Archive for December, 2005

Give me these moments -kb

I’d like to see the new year dawn with the mad ringing of church bells sailing through the streets of a spring thawing coastal town.I’d like to sit on a wet hillside among smatterings of Purple Saxifrage flowers and just feel the damp breezes twist around my ears.

I’d like to run and slide on water covered melting ice until my legs were soaked and frozen to the knees.

I’d like to suck frozen water from the tips of wool mittens.

I’d like to sit on old concrete stairs and pick black mud from my boot treads with a stiff bit of grass.

I’d like to sit in a strangers kitchen with all the windows open while covering buttered toast with cinnamon and sugar.

I’d like to sip black tea, milk, honey from an old soup can.

I’d like to laugh at a stupid joke while I plan an afternoon paddle.

I’d like to accidentally drop a pencil and listen to it roll across a wooden floor and come to a clank against the foot of an old white stove.

I’d like to take a perfect sunset photo of a friend on the water. . . with a basking shark passing in the background.

I’d like Quench gum to taste exactly like it did the first time I slipped a piece on my tongue.

I’d like to fall asleep exhausted on an old rag rug while Kate Bush played quietly in another room.

I’d like to wake in the middle of the night to the subtle smell of perfume, then fall quietly back to sleep and dream of spring.

I’ve opened my window just a bit this morning and try to imagine the 34 degree air is a wet spring breeze and not just a slightly less frigid December day. My throat is burning and my head is lost in a fevered slow-motion confusion. Every few breaths are broken by an urge to cough, endlessly. .

I hate being sick, it stops me from doing the things I want to do.

I love being sick because it sends me off on waves of dreams.

Perfection Mekanik

Aero Dynamik

Materiel et Technik

Aero Dynamik

Condition et Physik

Aero Dynamik

Position et Taktik

Aero Dynamik

- kraftwerk

This is the third winter since I went from near 300lbs to a svelte 190lbs. Summer of course passes with little effect. Being a manic kayaker I’m always in the water and paddling & rolling do wonders for your form. However as the snow begins to fly things change. I’m starting to believe you gain 1lb for every inch of snow.For the longest time I hadn’t really noticed my weight gain. For some reason life can just fly by you and you’re just too busy to notice. People around you are either too close to notice or not close enough to say anything. It wasn’t until I saw a photograph of myself holding a then 1 year old Gryphon that I realized how much like an African river mammal I’d become. I found myself looking in the mirror with the the song “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” rolling through my head. This couldn’t be good.

With the help of the internet and WebMD.com it was pretty easy to come up with a solution. This is what you do when you can’t just pull out cash to hire a personal trainer. I looked at calorie calculators and made a backward assumption. I entered my current age, weight, Lack of activity, etc., and found that I would need about 3300 calories a day to maintain my then large self. Ok, so that gave me a good idea that if all I did was cut my calories below that number and take some exercise I would begin to lose pounds. Well, I tend to go at things with a bit of zeal and cut my calories to 1500 and started hiking 3 to 6 miles every day out around the Baraboo Bluffs. By the second summer I was running 3 miles which for me is a big deal. Also we had learned some truly artful cooking and ingredients that allowed us to each food similar to what we had in the past, yet with much lower calorie intake. Vegetarian beef & potatoes go a long way. I had also learned to eat in the morning. I learned that by not eating breakfast your body can act as if it’s being starved and choose not to burn calories at a normal rate as it tries to conserve energy. So I learned to love oatmeal. Yippie!

Results actually came very quickly. By my first kayak class of summer I was down to 220. Then by late-summer I made it to 194. I bottomed out at 187 for a short time and then even at 1500 calories, as fall began to slow me down, my weight went back up to 195 and sat. I even cut down to 1000 calories for a time but without the same level of exercise the weight loss just stopped. Or at least became in perceptible to an impatient American brain.

After meeting a few times with my doctor I learned quite a bit. I think the important message was to not trust the many ” healthy weight” calculators our there. He explained that although they are a base line, they don’t do a good job taking into account body types. I was not going to be a “healthy” 154lbs. In the end he told me that anywhere in the 185-195 range was a good place for me to be and experience has taught me that it seems my physical self does like to hang in that range. HOWEVER. . .

Winter keeps coming. Each winter is a battle. Again I have to watch calories with vigor. I hike the trails until the snow becomes “groomable” and hiker’s are kicked off for the sake of cross-country folks. Which by the way seems a bit heavy handed. I’m not sure why we cannot hike along side the sacred mini train tracks. But such is life. But the day the trails are first groomed is the day that I’m back in the house on the treadmill going nowhere fast.

After 2 winters on the mill I was going batty. Finally a couple weeks back I broke down and bought a bike. And the bike is actually what inspired this rambling post. On the bike I can double, even triple my time and according to it’s quasi-reliable gauge burn well over twice the calories. This is with the tension set just 2 steps below max. (no it’s not ultra-easy) For the most part this even checks out when I research calorie burn charts across the web. Thing is, I just don’t feel like I’m doing all that much at least compared to the old squeaky treadmill. On the treadmill I was always out of breath and my heart rate was racing. On the bike you tend to find a flow and just go with it. You’re heart rate is up, your breathing is up, you develop a nice shine, yet at the same time you’re very comfortable. The other odd thing I’ve noticed is a very quick definition showing up on my calves. (Yeah, you’ve got to like that) but only a very slow change in actual weight. (at least in the 2 weeks or so since we got the bike) It’s got me curious. I wonder if the bike is truly better than the mill!? You wouldn’t want to slip backwards experimenting with this new machine. Yet, the bike is certainly much more tolerable. I’m sure I’ll get a handle on it in time. Frankly I’ll just be happy when I can get back on the trails.

-d

* For More Info See: Your Guide to Weight Loss from WebMD

Round here hey man got lots of time
Round here we’re never sent to bed early
And nobody makes us wait
Round here we stay up very, very, very, very late
- counting crows

As you can see Kayak Joe has taken my kayak across Lake Michigan and is paddling around the Ludington North Pierhead Light leaving me here to browse the web. I would have gone with him, but the conditions look a bit rough!Alex Pak added a whole bunch of Greenland style rolling clips to the Wisconsin Paddlers site. So I’d head on over there and watch Alex roll for awhile. Nice “Juice Box” roll by the way. Still waiting for that straight jacket!!

Meanwhile at the Southern Wisconsin Paddlers Forum, Russ posted a bunch of pictures from the day after Christmas paddle in Milwaukee. So be sure to check that out.

Oh, and in case you missed it yesterday, Thomas, who should know cabin fever is setting in was kind enough to share this. . .

“Fantastic paddle to Cape Lookout lighthouse on NC’s Outer Banks today. Very light wind, brilliant sunshine and we actually scored a ride with the tide both ways for once. Tested my new reverse sweep roll in the waves and swell. MUCH easier in buoyant salt water than in the pool. Saw the wild horses on Shackleford Banks for the first time in person, and very friendly (a little too friendly!) dolphins came nearly close enough to touch to the boat. I think they are much more chill when there is little boat traffic in the winter.”

So Mary and I feel we have no choice but to move into his basement!

-d

“Dear Santa Claus, How have you been?
Did you have a nice summer?
How is your wife? I have been extra good this year,
so I have a long list of presents that I want.
Please note the size and color of each item,

and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated,
make it easy on yourself: just send money.
How about tens and twenties?” - Sally BrownIt takes two full days to clean the house after Christmas. You know there is a floor there somewhere under sedimentary layers of psychedelic wrapping paper and torn cardboard. With the skills of a student archeologist you can hopefully sort the legos and other important items from the twist ties and cookie crumbs.

In the kitchen food is stacked everywhere to shame us for our amazing affluence. And now the race is on to consume or pass on all this before it becomes un-edible and wasted. Mary’s massive Christmas pud will be relegated to a boat anchor for next year’s fishing season as no one could be convinced to take it home for days of tasty brandy soaked fruity bliss.

I obviously hinted enough as I got my cool ‘Soul Boater’ hoodie. I feel bad though that Mary had to play around with the stress and fretting that intermittent email responses give. These days people tend to use email like they do answering machines, as a way to sort out the messages they care about from the ones they don’t. Or at least the ones they want to put off. Very few things strike me as being as rude as screening phone calls or leaving emails un-answered. I’d rather be forced to talk to sales people then blow off a friend to save myself some effort. I don’t find it hard to send out, “I’m busy, but will get to this. .” emails when I AM swamped. People are important. Yeah, even that stupid guy trying to sell you printer ink!

I also got a Bender “Kayak Joe” which will now be put to use demonstrating proper body positions. In the shot here you will notice the torso rotation and loose grip as Joe performs a hanging draw. . All you ACA coaches will also respect how Joe does not talk as he demonstrates. .

Gryphon was inundated with new toys being the only young person in a group of various grandparents, parents and siblings. Meaning this child unlike anyone else in his family, has never known want or need. I fear this actually. Everyone should go to bed hungry once in awhile. No one on the other hand, should go to bed hungry more than once in awhile. .

The toy of the day was certainly Roboraptor who would have free run of the house if Mary would not keep picking him up for a snuggle. Yep, Mary loves Roboraptor. Now I would like to mention that I did get her some unique Asian Indian clothing & jewelry as well as the shiny silver NRS PFD that she really, really, really, really, wanted. Sorry NRS, when it comes to ultra modern toys Roboraptor is winning hand’s down over the Groove!

One little house cleaning note; I’ve been sorting the journal posts into categories which you will now see on the right-hand column. I know many of you are seeking out tips, skill work, stroke info and the like so I hope this helps make that easier. I’ve only worked through about 50% of old posts yet, but I’ll get there. Sorting though old blogs is sort of like an old photo album, you keep wondering why you would ever where clothes like that!!

Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos’ feast!
He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast!
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash!

Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee.
And NOW! grinned the Grinch, I will stuff up the tree!

Ok, So I couldn’t stay away. I just had to share. . . Mary making a homemade Christmas Pud, in the living room, on Christmas eve morning. While Boris Karloff narrates the Grinch. . .

-d

Today we get something like 8 little posts, beginning here and ending with the short entry, “Driving To Wales”. All these little tid-bits have been rolling around in my head and I wanted to get posted before the holidays. I imagine I won’t be posting for a few days now as time becomes a precious commodity.Mary is now laboring (or in this case labouring) over lemon curd, clotted cream, whisky butter, Lard, mince pies & assorted cakes. There are hours of baking ahead.

We have all the presents wrapped and under the tree. I’m never sure how it happens but each year I feel so poor yet come Christmas, the tree is floating on boxes and bows. Gryphon of course would like to make a new rule that states he can open just 1 present Christmas eve! Sorry kid.

Our Cadbury Advent Calendar was a bit of a dud this year. Too many little Christmas puds. Kids like to see something new each day, not 23 days of Yule logs and puddings. Oh well, something new next year.

Our Christmas crackers need to be dusted from spending a month hiding on top of the refrigerator. Christmas is just not Christmas without paper hats and a riddle.

I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. Not one of those “hallmark moment” holidays, but one where you can stand in the kitchen amidst a roar of mixed conversations, laughter, and spillage, and think to yourself, “This life is really good!”

What’dya Git Me? (2004)

Gryphon With His Sister Rio

The Christmas Series Continues With
The Following Posts;

Queen Of Kayak
DPB…Dip the Poor Bastard
Don’t Forget, New Year’s Day
Mary, Gryphon, & Santa’s Cows
Paddler’s Park
Mystery Man
Driving To Wales

- d