Catching up.

I haven't posted in ages and I really don't know why other than it just slipped my mind. In any event, my training is s-l-o-w-l-y coming along, but I'm worried I won't be ready for Bump 'n Grind in a few weeks and may have to skip it. I don't see the point in going all the way over to Birmingham, spending all that money, only to get thumped like an overweight cat-3. I'll know more as race day draws closer.

In other news, The Mississippi River is still overflowing its banks and threatening cities from St. Louis to New Orleans. The ensuing flood is expected to be the worst in over 70 years and is drawing comparisons to the great flood of 1927.

The clean up continues from the tornadoes that hit the area a few days ago. I fortunately didn't sustain any damage, but an area maybe a mile south of my house got hit rather hard. I noticed several demolished homes and broken trees as I rode south of town.

A nifty knit bike

I happened upon this nifty knit bike the other day as I was walking to the courthouse to pay the trash collection fee. It was leaning against the wall outside the local yarn and knitting store. This thing absolutely made my day.

Something has to give.

Maybe it’s a midlife crisis, a mild form of depression, or just plain ole boredom, but I need to change my environment. Something has to give. I’m burning out at my job, and I’m sick of the oppressively conservative political/social climate here in Mississippi. I’m not talking so much about the republican kind of conservatism but more the afraid to think out of the box and move forward brand. I need an adventure, and I’ve been thinking about moving out of the country to pursue a teaching position someplace vastly different from where I stand now. Since I only speak English, I’m limited to a handful of countries: Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are the natural front runners. I’ve never been to any of these places and really don’t know where to begin on immigration, so maybe the odds are against me. What I do have in my favor, I suppose, is that I’m not married and don’t have to worry about dragging a family half way across the globe on some hair brained pilgrimage that could very well end tragically if it actually happens at all. Maybe I’m just frustrated and need to vent since I’ve been down this path before. I can recall wanting to move to Vancouver in the not so distant past for the very same reasons I want to pack up and go right now. That obviously didn’t happen, but I feel more … I don’t know – frustrated …bored … lonely – than I can ever recall feeling before, so something has to give.

What’s actually involved in immigrating to a new country anyway? I’m sure it’s a long and drawn-out process with all sorts of legal hoops to jump through and mounds of paperwork. The uncertainty of it all is what makes it such a frightening prospect to consider. Still, starting over someplace new and reinventing yourself is more than appealing to me.



(Edit) Okay, I'm feeling better now that I vented, but I'm still burned out with my job.

It's Hot Outside.

You know it's hot out when you see a cat resting on a busy sidewalk on the Oxford Square.

Thanksgiving 2009

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. -Meister Eckhart

My Odyssey Continues

My home buying odyssey continues with the closing date less than a week away.

My apartment is littered with boxes piled upon boxes and my stress level has been off the charts at times fueled by fears of a staggering economy and a lot of uncertainty about the mechanics of the home buying process. This is all new territory for me and it often feels overwhelming. I’m relying on others to guide me through this and the slightest lack of information causes me to worry and stress more than I would normally do on my own.

As of last night, I had no information from my realtor about the progress, or lack thereof, being made on the house. All I could do is assume it is still under construction with the Thanksgiving holiday and a weekend ready to consume three days of my remaining time to closing. I started having serious doubts about making the closing deadline. After a few emails and phone calls, my realtor finally gets back with me to say the house is supposed to be completed today (11-25) and should be ready for home inspection that afternoon. Since I didn’t know when the house was going to be completed, I couldn’t arrange for the inspection earlier.

To make a long story short, the house is supposed to be inspected at 3:00PM today with the closing tentatively scheduled for 10:00AM on Monday. I’m still nervous about taking on a mortgage and just want all of the stress to go away.

My Absence

I haven't posted in a while because I'm in the process of buying a house. It's been a time consuming and stressful few weeks for me. The closing is scheduled for November 30th.

A Hallowen Story

A man is walking home alone late one foggy night...
when behind him he hears:

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER...

FASTER...

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping

clappity-BUMP...

clappity-BUMP...

clappity-BUMP...

on his heels, the terrified man runs. Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps. With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door. Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket and...

The coffin stops!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween!

I decided to actually carve a pumpkin this year rather than paint one like I usually do for Halloween. I think I did a pretty good job considering didn't use fancy store bought tools. In fact, I scooped the insides out with an empty cat food can and used an Xacto blade and small saw blade to make the face.

Speaking of scary things, life is a little nuts right now since I'm prowling the housing market. It's been down right stressful at times as the prospect of actually carrying a mortgage can be a little overwhelming in such a bad economy. I think my Scottish heritage tends to bubble to the surface where money is concerned. I've always been a pay as you go kind of person. We'll see how things turn out soon enough. I just hope any place I buy isn't haunted.

It might have been

If you haven’t been watching the Ken Burns/PBS series on our national parks, you are missing something truly special. It’s a six-part series chronicling the history or our nation’s greatest natural and historical treasures. Moreover, the series delves into the untold story of people from every conceivable background who shaped our national parks. I find myself not only transfixed by the stunning visuals but the amazing stories of the people as well. For me, the series goes beyond its obvious entertainment and educational value. It slips into the emotional.

The poet and writer, John Greenleaf Whittier, is noted for the phrase, “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been!” These simple words have proven to be somewhat prophetic in my own life. While I find the national park series both awe-inspiring and entertaining, I’m also saddened to a degree by something that might have been in my own life. As a child, I was never the most athletic or in with the popular crowd. I was the quiet kid in the back of the room daydreaming out of the classroom window, transfixed by the trees, grass, clouds, and often drawing on scraps of notebook paper. While the other kids were engaged in various games and activities, I typically milled about the playground looking at different weeds and poking at anthills with a stick. The center of my play world was a small drainage ditch behind my house teaming with frogs, minnows, crayfish, and an entire universe of insects. I contracted poison ivy almost every summer from exploring a wooded area not far from home. I climbed trees, picked Blackberries, built forts, and gathered insects rather than play Little-League like everybody else.

One of my most vivid memories from sixth-grade is deciding I wanted to be a Park Ranger during career week. I didn’t exactly know what a Ranger did, but the uniform looked cool and I knew they worked in parks with animals and lots of trees. My only previous reference to what Rangers do was watching Mr. Ranger chase Yogi and Boo-Boo around Jellystone Park, but that was enough for me. As is typical in life, the road forward branches in various directions and our decisions take us to new destinations. I slowly, without even realizing it, gravitated away from my career week decision as most six-graders probably do. As I watch the PBS series, I’m taken back to the sixth-grade and what might have been.

The Forgetful Mind.

I hate it when I forget things. I seem to be forgetting things more often these days. I'm not sure if I'm getting senile or if I've clipped one too many saplings while out blazing down trails. It just bugs me to no end.


Case in point: I purchased this can of mushrooms with a specific purpose in mind. I know I wanted to mix them with something but that something escapes me. As you can see, it's a cheap can of Kroger mushroom buttons, so whatever I had in mind for them was nothing fancy. Maybe it will come to me later, but for the moment, I have a can of mushrooms without a purpose.
______________________________________________________________
August 10, Edit: Spaghetti! I got the mushrooms for spaghetti!

What's in a Doodle?

The dictionary defines a doodle as any type of sketch or unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. These simple drawings can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes.

If this is true, then doodles are essentially expressions of the subconscious mind and open to psychological interpretation. Such notables in the field of psychology as Freud and Jung held that doodling is an act where the individual is conscious, but the meaning of the drawing is unconscious. Alfred Adler believed doodling fulfilled our need for symmetry and order.

With this, I offer a page of my own doodles for interpretation and analysis.

Click the image for a larger view.

Blueberries are in Season!

Blueberry season is here and the stores are stocked with freshly picked berries. The local Kroger has them for $1.25 per pint, which is cheap. They are usually in the $2.00+ range but these are locally grown here in Mississippi.
I've started buying two pints at a time and eating them for breakfast(1/2 pint per shot), sometimes with a few strawberries (Louisiana grown). However, The Blueberries are the main attraction. Since they are so cheap right now, I'm going to buy a few extra pints over the weekend and freeze them.

Blueberry Facts:

Neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity.

Blueberries contain 80 fat-free calories per cup and are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.

Blueberries rank high in antioxidants that help protect against cancer, heart disease and other age-related diseases.

Researchers have found compounds in blueberries that help prevent urinary-tract infections.

Just a 1/2 cup of blueberries helps meet the recommended five to nine servings a day of colorful fruits and veggies.

Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity.

Blueberries are very low in sodium.

Blueberries have a white haze over them - known as the "bloom". This is a natural part of the berry's defense mechanism that protects it from the sun.

1-800PetMeds.com

Let's hear it for 1-800PetMeds. I ordered some Frontline for my cat several weeks ago but it never arrived. I emailed 1-800PetMeds about my missing order and requested that they contact me. I honestly expected only an email reply within a day or two. Well, within minutes of sending my email, my phone rang with an operator for 1-800PetMeds on the other end. She was very nice and didn't give me any grief about my order. In fact, she quickly arraigned for another shipment and apologized for the inconvenience.

The replacement Frontline arrived today as promised. Judging from the dents in the box, I can believe the Post Office lost the first one.

Yeah, I'm bored.

Since the weather is so bad, I've decided to start packing and sorting things for my race. At least I feel like I'm accomplishing something. Yeah, I'm bored.

Chemical Warfare

I think something bit me while I was napping on the sofa last night. It was probably a spider, which really freaks me out a little. Shortly after getting up, I noticed two red spots on my legs, one on the back of my left leg and another on the side of my right leg. The spots started itching a little after I discovered them. I just don’t like the thought of something crawling on me while I’m asleep. Whatever it was is in for some serious payback, though. I’m going to bring on some heavy chemical warfare when I get back from the store.

Boring

I haven't posted in a while, but nothing of any real consequence has happened in my little corner of the universe worth posting about. Things have quite literally been rather boring these past few weeks. I suppose the only thing worth mentioning is I have finally worked out my race plan and fueling regimen for the Syllamo's Revenge endurance race. ... Okay, so things are more boring than I actually realized.

Happy Birthday

(singing)
Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday dear Richard
Happy birthday to me!

I feel Like Crap.

I feel like crap today. It all started Monday morning when I woke up with a slightly sore throat and feeling a bit stuffy. I knew immediately what was looming for me over the horizon. By the end of the day, I could barely breathe.

Every time an artic blast swings south, my sinuses go insane and torture me with no end of aggravating problems. I don’t know exactly why this happens to me, other than something to do with barometric pressure, humidity and air temperature. In any event, this particular cold wave has my head so congested I can’t breathe through my nose and my hearing seems to be slightly diminished. I feel as if I’m balancing a bowling ball on my shoulders where my head should be. Achilles had is heel and I have my sinuses.

2009 Resolutions and Goals

My Resolutions:

(Eat healthier) It’s not that I subsist on a diet of Twinkies and Pop-Tarts, but I do rely on the microwave, sandwiches, and prepackaged meals a little too much. It’s not easy cooking for one since most recipe’s are designed to serve groups of four or more. Then there is the matter of keeping things like lettuce fresh long enough. I can’t count the number of times something has turned to goo before I could eat all of it. I realize this resolution requires actually using my stove for more than storing my pots and pans on top of it, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Let’s just say I plan to eat more like an athlete and less like a chronic bachelor. Another thing I plan to do is drastically reduce the amount of sodium and processed sugar in my diet. I’m already good at avoiding high fat foods. However, according to some of the literature provided to me by Hammer Nutrition, simple sugars like fructose, sucrose, and glucose are poor carbohydrate sources for exercise. They also bring a host of other health problems in the long term. Hammer Nutrition also recommends athletes eat a low to moderate sodium diet. The Hammer rational is a high sodium diet only increases the salt concentration in sweat and impairs the body’s sodium-regulating mechanism. Salt only provides two of the electrolytes (sodium and chloride) the body needs during exercise.

(Save more) This will probably be my easiest resolution to keep since I’m already a cheap bastard and do a good job of saving. With the economy whirling down the toilet, I think it will be more important than ever to pinch every penny. It just comes down to necessity over luxury and putting things in priority. This isn’t to say I’m going to live like a hermit, but just look closer at my choices.

(Enjoy life more) This may contradict my resolution to save more, but one doesn’t necessarily have to be extravagant to enjoy living. Some of the greatest pleasures in life are small. For starters, I can expand my little container garden. I rescued some flowers last summer from a construction lot (got them free), and tending to my plants gives me something to nurture. Another thing I can do is connect more with people. Anyone who knows me will tell you I can be very quiet and shy. The truth is I’ve always been that quiet kid in the back of the classroom. I can also take a break from the daily grind; maybe do some hiking or camping. I would like to take a vacation, perhaps to New Mexico or maybe back to the Pacific Northwest. I’ll just have to wait for a good deal.

My Goals:

1. Place in the top 5 at Chickasaw Trace.
2. Place in the top 25% at Syllamo’s Revenge.
3. Win the Rock Crusher Classic.
4. Podium at Bump ‘N Grind.
5. Win the State Games of Mississippi mtb. Race.
6. Survive the Iron Butt 100 in Memphis.
7. Place in the top 20% at Fool’s Gold 100/50.
8. Win the Clear Creek Challenge – again.
9. Earn upgrade mountain bike points.
10. Continue to progress at cyclocross.