Solemates: A FairyTale by Sharyn O'Halloran

 

Solemates: A FairyTale 

by Sharyn O'Halloran

Once upon a time, a young boy named Milo lived in a quaint little town called Soleville. Milo was an ordinary boy in every way, except for one thing: he had an extraordinary collection of shoes. He filled his room with all sorts of shoes—sneakers, boots, flip-flops, dress shoes, and even slippers. People around the town would come to see Milo's collection, which had grown so large that it was beginning to spill out of his room and into the rest of his house.

Milo set off on his journey wearing his most comfortable pair of

sneakers. He walked through hills and valleys, across rivers, and even climbed a small mountain, all the while daydreaming about the magnificent collection of socks he longed to see. Finally, after a long day's journey, he arrived at Sophia's house.

Sophia's house was a beautiful, colorful building that was impossible to miss. The exterior was adorned with countless pairs of socks,

each more unique than the last. Milo knocked on the door, and Sophia, a girl with bright eyes and a warm smile, opened it. She welcomed Milo inside, excited to show him her vast collection.

As they wandered through her house, Milo marveled at the socks,

which came in every color, pattern, and material imaginable. There were socks with stripes, polka dots, and even ones that glowed in the dark. As he observed the collection, Milo felt a strong connection with Sophia, as they shared a unique passion. 

They spent hours talking about their collections and sharing stories about their favorite shoes and socks. It wasn't long before they realized they could create the perfect pairs by matching Milo's shoes with Sophia's socks together. They decided to combine their collections and open a unique store where people could find the perfect shoes and socks to express their individuality.

Milo and Sophia worked tirelessly to open their store, which they named "Solemates." The townspeople from both Soleville and Sockton eagerly came to their grand opening, delighted to discover the fantastic variety of shoes and socks. The store became a favorite destination for shoppers, and Milo and Sophia became inseparable friends.

Over time, Milo and Sophia's friendship turned into love, and they eventually got married. Their passion for shoes and socks only grew stronger as their relationship blossomed. The couple continued to expand their store, and soon Solemates became famous throughout the land.

Their story taught everyone that the possibilities are endless when you find someone who shares your passion. And it all started with a boy who had too many shoes and a girl with too many socks.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab --- Being Seen When None Remember

 

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a book that you don't forget.  The tale traverses lifetimes and places and speaks to the heart's wishes.  It is a story of a woman's struggle to be seen in a world where she is never remembered and unvalued.  

When a young girl deals with a stranger to leave her small village and be as if she never existed, the consequences are not as Addie would have hoped.  The phrase careful what you wish for because you may get it, rings true to this story.  In exchange for gaining her wish, the stranger requests her companionship.  Addie refuses.

What unfolds is a young woman making her way in a world where she is friendless, has no home, and everyone she knew is gone.  Throughout it all, Addie does what it takes to survive.  

The most profound part of Addie's journey is not the degrading situations she endures but that no one ever remembers her.  History never remembers Addie; her life is without purpose or impact.  The book's triumph is that despite her invisibility, Addie finds a way to be seen.  

Sharyn O'Halloran 

How to prepare for your first Ultramarathon

Preparing for an ultramarathon takes time and dedication, especially if the race will be a runner’s first ultramarathon.

1. The turtle wins the race: Slowly increase the distance

Increasing running distance is an important part of training for an ultramarathon. While experienced marathoners may already be familiar with longer runs, new runners will need to gradually work their way up. Completing the full race length three to four times before the actual race is also important. Instead of doing the full length in a single day, however, it is best to complete two back-to-back long runs that add up to the total time. This gives runners a basic idea of where they need to improve without fully exhausting the body and mind.

2. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink: Hydrate often

Since ultramarathons are so long, runners must learn to keep themselves comfortable and hydrated during the run. Although there are aid stations set up along ultramarathon courses, they may not be interspersed enough throughout the course for runners to stay strong. Bringing a hydration pack can be extremely helpful.

3. You are what you eat: Plan for your nutritional needs

Further, runners may place drop bags along with the race that contains food and other nutrition items, and they should practice going through these packs quickly and efficiently to ensure valuable time is not wasted.

4. Clothes make the runner:  Comfort is key

Certain clothing items may not be as comfortable during the longer run, so testing out different garments while training can be helpful. Make sure the material is soft and fitted to prevent chaffing.  Layers are best in cold weather running.

5. A little grease makes the world go round: Minimize chafing

One of the more uncomfortable aspects of long-distance running, especially for women, is that chafing is common.  To prevent chafing, I recommend using a petroleum-based ointment that includes healing agents, such as vitamins A, D, and E.  Areas of skin that may be subject to friction while running, as a result of skin to skin, skin to water, or another contact, can benefit from using a thicker types of chafing ointment.  Of course, always check with your doctor for any potential allergies or side effects before use.

How to Stay Motivated

Staying motivated to run long distances while juggling constant demands from work and family is very hard. Here are a few tricks that I have found along the way.

1) Compete in Local Races-- Join a running club that sponsors local events. I belong to the New York Road Runners, which hosts racing events almost every weekend throughout the year. Competing in a race forces me to stay on my training program. 

2) Virtual Coach-- When I am training for a long-distance event, and even if I am not, I always sign up with a Virtual Coach. Each night I get an email telling me what my workout program is for the next day. I don’t have to think about it. I just do what the coach says (more or less). 

3) Cross-Training— Running high volume miles consistently week-after-week can take its toll and, frankly, it can get boring. To mix it up, I weight train, ride a bike and participate in body sculpting classes for core strengthening. Over the course of a week, I complete my long runs, while getting a full-body workout. 

 4) Stretching and Yoga—One of the best ways to ward off injury is to incorporate a stretching routine into your daily workout. This could be done in the morning or night. I usually go through a set of classic runners stretches for hip flexors, hamstring, and quads. I also like to include some basic yoga poses to both stretch and strengthen core muscles. 

5) Virtual Training Partner—I find it impossible to coordinate my training sessions with another equally busy person. Instead, as a commitment device, I have a friend that I email before and after my long runs and before and after racing events. Being answerable to another human being, even if virtually, pushes me to complete the task, especially when I am tired and hurting. 

Copyright © Sharyn O'Halloran (2014) womenontherunblog.com. All rights reserved.

Apartment Hunting in Dublin, Ireland

One of the best ways to learn a new city is to apartment hunt. Once you have figured out your budget, size needs, finding the location is a journey. In Dublin, the city is divided into neighbor hoods designated into districtions Dublin 1 and 2 are considerd City Center, Dublin 4 radiates out and so on, as shown on the map below.

Over the last decade, Dublin has experienced a makeover. In fact, City Center has become quite international and recently ranked in the top 10 places to visit. As I go through my hunt, I discribe the criteria and tools I use. As I am currently in the United States, I will start my serach online and see how far I get. Here is to happy hunting, Slainte!

The Legitimacy Paradox: The Adverse Impact of Non-Marital Children on the Family Structure

My mother and father never had a happy marriage. They shared little in common. My father was a blue-collar, working-class man from Brooklyn. My mother came from a blue-collar, working-class family, but she was raised in Queens. My parents frequently fought, sometimes viciously. Over time, my father grew detached, drank, and became abusive. At the same time, my mother grew spiteful, resentful, and bitter. They eventually divorced. 

One day, I asked my mother when she and my father married. It turns out that my mother gave birth to my elder sister four months after marrying my father. I assumed she got pregnant and was forced to marry. What I didn't know was my mother kept a secret.

My elder sister has a different father. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, I never understood the disparity of treatment, resentment, and tension in the household. My mother disliked me for being my father's daughter and took her anger and frustration out on me. My father also took his anger and frustration out on me because, unlike my sister, I was his daughter. 

The situation above is even more common today. Trends in childbirth rates show a significant increase in births outside of marriage over the last three decades.   These patterns are consistent across all racial groups, with delivery occurring to nonmarried White women rising 13 percent and Hispanic women by 18 percent.

Birth occurring outside of marriage increasing across all groups

These trends hold for women of all education levels. Indeed, births to unmarried women, who hold at least a college degree, increased by 50 percent. These patterns have both macroeconomic and micro-social consequences.

Nonmarried Women Births by Education

Much has been written about the impact of illegitimacy on a child; they tend to act out and are socially and emotionally unstable. However, these studies focus on single-parent households, usually unwed mothers and children. Such homes are less affluent, less educated, and more likely to be below poverty.  

Yet the effect of an illegitimate child on other family members, especially other children in the home, is rarely recognized. An unappreciated phenomenon takes place, what I call the Legitimacy Paradox.  

The legitimacy paradox occurs when the child born outside the marriage is preferred to those born to the married couple (the legitimate children). The non-biological parent recognizes the disinvestment in their child in favor of someone else's child and begins to resent their partner. If the imbalance persists, the syndrome ultimately leads to tension and alienation.  

In the end, the impact on the children is the opposite of what would be expected. The legitimate children are neglected and deprived of investment and resources, while the household over-invests in the illegitimate child. This perverse outcome or paradox is most acute in households where the mother brings the illegitimate child into the home, and the father is uninvolved in child-raising.   

More research needs to be done on the Legitimacy Paradox. The impact of illegitimacy is not just a macro-social phenomenon driving poverty and inequality. Illegitimacy also affects family dynamics at the micro household level. The increased complexity of domestic structures and the growing number of births to nonmarried women at all socio-economic levels highlights the need to quantify the impact of children born to nonmarried women accounting for the Legitimacy Paradox.

Winter Wonderland-- the Blizzards of 1978

 Winter comes to the Northeast...

In 1978, the Northeast suffered two blizzards back-to-back.  

On January 21, 1978, NYC was hit with 13 inches of snow over two days.  See NYT archives, which note that millions were stranded as the roads proved impassable.   

Two weeks later, a historic nor'easter bombarded  New York again, leading to 100 fatalities and damages assessing over $2 billion in (2020 dollars).  

Between February 5 to 7, 1978, approximately 20 inches of snow plummeted New York City and the surrounding areas. 

The picture above overlooking the Geroge Washington Bridge reveals backout conditions, much like today.

Even with all the technological advances in the last forty years, a good blizzard can grind everything to a halt, reminding us to appreciate the wonder of winter...

Happy snow day...

The Fictional World of Oryx & Crake is not so Fictional

Sometimes fiction is more accurate than life. The novel, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, is a futuristic work that seems like a history lesson. 

Oryx and Crake is an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it story. The bad guys are narcissistic scientists disguised as the good guys, inventing genetic diversity to create new species to feed a strained world.  

The new dysphoric world is acutely unequal—the elite and educated work for large conglomerate companies. Employees live in company-owned housing and educate their children in company-owned schools.  

Those living outside the Corporate Compounds reside in the Pleeblands, filled with what Edmund Burke referred to as the "unwashed masses." The Corporations view the lower classes of the Pleeblands as consumers that keep the capitalist cycle afloat.  

The once virtuous cycle turns vicious. Crake, a brilliant geneticist, comprehends the system for what it is: corrupt, exploitative, and ultimately unsustainable. Crake uses his brilliance to create a new human-like, genetically-modified species, aptly named Crakers, resilient enough to live in a Hobbesian state of nature. Combining various traits from different species leads to stranger-than-life circumstances, such as a mating ritual resembling baboons.  

To bring about his utopian vision, Crake manufactures an apocalyptic virus, killing all except the Crakers within months. As Crake succumbs, he gives his best friend, Jimmy, the antidote to the virus and begs Jimmy to watch over his creation. What happens next seems ordained.  

With all social institutions gone, the Crakers reinvent civilization. The Crakers establish governance hierarchies and division of labor within the group. The Crakers begin to idolize their creator to understand the world around them. Their guardian, Jimmy, now called the Snowman, becomes Crake's prophet, the only one to speak directly to the creator. In short, Crakers begin to replicate primitive human society and religion. 

And so, the cycle starts again.

When a Pay Raise is Not...

The Wall Street Journal noted the increase in lower-wage workers' pay. The lowest wage earners, many between 16 and 24 and with only a high school degree, gained the most since the pandemic.  

 Hourly wage increases occurred for the lowest-paid segment of the workforce, which is less educated and younger than average.

Wage Growth by Age and Education

While wage increases are commendable, these above-average wages have not kept up with inflation, as noted in the gap between nominal hourly pay increases and inflation-adjusted wage increases.  

Real and Nominal Wage Gains

The growing gap between actual and nominal wages is exacerbated by the nature of job growth. Many of these positions are concentrated in services sectors and trades that can be highly cyclical.  

Moreover, outside of the service sector, the growth in jobs resides in manufacturing, mining, and wholesale. Many of these jobs require training or licenses to practice the trade. They also tend to be unionized.  

Unless the government and the private sector take seriously the obligation to train and apprentice the next generation, these jobs will remain unfilled, and real wage growth will remain a ghost of the past.

Sharyn O'Halloran 

January 22,2022

Meatloaf and Male Life Expectancy Trends --- January 21, 2022

Meatloaf, an enthusiastic and extravagant artist, passed away at 74.

This appears to be a sad trend...

CDC preliminary data show that life expectancy for males fell by 1.5 years, the most significant drop since WWII.

Sharyn O'Halloran

January 21, 2022

Time to Start

 I am starting a blog about things I do-- not related to my academic work.

I have been reading Nora Robert's recent series.

Awaken starts off with an average 20-something woman struggling to find their way. What seems like an average person, stuck in an average career, with an average chance to pay off their student loans in their lifetime, gets an exceptional boon of almost $4 million.  

Of course, the money is the catalyst that sets the main character on the path to find her true identity, a member of the fabled fae. Her birth land, of course, is a metaverse, connected to this universe through a portal, the living tree, in Western Ireland.  

Once you have decided to put what you know aside and accept Nora's facts to be accurate, it is a beautiful ride, rolling through the hills of Ireland and beyond.

-- Thursday, January 20, 2022

Sharyn O'Halloran