2014 DC Awards

Best DJ - Pre-PT Test music and finder of classic rock station = Omaha
Strongest Soldier - Only one to pass the PT Test = Gerald
Lowest Blood Pressure = Gerald + Hot Tub
Strongest Drinker = Papa Ventoux
I Shouldn't Be Alive Honor = (tie) Henni & Keith cats.
Most Valuable Animal = Beached Beaver
Hippie Award - Freeballin' in Hottub = Papa Ventoux
Jacques Pepin Award = All
Best Driver = Ocean
Neglected MRE = Tuna
Mr. Clean = Papa Ventoux
Road March Tourettes Syndrome = Omaha
It's Not the DC Unless Someone Pukes Recipient = Dyno-M
Hall of Fame Weather = Manzanita Climate
Bob Ross Award = Gerald
Abusive Spouse Syndrome = All (Unable to ditch Scene-It Movie Trivia)
Worst (best? because it worked) excuse to avoid Road March - Ouch, it's my back = Papa Ventoux
Best Route to Manzanita = Hwy 101
Gas-o-rama - Next time avoid the local menu selection at Willapa Bay DQ = Dyno-M
All-America Honor housing location = Courtyard A "upper"
Most Profound Statement = Ocean "but milk comes from chickens"

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Congratulations to Dyno-M for winning the 2014 Davis Challenge!

Pseudo-Veg March

I do believe this is my first ever monthly challenge. It's not terribly original (did Ocean really do June Bloom?) but I think timely- 1 month until Bataan and 2 until Mt. Si. I suggested 1 month of vegetarianism to Ocean to get things kick-started, like Drynuary. Eggs and dairy allowed, should be a breeze. "How about allowing seafood?" negotiated Ocean. Oh, awwwright. Baby steps.

He was fine with that until he realized this includes chicken broth.
"But that doesn't contain any meat".
"Doesn't matter, a chicken has to die to make chicken broth".
"What about beef broth?" he asks incredulously. "And why is milk allowed? That comes from chickens…"

Nice try Ocean. Well you have 1 more week to consume beef. You're allowed one trip to Dick's Burgers ONLY.

D.C. 2014 in pictures (Back to Manzanita, yeah!)

It felt like coming home. Ocean, Dyno, Omaha and I carpooled Friday afternoon, luckily Fort Lewis traffic was not as bad as anticipated, and lucky for us Ventoux arrived early and had hot tub warmed up and the Marzano's pizza ready for our arrival.

Our usual house was already booked, but this one was downtown, just across the street from the grocery, which allowed us bypass the hill for our 2 mile run in the PT test. Ocean Rd was literally a couple blocks away.

I wish I had a camera that could capture how crazy close the stars looked from the beach at night.

All you need is pushups and sit-ups to make you make you vow to be a better person (next year). Then it's more beer and MREs to calorie load for the road march. 38 lbs is significantly heavier than 26 lbs. But you couldn't ask for a more perfect day: clear, sunny, hard-packed sand, cool breeze.

4.5 miles to the turnaround, where Dyno marks the sand with a drawing and the seawall with beer by-products.

We shuffle/ jog the 2nd half to a neg split, every step getting us closer to beer. We pass several beachcombers who ask in reverential tones, "did you see the beaver?".

Got back to sparkling clean house where Ventoux has already done the prep for our (by that I mean his) shrimp n grits w bacon.

 There was also meatloaf sandwiches with cranberry sauce and pickles,

grilled beef tenderloin and homemade spaetzle. We all agree to a 3 way tie because all the food is so awesome.

Drunken darts (hope they attribute the extra holes in the wall to woodpeckers) couldn't be done soon enough. After dinner, the obligatory movie trivia which is usually won by the person who knows the most Steve Martin movies, and rock painting.

Next morning, coffee

and a short walk to the beach at the buttcrack of dawn,

where we saw a rainbow. Apparently magenta is not a rainbow color? We pack up and head home, but always time to stop for a scenic view.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife PSA

If you happen to come across sick wildlife, especially Oregon State's animal, the following may be helpful.

PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS

There are few public health concerns to the general public in regard to beaver. Trappers and biologists should follow safety rules when dealing with beaver. Beavers can be infected with the bacterial disease tularemia, which is fatal to animals and is transmitted to them by ticks, biting flies and via contaminated water. Animals with this disease may be sluggish, unable to run when disturbed or appear tame. Tularemia may be transmitted to humans if they drink contaminated water, eat under cooked, infected meat, or allow an open cut to contact an infected animal. The most common source of tularemia for humans is to be cut or nicked by a knife when skinning an infected animal. A human who contracts tularemia commonly has a high temperature, headache, body ache, nausea, and sweats. A mild case may be confused with the flu and ignored. Humans can be easily treated with antibiotics. Contact your family doctor immediately if you believe that you have contracted tularemia. 

More at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/viewing/FAQs.asp

Hey Attitude

Picking up the keg for this year's DC, here's what I think of your decision to stay home in Eugene. You are the guy on the right.

End of Drynuary

I planned my Drynuary to end on the day of my boards reverts. In theory I'd emerge board-recertified, skinny, and sober. There’s still a chance one of these might occur.

Nearly didn’t make it to the testing center in Northgate due to a random accident and horrible I5 traffic (OK this photo is from 520 from Redmond, but same thing).

Took nearly 2 hours to go what should have been 20 minutes, but by then I was already so detached, incapable of feeling more stressed. Got there with 5 minutes to spare. Had to rescan my palm 6x because of my cold hands. Lady checked my ID then did a little double take. “We have a REALLY OLD photo of you on file”.  Flashbacks of the last time I took the boards, when I had just moved to my sister’s sofa in Boston, the same numb feeling of barreling toward inevitable tidal wave of doom. Crisp autumn leaves on the window sill, my niece Vivian was turning 1. It was a long time ago.

That night, Ocean and Dyno came for Food Club Leschi which was roast chicken, root veggies, kale and of course champagne.

I apparently don’t know the difference between a turnip and a rutabaga, nor the difference between TS and NF1. For all the extra time I had on my hands from Drynuary, it did not help my productivity or cognition.

The next day woke up with a bang at 2 AM with pounding hangover headache and dry mouth like I’d just licked felt, a feeling I’d forgotten on my sparkling grape juice diet. Back to work.

Thank goodness it was a 3 day weekend, and a double to look forward to. Woolley 50k saturday, ran with MM friends old and new,

saw buffalo and horsies, no rain.

Then pleasant evening in Muk with Ocean's home cooking, watched a movie that seemed very entertaining at the time though all I remember is Ryan Gosling was in it. Fed pistachio gelato to Neeshacat.

Sunday Ocean and I drove up to Birch Bay for practice road march #2. 26.2 miles with 26.2 lbs on my pack. Employed the bags of sugar/ flour as recommended by the Colonel but it still kept sliding and bouncing. I think I needed some duck tape and bubble wrap. This time I met another MM who has run Comrades twice and doing again this year, my Canadian alter-ego. Even saw a bald eagle.

Time passes much faster when you have someone to run with, but the headwind from hell miles 22-25 made it feel like sloshing upstream in rapids. DFL but finished. Back to Muk for Chinese food and watched Olympics.

Ocean suggested for President’s day we drive up to Diablo Lake. Dyno came for early brunch, which was the famous Harry L. Davis pancakes (batter prepared night before), "low sodium bacon", and really strong Bloody Marys.

We headed up north again, this time through Darrington and Marblemount, suddenly entered a winter wonderland.

It was slushy but we didn’t feel it in the 4Runner (which Ocean affectionately has dubbed “the Beast”)

The snow was blue in pockets.

I wonder how that happens.

Amazing view. It was like Mt. Hood at HTTM

A honk from a snow plow broke our Reverie.

Didn’t even have time to make a snow angel, oh well, back to reality.