Sailboats vs. Prozac

This morning, feeling especially down about going to work, I took a detour by the lake for some early morning sun and fresh air. Of course, I left the house 45 mins earlier than usual to "try to catch up" on some stuff, but better judgment grabbed hold of me and talked me into wasting the time. After all, I had worked late...why give them the morning too? Plus, I've been busier than a one legged man in an arse kicking contest, as my dad would say...then he'd laugh.

Anyway, back to the plot...I was driving down west 38th street and saw the Rick's Boatyard sign ahead, and just like that I was convinced to go see the lake and scope out some sweet sailboats.

I parked at the dock and got out, walking along the edge of the lake and along the wooden docks, lustfully admiring the shiny white fiberglass and tall aluminum masts bobbing up and down in the early morning sun.

I started thinking about Maine two years ago...my first visit there. Lauren's uncle Bill came over one day and asked us if we'd be interested in sailing with him in the Annual Friendship Chowder Cup Race later that day. Seems he used to do it as a kid, heard Lauren and I were in the area, and knew that it was a prime time for him to recapture his youth. I, of course, hadn't had a taste of sailing yet, and was eager to try.

At 2:00 Bill came round with the sailboat, a Catalina 22 of the year 1975 or so. It used to be Bill's brother, "The Man's" boat. The Man is Lauren's grandfather, who can be credited for the families' settlement in Maine, as he purchased the house there in the 50's...as the story goes.

Lauren, myself, "The Man", Bill, and another fellow from the area boarded the Catalina 22 and we motored out into the harbor, where we promptly ran out of fuel. Luckily, sailboats by their very nature don't need anything but a stiff breeze to get them going...so we only needed to rig the sails and off we went.

We got to the Friendship harbor not a minute too early, as just as we lined up the starting gun was fired and away we went. There were a lot of Catalinas out that day, as well as the area's favorite ship, the Friendship Sloop. The sloops are a fast boat, faster than our Catalina for sure, but in the proper hands, all's an equal race.

The course went out in the harbor, around 7 marked buoys, and back. We were behind by quite a bit, going a little into the wind. Bill assured us that as soon as we turned around at the end that his big genoa sail would power us home in no time. So, we sailed out, around each buoy. The Man and Bill argued a bit...as there was a little bit of confusion as to who the captain was. I was told this was normal...so I disregarded it. Bill had a GPS that he had marked the buoys ahead of time, so we knew exactly where to go and when we need to prepare for a turn, and when to duck, and when to switch sides of the boat, and when to pull or loosen the jib sheet, and when to just stay out of the way. I was manning the jib sheet...so my job was to watch the batons on the main sail, and if they weren't blowing in the wind I would need to pull in or let out slack on the jib sheet, controlling the airflow on the main sail. It works a lot like an airplane wing...but vertical instead of horizontal.

So we got to the end and it was time to pull down the jib and put up the genoa, the big colorful puffy sail that would power us home with a wind pushing us from behind. Bill made sure to wait till just the right time to pull it, and when it unfurled away we went!

We caught up with some of the other Catalinas, but couldn't quite catch the sloops. We ended up finishing 6th in our class...I'm not sure which class it was. Regardless of the details, it was a great day of sailing, and I've wanted to go again ever since that day.

Being at Ricks this morning brought back a lot of those memories, and I felt a lot better after spending some time out there, watching the sailboats waiting patiently for their owners to come out and let them out on the water. Someday - sooner than later I hope - I will get to sail again...and maybe if it's really fun again, maybe find an old sailboat to fix up as my own. I've been saying it forever now...but I gotta keep hope alive!

Random observations from the coffee bar...

People have been hounding me to update my blog. Well, folks, I've been busy. Busy with work, my house (the grass needs mowed now...but it's too hot, and I have work to get finished...it's not THAT tall...). Oh, and did I mention I get married in a little over a week and a half? We leave for Maine next Wednesday afternoon, and there is OH so much to get done still...

So tonight, for a change in scenery, I decided to pack up my laptop and head down to the coffee shop, to spunge on their wireless network, and try to get caught up on a bit of work. While a CD copies onto my hard drive just before I switch into work mode.

I've made some observations while waiting:

• Coffee shops are dirty places in the daytime. I knew this..but the sun is glistening just right on a pile of rice next to me in the window that I KNOW has been here for some time.
• Police officers are REAL PEOPLE. Sure, everyone thinks they know this...but I know they are. For example, one fella came in just now...full police gear, notepad in hand. I thought for sure that he was filing a complaint, writing a ticket, or just stopping by to harass some dirty hippy-folk (see bullet below). But now, this guy starts talking to the barista about how he's just been approved to start his own company...a coffee roasting company! So, the two apparently know eachother, and start talking about the various flavors of roasting; french roast, mild, medium, dark, fair trade, and on and on. I got lost. I'm not as up on coffee as I thought I was.
• The chairs in coffee houses can get quite worn down...Especially when the table seems to be a bit too high. I just had to pack up and move for the third time because the chair was too low...the table too high. My back said "move it, or I'll make your neck quit working....:
• Hippy folk can be the nicest, friendliest people around. A lot of the people I hang out with could be classified as hippy folk, or "granolas". You know the type. They like being outside, don't mind not taking a shower, and can be a bit antisocial. Well, some of them take this lifestyle to the max..and can REALLY start to smell bad! Really bad.
  
• Did I mention that coffee bars can be really dirty? Well they can.

Ok, time to work...

Just get here already!

Waiting and waiting for the end of the month is agonizing. May people have many reasons for anxiously waiting for the end of the month. Payday, perhaps....maybe the rent's due and they are worried about where to come up with the money. Or maybe at the end of every month a far away friend sends a gift or something, and so they look forward to it each and every month.

Or, you could be going away to Maine and getting hitched on the very last day of the month, in my case! I am anxious, nervous, gitty, excited, happy, and did I mention nervous? All at the same time! And I know it can only get worse as the day get's closer.

Why am I nervous? Well, I've asked myself that, too. I can only figure I am nervous about something going wrong. A rainy day...perhaps a hurricane? What if I fall down and skin my face up walking up to the chapel? What if Lauren trips and sprains an ankle in her fancy wedding high heels? (I've seen the shoes, and I don't know how she's gonna hobble up those rough stones to the chapel...)

I'm not nervous about getting married - what it means or any of that. I've been with Lauren long enough to know if something was going to go wrong...it would have reared it ugly head by now. Nope, we're both sane people looking for the same things out of life. So no problems there.

The physical act, though, of getting up in front of 30 some odd people, half of which you know, the others you soon will, makes me a little nervous.

So I anxiously wait for the end of the month - to get the rest of my life started.

Just a few more minutes...

What a day! I've been scattered all over the place today, working on this, then switching to that, then coming back to this, and then taking care of something else. I was wore out by noon, but my day was only half over! Now, looking at 5:23, the day is almost over and I am shutting down my brain and getting ready to un-plug!

Ever have one of those days?

Some people ask me, "Why do you keep a blog?" Why not? It's a place to just log on, upload pictures, and leave messages. If no one ever reads it, I would still do it. But, I know people read it because they comment! That makes it even more fun!

Plus, a lot of my friends and family don't quite understand what I do everyday besides sit in a glass office in a yellow brick building in downtown Indianapolis, so the blog has allowed me to put up work as I do it, and they can see what I do. In that way, it kind of works as a personal portfolio of my work - both personal and professional.

Also, on a reflecting note, it's good to go back and read what I was doing back in the winter when I started this thing...begging for a warm day with sunshine. Now those days are here and I can't wait for the fall cool-down. I'm sick, I know! But I can go back and see how my thought process has changed, and where I should have maybe done some things differently, or just look at the pictures I took months and months ago and relive them.

So that's why I blog. I don't gossip much on here, and I don't rant a lot...although if you get me started on taxes, I'll go off! (see a few blogs earlier!)

If anyone wants a blog, it's pretty easy to set up. Just go to www.blogger.com and sign up for one. I'd be glad to help you get up and running if you need it. And if you do sign up, send me the link. I'll add you to my list! (and no, they don't pay me...I just really think it's cool stuff!)

It's finally live, too

Hi!

Well, this week has been crazy at work... the ESPN Great Outdoor Games are invading our office as they do every year. 100+ more people come in and fill up every nook and cranny of the place, and they all have a mission - get the show to air!

Luckily I am a bystander during all of this. My role is very limited in the production of these shows..but it's still fun to be part of the atmosphere.

A site I designed long long ago has finally gone live. http://www.rtmoore.com/index.html I did the basic template, and the programmers took it from there. It's good to see it live, after such a long time I didn't know if it would ever make it to the web.

Also, outside of work I've been trying to do some "geocaching" (check out geocaching for details on what it is). Basically it's a good reason to go out and explore the woods and old spots around where you live. You take a GPS, and try to find a spot where there is a "cache" hidden. It's usually an old ammo can or tupperwear container painted camo so it blends in, and inside there is stuff to trade and a log book to sign. I guess it's a modern day version of treasure hunting...but not quite as lucrative!

Anyway, as I said, work is crazy, so I better get back on it. If anyone wants to go geocaching with me sometime, just drop me an email and we'll set it up. It's a fun way to get out and do something, and a good workout too!

A skinny little rant about obese taxes.

Brownsburg Indiana sucks...don't ever move there. Sure, it's safe. I left a lawn mower in my driveway for 3 days, with "Free, Run's Great!" written on it before someone actually took it. So it is safe.

The taxes, though, are ridiculous. I received a letter a week ago today from my mortgage company saying that because of a deficit in the allotted property tax escrow, my mortgage payment would be raised $200 dollars until the $1,100 sum was paid off, and then it would go down $100 from there for future allotments. Why? Because somewhere between when I bought my house in November 2004 and May 1, 2005, a tax increase happened. I'm still investigating, but this sounds strange to me. Anyone else? I need advice.

Then, to pour hot sauce in the already gaping, infected wound, I heard of yet another increase next year. I stopped in to a local java shop, and the friendly owner was talking about how the construction next door was about to put him out of business. Apparently, the guy had owned this little coffee shop for 2 years, and it was great up to about 2 months ago, when the Town of Brownsburg decided that they needed a huge Town Hall. So construction began, and his steady business ended. "There's nowhere for people to park," he said, "the two spots out there on the street aren't enough...and the cops will ticket you if you're there between 8 AM and 6 PM."

That sucks. This guy went back to school, preparing for a total career change. The sad thing: the coffee was awesome. One more good business in Brownsburg taken down. The comment that made me boil almost as much as my steamed soymilk, however, was when he said "Yeah, after they get that town hall finished their going to hit you again with another property tax hike." Come again? More? Why don't they just start taking it out of my paycheck?

It's just ironic that all of this is happening around the 4th of July, America's independence Day. The day that we won independence from the British for, among many other things, ridiculous taxes. So, with that same persistent activism, I am going to pursue avenues to make it very publicly known what Brownsburg is doing to it's citizens. The average income of the people of Brownsburg is $45,000. You can't keep raising taxes to milk these people of their income. There are 3 houses for sell on my street today, most likely because people are sick of the taxes, and hear of more coming.

"I won't be held hostage by taxes." my barista said as he handed me my drink, "I'm moving way out!" I don't blame you, buddy. But damn, that was a good cup of coffee.