Not so original after all

It looks like someone else had very nearly the same vision as I did, though they got comet Hale Bop in their image. This supposedly came from an Arizona Daily Star article.

Babylonians and Hohokam

I was dutifully sitting at my computer yesterday working away when friend Tara called and suggested we go to see the snow on the Catalinas. Eager to get out of the house and away from the computer, I jumped at the offer but suggested we go to Signal Hill on the west side of the Tucson Mountains. The Hohokam left petroglyphs in the rocks there that some people think correspond to solar and lunar cycles. The winter solstice was just a week ago, so it seemed an appropriate time to visit (given that I am always late to everything). I took my D80, my 12-24mm, my tripod and a flashlight. We had to wait until after sunset for the Japanese tourist to clear out but I finally set up and experimented with "painting with light." I was pleased with the results. You should see the 10 MB version.

I had to pay my 2006 estimated taxes the other day and it was a painful experience, not only because it was a big chunk of change, but because my tax dollars subsidize such foolishness as the war in Iraq, the war on terror, the war on drugs and the idiotic border fence.

I awoke this morning to the news of the hanging of Saddam and I immediately thought of a book I read several years ago by Walter Wink called The Powers That Be. Wink explains The Myth Of Redemptive Violence, starting with the Babylonian creation myth, and then proceeds to blow holes in it.

I know a few people who intentionally earn less than the minimum taxable wage so that they will not have to subsidize our collective violence. The price is too high, but bourgeois comfort and security is the siren's song and when you find yourself foundering amidst the rocks, what do you do, abandon ship? Ah look! Someone long ago carved pictures into the rocks!

I comfort myself by meditating on the transient nature of all things. We too shall go the way of the Babylonians and the Hohokam. I just hope we don't take everything else with us.

Undisciplined Daydreaming

I watched the movie Grizzly Man this weekend. Excellent. Reminded me of myself and my Puer Aeternus friends. Made me want to go to Alaska. Feel the wanderlust.

I bought myself a Christmas present. I'm planning a trip to the Wilcox Playa in the next few weeks to photograph the sandhill cranes (hopefully I'll get an image that beautiful) so my present should be useful. Billy D and I are planning a trip to the Bosque in February for more of the same. If I have any success, maybe I'll take the summer off and go to Haines and then over to Brooks Camp and Denali.

The Catalinas are covered in snow and it rained all day today. I forgot how cold it gets in Tucson. Every morning, under my blankets, I miss Hawaii. Ironman AZ is coming up quick. I have got to get on the bike.

I've been reflecting on my inability to commit. Started re-reading The Road Less Traveled. Chapter 1, Discipline. Oh yeah. Definitely lacking in discipline at the moment. Speaking of which, I should be working right now. But I think I'll go to bed instead.

Goodnight.

Marathon Photos

Tiny photos of naked-man-running.

A Marathon Day

I did the Tucson Marathon today. The plan was to just have a long training day - 26.2 miles at my training pace, something like 10 minute miles.

So I got up at 5AM and started drinking caffinated tea and eating, part of the prerace ritual get the GI tract going, but my body knew it was 5 AM and it was supposed to be resting. I hung around the house quite late waiting for the big evacuation, but finally I had to head to the race start. True to form, I arrived at the race start 5 minutes or so after the official start at 7:30. My body processes had finally kicked in so I had to duck into a port-o-john. When I finally crossed the start line, they were tearing down the scaffolding, so I thought I might be way behind the other runners, but I started catching the stragglers within the first mile.

I was so excited to be racing, I was running 8 minute miles gobbling up the slow runners. I tried to slow down, to pace myself, but I wound up running 8 minute miles for the first 8 miles. And I felt great.

The fatigue seemed to come in multiples of 8. The first 8 miles, I felt great. From 8 to 16 miles, I felt fatigued, but I was still running well. At 16 miles, the fatigue got heavy. At 18 miles I was hurting. I started falling apart at 20 miles. At 22 miles I was trying to just keep my legs moving. At 24 miles I was wasted. At 25 miles, I was so exhausted, I stopped running and walked a tenth of a mile.

I had a mile left, and I really wanted to finish with dignity. I started to run, but my legs were just gone. I was suffering terribly and I thought I might have to walk the last mile when a HOT young women in little hottie shorts that I had passed miles earlier ran by me. I thought, OK, Hang with her. I dug deep and suddenly my legs took off. I was running fast. So fast, I blew by the hottie and ran hard the last mile to the finish. 3 hours 56 minutes start to finish.

So I guess I know what kind of carrot to hang when I need to move.

I could barely stand up at the finish, let alone walk. I did a good job of staying hydrated and keeping my blood sugar up through the race (I had to pee half a dozen times during the race) and I sat around and ate and drank at the finish line. While I was recuperating, the DJ played Feel Good Inc and it became my marathon theme song. I would have danced if I could have stood up.

So a little ibuprophen later and I am moving around, but still quite sore and tired. I hope I sleep well tonight.

A good day

Today was a good day. I feel my fortitude returning.

From the backyard this evening:

Glass Off at Box

I got myself somewhat stressed out this week, which kind of slid into depression, which kind of came to a head Friday night. So I did something for my soul today. I flew my paraglider at Box Canyon. Special Ed was there with Wrangler and Jammer, Dr. Fred, Morey, and a new pilot named Charlie. Conditions were absolutely perfect and my flight was very calming.

Here is Morey landing just after sunset. That is the moon on the left and launch is just under Morey's right foot and 1500' up. What is the name of that purple color on the horizon?