Tom's Blogz

After a long day, filled with classes, studying, meetings, and conversations that drained me, I decided it would be good to take a walk. I took the long way around campus, looping in between the library and Robert Carr Chapel. Then I followed the sidewalk along University Drive back towards home, where the shake oaks and foliage lifted their arms up over the walkways as if to shelter us from sun and rain.  It was a cloudy day, but warm. Spring was coming soon, although the grass had yet to green up. As I passed the Winston-Scott Building, something caught my eye--twin Texas live oaks. These were a little bit younger than the large ones on University, nonetheless majestic. But what stuck out to me wasn't the trees individually, but the way they were paired together.  Both stood as the natural gate towards the science building, making a grand entrance. However, the tree on the left side was a tad smaller, and its branches and canopy condensed inward, like a cloud. On the other h...

I am training for the Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon this year, so I've spent quite a few long runs on the Trinity River. Typically, the runs aren't "enjoyable," as I'm huffing and puffing, thinking about how nice it will be when this is all over. However, my past run was truly enjoyable, at least for the first 10 miles.  From TCU, I took the trail alongside Woodshed Smokehouse and then headed the way towards downtown. I noticed many waterfowl--birds I could not recognize. They looked like a mix of a duck and a goose and were dark in color, and they were usually alone or in small pairs.  Seven miles in, and I had passed the town hall. The trail started to curve around the frame of the city, and on one side, you could see many developed skyscrapers, while on the other was a mix of undeveloped and abandoned land, mostly industrial. As I went deeper down the trail, the path seemed to sink below the city, and larger bridges towered over me. I think the bridges must be ho...