A week in review and Jury duty

Okay, here's the rundown on the running:
T-W-Th: ran 3 miles each day and the weather is starting to get icky. I'm listening to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris) and I felt fine. My long run came up short (4 miles instead of 9 miles because of time: I started too late). In all, a good week of running.
Lori participated in the Winona Lake Sprint Triatholon Saturday and the boys and I got to see her finish: very cool! Besides that, the pool has been very, very good to us during the 90+f days.
And after such a good week at home, I wasn't looking forward to making the call to the Court Bailiff because of the call back for jury duty.
Well, I'm walking to the courthouse at 8 a.m. to do my duty...and it actually is a better time to do this than last time. (More later on how things went).
This past week has also had me set up Linux on my eMac and dabble into Unix via a pretty cool book. (My father in law wasn't too impressed when I told him last night...though he may have a point in the pragmatics behind the whole thing). Anyway, I'm bring that book with me today to kill time with.
I wonder if Atticus will be there.

Relief on Notre Dame

"That is yielding, not fighting" (prompt from an Anne Dillard reading: "Weasel")
June 15, 2005

A thought struck me this morning as I was paying an excessive amount (obsessive) of energy noticing the stone carvings--reliefs-- on residence halls on Notre Dame campus: So why did God–Yahweh– angry, stern, stoic, bossy, jealous God of the Hebrews– why did He see it necessary to carve the first set of "rules to live by in the Yahweh way" on/in stone tablets?

Coffee was stronger this morning–and it’s Wednesday–not raining–and I listened to music on the 50-minute drive opposed to reading/hearing/listening/experiencing a book on tape (well, technically, on my iPod).

Aside from the cliche–"written in stone"–was it so much that big, bad Yahweh wanted a pernament record of His social law and order or was it a beginning step? Stone, you know, does erode with time and place. So, if Yahweh–big school yard duty monitor–who according to some was also Yahweh, constructor of the universe, don’t you think He would have used material a bit more lasting?

Or perhaps it’s more metaphor and less absolute. The Moses-like author does say that the stuff of the Commandment writing should also be written on the tablets of our hearts...but that’s more individual and personable and more fleshy, human, beating-heart, fickled emotive people stuff.

And still, the Hebrews didn’t get it– and I wonder if Yahweh go it–you know, the human stuff. And I wonder sometimes if I get it.

Are these 10 rules fighting words? If I fight for them, am I fighting a losing battle? Is the cliche true and now I must fight in memory of a piece of rock which came from the same earth that I walk on each day? Is it a cosmic battle of "fight for the icon" in the name of the stamper–oops, metaphor?

Or, perhaps, is it about yielding–noticing the limestone reliefs of the ideal athlete/scholar/Catholic person from 1926. Yielding is honest respect–no, that’s to trite–yielding is pausing when a rabbit skirts in front of your path.

Saturday, in the park...well, Sunday in the Park

Temp: 73 f, wind: 10 SSE (feels like: 73) and it's hazy!

Run: 5 miles (first long run of the 18-week training)

Afterward: A bit bright running into the sun and a bit hot. Besides that, a strong 5 miles.

Listened to: Random (next week: Back to the books!)

Yesterday I was runner boy for my wife and sister; Lori ran a 1/2 marathon and Stephany, a marathon at Sunburst. Both ran strong and me and the boys got to eat our Krispy Kremes and watch tv until it was time to head for Norte Dame to see them finish on the 50-yard line of the the stadium.

And even though I'm not a ND fan, it's just plain cool to watch (and run it).

Tomorrow, I'm trying to get out of jury duty because of the the upcoming scorers training in Indy which begins Tuesday. I really want to do my civic duty, but I also have another civic duty: scoring new teacher portfolios. Let's see who wins out:

Suellen Reed (well, I'm not doing it for her, but I did find this little quote from her:

“I’m not going to say anything bad about anybody.” Supt. Suellen Reed, at an education round table, Oct. 19, 2000, after she got embroiled in the McIntosh-O’Bannon race over education issues

or the Elkhart Co. Court Bailiff.

Hot blooded

Temp: 71 f, wind: 9 ESE (feels like: 71)

Run: 3 miles

Afterward: A bit hot: had to wear a cotton shirt that
didn't breathe. Whew!

Listened to: Random (next week: Back to the books!)

Since my first real training schedule, I've learned to ignore the
aches and pains of running for the first two weeks--that's about how
long it takes my body to remember what it's like to get the freakishly
tall frame with 38-year-old gut moving forward.

And today was one of those days.

I'm happy that I've almost made it to the end of my first week:
sitting back and watching others run races is fine, but I want the
t-shirt also.

Saturday, Lori and my sister from California (Stephany) are running in
the Sunburst and I get to play runner boy. Actually, that'll be cool
because I'll have the boys with me and I'll get to brag about their
mother and how she does things to push herself.

Also in the tone of "catching up" I've finally starting my "Make Your
Own Wine" kit from two Xmases ago (next step is the "second
fermentation" phase...7 days away). I'm anticipating a small ceremony
for the first tasting of my private label: Vergil's Valley Winery:
7.2005: a nice, crisp chardonnay with a hint of Goshen goodness...

Lastly, I got to eat at my 2nd grader's school Tuesday: at the lunch
table. I was amused at how the conversation at lunch tables in schools
doesn't change much: from student to teacher alike, table talk is
about the same. I was especially amused my Evan's classmate Ben who
had a particularly interesting phrase construction: more
sophisticatedier.

Now, off to try and fix the pool pump.