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Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
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10:05 am - An introduction
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| Friday, October 3rd, 2008
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1:05 pm - Hawks & Doves
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I'm finally getting around to posting about the ride, and I find I have little to nothing to say about it. I ended up doing the century on Saturday, something I wasn't sure about right up until I made the turn that committed me to it. The ride pretty much kicked my ass from mile 60 to about mile 85 where I cheated and drank some caffeine. Oh, I was a different rider then! Anyway, I sent out the email thank-yous on Tuesday, but if for some reason you didn't get one, let me take this time to thank you now for donating. To paraphrase my own email, without your support, I'm just some schmo staying on a bike far longer than is advisable.
Unrelatedly, here's a story from work today: After class, one of my students asked if I had watched the debates last night. I did, and so had she; I asked her if she had any opinion about who she liked better. She said Biden because, get this, he answered the questions that were asked of him while Palin just talked in circles without saying anything. Now, I know that this is conventional wisdom - pretty much what was expected and perceived from the debate, but this is an ESL student in her late teens or early twenties. Don't get the wring idea; she is not a person who just speaks English with an accent and occasionally hilariously mangles an idiom. This is a person who struggles with the English language every day of her life, and she was not confused by Palin's accent, rate of speech, or vocabulary. She was very aware that Biden had structure, form, and most importantly, content to his answers. He laid out a main idea and supported it with details, just as we teach students to do. It astounds me that any large group in this country could not demand that at a bare minimum of a VP nominee.
Also, here's some pictures of some kestrels on Drexel's campus about a month ago.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
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3:00 pm - Also...
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I can take directions.
- Take a picture of yourself right now.
- Get a hot dog. Be nonplussed. Just take a picture.
- Post that picture with you looking nonplussed with a hot dog.
- Don't go posting an eight megapixel hot dog.
- Include these instructions.
By the way, I finally upgraded to a paid account just for this.
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2:31 pm
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I want to thank everyone who donated yesterday in response to my plea (as well as, of course, those who donated earlier). The fundraising is looking up a little bit, though I'm still a couple hundred shy of my goal. Help me rectify this; go to bensmsride.com and donate while there's still time.
While we're here, I'd like to thank Calamity Jon who is donating his time and effort by selling original artwork toward the cause. If you go there and buy a piece, the money goes straight to the National MS Society. I can't recommend it enough. In fact, when Jon has done this in the past, I've even bought a piece or two. There's one up in the nursery right now, hanging o'er the crib. How does that make you feel, Jon? Drawing for little kids, that is. My daughter is going to spend a lot of time in her formative years staring at your rooftop rabbit.
You know how to tell that it's MS ride season? There's a hurricane on the way. I mean, not that we haven't done the City to Shore through a hurricane before, but I'd just rather not do it again is all.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, September 22nd, 2008
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1:38 pm - One last short ride
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I did my last training ride yesterday - 52 miles out to Toms River. My time wasn't as good as it was two weeks ago when I went to AC, but I still finished the ride feeling just fine and ready for more. I'm really starting to believe that this weekend will be easy.
If you haven't donated yet, please do. To be honest, this has not been the best year for donations so far; I keep hoping for a last minute surge. Anything you can donate is generous, and I know the National MS Society puts it to good use. As always, please put the word out too, if you can. That always helps. While you're at it, go to Calamity Jon's, and bid on original art for a donation. This is something that Jon has done for me in the past, and it really goes a long way toward helping raise money. Thanks Jon!
BENSMSRIDE.COM
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, September 19th, 2008
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12:51 pm
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I just wanted to post a reminder to anyone who intended to donate, that you can do so at BENSMSRIDE.COM. The ride is fast approaching, and, even though I am, as always, far behind where I should be in training and fundraising efforts, every year everything seems to come together just fine. Thanks to anyone who donates, and if you can, put the word out. I hope the redirect will make it easier to do so; other people talking about the ride always creates a very real and significant jump in donations.
Thank you everyone - I'm almost halfway to my goal already.
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
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1:28 pm
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Have you ever managed to cut yourself a good one with the serrated edge of a box of plastic cling wrap? Have you ever done it on your stomach?
Unrelatedly, my summer's not over. In fact, Drexel only begins its break on Labor Day. Because of this, I'm down to just one job for most of September, and I've been spending it goofing off and riding. In fact, I've got a moderate sunburn from riding down to Atlantic City two days ago. Corri met me down there to drive me home, but not before pizza and an ocean foot-soaking. Maybe I had a tailwind, but it was a pretty easy 55 miles; I'm feeling more confident than usual about my upcoming ride.
What ride, you ask? Oh come on, are you new here?
bensmsride.com
Thanks again to Manning for building (and hosting) the redirect, making it easier than ever for you to remember how to donate, should you be unable to click that link right now. I mean, you can even type "Ben's MS ride" (no quotes) into google and it's the first hit.
In case you are new, here's the basics: Twice a year I bike in a non-competitive event to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. These funds go to help the victims of MS and their families, as well as support future research into the disease. MS is a deadly ailment about which much is still unknown, including specific causes, and, unfortunately, a cure. I hope to be part of a movement that eradicates, or at least tames, MS. But I can't do it without you.
Donate any amount that you can; your generosity is always appreciated. You can read more about the disease and my ride by following the links on the donation page.
As always, thanks in advance to any and all who donate.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, August 25th, 2008
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3:08 pm
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Last week, I created a new Livejournal game for myself. Somebody on my friends page who shall remain nameless, on account of I can't remember who it was, put up an image that stretched everything out horizontally. No problem; happens all the time. But in a bit of good fortune, the amount I had to scroll right to read the content was exactly enough to cover people's name/ID/color, but not the time stamp or content.
I scrolled down the list trying to determine who had posted what. Some topics were dead giveaways; a few styles had enough clues too. Surprisingly, though, this new game was pretty tough. I misidentified more than I got right, including some people to whom I am shamefully close. Well, shameful given this context.
Is there a good way I can re-break my friends page in this manner, or should I just keep a strip of duct tape by the monitor?
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(11 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, July 14th, 2008
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2:28 pm - Another thing from Friday
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As I rode my motorcycle down 5th Street in Philly, I could clearly hear the tour guide aboard the Ride the Ducks vehicle next to me going through her bit. We were stopped in traffic just past the Bourse as she told her passengers that the empty space (formerly the KYW/93.3 building) on the right was the site of the future Jewish Heritage Museum. Then, in response to a passenger question, she had to quickly explain that being stuck in traffic had led to her music cues coming up early, and "Money Money Money" was really intended for the U.S. Mint rather than the current (soon-to-be) attraction.
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(comment on this)
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1:51 pm - What I noticed last Friday
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There is something weird, yet oddly appropriate, about getting a haircut and mowing your lawn on the same day.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, June 16th, 2008
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9:21 am
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| Saturday, May 17th, 2008
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10:08 pm
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The ride is going pretty well. I'm fairly burnt (wait, is that an oxymoron?), but ready for more tomorrow.
Today is an anniversary of a sort. Some of you know this story already, but every year when I do the Coast the Coast, I stay at my father's and stepmother's house on Saturday since they live relatively close to the first day finish line. Well, last year I came home from that first day of riding to find a message from a pretty lady in my MySpace inbox. "Strange," I thought, "pretty ladies don't usually contact me." I wrote her back, she wrote me back, and so on, to the point that when my folks took me out to dinner that night, all I wanted to do was come home and see if she had written to me again. Five and a half months later, we were married.
Technically, the anniversary of that is Monday, but today is Saturday, the first day of the ride. Corri is here at the folks' house with me, she's tapping her stomach because our daughter-to-be is kicking, and I can't believe how great my life is turning out.
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, May 16th, 2008
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4:39 pm - Thank you
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Thanks to everyone for donating and getting the word out yesterday. Donations took a huge jump. I'm always worried about badgering you all with donation requests and reminders, but I guess I need to remember that I hear "You should have let me know," more often than "Shut up with the donatin' talk." In fact, I never hear the latter.
So, if anyone was waiting until the last minute, or waiting until payday, here we are. bensmsride.com is still up and running.
OK, I'm off to my lopsided sunburn and saddle-soreness. Thanks again everyone.
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, May 15th, 2008
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12:47 pm
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I'm less than 48 hours away from the start line, and, as always, I seriously have not trained. I did a 38 mile ride yesterday, but that's the first time I've gotten out of the 20s this season. I should remind you that I'll be doing about 85 miles on Saturday, and then the same again on Sunday.
I also haven't done much for fundraising, so here it is: go to bensmsride.com if you can donate. This is a two-day non-competitive ride from Monmouth University to Cape May; it's called the Coast the Coast because that's pretty much what we do - ride the entire length of the Jersey shore, getting sunburned on our left sides. We'll be doing this to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis, one of the worst diseases there is, largely because so much about it is unknown. My goal for this ride is always $500 in raised funds, and right now I'm at $340. I'd like you to help me reach that goal.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As always, I see plenty of names of people I don't know in real life, and that makes me very happy. Thanks also to everyone who has spread the word and mentioned it in their own journals - the donations jump noticeably whenever you do that. And thanks in advance to any who donate.
bensmsride.com
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| Monday, May 12th, 2008
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3:43 pm
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I hereby invite you all to join the new Mad Ape Den community, where you will see mostly reposts so far, but also an absolutely brilliant new post by Manning - a film review of Iron Man.
Watch for the community to grow as more people join and as I have more time to pretty the place up. I hope anyone who wants to will feel free to post anything, from a witty one-liner to a doctoral thesis (because those aren't terribly hard to write in non-MAD, right? You could just whip out another version for our amusement?).
But seriously, go read what Manning wrote.
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, May 9th, 2008
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12:11 pm
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I realize that I haven't posted a proper, uh, post begging for money for my upcoming ride. This is on account of how I have been busier than I can remember being since grad school while trying to get my new house in order and such. But that's boring to read about. What's interesting is reading about long-distance bicycle rides.
Next weekend I'll be biking down the entire length of the Jersey shore, on a two-day ride to raise money against Multiple Sclerosis. If you know me, this is nothing new; I've been at it for eight years now, usually two rides a year. But I can't do it without you.
Go to bensmsride.com (helpfully set up by Manning) to donate to my ride. I'm hoping that I catch some of you on payday here, and I know that times are tough, but even $20 is a great donation. On that page, you'll be able to read about what MS is and why I ride to get rid of it, so I won't repeat that all here. Instead I'll just say thank you to anyone who donates toward something this important to me, to the medical community, and to those who suffer from MS.
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(comment on this)
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| Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
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5:10 pm - What I've learned from being a teacher
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| Friday, April 25th, 2008
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2:22 pm
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There are fifteen (15) boxes of cereal in the cupboard downstairs.
This is how I always pictured adulthood.
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| Monday, April 21st, 2008
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11:59 pm - A mystery for my livejournal friends
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So Corri and I own this house now, right? And when you own a house, you apparently have to do all of this wacky maintenance stuff so that your walls don't collapse and your sinks don't spout out rusty water and you don't get boll weevils nesting in your air ducts and who knows what else. One of these things (which home inspectors and contractors are happy to point out - especially if they or someone they know can do the job for you - though no two will agree on the severity or necessity of a given task) is that if you have a wooden floor on your porch, you need ventilation underneath, lest moisture build up down there from generally wet ground, be unable to escape, and rot or warp the boards. I don't know how the ground gets wet with a porch over it in the first place, but I'm willing to go along.
The common solution is latticework, hence why you see so many suburban porches with it on the front and/or side. I'm guessing that half of you find this to be common knowledge, while the other half, like me until recently, never noticed it. If you had, you may have, again like me, just assumed it was a design choice particular to the suburbs. Regardless, I had no lattice - just a big board nailed on to the side of the porch. The project for last Saturday was to get that ventilation going, so a few friends and I went to town on the thing with various prying implements. I was pretty aware that I hadn't been able to see under the porch at all, and that there could really be anything under there. I don't know what I was ultimately expecting, but I know it wasn't what I found:
Sticks.
A pile About six feet wide, by two feet high, by ten or twelve feet long - the length of most of the front of my house - all sticks. And trash strewn in, of course, but that goes without saying. Aged bottles with soda logos so old that they call up associated memories from childhood. Assorted bits of glass and plastic, the latter seemingly from toys. Perhaps most helpfully, a newspaper or two, dating at least the front of the mess back to 1987. But I don't want to talk about the trash; I want to talk about the sticks.
These are long pieces of wood, some only a foot long, some up to five or six feet, but there is not a single piece of wood in there that I would categorize as a branch or a twig. My point being that there's no way this was a firewood pile, and its just way too big to be a kindling pile. I'm pretty sure it also was not simply a yard debris dump or there should have been some smaller ones in there too. If I remove them by myself (which, because of the small space and weird positioning of the door, is really the only way to do it), this is a multiple-day, possibly multiple-week job. I don't know how else to describe just how many of them there are. They are also mostly laid out in the same direction. The size and orientation of the pile, the near uniformity of the stick sizes - all of this says to me that it was deliberate.
Either the pile existed before the porch was built (but then why leave it there?) or it was assembled underneath by bringing in way more sticks than anyone would have in their yard (but bringing them in through a small side opening). Neither of these options satisfies me.
So maybe you know about things like this; maybe it's for drainage or to keep animals from burrowing in the dirt under the porch. Or maybe you just like speculating and you'll at least come up with a plausible scenario in which a prior homeowner would do something like this. I'd like to use the space for storage, and at this point, if I have to remove them, I'd seriously consider setting them on fire and taking my chances with the porch. Please, put my mind at ease; tell me why there are so many sticks under my porch.
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(18 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, April 10th, 2008
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12:24 pm - Stupid, serious, stupid
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I mentioned the Monkees the other day, and got to thinking; their show was on 1966-1968 and they reunited in 1986. You know what that means? We are overdue for a Monkees reunion. That resurgence in the 80's - that was closer to their original popularity than to the present. Their comeback hit chronological halfway point two years ago. I can't believe that one slipped by me - I've really let you guys down. Also, if they established any precedent, we're due for a New Monkees reunion as well.
I've been working for the Film Festival, and it's mostly just strange how little stress being a projectionist is now. It's not part of my identity any more, so it's easier just to go do my job and not worry about the festival pressures. Also, it's kind of nice and kind of crappy being back at the Prince Theater for a little while. It's nice because I enjoy feeling like I am even tangentially connected to the Philly art community, and I always love theaters as buildings. On the other hand, walking around backstage just reminds me of days when I used to do so and occasionally run into Meghann or Tami. I guess I just miss the days when all my friends and I lived in the same place and got to see each other all the time.
When I left school yesterday, a few students, some of them mine, were hanging out in front of the building. I don't know where they learned this, but they were trying to see if they could really slip on a banana peel. It reminded me that Manning once wondered the exact same thing, and I think he may have also tried it a few times. My advice to them: turn the peel over. Great results from that. To me the best thing was that they weren't even doing it on the sidewalk; no, they were doing it on the steps. I'm surprised I had a full class today.
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schtune's journal
