Running
I want to do a mini-triathalon in a couple of weeks. It's a quarter miles swim, 12 mile bike ride and 5k run. Today I decided to try running a bit. If you're a middle aged guy and you really want to feel mortal, try running after not having done so for a while. I'm not in terrible shape and I can ride my bike all day, but people my age were not meant to run (evolutionarily speaking, people my age aren't meant to be alive, so running probably wasn't so important back in the old days). It just doesn't really work any more.
I used to run a fair amount, but now I decided I should concentrate on being able to run the maximum useful distance for my life. I estimate this to be about a quarter of a mile. This would allow me to run for a bus or a train, get out of the rain in all but the most isolated settings, and escape imminent danger. I don't really know why else I would need to run.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Back Home Again
Just in time for a big thunderstorm and losing electricity for 21 hours. I think lightning struck a tree on our block, which in turn knocked a couple of branches from another tree onto the the power lines. So we walked around the house reflexively and uselessly turning on lights when we entered the room, and when it finally got too dark we went out to eat and to a movie.
Fortunately/unfortunately, there were only a dozen or so houses with no power. For the common benefit I know that's a good thing, but for us it meant that we were pretty low on the priority scale.
In the aftermath, you do what people always do in situations like this. We plan for the disaster that just happened. Even though I've looked into getting generators in the past, I decided we really don't lose power often enough and the consequences are not sufficiently dire to go to the trouble and expense. I'm still not interested in a generator, but I'm all psyched to go to Target and buy a couple of camping lanterns. Candles really don't make enough light and flashlights are a pain to hold for a long time.
Maybe I'll get a whole disaster preparedness kit. Bottled water? Hah! I'm going for the water purification kit. I got a whole pool full of water. Maybe I'll pick up some freeze dried rations while I'm at it. I've seen that stuff at REI. Dried meat loaf and ice cream and that kind of stuff. Looks yummy inside that silver vacuum pouch. First aid? I can be efficient and skip the rubbing alcohol and just get some extra vodka. You can disinfect with it, drink it, or use it for fuel.
Just in time for a big thunderstorm and losing electricity for 21 hours. I think lightning struck a tree on our block, which in turn knocked a couple of branches from another tree onto the the power lines. So we walked around the house reflexively and uselessly turning on lights when we entered the room, and when it finally got too dark we went out to eat and to a movie.
Fortunately/unfortunately, there were only a dozen or so houses with no power. For the common benefit I know that's a good thing, but for us it meant that we were pretty low on the priority scale.
In the aftermath, you do what people always do in situations like this. We plan for the disaster that just happened. Even though I've looked into getting generators in the past, I decided we really don't lose power often enough and the consequences are not sufficiently dire to go to the trouble and expense. I'm still not interested in a generator, but I'm all psyched to go to Target and buy a couple of camping lanterns. Candles really don't make enough light and flashlights are a pain to hold for a long time.
Maybe I'll get a whole disaster preparedness kit. Bottled water? Hah! I'm going for the water purification kit. I got a whole pool full of water. Maybe I'll pick up some freeze dried rations while I'm at it. I've seen that stuff at REI. Dried meat loaf and ice cream and that kind of stuff. Looks yummy inside that silver vacuum pouch. First aid? I can be efficient and skip the rubbing alcohol and just get some extra vodka. You can disinfect with it, drink it, or use it for fuel.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The First College Visit and a Baseball Game
It's kind of early for this sort of thing, but as long as we were in Chicago we thought we'd visit a couple of colleges. Today we went to the University of Chicago. What a coincidence that it's here! (Like Eddie Izzard says about the Pilgrims, amazing that they left from Plymouth and landed in Plymouth). Pretty amazing place. Wish I'd gone there instead of where I actually went. The tour guide talked for 90 minutes straight and then the admissions woman talked for another hour. It's a terrific school and they have lots of words there.
We ate lunch at a bakery/cafe that's apparently a favorite of Barack Obama. Good stuff.
The game was at the snappily named U.S. Cellular Field. In the baseball stadium biz it's known as the place where the architects that designed most of the great new stadia (that's Latin for ya) made all their mistakes. No sh-t. It's completely characterless and you can't get in the place. If you take the subway to the game (which you should), to enter at ground level you have to walk all the way to the far end of the stadium. After an outcry, they retrofitted it with a raised pedestrian bridge, so you can get in close to the subway, but only from across the street. Very weird. The game was no snappier than the name, but I'm glad I got to see the place.
It's kind of early for this sort of thing, but as long as we were in Chicago we thought we'd visit a couple of colleges. Today we went to the University of Chicago. What a coincidence that it's here! (Like Eddie Izzard says about the Pilgrims, amazing that they left from Plymouth and landed in Plymouth). Pretty amazing place. Wish I'd gone there instead of where I actually went. The tour guide talked for 90 minutes straight and then the admissions woman talked for another hour. It's a terrific school and they have lots of words there.
We ate lunch at a bakery/cafe that's apparently a favorite of Barack Obama. Good stuff.
The game was at the snappily named U.S. Cellular Field. In the baseball stadium biz it's known as the place where the architects that designed most of the great new stadia (that's Latin for ya) made all their mistakes. No sh-t. It's completely characterless and you can't get in the place. If you take the subway to the game (which you should), to enter at ground level you have to walk all the way to the far end of the stadium. After an outcry, they retrofitted it with a raised pedestrian bridge, so you can get in close to the subway, but only from across the street. Very weird. The game was no snappier than the name, but I'm glad I got to see the place.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Ratio and Proportion
I was thinking as I was tooling around the lakefront on my Segway, that one of the problems with taking a trip like this is that the ratio of the time you take planning it and the time you're actually in the place is way too high. We're in Chicago for four full days, but I must have spent more than a dozen hours planning, or nearly a quarter of the time we're here. That seems like a less than optimal work:fun ratio. That's why spontaneity is nice. There's no work in that ratio.
BTAIM, this has been a pretty good trip considering it's 2 parents and an almost 17 year-old girl. On the first night we had an amazing dinner at a place called Moto. The restaurant is famous for its odd preparations and presentations. We had a 10 course tasting menu, which didn't include any of the dishes prepared with liquid nitrogen, but did include an edible piece of paper that tasted like Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing and celery, a liquified greek salad in a pipette, "road kill" duck with beet puree blood and yellow lines on the plate and black salt gravel, and "cracker jack," a peanut flavored ball with a liquid popcorn center. And it was all delicious.
We've seen Blue Man Group and Second City, all very funny, taken a boat ride and a Segway tour along the lake front, and walked through Millennium Park with its giant silver bean. We're still visiting a couple of colleges, going to a baseball game (unfortunately not a Wrigley Field, the Cubbies are out of town) and seeing some cool modern art and maybe a Frank Lloyd Wright house. It's been a pretty good trip so far.
I was thinking as I was tooling around the lakefront on my Segway, that one of the problems with taking a trip like this is that the ratio of the time you take planning it and the time you're actually in the place is way too high. We're in Chicago for four full days, but I must have spent more than a dozen hours planning, or nearly a quarter of the time we're here. That seems like a less than optimal work:fun ratio. That's why spontaneity is nice. There's no work in that ratio.
BTAIM, this has been a pretty good trip considering it's 2 parents and an almost 17 year-old girl. On the first night we had an amazing dinner at a place called Moto. The restaurant is famous for its odd preparations and presentations. We had a 10 course tasting menu, which didn't include any of the dishes prepared with liquid nitrogen, but did include an edible piece of paper that tasted like Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing and celery, a liquified greek salad in a pipette, "road kill" duck with beet puree blood and yellow lines on the plate and black salt gravel, and "cracker jack," a peanut flavored ball with a liquid popcorn center. And it was all delicious.
We've seen Blue Man Group and Second City, all very funny, taken a boat ride and a Segway tour along the lake front, and walked through Millennium Park with its giant silver bean. We're still visiting a couple of colleges, going to a baseball game (unfortunately not a Wrigley Field, the Cubbies are out of town) and seeing some cool modern art and maybe a Frank Lloyd Wright house. It's been a pretty good trip so far.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Travel
Of course, air travel is always somewhat unpleasant, but Southwest does seem to go out of its way to make it less so. Their people tend to act more like people and less like automatons than the other airlines. This has the residual effct of making the people flying with them less tense and better-humored, which is good for everyone. Those of you who know me would probably say I'm a reasonably nice, mellow, tolerant person, but when I'm trying to deal with US Airways, something about it immediately turns me into an SOB. When people are rude to me I have no problem bring rude in return and I arrive at the airport ready for them to be rude to me. Not fun.
Before I forget I have to mention my new favorite warning label. On the plane they give you Cheez-its and peanuts. On the (incredibly teeny) bag of peanuts it says:
INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, salt.
ALLERGY WARNING: This product produced in a factory that processes peanuts and tree nuts.
I guess it would have been more disturbing if it wasn't produced in that kind of factory.
Of course, air travel is always somewhat unpleasant, but Southwest does seem to go out of its way to make it less so. Their people tend to act more like people and less like automatons than the other airlines. This has the residual effct of making the people flying with them less tense and better-humored, which is good for everyone. Those of you who know me would probably say I'm a reasonably nice, mellow, tolerant person, but when I'm trying to deal with US Airways, something about it immediately turns me into an SOB. When people are rude to me I have no problem bring rude in return and I arrive at the airport ready for them to be rude to me. Not fun.
Before I forget I have to mention my new favorite warning label. On the plane they give you Cheez-its and peanuts. On the (incredibly teeny) bag of peanuts it says:
INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, salt.
ALLERGY WARNING: This product produced in a factory that processes peanuts and tree nuts.
I guess it would have been more disturbing if it wasn't produced in that kind of factory.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Chicago
Oh my God are there a lot of tourists here! Why? I like Chicago. Been here several times in circumstances ranging from major business conventions to getting off a train after a 12-hour delayed 48 hour trip from Montana and a few more normal occasions, and I've always enjoyed myself. But a tourist mecca? Maybe for people from Gary, Indiana, but international? Cosmopolitan? I never would have figured it.
But why not. It has the best architecture of any city in the United States and there isn't even a close second. In the downtown area, any time you look up there's a treat. Art Deco, Romantic, Modern and Post-Modern. Turn of the 20th century buildings paying homage to the great edifices of Europe and turn of the 21st century buildings paying homage to them in turn. On one corner there's a building with real flying buttresses 40 stories up and across the street a modern skyscraper with rectangular structures on the setback to give a respectful nod to it.
It has good pizza too. And lots of stuff to do and great restaurants and a big honkin' lake.
More details tomorrow.
Oh my God are there a lot of tourists here! Why? I like Chicago. Been here several times in circumstances ranging from major business conventions to getting off a train after a 12-hour delayed 48 hour trip from Montana and a few more normal occasions, and I've always enjoyed myself. But a tourist mecca? Maybe for people from Gary, Indiana, but international? Cosmopolitan? I never would have figured it.
But why not. It has the best architecture of any city in the United States and there isn't even a close second. In the downtown area, any time you look up there's a treat. Art Deco, Romantic, Modern and Post-Modern. Turn of the 20th century buildings paying homage to the great edifices of Europe and turn of the 21st century buildings paying homage to them in turn. On one corner there's a building with real flying buttresses 40 stories up and across the street a modern skyscraper with rectangular structures on the setback to give a respectful nod to it.
It has good pizza too. And lots of stuff to do and great restaurants and a big honkin' lake.
More details tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Driving
Almost had our first real accident today. We cut a left turn too close, swerved to the right (correctly) to get away from the car, but hit the accelerator instead of the break and almost hit a pole. I think everyone does that once or twice when they're first learning, and there really isn't any way to teach someone not to do it. You just have to hope for the best and try to learn to control your panic. That's why insurance rates are what they are.
Almost had our first real accident today. We cut a left turn too close, swerved to the right (correctly) to get away from the car, but hit the accelerator instead of the break and almost hit a pole. I think everyone does that once or twice when they're first learning, and there really isn't any way to teach someone not to do it. You just have to hope for the best and try to learn to control your panic. That's why insurance rates are what they are.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Quotable
There are signs around my neighborhood for "The Mother of All Yard Sales." I wonder if the person who made those signs knows who coined that particular turn of phrase. Do you know?
It was Saddam Hussein. During the first Gulf War he called for his troops to prepare for the "mother of all battles." Of course it wasn't really, but Saddam now lives on in our vernacular.
There are signs around my neighborhood for "The Mother of All Yard Sales." I wonder if the person who made those signs knows who coined that particular turn of phrase. Do you know?
It was Saddam Hussein. During the first Gulf War he called for his troops to prepare for the "mother of all battles." Of course it wasn't really, but Saddam now lives on in our vernacular.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Be Very Afraid
I am embarking on one of the most terrifying journeys one can imagine. I am teaching my daughter to drive.
Let me say from the get go that she is, for a new driver, very good. She's basically careful, sees the road well, brakes and accelerates reasonably smoothly, and takes instruction well for a teenager. However, this does nothing to advance a feeling of calm and well-being.
I have strong opinions about driving and I drive in a way that reflects a particular philosophy. I know this is shocking that I have a philosophy of driving, but there you go. I haven't had an accident in over 30 years so it's hard to convince me that I'm wrong. My driving is based on two facts:
Following this philosophy, or any other basic driving instruction, is predicated on the ability to drive in a straight line and to execute left and right turns at approximately a right angle. And this is where the adventure begins.
First let's talk about the straight line thing. We all know that the shortest distance between 2 points is straight line and so we should try to drive this way. Road design. however, conspires to thwart this in two ways. First of all, roads by necessity have to avoid things like trees and houses and streams, so many roads have curves. Second, roads are not flat. They are built to "crown" in the center and slope down to the right. This is to encourage water to flow off the road. Gravity therefore continually pulls the car to the right and the driver has to continually guide the car back to the left. New drivers forget to do this periodically, and also have an understandable fear of cars in the adjacent lane, so if you're sitting on the right side of the car, it's best to stay alert. Or wear a blindfold.
Turning is also a challenge. Cars are hard to turn. They're big heavy things and you have to control a whole bunch of things at the same time. You have to turn the wheel enough that the car turns and then recover it before it continues to turn after. This is astonishingly hard for new drivers, and I think it always catches their parent/instructor by surprise.
So we made it through a week of this with only one dent in the car. You have to resign yourself to dents if you're going to allow a new driver to take control of your car. This is why I'm doing this and not my wife. I'm keeping it there as a reminder.
I'll post on this again after we've been on a highway.
I am embarking on one of the most terrifying journeys one can imagine. I am teaching my daughter to drive.
Let me say from the get go that she is, for a new driver, very good. She's basically careful, sees the road well, brakes and accelerates reasonably smoothly, and takes instruction well for a teenager. However, this does nothing to advance a feeling of calm and well-being.
I have strong opinions about driving and I drive in a way that reflects a particular philosophy. I know this is shocking that I have a philosophy of driving, but there you go. I haven't had an accident in over 30 years so it's hard to convince me that I'm wrong. My driving is based on two facts:
- The idea of driving is to get from one place to another without bumping into anything. A corollary is that stationary things are easier to avoid than moving things.
- Driving is the single most dangerous thing you do in your life (I think taking a shower is a distant second)
Following this philosophy, or any other basic driving instruction, is predicated on the ability to drive in a straight line and to execute left and right turns at approximately a right angle. And this is where the adventure begins.
First let's talk about the straight line thing. We all know that the shortest distance between 2 points is straight line and so we should try to drive this way. Road design. however, conspires to thwart this in two ways. First of all, roads by necessity have to avoid things like trees and houses and streams, so many roads have curves. Second, roads are not flat. They are built to "crown" in the center and slope down to the right. This is to encourage water to flow off the road. Gravity therefore continually pulls the car to the right and the driver has to continually guide the car back to the left. New drivers forget to do this periodically, and also have an understandable fear of cars in the adjacent lane, so if you're sitting on the right side of the car, it's best to stay alert. Or wear a blindfold.
Turning is also a challenge. Cars are hard to turn. They're big heavy things and you have to control a whole bunch of things at the same time. You have to turn the wheel enough that the car turns and then recover it before it continues to turn after. This is astonishingly hard for new drivers, and I think it always catches their parent/instructor by surprise.
So we made it through a week of this with only one dent in the car. You have to resign yourself to dents if you're going to allow a new driver to take control of your car. This is why I'm doing this and not my wife. I'm keeping it there as a reminder.
I'll post on this again after we've been on a highway.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Getting to the New Digs
I rode my bicycle from the old school to the new school. It's a bit hard finding an appropriate route, because there are two sections of the route that are designed to be impenetrable. You can't get from Remington Rd. to Wynnewood Rd. without going on main roads somewhere, and Haverford College has no entrance on it's eastern front, so you're stuck with going north or south of it.
Before I go into details, let me add the the obvious best way to get to the new school is by the 100 trolley, which has a station that exits directly to the campus.
From the school you go a couple of blocks up Old Lancaster, then left on Sycamore. Why not just take Highland? In a car it probably doesn't matter, but when you're biking, shortening the trip by a couple of hundred yards saves a minute. Follow Sycamore to Merion Rd. I know there are lots of somewhat famous homes on this section of Merion Rd. We actually looked at a house there where Will Smith was living right before he left for California. He and Jada were just hanging out when we were looking at it. He wasn't a huge star yet, Fresh Prince of Bel Air was just about to come on the air. OMG! That was a long time ago! 17 years I think.
Follow Merion Rd to Bowman Av. and turn left. Go past the elementary school. The road is pretty beat up because of water pipe work, but you can manage. Make a right on Wynnewood Rd. This section is a pain in the butt. It's busy and there's lots of driveways, which are always terrifying for a cyclist because you're never sure if the person pulling out is only looking out for cars. Also, since you're going straight at Lancaster you have to end up in the middle lane because the right lane is right turn only. Bicycles in the middle lane are generally frowned upon by motorists.
Once you cross Lancaster there's not as much traffic and even though it's still a 4 lane road, your main concern is what are technically referred to as depressed storm drains. These storm drains are not depressed enough to harm themselves, but they're pretty good at harming you if you ride a bike over them. Follow Wynnewood Rd. for about a mile and then turn right onto County Line Rd. From the vantage point of County line Rd., it is difficult to discern any difference between the two counties. I guess this is one of these places where your neighbor goes to a different school from you. County Line Rd. has not been repaved for a long time, with the overall effect of simulating a gravel road. You can't go 100 feet without hitting some kind of patch or hole in the pavement. But you do get to pass Carlinos and a "multi-color hair salon." Not sure what that means.
Make a left on Ardmore Avenue and head down to Haverford Avenue. Here's where Haverford College is in the way. Fortunately, Haverford Av., though busy, has a center lane for left turns only. Since there are pretty much no places to make left turns on this stretch, this means that cars can pass you easily. Once you're past the college, defy the temptation to make a right on College Av. and go to the next light, which is Buck Rd. I'm sure nobody really wants to see a buck on Buck Rd, but that's okay because you then make a left onto Old Railroad Av. and I don't think anyone wants to see an old train there either.
Follow Old Railroad until you reach the intersection with another incarnation of County Line Rd. If my trip was any indication, during this stretch you will encounter a short but drenching rain shower. At the intersection go soft right onto some little street that takes you over to Byrn Mawr Av. It's more direct to go on Haverford Av, but the intersection of Haverford and Bryn Mawr was cleverly designed such that it is impossible to make a left turn onto Bryn Mawr Avenue, which is where you need to go. So go up the little street and make a left onto Bryn Mawr and go through the light, past Wawa on the left, and then the school is on the right.
Coming back is essentially the same, only backwards. The Haverford Avenue section is 2 lanes in this direction and seems to always be more heavily trafficked than the other direction. This state of affairs seems counterintuitive to me. You'd think that everyone would eventually end up on the eastern side. The best part of this section is that it's downhill.
When you're riding, there's always a time and place where you wish you had a motor. On this trip, it's the ride up Sycamore from Merion Rd. to Old Lancaster. It's not steep, just long and steady.
The trip took me 26 minutes. I don't really know how far it is, but I'm guessing my average speed is around 12-13 mph, including stops, 15 mph when actually riding.
I rode my bicycle from the old school to the new school. It's a bit hard finding an appropriate route, because there are two sections of the route that are designed to be impenetrable. You can't get from Remington Rd. to Wynnewood Rd. without going on main roads somewhere, and Haverford College has no entrance on it's eastern front, so you're stuck with going north or south of it.
Before I go into details, let me add the the obvious best way to get to the new school is by the 100 trolley, which has a station that exits directly to the campus.
From the school you go a couple of blocks up Old Lancaster, then left on Sycamore. Why not just take Highland? In a car it probably doesn't matter, but when you're biking, shortening the trip by a couple of hundred yards saves a minute. Follow Sycamore to Merion Rd. I know there are lots of somewhat famous homes on this section of Merion Rd. We actually looked at a house there where Will Smith was living right before he left for California. He and Jada were just hanging out when we were looking at it. He wasn't a huge star yet, Fresh Prince of Bel Air was just about to come on the air. OMG! That was a long time ago! 17 years I think.
Follow Merion Rd to Bowman Av. and turn left. Go past the elementary school. The road is pretty beat up because of water pipe work, but you can manage. Make a right on Wynnewood Rd. This section is a pain in the butt. It's busy and there's lots of driveways, which are always terrifying for a cyclist because you're never sure if the person pulling out is only looking out for cars. Also, since you're going straight at Lancaster you have to end up in the middle lane because the right lane is right turn only. Bicycles in the middle lane are generally frowned upon by motorists.
Once you cross Lancaster there's not as much traffic and even though it's still a 4 lane road, your main concern is what are technically referred to as depressed storm drains. These storm drains are not depressed enough to harm themselves, but they're pretty good at harming you if you ride a bike over them. Follow Wynnewood Rd. for about a mile and then turn right onto County Line Rd. From the vantage point of County line Rd., it is difficult to discern any difference between the two counties. I guess this is one of these places where your neighbor goes to a different school from you. County Line Rd. has not been repaved for a long time, with the overall effect of simulating a gravel road. You can't go 100 feet without hitting some kind of patch or hole in the pavement. But you do get to pass Carlinos and a "multi-color hair salon." Not sure what that means.
Make a left on Ardmore Avenue and head down to Haverford Avenue. Here's where Haverford College is in the way. Fortunately, Haverford Av., though busy, has a center lane for left turns only. Since there are pretty much no places to make left turns on this stretch, this means that cars can pass you easily. Once you're past the college, defy the temptation to make a right on College Av. and go to the next light, which is Buck Rd. I'm sure nobody really wants to see a buck on Buck Rd, but that's okay because you then make a left onto Old Railroad Av. and I don't think anyone wants to see an old train there either.
Follow Old Railroad until you reach the intersection with another incarnation of County Line Rd. If my trip was any indication, during this stretch you will encounter a short but drenching rain shower. At the intersection go soft right onto some little street that takes you over to Byrn Mawr Av. It's more direct to go on Haverford Av, but the intersection of Haverford and Bryn Mawr was cleverly designed such that it is impossible to make a left turn onto Bryn Mawr Avenue, which is where you need to go. So go up the little street and make a left onto Bryn Mawr and go through the light, past Wawa on the left, and then the school is on the right.
Coming back is essentially the same, only backwards. The Haverford Avenue section is 2 lanes in this direction and seems to always be more heavily trafficked than the other direction. This state of affairs seems counterintuitive to me. You'd think that everyone would eventually end up on the eastern side. The best part of this section is that it's downhill.
When you're riding, there's always a time and place where you wish you had a motor. On this trip, it's the ride up Sycamore from Merion Rd. to Old Lancaster. It's not steep, just long and steady.
The trip took me 26 minutes. I don't really know how far it is, but I'm guessing my average speed is around 12-13 mph, including stops, 15 mph when actually riding.
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