I’m an Army veteran. 5 1/2 years active duty and 6 months of reserve. I’m one of a generation of men who had to register for the draft and – in the year of the draft lottery – put our lives on hold while we waited to see if our number would be called. Men my age remember their draft lottery number. Mine was 165. My number was drawn on December 29, 1970. On January 1, 1971 I would have been clear. I was one of the very lucky ones. I auditioned for, and was accepted into THE U.S. Army…
Johnny Mercer wrote the words, and many of us hear Nat King Cole singing it, but the classic “Autumn Leaves” has been ringing in my head all week here in Northern Virginia. We had the freakish snow last Saturday which gave way to a chilly Sunday and a stunning Monday and Tuesday. By early November most of the leaves have turned at home in the Chicago area. Out here, though, Fall is extended. It seems to wander leisurely from Summer to Winter. The romantics like to think of Fall as the most beautiful time of year. They wax eloquently about…
In case you don’t recognize the photo, it’s the larval stage of the Isabella tiger moth, Pyrrharctia Isabella, also known as woolly worm. I spotted one yesterday on the trail during my walk. Legend has it that the woolly worm, a tiger moth caterpillar, can portend what weather winter will bring. According to folk wisdom, when the brown bands on fall woolly bears are narrow, it means a harsh winter is coming. The wider the brown band, the milder the winter will be. I’m no expert, but it looks to me like the brown band is pretty wide which would suggest…
This past weekend I was in San Francisco for the NIKE Women’s Marathon, benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This was the 8th year of the event and was clearly the best race weekend, ever. The weather was fantastic. The pre-race activities were done well, and race day was as close to perfect as I can imagine. My congratulations to everyone who was involved in the production of the event. I’m there as National Spokesperson for the Society’s Team in Training program. I’m lucky enough to be able to speak to 6,000 people at the Inspiration Dinner. It’s amazing to…
A league of their own | The Penguin Chronicles. I’ll be at the Nike Women’s Marathon this weekend with Team in Training. This is my observation about an earlier event. GO TEAM. John An Accidental Athlete is available now. BUY THE BOOK Here’s the direct link to the Amazon Kindle version Here’s a link to the Nook version Review An Accidental Athlete on Amazon or Barnes and Noble What others are saying: Read your book, loved it, it was wonderful. It made me laugh, it made me cry. In it I saw glimpses of myself. I may be…
There’s something magical about Florence, Italy. People have know that for centuries, but even so, being there it’s impossible not to marvel at the beauty, history, and – well – magic of Florence. This photo, which looks a lot like some of the water-color paintings in the Uffizi Gallery, was taken with an iPhone from the balcony of my room at the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi. That’s the Arno river in the foreground. It had been raining and this photo was taken just as the rain stopped. I’m not saying I’m a great photographer. I’m just saying that in Florence you…
Running with friends | The Penguin Chronicles. I’m off to Italy for a bit, with the Marathon di Tuscany. In the meantime, here’s one of the earliest columns in the archives.
I’ll tell you up front that this blog has nothing to do with running. Or at least, not much. The beauty of having a blog called “The Penguin Chronicles” – seeing as how I’m the Penguin – is that it doesn’t have to do anything except chronicle. So that’s that. I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t interested in, and in fact crazy about, motorcycles. The neighbor across the street had a shiny red BSA when I was growing up. He had the leather jacket and everything thing. He was COOL. When he eventually got a…
What a wonderful day. My travel schedule allowed me to visit my son and grandchildren this week, just in time to be here for their first day of school.The twins are actually entering first grade and the little guy is starting kindergarten. They are all at the same school which will certainly make life easier for everyone. I walked each them to their new classrooms, watching all the anxious parents – and some grandparents – and eager children and teachers. I suppose it’s the same scene that was being played out in schools all over the world. Children, parents, and…
The father of a very good friend of mine, let’s call him Bob, was a great guy, and a World War II Army veteran. We joked that he lived his life just 3 beers from Anzio. Anzio was the site of an Allied forces landing (Operation Shingle) and ensuing battle (known as the Battle of Anzio) during World War II. American forces (5th Army) were surrounded by Germans in the caves of Pozzoli in February 1944 for a week, suffering heavy casualties. We knew that when he popped the top off the fourth Pabst Blue Ribbon we were going to…