Triathlon: why numbers suck
27, newly married, insecure corporate lawyer, marathoner, triathlete, wannabe overachiever and sometimes calorie-counter.
I did a triathlon yesterday, and I thought I finished in about 3:20, which wasn’t great, but was a course-PB nonetheless.
But then I found out I actually finished in 3:26, which was slower than last year, so I had a grump fest.
BUT now they’ve changed the results, and it turns out it was a 3:21 after all, so I’m happy again.
But wondering why I allowed 5 measly minutes (…which I just thought was transition time anyway) to take me from happy to blue to happy again.
lfar:
3300 words. I do not see how it is possible that I will reach 5000.
I always had the opposite problem (even in my 15,000 word dissertation), and had to bend the word count truth, and hide lots of text in footnotes.
Difference between writing about law and writing about engineering, perhaps?
Tunnel law is tricky.
In an effort to get people to look into each other’s eyes more, and also to appease the mutes, the government has decided to allot each person exactly one hundred and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it to my ear without saying hello. In the restaurant I point at chicken noodle soup. I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly say I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn’t respond, I know she’s used up all her words, so I slowly whisper I love you thirty-two and a third times. After that, we just sit on the line and listen to each other breathe.
- Jeffrey McDaniel, “The Quiet World”
Eating salt and vinegar chips makes me happy.
HoBNON (Home Baked Nearly Only November) can suck it.
Mm.. I have salt and vinegar chips at home (wee packies). Don’t want to get toooo carried away post HoBNON though! (yesterday may have involved fries, a Pokeno ice cream, and pizza for dinner…)
I’ve got it bad today… This weekend was nowhere NEAR long enough!
Me too. It is catching, I fear.
(actually, I think I have 2009-itis)
Perception
Something to think about….
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
The questions raised:
*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*Do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.
How many other things are we missing?
I love this story.
The question is… HOW did I not notice that this was a bird-print until someone pointed it out to me?
Hahaha. Did you not know???
I have been getting my eyebrows waxed since I was 10 (photographs of me at age 9 indicate why) and I just got my eyebrows THREADED for the first time. It hurt so badly, I almost threw up. And then I got a punchcard so my 10th visit will be free. $8, y’all, and looking damn good.
I love threading. It feels awesome- in a painful way. Plus, I SO need to book an appointment NOW.
