I tried to post on the way to my race on friday afternoon using my phone, for some reason it didnt work. Anyway, like you care

We did race this weekend and we… WON!!!!

WE beat our biggest rival WEDALI by only about a few minutes, after 26+ hours of racing to be only a few minutes apart… AMAZING.

Will post more tomorrow, but wanted to share this great piece of news with you. Now at home ready to go to bed @ 8.30pm after no sleep since friday night and 15mins in a gas station parking lot this afternoon as i tried to stay awake.

But nursing kankles and celebrating

Great news!!! as our team prepares to race this weekend. First time in TOO LONG for me.

We are in 1st Place in the race for US National Championships.

http://blog.checkpointtracker.com/2011/05/06/checkpoint-zerotech4o-moves-into-1st-place/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CheckpointTracker+%28Checkpoint+Tracker+Adventure+Racing%29

and

http://blog.checkpointtracker.com/2011/05/09/checkpoint-tracker-shootout-at-atomic-adventure-race-this-weekend/

This is great news. But i feel kinda dirty as i havent really raced. Oh well time to play catch up. It does put a big target on our backs. I love a challenge!!!

I have been taking a day off today, feels good. Went downtown to eat lunch with a friend and this later on today will go paddle, hopefully hit a few hours, but it is hot outside, supposed to hit 90 this week. But in light of a race i do get to taper too

I am working on a blog post right now in response to the whole Osama bin Laden events. it’s not pretty, depending on your perspective and if i ever get the ‘you know whats’ to publish it i will. stay tuned… Maybe

The week finally came to an end last night (saturday) after riding for 3hours then scarfing down some dinner and running for 3hrs.

Wanted to get that big day under my belt before a 30hr race next weekend. Atomic AR starts Saturday morning and goes until sometime sunday morning. I feel ready!!! and will taper a little this week. We are defending champs of this race and the obnoxious Race Director has this tradition on “making” the defending champs carrying an atomic shaped metal logo that weighs… I don’t know 10lbs to try to slow them down. With Pete doing most of the navigation, and not expecting Michele to carry it i guess i am the work horse and get to lug that silly thing around. I hope we win, as no one has won back to back before and it would feel pretty sweet to be able to say that, with a silly weight.

I do love my job, don’t get me wrong.

Thursday & Friday got to do an overnight canoe trip on the Flint River. it was fun to have a cooler night thursday sleeping by the river and having to zip up my sleeping bag b/c it was a little chilly. Not that those temps will last for long. Supposed to hit 90 this week. I guess summer is here.

However between canoe trips, lots of kids, older adults, for programming, canoe trips, oh and draining an abscess on a horse. its been quite a week…

AND I WOULDNT HAVE IT ANY DIFFERENT!!!

Looking forward to some time, just Robin & I this afternoon. We may even get a sail boat out and go sailing. there’s a decent breeze. then again we may just crash and stare at each other. haha

Another week is upon is and wow what an action packed few days

Tried to go to bed early last night after doing the math and realizing that in the 5 nights before sunday i/we had some sort of emergency that meant NO BED TIME before at least 1am. hmmmmm NOT COOL.

Strangely enough they all revolved around emergencies.

Late Tuesday night… an equine emergency with one of our horse (chapala) who had a large abscess that needing lancing off. That was NOT fun to watch. And WOW did that stuff stink

Late Wednesday night… the weather emergency which was documented in a previous post

Late Saturday Night… a medical emergency, when one of our Common Sole/Soul folks accidentally cut her wrist (no really it was an accident) and so had to take her to the ER.

Then last night arrives and the thought of an early night only to be foiled by a corner of the screen on CNN announcement that President Obama had some big announcement. Not about Libya, but something else. Which was supposed to be announced at 10.30pm. There goes the early night. When 10.30 turned into almost 11.30.

We found ourselves trying to guess what it was, the best that i could come up with was a Giant meteor was going yo crash into earth. As we texted with friends in Alabama, they were predicting aliens. No joke, are we silly!!!

Still “that” announcement was huge. However i did read today that some former…. thinks that this was all “too hollywood” like to be true.  Not saying i believe that comment, but something to think about for sure. Ever see the movie “Wag the Dog”. That this was too perfect, too this…, to that… He could have died from getting a fish bone stuck in his throat.

Anyways… Tomorrow is BIG run day, need to knock out at least 3hrs. We have a 30 hr race not this, but next weekend. With some of our biggest rivals… “WEDALI”, “I’m On Point”. should be fun.  We did land a big sponsorship deal today, which our team owner has been working on for months. New clothing, jerseys, helmets, packs… SWEET!!!!

And today has been filled with 40 public school kids all morning, moving canoes this afternoon, to get attacked by fire ants. First fire ant bites of the summer… YES!!!! to draining another abscess on a horse with vet late this afternoon.

And to think its only Monday

This photo was taken on Saturday about 5 miles from our house/camp. it’s a fork lift company that was totally destroyed.

I also rode my bike yesterday in another part of the county and saw unbelievable damage everything from peoples homes… gone
trees… cut in half or bent over 90degrees
power/utility lines up rooted

really powerful hand of weather and nature and so close to home

It has been a rough couple of days. Before the storms last night we lost one of the horses in our equestrian program yesterday morning. This was not taken well by everyone including our over 50 volunteers than MAKE that program work. However i do understand that reaction. THey are a very committed bunch of wonderful people.

Then last night we had the storms. Yeah, that was something else. Damage here is minimal with a few big trees down (but not on any buildings etc.) however a tornado did touchdown literally right down the street. With a lot of damage and at least 2 people dead that i know of. And to make it even more exciting we had 40+ women on site for a conference and i had to run down there at 12am and wake them all up and stuff them in  emergency rooms. It wasn’t fun waking a lot of middle-aged women up at midnight. Saw way too many people in their pyjamas. But none the less a real emergency and one i’m glad i did what i did.

But then to be greeted at breakfast with the words… ” we have a major problem, my air conditioning won’t work”. hmmmmm

I can laugh it off, but really????

Yes  the thoughts a flowing tonight. Maybe its becuase Robin isnt here and i can only talk to Cora (our dog) for so long, although i know she loves the attention.

I saw my 1st snake of the year today. In fact i saw 2, but the 2nd was moving too fast and before i could get off my bike it was gone

Also on another note… TODAY WAS ANZAC DAY!!!!!

will write more about that some other time

Before i moved to America from NZ i lived in Japan for one year. This was a richly wonderful time (not for $$$ or should i say Yen) but for every other reason. I moved there because…. wait that’s another post another time.

Japan is a very diverse country and straddles a fence of tradition, history along with technology. Technology that moves quicker than their famed ‘Bullet Trains’. Japan isn’t all lights, technology and gadgets. However one observation i did have was…

How seemingly over-employed the country was and maybe still is. And by this i mean overkill on staff. Everywhere you turn there seems to be workers, staff, employees, there to do whatever when ever for whom ever. Now this may have changed with recent economic downturns and natural disasters. But there seemed to be a job for everyone, especially government jobs and 2-3 people for every position. Somewhat of a false economy.

I write this because there were often times when one would just say out loud “sigh…. oh Japan…sigh” at the sight of 3 workers standing on the sidewalk wearing enough safety equipment to survive a small disaster. All protecting a tiny hole in the sidewalk that could more than adequately be highlighted with a cone and some caution tape. And might i add the huge sense of pride they would get when the foreigner would approach the “hole” and rather sarcastically react with fear and trembling at what was one to do. Only to be pacified by the now immensely fulfilled Japanese worker who had not only averted a “huge calamity” but a foreigner from that same potential misfortune. I joke and perhaps i shouldnt but it made for entertainment on one’s way to work on more than one occasion.

ANYWAYS… why do say this. Well when one is ‘not from around here’ one has the ability to gain and observe certain insights into local culture.

And this week i had one about America. I can see Robin shaking her head even now. My observation was this

RDD……………… Royal Deficit Disorder

And by that i mean the way in which many Americans are just eating up this royal wedding stuff that happens this Friday!!! They or many of You (if you are American) note i said many i  didn’t say all (that’s very strong language… that’s another post). As i was saying many Americans are just falling over themselves, lapping this stuff up.

Which leads me to another point. For a country that prides itself on being soooooooo independent, and the land of the brave & free. Along with the importance it places on liberty and self-determination etc. it strikes me as a little strange that many look over ‘the pond’ to the former motherland and are eating this stuff up.

All the TV networks are clambering for the right to say “we have the best coverage” & “on Friday we will begin our coverage at 4.30 am”. 4.30am are you kidding me. who gets up @ 4.30. well i do but that’s to run. Or watch live Rugby

Maybe America (dare i say it) misses a little bit of the monarchy, or wishes it had a good ol royal family of its own. The closest America gets (i’ve heard) are the Kennedy’s. For a country that goes all out to promote its freedom (& don’t get me wrong I’m all for that) it sure does vote with its TV coverage, TV remote, water cooler conversation etc etc etc when it comes to a good royal wedding.

Maybe suffering from a little RDD or Royal Deficit Disorder don’t you think

Its Easter Sunday.

All around the world people celebrate the Risen Saviour, Jesus Christ. About to head out to church to do so myself… not that you need to be in a square, box shaped building to celebrate anything to do with Jesus. That’s a post for another time.

I did end my Lenten Practise with a cookie or 2 or 3… i made it. it really got easy after a while, i knew it was something that wasnt part of my diet. i did run also this morning for 2 hours… pain free of course, well apart from the normal aches of running for 2 hours.

Did enjoy riding home from the Easter Egg Hunt @ Church yesterday afternoon. While i did have a head wind, i am very thankful of my abilities to even ride a bike home. Which got me thinking…

i rode about 26 miles give or take a 1/2 mile and completed it in a little over  1hr 20mins. Here’s the thinking part. that bloke Mr. Mutai who ran the Boston Marathon last monday in 2hrs 3mins for about the same distance was only about 40mins behind what i did on a bike.

Either he’s really fast, or i’m really slow.

Enjoy your day

In the few days i have written about am array of topics that all seem to be related. IMO it HAS to be more than luck. I really do believe its got to be providential… Do you know what that means (“Involving divine foresight or intervention”.)

Anyways… between our experiences at the Antiquities Center, hearing a theory on mental health, suicide, and visiting a grieving mother, its in the past 24hrs that more ‘providential’ experiences have called even more thoughts into question. For all the right reasons of course.

I plan on writing more however here’s 2 more pieces of the puzzle that intersected my life yesterday.

First i stumbled across this piece written on the CNN Belief Blog yesterday. It’s all about none other than Judas. see link below. I often check out this site, as it has some good pieces on it

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/21/my-take-is-judas-in-heaven-or-hell-god-only-knows/?hpt=Sbin

And second, last night after coming home from the Maundy Thursday Service at Church (which Robin lead REALLY WELL) we were tooling around channels on TV and found a show called The Lost Gospels  which included a piece about the supposed Gospel of Judas…. yes Judas. The story went on to talk about the controversy and supposed history of why it wasnt included in the New Testament. Several times Robin and i found ourselves staring at each other counting the hairs on our neck standing up.

More than just dumb luck.

Oh in case you wondering about the ‘My Bad’ part. i rode my mountain bike for the 1st time in 2 1/2 months this morning. lots of reasons why… ultramarathon training, road riding only, injured etc. AND about 1hour into it i rode over a decent sized limb and bent my back bracket, shifter, and hanger. All of which cannot be repaired, and will have to be replaced.

MY BAD!!!!!