Wheeeeeeee!
So, me and a few other people almost died today, but we didn't so it's all okay now. The whitewater rafting was awesome. We did a few class fives (three in a row at one point - someone forgot to tell me that the Olympic course was a concrete mess made by a bunch of people with no concept of life and the desire to live over drowning...).
I do want to go again next year. And skiing. All the church sporting trips we make are great. Time for bed. Church tomorrow morning. Ask me more about the trip and I'll fill you all in.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
26-Jul-2006
Woo Hoo! Cable! And it's fast! Lan parties, here we go....
Hope everyone is having a good week. I am. Friday @ 4 is the rafting trip. That's gonna rock. I love getting outside. Well, I'm gonna go run for a while and see what shape I feel in. I'll probably check out the weight room here at the complex. That will help me decide if I want to stay at Climb Nashville for the extra price (it's not cheap) or if I'm gonna just work out here.
I heard back on one job opportunity (filled already). I'm still looking for web stuff, so we'll see what else comes up....
Hope everyone is having a good week. I am. Friday @ 4 is the rafting trip. That's gonna rock. I love getting outside. Well, I'm gonna go run for a while and see what shape I feel in. I'll probably check out the weight room here at the complex. That will help me decide if I want to stay at Climb Nashville for the extra price (it's not cheap) or if I'm gonna just work out here.
I heard back on one job opportunity (filled already). I'm still looking for web stuff, so we'll see what else comes up....
Saturday, July 22, 2006
22-Jul-2006
Nephew gets baptized tomorrow. Cookout here at my brother's apartment (N.C.) afterwards. Then a long drive home to Nashville and seeing sis off first thing Monday (tears). Good part is we are riding together back to Nashville so we get to talk for a while before she leaves for another year teaching at KCA in Keiv, Ukraine. I'm so proud of her and all she has done in the past year. Early and long day tomorrow. Time for sleep....
Thursday, July 20, 2006
20-Jul-2006
It's Cheaper, So It MUST Be Better
My car broke down last night because a plastic catch on the quick release for the fuel line that connects to the fuel filter broke. Nothing like watching a gallon of gas soak into the road and evaporate. I hate how there are so many plastic parts on cars these days. Ford is just known for it's bad uses of plastic (yeah, never a good idea to put plastic in a transmission - our Windstar had that problem). Thank goodness there was one 24 hour auto store in Middle Tennessee (here's a shout-out to the guys at at Advanced Auto Parts on Elm Hill Pike and Donelson Pike). Wire works for holding the dang thing on there and it doesn't leak; the catch is just broken and it won't hold it there (wire is not one of the best ideas, but then I can't afford towing right now).
So, going to bed at 5:30 Wednesday morning and then being stuck out till about 3:00 this morning is gonna be great for me trying to drive to North Carolina tomorrow for my nephew's baptism on Sunday. I'm really glad we decided to drive early because now I may use the extra time with a real tow truck and mechanic bill if anything else goes wrong.
Life is just great.
Update:
Life is better after a swim and shower. Yeah, I wish people would make quality products, but I got it fixed for $6, so it's ok now. I really hope nothing goes wrong on the drive.
My car broke down last night because a plastic catch on the quick release for the fuel line that connects to the fuel filter broke. Nothing like watching a gallon of gas soak into the road and evaporate. I hate how there are so many plastic parts on cars these days. Ford is just known for it's bad uses of plastic (yeah, never a good idea to put plastic in a transmission - our Windstar had that problem). Thank goodness there was one 24 hour auto store in Middle Tennessee (here's a shout-out to the guys at at Advanced Auto Parts on Elm Hill Pike and Donelson Pike). Wire works for holding the dang thing on there and it doesn't leak; the catch is just broken and it won't hold it there (wire is not one of the best ideas, but then I can't afford towing right now).
So, going to bed at 5:30 Wednesday morning and then being stuck out till about 3:00 this morning is gonna be great for me trying to drive to North Carolina tomorrow for my nephew's baptism on Sunday. I'm really glad we decided to drive early because now I may use the extra time with a real tow truck and mechanic bill if anything else goes wrong.
Life is just great.
Update:
Life is better after a swim and shower. Yeah, I wish people would make quality products, but I got it fixed for $6, so it's ok now. I really hope nothing goes wrong on the drive.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
19-Jul-2006
Woot! Just got the main functionality of my site finished (finally). Winsinger.com if you want to look at it again. I have a draft of the bio up and you can click on the pics on the web dev page to view the galleries of each set of screen shots. But the images are big... nothing to be done about that, they have to be that big. I think I'm going to go to sleep now. G'night.
18-Jul-2006
Currently Listening
Shall We Dance?
By Peter Gabriel, Gabriel Yared, Jamie Cullum, Various Artists
see related
Shall We Dance?
By Peter Gabriel, Gabriel Yared, Jamie Cullum, Various Artists
see related
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
11-Jul-2006
So, tomorrow I move into my apartment. I have to go get insurance today and get the electricity hooked up. This is gonna suck if they won't accept my credit (don't have any good or bad - I refuse to go into debt or spend money I don't have; for this I am penalized).
Might have a LAN party over the weekend as a moving in party. Call me for details later on this week.
Might have a LAN party over the weekend as a moving in party. Call me for details later on this week.
Sunday, July 9, 2006
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
6-Jul-2006
WOW!
This is amazing. I just got back from a four and a half hour drive. This is the first bit of real technology I've touched all week (other than my car while driving home). Let me just say, this is one of the best weeks I've ever had, and it was the best trip I've ever been on. We did a 27 or 28 mile section of the Appalachian Trail (from Garinflo Gap to I-40 - getting off at I-40 cuts off two miles of the 30 miles we had planned to Davenport Gap).
We got on the trail late Sunday night and camped close to the car (first grassy spot we found). The next day we hiked about six miles (mostly up hill) and found some muscles that I need to work on more before the next hike. That night we stayed in the Walnut Mt. shelter with two guys that were through-hiking (from start in Georgia to end in Maine). Their trail names where Big Toe and Trapper ( www.wheresahave.com ). They where going the opposite direction so that was the last we saw of them when we parted ways the next morning. Tuesday David and I did thirteen miles of steep to medium down and low grade up (not nearly as steep as the first day) to get to Max Patch (amazing view of the surrounding area; highest point of hike and most beautiful thing I've seen in a very long time) and stayed the rainy night in our tent by the Groundhog something-or-other shelter. Being the fourth, I found it fitting that when we got there, the Boy Scouts were playing with an aerosol can and lighter. Brings back memories of what some of the guys did when I was in scouts.... We finished the hike today (yesterday) with two very solid miles of the hardest uphill yet, followed by a short stop on top of Snowbird Mt. (FAA has a VOR up there) before taking the six miles of just as steep down grade to the interstate with a small hill at the end to beat. It started raining harder just as we got over that last hill and so we made a dash for the underpass where we waited for our ride. While going down that hill, we found out that Christy and D.T. (our ride) had broken down an hour away and that we couldn't get a ride from rangers back to our car to go meat her or from a shuttle service (they all require advanced notice - even in emergencies). No taxies for tight budgets. So, we waited until Christy got the car towed, repaired, and picked us up. We had leap frogged a son and mother doing the same section (starting a few miles farther north at Hot Springs and taking an extra day), and they came off the trail a few hours after we did. They offered to help out as much as they could and we all went to a cigarette shop (that also happened to have the best cheese burgers ever according to Big Toe and Trapper) that was just over the border into N.C. for tax reasons.... Steve and Pasha offered to take us as far as Knoxville, but by the time we were done eating and using the first real bathroom we had since before the hike, Christy was on her way to pick us up, so we sat under the interstate for another hour and met a very interesting biker taking a break from the rain. I'll not go into the details of his personal life he shared during that hour.... He was... different.
All in all, the trip was a great success. I want to do a lot more of that as soon as possible. Nothing like a good 40 pounds on your back to make you realize just how little you can get by with.
What I carried:
I had half the tent, my sleeping bag, one change of clothes (that I saved for the last day when we washed up in the river by I-40 - I smelled a lot better when Christy got there; bio soap is a must because someone may be drinking that water down stream), extra socks (very important when hiking; important to change once a day for heavy hiking), my new sandals or my boots (whichever I wasn't wearing), breakfast and lunch for the 3 days (David had dinner, the cooking stove, and fuel as it was smaller and fit in his pack), and a few other odds and ends like a lighter, cell phone (turned off most of the time), wallet, knife, toiletries (hand sanitizer and toothbrush/paste)... oh! and 8 pounds of water (4 quarts; 2 quarts short of what I should have been carrying - David only had 3 until the last day...). Amazing how your pack gets lighter as you drink more water....
Things I didn't have that could/should have:
Sleeping pad was the number one thing I wish I had. I don't have a light enough one for backpacking, so I did without (anyone wanna give me $70 for one?). It was fine, but I would have slept better a few nights (like the one where it rained and leaked into the tent and got my sleeping bag all wet - thank goodness that was the last night).
More TP. David had a supply for both of us, but it's always a good idea to have your own just in case. I ran out of my stash because it was packed for a one nighter trip a few months back, not the three nighter A.T.
Two more quarts of water as mentioned above. We almost ran out on Tuesday between stops because some water sources were dry and others were not marked well enough to be found.
A light weight book. We had a lot of down time on the shorter days (I usually just slept to pass the time).
Did I Learn Anything?
Man, there were some parts where I started to wonder (like after going up the same hill for 2 hours and still not being at the top), but getting to the top of each mountain really makes you fell great and makes every bit worth it. There were a lot of people just driving up the access road to Max Patch, but I think they were missing out on something great. It's incredible to look at the valley you just climbed out of and say "I just did that 2000 feet in elevation with everything I need to survive on my back and nowhere to be in days. This is freedom and accomplishment." Everyone needs to do at least three days on the A.T. You might not get it before you start or while you are on it, but when you get home, it all comes together. Just do your homework before you go... we did.
This is amazing. I just got back from a four and a half hour drive. This is the first bit of real technology I've touched all week (other than my car while driving home). Let me just say, this is one of the best weeks I've ever had, and it was the best trip I've ever been on. We did a 27 or 28 mile section of the Appalachian Trail (from Garinflo Gap to I-40 - getting off at I-40 cuts off two miles of the 30 miles we had planned to Davenport Gap).
We got on the trail late Sunday night and camped close to the car (first grassy spot we found). The next day we hiked about six miles (mostly up hill) and found some muscles that I need to work on more before the next hike. That night we stayed in the Walnut Mt. shelter with two guys that were through-hiking (from start in Georgia to end in Maine). Their trail names where Big Toe and Trapper ( www.wheresahave.com ). They where going the opposite direction so that was the last we saw of them when we parted ways the next morning. Tuesday David and I did thirteen miles of steep to medium down and low grade up (not nearly as steep as the first day) to get to Max Patch (amazing view of the surrounding area; highest point of hike and most beautiful thing I've seen in a very long time) and stayed the rainy night in our tent by the Groundhog something-or-other shelter. Being the fourth, I found it fitting that when we got there, the Boy Scouts were playing with an aerosol can and lighter. Brings back memories of what some of the guys did when I was in scouts.... We finished the hike today (yesterday) with two very solid miles of the hardest uphill yet, followed by a short stop on top of Snowbird Mt. (FAA has a VOR up there) before taking the six miles of just as steep down grade to the interstate with a small hill at the end to beat. It started raining harder just as we got over that last hill and so we made a dash for the underpass where we waited for our ride. While going down that hill, we found out that Christy and D.T. (our ride) had broken down an hour away and that we couldn't get a ride from rangers back to our car to go meat her or from a shuttle service (they all require advanced notice - even in emergencies). No taxies for tight budgets. So, we waited until Christy got the car towed, repaired, and picked us up. We had leap frogged a son and mother doing the same section (starting a few miles farther north at Hot Springs and taking an extra day), and they came off the trail a few hours after we did. They offered to help out as much as they could and we all went to a cigarette shop (that also happened to have the best cheese burgers ever according to Big Toe and Trapper) that was just over the border into N.C. for tax reasons.... Steve and Pasha offered to take us as far as Knoxville, but by the time we were done eating and using the first real bathroom we had since before the hike, Christy was on her way to pick us up, so we sat under the interstate for another hour and met a very interesting biker taking a break from the rain. I'll not go into the details of his personal life he shared during that hour.... He was... different.
All in all, the trip was a great success. I want to do a lot more of that as soon as possible. Nothing like a good 40 pounds on your back to make you realize just how little you can get by with.
What I carried:
I had half the tent, my sleeping bag, one change of clothes (that I saved for the last day when we washed up in the river by I-40 - I smelled a lot better when Christy got there; bio soap is a must because someone may be drinking that water down stream), extra socks (very important when hiking; important to change once a day for heavy hiking), my new sandals or my boots (whichever I wasn't wearing), breakfast and lunch for the 3 days (David had dinner, the cooking stove, and fuel as it was smaller and fit in his pack), and a few other odds and ends like a lighter, cell phone (turned off most of the time), wallet, knife, toiletries (hand sanitizer and toothbrush/paste)... oh! and 8 pounds of water (4 quarts; 2 quarts short of what I should have been carrying - David only had 3 until the last day...). Amazing how your pack gets lighter as you drink more water....
Things I didn't have that could/should have:
Sleeping pad was the number one thing I wish I had. I don't have a light enough one for backpacking, so I did without (anyone wanna give me $70 for one?). It was fine, but I would have slept better a few nights (like the one where it rained and leaked into the tent and got my sleeping bag all wet - thank goodness that was the last night).
More TP. David had a supply for both of us, but it's always a good idea to have your own just in case. I ran out of my stash because it was packed for a one nighter trip a few months back, not the three nighter A.T.
Two more quarts of water as mentioned above. We almost ran out on Tuesday between stops because some water sources were dry and others were not marked well enough to be found.
A light weight book. We had a lot of down time on the shorter days (I usually just slept to pass the time).
Did I Learn Anything?
Man, there were some parts where I started to wonder (like after going up the same hill for 2 hours and still not being at the top), but getting to the top of each mountain really makes you fell great and makes every bit worth it. There were a lot of people just driving up the access road to Max Patch, but I think they were missing out on something great. It's incredible to look at the valley you just climbed out of and say "I just did that 2000 feet in elevation with everything I need to survive on my back and nowhere to be in days. This is freedom and accomplishment." Everyone needs to do at least three days on the A.T. You might not get it before you start or while you are on it, but when you get home, it all comes together. Just do your homework before you go... we did.
Saturday, July 1, 2006
1-Jul-2006
Man, I missed all the dancing today. Oh well, there's next weekend. Climbing was great. Did most of a 5.11 today (difficulty ranges from 5.6 to 5.12). I can boulder better than my brother (for the sole reason that he hasn't done it before and I have been practicing the last month). Still having a hard time on the 12-15 bouldering section; can't get past it.
David and I leave tomorrow afternoon to do a 29 mile section of the AT. We should finish on Wednesday mid day. I'll not be reachable until then. Leave me voice mails if you want. It would be great to listen to them all the way back to Nashville. Please pray that all goes well and that I get a nice chance to relax and recharge during the trip.
Stuff seems to be going better, but I really just need more space to live in right now. The apartment is near! I can't wait to move. It'll be fun to decorate and buy stuff once I get a job.
David and I leave tomorrow afternoon to do a 29 mile section of the AT. We should finish on Wednesday mid day. I'll not be reachable until then. Leave me voice mails if you want. It would be great to listen to them all the way back to Nashville. Please pray that all goes well and that I get a nice chance to relax and recharge during the trip.
Stuff seems to be going better, but I really just need more space to live in right now. The apartment is near! I can't wait to move. It'll be fun to decorate and buy stuff once I get a job.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)