5/31/11

Section 327



Meet Brian and Mat, the hosts of the podcast: Section 327 “Sports views from the highest view in the stadium”.  Brian is a brilliant, interesting, fun and outstanding host, while Mat is…well, he’s not Brian.  You can find the show on iTunes or head over to http://section327.com

5/30/11

Whiter Shades of Grape



As the air temperature in New England reaches a sustained 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius, wine geeks thoughts lean towards refreshing white wines.

5/28/11

I’m Not Dead Yet


I’ve not been podcasting or updating my status on the Inter-social-webs lately; nor have I answered any of the several hundred (well over 300) emails that I’ve received in the last month…BUT the good news is that I’m NOT dead. (Not even a little).

5/24/11

Drink the Good Wine Now


I’m tasting an AMAZING glass of red wine and reminiscing about past glasses I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying.

5/20/11

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Part 4 – What the Thunder Said



This is the fourth and final part of the series of episodes where I will present for you the classic poem “The Waste Land” read by the poet T.S. Eliot. 

This poem is the story of a soul in despair. 

In the section titled “What the Thunder Said” Eliot presents the most dramatic section of the poem. He begins by presenting an apocalyptic world of the suffering hordes where the end of the world is met with both boredom and surrender.  Eliot draws upon the Hindu fables known as “The Upanishads” to explain that thunder “gives,” “sympathizes”, and “controls”, through it’s “speech”.  The answer Eliot reveals is that civilization gives nothing,  has no sympathy for others and ultimate surrenders itself to fate.

In the end, the Fisher King stands on the shore willing to do his best to put his kingdom in order although he does not understand why it has become a wasteland.  The Waste Land ends with a flood of quotations and allusions ending with the traditional ending to an Upanishad…a chant of the word peace “Shanti”.

Humanity lives in a waste land; but everywhere there is hope for transformation and rebirth.  We transform the waste land into paradise by giving of ourselves and loving one another without thought or hesitation.  We have sympathy for each other and take control of our fate.  The way to survive the waste land is to do our best, surrender ourselves to one another and experience a peace beyond understanding.

5/19/11

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Part 3 – The Fire Sermon and Death by Water




This is the third in a four part series of episodes where I will present for you the classic poem “The Waste Land” read by the poet T.S. Eliot. 

This poem is the story of a soul in despair. 

In the section titled “The Fire Sermon” Eliot presents an old marriage song contrasting the Thames River with it’s polluted “wasted” condition.  Then, he transports us into a dull and passionless seduction of a typist by her lover.  The overall image here is a complete lack of passion with nothing to live for.  The next section “Death by Water” refers back to the prophecy made by the fortune-teller in the first section of the poem.  Here, Eliot shows how death must always precede transformation and rebirth.

These two sections “The Fire Sermon” and “Death by Water” comprise the darkest part of the Waste Land, leading to a finale that gives us hope for the world.

5/18/11

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Part 2 – A Game of Chess



This is the second in a four part series of episodes where I will present for you the classic poem “The Waste Land” read by the poet T.S. Eliot.

This poem is the story of a soul in despair.  Eliot writes about the loss of community and lack of societies “spiritual center”.  To Eliot, modern European culture is a waste land, while in another sense he’s writing about the waste land of our own lives.

For me, this poem touches home in far too many ways.  This is a deeply personal poem that requires a deeper contemplation than anything I could speak about on a podcast. 

Listen to this with an open mind and heart and consider how you might live your life as a shining example to others as we walk through our own waste land.

5/17/11

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Part 1 – The Burial of the Dead



This is the first in a four part series of episodes where I will present for you the classic poem “The Waste Land” read by the poet T.S. Eliot. 

This is the story of a soul in despair.

5/4/11

Building MOJOmentum

We had a WICKED good time at Poco Loco Boston and its success leads to thoughts about the entire Mojo Loco movement taking form around the world in St. Louis, Sydney, London, Tampa AND BEYOND!

An Apology to the iPad

On the weekend of April 30th, several friends and I got together in the city of Boston to run together.  It was an amazing experience of which you will hear more about, not only on my podcast Phedippidations, but through the words of others in blog posts, podcasts and videos that have already begun to make their way through the “tubes of the internets”.

When intelligent, creative and interesting people get together there is a tendency for learning.  I found myself learning much about these fellow runners, podcasting techniques, marathon training, myself and about some of the technology that I hadn’t bothered to lend much attention to in the past.

Listeners to Phedippidations and Intervals (as well as readers of my postings here, on Twitter and Facebook) know that I’ve harbored a particularly nasty disdain for all things Apple; and found the concept of an iPad device a silly, extravagant toy: unworthy of the high and heavy price ($750 US for the most recommended and useful WiFi+3G model).

BUT, having written that…I want to make this admission to you now: I WAS WRONG.

The iPad is an INCREDIBLE device!  My friend Neil Bearse (http://theghostofradio.com and @ninjarunner on Twitter) spent exactly FOUR MINUTES showing me the usefulness of the iPad this past weekend, and like a bolt of understanding from above: I GOT IT!

Every assumption I had made about the the device was wrong.  Every opinion I had spoken was totally incorrect.  The iPad is NOT a computer, it is a “portal”.  It’s something I could give to my computer-illiterate parents and have them consuming all of the great and amazing content available on the Internet and in the “Cloud”.

Want to see the latest news and weather? 
One button, BLAMO it’s there.

Want to see and talk to a friend or relative across the country in real time, anytime?
One button, PRESTO, there right in front of you.

Want to read a book, watch a movie, listen to all of your favorite songs?
Press the screen and KAPOW, it’s yours.

I hereby admit that I was way out of line and had no idea what I was talking about with regards to the iPad.  In fact, I’ll even go further to admit that it really IS revolutionary and magical.

Do I want one?  Uh….YEAH! 

Will I ever buy one?  Sadly, no. That’s not going to happen.  No freakin’ way, negative, “fah-gedda-bowddit”, “ixnay on the iPad-ay”

When I got back from the Poco Loco weekend I sat down at my computer and began searching online for iPad pricing with the intention of ordering one immediately. I soon realized, however, that it was way, Way, WAH-HAY out of my price range!

Simply put: I could never afford an iPad, it’s just too expensive.  In this economy with a child to put through college and the ever rising cost of living I could never justify buying this or any similar device: I just don’t have that kind of money.

BUT if I did (and if my PodCast empire ever receives that million dollar contract from some running shoe corporation) I would gladly stand in line at the Apple Store with the adoring crowds of Apple worshipers.  The iPad is much more than I thought it was, and for those of you who already understood this I’m not ashamed to say that I now, finally “get it”.

Thanks Neil for the education.  I take back everything I’ve ever said about the iPad.

Run Long and Taper!

Steve