Another written-off month. No, hang on, let’s make a slight alteration there: Another written-off month? That question mark makes all the difference. Today I’m hope-gathering, and today I need that question mark. Let’s have a bit of straight talking here. I’ve fizzled out again, and I want this to be the last time it happens. This cycle must now be broken permanently.… READ MORE.... …
Month: September 2004
It’s been another lax week. I suppose the final realisation that Dublin isn’t going to happen for me, has delivered a dangerous message that I’ve been too happy to snatch at. Silly really. Running is a recipe for joy and soaring self-esteem, so god knows why I should creep into these lethargic corners as though I was gaining something. But this isn’t going to be yet another burst of bloody soul-searching.… READ MORE.... …
I’m a keen semiologist. Have I mentioned this before? A sign man. I just love ’em. Please do not put cigarette ends, chewing gum, paper towels or similar items into the urinal as it causes blockages. If you have any queries, please call Fiona in Facilities on ext. 5133. "Hello, is that Fiona?" "Yes! How can I help?" "I was calling about the notice in the Gents toilet."… READ MORE.... …
Something untoward to report. Work. After fairly stately progress with my task in recent weeks, I’ve had to accelerate a bit this week, squeezing my running time. A pathetic excuse, of course. Shame on me for pulling that one out of The Lazy Bugger’s Book Of Flimsy Excuses. The week has been busy, but there’s always time to run, just as there is always time to read – despite what people say.… READ MORE.... …
I’d presumed there’d be no more Leeds entries after my break. But it seems the plan to migrate south again last week, never got off the ground. I was also expecting to be on holiday this week too, until being told, two days before my fortnight was due to start, that my second week had been cancelled. Pitiful Bastards. Let’s hope my bosses are not tempted to arrange a social occasion at the local brewery.… READ MORE.... …
Struggling up Croagh Patrick this afternoon, I was sure this was to be one of those landmark feats that I’d want to write a lot about. But maybe that won’t happen. Is it a hill or a mountain? It’s not very high, only 2500 feet or so, but its ruggedness and steepness make it seem more like the latter. It was a tough walk, much harder than I expected.… READ MORE.... …
Say “Nim”. And “foamer”. Then “nigher” Nim-foamer Nim-foamer nigher. Nim-foamer nigher. Then add a “kull” at the end. Nim-foamer nigher-kull. Good, now we have the right pronunciation for “nymphomaniacal”. As in “Nymphomaniacal Alice”. It’s the first line of the only limerick that I know. But if you pronounce the first word wrongly, it doesn’t work. Nymphomaniacal Alice I was thinking about this as I drove out of Galway City this morning.… READ MORE.... …
Ireland can’t quite make up its mind whether it’s 2004 or 1952. I thought about this as I drove through Tipperary town this afternoon. The high street looks like a film set. The innocent gaudiness of the pub facias with their ancient adverts for Guinness and Smithwick’s and Harp, and the traditional butchers and bakers with their high counters and staff in white overalls, compete with internet cafés and estate agents struggling to cope with the property boom.… READ MORE.... …
There seem to be a lot of medium length words beginning with A to describe things about which I am decidedly, unquestionably, ferociously… sort of ambivalent really. Alcohol. Anarchy. Arsenal. America. Asparagus. This morning at 7:30, as I left home to drive to a 10K on the other side of Reading, I was reminded of another: Autumn. Perhaps you had to be there, when the mist hung over the garden like cotton wool, and the air carried a chill, a faint wintry edge.… READ MORE.... …
It’s been a good running and writing week, though you wouldn’t know it from the activity on this website. I can’t recall a time when I ran 9 out of 10 days like this. I had a break on Tuesday because I was travelling, and another one today but only because I have a 10K race tomorrow. It’s been a productive writing week too which is why there’s been a break in normal service here.… READ MORE.... …
If youth is wasted on the young, perhaps wisdom is wasted on the old. What use is discovering it now, when more than half my life is gone already? I was thinking about this today on my early run along the canal in Leeds. For a few minutes, I was so happy that I thought about ending it all. I thought I could tie myself in a sack with a few bricks in it, perch on the edge of the canal, and wait for some vindictive kitten to wander past and give me a shove.… READ MORE.... …