Monday, December 22, 2008

Beethoven's Egmont Overture

Beethoven's Egmont Overture has been one of my favorite overtures.  It was one of the pieces Aimee's youth orchestra (back in Manhasset, NY - the Children's Orchestra Society) played.

The YouTube clip below is of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic dating back to 1985.  Program notes by Dr. Beth Fleming (for a much more recent performance follows).



Program notes by Dr. Beth Fleming.
Ludwig van Beethoven (b. Bonn, Germany December 16, 1770; d. Vienna, Austria March 26, 1827)
  • Egmont Overture - 1809-1810
Beethoven was fascinated with the concept of individual freedom.  His life was spent struggling to compose what he wanted, when he wanted, despite the dictates of demanding patrons.  His music itself is a testament to creative freedom.  Born in a time when strictly formal outlines were the musical norm, Beethoven found unique, innovative ways to escape these constraints.  As a body of music, his works expanded form and harmony and instrumentation, continuously broadening the scope of his very personal musical expression.

When a commission to provide a music score for Goethe’s Egmont was offered in 1809 for the first Viennese performance of the play, Beethoven eagerly snatched up the opportunity.   An admirer of Goethe’s writings, he was particularly drawn by Egmont’s subject: the struggle for freedom.  Goethe’s play depicts the Spanish persecution of the people of the Netherlands during the inquisition of 1567-68.  Count Egmont, a Catholic who is loyal to the Spanish, nevertheless sees the injustice of their actions and pleads for tolerance from the Spanish King.  Greatly displeased, the King sends the cruel Duke of Alva to command the Spanish forces in the Netherlands to do the King’s will.  Egmont is arrested and sentenced to death.  Yet he knows that rebellion is in progress, and firmly believes that soon the people will be free.   

A performance of Beethoven’s complete incidental music for Egmont, including two songs and several orchestral interludes, would take approximately 40-45 minutes. It is seldom heard today in its entirety; but the Overture is a staple in the concert hall repertoire because of its strength, nobility, and triumphal character.  Still incomplete for the play’s initial performance with music in May of 1810, it was first heard at the fourth performance of the drama on June 15, 1810. 

The Overture begins in a somber and serious mood.  Marked Sostenuto ma non troppo, or sustained, without hurry, the dark music of the opening conveys profound oppression of the spirit, and the opening motive clearly represents the ominous tyrant of the play.  Soon the    tempo picks up, speeding into a vigorous Allegro featuring the cellos; and we hear the hero’s onfidence and heroic defiance as he descends into the depths of battle.  The tyrant’s motive from the introduction evolves throughout the overture, becoming increasingly rhythmic and dark until at last Egmont’s execution can be heard.  Immediately the mood of the work turns triumphant and celebratory, featuring the strings in the highest register and the shimmering sound of the piccolo.  The music embodies Egmont’s conviction that death is not an end when hope thrives and ideals remain intact.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Seattle Marathon 2008

On 11/30/2008, Kevin ran his longest race to date - the Seattle Half Marathon ... in Vibram Five Fingers ... finishing in 1:34:53, good for 188th out of 6,000+. Not bad considering his half marathon pace was faster than his Bolder Boulder 10K (Memorial Day) pace.

I struggled through the Marathon, finishing in 4:49. Had an attack of gout the night before! At least I finished the race, my 26th marathon or longer race.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Highlands Ranch Turkey Trot

Kevin, along with a number of TRXC mates ran in today's Highlands Ranch 5K Turkey Trot ... his first race wearing Vibram Five Fingers Sprint.
As ugly as they are in picture, they are even uglier in real life. To keep his feet from freezing (race time temperature was 44F), he wore a pair of Injinji's.
MrK started running barefooted when I was in the Sahara. After a couple of weeks, we went up to Boulder to pick up a pair of the Five Fingers. He'll be running the Seattle Half Marathon in them this coming Sunday (Nov 30.)

Kevin finished the Turkey Trot in 20:15, good for 39th place out of 975. Last year he finished in 24:18.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The New Yorker Archive

The complete archive of The New Yorker, dating back to 1925, is now available in their website - http://www.newyorker.com/archive ... a tremendous resource for long time New Yorker readers. In the past the entire archive was available through DVDs and/or a special external hard drive.

The search functionality seem to be less than great though. One of the first searches I did was for "Ved Metha", a blind Indian writer who had a series of Personal History articles throughout the 1980s. The search turned up nothing. However, searching on "blind indian" brought up links to abstracts of the articles.

Clicking on a link takes you to an abstracts page ... from where you can click on a link that takes you to the actual scanned copy of the magazine ... advertisements and all. You need to log in first ... subscribers to the magazine have free access.

The below is a sample from the November 1, 1941 issue.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Parable of the Talents

The Gospel last Sunday (Nov 16, 2008) was "The Parable of the Talents" - Matthew 25:14-30 (text below).

Although I've heard this gospel many times over the years, Sunday's reading agitated me somewhat. Maybe it was because of the recently concluded elections and the vocal anti-Obama bishops and archbishops (especially the ones in Colorado), or maybe it was because of the ongoing financial crisis - triggered in part by people who took great risks trying to turn their 'talents' into mega-talents.

It's scary to think that there are many literalists out there who take the "written word" as "gospel" and justify all sorts of immoral, unethical actions.

Here's the gospel:
13 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. 19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Friday, November 7, 2008

Clips from the Sahara Race

One of the great pleasures of stage races like the Sahara Race is hanging with tentmates in between stages. A lot of lazing around in tents recovering from the day's run, mending feet, etc.

The clip below is of Carlos doing a flamenco on Ram's back.

Clips of camp life ...

Mending of feet ...

Stage 5 (100K stage) course briefing from Zac ...

Just past the 4th checkpoint of long stage (100K) ...

Last few meters of the long stage ... 23 hours after the start!

Life after the long stage ... including Carlos' chilled lemonade (Bedouin chilling) ...

Post-long stage gathering ... birthday celebration and some special pastries ...

The finish!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Home Sweet Home!

Great to be back home ... made it in late last night ... and as good as it is to travel, coming back home to Colorado is the best!

Lots of stories to write up but for now the picture below of our tent (click on it for larger picture) will have to do as well as pictures from this link - http://picasaweb.google.com/jamessiychow/SaharaRace.

Front row (l to r) Carlos Garcia-Prieto (Spain), Laura Corti (Italy), Miho Okabe (Japan). Back row (l to r) me (USA), Nina Breith (Germany - winner of the womens division), Peter Ball (Australia), Ram (USA), Emanuel Gallo (Italy), Eberhard Frixe (Germany).

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sahara Race stage update site

Leaving tomorrow. Hard to believe it's finally here. Denver - Salt Lake City - Paris - Cairo ... total travel time of 20:05 --- considerably less than last year's marathon getting to Kashgar.

Here's a link to the Racing the Planet 4Deserts' Sahara Race Stage Updates page - http://www.4deserts.com/sahararace/rtpsrtp.php?SID=3&SBID=RC5

Here's the "Email a Competitor" link - http://www.4deserts.com/sahararace/rtpsrtp.php?SID=3&SBID=RC14. Please do send me an email!

Land of the Pyramids

Here's an interesting clip from the Travel Film Archives, a 1951 clip entitled "Land of the Pyramids". Apart from the pyramids themselves, I'm quite sure Cairo will look vastly different. Then again, last year in Kashgar, there were large sections of the city that apparently looked like it did back in the days when it was a major city along the Old Silk Route.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Gen. Powell in the other day's (10/19/2008) Meet the Press

Not that it'll make a difference in how we vote (especially since we already mailed in our votes), but Gen. Colin Powell's appearance at the 10/19/2008 Meet the Press (with Tom Brokaw) was pretty good.

Velcro'd Cascadias

Picked up my newly velcro'd Brooks Cascadias from the Shoe Repair guy - he did a fantastic job gluing velcro strips along the sides of the shoes. The Racing the Planet gaiters fit snuggly over the shoes, firmly latched on ... hard to imagine any sand making it into the shoes!

I now have everything I need for the Sahara Race. The only things left to do are pack my post-race clothes and gather up all the paperwork and documents. Two days to go!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Indian Summer along the Highline Canal

We've been blessed this weekend with gorgeous Indian Summer weather. The mid-morning stroll along the Highline Canal was absolutely fantastic ... the cottonwoods were resplendent in their fall outfits with a symphony of rustling leaves providing appropriate accompaniment.

Current forecasts call for unsettled weather in a couple of days, quite possibly bringing the season's first snowfall by Wednesday. Hopefully the weather doesn't affect my travel plans as I leave Wednesday for Cairo (by way of Salt Lake City and Paris.)

As I write this post, I have a slide show of pictures taken from today's walk playing in the background ... as is Schubert's Trout (courtesy of Danish internet radio) ... even as the late afternoon sun streams through the room's window. Moments like these, it's hard not to feel blessed!

Twas a good short visit by Aimee. Mother and daughter spent a lot of time together with no fighting and no biting!! It was the first time in a long time that the entire family was together - Cyn home for the weekend from Bentonville and Aimee from NY. It was also the first time that I can remember where our lunchtime (at Sonoda's) conversation focused on politics. As a family we're all on the same page. Aimee heads back to NY tomorrow.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Kevin's Cross Country Season in review

The clip is of Kevin's 2008 ThunderRidge HS Cross Country season in review.  All in all it was a very good season for MrK.  He ran a couple of races with the varsity squad, the rest with the JV squad.   

Coach Paisley was incredible ... he got kids and parents to run at least three times a week during the summer months - his "Trail Running Club", setting the kids up for a good season.  

Hopefully he'll keep running throughout the fall and winter months ... ahead of the track season in the spring.

Although MrK isn't too keen on Springsteen's Born to Run, the clip starts off with it and finishes off with Bruce Hornsby/Bela Fleck's The Valley Road.

Equipment Checklist and pack weight

4 days to departure date ... except for my trail shoes and my race cap/cape, everything has been weighed, accounted for, and ready for pack stuffing. The total pack weight comes to 24.6 lbs. I expect to have approximately 2.5 liters of water with me, adding another 5.5 lbs to the pack for a projected pack weight of 30.1 lbs at the start of the race. Needless to say, that's a lot of weight to be lugging around ... but it'll get lighter as I eat my way through my supplies.

Click on the pictures below for greater detail.

I took my Brooks Cascadias to a shoe repair place yesterday and am scheduled to pick them up on Monday. The cobbler said that the velcro strip could not be sewn into the rubber, so at best he'll try to glue the strip ... the wildcard being the velcro strip isn't rubber backed, so there's a chance that the strip won't stick that well to the shoes. He at first didn't know what to make of my request and even after showing him how the sand gaiters will be latched to the shoes via velcro, he remained perplexed until I told him I was going to be running a race in the Sahara desert. Needless to say, he thought I was nuts to be doing such a thing.

Cyn got me three white bandanas which will be fashioned into a cape that'll be velcro'd onto my RMRR cap. The cape will allow me to completely cover my face in the event of a sandstorm. Like my shirt, the bandanas are cotton ... the better to retain moisture. Hopefully I didn't miscalculate the benefits of cotton in the desert!!

I'll stuff the pack with the absolute minimum required gear - so as to be able to handcarry the pack during the trip ... and once in Cairo, I will repack for the race itself. With stops in Salt Lake City and Paris before arriving in Cairo, I don't want to leave to the mercy of airline baggage systems any of my race essentials.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Please Vote for Me

Please Vote for Me is an hour long documentary set in Wuhan, China. The blurb from the PBS site ---

An experiment in democracy is taking place in Wuhan, the most populous city in central China. For the first time ever, the students in grade three at Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan, China have been asked to elect a class monitor. Traditionally appointed by the teacher, the class monitor holds a powerful position, helping to control the students, keeping them on task and doling out punishment to those who disobey. The teacher has chosen three candidates: Luo Lei (a boy), the current class monitor; Cheng Cheng (a boy); and Xu Xiaofei (a girl). Each candidate is asked to choose two assistants to help with his or her campaign.

To prove their worthiness, the candidates must perform in three events. First is a talent show, where each candidate plays an instrument or sings a song. Second is a debate, in which the candidates bring up the shortcomings of their opponents as well as their own personal qualifications. And finally, each candidate must deliver a speech, an opportunity to appeal directly to classmates and ask for their votes.

At home, each of the children is coached by his or her parents and pushed to practice and memorize for each stage of the campaign. Although their parents are supportive, the candidates feel the pressure. Tears and the occasional angry outburst reveal the emotional impact. At school, the candidates talk to classmates one-on-one, making promises, planning tactics (including negative ones) and at times expressing doubts about their own candidacies.

For all three children, the campaign takes its toll, especially for the losing candidates and their assistants. Viewers are left to decide if the experiment in democracy has been “successful” and what it might mean for democracy education in China. PLEASE VOTE FOR ME challenges those committed to China’s democratization to consider the feasibility of, and processes involved in, its implementation.


The PBS YouTube site has a short preview of the documentary -




It was interesting to note that -

  • concepts of democracy and the role of the individual in selecting one's "leader" was taught at a Chinese 3rd grade class. If these concepts and ideas continue to be taught in later grades, democracy will stand a much greater chance of taking root.
  • the involvement of Chinese parents in their child's life seem, by Western standards, overwhelming ... but not any different from that I myself experienced growing up (albeit, being one of 8 kids, made the attention somewhat less than laser-focused.)
  • the flag ceremony and singing of patriotic type songs undoubtably foster a strong sense of national pride amongst the Chinese. They might fight each other at a micro level but are one at the macro level.
  • the standard of living (at least of those featured in the documentary) was high. The elementary school looked very modern, very well equipped, the kids all colorfully dressed in attires that would blend in in any American school.
  • elections even at a very small scale can be dirty!
  • the documentary wasn't banned or denounced by the Chinese government.

The documentary is available in the Netflix Instant Viewing feature. It's well worth spending the hour to catch it.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Premier Zhou's Chifa Burrito

Premier Zhou's Chifa Burritos - a possible future venture. The concept draws on the Chipolte concept of offering good portable food ... but with a Chinese twist.

Menu offerings could run the gamut of Chinese foods, all wrapped up in a nice tidy burrito.

The regular and special offerings can be incredibly diverese ... and can include all sorts of famous (and infamous) historical persons and events, e.g., the Henry Kissinger spicy beef and twice fried noodles burrito, the Gang of Four drunken chicken in a bed of shredded lettuce and spicy tofu burrito, etc.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Race pack

With only 11 days to go before leaving for Cairo, it's crunch time in re making sure everything that's needed is on hand. A few loose ends still need to be taken care of - disposable contact lenses, sewing a velcro strip across the sides of my trail shoes (Brooks Cascadia) for the sand gaiters to latch on, sewing the required 4Deserts patches and the American flag patches onto my "official" race shirt ... which happens to be an old 100% cotton button down office shirt.

Throughout late spring and summer I tried many different types of shirts, including REI's Sahara 
technical travel shirt. Unfortunately the pack straps left ugly piling marks all over the shirts. It then dawned on me that the old 100% cotton dress shirts were probably a much better idea ... and after trying one out found it to be the perfect desert shirt. It had all the necessary qualities - white, long sleeved, light, abrasion resistant, retained water (a real plus in dry desert heat!!) During a 3 week stretch, I wore the shirt - unwashed - run after run after run. Needless to say, the shirt looked incredibly filthy after ... but ... after one wash it was spotlessly white again and none the worse for wear.
I "accessorized" the shirt with iron patches but didn't do a very good job of ironing them on, so Aimee's picture was somewhat messed up (bummer!) On the right side I have the Qwest logo, the Rocky Mountain Road Runners logo, Premier Zhou's Chifa Burritos logo. On the left, Kevin, Cyn, and Aimee above the Ateneo logo (placed in the Grade School uniform location.)   The back of shirt, in the center beneath the collar I have the RMRR 50th Anniversary logo and a somewhat smudged running Sydney.  I thought about including patches of the Atacama Crossing and the Gobi March as well but given the smudgey results of the other patches, I gave up on the idea.  The shirt's pretty well marked up now anyway.

Although I'm not 100% certain that I'll actually take all this food with me during the race, I'll be taking the entire lot with me to Egypt. I have 13 double serve packages of Mountain House freeze dried food; 15 GUs, 7 packs of Sports Jelly Beans, 8oz beef jerky, 7 packs of Gatorade powder, 7 packs of salted roasted almonds. The entire lot weighs a tad over 14lbs - almost the entire pack weight of some of the competitors!

Sad to say but at both the Atacama Crossing and the Gobi March, I brought as much food and ate every bit of it ... and still lost 15lbs in the process. The hotter temperatures in the Sahara will more than likely curb my appetite ... and I'd really hate to be carrying a lot more than I need.

I will be using the same Osprey pack I used in the Gobi March. After all the runs and walks I've taken with it, it's as molded to my body as my body is molded to it!

I'll be taking the same REI subkilo sleeping bag ... rather than spend more $ for a much lighter one ... after all, it's been with me to Chile and China ... can't not take it with me to Egypt.

All told, my pack without water will weigh at least 24lbs - unless I cut back the amount of food I bring. With water the pack will weigh in at around 27-28lbs ... far too heavy to allow me to move along faster than last year. Oh well ...
I also have a replacement stuffed dobe which will ride the top of my pack. Maybe there'll be some lucky Eyptian kid who'll end up with it ... just like the Tajik kid did during the Gobi March (end of the second stage whilst we were in the Tajik villager's place.)




Friday, October 10, 2008

Sahara Race Press Release ...

Subject: Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008: Press Release
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:09:19 -0400
From: RacingThePlanet

Competitors from thirty countries are expected for the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008, the third leg of the 4 Deserts series; a record field from six continents will participate, with top endurance athletes coming from Africa, North America, Asia and Europe.

The third leg of the 4 Deserts, also known as the "Race of No Return," is scheduled to begin on Sunday, 26 October in the remote Sahara Desert in Egypt. The Sahara Race 2008 will feature 170 competitors from thirty countries, 32 of whom are female. This year's event will take place between Bahariya and Farafra Oases. These oases are famed for the mummies discovered and for the unique white chalk formations that dot the landscape.

This year's Sahara Race again features some of the best endurance athletes in the world, as well as many who simply want to finish and raise money for a great cause. The field includes recent Gobi March 2008 champion, Ryan N. Sandes of South Africa; best-selling author and "Ultramarathon Man," Dean N. Karnazes of the United States; Gobi March 2006 champion, Byeung Sik Ahn of Korea; ex-Gurkha Rob D. James of Hong Kong; and eight-time Badwater veteran, 73-year-old Jack E. Denness of the United Kingdom, who is also the oldest in the event. The youngest in the event is 21-year-old Jon C. Miller of Canada.

The six teams participating include: Team Egypt – the first-ever local team from Egypt; Team Stanton from the United Kingdom; Team SiPA/Teko Socks from Denmark; Team Memento Vivere, an all female team from Wisconsin in the United States; Team Pura Vida, a mixed team from the United Kingdom; and Team Polar Bears, also from the United Kingdom.

The Sahara Race is the hottest in the 4 Deserts series with temperatures frequently reaching more than 45 degrees Celsius or 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Competitors will be required to pass through up to 30 checkpoints over six stages carrying all their own food, clothing and equipment for the week. The terrain will incorporate sand dunes, plateaus and oases along the course. Competitors must complete up to 250 kilometers, with Stage 5 expected to be nearly 100 kilometers; this stage is known as the "Black Desert March."

Competitors in the Sahara Race will have access to a cybertent which will feature fifteen Intel-powered aidstation laptops. RacingThePlanet has utilized these laptops for the past year, testing and validating the devices for use in rural schools. The laptops have become a key resource for the event. Breaking news from the field will be sent utilizing these Intel-powered laptops and BGAN satellites. The Pepsi-Cola Company (Egypt) will be supplying more than 10,000 bottles (1.5 liter) of water for the Sahara Race. The Pepsi-Cola Company (Egypt) has been involved with the Sahara Race since 2006. RacingThePlanet, the organizer of the Sahara Race, has raised US$45,000 to support a first-ever Operation Smile medical mission in Cairo, Egypt.

Throughout the world, Operation Smile medical volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate sustainable healthcare systems for children and families. Through RacingThePlanet and 4 Deserts events, more than US$500,000 has been raised for Operation Smile. The Sahara Race will be covered by the international media, with television shows produced for the leading networks in Korea including KBS and TBC, and with footage supplied to TransWorld Sports (IMG) for broadcast in more than 80 countries.

Website coverage of the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008 can be found at www.4deserts.com/sahararace featuring hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals, video clips, field updates and full results.

About RacingThePlanet RacingThePlanet Events Limited organizes the world's most prestigious outdoor events of their kind. RacingThePlanet® is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food, are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.

RacingThePlanet is international; the events typically involve competitors from over 20 different countries who are able to mingle around the campfires and in their geographically mixed tents. Currently the events consist of the 4 Deserts, a series which encompasses the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert of Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica, and a fifth event which roves to a new location each year. RacingThePlanet also maintains an online store which carries only the best products for endurance events, travel and the outdoors. The store can be found at http://www.racingtheplanet.com/. RacingThePlanet is headquartered in Hong Kong with representative offices in Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, Israel, South Africa, Chile, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Brazil.

-- RacingThePlanet, where athletic frontiers begin
info@racingtheplanet.com
http://www.racingtheplanet.com/
-- 4 Deserts, the race of no return
RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009
http://www.4deserts.com/

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Nixon's Trip to China - The National Security Archive

George Washington University's The National Security Archive site is chockful of incredibly fascinating declassified material.

The documents related to Nixon's trip to China are especially interesting, the main page of which can be found through this link - http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB106/press.htm

Numerous pdfs of scanned "Memorandum of Conversation" transcripts of meetings with Dr. Kissinger, Pres. Nixon, Prime Minister Zhou and others provide insight into high stakes diplomacy at the highest levels of government.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Gobi March 2007

Here's a collection of pictures from the Gobi March, June 17 -23, 2007 ... my second 4Deserts event.

The event was held in the Kashgar (Kashi) region of China. Kashgar is an old Silk Route city in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region westernmost China.

Carl Koecher and Ram Sethuram joined me in this 250K, 6-stage, 7-day self-supported adventure.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Aimee's Brahms Violin Concerto

Here's a clip of Aimee's rendition of Brahms' Violin Concerto with the CU-Boulder Orchestra in Macky Auditorium in Boulder, CO. The actual concerto runs approximately 44 minutes. (There a considerable amount of "dead space" following the concerto.)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Clip on Mom ... by Frank for Mom's 80th

Frank put together this "Mom's life in pictures" for her 80th birthday celebration back in June 2005.


Kilimanjaro song

The clip was taken back in Feb 2003, the morning after summiting Kilimanjaro ... shortly after giving the guides and porters tips and other goodies ... I distributed several dozen ballpoint pens - a surprisingly sought after commodity.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Structured Procastination

Interesting read on "structured procastination" as a way of dealing with procastination -
http://structuredprocrastination.com/

A related article from the 2008/09/30 WSJ entitled "How to Put Off Work -- Constructively" - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122271006404086393.html

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Internet Radio of choice

Danish internet radio site is a great one for a wide range of music genres - http://www.dr.dk/radio/

Of the different channels, the two I most often listen to are DR Klassisk and DR Jazz. Good stuff.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Sydney-Samson (from Nov 1, 2003)

A 5:28 wmv clip of Sydney being tormented by Samson (Nov. 1, 2003.)

Almost 5 years later, Sydney's an old lady at a little over 7 years, and Samson has been a Nashvillian since last year.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Atacama Crossing 2006 wmv

Here's a wmv clip of my first 4Deserts race, the Atacama Crossing 2006:

24 and counting ...


Only 24 days to go before I leave for the Sahara Race.

Unlike my previous desert events (Atacama in 2006, Gobi in 2007), the Sahara Race brings an element of security uncertainties but hasn't dampened the growing enthusiasm for the event.

The Sept. 6 landslide in one of the poorest and most densely populated sections of Cairo earlier this month killed hundreds, resulting in anger at the government to boil over.

A couple of weeks later, a group of European tourists and Egyptian guides were kidnapped and taken over the border to Sudan.

Sahara Race competitors did get a "reassuring" email from Racing the Planet on Sept. 23 ...

Dear Competitors and Volunteers,

Per recent news reports, 19 people were kidnapped from a remote area near the Gilf al-Kebir plateau, which is situated some 750 km from Aswan and close to the Libyan and Sudanese borders. The captured group includes five Italians, five Germans and a Romanian, along with eight Egyptians. It is believed that they were all moved into Sudan.

Reports are still unclear as to who is responsible for the incident and information is still filtering in. However experts believe this to be an isolated incident possibly carried out by smugglers or bandits and not a planned act of terrorism. Egyptian officials say contact has been made with the kidnappers in Sudan, and that they are seeking a ransom.

At this stage we do not feel there is any reason to panic or to worry about general safety of our competitors, staff and volunteers to Egypt. As always, we put safety first. All our convoys are secured and escorted by government security personnel and local police patrols -- 4x4 vehicle patrols are with us at all times in the Sahara. This kidnapping is an individual incident that has never before happened in Egypt. We have also attached a map to show you the general location of the kidnapping and where the Sahara Race will take place. Please email us with any questions at all.


Kind regards,

Zac Addorisio
RacingThePlanet, where athletic frontiers begin
www.racingtheplanet.com