A Second Streaker

Greetings!  Okay, it's not a genuine Streak, but Shannan has exercised four to seven days per week for nearly two months. She found that 5:00am works for her on weekdays and 7:00am on the weekend. She likes to get up and get exercising immediately after waking. The process is panning out well for her. Shannan has stuck to it. She feels good, and here it comes. The goal of most people who exercise, she is seeing changes in her body. She’s dropped a number of pounds. Her friends and family are making positive comments.  

One thing that all the fitness gurus agree on is that it is crucial to find a time to exercise and stick to it. That advice is working for Shannan. I had a similar practice MANY moons ago when I first began this marvelous 17 year journey of The Streak.  I'm a little more flexible now as exercise is a part of my lifestyle. Make no mistake, I am the first to say that is a rough transition to incorporate daily exercise into your routine. Fear not, it can be done.  

Find a good time and Exercise.

Tom

Changing Fuel

Greetings!  Recently Shannan and I made some changes in philosophy and in practice to how we approach food. Over the years we’ve had discussions about how, what and where we eat and have made gradual changes. However in the last couple of months we made significant changes rather rapidly. Earlier this year I began reading and preparing to teach a sociology course on food. Here I learned a fair amount about livestock treatment, slaughtering techniques, farming methods and genetically modified organisms. Much of the information was distasteful to me. It was like thinking about an open secret. I knew much of this, but didn’t want to give any of it serious consideration. Shannan and I discussed these topics as I developed the course.

This summer, I gave the class a test drive since this term is shorter and tends to have fewer students. In class presentations and assignments, I learned a great deal more about particular diets, food products and cultural practices from the students. One young lady, who openly discussed her struggle to become a full-time vegan, suggested two documentaries, Forks Over Knives and Food Inc. Some students had already seen one or both, so I decided to view them as well. I watched and Forks Over Knives while Shannan was out of town. I was greatly bothered by animal cruelty in the commercial food business presented in the film. I decided to change my buying habits to support free range animals and the like.

Given some of the footage, I suggested that Shannan may find some of the scenes unsettling. She elected not to watch the film, but she did watch Food Inc. In this movie veganism is promoted for health and the treatment of animals.  Shannan decided to remove pork, beef and chicken from our diet. I happily agreed.  

Six weeks later we are maintaining a fully vegetarian diet, including many vegan meals. We’re still working on plans related to the consumption of fish. Since the transition we’ve both lost weight and we feel fantastic in body and in principal. Mostly, we have had a terrific time exploring new recipes and new food products.   

Eat well. Live well. Run.

Tom

Rome River Run, Revisited

Oh what a wonderful return to Rome, Georgia. It's been awhile since Shannan and I met Joel in Rome for exercise and an outing. We gathered in Ridge Ferry Park, which hosts a Farmer's Market Saturday mornings. Before we burned a few calories we shopped for fresh produce. It was small group of vendors, but we found a number of locally grown items to purchase. Then we set out on the River Path. I ran while Joel and Shannan had a brisk walk. 

I slowed down midway when running across an old rail road bridge. I noticed the South’s version of the love lock bridge. There were hundreds pad locks intertwined on the mesh of the bridge symbolizing the strong and enduring love of couples. I pondered over the joy of engaging in such a thing and hoped all of the lovers remained together. 

This was one of the many treats. I smiled at a fun pro-library mural on the support wall of an overpass. For August it was a particularly cool morning, made even more surprising by remarkably low humidity. The path snakes along the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers. At one point I slipped of the paved trail and jogged around downtown. Plenty of folks were out exercising, walking dogs and going about their daily routines. 

Afterwards we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Honey Moon Bakery. Next we took a stroll down Main Street to the Myrtle Hill Cemetery, which we hiked up for a grand view of the area. The historic burial ground is on one of the seven hills in Rome, like its Italian namesake. From here the Clock Tower loomed large, as it stands on another of Rome’s hills. We trekked over to the historic courthouse and took photos of

the Romulus and Remus sculpture donated to Georgia’s small town from Benito Mussolini. Then we had a small break in a coffee shop directly across the street. On the way back we jotted notes of upcoming shows we plan to attend at the Desoto Theater.  The Chieftain's Museum provided the next activity. It’s small, but was a good stop and had a very knowledgeable docent on hand. On the way out of town we made sure to drive past the Roman Arches.

Food. Friends. History. Architecture, Sculpture. History. Run.

Tom

Day trip to Sapelo Island

Sapelo, one of Georgia's Barrier Islands, has long been on our weekend getaway list. Shannan and I have interest in the culture, history and eco-system of the small Island. Unlike many of our peers, our desire to visit Sapelo is purely academic.  In fact, the Bilali Document that is in the Hearsay Exhibit I co-curated originated in Sapelo. It is arguably the oldest Arabic script in North America.

Shannan and I stayed in nearby Savannah rather than on the Island as we are not beach people. Oddly, while on Sapelo we took a half day tour. As is the case with so many of these outings, the last portion allowed for free time on the beach. We used this time to walk and discuss what we had learned and experienced and I took a short run.  It was nice to cruise along the beach on a warm summer day.

Whatever your interest may be, take a trip to Sapelo Island. It's a true gem along Georgia's coast.

Experience. Learn. Run.

Tom