The "Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives

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October, 2006

October 23, 2006

I am one stiff person this morning.  Despite my aching back and legs there is the satisfaction of accomplishing something.  Yesterday, for only the second time in my life, I ran a half marathon, at the Duke City Marathon event here in Albuquerque.  And, I even improved my time by fifteen minutes since running one in June in San Diego.

13.1 miles of running is nothing to sneeze at, but I am only halfway to my goal of a full marathon.  I plan to run the 26.2 miles in January at the P.F. Chang's Arizona Rock n' Roll Marathon.  I'm doing it for fun, fitness, but mostly to help out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Through Team in Training, the largest endurance training program in the world, I am running with others dedicated to helping find a cure for blood cancers and raise money for treatment and patient aid.  If you know anyone with cancer (and sadly, it seems we all do) then you recognize how important it is to find the cure.  Progress is being made, but the research is unbelievably expensive.

You can find out more about Team in Training here.

October 21, 2006

The new film, Flags of Our Fathers, is now in theaters.  Although I have not yet seen it I've read about this film, directed by Clint Eastwood.  It is based on the book by James Bradley.  He is a son of one of the men who helped raise the American flag on Iwo Jima, one of the most fierce battles with the Japanese during World War II.  Apparently his dad did not talk much about the experience, but after he passed James Bradley became interested in discovering the stories of the other men who fought in this battle and were captured in the iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal so many of us have seen. So he set about finding the survivors and speaking with them and came up with an amazing story that is now this motion picture.

Interestingly, Eastwood is now making another movie telling the story from the Japanese perspective.

October 18, 2006

Yesterday, October 17, a British charitable group - History Matters, called on all Britons to contribute online to either their own journals and weblogs, or to a specific blog from History Matters, some of their lives' events and personal history.  The day was chosen because it is an ordinary day with no special historical significance and they wanted to draw attention to everyone's story. I think it's a great idea and I'd love to see something like this done in the United States.

History Matters plans to preserve the testimonies in the British Library as a record of the country's national life.  Story online here from Voice of America news.

October 15, 2006

The past few days were a great family reunion time for me with my sister, her husband and my father.  They came to Albuquerque to spend time with my family and me, and also to see the International Balloon Fiesta.

The treasure that is family should always be appreciated.  Because some of my family lives elsewhere it makes it all the more important to make the most of our time together.  This visit was a nice combination of activity and just good and quiet time together.  If you can be with loved ones and enjoy each other's company without feeling like you have to always be talking then you have a good relationship.

Today marks four months since my mother passed away and so it was especially nice to see Dad and my sister, Leslie.  And there were times the past few days when I really sensed Mom's presence.

October 11, 2006

If indeed there is life "out there" - intelligent life on other planets - what about you would you want to share with them?  Yahoo, the giant web/search portal, is compiling what they are calling "the first-ever collection of electronic anthropology" and people around the world are contributing images, voice recordings and their stories.  There are ten themes: Love, Sorrow, Anger, Faith, Beauty, Fun, Past, Hope, Now, and You.  Contributions continue until November 8.

This time capsule will eventually be sealed and entrusted to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings based in Washington D.C. Yahoo is planning a celebration when the time capsule is completed.  They had planned to project it onto an ancient Mexican pyramid, but have now cancelled those plans over concern it might damage the pyramid (see here).  Yahoo says they will choose another location for their grand celebration.  They also hope to beam the digital time capsule along a laser path of light into space.  Maybe someday intelligent life from another planet will discover it.

Check it out and consider sharing your thoughts - more here.

October 4, 2006

The annual conference for members of the Association of Personal Historians is currently underway in Portland, Oregon.  The APH has grown to over 600 members and is quite an interesting and sometimes eclectic group. There are professionals who specialize in all types of personal history.  I find it helpful to learn about the various ways, even though my specialty is interviewing and writing.  That's why I present information throughout this site on digital methods, video, oral history, online methods and more.

Read this editorial, Ghostwriters, guides to the past invite you to jog your memory, about the conference posted in The Oregorian- go here.