While camping and hiking is always an activity you should take very seriously, the Cascades are much more wild than other places we’ve been; it’s very easy to get lost, stuck in bad weather, or run into an animal looking for a meal. (In case you’re looking for betting tips, in Human vs. Beast fights the safe money is on the Beast.) We’ve been reminded constantly over the year we’ve been in Seattle that people really can die in these mountains – even when they’re headed out for a day hike. With this in mind, we’ve been waiting to go with more experienced hikers because dying in the mountains seems like a worse deal than living in the city.
In a flash of brilliance, Jim suggested a week ago that we go hiking on his and Jess’s back country skiing route near Steven’s Pass and camp at Skyline Lake near the end of the route. This obviously established a “need” for various pieces of equipment, especially anything titanium: cups, spoons, forks, and a French press. Oh, and a stainless steel grill that about doubled the weight of my pack.
Being the compulsive over packers that we are, we brought everything we could think of including 5 different lights, a GPS, enough batteries to last a month, 6 different types of rain-gear, hiking boots for us and the dogs, special sleeping pads for the dogs, flashy lights for the dogs, and bear bells to attach to anything with a pulse. We would have put bells on the actual bears if only we could have found some. At one point Jim turned to me – decked out head to toe in Gore-Tex, headlamp, and technical pack – and said, “I like camping with you, you guys make me feel less like a gearhead.”
We hiked about a mile and a half up a jeep trail which gained around 1,000 feet in that distance. Jim and Jess had been camping with their dog before, but Michelle and I had not been with ours. We were pretty sure that Mack would do fine, but our expectations for Kirki ranged anywhere from her being dragged up the trail to her being carried up the trail. We almost packed a wagon in case things turned out worse than we expected.
Mack did what he always does, which is run at full speed wherever he goes and jump on top of any object big enough to support him. This results in the occasional miscalculation and resulting collision with the ground or a nearby obstacle. Kirki, to our amazement, was incredibly active as well, bravely exploring the camp and surrounding woods.
We set up camp in the middle of a huckleberry patch. They’re incredibly comfortable to sleep on, by the way. Jess became progressively more obsessed with the berries and was sure they should be used in a recipe. The next day on the way back to the car, we picked a bag full of berries which Jess used to make an awesome cake.
The only snag was that, while Jim, Jess, and Bromley peacefully shared their tent at night, our plans to have Kirki and Mack sleep in the vestibule of our tent didn’t work out – due in large part to the fact that it was snowing. So the dogs came into the tent. Both dogs were still pretty cold and since we neglected to bring a jacket for Mack, we ended up spending the night taking cat naps and alternating Kirki’s jacket between the two dogs.
Everything ended well; we had no encounters with beasts of any kind and didn’t get lost or frozen. But Kirki did pay a price for her efforts on the hiking trip: she didn’t get up off her pad all day Monday and whined any time she had to lift her head.
After almost 14 months, the verdict was finally handed down in the Floyd Landis doping case. A three-person panel voted 2-1 to find Landis was found guilty of doping during the 2006 Tour de France, stripped of his title, and has been suspended for two years.
I have mixed feelings about this case: I was never a fan of Floyd’s, but Stage 17 of the 2006 Tour (where he later returned a positive dope test) was one of the most exciting I’ve ever seen, and I instantly became a fan of his.
We were in France during the 2006 Tour, and were at the roadside of the stage to Pla-de-Beret where Landis first took the Yellow Jersey. We then spent the next few days following the Tour on-and-off, catching the news in the French daily paper, L’Equipe, or watching some of the day-long television coverage. (By the way, one of the great things about being in France during the Tour is listening to the commentators go nuts whenever a Frenchman appears on the TV; some random French domestique will get in a breakaway and they immediately start jabbering about the rider’s chances of winning the Tour. Their optimism is kind of sweet, really. )
Then we headed into the Alps for a few days and missed one day of coverage. That happened to be the stage to La Toussuire where Landis cracked and fell more than eight minutes behind. We turned the television on the next day and were completely confused by what we were seeing: the stage had just hit the first mountain, and Floyd’s team was on the front racing as though they were 10k from the finish. Suddenly Landis – who we were surprised to see was no longer in yellow – rode away from the race. We feverishly tried to figure out what was happening, and why Landis didn’t appear to be in contention anymore. (Another odd thing about being in France during the Tour is that unless you’re up to speed on all the French slang around cycling, it’s a big struggle to truly understand what’s going on from the papers.)
We finally figured out that Landis had cracked and lost heaps of time; what we were seeing was a super-hero mission to gain back as much of time as possible. He managed to pull it off, and eventually won the Tour. It was epic. It was inspirational, and we immediately became fans. One of the first things we did when we set up our workshop in our basement when we moved to Seattle was pin up L’Equipe’s issue from the following day showing Landis cruising to a beautiful stage win.
I don’t know if Floyd doped, and doping in cycling continues to be a topic that I’m incredibly conflicted about. Does it matter whether he doped? Was the inspiration I felt that day as well as the excitement over the next few days false because he doped? Not necessarily. That experience belongs to me; just because his performance may have been “enhanced” doesn’t invalidate what I took away from it. I spend my life building software and none of that is real, either – you can’t touch it or prove it exists, but you can still experience it and take something from it.
At the same time, if he doped – and especially if he was doing so while everyone else was clean – then he should be punished. If Oscar Pereiro was clean and got second, then he deserves to be named the winner.
The problem of doping in cycling is both a cultural and scientific one. Doping in cycling – and, in fact, sport in general – is deeply rooted into the culture surrounding the sport. Young riders are told by older riders and team management that they need to dope in order to succeed. The young riders become the older riders, the older riders retire and become team directors and managers, and the circle continues.
Techniques to pass and avoid doping controls are shared among teams and riders, and the various agencies and labs conducting the doping controls are allegedly bought off by teams to suppress results. That doesn’t even touch on the fact that a huge number of items on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited substances list – something like 80% – can’t be tested for. Of those that do have tests, many depend on allowable thresholds – including the test for testosterone which Landis failed. In those cases, there is no flashing red light that indicates a positive test; the lab technicians use their judgment and experience to decide if a sample is positive for doping. Although the lab scientists are highly trained and disciplined, the fact that one could claim that the findings are subjective opens the door to questioning the credibility of the results.
The culture, the possibility (or even likelihood) of riders doping without being caught, and the credibility of the tests conspire to turn the fight against doping into a big hairy mess. You have people speaking out against doping and claiming the sport is cleaning up while rumors persist that doping is rampant. And, those riders who do fail dope controls swear they are clean and are wrongfully accused.
I hate the idea of riders being singled out if everyone else is also doping. I hate the idea of riders being wrongfully accused. I hate the idea of riders doping. I hate the idea that there doesn’t seem to be a good way to deal with the problem. But I love cycling, and with or without doping, it’s still the most difficult and beautiful sport.
One key to good public speaking is to sprinkle in a few phrases that brings the topic back to something the listener can associate with. A good associative phrase gives the audience something they can sink their teeth into during the various complicated and insightful things being said which are no doubt confusing their inferior brains. It’s a good approach, and when properly executed can lead to a condition I refer to as “being awesome”.
Through a process of trial and error I have discovered that a key contributing factor to the effectiveness of such a phrase is whether or not it makes sense. This is why I strongly discourage George W. Bush from using this technique.
As I stated before, I am no fan of the early-morning press conference; today was no exception. The silver lining is that there is always something said that makes Michelle and I stop what we’re doing an look at each other in disbelief. Here are a few of my favorites from today’s speech:
Where are the Mandelas? Mandela’s dead.
I think he was going somewhere with this one, but it got lost due to his excitement over the fact that he said the word “Mandela” correctly – let alone that he said it twice. It’s hard to keep a shine on your boots when you kick that much ass.
You need to talk to economists. I think I got a B in Econ 101.
There is no way I believe he got a “B” in Econ. Besides, who is the President to comment on the economy? Those reporters were way out of line.
There is no question that there is some unsettling times in the housing market and credits associated with the housing market.
There is some unsettling times? If he got a “B” in Econ, what did he get in English? Do they give out something lower than “F”? I also find it terrifying that there are troubles in the housing market associated with the housing market.
All of us in America want there to be, you know, fairness when it comes to justice.
Fair Justice? Nah. That’s just an pipe dream.
To the extent that innocent life was lost, you know, I’m saddened
I do know. I’m stoked the president is saddened by the scandalous behavior of a giant American company to the extent that innocent life was lost.
Part of the reason why there’s not this instant democracy in Iraq is because people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein’s brutal rule.
I got a new laptop from work a few days ago. Of course, it’s loaded with Windows Vista. I have to say that it is much faster than Windows XP, and much prettier. They even figured out how to make fonts look nice and smooth, a breakthrough for Windows. Since everyone knows it’s no fun talking about good stuff, I’m going to get right to the weird stuff.
First of all, they’ve “improved” the security model. Administrators are no longer really Administrators. This is the Microsoft solution to their security problems. Rather than making a stable OS that doesn’t have security flaws, they don’t let the person using the computer use the computer. Brilliant. I think in a future security patch, they’re going to disable the power button so you can’t turn your computer on. After all, a computer that isn’t running is a secure computer. Maybe that patch will rename the OS to Windows Placemat.
Installing software and starting programs is, truly, just like the Apple Security commercial. I used to laughed at this commercial, chuckling at how cleverly Apple was exaggerating the behavior of Microsoft’s new OS, blissfully unaware that this is actually precisely what using Windows Vista is like.
Apart from “borrowing” Apple’s notion that operating systems don’t have to be ugly and their revolutionary concept that using a computer doesn’t need to be a miserable experience, Microsoft has also mimicked Apple’s Exposé feature. Exposé is one of my favorite things about OS X. When you push a specific key on OS X, Exposé spreads out your windows on your screen so you can see what you have running. You can then click a window to choose it and Exposé puts all the windows back with the window you chose on top. Vista has a similar feature, which I’m guessing is called “It’s Hosed, eh?” In typical copy-cat fashion, their version is almost completely useless. Rather than spread the windows out in a way that lets you see all their contents, it displays them at an angle, obscuring most of the windows. In a fit of design brilliance, it also shows your desktop at the back, just in case you forgot that there is a desktop. The windows, since they’re at an angle, are impossible to read with the ones in front covering the ones behind them.
This is a typical Microsoft “enhancement”: The widows all slide into place beautifully, things fade in and out, and – most importantly – it doesn’t actually do anything. The way the windows are displayed and unreadable, it doesn’t provide any information not already available through the task tray, which Windows has had since Windows ’95. But I’m certain an entire team was built around it, gobs of money was pumped into it, and a whole lot of people in Redmond feel awfully satisfied with themselves for building it.
When I was working at Microsoft, I shared an office with a guy who had a great sense of humor about Microsoft. He always joked that whoever designed the restart “feature” was a genius: one feature that solves all Windows’ problems. He wanted to work on the “Restart Feature Team”, he would joke. One day he Googled it, and it turned out that Microsoft actually had a team working on a feature called the “Restart Manager” for Vista which could restart parts of the operating system without having to restart the whole shebang. So, rather than build an OS that doesn’t need restarting – like OS X and Linux – they’re making a restart manager.
Well, there should be some points for consistency.
I consider myself to be “detail-oriented”, which means I notice a lot of things most people could give a shit less about. Given that, I’m surprised by the things I don’t catch. Like the fact that Ken’s Market sells Idaho Spuds. Granted, I don’t spend much time pouring over the candy selection at stores, but I’ve been shopping there on an almost-daily basis for about a year, and Idaho Spuds hold a very dear place in my heart. I should have had my Spidey-Sense tingling. The fact that I only spotted them yesterday is shocking to me.
My parents are European and grew up with the notion of having a “Winter Sport” which is a little mini vacation you take in the winter to go skiing, usually in Switzerland or France. My dad also happens to be a professor, so he has some flexibility during the winter holidays. When we were kids, they would take off for 3 weeks or so and go skiing at Grand Targhee.
Every year, without fail, they returned with three plastic bags full of Idaho Spuds – one for each of the children. It was awesome. I was going to describe them, but their website does a much better job than I ever could have:
The popular Idaho Spud Bar is a wonderful combination of a light cocoa flavored marshmallow center drenched with a dark chocolate coating and then sprinkled with coconut (Sorry, no potato!). The potato shape and unique blend of ingredients appeals to both young and old, making the “Idaho Spud” one of the top hundred selling candy bars in the Northwest, and is Idaho Candy Company’s best selling bar. The Idaho Spud Bar has been a favorite since it was first manufactured in 1918.
My sister I would tear through ours in about two days. My brother is much more patient and would spread his consumption out over the course of the year. I can’t imagine that “aging” an Idaho Spud did much for it’s appeal, but he sure made us jealous when he was still munching on a ‘Spud in October.
It’s funny how things can come back together. Getting those candy bars was such a treat when I was a kid – something I only had access to for a few days each year. Twenty years later, I find myself living three blocks from a store that sells them.
You probably haven’t noticed this, but it’s odd how things sometimes work.
than other places we’ve been; it’s very easy to get lost, stuck in bad weather, or run into an animal looking for a meal. (In case you’re looking for betting tips, in Human vs. Beast fights the safe money is on the Beast.) We’ve been reminded constantly over the year we’ve been in Seattle that people really can die in these mountains – even when they’re headed out for a day hike. With this in mind, we’ve been waiting to go with more experienced hikers because dying in the mountains seems like a worse deal than living in the city.
of doping during the 2006 Tour de France, stripped of his title, and has been suspended for two years.
associate with. A good associative phrase gives the audience something they can sink their teeth into during the various complicated and insightful things being said which are no doubt confusing their inferior brains. It’s a good approach, and when properly executed can lead to a condition I refer to as “being awesome”.
and much prettier. They even figured out how to make fonts look nice and smooth, a breakthrough for Windows. Since everyone knows it’s no fun talking about good stuff, I’m going to get right to the weird stuff.
surprised by the things I don’t catch. Like the fact that Ken’s Market sells Idaho Spuds. Granted, I don’t spend much time pouring over the candy selection at stores, but I’ve been shopping there on an almost-daily basis for about a year, and Idaho Spuds hold a very dear place in my heart. I should have had my 
