Marin county leans a bit further left than other parts of California

I just recently finished my 440 mile bike trip across California called Sierra to the Sea and specifically the 2008 trip (click on the 2008 tab to see more detail). The next to last day ended just south ouf Pt. Reyes Station, so most of us went hunting around the town for ice cream. For those of you who don't know, Marin is one of the hotbeds of organic food (Prince Charles visited there just for the organics); you can also see more links of the visit through a google search. The politics of the area lean a bit left also. One of the funnier bits of this was a stop in the local organic food market (there was organic ice cream at the other end of the building from the Cowgirl Creamery) and I found a page-size poster that you see here in the back of an vegetable stand.

I just thought that you'd all enjoy seeing a bit of California life and how we're a bit different than some of the other states.

Moldova in the New Yorker - Countertraffickers

I'm on a trip to Ottawa and I take all the New Yorkers that have been collecting dust with me and read them to get caught up. The May 5, 2008 issue has an article about a women who repatriates victims of human trafficking, based in Chisinau, Moldova; yes, that's the same country where Peter was in the Peace Corps. Here's a small excerpt, but I recommend reading the full article.

Even in this heyday of migration, Moldova is unusual. Of its four million people, more than six hundred thousand are working outside the country—more than a quarter of the economically active population. Remittances account for an estimated third of the gross national product. These percentages are among the world’s highest, and the main reason is the economy. In the Soviet system, Moldova had an agricultural niche and also its share of factories, many of them military. With independence, in 1991, factories closed and a strip of the country, known as Transnistria, east of the Dniester River, seceded. Transnistria was Moldova’s most industrialized part, and its most Russified. Moscow intervened to stop a civil war over the secession, and since 1992 Russian troops have watched over a “frozen conflict” that leaves Transnistria isolated, unrecognized by any nation, and Moldova sundered.

Moldova was, by the mid-nineties, the poorest country in Europe. (Kosovo may soon claim that spot.) Per-capita income is nearly the same as Sudan’s. A doctor earns two hundred dollars a month. Government corruption is pervasive. One of the few local growth industries is travel agencies—firms that promise to get you abroad, legally or otherwise, often for a large fee. Conditions are ideal for human trafficking.

You can read more about Moldova in Peter's weblog and his unique experience of having lived in such a poor country with a remittance-based economy that provides the breeding ground for such problems.

Note that the link to the article is on the title.

Random useful things

Today is a day for peculiar items.

First is that I saw special Mini Cooper. I won't describe it, as it would remove the fun. But click on the link and see for yourself. But only in California would you see one around town.

I also have an old third-gen ipod with an iTrip FM adapter. One of the challenges with these adapters is to find a useful frequency without interference. It turns out that DLO has a service that you give a zip code to and it will tell the best frequencies.

Waves to Wine 2008 - Riding Again for Multiple Sclerosis

Yes, I was late getting out the thanks for the 2007 ride. But I am making up for this by starting the 2008 process fundraising early. My goal is to raise $12,000 for MS this year. You can help get this started by going to the Waves to Wine 2008 site.

Waves to Wine 2007 Thanks and Links

I rode the MS ride over 150 miles of cloud-shrouded San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties on September 29 and 30; the weather was wonderful, sunny and cool, although we had headwinds for most of the ride up the coast. I doubled-back a few times to catch the view in the opposite direction and ride my committed 175 miles. It was a great weekend for biking. This year, your contributions and matching funds totaled $10,606, which was both over my goal and I was one of the largest fund-raisers for 2007 in Northern California for a fifth consecutive year. I want to thank everyone who made contributions, as well as Adobe for matching employee contributions. The ride this year had 1,300 riders, and received over one million dollars in contributions.

My thanks letter (pdf) references Maureen Manley of Team Copaxone. It was impressive to hear her describe the positive impact that new medications have had on her life. Below are some of the links describing her and Team Copaxone:

Seattle Times Article on Maureen Manley

Teva Neuroscience brochure on Team Copaxone

Current Team Copaxone Information

Finally, a movie about type design

I was lucky enough to enter the world of typesetting and typography in 1976 when I joined Datalogics and started to write Pager. Hot metal typography still existed, with financial printers using Linotype and Monotype machines; in fact, the world of typography solutions has its high level split as "hot metal" and "cold type." The old guys (skilled artisans who had trouble learning how to use a keyboard) who worked at Bowne, Merrill, and RR Donnelley taught me about type; it's all the more humorous as I'm now about the age of the people that I learned from 32 years ago.

One may look at financial printing as a wasteland of typography. However, companies like Bowne were the original designers of the Bodoni typeface. These people taught me french spacing, appropriate financial table layout, and the correct use of fonts. I learned about kerning, letterspacing, and developed an eye for well-placed type and extra or misplaced spaces.

A movie recently came out that captures much of the joy of typography I have learned. The film is Helvetica, and they have their own website and a blog on type and films. There are trailers posted on YouTube, as well as a review in the New York Times. The movie is also available on Netflix.

It is past time to clean up Almaden Air Force Base on Mt. Umunhum

Anyone who lives in the south bay has looked to the southwest and seen a massive tower on top of the mountains, specifically Mt. Umunhum. Many wonder what this is. This blog tells the story and gives a set of links to other resources, articles, and videos that tell the story well.

Simply stated, the United States government, and, specifically, the Defense Department and Army Corp of Engineers have left a polluted eyesore in open view to Silicon Valley. The site should be cleaned up so that the area is available to all hikers and mountain bikers in the MROSD; I do believe that the tower should remain as a remembrance of the cold war, much like the Nike site in Marin.

The MROSD is still trying to get this cleaned up. Notes from
the October 22, 2007 meeting said "More than 20 years after the District’s purchase of the former Almaden Air Force Base atop Mt. Umunhum, near downtown San Jose, the Army Corps of Engineers’ has not fulfilled its promises, made at the time of the District’s purchase, to clean up the site. Over the years, the initially slow speed of cleanup activities has crawled along at a glacial pace before recently coming to a complete standstill. Even if the saying that all promise outruns performance is true, it is fully reasonable to expect the Corps to honor its commitment to clean up the site and that any remediation would have been fully completed in a twenty-year period. It is unreasonable of the government to require the District to wait any longer for progress on full remediation of the site. Based on the record to date, the District is left with little choice but to seek immediate federal action to ensure that the Corps fulfill its obligation and accelerate the remediation of the former Almaden Air Force Base."

My hope is that new blood in congress, such as Peter Myers and a new president will be able to drive this issue to a conclusion.

The Almaden Weekly Times had a very good article titled Mt. Umunhum: Up close and personal. There was also a Almaden Air Force Station Reunion Tour for veterans of the site in 2006. There is also a Youtube version called Almaden Radar Site - A Very Special Place.

There are a number of photo galleries: Almaden Air Force Base, a Flickr gallery

There have been attempts to get this situation addressed such as Excerpt from an article in the Mercury News in 2002 describing efforts to clean up the Air Force base (which, obviously, failed). A historical summary of the site and its turnover in the early 80's is also available.

There are a number of overview articles at Wikipedia for the Air Station, SummitPost, and a set of Historical pictures of the Air Force base

A number of people have braved the gates and the skull and crossbones on the road to the peak. A video is available, titled Assault On Mt. Umunhum. There are also two slideshows at Mt. Umunhum Slideshow and Mt. Umunhum.

More information on the Marin Nike site can be found at wikipedia overview, history of the Nike program, official website for the site, photo tour of a volunteer, history of all the Nike sites, and a YouTube video.

Cycling plans for 2008 and beyond

2008 looks like it will be a great year. I managed to not have a major biking accident on registration day for Sierra to the Sea, so I am registered for this and looking forward to it. While I love biking on its own, it's even easier to train and get [back] in shape if you have a goal like this in mind. The web site has a media library for past years, but there is a wonderful video from 2006 (minus the squirrel) that captures the spirit of the week well.

My other major event for 2008 will be my sixth year of Waves to Wine, a two day charity ride for Multiple Sclerosis on September 13 and 14. More details on this when I sign up and start fundraising.

Finally, one has to dream about the next big trip. Mine will be my next three week sabbatical from Adobe, which I'll extend to 5 weeks. The bulk of the time will be spent cycling through Alaska on the Great Alaska Highway Ride. I'll determine something fun to do with Ann before or after, as I am sure that she won't be doing the ride with me. I have another three years to plan it all out.

Peter Myers entering politics

As Peter got his degree in Journalism at Boston University and worked as a fundraiser for Kerry, he developed a greater desire for action instead of just the reporting that comes with journalism. He channeled this energy into personal contributions with activities such as Big Brothers in Boston, and finally in a tour in Moldova with the Peace Corps.

He became even more politically conscious in Moldova. His desire, now that he is back in the US, is to run for Congress with the Green party in the 15th district of California. You can find more information on his campaign website and information about the district on Wikipedia.

The Myers family mausoleum in Atlantic City

I went to a family wedding in Ocean City, New Jersey in November. It was a delightful wedding, and the first time in at least ten years that all of six of my cousins were together at the same time.

But Atlantic City has a special place in my family history. Back before the Depression, the Myers (in fact, Charles Rudolph Myers I, whose name has been passed down for multiple generations; that is why I am Myers IV) owned a number of the hotels on the boardwalk. One of remaining artifacts of this time is the family grave site in the Atlantic City cemetery. It is on Black Horse Pike on the mainland, just across the bay from Atlantic City.

The mausoleum can be found very close to the main office for the graveyard (my Uncle Dan is standing next to the sign). The site itself is quite large, capable of holding 16 caskets, and it appears that less than half are occupied.

I have a few other images of the grave. The next three pictures show the site, first from a distance, and then up close.

Finally, we have the three living Myers males in from of the mausoleum. From left to right, it is Charles Rudolph Myers III, Charles Rudolph Myers IV, and then my uncle Daniel Myers.

Rescuing an IBM T43 laptop from oblivion

I've had an IBM T43 for a bit over a year, and the poor computer was getting exceptionally flaky (blue screens a few times a day, etc.). I suspected that it was a heat problem, but could not prove it. After a few searches on the web, I found a program called Notebook Hardware Control. It comfirmed a few things. First, the CPU was routinely running hot (sometimes as hot as 87 degrees centigrade), and that the high temperatures were what was causing the flakiness and lockups.

It turns out that this program can also directly change the CPU speed settings. Just go to "Settings" and "Show all NHC options and settings." Then go to CPU Speed, choose "dynamic switching" and check the checkboxes below to enable custom dynamic switching. Then set the max multiplier down by 2X.

This computer has now gone from flaky to rock-solid stable. I highly recommend "Notebook Hardware Control" for those older Pentium-M based machines. Now I need to check it out with my new Core 2 Duo laptop (which, at least, is not flaky yet). But IBM/Lenovo does seem to design all of their laptops for the life at the performance/ reliability edge.

I do not recommend using this on a Core2 system (like a IBM/Lenovo T60/61). It seems to muck with the clock speed overly much and make the system run too hot. If you want to see more information on your system health and heat, I recommend the passive monitor Speedfan.

Facing My Fear

I've always believed that you need to face your fear and conquer it. I had a small incident 8 months ago. It took me until June to even get back on my mountain bike. I'm finally back in pretty reasonable shape, although nowhere near what I've been at this time in other years. I've done one century, the Holstein Hundred in Marin County, and done a number of 60-70 mile rides by myself. I've done two hour rides on St. Joseph's Hill just outside Los Gatos, and sprinted up tough hills (a great aerobic workout - a mountain bike interval training).

But there is one place I would not go back to, which was the Kennedy Trail where I went down in January. Today was the day to tackle that again. Ann knew it was trouble when I walked into the house at 5:30 and proclaimed "This is face your fear day." She knew that she wasn't going to talk me out of this, so she only insisted that I check in with her. To make a long story short, I rode up the trail, back down, and sustained no injuries. The surprising parts were that I remembered exactly where I rode on the day of the crash, including how far I went up the trail before coming back. I took the turns that I wiped out on very gently and had no problems; I do think I wiped out at a drainage cut about 50 feet earlier on the trail than when I thought I had gone down.

I had promised Ann that I'd call her as soon as I got off the trail. I'm sure I sounded quite excited when I called and said "I made it." One interesting thing was that my neck was very sore; I'd been building up tension in my neck as I rode through those last turns.

I've made my rite of passage, conquered my demons, faced my fears, or pick your favorite trite statement. But I now feel ready to do the MS ride in eleven days. And ready to conquer some of my other favorite mountain and road rides.

Riding for Multiple Sclerosis for a fifth year

I've done a charity ride for MS in the past four years. I'm now signed up for a fifth year, and am training for doing 175 miles in two days in September. I'll post various items about my training. But the first step is fundraising, and you can see my donation page and make contributions on the MS website.

If you're a cyclist, this looks like a wonderful ride; you can register at the Waves to Wine website.

FreedomHouse

I recently discovered this institution and website. Part of it has come from various talks I have heard. A few of the points have been that democracy is not just having elections, but having the institutions and education to go behind it and have people involved, and that it is difficult to have a democracy at below a per capita income of $5,000 (GNI/Capita). These may not have been from Freedomhouse, but it is all related.

I suggest that you check out their website, and, if you're into an assessment of the Republic of Moldova, read the Country Report or Press Freedom Report.

I Love New York

I was in New York for an IDEAlliance board meeting today, and happened to walk through the corner of 42nd and Broadway on Thursday night. I decided to cross the street to where a street musician was playing his saxophone on the corner. I listened to his music while waiting for the light, and realized that I recognized the music. He was playing, and playing well, Meatloaf; in fact, he was playing "Hot Patootie" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was followed by "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," which is both a classic and nontrivial to arrange for saxophone. I ended up having a short conversation with him, and left a few bits of folding money instead of just change in his instrument case. You won't find this at 10:30 at night in San Jose.

Gotta love it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Meatloaf was on the Bat of out Hell III - Seize the Night tour, and was scheduled to play at the Garden that night; however, the show was postponed until mid-July due to illness. Arranging the music for sax and the entrepreneurial spirit both deserve praise; it's more than your normal view of a street musician.

Transdniestria, Moldova, and Russia in American Media

Peter, who's in the Peace Corps in Moldova, made a few complaints about the lack of coverage of Moldova's simmering conflict with Russia in Transdniestria in western media. I was quite surprised when the March 22 edition of Time magazine had an article and diagram of all of Russia's conflicts. One of them was Moldova and Transdniestria. To get the full impact, I did copy the graphic from the magazine (click on the picture for a full-resolution PDF).


It may not be the highest item in American media, but it does get noted occasionally.

A few bits of background on Transnistria include Tod Lindberg's Turmoil in Moldova, a bulletin from the US State Department (kind of dry, but gets the basic facts), and a bibliography by the Library of Congress. Also, the US State department has a good summary of Moldova, including the history of the Transnistrian conflict.

Thanks

This blog has been a tale of woes and medical wonders for the past three months. I'm now ready to put this behind me. It is time to start the rest of the year, and even the rest of my life, on a less eventful basis.

I'm tempted to look back on these three months and think of all of the pain, lost time, and recovery. But I had a great bike ride in January (saw a coyote on my way into the mountains... always a treat) before my crash. I've had great, but short, bike rides as I have recovered. I had a wonderful Indian meal with co-workers before food poisoning struck and started. And I was not writing in pain from my gall stones: this is supposed to be a very painful experience, but now people look at the big scar on my face and say "you must have a high pain threshold." I guess they figure that I ride a Harley also.

Thanks to friends and co-workers for the supporting emails, get-well cards, and visits in the hospital. The wonders of finding a co-worker who became a nurse, and was a student nurse one of my days in the hospital. And for people at work filling in for me as I have disappeared for weeks.
Thanks to the medical profession for the great respectful care. This is true for doctors, surgeons, X-ray technicians, and even the people who draw blood and insert IVs.
Thanks to Medical Science for CAT scans, MRI's , and incredible procedures like ERCP and Laparoscopic Surgery (see previous post). Also thanks to physical therapy for helping to bring me back, and Chiropractors for fixing my twisted back.
Thanks to Ann and my family I've put you through a lot, but you were always there with smiles, phone calls, and encouraging words.
Thanks to God for rapid recoveries I find the way that the body can heal to be nothing short of miraculous.

Also, if you ever need some hospital tips, I'm told that the meatloaf is a good menu choice at Good Samaritan's (you get to pick your food from a menu... great for a hospital). Have the nurse inject the Demerol slowly to prevent nausea. And get out of the hospital bed and walk as much and as often as you can.

Medical March

The past two weeks have been another interesting. It all began on March 20. I went to my primary doctor for my fall in January. After a brief discussion and a few pushups and neck bends, I was declared in good health with ths suggestion of resuming normal activities. That even meant the end of physical therapy; I will be glad to have the time back in my schedule. The preceding weekend I'd done a few long walks in the mountains with my dog, Maggie,covering the terrain of the bike crash in January. She enjoyed eating the fresh long grass, and I proved to myself that I was back and going again. I even did a 9 mile flat bike ride. That weekend, and especially the twelve hours after my appointment with Kahan were peak times. Little did I know that a new trough in the cycle of life was headed my way.

Tuesday evening had me out for dinner (Indian food) with a number of compatriots from work. In the middle of dinner, my shoulders started getting sore, which I thought was strange, but I chalked it up to sitting still for too long. The fun began when I returned home. My stomach (left side of body, mostly) began to spasm. I threw up numerous times. I had cold sweats like a fever, and could not find a comfortable position to sleep or sit. In fact, every sore muscle and joint in my body, and there are many of these, lit up like a five alarm fire. The pain was like a purging fire; I am much less sore after this than before. Except for those times I was kneeling before the porcelain throne, I stood up until 5:30AM. I was still in questionable shape for conference calls that started at 7 AM, but I made it through the day. My major outing was a trip to the drugstore for anti-nausea medicine, Ginger Ale, Seven-up and crackers. I ended the day feeling somewhat better. I did make an appointment with my doctor for Thursday.

Thursday was a somewhat normal day. I had energy again. I did visit the doctor, and we concluded that I had a quick bout of food poisoning. I had a somewhat exciting dinner (microwaved chicken breast and rice). Friday was also ok, although I had a bit less energy. I also noted that my abdomen was a bit sore, but I chalked that up to starting to use my muscles again.

Ann was off with her sister and a conference for her new business for the week, and was returning Saturday. I had little energy Saturday, and my abdomen was starting to hurt more. I still couldn't figure out if the pain was on the left or the right, so I constrained myself to a diet of Ginger Ale and Saltines. When the evening came, I suggested that I was not in shape to pick her up at the airport, but that she should take a cab home instead; this is a sign of me not being at all well. She walked into the house, looked at me, said "you don't look right," felt my forehead, and a thermometer was in my mouth in two minutes. The answer came back slightly over 100. She also said that my color was grey (never the best of skin tones). I then went to sleep within a half hour, and had a fitful sleep. When I awakened at 6 AM, I decided that my abdomen hurt more (it hurt when I inhaled deeply), and that the pain was definitely on the right side.

I awakened early Sunday morning, and the pain in my abdomen was more intense. It was definitely on the right side. There was pain if I took a deep breath. I went to the medical books, and read the various fault trees. It came down to appendicitis, diverticular infection, or gall bladder issues. I had learned that I had gallstones from a CAT scan in January, so that seemed a possibility, but I couldn't decide which it was. One thing was clear however: none of these were issues where you hang around the house and see what develops. I awakened Ann at 7 AM (having made some coffee first) and suggested that this would be a good time for a hospital visit. 7:45 brought us to Good Samaritan Hospital's door (a very good time for an emergency room visit). I explained all this to the doctor, who ordered a CAT scan. Within a few hours, he came back and said "it's not diverticulitis, and it's not your appendix, which leaves only one thing left... you have a gallstone lodging in your common duct, and bile has backed up into your liver. You're jaundiced (I had yellow rings around my eyes by that point). So, a few surgeons will come in, but we'll remove the stone today by ERCP (see below) and remove the gall bladder soon."

To make a long story short, they did the ERCP and removed the stone. I began to feel much better. I was admitted to the hospital for Sunday evening, but had a relatively healthy stay (as opposed to my crunched face in January). The Laparscopic removal of the gall bladder took place around 9 PM on Tuesday evening, and I was released on Wednesday afternoon. The incisions hurt for a day or two, but I'm approaching normal like again.

If you'd like to know more about the surgical procedures.

Information on Laparoscopic gall bladder removal (it contains a 54 page presentation on the surgery and the glall bladder in general, which is quite complete... I suggest you load the PDF version)
ERCP - Removal of Gallstone blocking bile duct.
A site on Laparoscopy that includes a video.

Myers back on the bicycle

I've talked about getting back on the bike for about two weeks. The key impetus was my sports medicine doctor saying "you're doing ok... it's time to get back on the bike and conquer your fear." I wouldn't say that I had a fear of riding, although I do have a more profound respect for that one downhill corner on Kennedy/Priest Rock Trail. But I will leave that challenge for the future.

What I do have is an extreme respect for all of the minor muscles in the body. When you do weights, you concentrate on the big guns (delts, traps, quads, biceps, triceps) and lump all the small muscles into "stability muscles." I found a Gray's Anatomy online, so there is a picture and some text. When the muscles been shut down for a month, they let you know of their existence when they start up again. This is especially true for small muscles along the spine connecting the vertebra and small muscles that stabilize the shoulder blade. I avoided biking until I'd gone through most of the reactivation pain.

My first bike ride since January 16 was on a beautiful sunny Los Gatos day. The temperature was almost 70F. I put sunblock (spf45) on my entire face to minimize scar damage. I inflated my tires again (they'd lost 40 pounds... a sign of how long it had been) and then went out on my road bike. I will not be on a mountain bike for a few months; this is from three issues: (1) having shoulder strength, (2) making sure that my broken cheekbone (zygoma) is fully set, and (3) having the physical stamina to do crazy climbs. You can read more about the zygoma (I broke it at all four of the junctions) in Gray's Anatomy.

I made it about 2 flat miles away from home before my awakened muscles told me of their presence. I felt pain across the lower back and sides near the bottom of the rib cage (the serratus muscle). You don't even pay attention to these guys until they speak to you.

I traveled 4.6 miles in just over 20 minutes. The warmth of the sun felt great. The wind in my face was invigorating; it was a wonderful feeling to deeply inhale fresh air again. I was in terrible shape, with an unjustified racing pulse rate and muscle pain. But I had a smile from ear to ear as I entered the house.

A number of relatives have suggested that I go safe and do a stationary bike indoors. This short bike ride convinced me to the contrary. I can't wait until I'm back doing 50-60 mile rides again. And it'll be a bit longer before I go for a mountain bike ride.