Radio Songs

Heard this week on 94.7 KSSJ out of Sacramento, CA:

Detroit-natives The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" from their 2003 album "Elephant" on the XL Recordings label. Video.

Los Angeles-natives Suicidal Tendencies' "I'll Hate You Better" from their 1992 album "The Art of Rebellion" on the Epic label. Video. Love the guitars. Note: Apparently Blitzkid also has a song called "Hate You Better": audio (definitely NSFW, heh).

Running Journal, Monday, 2010-03-08

Running Journal, Monday, 2010-03-08
Resting heart rate: 61 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.96
Weather: cold, windy
Temp: 9 C (48.2 F)
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Distance: ~1.0 mile

Comments: Cold as hell tonight; lucky for us we wore leggings and multiple layers to keep the core warm. Two laps running plus two laps walking this evening as Dawn continues to toughen her soles in the Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. I enjoy watching the ARC athletes, with whom we share the track, compete; they are in fantastic shape. An outdoors sport offers a connection with nature; nature is not always so hospitable as we might prefer. This evening, the advancing cold front and wind predicts the advancing thunderstorm coming in from the Pacific Ocean. Rain is always welcome and the thunderstorm we look forward to; weather! what an idea for a sun-saturated coastal state. :)

Weight (after exercise): 82.0 kg (180.78 lb), 20% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, banana, grapefruit, cottage cheese, Amy's organic bean and cheese burrito, Amy's organic lentil soup + organic mozzarella cheese, orange juice, spinach salad + pear vinaigrette dressing + seasoned croutons + sprouts + shredded carrots + cherry tomatoes, yogurt, multi-vitamin, two cups of Ito En green matcha tea, Jelly Bellies, blueberries, strawberries

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-03-06

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-03-06
Resting heart rate: 56 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.25
Weather: partly sunny
Temp: 17 C (62.6 F)
Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Distance: ~1 mile

Comments: Dawn and I ran this afternoon on the campus of American River College. The track was occupied by the 25th annual ARC Beaver Relays, so we proceeded to the soccer fields. One run around the fields was enough, about half-mile. We walked one additional time and called it a day. Dawn's foot is still healing from earlier this week and we are going slower as she adjusts to the Vibram Five Fingers KSO's.

Weight (after exercise): 83.0 kg (182.98 lb), 20% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: banana, whole-wheat wrap with spinach + sprouts + shredded carrots + hummus + tofu chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, kumquats, matcha tea, brown rice with lentils, yogurt,

Signs of the Times

The closed-for-the-day Lamps Plus store we drove past last night had no lights on. :P Wouldn't you think a lamps store would advertise its wares after-hours by leaving the lights on? Maybe this is a green initiative, which would be awesome.

Radio Song

Heard Friday evening on the re-badged (was smooth jazz) alternative station 94.7 KSSJ out of Sacramento, CA:

American-based (Dayton, Ohio; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon) The Breeders' "Cannonball" from their 1993 album "Last Splash" on the 4AD/Elektra Records labels. Video.

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-03-04

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-03-04
Resting heart rate: 59 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.02
Weather: partly sunny
Temp: 13 C (55.4 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Distance: n/a

Comments: Stayed in this evening because we both felt exhausted from late nights of studying. x_x Dawn's foot is hurting a bit from our run earlier this week; I am waiting until it fully heals before heading out for runs again. This time of year in Sacramento is perfect outdoor weather. Mid-to-high fifties in temperature, trees flowering and plants blooming, rain and sun mixing for dramatic contrasts of light and dark. The electricity is in the air as the seasons slowly transition from one to the next. Here in the central California valley, the heat will slowly build until it becomes a dry summer furnace in late June through late August. For now, though, the weather is perfect.

Weight (after exercise): 82.2 kg (181.22 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: Jelly Bellies, oatmeal + raisins, applesauce cup, handful of raw + unsalted almonds and walnuts, Amy's organic bean + cheese burrito, spinach salad + cilantro dressing + cheesy garlic croutons + shredded carrots, Ito En green matcha tea (via CostCo), rigatoni pasta + mixed veggies (eggplant + zucchini + peppers) + tofu beef strips, orange juice, multi-vitamin, granny smith apple

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-03-02

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-03-02
Resting heart rate: 66 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.08
Weather: afternoon showers + sun = rainbows and dramatic lighting contrasts on slick surfaces and towering clouds
Temp: 13 C (55.4 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Distance: n/a

Comments: Rest day, so here are my top five running tips: (1) always wear sunscreen, especially from 10:00-4:00 p.m. (except in #2, next, or at night); (2) run rain or shine to be consistent; some of my most memorable runs have been in downpours; (3) (from Jeff Galloway): remember the "four H's"--heat, humidity, hills, and health; downward adjust expectations and exertion for each as appropriate, depending on the chosen challenge; (4) find an inspiring place to run; nothing kills motivation more (for me) than running flat ovals. I love running along a river bike trail and all the sights and sounds that accompany it; and (5) post about your experiences online; there is a sense of being accountable that reinforces the desire to succeed.

Weight (after exercise): 82.4 kg (181.66 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: samples of various breakfast casseroles, slice of birthday cake, Activia strawberry yogurt, orange juice, waldorf salad, kumquats, matcha green tea, whole wheat pita wrap with tofu chicken strips + spinach + shredded carrot + hummus, multi-vitamin, cherry tomatoes, vanilla whey protein powder + orange juice drink, raw unsalted almonds and walnuts, low-sodium V8, mango mochi ice cream, Jelly Bellies

Running Journal, Monday, 2010-03-01

Running Journal, Monday, 2010-03-01
Resting heart rate: 69 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 23.73
Weather: overcast, cool but not cold
Temp: 14 C (57.2 F)
Time: 6:40-7:40 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Distance: eight laps + two walking laps (400-meter each)

Comments: Running at American River College this evening to help burn off stress from the exam earlier in the day. The air was cool but not cold; the sky was overcast and reflected the sodium lights of the city. We ran four laps counter-clockwise, then four laps clockwise. The intent was to not stress either leg too much with the cornering. I did not notice too much difference, but the change did make the run more interesting. Felt better after running; if Dawn had not suggested it, I probably would have stayed at home. XD I noticed I am under 180 lbs today for the first time in a long time. Probably because I have not been eating much today. :P When I got home I drank some chocolate milk to help rush simple sugars to my muscles.

Weight (after exercise): 81.2 kg (179.01 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: A touch of discomfort in my right knee; nothing painful. I think it is from the constant cornering.
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins + banana, cherry tomatoes, orange juice, kumquats, matcha green tea, blueberries, chocolate milk, fried egg sandwich + ketchup + avocado + multi-grain bread, spinach

Running Journal, Sunday, 2010-02-28

Running Journal, Sunday, 2010-02-28
Resting heart rate: 60 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.25
Weather: sunny, pleasant
Temp: 17 C (62.6 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Distance: n/a

Comments: No exercise today; preparing for Monday's exam. :)

Weight (after exercise): 83.0 kg (182.98 lb), 20% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, banana, cherry tomatoes, whole-wheat tortilla wrap + tofu chicken strips + hummus + shredded carrots + spinach leaves, orange juice, Mikawaya mango mochi ice cream, chocolate square, kumquats, local grapefruit, Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage grain meat sausage with ketchup + relish + country bread, Chocolove raspberries in dark chocolate chocolate bar square, low-sodium V8, sugar snap peas, matcha green tea, blueberries

Anime Icons

In 2007 I found this great anime icon archive hosted by levon_r (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/MyAnime/?user=Levon_r) which now is offline after GeoCities folded. :P

This is the icon I like:

It is Kuno-Senpai from the anime series Ranma ½.

UPDATE: you may find the icons via the Wayback Machine.

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-02-25

Running Journal, Thursday, 2010-02-25
Resting heart rate: 67 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.19
Weather: on cusp between cool and warm
Temp: 17 C (62.6 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Distance: n/a
Comments: No exercise tonight; focusing on finishing our homework assignments.
Weight (after exercise): 82.8 kg (182.54 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, cherry tomatoes, low-sodium V8, organic veggie lasagna, multi-vitamin, handful of raw + unsalted walnuts and almonds, lemon-ginger tea, Jelly Bellies, spinach salad with shredded carrots + pear vinaigrette dressing, organic butternut squash ravioli with marinara sauce, corn, peas, instant mashed potatoes, soy milk, raw foods chocolate popsicle, Chocolove raspberries in dark chocolate chocolate bar square

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2010-02-24

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2010-02-24
Resting heart rate: 78 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.08
Weather: cool
Temp: 11 C (51.8 F)
Time: 45 minutes
Terrain: flat
Distance: eight laps (~2.0 miles)

Comments: Ran at the ARC track tonight! :D Just at twilight so not completely dark. Cool, so glad I ended up wearing long sleeves and running pants. The sponginess of the track makes it nice for running. I felt a bit of soreness in my right knee after four laps or so during the turns. o_O;;; Dawn and I might go the opposite way next time for half the time. It felt really good to get out and exercise to get rid of stress! :) Thinking about grams of fat intake today. After eating the lunch wrap today, we calculated the appropriate amount of fat we could eat for the rest of the day. And it worked out pretty good. We had a salad for dinner and some low-fat cottage cheese. I found this calorie counter online: http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

Weight (after exercise): 82.4 kg (181.66 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Mild soreness behind my left knee; mild soreness in right knee during turns of the track
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, cherry tomatoes, whole-wheat tortilla wrap + scrambled eggs + avocado + spinach + mushrooms + tofu chicken strips + American cheese + shredded carrots, soy milk, instant mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas, chocolate milk, mochi ice cream, spinach salad + cilantro dressing + croutons + shredded carrots, low-fat cottage cheese, matcha tea + sugar wafer, nigori sake

Radio Song

Saginaw, Michigan-native Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything Is All Right)" from his 1966 album Up-Tight on the Tamla (Motown) label. Video. Love those horns. :)

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-02-23

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2010-02-23
Resting heart rate: 62 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.13
Weather: raining, cool
Temp: 11 C (51.8 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a

Comments: No exercise tonight. Up relatively last night working on homework and completing taxes. Going to bed early this evening.

Weight (after exercise): 82.6 kg (182.10 lb), 19% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None.
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins, cherry tomatoes, low-sodium V-8, handful of raw unsalted almonds and walnuts, Jelly Bellies, bag of donut holes, pumpkin pancakes + real maple syrup, orange juice, Monty Python Holy Grail Ale, whole wheat pita + hummus

Tuesday, Feb 23 is IHOP Pancake Day

That is all.

Radio Songs

Heard on 103.5 FM KBMB out of Sacramento, CA:

Atlanta-native T.I.'s "Live Your Life" from his 2008 album "Paper Trail" on the Def Jam, Atlantic, and Grand Hustle labels. Video. Liked the positive lyrics.

Heard on KYDS 90.5:

Belton and Temple, Texas-based Flyleaf's "Chasm" from their 2009 album "Memento Mori" on the A&M/Octone label. Audio. I thought at first it was some sort of goth music with the words "My castle is not fixed yet." XD

Running Journal, Sunday, 2010-02-21

Running Journal, Sunday, 2010-02-21
Resting heart rate: 73 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.19
Weather: Cloudy, cool
Temp: 11 C (51.8 F)
Time: 45-60 minutes
Terrain: flat

Comments: Spotty light rain from a mixed gray sky; cool, mildly windy. In other words, great running weather for the runner with leggings and long sleeves. :) We drove to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and ran to the 21.5 mi marker, then returned. A total of just over 3.0 miles today. Dawn continues to adjust to her shoes, this time wearing Injinji mini-crew Tetrasocks and moleskin over the remnants of last weeks blisters. Things went pretty smoothly. The smell of the humid Parkway is fantastic. The sights of fishers in the American River, white and gray cranes, all manner of small birds, flowering trees, and life exploding everywhere is such a contrast to the normal day-to-day life of institutional culture. For the first time today, I found the namesake bulbs of the pipevine! :) These are the plants the pipevine swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on. The eggs hatch and the young caterpillars eat the plant. They eventually grow and cocoon, transforming into the beautiful adult-stage butterflies. The bulbs are quite unique; have never seen anything like them. After running today we returned home to consume a pint of chocolate milk; according to LL Cool J, it is a great post-exercise drink.

Weight (after exercise): 82.8 kg (182.54 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None.
Foods eaten today: raspberry and hazelnut chocolate, Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage grain meat sausage with american cheese + ketchup + relish + toasted country bread, chocolate milk, hummus with whole wheat pita, cherry tomatoes, plum wine, raw unsalted almonds, fried egg sandwich + avocado + american cheese + ketchup + shredded carrot, strawberries, sugar snap peas, lemon-ginger tea

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-02-20

Running Journal, Saturday, 2010-02-20
Resting heart rate: bpm 55 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.02
Weather: partly sunny, pleasant
Temp: 17 C (62.6 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a

Comments: Returned from haircuts this morning and felt exhausted still from this week, so no running. x_x Will run tomorrow (Sunday) though, rain or shine. :) Interesting (to me, at least) as I track my pulse and my weight, both have decreased remarkably; my pulse is -15% and my weight is -2% from my seven-day average baseline totals. As the BMI link above says, "People with BMIs between 19 and 22 live longest". o_O;;; So I am definitely attempting to lower my BMI to at least 22. To achieve this, I need to hit a target weight of 75.3 kg (166 lb). o_O Which is 15 pounds lighter than where I am at now. According to Wikipedia, however, anything between 18.5 and 25 is normal. So I am normal now; apparently there is another cut-off point, 23.75, for Asian and Pacific Islander populations which exhibit increased risk for type-2 diabetes above that point. Also, there is a BMI Prime number. Mine is currently 24.02/25 = 0.962, which indicates I have optimal weight. If I was at 22/25, I would also have optimal weight.

Weight (after exercise): 82.2 kg (181.22 lb), 20% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None.
Foods eaten today: blueberry yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, banana, granny smith apple, whole-wheat pita with garlic hummus, veggie burger + avocado + american cheese + ketchup + shredded carrot, french onion soup, avocado + tomato + swiss cheese crepe, chocolate + strawberry + vanilla ice cream dessert crepe, white wine,

Radio Songs

Heard today on KYDS 90.5:

Belton and Temple, Texas-based Flyleaf's "In the Dark" from their 2009 album "Memento Mori" on the A&M/Octone label. Audio. Yes, it has Christian undertones. Don't be a hater; they are good musicians. XD

Running Journal, Friday, 2010-02-19

Running Journal, Friday, 2010-02-19
Resting heart rate: 54 bpm (60 second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.076
Weather: partly sunny, pleasant
Temp: 14 C (57.2 F)
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a

Comments: No exercise today other than grocery shopping. Tomorrow (Saturday) might be our first exercise day this week. We returned to REI this evening to exchange Dawn's crew Injinji socks for two pairs of micro-crew socks (white and olive). One of the floor attendants remarked our selection by saying "Injinji socks!" :) I thanked him for confirming my suspicion on how to pronounce the name.

Weight (after exercise): 82.4 kg (181.66 lb), 18% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None.
Foods eaten today: Oatmeal w/raisins, Amy's Organic Indian Mattar Paneer meal, V8 low-sodium, multi-vitamin, raw unsalted almonds and walnuts, Jelly Bellies, fruit cup, green Japanese matcha tea,