Don't Tread On Me?

Ran 2 miles in 14:30.

Not Real, But For the Record

Ran 5k today, in 22:24.

Energy Storage

One of the interesting points I've seen for a while about Peak Oil is that one way to think of the (probably inevitable, even if not imminent) transition away from complete dependence of our economy on fossil fuels to anything except nuclear power will entail a shift in importance from stocks to flows and a need to devise much better energy storage media.

Good Riddance

Another crappy game! Boo! Another game without injury! Yay! Our season is now over, so I'm trying to catch on with a weekend league instead of this weekday stuff. I have two leads, but I don't know how well they'll pan out. The problem is that there are usually more than enough men for both the coed and men-only leagues, so it can be tough to break into a team. And I've pretty much had it with being the team organizer for a bunch of adults unable to reliably show up in time to begin (or at all).

It seemed throughout the season that the other teams had a lot of younger players and solid females. We only had a few younger men and a pair of solid females, and only a couple of people in good enough shape for the rate of play (not me, unfortunately).

I'm going to try to get back into good cv fitness and work on the recovery aspects... Sprint-jog-sprint-jog for 25 minutes over an hour is rather different from the running I'd done in prep for the season (I was up to 2-4 miles at a stretch, generally around 7-7:30/mile, a few times per week). Since clearing my injury streak I've been doing about 2 miles' worth of intervals on 1:4 ratio of 5:7.5 minutes/mile. I'm thinking I'll go to a 1:3 ratio and push up the recovery rate a little bit, maybe extend to 3 miles' worth of intervals.

Realistically I probably need to get on an actual track or field and do windsprints as my high-intensity phases are already at the treadmill max and I ought to push for the high-phases to something more like my actual maximum speed.

Hot Enough For Me

It is a steamy time of year, here. The humidity, in particular, is rough, keeping the heat in until quite late. I wonder if we've been setting records lately. I know that we've been trending up in such swings:

But it is tough to say within the last several years (as opposed to the last decade) if that's the case.

UPDATE:

Apparently the ratio is definitely increasing even within the decade.

Useful Website

Measuring Worth: lots of inflation adjustments.

Adventures in Dentistry

Had a dental appointment this morning. It was brief and uncomfortable. The drilling wasn't a problem, as the dentist jabbed me about a dozen times with his numbing needles. However, he wedged my jaw open with something that looked like a small door-stopper, which was highly unpleasant. I do not have a flip-top head. Also fun was the delightful suction/spray-thingie constantly making me feel like I was being waterboarded.

"Waterboarded" is of course an exaggeration, but I didn't like it at all.

Ship Traffic Near BP Wildish Well

Here

Frustrating!

Played like crap last night. Once again avoided injury, though, so that's good.

Pictorial

Below is an aerial view of one of the venues we've played indoor soccer this season...

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It is colloquially referred to as "the Gunston Bubble." Lest you think the "Bubble" designation is unearned, see this other view...

View Larger Map

It is quite like playing in a greenhouse, too. Great fun in the muggy summer weather we've had the last few games.

Google Auto Suggest

When typing in "world's best" I get the following auto suggestions:

• world's best cat litter
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• world's best universities
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• world's best lasagna
• world's best soccer player
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A few nice straightforward suggestions... a few less so. Damn this is a compelling cat litter review! Holy crap what a rebate! This coupon... is the best deal I've ever gotten on cat litter!

New Multifeed Link

Click here for oil-spewing goodness!

Forgotten How

I've more or less forgotten how to play chess. I still know the rules, and basically what is going on, but my (admittedly never razor-sharp) Spidey Sense has disappeared. I used to enjoy playing quite a bit, and even got somewhat good for a few months in college, playing with a post doc in the physics department at U of O. Now, however, I have downloaded a little chess app for the iPod, and reliably lose at just its third level of difficulty. Moreover, it is due to mortifying stupidity!

Delicious

I made a grilled pepper and beet and bacon salad as a side dish tonight. With a honey-balsalmic vinegarette. It was really good. Roughly, I julienned each, then grilled them (on the Foreman grill). Used 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 bell pepper, and three steamed beets. This was slightly too much bacon. You'll want to make this bacon crispy, and develop a bit of char if possible, here and there.

Winning Streak Fail

We had a makeup game for our previously abandoned match (caused by a power outage at the facility) last night. It was my team's last choice of time/date. In fact, it was the worst option for which we could literally field a team, and that with just two men and four women. We had a straggler male arrive with about 20 minutes left in the second half. So I'm pretty tired; I was our team's only outfield male player (the other guy played in goal) for a full 30 minutes. That's too much for me right now, really.

Fortunately no injuries or problems other than fatigue. I guess I have a good bruise forming on my instep where a got his heel-studs in the way of my shot. Ouchie for me. I scored again, but overall was too gassed to play very well after the first 20 minutes.

Think We Have Coaching Problems?

From here:

The serious qualification is the Grade A UEFA license, at which level Spain have 750 qualified and England 150. Of those, 640 of the Spanish Grade A licensed coaches work with children and youth players, compared to none in England.

Well, I don't know, honestly, what boat we're in. Hard information about USSF operations is hard to come by.

Bad Calls

With all the bad calls in the World Cup, the head of FIFA has said that the question of "using technology" to assist in officiating will be reopened after being rejected some time ago. Some fancy-pants former player of great stature has, in response, said that "goal-line" technology and video review should not be used, but extra refs would possibly be okay.

Well, of course that's what he's going to say. He can drum up more work for his friends that way!

Google Auto Suggest

When typing in "How long i" I get the following auto suggestions:

• How long is the w&od bike trail
• How long is the great wall of China
• How long is a 5k
• How long is a marathon
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Wow. How long is a 5k? What color was Napoleon's white horse?

Done Returned

Yester-evening I played on my indoor soccer team for the first time since in about six weeks. Between the never-ending quad injuries and then my back spasm, I've been spending a lot of frustrating time on the sidelines. Mostly organizing subs and acting as a hortator.

It went well, despite the fact that I was weak and giddy from not eating until too late and then eating too little. I hate that feeling, don't you? I could tell while warming up (something I did a lot of today) that the fitness I'd built up has decayed alarmingly, too.

We won, something like 8-5. I scored a brace (on three shots), and had a pair of assists too! Should have been three of each, but I was robbed by a brilliantly lucky deflection by a lunging defender (another goal) and then a poor control of my through-ball by one of my team-mates.

Best of all: I feel pretty good this morning. No twinges in the back, no problems in the quads. I didn't really unload on any shots or passes or anything, though. Figure I should take it easy for a while longer, maybe do some purposeful additional rehab-type exercises.

Google Auto Suggest

When typing in "What is this o" I get auto suggestions that say:

• What is this object
• What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us
• What is this of which you speak
• What is this on my lip
• What is this old man about
• What is this on the impossible test
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• What is this oil spill
• What is this octopus thinking

This isn't as funny of a list as the last one. I guess herpes is just intrinsically funny.