If you're getting run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade

Today was the annual Gasparilla day parade in downtown Tampa. After looking at the gloomy forecast, I almost didn't go,but decided to brave the rains and join the festivities. I took my camera, as usual, however the light was just horrible, so nothing really came out right (maybe I'm just become more selective of my shots now). I did get to see one of my old friends in the parade, but missed seeing the floats for a couple of other people I knew. After the parade was over I rode the bike along the Riverwalk area and then headed back to the Aquarium where I had parked.

What is known to the rest of the world as 'bait'.

Top 10: Rules of Sushi Etiquette

Next time you sit down at the sushi bar, impress her by ordering - and eating - like the Japanese do.

By Ken Galloway, Gear Correspondent

Page 1:

Whether or not you’ve ever been to Japan, there’s no doubt that you’re aware that they do things quite differently over there.

Why do they bow so often? Why are they so great with technology?

This top 10 list will not answer those questions. What it will do is arm you with 10 etiquette tips that will allow you to integrate seamlessly into any authentic sushi-eating situation. Master these and everything else will fall into place.

Kampai. (Cheers.)

Page 2: Kneeling while eating

Remember Kerri Strug? She was the American gymnast who took gold on a broken ankle at the 1996 Olympics. Ever want to be more like her? Then try sitting “seiza”-style without dropping a single piece of sushi.

Seiza is when you sit in a semi-kneeling position with your butt cheeks rested on your Achilles tendons. It originated in the era of samurais in order to honor the others sitting with you, but because it can numb your legs pretty quickly, many Japanese people today have chosen to ignore this piece of etiquette.

If you break out the seiza at a table full of Japanese people, however, they will be extremely impressed.

Note: This only works at restaurants that offer traditional Japanese seating. Do this while sitting in a chair and you will look like a moron.

Page 3: Say "Itadaki masu!"

There is no English equivalent to saying “itadaki masu,” as it is a combination of “looks great!” and “OK, I am now commencing my meal.”

Say it before your first bite to express your gratitude for the food you are about to consume and Japanese girls will find you adorable.

Page 4: Never pour your own drink

One of the best things about going for sushi is the gigantic bottles of Kirin, Asahi or Sapporo beer

Keep in mind, however, that these are not meant to be consumed quickly in a brown paper bag like an Old English, but are meant to be consumed quickly while sharing with others.

Pour everybody else’s drinks first, then coyly place the bottle on the table. Another attentive person at the table should jump at the opportunity to pour for you. Not only is this a much more social way of drinking, but it also promotes heavier alcohol consumption. Win-win. that accompany your meal. And since the Japanese invented the dry brewing process, they are all delicious and refreshing.

Page 5: Order omakase-style

No matter how much you know about sushi, the chef knows better. He (women’s hands are believed to be too warm to prepare sushi) knows what’s fresh, and what’s in season.

Omakase is when you leave it up to the chef what you are served. Not only does this ensure the freshest fish possible, but sushi chefs take great pride in their omakase selections, so you know that you are getting the best that the house has to offer.

In addition, a huge pet peeve among sushi chefs is the fact that Westerners often order exclusively tuna and salmon. Get the omakase to show that you know what’s up, but be warned that this knowledge will set you back more than the tuna and salmon would.

Page 6: Waribashi (disposible chopstick) snapping 101

A high-end sushi restaurant would never be caught with disposable chopsticks, but if you find yourself in a place that does use them, this does not mean that civility should break down. Snap your chopsticks while holding them horizontally for maximum gentleman points.

This tradition originated for practical reasons, because the type of establishment that serves “waribashi” in Japan would often be very crowded, and snapping horizontally cuts down on your chances of elbowing someone in the face. Although this tradition is not that practical in a North American setting, the sushi etiquette lives on.

Page 7: Don't pour soy sauce on your rice

Don’t do it! You may be tempted, but don’t pour soy sauce on your rice. Japanese people take a ridiculous amount of pride in their rice. Just try serving them Chinese rice with their sushi and see how happy they look. It’s all about the texture and the subtle flavors of the grains, so if you add soy sauce to the mix, you will appear to be destroying something beautiful.

We have a lot of friends who can’t seem to eat white rice without their precious soy sauce, so we can understand the urge, but consider this: Do you want to be seen as a destroyer of beauty?

Page 8: Don't plant your chopsticks in your rice

Ever see the movie Mr. Baseball, starring Tom Selleck?

Great flick.

Remember the scene where our mustache-sporting hero plants his chopsticks in his rice? Remember how the entire table practically jumped across the table and tackled him? Ever wonder why?

In Japan, visiting the graves of ancestors is an important part of life. People sweep up around their family graves, leave flowers and also leave bowls of rice with -- you guessed it -- chopsticks sticking out of them. Unless you are a ghost or a zombie, doing so in a restaurant is a bad omen. But then again, Tom Selleck can do no wrong in our book.

Page 9: Don't pass food from chopstick to chopstick

Similar to Tom Selleck’s blunder, passing food from chopstick to chopstick is another cardinal no-no in sushi etiquette.

Partly due to Buddhist influence and partly due to space constrictions, the standard way of laying the dead to rest in Japan is by cremation. Contrary to popular belief, however, cremation is not exactly a neat and tidy process. After the burning, it is traditionally up to the core family members of the deceased to sift through the ashes and separate what remains of the charred bones from the rest of the matter by passing them from one pair of chopsticks to another.

Therefore, if somebody tries to pass you a piece of sushi with their chopsticks, hold out your plate in order to avoid the bringing up of painful memories and awkwardness.

Page 10: Don't leave bits of rice in your bowl

It’s easy to forget that 65 years ago Japan was a war-torn nation. Food was so scarce that many people had to resort to eating grasshoppers -- or whatever else they could find. Since people would have killed for a bowl of rice, to have left even a single grain in a bowl would have seemed extremely bourgeois.

Although today’s Japan would be almost unrecognizable to someone from that time and place, the aversion to wastefulness lives on. In addition, finishing the last grain of rice is also a way of paying homage to a worthy chef.

Page 11: Finish your meal with, "Gochi-so-sama-deshi-ta."

Saying “gochi so sama deshita” is the equivalent of saying “Wow, what a feast that was!” Although we wouldn’t deliver such a compliment unless truly deserved, it is standard protocol to say so after every meal in Japan.

Say it to your sushi chef and he will likely bow to you. However, if you visit a Korean-run Japanese restaurant (there are a ton of these), the chef might just squirm awkwardly.

But if the chef is hardcore, he will respond by saying “osamatsu deshita,” which basically means “I’m sorry I couldn’t have provided a superior meal” -- even if, in his mind, he knows that he may have served you the best sushi you’ve have ever had.

Compound Meter: A place to park your car that requires two dimes.

The newest Riverwalk park project officially opened today. The Curtis Hixon Park was a $45 million dollar revitalization of the old site of the Tampa Museum of Art. A few years ago the museum was closed down and much of the area was razed. I once had a virtual geocache (goecaching spot that did have a physical hidden container) called 'All the world's a cache' at this location that had to be archived for a while since it was unknown if the amphitheater would be saved, however it was fortunately spared as part of the new park. The new museum will open in a few weeks, but the park itself will get immediate use since it it the termination point of the Gasparilla Pirate parade next weekend.

There are no secrets better kept than the secret everybody guesses. -- George shaw

" ... at what point has someone betrayed you enough to make you stop keeping their secrets?"

You should not need or want to reveal old secrets
if there was ever trust among two people,
however you are not obligated to take on any more.
If you cannot keep the secrets of your past,
how can you be trusted to keep the secrets of your future?

A symphony is not played merely to reach its end.

Since I haven't seen any kind of a cirque show in a while, I headed to St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater to listen to the Florida Orchestra preform with the Cirque de la Symphonie. This is a traveling show that has cirque-style performers do their acts while the local orchestra plays pieces chosen by the guest conductor. The idea is to create a visual boost that is complimentary to the music being played. I was able to snag a last-minute third row ticket that proved to be a great spot to take in the visual performance. The first half was a great blend of classical works, while the second seemed to regress more to popular culture music, including a piece I recognized by John Williams and used in one of the new Star Wars films. Overall it still worked and the sellout crowd seemed to enjoy the show.

Sometimes it is not about finishing a marathon, it is about even starting.

I finished my first marathon today. This was another one of those things on my life list to accomplish at some point, and now after the fact I am glad I did it. I had a chip-time of just under 4:40 for the 2010 Walt Disney World marathon. I would like to say that it took a lot of preparation and planning, but truth be told I wasn't nearly as trained as I should have been. Though I run just about daily, I only do about 4.5 miles or so, which doesn't lead to a lot of long term endurance. For me, this run ended being just over twice my longest previous ever straight run. I made it to WDW on Saturday afternoon to get my race packet at the health expo and once that shut down for the evening ended up just staying in one of the remote parking areas nearby to car camp for the evening. I had my cold weather sleeping bag, plenty to drink, and a comfortable position. One thing I've loved about my Xterra truck is that a twin sized inflatable bed fits perfectly in the back. At 3AM I headed over to the EPCOT parking lot to drop off my bag for the end of the race and head over to the starting point for a 5:45AM race start. Although a bit chilly, the chemical heat packs I brought along really helped keep my hands toasty.

The first part was pretty easy. I wanted to maintain a 10 minute pace the whole course so I wouldn't over expend myself and had to keep myself from trying to maintain a normal 7:30 pace. It didn't take long before the first pieces of throw-down clothing came off, including a pair of very warm flannel bottoms (among an awesome set of 4 others I had at home) and were left behind. The first part of the course went under the Spaceship Earth ride at EPCOT and around the back area before heading of the long road towards the Magic Kingdom. At one point after just passing mile 2 I dropped my glove, only to realize it after a hundred feet and needed to run back to find it in the dark. I almost thought of leaving it since I was feeling warm, but am glad I did going back to search and retrieve it since towards the end winds had picked up, and as my energy level dropped I need it to keep my hands usable. I wasn't feeling any pain at all until right at mile 12.5 when my left knee decided to let itself be known for just a few minutes. It wasn't bad until right after it settled down the right knee starting to complain a bit, before easing off. Unfortunately they apparently started colluding and right at mile 14 they both decided to go on strike for the rest of the course. From that point on, even a 10-15 second stop to take a picture or make a quick pee break resulted in some pretty excruciating pain for the next 45 seconds after I started off again. I took advantage of every sport drink/water station as I wanted to keep well hydrated. I took a single Motrin every 5-6 miles along with an energy gel packet (which were pretty good and very easy to digest) and never really felt a wall in terms of plummeting energy. I was getting slightly punchy at one long road stretch and actually could not remember how long a marathon was, 24.2 or 26.2 and had to ask another runner. The most difficult stop by far was a 15 second bathroom stop at mile 20 after which the pain shooting through my knees lasted for a little over a full minute of running. Had I not been in the middle of nowhere with no shelter from the wind or any resources at hand, I'm not sure if I would have wanted to continue, but after things calmed down I resolved to not stop until it was all finished. There were a few nice banana, energy gel, and even a chocolate bar stations that surely helped keep the energy levels up. After starting the race I realized that I had forgotten my ear buds, so I didn't have any music for the entire course, which actually didn't end up being that bad. I had a lot upon which to reflect upon the previous year and was able to release a lot of pent up energy and emotion so I can hopefully make this a fresh year's start. The course continued through the Animal Kingdom, and though I knew I wouldn't because of their being too cold, I wish I had seen one of the old happy monkeys on trail, even if just a fleeting glimpse. We went past the Tree of Life and the Everest ride and on to Hollywood Studios. There the trail went by the Tower of Terror, though the backstage tour, and down the streets out the front entrance. The last bit seemed to be the longest as we shuffled along the Boardwalk and then into the rear of the World Showcase and loop the entire lake and past Spaceship Earth on last time and then on to the nearby finish line.

As I type this just a few hours after completion, I'm actually feeling pretty good. My knees are pretty stiff and when I stand it feels like Tonya Harding had clubbed me a few times. To pick things up I have to bend over like a giraffe with my legs spread in a wide stance. Except for a decently impressive blister the size of a gumdrop, I'm otherwise doing well. I don't see any evidence of losing a toe nail this time, yet, which from just personal observation of others makes me sure I don't want to go through such things. At mile 20 I was thinking that if Philippides had dropped dead at that point I would have been finished.

I'm contemplating doing the Gasparilla Marathon in a little over a month and seeing if I can greatly improve my time since I won't be taking pictures or updating Facebook during the run, maybe; but we'll see. It was nice to have spectators and general supporters out there yelling encouragement such as "You're looking good and doing great". Now I know they were lying since I must have looked like crap, but white lies are alright on occasion. I'm also going to have to trust the official chip time. I started my GPS a minute before going through the start line and then stopped it as soon as I crossed the finish line and I had a display time of 4:35, distance of 26.56, and average pace of 10:20.

When I finally got back into the car I was shocked at the crud on my face that made me look like I had been through an ice storm on a king crab fishing vessel. Apparently this was all just salt accumulated from the evaporated sweat. Seeing the amount of the stuff on my face made me glad that I forced myself to stay hydrated, even if it did necessitate a few painful stop/restarts. The run wasn't nearly the hardest thing I've endured in the past year or so, but it was at least somewhat satisfying for me to feel that I really can push myself hard and simply deal with the pain when necessary. Yeah, I needed that.

Here is the track as recorded by my GPS device. You can download the .gpx file and open it with Google Earth to see the entire course. Disney 2010 Marathon GPS Track

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. - L.C.

I attended one of the last performances of 'Wonderland: The Musical' at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. I was accompanied by a close friend that I had been glad to host and had been showing around Tampa a bit before they return home. This production was the world premiere for the new show that will be soon traveling to Texas and possibly Broadway at some point. This was the first musical to be created under the 'Broadway Genesis Project' that is designed to help generate new shows and has the goal of producing at least one new one each year. Most of the show was initially produced in Tampa and contributed a great economic role to the area. The show almost had a feel of the movie 'Hook', the remake of 'Peter Pan' with Robin Williams, in that the title character seemed to have lost their way and their memory of their childhood past and were forced back into that world to return to save or find their child. It had been chilly all week, so I even had my first coffee in probably a year just to help warm up a bit. While I'll never be a regular drinker, the occasional latte may not really be that bad. I really enjoyed the performance and am excited about other upcoming shows, especially Wicked in another month.

Happiness is good health and a bad memory.

2009 - The Year of Peripeteia

2010 - ?