"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit."
George Sheehan
Of course it has never been about beating anyone else. It is about the voices.
September 24, 2008
Turns out I'm Gandhi-like
Well, at least on paper.
A couple of friends took The Political Compass test and posted their results here and here this morning. The quadrants we occupy are not surprising. I am a little surprised how far off the center I am though.
A couple of friends took The Political Compass test and posted their results here and here this morning. The quadrants we occupy are not surprising. I am a little surprised how far off the center I am though.
September 23, 2008
Weekend adventures
Well another weekend, another bike ride. And another one where I was a bit in over my head.
I rode the Tour des Lacs this past weekend. On Saturday I rode by myself on a 100 mile route that was pretty hilly. It shouldn't have been all that punishing, but my body was a little beat up heading into it.
On Friday I worked at my cousins doing some deck repair, digging holes, mixing concrete, then moving about 6,000 pounds of materials uphill to the backyard. I was beat by the end of the day. Then a five hour drive to the start line, and about four hours of sleep before the ride. Not surprisingly, I struggled. The rest of our 7 riders were on a shorter course, so there was some time pressure to finish early so they weren't waiting around. I actually finished in the time I hoped, but it was ugly.
I rode with the group on Sunday, and we had two riders this year doing their first organized ride. Both had a great experience, even though we rode in a cold rain the second day. One of the newbies also offered up her home for us to stay in both nights, and treated us to a great BBQ on Saturday night. More wonderful people added to the biking circle.
I rode the Tour des Lacs this past weekend. On Saturday I rode by myself on a 100 mile route that was pretty hilly. It shouldn't have been all that punishing, but my body was a little beat up heading into it.
On Friday I worked at my cousins doing some deck repair, digging holes, mixing concrete, then moving about 6,000 pounds of materials uphill to the backyard. I was beat by the end of the day. Then a five hour drive to the start line, and about four hours of sleep before the ride. Not surprisingly, I struggled. The rest of our 7 riders were on a shorter course, so there was some time pressure to finish early so they weren't waiting around. I actually finished in the time I hoped, but it was ugly.
I rode with the group on Sunday, and we had two riders this year doing their first organized ride. Both had a great experience, even though we rode in a cold rain the second day. One of the newbies also offered up her home for us to stay in both nights, and treated us to a great BBQ on Saturday night. More wonderful people added to the biking circle.
September 18, 2008
September 17, 2008
$3.50 cup of coffee
So on a lunch break from painting, I went out to grab some lunch and a cup of coffee. I stopped by a Starbucks in Edmonds for a tall Americano. The barista asked if I wanted to try a cup of coffee brewed with the new Clover machine instead. I had heard about this high tech machine that brews a single cup of coffee much like a french press only better. What the heck, why not.
You choose from five different types of exotic sounding beans from a little menu describing their flavor notes. I think I picked an Ecuadorian coffee which was supposed to have hints of chocolate. When she rang me up, I found out it was $3.45 (I managed to pick the most expensive beans). She asked if I had seen the machine in action. No, let's check it out.
Here is the machine:
She had a different barista make the cup of coffee (a specialist no doubt). He measured out the beans on a digital scale, adding or subtracting a bean before he got it just right. After freshly grinding the beans, he dropped them into the circular opening on top of the machine.
As hot water poured out from the spigot, the circular opening dropped like a piston. He stirred the grounds and water mixture for a bit, and it steeped for about 30 seconds. Then the piston pushed back up as a vacuum sucked the coffee down through the mesh opening in the piston. The grounds were pushed up to the top of the machine in the shape of a hockey puck which he swept off with a squeegee.
After all this, how was the cup of coffee? Quite good actually. Probably not $3.50 good, but what cup of coffee is? Watching the machine in action was probably worth the price of admission though. I can totally appreciate Starbuck's goal of producing a truly high quality cup of coffee, and I might even splurge for one once in a while. But like a nice bottle of wine is a treat, I'm more likely to turn to 3 buck Chuck most of the time.
You choose from five different types of exotic sounding beans from a little menu describing their flavor notes. I think I picked an Ecuadorian coffee which was supposed to have hints of chocolate. When she rang me up, I found out it was $3.45 (I managed to pick the most expensive beans). She asked if I had seen the machine in action. No, let's check it out.
Here is the machine:
She had a different barista make the cup of coffee (a specialist no doubt). He measured out the beans on a digital scale, adding or subtracting a bean before he got it just right. After freshly grinding the beans, he dropped them into the circular opening on top of the machine. As hot water poured out from the spigot, the circular opening dropped like a piston. He stirred the grounds and water mixture for a bit, and it steeped for about 30 seconds. Then the piston pushed back up as a vacuum sucked the coffee down through the mesh opening in the piston. The grounds were pushed up to the top of the machine in the shape of a hockey puck which he swept off with a squeegee.
After all this, how was the cup of coffee? Quite good actually. Probably not $3.50 good, but what cup of coffee is? Watching the machine in action was probably worth the price of admission though. I can totally appreciate Starbuck's goal of producing a truly high quality cup of coffee, and I might even splurge for one once in a while. But like a nice bottle of wine is a treat, I'm more likely to turn to 3 buck Chuck most of the time.
September 16, 2008
A new coat of paint
The wife and I have been in our home for a little over four years. We haven't made many improvements yet. Time, money, laziness, bla, bla, bla... About all we have done so far is paint the inside, put in a back lawn and sprinkler system, and various small maintenance tasks. Of course there is a long list in our minds of things we could do to spiff up the place - new flooring and carpet, kitchen remodel, new driveway and walkways, tile the patio, etc.
So we decided to tackle one of those items this weekend/week. The wife has always disliked the color of our house. Beyond the look, the paint was not in very good shape. Running your hand down the wall you would come away covered in chalky yellow paint. And the weather forecast called for a week of dry weather, so now was the time.
There is some decorative brick on the front of the house. I had originally planned on painting it to expand our color options and to create a little more modern look. At some point, I decided I wanted to leave the brick alone and different house colors started coming to mind. When we finally decided on a color, it turns out it is one of the more difficult to work with. The friendly paint person at Home Depot told me that she has had people put up to 8 coats on before it turned out right. You also need to use a special color primer to prep the house.
So anyway, we have primer and two coats of paint on the home, and two coats of primer on the trim areas. We are doing it all by hand. A sprayer seemed more trouble that it was worth, plus the added expense. Now I'm not so sure. One thing for sure - I don't want to be a house painter.
Though it will be a while before we are done, we wanted to pass along our progress. We also wanted to show our friends what we gave up camping for this past weekend.
We had a few neighbors say they liked the primer color. Not sure how serious they were, but it was definitely a conversation starter.
So we decided to tackle one of those items this weekend/week. The wife has always disliked the color of our house. Beyond the look, the paint was not in very good shape. Running your hand down the wall you would come away covered in chalky yellow paint. And the weather forecast called for a week of dry weather, so now was the time.
There is some decorative brick on the front of the house. I had originally planned on painting it to expand our color options and to create a little more modern look. At some point, I decided I wanted to leave the brick alone and different house colors started coming to mind. When we finally decided on a color, it turns out it is one of the more difficult to work with. The friendly paint person at Home Depot told me that she has had people put up to 8 coats on before it turned out right. You also need to use a special color primer to prep the house.
So anyway, we have primer and two coats of paint on the home, and two coats of primer on the trim areas. We are doing it all by hand. A sprayer seemed more trouble that it was worth, plus the added expense. Now I'm not so sure. One thing for sure - I don't want to be a house painter.
Though it will be a while before we are done, we wanted to pass along our progress. We also wanted to show our friends what we gave up camping for this past weekend.
We had a few neighbors say they liked the primer color. Not sure how serious they were, but it was definitely a conversation starter.
September 14, 2008
September 10, 2008
Time capsule
We did some spring cleaning a few months back and cleared out some of the debris in our garage. I went through a few boxes that hadn't been opened in a move or two and found this:
It is a newspaper from our wedding day seven years ago. It obviously had never been read, but I had stashed it away in a box as a keepsake. I thought it might be interesting to see what was going on in the world the day our new lives started. It was also a couple of days before 9/11 so it would be interesting to see what was in the news before America's world changed forever. Would there be that one article that summed up our innocence?
As you can see from the front page, 2001 was a long time ago. The Huskies had stunned the Wolverines for an opening day victory fresh off their last Rose Bowl appearance. The Mariners were 102 - 40 on their way to their record breaking season. Both programs have fallen far from these heights.
The cover stories were about the metamorphosis of Lake Union over the last 100 years, and about rural counties in Washington struggling with meth addicts. On page A9 is a story about the Bush administration looking at cutting the capital gains tax rate to stimulate the flagging economy.
In the business section, an economist and a reporter are discussing the economy over some coffee. The reporter had an interesting comment regarding the slumping economy "I've always thought we just have too much stuff. At some point, the economy has to catch its collective breath. Maybe that's another definition of recession." In the coming years, many Americans continued their pursuit of more stuff, and burned through their home equity to do it.
In the editorial section, there was an opinion piece titled "U.S. sees black and white, not gray. The first three paragraphs read:
And the most bizarre entry was in the Parade section (click to enlarge).
It is a story about the FBI printing Osama bin Laden's picture and the promise of a $5,000,000 reward for his capture on the cover of matchbooks. These matchbooks were distributed in Pakistan where 22 million tobacco users live in proximity with bin Laden's assumed hideout. Two days before the 9/11 attacks, and there his face is in the Parade section of all places.
It is a newspaper from our wedding day seven years ago. It obviously had never been read, but I had stashed it away in a box as a keepsake. I thought it might be interesting to see what was going on in the world the day our new lives started. It was also a couple of days before 9/11 so it would be interesting to see what was in the news before America's world changed forever. Would there be that one article that summed up our innocence?As you can see from the front page, 2001 was a long time ago. The Huskies had stunned the Wolverines for an opening day victory fresh off their last Rose Bowl appearance. The Mariners were 102 - 40 on their way to their record breaking season. Both programs have fallen far from these heights.
The cover stories were about the metamorphosis of Lake Union over the last 100 years, and about rural counties in Washington struggling with meth addicts. On page A9 is a story about the Bush administration looking at cutting the capital gains tax rate to stimulate the flagging economy.
In the business section, an economist and a reporter are discussing the economy over some coffee. The reporter had an interesting comment regarding the slumping economy "I've always thought we just have too much stuff. At some point, the economy has to catch its collective breath. Maybe that's another definition of recession." In the coming years, many Americans continued their pursuit of more stuff, and burned through their home equity to do it.
In the editorial section, there was an opinion piece titled "U.S. sees black and white, not gray. The first three paragraphs read:
The United States has no peer in world affairs in understanding and responding to an urgent challenge painted in black and white. German invaders, Soviet cosmonauts and Japanese exporters learned this lesson the hard way in the past century.In the local news section there was a story from a columnist entitled "Fragile Line Between Life, Death". In it she describes how she was climbing Mount Baker, but her group was turned back before summiting because of rainy conditions. When she arrived home, she received a call from a friend asking if she was OK. It turns out that someone had died on the mountain that same day when three climbers fell into a crevasse. The "could've been me" feeling makes her reflect on the fragility of life like many of us will do a couple days later.
Grays, however, disorient American presidents and legislators as well as the public. Complex situations like the Balkans seem to confirm the Churchilian theory that Americans will always do the right thing after trying all other alternatives. Add the words "yes, but" to a description of good guy and bad guys in a foreign showdown and our minds wander.
This partly - but only partly - explains the difficulties successive U.S. governments have had in crafting coherent and effective policies to deal with the Persian Gulf countries, which simultaneously constitute an economic lifeline and a moral quagmire for Americans.
And the most bizarre entry was in the Parade section (click to enlarge).
It is a story about the FBI printing Osama bin Laden's picture and the promise of a $5,000,000 reward for his capture on the cover of matchbooks. These matchbooks were distributed in Pakistan where 22 million tobacco users live in proximity with bin Laden's assumed hideout. Two days before the 9/11 attacks, and there his face is in the Parade section of all places.
September 9, 2008
Lucky number seven
It was our wedding anniversary today. Seven years. When I think of our wedding day it seem so long ago, but still it is hard to believe it has been seven years.
It was a quiet celebration this year. We went out to dinner then headed back to the house for a quiet evening. We watched our wedding video for the first time in almost those seven years. A few people were skinnier back then, and there were toddlers running around that are now well into school years. I resisted having a videographer at the wedding, mostly because I hate those interviews that they always con the guests into doing. But seven years later I am glad to see the ceremony and the time leading up to it. It was a brilliant week.
We also watched the DVD I put together for our anniversary last year. What a time it has been for the wife and I. We are blessed with some wonderful friends and family, and we have had some great days both in exotic locales and also at random get together in someone's backyard.
I wonder what it will be like to watch these DVDs 40 years from now. My memory may need a little jogging by then, but I doubt I will have forgotten much about that special day.
"For My Wedding" by Don Henley
For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For I've made a sanctuary of my heart
To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
For my wedding, I don't want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love we'll need to make it in the world out there
To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day
I dream, and my dreams are all glory and light
That's what I've wanted for my life
And if it hasn't always been that way
Well, I can dream and I can pray
On my wedding day
So what makes us any different from all the others
Who have tried and failed before us
Maybe nothing, maybe nothing at all
But I pray we're the lucky ones; I pray we never fall
To want what we have
To take what we're given with grace
For these things I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day
It was a quiet celebration this year. We went out to dinner then headed back to the house for a quiet evening. We watched our wedding video for the first time in almost those seven years. A few people were skinnier back then, and there were toddlers running around that are now well into school years. I resisted having a videographer at the wedding, mostly because I hate those interviews that they always con the guests into doing. But seven years later I am glad to see the ceremony and the time leading up to it. It was a brilliant week.
We also watched the DVD I put together for our anniversary last year. What a time it has been for the wife and I. We are blessed with some wonderful friends and family, and we have had some great days both in exotic locales and also at random get together in someone's backyard.
I wonder what it will be like to watch these DVDs 40 years from now. My memory may need a little jogging by then, but I doubt I will have forgotten much about that special day.
"For My Wedding" by Don Henley
For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For I've made a sanctuary of my heart
To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
For my wedding, I don't want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love we'll need to make it in the world out there
To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day
I dream, and my dreams are all glory and light
That's what I've wanted for my life
And if it hasn't always been that way
Well, I can dream and I can pray
On my wedding day
So what makes us any different from all the others
Who have tried and failed before us
Maybe nothing, maybe nothing at all
But I pray we're the lucky ones; I pray we never fall
To want what we have
To take what we're given with grace
For these things I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day
September 8, 2008
marathon
The wife and I watched a House marathon yesterday while we cleaned up after a party and did some laptop work. House is a great show, and since the new season hasn't started yet, the marathon gave us a big dose to tide us over.
It is funny how often the word marathon is used. The dictionary definition not only lists the foot race of 26 miles 385 yards, but also "any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance. Even the ending "-athon" has become ubiquitous. Read-a-thons, Walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, sale-a-thons, etc.
All this from a runner named Pheidippides who ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to report a battle victory. If the Persians had landed in Piraeus instead of Marathon, we wouldn't have as many catchy words. And Pheidippides might not have died after delivering the news. And we wouldn't be running so many miles.
It is funny how often the word marathon is used. The dictionary definition not only lists the foot race of 26 miles 385 yards, but also "any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance. Even the ending "-athon" has become ubiquitous. Read-a-thons, Walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, sale-a-thons, etc.
All this from a runner named Pheidippides who ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to report a battle victory. If the Persians had landed in Piraeus instead of Marathon, we wouldn't have as many catchy words. And Pheidippides might not have died after delivering the news. And we wouldn't be running so many miles.
September 7, 2008
Irongirls
I headed out to Greenlake this morning to watch some of my friends run the Irongirl 5k. It is a women's only event, and any funds raised go to benefit The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. This is the second year the women in our running group have run this event, and I imagine the two cancer survivors found a little extra meaning this time around. Participants are nicely pampered at this event, and my friends were treated to another white linen post-race feast.
From the website, "Iron Girl's mission is to empower women toward a healthy lifestyle." There were mother and daughter teams, and even three generation teams running this morning. The announcer told the crowd that the youngest runner was 4 years old and there were several 60+ old runners in the crowd as well.
This running & biking community I have fallen into has turned out to be a positive experience in so many ways. Beyond the health benefits I have enjoyed, there is a great community aspect to it all. Everyone is out there for their own reasons - health, challenge, personal demons, fund-raising, etc. Whatever the reason, you will find lots of support out there, especially in the middle of the pack where we hang out.
These women-only events seem to be even more supportive than the typical event. Not that the runners aren't out there to kick a little ass. Congrats on the four PR's ladies!
From the website, "Iron Girl's mission is to empower women toward a healthy lifestyle." There were mother and daughter teams, and even three generation teams running this morning. The announcer told the crowd that the youngest runner was 4 years old and there were several 60+ old runners in the crowd as well.
This running & biking community I have fallen into has turned out to be a positive experience in so many ways. Beyond the health benefits I have enjoyed, there is a great community aspect to it all. Everyone is out there for their own reasons - health, challenge, personal demons, fund-raising, etc. Whatever the reason, you will find lots of support out there, especially in the middle of the pack where we hang out.
These women-only events seem to be even more supportive than the typical event. Not that the runners aren't out there to kick a little ass. Congrats on the four PR's ladies!
Great start
This mornings weather report says "Abundant sunshine. High around 75F."
I'm not sure I've ever heard the phrase "Abundant sunshine" in a weather report. It is going to be a good day.
I'm not sure I've ever heard the phrase "Abundant sunshine" in a weather report. It is going to be a good day.
September 3, 2008
Annabelle's Shower
The wife and I were fortunate enough to travel to San Diego this past weekend to see the miracle baby girl in person. The baby shower for Annabelle was postponed until this past Sunday and became a celebration of her journey and successful fight. 50 or so friends, family and children gathered at the Linden home to meet and celebrate little Annabelle.
Holly's parents have been in town for a couple of weeks to be with Annabelle and help out the new family. About half way through the celebration, Holly's father performed a dedication for little Annabelle with family and friends gathered in the backyard. It was a very personal and moving ceremony. It was followed by a great reading from "Oh the Places you Will Go" by Dr. Seuss by Sean.
We met even more people in Annabelle's growing circle. Matt and Holly are surrounded by some really wonderful people who have come to their aid in many different ways. They are probably overwhelmed by the response they have received, but it is the way they have lived their lives that has brought this community together.
Of course there were many more who couldn't be there that day but continue to follow the story. Below is a video that gives you a brief peek at the celebration.
If you would like to see a slightly clearer version, go here and click the "watch in high quality" link below the video.
Holly's parents have been in town for a couple of weeks to be with Annabelle and help out the new family. About half way through the celebration, Holly's father performed a dedication for little Annabelle with family and friends gathered in the backyard. It was a very personal and moving ceremony. It was followed by a great reading from "Oh the Places you Will Go" by Dr. Seuss by Sean.
We met even more people in Annabelle's growing circle. Matt and Holly are surrounded by some really wonderful people who have come to their aid in many different ways. They are probably overwhelmed by the response they have received, but it is the way they have lived their lives that has brought this community together.
Of course there were many more who couldn't be there that day but continue to follow the story. Below is a video that gives you a brief peek at the celebration.
If you would like to see a slightly clearer version, go here and click the "watch in high quality" link below the video.
September 2, 2008
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