Author: mikeljohnston1 (Page 24 of 269)
On December 29, 2008, while living in Austin, Texas, I started my running streak. Today, was #5,450 without fail. The idea originated with the husband of a woman that my wife had just hired at the television station. We were having dinner and this fellow runner told me about an organization called The United States Running Streak Association (USRSA) and their website at www.runeveryday.com. I was intrigued when he recounted that on a recent business trip, he had forgotten to take his running shoes and was forced to go the distance (minimum of one mile) in his wing tips to maintain his streak. I had toyed with various streaks through the years and found satisfaction and motivation in trying to extend the timeframe of doing it daily, but nothing official.
My biggest challenge was always trying to determine which days to rest while training and struggled nearly every day with a mind game as to whether I should run or not. I had long gotten over distance challenges and needed a new approach. The idea of “just doing it” every day was appealing to me, eliminating the day of rest question, so I set a goal of one year, starting with New Year’s Day of 2009. As it turned out I couldn’t wait and began my streak a few days earlier. I would be rewarded one year later with a certificate of accomplishment and membership in the USRSA. One year led to two and soon will become fifteen.
I found that the first mile is always the toughest and just to be sure I would always extend it to at least 1.1 miles. I did not have a GPS when this started, so I wanted to be sure that I always achieved at least the minimum. Over the years it became 2.1 miles and eventually 3.1 miles daily. There were also some 10k races, as well as extensive distance training for the Hood to Coast Relay challenge in 2017. This past summer, I cut back to 2.1 miles due to the exhausting Florida heat. I estimate that during the course of this 15-year period, I’ve covered over 13,000 miles and written 323 blog posts about this journey.
However, the end of this streak and perhaps the beginning of the next one looms ahead due to heart surgery. January 15th will be my last day of this current streak with uncertainty as to when I can start again. I take my hat off to all of those that have somehow managed to go further and in most cases faster -up to more than fifty years without a day off. They’ve avoided serious injury, hospitalization, debilitating surgery, foul weather, hectic schedules, or simply forgetting to get at least a mile in every day. I was not as fortunate. For me, open heart surgery is the end of this road.
Three straight final game losses to Purdue sealed the inevitable firing of Indiana football Coach Tom Allen. I will miss his spirit on the sidelines and find the decision futile. I.U. will not only lose nearly 20 million dollars (nearly 400k for every loss) in the buyout but also flood the portal with transfer prospects. Will it do any good? No! Indiana is now nothing more than a soccer school (8 national titles and perhaps another in the works). Trophies for Swimming (6 straight), Basketball (5), Cross Country (3), Track & Field (1), and Wrestling (1) are now gathering cobwebs in the display case. Women’s Basketball has probably the greatest potential and football the least. A new coach is not going to make the slightest difference, especially considering that the program has had 29 different leaders since it began play in the 1887 season. Only six have led the Hoosiers to postseason bowl games, including Tom Allen who is now yesterday’s news.
1967 was the last Big Ten Conference football title under John Pont that led to the sole Rose Bowl appearance. They lost 14-3 to U.S.C. and O.J. Simpson. Starting next year, the Hoosiers and Trojans will become conference foes. If it weren’t for visiting Ohio State, Memorial Stadium would never be packed, and most of the regular I.U. fans would never leave the parking lot tailgates. When I was a season ticket holder back in the 80s, we defined today’s meaning of social distancing. One coach, Terry Hoeppner, sadly died before he was fired, while offensive coordinator Bill Lynch took over to lead the 2007 team to a 7-6 record and a trip to the Insight Bowl.
Back in 1957, Coach Bob Hicks went 1-8 in his only season for the lowest winning percentage of all time. At the other extreme, Coach Madison G. Gonterman lead the Hoosiers to 12-3 over two seasons (1896-7). Coach Bo McMillin had the longest tenure, lasting for 14-years, but Coach Bill Mallory led I.U. for the most games (149) that included six different bowl games. I traveled to two of those in these glory years (Liberty and Independence).
Coach Kevin Wilson resigned amidst “philosophical differences” in 2016 after a Pinstripe Bowl appearance in 2015. Allen replaced him, starting with the Foster Farms Bowl, his first loss of 49 total to Utah 26-24. His last loss was this past weekend’s Purdue game, a battle between two eight loss teams, where I.U. was flushed down the toilet, in what should have been coined the Tidy Bowl, and the losing coach removed from the job.
Arthur B. Woodford was the first I.U. football coach (1887-1888), followed by single season campaigns by Evans Woolen and Billy Herod. The team then went two seasons without a coach, compiling a 3-6-1 record. In 1894-5, with multiple coaches, they went 4-7-2, so show me where I.U. coaching matters! Some of the more recognizable coaching names for the Hoosiers, thanks to modern day broadcasting exposure, included Lee Corso (10 years), Sam Wyche (1), Cam Cameron (5), and Gerry DiNardo (3). This group combined for a pathetic record of 70-140-2. Other Hoosier losers included Coach Phil Dickens (1958-64: 20-41-2), Coach Bernie Crimmins (1952-1956: 13-32), Coach Clyde Smith (1948-1951: 8-27-1), Coach Earl C. Hayes (1931-33: 8-14-4), Coach Harlan Page (1926-30: 14-23-3), Coach Bill Ingrim (1923-25: 10-12-1), Coach James P. Herron (1922: 1-4-2), and Coach Clarence Childs (1914-15: 6-7-1).
Through the years there were a few winning coaches that should be recognized for achieving the nearly impossible at I.U. 1895 through 1913, four coaches totaled 80 wins, only 52 losses and 10 ties. The combo of Coaches Winchester Osgood and Robert Wrenn (1895) went 4-3-1, just before the afore mentioned winner, Madison G. Gonterman, took the helm. He was followed by Coach James H. Horn (1898-1904) who led the team to a 33-21-5 record over 7 seasons. Coach James M. Sheldon then won 35 games against 26 losses and three ties. It was truly the good old days. From 1916-1921, Coach Ewald O. Stiehm added 20 victories and one tie while losing only 18. That takes us full circle to Coach Bo McMillin’s 63-48-11 success from 1934-1947. If my math is correct, since that time, and just beyond my lifetime, fourteen coaches, all with losing records, have managed just 290 victories and 9 ties while losing 507 times. Who’s next?
I had another Hallmark moment, as I begin to write my own get-well cards. I will have to file it in the “Of Questionable Bad Taste” in my notebook. This one just took a few minutes to write after sitting in a file for many years. It simply needed a little inspiration, as I begin to plan for surgery.
Same Old Fart
“Get off my lawn,”
Just playing the part.
After passing seventy,
I’m now an old fart.
Don’t need a new hip,
Or even two knees.
But need a new heart,
Despite no disease.
I’ve skipped the small stuff,
Gone right to the top.
Jumped right into surgery,
Without even a hop.
They’ll make me bionic,
With some pig parts.
I’ll be like those heartless,
Grumpy Old Farts.
Then, they’ll work on my eyes,
To help me better see.
And tweak my prostrate,
So I can freely pee.
With all these changes,
I’ll still be me.
But a whole lot poorer,
After doctor fees.
They will poke and prod,
Make me pee in a cup.
Cut and paste,
Then stitch me up.
I’ll have to stop running,
Lifting heavy things.
Maybe the painkillers,
Will give me wings?
Recovery will be brutal,
As I show off my scars.
But better than the alternative,
So thanking my lucky stars.
Will this make me,
An even older fart?
Or will it give me,
A fresh youthful start?
Copyright 2023 johnstonwrites.com
We will hunger no more.
Because Sandy got us a free bird,
From BJ’s discount store.
Holly found the coupon,
And you drove for miles.
Loaded up the free bird,
After fighting grocery aisles.
And with no place to store it,
Holly saved Thanksgiving Day.
By getting you a second frig,
Too much sh*t was in the way.
Now you’ve got the space,
For more free birds next year.
And Karen will have more room,
To store some extra beer.
As we admire your new lamp,
And artwork on the wall.
We’ll finish off the free bird,
That wasn’t really free at all.
Then, we’ll have more pie,
And maybe one more drink.
And leave all your dishes,
Piled in the sink.
But the bird you can now freeze,
After we devour the rest.
And we want to thank you,
For making us your guest.
It was free for all of us,
Without the restaurant check.
A tryptophan nap will follow,
At the cost of free bird’s neck.
Without an Alka Seltzer,
This fullness I can’t tame.
But, please, don’t take it badly,
‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame.
But, if I stay here longer, girl,
I know I will drink more.
‘Cause, I’ll be as free as that bird,
If I have one more pour.
Lord help me, I can’t change,
Pass the green beans bowl.
Just another bite of free bird,
Then weight loss my next goal.
And I will never change,
oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, me.
And with this bird there was no change,
Because it was free.
Lord, help me, I can’t cha-a-a-ange,
Lord, I can’t change.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Free bird, yeah!
Thanksgiving is a good day to “Talk Turkey,” but frankly turkeys don’t get much respect when it comes to everyday phrases:
WKRP – “As God is my witness, I thought Turkeys Could Fly.”
Turkey Time
Turkey Day
Turkey Farm
Tom Turkey
Turkey Lurkey
Pass The Turkey
Turkey the Country
Turkey Trot
Turkey Jerky
Turkey Bowl
Wild Turkey
Turkey Neck
Turkey Leg
Turkey soup
Turkey gravy or giblets
Turkey Fryer
However, “Bird is the Word” when it comes to popularity:
Give Em the Bird
Early Bird Catches the Worm
Kill Two Birds with one Stone
Bird Bath
A Little Bird Told Me
A Bird in Hand
Birds of a Feather
Bird’s Eye View
Blue Bird of Happiness
Bird of Paradise
Birdied that hole (or eagled)
Song Bird
Jungle Bird (cocktail)
White, Yellow, Angry, or Little Bird
Even music, movies and books:
Free Bird
The Byrds (band and movie)
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Yardbirds
Bird of Prey
Birdman of Alcatraz
Birdcage
To Kill A Mockingbird
Bye Bye Birdie
The Thorn Birds
Anatomy:
Bird Legs
Bird Brain
Give Em the Bird
Birdseye
People:
Lady Bird
Larry Bird
Sue Bird
Andrew Bird musician
Let’s spread our wings and celebrate some other famous birds:
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Lonesome Dove
The Raven
Chicken Little
Chicken Out
Dixie Chicks
The Chicks
The Raven
Mockingjay
Partridge in a Pear Tree
The Eagles
Black Crowes
Sheryl Crow
Counting Crows
Flock of Seagulls
The Partridge Family
The O’Jays
The Flamingos
Swan Song
Dead as a Dodo
Night Owl
Flew the Coop
Eagle Eyes
Eat Crow
Old Crow
Old Crow Medicine Show
Good Egg
Egg on your face
The yoke’s on me
Just winging it
A feather in your cap
Proud as a Peacock
Albatross
Hawk nicknames – Dawson and Harrelson
Duck, Duck, Goose:
Sitting Duck
Lame Duck
Sitting Duck
Get one’s ducks in a row
Ugly Duckling
What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander
Wild Goose Chase
Goose Bumps
Gray Goose
In Professional Sports:
Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore Orioles
St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburg Penguins
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto Blue Jays
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Thrashers
And it goes on and on with College teams:
Bald Eagles, Blackbirds, Blue Hawks, Blue Hens, Blue Jays, Bluejays, Cardinals, Ducks, Duhawks (Dubuque Hawks), Eagles, Falcons, Firebirds, Gamecocks, Golden Eagles, Golden Falcons, Gulls (former nickname: Power Gulls), Harriers, Hawks, Herons, Hustlin’ Owls, Jayhawks, Kohawks, Larks, Marauding Eagles, Mountain Hawks, Nighthawks, Ospreys, Owls, Peacocks, Pelicans, Penguins, Purple Eagles, Ravens, Redbirds, Redhawks, Red Hawks, River Hawks, Roadrunners, Running Eagles, Sagehens, Scarlet Hawks, Screaming Eagles, Sea Gulls, Seahawks, Skyhawks, Soaring Eagles, Stormy Petrels, Sunbirds, Thunderbirds, Thunderhawks, V-Hawks, and Warhawks.
Running was a mixed bag this morning, feeling sluggish and heavy. My ear pods weren’t functioning, so without music I had little distraction from thought. With a pending surgery date of January 15th and the end of this running streak just months away, I felt fortunate to even be running at all. Today was #5,442, and by that date I will have likely progressed from “Experienced” to “Well Versed” on the USRSA site at www.runeveryday.com, having finally surpassed fifteen full years. I will need to check in for surgery at 5:30a, so there will be an early morning “finale” mile, just in case for some reason there is a delay or miracle, and the streak can continue.
January 15th will conclude 5,496 consecutive days of daily running without fail, placing me at #157 on the all-time retired list. That position will steadily fall as the 225 currently people ahead of me in longevity will eventually face the same fate. Also, the first day I miss others will begin to pass me and almost certainly someone just starting a streak that day will someday beat my total. All records are meant to be broken, even those that are not necessarily anywhere near the top, like mine. For fifteen years I’ve somehow avoided injury, severe illness, lack of motivation, and other circumstances to survive doing this arduous daily task. Ultimately, they will have to stop and start my heart to deter me.
I once thought that the whole point in running every day was to keep the weight off and avoid the doctor. Obviously, it didn’t work, so for me it apparently all just boiled down to a game of stubborn perseverance. I can’t possibly tell you the number of times that I did not want to take those first steps or nearly stopped mid-stride. Instead, I kept going, day after day, committed to that run and the next. I will surely face the depression of missing that first day, surely convinced that I will somehow be able to rise from the hospital bed and complete another day of this streak. After all, following that “last” run before surgery, I will have until just before midnight that next day to get back on my feet. Then, the next stage of depression will kick in, knowing that it truly will have ended. Am I prepared for this reality? No. Surgery sucks!
We’ve cut back on auto usage this year, after buying a used golf cart. We just have to carefully check each other’s schedule in operating with only one car. The 2005 Lexus Sc 430 convertible has about 117,000 miles on it, needing a tune-up, boot replacement, and rear struts. Granddaughter Nora calls it the “sweaty car,” stuck in the small back seat where the air conditioning is marginal. To her, the golf cart is the “go cart.” We sold the Toyota Solara convertible, knowing that it needed major work after the long drive from Portland. We will need to rent, borrow my son’s car, or buy a new one before we can carry 3 or 4 full-sized passengers or travel long distances. At least the golf cart holds four adults comfortably and one spoiled dog.
According to AARP, American Association of Retired People, like me, the national average cost of a gallon of gas today is about $3.88, but it varies, depending on where you live. When I was a kid in the 50s the average price of this basic expense was apparently about 18 cents! I got a 25-cent-per-gallon discount through Circle K and pumped a tank-full of Mid-Grade at $3.23, the lowest I’ve paid this year, even at Costco. The golf cart is plug and go, and we may have it licensed to utilize outside our neighborhood.
Other cost of living statistics from my childhood (1962) provided by Seek Publishing included average income at $5,556 per year, a new house going for $12, 550, new car $2,924, average rent $110 per month, tuition to Harvard University $1,520 per year, movie ticket for a buck, and a postage stamp for 4-cents. A gallon of milk sold for $1.04 per gallon while bread was 21-cents per loaf, while today bread in the state of Florida averages $3.62. Got Milk? A gallon now sells for $3.97, ten cents more than an equal amount of gasoline and 35-cents more than a loaf of bread.
We own an all-electric home but use propane for the outdoor kitchen. My wife prefers cooking with gas and was disappointed to find out that our only option here in Islandwalk was to bury a tank. Ironically, she used to handle the media buying for Citizen’s Gas in Indianapolis. She also worked with Coca-Cola that can result in a different kind of gas, if only it too could be bottled. We have a back-up supply, that can be very valuable after a storm. For example, a neighbor was stuck here in Hurricane Ian, while we were safely evacuated on a luxury cruise ship in Alaska. He frantically searched our snowbird-vacant homes for extra tanks to provide generator power and cooking needs during the lengthy power outage that we experienced. We sadly lost most of our freezer food while traveling.
We’ve somehow managed to miss both hurricanes since moving to Florida. During the most recent, Idalia, we were on our way back from Indiana after attending a wedding and funeral. We spent an extra night in Huntsville, Alabama as the storm hit Tallahassee. There were no damage issues with our house. Before we decided to move here, my son and his family, who lives nearby, evacuated their home for Irma in 2017. They spent a few uncomfortable nights at a nearby schoolhouse, while we worried for their safety back in Portland.
While traveling in Alaska, we visited the site of the Exxon Valdez disaster, spilling 11-million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound and the surrounding cities. That was back in 1989, 25-years ago and 14-years after the first section of pipe was laid. Alaska oil production peaked in 1988 at 738 million barrels, providing about 25 percent of U.S. oil production. However, when you see the current state of Valdez, you can’t help but see that this led to severe consequences, while the pipeline has been the subject of years of controversy ever since. More than half the cost of filling-up a car is influenced by the price of crude oil. Oil and gas affect every aspect of our lives, like it or not. Got Gas?
There is a tarnished gold trophy that stands about 8 inches high on my office shelf that was a prized possession of my grandfather Hancher. It was once proudly displayed in a glass case in his Elwood, Indiana home that now stands in my son’s living room. The trophy is fairly heavy in weight, unlike today’s awards. It was manufactured by Dodge, Inc. with offices in L.A., Chicago, Newark and Miami as inscribed on the inside of the base. There is one exactly like it on E-Bay for $30. This one was awarded by the Elwood Camera Club in Dec. 1956 for Best of Show Monochrome to Ross A. Hancher.
When I recently mentioned this item to my sister, she immediately asked if she could have it? I might trade her for one of my Grandma’s Emmett Kelly paintings. (See Post #1778). After all, this artwork belongs here in Florida, near where my grandparents had their mobile home in Englewood and near the area where this famous clown once performed. I had my eye on this trophy since I was a kid as an unwilling victim of my grandfather’s beloved hobby. I would spend hours in their Indiana basement where he had a studio set- up. I wore costumes, popped out of a laundry basket like a Jack-in-the-Box, and tried my best to sit still. My only reward is a series of baseball cards prints showing me in a Yankees cap poised with a bat. The rest of the photos he took, I’m not sure what to do with, some flat out embarrassing.
Back in those days, photography required a great deal of patience handling cumbersome equipment and dangerous chemicals. It needed a willing subject, a steady hand, and hours spent in a dark development room. His basement was actually kind of scary with an old wringer washer, tiny windows, bright lights on stanchions, and a massive furnace that looked haunted. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, but there was always one more photo to take. My grandfather was a man of few words and endless patience, leading to hours of boring silence, much like going fishing with him.
I would like to think that I was the subject of this award-winning photo. I’m sure I have it in my album collection, but I’m not quite sure which one it is. I’m surprised that my mom did not leave a note as to its whereabouts. She also caught the photo fever to further torment me, transitioning into video. I was apparently very photogenic at least in their eyes, while I became photophobic. She was seemingly never without a camera, recording everything from sunsets and food buffets. It eventually became a retirement business, The Calico Cottage, miniaturizing and framing personal photos for doll houses. Between father and daughter, I never wanted to see another camera my entire life. Then, came the I-Phone.
I have so many family photos in numerous formats, many of which are duplicates. They are in albums, on hard drives, on VHS tapes, CDs, and photo sticks. Now, they are also on my phone, as I have become more photo friendly. No more setup, processing, or storage problems – just point and click. Instant gratification instead of waiting for weeks to see if you got a good shot. In today’s world, we’re all expert photographers.