Inception
I love you Phillip Morris
Adjustment Bureau
Heathers
Win Win
Source Code
Giglia
My Perestroika
Winter's Bone
Gods & Monsters
Saved
Gattica
Harry Potter VII part 2
Howl
Into the Wild
We Were Here
Tomboy
There were not a ton of movies to see in 2011 in my opinion. Some of the movies I saw were really old ones, but I'd just never seen them before. Adjustment Bureau had a great premise, but didn't follow through and crapped out with a lame religious allegory. I love you Phillip Morris was hysterically funny and also really bad. I liked Source Code, it made me think and wonder about how things fit together after the movie ended. Again though, I wonder what is up with these filmmakers. They can come up with a brilliant idea that makes you think, makes you ask questions and makes you want to watch, but they don't commit to it and the endings never live up to the promise of the concept. Is imagination just dead in American cinema?
in which I ramble about various subjects, post meaningless statistics about running, and rant occasionally.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
What did I read in 2011?
Hard Times
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Charles Dickens
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Travels in Siberia
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Ian Fraizer
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Resurrection
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Leo Tolstoy
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Absurdistan
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Gary Shetyngart
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Red Mars
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Kim Stanley Robinson
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Pattern Recognition
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William Gibson
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Moby Dick
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Herman Melville
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Birdbrain
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Johanna Sihsalo
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The Lifecycle of Software Objects
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Ted Chiang
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Exhalation
|
Ted Chiang
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Zoo City
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Lauren Beukes
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Moxyland
|
Lauren Beukes
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Kraken
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China Mieville
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Beyond Oblivion
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CM Harris
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Chasm City
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Alastair Reynolds
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The Russians
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Hedrick Smith
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The Sociopath Next Door
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Martha Stout
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Embracing the Wide Sky
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Daniel Tammet
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Little Brother
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Cory Doctorow
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The Grace of Silence
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Michelle Norris
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Significant Others
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Armistead Maupin
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Something Wicked this Way Comes
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Ray Bradbury
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11/22/63: A Novel
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Stephen King
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Freedom
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Jonathan Franzen
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Bossypants
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Tina Fey
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The Handmaid's Tale
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Margaret Atwood
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I didn't read as much as I'd have liked to this year.Chalk it up to a combination of laziness and too much driving instead of taking the bus to work. A couple of books in the list were audio books that I did manage to listen to while on the bus and mowing the grass.Bossypants was especially good as an audio book, because Tina Fey was reading it.
New Year's resolutions coming up in the next post...
Friday, December 23, 2011
When babies cry
Yeah, I said it. Last post, in the comments. Hush, I have no issues. I just hate film. And mirrors. And Newt Gingirich. He really sucks.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Hard to Believe
But I actually ordered holiday cards. I never send any because I'm a Scrooge and also organizationally impaired. I also worry about setting a precedent. Will I be able to keep it up? I have no idea. Don't look too hard at the link below or you'll spoil the surprise.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Spin Cycle
I hate vertigo. This one is the worst since the first, I believe. Try about 10 foot waves in a canoe, that's what the world feels like when I move my head too much. I didn't trust myself to walk (non-drunk-stumbling) to the bus stop without falling down this morning, so I stayed home. I certainly don't trust myself to drive. I'd end up killing someone. Plus, I've got a headache from concentrating so hard on remaining upright.
On an unrelated note, I hate the buying and selling of debt. There. I said it. Call me un-American if you must. My mortgage was sold before I'd even made the first payment. After nearly ten years, my student loan "servicing" got moved from the US Department of Education to somewhere else, too. I managed to screw up the online student loan site enough that my loan somehow got put into forbearance (not something I authorized, near as I can tell). The girl on the phone tonight sounded more competent than the last one who promised me she'd fixed what I'd messed up. Keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A Very Vegan Thanksgiving (sort of)
I plan to make way, way too much food for two people on Thursday. Since abandoning typical American meat eating ways over 20 years ago, I've come to appreciate Thanksgiving dishes that don't involve a bird. Plus, there's always something new to experiment with.
This year, I've got chanterelle mushrooms, baby portobellos, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, wild rice, brown rice, cherry sage sausage (yep, it's vegan), pumpkin, sweet potatoes, a Quorn roast (not vegan or gluten free, but I can't taste the eggs so it's still tasty) and a 3 lb bag of cranberries. So far I have the following planned:
Corn bread
Wild rice-chestnut-sausage stuffing
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Roasted sweet potatoes
Garlic mashed potatoes
Mushroom gravy
Cranberry chutney
Pumpkin pie with pecan gingerbread cookie crust
Pumpkin gelato or ginger ice cream (haven't decided)
I'm not entirely sure what to do with the chanterelles yet, but it will likely involve frying them up with some garlic and a little wine. I made the sausage on Sunday, brown rice last night and the wild rice will be done when I get home from work today. I might roast and peel chestnuts after flyball tonight. Hmm... cranberry gelato. I might have some more research to do.
Since I have way too much food on the menu, I invited a couple of guests. My guests are bringing a turkey. GF is pleased.
This year, I've got chanterelle mushrooms, baby portobellos, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, wild rice, brown rice, cherry sage sausage (yep, it's vegan), pumpkin, sweet potatoes, a Quorn roast (not vegan or gluten free, but I can't taste the eggs so it's still tasty) and a 3 lb bag of cranberries. So far I have the following planned:
Corn bread
Wild rice-chestnut-sausage stuffing
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Roasted sweet potatoes
Garlic mashed potatoes
Mushroom gravy
Cranberry chutney
Pumpkin pie with pecan gingerbread cookie crust
Pumpkin gelato or ginger ice cream (haven't decided)
I'm not entirely sure what to do with the chanterelles yet, but it will likely involve frying them up with some garlic and a little wine. I made the sausage on Sunday, brown rice last night and the wild rice will be done when I get home from work today. I might roast and peel chestnuts after flyball tonight. Hmm... cranberry gelato. I might have some more research to do.
Since I have way too much food on the menu, I invited a couple of guests. My guests are bringing a turkey. GF is pleased.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Late Fall Vacation
November is one of those times you should really get out of Minnesota. Really. It's usually in the 40s and rainy or windy (and the wind is seriously cutting and ferocious). Not a lot of sunshine, mostly grey, no snow yet.
So where do GF & I head? San Francisco. We had awesome luck with the weather: only one day of rain, the rest sunny & 60s. We walked our feet off, ate some great vegan food, saw some of GF's old friends from when she lived there, caught a Stanford women's bball game with my uncle and gawked at the ocean.
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| Snacks @ SFO. We were hungry! |
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| Occupy Soup? |
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| Lots of hills here |
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| Maybe the scariest thing ever |
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| Just a normal day in Chinatown |
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| Dragons! |
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| Palm trees freak me out a little |
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| Lion guarding Lands End |
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| Larger than it appears |
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| Smallish waves |
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| Cave with waves |
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| More rocks & waves |
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| Sneaky photo of GF |
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| The sun was very bright |
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| Golden Gate Bridge peeking out |
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| More bridge |
Thursday, October 27, 2011
7 random things
She said I had to, so here are 7 random things about me.
1. My birthday is tomorrow. Related: I am both pleased about this (it's my bday!) and somewhat alarmed at the rapid progression of the years (wait, I'm how old?!).
2. I will be 44 tomorrow and I live on 44th Street. GF finds this amusing.
3. I really lucked out that the housing market tanked when it did, as I had to move in 2009 and I got a good deal on my house. Not quite good enough, since it's dropped in value. I'm not underwater yet.
4. Was that about me? I'm not sure. Anyway, I often speak in non sequiturs, which is bastardized Latin for "it does not follow." Even if you had a map of my brain, there are times when you'd have no idea what I'm talking about. This is not cause for alam.
5. My Halloween costume is Kevin Bacon in Footloose. Do you know why?
6. Yes, I throw a Halloween party every year (well, this is the 3rd one). It's rather convenient when your birthday is three days from Halloween. You get away with things. Related: I almost never had school on my birthday as a kid because they always have that 2 day teacher conference thing in late October.
7. I became a lawyer partly because I "like to argue." Oddly enough, I hate confrontation and am quite happy to compose angry lawyer letters in the privacy of my little grey cube. I never want to litigate.
Ok. Seven other people who have to do this...
Sasha, who occasionally blogs at Lenin & the Bolsheviks
Kris at Life to the Power of Kris
Shawn at Conversations of a Long Distance Runner
Carrie at Metrospeculative
Lora at solarpoweredlife
Dave at Mumble Herder
Haddayr at Have a Heart of Fire; Have a Heart of Gold
Whew! I didn't think I had 7!
1. My birthday is tomorrow. Related: I am both pleased about this (it's my bday!) and somewhat alarmed at the rapid progression of the years (wait, I'm how old?!).
2. I will be 44 tomorrow and I live on 44th Street. GF finds this amusing.
3. I really lucked out that the housing market tanked when it did, as I had to move in 2009 and I got a good deal on my house. Not quite good enough, since it's dropped in value. I'm not underwater yet.
4. Was that about me? I'm not sure. Anyway, I often speak in non sequiturs, which is bastardized Latin for "it does not follow." Even if you had a map of my brain, there are times when you'd have no idea what I'm talking about. This is not cause for alam.
5. My Halloween costume is Kevin Bacon in Footloose. Do you know why?
6. Yes, I throw a Halloween party every year (well, this is the 3rd one). It's rather convenient when your birthday is three days from Halloween. You get away with things. Related: I almost never had school on my birthday as a kid because they always have that 2 day teacher conference thing in late October.
7. I became a lawyer partly because I "like to argue." Oddly enough, I hate confrontation and am quite happy to compose angry lawyer letters in the privacy of my little grey cube. I never want to litigate.
Ok. Seven other people who have to do this...
Sasha, who occasionally blogs at Lenin & the Bolsheviks
Kris at Life to the Power of Kris
Shawn at Conversations of a Long Distance Runner
Carrie at Metrospeculative
Lora at solarpoweredlife
Dave at Mumble Herder
Haddayr at Have a Heart of Fire; Have a Heart of Gold
Whew! I didn't think I had 7!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Expletive deleted
A coworker commented today that I'm walking much better. I replied that I was going to see the surgeon tomorrow to get cleared to run again. Here's how the rest of it went, more or less:
Coworker: [60something nonactive female*] I know that when you started here, I thought you were in high school. Now I know you're not that young, you're still a spring chicken, but you're getting older.
Me: ...?
Coworker: You should stop running.
Me: ...?!
Coworker: I used to run, too. Until both my knees went.
Me: The surgeon said my knees are perfect.
Coworker: Well obviously, they're not, you've had two surgeries in two years!
Me: There is nothing structurally wrong with my knee, the cyst was a fluke.
Coworker: [talking over me] You should do something less jarring, less intense. Running is bad for you.
Me: [resisting the urge to throw a book at coworker] There's no reason I can't run. I'll consider quitting when I'm 70.
Coworker: You're going to ruin your knees. I used to run. You might hold up better than I did, but you won't be able to keep this up.
Me: Uh.
Coworker: [walking away] It's just my advice.
Given that I haven't run in 3 weeks, I think I was admirably restrained. I didn't strangle her or shout or anything. I even managed to keep from rolling my eyes. This is the same coworker who insisted on regaling me with stories of her long ago farm and about how she used to butcher her own meat. She knows I'm a vegetarian. At least she didn't tell me that my uterus was going to fall out (probably only because she knows I have grown children).
It's not often, but sometimes I hate my job.
*also, I gave her a plant last week because she made a comment about jade plants and I said I had quite a few at home. Some gratitude.
Coworker: [60something nonactive female*] I know that when you started here, I thought you were in high school. Now I know you're not that young, you're still a spring chicken, but you're getting older.
Me: ...?
Coworker: You should stop running.
Me: ...?!
Coworker: I used to run, too. Until both my knees went.
Me: The surgeon said my knees are perfect.
Coworker: Well obviously, they're not, you've had two surgeries in two years!
Me: There is nothing structurally wrong with my knee, the cyst was a fluke.
Coworker: [talking over me] You should do something less jarring, less intense. Running is bad for you.
Me: [resisting the urge to throw a book at coworker] There's no reason I can't run. I'll consider quitting when I'm 70.
Coworker: You're going to ruin your knees. I used to run. You might hold up better than I did, but you won't be able to keep this up.
Me: Uh.
Coworker: [walking away] It's just my advice.
Given that I haven't run in 3 weeks, I think I was admirably restrained. I didn't strangle her or shout or anything. I even managed to keep from rolling my eyes. This is the same coworker who insisted on regaling me with stories of her long ago farm and about how she used to butcher her own meat. She knows I'm a vegetarian. At least she didn't tell me that my uterus was going to fall out (probably only because she knows I have grown children).
It's not often, but sometimes I hate my job.
*also, I gave her a plant last week because she made a comment about jade plants and I said I had quite a few at home. Some gratitude.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Monday
So my Monday consisted of:
(1) waking up long before the alarm with a sore
jaw and a headache;
(2) the inability to drink my coffee because the
heat made my tooth ache and my head hurt worse;
(3) a quick trip to a
new dentist for the 1st cold test of the day;
(4) a referral for a root
canal;
(5) a tour of the east metro with a splitting headache;
(6)
waiting in the endodontist's office for 1/2 an hour
rocking back and forth in pain;
(7) the second and third cold tests for the day;
(8) the most painful Novocaine shot
I've ever gotten in my life;
(9) a couple hours of digging and drilling
wondering if my cracked tooth would even be allowed to stay in my mouth (it was only cracked 2/3 of the way down, so it gets to stay...for now);
(10) shaky but relatively pain free driving back to the office with a
referral back to the dentist this month for a crown.
All for the low, low price of $1400.00.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Pagami Creek Fire
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Thursday August 18th, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Location | Began In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, approximately 14 miles east of Ely. |
| Incident Commander | Doug Turman |
| Total Personnel | 789 |
|---|---|
| Size | 93,459 acres |
| Percent Contained | 59% |
| Fuels Involved |
10 Timber (litter and understory) FM10, TU2
|
| Fire Behavior |
Minimal fire behavior was observed. Primarily creeping and smoldering.
|
| Significant Events |
Temporary residents remain evacuated. Area closures remain in effect.
|
| Planned Actions |
On the north/northwest corner, Division A/B/Z: patrol and mop up; Near Hudson Lake on the north side of the fire, Division C: Patrol for hot spots. East of Lake Insula on the north end of the fire, Division D: Continue progress heading east from Lake Insula, prepare fireline explosive, grid islands. Along the northeast side of the fire, Division E: Begin direct line to the west using saw line and hose line. Along the southwestern side of the fire, Division Y: Continue direct line from Gull Lake to the southeast. Along the two flanks coming down Isabella Lake, Division W: Continue to grid for spots and mop up. Between Brush Lake and Section Twenty-Nine Lake along the southern side of the fire, Division X: Patrol and mop up. Heading south from Polly Lake in the northeast portion of the fire, Division T/U: Continue direct line. Along the eastern side of the fire, Division V: Continue indirect line. Rehab Group: Begin rehab of dozer lines, coordinate with Division X/W to pull pumps and hose.
|
|---|---|
| Growth Potential |
Low
|
| Terrain Difficulty |
High
|
| Remarks |
A community meeting was held in the Fernberg corridor with approximately 30 people in attendance.
|
| Wind Conditions | 6 mph NE |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 70 degrees |
| Humidity | 40% |
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
I especially
Like Luna in the background. I survived a short shower and the ritual bending of the knee. Letting it air out a little before the immobilizer goes on again. Fun!
So I had surgery on Wednesday
Baker's cyst begone! I've got a knee immobilizer, the world's longest ace bandage and a pretty decent length of gauze underneath that. The incision is a bit bigger than I thought it would be. It goes pretty much across the entire back of my knee and sort of at an angle. We couldn't see actual stitches, so I will have to get a stitch count from the doctor next week at my post op check. She told Mom that the cyst was about seven inches long and about an inch and a half in diameter at the widest point. Heh.
At least I got to run that morning. A nice 5 miler with the dog and the weather was just about perfect. The worst part was not eating from midnight on until surgery time in the afternoon. Oh, and no coffee. Mom and I went shopping at TJ's, then to Ikea where we got a whole bunch of cool stuff, but not what we came for. Then home, and a fast shower with the weird expensive antibacterial soap they insisted I use. Clean towel, clean clothes, quick driving to the hospital, then parking fail. Bad directions. Where to park? We finally figured out that the parking ramp across the street was the right one. It was really big, though, and we had to park on the third level and walk across the skyway to the hospital, then down three levels of stairs to the lobby.
Everything went fine, though. It turns out I have no issues with general anesthesia. I don't much like the immobilizer, but I think that trying to walk at this point without it would just hurt a lot.
At least I got to run that morning. A nice 5 miler with the dog and the weather was just about perfect. The worst part was not eating from midnight on until surgery time in the afternoon. Oh, and no coffee. Mom and I went shopping at TJ's, then to Ikea where we got a whole bunch of cool stuff, but not what we came for. Then home, and a fast shower with the weird expensive antibacterial soap they insisted I use. Clean towel, clean clothes, quick driving to the hospital, then parking fail. Bad directions. Where to park? We finally figured out that the parking ramp across the street was the right one. It was really big, though, and we had to park on the third level and walk across the skyway to the hospital, then down three levels of stairs to the lobby.
Everything went fine, though. It turns out I have no issues with general anesthesia. I don't much like the immobilizer, but I think that trying to walk at this point without it would just hurt a lot.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I guess all of my complaining...
did the trick (thus goes my magical thinking). The Firefighter is on the Pagami Creek fire in Minnesota. They arrived last night and are hanging around today, figuring out their role in this fire. Today's update from Inciweb:
Containment of the Pagami Creek Fire is at 23%. With a half inch of rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow, the fire is expected to creep and smolder. Twenty-eight states are represented by incident personnel.
Basic Information
Current Situation
Outlook
Current Weather
Containment of the Pagami Creek Fire is at 23%. With a half inch of rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow, the fire is expected to creep and smolder. Twenty-eight states are represented by incident personnel.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Thursday August 18th, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Location | Began In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, approximately 14 miles east of Ely. |
| Incident Commander | Doug Turman |
| Total Personnel | 738 |
|---|---|
| Size | 93,898 acres |
| Percent Contained | 23% |
| Fuels Involved | 10 Timber (litter and understory) FM10, TU2 |
| Fire Behavior | Primarily creeping and smoldering under the canopy, where yesterday's precipitation did not have as much of an impact. |
| Significant Events | Area closures and evacuations remain in effect. |
| Planned Actions | Division A: Hold; Division B/C: Construct direct line and hoselay; Division D: Continue to recon and prepare for use of fireline explosives. Division Z: Scout for hotspots around Clearwater lake; Division W: Continue to secure lines. Division X: Hold and mop up. Division T/U/V - Scout and Recon. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Medium |
| Terrain Difficulty | High |
| Remarks | Public and Cooperator meetings were held today in Isabella. Governor Dayton visited the Isabella spike camp today. |
| Humidity | 33% |
|---|
Friday, September 16, 2011
Sunset over Hiawatha
Looks like the smoke from the BWCA fire is having an effect on the air here. The sky looked really cool last night as C was running fast and I was biking along.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Not my boy's fire
But a fire up north in the BWCA. A, C & I all wonder why the Firefighter's crew isn't called up for this one. The Firefighter, having canoed to the Arctic as well as all over the BWCA, is uniquely qualified to work on this fire!
This is the largest fire Minnesota has had in about 100 years. More about it here, if anyone is interested.
This is the largest fire Minnesota has had in about 100 years. More about it here, if anyone is interested.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Castro Fire
The Firefighter has been out on this fire since the day after we left Idaho. Inciweb doesn't do many shout outs, so I thought I'd post today's summary:
The Castro Fire had minimal growth yesterday, and even received a brief light shower. The moisture is not anticipated to change fire behavior, although nearby sites did receive heavier rain. Todays forecast calls for a slight potential increase in wet thunderstorm activity.
Excellent work by the Boise and Snake River Hot Shots continued and the fire did not make any significant growth to the south. On the northeast side, the Boise fire crew completed its work, and that flank will now be in a monitor status. It has not advanced in the past 10 days.
Today the Hot Shots will work on the south and southeast flank, and the Idaho City Hot Shots will arrive to help.
Two heavy lift helicopters are available again, but they may be reassigned if initial attack needs develop. The 14 new lightning fires on Sunday across the Boise National Forest have been staffed, and all were less than one acre. Lightning Monday started additional fires Forest wide, and they are all staffed. None are rapidly growing in size. A smoke monitoring unit is in place at the Sourdough Cafe and can be viewed at -
http://satguard.com/usfs/Chart new.asp Get=4&UnitID=1004&CustID=11&sDate=9-7-2011
The Castro Fire continues to meet management objectives. A long term benefit will be a reduction in fuel that could feed a fire in a drought year, which lessens the potential for a large and intense burn.
Current trail closures in the fire area for all users include:
- Forest Trail 147 (Warm Springs Creek Trail)
- Forest Trail 148 (Links Trail)
- Forest Trail 144 (Kirkham Ridge Trail) from the intersection of Forest Trail 142 (Catpaw Lake Trail) traveling northeasterly about 7.4 miles to the intersection of Forest Trail 16 (Gates Creek Trail)
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Thursday August 04th, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Location | 18 miles North of Lowman |
| Incident Commander | Rex Miller |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 80 |
|---|---|
| Size | 4,302 acres |
| Fuels Involved | Douglas fir,sub-alpine fir with substantial beetle killed trees in the area. Fuels have dried considerably beginning in the mid-to- later August period due to high temperatures. |
| Fire Behavior | Fire behavior significantly diminished on Monday, with the most active in the southwest corner. Dense stands of trees in those areas, many hit by bark beetles and other insects, will torch and produce heavier smoke. Overall Other the fire is burning at a low intensity. The northeast flank, has not moved from the mouth of Cat Creek/Warm Springs Creek since a burnout operation 10 days ago. |
| Significant Events | Within 23 percent of the Forest where Boise Forest Plan objectives are to ensure fire fulfills its natural role in this fire adapted ecosystem. Two hot shot fire crews continue to build direct line on the south flank which has slowed the fires movement. The Idaho City Hotshots will arrive to the fire today to provide additional help. All the crews hike into the fire area and the hot shot crews are spiking out near the fires edge each night. Two heavy lift helicopters (Type 1)continue to be available to help cool hot areas with water drops. Depending on new initial attack needs, they will be available today. |
| Planned Actions | A long term plan is developed for future management actions based on the fires movement. Monitoring of the fire continues from both Jackson Peak Lookout to the south and Whitehawk Lookout to the west. Aerial monitoring occurs at various times. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Low to Moderate |
| Terrain Difficulty | Fire is located in steep terrain and is in area with substantial bug killed trees. Fire is within the Red Mountain Roadless Area. |
| Remarks | Forest Trail 148 (Links Trail) and Forest Trail 147 (Warm Springs Trail) are closed. Forest Trail 144 (Kirkham Ridge) starting at the intersection of Forest Trail 142 (Catpaw Lake Trail)traveling northeasterly about 7.4 miles to the intersection of Forest Trail 16 (Gates Creek Trail). |
| Wind Conditions | 5 mph NE |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 53 degrees |
| Humidity | 49% |
Saturday, September 10, 2011
More Idaho Fun
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| On the way to Pocatello |
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| Hay! |
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| Post Office Roses |
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| Yes, dandelion. But cool! |
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| A & C on our hike the day after |
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| I like this sign |
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| Nordic ski area |
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| More dry foliage |
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| Crooked tree on the top of a mountain |
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| Redundant caption: National Forest |
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| Super hot. Super relaxing. |
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| Outside Lava Hot Springs waiting for "AAA" |
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| My surprise! |
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| The new fire trucks |
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| I had to leave him in Idaho |
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Pocatello Marathon
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| Number on the front! |
It was 43 degrees at 5 o'clock in the morning with a projected high of something like 77. Highs in the desert (dewpoint 24!) come about 5 in the evening. Perfect weather for running. C said that if we couldn't PR with this kind of weather and a downhill course, we never would.
There was a mixup with the bus company or the scheduling or the adding up of how many buses it takes to drive 608 people to the top of a mountain. Hint: it takes quite a few. ProTip: marathoners will get very anxious if they don't get to the start line with enough time to stand in line for the biff, take off their sweats, stow their bags with the truck, run through their mantras and line up where they think they need to be in order not to get trampled. The start was supposed to be 6:15, I got to the top of the mountain at 6:05, and Garmin had me starting at 6:23.
This marathon starts up at 6500 feet and drops 1400 feet over the first 13 miles. Then you stop running down the mountain and turn into town, running between mountain ranges (i.e. running the gap). Once the turn happens, the course only drops another 150 feet and there are some uphills. Hint: those who dwell near sea level are somewhat ill prepared to run uphill at altitude. Some of us can run downhill with the big boys, though.
My crazy plan involved starting with the 3:40 pace group and hanging on for as long as possible, then dropping back to the 3:50 group or maintaining 9 minute miles on my own. This was crazy for several reasons. (1) I hadn't timed any of my training runs, so I had no idea of how fast I'd been training. (2) I haven't really raced since before I broke my toe. (3) I have a bionic toe and didn't run from July to November last year, then not much at all until March. (4) I run "barefoot," i.e., with minimal shoe-ing, here a pair of moccasins with a 2mm sole between my feet and the ground. (5) a 3:40 marathon translates to 8:24 miles. (6) Baker's cyst, left knee, minimal running in April. (7) Did I mention altitude?
I didn't hear a gun or a siren, but suddenly the front of the pack was off, so we started running. The first mile seemed really slow. I wasn't breathing hard at all. Though my feet felt like they were turning over at a pretty good clip, I wasn't having any of the heart pounding lung stabbing dizzy breathlessness that I'd had the day before on my "easy" run (mile and a half up a mountain, then back down. ouch). I was really surprised when I looked and saw we'd run the first mile in 8:06. Huh. Ok.
I was talking with some of my fellow 3:40groupies while we ran down the mountain and waited for the sunrise. Some guy with an accent had run Twin Cities marathon twice. He called it brutal. We discussed the particular sadism of Summit hill after twenty miles. Another guy looked about the Firefighter's age and was cold at the start of the race. He was originally from Pocatello, but was living in Boulder. The pacer talked about having run Boston this year with a torn hamstring. Uh huh. The miles were just clicking by every 8 minutes or so. Still felt easy, no heavy breathing, nothing hurting.
I knew there was probably going to be some uphill about Mile 7 where there was an out and back section. We hadn't driven up it the day before. Sure enough, turn the corner, run UP. I hate the long, slow gradual hills in Minnesota. I vastly prefer the short, steep uphills I knew back in Wisconsin. Idaho takes this to a whole 'nother level. It didn't look that steep, but I felt myself dropping back, not being able to keep pace with the group. Breathing was hard. I let them get ahead of me, then caught them on the way back down. I knew that if I fell behind again, I probably wouldn't be able to catch up. I was having a really good time though, so at that point I didn't really care. During Mile 8, our pacer had to take a bathroom break, so she gave the "3:40" sign to the kid from Pocatello and took off for the water stop. The kid then revealed that not only could he not pace for the life of him, he didn't have a watch, either. The dude with the accent and I kept him on pace with our respective Garmin readings. Mile 8 turned out just fine, so I guess we did alright. I tried half an orange Gu then, and bleah. It didn't give me any gastrointestinal stress, but the consistency was disgusting. I stuck to water for the rest of the race.
I hit the half start line (and marathon midpoint) slightly behind the group, in what is a new PR for half for me. Now that I look at my splits, it might actually have been as fast at 1:45 or 1:46, but I was already getting a little fuzzy at that point. Though I started out too fast, I was running easy and slower than I'd run down the mountain the previous day. If anything, the pace group kept me slow enough to be able to finish the entire race.
I started looking for A at this point, knowing she'd have potato chips for me. I wasn't hungry, but once the course flattened out, I could feel myself slowing. I still had the pace group in sight through Mile 14, but when I saw A at Mile 15, they were pretty far ahead. I knew I wouldn't catch them, and told A that it was starting to hurt a little bit. Potato chips are yummy.
Most of the rest of the race is blurry, except for the wall of wind at Mile 19 when making another turn toward town and then walking up the hill at Mile 21 with a woman who'd started out with the 3:30 pace group. I felt a lot slower than my splits look. I guess I really didn't crap out until that hill, when it was hard to get started again. Miles 22 through 26 were pretty darn slow. My feet started to hurt and I wanted to run on the shoulder where the pavement was smoother, but I didn't have enough concentration left to avoid the little rocks that were everywhere. I was getting weirdly emotional, but never really hit the wall, just kind of slowed down to a crawl.
When I finally saw the finish line, I managed to kick, because I wasn't going to let any of those half marathoners beat me at the end. I kicked pretty well, too. The guy who handed me my medal said, "Hey, you came in here so fast we thought you were going to turn around and run the course again backwards!" I said, "Oh, hell no!" C and A cheered me in, I think I heard them, but didn't see them until they found me staggering around at the end. We lingered briefly, then headed to the brewery for lunch and well-deserved beers. C took 3rd place in her age group for the 5k. I was 17th out of 38 in my age group. Then, a nap and a massage, courtesy of A who got one for me at the salon where she's working. Then, more foods and sleep.
Mile 1 8:06
Mile 2 7:43
Mile 3 8:06
Mile 4 7:59
Mile 5 6:44 (this could be where I picked up that extra 1/2 mile)
Mile 6 7:18
Mile 7 8:23 (first uphill bit, foreshadowing of things to come)
Mile 8 8:11
Mile 9 8:32
Mile 10 8:08
Mile 11 8:07
Mile 12 8:06
Mile 13 8:37
13.1 Half split - Garmin says 1:45, actually more like 1:48?
Mile 14 8:14
Mile 15 8:55
Mile 16 9:31
Mile 17 10:41
Mile 18 10:07
Mile 19 9:45
Mile 20 10:12
Mile 21 11:14
Mile 22 12:21
Mile 23 11:29
Mile 24 12:01
Mile 25 12:30
Mile 26 12:28
0.2 pace 9:01
Time 4:11:50, for a 9:35 pace overall.
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