Thursday, April 14, 2011

Key Quote from Dostoevsky's Demons

I had been looking for this for a while and finally found it:
“Your Excellency,” said a policeman, coming up to him, “what if you were to try the repose of home? . . . It's dangerous for your Excellency even to stand here.”

This policeman, as I heard afterwards, had been told off by the chief of police to watch over Andrey Antonovitch, to do his utmost to get him home, and in case of danger even to use force—a task evidently beyond the man's power.

“They will wipe away the tears of the people whose houses have been burnt, but they will burn down the town. It's all the work of four scoundrels, four and a half! Arrest the scoundrel! He worms himself into the honour of families. They made use of the governesses to burn down the houses. It's vile, vile! Aie, what's he about?” he shouted, suddenly noticing a fireman at the top of the burning lodge, under whom the roof had almost burnt away and round whom the flames were beginning to flare up. “Pull him down! Pull him down! He will fall, he will catch fire, put him out! . . . What is he doing there?”

“He is putting the fire out, your Excellency.”

“Not likely. The fire is in the minds of men and not in the roofs of houses. Pull him down and give it up! Better give it up, much better! Let it put itself out.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Groton Road Race

Came in 52nd out of 490 finishers

Net time of: 44:47 with a pace/mile of 7:13

44th out of 284 men. 22nd out of 104 men in my age bracket (40-49)

Photo courtesy of Cool Running.

Added: Interesting numerology...

49 369 Andy Richardt 44:20 7:09 44:30 40 41/284 M 19/104 M4049

50 475 Daniel Gill 44:27 7:10 44:33 44 42/284 M 20/104 M4049

51 259 Randal Parradee 44:43 7:12 44:45 40 43/284 M 21/104 M4049

52 388 David Pecchia 44:47 7:13 44:50 48 44/284 M 22/104 M4049

53 574 Kim Blair 44:48 7:13 44:51 52 45/284 M 3/52 M5059

54 495 Brandon Lund 44:51 7:14 44:57 25 46/284 M 7/32 M2029

55 498 Eric Niemoller 44:54 7:14 44:57 13 47/284 M 3/13 M-19

56 286 Jeff Druzba 44:53 7:14 44:58 35 48/284 M 12/67 M3039

4 in a row in their 40's followed by one in his 50's, then one in his 20's, then one under 20 and finally one in his 30's.