tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79211287009987224452011-04-21T12:46:47.313-07:00Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-54108712331917577242008-08-12T17:35:00.000-07:002008-08-25T11:30:22.549-07:00

Wow, it's been almost a month since I updated this thing, and of course, a ton of stuff has happened. I've been back to work for at least a couple weeks now (days all run together down here), but aside from that, I don't even know what to write about.I guess one thing to mention is that I'm finally running the Lower New with my boss soon. The level is extremely low right now, though, so it's

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-46376818455823219182008-07-15T23:27:00.000-07:002008-07-16T00:02:54.189-07:00

I'm in teh C-bus for a bit, in order to attend Breathe -- the big fest/conference/camping-in-field deal my church does every summer. As you may have inferred from that, I'm driving again. I can't say for sure that the pain in my shoulder is less every day, but it's certainly not as bad as it was a few days ago.Also, I got myself a new helmet -- an ember-red Sweet Strutter. It's made of carbon

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-39257799460531292142008-07-12T13:28:00.000-07:002008-07-12T13:48:49.310-07:00

I'm not particularly happy. In fact, I'm extremely frustrated and bored, because I have nothing useful to do around here. Hopefully, I'll be okay with driving in a day or two, so I can actually go somewhere other than work and the campground. Of course, I'm not totally trapped here; we went to Fujiyama over in Beckley last night and had an amazing meal, complete with the requisite knife-flipping

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-26322635630063476462008-07-05T13:15:00.000-07:002008-07-05T13:41:30.069-07:00

Well, it looks like things are working out okay right now.I was in too much pain to sleep last night, so this morning, one of the owners of the company took me to an urgent care place to get a prescription for painkillers. It turned out to be associated with the hospital I went to a couple days ago, which meant the guy who saw me could double-check about the x-rays and tell me for sure that I

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-42375933577678919222008-07-04T09:24:00.000-07:002008-07-04T11:04:06.930-07:00

First of all, sorry for the lack of updates. Work has been incredibly busy, and when I'm not working, I'm hanging out with the other video boaters. That leaves no time and energy for things like updating a blog.Of course, I have plenty of time now, because, according to the doctor at the ER, I can't work for a while.Let me back up a bit and explain.I was out with Sam's trip yesterday, running the

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-31835159938277558502008-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:37:38.160-07:00

Lots of things have happened in the past few days. I'll attempt to make a list: - We now have lots of video boaters. One of them is Justin, a recent high school grad and relatively new paddler hired to split the Upper New trips with me. He tagged along on a couple of my runs, and I'm already starting to think of him like a little brother -- annoying, but fun anyway. Being around him has

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-81744811552070020182008-06-16T15:58:00.000-07:002008-06-16T16:25:13.081-07:00

Today, I learned how to rescue people in whitewater. Paddle wading, Z-drags, snag lines, cinch lines . . . all that good stuff. After spending the morning doing knots and dry-land demos, we went down to Mason's Branch and did wading practice (it's harder than it sounds!) and two foot-entrapment scenarios. One was simply getting a taut line across the river to help a conscious victim keep his head

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-50191130846461340582008-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:002008-06-16T16:27:36.199-07:00

Today was interesting. My group, instead of being the usual hodgepodge of families and scout troops and friends and the like, was the owner's family reunion trip.It was good fun, despite knowing that the guy sitting next to me on the bus has absolute power over my job. It's really nice to be able to get video of all the random stuff people do on the trip without worrying about whether the people

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-58610879418849860992008-06-11T18:48:00.000-07:002008-06-11T19:39:51.697-07:00

Well, yesterday was weird. It started out as a fairly normal run of the (lower) Upper New. I had a snake swim between my feet at the first rapid where I shot video, but that didn't seem too odd -- though it did freak me out. Then, near the end of the run, things started getting a little strange. I slammed my elbow on a rock at Baloney (the last rapid), so it was hurting with every stroke of my

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-60253268586711935542008-06-09T11:49:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:10:15.326-07:00

Well, I think things have officially reached "normal" now, or at least something close to it. We'll be getting busier as the summer goes on, but aside from that, I can't see any major changes coming up. News briefs from this week:I've gotten to the point that individual river runs aren't worth commenting on unless something unusual happens*, so "trip reports" will be less common than previous.I

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-29022940479727593742008-06-02T17:09:00.000-07:002008-06-02T17:13:48.199-07:00

I have solved the lack-of internet problem!It cost $70 and required me coming back to Columbus for a bit (as did a number of other things), but I can now get online without serious problems! Of course, I'll also need to take my miniature USB hub down with me, because one of my ports is now taken up with the wireless connector . . . but who cares? I has teh webernet in mah computorbox!(sorry for

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-14488812029325850352008-05-31T19:00:00.000-07:002008-06-04T09:00:40.542-07:00

Surprise: n. 1. a common name for a hole or hydraulic which is difficult to see from upstream until one is too close to avoid itCarnage: n. Anyone getting forced out of his or her boat due to an error in judgment and/or the sheer power of the water.This was my first day on the shorter Upper New section. (The 14-mile section, Prince to Thurmond, is used when the water is high. We switch to the

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-32232349851105555982008-05-31T16:06:00.000-07:002008-06-02T10:27:56.713-07:00

I have a co-worker named Sam, who is very nice. He and I have kinda hit it off, because we're both video boaters and don't have any particular desire to be drunk all the time (unlike many of the raft guides).There also is a bear in my neighborhood.I call it Sam's bear because he's the only one who has actually seen it (at least as far as I know), and it has shown a particular liking for his trash

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-1423091498880237542008-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:002008-05-28T12:34:42.639-07:00

Well, I've been rafting. It wasn't exciting; it was the Upper New (aka the "Upper Snooze" to those used to Class IV and V), but it was nice and very pretty. I rode in the oar-raft with Doug ("Past tense of dig, so if you dig me, you Doug me."), who chatted with me the whole time and called me his "angel without wings" for keeping him company. I also got my camera wet, but it has dried out and

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-63778308822786929602008-05-19T11:37:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:04:28.416-07:00

I can't get online with my computer. At least not anywhere I've tried using it in Fayetteville. I am typing this at a PC at the library to which I cannot hook up any external storage media, so I can't share any pictures or post the fun stuff I had all typed up. How I'm gonna solve this problem, I have no idea; I even went to a frickin' Starbucks when I was over in Beckley, but they now use a

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-88559316103939244042008-05-11T23:27:00.000-07:002008-05-12T00:25:53.557-07:00

I saw Iron Man, and I've got all kinds of ideas going on. Working on my fictional people will help stave off loneliness until more actual humans are involved in my life again.

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-58751209761451842362008-05-10T22:17:00.000-07:002008-05-10T23:00:53.957-07:00

I am so lonely right now. I expected to feel this way after a few days in Fayetteville, when I've got the campsite set up and haven't got much to do outside of work hours and haven't gotten to know anyone yet, but here I am, in a familiar town with familiar people and I already feel this soul-crushing sense of isolation. Maybe it's because I've been practically alone most of the past couple days

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-56617011875793955282008-05-08T11:43:00.000-07:002008-05-08T11:50:03.934-07:00

If I stay up late tonight , I can get everything done.  If I stay up late tonight , I can get everything done.If I stay up late tonight , I can get everything done.I just have to keep repeating that and maybe I'll start to really believe it . . . of course I do believe it at the moment, but that won't last all day.In other news, I can hear a woodpecker hammering away on some tree off to the

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-25725388173600840012008-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:002008-05-06T07:44:05.610-07:00

I'm leaving town Friday morning, so I only have a couple days left for basic preparations. I'm planning to buy most of my food and several items I can live without for a week or two once I get to Fayetteville (there is a walmart, after all), but in the meantime I still need to get stuff from Whole Foods and go pick up my sprayskirt and gloves in Dayton and return books to the library and take all

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-72988348687880522602008-05-05T12:00:00.000-07:002008-05-06T00:03:22.700-07:00

Okay, here's some basic housekeeping stuff I'd like you all to know about:- Expect a few backdated posts - stuff from February through mid-April that I haven't typed up yet - to appear over the next couple weeks.- Please let me know if any links are broken or if you have any other technical problems with the site.- To those of you who know what company I'm working for: I'd appreciate it if you

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-21295153010928863722008-05-02T23:59:00.000-07:002008-05-03T10:32:02.527-07:00

Inflating a float bag before taking offMy boat has a name now. More importantly (well, from a rational perspective), I've had some time to get used to how the boat handles.It's niiiice.I started the day determined to get out on the river. I'm glad I was determined, otherwise it would not have happened. I spent more time than planned working on another project (because I didn't realize how long it

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-47203049681209386752008-05-02T15:51:00.000-07:002008-05-02T15:54:57.072-07:00

Woo. Yay. I took the boat out, it is named, and there are pictures. But right now, I am wet and starving and have to clean up to go out for dinner.Amazing awesome post will arrive later tonight.

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-71332057227896649402008-05-01T15:01:00.000-07:002008-05-01T15:37:41.665-07:00

*sigh*I don't get to go to Cheat Fest.I'm not happy about that, because I really like the Cheat Narrows and I have a score to settle with Calamity Rock. I was gonna run that section this weekend, but . . . no dice.It started with a sneaking suspicion that I didn't really have time to go out of town. Then my sprayskirt got delayed (it won't be in til next Tuesday - the 6th) and, while I was

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-38945029570343939752008-04-28T13:35:00.000-07:002008-05-02T20:52:28.475-07:00

Saturday (day before yesterday), I went over to the river (the Olentangy) to check out the spot I picked for the first time out in the boat. The water was adequate to float the boat, even at 75 CFS, though I wouldn't want to be paddling upstream in that -- you have to dig the paddle blade in deeper to get enough power, so you're more likely to bang it up on rocks (my paddle already has scars from

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-70571344525625352312008-04-27T14:48:00.000-07:002008-05-02T10:12:48.133-07:00

You'd think that lightweight, nonabsorbent, floating slip-on shoes would be every kayaker's best friend, right? They're not, at least as far as I'm concerned. Here's why: I wore my Nothinz (basically identical to Crocs, but not as bumpy inside) for a walk/wade yesterday in my local riparian corridor. I had my camera set up on its tripod out in the main current, which was about knee-deep,* and I

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7921128700998722445.post-81637121737616390332008-04-23T11:46:00.000-07:002008-12-08T21:23:08.251-08:00

Look what was on the top of my car when I got home last night . . .A BRAND-NEW PYRANHA BURN!I'm super thrilled to own a Burn. It's a monster creekboat that does well on big rivers, so it should be perfect for me. Bernie over at Whitewater Warehouse gave me a good deal (because I am a professional kayaker now), and I owe him an article for his newsletter in exchange.Now, on to business: This boat

Emorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13492353803978619270noreply@blogger.com0