Thunder of Wade

speed, algae, car

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On August 1, 2009

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On Friday at the pool, I decided to vary my stoke a bit while doing the crawl. I usually do a circular motion with my arms – which I know is not the way to do it – and this time I tried getting my hands to enter the water at an angle. A sort of stabbing motion into the water instead of slapping the surface and pulling through.

Hmmm… that actually sounded kinda violent. Anyway, it worked really well. I was able to go much faster and had to breath less. I was still fighting the vortex on the return trip so I didn’t set any records, but it was still an improvement.
My co-worker needed a starbucks break in the afternoon – so I went along as well. They were out of the regular tea I like so I decided to try the Green Machine flavor of Naked Juice. The list of ingredients are:
Apple juice, Mango Puree, Pineapple Juice, Banana puree, Kiwi puree, Spirulina, Natural flavor, Chlorella (I thought that said cholera when I first looked at it), Broccoli, Spinach, Barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, ginger root, blue green algae, and odorless garlic.
I haven’t mutated since I drank it yesterday. Which is kind of a bummer. It tasted okay, but it was a little pricey for the quantity.
I got my car fixed yesterday – more than I wanted to spend, but at least they were quick. (muffler and tailpipe were rusted through).
that’s it for now… later

watchtower, site, repair

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On July 31, 2009

In Uncategorized

I stopped for fuel a few days ago on my way into work. I was just finishing up pumping the gas when a woman pulled around around my car to park at a somewhat strange angle near another pump. She got and approached me with a booklet in her hand.

“Would you be interested in reading…?” she started to ask and I saw it was a copy of watchtower and I began my polite but firm:
“No thank you…” and she had already turned and was headed back to her van.
I guess we both already had our lines memorized. She was gone moments later. I don’t think she even talked to anyone else there – and I’m not even sure she got fuel. Maybe she had a quota?
In other news, I added a minor update to my website about my swimming – with a few photos of me at the ocean. No links on the main page yet, but you can get there here:
Finally, I’m taking my car into the shop this afternoon. The muffler sounds bad and although I don’t think anything is going to fall off yet – there was a pile of rust under my car so I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time.
This week has been busy, but productive. I’ve got a few projects to work on today before the weekend kicks in.
later…
(I just did a spell check on the page – and for what may be the first time, no spelling or typing errors. Hoorey!)

ambien

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On July 25, 2009

In Uncategorized

My room-mate has trouble sleeping after the long drive back. So, he decided to take an Ambien.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve heard about the side effects of this stuff – but it is seriously dangerous.
He took a dose last night and fell asleep in the tub. I managed to wake him up about 1:20 AM since I had to use the bathroom and it took me a while to convince him that he was actually in the tub and needed to get out of the tub, get dressed, and go to bed.
Then things got weird. He didn’t recognize me, had no sense of balance, and was increasingly irrational. At one point he tried to choke me, but his lack of balance worked in my favor and I fought him off with a body slam into the closet door. I tried to keep him from going downstairs – afraid that he would fall – but his paranioa kicked in and he fought me on that as well. I gave up and helped him downstairs and then back up – with him fighting me most of the way. I finally got him settled and went to bed myself – with a sword at my side and a locked door. At this point, I didn’t realize he’d taken anything and figured he’s just gone insane.
This morning, I woke him up at 11:45 and asked him to explain what had happened. He had no memory of anything that had happened after he got in the tub after taking the now admitted ambien. I detailed everything that had happened and he apologized. I also made him throw out the ambien.
So, welcome back from your vacation – right into a drug fueled nightmare.
To the “Committee for the Most Understanding Roommate award” – don’t bother with a plaque, just send cash.
I forgot to ask him if he slept well – I sure didn’t.

beach trip – summary

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On July 25, 2009

In Uncategorized

I did a lot of swimming on this trip – more than I’ve done in the past. I think the total was around 14 miles – not too shabby. Someone asked me what I thought about out in the ocean and the answer is – not much. I mostly just paid attention to the stokes I was using and my breathing and trying to time the waves.

I did a lot of reading – I think I got through 7 books while I was there. Spent a lot of time in the sun and got a kick-ass tan. No burn this year, I was careful.
I wore my square-cut speedos while I was swimming and while I was working on my tan. I was a little self-conscious, but only a little. The swimming over the years has paid off and I felt okay about how I looked. I’ve swum in the ocean in board shorts and it does make a difference.
In the evenings, I played a bit of PSP and enjoyed the games I brought.
Overall – I did very little on my vacation. As it should be.

beach trip – part 3

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On July 25, 2009

In Uncategorized

7/19/2009

Went to Trip’s for dinner – the Crab Cake this time around had peppers in it. I spent the rest of the evening burping the taste and it was not pleasant. We headed to the Ripley’s Aquarium – which was one part lame and one part totally awesome. The had a viewing area with a saltwater tank full of sting-rays – really amazing. There were also aquariums with jelly fish and moray eels. The best, though, was the tunnel under the aquarium that was full of fish – and sharks. Amazing to see them swim overhead. And a little scary too.
One strange note – there was a sign outside about homeland security level at “elevated”. Dunno why Ripley’s Aquarium would be a target. They also had a uniformed security guard taking the tickets at the door.
45 minute ocean swim
7/20/2009
I swam twice again – the regular mile and then another 22 minutes for catch up. We went back to Drunken Jack’s again – this time with a bit shorter wait. The sever recognised us from our earlier visit. 🙂
45 minute ocean swim
22 minute ocean swim
7/21/2009
We had been told that the buoys just off the beach were part of the EPA study. So, after my regular swim and after the lifeguard was done for the day, I swam out to take a look. They were labeled “hazard area” – so, I still don’t know what they were all about. It also rained again while I was swimming.
45 minute ocean swim
7/22/2009
We were planning on coming back, but instead decided to stay an extra day. I swam for about 22 minutes before my left knee and hip started to bother me. I took a break for a bit and then swam again. Also, I had two people within 10 minutes of each other shout “shark” and point near me. I don’t know if they thought I was a shark or if they were trying to scare me – but it pissed me off something fierce.
22 minute ocean swim
22 minute ocean swim
7/23/2009
Return home. The drive was even longer coming back. Lots of traffic and accidents – including a pre-fab home that fell off a truck and crash on the highway. There was also a huge thunderstorm while I was driving. My room-mate was nervous, but I just kept focused on the road and we did okay. Coming back when we did will give us both a few days to recover before heading back to work.

beach trip – part 2

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On July 25, 2009

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7/14/2009

Went to Drunken Jack’s for dinner – there was an over 2 hour wait. We’ve been to this place before and the food – while okay – isn’t really worth the wait time. But, it’s tradition, so we waited.
45 minute ocean swim
7/15/2009
Took a trip to the Piggly Wiggly for food and supplies. We didn’t have a “pig card” and so were denied the benefits of the “greenbacks”. Whatever that means. The crew played a round of “scene it” – I was the MC and tried to keep things on track.
45 minute ocean swim
7/16/2009
I tried my first Crab Cake today – it was quite good to my surprise. I also finished up the 4th of my vampire books I brought. Hey, if all you do all day is swim and sit in the sun, the books go by pretty fast. I swam twice again today – and got called in from the water by the lifeguard. Apparently, the water I was in was too deep and I had to go to “waist deep”. Let me tell you, it’s tough to swim in waist deep water in the ocean.
45 minute ocean swim
45 minute ocean swim
7/17/2009
I hung out with my room-mate’s niece and nephew and we threw “toy-pedoes” at each other in the pool for a couple hours. I think they wore me out. It also might have been the short swim in the ocean – the waves and the wind were so rough that I ended up about a 1/2 mile behind where I started. I cut the swim short since I was tired and didn’t want to get hurt. Later that evening, my room-mate wanted to send a note to a message board he’s on for people that meet up while on vacation. So, reluctantly, I set up my PSP to connect to the free Internet. He wrote up a note, I showed him how to input text – and then he realized the “novel” he’d written would take forever to enter. He re-wrote it and I put the text in. Technically speaking, this wasn’t “my” Internet usage, but I still felt a little dirty.
22 minute ocean swim
7/18/2009
The rest of the crew left early in the morning, but my room-mate and I packed up to wait for the new condo to be available. (we couldn’t get the same place for 2 weeks). While we were waiting, we head to Books-A-Million to restock (I was almost out of books) and when we got back we unpacked again and I hit the ocean again – this time, I had to dodge surfers.
45 minute ocean swim

beach trip – part 1

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On July 25, 2009

In Uncategorized

Just got back from the annual beach trip with my room-mate and his family to Surfside Beach in South Carolina. I took some notes, so… here it goes.

7/10/2009 – the drive down. Took 10 hours straight through and we stayed at the Day’s Inn the first night since we couldn’t get into the condo yet. I drove about 2/3 of the way and was tired and cranky when we finally arrived – and even more so with the stupid slow elevators.
7/11/2009 – I woke up in time to witness a very slow and boring car accident from the balcony. Two cars, pulling out at the same time, slowly backed into each other. There was minimal damage and no one was hurt, so it was pretty funny.
We got moved into the condo and I noted that the owners had free wireless set up. I vowed to resist the urge to set it up and connect to the ‘net.
I also hit the ocean for my first swim of the trip. It’s hard to gauge the distance, but I know in the pool I can do a lap in just over a minute at my normal speed. 36 laps equals a mile, so I decided that if I can do 45 minutes in the ocean, I’m pretty confident that I’m doing at least a mile. So:
45 minute ocean swim
That night, I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and snuck out to the beach to do some streaking. Hey, it was very late and no one else was around. When else am I going to do it?
7/12/2009
The EPA was conducting a survey on the beach about water quality – and with the lure of a free tote bag and a check for $25 – how could I say no? Actually, I would have done it for free, but they had a grant and a process. I hit the water twice – and was very tired out when I was done. So:
45 minute ocean swim
45 minute ocean swim

7/13/2009
The whole group when to Angelo’s for dinner. Later, we played a card game called “screw your neighbor”. There’s some strategy and luck involved – and I managed to win $9. Yea!
Earlier in the day I hit the ocean for a swim and got rained on. I didn’t stop of course – I was already wet.
45 minute ocean swim

pelham, fireworks, pillow, vibrate

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On July 2, 2009

In Uncategorized

I went and saw The Taking of Pelham 123 last night. It was a pretty good flick with plenty of suspense and action, but plot was a little thin and I figured it out pretty early on. Denzel and Travolta were both good – I’d give the movie a solid thumbs up. I generally like my movies with a little less realism, but it was enjoyable.

When I got home, the neighbor kids on the other side of the trees in the backyard were setting off fireworks. At 10:15 PM. Now, I know it’s almost the 4th of July, but it wasn’t yet there and was really annoying – especially since I was getting ready to go to sleep.
So, I got a flashlight and a substantial pocket knife (just in case there was a fireworks luvin mob of zombies over there ’cause you never know) and walked across the backyard and through the trees to the cul–de-sac. I saw the teen-ager that was setting off the fireworks and I approached him. I asked if he was about done and he asked why. I responded that I had an early day at work the tomorrow and that I lived right over there. I told him to wrap it up and save them for the 4th. I turned to walk away and he responded with “whatever” – but either he was really out of fireworks or he actually listened to me because the fireworks stopped.
So, yea me. I did feel really old with the “hey, you kids. Hold it down,” – but not everyone is on summer vacation, dang-it.
I needed the help with the sleeping environment since I’ve switched to a new pillow. Apparently, my snoring can be heard from the street and causes a seismic event that knocks cars off the road. The new pillow apparently stops this entirely, but it very difficult to adapt too. It’s been a couple of nights now and I’m having trouble falling asleep and then waking up in the night. I’m also having seriously screwed up dreams. They are too disjointed to remember, but the general impression is that I need some professional counseling.
Finally, our building is shaking (“Regan, why aren’t you in your room? My bed was shaking”)
They are doing construction work to put in a ramp right next to the building and the machinery is making the whole building vibrate. I think they’re finally done now, but it was pretty intense for a while.
Well, got a bunch of stuff to catch up on from my two days of usability testing – better get back to it. After a trip to chipotle, of course.
later…

cake, minion, cold, testing

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On June 30, 2009

In Uncategorized

My room-mate’s birthday was this past Sunday. He’s usually at the beach with his family on vacation, so I decided to do something a little different. Since I’m not really much of a baker or a cook, I found a no-bake cheesecake mix. I also grated some Heath bars to put in the mix. The crust didn’t work as well as I hoped, but it turned out pretty good – we ate some while sitting outside enjoying the weather on Sunday evening.

I also got him a DVD set for when he’s stuck at home after his neck surgery. And a fake lemon tree plant and some real lemonade mix. He’s been feeling a little picked on at work recently and I thought a friendly reminder on attitude might help. I didn’t make any “age” jokes – I already get letters from AARP wanting me to sign up – so, I didn’t want to go down that road.
In other news… I picked up the Overlord game for the PS3. I have this for the PC, but could never get it to run. It’s a blast to play and really funny. I’m making good progress and really enjoying it.
Yesterday, I headed up to the rec center for my swim. And though I was pre-warned about the lack of hot water – it was still rough taking a shower afterwards. I was still damp from the pool so I soaped up first – then turned on the cold water and rinsed as fast as I could. I suppose I could have skipped the shower, but I figured a little cold in the short term was better than somewhat itchy for the rest of the day.
Finally, I’m working with the crew on some usability testing again. My roll is mostly “keep track of the tech and render the video” – so, I’m keeping up with my emails and waiting quietly.
Better get back to the email and check in… later…

flush, pool

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On June 24, 2009

In Uncategorized

Yesterday afternoon, I headed to the restroom here at work. It was the kind of trip that, had I been at home, I would have had a book with me. But I was at work and bookless and proceeded to do my business without any reading material. Before I sat down, however, I noted that the toilet now had an automatic flush device installed. It looked like this.

Now, I’m not generally fond of auto-flushing toilet and urinals since I either can’t get them to acknowledge that I exist or I can’t get them to stop.
But, my needs were urgent and I was at the mercy of the technology. When I was done, I stood up and the auto-flush device made it’s usual noise – but then nothing else happened.
No flush.
I sat back down for a moment – then stood back up. I will also admit to feeling a little stupid about this. Same noise – no flush.
I check the device and notice that there was a manual button. Relieved, I tried that. Same noise, but still no flush.
I tried a couple more times with the same result.
So, now what?
I washed my hands at the sink and left – then called the building coordinator to report the problem and got his voice mail. Next, I called the Facilities dispatch office and reported it to them. The building coordinator called me back and I confirmed what I’d done.
Then I made up an out of order sign, posted that on the door to the stall, and went back to work. I mean, what else could I do?
I got the update today that it’s been resolved, so I guess things are back to normal. Or as close as we can expect.
In other news… I hit the pool today and it was once again filled with screaming children. And I mean screaming. Like some kind of sonic weapon – really intense. The lifeguard cleared a lane and I did my laps. They had cleared out before I was done, so at least the last bit was more calm. On a related note, a little more digging on the Swim for Diabetes site revealed some contradictions on length vs. lap – I may have earned the ribbon after all.
Work has really sucked this afternoon. I’ll be really glad to get out of here today.
later…

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