX

7 runs in July: approx: 2 hrs 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

Dag nabbit, the high temperature at midday meant I had to adjust my Running Time to something not as long as before. Oh well.

Part One -- 11:42 ... While today was hot (is still hot) it's not really that bad and so 11:42 was fairly easy. The first long song was a relative breeze but song 2 at only like 4 minutes something, that was a little more difficult... or perhaps truly a lot more difficult. I turned around roughly halfway through the time and headed back to my Gatorade.

Intermission -- no sitting. I grabbed my Gatorade and walked for awhile. I knew I'd have one more running song coming up, really wanted to run to that song to add onto My Total Time, but just wasn't sure. It was freakin' warm!!! I was beat but after walking awhile...

Part Two -- 4:07 ... not really a problem. At the end of Part One my shirt and shorts were just drenched in sweat then by the end of Part Two the sweat needed to be wrung out and my shirt. Not even in the 90's but still just a hot run that exhausted the crap out of me.

On top of the running, I was out on foot for nearly an hour and a half -- 90 minutes including Running Time and about 25-30 minutes going to and from the trail. Overall a kinda significant time out there considering the time of day and weather conditions.

Not the best Running Time but I'm darn glad I got it done!

Running tunes...
	Eagles Hotel California 1976
Hotel California New Kid In Town Life In The Fast Lane Wasted Time Wasted Time (Reprise) Victim Of Love Pretty Maids All In a Row Try And Love Again The Last Resort

The Eagles have seemingly always been a part of this musical life but I'm not sure I've ever once heard a studio album of theirs. Always it's been the Greatest Hits albums and Live albums and that's been sufficient. In this new age of acquiring albums finally I got my hands on this gem.

Listening through this over and over, several times over the past couple weeks, it's almost no wonder that this is considered to be one of the best albums ever recorded. That's one feeling. But at the same time I wonder because Pretty Maids All In A Row and Wasted Time don't feel like Best Ever quality. Eh, I guess the others can help make up for those.

find a dload @ Back On The Road

320 kbps mp3 download

"Hotel California"
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
November 2004

Bad Cop, No Donut!!

DARE To Keep Cops Off Donuts

Bad Cop, No Donut!!