Pull Tight

The first of January I started going the Gym and doing a spin class or session about 5-6 days per week. Having not been very active for the past two or three years, I wanted to lose some weight and get in a little better shape for some bicycle rides (and to generally feel better).  Although my diet wasn't particularly bad  by American standards, it could be improved.  At the same time I started spinning, I gave up most wheat, dairy and sugar (the really bad things in our diets). Losing weight at a slower rate than I hoped, down about 15 pounds so far.  What surprised me were the other numbers. By the end of March my heart rate had dropped from 75 to 52.  My cholesterol went from 230 in January to 160 in March. Joint pain and allergies have pretty much been nonexistent. All of the stuff we are told about diet and exercise might really be true. Join me at the gym or on a bike ride.

I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness. Christopher Hitchens Back in the 1970s I knew an enlightened young woman from a very small town in Texas who made this comment about stereotypes and intolerance. "I'm not prejudiced against Blacks because they are born Black.  I am not prejudiced against Mexicans because they are born Mexican.  But I am prejudiced against Baptists.  Being Baptist is a choice and it is OK to be prejudiced against people for what they choose to believe or to be." There was a lot of truth in this young woman's statement. Guess I don't need to mention she wasn't a Baptist.  This discussion was obviously about religions (and some local religious leaders exhibiting questionable behavior), but it could have just as easily been about so much beyond religion. Perhaps the only thing it is truly OK to be intolerant or prejudic...

Have a good friend who along with her husband is remodeling her home. Having gone through a complete remodel and after hearing from others with the same experience,  my advice to her is first consider the following options. Move - the remodel is going to take much longer and cost much more than you think.  You could move to a nice place and still have enough savings left for an exotic vacation. Divorce - an option for remaining at least friends with your significant other Murder - Either spouse kills the other or most any of the contractors and/or subcontractors.  While this seems a little harsh at first, it is a viable option.  Just make sure the judge or least one of your jurors had undergone a home remodeling project.  The verdict will most certainly be justifiable homicide.

I enjoy classical music, without really knowing very much about it.  Go to the occasional concert, opera or ballet. And, listen to the music, mostly in the car.  The fact that I only recognize the composer or name of a very few pieces doesn't prevent me from appreciating and enjoying. Every January when the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo rolls around, I recall a chance meeting of 27 years ago. Driving out of the Fort Worth hospital district listening to the local classical music station I drove past a young female hitchhiker dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, carrying a backpack. As this was not a particularly safe part of town at the time, I circled back and offered a ride. As she tossed her back pack into the back seat and sat beside me in the front seat she remarked "Haydn's 6th".   A correct observation as it turned out when the name of the piece was given at the end the performance. My guess of a college student was correct, but she wasn't quite an inn...

"......To stop all my singing And never play music again..." from I'd Have to be Crazy by Steven Fromholz Texas Trilogy written and sung by Fromholz captured life in small town Texas better than anything I ever heard or read.  The songs were about life in Kopperl, Texas, located on the Brazos river, in the late 1950s. If you have never heard the songs, you are in for a treat.  The recordings by Fromholz may be a little hard to find, but Lyle Lovett rerecorded them a few years ago and you can easily find his recordings. Fromholz put on great shows, got to see him perform a couple of times. He would become a Texas Poet Lauret.  A few years ago he worked as a river guide on the Rio Grande. He would cook dinner for the travelers and then entertain around the campfire, I am told.  Canoeing with him down the river will have to be taken off my bucket list. He died yesterday in a hunting accident. Think I will get out my old turntable and his Texas Trilogy LP and list...

Heading to sister's house. Just in case there is not enough turkey, we are bringing more.

If you were to walk into a kindergarten class and ask "Who can sing?" or "Who can dance?", every hand in the room would shoot up.  Walk into a college classroom and ask the same questions and maybe one or two hands will go up. Do we lose our singing and dancing talents?  Wonder what happens to our self confidence or our imaginations? We went to see the movie  Herb and Dorothy 50x50  l ast week. This is the sequel to  Herb and Dorothy . Herb and Dorothy Vogel worked as a postal worker and librarian while accumulating over 5,000 pieces of contemporary art.  They lived in a rent controlled one bedroom apartment in New York and devoted one entire salary to art.  Their collection has been donated, by them, to the Smithsonian. Parts of it can now seen at a museum in each of the 50 United States.  Their story is very interesting for anyone with any interest in art.  I recommend both movies. A piece of contemporary...