Okay, just a quick post today...The past few days have allowed me to get back out and go for walks in neighborhood, one of which I just completed. No, they really aren't training walks yet - just a little exercise and fresh air. Unfortunately, as I write this, the clouds are thickening and another snowmaker is headed our way for tomorrow. Jeez, enough already!
Nevertheless, earlier today I sent out my first round of e-mails requesting donations for this year's 3-Day. For those of you that didn't receive an e-mail request, but would still like to make a donation, please feel free to click on the link on the right side of screen. And if you know of anyone who may be interested in helping out the cause (or just follow along with my nonsensical ramblings), just send them here to http://scottm3day.blogspot.com/.
So with "only" 173 days left until the big event, I guess we're finally up and going.
I have a few fun outings planned this week, so perhaps I'll have more to share in the coming days. Cheers!
A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
This Is Spring?
Yesterday was the first full day of spring. It is a time of hope and renewal, particularly in northern climes where, for several months, much of the landscape has laid dormant, animals (including some people) have secluded themselves in hibernation, and birds escaped to their condos in the Caribbean or on the Pacific coast of Mexico.In my home state of Minnesota, it snowed all day and into the evening, an annoying occurrence for those looking for light at the end of winter’s tunnel, though one that is not altogether unexpected in March. It actually looked pretty this morning, coating the tree branches and covering the ground in a clean blanket of white.
(Our esteemed local television and radio weather reporters proclaim with the glee of a ten-year-old at a Hannah Montana concert the coming of the annual “state tournament snowstorm”, a moniker once given to late season blizzards of a foot or more of snow, but now applied to any snowfall exceeding one inch during one of the high school hockey or basketball tournaments.)
It also happened to snow this past Tuesday – a couple of inches of heavy wet slushy snow – “heart attack snow” as the Minneapolis newspaper called it, a rather silly embellishment if you ask me, purposely chosen to prey on the perverse pride my fellow residents take in making as big a deal as possible of every weather “event”, however nondescript.
The long cold winter hasn’t been overly harsh, but seems unwilling to release its grip, even with the arrival of spring – the vernal equinox, according to the calendar. I look out my window and continue to see the same vision of shared color between sky and ground – a drab milky gray that also drains the color from all other objects – buildings, cars, trees, people.
I never really noticed this phenomena before this past year. Of course, this was the first winter when I had the opportunity to observe it, as I’ve been spending my days at home, able to gaze out the window and take long walks through my neighborhood, rather than being cooped up in an office building, sitting in a cubicle or windowless underground lab.
We are slightly less than six months from the 2008 Twin Cities 3-Day – 181 days, to be exact. Two entire seasons between this time of snow-covered sidewalks and the sun-splashed warmth of a weekend filled with hope, love, and the way the world ought to be.
I see the sun trying to force its way through the clouds. Maybe I’ll go for a walk.
Job Interview
For those who have been wondering about my search for a new job, I had an interview a week or so ago for an exciting and challenging opportunity (see picture). It was actually a dual-role position: Test-driver for new poolside chaise lounge technology and quality analyst of beverage production in the recreation & depressurization (R&D) department. The perfect complement to 3-Day training, don't you think? Unfortunately, I failed the beverage consumption test by only finishing 2 mojitos and 3 beers in three hours, falling one beer short of the minimum requirement. However, I was encouraged to return next year to apply again. Wish me luck!
"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Rodin
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Roller Coasters
I’ve been watching a bit of news over the past couple of days, trying to catch up on the goings-on in the world after being pleasantly out of touch for a week whilst basking in the warm sun of Cozumel, Mexico.
Among the items deemed of interest by the television news stations is the continued roller coaster ride of the financial markets. I’ve long been amazed at how the most innocuous event send a given company’s stock or those of one or more sectors soaring one day and then plummeting the next day. I’m amused (or bemused…or confused) by how the media uses words like “soaring” and “plummeting”, even when the change is on the order of 1% or less. It’s as if they are encouraging further volatility in order to enhance the story and justify their own existence. I laugh at how the act of reporting the news has become little more than speculation of something that has not yet occurred.
But I got to thinking about how our lives are often a roller coaster ride – the highs of welcoming a newborn child or experiencing success in a job; the lows of dealing with the death of a loved one or the struggle for direction in life.
My friend Jill has lived a lifetime of ups and downs over the past three years while living with breast cancer. A seemingly healthy thirtysomething mother of two young daughters, age 2 and 4 months, she was first diagnosed in January 2005 with Stage III breast cancer. Some of you may recall that I wrote about her on this blog last year. After being diagnosed, she endured chemotherapy, then learned the cancer had spread to her bones. She went through more chemo and radiation, which often brought her to tears. Her faith told her that the pain was proof that the treatments were working. She’s gone for weeks at a time with no discomfort. She’s seen the treatment chase off all traces of the cancer, only to have it return and force her to begin another round of chemo.
During this time, Jill has continued to lead a full and active life, enjoying every moment spent with her family and friends. Last fall, a PET scan showed no trace of cancer and was cause for celebration. Unfortunately, the reprieve was temporary. In December, a scan revealed yet another recurrence of the cancer. In the wake of this setback, she ultimately decided that she would take a leave of absence from her job to undergo her latest round of treatment.
Over the next six months, I’ll be thinking about Jill as I prepare for the 2008 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day. I’ll think about how the ups and downs of my life are like walking on a treadmill (or on the sidewalks of my neighborhood) compared to Jill’s life. And I’ll continue to laugh at the manner in which the pundits and analysts and so-called experts use our obsession with instantaneous information to try to turn everyday occurrences into cataclysmic events.
We all ride our own roller coasters. For most of us, the ride stops occasionally to allow us to get out and walk around for a while, perhaps get something to eat and enjoy a laugh or two with a friend before jumping back on again.
For some, however, the ride goes on and on and on…
Among the items deemed of interest by the television news stations is the continued roller coaster ride of the financial markets. I’ve long been amazed at how the most innocuous event send a given company’s stock or those of one or more sectors soaring one day and then plummeting the next day. I’m amused (or bemused…or confused) by how the media uses words like “soaring” and “plummeting”, even when the change is on the order of 1% or less. It’s as if they are encouraging further volatility in order to enhance the story and justify their own existence. I laugh at how the act of reporting the news has become little more than speculation of something that has not yet occurred.
But I got to thinking about how our lives are often a roller coaster ride – the highs of welcoming a newborn child or experiencing success in a job; the lows of dealing with the death of a loved one or the struggle for direction in life.
My friend Jill has lived a lifetime of ups and downs over the past three years while living with breast cancer. A seemingly healthy thirtysomething mother of two young daughters, age 2 and 4 months, she was first diagnosed in January 2005 with Stage III breast cancer. Some of you may recall that I wrote about her on this blog last year. After being diagnosed, she endured chemotherapy, then learned the cancer had spread to her bones. She went through more chemo and radiation, which often brought her to tears. Her faith told her that the pain was proof that the treatments were working. She’s gone for weeks at a time with no discomfort. She’s seen the treatment chase off all traces of the cancer, only to have it return and force her to begin another round of chemo.
During this time, Jill has continued to lead a full and active life, enjoying every moment spent with her family and friends. Last fall, a PET scan showed no trace of cancer and was cause for celebration. Unfortunately, the reprieve was temporary. In December, a scan revealed yet another recurrence of the cancer. In the wake of this setback, she ultimately decided that she would take a leave of absence from her job to undergo her latest round of treatment.
Over the next six months, I’ll be thinking about Jill as I prepare for the 2008 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day. I’ll think about how the ups and downs of my life are like walking on a treadmill (or on the sidewalks of my neighborhood) compared to Jill’s life. And I’ll continue to laugh at the manner in which the pundits and analysts and so-called experts use our obsession with instantaneous information to try to turn everyday occurrences into cataclysmic events.
We all ride our own roller coasters. For most of us, the ride stops occasionally to allow us to get out and walk around for a while, perhaps get something to eat and enjoy a laugh or two with a friend before jumping back on again.
For some, however, the ride goes on and on and on…
Friday, March 7, 2008
Off-Site Training
The mercury has plummeted again this week and even though it will surely be temporary, I’ve had my fill of bundling up like the Michelin Man whenever I want to get outside for some fresh air (or to go to the mailbox). So I’m headed for Cozumel, Mexico to spend a week relaxing on the beach, snorkeling in clear Caribbean waters, and seeing the sights – like a tequila-making factory. Now that’s my kind of cross-training!
I’m looking forward to long walks on the beach. However, I won’t be using body glide on my feet, nor will I be wearing a waist pack to carry my water bottles.
I’ll check in when I return to the States…assuming, of course, I don’t take a job at the tequila factory as a quality assurance technician.
Hasta luego!
I’m looking forward to long walks on the beach. However, I won’t be using body glide on my feet, nor will I be wearing a waist pack to carry my water bottles.
I’ll check in when I return to the States…assuming, of course, I don’t take a job at the tequila factory as a quality assurance technician.
Hasta luego!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Prelude
Greetings all… Please allow me to [re]introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste (apologies to Mick Jagger). I have just returned from a top secret fact-finding mission that took me to the four corners of the globe, including Europe, Scandinavia, and the sub-continent. (Well, maybe just the four corners of the Twin Cities.)
Nevertheless, I will once again be your tour guide on the road to the 2008 3-Day, presenting the sights and sounds of all things fascinating and mind-numbing – and everything in between.
The past few months have seen a couple of noteworthy developments. For one thing, in November, I began an involuntary career alteration. After two years as an electrical engineer at Boston Scientific (formerly Guidant Corporation), I was informed, along with a number of my colleagues, that my services were no longer required. So I did what any normal person would do – I slept in every day, listened to the banalities of daytime sports-talk radio, sorted through boxes and drawers and rooms of worthless old junk, and then hopped a flight for Florida to spend a week on the soft powdery white sands of Fort Myers Beach. Yep, it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
I spent the Christmas holidays visiting with family and friends and partaking in considerable gastronomic indulgence, the details of which can summarily be defined by any physician’s “10 Most Unwanted List.” I therefore declared a Mid-January Resolution (sorry, I’ve always been a procrastinator) to get my lazy butt out of bed in the morning for some exercise and lose those three (or was it four?) superfluous pounds.
During the past two months, while taking advantage of several months worth of well-deserved severance pay and benefits, I’ve awakened at the crack of 8:30 AM almost every day to go through a 30-minute routine of stretching and calisthenics. (Okay, sometimes it’s only fifteen minutes.) Once or twice a week I head over to our local ice arena for about an hour to an hour and a half of ice skating. Considering I hadn’t been on skates in two years, it’s gone quite well. Since I go there at 10:00 in the morning when most people are at work or school, I have plenty of room when I need to turn or stop – and there are few witnesses when I fail to do either.
The only downside of having so much free time on my hands is that, yes, I have been walking – like…almost real training walks, despite the fact that the Twin Cities 3-Day is still 202 days away. But I admit I’ve been enjoying my hour-long jaunts in the crisp twenty-degree air, with the occasional snowflakes wafting down. (The long johns definitely help.) My neighbors no longer look at me with that slightly patronizing gaze, shaking their head, thinking I’m nuts. My insanity is already common knowledge, so they just smile and wave and try not to make any sudden movements.
I guess that’s enough for now. I’ll have more to share with you in the weeks to come – I can’t promise all of it will be interesting, but you get what you pay for, right?
“Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for.” – Earl Warren
Nevertheless, I will once again be your tour guide on the road to the 2008 3-Day, presenting the sights and sounds of all things fascinating and mind-numbing – and everything in between.
The past few months have seen a couple of noteworthy developments. For one thing, in November, I began an involuntary career alteration. After two years as an electrical engineer at Boston Scientific (formerly Guidant Corporation), I was informed, along with a number of my colleagues, that my services were no longer required. So I did what any normal person would do – I slept in every day, listened to the banalities of daytime sports-talk radio, sorted through boxes and drawers and rooms of worthless old junk, and then hopped a flight for Florida to spend a week on the soft powdery white sands of Fort Myers Beach. Yep, it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
I spent the Christmas holidays visiting with family and friends and partaking in considerable gastronomic indulgence, the details of which can summarily be defined by any physician’s “10 Most Unwanted List.” I therefore declared a Mid-January Resolution (sorry, I’ve always been a procrastinator) to get my lazy butt out of bed in the morning for some exercise and lose those three (or was it four?) superfluous pounds.
During the past two months, while taking advantage of several months worth of well-deserved severance pay and benefits, I’ve awakened at the crack of 8:30 AM almost every day to go through a 30-minute routine of stretching and calisthenics. (Okay, sometimes it’s only fifteen minutes.) Once or twice a week I head over to our local ice arena for about an hour to an hour and a half of ice skating. Considering I hadn’t been on skates in two years, it’s gone quite well. Since I go there at 10:00 in the morning when most people are at work or school, I have plenty of room when I need to turn or stop – and there are few witnesses when I fail to do either.
The only downside of having so much free time on my hands is that, yes, I have been walking – like…almost real training walks, despite the fact that the Twin Cities 3-Day is still 202 days away. But I admit I’ve been enjoying my hour-long jaunts in the crisp twenty-degree air, with the occasional snowflakes wafting down. (The long johns definitely help.) My neighbors no longer look at me with that slightly patronizing gaze, shaking their head, thinking I’m nuts. My insanity is already common knowledge, so they just smile and wave and try not to make any sudden movements.
I guess that’s enough for now. I’ll have more to share with you in the weeks to come – I can’t promise all of it will be interesting, but you get what you pay for, right?
“Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for.” – Earl Warren
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