We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Cardio endurance training is one component of the Fitness Triad (strength, athleticism, endurance) or, as we usually divide it, strength, calisthenics, and cardio.
Unless one is a competitive runner, swimmer, biker, or rower, we believe it's good to mix up cardio exercises because just doing one improves one's efficiency too much for the cardiac stress you are looking for.
Cardio training (ie exercising your heart muscle) is like anything other muscle: you want to stress it without injuring it. That can either mean keeping your heart rate at 55-85% of your max heart rate for 30 minutes (depending on age), or it can mean HIIT cardio training with sprints. I recommend the latter for time efficiency and because it is gentler on your body.
I no longer recommend road-running, especially distance road running. A morning 5-mile jog is harmless but the main benefit is mental because few joggers get their heart rates very high. Distance runners/races (ie from marathoners to 50 milers to 100-milers) are admirable in their dedication and amazing endurance but it just isn't healthy for joints, heart, body inflammation, risk of kidney damage, and so forth. Pheidippides, who was a professional distance courier (before cell phones), died in Sparta.
Our current "Maggie's Recommended" general fitness training for the cardio component is roughly one hour of endurance cardio (a mix of elliptical, treadmill, stairmaster) keeping a solid (ie 55+% but sub-max heart rate; and 1/2 hour of HIIT cardio (30-60 second max sprints on rower, treadmill, combat bike, stairmaster, etc) with triple slow recovery times; and the mix of cardio and athleticism training in calisthenics/exercise classes.
I almost forgot to mention sports. Two hours of basketball is excellent cardio/athleticism exercise. Same for martial arts, or a tennis class.
Remember, unless you are in training for multiple hours daily, you can not lose weight by doing cardio exercise.
I have been a tourist in Ireland twice, long ago. Ten days and you can get the gist of the interesting and charming sights on the whole island. In this way, I think Ireland is like Southern France and Scotland. I mean that these are fine places just to be in, and not to be a tourist. Delightful getaways without frantic running and driving around.
Ireland has a number of great house inns/hotels, some near golf and some not. A favorite is Ballyfin which is not near any famous golf. It's about horseback, cycling, hiking, reading, dining, and immersing onseself in the green Irish countryside.
Life has convinced me not to be. Far too many human qualities are inborn, both strengths and frailties. It is "psycho-utopian" to believe otherwise.
I know my limits pretty well, and have always been determined to blame my disappointments on myself. That's the best, most honest and self-critical approach even when it is ego-damaging. Ego-damaging is soul fertilizer, the wise men say.
Mrs. BD and her pal attended an open rehearsal at the NYC Ballet today. They are going to the public performance later this afternoon. The NYC Ballet is in the top 5 in the world, but I can hardly tell any difference. Mrs. BD and her pals sure can. They are dance (ballet and modern) enthusiasts. Actually, dance fanatics.
No doubt many of our readers can not fully appreciate the art of dance (it's been decades of struggle for me, but I persist), but attending the rehearsals is an eye-opener. Same goes for music rehearsals.
NYC has more dance, musical, and theatrical venues than any city in the world. If you give those things a try, it's your place to go for an interesting time and a fun dinner out somewhere.
We are on, regardless of weather. There is always a rainbow somewhere, and human skin is waterproof.
Rain gear advised, especially in the morning. Our team hated the idea of canceling an 11-mile hike because of some dumb rainstorms...especially the gals.
Rightly so. Maggie's people ain't askeered of weather. My sister's motto: "There is no bad weather, only bad gear."
My motto: "Any morning I awake healthy and alive is gonna be the best day in my life." Then I go to the gym whether I believe my motto or not. If my workout doesn't kill me (I do my best to kill myself in it), I figger I am probably good for another 24 hrs. That is comforting.
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn In the place of their self-content; There are souls like stars, that dwell apart, In a fellowless firmament; There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths Where highways never ran But let me live by the side of the road And be a friend to man.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road, Where the race of men go by The men who are good and the men who are bad, As good and as bad as I. I would not sit in the scorner's seat, Or hurl the cynic's ban Let me live in a house by the side of the road And be a friend to man.
I see from my house by the side of the road, By the side of the highway of life, The men who press with the ardor of hope, The men who are faint with the strife. But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears, Both parts of an infinite plan Let me live in a house by the side of the road And be a friend to man.
I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead And mountains of wearisome height; That the road passes on through the long afternoon And stretches away to the night. But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice, And weep with the strangers that moan, Nor live in my house by the side of the road Like a man who dwells alone.
Let me live in my house by the side of the road It's here the race of men go by. They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong, Wise, foolish, so am I; Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat, Or hurl the cynic's ban? Let me live in my house by the side of the road And be a friend to man.
Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) wrote plain verse for the "common man". Homey, corny, comfortably instructive stuff. In fact, for many years Foss turned out a poem a day for his local Somerville, MA newspaper. We recently saw a graveyard monument (1936) with "Let me live by the side of the road and be a friend to man." inscribed upon it.
From today, always happy to talk to press. The guy was a heck of a good choice and much better than almost anybody expected. Name one of the scare attacks that came to pass with this guy.
- And another. This is "truthy," as they would say on The View:
"If we change our times with the sole intent of increasing the amount of daylight we receive, that’s an extra hour of sunshine that will warm the planet. That’s one extra hour per day of extra heat warming our already unstable planet. We need to repeal Daylight Savings Time as a primary measure to decrease the rate of climate change. Less hours of sunshine equals less heat hitting Earth’s surface. We’re running out of time!"
The current weather calls for temps in the upper 50's and rain. 100% chance of precipitation in the AM, but stopping and being partly cloudy. We've had lots of luck on our annual walks, so I'm calling in a chip here with the weather manager and imploring him to keep our positive streak going. That said, we've walked in the rain (really more mist) so be prepared with rain gear.
Map is here - some minor revisions - but it's still in the 11 mile range (we can pick and choose alterations on the path as needed). By lunchtime, we should be around the Polo Grounds, and there are eateries of various sorts along Amsterdam Ave for about 10-11 blocks. We'll find something (I'm sure they'll have food trucks, too).
We're looking forward to seeing everyone! 9 am by Teddy's statue at the Natural History Museum.
Yesterday I had the privilege of appearing as the lone conservative on a panel at the Milken Global Institute Conference called “What Happened to American Masculinity.” The conversation was excellent, my co-panelists were interesting and gracious, and I left the event more convinced than ever that the great American dispute about masculinity is rooted in differences in starting presumptions and first principles...
Doctors have become fearful of prescribing opioids. I hear stories about terminal cancer patients being denied adequate analgesia out of "fear of addiction."
Until new non-opioid and promising pain meds are available, I am in favor of adequate dosing for pain when nothing else works. Chronic pain is a terribly disabling thing, mentally, spiritually, physically, etc.
The two best things medicine has provided mankind have been antibiotics, and anesthesia/analgesia.
An interesting podcast below about Americans working past "conventional" retirement age. The first half praises the personal and productivity value of working at least until 70, and the second part has somebody claiming that a later retirement age turns mature adults into slaves.
There is no free lunch. I tend towards working until one can no longer work, but I get some pushback from that view. If I retired, I really do not see what good I would add to the world, to my family, or to my finances. I hate the idea of feeling useless, put out to pasture. However, I have seen lives blossom in retirement, but more often I have seen lives shrink and shrivel in retirement. There can be a tendency for regression. Remember, retirement (government savings plans, social security) is a recent invention, from the 1880s by Otto von Bismarck in Germany.
Sure, to save Social Security (SS is a fait accompli), I'd gladly move "the conventional age" to 70 or 72 rather than, as it is now, the maximum. People live longer and healthier than in the past, and thus have more to offer, and longer. Retirement is not an entitlement. SS is. Of course, despite SS, anybody can work as long as they choose.
“How did we get to the point where the evidence is now that the president was falsely accused of colluding with the Russians, accused of being treasonous and accused of being a Russian agent, and the evidence now is that that was without a basis?” he asked. “And two years of his administration have been dominated by allegations that have now been proven false. But to listen to some of the rhetoric, you would think the Mueller report had found the opposite.”
The power of music: 
The current weather calls for temps in the upper 50's and rain. 100% chance of precipitation in the AM, but stopping and being partly cloudy. We've had lots of luck on our annual walks, so I'm calling in a chip here with the weather manager and imploring him to keep our positive streak going. That said, we've walked in the rain (really more mist) so be prepared with rain gear. 
Your Love Of Wine I
It's Time to Bring Back Leper Colonies—