2002-02-08
The Sportswriter, it's Friday, posted at 8:02 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Richard Ford has me in the palm of his hand right now with The Sportswriter. I am loving this book so much. I haven't even picked up Infinite Jest again since I started Ford's book, and plan on reading The Sportswriter and then its sequel, Independence Day, before I return to it.Otherwise, not a whole lot is new. I spent the night in last night, watching NBC. There were a lot of weak jokes on Friends, and the previews (again!) failed to deliver what seemed to be promised. Still, I had a few laughs. I switched over to The Family Guy at 8:30 rather than watch the Brad Pitt rerun again, then switched back over to NBC for Will & Grace, which was at its typical quality this season... still solid, but nowhere near the heights of hilarity that I'd come to expect from last year. Too often, the show seems to take the easy joke, and its ratio of quality jokes to misfires is becoming almost 50/50. The cast is still incredible, but this may be a show that is like a comet - burning brightly for a little bit and then sinking to mediocrity or cancellation (like Third Rock from the Sun or The Practice, for example). ER was pretty good. That's a show that I don't necessarily believe has gone as downhill as many people say. For example, I think Abby is a much more interesting character than Carol ever was. The Dr. Green marriage with that insufferable woman whose name I can't remember right now is a big downer, but the return of Dr. Susan Lewis and head doctor's (the disabled woman) lesbian relationship have been really good storylines this year.
At 9:30, I'm proud to say that I didn't sit around for another shrill episode of Just Shoot Me!, but rather went running. It was only my second time going running outside since my ankle sprain (uneven sidewalk cracks still scare me), and it felt good. I got a little bit lost (ran by the same freaky dark graveyard twice!) and it was a little bit cold, but I ran a good mile and a half and it felt great. I also came in this morning and ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill. I have been severely lacking in the cardio portion of my workout over the last month or so, and I really need to integrate this back into my lifestyle. It's been tough with the cold weather and the ankle sprain, but I cannot use that as an excuse.
Jeremy and I had a refreshingly honest conversation last night. He told me he was looking into teaching jobs again, and asked me what I thought. I told him, "I don't know, Jeremy... I think you'd do great in high school." I was sort of hedging a bit, because, well, I thought he'd do great in middle school. But he told me that it meant a whole lot to him, that I seem to analyze things well, and that he really values my advice. It made me feel good; I just hope my advice was good.
It's Friday and the sun is shining on my back. Life is good.