Rowing Downtown

This past Sunday marked our second Head Race of the season. Our first was two weeks ago with the race around Wye Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I've been too lazy to get around to posting pictures and writing about it and perhaps I still will, but the bottom line is we won! There were three boats in our category (Masters Men 8+) - ourselves, a boat from Wilmington and one from Alexandria. We were first off and slowly pulled away from Wilmington and we never saw Alexandria. We later heard they made a wrong turn somewhere along the line. So a great start to the Head Race portion of our schedule.

Sunday our race was the Head of the Potomac. I was scheduled to race in a 4+ and a mixed 8+. The mixed 8+ consists of 4 men and 4 women. I didn't get to race in the Men's 8+ primarily because I have the suckiest erg time for 5,000 meters among the men. I need to work on that although part of it is that I'm also the smallest guy on the team. However in the men's 4+, I was moved from2 seat to the stroke seat so a bit of a promotion there. My first race was in the Men's 4+. The boats launched from Thompson's Boat Center although the race itself is hosted by the Potomac Boat Club. For those familiar with the Washington area, it all happens down at the Georgetown waterfront. One of the interesting aspects of the area is that the old C&O Canal runs through it. Keep in mind this is right downtown.

The course itself starts above Key Bridge - way above and finishes at the Roosevelt Bridge. It's shorter then most Head Races although not by much. However it seems longer then most. As far as a scenic course, it can't be beat. This is looking up the course from Thompson's.

After the race, you circle back to the docks at Thompson's and row by the Kennedy Center.

So for my races. My boat finished last in the Men's 4+ (out of 7 boats), even after the time adjustments due to the age of our boat (50+ category). The race didn't feel that bad, but obviously we have some work to do. The Mixed 8+ was the next to last race of the day. There were 3 boats in the race - one from Capital Rowing Club and one from Thompson's. We were the third boat crossing the start. I had no real expectations for this race. The 8 of us had never rowed together and the crew was not made up out of the cream of the crop of the rowers in our club. It took us a while just to figure who should row in what seat. I got elected to stroke, which was ok with me. As we rowed up tot he start, the sky was turning an ominous color of black. The referees on the course told us as we passed them that if the storm struck to row to Potomac Boat Club and wait it out rather then to try and make it all the was back to Thompson's. We were late getting up to the start as we hot seated the boat with our Men's 8+. Hot seating meaning we rowed the same boat as the Men's 8+. They pulled into the dock and hopped out and the Mixed 8+ hopped in and took off. So we basically rowed up, spun the boat and headed to the start. As we crossed the start line it started to rain. Lightly at first and then harder. I kept the boat at a 28 stroke race through most of the race. As we approached the Key Bridge, our coxswain started telling us how close we were to passing the boat from Thompson's. Frankly I thought she was lying to us just to keep us motivated as I didn't think we would be passing anyone, but who knew? We did catch and pass them. I have to put a mention here of our coxswain for the race, Sammie. She coxes primarily for the women's side, but for this race she agreed to do the Mixed 8+. She's from Australia and still has the accent. It's so cool listening to her. Her calls sometimes are a bit different then our calls here in the States, but that just adds to the experience. Anyway, as I mentioned we passed the boat from Thompson's and then Sammie was telling us how we were gaining on the boat from Capital. By that time we were nearing the finish and I picked the stroke rate up to 31/strokes per min so we finished hard. The organizers were quick to post the time and we had the fastest time and won 1st Place Medals. So cool. Oh and rain, it slowly diminished as we raced so it turned out to be a nonfactor. Besides our Mixed 8+, the Women's 8+ also won. Our other Men's 4+ came in 4th, one of our Men captured a 2nd in the Masters single (1X), The Women's 4+s came in 2nd and 5th (out of 14) respectively, and the Men's 8+ came in 4th (out of 11). Overall a good day for our club. next week we race on our home water in the Occoquan Challenge. I will return to the Men's 8+ for the race, which I love.

Some more pictures from this weekend. The Men's8+ loading at the dock.

Men's 8+ leaving the dock and rowing up to the start.

The Women's 8+ loading at the dock.

What Customer Support?

Since I'm old I've been witness to much of the progress of the computer through the ages. I'm not sure my kids, even though they are adults, can even fathom a life without personal computers. When I was a kid, the whole of idea of computers was still like sci-fi. Sure they existed, but they were few and far between and huge. Whole rooms/areas were set aside to house these behemoths, which required a good deal of air conditioning to keep them cool and only a relatively few people knew how to operate them. When I went to college, I had to take two computer course. These were classes in programming in COBOL and FORTRAN. Auburn had one computer, an IBM 360 mainframe, that every one used for everything - from admissions and billing to athletics to students. Needless to say, student computer programs were at the bottom of the priority list. There was no Internet (or at least not that any one knew of except maybe a few Government labs), no wired dorm rooms, nothing. To run our software projects, we had to use punch cards. A single COBOL program and a simple one at that, might use 500 to 600 cards to run. We had maybe 12 to 15 punch card machines for the entire student body. Needless to say they were always busy although the computer center was open 24 hours a day. We didn't have any remote terminals to enter data. I didn't do that well in either class although I passed both. I always seem to be a week or two behind in grasping concepts. I would spend entire Quarters cussing out the computer and how dare it tell me my coding was wrong? Couldn't it read? WTF?

Fast forward to the late 80s and early 90s and personal computers are becoming much more common in households. For the most part, access is by dial up. Broadband has not made it to the masses yet. This is about the time that I first became an AOL member. Unlike a lot of people, I've been pretty happy with AOL over the years. My primary e-mail address has been an AOL address. Even when I got broadband, we have kept AOL. In fact AOL is a local company. They are a neighbor to the bike trail I visit most weekends. One of their server farms is in my county. A few days ago when trying to sign on a message appeared that my screen name had been suspended. I mentioned it to Ann, who happens to have the AOL account in her name, and she said she had been notified of a Terms of Service (ToS) violation by The Son. ToS covers everything from cussing out other people on line to spamming, to sending inappropriate pictures, etc. I didn't think that much of it as The Son has gotten his share of ToS violations over the years. Usually a call to Customer Support is all that is required. So it was yesterday that I decided to contact AOL to see what the problem was. My first problem was that I couldn't find their Customer Service phone number on the web site despite looking for quite a while. I finally Googled it and apparently others had had the same problem and were only too happy to share it much to AOL's dismay, I'm sure. So I called. After providing some basic information to a recorded voice, a representative came on line. I told her of the problem and her response: "I can't help you. You'll have to write a letter to AOL headquarters." A letter? Was she serious? She couldn't help? "No. You have to send a letter." No phone number to call? An e-mail address maybe? "No. A letter." I told her that was the stupidest thing I had ever heard, but took down the address anyway. When Ann got home, I told her of the problem and she mentioned the ToS violation, but thought it was pretty benign and therefore hadn't replied to it. We thought since she was the account holder of record, that she might have better luck then I had. So she called AOL and same thing. Customer Support couldn't help and a letter was required. For a company that provides internet access, e-mail and probably has the most popular Instant Messaging program, that they are requiring a letter just seems bizarre to me. I'm not sure what a letter will say. Ummm...not sure exactly why, but our account has been suspended. Can you tell us why and how do we get it turned back on? Oh and by the way, you're still collecting my money. It just seems so archaic. I can hardly wait to see what response our letter brings. Maybe in cuneiform on clay tablets.

I Love Football

There are a few things I love about this time of year - Head Races, warm weather, but not hot weather and most of all football. I enjoy pro football and follow our home team (the Redskins) as close as the next fan, but my true love is college football. I love the tradition, I love the atmosphere, the rivalries, the BCS upstarts, in short everything (except for the lack of a football playoff ,but that's a post for another day). I love being able to watch several college games a week. I look forward to College Game Day every Saturday morning. I went to a college (Auburn) where football is king. There was nothing like attending a game at Jordan Hare Stadium. I was lucky to have attended Auburn during the run of Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley. While Auburn never won a National Championships during those years, Pat Sullivan did win the Heisman so it was exciting times for Auburn football. If I didn't know it before, going to Auburn taught me there is no better thing to do on a Saturday then to be at a college football game.

My life travels have taken me far away from my alma meter so attending games back on the loveliest village on the plains isn't practical. That doesn't mean there aren't options. When I moved back to the Washington DC area, I started attending University of Maryland football games. My now ex-brother in law (actually deceased now) was a big fan of Maryland so Ann and I would go. Eventually we bought season tickets with him. Section 6, on the 45 yard line. We've had those tickets now for over 25 years. By no stretch of the imagination is Maryland on the same level footballwize as Auburn and to be sure there have been some ups and downs over the years. The fact remains though that we enjoy going to the games. The tailgating, the band, just the sense of excitement as you enter the stadium. It's a perfect way to spend a day. And so it was this past Saturday. After Saturday's rowing practice, Ann and I headed to College Park. It was a gorgeous day. Bright blue sky with not a cloud to be seen. The temperature in the high 70s. We munched on veggies with ranch dressing, Italian Subs and chips, washed down with some cold Coronas. The only downer was Maryland lost - to Middle Tennessee State. Ugh. Maryland hosts Rutgers next week so hopefully the outcome will be better. On a happier note, Auburn rallied to beat West Virginia Saturday night on ESPN2. West Virginia has some of the most obnoxious fans I've even encountered so I love when they lose. So Saturday night closed out on a good note.

On the rowing front, we had our first race last weekend and I've been meaning to write about it ever since. I took pictures that I want to include, but I'm always forgetting to upload them. I need to get that done, but the good news is we won! Details to follow. On other rowing news, I got bumped out of our 8+ for our next race, which comes this coming Sunday - Head of the Potomac. It's a great venue as you race down the Potomac through the key Bridge and the Georgetown waterfront and finish in front of the Kennedy Center. I'll be racing in our old (50+) 4+ and in a mixed 8+ with some of our women. I have been rowing 2 seat in the 4+, but got asked to move to stroke. A little added pressure there, but I've rowed stroke before so we'll see how that goes.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks Ann and I's 33rd wedding anniversary. The fact the our anniversary now shares a date with the one of the most infamous events in America history makes it pretty difficult to forget. It makes it both a day to celebrate, but also a date to remember. To me it's hard to believe we've been married that long and that we have adult children (some more adult then others). When I meet new couples I'm always curious on how they met. What brought them together. What was the initial attraction. So I'll give you our story.

Ann and I first met in 1975. I was living in Charleston, SC at the time and she lived in Alexandria, VA. We were both working for the Navy (and still do). We were both in the intern training program but working for different Commands. I was involved in ship repair and Ann dealt with buying things for the "Air" side of the Navy. In our line of work, new hires are sent to a ton of classes the first few years. Not surprisingly there are endless amounts of rules and regulations to learn in order to do our jobs. One of the first classes is a four week one to learn the basics. I chose to attend one that was being given in northern Virginia, across the street from the Pentagon , literally, rather then the traditional location, which was Ft Lee in Petersburg, VA, just south of Richmond. The reason I chose the former was so that I could spend time with my family that lived in Maryland at the time. The first day of class started auspiciously as I was over an hour late due to an accident that screwed up rush hour traffic. What a surprise there. Anyway,I finally manged to get to the class, which was being held in an office building in Crystal City, an office/residential/commercial series of buildings located next to National Airport. The class was made up mostly of locals with just a few of us from out of town. Included in the locals were three girls who were friends and all worked in the next office building over. Now remember this was 1975 and the miniskirts was the fashion of the day. The three girls sat on the far side of the room so they had to walk across the front of the classroom to reach their seats. It became a viewing sport to watch them return after breaks. Very cute girls. After a week or so of class, during a break, I was getting a drink from the water fountain and one of the three girls approached me and asked what school I had been a Delt at. She was referring to what fraternity as I was wearing my windbreaker with the fraternity letters on it. I told her I had gone to Auburn. We talked a bit did the introductions and I found out her name was Ann and she asked if I would like to get together for a drink after class. Next to the office building where the class was being held was a Holiday Inn with a bar. A lot of the class went there after class. So we went for drinks and talked and talked and talked. We ended up having dinner there. Then we went back to her apartment where we mostly just watched TV and maybe a little making out before I left late for the long drive back to my parent's house. We went out everyday after that until the class was over and I returned to Charleston. After that there was daily phone calls. Well during the week anyway. I had no phone in my apartment as I was making all of $8,000 a year at the time. We managed to schedule a three week class a few months later. We did the long distance relationship thing for about a little over a year until I managed to switch jobs to the same Command Ann worked for. A few months after tat we were married in my hometown in Maryland. None of this living in sin for Ann. So now 33 years later I can safely say that I definitely made the right pick.

The Eyes Have It

Over the past two years or so I have been having problems with my eyes. I have some rogue lower eyelashes that like to grow back toward my eyes rather then out and down. You wouldn't think something as benign as an eyelash could do much damage, but the pointy ends have scratched and scared the cornea of my eyes. I can usually tell when they've become a problem as my eyes get extremely light sensitive. My eye Doctor has had me come in about every 5 weeks or so to pluck the offending eyelashes. I was last in to see him on Wednesday. My eyes are feeling much better and he gave me the ok to start wearing my contacts again. He did tell me to take that part slow though as my eyes are still healing. He also recommended that I get the offending lashes permanently removed. I'm not exactly sure how that will work. It's not like they can sap them with a laser. Apparently it is an in office procedure so how bad can it be? I'm sure this will be more then a one time thing until all the offenders are identified and removed. My first appointment will be in about 5 weeks. It will be nice to get this problem resolved and perhaps be able to see like a semi-normal person. Not to mention getting to wear my killer sunglasses again. Stay tuned.

Rowing, Biking and Eating - It's What We Do

Another weekend same as the last. Lots of rowing and a morning bike ride. Friday was a day off and I was at the boathouse and out on the water by 8:15. It wasn't hot yet, but very humid. I rowed up past Ryan's Dam and turned around at the 5 1/2 mile mark from the boathouse. As i turned to return to the boathouse, I noticed two scullers coming toward me (from even further up river). On a weekday, its not that common to see others out rowing. It's even rarer to see rowers that far up river. Most turn at Fountainhead Park or at Ryan's Dam. They turned out to be two women I know. Both have previously been members of my sweep rowing club, which is where I originally know them from. Both have given up sweep rowing for sculling. We chatted for a few minutes before they continued on. I was in the middle of taking a water break and let them go. After several minutes i decided to see if I could catch up with them. They had about a 1/2 mile lead and i was never able to quite catch up with them. After about a mile, I was fairly close to them as we approached Ryan's Dam, but I slowly ran out of gas and they pulled away. Just goes to show that I need to work on my endurance. After the row, I was just soaking wet and just beat. I rowed a total of 11 miles and it felt like it. After driving home and showering, i felt a lot better. After lunch Ann and I went and did some shopping at Target and then just relaxed the rest of the day. On Fridays we usual just go out for pizza. It's the end of the week and Ann really isn't in the mood to cook. Frankly I enjoy going out to eat so it works for me too. However now that The Son is gainfully employed again and not subsisting solely on Raisin Brand, decided we shoot eat something a bit healthier then a three topping pizza. Our local Giant had ground turkey on sale this past week so I decided we would have grilled turkey burgers. To the ground turkey I added Worcester Sauce, some onion, red bell pepper and formed into patties. They came out pretty well and combined with a salad healthy as well.

Saturday consisted of rowing practice in the morning. We're concentrating on our catches and not mossing water at the catch and our ratio. Things are slowly starting to come together. We only had 9 guys and only 1 coxswain for the practice and we took out a 4+ and a Quad. Ten minutes into the practice, one of the guys in the Quad felt something go in his back and had to be swapped out. Once that happened we proceeded with the practice. Drills and slow stroke rates up to Ryan's Dam. We were rowing at 12 and 14 strokes per minute, which is incredibly slow. Hurt your back slow. I was in the 4+ and surprisingly the set of the boat was fairly good. We had a tendency to tip to port right at the catch so we need to get that corrected. After arriving at the Dam (which really isn't a Dam anymore, its been torn down for years, but parts of it on the Prince William side of the Occoquan still remain as a landmark), we took a water break , spun the boats and headed back. We leaped frogged with the Quad on the way back although still at low stroke rates to work on our ratio and rush. The rates varied based on the Coach;s whim but they were in the 16 to 18 strokes per minute area. We were able to move the 4+ well even at the low rate and it was fun leap frogging with the Quad. Keeps practice interesting. After practice, I came home showered and started in with lunch. I fired up the grill and cooked some hot dogs for Ann and I (Nathan's - great hot dog) and another turkey burger for The Son. After lunch it was off for the weekly grocery shopping. Dinner that night was grilled steaks. The grill definitely got a work out over the weekend. Speaking of the grill, I'm still pretty old school using a Weber that requires charcoal versus a gas grill. I just haven't been impressed with the gas grills I've owned in the past.

Sunday I schedule a bike ride since I had gone rowing the previous three days. I wasn't sure what condition the trail would be in as we had very heavy storms roll through the area overnight. The parking lot I use was only about half full when i arrived, which I thought was great but strange as it fills up quickly. I usually get one of the last spots even though I'm there right around 8:00 in the morning. From the Rt 28 lot, I headed east toward Vienna figuring to get in a 25 mile ride. It's a 12.5 mile ride to Vienna. As i started out, I noticed that traffic heading west was heavier then normal and moving very fast. Turns out the Reston Bike Club was holding a bike race on Sunday morning. I'm glad I was going against the grain so to speak and didn't get caught up in all that traffic. After my ride, The Son cam to the house and made some scrambled eggs and sausage with some onions and red pepper thrown in, which turned out rather tasty. For dinner, Ann turn some Boston Butt Pork Roast into some great tasting BBQ. We do love to eat. Overall I'd give the weekend and "A".

A Rowing and Biking Weekend

This past weekend was all about having fun in the mornings and obsessing about what to eat for the rest of the time. Friday was a work from home day so I had to wait until my lunch hour to run over to Sandy Run for a quick row. It was pretty hot and very humid. I just rowed up to Fountainhead Park and back for seven miles. Its about all I had time for. After making the turn around at Fountainhead, I saw two firetrucks using their water cannons on the Prince William side. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing - training maybe? But it made for quite a show seeing the large arcs of water. We stuck to our usual Friday night routine and had pizza for dinner.

Saturday I had rowing practice in the morning. The boathouse was a lot quieter than usual as the Women's side was up in Camden competing in US Rowing's Masters Nationals. Our Lightweight 4+ took a 1st place so congratulations to them. I beleive it's the first national Gold medal our club has earned. As for us, after our warm up, we did a Challenge piece, i.e., up the racecourse, did a 180 degree turn and finished back at Sandy Run. The turn went well, but you could feel the power slowly go after we made the turn. We picked it back up as we started a sprint over the last 500 meters, but it shows me that we are in no kind of shape yet for head race season. Although we were also missing two of our strongest rowers so I'm sure that contributed to the feeling of the boat slowing down. On a positive note, the boat is running much smoother these days. The check in the boat is way down especially at the higher stroke rates where we were having a problem. The run is also getting better. It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. When we launched, the temperature was in the high 60s, no wind, the water was so flat and the sun just coming up over the trees. It definitely made you want to be out on the water. To top it off, there was coffee and donuts waiting for us back at the boathouse when we were done. Not that I'm a coffee drinker, but donuts are always welcome. After the row, Ann went and got us subs for lunch and then had a long discussion concerning the menu for this week. I think like most families, we find ourselves falling into a rut for dinner - having the same things again and again. Some want change, but can't suggest alternative and others don't. We finally managed to hammer out a menu and from that a grocery list. The Son and I left to do the grocery shopping. The grocery store we use most often if currently undergoing a renovation and they have moved everything around. It's a mess and everyone walks around in a daze unable to locate anything. We finally finished up the shopping and The Son headed back to his condo with his loot and I headed back to the house. The Son is actually working again (thank God), but doesn't get his first paycheck until Thursday so we have been supplying him with some food staples. He was back for dinner. We bbqed boneless country pork ribs (are they still ribs is they don't have actual rib bones?) and they were good. We do love some ribs.

Sunday I was up early (6:00 AM) to go for a bike ride. The forecast called for a hot and humid day (welcome to Washington in August) and I wanted to get started before it got too hot. I had already loaded my bike, helmet and bike shoes into the car the night before. I had also taken the laundry down so it was ready to be started as soon as I got up. I was out the door just after 7. I had planned to go a bit further then my usual 20 mile ride to Leesburg, so I headed east from Dulles, rather then west. I rode to Vienna and back, which was 25 miles and then continued past the parking lot for another 2.5 miles and then back to add another 5 miles for a total for 30 for the day. I went early enough that it was a comfortable ride - not hot at all. A lot of people had the same idea as me as the trail was pretty crowded in spots. Mostly with joggers more so then bikers. About 5 miles into the ride my left knee started to really hurt and I thought I would have to call short the ride, but after a few miles the pain went away. Not exactly sure what was up with that. Maybe it just needed some time to loosen up. I love riding on the W&OD Trail. It's scenic and best of all, no cars/trucks so it's safe. The only problem I have with it is the mix of people who use the trail. The trail is used by bikers of varying experience and ages, in-line skaters, joggers and walkers. When you have 4 or 5 fast bikers in tandem coming up from behind on two people walking side by side strolling along with their dogs with traffic coming from the other direction, it creates a situation ripe for disaster. I've only seen a few accidents, but you have to be vigilant and pay attention. Just outside Vienna, I was trailing a dad out with his two small sons. They were under 10 and on small bikes. Obviously they were much slower then most of the bike traffic and for the most part they weren't creating a problem as long as you took the time to pass when clear. A biker coming from the opposite direction yelled at the dad to "keep his kids under control". I thought it the guy was being a bit of a jerk. I didn't see where the kids were creating a problem, but it's the kind of thinking you run into. Although I say the trail was crowded and it was in spots, when you're traveling a stretch of trail that covers 15 miles, there was much of that time where I was utterly alone and I could enjoy the silence and the beauty of the trail. I got home just after 11:30 and The Son came over and cooked a brunch for us, which was appreciated. After eating we settled in to watch the Nationals play. Ann and I fell asleep during the games, but naps are fine on a Sunday. Ann, for dinner, prepared a rotisserie chicken (set it and forget it!), which was moist and delicious. So went my weekend.