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Showing posts from May, 2020

The new America riots, as usual

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In 2020 in the United States you can die because you are a black person. You are at risk only by existing. You are in the wrong place in the wrong moment and you die, if you are black. The years, the decades go by unnecessarily: always the same things happen. Of course, I don't know anything about Minneapolis (I know Minneapolis is the place where Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose had play a few time ago; Fargo - the film and the Tv series - are set in Minnesota and this is all that I know about that state). It is a great thing that people are protesting, but I wonder why it comes to looting and fires ? Each time the protests came to this, I don't understand. I guess anger can lead to riots and clashes, but looting? I believe we can define collateral damage , I think the concept of (negligible) collateral damage is widespread in the American culture and it is present in many aspects of the American way of life .

Happy unbirthday to me

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A couple of days ago it was my unbirthday: exactly ten years ago I started to run. It happened three months after I stopped to smoke and after a few months of running in front of the Wii. Since then I ran 17,212 km, I have consumed twenty-five pairs of running shoes and got to the third Garmin. I have reached the 1778th row in the table where I report the results of my exits. Because of my plantar fasciitis I stopped running for five long and sad days, but I mitigated my withdrawal crisis by pedaling on the rollers for 4,064 km. Now I have started running again and I alternate the race to pedal on the rollers. So happy unbirthday to me!

Tex-mex vs covid-19

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The last Monday the restaurants were finally open so on Tuesday (it was my wife's birthday) we finally went to a tex-mex restaurant. In the last two months di lockdown we did not go out so we sometimes had order dinner to tex-mex restaurant with delivery to home, but a draft beer is better than a bottled beer and anyway, tacos and fajitas are better if eaten hot in the plates than in takeaway containers (even if strictly compostable). Of course, it is strange to see the waiters with face masks but if the food is good and the waiters are nice it is always enjoyable to have dinner outside. Anyway, we all (with little precautions) will come out from this damn coronavirus time (especially if we sometimes can help ourselves with some tacos and fajitas).

We can be assholes just for one day

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We can be assholes just for one day, but we always prefer to be ( Excuse me David Bowie for crippling your verses) . The return in Italy of Silvia Romano has sparked a flood of whipped assholes. I have read (especially on social media) many horrible things. She came back after an 18-months kidnapping. It seems that her conversion to Islam is the worst thing she could have done. It was said we were assholes before the Covid-19 and we are still assholes, maybe even more assholes than before . Of course, by watching the English TV series with subtitles, I lean many swear words, but I don't know exactly when it is better to use asshole, piece of shit, or motherfucker, for example . I am always surprised when I read comments so violent and vulgar about a 24 years old girl just resealed after an 18-months kidnapping. Yes, I know that I am repeating myself, but I would like to reiterate that she didn't return from the rumspringa (yes, I have seen many film

Days post quarantine

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These days post lockdown or post quarantine I finally started to run. I struggle a lot and so far I have only raced twice. But I do other things. For example, now I listen to Alison Balsom in the Haydn trumpet concert . I love this concert. I love the trumpet in classical music. I have known this music with a cd by Wynton Marsalis , many years ago. I also love Mozart Quartets and Quintets for Strings and Clarinet . I can't say it out loud but sometimes this music moves me to tears. I guess it depends on age. I always listen to music when I work, mostly rock music, reggae, a little Italian Rock. Some years ago, for a while, I only listened to jazz. Naturally, I am very slow to write in English so now I am listening to Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton . They have made a long presentation before their performance and I didn't understand a word. Now I am listening to David Bowie in Five years ...It seems wrote today, for this dark time. I think that now I will continue to read

After all, tomorrow is another day!

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Last Monday I had run. After 133 days I finally did run for 5 km. To the beginning, it was... fantastic, amazing... I don't know enough words to describe that feeling. At the beginning! After a few hundred meters I started to suffer. I had a high heart rate and my legs ached. I would have liked to run for 10 km, but I dragged my body with difficulty for just 5 km. I went home, I took a shower, then I downloaded the data from the Garmin: I ran very slowly with a high heart rate, it was as high as during my races. During my hilly race by 10 km, my heart rate was 171 e my pace 6'17" min/km, yesterday for 5 km my heart rate was 163 with a pace 7'11"... But this wasn't depressing enough: my legs were very stiff and painful. Now my legs are still very stiff and painful. Yesterday I cycled on the rollers in an attempt to get relief from my aching legs, but the relief was short-lived. Today my legs are still sore and I won't go for a run, but as Scarlett O'