News Flash

Rush Limbaugh is STILL a big fat idiot.  He's a freaking racist too.

On a completely different note: 
... excerpt from an art teacher digest forum:


" As an art teacher, it is certainly appropriate to be an advocate for our own discipline and choice in life... While I want to help them understand the pros and cons of being an artist, I am also believe it is crucial to have real passion for what they decide to do. 
Creative art experimentation and discovery learning in art does offer a lot of mind building advantages needed in science. While you can be a good lab assistant in science by being a smart and careful technician, real scientists have to have strong divergent thinking abilities. Without creativity and innovation, they are doomed to be technicians who wash the test tubes and clean up behind the actual scientists. In many labs, the actual scientists are doing the thinking while the assistants are doing all the work.

A scientist at MIT tells me that his grad students are very smart and technically capable, but when they get an unexpected result, they are slow in their ability of figure out what they have discovered. He says their greatest need is to become more creative. A scientist at Rice U. tells me that when her grad students get unexpected results they mistakenly assume that they have made a mistake, so they repeat the lab work only to get the same unexpected result (wasting years of work). She says their science classes in high school and college have not given them practice in making discoveries. They have learned to be careful to avoid mistakes, but not how to learn from mistakes. They lack the imagination and creativity to see their own discoveries when they happen. She says they waste time and energy because they have not learned to actually experiment. Their science classes assigned them lab work where they already knew the answers before they did the lab work. 
It is easy to be critical of science education, but did these science students have enough art teachers that challenged them to be creative, or did their art teachers also show them the examples before they did the project? Did their art teachers require them to learn to observe and express their own experiences, observations, and imaginations; or did their art teachers allow them to copy?"
Marvin Bartel, art educator writer and artist (retired art teacher)

How to be Happy

Peachtree City 5K

Atlanta Track Club Peachtree City 5K Race.  24:56     Temp: 26 degrees



One of the secrets of life is knowing when to stop and say enough is enough. More is not better, bigger and faster are not necessarily better for you. Many runners, myself included in the past, tried to do too much, too fast and too soon.


I find that I'm most comfortable running at around 9:30 per mile pace.  My best runs are usually without the MP3 or music.  I get in a zone or a groove after about 3 miles and just go into that auto-pilot mode.

Good night and Good luck, Keith Olbermann

• World's Worst Person Lifetime Achievement Award= MSNBC for letting KO go.
• 43 consecutive days of running at least 3 miles/day. The streak continues.
• They called me "The Weatherman".

Repeal This!

The Party of No is hard at work again, wasting everybody's time and effort by voting to repeal Health Care Bill.  They hate America and don't care about the middle class.  But guess what, they are not willing to give up their own government health care that they're currently getting.  Yeah, repeal this, bunch o' bozos.   I got your repeal right here, hypocrites.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.  Watched one of the last three episodes of the final season of Friday Night Lights tonight.  There was no football game at the end and I was surprised I didn't miss it.  I always tell my wife when we were watching this show together in the past to wake me up for the last 5 minutes so I didn't miss the football action. But this time watching it alone, I paid more attention to the music, the dialogue, the pauses, the story line and the cinematography.  The show brilliantly captured the small town feel of an enormous place like Texas.  If you have ever been to Texas or have lived in Texas like I have (Houston and Dallas) then you know what I mean. And it really isn't about high school football. I used to think it was cheesy and sentimental.  Now I think it's one of most well done shows on TV, but I'm no expert.

Running in Snow & Ice

These are the shoes I ran in every day this week. The Atlanta metro area was blanketed with up to 6 inches of snow in some places.  Schools were closed for the entire week, most people couldn't even get out of their driveways. Roads and sidewalks were covered in solid sheets of ice for 3,4 consecutive days.  I ran every single day, the streak is still on.  I managed to run at a park across the streets from our house several times. The first day right after it snowed, I ran in the middle of the roads on Monday Rush hour, there were no traffic, of course.  One day I went to Silver Comet trail, ran on the snow for a couple of hours.  The ground was still covered with ice and several inches of packed snow, but I took it easy and stay under control wearing these shoes with sheet metal screws into the treads.  They worked great and I think I will keep them on and use them for running on the trails at the Chattahoochee River later on. I forced myself to run every single day despite the facts that the roads and sidewalks were frozen solid with a couple inches of snow and ice.  The important points were traction, speed and proper form.  I try to land midfoot, under my center of gravity and stay relaxed throughout by bending the knees and focus on each step.  It was invigorating, frightening, fun, and challenging all at the same time.

Home-made Cross-Country trail snow running shoes, using 3/8 inch sheet metal screws

running on the Silver Comet trail with about 4 inches of packed snow on the ground

Upcoming Races

• January 22, ATC Peachtree City 5K, Peachtree City
• February 12, ATC Hearts and Soles 5K, Decatur
• February 20, Locomotive Thunder 5K, Kennesaw
• March 5, Chattahoochee Road Runners 5K, Sandy Springs
• March 12, Silver Comet 10K, Mableton
• March 19, Publix Run Wild 5K, Grant Park
• April 9, ATC Spring has Sprung 8K, Buckhead
• April 30, Jonquil City Jog 5K, Smyrna

Gun Control

$5000 Bullet.  Too Soon?

Welcome to Georgia

Y'all

Bill Maher on CNN

"Guns are not great and we do not need more of them."
 One of a few times I can watch CNN is when Bill Maher or Michael Moore is on as a guest.

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

* Metro Atlanta's population is about 5 million people.  There are currently 8 snowplows.  Tell me again why we need SMALL government?  I haven't heard a peep from the tea baggers or anti-government folks during this Snowstorm that Startled and Stunned Southerners.

Future Running Shoes

1. Brooks Green Silence
2. Altra Instinct
3. Mizuno Wave Universe 3
4. Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove
5. New Balance MT101 
6. Salomon XR CrossMax Neutral
7. Vibram FiveFingers Bikila or Speed

Special Comment

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

No Guns Allowed Here

Sarah Palin, you got blood on your hands.
In honor of those who died today in Arizona, we now have to pass the Health Care Bill.

Note to Self

• This Halloween I'll be dressing up as Juan Willams.
• Bring on the cold weather and SNOW. I love running in the snow: so quiet, peaceful and relaxing.
• While Boehner was reading the Constitution today I yelled out:  You lie!  According to the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, I've violated it every day this week.
• You can do one thing well, or do everything poorly.
• 5K a day keep the doctor away.  I've been running every day for the past 27 days, at least 3.1 miles (5K) a day.  One of my goals this year is to run 3 miles a day, outside, inside, gym, treadmill, Wii, mall, track, school, trails, park, wherever.
• People read and listen to Neal Boortz?  Why?  I guess I read his column because it's right there on the back page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution every Saturday, but also because I like nonsense.
• Re: Neal Boortz-  Obama=bad community organizer, You=smart know-it-all 'ol country lawyer talk show host who thinks he's funny, Us=fools who believe everything we see or hear.  Anything else you got?

Who you calling illegal, gringo?

Resolutions (Updated)

1. Refuse to Grow Up 
2. B E   C L E A R
3. Enjoy running at least 3 miles every day
4. Simplify
5. Balance play, work, rest
6. Do art, music and sports
7. Find Humor in everything & everyone everywhere.
8. Embrace Life 
9. Do not ever take myself too seriously