Sick

I'm sick of being sick. This sore throat is making me sick. I am sick of this cough. I am sick of hearing about the swine flu. I am sick of sore skin and I am sick of a sore back. I'm sick of being lazy and having no energy. I was happy to watch X-Men Origins today; I finished two books I have been trying to finish for quite a while; I finally read a magazine article that kept me reading and laughing, but I'm sick of why I had time to do these things. I don't want to lay around any more. I am sick of it.

October 14

Today is one of my favorite historical days. It starts with William the Conqueror defeating the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Thank you, William, for the English language. In 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in his X-1 Jet Rocket airplane. And my favorite, in 1912, while campaigning in Milwaukee, Theodore Roosevelt was about to give his speech when he was shot in the chest. After assessing the damages, he decided to give his speech with the bullet inches from his lung. Talk about tough! Happy October!

An American Lion

I just finished watching part 2 of Teddy Roosevelt: An American Lion. I only hope that some day in my life, I will get to meet someone as great as T.R. While he, like all Presidents, made several mistakes, his accomplishments as a president and a human being are tremendous. He stood up for his beliefs, battled the seemingly invulnerable, and lived life as a true adventure. Two favorite moments of his life are first when he was leading the Rough Riders he wouldn't say "charge," he would say, "follow me!" And, second, while campaigning in Wisconsin in 1912, he was shot in the chest, and "with a bullet lodged next to his left lung and blood gushing, he delivered an hour long speech." I admire him for his love of family, conservation of land, sense of adventure, and love of country. He was an amazing American.

Running

As mentioned in an earlier post, Angie and I ran the inaugural Chicago Rock and Roll half marathon on August 2. It was a fun race with a nice expo, good crowds and lots of bands. What made it memorable though is that we ran the whole race together. Besides some 5K's, we are pretty sure that it is the only race we have run together start to finish. Running a race like that is kind of like experiencing marriage. It had a great, fun start. Then there was some pain and frustration for both of us. We enjoyed the scenery of downtown. We endured some long stretches along Lake Shore Drive with not much to look at or enjoy just like life and marriage where there are times where not much happens except the daily grind. Angie was there when I tripped on the sidewalk and took a spill. We cared for each other through the tough of training and the good times of the run. But the best part in running and marriage, even through the good and the tough, is that in the end we were holding hands raised in the air in celebration of a great race and a great marriage.

Across the State

We were in Chicago this last weekend for the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It was a great weekend, but what struck me was the trip home. We left downtown Chicago in the morning and caught I 94 East to I-55 South. It was amazing getting out of Chicago as the traffic flowed right along. From I-55 we caught I-80 West. We went all the way across Illinois to I-280 to Rock Island to pick up our daughter. Kaleigh spent the weekend at her Aunt Laura and Uncle Chad's house; she also got to visit her grandma Townley. Then we jumped back on I-280 to I-74 East back to Peoria.
While the travel made for a long day and stiff muscles from sitting in the Aztec all day after the race, I really enjoyed the ride across Illinois. I've done the trip several times and I can almost name all the towns and exits across I-80 and east on I74. I love seeing the land and how it changes or doesn't change over time. I remember the times I've spent in many of the places like Oswego, my hometown; Morris, my high school rival; Ottawa, where I lived and worked in radio for several years; LaSalle/Peru, where I spent time with friends; Milan, where Angie's mom lives; Rock Island; biking under I-74 near Cambridge; Galesburg, where I always want to stop and visit; and of course Peoria, where we live. It's a great state with great memories.

Learning to Read

I just came across a really cool quote from a book I am reading called, "The Graveyard Book." It is written by Neil Gaiman. The main character in the book is a young boy (he doesn't know how old he is) named Bod, short for Nobody. He is being raised by the dead in a graveyard. That is all I am saying about the book, go read it!
The boy is learning to read and discovering the power of letters and wants to know when he will learn about "joined-up letters." Then realizing what joined-up letters and reading will do for him, he is thrilled. "He imagined a future in which he could read everything, in which all the stories could be opened and discovered."
This line made me realize how much I (we) take reading for granted. Reading opens up stories; it opens up the past. We know what we do because of the power of letters, symbols written on paper or on a screen, on a wall, in the sand. The words help us learn and grow. In this day where moving images on television, on a movie screen, on a computer screen, on our phones; tells the story more often, the images don't fill in the blanks. We want more (or should) and we should go to the written word in a newspaper, magazine, book, or the Internet. Reading fills in the cracks; it is the cement to our learning. Bod realizes this and he reminded me of it too.

Bitter Sweet Season

As the All-Star game approaches in two weeks, I have to say that this baseball season has a bitter sweet feeling for me. First, I have to establish that I have two favorite baseball teams. One my lifetime favorite, the Chicago Cubs and the other, the Detroit Tigers, evolved out of the failure of the Chicago Cubs. In 1984, when the Cubs completely blew it to the San Diego Padres in the NL championship series, I swore that if the American League team that played the Padres in the World Series won, I would be a fan of that team. So, since 1984, I have been a Detroit Tigers fan along with the Cubs.
But now, with interleague play, the Cubs have played the Tigers in two seasons. The first time they faced off I was really excited and enjoyed the games. But this season, as my "life sentence" as a Cubs fan is wearing a bit thin, I watched the three game series with weary eyes, as the Tigers completely dominated a Cubs team that in pre-season was clearly the favorite to win the NL Central.
Now, I don't want any confusion, I am not a fair weather fan. I still cheer for the Cubs. I do love the fact that Lou has called up all sorts of rookies like Jake Fox and Sam Fuld. But, after the drubbing the Tigers laid upon the Cubs in June, I have to say for the first time in many years, the Tigers are first in my heart this year. The Tigers have figured out that it doesn't take an all-star line-up; it takes solid clutch hitting and timely, effective pitching. I wish the Cubs could figure that out. They have had "great" pitching, but hitting that leaves runners on base seemingly every inning. I will enjoy watching the Cubs' young players, and hope for a solid winning streak. But this summer, I am really watching the Tigers!