Thursday, November 29, 2007

In a fit of nostalgia, I once again read through all of my previous blog postings. I realized that many of my postings were absolutely pointless. So, in the interest of returning to my blogging roots, I present you with...

An Ode to the Guy in Starbucks with a Bluetooth Earpiece and Velcro Shoes

You are more important than most.
Why else would you need
The time-saving double whammy of
Hands-free cellphone and
No shoelaces?


That is all.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Here is a selection of some photos we took over the Thanksgiving weekend at Cannon Beach.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The seasons are changing.

One of my traditions (that's not really the right word, but whatever) is to put a shovel, tire chains, and ice scraper into the car once the weather turns cold. That way I'm prepared to head to the mountain on a minute's notice. This is a useful ability when you have a friend like Mike Bunch, who more than once has called me in the afternoon and said, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?" and about two hours later we are skiing at SkiBowl.

That's all for now.

I noticed that my blog header says something about pictures and I've been really bad about posting anything visual lately. I'll try to do better on that end. Keep visiting.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Wow. This is pretty cool...

Have you checked out the "Street View" option on Google Maps? Portland is now available, along with a small sliver of Hillsboro.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Henry helped Stephanie and I with some yard work yesterday evening. My golf clubs were sitting in the driveway (I was going to be moving them into the house) and I decided to take a few practice swings in the front yard. Henry watched me take one swing and started busting up laughing. Not the hee hee kind of laugh which is his specialty, but the kind that comes from the gut. Swing after swing, he couldn't help himself. Mom and I were caught up in the moment and started laughing right along with him.

Two questions...Is my golf swing that funny-looking? and What is it about watching someone else laughing that makes you want to laugh?

We'll try to reenact the moment and capture some video. Stay tuned...

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Last night the family went to the North Park blocks in downtown Portland to watch the Twilight Criterium.
Holy cow, pro bicyclists ride a whole lot faster than I do.



Henry and Ducky encouraged the racers with their cowbell.


Henry expresses the "Agony of Defeat."


We witnessed a crash take place right in front of us. The sound of metal on metal, with a guy rolling around on the ground covering his head was not pretty. Somehow, the rider was okay, and after a couple of minutes he was back in the mix (although a lap behind everyone else).
Time spent together with the family on a warm summer evening is what life is all about.


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Thursday, August 23, 2007

meme

There will be no rules posted here, nor will I "tag" anyone, but here are a few random facts about me.

(Jen, you do realize that the group has collectively lost about 3 hours of quality campfire talk time with all of this blog disclosure. :-| )

1. I love looking at maps.
2. My left leg is longer and stronger than my right leg.
3. I cannot stand the sound of a butter knife coming into contact with a plate while cutting up food.
4. I listened to techno/rave (almost exclusively) during two years of high school.
5. I once caught a salmon with my bare hands.
6. I went to second grade in a town named "Niceville."
7. My former favorite food (as memorialized in my 8th grade yearbook) was Fried Rice.
8. I know how to fold a piece of paper into the shape of an airplane, tear off the wings to make a rocket, and unfold it to make a cross.

Monday, August 13, 2007

How many of you can say, "I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning."?

I'm hoping it's a short list...

So, I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning. I was riding my bike along the Banks-Vernonia multi-use trail when I encountered a couple of horseback riders that were just about to embark on their journey. Apparently, one of the horses (her name, I would later learn, was Misty), was not familiar with bicycles. When the horse saw me it totally freaked out, bucking bronco style. The nice old lady on the horse was caught off guard and got tossed just before the horse made it to the paved portion of the path. I stopped riding and stood there in stunned silence. The woman on the ground slowly rolled over and lifted herself to a seated position. The only thing I could think to say was, "I am SO sorry." And so that's what I said. About thirty times over.

Meanwhile, the other horseback rider dismounted and started chasing Misty down the path. Once Misty was under control, the woman who was tossed got to her feet and appeared to be okay, although she was pretty shaken up. I was pretty sure she was okay, because when I asked if she was okay, she said yes.

She walked over to Misty to whisper calming words in her ear. I just stood there like an idiot. The lady asked me if she could bring Misty over to introduce her to the bike. I agreed, although I am basically terrified of horses. Misty and I stood at a comfortable distance from each other for a couple of minutes as I sized her up (I'm thinking, I can take her in a fight) and she sized me up (she's thinking, with one kick I can end him). She slowly made her way over to me and sniffed my bike handle. Apparently, I hadn't said a single word out loud after the horse had approached me. The woman asked me if I could talk to the horse so that she knew I was a human. I was a little embarrassed, because I'm sure it was completely obvious that I was scared like a little school girl. (Okay, maybe that's not the best comparison, because little school girls love horses.) I asked her what the horse's name was...Misty...and then said "Hi Misty. It's okay, girl. That's a good girl." From that point on, Misty and I were the best of friends.

The women decided that it was probably a bad day for a horseback ride and I told them they were probably right, because there were tons of other bicyclists out riding that morning.

As I rode off, the other woman (not the one who was tossed) said, "Thanks, Hon."

I said, "My pleasure."

Friday, August 10, 2007

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I'm thinking of having the following printed on a t-shirt...

"I ran in the PCT 50K Trail Race and all I got was this lousy blister."

On second thought, that is a pretty gross thing to have on a t-shirt.

Trent and I were successful in our domination of the field at the PCT 50K Trail Race on Saturday. Literally, there was a field of grass at the beginning of the race that we totally sprinted through.

How do I feel about the fact that all but one of the people who were slower than me were over the age of 55? I feel okay. I'm just happy to say that I finished.

Trent did an awesome job and looked strong all the way to the finish line. Eric met us at the halfway point and provided some much-needed encouragement and supplies. Thanks Eric!

I'm pretty sure my ultramarathon days are through. I loved being outside, running on the trail through the old-growth forest, but I would have been fine stopping at mile 10.

And now for some sappyness (or is it sappiness?)...When you are on the move for a long time in the relative seclusion of the trail, you tend to have a lot of time to think about things. Deep things (what does it mean to be content?) and shallow things (what is that smell? Trent! Seriously! That is disgusting). And sometimes you get a little emotional...I was listening to Jack Johnson on my iPod and he sang "Life is easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms" and I pictured giving Stephanie and Henry a big hug when I got home and I felt really good for the next couple of miles. And then I smelled Trent again.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

We've had a fun week, starting with a trip to see my parents and sister in Lynden and ending with our first family camping trip on the Oregon Coast...


Grandma gives Henry his first piano lesson...

Henry lends a hand in the kitchen...

Henry loves his Aunt Kathy...



I love my family...

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

I've had waffles for 3 out of my last 4 meals. And, to be honest with you, I'm okay with that.

Monday, April 30, 2007



If a picture is worth a thousand words, this picture says...
(abridged)

Trent: Come on, Jim! You can do it!
Jim: Ugh.

==========================================

I'm happy to say that I finished my second (and probably last) marathon. Trent provided some much-needed encouragement for the last ten miles. I couldn't have done it without him. For the last five miles, I actually carried on a conversation (ok, a yelling match) with my legs. I would yell, "Come on legs!" and my legs would yell back "How about some breakfast?" and I would yell back "Come on legs!" and my legs would yell back "No" and so on...

I didn't meet my time goal, but I feel satisfied that I pushed all the way to the end. It was definitely a test of my will to finish.

Thank you to everyone who came down to Eugene! It's amazing how much energy you can get from a few seconds of interaction with loved ones.
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Don't ask me why, but I found this totally hilarious.

Also, I like bacon.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

I'm posting this information for two reasons. One, so you can start praying for me now. Two, to ensure Trent also signs up to be my companion in suffering.

I just signed up and paid for the Eugene Marathon (April 29) and the PCT 50K (July 28).

My goals are not lofty. I hope to finish the marathon in under 4:15 and I hope to finish the 50K.

I'm also going to take this opportunity to thank my wife in advance for taking such good care of me.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Eric, Mike, and I spent a lot of time together on various backpacking trips throughout the Northwest a couple of summers ago.

This is what happens when you run out of things to talk about...

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Ok, here is how I uploaded videos to Blogger...There might be an easier way, but this worked for me...

Click on the "Video" hotlink on www.google.com.
Click on "Upload your videos" (to the right of the search bar).
Log in to Google (if you haven't already done so).
Use the "Browse" button to find the video you want to upload.
Add a Title, Description, Genre, and choose the level of Access.
Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
Click "Upload video."
Wait.
Continue waiting.
Wow, this is taking longer than I expected.
You might get an error message about the page not being found, but don't worry. It probably uploaded okay.
Go back to Google video (www.video.google.com) and click on "Uploaded Videos" along the top of the screen.
Your video should be in the queue. It takes time for the video to "Process" and I'm not sure how long you have to wait. I have started the upload process in the evening and the video is ready when I get to work in the morning, but the process might only take half an hour.
When the video is ready, click on "View" in the Status pane.
On the right hand side of the page, click the "Email-Blog-Post to MySpace" button.
Click "Embed HTML."
Start a blog post and copy/paste the HTML code into your blog in the "Edit Html" field.
Hope.

After reading these instructions, you might think it's a confusing process. It's really not that bad. I was able to manage it without any significant frustration, which for me is a miracle. Just ask Stephanie.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Monday, February 05, 2007

My buddy.


Hi, it's Steph posting something on Jim's blog b/c he never does. This is his little buddy who loves him so much b/c he's such a great daddy. Talk to you all later on my own blog!
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Friday, January 12, 2007

My first kiss.



Not what I hoped it would be.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Watercooler Rant

Ok, seriously, if you get paid to predict, nay, simply forecast the weather, do your job! The loser weatherpeople in Portland once again totally missed the mark with their short-term forecast (as in < 12 hours). Over the weekend, they forecasted 14-18" of snow on Friday night and another 14-18" on Saturday at Mt. Hood. Approximately 3" fell on Friday night and basically no snow fell on Saturday. Good effort. Yesterday evening, they forecasted 1" of snow on the valley floor. We had approximately 8 snowflakes in our front yard this morning. Get out the tire chains!

That is all.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Over the years, I've ridden with many of you in a car along the westernmost parts of Highway 26.

One of the most incredible experiences of my entire life was shared with Stephanie when we pulled off the road into a particular tourist destination along this stretch of highway (nearly the size of Disney World and definitely more magical).

I'm saddened to hear that the object of my awe might be nearing its fateful end...

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_010307_news_sitka_tree.4db5b67.html