Epiphany in Baltimore

2002-07-15

Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com

I ran my 6-mile run again today. I was really beginning to feel guilty about telling people that I was doing it every other day, when I hadn't done it in a week's time. It's tough to run when you're on vacation in NYC.

Getting back into it was harder than expected. I actually went yesterday, but went to close after a meal and ran only 2 because I cramped up. I also paired it with some weight workouts, and I don't think I can do that and be successful. I promised myself I would do six today, and I did it. I had to stop three times, though. All less than a minute, but still... I should do better.

The long run allowed me to do a lot of thinking. I decided that I'm over a conflict I'm currently having with a good friend. Screw it. Life's too short. She's too good a friend. It was about time for our annual squabble, anyway. I just hope she's over it too. Still waiting for the call.

During the trip to NYC, I talked with this guy who ran the marathon last year. He explained the training schedule he used - running six times a week! In looking online, there is a lot of variation between the schedules, so I'm going to kind of formulate my own without overdoing it. I have to begin to incorporate longer runs into my workout soon, though. Only 12 weeks before the marathon, and I'm still having a tough time chugging through 6 miles. Many of the training schedules have you training 17-21 weeks, so I'm definitely a little behind (though I wasn't sedentary a few weeks ago, I wasn't running very much compared with other stuff.)

Otherwise, life is getting back to normal. I returned to summer school today. Kids skipped all throughout the week I was gone, which was an expected disappointment. I tried to give them interesting things to do (reading A Raisin in the Sun and "Harrison Bergeron," both of which I love), but it didn't work. It was good to be back. I especially like my class of two juniors. Today, we started on the The Catcher in the Rye / The White Boy Shuffle project I've decided to close out the summer with. These are interested and interesting kids who I feel I can try cool things with. So we started today reading Catcher, and it will culminate with a study of the novel described as "the black catcher in the rye". I just checked out Amazon for the book; it says it's out of print. Bizarre, considering Will Smith and Ryan Phillipe just decided to produce a film version of it. I guess I can't give them the copies of the book; they'll have to return them to me.

The two kids seem really into Catcher so far. We read the first two chapters out loud to get used to Holden's voice, and they were laughing out loud. I started the novel as I did last year, using an overhead of Hugasoul's e-mail to me last year. I had e-mailed her, knowing it was her favorite book, and asked if she had any tips for teaching it. She sent me back this really great e-mail telling why it's her favorite book and some suggestions for me. I decided that kids would benefit from seeing the opinions and introductions from a non-English teacher, a regular person. I even told them that this woman plans parades for a living, that she's not some sort of Literature graduate student, and yet the book still deeply connected with her. I literally just printed out the actual e-mail onto an overhead; there's even a PS on the bottom about Friday's night out. I wanted them to see it was a real person who loved the book, not a critic. It worked last year, and it worked this year.

This week should be good. Tomorrow night, I head out for my first ever diaryland meeting, with Polishstreak and Goovie. Plans are not yet firmed, but dinner and drinks seem to be in the forecast. On Wednesday, we have a softball game, and I'm excited about it. We're 0-5, in a tie for 13th place, but it's been damn fun. Thursday, my little sister is flying in for the weekend. She's a 21-year old hellion. It should be a blast. And Friday's (a much needed) payday. Life is good.

***

Listening to: A lot of Jill Scott, Words & Sounds: Vol. 1, plenty of Arrested Development's 3 Years, 5 months..., and a smidge of 19 Wheels' Sugareen.

Reading: Trying to finish up Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, which is just gorgeous. Rereading Catcher for the umpteeth time while my kids are reading it for the first time. Started Alice Walker's Meridian on the toilet the other day. (TMI?)