High Holy Mass of Contradictions

( My ex Ikea lamp... )

( Jeezus Chrispy! It's only Day 2?!? )

This is fierce advocacy.

Breaking in orthotics is unpleasant.

I have become aware of a slight issue with my right achilles tendon, and was wondering if any of you have any tips on keeping it...un-injured?
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On my run today inspired, by the 44% humidity, I came up with this haiku. Enjoy.



Running in Summer
Tiny bugs, drowning in pools
Of sweat on my face.





The end.

Here's a short race report from last night:

I ran an evening 5km which although I tapered a little bit for, I was not at my best, having run (and won) a tough trail 5k only three days before on Monday. I had beat up my quads a little from taking sharp up and downs at very high speeds. I also took a nasty tumble and am still pretty scabbed up in various places.

As I ran the course slowly for a warm-up, I had no spring in my step and could tell it would be a tough race. Regardless, I gave it my best, knowing I would have some good competition. This race always brings out some good runners!

The race is a loop course which has a slightly uphill 2nd km, and then loses that slight elevation gain over the final 3km. In other words, although the 2km is uphill the rest feels flat, since the return to original elevation is way too gradual to notice.

I ran very even splits - all 5km were in exactly 3:28 each, so I finished in 17:20, placing 8th/387. Not exactly the results I was hoping for (I would have loved to be closer to 17:00-17:10), but then again I was not properly tapered. I will have no excuse next Saturday at a key 8km race that has a downhill section, in which I hope to go sub-28:00.

I am saddened, but not surprised, that this happened in a community very close to where I grew up. The racism and sexism, while alive and well all over the country, is palpable amongst the good 'ol boys in the Central Valley. It disgusts me. What disgusts me further is the contention that the "jokes" weren't racist and that they had no racial component. And invoking the "I have black friends" thing is so tired. I mean, really.

ATWATER -- In the past several months Atwater City Councilman Gary Frago has sent at least a half-dozen e-mails to city staff and other prominent community members containing racist jokes aimed at President Barack Obama, his wife and black people in general.

In all, the Sun-Star obtained seven e-mails that Frago sent from October 2008 to February 2009 from an anonymous source.

Some compared Obama to O.J. Simpson while others suggested that "nigger rigs" should now be called "presidential solutions."

Perhaps the most overboard e-mail was sent on Jan. 15. It read: "Breaking News Playboy just offered Sarah Palin $1 million to pose nude in the January issue. Michelle Obama got the same offer from National Geographic."

Frago admitted sending the e-mails, but showed no regret. "If they're from me, then I sent them," he said. "I have no disrespect for the president or anybody, they weren't meant in any bad way or harm."

The list of people who either sent or received the e-mails reads like a who's who of Atwater community and political leadership, including a county supervisor, a former police chief, a city manager, a former city council member, a former president of a veterans group, a former grand knight of the Knights of Columbus, among others.

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• The guy who sold Sahel Kazemi the gun that was later used to kill Steve McNair was arrested today for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The seller served 9 years in prison for second degree murder from 1993-2002. [WKRN]
• If you’re looking for a cheap house, Metro just appraised one Nashville home at $100, although it’s sitting on land worth nearly $200,000. [WSMV]
• Remember when someone broke into the Davidson County Election Commission and stole the laptops with all of our social security numbers in them? Metro is pretty close to getting a $400,000 settlement for it. [In Session]
• A bus carrying 68 students in Maryville caught on fire this morning, but all 68 students made it out safely. [WZTV]
• The Knoxville lawyer representing the UT student who allegedly hacked into Sarah Palin’s email during the election is hoping that some new evidence will surface soon that will get his client off the hook. [Tennessean]
• For some reason, the National Weather Service felt the need to alert us to “unseasonably cool weather” this weekend, which pretty much just means it’s going to be gorgeous outside. [The Weather Channel]

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I feel the need to share, don't mind the rambling.

On 7/5 I ran my first 5k since March (I'd done a handful before then). Overall it wasn't my best run but I did it and finished and I was happy.

Ever since then it's been like a fire lit under my sneakers, if you will. Every run at the gym since then (6 total) has been a 5K, straight through. I have never been able to do this before! Run and not stop that is. I'm amazed and really proud.

In that entry I linked to I noted a book I'm reading (The Non-Marathon Runner's Training Guide), which is excellent. I'm not training for a marathon (just a 10k for now) but the book has me so motivated. I've been in such a great mental place too, I can focus and really find my center when I'm running. There are so many parallels between my running and my yoga practice, combined with my newfound motivation. It's just really awesome. I think the best thing is that I'm doing it, you know? Really pushing myself to my edge and finding that it is doable. It's kind of funny how powerful the mind really is. Does anyone else ever get that feeling? You marathon runners must!

I mistyped a URL from memory, and hit a squatter. What gets me is, why do they think related searches about the phrase "Hunger Project" would be about DIETING?! (if it was "hungry project", I could maybe see it. But Hunger, for me, is very distinct. And of course, the real reason is there are too many people trying to make money in the diet industry.)

(The actual Hunger Project is at THP.org, and is, as you might expect, a charity dealing with malnourishment and systemic poverty.)

Got my annual tit smash and Joanne keeping in tradition bought me a beer (our theory is that kids get ice cream when the get shots so adults get a beer for such things)

I'm sad. Tell me about something good in your life?

http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2009/07/still-think-headphones-are-safe.html

For the ( link-shy... )

I'm not sure how it is with other runners, but since I ventured off on my first run in middle school, it has been drilled into my head that headphones are absolutely NOT appropriate to wear on outdoor runs. What about everyone else? Do you run with head phones?

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

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Sometimes we’ve gotta hand it to the tourists who end up finding more weird things about Tennessee than we ever will. Photographer jritch77 found this giant pink elephant in a bikini in Cookeville on the way to Nashville. Happy Friday!

Photo Of The Day will be a recurring feature for Nashvillest as long you keep giving us stuff to post. Don’t worry–we’ll give you props. Just add them to the pool or tag them with “Nashvillest” if you’re feeling lazy.

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Good morning, Nashville. More trouble is on the horizon for the TVA after they reassessed several coal ash storage sites and found the hazard potential for four of the sites to be high. Two of the hazardous storage facilities are in East Tennessee and the other two are in Alabama, including the Widows Creek fossil plant that already overflowed earlier this year. A high hazard potential isn’t based on a probability of failure, but rather a high potential for loss of human life in the event of a spill.

• Baby found in hot car. Police rescued a 1-year old child from a hot car Wednesday in Murfreesboro. The child appeared to have been left in the car for an hour before she was discovered and air-lifted to Vandy for treatment.
• Gold rush. The last of the Titans’ single-game tickets go on sale today at 10am, and lots of hardcore fans have already been camped out at LP Field for hours in hopes of snagging a few.
• Bits & pieces. TDOT is trying to remove some of the hazardous rocks from I-440 to avoid rockslides … A guy in a truck crashed through a 97-year old woman’s kitchen and then fled … Another officer shot in the line of duty is reaching out to Sgt. Mark Chesnut during his recovery … A mystery 911 caller notified police of a kidnapping that turned out to be a hoax.

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• Our fancy new gun laws are turning some heads around the country, most importantly the handsome head of Stephen Colbert. [Eric Shuff]
• The guy who was arrested in McMinn County for wandering around with 40 pairs of panties shoved in his pants is–get this–embarrassed! That’s right, he took two days off of work because he was so embarrassed. He even ended up being featured on whatacreep.com which we did not know existed until just now. Anyway, he explained that it was just a drunken prank and he was going to return the panties in the morning by tossing them in the owner’s tree. Of course. [Tennessean]
• No matter what you hear, Al Gore’s daughter is not running for Congress. [In Session]
• Tennessee’s unemployment rate only rose 0.1% in June to 10.8%. Maybe we’re leveling off? [WTVF]
• We had a pretty close call today when a mobile home got stuck underneath the 12th Ave. South overpass that crosses I-40. We’re starting to notice a trend. [WKRN]

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Good morning, Nashville. Do you remember the Signature Tower, that 70-story pencil-shaped skyscraper that was supposed to be built at 5th and Church and would’ve been the tallest building in the southeast and almost double the height of the Batman building? The project seemed to hit at just the wrong time as the economy was tanking and people were quickly losing interest in swanky-but-expensive condos, and now the developers aren’t paying their loans. According to an independent audit, the developer’s financial partner is in some pretty deep financial trouble and we’re guessing we won’t be seeing that building any time soon.

• WSMV saves the day. The folks at WSMV would like to make sure everyone knows that they were the ones that busted the Department of Human Services for outsourcing hundreds of call center jobs to India, and now state lawmakers are actually paying attention to the issue. Notes of appreciation and adoration should be directed here.
• Ragin’. The MTSU student accused of stabbing another student in the face in a fight over a campus parking spot last year was found guilty of the assault. She could be facing up to 5 years in prison.
• Bits & pieces. Metro Police arrested 17 men on Murfreesboro Road for trying to pick up prostitutes … Tick-related illnesses are on the rise in Tennessee according to health officials … Steve McNair left no will behind for his massive estate, so widow Mechelle McNair will administer it … The shady doctor that everyone seems to think killed Michael Jackson graduated from Meharry in 1989 … Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge will be giving patrons the metal detector treatment thanks to the new gun law.

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• 84 guns have been swapped out in exchange for  tickets to TSU’s UniverSoul Circus. This includes 56 handguns, 16 shotguns and 12 rifles. [WKRN]
• Meanwhile, if you didn’t trade your gun in for a circus ticket, you can bid for the state’s last Elk Hunting Permit on eBay. [WSMV]
• Tennessee’s first swine flu H1N1 virus death was confirmed today at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which has officials preparing for a second outbreak this coming flu season. [WKRN]
• WSMV jumps at the chance to slam the Nashville Scene in their headline about the classy Green Hills lady arrested today for running a “massage therapy business,” wink wink nudge nudge. Apparently, she ran some print ads in the Scene, and that is clearly the most newsworthy part about this story. Thanks, WSMV! [WSMV]

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