I've decided I want to start posting pictures here, but I don't have any of Chicago I want to post yet. My friend forwarded this cartoon to me today though so, there it is.
Time of departure: 9:14pm
Return: 11:something…we got to talking
Phase of the moon: Full moon, 100% illuminated
Temperature: 59F
Wind Chill: 52F
Dew Point: 40F
Lake Temp: 46-49F (Man! See what happens when you’re not paying attention! Eric, we‘ll be swimming outdoors in no time).
Route: The usual. I’ve grown so accustomed to going OVER the bridges (as opposed to UNDER the bridges as the trail leads) that I have had to re-wire my brain to going under them. But I think due to the habitation of the area under one such bridge Matt agreed to go OVER it.
Approx Distance: 5.5 miles
Running buddy: Matt
Clothing: Blue shoes, blue pants with two strips, neon green wicker, black wind breaker I bought for Sri Lanka. (I know, I know, blue pants, black jacket…but it was dark).
The Drive Activity: A little noisy. Cars are such a nuisance. What strikes me is that they never stop coming. Matt and I were standing on the corner near my house talking for awhile, and they just kept coming. The light would change, some would drive away, but then more would show up! Where do all these people come from?
Dog beach Activity: What? Dog beach? I didn’t look.
People of note:
1. There was one fire spinner, one drummer, one person with a shaker, and a bunch of people standing around near Foster Beach, it being a full moon and everything. This was the first fire spinning gathering of the season.
2. Two people kicking around a soccer ball on the beautifully maintained and illuminated field at Montrose
3. Three people unsuccessfully attempting to roll down the Montrose hill in blankets. The problem: 1) It was muddy, 2) one kicked another in the head, and also probably 3) it really just isn’t that steep.
What did I eat pre-run? I’d been eating all day.
How did I feel? Good. Heavy. Has there been an increase in gravity?
What do I like about running? Really, for as out of it as I was, I feel like it’s coming back. Just in time to head off to Rome and for me to (but hopefully not) loose it again. If only I had a buddy in Rome…
________________________________
I left my house.
Sitting here, writing now, there are all sorts of things I know I didn’t properly observe. Could this be because now that it’s warmer outside there is such an abundance of sounds and smells that my sensors are overwhelmed with information? I’m out of practice for taking in all these bits of data, digesting them, remember what is significant to paint a picture, and tossing it back out onto the screen.
So, I left my house. It was reasonably dark out, but I soon noticed that the moon was full. There were a few clouds that occasionally crossed its path, but mostly these high clouds highlighted how far up the moon was in the sky, how big and tall the sky is. The air was cool but not cold. 50s Are the hardest to dress for, I’ve decided. But long pants, long shirt, and a jacket that I’ll take off and put on again and again off seems to be the way to go. Perhaps a thicker shirt than this neon sweat-wicker and a vest would have been good; but then, you can’t tie a vest around your waist if you want to so perhaps I’ll stay with the on-again-off-again wind breaker getup.
When the moon is full and the clouds clear a bit you can see that the sky is still blue. Is the case everywhere? Or just in a city where there is so much light pollution that the moon crosses a threshold and black sky turns blue.
Being out tonight made me want to take my camera and tripod out on a night-time bike ride to photograph this city. And the nature in it. If I do take photos of Chicago with a creative intention, perhaps it will be to bring light to the nature that is here. We Chicagoans like to forget, we’re too busy, or we just don’t know what to look for, but even here we are not separate from it.
When we were stretching, I tried to make a point of observing everything. It was challenging. Observing. Because it’s all so different than before when everything was white? Because my mind is partially elsewhere. Where is my mind? Preparing for Rome? Reorganizing my life? Thinking about moving to the country, raising bees and an organic apple orchard or growing medicinal herbs? Focus. Focus. Be present. Be mindful.
The trees are beginning to bud. Some branches have buds, some don’t; though from a distance mostly the trees look barren. The lake and the sky above it were a dark gray blue murky color, the difference in their tones ever so slightly different that I wasn’t quite sure I was imagining a horizon line or if I could actually distinguish one.
Sunlight reflected off the moon almost seemed to create shadows. But the darkness that permeated was highlighted by the cones of light pouring from the streetlamps, orderly arranged along the running and bicycle paths.
After running down the Montrose Hill I took in a big inhalation. Dirt. Soil. Earth. What wonder is this? The smell of earth in the springtime. It makes me think of worms. How many worms are in this soil? How alive is this earth? In this city.
What is going on with this bee shortage situation? How far will we push it before we remember we’re all connected? Until we remember that the cutting of the umbilical cord is only an illusion.
________________________________
I left my house.
Sitting here, writing now, there are all sorts of things I know I didn’t properly observe. Could this be because now that it’s warmer outside there is such an abundance of sounds and smells that my sensors are overwhelmed with information? I’m out of practice for taking in all these bits of data, digesting them, remember what is significant to paint a picture, and tossing it back out onto the screen.
So, I left my house. It was reasonably dark out, but I soon noticed that the moon was full. There were a few clouds that occasionally crossed its path, but mostly these high clouds highlighted how far up the moon was in the sky, how big and tall the sky is. The air was cool but not cold. 50s Are the hardest to dress for, I’ve decided. But long pants, long shirt, and a jacket that I’ll take off and put on again and again off seems to be the way to go. Perhaps a thicker shirt than this neon sweat-wicker and a vest would have been good; but then, you can’t tie a vest around your waist if you want to so perhaps I’ll stay with the on-again-off-again wind breaker getup.
When the moon is full and the clouds clear a bit you can see that the sky is still blue. Is the case everywhere? Or just in a city where there is so much light pollution that the moon crosses a threshold and black sky turns blue.
Being out tonight made me want to take my camera and tripod out on a night-time bike ride to photograph this city. And the nature in it. If I do take photos of Chicago with a creative intention, perhaps it will be to bring light to the nature that is here. We Chicagoans like to forget, we’re too busy, or we just don’t know what to look for, but even here we are not separate from it.
When we were stretching, I tried to make a point of observing everything. It was challenging. Observing. Because it’s all so different than before when everything was white? Because my mind is partially elsewhere. Where is my mind? Preparing for Rome? Reorganizing my life? Thinking about moving to the country, raising bees and an organic apple orchard or growing medicinal herbs? Focus. Focus. Be present. Be mindful.
The trees are beginning to bud. Some branches have buds, some don’t; though from a distance mostly the trees look barren. The lake and the sky above it were a dark gray blue murky color, the difference in their tones ever so slightly different that I wasn’t quite sure I was imagining a horizon line or if I could actually distinguish one.
Sunlight reflected off the moon almost seemed to create shadows. But the darkness that permeated was highlighted by the cones of light pouring from the streetlamps, orderly arranged along the running and bicycle paths.
After running down the Montrose Hill I took in a big inhalation. Dirt. Soil. Earth. What wonder is this? The smell of earth in the springtime. It makes me think of worms. How many worms are in this soil? How alive is this earth? In this city.
What is going on with this bee shortage situation? How far will we push it before we remember we’re all connected? Until we remember that the cutting of the umbilical cord is only an illusion.
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