Hunter Thompson provides a weird interview to CBS Marketwatch. It's rough to pull any kind of coherent statement from his ramblings, but he seems to think that there's not really anything to be scared about, and that the media is causing undue terror in the public.

Now, I'm not scared. I don't go through the day worrying that I'm going to be killed by a terrorist at the turn of every corner. But I do recognize that we are dealing with an enemy which has every intent of ending our nation and creating worldwide Islamic rule. So it follows that we should be paying attention, and that we should stay focused.

Thompson then goes on to take a few shots across the bow at his favorite family, the Bushes. He's not senile, and he's not delusional, but he's definitely isolated from reality. It seems as if his ability to articulate the real causes for Fear and Loathing has slipped.

But I still love his books, and if he does any more interviews, I'll be right there, paying attention.

Posted 3:41 PM by Jackson Cooper |

As I do frequently, I was talking to my dad on the phone last night. We were talking about getting in shape. I've been trying to get into good enough shape to enlist, and he's coming off of a knee injury, and needs to rehabilitate. So, he tells me that he'll be at my door at 5am to go running this morning.

Jesus.

But I need it, so I told him I'd be up and ready when he got there. And I was. I managed to go to bed at 9:30 and didn't have too much trouble rolling out of bed at 4:45.

I slid out of the bed and into the bathroom, cupped my hands under the faucet and poured some cold water on my head. I popped the contacts onto my groggy eyeballs and got dressed.

I did a little stretching until my dad got there. He looked like he had a hard time getting up. And after he told me he went to bed at midnight, I understood why. We did some more stretches and headed out.

I live in an apartment complex, which isn't conducive to accident-free jogging. So we walked across the street to a small neighborhood with a little more room for safe passage. It was a little tough to get going, but once I gained a little momentum, I did alright. We ran down a little road lined on one side by small, featured-garage rental units and on the other by large high tension electric line towers.

Somewhere around the Elk's club, my legs started to tighten. Carrying as much weight as I do puts an unhealthy stress on the muscles on the outside of my lower leg, connecting calf and ankle. These little but important muscles tied themselves into a tight knot, on each leg. So I walked around the parking lot of the Elk's club, trying to stretch the pain away.

After a little walking, the pain subsided and I was ready to run again. But it wasn't long before my ankles gave in. Shooting pain leapt up the sides of my legs. Any strength that was left in my legs after the first incident was now gone. So I hobbled the rest of the way down the road and back to my apartment.

A little discouraged, my dad reminded me that this was only my first day, and that "It will get easier". Then he asked if I'd be up and ready to run again Saturday.

I would probably be able to get into shape on my own eventually. But having a father who has been there before, and who got himself into shape before going into the Army, makes a world of difference. He's there to push me, and to help me along. He's also there to answer questions about what it might be like in the Army, and what to expect in boot camp.

So I will be up again tomorrow, ready to push myself towards my goal. But I won't be alone.

Posted 11:40 AM by Jackson Cooper |

I tried to make yesterday as normal a day as possible. I hit my snooze button a few too many times. I took a little too long in the shower, leaving barely enough time to make some toast for breakfast. I went to work and spent the first couple of hours reading blogs. I ate Arby's for lunch, and decided to head across town to get my haircut at the Bon Air barber shop, where I've been going for years.

I tried to get work done. I didn't do much, really. But that was about as normal as it can get.

After work I went straight to Seneca park for a little baseball in the beautiful clear September evening. Not many people showed for the game, so it was just batting/fielding practice. I didn't play well.

Once it became too dark to distinguish the ball coming quickly towards my head from the trees, clouds and setting sun, I went home. There wasn't much that looked good in the fridge, but I managed to eat well.

Wednesday night used to just be Bluegrass Jam night. Now it's baseball then Bluegrass Jam night. So I got a shower and thought about taking my bass up to the jam. But I turned the tv on for the first time in the day, and there was the 'wall to wall' memorial coverage. I sat down and thought about staying home to watch it. But there wasn't any news, just re-runs of old terrible stories and pictures. I haven't forgotten, and I don't need to be reminded. So the tv is off.

I decide not to lug my bass out to the jam session, which is about as normal as normal can be. And I see all my Wednesday friends. And I have a couple drinks. I laugh, and listen and breathe the crisp night air.

Posted 9:54 AM by Jackson Cooper |

read Layne

read Lileks

Posted 3:49 PM by Jackson Cooper |

There's not much I feel like writing today.
The the date is the same, the weather is the same and the images on tv are the same.

But so much has changed in a year. And so much more has changed in a year and a day.

Posted 3:46 PM by Jackson Cooper |