tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-235276932024-03-13T10:24:35.027-04:00Don's Really Cool AdventuresThe adventures of "Marathon" Don KernDon Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-70314705949121938192022-03-03T10:06:00.000-05:002022-03-03T10:06:08.481-05:00Never Try Anything New On Race Day ????<p> Every hear somebody telling you "Never try anything new on race day?" Here's what I have to say about that:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='556' height='463' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwqG-Fhg6V-4rWJz1903KRSrCgS37d5tWSj7UH-0_uRRkyhI1ZFt9ELg_CH7NWsKqSAEGPCKEVCBg8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-46346596526403332652019-04-11T10:11:00.000-04:002019-04-11T10:11:00.672-04:00Boston Marathon 2013 - Memories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I wrote this on my way home from the Boston Marathon in 2013. I was working my way around the block to the reunion area when I heard the two explosions. Every year, Boston brings back the memories. Many are happy memories. This one, not so much. But...Marathon Runners. Just wanted to share. From April 16, 2013. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Monday afternoon, I stood at the 26 mile mark of the Boston Marathon, and with great pride watched as Francine Robinson ran by me on her way to a sub-4 hour, personal best Boston Marathon. I ran down the sidewalk toward the finish, then walked, then was stopped by the wall of spectators. I cut through a store and out the other side, and as I walked around the block to get past where the finish line was on Boylston Street the text message came over my phone telling that she had finished in 3:59:23. I was proud, excited. Seconds later a loud explosion happened. I thought maybe it was a construction site or something, then a few seconds after a second explosion happened. A Boston cop hurried by and was on his radio. "Two bombs by the finish line" is all I heard him say. I was on the phone, trying to locate Francine, she didn't answer. She had just finished within a minute or two of the blast. I left a message, sent a text, and tried to find my way around the block.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Immediately, cell phones were in action everywhere, and getting calls in and out was next to impossible. TJ Suchocki managed to reach me and became my relay person for messages and information. After repeated attempts at text and calls, Francine and I reached each other at the family reunion area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The City of Boston reacted in the most remarkable fashion on Monday. As soon as the blasts went off everyone took action. Runners who were stopped before turning onto Boylston were immediately met by Bostonians pouring out of their houses, offering help, drinks, their houses and their bathrooms to confused sweaty-and-getting-cold runners. Boston police, FBI, National Guard, and what seemed like every ambulance in New England were on the scene immediately. Businesses that were open welcomed displaced runners and spectators in out of the cold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our rental car was stuck under the Prudential Center, which was part of the locked down portion of the city. As we walked around a few blocks looking for a place to get in out of the cold a young Black girl saw Francine's medal and said, "God bless you, I'm glad you're safe," as we passed each other on the street. We found refuge at the Cheesecake Factory and stayed for quite a while, eating and drinking and hanging out with other runners. Everyone was on Facebook and checking up on each other via text messages. Phone service was spotty, with all the bandwidth jammed, but the occasional call we could get out was relayed to family and friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">People pull together in the face of these events. Our friends, Carol Neckel and Nancy Wooley invited us to spend the night with them at their hotel. On the way there, a woman who was helping us with directions saw that Francine looked cold and offered to give her the sweater she was wearing. Farther down the street a group of guys saw us walking and stopped us just to make sure that we were OK and that we didn't need anything. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The event was tragic, yes. But it's times like these that remind us that there's more good in the world than bad, and that Americans will come together when we're met with adversity. Boston Marathon Monday was filled with tears of joy and with tears of sorrow. With confusion, with resolve, with strength.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One of my favorite quotes of the the day is this: If you're trying to defeat the human spirit, MARATHON RUNNERS are the wrong group to target. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thank you to all my friends and family who have expressed their love and concern. I treasure you all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-39365369803690031072019-01-10T10:15:00.000-05:002019-01-10T10:15:13.470-05:00What the Heck is a CryoSauna?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey--this is something I wrote 3 years ago. I'm posting it here as an intro to one of our new sponsors: Xtreme Cryo.</div>
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(Look up Dr. Bill Higgenbotham on Facebook and you can see what I'm talking about here.) </div>
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Here's what happens: You stand inside a chamber with your head sticking out the top. Then instead of heat or hot steam, you get COLD steam, a product of liquid nitrogen. Negative 252 degrees F. worth of cold. Your body does what it's designed to do, pulling blood to your core and allowing your extremities to get very cold. Inflammation in your legs goes away. Blood circulating closer to your heart and lungs gets oxygenated faster because it doesn't go to your hands and feet as fast. The whole process takes only 3 minutes, but when I got out, my legs felt noticeably better!</div>
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"You got another ten minutes?" Bill asked me. My flight wasn't for a couple hours, so what the heck. He took me in the other room and put some legging things on me (kinda like having a blood pressure cuff running from your toes to your thighs) as I sat in a massage chair. As air pumped into and out of the sleeves around my legs, the chair massaged my back. </div>
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"Let me show you a few more things," and he proceeded to work on stretches and using some thick rubber tape straps that he wraps around and around my leg, squeezing out the blood, then stretching and working those muscles, then unwrapping them rapidly, allowing warm blood back in. </div>
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OK, I know I'm a fairly slow marathoner, so maybe everybody went home already, but I was trying to figure out why everyone who had run the Zydeco Marathon wasn't in Bill's office right then. It was an awesome experience.</div>
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I walked out of Bill Higginbotham's Rapid Recovery Center feeling like I hadn't even run a marathon that day. I don't think I could have been any more recovered it I had gone to an upholstery shop.</div>
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So I'm trying to figure out how to get someone to bring a cryosauna to Grand Rapids. Or maybe someone has one already? Anyway, it's a kick-ass post-marathon thing.</div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-73901537242274096152018-05-08T17:02:00.004-04:002018-05-08T17:02:44.854-04:00Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm cleaning up my office a little bit this afternoon and just reorganized my bookshelves a little bit.<br />
I have a few books that are almost "theme books" of my life. The books that influenced my thoughts, inspired me, brought back great memories. Some were gifts. A few are autographed. Looking through them I'm smiling, remembering the joy they gave me. Just a few--in no special order.<br />
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<i>Sophie's World</i> by Jostein Gaarder. It's a great story that includes a lot of education on the history of philosophy. My sister in law Myra gave it to me when we were visiting them over in Norway back in 1996.<br />
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<i>Think and Grow Rich </i>by Napoleon Hill and <i>The Richest Man in Babylon</i> by George Clason. Two of the books that influenced my thinking on finance back in my 20s. I've given away many copies of RMIB over the years. I think it's the best money management book out there.<br />
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Several different versions of the Bible. <i>The God Delusion</i> by Richard Dawkins. Leather-bound editions of <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>The Lord of the Rings. A Brief History of Time</i> and a couple others by Stephen Hawking.<br />
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I played a bunch of chess back at Chippewa Hills High School. I recently reacquired Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, one of my favorites back then. Dan Manning found a copy of <i>Fischer Spassky The New York Times Report on The Chess Match Of The Century</i>, which he bought used on Amazon and sent to me.<br />
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Several by Kurt Vonnegut, Dan Brown, Jim Harrison.<br />
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<i>Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy </i>by Douglas Adams. The whole series occupied my winter back around 2010. Fun.<br />
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<i>Fox in Sox</i>, a Dr. Seuss classic that I read many, many times to my kids, grandkids, and anyone else I could make sit still long enough. <i>The Little Red Hen</i>, a book my Grandma 'Lene read to me many times.<br />
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The score of Handel's Messiah that I sang my first year at CMU.<br />
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My life is rich. With humor, learning, fitness, friends. The books that have influenced my life continue to bring me joy.<br />
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-31088940332982180732018-04-30T21:07:00.000-04:002018-04-30T21:07:12.146-04:00Total Ascent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's a statistic that those running apps give you. So every once in a while, someone has to ask what the total ascent is in the Grand Rapids Marathon course.<br />
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I don't know.<br />
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But maybe I'd be willing to find out. So--if you happen to have run the race with a GPS app that told you that piece of information, how about sharing it with me and I'll put the word out.<br />
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After that, for those of you interested, I'd really like to know how knowing that particular statistic will go into your race strategy.<br />
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I just run. I don't have a clue what I'd do with that if I had it. Now, if I were in the mountains or something, it might seem like a more useful piece of information. But here in Grand Rapids, where the high point on the course is about 665 feet and the lowest is 582 feet, you've got to figure that a bunch of mountain climbing just isn't going to be a factor. </div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-61966007359094351172018-04-30T21:00:00.000-04:002018-04-30T21:00:03.021-04:00Try and Focus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Image may contain: 1 person, text" height="320" src="https://scontent.fdet1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/31234996_1743926848963580_3211308968039153664_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=a33b3eba00dfd9292d193143222d4b1a&oe=5B5C08DA" title="" width="180" />So stuff like this gets posted and shared. I think someone's trying to make a very twisted point about guns here. Here's the answer: We blame the driver.</div>
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If you're trying to make a point about guns here, I have a few thoughts:</div>
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1. The van was NEVER built or sold as a weapon. There was no intent on the part of the manufacturer that it would be used to kill people or animals or even plants. </div>
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2. Before we're able to legally use a van, we're required to have training in driving. All 50 states require licenses and insurance. </div>
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3. If you think that a van is analogous a gun (i.e. a weapon or an "arm"), then it must be protected under the second amendment. So according to the interpretation of most people posting this kind of thing, we shouldn't put any restrictions on vans whatsoever.</div>
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4. Criminals cause crime. They'll act with whatever instrument they chose. No amount of regulation will keep criminals from existing. Some people are assholes. We can try to control them with laws. It won't always work.</div>
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5. All the other comparisons (like how many people die of cancer, are killed by cars, how many abortions, etc.) are not subject to gun laws. </div>
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If we're going to do something about guns, then do something about guns. Make the debate about guns. Everything else can go in some other debate. </div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-76418409592940834612018-04-25T08:03:00.000-04:002018-04-25T08:03:08.505-04:00Burnout?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Burnout?<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Got a problem...it is a week and a half to race day and I'm burned out! I ran 8 miles last Friday and I had to MAKE myself do it. And I was supposed to do it Thursday! Sunday was supposed to be a 20-mile run, and I just too sick of it after 13 and quit! I did 4 on the treadmill yesterday. Got up this morning to do speed work and I'm sitting here frustrated and procrastinating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Total burn out! And my race is a week and a half away!<o:p></o:p></div>
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What should I do???"<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wow. I got this text one morning. I had some thoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Relax. Realize that it's all part of the process. Sometimes we go through cycles. And get out of your own head!<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are at least 10 reasons why you are feeling this way and NONE of them have anything to do with your lack of ability. (Time to write down a list of those 10 reasons.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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We all go through this kind of thing. Doubts creep in. You start stressing out. So what, you missed out on a couple of the runs on the printed schedule from the River Bank Run that Greg Meyer designed. THAT PLAN WAS A SUGGESTION!!! No one can do the same thing everyone else does. We all have lives. We do our best. It's cool. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do something different. Text a different friend than you normally run with and schedule something. Run at a different time or in a different place. Do something small that's totally unrelated but still needs to be done, just to get a tiny success into your head. Plan dinner and make a shopping list or something. You'll be just fine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Race day will come. You'll be fine. Your friends will all be there, getting ready with you, running with you, and partying afterward. It will be great.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-4051469879351164292018-04-20T08:32:00.000-04:002018-04-20T09:15:04.775-04:00Hope Water Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of our charities for the Grand Rapids Marathon. Last night I went to their kickoff for this year's training for the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon. I came away inspired!<br />
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Last year, the chapter here brought 120 runners to our event. They raised $140,000. They put in enough wells in Africa to provide fresh water to villages with 9000 people. </div>
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In the process, lots of people became friends. Lots of people became healthier. People set goals and accomplished them. People became friends and supported each other. </div>
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I witnessed success. Even among the new people for this year. "How many people are freaked out right now?", Ron Bussa asked at the beginning of the program. A bunch of the new people raised their hands. </div>
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Hope Water International founder Bill Clark in his remarks said "If your goals don't scare you, they're not big enough." So there you go--new freaked out people. You've already been successful in the program without even realizing it! You've set a big enough goal!</div>
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We're proud to have Hope Water Project as one of our charities here in Grand Rapids. I look forward to meeting you as you cross that FINISH LINE in October.</div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-86381169928387009282018-04-19T07:43:00.000-04:002018-04-20T08:10:18.554-04:00Posting Stupid Stuff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Almost everyday one of my friends on Facebook shares something that is totally false.<br />
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I know the intentions are good, but really---<br />
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The newspaper that had the same picture on the same day but with different story content. Yeah, it happened, but not with the intent that was below the "meme" which indicated that it was a different story for a different political area designed to be part of the media brainwashing us. It was the early edition in one picture, and the later edition in the second--and a lot had happened to change the story between the two times.<br />
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The massive UFO picture taken in Australia that is amazing everyone.<br />
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The kid who just wants a million person people to say happy birthday to him before he dies of a rare disease. Then you find out that the kid died four years ago.<br />
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And the green moon thing that's happening on 4/20. Seriously?<br />
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People--if it's really stupid or weird, at least Google it before you repost it.<br />
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If this gets a million likes, I'll post a naked picture of myself on the Internet.</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-28400344121439672972018-04-18T20:47:00.002-04:002018-04-18T20:50:01.273-04:00Stel <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0mm; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It was also too far away for astronomers to see the </span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0mm; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">minuscule</span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0mm; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> changes in stellar emissions that would indicate that planets orbited the star. But there were planets. One of those planets, circling that star in an egg-shaped orbit with an average radius of about 122 million miles was full of life. Its inhabitants referred to it as Stel. They called their planet Vargo.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal;">The present day location of Vargo was actually millions of miles away, the earth scientists knowing for sure only where the Stel was 26,500 years ago when the light we currently see first left it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal;">Eight thousand earth years earlier, t</span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-indent: 0mm;">he light from our sun was detected by the telescopes of astronomers on Vargo. Three hundred years later, they had the technology to see clearly the planetary system orbiting the sun. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">It was an interesting time in earth</span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">’</span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">s distant past back then. When they first saw us, they could only see that there was a planet passing in front of our sun. Earth wasn't visible until after the bigger ones in our solar system, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">Like Earth in the present day, they were sweeping the cosmos for signs of planets, with some hope of learning they were not alone in the universe. After several hundred years of advancing technology, they were able to locate planets with at least the potential of intelligent life developing within a few years. Out of the billions of stars in the galaxy that had been examined, only a dozen or so showed the potential. Hundreds of years passed before identifying those planets. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">Planets need liquid water. Some kind of "Goldilocks" atmosphere that’s warm enough and cool enough to support life. It also helped to have the large outer planets whose gravity would attract meteors that might otherwise impact the habitable one and protect it from cataclysmic events. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">A planet would also need to develop a race of intelligent beings who could develop electronic communications before the potential for contact could ever happen. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">Finally, when Vargons could see the planets they had identified as potentially life-supporting in real time, they found that one had reached the age of electronic communication. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">Kent Dern, sitting by the fireplace enjoying his morning cup of coffee saw an interesting communication via email. It was in somewhat broken English. He had received similar emails before. Nigerian heirs to massive fortunes looking for help to export millions out of their country in exchange for a large fee. Beautiful young women trying to strike up a conversation with an American man in exchange for, well, the companionship of a beautiful young woman. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">This was a different accent though. more precisely worded, and without the normal spelling errors. There was a certain sincerity </span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">to it that Nigerian heirs and the Russian women never possessed. </span><span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 15px;">"Greetings from Vargo," was the subject line. Kent thought it sounded like the name of a planet in some science fiction book. "OK, I'll bite." He opened the email. </span></div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-51857206021438849142018-04-17T10:52:00.000-04:002018-04-17T10:52:03.265-04:00The Boston Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday I spent a good deal of my time paying attention to the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon. It was a great day for USA, with 7 of the top 8 women (12 of the top 15!) being Americans, including Desiree Linden being the first US woman to win in 33 years. Ten of the top 15 men were Americans.<br />
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That was pretty fun to watch. Plus watching Yuki Kawauchi from Japan win his FOURTH marathon of the year. I like this guy. He's like a lot of my friends. Except a lot faster. (Most elite runners will do at most 2 marathons a year!)<br />
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The other thing I found that got me going was the 122nd Boston Marathon on the medals. My first Boston medal said 100. It's been 22 years since then, when I got in because they had a special lottery for the100th marathon and I entered and got in. I was still training for my first marathon when I sent in the entry.<br />
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What a 22 years it's been. That Boston was my 3rd marathon. This weekend I'll be running marathon #323. In the years in between, I've seen all the states multiple times, run marathons in 32 countries, on all seven continents. I've met thousands of people, and many have become good friends. I've watched while people tested their limits and found out that they didn't actually HAVE limits.<br />
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If you went to school with me, you know I was never athletic. I had asthma as a kid and couldn't play sports for crap anyway. I was frequently picked last for the teams in gym class. I got a varsity letter by being on the debate team.<br />
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But running. I found out I could do that quite a while later. It changed my life. In the running world, you can be fast or slow and still find lots of people to hang with. You can help other people reach their goals. You can pretty much do anything you want. It doesn't matter if you're fat or skinny, young or old, or most anywhere on the continuum of humanity. Runners will welcome you.<br />
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I've been a marathon runner for over 22 years now. It's an amazing life. I hope I'm around to watch the 200th Boston Marathon.</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-27949654675250953832018-04-16T09:48:00.002-04:002018-04-16T09:48:58.773-04:00Boston Marathon Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Five years ago--this happened. The memory is still fresh. April 15, 2013<div>
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Monday afternoon, I stood at the 26 mile mark of the Boston Marathon, and with great pride watched as Francine Robinson ran by me on her way to a sub-4 hour, personal best Boston Marathon. I ran down the sidewalk toward the finish, then walked, then was stopped by the wall of spectators. I cut through a store and out the other side, and as I walked around the block to get past where the finish line was on Boylston Street the text message came over my phone telling that she had finished in 3:59:23. I was proud, excited. Seconds later a loud explosion happened. I thought maybe it was a construction site or something, then a few seconds after a second explosion happened. A Boston cop hurried by and was on his radio. "<span class="il">Two</span> <span class="il">bombs</span> by the finish line" is all I heard him say. I was on the phone, trying to locate Francine, she didn't answer. She had just finished within a minute or <span class="il">two</span> of the blast. I left a message, sent a text, and tried to find my way around the block.</div>
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Immediately, cell phones were in action everywhere, and getting calls in and out was next to impossible. TJ Suchocki managed to reach me and became my relay person for messages and information. After repeated attempts at text and calls, Francine and I reached each other at the family reunion area. </div>
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The City of Boston reacted in the most remarkable fashion on Monday. As soon as the blasts went off everyone took action. Runners who were stopped before turning onto Boylston were immediately met by Bostonians pouring out of their houses, offering help, drinks, their houses and their bathrooms to confused sweaty-and-getting-cold runners. Boston police, FBI, National Guard, and what seemed like every ambulance in New England were on the scene immediately. Businesses that were open welcomed displaced runners and spectators in out of the cold. </div>
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Our rental car was stuck under the Prudential Center, which was part of the locked down portion of the city. As we walked around a few blocks looking for a place to get in out of the cold a young girl saw Francine's medal and said, "God bless you, I'm glad you're safe," as we passed each other on the street. We found refuge at the Cheesecake Factory and stayed for quite a while, eating and drinking and hanging out with other runners. Everyone was on Facebook and checking up on each other via text messages. Phone service was spotty, with all the bandwidth jammed, but the occasional call we could get out was relayed to family and friends. </div>
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People pull together in the face of these events. Our friends, Carol Neckel and Nancy Wooley invited us to spend the night with them at their hotel. On the way there, a woman who was helping us with directions saw that Francine looked cold and offered to give her the sweater she was wearing. Farther down the street a group of guys saw us walking and stopped us just to make sure that we were OK and that we didn't need anything. </div>
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The event was tragic, yes. But it's times like these that remind us that there's more good in the world than bad, and that Americans will come together when we're met with adversity. Boston Marathon Monday was filled with tears of joy and with tears of sorrow. With confusion, with resolve, with strength.</div>
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One of my favorite quotes of the the day is this: If you're trying to defeat the human spirit, MARATHON RUNNERS are the wrong group to target. </div>
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Thank you to all my friends and family who have expressed their love and concern. I treasure you all.</div>
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<img class="CToWUd" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/8CBWEZYl_gju-O0mEKjDNw0Eh_qIbYUu1oZBKfZqOypmLO1gU9NfBBUnKK5HrwoN-VKG8iQn_PvQpZDlbxq0IwVL9dQOy_HcGJ0=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" /></div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-30900132913554328772018-04-15T21:30:00.000-04:002018-04-16T08:38:51.103-04:00Not sure I'll live Forever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Last time I went in for a physical a couple things came back. Swelling in my neck that with some followup and more doctors turns out my thyroid was really big on one side. (I didn't know where my thyroid was before that--should have paid more attention in science class.) In June or July I had half of my thyroid removed. No big deal-home that day and eating normally. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Prostate--things change as guys get older. Stuff to keep an eye on and monitor. Teeth keep needing attention. </span></span></span><br />
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But that brings up the next thought in my head. My own mortality. Not that I'm planning to die any time in the next 40 years, but here's my question: </div>
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Why don't we ALWAYS live like we only had two more years? </div>
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That would mean we stop putting stuff off. Sign up for a trip. Get an estate plan in place. Let someone know where things are. Write good short summaries of everything so somebody can find it somewhere. Spend more time with kids, parents, grandkids. Train your replacement. Write that sonnet. Or novel. </div>
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Stuff like that. Maybe it won't last long, but I'm going to start today by doing just a little bit better. What if I only have two years. May as well make it as amazing as possible. Then I'll work on the next two. </div>
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Meanwhile, I'll deal with the problems when I find out that they really are problems. Right now, they're just unknown stuff. We'll see what happens later.</div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-37823228134273129012018-04-14T15:00:00.000-04:002018-04-15T05:41:34.124-04:00Ten Things I Believe In<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<li><span>Anyone powerful enough to create a universe would have no reason to keep me alive forever</span></li>
<li><span>People are basically good. At least they want to be. We might disagree on the definitions, but I think everyone wants to be good.</span></li>
<li><span>There are good people in every religion. </span></li>
<li><span>Whether there’s a God (god) or not, I’m going to act like I think I should act. </span></li>
<li><span>You don’t do good or refrain from bad because you’re hoping to go to heaven or you might go to hell. You do it because it’s the right thing to do</span></li>
<li><span>Miracles are things that we just don’t understand yet. That’s why there are fewer and fewer of them.</span></li>
<li><span>I don’t care what your religion is. But I really don’t want you to be an asshole.</span></li>
<li><span>Treat everyone as a valuable person. Assume that he or she is one.</span></li>
<li><span>Figure out how to do something nice for someone every day.</span></li>
<li><span>The only way I’ll live forever is by leaving behind a legacy worthy of emulating.</span></li>
<li><span>It’s our responsibility to leave this world in better shape than we found it.</span></li>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-89678002828260369102018-04-13T16:16:00.000-04:002018-04-13T16:16:45.268-04:00It Takes Both Teams To Have A Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I got into a brief discussion with a guy I don't really know very well yesterday. He started in with "oh, you're a Trump supporter," and starting to go off on some of the disrespectful dialog we hear so much of lately.<br />
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"No, I'm not a Trump supporter. But he's the guy we elected."<br />
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"I didn't elect him. Maybe you elected him."<br />
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I decided to cut the conversation fairly short, because clearly it was just a guy wanting to get confrontational for no good reason.<br />
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But it got me thinking later. (What follows is the point I'm making, so don't turn this into a Trump is good or bad discussion!!!)<br />
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When there are two teams playing a game, one of them wins. (I know some games can end in a tie, but ignore those for the sake of this discussion.)<br />
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Can you ever give 100% credit for the win to the winning team? NO. The losing team also had a lot to do with it. One team prepared better than the other. They put the right people on the floor. The team that lost maybe didn't prepare for a particular aspect of the battle. They put the wrong person in at the wrong time. They didn't prepare for everything the other guys were going to throw at them. Both winners and losers get the credit for the outcome.<br />
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We all voted in the last election, right? Whether your person won or lost, we were all part of the process. So instead of blaming the problems on the winner (conservatives and liberals have taken turns at this in the last couple of elections) we should prepare ourselves better for the next election. Put the best team on the floor. Make sure the people are getting what they should have.<br />
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And yes, whoever we each voted for, it wasn't just the winning side. It was WE THE PEOPLE who elected President Trump, President Obama, President Bush, ....<br />
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-85682226470588921102018-04-12T15:48:00.003-04:002018-04-12T15:48:34.383-04:00I'm going to be in another movie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">I'll probably never be a movie star</span></div>
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Maybe you've heard of the Marathon Maniacs. Well, my good friend Nelsen Petersen is making a movie about them. (Or I should say, about us.) He's also posting some of the interviews he does along the way. This week, he talked to me about the Millennium Meadows Marathon, the newest of our events. So if you want to know more about The Meadows, or are wondering why running marathons are similar to having babies, check out this<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001S05xHK9cGtHWs_uUMTrBkG3Ohtq_nTMg4g9NgwUpGhfsJKd8hmsXu3eay281wWBbercr7Oct0ICjYJ8RlkH_Q-4duA_Wt5P16sDaKnnR8RYXQ_XyTmSw3uVD0DRz8escGTKoVwdZh_fx33kqCusfwg%3D%3D%26c%3DQtmPK2f9gDGRvYOopUdpTkXXKrY4kH_nuJ9-3wsurKz9dBFEXItnkw%3D%3D%26ch%3DoyEk2HmGQod--t9G5yGZjK9rOjoYYqb0CdzIugbj3RD1KHG1xn2Gcw%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1523647503326000&usg=AFQjCNFLwMo2W0XbZs_2Btog8PrjDUrgFQ" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzikVVJsbFI&feature=youtu.be" style="color: #09a3ba;" target="_blank"> You Tube video</a> from Nelsen. (Yes, I'm aware that a finisher medal doesn't require 18 years of constant attention after you get it, so go easy with your comments!) </div>
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I've been in a few of Nelsen's videos, including the 2003 North Pole Marathon, and a few others along the way. </div>
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My big screen premier was, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWoPSn6cWU" target="_blank">Our Beautiful Secret</a>, the story of Jonathan Peavey and his family. The whole thing is out there on YouTube. </div>
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I'm probably never going to be a movie star, but it's fun being involved once in a while. </div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-76029394951664032932018-04-11T21:53:00.003-04:002018-04-11T21:53:45.848-04:00I'm trying to find a better quote than this<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Chinese nation is a great nation; it has been through hardships and adversity but remains indomitable. -- </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Xi Jinping</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So the reason I'm trying to find a better quote is that this guy is just ripe for having someone say...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"That's what Xi said"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-77123876469405283022018-04-10T22:17:00.000-04:002018-04-10T22:17:21.491-04:00I promised myself.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every day I’m going to make a blog entry. Today I had a great day. I got to spend a little time with a good friend down in Kalamazoo after making an adjustment to their marathon course. Then I stopped on the way out of town and visited Boatyard Brewery. In spite of the temperature today even being out riding around on my bike was not bad at all.</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-29043516636309105012018-04-09T18:14:00.000-04:002018-04-09T18:14:00.241-04:00Questions I Get Asked<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm a race director. So every day I get asked if people can "partner" with our events. By partner, they really mean they want to sell me something. At least twice a week on T-shirts. Medals. Registration services. Clothing. I usually delete the emails.<br />
<br />
Today I got an interesting thing. Maybe you can give me some feedback. It's from the agent of Matt Beilis, a singer from New York. My immediate thought was, "probably not." But then I listened to a song he did called Marathon. It's inspirational. I like it.<br />
<br />
So here's his video. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vbO6_jTIv4&authuser=0" target="_blank">Check it out.</a><br />
<br />
I'm not sure having a concert in conjunction with one of our events is something that works. But I'm open to suggestions if anyone has some. Let me know.</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-86440866632074209042018-04-08T21:41:00.000-04:002018-04-08T21:41:05.615-04:00What Time Is It?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in.<br />
<br />
After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out.<br />
<br />
It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk, and I need you now.<br />
<br />
It's quarter to three. There's no one in the place, except you and me.<br />
<br />
And she says, Baby, it's three a.m. I must be lonely.<br />
<br />
The six o'clock alarm would never ring.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi, hi, hi beautiful Sunday. this is my my my beautiful day.<br />
<br />
Monday, Monday, so good to me.<br />
Tuesday's dead<br />
<br />
Gotta get down on Friday, Everybody's looking forward to the weekend.<br />
Come Saturday Morning, I'm going away with my friend<br />
It's Saturday night and I ain't got nobody<br />
<br />
That's what I have so far. Figured if it's here I can keep editing.</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-77952262828717688422018-04-07T18:00:00.003-04:002018-04-07T18:00:50.023-04:00I get aggravated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Reading posts by people (FRIENDS!) that seem to be designed just to inflame the people on the other side of the issues.<br />
Then people posting responses that are even more inflammatory. Calling the people we put into office (on both sides of the aisle) ignorant, stupid, bitches, and all kinds of other derogatory names.<br />
We can all do better than that. Start out being nice and using words that will help to solve problems instead of making them worse. Get informed about things and help educate the people we elected to office. Make intelligent, well-thought-out arguments.<br />
We can never solve problems by starting with calling the people on the other side names. So everybody start being nice. Please.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-25024662501166390822018-04-06T09:54:00.000-04:002018-04-06T09:54:46.037-04:00Facebook is using my data!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OMG. WTF. OAIDU*<br />
<br />
One time I accidentally posted some information about myself on Facebook. No wait. That didn't happen.<br />
<br />
I "Googled" something and then saw ads on every subsequent site I visited. What a coincidence. I wonder how Yahoo Finance knows I buy Ex Officio underwear. (aside--Don't go searching for a dildo online. Unless you want to be one.)<br />
<br />
We use Gmail too. That's Google. So is Blogger. Literally sending all of our communication through their servers. Apple and Microsoft too--I wonder if they're collecting information about me through their operating systems that can be used to target me for advertising.<br />
<br />
Most people don't really care, I think. The current generation scans all their groceries, then puts their credit card in the slot, allowing the store to instantly associate your name with what you like to buy, and make a decision what kind of coupon to print out with your receipt.<br />
<br />
I'm drinking coffee I bought using my Starbucks app. I get free refills that way. You think they know that I've never once ordered an iced cinnamon almond milk macchiato? I'm betting they do. They'll probably try to sell me one this afternoon.<br />
<br />
Cookies (the computer kind, not the Girl Scout kind) have been around for almost as long as the Internet. You knew that, right? "They" track us whenever we do something. We just need to be aware of what's going on. Pay cash once in a while if you don't want everybody to know everything. Don't publish naked pictures of yourself. Don't say stuff you don't want the government to know. Or Google or Facebook or Starbucks.<br />
<br />
#deletefacebookmyass #maybemovetoacaveinkentuckyorsomething<br />
<br />
<br />
*Other Acronyms I Don't Understand</div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-44844341800675296062018-04-05T11:26:00.001-04:002018-04-06T10:06:22.441-04:00It's Only A Theory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's only a theory. Evolution. Like the other ones. Gravity. Relativity. Planetary motion. You know. that sort of thing.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BXqBXabWXcI/WsY1jrKccRI/AAAAAAAABdk/A0LIPxXX8A8j88bGYU_qzP2Qp3x-GNyBACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_8888.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BXqBXabWXcI/WsY1jrKccRI/AAAAAAAABdk/A0LIPxXX8A8j88bGYU_qzP2Qp3x-GNyBACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_8888.PNG" width="180" /></a>People who want creation taught alongside evolution in science classrooms say "It needs to be taught as a THEORY."<br />
<br />
As if "Theory" means something that we're speculating about. That's not what theory means in a science class. A theory is based on real-life observations. It's well substantiated. Supported by facts.<br />
<br />
We test theories. Scientists observe things. They publish papers. They invite peers to review their findings. They actually WANT other people to prove them wrong if they're wrong. They want other people to further refine the theory.<br />
<br />
Maybe we should teach creation in a science class as a theory. Observe things. Compare findings. If there's evidence of dinosaurs living at the same time as Adam, let's see it. Put it out there with your evidence so other people can compare. Get some substantiation.<br />
<br />
Scientists. Let's not call those who believe in creationism stupid. Let's do what we want them to do. Look at their evidence. Be honest and nice with criticism.<br />
<br />
Creationists--Invite other people to review what you believe. Not with snarky comments. With real life observation and study. Read your initial text book, in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things. Hold fast that which is good. Are you testing things? Examining evidence? Share the evidence. Compare findings.<br />
<br />
Report the findings in science classrooms. Encourage students to think critically and not just blindly accept things. Present your evidence.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-69718581380867940232018-04-04T11:44:00.000-04:002018-04-04T11:44:09.085-04:00When You Come To A Fork In The Road, Take It!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKzgFe8WYVY/WsTyKGLn_WI/AAAAAAAABc8/tX6eCdCA4nsjQXHmbg866olOAHx5qOxSgCLcBGAs/s1600/Forks%2Bin%2Bthe%2Broad.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKzgFe8WYVY/WsTyKGLn_WI/AAAAAAAABc8/tX6eCdCA4nsjQXHmbg866olOAHx5qOxSgCLcBGAs/s320/Forks%2Bin%2Bthe%2Broad.jpeg" width="271" /></a></div>
First Saturday in December, 2015. We were running by the Coke Plant and there it was. A fork. Bent up a little bit from being run over. I knew what I had to do. I picked it up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three months later, I was running the Savin Rock Marathon in West Haven, Connecticut. <o:p></o:p>It's a double course (it used to be just a half marathon), flat for the first 4 miles, hilly for 5+ miles then flat for the last 3 or so. I was running with a new friend around mile 7 when my foot hit a piece of metal. It jingled against the pavement and I looked down. Another fork. Obviously run over a few times. I picked it up and carried it for the last six miles of the loop and stuck it in the ground near a fire hydrant by the finish line while I went out for my final 13 miles. I had come to a fork in the road. So I had to take it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Yogi Berra, the legendary baseball player who just died sometime in 2015, I think, was not only one of the greats of the game, he was also famous for his interesting quotes. One of his most famous was, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." And, being "one of those guys," it seemed to be the thing to do.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A year later, in Fort Smith, Arkansas for another marathon, somewhere around mile 14, was another one. A nice black handle on it this time. Remembering Yogi's famous words, I stuck it in my little waist pack and took it with me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running marathons. Sometimes we need distractions. Sometimes, that distraction comes from a fork in the road. Sometimes it's even a literal fork. Whatever gets us through the miles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23527693.post-63217088127658051712018-04-03T10:07:00.003-04:002018-04-03T10:07:36.927-04:00I Quit Buying Lottery Tickets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I never bought too many of them. But it's kinda fun thinking about what to do with all that money when the jackpots get over $100,000,000.<br />
We were having some post run food and fellowship at Christina's house one time, when Paul asked me, "Don, what would you do differently if you won that much money?" He had a point.<br />
<br />
We get to decide how we want to live our lives. My choice is to stay in shape, and collect experiences rather than "stuff." So having tons of money wouldn't mean driving fancy cars or buying a huge house or something. I do take trips frequently, but really enjoy being frugal when I'm doing that. Road tripping with an occasional night spent in my car. Marathons, mountain hikes, microbreweries, hanging out with friends. Doesn't have to be expensive. When all I'm doing is sleeping, an inexpensive bed is as good as a fancy hotel.<br />
<br />
Life is pretty abundant already. Enough to eat. Enough to wear. A warm place to sleep. I'm pretty happy with what I have. So when the jackpot got to half a billion last week, I wasn't even thinking about it much.<br />
<br />
But in the case of a hypothetical win--I'd do more charity work. I'd hire a couple people to help putting on marathons. Maybe a personal trainer. But I'd try really hard not to complicate my life any more.<br />
<br />
I answered Paul when he asked the question: "I'd sit in First Class a lot more often."<br />
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Don Kernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998452635231107963noreply@blogger.com0