Today's groove is pretty jiggy! In honor of hitting the road this afternoon to spend the weekend in the country with the family on the river I'm sharing one of our favorite country road cruising songs.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
MIA
So. Last week was crazy. This week less so, but not without its quirks.
I've officially moved over to a new office with shinny new windows and am getting more in swing with some new tasks and responsibilities. Yay!
On top of work upheaval I've been trying to cram in as much as inhumanely possible to every nook and cranny of my remaining evenings as possible. Between capoeira, troupe dance practice and weekly exercise classes with my awesome sister I've been a little more active than usual. Add on a wilderness first aid class or two, a pending evening trip to Baltimore and other miscellaneous commitments and I've been running solid for a good two weeks straight.
More entertaining (well, hopefully more entertaining) posts will resume! Just as soon as I find out where I set down my head...
I've officially moved over to a new office with shinny new windows and am getting more in swing with some new tasks and responsibilities. Yay!
On top of work upheaval I've been trying to cram in as much as inhumanely possible to every nook and cranny of my remaining evenings as possible. Between capoeira, troupe dance practice and weekly exercise classes with my awesome sister I've been a little more active than usual. Add on a wilderness first aid class or two, a pending evening trip to Baltimore and other miscellaneous commitments and I've been running solid for a good two weeks straight.
More entertaining (well, hopefully more entertaining) posts will resume! Just as soon as I find out where I set down my head...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Fishing Lessons
My brother recently shared a picture he took in Luray:
It brought back the memory of the last time I'd seen one of these monstrosities.
I was... 6 years old-ish? Young. Still blonde. It was one of the many weekends during one of many summers that I was spending time with my grandparents at their house on the river in Luray, one of my favorite places in the world.
Grandpa was going to teach me how to fish so he hooked up the little motor boat to the Koboda tractor (I called it my first car) and plopped me on the boat bench to be towed along to the neighborhood put-in. The roar of the tractor always seemed completely deafening to me, less so now that I'm older, so when Grandpa stopped the tractor just before the boat launch and turned to talk to me sitting in the back of the boat he had to yell. Unfortunately Grandpa yelling wasn't loud enough so I was forced to decode his gesturing.
What I gathered is that there was something off to our right in the strip of grass between the road and the tree buffer along the river bank. I hopped out of the boat and inched closer to get a look. It took me a minute or two and lots of looking back and forth for a visual game of Hot or Cold to try to find what he was seeing: a HUGE turtle staring right at me!
I looked back at Grandpa, grinning ear to ear and making the very obvious gesture that he wanted me to touch it. Without a moments hesitation I faced that turtle, as big as my torso, square on and slowly reached OVER ITS HEAD to touch it's shell! That day I discovered the value of finely tuned reflexes.
In slow motion I watched that turtle with his now obvious pointed beak-like mouth, shoot his neck out and aim right at me. My index finger had made contact with his shell and the distance I had to pull it from there to the safety of a fist clutched tightly to my chest seemed miles long. I made it out of his snap by centimeters and whipped my head around to see Grandpa doubled over the steering wheel in a fit of laughter.
Startled and a little bit shaky I walked back to the road and hopped up in the boat and Grandpa taught me how to fish for something ever so slightly less dangerous.
It brought back the memory of the last time I'd seen one of these monstrosities.
I was... 6 years old-ish? Young. Still blonde. It was one of the many weekends during one of many summers that I was spending time with my grandparents at their house on the river in Luray, one of my favorite places in the world.
Grandpa was going to teach me how to fish so he hooked up the little motor boat to the Koboda tractor (I called it my first car) and plopped me on the boat bench to be towed along to the neighborhood put-in. The roar of the tractor always seemed completely deafening to me, less so now that I'm older, so when Grandpa stopped the tractor just before the boat launch and turned to talk to me sitting in the back of the boat he had to yell. Unfortunately Grandpa yelling wasn't loud enough so I was forced to decode his gesturing.
What I gathered is that there was something off to our right in the strip of grass between the road and the tree buffer along the river bank. I hopped out of the boat and inched closer to get a look. It took me a minute or two and lots of looking back and forth for a visual game of Hot or Cold to try to find what he was seeing: a HUGE turtle staring right at me!
I looked back at Grandpa, grinning ear to ear and making the very obvious gesture that he wanted me to touch it. Without a moments hesitation I faced that turtle, as big as my torso, square on and slowly reached OVER ITS HEAD to touch it's shell! That day I discovered the value of finely tuned reflexes.
In slow motion I watched that turtle with his now obvious pointed beak-like mouth, shoot his neck out and aim right at me. My index finger had made contact with his shell and the distance I had to pull it from there to the safety of a fist clutched tightly to my chest seemed miles long. I made it out of his snap by centimeters and whipped my head around to see Grandpa doubled over the steering wheel in a fit of laughter.
Startled and a little bit shaky I walked back to the road and hopped up in the boat and Grandpa taught me how to fish for something ever so slightly less dangerous.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Standing Corrected
So you know that last story I wrote about my first exploration? Well, thank my 80-year old brain for the mistake, that was actually my second excursion. Allow me to share the story of my REAL first urban exploration adventure...
I wanted to get my hands dirty with my first exploration but I did not want to do it alone. Not that I didn't feel capable, but for logical safety reasons it's just not advisable to go trekking through dilapidated buildings by yourself where it's highly unlikely someone will hear you scream when you fall through the floor. I'll leave the Darwin Awards to someone else, thank you.
My Godfather of Exploration (the one who helped teach me so much) told me he knew of a couple of folks who were also new to the UE site we were on and suggested I get in touch with them. I'd done some fairly extensive research and gathered a plethora of tips for a fairly low-key location. Rumor had it it was nearly a cake walk to enter with some fantastic sights to see and we should have no problem getting in. Double bonus was having two separate institutions to explore just a few blocks away from each other. Two birds, one stone, a long and crazy day. I contacted the new couple with my proposal, made sure Clif kept his schedule clear for that day and four fresh explorers penned in a unique double date on the calendar.
Clif and I met our new friends for the first time in a parking lot above the first of two sites we were about to attempt. I was as prepared as I could possibly be and absolutely terrified at the realization that this was my show to run. I shared all of the intel I had, gave some ideas for entry and exit and established an emergency plan should we get separated and soon we were on our way.
At the bottom of a very large hill sat a very large campus of buildings that had once held mental patients before it was repurposed to hold inmates and along the road in front of that campus sat a couple of work trucks complete with workers and a backhoe making trips back and forth to the main road right in front of our point of entry. Not ideal exploring circumstances.
Well, we'd come all this way and made so much effort, half of our merry band (Clif and Laura, AKA Team Ballsy) was determined not to let the Presence of Unexpected People keep us back while the other half (me and Seth, Team Not-So-Sure-About-This) was ready to throw in the towel. Our half was overruled by theirs and we huddled in the bushes to come up with a plan.
The Plan
Step One: wait until backhoe goes down the road (roughly 2-3 minutes until return) and guy by work truck to turn his back. Both needed to happen simultaneously.
Step Two: Team Ballsy runs like crazy and swan dives into ditch under guard tower next to open gate in security fence where we need to enter. Stay as flat and still as possible in the could-be-taller grass until backhoe makes its pass. Check that backhoe is back down the road and guy by work truck is still facing the other direction and gesture wildly to Team Not-So-Sure-About-This who does the same.
Guard Tower
Step Three: When next 2-3 minute window is clear run like crazy out from guard tower ditch, into gate and start frantically looking for any open door. Strain ears for sound of backhoe returning and duck behind corner of wall when it gets close.
Step Four: run around front corner of building to be more readily exposed to busy road instead of backhoe and guy by work truck and continue frantic door search.
We eventually found a place to get in and took a collective sigh of relief. Well, half of us sighed, the other half rolled their eyes as commentary for how pansy-like their significant others were. For the rest of our time at the first site Team Not-So-Sure-About-This ended up holding everyone's gear when we finished a building while Team Ballsy was free to search for our next point of entry, unencumbered. Points of entry included rapid and graceless leaping into windows and running down metal fire stairs almost directly into the front end of some other guy's work truck. CLOSE CALLS! So much for an easy first exploration...
The second site we visited down the street was significantly easier which allowed Team Not-So-Sure-About-This a little more room to breath.
Photo Flood
Team Accomplishment
I wanted to get my hands dirty with my first exploration but I did not want to do it alone. Not that I didn't feel capable, but for logical safety reasons it's just not advisable to go trekking through dilapidated buildings by yourself where it's highly unlikely someone will hear you scream when you fall through the floor. I'll leave the Darwin Awards to someone else, thank you.
My Godfather of Exploration (the one who helped teach me so much) told me he knew of a couple of folks who were also new to the UE site we were on and suggested I get in touch with them. I'd done some fairly extensive research and gathered a plethora of tips for a fairly low-key location. Rumor had it it was nearly a cake walk to enter with some fantastic sights to see and we should have no problem getting in. Double bonus was having two separate institutions to explore just a few blocks away from each other. Two birds, one stone, a long and crazy day. I contacted the new couple with my proposal, made sure Clif kept his schedule clear for that day and four fresh explorers penned in a unique double date on the calendar.
Clif and I met our new friends for the first time in a parking lot above the first of two sites we were about to attempt. I was as prepared as I could possibly be and absolutely terrified at the realization that this was my show to run. I shared all of the intel I had, gave some ideas for entry and exit and established an emergency plan should we get separated and soon we were on our way.
At the bottom of a very large hill sat a very large campus of buildings that had once held mental patients before it was repurposed to hold inmates and along the road in front of that campus sat a couple of work trucks complete with workers and a backhoe making trips back and forth to the main road right in front of our point of entry. Not ideal exploring circumstances.
Well, we'd come all this way and made so much effort, half of our merry band (Clif and Laura, AKA Team Ballsy) was determined not to let the Presence of Unexpected People keep us back while the other half (me and Seth, Team Not-So-Sure-About-This) was ready to throw in the towel. Our half was overruled by theirs and we huddled in the bushes to come up with a plan.
The Plan
Step One: wait until backhoe goes down the road (roughly 2-3 minutes until return) and guy by work truck to turn his back. Both needed to happen simultaneously.
Step Two: Team Ballsy runs like crazy and swan dives into ditch under guard tower next to open gate in security fence where we need to enter. Stay as flat and still as possible in the could-be-taller grass until backhoe makes its pass. Check that backhoe is back down the road and guy by work truck is still facing the other direction and gesture wildly to Team Not-So-Sure-About-This who does the same.
Guard Tower
Step Three: When next 2-3 minute window is clear run like crazy out from guard tower ditch, into gate and start frantically looking for any open door. Strain ears for sound of backhoe returning and duck behind corner of wall when it gets close.
Step Four: run around front corner of building to be more readily exposed to busy road instead of backhoe and guy by work truck and continue frantic door search.
We eventually found a place to get in and took a collective sigh of relief. Well, half of us sighed, the other half rolled their eyes as commentary for how pansy-like their significant others were. For the rest of our time at the first site Team Not-So-Sure-About-This ended up holding everyone's gear when we finished a building while Team Ballsy was free to search for our next point of entry, unencumbered. Points of entry included rapid and graceless leaping into windows and running down metal fire stairs almost directly into the front end of some other guy's work truck. CLOSE CALLS! So much for an easy first exploration...
The second site we visited down the street was significantly easier which allowed Team Not-So-Sure-About-This a little more room to breath.
Photo Flood
Team Accomplishment
Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday Groove
Not all grooves need to have a party beat.
I love her voice and fell more in love with the song after watching the video. I'm always, always drawn to dancing, particularly when it moves you with the story it tells.
The video and song have a haunting beauty to them but even more significant were the feelings it invoked afterwards of uncertainty at which side of the story I would put myself on.
I love her voice and fell more in love with the song after watching the video. I'm always, always drawn to dancing, particularly when it moves you with the story it tells.
The video and song have a haunting beauty to them but even more significant were the feelings it invoked afterwards of uncertainty at which side of the story I would put myself on.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
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