Alter Ego

Dear Reader, 

Being that it is Monday I figured I should probably do something productive today. After I slept in till about twelve o'clock I decided it seemed like a nice day for a run despite the fact that it was raining and that I have not really exercised in several months. "To make it even better, let's make it a six miler. It is swimsuit season after all," I thought. While it seemed like a good idea at the time I find the huge blister on my foot right now would disagree. What really matters though is that I did it. 

Want to know my secret to god-like endurance? Just completely ignore everything your body is telling you. So what if I can't feel my toes about half way into the run, I'm to busy choreographing the dance to my next number one hit. So I bet your wondering what I am talking about, I don't really sing or dance, but the only part I enjoy about running is completely escaping into mind. Generally I will create alter egos and then write short stories about them, kind of like a television show in my mind. Since I constantly listen to music when I run, whatever I am into at the time kind of guides whatever characters I create. For the last couple months I have really been into K-Pop (Korean Pop Music) for some reason. Imagine the Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls, but Asian. I never really got into that stuff back when I was a kid so I guess I am making up for it right now. I don't really listen to a lot of American pop music either, but it is easier to ignore the dumb lyrics or awful auto-tune when you don't understand anything they are saying nor do you ever hear them attempt to sing live on TV. Therefore many of my more recent "selves" have been somewhat geared in that pop icon direction.

Towards the end of my run when I had just completed my farewell concert, I began to realize that I had not really eaten anything all day and was starting to get dizzy. So I decided to refuel the way I thought any good athlete would. I went to Burger King. Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but I only had four dollars on me at the time so all I could get was a kids meal. As I waited in anticipation for my nutritious meal, memories began to flood back of the awesome toys you would get from Burger King or McDonalds. One of my favorite toy series was when the Inspector Gadget movie came out and they would give you different body parts with each meal that would eventually assemble a full Inspector Gadget action figure. Each body part was a toy in itself too. One arm would be a laser pointer while a leg may be some kind of multi-colored pen. So finally the time comes, the cashier hands me my kids meal with a "Aren't you a little old for this?" look in her eye while I reply with a "Just give me my damn food" grab as I rush to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Since I was in some raggedy old running clothes and paid for my meal with some loose change, I am sure I kind of looked like a creepy hobo. But I don't care, I open my meal box to find the toy disassembled into three pieces. No problem, I begin to put together my prize to find it is one of the lamest toys I have ever gotten from a fast food establishment. Ya it may look cool, but it is completely stationary and aside from putting the silver guy on his surfboard and pulling out a white piece of paper behind a stenciled picture, that is all the stimulation you get. 

*Sigh*, well excuse me. I have to re-evaluate my childhood.

- Gonzalo

Bring back memories? 

It doesn't even do anything....