Pikesville 5k Race Photos...

As part of the Fleet Feet Galloway program, today was the annual Pikesville 5K. Having already completed my mileage for the week, I decided to not run the race and take photographs instead. Oddly enough, some of the runners thought I was part of a professional group that sells race photos. LOL!






All the pictures from the Pikesville 5K are now available at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/krebsTodd/2008Pikesvillle5k

All are welcome to use any of the photos from the Pikesville 5K. If you want the image in full resolution (10 megapixel), just email me and I will send them to you. If you ran the race and you like what you see, just leave a comment. :-)

A new lens to the collection...

UPS didn't deliver until late this evening but here are some photos I took with my new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens before the sun when down. I am not a professional by any measure but it is really hard not to look like one due to the quality of this camera and lens. Its amazing!

Michael Phelps, cunning linguist...

I was watching television the other day and happened to catch a commercial for RosettaStone that featured Michael Phelps. While I understand that both Michael Phelps and RosettaStone would like to use his fame for financial gain, I did not understand why this would be such a great match. I mean... what does Michael Phelps have to do with learning a new language. Yeah, I know, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer - Michael is going to Beijing for the Olympics and he will need to be able to speak some Chinese. Ahh - sooo...

Then it occurred to me that this might not be a really good combination after all. RosettaStone positions its product for the common man that wants to learn a language quickly. If it appears that Michael hasn't garnered enough of the Chinese language, doesn't that make RosettaStone look bad? I mean... c'mon, think about it. He is going to a Chinese speaking country and undoubtedly will be interviewed by Chinese speaking people on television. I am certain that I would not want to be the marketing person that thought up this idea. I think it will be funny if some crazy Chinese journalist decides that since Michael has RosettaStone that he can conduct the interview in Chinese.

(BTW, no offense to Michael Phelps, he has worked very hard to get where he is and I have complete respect for his talent as a swimmer.)

Turks and Caicos Pictures Posted

I have posted U/W photos from Turks and Caicos (finally). They are open (unprotected) and anyone can view them. Enjoy!

T&C Underwater Photos

The latest and greatest underwater photos from Turks and Caicos have been posted but are locked down. Let me know if you are interested in viewing them and I will send you a link to the album.

Thanks to the french...

It isn't too often that I thank the french for anything but I definitely owe them a bit of gratitude for something I recently discovered - a dive site named 'Le Dome'. The site is the remains of a large metal underwater dome that was created for a french television show back in the early 80's. Apparently the show was much like the modern day show Survior and contestants had to compete for rewards (food, money, etc). One of the challenges they had was to freedive to the underwater dome (which is in 40 feet of water) and search for pearls hidden inside the dome (which were turned in for rewards). During their freediving, scantily clad mermaids with scuba gear would give the contestants an occasional breath of air when needed. Unfortunately, the contestants were not scuba certified and were unaware that they need to exhale on their way up to avoid an embolism. Needless to say, the show was cancelled early when several contestants were hurt. After the show ended, the dome was left to become part of the reef. Over the years, hurricanes have knocked portions of the dome over and now it is a perfect dive site and home to numerous fish. We did three dives on the dome last week (2 daytime dives and 1 night dive) and each dive was spectacular. Thanks to the french, this dive site is now in my top 10 of caribbean dive sites.

Thankful for training...

Last week in Turks and Caicos I had a minor problem while diving. It was on the third dive of the day - the 2 pm after lunch dive when I had the problem. Lunch that day was spaghetti and I had two pieces of garlic bread. Unfortunately, the garlic seemed a little harsh for my digestive system and my stomach decided it would be better to reverse gears. Normally, this would not be that big of an issue, however I was in 20 feet of water. So, what do you do when you throw up underwater? Well, I am not sure if everyone would have the same experience but I quickly had a flashback to my training 15 years ago. I vividly remember my instructor Steve Deem of Aquatic Connection telling me to keep my regulator in my mouth and that the vomit would clear. I remember thinking that it would be gross and doubting that it would clear but he was adamant that the regulator stay in your mouth or you would risk drowning. Well, I will spare the details but I can say that it DOES indeed clear. :-)

I also got a chance to take an underwater photography course while I was diving last week. Prior to last week, most of my photography was shot using the various automatic modes that the camera provided. With the help of Amanda from the T&C Aggressor, I learned to use the manual mode of my camera by specifying both shutter speed and f-stop of my camera. Doing so, I have been able to minimize the over-exposure that I was experiencing from my dual Inon external strobes and improve the quality of the photos I took. I am really happy with the results and I am thinking about taking things to the next level and buying an SLR.

I will post some photos soon. In the meantime, here are some photos of me in action...

Turks and Caicos...

Turks and Caicos was wonderful last week. Here is the weekly captain's report (since I don't know how long they keep it):


Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Entry By: Scott Arni

June 14-21, 2008 The water temperature was a lovely 80 degrees, visibility 90, and many dove in just a 3mm wetsuit.

Saturday the 14th.
It was another splendid day in paradise as people from all over the country gathered in provo for a fantastic cruise aboard the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II. Coming aboard were people from all over including New Jersey, Arizona, Oregon and many other cities from Texas to Colorado. Spirits were high in anticipation for the Sunday dives and the energy aboard ship was complimented by near perfect weather. The accommodating crew secured baggage and the guests gathered on the sun deck for a meet and greet. We had many returning guests from previous dive cruises and conversation centered around the upcoming dives.

Sunday 15
Upon arriving at eel gardens everyone promptly suited up and entered the water to kick off another fantastic week. Bill from New Jersey marveled at all the life he encountered in about 76’ of water. He glided effortlessly over the eel gardens properly named for the abundance of sand eels. Many different tropicals were observed and terry from Arizona commented of how calm and beautiful the dive was. At lunch time we moved to RGI in the West Caicos. There we dove among the flamingo tongues and huge parrot fish along the wall. Our friends the sharks showed up and joined in the dive along with Flounder, huge eels and rays. The night dive was even more spectacular when all the denizens of the reef came out to play in the moonlight.

Monday the 16th
We entered the water at white face West Caicos in an area known as the anchor. A fantastic dive with a cool swim through next to an anchor that has now become part of the reef. The frog fish were present and so were some lovely trumpet fish. All topped off again by a visit from our friends the sharks. Huge crabs were photographed by Todd and Kim as well as a variety of other marine life. We had one of Ronnie’s famous bbq’s on the sundeck and celebrated Kim’s birthday. It was a wonderful evening

Tuesday the 17th
Today was a great day for Teri from Arizona. We anchored at French Caye and she was entertained by a variety of eels. She was also amazed at the quantity of barracuda present. I couldn’t believe it she said “I was surrounded by them”. That’s the great thing about this place said Nick from Arizona. Everytime you dive it you get a different experience. The next dive on the site called driveway. Trumpet fish were observed. Photographer had a real treat as a friendly turtle made an appearance.

Wednesday 18
The afternoon dive at Brandywine was memorable. It seems that all the ocean’s denizens came to us all in one spot Georgia saw a variety of marine life. A spotted drum, a lovely hawksbill turtle, and a quite unusual looking jaw fish. It was also her first time seeing a frog fish.

Thursday 19
We dove Elephant Ear Canyon on this day. Many marveled at the many different types of coral. The formations are varied and beautiful. Later we dove The Dome. It is an old abandoned set for a French TV show. Luckily for us the dome has collapsed and we now have an awesome dive site. There we met the lion fish who frequents there quite often. We also had the usual hello from the resident nurse shark.

Friday 20
We arose early and moved to the black forest. Although it was the last dive of the trip the early risers had a great time. In the afternoon we headed back to turtle cove for a wonderful dinner party. New friendships were cemented as people traded phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Many a toast was made as we once again concluded another fantastic cruise aboard the Aggressor II. The crew this week was Capt. Scott, Amanda, Belinda, Patty, Ronnie, and Brett.

A really rough run...

I remember the old US Army slogan, "We do more before 9am than most people do all day." It was a good commercial that I never really gave it much thought to. Well, this morning I awoke early, determined to get my long run in for this week - I too felt like an army of one.

It was really hot - even in the early morning and the hills didn't help much. Oh well, another ten miles down.

:-)

Poetic Justice...

Considering the first post of this blog is actually a poem by Rudyard Kipling, I found this article to be very interesting. What a great way to punish and hopefully add to their enrichment. Too bad that youth is squandered on the young... This also is one of my favorite poems.


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

It Happened...

For a number of weeks now Kim has been getting text messages to her phone from Red Box giving her codes for free DVD rentals (assuming you return it the next day). I have jokingly told people that I think she and Red Box are having an affair. Well, yesterday seems to be the end of the affair. I have described the events that unfolded very truthfully and without drama. Please remember, this is all TRUE! Enjoy...

It was a warm Monday afternoon and Kimberly was going about her day as normal. She had completed several items at work this day and she was feeling quite satisfied with the work that she had accomplished. Continuing on her list of to-do items, she heard a muffled beep coming from her cellular phone. She thought for a second as to who would be text messaging her in the middle of the day. She opened her purse to get her phone but before she reached it she already knew who had sent her the text message. Like so many weeks before on a Monday afternoon, her lover was calling to her and making her the offer that she knew she could not resist. It was Red Box (RB).

RB text messaged her to invite her to enjoy another free DVD rental and included a secret code just for her so they could keep it just between them. Kim hated to admit it but the idea of secret code and text messages in the middle of the day excited her. Her imagination wandered and she thought of her relationship with RB as if it were a James Bond film and she needed to keep the secret code away from the prying eyes of the villains. She read the message, closed her phone, and tucked it back into her purse knowing the anticipation would grow as the day wore on.
The remaining hours of the day seemed to drag. Kim lost focus for the work that she had been so diligent at accomplishing just hours prior. It seemed that Kim was distracted and even though she had not moved from her desk, in her head she was already where she really wanted to be. Minutes seemed like hours until it was finally time to leave. Kim quickly packed her things and made for her car. As she drove, she thought about the almost limitless possibilities that awaited her. Her anticipation grew.

At what seemed to be an eternity, Kim finally arrived at her destination. It was her secret rendezvous place that she had already established with RB. She knew he would already be there. He was always dependable and never kept her waiting. Kim parked her car and hurriedly searched the contents of her purse to find her cellular phone. With phone in hand, she exited the car and walked directly to where he was standing. This time however, Kim would have to wait. RB was there as planned but someone was already talking to him. Careful not to blow his cover, Kim patiently waited as though she was just a normal customer. She took the time to look over his handsome exterior. She thought to herself that the color red had never looked so vibrant. The font used to label himself was distinguished and rugged. Even his interfacing screen was easy to see in the warm bright June sunshine. Kim's patience was tested as the individual before her seemed to take a long time to resolve their business. She hoped they did not notice that she was excited and struggled to keep the appearance of a normal customer. After what seemed an eternity, it was finally Kim's turn.

Kim smiled as she approached RB knowing that it had been several days since their last meeting. She greeted him with a loving swipe of her credit card and he immediately acknowledged that it was indeed her. Even so, RB was not to be fooled by an impostor so he asked Kim to input the secret code that he had given her just hours before. As Kim typed in the code, she felt things were strangely different. Her intuition said that something was wrong and it was immediately confirmed by the response she received. RB refused her code and asked her to try again. Was he being coy? She had thought that she had entered the code correctly but she complied with his request and entered the code again. Once again, RB denied her. Kim looked around thinking that somehow their cover had been blown and that he was purposefully denying her code to protect her from the evil villains that were observing her. However, she did not care. She longed for the satisfaction that he had been giving her for weeks and she wanted satisfaction now. She knew the risks and also knew the rewards. She entered the code a third time, this time paying more attention to the lover she had become so comfortable with. Her finger firmly touched the screen almost as to say that she was accepting of the consequences to her actions. For the final time, RB denied her.

Devastated, Kim left RB there as she had found him. She drove away taking a last look hoping that somehow he would call out to her to come back. She asked herself why the relationship had gone wrong so quickly and what could she have done to cause such a reaction. She held her phone close - waiting for another chance, another time, another opportunity.

Idiots... Pure Idiots....

Ok, finally something has fired me up enough to blog... Admittedly, I have been a little lazy lately. So what interesting type of thing might I have to say especially when the title of the post implies idiots are involved? Well, I logged into Yahoo this morning to get my mail and I see this interesting article about a man sneaking an octopus onto the ice at a Red Wing hockey game. Of course, the title got my attention and I had to click on the article to see what they were talking about... I mean... why in the world would someone throw an octopus onto the ice at a Red Wings game??? Even more strange was the fact that the article didn't seem to think the octopus prank was that big of a deal but rather focused on the fact that the idiot who did it got back into the game after being ejected by buying a $300 ticket from a scapler and changing into a Red Wings jersey. I read the reader comments at the bottom of the article and much to my amazement, everyone thought it was great and it showed a lot of Red Wing pride. Hm... at this point I was realizing that I didn't understand something so I decided to dig a little deeper.

I searched a little more and found this article where it says the NHL is declaring war on "octopus twirling". Hm... a WAR on octopus twirling? A WAR? Ok, I hate it when someone says they are declaring WAR on something - but the media loves to use that expression because of the hype. However, in this case I think it works only because the subject of "octopus twirling" is such an insane idea to be declaring war against. Seriously, who would have ever thought there would be a war on octopus twirling? Then again, who would have though a bunch of idiots would get off on seeing the dead body of an octopus being twirled and flung around in the first place?

Reading further into the article, I discovered this has been something that the Red Wings have been doing since 1991. According to the New York Times, "During a home playoff game in 1991, a fan tossed an octopus onto the ice after a Red Wings goal, a tradition that dates to 1952, when it took eight postseason victories to win the Stanley Cup." Okay... eight postseason victories... eight... octopus... eight arms... Hm, I'm starting to understand there is a number relation here and frankly I'm starting to see that these Detroit idiots have at least attended third grade.

For anyone that does not follow hockey (I don't really either), the Detroit Red Wings symbol/mascot is the Winged Wheel. It has nothing to do with any type of sea creature. This entire octopus twirling tradition started merely because it took eight postseason victories to win the Stanley Cup. Finally, the NHL recently stepped in and declared "octopus twirling doesn't fit in with league image, or something to that effect" and is issuing fines to the team each time an octopus is thrown on the ice. Detroit fans argue that the tradition should continue as it has been going on for 17 years now and has become woven into the fabric of Detroit hockey. But I ask, if the only thing an octopus is guilty of is having eight legs and the relationship is lame anyway, why must this "tradition" continue? If you follow their argument that it is now "tradition," I would offer you this pearl of wisdom. This country has had an eight year "tradition" of having a complete jackass as a president, should we continue to keep him because it is "tradition"????

Think it over Detroit... and when you get your head out of your ass and decide to stop harming innocent cephalopods for fun, maybe you can get to work and design energy effiecient cars that compete with foreign models!

Death Swarms Over...

I went to my doctor last week to get a physical before the running season gets fully underway. I just like to make sure that everything is in good condition before I put my body through the hell that is marathon training. Invariably, every year I end up hurting myself in some way or another. I have already been having issues with my hip (although it feels ok right now). Unfortunately, my good intentions seem to have failed as I have caught a bug and I really feel like hell right now. I know I have been fighting something for the past several weeks (some of which I chalk up to allergies) but this has taken me down for the count. Oddly enough, this weekend was the Miracle Mile run that the Galloway program does to determine speed and group like paced runners together. I ran the mile in 6:34 which is fairly decent considering it is the beginning of the season and I was under the weather. Since then however, it has been all downhill (no running pun intended).

Kim has been awesome as I know I have been a baby. I feel like hell and I know I have probably worn thin on her nerves. Which leads me to the question... when did I start to become like my father and become a baby when I get sick??? I guess it is true what they say about the apple falling from the tree. Anyway, thanks Kim for all your patience...

A long time coming...

Most of you that know me well will undoubtably know that my birthday is actually not a day that I usually celebrate. (Well, that isn't exactly true, sometimes I runaway to the caribbean to forget about it, but anyway...) For some reason, I guess I have always focused on the fact that I am another year older and inevitably further down a path of getting old. Granted, I still think that way a little but I think I am coming to accept it. Besides, just because I grow older doesn't mean I have to grow up, right? :-) Hm, I guess I AM a living example of that statement.

Anyway, this last year was good for me. It was filled with some difficult moments but also a lot great memories. I guess from an outside perspective looking at the events of the last year most people wouldn't understand why it was a good year for me (besides taking some really nice vacations). For me though, I got a lot of things that I have been long searching for - forgiveness, acceptance, and peace. I have put a long chapter of my life to rest. I was forgiven by the person I most needed it from. I also have found myself looking to the future optimistically again. Finally, I feel good again about where I am and what the uncertain future holds.

So this birthday, even though I am not in the caribbean, I am still happy (at least it is warm here today - LOL!). I'm not running away for my birthday and I'm not hiding from my age (I'm 36). Instead, this year I will mark the moment when I realized that I am back on track again. I am happy for what I have and who I have to share it with. Everyone, thank you for all of the birthday wishes they really mean a lot!

BTW, thanks Kim for this... whether you agree with me or not, you always understand me and that is all I can ever ask for - and for that, I love you!

Smokers SUCK!

Ok... so we have had some nice weather the past couple of weeks and I have been driving the little car again. Its nice to drive something different and I love to put the top down. :-) Anyway, I have to say that there is one thing that really gets me mad (especially when I am in that car). Why do smokers think they have the right to discard their lit cigarette butts out the window? I mean, do they not want to trash the inside of their car with a dirty cigarette butt? If so, haven't they realized that their car smells like ass already because of the nasty fumes? Isn't it littering to throw trash from your car? I just think it is terribly inconsiderate and trashy.

On three different times on the way home last week a smoker threw their butt out the window while they were driving in front of me. I realize that many of us are not schooled in aerodynamics but we have all had the same experience before... when the person in front of you throws out their butt, it inevitably is carried by the draft of the car directly into the car behind them. Now, add to that equation that the person in front of you is a big SUV high off the ground and you are in a sports car that is very low... are you getting the picture now? Predictably, there is a 50/50 chance that their butt is going over the windshield and into the car behind them.

I realize the world is an ever changing place and smokers feel more and more like they are discriminated against. New laws have restricted smoking in public places and now they are forced to smoke outside or in designated areas. Well, all I can say is that these laws exist for a reason. Smoking is a disgusting habit and those that smoke are generally inconsiderate about it. Along with the obvious health factors involved in second hand smoke, flicking your butts out of your car window is just an example of why legislation exists to restrict the habits of smokers.

Some ass kicking...

Ok, I took the quiz and determined I am a 5 year old's nightmare!!! It would take 27 of the little bastards to take me down... Yeah, I would fight dirty, I might even use one as a battering ram to hurt the others with. Its all fun and games until they realize I'm serious (no, not really). LOL! It is funny though.

27

A Strange Suggestion...

Ok, so I get weird emails all the time, it is nothing new. We have all be spammed here and there. I don't think anyone hasn't been offered Viagra or something that will improve your manhood so to speak. However, when I got a recent email from Amazon.com that suggested I buy this book based on my previous selections, I was kind of taken back. I looked through my purchase history with Amazon and there isn't ANYTHING like this, pretty much everything are technical books or a couple of books that I bought for my ex-wife. This leads me to believe there are a lot of depressed Java developers out there that are buying depression books along with their technical purchases. How else could they have made this suggestion to me? I mean, I do have seasonal effective disorder but it is spring now and I am coming out of my shell.

On a side note, if you are a Java developer and you have depression... look for help, it is out there waiting for you and try out this book it must be working for someone.

Back to Bonaire

I know, I know... I've been there twice before and I should try somewhere new but the diving there is excellent and we enjoy the island. Besides, I really haven't had the chance to photograph there since I got my new camera rig and we are already going to two new places this year. The nice thing about repeating is you know what you like, what you want to do, and where you want to go. Besides, we are trying some new things this time... We made arrangements today with Larry's Wild Side to dive the other side of the island which is much more intense (if you don't mind getting tossed around when you are on the surface).

I did a lot of shore diving last time I was there and I want to do more of the dives from the shore. I think you see a lot more things when it is a smaller group because there are not a lot of people scaring things away. Not to mention I get to take my time to take photographs and I don't have to feel rushed.

So the plans are set for this fall. Matt & Ellen, I would really love you guys to join us. Let us know if you are available for the trip! I promise you both you will see plenty of seahorses!

Run Forrest Run

Since I have been running, I have heard a lot of comments - some good, some bad. I guess it comes with the territory. Some people have been ultra supportive while others think you are crazy for running so much. A lot of people like to call me "Forrest Gump" because of all the running that he does in the movie, and again, some say it as a compliment and others as an insult. Personally, I take it as a compliment. Forrest Gump, although not being a very smart was true to himself. He was simple and did what he felt in his heart. I have learned (and still am learning) that life isn't all about material possesions, or being the best at something, or even being smart. It is about being true to yourself and learning from your experiences. I say that I am still learning because I always think there is more to garner from our experiences and so we are all on a path. Anyway, to all those that have called me "Gump", thank you... whatever your intent, it only serves to remind me to be true to myself. If I live a life like Forrest Gump, it would be a life fulfilled.

Geekware is sexy

They say that sex sells... Based on this latest picture hosted on the Think Geek website, I completely agree. Who is that sexy cat?