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Personal Blog of Steve Baumber
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Kate finished and Kirsten missed the cut-off time for the transition from the bike to the run by only 15 minutes. Heartbreaking. Without knowing how she felt after the bike, I truly believe she would have finished, which is the kick in the pants about the whole thing. I suppose given enough time any of us could finish anything, and so the cut-off times mark the difference between the "finishers" and the "almost-finished". But it's not a true indication of who could've finished, which is where the heartbreak comes in. Few of us would ever attempt a race like the Ironman, let alone devote the time to train for it and enter the level of discomfort it takes to complete the race. I'm very proud of both Kirsten and Kate for what they've done. My family and friends continue to inspire me.
posted by Steve @
8:52 AM
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8.25.2003  |
I got the part of Algernon in "The Importance of Being Earnest"! Yay. Now I have to learn all those lines. And an English accent.
Kirsten and Kate are doing the Ironman today in Penticton. The smoke is heavy there, but I hope it blows off before tonight to make the run easier. Go Iron Racers!!
A good friend's father's house was saved in Kelowna through bravery, stubborness and luck. He stood on his roof while the fire exploded houses around him and kept pumping water from the lake onto his home. I'm thankful, but also a bit relieved. His attempt to save his house could have turned out very differently.
posted by Steve @
11:12 AM
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8.24.2003 |
Hmm, a little bird reminded me that I had forgotten to mention our recent camping trip to Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Park on the August long weekend...
It was a beautiful couple of days. We hiked in to the lakes on the Saturday - 11km up a steady uphill grade, until you drop down into a saddle where the lakes are located, and then the campsite was another 1km down in a lower valley. There are two lakes, one designated for drinking water, and one designated for swimming. So we drank from the drinking lake and swam in the swimming lake to refresh ourselves. Lots of mosquitos and black flies in the evening, which made cooking and eating dinner a little uncomfortable. The next day we did a marathon hiking session. After breakfast we took the trail up to "The Saddle", offering a spectacular view of Little Diamond Head mountain and The Gargoyles. Then we headed off to Opal Cone, an extinct volcanic crater. The trail winded its way through a barren, rocky valley that looked like the land of Mordor (read your Tolkein kiddies), which just happened to have a creek running through it called Ring Creek! Rosemary got tired of me calling her Master Frodo, as I kept glancing over my shoulder watching for that sneak Gollum.
We followed a steep trail up the side of the cone and had a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains, Elfin Lakes in the distance, Bishop's Glacier, and the Ring Creek valley we had just hiked through. We met a nice couple on our way up, and between the four of us had a good (late) lunch of tuna fish sandwiches, fruit and chocolate.
Having succesfully cast the One Ring into the icy depths of Opal Cone and thereby ending evil forever, we had a steep descent down the other side back to Ring Creek. We returned to the campsite, and after a quick packing of tent, bedding, etc., we stopped off at the lakes to have another swim, and to wash some of the day's sweat and dust off! Made a cup of tea to fortify ourselves, and then the slow grind back to the car. All in all, it was almost a 30km day of hiking! Sunburnt and tired, the car never looked so good. Needless to say, Monday was spent doing laundry, washing the car, and resting sore muscles. We finished off almost a whole roll of film on the trip, so I hope to post a few images on the website before next year.
posted by Steve @
9:44 AM
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8.14.2003 |
Auditioned for a play at The Metro theatre on Monday - "The Importance of Being Ernest", and have gotten a call back for the part of Algernon. It's the part I was hoping for, as he's happily in my range of absurdity, so I hope that it goes well. Have a separate audition for the production of "Private Lives" at the Arts Club Theatre tomorrow. This is the same theatre company who's open auditions I bombed at recently. The pressure's on. This time I'll be ready! The director is the same as for The Birds, so I'm not sure if he's having me in as a favour, but regardless, I will give him every ounce of talent that creeps up from my shoes that evening.
From reading through the plays, it's interesting how similar they can seem in their treatment of high English society, and yet the language is vastly different. Granted there is a large difference between the times they were written, but Noel Coward truly has a lyrical quality to his writing - the lines produce from the mouth quite easily. Oscar Wilde has a knack for absurdity, but the lines don't flow as well. Coward is also a bit darker and edgier than Wilde. If nothing else comes of these auditions, I've read through two good plays and practiced my English accent.
Big changes at work - first no Director, now no co-worker. Is it me? Should I wash? Now I'm the sole powerhouse of recruiting magic for the Faculty. I guess I should pull up my socks, change my underwear and get to it!
posted by Steve @
2:44 PM
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8.13.2003 |
Okay, Win95 has limited support for USB, but you have to install a couple of files that aren't provided on the installation CD. And it could crash your system. I think I'll hold off until I really need it. I was hoping that I could use the USB posrt to patch in the digital recorder, but no such luck.
Trying out some new strings on the Gallagher, Elixirs with "Nanoweb" technology. They supposedly last twice as long as regular strings due to a microthin coating. They cost almost twice as much, so they'd better. I've found that living down on the coast deadens my strings fairly quickly whether I'm playing a lot or not.
posted by Steve @
8:37 AM
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8.01.2003 |
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