Read West of the Sun by Edgar Pangborn which i really liked. First "sci-fi" I've enjoyed in a long time. A few humans crash into another planet that has at least two intelligent species. Almost like humans and neanderthals but more extreme maybe. Little hard to keep track of all the names for a relatively short book and hard to follow in the beginning, uses a lot of lingo that is no longer used.

He's wrong about Lenin and communism but I liked it a lot anyway. Don't really care about the difference between communism and whatever idealized form of liberalism Pangborn vaguely alludes to them finally reaching considering that we're so far away from every remotely reaching either.

Now reading The Iron Heel by Jack London. Didn't realize he was that much of a revolutionary. Only person I've heard share my opinion of philosophy. Very strident stuff. Good stuff. Amazing how they just leave all this out about London and it's exactly as he writes in the book. Our media suppresses this stuff. Did so back then. Still does.

My favorite songs I've written. Plan to be somewhat less experimental and focus on what I've found that works in future.

Always True
Not You
No Thank you
97. 10JI
99. 6JI
Hollow Man
Happy Ghosts
Falling
Tired
It's 1972 and there's nothing you can do
59. (equation)
Joanna's insanity
Ocean
Tschai Spaceport
79. Piano A minor
77. Pinao
129. a maj minimoog
128.

There also are OK:
148. synth1 and piano
143. esq1 1st finally after long break
131. cello and piano offbeat
126.
(bit repetitve) 125. d major minimoog
123 with melodica and slide guitar
117. Poe's Cheeseburger Choke
116. 11tet
113
110. guitar, trumpet and cello (noise)
107. hohner 26 melodica improv with glitch
98. 7JI
91. 6JI
83. 12JI
82. Sockpuppetland (19TET)
81. F and S
80. "Yeah, I heard it."
Holding
Beautiful Morning
maybe Slowly Trying
Living in the night for a 1000 years (breaks up for literally less than a second twice and I find that hurts the whole song...)
Augur (strangely)
78. hohner 32 melodica improv
54. M in C
53. Sheen
49. Trance3
Joanna!

Also I finally bought an analog synth. (Arturia Microbrute) Cheapest analog I could find.

I'm doing a long hard run on the weekends, an interval run in the middle of the week and otherwise very slow running. Except for the long hard run, almost all my running is on a treadmill with a 6% incline. And the easy stuff is just 14.6 minutes per mile. 

Only been training this way a few weeks and taking usually just one day off (day before the long run). Today I did 12 miles in 1:44:12, including a final mile of 7:49, which is a pb for a looped course. 8:41 pace. No big deal, I really ought to be able to run close to 8 min/mile pace for a half marathon. Being big makes it harder, but I expect that with training this way for a while, I should at least get close. 

Otherwise just hitting a heavy bag while holding 5 or 8 lb weights in each hand. Weight staying about 206lb. Have a half marathon race in two weeks.

Oh, did get first place in my age group (40's) in a couple small 5k races. Just ran 22:50 and 23:10, meh.

Ran 12 miles at 9 minutes per mile. This was at sister's house on a hilly trail that I had to keep turning around about every 0.75 miles so maybe was capable of better. Feel really good now. Very slight hip soreness that day which is better next day. Again, just started one long tempo, one interval and the rest is very easy treadmill running at 6% incline.

Really full of energy here the next day after only having time for 40 minute run before bed. Think it's because I ate a ton of spinach two days in a row. (Found an awesome India buffet with my favorite spinach dish.) I never normally get to eat it two days in a row. More of a treat about three times a month. Which means I pretty much get leafy greens three days a month... which isn't good. Should learn to cook it at home.

My hip was hurting me just a little so I put the treadmill on a 6% incline. Did an interval workout 74 minutes and hip was fine. Today easy run also at 6% incline. Feel good. Feel better after running. Getting addicted to running everyday. Thinking to run on the treadmill for all but one weekly run and just do all those runs at a 6% incline, too avoid injury. Supposedly load matters more than range of motion for fast running.... Run slower with incline but getting a good load. Seemed to work before when I did intervals all week on treadmill with 6% incline and then a weekly hard tempo outside.

Otherwise a bit of hitting a heavy bag with 3 or 5 pounds weights in each hand. Strangely really enjoying that. Which in turn has me interested in watching boxing, which unfortunately is a little stupid to spend much time on. Is neat to go back and watch the old fights on youtube. But current boxing seems to be in a sadder state than usual I think.

Pond I guess has a leak. Puts me in a bad mood. Think my one frog is stuck down in the pond. Possibly not smart enough to jump on a pot and then jump out. The one sits on the ledge in the pond, the other sits right above him on the pond wall and they're both just staring at me accusingly. I guess my fish can manage as I purposely let the water leak out, trying to find the hole. It's still 3 feet deep and ten feet by 3 feet. But it's getting close to time to have to consider taking all the fish out instead of just patching the liner.

Bought the Lewis Chessmen and a chessboard that will fit them (150 dollars). Unfortunately the only person I play with is my nephew. Who not only always loses but is really kind of annoying. I guess he gets angry that he always loses. I don't know what to make of him exactly. I wonder how I really compared at that age (11).

I'd really like to just have a relaxing game of chess. Possible with a glass of wine (but migraines...) With someone who can multitask. Who doesn't lose everytime. Who doesn't start drama. Who doesn't take three years to make a move (my father). And who possibly might even manage an interesting conversation unrelated to chess. That would be nice.

I bought the Lewis Chessmen though because I was thinking they'd help my writing. They have faces that makes one wonder what they're thinking. Somewhat. I used to give my matchbox cars personalities. I once played with a bunch of nails, giving each a personality. Making up a little story. Sadly that's where I'm at, in my slightly desperate, yet mostly uncaring, aspirations to write.

Mini writing breakthrough I guess.

Running, lots of slow long distance on the treadmill, trying to run somewhat like Yuki Kawauchi. A hard long run on the weekend (usually) plus a short tempo or intervals mid week, plus plenty of easy jogging. Have that damm half marathon in less than a month. Don't want to suck. Trying to get lots of long runs in. I have two more weekend attempts. Did 11.4 miles at 9:47 pace, which is awful. It will be downhill and I'm going to do non-alpha male training. And I'll rest up I guess... And hopefully these next two long hard runs will go better. Was hoping for 9 min/mile pace for 12. Actually two years ago I only did 9 min/mile pace for 9 and then managed 8:15 pace for 13. Hip isn't quite 100%. Hopefully I won't injure myself and not even make it to the start.

Yuki is interesting in being an elite marathoner who still works a normal job. His training routine is pretty basic. Also for entering so many races.

Pretty just dropped cello. All the stuff I'm doing in the yard, etc. Just a bad time of year. I guess.

Really disliked book two The Blade of Tyshalle(sp) by Matthew Stover. Quit 40 pages before the end. All the different people stuck in each others head. And people dying... but no! Not really. Got confusing and just boring. Had liked the first book and there was so much injustice that I wanted to see rectified. So tried to hold on. But blah, sorry but just blah. Seems like a relatively intelligent guy compared to most of these fantasy fiction guys but the story just wasn't so good.

Sleep is a wonderful thing and I've been doing it great lately. Drinking more water.

Hurt my hip a little. Annoying. Running was feeling so good. Have so much energy. Praying this doesn't turn into this year's nagging injury. Except for that would want to run 50 plus miles per week. Taking it easy for a bit. Maybe get rid of harder runs for a few weeks... Really would like to just knock out 8 miles a day.... And sneak up to 10 for a week or two before half marathon. But that will probably just lead to injury.

Really neglected cello lately. Just too much to do. Have also returned to writing for better or worse.

Reading this Blade of Tyshalle by Stover. It's a bit weak. The hierarchial dystopia combined with a fantasy fiction otherworld keeps it going but not by a lot.