Category Archives: Exercise

Colorado, Exercise, Fort Collins, Religion

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 30TH, DECEMBER 2018

December 30, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

Well I hope that everyone had a Happy Holiday!! Or a Merry X-mass!! Or in the original, a Happy Saturnalia!! How every you want to say it or celebrate it, I hope it was a good one!!

THE snow has been great. Wow, let me just say it again. This has been a great ski season so far. I am at 14 for the number of snow days now. And it continues to be good. I haven’t been out skiing this much… well, I guess since my kids were younger and they were in ski and snowboard programs. I am truly hoping that the snow continues in the mountains. Funny, I say mountains because here on the Front Range of Colorado we are still in what is considered a drought. Where I live in Fort Collins, we only average about 15 inches of moisture per year and as of this date we are still about 6 inches behind, a little more than 1/3 of our total moisture. Crazy. But and there is always a but, as an old farmer told me once, “Most things out here are irrigated, so as long as it snows in the mountains, we should be good.” And so that is what I am hoping!!

**Cathy Fromme Prairie Trail in Fort Collins, Monday, December 17**^th, temperature was close to 60 degrees!

Riverbend Ponds in Fort Collins, December 29^th, 2018

**Riverbend Ponds in Fort Collins, December 29^th, 2018 – Wow!! You never know what you might see!!**

Trying to get in a little bit of last-minute walking, biking and running for 2018. Again, that is what is pretty cool about Fort Collins and the Front Range of Colorado is that you can ski in the mountains and then you can come down and do some fair-weather activities too. It can still be cold but no ice or snow on the ground and as long as the sun is on you… not too bad.

???????????WHAT WILL RELIGION DO???????????

“You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.” Anonymous
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple. The philosophy is kindness.” – Dali Lama
“If your religion requires you to hate or hurt someone. You need a new type of religion.” – Unknown
“Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.” – Mark Twain
“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So, a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understand of mankind.” J. Krishnamurti
“We shouldn’t even need the word “atheism”. If people didn’t invent ridiculous imaginary gods. Rational people wouldn’t have to deny them.” – Ricky Gervais
“Your ignorance of scientific knowledge is not evidence that god exists.” – Unknown

The last couple of weeks I have been doing a little bit of contemplating of how religion will change over the next 10 to 20 years. And change it must. As we continue down the path of better understanding of the laws of nature and our place in the universe, religion will have mounting pressure to adapt. Or maybe I should say that those who use religion as power, a way to exert control on the masses, will have to adapt. New discovers are being made every day in science, in all fields of science, around the world. If you want to see how fast things are coming out, check out the website called:
https://phys.org/ Most the articles are a synopsis of the topic, usually one or two pages long, and have a link to the original article at the bottom. On each article heading at the bottom there is a clock showing how long ago the article came out. If you follow the web page for a week or two, it become readily apparent that things are moving along at a good clip. Ray Kurzweil the American inventor, author and futurist talks about the “Coming Singularity. Where things change so fast that it seems like magic so to speak. One day something is not possible then tomorrow it is. The web site covers all aspect of science. From hard Astrophysics to Biology and Medicine.

Not really sure how religion will eventual deal with it all? Take the example of exoplanet discovery. When the first discoveries were made over 20 years ago, the science and scientist involved did not get much attention other than a little ridicule from their peers. Now the number of exoplanet discoveries are staggering. There are over 3000 known exoplanets as of June of 2018?! Just think of that for a moment.

And then realize that we are only looking at a very, very small fraction of the known universe. I read somewhere that it was like “Looking at a glass of seawater sitting beside the ocean.” We are not even scratching the surface yet and there are already 1000s of discovered exoplanets. Unreal. We are not the center of the Universe. How does religion cope with that? And what happens when life is inevitable discovered on one of these exoplanets or moons of exoplanets? How does that fit into any “Earth Religion”? Maybe it will be time to write a new “divinely inspired” section to the Bible, to the Koran, to the Buddhist text, etc.…. to help explain exoplanets!! Do a quick web search and you will find that the “exoplanet discoveries” have already been analyzed by “creationist” and they have come to some interesting rationalizations. My favorite is when they twist words from the bible to mean whatever they want or need for explanation. I think that they are going to have to do better than this! We are but a small speck in our galaxy. What hubris to think that our planet is the only planet with life.

Genetics and Synthetic Biology is another huge game change in my opinion. Recent advances in this field have given us the ability to change the human genome forever. We now have the capability to manipulate genes at the sperm and egg level without “controlled” breeding. The potential, good or bad for Eugenics is a real possibility. To create plants, animals and humans that have never been seen before on planet earth. What if you designed telomers that never shortened? Lifespans could become a moot point. Live as long as you want, no need for the Buddhist idea of rebirth, or Christian and Muslim heaven, or hell. How would religion cope with that?? There have already been advances with Synthetic Biology that are just mind blowing when you think about the potential possibilities. DNA is made up of four building blocks, Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine – all life, as we know it, is made up this way. But now researchers have living microbes that have 6 building blocks. A totally, never before seen organism on this earth, semi-synthetic and most important making proteins…. Check out this clip on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H1tUMRJoeo

The implications of rapid advances in genetics and how it will affect synthetic biology are incalculable, for a better understanding check out this Wiki page on Synthetic Biology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology Or do what I did and re-watch the short TED talk on YouTube that I posted above and then try to imagine all the possibilities!!

AI is another one that gives me pause when it come to religious thinking. While we have not created a “sentient” AI yet (that I know of), I believe that the day will come when we do. This will be another game changer. I think that just creating very, very smart Algorithms or what I would call “Super Smart Calculators”, will get us closer, but not “sentient”, the true break through could be some kind of semi-synthetic modified organism or animal or human mated to hardware… Wow the ethics involved in that?! Crazy?!

When I think about some of the advances in the above topics, it is not too hard to imagine these scenarios or something similar happening. How does religion handle that? How much twisting of the “holy word” will that take to explain the above advances in science? If we colonize Mars or the Moon, do we take the same old religions and their associated dogmas with us?! Do we want to create the same old hatreds, bigotries, intolerance’s, prejudices, racism’s that exist on earth today because of religion? Do we recreate them on Mars or the Moon? And if we don’t, what do we replace it with?

I think there is a solution. All religions, MINUS THE GODS, have some great pieces of psychology and sociology incorporated into them. These thoughts and writings have been refined over time to help explain and guide human nature and morality. They are as true today in some cases as they were 10 thousand years ago. Why not create a true Universal Moral Code that incorporates the best from all religions. But no belief in any “magical beings.” Something similar to what Dr. Kent Keith came up with in 2003 when he was writing about morality and ethics.

The advantages to be able to do this would be immeasurable to the human race. Can you imagine, if we gave up the belief in the supernatural (i.e. Gods) and moved to some kind of “Universal Moral Code.” No more wars, death and destruction based on religion or the excuse of religion. Something that could be applied to all aspects of life, that we all agree upon, that treated ever one equally and fairly. That could be applied to a person and a business. That could curb the excesses and greed of capitalism and Corporations. That did not see Science as the enemy? Isn’t it about time the human race left the trappings of the belief in a Godhead and moved into a modern age of enlightenment? This could be the first step…. The question becomes will we do it willingly or will it be forced upon us by continuing advances in science??

Search for Enlightenment by Simon Gudgeon.

That is about it for me on this blog post. Hope I have given you dear reader something to think about. Damn, where did the time go!? It’s almost a new year. What will 2019 bring? Oh well I guess we will have to wait and see. There is an old saying that “Reality is stranger than Fiction” and I truly believe that to be true. I do not think that 2019 will be any different. So, take care my friends. Set those New Year’s resolutions and get healthier!! I will see you next year!!

**X-mass Dinner with some of the family 2018**

Exercise, genetics, Science, Skiing

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 14th, DECEMBER 2018

December 14, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

I hope that it has been a good week for everyone!! The thing I would like to talk about in this blog is one that I really think will be a game changer in current and ongoing human evolution. It starts with the news out of China a few weeks ago. A researcher there has genetically modified two human babies prior to fertilization to prevent both from becoming HIV positive because one parent has HIV. This sounds like a rather simple issue but it is huge…. Sounds great on the surface, but what does it really mean? The researcher modified the germ-line, another words, before conception, at the sperm and egg level. And the way that I understand it, these two babies will carry this modification for the rest of their lives and will be able to pass it along to their offspring, who will pass it along to their offspring, who will…. So, the picture becomes a true, possible permanent change in the human genome. These two kids will look like us, but have never existed in the history of humans. Let me say this again, their genomes, have never existed in the history of humans, until now. That in and of itself is pretty amazing but it gets better.

**Could an x-men scenario become a reality!!**

CRISPR (clustered regularly inter spaced short palindromic repeats)– the gene editing technique that allowed the “precision” to do this can be applied to all kinds of conditions and diseases caused by your genetics. Now imagine you are planning a family and you want a child to be stronger, have denser bones, or to run faster, for example. Well…. The genes to edit for this are all known. See the You Tube video link for an explanation: https://youtu.be/uaNHUTIbqdo

If you have the money and political clout, who is going to stop you? Who is going to stop you from permanently altering the human genome for your own child’s benefit or your countries benefit? And when your child grows up and has kids, what will these passed along alterations, potentially change in the next child, etc.…. If you are wondering like I was about this, take a look at some Science Fiction on the subject. You might have seen a few of these already but here is a short list of some of my favorites. Remember that every technological change that has occurred in our world was once just Science Fiction.

**Great movie about the manipulation of genetics and how it creates the haves and the have nots. Well worth the rental!**

**Fantastic TV series on genetics and the potentials for good or bad with Cloning. A five-season series that is well worth the rental!**

**A book series (three books) created by Nancy Kress about what can happen for good or bad, when you mess with the human Genome. One of my favorites**.

There are many,many more examples in popular culture (movies, TV, books, magazines) of stories about the good and bad of genetic modification. My point in writing to you dear reader about this is that sometimes the things that truly change the world are what seem on the surface small. They make little waves and are soon pushed aside in the noise of everyday life. I believe the events that happened in China about 9 months ago, present today as twin new born girls, are one of those things. Life on this planet as we know it has changed, it might not be readily apparent yet, but it has. I used to think that the next big evolution inhumanity would be a machine interface of some kind, but now I am not so sure. It might still be part of the picture but “genetics” will play an immense role. And of course, this could be looked at as good or bad. It will really depend on other forces that have the potential to drive it. As a recent example, there is a push by the Religious Right to end research on fetal stem cells. Some of this research has to do with curing HIV. If you limit this area of research, then a real-life example is what I just talked about. Since the Chinese Genetics researcher has shown that he can prevent the transmission of HIV, how many others will take this approach, because fetal Stem Cells are out of reach? What will be the consequences?? Are we ready for the changes coming to our world??

**Could a “Super Solider” be part of our future. A new/old idea – rebirth of the “Warrior Cast.”**

**Back Country Skiing at Cameron Pass!!**

Well I have to say that the last couple of weeks have been good!! The skiing has been great and I really cannot complain. I guess if I did though, the only fly in the ointment is that I have to work a little bit and take a class or two?! What is that about?? Oh well, I do have to work at the day job in order to pay the bills and keep doing what I want and love to do. And let me say it again the skiing has been great!! I love Colorado, where else can you get in skiing at two or three different resorts and disciplines in the same day?! Really there are not too many places on earth that would allow that kind of access just due to the logistic of time and travel. And if that was not enough, to come home, back to Fort Collins, and the next day do a fantastic bike ride or trail run?! So cool. Now of course it does not always happen that way due to weather or having to work but these past few weeks it has been…. Just fantastic!!

A question that I get a lot, is why don’t I play golf? And the answer I give is “I don’t have time.” Between all the other outdoor activities that I like to do, the problem becomes one of just not having enough time. I feel this is a good problem to have. One of the best decisions I ever made was to leave Texas and move to Colorado. There are a lot of good people down there in Texas, but just not the opportunity. Especially for the outdoors. Teddy Roosevelt became president a little too late to help with land preservation in the state of Texas.

**A-Basin early in the AM on Tuesday, November 27^th, getting ready for a Randonee Race!! 11F degrees in the parking lot!!**

**Loveland ski area at the Eisenhower Tunnel looking North, same day as the above picture, but in the afternoon. You can just make out I70 at the bottom!!**

**Riding on the Spring Creek trail in Fort Collins Wednesday afternoon, November 28^th. Love riding this bike!! Trek Cross Country 29er with lockable shocks so that you can ride bike trail or dirt!!**

**Contemplating a long bike or trail run, beautiful afternoon weather, Saturday 8^th,December 2018. I went with the run!**

**Snowshoe trip at Montgomery Pass, Monday December 10^th, lots and lots of snow!!**

Well that is going to be about it for me this week. Need to get back out there and do some more skiing. Hope your weekend is a great one. Remember your commits and questions are always welcome. Take care my friends and see you “Out There!!”

Book Review, Exercise, Science, Skiing

MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY 24TH, NOVEMBER 2018

November 24, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

Damn it has been a fantastic week!! And that is the truth of the matter. Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. I had to work but that was OK. Someone has got to do it? Right? Oh well sometimes you are off and sometimes you have to work. And this Turkey Day it was my turn to work.

I started reading a new book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang called “Accessory to War.” So far it seems like a pretty good book on the alliance between science and the military. It is one of those things you don’t really think about to start, but when someone points it out, it is almost like an “aha moment.” My first experience with this idea came in college years ago. The book actually brings back memories of Art History when we studied about Leonardo Da Vinci. Artists at the time needed people to employ them, a “patron” so to speak, and one of the ways to do that was to design and build “war machines”, “castle fortifications”, etc.… all for protection or conquest. Leonardo was employed in 1487 for this very reason by the Duke of Milan. At the time Italy was made up of a collection of City States that were constantly at war with each other and if you had the ability to design and build these types of implements, then you were very employable. I am guessing that you could go back since time immortal and find evidence of alliances like this. Again, I am not that far into the book but it seems pretty good for now. I will let you know if I change my mind. You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Accessory-War-Unspoken-Alliance-Astrophysics/dp/0393064441/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542701177&sr=8-1&keywords=accessory+to+war

The afternoons the last few days have been beautiful here on the Front Range of Colorado. Very nice weather for running and some beautiful sunsets to boot. The four pictures below were all taken on the same afternoon/evening but at different times. Looking at them again I am amazed how the light changed over the course of about 30 to 45 minutes.

FIRST PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

SECOND PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

THIRD PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

FOURTH PICTURE – MOON RISE – LOOKING EAST.

Well… You might be wondering why I posted the quotes from different scientists? The reason is I really believe that if we as a nation want to make “America Great Again” – this is where the focus needs to be. As problems of our planet and society become more and more convoluted. We need better solutions for all of us living together. I would say that this is so important in the next 20 years that we need to make all College Level Scientific degrees free for anybody who wants one. And if you get into one area of study and want to change then you can do it without any repercussions. I believe America will be behind most of the developed world within the next few years if we don’t make this switch. My personnel opinion is that all education needs to be high caliber with minimal cost. So that even someone in a single parent household can go to school. All schools should be merit based, not dependent on how much money you have or can pay. Truly, putting all politics aside, if you want to help this country continue to be a world leader then you need to offer free college for Science Majors (all science majors, master’s programs, PhD programs) – pull the money you need out of the military budget. I mean it is going to benefit them in the long run anyway. Or tax all churches and religious organizations, put the money into science education. Prayers do not cure you of your antibiotic resistance staph infection, only the next generation of antibiotics will. We need to continue to move away from the comforting “make believe” of religion and put more effort into hard science. Our future, our children’s future, humanities future depends upon it.

Science is the key to our future. Especially if you want to avoid the massive problems that occur when major calamities strike, natural and man-made. We are in a very interconnected world that is becoming more connected every day. Whether we like it or not, we are a “global community.” Let me say that again, we are a global community. And to manage something as big as an entire global community takes a whole new understanding and level of science. As a nation we can continue to be a part of this or we can allow the world to pass us on and be eventually “told” by the rest of the world what to do and how to do it. I believe it is in our best interest to be part of the later…..

Well that is going to be about it for me this week. Cross country skiing is getting really good at the moment, much better than last year. I was at Snow Mountain Ranch in Grand Country earlier in the week and the snow was great. This time last year I could have been mountain biking on the same trails. It is snowing in the mountains this weekend, so the skiing next week should be fantastic!! I hope to see you out there on the trails or at the ski slope. Take care my friends and may you have a great weekend!!

Book Review, Colorado, Exercise, Politics, Skiing

MUSINGS FOR WEDNESDAY 14TH, NOVEMBER 2018

November 14, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both.” – Brene Brown

“Don’t try to win over the haters. You’re not a jackass whisper.” – Brene Brown

Life is good and I cannot complain too much. Wow what a start to ski season!! Some of the best early snow conditions for the Central and Northern Mountains of Colorado. I have already been up 5 times this year. A few times to Loveland and a few times to A-basin. Very nice indeed. Now, only if the conditions can continue. That is a big if and it remains to be seen how much moisture will fall in the next 60 days or so. But for now, I am going to enjoy what is there and not worry too much about the future.

LOVELAND SKI AREA LOOKING WEST ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 7^TH, 2018

FROM THE LAKE DILLON BIKE TRAIL LOOKING WEST ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 7^TH, 2018

A-BASIN SKI AREA THURSDAY 8^TH, NOVEMBER 2018

I spend a lot of my ski time in Summit County. This is a great place in Colorado. I like to think of it as an outdoor mecca but with all the conveniences of a modern city. The major towns which are all somewhat close together are Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco and Breckenridge. The county is home to 4 major downhill ski resorts, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and A-Basin, not to mention a few cross-country areas. Add in a little backcountry access and you truly have an outdoor playground. If you like the outdoors it is a fun place to be anytime of the year.

Finished up another book this past week called “Democracy in Chains: The deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America” by Nancy MacLean. I found it an interesting book. The book is about James McGill Buchanan, Charles Koch and the Libertarian Right. Buchanan was a Nobel Prize Winner in economics. He won the prize for what is known today as “Public Choice Theory” – the ideas on how people make or don’t make decisions in the political realm. MacLean’s book does not really go into this too much. She was more concerned with the idea that Buchanan saw a conflict between economic freedom and political liberty. She paints a picture of Buchanan being secretly racist and wanting to suppressing economic freedoms and democracy for the poor to benefit the rich. Charles Koch, a billionaire – 8^th richest person in the world as of June 2018, comes into the picture when he discovers Buchanan’s work. Koch is painted in the book as what I would call an advocate of the “Super Libertarian Right.” The old story that less government, less corporate welfare, less government spending on social programs, health care, etc.… is the best way to improve things (but mainly for the rich). MacLean feels that Koch saw his ideas overlapping with Buchanan’s work quite a bit and because of that, Koch and the “Libertarian Right” have been able to push their ideas forward in government based on that work. As an example, she points out: recently passed laws designed to cause problems with unions, the increase in privatization of schools (school vouchers), the defunding of universal health care, and threatening social security to just name a few.

The part of the book for me that I found most worrisome and disturbing is that the wealthy “Libertarian Right” does not seem to care who gets hurt in the process. Can’t get health care for your Cancer, well too bad, better luck in the next life, need an education, well if you can’t pay for it then you don’t get it (even at the grade school level). All this does not benefit the majority of people in the country. Just the wealthy. I have a few friends that persistently believe in the erroneous “Deep State” conspiracy theory ideas. What they really need to do is read this book by MacLean. Here is a true conspiracy that will only benefit the rich and not the majority of people in the country. You can find the book on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Chains-History-Radical-Stealth/dp/B072J2MTWT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542005455&sr=8-1&keywords=democracy+in+chains . I got the book as an Audio Book but I think it might have been better to do the kindle edition or paperback so that you can go back and easily reread sections.

Did my first Rando race of the season yesterday (Tuesday), at A-basin. It is part of a five-part series called Rise and Shine. It is an uphill challenge. Yes, you ski uphill with skins and take them off at the top and race down. Then repeat. This race was timed for an hour to see how many runs you could get in. I improved some and was able to get in 3. Last year I was only able to do about 2 in that first hour. A chilly start for this race – the temperature in the parking lot when I arrived was 4 degrees F. But lucky in that there was no wind.

WARM UP BEFORE THE RACE.

A CHILLY START THIS AM – 4 DEGREES F IN THE PARKING LOT!!

At the basin it is a very low key event and really you are mainly racing against yourself. Especially at my age. I think that it went pretty well. I am happy that I am just able to do it at my young age of 56.

Well I am thinking that is probably about all for me this week. I hope every one has a great rest of the week and weekend. Take care and hope to see you out on the trails or the ski slope!!

Book Review, Exercise, Life and Meaning, Skiing, Space, Truth and Perception

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2018

November 6, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Our posturing’s, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” – Carl Sagan

Damn what can I say… It has been a really good week!! Ski season has started and life is good!! Got a chance to go up to Loveland Ski area on Thursday, November 1^st and the snow was great. I am hoping this winter will deliver a ton of snow. The last couple of years have been on the wimpier side or I have just gotten used to a more abundant snowfall when my kids were little. Not really sure. I have not had a chance to really look at the records myself, but I do know that the “water guys” that keep track of this said that the last couple of years were not good for moisture in the mountains. So maybe we are due? That would be fantastic. I used to get upset if we did not get our usual 50 inches of snow here in Fort Collins, but after living here for 30 plus years I am OK with it not snowing! I guess I have gotten old!? What is that about? Where does the time go? Lol. Anyways – all kidding aside, if it would just dump in the mountains so to speak, then most of the state’s water woes would take care of themselves.

I have been watching a course called “The Search for Exoplanets: What Astronomers Know” and I have to say it is pretty amazing. I did not know that the first serious science proposals of what might be out there in the rest of the Universe started in the 1940s. I was thinking that it was much more recent. But it truly started in the 1940s – at that time the technology of astrometry became good enough to detect planets. Astrometry is the measurement of the position of a star on the sky, and if the star has planets, its position will wobble back and forth. Because the technology was crude in today terms, there was conflicting evidence reported back then, so it did not get a lot of attention. Fast forward to the late 1980s and early nineties, add in a few more techniques for detection and things start to get really serious. In 1995 and on, the discover of exoplanets began to grow exponentially, and scientist from around the world were able to corroborate each other’s results. This made a huge difference with the acceptance and birth of “Exoplanetary Science.” What was once Science Fiction has now become accepted scientific fact. It is well worth the money for the course. It is about 12 hours of lecture divided up into 24 mini-lectures. You can find it at the Great Courses: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-search-for-exoplanets-what-astronomers-know.html and you can find used editions on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Search-Exoplanets-What-Astronomers-Know/dp/1629972037/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541360656&sr=8-4&keywords=the+search+for+exoplanets+what+astronomers+know, you can do this course as a audio book or as DVD or Online streaming.

I wanted to post the above quote by Carl Sagan. I think it really hit home with me after finishing the course. We truly are just a speck of dust in a sunbeam. And my guess, is that as we look for more exoplanets, we will find that we are not that special or unique. Very, very sobering indeed.

An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits a star other than the Sun. Over 2000 exoplanets have been discovered since 1988. Specifically, 2098 planets in 1342 planetary systems including 509 multiple planetary systems as of 24 March 2016.

Well that is about it for me on this post. I think that the Ultra season for me this year has come to an end. Even though I did not successfully finish the Run Rabbit Run 100. I still feel pretty good, after all it was 50 miles when I timed out and as someone much wiser than I am at times said, 50 miles is still 50 miles. So, time to get ski season on and enjoy the snow while it is there. I do plan on racing some shorter runs for the remainder of the year and the start of next year, mainly to work on speed. I will let you know how it goes!

A late evening Fall afternoon in Fort Collins.

Take care my friends and maybe I will see you out there on the trails or at the ski slope!!

Colorado, Exercise, Meditations, Psychology, Thankfulness, Truth and Perception

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 30TH, SEPTEMBER 2018

September 30, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“Each moment in time we have it all, even when we think we don’t.” – Melody Beattie

Well it has been a good week. Getting back into running a little bit this week and still doing some bike riding. The weather has been beautiful. We do need rain but at the same time and I have to say it again, the weather has just been fantastic for getting out doors. Truly beautiful. Warm afternoons, with cool mornings. The sunsets have been stunning the past two weeks. And I really cannot complain. All the pictures below were taken in Fort Collins in the late afternoon/ early evening Monday though Thursday. I am fortunate to live where I do.

Lake Sherwood in Fort Collins looking West on Monday evening.

Spring Creek Trail in Fort Collins looking West on Tuesday evening.

Powerline Trail in Fort Collins looking South on Wednesday evening.

Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins looking West on Thursday evening.

It is that time of year again and I am starting the process of putting up firewood. Had two cords of pallet wood delivered this week. I have to say this stuff burns great. The trick to making it a lot less of a hassle to stack is to build your wood racks so that you don’t have to stack it. You can just throw the various pieces in the rack not caring how they land. Took me a few years to figure this out. Lol. This process makes it a lot easier to put it up.

Well on a different note, even though I have everything that I need and really want, there are days that I wake up thinking that I need something more, something different, something new, more money, a different car, a different bike, different running shoes, more this, more that, more, more and more. If you let it, the “More Virus” as I call it, will continue without end. A vicious cycle. Always promising happiness, but never delivering. Never delivering a lasting happiness anyways. This was one of those weeks were I was infected so to speak. First it was thinking that I needed new running shoes, then it was a different bike, next the “monkey mind” wandered on to a different RV (yes, I own an RV), and of course with all these new things, the next logical step was I needed more money, so then you need to work more, etc.… And I won’t bore you with the rest, needless to say this cycle went around and around in my mind for most of the week until about midway through I started to look at the above pictures. As I said before, I collected these over the last week during a run or bike ride and realized that the “More Virus” could jeopardize future moments like this. And that is all it took to comprehend, I was really, really happy this week. It was a very good week and nothing in the “material world” could have added to it. And that inoculated me from the “More Virus” for the week. For next week…Lol….

Well that is about it for me. Have a great week and I hope to see you out there on the trails!! Adios amigos!!

Colorado, Exercise, Psychology, Run Rabbit Run, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 16th, SEPTEMBER 2018

September 17, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

“Run for 20 minutes and will feel better, run another 20 and you might tire, add on 3 hours and you’ll hurt, but keep going and you’ll see and smell and hear and taste the world with vividness that will make your former life pale.” Scott Jurek

“It hurst up to a point and then it doesn’t get any worse.” Ann Trason

Life is good and I cannot complain too much at the moment!! Ed B.

Really love that quote. It is my own, but I am not partial. Just that, it is my reality. As I have gotten older everyday that I wake up and become mindful of taking a breath…well that is a good day.

Looking West towards Cameron Pass

I have been in Steamboat Springs since Tuesday Night. Nice place to just hang out. The drive from Fort Collins to Steamboat was beautiful. The Aspens are in their “changing color” mode and the views were a little extra special around Cameron Pass. Really hard to do it justice with the pictures.

Steamboat itself is an interesting place. After multi visits here over the years, you start to appreciate the “mountain towns” that were actually a thriving community before they became ski area destinations. There is a little more of a solid feel to them than just a tourist trap so to speak. It has the feel of a much bigger town in some respects but still, I think, maintains the small town atmosphere. By 8pm at night, most shops have closed up, except the bars. Which can be an inconvenience or depending on how you see it, refreshing. Even in summer it is a bustling place. Just the amount of traffic on highway 40 (Main Street in town) can be daunghting.

From the base of the ski area

From mid way up Mount Werner

Main Street in Steamboat looking East

Yampa River in Steamboat looking West

Well the Run Rabbit Run 100 went pretty well. We had great weather. A little hot at times, but clear skis for the start of the race. Not like last year with the smoke from surrounding wildfires. The Silver Creek fire did flare up again but luckily the winds were in the right direction to keep the smoke south of Steamboat this year for the 100 mile race.

Looking South from I-40/Hwy 14

From the bike trail in Steamboat

This year, the race for me ended at the 50 mile mark. I timed out. But even with this, it was a great race. This is only the second attempt for me of 100 miles. I timed out 2 years ago at the Leadville 100, again at the 50 mile mark. I learned a lot this weekend. Simple things like running through the woods in the night, staying warm after running 35 miles, what you can eat and not eat, and the proper utilization of drop bags. All of these things sound simple enough but when you are in the thick of things they can all add up to mean the difference from a “death march” type race, to one that is a lot more enjoyable. I have to say I felt pretty good after running the 50 miles. Sure I was sore but I did not feel like I needed the ER. Lol

Before picture!

After 50 miles and 18 hours of running!

I have now done the 50 mile distance 6 times in the last 5 years. 4 times for an actual race finish and twice while attempting 100s. I guess the 100 mile will have to wait another year. My wife Janet is always good to remind me that 50 miles is nothing to put down. As she has reminded me more than once. 50 miles is still 50 miles.

Looking down from Fish Creek Falls Trail during the run

Long Lake, second aid station on the run

This race is consider a “hard” 100 miler and I do believe that it lived up to its reputation. The added Fish Creek Falls Trail section was beautiful, especially the downhill section until the relization hits you that you have to turn around at the bottom and run/walk back up, add in alot of heat for the day and well… you get the picture. I believe I consumed about 10 liters of water for the day. During the night when the temps dropped into the 40s, the aid stations at Summit Lake and Billy’s Rabbit Hole were outstanding. Well organized and very helpful with a palpable energy from the volunteers. I can tell you they truly made a difference in my race. The “potato soup” at both stations was fantastic. All and all the race was what I expected it to be. A class act when you consider that it is all volunteers that are making this happen. I hope to be back next year.

Before I go I would like to give a big thank you to the Race Committee, and all the volunteers. Without you this type of event would not be possible. THANK YOU!!

And a reminder that without the support of the sponsors this event would not be possible. Thank you to: Altra, Honey Stinger, Black Diamond, IceSpike, Smartwool, Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Tailwind, Ultimate Direction.

Well that is about it for me this week. Hope to see you out there on the trails!! Adios amigos!!

Art, Dogs, Exercise, Psychology, Run Rabbit Run

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 9th, SEPTEMBER 2018

September 9, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

“Once you realize that the road is the goal and the that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.” By Nisargadatta

“The goal is the road and the road is the goal.” – My understanding of Nisargadatta!

“The pessimist is not guaranteed a tomorrow. And, if tomorrow does come, the pessimist does not expect to feel better at the same point in the race…. indeed, it might feel even worse. So, the pessimist plugs on and accomplishes their goals today. And today is the only day that counts.” – Gary Cantrell

Well this week has been a better week. Compared to last week things are much better. Losing a furry family member was hard. Especially one like “dog-girl.” It is hard to put into words what she meant to Janet and I. I tried last week to do that with the blog post. Rereading that post this week, still does not seem like I did her justice. But not wanting to dwell on this issue in this weeks post I will move on. Of course, I cannot guarantee that it will not come up from time to time. Coming to grips with change (loss), any kind of change is hard.

Meeker and Longs from the West Side of Fort Collins

Tall Aspens off of Highway 14 in the Poudre Canyon

It has been nice running this week. Good to get out and clear my head after last week. The smoke from the wildfires in West has cleared somewhat and the running has been good. I am trying to get in as much trail running as I can before the Run Rabbit Run. Still shooting for that 100-mile distance. Not sure if I can do it but I plan to try.

I know the old Yoda Saying… “Do or do not, there is not try”. But I am still not that confident that I can do it. I really believe that I can get in a 50 miler this year but how much further can I get – can I do the whole 100? That is the thing that I want to see if I can do. I am anxious just thinking about it. Sooooo, to get myself to the starting line, I have told myself to look at it as “let’s just see how far you can get”, “run at your pace”, “enjoy the experience”, and “see where it will take you.”

Resident Deer on the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins

I never thought of being “pessimistic” as a good thing. But when you see it in the light of the quote above by Gary Cantrell, it takes on a little different meaning. A little touch of “Pessimism” is really helpful in getting motivated to do things. Especially hard things. How many days have I just wanted to stay in bed because the day had something that might be consider tough to do? Way too many. The old saying “put it off tomorrow.” Just let it go. But the next day things actually might be worse. So, the idea is to buck it up and do it. Just like the Nike slogan of “Just Do It.” Get it done. I am still not very good at this but I hope that I am getting better.

Blooming Creosote Bushes in Fort Collins

On a different note, towards the end of August I finished a couple of new pieces of art work. I started to draw anatomical hearts after my son in-law suggested that my oldest daughter liked them. And he wanted me to do a few for her. So, I did. I might have to continue along this line for a while and see where it takes me. If you do a quick google search you will find all kinds of anatomical heart drawings and paintings.

Pen and ink – size is 11 x 14 inches

Pen and ink – size is 7 x 10 inches

Well I think that is about it for me this week. I will let you know how the Run Rabbit Run goes in the next post. Take care my friends, maybe I will see you out on the trails. Remember winter is coming and ski season is just around the corner!! Adios amigos!!

Exercise, Family, Life and Meaning, Meditations, Prius Hybrid, Psychology, Thankfulness

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 29TH, JULY 2018

July 29, 2018 teleskees 2 Comments

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

Well…. has this been another good week?? I guess they can’t all be good weeks…. Or can they?? That is a good question. Everyday that I am able to get up and do the things that are important to me and others is a great day. So, if that has occurred on a majority of the weekdays then I believe it has been a very good week. Life is good and I cannot complain too much is something that I write in a journal each day and it never gets old. I think that it is a good reminder in a way that things could be so much worse. I believe that most of the limits, problems, boundaries that we find in our lives are self-created. And it is in how we use our minds that helps us to navigate these self-created issues. One of the first things that I do each day is to try and remind myself how great it is to just be alive.

Afternoon bike ride this week along the Poudre Trail.

I think that we all have the tendency to look beyond ourselves to try and find “something or someone” to help us to be happier or to blame, but reality is that you and only you have the power to make yourself free. It is not “out there” it is within you and only you. For me I am still learning this lesson, but the first step was the “realization” that it is only you. And that starts with the mind….

“Only a Buddha can realize a Buddha” – From Mountain Record of Zen Talks by John Daido Loori.

On a different note, by the end of this week we are close to the 4-month mark of using the new car. A Toyota Prius Prime, a gas / electric hybrid. I think that we are at 5000 miles already. And all I can say is WOW!! The efficiency of the vehicle cannot be over stated. In the last month Janet has been driving it to work, around town errands, AND we have put ZERO gas in it. The last time we filled it up with gas was coming back from vacation June 26^th. I believe that was just West of Laramie, Wyoming on I-80.

Work for Janet is here in town as are the errands. So, she charges the battery every second day or so and voilà – no gas needed!! Cleaner air, decreased dependence on foreign oil, fewer issues with resource extraction, and a much cleaner environment. In my humble opinion there is no reason to ROLL BACK any gas mileage requirements. Every car coming out in the next few years should all be Hybrids or a the very least “Gas – Hybrids.” Yes, the power grid would need to be upgraded, but that is all achievable with current technology and would provide thousands and thousands job. Every new home should be required to have solar power installed to help in this endeavor. And rebates on Solar for homeowners with existing homes. If you can give millions to the oil and gas industry in subsidies then you can gradually shift that money to the homeowner to help install solar power.

The “CAT DOOR” charger!! LOL

Running this week has been a little bit limited due to work on replacing a roof/deck over the garage. But it still has been good. I am lucky to live in an area in Fort Collins that has great trail access. One of my most convenient and favorite running trails is the Powerline trail. The trail is composted of a hard path surface but also a side by side soft path dirt surface. Very nice for those of us that prefer to run on dirt trails. The other great thing that I have come to enjoy about it are what I call trail apples. Someone years ago, planted about 20 apple trees along a section of this trail. They are small but very flavorful. Everything from tart to sweet and this time of year they are really starting to ripen. So, it is a kind of treat to run this trail, pause and pick a handful to eat and continue running.

Deck and Roof replacement! It will be nice when finally done.

Trail Apples!! Lol

I did not get to run the Never Summer 100k this weekend due to unavoidable work issues. (Could not get the time off) So I will concentrate all my effort on doing the Run Rabbit Run 100 in September. I have never run 100 miles before and I am anxious and curious to see how that feels.

I hope that everyone had a great week and in saying this I want to send you all a little loving kindness for the week to come: May you be free from danger. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.

Until next weekend – Adios amigos!!

Book Review, Exercise, Meditations

MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY 9TH, JUNE 2018

June 10, 2018 teleskees Leave a comment

Plunge Your Whole Life into What You Are Doing

“Just as when you sit in meditation you just sit, when you sleep, be aware of the totality of your whole being going to sleep. When walking, you just walk. When you eat, you are right there just eating. Plunge your whole life into what you are doing at that very moment and live that way. So, we train ourselves to engage our whole being in what we are doing. Whether sitting or eating, you are not engaged in discursive, wandering, or deluded thoughts. All of you—environment, body, and mind—is right there. Whatever you do, whatever the task at hand, your whole life is there at that moment.

Some people may interpret plunging your whole being into the practice or into the task at hand as a very tense approach. This is incorrect. By putting your whole being into whatever you are doing, you are also being relieved from doing anything else at that moment. Therefore, when you are doing that one thing, that is all you have to care about, and you can do it in a very relaxed manner and attitude. In this light, you will better understand the meaning of engaging your whole being in the present task. This is the relaxed and reposed attitude to practice.”

Excerpted from: The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Life has been good this week and I cannot complain too much… Worked Monday and Tuesday at the day job (night shift) and now I am off for a little bit and that is a good thing. Taking a little vacation with Janet. We both decided to do a road trip and use the new car. Should be fun. I will post pictures in the next Blog post to let you know how it is going or not… LOL

Well…. started to do a little bit of walking and running this past week. And it felt great to get out. I was happy that the injured hip did not seem to give me too much pain and I will continue to build back up slowly over the next couple of weeks. Thinking about this, I am wondering if I just pushed it too much with the Yoga while doing hip openers? I think that might be the original cause. Get a small muscle tear or micro tear that you really don’t feel much but then put some running on it… and voila’ you have a full tear? Funny it all comes down to moderation. Too much of this or that and not enough of something else and damn?! Your injured!

Soooooo, going forward I plan on this, one or two days, of a 9-day training cycle, do some Mountain Biking. Yoga only on 2 days during the training cycle and not every other day (like I was doing). And to gently ease back into harder running on trails. Sounds simple…. Right? Right? Ah… the best laid plans of mice and men!! LOL

Still bummed about missing the Dirty Thirty Ultra. But better early in the season than late. I really want to see if I can accomplish two distances this summer, first one is the 100k (July – Never Summer 100k) and the second is the 100 miler (September – Run Rabbit Run 100).

Love the quote that started today’s blog. It struck a cord with me these past few weeks. So hard to keep the mind focused. We have many, many distractions in this day and age. Especially living in a first world country. To be so fortunate, it presents incredible opportunities and if not managed correctly it can be a curse. One way to help with this is the practice of Mindfulness and Meditation. For about 5 years now I have been practicing both. And that is what it is – a practice. There is no endpoint. You don’t have to be Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, etc.…. To practice. Mindfulness meditation works with all religions and it works with no religion. It will over time improve the quality of your life. It has mine. So, I would feel remiss if I did not share this with you. If you are a little bit interested or even just a little curious one of the best books out there to get started is called “Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Gunaratana. I have read it a couple of times now and that is saying a lot from me. Funny, here is a tradition that goes back 1000s of years and it is more relevant today than ever before. The link to Amazon is https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528561458&sr=8-1&keywords=mindfulness+in+plain+english&dpID=516m8PpEPYL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

This book can help start you on a path that will or could, if you let it, change your life. No matter what walk of life you are from. No matter what your background might be. It only requires a small amount of time each day and a willingness to be patient. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme for life. But a slow, steady progression that with time is immensely rewarding. Have you ever wondered why there is a waiting list to get into a Buddhist Monastery or Nunnery? They give up all worldly possessions. They have nothing. Even your next meal is not guaranteed. And yet, there is a waiting list to get in! Now contrast that with a prison, three meals per day, TV, Radio, Reading material, Education, Health Care, Conjugal visits in some cases, etc.…. but no waiting list to get in?? LOL

From the book: “Meditation is called the Great Teacher. It is the cleansing crucible fire that works slowly but surely, through understanding. The greater your understanding, the more flexible and tolerant, the more compassionate you can be. You become like a perfect parent or an ideal teacher. You are ready to forgive and forget. You feel love toward others because you understand them, and you understand others because you have understood yourself. You have looked deeply inside and seen self-illusion and your own human failings, seen your own humanity and learned to forgive and to love. When you have learned compassion for yourself, compassion for others is automatic. An accomplished meditator has achieved a profound understanding of life, and he or she inevitably relates to the world with a deep and uncritical love.”

Well, with that thought, I think that is it for me this week. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Adios amigos!!

Struggling Protoplasm