Cooler

We have had a 10 degree or so drop in temperatures the last several days so that the high temperatures we are now experiencing each day are below freezing.  Pretty typical, actually.... perhaps a bit later than usual due to global warming.  But, it is a period of acclimation for certain.  It takes me usually a week or two of persistent cold to acclimate.  

Now, I WOULD LIKE to be as cool as the fellow in the image I have posted.  But, not cool in the temperature sense, but cool in the "essence" sense.  But, that will never be..... I am just my frumpy self.  And, I guess that is fine as well.

I saw a quote yesterday that I appreciated and am trying to keep in my mind.  I do not know who spoke it, but it has meaning for me:

"In six months you will have..... six months of excuses.... or you will have six months of progress.  The choice is yours."  

 Food for thought that I need to keep in mind.

I ran my 10 miles (indoor track, a helluva lot of loops) (~16km) at the start time of 6:03am this morning.  It DOES feel so much more positive of an experience with my new shoes.... I do think I have to look for another pair online before all the old style are completely gone (if they are not gone already).  The "new style" I had had been running in was horrible (see yesterday's post).  

I am in the crunch phase of the semester with more than a zillion projects coming in from my plethora of students.  I am feverishly writing exams and trying to get them to the Graphics Center.  I am grading, and researching ad nauseum.  

But, I am so very much looking forward to the Retiree's Cigar Group tomorrow afternoon.  It is akin to an oasis in many ways.  I hope that is how it is tomorrow.  In some ways it still surprises me.... as you know, I do indulge in a cigar while there.  And, it is an enjoyable experience, do not get me wrong.  But, it is NOT a pipe filled with pipe tobacco.  There is no real comparison.  In some ways, perhaps, this is of benefit to me for I have not and do not anticipate developing any sort of unbridled "passion" for a cigar like I deeply have, and likely will always have for a pipe and pipe tobacco.  The cigar is an interesting, entertaining, yet rather superfluous event.  I enjoy it when I have that option, but it really is nothing more.   But, it is indeed fun and enjoyable to enjoy a cigar while talking, chatting, and kvetching with the "retirees".   

The pipe filled with pipe tobacco, by contrast, is a passion, a true "artistic" experience.  It seems in some ways to be both odd and even "foolish" to have the two diametrically different views on what is.... at a very basic level, the "same" thing.... a leaf of a plant.  I find the dichotomy rather interesting.  I still YEARN for a pipe, and the memories of the many beautiful adventures I have had while smoking a pipe continue to help me feel tranquil and peaceful as I fall asleep each night.  In some ways, I think this dichotomy is what makes it more challenging for me to find a "safe" way to try to re-incorporate a very occasional pipe into my life.  I am not particularly confident in my resolve to do so in a "measured" way unless it is something I can rigidly regulate and control.  I do think without prescribed "stop-gaps" and "rules" if I were to indulge in a pipe, I would so very easily slide back into my preferred pattern of indulging at will in the beloved hobby.

Fortunately, on the ride into the U this morning, while the roads had a full coating of snow, the temperatures were such that there were really no slippery spots of concern.  This is good, for the students do not need the hassel of getting their "snow feet" (their getting used to walking/driving in snow) during this crunch period.  When a glaze of icy road and sidewalk conditions occur at this time of the year, there is an inevitable spike in injuries (falling on the sidewalk) and fender benders in the student population.  It appears that at least today it will still be smooth sailing for them.

PipeTobacco