A cold and snowy day

The weather forecast for today said snow showers with gusty winds. A perfect setting stage for christmas eve. A time to spend time at home with friends and family, drinking wine and having sumptuous dinners. Certainly not the time to venture outside and go for a run. That's exactly what I did.

Just a few days back, I watched a movie called Ultramarathon Marathon Man : Endurance 50. It was about a crazy guy called Dean Karnazes who vowed to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days and he did it. He is a very humble and down to earth guy who just loves running really really long. He also happens to be my personal hero. He wrote a book called Ultramarathon man : Confessions of an all night runner. Being a big fan of his I decided that I needed to get this book. And what better way than to run to the book store and get it.

On a whim I put on my running shoes. Donned my winter running gear and off I went. I ran the 6 miles from university to the Barnes and Noble store in the waterfront. It was cold and snowy, and there were many moments when I wondered what the hell was I doing. The part where I ran on the bridge connecting homestead over the river was splendid. I was running with the wind , so the snow flakes seemed still, suspended in the air. I finally got to the store, my face flushed with the cold. I walked up to the store lady and asked her about the book. There was just one copy left. I felt like I had totally earned this book and paid homage in my own little way to the great man that is Dean Karnazes.

I want to run

I want to run. Run like Forrest. I mean to really really keep running. Run far far away. At first there will be paved roads in the concrete jungle. Towering edifices of man's creations will surround me. Then there will come the ghettos, a reminder of the ills that plague society. I will run nimbly avoiding the feces. Then there will come the rich villas, with the manicured lawns. I will swiftly run past the pretty poodles and their prettier masters. Then there will come the freeways, those 6 lane conduits to far far away. I will jump over the barrier onto bylanes and I will run, run into the fields. Then there will come cattle and there will come streams. I will run past them as they mulch and gurgle away. Then there will come the railroad , cutting across the land. I will run along the tracks as the train thunders past. Then there will come the forest, a paradise of green. I will run like a mohawk and follow the wolves. Then there will come the mountains, there will come the ice. I will be chilled to the bone and my legs will hurt. But I will run, run as far as I can, with the eagle watching over me. Then there will come loneliness, a strange new friend. One who is always there but never by your side. And I will run , run into the desert. My throat will be parched and my tongue will be dry. The rattlesnakes and the scorpions will watch as I run past them. Finally, there will come a cliff. A cliff overlooking a vast ocean. I will stretch out my arms and in a perfect 10.0 jump, I will dive into the ocean. I will fall through the sky, and the wind will rush past my ears. Then there will be a splash, and I will dive deep deep under. It will be worth it, certainly it will.

Fireflies

What an amazing sight...! Tiny little flash bulbs going off every now and then. Trees decorated with little lights. Almost seemed like christmas is here. There's something about these bugs that brings so much joy. It makes me feel like a kid again. Reminds of a Durga Puja that I spent in Patna once. I want to run and catch these things. Collect a jar full of these flashing bugs. Heck, it even reminded me of the glowworm in James and the Giant peach.The one that became the torch of lady liberty and saved the city of its electric bills.

In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes

I live in the city of Pittsburgh. Incidentally this is where Andy Warhol was born. The city has a museum in his honor. A visit to this museum was in my list of things to do for a long time. I made it happen today. A bit of wikishagging and some fundae from my officemate later I felt equipped enough to take on a day of modern art. Not just any modern art, but Pop art of Americana. The essential principle of pop-art is to take the everyday banal object and elevate it to the status of art. Coke bottles, soup cans, carton boxes, anything can become art. Thus like pop-music, anybody can appreciate pop-art. This is quite an empowering concept. Art traditionally belongs to the bigwigs, the connoisseurs. The man on main street can make no claim about art. But hey, pop art was this radical commie concept. Everyone now wielded the wand of making art. Andy Warhol in a sense was a revolutionary.

One of the famous things that he said was that "In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes". Bravo.

The importance of good health

Health really is wealth. I mean literally. Those who have had the fortune of having to go through the US healthcare system will know what I am talking about. Even back home in India things are not so much different. The quality of medical care seems to be rapidly segregating into those who can afford big checks and those who can't. So yes, health is wealth. It's a good maxim to remember.

Most of my friends and those of my age suffer from arrogance. Arrogance of the youth. We believe that nothing can stop of us. We are young, life is good and everything is hunky dory. Smoking, drinking and eating junk does not affect us. How can it ? after all we are young. Only those weird uncle types with balding hair and flabby skin are the ones who have all these problems. so let's make merry while it lasts. After all we are young.

To your good health..!

It dudnt matter

One of the major headaches in statistical theory is what to do if your sample is too small. Really statistics is all about lots of numbers. In essence, statistics is damn good at predicting what the herd would do but extremely inaccurate when it comes to the individual.

So here is a thought for all self respecting flocks out there. Please do not burden your opinions on others, or think that the world hinges around your very existence,or for that matter whether your twitter message says if you pooped today or not. It dudnt matter..! It dudnt matter if you eat organic or if you buy cosmetics that haven't been tested on animals. It dudnt matter if you chose Mac over PC, it dudnt matter. Yes, it dudnt. There are far greater forces in motion in this world, that will render your say absolutely worthless.

Yes, stop wasting time, feeling too important.

A warmer day

As the snow melts around me, I feel a sense of loss. Like something beautiful, something pristine, is leaving this world. But somewhere at the back of my mind,I know that the cycle will repeat and the snow will all come back. I find that this devastating beauty is exceeded only by its harshness .Somehow, it makes the human spirit stronger, firmer and more willing. In Neitzsche like thinking, the winter acts like a bridge between and 'man' and 'ubermansch'. But there is no guarantee in this and one can very easily become lazy and fearful of the cold, refusing to stray out of the heated interiors. It is like a big ball on the very tip of a hill. It can go either way, to ubermansch or to sloth. It just needs a small push.

P.S. I dont know why I wrote this. The cold is getting to me.