Nat Gertler over at The AAUGH Blog points out there’s a full-featured (i.e., Flash) Web site for the new book, Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. Be sure to watch the video, with author David Michaelis. I can see why Schulz’s lost love, Donna Wold, said “I saw pictures of his wife [Joyce] in the newspaper; she looked very pretty.”
I’m very interested in learning more about Joyce, whose daughter Meredith was adopted by Schulz. Watch the video I posted here nearly a year ago to see a few moments of Meredith, whose age was given as 14 in 1963. Schulz had his marriage license backdated to 1949 when he married Joyce in 1951.
ADDED NOTE: I’ve downloaded the promo video for the biography and have put it here.
Mark Evanier points out this link to The Wall Street Journal, with a review written by Bill Watterson of the new Schulz biography. One of the two most thoughtful and serious cartoonists of all time, commenting on the other most thoughtful and serious cartoonist of all time. If the WSJ link doesn’t work for you, click here instead.
Based on a comment from my friend Dennis, about the dark side of George Bailey in the classic movie It’s A Wonderful Life, my sister Jean recommends watching this.
NOVA wanted to investigate these questions through the “Marathon Challenge,” and with the help of a dozen enthusiastic recruits, we set out to see if “ordinary people” could transform themselves into marathoners in just a matter of months. The results were extraordinary.
The timing of this program is interesting, because a runner died in the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday; not from the 84° heat, but from a pre-existing heart condition. I have completed six Boston Marathons, under a wide variety of weather conditions, including a day when the temperature hovered around 90°F. And take it from me, it’s not something you want to try unless you’re totally in love with the idea of doing it and are prepared to do the work to get ready.
Does the idea of heading out the door to run 16 miles, even when it’s raining, because that’s what the training schedule says to do, appeal to you? No? Then forget marathon running.
The NOVA participants benefited from expert guidance throughout their 40-week training — hmm… the same number of weeks it takes to have a baby. The idea that anybody can run a marathon is simply wrong. Jon Krakauer is a favorite author of mine, and in his book Into Thin Air he is critical of people who want to believe that anybody can conquer climbing Mt. Everest with proper training and adequate equipment.
WALKING the Boston Marathon course is do-able, with proper preparation. A good friend of mine did exactly that recently. But if you aren’t already a runner, and you’re more than ten pounds overweight, and you’ve never jogged more than three miles, I strongly suggest that you not get it in your head that 26.2 miles is nothing more than 13.1 miles times two, because doubling the effort it takes to do 13.1 miles occurs at about 19 miles. And you still have another 7 miles to go.
