— Month of January workout totals: Swim-1; Bike-2; Run-0; Lift-2; Yoga-5; Pilates-4<\/p>\n
— I\u2019m barely hanging on to athletic respectability, thanks to Yoga\/Pilates, but that doesn\u2019t do much for my aerobic fitness. This hasn\u2019t been one of my better annual kick-offs, \u201cexercise-wise,\u201d compared to the past few years. My hope is that our traditional Super Sunday mountain-bike ride will help me turn this around, because I have no intention of not being in decent shape this year. Good. That\u2019s settled.<\/p>\n
— \u201cHealth is wealth,\u201d but here\u2019s another important reason I need to stay in noticeably sound condition: the mayor asked me to think through the idea of establishing a permanent Bicyclist\/Pedestrian Advisory Committee for the city of Danville. Sounds like he intends to take my recommendations to the Board of Commissioners as soon as I finish my homework. It came out of nowhere, but seems in sync with my desire to disengage at the state level to focus more on local action. As I\u2019ve probably said before, my days as a Kentucky Commissioner are undoubtedly numbered, since the governor who appointed me wasn\u2019t re-elected, and my term on the KBBC<\/a> will expire before long.<\/p>\n — Seeing Ken Watanabe in Clint\u2019s Letters<\/a> reminded me of his other emotional performances in Geisha<\/a> and Samurai<\/a>. And then I became even more sad, because I recently found out that Hollywood set decorator Gretchen Rau<\/a> died of a brain tumor. I was really wanting to enjoy more of her exceptional work.<\/p>\n — I\u2019ve been hearing funny things about The Producers<\/em> since I was a college student, but it never occurred to me that it would take 35 years before I finally saw the show. This evening Dana and I had fabulous seats at Norton Center for the excellent national touring production, and I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve laughed that hard since I first saw Blazing Saddles<\/em>. When I\u2019m in the right mood, nothing is more hilarious to me than Mel Brooks at his very best. I\u2019ve always figured he was a comedic genius, but after experiencing \u201cSpringtime for Hitler\u201d tonight, I must appreciate that he\u2019s a genius\u2014period. I was reminded that, when facing down the wicked, many unavoidable things are required by our warriors, but art is the best\u2014the only true\u2014revenge, and satiric comedy may be the ultimate\u2014the most difficult?\u2014form of that. Would that every aspiring dictator could look ahead only to having his personality cult reduced to an object of ridicule and gut-cramping laughter. <\/p>\n There is no safety for honest men except Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because
\nby believing all possible evil of evil men.
\n \u2014Edmund Burke<\/p>\n
\nHitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric.
\nBut if you can bring these people down with
\ncomedy, they stand no chance.
\n \u2014Mel Brooks <\/p><\/blockquote>\n