Saturday night – nice day for a dip

Great day woke up and it wasn’t quite 4 degrees out, just the the right weather for a little swim in the lake.  as part of Special Olympics Penguin Plunge..  

Diane and Gabe headed up to Bolton for Gabe’s USASA competition   .. I bundled up and headed to Mexicali for a little ‘training’ . This is the second time I’ve lunged with the fine folks at Mexicali..  I couldn’t make it last year because I was off at a conference and gtting ready to leave for The Colony. These guys go every year.. I think Nick said we raised about 3000 dollars for the Special Olympics.. I think that includes the $325 I raised.. (thansk to those of you who contributed.. those of you who didn’t I thin you still can at http://www.firstgiving.com/johncohn)

..Training this year included a shot of Erin’s homemade maple scotch.. not my normal breakfast fare.. but very yummy and warming..   We had about 12 folk, I think.. 4 johns , 3 nicks and a smattering of kyles, amelias and lances..

Here I am with John 2 (I’m John 4).. they though he was my kid..   must be the smile  🙂

I chugged a redbull just for motivation.. then we all climbed into a rented taxi van..

We were packed and toasty (and soem of us were tasted).. all behatted and feelign good in the ‘brisk’ morning..

Nick 1 had gotten us all registered last night so we new we were going inearly as team 5.. we even marked ourselves..

OK.. here’s where all the interesting pictures should be… but.. of course.. I didn’t have my camerra.. .. I’ll get some pictures fro the folks who stayed dry.. but for now.. just imagine:

– a tent ful of naked and nearly naked guys switching from mid winter to mid summer in 30 seconds,
– a quick jog to the staging tent lining up as the fith team to go in
– abotu 100 screaming ,chanting and chearing scantily clad men and woemnt making noise to keep their . spirits and temperature up . It was so noisy that Erin passed out earplugs.. I declined.. I thin noise is an anesthetic..
– with in 10 minutes it was our turn to plunge.. The door opens.. and we trot out into the cold.. The air temp was about 10 by that point.. sunny and bright and not bad.. Erin. Chelsea and I had the Mexicali banner.. e.. lance was in front.. everyone else behind..   
– they’d used a backhoe to clear enough ice for us to actually ru into the lake instead of over it..   In we went on the boat loading ramp.. The water was about 34 degrees I think.. actully.. not bad at all.. I love cold water.. so this wasn’t even a shock.. we plunged in .. the rest of the team came after..
– A couple of us tossed SamStones in the water while we were in.. then we pivoted with the banner and marched out majesticly.. I sear .. I wasn’t even cold !
– they handed us all towels.. then we jogeed back to the men and ladies tents…   
– more naked guys.. now shivering and blue.. but very vrey happy.. I found a swatch of less nakeedness and dug out my camera..

The we all scrambled to get out of our wet things, find our dry things and sort them out from the layers and layres of OPS (other peoples stuff). I wanted ot make sure I didn’t take anyone elses dry stuff.. that would SO suck..

No wwarm.. I went out and watched a couple of teams go out and back..

We tried to gather the team.. toook us a while.. I found Erin and Chelsea and then found the others.

Kyle  took a really bad fall on the way in.. and was bleading and hurting pretty much.. he was still smiling though

Then back in the van for the trip back to the restaurant.. They passed around some blackberry brandy.. but .. I couldn’t figure out how to pour it in…

From there I rushed back to Bolton to see the last of Gabes competition.. I got there jsut at the end.. Gabe placed 2nd !!.. It was awesome.. I’ve got to get photos from that off the other camera…

Now we’re off to Jim and Dawn’s party.. more on that later
nit for now folks.. Nite Sam
-me

Thursday night – parking lot

I’m writing frm the relative comfort of a parking lot in beautiful poughkeepsie NY. I’m down here for a 25th work anniversary party for my good friend bruce . It’s amazing that I know folks (like me) who’ve had the same job for a quarter century or more.. I couldn’t not come..

GIven that I spent most of the day in the car coming down..a nd on th e phone.. not much new to report here. I have a few pictures from the last couple of days.. lemme see what they are..

Ahh. heres a cool Hawk I saw on my way to work yesterday.. .. I actually turned the car around and went back to watch this guy.. so regal.. so cool.. and so tiny in my crappy camera..


Hmm.. what else.. ah..   I spied this cool hadline that made me feel noble..

Then last night we were up at Bolton for Gabe’s night riders competition.. he had a great night..

Oh waut, here’s a good story.. I got home last night after Gabes competition and found a box from Sparkfun. my favorite electronics company . Those who read this blog might remember my description of  ‘Free Day‘..  where the copmany gave away 100,000 dollars of parts to their customers   .. 100 bucks to each !  to thank them for a good couple of years. The deal was first come, first serve.. I tried to get my order in from the oepneing bell.. but due to the huge number of folks also trying to order, my order never got through. I was dissapointed that my order didnt get through.. ut I wrote them a nice letter anyway tellign them how cool i thought they were for giving stuff away lke that..

Well.. my ever loving mother saaw the post.. and being the sweet person she is, didn’t want to see me dissapointed.. so .. she called Sparkfun the next day and poitned them at my blog post. And they figured out form there what i was trying to order (parts for a talking blood alchohol meter I want to build.. don’t ask)  .. then Mom ordered the parts for me.. isn’t that awesome..

Thanks Mom .. I love you !  You are amazing..

Today.. was pretty ok.. crammed work meetings in morning .. then beutiful sunny drive dwon in the afternoon.. also crammed with phone meetings.. On my way out I drove by Markowskis and saw the Time cycle lookign regal and cold..

Then treated myself to a trip on the new makeshift feerry near the site of the old Crown Point bridge.. You could still see the chunks of the now demolished brudge

It was a quicl 10 minute boat ride.. they’v e amnaged to keep the ice clear fro the salvage, so the ferrys run 24 hours a day.. how cool to be on a boat on a bluebird day like this..

They actually have 2 ferrys .. one going each direction.. it looks like it’s been there for years.. but I think it’s been there only a month.

OK.. 7PM.. time to go inside. and see bruce.. More tomorrow.

Nite all. nite Sam
-me

Tuesday night – ground hog day

So .. I understand that Puxatawny Phil came out and saw his shadow.. six more weeks of winter. Actually.. in vermont.. it’s 6 months more winter shadow or no shadow. But I like the idea of looking for minor portents like this to guide our lives. The Romans saw thing ins the entrails of chickens .. A sa  kid I remember measuring the bands on caterpillars to gauge the length of winter.. .. and I grew up in a place that had no winter.   Supposedly animals can predict a coming earthquake.. or a change in the weather. Some say they can sense death coming.
   I just had dinner with my friend Perry who told me that the country/city of Singapore has a school of fish that live in their municipal water supply.. when the fish start acting funny, it’s time to change to Perrier.   He even told me thta some company is building chips that place trainde paramicium (single cell animals) in little cells and electrically measure their cilia (the moving threads they have) to measure contents of the water.. I don’t know about that.. I want my paramecium to be ‘free range’
   The idea of predicting the future based on a shadow is really not so odd to me.. I’ve been seeing signs like that since I was a kid.. I could not go home after seeing 3 piddidles (one eyed cars).. I once drove around for hours looking for a fourth. A phone call that was begun on an uneven minute would never go well. The number 911 (yes 911) meant good luck, 411 meant not so good luck.. , 511 meant company.. 709 was dangerous.. though I think that was because that was the course number of a  difficult  but very good linear systems class I took in grad school.
    I think I just saw my shadow.. That means time for bed..

Gnite all. nite Sam
-me

Monday night 0 smarter water

The thrid installement of Tim and my Smarter Planet youtube series came out last night.. This one is on smarter water.. We made it in late December at the spur of the moment. I love the animations… me as vanna white.. I just love that !

Take a look and let me know what you think 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT16dE-ilAE

The endind reminds me thtat in just 5 short days I will be plunging into Lake Champlain yet again.. this time it promises to be even colder.. This time its’ also for a great cause, the Special Olympics of VT. If you’re not doing anything Sat morning please come down to the waterfront and watch us freeze our tukusses (tukki ? ) off. If you feel inclined, please consider making a pledge for the event.. You can find the link to make a pledge at http://www.firstgiving.com/johncohn

That’s it for tonight.. talk to you all tomorrow
nite all.. nite Sam
-me