more normal than not

I’m helping Nate get to sleep again, and he’s huffing and blowing air out his nostrils when I ask him what he’s doing.

“I’ve got a booger.”

“What?”

“Inside the tube….inside my nose.”

“What?”

“Inside the tube….inside my nose. There’s a booger in there. I’m getting it out.”

It’s hard to fall asleep with an operation like that going on next to me.

I guess that he got it out eventually because he stopped chuffing.

I didn’t ask any questions.

That’s the kind of stuff that goes on at my house….right when I’m trying to get to sleep for the first time.

You never know what’s going to be happening…inside the tube…inside the nose.

I was over at the other property mowing the tall grass when I got stung by the yellowjackets.

The SOBs were hiding…deep in the ground… at the edge of the last bit to be mowed on the first field I was working on.

I let the mower go….yelling and swatting….running and cursing….the mower rolling down the gentle grade to a stand of old pine trees…..me getting up the hill and away as fast as I could.

They stung me three times….so I’m a little swollen now….hours later.

I don’t think I’d ever seen that big a nest of yellowjackets before.

It was a black vortex of venom….winged death hiding in the lawn….waiting for me to whir over it with the lawn mower to release the full power of its fury.

I’ll have the last laugh though….when I go back at twilight tomorrow when they’ve had a chance to cool down….and spray a bunch of poison right down their hole and kill them all.

That’s vindictiveness in action.

They will never see it coming ….after they think that I couldn’t hold a grudge that long….hours later….after the initial attack.

That’s how I roll.

I have a memory like an elephant.

Inside the tube….inside my nose.

It doesn’t matter where the memories come from, really.

When it comes to expanding welts, I don’t forget and forgive.

You screwed up this time, bugs.

You messed with the wrong mower now, Holmes.

Die, bees.

Die.

“boogie wonderland” Earth, Wind and Fire

 

 

Here’s a short documentary about Anton Krupicka, the ultrarunner.

What was interesting about this one is that, while it did focus on his running… some, it was mainly about his day to day life….and his efforts to recover from injury.

It’s interesting to see these obsessed characters dialing it back a little as they mature and are injured by their overtraining.

It’s interesting to see that they’re human after all….

He mentions how nuts some of his early training logs look now to him….how they look kind of extreme.

It was interesting to me to see his bookshelves.

I always like to see what people are reading.

To perform at this level, I think that you really do have to maintain kind of a monastic existence.

And what was his primary concern in his life?

Just being out in the mountains….and being healthy.

Sounds like a good plan.

This guy is a legend in ultrarunning circles.

It was interesting to see him when he wasn’t running.

Here’s a good video of his running life….

All these Ted Talks.

What a cool thing to get to hear people talking about things that matter to them.

Speed records….on a bicycle.

Pretty cool.

All these extremes that these people went through to try and establish a record maybe don’t matter.

What does it matter….all these records?

Maybe it’s like the space race….new technology coming from the exploration?

Maybe it just matters because it’s showing us that maybe that “we can”.

And when we break through one thing that we thought we couldn’t do “before”…..maybe we move on to some new challenge?

What the heck?

I don’t really know what this lady did….third fastest ever in this little bike, that’s what.

All these Ted Talks.

Another Ted Talk about bicycles.

Activism by accident….the building of something good because someone helped someone else….and the word got out, and soon….a lot of people were being helped and a “movement” was begun.

It’s funny how that happens.

It’s funny how small efforts can be such huge tipping points.

It’s funny how something “small” can turn into such a fulcrum for change.

And…it’s funny….in a different way….that simple efforts have “legal” stumbling blocks to overcome in order to move forward.

It’s good to be “protected”, but you have to wonder how much isn’t even attempted that might help other people….because of all the red tape you have to wade through to even get anything off the ground.

Maybe guerilla activism is the way to go?

What did my friend say? “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission”?

Maybe that’s where it’s all at? Start small, make change, keep going….and ask forgiveness when the MAN tries to shut you down?

I like this story….I like how good things can build from very humble beginnings.

That’s pretty inspiring.

After all….I already know how to do “small”.

I can handle small beginnings.

The cashier asked me the other day, “Is plastic OK?”

What do you say to something like that?

I don’t tote my own bags….I don’t come prepared.

I worry about things….but I don’t do anything other than worry.

I told him that I guessed it was OK.

Maybe consciousness is a start…..maybe thinking about things spurs some occasional action?

I bought some chicken thighs (boneless!) to barbecue last night.

Man, they were good.

(But how much better for the planet it would be if none of us ate meat? It’s insane how we buy these “processed” animals….too convenient. One session of actually butchering what we consume would change most of the population to vegetarians….but….I digress…)

That chicken….that meat….that product…tasted good with some good sauce….grilled to perfection.

If I went to the store and that chicken wasn’t sealed up tight in a plastic cocoon,though, I would freak out and complain to management.

If the cashier dumped my loose chicken into any kind of bag, I’d freak out.

You can’t let chicken touch anything until it’s cooked.

You have to be careful with a piece of raw chicken.

More careful with the chicken than you’d be with a raw carrot.

I can whine or worry about the plastic….but I have to remember that most of the things that wrap or contain or deliver or restrain….are plastic.

What’s going to keep me safe if plastic wasn’t around?

There’s a lot of good things that are plastic….just like there’s a lot of crap that’s designed to break the minute you get it out of the dollar store.

I guess that I’m better off if I don’t make myself think too much about any of this stuff.

I am better off just enjoying the chicken….or, maybe, waking up a little and stopping my meat consumption?

I’m better off if I don’t consider the question, “Is plastic OK?”.

It’s easier to just make my purchase, hand the cashier my plastic to pay the store with my money in the cloud, and move on with my life.