In an unusual turn of events, I was updated to the fact the broad street run is this Sunday and not the next Sunday.  This means that I will remain sober throughout the weekend so that I can do well in the run.  My bib number is 1206, which means I should finish around that spot out of 26,000 people.  I put my time in at 65 minutes which would equate to 6:30 mile pace but I’m hoping to be closer to 60 minutes.

I went out to the bar last night after only 3 beers, normally i’ve drank 12+ before going out and it certainly is a different experience.  I notice people who are too drunk and it’s a real I opener to how I probably act 95% of the weekends a year.  Plus when I go to the bar now everyone seems really young.  I’m fairly certain that this will continue to occur as I  get older.  Another noticeable fact is that the majority of people aren’t very attractive.  Alcohol really does wonders to increase having a fun time on a weekend.   On a plus side I remembered everything that happened last night and I woke up today early and finished up Catcher in the Rye.

I started the book on Thursday and literally read it throughout the majority of my free time to finish it up this morning.  This was a really entertaining book and I’m glad I reread it.    I’m not sure how they can teach you this book in high school.  Time and time again I keep thinking the same thing about my school experience.  I wasn’t ready to really understand ideas being taught to me.  I felt this same way about college.  I think it’s funny too that Holden thought it was ok and interesting when people got sidetracked and digressed from the main topic which I feel i’m doing now.  What I mean is that they taught me about interest rates and how to calculate values of companies but I had no real world experience so I didn’t understand what I was learning.  Sure I could put numbers into formulas and figure out answers but that’s all they were, answers.  It’s the same thing with the Catcher in the Rye.  I read it in high school and did all the outlines and answered all their questions and learned the vocab, but at that point of my life it had no meaning.  It was just learning enough to get a passing mark, it had no meaning, there was no thought behind it.

That being said I want to write what I took out of the novel sitting here 10 years after reading it the first time.  I read the wikipedia page too after I finish the book so that I can see what other people have already thought.  This actually would make me a phony because I’m not coming up with my own thoughts but since I know this I think it’s acceptable.  The concept of him being the catcher in the rye and trying to save the innocent children from falling off the cliff into adulthood intrigues me.  How he only relates to young people and considers all adults phony is interesting as well.  His infatuation with Jane and his inability to talk to her is unusual, always waiting to be in the right mood.  He tries to act mature and thinks he’s mature even though he’s just a kid.  He presents himself as an adult yet I think he is doing everything in his power to stop from becoming one.  I like how he always describes people by telling you about their faults.  Everyone is phony.  I’m not sure how that correlates to life as I see it because even though I do think people have hidden agendas sometime and they may be putting up fronts to make you think about them differently, there are genuine people out there.  I try my best to be honest and candid and I think I display that a bit in some of these posts.  If people can’t trust you then they probably aren’t your friend.

If you’ve read this much more power to you because I feel like I just wrote a paper for school.  However, when I’m not hungover on a weekend and have plenty of free time I amuse myself by writing.  Tomorrow is the 10 mile run where I will beat 25,000+ people and give myself an ego boost.  It’s a good feeling going to the run and pointing out person after person and saying i’m faster than you, i’m faster than you…  Here’s to another sober night.