#11 Boston - Turtle Jogging - August 17, 2006
Hello my sweet friends,
Thanks to so many of you for your words of encouragement after I was struck down with Runner's Knee. Recovery and healing are both going well - it is a somewhat painful process and requires focus and persistence (which happens to be my middle name :) ). Patience too (definitely not my middle name!!). Hard for me to keep my butt in one place and not hop around all the time. But there are so many movies in the world one can watch resting comfortably on the couch, and if you need any recommendations, just let me know. I can provide list upon list upon list. I watched a bit too many serious ones though this weekend ("Veronica Guerin", "Matewan" and "Munich" - none of them cheerer-uppers), so when my friend Pauline invited me on Monday to come to her place and watch "Muppets from Space" I zipped over there in a jiffy (Gonzo! Gonzo! Gonzo!). Good to mix it up, definitely and we are all in love with Kermit, are we not?
I have now slowly resumed my running schedule, turtle jogging as I call it, and so far two attempts at this slower version of running have proven to work quite nicely. Next time running will be this Sunday where we will up the ante just a wee bit, slowly building up the mileage. The days in between are spent at the gym, stretching, strength exercises for the muscles that were not doing what they are supposed to be doing, and, the good old foam roller, a most demanding and most effective tool in the recovery process. Things are looking up.
So, this past weekend, in an attempt to feed the cultural part of my soul, I joined a happy gaggle of women - Pauline, Joo, Sunshine, Chloe, Rebecca and Julie and we zipped down to Providence, Rhode Island (http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/). PVD is the capital of this our neighboring state, about an hour's drive away, and has the claim to fame of being New England's second largest city. It was founded by Roger Williams in honor of "God's merciful providence" - he was a bit in a bind, our dear Roger, after the Puritans kicked him out of Massachusetts, so he decided to make a name (and a place) for himself here. He was known as a theologian, and a serious advocate for the fair treatment of Native Americans, in particular when it came to the purchase of lands. Some of you might remember the story I related quite some time ago about the fact that the corpse of Mr Williams got devoured by a tree - ring a bell?
You see, Roger was buried on his farm, but being the founder of the state and such The Rhode Historical Society decided to unearth him and give him a more appropriate, stately funeral and resting place. Well, wouldn't you know it, when they opened the coffin they found - nothing, zip, zilch - not a bone in sight. Our Roger - completely gone. The culprit was determined to be an apple tree growing right above the grave, the roots of the tree had infiltrated the coffin. According to the website roadsideamerica.com they found "...a large root curved where his head should have been and entered the chest cavity, growing down the spine. It branched at the two legs, and then upturned into feet!" The same website also says that the historical society is too embarrassed to show the roots and are hiding it in a basement somewhere, but that they (the website) received a note from a reader stating - "My family is from Rhode Island and I am a direct of descendent of Roger Williams. It's kind of something my family is proud of. Never heard that story but am thrilled to think that I can actually go back and see my roots -- so to speak." (ha, ha....).
Back to the cultural part - our first item on the agenda was a visit to RISD (pronounced RIZ-DEE) - The Rhode Island School of Design, which is known to be one of the world's top art colleges (http://www.risd.edu/). This was definitely worth the trip alone. Aside from art work generated by RISD students, you can admire anything from Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Rothko, Andy Warhol - the collection is more than impressive. There was an exhibit of works by German artist Kaethe Kollwitz, well known for her portrayals of social struggle, poverty and suffering. Her husband's work as a doctor dedicated to helping the poor in the slums of Berlin, provided Kollwitz with impressions for her illustrations; the fact that she lost two sons in the two World Wars made her an ardent pacifist.
RISD also features a house within the museum - an early 20th century historical building known as the Pendleton House. It was built in 1906 to display Mr. Charles Pendleton's 18th- and 19th-century furniture, related decorative arts (lots of figurines, LOTS of them!!) along with an impressive display of American painting and sculpture, silver and ceramics, Oriental carpets, fancy wallpaper - you name it!!
Among the school's alumni, filmmaker Gus van Sant stands out ("Good Will Hunting", "My Own Private Idaho", "Finding Forrester"), and David Byrne of the Talking Heads emerged onto the scene from there. What cracked me up most was a write-up on the sports activities at RISD campus, wonderfully described on wikipedia.com: "RISD does have several intramural sports teams including a basketball team named the "Balls," who have the slogan, "When the heat is on, the Balls stick together." The team with the most infamous name is the hockey team, which proudly carries the title: "Nads." Founded in 1963, the customary cheer at hockey games is go Nads! (deliberately sounding like gonads). The RISD mascot is "Scrotie," a giant penis with a red cape. The cheerleaders are named the "Jockstraps," because they support the Nads. RISD students claim Cooper Union to be their arch rival in sports events, and the two hold an annual hockey match known as the "Supportive Cup".
Alright - after being very enlightened, at least culturally, we had some time to waste until the water fires started, so we stuffed ourselves big time at the Cheesecake Factory - gargantuan portions and deserts from the category "triple bypass special" - you can feel your arteries harden and watch as every bite of cheesecake adds a new little bump to your already birth-friendly hips. But sooooooo worth it!!
We then moved our glutted little stomachs over to the riverside to check out the Providence Water Fire spectacle - it started in 1994 with an art installation by Barnaby Evans (http://www.waterfire.org/photos/indexTrue.html) and was such a huge success that they have been doing it ever since. Vessels called braziers on some kind of floatation systems are stacked with logs and kindling of pine, cedar and oak origin and set on fire. There are 97 of them thingies, and they are floating around on Providence's three rivers - Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck and Providence. It is quite a display and if there weren't six million people around and what my friend Pauline called "extremely tacky elevator jazz", it might actually be enjoyable. Maybe it was my agoraphobia or the fact that the sheer weight of the cheesecake made me feel like taking a nap somewhere on a nice spot of grass, but I certainly was glad to hoof it out of there.
As to the final highlight for this past week - Tuesday - Bank of America Pavilion - SNOW PATROL CONCERT!!!!! It was awesome, man!! They have been my new favorite group since last year when they performed at the Avalon Club here in Boston, and this time they packed the pavilion with 4000 screaming fans!! (www.snowpatrol.com). If they come your way, you must, must, must go!! Of course, I had to run out yesterday and get their new album ("Eyes Open", but also check out their first CD -"Final Straw"). No one sat down throughout the entire concert and every single person seemed to know the lyrics to "Run" - which is their best song I think. Absolutely wonderful - I had such a marvelous time!!
So, that is mostly it. Unless you want to hear how I dinged the side of my head on my car on Sunday and gave myself a nice little shiner (who needs running to get injured?). Klutz really could be my last name, if there is an open cabinet door within 5 miles of where I am, believe me I will find it and give myself a black eye in no time. Oh well, we can't all be well coordinated right?
I am signing off for the weekend - I will be helping my friends Patrick and Ellen move into their new dwelling in Watertown on Saturday, in particular checking out the basement with the Budweiser Bar and then do a little running, a little movie time, just enjoying the summer. I hope you do the same. Be well and don't get into any trouble (or at least if you do, make it entertaining....).
Love to all of you,
pet:)
PS: A movie warning - I am the midst of watching what seems to be one of the top contenders for a "what-the-hell-where-they-thinking?" movie list, this one called "Color of Night" with our old friend Bruce Willis. On Netflix one of the reviewers described it as follows:
"This could have been written by a transplanted brain being kept alive in a jar of saline solution and fed low-voltage electric shocks. There are many, many shots of Bruce Willis naked. That alone is enough to spur calls for the return of 50’s-style ratings commissions and a need to re-invest our nation in family values."
Thanks to so many of you for your words of encouragement after I was struck down with Runner's Knee. Recovery and healing are both going well - it is a somewhat painful process and requires focus and persistence (which happens to be my middle name :) ). Patience too (definitely not my middle name!!). Hard for me to keep my butt in one place and not hop around all the time. But there are so many movies in the world one can watch resting comfortably on the couch, and if you need any recommendations, just let me know. I can provide list upon list upon list. I watched a bit too many serious ones though this weekend ("Veronica Guerin", "Matewan" and "Munich" - none of them cheerer-uppers), so when my friend Pauline invited me on Monday to come to her place and watch "Muppets from Space" I zipped over there in a jiffy (Gonzo! Gonzo! Gonzo!). Good to mix it up, definitely and we are all in love with Kermit, are we not?
I have now slowly resumed my running schedule, turtle jogging as I call it, and so far two attempts at this slower version of running have proven to work quite nicely. Next time running will be this Sunday where we will up the ante just a wee bit, slowly building up the mileage. The days in between are spent at the gym, stretching, strength exercises for the muscles that were not doing what they are supposed to be doing, and, the good old foam roller, a most demanding and most effective tool in the recovery process. Things are looking up.
So, this past weekend, in an attempt to feed the cultural part of my soul, I joined a happy gaggle of women - Pauline, Joo, Sunshine, Chloe, Rebecca and Julie and we zipped down to Providence, Rhode Island (http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/). PVD is the capital of this our neighboring state, about an hour's drive away, and has the claim to fame of being New England's second largest city. It was founded by Roger Williams in honor of "God's merciful providence" - he was a bit in a bind, our dear Roger, after the Puritans kicked him out of Massachusetts, so he decided to make a name (and a place) for himself here. He was known as a theologian, and a serious advocate for the fair treatment of Native Americans, in particular when it came to the purchase of lands. Some of you might remember the story I related quite some time ago about the fact that the corpse of Mr Williams got devoured by a tree - ring a bell?
You see, Roger was buried on his farm, but being the founder of the state and such The Rhode Historical Society decided to unearth him and give him a more appropriate, stately funeral and resting place. Well, wouldn't you know it, when they opened the coffin they found - nothing, zip, zilch - not a bone in sight. Our Roger - completely gone. The culprit was determined to be an apple tree growing right above the grave, the roots of the tree had infiltrated the coffin. According to the website roadsideamerica.com they found "...a large root curved where his head should have been and entered the chest cavity, growing down the spine. It branched at the two legs, and then upturned into feet!" The same website also says that the historical society is too embarrassed to show the roots and are hiding it in a basement somewhere, but that they (the website) received a note from a reader stating - "My family is from Rhode Island and I am a direct of descendent of Roger Williams. It's kind of something my family is proud of. Never heard that story but am thrilled to think that I can actually go back and see my roots -- so to speak." (ha, ha....).
Back to the cultural part - our first item on the agenda was a visit to RISD (pronounced RIZ-DEE) - The Rhode Island School of Design, which is known to be one of the world's top art colleges (http://www.risd.edu/). This was definitely worth the trip alone. Aside from art work generated by RISD students, you can admire anything from Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Rothko, Andy Warhol - the collection is more than impressive. There was an exhibit of works by German artist Kaethe Kollwitz, well known for her portrayals of social struggle, poverty and suffering. Her husband's work as a doctor dedicated to helping the poor in the slums of Berlin, provided Kollwitz with impressions for her illustrations; the fact that she lost two sons in the two World Wars made her an ardent pacifist.
RISD also features a house within the museum - an early 20th century historical building known as the Pendleton House. It was built in 1906 to display Mr. Charles Pendleton's 18th- and 19th-century furniture, related decorative arts (lots of figurines, LOTS of them!!) along with an impressive display of American painting and sculpture, silver and ceramics, Oriental carpets, fancy wallpaper - you name it!!
Among the school's alumni, filmmaker Gus van Sant stands out ("Good Will Hunting", "My Own Private Idaho", "Finding Forrester"), and David Byrne of the Talking Heads emerged onto the scene from there. What cracked me up most was a write-up on the sports activities at RISD campus, wonderfully described on wikipedia.com: "RISD does have several intramural sports teams including a basketball team named the "Balls," who have the slogan, "When the heat is on, the Balls stick together." The team with the most infamous name is the hockey team, which proudly carries the title: "Nads." Founded in 1963, the customary cheer at hockey games is go Nads! (deliberately sounding like gonads). The RISD mascot is "Scrotie," a giant penis with a red cape. The cheerleaders are named the "Jockstraps," because they support the Nads. RISD students claim Cooper Union to be their arch rival in sports events, and the two hold an annual hockey match known as the "Supportive Cup".
Alright - after being very enlightened, at least culturally, we had some time to waste until the water fires started, so we stuffed ourselves big time at the Cheesecake Factory - gargantuan portions and deserts from the category "triple bypass special" - you can feel your arteries harden and watch as every bite of cheesecake adds a new little bump to your already birth-friendly hips. But sooooooo worth it!!
We then moved our glutted little stomachs over to the riverside to check out the Providence Water Fire spectacle - it started in 1994 with an art installation by Barnaby Evans (http://www.waterfire.org/photos/indexTrue.html) and was such a huge success that they have been doing it ever since. Vessels called braziers on some kind of floatation systems are stacked with logs and kindling of pine, cedar and oak origin and set on fire. There are 97 of them thingies, and they are floating around on Providence's three rivers - Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck and Providence. It is quite a display and if there weren't six million people around and what my friend Pauline called "extremely tacky elevator jazz", it might actually be enjoyable. Maybe it was my agoraphobia or the fact that the sheer weight of the cheesecake made me feel like taking a nap somewhere on a nice spot of grass, but I certainly was glad to hoof it out of there.
As to the final highlight for this past week - Tuesday - Bank of America Pavilion - SNOW PATROL CONCERT!!!!! It was awesome, man!! They have been my new favorite group since last year when they performed at the Avalon Club here in Boston, and this time they packed the pavilion with 4000 screaming fans!! (www.snowpatrol.com). If they come your way, you must, must, must go!! Of course, I had to run out yesterday and get their new album ("Eyes Open", but also check out their first CD -"Final Straw"). No one sat down throughout the entire concert and every single person seemed to know the lyrics to "Run" - which is their best song I think. Absolutely wonderful - I had such a marvelous time!!
So, that is mostly it. Unless you want to hear how I dinged the side of my head on my car on Sunday and gave myself a nice little shiner (who needs running to get injured?). Klutz really could be my last name, if there is an open cabinet door within 5 miles of where I am, believe me I will find it and give myself a black eye in no time. Oh well, we can't all be well coordinated right?
I am signing off for the weekend - I will be helping my friends Patrick and Ellen move into their new dwelling in Watertown on Saturday, in particular checking out the basement with the Budweiser Bar and then do a little running, a little movie time, just enjoying the summer. I hope you do the same. Be well and don't get into any trouble (or at least if you do, make it entertaining....).
Love to all of you,
pet:)
PS: A movie warning - I am the midst of watching what seems to be one of the top contenders for a "what-the-hell-where-they-thinking?" movie list, this one called "Color of Night" with our old friend Bruce Willis. On Netflix one of the reviewers described it as follows:
"This could have been written by a transplanted brain being kept alive in a jar of saline solution and fed low-voltage electric shocks. There are many, many shots of Bruce Willis naked. That alone is enough to spur calls for the return of 50’s-style ratings commissions and a need to re-invest our nation in family values."
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