Follow the Crowd

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Get Moving

It is time. No more excuses. You need to use your physical body, or you will lose it before you know it. If you need help, get it here:

Body-of-Knowledge.genbook.com

Taylors Falls Kayaking

I stopped by TF on the way home from CanoeU weekend on the Kettle to check out the water level, and although it has dropped down quite a bit from the previous rainy week, I don't see the surf wave yet. I imagine it may show sometime this week, so I will plan on a run or two this weekend if anyone wants to give it a go. Even if the wave isn't there, it's a good workout to paddle up to the dam, and cross eddies up there. Vertical Chuck got me going on that little habit! There could actually be a really good surf wave near the dam right about now, but I didn't get close enough today to try and spot it. Chuck says it shows around 4500 cfs. I'll go for a look tomorrow!

Contact me at 651-257-5900 if you want to jump in there.

A New Thrill

On April 1st I learned how to roll one, and on May 1st I maneuvered one through the class 2 rapids near my home. I'm really glad I finally got the whitewater kayak. I had always liked suspending my bike rides to watch the people surf the waves under the Taylors Falls bridge, but now I may opt for the boat instead of the bike once in a while. Variety is good.

The Madden Rule

Hey, did you know John Madden was born in Austin, MN? Anyway, I've always wondered what it was like to be so afraid of flying that you'd rather take a bus everywhere. I know, his bus is not the kind of bus I'd be on, but still, it seems really odd. He has said that the main reason is claustrophobia. But I digress.

This most recent Delta screw up has me wondering. Sure, it makes for great jokes, the term 'flyover country' is now official, blah blah blah, but it does seem like we've got more to complain about these days than just the peanuts or lost luggage. And what could a terrorist learn from such an incident? I'm not usually an alarmist, but it does make me wonder if I would ever join Madden someday. I can still hear the insults from my college roomies, one from California, the other from New York, but I think I'll join Franken instead, and start shouting from rooftops. This must be investigated from every possible angle, and those clowns piloting that plane should be filling potholes if you ask me.

Ok, I feel better now. Maybe that's the purpose of a good rant, eh?

Fun night at the velodrome

Won the MN State Keirin Championships last Thursday. I haven't been on top of the podium in quite a while, and it's something I'm glad some of my family could witness. Even nephew Owen was surprised, as he usually tells Grandma matter-of-factly 'Tom doesn't win.' So I'm glad I got that out of his system. Imagine having the coolest uncle in the world, but knowing he's never going to win a bicycle race! Such a conflict could ruin a child's life. But now that Owen knows his uncle can throw down, maybe he'll believe me when I continue to tell him how everything is possible.

The Human Condition

Massage can do wonders. It has been documented for thousands of years. I believe in it, and my clients believe in it. But we occasionally fall prey to the imagination and the never-ending quest for perfection. 'When will we get rid of this?' or 'Will there ever come a day when I feel no pain?' are some questions I cannot answer, not without smirking anyway. 'The day you feel nothing is what you should fear,' I might say to my more realistic clients.

And they know what I mean, but I agree, we'd all like to get through life without any pain. That would be perfect, wouldn't it? But attaining perfection and striving for it are two different things. I believe in the pursuit of happiness, but I don't expect it constantly. In fact, I think that constantly dreaming of perfection can make our reality seem woefully inadequate. I'd rather be striving for perfection, rather than distraught over not attaining it.

Twenty years ago, massage stopped my migraines. But if I don't continue massage and postural maintenance, I'm pretty sure the migraines would return. Not a perfect cure, but if you've ever had migraines, you'll take what you can get. So I urge those of you who aren't happy to get a massage, and think of it as a dose of happiness. It's all about the pursuit.