More Slog

Today's Haiku

Momentum waning
No fuel and mud on the tracks
This engine is pooped

Today's Workout
Running: Too cold
DAREBEE: Day 10 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Raddled from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Elements Be Damned!

Today's Haiku

Snowflakes in sideways
glassy ice sheets underfoot
Hey Nature? F*ck you.

Today's Workout
Running: 5.1 miles
DAREBEE: Day 9 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Proliferate from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Sleepy and Smiley

Today's Haiku

Circadian shot
I'm not sure what time it is
can I sleep it off?

Today's Workout
Running: (weather was weird today...)
DAREBEE: Day 8 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Charisma from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Failure to Charity

Today's Haiku

Donation dumpster
you have abandoned me here
with two bags of clothes

Today's Workout
Running: 4.4 miles
DAREBEE: Day 7 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Sleuth from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Check-in and The End

Week 31

Stats:

Running Mileage: 576.68/1,000

Drinks: 243/365

Vegan: 31/100

Books Completed: 16/25

Words Written: 223,788/350,000

Fasts (Days without)

Internet: 105/171

TV: 85/120

Gaming: 104/141

Booze: 93/163

Coffee: 90/150

Junk (Savory): 62/100

Junk (Sweet): 102/100
Eat Out: 144/100

Today's Haiku

Post-apocalypse
The difficulty rockets
we embrace the risk

Today's Workout
Running: Sunday Break!
DAREBEE: Day 6 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Foray from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Groves Back

Today's Haiku

Nearing a new month
the resolutions ignite
let's try it again!

Today's Workout
Running: 3.1 miles
DAREBEE: Day 5 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Doldrums from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Wore 'Em Down

Today's Haiku

Foul demons conquered
in the stale black of morning
a smooth day's ahead

Today's Workout
Running: 5.5 miles
DAREBEE: Day 4 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Myopic from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Deep Work-out

Today's Haiku

Heavy muscle strain

I can feel the cells dying
they will rise again

Today's Workout
Running: 0 miles
DAREBEE: Day 3 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Adjudicate from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Revitalized

Today's Haiku

Footsies on fire
lightning under fingernails
eyeballs a buzzin'

Today's Workout
Running: 10 miles
DAREBEE: Day 2 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Imbroglio from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Back in Dark DC

Getting reset after the crazy travels of yesterday. I'll be starting a new workout regime that's mostly based on chest and arms since I've been doing so much running. This is a placeholder until I find a more comprehensive program that gives me a few rest days in there.

Today's Haiku

The District at night
so unnaturally empty
like it is shutdown

Today's Workout
Running: 5.34 miles
DAREBEE: Day 1 of Chest & Arms Challenge

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Cumulate from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

TRAVEL DAY: BOSTON #5

Today's Haiku

Flight delayed 7 hours
not home until 4 AM
Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh

Today's Workout
Running: (Travel day. Also -15 degree wind chill in Boston)
DAREBEE: (On hold until the 22nd)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Substantive from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

TRAVEL DAY: BOSTON #4

Week 30

Stats:

Running Mileage: 552.78/1,000

Drinks: 241/365

Vegan: 30/100

Books Completed: 16/25

Words Written: 217,644/350,000

Fasts (Days without)

Internet: 102/171

TV: 82/120

Gaming: 103/141

Booze: 88/163

Coffee: 86/150

Junk (Savory): 60/100

Junk (Sweet): 96/100
Eat Out: 139/100

Today's Haiku

Skyline made opaque
by a sleety winter storm
Limit your visits

Today's Workout
Running: (Was gonna run, but the weather here is classic Boston winter garbage)
DAREBEE: (On hold until the 22nd)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Wherewithal from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

TRAVEL DAY: BOSTON #3

Today's Haiku

Classic Boston pub
filled with old show amigos
smiles surface sweetly

Today's Workout
Running: (Too busy!)
DAREBEE: (On hold until the 22nd)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Gargantuan from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

TRAVEL DAY: BOSTON #2

Today's Haiku

Tracing out old paths
where we ran two years ago
muscle memory

Today's Workout
Running: 3.2 miles
DAREBEE: (On hold until the 22nd)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Teetotaler from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

TRAVEL DAY: BOSTON #1

Heading to Boston today. This will be the last trip we go on before we go to Morocco in March. Hope we can get through the TSA without much trouble!

Today's Haiku

Packing for the cold
it's going to be 12 there
layers and layers

Today's Workout
Running: (Nope due to traveling)
DAREBEE: (On hold until the 22nd)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Farouche from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Prepping for Beantown

Gonna be heading to Boston tomorrow. Excited to see old friends. It's been a whole year since I've been back and I can feel the age of it. 

Today's Haiku

Stuck in the hot seat
feeling defenseless once more
let's flee this nonsense

Today's Workout
Running: 3.2 miles
DAREBEE: (I'm going to wait until I'm back from my trip this weekend to start a new one)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Nomothetic from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Ambulatory

Despite having a terrible morning, I had my first productive day in like two weeks! All of my pictures are updated from my trip to Michigan and I finally finished my DAREBEE workout! I'm heading out to go to Boston from Thursday to Monday, but once I'm back from that I'll be choosing a new one. 

Today's Haiku

Juices flow again
after a massive stoppage
Let's keep it that way

Today's Workout
Running: 3.1 miles
DAREBEE: Day 90 from 90 Days of Action

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Liaison from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Brief Break

Today's Haiku

Keeping house again
before we travel once more
in three friggin' days

Today's Workout
(I'm in a small "Why bother?" slump. Should be out soon)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Mea Culpa from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Returning to Snow

Week 29

Stats:

Running Mileage: 543.2/1,000

Drinks: 228/365

Vegan: 28/100

Books Completed: 16/25

Words Written: 211,543/350,000

Fasts (Days without)

Internet: 101/171

TV: 78/120

Gaming: 101/141

Booze: 85/163

Coffee: 81/150

Junk (Savory): 59/100

Junk (Sweet): 91/100
Eat Out: 137/100

Today's Haiku

Our snow laden Ford
white eyes peer soft through the dust
We unbury her

Today's Workout
Running: 4.15 miles
DAREBEE: Certainly hard to do these while traveling

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Clement from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Mimi Memorial

Some thoughts about my grandmother

Ugh. Grandmother.

It just tastes wrong in my mouth

she was Mimi

a nickname given to her

by her first and only granddaughter

Our Mimi

A slender, practical woman

elegant well into her golden years

but not without the trappings

of her rugged mountain upbringing

It showed up in little ways

but to me the most telling was in her language,

certain unsavory words that she would let slip:

a Damn

or an asshole

and even the rare albino bitch

she always followed these utterances with the footnote:

grandmothers don’t talk that way

but mine did

and that was cool as hell

For four years, while I was in college

she opened up her home to me

with homemade Sunday dinners

at the time elders typically have it: 4 pm. 

We would sit and talk

she would listen to my flights of fancy

the fevers of collegiate teachings

And I would listen to her stories

of a life long lived,

and about the friends she was losing

year by year

It was a strange confluence

myself at the sunrise of my adulthood

and her at the sunset of her own

The summer before my senior year

I got sick, head-sick

and Mimi was the one that drove me to the hospital

and after that hell

when the world was crumbling around me

she gave me a place to stay and heal

And in reflecting on all this

I realized that

She had a heart so big and so full

that the primary artery to it

ruptured twice

So thank you Mimi

for all the gifts of that big ol’ heart of yours

You are sorely. sorely missed

(I read this at her memorial today. It was lovely)

Today's Haiku

Waves of remembrance
crash on family and friends
flotsam and jetsam

Today's Workout
(Leaped a series of emotional hurdles)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Boycott from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Folks Come Back

Today's Haiku

Far off relatives
scurry back to the mitten
to pay their respects

Today's Workout
(I made a sandwich spread of meats and cheeses. Does that count?)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Syllogism from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Home for Memorial

Today I returned home to attend the memorial of my grandmother this Saturday. I'll be reading something brief that I wrote for her which I will also be sharing here on Saturday. Having a lot of mixed feelings, understandably. I've been home a lot more the past three months than I've been in a while.

Today's Haiku

Chatty old woman
Mackinac island sweatshirt
tells her life story 

Today's Workout
Running: 5.25 miles
DAREBEE: (Helped move a bunch of logs)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Venal from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Recovery Ward

Today's Haiku

Fragile little bird
cup it in hands so gentle
back into the nest

Today's Workout
Running:  (Nah)
DAREBEE: (Samezees)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Behest from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Moody Blues, You Bastard

Today's Haiku

Again depression?
You were JUST here yesterday
My eyes are tired

Today's Workout
Running: 5.2 miles
DAREBEE: Day 89 from 90 Days of Action

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Malinger from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Holla to the U.P.

Today's Haiku

Cold beer and euchre
exposing Michigan roots
It comes back quickly

Today's Workout
Running: 4.6 miles
DAREBEE: (May never do this again? I just have two days left)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Demotic from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Rockin' that Kondo

Week 28

Stats:

Running Mileage: 523.94/1,000

Drinks: 221/365

Vegan: 27/100

Books Completed: 15/25

Words Written: 206,779/350,000

Fasts (Days without)

Internet: 96/171

TV: 73/120

Gaming: 101/141

Booze: 82/163

Coffee: 77/150

Junk (Savory): 57/100

Junk (Sweet): 89/100

Eat Out: 133/100

Today's Haiku

Organization
figuring out what to toss
causes some tension

Today's Workout
(Having trouble getting motivated this weekend. We shall try again soon!)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Paradigm from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Bounce Back

Today's Haiku

A much better day
though I feel quite hungover

without all the fun

Today's Workout
(We rest and organize today)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Eclectic from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

A Din like No Other

Apologies for the "blue" haiku but not really because it's driving me crazy. I guess I'm officially an old person now. 

Today's Haiku

The neighbors downstairs
are wasted at 4 am
and having loud sex

Today's Workout
Running: 3 miles

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Abominable from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Hurt Again

This ain't a cry for help. Just using what I got. Something snapped and I'm sharing the pieces. It'll heal back together again. It always does. 

Though I'm a little sick of waiting while the damned bones reset.

Today's Haiku

More sadness more pain
for no apparent reason
This disease sucks balls

Today's Workout
Running: 3.1 miles
DAREBEE: Day 88 from 90 Days of Action

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Rapporteur from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

Down for the Count

Today's Haiku

Simply divine rage
erupts in bouts of weeping
I can't be contained

Today's Workout
(My head did such a number on me that the body couldn't take it)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Campestral from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***

A Look Back

A couple years ago I did a review of the year in small scenes and I thought I'd bring it back! Here's my 2018:

-Listening to a close friend recite poetry on his birthday in a roofless barn in Germany
-Standing on a bridge between two tectonic plates
-Putting on a cardboard fish outfit to play Poseidon after only one run-through
-Laying on an examining table while a stranger gels up and scans my testicles
-Navigating a water taxi on the rivers of Thailand to get to yet another Buddhist temple
-Helping process over 3,200 people on the last day of Maryland's early election period
-Committing to trying out vegan recipes and loving it
-Listening to a cadre of shape note singers perform in an old German church
-Running a half-marathon while in the middle of a medical trial where I was exposed to Malaria
-Rekindling a relationship with an old college friend after being out of touch for seven years
-Kissing my grandmother for the last time less than 12 hours before she passed
-Feeding elephants in the jungles of Thailand
-Bathing in natural Icelandic hot springs and then jumping in an ice cold lake

Today's Haiku

New year, new mission
mind replete with self-help zeal
Biannual crunch

Today's Workout
Running: 5.3 miles
DAREBEE: (I just keep putting it off with these long runs)

Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Handsel from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
***Check out the full catalog of pictures HERE***