Why run at 5:30am? Fewer werewolves.

There're also fewer zooming bicyclists to dodge on the way to Central Park.

Fewer cabs. Cars. And trucks.

No roller bladers. Skateboarders. Or that guy practicing his cross-country skiing on wheels (rollerskiing?) - if you've ever seen him?

Nobody's window shopping. Or texting while they walk. Or ogling the tall buildings with their Nikons. The few brave (not me) souls who're out have their Nikes on and're moving like they're on a mission.

In the City That Never Sleeps, think 5:30am catches many New Yorkers napping, snug in their beds. But y'know what? At that pre-caffeinated hour, I'm just glad that they're anywhere but in front of me.

Here's hoping your day's got minimal interference, including being 100% werewolf-free.

(Photo courtesy of Isarda Sorensen.)

Thanks for reading down here.

Pete Pulls a Palin - Abandons Triathlon

Yeah, I hear you.

Pretty sure I know what you're thinking. (I'm thinking it too.) Click this link to hear the non-4-letter word describing my quitting that you're too polite to say out loud.

And yet.

- While I won't be taking any random-scheduled tours on a bus,
   I will certainly be touring on my bicycle more.

- While I won't taunt the media about possibly running for the highest public office,
   it is possible I'll be running for higher weekly mileage.

- And when things don't go swimmingly for me, I won't wade into safer water;
   I'll instead keep my mouth shut, dive in, and do some laps.

Before you know it, I may be posting a new challenge that's caught my fancy.

Meantime, feel free to:
• Dump duties,
• Run from responsibilities,
• Abdicate appointments,
• And otherwise shirk the shackles of assignments, just as long as you haven't sworn an oath saying otherwise.

Bottom line? The June 12 half-ironman I signed up for didn't mandate any swearing, but it did require sweating that I wasn't able to live up to. This time.

Thanks for reading way down here.

Why is my cellphone more needy than my kids?

Why isn't it more self-reliant?

• It needs more juice (when the battery's low)

• It needs to be silenced (when I'm in a meeting)

• It needs to be told it can't interrupt me with a call when I'm already on a call

• It needs to be with me at all times because otherwise it'll get left behind.

To help wean it off this dependency, I refuse to take it with me running, biking or swimming (apparently, cellphones are allergic to water).

Hope you find time to fulfill your needs for exercise today. Without your phone.

And thanks for reading all the way down here.

In praise for evil plan C

Evil Plan A: Run this morning.
Outcome: Foiled again. It was cold and dark; I was too cranky.

Evil Plan B: Bike to work this morning.
Outcome: Foiled again. It was still cold and dark; I was still too cranky.

Plan C: Swim at lunch.
Outcome: Success. Got out, swam forever and now I'm excitedly cranking out work (this blog entry notwithstanding).

The key to my (self-labeled) evil plan? Tenacity and flexibility. Course it helps being spoiled rotten as I am with a job that lets me scoot out for an hour at lunch.

Hope you find the time to do something fun today. Even if it's your own evil plan. And if you don't may you find the flexibility to do something almost as much fun.

Oh, wait - I owe credit for that kooky drawing (above). It's by a nutty guy named Hugh MacLeod and you can check out his deranged thoughts - click on his name there.

But before you go, thanks for reading all the way down here.