Thoughts From A Wondering Mind

Pedal for Peace

2010-09-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 2nd I am participating in a charity event called Pedal for Peace. It is an interfaith coalition with the mission to support organizations throughout the world that are committed to peace through education, especially for girls and women. You can find out more about the charity at http://www.pedalforpeace.org.

The event is a six hour team bike relay at the Major Taylor Velodrome and I am part of the “Archindy” team. Each team needs to be able to raise $1,000 in order to participate in the event and currently we are at $695. If anyone is interested and willing to make a donation for our team you can do it online HERE. Please be sure to use our team name Archindy so it can get appropriated correctly.

Thank you in advance for any help with donations I believe it is going to a worthy cause. I will also try and get some pictures and post an update after the event.

Website: http://www.pedalforpeace.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PedalforPeace
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pedalforpeace

Linguine for Breakfast…Don’t Laugh

2010-04-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Now if you ask me what I wanted for breakfast and I said linguine, you would probably laugh. Just a few weeks ago I would have laughed too, but don’t chuckle just yet because there is a linguine breakfast to die for.

I have been drawn to watching the Food Network as of late and whether it is because my father used to watch it all the time or that there is just nothing else on I am not entirely sure. One night Mary Ellen and I were watching the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate and the topic of this episode was breakfast. The basic jest of the show is that they interview all the different chefs and hosts of the network on what was the best food they ever ate in a particular category. I forget which chef and what restaurant they had it at but the dish was this linguine and egg concoction that looked out of this world.

Since this was a restaurant and not one of their shows Food Network didn’t have the recipe listed on their website. Mary and I were able to write down the key ingredients though and I experimented from there to come up with something that was as good as it looked. Below is the recipe I came up with and I do have to brag just a little because it was my first try as well.

This is a very flavorful dish with the egg and garlic going perfectly with the linguine. It is very filling on its own and I would suggest serving with seasonal fruit for a side.

INGREDIENTS:

½ Ibs Linguine
6 Eggs
1 T Milk or Cream
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Large Garlic Cloves Minced or Pressed
½ Cup Chopped Spinach
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Basil
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook Linguine per instructions rinse & drain.
In a bowl beat eggs with milk or cream.
In large skillet heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the garlic. Cook garlic until tender.
Once garlic is tender add the eggs, chopped spinach, Parmesan, spices and linguine. Cook until eggs are done and then serve immediately.

This makes about four adult size servings and you could even experiment with other ingredients such as; Italian sausage, red pepper, onion, etc.

Proud of my Dawgs

2010-04-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

This past Monday April 5, 2010 the Butler Bulldogs played in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final for the first time in school history, and even though they came up a couple of points short all I can say is WOW! If a few of those early buckets would had just fallen in we might have had a different outcome, but none the less those boys played their hearts out. I think Butler showed that they deserved to be there staying close to Duke the whole game with a chance to win it at the end. The team defense that Butler played all tournament long is a true testament to how the game is suppose to be played and it was fun to watch.

Being a small school it is extremely hard to make it to the Sweet Sixteen let alone the Final Four. The Bulldogs left everything on the court so I could not be more proud of my Alma mater. I really would like to thank them for this incredible ride it was nice to be able to focus on something uplifting for a change pace.

It was great to see Butler getting national attention and maybe next year more people from around town will show up to the games. Hopefully Gordon Hayward and Brad Stevens will both stay put for at least another year and make a go of it next season. So here is to you Butler way to go!

Evan Bayh & the Washing of His Hands

2010-03-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

On February 20th Evan Bayh sent in an Op-Ed letter to the New York Times on why he was leaving the Senate (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/opinion/21bayh.html) and it appears mainly due to partisan politics. In the letter he gives many reasons and examples as to why Congress is failing the American People; “strident partisanship, unyielding ideology, a corrosive system of campaign financing, etc.” and he goes on to state that “any improvement must begin by changing the personal chemistry among senators.” I’ll give him kudos for coming out and stating the obvious however if you yourself are frustrated with the process how do you think the American people feel?

In effect Bayh is washing his hands of the problem and instead of fighting and working to change the culture of the Senate and politics in general he is leaving. I know for myself I have been waiting for the day where someone would get in there, stir things up, and really push for change. Someone who would say to hell with party politics and do what is good for the country. In his letter he states exactly what is wrong with Congress today and puts forth some good begging steps to fix it so I feel it would serve him better to stay and fight for what he believes.

Right now we have the extreme edges of the parties trying to dictate to each other how things need to be instead of coming to a middle ground and doing something meaningful. I was hoping Obama would be the person to change this trend but I feel he has been sucked into party politics instead of working for true compromise. Obama is not totally at fault for this as Republicans stall everything that he tries to put in motion and congressional Democrats are not much better within their own party. Right now Bayh has a great opportunity to really try and do something to change this from the inside, and I think that is what is most frustrating to me, just another wasted opportunity.

It really is becoming a never ending cycle of candidates who only care for their own political futures and not what is truly good for the people. The only way I see this ever changing is having everyday citizens start running for office, but in order to do this we need changes in campaign financing and term limits. Trying to get these changes in campaign finance and terms limits seems to be a daunting task for people whose only mission in life is to get reelected.

The Map

2010-02-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

This is the first entry in what I hope will be ongoing updates in the history of my grandfather Charles F. Hauck. My primary focus will be on his time spent in the Army Air Corps, but as I go on the scope might grow. I will be indexing these on a page over at my website (http://www.alexhauck.com/cfhauck/) for those who want to follow along.

Below is a picture of a cloth map that my grandfather acquired during a trip to Dulag City. My father had it framed and in his office so I while moving it I found a note from grandfather attached to the back of the frame. Underneath the picture I have transcribed the note.

April 8, 2000

After many sunrises and sunsets, if my memory serves me half assed, I think I obtained this map in Dulag City on the island of Leyte. I had a chance to go south of Tacloban one afternoon and I ran into a few Philippinos [Filipinos] who had resisted the Japanese and one of them gave me this map. This was in the spring of 1945.

Charles F. Hauck

Right now I am trying to collect his war records, if possible, from the National Archives along with searching the house to see what other information I can find. Hopefully I can figure out what company he served with so I am better able to track his possible locations during the war. I am also going to try and do some research on the Philippine’s resisted during the war and try to find any information regarding what this map was of.

* Click here for a larger image of the map.

* Click here for my index page.

Hanging In There

2010-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last blog and a lot as happened since then. As many of you know my father past away over the Christmas Holidays and to be quite honest I have not felt like writing. Usually I try to write funny stories or just give some updates on what the family is doing. Needless to say I don’t really have any funny stories right now nor have I felt about giving family updates since it seems to me I am missing a big part of my family.

While times have been trying I really would like to thank all my family and friends that have supported us. Without all of you I don’t know how we would make it through, it really is a special feeling to know how many of you truly care.

I just want to let everyone know that while it has been very difficult we are getting through. Things are starting to settle down as the whirlwind seems to be winding down, however this starts to leave more time for reflection. Before this all happened I had the below pictures as the feature on my website, and now I can hardly believe there are only two of us left.

Take Three!

2009-12-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, when did reindeer pornography become so popular? I sure didn’t get the memo, and if it is popular why am I not getting a cut of the action since my reindeer seem to be the best at it in our neighborhood? In fact I think my two reindeer are the only light up, mechanical, Christmas deer in the whole neighborhood that fornicate!

For those that haven’t followed my blogs over the years this is the third time in two Christmas seasons that my reindeer have mounted each other. The first time I have to admit I thought it was pretty funny…good one. The second time, hey, I got a picture out of it since I forgot to take one the first time around so okay I’ll give it to them. But a third time…really…a third time? I mean come on don’t you have anything better to do with you time then mess with some light up, lawn, Christmas deer that were put out for a five year old’s enjoyment of the season?

Mary Ellen and I have given up and the deer have come down. We bought a little Christmas snowman and penguin to put out with the light up Christmas presents and the few lights we have on the shrubs. I now must get on my knees and ask forgiveness from my wife for the first blog I wrote on this topic as now I sound old too. The game is not over however as next year I want to figure out how to attach my reindeer to the roof of the house. If I can do that I’ll also put up a sign that reads, “Merry Christmas and try to mount my deer again “expletive!”

- Woman, You Sound Old!

- Someone Call 911 our Deer have been Violated Again

War of 1812: The Battle of Mississinewa

2009-12-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

December 18th will be the 197th anniversary of The Battle of Mississinewa which took place in Grant County Indiana. I actually stumbled on this battle through a Facebook post of a reenactment that was taking place on the actual Battlefiled (this reenactment is the largest one held on the War of 1812). I am planning on going up to the battlefield to get some pictures, hopefully sooner as opposed to later, but at least wanted to mention the anniversary now.

The battle was fought between the United States and what was thought to be mainly Miami Indians who were backed by the British along the Mississinewa River. The US’s force of 600 men was made up of largely militia and the 19th Infantry Regiment of the US army. The objective of the army was to destroy the Indian town and villages along the Mississinewa River. General William Henry Harrison thought the town and villages would be staging areas for future operations against Harrison’s supply lines. In reality this exposition was likely reprisals against the Miami for joining with Tecumseh and the British.

The US force left Greenville, OH on December 14th where they marched through the nigh of the 16th and 17th and reached the first village. There were a few warriors in the village who escaped across the river and the army took around 42 prisoners. The infantry stayed and garded the prisoners while the dragoons march two more miles and destroyed two more villages. The camp was set up at the first village and was attacked by the Indians just before dawn on the 18th. The US force was able to hold them off, but over 100 of their horses were killed which seemed to be intentional as the Indians most likely wanted to stop the advance. That afternoon the army started its difficult march back to Greeneville and finally made it on December 24th.

While Harrison spun the exposition as a success none of the major objectives were really completed as the main town of Mississinewa was still twenty miles from their camp on the 18th. The army was crippled badly as about half were suffering from frostbite. The Indians still occupied the main town, and most of their food stores were saved.

If you would like a more in depth account Murray Holliday published a small book (pamphlet) of the exposition for the Grant County Historical Society called The Battle of the Missinssinea, 1812. I was able to get this book through and inter library loan with the Hamilton County Library. Murray also wrote and article that I found online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ingrant/missbat1.htm. A Keith Raynor also wrote and article titled The Battle of Mississinewa that can be found on the web here http://www.warof1812.ca/mississa.htm.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we took are usual annual trip to the pumpkin patch with Liam. This year he kept complaining that he just wanted to stay home and play because he thought the pumpkin patch was boring. We however told him that we were making him go and making him have fun.

After trying a different patch last year and being disappointed we decided to return to Tutltle’s who still had a wonderful selection of nice pumpkins. After complaining that he didn’t want to go Liam had a wonderful time, and my mother went as well. We got a pumpkin for each of us, and Liam wanted to get a pumpkin for Aunt Angie and Uncle Jason too. All in all another great fall trip to the pumpkin patch, and now we’ll see if Liam will scoop out the pumpkin innards this year when we carve ;)

I Love My Cat But...

2009-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

I love my cat Jake, but he is a little special and probably one of the world’s most annoying creatures. Some things he just can’t help like his bum knee that causes him not to be able to jump like a normal cat or the fact he is just so obese that he cannot reach around to clean himself. I could get into several other issues Jake has but I might save those for another blog.

This morning my cat decides to announce his presence at 4:30 AM (as he does most mornings at this time) with what I like to referrer to as his meow scream that reverberates through the hallway and bedroom. After several practice jumps he finally lands on the bed and walks over me with his 16 pound body in order to get me to turn so he can lay his fat ass down next to me. Today he decides to get up from his spot around 5:00 AM and walk over me to the night stand where he knocked over the lamp while licking the radio. After I chased him off he stopped at the waste basket that had an old plastic wrapper of some kind that he wants to lick as well. Finally after I threw the pillow at him he left the room where I got a few moments of peace before I got up to brush my teeth. Jake then starts howling at me so I will put him on the bathroom sink for his morning drink.

I do really love my cat but wouldn’t you know I get the dirty, filthy cat with behavioral problems while Mary gets the OCD cat that over grooms and has attention issues due to Liam. Now I know cats all have their quirks but I really feel that we got a couple of overly quirky cats which makes for an interesting household if you ask me.

Ten Wonderful Years

2009-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

This past 18th of September I have been married to my wife for ten years. I really cannot believe it when I say it ten years is a long time, but it has been seventeen years since we first started dated at the end of our freshmen year of high school. I mean what can I truly say that will do this justice, we have practically grown up together and when I think about it probably not many couples can say that.

Mary Ellen is truly my soul mate and I could not possible list all the wonderful things she does for me. I just want to let her know that I love her very much and here is to many more happy years together!

Liam's Fifth Birthday

2009-09-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

This has been a really long week and Liam got to celebrate his birthday off and on all the way through. Since I had to work his official birthday we let him open most of his presents on Monday. He has really got the whole tearing it into pieces down as there are little clouds of confetti that fly through the air when he opens the gifts. We then had a little get together at my parent’s house were he got a new bike from my parents that he can actually fit on, along with a lot of toys for Aunt Angie and Uncle Jason.

On Tuesday Mary took the day of so he could stay home on his actual birthday so he could play with his new toys. We then took him out for breadsticks and pizza (mainly the breadsticks) for dinner because breadsticks are probably one of his most favorite foods besides cookies.

Saturday the 12th was his official party at the house and he had lots of guests. He had some of his favorite people to play with; Charles, Taylor, Aidan and Brayden so he had a ball. He got lots of great gifts from everyone and did a great job of blowing out his candles.

All I can say is daddy is going to have to learn how to transform a whole bunch of new transformers, and since I still have problems with some of his old ones this will be a challenge. Liam is growing up way to quick and I cannot believe that he is five already. I sure do wish time would slow down just a little bit because trying to take it in is really difficult. We are both worn out, but it defiantly was a good time and worth it.

Cataract Falls & First Family Picnic

2009-08-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well it is official we had our fist family picnic on the 22nd of August and used the picnic basket Mary and I received for a wedding gift too. Needless to say we have never used it the ten years that we have been married so it was about time to put it to use. Laim had never seen a real waterfall before and since he has seen pictures from my Smokey Mountain trip, has a Thomas the train waterfall track and movie we took him to Cataract Falls. He had been asking about what they were so this gave him the opportunity to see one first hand.

Ready for a road trip and feeling relaxed to be with my family we all got in the car when the inevitable “how much longer” rose out of the back seat. This would have been fine except we had only just backed out of the driveway when he started in. Though he did not like the long drive to the park once we were there Liam did seem to have a good time. There was a covered bridge, many waterfalls and even a little play area for kids. We got the picnic basket out and had a very enjoyable meal, and Liam was ecstatic because we had packed his cookie. I was able to spend some time taking pictures along with just taking in the beauty of it all. After lunch we went down to the lower falls for a couple more pictures then called it a day.

Thoughts on the Park:

Thought I would add a few thoughts on the park in general. I really liked the upper falls and all of the rock formations which made for several sub-falls. It was very scenic and I really love the sound of rushing water. The covered bridge they have on the property was pretty cool and makes for a great picture. You can read more about the bridge here if you would like. The lower falls while nice lacked the more scenic view of the upper falls, but is well worth the short trip down the road so you can say that you were there.

Now I now the “pit toilets” or what I like to refer to as “outhouses” are pretty bad, but there is nothing like watching men in the wide open taking a leak out in the general public. If you feel the need to skip out on the parks “facilities” I under stand, just head off the beaten trail to do it. I really liked the redneck with his 16oz beer taking a wiz right next to the waterfall, really come on.

When my grandfather was alive he had a little piece of property in Spencer, Indiana which we had to pass through Cloverdale in order to get there and all that time I never knew the falls were just a short jaunt away. I cannot believe it took me this long to discover Cataract Falls. Below I have some links if anyone is interesting in heading down on a trip of their own. I have also posted a couple of pictures in the “Al’s Selects” on my website, the rest I’ll upload with the August pictures. I also have some pictures up on my Facebook page for all those who visit me there.

Cataract Falls Links:
> http://www.cataractfalls.com/
> http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2960.htm

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-08-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

SPOILER NOTICE: There are spoilers in this write up, so if you have not seen the movie yet and want to remain surprised I would avoid reading this for now.

I figured I might as well write a review for this movie since I have already seen it four times. Now mind you I had to watch it once to preview it for Liam and then the other three times Liam wanted to go of course I didn’t put up any arguments. Thought I might also give some brief feelings on the whole transformer genre past and present.

The major plot of this movie is that Sam (who is now going to college) gets information transferred to him from a piece of the Allspark that gives clues to where The Matrix of Leadership can be found. The Fallen is actually a transformer who was one of the original primes fell to evil and became the first Decepticon. The Fallen is looking for the Matrix to use it for powering a machine that will create energon by destroying the Sun. While protecting Sam Optimus Prime dies so it is up to Sam to find the Matrix in order to bring Optimus back to life.

I know a lot of people really didn’t like this movie or the first one, but I didn’t mind it at all and thought it was enjoyable. If you go back and watch the original cartoons you really have the same basic plot over and over again which is the Decepticons are trying in some way to steel energy from Earth in order to take over the universe. So the plot really doesn’t bother me all that much. What I don’t really like about the movie is other then Optimus, Bumblebee, and Megatron there is really not much character development with the Transformers. You cannot get that emotionally attached, because there is just nothing there. I was very happy that they gave you some more of the old Megatron and Starscream infighting, it really added to the much lacking character development and gave you a sense of the old series.

I thought the fight sequences from this movie far exceeded the first in both visual and emotional sense. I still think they move too fast, but that seems to be how directors are doing action scenes as a whole nowadays. The second movie also had the transformers losing parts and spiting lubricates, oil or what have you. I’m still not sure how I feel about this but I know that they added it to give you more of a sense that the transformers feel. A fairly comical part was when Optimus ripped off Starscream’s arm then beat him with it and then after the fight Megatron beats Starscream with it as well. Of course the best fight scene was at the end when Optimus comes back and lets Megatron and the Fallen have it.

The whole transformer genre I think has grown especially the toys. The toys look a whole lot better now, but you almost need a PHD in engineering to transform them. Some of Liam’s takes me forever to change them from robot to vehicle modes. While I miss the original cartoon, I have to say I really like Transformers Animated on the Cartoon Network. When I first saw pictures and a little bit of the story I really didn’t think that I would enjoy it, but I was wrong. The story and plot are good and the character development far exceeds both the original series and the movies. What I don’t like is Optimus is not the overall Autobot leader, he is smaller then Megatron and Peter Cullen is not doing the voice.

Links:
> http://www.transformersmovie.com/
> http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/

Liam's First Swimming Lesson

2009-07-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

On July 21st Liam had his first official swim lesson over at the YMCA, and after starting out a little nervous with out his mommy or daddy in the water he did a great job. He is in a kiddy pool so he can actually touch the bottom, which he likes and doesn’t need to where his float suit. I do feel a little bad for him because he got stuck in a group with all girls, but hey nothing like a group of girls at the pool to help find a few prospects.

During the part of the lesson where she was having the kids go under water Liam answered the question wrong and got a little surprise. The teacher asked him if he had been under water before, and he answer yes which was true. What he failed to mention was that he didn’t want to go under water and the next thing he knew after grabbing his nose was being submerged and coming up coughing. After getting over the initial shock and cleaning the water out of his eyes I gave him a thumbs up which seemed to pacify him for the moment.

They played a game where she would get them to jump in the water however none of them would just jump in, instead they all had to take her hands. I do have to say that we need to work on his jumping ability, because all the little girls seems to be able to get a bigger splash then he did. He seemed to do better at the second lesson, especially with going under the water which was good to see, but he still needs work on that jump.

Saturday we got him some goggles and took him over to the Y on Sunday while Mary Ellen worked out. With the goggles he actually decided he wanted to go under water and kept doing it the whole time we were there. After her workout was over Mary got in with us and we worked on his jumping, and now he will actually jump in without taking a hold of our hands. It does look like he is having fun and it is good to see him doing some organized activity with others his age.

Moon Beams

2009-07-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

All the way through grade school to college I have always followed the space program, not as much of late but I still keep a keen eye to news coming out of NASA. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of humans walking on the moon I can’t help to think, what the hell happened? We have been spinning our wheels in space ever since and I just don’t like it.

I know it is hard to justify the big expense especially when we are in hard economic times, but look at the excitement and technological advances we made during that push to the moon. Humans are built for adventure and exploration and something has got in our way. Greed, wars, politics and a general lack of a common purpose has been staring us in the face and we have been so busy listing to our iPods, surfing the Internet or just caught up in our own financial struggles we have ignored the obstacle. I say it is time to break out it is time for us as a human race to find that inner adventurous spirit and do something that is positive.

Let us dream to explore once more. Let us sore to new adventures. Let us do what we need to do in order to advance our race, and put our petty differences aside and strive for a common goal. It could start with space and spread into other areas; environment, religious understanding, peace, who knows but we have to start somewhere and space/science is a good common ground.

Vacation & Father's Day

2009-07-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get a whole weeks vacation from June 15th thought the 19th which was badly needed. The best part was taking Liam to King's Island and the Great Wolf Lodge over in Cincinnati, Ohio for the first time. He wouldn’t get on the bumper cars after talking about them for the whole week before, so I got worried at first that this might not have been a good idea. He did get on this helicopter ride with Charles and then he rode the guided cars and had fun on those.

Before he could really see the Fairy Odd coaster (that used to be the Beastie for us older King’s Island people) we got him in line. As we took off he started holding his ears because he thought it was too loud, and then we got to the hill. Liam eyes got big when we started going up, and I though for a moment that he was going to freak out, but then we went down the hill and up the next I looked down and he was smiling while still holding his ears. He then turned to me and said, “Daddy this is awesome”! He then rode it three or four more times that day.

Great Wolf Lodge was pretty cool, we got a room with that had bunk beds set up to look like a little cabin. The indoor water park was really fund as well with lots of slides and a wave pool. We tried taking Liam down some of the slides, but he wasn’t really into it, but after we got back home he told us that he liked it. He defiantly wants to go back to both places epically King’s Island.

Father’s day was a good time because we made Liam wear his Tony Hawk shirt and put product in his hair. This all started at our last barber trip well he keep trying to push my hair down, so I told him if he did it one more time I would make him wear product with his hair up. For all those who don’t know Liam says he hates product and absolutely hates for his hair to be up, he likes it straight down. Needless to say we were able to get a picture before he rubbed it all out of his hair, and he looks really good with it done. We’ll see maybe we can get him to start doing it more, but I doubt it.

My 2009 Smoky Mountain Trip

2009-05-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

All I can say is just wow! This trip was one of my favorite of all times and now I can only think about going back for more. Greg and I left on a raining Thursday, but once we got to Knoxville, TN it started to clear and we got good weather to put up our tent and cook our first meal. The campsite in the park was great with running water in the background and trees upon trees. The only problem with the campsite is the fact that there are not any showers.

On our first full day there we decided to tackle the rugged Chimney Tops Trail which is quite a hike up a mountain. The view is just great with all the running water coming down from the top, green trees and the rock filled trail itself. The round trip of this trail is just over five miles but the going is fairly slow with the grade and tough terrain. When you hit a tree that has a lot of it roots sticking out of ground you have made it to the pre-summit then you are just a rock climb away from the top. Greg and I made it most of the way up, but we had our large hiking boots on and felt it was not a good idea to go all the way since we could not feel the rock with our feet.

The following day was pretty busy because we tracked more distance but the trails were not as tough as the Chimney Tops. We hit the Laurel Falls which is just simple beauty. Even though the grade is steep the trail is paved all the way to the falls so it is pretty easy going. The falls itself are sixty feet high and as the water comes down it branches off on each side to give you a really calming view. Next, since we were so sore from the Chimney Tops hike, we decided to skip the Rainbow Falls and just hit the Grotto Falls. This is another popular trail but it is not paved and takes a bit longer to get to the falls. It is in the Mt. Le Conte area so it is pretty steep. You can actually walk behind this twenty five foot falls and feel the cool water as it comes down the mountain. Finally we had some time to kill before the end of our second day so we decided to drive up the Clingmans Dome Road and hike the very, very steep half mile trail to reach the summit of the tallest mountain in the park and on the Appalachian trail. It has an observation tower at the top and the view is just outstanding. Someday I would really like to hike my way to the top to be able to say that I actually climbed it.

Finally it was time to leave, and leaving was awful due to the fact we had to pack up and take down the tent in the pouring rain. Next time Greg and I will have to do some research on where to buy Yuengling Premium as we found copious quantities of Yuengling Larger, Larger Light & Black and Tan. Greg had his taste buds set for Premium and was pretty bumped about not getting any. I also need to remember to take my bag with all my clothes it so I don’t have to make a Wal-Mart trip!

Visit my website to find pictures and YouTube video links:
My Smoky Mountain 2009 Trip

Hot Dog Bun

2009-03-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well we had another food breakthrough with Liam getting him initiated to boyhood. Last night Mary Ellen and Liam were having hot dogs with Liam having his cut up on the plate and Mary Ellen eating hers in a bun. So Liam looks up and says “What is that?” Mary replied “a hot dog bun.” His next question was, “Well what is it for?” I told him it was like bread for a sandwich so you can eat the hot dog with your fingers, and he really seemed to like that idea. Then he wanted a bite of his mother’s hot dog with the bun and proclaimed "this is good."

After a few more bites of his mother's hot dog he decided that he liked it so much that he wanted one of his own. This was of course as he was just about finished with the one he had on his plate, and Mary and I never thought he would finish it but we gave it to him anyway. Well, the boy inhaled the whole thing and told us that he never wanted a hot dog again unless it came with a bun. So now once we get rid of the warm milk when he first wakes up in the morning I think we can graduate him to full fledged boy.

Folk Music Review: Levon Helm

2009-03-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Continuing my journey through folk music I come to a man many of you probably heard in his earlier years with The Band, Levon Helm. The Band had such hits as “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Dixie Down,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” and more. A think a lot of Southern Rock, which is what you would categories The Band as, has some roots in folk music just without all of the strings.

In 2007 Levon Helm released a new solo album called dirt farmer that has a very strong folk base to it. In an interview I saw on Amazon.Com I believe he talked a little bit about the album and how a lot of these songs were sung as a child on the farm. With great string guitar playing and Levon’s rough voice this album really seems to take you back in time. The melodies and blending of instruments with the back ground vocals gives one a sense of sitting out in a field late at night with your buddies drinking beer. I also love Levon’s story telling in his songs you really do feel like you know these people and are going through their trials and tribulations with them.

My favorite song on this album is called “Train Robbery” and I guess my drawl to it is again history. I love railroad songs and this is a railroad song about Jesse James’ gang robbing the train. Some other good tunes on this one are “Calvary,” “Anna Lee,” and “The Blind Child.”

In my next installment I will continue my tour of folk music with a modern, up and coming string band out of Tennessee.

Levon Helm's Official Site:
http://www.levonhelm.com

Folk Music Review: 2nd South Carolina String Band

2009-03-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

Call me a throwback, un-hip, un-cool, etc. but I really enjoy good old fashion folk music. While I’m not an officisianado on folk music I thought it would be fun to at least give my layman’s perspective on some of the folk bands I listen to. I’ll break this out into four blogs so each band will get their own segment and not make this too terribly long.

I’m going to start this series with probably the least known of the bands the 2nd South Carolina String Band. They are a Civil War reenactment group that performs music from the period as authentically as possible. Since I am a big history buff especially when it comes to the American Civil War I really enjoy this group and listen to it quite a bit. I currently only have one of their albums “Hard Road” that has a good balance of both Union and Confederate favorites. The last time that Greg and I went to Gettysburg back in September of 2007 we would sit around the campfire at night, drinking beer and listen to this music which really added to the atmosphere.

Battle Cry of Freedom is an excellent rendition that still will get your heart pumping for the Union with its strong banjo and the other strings that really brings the chorus to life. Then you add the patriotic lyrics on top of that and you get a great song. They also do a rousing version of When Johnny Comes Marching Home that will get you pumping your fist in unison with the music. For all you rebels out there the band does a superb job with the Bonnie Blue Flag. Then you also get a lot of the old school folk standards such as; Buffalo Gals, Oh! Susanna, Ring de Banjo and more.

2nd South Carolina String Band Official Web Page:
http://www.civilwarband.com/

Scales’ Farm Cabins

2009-02-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Mary Ellen and I finally just had to get away and leave the little one behind. We have only had one date night since the move up to Fishers and thought it was just time for some one on one time. So around 2:00 on Friday the 20th I left work and met the wife at my parents house were she dropped off Liam and we headed down to the Bloomington area where we were going to spend a couple of nights in a secluded cabin.

Kenny and Karen Scales built two log cabins, which was a five year project, on their 131 acre farm. Most of the material used to build the two cabins came off the farm. We drove to the very bottom of the hill were there was a little retention pond with trees and a field. It really was very scenic and the cabin itself was just beautiful with a wrap around porch and a huge stone fireplace that you walked behind to get to the upstairs loft. We met Kenny a very nice man with a long white beard who gave us and a tour but who also was a little hard of hearing. Mary and I felt like we were yelling at him when we talked which was a little comical.

We had a very relaxing weekend with nothing much to do except to watch the fire or movies, listen to music and drink. We stayed in and I cooked both nights and a beautiful light snow came in on Saturday morning which just added to the atmosphere. Finally it was time to leave Sunday morning and we de-iced the car and packed our stuff. Mary Ellen and I sat down and were just about to pull out when we looked at each other and began to wonder if our four cylinder front wheel drive Ford could make it up this steep, snow covered hill we came down on Friday afternoon.

I crossed my fingers then grabbed the steering wheel and took off. We got several feet before we slid back down the hill when Mary suggested that I turn the steering wheel from side to side to try to get some additional traction. So while pressing the accelerator and turning the wheel from left to right we slowly climbed part of the hill. To make matters worse some ice got caught in Mary’s door so she could not shut it all the way or open it and the “passage door ajar” beep kept going off. The smell of something burning along with Mary’s panic that we might slide off the side of the hill added to the situation.

We finally got half way up to where their other cabin was at, and no matter how we tried we just could not go any further so we made it to the second cabin’s drive and called the owners. They informed us that they would be on their way to see what they could do and we told the couple who was staying there the situation. After a while they decided to go for it and watching their SUV not being able to go any further then we did made me feel a little bit better.

After setting in the drive for about forty five minutes I started to hear a humming sound and soon saw Kenny coming over the hill on a red tractor with a snow plow attached to the back. He made a couple passes with the plow and then the couple in the SUV after some difficulty made it up. It was then our turn to try and after getting about twenty feet up and sliding back down again we gave it one more shot. The engine screamed, the burning smell was back and we slid back and forth but we just did make it to the top. Wiping the sweat off my brow we were finally free so I didn’t have to go into Bear Grylls/Les Stroud survival mode and we could get home to Liam.

> www.scalesfarmcabins.com

My Thoughts on Stimulus Package

2009-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

It appears that a compromise has been reach between the House of Representatives and the Senate so it should be on President Obama’s desk soon. I am a firm believer that the economy needs to be stimulated and would have liked to see more job creation measures and less tax cuts but I am hopeful that this bill will do some good especially if it is in conjunction with other activates to get the banks unfrozen and tackle the housing crises. Some of the tax cuts would be helpful if it would help to keep or hire employees but if most I feel most of the tax cuts would be put into savings rather then back into the economy.

I was not very happy with the GOP and felt that the administration tried to working with them and the GOP flat refused to corporate. I am glad that the senators from Maine and Senator Specter for putting America first and politics second. What really galls me is all the spending republicans did in regards to their agenda (i.e. the two wars we have right now) and then they put up a fight over this? I guess I am tired of this coming from both parties and just want to see them work to benefit the country instead of bickering over partisan issues. I think this is going to be a long hard fight for President Obama that I don’t know if he will be able to win or not. I do think this is what the country voted for and am hopeful.

The U.S.S. Indianapolis

2009-02-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

The U.S.S. Indianapolis left its mark in World War II history twice. It was the United States’ destroyer that delivered the first atomic bomb to the island of Tinian on July 26, 1945. With it being so close to the end of the war one would think that the Indianapolis would only become a trivia question for later generations in regards to nuclear history but just a few days later disaster struck. The U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese sub on July 30, 1945 in Philippine waters on its way to Leyte. The US destroyer sank quickly and 300 of its 1,196 crew went down with the ship. The remaining members of the crew endured four days in the water without food, water and most without lifeboats. To make matters worse many men lost their life to shark attacks throughout the ordeal.

The Indianapolis slipped through the cracks and was not reported missing, so it was only by chance that a plane accidentally spotted the survivors. When all was said and done only 316 men were left. The fallout came shortly after the rescue and Captain Charles Butler McVay, III was found guilty of not zigzag in a court marshal and served out the remaining of his service in obscurity. He eventually took his own life in 1968. The surviving crew members fought hard to clear the captain’s name and on October 12, 2000 they were able to get Congress to pass an amendment to exonerate him. What it failed to do was wipe the court marshal from his record.

There is a beautiful memorial that was erected for the crew in 1995 and was designated a National Memorial by Congress. The money was paid for by The U.S.S. Indianapolis (CA-35) Survivors Memorial Organization, Inc a not-for-profit Company based in Indianapolis. You can find the memorial at the North end of the Canal Walk off of Senate Ave & Walnut St. in downtown Indianapolis. The pictures in the blog are of the memorial.

If you would like to read a little more about the U.S.S. Indianapolis you can visit their web site at http://www.ussindianapolis.org/. A good book that I read was called In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors, by Doug Stanton.

Through the Lens of a Four Year Old

2009-01-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

It is inevitable in today’s age not to have children playing with your digital camera. After all they spend countless times on the other end of the lens getting their picture taken all of the time now, so it is not hard to figure out that they would like to do the actually taking. One day several weeks ago Liam got his hands on the camera and began taking pictures needless to say when I uploaded them to the computer I about rolled out of my seat.

I will show you the pictures and give you my interpretations of them as if I was Liam…enjoy!

This is my dad who keeps telling me not to put my fingers on the lens, but what does he know? I think daddy is funny and is great to play with but I don’t let him rock me at night. Why is he bent over like that?

This is one of my many blankies that I stash all over the house. It happens to be on the bar stool that I like to climb and it never fails that my daddy tells me to be careful.

These are my stairs they lead up to my bedroom and toy room which I won’t stay in by myself. The bottom step is for timeouts because my blue cutie pie eyes don’t always work.

This picture is of one of Spike’s balls. He is the robot dinosaur that my Grandma and Grandpa got me for Christmas. I tell people all the toys I want to get for Christmas and birthday presents but then I end up just playing my video games. Daddy keeps telling me that my eyes will rot out, but I don’t believe him.

Here is a picture of some of my new toys…I don’t like to put them away when I’m done.

This is the TV I get to play my video games on, but Mommy and Daddy always seem to want to watch football. When will they learn that I rule this house?

This is my lap. Don’t ask me why I took this one because I don’t know.

This is the basket that Mommy keeps all of my shoes, boots, sunglasses, hats and such. It was on my level so I took a picture of it.

Did I mention that these are MY TOYS! Keep your mitts off!

This is my Mommy. She is the greatest Mommy in the world. Isn’t she pretty? Mommy is the one who gets to rock me at night…not Daddy.

My New Drive Home

2009-01-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

As most of you know Mary Ellen and I moved up to Fishers from New Palestine this past October, and I knew before hand that the traffic would be bad. I didn’t know that it would be this bad, and I came to find out in a very short time that these Fishers commuters are freaking nuts! I fear for my life every time I start up the car to go home.

I try and leave the office about ten minutes before five or try and wait it out until around six because the less of these nuts I encounter the better for my own sanity. When I drive I try to stay within five miles per hour of the speed limit, give plenty of space and generally try and stay out of the way of the insane people driving at breakneck speeds. My patience on the other hand is not very good so putting me out there on the same roads as these nut cases is like adding fuel to a fire.

Unfortunately because I have to get Liam or home to relieve my mother I am generally leaving at rush hour with the rest of the certifiably insane nut cases that have just gotten off work and who are all in foul moods. Most of these people ride so close that it feels like someone is performing a prostate examination the whole way home. They all bunch up together and gang up not to let people merge and if someone is able to get over there is usually honking and hand gestures to follow.

Then there is dealing with the I-465 and 69 merger where you have people coming four lanes over from left to right and right to left which absolutely gums the whole thing up. Then about a mile down the interstate all the people who went all the way over into the far left lane now want to come back over because that lane ends. People switch lanes here, then there and then back again instead of just driving. What you get is a 20 minute drive turned into an hour with frayed nerves and a bad demeanor.

I will give you one short story just to illustrate the hell I have to deal with. I spent my forty five minutes in traffic and started to head west on 116th Street because I was heading to the grocery. I was in the left lane waiting on a light but could not get up to the light because of the turn lane to get to 69 was backed up. So this lady pulls up behind me and starts blaring her horn and I could see her screaming through the rear view mirror. So I just shrug my shoulders because there is no where I can go until the turn lane starts to move. This woman does not let up, and at this point I have had it so the light turns green everyone moves except for me. I raise up my hand extend the middle finger and enjoy myself as the woman goes into all sorts of gyrations and horn blowing. After a few moments of enjoyment I move on my way.

That was just one of my many encounters with traffic I have been enjoying since my move. These people are mean, aggressive, and will try your patience so if you are headed up to Fishers during rush hour I would suggest relaxing music and some sort of mantra to get you through.

Leave some comments of your traffic nightmares.

Redneck Parking

2008-12-30T11:31:00.000-08:00

Where in my driveway is there a sign for Redneck Parking? Please if anyone has ever noticed a sign at anytime in my driveway that said redneck parking please let me know!

Around 10:00 PM last night I was getting ready to brush my teeth and get to bed at a reasonable hour when all of the sudden I heard this incredibly load bang. I turned down the television and looked out my window and saw what looked like to be a garbage truck or two in the park a few houses down. I thought that maybe they were empting a dumpster and it fell off the truck, so I go back to my business. A few seconds later Mary Ellen yelled up the stairs that there was a car crash just outside of our home.

So I put on my coat, boots and hat to go outside when Mary said I think you should stay in because someone is going crazy out there and a truck just drove into a yard/driveway. But I thought I should go out and make sure everyone was okay as Mary dialed 911. Apparently the neighbors’ daughter and boyfriend must have been backing out of their driveway and this guy in the white truck slammed into them. A confrontation then issued and then he drove the truck into its resting place in my yard/driveway and he took off on foot. When I got out there my neighbor was out looking for they driver of the white truck with baseball bat in hand.

After a few minutes the police start showing up and they get a K-9 unit in to track this guy down, who I believe lives at the front of our neighborhood. I don’t think anyone was hurt too bad, because the paramedics didn’t bring anyone out of the house, but I’m not too sure about that. The car on the driver’s side looked like mangled aluminum foil and there was glass all over the street, it is amazing that no one was seriously hurt. Finally the driver of the white truck was caught by the dogs and I watched at the police pulled out the guys hunting rifle and found his target in the back of the bed. The other thing that was a little unusual was all the ice scattered in my driveway which leads me to believe he must had been drinking and dumped it while he took off running.

Luckily Mary was with me this time and reminded me to take some pictures for my blog, and by 11:45 PM the wreaker finally showed up to get the truck out of my yard/driveway. I thought we had moved away from the East Side but between this and our deer pornography I’m starting to wonder.

-----Update: December 31, 2008-----

Mary Ellen spoke with our neighbor briefly last night and the driver of the car was pretty lucky, just 14 stitches. I guess what happen was the white truck was behind the car which was turning left into their driveway when the truck tried to go around them. The truck sped up and crashed right into the drivers’ side of the car and actually pushed it quite a way before stopping. The driver of the truck had .2 blood alcohol content with the police picked him up. And the ice was actually from our neighbor who threw at the guy as he took off running.

Someone Call 911 our Deer have been Violated Again

2008-12-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

If you read my blog from December 11, 2008 titled Woman, You Sound Old you would know that one morning my wife found our two lighted Christmas deer getting it on in the front yard. Well it has happened again, but at least this time the perpetrator(s) understood that the Buck goes on top. One also has to question why these criminal masterminds could not come up with something new instead of using humping deer again. Oh well at least this time they got the right sex on top.

These culprits of deer pornography strike really late because I was not feeling good this past night and went downstairs around 2:30 AM to get some water and the crime had not taken place yet. I guess next year Mary Ellen and I are going to have to stake the scene out in shifts with a super soaker filled with urine. At least this time I was able to remember to get a picture for your viewing enjoyment.

Woman, You Sound Old!

2008-12-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday really made me feel old! I came stumbling down the stairs from the bedroom around 9:00 and Mary Ellen was already up waiting for me in the kitchen. As I start to walk by to get my breakfast she looks at me and says “Have you seen the deer?” Still somewhat asleep I responded no, why? “Well just go look for yourself” was her reply.

I guess right now I have to regress just a bit to give you a little background. A couple of weeks ago we went out and bought some outdoor Christmas lights along with a buck and doe deer that light up. Quite a few of our new neighbors really put on a Christmas light show, so Mary Ellen wanted at least a little something in the yard to fit in. I must say that I put these deer together without uttering one swear word and if you know me you know that was a feat in its self.

Now back to the story at hand. So I go into the living room and look out the window and what do I see a doe deer humping the buck! Personally, I thought it was funny on many levels and thinking to myself that if we were still living in New Palestine there would not have been this mix up with the sexes. My wife on the other had didn’t think it was very funny and starting talking about how it had to be "those teenagers", and they better not have broke it because we work hard for our money. After a minute or two of ranting the only thing I had to say was, “You really sound old right now”, which didn’t go over too well.

Needless to say I wish I had my wits about me to take a picture but I didn’t so I might just have to recreate it when we take them down unless “those teenagers” strike again. Also, in case you are wondering they still work.

We're Moving!

2008-10-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well it finally happened we closed on our house and are moving up to Fishers! Now we only have to be displaced 10 more days and we will be able to move into our new home, and I bet my parents can't wait either and Mary, Liam, the two cats and myself are living in their upstairs.

I'll try and post some pictures in the next view days.

Why I Love the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2008-10-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

I don’t often stray too far into politics and I have yet to Blog about politics because it just depresses, but this video clip from the Daily Show I just can’t pass up. This video shows why I think most Americans are getting fed up with our current politicians and spin doctors, and I know I wish these people would just straight talk me.

You have to laugh otherwise you would just cry.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/33335/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-sarah-palin-gender-card#s-p1-st-i1

Man and His Coffee

2008-09-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Back on August 5^th I go to make myself some coffee to take into work and when I go to get my coffee cup it was gone. This was not the first time that it had happened so I decided the best way to get my point across was to write a short story. Thinking this would be a funny way to say please don’t take my coffee cup I soon learned different.

The questions becomes did I win, well if the battle was over a coffee cup yes I did win because it has always been there now when I need it. But if we go deeper dare I say men can never win?

Man and His Coffee

A millennium ago there was a planet call Earth. It was a quaint little blue planet with many different types of plants and animal species that all had their purpose. One of the animal species soon evolved and their comprehension grew until they controlled the planet and molded it to their liking. This animal was called human.

As time passed humans started to harvest a particular bean know to them as the coffee bean. The coffee bean had a chemical in it that when consumed by the humans gave him a jolt of energy. They soon made a warm drink out of this bean and it become a morning time staple to help them awake out of their sleep cycles and start their day.

One day a man was at his local market and in the coffee isle there was a whole section devoted to the coffee chalice and the man thought “It sure would be nice to be able to make my own coffee at home and take it with me”. So he bought this magnificent blue coffee goblet to transport his coffee with him. His four wheeled transport even had a slot specifically designed to place this chalice of like so he could have two hands on the steering system. It was a very nice goblet and kept the delicious beverage warm for an extended period of time so the man could enjoy his drink as time moved forward. Man was happy.

There was one cool morning the man we particularly looking forward to his home made coffee, because his comrades at his place of business always made the coffee way to weak. To this man their coffee was like dirty water. So the man made a pot of coffee while he showered and after he dressed he went to poor his beverage into his blue chalice. To his distraught the chalice was no where to be found! He looked in the cabinets, the dishwasher and even in his car in the hopes that he may had left it there but it was all to no avail. He life companion had snatched it and used it for her orange juice.

So with a pot of coffee made the man was not going to waste this delightful beverage he had just brewed. So he went out and found a drug store and was able to find a black chalice just like the blue one. Man was happy. With the blue chalice contaminated with the juice of his companion the man gave that cup to her and took the black one for him. Man was happy.

One stormy morning the man again made his beloved coffee and open the cabinet to get his black chalice only to find it was not their. He opened the dishwasher to find a dirty blue orange juice cup, but no black chalice. THE MAN’S LIFE COMPANION ONCE AGAIN TOOK THIS SACRED COFFEE CHALICE FOR HER ORANGE JUICE LEAVING HIM WITH NOTHING BUT THE THOUGH OF A WARM DRINK! A lass what will this man do?

Man will once again stop at the store tonight an buy himself a glorious coffee chalice giving his wife two orange juice cups for her use. If his wife takes this one he will hunt her down and beat her with the chalice until she learns not to take it!

- END -

Woman Who Does it All
Response to “Man and His Coffee”

Once upon a time there was a happy little family. It was not the perfect family, but it was darn near it. The woman/wife/mother did 90% of all work within the home, but loved her spouse so much, she mostly ignored his laziness, no matter how aggravating it was for her. Then one day, man/husband/father made a ridiculous ass out of himself in his frustration over his beloved coffee cup, which the woman had unwisely used for her juice. The husband was relentless in his rampage about her usage of his precious cup, and the woman snapped. She then determined she would remind this spoiled man about how good he has it.

Spoiled man gets to do as he pleases each morning and exercise so he can stay fit. Would spoiled man ever think to alternate mornings with woman so that she too could stay in shape? Oh no, this would not cross his mind. Spoiled man leaves the house each morning, while woman is left to get ready for her job, clean kitchen of spoiled man’s dirty dishes, pick up spoiled man’s laundry, scoop the kitty litter (cats are spoiled man’s as well- not just woman’s), feed child (again, not just woman’s child), get child dressed, prepare lunch for child, and get child to daycare so that woman can arrive to work 30 minutes late each day. Woman cleans entire house by herself each week. Spoiled man does NOT vacuum, clean bathrooms, get on hands and knees to clean kitchen floor of crumbs, do laundry, fold laundry, or put away laundry. Spoiled man does NOT take regular turns in providing child with baths or brushing & flossing of teeth. Spoiled man does not weed the lawn or landscaping nor does spoiled man water said landscaping and trees.

Spoiled man occasionally cuts the grass and utilizes the weedeater. Spoiled man occasionally helps put out the trash. Spoiled man spends hours sorting and entering bills and receipts in his ludicrous & anal retentive finance program. Spoiled man goes to grocery and cooks an evening meal. Have I left anything out? Oh yes, spoiled man stupidly decides to freak out because ridiculously over worked woman USED HIS PRECIOUS COFFEE CUP.

Woman must now decide how to even the work load with spoiled man…

- END -

I Just Felt Like Running!

2008-04-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Losing some weight has really helped me to get back to being able to run which I really enjoy doing. As I lost more weight and got faster I needed a goal to shoot for so Ryan and I decided to run in a mini-marathon and found Louisville was putting one on to kick off their Derby Week Festival. We signed up and kicked our training into high gear. My goal was just to be able to finish since I had not ran in one since my “early” college days.

On the 26^th of April around 6:00 AM Ryan and I were standing in line for the shuttle bus that would take us to the starting line. It was still dark, cool, and spiting rain but we felt good as the bus seemed to go on and on. We were dropped off at the start line and preceded to find our pace time and packed ourselves in the crowd as the rain finally seemed to stop. There were about 12,000 people running in this event which is nice compared to the 30,000 to 40,000 that run in the Indianapolis mini.

The gun sounded and we were off! It took us about two minutes before we got to the start line which was fast as it took Ryan forty five minutes to reach the one in the Indianapolis’ mini last year. The course took us through a park that had several large hills, but was very scenic. After about two or three miles we were able to hit our pace pretty well and they winded us around back past the start line and sent us on a track through some neighborhoods. The architecture on some of these homes were that of historic near city suburbs with full trees, which already had leaves on them, and ivy growing up their sides. The route took us through Church Hill Downs and then into downtown Louisville for the finish.

We finished 800/801 out of a field of about 9385 with a start line to finish line time of an 1 hour and 44 minutes which broke down to an 7:57 mile pace. Overall I would have to say that this race was more enjoyable then the two Indianapolis minis I ran back in college and the scenery was by far superior. Now that I made my goal of finishing a mini I can now set new time goals and get the competitive juices flowing again.

Goal!

2007-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

Weight has always been an issue with me pretty much since grade school and while I have always been somewhat overweight I was able to manage it throughout most of my school years. At the end of high school I lost a considerable amount of weight of weight and those who have known me, especially my wife, were convinced that I had lost way too much and they were right. At that time I didn’t know how to stop and with the considerable amount of exercise I was doing never got enough calories to maintain it.

By the time I turned twenty one I had started to put it all back on between beer, dorm food, and my school/work schedule and before long I was packing on extra. By the time I was married in 1999 I was tittering around 265 and feeling it pretty good. I was able to get focused for a time and eventually got down to around the 245 range where I hung out for quite a while.

My son was born in September of 2004 and I really wanted to lose my weight so I could be able to play with him and stay in generally good health. My cholesterol was high so I was trying to watch that as well, and started to eat better and was able to drop a few pounds then put it right back on. Finally this past April the boy was running circles around me and I was going to be put on Lipator and knew I finally had to do something. Those family pictures of myself also were starting to get tiring as I was always forcing the camera operator to get the right angle.

After our vacation in May 2007 I finally took my wife’s advice she had been telling me for years to join WeightWatchers and I finally did. It has been hard to change my lifestyle but the meetings and weekly weight-ins really helped me to stay focused and the weight finally started to come off. On December 3, 2007 I reached my goal weight of 190 pounds and I can’t describe how much better I feel or the energy I have gained.

I have now started my six weeks in the maintenance program and know that the hard part of keeping it off begins. I at lest now have the tools to make it work but still need the desire discipline to move forward and stay on target. As one part of my weight loss journey is over a new one begins along with all the fruits (no pun intended) that come with it.

The Civil War Battlefield

2007-09-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

As I reflect back on my very recent trip to Gettysburg there are several features of a Civil War Battlefield that appeals to me and one that is often forgotten about. With so many things that they offer us it is a mystery to me why so many are in danger of being destroyed either by excessive development or just lack of funds for upkeep.

Corydon Battle Park (Corydon, IN)

The battle fields are a very important part of our country’s history through not only giving us critical information in regards to how generals planned and fought battles of the time, but also in the general overall history and politics of the era. It is a look back in time to how people used to live, work, and just get by in society. They also gives us beautiful scenery along with a place to enjoy nature, which can very much be said about Gettysburg. As a national park the views are absolutely stunning, and there are also hidden treasures to discover as this picture of some sort of stable on Culp’s Hill below that Greg and I ran into on our trip.

Gettysburg National Military Park (Gettysburg, PA)

Battlefields are important memorials to the many that have died on them fighting for what they believed important to themselves and their country. This aspect I know I often overlook because of the inherent beauty of the battlefield and the enjoyment I get from the history. It is important to keep in mind that actual lives were spent on the ground and for that reason alone these places should be saved and cared fore for future generations to come.

Photos, Photos, & More Photos

2007-03-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Several months ago my wife was camera envy so we bought a Canon Rebel Xti and after getting it home I realized I had no clue how it worked. Sure it had an auto mode, but if you are going to spend that kind of money on a camera one should learn how to properly work it, so that is what I did. For the last four weeks I have been taking one of IUPUI’s Community Learning Network classes on beginning digital photography and I have to say that I know a great deal more about taking pictures.

So I thought it would be fun to post some of my class assignments on my blog for all to see, along with a summary of what the assignment was. Feel free to post comments and let me know what you think.

My Favorite Beverage:
The first assignment was to photograph our favorite beverage and those who know me well enough should be able to guess. Seagram’s VO and Diet Coke has been my staple drink over the past four years and is Mary’s drink of choice as well. In this photo I tried to capture a close up of the label with the tasty beverage sitting next to it.

Something Blue:
Our next assignment was to capture something blue and of course the favorite thing in our house at the moment is “The King” from the Disney movie Cars. As you can see The King is blue, not much else to say about this one.

A Sign of Spring:
Four our last assignment we hat to take a picture of a sign of spring and with not a lot of foliage in bloom as of yet I set off on an expedition to Butler University’s campus. While there was not a lot of green there was running water which was not frozen so surly that has to be a sign of spring.

New Year and the Same Old Me:

2007-01-30T19:08:00.001-08:00

It is a new year so you get a new beginning right? Like I do every year I have my usual list of things I would like to accomplish personally and I don’t think you would be surprised if I told you I recycled the very same list from last year which was recycled from the year before last.

So why can’t I do it this year? I mean if I really put my mind to it I could do a complete 360 and lose those 30 pounds, get more organized, pick up after myself, and get my personal projects in order. It is so tantalizing that I can see it now the new improved me! However after 30 days into the new year here I am the same old me who eats the same way, still has unfinished projects, and doesn’t do a good job of picking up.

Hopefully I can take some baby steps towards some of my goals, and relish in small improvements. After a while maybe, just maybe, those small steps can change into bigger steps and I can really do it this time round. The year is young.

My Fist Post:

2006-12-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry that this is short but I wanted to go ahead and get this up. You can also view my hopepage at www.alexhauck.com.