Archive for September 2014
10 years of Marathon Training experiences: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
While I’m not training for the Chicago Marathon this year, I have run it a dozen times since the noughties began. That means Marathon Training has consumed most of my summers over the last decade. This part of the season known as The Taper, was always my favorite part of the training season. Because when... Read more »
Being neutral in a Friend Cold War isn't always the right thing to do
Have you ever had two friends who had some type of blowout and now won’t speak to one another? Maybe it’s over something really stupid, like liking Coldplay or maybe it is a friendship breaker, liking balking on reimbursing someone for Coldplay Concert Tickets. Either way you might be caught in the middle. Sure all... Read more »
Being caught in the middle when friends fight is awful
A long time ago, in a Liberal Arts College far, far away, a couple friends were not getting along. Actually to say they weren’t getting along would be like saying Russia and Ukraine are having growing pains. What they were fighting about isn’t important, but it is amusing so I’ll share. Cindy was pissed at... Read more »
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Marathon Training: Group Leader Confidential
Every summer thousands of people train for the Chicago Marathon and many of them join running clubs like CARA. Although I’m not doing it this year, I’ve group leader since 2003 and have trained for both fall and spring marathons, so I’ve led a lot of different groups of runners over the years. Two of... Read more »
The ups and downs of keeping your baby names a secret
About seven seconds after we shared the news that we were pregnant, people have been asking all sorts of questions. When is Nightingale due? Are we going to learn the sex of the children? Do they have a favorite cognac and preferred smokes? You know, the standard FAQs. Like an episode of Lost, every question led to... Read more »
My thought process on how I tip
Every so often the When to Tip or When Not to Tip debate comes up. “Should one tip when you pick up Chinese takeout? Should you tipped the guys who delivered your new gas range? What about a hotel bellhop? A parking valet?” Wash. Rinse. Repeat. What I’m gonna do instead it share my thought... Read more »
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Seven things to expect when dating someone training for the Chicago Marathon
So you met that special someone this summer, perhaps at a street festival, a sporting event or even a friend’s annual 4th of July Party. You hit things off and everything is going great except you are starting to notice they have this hobby which borders on addiction. It probably started out as a minor... Read more »
What to say about September 11th that hasn't already been said
Today is the 13th anniversary of the biggest Al Qaeda terrorist attack on the United States of America. It’s one of those days that will forever have significance in my life. In the category of Unexpected Tragedy and Senseless Death, it ranks right up there with Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy Assassinations and the shuttlecraft explosions.... Read more »
One Bears loss does not end the season...yet
Wow judging from all the chatter around Chicago, you’d think the Bear’s season officially ended last Sunday, 15 games early. Relax people. see if your ObamaCare can spring for some Xanax or something. Yes there were turnovers and missed tackles and mental lapses. It certainly wasn’t as bad as last season, we have a lot... Read more »
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Crummy Jobs: My former life as a Paralegal Assistant
Every so often, I think back to my first post-college job as a Paralegal Assistant at BIGNAME LAW FIRM. The PA position was created to offload the non-billable work the paralegals had to do — otherwise known as Things the Paralegals Didn’t Want to Do — so they could focus on the more substantive legal... Read more »
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Meet The Blogger

Michael Messinger
I am a Chicago native who grew up in Humboldt Park and now lives in Portage Park. If Nikola Tesla and Ernest Hemingway had a love child, I'm the Polish version of him with a little Dave Barry thrown in for spice. I went to two colleges for undergrad: I started at NMSU as a pre-engineering major and finished at UIC with a degree in communications which was as close to Journalism as they offered. I was editor of a student newspaper at UIC in the early days of the internet. I have successfully run 22 marathons and may be reached at therunninggod@gmail.com, on twitter @MysteriesOLife or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MysteriesOfLifeblog
Recent posts
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The 100 series finale recap: The Fight is Over »
Michael Messinger on Mysteries of LifePosted October 4, 2020 at 11:55 am -
Is it time to get rid of the Natural Born Citizen Clause? »
Michael Messinger on Mysteries of LifePosted July 29, 2020 at 9:07 am -
Do you suffer from Weird Beard? »
Michael Messinger on Mysteries of LifePosted May 1, 2020 at 2:04 pm -
COVID-19: Does Anybody Really Know What Day It Is? »
Michael Messinger on Mysteries of LifePosted April 6, 2020 at 9:19 am -
What do you do with Dead Friends on Facebook? »
Michael Messinger on Mysteries of LifePosted January 22, 2020 at 8:59 am
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