Warming Up

With the high school football season right around the corner, I need to see what I can do about getting back into a more regular blogging habit. With that in mind, here's a sampling of what's been going on lately.

• Speaking of high school football, I got to spend some time at Troy Memorial Stadium this past Friday evening. Some past Troy football players got together for a flag football game to benefit a scholarship fund they've set up. I actually watched the game from the stadium's pressbox with a couple of friends who were running the scoreboard. Pretty cool vantage point, although I wouldn't like being isolated from the crowd for a regular game. It was a good time, though, and it definitely whetted my appetite for the upcoming season. The first regular-season game is August 27.

• I'm making a conscious effort to be more active. To that end, I've been spending a fair amount of time lately at various locales in Troy, either walking or running. The bulk of that time has been at Duke Park, which is a place I love and which has a great trail for just that purpose. As much as I enjoy being out there, I'm trying to vary my routine in order to keep myself interested. I'm at the point right now where I actively want to get out and do something each day; I just need to make sure I hang onto that feeling. At some point this coming week I'm going to try to put in some time on the recreational trail that runs along Troy's levee.

• Troy has a very solid bike path/recreational trail; I just wish they would somehow extend it to make it accessible from our neighborhood. I would LOVE to be able to walk or ride my bike whenever I'm just going somewhere in town. Unfortunately, we live on the western edge of the city, and between heavy traffic and lack of pedestrian/bike accommodation, there's really no good way to get into town that doesn't involve being in a car. And that drives me just a little bit crazy.

• Yesterday I picked up Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, just after finishing his Cat's Cradle (which I thought was fantastic). I really enjoy Vonnegut's work - always insightful, and darkly humorous, which is right up my alley - but I haven't read a whole lot of it. That's a little sad on one hand; but, on the other hand, I have quite a bit that I'm looking very much forward to exploring.