Great Weekend

Most weekends are pretty great, come to think of it. There are usually opportunities for exercise, relaxation, and perhaps something social thrown in as a bonus. I do enjoy the weekends, especially as a condo-dweller who has no yard work, fixit tasks, or lumberjacking duties to perform in recognition of civic responsibilities. My only obligations to the neighborhood are to park in the assigned spot and not make too much noise when I get up in the morning three hours earlier than anyone else in the complex.

Saturday began with a nice run in Waterton Canyon. I say it was nice because the weather was optimal, the foliage gorgeous, and the roadway free of dangerous beasties. My running was nothing to get excited about -- can you spell S.L.O.W? -- but it was reasonably consistent and steady, and I didn't need to walk at all during the nine-mile journey. And this week, I didn't get hit by any rocks.

Hmm. I don't think I told you about that, but it's true...last Sunday I experienced the "falling rock" phenomenon first hand. In Waterton, it's not unusual to see a few rocks lying in the road -- the canyon walls do occasionally relinquish some of their mass to gravity's greedy pull. But the odds of witnessing any actual rockfall are slim indeed. On that particular day, though, one of the guys who was coming down the road as I was going up stopped me to say that rocks were dropping and that I needed to be careful.

Despite the warning, I wasn't too worried...but I did move over to the river side of the road as I ran. And sure enough, not a half-mile later I heard a cracking sound from above, followed by noises of stones cascading off the cliff walls. Using my martial arts training (thank you, Eddie Wong), I instantly covered my head with my arms and prepared for impact. But thanks to my position at the far side of the road, the initial rock smackage happened a dozen feet to my right.

Which is not to say I was free and clear. Several of the fragments bounced and rolled away from the impact site, and one of them skittered across the road to strike the side of my shoe. It was a golf-ball-sized piece, and it didn't hit me hard at all...but it still woke me up to the idea that bears, pumas, and bighorn sheep are not the only dangers to be encountered in Waterton. It also made me appreciate the fact that I don't wear headphones when I run. If I am going to get hit by rocks (rolling or otherwise), I want to hear them coming.

I relayed the warning to the next guy I saw approaching the area, and continued running. Nothing else happened, except that I became increasingly tired as the miles added up. No suprise there, eh?

Anyway, I was glad to complete the run uninjured, and equally glad to go home for a well-deserved nap. I needed to rest up for Sunday's swimming competition!

Sorry, but I don't have any action photos of any of the intense aquatic battles that took place. As expected, our team totally dominated the lowly Dawgs, and several of our folks set Personal Records (PRs). I'm especially proud of Kevin Sheen and Erin Hess for swimming in their first meet ever, and of Robb Caseria for setting a PR in the 400IM. Also, I owe many thanks to my most helpful brother and to Carolanne for doing the heat arranging, and to Sara for being such an excellent starter. Everything went smoothly.

And how did I swim? Well, let's just say that I once again demonstrated that sprinting is not my strength. And most disappointing of all was that I didn't even break a minute for the 50 Taz. 1:05 for a 100 freestyle, which is about how slow I was before joining Wichita Swim Club back when Johnson was President. Ugh.

Am I giving up on ever swimming fast again? No. Not yet. But it's obvious that I need to take my training more seriously if I intend to be competitive.

But it was fun. The food was delicious and plentiful, and everyone was smiling and laughing throughout the entire thing. I know I've said it many times before, but I love hanging out with swimmers. I am grateful to be blessed with having such great teammates and friends. And they all know how to bring tasty food to a potluck!

Now if I could just go fast enough to beat a few of them...

Oh well. Enough about that. It's time for our quiz.

Today's entry is a text-only multiple choice test. The theme is "Cultural Literacy", and the questions are about phrases taken from popular media that represent simple metaphors for complex concepts. Your challenge is to choose which concept belongs with the term. Bonus points if you know the origin of the term. Make sense? Begin.

1. Kobayashi Maru
     A. An exotic food of unimaginable deliciousness.
     B. A secret Ninja method of extracting information.
     C. An unwinnable situation.
     D. A person whose brains are addled from addiction to video games.

2. Soylent Green
     A. A proof of the usefulness and value of the elderly.
     B. A color that can only be seen by extra-terrestrials.
     C. An embarrasing lack of sphincter control.
     D. A peaceful meadow where epiphanies are common.

3. Klaatu Barada Nicto
     A. A secret meeting place for nightowls, or possibly vampires.
     B. Music enjoyed only by tone-deaf cannibals (eg, Tom Petty or U2)
     C. Klingon phrase meaning "¿Donde está el baño?"
     E. Code to keep omnipotent robot from destroying the Earth

4. JarJar Binks
     A. An embarrasingly revealing swimming suit.
     B. The ultimate destructive force in the Universe.
     C. Gilligan
     D. An especially long episode of Tourette's Syndrome.

Good luck, and have a great day!