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Flashback London: Proof that I went to the Tower of London and saw some delightful riches, weapons, and armour.

An obese blog update

Greetings my fellow mammals.

I apologize for depriving you of my daring wit and stunning adventures of the past fortnight or two. Many of my day to day musings and tomfoolery will no doubt now be lost forever.
I present my running log, around which I will provide perhaps a tidbit or 2 of further insight. The framework of this entry may force those not interested in running to dodge over these sections, my apologies for this inundation. Without further ado, more than you ever needed to know!...

Wed. 4.20.05
PPM: Following class, around 9pm, I bounded around the neighborhoods for 31.5min, or about 4.5 miles. Actually, more like slogged than bounded. Did wear my new Mizuno "Nirvana" shoes, which offer superior cushioning but weigh about 25 pounds.
PM: 54.5 min, 8 miles. Ran down the Ardmore trail. Quite warm, in the 80's. Wanted to run in the morning, but held up till afternoon.

I wasted much of the morning handling multiple phone calls to figure out my rabies situation. Yesterday, I was called by the Health Dept. and told to procure a rabies shot due to my canine encounter last Sunday. I would like to avoid this if possible, but with serious matters such as this, it is superior to be safe than sorry. I believe I finally resolved the issue and will minimize any mouth foaming.

I had to rock a 15 minute presentation on my own in Econ. of Strategy tonight. Don't worry, I managed to get in a photo of myself doing Kung-Fu, a dog wearing a hat, and the Muppets. My first question from the audience- "Where did you get such mad PowerPoint skills?"

Tues. 4.19.05
20min warm-up to the Villanova Track. 4Xstrides. Then 2X800m in trainers to warmup, followed by 8X400 in spikes, and 2X200m. Jogged 100m or so for rest. This was my first time stuffing my pounders into spikes since last October, and I better try 'em out. Spikes feel phenomenal, a different world. I ask, why do people walk/go very slowly in lane 1? I was going at least 2 or 3 times as fast as 3 pedestrian clowns clogging lane 1. Speaking of whales, there was a whale in the Delaware River near Trenton. By the way, a wholfin was recently born, which is part killer whale and part dolphin. Sounds like an awesome brute.
2:30 800m, (66 rest), 2:28 800m, (1:59 rest changed shoes), 68.8, (60 rest), 70.2, (60 r), 70.0, (60r), 68.2, (57r), 68.7, (70r), 69.7, (59r), 69.9, (63r), 69.1, (92r), 30.69, (91r), 29.99
21min cool down. Total for day: 10+ miles.

Received annoying phone call from Health Dept. to get rabies shot. Although Baird is an anagram for Rabid, I'd rather not have to deal with it.

Habemus papam!!! We have a pope (we meaning Catholics, not really me). I witnessed the new pope spectacle live on tv. Amusing that the color of the smoke signal could not be identified for some time. The new Pope Benedict seems very harsh and conservative, not to mention old like a vegetable in the rear of my refrigerator. My professor, Chuck, referred to Beney as John Paul's "hatchet man" and considers him to be on his personal "enemy list." He also shared his comments on Fox News.

My group turned in the final Vino Wine business plan, after a great deal of time and effort. Cheers!

Mon. 4.18.05
65.5 min, 10 miles. My first run since the 'incident'. Steered the other direction and loped around Patterson Park for a decent run.

Weekly Total- 71 miles. A week of pluses and minuses. As TS Eliot and Chaucer have proclaimed "April is the cruelest month." The lost long run crippled my mileage.

Sun. 4.17.05
24.5 min, 4 miles. Was headed out for a long run, but didn't make it too far. In Wynman Park, behind Hopkins, I was running along the path that I very often rumble through. Suddenly, a canine beast ripped through the trees and attached himself to my hip. I was shocked, as there was no barking to warn me of the impending attack. I yelled and pushed the mongrel from me; he growled, I yelled to keep him away, then his owner came and grabbed him. As I was speaking to the owner and in the process of ascertaining a phone #, 3 police officers swarmed the scene. They came down hard on the dude, apparantly they had just asked him to put his bitch on a leash. The four-legged freak was a husky or german shepherd, or combination. The police called an ambulance, and suggested that I go with them to the hospital. They cleaned me up, took me to Union Hospital (sirens unnecessarily screaming), where they took me out on a "fat man" wheelchair. This was a bit humorous, as one could fit 2 of me on it. I got checked out and received a tetanus shot before hitting the road with Stacy. Hopefully my emergency insurance will cover my costs, if not, I will attempt to contact the dog owner. If this fails, I have no qualms about filing a civil suit.
The dog could have bit in a worse area, as it was I think my shorts protected me (though they ripped). I have a gash about 3cm, and a few other puncture wounds and now a big bruise. I always thought I'd fight a dog if it every came after me, but I was so caught off guard I didn't have the chance.
Although I toyed with the idea of going for another run later, I decided against it. The stars weren't aligned correctly today for me to be pursuing physical fitness, methinks.

Sat. 4.16.05
69.5min. 10.5-11 miles. Ran up and about Wynman Park/etc. Hace unos tacos deliciosos con mi mujer, Stacy. Ole! We also hit up the inner harbor and studied on the balcony of Barnes. The day was as delicious as my frappa-ma-thingy that Stacy got me.
I also cashed in the Jos A. Bank gift card to buy a shirt for meself. I avoid shopping by myself, so Stacy provided this necessary experience. I had to be measured: I was a mean 15.5 X 34 inches, and the gentleman commented on my massive w i n g s p a n.

Fri. 4.15.05
28.5 min warmup. Drove up to Hopkins in the AM to do workout. I swear, lacrosse teams are on the field 24/7 in the spring here. I couldn't access the needed terrain. Disgruntled, I jogged off to Dru Hill, to do reps around the reservoir. They were pretty sad, but I don't know if the marks I used were accurate. In the end, I just made it a fartlek, also had to make pitstop in a shady looking public restroom with no doors, in case you were interested. At least I didn't go to the bathroom in front of millions, as Britain's Paula Radcliffe later did in the weekend, stopping to relieve herself while leading the London Marathon. What a silly Brit.
2.35on, 1:53off, 2:34on, 71, 2:29, 85, 2:32, 4:28, 2:32, 63, 2:26, 79, 2:30, 72, 2:30, some strides.
15min. Very "bleh" workout. Disappointed, felt the need for speed today. Total miles-- say...10.5-11 miles.

Following the crappy workout, I backed my car into an unseen short fence while parallel parking. As Homer may bellow, "D'OH!"

The day did improve from here. Stacy and I went to 'liver rounds' at school, where we were able to obtain free beverages and sustenance. I did, however, have to talk to other humans, which can be difficult. It was "re-visit" weekend and different recruits were even asking me questions. I responded to their queries, "Sure, Charm City is bodacious."
We scored $5 student tickets to watch the Orioles wallop the New York Losers, er, I mean Yankess. Lots of "Yankees Sucks" chants, which I can't argue with, but wish there was more creativity, like we sports at Princeton always had. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh SIT DOWN YOU SUCK!" (this is yelled at PU games when someone fouls out). I say this now when people give presentations.

Thurs. 4.14.05
69min, 11 miles. I do believe I ran down to Willows, as I don't mix it up a great deal these days.
Gave a presentation in my Euro Business class on Turkey. Unfortunately on the country, not the celebrated sandwich meat.

Wed. 4.13.05
44min, 6.5 miles, early in the morn. Around a boarding school in the neighborhood.
35min, 5 miles in the evening. I agreed to work for Alan today, who is mobbed with work. Stepped out of the pressure cooker for lunch in Rittenhouse Square. Split up run to make it more digestible.
Tues. 4.12.05
20min warm up.
39min 22 sec for a 7.5 mile tempo run around my neighborhood. Average around 5:18 pace for a great workout. Rollilng hills, road. Put off workout till afternoon and chickened out from going to the track. Wanted to awake early and run with Bryn Mawr, but I snoozed the alarm and slept in a plethora of hours. Ah well, maybe next time.
21min cool down.

Mon. 4.11.05
65min, 10 miles, believe around Baltimore somewhere. Made sure taxes were files online tonight. Pay me, IRS! I know where you live!

Total weekly Mileage: 90 miles. A quality week, after a few downers.
Sun. 4.10.05
1 hour 41min. 16 miles. I had a very solid run down to Haverford College, and 2X about the nature loop trail. Pushed pace a wee bit. Many other primates on the path today, as it was a beautiful day to breathe and sweat.

Sat. 4.09.05
66min, 10 miles o' so. This run was on Radnor trail, which was crawling with peeps.

Fri. 4.08.05
21.5 min warmup
34:31- 6.5 mile tempo run through rolling hills neighborhood. 5X1.3 mile loop. A good workout, although I was as hungry as Terri Schiavo. Skipped race at Princeton, but probably should've done it, in hindsight, to prepare for later in the year.
22:39 cooldown, then rushed off to meet Davey Dean and Company in Filthadelphia.
I met Dave, his sister, and brother in law for dinner at Paradigm. Oddly enough, we had reservations at Dulce, but both ended up meeting at the wrong place. It was very trendy, and didn't seem like the Italian place I expected. Still cool and provided good eats. I consumd swordfish, although I was mildly surprised that no weapon was involved. The highlight of the establishment could have been the bathroom doors, which are clear until one locks them, when they frost over. I have heard that when people are drunk they forget to lock the door and it results in embarrassing situations. ho ho ho! Our waiter was also a bangin dj, or so he informed us.
While looking for the establishment, a bedraggled fellow asked me to sponsor him for the Broad Street Run. Doing my good deed for the day, I filled out a form, thinking I had 1 or 2 Georges to slip him. Unfortunatly, all I had was a fiver. I gave it to him, later realizing the guy looked a lot more like a homeless bloke than a dedicated athlete. Ah well.
Upon arriving at my street-parked car, an officer was preparing to write me a ticket. I had Houdini-like timing and got the deuce out of there, buzzing off to the Greyhound station to pick up Stacyerino. We met Dave at the movies, where we sat through "Sin City," easily the most violent movie I've experienced. It was an orgy of violence, and Stacy is now scarred. However, it was an interesting concept--comic book visualizations, very dark with splotches of color. I tried to take something from it, besides the need to take a shower.

Thurs. 4.07.05
65min- 10 miles.
34min- 5 miles. Tried out new shoes in park. Got 'em muddy already. Dandy.

Speaking of new shoes, went down to the Bryn Mawr Running Co. to pick up my new goodies for the year. I am grateful for the deal I have their with Bryn Mawr and Mizuno. I walked out with 5 pairs of shoes and a backpack loaded with new uniform, clothes, and assorted merchandise. I have an individual travel expense, which I will use once I am again blessed with fitness.

Wed. 4.06.05
32min- 4.5 miles.
51min- 7.5 miles.
This day is dead to my memory.

Tues. 4.05.05
26min warmup, over to Haverford from Nova. Did 5Xmile repeats in the grass, on a moderately tough loop--bad footing, hill at end. Wore trainers and ran by self. Moderately warm. Decent workout. Stopped by the store afterwards, but was too hungry to really rememeber what we discussed.
5:05, 91rest, 5:07, 90r, 5:04, 93r, 5:05, 97r, 5:07, 70r,
26min cooldown.
Total around 13.5 miles.

I hereby order further installments of Baird's Blog... coming post haste

Anarchy in the UK

Here is Stacy and I posing as bronzed American statues in front of London Tower Bridge, an iconic landmark of London. We perambulated across the impressive behemoth, gazing down at the Thames below. I'll post more shots on this self-same page, but if you just can't wait, my photos can be found by clicking here. In fact, the first few are long-lost photos from Japan (including my temporary pet-robot-dog).

As for my physical fitness:
4/4/05
70 minutes, 11 miles, strong run around Charm City and Patterson Park. Beautiful day, though a mite windy. Got a good clip going, especially as I passed another decent looking runner along the Inner Harbor. My heel feels about as good as a kick to the crotch. I iced the sore achilles yesterday for about 20min, but the bag was arctic and I developed mild frostbite, frost"nip", or some such calamity. Just what I needed in an already sore area. I'll let you know if the heel falls off.

Top o' the morning!

I've been busy as a beaver the past week, and bi-continental to boot. Here's an update on this and that, but not all.

Running updates:

Sunday, 4/3/05
85 minutes, long run. Tried to push pace, rolled out first 30min, then relaxed a bit. Got to tail of Wynman park in 25min flat (usually takes more like 29min). Very windy, bit rainy. Ran up and about Dru Hill in Baltimore. First day really felt back to normal just about. Achilles still sore, though. At least I am icing again.

Saturday, 4/2/05
19 min warmup
30 min 'tempo' run.
19 min cooldown.
Today was torrential rain and wind. I began on the Hopkins track, made it through about 900m at 5:10/mile pace before some buster in a rainsuit kicked me out. There was an impending lacrosse game, or some such fake sport as that. I headed up Charles St., past Loyola College and College of Notre Dame (MD), then ran back. My paced waned and it was hard to keep it honest in the elements and on the road. Nonetheless, nice to get at least something in, and I did feel tired afterwards.

Friday, 4/1/05
Ran 2 hours at 5:40 pace... April Fools! Oh dang, that was awesome. (sarcasm)
The only real April Fools day pranks I played were on Stacy, and she's just too easy sometimes.
60 min, close to 9 miles. Stomach still not feeling so good. Queasy on run, but glad to get an hour in. Wanted to do workout, but Hopkins track closed. Waited all day and ran as daylight was dying.

Thursday, 3/31/05
59 min. Ran out Radnor Trail. Stomach still not tip top, but definitely feeling better than yesterday.

Wed, 3/30/05
22 min, 3 miles. Oh the horror, the horror! (To quote Conrad). Gut bug causing some havoc. Feeling quite depleted. Met the contents of my innards many times today. Got my Econ. of strategy mid-term back, which I Rocked with a capital "R".

Tues, 3/29/05
36 min, 5 miles feeling all right in the morning.
21 min, 3 miles, not feeling so good at night. Feel like me tummy is not pleased. I believe I caught a bug from the man behind me on the Air India flight, who kept going to the bathroom, and for whom the flight attendant queried, "Is there a doctor on board this flight?"

Mon, 3/28/05
35 min, 5 miles. Was working on stupid wine bar business plan late. This budget is quite a drag. Worked on Textbook editing project all day. Had to run quite late, and then did not feel good, so cut run short. Spinning a bit from jetlag.

Sunday, 3/27/05
55 min, 8+ miles. Got in an evening run after flying from London to NYC, and train to Philly. Ran down near Haverford and back to my residence, where I got my automobile and drove back to school to haul back my belongings.

Ah, a sad day. Back to the states after a short, packed, whirlwind adventure. What? It's daylight savings time in London a week early? Yikes, better finish our brunch and catch the plane... We did. I spent the whole traveling time reading my textbook project till my eyes bled. Or something like that.

Saturday, 3/26/05
60 min, 9 miles. Did a nice run around jolly old England. Tried to run to Central London from Acton, but a car-only bridge barred the way. Did find the "Linford Christie Athletics Stadium" (which was locked), and did a couple of laps around a nice, large wide-open park. A nice run, even though I was tired.

In, brief, another busy day. After a relaxed brunch at the hotel, it was off to the Charles Dickens Museum, a house where he lived and wrote "Pickwick Papers", among other works. This was a small, out of the way museum, where you had to ring a bell to enter. Quaint and great. From here, we walked to the British Museum, where we were awed by the spoils of history. From the Parthenon marbles to the Rosetta stone, England's loot blew my mind. One could spend much more time there than we had, because it was off to the Globe Theater, a Shakespeare museum and replica where his famous theater stood centuries ago. Being a bit of a Shakespeare scholar meself, I appreciated this stop. We had dinner at The Anchor, a neat pub on the South Bank of the Thames, where Ben Jonson worked on writing the dictionary. We dined on British fare--fish and chips and meat pie. Then we walked over the Millenium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral where we attened an Easter Service. This 2 hour service began in the dark with candles, before the cathedral was illuminated. Gazing on St. Paul's for the first time, coincided with blaring organ and all the celebrations of an Easter Service was fantastic. After this experience, we wandered around the financial district, checked out the architecture of Lloyd's, rode around the top of a double-decker bus, and finally went to Punch and Judy's a pub featured in Bridget Jone's Diary (not that I would know) by Covent Garden (?) Market, where the streetperformers were hopping. We stayed till last call (actually this is only 11pm). Pubs close early in London ever since WWII, presumably to make sure soldiers would show up for work the next day.

Friday, 3/25/05
45 min, squeezed a run in early in the morning. Ran through some quaint London villages on the outskirts of Central London. Houses seemed smaller and there was a different feel to things out here. Need to get used to cars coming on opposite side of the street, so I just look every direction possible before proceeding. Saw a little kid sitting on the left hand side of a truck driving by and it looked like the tike was behind the wheel (to my mind).

Today was quite a busy, touristy day. We got tickets to a show, then made it to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. Pomp, pagentry, trumpets, straight-armed marching and the like, it was all there. Along with about a million bloody tourists. We walked through the scenic St. James Park and swung through the royal Mounted Horse Guard Stables. I encouraged Stacy to go up to one of the royal guards to pose for a photo. She walked under the arch he was guarding, then proceeded to duck under the arch, out fo view, I presume not to block others from snapping their shots. The guard, who we thought was supposed to be immobile, bellowed "Do not stand in the archway!!!" Stacy jumped, but stood still just long enough for me to get a priceless photo. This was one of the highlights of the day for me.
We strolled about this area, where Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, etc. are.
We stopped by the National Gallery and took in some of the great artists of the civilized world. Signing up for a free audio tour headphones helped to paint the picture behind the paintings, if you know what I mean. I dragged Stacy away from her Manets and Monets and naked bathers to go to another Stacy-inspired outing--high tea at the Waldorf Hotel. Lame though I feared it may be, tea was rather entertaining. Finger sandwiches, scones, cakes, and the like complemented our sweet steaming brews. I made a few major gaffes I'm sure, suffice it to say I now know what and how to use a tea strainer.
Following tea, we whirled off to Harrod's, the famous department store, and strolled the aisles. We made it to "Blood Brothers" at the Phoenix just in time for the curtain to open. This was an entertainig, British-themed play about 2 brothers separated at birth, but who have a startling connection!!! Following the play, we had Indian food at a small authentic-looking hole in the wall, and hopped on one of the last tubes back to our hotel. Quite a full, satisfying day!

Thurs, 3/24/05
Big fat zero. Unable to sleep at all on the Air India Flight, had to crash for a few hours after arrival in London. Then, hopped off to Tower of London before it closed. I can run any time, eh? Still a little disappointing, but not the end of the world. My achilles is extremely sore, in any event, from Tuesday and from being tired.

Tower of London was intensely cool. Beefeaters are the special guards that live (or at least used to) in the Tower, wear snappy costumes, and answer tourist questions. They also carry lances or some such weapon. Stacy and I stared at the bling of all the crown jewels, saw some prison cells, other weapons, suit of arms, and so forth. Quite a neat place, sad to rush it, but it was possible because it was uncrowded. Walked across London Tower Bridge, which was iconic and super nift.

We popped into a pub for pizza and hops. Found a pub where Shakespeare used to chill at. Later, I believe we walked around some shopping areas, but called it a relatively early night.

Wed, 3/23/05
69 min, 10+ miles. Run down Radnor Trail and about. Morning of departure, raining out. Sore legs. Train to JFK airport was smooth. Air India was a cultural experience in and of itself, with the flight attendants dressed in traditional wear, greeting us in the Indian manner, and feeding us Indian food. I'd say over half the occupants of the plane were Indians. Unfortunatly, the flight was warm, and they didn't seem overly concerned about providing us with H2O. Couldn't sleep, read Jonathan's textbook all day, which I still had about 400 pages to proofread this weekend. D'OH!

Very happy with our hotel, about 15 min away from Central London on the tube. The tube is very efficient and frankly makes the Philadelphia public transport look embarrassing. More observations to follow as I have time, and photographs.