03-07-2007  (Y: 9.15 M: 3.40 W: 3.40 D: 3.40  Routes)

I ran a Small Loop today for 3.4 mile.  I had a few significant aches and pains over the last couple weeks which needed to heal, so I took a bit of time off.  Now that everything seems as good as can be expected I hope to run (and update) more frequently.  Next expected day for running is Saturday.

On a lighter note, I was down in Mobile for Mardi Gras and visiting friends for the weekend before Fat Tuesday.  On Saturday morning we went to Dauphin Island and visited the Audubon Bird Sanctuary.  I have quite a few good pictures and will post a few soon.  Happily we didn't see any alligators at the lake in the sanctuary, but I am sure they were there.  On Sunday night we spent the night enjoying several bands at Cell Block in downtown Mobile.  I'm pretty sure there regular patrons are a bit more eccentric than me, but the music was pretty good.  There were three early bands starting at around 8 pm (not too late considering the advertised starting time was 7).  First a forgettable punk band that was just happy to be there took the stage.  A one man band came up next with an uneven performance.  One portion was decent blues music while the second half just didn't work too well.  Travis and Crystal came up next with an enjoyable bit of music.  The stage and crowd were then ready for the three main bands.  The Zydepunks really whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a great bit of music, but more on them a little later.  The Can Kickers put forth an inspired set to keep the mood of the crowd in a mild frenzy.  The Pine Hill Haints were top billed and put in a decent set with an energetic encore to close out the night.

The Zydepunks took the stage fourth and made it their own.  This set was one of those transcendent moments that occurs while taking in a band for the first time.  With an accordian, fiddle, guitar, drums, and the lead singer adding another fiddle or accordian, I was ready to be impressed.  In my opinion adding either a fiddle or accordian to a band makes it better, and (after this performance) I can say adding both is mind blowing.  With upbeat but traditionally inspired music they may have just taken over as my favorite live band.

02-12-2007     (Y: 5.75 M: 5.75 W: 3.25 D: 3.25  Routes)

It was simply too nice of a day to be stuck inside today, so I went for a run in Kiesel Park here in Auburn.  I did the Total Loop and a Front Loop to get 3.25 miles (See Routes).  If I hadn't looked at the weather report for the next few days, I would swear that winter was over.  (The last remark is for Tom, aka I didn't want to cook, so I am picking up a pizza at Lou Malnati's)

02-09-2007

I got the official word today that the article on my research will be published in The Journal of Supercritical Fluids.  A few more should follow in short order.

02-08-2007    (Y: 2.5 M: 2.5 W: 2.5 D: 2.5  Routes)

Well it is a new year so a new page has been added to Notes.
My back was aching a bit for the last week or so, but today I felt a little bit rejuvenated.  To celebrate I ran a truncated version of the Small Loop here in Auburn.  By turning at Thach instead of Samford I a bit less than a mile from the route.  While this is a little short, I just wanted to take it easy since it has been quite a while since the last run.  Regardless, I feel quite good, so on Saturday I might push my luck again.

I have been on a reading kick quite a bit lately, so why not a quick review? 

    I highly recommend Thunderstruck by Erik Larson.  It is quite a captivating nonfiction book which switches between the early history of the Marconi Company, specifically founder Guglielmo Marconi, and the story of Dr. H. H. Crippen.  These are two areas which I previously had little to no knowledge, so the facts in the book may not seem as fresh to the older generation.
    The Marconi portion of the book portrays the race to develop a new technology for commercial use.  By implementing a technology which was not fully understood, investor money was used on things which would have been better learned in a laboratory or theoretically.  However, understanding the details of wireless transmission may have been sped up due to their efforts.  It is an interesting look at the never ending conundrum of the extent to which theoretical and experimental methods contribute to a discovery and where the credit lies for discoveries.
    The Crippen portion of the book was also quite fascinating.  My later research has shown that this was quite a famous string of events and has already been presented in several books.  This book gives an interesting account of the Crippen's life.  His story ends in a gripping finale which is also one of the early public achievements/advertisements of wireless communications.

Relevant Links

http://www.auburnalabama.org/
Tuskegee National Forest
http://www.auburn.edu/
Alabama State Parks
The Richard Obrzut Guide to Las Vegas