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The Penguin Archives

Category Archives: The Penguin Archives

Oct 26 2011
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Woolly Worms

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In case you don’t recognize the photo, it’s the larval stage of the Isabella tiger moth, Pyrrharctia Isabella, also known as woolly worm. I spotted one yesterday on the trail during my walk. Legend has it that the woolly worm, a tiger moth caterpillar, can portend what weather winter will bring. According to folk wisdom, when the brown bands on fall woolly bears are narrow, it means a harsh winter is coming. The wider the brown band, the milder the winter will be. I’m no expert, but it looks to me like the brown band is pretty wide which would suggest…

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Oct 20 2011
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There is no finish line. Or is there?

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This past weekend I was in San Francisco for the NIKE Women’s Marathon, benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This was the 8th year of the event and was clearly the best race weekend, ever. The weather was fantastic. The pre-race activities were done well, and race day was as close to perfect as I can imagine. My congratulations to everyone who was involved in the production of the event. I’m there as National Spokesperson for the Society’s Team in Training program. I’m lucky enough to be able to speak to 6,000 people at the Inspiration Dinner. It’s amazing to…

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Oct 14 2011
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A league of their own | The Penguin Chronicles

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A league of their own | The Penguin Chronicles. I’ll be at the Nike Women’s Marathon this weekend with Team in Training. This is my observation about an earlier event. GO TEAM. John     An Accidental Athlete is available now. BUY THE BOOK Here’s the direct link to the Amazon Kindle version Here’s a link to the Nook version Review An Accidental Athlete on Amazon or Barnes and Noble What others are saying: Read your book, loved it, it was wonderful. It made me laugh, it made me cry. In it I saw glimpses of myself. I may be…

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Oct 12 2011
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The Italian Job

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There’s something magical about Florence, Italy. People have know that for centuries, but even so, being there it’s impossible not to marvel at the beauty, history, and – well – magic of Florence. This photo, which looks a lot like some of the water-color paintings in the Uffizi Gallery, was taken with an iPhone from the balcony of my room at the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi. That’s the Arno river in the foreground. It had been raining and this photo was taken just as the rain stopped. I’m not saying I’m a great photographer. I’m just saying that in Florence you…

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Sep 14 2011
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Passing the Baton

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I’ll tell you up front that this blog has nothing to do with running. Or at least, not much. The beauty of having a blog called “The Penguin Chronicles” – seeing as how I’m the Penguin – is that it doesn’t have to do anything except chronicle. So that’s that. I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t interested in, and in fact crazy about, motorcycles. The neighbor across the street had a shiny red BSA when I was growing up. He had the leather jacket and everything thing. He was COOL. When he eventually got a…

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Sep 07 2011
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School Days

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What a wonderful day. My travel schedule allowed me to visit my son and grandchildren this week, just in time to be here for their first day of school.The twins are actually entering first grade and the little guy is starting kindergarten. They are all at the same school which will certainly make life easier for everyone. I walked each them to their new classrooms, watching all the anxious parents – and some grandparents – and eager children and teachers. I suppose it’s the same scene that was being played out in schools all over the world. Children, parents, and…

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Aug 17 2011
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Anzio

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The father of a very good friend of mine, let’s call him Bob, was a great guy, and a World War II Army veteran. We joked that he lived his life just 3 beers from Anzio. Anzio was the site of an Allied forces landing (Operation Shingle) and ensuing battle (known as the Battle of Anzio) during World War II. American forces (5th Army) were surrounded by Germans in the caves of Pozzoli in February 1944 for a week, suffering heavy casualties. We knew that when he popped the top off the fourth Pabst Blue Ribbon we were going to…

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Jul 20 2011
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Summer in the City

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It’s gonna hit 100 degrees here in Chicago today. That’s the air temperature. That temperature, and the humidity, makes it feel like it’s, I think, 136 degrees out. I don’t care what anybody says, that’s hot. But, I want to run or walk or do something active today. I’ve gotten out that last two days into the 100 acre wood and could probably do that again today. There’s shade on most of the path. And the temperature drops to, I think, 127 degrees in the shade. Look, you know it’s hot when the deer are standing neck deep in the…

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Jul 13 2011
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A Historic Ride

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There’s an old adage that says “You can’t step in the same river twice.” The philosophical position is that a river is always changing. As a life-long motorcyclist I would add that you can’t ride the same road twice. Neither you nor the road are the same. This is certainly been the case for me. US Rt. 50 runs East-West across the center of the United States from Annapolis to Sacramento. I’ve ridden every mile of it East to West once, and have ridden bits and pieces of it many times over the past 40 years. One of my favorite…

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