Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Path To The Past
I returned today to the 'hike/bike' path for another dose of bodily abuse. After returning to the path on Sunday and 'vowing' to maintain some sort of ongoing physical conditioning regiment, I was ready today to tackle the trail once more. After all, the weather here today was absolutely beautiful. I know that perhaps in a few short weeks cold weather will most likely join the mutitude of other 'reasons' that I can't get outside and 'work-out' (Hike, Jog, etc.). The changing of Daylight Savings time has already threw a hefty sized wrench into my normal daily routine anyway. It is starting to get dark at 5:30 P.M. now, and as far as I'm concerned, that's just not enough daylight to enjoy the fall evenings. What are we "Saving Daylight" for anyway?
The trail itself was again surrounded in a blissful state of autum color. As I arrived at the trailhead, I noticed a van with 4 older folks standing around enjoying some type of lunch/snack from a colorful cooler nestled in the back. I began my ritual of 'getting ready', which includes: 1)removing keys, change and anything else in my pockets 2) affixing the I-Pod and earbuds 3) tying my shoelaces in a 'double-knot' 4) Sunglasses goes on 5) HEAD-BAND goes on! It was about this time that I looked up to see one of the guys who was at the van, standing beside my truck, with a map in his hand.
"What's the best way to get to Lincoln's Birthplace?" he asked.
I thought for a second, -this sounds like the begining of joke, but no, it only sounded like that, he was serious. You see, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace is only about 30 miles from where we were standing. So, I offered what little bit of information I could, and the gentleman seemed content. He rolled up his map and walked back to the other three at the van, loudly proclaiming "Load 'em up", seemingly anxious to 'get a move on'.
Which was just what I had in mind- getting a move on. As expected, the trail offered its same challenges as only three days before. I must say though, there is a stand of pine trees not far 'into' the trail that is interspersed with other trees having colorful fall foilage, that is really nice to be in. The leaf covered trail seemed to wind its way through the dense tree covering like the 'yellow-brick road' from the "Wizard of Oz". But in my quest to maintain an elevated heart rate, I no doubt spent way too little time here, plodding right through with an awkward gait and even more awkward breathing.
On Monday I had talked with my Mom about this trail, where it was located, and some of the things it passes along the way. She instantly knew the area I was describing as her family had lived nearby while she was just a young girl. She specifically recalled the 'creek' that runs parallel to the path for just about the entire length.
"That creek is where we use to go when someone got baptized" she remembered from her youth.
I have been doing this trail since the summer and have probably completed it 10 or 12 times now. Even though I have fully been aware that the creek is there, I had always thought that there never was very much water in it. Surely not enough to baptize someone. But today when I reached a point that was just supremely picturesque, I looked down toward the creek to see a rather large 'hole' of water, that was probably 4 feet deep, even when there wasn't much water anywhere else in the creek. A wave of flashbacks instantly invaded my reeling thought processes. I could plainly envision the reverend and the newly baptized youth standing in the middle of the creek, surrounded on the bank by family and other faithful flock members. The sleeves of the reverends white collared shirt rolled up to the elbows, the youth regaining their footing after being 'washed in the blood of the lamb', and of course multiple "AMEN's" from the onlookers. A wave of nostalgia seemed to rush through my body, and then in an instant, as I continued to plod along, the creekbed was dry once again.
Nothing else from my journey today really stands out, aside from the multiple times I wanted to quit and just walk back to the begining. It is a shame to be so completley and dreadfully out of shape. But I managed to 'keep the faith' and stick to the gameplan, which was to 'come back tired'. So time and time again, I fully recall that first transitional step between walking and jogging. It was difficult to say the least, but with much perseverence, I managed to continue. Today I reached the halfway point in 39 minutes and 45 seconds. The return time was even a few seconds better at 39 minutes and 27 seconds. SO... today's total trip time was: 1 Hour, 19 Minutes and 12 Seconds (1:19.12).
When I had finally finished and was back at my truck, I noticed the weird feeling of 'not moving forward' anymore. This feeling lasted for a good five minutes after I had stopped. I took a look at my watch to realize that I had reduced my time from Sunday by about 4 minutes.
From somewhere in the surrounding hills I could hear a distant voice - it said "Amen Brother!"
The trail itself was again surrounded in a blissful state of autum color. As I arrived at the trailhead, I noticed a van with 4 older folks standing around enjoying some type of lunch/snack from a colorful cooler nestled in the back. I began my ritual of 'getting ready', which includes: 1)removing keys, change and anything else in my pockets 2) affixing the I-Pod and earbuds 3) tying my shoelaces in a 'double-knot' 4) Sunglasses goes on 5) HEAD-BAND goes on! It was about this time that I looked up to see one of the guys who was at the van, standing beside my truck, with a map in his hand.
"What's the best way to get to Lincoln's Birthplace?" he asked.
I thought for a second, -this sounds like the begining of joke, but no, it only sounded like that, he was serious. You see, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace is only about 30 miles from where we were standing. So, I offered what little bit of information I could, and the gentleman seemed content. He rolled up his map and walked back to the other three at the van, loudly proclaiming "Load 'em up", seemingly anxious to 'get a move on'.
Which was just what I had in mind- getting a move on. As expected, the trail offered its same challenges as only three days before. I must say though, there is a stand of pine trees not far 'into' the trail that is interspersed with other trees having colorful fall foilage, that is really nice to be in. The leaf covered trail seemed to wind its way through the dense tree covering like the 'yellow-brick road' from the "Wizard of Oz". But in my quest to maintain an elevated heart rate, I no doubt spent way too little time here, plodding right through with an awkward gait and even more awkward breathing.
On Monday I had talked with my Mom about this trail, where it was located, and some of the things it passes along the way. She instantly knew the area I was describing as her family had lived nearby while she was just a young girl. She specifically recalled the 'creek' that runs parallel to the path for just about the entire length.
"That creek is where we use to go when someone got baptized" she remembered from her youth.
I have been doing this trail since the summer and have probably completed it 10 or 12 times now. Even though I have fully been aware that the creek is there, I had always thought that there never was very much water in it. Surely not enough to baptize someone. But today when I reached a point that was just supremely picturesque, I looked down toward the creek to see a rather large 'hole' of water, that was probably 4 feet deep, even when there wasn't much water anywhere else in the creek. A wave of flashbacks instantly invaded my reeling thought processes. I could plainly envision the reverend and the newly baptized youth standing in the middle of the creek, surrounded on the bank by family and other faithful flock members. The sleeves of the reverends white collared shirt rolled up to the elbows, the youth regaining their footing after being 'washed in the blood of the lamb', and of course multiple "AMEN's" from the onlookers. A wave of nostalgia seemed to rush through my body, and then in an instant, as I continued to plod along, the creekbed was dry once again.
Nothing else from my journey today really stands out, aside from the multiple times I wanted to quit and just walk back to the begining. It is a shame to be so completley and dreadfully out of shape. But I managed to 'keep the faith' and stick to the gameplan, which was to 'come back tired'. So time and time again, I fully recall that first transitional step between walking and jogging. It was difficult to say the least, but with much perseverence, I managed to continue. Today I reached the halfway point in 39 minutes and 45 seconds. The return time was even a few seconds better at 39 minutes and 27 seconds. SO... today's total trip time was: 1 Hour, 19 Minutes and 12 Seconds (1:19.12).
When I had finally finished and was back at my truck, I noticed the weird feeling of 'not moving forward' anymore. This feeling lasted for a good five minutes after I had stopped. I took a look at my watch to realize that I had reduced my time from Sunday by about 4 minutes.
From somewhere in the surrounding hills I could hear a distant voice - it said "Amen Brother!"
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Back In The Game
I finally got motivated enough to go out today and resume the 'training' routine I had began back in August. It was in August that I had decided that climbing Mt. Whitney was something that I would really like to do in 2009. If you didn't know, Mt. Whitney, located in 'south-central' California, is the highest mountain in the continental United States at 14,497 feet(Mt. McKinley, in Alaska, is much higher at 20,320 feet, but that's another story.) To get to the top of Mt. Whitney, one must hike eleven miles (one-way) and gain about 6,000 feet in elevation. Some folks like to split the journey up into a multiple day event by spending one or two nights on the mountain. Obviously this approach breaks up the twenty-two miles of hiking over 2 - 3 days, but at the same time, by spending the night, you will need to increase your pack load- which means MORE WEIGHT to carry! So, the dilemma is there. Try to do a single day approach and descent with only the basic essentials OR take some time and spend a few days 'up there'.
Yes, a decision will ultimately be made, but today, I had bigger worries to contend with. It had been over two months since I had attempted any real physical activity and now it was time to pay the piper. The bigger concern with climbing Mt. Whitney is that you can't just show up and expect to waltz up the sheer granite Sierra Nevada face without a little conditioning. Did I mention it was about 6,000 feet of vertical elevation gain? That's well over a mile STRAIGHT UP. I have read that making the trip in one day is comparable to running a marathon (26 miles)! My conditioning 'hikes' have never been over 14 miles and my weight is up to 245 pounds. Needless to say, I've got a long way to go, and a (relatively) short time to get there.
With all the above knowledge wedged securely in the dark recesses of my brain, I went out today with one real goal- come back tired. Since I do not have a lot of recreational options within close proximity, I decided to return to a local 'hike/bike' path that claims to be 3.7 miles one way. So hiking out and back should put one at roughly seven miles upon returning to the trailhead. Now, I know that just walking seven miles is not going to really push me very much, so I like to keep a close eye on the watch to make sure I am keeping up a good pace. This very trail had been the scene of some very HOT August hikes and I had actually began to make some physical progress back then. I had completed the roundtrip hike in 1 hour and 18 minutes the last time I had been there, which was a personal best. Today I knew it would be a real challenge to come close to that, so I went in with a "just do the best I can" attitude.
Along with that attitude I went in with the following "equipment"- one pair of 11.5 Merrell Moab Mid trail shoes, ankle high white cotton socks, extra long 'Under Armour' undershorts, cargo hiking shorts, short sleeved 'Under Armour' T-Shirt, one I-Pod Nano, one pair of sunglasses, one dark blue head-band, one 'fanny-pack' with dual water bottle holsters and not to be forgotten one trusty walking stick. I know, I know. This doesn't sound like someone who is taking this Whitney idea very seriously, but I do have good intentions. I know my gear/equipment is somewhat unorthodox, but I have always believed that grit and determination will take you farther than a lot a fancy bells and whistles.
I had always sworn that I would never wear a head band for fear of being associated with the Richard Simmons movement or perhaps the 80's band Loverboy. Boy was I ever right about that. The first time I broke out the head-band, my hiking buddy makes some obscure reference to 'Mike Reno' and leaves me feeling totally self-concious, as if I needed another obstacle to overcome while hiking. I have got to give the head-band the credit that it is due. It totally keeps sweat out of my eyes (and contacts), yet still allows the furnace vent like heat to escape from the top of my head (something a ball cap will just not allow). The sunglasses were not really necessary as most of the trail is shaded and I was out during the later part of the day when shadows were starting to get long. I think the sunglasses were to offset the head-band and to provide an additional edge of anonymity should I be spotted.
Fortunately, I did have the good frame of mind to take along the I-Pod today. I had just recently downloaded two new albums and really wanted the chance to listen to them under the scruitny that only earphones can provide. I have just recently been getting into some 'otherworldly' good music of the band "Office of Strategic Influence" or "OSI" for short. I had first listened to music from this band back in September while on a trip into Death Valley. I don't know if it was the music or the surreal landscape of Death Valley (probably a combination of the two), but I have been transfixed with absorbing as much of their music as I can since that trip. So today I went in with earbuds affixed and volume set on loud enough not to hear anything else. I must admit there were times when the music kind of 'motivated' me into keeping on moving and not slowing down, even when my body wanted to.
And then theres 'the stick'. Yeah, I've got a set of fairly decent hiking poles, but that just didn't seem right for what I had in mind today, so I left them at home. "The Stick" is nothing more than that, as a matter of fact I found this stick there at the Hike/Bike trail back in August and have been carrying it around in the bed of my truck since then (couldn't do that with hiking poles). It was originally too long when I first found it, but with a couple of swipes of a hand saw, it now is the right size. Weird that this stick has accompanied me on about 8 hikes now. It serves a couple of purposes other than the obvious. First and foremost it is used for balance and support and alleviates a bit of stress from the knees. Secondarily, it is a weapon. A deterrent should anyone out there on the trail try to 'give me the business'. Wild dogs, snakes, the list goes on and on as to what this stick COULD potentially save me from. Walk alone and your vulnerable. Walk with a four foot stick and you are armed!
As always with this 'hike' I know that I am going to try to complete it as fast as possible, which means jogging as much as I can endure. So with my watch 'lap counter' pressed, I set off on the seven mile round trip with stick in hand. The first part of the trail is uphill, so I am more or less walking at a fast pace which quickly leads to elevated breathing and a flush feeling within the first few minutes. After the initial uphill section, the trend is downhill for a bit which leads me into the first attempt at jogging. Walking is easy - I can walk for hours on end without a break, but throw in a little bit of jog and I tire fairly quickly with my current state of conditioning. I have always been haunted by the thought that, as an 8th grader, I completed a mile in the fastest time of my life- 5 minutes and 25 seconds (which, by the way, was only good enough for second place at our Middle School All County track meet). I can only dream about the skinny kid who really never knew the feeling of just being flat out TIRED.
The first section of jogging went rather well today though. I managed to get about twelve minutes of jogging down before I slowed back down to a walk. After the initial 'break-in' period, I finally got my second wind and eased into a jog/walk rotation of 2 minutes jogging/ 2 minutes walking. I must say that I am on my third set of I-Pod earbuds and I still haven't found a set that will actually stay in my ear while jogging. So needless to say, I often find myself fumbling with one dangling ear-bud as I lethargically trod with the grace of a dazed wildebeast. Having the rhythmic, mesmerizing, (and at times)all out jamming of OSI in my ears was quite the contrast to the scenery that surrounded me. It was fall in central Kentucky and the leaves here were really in their full autumn display. I wanted to stop and take a picture it was so beautiful, but I didn't have a camera and I certainly didn't have the time. I continued my jog/walk routine for twenty-three minutes with an untied shoelace, and I only stopped then to retie it because it felt funny on my foot and was distracting me from concentrating on reaching my goal.
My goal, at this time, was the halfway point- at which I would 1)touch the park-like gate 2) Press the 'lap' button on my watch and 3) turn around and come back. The fastest I had made it to the gate before today was 38 minutes. Today I saw 38 minutes come and go as I still had about 1/3 mile to go. Well, I eventually made it, but it was 43 minutes before I made the swift turn and headed back over the familiar terrain I had just travelled. Half way home--- but the easy part was over. I was now feeling the affects of my sedentary daily life over the past two months. Even though I do not have an 'office-job', its still not common for me to break out seven miles at the drop of a hat in my daily routine. I eventually settled into a pattern of jogging 1 minute / walking 1 minute. This is what I had been reduced to, all the while envisioning ultra-endurance athletes crossing Death Valley on foot, 135 miles, in the middle of summer no less. Talk about an inferiority complex, "keep moving" became my mantra, it was all that I had left.
And so I did. Jog one minute, walk one minute. I came to notice that minutes while jogging last longer than minutes while walking. It was on the way back that I passed a young girl and a small boy- each with a large dog on a leash. I'm jogging, I'm jamming, I'm passing these people with OSI in my ears. Although I can't hear a thing, I move to the extreme right hand side of the trail and throw up a hand to say 'hi' in a non-threatning manner (afterall, I do have 'the stick'). I see that the dogs are very interested in my passing and begin to pull at their leashes in my direction. I never felt threatened as they looked like they just wanted to jump up and lick my face or maybe jog down the path with me for a bit. In an instant, they were gone behind me and I never looked back. I was too close to home now.
The last leg of the trip was uneventful. The day was coming to a close and the trail had prematurely darkened due to all the covering of foilage. I actually exposed my true identity at this time by pulling the sunglasses up onto my forehead; no fear. The crisp cool fall air felt good as I had truly broken a 'for-real' sweat by now. And just like that, I spotted my big red truck though the yellow and orange leaf mosaic. I was back at the beginning of the trail and pressed the 'stop' button on my watch to see that I had finished in 1 hour and 23 minutes, 5 minutes slower than my best time there. All in all though, I was pretty happy with my time considering the layoff over the last two months. Hopefully I will be able to report back here with updates from time to time as to how my 'conditioning' is going.
After all, Mt. Whitney IS the tallest mountain in the states. I gonna need a bigger head band.
Yes, a decision will ultimately be made, but today, I had bigger worries to contend with. It had been over two months since I had attempted any real physical activity and now it was time to pay the piper. The bigger concern with climbing Mt. Whitney is that you can't just show up and expect to waltz up the sheer granite Sierra Nevada face without a little conditioning. Did I mention it was about 6,000 feet of vertical elevation gain? That's well over a mile STRAIGHT UP. I have read that making the trip in one day is comparable to running a marathon (26 miles)! My conditioning 'hikes' have never been over 14 miles and my weight is up to 245 pounds. Needless to say, I've got a long way to go, and a (relatively) short time to get there.
With all the above knowledge wedged securely in the dark recesses of my brain, I went out today with one real goal- come back tired. Since I do not have a lot of recreational options within close proximity, I decided to return to a local 'hike/bike' path that claims to be 3.7 miles one way. So hiking out and back should put one at roughly seven miles upon returning to the trailhead. Now, I know that just walking seven miles is not going to really push me very much, so I like to keep a close eye on the watch to make sure I am keeping up a good pace. This very trail had been the scene of some very HOT August hikes and I had actually began to make some physical progress back then. I had completed the roundtrip hike in 1 hour and 18 minutes the last time I had been there, which was a personal best. Today I knew it would be a real challenge to come close to that, so I went in with a "just do the best I can" attitude.
Along with that attitude I went in with the following "equipment"- one pair of 11.5 Merrell Moab Mid trail shoes, ankle high white cotton socks, extra long 'Under Armour' undershorts, cargo hiking shorts, short sleeved 'Under Armour' T-Shirt, one I-Pod Nano, one pair of sunglasses, one dark blue head-band, one 'fanny-pack' with dual water bottle holsters and not to be forgotten one trusty walking stick. I know, I know. This doesn't sound like someone who is taking this Whitney idea very seriously, but I do have good intentions. I know my gear/equipment is somewhat unorthodox, but I have always believed that grit and determination will take you farther than a lot a fancy bells and whistles.
I had always sworn that I would never wear a head band for fear of being associated with the Richard Simmons movement or perhaps the 80's band Loverboy. Boy was I ever right about that. The first time I broke out the head-band, my hiking buddy makes some obscure reference to 'Mike Reno' and leaves me feeling totally self-concious, as if I needed another obstacle to overcome while hiking. I have got to give the head-band the credit that it is due. It totally keeps sweat out of my eyes (and contacts), yet still allows the furnace vent like heat to escape from the top of my head (something a ball cap will just not allow). The sunglasses were not really necessary as most of the trail is shaded and I was out during the later part of the day when shadows were starting to get long. I think the sunglasses were to offset the head-band and to provide an additional edge of anonymity should I be spotted.
Fortunately, I did have the good frame of mind to take along the I-Pod today. I had just recently downloaded two new albums and really wanted the chance to listen to them under the scruitny that only earphones can provide. I have just recently been getting into some 'otherworldly' good music of the band "Office of Strategic Influence" or "OSI" for short. I had first listened to music from this band back in September while on a trip into Death Valley. I don't know if it was the music or the surreal landscape of Death Valley (probably a combination of the two), but I have been transfixed with absorbing as much of their music as I can since that trip. So today I went in with earbuds affixed and volume set on loud enough not to hear anything else. I must admit there were times when the music kind of 'motivated' me into keeping on moving and not slowing down, even when my body wanted to.
And then theres 'the stick'. Yeah, I've got a set of fairly decent hiking poles, but that just didn't seem right for what I had in mind today, so I left them at home. "The Stick" is nothing more than that, as a matter of fact I found this stick there at the Hike/Bike trail back in August and have been carrying it around in the bed of my truck since then (couldn't do that with hiking poles). It was originally too long when I first found it, but with a couple of swipes of a hand saw, it now is the right size. Weird that this stick has accompanied me on about 8 hikes now. It serves a couple of purposes other than the obvious. First and foremost it is used for balance and support and alleviates a bit of stress from the knees. Secondarily, it is a weapon. A deterrent should anyone out there on the trail try to 'give me the business'. Wild dogs, snakes, the list goes on and on as to what this stick COULD potentially save me from. Walk alone and your vulnerable. Walk with a four foot stick and you are armed!
As always with this 'hike' I know that I am going to try to complete it as fast as possible, which means jogging as much as I can endure. So with my watch 'lap counter' pressed, I set off on the seven mile round trip with stick in hand. The first part of the trail is uphill, so I am more or less walking at a fast pace which quickly leads to elevated breathing and a flush feeling within the first few minutes. After the initial uphill section, the trend is downhill for a bit which leads me into the first attempt at jogging. Walking is easy - I can walk for hours on end without a break, but throw in a little bit of jog and I tire fairly quickly with my current state of conditioning. I have always been haunted by the thought that, as an 8th grader, I completed a mile in the fastest time of my life- 5 minutes and 25 seconds (which, by the way, was only good enough for second place at our Middle School All County track meet). I can only dream about the skinny kid who really never knew the feeling of just being flat out TIRED.
The first section of jogging went rather well today though. I managed to get about twelve minutes of jogging down before I slowed back down to a walk. After the initial 'break-in' period, I finally got my second wind and eased into a jog/walk rotation of 2 minutes jogging/ 2 minutes walking. I must say that I am on my third set of I-Pod earbuds and I still haven't found a set that will actually stay in my ear while jogging. So needless to say, I often find myself fumbling with one dangling ear-bud as I lethargically trod with the grace of a dazed wildebeast. Having the rhythmic, mesmerizing, (and at times)all out jamming of OSI in my ears was quite the contrast to the scenery that surrounded me. It was fall in central Kentucky and the leaves here were really in their full autumn display. I wanted to stop and take a picture it was so beautiful, but I didn't have a camera and I certainly didn't have the time. I continued my jog/walk routine for twenty-three minutes with an untied shoelace, and I only stopped then to retie it because it felt funny on my foot and was distracting me from concentrating on reaching my goal.
My goal, at this time, was the halfway point- at which I would 1)touch the park-like gate 2) Press the 'lap' button on my watch and 3) turn around and come back. The fastest I had made it to the gate before today was 38 minutes. Today I saw 38 minutes come and go as I still had about 1/3 mile to go. Well, I eventually made it, but it was 43 minutes before I made the swift turn and headed back over the familiar terrain I had just travelled. Half way home--- but the easy part was over. I was now feeling the affects of my sedentary daily life over the past two months. Even though I do not have an 'office-job', its still not common for me to break out seven miles at the drop of a hat in my daily routine. I eventually settled into a pattern of jogging 1 minute / walking 1 minute. This is what I had been reduced to, all the while envisioning ultra-endurance athletes crossing Death Valley on foot, 135 miles, in the middle of summer no less. Talk about an inferiority complex, "keep moving" became my mantra, it was all that I had left.
And so I did. Jog one minute, walk one minute. I came to notice that minutes while jogging last longer than minutes while walking. It was on the way back that I passed a young girl and a small boy- each with a large dog on a leash. I'm jogging, I'm jamming, I'm passing these people with OSI in my ears. Although I can't hear a thing, I move to the extreme right hand side of the trail and throw up a hand to say 'hi' in a non-threatning manner (afterall, I do have 'the stick'). I see that the dogs are very interested in my passing and begin to pull at their leashes in my direction. I never felt threatened as they looked like they just wanted to jump up and lick my face or maybe jog down the path with me for a bit. In an instant, they were gone behind me and I never looked back. I was too close to home now.
The last leg of the trip was uneventful. The day was coming to a close and the trail had prematurely darkened due to all the covering of foilage. I actually exposed my true identity at this time by pulling the sunglasses up onto my forehead; no fear. The crisp cool fall air felt good as I had truly broken a 'for-real' sweat by now. And just like that, I spotted my big red truck though the yellow and orange leaf mosaic. I was back at the beginning of the trail and pressed the 'stop' button on my watch to see that I had finished in 1 hour and 23 minutes, 5 minutes slower than my best time there. All in all though, I was pretty happy with my time considering the layoff over the last two months. Hopefully I will be able to report back here with updates from time to time as to how my 'conditioning' is going.
After all, Mt. Whitney IS the tallest mountain in the states. I gonna need a bigger head band.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
This Just In
The Initial Blog! I suppose anyone who has ever started a blog has been faced with the inevitable task of composing "the initial blog". Really the whole idea of blogging is quite intriguing. Since when did our diaries go public?!? What is the appeal of sharing personal thoughts and experiences with both stangers and friends? Far be it from me to question the age of internet communication. I do suppose there is some good that can come from blogs, depending on the blogger, the subject matter and the manner of delivery. I personally have perused many blog forums in search of information, new perspectives, humorous interpretations and general voyeristic intrigue. Given these paramters, it is my intention to post blogs with the following characteristics.
1) Posts will generally revolve around my daily activities or experiences that I find interesting or worthy of sharing with others. I'm not much on philsophical interludes, but rather more about what is real and tangible.
2) I generally communicate verbally in a style that is open for dialogue, meaning that I often put the ball back into the listeners 'court'. I often employ devices such as "playing the devils advocate" or answer a question with another question, and most notably my use of sarcasm is without equal. This probably drives some of my friends and colleagues crazy, but for me it allows a more 'open ended' converstation. Since I have never 'blogged' before, I can only anticipate that my blog postings will contain similar methods.
3) I do have my own opinions, but I am open for change based on 'new perspectives'. It is my intention to utilize this blog forum to relay real life experiences in a manner that will not only enlighten the reader, but also allow me to better solidify my thoughts and ideas through the simple act of Blogging.
In closing, anyone who reads this post should know that I have no real expectations about the blogging phenomenon from a personal standpoint. My life is not incredibly exciting, however I do attempt to "maximize the experience", whatever it may be. The main thrust behind this whole venture into blogging (whether or not I want to admit it), is probably the fact that I have just turned 40 years old. In my mind I have decided that enough time has been wasted, and that the second half of my life (if I make it that far) will include more of what "I want to do". Also I am interested in a more introspective approach to life's challenges and demands. I think this blogging thing may be just the right tool to aid in that endeavor.
Let me think about all this and I'll get back with you.
1) Posts will generally revolve around my daily activities or experiences that I find interesting or worthy of sharing with others. I'm not much on philsophical interludes, but rather more about what is real and tangible.
2) I generally communicate verbally in a style that is open for dialogue, meaning that I often put the ball back into the listeners 'court'. I often employ devices such as "playing the devils advocate" or answer a question with another question, and most notably my use of sarcasm is without equal. This probably drives some of my friends and colleagues crazy, but for me it allows a more 'open ended' converstation. Since I have never 'blogged' before, I can only anticipate that my blog postings will contain similar methods.
3) I do have my own opinions, but I am open for change based on 'new perspectives'. It is my intention to utilize this blog forum to relay real life experiences in a manner that will not only enlighten the reader, but also allow me to better solidify my thoughts and ideas through the simple act of Blogging.
In closing, anyone who reads this post should know that I have no real expectations about the blogging phenomenon from a personal standpoint. My life is not incredibly exciting, however I do attempt to "maximize the experience", whatever it may be. The main thrust behind this whole venture into blogging (whether or not I want to admit it), is probably the fact that I have just turned 40 years old. In my mind I have decided that enough time has been wasted, and that the second half of my life (if I make it that far) will include more of what "I want to do". Also I am interested in a more introspective approach to life's challenges and demands. I think this blogging thing may be just the right tool to aid in that endeavor.
Let me think about all this and I'll get back with you.
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