Ranting

*soap box warning*

On my way home from spending the holiday with family in Illinois, I watched a documentary entitled "Sharkwater" on the plane. It's about the practice of shark finning and the devastation that it's causing in the underwater environment. And sadly, it reaffirms my belief that people in general are greedy and self-absorbed. Don't get me wrong, I don't *love* sharks by any means. And I certainly don't want to have an up close and personal interaction with a great white. However, I have been diving and been very close to several species of shark and wasn't scared at all. They had very little interest in me and basically skittered away whenever I got too close. What I find appalling is that people see no problem in driving a species to the brink of extinction. It's not just sharks, but it's happened with whales, gorillas, elephants, etc. What an arrogant species we are to believe that we have the right to destroy with impunity. It just saddens and disgusts me.

Ok, I feel a bit better now. One of these days I'll get off my soap box and jump in and try to make a difference about some of these things I feel strongly about. Until then, I just simmer and stew. Sigh.

*** off soap box ***

Brief training update: I'm working on marathon training. Still in the early stages, but I already feel like my body is falling apart. A bit scary. I have aches and pains that I don't remember ever having. Pain in my heels, pain in my back. I'm trying to do more stretching, which I hope helps. I also see a physical therapist every few weeks and he has me doing exercises and stretches too. Keep your fingers crossed that I get back into some sort of shape and my body pulls itself together.