1st Winter Series Race - Almost

I was supposed to be racing tomorrow in Lake Union but the flooding has postponed the race. The folks from south of Seattle will have a very hard time getting into town for the race with I-5 closed in places, covered with flood waters. On the one hand I'm a little dissapointed but on the other I can really use an extra week to get in a little bit more training time. I have been on my OC1 twice since August, I think. Regardless of the number of times I've been out paddling, it's still fewer than I prefer in preparation for racing.

I've been going out mostly in the OC12, the double hull configuration, with SOCC and Wakinikona folks. When the crew is really synced up that double hull can really move and it's far more stable in the windy winter conditions. It's much less likely to huli and with the cold water and wind chill going swimming is strongly discouraged.

I'll let you know how the race goes next weekend. If all goes well this weekend I'll post a number of photos from all the snow we've been having. I really like snow, but gimme a break, are we done yet?

Communication

Have you ever said something, thought you were perfectly clear as to your intent and then the other person totally misunderstood what you were saying, misunderstood your intent? It's rather frustrating when it happens and really frustrating when it happens over and over again, regardless of how much care you may take. I have two bosses at work and I communicate very well with one of them and with the other it's kind of hit or miss. I can tell when my meaning is not being fully understood pretty quickly, her upper lip puckers up and begins to quiver ever so slightly, she gives the appearance of gotten a whiff of some really powerful stink. At that point I try to back peddle as best I can.

My situation at work isn't one I can just cut loose from. I really, really like my job and my bosses. I realize I need to work on my communication and just try to minimize the mis-communications as best I can. I found I was having similar difficulty with some of the folks over at SSP. One of the tasks I had taken on for the club was the dissemination of information from the folks running the club to the members of the club. It's something that groups can have difficulty with. I found myself venting to a couple of friends with more regularity than I liked about how communication was challenging in general and that I had felt the backlash of misunderstandings and mis-communications with greater and greater frequency. I kept saying, I'll give it one more year and see if things change if they don't I'm going to leave this club. Well, two instances of miscommunication occurred at the end of October/beginning of November and my patience snapped. I found a place to store my OC1 and contacted another club to see if I could join them and then quit SSP.

I have joined the Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club (SOCC) and have been very happy with my decision. I have no responsibilities other than to show up and paddle, help move the canoe into and out of the water, and maybe bail the canoe, but nothing else. It's nice and refreshing, relaxing even. I was surprised at how much tension I had locked up in my neck that immediately dissipated once I switched clubs. I really miss many of the SSP club members, but they are friends and we keep in touch, we'll have a nice little rivalry at the races this year.

Of course, I am unable to keep from helping out where I see a need. I don't have many other things occupying time in my life, why not throw myself into the outrigger world. Can you imagine my surprise to see my name put forth for the SOCC board position of secretary? I mean I knew that I offered to help out in any way the club could use me, but I was still tickled to see my name on the ballot. As I have seen no other names put forth I think chances are pretty darn high that I will be the new secretary of SOCC. So there you have it, I'm still paddling, just with a different group now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday traditions are a curious thing. When growing up/living with parents there are family traditions. Then when you are older and out on your own you try to retain some of the traditions of your youth, if you liked them, but then also try to add in some of your own creation. I can recall having some orphans over, usually fellow college student friends of my brother. I remember one fellow from Burma, he was so confused when my mother told him to lick his fork. We didn't have enough silverware for the meal and dessert for the number of guests we had and while his English was good it was a colloquialism that he'd never heard before. It was common practice to hear "lick your fork", so we didn't think twice about it, we all had a good laugh that day.

I haven't spent Thanksgiving with family since I left for graduate school in 1991. It always seemed too short a holiday to travel so far. I became one of the orphans we would have taken in. Some years there were a group of us who gathered and made dinner. Other years I recall traveling from Rhode Island to Connecticut, taken in by Kathy Howard's family, or taken in by the DeLima family either in Connecticut or New Jersey. And one year by the McKee's in New Jersey. It's one of the few days of the year that I just prefer being around people. I am eternally grateful for my adopted families back east taking me into their homes and family traditions, where I could share in the warmth, love and laughter as the dark, cold winter crept in.

Now one of my traditions is to try and go for a paddle in the morning. This morning Diane, Kristi, and I had planned to go out on the OC1 and OC2 belonging to Seattle Outrigger. When we arrived we saw Jack had made it down as well. The four of us took out an OC6, it makes you work a bit harder when there is only four, but the weather was nice, not too much wind. We headed east towards the 520 bridge. On our way there we saw a very regal bald eagle pirched on an old piling, perhaps waiting for it's holiday meal to make an appearance.

In a couple of hours Diane, Dave, and I will go to see a movie and follow that with a nice Chinese food dinner. We and Kristi, too, are going to a restaurant that has Peking duck, I guess that will be our holiday bird. It will be a restful day spent with good friends and good food.

I'm thankful for my family and friends, good health, employment, a nice place to live, and that I continue to have a good life. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Photo is of an orchid blooming at work.

YES, We Can!

Wow! I went to the Westin Hotel with my friend, Kyle, and met some co-workers to watch the election returns. It was truly historic. I thought Mr. Obama's acceptance speech was wonderful, humble, inspiring. Here it is:

Part One


Part Two


I'm more than a little tipsy and off to bed now. Hoping that Chris Gregoire wins the the election for Washington Stave governor again, but this time without the recount.




and one last ...

YES, We Can!

Wow! I went to the Westin Hotel with my friend, Kyle, and met some co-workers to watch the election returns. It was truly historic. I thought Mr. Obama's acceptance speech was wonderful, humble, inspiring. Here it is:

Part One


Part Two

Another reason outrigger is better than crew

Ya, we can see where we're going!



I think these guys are exceptionally stupid, they have a coxswain and they still don't know where they are going.

Plastics

Remember The Graduate, with Dustin Hoffman.