I’m trying hard today to stave off a real sadness. These two days are full of meaning, both related to my Dad.

I originally passed along the story of our meeting here. I’ve never quite been able to bring myself to update the story in any meaningful or coherent way, though I’ve often felt like the story should be updated. Even now, that’s tough to do, but a link will probably suffice for the objective details.

Father’s Day 2009 was the first I’d actually spent with my Dad. They were visiting from Arkansas, where they’d moved after his retirement in 2007. A 50th class reunion, a visit to Iowa City, a first visit with a new great-granddaughter, and a trip to the old hometown of Rockford were all part of an ambitious plan for the last few weeks in June. His health ran the gamut on that trip, seeming to swing wildly over just the course of a week.

Father’s Day 2009 was on June 21 – his 67th birthday. I was so thrilled to actually get to spend part of Father’s Day with him. We took them to breakfast at Perkins in Coralville and I was literally edgy with excitement as we pulled into the parking lot. Though he was struggling a bit, it was another of those times when, in public with him, I knew people would look at the two of us together and think, “Yep, father and son.” Clearly, that had never happened before we met in 2002. And, I loved that feeling of connectedness.

A year later, it’s hard to know how much of the memory of that morning is real and how much was painted by subsequent events. I do remember a long hug as I helped him into the front seat of the Saturn, then lifted his small oxygen tank onto the floor. It seems now that it was a longer hug than normal. I know he told me he loved me, but I remember an earnestness and uncertainty in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. I remember how easily I told him I loved him, too, and how quickly the smile lit up his eyes and face. And I remember, maybe, thinking that it would be the last time I saw him, then pushing that thought away as we drove home.

It was.

Today would have been his 68th birthday. I’ve lost track of the times in the past two days when I would have loved to just pick up the phone and shoot the breeze with him – to jokingly call him “old-timer” and talk about the weather, politics, family, and Linux, all under the guise of wishing him a happy Father’s Day and birthday.

Before I got to know him, there wasn’t any particular hole around Father’s Day. I didn’t wonder too often about him and never did so with any strong feeling of longing. The last two days have been full of longing. Even though I’m a father, myself, I think the meaning of Father’s Day has forever changed.

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Wired Top Stories

via Photo Gallery: Best Album Art of All Time.

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The amazing Runkeeper is a current favorite app. I bought the Pro version to track all my fitness activities, including the new exercise routine of running three times a week. Paired with the JayBird EN1 Endorphin Rush Sound Isolating Earphones and my new Father’s Day Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch, I’m all set.

Music, GPS, monitor. Tech = fitness.

It’s the flippant, disrespectful (using “Bruce,” not “Mr. Sewell,” the “burning a hole in our pockets” line and calling the unfortunate late-20s employee who lost the phone “the kid”) tone that permeates this letter — and, indeed, their handling of the entire ordeal — that irks me. Also, there’s no conceivable way they can claim that they didn’t know it was Apple’s property, “found” or not.

via Apple: We want our device back.

I have to agree with TUAW on this one. I found the tone of the response to be childish, at best. I’d expect a much higher level of professionalism from a group calling themselves professionals.

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Alligator Records’ Tim Kolleth notes that the excellent new Janiva Magness release “The Devil Is An Angel Too” (priced stunningly at $5.99 on Amazon) has debuted at #1 in the Billboard Blues charts.

Tim is great about thanking the blues shows that have already featured this release but, really, this album might have done this without any of us. It’s that good. It’s my pick of the year so far for 2010, ahead of some other amazing releases.

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The 9:30 Club became the place in Washington where the misfits could go and nobody would judge them. The scene became bigger as MTV opened the doors to this kind of music. But the 9:30 Club was on the ground floor.”

Today’s Washington Post magazine features an oral history of the 9:30 Club, in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

via Well, it’s 9:30 somwhere.

It’s good to see this club get some national attention. During my years in Baltimore, I saw a few acts at the 9:30 – The Rainmakers (remember “Government Cheese”?) and Steve Earle. It was definitely an eclectic place then. I’m glad to see it’s retained its spirit.

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One thing is going to become clear in the coming years, Braun says: if you want to lose weight, you don’t necessarily have to go for a long run. “Just get rid of your chair.” “…Exercise does have an important role in weight loss. That role, however, is different from what many people expect and probably wish.” And quite nuanced too.

via The New Science of Exercise.

I’ve recently had more of an interest in exercise. I’ve been going to the gym for more than three years, now, but have only gotten serious about it since September. Cardio health is rare and crucial in my family, and I’m not getting any younger.

There is a tech connection to my exercise routine, as you might guess. I’m using the outstanding Runkeeper iPhone app to track my activities. The app is one of my favorites, actually. It takes full advantage of the location services on the phone and updates the Runkeeper site with each activity. Though I’m only using it on the gym for now, it’s still highly motivational to see those activity graphs each month. The plan is to move outside to run starting in late April and Runkeeper will be an invaluable tool for mapping the runs, tracking the activities, and keeping me motivated during each activity with the great blues now on the iPhone.

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Overheard a few minutes ago from a crowd in a hallway:

“It’s only an 8369 ECM spectrum analyzer.” Followed by uproarious laughter.

Posted via web from On The Fly

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