Inguinal Hernia Surgery Tomorrow

Tomorrow I face the surgeons knife. Hopefully this will lead to a short road to recovery. I know in my heart it will be longer than I’d like. But I hope to be out kayak surfing some time in early June.

I will most likely be doing a lot more strength training before I begin serious running/cycling again.

Wish me luck!

tags: hernia   inguenal hernia surgery   recovery   surgery  

Ever wished for a bat mobile, or an x-wing fighter? Maybe a Mehve glider from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

The 1984 film of Hayao Miyazaki’s graphic novel captured my imagination as a child. The giant airships, the toxic jungle, and most of all Nausicaa’s Mehve or Mowe glider. I really like the German word Mowe, as it means seagull, which is what the glider looks like when you see it. The Graphic Novel is probably one of the best things I’ve ever read. For me it is up there with Spiegelman’s Maus.

The Graphic Novel is a tale of the after math of a major ecological disaster. In this story humans destroyed the world in seven days of fire. The remainder of the human population is now threatened by a toxic jungle filled with giant insects and miasma. The major nation states are now vying for the territory that is left as the toxic jungle increases in size. Nausicaa is from the Valley of Wind, a small fiefdom to the kingdom of Torumeka near the acid lake. Winds off the acid lake keep the miasma and jungle from encroaching on the small jungle. War finds the Valley of the Wind and young Nausicaa a girl with a special telepathic link to other living creatures. She is thrust into the conflict between Torumeka and Pejite and manages to create her own side in the conflict striving to live in balance with the new eco system that was created after the seven days of fire.

These crazy Japanese guys have built up a working model of Nausicaa’s enigmatic Mowe.

The gap is closing on my childhood dreams. What’s next? A real lightsaber? Maybe it’s better that we don’t get those…

Check out the test flight video of the Mowe.

tags: 7 days of fire   Comic Books   Graphic Novels   Hayao Miyazaki   Mehve   Miasma   Miyazaki   Mowe   Nausicaa Glider   Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind  

Leonard Cohen-I’m Your Man

Leonard Cohen has been the man for me since college. Like a lot of young literature majors we’re drawn to the image of Leonard Cohen living in New York city as a poet, a writer, having deep, complicated relationships that require him to write a finely crafted song. Each one is a shining diamond from his deep mine of wisdom and perfect pain. Mostly it was probably from not having any real complications or pain of our own.

Most people probably have outgrown Leonard Cohen, but I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older each song has burned a little brighter. Perhaps as my relationships have grown more complicated, and my experience wider, I appreciate him even more. I had Famous Blue Raincoat on infinite repeat through out college. I knew all of the words to Everybody Knows at one time.

I watched I’m Your Man Nick Cave, of whom I’ve always been a huge fan, didn’t leave me very impressed. His version of I’m Your Man seemed to be thrown off by the overly loud backup singers. Nor did Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Everybody Knows. Incidentally I like a few Rufus tunes, but his was actually the worst Leonard Cohen cover to which I’ve ever been subjected. Rufus’ campy drag queen delivery hit every phrase wrong and made the song seem insipid and dumb.

Bono and the Edge from U2 make an appearance and a performance. Bono’s comments while sometimes ego maniacal are purely complimentary and made me see the song Hallelujah completely different. You will have to watch the movie to see what he said.

Antony, of Antony and the Johnson’s also did a great cover of If it Be Your Will. He did a rip roaring version of this song. His voice is really unusual, it has that sort of vibrato/tremolo character to it that makes it sound a bit like the folk singer who did all the songs for the animated version of the Hobbit. *think “The gre-aaaa—aaaa-tttt adventu———rrrreee.” He is unusual and uncomfortable to watch, but great to hear.

However that said, Teddy Thompson’s cover of Tonight Will be Fine is possibly the best cover I’ve heard of a Leonard Cohen song (maybe John Cale’s and Jeff Buckley’s cover of Hallelujah is a three-way tie with this song). Unfortunately the recording that I liked the best was Teddy’s rehearsal from the special features of the DVD. I hope to find it somewhere someday.

This song says so many things about the elastic and circular nature of love between married people that it actually frightens me a little.

Tonight Will Be Fine

Sometimes I find I get to thinking of the past.
We swore to each other then that our love would surely last.
You kept right on loving, I went on a fast,
now I am too thin and your love is too vast.
But I know from your eyes
and I know from your smile
that tonight will be fine,
will be fine, will be fine, will be fine
for a while.

I choose the rooms that I live in with care,
the windows are small and the walls almost bare,
there’s only one bed and there’s only one prayer;
I listen all night for your step on the stair.

But I know from your eyes
and I know from your smile
that tonight will be fine,
will be fine, will be fine, will be fine
for a while.

Oh sometimes I see her undressing for me,
she’s the soft naked lady love meant her to be
and she’s moving her body so brave and so free.
If I’ve got to remember that’s a fine memory.

And I know from her eyes
and I know from her smile
that tonight will be fine,
will be fine, will be fine, will be fine
for a while.

tags: bono   documentary   hallelujah   I'm your man   jeff buckley   leonard cohen   nick cave   nick cave and the bad seeds   rufus wainwright   teddy thompson  

Job Prevents Kalamazoo Man from Kayak Surfing

The surf is building on Lake Michigan. To quote Ben Stiller, I feel the need to grab some time in the green room!

I have ordered a composite Mega Neutron. I am hoping it is delivered and available by the time fall rolls around.

Until then I feel like a cuckold, my beautiful lake is out generating waves while I am away.

tags: kayak surfing   lake michigan   lake michigan storms   paddle surfing   south haven   surf kayaking   surfing  

Cycle Commuting Comicstrip

Yehuda Moon & the Kickstand Cyclery is a daily comic for cyclists everywhere. The comic is geared for the commuting audience. But is a little for everyone on two wheels. The comic is drawn by Rick Smith.

I’ve been reading with delight since it’s inception. I’ve wanted to do this about one hundred times myself. It seems urban bike culture is coming into it’s own. The comic depicts two cyclists. Yehuda is the steel frame/single speed/ simplicity bike guy who works at the shop the Kickstand. Then there is the bike shop owner Joe. Joe is more of a high technology fan and is a perfect foil to Yehuda.

Today’s comic is a gem.

Another favorite of mine is where Yehuda paints his own Bike lanes. Peruse the archives and enjoy.

tags: bianchi san jose   bike commuter in traffic   Bike commuting   bike commuting safety   comic strips   Cycling   urban bike culture  

This may answer or unfortunately actually raise more questions!

You decide!

To me it looks like the boardie was having to duck for cover as the sea kayak was coming at him.

tags: board surfing   paddle surfing   right of way on the wave   sea kayaking   surf kayaking   surf zone etiquette   surfing  

I find myself becoming more and more irritable on my morning bike commute. Drivers who use cell-phones, that do not look where they are going are trying my patience. This morning I made a critical mistake. I think if I had changed my position in the lane to be more direct and visible, this situation might have been negated.

I had my modified Bianchi San Jose with pannier bags loaded this morning. Laptop and clothes for the day in the bags, and I am heading downhill to a stop light. The stop light has some construction going on in the middle lane. I rolled up in the right lane first at the light. I was off to the right of the lane, which was my first mistake. I should have been in the middle of the lane. A woman from the center lane under construction started edging her SUV into the right lane. She rolled forward but needed me to move to turn right at the red light.

She actually rolled down the window and tried to sweetly ask me to move so she could turn right at the red light. “No!”, I told her. She could wait for the light to turn green like everybody else. If I had been a car she could/would never have done this.

My mistake was in being off to the right if I intended to go straight through the light. I was asking for it. Lesson learned occupy the center of the lane when you intend to go straight.

Bad Bike Commuter Positioning Diagram for going Straight in an Intersection

Good Position for a Bike in Traffic going straight

Certainly the second diagram is more aggressive in terms of the positioning in traffic, but hopefully safer. The object is not necessarily to be in the center to let the car through on the right, but to clearly occupy the middle to let the car know you are going straight.

tags: bianchi san jose   bike commuter in traffic   Bike commuting   bike commuting safety   Cycling   rules of the road for bikes  

Is there a Road Bike in My Future

Road Cycling in My future? Is road cycling too scientific for a low-tech runner and kayaker? Road cycling is reknown for over complicating a very simple sport.

I am beginning to do some thinking about Road Bikes. Since my introduction to cycling was really through cyclocross, I had a moderate disdain for roadies. Road cyclists seem to be overly scientific with everything. My perception is that road cyclists are uber-anal about training and equipment. My eyes glaze over when I begin to hear about saving 20 grams of weight when switching to a carbon bottle cage, or about increasing V02 max, or lactate threshold. A discussion of Polar Heart rate monitors actually make me want to strangle someone.

I sort of had an inkling that eventually a road bike might be in my future. But this really has more to do with my body revolting at running. I am essentially starting over with my running after April 30th when I have surgery for my inguenal hernia. I am considering trying to put more effort into distance cycling as my body doesn’t seem to revolt quite as much to the cycling.

Despite my body crying yes, my soul is crying no to all of the leg shaving, heart rate monitors, and the carbon bottle cages. Certainly I could go with some sort of cheapie steel bike, not where spandex and pedal my heart out, but I am after all somewhat of a gear head, and not a complete Luddite. I want to be able to compete a little, but not go overboard.

Kayaking has some of the same issues. The GPS carbon fiber everything, racing boat guys who have no interest in the beauty of the sport, and only care about going fast. I like going fast too, I like surf-skis and wing paddles, but I also like skin on frame kayaks, greenland paddles, and the beauty of a really traditional kayak. I admire the guys who can go 8 miles an hour in an epic kayak all day. But can they carve a sweet bottom turn on a wave? Can they elegantly bow-rudder into the wind? Probably not.

I don’t want to be that guy who has a complete carbon bicycle, but who can’t even jump a stump, or hit the sand at full speed and climb over muddy hills on a cross bike.

Simply put, I am drawn to cycling for the fun of it, but the price is a killer.

This Carbon Soloist from Cervelo has caught my eye:

But I may be living in a tent if I even whisper the thought of buying one to the wife!

tags: C ycling   carbon bikes   cervelo   cervelo carbon soloist   Cycling   lactate threshold   polar heart rate monitors   road cycling   v02 max  

WMCKA Sea Kayak Symposium Memorial Day Weekend 2008

Our West Michigan Coastal Kayakers’ (WMCKA) Annual Sea Kayaking Symposium is fast approaching. Memorial day Weekend at Big Blue Lake North of Muskegon. We will be heading out to Big Blue Lake to endure the wind, the rain, and hopefully the sunshine. There will be three days of sea kayaking instruction, a full fledged kids program with kayak polo, harpoon throwing, and the best kayak rodeo in the United States. The WMCKA Symposium is famous for its family atmosphere, great instruction, fun and camaraderie. Also let’s not forget the Band!!! Betsie Baye and the Groove Engine will be making a return for dancing on Sunday Night.

Sign up Now for Symposium

WMCKA is lucky enough to have two guest speakers this year.

Shawna Franklin will be one of our featured guest speakers and instructors. Shawna Franklin was the first woman to achieve the lofty BCU (British Canoe Union) 5 Star Sea Award. She and Leon Somme circumnavigated Iceland, and Queen Charlotte’s Island together, as well as being featured numerous times in Justine Curgenven’s now ubiquitous This is the Sea Videos.

Leon Somme will also be attending. From what I can gather so far, he will present a Wind and Waves slide show, but don’t hold me to that. Leon also holds the BCU 5 Star Sea award, the 4 Star Surf award, and the 4 Star Inland award.

Shawna and Leon got their start on the Great Lakes on Lake Superior in Minnesota, (I sure hope I have my facts right). So hopefully we can get out on Lake Michigan when it’s textured before their departure back to the San Juans in Washington State.

Shawna and Leon will also be hosting an instructor update, which if you missed instructor email missive and want to attend, add the event here. Please note: this is not part of the official WMCKA Symposium and is only open to the Symposium Instructor Staff.

Directions to Camp Pendalouan:

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Have a look at this photo:

I am by no means a surf safety nazi. But having been on the receiving end of bad vibes for no good reason while paddle surfing in both northern california and southern california, this sort of thing makes us look pretty careless.

A 170 lbs paddler endoing an 18’ foot long sea kayak in a mixed break is asking to get himself creamed by some meth-heads and as a result the rest of us will pay the collective karma on this.

Of course it looks cool. Of course he might be further away than he looks in the photo. But even I will be the first to say a sea kayak has little place in a crowded break. I can just picture him high bracing and bongo sliding his way through the break zone wiping out boardies left and right.

Sigh. After the articles in the Santa Cruz Newspaper we need to be getting better, not worse.

Your thoughts!

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