Thursday Oct 23, 2008
I was looking for a book to help me pass time on my flight from Portland and went into the greatest bookstore ever, Powells, but not the downtown one sadly. The Bill Bryson book on Shakespeare looked interested but the ultramarathoner/biologist book on running looked even better. The author is a world class runner and quite interesting. He talks alot about the animal kingdom and how different animals propel themselves as a way for him to look at his training for a 100k race in Chicago. The book is an easy read and educational as well. Glad I bought it.
Wednesday Oct 22, 2008
Did I mention that I love Portland? Nice people, great food, public transit and green building that is top notch. And then there is running trails everywhere. Nike is just down the road. Looking for a late afternoon break yesterday, I laced them up and went downtown to the riverfront park that makes a loop for 3 miles on each side of the river and then across a footbridge to the other shore and you can continue. I only ran 4 miles and then walked back to my hotel, I couldn't figure out how to get across a bridge, so I took light rail to the ChinaTown stop from my hotel.
It is certainly worth the extra luggage to be able to get out and run. Thankfully everything was dry before packing, but that is what plastic bags are for anyway.
Monday Oct 20, 2008
Note to self- don't do 7am flights from an airport that is over an hour from the house. I booked after NOT checking the tradeshow agenda. Yes, it starts tomorrow. Am I bitter that I based my travel plans on a marketing person, NO, not me.
I stated last night at the Richmond airport DoubleTree hotel. I got a fair rate but free parking. Hotel was great for what it is, an airport hotel. The staff was really helpful and the bed was comfy, so I could ignore the less than perfect room.
The extremely long TSA line took a total of 10 minutes. Not bad at all.
Maybe I can blog nicely about my hotel tomorrow, but the only nice thing so far was the ride to Rogue Brewpub. The hazelnut brown nectar was unreal good. The Imperial Stout was also amazing. What a great place. I tried the Choc Stout, the Shakespeare Porter, the Imperial Porter as well. The burgers were good as well. Sadly no Monday Night Football happening here.
Tuesday Oct 14, 2008
On Sunday, I went for a hike in SNP at White Oak Canyon, which was really peaceful and nice.
Here is a great view of the lower waterfall.
Monday Oct 13, 2008
I had a free day on Saturday after my son's flag football game with no one in the house all day. I took the new iPhone 3G with my newest application GPSKit to record my route and pace. Saturday late morning was awesome weather with a slight breeze and warm sun, it was great. I ran about 1.5 miles on paved surface and the rest on dirt trail with twigs, roots and those challenges. I have got to say that stepping on a walnut sucks. They are big enough and hard enough to really give you a tumble. I got the side of one under a leaf and almost went flying.
Friday Oct 10, 2008
I ran a new route yesterday on some horse trails in the woods and loved it. I was only on pavement for a short period which is nice on the joints. The run was hilly in the beginning and then leveled out. I crossed the same creek four times, after a rain, so I was extra carefully not to end up in the muck. I plan to go longer on the same trail tomorrow or Sunday.
Tuesday Oct 07, 2008
Being joe handyman, when I needed to change an outdoor light bulb last night, I just jumped right in. The bulb is tricky in that the light itself is small and the receptacle holding the bulb moves around so removing the bulb is an interesting trick. I had both hands inside the light and was griping the part of the light fixture that holds the bulb while twisting the bulb out. I clearly used too much force and broke the bulb in my hand. Of course, my sidekick and helpful spouse was there watching and kind of laughed after she realized I wasn't going to die.
Then as I moved my hands to get them out of the light to check for cuts, I got a nice jolt of electricity. Pure household current at it finest. At that point I further crushed the lightbulb in my hand only to have said helper yell at me for making a further mess, she didn't realize what happened. After asking, I likely screamed, to get me some shoes and the shop vac, I determined that I only had 3 small cuts. After she vacuumed around me, she had quite a laugh and I'm sure it was quite funny as well.
Live and learn.
Of course I know about electrical hazards and don't typically do stuff like this, but how many of you turn off the light before replacing the bulb? I can't recall ever breaking a bulb in my hands before. Next time, the switch will be off.
Monday Oct 06, 2008
Running late on breakfast this morning, so little one had a toaster pastry and milk. Not feeling the need to be boring and just put stripes on the poptart, I went custom. I typically spell their names or something, but shorty did math problems all weekend, so I thought I would do another one. I got the best smile, so it was worth it.
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Can you share the title or author of the book? T...
I did... It is simply, "Why we Run"...