Last day of the year

ART, MUSIC, RUNNING

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - born with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the sky
It's ok I know nothing's wrong . . nothing

Hi yo I got plenty of time
Hi yo you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight . . . say goodnight

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time Before we were born
If someone asks, this is where I'll be . . . where I'll be

Hi yo We drift in and out
Hi yo sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you love me till my heart stops
Love me till I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head Ah ooh


Lyrics by David Byrne
Talking Heads

NFL season

* This was another disappointing season for my 2 NFL teams: San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, both overrated and out of the playoffs.  I guess I'll jump on the Atlanta Falcons bandwagon since I've been living here now for 16 years.  Dirty Birds!
Just as we've known all along about Mike Vick:  a decent runner, great scrambler, mediocre thrower and a lousy ball handler.  And of course an enormous egomaniac, said he would vote for himself to be the MVP of the league.  After last night's performance with 6 sacks, 2 fumbles lost, and 1 interception (should have been 3 total, even I could have caught the other 2 easy throws) he will be the starting QB in the Pro Bowl.  This Sunday will be the last regular meaningless games for the Chargers and Cowboys.  They will probably kicked the Broncos and Eagles with authority. Too little, too late and too bad.

*  Re: Atlanta Track Club's question on their facebook page about wearing tights in cold weather.  Here's my thought:  tights are great if you're a ballet dancer or a superhero, I'm neither so I will not wear them.  Tights are also appropriate if you're a speed skater, and I think I'm too old for that.

Merry Mythmas. Reason's Greetings.

Bumper Sticker

Born OK the first time.

A HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM RICKY GERVAIS: WHY I’M AN ATHEIST

Why don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless. People who believe in God don’t need proof of his existence, and they certainly don’t want evidence to the contrary. They are happy with their belief. They even say things like “it’s true to me” and “it’s faith.” I still give my logical answer because I feel that not being honest would be patronizing and impolite. It is ironic therefore that “I don’t believe in God because there is absolutely no scientific evidence for his existence and from what I’ve heard the very definition is a logical impossibility in this known universe,” comes across as both patronizing and impolite.

Arrogance is another accusation. Which seems particularly unfair. Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence - - evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition. If it did, you wouldn’t get a shot of penicillin, you’d pop a leach down your trousers and pray. Whatever you “believe,” this is not as effective as medicine. Again you can say, “It works for me,” but so do placebos. My point being, I’m saying God doesn’t exist. I’m not saying faith doesn’t exist. I know faith exists. I see it all the time. But believing in something doesn’t make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn’t make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn’t. It’s not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own facts.

Why don’t I believe in God? No, no no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, “Why don’t you believe I can fly?” You’d say, “Why would I?” I’d reply, “Because it’s a matter of faith.” If I then said, “Prove I can’t fly. Prove I can’t fly see, see, you can’t prove it can you?” You’d probably either walk away, call security or throw me out of the window and shout, ‘’F—ing fly then you lunatic.”

This, is of course a spirituality issue, religion is a different matter. As an atheist, I see nothing “wrong” in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me. I would never deny your right to believe in a god. I would just rather you didn’t kill people who believe in a different god, say. Or stone someone to death because your rulebook says their sexuality is immoral. It’s strange that anyone who believes that an all-powerful all-knowing, omniscient power responsible for everything that happens, would also want to judge and punish people for what they are. From what I can gather, pretty much the worst type of person you can be is an atheist. The first four commandments hammer this point home. There is a god, I’m him, no one else is, you’re not as good and don’t forget it. (Don’t murder anyone, doesn’t get a mention till number 6.)

When confronted with anyone who holds my lack of religious faith in such contempt, I say, “It’s the way God made me.”

But what are atheists really being accused of?

The dictionary definition of God is “a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe.” Included in this definition are all deities, goddesses and supernatural beings. Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.

So next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say “Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…” If they say “Just God. I only believe in the one God,” I’ll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don’t believe in 2,870 gods, and they don’t believe in 2,869.

I used to believe in God. The Christian one that is.

I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it. He had temptation but defeated sin. He had integrity and courage. But He was my hero because He was kind. And He was kind to everyone. He didn’t bow to peer pressure or tyranny or cruelty. He didn’t care who you were. He loved you. What a guy. I wanted to be just like Him.

One day when I was about 8 years old, I was drawing the crucifixion as part of my Bible studies homework. I loved art too. And nature. I loved how God made all the animals. They were also perfect. Unconditionally beautiful. It was an amazing world.

I lived in a very poor, working-class estate in an urban sprawl called Reading, about 40 miles west of London. My father was a laborer and my mother was a housewife. I was never ashamed of poverty. It was almost noble. Also, everyone I knew was in the same situation, and I had everything I needed. School was free. My clothes were cheap and always clean and ironed. And mum was always cooking. She was cooking the day I was drawing on the cross.

I was sitting at the kitchen table when my brother came home. He was 11 years older than me, so he would have been 19. He was as smart as anyone I knew, but he was too cheeky. He would answer back and get into trouble. I was a good boy. I went to church and believed in God -– what a relief for a working-class mother. You see, growing up where I did, mums didn’t hope as high as their kids growing up to be doctors; they just hoped their kids didn’t go to jail. So bring them up believing in God and they’ll be good and law abiding. It’s a perfect system. Well, nearly. 75 percent of Americans are God- ‐fearing Christians; 75 percent of prisoners are God- ‐fearing Christians. 10 percent of Americans are atheists; 0.2 percent of prisoners are atheists.

But anyway, there I was happily drawing my hero when my big brother Bob asked, “Why do you believe in God?” Just a simple question. But my mum panicked. “Bob,” she said in a tone that I knew meant, “Shut up.” Why was that a bad thing to ask? If there was a God and my faith was strong it didn’t matter what people said.

Oh…hang on. There is no God. He knows it, and she knows it deep down. It was as simple as that. I started thinking about it and asking more questions, and within an hour, I was an atheist.

Wow. No God. If mum had lied to me about God, had she also lied to me about Santa? Yes, of course, but who cares? The gifts kept coming. And so did the gifts of my new found atheism. The gifts of truth, science, nature. The real beauty of this world. I learned of evolution -– a theory so simple that only England’s greatest genius could have come up with it. Evolution of plants, animals and us –- with imagination, free will, love, humor. I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live. And imagination, free will, love, humor, fun, music, sports, beer and pizza are all good enough reasons for living.

But living an honest life -– for that you need the truth. That’s the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, in the end leads to liberation and dignity.

So what does the question “Why don’t you believe in God?” really mean. I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief. In a way they are asking “what makes you so special? “How come you weren’t brainwashed with the rest of us?” “How dare you say I’m a fool and I’m not going to heaven, f— you!” Let’s be honest, if one person believed in God he would be considered pretty strange. But because it’s a very popular view it’s accepted. And why is it such a popular view? That’s obvious. It’s an attractive proposition. Believe in me and live forever. Again if it was just a case of spirituality this would be fine.

“Do unto others…” is a good rule of thumb. I live by that. Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that’s exactly what it is - ‐ a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good. I’m good. I just don’t believe I’ll be rewarded for it in heaven. My reward is here and now. It’s knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life. And that’s where spirituality really lost its way. When it became a stick to beat people with. “Do this or you’ll burn in hell.”

You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.

Education

"If we spend as much on protecting children from poverty as we are willing to spend on testing children and evaluating teachers, we can reduce the problem considerably."  Stephen Krashen

Race to Nowhere.  Race Over the Cliff.  Race to the back.

Mother Nature

• Mother Nature has a sick sense of humor. Over 700 accidents ( * updated today 900+) occurred in the metro Atlanta area last night during rush hour as I was running out at the Silver Comet trail around 4 o'clock. It took me over 50 minutes to drive back to the house, 5 times longer than the usual trip.    
• Currently it is 33 degrees.  Dang it, 1 degree colder to have schools closed today. Instead everything is delayed 2 hours opening.  People here talk about snow, "black" ice, and cold.  It just makes me giggle having lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Portland, Maine and Baltimore, Maryland where they got real snow.  A couple of feet in one day and minus teen below zero windchill.  I sorta miss those times.
• I run just for the health of it.  I run to get away from it all.  I run to live.  
• I run to challenge myself.  I run for the euphoria.  I run to see how far I can go.  I run for fun & games.  I run for shiggles.

Fun Sunday

• Didn't the people of Haiti already suffer enough without Sarah Palin being down there?
• There's no such thing as too much snow.  OK, maybe for the roof of the Metrodome in Minnesota.
• Dang it, too little snow, too early.  Oh well, only 5 more days.
• Today is day 346.  I probably ran about 330 of those days.  At least 3 miles a day.  
• Running Goals: 1) 7:30 mile pace (CHECK) 2) 20 miles a week (CHECK)  3) Sub 25:00 5K time (CHECK)
• This is from article by Loretta LaRoche of the Huffington Post:
  "As I have aged, I have learned some very important lessons, one of which is that I must discover how to navigate my life so that I do not fall into old patterns of being a martyr, perfectionist or waiting for someone to rescue me. I realize that "no one is coming." I'm in charge until I don't know any better. This allows me to let go of old baggage, not be part of global whining groups or buy into guilt of "the gift that keeps on giving." Join me in aging well by:
  • making each day feel like a new beginning
  • reinventing yourself on some level so that you don't become your own "Groundhog Day"
  • spend time in community with others
  • become more involved in the pursuit of altruism
  • find the bless in the mess
  • laugh as often as possible
  • keep a positive outlook: "if you think the worst and get the worst, you suffer twice; if you think the best and get the worst, you only suffer once."

Red & Green Holiday Run

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."  Gandhi
                  E A T.  D R I N K.  P L A Y.

Running Inspiration

• Cold is a state of mind.  I have always been a fan of snow and frigid cold cold weather.  Anything around 32, freezing and below makes me giddy like a little schoolgirl.  Today was another day of running at the Silver Comet trail.  Saw two other runners and maybe a total of 6 cyclists during my 3 mile run.  The temperature was 34 and I was sweating at the end.  I was slightly overdressed with a long sleeve shirt, a jacket and long pants.  Should have worn shorts.
• There is a difference between Motivation and Isolation.  Just like there's a difference between inspiration and alienation, regarding the recent meeting at school. 
• Multitasking is not productive, efficient or wise, if you ask me.  The last few years I've become more zen about working, pushing hard, high expectations and overachieving.  It's not healthy for your body, mind, soul and spirit.  For me it is much more peaceful to do things slowly and to embrace the present.  Do one thing at a time.  Look at person you are with in the eye, listen actively, and just be there, right then.
• Bernie Sanders of Vermont is my latest hero.  No wonder Burlington, Vermont is one of my favorite cities in the world.  No Deal, Obama.  Filibuster the heck out of this.  What kind of a compromise is that when the Republicans got everything they wanted?
• KUCINICH 2012.  Too bad last time we didn't vote for Hillary Clinton, who had more balls than Obama the Wuss.

Quote

"Don't anticipate life.  Meet it."   Rod Steiger

Freedom From Religion AKA an Islamic Christmas

All I want for Xmas is some Cojones for the President of the USA.  May be just one.
The Democrats still control 2 out of 3 in the legislative process, the last time I checked. The Presidency and the Senate, so start acting like it.  Do not cave in. Get a spine and start firing some of these fools.

Happy Happy Hanukkah

Stormy Tuesday

• Didn't mean to but I scared the crap out of some kid when I told him that I am from North Korea. (I'm not really, South Vietnam)
• Tornado weather, just know it when the temperature is about 70 degrees in December.  Had to go an run on the treadmill indoor at the gym yesterday.  Worked on that cadence thing, I'm up to about 170 per minute and it felt actually good.  As I always say: "Close enough for government work."
• Continuing with the Chi Running, 5K cross country race coming up this Saturday.
• These dang teachers gotta learn to lighten up and go with the flow, man!
• Happiness is a warm .....Toe Sock....Injinji socks are the best.  Next on my list is the high compression kind.  They're pricey, about 30 bucks for the pair.

Coffee

Buy Nothing Day

Adbusters Buy Nothing Day http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd

Funny funny funny

Boycott

I am still boycotting Whole Foods, Starbucks and BP.
Watch this space for Friday's Adbusters' Tips on Buy Nothing Day.

Rules

This is from an older post (September 2009), just to remind myself to not to take it too seriously.  We should be less obedient and more rebellious. Because more harm has been done by being obedient than all the rebellion in the world combined.

My Rules for an Art Teacher:

Love Kids. Love Art. Be Bold. Respect Everyone. Think Deeply. Transcend paper cuts. Open your heart. Smile more. Go the extra mile. Rest. Play. Listen to music. Don't talk too much. Life's too short. Enjoy the moment. Do your best & Hope for the best. Be compassionate. Be Patient. Be Silly. Look. Think. Create. Try again. Re-Invent yourself. Just Start it. Keep it simple. Wing It. Make the hard stuff easy. Make the easy stuff hard. Practice. Keep your sense of humor. Do No Harm. Don't let 'em see you sweat. And most importantly, Know when to stop.

Things I'm thankful for

3 things I am thankful for:

1. My Freedom
2. Mi Familia
3. My Health: physical, mental and spiritual.

Yes, I do eat other food besides Chinese. I'm not even Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.  It's amazing how Americans in the South are still clueless about others from the rest of the world. Just imagine if I was to ask this African-American woman does she eats anything else besides fried chicken and watermelon?   A teacher I work with asked me when will I go "back to visit my country"???  She was shocked when I told her that I'm married to a Caucasian woman and I've been living here for 32 years.

This picture was from The Impossible 5K race last Sunday morning at 1:55 AM.  I finished with a new PR of 23:10.  The clock turned back at 2 AM because it was Daylight Saving Time, so I actually finished the race before I started: at 1:18 AM.  I was really surprised to see over 900 runners/walkers/people out there at 1:30 AM on a cold Saturday night 28 degrees in the middle of a Mall parking lot.  I thought may be, at most, 80 people would show up.

“America put the crazy people who got us into this mess back in charge"   Bill Maher

Adbusters

Adbusters Buy Nothing Day is coming.
http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters

The Disaster

• Now there's one book I know I won't read or buy.  If there is one thing worse than an idiot, it's a stubborn idiot.  The Decider, Deceiver, Disaster AKA former Prez Dumbya wrote a book.  Still not taking personal responsibility for invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.  Thousands of lives later, billions of dollars and 7 years later, the man still blames others for his actions. What a coward!
• "Because I love America..."  The Decider who is never ever wrong about anything.  Ever. "Everybody thought Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction...."  Ah, nope, I never did along with millions of other people around the world who didn't believe in the case. 100% Wrong. False. Fail.
• Training?  Who cares about training?  I run for fun and shiggles (sh_t and giggles).  People who overdo everything just zap the fun out of it.  I'm talking about play and exercise, specifically running.

NYC Marathon

   This is an excerpt from RunningisFunny.com :

      "....the Huffington Post decided to get in on the action with “Are New York Marathoners Athletes?”
It’s a competitive world on the Internet, and I don’t begrudge Dave Hollander’s desire for more traffic. Sure, it’s transparent, but I’m happy to oblige.  Hollander published his e-mail exchange with his friend, writer C.J. Sullivan, in which they answer the headline question in the negative. Some excerpts:
Sullivan: “Out of the 37,000 duffers that will pollute the streets of our fair city this Sunday – November 7th – maybe 500 are athletes. The elite runners are something to watch. They are so lean they look almost alien. Them I admire. They are in an actual race. It is the 36,500 other fools that annoy me every year.  “Running is a great way to stay in shape. And running 26 miles is some kind of torturous accomplishment – but they are not athletes. They endure and then squawk about it endlessly as some kind of heroic feat. It smacks of narcissism not sport. Marathons are the last refuge for those that couldn’t cut it in other sports. Any knucklehead in decent shape can train and then run 26 miles in under 4 or 5 hours. It means you are in shape. It does not make you an athlete.”
Hollander: “Beneath the narcissism I detect deep-seated masochism. Kenyans run marathons because they have to. Back home there were no cars, no roads and the nearest school bus or fresh water source was 40 miles away. Their ‘training’ is borne from the necessity to survive. That 36,500 you mentioned, they run to kill personal demons. They beat their bodies swollen and sore to fill an emptiness or quiet a cry.  “Sport, no. Self-flagellation, penitence, lunacy — yes.....”

Sadly, the truth hurts. Sports, for me is about play, and having fun.  Many serious hardcore runners are overly-obsessive addicted egomaniacs.  They overtrain and never get enough to feed their egos. I am an athlete who plays multiple sports including running (just the last 18 months) and I tend to agree with these two writers from Huffington Post. I don't have any desire to train or enter into a Marathon just to prove that I can do it.  I know that I can run 26.2 miles in about 4 hours. I just do not want to.  But when and if I decide to do that, I'd seriously question my sanity.  "Self-flagellation, penitence, lunacy-"  Exactly!

Job Growth (already?)

Congratulations to the Republicans for winning the right to be blamed for pretty much everything.  

Welcome to America the Stupid!

• Americans deserve everything they're getting.
• Who says money can't buy votes?  Except for Whitman in California.
• What is WRONG with you people in Wisconsin?  I was such a fan of the city of Madison, one of my favorite places in the world.
• The Power of Veto. More important now than ever.
• Still waiting for that earth-shattering, huge tsunami...
• Thank you California, Nevada, Colorado, Washington and Oregon.  I always knew the West was best.
• Washington DC is not listening to us. Vote for me and now I've become Washington. We need less government, but I can't wait to get elected so I can be working in government???  Oh, the irony!
• Eff it.  I'm moving to Australia. Or Canada. Maybe Holland, Finland? OK, Denmark, final answer.

Topics for blog posts

Hey, I should just pick one of these topics for future posts:

1. Sex
2. Religion
3. Politics
4. Language
5. Humor
6. Music
7. Sports
8. Arts
9. Nature

"It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way."  Rollo May
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."  Lao Tzu

"Paradoxical as it may seem, the purpose of life has no content, no point.  It hurries on and on, and misses everything.  Not hurrying, the purposeless life misses nothing, for it is only when there is no goal and no rush that the human senses are fully open to receive the world."  Alan Watts

"What am I doing?  Nothing.  I am letting life rain upon me."  Rahel Varnhagen

Upcoming Races

• Saturday, November 6-  ATC Run Around The Rock 5 Mile, Stone Mountain, 8 AM
• Sunday, November 7-   The Impossible 5K, Kennesaw, GA  1:50 AM
• Thursday, Nov. 25-     Gobble Jog 5K, Marietta Square, GA 9:30 AM
• Saturday, Dec. 4-       ATC Cross-Country 5K, Milton High School, 9 AM
• Saturday, Dec. 11-    West Stride Running Club Red & Green Run, Buckhead,  8 AM
• Saturday, January 1, 2011-   ATC Resolution Run 5K, Kennesaw  12 noon.

Vote for Sanity

Not a fan of baseball, but GO San Francisco Giants.  Sweep!

Right on!

My definition of Success=making it to the starting line and then crossing the finish line.  Enjoy and learn from every run.  I've only been doing this running thing for about 18 months. Hey, kinda like the Prez of the United States.
Ran the Atlanta Track Club's Cross country Haunted Hustle 5K in Canton's Boling Park this morning with a PR of 23:50. Personal Record: best time for this distance.  Changed my mind at the last minute and didn't wear the Brooks Mach 11 spikeless shoes.  Oh well, there's always next time.  I felt pretty comfortable with my Brooks Launch neutral trainer, my feet and legs didn't bother me at all during the entire race.  Breathing was under control and even had something left at the end so now I know that I could improve in the future. I got to do some speedworks, tempo runs, repeats and longer runs.  Tomorrow I'm going long, about 6 or so recovery miles.
I keep telling my wife that I will NEVER ever run a Marathon, a half-marathon, an ultra or any triathlon.  For some reason she doesn't believe me!  Running for two hours or more just doesn't appeal to me, last week I ran 8.5 miles, the farthest that I've ever run, and it felt great.  But I do not want to keep doing it for another hour and a half.  Life is all about balance and finding your own limits, right?  Too much of a good thing can be........(fill in the blank).

Modern Man

Here's one of my favorites from the master of disaster himself, George Carlin.
Modern Man.  "...has a love child who sends me hate mail."

They don't pay me enough to smile

This is especially for my fellow teachers who are feeling stressed out at the moment.
Remember, YOU control your life and not the other way around.
Here's what I do:

• Slow down
• Listen up
• Breathe in, exhale out.
• Take it all in, let it all go.
• Relax
• Enjoy this moment
• Repeat.
• Smile if you want, it works for me every time.

Muy bien. Aye, Chihuahua!

Adios Senor Juan!  Vaya con dios.
A black man named Juan was fired from his job for saying he's afraid of Arabs wearing Muslim garb.  Only in America.  About time NPR, Juan Williams has been saying some nasty offensive racist crap on the TV for years.  What took you so long to finally fire him?  Of course he still works over at Fox News. Faux Noise.  You know who I'm really scared of?  People who work on Wall Street with suits and ties. Professional garb. Man, they control everything in this country.

Got me Salsa on the brain.  Music that is.  I've been getting into some Cuban, Columbia, cumbia, mambo  and other Latin American music.  I've been a fan of world music since the mid 80's,  I just know that eventually everyone will catch up.  I even owned some Polka, Klezmer, Indian, meringue, Tejano, soukous, Rai, didgeridoo and various other international stuff. There was a salsa trio performing at my elementary school today. Jason Pellet playing the trumpet.  On my MP3 player there're all sort of salsa: Joe Arroyo among others plus I keep seeing and hearing other salsa musica coming up everywhere this week.
1,2,1,2,3... 1,2,1,2,3...

Why our education system sucks?

Not Waiting for Superman

Oh, it's so hip to trash and bash teachers and their unions nowadays.  The "documentary" slash melodrama Waiting for Superman opened in Atlanta this weekend and my wife and I went to see it yesterday at Tara Regal Cinema-the only independent/alternative movie theater left in Atlanta.

My verdict is the film pointed the fingers at public schools and bad teachers as the main culprits of the state of American school system.  The movie demonized teachers' unions and bureaucracy of the Department of Education. The only solution it seems is charter schools, specifically the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program).  I've seen several of these schools here in the Atlanta area. Don't believe the hype!

It is intellectual dishonest to blame it all on the bad teachers and the schools conditions while ignoring the accountability of the students and their parents.  As we all know, it is a complex problem with many variables including poverty, environment, different economic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Saying that teachers should be held responsible for students' test scores is akin to telling doctors should be held accountable for the fact that someone is morbidly obese. Nonsensical and ridiculous but it is happening with the current state of affairs. The movie looks and feels like a slick Hollywood version of an infomercial for KIPP charter schools.  A very expensive and long (1hour 42 minutes) well-executed but sadly misleading  commercial for charter schools. I also found it ironic when they compared the US to Finland as having the best public school systems in the world. Finland is 100 % unionized and spend four times as much on education for their children compared to us. Just the fact that Finland's teacher's force is completely unionized made the whole argument fell apart.  If the best school system in the world is unionized, then why are we condemning teachers unions?

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. -Stephen Hawking

* I had my longest run ever today:  8.5 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes. Got my second wind around mile 5, switched shoes, felt great and could have ran another 2,3 miles. Music on my MP3: Joe Arroyo with some Colombian salsa, the Klezmatics, Beastie Boys, reggae, the entire Putumayo World Music collection, Beck, Depeche Mode and Red Hot Chili Peppers...

THE SIMPSONS: Banksy's Opening Sequence

THE SIMPSONS: Banksy's Opening Sequence | Gotcha Media

The Chattahoochee River

Just came back from running 4 miles at the river.  It was 85 degrees out there.  In the middle of October, what the heck!  Ate some of those little flying bugs and a gnat flew into my eye at the end of the run...

No problems with the calves or any other issues besides a little soreness at the bottom of my left foot, around the arch.  It probably was the tight cross country spikeless I was wearing for the last mile of the run.   I'm planning on using these Brooks Mach 11 spikeless for my next race, which is the Atlanta Track Club Haunted Hustle Cross Country 5K, in a couple of weeks in Canton. Or maybe I'll wear the Brooks T6 racing flats.  We'll see.  Two races of the Grand Prix series down, eleven more to go.  I will get the Bunny Award for running every race I'm eligible for this year.

World Class UnderAchiever

I am an underachiever and proud of it!

Why I run

I'm up early this morning at 6 AM.  I am usually a night owl, I function better late night. But ever since I became a school teacher I have to adapt to getting up at 5 o'clock every weekday.  And now I actually like this time of the day.

I'm still on a runner's high from yesterday Atlanta Track Club Cartersville 10K race.  Got a new PR for this distance: 51:02.  Three minutes better than my last time. I wanted to go out and run for a few miles today, but I remember last time I did that after the Grand Prix Grand Finale 5K when I got injured and had to cut back for about 5 weeks.  That was my first real serious injury in a year.  It happened, I think, because I went out too fast, wearing too tight shoes (cross country flats), and ignoring the pain in my right lower calf.  I believe it's called the Soleus muscle.  I only ran 2 miles that day but the lower right leg got extremely sore the next day and the following days.  I also did not treat it with ice like any sensible runner would.  Only after a week or so, when I could not run even for more than 5 minutes without getting the shooting sensation and extreme tightness, when I started to use ice bags on it for about 15 minutes at a time.  When I was younger, healing or recovering from an injury usually took a few days, now it seems to take forever (2,3 weeks).  Hey, it's life, gotta accept it, there's nothing I can do about aging, right?

I caught this running bug a little over a year ago.  Last April, I started running regularly to train for the Peachtree Road Race 10K, which is the world's largest 10K foot race with over 55,000 participants every July 4th here in Atlanta. This event/spectacle/celebration made me hooked on running.  I run by my myself most of time.  After work, around 5 pm on the Silver Comet trail or the Chattahoochee River trails or at a park.  But on the weekends I go to this running store in West Buckhead for group runs, mostly because they helped me out with getting the right shoes and they have refreshments afterwards.  It forced me to get up early on Saturday morning instead of staying in bed for an extra couple of hours. Running gives me a sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of finishing a goal that I set out for myself.  I also love the endorphins, the energy it gives me, and mostly the time for myself.  On my runs I get to do whatever the heck I want: listen to music, the radio, news, or sometimes just out to enjoy nature.  I do some free thinking or self-talk during the long, easy runs or walks.  Yeah, I have a conversation with myself, it's a free form of therapy.  Everyone should try this internal dialogue thing sometimes.  I'm not there yet, but some days I would do speed work, repeats, tempo, fartlek, you know, the usual runner lingo, mumbo jumbo, babble blah blah tech talk BS.
I use running for meditation, relaxation, and physical fitness.  It is as pure and free and simple as it gets.  That's why I run.

Even more quotes

Yesterday he said the networks were run by Jews. And today, Rick Sanchez was fired; as Meg Whitman's housekeeper. Bill Maher in his opening monologue

He made a speech recently where he broke down and cried like Glenn Beck does. - Bill Maher regarding Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai

Rahm Emanuel exemplifies contemporary cynicism and old-fashioned arrogance in American politics. - Cornell West

White people have no rhythm. Black people have no gaydar.  (re: Bishop Eddie Long)  Bill Maher

Life

Life's full of contradictions, opposites, contrasts, and paradox.

Happiness is the art of knowing what to ignore.  AKA Ignorance is Bliss.

Value people over data.  People over paperwork.  Every time.

Stop blaming.  Start forgiving and forgetting.

Hypocrites

I just can't stand intolerant people.


^ It was a joke. I'm tolerant of most people.  They know who they are.

Thoughts on Teaching

So after nine years of teaching art in elementary school, these are some things I have learned:

1. Be Kind
2. Be Clear
3. Be Flexible
4. We don't know everything
5. Prioritize people over paperwork
6. Slow down, breathe and live in the now
7. Less lip service, more active listening
8. Be Consistent
9. Maintain a sense of humor and don't ever lose your cool.

"Who are you people and where's my horse?"  George Carlin

Noise pollution

"Ask me about my vow of silence."  bumper sticker

I also like this quote from Six Feet Under:
"Future is just a f**king concept that we use to avoid being alive today."- Brenda

America's Addiction to Belief

The Humanist - a magazine of critical inquiry and social concern

Guilty as charged

Read between the lines, note what the man didn't say.  "I'm not a perfect man", that's code for admitting guilt to something wrong that you did. Beware of hypocrites.

Pastor, Minister, Reverend, Preacher or Bishop, whoever you are, it's OK to come out of the closet, man.  Gays are people, too. They can get married, have children, and even be a leader of a megachurch in a major US city with thousands of followers.  Even in the Bible belt South.  Imagine that.

Pledge

Pledge to America, Plague on America
(aka recycling of the old contract on America)

Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered

10 Songs

List 10 songs you can sing every word of.

1. Stairway to Heaven
2. My Girl
3. Blue Monday
4. My Way
5. Crazy
6. Always on my mind
7. Where is my mind?
8. American Pie
9. Hotel California
10. Mad World

Freedom

Pay your Taxes, because Freedom is not free! *
*Actually, it is absolutely free, no charge.

Fall Break

Clueless, Mindless, Fearless and Reckless 
Theme for this week's Fall Break w/ no school.
First day of Fall is 2 days from now, it's currently 95 degrees outside.  
What GLOBAL WARMING chu talkin' 'bout Willis?

Upcoming Races

• ATC Cartersville 10K, 8 AM, Saturday, October 2nd
• Haunted Hustle Cross Country 5K, Canton, 9 AM, October 23
• Run Around the Rock 5M/ 10M, Stone Mountain, 8 AM, November 6
• Gobble Jog 5K, Marietta Square, 8 AM, Thanksgiving November 25
• ATC Cross country 5K, 9 AM, Milton High School, December 4
• Resolution Run 5K, Kennesaw, Saturday, January 1, 2011

" When I turned 40, I had to choose a midlife crisis.  I decided running the Chicago Marathon would be less destructive than a sports car or a mistress."  Peter Sagal, host of NPR's "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!"

Tea Party of One

C'mon now, who hasn't dabbled into Witchcraft?

Old time religion

"Science flies men to the moon. Religion flies planes into buildings."  Author unknown 

More New Rules

1. There's no such thing as perfection.
2. Make room for negotiation.
3. Don't be too hard on yourself.
4. There is no shortcut in life.
5. You are what you think.

Signs in the Bible Belt

Saw this sign a block from a church on Milford Church Road in Cobb County, Georgia

"Kindness Over Genius" Spoken Word Video

KOG 3 from Kelly Tsai on Vimeo.

A Poem in honor of people who are Workaholics and Perfectionists

Freethought of the Day

Freethought of the Day

• Aren't Tea Parties for little girls?  Remember Alice in Wonderland?

Sunday AKA Lesson plans Day

• Imagine No Religion
• Sleep In On Sundays
• Beware of Dogma
• In Reason We Trust
• Heathen's Greetings
• The above and many more are from actual billboards going up across the country, and most surprisingly here in the South, around the metro Atlanta area.  There was even an article in yesterday's  Atlanta Journal-Constitution paper.  Will post a link soon when I find it.  Freedom From Religion Foundation  Protecting the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church
• GOP= Greed Over People

John Lennon - Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven 
It's easy if you try 
No hell below us 
Above us only sky 
Imagine all the people 
Living for today 

Imagine there's no countries 
It isn't hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no religion too 
Imagine all the people 
Living life in peace 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions 
I wonder if you can 
No need for greed or hunger 
A brotherhood of man 
Imagine all the people 
Sharing all the world 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will live as one 

• Here's my one thought for this September 11:  

      Onwards and upwards.  Continue to live your life normally, or the terrorists would have won.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

Burn, Baby, Burn! | MichaelMoore.com

Got the Quran on the Kindle.  Burn this Mofo!  Burn the Bible and the Flag too while you're at it.  It's a free country.  Actually burning the flag is the proper way to dispose of an old flag, so what's the big friggin' deal?

Say Hello to my little Imaginary Friend

Proselytize

• convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.
• advocate or promote (a belief or course of action).

Either way, I believe it was inappropriate, manipulative and offensive to a lot of people who work in the government or the public school systems.  Now I could care less what religion you belong to, I have friends and relatives who are Christians, Buddhists, Jewish, Hindi, Muslim, Wiccan, Pagan, atheists, and agnostics.  But what I do care is how you conduct yourself and do you force your faith down someone else's throat.  Does the concept of separation of church and state mean anything to anyone any more?  Or is it separation of church and brain?  And to make matter worse, it was disguised as "Character Education".  "He" is a friend indeed, an imaginary friend up in the sky who's watching and listening to  everything you do and say.  How creepy!  And if there's a god, he's not doing a very good job right now.  Please count me in as a non-believer, skeptic, agnostic, heathen or whatever.

To quote George Carlin, "the only good thing that ever came out of religion was the music."

Funny Times

The Education of a Vietnamese-American Writer

The Education of a Vietnamese-American Writer - New America Media
Andrew Lam

Madonna - Holiday (Re-Invention Tour Live)

HAPPY LABOR DAY &  RE-INVENT YOURSELF!

Labor Day weekend

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."   Goethe 

• Today I tried running again, everything was fine and dandy for the first ten minutes or so. I even warmed up by walking about 6 minutes on the sidewalks.  A mile and a half into the run, there came that tighten sored lower calf muscle.  Had to slow down and eventually walked it off the rest of the way back.  I felt out of shape and struggled to breathe after a mile just before the lower calf tighten up. This injury thing is annoying.  If anything good comes out of it, it would be that I'd have to adapt my running style to a more midfoot landing as opposed to mostly heel-landing.  I know I have to shorten my strides, relax the shoulders and upper body even more, bend the knees slightly.  Run lighter, land softer and take shorter strides. Shuffle shuffle shuffle.  

Mike Luckovich on drinking

9/1 cartoon: Mike Luckovich on drinking

Beware, Non-Judgment Day is Near!


A Procrastinator's Famous Last Words:

1. "We have plenty of time."
2. "Let me look into that."
3. "Sounds good."
4. "I thrive under pressure."
5. "Don't worry, that won't be a problem."
6. "Just leave it on my desk and I'll get to it."
7. "I've got a couple of errands to run, I'll be back soon."
8. "That's next on my list."
9. "Let's just see how things go."
10. "Relax, I'll get it done."

Words of wisdom. Word!

• Less is more.  Sometimes less is best.
• Get over yourself, sir.  That's an order!
• Politics, Religion, Magic, Reality, Drama, and Fiction.  Let's bring it all out on the table.  No sugarcoating. I can't stand pretentious and fake people.  Stand up, face reality and embrace it. Face it, do it, and move it on.
• "Restoring Honor to America", you mean the Republican party is finally gone?
• Here's my excuse for everything:  "It's against my religion."
• Speaking of religion, Anne Rice:

POSTED IN LIBERALAND BY ALAN • JULY 29, 2010, 8:02 PMET • 114 COMMENTS 

Novelist Anne Rice announced on her Facebook page that she is no longer a Christian.

As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of …Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.

For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten …years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

Rice’s publisher confirmed that she did post the above.Raised as a Catholic, she had rejected the church early in her life, but renewed her faith in recent years and in 2008 released the memoir “Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.”