It's 10:30 on a Thursday and I really should be getting to bed, but I felt It's been too long since I made a dispatch here, so I'm takng care of business. I just read a few articles in OUTSIDE magazine, and I like the way they write. I got inspired, and so I ended up here at the keyboard hoping to poke out something prophetic or meaningful to deserve your stopping by to read.
Tomorrow is Friday, and if you've been here before you know what that means. I'll be heading to Belmont shore for my weekly kitesurfing activities, and then to Camber Hills' house for the podcast of Sounds Fabulous. This week's "Element of Thinking Fabulous" is about Appreciation, and our guest caller is Jan Phillips, so we're both very excited about that. Last week's podcast was about self improvement, and the banter went smoother than it ever has, I was quite proud of that one and I'll be getting it up and online soon for you to listen to.
. . .and now the Kitesurfing part.
In the past 2 weeks, I have been having issues with kite lines snapping. I had one Kite lead break, and one of my tether lines busted a loop last week as well. I don't expect you to know what those are, but I will tell you that it means I'll be going into the kitesurf shop to get some new lines for the kite tomorrow before the wind blows. It's been starting up as early as 11:30 a.m. lately, so I plan to get up and out of here as soon as I possibly can. i've had a lot of work on my desk lately, but hopefully I've taken care of the clients well enough to get a little personal time, and the afternoon off.
Got a call Tuesday night from my cousin Jay, told me our Uncle Tom had passed away on Monday. I was named after him, which was my Mothers way of expressing how she felt about the guy. I didn't know him very well.
Uncle Tom had a serious stroke in the late 70's, and the person that came out of that was who I grew up knowing as my namesake( or was I his?)
His stroke was different than most, it attacked the right side of his brain, the side of reason and social skills and stuff. It left him childlike and unable to make proper decisions. He was passed around from California to Michigan and back again during the year, between his home with his wife and family, and his sister's place in Orange county. Seems Aunt Kay felt Aunt CJ needed a break from time to time.
The Tom I didn't know ran a large John Deere Dealership in Michigan, one of the largest and most successful in the state, built from the ground up. Seems his Dad, my Grandfather, sold a competitor brand of tractor, and Tom wanted to stick it to the old man. Seems he won that fight.
The news of Tom's passing bummed me out, as one would expect, but not for the typical reasons. Uncle Tom wasn't suppose to survive his stroke, so every year he had afterward was gravy. I was bummed because another member of that huge family, the invincible Thesier clan, was gone. As I get older I watch the once proud legion of 14 healthy, heavy drinking, heavy eating Aunts and Uncles on My Mom's side grow older, feebler. Many have had strokes, several have died, and it seems it happens faster in between each time. I'm reminded that nothing really great in this life is going to last forever, and perhaps I should focus my attention on the ones we have left. Tom's death came as a surprise partly because it's been so long since I've heard anything about him. Kay and Don, his California caretakers have been gone some five years now.
Nothing last forever, that's the message here. It seems the older I get, the louder that bell rings. It leaves me to wonder though, who's it ringing for next?
It's Friday and as many of you know, it's my day to head to the beach for my weekly flip at kitesurfing,
It's been pretty hot here lately as Indian summer kicks in to high gear, so I suspect a LOT of people are going to head to the beach to get some of that cool ocean breeze. It's typically 8-10 degrees cooler there than inland, so I'm looking to cool down out there while catching some good wind in my kite, and perhaps mastering that elusive going left thing today. Wish me luck!
I think technology moves so fast these days we forget to be amazed by it. I hired a small business in my home town region to prepare a gift and deliver it to my Mother on her birthday.
I told them what I wanted and the general look and feel of the thing. They put it together that day, and sent me a photo of the gift,(taken on their phone to my phone) for approval, 3,500 miles away.
It cost less than building it here and shipping it, took lesss time, and the cost/convenience ratio was over the top efficient. Thank you Perfect Gifting for delivering(OMG) this custom gift to my Mom on her birthday!
Now if only sending the money to pay for it could be as easy and quick.
Yes, July's dispatch was brief. Not much happend so I felt no need to document. It's very difficult to report on things like paint drying, plus I think I'm still reeling from the emotional void left after the Aids Lifecycle ride. I'm emotionally and literally exhausted, so it's taking me some time to recover.
Safe to say I was simply in NY with a great deal of Family and it's taken me this long to recover from THAT emotionaly as well, so lets just move on shall we?
Whilst (what kind of word is whilst anyway?) in NY for the summer I took my big bloated kite to Lake Ontario to check out the kitesurfing conditions there. I had comepletely forgotten how a lake smells, oh-so different from the ocean. I really shouldn't complain/compare the two together, neither of them are anything you would call "clean", it's just a choice between which ugly tub you'd rather sit in I suppose.
In New York, at the beach near Sodus Point, the 22 mph wind caught my kite pretty good, and strained the leading edge seam enough to cause it to tear open, and the bladder to buldge out. Seems we've been in this sad and dark place before, haven't we? (read Grounded, October '06).
I'm posting about this because I threw caution to the wind and took my newly repaired kite(thank you Airtime) to belmont shore yesterday to see if the patch would hold. It did and I had a great time. 8 minutes of kitesurfing for every 35 minutes spent detanging lines, unwraveling seaweed and repumping the deflated bladders. I was there over five hours, I got in 5 good runs.
I don't know, is that good? Does anyone know the average?
For my Next Trick . . .
Please be patient with me for the simple fact that all my blogging is about kitesurfing these days. I'm hoping that there are individuals out there that might be getting something out of this in their quest to learn this challenging yet rewarding sport. I have been struggling to learn how to kiteboard to the left. I know that sounds silly. I know that your thinking I must be referring to some strange technical kiteboard jargon, and that it couldn't be a statement as simple as just going left, but it is.
It's not as easy as it sounds.
I, not unlike you, thought that if I knew how to go right, left would be a no brainer, but it's eluding me. It's like trying to write your name with your left hand for the first time, it's awkward, and feels strange, and It's just like learning to kiteboard all over again.
So your asking: "If you can only kite to the right, how the heck do you get around out there in the water?" Well, fortunately the wind blows the right way as to carry me parallel to the beach, to the right, away from my starting point. I do a run about 1.5 miles long, then steer the board to the beach, get out of the water and do the "Walk of Shame" back to the starting point. That means about 20 minutes of walking for every 8 minutes of boarding (not a very efficient day of fun). So here you can see why going Left is such an important next step. If I can figure out how to get back to where I started, then I'll never need to leave the water at all, and I can stay out there as long as I want, and go virtually anywhere.
I saw my Doctor yesterday and he informed me, with some shock, that I have not gained or lost 1 ounce in weight since the last time I was in his office in June. Since that was just after the ride, and I usually lose some weight on the ride, I was thrilled that for almost 2 months I've been able to maintain my weight, instead of gaining it all back(almost 10 lbs. this year) That made me feel fit, and athletic and ready to RIDE!
Last evening Alan and I went for a cycle ride up Santa Anita road to the top. It was our usual hearty race of a climb, and I beat him to the top (for a change) sorry Alan, I just had to mention that. It felt amazing to get my heart pumping that way again, and I realized I have been out of the saddle for too long (* 3 weeks?). I had meetings with Sarah at the AIDS/Lifecycle office last week, and the ALC 7 fiscal year has officially begun for me, with preparations for the training ride leader training course in September, manning the ALC booth at the Sunset Junction Festival next week, and training rides beginning on Thursday. Now all I have to do is cough up the $50 and register for the ride and get my rider number . . .
Mindfull Musings in Mp3 format Today is Friday, that means Podcast day in Long beach. It's been a very, VERY rough week, and I am giving myself this perfect day to get out into the bay and have as much fun on my kiteboard as I possibly can.
Today I vow to stay out there until I get the "left thing" nailed. While I'm gone, you can listen to the latest pocast from "Sounds Fabulous" where Camber Hill and I discuss the 12 principles of Thinking Fabulous, and what they mean to you, the listener. Tune in and Tune up, with Soundsfabulous!
In the past 2 weeks, I have been having issues with kite lines snapping. I had one Kite lead break, and one of my tether lines busted a loop last week as well. I don't expect you to know what those are, but I will tell you that it means I'll be going into the kitesurf shop to get some new lines for the kite tomorrow before the wind blows. It's been starting up as early as 11:30 a.m. lately, so I plan to get up and out of here as soon as I possibly can. i've had a lot of work on my desk lately, but hopefully I've taken care of the clients well enough to get a little personal time, and the afternoon off.
It's Friday and as many of you know, it's my day to head to the beach for my weekly flip at kitesurfing,
I think technology moves so fast these days we forget to be amazed by it. I hired a small business in my home town region to prepare a gift and deliver it to my Mother on her birthday.
I have been struggling to learn how to kiteboard to the left. I know that sounds silly. I know that your thinking I must be referring to some strange technical kiteboard jargon, and that it couldn't be a statement as simple as just going left, but it is.
