Mixed Messages

This last weekend, I traveled to Columbus for a few reasons. 

One, I had to do something other than hobble around the house on a cane. Another was to visit my friends. The last was to cheer on folks I knew running the Columbus Marathon. 

I thought this would be fun and a way to participate in the marathon season, since I cannot physically run. 

This last weekend had the Kansas City, Detroit and Columbus marathons. I knew people participating in all of them, but Columbus seemed more doable to me. And there'd be friends, drinks and friends. Oh, and dogs!

I knew people running the full and half marathon in Columbus, so I had a plan to be near the split to see half folks come in and full to go on their second half. Then I'd head out to mile 23 to see the full folks (again). 

There were reasons for this as well. The back half of the Columbus run is sparse with supporters. I ran miles last year without seeing a person not associated with the race. And at mile 23, there was a brewery that was open - so........yay!  And a friend of a friend was the DJ at this brewery.  I've met him, and I can certainly say we are acquaintances but someone would be there to support him as well. 

The weather could not have been better. And Becky showed up at the second stop where we just chilled - and I would clap for the runners. I know, from personal experience, while they don't always acknowledge it, the support is extremely welcome and helpful to the runners. Especially at 23, where people hit walls (metaphorically, that is) and hopefully hear some words of encouragement. That's what I was trying to do for them. 

It felt good to be a part of it. 

Until it didn't. 

Envy and Jealousy started to creep in. And I mean, via a big-assed revolving door.....with a reception inside where they could mingle for hours. And did. 

Curiosity got to me for the folks running and I had trackers on multiple racers and races. And then when I was back at Georty's I made a huge mistake of looking at my running peep's FB posts. It turns out you can be hugely proud of people while simultaneously being hugely resentful.  (see Envy and Jealousy.)

I finally clicked my lid shut (and took a nap) when seeing a guy in a group to which I belong - the Slow AF Running Group - who had the nerve to bitch about his 4 hr 3 min race. Yes, it's not elite level, but it's not slow either. By this point there was no pride and just resentment. 

On the plus side, I knew it was happening and why. I wasn't sure how to regulate it, so I quickly did the My Music Monday post and shut down the computer for the evening. Friends and wine were much better. 

My two hour drive home yesterday just kind of was a regurgitation of my internal conflict. I have no great resolution to this - at least as of yet. 

Morty and I discussed FOMO - or the fear of missing out - while we sat around. I didn't think for the most part I was one of those guys, but clearly I am wrong. Yes, it might be situational, but aren't most things? 

There are a few more races this year - mostly fun run ones - so depending on if I can run, I will have to make some mental adjustments if I cannot. 

Well at least I have something to tell my psychiatrist. 

Song by: the Bangles

My Music Monday

Back to new music. 

Bon Iver has a new EP out, Sable. And a new song to go with it, "SPEYSIDE".

It an unadorned track. An acoustic guitar and vocal. That's it. It's clean sounding. Nothing to hide behind - not that he / they (really, Bon Iver is mostly Justin Vernon) did a lot of that. 

The song is understated, as you'd expect but still rich with everything that goes along with good writing and production.  ...and execution. 

If you're looking for something 'exciting' this one is not for you. 

16 Days

You'd think not posting these troll memes last week that I'd have twice as many this go-round.

You'd be wrong. 

I only have so much mental capacity to take in some of this shit - and honestly, it doesn't take a lot to make me feel like I'm a crash test dummy (not the Canadian band) hitting the proverbial, and actual, wall. 

It's amazing - and frightening - to me that we have 16 days left. 

So I'll start off with this one......though the timing is a bit off now. 

There is no bar low enough where almost 50% of the people won't vote for him. 

I cannot imagine any scenario that would turn these people away.  Seriously. There is not one thing he could do to make these folks go "ehhhhhh.....maybe not". 

Am I wrong? If so, can you think of one thing? 

This one is not an either / or scenario. 

He should put tariffs on these. 

Lips puckered. Tongue extended. Now. 

Honestly, I snagged this to possibly send to my friend acquaintance, Lester, who is a hard hard hard BLOTUS supporter. Keeps giving the guy rope

. 

His son is an almost non-functioning autistic "kid" (like 28 years old). 

I was going to send it and say, "wow, if Kamala's a retard, what does that make Jackie?"

Harsh? Absolutely. But how can he possibly admonish me for saying it when he won't for the things BLOTUS say or how he mocked a disabled reporter?  I haven't done it. Yet. But I am SO tempted. 

Who the fuck are you kidding - Eric probably worked the merch tent selling those flags. The red ones, not the BLOTUS ones. 

I mean, the priests rape kids - you think below the belt digs or swearing is going to keep them from voting for this fraud?   THEY. ALLOW. RAPING. CHILDREN.

100% correct. 

The non-answer is assumed. 

The not holding him to one is deplorable. But it's Fox. So, it's accepted. 

Song by:  Lori Carson

October

Fall has fell. We are more than easing into Autumn with freeze warnings, snow and hail. But also clear blue skies and turning, but not yet falling, leaves. 

Shep before a hike with his Dad #1,while Dad #2 sat at a picnic table with his crutches. 

Bailey butt. 

Simon checking out the cane. Much like the crutch, he's not a fan. 

Mr. Demure. 

Walking down the street, I saw this guy / girl in the window. 

I stopped to chat - though I don't know if they heard me. But they watched me. 

Nala. You saw her a few weeks ago here. 

She was patiently waiting for her pup cup. 

Tuna stalking. 

Simon braved the cane being around when he heard the can opener. 

Gizmo. 

He's aging, but every so cute and needed (and got) pets. I love going back to daycare. 

Shep after daycare hiking (slowly) around the lake. Colours changing. 

Tuna payoff. 

Song by: U2

Death Wish

Allegedly, when Jimmy Carter turned 100 a week or so ago, he said he wanted to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris. 

My understanding is he is well into dementia and has been with Hospice for some time. While everyone's dementia manifests differently, who knows of he actually said what was reported. Who knows if he knows who Harris is. 

Either way, vote by mail / absentee ballots went out in Georgia this week, and Carter allegedly cast his vote. 

One would assume it is not for VonShitsinpants, as Carter himself has barred BLOTUS from his own funeral whenever that might occur. 

Doubtful that his vote went to Jill Stein either. I don't have dementia and I barely know who she is. 

Whether he will live to see the results of this election is uncertain........for any of us. My optimism at Pappy Joe dropping out and the surge Harris had has waned. I'm genuinely frightened. Not so much for a BLOTUS presidency (though I am), but a Shillbilly one. 

BTW, the post title has double meaning:  Carter got his wish. My death wish is still for BLOTUS to die. Painfully, if possible.......but I don't be picky. 

Song by: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Harlem Shuffle

Unofficially, I'm getting better in terms of the stress fracture. 

I've moved from Tiny Tim to Kris Kringle, though no one has called me that yet.  At least to my face. 

I will assume most people here are of a certain age demographic and will get the reference. 

Moving to a cane has been better, but still has challenges, as one might suspect. 

I can bear weight better and with minimal pain. But still pain. I don't know when that is supposed to be gone. I guess I will know more next week with my next ortho follow-up. 

Blobby was able to take Shep on walks for the first time in a month. The first one was ok. A tad slow and he seemed to understand that we moved at my pace, not his. Eventually he's come to realize he cannot go any which way he wants - as is a hound's wont - so he hasn't really tangled me up too too much. 

The second walk?  Ugh. In the span of 500 feet a squirrel, bunny and cat crossed our path. I don't think I've ever said "leave it" so much since I was out with friends at the gay bars. 

And I freed him from day care for the first time in four weeks.  Yikes. He's always excited when they let him out, but containing him while walking out the door was a huge pain. I'll learn and adapt as we move forward. 

With crutches, I at least looked like I was sporting some kind of activity related injury. With a cane, I'm just assuming people think I'm recovering from a stroke. 

I can now go out to a store, if I just get enough to fill one reusable bag which I can carry items back to my car. I don't get a cart or basket, I just use said bag and what I can get and carry is what goes to the check-out. 

So far, that's been the extent of my activities. The gym is still nothing but bike. 

However, now I can carry things - certain things - and make it up and down the stairs a bit easier. 

I say I'm unofficially getting better because I honestly do not know. Yes - less pain. Yes - some more mobility. But I've only been weight bearing for 50 hours. I'd like to run in November, but I'm not sure that is going to be on the docket. 

Still a bit stir crazy. I don't expect that to change anytime soon, but......really what can I do? 

Song by: Rolling Stones

Baking with Blobby

You were forewarned. 

As the Hillbilly Fish Fry was really a potluck (fish and ribs were provided), I opted to bring a dessert, as opposed to making a side. 

There were no designations on who was bringing what, so it could have been all desserts or all sides, but it was a healthy (well, you know what I mean) mix of both. 

I was thinking of doing the cream cheese pound cake from a few months back, but I didn't have any cream cheese and honestly I thought finger food / desserts would be easier. As it would turn out many brought pies or cakes.  Store bought!  Oh, the horror!!!!

I went with cookies - oatmeal with chocolate chips and cranberries. They sounded good and more importantly, I had everything on hand. Full disclosure, I was looking for a reason to make them, other than just eating them all myself. 

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cups

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - 1 1/2 cups

Brown Sugar - 2/3 of a cup

Eggs - 2 large ones. room temp

Butter - 1/2 cup unsalted (1 stick). room temp

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon

Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup (semisweet)

Dried Cranberries - 1 cup

Instructions

Cream the butter and brown sugar. 

Add the two eggs. Continue to beat. 

In a separate bowl add the flour, oats, salt and baking soda. 

I mixed, but your probably don't have to - the paddle attachment will take care of that. 

Add the flour / oat mixture in slowly.

Let it incorporate. Might need to scrape the sides once.  The dough is sticky. 

Add the cranberries and chocolate.

Stir them in by hand. The dough is stiff and sticky. The oats really absorb all moisture. 

The cookies are supposed to be spooned out with a teaspoon of dough for each cookie. 

I used a scoop that was slightly more than the teaspoon and this is what came out. 

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. I went the full 12. I used parchment but if just using the sheet, it should not be greased. 

The first two-thirds are, and look like, drop cookies. They did not spread or anything during baking. They are more like cookie balls. 

You can see on the right that the cookies are larger. I used wet fingers and flattened them. The recipe didn't call for it, but then the first batches came out, they just didn't look right, so I went with a different approach.

The taste for all of them? Absolutely fine. Very good even. The cranberries give it a little zing, the chocolate a little sweetness, and the oats, well they practically make these a health food. 

It just came down to presentation. Even with the oats, the cookies were still moist-ish. They're not meant to be dry, so it all worked out in that regard. I'd just press them a bit next time to make them look more like traditional cookies. 

Ad of the Month

I have to believe the below was an internet ad. I just can't see how it would air on a network. 

I can't even talk about the ad here for fear of ruining it. 

My Music Monday

I do not seemingly have a new song today. "Hawk for the Dove" is about two years old and is written and sung by Amanda Shires. 

Shires is the soon to be ex-wife of Jason Isbell and a now ex-member of his band the 400 Unit. 

I have not found most of Shires' songs that appealing. Her voice has a Dolly Parton-esque pitch and the vibrato to go along. 

In some of Isbell's live performances, her backing vocal / harmony is a good contrast to his lead, but more often than not, I don't listen to much of her solo work or anything she did with the group she formed, the Highwomen. 

As Shires and Isbell were in the decline of their marriage when his last album was being recorded, and hers was too, I'll assume in this song one of them is the hawk and one the dove, but that's just my speculation. 

This is not the record version. The one I selected is live and a better version. Honestly, mostly for Isbell's excellent guitar work. 

I've gone back and forth over whether to include this part or not, as I don't mean to slut shame Amanda, but....the Wonder Woman meets Fredrick's of Hollywood outfit.....I dunno. She's talented enough not to have to dress that way for attention, and yet looks good enough to be able to pull it off. Kind of. 

The song sticks with me. It has a good melody. 

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 174th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore. 

12 of 12 takes priority of my troll memes for this week.  No fear, I will return with those. 

06:39. Morning shadows, as I sit in the dark playing Wordle. 

07:07. Mush - ready for assembly. 

07:43. Sunrise. 

Sun's coming up......like a big bald head. 

08:04. I met the training group this morning - me still on crutches. 

A number of people are running the Detroit and Columbus marathons next weekend, and I went to see and encourage them on their last biggish run before they head out. 

I did NOT do warm ups. Well, I did. Jokingly - with my crutches. It got a few laughs. 

08:39. Gym time. The only thing I can currently do. 

10:06. Voting. 

I know they say your vote is private. You can see I'm fucking that with notion. I'll let the world know. 

Honestly, I'm a bit tired of each election being the one that doesn't end the country or the world.  ...but this is one of them.  Please VOTE!

13:07.  Gimp. 

710 took the pic. I sat at a picnic table while he and Shep walked. I picked the place, thinking we were all going to walk. I was clearly not thinking. 

14:17. Cookies. 

I made Cranberry Chocolate Oatmeal cookies for potluck later. I see a Baking segment coming your way next week. 

16:13.  Trim. 

I've come to terms that my beard is salt and almost no pepper. 

16:19. Shower.  ...and shave. No shinola. 

18:02.  As seen on the way to my gathering. 

18:36. Hillbilly Fish Fry. 

The Old Man's Running Group. It was a fun and relaxing evening. 

Evil

Not a bad week for pics. Shep is very used to the crutches, Simon not so much. 

Shep has a built in chin rest for car rides. He has to be part of the pack. 

Plotting evil. 

Looking innocent, but plotting to get near Shep's food. 

....with a pretend stretch. 

Spa day for Bailey. 

Shep Attached. 

He hung with me (or I with him) while we had workers in the house. This was his look when I'd stop petting him. 

Stalk!!!!

Song by: Interpol