lighting a candle
it seems we live in a world beset by darkness. everywhere we look there are forces less than benign. cruelty, malice, anger, hate. in behavior and in nature. and everywhere we find the hallmarks of their presence and the legacies of their message: fear, sorrow, suffering, despair. as black as eternity's abyss.we see so much of this that we are led to believe this is the state of the world.

mary oliver and the message of moving on
it appears that i didn't do a very good job trying to publicize a favorite poet of mine in a previous post (reference: an extra off-day of poetry). it turns out the link doesn't work. which is a shame, since she's one of my favorites, and i think deserving of more attention than she's gotten. to rectify this error, i'm do a re-post, so that she can get the credit she deserves.the poet in

exercise and immunity
well, since we're heading into that season again, replete with this year's spectre of H1N1 as the bogeyman of sniffles, coughs, runny noses, fevers, delirium, phlegm, and all other host of potential assorted symptoms, i figure it's time to offer up this piece of medical interest for all you athletes intent on training through the health hazards that lurk ahead of us:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

ban the speedshop
i ordinarily eschew anything that might give the appearance of marketing, focusing instead on just commentary and recommendations. but occasionally something comes along that is so notable that it stands on its own independent of commercial overtones.this is one of them:http://banthespeedshop.com/#/homethis is, without a doubt, an act of sheer genius. it is one of the most hilarious videos on

a kick in the nuts
you meet some interesting characters in endurance sports, particularly for ultra-endurance events like Ironman. they are without a doubt very unique personalities--you have to be one, or you have to become one, in order to get through the transformative experience of long-distance races--and they are the kind that tend to stick with you in your mind.and i mean this in a good way: the people i've