Some time ago, I tried to read Ulysses by James Joyce. It started off well, but I had to put it aside once I hit chapter 3. Chapter 3 was totally confusing, and not much fun to read.
Fortunately, I stumbled across the great Teaching Company Course on Ulysses, and decided to give it a try. Now that Professor James A. W. Heffernan has explained what the book is about in a chapter by chapter synopsis, and what you can get out of the book as a whole it makes a great deal more sense.
Now that I understand what Joyce was trying to accomplish with the book, and why each chapter can be so radically different from the last, I find I am able to read the book with ease, and listen to the Audible version easily as well.
The Martello Tower at Sandycove:
Previously, it was just painful, but now it is enjoyable. Having read Homer’s Odyssey helps a great deal as well, as Joyce parallels the book to a small degree, hence the Latin version of name Odysseus. “Ulysses” for the title.
So, having a background in the Odyssey will help you in reading Ulysses, however, you would also want for a good background in English and Irish history, otherwise much of the book may be lost on you. And that is where the Teaching Company course on Ulysses comes in so handy. So, if you have ever had an interest in reading Ulysses, then I suggest you listen to the Teaching Company course on Ulysses first, and then give the book a shot, as you will not be blindsided by the change of writing styles from chapter to chapter, or in some chapters, from paragraph to paragraph!
I had Asterisk@Home installed on one of my spare computers, it is a powerful *nix based Private Branch Exchange (PBX) that allows you to perform some crazy things with an Internet connection and a regular telephone line. After playing around with newer and greater versions of Asterisk I took my little PBX offline.
However, I really miss it now, and I am planning on giving the updated version of Asterisk@Home, which has been renamed Trix box, a shot.
The feature I want to implement the most, besides using the PBX as a basic answering machine that emails me my messages in MP3 format, is zapateller. This is a really neat program that works with Asterisk. What it does in essence, is play a 3 tone note upon answering the phone. Now, that does not sound like much.
However, that 3 tone note is the same note that you hear when you call a number that is no longer in service, and that note tells the machine on the other end that the line is disconnected. To you and I, it is just a strange sound. To another PBX, or a SIP phone such as the ones used by telemarketers, it is a signal that that number is no longer in service.
Now, since telemarketing is automated, when telemarketers get this noise, their software disconnects the call, and automatically *REMOVES* your number from their call list! Since I have been getting so many telemarketing calls, I barely even bother to answer the phone unless I recognize the Caller ID now.
Even better, Asterisk allows me to prioritize the incoming calls via caller ID. So, those on my list whom I know, never hear the 3 tone note, and my phone instantly rings when they call. However, if the number is unknown, my phone does not ring, instead it goes straight to voice mail and the 3 tone note is played!
Thus, people that need to contact me from a regular number, ring the phone. Telemarketers get cut off and/or shunted to voice mail. People I do want to talk to, and are calling from a number I have not yet programmed in, can leave a message and I can call them back.
I am almost tempted to install this app on my WRT54g, but I am already running enough software on that little Linux Router, so I think I will just pull out my extra PC and fire up Asterisk again. Trix box, here we go!
Valve recently released a demonstration of an upgrade to the source engine called “portal”. Apparently, it will be a game in it’s own right. However, the demo looks incredibly impressive:
Many in the gaming world are complaining that it is a copy of Prey, but in truth, they were working on this technology for some time, but Prey was just the first to come out with it. And, while the above video is just a technology demo, it looks like it will be quite the impressive game. The introduction of portals becomes very mind bending, and in deathmatch, it would add a whole new element to the game.
He has been waiting a long time for Team Fortress 2, and many people were angry about Valve not releasing the game when they claimed that they would, thus, it became labled as vaporware. However, it appears that the game will be released in the last few months of 2006.
Filed under: Fitness, kayak — George Walford @ 10:25 pm
This video shows a great collection of Flatwater Kayak form, everything from K1, K2 to K4. Check out the torso rotation on all these paddlers:
I am bound and determined to get my 10 k flatwater time to under 40 min, if I can manage that in the next 2 months, my odds of coming in first in the kayaking portion of the MOMAR are very high. Given that I am paddling the Stealth K1 3X per week, I should be able to manage it. That, and my injuries from the recent Gutbuster seem to be healing quickly. I was able to walk Daisy the regular 2 k around my house, hills and all with very little pain at the end.
This is a neat video of a K1 kayaker doing his thing. It might look arrogant to some, but I would say that he has the skills to show off in this way. His form is excellent, and even the fact that he can just throw a k1 in the water, and just step into it as he does is impressive.
I also learned a new portaging move, as you can see him perform it to exit the boat without ramming it on shore. In a MOMAR race there is a massive penalty for ramming your boat on shore, so the exit technique he uses is one I think is well worth practicing! Although, don’t know if I need the boat spin portage technique, as a racing pack will be in the boat … Or on my back… I have to find out as the top racers with surf skis don’t have PFD’s on in the MOMAR races, so there must be some sort of exception there.
I hopped back into the Stealth K-1 kayak today, while hobbling around on my injured knee and ankle. Thankfully, kayaking does not hurt my legs.
I used another kayak, called a Hawk K-1 last time out, which is a bit lower volume than the Stealth, as the club had most of the boats out at Sproat Lake that day. It turns out that I could move the footbrace further forwards in the Hawk, and have my knees at a lower position than I had been used to in the Stealth, and even though the boat was sitting quite low in the water, I could paddle it with much more confidence than the Stealth, where I always felt unstable. I could push and pull on the footbrace and footstraps, and my legs started moving up and down with every stroke as they are supposed to in a K-1. Everything felt better.
Today, I decided to take the Stealth out in the lake again, and I decided to look closely at the footbraces. After all, the Stealth is designed for a larger paddler than the Hawk. I found that I could put the footbrace much further forward than what it had been when I was using it before, and, that suddenly, paddling it became signifigantly easier. It no longer felt incredibly unstable, indeed, it felt quite stable. I managed to zip the length of the lake at a much higher speed than I normally manage, although I did not time myself.
It is wonderful to know that the footbrace was mis-adjusted, because I can now focus on paddling form, and not on trying to prevent the boat from flipping. It is too bad that my legs are injured, as I would love to give the Stealth a shot in the 3 KM paddling section of the Safari race this weekend, but my ankle and knee would not likely handle the running section of the race, given I am having trouble walking currently.
I ran in the Nanaimo Gutbuster on Sunday. I ran the half marathon course (21km). I was a bit concerned that I might not do well from a aerobic perspective, but with all my training since spring, my aerobic ability has been increasing. That, and I had hiked my bike up Cumberland trails, and climbed the BCMC Trail, which is parallel to the Grouse Grind prior.
Race Start:
So, my aerobic capacity and ability was greater than I expected on the race, and I was on track to do fairly well. I wanted to finish in under 3 hours, and was running much faster than that along the Westwood ridges, which are the hardest part of the route. Things were looking good.
After another descent, and then a climb again up to Baby Head ridge, I was starting to feel pretty good, and I was still holding much in reserve as I knew it was a long race, and my goal for my first half-marathon was just to finish.
Entering Chase River:
Coming down the trail from Baby Head, I saw the area that gave the name. The trail is covered with small rocks the size of baby’s heads, and this is the name that mountain bikers give them. I went carefully as the risk of twisting an ankle on them was high. The trail then became much easier, with few roots or any obstacles, just a gentle decline. On the downhills I can open my stride and go quite fast, technical running is what I enjoy, and my heart rate stays very low even while going very fast.
The Cool Water:
Unfortunately, here, I stepped on something small, and rolled my right ankle outwards, in the process, my right knee moved at an awkward angle, and I hurt something on the outside of my right knee. I stopped to assess my injury, it hurt, but not severely. I opted to continue running -slowly- down the trail. My knee ached, but nothing serious… Yet.
Trying to navigate the river rocks carefully:
From there, the trail ended up along the power line, where it was open fast running, through mud, then the Chase river, where I had to be careful of the rocks in the water, and even so, I stumbled at one point as can be seen in the Tony Austin photos.
Losing my footing:
Onwards along the power lines to the Abyss trail. There was a water station, where I topped up my pack, and I was surprised that I had more water than I thought I would have. Climbing the Abyss I found was not hard. However, along the top and rolling sections my knee began to ache. I felt that I still had a good deal of reserve left, but I also knew I was only around the half way mark for distance, so I was not about to push myself harder. Then, on the descent from the Abyss, my knee really began to hurt. I got to see the second half of the Abyss trail, which was good, as I had only ridden the first half before. But now, the downhills started a stabbing pain in my knee. I was forced to run more slowly than my aerobic capacity.
Knee pain, and trying not to fall on my face. (Incredibly graceful no?):
People began passing me at this point, as I was forced to run more slowly, which was annoying as I knew that other than the knee, I was capable of going much faster. This continued when I exited the Abyss, and got out on the flat logging road, and found I could not open my stride and increase my pace. My knee would just not allow it. Still, at a slower pace, it only ached, and did not hurt badly, so I stuck to that.
Returning from the Abyss along power line:
Much of the rest of the way was thankfully flat, with touches of downhill, until I hit the water station again. Shortly after the water station was a 30 M section of steep downhill, and that really hurt my knee. Flattening out, I ran across the Chase river again, and continued along the power line. With only a few KM left to go, and my knee now aching constantly, I opted to keep pushing on as I had to head back along the same route to get back to my car anyways. However, I was going even more slowly now, and I even ran off the trail in one point in Morell Sanctuary, misinterpreting one of the trail signs.
Power Line:
Through Morell Sanctuary, my knee began to hurt severely. I was no longer capable of running, at any speed, and was confined to a fast walk. My left ankle began hurting as well as I had been compensating for my right leg, putting more stress on the left.
More Power Line, before water station:
Out of Morell Sanctuary, and into Westwood Lake, I was not moving well at all, but it was just over 1 KM to go to get to the finish, and get it all over with. It was not a plesant last kilometer. Towards the finish my left calf began to cramp from all the extra weight it had been taking, and the last 100 M was excruciating, but I just wanted to get across that line and be done with it. That last little bit was painful indeed. I think Tony Austin got a few shots of agony on my face, but he did not post them, which is probably a good thing.
FINISHED!
(Finished in only 7 min, 9 seconds! )
At least there is one of me semi-smiling at the end. I finished around 3:07, and I had really hoped to come in under 3 hrs, which I certainly would have had I not injured my knee. In fact, without the injury, I think I could have managed 2:30 without problem. Alas, that was not meant to be. Fortunately, the first aid tent had ice, and Tylenol. If you know me, you know I avoid pain medication, but this was not one of those times. In fact, I took some more throughout the rest of the day, because now I really hurt.
Walking Daisy that night, I could not complete my normal circuit, my left ankle began to hurt badly, and on the downhill my knee was in severe pain. Thus, I shuffled along slowly with my dog, and cut the walk short. I probably should have cut my run out at around the 8 KM mark, where I initially hurt my knee, but at the time, it was not a bad pain, it started out mild, but unfortunately, it just got worse as the race went on. Sadly, I was considering running in the Safari adventure race in Ladysmith on July 22nd, as it is a nice short race. However, given how my joints feel, I can’t see this happening. Ironically, my muscles feel fine, no muscle pain from the run, and only a very tiny amount of soreness. It is my joints that hurt. Now, I have to give myself time to recover as I want to perform well in the September 30th MOMAR. Unfortunately, I think these injuries will set back my training a bit.
However, I did complete my first half marathon, and it was a trail run to boot. I also learned what the beginning of a running injury feels like, as I have had no experience of that prior, and I now know, that a wrenching like that is good cause to exit the race. If not for my injuries, it would have been a fantastic race.
Yesterday was the first time I managed to paddle around Long Lake a number of times in the Stealth K1 kayak, and not flip it once. Lately, I have been circling the lake, but flipping as I came into the Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak Club dock. This is due to the fact that I need to slow down when at the dock, and be very precise where I aim my boat. I don’t want to ram the boat into the dock as it is fiberglass, and not plastic like a whitewater boat.
Still, the boat is remarkably unstable, and even more so when moving slowly. It is much like a bicycle. As long as you are moving, you have some stability. As soon as you slow down… Add to that the fact that you can’t perform a proper high brace with a wing blade paddle, as I learned much to my chagrin on multiple occasions. Or, rather, you can perform the brace, but when you go to retrieve the paddle, the wing catches the water, and has exactly the opposite effect that you would want in a high brace.
On the upside, my low braces have become much better, as they are the only braces I can use. That is a good thing because I normally used the low brace fairly rarely as I learned the high brace first when paddling whitewater, and stuck with it.
Filed under: Fitness, Outdoor — George Walford @ 12:11 pm
On July 3rd, which was a holiday, I managed to get out to Cumberland and go for a great ride with a bunch of friends. It was a blast, although it was a very hot day. We rode for approximately 5 hours, and much of that ride was up up and more up.
We started with “Momma Bear, Trail of Tears” then up “2 and a Juice” then followed the fire road for a very long climb up to the summit, where we could start to tackle the infamous “Bucket of Blood”. From the Bucket, we descended a new trail (forget the name) and then down to “Buggered Pig”. I had two wipe outs, but nothing serious, even though one was a fall from a skinny ride!
All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic ride, despite numerous cuts and bruises, I fully enjoyed myself.
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