A Sky Full of Stars

Monday, October 10, 2011

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

My entry for this month's Turn the Page... Tuesday (brought to us by our good friend, Adrienne over at Some of a Kind - Thank you, Adrienne!) should be pretty short and sweet. Not because I haven't been reading, but because you already know the two books I read in September - I mentioned them in last month's post.

First, I finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (pronounced deh-zoot). From the Author's website, a summary of 'Jacob' is as follows:

http://fujiland-magazine.blogspot.com

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the “high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island” that is the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland.
But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?”

I found the story to be quite interesting. Life at the end of the 1700's was full of so much struggle and change; placing the story in this location showed, yet another perspective of this. As always with historical fiction, I am fascinated and disheartened by all the politics of the world. So many games people played.

The characters were extremely vivid. There were the obvious "bad guys", but each one (good and bad) were quite realistic. Mitchell did an excellent job with the language, as well... For example, the dock workers spoke in their "lower" language", there was the interplay of language between the interpreters, and (of course), the political language between the parties.

I must admit, early on in the book I was a little overwhelmed by the details of the story. Mitchell obviously took painstaking effort to describe the trading world between Japan & the Dutch... my book club felt the same way. The strange thing is, at the end of the story, there's a lot of "glossing" over the details - like he lost steam and just wanted to finish the book. (I honestly didn't mind that, but it seemed quite a contradiction from the beginning).

Speaking of book club - one thing that came up in the discussion that I didn't catch while reading was the use of poetry, namely Haiku. I have never been up on poetry... I'm just not geared that way, I guess... but I can respect it. When Jackie & Jen mentioned the Haiku's scattered throughout the book I was blown away. THIS is why I love book club, I learn things from others that I would have never gotten from the book alone.

The group gave the book an average rating of 3.5 (out of 5, 5 being best). I would say if you're interested in historical fiction about life in a very politically controlled area of the world in the late 1700's/early 1800's, this book is something you'd like to read.

wikipedia.org

Second, I completed Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
This book has been on my shelf since I got married and it was on my hubby's shelf since high school. I have always wanted to read it.
I got my chance this month because I am leading the discussion for Book Club on October 19th! YEP, the group chose it as a selection!

I flew through this story. It's a short book, only 209 pages, and it moves pretty fast. If you've only known about Frankenstein from the movies or TV, then you DON'T know the story. at. all.

I knew a bit of what the story was about (btw, Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster); I knew it was a sad story, that the monster wasn't really a "monster", but that was about it.

That said, there is still SO much to talk about... and my post is already REALLY long.
Let me try to sum up the millions of thoughts in my head about this book (and it's author).

wikipedia.org

- Mary Shelley had a roller-coaster of a life up until the writing of Frankenstein (at age 19) - she grew up without her mother (her father was not very involved with her either), she eloped with a married man (Percy Shelley) at age 16, her first child died, her 1/2 sister committed suicide, and Percy's wife drowned.
- The story of Frankenstein is marketed as a Horror story... but I see it as a tragedy.
- The question of "Just because you CAN do something, does it mean that you SHOULD?" comes to mind. This, knowing that scientific research has lead to remarkable discoveries... Mary seems to be posing the question of "Are there discoveries that shouldn't be made?"
- The creature... could he have lived a good life if Frankenstein had reacted differently to him as a being?
- I can't help but be drawn to the thought of bullying - such a prominent topic these days - I'm not exactly sure why. I think it's because I sympathize so greatly with The Creature. His words throughout the story are gentle and compassionate. He is intelligent and simply yearns for companionship and love. He becomes "a monster" because he is shunned by his creator and the world of humans, banished to live in the snowy mountain caves... alone. Maybe it's the isolation and misery he feels that strikes the bullying chord in me.

I highly, highly recommend Frankenstein. It's a heart-wrenching story, but one that makes you think. It's wonderfully written by a unique woman who got the idea after spending many days hanging out with Percy Shelley & Lord Byron... being taunted into writing a "ghost story".

So much for short and sweet this month... sheesh.
Hope you read some good stuff recently, if you haven't go get Frankenstein... NOW! ;)

Monday, October 3, 2011

At it again

Racing season is over (I think).
I ran my last 5K this past Saturday, the Autumn Challenge in the park in my "backyard".

And guess what?!

I took 2nd place in my age group!

WOO HOO!

(little secret... I'm not exactly sure how many people were IN my age group, but it was very few)

The day was rainy and cold (42-degrees F), so I suspect many folks opted to stay home in their cozy beds than come out and run around like a crazy fool.
But THIS crazy fool did, and I had a great time (35:07) and scored some great goodies.

SO, then the obvious next question is...

What do I do now?

No more "training" is necessary, per se, but I'm loving my new-and-improved 20-pound lighter body and want to keep it slim and strong and healthy.

With the days getting shorter and the temps dropping (it's only going to get into the upper-50s this week), the amount of outside time could be limited. So, the hubby and I decided to break out the P90X DVDs.

Yep. We're going to jump into the insanity that is P90X... again. (Our first attempt, in 2009, went quite well.)
It's a great muscle-building program, but very intense.
I have the time to commit 90+ minutes a day to these workouts, but we'll see if the hubby can (with his 10-hour work days).

My goals... I have two.
1) Maintain my weight (I have a little more fat I'd like to lose, and want to build muscle... I suspect that should balance in the pounds-department).
2) I want 6-pack abs.

Today was Day-1. I finished my workout about 45-minutes ago and already I can feel my arms getting a little tight (today was the Chest & Back workout - lots of push-ups and pull-ups). Looking forward to tomorrow... Plyo, my favorite workout. We'll see if I'm able to sit up, however, the Ab Ripper workout is a killer.

I'll see you tomorrow for Turn The Page... Tuesday where I fill you in on all I've been reading as of late. See you then!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Take it... to the limit....

The 8 in the Rough is touted as...
"...a fun, challenging and almost endless course of twists, single track, a bit of wide xc ski trail and park roads. It's not flat, and it's not dry. Pack your energy and have at one of the most exciting, hard core trail runs of the season in Western New York!"
...and they ain't lyin'!

Yesterday, I learned my limit.
A friend, and fellow runner, put it into perspective today (more on that later).

But first, here's the story.
You know I've been running a lot this summer, more than I ever have before.
I'm getting better at it, tho I still don't consider myself a runner.
I have to work hard at it - it doesn't come naturally like swimming or biking.
Running really challenges me.

But I LIKE that challenge.
I like being stubborn and saying "no, dammit, I'm not giving up"... even when I feel I'm making no progress at all.

Oh.. and you also know I've been totally digging trail runs, right. (No? Go here)

SO, when I was signing up for races this summer and saw "8 in the Rough" - an 8-mile trail run in my "backyard" I thought... hmmmm, might be tough, but might be a fun challenge, something to shoot for.
So I signed up.

I honestly wasn't sure how well I'd do in this race. I never ran this distance before (5.5 and 6.5 miles were the closest I got - and one was in a rain storm (with lots of thunder & lightning) where I was literally running for my life).
One thing I did know was the awesome feeling I get when I run the trails. I wondered if this "high" could carry me through the 8.5 miles.

And if the race was strictly a mental game, I could have done it.

But, it isn't.
So I didn't.

I made it to the 6.5 mile mark (I had actually started walking around 5.5, but there was no way out of the race except forward, so I kept moving).

What happened? My hip started to really bother me.
Yep, the same hip I injured last year two weeks before my 1st triathlon. (I blogged about it here)
It was okay when I walked, but the pain flared up when I ran.

So when I came out of the woods, I bagged it. I turned in my tag and went home.

Did I feel defeated or disappointed. Yeah, a little, I guess.
But more importantly, I felt proud of my accomplishment. I completed 6.5 miles on a VERY challenging trail.

My friend and fellow runner (who I mentioned above) perfectly put it into perspective for me...
The 6.5 miles we ran on the trail today, equate to about 12 on the road.

Wow.
This made me really proud of my run.

AND
I learned a few things while I was out there...
I learned that I'm not ready for that big of a challenge (yet). Maybe I'll never be... we'll see what next year brings.
I learned the REAL reason why I run - for fitness, for calorie burn, and for the trails,
and I confirmed that I'd rather be slow and happy runner (without pain) than push myself to place 18th in a race that really means nothing in the grand scheme of life.

That won't stop me from running in organized events... it's fun to run with others in a friendly competition... but I won't let it break me if I finish dead last or DNF entirely.

It's all about getting outside, being active, and having a good time.
Hope you had some good times outside this weekend.

Monday, September 12, 2011

12-of-12: September 2011

I wasn't sure I'd complete my 12-of-12 today.

I spent much of the morning doing a brick (bike/run) workout, so I was tired.
Plus, I was all "snapped" out from taking pictures at the Dirty Girl Mud Run on Saturday (click here to see those).
Plus, it's Monday, and I didn't really have anywhere "special" to go... until I decided to take my puppy-girl for a walk in the park.

Sprague Brook Park in Glenwood, NY is a gem.
It's huge. It's beautiful. And, most days, it's so peaceful.

Today was no exception.

Being a Monday, we had the trails almost entirely to ourselves. We walked along at a leisurely pace and tried to capture some of the unique aspects of "our woods". Here's what we found...

Eastern Newt

Coral Fungus

"Thumb Tack" Mushrooms

Cute & Fuzzy Fungi

First Fallen Leaves

Trooping Funnel

Mossy North Side

I hope you enjoyed your walk in the woods with us. Come back next month when the leaves promise to be in their full Fall splendor!

Thanks, Chad Darnell, for starting the 12-of-12 Project!