Another Collection of Found Objects.

Posted on 18 April 2010 | Leave a comment

Since I left Facebook, I suppose my blog has become the place for me to collect those things which I normally would have shared on my profile. I think this new-found freedom from complete voyeurism has forced me to only post those things that I care enough to open a new post and actually type something in. I know that some things can be shared onto WordPress via the share function on some media and website interfaces. This video was not one of them, but it is definitely worth the opening and typing.

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

Obviously, there are several problems with the video, not the least of which is the title. “The Lost Tribes” delineates groups of people into their most primitive categories, but since the groups interviewed are typically groups who are already disenfranchised, the title becomes even more of a problem. Of course, one could argue that Carolyn London is simply giving voice to those who are normally voiceless, and she is allowing a broad spectrum of people to speak on their own behalf. Although, I wonder if London wasn’t giving them the opportunity to speak to people with some privilege through our computers, would most of us even want to listen at all. I mean, if the person who is the voice of the suitcase came up to one of us and started talking to us on the street, would we give her the five minutes of listening time we give to her because her voice is coming out of a visually altered, animated, talking suitcase?I am not sure most of us would, but because it is kitschy and cute and it comes from our cyber-screens, we listen. And, then, there is the fact that people, the always already marginalized, are rendered as inanimate objects like telephones and suitcases, but that is a whole different problem.

Well, the video, however problematic, is still worth a watch. If for no other reason than for to agree or disagree with me about its worth.

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Posted in Just Random Stuff

Macs. Capitalism. And Graffiti.

Posted on 17 April 2010 | 1 comment

1984 macintosh introduction by Steve Jobs
Uploaded by DARKECCHI. – Technology reviews and science news videos.

Go here to see great graffiti.

1 Comment

Posted in Just Random Stuff

I Wanna Live Here. I Signed Up.

Posted on 16 April 2010 | 2 comments

I was surfing around online yesterday and started fantasizing about living in Door County. More specifically, I imagined moving to Washington Island, though I am not sure what I would do for a job there. Hey, it’s a fantasy. It’s imaginary, so I can do whatever I want. I decided I want to live here. And then I thought, well, since this is a fantasy, I might choose this one. The only drawback is that it only has two bedrooms, so when people came to visit they could only come two at a time. 🙂

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I think I have been consumed by the running bug. I haven’t simply been bitten by it; it’s eating me alive, which isn’t a bad thing. Rather, I would say it is a very good thing. In fact, it’s such a good thing that I can honestly say I feel better than I have ever felt.

Even in high school when I swam all the time, I didn’t feel as healthy or as in tune with the world as I feel now. There is nothing that beats the feeling of running along next to the river, listening to the water slip past the jagged rocks slowly wearing them down, refining them. As I run, I think about how I, too, am being refined, polished.

Tomorrow is a 10 mile training run for the Indy-Mini which is only a few short weeks away on May 8. The 10 mile run is the longest training run on the plan, and I am going to try hard not to think about how it is only half as long as the longest run on the marathon training plan I have chosen. Really, there are twelve runs in the 18 week plan I have chosen that are longer than 10 miles. I just keep telling myself I can do it. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can, said the Little Engine.

Possibly the thing I love the most about running is the solitude of it. There is no way for me to deny that I love some time alone. In fact, I probably require more time alone than most people do, because it takes quite a bit of energy for me to be with people. There are some people I love to be around, who require little to no energy, but then there are others who just leave me feeling like a child’s new Christmas toy that has been played with until it doesn’t move anymore. A little rung out. In order to get over that feeling, sometimes I just need to get away.

On November 6, I am going to get away for about 5.5 or 6 hours while I run my first marathon. I know, I am a little obsessed with this topic right now, but I have to exult about the fact that I just registered for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I spent $60 of my hard-earned money in order to run for a ridiculously long time. I suppose this will give me a measure of my ability to go the long haul. I think relying on my friends, like Molly and Nagelkirk, will be my biggest asset in this long, arduous process. I have to say that I am torn between wanting to rejoice and wanting to throw up.

Twenty-six point two miles.

26.2.

20+6+0.2

2 x 13.1

A really long way.

Here’s the course map: Marathon_Map_full_perspectiveWEB It should open quite nicely for you.

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Haphephobia: A morbid fear of being touched.

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I spent about two hours today working on my dissertation, and I plan to spend a couple more tonight. I think once I go through it one more time, it will be ready to send out to the committee. Excitement: I will send it out tonight.

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I am thankful for too many things to list today!

Food: banana, juice, short bread, iced coffee, bean/rice/veggie/cheese quesadilla, pasta, M&Ms

Exercise: walked the dogs two miles, eleven-mile bike ride

2 Comments

Posted in Biking, Dissertation, Food, Just for Fun, Relationships, Running

Exit Facebook. Fat Festivities. Little Bit of Runnin’.

Posted on 14 April 2010 | 5 comments

I made a bold move last night and deactivated my Facebook account. I decided to delete myself because I have spent too much time on the computer lately, choosing to talk to people through a keyboard and a screen instead of simply calling them or going to do something with them. I could have spent the weekend playing disc golf with Ed, but instead I stayed inside on the computer. I didn’t get any of my grading finished, nor did I get my dissertation proposal finished like I should have. I haven’t been writing here as frequently as I should, and I haven’t written anything creative either. All of this happened because I was compulsively checking Facebook. So, I decided to be more intentional and more mindful about my friendships. The only thing I regret is the fact that I won’t have contact with my cousins, but I figure that I can get their phone numbers or email addresses from my brother.

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My friends, Sarah and Elizabeth, and I are going to submit a proposal to another fat studies conference. Sarah is possibly going to talk about pedagogy, Elizabeth is going to discuss pieces of a graphic novel about 18th century fat-guys, and I am going to talk about my high school students’ perceptions of fat and the ways we work to overcome their stereotypes/misunderstandings of fat. I am excited because if we get into the conference, it means that we get to spend several days with each other after just seeing each other for a week during the summer. And, I am looking forward to possibly meeting a friend of hers from Nebraska.

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This morning I ran five miles, which seemed like an eternity. I kept thinking that a marathon is five times as long as what I ran this morning. I got a little discouraged, but then I thought about the fact that I am running 13.1 miles in a few weeks, which is 13.1 times as far as I could run a year ago. Surely, in six months I can double that distance. Right?

I ran past the two cutest older women. They moved over as I ran past, and I said, “That isn’t necessary. I am really slow. I promise I won’t run over you!” The one lady smiled and said, “It’s her first time out here walking, so I’m trying to teach her the rules.” I loved it, and I wanted to ask her if she could please explain the rules to other people who use the trail. It would be so nice if people in Muncie knew the rules of trail usage.

Small things like saying. “Bike on your left!” from far enough away for people to move their three cantankerous dogs off  to the right side of the trail would be amazing. Runners who don’t have their headphones turned up so high that they can’t hear bikers who actually yell, “Bike on the left!” would be an amazing addition to the Greenway as well. I mean there are common courtesies (rules) that users of trails should follow. I suppose it’s too much to ask for people who move under their own power to follow rules when people who drive lethal weapons everyday can’t follow the rules. Ugh.

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I am thankful for freedom.

Food: banana, juice, almonds, fruit snacks, chai latte, two pieces of pizza, rock ‘n’ rye, salad with garbonzo beans, cheese quesadilla

Exercise: ran five miles, walked from Burris to Irving Gym, walked the dogs 1.5 miles, one hour of racquetball

5 Comments

Posted in Disc golf, Dissertation, Fat, Relationships, School, Teaching, Writing

A Very Slow Run

Posted on 13 April 2010 | 8 comments

I decided this morning after trying to run four miles, and being very unsuccessful, that there are two things I will never do again. I will never skip my Sunday recovery run of three short, slow miles. I will never go out the door in the morning without first eating my banana, chewing my Gummi-Vites, and drinking my small glass of orange juice. I had no go juice, and I wasted a training run on recovering my muscles from Saturday. No wonder I have been so sluggish for the past couple of days; my muscles have been full of leftovers. I suppose it could’ve been the crappy way I ate yesterday, too.

Even though it probably doesn’t interest any of you nearly as much as it interests me, I have decided to run the November 6 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon for my first foray into an event that no one else in my family has completed. Neither my dad or my brother, in all of their athletic endeavors has done a race this long, so I am pretty excited about it. I wish I could get my brother on board with it, though. I think he would love it. But, I am pretty excited that two of my friends are thinking about being in for at least the half!

My goal this year is simply to finish the race. I am going to use this training plan.

Running.

Walking. Crawling. Rolling.

However I have to do it, I will finish. There is a 6 hour and 30 minute time limit on the course, so I have to walk or crawl at least 15 minutes a mile. Then next year, I can attempt to improve my time. If there is a next year.

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I am thankful for exercise of both mind and body.

Food: banana, juice, chocolate soy milk, one poptart, almonds, apple, pure bar, Mister Misty, candy bar, orange soda, cheese quesadilla, pasta with broccoli and homemade sauce

Exercise: walked the dogs, three hours of racquetball

8 Comments

Posted in Food, Running