Housekeeping 2

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

This is the sequel to my original housekeeping post. These posts serve as updates to the Gentle Reader on what is happening with the C-Blog and yours truly. Unlike the last housekeeping post, this edition will be more topical in nature.

1. PUBLISHING

Once upon a time, my aim was to publish a post every single day. This resulted in a great deal of busyness on my part and a great deal of filler on the blog. Then, I stopped publishing almost entirely as I had to start doing something more for my therapy other than writing and as my vision dimmed away to almost total blindness. I had two eye operations that restored my sight, but I have been reluctant to go back to writing blog posts because they exhaust me.

My newfound love for sensibility and sustainability tells me that one post per week makes more sense. My belief is that it is better to be consistent than prolific. It is also inspired by the writing advice that I quoted from Ernest Hemingway.

2. LAYOUT

I go back and forth with some of the widgets I put on the blog. I have decided that simpler is better, so I have reduced those elements to the bare minimum. I recognize those widgets as filler. People can find other material to read on their own.

3. THE FUTURE

One day, Google is going to pull the plug on Blogger. They have done this with other product offerings, so I have no assurance whatsoever that the C-Blog is a forever gig. I will always post as long as it is free. When I have to pay for a website, I am out of the blogging business. There is no money in writing, so I draw the line at paying for the privilege. When they pull the plug, I will turn to writing in a personal journal that no one will ever see or read.

4. ADDITIONAL BLOGS

I have experimented with publishing other blogs. One was a fiction blog, and the other was a Drudge Report style links blog. I have nuked those. It just hit me one day that I only need one blog. This blog is it. I am not interested in creating any new blogs especially those dedicated to a single topic, memes, or what have you.

5. AUDIO/VIDEO PROJECTS

I am a writer. I am not a talker. My TBI has only exacerbated this talking issue for me. Podcasts and videos are very popular now and represent a real opportunity for those with the gift of gab. I don't have that gift. When I talk with people, they don't understand anything that I am talking about. When I write about those things, they understand them perfectly. I could blame it on the listeners, but I am the common denominator in all of those conversations. The problem is me. I am a writer not a talker.

6. BOOKS

I have had ideas for books, but they would be the same things I write here on the C-Blog. A book for me would be like those pretentious rock stars that do concept albums and rock operas. They should recognize that they are only good at writing three minute rock songs. This is what the people want to hear. Likewise, people want to read short blog posts. A published collection of those posts would be redundant since they can already be accessed here on this blog for FREE.

7. UPDATES

I am a Columbo fan, and I crack up when he says, "One more thing. . ." The backstory of that line is that the scriptwriters needed to go back to a scene to establish plot points and information but didn't want to rewrite the whole scene. So, they tacked on what they needed with the "one more thing" which became a Columbo catchphrase. As a writer, I thought it was genius. So, I do the same thing here with updates I tack on to the end of old blog posts. This spares me from writing new blog posts or rewriting old blog posts. The downside is that the Gentle Reader may not always see these updates on old posts. My advice is to come back again to your favorite posts to see those updates.

Conclusion

That's it for housekeeping topics. I may have a third edition in the distant future. The main thing is that I have charted a course for my writing that I think is sustainable.

Men Don't Have Friends

No friend have I. I must live by myself alone; but I know well that God is nearer to me than others in my art, so I will walk fearlessly with Him.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

I don't have any friends. This is a reality that I have only recently come to accept. This is not because I made a choice to not have friends. It comes from the fact that I bounce the ball in that direction, and it never comes bouncing back. At some point, you just let the ball drop from your hand.

I am not alone in this observation. Others have pointed out that men don't have friends. They will have their wives and girlfriends. They will have their families. That's it.

For men, interaction with other men happens on the job. The other arena would be a saloon somewhere. There used to be bowling leagues and fraternal organizations, but these are in steep decline. Then, there is church. Most men have lost interest in religion today, so this outlet for friendship is closed to them.

I think not having friends is natural for men. This isn't a recent phenomenon but goes back in history. Men are loners by nature. Men share activities like work which is when they talk. Otherwise, they remain alone. I do not expect this to change.

Drinking buddies are not friends. I used to think they were friends, but they aren't. They are just bad influences and a good reason to give up drinking.

My advice to men is to get used to keeping your own company. Have a relationship with God and a good woman. Beyond that, you just have contacts.

The Vanity of Marathons

The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank.

GEORGE SHEEHAN

Dave Paul had a Walking is Fitness podcast about the Myrtle Beach Marathon and Half-Marathon where he asked a question. Who did the harder thing? Naturally, I had thoughts. I am now going to share those thoughts with the Gentle Reader.

Dave compared the first place finisher of the half-marathon who ran the distance with the last place finisher who walked the distance at 3 mph. This speed is fairly standard for most walkers. But I don't ask who did the harder thing. Clearly, running is harder than walking and always will be. This is why Yours Truly doesn't care to do running for fitness anymore. Dave's question was fairly ridiculous.

Walkers shouldn't enter marathons or half-marathons or any other type of race. Walkers don't belong there. This may sound elitist coming from me, but it isn't. I think these races are vanity and utterly stupid. If you want to walk 13.1 miles, go walk for four hours in your neighborhood or park. You don't need a starting line or an entry fee. You can time it on your watch, and it is FREE. The only downside is that no one is going to give you a finisher's medal or celebrate your "achievement."

These road races are utter vanity even for the runners who run them. They want credit and validation for "doing a hard thing." (Whenever Dave utters that line, I want to gag.)  For some reason, people are fearful that they are going to slide through life unrecognized. This lack of recognition would be humility. Humility is a virtue while vanity is a vice.

George Sheehan got it wrong when he said that the entry blank is what turns a jogger into a runner. Today, you have mothers pushing strollers across these finish lines. People walk these events or shuffle often wearing ridiculous costumes and drinking beer. Road races are now a mockery of athleticism. By the entry blank standard, all of these people are runners. As for the town, they have to endure the inconvenience of having these clowns clog up their roadways as they pretend to be athletes.

As a fitness walker, I refuse to participate in this insanity. I am not an athlete. I am not going to pretend to be an athlete. I don't care to compete or turn exercise into a competitive endeavor. I walk for my own health and enjoyment. That is enough motivation for me to get out the door.

I have already pointed out that Dave Paul suffers from Failed Runner Syndrome. If you want to be a runner, then take up running. Two things will happen when you do this. Either you will feel pride in your achievement, or you will see the utter stupidity and vanity in it all. To be in between these two is foolish. If Dave Paul desperately wants to do a hard thing, the hardest thing for him to do would be admitting his Failed Runner Syndrome and curing it.

Fitness walkers are humble. They don't do marathons. They might walk 50 miles in a day, but they don't run in road races. This is vanity. Somewhere, our culture has forgotten that vanity is a vice. Pride is a deadly sin, and the first casualty of pride is common sense. Take the humble path and leave the entry blanks empty.

When Does A Walk Become A Hike?

With more people in the outdoors than ever, it is important that each of us knows how to take care of our own waste.

BLURB FOR How To Shit In The Woods by Kathleen Meyer

Walking and hiking are essentially the same thing. If you walk in nature, you are going to face the question. Is this a hike? How do you answer the question?

It is fairly easy to distinguish a thru-hike from a day hike. The difference between the two is if you are going to be sleeping on the ground that night. If the answer is yes, you are thru-hiking. You are living on the trail. Bookmark this in your brain because we will revisit this later.

For some people, things like terrain and elevation are what turn a walk into a hike. I do not agree. I call this trail walking much like runners will call it trail running. Additionally, some will cite distance as what turns a walk into a hike, but this is incorrect. Walking a marathon is not considered a hike. A trail marathon is not considered a hike when runners run the distance, so walking the distance doesn't make it a hike. Let us return to that bookmark in your brain.

A walk turns into a hike when you have to urinate or defecate in the woods or wherever. That may be TMI for the Gentle Reader, but the potty humor abounds in the hiking community. That is no accident. If you are  going on a walk that doesn't have restroom facilities nearby and is long enough to require that pit stop, you are on a hike. I will die defending this hill.

I don't have any issues with hikers or hiking. To me, a hiker is just a walker who likes to poop in the woods. I am not a hiker because I do not like to poop in the woods. I want a nice restroom where I can do my business. I also don't want to sleep on the ground, boil snow for drinking water, or lug a heavy pack with a tent and a sleeping bag. That may be fun for hikers but not for me.

Hiking is about the logistics of living in the outdoors while walking in the outdoors. This is why hikers always carry a backpack. There will be a roll of toilet paper in that pack. The walker will not have that roll. He will have a water bottle and some granola bars in his pack.

I think this answers the question and clears up the matter about when a walk becomes a hike. This is why my only trail walking aspirations are to walk for a bit in a state park with adequate restroom facilities. Those facilities are the first thing I will note in my research on a state park. I will leave the hiking to the hikers. And watch where you are stepping. Hiking happens.