Raincharm’s Weblog

Getting back to reality has not been easy for me this year.
When you are on the 3-day you are in a cocoon of sorts.
Everything is focused on the walk – food so you can walk, drink so you can keep walking, hanging out with walkers and crew, dancing with walkers and crew, sleeping (or trying to sleep) with walkers, being cheered on as a walker, … and you don’t know what is going on in the rest of the world – like sports, teacher strikes or hurricanes.

Going back home has been focused on trying to reorient my body – sleep and begging for foot rubs.
Going back to work has been focused on trying to stay focused. I am still tired.

I want to tell you all about the walk, at least the highlights – but that will need to wait for another day or two (or 3?)

24 hours have passed since I went to sleep after finishing the 60 miles.
I went to work today, and was not the most focused I have ever been – tired mind and tired eyes.
But it was all worth it.

Our team of 5 all finished (for a t-shirt!), even though one of us had blisters pretty badly.
Weather was fantastic – cold and foggy at night and in the morning (probably mid-50’s), and mid to high 70’s by the end of the sunshine. Not a hint of rain. So much for the physical part.

Seattle had 3200 walkers and raised $8.6 Million for breast cancer research.
There were so many stories of women lost, and survivors and some that have been diagnosed as recently as three weeks earlier. 1 of 8 women will have The Diagnosis at some point in their lives.

As the women that walked with me will attest – statistics and analysis – a sign I am an engineer. Even so these are important statistics. Some of my less important statistical suggestions through the weekend. 1) When they Redmond cops handed out bracelets, how many put them on the right wrist, and how many on the left. (I discovered two of my teammates put them on the lanyards around their necks)  2) When you get up in the morning, do you get your food first to your table and then go back for coffee, or do you get the coffee first to warm your hands while  you wait, even though it is hard to carry it all together in the end.

Like I said, I am tired, so I will close with a picture of 3 of us 5 and 2 of us 5 (we kind of spent a good part of the walk as 2 + 3 (fast and slow). Really it was 4 + 1, then 5, then 2 + 3, then 3 + 2, then 5, then 2 + 3 then 5 again. More about this at a later date. Lots of patterns and ways of walking. (I also don’t have a full 5 picture on my camera)

With mom out on the 3-day and living sans computer (GOD FORBID!), she asked me to take over her blogging duties for the weekend.  So you lovely loyal readers are gonna get a new perspective for a day or two.  First though i want to give mom some props because not only is it a great thing that she’s doing, but she also worked soooo hard at it for such a long time.  Not just the physical aspect (which was undoubtedly impressive) but also in getting donations – sending out hundreds of envelopes and keeping at it until she had reached her goal.  I’m really proud of her and hope that she’s having an amazing time.  She totally deserves it.

And now back to me….

favorite family portrait ever.

i don’t really have anything to say, so this post is going to be mostly made up of observations from my desk.  i apologize.  feel free to stop reading, it may in fact be mind-numbing to continue.

richie sexson is staring at me.  which is fine.  i’m not complaining or anything.  just stating a fact.  and for those of you who don’t know i’m talking about the little bobblehead that’s sitting on my desk.  it really looks like him.  uncanny.  my friend lauren says that he looks like a brontosaurus.  i disagree.  i don’t know how a human could possibly look like a brontosaurus.  it’s ridiculous.

a lot of secondhand smoke gets into my room.  it’s annoying.  i live on the second floor and have my window open constantly because the sun starts beaming in here at 10 and does not quit until 4.  so it’s HOT.  and there’s only one small window that can be opened.  i tried to sleep in this morning but once the sun came in i started roasting (the sun comes in even with the curtains closed b/c the curtains themselves are not long enough and my bed is right next to the window).  but don’t worry, i close the window and deal with the heat when there are people smoking outside.  it’s just gross though.

craisins are delicious.  no explanation neccessary.

you know when you decide to watch obama’s appearance on letterman on youtube for the hell of it and then you see in the related videos box some fox news “analysis” video of something and you can’t help but click on it and then after 5 minutes of listening to bill o’reilly and charles krauathammer talk you’re starting to seethe at the mouth and then when you go to the kitchen to get something to eat and cool down (because not only are you angry but your room is boiling) and you start to complain to your roomates they look at you blankly and say “who’s bill o’reilly” and then you remember that you live with canadians and that canadians don’t know jack shit about the politics of their own country let alone yours?  that’s annoying.

Grapefruit flavored airborne = still gross but not as gross as lemon lime.

I won a huge blow up spiderman sledge hammer thing at the fair two weeks ago and it’s sitting in my window for the whole world to see.  jealous much?

Even though it doesn’t really snow much in Vancouver, it’s still quite fitting that they call it the “great white north”.  then again, just “the white north” would probably work fine too…

this picture should be shared with the world.

i apologize for not being very deep and philosophical, but may i remind you that you made a choice to read this.  anyways, this was fun but i don’t think i’ll make a habit of it.  thanks for stickin with me til the end!

love to all, Ashlan

Now – put one foot in front of the other.

Repeat

 Here is our headgear – from last year (same this year)

Should be packing for three days
Have: Started laundry, watched a video of Carl’s promo spot with the Mariners, written three recipes for the girl, written this post, eaten a bowl of noodles, generally avoided what I need to be doing before I go to bed.

So – time to start packing.

But first – try to add video – oops, no VOB type shows in their easy load thing.
Probably need to add to YouTube – never done this, shouldn’t spend time tonight – so – PACK.

Tonight we sat in the “Terrace Club” seats at Safeco Field for tonight’s baseball game. These are more pricey than ours, but they had offered a special where you could just trade your regular tickets for Terrace Club seats for one game – so we did. They were very nice seats, really – they were padded! The view was about directly across from our normal seats, so 180 degrees different. Good to change it up. Carl chatted with our neighbors – a sister of a former major leaguer that Carl had followed and even corresponded with once. Then we found some friends just a short distance away and caught up with them as well.

But my real reference is my own need to adopt a different point of attitude. These last few days I have felt snippy and snipey, and have not always had my filter in good operating order. I am hoping a few hours of sleep will help – so it is time for bed. It had better. I don’t think I can stand myself like this much longer. Time for some wine to quell the whine.

Last night turned into a late night, but not on purpose. Back home after Carl’s game (update from yesterday – they were declared the winner 8-3) Hanging out doing little things with the TV on in the background. End of the news says, “Thanks for staying up with us.” ???
Check the clock – 12:30 – AHHHHH

Off to bed. Up earlyish (not early enough).
Carl makes lunch – try to finish off a chore, take out some recycle, get to work.
Look for yogurt – NO YOGURT – not only that, no lunch at all. Sitting at home on the table (actually back into the refrigerator by then).

Moral – try to get to bed earlier.
Bonus – Carl doesn’t have to make me lunch tomorrow.

Day full of different things for Carl & Jay, but we both ended up a Carl’s baseball game. They are in the playoffs with 1 loss. Another loss and their season is done.

His team got off to a slow start, down 3-0. But a big inning later and they were up and cruising along. Then in the middle of the 8th inning the lights at the field turned off. The moon was only at half strength, not enough to play by.

No idea what the outcome will be. Finish later? Or let the team ahead when the lights went out win?
I am routing for the latter.

August 2, 2008 – A full day of unexpected fun – included Carl being interviewed by the Mariners, along with several others.

Yesterday a promo with Carl ran during the pregame show on Fox Sports Network, and also at the ballpark. It was about 3-4 minutes long. Neither Carl or I saw it (no cable for FSN and Carl was not where he could see the big screen when it ran). But one of our friends said one of he things he talked about was taking Ashlan and Rey to a game when they were about 4 and 6 respectively. Ashlan asked to go home early in the game, and Carl said they could, as soon as someone on the other team got a hit. Well at the end of 9 innings, Chris Bosio had pitched a no-hitter, and Carl, Rey & Ashlan were still at the ballpark.

As it happens, Brandon Morrow threw 7-2/3 innings of no-hit baseball yesterday, in his first major league start. Pretty exciting (for those that get into baseball anyway). Our friend Kevin should have a promo running too.

State of the day is Distracted

My mind is planning for next weekend’s adventure. It is much like planning for a vacation; packing lists dance in my head, visions of walking (always in the sunshine), the feeling of tired but happy at the end of each day.

All I need to do this afternoon is finish writing about five paragraphs …. distracted.