Stickmen

How to waste five minutes online: interactive stories. I am a terrible drawer, Internet. But I am easily amused.

Well, duh.

I recently read this piece in your version of the NYTimes, Internet.

It's definitely mind over matter! (I mean, isn't that why the saying is "mind over matter" in the first place?)

And it's not just sports: I remember my violin teacher used to tell me that it wasn't that my fingers weren't physically fast enough to play a particular passage; it was usually that my brain was slowing down my fingers. If I just did it without thinking so much, I could usually play faster than I had previously. (And she was right.)

When I'm out rowing or biking or running or doing anything athletically challenging (but usually rowing, since that's what I actually push myself at), it's almost always a matter of getting my mind to cave in to what I want my body to do. Sure there are times when the body is tired, but not nearly as often as I allow, and probably not nearly to the degree I believe myself to be tired.

It also explains how it is so much easier to push myself to get better when I have competition (and also explains to me how it is so much easier to push myself on the water when I'm facing other real people in actual boats on existent water in live races).

In other news...

...I guess I'm just a little bit ... [I don't even know what word should fit here] ... about this:

North Korea is seeking to expand its tourism with cruises.

Most obvious: "We admit that we have a lot of shortcomings to overcome."

Not really comforting: "You're in North Korea here...You're completely safe. The North Korean military is protecting you."

If you can't find a job in the U.S., never fear - there is hope for you: the cruiseline can "even hire Americans.”

Whilst on board, you can get a history lesson: “In 1950, there was a war, the Korean War, started by the United States.”

In the running for advertising slogans are:

1. "Now we’re in a military zone; if you stay behind, you get shot"

2. "It’s like the Titanic"

3. “Of course, North Korea can’t rival tropical Cuba as a tourist destination"

So book your tour now! You, too, can enjoy "cramped cabins, cut-rate cuisine and foul, water-deprived bathrooms" and save $$$ by sharing a cabin with 8 new friends.

Japan: Six Months Later

Courtesy of the Atlantic, you can see some incredible before and six-months-after photos of the tsunami-hit areas of Japan here (click on the pictures for the after shots). Quite incredible, really.

iRow, iRide, iHurt: Version 2.0

Dear Internet,

It's been a busy September thus far - back to the whole "I-don't-want-summer-to-end" thing. The weather has been beautiful - sunny, gorgeous. I've been out and about attempting to enjoy as much of it as possible.

For example:

My dad and I went to a baseball game. I shan't talk about the score (talk about painful!). But I shall say "Hi, Dad!" and mention that it was fun to take him to his first game at Target Field as a belated Father's Day present.

I went to two games in a week and a half, and the lineups were almost completely different both times - but, similarly, they both contained people I'd never heard of. Oh, end of season woes.

Then this past weekend, I did something I said last year I'd never. do. again. Do I listen to myself? Apparently not. Anyway, the Pike Island Challenge was a good time - 13 miles with 3 delightful friends, all in 90 minutes. There was bacon at the end of it, so you know I was rowing a little harder to get to it before everyone else. Highlight of the day: when one of our teammates decided to turn the challenge into a biathlon, and swam over the finish line with his boat in tow.

Then on Sunday, on to the St. Paul Classic. It started out in a, uh, ahem, rather entertaining way. I - quite dumbly - wasn't really awake in the morning, and right outside my friend S's house, I clipped in, leaned too far over, and fell over. While at a complete standstill. So my first visit after pedaling a mile or so to the start was hitting up the first aid tent to get a bandage before I registered.

Entertaining facts: they only provided the nurse one large band-aid, but since I was the first person to visit her, I got it! And yet she told me that every year, she runs out of all of the sizes of band-aids...BEFORE the tour even starts! This year, with 7,000 registrants, I can see how that would happen.

D'oh! Here is the part that I can show you - after I got back home and scrubbed out excess gravel and skin, and once the bleeding had stopped (other parts involve bruising and some more road rash in unmentionable places, i.e., the entire right side of my body, apparently):

Here are the two lovely ladies I tried to keep up with for the last 10 miles or so: A & S. Unfortunately, one of our quad had to bow out with a back injury (we missed you, K!), but I ran into all sorts of rowers, fellow orchestra musicians, fellow government peons. It was great good fun.

We did the same 39 miles as last year, but this year, Internet, we stopped at more of the tour's rest stops to enjoy delightful music and treats. Oh, the brownies with chocolate frosting that I missed last year at the Lilydale stop - how could I have gone by those in 2010 with nary a thought to their deliciousness?! Well, I know they're there now, so I'll make it a point to stop next year. (Yes, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll probably be dumb every year, and will continue to do these two events for quite some time to come...never mind how much my rear end hurts by mile 10 of each event...)

And finally, I have decided that since I'm on Twitter a bit more often lately, I am now feeding it onto this blog so people will know I'm not dead. (Yet. I haven't biked or rowed in a few days, so that probably helps my chances of not keeling over from tiredness.) It is unlocked, and the people may rejoice and read it if they so desire.

xoxo,

Minny LinnEy

The End of Summer

Oh, Internet. It is with a huge sigh that I say that the end of summer is here. (Also, it's supposed to be 90 degrees, sunny and humid tomorrow - One Day Only! Don't Miss Out! - so, I say this in the hopes that summer's not gasped her last breath quite yet.)

But we all know what the end of summer means! It's the Great Minnesota Get-Together! I went on Saturday with the cuz, and she and I had a great time. (So great, in fact, that we ate and watched and walked our way through it for a record - for us - 10 hours or something ridonkulous like that.)

To spare your cholesterol level, I'll refrain from listing the fair foods eaten this summer, with the exception of a couple of pictures and this note: SWEET CORN ICE CREAM IS THE MOST AWESOMEST THING EVER!!! (Seriously. It was delicious.)

Here is a snapshot of our day (and amusements):

The Beginning: Breakfast of Champions

The animals in the middle: This cow got more gussied up than I have been beautified in the last six months combined

Liberal use of hair dryers and trimmers all over the place

"Tools" of the trade - note the liberal use of White Rain hairspray

*Pretty sure there was also liberal use of white and black spray paint; it was like watching a cow get graffiti-ed

More of the Middle: In the baby animal barn (always one of my fav' stops), "Look at me, Mom!!! Look at me! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! I said, LOOK AT ME! Do you see me, Mom? I'm DOING A HOOF DANCE ON TOP of you, Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom?!"

"Maaaaawm, you NEVER watch me!"

*bursts into bleats and tears*

An example of non-animal middle (and why I stick to pictures of animals and food at the fair): I know - sometimes I, too, find that Burger King character a little creepy, but really? He's at the Haunted House?

The End: Bed-Time Snack

xoxo,

Minny LinnEy

Le Velo

Choose your response wisely:

a. Rowers need to come up with our own dance move - we would totally win this

b. I, too, sometimes wish to eat a baguette in the middle of a race

c. This song will get stuck in your head

d. This is hilarious! And awful! And hilarious!

e. All of the above

Pasta: the food of champions

In Italy, pasta is consumed by 99 percent of households at an average annual household rate of 72.6 pounds, while in America it is consumed by 84 percent of households at an annual household rate of 12 pounds, according to Nielsen data provided by Barilla.

More here.

I'm pretty sure that in the last five or six years, I have - by myself - eaten 72 pounds of pasta a year. I believe in carbs. I believe in them strongly.

Mmmm. Delicious carbs.

Warning: You might break, sprain or strain something just by watching this video.

And I just worry about not running into walls and such.

Some Really Old Stuff, aka "Antiquities"

Internet,

I finally used my ticket and went to the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum last night. I have a few observations from that experience.

1. My favorite piece in the exhibition was the toilet seat. (You think I jest? Oh, contraire: there really is a toilet seat in the collection.) I was somewhat disappointed, though, that the toilet seat had no hieroglyphs on it.

2. My second favorite piece was the cat's casket. No, you won't see any kleenex boxes or random cardboard concoctions picked up at a grocery store for these beloved pets! They used only the best for Fluffy. Comes complete with hieroglyphs.

3. Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure I figured out where the 1950s & 60s got half their ideas for Christmas tree ornament and decoration designs. I can imagine the thought process: "Oh, that looks good as an ancient Egyptian coronet! Let's turn it into a string of Christmas tree lights...or glass ball ornaments...or SOMETHING!" [Internet, you've failed me: I couldn't find a good example of the kind of gold coronet in the exhibit to show what I'm talking about. But if anyone is ever there and checks out the jewelry, think about it: mid-20th century Christmas. See if I'm right.]

4. I probably should have thought about what time it was to be watching an Omni movie on mummies. Those are some freaky images to take in right before bed.

5. Also a little disturbing: "Let's just take out a few or four of our internal organs, embalm them, and shove them into some jars for a few millenia." Now, you know me and my love for food well, Internet, but "protecting" one's stomach in such a fashion is going a bit too far.

Anyway, those were my initial impressions. I had several others thoughts throughout the experience, ending with "Well, this was a nice and interesting evening...and I'm pretty glad I didn't live then. Also, I'm glad I don't have the same beliefs that they did. And also, I hope I don't dream about mummies or internal organs or toilet seats or embalming. 'Cause it's those toilet seats that'll ruin a dream every time."

Au-gust or Bust

Internet,

August is halfway over. I feel like my summer just began. I mean, I just caught my summer cold! And I finally have some mosquito bites! Surely it can't be the end of summer already!

Anyway. Here are some random thoughts from yours truly to start out the week:

1. I saw a family of raccoons crossing the freeway at 5:17 this morning. At the time I thought, "Good thing it's so early! There isn't much traffic to kill all of them!" but now that it's later in the morning and I'm actually awake, I realized that a) they're raccoons, we could probably use fewer of the little beasts, and b) if it were later in the morning, the nocturnal-infernal things wouldn't have been out anyway.

2. youtube is a wonderful thing, Internet. You can learn and hear about all kinds of things (how to change a bicycle tire, how to complete a new knitting stitch or technique, what "quantitative easing" means, how to pit a cherry with a mere paperclip, and other similarly fascinating feats). What on earth did we do before the internet, Internet? Who told us how to do things?!

3. Last week a co-worker put the phrase "where we go from here" in an email. For the last week, I have not been able to get the Evita song out of my head. (Though really? The rest of the song has absolutely nothing to do with the work email. Just the first line.)

[See, Internet? That came from youtube, too.]

4. Watched the end of the PGA Championship yesterday with my dad - and saw a bunch of guys whose names I'd never heard of playing for the win.

5. As I said previously, I am in the midst of a summer cold. There is just something about having a pesky little ailment that feels so "winter" in the middle of summer that makes a person more miserable. The days are beautiful and sunny outside, but I don't have the energy to leave the house. Also, I'm pretty sure I'd have scared the birds and other small animals with my sneezing fits on Friday and Saturday.

That is all for now.

xoxo,

Minny LinnEy

Workin' hard...or something.

Dear Internet,

I've been woefully behind in updating you on my really, super exciting lifestyle of the not-so-rich-or-famous moi. Since I must start somewhere, here's a recap of my day so far:

-Basically got told off by someone at the boathouse before 6am

-Got to return home to bed for an extra hour of sleep before work thanks to a lightning display

-At one point wondered, "Do you think it's raining too much in this landlocked state if there's a seagull flying around outside of my office window?"

-Fell out of my chair...thankfully no one was around to see this amazing feat happen (not even the seagull)

-Was treated to doughnuts by my boss to extend the birthday celebration

-Went to the great Tar-jay & picked out a baby card for someone at work, and then spent way too much time with a co-worker reading a bunch of the funny birthday cards there

-Booked tix to soon go see a really old skeleton

And now I'm on my way to eat tots at the Bulldog. Or maybe cheese curds. All in all, it's been a swell day. (Literally - I think I bruised my leg when I fell out of the office chair, and now there's a big red mark that's kind of swollen. Also, it's really hot & humid, so pretty much everything is swelling now.)

xoxo,

Minny LinnEy