From Elvis: 50 Songs for the 50 Days Prior to Election Day (Part 3)

 Here on PhilosFX, we will bring you an ongoing recapitulation of Elvis Costello's project, "50 Songs for 50 Days."

On Sept 15, 2020, Sir Declan Patrick MacManus, OBE announced he'd be launching a song daily for the next 50 days. These songs will comprise a curated playlist for this time of cultural, political, and environmental upheaval. The announcement was made on his official website and came to my attention via his Facebook page. 

"I hope these songs will amuse, console or even infuriate, because passive indifference is hardly the way forward."--Elvis Costello

It's probably no surprise that the next 50 days takes us up to early November and an important election in the United States of America. 

If you are a fan of Elvis Costello, you will likely already: 

• be connected to his website
• be able to see each new song as it gets added to the playlist 
• have a streaming service lined up to play these tunes (Playlist added to Spotify on 9/17) 
• have access to the lyrics via a comprehensive Wiki.

But what you will not have, and what we at PhilosFX, therefore, pledge to provide, is a recapitulation of all 50 songs, complete with links to lyrics enabling you to read (or sing?) along as each song plays. 

I want this resource for myself and I am more than happy to build it day by day and share it with others as it develops and afterward, for posterity.  Patronize the creator for the original content, and let me know whether this recap adds value by leaving a comment. 

Part 1 (Songs 1-14, Sep 15-28) is available HERE

Part 2 (Songs 15-28, Sep 29-Oct 12) is available HERE

Now we commence with Part 3 as the countdown to the election continues:

No. 29 - "In The Darkest Place" from Painted From Memory (1998).

In the darkest place

I`m lost

I have abandoned every hope

No. 30 - "Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy" from Kojak Variety (1995).

A bad enough situation

Is sure enough getting worse

Everybody's crying justice

Just as long as there's business first

No. 31 - "Hora Decubitus" (Bedtime) from My Flame Burns Blue (2006).

Life is a beautiful thing

No. 32 - "Newspaper Pane" released for download / streaming on this day (Oct 16) from the forthcoming album Hey Clockface (due Oct 30, 2020). You may also enjoy this video with lyrics. 

I don’t spend my time perfecting the past

I live for the future

Because I know it won’t last

A bent note on a horn I can’t play

Ghosts in the window

That I can’t wish away

No. 33 - "Clowntime Is Over" from Get Happy!! (1980).

Tears on your blackmail

Written to ransom

A point of the fingernail

Says that he`s handsome

No. 34 - "American Gangster Time" from Momofuku (2008).

Next week there'll be some fashionable new sin
For each harlot and each Puritan
Pull off their wings stick them on a pin
And just watch the money roll in

No. 35 - "Weird Nightmare" from Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus (1992).

Weird nightmare
Why must you torment me?
Weird nightmare
Pain and misery
In a heart that’s loved and lost
Take away the grief you’ve caused

No. 36 - "Poor Napoleon" from Blood & Chocolate (1986).

One day they'll probably make a movie out of all of this
There won't even have to be a murder just a slow dissolving kiss

No. 37 - "TRIPWIRE" from Wise Up Ghost (2013).

Torn from the pages of history

Repeated again and again and again

You're either for or against us

And that is how the hatred begins

Tripwire

 

No. 38 - "It's Time" from All This Useless Beauty (1996) 

The party's over
Time we broke up
It always seemed like a bad dream
One where I finally woke up
This magic moment concluding our mutual fate
But if you do have to leave me
Who will I have left to hate?
Who will I have left to hate?

 

 

No. 39 - "New Lace Sleeves" from Trust (1981)

Even presidents have newspaper lovers
Ministers go crawling under covers
She's no angel
He's no saint
They're all covered up with whitewash and grease paint
And you say…
The teacher never told you anything but white lies
But you never see the lies
And you believe

No. 40 - "Stick Out Your TONGUE" from Wise Up Ghost (2013)*

The sugar-coated pill is getting bitterer still

You think your country needs you but you know it never will

So pack up your troubles in a stolen handbag

Don't dilly dally boys rally 'round the flag

Give us our daily bread, give us our daily bread, in individual slices, in individual slices

And something in the daily rag to cancel any crisis

*Most (80%) of the lyrics are borrowed from “Pills & Soap” which was released on 1983's Punch the Clock. Most of the rest of the lyrics (10%) are borrowed from the title song from National Ransom (2010). For the graph, I discounted the small sample from "National Ransom" and split the Album and Year evenly between PTC (1983) and WUG (2013).


No. 41 - "We Are All Cowards Now" from Hey Clockface (2020)

They're draping stones with colours
And a roll of stolen names
Except those we never cared about
And those we need to blame
We'll extinguish that flame, just the same
We are all cowards now

No. 42 - "How Much I Lied" written by Gram Parsons from Almost Blue (1981)

A thief can only steal from you
He cannot break your heart
He can never touch the precious things inside
Someone like you should surely be
Miles and miles away from me
Then you'd never care how much I lied

No. 43 - "All The Rage" from Brutal Youth (1994)

The twitching impulses to speak your mind

I'll lend you my microscope and maybe you will find it

Is it in that ugly place that's just behind your face?

No. 44 - "National Ransom" from National Ransom (2010)

Did you find how to lie? 
Did you find out how to cheat?
The elite bleat, their obsolete
So what are your prospects?

No. 45 - "American Tune" written by Paul Simon and released as a single by The Imposter (2017)

We’ve lived so well, so long
Still, when I think of the road we’re traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can’t help it, I wonder what’s gone wrong

No. 46 - "This Sad Burlesque" from The Juliet Letters (1993)

P.S. Well by now you know the worst of it
And we’ve heard all the alibis that they’ve rehearsed
The smug predictions
If it’s not a contradiction
Please have faith in human nature
And have mercy on the creatures in this sad burlesque

No. 47 - "Crawling To The U.S.A." from Crawling to the U.S.A. (Spanish Edition) (2020)*

Me dijo “no te creas tan especial no vas a impresionarme”
Ponle precio a mi lealtad y puedes desnudarme
De sur al norte de rodillas
Sólo el este los esquiva

*Released in 1979, re-released as a bonus track on the 1993 Rykodisc version of This Year's Model, and covered by Gian Marco and Nicole Zignago on this Spanish version of the single. 

No. 48 - "I’ve Been Wrong Before" from Kojak Variety (1995)

The night we met

The night that I won't forget

You seemed what I'd been waiting for

But baby, I've been wrong before

No. 49 - "Man Out Of Time" from Imperial Bedroom (1982)

There's a tuppenny-ha’penny millionaire
Looking for a fourpenny one
With a tight grip on the short hairs
Of the public imagination

No. 50 - "(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?" from Armed Forces (1979)

As I walk through this wicked world

Searching for light in the darkness of insanity

I ask myself, "Is all hope lost?"

Is there only pain and hatred and misery?

Wait, what!?

Like the best gifts, this bonus song was truly "unexpected." I will include this 51st song and any subsequent songs in the forthcoming recap post with summary stats.

No. 51 - "Couldn’t Call It Unexpected" from Mighty Like A Rose (1991)

So toll the bell or rock the cradle
Please don't let me fear anything I cannot explain
I can't believe, I'll never believe in anything again

Thank you for stopping by PhilosFX. Comments are always welcome.

My Brother's Stellar Show: Cosmic Perspectives

I am heading to Santa Fe to attend and participate in this production, and I cannot wait! Join us! Or support the effort with a donation. Proceeds from this show will support the renovations at the Santa Fe Community College Planetarium.

Saturday, May 12 at 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM MDT
Paradiso Santa Fe
903 Early Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505

Bring your dreams and hang them on the stars...

Every culture has looked OUT to get a better view of what is INSIDE themselves. Cosmic Perspectives utilizes astronomy, dream interpretation, improvisational theater and imaginative play to weave a new cosmic story based on the characters from your dreams. Together we create a new perspective that may deepen your relationship with the cosmos.

This is a Storytelling and interactive event that will take place inside a 12-foot domed planetarium that will be put up inside Paradiso!

Bring: a dream journal, a small palm-sized gift, and a sense of exploration.

Tickets: Sliding Scale, $10-$30

About the Facilitator: Kyle is a storyteller, a student of the universe and sometimes silly. After years as a commercial crab fisherman, Kyle's son helped him discover a passion for teaching about the amazing world on which we live. Kyle works for Digitalis Education Solutions and helps set up planetaria around the world.

A Method for Ranking Wes Anderson Films, or What's with the Low Tomatometer for 'Life Aquatic'?

I was inspired by a recent ad for the new Wes Anderson film, "Isle of Dogs." Have you seen this ad? I love it! (Isle of It.)



ScreenJunkies: Every Wes Anderson Movie--er, Film/

The ad suggests we revisit all eight of Wes Anderson’s feature films before we head to the theaters to see his latest. The ad then goes on to cleverly describe Wes Anderson’s uniquely meticulous and quirky approach to filmmaking by illustrating the recurring themes, colors, camera shots, and actors that have inhabited Wes’s World.

I shared the video among friends with this question: “How many have you seen?” A few of my fellow Wesophiles responded. And in the comments, I shared the following links:

• Wes Anderson bio on IMDb http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027572/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
• Filmography and awards on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Anderson
• Rotten Tomatoes for all of Wes Anderson's films (what's with the low tomatometer for 'Life Aquatic'?). https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wes_anderson/

Shocked by Rotten Tomatoes' low tomatometer for one of my favorite Wes Anderson films, I began to wonder: If people like Wes but don’t like 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou', just how good are the films I haven’t seen? What am I missing?  My favorite is 'The Grand Budapest Hotel,' but I also love Royal Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic. Darjeeling Limited was a bit over-the-top for my tastes.  How would my preferences align with those of the broader public?

I bundled all these lines of inquiry and cooked them down into a single research question: Which is the consensus best Wes Anderson film? 

I Googled "Top Ten Wes Anderson films" and began taking notes in Excel as I am wont to do. The results are shown below for your inspection and review. 

The consensus best Wes Anderson film is The Royal Tenenbaums, released in 2001 when the director was 31 years old. The film earned $52.4 M at the box office, garnered 10 award nominations and won Best Screenplay at the 2001 New York Film Critics Circle Award.

The Grand Budapest Hotel also did quite well, as expected. The Darjeeling Limited is understandably near the bottom of the list. To my dismay, Life Aquatic is in 8th place when the rankings from 10 independent sources are averaged. I guess there is no accounting for taste.

Table 1. Wes Anderson films ranked using scores from 10 independent rating sources

Methodology

I posed my research question to Uncle Google and obtained an index of websites.  I followed the Google Index to each site in sequence. I noted the source, URL, date, and rankings from 1 to n. Some sites rated short films and commercials in addition to feature films, so n ranged from 8 to 24. A total of 27 items in the Wes Anderson oeuvre were identified. The sites and the numbers of items ranked are shown.

Table 2. Index to sources used

Interestingly, the sites ranked different numbers of films. Some ranked 8, some ranked 13, some included short films and commercials in addition to feature films. To control for this and allow me to calculate average scores, I normalized the rankings. A film that was ranked 1 of 8 got 0.125 points. A film that was ranked 1 of 9 got 0.111 points, and so on.

Table 3. Scores for rankings on each of the ten sources

When you look at Table 3, a couple of observations jump out.

1. Four of the ten sites (40%) chose 'The Royal Tenenbaums' as the best Wes Anderson film

2. Five different films received at least one vote for best film, indicating the lack of a clear favorite 

3. Four feature films listed in either Rotten Tomatoes or Wikipedia are not shown here. None of the ten ranking sites I used listed them, and not including them did not change the Top 3. They placed 4, 11, 12, and 13.

Figure 1. Box office and award nomination performance of Wes Anderson films over time

We'll see how well "Isle of Dogs" does in the court of Public Opinion and in the minds of the voting members of various academies. And if I am so inclined, I'll update the tables and figures. Meanwhile, enjoy the Wonderful Worlds of Wes, and feel free to leave a suggestion or question in the comments.

Links to sources cited

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2017/all-8-wes-anderson-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best/

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/wes-anderson-movies-ranked-rushmore-royal-tenenbaums-fantastic-mr-fox-1201811293/

https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/rushmore-rush-less-wes-andersons-films-from-worst-to-best-20140307

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/03/wes-anderson-movies-ranked-best.html

https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-and-films-directed-by-wes-anderson/reference?var=8&utm_expid=16418821-388.8yjUEguUSkGHvlaagyulMg.2&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

http://collider.com/wes-anderson-movies-ranked/

http://www.startribune.com/the-wrap-wes-anderson-s-films-ranked/478333703/

http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/every-wes-anderson-film-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/mar/23/the-best-wes-anderson-movies-ranked

https://nerdist.com/directors-cuts-ranking-the-films-of-wes-anderson/

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wes_anderson/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Anderson

Welcome Fiji, the 198th country to visit PhilosFX!

For more information, see this post about PhilosFX's global reach and stretch! Soon, we'll have accepted flags from 200 countries from around the world. I am humbled, amazed, intrigued, and curious....

A Song to Walt Whitman, Doctor Who, and the Open Road: Allons!

allons

EXCLAMATION

• ‘Let's go’; (also) ‘come now’, ‘there you are’ (used by way of encouragement, or as a general expression of acceptance, resignation, etc.).

Origin

Mid 17th century; earliest use found in George Tooke (1595–1675), army officer and writer. From French allons, 1st person plural imperative of aller to go from post-classical Latin alare, ultimately a variant (with loss of the unstressed medial -u- and subsequent assimilation of consonants, although the exact phonological history is unclear) of classical Latin ambulāre to walk.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Allons-y? It means, Let's go!"

--The Tenth Doctor Who

--------------------------------------------------------

"Allons! to that which is endless as it was beginningless....” 

--Walt Whitman

--------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps you have seen the Volvo commercial which begins with the phrase, "Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road." The stunningly gorgeous commercial imagines a modern day Walt Whitman, voiced by actor Josh Brolin, wandering the wonderous world in his S90 luxury sedan.  

Anyway, I heard Josh Brolin's melodic voice and those words really spoke to me. A quick search landed me on the full version of Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road," a poem from his 1856 collection, Leaves of Grass.

The original poem is 328 lines in 15 sections. I quickly realized that Josh Brolin reads but a few lines from the poem and some are presented out of order. I also noticed that the original contains many instances of the word, Allons, all edited out of the Volvo ad. Being a Doctor Who fan, my appreciation for the original Walt Whitman text deepened. 

The TV spot is superb, but you really must invest the 2 minutes and 47 seconds it'll take you to watch the extended version. This longform video is part of Volvo's "Our Idea of Luxury" series featuring artful, cryptic, non-linear story-telling. I defy anyone to watch it only once. It took me a couple of viewings before I noticed the explicit reference to Walt Whitman. Can you spot it?

I love the stirring poetry of Walt Whitman, the campy fun of Doctor Who, and the endless appeal of the open road. Volvo makes a nice vehicle, but I'll take my Road King. 

Song of the Open Road

Related Poem Content Details

BY WALT WHITMANThis version is edited. Read the original, all 328 glorious lines of it, here

1 

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, 

Healthy, free, the world before me, 

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. 

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune, 

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, 

Strong and content I travel the open road. 

2 

You road I enter upon and look around, I believe you are not all that is here, 

I believe that much unseen is also here. 

6

Here is realization, 

Here is a man tallied—he realizes here what he has in him, 

The past, the future, majesty, love—if they are vacant of you, you are vacant of them. 

5 

Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me. 

I inhale great draughts of space, 

The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine. 

I am larger, better than I thought, 

I did not know I held so much goodness. 

All seems beautiful to me.

9 

Allons! whoever you are come travel with me! 

Traveling with me you find what never tires. 

The earth never tires, 

The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first, Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first, 

Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop’d, 

I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell. 

Allons! we must not stop here, 

However welcome the hospitality that surrounds us we are permitted to receive it but a little while. 

13 

Allons! to that which is endless as it was beginningless, 

To gather the minds of men out of their brains as you encounter them, to gather the love out of their hearts, 

To take your lovers on the road with you, for all that you leave them behind you, 

To know the universe itself as a road, as many roads, as roads for traveling souls. 

You must not stay sleeping and dallying there in the house, though you built it, or though it has been built for you. 

15 

Allons! the road is before us! 

Eclipse, Carhenge, Chimney Rock, and the Cowboy Trail: A Plan Takes Shape

Above is an interactive map showing my proposed 3200-mile route from Alexandria, Springfield, St Joseph, Lincoln, Grand Island, Ansley, and Broken Bow to Alliance, and then from Alliance to Chadron, Norfolk, Omaha, and South Bend to Alexandria.

In and around Alliance will include day-trips to:

• Carhenge, County Road 59, Alliance, NE for the eclipse (we'll dress like Druids and act like we're at Burning Man or Lollapalooza)
• Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Chimney Rock Trail, Bayard, NE 69334 
• Chadron State Park and campgrounds, 9 miles south of the town of Chadron on Hwy 385

Optional day-trips:

• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
• Fort Robinson
• Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed
• Toadstool Geo Park

Links to maps and travel guides:

• The Pioneers were moving west, and the name of the Bridges to Buttes Byway describes that westerly progress. But I'll be heading east, from the buttes to the bridges. Here is the story of another travelor who took the trail "backwards." 
• The Bridges to Buttes Byway is rich with history and travelers can visit the sites of famous archaeological discoveries, pioneer and early trade museums, military outposts, and other treasures of the Old West
• There is so much to see and experience in this stretch of US Route 20. Here are two short videos that highlight some of the beauty of the Nebraska’s Bridges to Buttes Byway.
• This article stub on Less Beaten Paths appears to be waiting for someone to fill in the story...

Additional reference:

• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
• Arthur Bowring Sandhills Ranch SHP
• Chadron State Park
• Cowboy Trail
• Fort Robinson
• Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed
• Oglala National Grassland
• Pine Ridge NRA
• McKelvie Natl Forest
• Smith Falls State Park
• Warbonnet Battlefield
• Toadstool Geo Park

MLB 2016: Peerless Postseason Prognostications

Near the end of the MLB regular season, after the Nats had locked up the NL East, I boldly predicted an I-495 "Beltway" World Series between the Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. One of my W.I.S.H.* List items is to see my home team play in a World Series. So my prediction was mostly wishful thinking. But I did chart out a path by which the two teams playing for the MLB crown were close enough that I could drive (or even take a train) to every game.

That prognostication is shown below--updated now that the Cubbies have won the National League pennant.

There is still a chance that my once totally biased and unscientific prediction could still earn a 33% accuracy rating. If the Cubs win, it won't be the Nats but it'll at least be the NL Champ, so with follow-on credit (50%), I could see a third of my predictions borne out. I'll get a minimum score of 28% but let me just put this out there for the Universe and everyone:

Go, Cubs!
Go, Theo!
Go, Joe!

Bring the hardware to Chi-town!

Biking the Cowboy Trail across Nebraska

flickr/Ken Ratcliff

The above photo hit my Facebook newsfeed and I was entranced. Memories of summers on the farm in central Nebraska flooded back into my awareness. I followed the supplied link to a story about a wonderful rails-to-trails project, which converted an abandoned rail line into a biking and hiking trail. As of this writing, the so-called Cowboy Trail is the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the country, covering 321 miles between Chadron and Norfolk.

My initial Facebook reaction:

"This would be a great 5 or 6 day ride, culminating in my hometown of Norfolk, NE. I think I'll check out the tent and hostel accommodations along the route, and see if an end-to-end ride feasible."

As it happens, I already have plans to be near Chadron State Park in August, 2017, to observe the great solar eclipse. So naturally, I am thinking about taking a slightly longer route home, eastbound via the Cowboy Trail, with a stop in my hometown of Norfolk.

First thing I did was search for detailed maps of the trail. I found this helpful website called Bike Cowboy Trail which covers the paved portion of the trail between Valentine and Norfolk. The section between Chadron and Valentine is gravel and has fewer services and amenities at this point. The western half of the trail is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, but not for touring bikes.

The next thing I did was put the Cowboy Trail into context. The 321-mile trail cuts through the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, generally tracking Highway 20 between Chadron and Inman. Just south of Inman, Highway 20 splits off to Sioux City. At that juncture, the Cowboy Trail then follows along Highway 275 to Norfolk.

Map showing the locations of Chadron and Norfolk in context of Nebraska and surrounding states

Next I discovered an interesting tidbit about Highway 20--in particular, the portion from just east of Valentine and west past Chadron all the way to the Wyoming border. That stretch of road is known as the Buttes to Bridges Byway. 

Extending from east of Valentine (junction of Highways 83 & 20) to the Wyoming border, the Bridges to Buttes Byway journeys through diverse topography and distinctive landscapes. From rolling Sandhills through the Pine Ridge and the Nebraska National Forest onto plateaus from which you can see the Black Hills and into neighboring states, you will experience the sites, solitude and vastness that early travelers and settlers felt as they first saw this region.

That description and the photos accompanying it are compelling! So now I am looking forward to some more detailed planning, focusing on the logistics of this proposed adventure. And as I always do when I start a new project, I opened MS Excel. I copied table data from BikeCowboyTrail.com into Excel. I added rows for the towns west of Valentine. Then I used Google Maps to plot the distances between those towns. I noticed that if I selected the bicycle mode of travel in Google Maps, the elevation was provided--so I recorded elevations at all 31 towns on the trail between and including Chadron and Norfolk. The results are in the table below.

Table of Mileage and Elevation for Eastbound

There is still much more to do! I'd like to get locations and descriptions of the 221 bridges along the Cowboy Trail. I'd also like to catalog the other points of interest along the way. For example, I know that there are archaeological sites, Army outposts, pioneer homesteads, Native American sites, and of course old towns that dotted the prairie in the railroad's heyday.

This will be a grand adventure! More to follow!

Finisher! Army 10-Miler 2016

The Army Ten-Miler (ATM) is an annual event hosted by the Association of the United Stated Army (AUSA) in conjunction with that organization's yearly symposium and exposition. Organizers say the race is the third largest ten-mile race in the world but it's certainly the largest race I've ever participated in. The field of 35,000 included at least one runner from every American state. 

I love the ATM. I always see people I know, the entrance fee supports military charities, the statue- and monument- and museum-lined route is inspiring, the event attracts world-class competition, and the after-party is a blast. 

Officially, this was my 8th year participating in the big race. If we count 2001 when I ran a shadow event because the main race was cancelled due to post-9/11 security concerns, then this was my 9th ATM. Either way, with all that experience, I certainly ought to know better than to do what I did this year....  

For a variety of reasons, this was my slowest outing--by far. In fact, I was plodding along, listening to TED Talks, when I noticed a man with a stop watch and a clip board writing down my bib number. I thought that was odd, so I removed my earbuds and looked around. Someone else was sliding a barrier across the route right behind me. Turns out I was the last person allowed to remain on the course, and everyone behind me was diverted to a shortcut route back to the Pentagon. 

I knew I was moving slowly. My pre-race exercise and diet had not been optimal and I was suffering the effects of those choices. I could feel the blisters on my feet--confirmed when I got home, removed my shoes, and saw my bloody socks. To avoid getting shin splints, I was exaggerating my ankle rotations and pausing frequently to stretch and flex my ankles and calves. At one point I had to wait in line for a porta-john. So yes, I was aware that I was way off my target pace, but I had no idea that I was so close to the maximum allowable pace of 15 minutes per mile. I crossed the 5-mile mark blissfully oblivious to the fact that I was just about to barely pass the pace count cut-off!  

Seeing that barrier slide behind me at the pace check point bolted me into a heightened sense of awareness. Naturally, I had to pick up the pace for the remainder of the race, because the course closes at 11:30. or 2.5 hours after the last  heat starts at 9 AM. The only thing worse than getting shin splints and blisters is getting shin splints and blisters and having nothing to show for it! I did manage to complete the second half faster than the first half of the race, and I lived to tell the tale! 

For me, "running" ten miles is a matter of falling slightly forward and just barely catching myself, 20,000 times. Having run the darn ATM a time or two, I certainly knew how to train and prepare--yet this year I seem to have relied on luck. Luck alone got me past the pace-count check-point with seconds to spare. I saved all my brilliance and wisdom for a little poem, which I have titled, "But If You Do." I composed most of it in my head as a distraction from the burning sensation in my feet, ankles, and shins. 

But if you do...

Don't get old, but if you do

Don't slide yourself out of shape, but if you do

Don't sign up for the Army Ten-Miler, but if you do

Don't wait too late to train.

But if you do, don't train all at once

But if you do, don't give yourself blisters

But if you do, don't rely on Epsom salts,

But if you do, remember

Only starters finish

Only movers blister or chafe

Only those who risk falling advance and

Only the lucky get old

Links to previous post-run photos:

2010 http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2010/10/finisher.html

2011 http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2011/10/finisher-atm-2011.html

2012 did not run and I don't know why not

2013 ran, but did not take a photo and I don't know why not

2014 http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2014/10/finisher.html

2015 ran, but did not take a photo and I don't know why not

And, for a post containing my ATM shirt collection, n = 10 (including the shirt we made for the 2001 shadow run fund-raiser for the ODCSPER Family Support Group), see HERE.

Looking for Beer in DC? Try the Good Beer Map.

Here's my review of The Good Beer Map, from the good folks at DC Beer.com. I love beer! I love DC! I love maps! I am generally fond of DC Beer.com--we certainly have a lot of common interests! So how come I don't love DC Beer.com's Good Beer Map?

The Good Beer Map covers DC and a little bit of Northern Virginia. It uses BatchGeo maps and geospatial data to show various venues where thirsty searchers can find good beer. The data can also be read in Google Maps, which is nice if you navigate using an Android phone, or if you, like me, navigate with an Apple phone but use Google Maps anyway because Apple's Maps just really don't get the job done.

There are six color-coded categories to identify venues by type.

Bar/Restaurant

Beer Store

DCBeer Favorites

Brewery

Brewpub

Homebrew Shop

I guess The Good Beer Map is better than nothing, but there are a few reasons why it's not getting tons of views, certainly not from me.

1. It's simply not comprehensive. Within the area of interest, there are probably three times more venues than those shown. Even though BatchGeo supports multiple users changing data, there is no attempt to crowd-source the data. Why not?
2. Anyone who lives in or near DC would be interested in Maryland venues as well. If I am willing to drive to Leesburg, I am probably willing to drive to Ellicot City.
3. You can't simply hover over a venue and see the name of it. You have to click the icon and then a third of the screen fills up with more data than you want if you're already familiar with the region.
4. There is no mention of venues that are coming soon, or of those that have recently departed.  It would be easy enough to track that information and store it in layers.
5. You cannot click, say, Brewpubs on the legend and have only Brewpubs displayed on the map. Such a feature would reduce a lot of clutter when you are on a mission.
6. I am somewhat interested in those venues DCBeer has "favorited," but I can't tell which of the light blue DC Beer favorites is a bar and which is a brewery. Why not just circle the color coded icons?
7. I find the lack of linked details disturbing. Once I bother to click on the icon and a third of my screen is consumed by boilerplate, I would like to see some links to Twitter or Facebook feeds so I can see menus and tap lists and calendars of events.     

I try not to raise an issue without also bringing a suggestion. My suggestions are embedded in the constructive criticism above. In addition, I recommend the organizational structure I've touted elsewhere on the pages of PhilosFX. I would like to see beer venues of all types within 100 miles of the Capitol Building.

See for yourself HERE, and if you disagree with my review, let me know in the comments.