Lowered Expectations

Following the lead of other reputable blogs, I will make a post out of another’s work as well. I think this ties in well with my earlier post too:

What “Real” Sports Can Learn From Cycling

Most people who pay attention to sports in general should have a cursory understanding of what happened in the Tour this year. Two of the biggest names in professional cycling were ejected from the race in the midst of competition. Alexander Vinokourov came into the race as the odds-on favorite to win, and after winning a key time trial then leaving the field behind on a mountain stage, tested positive for injecting someone else’s red blood cells into his own body to increase his endurance. A few days later Michael Rasmussen was kicked off his team for lying about his whereabouts during the training season.

These two ejections would be similar to firing Peyton Manning during a timeout in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. If Rasmussen had not been kicked off his team, he would have been named the winner Sunday in Paris. Most people seem to view it as a given that every cyclist is injecting themselves continuously with a myriad of chemicals to enhance their athletic ability, but don’t realize the incredible number of hoops they are forced to jump through in order to compete in the first place.

Compare, for example, the on going baseball situation. Should Bond’s homerun title have an “*” next to it? Should the Commissioner of Baseball attend the game when breaks the record? If this were cycling, Bonds would have been fired and banned from competition already. Don’t believe me? Rasmussen was kicked out of the greatest race of year not for testing positive, but for training in Italy when he said he would be in Mexico!

There was never a “positive” test for the Danish rider, or rumors from former teammates, or in depth investigative reports. He was caught in a lie about his whereabouts during the OFF SEASON! And the best part about the way cycling is trying to clean up its image is that it is the teams and athletes who are leading the way, forcing the sport to improve testing procedures to catch the cheaters. The pressure is coming from the bottom up.

While “real” sports are running around trying to catch cheaters red handed, with a needle sticking out their arm, cycling is getting ride of those riders everyone knows is already cheating. The only way to make the problem go away is to make using drugs so hard, so scary, so not worth the trouble that athletes won’t even bother trying to cheat that way.

Harry Potter and the Christian Symbolism

I am on p. 388. . . .

Once again I was struck with an out right allusion to something that is very “Christian.” On p. 328 when Harry sees his parents grave for the first time the epitaph reads, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” I don’t know how anyone as smart as Rowling could be ignorant of parallel between those words and the Bible’s teaching that Christ is the One who conquered death itself. I am curious to see this theme work itself out. Either it will be some sort of reunion after death like Harry is with his parents and Sirius in some perfect Hogwarts heaven, or something more profound and deeper. I hope it is the latter.

I see now the problem with my Potter-dictions. Don’t get me wrong. . .I am still dialed in and confident in my prognosticating powers. I just can’t get the same amusement out of it because it is all too late. Everyone who cares has already read the book, or refuses to read my posts because they are afraid of being tainted with knowledge of future events.

Here is something everyone can respond to: When did Harry Potter first come out? I was taken aback by the dates on James and Lily’s gravestone. It says they died in 1981. That puts the first book at 1992! Is that when it came out? That year seems too early.

Another thing, Harry’s parents were only twenty when Harry was born. Did anyone else ever picture them as older, like in their thirties when they died. This also puts Lupin and Sirius as no older than thirty seven by the last book. I admit it might be the movie tainting my impressions of the characters, but they seem much older. Lupin especially.

The question on my mind right now is who sent the doe to help Harry and Ron. If I didn’t know any better I would say that Harry has a twin sister. Her patronus matching his, yet that seems a little too “Return of the Jedi.” I still want to say it should be a Potter relative though. Deer seem to be a theme: Prongs, and Harry’s patronus. It would be bad form on Rowling’s part to introduce some distant relative half way through the last book just to move the plot along. . .she is better than that. It must be someone we already know. Someone discounted for a while, yet with access to the sword. . . . I have no clue who would have a Doe for a Patronus. I guess I will be surprised with I find out.

Harry Potter!* and Horcruxes

*The title of this post should be shouted in a loud, high pitched, British woman’s voice. I don’t know why, but for the last two days when I feel bored I shout this out (to Laura’s annoyance). It makes me feel good, like I have accomplished something. Try it. It might make you feel good as well.

While I have read all the books, and fancy myself rather educated in Rowling’s world of wizardry; I didn’t plan on getting the book this weekend. I have really only read the books once each, and didn’t read “Half Blood Prince” until it had been out for a few months. I figured the only people who would be able to get their hands on the latest installment would be Krazies who stood in line for hours. The rest of us would have to wait until the next shipment came from across the pond.  Then I saw a rather large stack of them at Kroger, and thought I might as well get it now.

Now just to let you all know something at the start, I don’t want anyone commenting about plot developments or revelations from this book.  I plan on taking at least two days to read it.  I like to enjoy it, savor the sweetness of the extremely large print that makes you feel like you can read a thousand words a minute, ponder plot possibilities, and think for a while about where I have already heard each character’s name mentioned.

I read for a few hours today and am currently at p. 248.  Something has stuck out to me and really doesn’t constitute a spoiler warning, but if you are as serious as me about not getting any “extra” information you might want to skip the rest of this and start reading your own copy. . . .

Since I read the last book I have spend a lot of my Potter-thinking on the subject of Horcruxes.  It is pretty obvious that they are the most important part of the story right now.  I like to muse on what Voldy’s Horcruxes are (Godric’s sword, even Harry himself for a while, though I have discounted this theory (although it would be a pretty cool plot twist and explain more about their telepathic connection)), and exactly what they entail.  I was intrigued by the trio’s discussion on p. 103 about undoing them.

“Isn’t there any way of putting yourself back together?” Ron asked.
“Yes,” said Hermione with a hallow smile, “but it would be excruciatingly painful.”
“Why? How do you do it?” asked Harry.
“Remorse,” said Hermione.  “You’ve got to really feel what you’ve done.  There’s a footnote.  Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. . . .”

Hmmmm. . . .me thinks that wee bit of information will come in handy later on.

It is interesting that the secret to saving your soul–or putting it back together again–is repentance.  I am not one of those that try to find Christian lessons lurking behind the spells, but it is pretty hard to miss the connection.  Sin, in a way tears apart your soul, and murder (in Harry’s world) is enough to literally sever a part of it from you.

Later on in the chapter Hermione explains the soul’s permanence and immortality.  Even when a person’s body is killed the soul lives on.  It makes me think of Lewis, when he writes in “Mere Christianity” that in many ways a person’s soul is either moving towards or away from holiness every moment of every day.  Sin is tearing us apart, making us less and less human; and the only way to fix it and move closer to being whole is to repent of what we have done and turn away from it.  But don’t forget that this is very difficult.  In fact it promises to kill you.

With that said, I will throw out my most outlandish Potter-diction (that’s the word I just invented for a PREdiction about a Potter book).  I just came up with this while writing the last paragraph and I don’t think anyone else has said it. . . .yet:  Harry will kill Voldy not with a spell or sword, but by using their telepathic connection to make Tom Riddle feel remorse for the sin he has done.  Voldemort has been stripped of most of his humanity, but since Harry has been sharing in the rage Voldemort feels when committing atrocities, why can’t Voldemort share in Harry’s feelings of compassion and love?

It will be those few precious occlumency lessons Snape gave Harry that will bring the Dark Lord down.  Harry has never been very good at keeping people out of his head, but he was able to get into Snape’s thoughts very quickly–something Voldemort has supposedly been incapable of.

Hmmm, sounds surprisingly. . .plausible!  There might be another post in this book yet before I get to the end. Sorry to all those who have already finished the book. I will be there soon.

RTSS. . . .First in SPORTS!

Yeah, believe it or not Aggies all across the country have been coming to my little page in droves to take a look at the new uniforms our little football team is premiering this year.  One of my favorite things to do is look at the searches people use to find my page, then type those words into Google and see my blog come up.  For those of you curious to see if it “really” works, I took a picture of it so you don’t have waste those precious keystrokes:

I think it is cool that the article I took the image from (Dallas Morning News) comes up third.  Keep those blog hits coming Aggies!

The Best Motivation Money Can Buy

This past year Laura and I have been trying to get into shape. In order to make this happen we each thought up a goal to work towards. Laura’s was a marathon (check!), while mine is to complete a 100 mile bike ride. Now I don’t know about you, but the desire to get “in shape” might get me out the door once or twice in a row to train, however that is about as far as I get on my own. I am pretty lazy by nature and the lure of laying on our couch watching TV is great.

As shallow as it sounds, the best motivation I have found is purchasing new work out stuff.  I am either eager to try out my new purchase, or feel guilty for spending money and must legitimize the expenditure.  Each time I come home from the cycling shop or Academy Sports it is like I am anteing up for a new ride. If you buy a new pair of shorts, the first thing on your mind is to get on the bike as quick as you can to try them out. The bigger the purchase the longer my motivation lasts.

Apparel (shorts, socks, jerseys) will satisfy that monkey-on-my-back for a few workouts,  but if I want to really ride that capitalistic fix for a while then electronics is the way to go. I am still jonesin’ for my next ride as long as I can wear my new HRM (heart rate monitor) weeks after the purchase. It is the perfect workout gadget. There are lots of buttons to press, and (this is the best part) numbers to obsess over while I am riding.

Am I in my my “zone”?. . . What is my average HR?. . . What was my fastest lap?

When you combine the HRM with the just as entertaining cycling computer which tells me my speed, distance, and pedal cadence. . . .it is better than watching sports on TV!

So here’s to working out, and the billion dollar industry I help support in order to rationalize going outside, because good health is simply not important enough.

MeChurch of Bryan?

I saw this video on the Ferguson’s blog tonight and thought it was funny-sad. I am very glad to have found a church home that expects things from me as well.

The narrator’s voice also sounded very familiar. I think it is the same guy who does the KBTX commercials here in Bryan/College Station.

“It’s ten o’clock. . .do you know where your kids are?”

The Pain and The Peleton

This weekend Laura and I travelled north to the small town of Stephenville, TX in order to take part in the Firecracker 100 Bike Race. Laura’s father and I rode the 62 mile route while the ladies set out on the shorter (though just as hilly) 26 miles.

Larry (Laura’s Dad) and I were able to complete the course in 4 hrs. 43 min. In addition to being able to say I have ridden that many miles, I am proud of the fact that last year it took me two minutes longer to complete the 43 mile course. All the fun and congratulating ended once we each called our wives to announce our victory over the road. Laura had taken a bad fall on the bike (around mile 16), and was at the hospital. . . .

Everything was still attached and unbroken, but she was a little bruised and bloodied. We are not sure what exactly happened because Laura doesn’t remember anything until she woke up in the ambulance. It seems like she may have just fainted while riding, and did a face plant onto the asphalt. The people in charge of the race were fantastic of took care of Laura (because she and her mom didn’t want to bother us and make us end our ride early–go figure!).

In fact once Larry and I got wind of what was going on, the President of the Stephenville Kiwanis met us and offered an escort to the hospital. This guy was so helpful and genuinely worried about Laura that I felt I wasn’t being worried enough. He even offered to pay our entry fee next year.

Moral of the story: wear your helmet! If Laura hadn’t been wearing hers then there is no telling how bad the injury could have been. Just look at the damage Laura’s equipment suffered on her behalf:
“Desending 2000 feet during the Steamboat Springs Marathon was easy, it was the 3 feet from the handle bars to the ground that hurt” –Laura Ackerman

Good things that have come about because of Laura’s fall:

• Two potential days off work
• Free entry fee to next year’s race
• No other casualties during the race
• We get to go shopping for new bike helmets, and watch
• Laura’s pain medication makes her say funny things