Kiss My Shiny Metal A$$

Yes folks, the rumors have been confirmed! After a brief sabbatical, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Captain Turanga Leela, Philip J. Fry and that lovable robot whom today's title is attributed to, Bender Bending Rodriguez, assembled in America's Heartland (Mexico), will all return for new episodes on Comedy Central beginning in 2008. Bender, I want you to know that in your absence, you were indeed missed and remembered. And for everyone "out there," if you haven't watched this fantastic program, you should start.

Also, thanks to everyone who sent the articles on air-conditioning causing weight gain. This validates that I'm not crazy. For the record, there are a couple key differences between my theory and that in the articles. Here's the quote from ABC:

Modern technologies — such as air conditioning and heating — help keep us in "the thermoneutral zone," a temperature range where we do not have to regulate our body temperature, a report suggests.

When our bodies are above or below this zone, we increase the amount of energy we spend, which "decreases energy stores," such as fat, the study's authors say.

Translation: sweating and shivering burn more calories than being in climate-controlled comfort. The weight change is presented by the article as something of a fait accompli, i.e., get climate control means you'll get fat. That, my friends, is a bogus theory because weight gain is not so fatalistically related to single causes. If you recall, I argued that the AC made it easier to eat more and work out less. No one could seriously argue that the AC has more influence on weight than diet and exercise.

As far as today's run goes, it was a 9.4 mile loop through Brooklyn, over the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall Park and then through Manhattan to the Williamsburg Bridge and home through McCarren Park. At 72:30, it was about a 7:45 pace. On the downside, this seemed much, much harder than the pace reflects. I only managed about 5 hours of sleep last night, which translated to tired legs. Also, the humidity here is about 88% this morning. So, effort-wise, this was a difficult day. On the plus side, I'm trail running this weekend. No matter the weather, it's always cooler in the woods!