http://blocletters.com HOMEMADE JOURNALISM WITH A STRONG CUP OF COFFEE. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:39:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Again, with the light week. You'd think I was getting lazy, but you'd be wrong. Mrs. Blocletters and I went to the U.P. When I wasn't getting ready for the trip this week, I was actually on it. This week's rundown: Monday, Aug. 11, 2.25 miles Tuesday, Aug. 12, 6.75 miles Total: 9 miles. ... http://blocletters.com/2008/08/18/weekly-mileage-update-7/ On a recent trip to my hometown I stayed up late with family rummaging through old photographs and bottles of wine. The whole experience left me thinking about connections and roots, and I'm edging toward taking on a family tree project. As I think about all of these branches, the complexity ... http://blocletters.com/2008/08/13/roots-and-connections/ I eased back after last week's high mileage. On Tuesday or Wednesday I started a run, only to have some tendon or another give me shooting pain after about eight blocks. After that, I only got one run in for the week: Friday, Aug. 8, 9 miles Better luck next week. http://blocletters.com/2008/08/11/weekly-mileage-update-6/ It took a while, but I finally met my next running goal: clocking more than 26 miles in a week. Here's the breakdown: Monday, July 28, 6.75 miles Thursday, July 31, 9 miles Friday, Aug. 1, 6.75 miles Saturday, Aug. 2, 4.5 miles Grand total: 27 miles. Rock. On. Which brings me to the next goal ... http://blocletters.com/2008/08/03/weekly-mileage-update-marathon-edition/ Again, a light week. I would have added a third run on Saturday, but had to split town to attend a family reunion. Here's the breakdown: Wednesday, July 23, 4.5 miles Thursday, July 24, 9 miles Total: 13.5 miles. The 9-miler went well. It took just shy of 90 minutes, but I think ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/27/weekly-mileage-update-5/ I got cat-called about six miles into a nine-mile run yesterday. A quick whistle, followed by an "Ooh, baby!" slipped out of the window of a passing car as I plodded down Coolidge. Surely, the outburst must have come from a sarcastic place. When it's 80 degrees, I run with my ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/25/cat-called-out/ My two readers probably long ago tired of posts about running, but I did a tally last night that blew my mind and I wanted to crow. I've tracked my mileage weekly here now for five weeks, and in that time I've logged just under 95 miles. Ninety. Five. Miles. Whoa! That ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/21/running-in-context/ Again, I had an abbreviated running week. On the bright side, one of the two runs I managed to squeeze in raised my personal best by two miles. The breakdown: Tuesday, July 15, 5 miles Thursday, July 17, 11 miles Total: 16 miles. The 11-miler just kind of happened. I hadn't planned it; I ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/20/weekly-mileage-update-4/ I've been on iPhone's 2.0 firmware for a week, and have had plenty of time to try out a few Apps. My favorite so far is Zenbe Lists. Though I desperately need an organizational scheme, I find that my life doesn't quite rise to the level of David Allen's "Getting Things ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/18/zenbe-lists/ For your reading pleasure, a try this item from the Freakonomics blog on the New York Times site. The kernel: Price and quality of wine do not necessarily go hand in hand. I'm not a wine snob by any means. Nor am I particularly educated about wine. But, I know what ... http://blocletters.com/2008/07/16/three-cheers-for-three-buck-chuck/