Picking up the pace. Jogging more. No stitches. Running AWAY from a heart attack. 3.08 miles in 52:27. Working toward beating my 5K time of 41:03 at the 2016 Turkey Trot. Had a nice keto breakfast to cap it off. Good morning! Come run with me!
Day 2.
Grin and bear it. Pushing a little harder today. A brisker walking pace and a little light jogging improved my time about 5%. And I nearly got run over by a bicyclist not paying attention. A moron on wheels! Or a Brit, riding on the wrong side. 😉
My running partner couldn't make it the last couple days so I'm looking for someone join me at 5:30 every morning (or whatever your schedule permits) and who wants to start slow, but with the goal of running a the 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day in downtown Dallas. Anyone interested? Anyone? Buehler?
It's just a hair over 3 miles around Bachman Lake. Start off walking and be jogging a bit after a week. No rushing. The goal is fitness, not winning the race. Give me a shout. I've got short, stubby legs so I'm never going to burn up the course. You should be similar so neither of us holds the other back.
Day 1.
56:34 at a brisk walk around Bachman Lake. First time in 18 months. Wish you were here.
Random Thoughts on a Friday
More and more, my artwork has come to the foreground while my photography has receded into the bokeh. I need to focus! I've considered selling most of my photo gear. It's hard to justify when it doesn't get nearly enough use. And that 17mm Tilt-Shift lens! How could I possibly give that up?
∞
Simplifying my life is becoming a real thing to me, not just something I read about on my Facebook newsfeed. I've accumulated. . .
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From the Newest Team Member at Benny's Bagels Lakewood. . .
I haven’t told a lot of people but yesterday — Nov. 1st — was our first day of business. And we ROCKED IT!
I’ve recently invested in a local East Dallas / Lakewood institution — Benny’s Bagels Lakewood. The best New York-style bagels in Dallas! The crew, Ruben (the new owner and longtime manager), Pancho, Priscilla, Benito, and Juan, are the best in the business. They put a lot of love into all our bagels.
We’re at 1901 Skillman, just. . .
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One Fan’s Praise for Indie Author Rebecca Forster
I want to introduce you to my newest friends — Josie, Archer, and Hannah. Even more, I want you to meet Rebecca Forster who created them. You may have heard her name, you might even be familiar with her. Rebecca Forster is a USA Today and Amazon best selling author. She has written nearly 40 books, ranging from legal thrillers to police procedurals, from women’s fiction to humor. I’m just finishing her Witness Series, which tells the stories of lawyer Josie Bates, an attorney with a strong sense of justice. Her boyfriend, Archer, is a retired cop, now a part-time photographer and part-time P.I. Her new ward, Hannah, is a bright, beautiful but troubled teenage girl with OCD and a penchant for cutting herself, and is the daughter of Josie’s wild college roommate.
I can tell you that I’ve come to have great affection for these characters. Rebecca Forster brings them to life on every page with subtext that will give you moments to ponder the depth of these characters actions and, occasionally, will have you thinking, “What would I do here?”
Here’s my totally unpaid, unbiased recommendation (from an unabashed fan of her work): run, don’t walk, to Amazon, Apple iBooks, or directly to Rebecca Forster’s website to buy and read your first Rebecca Forster novel. I promise, it won’t be your last.
~ Lawrence Standifer Stevens
Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque, Chiapas, México
Chiapas or Bust
Early this morning — a few hours hence, in fact — I hit the road to Houston to fly to Mexico City and then to Chiapas, the southernmost state in México.
I'm looking forward to seeing the ruins in the area and walking through the jungle searching for opportunities to stay alive among the wildlife and the multitude of dangers.
Having never been there, I only theoretically know what to expect to find on this trip. It's certain that there will be plenty of adventure. Stick around. This should be fun.
The Happy Warrior
After producing a number of pieces which I eventually discarded, I have painted a couple of new works that give me renewed confidence that I have not lost "IT."
The most recent is a work titled, The Happy Warrior. It is a highly textured piece that my own mind finds replete with pattern that shows something to me in it that lead to its title. Your mileage may vary, of course. But, I believe, if you let your mind wander across the canvas, you will also see patterns that speak to you, as well. The piece measures 48" x 72" set vertically and is a ONE-OFF painting, like most all my other works.
The Happy Warrior
The immediately previous piece, which is titled, Down the Rabbit Hole, gives a wonderful 3D effect of a textured field folded in upon itself. The variation in texture across it's width and height make for a piece in which you can easily get lost. It, too, measures 48" x 72" set in landscape orientation, and is also a ONE-OF-KIND piece.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Contact me if you are interested in acquiring them for your own collection, or for your client's if you are an interior designer or architect.
In the Garden
New Art
While training for the 5K Turkey Trot — on Thanksgiving Day (natch!) — here in Big D, I've not had an abundance of time to create new art. And even though I sold a new piece (shown above) a few weeks back to a collector, I've not painted anything new, which, of course, is the lifeblood of my business. I feel I need to constantly swim forward like a shark or die, creatively speaking.
Sacrificing sleep for inspiration, last night I created a new painting. It's titled, simply, Coral. Click for a larger view.
Coral
Though I'm a bit unsure of its roots in the sanctum sanctorum of my twisted little psyche, I do know that it pleases me and gives me a feeling of peace. Yet, sadness is a part of that peaceful, easy feeling for some reason. These things generally work themselves out over time but I can't help but feel that this painting touches something more profound than I can, presently, know.
If you haven't seen my work previously, please take a look at it. Click on the link to see my artwork gallery. If you enjoy photography, visit my various photo galleries.
Home of the Blues — The Golden Buckle
Today we're in Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of Mississippi Delta Blues. And, according to a friend's Wikipedia research, the "Golden Buckle of the Cotton Belt." We're hoping to not only talk to some of the local people about. . .
Read MoreNotes From The Road #8 — Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Chill
We suppose it was inevitable. The brutal schedule. The blistering pace. After two-and-a-half weeks on the road, family concerns, and the death by a thousand cuts of setting up and tearing down equipment, finding interviewees. . .
Read MoreNotes From The Road #7 — A Lesson in Rejection
We thought Asheville, North Carolina would be a great spot for doing some interviews for our upcoming film, Who Do You Love? Turns out, Asheville rejected us like a scorned lover. Details. . .
Read MoreNotes From The Road #6
Charleston, West Virginia was an unexpected surprise — a left-leaning set of interviewees in a right-leaning state. Everyone I interviewed was "feeling the Bern." On top of that, we were nearly suppressed by a restaurant owner who didn't agree with us about a certain issue. It's all in NFTR #6. Take a listen.
Read MoreNotes From The Road #5
It been a little crazy out here but there are updates to be made. Seems the faster we run the beholder we get. Check out NFTR #5
Read MoreLouisville Slugs One Outta the Park
What a couple of days! Played catch-up with our old friend, Gary, yesterday and today. It's been nearly 40 years since we saw each other last. Great to reminisce and talk about what we've been doing over the past few decades.
And he helped us out this afternoon with shooting interviews at Cumberland Brews, a small bar on Bardstown Road in Louisville. He made the remark, as we left with all the gear in tow, that "this video stuff makes radio look easy!" He's right. I'm finding this film project — and, particularly, doing it alone — to be the some of the most challenging work I've done.
Tomorrow, after we offload all — or, at least, most — of the equipment in the truck and repack it, we'll tool around Louisville for a while and shoot some B-roll of the city. We haven't really seen a lot of it but what we have has been quite impressive. Louisville is an old city and has some interesting characteristics that give it a unique feel. A couple things that I like a lot are the twisty, windy roads, and the businesses and houses in the area I've stayed (the Highlands) are not square to the street. And most all are zero-lot-line. It's much more interesting than everything built square on.
It's on to Charleston, West Virginia tomorrow afternoon. We need to bone up on the city to learn a bit about it. Maybe we can find some subjects there who are as well-spoken and informed as those in Louisville.
Thanks, Gary, for a wonderful time. You're a wonderful host and an even better friend. I'm really grateful for your help and for giving me space to be a little cranky, a little manic, and a little disorganized. Speaking for myself and not the team, I look forward to the next time we get together. Hope that's not 40 years away! See you soon, buddy.
Rerouting. . . :p
After some serious calculations concerning our itinerary, we're making a command decision: We're going to say goodbye to Nashville and go directly to Louisville. We've gotten behind, at this point, about three days on our schedule, so something has to give and it looks like it's going to be one of the cities on our original itinerary.
I’m sad to do that, really, but it had to be done. Nashville — and, by the way, it's the first time I've ever been here — is a beautiful city with a heck of a lot going on downtown. However, time constraints being what they are I need to pick up the slack and head on down the road. So that's what I'm gonna do. Nashville will. . .
Read More"We" Are In This Together
Several people have commented on my use of the editorial "we" as I write about this trip and the film.
In all honesty, this trip and this film could not have happened without the help of a good number of people. I've had people help write the questions that I'm asking the subjects I’m interviewing. I have friends. . .
Read MoreLessons. Always Lessons.
We decided not too long ago that we had the skills to pull off a one-man "production band" for this film and hit the road with some equipment (both too much and not enough), an idea, a little money, and more gumption than good sense. . .
Read MoreDays End at Graceland
Long day. Even with a late start.
Shot some B-roll on Beale St. in Memphis. What an electric downtown. Talked to a couple of cops on duty and though we didn’t record them, they had some interesting things to say about the city government. More on that when we’re not so tired.
Then, on to Days Inn at Graceland. It has not been our best hotel experience ever. . .
Read MoreRunning Late
Okay, so our itinerary is a tad ambitious. We haven’t quite figured this out yet — the how of doing all this — and it’s taking us longer than we expected.
That’s normal, we suppose. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating. Combine that with forgetting to pack one of our meds and having to go through a process to get it replaced on the road and I’ve ended up with a bit of a. . .
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