100 miles by Moving Day

Sunday Sonnet

Of all of life's unending shifts and strides
The Move is one that keeps a strange allure
to uproot where the present self resides
and take the home, and all it's crap, on tour.
To enlist weary friends in petty tasks,
like where to put the box of porcelain cows
or invite questions: "Why have all these flasks?"
and stretch the patience your friendship allows.
And spending thirty minutes on a couch,
turning all ways to fit it through a door,
only to sour into an ornery grouch
and concede to leave "The Beast" on the first floor.
   And if, once finished, you think you're in the clear,
   Don't fret, odds are we'll move again next year.

Haiku of the Day:

100 miles ran

over the month of August

Sore, tired and proud

Todays Drawing (Inspired by the word "permutation" procured from the Merriam-Webster word of the day.)

Today's "365" Project (Ten word sci-fi story. GO!)

Professor Crumple, after attending his Moon funeral, bent time backward.

Counts and Measures

Someone Saturday: Write from the point of view of a character, real or imagined.

The contents of Len's coffee upended onto himself and a handsy couple on the train. The couple gasped and cursed and threatened at Len, but they might as well have been screaming at a chair or a parking garage. For you see, Len was simply elsewhere, hovering lazily over the coast of Iceland, contemplating volcanic activity and cancer from cell phones and blue whales. Len did this often when he was in public spaces. It made the lives of everyone else around him easier for him to bear.

Len stepped out at the next stop, exiting the train amidst the frenzied spittle of the couple, having transferred their unity from sex to rage. He turned and waved dully at them as the train doors closed, after being presented with two witchy scowls and a Ganeshian foursome of middle fingers. The train's red brake lights sucked Len back from Iceland, and he realized, unsurprisingly, that he was on the wrong side of town entirely. So Len climbed the steps up to transfer from outgoing to incoming and sat next to a twitchy blind man, feverishly playing an erhu.

 Len spent a long while watching the man's knobby little fingers, deft and furious at their task, producing such a screechingly maddening cacophony that most people coming to the stop either turned right around, or rushed to the farthest end of the boarding area. Len didn't mind, as he was deep in the man's hands. He knew what they had built, what they had wrought and caressed and held. He saw what they had suffered, through time and labor and hardship, to be there playing for him. He pulled strength from the teeming history of the erhu player's hands and began to openly weep as the blind man came to an especially jaunty and erratic part of his song. All the love in the universe fell onto Len in that single moment, and he knew what it was to be real and alive.

Unfortunately for Len and the subway staff, a pea-sized globule of cholesterol stopped up an artery in Len's brain and he collapsed to the floor, dead before he hit the ground. The erhu player paused for a moment as he felt Len's errant soul pass through his navel, and then continued with his grating melody, filling the cement tunnels with the glut of his barbed aria.

Haiku of the Day:

The hulking beast wakes,

adjusts his human skin quilt,

and falls back asleep.

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "cap-a-pie" from the Merriam-Webster word of the day. It means "head to toe.")

Today's "365" Project (make something with numbers. I took a series of picture of the numbers I saw on my way to the store.)

"Walk by Numbers"

Paper Frogs and Baby Birds

Friendly Friday: Speak about an individual who makes me grateful.

This is a tough one to start, because I have been blessed with so many kind people in my life. But I think it's best to begin with the first stranger I remember being kind to me: Ghandi.

Not that Ghandi.

When I was little, I was woefully inept and socially oblivious. I was able to forge meaningful relationships in my classroom environments and at home I had the upper hand, being the eldest, but I ran into the greatest difficulty in transit. The bus could be hell. People just didn't want to sit next to me for some reason...except for one, gap-toothed overweight Indian kid named Ghandi. We struck up a casual seat-buddy friendship and he took me under his wing. He was kind and made me origami frogs. He was an unabashed exile, and I was recruited to be in exile with him. I have no idea what we spoke of, or if we spoke at all. It feels like sometimes the whole exchange was conducted in silence, with an unspoken understanding of our suffering and our alliance. He was a few years ahead of me, so he wasn't my seat-buddy for long, but I did keep all his frogs. There was something magical, something sacred about them.

Years later, Ghandi was the drum major for the marching band. I was a drummer myself, but we didn't interact much, and I don't know if he even remembered me. But there was one interaction I recall vividly:

My best friend Isaac and I were hanging out in the summer-leased dorms at Adrian college, plotting mischief and eating sunflower seeds, and Ghandi entered the doorway of our room. He stood there for just a moment, and we exchanged glances anxiously, curious as to why this upperclassmen chose to give us the time of day.

(Note: It's important to know that Isaac is of Japanese descent at this point.)

Ghandi took a breath, and with a stone cold gaze at me exclaimed, "What up Cracka?" then he turned to Isaac. "Nip." and then left the room. We broke out laughing, because no one would believe that this mild-mannered guy would have called us both racial slurs and he knew it, and that's why he did it in the first place. But the intention wasn't out of hatred, it was a way to bring us in, make us feel accepted. One man's slur is another boy's origami frog.

What a guy.

Haiku of the Day:

Bizarre day, traversing

a conscious realm unfettered

with bleary sight-lines

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Precocial" snagged from the Merriam-Webster word of the day. Meaning: Having a high degree of activity after birth.)

Today's "365" Project (Buy a new thing from the grocery store, (in my case it was beer,) and make something out of it.)

"GETSLIMCRASH: The Screaming Ring"

Compulsions: Itchy and Puzzling

Tell-all Thursday

Today is an itchy day. Some days are contented, warm bath days and others are OHMYGODIMONFIRE days, but today is an itchy one. The itch settles somewhere at the base of my neck, and then tickles incessantly throughout the course of the day. Some days the itch is obvious: "I want sleep but you have shit to do." or "Mexican food. Mexican food NOW"  Other days it's super vague, this weird ghost of "I want something, not sure what, but if it doesn't happen soon, shit's going to get real." Today is a particularly vague one, the discontent and fever bubbling close to the service, obfuscated by a Vaseline haze. There are many way to combat this itch, most are either a type of salve or distraction, but rarely does anything get to the root of the cause. And if I give in and unleash a solid, nail-heavy scratch, that thing will bleed and itch for DAYS. But let's have today be different. Let's look that sucker right in the tickle spot and figure out where it came from.

Alright, so at first glance the whole thing just shied away...I scared it just by looking at it.

And now it's in league with the self-conscious doubty parts of my brain and telling me this whole thing is stupid and I should really be focusing on more important things. Stay strong Chodos. You're here for the duration.

NOW it's starting to squirm, REALLY making things itchy up in here. Trying to convince me the itch is dissatisfaction with my job, with who I am, with what I'm doing with my life. Clever girl. A commendable route but that's not the itch's route. The itch runs deeper than that. You can't fool me itch. I got you on the ropes.

And there it is. The bite hole. The point of entry. Now just a bit of forensics and we can call it a...oh shit. I looked in the entry wound and it was a reflection. A portrait of myself, steely-eyed and driven, with wild hair and heavy breaths. Touche little itch. I reach in, and just ever slightly graze my own face from my side of the ether. And in that moment I can feel the touch, and my features melt and I begin to weep. I pull the subdued madman out from the wound and cradle him in my arms until he falls asleep.

The day is no longer an itchy one. A battle won. Here's to tomorrow you terrible, wondrous itch.

Haiku of the Day:

Rehearsal cancelled

The gift of time restored to

a haggard young man

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "pica" gleaned from Merriam-Webster's word of the day. It's an eating disorder where you have the compulsion to eat things with no nutritional value.)

Today's "365" Project (Use a tangram...old Chinese puzzle. After putting these together, I decided to look up some designs. I was thoroughly humbled. On the other hand, it does come from one of the oldest cultures in the world, and I played with these for like, 15 minutes, so I can't feel too bad.)

 "Alf?"

"Warrior"

"Rocket"

 "Flower"

"Frog"

Derisive Flowers and Reciting Run

Wacky Wednesday!

Pounding head throb monster beats at the cage bars and screams inanities into poised wine glasses. Things shatter and I holler as the shards land and slice deep into the squishy cavern walls. Beat. Beat. Beat. BAAAAAAA! Humidity and headache and displacement and nothing short of spinning yikes pain spiral.

Week 9! Gotta keep me honest before moving into the new place.

Stats:
Running Mileage: 133.78/1,000
Push-ups: 825/10,000
Sit-ups: 730/10,000
Pages Read: 2343/10,000
Books Completed: 7/25
Word Written: 11984/100,000

Fasts (Days without)
Internet: 11/100
TV: 31/100
Gaming: 58/100
Meat: 15/100
Junk: 11/100
Booze: 13/100

Decided to up my book challenge to 10,000 pages because it's going so well. Otherwise, it's pretty typical. Running is catching up, and I've got 18 miles left to do before the end of August to make it to 100 for this month. Going to re-up the challenge for September if possible (though I will be starting the show this month...might be a tad more difficult.) Once Emily and I get to the new place, we're going to trying being more conscious of pre-making food, which will help in the Meat and Junk departments. Not surfing the internet while taking breaks at work is hard, so I'm still working out the behavioral kinks in that one. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good with where I stand, though hitting the 25th of Sept may be sobering, as everything should be hitting the "25" mark, and that probably won't happen for must of them. We shall see.

Haiku of the Day:

Artificial and

muted is my state due to

fluorescent lighting

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Fleer" from Merriam-Webster's word of the day. It means a look of derision or mockery. It's one of Shakespeare's many word innovations.)

Today's "365" Project (Do something self-portraity. Sooooo I took video of me reciting a sonnet while running through a park)

"We all wear masks...metaphorically speaking."

Ten Tuesday anyone? Let's give it a shot.

Ten Mind-Blowing/Unfiltered things I thought about today:

1. The President poops. Like today there was some point where Obama pulled down he pants, had a seat, and did his business while playing candy crush or something. And that applies to EVERYONE: bosses, bus-drivers, models on billboards, that entitled Masshole who almost ran me over with his petty cab, cute baristas, popes...the list is endless. Like it's always in the back of your mind but once you give it some focus...it takes Everybody Poops to a whole new level.

2. My age is 3 cubed....but in terms of a full fledged adult with a fully developed brain I am a toddler. Like, I've had my completely developed brain for less time than the cube root of my age. And some people have toddlers BEFORE their adult brain is a toddler. But to be fair, most people move out of their child bearing years when their adult brain's in its teens, which isn't so weird.

3. The sustenance derived from my blood could be the keystone to generations of mosquitoes. The number of times I've been bitten without catching those horrible skeeters has got to be in the hundreds. Odds are pretty good one of those used my blood to breed and made more nasty suckers. And since mosquitoes kill more people on average than people do, I could be held accountable for biologically kick-starting a horde of mass-murderers. Yikes.

4. Between my brothers and I, odds are 1.5 of us will get cancer. It's an older fact (2007) that says 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer. So statistically, one of us is drawing the short straw on that one. This once kinda goes the route of the pooping thing earlier when you start thinking about it, but putting it in the context of my family is sobering. Way to bring the whole room down there, Chodos.

5. The heart never stops pumping. Ever. I had a panic attack in late 2013 regarding this fact and every so often it STILL freaks me the heck out. I mean, it's a wonder we live as long as we do. I think my biggest problem with this fact is I tend to sympathize with unusual things and I just feel so bad for the heart. Must be exhausting.

6. I'm a footstep/arm twitch away from death everyday. Anytime a car or bus goes by, or when I'm driving and another car is careening at me at the same speed I'm careening at said car, I think about how simply one could accidentally just tweak the wheel a little and poof. Super dead. And the margin for error is kinda small, like, a couple of feet or so. A COUPLE OF FEET OR SO. Like, not even a car width to give some swerving leeway. For as angry as we can get, drivers are more trusting then children.

7. You never know what anyone's thinking, really. I've talked about this late into the night with my upstairs neighbors, but man good communication is hard. I will never even come close to understanding a fraction of what you experience just because there's too many things blocking the passage of that information. I don't even know if any of this is getting to anyone at all. CAN YOU HEAR ME?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM SAYING?!? SIDH EOFHDUC DHFIHCVOIHAsdhofouhgeigaiugweugfgeoo....aaaaand I'm broken.

8. I've met future famous people when they were just regular jerks. I don't know how plausible this one really is, but there are times where I'd like to say, "You know, I knew so-and-so when he fought with inflatable penises in my basement" or "See that woman on TV? She threw up on me once" or "Sure he's got three Pulitzers, but I farted in his lunchbox in kindergarten." I like it even better that there HAVE to be people that have been there and get to say that. I mean, where's Jon Stewart's middle school girlfriend? Madonna's pediatrician? Newt Gingrich's camp counselor? Do they remember? Do they really care? Do I? Apparently.

9. There is way, way, way, WAY, WAY WAY more space than stuff. We're super wired to see all the stuff we perceive as stuff, but it's really mostly space. I love the quantum theory that it's statistically possible to literally fall through a wall or any other solid object, if the stuff and space line up just right. The idea is just so difficult to hold onto because we're so hard-wired to think: "This tire iron is solid, and when I hit this palm tree with it, they will react as two very solid things." It's just...wacky.

10. The universe is a cold, dark place. I say this a lot, and I've adopted it as a catchphrase when things are weird, or sad, or wonderful, because it is so very true and puts everything into context. Because we are this nearly infinitely small thing, lit and heated in a nearly infinite vastness of freezing cold darkness.

Neil deGrasse sure did a number on me, huh?

Haiku of the Day:

Blank walls leer about
boxes full of precious things
anxious for a home

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Mystic" spoken by the random word master, Noah Simes)

Today's "365" Project (Make a mask of something)
"Mr. Nightmare Face"

Two Months WOOOO!

Solidifying what to try to do every day with the writing to increase my word count a bit. Hopefully these are doable over the course of a day in the same way the drawings and projects have been. I've got a little over 300 more days to try it out I guess...

Memory Monday: Write about a distinct memory in the form of a short story/free write based of off a "trigger word."

Ten Tuesday: Make a list of Top Ten something-or-others.

Wacky Wednesday: Free for all. Probably the most similar to what I've been doing for each day so far.

Tell-all Thursday: Describe an experience had on this day in detail.

Friendly Friday:  Write about something/someone to be grateful for

Someone Saturday:  Write from the perspective of someone else/a different character

Sonnet Sunday: Write a sonnet. Pretty basic.

Haiku of the Day:

Laid down in the park
out behind the Prudential
small birds gathered close

Today's Drawing (inspired by a picture of Emily when she was little I have hanging in my office)

Today's "365" Project (do something with your food before you eat it)
"Taco Taco Man"

F-F-F-FURY!

Travel troubles coming home and a terrible cloud settled over me for a time, enough to produce this lovely little rant. Feeling better now:

Perpetual emotion migraine
Rage spiral
Deaf dumb exhaustion
Beehive head

I can't turn it off. I'm Micky in the sorcerers apprentice, futilely pawing back the hoard of brooms I've unleashed on my world. I know there's going to be a day soon where I don't feel like I'm drowning, but those bucketfuls of water just keep on coming. When's the goddamn wizard going to show up and make them disappear? I've been waving my arms for a while now and it hasn't done jack shit.

Posthumous Haiku of the Day (Using words from this post):

Perpetual Rage

Emotion migraine spiral

Deaf Dumb Exhaustion

Today's Drawing (I decided to try a Sunday comic about paperwork with a character I call "Loose Screw")

Today's "365" Project (do something with things you find in a bathroom)

"Glugs"

Mainely Centered

Another great trip to Maine. Enjoyed red quinoa and grilled vegetables outside...shed a tiny tear because it was the first and probably only grilling I will get to do this summer. Glad to visit with family and get out of town. These next few weeks are bound to be heinous. Each day as it comes, my man!

Haiku of the Day:

Concentrate on this

single brief sliver of time

remember to breathe

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Dogfish" spoken with disdain by my grandfather in regards to the name of a local cafe)

Today's "365" Project (Make something with shadows)
"Man on a Swing"

Short Sharp Shock

Short Post. A lovely day of running and relaxing. It's a wonderful thing to finally get to breath when you've been at the edge of drowning for days.

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Shock" and based off of a picture I took of myself pretending to be electrocuted)

Today's "365" Project (Mix and Match: Take two things that don't usually go together and pair them up. I decided to take these Haikubes I was given last christmas, mix em up, make a poem and tape em under my desk.)

Haiku of the Day:

Full gorgeous clamor

embraced the ritual eyes

my moonlight villain

Teeth, Paper, Fire!

Dentist appointment today. Afraid because I've turned into one of those people that puts it off...can't remember the last one I had. Been living in so many places with "alternative" health plans that it's been tough to keep consistent. Also, I'm lazy and don't like dealing with appointments. I have trouble remembering planned phone conversations with people I LIKE, so naturally I'm not going to keep up with a stranger that puts his or her hands in my mouth. That's not even addressing the pain and the guilt-tripping and the horrible sucky-pointy devices. I mean it's barely worth talking about because the disdain is so universal. Why haven't they figured out how to make it pleasant yet? I know there's been some advances in the pain aspect...but how bout some incentives for regular care?

But with that, the conversation suddenly gets bigger: Why don't we create incentives for all other kinds of preventative measures? I mean, yes, the incentive for these behaviors will pay off in the future if you're smart, but how about for those of us who don't know better? Certainly this would bring everybody's quality of living up considerably.

Aaaaaaand diatribe over. Off to the dentist!

Haiku of the Day:

Coffee bites severe

on ropy retinal nerves 

itchy at the base

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Immolate," which ignited in my brain-pan after a few really lame verb generations)

Today's "365" Project (Make something "life-size")
"Paper Kuehn's Escape!"

A Good Hard Look

Week 8! Only 44 more to go! Oh man these numbers continue to look scary.

Stats:
Running Mileage: 108.79/1,000
Push-ups: 775/10,000
Sit-ups: 705/10,000
Pages Read: 1983/6,000
Books Completed: 6/25
Word Written: 9773/100,000

Fasts (Days without)
Internet: 9/100
TV: 30/100
Gaming: 51/100
Meat: 14/100
Junk: 9/100
Booze: 12/100

As we're rounding the bend into completing the second month in the project, there's been a few developments:

STATS

-Running has been catching up, but not at the rate it needs to be. If I was to stick to an average rate, I would have to have run 167 miles by August 25th. I'm hoping to get at least 15 in by that time, but that still leaves me with a 40+ mile deficit. The hope is to continue my 100 miles a month mentality until I am caught up, and then enroll in a half-marathon in the spring. That way I'm cornered into training during the winter as well.

-I'm not as worried about the push-up/sit-ups because it's a simple fix of being sure to do it when I wake up and when I go to bed and do a few weeks of 100-a-days.

-I have been reading through the kindle app on my phone and it is glorious for my commutes and for my page count. On the other hand, I have turned into one of those people staring at their phones as they walk down the street.

-Words written is a toughie and I'm not quite sure how to reconcile it, but I assume if I can hone in on topics or focus for the written section of the blog, I can clinch it.


FASTS

-It's clear that in the world of having to make something everyday to be posted online, video games, (and to a lesser extent, television) have no place. I haven't touched a game since the first two weeks.

-Meat and booze are pretty well on course, and with as busy as I have been and will be the next few months I won't have much time to drink.

-Going to have to work out some kinks in the internet and junk food departments. Both have soft stipulations. Is checking a news site for more than 5 minutes turn it into a junk site? Are peanuts bought at a 7/11 considered junk food? I think it's time to set specifics:

Internet Ok: Gmail, Blogger, any google drive and any research done for a project or general inquiry
Internet disqualifiers: Facebook, Popsci, Cracked, Reddit, Imgur, Any web comic sites, any news sites (except in emergencies,) and all the other time wasters I'm forgetting.

Junk Nos: Fries, pizza, any candy, soda, any processed snacks (chips, goldfish, pretzels, etc), anything from a restaurant, (exceptions can be made if the item is exceptionally healthy) and anything else that is highly processed.

Haiku of the Day:

Sprinting through the trees
scattered shadows fragment light
on my primal gait

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Train" provided by a random verb generator)

Today's "365" Project (Make something out of a plastic bag)
"Horrifying Bag Girl"

Resume

Today's project comes with a story!

So back in high school, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I went on a series of medications and spent most of my time trying to figure out what on earth what going on with my feelings. I know that sounds pretty much like regular high school, but for me it involved more running out in the middle of class and punching stuff. There was talk of suicide, and I stared down that monster on a few occasions, but I had an amazing network of friends and family that pulled me from it. My project for today was to take something heavy and make it light, and in thinking about it I stumbled upon this laminated poem I've been keeping in my wallet since that crazy time in high school. The note was given to me by a few truly wonderful friends, and I think it stands on its own in being something heavy that is made light. But that would be kinda lame if I just posted a picture of this old poem I've been keeping in my wallet for nine years so....I made some modifications. I hope you enjoy it!

Today's "365" Project (Make something heavy into something light)
"Woe's Flight"

Haiku of the Day:

Couple walking slow
speaking Chinese, quick and short,
taking in the town

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Authorize" gleaned from a verb generator)

Dead Leaf

I'm running out of ways to speak on the topic of exhaustion. Tired of tired. The psychic draining from this project and my day-to-day is relentless. Trying to determine whether it's good or bad pain. It's kinda like exfoliating. Rubbing off the callused layers to get to the fresh, growing bits underneath.

Also realized I have a wedding and a honeymoon in the time frame of this project and that's going to be difficult to keep up...I'm thinking the best course of action is to do most of the blogs/projects before and schedule their release with a picture of what I'm up to as an update. I think that makes for the best of both worlds, and I'll still technically have 365 pictures, projects and haikus by the end.

OR I could have Emily participate in every single one for the course of that time. Hahaha I like this option more but I don't think Em will go for it. Might be dependent on what activities are slotted for those two weeks.

Haiku of the Day:

The slickness of bone

cuts tiny shards in muscles

too bulky to bare

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Reject" provided by a random word generator)

Today's "365" Project (Make a jingle for something in nature.)

"Dead Leaf"

https://soundcloud.com/edwardquasar/dead-leaf-2

Key/Stone

I've been rent open. An old magic is back and pouring outward, shaping canyons and staining the banks with mystic residue. Helpless to the deluge, I succumb to the position of bystander. Ride it out. Let it wash over all the old formations and carve out deeper veins. Find strength in the slow, shearing away of semblance. For I am stone.

Haiku of the Day:

Child wearing crocs
Inquires about oncoming
Train. Gets no answer.

Today's Drawing and "365" Project (Inspired by the graphic novel series "Locke and Key." The instruction was to do something with dots.)

Fuel and Release

Finished another book today and got to get some running in. Starting packing for the big move and feeling more confident about how it will go. With the windows open the sounds of the street become invasive and I'm reminded of the busy world outside. Before it would give me anxiety but now it's a static sort of comfort. The teenage gaggle screaming and laughing. The thunks and sputters of passing pick-ups. The hammering of neighbors. The watering of plants. I live here.

Haiku of the Day:

Stomach pains sharpen

in an effort to provide

my self with good fuel

Today's Drawing (inspired by the word "Scatter" spoken by Krissy Lyon)

Today's "365" Project (Do something that involves smells. I went the food route.)

"Cheesy Quinoa and Kielbasa with a Frozen Iceberg Salad"