A Little Indigestion . . .

So yes, I still claim I will eat the Philly. However, it's really got to be an intermittent thing, otherwise I will be too fat and lethargic to escape the floodwaters. Then again, I'll float better and be better-insulated against hypothermia . . . so much to consider. :-)

Seriously, though, I'm kind of an exercise nut at heart, and I like doing extreme cycling distance events, Hood to Coast, etc. Mr. Sans Auto and I still need to finish his cross-USA ride. That's why this blog is called "The Bri-onic Man" (although the topics have drifted from my fitness exploits . . . note to self: fix that) Thus, long-term I'll keep Philly consumption intermittent and I can even see myself getting back to my sugar-free ways (believe it or not, I did it for a while and actually slept better, got leaner, and felt better too!).

BUT, I can also see myself staying in line with the "Eat the Philly" philosophy. We had plenty of warning that this storm was approaching, and so I can use that opportunity to eat deadly food before I face the deadly elements. This circumstance of looming death storms has typically been rare (but as I said before, my prediction is that it'll become more frequent). When I'm warned, I'll chow! :-)

Thanks to all for slogging through the huge post, by the way. It was something that I needed to get down on (virtual) paper because it had been stewing inside me. I was most nervous about what kind of comments I might get from Sans. I've gotta say, you handled it with level-headedness and poise, and I think you might even let me ride with you again. Although I am not likely to ever match your enviro or blogging zeal, I admire your tenacity in both. I agree with you and dmo that focusing on the right priorities is going to tend to help the environment, too.

In light of the recent disaster here, my focus has mostly been on short-term preparedness. And, that's the best place to start for just about anybody, I suppose. Once that's solid, though, then I think you do need to get more into the "gray area" Sans was talking about. Self-sufficiency (bike prowess, being efficient, growing food, etc.) is certainly about the best kind of long-term preparedness. And, it's great insulation against price swings in oil and food. So, although I might lack confidence that mother nature will allow solar panels to stay on my roof, it's still a great idea to have efficient/passive lighting as a matter of cost savings. And who knows, it might even help us teeter at the "tipping point" a little longer before we take the plunge down our environmental Splash Mountain.

So I guess, in essence, I'm just elaborating and re-hashing what I already said: don't get so caught up with your small role in prevention (of climate disasters) that you're not prepared for your own local disasters (that are likely to happen because we're consuming like crazy, China is chopping down vast tracts of forests in Indonesia, etc.) But once one is sufficiently short-term prepared, there's a lot of wisdom to living light on the land as it pertains to long-term preparedness. The environmental ramifications of this strategy become a nice side-benefit.

Geoffrey: Glad you're using the Honda more. It's an efficiency and cost step in the right direction. Even though the mileage isn't as good as a bicycle, if you've gotta drive, a car like this would be sweet, too.

Nancy: At this point, arguing with Barry might help me sort out what the heck I even think anymore. I could really have a fine argument with myself. The fatalistic schizo part of me would say, "Go ahead and drive that Suburban (just don't complain to me about the cost of gas . . .) since we're all doomed anyway" and a different schizo part of me would say, "Well, every little bit helps. Besides, you'd be sparing a little more room on the road for bikes and I could even see when I'm backing the GTI out of parking spaces". Reminds me of a recent arrangement I hashed out with one of the nurses I work with at Tongue Point. Our parking habits made me have to pop up like a groundhog to see over her truck then hop quickly back in my car and hope to back out before anybody came up the road. Now, though, by rearranging how we park, I can see fine regardless (from a seated position) and it makes no difference to her. See, we can all live together in peace and love (until nature takes us out).

Eric: it's a little-known fact that you are funnier than I am. You'd be pleased to know I'm registered "independent". I still fear the RNC, nonetheless, and hope they will retaliate by raising taxes on gasoline.

Thanks again for all the feedback, everybody! Next time I need to float a controversial idea I'll know who to turn to.

Eat the Philly

First off, I must apologize to my good friend known by the bloging moniker Sans Auto. This post is going to make you wonder who's hijacked this blog.

A little background about me: I've had a green streak for a long time. Socially/religiously, I'm quite conservative. Still, I've been drawn to those who place a high priority on being environmentally conservative. Too often, these values seem to be mutually exclusive, and that's unfortunate. I think one ought to be able to bike to work, recycle, AND be pro-traditional marriage and pro-life, but it's unusual.

As you can see by many of my recent posts, we just went through a horrific storm that caused all kinds of damage. Having four days off the grid gives you some time to think. And, you get a little messed up when the only way you can sleep is if you put an earplug in so you don't hear the awful sounds your house is making.

This storm was unprecedented. Quoting from The Office of Washington State Climatologist (full technical article with a cool map of measured windspeeds here):

"A truly historic event. Over a period of two days, two separate storms lashed the coast with an incessant onslaught of hurricane-force gusts and heavy rain. The region between approximately Newport, OR, and Hoquiam, WA, received the strongest gale since the great Columbus Day Storm of 1962. However, though the 1962 storm proves stronger in overall wind speed, the December 1-3, 2007 gale completely outclasses the Columbus Day Storm, and any other windstorm on record, in terms of the duration of high winds."

One thought really seemed to sink in for me as my family and I spent lots of unscheduled time together. Nature's fury can take every object around us away. The house, the cars, the computers . . . none of it is permanent. I realized that if the house collapsed on all of us, the only thing we'd still have is each other (like I said, I'm religious). How solid are the relationships I have with them? They're who I plan to (and will, if I'm the person God expects me to be) hang out with FOREVER. Haven't I misappropriated my time, dumping hours and hours into things that can disappear in an instant? I believe I have, and to some extent must continue to do so (somebody's got to pay the mortgage). But with this new awareness, I realize that I need to rearrange my priorities.

I believe the climate is changing (you know, the whole "global warming" thing). What changed for me with this storm, though, is my opinion as to what I can do about it. In the past I've given a lot of thought and reading time to lots of environmental topics with the thought that it would be really cool to have a wind turbine, solar panels, an electric car, and so on. But when the winds howl so hard it would break your turbine and rip the solar panels off (along with your roof), that seems less of a good investment. Plus, an electric car would not be very effective at helping you escape through floodwaters (although it might help jolt you quickly out of your misery).

One aspect of climate change theory is what's called the "tipping point". In the March 26, 2006 Time, Jeffrey Kluger put it this way (full article here):

"Environmentalists and lawmakers spent years shouting at one another about whether the grim forecasts were true, but in the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it. If there was any consolation, it was that the glacial pace of nature would give us decades or even centuries to sort out the problem.
But glaciers, it turns out, can move with surprising speed, and so can nature. What few people reckoned on was that global climate systems are booby-trapped with tipping points and feedback loops, thresholds past which the slow creep of environmental decay gives way to sudden and self-perpetuating collapse. Pump enough CO2 into the sky, and that last part per million of greenhouse gas behaves like the 212th degree Fahrenheit that turns a pot of hot water into a plume of billowing steam. Melt enough Greenland ice, and you reach the point at which you're not simply dripping meltwater into the sea but dumping whole glaciers."

I think we're there. Or, if we're NOT quite there, I believe there's no way to convince enough people soon enough that it'll make a difference. Pessimistic perhaps, but it's my new fatalistic environmental outlook (remember Sans, I said sorry at the top). In short, I now feel the need to personally focus LESS on PREVENTION OF environmental crisis and more on PREPAREDNESS FOR it. It's no longer a matter if IF for me but WHEN and HOW OFTEN. Instead of springing for those solar panels, for example, I'd now spend my money on stored water, food, fuel, and so on. I plan to also invest in obtaining containers to keep important documents and photos safe, obtaining and combining emergency/camping supplies and clothing into one readily-accessible container, getting a 2-meter Ham radio (the last storm took the landlines AND the cell lines down completely for days) and so on.

Many of you out there may have heard about our area's recent mudslide (story and some photos here). Apparently it happened at about noon on Tuesday, which means my family and I drove on that stretch of road less than 48 hours prior. This has rattled me a little bit too. I'm really feeling like if nature wants me, it's going to take me out. I should try hard to be prepared, but if I'm on the list then it's over (there's my new environmentally fatalistic streak rearing it's ugly head again). And this leads me to the explanation for the title of this post. One of my favorite lunches is the grilled Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Safeway in Astoria. If you throw them an extra buck-fifty, they'll also give you an oversized soda and a bag of chips. This meal is really good, and really NOT good (for me). Still, I crack from time to time and somewhat guiltily partake.

Now, I'm just going to enjoy it, beause I've asked myself, "Self, when you're lying under the rubble that was your house (or about to be swallowed by the tsunami, swept away by the mudflow, etc.), will you be glad you had that lettuce wrap when you could've had the Philly?" The answer, of course, is no. So, I'm going to eat the Philly.

How far am I going to go with this? Well, for starters, I'm with Sans on the idea of stewardship (some of his recent comments, partly on this topic, are here). So, I will continue to strive for fuel-efficiency, turn off lights I'm not using (and bug my kids to do so), recycle (even if I have to take the junk mail to recycle at work), sparingly water my yard strategically, keep the thermostat at 65, and use reusable shopping bags. But, I'm going to lack the urgent zeal I used to have. Now it's feeling more like straightening the deck chairs on the titanic. I mean, straight chairs are nice, but the ship's still going down.

This acceptance isn't all bad, though. I will be better prepared for the disasters that I fully expect will come. I might even move to higher ground (I live about 35 feet above sea level on sand on a peninsula . . . yikes! I expect an earthquake will cause the house to sink (liquefaction) before the tsunami and flooding wash over what's left of it). I will treasure each day more, and I will spend more time working at becoming the best husband, father, and Christian I can be. These are the attributes and people that are timeless. And, I'm still going to exercise. I just feel better when I do, and I plan to feel good and enjoy life until the time comes that nature cries "Uno!" and throws down the last card. I might even resume riding 14-18 miles to work, but I won't do it with the illusion that I'm saving much more than money.

On the other hand, I will not overstress when I hear people at work talking about shopping at WalMart or burning their trash (you Knappa people know who you are). It will elevate my blood pressure only slightly when I see that someone has thrown away a pop can. When I see the big SUVs around town, I'll still despise them to some extent. But, I'll now appreciate their horsepower, ground clearance, and four-wheel-drive for the emergency preparedness assets they are.

In short, my focus has shifted. I will enjoy my family more. I will enjoy life more. I will be an extra good person. And, I will eat the Philly.

You Can Never Be Too Careful Online

Not wanting to touch the outside of the mask (I guess . . .), Dr. H
takes a brief tech break with it on. It begs captions, like:
"A Mac is STILL less likely to get a virus" OR
"Those don't prevent COMPUTER viruses." OR
"You know it's time to dump Vista when . . ."
Others?
(yes, I'm contemplating a Mac purchase)

Our Princess Sees Some Princesses

This year, for her third birthday, our daughter went to see Disney Princesses on Ice. She was accompanied by her mom and her Grandma Z. They had a wonderful time!


E with her Grandma Z in a lovely parking garage in Portland. "I am the princess of concrete!" She can wave her wand and get the giant SUV crowded into the "compact" spot next to you to scoot over.


E makes a hobby of making silly faces fo pictures. Still cute, though.


Our little lady very much loves the Little Mermaid!

Man, it PAYS to Help!

So here's the story:

Many months ago, I was out at Fort Stevens with the kids hiking. They LOVE to do that. As we were driving the short distance home, I noticed a perplexed-looking lady in a white Odyssey with California plates. I stopped for a minute and actually photographed some elk. Let's see if I can find the picture I took. Ahhh, I had the prescience to tag it in Picasa2 . . . here it is:

As anyone who's been to parking lot B would know, you're only going further out on a peninsula in the State Park if you head to the left. After I took my photos, the lady in the van waved a bit and asked if she would find a gas station going to the left. Negatory. She explained that she'd been driving with the gas light on for a while, and she was wondering where the closest place to fuel up was. Although many local people might not want to help one of "those Californians", I see it differently. In my experience, they generally bring their teeth and their money when they move here. So, it works for me. Also, I'm nice. And, she was my Odyssey sister.

We finally decided it would be best for her to follow me to the house, where I have gas for the generator/lawnmower stuff. I told her that if she disappeared from my rearview mirror I'd come back with fuel and find her.

So, we were trusting each other a lot. She came, I poured in some gas, and we talked for a few minutes. I noticed that she was wearing several articles of clothing that were Mountain Hardwear brand, and I mentioned it. I first saw the brand in the IMAX movie Everest, because it was on their tents and stuff. Also, having just read Ed Viesturs book, "No Shortcuts to the Top", I was especially enthusiastic. (He was their first sponsored athlete, and he's basically helped design and test their stuff and taken it to top of the fourteen mountains in the world higher and 8000 meters. He climbed them all without supplemental oxygen. He is the man. More so even than Lance Armstrong, in my book, because he did it all AND has a wife and kids AND kept it TOGETHER).

Anyway, Jane had the Mountain Hardwear (more on the company here, and their website is here) because she has a friend who works for them. She's from Oakland, and the company headquarters is near there. I gave her a business card and some other info, and she said she'd likely be able to get me a good deal on a nice jacket or something.

Many many moons past, and then one day I got a call from her. My crummy doctor handwriting bit me. I'd written my home number on the card and she dialed it. But, she didn't read the number right. She'd eventually called information and gotten the right number. Over the next while, we talked about what kind of stuff I was interested in, and she said she would put together a box. I think the stuff is either last season's, returns, or maybe demos. More time went by, and then one day not one, but two BIG boxes showed up at my house. The full retail on the shirts/pants/shorts/jackets/gloves/backpacks is around $3000. NOW we're talking about trust. Whoa.

She's not asking that much money for the stuff, of course. Generally she's asking about 1/3rd the price, and she's cool with me sending back any of it that I don't want. She just erred on the side of sending a lot since she wasn't sure of my size. Some of it is too big, and some is too small. She's also very cool with me letting other people in on it if they want. So, if you're bigger or smaller than me and wanting a fleece/goretex/gore windstopper/softshell jacket/vest-type thing/base layer/gloves, contact me and beg soon!

In short, it pays to help people! (Sadly, it doesn't always pay like this.) Jane rocks, and I LOVE Mountain Hardwear!! Now if I could just get them to make scrubs . . . that would be really cool.

The following pictures . . .

My cell is back up today so I thought I'd show everybody what it looks
like here. It was an extraordinarily powerful storm that raged here
Sunday/Monday. Our damage seems to be some shingles (I just crawled
up there and yay, no leaking (yet)), a windshield (the van's took a
wind-carried rock on Sunday), and missing a bunch of work/income.
After driving around, we feel pretty lucky. We were blessedly
prepared because our power out here in Hammond goes out frequently.
But, it's never been for 3 1/2 days! We already had the generator,
which we ran each day for about 6 hours, and I'd stockpiled about 25
gallons of gas. For a while you couldn't get gas in the whole county,
and once generators were hooked up, the lines were like the 70's. I
bought fridge thermometers and we didn't lose the nog, milk, or yogurt.
I did, however, lose my patience being so cooped up with whiny
electricity-addicted kids, but we did pretty well. And, the phones
were totally down here until this am (my cell came to life last
night), so this is the first time in 14 years my ham radio license
(and actually owning a radio!) would've been seriously potentially
life-savingly handy. Better get on that. It's been a good wake-up
call in a lot of ways.

Sent from my iPhone

Battery Russell parking lot

Tons of trees fell between the parking lot and the main road (many
onto the bike path and the road).

A (no)bike path at Ft. Stevens

I had to go over/under 11 trees to take the short trail from the north
campground to Battery Russell. Quite a mess!

Coffenbury Lake at Ft. Stevens

Looking toward the main lot with the lake at my back.

Peter Iredale

The shipwreck was already that way. Now the antenna matches.

Fort Stevens Jetty

Tuesday. The calm after the storm. I rode my bike and saw huge piles
of seafoam on the north side of the jetty. The ocean was obviously
raging hard.

Cathedral tree trail/logging camp

I thought I was going to work today (Thursday) and nobody was there
(no power either . . . Ours just came back and was down about 90
hours . . .).
I talked to a city guy who said they're likely proposing leaving the
biggest remaining trees and logging/salvaging the rest to sell to
cover the expense of repairing the water main. He said it'll look bad
for about 10 years and then be a nice (and sadly more open-sky) park.

The Cathedral tree is ok, but

the city guy showed me a picture of how the huge tree next to it broke
clean off. Like I said, this was a beautiful dense forest! Reminds
me of what happened to Stanley Park.

I just about cried . . .

I love(d) the dense, dark, old growth forest along the trail up to the
Cathedral Tree. Now, I was greeted by the sound of a chainsaw.
Apparently (according to a city guy I talked to) the fire control
water main for the east side of Astoria comes through here and is now
broken and exposed for about 75 feet. They're hurriedly moving the
huge fallen trees to fix it ASAP and the trail now resembles a logging
road.

Something large, aluminum, and fishing-related

blew onto the tracks near Safeway.

Net drying barn by Safeway

The building in the foreground lost some roof, but the big damage was
to the old net barn!

Doogers

Got blasted. No more sign and they lost lots of shingles. Costco was
just closed, and Freddy's was open on generators. It was dim in there
and smelled like stuff going bad. It was weird to see the food so
picked over. We had to buy the LOW SODIUM Ritz because it was the
very last box. (poor me! :-)

No more DQ sign

Several big trees down at Tapiola Park. New play structures ok.

Coast Guard housing in Astoria

Just about none left . . .

The trees in front of the church have been hammered by repeated
storms. Christmas party is cancelled and cleanup work party is
Saturday AM.

Big tree by church

This is between the parking lots.

Peter Pan park . . .

. . . used to have a shelter. 2 big trees down there.

Tongue Point

About 5 cherry trees in a row are down. It's a BIG mess at TP and
they're sending the students home a week early for Cmas break. Thus,
I was also told to come back to work in January. So that's why you're
all getting socks for Christmas.

Radio Shack downtown Astoria

Still no Internet . . .

But the iPhone can get photos out. Thanks to all for their interest
in our safety. We lost some shingles but I see no evidence of water
getting in. I hope not, because the shingles are gone in a REALLY
hard to fix spot!

This Storm's a Rockin'

. . . and it's supposed to get worse! They're saying we on the headlands could hit gusts of 100mph. Here's hoping I don't have to use the tarp we just bought to patch roof damage.
And now for a story that will seem irrelevant but isn't. Today at church, W had me take him to the bathroom twice within about half-an-hour (the usual is once). The second time was near the end of the congregational meeting, and we strolled back in just in time for the closing hymn. After the hymn, the Bishop announced that tonight's opening of the church for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas special would be cancelled. As usual, W said "Time for Primary!" and we headed down to the kids meeting room. On our way, one of the librarians asked if church was cancelled, and I said, "no, the Bishop was just cancelling the Christmas broadcast." We were a bit ahead of the kid pack when we got to the Primary room, but W was content to sit there and wait. So, I left him there. Then, a few minutes later, a friend said, "Your son's down there waiting by himself. You should go down there and get him." I was a little miffed, thinking "Don't they have teachers who can show up on time?" Soon, one teacher did bring W down the hall, and I was still a but confused. Finally, someone enlightened me that the rest of church was cancelled. People were like, "The Bishop announced it. Weren't you listening?" Well, it's pretty hard to hear when you spend so much of the meeting on bathroom duty with your 5-year-old.
On the way home, we passed Tapiola Park and one of their large trees was blown down. Young's Bay was ripping worse than I've ever seen, with lots of whitecaps at unusual heights, angles, and frequencies. The bridge was exciting, as you'd expect, but it was extra fun because the rocks they put down for the recent cold snap were blowing in the wind. So even though L was going maybe 30, we now have a nice new large crack in the van windshield. Also, where the span meets the causeway, it was shooting wind and water so dramatically that I was nervous we might get some aerodynamic lift. I also heard several rocks hit the GTI but haven't checked it closely yet.
So now I'm at home blogging from my phone and taking pictures of my shed. Since the last storm put a sizeable portion of my neighbor's shed in my yard, I reinforced mine a little. Yes, Dad, that's the famous orange twine. In fact, I think it's the actual twine pieces I used camping with Justin and Alan near Mt. St. Helens when we brought the tent and the tarp poles (they don't work together so well). This twine has experience. Our power has been flickering like crazy, too. It's been off and on about 8 or 10 times in the last couple hours, but it's currently on and we're going about our business.

Adventures in Corporate Feedback! (Word Back from Holland America)

Well, I finally got word back from Holland America regarding the feedback I gave them about a month ago. (Find posts on that cruise here) And, as you can see, the back surface of their letterhead is even snazzy. Anyway, maybe I get it from my mom . . . I feel the need to let a company know when they've disappointed me. I figure I should give them the opportunity to address their shortcomings. If they do a good enough job, I forgive them and continue to patronize them. I might even say nice things about them. If, however, they don't step up, then I am not likely to spend any more money with them. And, I can't be expected to say a lot of friendly things to my people about them. It's that simple.


So, here's page one of the letter. Yes, it's more than one page. My letter to them was a pretty solid couple of pages. Perhaps there's some sort of rule that says you must reply with a letter of similar length to a customer's letter.


And here's page two. After reading it, I feel somewhat pleased. It's not like they said, "Hey, have a cruise on us." But, they DID give us some incentive to sail with them again (to the tune of $150 credit between the two of us) along with a free extra-snazzy meal for us (worth about $40 or $50). This makes them fairly level with other cruises. If we're determined to cruise somewhere, we'd consider Holland America. So once again, it pays to give feedback!