Sorry we had to wait 18 weeks or so to tell everyone, Ang is pregnant! We are having a baby in January. As much as I have been enjoying finding what i am great at, the best thing to do right now is to put everything on hold. I have so much to get ready before the baby comes and I will have added chores since I will be a freak about Ang doing anything. I have to get the baby room ready. If you know me i will have to have the best baby room and the sky is the limit. We have waited so long for this day, i want to do it right and we may only have one chance so let's rock this thing. Also i will have to move all my stuff from the guest bedroom, which will now be the baby room, to the Master bedroom. This entails redoing the closet to fit both our crap. I will convert the towel closet into Ang's shoe emporium and the junk closet into the Linen/towel closet. All on top of that, we have football season, Halloween, fall festivities, trips, November holidays, Christmas and New Years to interrupt my work flow. Four months to get all this together, I bet I can. I guess my final challenge will be the baby room.
Stay Tuned and I will post pictures along the way. For now we hold off on what i am good at and try to become great at something important.
Visit us and my newest adventure, fatherhood, at http://ryancarteradventure.blogspot.com/
Friday
Life seems a little slower this morning....
Day 4 9/3 7:25am and we are getting ready to head up to the hospital. Life seems a little slower this morning. It is cloudy, no cars on the road, no wind and the colon on our clock is just blinking and blinking with the time stuck on 6:24. Before the time ever switches to 6:25, I had just recalled the entire day yesterday. From the morning drive to the hospital all the way to last night. Last night some good things happened and sad things happened. The sad things are obvious: knowing her body is failing, grandma is never going to see the baby and all the selfish things that come with getting ready to lose your grandma. The good thing is Ang was able to get some peace and a bit of closure last night around 9pm. It was just Ang, Tammy and I in Gma's room. Ang and Tammy (two of the sweetest women in the world) had been trying to get her to open her eyes and squeeze their hands. It was very sweet to see them with their mamaw. She finally tried to speak a bit and even nodded her head after Ang said do you know its Ang? Ang looked at me like a kid does when he skips his first rock and says, "did you see that?" You all know Ang, very genuine, very sweet and looooves her mamaw. Even though this is the morning in which grandpa comes up and does "not want to see her on that machine" I hope papaw can find his closer and peace today. Grieving is a whole other ball of wax. As we are getting ready to head out for the day, my cats are circling through my legs as I walk. It reminds me that even though the morning started slow and hard things are ready for us at the hospital, life is going on all around us. Cats are still going to be hungry, one minute is going to take one minute, the sun is going to hide behind clouds, but eventually it will come back out and the wind will blow again. When you have accepted the worst, then we have nothing to lose which means we have everything to gain.
Who knew life could be so real.
-chris
Who knew life could be so real.
-chris
Saturday
Less Bag Pipes & More Lent ....
Day 67
Lent is almost over. Usually during Lent Ang and I read devotionals every night before bed. This year we have been off for some reason. We still read the devotional, but usually at work or while waiting somewhere in line or in a waiting room. I hate waiting in lines, makes me feel like cattle. Lent is that season that in a weird way, I love. I have never understood why I love it so much. This is the death of Christ I should be mourning and sad. For some reason I have been more interested in the days leading the crucifixion and the resurrection. Even from when I was a kid going to a catholic school (even though we weren't Catholic) I looked forward to giving something up for 40 days and waiting for Charlton Heston on the CBS Sunday night movie. Some of the best movies come out at Easter time. Our Pastor watches Chocolat every Lenten season. I never thought about it as a Lent movie because it didn't involve a famous 60's or 70's actor in robe and tassels, but it is totally a Lent movie. The entire movie takes place during Lent and is about temptation. Pastor Boles talks about this every year during Lent so Ang and I came home, watch it and loved it all over again.
The Lenten Season is about temptation, faith, helping others, forgiveness, sacrifice and starting fresh. Jesus had a forty day journey in which he was tested, tested and tested again. He did not give in to those temptations, he focused on what he needed to do on what was expected of him and what was right. He never wavered. In dark times and desperation, he stayed the course. When he walked on water and asked Peter to join him, Peter had faith and walked on water until he realized that man shouldn't be walking on water and sank in the water. He still had faith when the others were saying Peter don't be mad. You can't walk on water, but he did to follow Jesus. What a great man, Jesus. Jesus fed the masses by the lake from such little food. My pastor has a neat perspective, that explains how instead of turning one fish into five thousand maybe all the people bought forth what they had and divided it among all the people and it was enough to feed everyone. A miracle in itself, but not the flashy miracle that we hear most of the time. He forgave the man that turn on him that eventually led to the crucifixion. Pilot was supposed to be Jesus' friend and didn't have the fortitude to stand by him in the time he needed, but Jesus still forgave him. Jesus hung from the cross and asked God to forgive the very men who nailed him to the cross - love, compassion and forgiveness. He could have weaseled his way out and denied all the charges and abandoned the truth to save his hide, but he chose God. He chose to die for all of us. This is the worst part of Lent is thinking of how you can crucify someone who did nothing but love, help and spread such a positive, non-violent message. Ironic huh?
Irony
Why are the things that have no death
The ones with neither sight nor breath!
Eternity is thrust upon
A bit of earth, a senseless stone.
A grain of dust, a casual clod
Receives the greatest gift of God.
A pebble in the roadway lies—
It never dies.
The grass our fathers cut away
Is growing on their graves today;
The tiniest brooks that scarcely flow
Eternally will come and go.
There is no kind of death to kill
The sands that lie so meek and still. . . .
But Man is great and strong and wise—
And so he dies.
I hope you stay focused and steadfast during this Lenten season and please never forget to see the good in everything. We only have a short time here on earth so make the most of it -Life is too precious to dwell on the negative.
Shalom,
Chris
Friday
Off To The Practice Fields...
Day 60. Everyone must know how I am struggling. I am getting advice and help from everyone. I get everyone's insight and input from phone calls, emails and during conversations. These insights and inputs are sometimes bad. For instance, I have a comment on the blog that says bagpipes are stupid and I need something more challenging like the last challenge (Tough Guy.) Coming from someone who signs "anonymous," I will sweep that one under the rug for the cat to pee on later. But some of the insight and input has impact and worth holding on to use in a challenge. Once or twice every week I have lunch with Matt. He is the type of friend that everyone needs to discuss troubles and talk about life in a constructive and productive manner. He always has good heartfelt advice and I appreciate that about him. Matt comes from a great family even though everyone just calls him Jouppi, as if he was going to be the only one that turned around at his family reunion if you yelled HEY JOUPPI! He gave me a book the other day. The book is called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. As he handed me the book he said something that has not left my mind. He said, "Maybe this can help you with your challenges." How profound. Whether he meant to or not he offered to help with my challenges. If you know Matt, you'll understand what I am about to tell you. He has a problem. It is the same problem I have been told I have over and over again, Cantsaynoidus or not having the ability to say NO. "Hey Matt, I have a leaky roof can you help?" "Hey Matt, I am moving can you help?" "Hey Matt I need a kidney can you help?" and the same answer will always surface, "Okay." He obviously has his own challenges. If Matt always has his plate full of "can you's" then how does he have the time to stop, think of my challenges and offer to help? You may be thinking, Steeno, don't put too much into this, he didn't offer to help, he handed you a book. But he didn't just hand me a book. He handed me something that I didn't even realize I needed, but I do. This book is about discovering the secret of a man's soul. Take this excerpt from the book:
"Simply look at the dreams and desires written in
every boy's heart: to be a hero, to be a
warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk.
Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires."
every boy's heart: to be a hero, to be a
warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk.
Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires."
This author gives a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be---dangerous, passionate, alive, and free. The ability to dig deep and learn yourself. How well do you know yourself or the methods of your abilities. Do you approach everything you do in the same manner? Think about your temptations. Do you go and do something constructive or do you sit on the couch. Do you approach work the same as your workouts? This is my problem......challenge.
I have a challenge within my Challenge and I need to face it. Now this isn't a challenge like the Tough Guy or something knuckle-dragging or manly, and this challenge is more than bagpipes. It is with myself. As I become more frustrated at not doing well at my chanter or bagpipes, I realize that it is me that is not doing well..my approach....not my focus, but how I am going about my training. Is it training or practice, or something else I am not thinking of? I have to say this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Let me put this into perspective. Every time I pick up this chanter I wonder how this is helping me with my bagpipe training. Similar to Daniel-san not understanding the painting the fence or sanding the floor helped him with karate. Is it odd that I treat or approach everything like it is a sport? I guess it is understandable considering I have played sports since I was in diapers. Not saying I am good at sports, but love playing sports and have had some success. Now that I coach football and soccer my mindset is skewed into "the man" mode. I think that the reason that my "training" isn't going as well as I'd hope is because of my approach. This needs to be treated like an instrument or art. I can't muscle my way or sweat my way through this. If I am not playing correct or holding the note right I can't just "dig deep or go, go, go!!"
I don't know why I feel like this is so foreign to me. I picked up the guitar when I was 12 and learned to play on my own. Since then I have taught myself the guitar, violin, the bass, harmonica and a bit of the piano none of which I have mastered, hence the title. So why not approach this the same way? As an artist you'd think I would use that mentality, but I'm not. I don't feel it fits. When I sit down to draw or paint I just do it, it comes natural. I visualize it and put it on the canvas or substrate. It is not like I can just hear the music of Amazing Grace by the 48th and expect to duplicate it by osmosis. SIDEBAR! Can Osmosis happen that way or do you have to touch something? (End Sidebar) just so you know, Ang and I watch a television show called Parks and Recreation on NBC. In this show a character is played by SNL alumni Amy Poehler. She plays this Parks Department manager who is very quirky. In the middle of meetings she always interjects and yells "sidebar!" goes off on a tangent and then ends the sidebar out loud and proceeds with the meeting like she never did the sidebar. Ang and I started to adopt this sidebar at home. For instance we will be eating dinner, having a conversation and Ang, in mid-sentence, will say "sidebar" can you pass the salt? "End sidebar!" We sit there and laugh. Funny thing about Ang is that she in fact is the funny one in our duo. Everyone thinks I am because I am "trip on myself" funny, but Ang is the "I'm a serious business woman" and then gives the surprise humor and it seems out of character. When in actuality it is very in-character- - she is very witty. Crap, I forgot to yell Sidebar. Well, End Sidebar anyway.
As for my chanter-practice-approach dilemma, the best thing for me to do is to take it to the pros. It takes practice and more practice. I need some professional help so I am going to contact the one man that everyone goes to for musical advice- Tom from Tom's Music Store. Tom is the father of one of my closest friends, Todd. Tom is a great person and the most qualified person to ask advice because he is a retired high school music teacher and band leader. He is perfect. He has taught 10's of thousands of kids how to play instruments over a 30 year period. This is just what I need, someone to teach me the proper approach. Maybe he can be my Mr. Miyagi and I will have to paint his fence or wax his cars in order to learn the bagpipes. Sounds like absolutely no fun but the good thing is I will get a vintage car out of it:) I might have one big hiccup, Joann (Tom's better half...best half) and I have been emailing her over the past couple days and she tells me that he is in Florida doing stereotypical retired activities. In case you don't know that means: pickle ball, shuffle board, soaking up the sun etc. The only thing she left out is the 4pm dinners and bingo at the club house. So maybe my Miyagi might have to be an e-Miyagi or a tele-Miyagi. Well I guess anything I can get from this fellow Packer-backer I will be grateful and use it to the best of my ability. If not at least Matt's book will guide me to dealing with my challenges better. Whether those challenges are from this blog or the challenges I face while doing these challenges for the Blog or challenging the challenges while facing the challenges of this blog it is good to know that I have people to help me along the way. Well off to the practice fields and hope that I come out a bagpipe playing fool. Practice fields? Man I need help.
I have a challenge within my Challenge and I need to face it. Now this isn't a challenge like the Tough Guy or something knuckle-dragging or manly, and this challenge is more than bagpipes. It is with myself. As I become more frustrated at not doing well at my chanter or bagpipes, I realize that it is me that is not doing well..my approach....not my focus, but how I am going about my training. Is it training or practice, or something else I am not thinking of? I have to say this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Let me put this into perspective. Every time I pick up this chanter I wonder how this is helping me with my bagpipe training. Similar to Daniel-san not understanding the painting the fence or sanding the floor helped him with karate. Is it odd that I treat or approach everything like it is a sport? I guess it is understandable considering I have played sports since I was in diapers. Not saying I am good at sports, but love playing sports and have had some success. Now that I coach football and soccer my mindset is skewed into "the man" mode. I think that the reason that my "training" isn't going as well as I'd hope is because of my approach. This needs to be treated like an instrument or art. I can't muscle my way or sweat my way through this. If I am not playing correct or holding the note right I can't just "dig deep or go, go, go!!"
I don't know why I feel like this is so foreign to me. I picked up the guitar when I was 12 and learned to play on my own. Since then I have taught myself the guitar, violin, the bass, harmonica and a bit of the piano none of which I have mastered, hence the title. So why not approach this the same way? As an artist you'd think I would use that mentality, but I'm not. I don't feel it fits. When I sit down to draw or paint I just do it, it comes natural. I visualize it and put it on the canvas or substrate. It is not like I can just hear the music of Amazing Grace by the 48th and expect to duplicate it by osmosis. SIDEBAR! Can Osmosis happen that way or do you have to touch something? (End Sidebar) just so you know, Ang and I watch a television show called Parks and Recreation on NBC. In this show a character is played by SNL alumni Amy Poehler. She plays this Parks Department manager who is very quirky. In the middle of meetings she always interjects and yells "sidebar!" goes off on a tangent and then ends the sidebar out loud and proceeds with the meeting like she never did the sidebar. Ang and I started to adopt this sidebar at home. For instance we will be eating dinner, having a conversation and Ang, in mid-sentence, will say "sidebar" can you pass the salt? "End sidebar!" We sit there and laugh. Funny thing about Ang is that she in fact is the funny one in our duo. Everyone thinks I am because I am "trip on myself" funny, but Ang is the "I'm a serious business woman" and then gives the surprise humor and it seems out of character. When in actuality it is very in-character- - she is very witty. Crap, I forgot to yell Sidebar. Well, End Sidebar anyway.
As for my chanter-practice-approach dilemma, the best thing for me to do is to take it to the pros. It takes practice and more practice. I need some professional help so I am going to contact the one man that everyone goes to for musical advice- Tom from Tom's Music Store. Tom is the father of one of my closest friends, Todd. Tom is a great person and the most qualified person to ask advice because he is a retired high school music teacher and band leader. He is perfect. He has taught 10's of thousands of kids how to play instruments over a 30 year period. This is just what I need, someone to teach me the proper approach. Maybe he can be my Mr. Miyagi and I will have to paint his fence or wax his cars in order to learn the bagpipes. Sounds like absolutely no fun but the good thing is I will get a vintage car out of it:) I might have one big hiccup, Joann (Tom's better half...best half) and I have been emailing her over the past couple days and she tells me that he is in Florida doing stereotypical retired activities. In case you don't know that means: pickle ball, shuffle board, soaking up the sun etc. The only thing she left out is the 4pm dinners and bingo at the club house. So maybe my Miyagi might have to be an e-Miyagi or a tele-Miyagi. Well I guess anything I can get from this fellow Packer-backer I will be grateful and use it to the best of my ability. If not at least Matt's book will guide me to dealing with my challenges better. Whether those challenges are from this blog or the challenges I face while doing these challenges for the Blog or challenging the challenges while facing the challenges of this blog it is good to know that I have people to help me along the way. Well off to the practice fields and hope that I come out a bagpipe playing fool. Practice fields? Man I need help.
Tuesday
12 Highlanders & thy set of bagpipes...
Day 52. Is it okay to be obsessive as long as it is in good nature? I hope there are healthy levels of obsessiveness because I think I have it, bad. Usually the only ones who suffer are Ang and the cats. As I start this bagpipe challenge I find myself constantly challenging myself to not go overboard. As I do research on the history of bagpipes, it takes everything I have not to yell into the other room, "Hey honey, did you know Scotland could have very well been the origin of the bagpipes? I am reading it in The Canterbury Tales and it....." I refrain because she would just say, "WHAT? I can't hear you over the Food & Wine editor on Top Chef!" so I keep it to myself. Then there is the noise control of making sure I practice in the times Ang is not home. Tuesday Ang will be in Bloomington for a meeting.....Sweet! I can't wait until she comes home and sees the house still dirty and asks me what I have been doing and I tell her, "stuff." I know good and well that I haven't been doing anything, but practicing moving between Grace Notes on my Chanter, "Low G...A...High G." I have at least 2 hours of practice time and as loud as I want. Funny how when I play my guitar Frankie, our Cat, is at my feet rolling around, but when the bagpipe Chanter comes out, I never see her. I know, that all this is hardly being obsessive.
Well, we have a giant wall-size chalkboard in our living room and I usually have "season" appropriate sayings or pictures drawn on the black canvas. We have color chalk so you know I have fun slipping into DaVinci mode when it is time to change the board. Deuce. During Christmas I wanted to draw a silhouette of the three Wiseman walking across the desert and the star with a great bible verse. It got vetoed so I went with the bible verse and some holly leaves. Advantage Ang. Well, since I am doing these challenges, I have made the board my "motivation" board. I have written "12 Highlanders and a Set of Thy Bagpipes Starts a Rebellion - Scotland Proverb" and sketched the family plaid (in lovely shades of red and green) in the lower left corner. I think it looks great, it is motivating and it has a since of pride since it is about my family history. For Ang though, it is probably about how the plaid that I drew doesn't match the couch or that the chalkboard should have a Lenten Devotional up there instead. She is probably right, but I must stand my ground. Who is trying to be a master here, me or the couch? Deuce
The more I research and read on the bagpipes and the Scottish heritage, the more I talk about it to everyone. The more I talk, the more feedback and input I receive. Our Pastor, Howard, who I have talked about before and as much as Ang and I love this man, will likely talk about again and again. He sent me an email that said occasionally folks will request bagpipes for ceremonies. He explained that there is a custom where bagpipes lead the couple out of the sanctuary following the marriage and lead the way to the reception. (He did let me in on the fact that in this case it was just to the church doors:) I thought that was not only educational, but relevant to my dilemma of Gran and her funeral request. Pastor Boles mentioned ceremonies, yes, but not specifically funerals. As a matter of fact, he was leaning hard into the marriage end of the spectrum. I keep reading the email..."As your grandmother indicated.." Man, here goes! He went on to say how there is a tradition of Bagpipes leading the mourners and that it is a nice tradition. That is it? Nice tradition? I totally agree with him, but he never dropped the bomb on me, sweet! Sure, he mentioned Gran and that bagpipes at a funeral are a nice tradition, but never really came out and told me that I should play at Gran's funeral. Wait. Is this a test from my pastor or God through my pastor? Is there a hidden answer in his words somewhere? Is this a mini challenge within the challenge? I think I need to keep this as priority B and focus on first things first. I need to learn how to play before it can even become an issue. If I master this blasted instrument and I am able play, then that might be the time I sit down with our spiritual master, Pastor Boles. For now I will continue to listen to his words and use them to help me through these challenges.
Well, we have a giant wall-size chalkboard in our living room and I usually have "season" appropriate sayings or pictures drawn on the black canvas. We have color chalk so you know I have fun slipping into DaVinci mode when it is time to change the board. Deuce. During Christmas I wanted to draw a silhouette of the three Wiseman walking across the desert and the star with a great bible verse. It got vetoed so I went with the bible verse and some holly leaves. Advantage Ang. Well, since I am doing these challenges, I have made the board my "motivation" board. I have written "12 Highlanders and a Set of Thy Bagpipes Starts a Rebellion - Scotland Proverb" and sketched the family plaid (in lovely shades of red and green) in the lower left corner. I think it looks great, it is motivating and it has a since of pride since it is about my family history. For Ang though, it is probably about how the plaid that I drew doesn't match the couch or that the chalkboard should have a Lenten Devotional up there instead. She is probably right, but I must stand my ground. Who is trying to be a master here, me or the couch? Deuce
The more I research and read on the bagpipes and the Scottish heritage, the more I talk about it to everyone. The more I talk, the more feedback and input I receive. Our Pastor, Howard, who I have talked about before and as much as Ang and I love this man, will likely talk about again and again. He sent me an email that said occasionally folks will request bagpipes for ceremonies. He explained that there is a custom where bagpipes lead the couple out of the sanctuary following the marriage and lead the way to the reception. (He did let me in on the fact that in this case it was just to the church doors:) I thought that was not only educational, but relevant to my dilemma of Gran and her funeral request. Pastor Boles mentioned ceremonies, yes, but not specifically funerals. As a matter of fact, he was leaning hard into the marriage end of the spectrum. I keep reading the email..."As your grandmother indicated.." Man, here goes! He went on to say how there is a tradition of Bagpipes leading the mourners and that it is a nice tradition. That is it? Nice tradition? I totally agree with him, but he never dropped the bomb on me, sweet! Sure, he mentioned Gran and that bagpipes at a funeral are a nice tradition, but never really came out and told me that I should play at Gran's funeral. Wait. Is this a test from my pastor or God through my pastor? Is there a hidden answer in his words somewhere? Is this a mini challenge within the challenge? I think I need to keep this as priority B and focus on first things first. I need to learn how to play before it can even become an issue. If I master this blasted instrument and I am able play, then that might be the time I sit down with our spiritual master, Pastor Boles. For now I will continue to listen to his words and use them to help me through these challenges.
Hard to believe that I could ever lose focus, being such a scholar and all:) But I listen to Grooveshark at work all day. It is a way to drown out the background talking that would normally distract me. Over the past two weeks, I have made a ton of Scottish playlists. I found out I love Scottish music! I am not going to scream it from a mountain top, but I do love listening to this music. The sweet sounds of the violins, drums, strumming and of course the pipes all working together. I am getting good at singing along with some of the songs. "Not one could match the beauty of the queen of all Argyll!" What is funny is I can hear Ang telling me in the car on the way to dinner how awful this song is, "His voice is terrible!" I think she has been watching too much American Idol, because she went on to tell me about how the pitch was off and that it wasn't the right song choice for him:) Could you imagine Simon Cowell back in the 13th Century criticizing the first bagpipe player? "that was bloody hideous. What was that sound, did you have a dying cat in that bag? that was the worst performance of the night!" I doubt Simon would have lasted one commercial break because that bagpipe sound meant there was a war about to happen or the battle was over. Although the Canterbury Tales has a reference to bagpipes in the Miller's Tale, he was just a drunk, not really a mean guy. As I read on, I found out that anyone who fakes a biblical flood just to kiss a girl is someone I should give two thumbs up, no matter how bad his bagpipe playing was that evening. Is there something to this rage and war that I should be concerned? I have always tried to find the good in people and never try to start conflicts. I hope this challenge isn't going to break open my Scottish rage like a pan of Jiffy Pop. "A...G, Oh no here comes the rage...low A....(growl)..oh no!" I am not the Scottish bagpipe playing Incredible Hulk. "Hulk love bagpipe, sound pretty!" No, I picture it more like a bad mood or personality. As I cast my eyes into the future, can't see it happening, I am too nice. Although, I did put my foot down when it came to posting my phrase on the living room chalk board even though it did not match the couch. I mean that was rebellious. Eat dust Ang! Maybe there is something to the old saying 12 Highlanders & thy set of bagpipes makes a rebellion!
Next Challenge...
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Day 46. Over the past month I have been getting a bunch of suggestions as to what the next challenge should be. I have received everything from a thumb-war challenge to male dancer challenge (looking back, I hope he was joking.) You don't have to worry about the dancer thing, because JOAMOO (Jack Of All, Master Of One) is family friendly. There have been some suggestions that are worthy of "The Board" so I have logged them on the dry erase board behind me. I hope to attempt as many as I can and hope to find the one thing that I can master. So for my next challenge....
Ladies and Gentlemen! May I have your attention? The next Challenge has been selected by the JOAMOO panel (mainly consisting...only consisting of my wife and I...and the cats) and the new Master Challenge is........BAGPIPES! Was that a powerful announcement? I kind of felt like the Chinese guy from Iron Chef. You know where you feel like two martial artists are about to fight and the master is about to announce what weapon to use. "today's secret ingredient....(long drawn out pause).....EGGPLANT!" Eggplant doesn't have quite the impact as if he would have yelled "NUNCHUCKS" or "FIERY SWORDS."
Bagpipes? That is right people, Bagpipes. In this adventure I will dive into this with all that I have. I will do everything, but visit the Highlands themselves to see if I can become a Master of the bagpipes. I will interview professionals, get advice from musicians, take lessons, practice endless hours, learn the history of the instrument and the craft of playing the bagpipes. In the end I will have a judged performance that will determine whether I have accomplished what I set out to do. I hope that in the end I can mark this in the Master column and do a silly dance.
Let me fill you in as to what sparked my interest to even attempt this challenge. Bagpipes are a huge part of the Scottish heritage. I am Scottish on my mother's side. We are part of the Fraser clan from Tweedale, which is dated as early as Sir Simon who was an ally of William Wallace. Together they defeated the English at Roslin (I know you've seen the movie.) My Gran and mother have always made sure we had the tools to learn the history of our family and even made us clothes with our family plaid. Even in my thirties my Gran sends me Scottish gifts - not to force it upon me, but to instill the importance of family history. Well this Christmas she sent me a present and it was an authentic Scottish chanter. A chanter is a wooden pipe that has several finger holes and a reed. (Kind of an advanced recorder similar to the ones we played in grade school) She sent me this present months after a phone conversation we had that in her own "old lady way" explained to me that she would love to have bagpipes played at her funeral.
Creeped out yet? Try being me (and at Christmas!)
I have been practicing the Chanter for a couple weeks now and I am not good. I have been practicing the proper way to hold the instrument, the manner in which to blow, but for some reason I am not getting any better. I need to seek professional help. So for now, I am off to find a Great Highland Bagpipe professional for some tips and tricks as well as get fitted for a kilt.
Stay tuned for what should be a pretty interesting challenge.
CHALLENGE: Tough Guy Complete....Success?
ME, AN HOUR AFTER THE TOUGH GUY CHALLENGE
DAY 34. Today is the wrap up for the 1st attempt in my year long quest to finding my greatness....or what i can consider myself Master. Let's summarize this first challenge.
This 1st Challenge was could I become a Master at being a Tough Guy. I searched the whole world over (via Google) and found the one thing that could possibly label me a "Tough Guy." I signed up for a 8 mile obstacle course half way across the globe actually named The Tough Guy Challenge. This obstacle course was made up of mud hills, icy lakes and fire fields. They went so far as to construct several mid-evil obstacles fabricated from logs, rope, cargo nets, and electrical prods. They strategically blueprinted this course to break you down mentally and physically. They did not want you to finish and if you did finish, they wanted you to regret doing so. As I signed up for this challenge, that is taking place in England, I was going to need at least 6 weeks to prepare. I had been running prior to this, but it was 3 miles here and 3 miles there - nothing serious, just to even out my pizza habit. I knew I needed to get serious.
There was going to be a considerable amount of hills, climbing, crawling, icy water and it was going to be cold. I started at the right time too because we did have the perfect start to winter by the end of December. I took to my local park and started running in the snow. I would run 3 to 5 miles a day in the snow around the perimeter of the park and through the corn fields and horse pastures. I would progress each week adding more exercises to prepare. I did circuit training, hills...the works - I trained hard, but not as hard as I should have, as I found out during the The Tough Guy Challenge on January 31st.
The day of the race I felt like I had my plan down: Stay at a good pace during the first part of the race (because it is mostly running) to save my energy for the obstacles, because the bulk of them are in the last 2-3 miles of the race. I never would have thought that I wanted to quit after around mile 4 during the Slalom, which were zig-zag hill sprints. I was dying. Cardio, i was fine, it was the frozen legs and feet and the breaking down of my legs. I remembered all the people that I was honoring with my run. I had my Grandfathers who fought in WWII in the very country I was running that day. Knowing they had to do this day in and day out reminded me that I needed to quit being a ninny and just focus on the race. I started to pull all my mind tricks throughout the race: "It is just running", "nothing is broken keep going", "Ang had Cancer and never gave up, I shouldn't either." It is funny the types of things you can use to distract or motivate yourself while performing some of the worst events. As i was jumping in and climbing out of the ice water pits, I found myself dissecting the Lords Prayer or as some of my football players call it, the "Our Father" prayer. Resiting and dissecting this prayer was a trick that a sweet lady, Karen, from my church explained to me that she would do as she ran the track during her time at the Seminary. It helped so much because I finally finished in 3 hours and 52 minutes. Does fooling my mind make me tough though? I do know this, I rewarded myself to fried fish and a beer that night:)
After all the training, all the blood sweat and hypothermia am I a Tough Guy? Sure I can endure cold temperatures and run and climb, but does that make me tough? Well I think completing the TTGC was a great accomplishment, but it doesn't stop me from tearing up when I talk to audiences as to why I fight Cancer. Completing the TTGC doesn't stop me from kneeling by my bed at night looking at my wife while she sleeps, thanking the great lord for giving me one more day with this precious woman. Completing the TTGC doesn't stop me from melting every time I see my niece sing or hear my nephew laugh. It doesn't stop me from holding a door for a lady at the hospital today or from screaming like a girl after hitting my funny bone on the shelf while I was brushing my teeth.
So what is the answer? I'd say yes I am "Tough" just on a different level than my wife fighting Cancer or my grandfathers in a war or my boss playing college football (who's wife is a Cancer survivor as well.) I can not say that I am the Master of this Challenge and hope that I never do become the Master of this Challenge. I do not want to be hit full tackle by a 300lbs lineman from Ohio State. I never want to endure 7 months straight of Chemotherapy and I do not want to be a POW and have to fight for my life in the Dutch Underground. Until I do all of those things I will be just have to accept that there is always someone out there tougher that myself. So I guess I will just have to be happy with a medal that says I completed a 8 mile obstacle course and relish in the fact that I can stand outside in the snow and ice longer than my wife:)
So what is the answer? I'd say yes I am "Tough" just on a different level than my wife fighting Cancer or my grandfathers in a war or my boss playing college football (who's wife is a Cancer survivor as well.) I can not say that I am the Master of this Challenge and hope that I never do become the Master of this Challenge. I do not want to be hit full tackle by a 300lbs lineman from Ohio State. I never want to endure 7 months straight of Chemotherapy and I do not want to be a POW and have to fight for my life in the Dutch Underground. Until I do all of those things I will be just have to accept that there is always someone out there tougher that myself. So I guess I will just have to be happy with a medal that says I completed a 8 mile obstacle course and relish in the fact that I can stand outside in the snow and ice longer than my wife:)
Bring on the next Challenge!
FYI:
Here is a 2 minute clip of the 2010 TGC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMbmlmaN3XA
Here is a 9 minute clip which has us shown around 1:35 - 1:40 jumping in the water pits and going under a steeple...we are the ones dressed as US Soldiers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IWT2qeNVTQ
FYI:
Here is a 2 minute clip of the 2010 TGC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMbmlmaN3XA
Here is a 9 minute clip which has us shown around 1:35 - 1:40 jumping in the water pits and going under a steeple...we are the ones dressed as US Soldiers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IWT2qeNVTQ
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