My favorite things

It's taking longer to recover both physically and mentally from the MDI than I expected. I listened to my body and it's been telling me, "Grrrl, you better take it easy!" So I've stayed off of my feet and gotten reaquainted with my favorite things such as

iTunes
Flickr
Netflix
TiVo
AIM
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://sports.yahoo.com/
http://outsports.com/
http://www.marathonguide.com/
http://www.active.com/running/

More MDI Marathon Photos

4th state in the bag, baby!
Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

What I remembered from the Mount Desert Island Marathon:
Hills
Martha Stewart
Jacob and Lauren
"Britney!!! Where's Kevin???"
Angela from Long Island
Jonathan from Baltimore
Woman singing "Take me home / Country Road / Southwest Harbor"
Triathlon guy helping me climbing the last big hill
Pouring rain
Amazingly fast finish, sprinting downhill
Personal record (4:15, baby!)

MDI Marathon

MDI Marathon
Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

I finished at No. 184 overall out of 510 finishers, with a time of 4:15:18. My pace was 9:45 minutes per mile, which was a minute a mile faster than my previous best.

Come out, the water's fine

Today, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day. It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since I first started disclosing my homosexuality to other people. I didn't choose to be gay. I chose to live truthfully. I didn't receive a toaster oven, but I received so much from being at peace with myself.

Today, I celebrate the friendships that I've made the past 10 years. People who read this blog (the two of you). People who call me to see if I want to hang out. People who send me an email or an instant message. People who remember my birthday. People who make me smile. People who put up with me.

Today, I remember gay public figures who come out to make it easier for me. I remember activists who fight for equal rights for gay citizens. I remember fair-minded Americans. I remember my fierce divas.

It's been an amazing 10-year journey. I appreciate you being part of it.

Marathon Training - 1 Week to Go

The Mount Desert Island Marathon is just seven days away. I already signed up for the November 20th Philadelphia Marathon. I'm wondering if I feel lucky enough to enter the Dec 4th Las Vegas Marathon as well. Completing these three races will qualify me to be a member of the Marathon Maniacs.
I only ran 4 miles last week, on Tuesday morning. Instead of running, I did some upper body workouts at the gym. Went swimming and bicycling, and of course playing in a soccer tournament this weekend.

Pumpkin Patch 2005

200510e_soccer0018
Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

A persistent rain couldn't stop the annual Pumpkin Patch Soccer Tournament sponsored by the Philadelphia Falcons. I was all wet by the time I reached the Edgely Fields of the Fairmount Park. The rain kept pouring down, flooding parts of the field.
I was on the Philadelphia Green team, which was the B team. Our team lost the first game to San Francisco by an embarassing score of 7-0. They were so strong and fast. Our defensive offside traps were not working. We recovered in our second game and managed to upset the Philadelphia White team to win 2-1. The win was the most satisfying one considering that all the supposedly good Philadelphia players were selected to be on the White team.
Day 2 of the tournament will continue tomorrow.

SEPTA's Market East Station Evacuated

The shaky post 9/11 mentatily reared its ugly head today as my train station was evacuated during rush hours. I took an early train so was largely unaffected. However, the whole incident was a crude reminder of what we had to put up with to improve our own sense of security.

I'm still here!

Philadelphia and I

200510e_anhphl0100c
Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

I enjoy taking photos, especially of myself (that's right!). I love going around Philadelphia. Combining the two interests and I had a quite a fun Sunday morning activity. Playing with these photos afterward really doubled my pleasure!

Dragons on the Schuylkill

Dragonboats!
Originally uploaded by peskymac.

China? No, Kelly Drive today as Philadelphia hosted the Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival. I checked out the scene, hanging out with the always-fabulous Alex as he hopped from one pharmaceutical company tent to another.

Bait and Switch

Barbara Ehrenreich has been on my mind since I'm reading another one of her books, Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream. This book is a complementary copy sent to me by her publisher, solely because of this blog. (Does Ms. Ehrenreich realize that her books somehow fit in with gay sex, calculus, and marathon training?)

I may have seen Barbara Ehrenreich on Friday. As I was on the train coming back to the city, I saw a middle-aged white woman who looked just like the publicity photo of Barbara Ehrenreich. She was sitting a row behind me, but on the other side of the train. I got a little too excited, so I did what came naturally: I pulled "Bait and Switch" of out my bookbag, pretending to read while trying to get her attention. I left all subtleness behind as I practically raised the book over my head, swinging it across my shoulders.

The woman looked at my once or twice, either acknowledging the book or thinking I was crazy. I was hoping that she would come over to introduce herself, but sadly, no words were exchanged. I justified the situation by assuring myself that Barbara Ehrenreich was going undercover again, perhaps exposing the public transportation industry.

I checked her website when I got home. Sadly, she was in Chicago in the same evening to promote "Bait and Switch". She will be in Philadelphia in a few days, though. Below is the info for her appearance.

Barbara Ehrenreich
Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 at 8:00PM
Central Library (Free Library of Philadelphia)
COST: $12, $8, $6
Ticket Info: Ticket and Subscription Packages
An outspoken feminist and social activist, Barbara Ehrenreich writes with great passion on subjects as varied as healthcare, sex, class, and families. Beginning in 1998, she spent two years living the life of the American working class. What she discovered became the best-selling exposé, Nickel and Dimed. Now, in Bait and Switch, she enters the economic shadow world of white-collar unemployment. Armed with a plausible résumé of a professional “in transition,” she attempts to land a middle-class job, and is rejected - again and again.

Marathon Training - 2 Weeks to Go

I'm slowly tapering down as the October 16th Mount Desert Island Marathon looms. I feel great.

Week of September 25 - October 2 (31 miles)
Tuesday - approximately 10 miles. Washington Square West to Walnut Street Bridge. Schuylkill Banks to front of Art Museum. Floyd Hall to 2.5 mile mark. Back to my building.
Thursday - approximately 5 miles. To Camden, New Jersey and back via the Ben Franklin Bridge
Saturday- approximately 16 miles (non-consecutive). Washington Square West to Walnut Street Bridge. Schuylkill Banks to front of Art Museum. Waited for the Frontrunners. Floyd Hall to 2.5 mile mark and back on Kelly Drive. Brunch. Ran back to Kelly Drive 2 1/4 mark to watch the Dragon Boat Race with Alex. Returned to Washington Square West.