Windsurfing in a large puddle
Well, Sunday Lake in Wakefield, MI is more than just a large puddle but I had to have a sensational subject. I went windsurfing today on a spontaneous moment because the wind was blowing rather fiercely and it was too nice of a day to pass up. I didn't want to go alone but the harder I tried to find someone the more alone I became. So against better judgment I went by myself.
The lake was too small to generate any sizable waves but the wind was blowing fiercely. It was awesome because it was almost too windy to up haul the mast! My arms got tired in a hurry and I wished I had borrowed the harness to help support the sail. I hardly took the dagger board up because some of the wind gusts really pushed me off balance. I never thought of wind surfing as a high speed sport but there were a couple times where I was thrown hard off the board.
Note to self: Having the sail lower on the mast makes it easier to up haul.
After a couple trips back and forth across the lake I took a break, cooked some bratwurst, and had a short nap. The wind was so fierce cooking over the open fire was like forging metal in a blast furnace.
After a respite I headed out again. The wind was starting to become erratic with more lulls between the gusts. It gave me a chance to practice sailing with the wind. It was easier without the large waves of Lake Superior but the strong wind made it hard to control the sail when headed away from the wind. If the breeze was just right I could catch the wind and sail well but any sort of a gusty or strong wind made it very difficult.
When the wind blows, does it ever get lonely?
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8 NIV
In my mind the blowing wind has a negative connotation. The blowing wind scatters, stirs up, destroys, and disrupts where it passes by. Yet the wind can be a helpful and important force, spreading seeds, changing the landscape, and cooling sun parched land. The wind is an interesting metaphor for someone born of the Spirit. Jesus used analogies in a challenging way to try and related Spiritual things to earthly things.
When I was out windsurfing the verse above came to mind. Is the wind synonymous with being lonely? Usually when two winds meet a storm brews and the winds are chaotic. So if the day is nice and the wind is blowing does that mean the wind is, in a sense, alone?
I'm not going to change my theology based on physical characteristics of the wind but at the time because of where the wind was blowing, what was in my heart, and that verse the question arose.
Comments welcome.
Wave after wave after wave after wave….
This weekend afforded me the chance to go wind surfing. The wind was adequate but the waves were even higher than last time. Considering I didn't want the waves to be any bigger than the last time I went this was going to be interesting. Windsurfing turned out well and helped build my dexterity on the board in rough water. I found that sailing with the wind was easier with the mast slid forward on the board but the waves caused me to sink when I went over a swell. Windsurfing in large swells with mediocre wind is doubly hard.
I finally have some pictures to show for the tired arms and achy back.
These were actually from the following day before the board was dismantled for the weekend. The waves weren't quite as big and the lake was starting to settle down.
Humans and zombies, the conflict continues
Humans!!! This game had "different" written all over it but it didn't meet my expectations. Don't get me wrong, its a fun game but it wasn't quite as different as I thought it could be. The stereotypical scenario is a zombie outbreak forces all humans (well, atleast the smart ones) to flee the zombie invasion and fend them off. This game wasn't any different except the humans were inanimate and you played the part of the zombie trying to get the humans - instead of the human trying to fend off the zombie.
My initial expectation of the game before I knew the rules was considerably different. I was expecting the zombies to be in the minority, trying to survive in a world full of ignorant humans out to destroy the zombie specie. I mean, come on, zombies are dead, they can't help it if they like to eat flesh and are infectious. There have been times were little kids are just as bad. Think, "You brought what disease home from school?!" or "You put what in your mouth? Yuck!". Yet many of us have children and our specie continues to procreate. At any rate, I digress. Instead of poor zombies trying to survive the onslaught of a human invasion it was just an all-you-can-eat buffet of flighty humans that you had to catch and either eat or infect.
The game was well balanced and it was difficult to eat or infect a human figure. If one of the other zombie players didn't trip you up then it was worrying about the human escaping.
BA, JK, WO, CC, MR and I all had a good time playing. There were a couple really funny situations and chatter that came up. BA was full of witty zombie monologue. Unfortunately that was almost a week ago and I don't remember much beyond who was there and enjoying the game.
More windsurfing adventures
To my dismay I still don't have a decent picture of me, or the windsurfing board. Sunday turned out to be an interesting windsurfing day. The wind was blowing and partly gusty. The lake was also churned up with 1 - 2' waves. Getting up wasn't a problem but I found it hard to move. I think most of the momentum was being snatched away by the waves.
I loosened the rope holding the sail to the boom. It made more of a pocket for the wind to blow over. This helped a lot but made it harder to snap the sail when I wanted to reverse course.
The strong wind also gave me some practice going down wind. Unfortunately the waves made it very VERY hard to steady the board, even with the dagger fin down.
This outing taught me that a consistent wind is better than a gusty wind and that waves over 2' aren't any fun.
Painting The Computer Camouflage
Painting the computer case camouflage doesn't make it run any faster and help out with the game, its just cool. Painting a computer case has been on my to do list for years and I finally did it. Before starting I checked out two YouTube videos that were decent. The first was pretty good but because the computer case was large and flat I didn't think this method would work very well. The second method was more fitting to my application and I liked the simple patterns so I adapted it for my own use.
You can see the results. I won't bore you with details about how I got paint on my fingers but here are a couple notes:
- I used a expensive dark green spray paint formulated to adhere to plastic as a base coat. Then I painted patterns using a cheap flat black and brown.
- Try not to use paper for templates, the paint causes the edges to curl up.
- Be sure to get some overlapping colors, brown on black, and black on brown.
- If lettering, use a stencil that has some variation to the letters and doesn't have many straight lines. It is harder to trace but hides imperfection better.
The LAN Party is going to be a blast.
Out of the graveyard
The end has arrived. I'm running from house to house trying to survive the zombie infestation that is monotonously limping from the graveyard in the center of town. I only have to survive for 10 days before help arrives. If the zombies don't get me by then I just have to worry about fending off my lunatic neighbors... I mean.. friends.
Back to reality; game day was a bit mixed up. WO couldn't make it so everyone was supposed to come to my house. Only JK and MR showed.
We played Zombie Town. It was a good game but it gets really hard to play if everyone decides to turn against one player. Normally there is enough balance so no one player can dominate the game unless they happen to be very lucky.
Windows Update Fails to Install Updates
This is a collection of links and resources I have used to repair Windows Updates which won't install.
LAN PARTY! Call of Duty:United Offensive
My friends and I decided it was time for a LAN party. Over the years there have been many good memories playing Call of Duty so for the same of good-old-times we decided to play it at the LAN Party. Its an older game but it should run great on everyone's machine.
If you are in the Ironwood, MI area and want to join in check out the LAN Party page for more information.
The Pit
My friends took me to a place I had never been. You might say it was a whole new level.... with steep rock walls and water at the bottom!
Just outside of Ramsay there is an open mine pit from days long ago. Its filled with water and perfect for diving. The walls are steep and almost vertical. I tried to swim down to the bottom where the water line meets the rock but its incredibly deep. I made it as far as to where the thermal layer was and the day light started to fade. It freaked me out to go any deeper.
The water is very still and clear with a slight tropical green color. Not a scummy inland lake green but a very exotic look. Coming up from a deep dive the surface of the water looks as if it is inches away even though it may be 10' away. The pit was warm and refreshing. I didn't jump from too high up but I got some good pics of the more daring folks diving/falling in.
