Random ->

It's been a while.

Nothing really to blog about, not many people read it anyway. But, it is good to get things off of one's chest now and again.

I just got finished with a short run. I am not as young as I used to be. The gray in the hair is more prominent. My body certainly cannot do what it used to be able to do. I still think it can, though. I ran for about one and a half miles tonight, and I mixed some walking in there. Oddly, the legs and back can take the punishment. The lungs? Not so much. But they are getting there. Slowly but surely, they are getting there.

So, why do it? Why run? Why keep in shape? Everyone has their reasons. I have mine, and they have to do with health. But more than that, I want to be able to hike through the Hill Country in Texas. I want to hike the Grand Canyon. I want to paddle the Pecos River with my family. Just us, a couple of canoes, and whatever we can fit in the boat. Two weeks on the water in the wilderness. I want to pit myself against the wild. I have to know that I can do it.

When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball. I played baseball, too, but not as much as I played and loved basketball. I remember many nights when I was in college I would meet several of my friends in our church parking lot and play basketball until two or three o'clock in the morning. I would open the trunk of my Beretta and crank up the stereo. Guns 'n Roses, Ozzy, AC/DC.... you get the picture. The punishment on the body was more than I realized.

About six years ago, I was playing softball in a men's D league. I pitched (mostly because everyone else was scared to pitch). My foot had some problems with pain, so I went to a podiatrist. I found out I had a broken bone. Nice.

While I was there, the doc asked if I had experienced any trauma. I didn't believe I had, so I told her no. Then she showed me the x-rays of my feet.
Holy crap.

My ankles were both white in the x-ray. This was the result of having my ankles trashed many times during my 'career'. I had a cast on each ankle at least six times (each). Basketball is not a non-contact sport. It's also hard on the knees.

All of that came flooding back tonight as I was running. I had really forgotten what it was like to experience sharp pains like that. In a sick way, it felt kind of good, as long as I was running. It's hard to explain, but it reminds me that I am still alive. It's amazing.

This evening's run was a good ending to an otherwise surreal day.
The day started out well enough, until I realized I was going to miss an early morning meeting today at work. No worries. Not much was covered anyway.

Work trucked along just fine until lunch. I opened up my microwave dinner (Asian pot stickers), and noticed the box was a little damp. I thought it was because the box spent the last few days in the freezer. So, I opened the box, and immediately filled my sock with "juice". All of the sweet and sour sauce that was in the package apparently was now in my shoe. 'Salright? 'Salright.

Later, after lunch, it was time for a snack, and I had a cupcake. Sounds good, no?
It would have been, but somehow when I opened the package the cupcake literally exploded. I know that sounds funny, but it did. The package popped, and the cupcake split into about six pieces, most of them landing on my shirt.

Oh, well. The day was almost over.

After I got home, momma decided that she wanted to go eat at a place called Kappa's in Pearland. They have fantastic sushi. I had the jalapeno roll. Very good. Jalapeno roll is not good, however, if you plan on running for a while afterwards. All the food stayed where it was supposed to, though, and the night ended on a good note.

I'll do my best to muster up some decent topics in the coming days. For now, however, it is time to go to bed. I have to be at work early tomorrow.

Goodnight, Texas.