"BTW, how did a techie guy like you know about the tactics in negotiation?"

Ribs, Techies are the New Renaissance men (and women). Bill

5 more miles this morning at an 8:07 pace,the legs felt heavy,but the last mile was a 7:31... Thanks for all the comments the last few days...I did a panel interview for a Corrections Deputy position...I'm trying to get out of the forest industry,as I don't see myself going any further...

Anyone have any experience with Adidas shoes? I usually run in New Balance or Asics but Adidas has this shoe called "Adizero" & it only weights 8.1 oz. I try to buy lightweight shoes because I've got enough fat to carry around without getting a heavy shoe. Carolyn:

Well, I won a Solomon visor in the raffle last night after the race. Which 5% would you like? How about the tag?

The tag will be fine...and we can talk about the 2 Kenyans later. Erika:

DickyG... you can come and clean my house if you're looking for something to do. Be sure to get the corners...

OK...I'll be right over as soon as I finish cutting Maine's grass. Sarge: The big K...congrats! You're way...and I mean waaaaay....ahead of me. Lamerunner:

a very tough 22 on Sunday from which I could not seem to recover. I think there were sleep and hydration issues.

Well done, lamerunner! Jeez...if I ran 22 miles, there would probably be death issues as well as sleep & hydration problems. Roy: 3 miles in 30:00? That's pretty fast for you, right? Nice going. Tim: Great post...and I certainly know what you're going through. I live in an area once dominated by textiles (sweatshirts) and furniture. The fleecewear manufacturers are all gone and the furniture people are importing more & more...I think we have the largest unemployment % in the state. Sue: What an excellent progression run! Another rotten day...98% humidity...and another rather slow run...4.1 miles in 37:45 (9:13)...actually thought I was running faster and was disappointed when I finished & looked at my watch. At least I'm (temporarily) faster than Ribs....that'll probably last for about a week. DickyG

Good morning! Running discussions? Great idea! Besides, politics is like religion everybody has an opinion and nobody is "right" (or "wrong"). But running.. Ribs is always right.. (well, alot of the time) Isn't he doing a great job coming back form triple bypass/valve job makeover? Runnning in the rain is always dreaded before you do it and positively wonderful while in it, even when the shoes go squish squish. I'd take rain over HHH any day... well not today if I was in Galveston.. My leg is still bum so it must be the bone but elliptical is fine. I ran 5 miles yesterday and it complained a bit all day but not loud. I tried today but it was too gimpy so I did 30 minutes elliptical which was totally fine. I wonder if I'm 3 weeks into a 6 week bone healing trip?? One day at a time. Weight is maintaining so far Take care gulf coast people! Steve

WARNING: all off-topic; skip if the “politics” discussion doesn’t interest you. Politics means a lot to me so, at the risk of sounding like a civics teacher, let me try explain how I see our forum connecting with the bigger picture: 1. I’m a big believer in democracy (not just voting) and the idea that “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” Ideally, democracy thrives on education about issues, discussion and deliberation, and, most important, participation in serving our communities. That is politics; the freedoms to do this are what make democracies so precious. A healthy democracy is what protects our liberties. 2. Much political activity involves demonizing the opposing side and making an emotional connection with potential supporters. (There’s nothing new about this, by the way, early American elections were vicious even by today’s standards.) But all these attacks and mudslinging often leave people cynical about “politics,” distrustful of anything politicians say, and so on. It’s smart to be skeptical, but if good people withdraw from politics and public life, they cede power to those most likely to abuse it. 3. That’s why I value political discussions (or discussions about religion for that matter) on a site like this. (The sorts of sites Bill mentions are predictably partisan and often the political equivalent of a food fight. They are useful to see how each side presents their case, but they are not the place for reasoned discussion.) Precisely because this is not a site primarily devoted to politics I hope to hear from real people I respect, talking civilly about real issues. I learn more from that than I do from a politician reciting a predictable talking point or partisans chanting a slogan. 4. Having such discussions requires mutual respect, maintaining a sense of humor and keeping things in perspective. It also involves drawing the line sometimes (for example at racial, ethnic, or religious intolerance) and asking that people support their positions with some evidence (it’s not just opinions and some things are demonstrably right or wrong). There’ll be flare-ups from time to time but there’s nothing wrong with disagreeing; it’s part of being an adult and it’s how we learn. We need to listen and express our views—and then listen again as others respond. In effect, we need to model the change we’d like to see in the broader political culture. If we can’t do this in a forum of friends, how can we expect a more civil political discourse in broader society? Having preached all that, I should note that I try to walk the walk as best I can in my small way. My wife and I are deeply involved in our local community in a variety of capacities, official and otherwise, that I won’t go into. We've both foregone higher-paying careers to do work that we hope makes a difference. I also chime in on this site about issues I think are important and try hard to do so with respect and humor. Let me close with a classic example: I suspect DH and I don’t agree on many things. I think I disagreed with some of the material in his post yesterday about “primitive, ignorant cultures,” for example. But he is a smart guy who has a unique perspective as someone who has served in military intelligence. As he reminded us yesterday, “Many Americans, out of ignorance, support the war in Iraq because they imagine it has something to do with payback for 9/11. In fact it is an unrelated tar-baby.” Today, I pick up the paper and this line jumped out at me: “Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would “defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.’” www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091103789_pf.html In reading that, I was reminded of DH’s contribution and appreciated having the chance to read it here.

I'm resting my mysteriously sore foot/ankle one more day and tomorrow I'll give it a test run. What I am amazed at in my life is how almost everyone I meet has a wrong opinion about something. It is tiring trying to correct everyone so normally I don't try.

By the way, Tramps, you really don't know me very well. My opinions on political issues do not follow any party line, so you might have trouble predicting my opinions on the large number of topics I have not discussed (and do not plan to discuss) here. We may have different personal styles but I suspect we agree on more things than you realize. Dark Horse

Good point; I suspect most of us here agree on many more things than we might realize. But you'll never get me to care about Latin. Dave--I happened to catch your post yesterday before it got deleted. That, too, was a good point and I thought of it hearing Gibson's question about the "Bush Doctrine."

Tramps, well said. Sue, nice job. But enough about you two. Let's talk about me. First the weather, like Bill: It's scary how there is not a cloud in the sky in North Texas, high 80's and still, and VERY humid. This really is the calm before the storm. I so feel for my buddy Ksrunr from Kick, Laura, and I think Theresa's parent live down in Austin don't they? In any case, if you or any of your family live in South Texas, I hope everything turns out okay. Today was a good day for me to practice what I preach to others, and that means quitting when it's right to quit. I did 5 miles today and after about 1.5, I tentatively began slow jogging in one-tenth of a mile segments, followed by a nice walk break. I did 5 of these for a half mile and they were pretty easy, so I decided to do a couple of quarters the same way. I did 2 x 400 each followed by a walk break, then walked a mile to finish. I thought of doing another 400 but the trick in a training run that is unfamiliar is that how you feel the next day is far more important than how you feel at the moment. This was no time for Juan Agosto. So I feel fine now with one mile of slow jogging, and we'll see how tomorrow feels. Thanks everyone. Spareribs