December 16, 2016 NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT

I saw a few die hards or crazies out running in sub zero temperatures yesterday. One was in shorts and the other shirtless with some type of cape on. Maybe he was a superhero. Who knows??  Anyways, after seeing the guy in shorts, I thought to myself--HHMM maybe I should brave the extreme elements too.  I'm sort of crazy like that-- luckily-- my slightly saner side won out and talked me into going to the gym. The extreme cold and wind are a killer on the skin and vanity always wins--as I figure I need all the help I can get keeping my skin in GLOWING condition. Many people don't have the luxury to worry about their skin though--and I saw that first hand while working at the soup kitchen last night. At least a hundred men, women and children braved the cold because they were in need of a decent meal. Many showed the effects of the cold and wind--red faced, disheveled and wind blown. Others lacked gloves, hats, scarves or even a decent coat to keep out the cold. We provided a nice, warm meal and I'm hoping they all found a warm place to rest their weary bodies for the night.

I know that my problems are really insignificant--merely jokes in the face of the harshness of the world and I am thankful for that, however, the three main characters in Marie-Helene Bertino's debut novel 2 A.M. At The Cat's Pajama are pretty down and out. It's Christmas Eve and 9 year old Madeleine has had a hard day. Everyone at school hates her and she's been sent home again with lice. Her grief stricken father is almost paralyzed with sadness at the recent death of her mom, and aspiring jazz singer Madeleine has never felt more alone. Meanwhile, her new fifth grade teacher, Sarina Greene, is also having a rough holiday season.  Recently divorced, Sarina has moved back to Philadelphia where she has reluctantly agreed to meet up with some old school friends including an old flame for dinner.  Across town, Lorca, the owner of the famous Jazz club, The Cat's Pajama, is up against a wall. If he can't raise 30,000 dollars by Christmas he will have to close his beloved bar forever.  Find out what happens to these three lost souls--each  searching for something different--music-love-hope when you read 2 A.M. At The Cat's Pajama.  The writing is good and the characters in this book are wonderfully written. You will root for all of them to find what they are searching for in this easy to read page turner of about 290 pages. It's about a 3 mile run-cold but not icy-that will warm your heart this holiday season.

December 14, 2016 TAKE IT EASY

Feeling pretty stressed out this week mostly because I haven't been able to run--compound that with getting ready for Christmas, a list of presents I still need to buy,  midterm exams to administer and correct AND  grades are due--BREATHE. I really need a run but it's not going to happen until tomorrow. This is day three. It's bad.  It's really hard for me to go more than two days without a run because I start to feel anxious and my mind works overtime. Then I get sad--because many people are coping with all kinds of tragedies this holiday season and I can't help them.  Remember when your kids were little and they really thought a bandaid or kiss fixed every problem or boo boo?? How I long for those days again--but the reality is-- we have such little control-- life is complicated and most problems can't be fixed with a bandaid--we have to learn to live and cope with them. And that's the hard part. These days when people ask me what I want for Christmas--it's simple-- I just want everyone healthy and happy. What more is there in life?? So tomorrow when I finally get my run in--I will put everything back in perspective. I can't help those facing tragedy this holiday season, but I can try to be the best version of myself and be thankful for all that I have.

I think Antoine De Saint-Exupery's little book A Guide for Grown-ups Essential Wisdom from his collection of books really captures the meaning of life and puts everything in perspective. Saint-Exupery was a pilot, a patriot, and  an award winning writer of several books including The Little Prince, Wind, Sand and Stars and The Wisdom of the Sands. He had an interesting life including crashing a plane and wandering around the Sahara Desert in 1935, as a patriot during WWII leaving occupied France to seek aid from America and finally in 1944  disappearing over the Mediterranean on a reconnaissance mission--to name a few. What interested him most was the human condition which is a theme that appears in all of his novels. He wrote about friendship, duty, happiness, love,  responsibility, and fortitude. A Guide for Grown-ups is a collection of quotations from Saint-Exupery's body of work that are not only beautiful but inspirational. One that  always sticks with me is, "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." How true. Anyways, I read this book every once in a while and it makes me smile. It's a great gift for a college graduate because Saint-Exupery captures the essence of what is really important in life. This book is only about 60 pages--a 2 mile leisurely run--that will stick with you forever. Enjoy!

December 11, 2016 ALL BY MYSELF

It's hard to psych yourself up to run ALONE in the COLD--it was 22 degrees when I went out this morning.  I know my comrade has a life outside of running--something about an anniversary blah blah blah---BUT GOING AWAY ON THE FIRST EXTREMELY COLD WEEKEND, PLEASE!! Don't worry--I forged ahead--have to keep  our reputation in check-- and it really wasn't that bad even though it gets hard to breath when it's really cold. We have had such great weather for so long that it is a shocking change to the system but  hey--it's already the middle of December and this is the first time I had to wear my winter running garb. Can't complain--just need my comrade to come back because there is no way I can run through the winter without her--it's a lonely world out there.

It's also a lonely world for Hig, the main character and narrator of Peter Heller's book The Dog Stars.
Set in the distant future, Hig is a pilot from Denver, Colorado, who somehow survives a virus that has wiped out 99% of the population. His wife and everyone he cares about is dead except his dog, Jasper.  He lives in an abandoned airfield with one other person, a gun toting maniac named Bangley. It's the Apocalypse--survival of the fittest. The trio spend most of their time searching for supplies, food and  protecting the perimeter of the airfield from undesirables. One day Hig hears a transmission pleading for help on his Cessna radio--outside the point of no return. It's a woman's voice. Hig starts to feel hopeful for a future. Maybe a different future, but a future at that--if he has the courage to follow the voice. Find out what happens to Hig, Jasper and Bangley in this frighteningly realistic look at a future that could happen.  It's a thought provoking book too--would you want to be a survivor? What happens to people that survive this type of tragedy? Not sure what I'd want to do. Anyway, it's a pretty easy read at about 320 pages or a 5 mile run--that will stick with you long after you finish the last page.

December 9, 2016 CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS

It really is pitch black out at 5:00 p.m. Only know this fact because I went out for my first night run and it felt like midnight. It was very quiet--only a few cars on the road, some college kids scurrying to the cafeteria and the REAL DIEHARDS. The only saving grace for me was the street lights. Luckily, we are blessed with many street lights so I felt relatively safe out there. It's hard to run at night though--afraid to get hit by a car because vision is limited.   I also like to listen to music when I'm alone  so that's two senses compromised--can't hear or see well--it's dark AND I can't wear my glasses-- so I feel like I'm at the mercy of cars, coyotes, sidewalk cracks and the boogie man. Even though I know the Boogie isn't real, shadows lurk at night and set the mind in motion--coyotes are also known to walk down the middle of the street  so I'm hoping that I actually scare them away--and sidewalk cracks are the bane of my existence, hence, why I run in the road even at night. Not too smart I know, but it's either fall and break my neck or risk getting hit by a car. Anyways, while I was running and contemplating how dark it was out, I thought about the blind-- because without the street lights I literally would have been blind. It must be hard to go blind, especially, if you have had the sense of sight your entire life. This is the premise of Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago's  novel  Blindness.

In this timeless story, an epidemic has hit an unknown city in an unknown country. The epidemic is called "white blindness."  In an attempt to quarantine the sick,  authorities take the first 8 victims to an empty mental hospital. These 8 people become the main characters in the story. They do not have names other than-the doctor, his wife, the boy etc. as they represent everyman.  After spending a considerable amount of time together, they forge an unlikely  family unit. The hospital is eventually overwhelmed with victims of white blindness and chaos ensues. Rationed food is stolen, women are raped, filth and dead bodies take over the hallways--it is truly survival of the fittest. The 8 original people are lucky though--one of them is not really blind but couldn't bare to leave her spouse. This is the only person in the hospital of hundreds  not affected by white blindness.  Find out what happens next as an inept government tries to keep order in the face of disaster when you read this great--actually frightening story. Saramago makes us think about the nature of disaster, the human condition and begs the question--How would you handle a disaster??? This is a beautifully written book of about 350 pages or about a 6 miles run that you will never forget.   By the way, I am in the middle of the sequel--Seeing--and it is equally disturbing.

December 6, 2016 ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

I had this kid in one of my classes who was a great runner. We talked about running and even joked about going for a run together sometime. That sometime never came though as I learned today that he died in a tragic accident. Death. It's  especially difficult when it's a kid. No proms, driver's license, the thrill of turning 21--things we all take for granted. Everyday we tell ourselves not to take things for granted but they are simply words we say or hear whose gravity can't be felt without a barometer. Life really is fragile though  and unfortunately it sometimes takes a tragedy like this to remind us. I've had many discussions with my students over the years where I have asked them why we need pain--either physical, emotional or mental. We always come to the same conclusion-- we  can't truly appreciate love, emotional well-being or even physical pain if we have never experienced its counterpart. Unfortunately, it's our barometer and today was a painful reminder of that lesson. When I think of this particular student though, I think of  his smile, wit and ability to think outside of the box. We read a great book together in seventh grade that he absolutely loved as much as I did because he got it on every level, so I'd like to review it today in remembrance of him.
 It's the classic The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster with great illustrations by Jules Feiffer. This is a great book for middle school students and adults because it is cleverly written. It's filled with complex humor including wordplay, puns, and idioms that are taken literally. Poor Milo, the main character, is bored with everything-school, friends, toys--you name it. One day he goes to his room and there waiting for him is a car and a magic tollbooth.  So, Milo gets in--quite bored with the situation--starts the car and travels through the tollbooth and finds himself in the Kingdom of Wisdom---where he is charged with  a quest to save Rhyme and Reason, two princesses in exile at the Castle in the Air.  It's a great adventure story as Milo travels through the doldrums, the island of conclusions, the mountains of ignorance, the foothills of confusion and several other towns where he meets an array of hilarious, strange characters who make the journey even more fun. This classic novel has sold over 3 million copies and can be read on so many levels. I read it as a kid and then as an adult and  loved it even more.  Jester not only tells a great story but teaches many lessons that are extremely important including the importance of education and questioning authority to name a few. Join Milo on his adventure--it's only about 250  fun filled pages or a 3 mile run you will never forget. RIP, friend.

December 4, 2016 IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

 Today on my run I saw-- a cowboy snowman , a snowflake ferris wheel, a few angels, assorted figurines from the island of unwanted toys including the abominable snowman, a plethora of toy soldiers, giant noel candles, several reindeer and many Christmas inflatables deflated on the ground. Oh yeah, I didn't see a santa but I saw a pair of lions--I'm not sure they had anything to do with Christmas but you never know. Anyways,  can't wait to drive around at night to get the full effect! Some people have SOOO  much stuff that it's even difficult to  see their houses. I guess those are the REAL Christmas aficionados--Bless you-- the kids love it.  There are a few houses I look forward to seeing every year and I am happy to report that they were busy setting up this morning to add to the Christmas cheer. I just love admiring everyone's unique collection of outdoor Christmas decorations. It gets crazier every year--Last year I even saw an inflatable outhouse for Santa! I do have to wonder though--where do they keep all of their Christmas paraphernalia  when it is not on display--HHUUMM--maybe they rent out a storage facility?? This all reminds me of a great book I read a few years back about a couple who decided not to participate in the whole Christmas rigamarole called Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.

In this hilarious story, Luther and Nora Krank--long standing Christmas aficionados in a neighborhood that even holds an annual decorating contest--decide to take the year off of Christmas. No cards, No tree, No presents--especially unwanted ones--No annual Christmas party--No hickory honey ham. A FULL BOYCOTT OF ANYTHING CHRISTMAS. Their daughter Blair is abroad working for the Peace Corps, so they decide to spend their money on a cruise instead. This plan sounds simple enough except that their home will be the only one in their tight knit neighborhood not decorated with a Frosty on the roof-- and their neighbors will not stand for it. There will be no BAH HUMBUG in their neighborhood. The pressure mounts as their neighbors rally against them in an effort to force them to celebrate Christmas. Just when the Kranks think they have escaped Christmas,  they get a last minute call from their daughter--she has decided to come home  to spend Christmas with her family. YIKES. Find out how the neighborhood rallies at the sixteenth hour to help  Blair come home to a traditional Christmas with friends and family. I really enjoyed reading this novel and laughed out loud several times. It's only about 250 pages or a 3 mile run that will put a smile on your face and help you through the rigamarole we call Christmas.

December 1, 2016 DID YOU EVER HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND

Major decisions.  Run at 5:00 p.m.-- it's pitch black--or go to the gym. Next--factor in the rain. So-- I keep waiting.......rain gets worse. Run in the dark while it's raining or go to the gym??? Of course I wait until the last minute to decide--check the weather channel--one more time-- now there's a 90% chance of rain--I give up--go to the gym. Crazy--but that's how much I hate going to the gym.  I went--and it really wasn't that bad--I guess--but running outside seems so much easier to me. The gym can be a traumatic experience for me--Not sure why--let me reflect. HHUUMM--It's really hot at the gym--almost desert-like--have to wear shorts--did I shave my legs???  Running into people--I don't care what I look like when I run outside but being in a public place is different--remember my vanity. Making conversation with the people I run into at the gym-- when I just want to get to that damn machine and get it done. When I am out for a run, I can just wave and smile and it's all good.
Staying on  the machine for 45-55 minutes--it's really hard.   When I go for a run I know my route--I can't stop and get off before it's over. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of  the trials and tribulations of running after the time change. Believe me though-- I am fully aware most people have real decisions to make in life and I feel blessed that this is currently my biggest problem.
This is not true for most people, especially, a retired major living in a small village in England in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Major Ernest Pettigrew lives a simple life in Edgecombe St. Mary. He is a man who values what any proper Englishman should--honor, duty, decorum, and a good cup of tea. After his brother suddenly dies, Pettigrew inherits a family heirloom--that everyone else wants. He also forms a friendship with the shopkeeper in town named Mrs. Jasmine Ali. They have both lost their spouses and enjoy getting together to share a nicely brewed cup of tea and discuss literature. Simple enough or so it would seem. Their friendship starts to blossom into something more which is unacceptable to English society and culture because she is from Pakistan--a foreigner. While this romance is budding, the story also revolves around Pettigrew's son Roger and his American girlfriend as they arrive on the scene eager to stop the shinanigans AND get a hold of the family heirloom because he needs the money.  Will Major Pettigrew overlook Mrs. Ali's heritage? Will he ignore social norms and  upset the whole village? Will his son abscond with the heirloom? Read this great debut novel that is quirky, funny but in many ways a reflection of our society even today, to find out more.  It's about 350 pages or a 5 mile run--that is beautifully written and hard to put down. Enjoy.