Backside 180

The end.

2006-11-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

At this point it's been nearly five weeks since I've posted. I simply don't have the time or the desire to really keep backside 180 active anymore. In fact it's pretty much served it's purpose in my life and the place where I was when I started it.

Now, I'm going to abandon it. I might post very sporatically (as has been the case for months) in the future but I won't keep any regular tabs on what's happening here. It's sad that is has come to this, but it has so that's that.

Goodbye.

Edit: It should be noted that I'm not done as a blogger, just here at backside 180. I'm just somewhere else blogging. Somewhere more transparent and writing in a way that is a little more tempered.

There was even a hookup.

2006-10-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

I've been back from Copenhagen for about a week now and I'm finially getting adjusted to life back stateside. Even though we weren't in Copenhagen proper, I still had a fantastic time while I was on my trip. The ten hours of class and wearing a suit every day was a bit of a drag but the nights spend with my new friends from 45 countries were a blast.

There was even a hookup with a fantastic girl from South America. It was truly incredible.

Life these days is much faster paced than it was back in Auburn. Hopefully things will slow down a bit now that I'm almost done unpacking and getting settled from being gone in Denmark.

For your sake, I'll try to do better.

"That's hot."

2006-09-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well, how about that. J2 got undeployed on Wednesday and was home by Friday. Now he's talking about trying to transfer off the ship for a landlocked assignment doing security at a Navy base in Bahrain. Maybe if the Navy would ever let him fire a Tomahawk, he would think about staying around instead of counting down the days till his commitments up.

Four days til Europe. As Paris would say, "That's hot."

I've been peer pressured into entering the Kiawah Island Marathon. It happens just twenty eight short days after Richmond. It maybe a mistake. I'll likely hurt myself but that's cool, I can deal with it.

I put in twenty miles on Sunday. It took me two hours, thirty two minutes and fifty one seconds. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I feel much more confident about running the actual marathon now.

At least I did my job and it won't be mine.

2006-09-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a strange day at work. I work in dispatch. I dispatch containers to truckers. They pick the export loads of containers at one of four rail yards that I am in charge of and dray them to the proper terminal. One would think this is a pretty simple task. I'll break it down in a few easy steps:

1. Containers arrive at rail yard.
2. I dispatch containers to truckers telling them when they have to be at the terminal (port).
3. Truckers pick up containers, drive them to the correct terminal.
4. Containers load vessel for export, everyone is happy. We pat ourselves on the back.

It's amazing how many things go wron between steps one and four. Sometimes I'm to blame, most of the time I'm not.

Today, the person who dispatches the containers to the owner-operator trukers (she hands out the pieces of paper I EDI to her) was out of the office due to vacation. She deserved a day off.

In her absence, nothing got done. No one took care of her stuff. I did my work. My end was done, I made many efforts in writing to get containers moving. Not much happened. My boss was pretty upset.

Tomorrow this particular trucker who is a daughter company of ours isn't getting any export loads from me. They are all going to third party truckers. All their service failures (some were for Strategic, top level customers) are going on the service failure spreadsheet.

It's possible that heads will roll. At least I did my job and it won't be mine.

----

That's a lot of technical shipping jargon, let me know if you want any clarification on terms or concepts.

Living out of the suitcase.

2006-09-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and went out and bought myself a MacBook. Rumor has it that there will be an Apple media event on Sept 12, probably introducing some new products. Maybe they will even announce the much anticipated iTunes Movie Store. I know the MacBooks will be updated before the Christmas shopping season hits, heck they might even get Core 2 Duo processors but I just couldn't wait any longer.

So, I now have regular non work access to the internet and Blogger so content should start picking back up here on Backside 180. Suprisingly enough although it seems regular visits to Backside 180 have dropped off, other visitors are still finding there way here. At any rate, I'm back and other than my two week business trip to Copenhagen the last half of this month.

I'm definitely looking forward to gettting settled into my house and to stop living out of the suitcase. That won't be happening until October though.

I've been battling a strained groin from flag football back on August twenty third. I finally got in a good quality run yesterday so I'm hopeful that I can get back on my plan and be ready in time for the marathon.

J2 has been redeployed out of South America to the Med for the next few months until Christmas. He's not real happy about it as they found out a week before the were to come home that they were to be sent to the Med. It sucks because he was going to make it up here some time this fall. I guess that visit will have to wait until spring.

Pretty cheap at 2500/month.

2006-08-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

The job is good. My two weeks of training have flown by and Monday morning, it's time to sink or swim. I hope I'm going to swim. For some reason I've been very anxious about work Monday. The past two nights I haven't slept well and have had dreams about work.

Friday was a busy day and I didn't finish my major tasks of the day until right at five. I should have been done much earlier but it didn't happen. It's pretty high pressure trying to get all the containers dispatched and onto the vessel in time. The trucking company that I mainly use has a lot of issues with getting things done but they are an owned subsidiary and have garaunteed business from us so I think they don't try as hard.

My three roommates and I signed a lease Friday for a really great house. It was built in 1890 and refurbished in 2004. It's really pretty nice and also pretty cheap at 2500/month. It's incredible how expensive it is to find a decent place to rent at a resonable price here. I'm just glad I don't live in Manhattan, I definitely couldn't afford it.

That's it for now. My car comes next week and I'll have my things delivered to me on Sept 15 when we move in. I'll be out of the country for the last half of September in Copenhagen for a buisness trip so it's doubtful that regular updates will return until into October. But I'll try to do what I can until then.

No, I haven't died.

2006-08-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't died. No, I haven't fallen off a chimney. No, I haven't incapacitated my typing fingers. I've just been terribly busy with my new job and almost complete lack of internet access has really hampered my blogging. Believe me I miss it. It's a good outlet.

I'm here in Jersey and will be for the forseable future. My stuff should come up in the next month. Then I'll get my computer and things will return to more of a normal schedule. Until then, consider this a hiatus.

A family of univited guests raising their noisy brood in your chimney.

2006-07-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

My parents have birds in the chimney. You can hear them. You can hear when the parents come home. The babies go nuts, yelling, "feed me, feed me first!"

It's quite annoying. I don't spend a whole lot of time upstairs. In fact, I've got my Tivo set up downstairs so if I'm watching TV, it is away from the chimney in question.

It's still quite annoying to have a family of univited guests raising their noisy brood in your chimney. They were there last summer but this summer there must be more because the noise and the annoyance is much greater.

After watching Syriana with my folks and hearing the birds go off and irregular intervals throughout the movie, I decided to look up the chimney and see exactly what we were dealing with. With me looking up holding a flashlight, Dad opened the flue.

Just what I expected. The babies in the nest went nuts and low and behold there is a starling or some other bird clinging to the wall staring at me with a wild look in it's eye. It's a wonder one didn't fall down into the fireplace and then take off into the house. Somehow we avoided it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of these things save lighting a massive fire and smoking the bastards out while killing the chicks?

I'm back from the wilderness.

2006-07-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the wilderness. The six days that I spent deep in a remote portion of the Smoky Mountians were awesome. I met some neat people, worked hard and learned a lot. Just like last summer, I kept a journal while I was on the trail and I'll probably be posting those entries later in the week.

I'm off this week, hanging out at the parents house and trying to relax before 'real life' kicks me in the ass next week. N is coming to visit on Friday. Sunday, I'll be flying to New Jersey to start my job. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

I went out for a run this evening after being off for a week due to my time on the trail. I felt pretty good but could definitely I hadn't had a quality workout in a week. I think I'm shooting for a November marathon. If things work out, I'll meet up with some friends and run it with them. I need to start my training next weekend but that's going to be fairly tough with all the moving/new job turmoil going on in my life. I hope I can keep my running on track, it will be a priority for me so I think I'll be able to.

That's what I've been up to, how about you?

Brush Busters

2006-07-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I’m off on a grand adventure. I’ll be spending the next week on the Appalachian Trail vollunteering with the Brush Busters Trail Crew. I’m pretty excited. It’s going to a bit different than my experience on the trail last summer when I was solo hiking but I know it’s going to be fun.

The days sound as if they are going to be long with lots of work but I know it will be satisfying. The handbook states that the mission of the crew is (in order of priority):

1. Cutting back woody growth on the uphill side of the A.T. that is forcing hikers to the outside of the trail tread. This basic maintenance will help prevent larger problems from developing in the future.

2. Cleaning out clogged drainage structures (e.g. waterbars, drainage ditches, ect.) and muddy sections of trail.

3. Re-digging failing sidehill sections of trail.

I don’t feel nearly as orgainized going into this as I typically would. I think that’s because I know that most of it is being planned by someone else and I’m just the labor that they are hauling along and also that I have hiked on the trail a few times and now know more of what to expect.

I’ll be off the trail next Saturday and probably back to civilization that evening or Sunday morning. I doubt I’ll get much running in the next week. I wonder if I can count hiking as part of my 1200 miel club mileage.

The hike is long, my pack is heavy, but I hit the trail knowing I’m ready.

Maybe I'm chickenshit

2006-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

I finally got out of the apartment and out of town. It was a laborious task. My roommate was a procrasitinator so the task of cleaning the apartment fell to me, mostly. He did help out on move out morning but I did a lot to get us to the point we were at.

Running friend came over to help me clean the carpets Thursday night. She is so hot, it's incredible. I think we could work well together, we seem to have lots in common. I just have to convince her of that. I wanted to kiss her but the moment just didn't seem right.

We met up early Friday morning to run. I got a good 'goodbye' hug before we started and got all sweaty. Still it didn't feel right. After the run, I went to Kroger to get her some flowers to say goodbye with and thanks for helping me the previous night. She seemed suprised and said she loved flowers and no one ever sends them but her sister. Another hug. Maybe I'm chickenshit, we've had this discussion before, but it still just didn't seem right.

Maybe/probably she just sees me as a friend. Maybe/probably I'm falling into that trap by not being aggressive and making a move. Maybe/probably I should have gone for it anyway even if it 'didn't feel right' because there wasn't anything to lose.

Point is, I didn't and now I've moved from town. The good news is that she might be in New York later this month when I'm in Jersey. If she is there will be a meetup and maybe I'll try it then. Of course I'll still be a weenie and more than likely it still won't 'feel right'.

An email and a summary of events:

2006-06-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

An email and a summary of events:

Busy day. Today was the last day of work. I'm running around the house now getting things ready for the movers tomorrow morning. I have my final Summer Series 5K tonight. The Frog is going down again. It will be seven or eight in a row after tonight.

Tomorrow is movers, then clean the apartment then Friday I'm off to Charlotte. Saturday is rest day then Sunday I head to the Smokies for Brush Busters.

Busy time.

I got an invite in.

2006-06-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

I had what I considered a date this evening. A running friend with home I've grown close in recent weeks told me she wanted to take me out to dinner. She's hot and basically great so I quickly agreed that it would be a fantastic idea.

Somehow The Frog got wind of the dinner date. I'm not sure if she told him and invited him or rather just mentioned it and he said he'd come along. At any rate we went to a small local place with fantastic turkey wraps.

I picked her up and we drove across town. We got to dinner first and had a few minutes to chat while we waited on The Frog and a new running friend, Cublove. Dinner was fun, conversation was light, food was good and there were plenty of laughs throughout.

We left and headed back across town. I took the long way. We got back to her house and I got out of the car to walk her to the door. I got an invite in. We went in and sat down and chatted for a while. Then I needed to leave because I have to be at work in five hours.

I got a great hug on the way out. She has so many guy friends that I'm pretty sure that's just what it was. Dinner with a friend who is moving out of town. But I would have loved it if it were more.

I'd of tried to kiss her but it didn't seem right and I'm no good at moves like that. I left with a good hug and the promise of running with her again, at least once.

Sweet hotness.

Over and over and over.

2006-06-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Crunch time.

My student loans came due on June 19th. I didn't make the payment. But before you tell me how bad that was, just listen. Yesterday I started the consolidation process and today I got a forebareance postponing my payments. Yes interest is accruing every day but at least I have a bit more time to get my stuff together. Seventeen thousand in the hole already, damn school is expensive.

Schmims said it was going to be bad and except for some fleeting moments of brilliance, it was. The US team floundered like Lindsey Jacobellis off that last jump. It was still fun to watch them while it lasted and to say Gooch over and over and over. He's a Clemson grad you know.

Tonight starts the weekend of going away parties for me. There is a combo going away/birthday party with a bunch of folks from work tonight, then tomorrow The Orater has offered up his brothers timeshare lakehouse for a Saturday get away with all the running folks. I have to meet them at six thrity tomorrow so I won't be partying so hard tonight at my own going away party. A shame because the last one was so good that I missed work the next day.

The countdown is in full effect. Wednesday is the last day at the big box, with the last summer 5K that evening. Thrusday morning, the movers are coming to move me and pack up all my stuffs. Friday, it's checkout day of the apartment and head to North Carolina where I will have a day to prepare for the big trip on the Appalachain Trail. Brush Busters is only a week and a half away. I need to get prepared.

The total is now up to seven. I've beaten The Frog seven times in a row now. He's going to be gunning for me next Wednesday but I will stave off all his advances. I've gotten The Orator twice now and I fully intend to extend it to a threepeat but he will put up more of a threat than The Frog.

I've been running fast but not PR fast. Two weeks ago, I went 18:32. This week I improved slightly to 18:30. Last summer's PR is 18:16. I would break that if I could make it over to the same course but I didn't make that race due to my trip to see J2.

Life is full of sacrifices.

We disposed of the remaining evidence in the river

2006-06-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

When J2 and I get together you can pretty well bet that we are going to have a good time. Whether it's drinking to excess, hurtling ourselves off twenty foot limestone bluffs, getting his Mazda 3 up to one hundred and ten miles an hour or just driving his sister nuts, we are going to make a good time.

This weekend was no exception. I was off Friday and got my schedule rearranged for Monday allowing me to leave town early Friday and stay until early this morning. Friday I needed to be here before eleven so taht we could watch the motherland in the World Cup. The Dutch didn't dissappoint.

We sipped on the sweet necter of life known simply as Carolina Blonde for most of the day. We went off for a ride and drove out into the county. Barreling down a narrow country road J2 got his three upto one hundred and ten. The rest of the way, he didn't drop below eighty, even on some curves which he probably should have. We burned and eighth of a tank of gas way too quickly.

Saturday afternoon we found a sign in town that we decided deserved to be ours. Going back during the cover of darkness, we were able to efficently extricate it from it's prison of a street pole. We disposed of the remaining evidence in the river yesterday afternoon.

When we went to the river to jump off the bluffs, I also took along a driver and a few golf balls. We had a driving match to see who could hit it across the river. I didn't succeed coming up five yards short. J2 was much more successful than me.

We hid the Producers cigarrettes from her this weekend and she went nuts. Last night after realizing that we had put her Camels into her Parliment box, she came into the living room, turned off the TV, turned to us and called us 'shitbags' for the fifteenth time of the weekend.

Ah, good times.

Approximately three and one half years.

2006-06-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Much like the Olympics, I look forward to the World Cup for approximately three and one half years. The wait is over and today was spent on the couch watching all three matches. The earliest experience that I can recall with the world cup is back in 1994 when it was here. I clearly remember being in Cincinnati and watching team USA beat Columbia. What a great game. I've been a fan since. It also helps that I have played the world's game since I was knee high to a grasshopper.

I remember lazy summer mornings and watching matches with J2. I think we watched most of the 1998 world cup together that summer.

When time came around for World Cup 2002, I'd just started dating N. I remember not getting to watch as much of the tournament as I'd of liked to but I did see the semi final and title games. I remember getting up at five in the morning to watch Brazil beat Germany.

The tournament starts for us tomorrow and we have drawn a tough Czech team. I think we are good enough to win but that remains to be seen. I've got to work tomorrow, but as soon as I get home I'll be turning on the Tivo to watch it in replay. I just hope I can avoid the news of how it turns out until I can get home to watch it for myself.

Until Sunday.

2006-06-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

I got my hands on a DS lite today. We have them locked up in my stockroom waiting to be checked into inventory on the morning of the eleventh. It seems as though some stores jumped the gun and broke street date on them but I won't be. So, don't come to my store looking for one until Sunday. I stole a few moments this morning to take on out and take a look at it.

It's much smaller and sleeker than the original DS. As far as I'm concerned it's a huge improvement over the older version. The game library is getting built up now with some interesting titles such as Super Mario Brothers and a few others. I might talk myself into getting one one day. As for now though I'm satisfied just playing with it for a few minutes.

The first hits free.

2006-06-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Rarely do you come home to find good news in the mail. Mostly it's just bills.

At work they know I'm leaving. The day that I actually leave is bearing down on me. I'm starting to enter coast mode. I'm not quite there but I can feel it getting close. It's like senioritis but it's my job.

I've gotten raises in my life. Most of them have been fairly meaningless. In fact I'd dare say that the effect on my paycheck has been fairly negligable. A quarter raise at a minimum wage summer job doesn't exactly push me into millionaire territory.

I got an email Friday from my logistics job saying to be on the lookout for an imporant letter with information and an application for a corporate credit card. I figured it would come today. As I rolled in from work, I checked the mailbox and sure enough I recognized the seven pointed star right off.

Opening up the letter I read that upon further review of the compensation package, my new salary had been bumped three thousand dollars or roughly eight percent. Now, that's a raise. And I didn't have to do a thing. I didn't earn it, I didn't have to sit through a performance review and plead for a raise, I didn't have to politick to get it. Just one and done. Not too bad.

As all good drug dealers will tell you, the first hits free. You have to pay for the next after you get a taste of what you like.

The creepy crawlies moving about.

2006-06-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day in many ways, but like most other days, it had it's heartbreaking moments too.

I had to be at work at five which wasn't any fun, but I was out of there by ten thirty so it was really only a half day. I like half days even when they start at five. I came home and grilled out by myself. I made killer hamburgers. Too bad I didn't have anyone to enjoy them with.

After grilling, I laid down on the couch and watched a bit of tv. When I started to doze off, I headed for the pool. Why sleep on the couch when I could sleep at the pool.

When I got to the pool there were plenty of bikinis but all the lay down chairs were taken. I settled for a standard chair and waited until someone left. It was about thirty minutes until I got a lay down chair. I enjoyed hanging out at the pool. The views were nice and the water wasn't too cool. I'm now slightly burnt. But it's the nice kind of crispy. Just enough to know I got some sun but not too painful.

After a few hours lounging around the house Beagle and I decided to take a hike. There is a powerline that leads roughly north from my apartment complex. There is a nice hill that Beagle and I walk up every now and then. I'd never walked too far down the powerline and decided today was the day.

We loaded up and headed out. The walk was nice. We followed the powerline north for a mile and a half to two miles until it ran into the US highway north of the city. Then we turned around and headed home. All in all it was not much more than an hours hike. It was good to get out with nature and be in the woods some. I jumped two deer and had some other animals rustle off from the sides of the powerline.

Often, I hear packs of coyotes early in the morning and as I walked the powerline their tracks were everywhere. There weren't any human tracks since last rain but plenty signs of deer and coyotes. I came across several clumps of hair that probably used to be hares. There was also a good deal of scat.

When we got home I knew we would probably have tick issues. Last time we walked out there, several months ago, I got one tick of the Beagles snout. On the way back, I found one on her back leg. When we got in, we immediately hit the showers. After washing Beagle and myself, I got out and found a tick burrowing into my shin. I pulled him out and then squished him with the end of a toothbrush.

That's the first time I think I've gotten a tick that has burrowed into me. I checked Beagle throughly and found five or six more on her. Then I found one on my bed, then one on my hamper. I decided it was time to wash the clothes I wore out. I found another on my jeans just before I threw them in the wash.

Now all night, even though I've mirror checked my body several times, I can still feel the creepy crawlies moving about. I know I don't have any more on me but it sure feels like I do.

If you don't mind I have to go check myself and the Beagle once more and then the bed a final time before I get lost between sheets and dreams.

Night night, don't let the bedbugs bite.

Update: I was clean but after giving the Beagle a through inspection I did find one more stoaway. He looked pretty lifeless which may be due to the huge amount of Frontline that I sprayed her with. At any rate, with one quick pull of the Leatherman, he was toast. The head came out too!

A Sold tag and my name on it.

2006-06-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I was off by a few hours. I didn't actually sign the papers until more like fourteen hours after my last post. Close enough though right?

It really messed things up the day that kid hit me in the truck. Without a vehicle finding one became a top priority. Dad suggested I look around for another truck. I asked around to most of the people I know. Did they have a vehicle they were looking to get rid of or did they know someone. My search turned up nothing.

I check the classifieds but not knowing really what I was looking for or how much I could spend, I didn't find them very helpful. We kind of reached a dead end.

I didn't really want to purchase a car because I'll be moving out of the country in two years for two years. I don't want a vehicle to just sit for two years while I'm away, much less a vehicle that I'm paying a note on.

The next idea was trying to find an affordable two year lease. The duration would be just about right. I'd get a new vehicle so having to sink a bunch of money into it to keep it running wouldn't be a problem.

I've wanted a Jetta for a long time. I don't know what it is about them but I just like them. When the new body style came out, I wasn't too crazy about it but after riding in N's brother's new Passat, I was sold on a VW.

I looked around and found this lease special. After I got some initial approval from my Dad, I started looking into it more and doing some research. I researched the car. I read reviews. I read a ten part article on car salesmen and their tricks. I researched what makes a good lease. I emailed and emailed and emailed. I got insurance quotes.

I solicited quotes from two dealers in the area. I emailed more. I checked inventories. When it looked like this was a good deal and a car was available I had to sell my Dad on the idea. I did.

I emailed some more. Then the phone calls started. I called my folks, I called the dealer. Rinsed and repeated. Multiple times.

I put in a credit application. N took me to Montgomery. I test drove the car with a Sold tag and my name on it.

N and I got put in the glass cubed office to marinate while the numbers and credit were run. We marinated some more. Then he came back. I didn't qualify for the lease deal (as I suspected I wouldn't). Mom's credit as a cosigner didn't help me much either although I did qualify on my own.

We ran the numbers a few more times. Adjusting this, clarifying that.

The final talley was more than I was hoping for but still within reason. I plunked the 2300 in cash that Dad had wired me down. I signed the papers and I was ready to drive my first new car ever home.

I like my Jetta but it needs a name. I can't think of anything that rhymes with Jetta except for Gretta and that names taken.

It's becoming a trend.

2006-05-31T01:15:00.000-07:00

There is the distinct possibility that in twelve hours or so I'll be the owner of a new car. I'm pretty excited. Any guesses on what I might be getting?

It's becoming a trend. The Frog went down for the fourth time in a row last night. I'll check in later, hopefully with more great news.

It feels good.

2006-05-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have to work today which sucks because no one ever wants to work on a holiday, but it's not so bad because I'll be getting time and a half and I have an extra day off later in the week.

We went to the state capital go race this weekend. We had a great turnout from our local running club. I raced well. The course was fairly hilly and I didn't run it was very hot. I was slightly disappointed in my time but I did come in ninth of two hundred and seventy six so I was pleased with that result. I also beat the Frog by nine seconds. It's the third time in a row that I've beaten him. It feels good.

N is coming over this Memorial Day. We are planning to take some brews down to the pool and hit the sun for a while. After that, we'll come back up to the house and grill hamburgers. Something we haven't done in a while. It's been so long since I've grilled that I can't even remember the last time.

I'd rather not go to work tonight but it's just another day and another dollar.

For the first time in months.

2006-05-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

It felt like I spent the majority of my weekend on the interstate but it was well worth it. After work Friday brother graciously drove down to drop off a bunch of my stuff that had been sent home in the fall. It was already unloaded from the van when I got home. We made sandwiches and were off to the moutain house. It was a long hot ride without airconditioning and the Beagle was annoying and bouncing around most of the time.

We arrived at the mountain house just after eleven better time than I'd anticipated that we'd make. Saturday we pretty much a lazy day, Mom, brother, sister and I rode into town to pick up my race packet and hit the mall for a bit but after that, we just hung out enjoying the company of having the whole family at home for the first time in months.

We watched the Preakness and Barbaro's fall then got wrapped up in a Deadliest Catch marathon before heading to bed.

I was up at four thirty to be at the race by six thirty. I didn't really know what to expect because the website was very vague and didn't even include a course map. The only thing I knew was that the course was a loop style course and it included 'two challenging hills'. The first hill was fairly steep at the end after running from mile one to one and a half. Nothing too bad though. The second hill ran from just after mile three until well into mile four. I put it at about a mile and a half long. It wasn't as steep as the first, just a long gradual climb up towards the mansion.

I didn't run as fast as I wanted to. I was hoping to break an hour. I now realize that that was probably a bit of an ambitious goal. I came in at 1:02:03. I was fourteenth out of four hundred and ten and finished second in my age group. I was pleased. I felt pretty strong and ran the last few miles in just better than six minutes and ten seconds each. I know I can break an hour on a flat course. It'll happen.

We went back home on Sunday afternoon and Dad drove me home on Monday. It sure was nice of both he and brother to drive twelve hours to pick me up and drop me off. It was a long weekend with sixteen plus hours spent on the road for each of us but it was well worth it.

Now, it's back to the grind. As repayment for having the long weekend off, I'm staring down the barrel of a nine day in a row stretch. I'll get through it though. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the end is getting near.

Any problems viewing Backside 180?

2006-05-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I went in my roommates room to print some forms out this morning. Since I use Firefox, I don't really have any use for the Google Toolbar. He still runs Internet Explorer and has the Google Toolbar installed. I came to Backside 180 just to see what my PageRank is. A measly two.

Something I noticed though was that the page didn't render correctly. The sidebars were where they were supposed to be but the main body of text had ben dropped way down. I'm wondering if it's due to the changes I've instituted recently. You may or may not have noticed but I put my listening habits on the sidebar from Last.fm that shows in near real time the last ten songs I've listened to in iTunes. It's a pretty nifty little widget but I'm concerned it's affecting the speed at which the page loads and possibly the formatting.

So the big question is, Are you having any problems viewing Backside 180? It renders correctly in Firefox but not in IE as far as I can tell. I'd hate to get rid of my listening habits but I may have to.

Let me know. Your feedback is appreciated.

Off for the mountain house.

2006-05-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I think I have transportation to North Carolina. Back in the fall, my folks took a bunch of my stuff home because it looked like I would be moving home for a while after school. I need that stuff back here so it will be packed with the rest of my things when the movers come.

It's the perfect opportunity to bring those things down this weekend as well as for me to send some things home that I don't want moved. It sounds like brother will drive down on Friday, we'll unload and reload the van and take off for the mountain house. We'll stay the weekend, I'll race Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon, we'll head back to Charlotte. Sometime Monday someone will bring me back here so I can be at work at five on Tuesday.

I'm glad I'm getting to go.