Your Presence Is Surprising

You still haven't said what you're doing here. Email: angryoldcoot AT gmail DOT com.

[angryoldcoot]

I woke up like this?

[angryoldcoot]

Thanks again to all of you who donated to my fundraising drive for Girls On The Run. You're all amazing, and I couldn't be more thankful. Now let's get racing!

[angryoldcoot]

'Nuff said

[angryoldcoot]

Me with morning coffee as Randall Flagg.

[angryoldcoot]

Hello humans.

As many of you know, I’ve gone and become a runner. This means, in addition to the more commonly cited benefits, I have the opportunity to raise some money for causes I care about while doing something I love to do.

On April 2, I’m running the Shamrock Shuffle, and in doing so, I’ll be raising money for Girls On The Run.

Girls on the Run is an afterschool program for girls ages 8-14 that uses the power of running to inspire girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The program combines training for a non-competitive 5k running event with interactive lessons that encourage positive social-emotional and physical development among participants.

It’s a truly wonderful program, and the money I’m raising will go toward making sure that any girl who wants to can participate, regardless of their family’s financial situation. My fundraising goal is $175 - enough to pay the way for one girl - and anything you are able to give is welcome and appreciated, reblogs included.

I thank you, and most of all, the girls thank you.

[angryoldcoot]

I’m reblogging myself for those more inclined toward morning. Many thanks to those who have already donated, and advance thanks to those who will!

[angryoldcoot]

One last reblog before my race on Sunday. I'm just $50 away from my fundraising goal, so anything you can give is hugely appreciated. The girls and I thank all of you who have already donated, and give our thanks in advance to anyone else helping us out!

[angryoldcoot]

I was writing this whole dialogue between me and my brain about why I'm not writing, and it was funny and revealing and I really quite liked it, and so in a metaphor for futility that is all too close to reality, I closed my phone for a moment before I'd wrapped it up, and now it's gone. Anyway. Not writing. Usual shitty excuses. Insert some rather obvious complement fishing, rinse, repeat.

[angryoldcoot]

Hello humans.

As many of you know, I’ve gone and become a runner. This means, in addition to the more commonly cited benefits, I have the opportunity to raise some money for causes I care about while doing something I love to do.

On April 2, I’m running the Shamrock Shuffle, and in doing so, I’ll be raising money for Girls On The Run.

Girls on the Run is an afterschool program for girls ages 8-14 that uses the power of running to inspire girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The program combines training for a non-competitive 5k running event with interactive lessons that encourage positive social-emotional and physical development among participants.

It’s a truly wonderful program, and the money I’m raising will go toward making sure that any girl who wants to can participate, regardless of their family’s financial situation. My fundraising goal is $175 - enough to pay the way for one girl - and anything you are able to give is welcome and appreciated, reblogs included.

I thank you, and most of all, the girls thank you.

[angryoldcoot]

I'm reblogging myself for those more inclined toward morning. Many thanks to those who have already donated, and advance thanks to those who will!

[angryoldcoot]

Hello humans. As many of you know, I've gone and become a runner. This means, in addition to the more commonly cited benefits, I have the opportunity to raise some money for causes I care about while doing something I love to do. On April 2, I'm running the Shamrock Shuffle, and in doing so, I'll be raising money for Girls On The Run. Girls on the Run is an afterschool program for girls ages 8-14 that uses the power of running to inspire girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The program combines training for a non-competitive 5k running event with interactive lessons that encourage positive social-emotional and physical development among participants. It's a truly wonderful program, and the money I'm raising will go toward making sure that any girl who wants to can participate, regardless of their family's financial situation. My fundraising goal is $175 - enough to pay the way for one girl - and anything you are able to give is welcome and appreciated, reblogs included. I thank you, and most of all, the girls thank you.

[micdotcom]

Sportscaster Dale Hansen defends student wrestler Mack Beggs and takes a stand against transphobia

[phillipshake]

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[angryoldcoot]

I love you all. Now fuck off for 8 hours.

Ancient Parental Sleep Proverb

[angryoldcoot]

This morning I felt - well, I'm going to spare you the analogy; rest assured, it was quite vivid - bad. Lousy. I felt a little worse than I had the day before, and that wasn't good, either. I began to wonder if I was fighting something off, or if I was just reacting to current stress levels. I had brought my gear in to run, but as the morning wore on I decided I should bag it and rest. But then I looked at the weather, and it appeared that if I wanted to get my miles in for the week and still rest on Friday before my long Saturday run I'd have to go both today and tomorrow. So I shuffled down down to the locker room and got ready to go out for what promised to be a dismal session. Except it wasn't. I ran more freely, easily, and quickly than I have in weeks. It was, by any measure, a really great run. And I felt a ton better. Not amazing, but functional, which I was far from before hitting the road. I never thought I would love running. At best, I thought it would be something that I managed to do enough of to stay reasonably healthy. I've tried to start a couple times before, and that's all it was, and in the end, I stopped because I just didn't care enough to push through when it got hard. But here I am, loving running. Pushing myself when it gets hard. Doing it even when I think it'll be a disaster because I have bigger goals in mind. Honestly, I have no idea how I got here. I'm just glad I did.

[angryoldcoot]

The Daughter: I have a lot of product in my hair.

Me (sniffs): Oh, man, it smells like chemically treated cookies.

The Daughter: It smells like sweet, sweet kush.

Me: ...

The Daughter: ...

Me: Aren't you a little young for the weed talk?

The Daughter: FOUR-TWENTY BLAZE IT

[reddragdiva]

Can I punch Nazis? I don’t know. Can you? I am capable of the act, yes. Then you should. May I? The answer to that is also yes.

Can I punch Nazis?

I don’t know. Can you?

I am capable of the act, yes.

Then you should.

May I?

The answer to that is also yes.

My mother told me that violence was never the answer.

My mother told me I was handsome; you can’t always listen to your mother.

What happened to letting the other guy throw the first punch?

Nazis don’t throw the first punch. Nazis burn the first Reichstag.

Aren’t the Left supposed to be the tolerant ones?

Supposed to be the smart ones, too, but they keep falling for that “I thought you were supposed to be the tolerant ones” horseshit.

What about dialogue?

Dialogue is for reasonable people acting in good faith. Dialogue is between two acceptable positions. “Taxes need to be raised” vs. “taxes need to be lowered” is grounds for dialogue. “Taxes need to be raised” vs. “Jews should be thrown in ovens” is grounds for a beating.

But isn’t this sinking to their level?

That depends. After you punch the Nazi, do you espouse the tenets of National Socialism?

No.

Then you’re better than a Nazi.

But doesn’t this just give the other side ammunition?

The other side in this argument are lying fucks who can twist any piece of information into a swastika-shaped balloon animal if you engage them in good faith; lacking a piece of information, they’ll just make shit up. Might as well punch a Nazi.

What about peace, love, and understanding?

Great goals, and once we get rid of the Nazis we can get to work on them. All three are completely impossible when Nazis are about.

When should you punch a Nazi?

Whenever you get a chance. Preferably when they’re not looking.

What if they’re smaller than you?

Hit them with your fist.

What if they’re bigger?

Hit them with a bat.

Isn’t this a slippery slope?

After we defeated the Nazis in World War II, did we keep shooting people or did the troops come home and start having babies?

The second thing.

There you go. The slippery slope argument is nine times out of ten bullshit. Human beings are good with slippery slopes: we build stairs.

What if you think you’re punching a Nazi, but you just hit a white guy with a shitty haircut?

Run.

What should you do if you hit a Nazi?

You should run then, too. Don’t get me wrong: punching Nazis is still illegal. We’re discussing morality.

But I don’t want to punch anyone.

Then get off your duff, mister, and give aid and support to the boys on the front lines. We’re all in this together. Again.

[anasandorpygoscelis-deactivated]

yes, this

[kateceratops]

100% here for the way The Playlist describes the upcoming Polanski film

[angryoldcoot]

This morning we spotted a squirrel with a Totino's Pizza Roll in its mouth. Comments were made about how the local squirrels were feasting on the garbage of the neighborhood, but at least they didn't eat poop - which statement came accompanied with much side-eye directed at our dog. So, as is the way of my people, I composed a suitable verse for the occasion: Credit where it's due, Your mouth's not full of poo. Your canine chums May lick their bums, But that shit's not for you. *curtsy*

[angryoldcoot]

I just thought I'd let you all know that I've apparently come down really hard on the side of calling nearly literally everything Taco Baco

[angryoldcoot]

Today, I went on my last run of the year, a short 3ish miler to work out some gait issues I’ve started having and, hopefully, break a little streak of sub-par outings (it was a moderate success).

After I was done, I saw that I had run 261.3 miles for the year (but who’s counting). Not much, but considering I only began in the middle of August, and from a pretty abysmal fitness level, I am well and truly pleased with where I find myself.

And where I find myself is on a path where I can push myself and fail or succeed but keep pushing because, while I want the results, I want the journey even more. I’ve had multiple abortive attempts to get into this sport, but something clicked this time around - I daresay it’s fully embracing the sport aspect, the competition with myself, rather than doing it to “be healthy,” which I’ve found is, at best, an abstract motivation. I cannot come back from a run and look at an app and say “I am .563% healthier now!” But I can see that I set a personal record, or had some really great splits, or lost all grip on my cadence but I’ll get it back next time. I have clear and immediate results that I can react to and be motivated by. Better health is just a welcome side effect.

My point, if I can say I have one, is that while I’m happy with how far I’ve come, I’m even more excited to see how far I’ll go - both literally and figuratively - and what I’ll learn about myself along the way.