Mighty Ericles Cache Spree of Summer 2007!

On June 23rd I hit a cache in the parking lot of a Cabelas in Pennsylvania. The next day I hit one in Reading, PA on my way out of town. The day after that I snagged a tricky puzzle cache after work that I had finally solved earlier in the day. I had a mini-streak going but didn't think much of it. I relaxed and allowed it to lapse the next day. Well, I planned to.

Out of the blue WWWW planted one near my place of employment and I ran out to try for FTF. I ended up 2nd, but the streak continued. Several times I quit but then I would just happen to take the scenic route home from work and oops! I did it again! FTFs are what really preserved the streak though... I've nabbed 5 in the past 4 weeks. Considering I only had 3 in the previous 5 months I think that's one seriously lucky streak!

Lucky? Maybe. It's hard not be superstitious in caching but I felt as though the streak was somehow charmed. I found everything I looked for without much trouble. Granted, I didn't really go after the 5 star caches, but I picked off a few harder ones without trouble. I even found an unlisted benchmark! All of that changed when I got greedy with the 1st-to-find honors and picked up 2 in one day. After that my luck turned and half of the caches I looked for were simply not there. I managed to continue the streak for 2 more days but another trip to Reading this past weekend and a DNF up on a Neversink Mt. sunk the streak. I planted a new cache while I was there so I didn't think it was a complete loss until I got home, logged my DNF and realized that there was another cache only 350 feet from where I hid mine! It's currently "temporarily disabled" for maintenance which is why it didn't show up on my listing but I can't activate mine while that one is there. D'oh! I even dropped a coin in there as a FTF prize and now it's stuck until the other cache either goes belly up or I make the pilgrimage to get the cache back. Double D'oh!

So, am I cursed? Nah. I'll just let a few others grab the First honors for a while and go back to enjoying destination caches for a while. In the end my streak stats look like this: 28 days, 44 physical finds (5 FTF) & 2 events.

Not bad for something I basically started by accident. This will be my last attempt at a streak until I move to a completely new area. I pretty much wiped out my neck of the woods. :-)

My brain hurts!

This week marked the official return of the Eyegraine. For years I talked to doctors & headache people and even an optometrist and nobody had any idea what was wrong with me. Finally, in the past 5 years or so I've started seeing information on what I now know is the Cluster Headache.

In the same family as the Migraine headache, Cluster Headaches differ in that they are usually isolated to a specific area - usually behind the left temple or eye and show up for months at a time sometimes several times a day and then stop for months. For me at least the individual headaches last from 15 minutes to an hour. I get the sensitivity to light & smells and all that lovely pain. Although they can just come on whenever they wish they can be triggered by stress, low-oxygen trance-like computer programming & pheromones (like the perfume counter at the Boscovs). I'm currently in a cluster cycle and getting a headache once or twice a day unless I'm able to abort it before it goes full blown. Actually aborting a pending C.H. is tough. By the time I feel it coming on (they have an "aura" much like a migraine) it's too late to pop pain pills that might take a half hour to kick in. Caffeine helps but suffers the same time delay problem as pills and has the side effect of messing with my sleeping which can actually cause a cluster cycle to begin. No, for me there's only one way to get rid of a C.H. - Adrenaline!

I wish (oh how I wish) I had learned the secret sooner, but the best way for me to kick a headaches ass is to kick my own ass. Grab the running shoes and sprint out the door or drop and knock out 50 push-ups or spend a few minutes fighting the heavy bag. Jump rope, squat thrusts, sex, it all works and it's all good! Some research suggests that result is due to the increase in oxygen in the blood, but as I've personally seen an elevated heart rate & tried deep breathing techniques without relief, adrenaline is the only way to go! Its not always convenient to have sex or do squat thrusts while at the office though but I've found my ways around the problem. I used to walk up/down 16 flights of stairs while I was working at Spiewak. I've pulled off the highway and ran laps around the parking lot. I've dropped to do push-ups in the mall. I'll do whatever it takes because an Eyegraine in full bloom is heinous!

So if you see me absentmindedly rubbing the back of my neck or left temple, it's Cluster Time and you should immediately scream "What's your major malfunction soldier Oh, does your head hurt? DROP AND GIVE ME 40!"

Headaches. They're all in your head anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache
http://www.clusterheadaches.com
http://www.ouch-us.org

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Orignal From: My brain hurts!

Minor cosmetic changes

You probably wont notice, but I changed the site in a primarily cosmetic fashion. The headers are more along the lines of my color scheme & each posting has category icons now. It's all done through the style sheets & custom code to do the icon things. No plug-ins for me, man! Custom code all the way! I'll eventually make better icons but for now I'll do with what I have. Enjoy! Or don't! Whatever!

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Orignal From: Minor cosmetic changes

New House - New House

It's a new new house although it's only new to us. You see we got tired of being dicked around by the previous sellers' attorney and bank (Adios Banco Popular!), ixnayed the deal, made a bid on a new dream home and as of this very evening have a signed contract. We're back in attorney review - but this time with real people who want to move out. We even have a closing date. The house is in Keyport, NJ right off of Treasure ("Yarrr! X marks the spot!") Lake and a 2 minute walk from the bay.

Sorry, no pictures this time. I'm not going to jinx it. I will send you a linksie or three though!
Google Maps Sat View
Zillow's House Page w/Birds Eye View
City Data for Keyport, NJ

I'll provide more info as things get settled!

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Orignal From: New House - New House

Happy Independents Day!

Independence is a grand thing but too many folks around the Fourth of July mindlessly celebrate by drinking, blowing things up and watching Will Smith movies without remembering from what they happen to be independent. No, I don't mean The Redcoats. The British are not coming back and it's time to lay down those arms. No I mean a generality of being without dependence as an individual. I mean more along the lines of the definition from the Oxford English Dictionary:

independent

• adjective 1 free from outside control or influence. 2 (of a country) self governing. 3 not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence. 4 not connected with another; separate. 5 (of broadcasting, a school, etc.) not supported by public funds.

On the Fourth of July 2007 I celebrated my own personal lack of outside controlling influence by not buying a Dunkin' Coolata, watching TV or going to see the Transformers Movie. I proved myself self-governing by deciding to sleep in and not take a shower until mid afternoon. I depend not upon another for livelihood! (I made my own ball-park franks & "peace, pasta & parmesan" mac & cheese) I may be connected to my wife, but we did our own thing almost all day. We even have our own separate cats. Oh, and though I did enjoy the benefits of some public fun I do not enjoy the benefits of any public funds.

I think for myself, feel my own emotions & do not buy into propaganda. I pay my taxes, vote my conscience & hate how all the fireworks I heard yesterday were made in China. I'm proud that an American is once again the hot-dog-eating-champ but sad that comic book writers killed Captain America and the final Sopranos episode was filled with thinly veiled political rhetoric.

It seems lots of folks have lost their pride in America. Maybe I just have too much faith or maybe I can't let go of the dream because my name is right there in the middle of the word America for goodness sake. Whatever the reason I hold out hope that more Independents will emerge. They'll turn off The News, crack a book and think for themselves. They'll see the big picture. They'll run for office. They'll win. Congress will be filled with Independent Thinkers and a new square peg who just doesn't fit into the old system will toil in the oval office every four years.

But that's a ways away... first things first! Before you can take pride in your country, start by taking pride in your back yard, your children & most importantly: yourself. See yourself independently of how others tell you how you are supposed to look. Work independently of the limitations others have prescribed for you. Think independently of the groupthink others have thought for you. Be your own person for God's sake! Or, failing that, be your own God for man's sake. Have pride in yourself and everything else starts to fall in line like so many ducks in a row at a Cheney family reunion. Start now and by this holiday next year you too can celebrate Independent's day and nobody will ever be able to take that away from you.

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Orignal From: Happy Independents Day!

Health & Fitness: Mid Year Update

We're half way through the year and my Resolution was to do 10,000 pushups this year. I resolved to run a 10K & do 10K pushups. Yeah, I know but crazier things have been promised on party nights, believe-you-me. Fortunately most folks forget these promises.

Anyway, I use my running log to keep track of the pushups and I'm on target for my goal. As of this writing I have pushed 5230 ups and run 85 miles including my first ever 10K. The race was all trails & all hills. I finished and ran every step. I even managed to do 35 pushups that day.

I started doing my pushups in sets of 15 and increased the amount by 5 every month. Since it is June I'm supposed to be doing 40 at a clip but I usually do 2 sets of 20 or just some other number that works for me at the time. I've done as many as 45 at a time but I think I've plateaued as they haven't been getting any easier for several weeks now.

If you could only do one "muscle" exercise, pushups should be that exercise. They hit your triceps, pectorals, deltoids and most of your trunk for support. Do them fast to get the heart rate up or do them slow to feel the burn! My Dad always did pushups and credits them for retaining good upper body strength well into his 50s. That's all well and good, but I need a challenge. A few years ago I researched the training to become a NJ State Trooper and noted that a requirement was to do 45 pushups in 2 minutes. Well, I didn't intend to become a cop, but I made sure I could do the required pushups. They've since changed the test to a point based system rather than a flat number. Oh well. I'll just have to make sure I can do all of the 'maximum point' exercises on their new list!

Know what the hardest thing about the pushup challenge has been so far? That month where the vacuum cleaner was busted and I ran out of clean patches of carpet. Yech!

Linky: NJ State Police Physical Qualification Test

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Orignal From: Health & Fitness: Mid Year Update

Showered with photos!

My cousin David & his wife Asami are expecting the first Great Grandchild in my family and the Baby Shower was this weekend. It was my first "shower" and the new thing is that everyone attends, including the guys. I didn't mind so much because the shower sort of doubled as the wedding reception they hadn't been able to have at the time.

Quick summary: Lots of folks from all sides of the families. Good eats. A cake made out of diapers. A real cake with little "booties" on it. A gifting ceremony with many a "Awwwww!" from the audience. Tons of photos.

I'll spare you the bandwidth by not posting the shots here, instead I'll upload them to the photo gallery.

Click here to see my shots of the shower.

Congrats to David & Asami on becoming parents!
Congrats to Tiff on becoming an Aunt!
Congrats to Dave & Bev on becoming grand parents!
Congrats to Nana on becoming a Great grand parent!

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Orignal From: Showered with photos!