One of my regular features in this blog is an item called “America Unchained” where I feature a small, independent business in the hopes that we get back to the idea of locally-owned, family businesses that focus on customer service and pride in product.

Starlite Drive-In off of Highway 37 Bloomington

The Thomas Family was so verklempt that we were not going to be able to participate in the Terre Haute Triathlon on Friday that we needed to do something very special to make up for it.

Starlite Drive-In is just such a cure!  It is right out of the 1950’s.  Last year we drove the Wagoneer over and got in for free because antique cars get in free on some nights. We saw Night in the Musuem with Ben Stiller.

The drive-in is off of Highway 37 on the southwest side of Bloomington. The sound is broadcast via an FM frequency.  We were able to sit in the back with the tailgate up and enjoy the show. It is a special treat worth the drive over to Bloomington.  Go to the drive-in’s website for movies and directions.

Vintage "Refreshments" sign

Chilling out before the flick begins.

Our big catch of the day

We are about two weeks from letting the ducks and geese swim in our pond.  We realized that there are some huge snapping turtles in the pond.

We baited giant hooks with rotted meat and attached masons line to the hooks and then to milk jugs.  On the first try we were able to catch this 22-pound beauty.  We let it go in the White River. Snapping turtles, like people from Scott and Jennings Counties are best caught, captured, and relocated.

An Annual Thomas Tradition: Terre Haute Triathlon

TT and my kids celebrate TT's finish

Later this afternoon my wife, our kids, and I will head over to Terre Haute for the 7th time for the Terre Haute Triathlon. This event has a special place in our family. Terre Haute was the first triathlon that I ever did.

The first time we went over I had trained hard for the event, but I just had never actually competed in a triathlon. The culture was foreign to me ( and there is a very definite culture) and I had no idea what to expect.  Despite my anxiety, I did a great job although the swim start was a terrifying experience. Like being in a human washing machine on spin cycle.

We have always stayed at the same hotel each year and eat at Red Lobster the night before the event. The kids really enjoy this and look forward to the tradition that they hope to compete head-to-head with their dad one day.

My training was better this week due to the extended Memorial Day holiday.

5-23-09 Rode 41.5 miles. Nice day! Sunny and warm.

5-24-09 Ran 13.5 miles. Upping the mileage in preparation for starting my long day in June.

5-25-09 Rode 22.8 miles Hilly route. Worked on pushing the tempo.

5-26-09 Rest day.

5-27-09 Rode 18.1 miles before work.  Need a new headlight for the bike. My light isn’t holding a charge. Rode in the dark after halfway.

5-28-09 Ran 5.5 miles before work. Run is becoming much more comfortable.

• Addendum:  I’ve always gone over and registered the day before the event. Registration closed. Sold out! Bitter disappointment for the Thomas family.

Bones, by Jonathan Kellerman

Without a doubt, Jonathan Kellerman is my favorite author in the murder mystery genre of novels. I should have finished this novel several weeks ago so I could give it to my sister to read next. Anyway, it doesn’t take me long to read one of  his novels as they are incredibly engrossing.

Not only is Jonathan Kellerman a best-selling author, but he is an accomplished psychologist as well. He weaves psychology into his novels and gets into the mind of the killer.

A recurring character in Jonathan Kellerman’s novels is Dr. Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who is modeled in part on Jonathan Kellerman’s own professional career.

In Bones,a young woman’s body is discovered at the Bird Marsh Nature Conservancy near Marina Del Rey in California. Los Angeles homicide detective Milo Sturgis, a mainstay in the Dr. Delaware stories, investigates, and he soon uncovers a horrible scene. More female bodies are found — they’re all prostitutes. A serial killer is apparently on the loose. Sturgis calls in Delaware for assistance.

At this point, it looks like a paint-by-numbers mystery. But the most recent victim is a talented young musician from the East Coast. Her name is Selena Bass, and she had been employed by a wealthy family, the Vanders, to tutor a musical prodigy. As in all of Kellerman’s novels there are twists and turns that keep the reader riveted to the page.

In order to fully understand this particular post it is necessary to understand the Myth of Sisyphus. According to Greek mythology,  Sisyphus angered the gods for his trickery and deceit.  As a punishment, the gods sentenced Sisyphus to spend the rest of eternity rolling a large boulder up a steep hill only to see it roll back downhill shortly before reaching the top, only to start the chore over again.

Sisyphus and his pointless task.

Be forewarned: this post is a bitter pill to swallow. There comes a time in the life of everyone in child welfare or social work when the job seems overwhelming or pointless. I am at such a point.

There are answers to address problems.  They are not easy. They will take a generation to show results.

As I sit here writing this blog, there are self-absorbed, irresponsible, drug-addicted humans engaging in unprotected, recreational sex. The result of that union will be an unloved, unwanted child.  No sugar-coating that one.

Once the novelty of this unwanted child wears off, the neglect begins.  An infant is a world of need.  The chemically-addicted can engage in two activities and two activities only: procurement and consumption. The needs of an infant or child interfere with this process.  Those of us in child welfare see this on a daily basis.  What we do is extremely important work.  What we do well is seeing that children arrive at their 18th birthday safe and healthy.  What we cannot remedy is the experience of growing up unwanted. What that experience will create is a gaping wound of need.The cycle begins anew.

Having spent some time working on the frontlines, the answer is simple enough.  Stop the process where penis meets vagina.  Humans will engage in recreation sex. Always have. Always will.  Let’s be mature adults about this. Abstinence education has failed us miserably.  A mature, commonsense sex education program beginning in elementary school is a must.

Simple math tells us that males are the primary problem.  Males have more sexual relations with more partners than females.  (It is not uncommon for males to have as many as 12 children by 10 different mothers.)  Leaving birth control to women has not been effective or efficient. Expecting the chemically-addicted to make responsible choices in birth control is pointless. The only proponent of condoms are women who have never had to wear one.  Until they invent a condom that actually enhances the sexual experience they will not be worn.

I am a proponent of cash incentives for vasectomies beginning in adolescence.  Vasectomies are a sure bet. They can also be reversed later in life when a responsible choice can be made. Vasectomies can be performed safely and efficiently for a relatively small cost.  A CASH incentive of $2,000.00 would be a small cost to pay based on the potential savings and the spared heartache of all involved.

Your thoughts?

I was sifting through Google Images and came across this Before/After Ironman Photo

This was an amazingly disappointing Ironman training week.  Once again, a ton of stuff going on.  Work has been crazy and stressful!! Tons of stuff to do at home.

Never fret! I am down, but not out! Never quit.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going….and other trite sayings.

It all goes back to what my dad used to say to me that never, ever made sense at the time: “They can kill ya, but they can’t eat ya’!!!”

5-13-09 Road in the morning 18.9 miles. Weather is finally nice in the am.

5-14-09 Nadda, Zipp, Zilch!!

5-15-09 Zilch!! Zero!!

5-16-09 Rode 32.4 miles. Had to squeeze in a ride between stuff going on and chores to do.

5-17-09  The water is up from the White River and we are having to drive around over Madden Hill. Completely forgot about this!!!  So my 50 mile route turned out to be 64.2 miles.  Water on 258 was over two feet deep by the gravel pit.  Too deep to cross on a bike.

5-18-09 Ran 5.9 miles.  Uping the distance and still remaining within my allotted time frame.

5-19-09 Bupkiss. Diddly-Squat!!

This is closer to the Ironman I'm doing right now.

5-20-09 Rode 19.9 miles before work.  Have a court hearing today that promises to make Jerry Springer look tame and civil. Need the de-stressor!!!

5-21-09  Again with the bupkiss and diddly-squat!!!

5-22-09 Ran 7.8 miles.  Used my speed/distance watch.  Would post pace and time, but want to keep the Sunbury Boys (One Trick Pony and Track [after Sarah Palin's son]) in the dark.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Dan’s Book Club: What I’m Reading Now,  will be a reoccurring feature of this blog.

Two weeks ago in my Ironman Training Update I voiced complaints about feeling overwhelmed and short on time.  One of the things that I had given up to squeeze in more and more was reading. Mistake! Reading is one of my great pleasures and a great source of stress relief.

The first featured book is Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. William Gibson is the creator of the cyber-punk genre of fiction. I became aware of William Gibson through Leo Babauta, author of one of my favorite blogs ZenHabits. Pattern Recognition is the story of Cayce Pollard, a marketing consultant whose expertise is to recognize emerging trends.

William Gibson is a science fiction writer and this is his first novel to take place in contemporary times. William Gibson’s science fiction is not your ordinary weird-head aliens and spacecraft brand of science fiction.  His characters are more strongly drawn and realistic. The future is merely a palette upon which to draw the human element.

The novel’s central theme is the human desire to detect patterns of meaning and the risks of finding patterns in meaningless data (apophenia).  Cayce Pollard is hired to find the creator of clips of film being posted on the internet that have millions spell-bound and whose creator is unknown. The novel explores contemporary internet culture and the impact of cyber-culture on society and traditions.The action in the novel takes place in London, Tokyo, and Moscow. Plus, it is an exciting read.

I highly recommend this novel and also the other works of William Gibson.

One of my regular features in this blog is an item called “America Unchained” where I feature a small, independent business in the hopes that we get back to the idea of locally-owned, family businesses that focus on customer service and pride in product.

Young ice cream aficionados with Mr. Rieger, Kovener's manager and also my elementary school music teacher.

On a scale of 1 to 10 in unchained-ness, Kovener’s Korner is a solid 10.  I have very fond memories of this place as a kid. My family lived on the other end of the block from this establishment.  The chocolate malt soft-serve ice cream has remained unchanged since I had my first cone as a kid.  Delicious!!

Kovener’s doesn’t have an extended menu of choices.  It does a few things, but does them well.  The place is only open in the spring and summer.  It is a favorite stop after baseball games or during the day after swimming at Shield’s Pool. There are picnic tables to sit on and enjoy the ice cream.  First-timers be aware that the picnic tables are communal.  Just because you are sitting at the table doesn’t mean that the whole table is yours.  If there are empty spots someone will sit at them.

Opened in 1949, Kovener’s celebrates 60 years of service this summer.  Stop by and enjoy their signature chocolate malt or other summer treats.

Good things come in small packages.

• Mystery of the Kovener’s Gorilla: In 1986 I was living in Boston, MA and was home during the summer visiting my parents. One evening we were sitting on a neighbor’s front porch and we could see Koevener’s from this vantage point.  All of a sudden, Emma Aikman (our neighbor) yells, “There’s gorillas at Kovener’s!!” Not something we were expecting to hear on a tranquil summer night in southern Indiana.  But, sure enough there were two gorillas at Kovener’s
  

  Kovener's Korner on West 2nd Street in Seymour.

  lurking around the back door.  The neighbors quickly deduced that the gorillas were going to try and steal banana splits. Emma runs inside and calls the police.  Quickly, not one, but two, police cars arrive.  The officers get out grinning from ear to ear. With mock seriousness, the first police officer says, “We need to get to the bottom of this gorilla business.” The second officer says, “they’s prolly tryin’ to steal themselves a ‘nana split.” They bust a gut laughing at their own humor. The neighbors all agree that they saw two gorillas at Kovener’s.  The officers confirm that no one is intoxicated. But alas, the gorillas are long gone.

• The years go by and the story of the Kovener’s Gorillas lives on in the lore of Emerson Drive.  In 1996 I was helping Simply move some stuff in his garage.  After moving a large wardrobe, I see a moldy gorilla costume on the floor of the garage.  I ask about the gorilla costume. Simply starts to tell about he and a friend wearing the costumes to scare some girls at Kovener’s. After ten years the mystery is solved. It was Simply all along.

Ever since Dave Rust of Rose Acres fame passed away in 2004, Jackson County has been without an eccentric of any meaningful quality. Growing up in the area, I can remember well the peculiarities of Dave.

United States 2nd Largest Egg Producer

For those unfamiliar with Dave Rust, he took a small family farm and turned it into the the second largest egg-producer in the United States. Dave had 13 children in all and his first wife Lois now runs the business.

Among many, many eccentric behaviors, Dave would pay his workers to drive eggshell-white vehicles. He would carry a stack of $100.00 bills and give them away randomly or for doing small menial tasks for him such as changing one of his childrens’ diapers. His egg-laying plants always had out-sized American flags flying above them, even though he sued the U.S. Government on more than one occasion.

SIDEBAR: I use the term eccentric in a positive sense.  An eccentric is one who has the self confidence to be original and express themselves in novel and amusing ways.

• I had my own brush with eccentric greatness in 2003 shortly before Dave’s death.  We live not far from Dave’s home.  We had not lived here long and I was out running on the road by Dave’s home.  He pulled up beside me in his van.  I knew exactly who he was, but I pretended not to in hopes of extracting a $100.00 bill from him.  He asked me all sorts of questions.  Why was I running? Who was I? Where did I live?  He gave me an extended history of the property that we live on back several generations, including the lives of some of its inhabitants.  For three miles, he drove beside me as I ran. Then he reached out and shook my hand and drove off. No $100.00 bill.

Jackson County needs a new eccentric! Someone needs to step to the fore and take on this vital role. I ask my blog readers to nominate our new eccentric. Don’t be frightened to post, blog reader. My nomination goes to Jim Noelker. (In the interest of sensitivity, no one who rides a three-wheeled bike around town may be nominated.)

Eric Myers add to Jim's collection of Found Objects. Jim has the second largest collection of Found Objects in the United States.

The Blogger tries on Jim's reading glasses. Jim gave them to me much like Dave Rust and his $100.00 bills.

I gave thought to completely pulling out of the Ironman this week. Not that I think the event is too daunting.  I’ve done two before. Not that the training is too difficult. I actually enjoy training. TIME. Time is the problem. Entirely way too much on my plate.  I’ve pared my life down to the essentials.

If only it were that easy.

One of the many, many things that I have  learned from the Ironman experience is time management. Like most of my blog readers who are triathletes, I work full-time, I am married and have children, and I have community responsibilities.

The training has to be done.  Sure it is inevitable to have to skip a workout here and there, but you have to make that the exception and not the rule. The end result is worth the effort and sacrifice involved.

With that said, I have recommitted to the event and have learned to say the all-important word “NO!” “I don’t have to do this forever, but I have to do it today.” “Sorry, I can’t participate this time, I have an important project that I’m committed to.”  “I’d like to do that, but my plate is already over-flowing and I wouldn’t be able to give it the attention it needs.”  “I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.”

5-6-09 Rode 18.9 miles before work. I blew off recharging my bike light and ended up riding in the dark midway on the ride.  Very bizarre experience.  Was only able to make out vague shapes in the dark.  Luckily, I know the route by heart.

5-7-09 Ran 5.5 miles before work.

M-DOT Logo: Ordinary People Doing The Impossible

5-8-09 First two-a-day of the training season!! Rode 17.8 miles before work and then ran 4.2 miles over lunch. OK. Not huge distances, but miraculous that I was able to pull it off with everything going on.

5-09-09 Rode 41.5 miles. Very nice day!! Some headwinds from the west at 15 mph, but made the temperature ideal. Mostly flat terain.

5-10-09 I got up and ran before church and Mothers’ Day activities.  Ran 7.5 miles. Should have ran longer, but time constraints prevented a longer run.

5-11-09 Rode 19.2 miles before work.  Planned on a two-a-day, but couldn’t make it happen due to busy schedule.

5-12-09 Busy on-call the night before prevented me from getting to bed at a decent hour and I just bagged any scheduled workout.  See time management complaints above.