Confession: I love to run. A lot.

So much in fact that I’ve worn out my Bikilias (err…five finger shoes) while sprinting through various “side trails” downtown (note: Bikila’s were designed for side walk and soft dirt running. NOT for trails!!!). Fortunately a new pair are on their way (with laces for what it’s worth!) that can handle the brush.

But that is not the point of this post. The point is that running has become the only exercise I’ve been doing over the past 2 months, mainly due to lack of motivation to do pushups, pullups, jack knives, dips and bicycle crunches.

Truth be told with the exception of running I really loathe exercising. However I love the results of exercising so I need to figure out a way to motivate myself to work out more.

I’ve tried various gamification systems to make exercising more fun, as well as integrating social networks for accountability (FitFu is the perfect blend for both of these). However at the end of the day it’s not enough.

Perhaps it’s the fact that whenever I do pushups, jack knives, etc., I’m inside rather than outside facing the elements. And truth be told I’d rather be outside than inside. I guess this explains why gym memberships have never appealed to me (as you have to be inside with a bunch of other sweaty people, or worse, people talking about working out but never actually do! They annoy me).

So perhaps what’s needed is a change of scenery rather than trying to find the latest app to make exercising more fun. Since my schedule is crazy this week I’ll start exercising in the park starting with pushups and pullups (using FitFu of course).

I just hope I can find a spot early in the morning to avoid the crowds (as thousands of people like to exercise in the park as well).

I’ve been struggling with how to maintain relations with a specific friend in my life and despite my best efforts there always seems to be friction between us.

If I had to define our current status it would be Frenemy which is defined as:

one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy

Perhaps it’s my personality that annoys them or perhaps they’re holding a grudge against me for something I said (which I wish they would clarify as I’m not a telepath and I loathe indirectly reading body language).

Either way I think it’s best if we go our separate ways and forget about the great past that we had between us.

Due to circumstances slightly beyond my control I can not cut off complete communication with them; however I’m going to minimize how much time I interact with them on a weekly basis (not to mention eliminate any social connections I currently have with them).

While I wish them success in their future endeavors, I no longer have any desire to be apart of their life. /end rant

So after being dissatisfied with virtually every pair of glasses I’ve come across, a random thought occurred: I’ve always admired the pince nez style worn by Morpheous from the Matrix (as shown below), so why not order a pair for a prescription?

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

After scouring the interwebs (and calling more companies than I wish to admit) I came across 2 (or 3?) entities that could make my dream a reality.

The Vintage Optical Shop apparently has a hard bridge pince nez frame that is flexible (as one can tell from the image below) which means I can avoid the silly looking C-bridge pairs.

Image Credit: The Vintage Optical Shop

Random note: I also considered the spring bass variety (which is cool in a geek way), but after watching the lady below put on a pair I decided that they tend to make one look angry…as in “revenge of the nerds” type of angry.

Hopefully I can have Costco (or another outfit) install prescription lenses with transitions, but if not I’ll have to use either 39 dollar glasses or EyeGlasses.com (the latter who is really expensive) to properly fashion my specs.

Note: I’m still not fond of contacts as I can’t sleep comfortably in them, but I’ll eventually order a supply just to have the “option” available.

Last week I saw Merchant of Venice (a drama written by Shakespeare) at the Warehouse Theatre downtown which despite the content was surprisingly good (more on the latter below).

I found the romance within the story to be…boring (sorry but it was just way too predictable and flat for my taste), although the drama between the Italian Merchant Antonio and Shylock kept my attention throughout the 2 1/2 hour drama.

For those wondering/asking, the Warehouse Theatre decided not to “sanitize” Shakespeare’s story for the sake of modernity, as the drama portray’s Jews as evil, greedy and unmerciful and spits upon the idea of interracial marriage (as one could easily gather from Portia’s comments regarding the Prince of Morocco).

While the racial bigotry would shock the average person, it was an excellent reminder about how far our world has come as far as racism is concerned, as well as how far we need to go in order to eliminate it from virtually all aspects of society.

But enough about the racial undertones of the story, I’m here to review the drama itself!

The acting within the Merchant of Venice was superb, and I was impressed with the stage design (note: I didn’t take any pictures out of respect of licensing laws) and the actors for Antonio and Shylock did an excellent job portraying the characters to the point where you could “see” the emotions upon their faces and bodies.

The rest of the actors were great, although I was not emotionally attached to their characters as I was with Antonio and Shylock.

I was also impressed with the music as well (note: I am not sure who composed it) although I didn’t purchase the songs as they were only selling CD’s (I’m an iTunes guy).

Despite being 2 1/2 hours long the Merchant of Venice felt shorter somehow, although I think that had more to do with the content of the story rather than my perception of time.

Disclosure: The Warehouse Theatre provided me with a season pass in exchange for reviewing their drama’s. Tickets are $30 a piece, although it’s recommended that you purchase in advance (as they sell out very quickly!).

A long time ago I read a post by Tom Anderson (of MySpace fame) upon Google+ which caught my attention (and that I’ve been pondering upon for the past few weeks).

Have you ever felt alone in a room of people? I think all of us have. Or even felt lonely when you’re one on one with someone you don’t like (Imagine a bad date..) You feel so different, so apart from that other person, that you start to wonder if there’s anyone else for you in this world. (There is, don’t worry!)

Conversely, have you ever been alone and not felt lonely? It may mean you’re enjoying solitude. Solitude is something you choose when you want to enjoy your own company. That sounds a little funny, but if you don’t enjoy your own thoughts and feelings, will anyone else?
In solitude, you can reflect, learn, grow, create. Almost all the things that make me deeply satisfied require solitude.

Loneliness chooses you. Solitude is a choice. By choosing solitude, you’ll rarely feel lonely.

I think Tom’s solitude post probably explains why I enjoy hanging out in the woods in remote areas or even running late at night in the park (which most of my friends think is crazy).

With friends, family and frenemies demanding attention via Twitter, Tumblr, SMS, Instagram and Google+ (sorry I don’t Facebook) I’m finding that these moments of solitude are refreshing to my mind and spirit, allowing me to focus on what’s really important in life.

Although I believe being alone all the time is unhealthy, people do need time by themselves to reflect upon the direction of their life.

Note: I guess this probably explains why Superman and Batman have their Fortress Solitude and Bat cave, respectively.