Confucius Say: Woman who walk on glass should not wear skirt.

Today the Grand Canyon Skywalk opened up with a bunch of fanfare. This is a site on the Indian Reservation that had a see-through U-shaped skywalk built as a tourist attraction. While something like this is definitely neat for being able to walk above the Grand Canyon on top of a clear floor, I definitely would not be visiting the site. The two main issues are cost and restrictions. Besides the $25 cost listed in most of the articles, most people may not realize that you have to purchase a 'tour package' of $50 to $200 on top of that as well as a $10 fee to even enter the reservation area. I think this is a huge scam and designed so that most people will just pony up the money after already spending the time and money to get there. The other outrageous thing is that they will not allow cameras to be taken out with the invalid excuse of not wanting to be liable if cameras are dropped off the unit (as if that was really and issue) or not wanting to 'crack the glass' if a camera is dropped, however no such restrictions are made regarding cell phones or other hard, dropable objects as far as I know. Fortunately, they will of course sell you photos taken from their cameras at a nominal fee I am sure. What a rip off.

I've seen reports and blog posts that pretty much state the whole thing is very overrated and not worth the massive expense.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon on my mid-west trip this summer, however I'll definitely not even consider this tourist trap. Here is the Google Earth link in case you want to see where the site is situated. http://tools.wikimedia.de/~kolossos/world-link.php?long=-113.811111&lat=36.012222&lang=en

Kayakers do it really fast, and then roll over.

After ever changes of dates and constantly moving around the plans, some friends and I headed to the Everglades for some weekend paddling in the Everglades National Park. We left late Thursday and headed to Naples where we crashed for the evening so we could get an early start. We were waking up by 5:30 and left by 6:15 so that we could get to the ranger station just before they opened so that we could get the necessary camping permits. After loading up the boats we headed off to Rabbit Key. We were fortunate to be riding with the tide and got to the outer islands pretty quickly. The water crossings throughout the weekend were a little rough with the constant wind, but it wasn't anything that we couldn't handle. I am quite glad that I had a rudder since those without one were constantly having to paddle one-sided or make course corrections.

After setting up camp at Rabbit Key, we took off for some local paddling. At one point Service went back to secure the food after noticing a large group of raccoons heading to the site. We waited for a while but eventually split up to go our own way. I circled Crete and Rabbit Key before decided to add in a little more before sundown and circled Lumber Key. Dinner consisted of some rice, steaks on the grill, and such. We were not in danger of running low on rum since each of us brought at least a 1.7L bottle. Having done this a few times before, we made sure to seal up any food or scented items in the hard covered kayaks due to the raccoon problems. I woke up in the middle of the night and swore that there were raccoons walking directly under my hammock, and even Dave in the nearby tent said he heard them as well. Fortunately they didn't take any swipes at my ass hanging overhead, so I quickly went back to sleep. The kayaks were covered with sandy pawprints in the morning, but all of our stuff was undamaged.

The next day we did a 8 mile paddle to Picnic Key. Setting up camp was interesting as it seemed kids kept popping out of the woods in various places. It was like 'Children of the Corn' in how eerie it was when they would pop out of nowhere. Apparently there was an Outward Bound group on the island with the kids being set off for 'reflection time', whatever that means. Anyway, it was a nice spot to hang out for the evening with the fire pit dug and burning by sundown. The paddle back to the ranger station Sunday was a little tough since we were fighting the tide as well as a near headwind the whole time. at the very end, only a hundred meters or so off shore, I came across some more dolphins that were really close with one doing a few zigzags under my boat for a few seconds. With the wind and constant salt spray I couldn't take the camera out. Unfortunately the heat and the bugs are going to be too bad to really be able to do any more camping in the Everglades until next winter, but it was still a fun trip overall. I saw manatees through the trip as well as a couple of manta rays, raccoons, eagles, egrets, and other marine life.

Day of the equaliux.

We have have reached the spring equinox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_equinox). Contrary to some belief, this is not the only time of the year that one may balance an egg on its end (http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp). This also marks the day when daylight outlasts darkness. When combined with the new time change, there seems to be more available time to enjoy things outside. By convention, equiluxes are the days, occurring twice a year, where sunrise and sunset are closest to being exactly twelve hours apart.

I've been busy over the past week working at the office on several emergency issues that came up as well as planning for various trips; Everglades this weekend and my big annual 3 week trip to the western National Parks in June/July. Right now I'm planing on hitting Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion, and maybe Arches National Parks, so it should be an incredible adventure. I still have to start organizing the Australia/New Zealand trip for next year. I previously thought I could do what I wanted in about 3 weeks total, but I might need to expand that a bit since I now want to do at least two full weeks in New Zealand, a couple of days in Sydney, 3 day train ride across to Perth for the 4 day hash, and then hit Cains for 3-5 days on a SCUBA liveaboard trip to the Great Barrier reef.

Pi R sqaure? No, pi r round. Cornbread R square.

Today is 'Pi Approximation Day' being close to the North American date equivalent of Pi. You know Pi = ~ 3.14; 3/14 = March 14th? And you thought you were only supposed to beware just of the Ides of March! If you're interested in the world of Pi, then check out a few links; http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/history_of_pi/index.html or http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Pi-Day.

Kayaker Philosophy: I didn't roll, therefore I swam

A busy weekend for sure. On Sunday, after dragging several people out of bed through multiple phone calls after Saturday's TBH3 Green Dress pub crawl in Temple Terrace, we headed out to Caladesi Island for some kayaking. Most of us that went will be hitting the Everglades in a couple of weeks for the end of season camping and paddling trip before the weather gets too warm and the bugs too numerous.

The weather was a bit blustery, so I elected to keep the camera in the dry bag the entire time so to not chance getting salt inside. It was not too rough that it wasn't fun, though we didn't get the chance to see dolphins this time around. We paddled a little bit further than the last trip there and beached for a short lunch of subs. We portaged the kayaks across a small isthmus on the way back so we could relax on the leeward side of the island. We were fortunate to have a high side since the last time I attempted this I had to spend a good bit of time dragging the kayak over numerous sandbars. The next couple of weeks will be slow in terms of activities as I attempt to catch up on home projects and deal with issues at the office. I seriously need to start planning my summer and Australia trips and hope to find time to really start the necessary research sometime this week.

When there is no peril in the fight, there is no glory in the triumph.

I was lucky enough to score a pass for a pre-screening of the upcoming movie '300: The Battle of Thermopylae '. I have not been looking forward to see a movie in the theater in a very long time as I usually would just wait for the DVD release, however I have been really excited about this for some time; having watched the trailers multiple times. I was quite impressed overall and had a great time watching it and hope to get a chance to take a look at it in an IMAX theater once the crowds die down in a few weeks. In the general story, a bunch of Spartans swear they’d rather die than surrender or retreat, and then they do just that. Like Sin City, the images of 300 have been heavily post-processed to closer resemble Frank Miller’s comic book, and when there isn’t a slow-motion battle going on, the camera lingers over tableaux of warriors on a mountainside, trees hung with corpses, a fleet tossed about in inclement weather, and sweaty nymphs doing double-duty as corrupt oracles.

It’s all about as glorious as a half hour of the Battle of Helm’s Deep, without the rest of The Lord of the Rings to support, y’know, the characters. Instead, there are lots of speeches; about how freedom isn’t free, about how the only glorious death for a soldier is on the battlefield, and about how, yes, Spartans never surrender. In waves resembling nothing so much as the levels of a video game, the good Spartan king Leonidas (Gerard Butler) has to fight the villains at the Battle of Thermopylae while he is being stabbed in the back by treacherous politicians who refuse to support the troops and send reinforcements.

The movie seems to borrow liberally from John Boorman’s 'Excalibur' one of my favorite movies, ending of 'Braveheart', along with visuals and phantasmal aspects from 'Sin City'. In the world of 300, there is no room for art, negotiation, or weakness; there is only room for the strong. At the screening, outright murder brought great applause, and I would not have have been surprised to find an Army recruiting station outside the theater. Huah!

Overall it is definitely worth the effort to check out and is well done, so if you get an opportunity, go see it, especially if you can do so at an IMAX theater.

I've spent 90% of my life on fast bikes, chasing girls and partying. The other 10% was wasted.

This weekend was spent at the annual Bike Week event in Daytona Beach. A few friends and I took off Friday afternoon, after spending a half day at work, and headed over. I've been for the previous two years and have always had a good time. Our trip up there was interesting enough with the scenic detours and short cuts (not always the same thing) so we were glad to arrive at the hotel. after registering at the hotel we set up our stuff and went to the lobby to hang out. I don't know way, but I was fairly stoic Friday evening. We hit a couple of bars throughout the evening, but with the chilly temperature, I just was a bit tired from the prior emotionally heavy week. I did still enjoy talking with people that I had not seen in quite a while and running into old friends. though the room was a bit backed with 6 of us packed in the room, I was extremely comfortable and warm on the air mattress and slept well. Saturday brought in rain and more of the chill throughout the day. We started the annual run down main street (where the police shut down the traffic for 5-10 minutes so the group can do their run) and then hopped to several other locations throughout the day. I was looking forward to some shopping and bike viewing but the rain just kind of kept everyone inside. The evening room crawl was fun as we went from floor to floor partying with a different theme in each room.

Sunday was an entirely new day. the weather was bright, and clear and I felt great. After a run down the beach, we packed up and headed to one of the local bars for the end of weekend ceremonies. I don't know what the difference was, but I felt so much better and had the best time of the weekend. Though Bike Week tends to be expensive due to hotel costs, it still is a great time as it gets a lot of folks from all over the country to attend. Though I'm not sure if I'll be going next year due to the proximity of the Australia trip, I wouldn't mind making it an annual event.

Gambling is a method of getting nothing for something.

I had a few errands to run in the late afternoon and had just enough time to run by the Hard Rock Casino before heading off for the evening kayaking. Normally I am not one to gamble with anything but my sanity or life, especially not money, but I figured I'd give to a go. I had seen an ad in the newspaper that had everyone signing up for their free 'Player's Club' would get $100 in gambling credit certificates. I don't have a problem spending other people's money, so I went to sign up and got the promotional certificates.

After about 20 minutes of playing, I was able to walk out with ~$55 in cash. The key was to cash out every time anything was won, so I had a large stack of small denomination tickets but a few that were worth 4-6 dollars. I find walking into places like that quite depressing . The sad part are the people that just sit there staring at the screen pushing a button. It is like the old rat experiments where they are trained to preform a task and sometimes get enough of a reward in pellets (food for the rats, credits for the gamblers) to encourage them to keep going. I've always thought that gambling is just a state tax on people who are bad at math. The disgusting part is just the acrid smoke that blankets the place. Even for the short time I was there I feel that I now have to go burn my clothes in a backyard pyre. My roommate was lucky enough to walk out with just over $100 so I made her buy dinner after we were finished kayaking.

Since it had been a while, we decided to do a little more paddling in preparation for the everglades trip in a couple of weeks. We met at 'Rick's On The River' at 7 and were in the water in short order for the usual paddle around Harbour Island past the downtown area. It was a leisurely 3 hour paddle and good exercise and a good way to spend the evening.

Story about Christine.

Nurse With Passion For Kickball Killed Near Bar In Hit-And-Run

Posted Feb 28, 2007 by The Tampa Tribune

By VALERIE KALFRIN and MARI ROBYN JONES
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Twice a week, Christine Hodill met with friends at MacDinton’s Irish Pub & Restaurant after the kickball games she helped organize.

Those who knew her reeled Wednesday upon hearing a car had struck and killed her about 2:30 that morning near the bar and her apartment. Police are searching for the driver.

“Everybody is still in shock,” said Barry O’Connor, general manager of MacDinton’s. “She was very outgoing, very personable. There’s nothing bad I can say about her.”

Police said a four-door Nissan Altima or Maxima hit Hodill, 28, as she crossed West Cleveland Street at South Moody Avenue. The car has metallic paint, possibly dark green or black. It has a large spoiler on the rear and dark, tinted windows. The car is missing the left side-view mirror and will have damage to the left front headlight and windshield.

Investigators ask anyone with information about the car to call (813) 231-6130.

Hodill, of 104 S. Armenia Ave., worked as a nurse, O’Connor said. Her off-duty passion was kickball. A local agent for the World Adult Kickball Association, she organized games every Tuesday and Thursday and hung out at MacDinton’s, a co-sponsor, afterward.
Through word of mouth, she had signed up as many as 400 players, O’Connor said. “It was all for the fun of it, you know?”

She also organized charity fundraisers. Last weekend, she put together a “pub crawl,” in which people paid $10 to bar hop in south Tampa. The event raised about $2,000, O’Connor said.
He hopes to hold an event at MacDinton’s to honor Hodill. “Hopefully, we can get the person who did this,” O’Connor said.