Nostalgia Overload

This morning's run was a walk. I really just wanted to stay in bed thanks to a bad dream. Nightmare had me running a race in Italy, hurting my foot, and then suddenly being at the Oil Creek race that I have coming up in a month. Not exactly the pre-race jitters I was hoping for.

Anyway, I got out the door, walked, and generally just tried not to crawl back into bed. I saw my dad out walking so I talked to him for a couple of minutes. Also saw the widow out walking. And Mrs. Brown. While she is always the source of some nostalgia when I see her but today I went on overload when I dug into new research today. I can't go into details because it's personal but the information I read wasn't new. But it was deeply personal and I'm grateful I had the chance to read it. It was just a bit much to chew on this morning.

Thankfully things balanced out when I started getting into goofy pictures of myself and my friends. It was incredibly hard not to post them and have a good laugh. So tonight, I get to search for two people. Christine Ingermarsson and Nicole Schnittger.

I believe I found Christine on Facebook, but I can't be sure. The photo says "Mars 1990" on the back and "Mars" is "March" in French. So maybe? And the story behind the photo is, well, weird. I have no idea where it came from. And why did I keep it? Because she looked pretty. I was at least smart enough to never pretend she was my girlfriend.

Nicole's story has a bit more history. I met Nicole Schnittger in 1991 on a train trip I was taking across the country with my dad. There's some video of it on my YouTube channel but I'm pretty sure she's not in any of the videos. I don't remember exactly which section of the trip we met, or which direction she was going (either to her home in Illinois or away from it). I think her parents were divorced and she was going between the households but I could be wrong. All I remember is we hit it off, talked and hung out, and wrote to each other a few times after the trip.

So there you have it. Just a small side-trip down memory lane. A preview of a prologue of things to come.

Photos:
From my run this morning. There were three deer at the tree line. Dad's house is on the right.

This is the rear of the photo I have of Christine.

And this is Nicole's photo. I would post the back, but it has an address and phone number.

Weather:
Temps were about 85F. Humidity was high. Sky was clear. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee before the walk. Nothing during the walk. Recovery was two eggs, oatmeal, and two sausage links. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
Feeling lackluster today left me with very little desire to run. So the mental compromise was to walk instead. And I did 3 miles, so at least I stayed on plan.

Naughty Neil:
I had a wacky cake cupcake with ice cream last night. It was good. And I almost had a damn Whopper today for lunch.

Splits:
None. Didn't bother to wear a watch.

Bittersweet

Today's run was driven by heartburn. And bitterness. And anger. And a little bit of self-loathing. One of my son's "tics" is that he chews on stuff. Normally, it's just an everyday reminder to have him chew gum or to *not* chew on something in particular. Well, today was he was a little more amped up than normal since he has a sleep-over tonight and a 9th birthday to celebrate tomorrow. Kind of a big deal. Well, that brought out the tic, along with some frustrating behavior, and he chewed a hole in the bottom of his plastic water bottle.

Which really pissed me off.

So after stewing about it for a while, I took his computer away.

Then went for a run.

After the run, I'm glad I stewed on it before deciding on his punishment. And I'm glad I didn't go as heavy-handed as I wanted to at first. And I'm glad I went for a run and cleared my head and improved my mood. By the time my 5 miles were done, I was hot, tired, a little wobbly, and in a much better place mentally. I wasn't pissed off. I wasn't angry. I still had that taste of heartburn in my mouth from being angry, but it was going away fast. More of that self-loathing after-taste after you barf.

Anyway, I'm glad I went. And speaking of flavors, the first loop was hot (I went way too fast). The second was mild (I slowed down). And the third was a little sweet and salty (sweet because I was feeling much better and salty because I was sweating so damn much).

Photos:
Saw this in the Wegmans parking lot. Would have thought they'd shop at WalMart instead.

Crystal Pepsi. The 80s live!

These are the "fancy" mailboxes in my neighborhood. There's usually a few more.

My son's birthday cake. Wacky cake. Also known as Depression Cake.

Weather:
Temps were about 95F. Humidity was moderate. Wind was light but nice. Sun was out in full.

Fluids and Fuel:
No breakfast. Lunch was lemon-pepper fish, pepper steak, green beans, and a black bean enchilada. Snack was some pita chips and club crackers with coffee. Plain water during the run. Recovery was water, tea, a dinner of pizza, and dessert was wacky cake.

Aches and Pains:
None really.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
See above.

Naughty Neil:
I had cool whip on my wacky cake. And I'm going back for another slice. And I don't feel guilty about it at all. Although I feel a little guilty about that 5th slice of pizza.

Splits:
First loop was about 17:30, second was about 19:30. After that, I ignored the splits because my route was abnormal.
Finish - 1:10:36

Movie Time

Lots of pleasant excitement at work today. But more interesting is what I found in my research. First, King George County had a drive-in theater! Somewhere in the Arnold's Corner area (that's where Routes 3 and 206 intersect near the middle school that was the high school). And they showed movies every night. How cool!

Second, the Dahlgren Naval Base once operated on it's own time zone. As in, the high school bus would make a stop outside the base at 3pm, on the base at 2:10pm, then off the base at 3:15pm. Okay, so the times are just examples, but you get the idea. They were like Arizona is now and didn't recognize the whole Daylight Savings Time adjustment. Crazy!

Okay, on with today's run. I got out the door earlier than expected this morning which was great because I wasn't awake and my brain probably would have said nope to the run. But I did it and got outside. The weather felt decent during the first loop but muggier during the second. Didn't see much while I was out and about. Except my dad. He looked like he was just starting his walk as I was finishing mine.

Photos:
That orange speck way up there is my dad.

Bus route time zone confusion. 

King George Drive-In Movie Theater. 

THIS is my favorite kind of traffic jam - picking the kid up from school.

Weather:
Temps were about 70F at the start but probably warmed to 75F by the end. Humidity kicked up a bit from low to moderate. Sky was clear. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
One coffee before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was three slices of toast, two eggs, and two sausage links. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
I think I was too tired to be motivated this morning. Thought several times about just not finishing but I knew this was the only time I could finish so I finished.

Naughty Neil:
Getting back on track with my food. It's a damn tough row to hoe but I think, THINK, I'm back on track.

Splits:
Loop 1 - 19:36
Loop 2 - 25:33
Finish - 45:09

Going Back To College

Decided to go for my run after breakfast this morning. I had hoped to push it to 5 miles instead of 3 just to get ahead of my training plan a bit and I did about as well as could be expected. After about 4 miles of on/off running, I pooped out and just walked the rest of the way. Which makes me happy but sad at the same time.

Along the way, I stopped frequently to take pictures, read sign posts, and catch my breath. I got overheated a few times and seriously winded a few times but each time I just stopped, walked, and waited for my body to recover.

Photos:

Weather:
Temps were about 85F. Humidity was high. Sun was out in full but there were a few clouds. Wind was light but noticeable.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was french toast, two eggs, bacon, and coffee. GenUCAN Hydrate during the run. Recovery was Chipotle and Starbucks.

Aches and Pains:
Aside from being too hot and too tired, nothing out of the ordinary. Had some chafing to deal with at the end of the day though.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
I had some time and it was nice to see some new scenery on a run. That was enough to get me going and to keep me going.

Naughty Neil:
Probably shouldn't have eaten so much Chipotle but I was rungry.

Splits:
Splits are via RunKeeper.
Mile 1 - 14:00
Mile 2 - 15:02
Mile 3 - 17:02
Mile 4 - 14:01
Mile 5 - 16:50
Finish -  1:25:28

Everybody In The Neighborhood

Today's run was steamy. Super steamy. But not the steamiest I've ever gone through before. But it wasn't so bad that everyone in the neighborhood didn't come out for a trip around the neighborhood. I saw Mrs. Brown walking her dog. The widow in the corner house was also out walking. And the couple from Pine Tree that's not the Halls was also out walking. Although I think he runs sometimes too. Anyway, it was nice to see some neighbors out and about getting sweaty.

After the run, it was off to breakfast with my dad, then we spent some time bleeding the brakes on his car. It's moments like this that make quitting my job totally worth it. The rest of the day was spent running errands and doing some research at the library. And trying to avoid cutting my grass.

Photo:
Steamy.

 Weather:
Temps were around 80F. Humidity was about 95%. Sky was probably clear but there was so much fog it was hard to see it. Not much wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was two eggs, hash browns, and bacon. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Left glute was pinching a bit but it cleared up after a mile or so. Everything else felt fine.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
With everyone getting back on school schedules, I wanted to get back on my training schedule. The past few weeks were not where I wanted them to be but I feel confident I can at least steer the ship back to where it needs to be.

Naughty Neil:
Snacking hasn't been great this week but the quantity of food has been on target. Not sure how the weigh-in will go in a few days, but I'm hoping I dropped at least another pound.

Splits:
I wanted to avoid the watch today even though I put it on and planned on timing myself. It was a last minute decision to just ignore it. Still peeked a couple of times and figured I was doing about 18 minute loops. So my total time was around 36 minutes.
Finish - 36:00

Dog Days

Not exactly the dog days of summer but there were certainly dogs out for this morning's run. Managed to not only get out the door this morning but did all my miles. And I even enjoyed it a little bit. I'm starting to think that the summer is the time for me to bike and swim and not run. And today's cooler temps seriously made me question my sanity of running in this heat and humidity.

Anyway, today's run was pretty nice. The temps were lower, neighbor's were pleasant, and it felt good to start the day off right. Saw Mrs. Brown and two other dog walkers, both of which were new to me.

Weather:
Temps were about 80F. Humidity was high. Sky was cloudy but there was still some sun out.

Fluids and Fuel:
One coffee before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was a scrambled omelette of two eggs, ham, and asparagus. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Right knee was about a 1 on the pain scale. Just enough to notice it.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
Didn't really have a lot of motivation but I did feel like I needed to get out there soon to run. Once I got a little down the road, I started to enjoy the cool weather. I think that was enough to keep me going to the finish.

Naughty Neil:
Lemon meringue pie. ::sigh::

Splits:
Loop 1 - 16:46
Loop 2 - 16:56
Finish - 33:43

Knight Rider - S1 E6 - Not A Drop To Drink

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 6
Not A Drop To Drink

Overview
Michael must be thirsty for the single ladies. As thirsty as ranchers that need water for their cattle. Not sure if he eventually slakes his thirst but he certainly helps the little lady out.

Competition
The Greatest American Hero. I had never heard of this show until a few years ago. Was it really that good?

The Car
A grappling hook! What an upgrade! KITT is also not a fire hydrant. But he can wrangle a bull? And the rockets were just disappointing. But the grappling hook, now that was rad!

Overheard (from my son William)
"Look at his butt. It has a white line."

"How do you smell water?"

"Revving up your engine is just like showing off."

"Now that's just funny. It's like the car is blinking."

"It's Pac-Man again!"

"I bet he did that on purpose to see what the car would do."

Source:

The Free Lance-Star. November 5, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BvsSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H4sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6712%2C726346

Knight Rider - S1 E5 - Just My Bill

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 5
Just My Bill

Overview
Michael saves the girl in distress. Again. And this time, it appears she's a little older than the other single ladies he's helped before.

Competition
While this episode aired, HBO was showing the end of Silence of the North and the beginning of The Sea Wolves.

The Car
If you didn't know already, the car can drive itself. Which can apparently drive some security guards crazy. KITT isn't programed to cook. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he could produce a whisk at a moments notice. The car's Surveillance Mode "can detect any movement within a 200 yard radius." KITT doesn't have thick skin, simply a bulletproof alloy. He's not sure if he can take a direct hit from a grenade and does have limitations on how far he can jump.

Overheard (from my son William)
"I wonder what the sign says."

"I saw sparks."

"Is that what I think it is? Is that a limo?"

"It's like Pac-Man."

"So that means it isn't him."

"He likes action."


Source:

The Free Lance-Star. October 29, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1B1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6067%2C3907702

Knight Rider - S1 E4 - Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 4
Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular

Overview
Michael saves a stunt show and a woman. Starting to see a trend here with the women.

Competition
Game 3 of the World Series pre-empted the show which left a week's gap between the last episode and this one.

The Car
KITT was upgraded with a better boost and the ability to "oxygenate the interior." Maybe for underwater stunts? We also saw the Turbo Boost in action. KITT can only partially deflect a bomb blast under the rear end. But it can pair with Michael's watch to record audio.

Overheard (from my son William)
"I think he's sucking all the gas out."

"He fell for it? You're kidding me. I can't believe he fell for it."

"Did he say KATT? It's KITT."

Source:
The Free Lance-Star. October 15, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yR1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4426%2C2055001
The Free Lance-Star. October 22, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zh1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6018%2C2998842

Knight Rider - S1 E3 - Good Day At White Rock

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 3
Good Day At White Rock

Overview
Michael begins to show a trend in rescuing women. Single women. Sometimes single women with children. This time he saves them from an outlaw biker gang. The town he's in looks an awful lot like Hill Valley.

Competition
What you don't see is Game 3 of the baseball playoffs.

The Car
KITT can play the slightly updated version of words with friends. Assuming of course that Scrabble is the original version. It can scare dogs away and has some sort of fingerprint scanner on the door handle. KITT can help a couple have a "moving" experience while necking in the back seat of a car.

Overheard (from my son William)
"He was joking. Or being sarcastic."

"He was talking about the car and he was talking about the girl."

"What are they doing that for?"
"Because they're bad guys."
"Ohhh."

"Isn't that illegal? Driving on the sidewalk? Why isn't the officer arresting them?"

"Daddy, do rock climbers have parachutes?"

"He's like fishing.....for keys."

Source:
The Free Lance-Star. October 8, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wx1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6116%2C1054530

Too Soon To Tell

I'd really like to say that I'm back in the saddle but it's too soon to tell. But I did go for a run this morning. A very slow run. That wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. And did more walking than I wanted to do. But I did it damn it and it felt good.

Let's see, one neighbor has a new car. I saw three rabbits (thinking of you Coach). And there was steam/fog coming up from the ground. The sun wasn't quite up yet but I could see it through the trees. And despite the flies being angry, I was able to avoid most of them.

And that was about it. The rest of the run was pretty boring.

Weather:
Temps were about 85F. Humidity was high. No wind. Sky was slightly overcast.

Fluids and Fuel:
Nothing before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was two eggs, two sausage patties, coffee, and a bagel.

Aches and Pains:
Some mild chafing thanks to some new underwear in the rotation.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
I'm still aiming to lose weight even though I haven't lost as much as I want so far this summer. But I guess slow and steady wins the race. I also wanted to get back to running. I've taken time off to redo a porch on the house we're selling so it was hard to get a run in but now I want to get back at it. I miss it.

Naughty Neil:
Been doing fairly well with food. Although yesterday I seriously came close to caving and drinking a can of Coke. I was just so damn hot and thirsty. Instead I drank a ton of water and iced tea.

Splits:
Lollipop 1 - 18:00
Lollipop 2 - 19:00
Finish - 37:00

Knight Rider - S1 E2 - Deadly Maneuvers

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 2
Deadly Maneuvers

Overview
KITT and Michael help an Army officer and try not to get blown up doing it.

Competition

The Car
It has a video game console in it. Maybe an old school Atari? But towing another car will ruin the Alpha circuit so don't do that. KITT can also pin bad guys up against a wall. The rocket booster looks an awful lot like a flamethrower. And I can only assume that the bumper will allow the GO ARMY! bumper sticker to be easily removed.

Overheard (from my son William)
"Woah, was that an anti-aircraft gun?"

"::hehehe:: They keep saying "night" and his name is Michael Knight."

"That would have been a commercial break."

"She looked like Alice."
"Alice who?"
"From the Brady Bunch."

"I don't think they're his buddy any more."

Source:
The Free Lance-Star. October 1, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KgYVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6097%2C110606

Knight Rider - S1 E1 - Knight of the Phoenix

Knight Rider
Season 1
Episode 1
Knight of the Phoenix

Overview
The episode starts with a casino espionage scene with somebody other than David Hasselhoff. A shot to the face means the would be hero gets a fresh start with a fresh face. This is also a two-part episode but I've made this a single post since I believe the original release was a single TV movie.

Competition

The Car
It can't hit anything. At least when the system is turned on. And it was showing off by passing a truck. The outer shell is a special skin that prevents any damage. It's not metal and not fiberglass. Oh, and it talks. And turns bricks into rubber after they've been thrown at the window. And that one button, it spreads oil. The one next to it is for smoke. But it most certainly does NOT make coffee.

Overheard (from my son William)
"What the heck is all this?" - When Michael gets into the car the first time.

"hahahahaha" - When hearing the Darth Vader's bathroom joke.

"He's not gonna stop!" - When Michael falls asleep at the wheel.

"Whoah that's a flashy car." - When he sees the old school Porsche.

"How's he gonna steal it?" - When the car thieves show up.

"Are they picking the lock?" - When the car thieves show up a second time.

"HO my God!" - When the car makes the jump.

"They'll be in jail for awhile." - When the car thieves get caught.

"How'd they get it all nice and shiny so quickly?" - After KITT breaks Michael out of jail.

Source:
The Milwaukee Journal, September 26, 1982 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gjAgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uSkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5674%2C3522573