Socialist Sushi

Running update

bfordham — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:20:06 +0000

At the end of May I posted about my plans to try and get ~~back~~ into shape. Here at the end of June I figured I’d post an update.

According to my training log at RunningAHEAD, I ran 28.0 miles in 6:12:17. My mile time was 12:47. I weighed a couple minutes ago and was at 168. So that’s 6 lbs down, though our scale has been messing up… I’ll check when we get a new one.

How the mighty have fallen

bfordham — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:58:56 +0000

New Venezuela law allows warrantless wiretapping and manipulation of the judicial process to favor the government over the rights of the accused. Good thing we live in America, where that would never, ever happen. Right, guys? Guys?

Link.

Year 32

bfordham — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:19:15 +0000

I turned 32 on Wednesday. The week before me, Amber, and the in-laws were in Hilton Head, both celebrating Amber’s graduation with her Masters and spending some time with Lyndsey before she left for the summer.

I’ve started running again. For whatever reason this time, I’m really enjoying it. I think part of it may be I’m working from home now, and it gets me out of the house for a while. Anyway, while in Hilton Head Lyndsey and I went running a couple of times together, and once our friend Robert went with us; that was fun.

One of the last evenings we were there Amber and I went to the beach and talked. I mentioned to her my desire to get into better shape. According to my body-mass index, I’m just over the line for overweight. Right now, I can still lose weight pretty easily if I try. Unfortunately, I can gain weight pretty easily, too. And that’s not going to get better with each passing birthday…

It’s funny how your views on such things change. It’s become a theological issue with me. I want to be useful to the church as long as I can. Amber and I have also discussed going to the mission field instead of retiring here (yes, John Piper has had a lot to do with that; see here and here for starters). But if I don’t take care of my health now, how useful will I be when I’m 65, 70?

I figure a good way to stay motivated is to post all this on my blog for my friends to see. So here ya go. We’ll track my progress here. I’m kinda easing back in, so I’m not running the whole time, instead going for 30 minutes, 3 minutes running, 3 walking. I’m changing that today to 3 minutes running, 2 walking, and following I’ll continue to adjust the recovery time til I can run the whole time with no trouble. Then I’ll start being concerned with milage.

For the record, though, I went 2 miles yesterday in about 30 minutes. When I weighed Thursday I was 174. I’m 5′8″ tall.

If I don’t improve this, I’m counting on all of you to make fun of me.

Finally, one big encouragement to me has been Joe Thorn. Funnily enough, he 1 year anniversary of running was May 29… 1 day after I turned 32. His post on that, especially the picture at the end, is helping me along.

So, I’m off now. Amber got me new running shoes for my birthday, plus a watch, so it’s time to break em in.

The Problem of Sin

bfordham — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:16:17 +0000

Can we doubt that presently our race will more than realize our boldest imaginations, that it will achieve unity and peace, and that our children will live in a world make more splendid and lovely than any palace or garden that we know, going on from strength to strength in an ever-widening circle of achievement? What man has done, the little triumphs of his present state … form but the prelude to the things that man has yet to do.

– H.G. Wells, A Short History of the World (1937)

The cold-blooded massacres of the defenseless, the return of deliberate and organized torture, mental torment, and fear to a world from which such things had seemed well nigh banished — has come near to breaking my spirit altogether … “Homo Sapiens,” as he has been pleased to call himself, is played out.

– H.G. Wells, A Mind at the End of Its Tether (1946)

Quoted in Tim Keller’s The Reason for God, page 159.

More ad placement

bfordham — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:03:26 +0000

Reading an article on the food problems in Haiti. On canada.com they have an article: Food riots topple Haiti’s governnment. Right next to it is an article for Biggest Loser.

Sad on so many levels.

(screengrab)

Well said

bfordham — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:08:53 +0000

Five terrible job titles for my business cards

bfordham — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:58:28 +0000

Supermodel
Superfly
Super Genius
Super Trooper
Super Geek (gee, thanks, Crazy Lady)

(apologies to Merlin)

I confess

bfordham — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:48:00 +0000

I don’t watch much TV at all. There are a few shows I follow. Three, to be precise. And when Amber has the TV on I normally don’t pay too much attention to it. There’s one show, however, that I find strangely fascinating.

I’m referring to America’s Next Top Model.

I’ve no idea why, really. I don’t know the contestants. I don’t watch it everytime it airs. Heck, I can’t even be certain I’m watching the same season. But it appalls and fascinates me all at once. The show, like the beauty of the people on it, is merely skin deep.

Besides, Tyra’s hot.

Amber finds the whole thing amusing. I don’t follow it, exactly; it’s more like watching a train wreck. But watch it I do, and I really haven’t the foggiest idea why.

Savannah weather on Twitter

bfordham — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:26:37 +0000

Updates hourly.

Not original to me, I stole this idea, too. (via this post, which was in one of Jessamyn’s tweets)

I’d like to add more Savannah stuff to it, but I’m not sure what.

Idle hands, etc

bfordham — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:12:33 +0000

Make Scooby talk.

And it gets worse: I expanded tied him to my mission statement generator (which I in turn ripped off the old Dilbert.com). You can get your Scooby corporate-speak here.

Even more surreal to me: Scooby spouting oblique stategies.