Friday, February 20, 2009

Different Views

Wanna know what I've been doing all week? Editing something that reads like this...

The JSR 168-compatiable portlets can provide management, data, mapping and analysis services. For non-portlet applications, multiple data services, Web mapping tools, and spatial analysis, services will be implemented by a hybrid combination of ESRI™ Web GIS solutions, GeoServer, and Google® Maps. Google Maps APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) will be used to display maps for GIS learning modules.

Yeah...I have no idea what it means either, but I did know that a comma was needed after the word analysis in the second sentence. One of the other grant writers and I went around in circles for awhile about whether or not it's "Web mapping" or "web mapping" (I said not capitalized). And yes, this is what English/grammar peeps like me do for fun. So, if you've been reading this blog awhile, and you've noticed that there are typos, misspells, and general grammar errors, in this blog semi-regularly, now you know that I could edit more closely if I wanted to, but most of my blogs are just too damn long, and so I don't...but I could if I wanted to.

In any event, I've been editing this grant proposal about improving geography instruction in high schools for the better part of this week. Betty (once again) and Elsie got me involved in this project, but ff you have any questions about geography and using GIS or GPS to teach it, ask Betty, she's the genius. I just edit.

So I've now increased about a gazillion-fold what I previously knew about Geographic Interface Systems and Geographic Positioning Systems (BTW...this is the technology that makes our beloved Garmins and things like MapMyRun and shiz like that work, so it is important dammit), but this is what I REALLY learned this week.

I'm way out of practice with that sort of "academic writing." I did TONS of it when I was writing the dissertation, but since my main publication writing these days is this blog, and since, apparently, the National Science Foundations doesn't really give moo-la for grants that include words like "shiz" and "WTF" and "abo-effing-lutely" whether they're capitalized or not, I volunteered to act as the main copy editor for this grant...which is fine with me since one whole parts of the grant which I wrote was whole-sale deleted and replaced by one of the other grant writers (no ego worries for me, the part she replaced it with WAS way better than mine). But, I'm a day-um fine editor and can spot a comma splice a mile away.

So, that's what I've been doing these past two days, and since I have no clever transition to anything running related here, I'll go directly to...

I have a freezer burn on my thigh! (yeah, see? That kind of shiz would NEVAH FLY in an NSF grant...)

Really...same thigh that had the enormous bruise, now has freezer burn because I left the bag of peas on it too long after I ran on Monday. My skin actually FROZE solid, and then had to thaw. Now it's red, and it hurts like a mother... almost worse than the original bruise. (No photos this time, I promised BBJ that I wouldn't).

WTF am I doing to myself...GAH!!!!!

The good news is that the thigh muscle seems to be healing nicely. So much so that even after I ran on Monday on the dreadmill, I went to Tuesday night's track workout with the SDTC and ran with Betty, BBJ and our newly named "Hook" or "Hookman" or "The Hook."

To explain...This is Scotty (photo courtesy of SDTC)


An early photo of Scotty, running with the track club, caught him in this "stretching" pose...


When asked about it, Scotty remarked that that was how he "reeled 'em in." (Again, I don't make up this shiz people...I just report)

Betty and I had an "awwwww did he REALLY JUST SAY THAT TO US? moment." Thus, he is now "The Hook" or "Hook" or "Hookman." I know the obvious choice would be "Hooker" but we actually already know a guy who goes by that moniker, so it's taken. In any event, I thought I would leave it to the Internet. What should we call Scotty? Vote in the poll at the right to help us decide.

Other injury reports - The PF

Went to Rusty the PT yesterday to discuss strategies to deal with the PF cuz let me tell you, after running on Monday (dreadmill) and Tuesday (track workout), by Wednesday (which was, admittedly, a 15 hour work day for me) I could barely walk!

Not. Good. At. All.

Here's why I *heart* Rusty the PT.
  • When I asked him if I had to stop running to deal with the PF, he said "no" and added, "if you have a doctor who tells you to stop running, you should find another doctor."
  • He gave me a set of stretching excercises to do, and I've noticed the result of it already (nothing you haven't seen before, but like the training schedule for the SDTC, because it's written down for me, I'm likely to follow it. Really, all I'm doing three to four times a day is ice-massaging my foot, massaging with a tennis ball, and doing some calf and achilles stretches, you know, the kind where you lean against a wall, and off a step...easy, right?)
  • He cut out a "whale tail" out of some foam for me to put in my shoes, which takes pressure off the heel of my foot. It looks like this.

  • I got to tell him about a different "definition" of "whale tail" (the effect that happens when a girls G-string or Thong becomes exposed as she walks, bends over or squats). that I learned from my students, which looks like this...
Finally, I wanted to post this picture for Foto Friday, just cuz I thought it was really cool, and it was posted on the SDTC website a couple of weeks ago,on one of the runs I missed.
That's BBJ (in black) with Mik and Kat in front of him (in light blue) in the pack running a couple weeks ago. I just liked the panorama view...cool.


I'll be walk/run/walk tomorrow morning with the track club...Hooray! Now I've gotta go ice/massage/stretch my foot and hip to get ready for it.

Have a great weekend!

10 comments:

  1. Great panorama pic!

    (I meant the thong image). :)

    Sorry to hear about your freezer burn. That sounds most unpleasant. I hope you thaw out and feel better soon. That is almost as bad as having the flu. Umm, NOT. My flu is worse than your freezer burn. Nyah, nyah, nyah nyah. :)

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  2. Awww, sorry about the freezer burn. I do love the panoramic picture, though (and not the whale tail one).

    Oh, and just who does that guy think he is, reeling them in? I, as a single woman, noticed right off that the guy is wearing a wedding band in the first photo. Hmph!

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  3. I was waiting to see if you had caught on that you WON!!!!! Send me your snail mail and I'll put those bad boys in the mail for your new riding adventures. :)

    nikemomof2{at}gmail{dot}com

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  4. He kinda looks like a comma in that picture, sister, so how 'bout "Old Splice" ... because he runs on and on and on ... So I guess you could call him "Vanilla, Jr." - sticking with the comma splice conceit here ...

    HAR! Grammar humor: Teh Worst Humor Known To Man*!

    I once tried out for a proofreader job and managed to miss every error, pert near. Then, after the guy said I really wasn't right for the job, I got every single one of his brain-teaser grammar questions correct.

    I guess I choke under pressure, is what I'm saying.

    *Dumb Blonde Jokes are Teh Worst Humor Known to Chicks.

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  5. You actually told the PT about the thong thing? OMG, that's hilarious! Totally something I would do. LOLOL ;)

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  6. AAH, you had frost bite on your thigh!
    Thank for the new terminology, i will have to share my latest lingo and pretend i'm cool.

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  7. You think with as much as I know about GPS that I'd actually wear one? go figure! BTW - you don't give yourself enough credit - if we get the 1.1 million - I'm buying the mimosas!

    I'm going with the Hook! Scotty is so proud to finally be getting a name and the real "Hooker" was proud that he was to be named similarly to the original!

    I can't wait to run tomorrow!

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  8. You gotta call him the "Bait Man"

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  9. Your poor, poor thigh. But thanks for the reminder about taking care of it on one of my recent posts. I definitely didn't realize you could overdo the ice, massage, recuperation stuff, but you're a lesson in that trauma! ;-)

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  10. Oh OW...frostbite? Hope your poor thigh feels better. I guess that is the only way to get frostbite here in SD!!

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