Monthly Archives: January 2009

Weekly Geeks 2009-04: Passions beside reading and blogging

Posted on January 31, 2009 by unfinishedperson | 3 Comments

This week’s questions are (abbreviated):

#1. What are you passionate about besides reading and blogging? Post photos.

#2. Get us involved. Link to anything that will help us learn more about your interest or how to do your hobby.

#3. Visit other Weekly Geeks. Link in your post to other Geeks who’ve peaked your interest in their passion. Or maybe you might find a fellow aficionado among us, link to them.

No. 1: Besides reading and blogging, probably one of the things about which I’m most passionate is running/jogging/walking/hiking. I began running in February 2004 and haven’t looked back since (well, except for a medical issue along the way that sidelined me and just a lack of enthusiasm recently). The highlight thus far was in September 2007 when I completed a 25-mile trail hike called the Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect.

My goal since the beginning was to run a marathon by the time I’m 40. On June 6, 2009, three days before my 40th birthday, I will do that, as I run in the God’s Country Marathon near where I live.

No. 2: A good starting place to learn about running is Runner’s World; hiking, Backpacker; walking, most of us do this anyway, no resource required.

No. 3: I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve found a lot that’s piqued my interest, among my fellow Geeks. I’m not much into crotcheting, knitting or cooking (I like microwave pizzas, does that count? and microwave popcorn).

However, I did find a few others with similar interests to mine: Suey @ It’s All About Books with her family’s interest in geocaching, which incorporates hiking; Angela @ A Cerebal Accumulation with her interest in hiking, among a wide variety of interests, including sewing (not so much, sorry, Angela ; and Nymeth @ things mean a lot with her interest in hiking as well, despite not having a lot of trails near where she lives (she ought to come visit us in northcentral Pennsylvania, we have plenty).

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Posted in Books, Mind, Weekly Geeks

Tagged Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect, God's Country Marathon, hiking, Running, Weekly Geeks

Idita-Walk 2009, here I come!

Posted on January 30, 2009 by unfinishedperson | 2 Comments

So to kickstart my lack of running, I’ve signed up for the Idita-walk 2009. According to the homepage, the Iditi-walk is

an event to promote physical fitness in the spirit of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod Sled dog race is 1049 miles long from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. To complete the Idita-walk, walk 30 minutes a day for 35 days between February 1, 2009 to March 31, 2009 for a total of 1049 minutes.

I’m going to start by walking, then walking and then walking and running. In a couple weeks, I’ll be starting a 16-week training program en route to my first marathon on June 6 (in case I haven’t mentioned it a million times previously, three days before my 40th birthday). I think this is more realistic than the last thing for which I signed up to kickstart my running, which didn’t happen. Plus The Wife is doing this too. Extra motivation.

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Posted in Body, Feetfirst Friday

Tagged Idita-Walk 2009, Running, walking

Don’t go and lay your hand on this Pittsburgh Steeler fan

Posted on January 30, 2009 by unfinishedrambler | Leave a comment

That’s me, circa 1979-1980, the years that the Steelers won back-to-back championships with Terry Bradshaw et al.

As you can tell by the gaudy ornaments at right, it was Christmas and I had just donned one of my best Christmas presents that year.

Why I say one of my best Christmas presents is because of this photo, also undated, but that I think might have been the same year as the Steelers jacket photo:

Yes, the honky boom box.

This was pre-Do The Right Thing and Radio Raheem:

If I had seen that movie then, I might have wanted that one, but probably not since I was, and am still (didn’t do a reverse Michael Jackson/Kirk Lazarus).

So to what did this Pittsburgh Steeler fan with a honky boom box listen circa 1979-80?

Was it “Le Freak” by Chic (although if it had been this version with Slash, I might have) or “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, which both were big hits back then?

No, more than likely as per I mentioned last week that I liked country, it was Charlie Daniels Band and most likely “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

Spring 1979 was when that was released.

The fall of 1980, though, is when one of my favorite CDB songs, along with “The Legend of Wooley Swamp,” was released.

That song:

And the key lyrics in case you missed it:

And we may have done a little bit
Of fightin’ amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone
‘Cause we’ll all stick together
And you can take that to the bank
That’s the cowboys and the hippies
And the rebels and the yanks
You just go and lay your hand
On a Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan
And I think you’re gonna finally understand

So if there’s any doubt for whom I’m rooting this Sunday, let that be dispelled now…

…don’t go and lay your hand
on (this) Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan
(because) I think you’re gonna finally understand.

You’ll find out quickly that love doesn’t always win.

If you want to see my prediction on the score, and more silliness on the Big Game, visit Humor Bloggers Fantasy Football League Blog, where Chris Cameron and Matt also weigh in with their predictions.

For more general silliness, visit the following:

Posted in Flashback Friday, Music, Unfinished rambling

Joining the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge

Posted on January 29, 2009 by unfinishedperson | Leave a comment

After telling myself as I started the year that I wouldn’t be signing up for any more challenges beyond those I already have, I’m joining Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise for her Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Carnival.

Kerrie hails from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (not New Zealand, as I previously indicated, chalk it up to my watching) and I know her from her main blog, Mysteries in Paradise. She started this challenge for herself back in September and now it’s blossomed into a carnival, which you too can join.

I read many Agatha Christie mysteries as a preteen and teenager. My mother introduced me to them, but to be honest, I can’t remember which ones I read and didn’t. I love Hercules Poirot, though, especially his final case which is detailed in Curtain, and also enjoyed the Miss Marple series. So when I read about Kerrie doing this many months ago, I can’t say that I was not tempted. I was, but then as life happens, it kept getting put on the backburner.

Now since I’m not off to a rip-roaring start here with reading (two books for this month so far), I thought it would be a great way to help me kickstart my year. Plus I am a big fan of Agatha Christie. So today, I picked up The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Dame Christie’s first and the one that introduced Poirot to the world. I can’t wait and most likely will start later tonight.

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As for the other challenges, I’m only almost finished with one, halfway through another and nowhere near to being done on the larger one (of course, in my defense, that one will take a few years. If you wonder about what I’m talking, click on my new page “Reading Challenges” on the far right sidebar to see.