Gifts From Oregon.

Cheryl received a bunch of Belated Birthday gifts a couple days ago.   Thought I would show them off as we prepare for our long trek up north.   To Grandma's Marathon!

But first.....Cheryl and Wayne share almost the same birthday....so Cheryl sent him a book and he sent her a bunch of running and writing gear....because writing and running go together.

Cheryl really loves the shirt and now wants to move to Eugene Oregon.  I guess there are lots of trails there.   And there is the entire West Coast to explore for future Marathons.  Let's face it...after Chicago,  there will be very little reason to stay here.  For running, at least.

She also got a package from Julie and Mike.   Cute things and Lip Balm.

Well,  Cheryl is already bugging me to try to pack up something....I guess I should keep this post short.   Wish us luck!   8 hours of drive time with construction on M35...lovely!  I can hardly wait!

To Write or Not To Write...That Is The Question?

I find myself grappling with my new found time.   Cheryl is off to Iowa City to work,  leaving me at home with an entire day all to myself.   A complete day with no scoring, no testing,  nothing pressing that demands my time.  Completely, 100% mine!

So... What to do with this precious gift.

I thought about working on one of my next up and coming stories.  I have many.    I even have several small paragraphs to help me remember things when I finally get started. However,   tackling a story of epic proportions ( even short stories) takes a little motivation and desire.    It is difficult to put a finger on it, but the conditions have to be "right" for the ideas and typing fingers to flow.   Oh,  And I'm not sure if this happens to other writers... But "forcing" myself to write without those two things only causes me to have to delete the three hours of gibberish I struggled to put on the page.

So,  here I am...  Satisfying my desire to write by posting something on the blog.   Lamenting on my inability to begin a story in earnest.  Instead,  I send these words off to no one in particular.  Just like my last two stories.

Ah well, I didn't want this to be a depressing post....  so rather I wanted to list off the ideas I have rattling around in my head.   Perhaps by forcing myself to write the ideas on the blog,  I can get one of them to take root.   And, possibly,  after college board is over,  I will be able to find the open ended time required to finish one of them.....   So here it goes.

Story of breeders

Society now desires people to breed to make up for the declining birth rate and dwindling population.   The career of “breeder” is offered to young girls out of high school as an alternative to going to college and getting an education.  One girl explores the world of being a “professional breeder” and learns about the harsh truth of basically selling off your body to a society that then throws you away once you are no longer viable.  

I like this story.   There are many layers I have been trying to work out and fit inside my head.  It is going to be one of those "epic" ( meaning over 50,000 words at least) so I have to set aside lots of time to get it write.  

Wolf and Human

Story is about wolves that befriend a human. (Before the domestication of dogs was discovered)  The pack of wolves do not like being partnered with humans,  but one of the wolves makes a friend and as a result..both the human boy and the wolf are thrown out of their societies.    The humans are in competition with the wolves for hunting grounds; so they attack the wolves and force them  to flee or die.  

The boy and the wolf try to stop this competition and end the "war",  but fail to reverse the years of tradition and rivalry.   They then leave their village and territory to seek out a life on their own…using each other for their various skills to prosper.   And they survive and are happy…without the world they once only knew.  

I know this story has probably been done so many, many times; but I thought I would have a unique spin on it.   I like the idea of two outcasts fleeing the "known world" and finding that, when they work together, they discover a way of life that is better than either of those old worlds they fled from. I thought it would be a good short story about the "beginnings of domestication", and the symbiotic partnership of man and canine.  

Prison Escape

It was once said that the mind is both a prison and a universe.  It simply depends on how you choose to utilize it.  This is a story about a man who was imprisoned for his beliefs and sent to solitary confinement.  The light, sound and any other forms of creature comfort and stimuli are removed; save for the few moments each day when he is allowed food through a small slot in the door. His entire world is reduced to the blinding darkness and the cold, hard and cramped confines of his prison cell. This cell has been known to cause insanity for those who enter.  No one ever comes out without being changed forever.  However, this man has an education… and he uses his mind to escape the isolation… and ultimately,  the prison itself.  

I have often wanted to explore this idea of what happens when someone tries to escape the total isolation with only his mind.   The possibilities are endless... but there are limits if you have not filled your brain with intelligence.  This would be one of those stories that  ( hopefully) shows the power of an education and the possibilities of thought....even when everything else in the world is taken away.   This would not be the "Shawshank Redemption" type.    It would be on a different level of solitary confinement. 

There are more....   A man who rescues a dog.   A immortal soldier who can see when other soldiers are going to die.  A race of machines that explore the universe, but find their "immortality" has been jeopardized when a virus is released into their mainframe.   However...those will have to wait for another posting.   Sometimes it is just good to having things written down...Thanks for listening. 

Taking Cool Pics with the Nikon CoolPix

TGIF!   Goodness that was a long week!   But the weekend is finally upon us and I can finally relax for the next three days.  Ah, what shall I do with my new found time....

Well,  first of all.  The  temps are promising to be "surface of the sun" hot.   Cheryl is planning  the last of her"long runs" on Sunday in the earliest hours possible.   So that should be fun.  Tomorrow we are planning a small 7 mile run in Iowa City.   It will be our first opportunity in a while to actually sleep in.   I hope we can enjoy it.

As for scoring....It is nice to finally be at a point where the scoring is coming along easy.   I remember when this project first kicked off two years ago.   The papers and scores were like discovering a new continent with strange animals.   Now,  on the third summer field test,  the animals seem more familiar now.   In other words,   finding the score is easier.    That being said,  an 8.5 hour day is still a long one.  And with the Iowa Summer Heat kicking off,   things could continue to heat up...Pun intended.

And finally for the good stuff ( meaning: the stuff I originally wanted to blog about.)   We got the new camera for the Marathon.   ( coming up NEXT WEEK!)   We decided to take a chance with a different camera! We did a little research and shopping and found something that we thought we would give a try.   Also,  ( or especially,)  it was about half price for a replacement of the Nikon ONE.

  Meet the Nikon Coolpix!


Another NIKON?   You ask?   Well,   who makes cameras better than the Japanese?  Also,  we are familiar with the layout of the camera and....most importantly,   it was affordable.

Couple of things to note.  I will no longer have my rapid-fire sports snap shot with this one.  Instead I have a zoom and wide angle that I have never experienced yet.   I was able to take pictures of the cat from across the yard...through a fence...AND have them in focus!   I'm kind of excited.

Of coarse, this will require a whole new set of tactics and strategy when trying to capture running pictures of Cheryl.   I may take the camera out on the next 12 mile run to test out the possibilities and limitations.  becoming familiar with any new item or toy is key to success, right?

Another thing that is different is the battery system.   It takes 4 AA batteries and I have no idea how long they last or how long before the camera shuts down to save said battery life.  This is a mixed bag because we have been burned with the Nikon ONE rechargeable battery failing on us in the middle of a run.   AND just before an event.  At the very least AA batteries are found everywhere and are inexpensive.   If they die on us, we can always replace them in a pinch.   However...if they die after 10 minutes,  that could become an issue.   We will have to see how things go.

In the mean time,  I plan on enjoying the rest of the day as the sun sets and the earth cools.   Perhaps we will pop some Jiffy pop and eat it on the lawn with the cat.  I'm very excited to begin the weekend after 4 days of a job.

Birthday Beer and Bear Cookies

Just kidding about the beer...  Cheryl said she only wanted to drink it on her actual birthday.   However,   today was spent making the "birthday treats" for college board.    A relaxing day with Rilakkuma cookies.
It was really a wonderful day today.   Warm in the sun, cool in the shade.   Perfect time to enjoy as much outdoor time as the afternoon would allow.   I believe we spent more time outside than inside,  which is a rare treat.

Not Hiro, But similarly cute. 

 While outside,  I discovered that the Camera miraculously healed itself ( although temporarily)  and I was able to capture Hiro with a Chipmunk, a rabbit, and Cheryl all in our yard!    It is unfortunate that the Hiro Pictures were deleted by accident,  because the chipmunk was cute.  ( Luckily,  he did not hurt it and I was able to save it before any serious damage was done.)

Then it was baking time!   Cheryl has had it in her mind to bake Rilakkuma Cookies for work.  It was all her baby!   I only helped with the last tiny step.   Cheryl ended up making and baking all of them from start to finish.   Probably a good thing, since she had in her mind what she wanted and I would have only distracted her with my input.

There were, as always, a few dud cookies.   I personally love the dud cookies...because we get to eat those right away.   However,   Cheryl sees them as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin cookies... and .....urges me to eat them right away!

Comrade Furer cookies

Looks like Cheryl will have to go in to work alone again.   No table leader position for me means I have Mondays off.    I still will probably tag along with her and possibly ride my bike while I wait for her to finish.   I'm not sure what the table leaders are going to do for this first time,  Possibly just a formal meet and greet.  I'm sure I will find out later.

The Des Moines Dam to Dam Half-Marathon Results!

Where to begin....Ah,  let me think now.   First I should point out that my camera decided to lash out today.   By lash out, I mean it has now stopped working all together!    But not before I was able to capture semi-blurry pictures of Cheryl's race.   Thus, making me look like a buffoon that can't operate a focus key properly.   There..I feel better now.   On to the race.

VERY early rise time on this one.   Cheryl informed me that despite going to bed earlier than usual,   she still did not get much sleep.   As for me, I managed to get 7 hours, but getting up that early before my coffee kicks in is never pleasant.

After taking a serious detour ( because Des Moines has several intersections that are similarly labeled...and our GPS can't tell the difference!)   I dumped Cheryl off at the Mall where she immediately boarded a bus and abandoned me to fend for myself.  I guess the bus took them pretty far out in the cornfields and dropped them off at one of the tall dams outside the city.   Cheryl mentioned that the port-a-johns were backed up so an army of runners ran to the wood line for last minute race prep."   Meaning:  everyone just went outside and refused to wait in those long lines!

As for me,   I drove to the finish,   three hours before Cheryl would arrive,  and entertained myself by watching the random crowd of strangers pass by.   People watching is always entertaining....
except you have to be careful to not be seen as a "creepy guy who watches people."   Which is pretty much what I am without Cheryl.   I try not to be creepy....
but without my token runner/lovely item,  I look suspicious.

This race had money on the line!   So the competition was  high.    Cheryl had the possibility of winning "something"  if she managed to take a few second off of her best half marathon time ever! which,  sadly,  she did not.

    She did come in 13th in her age group;   AND replicate the Wisconsin Half Marathon results.   So, it was not a total bust,  even though she really wanted that half marathon toothbrush they were offering for 10th place.
 

Once again,  we ate as much free food as we could and skipped out on the beer.   Cheryl opted for purchasing our own beer for later this evening.   Since it is her Birthday, ( in a couple of days...)  the Hoppy Birthday Beer jumped out to her.   I'll report on the specifics of flavor, color, aroma, et al.  later.  IF it ends up being blog worthy.



Before we left,   I pointed out the graffiti/inner city art that Des Moines has to offer.   Cheryl was very excited to get her picture in front of several of the murals.   Even though the pictures are blurry,  they did turn out pretty cool.    Couple of things to note....the colors as She blends in to her "inner City surroundings".
 I personally like art like this and not so much "tagging" gang colors and mottos on buildings.  I took several other pictures before the camera started acting up earlier today.   That is what happens when I have three hours to kill at the finish line.  But it's all fun.   And sometimes you have to jump in and be a part of an event just for the free food and possible toothbrush door prize.

Official Dam to Dam  10th Place Prize!

  If only the day had  been cooler; the race started later; the course been less hilly;  and  ( most importantly) Cheryl had run faster,   We might have been able to brush our teeth with the official Dam to Dam toothbrush....and Cheryl would have earned bragging rights for the rest of the year...

SAT Qualify And Cheryl's Packet Pickup, Des Moines Dam to Dam Half Marathon

Much has happened ( well,  for me anyway)  and it is becoming very late...so I will try to be brief and thorough at the same time....hopefully.

So I managed to qualify for the SAT field test today....with a  whopping 100 % in two of the three domains!   ( 80% in Analysis)    That probably means nothing to most people....but just understand,  I kicked BUTT!   I actually feel a slight bit of disappointment as I wanted to ace it....but I'll take those numbers for now.   (Psst!   I beat Cheryl on this one....hehehe)


Needless to say,  I'm having a "pretty good" day so far.    THEN.....( dum dum DUM!) We drive to Des Moines and find out we have been UPGRADED!   To a kind of cool room.   It has a hot tub.   Cheryl is moderately excited about that.   IT also has a kitchen and Duo Showers....so we no longer have to fight for the water when we shower together.

Na,  I'm just kidding.   We don't actually fight for the water.  We usually take turns when we are both crammed in the stall.....

( That's a joke!   Cheryl refuses to let me shower with her...No matter how much I beg her.  In case people did not pick that up.)


So we already visited the packet pickup and ate all of the free food they had to offer.   It was a pretty good offering this time. (sandwiches, candy,  chips, and other bad stuff)    I heard they even had free beer in the courtyard... But we were so exhausted  that we ducked out before enjoying any adult beverages.   Besides,  I have a couple of bottles of Honey Brown at home.

Cheryl got to try out her shirt;  We are finished with the Hot Tub; and now we have to set the alarm for 4:30 A.M.  for the race to start.   Looks like we would be wise if we retired earlier than usual this evening.   We shall see.

Hopefully I will have more pictures for my post tomorrow.   The race itself will be a linear destination race....no circle this time.  Meaning I will have to drop her off at the start and then quickly race to the finish line to catch her there.   I doubt I will have any mid race photos either.   With the heat predicted to spike at 80 degrees,  the race will be more about time and less about distance.   No one runs well in the hotter temps. It's all speculation at the moment, but I'll have a better view after it is all over.   Wish us Luck!