mek.highcroft.com

Two More Rounds

The hiatus is over, I guess. Stu and I played Hanson Park twice in one day, with my scores vastly improving over the efforts of the early morning round on Wednesday. Warm weather certainly helps, both in overall play enjoymnet, and in disc flight. Not enough heat for updrafts or thermals, but the warmer ground made for more consistent flight of my drivers and mid-range discs.

Round 1: Hansen Park, New Brighton Minnesota
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Totals
Par - Pro	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	36
Par - Public
My Score	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	4	4	39

Round2: Hansen Park, New Brighton Minnesota
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Totals
Par - Pro	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	36
Par - Public
My Score	2	4	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	37

MidMorning Talk Radio

I spent the morning at the dentist's office, getting a filling replaced. All I can say is Yeeeoooowwwch. Apparently the type of anesthetic used on me this morning wears off very quickly (on me, anyway) and so a 45 minute procedure ended up taking nearly 2 hours due to the constant reapplication of anesthetic. Weird. Anyway, the tooth feels better, and the pain has mostly gone away.

After the dentist visit, I headed into work. I turned on Minnesota Public Radio and listened to the MidMorning program where guest Laura Nash (senior research fellow at Harvard Business School) was speaking about her new book Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Your Work and Life. The conversation was very interesting, focusing on how our definition of success often is derived from our sense of monetary wealth, not a variety of social, financial, health, or other factors. From what I heard on the probram, her book investigates society's perception that monetary wealth equals success, often at the expense of family, health, and other things.

I enjoyed the ideas presented in the on-air conversation, and I may very well pick up a copy of the book.

A Right Frosty Disc

I shaved two measley strokes off my game at Hanson this morning.... Maybe the fact that it was 40 degrees had something to do with it... or the frost on the ground... or the fact that the moon was shining brighter than the sun at 6:45 a.m.

In any event, the game was fun, if not a bit wet. My drives are getting more consistent with the new throwing style, and I'm happy that the drives tend to fly very straight, right from the release. Now, the fact that "straight" does not necessarily mean "straight at the target" is not a big deal, just that I need to work on my game a bit.

Stu's sidearm throws worked like a charm on the first few holes, but proved to be hard to work with consistently in the last half of the game. I still do nto have the consistency in play that he does, but I'm learning every time out at practice or in real play.

I think I may have to pick up a Flash driver pretty soon. I like the feel, and the drive line is pretty long and straight. I've not played with it in a real round, but I think I would like it.

Hanson Park, New Brighton, Minnesota
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Totals
Par - Blue	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	36
Par - White
My Score	4	4	3	4	3	4	4	4	5	6	3	4	48

Words of Caution

I have a bad habit of putting things on top of the car/van/truck and heading off down the road only to find that 1) my stuff has blown off and is in the street; 2) driving off, realizing that stuff is on the roof and screeching to a stop to get it off the roof before it blows off; or 3) forgetting that things are on the roof, driving all the way to my destination with things on the roof, only to exit the vehicle, and comment, astounded, that the stuff was still there.

My cellphone is usually the main object left on the roof. It once travelled 30 miles on the roof of our Mazda Protoge 5, and I was VERY surprised to find it still on the roof when we got to our destination.

Last night, however, came a lesson I will not soon forget.

We were hastilly preparing to go visit Shawn and Ali at their new home, and planning to meet them at Ruby Tuesday's for dinner beforehand. In my haste, as I put Caroline into her car seat, I put my checkbook, notes from work, and my iPAQ on the roof of the van. We made it three houses down the street and heard a flip-flop-flap on the roof, and I watched checks, notes, and despsit slips fly off the back of the van (only 20 mph, but it makes quite a mess). So, I stopped, hopped out, picked up all the stuff and started off again.

Heidi apparently asked if there was anything else on the roof. I did not hear her for my frustration at forgetting about the checkbook. 30, 40 50 mph on the main road, and flop-flop-flop I hear something making it's way to the back of the van again... and I watch as my iPAQ falls off the back of the van, landing on the street at 50 miles per hour. Watching it tumble down the road was terrible. I heaved on the brakes, undoubtedly frightening both Heidi and Caroline, and I jumped out, running back down the road to get the pocket PC before it was run over by traffic behind us. Stylus, gone. Memory card: flung out of the PDA and into the middle of the road, destroyed. The iPAQ itself, miraculously, is only marginally scarred on the top-left corner of the case, and still seems to be working well.

This could easily have been a $500. lesson. Fortunately (for now) it is more a lesson in paying attention and putting everything IN the vehicle rather than ON it, and a lesson I will not soon forget.

Disc Break

It's been a few days since I've thrown the discs, but after watching a bunch of disc golf videos online last week, I've revamped my driving style with good effect.

I've been working to hone my driving skills for a while, but nothing seemed to offer a consistent flight pattern, mostly owing to the odd weight-on-the-back-foot style I had. Since changing my driving method, I more consistently throw farther, straighter, and with more weight forward on my front foot. The results have been pleaseing.

Stu and I have also been working on the sidearm throw, with good reason: some of the courses offer obsured holes from certain directions, and the sidearm throw is often the only effective way to work around the trees. Stu has a great sidearm throw, which is improving faster than my own. I think his mix of understable, overstable, and neutral discs give him a good advantage in selecting a good disc flght pattern based on the disc type. Most of my discs are understable, and my options are less broad.

Anyway, we often have a chance to practice during lunch breaks, and the practice time has been helpful. I don't know when we'll get out to play again, but I'm looking forward to it.

Tim McGraw in Concert

We had a great time at the Tim McGraw concert in St. Paul tonight! The concert, reviewed by many news outlets in town, was my first concert in a few years (the last being an Amy Grant Christmas concert), and I was excited to be there.

Our company has a suite at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and we were able to watch the concert from there. Opening for Tim were two country bands, the Warrenn Brothers and Big and Rich. Both added flair and a rowdy, bar-room excitement to the beginning of the show. WHile the Warren Brothers songs don't receive much airtime here in the Twin Cities, their music is good. Tim McGraw even sang a song they wrote during his set.

Big and Rich, with their brash, rock and roll country style, lit up the arena with renditions of their popular songs, including a very long version of Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) that brought the sellout crowd to its feet.

After a brief stage reset, Tim McGraw came onstage, backdropped by a dozen massive plasma screens, his eight member band, and an impressive light show. The local newspapers offered reviews noting a constant, unwavering delivery of his hit songs, but I disagree. Tim was able to control the crowd with his every move, whether changing his shirt, changing the mood with photographs taken by a friend in Iraq, or bringing the crowd to a fever pitch with chart-topping hits.

I must confess that I am a country music fan. While I still listen to a wide variety of music, more often than not I'm listening to country music. The musicians make themselves accessible (posing for photos, and signing autograpohs during the concert, inviting people onstage, and even giving people a chance to sing along with him on the mike. This is a far cry from the Areosmith and Elton John concerts I attended, where photos were strictly prohibited, and singing along was done from the comfort of your folding chair.

Anyway, the concert was great. I hope that I will be able to see Tim McGraw in concert again. Perhaps next time he'll be performing with his wife, Faith Hill.

Hansen Park, New Brighton, Minnesota

Hansen Park in New Brighton (map)
Directions from Highway 694

1. 694 to Silver Lake Road
2. South on Silver Lake Road to County Road E
3. East on County Road E to 12th Avenue
4. North on 12th Avenue, dead ends in small parking lot by disc golf course.

The Hansen Park course varies from the posted course layout, although I have been told that the dirt teeboxes will soon be replaced by asphalt in the near future. This morning was a great morning to play, although the course handed me a pretty high score. With some short obscured holes, a few long-range open holes, and some tough tunnel shots, this is an interesting and challenging course.

A strong point of interest on this course is the sinage on the tees. It points the direction of the hole, and lists the par and distance. This is expecially helpful for first-time players, and novices like myself appreciate knowing the distance to the hole. Only in knowing the distances can I begin to understand how disc choice can greatly impact overall play hole by hole.

Hansen Park, New Brighton Minnesota
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Totals
Par - Pro	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	36
Par - Public
My Score	3	3	3	5	5	4	3	7	4	4	5	4	50

The Disc Ogre

Stu made a great Ogre logo for me (well, not FOR me, but, well, you know...) Thanks Stu! I'll use this to mark all the Disc.Ogre posts and stuff!

Lakewood Hills

Another morning at Lakewood Hills for disc golf. It was wet after an overnight storm, and windy windy windy. Sunrise is getting later, forcing us to start a few minutes later each time we play. Although I enjoyed playing this morning, my throws were inconsistent and clumsy.

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Totals
Par - Blue	3	3	3	4	3	3	5	4	4	3	3	4	3	3	48
My Score	3	3	5	4	5	3	5	5	5	6	3	4	5	5	61

Bassett Creek

Stu and I played Bassett Creek this morning. Bassett Creek is a nice little park with some interesting and challenging holes. Cross-creek, uphill, long-drive, and other fun shots make it an interesting course. Certainly not for a complete novice, although several open-field holes invite a bit of self-indulgent overconfidence. Let's just say that my overconfidence in distance shots is not always a good thing.

I like the course and I feel as though played fairly well for the first time out.

Bassett Creek
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Totals
Par - Blue	3	5	3	5	4	4	4	5	3	36
My Score	5	6	4	6	3	3	3	5	3	38

Lakewood Hills Disc Golf

Directions: From I-694, exit north on White Bear Av. (exit #50). Go a few lights and turn right on Orchard Lane. Turn right into park just past the YMCA building on the right. First tee is at the south side of the parking lot.
Got GPS? First Hole is at: N 45° 02.462 W 093° 00.657 (accurate to within approximately 20 feet. Thanks Stu!)

Yahoo! Map

Today's Course Information and Score

The Lakewood Hills course has a wide variety of terrain, ranging from wide open to tight and hilly. Tee boxes are well-worn dirt patches, but are sometimes tough to locate. the course is laid out well, despite the criss-crossing of some of the shot vectors. If the course had been busy, it would have been interesting, as players would be crossing shots fairly frequently.

We began play at around 6:30A.M., on an empty course. Stu located the first tee and hole, and we proceded from there. tee boxes pointes us in the right direction, despite having to search for a few of the tees.

Several holes played very short, while two or three played very, very long. three strong driver shots were needed on two of the holes, just to get within striking distance of the hole. We hope to measure the distances next time out.

I find myself frustrated that these beautiful courses do not have any signage or markering to direct players to the next teebox or hole. Distance to the hole would be helpful, but not entirely necessary. I guess most of my frustration stems from the fact that on the first time out to a course, it's often difficult to find tees and holes without searching for them.

I very much enjoyed playing this morning. Crisp air, warming to about 65°, with a light breeze made for excellent play.

Hole	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N		Totals
Par - Blue	3	3	3	4	3	3	5	4	4	3	3	4	3	3		48
Par - White
My Score	4	4	3	3	4	3	5	6	4	3	5	3	4	4		55

Still Growing...

Some people eat to live, some live to eat. I'm somewhere in the middle. And my middle is telling quite a story.

Honestly, I have tried to cut down on snacking, I've started eating smaller portions at meals, and I've been drinking more water. When I drink more water, I tend to eat less, but I also like to drink a lot of soda, effectively adding roughly 600 calories of sugar-water waste to my expanding waistline every day. with a desk job, I'm not really burning off many calories at all.

So what am I doing about it? Well today, I ate an ENTIRE BOX of Ritz Bits crackers. Not a smart thing to do. Really stupid, actually.

I really need to get back to exercising, eating more fruit, and drinking more water. Cut out the coffee and pop, the instant iced tea and the candy. Sounds boring, right? Well, I think I'd rather make the choice now than to have toe doctors tell me I need to change my diet post-heart attack. I cannot allow myself to become so unhealthy.

I'm planning to play disc golf more often, just to get the walking exercise in. I hope to eat better. I hope to drink more water and eat less junk. I'd like to lose 10 pounds before the end of the year. I was hoping to lose much more than that at the turn of 2004 to 2004, but I think I need to start small and reasonable. remove the temptations of snacking, and perhaps even keep a food diary so I can keep track of things.

I'd weigh myself at home to get started, but I weigh more than the home scale can calculate. I'll have to use the Doctor's Office-like scale at work to start. I guess when I lose 10 pounds and can use the scale at home, that will be my first milestone.

Graduate School

With all the things I have going on, the last thing on my mind should be graduate school, right? Well, I've been looking into schools with Master's degrees in Marketing or Communications, and recently have found a couple that seem very interesting.

I'm meeting with the admissions staff at Bethel University tomorrow afternoon. I met briefly with them today to discuss my transcript, and tomorrow I will learn more about the program. Too bad I did not find out about it earlier this year, I would have been interested in pursung this program, which only starts once each year in August.

I'll know more tomorrow. Certainly enough to know if there are any courses I will need to take to get my prerequisites in order. This is a major focus for me in the coming couple years.

Disc Golf 101

My image of disc golf was somewhat vague,, especially in light of the fact that nobody I knew (except my little brother) played. I had no clue what was involved, or how many people are involved.

The concept is simple. Throw a disc from point A to point B and into a basket with as few throws as possible. Sounds easy right? Riiiiiiiiiight. Not as simple as it sounds when you have a grove of trees between you and the "hole." Not so easy when you have to throw the disc 500 feet to get to the hole. Not so easy when you are a beginner and the disc goes flying into adjacent holes, shrubbery, or dense thickets.

Still, it is incredibly fun. MUCH more so, IMO, than regular golf. For me, there is less frustration, and thus more enjoyment. You can bring along friends and the equipment is not expensive. Most courses are free. Some are not well m,aintained, but many are very beautiful! I've only played a few times now, but I have enjoyed practicing during lunchtimes at work.

My younger brother Colin, is an avid disc golfer, as is my friend and ex-coworker Todd. But it was Stu, a current co-worker and friend, who got me to try it. Needless to say, I was hooked on it right away.

I've enjoyed throwing Frisbees since I was a kid. Never so much doing target practice as just playing around with my brothers, but even in elementary school, we were having "throw for distance" competitions at field day. I enjoyed it, but never thought much of it. Now things are different.

Stu and I practice our disc golfing several times each week. This has greatly improved my distance, but not necessarily my accuracy. I've purchased several discs, ranging from extra long range drivers to putters, all of which I can throw really, really far, but seldom can I accurately throw one 30 feet.

So, there's work to be done, but it's wonderful to know that this is an outdoor walking sport, and perhaps one my wife will enjoy as well.