The Oracle/Catalina/Oro Valley Marathon (officially known as the “Tucson Marathon)
Last Sunday, I participated, for the third time in this event (my 10th official marathon – 15th if you count coaching). And it went pretty well. As usual, it was cold and dark at the starting area, but at least they let us stay on the buses, which were heated. And as usual, the general downhillness of the course pretty much thrashed my legs. I was cruising along pretty well for the first ten miles or so – even thinking I might have an outside shot at hitting another 3:30 if all went well – but as soon as we turned off the highway and onto Biosphere Road for a 4-mile out-and-back (and started running up a hill for the first time in about 6 miles) I knew that wasn’t going to happen, mainly because my hips started barking at me – and they were pretty loud and pretty insistent. They continued to yip, yap, and yelp for the final 16.2 miles. First one would raise a ruckus, then that one would settle down and the other one would start up. But it was still a good day, and I almost hit my goal time of 3:45 (finished just a smidge over 3:48). The weather was beautiful (a little too warm, if anything), my calf held up all the way through (made sure to walk up the hill that thrashed it last year), and I didn’t feel totally wrecked at the end – even managed to do the last mile in around 8:30, which is a pretty strong finish for me. The typical 24-48 hour-after-running-a-marathon soreness kicked in right on schedule, but I went for a swim Tuesday morning, then a very slow, very short shuffle-run on Tuesday afternoon, and those seemed to work out most of the kinks. My favorite part of the whole thing, as it is every year, was the annual letter-of-complaint in yesterday’s newspaper from a grumpy retiree living in the area along the marathon route (this year’s edition was complaining that the marathon ruined the “overall atmosphere” of their golf tournament because participants were forced to wait in traffic while leaving the golf course – can you hear my heart is weeping for these poor, grumpy people?). So now we’re gearing up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon in Phoenix in January (where I’ll coach and Katie will run for time) and I’ll jump back into my training for the 50-miler in March by hitting the trails as much as possible.
I’ve got gas… and I’m happy about it
If you read last week’s entry, you might remember we had a gas leak, which led to having our gas cut off, which meant no heat or hot water for at least a week. It’s actually turned out to be a week-and-a-half (but who’s counting). The good news is that the weather gods have been smiling on us, and we enjoyed temperatures in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s the whole time (and there’s a storm moving in today – yeah!) so not having a furnace wasn’t really an issue. And we learned to adjust to the whole cold shower thing. All you need to do is heat up a big old pan full of water, set it next to the shower, use a cup to dump it on your head, and voila – you’ve got a makeshift shower ready to go. We only ran into a couple of issues while fixing the gas leak, the biggest one being another leak that was between the entry to the house and the furnace (it wasn’t really leaking, but the line wouldn’t hold the pressure when they pumped it up to the level required for the inspection). So they wound up replacing that line as well, and we’ve now got all new gas lines for the house that hold way more pressure than they’ll ever need to. Yesterday, we passed the inspection with flying colors, and the gas company is supposed to be coming out this morning to turn everything back on. Needless to say, I am really, really, really looking forward to a nice steamy shower this evening after my run.
More on the kitchen
The other good news is they started putting in our cabinets yesterday, and they look fabulously wonderful (or wonderfully fabulous, whichever you prefer). The upper cabinets are in place, and they’re installing the lowers tomorrow. It’s actually starting to look a lot like a kitchen again – I think I’d forgotten what one of those was. Katie went out and spent more of our money yesterday on the new stove and microwave, and if all goes well, we might actually have the appliances back in place before the end of the year, although I’m not sure I’m actually going to be able to bring myself to use them – everything is going to be so nice and new that I’m afraid I’ll be hesitant to touch anything. Until then, I just keep telling myself, “It will all be worth it in the end,” and trying to ignore our rapidly deflating savings account. As Katie keeps reminding me, “It’s only money,” which I have never really believed before, and I don’t really believe now, and I doubt if I’ll ever really believe in the future, but I will keep trying to make myself believe, because it’s a much happier world to live in than the one where money does matter and your stack is being burned through at an alarming rate.
That’s all for now, so until next time, may your furnace keep pumping out heat, may your hot water heater keep pumping out hot water, and may your days (and nights) be filled with holiday cheer.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Gas Lines, Triathlons, and the End of the Cave
I Got No Gas
This might seem like a good thing, but when the gas you're missing is natural gas, and when the reason you don't got none is because your gas line is broken, and when you've got a gas furnace and gas water heater that you count on for heating up the house and heating up the water, it ain't so great. So we discovered the gas leak when our contractor was out looking for the water main, so he could shut off the water to the house so they could fix the pipe that created our cave (which he found, which he shut off, which they repaired, which they filled in, and which they cemented over), and the gas company wasted no time coming over and shutting off our gas (I guess they have some kind of concern about a minor problem like, I don't know, someone lighting a match and blowing up a good portion of the neighborhood). So then we had to wait a couple of days for the utility companies to come out and mark their lines so that we could dig a new trench for a new gas line to replace the old gas line that had a leak. That got done, and now we've got a beautiful trench running across our backyard. The good news is that while all this is being done, we're enjoying a beautiful stretch of days with temps in the upper 70's, so the "no heat" part isn't really a problem. But cold showers just aren't a lot of fun. Hopefully, we'll be up and running again by the middle of next week.
Speaking of running…
Tomorrow, I'll be participating in the Tucson marathon, which ironically enough starts in Oracle, continues to Catalina, and ends in Oro Valley (which means, technically, none of it takes place in Tucson). I'm hoping for a nice medium-hard run, which means I should be able to finish somewhere under four hours (3:45 would be great).
Speaking of running (and cycling, and swimming…)
I just signed up for another fund-raising season with Team in Training. So during the next couple of months, I'll be once again raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. During the past five years, Katie and I have raised around $25,000 thanks to the generous donations sent in from a variety of friends, family, colleagues, and other assorted characters. My official event this go-round is the Deuceman triathlon, which is a half-ironman (yes, now that Katie's done one, I feel obligated to give it a go) and takes place in beautiful Show Low, Arizona in June. So in addition to continuing to help coach our marathon team (getting ready for marathons in San Diego and Anchorage), I'll be training for the 50-miler in March, then I'll start putting in some miles on the bike so I'm ready for the tri (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and a half-marathon). The good news is I don't have to worry about what I'm going to be doing on the weekends (and most days before/after school) for the next half-year. Once I've got my fundraising site set up and ready to go, I'll be actively soliciting donations from all of you - so get those checkbooks/credit cards warmed up and ready to go, cause I just know you're eager to lend a hand (seriously, your continued support is appreciated more than I can express).
And now, a kitchen update
It's actually starting to come together. Once the whole "cave" issue was cleared up, the guys came in and put up the walls and ceilings, and the whole room got painted yesterday, so it looks pretty good. We've got the cabinets scheduled to be installed next week, and once they're in, they can take a template for the counter, retile the parts of the floor that had to be torn out, and put some of the appliances in. So Katie and I will be doing some stove/microwave/faucet/light fixture shopping this weekend. If all goes well (can't imagine how anything could go wrong - can you?) we should actually be nearing completion of the whole project when we ring in the new year. Keep your fingers crossed.
I've got to head out for the expo to pick up my number, t-shirt (hoping for a technical tee this year) and timing chip, so until next time, may your gas continue to flow freely, may your pleas for assistance be heard and heeded in a timely fashion, and may your days remain sunny and clear.
This might seem like a good thing, but when the gas you're missing is natural gas, and when the reason you don't got none is because your gas line is broken, and when you've got a gas furnace and gas water heater that you count on for heating up the house and heating up the water, it ain't so great. So we discovered the gas leak when our contractor was out looking for the water main, so he could shut off the water to the house so they could fix the pipe that created our cave (which he found, which he shut off, which they repaired, which they filled in, and which they cemented over), and the gas company wasted no time coming over and shutting off our gas (I guess they have some kind of concern about a minor problem like, I don't know, someone lighting a match and blowing up a good portion of the neighborhood). So then we had to wait a couple of days for the utility companies to come out and mark their lines so that we could dig a new trench for a new gas line to replace the old gas line that had a leak. That got done, and now we've got a beautiful trench running across our backyard. The good news is that while all this is being done, we're enjoying a beautiful stretch of days with temps in the upper 70's, so the "no heat" part isn't really a problem. But cold showers just aren't a lot of fun. Hopefully, we'll be up and running again by the middle of next week.
Speaking of running…
Tomorrow, I'll be participating in the Tucson marathon, which ironically enough starts in Oracle, continues to Catalina, and ends in Oro Valley (which means, technically, none of it takes place in Tucson). I'm hoping for a nice medium-hard run, which means I should be able to finish somewhere under four hours (3:45 would be great).
Speaking of running (and cycling, and swimming…)
I just signed up for another fund-raising season with Team in Training. So during the next couple of months, I'll be once again raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. During the past five years, Katie and I have raised around $25,000 thanks to the generous donations sent in from a variety of friends, family, colleagues, and other assorted characters. My official event this go-round is the Deuceman triathlon, which is a half-ironman (yes, now that Katie's done one, I feel obligated to give it a go) and takes place in beautiful Show Low, Arizona in June. So in addition to continuing to help coach our marathon team (getting ready for marathons in San Diego and Anchorage), I'll be training for the 50-miler in March, then I'll start putting in some miles on the bike so I'm ready for the tri (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and a half-marathon). The good news is I don't have to worry about what I'm going to be doing on the weekends (and most days before/after school) for the next half-year. Once I've got my fundraising site set up and ready to go, I'll be actively soliciting donations from all of you - so get those checkbooks/credit cards warmed up and ready to go, cause I just know you're eager to lend a hand (seriously, your continued support is appreciated more than I can express).
And now, a kitchen update
It's actually starting to come together. Once the whole "cave" issue was cleared up, the guys came in and put up the walls and ceilings, and the whole room got painted yesterday, so it looks pretty good. We've got the cabinets scheduled to be installed next week, and once they're in, they can take a template for the counter, retile the parts of the floor that had to be torn out, and put some of the appliances in. So Katie and I will be doing some stove/microwave/faucet/light fixture shopping this weekend. If all goes well (can't imagine how anything could go wrong - can you?) we should actually be nearing completion of the whole project when we ring in the new year. Keep your fingers crossed.
I've got to head out for the expo to pick up my number, t-shirt (hoping for a technical tee this year) and timing chip, so until next time, may your gas continue to flow freely, may your pleas for assistance be heard and heeded in a timely fashion, and may your days remain sunny and clear.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Mileage, Caves, and Trail-Running with the Stars
Mission Accomplished
With very little fanfare, almost no pomp, and a definite lack of circumstance, I surpassed my goal for running 2010 miles in the year 2010 last weekend. According to my scrupulously kept records, I passed the 2010-mile mark about halfway up the Phoneline trail in Sabino Canyon. To make the momentous occasion even more memorable, I celebrated with a big swig of Gatorade and a bite of peanut butter flavored Clif bar. Woo-hoo. This was so momentous and meaningful that I think I’ll go for 2011 next year (since it will be 2011 next year – get it?).
The Cave - Continued
Some of you may be familiar with Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” which is relevant to this entry because, as some of you may already know, we currently have a cave under our kitchen. On the other hand, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Plato’s allegory is all about how perception and reality aren’t necessarily one and the same, which may or may not fit the situation we find ourselves in – I mean, I perceive that there’s a cave under our kitchen, and there really is a cave under our kitchen, so maybe it’s not all that relevant to our situation, other than the pretty obvious fact that both situations involve caves. Unfortunately, we learned this week that our insurance won’t cover taking care of the cave under our kitchen, because it was caused by a leaking pipe that’s outside of the foundation of the house. Which I really, really, really, didn’t appreciate in the least – I mean, isn’t the whole point of having insurance so that when something goes wrong, like, oh, I don’t know, you discover that you have a cave under your kitchen, they swoop in and save the day by helping you pay to repair whatever went wrong? I guess it’s one of those grandly ironic situations that I would probably appreciate a lot more if it wasn’t happening to me, but insurance seems to be one of those things you need to have until you actually need to have it. But that’s neither here nor there in the greater grand scheme of things, but it is a definite drainer on the ol’ bank account. Right now, we’re planning to open up the entrance to the cave so we can spelunk on in and take a look around in order to assess the size of the situation. Hopefully, it only is as big as we’re currently able to see. If not, this could become really, really, really ugly. Stay posted – I’m sure there will be more on this in the future (and if you’re interested, I posted a couple of pictures of the cave on facebook).
Ultra-ing
As I begin to train seriously for the 50-miler (is there any other way to train for a 50-miler? Half-heartedly? Joyfully? Spectacularly?) I’ve decided it might be a good idea to start doing some of my running on trails (since a lot of the event is on trails, this seems like it might be a good idea). So, as noted above, I took a little run up the Phoneline trail in Sabino Canyon, which I figured would be a pretty easy way to get started, but I have to say that running on a trail is way harder than running on the road – partly because it’s steep at times, and partly because there’s lots of rocks, and partly because you have to really pay attention to every footfall, and partly because you’re taking all these little mini-steps and having to walk in certain parts and you can’t really shuffle along because if you try to do that you’ll probably wind up stubbing your toe on a rock (which hurts your toe, and if you trip and fall, could wind up hurting other body parts as well). So I made it to the end of the trail, and then I ran down the road to the parking lot, and then I ran back up the road to the end of the road, and then I ran back down the road to the parking lot, and then I was really, really tired so I called it a day. And my legs definitely were feeling it the next morning.
I’m all out of ideas for this edition, so until next time, may your floors remain solid and unfettered, may your trails remain smooth, and may your insurance remain unclaimed (unless you need it).
With very little fanfare, almost no pomp, and a definite lack of circumstance, I surpassed my goal for running 2010 miles in the year 2010 last weekend. According to my scrupulously kept records, I passed the 2010-mile mark about halfway up the Phoneline trail in Sabino Canyon. To make the momentous occasion even more memorable, I celebrated with a big swig of Gatorade and a bite of peanut butter flavored Clif bar. Woo-hoo. This was so momentous and meaningful that I think I’ll go for 2011 next year (since it will be 2011 next year – get it?).
The Cave - Continued
Some of you may be familiar with Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” which is relevant to this entry because, as some of you may already know, we currently have a cave under our kitchen. On the other hand, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Plato’s allegory is all about how perception and reality aren’t necessarily one and the same, which may or may not fit the situation we find ourselves in – I mean, I perceive that there’s a cave under our kitchen, and there really is a cave under our kitchen, so maybe it’s not all that relevant to our situation, other than the pretty obvious fact that both situations involve caves. Unfortunately, we learned this week that our insurance won’t cover taking care of the cave under our kitchen, because it was caused by a leaking pipe that’s outside of the foundation of the house. Which I really, really, really, didn’t appreciate in the least – I mean, isn’t the whole point of having insurance so that when something goes wrong, like, oh, I don’t know, you discover that you have a cave under your kitchen, they swoop in and save the day by helping you pay to repair whatever went wrong? I guess it’s one of those grandly ironic situations that I would probably appreciate a lot more if it wasn’t happening to me, but insurance seems to be one of those things you need to have until you actually need to have it. But that’s neither here nor there in the greater grand scheme of things, but it is a definite drainer on the ol’ bank account. Right now, we’re planning to open up the entrance to the cave so we can spelunk on in and take a look around in order to assess the size of the situation. Hopefully, it only is as big as we’re currently able to see. If not, this could become really, really, really ugly. Stay posted – I’m sure there will be more on this in the future (and if you’re interested, I posted a couple of pictures of the cave on facebook).
Ultra-ing
As I begin to train seriously for the 50-miler (is there any other way to train for a 50-miler? Half-heartedly? Joyfully? Spectacularly?) I’ve decided it might be a good idea to start doing some of my running on trails (since a lot of the event is on trails, this seems like it might be a good idea). So, as noted above, I took a little run up the Phoneline trail in Sabino Canyon, which I figured would be a pretty easy way to get started, but I have to say that running on a trail is way harder than running on the road – partly because it’s steep at times, and partly because there’s lots of rocks, and partly because you have to really pay attention to every footfall, and partly because you’re taking all these little mini-steps and having to walk in certain parts and you can’t really shuffle along because if you try to do that you’ll probably wind up stubbing your toe on a rock (which hurts your toe, and if you trip and fall, could wind up hurting other body parts as well). So I made it to the end of the trail, and then I ran down the road to the parking lot, and then I ran back up the road to the end of the road, and then I ran back down the road to the parking lot, and then I was really, really tired so I called it a day. And my legs definitely were feeling it the next morning.
I’m all out of ideas for this edition, so until next time, may your floors remain solid and unfettered, may your trails remain smooth, and may your insurance remain unclaimed (unless you need it).
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Caves, Hitler, and a Dash of Perspective
One Gigantic Freaking Hole
It's gotten to the point where I'm a little bit scared to come home after work - seems like everyday brings a new surprise as they continue to destroy and then rebuild the kitchen area in our house, and yesterday was no exception. The plumber was planning on digging up a small section of the floor so he could reroute some pipes that weren't fitting into the wall the way they should - which wasn't supposed to be a big deal, except that as he was jack-hammering away at the floor to create a small hole, he noticed that the cement was falling into the hole and disappearing. So he stopped and took a closer look, and lo and behold, what to his wondering eyes should appear, but a gigantic freaking hole underneath our house. So when I got home and asked how things were going, I was invited to poke my head into the hole in the floor, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a gigantic freaking hole under our house. And I do mean gigantic. This hole is, no exaggeration, large enough for me to fit in, and Katie to fit in, and Connor and Carrie to fit in - all at the same time, and there would probably be some room left over. And that's just the part we can see - we won't know for sure how large it is until we open up the floor in order to take a better look. So I guess we'll need to fill in the hole before it swallows up the entire house (although that would probably make the local news and could earn me my ten minutes of fame) which will involve tearing out a sizable portion of floor, filling in the hole with dirt and concrete, and rebuilding the torn out floor. Connor, on the other hand, thinks we should keep it the way it is - I guess he's a big fan of caves in general, and having his own personal cave might be some kind of weird status symbol in his mind. Plus, for some reason, he thinks Hitler is buried under our house now, and that we'll be famous for that (I guess we probably would be famous if Hitler was actually buried down there, but I have my doubts). Meanwhile, word has apparently gotten out in the construction-crew world, because we've had a whole bunch of guys who have stopped by to take a look at the gigantic freaking hole under our house, and every single one of them has scratched his head and said, "I've never seen anything like that before." But other than having a gigantic freaking hole under our house and a missing kitchen, everything is going swimmingly. And all of this started with getting a new dishwasher.
On the other hand…
In the spirit of the holiday season we're now in the midst of, I'm thankful for many things in my life, including the fact that I even have a home to give me so many headaches - and a job - and a mostly healthy family. So everytime I start to feel like the Gods are conspiring against us, I remind myself that this might be a hassle, but it could be ever so much more worse than it is.
Ultra Update
I officially started my training for the 50-miler this week, with a Saturday 16-miler followed by a Sunday 18-miler that included a few miles on trails. Saturday was surprisingly easy, but Sunday was a bit of a challenge as my legs were definitely feeling the distance towards the end. And now that I'm looking at my mileage, I think I'm might be hitting the 2010-mile mark even earlier than I was planning - maybe even by the end of this week.
That's all I can think of for now, so we'll cut it a little short this week and end by hoping that your turkeys remain stuffed, that your cream remains whooped, and your potatoes are mashed to perfection.
It's gotten to the point where I'm a little bit scared to come home after work - seems like everyday brings a new surprise as they continue to destroy and then rebuild the kitchen area in our house, and yesterday was no exception. The plumber was planning on digging up a small section of the floor so he could reroute some pipes that weren't fitting into the wall the way they should - which wasn't supposed to be a big deal, except that as he was jack-hammering away at the floor to create a small hole, he noticed that the cement was falling into the hole and disappearing. So he stopped and took a closer look, and lo and behold, what to his wondering eyes should appear, but a gigantic freaking hole underneath our house. So when I got home and asked how things were going, I was invited to poke my head into the hole in the floor, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a gigantic freaking hole under our house. And I do mean gigantic. This hole is, no exaggeration, large enough for me to fit in, and Katie to fit in, and Connor and Carrie to fit in - all at the same time, and there would probably be some room left over. And that's just the part we can see - we won't know for sure how large it is until we open up the floor in order to take a better look. So I guess we'll need to fill in the hole before it swallows up the entire house (although that would probably make the local news and could earn me my ten minutes of fame) which will involve tearing out a sizable portion of floor, filling in the hole with dirt and concrete, and rebuilding the torn out floor. Connor, on the other hand, thinks we should keep it the way it is - I guess he's a big fan of caves in general, and having his own personal cave might be some kind of weird status symbol in his mind. Plus, for some reason, he thinks Hitler is buried under our house now, and that we'll be famous for that (I guess we probably would be famous if Hitler was actually buried down there, but I have my doubts). Meanwhile, word has apparently gotten out in the construction-crew world, because we've had a whole bunch of guys who have stopped by to take a look at the gigantic freaking hole under our house, and every single one of them has scratched his head and said, "I've never seen anything like that before." But other than having a gigantic freaking hole under our house and a missing kitchen, everything is going swimmingly. And all of this started with getting a new dishwasher.
On the other hand…
In the spirit of the holiday season we're now in the midst of, I'm thankful for many things in my life, including the fact that I even have a home to give me so many headaches - and a job - and a mostly healthy family. So everytime I start to feel like the Gods are conspiring against us, I remind myself that this might be a hassle, but it could be ever so much more worse than it is.
Ultra Update
I officially started my training for the 50-miler this week, with a Saturday 16-miler followed by a Sunday 18-miler that included a few miles on trails. Saturday was surprisingly easy, but Sunday was a bit of a challenge as my legs were definitely feeling the distance towards the end. And now that I'm looking at my mileage, I think I'm might be hitting the 2010-mile mark even earlier than I was planning - maybe even by the end of this week.
That's all I can think of for now, so we'll cut it a little short this week and end by hoping that your turkeys remain stuffed, that your cream remains whooped, and your potatoes are mashed to perfection.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Moonshots, Endings, Demolition, Drummer Boys, and an Ultra
2010 in 2010
One of the somewhat obsessive-compulsive things I do (at least, it’s obsessive-compulsive according to my lovely bride, Katie – I think doing stuff like this is completely normal) is to keep track of how many miles I cover each month running, cycling, and swimming. I started doing this about 6 years ago, with the idea that I’d like to travel “around the world” by covering 25,000 miles – which I did last year. So I decided my next step would be to travel to the moon. “How far is it to the moon?” many of you (minus any rocket scientists out there) might wonder. Well, to answer your question, I went to the internet and found the following: “Since the moon's orbit is elliptical (oval-shaped), its distance varies from about 221,463 miles at perigee (closest approach to Earth) to 251,968 miles at apogee (farthest point). The average distance from the moon to the Earth is 238,857.” So there you go. I figure I’ll shoot for the average distance, which is just a little less than 240,000 miles, which means, when you take the average distance I’ve been covering in a year and divide it into the average distance from the moon, I’m not going to make it any time soon (like, it will take me another 47 or so years, give or take, which would mean I’d be around 93 when I finally make it to the moon… so maybe I should just keep traveling around the Earth?). Anyway, all of this got me thinking about a goal for this year, and I had the idea that I’d like to run 2,000 miles in a year. I’ve done 1,000 miles several times, and made it 1,500 in 2009, so it seemed like it might be possible if I was able to stay healthy for the entire year. So far, that’s worked out, and I surpassed the 1,800 mile mark at the end of October and just went by the 1,900 mark last week, so barring any unforeseen and undesired disasters, I’m thinking I’m going to make it in the next couple of weeks. And then I got to thinking that it would be pretty cool to make it to 2010 (since the year is 2010 – get it – 2010 in 2010?) so that’s what I’m shooting for now, and I’d really love it if I was able to time it so I hit that mile mark during the Tucson marathon. I’m afraid I’m probably going to pass it sooner than that, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The rest of the story
If you read last week’s posting, you might remember a section about Connor’s socials studies teacher. This week, she quit.
Demo Day
Our kitchen is now officially gone. They came, they demolished, and they hauled it all away, leaving us with a very large and very empty space. To add to the fun, we found out that the insulation between our ceiling and roof is “R-5” which, for those of you in the know when it comes to all things dealing with insulation, is really, really thin and really, really inefficient, and helps explain why our heating/cooling costs are – wait for it – through the roof. So now we’re tearing out the entire ceiling in the kitchen and living room area so they can add some thicker, heftier, manlier insulation – plus we’ll add some light fixtures which are badly needed in the living room, so that should be nice. Once again, remember, this all started with a new dishwasher.
Did I Miss Thanksgiving?
Is it just me, or does it seem like the holiday season (I would say, “Christmas,” but in the interest of being politically correct, I’ll stick with the more generic term for politically correct reasons) arrives earlier every year. Back when I was a kid, we didn’t start the holiday season until the week before the actual holiday day, but nowadays, the holiday season seems to start as soon as they’re able to mark down the Halloween candy that didn’t get purchased. So I walked into the supermarket last weekend, and what to my wondering ears should appear, but holiday music being piped in on their system, and I have to say, it just felt wrong. I considered taking some kind of stand or making some kind of protest (not sure exactly what this might have looked like, but I imagine it might have involved storming the office where the music/P.A. system controls are kept, announcing that holiday music was not allowed in public places until at least the beginning of December and cranking up some classic Led Zeppelin to get us back in the November groove). But instead, I did nothing. Just continued pushing my cart up and down the aisles, trying to block out the sound of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” which was completely unsuccessful, because that stupid song was stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and now that I’ve typed the title, that stupid song is stuck in my head again, and now it’s probably stuck in your head as well. Sorry about that.
When a Marathon Just Isn’t Enough
Apparently, there’s something wrong with me (some people might say that’s a great example of an understatement). First I ran a couple of half-marathons. Then I ran a couple of marathons. Then I upped the ante by running a marathon in Estes Park, at an elevation of around 7,500 feet. Then I ran Mt. Lemmon, which they billed as the “World’s toughest road marathon” because it climbed around 6,000 feet. Well, apparently that wasn’t enough, because I just signed up for the “Old Pueblo Fifty Mile Endurance Run” after being shamed into it by someone who shall remain nameless to protect their shamefulness (actually, this nameless person didn’t shame me at all – they offered free lodging for Katie and me during the event weekend, which just goes to show how far I’m willing to go – apparently 50 miles - for free lodging, or a t-shirt, or a medal, or, in this case, a belt buckle, which is what you get if/when you finish an “ultra”). Needless to say, my weekend mornings are pretty much booked for the next few months.
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your moons remain full and unfettered, may your insulation remain thick and insulatilicious, and may your supermarket remain a Santa-free zone (at least until December).
One of the somewhat obsessive-compulsive things I do (at least, it’s obsessive-compulsive according to my lovely bride, Katie – I think doing stuff like this is completely normal) is to keep track of how many miles I cover each month running, cycling, and swimming. I started doing this about 6 years ago, with the idea that I’d like to travel “around the world” by covering 25,000 miles – which I did last year. So I decided my next step would be to travel to the moon. “How far is it to the moon?” many of you (minus any rocket scientists out there) might wonder. Well, to answer your question, I went to the internet and found the following: “Since the moon's orbit is elliptical (oval-shaped), its distance varies from about 221,463 miles at perigee (closest approach to Earth) to 251,968 miles at apogee (farthest point). The average distance from the moon to the Earth is 238,857.” So there you go. I figure I’ll shoot for the average distance, which is just a little less than 240,000 miles, which means, when you take the average distance I’ve been covering in a year and divide it into the average distance from the moon, I’m not going to make it any time soon (like, it will take me another 47 or so years, give or take, which would mean I’d be around 93 when I finally make it to the moon… so maybe I should just keep traveling around the Earth?). Anyway, all of this got me thinking about a goal for this year, and I had the idea that I’d like to run 2,000 miles in a year. I’ve done 1,000 miles several times, and made it 1,500 in 2009, so it seemed like it might be possible if I was able to stay healthy for the entire year. So far, that’s worked out, and I surpassed the 1,800 mile mark at the end of October and just went by the 1,900 mark last week, so barring any unforeseen and undesired disasters, I’m thinking I’m going to make it in the next couple of weeks. And then I got to thinking that it would be pretty cool to make it to 2010 (since the year is 2010 – get it – 2010 in 2010?) so that’s what I’m shooting for now, and I’d really love it if I was able to time it so I hit that mile mark during the Tucson marathon. I’m afraid I’m probably going to pass it sooner than that, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The rest of the story
If you read last week’s posting, you might remember a section about Connor’s socials studies teacher. This week, she quit.
Demo Day
Our kitchen is now officially gone. They came, they demolished, and they hauled it all away, leaving us with a very large and very empty space. To add to the fun, we found out that the insulation between our ceiling and roof is “R-5” which, for those of you in the know when it comes to all things dealing with insulation, is really, really thin and really, really inefficient, and helps explain why our heating/cooling costs are – wait for it – through the roof. So now we’re tearing out the entire ceiling in the kitchen and living room area so they can add some thicker, heftier, manlier insulation – plus we’ll add some light fixtures which are badly needed in the living room, so that should be nice. Once again, remember, this all started with a new dishwasher.
Did I Miss Thanksgiving?
Is it just me, or does it seem like the holiday season (I would say, “Christmas,” but in the interest of being politically correct, I’ll stick with the more generic term for politically correct reasons) arrives earlier every year. Back when I was a kid, we didn’t start the holiday season until the week before the actual holiday day, but nowadays, the holiday season seems to start as soon as they’re able to mark down the Halloween candy that didn’t get purchased. So I walked into the supermarket last weekend, and what to my wondering ears should appear, but holiday music being piped in on their system, and I have to say, it just felt wrong. I considered taking some kind of stand or making some kind of protest (not sure exactly what this might have looked like, but I imagine it might have involved storming the office where the music/P.A. system controls are kept, announcing that holiday music was not allowed in public places until at least the beginning of December and cranking up some classic Led Zeppelin to get us back in the November groove). But instead, I did nothing. Just continued pushing my cart up and down the aisles, trying to block out the sound of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” which was completely unsuccessful, because that stupid song was stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and now that I’ve typed the title, that stupid song is stuck in my head again, and now it’s probably stuck in your head as well. Sorry about that.
When a Marathon Just Isn’t Enough
Apparently, there’s something wrong with me (some people might say that’s a great example of an understatement). First I ran a couple of half-marathons. Then I ran a couple of marathons. Then I upped the ante by running a marathon in Estes Park, at an elevation of around 7,500 feet. Then I ran Mt. Lemmon, which they billed as the “World’s toughest road marathon” because it climbed around 6,000 feet. Well, apparently that wasn’t enough, because I just signed up for the “Old Pueblo Fifty Mile Endurance Run” after being shamed into it by someone who shall remain nameless to protect their shamefulness (actually, this nameless person didn’t shame me at all – they offered free lodging for Katie and me during the event weekend, which just goes to show how far I’m willing to go – apparently 50 miles - for free lodging, or a t-shirt, or a medal, or, in this case, a belt buckle, which is what you get if/when you finish an “ultra”). Needless to say, my weekend mornings are pretty much booked for the next few months.
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your moons remain full and unfettered, may your insulation remain thick and insulatilicious, and may your supermarket remain a Santa-free zone (at least until December).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Social Studies, Chaos, and Too Many Options
Mr. Negativity Meets His Soul-Mate
Social studies this year has been an ongoing saga for our young son, Connor, who is in 7th grade at a school that shall remain nameless in order to protect the innocent. First off, his original social studies teacher was reassigned to a different role right at the beginning of the year, so they had to go searching for a part-time person to replace him, which – as you may or may not be aware – isn’t the easiest thing to do. So they had a series of subs that led to a long-term sub for the first couple of months of school. This, as you might imagine, isn’t ideal because there’s not a whole lot of continuity when the subs are switching off, plus the class tends to take advantage of situations like this, and the whole thing was kind of chaotic. Then, finally, they managed to find someone to take the job. Unfortunately, this has turned out to be even more of an issue than what existed before. Now if you know Connor, or have heard us tell tales about him, you might be aware that he isn’t exactly the world’s most positive person. So when he came home and started talking about how negative his new social studies teacher was, I have to admit that a part of me was thrilled by this. My son had actually met someone that he considered to be negative – how great is that? For the past few weeks, he has continued to come home with all kinds of stories about the crazy things his social studies teacher has said or done. Here are just a few examples:
•She’s mad that she doesn’t have her own classroom, so she had the kids write letters to the principal complaining about it and requesting that she be given another teacher’s extra room (yes, there is a teacher there who has two rooms).
•She’s mad at the kids and how they behave during class, so she’s making tapes of them that she’s planning on sharing with parents (not sure when/how that’s going to happen, but I’m looking forward to hearing more)
•She’s mad at the entire school and everyone who works there, so she’s writing a book to expose the whole sordid mess, and she’s going to sell copies to parents and make a whole bunch of money (no, I’m not planning on purchasing a copy – though I would love to take a look at it for free).
So it’s all kind of crazy (side note: this is someone who apparently won some kind of award for being a great teacher before she came here) but I have to admit that I’m not all that up-in-arms about the whole fiasco, because even though Connor isn’t learning anything related to the official social studies “curriculum” I actually think he’s learning more in this situation then he’s ever learned before. And he has some mildly amusing stories to tell.
Let the Destruction Begin
As mentioned earlier, we bought a new dishwasher several weeks ago, which led to the discovery that we had a leak under our sink, which led to the discovery that we had some mold growing in the walls and cabinets, which led to us calling the insurance company, which led to us deciding to just go ahead and redo the entire kitchen. So now we’re starting to stick our toes in the pool of renovation. The mold is now gone, but so is half of the kitchen, including the sink, stove, dishwasher, and half the cabinets/counter. Yesterday, we finalized our layout plan, and we’ve now ordered new cabinets and counters, figured out gas lines for a new stove, made a plan for the electricity that will include lots of outlets and new lighting, and made the first of several alarmingly large payments. Next step will be to destroy the rest of the kitchen (as well as the ceiling in the adjoining room so Katie can finally be rid of the dreaded “popcorn”), and then start putting all the lines and wires and pipes where they need to go. And it’s all because of a dishwasher. I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson to be learned in here somewhere – though I’m just not exactly sure what it is – something about new dishwashers, or checking under your sink, or something like that. All I really know for sure is that I really, really miss having a kitchen sink (which is now sitting in the entry hall) – and it’s going to be awhile before we have one again.
More on the Kitchen
Most people would probably agree that having choices is a good thing, but after visiting the kitchen showroom and going through the whole decision-making process with this kitchen project, there’s also a part of me that feels completely overwhelmed by all the choices we had to make about colors, styles, moldings, backsplashes, trims, hardware, drawer pulls, fixtures, voltage, wattage, amperage, 60/40 or 50/50, left or right, single or double, rack or shelf, single or double-barrel trash pullout, how to handle the soffit (up until about a week ago, I didn’t even know what a soffit was let alone that we had not one, but two of them in our kitchen), what kind of lighting, where to put fixtures and switches, dimmers, popcorn or plain, directional or fixed, check or credit card, itemized or complete, 2 cm or 3 cm, melamine or ply, and on and on and on. It’s almost as bad as going to the store and trying to buy some toothpaste (sometimes, I just stand in the toothpaste aisle for several minutes, my mind a complete blank and my heart sinking as I scan all the different types of toothpaste).
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your lessons be learned, may your kitchen remain dry, and may your choices remain clear and unfettered.
Social studies this year has been an ongoing saga for our young son, Connor, who is in 7th grade at a school that shall remain nameless in order to protect the innocent. First off, his original social studies teacher was reassigned to a different role right at the beginning of the year, so they had to go searching for a part-time person to replace him, which – as you may or may not be aware – isn’t the easiest thing to do. So they had a series of subs that led to a long-term sub for the first couple of months of school. This, as you might imagine, isn’t ideal because there’s not a whole lot of continuity when the subs are switching off, plus the class tends to take advantage of situations like this, and the whole thing was kind of chaotic. Then, finally, they managed to find someone to take the job. Unfortunately, this has turned out to be even more of an issue than what existed before. Now if you know Connor, or have heard us tell tales about him, you might be aware that he isn’t exactly the world’s most positive person. So when he came home and started talking about how negative his new social studies teacher was, I have to admit that a part of me was thrilled by this. My son had actually met someone that he considered to be negative – how great is that? For the past few weeks, he has continued to come home with all kinds of stories about the crazy things his social studies teacher has said or done. Here are just a few examples:
•She’s mad that she doesn’t have her own classroom, so she had the kids write letters to the principal complaining about it and requesting that she be given another teacher’s extra room (yes, there is a teacher there who has two rooms).
•She’s mad at the kids and how they behave during class, so she’s making tapes of them that she’s planning on sharing with parents (not sure when/how that’s going to happen, but I’m looking forward to hearing more)
•She’s mad at the entire school and everyone who works there, so she’s writing a book to expose the whole sordid mess, and she’s going to sell copies to parents and make a whole bunch of money (no, I’m not planning on purchasing a copy – though I would love to take a look at it for free).
So it’s all kind of crazy (side note: this is someone who apparently won some kind of award for being a great teacher before she came here) but I have to admit that I’m not all that up-in-arms about the whole fiasco, because even though Connor isn’t learning anything related to the official social studies “curriculum” I actually think he’s learning more in this situation then he’s ever learned before. And he has some mildly amusing stories to tell.
Let the Destruction Begin
As mentioned earlier, we bought a new dishwasher several weeks ago, which led to the discovery that we had a leak under our sink, which led to the discovery that we had some mold growing in the walls and cabinets, which led to us calling the insurance company, which led to us deciding to just go ahead and redo the entire kitchen. So now we’re starting to stick our toes in the pool of renovation. The mold is now gone, but so is half of the kitchen, including the sink, stove, dishwasher, and half the cabinets/counter. Yesterday, we finalized our layout plan, and we’ve now ordered new cabinets and counters, figured out gas lines for a new stove, made a plan for the electricity that will include lots of outlets and new lighting, and made the first of several alarmingly large payments. Next step will be to destroy the rest of the kitchen (as well as the ceiling in the adjoining room so Katie can finally be rid of the dreaded “popcorn”), and then start putting all the lines and wires and pipes where they need to go. And it’s all because of a dishwasher. I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson to be learned in here somewhere – though I’m just not exactly sure what it is – something about new dishwashers, or checking under your sink, or something like that. All I really know for sure is that I really, really miss having a kitchen sink (which is now sitting in the entry hall) – and it’s going to be awhile before we have one again.
More on the Kitchen
Most people would probably agree that having choices is a good thing, but after visiting the kitchen showroom and going through the whole decision-making process with this kitchen project, there’s also a part of me that feels completely overwhelmed by all the choices we had to make about colors, styles, moldings, backsplashes, trims, hardware, drawer pulls, fixtures, voltage, wattage, amperage, 60/40 or 50/50, left or right, single or double, rack or shelf, single or double-barrel trash pullout, how to handle the soffit (up until about a week ago, I didn’t even know what a soffit was let alone that we had not one, but two of them in our kitchen), what kind of lighting, where to put fixtures and switches, dimmers, popcorn or plain, directional or fixed, check or credit card, itemized or complete, 2 cm or 3 cm, melamine or ply, and on and on and on. It’s almost as bad as going to the store and trying to buy some toothpaste (sometimes, I just stand in the toothpaste aisle for several minutes, my mind a complete blank and my heart sinking as I scan all the different types of toothpaste).
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your lessons be learned, may your kitchen remain dry, and may your choices remain clear and unfettered.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Mutants, Mold, and a Cookie Wrap-up
Teenage Mutant Ninja Pumpkin
Every Halloween for as long as I can remember, we’ve bought one or more pumpkins, cut them open and scooped out the “guts,” carved various designs or faces in them, then put them outside with a candle lighting them up for all to see. I know this whole thing probably sounds kind of weird, and I don’t know exactly why we do this or how the whole thing got started, but we do it without really thinking about it. Over the years, we’ve had several “strange” or “unusual” pumpkins. Not because of their appearance, but because of something we discovered after bringing them home and starting the whole “cutting open, scooping out, carving designs” process. We’ve had the gross and gicky pumpkin that was so positively pungent no one wanted to stick their hand inside (guess who got to take care of that one) and we’ve had the really dry, almost empty pumpkin that was actually pretty easy to deal with because there wasn’t much to deal with. Then there was the year that Katie brought home an indestructible pumpkin. When I took the knife to it, I wasn’t able to pierce the skin. So I pressed harder. Still nothing. So I got a bigger, sharper knife, but I still couldn’t cut into it. I even tried various chisels and saws and other implements (though I never broke out the blowtorch) but that danged pumpkin just wouldn’t be cut into. So that one wound up getting set outside without any kind of work being done on it. This year, though, we had the strangest pumpkin of all. First of all, it was pretty big (Katie let Connor pick out the biggest one he could find), but the strange thing was when I cut it open and started scooping it out, I discovered… attached to the lid I’d just removed… are you ready for this… a pumpkin plant that was growing inside the pumpkin! Needless to say, I was taken aback, and I immediately exclaimed, “This freaky mutant pumpkin has a pumpkin growing inside it.” I mean, that’s like if a person was growing inside another person. Can you imagine such a thing? Anyway, Katie wasn’t particularly impressed (maybe because she’s actually had people growing inside her) but Carrie and Connor both thought it was pretty cool, especially when we found about six other little pumpkin plants growing inside the pumpkin.
Let the Games Begin
Our kitchen is now officially “under construction,” the first step being the eradication of any and all mold lingering in the walls as a result of our leaky pipe under our sink. So they came out and tore out one side of the kitchen, including the sink, the cabinets, the counter, etc. and did whatever it is they do to get rid of the bad stuff, and when I got home, it looked like that scene from E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial when the military guys put up the plastic tent and freak Elliot and E.T. out by acting all paranoid about infectious alien diseases, because the kitchen is completely wrapped up in plastic, and there’s some kind of really loud device whooshing away inside the wrapping (don’t know what it is, but I’m assuming it’s some kind of mold-killer – apparently mold doesn’t like really loud whooshing sounds - neither does Connor - hmm.). So we’ve got dishes scattered hither and yon, a dishwasher and range wrapped up in plastic and stored in our entryway, a bunch of food stacked on the one remaining counter, all of which adds up to a pretty big mess and the realization of how much you miss you’re kitchen sink when it’s taken away from you. There’s no telling how long this whole thing is going to stretch out, but I’m guessing it’s going to be right around 6 weeks before we get things back to normal and have the whole project done. And so it begins.
Cookie Update
So if you read last week’s entry, you might remember the whole Halloween cookie fiasco. Well, it actually got worse. I brought my cookies to school and set them out for the luncheon, and when I swung by about ten minutes later, I saw that someone else had gone to the store and bought – can you see this one coming – several dozen pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies. And these ones had orange and green sugar on them, so they looked like real pumpkins. Needless to say, only a couple of my cookies got eaten, and I’m pretty sure those were eaten out of pity by the kind of people who buy the most pitiful looking Christmas tree on the lot because they feel sorry for it. So I wound up taking the majority of the cookies back home, which was actually okay, because they were welcomed back with open arms by my wife and children.
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your pumpkins remain on the vine, may your mold remain mildew-free, and may your cookies remain crispy (unless you like them chewy).
Every Halloween for as long as I can remember, we’ve bought one or more pumpkins, cut them open and scooped out the “guts,” carved various designs or faces in them, then put them outside with a candle lighting them up for all to see. I know this whole thing probably sounds kind of weird, and I don’t know exactly why we do this or how the whole thing got started, but we do it without really thinking about it. Over the years, we’ve had several “strange” or “unusual” pumpkins. Not because of their appearance, but because of something we discovered after bringing them home and starting the whole “cutting open, scooping out, carving designs” process. We’ve had the gross and gicky pumpkin that was so positively pungent no one wanted to stick their hand inside (guess who got to take care of that one) and we’ve had the really dry, almost empty pumpkin that was actually pretty easy to deal with because there wasn’t much to deal with. Then there was the year that Katie brought home an indestructible pumpkin. When I took the knife to it, I wasn’t able to pierce the skin. So I pressed harder. Still nothing. So I got a bigger, sharper knife, but I still couldn’t cut into it. I even tried various chisels and saws and other implements (though I never broke out the blowtorch) but that danged pumpkin just wouldn’t be cut into. So that one wound up getting set outside without any kind of work being done on it. This year, though, we had the strangest pumpkin of all. First of all, it was pretty big (Katie let Connor pick out the biggest one he could find), but the strange thing was when I cut it open and started scooping it out, I discovered… attached to the lid I’d just removed… are you ready for this… a pumpkin plant that was growing inside the pumpkin! Needless to say, I was taken aback, and I immediately exclaimed, “This freaky mutant pumpkin has a pumpkin growing inside it.” I mean, that’s like if a person was growing inside another person. Can you imagine such a thing? Anyway, Katie wasn’t particularly impressed (maybe because she’s actually had people growing inside her) but Carrie and Connor both thought it was pretty cool, especially when we found about six other little pumpkin plants growing inside the pumpkin.
Let the Games Begin
Our kitchen is now officially “under construction,” the first step being the eradication of any and all mold lingering in the walls as a result of our leaky pipe under our sink. So they came out and tore out one side of the kitchen, including the sink, the cabinets, the counter, etc. and did whatever it is they do to get rid of the bad stuff, and when I got home, it looked like that scene from E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial when the military guys put up the plastic tent and freak Elliot and E.T. out by acting all paranoid about infectious alien diseases, because the kitchen is completely wrapped up in plastic, and there’s some kind of really loud device whooshing away inside the wrapping (don’t know what it is, but I’m assuming it’s some kind of mold-killer – apparently mold doesn’t like really loud whooshing sounds - neither does Connor - hmm.). So we’ve got dishes scattered hither and yon, a dishwasher and range wrapped up in plastic and stored in our entryway, a bunch of food stacked on the one remaining counter, all of which adds up to a pretty big mess and the realization of how much you miss you’re kitchen sink when it’s taken away from you. There’s no telling how long this whole thing is going to stretch out, but I’m guessing it’s going to be right around 6 weeks before we get things back to normal and have the whole project done. And so it begins.
Cookie Update
So if you read last week’s entry, you might remember the whole Halloween cookie fiasco. Well, it actually got worse. I brought my cookies to school and set them out for the luncheon, and when I swung by about ten minutes later, I saw that someone else had gone to the store and bought – can you see this one coming – several dozen pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies. And these ones had orange and green sugar on them, so they looked like real pumpkins. Needless to say, only a couple of my cookies got eaten, and I’m pretty sure those were eaten out of pity by the kind of people who buy the most pitiful looking Christmas tree on the lot because they feel sorry for it. So I wound up taking the majority of the cookies back home, which was actually okay, because they were welcomed back with open arms by my wife and children.
That’s all for this edition, so until next time, may your pumpkins remain on the vine, may your mold remain mildew-free, and may your cookies remain crispy (unless you like them chewy).
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