I engage in one of these writing exercises every so often and it’s been a while.
I’m 5’8 and have blue eyes. My hair used to be chestnut brown but is now mostly grey and thinning a bit. I still have more hair than most men of my age.
I wear a 48 jacket, a 38 waist, and a 29 inch inseam. I wear a 16 1/2 inch collar and 34 inch sleeves. I do not have a gut but am very broad-shouldered and deep chested. I’m quite “long-waisted” which is a nice way of saying that my legs are short for my height—I’m proportioned very differently from most people. When I sit at a table with tall people, our eyes are at a level although, obviously, I’m a lot shorter than they are.
I have a short mustache. I once had a full beard. My beard and mustache used to be red but my mustache is now white. I haven’t grown my beard out in nearly 50 years. I’ve got a good complexion and, although I have dark lines under my eyes, I don’t have many wrinkles.
I hate having my picture taken. I don’t think I’m very photogenic.
I speak quickly and energetically. The way I write is basically the way I speak—in full paragraphs as befits the son of a lawyer/law prof and a remedial reading teacher.
I used to be very strong and very agile. I could jump to the top of a normal table from a standing start. One summer I hauled 300 lb. boxes around by hand until I learned that I wasn’t supposed to be able to do that.
I walk between three and five miles a day every day 365 days a year. I wish I could do more but there just isn’t time.
Well, Dave, one thing we see “eye to eye” on is our height. I am 5’7 1/4″ and also have blue eyes.
Overall, that was a vivid self description. Also, your daily walk indicates a lot of self discipline, which in turn probably gives you a good return on health and low BP.
Jan, he didn’t say it was A daily walk, but that he walks that far. I’m sure some of it is self discipline, but some of it is having a pack of dogs to take care of!
Ice,
“I walk between three and five miles a day every day 365 days a year”
To me saying he walked this distance 365 days of the year inferred it was a daily one. However, I did forget about Dave’s dogs. And, yes, having dogs does encourage one’s athleticism.
BTW, ice, where have you been lately?
I didn’t mention it in that portrait but I’ve had a problem with chronic pain for the last 20 or so years. On any given day my pain level varies from a 3 to a 9. Many in my situation are bedridden. I no longer take anything for it. I describe my strategy as “zenning my way through”.
I just clear my mind and walk.
At some point any pain below seven can just be ignored, so long as it’s constant. But you’ve got back pain, if I recall, and that tends to vary a lot. Nasty stuff.
…
jan, I’m doing alright. Recently returned to tournament chess, and not only did I finish second in my section in my last tournament (for a nice little paycheck), I also won the third brilliancy prize for the whole tournament. Given that several grandmasters were playing, I feel pretty good about that! At the moment I’m trying to ignore current events as much as possible and just focus on my daughter, my wife and my chess. Ignoring the world makes for a more pleasant disposition, though I haven’t broken all my bad habits yet. (That’s why I’m here. I probably need to take out all news related sites from my blog roll.)
Anyway, hope you’re doing well up in the pleasant parts of California. I’m hoping to get my daughter out there in the next year or so. After a lifetime in Florida California ought to blow her mind.
Sound like very healthy priorities to me.
Thanks for the details, Ice. Your complex-like posts reflect a mind likely compatible with chess and the strategies needed to be competent in such a game. Congratulations on your successes and awards!
Dave, the endorphin-effect produced by exercise most likely helps to reduce your pain. Plus, walking can distract the mind from focusing on the body’s problems. I like that phrase — “zenning my way through…”
Nice profile Dave. I love walking too – I used to run a lot but it’s getting too hard, so it’s more walking. If I lived in a state that had a third dimension, I’d be hiking.
Andy, the third dimension in Florida can be found in South Florida. The giant piles of garbage are impossible to miss driving down the Turnpike or I-95 – you’ll see dark clouds of buzzards hovering over them before you see the mounds themselves. Talk about a stupid fucking place to put a megalopolis….
Walking helped me during my last chess tournament. I must have walked at least a mile during each of my first, second and fifth round games. Possibly two miles each int he first tow rounds. The last thing you want during a game of chess is for the blood to pool in your lower extremities.