First, 60 followers…wow! Thanks to each and every one. It still boggles me that you find my ramblings and musings of sufficient interest, but hey, Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.
Now, to the subject at hand. There’s a book I want you to read. It is without a doubt the funniest, wryest, most engaging book about running you’ll even encounter. Don’t let the topic put you off.
Yes, it’s a “marathoner’s memoir,” but that truly over-simplifies this insightful book. I don’t run anymore (bad knees) and I have never run a marathon nor did I ever attempt to run a marathon. I did not read this book because I wanted to be “inspired” to run a marathon. I read this book because (as the Acknowledgments will tell you) I know the author, but I want you to read it because it is simply a really good, funny, often laugh-out-loud read.
Todd Baker started out as an overweight asthmatic, and ended up running a marathon and carrying the Olympic torch during its path through Washington State. Along the way, he learned a lot—about running, about people, about himself—and with sharp wit, a gimlet eye, and self-deprecating humor, he has put this journey down for us to enjoy.
If you like Bill Bryson’s work, you’ll love this. It’s available in hardcopy and in Kindle format, and I recommend it highly.
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There’s a peculiar sound you can hear in my house, whenever the TV is on. It’s a little sound…something like…”muh.” You’d hear it more often during news broadcasts and unscripted shows than at other times. It wouldn’t take you long to realize that it comes from me.
There are few classes of words with a worse rep than adverbs. The title of this post, taken from George Meredith’s The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, is pretty much the gold standard of bad adverb use. Editors hate them; many writers eschew them. I, however, will stand up in their defense.
This past weekend, I gave myself some time off to enjoy “Borderlands 2” on Xbox, but that doesn’t mean I did nothing, writing-wise. I did a lot, actually…
