tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168516632024-03-18T22:09:11.386-07:00Burton SpeaksIrony: i·ro·ny <i>n</i> The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.comBlogger697125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-26049512475516585892012-09-12T11:25:00.000-07:002012-09-17T23:57:47.805-07:00Portland Dragon Boat Race 2012<br />
The <a href="http://www.portlanddragonboats.com/home.php">Portland Dragon Boat races</a> are a big event; like <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2012/08/victoria-dragonboat-festival-2012.html">Victoria</a>, it’s a two-day affair. The first day is a random grab-bag of races; teams will compete against teams of entirely different calibers, just to determine which division they should race in for the semi-finals. <br />
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My team, <a href="http://www.bridgecitypaddling.org/">Bridge City Paddling Club</a>, had FIVE boats in these races! We had a blue and gold women’s team, a blue and gold mixed team, and we finally got to fully debut the Bridge City Men. Where we filled half the boat with guest paddlers up in Victoria, we had almost our entire compliment of men for our Open Division race…. But I’m getting ahead of myself.<br />
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The day started early. For Bridge City Paddling, we arrive as a team. So even though my first race wasn’t until well after 9:00 AM, because the women had an early race (in theory) we all showed up at 7:00 AM. Then we got to wait, because it wasn’t terribly organized and they hadn’t finished placing the starting and finishing buoys – and they wouldn’t finish setting up until almost an hour and a half after the race was supposed to start!<br />
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But finally the races started. We cheered on our women’s teams. Bridge City Blitz Blue, our fast boat, on which I was paddling, was up early. We paddled out and easily dominated the race with a time of <a href="https://www.secure-sam.com/www.portlanddragonboats.com/doclib/2012%20Mixed%20Results.pdf">2:03.42</a>, though we were up against at least one team that we’d competed against in the Salem Dragon Boat Race finals. <br />
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Then, just after lunch, it was game time. It was the Open Division semi-finals, and I was nervous. Any confidence I had was tempered by knowing the heat we were up against. Men from the strongest teams in the Pacific Northwest had teamed up to field boats; could we compete with that?<br />
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Well, we were able to. Partially due to favorable seeding, we were able to take second in our semi-final with a time of <a href="https://www.secure-sam.com/www.portlanddragonboats.com/doclib/2012%20Specialty%20Results.pdf">1:48.90</a>, and only the top two teams advanced. It was a mad, furious race, full of splashing and energy, and we barely finished with second, but we'd made it..<br />
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Afternoon came, and we dominated another mixed race with a time of 1:58.75. Good times.<br />
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I joked several times that night that I was tired, and yet I couldn’t account for more than about 12 minutes of exercise. (Each race lasted about two minutes, plus two minutes or so of paddling to get to the start line and back from the finish.)<br />
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The next day came too early, but the whole club again showed up to cheer our women’s teams. Then, in the late morning, we lined up for the mixed semi-final, from which the top two teams would advanced to the division championship and the bottom two would join the fight for the division consolation prize. We won, and I say that because it was unremarkable and, at least for the 12 guys on the boat, all our minds were on the open division race yet to come. A time of 1:56.98 is nothing to sneeze at, and yet I could barely recall the race. <br />
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So then it was time to line up for the open division championship. As men, we were all quiet. None of the light joviality was there, as we sometimes had before other races. We all, as a group, wanted to win. This was what we’d been training for all year, and we were up against stiff competition – the favorite in this race with the combination of the <a href="http://www.kaiikaika.com/">Kai Ikaika</a> men and the <a href="http://www.portlandfiredragons.com/">Portland Fire Dragons</a>’ men, by far the two top teams in Portland.<br />
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We paddled out and lined up, knowing that we had only coming in second in our race, but determined to make this race count. The announcer lined us up – and we were off! <br />
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It felt like the longest race, and yet it was a blur. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, only one other boat, but it was definitely ahead of us. I kept seeing flashes of color, though I was focused ahead and only on timing and technique, that suggested that other boats weren’t far off. The team did exactly what we’d hoped to do. We had good timing, we had great power, and our technique was there. We knew we didn’t come in first – but had we placed? Had we earned a medal?<br />
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We had. We came in a solid second, which I will accept since we made the team that came in first work for it. We made them work hard, and they earned it, but third place was as far behind us as we were to first. We made a solid showing of it, and we held our heads high, with a remarkable time of 1:46.27.<br />
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The rest of the race was lining up to be a disappointment in the face of that excitement. And yet it managed not to be. Despite racing in the B division (of A through E), Bridge City Blitz Blue was right where we needed to be. In the face of tough competition, we just weren’t a A division team, yet. So we went out for one more race, the B division final. We got lined up, and we were off! Once again, as in Victoria, we seemed to fall behind early.<br />
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But then something magical happened. We hit our stride. We hit our pace. We hit our power. And we worked, one stroke at a time, to recover our ground. We went from fourth pace to third, third place to second, and we felt good, we felt strong… and the race was over. We didn’t know where we’d ended up, only that we’d put everything into it that we could. <br />
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We got back to the dock and met up with our coach, still unsure of how we placed. He started by thanking us for the year of practice, for trying our hardest, for being a team. He told us that, no matter what, he was proud of what we’d accomplished. But then… then he told us that he was even more proud that we’d taken first! With a time of 1:59.08, we'd edged our way into the lead and won by less than 3/10ths of a second!<br />
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The cheer that went through our huddle was the most heartfelt I’d heard in a long time. We’d worked for it, we wanted it, we did everything – and we got it. Winning with those conditions felt GOOD.<br />
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One side effect of winning the division championship was that it meant our day wasn’t over. We, as a team, qualified for the end-of-the-day Guts to Glory race. While all the races thus far were 500 meters, the Guts to Glory was a 2000 meter race around the Marquam and Hawthorne bridges. At the end of the day, after racing and racing, our Women’s Blue team qualified and our Mixed Blue team qualified. <br />
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And it started with the ladies. They piled into the boat, lined up, and, TEN MINUTES later, took second in that race. What no other team realized, though, is that, for the mixed race, all our ladies came from the Women’s Blue boat. That meant that eight of those strong women knocked an endurance race out of the park, pulled up to the dock, and got on the boat to do it again. <br />
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We were less successful. What hurt us was that there was confusion among the eight boats participating as to the coarse, so the first two teams cut a corner. The third boat through almost did, then swung around, and, in the fourth position, we started to, but then we realized we needed to swing around as well and that just killed our velocity. The boat died in the water as we suddenly changed course, and our line around the bridge pilings was extremely wide. We got passed by several boats. We started to make up ground, but it was getting crowded on the water. We pulled, and strained, and paddled hard, but we ended up in sixth place. But you know what? At the end of the race, we were all energized. I think if we’d run the same race everyone else had, we’d have made a better showing of it. But this race was for fun, and fun was had, and 9:27:27 is not a bad time for 2000 meters!<br />
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After putting the boats away we distributed medals. I ended up with a gold and a silver, the best showing yet from any race. But more importantly, I’d scrubbed the memory of <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/09/portland-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">the race from last year</a>.<br />
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Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-24769068501343660242012-08-31T09:52:00.001-07:002012-09-07T16:47:25.392-07:00Water VoyageThis is a story of luck, technology, and a little bit of planning.<br />
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This past Wednesday, as I do most Wednesdays, I took an outrigger canoe (OC-6) out with a team of people. I've been steering the boat, so I sit in the bench in the very back. Since I'm steering, I'm more or less responsible for the boat and the paddlers, so I've been taking my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/11/iphoning-next-generation.html">iPhone</a> with me, just in case I need to call for help.<br />
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Of course, there's a good change of a huli (flipping the boat over) on the outrigger, so I purchased a waterproof phone bag in which to put my phone, so that if I got dunked, it would survive. Despite the fact that the bag color option was only "camoflauge", I liked it because it also claimed to be buoyant. Fast forward to Wendesday night. I put my phone in the case, put the case in my pocket, and I remember thinking "boy, that doesn't feel very secure in there, I hope it doesn't fall out", but, last time I felt that way, I just managed to adjust the bag such that it was below the level of the side of the boat, and all was fine. Of note, the boat is narrow in the back; the bench I sit on is only a half-inch wider than my hips.<br />
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We left the <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=riverplace+marina&hl=en&ll=45.501414,-122.663083&spn=0.025657,0.057936&sll=45.510234,-122.670904&sspn=0.006413,0.014484&t=h&hq=riverplace+marina&z=15">Riverplace Marina</a>, just south of the Hawthorne Bridge, and headed south to go around <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Island_(Oregon)">Ross Island</a>. We took a break just south of the Ross Island Bridge, then paddled hard down the Holgate Channel to the houseboats on the south side of the island, where we prepared to turn around and return along the main channel. It was then that I noticed that my phone was no longer in my pocket - it had fallen out sometime in the past 45 minutes!<br />
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PANIC HIT ME IMMEDIATELY.<br />
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An <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_4S">iPhone 4S</a> isn't inexpensive, and trying to replace one would be prohibitively expensive. I was trying not to freak out, but I let the other five paddlers know what was going on and asked if they wouldn't mind heading back the way we came, in case we could find it. I asked if anybody else happend to have a smartphone, and, thankfully, a fellow paddler had his iPhone with him in a dry-bag. We paddled back, pulled up next to a houseboat so we wouldn't drift, and I started using his phone.<br />
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I had long ago enabled the "Find My iPhone" feature on my phone, which would force it to check in, give me the location, and allow me to force it to make a sound. However, I was a long way from a computer. Fortunately, I was able to download the <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/built-in-apps/find-my-iphone.html">Find My iPhone app</a> and sign in with my <a href="https://www.icloud.com/">iCloud </a> account. I held my breath as I clicked on my phone.<br />
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... and it checked in! I could see that, only seconds ago, my phone gave its location as a small area just south of the Ross Island Bridge (about a mile and a half downstream), close to the east bank of the river. We immediately paddled back north along the Holgate Channel.<br />
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The minutes seemed like hours, but I did my best to keep up centered in the current, paddling hard to get the boat downstream as quickly as possible. I envisioned my phone continuing to float past the bridge, into the construction area where the new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caruthers_Bridge">Caruthers Bridge</a> is being built. Perhaps it would get lodged against or even sucked under a barge? I was trying not to panic, and steeling myself for having to jump in the river to try to fetch my phone - assuming we could find it!<br />
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Finally we approached the Ross Island Bridge. I fished my friend's phone back out of his dry-bag and checked for my phone's location again. It hadn't moved much! It was still just south of the bridge, and looked like it was very close to the shore. We approached, and I saw a few people hanging out on the rocky shore - not normally a place that's terribly accessible. We steered the boat slowly toward the bank and I started looking for my phone.<br />
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One slight issue with the Find My iPhone app is that it's very good at telling you where your phone is, but it's not as great at telling you where you are in relation to it - you don't show up on the map, just the phone. The app told me - within about 5 feet - where my phone was, but it took my a second to realize we were floating about 20 feet past where it was supposed to be. We backed up the boat - and I spotted it, bobbing gently against the rocks!<br />
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We pulled the boat close, being careful not to ground it. I was all set to jump out, when a gentleman happened past where we were looking, only 10 feet away. We got his attention, and pointed him to my phone (which, with the camoflauge, he didn't immediately spot, even though it was nearly at his feet.) He picked it up - and started draining some water out of it. My face fell - the phone was active, but had it gotten soaked? Would it be permanently damaged?<br />
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He was kind enough to toss it to us in the boat, so we didn't have to get out. We thanked him as the phone was passed back to me. I quickly opened it up, and found that, while damp on the inside, the phone wasn't soaking wet. It was as if it had been in my pocked in a rainstorm. Still, I quickly powered it off, intending to dry it out.<br />
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After we got back and celebrated retrieving my phone, I took it home. I <a href="http://iphone.appstorm.net/how-to/phone/how-to-save-a-wet-iphone-or-ipod-touch/">put it in a bag of rice</a> to help dry it out. Then the 36-hour wait began, as I didn't want to risk turning it on early.<br />
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This morning, I finally pulled it out of the bag. I plugged it into my computer, keeping my fingers crossed. It started up... and connected, synced, and started to charge! I quickly ran through a battery of tests: phone call, text, GPS, phone - they all worked! The thrill was a natural high.<br />
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In the end, it was a great deal of luck, but had I not purchase a buoyant dry-bag, the phone wouldn't have succcessfully floated on the Willamette for an hour or so. Had I not thought ahead to enable Find My iPhone, the amazing technology wouldn't have enabled us to track it. But had my friend not brought HIS iPhone, we wouldn't have found it... and that doesn't count all the other terrible things that could have happened to it. Like I said, planning, technology, and a whole lot of luck!<br />
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Update: after writing this, I looked up <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110201202838/http://evansbranch.com/store/home.php">Evans' Branch</a>, the company that made the dry bag. It appears they're no longer in business. Their website goes to a default Apache web server page, and the phone numbers are not answered by anyone who's ever heard of them. Tragic, 'cause I was going to call and thank them.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-40259313185601489252012-08-28T13:52:00.000-07:002012-09-07T16:47:16.154-07:00Trek In The Park: Journey to BabelThis year's <a href="http://www.atomic-arts.org/?p=867">Trek In The Park</a> presentation was "<a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Journey_to_Babel_(episode)">Journey To Babel</a>". While I've attended in <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/07/trek-in-park-mirror-mirror.html">years</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2010/07/trek-in-park.html">past</a> at Woodlawn Park in NE Portland, this year the venue changed to <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=97&action=ViewPark">Cathedral Park</a>, a much more beautiful, open, and generally quieter park with a larger audience area. Where once we'd be in a small amphitheater with no real stage and with half the audience sitting behind the show, this new location had a nice stage, no opportunity for behind-the-stage sitting, and room for over twice as many people to watch!<br />
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I arrived at the show over 3 hours early, and was rewarded with a comfortable spot close to the stage. With the hectic schedule I'd been keeping, it was nice to just sit in the park and relax, watching it fill in with an unbelievable number of people. I've always maintained that, at the Trek in the Park shows, you'll never see as many sandals-worn-with-socks and so few biceps in one place, yet, in the end, these are my people. Familes gathered to enjoy this presentation of a classic Star Trek episode - the one where we first meet Spock's parents, Sarek and Amanda - and enjoy the wry humor that a live presentation can really bring out.<br />
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Technically, this presentation was superior to previous ones as there was better sound, more room for props, amazing costumes, and more. From an acting standpoint, as it's the same troop that's presented in years past, it has little room for growth as everyone was excellent.<br />
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I can't say enough good things about this, except that I'll definitely be there next year. They hinted, at the end, that a fifth year (I missed the first one, but have caught the following three) might be the last. If so, that would be a loss for all of us.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-10732522950273486282012-08-26T22:33:00.001-07:002012-08-28T08:43:21.063-07:00Victoria Dragonboat Festival 2012<br />
This past weekend, I traveled up to the <a href="http://www.victoriadragonboat.com/">Victoria Dragonboat Festival</a>. We headed up to Port Angeles, leaving at a leisurely 11 AM. My friend drove, and we chatted and laughed at the comedians whose recordings we'd brought with us. We left his car in Port Angeles, bought tickets, and boarded the <a href="http://www.cohoferry.com/main/">MV Coho</a> for a 90 minute journey to Victoria, BC, where I was looking forward to my first international dragonboat race.<br />
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I've only been on a ferry once before, that I remember. In 2005, I think, I took a motorcycle trip up I-5 to US-101 (the same path we took today) except I took the ferry back over from some other town back, essentially, to I-5, just south of the Canadian border. This trip was pleasant, although, despite reaching 100 degrees in Portland, it was mid-60s in Port Angeles and even cooler in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.<br />
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My friend and I stayed in a hostel, the <a href="http://www.hihostels.ca/westerncanada/166/HI-Victoria.hostel">HI-Victoria</a>, in downtown Victoria. That night we set out to see the city's waterfront, we met up with some friends, we all had a fun time hanging out in this beautiful city.<br />
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After a night of fitful sleep with the room, for some reason, stiflingly hot, it was time to stumble out of bed and head down to the festival. We got there and found that the team, <a href="http://www.bridgecitypaddling.org/">Bridge City Blitz Blu</a>e, had our first race in the 10th heat.<br />
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After stretching out, we stood in the sun and watches a race come in, finish, park, then unload. We loaded and paddled out into the busy harbor. We got lined up... and then we were off.<br />
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These boats were different that the ones we use in Portland. They felt as big as the ones we normally paddle on, but without a center brace. Also, the foot bar was really close, and I was having trouble bracing myself. Still, in the first race, we posted 2:05.20, a respectable time, beat only by a sub-2:00.00 team. For reference, we were the seventh fasted team (out of roughly sixty) in the first half of the day.<br />
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After an obnoxiously long break in which we sat for three and a half hours instead of racing and I gorged myself on mixed dried fruit medley, it was time for our second race.<br />
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We marshaled down to the boats and loaded up. I found a better place for my foot to be, though the boat felt slightly different and, honestly, it could have been the same spot on a different boat. Still, we paddled out... and immediately had to pull into a cove so the MV Coho could depart with a load of passengers bound for America.<br />
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When the next race started, we felt good. Still, the top-seeded team that they placed against us shot ahead. Try as we might, and sucking down as much air as I could, we were unable to catch them. At the end of the race, we were once again second with a time of 2:04.71, beat by another sub-2:00.00 team.<br />
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Then came the open division, aka "Man Boat" (with a lady or two on board and with our ranks supplemented by an excellent fellow team). We got our first chance to compete for a medal that night. After a terrible start in which the announcer said "go" immediately after we were backing up the boat on her command, we took off, powering down the coarse. We took second, and it was good, with a time of 1:55.80. We were the second fastest boat to race all day! That's the first time I've ever been on a boat with a sub-2:00.00 time!<br />
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That night I went for a run along the waterfront, ate dinner, and went to bed early very, very sore. I did sleep better than the previous night, since it was notably cooler in the room.<br />
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Sunday morning, after packing up and checking out of the hostel, the team gathered early. We warmed up, stretched out, and then watched two of our boats race in their respective semifinals on a chilly morning that the announcer, from Victoria, compared to a morning in Portland.<br />
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Then it was time for Bridge City Blitz Blue to show our stuff in the Diamond division (second only to the Platinun division.) We loaded up, paddled out... And had to wait for the MV Coho to leave the harbor. We moved some more... Then had to wait aboard the boat while the little water taxis did some dance that I couldn't see. Finally, race time. We had a terrible start, this time of our own making, and 200 meters into a 500 meter race, we were reportedly in third. Then we hit our power. Our boat jumped ahead, stroke by stoke, easily overtaking the boats ahead of us to post a finish time of 2:05.84 in first place. We gave everything we had, and we secured the best spot for the finals.<br />
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Then it was time to wait, and, almost 5 hours later, it was finally time for the Diamond mixed championship, with five boats already racing for that division's consolation prize. We'd secured the best spot (lane 3 of 5) and we had the best time of any team going into the race. After waiting, again, for the MV Coho to take off, we launched. We paddled hard. In my peripheral vision, I could see the boats next to us; the race was on. We paddled as hard as we could. I was constantly checking to make sure I was in sync with the paddler ahead of me. I put everything I had into the race, and so did my teammates. But at the end, we only came in a close 3rd with a heartbreaking time of 2:09.56. It was the bronze medal for us, and my promise to myself to buy a nicer paddle if we took home the gold didn't need to be filled.<br />
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Some folks had the attitude of "hey, at least we got the medal". Sure, it's nice. But coming in third in a race we that was ours to lose? Disappointing, to say the least. Nothing feels worse than knowing that a race is yours to lose... and <a href="http://www.victoriadragonboat.com/assets/RACE~INFOMATION/race~results/2012/Victoria_Results.pdf">losing it</a>.<br />
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But the team rallied in the beer garden, which I'd swear was filled more with Portlanders than folks from anywhere else. 'Twas good times, as we celebrated Team Velocity (they're the women's boat from Bridge City Paddling Club) and their platinum-division championship win. <br />
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My friend and I took the ferry back that night and chatted about how much fun the whole trip was. And, during the long drive back, my thoughts kept drifting toward the upcoming Portland race...Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-64196993887352796852012-08-02T21:51:00.000-07:002012-08-12T09:53:33.294-07:00A Classy CitizenIt was a nice, sunny, summer afternoon when my friend and I took a walk through northeast Portland. On a quiet street, we spotted a bucket of sidewalk chalk, which a child had obviously used to draw a hopscotch game (or three) on the sidewalk in the shaky hand that only children and the elderly have. As we passed, we noted the presence of the chalk, but the definite absence of the child. It wasn't unusual; it was nearing the dinner hour. <br>
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However, what drew my eye was, in large, confidently written letters, the word "poop" inscribed in chalk the middle of the hopscotch field. I rolled my eyes, amused at this mostly-harmless and childishly funny bit of humor. Someone of questionable maturity had obviously borrowed the chalk and thought it would be funny to write. They weren't too far off the mark. <br>
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A little further past the hopscotch, on the block's corner, someone had written, in even larger letters, the word "ASS". The culprit was definitely treading the edge of taste in their vandalism.<br>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2012-StayClassy1.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2012-StayClassy1-small.jpg" alt="The word 'ASS' written in chalk on the sidewalk..."></a></center><br>
My friend and I pondered this as we passed. Acknowledging the existence of the chalk and the wonton scrawling of profanity on the sidewalk, we felt it was our civic duty to correct it. But how should we do it? Then, as we were walking back past it later, it hit us.<br>
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Borrowing the chalk, we updated the message to something less troublesome. That's right, "Stay clASSy, Portland!" was our contribution toward cleaning up that street.<br>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2012-StayClassy2.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2012-StayClassy2-small.jpg" alt="...becomes 'Stay Classy, Portland!'"></a></center><br>
We didn't quite get the color of the chalk to match. I'm sure no one will notice.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-81697377625385542952012-07-11T12:58:00.000-07:002012-07-16T13:25:44.009-07:00The Fence PostThe astute reader might recall that I bought a house about two-and-a-half years ago. When I bought the house I knew that the fence would need replacing. Despite, at the time, being only 4 years old, it was obviously in terrible condition. In a decision with far-reaching, expensive, and often painful repercussions, I resolved to rebuild it at some point in the future.
I planned on the summer of 2011 for the project. Since it's the summer of 2012 and I'm just now writing this, it's a safe assumption that it didn't happen then. No, after patching together a couple parts of the fence that fell down over the winter, I finally started this project in May of this year.
My plan was to take a week off of work to build a retaining wall and a fence. I'd worked out a schedule and a rough budget ahead of time; I'd arranged for friends and family to help with a guideline on what I'd need, and when I'd need it.
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstadter's_law">Hofstadter's Law</a>: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.</blockquote>
It started a week before my "vacation", when my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2008/11/dr-grant-simmons.html">brother</a> and I took down the existing fence. It took a matter of minutes to knock the old fence down; most of the 4x4 posts had rotted, even being pressure treated, and broke off easily enough. (I'm pretty sure pressure treated wood will still rot, especially when it's buried under a foot of soil that's almost always moist.) What took the most time was disassembling the fence; we took off the existing boards, rotted though many of them were, and set them aside.<br />
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Then came trench time. I'd allocated a few days to dig a trench and build a retaining wall. I'd planned on a 12" wall running the length of the property, with a small trench filled with gravel on which this could sit. This is where the plan fell apart.<br />
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First, I couldn't rent an appropriate trencher. The ones I saw wouldn't dig wide enough and there was a one-foot elevation difference between the two sides of the trench. Second, and perhaps more importantly, we ended up having to take out all the existing concrete that had been used to build the old fence, and there was more of it than I'd thought. It turns out that, for a fence that had been built in 2006, it had already rotted and been repaired in a couple places. Rather than learning from their mistakes, whoever repaired it simply left the concrete in place and dug another hole next to it, using longer 2x4s on one side of the new post and shorter 2x4s on the other. We ended up taking out over 15 blocks of concrete that had been used.<br />
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At this point I really figured out that there are several reasons the fence was falling down. I'd initially attributed it to people bumping it with their cars and just being a cheap fence, but neither of those were accurate. I realized, after taking it down, that the builders had been using the fence as a surrogate retaining wall. In soil that practically never sees the light of day, I found that the fence had slid out from the house somewhere between six inches and a foot at various times as the extremely moist soil slid away from my house. The only phrase I can come up with for such bone-headed thinking and execution is "malicious incompetence". The people who built this fence not only did a terrible, ineffective job, but in doing so they made it <i>harder</i> to do right later.<br />
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The trench wasn't finished in a day. It wasn't even finished in three days. As I got futher into it, I realized that I needed an 18" wall instead of a 12" one (effectively adding 50% to just the cost of the wall.) Then, not only did I have to line the trench with gravel (which I purchased from the excellent <a href="http://www.oregondecorativerock.com/index.html">Oregon Decorative Rock</a> store), I needed to rent a compacter in order to really flatten it. (Kudos to my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2007/12/trillium-lake.html">adventure</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2012/01/elk-meadows.html">buddy</a> for helping me with both the realization and execution of this.)
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceTrench.jpg"><img alt="A trench, freshly dug (by hand)" src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceTrench-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
After digging a trench that was at least 14" wide, 6-7" deep (on the short side, 20" deep on the tall side), and 110' long (the lenght of the property, plus wrapping around in the front yard a little), and then lining it with gravel, the time came to put in the retaining wall stones. This, I might add, happened Thursday, which my original schedule labeled as "the day to build a fence."<br />
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I had four pallets of retaining wall stones delivered. Each pallet had 45 stones; each stone was 16" long, 12" deep, 6" tall, and weighed 60 pounds. My buddy, my dad, and I started building the wall. It became quickly apparent that I'd ordered far too few stones; we'd need at <i>least</i> another pallet's worth. After putting the initial 180 into place, we ran to <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/">Home Depot</a>, rented their truck, and took another pallet home... then went and returned the truck, driving home with 16 more blocks. In the end, we put down over 14,400 pounds of retaining wall that day. That was a very, very hard day, but, in the end, the wall looked amazing.<br />
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceWall.jpg"><img alt="The best-looking retaining wall you've ever seen." src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceWall-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
While digging the trench, I'd also measured out where I was going to put the fence posts and pre-dug those holes (much easier to do when most of the soil was already out of the way. With the wall finished, it was time to attend to the fence posts. While the original posts were simply a 4x4 embedded in concrete, I went a different direction. My dad recommended steel brackets embedded in concrete, to which I would bolt a 4x4. It sounded like a lot more work, but I took his advice. Why? Because he built a fence that way 25 years ago, and, as of last year, it was still standing. <i>(Update: I checked on it while I was writing this post. There was a new fence in place, but it looked to be built using the original brackets that he'd embedded in concrete so many years ago. That longevity, combined with the fact that the rebuild was undoubtedly easier, was why I took his advice.)</i> </div>
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So I spent the next two weeks after building the retaining wall pouring concrete. I used cardboard tubes 10" in diameter and 2' deep to hold the concrete where I wanted it. I poured about 150-160 pounds of concrete into each hole, and I had 11 holes to fill. Yes, that's over 1500 lbs of concrete, all mixed and poured by hand. This phase of the project I did alone. I did try one shortcut - on one post, I tries using quick-setting concrete, as someone had recommended to me. I was not happy with the results and didn't use it again; more on that later. It was a brutal project; the bags of concrete, at 80 pounds, were ungainly to move around and a lot of work to mix and put in place; on the last day I was able to put 9 solid hours of work into the project and filled the last 5 holes, embedding and leveling the brackets as I went, making sure, on the advice of my neighbor, to check and re-check and make sure I had no more than 8' between each bracket.</div>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceConcrete.jpg"><img alt="The concrete wasn't easy." src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceConcrete-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
While the concrete dried and set I took a week off and only spent a few hours moving dirt from the piles around my yard to start filling in behind the wall and around the concrete. It was nice, light work - at least, it felt that way compared to the previous weeks. </div>
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Then the vacation was over. I had to start building the actual bones of the fence. I started with the 4x4s. <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?a=93020">Portland city code</a> allows me to build a fence 6' tall at my property line without a permit. Since it's based on the elevation of my property, and the retaining wall merely retained earth (versus adding elevation), I only needed 6' posts. I ended up purchasing 6 12' pressure-treated 4x4s, and Home Depot was kind enough to cut them in half for me. A few days later, I rented another Home Depot truck and got the 2x4s I thought I'd need. </div>
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It was a sunny 4th of July, almost a month after I started my project, that the time came to put the 4x4s in place. My coworker, her husband, and my brother all came to help me out. We were able to put the wood in place faster than I'd thought we'd be able to. It was only when we were trying to mount the 2x4s that I ran into a problem. Although the brackets were 8' apart and the 4x4s were level and vertical, somehow I ended up with an 8'2" gap between posts 3 and 4. I was <i>NOT</i> pleased. Ultimately, however, we were able to finish the bones that day.</div>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceBones.jpg"><img alt="The bones of the fence being built." src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceBones-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
The weekend following the fourth, I put up the boards on the fence. Partially due to re-using the old boards, partially out of concern based on the pressures of the wind and the loose soil, I decided to build (for now) a "good neighbor" fence, which would allow wind to pass through with little obstruction. It took merely hours (maybe eight, total) to put the boards up and then be able to call my fence project, for now, "done".</div>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceDone.jpg"><img alt="The finished fence. It looks so much better!" src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceDone-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
Of course, there's more to do. I plan to extend the retaining wall in the front yard, do more landscaping, put down barkdust, install a plant or two, and perhaps replace the used, half-rotted boards with something newer and nicer-looking. But, for now, I was able to close this project out, over a month behind schedule and more than $1,000 over budget (roughly another 50% of the original budget.) </div>
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Here's a before-and-after picture. The "before" comes from February 2010, when I was buying the house. You can't see the further decay that happened over the following two years, but you can see, in the "after" picture, how nice it looks now.</div>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceComparison.jpg"><img alt="Old fence vs. new fence" src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-FenceComparison-small.jpg" /></a></center><center><br /></center>
Final stats: </div>
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<li>Retaining wall length: 110 feet </li>
<li>Retaining wall blocks used: 241 </li>
<li>Retaining wall weight: 14,460 pounds </li>
<li>Tons of gravel in the trench: 2.75 </li>
<li>Concrete mix used: 1545 pounds </li>
<li>Fence boards re-used: 174 </li>
<li>Man-hours: in excess of 96 </li>
<li>Total calendar days start-to-finish: 42 </li>
<li>Total Project cost: in excess of $2,288.30</li>
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</div>Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-13663804276481036862012-07-02T21:30:00.000-07:002012-07-16T10:32:12.003-07:00Motorcycle Cornering Clinic<br />
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After an amazing weekend, how do I cap it off? I take Monday morning off of work, hop on my motorcycle, and go to a Team Oregon cornering clinic at Pat's Acres Racing Complex in Canby. The goal was to work on making turns smoother (and thus safer) while being, at the same time, faster and more precise. It was an amazing class!</div>
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This was actually my second attempt at taking the class. The first attempt was during the week I took off to build a fence (or, as it turned out, build a retaining wall.) That class got rained out. Today's weather was sunny and warm, almost perfect conditions for motorcycling comfortably! I got there at 9:10 AM, unfortunately a few minutes late, but was able to jump right in. The first time around was a chance to learn the turns and the best lines to take. We were going counter-clockwise, or, as my boss - who used to race go-karts there informed me - "the proper way". We weren't allowed to pass, but it really wasn't necessary. Then we went out to try it again, with higher speeds. We could pass along the straight if we needed (and I both passed and was passed) and there were instructors out there at some of the turns, coaching us on timing. It was like the classes I teach, but instead of 5-15 miles per hour in a parking lot, we were doing 10-50 miles per hour on a race track. The feedback was good, and I worked on my timing, making sure I was on the throttle before the turn, and making sure the bike was positioned properly. I won't say I was necessarily very good at any of those things, but I was improving quickly. It was fun braking hard and feeling the anti-lock brakes on my back tire barely kick in before I was ready to get on the throttle and turn.</div>
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Then we took a break, which I needed. I was already dehydrated - yesterday's racing does that to you - and this gave me an opportunity to down some fluids quickly. The lead instructor gave us some feedback, "the turns are okay, you're all braking too late, but your head turns are generally excellent - as I would expect from a group of instructors." We all chuckled. </div>
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Upon resuming, we did the exact same exercises in the opposite direction. This shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, since we do it in the classes I teach, but it did. That realization made me laugh, as my students are always surprised when we reverse an exercise. Starting out, I was again terrible - my lines were all botched, my speeds were all wrong, and I felt like I didn't know how to ride a motorcycle. Still, a few laps in, things smoothed out. </div>
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The final task was to have an instructor follow us around the track for a couple laps, then give us feedback. The feedback I received was "Burton, your apexes aren't great. For two turns in the same direction, try to have an early apex; for two turns in the opposite direction, try to have a late apex. Now go play." That direction, "go play", isn't something I expected to hear, but I definitely went out and try my turns differently. I could feel when I was closer to getting it right, and was frustrated when I could tell it was wrong. Still, it was exciting!</div>
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<center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-CorneringClinic.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-CorneringClinic-small.jpg" alt"Thank you to a fellow instructor for this picture!"></a></center>
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In all, I put 95 miles on my motorcycle this morning, and the round trip was about 66 miles. That means that I put almost 29 miles on my bike and, considering the track is only about half a mile long, that means I went around over 55 times! This was one of the most fun things I've done on my motorcycle in years. I learned a lot, got great advice and feedback, and will hopefully use this to improve my riding even more! I hope the advanced rider training class, of which the cornering clinic is a portion of and which was in the classroom while we were on the track, learns as much.</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-47865231491978114832012-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:002012-07-07T23:03:22.365-07:00Salem Dragon Boat Race 2012<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Yesterday was the Salem World Beat Festival Dragon Boat Races. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The first two races for each team were going to be 2-boat heats to determine the division and lane placement for the final race. With 24 mixed teams represented, there were going to be 6 different divisions. Our goal was to have the gold boat and the blue boat racing each other in the final. </span></div>
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Blue boat, the fast boat, on which I was a last-minute substitute paddler, was up first for the mixed races. We boarded the boats and paddled to the starting line. The boat buzzed with energy and nerves as we all focused. The officials lined up both boats, and off we went. Our timing was spot-on, our power was excellent - it all flowed together. The race was over quickly, it seemed, and we handily beat our competition, posting a time of 2.19.00, the third fastest time of that qualifying heat and less than a second off the fastest time.</div>
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As we unloaded, everyone but me gathered up for the post-race feedback. I hopped in line with the gold boat crew, the crew I was officially on, who were already being marshaled into staging. My benchmate was kind and let me paddle on the opposite side that I was on for the blue boat, so I wouldn't over-stress myself. We boarded the boat, paddled to the lineup, and were off! Much like the blue boat's race, we easily beat the other boat, posting a time of 2:21.55, the fourth fastest time of that heat. I was gasping for air at the end, definitely feeling the rush and the exertion. Our timing wasn't quite as good as the blue boat's, and our rate was higher, but we made a good showing for ourselves.</div>
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24553397@N06/7498314316/sizes/l/in/set-72157630412359482/"><img alt="thanks to NWPaddler for this picture" src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2012-SalemDragonboat-Small.jpg" width="300" /></a></center><br />
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Then time passed. There were 8 boats for the women's-only division that had to race, plus plenty of other mixed races. On top of that, the races had started a little late and the lunch break ended up coming a little early. So I hung out with the team, trying not to snack too much (and to snack in a healthy fashion when I did.) </div>
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Eventually, it was time for the second heat. Again, I lined up with the blue boat and we went down for the race. Again, we crushed the competing boat (the word was that we were ahead by 6 boat-lengths) and posted a time of 2:15.39. It was still the third best, but it was just about a half-second off the best time for that heat. Again, I had to jump in the gold boat immediately after the race, and by the time that race was completed with a winning time of 2:20.90, I felt completely spent. I was leaving everything I could muster out on the water. </div>
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After the second heats came the finals. I watched our women's teams compete in the A and B divisions; they were both super-strong. Many of those women were also on the mixed crews, so I knew I couldn't complain about the paddling on two boats. In fact, I was having fun; the exertion was exhilarating and made me feel useful. Watching the ladies race was intense; they had incredible power and timing. The women's team (aka "Velocity") posted a 2nd place finish for the B division and a 1st place finish for the A division. They were the fastest women at the race!</div>
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Then came game-time for the mixed crews. <span style="background-color: white;">There was a logistical issue because, with all four boats racing in the finals, there wasn't time to get marshaled for the second team. Since they loaded and unleaded two boats at a time, there was a strong possibility that I'd be on the water when the boat I was supposed to be on was loading. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It was decided that, though I was only subbing on the blue team, I would end up racing in the blue final. Strangely, I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I'd be. I felt like I was letting the gold team down. Our coach found a paddler to replace me on the boat, but I still felt like I should have been there. As the blue boat stood on the dock, the B division race was coming to a finish, and I watched the gold boat participate in the closest finish I'd ever seen. I couldn't tell who was first and who was fourth!</span></div>
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Our time came. We loaded up for the A division final race. The three teams ahead of us were all within a half-second of our time. What made it fun was that one guy who steered for our women's boat was paddling for a competing team, and another boat had a bunch of people I've been on the outrigger with, so there was honest meaning when we said "good luck" to each other. Our boat was the closest to the shore as we lined up... and we were off! Our team had an amazing start. Everything just felt right. Our timing felt perfect, our power was incredible... it was working! Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boat next to us drift further away. I remember thinking "that's odd, there's a boat in lane 3". Suddenly I heard the sound of wood slapping. I could tell, though I was highly focused on MY boat, that the two boats had come close enough for the paddler's paddles to hit each other. I remember thinking "that'll slow them down", when all of a sudden I heard "let it run!", our command to stop paddling. We stopped and sat up, confused. Apparently, boats two and three had collided, then run into the bridge. The race was going to have to be re-run. I could barely hold back my frustration; would we be able to do such a perfect start again?</div>
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We slowly circled back to the start position and lined up. We all knew that in this race, whichever team had the right start was likely to win. The officials had us moving backward and forward as they lined us up - and our boat ended up moving backward when they called the start. The boat in lane 3, however, was moving forward - and they jumped out of the water, taking a boat-length lead in front of everyone else. We paddled hard, though. Our timing bobbled halfway through the race, but we got it in check. We were pulling as we put everything into the water... and then the race was over. We took 2nd place, the second-fasted boat on the water that day, with a 2:20.19, merely hundredths of a second ahead of third place. Being second was a rough emotion; we were genuinely happy for the winning team, yet we knew we didn't do as well the second time around as we did the first. We could have won!</div>
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But the race was over. Second place would have to do. </div>
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="169" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uxu1PKcreLE" width="300"></iframe></center>Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-91705242032622217112012-05-22T08:33:00.002-07:002012-05-22T22:21:51.156-07:00Portland Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon 2012It was late last year, I believe, that I signed up to run in the <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/portland">Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon</a> here in Portland, OR. Immediately, I started training, running at least 5k several times a week throughout the winter (with the exception of those horrible post-Christmas weeks where everyone is still visiting, going out, and generally not getting exercise.) I was committed. Having run <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2010/08/save-pain-for-tomorrow-aka-hood-to.html">Hood to Coast</a> in 2010, this was going to me Next Big Run. <br /><br />Then came the pain. It was a familiar pain, a sharp pain in my right knee that really came on when I briefly tried a different type of running shoe while training for Hood to Coast. It usually came when I somehow twisted my right leg slightly, and it was definitely No Good. <br /><br />Before, I just took a month or so off running and then I was fine. This time, I had my doubts. I finally consulted my doctor early this year, who referred me to a specialist, who ordered an MRI and then said, "Yep. You've damaged the cartilage in your right knee. Don't run. Ever." While the actual conversation may have been slightly longer, that was the gist of it and I was quite upset; I threw myself a nice pity party that evening. <br /><br />A follow up visit came a couple weeks ago, and the one concession I got out of my doctor was that, if my knee's not actively hurting, I'm not really damaging it. Meaning I could run, but only as long as it didn't cause pain. <br /><br />Well, today I participated this event, the inaugural event for the half-marathon series here. My plan, given my knee issues, was to strap on an industrial-strength knee brace and to walk (and possibly jog) for parts of it. I joined a couple coworkers and their families in the last corral of the starting area. (They released corrals every minute or so, so that the fastest people up front wouldn’t have to fight their way through crowds.) I was supposed to be in the 20th (out of 23) corral with an expected completion time of 3 hours before I injured my knee; I figured starting at the 23rd corral would put me around a lot of walkers, taking the pressure off. I ended up hanging out with my coworker’s wife (he was running ahead with his daughter) and we both had a mind to run at parts of the race. Well, we started slowly, after the first mile, and ran small bits, with a walk in between, and then the bits started getting longer. <br /><br />By the <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/files/2011/03/12_Portland_CourseMap_standard.pdf">half-way point,</a> we’d passed the person carrying the 3 hour pace sign and were determined to keep the speed on. Pausing every half-mile to walk for a couple blocks, we shifted from mostly walking to mostly running. It felt good! Then, of course, around mile 9, the pain started to kick in. I could tell something in my foot was hurting, and, though I’d put an industrial-sized brace on my problem right knee, something in my left knee wasn’t too happy. Still, we kept running - in fact, for the last three miles, we probably didn’t walk more than 3-4 blocks, and we ran the last mile or so in its entirety! <br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-RocknRollHalfMarathon.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-RocknRollHalfMarathon-small.jpg" alt="My running number and medal!"></a></center><br />The run south on Naito Parkway was deceptively long; I thought the finish would be at the start but they'd moved it another half-mile down the road. Running through the pain was hard, but crossing that finish line was rewarding.<br /><br />After the race, what was amazing to watch, more than anything else, were the faces of the rest of the people making it across. For those for which this was a huge challenge, the pride and joy at accomplishing a goal was beautiful. Watching a grandma supported across the line by her granddaughter, or a elderly lady with a walker pick it up and carry it across the line; those were the moments that I’ll remember. <br /><br />In the end, given my absolute lack of training for this, my <a href="http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults_list?eId=53&eiId=84&seId=270&page=1&rowCount=25&firstname=&lastname=&bib=20426&gender=&division=&submit=Search">overall time</a> was 2:49:57. I'm pleased! I actually beat my original goal and, with the exception of some blisters, felt great afterward!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-HalfMarathonBib.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-HalfMarathonBib-small.jpg" alt="My running number and medal!"></a></center><br />... until I had to walk to my car, which I'd parked in southeast. That last 3/4 of a mile was almost like an insult added to the end of this adventure.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-67704309461282105412012-05-18T14:30:00.001-07:002012-05-19T23:54:35.290-07:00Rainier Dragon Boat Race 2012This past weekend I attended the <a href="http://washingtondragonboat.org/events/2012-rainier-dragon-boat-festival.html">Rainier Dragon Boat Race</a> up in Tacoma, WA, with the <a href="http://www.bridgecitypaddling.org/">Bridge City Paddling Club</a>. (The astute reader might note that I was paddling with Shibumi <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/06/salem-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">last</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/09/portland-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">year</a>; we're more of an outrigger team now after a disappointing race season, and I'm doing the dragon boat thing with Bridge City.)<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-TacomaDragonboat.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/May2012-TacomaDragonboat-small.jpg" width=300" alt="The Bridge City Paddle Club Gold boat - and I didn't take this picture. Credit to them at http://washingtondragonboat.org/events/2012-rainier-dragon-boat-festival.html"></a></center><br />We went up north with enough people to fill two boats. Having been divided into "fast" and "else", I was on the "else" boat. My feelings on that can be discussed at a different point in time. We went in with a strong, fast attitude, and left humbled by our lackluster on-the-water performance. <br /><br />How were our results? <br />First race: 2:24 - for some on my boat, the first race they'd ever paddled in. We came in fourth.<br />Second race: 2:21 - we locked in our timing and were making considerable improvements. We came in third against fast teams.<br />Third race: 2:34 - the tide shifted; all teams were slower, but our boat felt particularly slow. This was the race we needed to win, and we came in third. <br /><br />I'm tired of losing. As the salt-water spray hit me in the face, and I struggled to watch and match the timing of the paddle in front of me, I couldn't completely ignore the boat next door pulling away from us and feeling our boat rock in their wake. That feeling, that I was putting my all into this thing and not making the headway our rivals were, was terrible. <br /><br />I'll say this about the venue, however. They made a schedule and stuck to it. Races happened quickly, and the dock was arranged in such a way that they could marshall, load, and unload the boats with great efficiency. I was impressed. I was less impressed, however, by the lack of divisions they had. That is, with 25+ teams of varying casual-ness, only the top three would win a medal. There was no competition among the slower boats, except as fodder for the faster teams. I didn't like that part so much.<br /><br />In the end, I only know that I have to work harder if I want to win... and I want, badly, to win.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-77239422541581440842012-01-12T22:44:00.000-08:002012-01-13T15:42:14.140-08:00Evil Dead: The MusicalUpon hearing the news that "<a href="http://www.evildeadtour.com/northwest/buytickets/">Evil Dead: The Musical</a>" was going to be playing in Portland, I was immediately struck by two thoughts. First: "How did I not know that they made a musical based on Evil Dead?", and then: "How did I not hear that it was going to be in Portland EARLIER?!?" Of course, I immediately bought tickets. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.iconsoffright.com/Evil_Dead/newhero.jpg" alt="Thanks to Icons of Fright for hosting this image!"></center><br />The plot was a mashup of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/">The Evil Dead</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092991/">Evil Dead II</a>, with a bunch of lines and the ending of the theatrical version of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106308/">Army of Darkness</a> grafted onto it. Oh, and a bunch of musical numbers sprinkled throughout with titles like "What The #@%^! Was That?" and "All The Men In My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons". The songs were humorous, often accompanied by sexually suggestive dancing. Quite fun, in concept. <br /><br />There was, however, a downside to the show, and that was in the production quality. While recognizing that I'm going to see a musical based off the "Evil Dead" series, which is (in)famous for its production quality, I guess I was expecting a campy show that was done well. What I got was something else. <br /><br />Without sounding like I'm complaining, I like it when shows start reasonably on-time, versus 20 minutes or so late. I like it when I can hear all the performers singing. I like it when the performers remember to turn on their microphones versusu coming in after an unneeded and unpleasant intermission with it off. I like it when the set transistions are reasonably quick, instead of detracting from any sort of pacing and taking an inconsistent number of trips off-stage by the technical crew.<br /><br />Those are my technical complaints. Also, there was an intermission halfway through that seemed quite unnecessary and didn't need to be 25 minutes long. A long intermission gave the audience more time to hit the bar and get liquored up, leading to more talking and drama by the audience that detracted from the show. The acting and singing wasn't done with any particular enthusiasm or sense of timing. <br /><br />Of course, I don't want to overlook the good parts of the show. I was smart enough to get tickets in the "non-splatter" seating section (when was the last time THAT was a choice at a musical?) but it was tons of fun watching the crew spray fake blood at the splatter zone during particularly gory scenes. The creativity of the songs was also quite good and, in the production, the actresses portraying Cheryl and Annie stood out among the rest. <br /><br />In the end, did I enjoy it? Yes, I think anyone my age who enjoyed the movies would. But given the unpleasant crowd, the poor technical production quality, and the long time I had to spend listening to music other than that coming from the musical I was there to see, I can definitely say that it wasn't worth the high price of admission. <br /><br />So now you know.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-2068433330934680232012-01-08T23:50:00.001-08:002012-01-12T15:28:06.448-08:00Elk MeadowsThis weekend I went snowshoeing with my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2007/11/snow-report.html">adventure</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2008/01/wildcat-mountain.html">buddy</a> and a friend of his up on Mt. Hood to <a href="http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/maps/load.php?lat=45.34417&lon=-121.61611&page_name=Elk_Meadows">Elk Meadows</a>. Well, the plan was to go snowshoeing; it ended up being a lot of hiking while carrying the snowshoes because there just isn't that much snow out there! With a base of between 37" and 43", there's a lot of bare ground, especially when climbing up the hills. Having so little snow at this point in the season makes me worry.<br /><br />Still, we had fun. It would have been more fun had, when trying to jump across a stream, I actually made it across. In this case, with my snowshoes tied to my pack (which weighed 30-40 lbs!) I tried to follow in the footsteps of my companions and, despite every fiber of my being telling me what a bad idea it was, I jumped after them. Thank goodness they were there to catch me; my food landed and immediately slipped out from underneath me. After slamming my face into the icy snow, they grabbed my arms before I could land in the water and hoisted me up. That part, I'll admit, wasn't so fun. My face hurt from the fresh scratches and it spoiled my attitude for a while.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Jan2012-ElkMeadowsFace.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Jan2012-ElkMeadowsFace-small.jpg" alt="The view of Mt. Hood from Elk Meadows"></a></center><br />After falling on my face, we had a couple more streams to cross, then we headed up the hill. We gained probably 700 or so feet of elevation in less than a mile; it was steeper than it sounds. Also, there's really only one way up that we could find; the face of the hill is so steep that the switchbacked trail is the only way to the top that doesn't end in a cliff face. Of course, as I mentioned, there was no snow on that path, so we ended up hiking most of it. My attitude wasn't improving at all during that; I like snowshoeing and I like hiking, but I like doing just one or the other, not constantly having to switch between them.<br /><br />Once at the top, however, we were in a respectable amount of snow and my mood improved considerably as we headed toward the meadow. It didn't take us long to get there at all and, once we did, we were treated to a fantastic view of Mt. Hood while we ate lunch.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Jan2012-ElkMeadows.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Jan2012-ElkMeadows-small.jpg" alt="The view of Mt. Hood from Elk Meadows"></a></center><br />After that, it was a quick trip down with a more successful hop over a couple streams. All told, we did about 5.7 miles, thought it was more challenging than it sounds due to the nature of the <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.332885,-121.621335&spn=0.026277,0.046606&t=t&z=15&vpsrc=6">elevation climb</a> (it happened all at once), the fact that we had to hike some of it, and the extra weight I was carrying in my pack. Fun? Yes. However, I'm not sure that, given the condition of the stream crossings, I'd want to do it again.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-79174065734764886302011-11-21T12:01:00.000-08:002011-12-01T15:49:07.092-08:00Vera Hannigan, 1932-2011I've written about my grandma's health <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/08/terminal.html">as recently as August</a>. In September, my grandmother, Vera Hannigan, passed away after a multi-year fight with cancer. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Nov2011-VeraHanniganHorse.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Nov2011-VeraHanniganHorse-small.jpg" alt="my grandma, Vera Hanngian, on a horse in her youth"></a></center><br />She's <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inurned">inurned </a>at Arlington National Cemetery along with her husband, John Hannigan. Her obituary can be found <a href="http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Vera-Hannigan&lc=7526&pid=153836188&mid=4826253&locale=en-US">here</a>.<br /><br />Grandma will be missed. She was a strong, accomplished woman. I helped my family collect photos and important pieces of her life from her house after the funeral; there were photos of her time in the White House under Gerald Ford, there was a framed copy of a congressional bill she helped push through that protected lands in Utah, and there were pictures of every Republican president for the last 40 years, signed "Dear Vera..." Grandma knew her way around politics.<br /><br />Per her wishes, there were benches constructed on a lakeside path in Reston, VA, near the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lake+Anne+Plaza+Shopping+Center,+Reston,+VA&hl=en&sll=38.968585,-77.341889&sspn=0.003453,0.005917&vpsrc=0&hq=Lake+Anne+Plaza+Shopping+Center,+Reston,+VA&t=h&z=15">Lake Anne Plaza Shopping Center</a>. The two benches face each other; one has her name on it, the other has her husband's. It's a touching memorial to a woman who should - and will be - remembered.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-33803766010260286242011-11-12T14:41:00.000-08:002011-11-14T16:05:24.434-08:00iPhoning, the Next GenerationDiligent readers may recall that, a few years ago, I bought myself an <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2009/06/iphoning.html">32 GB iPhone 3GS in white</a>. Shortly after that, I wrote about some of the <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2009/08/iphone-part-duex.html">strengths and weaknesses</a> of the phone and of AT&T's "service". Well, this past week I went out and upgraded to a nice, white iPhone 4S (still the 32 GB model). <br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Nov2011-iPhone4s.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Nov2011-iPhone4s-small.jpg" alt="my new iPhone 4s"></a></center><br />Why upgrade? Truth be told, my 3GS was working just fine. It was still new enough that it could run iOS 5 (which has a ton of improvements that I love), though occasionally it would hiccup or pause if I had too many apps open. I upgraded not just because I wanted some of the new features of the iPhone 4S, but because I was otherwise giving AT&T free money. They subsidize the phone over a 2-year contract with me. Some portion of my bill goes to pay for a new phone; if I hold onto my phone for more than two years and just keep paying on my contract, I'm just giving them free money. That doesn't sit so well with me, since they're making a ton off me anyway. <br /><br />But here's the thing about my iPhone 4S. It's a fantastic phone, and Apple's done a marvelous job with it. The hardware is solid, the software is great, and, truth be told, it's just about everything I could want in a mobile device.<br /><br />But...<br /><br />It's no longer revolutionary. My iPhone 3GS was, for me, a massive technological step forward. It unlocked possibilities I hadn't even considered. The 4S is a fine evolution, but it's no longer earth shattering. It's hasn't changed my life - the 3GS did. I did add to the list of apps I use, but new apps I find truly useful are few and far between.<br />- I use the <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284417350&mt=8">Apple Remote app</a> with my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/02/apple-tv.html">Apple TV</a>. <br />- <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-latitude/id306586497?mt=8">Google Latitude</a> is still a fun way to share location data with friends, though not too many use it.<br />- There's a <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051?mt=8">Netflix</a> app now, great for watching <a href="http://www.topgear.com/uk/">Top Gear</a> over the wifi at the gym. <br />- The <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/bts/index.cfm?c=51917">PDX Reporter app</a> is a great way for me to report graffiti, potholes, and other city maintenance issues.<br />- The <a href="http://pdxbus.teleportaloo.org/">PDXBus app</a> is invaluable in using Tri-Met to get around.<br />- <a href="http://www.rovio.com/en/our-work/games/view/1/angry-birds">Angry Birds</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scrabble/id284815117?mt=8">Scrabble</a>, and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peggle/id314303518?mt=8">Peggle</a> are among the few games I've actually purchased.<br /><br />Still, there are many upgrades. The dual-core A5 processor is quite fast, the <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/retina-display.html">retina display</a> is beautiful, the <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/built-in-apps/camera.html">8 megapixel camera</a> is amazing, the forward-facing phone is handy for <a href="http://www.apple.com/mac/facetime/">Facetime</a>, and I read somewhere that there's an extra accelerometer in the phone for added precision. <br /><br />Finally, the astute reader might note that the iPhone is now available, in the US, on three different carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Which did I choose? I stayed with AT&T, thought not without considerable deliberation. Given 1) the speed advantage for the iPhone that AT&T offered (since Verizon and Sprint's LTE were not supported in this iteration), 2) the idea that the dual antenna design might resolve some of my connectivity issues with AT&T, and finally 3) that my contract with AT&T has unlimited data at a price I couldn't nearly match on any other service, I opted to stay. Time will tell if I'll regret this.<br /><br />In conclusion, my iPhone 4S is a great phone. I like how it feels, I like the upgrades that it offers, and I it works well with the rest of my Apple products at home. It just doesn't feel like I'm getting the value for my money that I did when first bought my iPhone 3GS.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-39020182578628536652011-11-01T12:01:00.000-07:002011-11-02T23:55:31.775-07:00Tragedy of the CommonsI first heard the phrase "Tragedy of the Commons" in an <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/958/">XKCD comic</a> a few weeks ago. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't explain what it mean. Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons">came to my rescue</a>, however, and was able to put in official words what I'd understood but not had a name for: the "dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen."<br /><br />I became fascinated by this, spending hours comparing this theory to the world around me.<br /><br />Fast forward to this morning, when I was listening to NPR during my morning commute. There was a piece called <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/11/01/141868233/as-population-consumption-rise-builder-goes-small"><span style="font-style:italic;">As Population, Consumption Rise, Builder Goes Small</span></a>. At the very end of the segment, I heard this:<br /><blockquote>Since buildings consume about 40 percent of the nation's energy, they're a logical target for more efficiency. But Berkeley's Kammen says living smaller isn't the ultimate solution. With 9 billion or 10 billion people, rising consumption will overwhelm any efficiency, as well as our current sources of energy. What's needed, he says, is renewable energy that's cheap and won't run out.<br /><br />"And by essentially every measure," he concludes, "we are not moving fast enough."</blockquote>And it struck me: the was the tragedy of the commons on a global scale. This is where the population is headed. With our global population <a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/celebrations-of-baby-7-billion-sow-confusion/">at (or near) 7 billion</a>, we're seeing the effects of the strain humanity has put on the Earth's ability to provide us with its natural resources: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil">peak oil</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overfishing#Instances">overfishing</a> (another example of the tragedy of the commons), and deforestation, to name a few.<br /><br />The problem with human overpopulation is that there is little chance of stopping it. The more industrialized first-world nations might be coaxed into curbing populations, but there's little chance of slowing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic-economic_paradox">the birth rate down in the poorer countries</a> any time soon. <br /><br />Nations will be looking at a land grab of the earth's natural resources as demand exceeds supply. The countries that have the most power in the future will be a) the ones with the most varied resources, b) the ones most efficiently able to use the resources they have, or c) the ones able to find new resources and ways to use them. Let's just hope we figure out how to be more efficient <span style="font-style:italic;">before</span> this shared resource we live on is depleted.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-22264636624790691522011-10-20T21:37:00.000-07:002011-10-22T19:02:40.834-07:00January 20th, 2012According to this fortune cookie, it's going to be a good day.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Oct2011-Fortune.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Oct2011-Fortune-small.jpg" alt="Fortune: Good things are in store 3 months from this date!"></a></center>Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-60097320984797002672011-09-21T22:34:00.000-07:002011-09-22T16:26:58.150-07:00Watching the SwiftsTonight I went and watched the <a href="http://audubonportland.org/local-birding/swiftwatch">Swifts</a>.<br /><br />No, it's not an 80's punk band, they're a type of bird (called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaux%27s_Swift">Vaux's Swifts</a>) that, every mid-September, migrates through Portland and stays in the chimney of <a href="http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/chapman/">Chapman Elementary School</a>.<br /><br />It was impressive to watch. As the sun starts to set, suddenly these small birds start appearing over the school. At first there were a dozen circling in the air above us. Then there were dozens, all swooping around, darting through the air. Then, there were hundreds, if not thousands. So small the eye has trouble tracking them, they darkened the sky over the school as they swarmed, waiting for some appointed time known only to the birds.<br /><br />Then, as if by great mutual agreement, the birds created a funnel, <a href="http://hinessight.blogs.com/hinessight/2009/09/hawk-attacks-on-portland-swifts-captured-on-video.html">spiraling into the chimney</a>. But they weren't the only creatures in the air. Some local hawks know where the food is as well. The crowd gasped as the lone hawk dove in, flying low above the spectators before crossing through the mass of Swifts, leaving with a meal in its claws. But even as one was taken, hundreds more continued pouring into the chimney. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Sept2011-TheSwifts.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Sept2011-TheSwifts-small.jpg" alt="All those little black dots are birds!"></a></center><br />It took maybe 10 minutes for them to fit in, but each moment was exciting. Even the crowd reactions - cheering for the hawk, providing anthropomorphic voiceover for the actions of the birds - was entertaining.<br /><br />In all, it was an amazing thing to watch. It amazes me even more that I'm from Portland and I've never seen it - but <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/08/willamette-jetboat-ride.html">the adventure here</a> never stops.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-42889927965388954072011-09-11T22:38:00.000-07:002011-09-12T14:58:02.457-07:00Portland Dragon Boat Race 2011This weekend I participated in the <a href="http://www.portlanddragonboats.com/home.php">Portland Dragon Boat Races</a>, held down at the <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=916&action=ViewPark">South Waterfront Park</a>, the <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/06/salem-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">third</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/05/olympia-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">race</a> I participated in this year.. The race was held over two days, and with 75 teams entered, over 85 races were run!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day One (Saturday)</span><br /><br />Our first race was scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. We all arrived early in order to hang out in the tent, wake up, and have time to get organized and stretch. We'd had an amazing series of practices leading up to the race, and we all felt confident that we'd locked in a rhythm and were going to do well. We loaded up on the boats for our first heat. As was standard, we'd be racing four other boats in a <a href="http://www.portlanddragonboats.com/course">500 meter run</a>. <br /><br />As we were paddling into position, the jitters set in. I've done a few races, so I knew what to expect, but still... it was the first race of the day. The horn sounded - actually a half-sound, then a full sound, which threw us off a bit - and we were off. We paddled hard, we paddled well, we had a strong finish, and, though our rate was faster than in our practices (not necessarily a good thing), we came in second. Our time was 2:03, coming in well behind the first place <a href="http://www.kaiikaika.com/">Kai Ikaika</a> team (which, for reference, won the top gold medal, so there's no shame it that.)<br /><br />After that, we had a break until the next Shibumi race. The open division races were coming up; normal teams are either mixed division (at least 8 women) or all-women, but the open division allowed a team to have whatever mix they wanted. We fielded a all-men team in conjunction with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2502296498">Canadian Navy Dragon Anchors</a> men, calling ourselves Veggie Pete & Meat Locker. (Pete's the vegan of the group, and he even brought out a small pair of green shorts indicating such.) We got out there against four other teams and, had we had time to practice even once together, would have gotten better than fourth place with our 1:54 time. Still, we were fast and not dissatisfied with the showing, eventhough that meant we wouldn't advance to the final race in the open division.<br /><br />The time came for our second race of the day. We lined up against a bunch of teams, all of which had posted times similar to our first one. We took off and had a brilliant start but the boat just slowed down at the end; we ended up with a time of 2:05, which landed us in 4th place. I was worried about the increase in our time, but all but one team was 2-14 seconds slower than their first race. <br /><br />Our third and final race of the day was a 250 meter race. Knowing that we <span style="font-style:italic;">could </span>do it - we had a strong finish in our first race and a strong start in our second one - we were confident going into the race. We lined up... and failed to perform. Instead of the best parts of either of our previous races, we got the worst. Our time for the 250 was 1:20, an abysmal showing that landed us in 5th and, honestly, one of the worst times of all the mixed teams. It was a miserable way to end the first day of racing. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 2 (Sunday)</span><br /><br />Our first race of the day on Sunday was the semi-final. We'd been placed in the "Morrison Bridge" division (with the divisions being names after <a href="http://www.portlandblog.com/bridges">Portland bridges</a>, starting with the Fremont and heading south. I guess no one likes the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30836920@N05/4396435098/">St. Johns bridge</a>. Again we lined up to head out on the boats. Our mood was more subdued today; the previous day's worth of losses had taken some of the excitement out of our team. We went out there, though, determined to prove ourselves. Then we ended up in 4th place, with a time of 2:11. It wasn't from lack of effort or strength; in this case, timing issues plagued our race and we just weren't as efficient as we should have been.<br /><br />The fourth place showing took us out of contention for a medal. We ended up in the consolation race, the "golly, you have a nice personality" race where maybe we could end up with a ribbon for our efforts. We lined up in the afternoon for this race against several teams who'd already beaten us before. We finally managed to get out of our funk and perform, but still ended up with a time of 2:03, again landing us in 4th place. No medal, no ribbon, no glory. A gloom settled over our team that even the Navy Dragon Anchors, who shared a tent with us, couldn't lift.<br /><br />We watched the final races go. As horrible as the feeling was to lose and lose and lose again, watching the effort and power in the winning teams was amazing. The timing, the effort, the energy that went into some of the races was a sight to behold. <br /><br />But after the final races, there were two more races to be run. These were the Guts-to-Glory races, officially titled "Bridge to Bridge", one for women's teams and one for the mixed teams. Instead of 250 or 500 meters, these were 2000 meters, <a href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5078134">looping around the Hawthorne and Marquam bridges</a>. <br /><br />Officially, the top teams in each division were invited to participate. In reality, not every team wanted to go, and not all the paddlers were eager to either stick around or push themselves that extra mile (and a quarter.) My team wasn't officially in the race, but a bunch of us were invited to paddle with <a href="http://www.clubsake.com/teams.html">Team Spitfire SAKE</a> from Seattle. It was a staggered, rolling start; the boats were already moving at the start line, and we were launched every 10 seconds because overtaking was then more exciting and you didn't have 11 dragonboats trying to turn around a bridge piling all at one time. Was it competitive? Sure. Did we win? No. Was winning important? Not for this race. Our team managed 8th (of 11) with a time of 9:36 and, for a few brief moments, I felt better than I should have. <br /><br />The pain, of course, came later. At some point, I seem to have bruised the heel of my left foot, meaning that, of all the things I hurt in a paddling race, the heel of my foot is the part that hurts the most. <br /><br />In all, the Portland Dragon Boat Race was exceptionally well run. Despite a few scheduling issues, it was smooth, well run, well announced, clean, and fun. I've only been to a few races, but what I appreciated about the Portland race over the Olympia or Salem ones is the clear view that's presented of the race course. In Salem, the end of the race was hidden behind the <a href="http://www.willamettequeen.com/">Willamette Queen</a>, and in Olympia it was likewise difficult to see the course. In Portland, it was trivial to find a spot where the entire race could be seen from, and that made it all that much more exciting. I'm definitely looking forward to next year - and to winning!<br /><br />(Full results can be seen <a href="http://www.portlanddragonboats.com/doclib/2011%20Race%20Results.pdf">here</a>.)Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-24476489324652846902011-09-05T14:08:00.001-07:002011-09-07T23:20:40.649-07:00Wind PoweredThis past weekend I took a course in <a href="http://www.asa.com/asa_standards/standard_basic_keelboat_sailing.html">Basic Keelboat Sailing</a> from the <a href="http://www.islandsailingclub.com//school_courses;type=adult">Island Sailing Club</a>.<br /><br />The first day was pretty intense. We had 18-20 knot winds on the Columbia River, leaving whitecaps wherever we looked. As we headed out, we saw a sailboat motoring back that had a broken mast. The wind was blowing <span style="font-style:italic;">hard</span>. Compounding this, as we were heading out in a nice little 24-foot boat for our first experience sailing - five green students and one instructor - our Mercury outboard motor quit, leaving us unpowered. Our instructor quickly advised us to raise the sails, which we did. As our jib went up and our mainsail was raised, we entered the real wind just outside the marina as I was handed the <a href="http://sailing.about.com/od/typesofsailboats/g/tillerdef.htm">tiller</a>. We were sailing a close reach, sort of by accident, and the wind hit our boat, heeling it over about 45 degrees. For five new sailors, the experience of having the side of the boat - up to the lifelife - fully immersed in the water while we scrambled to stay dry was unsettling, to say the least. Images of a capsized boat danced in my head as I mentally went over both my chances of survival (pretty good) and my odds of having to pay for the first $1500 worth of damage to the boat as I'd agreed to do in a waiver I'd just signed.<br /><br />Eventually, after spinning the boat and generally looking like we were all new to this "sailing" thing, we got the boat under control and realized that having the boat heeled over that far is <span style="font-style:italic;">fun</span> when you know it's supposed to do that. As we rotated through responsibilities of helmsman and controlling the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_(sailing)">mainsheet</a>, each jib sheet, and an extra person to help winch lines, we learned more about how to communicate on a boat, how to tack, how to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jibe">jibe</a>, and how to control the boat in a reasonably competent manner. I left that first day exhausted but with a smile a million miles wide on my face.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Sept2011-Boat.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Sept2011-Boat-small.jpg" alt="the magical lesson boat"></a></center><br />The second day was significantly less stressful. Our instructor noted that we were going to get all manner of sailing experience. Where the first day was extremely windy, with strong gusts, the second day was significantly calmer. After prepping the boat for sailing and passing muster with our instructor, we went out in the morning and practiced man-overboard drills until lunchtime, when we came back in. We took the test for ASA certification and I passed, thankfully. For a test that's 100 multiple choice questions, I stressed far more than I should have.<br /><br />At that point we were faced with options. We could go back out on the water by ourselves, we could take our instructor with us, or we could simply head home. While one of my fellow students opted to head home, the remaining four of us pulled our instructor back onto our boat for a few more hours on the water. <br /><br />This final trip was more interesting. We practiced man-overboard drills with an actual student volunteering to jump in the river; we showed how difficult (or impossible) it is to pull someone out of the water if they're not actively helping. Then, with a very light breeze going, we practiced tacking and jibing in front of the marina. At one point we watched <a href="http://www.crma-pdx.com/">Marine Assistance</a> go out and assist what looked like a disabled boat; a line was hooked up and they started to tow the boat, but it looked like the power came back and the formerly disabled watercraft was able to self-power again. Then a little while later, as we were close to the mouth of the marina, I noticed another sailboat, sails lowered, motoring about 10 yards from us as if they were heading in. I remember mentally noticing the wake they left. Then, when I looked back a few seconds later, I was puzzled by the lack of a wake. I was trying to figure out how they stopped so quickly. At that point we all realized that, the way the folks on that boat were moving about, they hadn't planned on stopping. Shortly after that realization, everyone on our boat realized that, being (at most) 10 yards away from the stuck vehicle, we weren't moving in relation to them at all. Our boat was bobbing up and down, but we had lost the ability steer or really do anything other than sit there. We were stuck too, much to the surprise of the instructor. <br /><br />Fortunately for us, we'd grounded on a soft, relatively new sandbar just in front of the marina at a maximum speed of maybe two knots. Our experienced instructor didn't really want to pay for a tow, so he had all of us lean out over one side of the boat while he used the outboard to try to swing us around. Our weight did the trick; the keel lifted off the bottom long enough for our boat to rotate and move away. We were free! The other boat, which we realized was stuck more or less where we'd seen the earlier disabled craft, wasn't so luck. Marine Assistance wasn't able to pull them free, as they were moving much faster when they got stuck. As we looked back, the Coast Guard came in with a bigger ship and was able to pull that sailboat free. <br /><br />In all, the class was a wonderful experience. I had an amazing amount of fun and can safely say two things:<br />1) I want to take the next level class, and<br />2) I want a <a href="http://portland.craigslist.org/search/boa?query=sail&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=">sailboat</a>.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-22787866318124240872011-08-20T01:34:00.000-07:002011-08-20T10:09:02.223-07:00TerminalMy grandma is one of the strongest women I've ever known. A fiery 5-foot tall woman working in politics, her small physical stature hid the energy and cunning she brought to every encounter. I never saw her back away from a fight. I also never saw her in a fight she couldn't win. Now, she's been living with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_staging">stage IV cancer</a> for the past <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2009/06/final-lesson.html">two and a half years</a>, beating the odds on life expectancy.
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<br />A healthy woman her whole life, she ate well, exercised, and had boundless energy. Then, one day, she was shoved while on the <a href="http://www.wmata.com/">Metro</a>. She fell and broke something. In the course of the x-rays, they found more than they were expecting to find: cancerous tumors in her bones. Further examination found tumors elsewhere as well. Since then, her overall health has declined as she's undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and fought resultant infections. Her bodily functions have been slowly shutting down, leaving her more and more dependent on care.
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<br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2011-GrandmaRadiation.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2011-GrandmaRadiation-small.jpg" alt="My grandma going into radiation therapy"></a></center>
<br />I've written about my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/01/fading-light.html">grandmom</a>, my mom's mom, and Alzheimer's disease. I've watch her slowly fading. My grandma, my dad's mom, is on a different path. Her mind is as strong as can be expected, but her body is rapidly failing. The cancer's taking over, having recently moved into her brain. I've always lived about 3000 miles from most of my extended family, which has made it hard to be close to them. A few years ago, however, I realized that my grandmothers were in the end stages of their lives, both of them fighting fights they know they'll never win - they're just trying to lose slowly. I made the decision to try to be closer to them whenever I could.
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<br />So I write this on my grandma's 79th birthday, a day we happen to share as I showed up the day she turned 46. This is the first time that I know of that we've ever been able to spend this day together. It'll likely be the last birthday she has, according to her doctor, since, according to him, when she finally gives up on chemo she's unlikely to live another 6 months after that.
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<br />I'm just happy to be here with her today. Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-50024204312175090472011-08-17T14:08:00.000-07:002011-08-17T14:22:50.023-07:00Willamette Jetboat RideI often wish that I could travel more and experience more of the world. Sometimes, however, I'm astounded at how much about my home city I don't even know. In this latest case, I went on a <a href="http://www.willamettejet.com/">Willamette Jetboat</a> ride.
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<br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2011-JetBoat.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/Aug2011-JetBoat-small.jpg" alt="one of the jetboats"></a></center>
<br />Now, near as I can tell, these boats aren't jet-powered. Built on an all-aluminum hull and featuring three Chevrolet engines that combine for about 1000 horsepower, these light boats can tear up and down the Willamette River, through the heart of Portland, at speeds of about 50 mph! (Or would that be 50-ish knots?)
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<br />In any event, this guided tour, which I did with my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2010/09/dragonboating.html">DragonBoat</a> <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/06/salem-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">team</a>, showed me parts of Portland that I'd never seen before. The pilot was fantastically knowledgable about what we were seeing, from the Navy boats at Swan Island to the historic fire boat <a href="http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=418&CISOBOX=1&REC=5">David Campbell</a> to the history of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrison_Bridge">Morrison bridge</a>.
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<br />Of course, the tour isn't just about listening to the wonderfully dry wit of the pilot ("you don't have to wear a life vest, but if you see me putting mine on, it might be time to grab it.") It's a bit about getting wet. I didn't get any photos during the trip because I didn't want to get my phone wet as we'd gun the engines, then hit the rudder into a hard turn, doing a cookie in the middle of the river and splashing all 50-60 passengers.
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<br />While there's a two-hour tour, we were on a one-hour rude that went north up to the <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.5756,-122.743206&spn=0.034725,0.070724&z=14&vpsrc=6">railroad bridge</a>, affording a beautiful view of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Johns_Bridge">St. Johns bridge</a>, then south to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Island_(Oregon)">Ross Island lagoon</a> where bald eagles are known to nest, though we didn't see any on our trip.
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<br />If you're visiting Portland are a native like me and has never done this, I HIGHLY recommend it. I couldn't stop smiling at hoe much fun I was having!Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-14569048990370134272011-08-09T14:00:00.000-07:002011-08-09T14:28:57.414-07:00Movie Review: Cowboys & AliensI had a chance to see the movie <a href="www.imdb.com/title/tt0409847">Cowboys & Aliens</a> this past weekend. Of course, before I get into the review of the movie, let me give a quick review of the venue.
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<br />I saw the film at the <a href="http://stjohnscinema.com/index.php">St. Johns Twin Cinema</a>, conveniently withing <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2006/03/walking-distance.html">walking distance</a> of <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2010/02/joys-of-home-ownership.html">my house</a>, and saw the movie at a 5:00 PM showing for the amazing price of $4. That's not a misprint - I saw a first run film in Portland for $4. The St. Johns Twin Cinema is not the last word in theater design. It's an older building, there's no 3-D capability there, and I'm not subjected to a fancy surround sound system while watching a movie. I just get a reasonably comfortable chair, a big screen, and, should I want to purchase one, a beer while watching a film. Oh, and after 6 PM? The price skyrockets up to a whopping $6. Yeah, you can bet I'll be back.
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<br /><center><a href="http://famimbex.blogspot.com/2011/07/cowboys-and-aliens-rotten-tomatoes.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkpOG8sPA4T0xNmlqLF2Ypajogc15CbNauiMgsZqZUaLW2CP6U1CFFVD89902RNoSIIai7PqD-2ERevUEeFJ76jenB0ZX0eM5f3M6iZSxGbtATOV1_BuFKHJZdjRGtWr94FLRJQ/s1600/Cowboys+and+Aliens.jpg" alt="thanks to geekadelphia for the image" width=325></a></center>
<br />Now on to the movie. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269463/">Jon Favreau</a>, who also notably directed Iron Man, does not, in my opinion, make a <span style="font-style:italic;">great</span> film. His works will not stand in the annals of history next to the works of Alfred Hitchcock or Stanley Kubrick. He does, however, know how to make an exceptionally fun film. What Cowboys & Aliens perhaps lacks in artistic merit it more than makes up for the in sheer entertainment value.
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<br />The basic premise of the film is a cowboy/gunslinger/lonesome anti-hero, played by Daniel Craig, wakes up with no memory and a metal "thing" attached to his wrist. He wanders into a old mining town, nominally controlled by a cattle baron played by Harrison Ford, and trouble starts brewing. He meets Olivia Wilde's character, who seems unusually interested in his condition, and, as trouble is about to go from "brewing" to "boiling", aliens fly over and abduct a bunch of townsfolk. Daniel Craig's wrist-thing activates on proximity to the aliens, he shoots an alien flyer down, and he, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and a bunch of townspeople go chasing the alien down in an attempt to get their friends and family back.
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<br />And the movie goes on from there. It's not a particularly scary film, though one scene did make me jump, but it's really an action/adventure film, and one that left me smiling. As movies go, it was a ton of fun, and I'm glad I saw it. I'll even likely see it again at the aforementioned theater.
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<br />Final word on Cowboys & Aliens? Definitely worth the cost of admission.Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-30574579961498312902011-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:002011-07-30T12:38:32.262-07:00A Brief RespiteIt's 95 degrees outside<br />I'm inching along I-5 northbound<br />Windows down, tolerating the harsh sun<br />Traffic moves<br />I briefly enjoy the shade of a gravel truckBurtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-13438491569330540962011-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:002011-07-26T16:57:00.506-07:00Trek in the Park: Mirror, MirrorThis past weekend I was finally able to see this year's <a href="http://www.atomic-arts.org/?p=602">Trek in the Park</a>. This was my <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2010/07/trek-in-park.html">second year</a> attending the free live production at <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=865&action=ViewPark">Woodlawn Park</a>. I'd actually tried to go last week, but the amphitheater at the park is quite <s>small</s> intimate and, only arriving an hour and 40 minutes early, I was unable to find decent seating. This time I showed up two and a half hours ahead of the 5:00 PM start.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2011-TrekInThePark-Program.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2011-TrekInThePark-Program-small.jpg" alt="The Trek In the Park program"></a></center><br />The presentation is fantastic. In my mind, it starts with the fact that the techies were even wearing the red shirts with the engineering emblems on them while putting the set together, and from there it stays high. It's fun watching the crew "transport", which, in this episode, consisted of them standing really still with the techies changed the scenery and three gals in glittery-gold dresses walked around them in circles, adjusting the crew members' uniforms. It's that analog presentation of a special effect that the whole crowd appreciates.<br /><br />And the crowd does appreciate it. It seems even busier this year than last year. I even talked with a guy who flew up from the bay area for this! And the whole thing is a seating arms race. The people in the back (behind the presentation, where it's very hard to hear) vow to get here earlier, and the people in the front realize this so they vow to get here even earlier as well. Something will surely have to give at some point.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2011-TrekInThePark-Kirk.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/July2011-TrekInThePark-Kirk-small.jpg" alt="Kirk giving a speech"></a></center><br /><a href="http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Mirror,_Mirror_(episode)">"Mirror, Mirror"</a> is a fun episode. Listening to parallel-universe Kirk cry "WHERE'S YOUR BEARD???" at Spock was fantastic. Watching Chekov's team jump Kirk, then pause while Kirk delivers the Captain's Log was very well done; not only were the fight scenes surprisingly well performed, but the lines were delivered with very true inflection. And the actors are kind enough, in an outdoor amphitheater, to pause while a jet flies overhead or a passing car can't turn down its stereo.<br /><br />In the end, I've never been in a crowd that sported so few biceps and so many sandals worn with socks, but... these were my people. Seeing the performance was fantastic, but seeing it with a group of people enthusiastic to see it made it even better. Will I be there next year? Yes, and I'll show up even earlier!Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16851663.post-83237255371051091222011-06-26T23:22:00.003-07:002011-06-29T18:32:55.668-07:00Salem Dragon Boat Race 2011I managed to make it to Salem for the <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110626/UPDATE/110626011/Dragon-Boat-Races-draw-hundreds-participants?odyssey=nav|head">2011 World Beat DragonBoat Races</a>. This was my second "real" race after the competing in <a href="http://www.walkingsaint.com/2011/05/olympia-dragon-boat-race-2011.html">Olympia</a> last month. <br /><br />The race was set up so that there would be two preliminary races to determine the division to compete in, a semi-final within the division, then the division finals to determine standings. Our first race was against the team <a href="http://paddlesoffury.com/">Paddles of Fury</a>. Down on the water, we paddled fast and we paddled hard, but Paddles of Fury is a good team and, in that race, they posted the second fastest time seen so far that day. We, Shibumi, did not post the first fastest time, and, in a two-boat race, came in second, over 15 seconds behind (for a time of about 2:23 or so).<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=J0&Dato=20110626&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=106260802&Ref=PH"><img src="http://cmsimg.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=J0&Date=20110626&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=106260802&Ref=PH&Item=9&Maxw=300&Maxh=300&q=60" alt="The Team. I'm on the right in the blue. Thanks to the Statesman-Journal for this image."></a></center><br />Our second race was against the Castaways, another team from Portland. They're generally quite close in skill and we frequently race them in practice. They're the team we cheer for when we're not racing them, but we ALL wanted to beat them. At the starting line, we took off. It was quite close for a while; everyone on my team was focused and we paddled even harder than before. And, while we shaved almost 4 seconds off our time, Castaways was just a few seconds faster and beat us, leaving us coming in second <span style="font-style:italic;">again</span>. The team energy was sucked away, as we all contemplated a second defeat.<br /><br />This is where the race organization fell apart. Comparing the times, we were still one of the faster teams on the water; out of 18 or so, we were faster than at least 10 of them. But we'd raced against two teams that were even faster, leaving us with two second-place finishes and relegating us to the third division (of three.) <br /><br />So we lined up for our semi-final race against Team Lightning, part of the <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110627/NEWS/106270322">Oregon Paralyzed Veterans of America Dragon Slayers</a>. They gave it an honest shot, but we shouldn't have been in that division. We walked away from them in that race, paddling as a team with amazing intensity and getting a shot of energy that only comes from a solid win.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://s760.photobucket.com/albums/xx248/WendyJBerg/Salem/?action=view¤t=MVI_2776.mp4"><embed width="320" height="250" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid760.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx248%2FWendyJBerg%2FSalem%2FMVI_2776.mp4"></a></center><br />At this point, I had to leave the race. We had more paddlers than we had seats on the boat, so each race a few paddlers had to sit out. A friend of mine needed a ride to the Portland Airport, so we both volunteered to sit out the final race, allowing the rest of our team to compete. The final race was close, both in time and in physical proximity. Our tiller and their tiller were unwilling to give up a line and possibly slow down, so the boats ended up right next to each other, with our paddles and their paddles hitting each other as we would dig into the water, trying to pull away. The times were incredibly close, but Shibumi landed first place in our division!<br /><br />Then came the real disappointment. We were told that, despite coming in first in our division, there would be no medals for us. We walked away, angry. But in the end, we found out it was a miscommunication and we were, in fact, going to get our gold medals. The results of the race can be seen in the <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110628/NEWS/106280318/Dragon-boat-race-results-released?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s">Salem Statesman-Journal</a>.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/June2011-SalemDragonBoatGold.jpg"><img src="http://images.walkingsaint.com/images/June2011-SalemDragonBoatGold-small.jpg" alt="Our hard-won gold medal"></a></center>Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120157131590336641noreply@blogger.com0