Saturday was a daddy-daughter day, as Sharon was working "Carp-Fest" up at the Coon Rapids Dam. Lucy & I had a leisurely stop at the coffeeshop, then headed on up to check out the fest. It went well, until she saw momma there and realized that she was only going to get to see her for a few minutes. There was a major flip-out which put an immediate damper on our experience and pretty much facilitated a trip to the parking lot. The blowout was of such intensity and length that Lucy fell asleep in the car within five minutes of leaving the lot. Once we got home, the rest of the day was fun & joyous. There was some watching of the WNBA over a burrito lunch, a hike, a monkey bath (kitchen sink bath), some housecleaning, and a sleepless hour of "down-time" upstairs with much laughing & hugging. Lucy is starting to get a lot more physical (in a good way) in her interactions-climbing on me, bouncing on me, etc., which brings me no end of joy.
Sunday, Father's Day, was a good day, as well. We started with an Old Country Breakfast-although I ate well and much, my days of patronizing that place may be nearing the end. Partly because the converging lines on the graph of my quantity-quality food index may have just crossed one another, but also because (as a vegetarian), I can only eat so much yellow food in one sitting. When I walk out the front door of that place, I feel like I could shit cubes of starch. Also-I have begun to feel just a bit out of place-when I look around the establishment when we're there (once or twice a year), I realize that you could cram about six of me in the ass of any other given patron of the place. I'm reminded of the thing that foreign tourists remark as the most notable thing about Americans after visits to our country, and I guess I've just started to get a little sensitive to issues of overconsumption in any form. For me, the food was good fuel, though, as our plan for the day involved going up to the 5,000+ acre Elm Creek Park Preserve (where Sharon normally works) and having Sharon & Lucy play on the playground and at the beach while I ran myself silly on the trails. It was a hot day-87 degrees, with not a cloud in the sky-and I started out at 12:30 pm-for some running in the hottest part of the day. A sort of necessary masochistic training day for my upcoming race at Afton. No matter what I do, I cannot adequately prepare for that insane day in the time I have before me, but yesterday was about as good as I can do. Running on dirt or wood chips is not all that different than running on asphalt. Running through sporadically mowed grass or other vegetation, especially over the course of many miles, is an entirely different experience. Muscles I call the "high-steppers" get a unique, burning workout, and you realize why it is that after all your training it is still possible to get cramps on race day. I think there was actually more of that type of running yesterday than I will see at Afton but, of course, far fewer and less steep hills. It was a hot, exhausting, and brutally fun workout, nevertheless. I have no idea how far it was, but it was nearly two hours long. I'm thinking (due to the heat and my numerous stops to check my small, sweaty, disintegrating map) I covered not more than 11 miles before treatign myself to a plunge into the swimming pond.
Prior to that run, I had only just recovered from my bike/run day on Thursday, and I seem to be perpetually exhausted. Perhaps that is the price for my condensed, intense training schedule. Due to only having a total of four weeks of training, it's going to be a fine, fine line between the traditional multi-day pre-race "taper" and getting in the maximum amount of workout days. Still not sure how that will work-but it would be nice to actually feel rested and recouperated for the race itself.
Weird, though, that I've been feeling sleep-deprived, also, although my sleeping schedule is no worse than usual, and probably better. I've been so exhausted the last number of nights that I've not had the energy to record, do Quicken, or even take care of simple tasks past 8 pm. I've only had the energy to pop in Fellowship of the Ring and watch in segments before nodding off. I made it to just before Frodo left Hobbiton Friday night, to Amon Sul the next night, and to "Legolas, get them up" last night. Just plain exhausted. Connexion between that & my running? That would be weird...
Monday, June 20, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
O Beautiful Day, Haute Couture, Redd Foxx, and Wiped!
Had the latest in the Dan Hylton Summer Thursday Series (burning through some of the tons of vacation time I accrued over the last number of months on consecutive Thursdays) yesterday. Sharon's mom watched Lucy while we biked into downtown to explore St. Anthony Main and the Riverfront District.
Clouds and rain, or at least skies that threaten rain, have dominated the past two months in Minnesota. Yesterday, however, was the first in what looks like about week's worth of cloudless, sunny skies that we are in for. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for a bike ride. We've hardly been on our bikes at all in the past couple years, since Lucy isn't totally sold on the idea of riding in the bike trailer. As one who is accustomed to plodding along at a runner's pace, it was a really nice change of pace to cruise along at about three times that speed. We took the parkway south from our house, through the northern portion of Theodore Wirth (many of the trails of which have been redone in the past year-so it was really smooth sailing), and then onto the new "Bassett's Creek Cutoff;" a diagonal connector from the Grand Rounds to the Cedar Lake Trail-the nation's only "Bicycle Freeway" into downtown Minneapolis. Wonderful, wonderful, and again wonderful, the ride.
Our goal was to bike into downtown (around an hour's ride), then spend a few hours exploring St. Anothony Main. Mixdorf, if you are not aware of that area, you should be. It really seems like just your style. The "Haute Couture" in the title isn't really all that accurate, though I suppose compared to my normal lifestyle it might be considered such. But it is a really pleasant, vibrant mixture of scenery, greenery, and eateries; right along the banks of the Mississippi. It's been part of a huge HUGE revitalization of northeast Minneapolis (it's come a long way since my first week in the Twin Cities when all the riders of a bus I was on suddenly ducked following gunshots over by the Red Owl grocery). There's a lot of upscale urban condos, cool riverside restaurants & bars, and a 1.5-mile heritage trail celebrating the early history of the city that extends along both banks and across the Stone Arch and Hennepin Bridges. After our coffee stop on the way in and meal downtown, we actually didn't have time to explore the Heritage Trail (or the various parks interspersed along the way) in depth at all. I'd love to get back there-throw in a tour of the Mill City Museum along the trail on the downtown side, and you've got yourself a nice-long day of engagement. Anyway, in my time there it was really striking me that it was very Mixdorfian. Seems like if you were living in the Twin Cities, you might just choose to live here. In any event, consider this added to the list of possible activities for you & me during your visit. Potentially for you me & Cory-I think he'd get a kick out of hanging out in that area, as well. During our day we had (as planned) much discussion on Zephyr, and a little on the prospect of another child. Nothing necessarily resolved, but good discussion and good company, as always when we hang out.
Well, considering that was 20+ miles of biking on a hot, sunny day, it is no wonder that I did not feel all that much like running my seven-mile route last night. Nevertheless, I am committed to "stay on target." I ran and it was TOUGH, and I got WIPED. I did make it, and felt really good about myself and was treated to my best metropolitan wildlife sightings ever (one of my best wildlife sightings ever, period). Nearly three miles north of my house, along Shingle Creek, I saw it; a red fox, who paused just long enough to convey a sense of "I can't believe I just let that happen," before bolting off into the woods. About 50 or 60 feet away, there can be no doubt of what it was, and it was awesome.
Clouds and rain, or at least skies that threaten rain, have dominated the past two months in Minnesota. Yesterday, however, was the first in what looks like about week's worth of cloudless, sunny skies that we are in for. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for a bike ride. We've hardly been on our bikes at all in the past couple years, since Lucy isn't totally sold on the idea of riding in the bike trailer. As one who is accustomed to plodding along at a runner's pace, it was a really nice change of pace to cruise along at about three times that speed. We took the parkway south from our house, through the northern portion of Theodore Wirth (many of the trails of which have been redone in the past year-so it was really smooth sailing), and then onto the new "Bassett's Creek Cutoff;" a diagonal connector from the Grand Rounds to the Cedar Lake Trail-the nation's only "Bicycle Freeway" into downtown Minneapolis. Wonderful, wonderful, and again wonderful, the ride.
Our goal was to bike into downtown (around an hour's ride), then spend a few hours exploring St. Anothony Main. Mixdorf, if you are not aware of that area, you should be. It really seems like just your style. The "Haute Couture" in the title isn't really all that accurate, though I suppose compared to my normal lifestyle it might be considered such. But it is a really pleasant, vibrant mixture of scenery, greenery, and eateries; right along the banks of the Mississippi. It's been part of a huge HUGE revitalization of northeast Minneapolis (it's come a long way since my first week in the Twin Cities when all the riders of a bus I was on suddenly ducked following gunshots over by the Red Owl grocery). There's a lot of upscale urban condos, cool riverside restaurants & bars, and a 1.5-mile heritage trail celebrating the early history of the city that extends along both banks and across the Stone Arch and Hennepin Bridges. After our coffee stop on the way in and meal downtown, we actually didn't have time to explore the Heritage Trail (or the various parks interspersed along the way) in depth at all. I'd love to get back there-throw in a tour of the Mill City Museum along the trail on the downtown side, and you've got yourself a nice-long day of engagement. Anyway, in my time there it was really striking me that it was very Mixdorfian. Seems like if you were living in the Twin Cities, you might just choose to live here. In any event, consider this added to the list of possible activities for you & me during your visit. Potentially for you me & Cory-I think he'd get a kick out of hanging out in that area, as well. During our day we had (as planned) much discussion on Zephyr, and a little on the prospect of another child. Nothing necessarily resolved, but good discussion and good company, as always when we hang out.
Well, considering that was 20+ miles of biking on a hot, sunny day, it is no wonder that I did not feel all that much like running my seven-mile route last night. Nevertheless, I am committed to "stay on target." I ran and it was TOUGH, and I got WIPED. I did make it, and felt really good about myself and was treated to my best metropolitan wildlife sightings ever (one of my best wildlife sightings ever, period). Nearly three miles north of my house, along Shingle Creek, I saw it; a red fox, who paused just long enough to convey a sense of "I can't believe I just let that happen," before bolting off into the woods. About 50 or 60 feet away, there can be no doubt of what it was, and it was awesome.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Worse than Willfull Ignorance?
If there's anyone out there who reads my The Oliopolis but not Pat Mixdorf's Avagadros Number, please check out his wonderful essay on the differences between him and our president.
Most progressives in this country are well aware of the path of destruction left in the wake of Bush's trademark intellectual laziness, Pat covers the topic with great clarity and wit (though, not to misrepresent Pat's characterization, he does also believe The Prez to be an evil turd). I would really like to see how Pat would take on a deconstruction of perhaps an evil more unconscionable type of character, epitomized by our Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist.
Where in Bush, we have this sort of willful ignorance and pretty simple arrogance, in Frist we have a man who by all counts is highly educated and intelligent, yet purposefully champions a number of misguided or evil causes through deliberately deceitful means. A wonderful example is his video diagnosis of Terri Shiavo (sp?). A HEART SURGEON making a NEUROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS after WATCHING VIDEO in order to appeal to a radical social conservative group of voters with whom he hopes to curry favor (a diagnosis-that she could respond to visual stimuli-by the way, which has now been proven to be erroneous). He is trying to alter Senate rules in order to confirm a fringe element of conservative judges (and a fringe element to be our UN ambassador), supports numerous White House initiatives that do not pass ethical or intellectual muster, and actually went so far in his pandering to the radical right that he refused repeated requests for a roll call vote that would have put senators on the record in a FAILED (you read that right-failed) attempt to pass legislation to apologize for our nation never having passed anti-LYNCHING laws. Thus, of course, protecting identities of the mostly southern, all-conservative senators that shot fillibustered and eventually killed the bill. What an absolute bastard-and one I believe could be considered to be far more evil than George W Bush. Which is worse-to never have a soul or to sell it?
Most progressives in this country are well aware of the path of destruction left in the wake of Bush's trademark intellectual laziness, Pat covers the topic with great clarity and wit (though, not to misrepresent Pat's characterization, he does also believe The Prez to be an evil turd). I would really like to see how Pat would take on a deconstruction of perhaps an evil more unconscionable type of character, epitomized by our Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist.
Where in Bush, we have this sort of willful ignorance and pretty simple arrogance, in Frist we have a man who by all counts is highly educated and intelligent, yet purposefully champions a number of misguided or evil causes through deliberately deceitful means. A wonderful example is his video diagnosis of Terri Shiavo (sp?). A HEART SURGEON making a NEUROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS after WATCHING VIDEO in order to appeal to a radical social conservative group of voters with whom he hopes to curry favor (a diagnosis-that she could respond to visual stimuli-by the way, which has now been proven to be erroneous). He is trying to alter Senate rules in order to confirm a fringe element of conservative judges (and a fringe element to be our UN ambassador), supports numerous White House initiatives that do not pass ethical or intellectual muster, and actually went so far in his pandering to the radical right that he refused repeated requests for a roll call vote that would have put senators on the record in a FAILED (you read that right-failed) attempt to pass legislation to apologize for our nation never having passed anti-LYNCHING laws. Thus, of course, protecting identities of the mostly southern, all-conservative senators that shot fillibustered and eventually killed the bill. What an absolute bastard-and one I believe could be considered to be far more evil than George W Bush. Which is worse-to never have a soul or to sell it?
Monday, June 13, 2005
The Awakening of the Panther, Burned!, and Balance to Force
The Awakening of the Panther:
So far, my "desperate training" has been a success, as has been validation of my theory that I have a storehouse of unspent "running capital." I went from running 3-6 miles/week to running 27 miles from last Monday through Saturday. I was a little sore after the first day, but not after that. Each of the three seven mile runs on which I went got successively easier and faster, as (I believe) my muscles & body more or less remembered their previous form & flow, and settled in. Oh, and remember me mentioning that my previous time in running was 56-54 minutes for 6-7 miles? I was daft. The distance is a full 7 miles, and the only previous recorded times I had for the route (in the midst of my duathalon training, as I recall) were 1 hr 8 min & 1 hr 5 min. Well, on that particular route, which I ran on both day 1 and day 4 of my training this time 'round, my times were 1 hr 11 min & 1 hr 8 min, respectively. So, I'm hardly off that time at all. I'm gonna feel pretty good if I end up breaking 1 hr. Really, really good if I am breaking 8 minute miles (<56 minutes) by the end of my training.
Burned!
Had the afternoon with Lucy yesterday. I did a great job with sunblock on her (totally sunny day and about 85 degrees) in a 2 mile round-trip up to a Mississippi River playground and swimming pool. I also put sunblock on my own neck and tops of shoulders-the only places I recall battling sunburns in the past. Suprising: the low number of times I go around in a tank-top these days. Unfortunately, I totally missed my upper back (exposed due to the low plunging neckband) and sides under & behind my shoulders (similarly exposed). I ended up totally fried in this unique places to the point where it actually made laying down for sleep uncomfortable. I think it's actually been so long since I've had a bad burn that it was pre-"society freaked out about UV" era. Will definitely be wearing a T-shirt for my next couple of runs, but as Sharon reminded me, the elevated amount of heat my body will give off during the run definitely promises some level of torture.
Balance to the Force:
Watching Anakin's fall hit effected both Sharon & me emotionally, but the extent to which it affected Sharon was actually quite surprising. We were just getting ready to embark on viewing of episodes IV-VI, when she made come comment to the affect of, "It's just so sad and tragic, knowing where he came from and seeing how far he fell. Not that you can really have any sympathy for Darth Vader, but it just seems like a waste-he was that child that was so altruistic, had all this potential, and it was all for nothing." To which I replied, "But, of course...he does end up bringing Balance to the Force and Peace to the Galaxy." "Huh?" "You do remember how episode VI ends, right?" She did not, and after I gently reminded her that Anakin did indeed kill Vader & the Emperor in one fell swoop and effectively put an end to the Sith forever, she was much happier.
So far, my "desperate training" has been a success, as has been validation of my theory that I have a storehouse of unspent "running capital." I went from running 3-6 miles/week to running 27 miles from last Monday through Saturday. I was a little sore after the first day, but not after that. Each of the three seven mile runs on which I went got successively easier and faster, as (I believe) my muscles & body more or less remembered their previous form & flow, and settled in. Oh, and remember me mentioning that my previous time in running was 56-54 minutes for 6-7 miles? I was daft. The distance is a full 7 miles, and the only previous recorded times I had for the route (in the midst of my duathalon training, as I recall) were 1 hr 8 min & 1 hr 5 min. Well, on that particular route, which I ran on both day 1 and day 4 of my training this time 'round, my times were 1 hr 11 min & 1 hr 8 min, respectively. So, I'm hardly off that time at all. I'm gonna feel pretty good if I end up breaking 1 hr. Really, really good if I am breaking 8 minute miles (<56 minutes) by the end of my training.
Burned!
Had the afternoon with Lucy yesterday. I did a great job with sunblock on her (totally sunny day and about 85 degrees) in a 2 mile round-trip up to a Mississippi River playground and swimming pool. I also put sunblock on my own neck and tops of shoulders-the only places I recall battling sunburns in the past. Suprising: the low number of times I go around in a tank-top these days. Unfortunately, I totally missed my upper back (exposed due to the low plunging neckband) and sides under & behind my shoulders (similarly exposed). I ended up totally fried in this unique places to the point where it actually made laying down for sleep uncomfortable. I think it's actually been so long since I've had a bad burn that it was pre-"society freaked out about UV" era. Will definitely be wearing a T-shirt for my next couple of runs, but as Sharon reminded me, the elevated amount of heat my body will give off during the run definitely promises some level of torture.
Balance to the Force:
Watching Anakin's fall hit effected both Sharon & me emotionally, but the extent to which it affected Sharon was actually quite surprising. We were just getting ready to embark on viewing of episodes IV-VI, when she made come comment to the affect of, "It's just so sad and tragic, knowing where he came from and seeing how far he fell. Not that you can really have any sympathy for Darth Vader, but it just seems like a waste-he was that child that was so altruistic, had all this potential, and it was all for nothing." To which I replied, "But, of course...he does end up bringing Balance to the Force and Peace to the Galaxy." "Huh?" "You do remember how episode VI ends, right?" She did not, and after I gently reminded her that Anakin did indeed kill Vader & the Emperor in one fell swoop and effectively put an end to the Sith forever, she was much happier.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Sort of Blown Away
Had the day off on Thursday to take little Lucy to the zoo-which was quite fun, then to our first ever parent-teacher "conference" with her Montessori instructor (also fun), and then went out with Sharon for a "Revenge of the Sith" viewing.
I have spoken about the movie a bit with Aaron & at great length with Mixdorf. I welcome more bloggin' discussing, but I will simply point out a few notables:
- What a downer!
- With the exception of Yoda, non-human Jedi not worth a damn!
- Throwing around of objects with the force not used by Jedi nearly enough.
- Yoda seems to have a bit of trouble finishing people off.
I will also say that I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I think it was the best of the "first" three, both in terms of plot/character development, action, and writing. The Palpatine/Anakin scene during that straaange performance was the best written scene of episodes I-III, I think.
I think I liked it more than Mixdorf, but not quite as much as Cory. Will probably take the opporunity to have a sinfully late-night viewing (12:00 am showing or some shit).
Also interested in finding out about the "lost Jedi years" TV series (that would presumably fill in the blanks between episodes III and IV) that is rumoured in the works. Would potentially answer my burning question: Any Jedi beyond Obi-Wan & Yoda survive?
I have spoken about the movie a bit with Aaron & at great length with Mixdorf. I welcome more bloggin' discussing, but I will simply point out a few notables:
- What a downer!
- With the exception of Yoda, non-human Jedi not worth a damn!
- Throwing around of objects with the force not used by Jedi nearly enough.
- Yoda seems to have a bit of trouble finishing people off.
I will also say that I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I think it was the best of the "first" three, both in terms of plot/character development, action, and writing. The Palpatine/Anakin scene during that straaange performance was the best written scene of episodes I-III, I think.
I think I liked it more than Mixdorf, but not quite as much as Cory. Will probably take the opporunity to have a sinfully late-night viewing (12:00 am showing or some shit).
Also interested in finding out about the "lost Jedi years" TV series (that would presumably fill in the blanks between episodes III and IV) that is rumoured in the works. Would potentially answer my burning question: Any Jedi beyond Obi-Wan & Yoda survive?
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
I've Been Tagged!
His first post in about a month and a half and that bastard Johnson tagged me! A quiz about DVDs, nonetheless. It's a tough go for me-as I am one who has long professed to be generally against the buying of DVDs, especially versus music (would I rather buy something with unlimited listening potential or something that I will watch maybe twice in my lifetime?) Of course the obvious exceptions are...well, you'll have to read below...
1. Total number of films I own on DVD/video:
I'm going to exclude TV series from this question, since it explicitly says "films." The answer is four. The "Lord of the Rings" series and "Atack of the Clones." The latter was actually a gift, though I will probably get around to owning the whole sage at some point in my life.
2. The last film I bought:
"Return of the King," of course.
3. The last film I watched:
"Private Lives." A VHS rental from the best rental store in the Twin Cities, which I'm happy to plug: Robbinsdale's "Video Universe." That said, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie.
4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
I don't watch any films "a lot," other than TLOR and SW (from each of which I will only allow myself to pick one), so I will go purely on the "means a lot to me" bent. Still tough, as there are many many movies that have made an deep and lasting impression on me (though not so lasting that I can remember them at this time):
- Fellowship of the Ring
- Blazing Saddles
- Star Wars
- Roger & Me
- Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Funny, you'd never guess from that list that I'm not even all that into sci-fi or comedies these days..
Tag 5 people? Do they have to be bloggers, all? I can't do it. Most of my friends are un-connected. That Bastard, Johnson, already took Pat, so I'll throw in the only other blogger with whom I'm in regular contact: T-Clog.
1. Total number of films I own on DVD/video:
I'm going to exclude TV series from this question, since it explicitly says "films." The answer is four. The "Lord of the Rings" series and "Atack of the Clones." The latter was actually a gift, though I will probably get around to owning the whole sage at some point in my life.
2. The last film I bought:
"Return of the King," of course.
3. The last film I watched:
"Private Lives." A VHS rental from the best rental store in the Twin Cities, which I'm happy to plug: Robbinsdale's "Video Universe." That said, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie.
4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
I don't watch any films "a lot," other than TLOR and SW (from each of which I will only allow myself to pick one), so I will go purely on the "means a lot to me" bent. Still tough, as there are many many movies that have made an deep and lasting impression on me (though not so lasting that I can remember them at this time):
- Fellowship of the Ring
- Blazing Saddles
- Star Wars
- Roger & Me
- Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Funny, you'd never guess from that list that I'm not even all that into sci-fi or comedies these days..
Tag 5 people? Do they have to be bloggers, all? I can't do it. Most of my friends are un-connected. That Bastard, Johnson, already took Pat, so I'll throw in the only other blogger with whom I'm in regular contact: T-Clog.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Here Goes the Panther
Like a Phoenix from the ashes, so again rises my desire to train, sweat, and burn. It really is amazing, this cycle which can reach amazing lows (such as my 2001 "retirement") and highs (my 25Ks, my marathon). In the past few weeks I've had this general sense that I wanted to start "running again regularly," though have not been doing so on any sort of schedule. I just knew I wanted to be in decent shape for the "Weekend at Dan's Pad." But seeing those runners, & walking the trails out at Afton; well, that's done it.
I get myself so worked up in my own mind. I am now obsessed with running the Afton 25K trail run: http://www.aftontrailrun.com/ Only problem is, it's less than 4 weeks away. The sort of training I'm considering goes against years of wisdom and experience I have with respect to training and injury prevention, but my thinking is this: I have some running capital, and I intend to spend it.
The last two 25K trail runs training programs I have undertaken have been over a period of 12 weeks each, with the idea that I was running enough to swing a 5-6 mile "long run" at the end of the first week. And even after that training, I was hampered by cramps for the last couple of miles on race day. So 4 weeks of training? What am I thinking? Well, here's my thinking on the "running capital":
1. Is it possible that I have more built up reserves, due to my years of off/on running, and can get back up to speed in less time than I have previously realized?
2. Is it possible that my training has not traditionally been very efficient? It is generally 2 short, relatively easy (3 mile) running days sandwiching a tougher, longer "tempo day" midweek, with a long run at the end of the week. Towards the end of the training, the easy runs get a little longer, but looking back at previous schedules last night, I was surprised that the 3 mile distance for those continued through week 8 or so. Is it possible that after the first couple of weeks, I am getting very, very little benefit from those short runs?
3. Injury prevention: hydration & stretching, for both of which I have poor track records. In such a small window, could I do the stretching and water-consumption I need to in order to recouperate and keep my body lithe?
Last night, all these crazy thoughts welling up in my head, I set out on a favorite 7 mile run; not sure I could necessarily even finish it. I did. The best time I have ever recorded for that route is 54 minutes. Last night's time: 1 hr 11 minutes, and I was pretty much maxing myself out. Ouch. That's off about 2 minutes a mile, and is gonna have to change significantly in the next few weeks. How sore I get from that run will also play a major part in determining the fate of my next month.
No guarantee I can pull this off. Hills at Afton are no joke, and not to be dismissed or underestimated. It's a grand experiment (I'll be trying to get in 4 runs a week, with two of them being 7+ miles and a long run that go from 7 to 10 to 13 on consecutive Sundays prior to the race. If I can't keep up the schedule and/or if I can't manage the Sunday distances, I'll know I set the bar too high and pull out. It's definitely gonna take some focus & guts. But my single-mindedness, at least over a small stretch of time, is also not to be underestimated.
I get myself so worked up in my own mind. I am now obsessed with running the Afton 25K trail run: http://www.aftontrailrun.com/ Only problem is, it's less than 4 weeks away. The sort of training I'm considering goes against years of wisdom and experience I have with respect to training and injury prevention, but my thinking is this: I have some running capital, and I intend to spend it.
The last two 25K trail runs training programs I have undertaken have been over a period of 12 weeks each, with the idea that I was running enough to swing a 5-6 mile "long run" at the end of the first week. And even after that training, I was hampered by cramps for the last couple of miles on race day. So 4 weeks of training? What am I thinking? Well, here's my thinking on the "running capital":
1. Is it possible that I have more built up reserves, due to my years of off/on running, and can get back up to speed in less time than I have previously realized?
2. Is it possible that my training has not traditionally been very efficient? It is generally 2 short, relatively easy (3 mile) running days sandwiching a tougher, longer "tempo day" midweek, with a long run at the end of the week. Towards the end of the training, the easy runs get a little longer, but looking back at previous schedules last night, I was surprised that the 3 mile distance for those continued through week 8 or so. Is it possible that after the first couple of weeks, I am getting very, very little benefit from those short runs?
3. Injury prevention: hydration & stretching, for both of which I have poor track records. In such a small window, could I do the stretching and water-consumption I need to in order to recouperate and keep my body lithe?
Last night, all these crazy thoughts welling up in my head, I set out on a favorite 7 mile run; not sure I could necessarily even finish it. I did. The best time I have ever recorded for that route is 54 minutes. Last night's time: 1 hr 11 minutes, and I was pretty much maxing myself out. Ouch. That's off about 2 minutes a mile, and is gonna have to change significantly in the next few weeks. How sore I get from that run will also play a major part in determining the fate of my next month.
No guarantee I can pull this off. Hills at Afton are no joke, and not to be dismissed or underestimated. It's a grand experiment (I'll be trying to get in 4 runs a week, with two of them being 7+ miles and a long run that go from 7 to 10 to 13 on consecutive Sundays prior to the race. If I can't keep up the schedule and/or if I can't manage the Sunday distances, I'll know I set the bar too high and pull out. It's definitely gonna take some focus & guts. But my single-mindedness, at least over a small stretch of time, is also not to be underestimated.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Rivers of Mud, Field Rest 2005, and the Stirring of the Heart of a Panther
Ah, Afton State Park, my old friend. The site of the first few February Freeze-Offs, as well as numerous other camping overnighters; it is temptingly close to the Twin Cities, considering the relatively large space in which to frolic, wonderfully hilly terrain, and nicely remote camping facilities (backpack only). Since our attempt to camp in Kansas Territory was thrwarted the previous weekend, we were damned sure going to make it happen this time. Originally, we were planning an overnight at Backbone State Park while down in Waterloo for my niece's high-school graduation open house. But the camping facilities there were too much an unknown, both in terms of availability (Iowa does not allow the reserving of sites) and quality (though Backbone is a cool place, that does not guarantee you are not squashed in between banks of RVs & screaming families, KOA-style, in the campground). I think my future Iowa camping experiences (and, perhaps my camping experiences anywhere) will be limited to backpack-site or backcountry only). Afton was a known and trusted entity.
We ran into rain, though. Good God, in what percentage of my past camping trips have I battled this old adversary? Almost certainly, it exceed the percentage of actual days in which these places have received rain throughout the years. While we did not battle "Rivers of Mud" as the post-title indicates (ala the trip to Eagle Mountain, or on the coast of Maine), we were facing something that ranged from a light drizzle to a steady downpour all the way from the parking lot to the actual campsite which, as some of my readers (2/3 of my readers?) may recall involves perhaps the longest uninterrupted uphill climb in the state of Minnesota. While nice weather is always preferable, I am generally an experienced enough camper these days to take rain in stride (though packing up a wet tent during a rain for continued backpacking would suck even for Will Steiger). As usual, though, the equation is slightly different when one of your party is about two years old. Not that she minded at all. Dressed up in blue rubber rain boots and a little blue raincoat that made it look like she was wearing nothing else, Lucy dutifully toted her froggie backpack along; and, as far as I could tell, she was unencumbered by the slightest amount of stress about how & when we would be able to set the tent up, how we would cook that night (or build a fire) or any other general campout concern. It did let up, right about when we got into camp; and aside from two more very brief deluges (one very shortly after while we huddled in the tent, that brought to mind very vivid recollections of "Rivers of Mud;" and one at about 4 am), the rain clouds did very little other than constantly threaten for the rest of the day/night/next morning. We ended up getting in a brief hike up to the pine forest, having a nice campfire (& eating s'mores), and getting a very comfortable night's sleep (Sharon switched her traditional side with me-sacrificing the ability to zip her bag to her claustrophobic husband's, and granting him the ability to keep his sleeping bag's zipper to the outside), and a beautiful next morning.
The next morning was, indeed, beautiful. We had a leisurely morning, then packed up everything with the intent of backpacking a roundabout way back to the car. My little girl loves hiking, though we end up moving at a pace of about a half mile-per hour. We left the trail up near the pine forest that some of you may recall and, peeking out the other side, I happened to see what may have been the actual site of the original field rest (Feb. of 95-96? when it was 50+ degrees and all the snow melted off a south-facing hillside and we all rested in various stages of disrobe, following an intense snowball fight). I snapped a picture that I will forward to all interested parties. Looks quite different in the summer, as the prairie grasses (technically oak savannah grasses) are tall & green, rather than matted & yellow. The pine forest was long & lovely & provided me a chance to hear my favorite sound in the world-the timeless rush of wind in the tops of evergreens.
At the end of the forest, we got back on the trail, took a huge descent down by the river and began the long trek through river bottoms back to the car. Along the way, we encountered a number of trail runners, padding along with near-zero body fat and rhythmic panting. Man, but I am suddenly wishing I was in the midst of training to be able to do the 25K race at Afton...but alas. I am not. And my body fat percentage is not, well, zero.
We ran into rain, though. Good God, in what percentage of my past camping trips have I battled this old adversary? Almost certainly, it exceed the percentage of actual days in which these places have received rain throughout the years. While we did not battle "Rivers of Mud" as the post-title indicates (ala the trip to Eagle Mountain, or on the coast of Maine), we were facing something that ranged from a light drizzle to a steady downpour all the way from the parking lot to the actual campsite which, as some of my readers (2/3 of my readers?) may recall involves perhaps the longest uninterrupted uphill climb in the state of Minnesota. While nice weather is always preferable, I am generally an experienced enough camper these days to take rain in stride (though packing up a wet tent during a rain for continued backpacking would suck even for Will Steiger). As usual, though, the equation is slightly different when one of your party is about two years old. Not that she minded at all. Dressed up in blue rubber rain boots and a little blue raincoat that made it look like she was wearing nothing else, Lucy dutifully toted her froggie backpack along; and, as far as I could tell, she was unencumbered by the slightest amount of stress about how & when we would be able to set the tent up, how we would cook that night (or build a fire) or any other general campout concern. It did let up, right about when we got into camp; and aside from two more very brief deluges (one very shortly after while we huddled in the tent, that brought to mind very vivid recollections of "Rivers of Mud;" and one at about 4 am), the rain clouds did very little other than constantly threaten for the rest of the day/night/next morning. We ended up getting in a brief hike up to the pine forest, having a nice campfire (& eating s'mores), and getting a very comfortable night's sleep (Sharon switched her traditional side with me-sacrificing the ability to zip her bag to her claustrophobic husband's, and granting him the ability to keep his sleeping bag's zipper to the outside), and a beautiful next morning.
The next morning was, indeed, beautiful. We had a leisurely morning, then packed up everything with the intent of backpacking a roundabout way back to the car. My little girl loves hiking, though we end up moving at a pace of about a half mile-per hour. We left the trail up near the pine forest that some of you may recall and, peeking out the other side, I happened to see what may have been the actual site of the original field rest (Feb. of 95-96? when it was 50+ degrees and all the snow melted off a south-facing hillside and we all rested in various stages of disrobe, following an intense snowball fight). I snapped a picture that I will forward to all interested parties. Looks quite different in the summer, as the prairie grasses (technically oak savannah grasses) are tall & green, rather than matted & yellow. The pine forest was long & lovely & provided me a chance to hear my favorite sound in the world-the timeless rush of wind in the tops of evergreens.
At the end of the forest, we got back on the trail, took a huge descent down by the river and began the long trek through river bottoms back to the car. Along the way, we encountered a number of trail runners, padding along with near-zero body fat and rhythmic panting. Man, but I am suddenly wishing I was in the midst of training to be able to do the 25K race at Afton...but alas. I am not. And my body fat percentage is not, well, zero.
Friday, June 03, 2005
The Mayflower Society
Been meaning to get around to this for awhile, but an interesting part of my family history:
James Chilton (one of original 28 people on the Mayflower who had kids)
Mary Chilton married John Winslow begat
Susanna Winslow married Robert Latham begat
Mercy Latham married Isaac Harris begat
Mary Harris married Daniel Packard begat
Sarah Packard married Zachariah Shaw begat
Judith Shaw married John Edson begat
Isaac Edson married Sarah Ford begat
Daniel Edson married Rachel Needham begat
Sarah Edson married Francis Shumard begat
Rachel Shumard married William Groom begat
Roe Groom married Alice Meade begat
Lois Groom married Jack Hylton begat
Dan Hylton
Each state has a chapter of the Mayflower Society-been thinking about joining, and finally got around to filling out some paperwork. My anscestry also makes me eligible for "Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution," but this is just a little cooler...
James Chilton (one of original 28 people on the Mayflower who had kids)
Mary Chilton married John Winslow begat
Susanna Winslow married Robert Latham begat
Mercy Latham married Isaac Harris begat
Mary Harris married Daniel Packard begat
Sarah Packard married Zachariah Shaw begat
Judith Shaw married John Edson begat
Isaac Edson married Sarah Ford begat
Daniel Edson married Rachel Needham begat
Sarah Edson married Francis Shumard begat
Rachel Shumard married William Groom begat
Roe Groom married Alice Meade begat
Lois Groom married Jack Hylton begat
Dan Hylton
Each state has a chapter of the Mayflower Society-been thinking about joining, and finally got around to filling out some paperwork. My anscestry also makes me eligible for "Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution," but this is just a little cooler...
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Don't Get Me Wrong...
The girl can get mad.
She's always had the capability of getting really mad-in the earlier times (and still), not being understood, one way or the other, is something that would set her off. "Tantrums," if you could even call them that, were very short outbursts quickly passed & gone. More recently, however, these episodes have seemed to grow in frequency and somewhat in duration. I think it has to do with some of the earliest comprehension of herself as an individual. She's exploring boundaries-how far she can push for independence, what is appropriate and what is not appropriate, what works and doesn't work in getting what she wants, etc. And, of course, her little head is processing things in a way that Sharon & I can't truly understand.
So, if not getting what she wants sets her off, she stiffens up and wants to fling herself back onto the floor. Unfortunately, her personal safety is not foremost on her mind at those times, and so we're trying to strike the balance between giving her the space she needs and making sure her head doesn't smack into the hardwood floor. Other than that-we let her know that we understand what she wants (and take it seriously-even if it's just something like wanting to wear snowman socks), let her know we'll be there when she's ready, and then just back the hell off.
I have no basis of comparison, so I don't know how to gague the intensity or frequency of the outbursts, but in reading I have trusted, the tantrum is a pressure-valve release-an absolutely necessary method of releasing various stresses and offering some relief from the pressure of all that new learning & processing. People like us can go for a run, zone in front of a TV, smoke a cigarette, meditate, listen to music, or do whatever works for us. Toddlers, of course, don't make conscious decisions on how to attend to their mental health. The tantrum is the answer.
It's hard not to take it personally and wonder if you're doing something wrong (or, worse yet, start that bane of parenthood-wondering if the behavior is "normal"), but the happy, curious, hilarious child that we get in between is definitely a cure-all for all those worries.
Anyway-lest from my blogging anyone think I'm trying to give the impression our household is a nonstop bucket of laughs...unfortunately, only most of the time.
She's always had the capability of getting really mad-in the earlier times (and still), not being understood, one way or the other, is something that would set her off. "Tantrums," if you could even call them that, were very short outbursts quickly passed & gone. More recently, however, these episodes have seemed to grow in frequency and somewhat in duration. I think it has to do with some of the earliest comprehension of herself as an individual. She's exploring boundaries-how far she can push for independence, what is appropriate and what is not appropriate, what works and doesn't work in getting what she wants, etc. And, of course, her little head is processing things in a way that Sharon & I can't truly understand.
So, if not getting what she wants sets her off, she stiffens up and wants to fling herself back onto the floor. Unfortunately, her personal safety is not foremost on her mind at those times, and so we're trying to strike the balance between giving her the space she needs and making sure her head doesn't smack into the hardwood floor. Other than that-we let her know that we understand what she wants (and take it seriously-even if it's just something like wanting to wear snowman socks), let her know we'll be there when she's ready, and then just back the hell off.
I have no basis of comparison, so I don't know how to gague the intensity or frequency of the outbursts, but in reading I have trusted, the tantrum is a pressure-valve release-an absolutely necessary method of releasing various stresses and offering some relief from the pressure of all that new learning & processing. People like us can go for a run, zone in front of a TV, smoke a cigarette, meditate, listen to music, or do whatever works for us. Toddlers, of course, don't make conscious decisions on how to attend to their mental health. The tantrum is the answer.
It's hard not to take it personally and wonder if you're doing something wrong (or, worse yet, start that bane of parenthood-wondering if the behavior is "normal"), but the happy, curious, hilarious child that we get in between is definitely a cure-all for all those worries.
Anyway-lest from my blogging anyone think I'm trying to give the impression our household is a nonstop bucket of laughs...unfortunately, only most of the time.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Catching Up on the Sleep Debt
How tired I was on the KS trip this last weekend was kind of a wake-up call, so to speak, with respect to my sleep debt. I'm way, way in the red.
I have a tendency to stay up to late. Partly, it's because after Lucy goes to bed is essentially the first time of each day when I have a chance to catch my breath. It's easy to just sit in one place and let thoughts from the day buzz and buzz about in my head. Sometimes I can use that time to get important things done, such as checkbook balancing and doing the dishes. It's a struggle to motivate myself to be productive at that hour and in that "wasted at the end of the day" state. It's even harder to motivate myself to do something constructive, but that requires brain power, such as write & record music (which essentially explains that chryogenically-frozen state of "The Secret of Him" recording). It's even easier to waste time in front of the computer, or aimlessly strumming a guitar.
Perhaps if I can get back on track a little, sleep-wise, I will have an extra 30-minutes to an hour each night in which I have energy and ambition. We shall see. In any event, putting Lucy down last night, I fell asleep right alongside her and didn't really wake up until morning.
A couple of shining moments last night before we fell asleep:
1. She decided (as she sometimes does) that she wanted to read to ME. The book: Wocket in my Pocket. Though of course she can't read, she got a majority of the characters right as she went from page to page, asking me with much inflection, "Is there a Nink in your sink?" and so on.
2. When we got to the part where I refuse to engage in conversation ("I'm not going to talk anymore, Lucy-it's time to be sleeping") she engaged in what has become the norm. A long-winded, whispery stream-of-consciousness monologue in which she covers a great range of her vocabulary and experience, while I silently listen, eyes closed. I don't even remember what the exact subject of the monologue was at the moment I couldn't control myself anymore, but I couldn't help from cracking a smile and starting to chuckle. Lucy, of course, noticed she had an audience. I could hear the moment of her realization: "Ahhh?," followed by a chuckle of her own and, "Do you think I'm----FUNNY, Daddy?" What could I say, but "Yes, Loo, you're funny. You made your Daddy laugh. But it's still time to sleep."
A cold, cold heart I would have, indeed, if I could not always be open to giving some points for great bouts of humour, or creativity.
I have a tendency to stay up to late. Partly, it's because after Lucy goes to bed is essentially the first time of each day when I have a chance to catch my breath. It's easy to just sit in one place and let thoughts from the day buzz and buzz about in my head. Sometimes I can use that time to get important things done, such as checkbook balancing and doing the dishes. It's a struggle to motivate myself to be productive at that hour and in that "wasted at the end of the day" state. It's even harder to motivate myself to do something constructive, but that requires brain power, such as write & record music (which essentially explains that chryogenically-frozen state of "The Secret of Him" recording). It's even easier to waste time in front of the computer, or aimlessly strumming a guitar.
Perhaps if I can get back on track a little, sleep-wise, I will have an extra 30-minutes to an hour each night in which I have energy and ambition. We shall see. In any event, putting Lucy down last night, I fell asleep right alongside her and didn't really wake up until morning.
A couple of shining moments last night before we fell asleep:
1. She decided (as she sometimes does) that she wanted to read to ME. The book: Wocket in my Pocket. Though of course she can't read, she got a majority of the characters right as she went from page to page, asking me with much inflection, "Is there a Nink in your sink?" and so on.
2. When we got to the part where I refuse to engage in conversation ("I'm not going to talk anymore, Lucy-it's time to be sleeping") she engaged in what has become the norm. A long-winded, whispery stream-of-consciousness monologue in which she covers a great range of her vocabulary and experience, while I silently listen, eyes closed. I don't even remember what the exact subject of the monologue was at the moment I couldn't control myself anymore, but I couldn't help from cracking a smile and starting to chuckle. Lucy, of course, noticed she had an audience. I could hear the moment of her realization: "Ahhh?," followed by a chuckle of her own and, "Do you think I'm----FUNNY, Daddy?" What could I say, but "Yes, Loo, you're funny. You made your Daddy laugh. But it's still time to sleep."
A cold, cold heart I would have, indeed, if I could not always be open to giving some points for great bouts of humour, or creativity.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Food For Thought
“We have been led in Mesopotamia into a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honor. We have been tricked into it by a steady withholding of information. The Baghdad communiqués are belated, insincere, incomplete. Things have been far worse than we have been told. Our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our record, and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are today not far from a disaster. Our unfortunate troops, under hard conditions of climate and supply, are policing an immense area, paying dearly everyday in lives for the willfully wrong policy of the civil administration in Baghdad.”
Lawrence of Arabia, 1920
PrairyErth Country: The Return
The drive down was a little tougher than expected. I guess I underestimated how far in the red I was with respect to my "sleep debt." My drowsy driving was starting to put my family in danger just north of Ames, so we stopped at the Super 8 in Story City for the night. A wonderful sleep it was, but the remaining six hours of driving we had ahead of us from that point on was made a lot more complicated, since it had to take place during Lucy's waking hours.
We managed to roll in just after three on Saturday, and found the whole situation at Council Grove Lake to be bitterly disappointing. Let me start by just taking a major shot at Kansas Parks & Rec. in general. As I understand, Kansas has a smaller percentage of public land than any other state in the union. In our two successful camping experiences in the state, Cimarron National Grassland and Flint Hills Wildlife Refuge, we have pitched our tent within sight of oil rigs and barbed-wire fences, respectfully. Even their "public" land is simply land that is distinguished by some sort of classification, but is still privately owned. Kansas are so intensely distrustful of the government, it is pervasive in how it bears itself out. Hardly any government-owned land, absolute refusal for development of wind-farm infrastructure (in pastures in one of the windiest regions on earth), etc. etc. Anyway, it seems that all their (15 or so) state parks do not exist for preservation of wild, natural, or scenic areas. They exist purely as a result of the need to provide quick, close access to recreational areas for fishing, hunting, or ATV riding.
We thought we had a great plan when we discovered there were "primitive" camping sites around the lake. Not having to pitch a tent in a city of RVs (a rare opportunity in a Kansas campground). The guy at the main office, when I called ahead, told us that they didn't take reservations, nor were they necessary. Unless, as we found out when we pulled in, on Memorial Day weekend. Even those primitive sites were filled to the gills with tents. Trucks that had hauled boats & ATVs. Crappy tents and enormous coolers and loud families. Even had there been a spot, it would have been the farthest thing from what Sharon & I are looking for when we go camping, which is the ABSENCE OF PEOPLE, and the PRESENCE OF NATURE. To make matters worse, we had spent the entire day talking to Lucy about how we were about to go camping. It was really tough on Lucy and really, really tough on Sharon. I was disappointed in not being able to camp, but I was secretly very very thankful there was not an open spot in that midst of that open-air festival of hillbillies. In any event, it was a rough scene as we had to take the act into town and find a room at the Old Trail Motel.
The next morning we had the opportunity to go out to the cemetary (an amazing, peaceful, historical place) and see my grandma's grave, where tears were shed and respects were paid. We then walked on into downtown Council Grove and met our relatives (Lucy's step-Great Grandmother, and my mom's brothers and sister). Like most gatherings of my relatives, it was moderately awkward, but we ended up at a park, where Lucy was quite entertained. For the longest time, we've talked about this mythical road trip all the way down I-35, where we would stop and spend the night at different relatives that live along the way. It was finally this trip when I realized, "Yeah, just what I need-awkward silence and strange feeling of being out of place all the way from Minneapolis to San Antonio."
By the time late afternoon came around, we found ourselves in another park, and by the end of the day, Lucy was quite spent. We ended up electing to take off prior to supper, a little earlier than originally planned and, after a very uneventful drive (of which I was able to swing all but one our of), we got back home at 3:15 am. Yesterday was a lazy day of recouperating, pulling dandelions, and trading off Lucy duty.
All in all, not too many hilights on the trip, other than great conversation during the part of the trip when Lucy was asleep and Sharon was not (reminiscent of some great pre-parenthood road trips) and, of course, seeing the graves, which made the whole thing worthwhile.
We managed to roll in just after three on Saturday, and found the whole situation at Council Grove Lake to be bitterly disappointing. Let me start by just taking a major shot at Kansas Parks & Rec. in general. As I understand, Kansas has a smaller percentage of public land than any other state in the union. In our two successful camping experiences in the state, Cimarron National Grassland and Flint Hills Wildlife Refuge, we have pitched our tent within sight of oil rigs and barbed-wire fences, respectfully. Even their "public" land is simply land that is distinguished by some sort of classification, but is still privately owned. Kansas are so intensely distrustful of the government, it is pervasive in how it bears itself out. Hardly any government-owned land, absolute refusal for development of wind-farm infrastructure (in pastures in one of the windiest regions on earth), etc. etc. Anyway, it seems that all their (15 or so) state parks do not exist for preservation of wild, natural, or scenic areas. They exist purely as a result of the need to provide quick, close access to recreational areas for fishing, hunting, or ATV riding.
We thought we had a great plan when we discovered there were "primitive" camping sites around the lake. Not having to pitch a tent in a city of RVs (a rare opportunity in a Kansas campground). The guy at the main office, when I called ahead, told us that they didn't take reservations, nor were they necessary. Unless, as we found out when we pulled in, on Memorial Day weekend. Even those primitive sites were filled to the gills with tents. Trucks that had hauled boats & ATVs. Crappy tents and enormous coolers and loud families. Even had there been a spot, it would have been the farthest thing from what Sharon & I are looking for when we go camping, which is the ABSENCE OF PEOPLE, and the PRESENCE OF NATURE. To make matters worse, we had spent the entire day talking to Lucy about how we were about to go camping. It was really tough on Lucy and really, really tough on Sharon. I was disappointed in not being able to camp, but I was secretly very very thankful there was not an open spot in that midst of that open-air festival of hillbillies. In any event, it was a rough scene as we had to take the act into town and find a room at the Old Trail Motel.
The next morning we had the opportunity to go out to the cemetary (an amazing, peaceful, historical place) and see my grandma's grave, where tears were shed and respects were paid. We then walked on into downtown Council Grove and met our relatives (Lucy's step-Great Grandmother, and my mom's brothers and sister). Like most gatherings of my relatives, it was moderately awkward, but we ended up at a park, where Lucy was quite entertained. For the longest time, we've talked about this mythical road trip all the way down I-35, where we would stop and spend the night at different relatives that live along the way. It was finally this trip when I realized, "Yeah, just what I need-awkward silence and strange feeling of being out of place all the way from Minneapolis to San Antonio."
By the time late afternoon came around, we found ourselves in another park, and by the end of the day, Lucy was quite spent. We ended up electing to take off prior to supper, a little earlier than originally planned and, after a very uneventful drive (of which I was able to swing all but one our of), we got back home at 3:15 am. Yesterday was a lazy day of recouperating, pulling dandelions, and trading off Lucy duty.
All in all, not too many hilights on the trip, other than great conversation during the part of the trip when Lucy was asleep and Sharon was not (reminiscent of some great pre-parenthood road trips) and, of course, seeing the graves, which made the whole thing worthwhile.
Friday, May 27, 2005
PrairyErth Country
We're heading off at midnight tonight for a trip down to Council Grove. We'll be rolling in about 9 am and heading out to a lake near town where we'll be camping for two nights while we attend to some family "business" in town.
It will be my first chance to visit my grandma's grave, which is something I really need to do. In light of there having not been a funeral, and life having been so busy in the past year, I really haven't gotten the closure I've needed. That could be a pretty emotional time for me. On a lighter note (though I am looking forward to visiting the grave), Lucy will have the chance to visit a few relatives that have never gotten the chance to meet her at dinner on Sunday. My mom & dad will be there too, and she gets a big kick out of them.
Other than that, it's going to be the first time I've visited the town without grandparents and, thus, an obligitory sort of adjenda of visiting people. We may really just spend a lot of time kicking down and relaxing in our campsite.
It will be my first chance to visit my grandma's grave, which is something I really need to do. In light of there having not been a funeral, and life having been so busy in the past year, I really haven't gotten the closure I've needed. That could be a pretty emotional time for me. On a lighter note (though I am looking forward to visiting the grave), Lucy will have the chance to visit a few relatives that have never gotten the chance to meet her at dinner on Sunday. My mom & dad will be there too, and she gets a big kick out of them.
Other than that, it's going to be the first time I've visited the town without grandparents and, thus, an obligitory sort of adjenda of visiting people. We may really just spend a lot of time kicking down and relaxing in our campsite.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
The Show Went On
Wow-what a trip. It was a rush and a blast. Technically, everything went about as well as could have been expected, and I felt great about how I performed.
My character, who has been bounced around throughout the play, actually dies at the end and doesn't stand with the rest of the cast for a bow. However, the whole cast followed the performance with 15 minutes of improv, and at the beginning of that, the director asked me to come forward and take a special bow-I got some whistles and extra cheers, which was immensely gratifying. Later, cast & crew met at a nearby pub for drinks & celebration and I had this amazing feeling of accomplishment, peace, and definitely some relief. A feeling I recall now from my acting of years ago, but that I had forgotten.
The director is hoping to do some organization & fundraising this summer before launching into a full-fledged (full-length, regular practice scheduled) drama this fall: Waiting for Lefty. It would actually involve auditions and have a much more rigorous practice schedule, presumably resulting in a much more polished show with a much larger audience. Man, I had a good time acting again-I think my future artistic involvement may sort of jump from acting venture to musical venture & back & forth, but probably rarely a concerted effort on both fronts at the same time.
On a side note, the performance was videotaped, I believe, if anyone would like a copy.
My character, who has been bounced around throughout the play, actually dies at the end and doesn't stand with the rest of the cast for a bow. However, the whole cast followed the performance with 15 minutes of improv, and at the beginning of that, the director asked me to come forward and take a special bow-I got some whistles and extra cheers, which was immensely gratifying. Later, cast & crew met at a nearby pub for drinks & celebration and I had this amazing feeling of accomplishment, peace, and definitely some relief. A feeling I recall now from my acting of years ago, but that I had forgotten.
The director is hoping to do some organization & fundraising this summer before launching into a full-fledged (full-length, regular practice scheduled) drama this fall: Waiting for Lefty. It would actually involve auditions and have a much more rigorous practice schedule, presumably resulting in a much more polished show with a much larger audience. Man, I had a good time acting again-I think my future artistic involvement may sort of jump from acting venture to musical venture & back & forth, but probably rarely a concerted effort on both fronts at the same time.
On a side note, the performance was videotaped, I believe, if anyone would like a copy.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
The Show Must Go On
Well, the big performance day is here: http://www.geocities.com/hylton44/NightmaresPlaybill.pdf
And some of the reality of what we're facing approaches the themes of the productions.
To begin with-we have had a total of 5 scheduled opportunities to get together and work on our plays, averaging about an hour a time for our particular play. About 5 hours of rehearsal. This contrasts to the 100+ odd hours of rehearsal that was standard in any of the plays I did in my youth, including rehearsals where all you did for 5 hours was stand in the right spot in between lines until they got your lighting mapped out, or rehearsals where all you did was "block" (get physical stage directions) certain portions of the play). To put it in perspective, last night (which was our dress rehearsal) was the first time we'd had an opportunity to run through the play from beginning to end. We had an actor drop out of our play about a week and a half ago. In the other play, one of the actors got a call during rehearsal last night that her dad was dying. Our director is having to cram and get ready to take over both roles. Absolute craziness. An Evening of Nightmares, indeed. Last night, lighting & sound effects we'd hoped to include were falling off left and right as it became apparent that we just weren't going to be able to pull them off.
We're the longer of the two plays-ours is a little over 30 minutes, of which I am onstage the whole time. At one point, I have a monologue that lasts about 5 minutes-kind of unbelievable, the amount of lines I've had to learn for this. Another thing I recall from my youth was that most of the memorization that really stuck took place in rehearsal (that way, you could get used to following actual cues, rather than sliding a piece of junk mail down a page, covering up your own lines). No such opporunity this time around, obviously. It has really been a situation of being thrown to the wolves.
As Sharon said last night, the way these plays are going to succeed is if the people in it, "act out of their asses." I intend to.
And some of the reality of what we're facing approaches the themes of the productions.
To begin with-we have had a total of 5 scheduled opportunities to get together and work on our plays, averaging about an hour a time for our particular play. About 5 hours of rehearsal. This contrasts to the 100+ odd hours of rehearsal that was standard in any of the plays I did in my youth, including rehearsals where all you did for 5 hours was stand in the right spot in between lines until they got your lighting mapped out, or rehearsals where all you did was "block" (get physical stage directions) certain portions of the play). To put it in perspective, last night (which was our dress rehearsal) was the first time we'd had an opportunity to run through the play from beginning to end. We had an actor drop out of our play about a week and a half ago. In the other play, one of the actors got a call during rehearsal last night that her dad was dying. Our director is having to cram and get ready to take over both roles. Absolute craziness. An Evening of Nightmares, indeed. Last night, lighting & sound effects we'd hoped to include were falling off left and right as it became apparent that we just weren't going to be able to pull them off.
We're the longer of the two plays-ours is a little over 30 minutes, of which I am onstage the whole time. At one point, I have a monologue that lasts about 5 minutes-kind of unbelievable, the amount of lines I've had to learn for this. Another thing I recall from my youth was that most of the memorization that really stuck took place in rehearsal (that way, you could get used to following actual cues, rather than sliding a piece of junk mail down a page, covering up your own lines). No such opporunity this time around, obviously. It has really been a situation of being thrown to the wolves.
As Sharon said last night, the way these plays are going to succeed is if the people in it, "act out of their asses." I intend to.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Flying Under the Radar
It is pretty well documented that I can not, will not shop at WalMart. Maybe 10% of the reason being the crappy merchandise, and 90% of the reason being unethical labor, commerce, and real estate practices.
Somehow, Target has managed to fly under the radar with a relatively squeaky-clean image, but digging in a little reveals that they're little better than their larger, uglier cousin. They are similarly anti-union, pro-import, and pro-superdevelopment.
Factoid to consider:
Annual salary of Target store employee: $13,000
Hourly salary of Target CEO: $19,010
(source: United Food and Commercial Workers Union)
Outside of the glaring irony of my workplace, I consider there to be a relatively good consistency between my values and my consumption. But the age of the all-purpose discount giant is probably here to stay-do I continue to boycott WalMart while ignoring the injustices of the Big Red Beast, in the name of them being the (slight) lesser of two evils? Perhaps I get a Costco membership: http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=17
Somehow, Target has managed to fly under the radar with a relatively squeaky-clean image, but digging in a little reveals that they're little better than their larger, uglier cousin. They are similarly anti-union, pro-import, and pro-superdevelopment.
Factoid to consider:
Annual salary of Target store employee: $13,000
Hourly salary of Target CEO: $19,010
(source: United Food and Commercial Workers Union)
Outside of the glaring irony of my workplace, I consider there to be a relatively good consistency between my values and my consumption. But the age of the all-purpose discount giant is probably here to stay-do I continue to boycott WalMart while ignoring the injustices of the Big Red Beast, in the name of them being the (slight) lesser of two evils? Perhaps I get a Costco membership: http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=17
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Minneapolis Downtown: 16 Pix in 16 Days
My new bus-trip home has a 15 minute layover in Downtown Minneapolis. After not having worked downtown in the past 6 years (and not heading there all that often for other reasons), the first couple times back in the belly of the beast during rush hour felt a little disconcerting. It did not take too long, however, for me to reacclimate to the pulse and the crowds and the cacauphony of architectural styles.
Funny-and kind of sad-I can get off my first bus and wait for the second right across the street from 5th Street Towers. Were Gibbs to still be employed there, we would undoubtedly convene there for brief mischief on a regular basis. Almost in honor of past good times, I started embarking on Skyway Walkin and Street Walkin, seeing how much of this city I can take in each day during those few minutes. What has really struck me in my walks so far is how visually exciting downtown is. As I gazed around, image after image was composing itself in my head for imaginary photos until it hit me-I need to actually take some shots. So, on days when Lucy is at school (cause when she's at home, Sharon reserves the right to keep the digital camera), I'm walking the streets and skyways looking for the perfect shot, with the goal of one keeper per day/walk. This will result in an my ultimate plan of 16 shots in 16 days that will convey my own interpretation of Minneapolis, visually. I got my first one last night.
Not sure yet what the final "presentation" should be-just emailing them out seems a little lame. Maybe publishing them to the web (though I'd have to dumb down the resolution a lot, which I would rather not do). I'm open to suggestions...
Funny-and kind of sad-I can get off my first bus and wait for the second right across the street from 5th Street Towers. Were Gibbs to still be employed there, we would undoubtedly convene there for brief mischief on a regular basis. Almost in honor of past good times, I started embarking on Skyway Walkin and Street Walkin, seeing how much of this city I can take in each day during those few minutes. What has really struck me in my walks so far is how visually exciting downtown is. As I gazed around, image after image was composing itself in my head for imaginary photos until it hit me-I need to actually take some shots. So, on days when Lucy is at school (cause when she's at home, Sharon reserves the right to keep the digital camera), I'm walking the streets and skyways looking for the perfect shot, with the goal of one keeper per day/walk. This will result in an my ultimate plan of 16 shots in 16 days that will convey my own interpretation of Minneapolis, visually. I got my first one last night.
Not sure yet what the final "presentation" should be-just emailing them out seems a little lame. Maybe publishing them to the web (though I'd have to dumb down the resolution a lot, which I would rather not do). I'm open to suggestions...
Monday, May 16, 2005
How To Care for that Precious Little Thing: Part 1
Well, I had a post here previously and then, after some reconsideration, I removed it. It's hard (for me, anyway), to try to put down into words what I think about parenting without coming across as an insufferable, holier-than-thou prick of a parent who lets my kid walk all over me.
Child-rearing and the profound impact a parent's behavior has on their child's development is a subject I feel amazingly passionate about-to the point where I may not be distinguishing the line for tactfulness. I would love and welcome a one on one discussion about the subject, but let me simply say here those few simple concepts that I utterly believe will make all the difference in having a child that is creative, independent of thought, confident, and happy:
1. Be consistent.
2. Validate your child's feelings always.
3. Take great interest in everything your child does.
4. Treat your child as in individual capable of understanding, and deserving of the opportunity to contribute.
5. Be silly!
6. No good will ever come hitting, shaming, or scolding your child.
Child-rearing and the profound impact a parent's behavior has on their child's development is a subject I feel amazingly passionate about-to the point where I may not be distinguishing the line for tactfulness. I would love and welcome a one on one discussion about the subject, but let me simply say here those few simple concepts that I utterly believe will make all the difference in having a child that is creative, independent of thought, confident, and happy:
1. Be consistent.
2. Validate your child's feelings always.
3. Take great interest in everything your child does.
4. Treat your child as in individual capable of understanding, and deserving of the opportunity to contribute.
5. Be silly!
6. No good will ever come hitting, shaming, or scolding your child.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
A Taste of Things to Come (as it were)
Went out to La Casita with Sharon & Lucy tonight-had some good food. I also asked if they had any Mexican imports on tap.
"Just Dos Equis Amber," replied the server
"That sounds great-what sizes do you have?" I queried.
"A regular size and then a large."
"How many ounces is the large?"
"Uh-I'm not sure-it's around (gesturing) this big.."
"That sounds just fine. Bring it on."
It was at least 24 oz., but maybe closer to 30. The draft was cool and inviting as it slid down, and I gotta say-for a guy that can put them away when he has to, I sure do settle into a pleasant buzz after just a couple. I realized that I've not had more than a single beer at a sitting since probably when Cory & I shared a pitcher at Christmastime. And prior to that, it was probably my trip out to Massachusetts last summer. And I think I miss it nearly as much as Mixdorf.
Anyway, I was thinking about the impending visit by my good friend from the East Coast this summer, and just reflecting how we may be unleashed in a somewhat debaucherous manner upon the strange brew each evening during our time together, and the potential of strenuous, peak-performance styled physical activities of the daylight hours, when our mission hit me: We shall have such a mixture of athletic, adventurous achievement and alcohol consumption as to put French Adventure Racing teams to shame.
"Just Dos Equis Amber," replied the server
"That sounds great-what sizes do you have?" I queried.
"A regular size and then a large."
"How many ounces is the large?"
"Uh-I'm not sure-it's around (gesturing) this big.."
"That sounds just fine. Bring it on."
It was at least 24 oz., but maybe closer to 30. The draft was cool and inviting as it slid down, and I gotta say-for a guy that can put them away when he has to, I sure do settle into a pleasant buzz after just a couple. I realized that I've not had more than a single beer at a sitting since probably when Cory & I shared a pitcher at Christmastime. And prior to that, it was probably my trip out to Massachusetts last summer. And I think I miss it nearly as much as Mixdorf.
Anyway, I was thinking about the impending visit by my good friend from the East Coast this summer, and just reflecting how we may be unleashed in a somewhat debaucherous manner upon the strange brew each evening during our time together, and the potential of strenuous, peak-performance styled physical activities of the daylight hours, when our mission hit me: We shall have such a mixture of athletic, adventurous achievement and alcohol consumption as to put French Adventure Racing teams to shame.
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