Stamen design does some wildly cool data visualizations. Check out this timeline of homes built in 10940, my hometown. You could spend all day watching the growth patterns of various cities...
Imagine yourself trapped in an elevator for almost two days. Check out the time-lapse video from a security camera for someone who found themselves in that exact scenario. It hurts even to watch 5 minutes of the time-lapse.
Whenever I'm feeling a bit impatient, I will try to remember this scenario.
Long time no vox. Good stuff going on here!
I started again... Im training for my second marathon. Whether it will be New York City or Chicago.. its on!!!
Come support me !?
And... P.S... I ran a 6:26 minute mile on tuesday....( yes I know, Im fast) ... lol
What's your method for calculating a tip?
I've worked a few jobs in the services industry (food, tech, etc) and tips really do make a huge difference. If the person smiles and makes a true and honest effort to give 'good' service, I start every tip with $10 and add 15% of the meal. If the total cost was up to or equal to $10 then I just match the price. If I'm at dinner and the meal is over $100 then I start at 40$ and add a 20%. More times than not I'm usually matching the full cost of the meal and I'm OK with that. In this day good service is worth it. I'd always rather reward someone for doing a great job than chew someone out for doing a crappy one.
What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Submitted by Laurie.
Once a while back I colored my hair dark green. Not all of it though, it was more like having dark green highlights. I liked it quite a bit and even my ultra-conservative southern family didn't seem to mind.
How do you eat your pizza: folded, flat or with a fork and knife?
Submitted by danimass.
I've been a folder for a while but every now and then I'll use a fork and knife. It all started at this pizza place back in Mandeville. They have these huge slices of pizza so you'd have to fold them in half just to fit them in your mouth. They also had desert pizzas like chocolate chip, apple, peach etc. Since those would usually be pretty thick and top heavy, you'd have to use a fork to prevent from getting your food everywhere when trying to eat it.
Dear Friends and Family,
Is there life after a marathon? I guess so, because here I am, almost a week and a half out, and still kicking and walking and doing all those other good things that legs should normally do.
I guess your first question would be, "How was it?"
Well, I think that the greatest accomplishment was not the 26.2 miles, but the 14 million dollars that we collectively, as runners in the Nike 26.2 race, raised for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am so proud that I was able to contribute to this organization's mission.
The stories of cancer survivors are so much more inspiring to me than stories of runners beating their bodies into submission so they can get a personal record, or win the race! (As my running t-singlet put it, "Think running is hard? Try chemotherapy")
What an honor you all bestowed upon me, in donating toward this cause to support me as I trained for a race that was meant to symbolize the determination that cancer survivors depend upon daily.
So what about the gritty details?
San Francisco was beautiful and we really enjoyed the entire trip. God granted us gorgeous weather, and my lungs were clear and felt good the entire run.
We made our way across the start in the pre-dawn chill and dark. As we ran up the first hill, we were able to look out on the sun rising over the bay. We then ran along the coast, with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Fisherman's Wharf. Mile 6 had the infamous, dreaded hill and then the run turned up into the city for many more hills and much less scenery. I ran most of it alone (accompanied by my ipod), but saw my personal cheer squad a couple of times: at mile 11 and mile 16.
Jim jumped in for the last 10 miles and our chats really gave me the energy and motivation to finish. The final miles lead us around Lake Merced and along the coastal highway.
As I neared mile 25, and saw my coach Christine, I could not believe it was almost over. My body felt great and I increased my pace. When I was a mile out, our head coach Ramon appeared, ringing a cow-bell, and ran me all the way to the finish. The little chip in my shoe was scanned and the machine enthusiastically chirped to announce my passage over the finish mat.
I got my very own space blanket and I truly felt like a marathon finisher with that annoying, flapping sheet around my weary shoulders. The Texas firefighters handed me a Tiffany's necklace and seconds later I bursted in tears of joy, excitement and relief.
I am unable to find the words to describe these extreme emotions. I finished my first marathon in 4 hours, 9 minutes, and 24 seconds.
And so it goes, and so it goes. I finished, and who knows what the future holds. How many more finish lines will I cross? This experience taught me a lot about sacrificing my time and energy for a cause that is greater than my own personal records. On one hand, I felt almost ridiculous punishing my body for the simple reason of finishing the race. I wasn't really racing, I was fighting myself and my desire to quit.
Although I realize that there is a benefit to physical endurance training, there are things in life that matter more than whether or not you are able to run 26.2 miles, walk 13.1miles, or crutch across the room. Fighting the desire to quit and holding onto hope are essential qualities for survivors. I pray that each and every cancer survivor I ran for knows and holds onto the hope that life holds out to us, no matter what the situation.
Thank you, again, so much for your part in my race and fund-raising! What a great experience. I'm still recovering physically, but hopefully I will be able to get out there a bit this winter and get my legs under me again. This running thing is a bit addicting, you know? Who's in for a marathon this spring??
PS - please check out the videos and photos below.
mile 16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDjxI4kpcL0
marathon finish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk3tU0lN2y0
marathon end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xd2H4dFcsY
Copy and paste the following directly into your browser: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=v876erh.9bidv5np&x=0&y=sqx7u7
Ben found this the other day, quite possibly the best use of a pie chart I've ever seen:
