MORE WINGSUIT FUN!

BECAUSE WINGSUITS AND STUFF LIKE THIS WILL NEVER BE UNCOOL TO WATCH.

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

HoP Year 6.

This afternoon, around 3:45pm EST, I'm going to jump in the Georgetown pool and warm up for my 6th Hour of Power, my fourth at Georgetown.

I met Ted on 24 October 2002, I prospied on a Thursday and stayed with Ted that night. I was a prospie who was nearly sold on Carleton and Ted was an extremely excited and accommodating host. Ted alone was enough to make me come to Carleton. Ted went above and beyond the call of duty that day. Now, knowing him, is not a surprise at all. He lived in a corner triple in Burton and took me all around to meet swimmers. Flo and Kellen in Musser, sitting silently, are the only ones I remember. He showed me Caucus (ask an older than you alum if you don't know what it is), he glowed about life at Carleton, he was just generally a happy dude.

That afternoon was gender practice. The assistant coach, Tom, walked me around West Gym a little while the men were doing, no kidding, continuous relays. Except there were only three guys per lane. It looked pretty painful. Then they ran out to track and did more intense running than we ever did while I was at Carleton.

Losing Ted, like losing Joe, was (and is) one of the saddest things to happen to me in my life and a unqualified loss for humanity as a whole. They were among the sweetest, smartest men I've ever known. Ted battled a horrible scourge, and no amount of swimming will bring him back. But some amount of swimming, hopefully we've already passed this threshold, will prevent another extended family from losing one of theirs. I know how much Ted fought each and every time he swam, today, I hope you'll join me in a cathartic hour of pain, err, power to honor and remember my friend.

So, at minute 35, when your body is screaming to stop but your brain can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, tell it to EMSYDMF and go extra hard. Pain is temporary. And I'll buy a (pony) keg for anyone who swims so hard they throw up today.

BE MIGHTY!

Frustration in Russia

I'm sitting in the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, getting ready to fly back to Ulan-Ude, and I have a few hours to kill. So, I figured I might as well blog again.

Russia is a crazy country. And Moscow is even more insane. The amount of change that I can see in Moscow over the last two years is difficult to comprehend. There are hundreds of new buildings, and many old buildings have been remade. It's even more expensive that it was 2 years ago. And much more Western. There are now Starbucks on every corner, in contrast with the 2 that were in the city 2 years ago. There are now Burger Kings and Papa John's. Service is actually friendly and good. And after living in Ulan-Ude, it's disgusting how much money is in this city. Ulan-Ude has some new buildings and nice cafes. In Moscow, every cafe has an amazing sound system and ridiculous decorations. I spend more money on a dinky meal here than on a full day of food in Ulan-Ude. The ONE part of Moscow that's as bad as in Ulan-Ude are the bathrooms. Russia just doesn't understand that bathrooms can be nice.

The hardest part of life for me is my frustration with the Russian government. It seems that all of their domestic policy is aimed at subduing and emmasculating the Russian people. Case in point: local governments have no ability to tax the populace. The local governments are 100% dependent on the federal government. The Russian government also does everything to make the people feel like they aren't being taxed at all: most of their money comes from the oil and gas industries. As such, it is very difficult for local government to fund projects, such as building new roads. Especially when other, more important parts of the infrastructure demand more urgent attention (such as the power plant in Ulan-Ude, which some predict will be out of commission as soon as 2015). I am finding myself more and more to be a supporter (this is the incorrect word, I know the right Russian word, but can't think of the English one. Good thing the GRE is coming up...) of Ulan-Ude and Buryatia. I'm helping NGOs write grant proposals and have actively supported my university's attempt to get a Fulbright English Teacher sometime in the next few years. The local populace has almost no say in their government, so as one of the few Americans aware of Buryatia, I feel some weight on my shoulders to further the cause of Buryatia. The opportunities that should be in Buryatia, and would be if the locals had any say in government, just are non-existent, and all the best and brightest leave for Moscow and beyond.

I understand why the youth want to leave Ulan-Ude. Tourism is the only industry available for an intellectual. Professors are paid dirt. But without infrastructure, tourism will always be limited. For the Republicans who want as little government as possible, they should look at the provinces of the Russian Federation. For those who also support the Patriot Act, the metaphor is even more poignant.
Well, now I'm back in Ulan-Ude, and I must say that even given the above disappointments and frustration, Buryatia is still unbelievable. As my plane started descending through the layers of clouds, the sun just began to shine over the horizon. It was one of the best sunrises I've ever seen. I took a taxi back to my apartment and chatted it up with my driver. The main theme of our conversation: the Siberian spirit.  All of a sudden, such political squabbles seemed worthless in the face of this taxi driver whose father built their family home in the mountains several decades ago and was adamant in explaining his spiritual connection with the land. Even if European Russia doesn't understand what they have out here, the local population seems more than content to have it all to themselves. Perhaps another topic to consider when asking about tourism.

Sub Blog:

OkCupid: Operation questionable intentions......No really I have no idea why I am doing this.

Day 1: Created Profile: Pleased with stupidly tacky answers that were sure to lure the sexiest women alive to my profile. Sentences like "hahah I don't know where to start" and "Let's see; what to put here" were painted across my profile like so many images on this iconic piece of architecture.
Finally feeling brave, I plunged into the search function. Hundreds upon hundreds of eligible ladies in the O.C. area popped upon the screen. Incredible. Sent a few messages....no responses

Day 2: Discovered the "quick match" function. Rated dozens of singles. Five stars or above signaled if you liked them. They were then notified of your vote if you rated them highly. Sent a few more messages...no response

.......The saga will continue.

reunited and it feels so good

dear internet,

you ever had turkey pepperoni? not that great.

ted are you good with that sleeping bag?
can i get a pillow?
(throw)
i'm set

we tried to watch THE TUB (link will come soon).

nonberg: "as the evening goes on..."

there are a number of things about alfredo's bathroom that i love
1. the hole that is covered up by tape
2. the right is the cold water and it's blue, and the left is the warm water, but it's blue

stole chairs from casa.
ted takes his contacts out without a mirrow. genius.


nonberg calls it the pizzafund


alfredo provides. ask and it is given.
alfredo has a nice place.
alfredo has soco in his closet.

"the banjo is so american." says ted.

friend day? it needs a new name.

ZING.

THIS IS SO LOUD. NONBERG CAN'T WORK MIAS BED.


we are just posting it now.

Endurance Triathalons: Why?

Hey Blog,

Long time no talk.

It has been a substantial amount of time since I last laid hands on a keyboard to type a post. Well here is a feeble, but determined effort to begin to re-connect to the blogosphere of Stadium 110.

So Ironman Triathalons: When I first looked at one of these events I wondered why anyone in their right mind would want to compete in such a long race. As I looked into more and more events, I decided that it was my time to give it a chance. I signed up for a race 10 months in advance and hit the ground running with my training.
Rather than going into specifics about my training I figured I would talk about how I felt. The more and more the miles of biking, swimming, and running piled on I realized something; training for something the length of an ironman made training purposeful. Once again I found myself working hard day in and day out to succeed in the end result. What does this all remind us of:
Swimming. Yes, all those grueling hours in the pool, working 6 days a week to swim a 20 something second race (or 17 minutes for a mile or so). All those times I thought "what is the point of all of this". As I was training for my ironman I realized, it was never about the end, but about the journey. My teammates, my failures, my success, all were part of a larger journey that I am just now starting to appreciate. It's funny how time changes ones perspective.
When I finally competed in the Ironman, I crashed on my bike and had to go to the hospital. I was upset for training so hard and not finishing, but at the same time I realized what an incredible experience I had in the preparations.
As I sign up for my next full Ironman, I realize that way to make the most of the event, is to enjoy every mile run, every stroke taken, and every gear shifted. I am looking forward to the journey ahead.

An Important... and Hilarious PSA

Life in Siberia

Greetings from Siberia! As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been posting my day-to-day experiences and impressions in my own blog, BK in the Borderlands. Of course, that does not mean that I intend to forsake Stadium 110 in any way. Instead, Stadium 110 will be my unofficial blog, charting what life is like for a young American male in Siberia. Instead of discoursing about my research or typically Russian experiences, it is here that I will rant about my lack of Internet, rave about the gorgeous Russian and Buryat women, and of course, muse about drinking. Among other things.

So first, my rant about no Internet. It sucks. I have to either go to the University to use it, and it has been down more than half of the times I’ve tried, so I’ve had to go to a Café to pay for it. Pay for it! What the hell? In the US, I can go to McDonald’s or Starbucks if I want Internet. That’s the first rant. I can live for a while without my own connection to the Internet, but in the middle of a season of Breaking Bad... it’s rough. Fortunately I stocked up on other shows before I left. I finished Mad Men, and Season 4 rocked. Then I watched Cowboy Bebop, and it’s as depressingly short as Firefly. If you haven’t checked out Cowboy Bebop, do so now. It’s a sci-fi anime about a group of bounty hunters (cowboys) on a spaceship called the Bebop. It’s pure noir and has some fantastic writing, animation, and the soundtrack is unmatched in animated television, as far as I know. Upon finishing that, I watched The Walking Dead, which was a lot better than I expected. AMC just makes good TV. I’ve also been watching Sealab 2021 intermittently throughout these series, which is great, but not up to par with Frisky Dingo, at least so far. Now I’ve started The Pacific, which has been rather disappointing so far. Maybe it’ll get better. I’d much prefer to be watching Russian movies and shows, but without Internet, I’m stuck in English. It’s a pity that I spend all day speaking Russian and then I come home and have to return to English. I also wish I could use Skype. International texts aren’t bad, but calls are another story. I haven’t spoken with anyone from the States in over 2 weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever been in the dark. I also miss football. I got onto ESPN earlier today and saw that the Packers were about to win the season opener, but I’d prefer to watch. It’s also weird that the Thursday night game is on at noon on Friday for me. Internet here is also slow as hell. I hope that when I get an apartment my speeds pick up a little, but it’ll probably take at least a day to download an episode of Breaking Bad. Even my neighbors from China think that the Internet here is strangely slow. Russia probably just hasn’t gotten around to building a good cable out here. Ah, I miss representative government. Even tho the US congress is failing in every possible way right now, our form of representative government has allowed us to build quality roads in every state, even places like Wyoming, North Dakota, and Alaska. You can also get fast Internet there too. Infrastructure here just seems like it was done as an afterthought, out of necessity. I guess this will likely be another topic of my rants: the Russian government.

Ok, so I got the Internet rant out. My anger at the Russian government is probably just still building, I remember 2 years ago it took a month or two before it hit me just how awfully the government runs this country. I’ve read before that there is just no strong sense of community in Russia, but I disagree with that. In the US, our sense of community is built through churches and the political process. In Russia, people band together for a common cause. A major reason that the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan was that a huge group of mothers of lost soldiers banded together against the war. Last week, I volunteered at a building that is being restored to be a home for orphans and invalids. There were several community organizations present. In Buryatia, family celebrations are huge. If hundreds of people will flock to a birthday party or wedding, I think at least thirty would also band together to volunteer or form a political coalition. It isn’t the community at fault here. It is a government that is afraid to allow communities to have any say.

What else... The girls here are pretty. And very friendly. Being the only foreigner who speaks Russian well is a plus. Being an American is another plus. Among the people I know, I haven’t met a single person who has expressed hostility at the United States. I’ve heard some frustration about recent American economic struggles, but each time it’s been prefaced by an acknowledgement that current American difficulties are due to the government, not American citizens (a lot of that reaction is probably due to the general Russian’s relationship with the government). But more on this topic when I have more experiences with it.

Finally, drinking. I’ve grown to be a beer guy over the last few years. I think the American microbrewery system is unmatched in the world. In Russia, beers are either domestic (not very many, and mostly crap) or imported from Czechoslovakia or Germany. I can generally find bottles of New Castle, Corona, Heineken, but draught beers are usually Czech or German. I miss American bars. Being able to get a good IPA or porter is a privilege that we in America often don’t realize that we have (both because most Americans choose between Coors and Bud and think that they’re a refined drinker if they like Guiness). The bar that I go to most often here has about 6 beers on tap. I usually get Cernovar, which is a Czech dark beer that I would surmise is just a cheap porter (it’s way too sweet). They also have Asahi (Asahi is everywhere here), Kronenburg, and a few others that I can’t remember right now. It’s funny that I can’t remember, because Ken, Mering, and me almost won trivia night at the Cow because we could name every single beer on tap. In terms of hard alcohol, it’s pretty standard. I got into scotch this last year thanks to one of my roommates, and the only decent scotches that they have here are Chivas Regal and Johnny Walker. Vodka is really the only outstanding drink here, except for Samogon (moonshine), but Samogon is more of a tourist thing anyway. Really, I should be glad that it’s so difficult to drink well here, cuz I should save my money anyway. Sure, if I spend more than 10 dollars on food a day, I’ve probably eaten too much, but alcohol drains the wallet quickly. The only night that I’ve really gotten drunk was at a birthday party for one of my friend’s moms. I was the token American. A friendly old Buryat gentleman took it upon himself to explain to me everything that was going on and fill my shot glass every 5 minutes. By the end of the night, the toasts were flying and I was struggling to keep up. But it was excellent company. Russian drinking is different from American drinking in that it is almost always done as a celebration, and each drink is a toast. The more toasts that there are, the more things there are to be thankful for. It’s a slightly different mentality than Stadium 110. However, it is my goal to have some of the English students over to my apartment (when I find one) a few times to show them American traditions. Stadium 110 will be included.

Well, I miss you guys. If we ever want to truly have a Stadium 110 reunion, perhaps we should start planning now. I return home at the end of June. We should at least get together before the end of the world...

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Pt. 4

THE FINAL CHAPTER
I spent summer 2011 in the woods at a YMCA Summer Camp. Now I've spent several of my summers at camp and talked about camping several times before. But this post will be a bit different, because this summer... I was in charge.

Poppin' these bottles

As I sit here and listen to the wise words of Wiz Khalifa "sayin' yeah", two things come to mind: 1) I love songs like "Say Yeah" and "Right Round" (by Flo Rida) because they inspire me to work hard so that one day I might have the ability to "throw that money in the air" or be able to "look at my Cartier" and realize its out of control, and 2) the last time I really, truly listened to the song "Say Yeah" was when we were all around for Spring Concert this past May. Needless to say, I miss you bros. There's already some whispers of planning going around for the Thursday before alumni weekend, and of course you are all invited to crash at the pad and debauch both yourselves and Uptown (or downtown) Minneapolis.

That said, thinking of the last time we all chilled makes me realize that a whole hell of a lot has changed in my life since we all last saw each other, and thus probably spoke, and therefore it's time for a LIFE UPDATE BLOGPOST.

After May, I continued to foreclose (with little shame) on the mortgages of the less fortunate until two days after July 4th. Then, inspired by the celebrations of America's independence, I too emancipated myself from the tyranny of a bank too big to fail, and within a week rushed off to Peru for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

Peru deserves a post, or six, in itself, and that too shall come when I finally have the 3000 pictures that were taken by my family during the 2.5 weeks that we were in South America. However, I will give you a bit of a teaser (as I know you all await that post with bated breath). Basically, due to a combination of extremely good fortune and my mother's occupation as a minister, my family went to Peru to bond, explore Incan ruins, and generally chill out for a little over half a month.

My sister's previous travels had introduced her to a legit, real life, Incan medicine man who subsequently over the past 8 years has become one of her best friends. His family, native Quechuan (they still speak Quechua before Spanish!), basically guided us around Cuzco for the time we were there. While we hit up the ruins of Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Pisaq, others, rode horseback through the mountains surrounding Cuzco, climbed Huayna Picchu, the highlight was our five day trek to Choquequirao.

Choquequirao is now what Machu Picchu was fifty years ago (but much larger in area) - discovered, not really accessible, only partially uncovered, minimally excavated. It's a site so little-visited that you can encounter things that literally have not seen daylight for 500 years. This place is unbelievable, and to be led by four guides who saw the trek we took as a religious pilgrimage was an absolutely insane experience. My family was incredibly lucky to get to experience such a trip, and I'm still amazed we got to go. Highlights of Choquequirao included swimming in the Apurimac River, riding horses through river valley/desert, camping on the farmland of sustenance farmers that are a two day hike from civilization (no electricity, running water, etc... eye-opening to say the least), the stars, and the food we had. I will flesh this all out with a later post, as promised, including pictures and whatnot. The scenery was absolutely unbelievable.

So, I got back from Peru on July 30, unpacked my dirty hiking clothes and Chacos that night, packed my dress shirts, suit, and tie the next morning, and flew to Chicago. From O'Hare, I was driven to The Q Center where I experienced a two-week crash course in learning to be a consultant. With class topics ranging from learning the consulting process to interviewing skills and business etiquette, I felt sufficiently confused at the end of the two weeks and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. After class each day, we all played beach volleyball and basketball, ate dinner (a dining hall! like college! except way better food!), and then usually went to The Clubhouse (the training center's bar). It was like adult summer camp, but I learned a ton!

Twelve days after arriving, I left - a changed man - somewhat ready to begin my consulting career. The weekend past, and I was in the office at 8:15am Monday morning, ready to meet my boss and begin work. The work I'm doing is interesting - consulting is basically an entire industry built on selling the brains of people to other companies. When a specific company wants help in doing something that has to do with business (anything, actually - a "business problem"), they can call a consulting company and the firm will send people who are experts in that situation to help - all for a fee! I work in under the umbrella of financial advisory, helping with things like operations efficiency, project management, optimizing processes, etc. I am (obviously) still learning, but it's suited to me. I will get to put my hands in lots of different industries as the years pass, and thus gain a ton of experience. I'm excited about all this. I know this explanation is vague, but whenever we see each other or chat I can elaborate.

So that brings us to present day. As I said, a lot has changed since May - new (interesting!) job, crazy trip to Peru, and (I forgot!) I also moved into a new apartment. Y'all better come see it in October.