RonVitale

Galileo

Some of you might have heard me tell this to you in person so pardon me for repeating myself, but it's a good story. Many, many moons ago (I think it was around 1990 or 1991) I was listening to the radio and I heard this great song. I had no idea what the name of the song was or who sang it. And I only had parts of the song memorized: "How long till my soul gets it right/Can any human being ever reach the highest light? King of night vision, king of insight."

Before the age of the internet and Google and all the wonderful tools we now have at our disposal, you used to have to work for answers to things like: "Who the heck sang that song? You know, the one that goes like this..." So I took a drive to my local Tower Records and tried looking around for the song. No luck. I had no idea where to begin. I went to a cashier on the top floor and I tried singing it to him. Now I can't sing that well so between my being horribly out of tune and him having no idea as to what the song was, he couldn't help me. But he did tell me to go downstairs to a woman who worked in the basement who he thought could help me. I took his advice, gathered my courage and headed downstairs. I went up to the young woman behind the register, sang her the tune and she said, "Oh, that's Galileo by the Indigo Girls." I can't tell you how relieved I was to have an answer as the song had been stuck in my head for days. I purchased the Rites of Passage CD and thus began my love of the Indigo Girls.

I learned two very important things that day:

1. If you don't try to go after the things you want, you'll never get them or know your limitations.
2. The message behind the Galileo song is universal and wonderful: We're all imperfect and yet we keep on trying.

I fall into the camp of seeing life half-full. I fall, make mistakes, treat people badly, but I work my hardest on owning up to my faults and trying hard to become a better person. Some people don't. Some people see the world as their problem and they're always wonderful. Thankfully, none of those people are my friends.

On my journey over the last year, I've taken on a lot of projects. Personal, public and some private. The most public has been my becoming a runner. Since around last December, I have been regularly running each week and back in January I started training for the Broad Street run (a 10 miler). Yesterday my friends and I took part in the Philadelphia ODDyssey half-marathon.Yep, that's 13.1 miles in hot weather. I've been training for this for quite some time but it's not just that it was a half-marathon but my friends and I decided to go as characters from the Plants vs. Zombies game. So at 6:15 a.m. yesterday my wife and I jumped in our car and headed to the race. I was dressed as the "ducky" zombie. Though I didn't have a duck inflatable device, I did bring a hippo one with me. And, yes, I did go through the entire race carrying in my arm a damn blown up hippo.

In my quest for enlightenment, I've realized a few things: Have fun. Take care of your body, soul and heart. And, oh yeah, have fun. Running the half-marathon in which I got to dress up like a zombie hit all those things. I don't go around dressing like a zombie and honestly it was my first time (I used to always dress up as a vampire for Halloween when I was younger--thus, my love of Team Edward), but it was great, great fun. My friends and I won third place for our costumes and we all completed the race.

But bringing it back to Galileo: I had been training for months. At mile 12, I was running with the hippo, could feel my fake blood dripping down my face and makeup running into my eyes. The heat was too much. I dug deep and said to myself: "Keep going. Keep going." Another voice said, "You need water. Where's the water? WHERE IS THE WATER?!" I started to feel dizzy and... I stopped running. I kept walking as fast as I could. I had run non-stop until mile 12 but that last mile I had to walk a good portion of it. Toward the end of the huge hill 1/4 of a mile before the finish a young woman (a volunteer) yelled out: "I see you zombie! You're walking. Come on, come on, you're almost there!" I took a few deep breaths and started running and then gave her and the other volunteers a high five as I ran by. My goal was to finish the race at 2 hours and 30 minutes. I finished at 2 hours, 28 minutes and 8 seconds. Woo hoo!

I learned much from running yesterday's race:

1. Trust your wife.
2. Trust your body.
3. Understand and accept your limits and faults.

Running a half-marathon is a lot like life. There are your up and down times, periods in which you're just out of energy and need to rest and times that all is going fine. As I continue onward and prepare to train for the next half-marathon in September, I'm taking this moment to congratulate my friends, my wife and myself on a victory. We all did it. No, we're not super fast, but we did it.

Personally, the journey that I've been on for this last year has taken me places that I would never expect. I'm very thankful for my friends and family for supporting me and being patient with me. I sincerely appreciate that.

And as I go forward, I realize that each day is a new one and I have a chance to start over and try again. It's been amazing to see what I can accomplish when I put my mind to it and yet I'd be lying if I said it were easy. It's not easy to train, work, be a parent, a husband and be a writer and podcaster. This is why I want to thank friends and my wife for being patient with me. And I'll end with:

How long?
(Till my soul gets it right)
[Til we reach the highest light]
How long?
(Till my soul gets it right)
[Til we reach the highest light]
How long?

I don't have the answer to that, but I'm learning that it doesn't really matter. It's what we're doing along the way that matters most. Have a good one all!

Imagination and the Future of TV Advertising

My wife and I sat through 45 minutes of commercials last night while watching the finale of LOST. One hour and 45 minutes of the house and 45 minutes of commercials. My original plan had been to tape it, then fast forward through the commercials.

I will not do that again. If it weren't the fact that I was working on a laptop updating 40 blog posts, trying to fix some code on each, I think I would have gone insane. Look, I understand that TV shows need to make money and I understand the need for advertisements but I have limited patience and time. I hated all the commercials and will not sit through that again--this means that I'll not watch the commercials. Companies will have wasted their $900,000 per commercial on me as there were only three commercials that I smiled at. The one embedded here from AT&T was creative, short and whimsical. It was memorable because I felt drawn to the creativity used to create it. And I think that is what frustrates me the most: I was bombarded with a ton of commercials last night and I tuned them out. I don't remember any of them outside the AT&T Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory "Pure Imagination" video and the Target ads (the smoke monster flying on the island of LOST, switching to a smoke alarm. That was brilliant!)

The AT&T ad was creative and focused more on an idea: How people are beat down not maintaining their use of imagination, but by using AT&T's services you can be 5 again and let your mind wander. When I saw the commercial, I didn't even know it was for AT&T but I made sure to see what the ad was about because it was different than almost every other commercial. In today's world of DVRs and skipping through commercials advertisers need to wake up. Be creative or be lost in the shuffle. As the younger generation gets older, ads will need to change. Ads will need to be interactive and inclusive, but we're still in the stone age. What companies aren't getting is that if a commercial speaks to a demographic, they'll want to watch it as it's entertaining. But right now ads are blanketed to hit as many people as possible, hoping they'll cast a wide net.

How many of us have laptops on while we watch TV, or an iPhone or iPad or iTouch, etc. The use of mobile devices and having access to the web will only increase. Targeting ads to a select audience and to allow people to opt in to the content would be a creative way of building your brand and to reach the people you want. Instead of frustrating and alienating 90% of your audience, you'll be able to create promotions and devise games/skills of challenge to your potential customers, asking them to partake in some online fun by answering trivia, sharing pictures, etc. Advertising can be fun and not a cold medium in which we're beaten over the head by the same damn ad day after day, night after night.

Maybe the technology isn't there yet, but imagine Google TV built into your HDTV in which you subscribe to the channels/shows you want and the ads can be tailored to that--and you can opt out of certain ads that you don't like or maybe pay a few to have more control over what ads you not liked to see. There's a realm of possibilities and I'm hoping we come to a point in which we stop playing this stupid game: Thousands of commercials on, we skip them or channel surf. Both the viewer and the marketer are upset because neither is getting what he/she wants.

I can dream, can't I?

I Did It: 12 Mile Run

Before I get into my post, I wanted to write down some random thoughts that popped into my mind as I ran this morning:

--When running by the VCR someone had thrown in the trash, that was in the wet grass: "Hey, that's a coaxial cable that I just spent $6 on for my friend."

--Running past a hair salon named: "Etre" (French for "To Be). I rather liked that.

--Passing our daughter's daycare (the 2nd time about 8 miles in) and seeing a wooden sign that said: "Taizé" (silent contemplation worship). The funny thing is that one year ago I would have no idea what this meant, but the fact that it's at the Church attached to my daughter's daycare is even funnier.

--I love the morning light reflecting off of strands of cobwebs attached to street signs and trees. Seeing those lines of light made me think of otherworldly thoughts.

--The sound of the creek and the running water. Soothing. Oh so soothing.

So what's all this about? This morning I left the house at about 5:45am to run 12 miles. According to my "official" training program for the ODDyssey Half marathon, that was my goal for today. How did I do? It took me 2 hours 13 minutes and 44 seconds. Nope, I didn't break any speed records, but I'm still walking and I didn't hurt anything.

I did want to capture some thoughts and feelings down before they raced out of my head (pun intended). Above is a self-portrait of how I looked right after the 12 miles. I'll tell a funny story: About 1/4 mile before the end of my run, I had to run up this really steep hill. It was my second time coming up the steep hill and this time I was near 12 miles so I was tired and out of water. I was running really slow, keeping to form, breathing deeply and was happy that I was making it. Suddenly, on my left, spring chicken girl comes flying by me (also up the hill), running like she was floating on air. I laughed at myself and thought: "No need to feel dumb. You're tired, you did well, just stay at your pace and she'll pass you." She passed me, flying on by and I let myself go and be at my own pace. I kept my strides small, watched my footing up the hill as I was very tired and finished with the woman having passed me. I kept walking, congratulated myself for a great run and then took the picture, trying to not look like an idiot taking a self-photo while cars and people went by.

I don't have much time as I have a lot to do today but I wanted to talk about motivation, willpower and desire. There's a song that I really enjoy that I'll share here. It's "The Good Thing" by The Talking Heads:

I like this song a lot. Give it a listen. Here's a few of the lines that I like the most:

A straight line exists between me and the good things.
I have found the line and its direction is known to me.
Absolute trust keeps me going in the right direction.
Any intrusion is met with a heart full of the good thing.

I have to be in the mood for this song as it's my non-feeling, I need to be in the zone song. In my mind, hearing this song puts me into willpower mode. This thought behind this, for me, is simply to work hard, to work, work--move forward and not be distracted. Just go and not be pulled down. I need this at times in life, but I also find that there are times in my life in which I need to feel my desire and my emotion. This song doesn't do it for me when I'm in that type of mood.

However, "World Falls" by the Indigo Girls brings me 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Check this out:

My favorite lines in here are:

This world falls on me with dreams of immortality.
Everywhere I turn all the beauty just keeps shaking me.
Running - end - earth - swimming - edge - sea - laughing - under - starry sky
This world was meant for me.
Don't bury me, carry me.
I wish I was a nomad, an Indian, or a saint.

When I'm driving and I hear this song and I'm singing, I get caught up in the emotion of all that I have and all that I want to be and there's this rawness of life and it's full of such potential and I just laugh at this part, changing "Don't buy me, carry me" to "Oh merry me!" As I see myself laughing under a starry sky and that sense that nothing (no thing) can stop me from moving forward and being. That sense of connectedness that's pure and bright and it's individualistically mine. It's private and fills me with solace and such joy. But it's hard to hear this song all the time as it is an emotionally filled song. I can't always be walking around like a bleeding heart with my receptors open to the world. It's just not possible.

And that brings me to my middle of the road path. The Golden Mean. The balance between working hard/feeling no emotion and opening my soul and allowing myself to be one with friggin' everything. And that song is:

"It's All Too Much" has become one of my favorite Beatles songs. I'd say it's received a prominent place in my life about 6 years ago. I was going through a very difficult time and I came to a decision while driving. I stopped trying to block out what I was feeling and how conflicted I felt, but allowed myself the freedom to just feel--not trying to blame myself for what I was thinking or feeling, not trying to follow what everyone said I should say or do or be. I imagined myself singing along and then when I hear this part:

It's all too much for me to take
The love that's shining all around here
All the world is birthday cake,
So take a piece but not too much

I imagine singing along and a shield of light encircles me and then I'm crystal. I'm golden and pure. Yes, it's a stupid mind trick but there are times when you need to find coping mechanisms to get you through the difficult parts of life.

I ran 12 miles today and a lot went through my mind. I love how my mind can float and thinking and just be. That's one of the most wonderful things that I like about running. It's all there for me to so and I can't share the private details, but I thought I would share these parts that just focus on motivation, willpower and desire. How you need to be in the zone and think positive when going toward a goal. It's necessary because no matter if it's 12 miles or learning to be a good parent--you need help to get there.

Selma, Listen to Your Heart

A friend of mine from work lent me the film "Dancer in the Dark" and I made time to watch it last night. I have been meaning to see this film since it came out back in 2001 as I am a Björk fan but just never made time. I knew what the story was about, understood that it was a Lars Von Trier film, and just didn't want my heart to be stomped on. But over conversation the other day, this film came up and, as luck would have it, my friend and her fiance owned the film. I watched it last night and then had a dream. In my dream, I was to get up, go to the computer and looking for Beethoven's 9th symphony and send that out on Twitter. So, before I go on, I'm going to do that now. For your viewing/listening pleasure, jump to 2 minutes and 42 seconds in and listen from there as it's my favorite part:

Does that set the mood for you as to what my mindset is? So getting back to the movie, I watched the end of the film (no, I'm not going to give anything away. I'm not like that) and was touched by these lines: "They say it's the last song. They don't know us, you see. It's only the last song if we let it be." I have always been fascinated by the power of the human mind. There have been times in my life in which I am under tremendous stress and have been unable to find ways to see the solution to a problem, but if I allow my mind to be free there are no chains to hold me down. If you are free in your mind and in your heart, then everything else will just pass through you. Maybe some might call this denial but that's not what I am trying to get at.

I have limitations on the amount of time I have to accomplish my goals and my desires. I want to write and am working on a large project but have not made time to do this work as I've been focusing on my family life, my career and on training for a half-marathon. Anyone who knows me sees that I am not lazy and that I am put my all into my work and in what I believe in. I am genuine and true though flawed.

I slept last night, had the dream about Beethoven and then went on a 4.5 mile run this morning. It was 36 degrees outside, cold and still dark. The sun had not yet risen. Thoughts of the movie kept running through my head and a line kept popping up: "Selma, listen to your heart." That's a critical line in the film as earlier, Björk, who plays Selma tells her friend Kathy: "I must listen to my heart." How funny it is that this is a key phrase that speaks deeply and secretly to me. One of my favorite sayings is: "The Heart has its reasons which Reason knows not" (Blaise Pascal). I've always liked this phrase and although following my heart often can be confusing because it's hard for people to understand my motivations. I have no master plan. I don't have my life all color coded and mapped. It's not how I live nor would I want to live that way, but I do wish to be alive and to take time to stop and listen--especially during the difficult times in life.

I ran to my halfway point, turned around and I could hear, like Selma in the film, music around me. I could see the sky brightening as the sun was rising and saw red robins flying by on the way to their nests. The chill in the air touched me and the heat inside me from my running conditioned me to a flow of the trees, the air and the noises around me. I had those moments of quiet in which I could just be. It was a quiet, personal moment. So why share it? It's my goal to listen to my heart (as corny as that might sound) and to be true. When I interact with you, you know that I'm genuine and I'm not pulling your leg. I am not trying to pull one over you. That's not how I operate. Those closest to me know me for who I am and I suspect that they love me for that with my flaws and quirks. But today is a day that I simply wanted to share this experience and to quote my family: "Rome wasn't built in a day." I am training for a half-marathon and the training is going well. I am working on a big writing project and made time to write five pages yesterday. It's slow going but progress is continuing. I am walking along a road that's twisting and crooked and has pitfalls but I am not giving up. I am a quiet fighter--well, that's not fully true. I bitch a lot when I've something on my mind, but then I set to the grind stone and work hard. It doesn't matter how difficult your path is, it doesn't matter how much work it is, none of that matters. If you believe that you can do it, even if it takes a lifetime, then you can do it.

Many ask me how I accomplish all that I do and that's how. Today is today. I ran 4.5 miles. It's on my training program. I wrote this. I am moving, slowly, oh so slowly, forward. Momentum. Energy. Listening to my heart. To just be. You'll see a sly smile on my face if you look hard at me. Because I'm happy. Tired, but committed and damn happy. Je t'aime.