A Cozy Crazy Anxiety Thing
Published February 11, 2006 | 
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you – coldplay
Did you ever have a day when you were pretty sure something ominous was going to happen? A day you knew to be your last day on earth!!?? I have those days every so often. All day long I walk through the world with my ears pinned back waiting for my demise. My fingers tingle, I break out in sweats and my heart just races. If you can relate to this then your either crazy or suffering anxiety issues. But lucky you can pick which label you’d like to wear. I find comfort somewhere in the middle. Just call it a “cozy crazy anxiety thing” One thing I know, is for me the dread is usually triggered by something really good happening. Now tell me that’s not strange. So someone says “You sir, have just won 11 million dollars!” and suddenly I’d be locking myself in a closet and waiting for some Godzilla sized, Grim Reaper claw-paw, to crash through my ceiling and drag me up into oblivion. Yikes!, I’ve got to find some new distractions. . . I got a few suggestions in my email this morning but I think there are laws against those suggestions. . . well in 38 states anyway.On a totally different subject I’ve been doing some updating on the website again. You know, a kayak is not really cool until its almost trashed, a website on the other hand needs some regular maintenance. This time around I’m updating all the photo galleries. I’m trying to cut each one down to the “essentials” so to speak. Of course, if you take 1100 photos at an event, it seems like you’ve already hacked away to get it down to 100. Now, I’m trying to get each gallery down below 30. I’d need a cold hearted editor if it weren’t for the fact that it’s my website and I can do what I want!! 
But the best part is the new format which uses Flash to produce a nice automatic slide-show when you click the little play button. You can also just put a mouse over an image to see the caption. Or click the “?” to keep the captions up. In fact there’s all sorts of fun ways to navigate. In addition the photographs are bigger now as well. I’ve had some emails now and then suggesting that I get those pictures bigger. Ok, ok, I’m working on it!! So far I’ve manage to get through the personal shots (that’s the easy part), and now I’m working through all the event & symposium galleries. I think from now on I’ll still put up big galleries for a couple months after an event, then cut it down after that. We’ll see. Often times I think I know exactly what I’m going to do. . then I do something completely different!
By the way, the kayak above is probably the single most “Cool” kayak I’ve ever seen. This totally loved, totally trashed Valley Nordkapp is practically a work of art. I doubt any artist today could come up with this perfect blend of faded paint, glue overrun, mis-matched patching, tape, rope and rubber. The fact that it’s old Nordkapp curves are so defined just adds to it’s beauty.
So I think that’s about it for the day. I’d better get going. I think I left my coffee in the closet. . .
Richard Harris, Peter O’toole & Simon??
Published February 10, 2006 | 
This is my questTo follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far – Darion
Rabbits, Grammar, & Hand Rolls
Published February 9, 2006 | 
Mama, mama, look at Uncle Joe
Doing the hand jive with sister Flo.
Grandma gave baby sister a dime;
Said, “Do that hand jive one more time.” – otis
Yes rabbits do see . . well. For the most part anyway. They can see an airplane or hawk at a distance that we would never see, but on the other hand they do have a very small blind spot right in front of their nose. Here is a link: “What Do Rabbit’s see?”
I’m very sorry for that off topic interruption. Really! What I actually wanted to talk about today was hand-rolling which came up a couple of times yesterday. Maybe it will spark some comments from some of you ultra-super-fantastic-kayakers out there.
I’ve played with hand rolls a bit. Even come up a couple times!! But not knowing exactly what I did right, made it hard to repeat. Heck it seems like every time I get upside down without a paddle I have absolutely no idea what to do with my arms and hands. I just sort of flop around down there. Yet, if I’m holding a paddle I hardly seem to use it sometimes. It’s got to be a head thing. Mary suggested I just take the blades off my Lendal and “angel roll”. Maybe I’ll try that.
A good stout “BCU” stance on a hand roll may be . . “What’s the point!?” Remember this from the Book of Kayak Wisdom; “What ever conditions took you over will meet you again when you roll up”. So. . what good is a hand roll when you roll up into the nasty stuff that took you over!? You’ll probably just be right back upside down in no time. So is there a point to hand rolling? Does there need to be?
Thinking about that leads me into one of those kayaking absolutes; “Never let go of your paddle”. I just love those Absolutes! Absolutes always leave you asking “what if?”, and the coach just bailing out on actually answering your questions!! I’m aware they are trying to underline the importance of the rule, but on the other hand, when I’m still in the early learning stages is when I probably most need to know what to do if I break the “Rule”. To be sure EVERY kayaking disipline has their Absolutes. In Euro paddling it’s “never lose your paddle”. In traditional paddling it’s “roll up”. Never ask your traditional coach what to do if you can’t roll up!!! But I’m digressing.
Another “rule” to negate the hand roll is, “always carry a spare”. Personally I always have my trusty old, heavy, Bending Branches wooden paddle on my front deck. My friend JB suggested that it’s not a bad idea to practice putting it together under water. Again, you’d NEVER lose your paddle, but if you did, you could just slide your splits out from under your bungies, put them together, then roll up! I can just hear you “new” folks out there saying, “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me???”. But actually it’s pretty easy to do with a little focus and a little hang time. I have this feeling that with the bit of traditional rolling I’ve done, I’d be more tempted to grab one of the splits and roll up, then put them together when I’m breathing air. But then remember the Book of Wisdom, “What ever conditions took you over will meet you again when you roll up”. Maybe I’d go right back over before I could get the paddle together to brace.
So, have I made this complicated enough yet? Think about a traditional paddler who keeps a spare storm paddle on the deck. She’ll just slide that dog out from under the bungies, roll up and keep going. (or look for the other paddle). No hand roll necessary.
I’m sort of fond of a hybrid option myself. Even a Euro-paddler can carry a one piece storm paddle if they learn to be proficient with it. Again though, the voice of my inner kayaker coach says, “Maybe you’re carrying that spare for someone else in your party. Did you think about that, eh?” Ok. I’ll carry 2 spares!!
But where does that leave the hand roll? I know personally I find it as an important part of my growth in the sport. “If you’re not learning your dying” rings true with me. I need to keep learning. I’ve never settled well with those who stop growing and learning by choice. Comfort and complacency seem to me like two spellings of the same word. But then I’m a little twisted as you know. (rolling, twisted. .that’s a joke, son!!). Recently the hand roll is calling out to me and no doubt I will be getting pre-occupied with it. But I’m still curious, Is the much admired hand roll nothing more than just a good parlor trick? I wonder. Who would like to write a thesis on the hand roll as a valid emergency recovery option?
Whine & Rolls
Published February 8, 2006 | 
Upside down
You turn me
Inside out
And round and round
- edwards & rogers
So. . . after about an hour of rolling and generally fooling around in the pool, Mary decided to try the video feature of our little Optio. What you end up with is me whining about being tired and Mary saying she doesn’t care, ( I know, I suffer. . I really, really suffer!) ending with another silly rolling demo from yours truly. What kind of roll is it? 
Well, I’m not sure really. But it does show you how learning a few traditional rolls can really help you with your Euro-rolls as well. At least I know I can pull it off one handed if I had to! The video is a WMV. Click Here! (it will open in your media player)
Next week maybe we can try something more serious. But on the other hand, what fun would that be??
Global Warming Day
Published February 7, 2006 | 
I was just eating bread and water thinking nothing ever changes
and I was shocked
to see the mistakes of each generation
will just fade like a radio station
if you drive out of range
- Ani Difranco
February 7th, eh? Now that has to be THE date each year that is the absolute least important. Believe me, I’ve spent many sleepless nights thinking about it. Of course if this is your birthday you may have a completely different opinion and you are certainly excused from reading my little rant!!You see, February 1st is great because it means January is finally over. I love February 1st. January sucks, so February first is exactly one day past January, therefore a good day to my way of thinking! Then just the very next day is Groundhog day! Now you have to love that one. Somebody was actually able to convince an otherwise sane populace (did I say sane??) (did I say populace??) to put “Groundhog Day” on the calendar. Well, give Punxsutawney Phil his due, he’s sure a popular giant rat. This year he’s predicting 6 more weeks of winter. Thank’s Phil, . . you little Bastard!!
Now on February 6, the folks in New Zealand enjoy “Waitangi Day”. Well, the name makes it all worth while, don’t cha think? Yet on the other hand, Waitangi Day marks they day some people would say the Maori people gave away their independence to Great Britain. Or if you’re into a more “Why can’t we all just get along!??” version, then this is the day of “coming together in friendship” between the Maori and European settlers. Regardless though, Waitangi Day will always be on the calendars because you just can’t stop saying “Waitangi”.
February 11th is a holiday in Japan. National Foundation Day to be exact. February 11th marked the the enthronement of Japan’s first Emperor, Jinmu. Although this date in itself may be more folklore than “fact”. The holiday was then called “Kigen-setsu”. Until the end of WWII, there were all sorts of celebrations throughout Japan for Kigen-setsu, but after the war the holiday was ended for various reasons as you can imagine. Then in 1966 Kigen-setsu re-emerged with a new less than exciting name “National Foundation Day”. Thus this is the day I’ll sit around and watch either Rashomon or Ringu, depending on how I’m feeling. Maybe February 11th could be the international holiday to celebrate Japan!? Well, that’s my suggestion anyway.
February 12 is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday which is the beginning of the end of marking presidents birthdays as holidays. Just like “All Saints Day”, we had to lump them all up or no one would ever go to work again!
February 14th is Valentine’s day, which means that Wal-Marts and Stop-n-Gos all over the country will be selling tons of cheap, freezer burnt roses. Profit is a good thing after all. On the other hand It’s probably a bad sign if you need Wal-mart to remind you to think about your “partner”. My vote is that you buy roses for ANY day BUT Valentine’s day, just to show you actually DON’T need to be reminded by shop owners & retail corporations that your partner means something to you. If then, your “sig” does not appreciate THAT. . . it’s time to trade ‘em in!
So February 20th is lump day, or “President’s Day”. I think since Richard Nixon we’ve learned to look at presidents a bit more like CEOs than Emperors. Well, 49% of us anyway.
February 22 is George Washington’s birthday. This is the day we celebrate by slicing up a cherry pie in secret and then denying we sat in the kitchen all night and ate it. An alternative celebration would be to hand someone a piece of pie and when someone asks you if you baked it, . . lie about it!
Then of course the 28th is the actual Mardi Gras day. Which just goes to prove that as much as American’s want to deny it, we love the French. Or if you’re one of those anti-”French” fries extremists, you can love the Roman’s instead and celebrate the “Lupercalia”. Either way please send your risqué photos to. . . along with return address where the beads are to be sent. Just remember that at least by the end of of the day you should suffer some little “penitence” in honor of Shrove Tuesday. How ’bout I don’t send you the beads?? See then it all works out!
The other really cool thing about February of course is that every so often it has an extra day. Which to those born on leap year is the cause for a thousand age related jokes. However let’s be frank, even if you only have 4 birthdays, you’ll still look like your 112.
With all that going on this month, I’ve got to find something to do with the seventh. Maybe this will be the day each year I log onto NOAAs Climatology website and look at the February temperature chart above. Over the course of the last 100 or so years the annual mean temperature in Wisconsin has only increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit. BUT in FEBRUARY over that time, the mean temperature has increased by almost 6 degrees!!! So, I vote we make February 7th, “Global Warming” day. At least then I wouldn’t have to write some silly little pointless post like this one!
- d
Great Lake Adventure
Published February 6, 2006 | 
You’ll Have The Time,
The Time Of Your Life
Bring All Your Friends,
All Your Kids And Your Wife To
Chicago, Chicago My Hometown – fischer
Tom is lucky enough to live about 100 yards from the shore of Lake Michigan and has been paddling canoes most of his life. Then when a friend bought an apartment building with a private beach, it was time to try kayaks as well. From there Tom has went on to become an ACA certified sea kayak coach and was the president of the Chicago Area Sea Kayak Association (CASKA). These days he offers private lessons and is an instructor with the Lincoln Park Boat Club and Northwest Passage in Wilmette. Chances are you may have also run into him instructing at the Door County Sea Kayak symposium as well.
Although many people have made the circumnavigation of Lake Superior to the north, we’ve had a hard time finding any information on kayak circumnavigations of Lake Michigan. However, according to Outside Magaizine, Mike Steere did it by canoe in the mid-seventies.
Tom’s son will be joining him for some stretches however he is still looking for some paddlers who may want to join him on various crossings along the way. He is also happy to get any local information regarding landing and camping areas along is route. You can email him at tom@mathtutorchicago.com.
Good Luck Tom!
www.mathtutorchicago.com
* photos provided by tom heineman. used by permission. thank you!
What A Trip. . .
Published February 4, 2006 | 
but at the end of the day the trees all get wheeled away
and you’ll be standing alone in a blank blank space – bright eyesSo it’s the weekend and here’s my short little boring, self-indulgent, Saturday post. . . (you can smile if you like). For the last year every time I stop to get gas almost anywhere in Wisconsin I see this road map. Not like a road map would ever really stand out to me, but this one does. Why? Well, I took the picture! Is that a big deal? No, certainly not. One could argue that commercial photographs rob the souls of their subjects. But at the same time it’s very odd to see that picture almost every time I stop at a Kwik Trip or other little mini-mart. I think about the day at Devil’s Lake when I made Mary and Gryphon stand around for what seemed like forever just waiting for the sun to break through the thick clouds long enough to get that shot. And to their relief the clouds opened just for a moment, the sun screamed through, I took the photo, and they would not have to stand around any longer with some weirdo staring the a trees!!
- d
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