Saturday, I ran a little over 12 in Umstead in 1:50:06. My average pace was 9'03." For five one-mile splits, my time was under 9 minutes!
This in Umstead!
It helped that it was cool and the humidity was low. It helped that I dressed correctly for the weather, which started off in the 40s but quickly got warmer.
But I think what helped the most were the changes I made in my diet since the summer and the fact that now I weigh 165 instead of 185.
Last week I ran 16.3 in Umstead and my average pace was 9'40." My course included the Turkey Creek Trail, which is like a roller coaster.
On 12/2, I ran over 15 with Christopher at the ATT in 2:15:34. My GPS malfunctioned, but that makes my calculated average pace 8'38"!
Should I register for the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
See my Sparkpage at http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=mtharveyrunner
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The finish line in sight
This is at the finish of the Inside Out this past October. By that time I had conquered those last three hills and it had started to rain. Some see pain in my face. As I remember, I was determined to finish strong.
Feeling light at the Inside Out
On October 22, I ran the Inside Out Half Maraton in 1:56:53. That's not my best time for a half, but it's three minutes better than my worst. It was a challenging course in Umstead Park, and I didn't train specifically for the race. I tackled the last three hills more steadily and with more confidence than in 2004, and I finished strong. As I told Christopher, I considered it a 13.1 mile training run at marathon pace.
It didn't hurt that I was almost 20 pounds lighter than in 2004.
Thanks to SparkPeople.com, I weight myself every morning and the numbers range from 163 to 168. I can really feel the difference, especially when I run. SparkPeople doesn't offer a diet - it offers a lifestyle change. Just as I've been committed to regular exercise since 1998, I'm now committed to sensible eating. I was on a weight plateau of about 185 pounds since around 2000. I'm on a new plateau where I intend to stay for the rest of my life.
I am eating poultry again. I had not eaten poultry since 1983. But I wasn't getting enough protein. Poultry was the only meat I've missed, so it wasn't hard to take it up again.
For all but three of the last eleven weeks, I've run 30 miles or better. I've not felt sore or exhausted. For the last three long runs in Umstead, I've averaged under 10 minute miles, and they've felt smooth and fluid.
I've plenty to be thankful for this coming Thursday.
It didn't hurt that I was almost 20 pounds lighter than in 2004.
Thanks to SparkPeople.com, I weight myself every morning and the numbers range from 163 to 168. I can really feel the difference, especially when I run. SparkPeople doesn't offer a diet - it offers a lifestyle change. Just as I've been committed to regular exercise since 1998, I'm now committed to sensible eating. I was on a weight plateau of about 185 pounds since around 2000. I'm on a new plateau where I intend to stay for the rest of my life.
I am eating poultry again. I had not eaten poultry since 1983. But I wasn't getting enough protein. Poultry was the only meat I've missed, so it wasn't hard to take it up again.
For all but three of the last eleven weeks, I've run 30 miles or better. I've not felt sore or exhausted. For the last three long runs in Umstead, I've averaged under 10 minute miles, and they've felt smooth and fluid.
I've plenty to be thankful for this coming Thursday.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
What a run!
I woke up at around 7 this morning, wondering how far I'd run. I had set up the coffee maker the night before, so all I had to do as I munched on a Clif Bar was hit the button. I retrieved the Sunday paper from the end of the driveway, weighing my choices. I could run 12 today and go longer Saturday, or I could go long today and "cut back" to 12 or even 11 on the 7th. That way I could be ready for a long run with Christopher and Eric on the 14th.
The air was cool - the coolest since before late spring. I started fast going down the steep incline of Panther Branch. It felt comfortable though. On the first uphill my stride felt natural and I could sense my legs were rested from sitting in the car for four hours yesterday, traveling to Salisbury to visit my parents.
After I got into Umstead, I still felt pretty relaxed and was going at a pretty good clip. I turned right at the T intersection of the Graylyn Trail and the Reedy Creek Trail, figuring that if I wanted to go short today, I'd prefer to get a hill workout on Cemetery Hill on the way out rather than push up the multiple hills going in the other direction.
So I came to the point in the trail where I could either turn left toward home, or go straight and go long.
I was feeling a little tired, because my pace was faster than it had been on the previous two or three runs in Umstead. But I pushed on.
And so I finished 15.3 today in 2 hours and 29 minutes. I finished strong - my legs still had some zip going up Panther Branch. And I had something in the tank at the end!
Amazing what cool weather can do for my running!
The air was cool - the coolest since before late spring. I started fast going down the steep incline of Panther Branch. It felt comfortable though. On the first uphill my stride felt natural and I could sense my legs were rested from sitting in the car for four hours yesterday, traveling to Salisbury to visit my parents.
After I got into Umstead, I still felt pretty relaxed and was going at a pretty good clip. I turned right at the T intersection of the Graylyn Trail and the Reedy Creek Trail, figuring that if I wanted to go short today, I'd prefer to get a hill workout on Cemetery Hill on the way out rather than push up the multiple hills going in the other direction.
So I came to the point in the trail where I could either turn left toward home, or go straight and go long.
I was feeling a little tired, because my pace was faster than it had been on the previous two or three runs in Umstead. But I pushed on.
And so I finished 15.3 today in 2 hours and 29 minutes. I finished strong - my legs still had some zip going up Panther Branch. And I had something in the tank at the end!
Amazing what cool weather can do for my running!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Can you hear me now?
Here's another article I wrote for the Carolina Communique:
Listening is a skill every technical communicator needs to hone. Too often when we speak, we tune out the other person before they’ve stopped talking and start thinking about what we want to say next, or think about something else altogether. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone, and it’s a bad habit I want to eradicate. But kicking that habit requires a commitment, like running a marathon, not a single act, like a mad dash through a rainstorm to your car in the parking lot. It’s something that requires thought, practice, and diligence.
Here’s one simple exercise that anyone can do to sharpen their listening skills. After you make a point or a proposal, or communicate something that requires some degree of buy-in or understanding from your listener, stop and ask “what do you think?”
Four simple words, but the hard part comes after you say them.
Stop talking. Absorb what the other person says. Don’t say a single word until the other person has come to a full stop. Only when you’re sure the other person has stopped, say “now let me see if I understand you.” Then paraphrase what they’ve said.
I don’t intend to pose this exercise as an insult to the conversationally savvy or as a condescending lecture to those who are less so. I do wish to emphasize the power of four simple words, the act of willful, conscious listening, and a sincere paraphrase of what you hear. You’ll gain the trust of the person with whom you’re speaking. If you make this a deliberate practice in every conversation in which you engage, just as you brush your teeth a certain number of times every day, you’ll find you’ll become a better listener. It will become second nature to stop talking and take in what the other person says.
A side benefit of listening is that you won’t talk as much as you used to. This will do wonders for your throat and for the disposition of those around you. You’ll have more time to read and think which is good for your mind.
According to Terry Wildemann (see http://www.itstime.com/apr2000.htm#good for more information), a good listener exhibits the following skills
Listening is critical to dealing with customers effectively. In an article about Teaching Customer Service Reps the
Art of Listening (http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/artlisten.htm), Adrian Miller provides these simple tactics for effective listening:
If you’re interested in becoming a more effective listener, check out these additional resources:
Listening is a skill every technical communicator needs to hone. Too often when we speak, we tune out the other person before they’ve stopped talking and start thinking about what we want to say next, or think about something else altogether. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone, and it’s a bad habit I want to eradicate. But kicking that habit requires a commitment, like running a marathon, not a single act, like a mad dash through a rainstorm to your car in the parking lot. It’s something that requires thought, practice, and diligence.
Here’s one simple exercise that anyone can do to sharpen their listening skills. After you make a point or a proposal, or communicate something that requires some degree of buy-in or understanding from your listener, stop and ask “what do you think?”
Four simple words, but the hard part comes after you say them.
Stop talking. Absorb what the other person says. Don’t say a single word until the other person has come to a full stop. Only when you’re sure the other person has stopped, say “now let me see if I understand you.” Then paraphrase what they’ve said.
I don’t intend to pose this exercise as an insult to the conversationally savvy or as a condescending lecture to those who are less so. I do wish to emphasize the power of four simple words, the act of willful, conscious listening, and a sincere paraphrase of what you hear. You’ll gain the trust of the person with whom you’re speaking. If you make this a deliberate practice in every conversation in which you engage, just as you brush your teeth a certain number of times every day, you’ll find you’ll become a better listener. It will become second nature to stop talking and take in what the other person says.
A side benefit of listening is that you won’t talk as much as you used to. This will do wonders for your throat and for the disposition of those around you. You’ll have more time to read and think which is good for your mind.
According to Terry Wildemann (see http://www.itstime.com/apr2000.htm#good for more information), a good listener exhibits the following skills
- Is always prepared to take notes when necessary. That means having writing tools readily available.
- Repeats the information he or she heard by saying, I hear you saying ... Is that correct? If the speaker does not agree, repeats the process to ensure understanding.
- Remains curious and ask questions to determine if he or she accurately understands the speaker
- Wants to listen to the information being delivered
- Is physically and mentally present in the moment
- Listens by using the ears to hear the message, the eyes to read body language (when listening in person), the mind to visualize the person speaking (when on the telephone), and intuition to determine what the speaker is actually saying
- Establishes rapport by following the leader
- Matches the momentum, tone of voice, body language, and words used by the speaker
- Uses common sense when matching. If the speaker is yelling, don't do the same because it will make a bad situation worse.
Listening is critical to dealing with customers effectively. In an article about Teaching Customer Service Reps the
Art of Listening (http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/artlisten.htm), Adrian Miller provides these simple tactics for effective listening:
- Tune out distractions and focus on each call as if it were the most important of the day
- Concentrate on what the customer is saying rather than thinking about what YOU want to say
- Don't interrupt; a customer's willingness to talk, within a reasonable time period, represents a golden opportunity to find out the problem / situation
- Don't jump to conclusions
- Become attuned to tone of voice and inflection; these can be as telling as the words themselves
- Occasionally repeat what the customer has said--it shows attention and comprehension
- Ask for clarification if a statement or objection is vague
- Create rapport by smiling (even in telephone sales a smile can be HEARD through the phone!)
- Take notes to be sure you remember the customer's key points
- Be familiar with common questions and problems and practice responding in a natural, conversational manner
- Control your emotions and be courteous, no matter how rude the customer might be
- Continually evaluate whether you are asking the right questions to uncover and solve the problem
If you’re interested in becoming a more effective listener, check out these additional resources:
- Listening factoids presented by the International Listening Association
- A comparison of poor and good listening habits at http://www.ccsf.edu/Services/LAC/lern10/listening.html
- Tips for effective listening at http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
- Listening skills provided to University of Minnesota students at http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html
- Another take on listening skills at http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html
What do you do for a living?
Here's an article I submitted to the Carolina Communique:
We need to revise our job descriptions. Rather than authoring printed manuals and on-line help panels, we should be involved in or leading projects that make them unnecessary. Why? Because consumers increasingly demand intuitive interfaces to the products they use. Users and administrators of more complex products expect interfaces that guide them through decisions rather than require them to read details. We must stay ahead of this trend, rather than allow ourselves to be flattened by it.
Examples of intuitive interfaces to technology abound on the Internet. Who isn’t familiar with Amazon.com? The site will create “your store” and update the information it displays based on your previous searches and purchases. After you buy something, Amazon easily lets you track your purchase as it makes its way to you. You don’t need documentation to use the site effectively.
But Amazon.com hires technical writers. I found this job description on their careers site:
Look at the emphasis here – “drive platform improvements,” “ensure the experience …is smooth and problem free,” “lead initiatives,” ” (help users) quickly and efficiently launch and manage their stores.” Not your traditional job description, is it?
And here’s a qualification for that same job that you don’t see every day.
You should have a demonstrated affinity for technology and software and a genuine desire to consolidate and streamline workflow.
I thought only managers desired to consolidate and streamline workflow. It shows you how things are changing.
Now consider www.pandora.com. Created by the Music Genome Project, Pandora asks you questions and customizes an Internet radio station based on your responses. When I started out, Pandora asked me the name of a group or a song. I responded “The Beatles.” So it played a tune from the first Beatles LP, “Please Please Me.” I gave that song a “thumbs up.” Pandora next played something by the Who. I gave that song a “thumbs up.” The next song played got a “thumbs down,” and so on. The site also gave me an opportunity to tune my preferences – naming another group or another song I liked.
The engineers at Pandora analyzed hundreds of thousands of songs and tagged them with attributes, which they then stored in a database. For example, that Who song I liked, “Glittering Girl,” has these attributes:
basic rock song structures
a subtle use of vocal harmony
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
major key tonality
a dynamic male vocalist
romantic lyrics
When I responded to a song, Pandora referred to its database and offered me a choice with similar attributes, refining the mix each time. The site, as the New York Times puts it, provides “a stream of music with similar ‘DNA,’ …micro-tailored to each user’s tastes.1” I needed no documentation to use Pandora – I simply interacted with the site and got results. Can you see how similar technology and analysis could yield a site providing a stream of relevant information micro-tailored to your needs as you use a software application or attempt to install a client or a server?
I certainly can. Last year my company rolled out something similar to, but not as sophisticated as Pandora - the first phase of “user personalized documents.” Now EMC users can visit a company website, choose among several system characteristics, and receive a customized document based on those choices. Customized documents comprise XML chunks stored in a database and rendered into PDF format.
Writers at my company were involved with chunking material and writing the rules combining chunks. Still, as I’ve suggested, the trend is toward having a user rely on documents like these only when stuck or when attempting to do something complex or extraordinary. Otherwise, why bother? The interface should step me through the process.
I’m not suggesting that the need for printed documents and help panels will vanish. I do foresee these products becoming a commodity, and their production being shipped to lower cost workers. We’ll continue to write, but our value will be in designing interactive scripts or shaping the repositories of information tapped when using sites like Amazon, Pandora, or my company’s UPD. We’ll be doing more “developing content re-use and single-sourcing strategies” and less “employing various authoring and desktop publishing tools to produce printed or electronic publications and integrated online help systems.” And that’s fine with me – learning and doing new things should be second nature to anyone whose career is in technology.
We need to revise our job descriptions. Rather than authoring printed manuals and on-line help panels, we should be involved in or leading projects that make them unnecessary. Why? Because consumers increasingly demand intuitive interfaces to the products they use. Users and administrators of more complex products expect interfaces that guide them through decisions rather than require them to read details. We must stay ahead of this trend, rather than allow ourselves to be flattened by it.
Examples of intuitive interfaces to technology abound on the Internet. Who isn’t familiar with Amazon.com? The site will create “your store” and update the information it displays based on your previous searches and purchases. After you buy something, Amazon easily lets you track your purchase as it makes its way to you. You don’t need documentation to use the site effectively.
But Amazon.com hires technical writers. I found this job description on their careers site:
Amazon.com is looking for an exceptional technical writer to join our Voices team, a group dedicated to drive platform improvements based on community feedback and involvement. We help to ensure that the experience of Amazon's partners is smooth and problem-free. … As a technical writer on this team, you will lead initiatives to develop documentation and training that (users) will depend on to help them quickly and efficiently launch and manage their stores on Amazon’s website. You will also design and write documentation (for those who) interact with our clients on a daily basis, to help them through all phases of the client lifecycle: from sales, through the development and data integration process, and on into operational maintenance of the Web site solutions we provide them.
Look at the emphasis here – “drive platform improvements,” “ensure the experience …is smooth and problem free,” “lead initiatives,” ” (help users) quickly and efficiently launch and manage their stores.” Not your traditional job description, is it?
And here’s a qualification for that same job that you don’t see every day.
You should have a demonstrated affinity for technology and software and a genuine desire to consolidate and streamline workflow.
I thought only managers desired to consolidate and streamline workflow. It shows you how things are changing.
Now consider www.pandora.com. Created by the Music Genome Project, Pandora asks you questions and customizes an Internet radio station based on your responses. When I started out, Pandora asked me the name of a group or a song. I responded “The Beatles.” So it played a tune from the first Beatles LP, “Please Please Me.” I gave that song a “thumbs up.” Pandora next played something by the Who. I gave that song a “thumbs up.” The next song played got a “thumbs down,” and so on. The site also gave me an opportunity to tune my preferences – naming another group or another song I liked.
The engineers at Pandora analyzed hundreds of thousands of songs and tagged them with attributes, which they then stored in a database. For example, that Who song I liked, “Glittering Girl,” has these attributes:
basic rock song structures
a subtle use of vocal harmony
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
major key tonality
a dynamic male vocalist
romantic lyrics
When I responded to a song, Pandora referred to its database and offered me a choice with similar attributes, refining the mix each time. The site, as the New York Times puts it, provides “a stream of music with similar ‘DNA,’ …micro-tailored to each user’s tastes.1” I needed no documentation to use Pandora – I simply interacted with the site and got results. Can you see how similar technology and analysis could yield a site providing a stream of relevant information micro-tailored to your needs as you use a software application or attempt to install a client or a server?
I certainly can. Last year my company rolled out something similar to, but not as sophisticated as Pandora - the first phase of “user personalized documents.” Now EMC users can visit a company website, choose among several system characteristics, and receive a customized document based on those choices. Customized documents comprise XML chunks stored in a database and rendered into PDF format.
Writers at my company were involved with chunking material and writing the rules combining chunks. Still, as I’ve suggested, the trend is toward having a user rely on documents like these only when stuck or when attempting to do something complex or extraordinary. Otherwise, why bother? The interface should step me through the process.
I’m not suggesting that the need for printed documents and help panels will vanish. I do foresee these products becoming a commodity, and their production being shipped to lower cost workers. We’ll continue to write, but our value will be in designing interactive scripts or shaping the repositories of information tapped when using sites like Amazon, Pandora, or my company’s UPD. We’ll be doing more “developing content re-use and single-sourcing strategies” and less “employing various authoring and desktop publishing tools to produce printed or electronic publications and integrated online help systems.” And that’s fine with me – learning and doing new things should be second nature to anyone whose career is in technology.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Is it just Delta, or do all the airlines do this stuff?
I am on the Mass Pike, driving to Logan, when my wife calls. "Your flight's been canceled," she says.
Tropical Storm Ernesto was making a beeline at the North Carolina coast. So Delta Airlines cancels my 6:20 p.m. direct flight to Raleigh and promises me a spot on a flight the next day at 6:00 a.m. It would make a connection in Atlanta and arrive at RDU close to noon.
Ugh.
"Let me call you back when I get to the airport," I say. I had left work in Southborough early because I didn't know how long it would take me to navigate the detour around the I-90 connector. Also, having tracked Ernesto on the Weather Channel web site over the previous two days, I thought something like this might happen. Perhaps I could snag an earlier flight out of Logan.
I call my administrative assistant, alerting her that I might need to book a room close to the airport. What kind of deals could Corporate Travel scare up for me?
After arriving, I was directed to the phone bank. I explain my situation to a polite young lady, who offers me a direct flight at 7:45 a.m. the next day. OK, but wasn't there an eariler flight out of Logan that I could catch today? "Well, there's a 5:00 p.m. that connects at JFK and arrives at RDU after 11:00. Do you want that?"
I let this sink in. "Wait a minute. My direct flight, which would have arrived at RDU around 8, has been canceled because of bad weather. This earlier flight, which connects, arrives at RDU later, when the weather is going to be worse. Aren't I likely to get stranded at JFK if I take this flight?"
Silence on the other end. "I don't know," she finally says.
So I book the 7:45. I'm going to have to get a room. "Can I print my boarding pass now, and check my bag in the morning?" I was going to be barely conscious at 4:00 in the morning, so the fewer details I have to fuss with, the better.
"Oh yes, I'll print your boarding pass at desk 6."
"Now wait a minute..."
But before I knew it, a lady behind desk 6 was calling out "Harvey!"
I quiz the lady at desk 6 about the logic of these flight arrangements. "It seems to me that the weather's going to get worse tonight and not get better until Friday afternoon." She looks at the boarding pass. "You going to Raleigh?" I nod. She types. She picks up the phone, and asks the person on the other end "you still boarding?" She types some more. "OK, I have one more for you."
She looks up and tells me "we got you the last seat on the 4:00, but it's boarding now."
I almost kissed her.
"What about checking my bag?" Too late for that. I throw away 3/4 of the contents of my toiletry bag and follow another lady through security. My cell phone is ringing as it passes through the screening machine. It's my assistant. "Call me now if you need a room!" I call her back and tell her about my stroke of good fortune.
I run to the gate. "I'm here for the 4:00 to Raleigh!" I puff.
"Oh, we're not boarding that flight just yet."
I turn around. A phalanx of disgruntled travelers hovers in a semicircle around the gate. Two of these travelers tell me that they had been booked on the 2:00 direct flight to RDU, but it had been canceled. "Is is just Delta, or do all the airlines do this stuff?" one of them asks me.
So we all wait to board the 4:00 direct to RDU. Until 4:30 or so. Finally we board. I was sitting in a seat! I was going to make it home! I call my wife. "Guess where I am?"
After I turn off my phone, the woman beside me says "I bet the 2:00 and the 6:40 weren't full, so they did this! They have to fill these flights or they don't make money."
Fifteen minutes later, the plane was still on the ground and the hatch was open. "Water?" asks the attendant as he makes his way down the aisle, handing out small bottles. It wasn't looking promising.
Then someone, I think it was the grim reaper, boards the plane and announces that there was "a weight situation." He needs nine volunteers to leave the flight, accept a $400 voucher good for any flight within the continental United States, a free motel room, a free meal, and a promised spot on the 7:45 flight the next day. If there weren't nine volunteers, he'd have to call out names.
Two folks depart immediately. "Folks, I need seven more volunteers." A man behind me mutters "I ain't gettin' off this plane!"
Moments pass.
Finally, we're down to two volunteers needed. Tick tick tick. "OK folks, I really hate to do this." The reaper calls out two passenger names - neither of them mine.
OK, now I'm going home!
Tick tick tick. The hatch is still open. I look out the window. A conference between the reaper and two other flight personnel is underway. They don't look cheerful.
The reaper comes back on the plane. "Folks, I'm sorry but I'm going to need ten more volunteers." What!
I'm beginning to wonder whether the passenger manifest will dwindle down to just me and the guy who declared he "ain't getting off this plane" by the time this weight situation is resolved.
And I'm wondering whether the longer we wait, the more likely this flight will be canceled because of bad weather. Like my original 6:40 flight. I call my wife. "I can understand why you're grumpy" she says.
The reaper comes back to announce that they're going to remove some fuel. They had loaded extra in the event the plane needed to circle RDU to wait for weather to improve. With that and the baggage they'd removed to accomodate the earlier volunteers, we'll be airborne in about 15 minutes.
Thirty minutes later, a truck arrives to remove the fuel.
It's almost 6:00 when the plane finally takes off. There were some bumps during the flight, but nothing as turbulent as I had anticipated, given the approach of a tropical storm.
When I arrive at RDU, it's raining hard, but it's not very windy. Inside the terminal I find a replica of the scene in Boston - anxious passengers, long lines, and a stream of red CANCELED notices next to many flights on the departure screen.
When I get home, morbid curiosity compels me to check the Delta web site.
The 7:45 direct flight from Logan to RDU has been canceled.
Tropical Storm Ernesto was making a beeline at the North Carolina coast. So Delta Airlines cancels my 6:20 p.m. direct flight to Raleigh and promises me a spot on a flight the next day at 6:00 a.m. It would make a connection in Atlanta and arrive at RDU close to noon.
Ugh.
"Let me call you back when I get to the airport," I say. I had left work in Southborough early because I didn't know how long it would take me to navigate the detour around the I-90 connector. Also, having tracked Ernesto on the Weather Channel web site over the previous two days, I thought something like this might happen. Perhaps I could snag an earlier flight out of Logan.
I call my administrative assistant, alerting her that I might need to book a room close to the airport. What kind of deals could Corporate Travel scare up for me?
After arriving, I was directed to the phone bank. I explain my situation to a polite young lady, who offers me a direct flight at 7:45 a.m. the next day. OK, but wasn't there an eariler flight out of Logan that I could catch today? "Well, there's a 5:00 p.m. that connects at JFK and arrives at RDU after 11:00. Do you want that?"
I let this sink in. "Wait a minute. My direct flight, which would have arrived at RDU around 8, has been canceled because of bad weather. This earlier flight, which connects, arrives at RDU later, when the weather is going to be worse. Aren't I likely to get stranded at JFK if I take this flight?"
Silence on the other end. "I don't know," she finally says.
So I book the 7:45. I'm going to have to get a room. "Can I print my boarding pass now, and check my bag in the morning?" I was going to be barely conscious at 4:00 in the morning, so the fewer details I have to fuss with, the better.
"Oh yes, I'll print your boarding pass at desk 6."
"Now wait a minute..."
But before I knew it, a lady behind desk 6 was calling out "Harvey!"
I quiz the lady at desk 6 about the logic of these flight arrangements. "It seems to me that the weather's going to get worse tonight and not get better until Friday afternoon." She looks at the boarding pass. "You going to Raleigh?" I nod. She types. She picks up the phone, and asks the person on the other end "you still boarding?" She types some more. "OK, I have one more for you."
She looks up and tells me "we got you the last seat on the 4:00, but it's boarding now."
I almost kissed her.
"What about checking my bag?" Too late for that. I throw away 3/4 of the contents of my toiletry bag and follow another lady through security. My cell phone is ringing as it passes through the screening machine. It's my assistant. "Call me now if you need a room!" I call her back and tell her about my stroke of good fortune.
I run to the gate. "I'm here for the 4:00 to Raleigh!" I puff.
"Oh, we're not boarding that flight just yet."
I turn around. A phalanx of disgruntled travelers hovers in a semicircle around the gate. Two of these travelers tell me that they had been booked on the 2:00 direct flight to RDU, but it had been canceled. "Is is just Delta, or do all the airlines do this stuff?" one of them asks me.
So we all wait to board the 4:00 direct to RDU. Until 4:30 or so. Finally we board. I was sitting in a seat! I was going to make it home! I call my wife. "Guess where I am?"
After I turn off my phone, the woman beside me says "I bet the 2:00 and the 6:40 weren't full, so they did this! They have to fill these flights or they don't make money."
Fifteen minutes later, the plane was still on the ground and the hatch was open. "Water?" asks the attendant as he makes his way down the aisle, handing out small bottles. It wasn't looking promising.
Then someone, I think it was the grim reaper, boards the plane and announces that there was "a weight situation." He needs nine volunteers to leave the flight, accept a $400 voucher good for any flight within the continental United States, a free motel room, a free meal, and a promised spot on the 7:45 flight the next day. If there weren't nine volunteers, he'd have to call out names.
Two folks depart immediately. "Folks, I need seven more volunteers." A man behind me mutters "I ain't gettin' off this plane!"
Moments pass.
Finally, we're down to two volunteers needed. Tick tick tick. "OK folks, I really hate to do this." The reaper calls out two passenger names - neither of them mine.
OK, now I'm going home!
Tick tick tick. The hatch is still open. I look out the window. A conference between the reaper and two other flight personnel is underway. They don't look cheerful.
The reaper comes back on the plane. "Folks, I'm sorry but I'm going to need ten more volunteers." What!
I'm beginning to wonder whether the passenger manifest will dwindle down to just me and the guy who declared he "ain't getting off this plane" by the time this weight situation is resolved.
And I'm wondering whether the longer we wait, the more likely this flight will be canceled because of bad weather. Like my original 6:40 flight. I call my wife. "I can understand why you're grumpy" she says.
The reaper comes back to announce that they're going to remove some fuel. They had loaded extra in the event the plane needed to circle RDU to wait for weather to improve. With that and the baggage they'd removed to accomodate the earlier volunteers, we'll be airborne in about 15 minutes.
Thirty minutes later, a truck arrives to remove the fuel.
It's almost 6:00 when the plane finally takes off. There were some bumps during the flight, but nothing as turbulent as I had anticipated, given the approach of a tropical storm.
When I arrive at RDU, it's raining hard, but it's not very windy. Inside the terminal I find a replica of the scene in Boston - anxious passengers, long lines, and a stream of red CANCELED notices next to many flights on the departure screen.
When I get home, morbid curiosity compels me to check the Delta web site.
The 7:45 direct flight from Logan to RDU has been canceled.
Summer vacation is over
And so is my five month hiatus from this blog. It's been a busy summer - swim meets, sports practices, and two trips away from home.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
What I regret
As I approach my 50th birthday, I look back and find that I have one big regret.
I regret quitting the Beatles before they really took off.
I'll never forget that fall night in 1959 when I toddled into the Casbah Coffee Club in West Derby. John, Paul, George, and Ken Brown, as the Quarrymen, were playing a skiffle number. I think it was George who remarked, "what's a bleedin' 3-year old American kid doing here?" But they needed a drummer and I had a precocious sense of rhythm. All I needed was a pot and a spoon, which Mrs. Best gladly obliged. After rocking with the lads on "Long Tall Sally" and "Too Much Monkey Business," John said "yer in."
Of course, as soon as my mom found out that I had wandered off, she came after me. I don't know how she made it across the Atlantic Ocean so quickly. For that matter, I don't remember how I got to Liverpool either. No matter. I apologized to the lads and quit the group. I was getting sleepy anyway.
It was just as well. I never would have been admitted to any of the Hamburg venues where the Beatles honed their skills. I mean, after they found out that George was underage, they deported him. You can imagine that they would have stopped a 4-year old at the door.
I never hear from Paul, but then I suspect neither does Ken Brown.
I regret quitting the Beatles before they really took off.
I'll never forget that fall night in 1959 when I toddled into the Casbah Coffee Club in West Derby. John, Paul, George, and Ken Brown, as the Quarrymen, were playing a skiffle number. I think it was George who remarked, "what's a bleedin' 3-year old American kid doing here?" But they needed a drummer and I had a precocious sense of rhythm. All I needed was a pot and a spoon, which Mrs. Best gladly obliged. After rocking with the lads on "Long Tall Sally" and "Too Much Monkey Business," John said "yer in."
Of course, as soon as my mom found out that I had wandered off, she came after me. I don't know how she made it across the Atlantic Ocean so quickly. For that matter, I don't remember how I got to Liverpool either. No matter. I apologized to the lads and quit the group. I was getting sleepy anyway.
It was just as well. I never would have been admitted to any of the Hamburg venues where the Beatles honed their skills. I mean, after they found out that George was underage, they deported him. You can imagine that they would have stopped a 4-year old at the door.
I never hear from Paul, but then I suspect neither does Ken Brown.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
What's your tell?
The other Friday night my family gathered around the dinner table to play Texas Hold-em. My 10 year old son arrived at the table wearning sun glasses.
He need not have bothered. He has a tell.
Whenever he gets a good hand, he pumps his fist and whispers "yes!"
Whenever he gets a bad hand, he rolls his head back and hisses "oh man!"
I think my wife drums her fingers when she's bluffing, but we didn't play enough hands for me to test my theory.
The scary thing is that I couldn't tell my daughter's tell. This may prove problematic as she gets older.
I have no idea what my tell is. But I'm bound to have one.
He need not have bothered. He has a tell.
Whenever he gets a good hand, he pumps his fist and whispers "yes!"
Whenever he gets a bad hand, he rolls his head back and hisses "oh man!"
I think my wife drums her fingers when she's bluffing, but we didn't play enough hands for me to test my theory.
The scary thing is that I couldn't tell my daughter's tell. This may prove problematic as she gets older.
I have no idea what my tell is. But I'm bound to have one.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Dad's service to his country
On July 18, 1995, while my wife, infant daughter, and I were enjoying a week at his timeshare at Surfside Beach, I interviewed my Dad about his experience in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He still remembers his serial number. Pretty amazing when you consider he hasn't used it since November, 1945, when he was discharged.
He was drafted in March, 1942. After a physical at Camp Croft, he went to Fort Jackson for basic training. He served stints at Santa Anna, CA, Camp Gordon in GA, and Camp Miles Standish in MA.
And then the time came to go to into action. Dad embarked for Glasgow, Scotland on the Queen Mary from NYC. It took 3 days and 18 hours to get to Scotland. The men were fed twice a day in groups of 50. After disembarking, Dad headed for Wales for more training.
Dad went into action on D-Day +3 in 1944. He served in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He never got into Germany, but his outfit got close to the border.
Dad served with the 8th Infantry, 3rd Army. That army was commanded by General Patton - but Dad never saw him. His company commander was Captain Charles Shamer. His platoon commander was 1st Lt. Steve Dolinski. His squad leader was Sgt. Jon Maheren (sp?). There were 12 men in a squad - Dad was one of two Southerners in the bunch - the other one was Ralph Loudermilk from TN.
Dad worked in ordinance for a while. He was a rifleman and a munitions worker.
One time John Shell, the Master Sgt., saw a cow, shot it, and butchered it on the spot. They roasted the meat over a fire. It was their best meal in the field.
One time the guys got a 3 day pass. "Let's go to Paris!" someone said. "Does anyone know how to drive a truck?" Dad said he did, even though he really didn't, because he wanted to go to Paris.
My Dad's first cousin Harrison, who was a 1st or 2nd Lt. (Dad couldn't remember) was killed during the Battle of Anzio. My Dad's brother Jack was 4F because of flat feet.
So I asked Dad, "did you kill enemy soldiers?" He paused and then said, "well we shot at them, and they shot back. I don't know whether I ever hit anything."
When the war ended, Dad was sent to Hampton Roads, VA, From there he took a troop train to Ft. Bragg. There were too many soldiers to process, they couldn't discharge them all. Dad got a 21-day pass, took a train home, and arrived at his front door at about 2:00 in the morning. He didn't want to wake anyone, so he slept on the glider rocker on the front porch. His mother found him there the next morning. At the end of his pass, he went somewhere to be formally discharged.
The U.S. Army paid my Dad $75 a month for his service. He sent some of it home.
Dad said they didn't lose anyone in the squad. He was grateful for that.
He still remembers his serial number. Pretty amazing when you consider he hasn't used it since November, 1945, when he was discharged.
He was drafted in March, 1942. After a physical at Camp Croft, he went to Fort Jackson for basic training. He served stints at Santa Anna, CA, Camp Gordon in GA, and Camp Miles Standish in MA.
And then the time came to go to into action. Dad embarked for Glasgow, Scotland on the Queen Mary from NYC. It took 3 days and 18 hours to get to Scotland. The men were fed twice a day in groups of 50. After disembarking, Dad headed for Wales for more training.
Dad went into action on D-Day +3 in 1944. He served in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He never got into Germany, but his outfit got close to the border.
Dad served with the 8th Infantry, 3rd Army. That army was commanded by General Patton - but Dad never saw him. His company commander was Captain Charles Shamer. His platoon commander was 1st Lt. Steve Dolinski. His squad leader was Sgt. Jon Maheren (sp?). There were 12 men in a squad - Dad was one of two Southerners in the bunch - the other one was Ralph Loudermilk from TN.
Dad worked in ordinance for a while. He was a rifleman and a munitions worker.
One time John Shell, the Master Sgt., saw a cow, shot it, and butchered it on the spot. They roasted the meat over a fire. It was their best meal in the field.
One time the guys got a 3 day pass. "Let's go to Paris!" someone said. "Does anyone know how to drive a truck?" Dad said he did, even though he really didn't, because he wanted to go to Paris.
My Dad's first cousin Harrison, who was a 1st or 2nd Lt. (Dad couldn't remember) was killed during the Battle of Anzio. My Dad's brother Jack was 4F because of flat feet.
So I asked Dad, "did you kill enemy soldiers?" He paused and then said, "well we shot at them, and they shot back. I don't know whether I ever hit anything."
When the war ended, Dad was sent to Hampton Roads, VA, From there he took a troop train to Ft. Bragg. There were too many soldiers to process, they couldn't discharge them all. Dad got a 21-day pass, took a train home, and arrived at his front door at about 2:00 in the morning. He didn't want to wake anyone, so he slept on the glider rocker on the front porch. His mother found him there the next morning. At the end of his pass, he went somewhere to be formally discharged.
The U.S. Army paid my Dad $75 a month for his service. He sent some of it home.
Dad said they didn't lose anyone in the squad. He was grateful for that.
February already!
January passed quickly. Basketball games. Science Olympiad. A business trip to Massachusetts. Ten hour days at work - managing two groups is time consuming. My wife is working again, having secured some freelance assignments.
My last entry was New Year's Day. I've lost count of the number of ideas I wanted to write about in this blog, some occuring to me during my commute, some during a long run, that have dissipated like smoke after getting home and getting into the mix of our daily routine.
Oh well.
My last entry was New Year's Day. I've lost count of the number of ideas I wanted to write about in this blog, some occuring to me during my commute, some during a long run, that have dissipated like smoke after getting home and getting into the mix of our daily routine.
Oh well.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Running with Chi
ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer is causing me to rethink how I run. I tried 'running from my core,' or at least act on my rudimentary understanding of what that means, yesterday during a 13 miler in Umstead, two days before that during an 8 miler in Umstead, and earlier in the week during a quicker 6 miler at Lake Lynn.
I was pleased to find that my perceived effort was lower and my pace faster during each run. Hills felt a lot easier to climb. I felt fresher during the last 1/2 mile, when I pick up the pace but often begin to sag. Today I'm sore in places I've not been sore for a long time. According to Dreyer, this is to be expected.
I was pleased to find that my perceived effort was lower and my pace faster during each run. Hills felt a lot easier to climb. I felt fresher during the last 1/2 mile, when I pick up the pace but often begin to sag. Today I'm sore in places I've not been sore for a long time. According to Dreyer, this is to be expected.
Ring out the old, accept the new
Happy new year!
Something I just read in an online article, the "10 Keys to Happiness" by Deepak Chopra, struck me as similar to something I read the other day in Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.
One of Chopra's keys is to "accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be." In other words, don't fight what is happening now - go with it. Though it may be hard to stay focused on the present, it's the only moment you have.
Gladwell's Blink is about "thin slicing" or the "adpative unconscious" - our ability to make instant yet sophisticated choices by filtering out everything but the stuff that really matters. Examining the art of improvisation comedy, he explicates the "idea of agreement," "the notion that a very simple way to create a story - or humor - is to have characters accept everything that happens to them." If during an improvised skit one actor says "let's hop in the car and go!", another one should say something like "I'll drive," not something like, "but I wanted to walk!" Gladwell adds "if you can create the right framework, all of a sudden, engaging in the kind of fluid, effortless, spur-of-the moment dialog that makes for good improv theater becomes a lot easier."
Both authors are showing the value of, in Gladwell's words, "successful spontaneity." Life is easier, more fun, more interesting, and ultimately more rewarding if you follow the "idea of agreement." Or put another way, view your life as improv theater. Accept what happens, appreciate it, which doesn't mean you have to like it, learn from it, and flow to the next scene.
Something I just read in an online article, the "10 Keys to Happiness" by Deepak Chopra, struck me as similar to something I read the other day in Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.
One of Chopra's keys is to "accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be." In other words, don't fight what is happening now - go with it. Though it may be hard to stay focused on the present, it's the only moment you have.
Gladwell's Blink is about "thin slicing" or the "adpative unconscious" - our ability to make instant yet sophisticated choices by filtering out everything but the stuff that really matters. Examining the art of improvisation comedy, he explicates the "idea of agreement," "the notion that a very simple way to create a story - or humor - is to have characters accept everything that happens to them." If during an improvised skit one actor says "let's hop in the car and go!", another one should say something like "I'll drive," not something like, "but I wanted to walk!" Gladwell adds "if you can create the right framework, all of a sudden, engaging in the kind of fluid, effortless, spur-of-the moment dialog that makes for good improv theater becomes a lot easier."
Both authors are showing the value of, in Gladwell's words, "successful spontaneity." Life is easier, more fun, more interesting, and ultimately more rewarding if you follow the "idea of agreement." Or put another way, view your life as improv theater. Accept what happens, appreciate it, which doesn't mean you have to like it, learn from it, and flow to the next scene.
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