Beach Trip! - And we're going to a Restaurant Too!

The plans have been made, invitations sent, plane tickets pruchased, the Mormon Invasion of Duck Beach is now in motion. Apparently, for several years (I don't really know how long), there has been an annual migration from the DC area to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for Memorial weekend. Multiple houses are rented and filled with people from all over (not just the DC area). This year, Tara and I decided to head up our own house. The main reason for me is Maya is coming to visit for a week and half. YAY! This way I don't have feel funny about having Maya stay in the house and we can stay there all week! Lounging on the beach in style for a week! When I told Maya that we were going to stay in a house right by the beach she said, "That sounds like fun, can we go to a restaraunt too?!" I said, "Sure, we can probably go to more than one while we're there." Then I heard to turn to Emily a tell her in a very excited voice, "We are going to the beach And a Restaurant!" So, cute. So far, after one week, we have 10 gals and 5 guys. The remaining spots have been reserved for guys by request of the gals! We have 2 people flying in from Portland and one from Salt Lake. This is going to be a great group of peeps who are all very cool and laid back. Everyday I get a little more excited! Hence the new countdown clock in the sidebar. Is it me, or is that thing moving really slow?

Coccydynia

Hi . . . My name is Corey [ H i C o r e y ! ] um . . . And I have Coc see dee nee ah! Remember last month's winter wonderland and the evening of sledding fun? Well, apparently, I'm *Still* paying the price of admission. I managed to 'break' my tail bone for a second time that night. The first time was the weekend before I moved to Maryland (Jan 2003). I was fooling around with my rollerblades on the neighbor kid's ramp. Sometimes I forget how many birthday candles I have to blow out each year. Boy, was that a fun drive across the country. Neither time has been confirmed by x-rays (my kidney stone ct scan is the wrong angle to see it properly), but the pain is definitely the same. The doctor (from the first incident) prescribed me some nice muscle relaxants (soma) and pain killers (hydrocodone) which I still have almost all of them. I guess I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. (I still have a bottle of oxycodone from the kidney stones too!) But I digress... So last night, Tara are I trying to watch V for Vendetta (which I enjoyed) and this rude couple left their seats and came back three times! Normally this would just be huge annoyance and completely rude, but for me, it was intensely painful. See, I can handle the pain that is caused from sitting in one position. It just becomes a dull pain after a few minutes and I try not to think about it. The intense pain occurs as soon as I need to change positions. It is like hot knives stabbing my back-side. Once last night, I thought I was going to pass-out (sudden break-out of sweat and light-headedness) and once I got really nauseous. Not my idea of fun. So today, after 5 hours of trail work this morning (about a mile of new trail created at Muddy Branch, MD) and a very deserved nap, I started doing a little research. I love the internet. I found a lot of information plus a whole website for my condition. Say it with me . . . coc see dee nee ah I am hoping that it will heal itself again. I still had a tough time on the long airplane rides but I was pretty much pain free. Some of the people's stories on this site tell of years (10, 20, 30!) of continual, debilitating pain. There's no way I'm going to tough it out that long! If this lasts much longer I will definitely be getting another opinion. :) ______________________ Here are few little bits of info taken from http://www.coccyx.org. Sitting down with an unstable coccyx is like spraining your ankle, then forcing the ankle to bend more than normal. Symptoms of Coccydynia: Pain during or after sitting, the level of pain depending on how long you sit Acute pain while moving from sitting to standing Pain caused by sitting on a soft, but not a hard surface Deep ache around the coccyx Shooting pains down the leg Like sitting on a marble that moves around Like sitting on a knife Like being impaled on a garden cane, with or without chili peppers Secondary Symptoms: Exhaustion, depression, lack of sleep Painful back, from sitting in awkward positions to relieve the pressure on the coccyx Painful feet, from standing too much Other aches and pains around the body 'Fractured coccyx' Doctors quite commonly diagnose 'fractured coccyx', and sometimes 'incomplete fusion of the coccyx'. So far as I can make out, both of these diagnoses are usually wrong, and are based on the idea, given in medical textbooks, that the coccyx is normally fused into one piece in adults. This is not true - doctors who have examined uninjured coccyxes have found that they normally consist of two or more pieces. Doctors who have no experience in this area look at an x-ray of a coccyx of someone in pain, and find that the coccyx is in several pieces, and so assume that it must either have been broken, or it never fused together properly. ______________________ I'll spare you any more details. But I'll add that there appears to be no 'right' treatment. Everything from manual massages (external and internal!) to acupuncture to various injections to surgical removal of the tail bone. Doesn't that sound fun! Bottoms Up!

Shy, Romantic, Playful or All of the Above?

Most of my friends are female and they seem to love to take personality and relationship quizes. Being curious and always up for an adventure, I have taken most them myself. Most are just silly but some are pretty interesting. The lastest tests I took were to determine what kind of kisser I am. I lost the results of the first one so I took it a second time and got a different answer. I would let 'you' be the judge but how can you really judge if we have never kissed. I am accepting reservations for this weekend. You're a Shy Kisser You *do* love to kiss, once your comfortable with it And that means knowing the person you're kissing pretty well You usually don't make the first move when it comes to making out But you've got plenty of intensity in return What Kind of Kisser Are You? You're a Romantic Kisser For you, kissing is all about feeling the romance You love to kiss under the stars or by the sea The perfect kiss involves the perfect mood It's pretty common for kisses to sweep you off your feet What Kind of Kisser Are You? You're a Playful Kisser Talk about freestyle! You've got originality points when it comes to kissing. You are probably the type of person who goes with the flow and plants your pecks accordingly as each situation dictates. And why shouldn't you? The only real important rule is for you to be yourself — and to keep experimenting. If something feels good, you should keep doing it. And especially in lessons of l'amour, there's no reason to conform. So pucker up and keep seizing your moments! But before you get all crazy experimenting, sticking your tongue in your partner's ear, or getting carried away with your little love bites, remember that a kiss is between two people. You don't want to turn them off while you're getting turned on. So if that happens, take a deep breath, slow down, and try a little tenderness. What Kind of Kisser Are You? Brought to you by Tickle Ahh, who the hell am I kidding?! I'm not busy tonight either! In fact I'm pretty flexible all week!

Itching for Spring

Winter is great, as long as there is snow to play in. Now that Mother Nature can't make up her mind whether to be warm or cold it just becomes very frustrating. And everyone seems to be getting sick too. I really don't like the tease of 70 to 80 degree spring weather followed by a smack in the face of sub-teens. Overall, this weekend was quite pleasant, a bit cool, but sunny and nice. Friday started my weekend in grand fashion: Papa John's pizza and two Cary Grant movies (by myself). Saturday I went to Conway Robinson State Forest for the first of this year's trail maintenance days. We rerouted about 300 meters of trail to avoid some sections that did not drain well. We also closed the old trail and made it look as if it had never existed. I got to the park early so I went for a quick bike ride around the perimeter trail. I quickly noticed that something did not feel quite right with the new bike. I kept hitting my pedals on rocks and the seat seemed too low. It took me a minute to figure out that rear shock was stuck in the down position and no longer working. Unfortunately this brand of shock is known for this very issue and I had just read about it last week. After the work day, several of the guys helped me try to fix the problem by releasing all the air and pumping it back up. But, no such luck. It is going to the shop after only 3 rides! Next, it was time for some more trails. This time hiking with Bronwyn and Jamie on the Maryland side of Great Falls (Billy Goat Trail, Section A). I had forgotten how much rock scrambling there is on this section of the trail. It was great. I was really hoping to see some spring flowers, but only found one and most everything is still brown. Another week of two and everything will suddenly be green. My Saturday ended with a bowling extravaganza (about 25 people) and a late dinner with Karl and Tara at Silver Diner. Lots of crazy, fun people and I actually bowled fairly well. I bowled both games using only my ever-so-professional english curve technique. I got several strikes a few spares and Lots of gutter-balls (just for you Rachael). And of course, Tara kicked my trash. In fact, she kicked everyone's trash. She had the high score of the evening by a long shot. It was a great, well rounded day. Volunteering, hiking, bowling, friends and food.

OK, OK - Here is the Aquarium Update, Finally

In order to stop the relentless nagging about the newest activities on the 55 gallon aquarium in Utah, I am finally providing a synopsis of the accomplishments. Lights arrived SHATTERED! (The two compact florescents were in lots of little shards. The connector ends were crushed pretty badly. The plexi-glass covers were really scratched up from all the shards. The reflectors were bent and damaged. But the metal halides and lunar LEDs are fine.) Called the Light vendor before I even opened the box and he was great. He said "Call me back with a list of what is broken and we will send it out." I love good customer service. New lights are being shipped out along with new reflectors and new plexi-glass covers. Plumbing parts were purchased and assembled Protien Skimmer was installed Return pump was installed SCWD wave maker was installed Aquarium and Sump were fully water tested with tap water Powerheads were put in place - one with a rotating nozzle to create alternating currents 45 pounds of aragonite sand were added 30 pounds of crushed coral were added 15 pounds of puka shells were added 10 pounds of GARF Grunge were added 10 pounds of GARF Grunge Plus were added 5 pounds of GARF Grunge Lite were added to the refugium Waited 2 days for the cloud to clear up. 'Washed' the gravel and Drained the tank Filled the tank with RO water (Reverse Osmosis - filtered) Created a new cloud! Added quilting batting to help filter out the fine particle cloud Mounted the powerstrips and organized all of the power cords Setup the timers for the lights Stared at the sand bed hoping to find some nice hitchhikers - none found :( Added a couple of scoops of substrate, macro algae, and two snails from Matt and Cami's tank (yay! two snails!) Added about 6 pounds of live rock rubble to the sump Now we wait, and look at an 'empty' aquarium until the Nitrogen Cycle completes (which will probably need some help with fish food or dead shrimp since there is practically nothing in the tank to die off.) I have been told that the diatom bloom (brown algae growth) has started to cover all the rocks. Yay! This means that the cycle has started. I guess I should look into ordering some snails and crabs (the clean-up crew). The agrocrete rock structures that I order from GARF still have not arrived! Not sure what is up with that! So that's it for now. Next on the list: The Cleaner Crew Aquascaping Refugium Macro Algae Fish Corals

First Taste of Dirt

I took out the bike for a couple of rides this week. On Monday, I hurried home and quickly dashed over to Fairfax Lake to test ride the new beast. I was quickly disappointed. But let me qualify this statement... It is amazing how quickly all of the little things rear their ugly heads as soon as you are on a real trail instead of doing circles in a parking lot. The shifting was horrid - skipping gears, mis-shifting, not shifting at all, etc. The disc brakes were rubbing and I could not seem to adjust them properly on the trail. And the chain kept skipping at random intervals both with hard pressure on the cranks and without. The feel of the bike is going to take some to time to get used to. After only owning hardtail bikes, this feels like I'm riding through oatmeal. I kept looking down to see if my tires were flat. Most of that problem should be cleared up once I properly configure the pressure in the shocks for my weight and riding style. So that night I fiddled with the deraileurs, shifters, brake levers, and brake pads so that it should be working much better next time. I don't have a shock pump yet, so I have no way to adjust the shocks. Tuesday, I contacted Peter and asked if he help me out before the Tuesday Night ride. He brought along his shock pump and I increased the pressure in the rear shock by 50 psi (now set to 200 psi) and the front shocks I increased from 35psi to 65psi. The Tuesday evening ride was much better than the Monday ride. The shocks feel much better and I'm enjoying the cush (not mush). I have a lot more fine tuning to do with the dampening and such but I'm happy with the improvements so far. Now I just need a name for it?! Do I dare?! How about something along this veign: The Welsh Green dragon from the Goblet of Fire. I'll have to think about that. That's a big step that I'm just not sure I'm emotionally prepared for. I definately get attached but in sort of an apthetic way. This is a whole new level I don't think I'm ready for. What if something happens to it. I don't know if could handle that...

Have you named it yet?

Is this just a girl thing or do guys do it too? Last night Tara came over and I had to show off the new ride. Then she asks if I have named it yet? That never even crossed my mind. I have never been one to name anything. I don't even give my fish names and they are at least alive and possibly deserving of personal indentication. I know of serveral people (all girls) that have named their cars. The only named vehicle that I can think of owned by a guy was actually named by his girlfriend at the time. So, what have you named? Any guys out there with an urge to name your possessions? Am I missing a vital component in my view of the universe?

Earning my Ride!

Last year I finally found the dirt trails here in the DC area. Before that I had been riding a lot on the W&OD which is a great trail system but it is all paved. Then I found MORE and world was right again! I found great people to ride with, an incredible system of dirt trails, and a great way to give back to the community. MORE is one of the largest trail advocate organizations in the Mid-Atlantic area. Doing trail maintenence has been fun, rewarding, and great way to find new trails. Last year I worked on the following trails: Fairfax County Cross County Trail, VA Shaeffer Farms, MD Wakefield, VA Rosaryville, VA Hoyles Mill Connector, MD Fountainhead, VA During the Hoyles Mill Connector work day the Trail Liason used a phrase I had emailed him for the day's mantra. In my email I wrote: "I'm looking forward to earning my ride." The thought was that by working on the trails I was earning my right to ride them. Throughout the day, there would be shouts of "Earn My Ride" from the various volunteers. The group picture found everyone shouting "Earn My Ride" instead of cheese. I had no idea that it would take on such a life of its own. Now, several months later, it is alive and well in a new form. During my last Utah trip, MORE had its annual winter party. They had lots of schwag that was raffled off with the big prize of the night being a new bike donated by City Bikes. Only people who had volunteered at least 4 days of trail maintenence were included in the big prize raffle. And as you may have guessed by now... I WON THE BIKE And then there were Three!

Hmmmm...This could be fun!

I have not done any video recording for a few years now, but this little beauty could change all of that. I have always leaned toward trying to record our adventures (they are just a lot more interesting to me). But hauling a 'big' camcorder on the slopes, trails or crags was a pain. Not to mention worrying about damaging the darn thing. This one is extremely small and the lens detaches! Can you say Helmet Cam?!! Samsung Announces VP-X210L Camcorder, Hardened for Outdoorsy Types Samsung has introduced the VP-X210L, a rugged camcorder that’s also a music player and still camera. Its most unusual feature is a detachable lens that can be mounted on handlebars, your helmet, or anywhere else as long as it’s not farther than 9 feet away from the camcorder body. The VP-X210L has a gigabyte of built-in memory and also an SD memory slot for more storage. The camcorder has a 10x optical zoom and doubles as a two-megapixel still camera. Its longer-life battery will make it a worthy companion on the road or trail. No pricing or availability info was forthcoming yet. Samsung VP-X210L Camcorder [MobileWhack] READ MORE: Camcorder, Gadgets, Samsung, VP-X210L

Ultimate is the Bomb

Last night's game of Ultimate was great. The weather was gorgeous and the field was dry, although there are a few death holes (oops, maybe we should have not played when it was so sloppy.) :) A few of the regulars were a bit under the weather and did not make it out - get better guys! We shortened the field a bit and played at 'half-speed' (whatever that means) with our 4 on 4 teams. Scott, Rachel, Georgina, Corey, Shane, Corry, Bronwyn and Larry. Thanks for a great time guys, see you next week.

Back in the Saddle Again

The winter has not been kind to my mountain biking urges. The trails have been very wet and mucky and I just didn't feel like riding pavement on the W&OD. Maybe if I had a road bike that opinion would be different. Luckily I have been fairly active otherwise with Ultimate Frisbee, an occasional run and a good romp through the mud around Lake Fairfax with Georgina a couple of weeks ago. So my overall fitness level (which personally I thinks sucks) has not suffered too much during my absence. So last night I committed myself to getting back to the Tuesday Night Ride habit at Wakefield Park in Annandale, VA. I got there almost an hour early and took a lap around the phase II section while it was still light. That section is a lot of fun with new rollercoaster style hills. All the trails were in great shape - smooth and fast. The group was pretty big tonight for a cold 'winter' night ride, with about 5-8 people in the three groups (casual, moderate [lung burning], fast [ridiculously gut wrenching]). The weather was great - slightly crisp. I just wore a long sleeve poly top and my MORE tee-shirt over it with my shorts and full-finger gloves. I was the only one without full leg coverings which probably does not surprise anyone. The only thing I was wishing for, about an hour into the ride, was a headband. I started getting a headache from my forehead and ears being cold. Other than that, it was perfect. I actually did better than I thought I would. Craig led us around the race course, phase II, creek trail, the bowl, creek trail in reverse, and once more through phase II. It was about an hour and a half and close to 12 miles. Great Stuff!

Congrats Curtis and Brittany

Curt has popped the big question, and Brittany accepted. June 30th is the big day. Apparently the road-trip to Oklahoma City and back with the future father-in-law did not have a negative impact. And Brittany did very well at the swim-meet (Firsts or Seconds in all her races). Congratulations guys.

The Logic of a 5 Year Old

First off, I should clarify that this is the logic of a very tired and upset 5 year old. OK, let me see if I can attempt to recreate the evening adventure through a bit of the 'dialog'. Setting: Bedtime at Grandma and Grandpa Ziggy's Mood: Maya is extremely upset. All of her dialog and heated, agitated, frustrated, and screamed through sobs. Corey is cool on the outside but also agitated, frustrated, and about to loose all of that external cool at any moment. 8:10PM Corey: Maya, please get your jammies on. Maya: NO! I Want To Play! Corey: OK, you can play for a little bit after you put your jammies on. Maya: NO! I Want To Play Now! Corey: You need to put your jammies on first. [... mulitple choices, deals, compromises, and banters back and forth, none of which are remotely successful ...] 8:25PM Corey: Maya, you're using up all of your play time with this fighting. Please get ready for bed. Maya: NO! You're Being Mean to Me. You Need to Say You're Sorry Now! Corey: OK, I'm sorry. Will you please get you jammies on. Maya: That Wasn't a Nice Sorry. You Need to say Sorry Nice! Corey: Maya, I'm very sorry for making you upset. [long pause - apology is apparently accepted] Corey: Maya, are you going say 'I'm sorry' to me for getting so upset. Maya: NO! I'm NOT Going to Say Sorry Today. I'll Say Sorry Tomorrow After School! [... several more rounds of trying to get dressed ...] 8:45PM - 9:25PM Unsuccessful attempts to force the issue resulting is chasing, screaming, restraining, then a lot more screaming: Maya: You're Hurting Me. You Hit Me. You Hit Me 20 Times. It Hurts Really Bad. You're the Meanest Dad Ever! [I'm not sure where she learned this tactic, but frankly it is quite scary. Especially with all the real cases of abuse and neglect and the hyper-vigilence of governering agencies. Hopefully she never blurts those aqusations in public!] So after serveral minutes I finally get her clothes off and begin to put her jammies on - all under much duress. Maya: I Want to Put on My Jammies Myself Corey: [Handing the jammie bottoms to Maya] OK, here they are. Maya: NO! You Put Them On Me! Corey: [Approaching Maya on the couch] Please put your leg in. Maya: NO! Get Away From Me. You're Mean. Corey: [Backs away from the couch] Maya: NO! Come Back Here. Corey: Please put you jammies on, Maya. Maya: I Want You To Do It. Corey: [Approaches Maya on the couch again] Please put your leg in. Maya: NO! I Want to Get Dressed Myself. Corey: [Hands the jammies to Maya] Maya: NO! You Do It. Corey: OK, put your leg in. Maya: NO! YOU Put My Leg In. [Finally managing to get the bottoms on we now proceed with the top.] Maya: I Won't Put My Top on Until Grandpa Leaves. [Grandpa had witnessed most of the unslaught and was pretty much flabber-gasted. Grandpa leaves the scene of incident.] Corey: [Places the tops over her head] Maya: NO! That's Not The Right Way. [Jammie top is flung across the room.] Corey: Maya will you please put you jammies on. Maya: NO! You Put Them On Me. Corey: [Attempts again to put the jammies on.] Maya: NO! I Want To Do It. Corey: [Hands the top to Maya] Maya: NO! YOU Put it On Me. Corey: [Gathers up one of the sleeves assuming that this must be 'the right way' - Silly Dad] Maya: NO! You Have To Put My Arm In. Maya: NO! My Other Arm. 9:25PM Finally dressed - still sobbing but doing much better Cuddle time. Decompression time. Apology time. 9:40PM - Finally go to bed 9:41PM - Mini Fit - about playing with her favorite toys which are still downstairs. 9:44PM - Playtime on her bed 9:50PM - Finally turn off the lights, say prayers, and go to sleep Exhausted

Lent

Emily reminded me that it is Ash Wednesday and Lent begins today. So, once again, I'm giving up Lent for Lent.