Hi, my name is Chris and I’m addicted to research.

It started innocently enough, checking a word in the dictionary then spending the next hour reading through more obscure definitions for words long lost to society at large. This was followed by field trips to used bookstores in every town I visited, spending hours with my head titled to one side as I tried to read faded spines while constantly blowing my nose from all the dust and cat hair. By the time I hit university I was mainlining special order microfilm AND microfiche. But it didn’t stop there. I needed more. Always more. Each new nugget of information was a bright shinning light illuminating yet more dark pathways unexplored. Soon I was traveling abroad to go deep into the dustiest recesses of archives, sifting through documents written in languages I couldn’t always decipher, but nonetheless was compelled to try. When I started bringing my own white cotton gloves to the P.R.O. in London I knew I’d hit rock bottom.

I’ve since gotten a life (sort of) and have a hobby (running) that gets me outdoors. Still, each day is a battle. The temptation to pick up a thick, heavy book – only for a peek, just a quick scan – is forever there.

Oh, and the fact that I am writing this from the private membership library I belong to, on a Saturday, on a fairly nice day, is not a relapse. I just come here to look at the pictures…

Ok, so I wouldn’t know a Manolo Blahnik from a Birkenstock, but I went shoe shopping today and rather enjoyed it. I was looking for a new pair of running shoes, something with just a touch more stability than my last few pairs. I’ve tried Mizuno, Nike and Brooks since I started running last year and wound up with a new pair of Mizunos today, the Wave Elixir 3s…ooooooooooooooh 🙂 At just over 9oz they’re lighter than my previous shoes and a bit lower to the ground. Hopefully they’ll do the trick. Oh, and the best part is, they come with bright red laces! I don’t think I have ever owned a pair of shoes in my life with red laces, so this is a red…letter…day…sorry.

I caught a lot of the speeches last night and while it wasn’t easy watching they were instructive. I don’t think I’ve felt that much bile rise in my throat since my bout of food poisoning and I really was fascinated to figure out what the triggers were (when not eating bad chicken). I want the reprehensible characters in my novels to elicit such strong emotion. Apparently it requires a solid base of hypocrisy, a lot of condescension (not as much condensation), fear of losing power as a driving force, anger, arrogance, a swagger predicated on bullying and a general attitude of belittling anything or anyone you don’t like or understand. Soooo, I just need to channel Rudy and I’ve got it 🙂 Oh, and lies. Lie early, lie loudly, and lie often. Embrace your lies and come to believe them.

Thank you television, and thank you Republican Convention. Now I need to disinfect my tv before I watch something wholesome, like Gossip Girl.

I ran in the New York Nike 10k HumanRace today and not only enjoyed it, I survived it. I forgot just how much fun pushing yourself to your physical limit can be. If I can still walk in the morning I’ll consider it a complete success 🙂

What an interesting 24 hours! Like his politics or not, Obama gave an incredible speech. Not to be outdone, McCain chose the governor from Alaska to be his running mate. Don’t know much about her at this point, though did hear that she thinks polar bears shouldn’t be on the endangered species list and shoots wolves from the comfort of low flying airplanes. How…sporting of her. I genuinely do appreciate shaking things up, but a VP is supposed to be ready to lead the country at a moment’s notice. I guess I’m part of the multitude that is very surprised at McCain’s pick.