I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. "No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. "I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

"No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Article was originally written by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated. Video courtesy of youtube.com.

And the video is below....

I hope you all enjoy the video and the story, it certainly gives me pause for hope and inspiration.

How is your week going?

Labels: Holidays, misc, misc Sports

N Posted by Rain at 12/06/2007 07:43:00 PM

8 comments from:  Anonymous,  Jayne d'Arcy,  SBB,  Seane-Anna,  tomshideaway,  (S)wine,  Marie,  Handsome B. Wonderful,

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Classic Nudes and the Worst Week Ever

It is my personal opinion that these photos do not do justice to any of these paintings. I believe that it is always better to see these paintings in in a gallery or a museum to truly appreciate their artistic beauty.

A Favorite Custom 1909
By Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Dutch Painter, 1836-1912
Victorian Classicism

Victorian Classicism was a British form of historical painting inspired by the art and architecture of Classical Greece and Rome. In the 19th century, an increasing number of Western Europeans made the "Grand Tour" to Mediterranean lands. There was a great popular interest in the region's lost civilizations and exotic cultures, and this interest fuelled the rise of Classicism in Britain, and Orientalism, which was mostly centered in continental Europe.

The Classicists were closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, many artists being influenced by both styles to some degree. Both movements were highly romantic and were inspired by similar historical and mythological themes -- the key distinction being that the Classicists epitomized the rigid Academic standards of painting, while the Pre-Raphaelites were initially formed as a rebellion against those same standards.Frederick Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema were the leading Classicists, and in their lifetimes were considered by many to be the finest painters of their generation.

This painting is my favorite of all the Classic Nudes shown here.
Girlfriends, 1916-17
By Gustav Klimt
Austrian Painter, 1862-1918
Symbolism/ Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an elegant decorative art style characterized by intricate patterns of curving lines. Its origins somewhat rooted in the British Arts and Crafts Movement of William Morris, Art Nouveau was popular across Europe and in the United States as well. Leading practitioners included ,Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beadsley, Gustav Klimt and the American glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany. Art Nouveau remained popular until around the time of World War I, and was ultimately replaced by the Art Deco style.

Symbolism is a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with exaggerated sensitivity and a spooky mysticism. It was a continuation of the Romantic tradition, which included such artists as John Henry Fuseli and Caspar David Friedrich. Anticipating Freud and Jung, the Symbolists mined mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul. More a philosophical approach than an actual style of art, they influenced their contemporaries in the Art Nouveau movement and Les Nabis.The leading Symbolists included Gustave Moreau ,Puvis de Chavannes and Odilon Redon.

Attempting the Impossible, 1928

Maybe it is just me but the model and the painter look like they could be brother and sister.
By Rene Magritte
Belgian Painter 1898-1967
Surrealism

Surrealism is a style in which fantastical visual imagery from the subconscious mind is used with no intention of making the work logically comprehensible. Founded by Andre Breton in 1924, it was a primarily European movement that attracted many members of the chaotic Dada movement. It was similar in some elements to the mystical 19th-century Symbolist movement, but was deeply influenced by the psychoanalytic work of Freud and Jung.The Surrealist circle was made up of many of the great artists of the 20th century, including Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Jean Arp, Man Ray, Joan Miro, and Rene Magritte. Salvador Dali, probably the single best-known Surrealist artist, broke with the group due to his right-wing politics (during this period leftism was the fashion among Surrealists, and in fact in almost all intellectual circles).

The Three Graces, 1504-05
By Raphael ( Raffaello Sanzio)
Italian Painter, 1483-1520
High Renaissance

The High Renaissance was the culmination of the artistic developments of the Early Renaissance, and one of the great explosions of creative genius in history. It is notable for three of the greatest artists in history: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael Sanzio and Leonardo da Vinci.By about the 1520s, High Renaissance art had become exaggerated into the style known as Mannerism.

La Chambre de Cathie, 1933
By Bathus
French Painter, 1908-2001
Dada/ Surrealism

Dada was a protest by a group of European artists against World War I, bourgeois society, and the conservativism of traditional thought. Its followers used absurdities and non sequiturs to create artworks and performances which defied any intellectual analysis. They also included random "found" objects in sculptures and installations.The founders included the French artist Jean Arp and the writers Hugo Ball and Tristan Tzara. Francis Picabia and Marcel Duchamp were also key contributors.The Dada movement evolved into Surrealism in the 1920's.

Young Girl Defending Herself Against Eros, 1880
By William-Alophe Bouguereau
French Painter, 1825-1905
Academic Classicism

Academic Art is the painting and sculpture produced under the influence of the Academies in Europe and especially France, where many artists received their formal training. It is characterized by its highly polished style, its use of mythological or historical subject matter, and its moralistic tone. Neoclassical Art was also closely associated with the Academies. The term "Academic Art" is associated particularly with the French Academy and the 19th century salons at which art was submitted for display and prizes were awarded. Artists such as Jean-Leon Gerome and Bouguereau epitomize this style.

******
Today's recipe

Baked Stuffed Chicken
6-7 lb. baking chicken
1 cup melted butter
1 cup stuffing (Pepperidge Farm is good.)
1 cup uncooked popcorn (Orville Redenbacker's Low Fat)
Salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush chicken well with melted butter, salt, and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn. Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven. Listen for the popping sounds. When the chicken's ass blows the oven door open and the chicken flies across the room, it is done.

And you thought I couldn't cook . *giggles*

*****

For years, Marion Jones angrily denied using steroids. Today she admitted it was all a lie. The three-time Olympic gold medalist pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs, and announced her retirement after the hearing. Jones also pleaded guilty to a second count of lying to investigators about her association with a check-fraud scheme. I am so disappointed with Jones and disgusted with her actions.

****

San Diego Experiences the Worst Week ever...

• On Sept. 30~ A 3.0-magnitude earthquake hit the area early Sunday morning.
  The earthquake was centered three miles south of Balboa Park. Before you ask, yes I felt it and I am happy to report that no damage was reported.
• On Oct. 04~ San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders declared a state of emergency Wednesday night after a landslide forced the evacuation of more than 100 homes in the upscale La Jolla area.
• Also on Oct. 04~ Ingraham Street Water Main Break
  The cause of the soggy mess was a 16-inch cast-iron water main that broke Thursday around 2 p.m. For hours, water flooded nearby roads, backing up traffic for miles and stranding residents. Crews were able to shut the water off about two hours later, just as a 6-inch water main pipe broke on the 100 block of Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach.

*****

I went to the Adams Avenue Street Fair last weekend with Candy, Angel, Thana, Misty and Samantha. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera however you can see the sights here To the very sexy guy standing on the corner of Adams Ave and Felton. You know who you are...Six foot two, green eyes, bald, muscled and toned. Your ass made me weak in the knees. Thank you.

Have a great weekend everyone! Comments are always appreciated :)

Labels: misc Sports, Nudes, San Diego

N Posted by Rain at 10/06/2007 12:10:00 AM

3 comments from:  Anonymous,  tomshideaway,  Anonymous,