Evanston: survival skill; puddle; virtual marathon; old men; horses

A few hours after I posted about SAILING TO FREEDOM Justin added a comment about Latvian cousins of his who also escaped Soviet repatriation by sailing from Sweden to the United States.  Here is a link to a LIFE magazine article about their voyage.  You need to scroll up as well as down.

https://bit.ly/2WKTS3G

Latvia is west of Estonia.

Even before Markus I knew of the Baltic States because long ago one of the women in my life was from Latvia.  When a little girl, she and her family were trying to escape.  I think from the Soviets, but it might have been the Germans.  She and her mother got across a bridge just before it was blown up.  Her father was on the other side.  They never heard from him again.

In those days sailing was a survival skill.  Had I been trapped in Europe I surely would have done the same.



I found myself thinking about the Pacific Puddle Jump.  The intent to share information is good.  The name is not.  The Pacific Ocean is not a puddle.  The North Atlantic is not a pond.  I speculate that the inexperienced call them such in an attempt to render the unknown and perhaps frightening more friendly, but to do so is dangerous self-deception.  I do not think it difficult to cross oceans as long as you take them seriously.  I think anyone who sets off should be prepared to face a gale and if they aren’t they should never leave port.  I have never called or even thought of an ocean as a puddle or a pond.



I got an email last evening from my friend Tim who casually mentioned that he stopped work at 4 PM yesterday and went for a run.  A 26.2 mile run.  A virtual marathon to make up for one scheduled on March 14 that was cancelled.  The promoter gave credit, the medal and tee-shirt to those who ran the distance on their own and supplied corroborating data.  I smile at the thought of completing a virtual work day and then running a virtual marathon.



I hear and read of cabin fever, a malady from which I do not suffer.  

Those of you who went to gyms no longer can.  I never did and my exercise has not changed.  I can stay in shape without ever leaving the building.

My exercise equipment cost $60.  $30 for two ten pound dumbbells.  $30 for resistance bands.  Both naturally from Amazon.

My push-up/crunch based workout uses no equipment at all.  I am doing that three times a week.  I felt good the other day and went to 90 push-ups.

I use the dumbbells on two of the alternate days and the resistance bands on one.  Both are based on maintenance exercises for my torn left shoulder rotator cuff to which I have added extras.

I do 21 floors of stairs all six days, in three sets of 7 floors each.

I take one day off.




I sift through the over abundance of Covid 19 words and sounds, seeking facts, not opinion, speculation, feel good or trying to frighten stories.  Unfortunately there appears to be data to show that I am doubly at risk, being old and male.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/26/men-are-getting-sicker-dying-more-often-covid-19-spain-data-shows/

There is no country for old men.




A friend, Ron, includes a quote at the bottom of his emails.  For a while it was my:  Amateurs seek adventures; professionals seek to avoid them.  But most often it is:  Sometimes I think life is just a rodeo.  The trick is to ride and make it to the bell.

To which I add a corollary:  You are stuck with the horse you rode in on.



Those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad is attributed to various sources.  I misremembered it and came up with what I consider an improvement:  Those whom the gods would destroy they first make proud.