The Royce Files

2008 will be the smallest output from the RoyceFiles since its inception unless I crank out something like 20 posts today. I've actually been doing some micro-blogging with Twitter this year that may have taken a toll on the real blog. As I remember it, the year began with a slight injury I obtained playing soccer in December of 2007. There were a few days I couldn't walk very easily. Also in January, I started my music making group. We studied music (and worship) related things and then jammed. I'm not sure if it caused the number of music team to double at HCC but it may be related. If there is anything that could claim to be on the forefront of 2007 for myself it was film/video. I purchased equipment for a mini-studio in late winter and early spring. I filmed 4 short subjects this year. One of which has yet to be edited (its tenatively called Glory Rolled ). None of them had a wide release. I also was on crew and cast for a 48 Hour Film Fest team ( Team Testudo ) in t...

I find myself in St. Cloud this morning. I decided not to take a long jaunt home after I got an extremely late start (8:45 PM). I stayed at a Travelodge in St. Cloud . It was small but quaint. It had a flat panel TV and wireless internet plus a little breakfast. Overall, it was a good stay and Priceline certainly helped me get a bargain. William Shatner you are the best! As a special Christmas treat I've got a link to a Jack Benny Christmas radio show which you can download or listen to online. The Jack Benny programs are gems of the Golden Age of Radio and the Christmas programs are especially memorable. For a number of years they kept doing a Christmas shopping routine where Jack (who has a reputation for being cheap and miserly) would buy a gift for his annoucer Phil only to constantly need to change something about it thereby driving the clerk mad. In this program Jack is Christmas shopping for shoelaces for Phil.

Here we are again On the cusp of December's end 2008 went by in a flash Yet a few words I will dash To send greetings and merriment your way For this fine Christmas Day And let one not forget It is better to give than to get Yet even better still, a son came for prophecy to fufill To beget life which we could not have And to point us to the narrow path So may this day bring you much mirth As we together remember Jesus' Birth Merry Christmas everybody. are you good?

On November 1st I was treated to this incredible tribute to myself. Although I had very little to do with the making of this video (I think many of the ideas were lifted from some conversations.) it literally screams with my imprint even if I was portrayed as a sinister friend. It's got 3 parts. I'm embedding the 1st part on the blog. But please check out the whole thing. It is a very cleverly put together movie.

Look what Intramural Glory started! Roane State Community college has a 73 year old guard. Read about it in those New York Times baby! So does IM get a cut of any money made on this venture. I mean it was IM's idea, right? Remember Ace Schoenrock ? So this must be one of those reality becomes even more reality stories.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you will have a bountiful day and reflect on the many privileges and rights we may take for granted in the States. Is it not odd that a day for gratefulness and prayer (at least the original intention seemed to include prayer) precedes possibly the most consumeristic day of the year. Now this holiday is know for its meal and what follows- sales and Christmas. It seems that most Thanksgiving lore was taught in our elementary schools. It always included those 'hand' turkey and making a paper pilgrim hat. If you were fortunate you would of heard about the cornucopia, that old goat's horn which spewed forth the fruit of the earth. Legend has it that Zeus was raised by a wild goat and accidentally broke her horn off. In remorse, the Greek god returned the horn but gave it super powers such that whoever possessed it would receive whatever he or she wished for. Eventually the item also known as horn of plenty became associated with harvest and thus found i...

Looks like Dobson's political arm dropped a whole arsenal out just before the election with this letter from the future . I read through it and it definitely arouses your emotions. I surmise the evilest word to Dobson's organization is liberal. It is a rather imaginative perspective and I would almost classify it at Dobson's worst-case scenarios. I guess we could crucify the Focus on the Family Guy for such a document but he's got every right to say these things. Here's sort of a rebuttal from Neue . The rebuttal doesn't really contend with one of Dobson's main reasons the things detailed in the letter happen- Supreme Court. In fact I am a bit disappointed that it failed to address it. I agree Jesus definitely overcame through love. Yet there are some episodes I wonder about like the clearing of the temple or the woes to the Pharisees. The responses to the arcticle round out the discussion. So now that Obama has been elected- what now? Are those who do not s...

Not much else to say but birthday salutations to a remarkable man . I suspect, however, he would rather be remembered at one who obeyed God and faithfully communicated the message of the cross to millions. I never had the opportunity to see him live although he was in the Twin Towns for a crusade in the 90s while I lived in the neighborhood. I read a biography and the autobiography 10 years ago. I remember giving Just as I am as a wedding gift to somebody back then as well. I supported the BGEA for a few years and listened to their radio magazine program Decision Today. It is no longer produced. What inspired me about him is that he has been able to bridge the partisan gap. In is autobiography and other places Graham has stated he is a Democrat. He is respected by those from both sides of aisle while not endorsing any political candidates. I guess that shows the Gospel supercedes the political divides- although I think it has much to say to say about politics. A biopic came out a mon...

Our envisioning of Blue Man Group. We only had about an hour to get ready so we were not picture perfect to say the least. I was surprised that the bald cap took the make up so well. I had more time I would have done the bald cap properly with spirit gum and latex. I only got it a little. As the night progressed the blue began to dissipate and wear off. We won no prizes. In fact some did not know who we were portraying. I guess we need PVC instruments. Getting the make-up off was a task in itself but having cold cream made it a little easier. I might do this again someday but probably not any time soon.

H allow's Eve came and went without much fanfare. Well actually I could mention the weather, which finally was not near freezing. The temperatures approached the upper 60s and made masquerading out of doors more pleasant than previous years. I recall once during my childhood that a snowstorm dumped tons of snow and school was canceled. I think that 3 weeks later most of the snow disappeared. Again I attend my company's costume party the previous evening. There were some real excellent costumes. Someone had literally transformed herself into Flavor Flav from Public Enemy. The resemblance was uncanny. The Captain, Tasha, and I went as the Blue Man Group . As the night wore on, we became less and less blue. Tasha took her make up off after almost 2 hours. Next year we'll do something without the make-up. On the 31st I decided to do a little biking early in the night. I didn't see too many people out. Probably no more than 20. I went back home, ate dinner, then walked downt...

The audition process was long and competitive but I wholeheartedly but myself into it. The crowd energized me and I summoned those memories of discos from days of yore and then the hardhat fell off. In fact back in high school I won a disco dancing contest. This was long before Napoleon Dynamite pulled that stunt. I forget what I won but I suspect it was an LP of some kind. I was not sure I'd make the cut. I tried to put it out of mind. But then I started to imagine doing "Macho Man" and having scores.....then it I heard it- my name. I ran to the stage, accepted, and joined the others in a rousing rendition of "In the Navy" followed by the barn burner "YMCA." It was out of this world. Disco is stayin' alive!

On October 1st the Captain and I hosted a little Pod Reunion BBQ at lunch. The whole pod plus the adjunct and new pod members were able to attend. James unfortunately was not there for the pictures. With the fall weather co-operating, we devoured brats and hot dogs and even some Andouille Sausage (thanks to Matt) at the plaza behind my workplace. I had been wanting to do this for a while but finally had the time to plan it. I think the Pod had great time and it felt great to bless some people. Unfortunately I forgot the NKTOB cups for the root beer. The Pod in the picture is as follows (L 2 R) Tasha, Matt, Beth, and The Captain.

I had intended this Autumn holiday at Breezy Point to be one where I could do plenty of writing. The only problem- no particular place to write in the unit. The best place to write would have been the kitchen but the loud television made that absolutely impossible. I tried to make a nightstand into a desk in the bedroom. No go. It fit the laptop but was just a bit cramped. I did research instead- reading Christmas stories from the Guidepost book I referred to a few entries before. In the past I have written quite a bit at Breezy Point. But blockage kept me from the task. I wonder if Sinclair Lewis experienced any writing blockage the summer he spent at Breezy Point? Apparently we was able to write Elmer Gantry during his stay: Sinclair Lewis during the early Breezy era, rented a cabin on Pelican one summer and wrote his novel Elmer Gantry. His book would become a movie and take its place among the finest of American literary achievements. One family member close to the Lewis-era in t...

I suspect many of you may know or have heard of Ralph Nader. He's been a part of every Presidential election of this century and is an outspoken critic of corporations but a advocate for consumers. I wrote a few days ago that Ralph was coming to my town. I was unable to see him due to that lost keys fiasco (they are still missing.) A friend of mine did attend the rally and said Ralph was top notch. I just read an interview with him done by Amy Goodman back in June. Amy pretty much does a good job of getting Ralph to discuss lots of his positions. [ed. note Amy Goodman would generally be characterized as far left liberal or perhaps a more pleasant term, progressive according to her wiki bio . Let's just say she has some baggage that some would be uncomfortable. She shares many of Ralph Nader's positions. From this interview you can see that she is rather friendly towards Ralph and doesn't challenge him on any points. Amy has enough material for another blog article but ...

Well, it's a day late but since I usually write about Ireland I'll post the link to from the Combat Poverty Agency giving the usual rundown of poverty definitions and causes. It also has a list of effects of poverty and on the list was social exclusion. That would be interesting to study exclusion. Also interesting to study would be the increases in relative poverty as the Republic of Ireland's economy flourished during the 1990s into the 2000s. The organization has an unique curriculum to teach about poverty called Counted Out . Aimed at students, I've never seen anything like it.

As expected, the debate started on the topic of the economy. Both Obama and McCain reiterated the superiority of their plan. I checked out to do a little research on each candidate's stance on poverty. They both agreed combating HIV/AIDS worldwide should receive more government attention. Obama specifically wants to double annual funding of such projects. McCain supports the President's Plan for AIDS Relief program. So what's the connection of HIV/AIDS to poverty? To answer I will take a quote from an United Nations document. Globally, the highest HIV prevalence rates are found in poor countries, but within regions such as Africa, it is not necessarily the poorest countries that have the highest prevalence rates. Nevertheless, poverty increases vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and exacerbates the devastation of the epidemic. Poverty deprives individuals of the means to cope with HIV/AIDS. The poor often lack the knowledge and awareness that would enable them to protect themselves ...

A really well designed website, www.buyameter.org , concerned about getting access to clean water to some residents in Hale County, Alabama. The people who did some of the design of the site spent some time down in the area. The photographs are stark, yet stunning. I appreciate clean water and I'm sure there are some there who would be very glad to have it. You would think this would be a problem in the States, but it still is. I suspect this kind of relates back to last year's topic, the environment, because pollution and heavy chemical have made some water sources unfavorable for human use.

Today is Blog Action Day. I hope to get a few posts up about this year's issue: poverty . The wiki entry states that about 1/2 of the world lives in that condition. The symptoms include malnutrion, lack of shelter...or in other words a laundry list of basic necessities. I think access to education also fits in there, too, as education may allow more informed decisions to be made. Looking at the "backside" if the wiki poverty article (a.k.a. the talk page ), I get the general sense that poverty is not a simple condition to alleviate by just restributing resources or managing resources better. Numerous POVs were being debated while trying to create a neutralish article. While complex, I don't think that it is too complex a problem to do something. So who is doing something? I'm going to give props to an organization called Rosa Loves . They have been around for only 2 years (they marked 2 years yesterday) and don't intend to be famous or rich but like what they...

It's rare when a candidate is making a stump for themselves and they never compare or mention his or her opponent. Every soundbite I hear has some comments about the other candidate. I cringe when I hear them. Or even better, bash the President. The Democrats seemed to fare well with that strategy in the mid-term elections. Not to say the Republicans haven't used the same rhetoric before, but Bill Clinton came out pretty unscathed. If you can create certain perceptions about a candidate close enough to an election you may lead the public to uncritically assume these are reality. Most of the time its a half truth painted nicely. Right now a prevalent strategy is portraying someone guilty by association. Dems do it by associating Republicans as being in bed with George Bush. Enough people perceived this to be true last election and swept in lots of Democrats into office. It probably was a bit uncritical because there were no doubt some Dems who voted or agreed with Bush policy, ...

The marmalade eating bear from Darkest Peru celebrates his 50th birthday today. Google thought it worthy to deck out their portal with a Paddington theme. Paddington and I go way back. We met somewhere when I was in elementary school. My mom was working in the thriving 1980's St. Paul downtown. That year Dayton's adopted a Paddington Bear theme in their children's department. Dayton's didn't do movie tie-ins. They almost always did themes based on books or public television shows or in this case a British children's book. My mother bought me a medium sized Paddington Bear and the abridged book. Paddington still resides with me. He sits uponn my book case along with Airman Bear. I'll need to post pictures. Why is Paddington so enduring? Well, I guess he's a smart bear that attracts young and old alike. I perhaps a while ago some Paddinton books and they were no easy readers. These were chapter book of about a hundred pages each. So why is he still with ...

I haven't done one of these in a while but I really think I should write about this one. The other day I was getting ready to go someplace. I remember placing the keys to my auto in my pocket. I vividly remember it. Well, some time passes and I finally make it out to the car, I have no key in my pocket. Strange, I knew I put them there but how on earth did they fall out? I don't remember removing the keys nor do I remember exactly which pocket I placed the keys. I scoured the car (it was open) and then the garage and then the apartment and then do it all over again. It takes nearly 2 hours and anxiety is creeping up my back. I give up and use the spare set. The keys are still missing. That sucks!

My 2nd foray into Blog Action Day is coming up. My entry for last year was tripe. Not very compelling commentary on the environment. But what can you do when you don't do the research? I guess you just make up things or as journalists might label it- spin it. Well my apologies to those who read it. Of course, Phil won't care. He's not that type of guy as I found out earlier today. But really, my contributions to help us become more sustainable are probably worthy to recount. So far I've been biking to work and almost everywhere in town. It cut down on the carbon as well as saves me money. Another factor in there could be that it keeps me healthier and doesn't tax the health care system. I enjoy biking too. Does been greener have to suck? Over the last year I have been cutting down on my plastic bag use by using a re-usable bag or recycling those darn plastic bags at the market. I wish they could extract oil from them bags to make some type of fuel. Finally, I re-us...

Looks like presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader is set to appear in my town this weekend. I might want to take a peak at what he has to say. He espouses a few things which I agree although is bit more progressive than I. I admire his drive to keep campaigning for President. I think this is like the 5th or 6th time he is running. I think 2000 may have been his best showing. I doubt I'll get any interviews but maybe a snapshot. It would be cool if him and Ron Paul had debates.

Well, I'm a bit late on this breaking story but I will put my 2 cents worth in. Was it expected? Well, maybe. A friend of mine told me a number of months ago that according to economic forecasters, we were probably due for a major re-adjustment a.k.a. depression soon. I guess nobody was listening or had the gall to offer a response. I guess he was probably basing it on patterns in flooding in the RRV. Every hundred years there typically is a massive flood and the levels are tracked and used to determine how to better deal with the next big one. In the RRV they built higher dikes and built more flood control ditches. Let's hope the lessons learned during the Great Depression gave our leaders better ideas as how to deal. Just reading some of the Wiki article on it is like deja vu. Are we in for a big one? My concern is whether McCain or Obama are ready for this test of balance as domestic issues are flaming while on the international front embers are still burning. Neither man ...

Actor, guy with his own line of food products , and auto racing driver/owner died this Friday. He notably appeared in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting in addition to numerous other films. Mr. Newman got into the food business after some friends really liked the salad dressing he gave them for Christmas. He and friend A.E. Hotchner then founded Newman's Own , a grocery food maker that gives all its profits to charity. If that don't beat all. They make everything from the dressing to spaghetti sauce to lemonade. I really enjoy the ginger creme cookies. Few people will remember Paul Newman the race car driver. My mother would have. She used to tell us that she saw Paul Newman at the Brainerd International Raceway . Mr. Newman was battling lung cancer and died at home in Westport, Connecticut.

I t came as sort of a surprise that my class would be gathering to comiserate 15 years after graduation. I put it off originally- I don't like driving to the TCs from Go. Well, I thought it over and paid the fee and planned to attend. The following is a commentary of the event. It was held at the Grove's other golf course, Mississippi Dunes. The previous reunion was held at River Oaks. The Dunes is far superior with its riparian vistas and deck. It would seems an excursion boat could stop by with clientele. However, I saw no dockage. Nevertheless, I arrived fashionably late at around 7:30 PM. Maybe around 25 classmates were already in attendance. I saw Tom W. (works for SuperMoms), Jeff R. and then Desi (totally shave head but looking slick) and then I saw Phil M (didn't talk to but he looked tough) and then Mark E (the red hair was shaved) and Joe Fabeck (very jocular.) Sarah , Carolee, Amy Not too many I was very close to but I knew about them so I could strike up a conve...

You can now find that I am on Twitter . Currently you can see the entries in the sidebar. Twitter is probably best described as a micro-blog. I am not sure how much I will use it but I got on board mostly because Segue decided to get on to keep in contact during his jaunt across the pond to Soton. Another fellow I read, Lileks , also does Twitter although his appears a bit more cryptic. So don't think I did because of a trend or something. It is a bit like that message on IM or Facebook. Twitter just doesn't have all the baggage (at least none of which I am aware.) Twitter seems to be made for the Text Messaging (TM) crowd, which I have not quite entered yet. I am thinking about it but why does Europe get all the perks and in the US TM costs extra? I am convinced that it is because all ages of people text in Europe and Stateside it is mostly youthly folks. The only caveat is that odd category- Blackberry users. They're like the prehistoric texters. They probably have a dia...

Time interview with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Some points that Karzai brings up in particular is the presence of the international groups contributing to existance of miltias under being supported like quasi security forces. Also he suggested that the international community doesn't see the Afghan viewpoint and often decisions get made which seem correct by them but then results in worse that before. Government corruption allegations get discussed. I read it and continue to realize how complex and delicate the state of affairs in Aghanistan can be. At this point, it appears there needs be more attention to "Afghanness" of how to aid Afghanistan rather than assert a western model. Doesn't history teach us that Afghanistan won't succomb to the foreign forces pressed against it? Afghanistan will belong to Afghanistan. Nevertheless, I don't doubt good things are being done by the international community and hopefully will continue. Yet, the bad tends to r...

I lament that this is the 500th post of the Royce Files. Why? Well, I think I could have done much more. Granted I am not the most prolific of bloggers nor does my wit astound many. I guess its that cliche "old man" lament that I wish I could have ______ (fill in the blank). Here's two I could have filled in the blank with: Gone to the Olympics Either as an athlete, journalist, or volunteer, I would have loved to have been at a winter or summer games. Granted I may still have time on this wish but my athletic prowess has dwindled. Preparing for a marathon is tough enough. I guess I regret not really incorporating much sport into my life between high school and after college. My greatest claim would being the overall winner of the pentathlon in junior high. Those were my greatest years on the track and in the field. It was only recently that I converted myself into a distance runner with much work. Journalism and volunteering appeals to me because I get to be part of...

Irish folk singer Ronnie Drew passed into eternity this week past. The founder of the Dubliners had been battling throat cancer. He was probably more recognized for his deep gravely voice although he had a big bushy beard up until he began receiving treatments for cancer for which you must say added to his recognizably. The elder statesman of Irish music leaves a legacy of music behind for us to enjoy. Bono even likes him.

This is the 4th part of the account of the 300 mile bike journey I took from my front door and back in early July. Leaving Brown's Valley behind I entered South Dakota. It was a bit surreal as I passed many abandoned fireworks "shacks" and quonsets in the middle of nowhere. These places were literally on some country road, the only remnants of civilization for miles. One was particularly disturbing. Out front was a smoldering fire, probably made from the remaining fireworks and supplies. It made for an eery scene which I imagined terrorists had come and destroyed the festive July 4th ingredients. I digress. Sisseton is approximately 10 miles from Brown's Valley. I made it into town around noon. A big Pow-Wow was in progress but I failed to seek it out as I sought for a place to lunch. Solemn emptiness welcomed me to the downtown of Sisseton. Not a sign of an open business. With heat rising I decided to eat at Taco John's mostly because they had the History Channel...

A few days ago I completed another trek through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This time I partnered up with a fellow named Craig. It was a pleasant experience with very little excitement. I guess that is a little deceiving. There was a broken canoe seat during the first hours of the trip. However, beyond that mishap, everything went smooth albeit Craig was a camping and canoeing neophyte. Originally, I was to go with Phil (you know the quotable beer guy) and a rather large party. However, Craig wanted to go but could not fit on the permit. Only 9 people per permit are allowed. I then decided to purchase another permit to accommodate Craig and anyone else who want a less "crowded" experience. No one else came forth. So Craig and I launched out from Kawishiwi Lake as the other crew 20 miles west shoved out from Little Gabbro. This year I added another canoe to my collection. A few weeks before the 15 foot pakcanoe was vandalized at a resort I was staying. The thwart ...

This is the continuing saga of my 300 mile bike tour into 3 states I completed in the beginning of July. I spent a good part of the day in Morris with my friends. After a few shopping stops for supplies and a bite to eat (Willie's still has the cheapest sandwiches around), I head west on MN 28 towards Graceville somewhere between 2 and 3 PM. There wasn't much excitement from Morris to Graceville. I think there may have been a wedding in Chokio but most of the time it was flatland fields. I stopped in Graceville and looked around. I didn't see much open. Seems small towns close up early on weekends. I went to the covenience store to stock up on water, then continued down 28. The topography did not change much. It still was flat but there was an occasional slough and lots of ducks. Nearing Brown's Valley brought the most remarkable changes. It was a valley! At last there was something different. I rolled through the deserted town at 8PM and found the city campground and ...

My sister recently won a photo contest in our hometown for the monthly car show . It is located here . Pretty nice composition. I think my brother in law also designed the T-shirt for this show.

This is the continuing saga of a 300 mile bike journey from my front door and back, through 3 states, during the July 4th holiday. Independence Day literally came in like a bang as earlier in the morning some hoodlums decided to light some big fireworks next to my campsite. I detailed this incident in the previous post but bring it up as a segue out of Abercrombie and take another dig at those delinquent juveniles. The thing is so weird because its like the brightest part of town with 2 security lights on all evening. I digress. I am back on the road by 10AM, cross the Red River into Minnesota, get on US 75 and arrive in Breckenridge and Wahpeton around noon. I stop for a photo op at the headwaters of the Red and then go seek out lunch. I decided to dine at Taco Bell where I ordered at huge box meal. It was filling and I also got some more Pepsi Stuff Points . I've been slowing accumulating the points by finding empty bottles with caps back in the Go. Since I began the trip I have...

S ometimes news travels very slow even in the age of the Internet. For me at least it took me until just a few days ago to discover bicycle guru Sheldon Brown passed away in February - February 4th to be exact. Through his simple yet effective website sheldonbrown.com , he dispensed his wisdom of all things bicycle and more. I enjoyed reading the site when I needed to tinker with my numerous bicycles. He also wrote a lot about older bikes in particular the 3-speed Hub Raleighs. I still don't understand them but Sheldon made them interesting. I guess you could also credit Sheldon with influencing the revival of fixed-geared bikes because he wrote a bit about his own pieced together creations. It got me into searching for old bikes. He is probably also known for his unusual bike helmet with an eagle on top. I think the eagle even has name- Igor. Anyways today is his birthday. He would have been 64 I think. I only knew him from peering into his life via his websites- I guess it was pr...

N o, this is not an attempt to review or critque the movie (or graphic novel for that matter) of a battle between Spartans and Persians although this could certainly be considered an epic. I completed a 300 mile bike tour of 3 states over the Independence Day holiday. The details I will divulge here in a few parts and possibly some pictures. It all began on the 3rd around 8PM after 2 hours of packing and preparing the bicycle. I had intended to leave directly from work but that did not happen. I had not pre-packed enough and I needed to exchange a rear view mirror. Daylight would soon be waning and so I started the trek south, stopped at A&W for a bite to take away then continued spinning south out of town. It was unseasonably cool yet comfortable and clear (and hardly any wind). Nearing 10 PM night descended calmly and I flicked on my lights. I was making good time despite the late start. I made a pit stop near the Christine graveyard to eat my Papa Burger and drink a St. Pauli Gi...

It appears that Go had been infiltrated by a bear while I was on vacation. I saw the headline in the paper when I was down in the Wahp . I thought the only bears in the region were in zoos. Well, go figure , wild bears have been sighted in Cass and Clay counties previously so a game warden said. Bears in the prairie biom seems pretty weird to me. I suspect, since we are close to the coniferous region that bear may wander (and wonder too) into the Go region. Fortunately this bear was not killed but tranquilized and relocated to the Pembina Gorge area, well north of this prairie land. About 5 years ago, 2 moose where shot and killed by authorites when they wandered into a neighborhood. The press on that incident was bad. Relocating a bear will probably go far to convince citizens that the city is kinder and gentler to animal kind now. Of course there is Phil, who would gun down any animal trying to be a nuisance, especially squirrels.

About a month ago a Jamacian sprinter broke the world record for the 100 meter sprint. I think it was somewhere around 9.72. Well, the at U.S. track and field trials, Tyson Gay breaks the U.S. record in the 100 meters with a 9.77 finish. The AP released a headline stating " Gay sets US record in 100 with 9.77 ." The ambiguity of the headline must have been OK'd by an inexperienced copy editor. I made a double take when I read it. I'm sure other news outlets were wondering if they should give a cutline such as "sexual orientation matters little when on the track." I believe one new outlet changed the headline to "Homosexual sets US Record in 100m." Now that's just bad journalism. Not that I would know anything about it- journalism that is. I wonder what Phil would say? He'd probably just retort "whatever."

As I was planning my upcoming cycling adventure, I cam across a story about the largest pile of empty oil cans in the world located in Casselton, ND. Built in 1933, the pile has been a sort of attraction for the town for years. In April the current owner challenged the pile's existence and gave the ultimatum that it should be moved by May 29 or be destroyed. Folks in Casselton got moving and just made the deadline by moving the pile intact to a temporary location. Currently they are taking donations to find this specimen a permanent home . I should note I found a lot of other weird and wonderful attraction on Roadside America . This site is a hoot to peruse and despite the high fuel surcharges makes me want to see some of them. Hopefully on my bike trip I'll see a few and show them to you here. Slan.

I think I wrote a while ago about a fellow who went back to college in his 50s and played on the football (American style) team. Well the local paper put out an article about an even older player, 7o years old to be exact. Bob Bonawitz of Willmar dons the #44 jersey when he plays from the Liberty . He was in for only a few plays this past weekend when coincidentally the Liberty decimated the Willmar Mustangs 78-18 in the Fargo Dome. Yes, Bob, is playing for a foreign team but a winning team. He really want to bask in the glory since Willmar has yet to win a game this season. The Liberty are new edition to the sports franchises in town. They are a semi-pro football team. The first, to my knowledge, to play in the area. They play on the other side of the river and it appears they have used the internet to recruit talent. I wonder if any former XFL players are on the team? At work The Champ dismissed the Liberty outright sighting he knew 5 players on the team, one of which had never ...

I wonder if the marathon is stale news. Over 3 weeks have past since Eric Sondag out-foxed the competition to win the marathon. I tried to keep abreast of any news but haven't had any time to blog stuff that comes over the wire. However I did take a peak at Eric's blog entry about the race. It's in 2 parts, but I linked the 2nd part. Be smart and find the 1st on Eric's blog . In other Marathon results, about 40K was raised for charity. This is split between the Children's Museum and I think a particular children's hospital in town. The picture to the left is of Mark Knutson and partners running the marathon in the evening after the race in honor of Caroline Ruby Vetter. You can just barely make them out in the center. I was on top of the parking ramp waiting for them to pass. I nearly gave up. I didn't think the Moorhead portion of the course was that long. Well, I gotta run. And I mean it.

Late Marathon Crossing the Red, a photo of the Fargo Marathon director and companions running across the Main Avenue bridge nearing dusk as they run a marathon for Caroline Ruby Vetter. They started at 6PM and it was about 8:30 at this point. Earlier that evening a few people cheered them on in the 8th St stretch. I also witnessed a group cheering them on near the end of the Old Milwaukee Trail at the Discovery School. This "event" was not publicized much. I think I read about it in a marathon mailing I received weeks before. You can barely make out the runners but they are in the center of the photo. Of the people I knew running on May 17, meaning the actual races, I colleague and soccer team mate of mine, Chris Hass did the best. He placed 12th in half marathon. Others running that I knew included KT, Chris Myers, Mark M, Erin E and few execs at my workplace. Way to go!

Indeed it was crowd in the Fargo Theater lobby for the 7 o'clock showing of entries for the 48 hour Film Festival . I thought that this theater was bigger. I think if it seats 1000 then that's pushing the limits. Nevertheless, I was entertained by a wide variety of films (DVs more accurately) that made up the 12 on-time entries to the festival. One entry which did not make it in on time was screened as well and it was a top notch production. Team Testudo arrived in full force with director Charles making a fashionably late appearance. Our film was screened second to last sandwiched between 2 fictional bio-pics. I remember most of the films but unfortunately their titles elude me. Well, not all titles. "No Shoulder," an entry in the drama genre was well executed with some excellent shots. However, it seemed to fall prey to the cliche that drama=yelling and fighting. Nevertheless, it was one of my choices for best film. The other bio-pic which followed our "Fantasy...

J eff Kolpack blogged the men's race suboerbly from start to finish but did not get his early predictions correct. He was probably quite surprised by Eric Sondag overtaking the Kenyan John Rotich in the last few miles. On Monday, Rotich's coach reported that Rotich injuried himself during the race and was not fatigued by his previous Lincoln marathon. He thus downplayed Sondag's strategic assumption that Rotich may not have enough to keep pace in last 2 miles. Sounds a little bit like rhetoric to me. Injuries in running can be the result of fatigue, lack of stretching, or over-exertion. There might be more. Nevertheless, even injuried, Rotich finished 3rd. The men's half and marathon course records made this weekend were not too substantial. Neither broke the previous record by large amounts. I suspect the wind may have been doing a bit of damage. Fargo has yet to break the 2:30 barrier in the marathon despite a few runners who have bested that mark. The presence of the...

H ours after most of the runners had completed the course, race director Mark Knutson and 2 friends laced up and ran the deserted Fargo course in honor of Caroline Vetter and I suspect raise money for leukodystrophy research. 5 year old Caroline succumbed to the disease recently. A mile of the marathon near Lindenwood Park was named for her. I finished filming for the 48HFF at 5PM and wanted my fix of marathon. I caught up with Knutson and his posse as they arrived at the Lindenwood split and snapped a photo. I then furtively followed them through the south Fargo portions of the marathon up until the infamous Troll bridge. I only missed them in 2 sections: coming back from the turnaround and Condcordia. As they crossed back into Fargo it was getting too dark so I headed home satisfied to cover this run.

The tough part is over. I filmed from 7am to 5pm for a fantasy film. It bent the rules a bit but the obligatory stuff was in there, including a wizard and a battle with a dragon. I also got to play medieval Elvis, which spawned another movie idea- Time Travel Elvis, he didn't die he just leaped into another time. Well Tuesday night is the showing and I hope to get a seat. But how on earth does an event that hardly anyone knows about get sold out. It's not like any famous directors were competing in Fargo. I'll see what the competition (12 other teams) is really like. By my only understanding there are only 2 decent filmmakers in Fargo and I was working with one. So show us the films!

I had reported earlier, some Kenyans (ex-pat ones) had entered the marathon and half marathon. Just the mention of a Kenyan puts a bit of fear into your average competitive runner. I was quite amazed that any Kenyan runner would consider Fargo a worthy prize. There are 3 other marathons in the Midwest that bigger payouts and more notoriety (of course there are more races, but I digress.) Well, they came and they did not quite conquer. Unfortunately I was not there to witness events but man it had to be exciting at near the 24 mile mark when a Grand Forks man saw his chance for glory. Leading the race at that point was Kenyan John Rotich. The thirty something Grand Forks man, Eric Sondag, got site of Rotich and with some cunning research he had done Eric raised it a notch and passed the Kenyan to win in 2:30.34. Read the coverage here . Sammy Malakwen, a Kenyan, did win the men's half marathon. About 13,000 took part in the trio of races this Saturday with about 1,200 volunteers.

I didn't see many biking today. Okay, I did, but not at work. The rack at work was average capacity today. These are bikes at the mass transit hub downtown. Today, after fixing the flat on my C-200, the C-200 went flat again and at the wrong place. I was half way home and it totally went. I think they gave me the wrong inner tube and so I blew it up too much because no air would stay a moment in the tube. Also I need to get up to the Fargo Dome to volunteer. Bummer on that. I increased my pace, got home with only 15 minutes to spare and then relentless pedaled the Trek to the dome. I just made it. My only concern is why the Fargo Dome doesn't have a bike rack?

Yet again I volunteered myself to the Fargo Marathon enterprise and once again I became "Chip Verification." It has to be once of the best jobs ever. I get to meet people, joke around with them, talk about running, talk about where they are from, and encourage them to run far and run fun. There will be perhaps upwards of 13,000 participating. A few ex-pat Kenyans are also in line to run the marathon. Well, this year I met a lot of Myers. A lot from Canada and some from the states and one from my storied past. Chris Myers might not be a recognizable name to most of you but you die hard fans of the Kevin Myers' Show will remember him as the peculiar doctor who says "It may be hazardous to your pancreas" in a few of the early episodes. Chris also is the elder Myers sibling. His venture up to Fargo includes running the half marathon on Saturday. He is running it with a friend, Steve Robertstead (sp?), who had lived in the Go many years ago. I wish Chris and Steve al...

If Bike to Work Week isn't enough then I shouldn't mention the Fargo Marathon or the 48 Hour Film Festival . Once again I will be volunteering as a chip tester on Friday. Shortly afterward I will then join Team Testudo to work on the 48 Hour Film Festival entry. We've been planning since January in some way or other. Basically the deal is you draw a genre of film and then have to include a few required elements and then have 48 hour to make a film or in our case a DV. The team producer Beth has assembled looks pretty good. I'm part of wardrobe and make up and may make a cameo appearance if necessary. Should be a blast. I hope I can stay up. You can view the finished works at Fargo Theater on Wednesday. I'll try and get some good stuff to post. Slan.

B ike to Work Week 2008 has garnered much attention as oil prices rise and green consciousness is all the rage. The week, which is still going on, is promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and hopes to raise awareness and interest in 2 wheeled transportation. I'm not sure if Sean Connery or Superman are members but I would welcome it. Not much organization up in my neck of the woods although I have seen quite a few bike commuters. The rack at work was nearly full last week. Gas is inching its way to $4 and I suspect more will get the bikes out. I'd say we have a 65% bike friendly community. The only negatives are lousy community snow removal and aware drivers. The city does a great job at clearing the streets but the sidewalk clearing is crappy. The city mandates that residences are responsible for snow removal on the walkways but rarely have I seen it enforced. There a residence next door to me that only cleared the walkway 1 or 2 times. It makes for really difficult ...

“A train is one of the most beautiful ways to see America as you move around the country.” -Al Roker, spokesman for National Train Day and weatherman May 10th marks the first ever National Train Day in the States and also marks the date of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. I am pleased, however there are no events scheduled in the Go for this day. (The closest is Rugby, ND. Not even the home of the Empire Builder, St.Paul, could muster up enough to celebrate.) For a city [the Go that is] that owes its existence to trains, I am a bit dismayed. 2 historical stations still exist in town. One designed by Cass Gilbert . But I guess this burgh is looking to the future. But shouldn't the future include trains? Will there be another great era for train travel? With gas prices on the rise, Amtrak ridership is up. I must admit I like the idea of train travel, however a few of our forbears of previous generations seemed to have dismantled the possibility of greater coverage ...