Like a Coast Guard

The New York Times got a telephone interview with some of the Somali pirates holding a shipload of tanks and other weapons.

The one who agreed to be quoted said some interesting things, including, "We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.”

I have no doubt that these really are the bad guys. At the same time, they're compelling figures.

Warships surround Somali pirates

Alas, the tanks and other weapons don't appear destined for defending a pirate fortress. This will probably end in blood and gunfire.

Mariners, 2008

I didn't make it to any Mariners games this season; I think this wasn't a bad season to miss.

I did, however, follow the team through its historically terrible year.

They lost 101 games; this makes them the first team to lose over a 100 games with a payroll of over 100 million dollars. Fabulous.

They did, however, win two more games than the Washington Nationals. That means they don't get the number one draft pick. Apparently there's a sterling young pitcher who's nearly ready for the majors. I don't know any details there. I do see that it appears that the 2008 Mariners can't even lose right.

Crazy Thought of Today's Run

"What does a god care about the requests of mortals?" The god in question was, yes, myself, and the mortals were the construction workers. They had some streets blocked off and I was weaving in and around it all.

This thought came to me without irony. It only took a moment for me to regain my perspective... At best I'm a demigod.

I Don't Know

what it means, but I now have both Facebook and Twitter accounts. Myspace is SO 2007.

I don't expect to do much twittering, but it is fun to follow the flow of ideas amongst one's friends and acquaintances.

Pirate Tankers?

Pirates off the coast of Somalia recently seized a Ukrainian ship loaded with 33 T-72 tanks, other weapons, and “a substantial quantity of ammunition.”

Likely those ‘other weapons’ include machine guns that can be mounted on those tanks.

I wonder what they plan to do with those tanks. A pirate army equipped with Soviet era battle tanks could be formidable, even if they were used primarily to defend a stronghold.

Keeping those tanks would open a door to supply chain challenges: battle tanks are not simple machines to keep running, though I expect the simpler T-72’s are easier to keep going than the modern generation of U.S. tanks. Still, tanks need fuel (lots of fuel), and tanks need spare parts (lots of different spare parts). I would almost assume that some of those tanks would become ‘parts tanks.’

If they don’t drive them too much, and if they have a mechanic or four who can replace things as they break, (not to mention has access to the tools and equipment required) they can have a mighty armored company, at least compared with most other African militaries.

I have a hunch that they’ll sell those tanks to a small country somewhere who is better equipped to manage the resource requirements of an armored force.

On Schedule

I'm on schedule to be debt free (minus the mortgage, but even there, our townhouse is worth more than we owe) in four months. Now, Christmas is between me and there, plus I have a few expenses coming up (I NEED some winter motorcycle gloves, and I really should refresh some of my work clothes). I may or may not be able to fit these things into my leftover cash.

On the other hand, I have my annual pay increase coming in November, and a chance for an additional raise after that.

Yay for approaching a big goal!

Ultimate Adventure

At some point during the ’85 – ’86 school year, my four friends at the time and I decided to form a group. The group needed a name: we were all Marvel Comics fans, we all played Dungeons and Dragons, at least occasionally. These influences led directly to our choice: Ultimate Adventurers. Over the next couple of years, one of those friends moved away, and another member was allowed in. There have been ups and downs, arguments and reconciliations... right now, and for the last several years, our relationships are stronger than ever.

I’ve found that the group name we chose, “Ultimate Adventurers” has been a guiding light in my life. Stop laughing!

The word ‘adventure’ has been particularly powerful, especially as the definition has evolved for me. At its basis, to seek adventure is to accept a paradigm. There will be suffering, and the suffering is part of the point. Curiosity is a primary motivator, and novelty is valued by an adventurer.

Beyond that, the types of adventure are as varied as the human experience is broad; it isn’t necessarily about mountain climbing and jungle exploration, though those clearly are examples of adventures. Some find adventure in what they eat, the adventure of having and raising a child should not be overlooked: I have friends who are parents, and the simultaneous wonder and pain of raising a family is remarkable.

Developing relationships is another common adventure: to open up to a person almost always comes with some suffering, even if it’s self inflicted. In exchange you can develop a bond that grows over decades, you can understand life from new angles and perspectives.

I’m lucky to have stumbled on this perspective on adventure, and had it echoing in the back of my mind since that somewhat fateful school recess in the seventh grade.

Sunday

Five miles are very easy after having run twenty miles a couple days before.

Twenty

I ran twenty miles today.  According to my schedule, that leaves two (I think...could be three) super long runs before the marathon in November, with a smattering of runs in the ten to fourteen mile range.

I've learned to load my ipod's playlist with more song, and fewer long podcasts.  Music provides a significant boost that can push me through some of those tough miles.

I started by listening to a podcast about "Erotic Integrity".  This got me thinking fondly about the state of my own marriage.  We're in a fun phase and it feels like we're almost reshaping our marriage, but not because anything was broken.  We're sharing some adventures (such as a trip to couple's night at The Little Red Spa last Sunday), and it seems like our communication is easier and smoother than ever.

As I crossed the Montlake Bridge, I entered familiar territory:  I lived in the U-District for a few years, and went to school at UW.  I did my share of running on the Burke Gillman trail, and it was nice to revisit that old stomping ground in an old familiar way.  I spend a fair amount of time in that area nowadays, but I haven't run there for years.

On the Trail, I started crossing runners and bicyclists, not surprisingly.  I always wave at runners, if they make the slightest amount of eye contact.  I feel like it's an exclusive club, and everyone who is running belongs.  I don't care if they're barely jogging for a quarter mile, or in the middle of a megamarathon.  It's a cool club that I have tremendous respect for.  I even nod and wave at people running with their dogs, who are taking up the whole walkway.

It annoys me when other runners don't make an effort to acknowledge my existence.  Really, how hard is it to glance over and nod your head?

I ran all the way to the end of the trail; right at the edge of Ballard, by Fred Meyer.

A hippie chick on a bicycle was singing as she passed me.  At the time, it annoyed me because she was riding slowly, and when I know someone's behind me, I have to monitor them.  I don't want to be obstructive, and I don't want to get run over.  I've probably already mentioned here somewhere that I already start with something of a prejudice against bicyclists.

In retrospect, that hippie chick was fine.  She was doing her thing, I was doing mine, and there was no conflict.

My own sanity started to slip just a little on the way back.  It was nothing serious; a little sleep deprivation makes you way crazier.  I derived an unusual amount of satisfaction by crossing against the light in sight of a police car while the theme to the Dukes of Hazard played in my ears.  I had a whole non-defense ready, should I have been stopped:  "Yes, I know the law.  Yes, I broke it intentionally.  Yes, I'll do it again.  I've already run 12 miles, and I'm not concerned with laws like that.  Go ahead and give me the ticket."  But my rebellious attitude was wasted.

As I crossed the Montlake Bridge, this time on the way back, I saw a Children's shuttle.  I'm pretty sure the driver recognized me.  She kinda did a double take and smile.  I waved, and I think she waved back.  I was kinda hoping I'd see a shuttle, and I kinda hope folks I know were riding and saw me.  No exhibitionism here, no way.  I'm too humble for that.

I think it was then that Fred Eaglesmith's "Angel of the Lord" came on, which filled me with profound thoughts of humanity's decline.  I agreed with Fred:  if Jesus is coming, he better come quick, while there are still those who worry and wait.  At least it seemed profound to me then.

Bill Maher was dising on Sarah Palin when within a handful of blocks two, not one, but TWO, women in cars rolled in front of my passage.  I was not amused, and I ran my fingers along both cars as I squirted by.  Both were dusty.  Maybe that will give them a reminder to drive right, and not block sidewalks.  A little later a guy in a truck backed a few feet up, out of the line of the sidewalk.  I assumed that he did that so as not to block my path.  I waved and smiled at him, and he waved back.

A few miles later a guy who had seen me on the way out (over two hours prior!) cheered at me.  That was cool.  Somewhere in there Bonnie Tyler's "I Need a Hero" played.   It's really the music that makes me a little less sane while I'm running.  Not in a bad way, mind you.  You're already crazy to start a thing like this, so it's good to harness the crazy just a little.  I felt like a god walking (er running) on Earth, the white knight she was asking for, the hero.

A Battlestar Galactica podcast took me the rest of the way.  That's good, because you can't stay crazy and arrogant the way Bonnie Tyler can make you for too long out there.  It wouldn't be safe.

You can find the map to my run here.

How Does This Work?

Flash Mind Reader

I just tried it five times, and it nailed the symbol each time. The last few times, I didn't touch the mouse or keyboard until clicking the bubble.

How does it know?

There Can’t Be Too Many of These Left

I can only remember a couple other times when I can say, “I’m in the shape of my life.”

The first was in the fall of 1991, right after basic training (though I was also in quite good shape after running Bloomsday in 1 hour 23 minutes earlier that year). I’d put on thirty pounds of muscle and was a monster. Ironically, I couldn’t do all that many push-ups or sit-ups, which are the units by which I was measured at the time.

There were a few other peaks during that three year period; after I lost some of that basic training weight, the running, push-ups and sit-ups came easier. It was an active time of life when I bicycled a lot, ran a lot, and did my share of other exercise.

The next very notable period when I was ‘in the shape of my life’ was during my year with Oom Yung Doe. My flexibility, balance and overall strength was more impressive; this all peaked around March of 2001. Then I realized how unethical the operation was, learned that it was led and founded by a criminal.

Somewhere in there was the first ‘Run Up Colville Mountain.’ That may have been in 1999, or even earlier. I trained specifically for hill running during that go-around. Hmm, I remember my adversary’s (now ex) wife was pregnant with his first child at the time, so that must have been... eight years ago?

I was also in pretty good running condition during the first summer living in South Seattle. I had a new neighborhood to explore, and not a whole lot else in the way of hobbies. That was 2005. I was also in training for our third race up The Mountain (which I won), and I ran the 5-mile course during the Portland Marathon (in which I received an age group award).

This year, however, I’ve eclipsed all of my life’s running related conditioning. I’ve run over 8 ½ miles for the first time in my life. And over 10, and 12 and 14... In a little over a week, I plan to run 20 miles for the first time in my life. Of course, this should culminate in 26.2 on November 30th.

Looking back, the end of basic training, the end of my Oom Yung Doe year, and now, as I wind toward the latter phase of my marathon training, are all notable as different, yet equal ‘shape of my life’ periods. Only then have I exercised an hour or more per day, most days.

Now I need to convince my wife to take some naked pictures of me in order to commemorate this phase (no, they won’t be posted here). There can’t be too many of these periods left in my life: it takes a lot of time and energy to be this awesome!