$64k Question

Which of these guys...

has his nose on upside down?

Stalking the Stalkers

I've been trying to get a shot of this Bobcat mom and kitten for a few weeks. Today was finally my lucky day.

It looks like they had duck for a holiday dinner.

This is about as close of a shot at the kitten as I could get.

Momcat tried to lure me off but kept a close eye on the kitten. She's actually a lot bigger than I thought. The closer I got, the bigger she was. I decided to leave her alone and go about my way. BFF was remarkably calm, unlike myself.

Less than a quarter mile away were, by my count, at least seven deer. Here's the only shot that was half way clear.

And again, less than a quarter mile from the deer was my favorite pack of feral hogs.
I finally had an opportunity to see the boar close-up. He's huge! This shot shows him bringing up the rear. There's a ham joke somewhere, I'm just too lazy to work it out.

This was probably one of my best wildlife spotting days ever.

White Christmas anyone?

Searching the archives of my brain (didn't take long) I can never remember having an actual white Christmas. But my 50th may be the magical one. Not so sure that makes me happy.

27 degrees with steady 40mph winds and 60mph gusts for a 6 degree chill factor.



Hey, big bro, you sure you don't miss the Bahamian holidays?

Excuse me while I go shovel the walk.

My New Favorite Running Book

Scooch over Rachel Toor and Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running, there's a new sheriff in town, Mark Remy and The Runner's Rule Book.

Awe. Some.

But first the back story. I've spent the last 27 days nursing a stress fracture (third metatarsal of my left foot, thanks for asking) and it hasn't been much fun. I've learned to dislike an elliptical trainer as much as a Stairmaster (two pieces of equipment with which I've been known to have an occasional, enjoyable fling). Also in that category...my mp3 player being stuck in my ears...and the view out of a smudge-stained plate glass window gazing upon a desolate street where, it seems, only law enforcement officers and an occasional delivery truck passes (if anyone needs to rent furniture or a TV, I have the number memorized). I digress.

Five important things I've learned:

5. Being on a stationary exercise machine is un-nerving in case one needs to escape a mugging; at least when running I have a pretty good chance of getting away unharmed (And it counts as fartlek training. A release, fartleking is.).

4. ESPN discusses the same three topics, ad nauseum.

3. I hate leaving BFF in the backseat; he, just watching me with his head cocked is sad.

2. It's impossible to read on an elliptical trainer.

1. It's not impossible to confuse Fox News with a SNL skit.

But I did find a way to enjoy three hours on the Stairmaster, enter The Runner's Rule Book. Yes, at 166 pages I averaged about a page a minute, including contemplation. (Hey, I never claimed to be very smart or a fast reader.)

And Remy gives a reading runner lots to contemplate.

Any runner with even minimal experience will find him/herself with a palm print on the forehead and a "I could have written that" realization after most pages. Newish runners, or those thinking of embarking on a running program - this is a must read - I'm looking at you, Santa Claus.

A few of my favorite Remy-isms include:

Keep unsolicited advice to yourself
Know your pace
Stand still at red lights
You'll find the runner's high when you stop looking
Line up where you belong
Never miss a chance to thank a volunteer

But my favorite Remy-ism is...
Run like a dog. He goes on to give a dog's workout, much like my BFF's. Here it is:

• Warmup - walk 8 seconds.
• Trot 4 seconds.
• Stop. Sniff.
• Sprint 7 seconds.
• Freeze.
• Walk 5 seconds in any direction but forward.
• Pause. Stare 9 seconds.
• Lunge at rabbit.
• Stop.
• Double back, walk 3 seconds.
• Urinate.
• Repeat six to eight times.
• Cooldown: Collapse on a rug.

On a scale, with 1 being your next door neighbor complaining of having had "shin splints" when he was in junior high, to 10 being Meb Kefizinghi, this book is Mebtastic.

The Runner's Rule Book, by Mark Remy; 166 pgs; hardcover; $17.99 USD; wide availability.

Two Sides of Sandra

Just winding up the viewing of a few movies.

The Blindside with Sandra Bullock; great story, but movie...not so much; read about it here; save yourself 2+ hours and a few bucks. Sandra Bullock is; however, hotter than ever. Note to Sandra: blond doesn't do it for you, but not to worry, I'm still crushing. Note to Michael Oher: I've got a man-crush on you.

Sideways with Sandra Oh; dark story, great movie; why do awesome movies always have a bleak storyline? Note to Sandra Oh: hmmm....can't think of a suggestion for improvement...maybe one of those running skirts? Sorry, that's the best I can do.

Bonus upbeat storyline: No Reservations, Catherine Zeta-Jones (in a kitchen) gets my attention. But her name isn't Sandra, so shame on me for adding this graf to the post.

Sometimes things work out better than expected

A final update on Freddie the Hawk: Here's a recent message I received from Wallie and Yolande.

"Well Brent ,just a note to tell you the ferruginous hawk is doing well . It was touch and go for a while. He not only had the injury's we could see , but the roof of his mouth had been split and was bleeding from there as well. We had to do some work on that to stop the bleeding. He is starting to get an appetite back and is starting to eat on his own again. We still are not sure weather or not he has badly bruised lungs or not as he still has problems with his breathing , but is doing better on that as well . Here are some pictures . Will take more when he's up to it . Have a Merry Christmas Wallie & Yolande"

Folks who do this type of stuff, for nothing other than self-fulfillment, are blessed people.

Puppie Presents - Holiday Edition 2009

Bag of raw hide chews = $14.95
Extra soft 300 count woven Egyptian cotton chew rope with certified Black Angus hoof chew attachments = $39.99

Stick = priceless

Not Swell

I've now been 23 days without running. This means my life officially sucks. The stress fracture is much better, I can almost walk pain-free. And the swelling is down to a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel stage.

Here's hoping for a pain-free Thursday next week, then a week of nurturing and hopefully a pre-Christmas Day run.

Fingers crossed, please. And Santa, please pay attention.

Scary Movie Alert - and high recommendation

As a general rule, I don't like scary movies...no, I abhor them. But I just watched a fantastic one. Okay, it's non-fiction and all about food. And you know me, I love most things food-wise.

The title of the film is "The Future of Food". I highly recommend everyone take two hours of your life and focus on the film.

Powerful stuff.

Whether you like it or not, for better or worse, the movie's subject is changing the world. Maybe it won't affect your world much, but certainly will influence the next generation.

In related news, I'm six days deep into a ten-day fast and started having some weird feelings about food. The movie was welcomed motivation.

Rating: on a scale of 1-10 with "Waiting" being a 1 and "Food, Inc." being a 10, I rate "The FoF" a 12.

"The Future of Food" directed by Deborah Koon Garcia; run time 1:48; available on DVD