Can someone tell me why America doesn't run out of turkeys? What other commodity enjoys such a spike in demand? I imagine a complex spreadsheet estimating number of households, average ounces per attendee, shelf life of frozen meat, gestation and time to mature to an average weight, probability of disease, variables of feed commodities, number and capacity of producers, shipping time, etc. Sure there are price differentials, but no news hurrah created by a shortage.
Perhaps this is our best example of accurate forecasting?
Change has come to America. Or at least to downtown! Never before have I been kept awake by such rucus past midnight. Chants of "Yes we can" and "O-ba-ma" and horns and screams and drums...reminds me that history is now.
I recall traveling to Japan and reading the guidebooks which noted how lucky one was if they caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on a clear day. Yet, how many times do I see Mt. Rainier during the average week in Seattle? Three to five? And so, I've been thinking...what if every time I looked at this mountain, I was reminded of the experience of climbing her? It would pay dividends! So, I'm looking for company early next August. Good intentions and a deposit are all that is required immediately. Here is a summary description of the climb on the RMI site:
The Four Day Summit Climb is our most popular program. This climb is ideal for first time mountaineers, as well as experienced climbers who are in great physical condition. Mountaineering skills learned during Days One and Two will prepare climbers to safely attempt an ascent of Mt. Rainier with a guide leading their rope. Our route ascends either the Ingraham Glacier or Disappointment Cleaver and utilizes Camp Muir, allowing us to climb with less group gear and lighter packs. The program consists of a Pre-Trip Orientation, Mountaineering Day School and a Summit Climb.
While I do tend to think the best of people, I am somewhat rocked by my neighbor's tendency to steal my Sunday paper. I watch people on my floor a little more and in my spare time contemplate the proper way to address such. So, while an item of a petty nature, I am curious how you would handle this.
This site, inclusive of the following excerpt is amusing! "Foolproof equations for a perfect life"...what could possibly be better?? And yes, I do wish.
Fine print: Thanks for dissasociating me from his less commendable commentary.
One post proposes this equation to answer the question: "How many cups of coffee do you need this morning in order to be functional?"
- C= In shots of espresso, the amount of caffeine you consume in an average morning
- St= The hours of sleep you got last night (subtract one for every time you woke up in a cold sweat, thinking about the things you need to do today)
- Su= The hours of sleep you need to remain civil with telemarketers
- K= How many kids do you have? Kids in diapers are worth two; kids over age 18 are worth half
- Bt= How busy are you today? (1-15 with 1 being “easy like Saturday morning” and 15 being “presently birthing triplets”)
- Bu= How many hours per day do you usually spend in non-recreational activities?
- N= Hours of naptime you can squeeze in this afternoon
- Cups is the number of cups of coffee you should consume before operating heavy machinery.
VS.
I formerly thought that I'd be 85-years-of-age before I became sentimental and "old-fashioned". Yet this application may have accelerated that state. Notably, I was wooed into paying the requisite $0.99 for the technological wonder. Simulating the movements of jumping rope with iPhone in hand while watching the jumps add up and calories be calculated is oddly gratifying! Are jump ropes a relic of the past? Will children years from now laugh at my tales of being the master at double-dutch in the school yard?
Is 50 medals by 50 a worthy endeavor? Sounds good to me now anyway.
We built our characters on a rainy day in Washington's Bavarian village...or at least the only one I know of with enough of a signature to influence large chains to modify their signage font to something more "authentic". Good times! Good people! 5 minutes faster from the week before too!
Oh...and what about that moment just before the start when trepidation, excitement and hope collide?
Thanks Melissa for organizing us all!
First off: yes, this picture is revolting, but evocative?! Never really visualized when looking at the commodities charts what a pork belly actually was, much less what a belly-less pork would look like. Still eating meat after our visit to West Side Market in Cleveland for some reason though. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was also on the short list of tourist destinations in Cleveland...though the cemetery was oddly a highlight...smile...
And for the purpose of the trip: yes, we did fly nearly 2,500 miles to run 13.1 with nearly 10,000 others...and our sporting friends above! Oh and of course to witness the game "corn hole" and eat a buckeye...who knew that was a nut? Or a chocolate-coated peanut butter delicacy? Too bad we didn't take time to find a corn maze...that would have been too classic...smile. Anyway, Dwayne and Ellen were excellent hosts...as well as inspiring! By the way, isn't that Ellen on the far left in the picture of the race start? Sadly post-race I wasn't sore, so I apparently failed to leave enough on the course. Race results are merely a product of the training though, yes? Good incentive to work those intervals!
Cedar Point, self-advertised as the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World" on Lake Erie was both a reminder of age and dizzying fun! Apparently the time to go is on a fall evening after a cloudy morning. 10 rides in 3 1/2 hours! What are the odds!? Luck is flighty, yet gratifying when it lands. Oh and Dave by all accounts had more fun than this picture betrays...he was likely in mourning as this was our last ride on the best roller coaster of the park.
Just before departing for the airport, we toured the USS Cod submarine memorial. Very curious! Hadn't figured out the rifling on a gun concept either...neat. Heroism, chlostrophobia, hatches, practicality, stories of bonds built through closeness, vertical ladders...makes me want to read some old war stories...
All in all....a good trip!
Another summer has passed and so I mourn the fact that I didn't stare into more campfires thinking about everything, but nothing. Serenaded by light. Relaxed. Surreal. Wild. Safe.
Oh and I meant to use these instructions to make a disposable camp oven to bake something delectable over the fire....
Next year! Smile!
- Seeing the same Shakespeare play twice places us in a group of people that to date I've not admired....but it WAS better the second time!
- Pets do make the best nurses.
- Mornings and evenings are always better on the water.
- Travel via train is ideal.
- Being surprised positively by an individual is one of the more fulfilling things in life.
A note to advertisers: I find your encouragement to say it with flowers or chocolate or whatever you want to sell the populous disheartening. Five Languages of Love aside, surely we can gather the courage to simply say it.
If pressed, I could compromise regarding the item being used as confirmation....after "it" was said. Yet in NO case should you market the belief that monetary sacrifice is necessary to express the intents of the heart.
I'll stop now.
The perfect weekend must include at least some of these components: wildflower-filled meadows; pristine lakes; clear streams; good fellowship; and physical exertion. The hike into Jefferson Park in the fine state of Oregon certainly provided such! Oh and mosquitos...perhaps trying Vitamin B12 would have minimized the self discipline required post-hecto-bite. Notably, none of the desirable items listed above are statistics based, yet this lack inexplicably frustrates me...14 miles roundtrip? 3,000 foot elevation gain? Do I need a GPS? Ah well...wherever you are is the place to be.
Oh and...credits go to Krindee for the group photos!
4,565 feet elevation gain, 11.6 miles round-trip, great views and a fair bit of character-building later, my father and I claimed Mt. St. Helens as our own. The scramble is both doable and gratifying. It is awesome to stare into the crater and think about the tons of earth that were displaced...and then watch the steam ooze around glaciers being split by the rising dome in the middle. Oh and for the record: preparedness feels a bit foolish after being passed by someone in pajamas and tennis shoes while wearing wicking waterproof windproof clothing and gators with mountain climbing boots and having a first-aid kit, head lamp, map, emergency shelter, and extra food and water stowed in one's pack. Thereby proving that being responsible does not always look worthwhile!
Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam was an eye opener. For one, Tony Hawk is a slender soft-spoken 40-year-old that comes across as quite ordinary and respectible...somewhat different from my biased picture of a skateboarding mentor for teenagers. The "Boom Boom" wasn't too loud and the "Huck Jam" featured the "best and brightest" in skateboarding and BMX bikes...and from the air they got, I believe it. Sadly the freestyle moto-x portion was cancelled because of the rain...must be Seattle! Terms such as "kickflip", "ollie", "grind", "slide" and "720" don't seem quite as foreign, yet do have my respect for the amount of time, determination and spacial intelligence required. Sharad's interest sparked the 4-pack deal, which provided a few more "oldies" to the audience...thank you Sarah and Justin for your support!
On a crowded street corner today, a short unshaven 55ish-year-old pleasantly-round Spanish cook (unicolor clothing, poofy hat and food stains) shook his finger and furrowed his bold brow at me. In the tone of a parent who doesn't know whether to respond with relief or anger, he scolded "Don't you EVER do that again!" I believed he was simply another oddity witnessed on the streets. I tried the usual tactic...not looking. Yet curiosity got the best of me. He then touched my arm and pretended to walk without looking up. In that moment, I realized that (1) I had walked across the street while texting using only my peripheral vision; (2) concern can easily be mistaken for crazed behavior; and (3) at some base level we are all quite alike. Perhaps it does take a village.
Relieved from my obligation to be available for work last weekend, I purchased a ticket for a flight that left in 1 1/2 hours. I spent the night in San Diego....California King high thread-count sheets are nice....and then headed for the border the next morning. Caesar and Teresa have a lovely place above the ocean between Rosarito & Tijuana, in which they show their generosity and hospitality unconditionally. Spanish was certainly the langage of choice, and again, I evaluate how good my follow-through actually is...and how much respect I have for peope who have the courage and devotion to know more than 1 language.
Several details from the weekend include:
- Watching how overt people tended to be...while Sharad's skateboard was used like a bobsled by multiple girls or when young and old participated in a group jumprope game.
- Being proud of mi madre.
- Bartering for unnecessary goods....I still prefer a price tag.
- Giggling about how I suspect a Nemo restaurant might play off in the States.
- Observing how fast fingers can move while Renuka's hair was being braided.
- Wondering if the American influence near the border nets to a positive.
- Losing track of how many times we had to ask for directions to find our friends' home on Sunday morning.
- Feeling more in the absence of understanding the language in simple fellowship.
- Going on a $2 one-hour boat tour of the harbor in Ensenada...what a deal...
- Crossing the border on foot and witnessing the fence going up.
Anyone with an idea on how to have more time in this short life, please write.
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