21 Days: COMPLETED!

Quarantine Day 21: Quarantine COMPLETED! Had to do 2 Covid tests since departing hotel one week ago. Final one was this morning. I ran to the local hospital where there’s a testing trailer set up out front. So, since departing Kentucky on November 21st, I’ve been tested 7 times: Once in Renton, Washington at a…

REUNITED

Serena & Kyle are back! 686 days apart.Now, REUNITED. The last time we saw each other, January 21st, 2020, no one knew a thing about any COVID-19 or pandemic. Don’t give up, don’t ever give up…

How is New Zealand Different?

Running down the trail, sulphur fumes permeate my nostrils. Steaming gases rise in the distance. Blackened craters spew acidic steam. Just down the road, a traditional Maori village welcomes foreigners to watch–and learn, for men–the Haka war ritual. Sacred Maori lands are home to Middle Earth, where I ran as close to Mount Doom as…

New Zealand Adventure!

I have to use the ! when writing about this place. There’s a reason it’s become the place to be. Here are annotated photos from my first full day in Auckland and running on Waiheke Island. 😭😭😭Her visa application was rejected. So, my beautiful girlfriend is in the Philippines right now. 我是一个人。 This tree is…

Charlie Forever

Dear Son–Charlie, We could not even see you at first. You were curled up in the back of the cage, behind the other really cute cat that everyone wanted. After he was pulled out, your first human Mom and I peered in, seeing you looking so helpless, eyesight obscured by redness. You looked so sick….

A Year In China, Dammit!

9/10: Well, thought computer saved my last week’s worth of entries. Maybe not. No time to check now. If not, I’ll have to recap later. “You’re face looks weird,” sixth grade Brian just told me bluntly. I think he meant well, maybe. I think he meant younger now than I shaved (??). Middle schoolers. Tonight’s…

What if I Fall?

I could fall straight down Through to oblivion Crumpled, broken at the bottom Fuck that! I’m moving up! This thing is bigger than each of us Trashed, abandoned, hopeless (?) Never Catch yourself Allow yourself to be caught Never lose sight of the One… There is a passage ahead Get back into it Hold each…

Where to Find Great Vegan Food…

Hoping to help travelers searching for great vegan eats in the following locales: Seoul-Tokyo-Koyasan-Kyoto. By no means exhaustive, it’s up to date at present time. Yes, these places indeed do still exist (although hours may be a bit crazy at times). Please get HappyCow app to find addresses, phone numbers and mostly accurate operating hours….

Healed, but…

Left—October 29th, nearly 4 days after fracturing left foot, fifth metatarsal: Right—December 11th, 6 weeks 5 days post-injury. New, thicker bone filling in the fracture line. I AM HEALED! Shouting from the rooftops!!!!! Alas, keeping boot on till next Thursday to help new bone transition through infancy. Then… Christmas run forthcoming!! My new life will…

Hanging On

5 more days in the gym since Monday. XXXVII days now in the gym with air cast. 6 weeks, 3 days since fracture. I hiked around yesterday for about 23,000 steps. It was a cool winter’s day. And it felt great. Eagerly, I await my final x Ray on Tuesday. I hope it shows complete…

Grinding it Out: Gym XX-XXV

I’m still grinding it out. Faith in the process compels me to push onward in the face of doubts. Tens of thousands of children are starving to death in Yemen. Enough of my bullshit. GYM with fractured foot…1 month & 3 days since injury Synopsis: Sunday, 11/25–Abbreviated Core 4 x ab cycling…:90 seconds each 4…

Why Me?

I still can’t help but wonder: why me? Fractured foot———is this real, or a nightmare?! Just when I’ve been getting back into racing shape. No PRs on the immediate horizon, but I’ve been chipping away. And lately my racing instinct has been on the rise as I effectively put away two competitors in the final…