Mark & Shea8/16: Met up with dharma friends Mark, Shea, & Toshia for a quiet afternoon kayak expedition and picnic on the Charles River. Even managed to finagle a fiberglas sea kayak rather than the usual plastic rental tubs. (photos)

DrASK & Hank8/15: Biked out to Woburn for the annual DrASK Where's George? BBQ gathering. Didn't get much food, didn't win the raffle, didn't win at scat, but got a few pictures and enjoyed the peaceful 1am bike ride home.

Ken8/14: Missed the DargonZine Writers' Summit for the first time in 15 years, but managed to have a savory Mexican dinner at On The Border in Woburn with friends Ken & Christine, who recently moved up to northern Vermont from northern Virginia.

Robie8/10: Spent a misty, cool morning in a kayak exploring Victoria's Brentwood Bay along with my brother. We paddled over eight miles and enjoyed marvelous scenery. (trip photos)

Victoria Highlands8/9: After thoroughly plundering the all you can eat brunch at The Marina, hopped back on the bike for a stunningly gorgeous and fun 45-mile ride through the Saanich Peninsula's Highlands district, then returned home via downtown Victoria and the scenic coastal route back out to UVic.

Fantasticks8/8: Spent a recovery day with my family, and went into Victoria to see the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre put on the musical "The Fantasticks", followed by steak on the grill!

Observatory Road8/7: After spending the previous day flying, spent my first full day in Victoria, British Columbia on a rental bike, covering 45 miles of the Saanich Peninsula and hitting three major climbs along the way. Ended the day with Thai food!

White Crest Beach8/3: Spent my usual post-PMC day on the cape riding the Cape Cod Rail Trail and playing in the sun and surf at White Crest Beach in Wellfleet before returning home to Boston with my friend Sheeri.

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OrnothLand II
But if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth.
 Spaces  Newsprint - Updated Monday, 17 August 2009

Ornoth8/2: Completed the milestone Pan-Mass Challenge ride, having surpassed the Heavy Hitter level for the fourth time, and raised well over $50,000 in my nine rides to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (trip photos)

Ornoth8/1: Left Sturbridge on a bike at 5:30am, bound for Bourne in the 30th annual Pan-Mass Challenge charity ride. Day One began with a broken spoke, which slowed me down, but overall enjoyed another beautiful 120-mile day in the saddle!

Willard Spiegelman7/30: Hoofed it out to Porter Square Books to listen to Willard Spiegelman, author of "Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness". I think part of his message was on-target, but he kind of danced around my own conclusions on the subject, and there's considerably more to be said on it.

At the Fishermans Memorial7/26: Led a pleasant but oppressively humid 50-mile bike ride for Mark, Jay, and Paul. We rode from Beverly around Cape Ann, where I was born, and back. (writeup)

The Unmistaken Child7/22: Joined my dharma friends at the Kendall Square Cinema for a viewing of the largely conflict-less movie "Unmistaken Child", which follows a Tibetan monk as he tracks down the child whorepresents his patron and teacher's next incarnation.

Orny at Mt. Wachusett7/19: Reprised a 2003 ride and prepped for the upcoming PMC by joining buddies Jay and Paul to ride 114 very hilly miles from Concord to Mt. Wachusett and back on an absolutely gorgeous day for the CRW's annual Climb to the Clouds. (writeup)

My Stroke of Insight7/18: Although it was a very painful topic for me, I finished reading Jill Bolte Taylor's "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" as a prelude to our first dharma book club meeting. Needless to say, it brought up some very strong emotions. (writeup)

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Lone Frank7/17: Went to the Harvard Coop to hear Lone Frank speak about her "Mindfield: How Brain Science is Changing Our World". Some interesting insights, but she left unspoken the obvious psychological warfare and control implications of her view of humans as nothing more than "bags of neurons" that can be easily manipulated.

Lauren Mackler7/17: Attended a talk by Lauren Mackler, author of "Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life". Some interesting bits, but seems to rely far too heavily on childhood familial history as a context for evaluating adult behavior. Sadly and predictably, the audience for a book about aloneness was entirely male.

1917 Fokker Dr.I7/12: Joined Jay, Kelly, and Tom for a lengthy trip out to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York state for their 50th anniversary airshow of vintage antique aircraft. The highlight of the day was a 10-minute ride in an 80 year old 1929 New Standard D-25 biplane. Check out the flight path and the photos.

Sand: The Never-Ending Story7/11: Finished reading Michael Welland's "Sand: The Never-Ending Story". How do you manage to squeeze 325 pages out of such a mundane topic as sand? Start with about 120 pages of reasonably interesting base material, then write in generalities and repeat yourself a lot. Not a bad book, just a little dry... Hah!

Quad Cycles group7/5: Enjoyed a large group ride as Jeremy Katz took the Quad Cycles riders out on a no-drop ride through Littleton and Harvard, Mass. With my additional mileage out and back from the shop, that constituted my second century ride of the year.

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