Harris County Shelter in Place Days #12-19; April 12, 2020

Still here.  Just quiet.

Personally, not much has changed in my world over the last eight days.

Thankful to be alive and for all that I have.  I try to do my best not to take it all for granted.

There’s a lot of things that I could comment on.

However, I get weary seeing some of the things that I see on social media; therefore, I’ll just refrain – for the most part.

Generally, I’m not opposed to other people’s opinions, even when I might believe differently, but I’m usually most challenged on how they’re presented.

And, usually, to reduce the stress that I have in my life, I tend to walk away.

Today, of course, was Easter.

I was not on my game, so to speak, for it.  However, not as an excuse for that, but I also believe that as a believer that Easter Sunday is really no different than the other 364 (or 365 in 2020) days of the year.

When you wake up tomorrow, Jesus will still have died on the cross for the sins of the world.  And it should mean as much tomorrow and the next day that it does today.

Other than the fact that it may be the best opportunity to introduce Jesus Christ to somebody who doesn’t believe.

I also believe that there’s a lot to be said for how we live of our lives in front of those that don’t believe the rest of the year.  If it is consistent and real, then we lose that opportunity to have any influence.

I know that over the years there have been things that I’ve done where I’ve lost that chance with somebody to be the person that they see – and then I have to have confidence and faith that there will be somebody else in their lives that they’ll be able to look to to show them the way.

I’ve still been running and walking since my last post.

Over the last eight days I’ve been out every day getting in as few as two miles and as many as 6.65.

My totals for the my current 30-day period are:  35.8 miles running and 53.64 miles walking.

I hope I can make it to 150 combined by the end of day, April 24.

I’ve also been getting my reading mojo back.

The last three years, I’ve read 13, 22 and 79 books, respectively.

This week, I finished off three books.

The first of the three I picked up in the middle of the week.  The other two I had started after getting them earlier this year.

They were as follows:

"I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally" by Jim Bouton with Leonard Shecter (Finished April 10)

"You Need A Schoolhouse:  Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South" by Stephanie Deutsch (Finished April 11)

"Mind And Matter:  A Life In Math and Football" by John Urschel and Louisa Thomas (Finished April 12)

The Jim Bouton book was a sequel to his famous “Ball Four” book, which blew open the doors on what goes on around a major club – and its clubhouse – through the course of a season.

Published in 1970, it covered the former 20-game winner with the Yankees’ 1969 season as the knuckleballer moved many more steps closer to retirement.

It is a 369-page paperback.

I have a copy, which I’m going to try and start chewing off like you’d eat an elephant.  Slowly, that is.  It is something that I’ve possessed for a long time.

However, “I’m Glad You Didn’t Take It Personally", an equally irreverent tome, is a book that I never knew existed.

It was one of the many books that I carted from Pennsylvania that belonged to my grandfather when I carried things back in early November last year after my grandmother passed away in late June.

Similarly, I was generally aware of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, but I never knew in depth about the former.

In an early 2020 copy of Texas Highways magazine (the link if you wish to read it is here), there was a story about a couple of restored Rosenwald schools in Dayton and West Columbia.

It touched on the approach that Washington, one of the more recognized figures among African Americans at the turn of the 20th century, and Julius Rosenwald, a Jew (important to state as he understood how African Americans were repressed after slavery as those of his faith were) whose family had emigrated to America and had become one of the driving forces behind the Sears & Roebuck organization, used to build more than 5,000 Rosenwald schools across the segregated South.

It was a great read in which that I learned about both men and it is a subject matter that I hope to be able to dive in deeper on over the coming year.

I also plan to see one or both of those museums as we slowly start to move to a different normal in our new world dealing with the existing coronavirus pandemic.

Finally, “Mind And Matter:  A Life in Math and Football” was about former Penn State and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel and his love for both football and math.

Urschel retired before the start of the 2017 season with one year remaining on his initial NFL contract to begin pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He is expected to earn his doctorate in 2021.

I have two recent book acquisitions that I hope to finish up this coming week and a third that perhaps I’ll get started on next weekend.

Stay tuned.

Otherwise, there’s not much more here to report on.

Still reading lots of material and listening to interesting podcasts.  Just am not trying to capture them to share like I had the last two weeks.

If they were of interest to you, let me know and I can start to share again.

Thanks.  God bless you and I hope you and your family are staying safe, healthy – physically and mentally, and generally well.

Harris County Shelter in Place Day #11; April 4, 2020

If things get any slower, I might start doing a daily video reading the articles aloud that I post below.

I'm just kidding.

Was a little late getting moving this morning.  Always my biggest challenge.  Probably a large part of the reason I suppose that I'm a night owl.

Felt like I read about half of the Internet today to stay informed.

Finally at about 3:30 p.m., I bundled up and covered up and went and walked 5.45 miles in Springwoods Village at a pretty good clip, 15:17 per mile.

In 11 days, I have 56 miles of running and brisk walking.  That's a win.  :-)

My daughter and I went out late in the afternoon and early evening to investigate something that could possibly have taken place next Sunday for Easter Sunday.

I enjoy being asked my input on things to see if they're doable or not.  I appreciate the trust people have in me to ask.

People always value being asked.

They may already give abundantly of their time when they see an opportunity, but still appreciate having their opinion of things.

It's almost as important as saying "Please" and "Thank you."

During that journey, I had my first Whataburger burger since the Shelter in Place took affect.

And the Patty Melt Combo tasted pretty good.

In running, the Lufkin Area Pacesetters today reported via their Facebook page that long-time runner Zeno Boehmer of Nacogdoches passed away on Thursday at the age of 90.

Zeno was an eight-time finisher of the Chevron Houston Marathon and a three-time finisher of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.  His complete race history from those events, courtesy of houstonresults.com, can be found below:

1984 - 3:21:22 (age 55)
1986 - 4:02:59 (age 57)
1987 - 3:53:27 (age 58)
1990 - 3:46:11 (age 61)
1992 - 4:21:02 (age 63)
1993 - 4:14:54 (age 64)
1995 - 3:47:28 (age 66)

2005 - 2:11:45 (age 76)
2008 - 2:31:14 (age 79)
2009 - 2:50:26 (age 80)

He also ran the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon in December 2004 at the age of 75 in 2:11:19.

Huntsville's Ken Johnson said in a LAPS online forum in February 2012 that he "first met Zeno at a race in Woodlville in April 1987.  He was about 60 at the time and was the overall winner of the Half Marathon.  Being a wimp, I opted for the 10K event.  I have been in awe of Zeno ever since and have run many races with him.  Super guy."

Ken was commenting on the following post by the group's Lynne Perkins:

How bad do you want it? This is something a friend of mine and I were talking about recently, and it really struck a cord with me. How many of us really go that deep and ask ourselves that question?

It comes in everyday choices we make. It comes in living it, breathing it, becoming it.

I was talking with a person in my church this past Sunday, and somehow (can’t imagine how) the subject turned to running. 

I told him I had just run a race in Nacogdoches that Saturday. 

He said “you know there was this guy I used to work with at the paper mill years ago ... you might know him, his name is Zeno Boehmer”. 

I said, “Oh Zeno! I have known him for years! He is a running legend. He ran the 5k this Saturday too. He is 83 now.”

Then he said, “I remember old Zeno would go up to the roof of our plant and run around the entire edge of it.  He ran it so often that the rocks on the roof had been worn and pushed to the side and had created a “track”.  He would always run up and down the stairs too.  He was always eating nuts and seeds, healthy stuff.” 

He said a few other things nice things about him but these two things really stuck with me.

I kept thinking about the fact that YEARS later the memory of Zeno running around on the roof of that mill and eating healthy, made an IMPRESSION on so many. 

And while he was telling me about it in a joking manner, I could tell he had the utmost respect and admiration for Zeno.

So when I think about “how bad to I want it” I have to ask myself - do I have that same willpower in me? That same drive and ambition to run even when it’s not convenient, even when others laugh, even when it’s tedious and not ideal conditions? Doing the grunt work, the day to day routine runs, has to be something that is inside of you, you have to love it, live it, breath it - to get to the end prize, whatever that goal is you’ve set for yourself.

Zeno was in his mid seventies when I FINALLY beat him in a 5k. 

My mission in life at the time was to beat him - it wasn’t easy.  Zeno was running sub 25 min 5Ks.  I passed him in the last 100 yards of the Nac. Jingle Bell run.  I was so excited!! 

He was so gracious, he congratulated me, but don’t think for a second that it didn’t get under his skin.

Just a month later at a 5K in Dayton, in 26 degree weather, we raced and I passed him in the first mile - staying under an 8 min. mile pace - he stayed behind me until mile 2.  Then he inched past me. 

I kept thinking, “That’s okay, I’ll pass him back no problem."  Well needless to say I could not pass that man! 

We truly raced that day.  That whole race was between me and him in my mind. The finish line was coming up and I started sprinting, as did he.  

We crossed the finish line - him at 23:59, me at 24:01!   Now THAT is what "How bad do you want it?” means to me. 

He made an impression on me that day that I have never forgotten. 

And Zeno is still proving that today, at 83 years of age, he is still out there running, entering these races and giving it all he has. 

Time may have slowed him down a bit, but his heart is just as strong and his pure love of running is something we could all learn from.

How bad do you want it.....words to live by.

Listened to the sermon of the Berean Bible Baptist Church in Paranaque, Phillipines and Pastor Mike Reap, a missionary from the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI), this evening as the Phillipines is 13 hours ahead of Houston.

Pastor Reap was in the church that I grew up in - North Freeway Baptist Church and North Park Baptist Church - many times and even when I visited the Greater Waco Baptist Church once here in the last couple of years - another BBFI church, his name came up when I discussed NFBC/NPBC with their pastor.

As I was trying to figure out the time difference and realizing that the YouTube video didn't line up, I checked the church's website and saw that Pastor Reap and his wife's travel back to the Phillipines, scheduled for this past Thursday, had been cancelled.

His message was "Worshipping a Sovereign God" and that involves being reverant to a sovereign God, obey Him and worship Him.

Podcasts that I listened to today:

An ICU nurse in New York City talks about the experience of treating COVID-19 patients, and explains how nurses in her unit are banding together to meet an unprecedented challenge.

Road To Resilience:  Calm Through Chaos [04/01/20; Mount Sinai Health System, NYC]

17 minute listen

COVID-19 Slows The Census Count, And A Truck Full Of Toilet Paper Goes Up In Flames: The Good, Bad, And Ugly Of The News [04/03/20; Houston Public Media]
13:28 listen

These were things COVID-19-related that I read and found interesting today.  Maybe you will too.

Interesting Poll Results and Response.  Worth the read.
1,350 New York Readers on the Mounting Challenges and Anxieties of Life During the Pandemic [04/04/20; New York Magazine]

430,000 People Have Traveled From China to U.S. Since Coronavirus Surfaced [04/04/20; New York Times]

Hope.
Number of coronavirus intensive care patients in Italy drops for first time [04/04/20; Reuters]

Very informative.  Don't shy away because of the outlet.
The geopolitical battle for the COVID-19 narrative | The Listening Post (Full) [04/04/20; Al Jazeera English]

Wuhan's death total is believed to be more than 40,000, not the 2,563 reported. 
And we'll still have runners clamoring over medals - for any and every race - the majority of which come out of China.
Chinese families should be sweeping graves now. But thousands still haven’t buried their dead. [04/03/20; Washington Post]

It’s Hardly Shocking the Navy Fired a Commander for Warning of Coronavirus Threat. It’s Part of a Pattern. [04/04/20; ProPublica]
Statement From SECNAV on Relief of CO Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) [04/02/20; US Navy]

Was James Carville writing this piece?  (Will see who gets it.)
2020 Elections:  It's the coronavirus, stupid [04/04/20; Politico]

Virus hot spots in South poised for disproportionate suffering [04/03/20; Politico]

Migrants and Advocates Call to Close Detention Centers as COVID-19 Spreads [04/02/20; Texas Observer]

'No problem whatsoever': Trump downplays Fauci absence at coronavirus briefing [04/03/20; Politico]

How Authoritarians Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis to Grab Power [04/03/20; Human Rights Watch]

Armenia: Law Restricts Privacy Amid COVID-19 Fight [04/03/20; Human Rights Watch]

Don't disagree, but the Nature study referenced (I clicked) made the decision based on the testing of NINE patients.
To help stop coronavirus, everyone should be wearing face masks. The science is clear.  [04/04/20; The Guardian]

This is a bit more compelling.  243 > 9.
Here’s the study behind why NYC Mayor de Blasio now recommends masks in public [04/03/20; CNBC]
The study is here and involved the investigation of 243 patients in Singapore.

Duh.
White House says anyone 'in close proximity' to Trump or Pence will get rapid virus test [04/03/20; CNN]

Cats can infect each other with coronavirus, study finds [04/03/20; New York Post]

TSA limits checkpoints at George Bush Intercontinental Airport; Houston Airport System expects significant decline in March passengers [04/03/20; Community Impact]

Other things I've been reading ....

Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan among 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees [04/04/20; USA Today]

Search for Kennedy family members missing in Chesapeake Bay has ‘turned from rescue to recovery’ [04/03/20; Washington Post]

RFK granddaughter, 40, and son, 8, presumed dead after Chesapeake Bay mishap, family says [04/04/20; Fox News]

Should send this to Bill Maher.
Liberty Fulbright Finalist Brings Science to the Fashion Industry [03/30/20; Liberty Champion]

Have a great Sunday.

Harris County Shelter in Place Day #10; April 3, 2020

Working, reading, eating and keeping moving is about all I have to report on day #10 of Harris County Shelter in Place.

Was up listening and reading late last evening; therefore, Friday's report is getting posted here on Saturday morning as I got up a little later than what I normally do.

That's what having races or sporting events and such on the calendar to do is that it got me up and kept me from being lazy on a weekend.

While I might have earned the right over the years, it isn't something that I prefer to do. 

I have this massive spreadsheet that I keep up with a large number of things.  Some of those you've seen reflected in my Facebook or Twitter posts.

I have tabs going back the last 10 years where I can pretty much tell you what race I was at and on what day.

Lately, lots of things hit that spreadsheet - and staying busy allowed me to put something on the spreadsheet most days of the week.

That, obviously, has slowed down.

I don't do virtual races.  I respect race producers attempt to make a living and/or earn extra income, but I don't need another shirt or a medal to motivate me to run a certain distance.

When we able to run races again, I promise you - if I'm able - I'll be there.

I did these two miles below at about 11:45 a.m. as I pushed away from my desk a little bit around lunch time.

Pepperberry Trail - 15:30.88 (1-mile walk)
Melanie Park - 14:54.59 (1-mile walk)

My daughter and I also got in a 4.3-mile walk in Springwoods Village between 6 and 7 p.m.

My new totals for the March 25 - April 24 period:  16.04 miles running -- 34.54 miles walking -- 30.8 miles cycling

COVID-19-related podcasts

Ask The Expert: Bexar County Medical Advisor Dr. Ruth Berggren Answers Your Questions [04/02/20; Texas Public Radio/KSTX - San Antonio]
8:20 listen

What Next: TBD -- Risking Your Life for $8.71 [04/03/20; Slate]
21:15 listen
While much of the country shelters indoors, Instacart workers have found themselves on the front lines of COVID-19. Who’s keeping them safe?

Today's other interesting podcasts

Houston, We Have a Podcast (NASA Johnson Space Center):  Episode 138, “Captain and Commander" [04/03/20; NASA]
41:48 listen

A related story, Chris Cassidy will be the last American to go up in a Soyuz capsule and the 500th person to go into space.

Help give Maine astronaut Chris Cassidy the sendoff he deserves, social distancing style! [04/02/20; News Center Maine]

What I read on Friday that was COVID-19-related:

Construction Workers Labor on, Vulnerable and ‘Essential’ [04/03/20; Texas Observer]

COVID-19 is Buying Time for Gulf Coast Towns Fighting Oil and Gas Projects [04/03/20; Texas Observer]

How do we safely reopen cities after the coronavirus pandemic? We have to prepare now. [04/03/20; Rice|Kinder Institute for Urban Research]

State will boom again if leaders address transportation, housing in the Texas Triangle [Opinion] [04/03/20; Houston Chronicle]

US Postal Service could shut down by June, lawmakers warn [04/03/20; CBS News via MSN]

Fox News host Jesse Watters said coronavirus travel restrictions were ‘more critical in saving lives’ than testing. He’s wrong. [04/03/20; Poynter]

Journalist with coronavirus from her hospital bed: ‘If you don’t believe in news, please believe in people that are sharing their stories…’ [04/02/20; Poynter]

Very thought-provoking.
How The COVID-19 Pandemic May Permanently Change Our 'Good Death' Narrative [04/02/20; Religion Dispatches]

I agree.
Taxpayers Cannot Be Forced To Fund Churches -- Even In A Pandemic [04/02/20; Religion Dispatches]

Houston hasn't reported a surge of coronavirus cases. But its hospitals tell a different story. [04/03/20; NBC News]

Area couple safe at home after unsettling end to cruise [04/03/20; Glen Rose Reporter]

What else I was reading:

New Study of Christian Nationalism in Texas Should Be A Warning For The Whole Country [04/02/20; Religion Dispatches]

Venezuelan naval boat rams cruise liner, damages itself, sinks (04/03/20; CNN via MSN]

Old Triathlon Back Issues

3/Go Triathlon
November/December 2011 - Female Open Water Swim
January/February 2012 - Craig Alexander
June 2012 - Unknown Female
July/August 2012 - Unknown Male

Lava
October/November 2010 - Mirinda Carfrae
April/May 2011 - Paula Findlay
May/June 2011 - Chris McCormack
July 2012 - London 2012 Olympic Preview

Inside Triathlon
January/February 2007 - Marc Herremans
August 2007 - Kate Major
January/February 2008 - Andy Baldwin

Triathlete
October 2008 - Terenzo Bozzone
May 2010 - Sarah Haskins
August 2010 - Jenny Fletcher
November 2010 - Center Stage at Kona
2011 Road to Kona / Road to Vegas
February 2011 - Michael Raelert
May 2011 - Tom Lowe
June 2011 - Laura Bennett
July 2011 - The Swimsuit Issue
November 2011 - Mirinda Carfrae
2012 Road to Kona / Road to Vegas
December 2011 - Lance Armstrong
January 2012 - Craig Alexander
February 2012 - Caitlin Snow
March 2012 - TJ Tollakson
Spring 2012 - Triathlete Buyer's Guide
April 2012 - Nikki and Tyler Butterfield
June 2012 - Linsey Corbin
May 2012 - Jesse Thomas
July 2012 - The Swimsuit Issue
August 2012 - Gwen Jorgensen
September 2012 - Leon Griffin
October 2012 - Craig Alexander
November 2012 - Lauren Goss
December 2012 - Pete Jacobs
January 2013 - James Hadley
February 2013 - Lesley Paterson
March 2013 - Ben Hoffman
April 2013 - Kim Kilgroe
May 2013 - Stephanie Swanson
June 2013 - Mirinda Carfrae
July 2013 - Andy Potts
September 2013 - Luke McKenzie
October 2013 - Rachel Joyce
November 2013 - Gordon Ramsay
December 2013 - Mirinda Carfrae

USA Triathlon Life
Spring 2010 - Benjamin Ewers
Summer 2010 - Dhani Jones
Fall 2010 - Marisa Rastetter
Spring 2011 - Melissa Stockwell
Summer 2011 - Laura and Greg Bennett
Winter 2011 - Hunter Kemper and Rachel Scott
Spring 2012 - The Hola Family
Summer 2012 - London Bound
Fall 2012 - Feel Life A Champion
Winter 2012 - Nondescript Female Age Grouper
Spring 2013 - Lukas Verzbicas
Winter 2013 - Nikolas Brown

Harris County Shelter In Place Day #9; April 2, 2020

Day #9 of Shelter In Place was much like the first eight.

And for the second time in that stretch, I've delayed posting an update.

I don't know if it is so much that there's not a lot new to report or just that this routine was become the new normal.

Outside of work, I'm still am trying to read and feed myself with as much good, solid information as possible.

Working backwards, I listened to an extremely good, positive radio program from Focus on the Family last night before going to bed with the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

Adams is a man of faith so he was a welcome ally to the Jim Daly-led organization out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

You can listen to it here.

While I was looking for Adams' first name, there was a story that appeared in the search engine that I went and read.

It definitely targeted Adams with disapproval of comments he had made earlier in the crisis that we're living through.  The story can be found here.

I tried to see what side of the aisle that Reason.com came from, but it's not as clear to me as it might be to others.  (Although my guess is that it leans a little to the left.)

Regardless, I dreamt again last night about my grandfather.  All good.  As well as a good professional friend from the private and parochial school world that lives and works outside of Texas.

I just want to make sure my dreams at night don't become as vivid as CNN's Chris Cuomo, the brother of New York governor Mario Cuomo, who is currently dealing with COVID-19.

My daughter and I got out last night for a walk in Springwoods Village.

Our goal was to get in a little bit more than four miles, but rain started to fall - and with the threat of more - and we turned back and ended up with 2.9 miles.

And before I showered for the evening, I also put in another 10 miles on the Air Assault bike.

My totals for my 3/25 - 4/24 reporting period are now:  16.04 miles running -- 28.24 miles walking -- 30.8 miles cycling.

A couple of interesting podcasts that I listened to yesterday:

What Next | Jerry Falwell Jr. vs. the Coronavirus:  Liberty University’s Trumpian response to the coronavirus. [04/02/20; Slate.com]

I expected the above to have been all negative, but if anything, there were lots of half-truths.  There were also lots of accurate statements and indications, but you had to listen for them and have made some investments there (i.e. gone to school there or know somebody who did).

COVID Chronicles Chapter 5 [04/02/20; Hey Amarillo]

Here is all of the COVID-19-related material that I ingested on Thursday that I thought might be of interest:

On the COVID-19 Front Lines, Providers Feel Exposed [04/03/20; Austin Chronicle]

Doctors Say Hospitals Are Stopping Them From Wearing Masks [04/02/20; NPR]

A Covid-19 Vaccine Will Need Equitable, Global Distribution [04/02/20; Harvard Business Review]

Every American should wear a face mask to defeat Covid-19 [04/02/20; Stat]

Where America Didn’t Stay Home Even as the Virus Spread [04/02/20; New York Times]

White House advisor Fauci says coronavirus vaccine trial is on target and will be ‘ultimate game changer’ [04/02/20; CNBC]

NYC doctor makes urgent plea for help: 'We're near the breaking point' [04/02/20; Fox News]

Holland America cruise ships with over 200 sick passengers and crew reach deal to disembark in Florida [04/02/20; Fox News]

Behind the scenes, Kushner takes charge of coronavirus response [04/01/20; Politico via MSN]

Exclusive: Hackers linked to Iran target WHO staff emails during coronavirus - sources [04/02/20; Reuters]

Engineer accused of crashing train said he was 'suspicious' of nearby coronavirus relief ship, Justice Department says [04/02/20; CNN]

And finally ...

A New Book on the Sutherland Springs Shooting Explores Resilience, Forgiveness, and Grace [03/31/20; Texas Observer]

I actually ordered this book from an independent bookstore here in the greater Houston area as opposed to Barnes & Noble.  I never order anything from Amazon.com.

Iran hits back after Trump claims it is planning Iraq attacks [04/02/20; The Guardian]

Have a great Friday and weekend.

Harris County Shelter In Place Day #8; April 1, 2020

I'm not one who can't eat out all by myself.  In fact, I do it often. 

Even when I travel for work, I just loathe the idea of grabbing food and taking it back to my hotel room.

That's not to say that I never do it, but you get the point.

And while I miss even going across the road to my favorite Whataburger and sitting down in their location in the morning to eat a 10-minute meal, which I often take something to read with me, there are other things that I could continue to do.

I found today, for example, that I had headphones to my phone.  However, I didn't to my laptop.

So I got online, went to BestBuy.com, looked up what I was interested in, checked the manufacturer's website to make sure that it was going to work and placed my order.

Within a few minutes, I got an e-mail that I could pick them up curbside and I drove over and got them.

I could continue to do that for a long time, as I typically don't go and just "shop".

I made reference a day or two ago about one of our area's runners, who is a nurse practitioner that has gone off to New York City for three weeks to help with the massive COVID-19 need there.

She shared a picture on her Facebook Story of an empty Times Square earlier from late this afternoon and I was just, "Wow."

This is a woman who lives her faith stronger, more consistently and more openly than most others that I know - and this is just from the short time that I've known of and been around her from the same training group that my daughter is a part of.

My daughter and I got out late this afternoon on the Spring Greenway Trails and put down a nice 4.05-mile, out and back run.  Little cooler temperatures felt great.

Brings me to 16.04 miles running, 25.34 miles walking and 20.5 miles cycling for March 25 - April 24.

We ran out of Dennis Johnston Park and ran in the direction towards Interstate 45.

Little miffed with groups of four that don't go single file on a wide path to create that six-foot spread and we also had a group of four 18-21 year olds, I'd estimate, as we finished our run, come up behind us with not a care in the world about what not getting too close to others.

Ticked me off a little bit.  Enough to share.  :-)

It was also the first time that I had crossed Interstate 45 since the Shelter in Place order went into effect. 

Finally, earlier today my daughter, for the first time, made the comment that she missed being with her kids.

She's adapted to this different method of teaching pretty well, which I guess you'd expect from a 24-year-old even though she wouldn't classify herself anywhere near a tech geek.

She had her weekly call with the other teacher on her grade level with their two administrators and it was mentioned, she said, that not one parent had e-mailed them about any distance learning issues so to take it as a positive, yet "back-handed compliment".

I'm pretty proud of her.

Interesting podcasts I listened to today:

This was really, really good, by the way.
Checking in with Dr. Fauci: Dr. Gupta's coronavirus podcast for April 1 [04/01/20; CNN]

Texas Standard: April 1, 2020
+ The governor issues new orders on social distancing. Just don't call em shelter in place. We'll take a closer look at the packaging of a statewide pandemic response.
+ And religious gathers now considered essential in the Lone Star State. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune with more on the Governor's latest guidelines.
+ Also rapid turnaround deportations. How the Coronavirus crisis has changed the rules at the U.S. Mexico border.
+ And stay at home-schooling tips from homeschooling veterans.

The Search for a Treatment:  Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, discusses what treatments for COVID-19 are currently being researched. [04/01/20; Deep Background]

Interesting and/or informative COVID-19 stories I read today:

Netflix 'Pandemic' Doctor May Have Found A Cure for Coronavirus [04/01/20; TooFab]

Russian plane with coronavirus medical gear lands in U.S. after Trump-Putin call [04/01/20; NBC News]

WHCA votes to remove outlet from briefing room after reporter violates coronavirus distancing rules [04/01/20; The Hill]

Houston-to-Dallas Bullet Train Delayed By COVID-19 Pandemic [03/30/20; Houstonia]

Pompeo Accuses China, Iran and Russia of Coronavirus Disinformation [04/01/20; Newsweek via MSN]

Italy's Coronavirus Death Toll Is Far Higher Than Reported [04/01/20; Wall Street Journal via MSN]

"Keep Calm.  Don't Click."
The Dilemma: Should you phish test during the COVID-19 pandemic? [03/31/20; KnowBe4.com]

Home Depot executes 'stop-sale' order for N95 masks, donates them to health careworkers during coronavirus [04/01/20; USA Today]

Understatement of the month and it's only April 1.
Coronavirus will be ‘imprinted on the personality of our nation for a very long time,’ Fauci warns [04/01/20; Politico]

China Concealed Extent of Virus Outbreak, U.S. Intelligence Says [04/01/20; Bloomberg News]

Suggestion here that because the majority of COVID19 deaths have underlying causes, but that COVID-19 might not be the most significant cause of death.
Open Letter from Professor Sucharit Bhakdi to German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel [Swiss Propaganda Research]

Coronavirus update: Wake up, N.J.! Florida is trying to kill us (and pin the blame on us) [04/01/20; NJ.com]

The Social-Distancing Culture War Has Begun
Across the country, social distancing is morphing from a public-health to political act. The consequences could be disastrous. [03/30/20; The Atlantic]

Paper-based test to detect coronavirus in wastewater: Study  [03/31/20; Deccan Herald]

Italy doctors warn of 'bio bombs' from patients sent to care homes [04/01/20; AFP via MSN]

Non COVID-19 related:

Iran warns US after Patriot missile deployment to Iraq [04/01/20; Al Jazeera]

And in sports:

Legendary Saints kicker Tom Dempsey tests positive for coronavirus during Lambeth House outbreak [03/31/20; New Orleans Times-Picayune]

Maloney was 0-6 both against Penn State and Pitt
Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney dies at age 79 [04/01/20; USA Today]

Stay safe.

Keep everyone in your prayers.

And have a great Thursday.

Harris County Shelter In Place Day #7; March 31, 2020

Kind of a quiet day here on Tuesday.

Got out early this evening for a 3.9-mile brisk walk in Springwoods Village.

Had planned to go longer, but close to the end of mile two I started to get a little light-headed.

So I passed up on an additional 1.4-mile loop around a lake that I had planned as I didn't want to be out there and then possibly have something bad happen.

Rode 10.3 miles on the Air Assault bike last night before bed.

Was going to get on it again tonight, but I'll add some mileage there on Wednesday.  (Would like to get between 100 and 200 miles this 30-day period.  20.5 so far.)

I shed a tear Monday night when he said, ""I've never asked anything of our viewers..."
ABC13's Dave Ward asks viewers to pray for his wife with double pneumonia [03/30/20; ABC 13 Houston]

No podcasts to share today, but a bunch of interesting or informative COVID-19-related articles ...

Private Labs Are Fueling a New Coronavirus Testing Crisis [03/31/20; The Atlantic]

Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel tests positive for COVID-19 [03/31/20; CBS Austin]

Just do it.  (In the same vein that wartime baseball during World War II served as a distraction for the American people.)
MLB season likely to start without fans in quest for most games [03/31/20; New York Post]

CDC Director On Models For The Months To Come: 'This Virus Is Going To Be With Us' [03/31/20; NPR]

Abbott: Churches should conduct services remotely, but if they must meet in person, they should follow social-distancing guidelines [03/31/20; KPRC Channel 2 Houston]

Maybe we shouldn’t use Zoom after all [03/31/20; TechCrunch]
Here's the FBI's warning.
 
Does he really think that they would turn people away?  C'mon.  Quit the grandstanding.
De Blasio: Evangelical charity running Central Park hospital won’t discriminate [03/31/20; New York Post]

CDC considering recommending general public wear face coverings in public [03/31/20; The Washington Post via MSN]

It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work
Official advice has been confusing, but the science isn't hard to grok. Everyone should cover up. [03/30/20; Wired]

Bend it like the Bay Area: Doctors see flatter curve after 2 weeks of social isolation [03/30/20; Politico]

‘Grocery Stores are Perhaps the Most Resilient Supply Chains in the U.S.,’ Baylor Expert Says [03/30/20; Baylor University]

Just some interesting articles ...

A Supreme Court Justice Visits Campus: A Look Behind The Scenes [03/30/20; Texas Public Radio]