Archive for January, 2005
Posted by derrick on
January 28, 2005
I managed to get some time in to re-work the KayakWisconsin.net website. It was starting to get sloppy and needed a little tidying up. You will see that I also figured out the whole blogging template thing. So I got the blog looking more like the rest of the website layout.
If you came into the site through the blog be sure to check out the free stuff on the site. There are desktop wallpapers and a screensaver as well.
Posted by derrick on
January 22, 2005
Tonight as I write this I am glad to be sitting here in a warm little house. Last night’s snowstorm just buried us in a blanket of white.
Our small cinder block home is anchored in the middle of a large farm field. From here you can never tell how much snow actually fell as the wind drives drifts across the yard in long, wrinkled ridges resembling the Himalayas in miniature. When I get around to turning on the TV, I’m sure the weather guy will tell me how many inches we actually received. I will have to trust him to be right. I have no other point of reference.
Posted by derrick on
January 10, 2005
Sunday morning before the utterly dismal Packer game we spent a couple hours kayak sledding at Devil’s Lake State Park. Besides being a great beginner kayak the discontinued Current Designs Breeze makes a great toboggan. You just have to remember to reverse your edging as you careen down the hill and be aggressive when using your paddle (cheap paddle) to stay on course. Unlike a normal sled, a kayak keeps the snow out of your face. Great fun!
Posted by derrick on
January 5, 2005
My boat still needs to go back down to the shop. In anticipation of taking back to Madison I left it on the car only to find out we are going to get hit by a big snow storm. So off went the boat and I will just have to reload it on the truck tomorrow.
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My favorite book is "An Autobiography" by Mahatma Gandhi. He was unlucky enough to spend enough time in prison to write it. You can actually read the book online if you are interested at http://web.mahatma.org.in/. One of the many things that has always stuck with me from his book was the constant battle with failure. I came to realize in reading the book that failure is a partner that never actually leaves you. You never escape it. In fact, every time you take on a new endeavor you take on new failures. Failure comes with you. It is your partner in learning.
Posted by derrick on
January 1, 2005
Ok. . . . So. . .
Prologue. . .
Christmas Eve we had a family emergency and spent the night on a long drive and then in an ER late into the night. After another long drive back home we did a rush Christmas for the sake of our young son and then we were off again to Madison where our family member had been transfered to the UW hospital. The following night we again had no sleep just due to nerves I suppose. Then after a day’s rest I came down with a killer infection that had me up with extraordinary jaw pain for 48 hours! So again no sleep!
