Monday, November 30, 2015

An Exercise in Resolve, Month 11

November started off rainy and markedly cooler than the previous month. I finally increased the weight of what I routinely carried, which represented a key step forward, going from a "light" load of up to 10 pounds to a "medium" load of 10-20 pounds. I also sporadically supplement my routine with a few pushups, situps, chinups, or bench presses, but the walk is definitely my main exercise and that is why carrying gear is key. And, now that I am carrying a day pack again, I am able to carry my walking stick on the walk up to the mailbox and often have a couple pounds of mail in the pack for the balance of the walk. Entries in quotes are taken from my Twitter posts. 

November 1 (Sunday): Walked 0.6 miles with a light, c. 9-pound load. 
November 2 (Monday): "Got in a two-mile walk with a light load. Perfect walking weather, sunny, bright, and cloudless but also cool here in Texas Hill Country!" 
November 3 (Tuesday): Walked c. 0.75 miles. Added a day pack and increased equipment load to c. 15 pounds and intended to walk two miles but tried to help someone catch their dogs and, in the process, dragged my trailing foot over a cactus and ended up with about 20 spines of various sizes in my foot, ankle and leg — including one so deep in my big toe that I had to take off my shoe and pull hard to get out. 
November 4 (Wednesday):  Walked 1.5 miles at twilight with a medium, 15+ pound load. 
November 5 (Thursday): "Got in a 1.5-mile twilight walk with a 15.3-pound load! Unseasonably warm today here in Texas Hill Country but cooled off a bit in the evening." 
November 6 (Friday): "Got in a two-mile late afternoon walk with 15+ pounds of gear! Has been raining and was damp and very cool here in Texas Hill Country." 
November 7 (Saturday): No walk; was part of an author panel at Bulverde/Spring Branch Library and got back too late.
November 8 (Sunday): No walk but mowed the lawn for a full hour. 
November 9 (Monday): "Got in a two-mile late afternoon walk with 20+ pounds of gear; was overdue increasing load and glad to have done it twice so far this month!" 
November 10 (Tuesday): Did a brief, 0.6-mile walk with 20+ pounds of gear. 
November 11-14: Getting ready for three weeks on the road and certainly walked to some extent during this period and know that I did some prolonged mowing sessions on probably a couple of the days. 
November 15: "Brief, 1.2-mile walk with 17-plus pounds of gear. Wore boots instead of sneakers to make sure they were in good shape for my upcoming Africa trip." 
November 16-22: Traveled to and spent six days in the Washington, D.C., area. Did not try to observe a regular exercise routine but got decent walks or workouts in a number of days; e.g., one day hauled 100 pounds of luggage crosstown on the Metro from Silver Spring, Maryland, to Alexandria, Virginia, and on Friday, November 21, walked a mile-and-a-half from my daughter's house to the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station and then probably a similar distance around D.C. with my friend Paul Knorr. 
November 23-30: Spent last week of November in Ethiopia! Did not try to maintain a regular exercise routine but stayed active and got some substantial workouts in some days. Most significant was a 15-mile roundtrip hike involving a 1,000-foot ascent, from the city of Lalibela to a mountaintop monastery during Day 5 of my Ethiopian Adventure (shown below is a picture of me during this excursion). 


Thursday, November 19, 2015

My Recent Events (November 2015)

Following are events I have recently participated in, and which I am listing here with links back to archived editions of radio shows and webcasts, blog posts about them, etc. 

November 5 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 39: Under the Sea" (webcast). 

November 7 (Saturday), 3 - 4:30 p.m.: "Local Authors Panel as Part of NaNoWriMo," Bulverde/Spring Branch Library, Bulverde, Texas. 

November 12 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 40: We, Robots" (webcast). 

November 19 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 41" (webcast). 



Saturday, October 31, 2015

An Exercise in Resolve, Month 10

October started off with perfect walking weather, bright and sunny but also cool and breezy much of the time! We hit every extreme after that, from a triple-digit heat index early in the month to driving rainstorms toward the end. Entries on the daily list below in quotes are taken from my pertinent personal Twitter posts and several of the italicized entries mid-month are for days when I know I walked but did not annotate the distance (and in retrospect it all runs together). 

October 1 (Thursday): Walked 0.6 miles with a light load. 
October 2 (Friday): Walked 1.2 miles with a light load. 
October 3 (Saturday): Walked two miles with a light load. 
October 4 (Sunday): No walk but mowed a section of the lawn. 
October 5 (Monday): Walked 0.6 miles. 
October 6 (Tuesday): "Walked 2.5 miles with a light load. Bright and sunny but not too hot here in Texas Hill Country and very pleasant for some outdoor exercise!" Also mowed the lawn for about 20 minutes and swept the upper patio and so ended up being pretty beat! 
October 7 (Wednesday):  No walk; was on the road to Wimberley to do a presentation at the library on my new San Antonio, Austin, and Texas Hill Country. 
October 8 (Thursday): Walked just 0.6 miles with a light load; got immersed in Skirmisher personnel issues and did not make it out until just before dinner. 
October 9 (Friday): Walked about 1.5 miles around downtown San Antonio, to and from our hotel to the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, then dinner, and then drinks. 
October 10 (Saturday): Did not walk too much but loaded things into and then out of the convention center and made three trips between it and the parking lot.  
October 11 (Sunday): Walked 1.2 miles with a light load. 
October 12 (Monday): "2.2-mile mid-afternoon walk with a light load. Wondered why I was dragging until I learned we had a 100 degree heat index here in Texas Hill Country!" 
October 13 (Tuesday): No walk; was on the road and then passed out until after dark when I got back. 
October 14 (Wednesday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 15 (Thursday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 16 (Friday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 17 (Saturday): "Managed to get in a two-mile twilight walk with a light load. Has finally cooled down a bit here in Texas Hill Country!" 
October 18 (Sunday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 19 (Monday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 20 (Tuesday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 21 (Wednesday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 22 (Thursday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 23 (Friday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 24 (Saturday): Had to skip a planned hike to the Devil's Hollow with visiting Brendan Cass due to heavy rain, but managed to get in a c. 1.5 night hike together to the local haunted 19th century Bremer Cemetery during a lull in the weather. (A time lapse image by Brendan of me standing by an ominous tree in the graveyard appears below.)
October 25 (Sunday): Got in a quick 1.2-mile twilight walk with a light load. Cold and damp after yesterday's storm and feeling like fall here in Texas Hill Country!" 
October 26 (Monday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 27 (Tuesday): Walked between 0.6 and 2+ miles with a light load. 
October 28 (Wednesday): No walk, on account of spending first half of the day cleaning the house, picking up Diane at the airport in the afternoon, and stopping for dinner on the way home and not getting back until after dark. 
October 29 (Thursday): No walk, on account of being on the road, getting Hepatitis B and rabies vaccinations, and needing to get ready for my weekly "d-Infinity Live!" show. 
October 30 (Friday): Walked just 0.6 miles, to and from the mailbox, and did not go further on account of rain. 
October 31 (Saturday): Walked two miles with a light load. Wanted to end the month on a strong note! 


Thursday, October 29, 2015

My Recent Events (October 2015)

Following are events I have recently participated in, and which I am listing here with links back to archived editions of radio shows and webcasts, blog posts about them, etc. 

October 29 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 39: d-Infinity Plays: One Starry Night (Call of Cthulhu)" (webcast and role-playing game session). 

October 24 (Saturday), 7 - 9 p.m.: "The Paranormal View: Author Michael O. Varhola" (radio show). The Paranormal View is a very relaxed, round table style talk show that focuses on bringing together experts, enthusiasts, and listeners with varied viewpoints. Instead of focusing strictly on ghostly phenomena, hosts Henry Foister, Geoffrey Gould, Barbara Duncan, and Kat Klockow, strive to provide listeners with topics that cover all areas of the paranormal, including ghosts, UFOs, cryptozoology, psychic phenomena, and more. 

October 22 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 38: We Are Werewolves!" (webcast). 

October 10 (Saturday), 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Fantom Fest, Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas. 

October 15 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 37: Playtesting" (webcast). 

October 8 (Thursday), 8 - 9 p.m.: "d-Infinity Live! Series 4, Episode 36: Mars" (webcast). 

October 7 (Wednesday), noon - 1 p.m.: "Lunch & Learn: Ghosthunting in the Hill Country," Wimberley Village Library, Wimberley, Texas. 


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

TravelBlogue: 'An Excursion Into Egypt'

In October 2006, my wife Diane and I made a port of call in Alexandria, Egypt, while on a 12-day cruise aboard the Norwegian Jewel from Athens, Greece, to Istanbul, Turkey. Ours was the first cruise since the terrorist attacks in September 2001 that was allowed to make overnight excursions to Cairo and we made a whirlwind trip from Alexandria to Cairo and nearby Saqqara, Memphis, and Giza. Check out my new photo essay on "An Excursion Into Egypt" on my TravelBlogue! 


Wednesday, September 30, 2015

An Exercise in Resolve, Month 9

Started off the month well with a new route that includes walking up to the mailbox, down to the end of the cul de sac, and then past the house far enough to bring myself up to an even 2 miles even by the time I am done. In general I carry a light load consisting of my shoulder bag, containing a camera and other gear and weighing about 6.5 pounds, and a 1.6-pound walking stick (although I usually don't carry the stick up the mailbox so that my hands will be free for anything I pick up there). Managed to make relevant Twitter posts some days and have included those here, minus any hashtags they might have contained. 

September 1 (Tuesday): "Two-mile twilight walk w. a light load; another breezy evening here in Texas Hill Country. Saw a herd of c. 20 deer on the lot behind mine."
September 2 (Wednesday): "Late afternoon 2-mile walk between teleconferences; running on a little more than 3 hours sleep and kept a sluggish pace."
September 3 (Thursday): No walk; got lazy and disorganized and ran out of time while trying to get ready for my weekly show. 
September 4 (Friday): Walked 0.6 to 2 miles with a light load (know I walked but did not log and do not remember how far). 
September 5 (Saturday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 6 (Sunday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 7 (Monday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 8 (Tuesday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 9 (Wednesday):  Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 10 (Thursday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 11 (Friday): Walked 0.3 miles up to the mailbox; started raining halfway there and was a torrent by the time I got there. Diane drove up and rescued me before I had to walk back in it. 
September 12 (Saturday): Got in a 2-mile mid-afternoon walk. Bright and cloudless but probably only in the mid-80s. 
September 13 (Sunday): Mowed lawn for about 30 minutes instead of taking a walk. 
September 14 (Monday): "Two-mile sunset walk with a light load ... Relatively cool here in Texas Hill Country and was able to keep a decent pace!" 
September 15 (Tuesday): Walked 1.2 miles with a light load (on top of a visit to Costco, which always involves a bit of walking in itself). 
September 16 (Wednesday): "Walked two miles with a light load in between late afternoon rain showers! Cloudy but bright and about 90° here in Texas Hill Country." 
September 17 (Thursday): Walked 0.6 miles with a light load and then spent about 20 minutes mowing the lawn. 
September 18 (Friday): Late afternoon two-mile walk with a light load; in the 90s here in Texas Hill Country but briefly had a cool breeze and some cloud cover.
September 19 (Saturday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 20 (Sunday): No walk; was feeling lazy and unorganized and just failed to get one in. 
September 21 (Monday): Walked between 0.6 and 2 miles with a light load. 
September 22 (Tuesday):  No walk; was out doing errands during the day. 
September 23 (Wednesday): Was on the road early in the day, and managed to get a little walking in as a result, and then got in a late afternoon 1.2-mile walk when I got back. 
September 24 (Thursday): Felt kind of off most of the day but stuck it out and got in a two-mile walk -- figured it would not be an auspicious start for the next year of my life to blow it off on my birthday! 
September 25 (Friday): Walked just 0.6 miles up to the mailbox; torrential rain hit when I was going to walk and by the time it was done I could not go further before nightfall and did not fell like walking in the dark. 
September 26 (Saturday): Walked two miles with a light load. Was warm and I had eaten sort of a sub-standard lunch and so I was pretty played out by the time I got back and glad to eat dinner right away.  
September 27 (Sunday): No walk! And no good excuse; was just working through on things and did not make good enough use of my time. 
September 28 (Monday): Walked 0.6 miles with a light load.  
September 29 (Tuesday): "Managed to get in 2.5 miles w. a light load ahead of hitting a 100-degree heat index here in Texas Hill Country! Longest walk this month." 
September 30 (Wednesday): Walked two miles with a light load (with a break in between going to the mailbox and finishing the rest of it). Pretty hot for September but glad to have finished the month on a strong note! 

Sunday, September 27, 2015

TravelBlogue: 'Two Days in Athens'

While working on an article for d-Infinity Online magazine ("Monsters Among Us"), I tracked down the pictures I had taken during the trip my wife Diane and I took to the Mediterranean in 2006. Our first stop ahead of boarding a cruise ship for 12 nights was Athens, where we spent a couple of days, September 26-27, exploring the historic heart of the city. Check out our "Two Days in Athens" on my TravelBlogue!