Rocky BalBina

My husband had school off today in honor of MLK, and it was raining, so all odds were stacked against me and any motivation to go running. But I went, at about 7:30. I felt a little bit like Rocky Balboa with his determined strides and sweaty face with the elements crashing down, except I did not start my morning by drinking raw eggs, yuk! And I also passed on the opportunity to punch the carcasses on meat hangers--there are not many of those where I live--most people here are vegetarian. Anyway, I must tell you of an interesting fellow who crossed my path this morning. I shall call him the crazy, fishing professor. Halfway into the rainy run, along the sidewalk, I spotted a man with gray tattered hair flaring from a fisherman's hat, a striped polo, and a heavy-duty pair of cargo pants. He was stopped about 30 yards ahead and I thought that the gray mass next to him was a dog relieving itself, but as I passed, I saw that it was a plastic bag...full of plastic bags. He didn't say anything or even step to the side when I passed. I thought maybe he was collecting treasures that had fallen from the trees in the recent storm, ya know, observing, professor-like. He was a perplexing, weird little man, and I didn't give him a second thought until later when I was driving to the grocery store. He was crossing the street where I was stopped at an intersection. He had a grocery cart filled with bags, filled with bags. I finally realized he was crazy when I saw him muttering to an invisible companion. And his bare left butt-cheek was peeking out from a huge tear in his cargos--just flapping in the wind. Oh boy, poor crazy, fishing professor. After the run I felt really nasty, like I just jumped out of a murky swamp. So I shed the stinky clothes and stepped on the scale, and guess what? I AM DOWN 7 POUNDS. It was exactly what I needed to get me over the "I'm so sick of this" hump. Wooo Hoo, Go Me, Eye of the Tiger, and other such motivational thoughts!!