Health Vs. Wellness

Question of the day: what's the difference between health and wellness?

My answer: though the two terms are used somewhat interchangeably, health usually refers to the technical absence of disease, while wellness refers to a more positive, active state of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual richness.

Under this definition, you can be healthy but not well. Hmmm. I think I'll go for a run.

iPod Shuffle: "The Story" by Brandi Carlile, from "The Story." It's true, I was made for you.

Fundraising In the 21st Century

I'm not Catholic and I'm not giving up anything for Lent (and if I was I'd give up depriving myself of things I really want.) Anyway, this Bud's for all of you who've sworn off swearing for a few weeks (thanks for the heads-up to Flatman via Project Procrastination!)

Whoever said advertising is just the rattling of a stick inside a swill pail?

Oh yeah, turn the sound WAAAY down before you watch this at work.

iPod Shuffle: "Cuts You Up" by Peter Murphy, from "Wild Birds 1985-1995." Rock 'n roll meets the viola. And "Judge, I'm Not Sorry" by Jorma Kaukonen, from "Land of Heroes." Jefferson Airplane's guitarist happily gigging his bluesy way around the world. And "Red Hill Mining Town" by U2, from "The Joshua Tree." Before they decided it was a good idea to channel KC & The Sunshine Band. And "Let's Make It" by Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker, from "Hooker 'N Heat."

I'm Becoming A Fair Weather Triathlete!

I admit it, and right now I envy you warm climate triathlon enthusiasts.  Here, the Great Suburban Outback's chief Weather Geek - who must love torturing mileage-deprived triathletes - says temperatures MIGHT rise above freezing on Super Bowl Sunday.  If she's right, it'll be the highest the mercury's been in 6 weeks.

The GSO's roads are so icy and snow-covered that you can't really run on 'em.  Instead, you've gotta plod and shuffle along so you don't fall on your ass.  I hate running on treadmills.  I hate my bike trainer.  I hate being cold.  I hate it that I'm starting to think of highs in the low teens and 2" of new snow every day as normal. 

The Galena Triathlon is really gonna suck if I don't get off my ass.  Someone kick me.

I'm told medical science has now determined what causes this condition.  Whew.

iPod Shuffle: "Protection" by Massive Attack, from "Protection." Melancholy keyboards, throbbing acid lines and knowing vocals.  And "Summertime" by Sidney Bechet, from "The Encyclopedia Of Jazz: The Gold Collection."  The world would be a better place if we listened to more Sidney Bechet and less Kenny G.  And "Arc Of A Diver" by Steve Winwood, from "Arc Of A Diver."  Not his best album, but still the best soul voice ever to come from a white person.

"Here We All Are...

...at the start of another thousand years.  All those love stories yet to be told."

I think I've said this before, but it's worth saying again.  What an utterly, gorgeous little gem of a song is "Thousand Year Prayer" by the Cowboy Junkies.  The kind of song that quietly sneaks up on you, grabs you in places seen and unseen and won't let go.

Now back to the workaday world...

I Read The News So You Won't Have To

Speaking from personal experience, sometimes life swings for your 'nads...and misses!  What a great feeling!

Here's what I had for dinner last night.  I made enough for several days of lunches and snacks.  Yummy!

My goodness.  Add Mom, Dad and a neighbor kid and you've got your own football team.  (Reportedly, Mom plans to breastfeed.  Now, it's true I'm a guy and the mechanics of such things occasionally escape me, but isn't she, like, a little short on breasts or something?)

New research says playing in a lotta dirt may be good for you.  They should come to my house and meet CtWD.  He'd happily play ringleader and show you the Outback's best dirt...mostly in my kitchen.

iPod Shuffle: "I Forget You Every Day" by Chris Whitley, from "Living With the Law."  Roots music with a Daniel Lanois patina.  And "I Need To Know" by Tom Petty, from "You're Gonna Get It!"  Great drum warm-up track.  And "Monday" by ALO, from "Roses & Clover."  A modest little effort that hardly sucks at all.  And "Fotzepolitic" by Cocteau Twins, from "Heaven Or Las Vegas."  Swirling, textured soundscapes.

Aerobic activity today will be limited to shoveling snow, unless you define shivering as aerobic.  Pictures to follow...of the snow, not the shivering.

iPod Shuffle:  "When It Comes Back To You" by Dire Straits, from "On Every Street."  And "I'd Love To Be A Hippy" by The North Mississippi Allstars, from "Hernando."  And, oddly enough, "Norwegian Wood" by Patricia Barber, from "A Fortnight In France (Live)."

Barely Bear and DW Drums

"Barely", my DW bear.  He's "Barely" cuz he can barely reach the pedals.  If you see the two of us together, he's the quiet one.  Doncha love that awesome Paiste Signature 20" 'Dry Ride' cymbal?  It sounds as good as it looks and it looks pretty darn cool.  Hear it in action here.

iPod Shuffle: New iTunes download stuff, like "Bloodhounds On My Trail" by the The Black Angels, from "Passover."  Lotsa bands THINK they're channeling The Velvet Underground.  Most are wrong.  We'll see about the Angels.  Regardless, it's a great, pounding drum track.  Listen to the little floor-tom triplets and off-beats.  And "Nowhere Again" by The Secret Machines, from "Now Here Is Nowhere."  I had this song on an old iPod but it went somewhere I can't find so I forked over another 99 cents to learn the drum track.  Cool.  And "Take Back the City" by Snow Patrol, from "A Hundred Million Suns."

CtWD Dumps On The Outback

Hahahahaha. It doesn't get any better than shoveling the driveway and dumping each shovel-full right on Camden the Wonder Dog's pointy, empty head. He never figured it out.

Great aerobic exercise AND comic relief. Life is good...

iPod Shuffle: "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Etta James, from "Burnin' Down the House." Smokin' version of the Randy Newman tune.

Uh-Oh.

UPDATE ON THE POST BELOW: the NY Times agrees with me!  Crap.  That's a sure sign I'm wrong.  I hate it when that happens.  

OK, now I gotta rethink some things...

iPod Shuffle:  "Shake A Leg" by Marcia Ball, from "Presumed Innocent."  ("...there's nothing like a weekend when you've got a good plan...")  And "Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, from "Rhino Hi-Five: Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - EP."  And "Marbletown" by Mark Knopfler, from "The Ragpicker's Dream."  And "Water From A Vine Leaf" by Beth Orton, from "Pass In Time - The Definitive Collection."

The Sky Over Grant Park

The Day After.  Working away here in the Great Suburban Outback, Roxy Music's "Avalon" playing in the iTunes background.  Somehow Brian Ferry's words in "True To Life" ring, well, truer today than yesterday.  You figure it out...

(Courtesy of LyricsFreak.com.)

"So it gets to seven
And I think of nothing
But living in darkness
And the diamond lady
Well she´s not telling
I don´t even know her name
It´s amazing
Times have changed
In days of old
Imagination´d leave you standing
Out in the cold
Dancing city
Now you´re talking
But where´s your soul
-you´ve a thousand faces
I´ll never know
There are complications
And compensations
If you know the game
Agitated in xenon nightly
I´ll take you home again
Travel way downtown
In search of nothing
But the sky at night
And the diamond lady
Well she´s not talking
But that´s alright
So I turn the pages
And tell the story
From town to town
People tell me
Be determined
Poor country boy
Too much luck
Means too much trouble
Much time alone
But arm in arm
With my seaside diamond
I´ll soon be home."

"Home Is Where You Get Across" (Chris Whitley)

Mainlining black coffee and listening to Chris Whitley's awesome "Live At Martyrs'." iTunes' album review mentions his "...heated passion, raw intensity and an indescribable urge toward both the sacred and profane."  (And as descriptions of strong black coffee go, it's not a bad review either.)

And there's that sound...an antique guitar, never meant to be electrified.  An equally ancient tube amp driven beyond all comprehension.  And I have no idea from where he wrenches those vocals unless maybe he's foretelling his own death from lung cancer a few short years later.

But it's in the customer reviews that I found this oddly affecting homage to Whitley and the power of music:

"I've never heard this recording.  I was at one of those shows though.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the money to get in so I stood outside trying to hear what I could.  Times were hard for me personally then but from what little I could hear I had a companion on the stage.  Chris Whitley showed me that music can be that vital.  So important because it can make a single human feel less outside, more inside.  I'm buying this record now.  I have hopes that listening to it will help me get into the room." (From x-ray delta one.)

Welcome to the room, baby.

(Go here for a wonderful review of Chris Whitley.)

Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should

Here's a dining experience for those of you thinking your last colonoscopy lacked a certain joie de vivre.

iPod Shuffle: "Poison Girl" by Chris Whitley, from "Living With the Law."  And "Shakin' All Over/Gloria (Live)" by Van Morrison, from "A Night In San Francisco."  And "The Ghost In You" by The Psychedelic Furs, from "Greatest Hits."  And "I Could Have Stood You Up (Live)" by Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos, from "Live At the Hollywood Palladium (December 15, 1988.)"

Question For Y'all

So let's say you've signed up for a big race next summer, your 'A' race, the race on which you're focusing all your training and obsessing, a race you've never done before.  What would be useful to know about the race, the course, the venue or anything else that'd help you organize your efforts and feel comfortable that you're prepared?

Send me an e-mail or post a comment.  Thanks!

iPod Shuffle:  "I Don't Know Why" by Nat 'King' Cole, from "The Crooners and Divas Box #8."  And "Smoke On the Water (Live)" by Deep Purple, from "Made In Japan."  I was gonna see Deep Purple live in Chicago the day after high-school graduation.  Instead I went to Europe for a month.  By the time I got back they were has-beens.  

Getting Into The Zone

“At some level,” Dr. Joyner added, “everyone I know who has been a hard-core endurance athlete for many years is a covert religious mystic due to these types of experiences.”

I've been in that zone a few times - usually in half-ironman races -  and, yes, it's mystical.  Relaxation is indeed the key...easy to say, tough to achieve when you're working close to your max.  Yoga seems to help me address body balance and positioning issues that otherwise ruin what CoachKaryn calls "proud form."  Watch the great Ironman-distance athletes ride their bikes; notice how relaxed their hands are on their aerobars.

And, yes, I'm religious and a mystic, but hardly covert at all.

iPod Shuffle:  "Miserable Bastard" by John Popper, from "Zygote."  I've always thought of Blues Traveler's frontman as the 'Kenny G of the blues harp set,' where flash and style trump substance and where, if two notes are good, 25 are so much better. But, Holy Cow, this song rocks!  And "You're So Fine" by Little Walter, from "His Best."  And "Black Jack Blues" by Fleetwood Mac, from "Blues Jam In Chicago."

There Shoulda Been Fireworks Or Something

I'm finally over the top, blogwise, thanks to some international assistance.  My 100,000th visitor (from Merzalben, Rheinland-pfalz, Germany) ended up here by Googling "Words beginning with B."  Googling from London, England, my 100,001st poor lost soul asked "Where was the Land 'O Goshen" and found this little internet backwater.  

Thanks to all of you and to Google too, I guess.  By the way, MY Land 'O Goshen is in Indiana. Now get out there and train.

iPod Shuffle: "Stop Breakin' Down" by The Jeff Healey Band, from "Live At Montreaux 1999."  And "Only One Two" by Jewel, from "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland."  I love this song, especially the drummer's little ghost beats and fast triplets.

Running As Discipline

The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami describes his decades-long dependency on long-distance running in his new memoir, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running."

From a NY Sun review:

"For Mr. Murakami, running is not only connected to writing in its dark-art aura, it is essential to his literary productivity. It gives him routine, instills discipline, and regulates his life. Ascribing to the Graham Greene, 350-words-a-day-no-matter-what system of writing rather than the fabled Jack Kerouac, wrote-it-on-a-roll-of-toilet-paper-while-drunk methodology, Mr. Murakami commits himself to extreme physical activity in order to pursue pure intellectual activity."

iPod Shuffle: "Bread and Wine" by the Cowboy Junkies, from "Open." And "Ashgrove" by Dave Alvin, from "Ashgrove." And "All I Do" by the Derek Trucks Band, from "Songlines."

The "Anything Goes" Games

Here's a new take on doping: why not let 'em?  (From the NY Times.)  Dunno how I feel about it.  Interesting viewpoint, though, especially the brief aside about the unreliability of the test fingering Floyd Landis.

iPod Shuffle: "Protection" by Massive Attack, from "Protection."  And "Drake" from Afro Celt Sound System, from "Anatomic."

Take It Back!

Several themes and trends coming together today.  Bob Mitera has been doing some great work over at Tales from a Triathlon Lifestyle about improving the sport of triathlon.   Yesterday, paying an homage to the Tour de France's ongoing "Take Back the Tour" ad campaign, he makes the excellent suggestion that we - triathletes - "Take Back Triathlon" from drafters, dopers and rule-breakers.  Amen to that.

The last time I raced Steelhead (2006) I was amazed (and blown into the weeds) by all the peletons out there.  Not just a handful of racers drafting, but 10, 20 riders, sometimes more, all gaining an unfair advantage over those of us riding within the rules.  There were precious few drafting penalties handed out and, though I'm told there were course marshalls out there watching, you couldn't prove it by me.

And the first time at Steelhead (2005) I arrived in T1 to find my bike's chain off, both front and rear derailleurs.  Funny.  It was fine an hour earlier when I headed from Transition to the swim start.  I'm not absolutely claiming sabotage; Lord knows I've been able to accomplish some pretty dumb, low-probability things on my own.  But I've never before had a chain jump right off an unattended bike.

And now there's another sport apparently needing rescue from those claiming to love it: mountaineering.  At best, I'm an armchair trekker (and confirmed height-o-phobe.) The biggest things I've ever climbed are the LONG staircase leading to my backyard pool and the Lifetime Fitness climbing wall.  Yet I'm fascinated by climbing in general and Everest in particular. I've just finished a book called "High Crimes: The Fate Of Everest In An Age Of Greed." by journalist Michael Kodas.   It's eye-widening and a little scary as it rips open Everest's seamy underbelly.  What oozes out ain't pretty.  

From a Publishers Weekly review reprinted on Amazon.com: 

"Kodas has written a disturbing account of stupidity and greed on the slopes of Mount Everest. On assignment for the Hartford Courant in 2004, Kodas joined an expedition led by a couple who had summited the mountain more than a dozen times between them. As he moved up Everest, Kodas watched his expedition disintegrate in a mess of recriminations, thefts, lies and violence. At the same time, a sociopathic guide was leading a 69-year-old doctor to his death on the unforgiving slopes. The twin disasters led Kodas to delve into the commercialization of Mount Everest, and to discover that such experiences were becoming a depressing norm. A thorough reporter, Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. He also brings a painful focus to the delusions, misunderstandings and indifference that allow climbers to literally step over the bodies of dying people on their way to the top."

Sounds like mountaineering ought to join cycling and triathlon on that list of sports needing to be "taken back" by those who love them.  Everest's summit, the Yellow Jersey, Kona.  Big hairy audacious goals, all.  And all needing to be rescued from those who would gain the prize while sacrificing their soul.  I hope that's possible.

iPod Shuffle: "Salt of the Earth" by the Rolling Stones, from "Beggars Banquet."  And "I'm Gonna Set My Foot Down" by Buddy Holly, from "Gold." And "Doing the Unstuck" by The Cure, from "Wish."  And "The Main Thing" by Roxy Music, from "Avalon."  And "Runnin' Out Of Fools" by Neko Case, from "Blacklisted."

I Bored. You Bored. We All Bored for Cheese Boards.

Aren't there places in the world needing rain? Well, send 'em ours. I'm sick of it.

Anyway, so Bret Favre (or do you say "Fahv-RAY?") is battling with his former team - the Green Bay Cheesepounders - over his impending un-retirement, seeking either to return to the Cheesepounders as starting QB or be released from his contract to play for the team of his choosing. Apparently the Cheesepounders don't want him back but don't want anyone else to have him either. Just another long engagement gone to passive-aggressive hell.

As a Bears fan, I'm rooting for whichever scenario's gonna cause the most suckiness in Cheesepounder-ville.

Looks like a long run in the rain today. I better grow some webbed feet...

iPod Shuffle: "Ah Mary" by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals" from "Live At Sirius Studios, NYC - EP." And "All The Stars" by Leona Naess, from "I Tried To Rock You But You Only Roll." And "When The Saints Go Marching In" by Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen, from "Sidney Bechet Runnin'."

11 Best Foods

According to the New York Times, there are 11 foods you should be eating but probably aren't:

• Beets...ok.
• Cabbage...yum.
• Swiss Chard...dunno.
• Cinnamon...in my hot chocolate!
  
• Pomegranate Juice...expensive.
• Dried Plums...aren't they prunes?
  
• Pumpkin Seeds...got 'em.
  
• Sardines...blech.
• Turmeric...maybe I'll put it on the sardines.
  
• Frozen Blueberries...got 'em. Fresh ones, too.
  
• Canned Pumpkin...who knew it was good for something besides pie?

Gotta go make my blueberry/pomegranate/swiss chard/sardine/turmeric smoothie.

iPod Shuffle: "Step Into the Light" by Mavis Staples, from "Have A Little Faith."