October 30, 2017 HAVEN'T GOT TIME FOR THE PAIN

BWAK BWAK. Spending so much time on the heating pad--I've had to check to make sure I  haven't laid an egg. SERIOUSLY! This piriformis muscle is SLOWLY getting better. A good friend  recommended a foam roller so I've added that to the regimen.  A lot of stretching too--trying to work the hamstrings--strengthen them so this doesn't happen again. When the piriformis muscle is inflamed it hits the sciatica--hence--PAIN IN THE LOWER BACK--BUTT--LEG. A DULL THROBBING PAIN--much like the beat of heart when enveloped in cotton. Sorry couldn't resist the Poe line. Trying to curtail the running as much as possible. For me that means 2-3 runs a week-- shorter--and much slower. The whole affair--although VERY frustrating-- is just a HICCUP in the big scheme of things. Since tomorrow is Halloween--it seems fitting that I recommend the Master of Macabre himself--Edgar Allen Poe.

Poe was an American writer, critic and poet. He had a sad life that ended too early under suspicious circumstances--which only adds to his allure. He's the Father of Gothic literature and is credited with writing the first detective story way back in 1841--The Murders In the Rue Morgue. I love his short stories and poetry and highly recommend them; especially, this time of year. His writing is powerful, descriptive and frightening. It disturbs the senses and messes with the mind. A few of my favorites include--The Tell-Tale Hearts, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Purloined Letter, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Premature Burial and The Descent into the Maelstrom. His poetry is also wonderful and fun to read--The Raven and Annabel Lee are two that stick out in my mind.  They are not a huge commitment either as Poe believed a short story should be read in one sitting. So, if you haven't read Poe since high school--do yourself a favor and pick up an anthology or read one of his short stories online. They are great fun. BOO!

October 27, 2017 THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY

 THIS WEEK DRAGGED ON AND ON--at a snail's pace.  Couldn't wait to get home and relax in a comfy pair of sweats. NO PLANS--what a RELIEF. Friday night plans are getting harder and harder. I just want to SCHLEP around the house because I've got NOTHING left. Can't make anymore idle chit chat--DON'T WANT TO think--manage or pretend to care. I NEED A BREAK. By Friday afternoon -- I'M TALKED OUT--THUNK OUT-- and can barely MANAGE to find my way home. The CARING thing is another can of worms though. I really DO care--even though I pretend otherwise. HAVE TO KEEP THEM GUESSING. I tease my students relentlessly. I also listen and laugh at their jokes--AND-- let them poke fun at me from time to time. I let them know how proud I am when they're working hard--Conversely--I make no bones about letting them know when they're slacking off. I tell them when they're being idiots and reward them when they change their tune. Once in a while, I even call their parents--BECAUSE I CARE. Helene Hanoff was an author who treasured books and the friendships she forged searching for them.

 If you've ever had a pen pal, this is the book for you. 84, Charing Cross Road is a collection of letters between Helen Hanff and Frank Doel, the chief buyer for Marks & Co., antiquarian booksellers in London, England. Hanff originally contacted the book company in search of an esoteric novel she couldn't locate in Manhattan. Over the next twenty years, their correspondence turned into a long distance friendship that extended to other staff members as well as Doel's wife. The friends exchanged  birthday presents,  Christmas gifts and even food during World War II. Over the years, the letters became about so much more than books as Hanff even planned several trips to visit her friends. Did Hanff ever get to London? Did she  get to see her friends in person? Did she get to browse the shelves at Marks & Co.? Find out for yourself when you read this heartwarming little book. It's only 112 pages --or a 2 mile run--the left me wondering about the lost art of letter writing.

October 25, 2017 TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

Ignorance and fear. Both  BREED--hatred-- division--paranoia. And rob children of their innocence. Case in point--my son plays soccer against other towns. A few days ago, in the middle of the game-- one of the kids from the other team--called one of our players a racial slur. SEVERAL TIMES. The poor kid didn't even know what it meant as he had never heard it before. Innocence lost. THIS WAS AN 11 YEAR OLD SPEWING RACIAL SLURS--WHO WERE HIS PARENTS??  This kid had PROBABLY been fed this kind of BULL his whole life-- will grow up and tell his kids-- the CYCLE WILL GO ON AND ON AND ON. SO SAD. This kind of talk only succeeds in dividing people--Isn't there enough hatred in the world already? PARENTS--WAKE UP. We need to teach tolerance, respect and kindness. TRUTH BE KNOWN--THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT SKIN TONES IS SOLEY BASED ON THEIR ANCESTORS  PROXIMITY TO THE SUN.  Parents are the FIRST teachers of their children--Are you teaching your children well? Although Katey Kontent, the main character in Amor Towles book Rules of Civility lost her parents at a young age, the lessons they taught her lasted a lifetime.

As this wonderful novel unfolds, it's 1966 and Katey and her husband, Val, are visiting the Museum of Modern Art's newest exhibit, Walker Evans' photographs from the 1930's. As the couple stroll through the exhibit, Katey recognizes her old flame, Tinker Grey, in one of the photos. This is the springboard the brings Katey back in time to New York City circa 1937.  Katey, twenty-five years old, lives in a boardinghouse and works in a secretarial pool at a local law firm. After befriending Eve Ross, the two take to the town--spending their free  time in local bars listening to jazz, where they meet Tinker Grey one New Year's Eve. Tinker, a well to do eligible bachelor, befriends the girls and they become inseparable--until an accident changes everything. Towles' prose offers the reader a glimpse into New York City--the clubs--movies--musical styles--skyscraper--cars--of the era. You will feel like you have gone back in time with Katey. And the cast of characters--Katey's circle of friends--Dickey, Wallace, Helen, Anne, to name a few, are unforgettable. Find out about the accident and what happens between Katey, Tinker and Eve that changes everything. This is a book about the choices we make and the mistakes we have to live with. It's about 310 pages or a 4 mile run that I will stay with me for a long time.

October 23, 2017 WITHOUT A WORD OF COMPLAINT

DON'T COMPLAIN. That's my mantra. Not that I whine a lot--I really don't--because NOBODY likes a whiner. And if you think about it--it really doesn't get you anywhere. It only stirs the pot AND WINDS THE WHINER UP MORE--it's a NO win situation.  So I've tried to let it go. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that--PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT--they're just trying to make it through the day--and stay POSITIVE.  GRUMBLING  brings down morale--IT'S NEGATIVE ENERGY--that I can't let-- BRING ME DOWN.  If you think about it--most of the things complained ABOUT are ridiculous.  PEOPLE HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD. So its foolish to ramble on about--BLAH BLAH BLAH. Need to keep it all in perspective. While at the grocery store the other day--I was reminded again of my mantra. The check out clerk said that I didn't look happy about being there. I smiled and said--IT'S JUST ONE OF MY JOBS--then stopped myself. SOME PEOPLE WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO BE AT THE GROCERY STORE TODAY and I'm on my way to visit one of them right now. IT'S ALL GOOD.  If only Mr. Stevens, the narrator of Kazuo Ishiguro's Man Booker Prize winner The Remains of the Day had complained or at least spoken from heart,  his life might have turned out differently.

 Set in England and spanning many decades, Stevens is a butler employed at Darlington Hall who  dedicates his life to the service of Lord Darlington. Just before World War II, Miss Kenton is employed at Darlington Hall as the housekeeper. Over time, the pair develop feelings for each other but Stevens denies them out of loyalty to his master. Miss Kenton eventually finds employment elsewhere and marries a Mr. Bern.  Twenty-two years later, Stevens receives a letter from Mrs Bern. The letter catapults Stevens back to the days before the war, where he reevaluates the of the decisions that shaped his life. Find out what happens when Mr. Stevens and Mrs. Bern finally meet again? What will they decide to do with--The Remains of the Day? This wonderful novel was  made into a movie in 1993 and nominated for 8 Academy Awards. FYI--Ishiguro just won the Nobel Prize for outstanding contributions to literature so you really must take some time to read one of his novels. This one is my favorite. And it's not a huge commitment either. It's only about 240 pages or a 3.5 mile run that will stay with you forever.

OCTOBER 19, 2017 THIS ONE'S FOR THE GIRLS

WHAT happened to my eyebrows?? They've always been one of my BETTER features--the framers of the face and all. I use them all the time--MY EXPRESSION IS LITERALLY WRITTEN ALL OVER MY FACE. I NEED THEM.  THE SAD NEWS--they've STOPPED growing--and the ones I have are turning a PASTY GRAY. Never in a million years did I think I would HAVE TO pencil my brows--BUT I DO!!  SERIOUSLY--the maintenance routine is getting me down. AND if I don't color my hair every SIX weeks--I start looking like my GRANDMOTHER. I hear there's this new spray you can buy to fill in the gray between colors--Just ANOTHER thing to ADD to the maintenance regimen. I've often thought of letting my hair go gray BUT I can't pull it off. Some women look great when they go gray--I'd look like a washed up/out OLD HAG. Then there's the other problem I often think about. TRYING TOO HARD.  There's a fine line between looking GOOD and looking like a FOOL.  Hope someone is kind enough to tell me when the balance slants towards FOOL. I realize this rant is a bit kooky but I can't really help myself sometimes.

Marilyn, the main character in Celeste NG's novel Everything I Never Told You obviously has much bigger issues to deal with when her daughter, Lydia, goes missing. James and Marilyn are parents whose daughter is found drown in a lake in their hometown in Ohio in 1977. Her death forces them to reflect on their lives together and the choices they have made. After an accidental pregnancy, James and Marilyn marry.  Marilyn gives up her dream of becoming a doctor--but later forces her dream on her daughter. This is a story about assumptions, misunderstandings, and lack of communication. These parents mean well, but seem to have it all wrong. They don't really know their children at all. Lydia is actually a loner with marginal grades who pretends she is someone else to keep her parents happy. Her brother is actually the brains of the family, but is  ignored in an effort to make Lydia doctor material.  Unbeknownst to her parents, Lydia is also involved with her neighbor James. What actually happened to Lydia that night on the dock? How could her parents have been so blind? Did James have anything to do with Lydia's death? Find out the answer to these questions and many more when you read this winner of several awards including the Amazon Book of the Year in 2014. It's a pretty easy read of about 300 pages or a 3.5 mile run that made me think more about the people I live with and the assumptions and misunderstandings common in all families.

October 16, 2017 DON'T YOU WANT ME

 It's not their fault--it's MAN-I-FEST-DESTINY. Let me get this straight. People are actually shocked about Harvey Weinstein?? Don't you get it???? It's their GOD GIVEN RIGHT. IT'S SIMPLE-- JUST  do the math.   MONEY+ POWER + SUPER DUPER GIANT EGO  = I CAN HAVE WHATEVER I WANT. Women have been dealing with this since the beginning of time. Right?? What did Bob Dylan say?? THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'. We're living in a new world--AND--it's time to pay the PIPER. NO more sweeping this BUSINESS under rug. NO ONE IS IMMUNE ANYMORE.  Woody Allen, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Bill O'Reilly and even the President of our own United States-- Donald J. Trump. BEWARE--NO TELLING WHERE THE CHIPS ARE GONNA FALL. Remind me-- HOW in the HELL is he still the president???  Didn't we all hear him bragging to Billy Busch last year about groping women?? I'm sure there are a slew of OTHER women with dirt on him just waiting to come out of the woodwork. HE SHOULD BE VERY NERVOUS. Men really abuse their power in Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel from 1986 The Handmaid's Tale too.

In this world gone array, A fanatical Christian movement has overthrown the United States government.  They reorganize society and severely limit women's right. This is a world where the Old Testament is taken literally.  Women are not allowed to read or write or engage in conversation with women from other castes as each caste is required to follow rules and procedures in accordance with their caste and color.  Offred, the main character and narrator of this tale, has been trained to be a handmaid. She's a woman kept for reproductive purposes--signified by the color red. Offred is sent to live with a commander and his wife because his wife is unable to reproduce. Through Offred's eyes, the reader learns about her life as a handmaid and the life she lived before the world changed when she was a wife and mother.  This is a chilling account of what can in any society if taken over by a fanatical group. Find out what ultimately happens to Offred. Will she reproduce as per her caste? Will she ever be reunited with her husband and daughter? Will this new world survive or will the United States win back their land? Find out when you read this winner of several awards including the Booker Award in 1986. This novel has been released as a movie, opera and of late a mini-series because it's that good. It's only about 300 pages --a 4 mile run--that will make you thankful you don't live in Gilead.

October 14, 2017 PAINT IT, BLACK

The struggle. It's real. The aches and pains of getting older. These days I feel like I'm falling apart. If it's not one thing it's another--BUTT--BACK--LEG--CLOGGED EARS. What next?? Literally feel like I'm one step away from the CURB. Spending all my time with my new best friends--ICE PACK and HEATING PAD.  Trying to stay positive THOUGH.   At least I'm still moving albeit a little SLOWER these days. Woke up to a light rain this morning. ROLL OVER or get my SORRY BUTT OUT OF BED--that was the question. After considering my options for a whole 5 seconds--I  dragged  my weary body out of bed and ran.  It was actually a decent run--ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.  My gait is definitely off--but I muddled through AND I'M SO GLAD I DID. Running is my saving grace REALLY and I'd be lost without it. Today was the Hartford Marathon. Nice course with music and fun people.  I've run the 1/2 twice. GOOD TIMES. Good luck to all the runners---don't forget to have one for me in the beer garden. Maybe next year. We all need an outlet to alleviate stress and even depression and no one felt this more than Esther Greenwood in Sylvia Plath's classic The Bell Jar. 

Sadly, this novel was semi-autobiographical and mirrored  Plath's own experience with clinical depression. Esther Greenwood, the main character,  struggled with many of the issues that plagued Plath and other women of her generation. In this case, society's ideal of the white middle-class woman. Esther could not accept this fate as she felt like a prisoner--bound by unwritten rules. She felt stifled  and  eventually fell into a deep depression that she described as feeling as though she was trapped under a bell jar. As the depression worsened, Esther endured shock therapy by an unsympathetic male doctor.  After a failed suicide attempt, she finally got the help she needed after being committed to a mental institution.  There, under the care of a woman doctor,  Esther learned to live again on her own terms. This beautifully written book was Platt's only novel as she was actually a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. This classic is still being read in high schools everywhere for good reason. Pick up a copy. It's only  250 pages --or  a 4 mile run that has stood the test of time.

October 12, 2017 SPLIT DECISION

We make decisions every day. Most are innocuous--others life changing.  How do we know the difference?? Sometimes we don't. I often think back to when I was young and REALLY DUMB. I made some  BAD BAD decisions and THANKFULLY SURVIVED THEM. Life is sometimes like that old television show Let's Make a Deal. How do we know which door to choose? SCARY. One of the best decisions--PURE happenstance--I ever made was at the tender age of fourteen.  Life wasn't easy living with my mother--and on a WHIM--I called my father and moved in with him. Don't get me wrong--it wasn't easy living with my father and his family either BUT the alternative was worse. It scares me to think about where I'd be today had I not made THAT--door number 1, 2, or 3--decision. It was the BEST decision for ME at the time because I was one step away from out of control. The move was positive in many ways but  not without its own set of consequences.  Decisions are tough to make but what can be even harder sometimes is living with the repercussions.  This is exactly what happens to Richard Middlestein in Jamie Attenberg's The Middlesteins.

After more than thirty years of marriage, Richard, a pharmacist  living in Chicago, decides he wants a  divorce. Richard and his wife Edie have been miserable for many years. It seems that Edie's true love is Food. She is a food addict--tipping the scale at about 350 pounds. In addition to her weight problem, Edie is a diabetic facing several surgeries because of her obsession. Doctor's have warned her to change her eating habits or die. Richard's had enough. He's given up on her. He wants his life back before he's too old to enjoy it.  After Richard leaves his wife, his children are devastated. His daughter Robin will barely speak to him and his son Benny's wife Rachel has cut him off. No more visits with his grandchildren and no b'nai mitzvah party. This is the story of the choices we make and the people who are affected by those choices--extended family, neighbors, old friends. A lesson that Richard learns too late. Will Edie change her eating habits? Will Richard and Edie get back together? Will his children forgive him?? Will Richard go to the party? Find the answer to these questions and many more when you read this book about a family that is both hilarious and heartbreaking. This novel is about 270 pages or a 3.5 mile run that will make you think twice about the choices you make.

October 9, 2017 I HOPE YOU DANCE

Regardless of the STRANGE weather we've been having--it's still apple crisp season in my house. Rounded up the FAM--a huge undertaking--and set off to do some apple picking last Saturday. It's a tradition--and my daughter LOVES tradition--a 3 hour drive to pick apples--NO PROBLEM. I'm sure my oldest son didn't REALLY want to go--but he's a trooper--so he'd never let us down. He understands how important it is to spend time with family. SO GLAD my daughter insists on sticking to ALL of our traditions because they are important. Every family has them--little things they do together--that keep  them connected. A glue that helps bind them together. A comfort too. Just spending a few hours  together--the way we used to--before one jettisons off to Michigan for the week and the other back to Boston until Thanksgiving. In a world as chaotic and unsettling as ours, traditions remind us what's really important--family. I just finished reading a wonderful book, Inside the O'Briens, about a close Irish Catholic family who have to learn  to deal with the effects of Huntington's disease.

Lisa Genova, the author of this novel, is also a neuroscientist whose understanding of medicine is paramount. Through Inside the O'Briens, she brings this devastating disease to life in the main character Joe O'Brien. Joe is a 43 year old police officer living in Charlestown, Ma. He is a devoted husband and father of four who is diagnosed with Huntington's disease after dealing with involuntary movement, disorganized thinking and temper tantrums for several years. Genova wrote this book to raise awareness of Huntington's disease and teach people what it's like for not only the patient, but also the family, to live and deal with this deadly disease that has no treatment or cure. Huntington's disease is a genetic disease---passed from one generation to the next. Joe's children have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease--which begs the question--should they be tested. As Joe's four children grapple with this question, Joe has to learn to live with a disease that's essentially tearing him apart. He has to learn to appreciate every moment of every day--a lesson we should all learn. This essential book is about 350 pages--or a 4 mile run--that we should all read. Awareness & Hope matter.

October 4, 2017 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

The Second Amendment needs to reviewed and changed to REFLECT THE TIMES WE ARE LIVING IN:

*10/1/17--58 KILLED approximately 537 injured--Las Vegas Country Music Festival
*6/12/16--49 KILLED approximately 50 injured--Night club in Orlando
*12/2/15--14 KILLED wounded unknown--Employee gathering in San Bernardino
*6/17/15--9 KILLED wounded unknown--Church in South Carolina
*12/14/12--26 KILLED--wounded unknown--Sandy Hook Elementary School
*7/20/12--12 KILLED--wounded unknown--Movie Theatre in Colorado
*4/16/07--32 KILLED --wounded unknown--Virginia Tech

THIS IS A PARTIAL LIST--SO COMMON THESE DAYS THAT WE ALL JUST SHAKE OUR HEADS THEN PUT IT OUT OF OUR MINDS--POWERLESS TO STOP IT.
IS THERE NO END TO THIS INSANITY?? WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO CARE MORE ABOUT PEOPLE--LESS ABOUT MONEY??
BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!

*The economic impact in 2016 of the firearms and ammunition industry in the United States was $42.9 BILLION DOLLARS.
*In 2016 the NRA spent 4 MILLION on lobbying/contributions to politicians.
*The NRA spent 30 MILLION to help TRUMP get elected.
*The NRA is one of the most POWERFUL interest groups in politics.
*The NRA is 5 MILLION members strong and growing.
*The NRA is so powerful that POLITICIANS ARE AFRAID OF THEM--the NRA can make or break careers.

Add these facts together and--THE PEOPLE WITH THE MONEY WIN--AGAIN.
WHERE ARE THE VOICES OF REASON?? At least I can still count on David McCullough when the chips are down. McCullough is one of the most honored historians in American history. He just wrote a wonderful book to remind Americans what makes our country special. It's called The American Spirit Who We Are and What We Stand For. This little nugget should be required reading for all Americans as it is a humbling look at where we came from and where we as a country are going. McCullough looks back at our history as he discusses some of his most important speeches--he has spoken before Congress, the White House, as well as colleges and institutions across the United States. He is urging the American public to look beyond political parties--go back to what made America great--and what continues to make us uniquely American today. AND he knows what he's talking about. This is  a man who has won two National Book Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Francis Parkman Prizes, the National Book Foundation American Letters Award, the National Humanities Medal, The Gold Medal for Biography AND 54 honorary degrees. He has spent his life writing about our Nation's history so take some time to read this book. It's actually quite short--only 160 pages or a 3 mile run that will inspire you to greatness.

October 2, 2017 SHAKE YOUR BOOTY

Piriformis Syndrome. Fanny--derriere--haunches--rump--bum--behind--rear. Okay--my BUTT HURTS. It's A DULL ache and tightness in the GLUTEAL MUSCLES--DEEP IN THE BUTTOCKS--that radiates down the back of my leg. The good news--WHO KNEW I HAD MUSCLES IN MY BUTT--I would've bet money that it was all FAT!  The bad news--it really makes it hard to run. ACTUALLY supposed to STOP running for a bit to let it heal. I've been stretching and icing--trying to work the BUTT-but it's SLOW going. OKAY DON'T LAUGH--I've only been trying to work out the KINK for 24 hours--EVEN THOUGH--I've had the injury for quite a while. I was in DENIAL. Runners aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. WE THINK--we can RUN "THROUGH IT" but we're actually just making it WORSE. I'm sure that every ache & pain I've had over the last month or so is because I've been compensating for the BUTT!! DUMB--DUMB--DUMB. Will I ever learn?????? Probably not. Most of us don't want to admit anything is wrong right? This is an issue Lucy Barton has been wrangling with first in Elizabeth Strout's My Name is Lucy Barton and it's sequel that I am currently reading called Anything is Possible.

If you loved Olive Kitteridge--THIS is the book for you. Strout returns to the short story format linking each  to Lucy Barton and her family. The characters are so richly drawn that they could be --neighbors,  friends or relatives. Strout has the unique ability to portray real people--the good and the bad--sorrow--joy--and every emotion in between. Her characters are flawed in many ways; people who are struggling to understand themselves and others. She can also capture small town life --in this case a small town in Illinois--in such a way that the reader feels part of the scenery. In this installment,  we meet several people who live in Lucy's hometown and we  learn about Lucy's childhood through their eyes. We also meet her sister and brother--when Lucy returns home after a 17 year absence. This wonderful story is about the bonds of family--even in a family as dysfunctional as hers--and the hope that anything is possible. This novel is only about 250 pages--or a 3 mile run that is dear to my heart.  In order to really appreciate this book, I  definitely recommend reading My Name is Lucy Barton FIRST because most of the characters in the first book reappear in the second book, linking the two as they come full circle.