Sunday

8 miler this am, flat with a little hill at the end. First 6 were in 46 minutes, which was pretty comfortable though I coughed-up some stuff (had to slow for that) and then a few spots on the way back were just blaah. The crap I coughed is maybe what I would call "the midnight oil" (meaning whatever accumulates in the night while I'm on my back). Bad dreams.

I need to start rampping it up a little. If I'm in town I'm going to participate in (what looks like) a killer 17k trailer in Orange County. A month later is my (so far) favorite trailer and then a month after that a local brutal down the road trailer.

More hiking, more longer runs and some good tempo, track-like fartlekity sessions that make my eyes water and the midnight oil boil

deep inside.

Off to hike Cowles Mt. in a few hours and then some good beers.
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I have been thinking a little about karma.
At one end, it's one of the cheesiest concepts
because of its overuse and simplistic cause-and-effect narrative.

But we all know that cliches form because of their truth and the simplicity of it is perhaps another good sign that it's for real.

I just see too many cases in our lives and popular culture (and I have to remind myself and this blog that I may have a misconception of karma, but I think mine works for discussion's sake). It's hard to miss.

Check-out the world of sports. There are millions of examples but the best one now is Lebron James. That guy so screwed a bunch of people (Ohioans, fans in general) that he can't stop the backlash of misfortune. Believe me, he's up to his neck in it.

It just seems obvious the importance of doing the right thing. I guess many millions of dollars were/are made on the back of steroid use, but so many people get caught and asterisked, blackballed, hall of shamed, etc. I'm not sure if they'll get ill physically, but that might in the cards, too. Is it worth it?

I know the conversation is tired, but it just seems so obvious; and fresh examples come forward almost daily. Although there has been some justice done to the evils of finance/banking/investment, I can't wait for that karmic tale to get ugly on some douche-bags. I watched an Enron documentary recently, and my students and I are investigating the ethics of Wall Street/The Corporation (which I'm afraid will only scratch the proverbial bald head of the proverbial Wall Street scum bag).

If you try to take a short-cut, cheat, do something to hurt others, it's going to catch-up to you or your grand children, you moron.

I'm beat. The hike was warm and the hard trail definitely cooked me.

Picture of Jack with South and North Fortunas in the background. The little bit of trail in the distance (just to the right side of his head) is the trail that travels between those peaks. He's done them all in the last week (both Fortunas and Cowles). Time for a beer.


Having a good beer (and the camera was sitting right there!)



And if I say I'm having a pint, I'm having a pint. This pint glass is from England; I stuffed it in my bag when I was over there studying and playing soccer with a bunch of wankers.