Ok, everyone! This is my last post until after the MS150, and I’m asking one last time for you to donate to my cause! If you can just pledge $5 to the MS150 foundation, it will be greatly appreciated by many, and you’ll have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside for the rest of the week, because you did something worthwhile today. 
I wish that I had better words to describe what I was feeling and thinking while riding the State bike trail near Lanesboro, MN this weekend, but here are some that came to mind during the afternoon while pedaling.
The air was about 85 degrees and slightly humid, just enough to bring out the scents of the path and the countryside, the wildflowers, the vegetation, the river, farmland, fertilizer, fish, and all the interesting scents of being in the woods with spice and floral, woodsy and warm, rich and fragrant, abundantly green and impossibly oxygenated, each scent and breath as complex and invigorating as fine wine.
The day itself was perfect, slightly cool in the shade, slightly warm in the sun, but just enough of both, so that moving from one to the other made for a refreshing break from the one before.
The ride from Lanesboro to Fountain on the State trail is beautiful beyond compare, with interesting rock formations, land formations, golf courses, pastures, farmland, and animals grazing, so you barely notice that you’re going slightly uphill for pretty much 11 miles continuously. This is slightly tiring, but makes for a positively joyous return ride, allowing you to essentially coast all the way back to Lanesboro unencumbered.
I had no idea that Lanesboro was a central mecca for all the kayaking, canoeing, cycling, tubing, and fishing for the south-eastern part of the state, using the Root River and State Bike Trail as a basis for an outstanding economy of bike, kayak, and tube rentals, awesome little shops, and an amazing array of bars and restaurants. The town is so charming and inviting on its own that you’d be hard pressed to not instantly start making plans for a return trip, but this is only capped off by the fact that everyone in the community is smiling, all the time, even while waiting in line at the gas station.
We ended up doing just about 35 miles on the bikes on Sunday, and we didn’t even break the surface of everything that the area had to offer. Such perfect days are utterly rare and wonderful, and it will be a long, long time before I forget just how much I enjoyed the afternoon that Sharon and I shared on the Root River.
Thank you, Lanesboro, and for the rest of you, I managed to snap some photos with my BlackBerry that I’m certain could never convey even a small portion of the beauty of this area.
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Yeah, my blog was down for a couple days, there. It turns out that if you don’t pay GoDaddy.com for your web hosting, they just stop doing it.
Well, now I know.
Hi. How ya doin’?
It’s Sunday at about 4 o’clock, and I am in the best of moods. The weather was FINALLY beautiful this weekend, and I’ve sorely needed it. I tend to forget how crabby and unpleasant that I can become when there’s no sun, until the sun comes back. I really have to get out of Minnesota. But that’s a conversation for a different day….
Today’s conversation is about biking! ‘Cause Sharon and I did a lot of it this weekend, and it was awesome! On Saturday, we took the bikes to Uptown and rode to Fort Snelling, saw the Minnehaha Falls, took the lightrail to downtown, checked out the Mill City Farmer’s Market, looked at the 35W bridge project (which is positively awe-inspiring), went down the Midtown Corridor bike trail, around Lake of the Isles, and back to Uptown… (35 miles!)
Then, this morning, we participated in a training ride with some of the Best Buy MS150 team, and did 24 miles around lakes and local roads in a strong headwind and uphill. Which seemed to last the whole way, even though that’s not really possible, since we went in a circle. But either way, I’m tired. And slightly drunk. Since we went out for drinks afterwords, and I’ve been sipping wine at home for the last few hours.
Like I said… This has been a nice weekend. Here’s a few photos from Saturday, and have a nice day…
It’s MS150 time! And that means 2 things. I’m spending a lot of time trying to train for the event, and I’m hitting you up for money! Most anyone who reads this blog will be getting an email soon asking for donations, but if you don’t get one, you can always donate here until June 5th. The ride is on the 6th and 7th, and will be starting out in Proctor, MN again and ending up in Hinckley on day one. The second day takes us from Hinckley to the Blaine Sports Center, where this whole shebang will end up, and I will be needing many drinks, some pills, and a long comfortable nap.
The elbow is still pretty tender, but okay for biking, I think. I would have a better idea about that, except that every time that I get onto my bicycle lately, I end up with a flat tire, and a long walk home. That problem should be getting fixed tonight, and I don’t want to talk to much more about it, because just thinking about it makes me unreasonably angry… (Stupid bike…)
Also, just because this is a nearly pointless blog post, and I only made it to prove that I’m still alive, I’ll throw this out there as well: If you know anyone that work in a purchasing or IT department, please let me know. I need to sell some stuff for Best Buy, or I’m gonna end up sleeping on your couch.
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Well, it’s been quite a while since I posted last, and mainly it’s because typing is still a bit of a pain. I had surgery on my elbow this last Monday for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (otherwise known as Ulner Nerve Entrapment), and I’m just now beginning to see full range of motion again. I haven’t felt any improvement at all yet, but my doctor says that these things take time. Stupid time…
On the bright side, I have a shiny new bottle of Vicodin to keep me company, which I was told not to mix with wine. So after a couple glasses of nice Shiraz, and a couple of Vicodin, I’m usually in a pretty good mood. This, too, seems to make it difficult for me to type, however.
Nothing else particularly exciting happening, though. Waiting patiently for summer to arrive, and for the truly awful weather to get the hell out of here, so that I can ride bike again. The MS150 is coming up on June 6th, and I need to get some miles on before that challenge presents itself. I’ll be posting more about that shortly, and sending out mass emails looking for donations. Get your wallets ready.
We also had another Technopalooza/Casino Night at work, and like last time, all I won was crap. Not even any decent cookware this time. Just a bunch of pens and other cheap swag. Free food and wine, though, so who’s complaining. It was also a pretty fun time. I would have, however, preferred to leave with some expensive prizes. Maybe next time.
That’s it for the time being. I’m gonna try to be constructive this weekend, so maybe I’ll think of something more to post about. Check back soon!
Just a little heads up for those of you who actually read my blog every now and again.
The reason that I haven’t been posting very much lately is that I appear to have developed a problem in my hand, which my doctor thinks is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It’s not for sure yet, because I haven’t seen a specialist or gotten an EMG yet (that happens next week).
The only thing that I do know for sure is that my left hand feels like it’s completely asleep (like I slept on it), and typing is a bit of a struggle. I’ll try to update you as I find out more. The doctor thinks that this will ultimately result in a pretty minor surgery, and that everything will be back to normal in a couple weeks.
Until then, you can expect shorter blog posts.
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything to my blog, I know, and there’s several good reasons for that. I’ll make an effort to explain a different day. Right now, though, I just wanted to thank all my fantastic co-workers for giving me this awesome award, and making me feel so loved and special. I’d also like to thank the Academy, my producer, my agent, and all the little people who made this possible. Truly, this is an honor.
I’ve been asked to pass this award on to someone else at the beginning of next month, but I really am going to try to earn it again…
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I like to participate in the new media. I think I’m finally just beginning to realize this. I’m becoming more of a participant than merely a spectator in the digital world, and I think that that is a good thing. Television, newspapers and radio have conditioned us to listen without speaking, but it appears that the tide is turning, much to the benefit of everyone involved.
There have been many many years that I’ve watched and followed along in the dawn of the internet age. Frankly, the internet has always utterly and completely fascinated me, and it always probably will. Only lately, however, have I begun to feel the lure of the participatory nature of blogs and social networking (such as LinkedIn or Facebook ).
Blogs are built on comments, not necessarily articles. When I read a newspaper story, or see a TV news clip that infuriates me, or captivates me somehow, the only people that I can really share those feelings (and vent) with are the people who happen to be unlucky enough to be seated within earshot of me. When I read a blog, see a vlog, or participate online somehow, I can easily offer my special ‘counterpoint’ immediately, and for the whole audience to correspond with.
This is powerful stuff. With participatory media gaining much of the advertising spending online today, traditional media outlets are learning to harness this participation to boost their own numbers as well.
So, why do you care?
Well, first of all, participating in commenting on blogs or news sites that you read can significantly change what comes up on a Google search for your name (assuming, of course, that you’re posting under your real name). That in itself can be reason enough to get involved. As you create a trail, or history, of comments, you assure that people who search for you online are at least seeing something that you had a hand in creating.
Secondly, it is quietly but forcefully diminishing the power of traditional media to feed us lies and half-truths. Major news organizations have been coming together under mergers and acquisitions for years, and there are a very select group of men who are in charge of what you see on the news every night, or read in your local paper. This is a dangerous precedent, and absolutely cannot benefit the culture as a whole. Participatory media challenges that status quo by allowing anyone to create news, allowing the collective to decide if it’s newsworthy, and allowing the whole group to comment and critique the authors message and intentions.
What’s my point?
My point is that I encourage you, too, to participate. Don’t let a whole life full of accepting what you’re fed by media companies keep you from becoming more involved now. Participatory media is a delicious dish, and I wholeheartedly recommend that you take at least a little taste.
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I have integrated a new commenting system onto my blog, and in the process of doing so, I have inadvertently deleted all previous comments on here. My apologies to everyone involved. We have the good people at Disqus.com to thank, both for the nice new commenting system, and for the incomplete instructions that caused the loss.
My Amazon Xmas List!