Red Dead Allusion

The world of literature and video games meet again...

Just as I can't help but commenting when literary references turn up in the comic books I read, I'm also a little giddy when the same happens in other areas of personal interest. One of my guilty pleasures in life is occasionally (though not nearly as much as my son might have you believe) playing video games on our X-Box 360 system. Given my uber-nerd credentials, the games I do entertain myself with usually fall into either the "Superhero" or "Western" genres. The game which I have spent the most time with since it's release in June of 2010 is the third person shooter Red Dead Redemption.

As one plays the online interactive for longer periods of time, and becomes more proficient, certain characters, mounts and titles become available. A title is just what it sounds like, a short nickname which appears just above your gamer tag. These are selected by the player and most fall into one of at least three categories: snarky (Yellowbelly), Western film-based (The Good or Unforgiven) or historically appropriate (Frontiersmen or Gristle heel).

While playing this morning, I happened to unlock a unique title, one which, when considering the task necessary for completion in order to earn it, makes so much sense... even more so if you did the reading assigned you during high school English class. Though it was not the first time I had noticed it in the menu of title options, when it came up again, and I had a camera handy, I thought it worth mentioning it: "Lord of the Flies".

A player earns the ability to use the title "Lord of the Flies" by hunting and killing one of the many "mythic" (translation: ancient and preternaturally large) animals, one for each of the main animals hunted throughout the game. If you read William Golding's classic novel Lord of the Flies in high school, you'll recall that in the book, the Lord of the Flies is the name given to the Wild-Pig-head-on a-stick-swarming-with-flies that "speaks" to Simon, one of the shipwrecked boys. The Lord of the Flies gamer title is opened when you kill Gordo the Boar.

It's worth noting that, beyond the literary analysis of the novel, the name "Lord of the Flies" is a literal English translation of Beelzebub, a demonic figure that is often considered synonymous with Satan--I'm hell-on-a-horse while playing this game so it works for me on two levels (kind of like an allusion): both as an English teacher and a dummy with a gamer tag on X-Box Live!

Weekly Reading: November 23

Something of a small holiday week for new releases, though this week's whopping $7.99(!) Fantastic Four #600 (the first issue in almost a year having been replaced by Future Foundation) saw the inevitable return of Johnny "The Human Torch" Storm from the ranks of dearly briefly departed superheroes. Given not much was on the new releases table, I picked through a long box of cover priced back issues marked "War + Western." Therein I came across two issues of a five issue mini-series drawn by the legendary John Severin. There's nothing like some unexpected Western goodness to spice up the long Turkey Day weekend!

Here are the goodies I stuffed my bag with this week:

Fantastic Four #600 (Marvel) Superhero
Desperadoes: Quiet of the Grave #3 & #4 (Homage) Western/Fantasy
Alpha Flight #6 (Marvel) Superhero
All-Star Western #3 (DC) Western
I, Vampire #3 (DC) Superhero/Horror
The Sixth Gun #17 (Oni Press) Western/Fantasy
Streets of Glory #6 (Avatar) Western

In addition to the new-old Western I discovered in the long box, I also purchased the last issue of the Streets of Glory mini that I had begun buying weekly--it too had been released a few years ago (2008), only to be discovered when I saw the trade paperback for sale on the new releases table. No fan of trades, I began slowly but surely collecting the six individual issues--really great old-timey Western stuff with a dose of realistic action thrown in for good measure, a sort of comic book version of Unforgiven.

Next week promises to be another small week (for me anyway), so who knows what secrets the stacks of unloved books and secret longbox stashes will reveal?

A Return to the Old (Training Log) Ways

"Three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering.”~Gary Snyder

After about three months of not discussing any of my own running here (at on a blog that was initiated as a training blog), I thought I'd mention the fact that I am still running. Following my fairly successful (I finished, didn't I?) participation in early September's Rochester Half Marathon, I haven't been training for anything inparticular, though I have been periodically putting on the running shoes and putting in a few miles here and there.

What I have not been doing is recording these sporadic training runs online.

Ye Ole Training Book.

What I have been doing, however, is keeping track of these runs in the old fashioned way: using a paper log book and pencil. Many years ago, when I first began considering the possibility of running, at first, a half and then, later, a full marathon, I realized the necessity of tracking my training. This was prior to the advent of easy online logging, so I did what recreational athletes had been doing for years: writing down miles and thoughts in one of the many freebie training logs provided by running stores.

After having completed two log books which were given to me as swag for one race or another, I transitioned into maintaining an online diary of sorts. This process was further simplified with the eventual of online logs such as Daily Mile, which calculated pace and calories burned automatically. Though I have always avoided Garmins and software based Nike products, I did "enjoy" the ease of logging in, tapping in numbers and watching the mileage increase. But, as the ease with which I could punch numbers and the number of "friends" I could assume were following my efforts improve (or occasionally diminish), my personal investment in the real work waned.

Somewhere along the line, I felt sense of disconnect from the process due to the technological ease of recording, processing, and presumably sharing, information. So now, while I still have a Daily Mile account (though I haven't looked at it in a few months), and continue to use USATF's mapping site to calculate the ground I've covered (still no Garmin, but a totally functional $15 dollar digital watch from Target), I have returned to the log book.

Already, I am feeling a personal sense of commitment simply through the act of placing pen to paper... oddly, the practice of placing things on paper in a kinesthetic manner gives me a greater sense of commitment to the information, goals and performances. Though I get the irony of my discussing and posting this on a blog, I somehow feel as though I have loosened the door to the cage of convenience which computer and electronics had become for my personal training.

Ghosts of Turkey Trots Past

Scrolling through my Facebook page, it is great to read that so many of my "friends" or "friends of friends" will be lacing up their shoes and heading out to any number of small suburbs to run with family and friends on this cool and damp Thanksgiving morning. It is a proud tradition that I fondly recall having been part of in the past, and on occasions such as this, miss...


Webster Turkey Trot, November 2007.

For the first time in almost six years, I will not be running in at least one of the many local "turkey trots," or road races, held throughout my community over the holiday weekend. There was a time not too long ago that I would register for and run in nearly every race scheduled during the holiday season, or at the very least, rotate my participation in the "big" races--run the Webster Turkey Trot one year and the Race for Grace the next, and so on. Sitting here this morning, psychologically preparing myself to head out for a solo short run, I realize that I kind-of-sort-of miss it. Turkey trots, you see, are kind of like the Easter Mass of the running world.

For many folks, the Thanksgiving Day run will be the only road race they enter all year. Much of this has to do with the purpose of the day and the event: giving thanks for family and friends (as well as one's health). The point of the run for many is not to run especially well, or even to win, but rather to be out with family members and friends on the morning just prior to gorging themselves with turkey and pie. Of all race days, it is the one were folks are less inclined to check the results for their times and more likely to do so to check the names of old friends they thought they recognized in the pack or new friends they met at the finish.


As you return home from your own turkey trot this morning, or like I begin preliminarily planning your participation in one next year--just a little hungrier and happier than when you left the house--consider the great friends you just finished running with and think about who you may invite to spend the morning with you and hundreds (or thousands) of your new friends next year.

'Nuff Read: Once a Runner

Me, Finger Lakes Trail 50k, July 2009.

Occasionally I am reminded of quotes or excerpts from previously enjoyed books which are so well crafted that they stay in my memory and speak for themselves (except, of course, for my need to frame its presence on this blog). Last week a student of mine had inquired as to whether or not I had ever read Once a Runner by John L. Parker. As a recreational athlete, high school track coach and English teacher, I was proud that he had even heard of, let alone read, the book. The novel is chock full of well turned descriptve nuggets, such as:

"We can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race dark Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway! They'll speak our names in hushed tones,'Those guys are animals' they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet!"

Once a Runner was first published in 1978 and following a limited print run, became a "cult classic" among running enthusiasts. (Somehow in 2007, I was able to purchase a copy online for the very reasonable price of $15.00!) It was recently reprinted in 2009 when Parker publishes a sequel, Again to Carthage. (A book I have yet taken advantage of the opportunity to read.)

Even now, years after my best racing years are behind me (and I wasn't really "racing" all that much or very well)--it is hard not to put the shoes on and head for a jog around the block while re-reading the excerpt above... which is just what I think I'll do.

Weekly Reading: November 16

Another high quality weekly group shot... with some extra glaring flash spots for added ambiance! 

This week it really hit me that my weekly pull list is now nearly devoid of traditional superhero comic books. It could just be that this particular week happens to lack square jawed protagonists and alien threats, but it is clear that the majority of the books I collect now consist of cowboys, neo-dark super-powered "regular" people, and things that go bump in the night.

There is probably some deep analysis of my current state of mind that could take place around my need to tap into the pulp mythos of America, or a search for grounded fantasy... or it could be that most "traditional" superhero comics just aren't fun or original anymore.

Hawken #1 (IDW) Western/Fantasy
The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1 (Image) Neo-Hero
Zorro Rides Again #5 (Dynamite) Western
Six Guns #2 (Marvel) Action/Western
House of Night #1 (Dark Horse Comics) Supernatural/Thriller
iZombie #19 (Vertigo) Supernatural/Action
Streets of Glory #4 (Avatar) Western
Planet of the Apes #8 (BOOM!) Science-fiction/Action
The Devil Is Due In Dreary #1 (Ardden) Action/Western

It's really a contradiction of ideas--while I would greatly enjoy reading old-school adventures of "fun" heroes, I've replaced them with tortured cowpokes and modern-day revisionist Westerns.

The Power of Positive Parental Texting?

During the final day of classes last June, I took a walk through the cafeteria, this time lingering longer than usual in order to wish well to some of my (at the time) current students who would be returning next fall after a presumably safe and restful summer, and to bid "adieu" those former students I had previously had the privilege to teach who would be graduating a week later, 

As I was sitting at one table kibitzing with a group of seniors, one of them reached for his loudly vibrating cell phone. When I inquired as to who the sender was, he matter-of-factly shared that it was from his friend's father, and that the text contained an inspirational quote.

I thought it interesting that the text had come not from his own father but from that of his friend, who was sitting beside him and who had simultaneously (though without the fanfare of a buzzing cellphone) received the same text. They then took turns explaining how when they were younger (the boys had  grown up in the same neighborhood and had been friends for many years), one boy's father would share a saying or quote each morning as they waited to catch the school bus. It seemed that after a period of time, it had become something of a tradition. Older now,  the boys no longer ride the bus to school, but the supportive and positive quotes keep coming.

Though Dad was no longer in a position to verbally wish the boys well each day, he continued, in a way, to send them off to school with an affirmative saying. At some point over the past few years, Dad had begun texting a positive thought each day, a practice which had apparently continued right up until the last day of the boys' high school experience.

It struck, though not for the first time, what I fine bunch of lads these were--certainly, not "perfect," but hard working, occasionally goofy, caring and worthy of respect--"regular" teens. I then began to wonder what role, if any, receiving these daily positive and/or inspirational messages each day, at last in the case of some of the boys, from someone other than a parent (from whom unconditional love is to be expected on some level) had had on their character.

I am often reminded of this slice 'o life when I arrive early in the morning at school before having had the opportunity to touch base with my son, and, hoping that he, too, has a great day of school, I send him a quick text... of course, sometimes he beats me to the punch.

Photo Essay: Tinker Nature Park

Weather Report: Cloudy, 40°F, 68% Humidity, Winds: SSW @ 15 mph; feels like 36°F.

This morning Anne and I headed out to the Tinker Nature Center in the town of Henrietta, New York, about 20 minutes outside of our River City. The weather was unseasonably warm, and as we are anticipating another cool down in a few days, we thought it a good time to take advantage of the opportunity to get out and snowshoe.

It had not registered for me just how grey the morning actually was until I downloaded the photos from the camera. Despite what some might see as a "depressing" color scheme, I think the contrast between the grey skies and brown and green flora makes for some beautiful looks at the duality of our winter nature-scape: cold and bleak, yet life goes on...

I've selected an excerpt from a piece by English novelist Charles Kingsley to provide as a narration, of sorts, for this photo essay.

"Every winter,
When the great sun has turned his face away,"



The earth goes down into a vale of grief,
And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,



Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay--
hen leaps in spring to his returning kisses."~Charles Kingsley

Weekly Reading: November 9

A light week for those titles I collect, so I tried some new titles just for kicks.

This week's trip to Comics Etc. was one during which I took advantage of the lack of titles I've collected long term (Fantastic Four, Jonah Hex aka All-Star Western, etc.) to continue my recent habit of sampling titles from smaller publishers, or which have received online reviews that peaked my curiosity. Quite a range of titles this week, though the horror/western angle continues to loom large.

Sadly, I first began collecting comic books (like many) because of the escapist fantasies available in the traditional superhero titles, but following the descent into "dark and gloomy" heroes over the past 10-15 years (thanks, Wolverine and Batman), they don't seem so "heroic" anymore. Though quite a few of the titles listed below are "Horror" or "Action," they are marketed as such and therefore, do not conflict with my own "Superhero" comic sensibilities. (Admittedly, Ghost Rider and even Uncanny X-Force walk a thin line.) As a result, while I DO enjoy a smattering of "dark" hero titles, most of my reading interests, and dollars, have moved onto other things.

• The Intrepid Escape Goat: The Curse of the Buddha's Thumb (Th3rd World Studios)--Children's/Action
• H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror (IDW) Horror
• Ghost Rider (Marvel) Superhero
• Uncanny X-Force (Marvel) Superhero
• Key of Z (BOOM!) Horror
• The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West (Big Dog Ink) Action/Western
• The Goon (Dark Horse Comics) Mature/Action
• Streets of Glory (Avatar) Western

I still have some reading to catch up on from last week--there's a whole "process" involved from pull box to bagging and backboarding--but with the longer Veteran's Day weekend, and less grading than usual to accomplish, I may just catch-up!

Whooooo Remembers Woodsy Owl?

I do... but today in school it became obvious that I may be the only one.

While discussing "jargon" (oral language as opposed to the proper grammar of the written word--hopefully!) with the my students during class today, the old expression from my youth "Give a hoot--don't pollute!" popped into my head and immediately out of my mouth.

I felt reasonably sure that among the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts that someone, anyone, might remember the magical character who used those words to rally kids to the cause of reducing pollution... and my query was met with dazed looks...

During the passing time between classes I took a quick survey of my (sigh--younger) colleagues, none of whom remember those emphatic HOOTS! Apparently Woodsy Owl is no longer the hip icon of the United States Forest Service that I once envisioned him as being. Just as times change and things get updated, even Woodsy has seen his motto evolve from hooting about garbage to the more far reaching "Lend a hand — care for the land!"

Though now relegated to the sub-pages of the children's section of the US Forest Service's address on the information superhighway, I'll choose to remember Woodsy as "a whimsical fellow" who's "got his heart set on motivating kids to form healthy, lasting relationships with nature."

KEEP ON HOOTIN' ON, WOODSY!

Big Sky Recollections: 8/14/08

The view directly outside my brother-in law's back door in Cheyenne, Wyoming, circa 2008.

Digging through old blog post drafts seeking inspiration, I came across these pictures which were originally uploaded to Blogger a little over three years ago following one of our trips west to visit my brother-in-law. He and his wife live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, an area best described as "the middle of nowhere." We have not been back to Cheyenne in a few years, opting last year to visit him in Aspen, Colorado instead. Some days, I find myself missing Wyoming.There is something calming (humblin?) about the big sky; it seems a very different space from the one I inhabit daily in upstate New York.

This is me at one of the Curt Gowdy National Parks off Happy Jack Road.

The view just down the road from his house.

Some might say there is nothing to do in Wyoming.... I would usually just go out and walk...

... and then walk some more.

2011 Pull-the-Plug Regatta Recap

Scenic Pittsford, New York, site of the 2011 Pull the Plug Regatta (11/6/11).

The final regatta of the fall season was held today on the Erie Canal--a body of water which in a few weeks will be drained as the locks are dropped, the "plug" effectively being "pulled." But before the shopping carts and discarded bottles could rise from the bottom of the canal there were races to be run! The Pull the Plug, organized by Pittsford Crew, is always an extremely pleasant way to close the fall season, and we were once again fortunate this year, to have wonderful autumnal weather in which to watch the races. This would be the final weekend of "timed races," wherein the spectating is challenging (especially for those like myself with a low crew-IQ) as you have to watch bow numbers carefully to gauge what places (and therefore medals) are in play as they pass by.

The boats of the Varsity 8+ (A) make their way down the Erie Canal.

The McQuaid Men's Varsity 8+ (A) in the final race of the day.

For the first time this fall, my stepson's team, McQuaid Jesuit, had a full slate of A and B "fours" (four rowers and a coxswain) and "eights" (eight rowers and a coxswain) set to compete. As is usually the case with these close-to-home meets, I spectated for long enough to see him row, went home to grade papers and returned for the second race some three hours later. The Men's Varsity 4+ (A), a race that I failed to take pictures of, was the first for him of the day, and it turned out to be the high point for the team as they medalled by placing second. This was a significant feat, especially given the competition at the regatta. Despite a valiant effort, the Varsity 8+ (A), seen above, finished fourth in a tough field, failing to medal.

Quiet has returned to the Erie Canal... until next year!

With the fall crew season complete, and the swimming (my stepson Gregory) and Indoor Track and Field (my son, Jack, and I) seasons on the horizon, I look forward to the Spring when we'll do it all again... but with the even more exciting head-to-head races!

Weekly Reading: November 2

The gaudy haul from this week's trip to Comics Etc.

One of my life's many pleasures is stopping by the comic store I've frequented on and off for almost 20+ year's of my time on earth. Each week, the number of books I purchase fluctuates, and occasionally, as was the case this week, I supplement new issues, with back issues, either to fill out a run of a title or because I come across a writer or artist I enjoy and seek out past titles/issues they've worked on.

This past Wednesday was a fairly substantial one for me (and the image above does not include the comic I purchased for my stepson):

• American Vampire #20 (DC Comics) Horror/Western
• Streets of Glory #2 (Avatar) Western
• Uncanny X-Men #1 (Marvel) Super-hero
• Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #1 (BOOM!) Action
• Peanuts #0 (KaBOOM!) Kids
• OMAC #3 (DC Comics) Super-hero
• Swamp Thing #3 (DC Comics) Horror/Super-hero
• Rachel Rising #3 (Abstract Studio) Horror
• The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #2 (Image) Super-hero
• Six Guns (Marvel) Action
• The Goon #36 (Dark Horse Comics) Action/Horror
• Helldorado #1 (APE Entertainment) Western/Horror

I would once again like to thank DC Comics for their "New 52" reboot which has allowed me to dump most of the titles they publish in favor of independent titles and unique offerings I might have otherwise been unable to afford--though who knows how long until they reboot the reboot...

Closing Time: Backyard Garden

Last Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Last weekend was the start of fall clean-up and the Scott Ranch. Though our thoroughly "adequate" harvest of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers came later in the season than we had hoped, the garden was not a complete failure this year. I suspect that the variety of tomato that we planted was not as hardy as in year's past, as they did not seem to last as long once they had been plucked from the vine.

Last Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.

 Despite our having kept a small garden for the past six(!) years, each summer is like starting ll over again, as we'll try new things, each with varying degrees of success. We were not too adventurous this year, but we also lacked much f the time and energy necessary to really manage anything beyond the traditional hearty plants.