Running in a river city.
I took this about a week ago while running. I enjoy a good sunset as much as the next person but this one was unbelievable!
I finished this book a few weeks ago. My dad recommended it to me based on my love of Native American history and feminist theory. Susan Faludi makes the case that our country’s history of violence and concept of terrorism has established a cycle of oppressing women. She begins with the 9/11 attacks, unpacking media and political rhetoric to demonstrate how we revert to a pattern in which helpless women need to be rescued and protected by aggressive men. Women who step outside their role as damsels in distress are at best ignored and at worst openly attacked by society. She extends the theory to the Indian Wars extending from the Colonial Era to the late 1800s and the atomic age of the 1950s. At times the book seems a little heavy handed - partially because post-9/11 attitudes are still a little too fresh in my mind. It was aggravating to re-examine all that hostile rhetoric. But over all her argument is really well done and extremely compelling. It definitely got my ire up and made a fascinating connection across history.
My friend Jeni posted these to Facebook, the hilarious work of her friend Chad, and the nerdy girl’s answer to the ubiquitous Ryan Gosling meme. They crack my shit up!
This past Sunday I got myself a bona fide hat-trick finishing my third half-marathon this year. I ran the Columbus Half in 2 hours 25 minutes. This one started much earlier than the other two. I was in corral E because I am slow.

I am not totally sure why I got the half-marathon bug. I am not sporty and I don’t get excited about team spirit. I played soccer in high school, hated games, loved practice. I did start running in high school because of soccer and that turned into the thing I loved the most. I loved that I could step out the door, stressed and confused and by mile three all the anxiety, frustration, and problems had dropped away. It was like I was sweating the bad mojo right out of my system and all that was left was me and the run.

I do enjoy the fact that when I am out there running a race with thousands of other people, all of us are shedding bad energy. It’s kind of amazing to look around at all the different shapes, sizes, and types of people and know that we are all doing this one big thing and we are doing it to better ourselves.

I took this picture while running. It illustrates the point - as we ran into Bexley I caught a glimpse of all the runners in front of me. This was just one highlight others included hearing Community Property by sex panther blaring through my headphones at mile 6.5 and Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster by the Ghetto Boys at mile 7.83.

But the biggest highlight was finishing and getting my big-ass medal! This is a pretty big reason why I love running the half-marathons. You cannot beat a big, shiny, impressive finishers medal.
Damage caused by the Halifax Explosion by W.G. MacLaughlan, National Archives of Canada, C-017501
I just finished listening to Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker about the Halifax explosion of 1917. It is a really quick listen or read and pretty fascinating for the sheer magnitude of the devastation. Until the atomic bomb was dropped it was the largest and most damaging explosion on record. The shock wave alone was strong enough to liquefy a person’s internal organs. The death toll is still debated but is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 with 9,000 people injured. The explosion which was caused by the collision of the explosives laden SS Mont Blanc and the Imo, was followed by a blizzard that dumped over a foot of snow on the leveled city. It wasn’t the most exciting book, but the story is so bizarre and the science of the explosion is so fascinating that it helps carry some of the more tedious moments.
I finished this book a little while ago and forgot about posting. It wasn’t what I expected. I hadn’t read any reviews about it or synopsis- I just downloaded it an started listening. Rather than an overview of the pilgrims and their journey to North America it is about their relationship with the Native Americans living there when they arrive. This is vastly more interesting to me given my interest in Native American history and issues. To be honest, I feel like I need to read it again. The relationships are so complicated and there are so many details and nuances that I want to go through it again and maybe even chart it! Definitely a fascinating read.