As noted previously, I'm doing a three-day on, three-day off type thing. So we're back on! How exciting!
Nas's Illmatic has yet to make much of an impression on me either way. Talk Talk's album Laughing Stock--also a recommended 'top of the 90s' CD on Pitchfork--on the other hand, is slowly insinuating its way into my mind.
Having placed money on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, I'm now very much invested in their season. That made last night's game (a come-from-behind win against the Colts) vastly more thrilling than it would have been otherwise. They are a fun, fun team to watch. Shady McCoy and Darren Sproles on one team. Come on! A great piece appeared in ESPN The Magazine last month about Chip Kelly's innovations with the Eagles. He's apparently super-obssessed with health and wellness; he seemingly believes he has discovered ways to keep his team healthier and in better shape throughout a season than a typical team (and indeed, last year, the Eagles suffered a surprising paucity of injuries). Among the things he stresses: constant hydration during practice, and a rigorous insistence that all his players get lots of sleep. (I forget the number, but he tries to make them all get a minimum of...what? nine hours a night?) They all have monitors and devices hooked up to them all the time so he can track their sleep totals. Crazy. But then you see how fresh they look in the fourth quarter--both their victories this season have been come-from-behind efforts--and it all seems to work.
It's in the 100s again today but I must go play tennis. It's like 115 on the courts, but my body is now addicted to the exercise. Yesterday I tried to take it easy and did a light workout; as a result I didn't sleep at all well.
I'm going to read some William Trevor novels, next, I think. I know at least one reader who can recommend some. And would like to hear his thoughts.
I recommend strongly William Finnegan's piece on the efforts to unionize fast-food workers in the new New Yorker. Apparently pay disparity between executives and low level workers in the fast food industry is among the greatest in the nation. Fast food chains also enforce a variety of fairly sinister rules that make it essentially impossible for anyone working there to earn a subsistence level income.
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2 comments:
Felicia's Journey is fantastic (says my memory from 1996 or so), as is Reading Turgenev. I've liked other novels of his, but the stories are just -- the "collected stories" is a joy.
I read that piece about the Eagles. I think it said 10 hours of sleep. 10! Which got me thinking. I tend to need a lot of sleep to feel really fresh, and maybe that's not so unnatural. I'm not in nearly as good shape as McCoy for instance. I mean, I'm close, but not AS good.
I've been hydrating like a fiend. I'm drinking 3 liters a day without fail. And I think it helps.
You and Shady McCoy are almost clones, I've always thought--that's how similar you are. Of course you tend to run more between the tackles than he does-- you like to lower your shoulder and hit somebody, more than dodge and duck--but of course you have that great agility and quickness too. Your only weakness may be that you don't pass-block as well as you could, but I'm sure that will come, with time.
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