Saturday

Slow day. The 3-mile walk took 50 minutes and 22 seconds. It was sunny and in the low 60's with a projected high of low 80's. Very pleasant.

Weight: 93 pounds

Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Revelation 12:7-12

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Cold!

Our 3-mile walk took 47 minutes and 3 seconds this morning, and it was COLD! At least, it was cold compared to the temps we've been used to. It was in the low 50's and breezy when we started out and didn't warm up a bit while we were out. I was wishing I'd worn something heavier than a T-shirt.

I bought a little "pie pumpkin" at the grocery store and put it on the round coffee table when I got home. It's feelin' like Fall.

The photo above came from this page at Flickr.

Another under-48 day

The 3 miles took 47 minutes 42 seconds. It was in the mid-60's and cloudy when we started, but it was sunny not long into the walk.

We went to the Mid-South Fair today.

The Walking Program

The Fatfighters Blog is promoting a walking program that looks good. It looks like I would start in week 9 of the Intermediate step. I'm not sure how to increase distance in 1/4 mile increments when the track I walk is a 1/2 mile track.

After a day off, a walk

Today's 3-miles took 47 minutes and 4 seconds.

How Logical Are You?

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

found here.

Under 48

We walked our 3 miles in 47 minutes and 37 seconds.

Cool Moonwalking Bird

from Reddit.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 1 (KJV)

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Banned Books Week

from the Memphis Business Journal:

In observance of the National Library Association's Banned Books Week, the University of Memphis' Ned R. McWherter Library hosts readings through Sept. 29 beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the library's rotunda. The readings will be from books that were considered controversial at some time in American history. Selections will include "The Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine, "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. A virtual panel discussion to introduce Banned Books Week will be held today from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Room 226 of the library. All related events are free and open to the public. For more information, call Tom Mendina at 678-4310.

from ALA's Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2006, marks BBW's 25th anniversary (September 23-30).

BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

Amnesty International's Banned Books Week site, listing authors persecuted for their writings.

Text of some banned books online includes James Joyce's Ulysses, Canterbury Tales, Defoe's Moll Flanders, Aristophanes' Lysistrata, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's autobiography Confessions, Jack London's Call of the Wild, Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man and his The Age of Reason, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Ambrose Bierce's Can Such Things Be?, Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, "Little Red Riding Hood", Mark Twain's books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, George Eliot's Silas Marner, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, the Bible, and more.

Google's book search page on banned books

New Numa

I just found New Numa:



I got a big kick out of the original:



They make me smile.

There's a video interview at Yahoo!Video.

That video is gone, but there's one here.


The Numa Numa guy has his own web site.

Autumnal Equinox

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. Day and Night are the same length on this day, and the nights get longer from now on. Since Autumn is beginning, I'd love to see some Fall weather -crisp, brisk, sweater weather. High today will be in the 80's.

Rainy

The track was muddy and wet but not flooded. We did 3 miles in 49 minutes and 11 seconds.

Babylon 5 and Paul Williams

We've been watching Babylon 5 episodes on DVD lately, season 2 with #1 Son and season 4 with #2 Son. The season 2 episode we watched today was "Acts of Sacrifice" with Paul Williams, and I discovered that neither one knew who Paul Williams was. I showed them this site, and now they are enlightened.

What is your Spiritual Type?

The test is here.

This is me:

You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality. You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods or sitting quietly with a trusted friend. You may also enjoy poetry, meditation, wordless prayer, candles, art, books, and anything else that helps you connect with God.

Mystics experience God best through rich images and symbols. You are contemplative, introspective, intuitive, and focused on an inner world as real to you as the exterior one. Hearing from God is more important to you than speaking to God. Others may attribute human characteristics to God, but you see God as ineffable, unnamable, and more vast than any known category. You are intrigued by God's mystery.

Mystics want to inspire and persuade others, and need to live lives of significance. At times you push the envelope of spirituality, helping the rest of us imagine who we might become if we followed your lead.

Sometimes you may feel a bit guilty about your need for solitude and silence. If so, you probably have bought into the American myth that says being alone and doing nothing is lazy, antisocial, and unproductive. Stop it -- now. Give yourself permission to retreat and be alone. It's essential for your well-being.

On the other hand, don't get so carried away retreating that you become a recluse. That only deprives the world of your gifts and deprives you of the lessons that come from being with others. Some Mystics may have a true vocation for solitary prayer, but the rest of you need to alternate retreat time with involvement and interaction.

Famous Mystics:

Thomas Merton | Enya | John (the Gospel writer)
Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God)
Desert mothers and fathers | Charlie Brown
Sister Wendy | Phoebe Buffay | Julian of Norwich
Luke | Anthony de Mello | The Who

The Upper Room has some information on saints here.

Cool and Sunny

We walked 3 miles in 48 minutes and 1 second this morning.

Chilly

It was in the mid-50's when we started out this morning, and I wore sweat pants. We walked 3 miles in 48 minutes and 37 seconds.

Avast there, me hearties!

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day. Aaarrrr!

If you're not quite sure how to talk like a pirate check out these helpful videos:

Rain

We got a late start, and the rain had flooded sections of the track that we had to detour around. We just walked 2 miles this morning. Our time was 37 minutes and 28 seconds.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 19 (KJV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Shins

My shins have been bothering me the last couple of days during the first 1/2 mile or so of our walk, so I googled for some suggestions on what to do about it. I found lots of info, but the page I'm keeping handy is at The Walking Site. Some of their suggestions for exercises:

Walking on heels, and walking on toes: Probably the single easiest way to strengthen your shins is to walk on your heels.

Toe taps: Standing or sitting, tap the floor with the foot for 2 minutes.

Heel raises: Stand on one leg with a chair turned backwards in front of you. Holding onto the chair back, raise up on your toes keeping your knee straight. Hold for 1 second. Slowly lower to the ground. Repeat 10 times. Toe raises: Same as heel raises only stand on heels and raise toes.

Saturday

We walked a little later in the morning but not much later than usual. The 3 miles took 48 minutes and 57 seconds.

weight: 93 pounds

Good Time

We did the 3-mile walk in 47 minutes 59 seconds. I'm aiming at walking a 15 minute mile eventually, and this week has surely been good progress towards that.

Happy Birthday, Walter Koenig!

The wiki entry for him is here. That page has links to several other good sites.

under 50

The walk, that is. Our 3-mile walk took 49 minutes this morning. We were a little later getting started this morning, and there's an entirely different set of people on the track depending on what time of day it is.

What's your theological worldview?

Here's mine:

You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you. Roman Catholic 100% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 89% Modern Liberal 64% Emergent/Postmodern 57% Neo orthodox 57% Classical Liberal 29% Charismatic/Pentecostal 0% Reformed Evangelical 0% Fundamentalist 0% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

What is your worldview?

Here's what this quiz says I am:

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 75% Postmodernist 69% Idealist 63% Existentialist 56% Romanticist 19% Modernist 19% Materialist 0% Fundamentalist 0% What is Your World View? created with QuizFarm.com

Getting Easier

The 3-mile walk seems to be getting easier now, and this morning it took 49 minutes and 59 seconds. I think the longer stretching before and after is helping keep me from feeling as stiff.

There is some information about stretching before and after walking here and here.

Drizzly

Our 3-mile walk took 52 minutes and 52 seconds today.

9/11

Our 3-mile walk took 53 minutes and 3 seconds this morning.

Archbshop Rowan Williams' thoughts:
audio here or read what he had to say here. I saw this at a Methodist minister's blog.

The New York Times has coverage of the families most affected by the events of that day, and GetReligion calls the reflections "amazingly faith free".

"7 Days in September" at GoogleVideo.

I've seen a lot of tribute videos and commemoration sites online marking this 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There is a digital archive here. The Library of Congress site is here. CNN's video archive is here and their coverage for today is here. A 9/11 timeline is here.

This is one of the tribute videos I found:



And another one that's shorter:



Links to video of Osama Bin Laden's response to the tragedy:

part 1

part 2

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 124 (KJV)

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Saturday

Our 3-mile walk took 50 minutes and 2 seconds this morning. We walked later than usual this morning, and there were a lot of people at the track.

Star Trek - Happy 40th Anniversary!

Star Trek in pictures from the BBC.

Space.com's report.

TV.com's report.

Report from CNN.

Robins

I don't think I've ever seen as many robins as I saw at the park yesterday and today during our walks. There were huge flocks, with robins everyhere. I've always liked robins. They were the first birds I drew pictures of as a child.

We walked 3 miles in 52 minutes and 10 seconds.

Stiff

And my shins hurt some. And so do my calves a bit. I'm stretching before and after the walk. We walked the 3 miles at the park in 51 minutes and 6 seconds.

Chilly

It was in the 60's when we set out this morning. We walked the 3 miles in 53 minutes and 43 seconds.

We watched The Holy Thief during lunch and The Pilgrim of Hate before bed.

Fall is coming

It's darker every morning we walk, with the sun setting later each day, and it's been cooler, too. This morning we walked 3 miles in 49 minutes and 49 seconds.

Breakfast: raisin bran and hot tea. Lunch: turkey sandwich, chips, water. Supper: rice and roasted veffies with cheese and walnuts, water and dessert.

We watched The Raven in the Foregate during lunch. We watched The Rose Rent before bed.

Death of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin has died after being stung in the heart by a stingray. Tragic. There are news stories by the score, including stories at CNN.com, BBC News, news.com.au, LiveScience.com,

Tribute video:



More tribute videos are here.

Labor Day

We moved up to 3 miles to day and did it in a little over 55 minutes.

Breakfast: swiss mocha and raisin bran. Lunch & Supper were barbque at Mother's.

Before bed we walked a little over 2 miles in an easy-going 38 minutes and 30 seconds.

We watched A Morbid Taste for Bones, which is one of my favorites of the Cadfaels.

More Cadfael

Tonight we watched "The Virgin in the Ice". #2 Son explained how this presentation differed from the book since he's read the book fairly recently while my reading was so long ago I no longer clearly remember the books.

Worried Man Blues

Worried Man Blues

I takes a worried man to sing a worried song....

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 45 (KJV)

1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.
13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.
16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Saturday

We walked our 2 1/2 miles in 42 minutes and 19 seconds.

Breakfast: raisin bran and hot tea. Lunch: turkey sub sandwich and chips. Supper: hotdog and chips. Dessert for lunch and supper: Sugar Smacks.

We watched more Cadfael videos.

Lazy Day

I overslept and so didn't walk at all.

We watched 3 of the Cadfael videos during our pizza supper.