Seven weeks of racing go by far too fast. We're heading off to Middlebury in twelve hours for our last carnival of the season. We've come a long way this year but aren't done yet. Two races left to wreck house...
-Schlutzer
-Schlutzer
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Betsy Nabel was right about MRI's
Everyone listen up. Chris' mom was right. There is absolutely NO NEED to put yourself through the hell that is a 1.85 hour fMRI scan for psychological research. NO NEED. Let me tell you all a little story about how I needed money, sorely, and decided to partake in a lousy fMRI study.
So the researcher contacted me a week ago, asked me to choose a two hour block of time to swing down to "Martino's Imaging Center" in Charlestown. First hint that this experiment will end in complete failure: the research center is named "Martino's". Sounds like a the name of a sleazy fast-food pizza place. In fact, they almost let me grab two pizza flavored taquitos off of a rolling grill before my study, but they decided the traces of lead in the ingredients would lead to less accurate MRI readings.
So I hopped on the bike, bound for Charlestown. I allowed myself 40 minutes to make the trip, in the likely event that their horrible directions would get me lost. I trucked it past the Bunker Hill Community College, where mere days earlier a young Anders Moore took his written portion of the foreign serivce exam. Time ticking, feeling close to the abandoned warehouses that must store this MRI machine, I trucked on. Trucked on over a broken beer bottle, I did...
... pppsssssstttttttt
Flat tire. Middle of the street crossing Rt. 1 into Charlestown. Game over. After a bout of profanity that would offend even the Miller brothers, I sprinted towards the wharf, dragging bike, sweating profusely. After arriving 10 minutes late for the study, I met Lindsay, a cheerful, blond lab assistant who led me to an empty classroom to fill out paperwork. She left me alone to sign forms which took all of 38 seconds to fill out, and left me to wait another 22 minutes alone to think about what I'd done to deserve this. I resorted to scanning my only reading material, a purple coupon guide to the Spar grocery store in Austria. Würst and Stiegl are as cheap as ever. Go figure.
Finally Lindsay came back and rushed me to the MRI tube, apologizing for her delay. She then strapped me down in the tube, taping my hands to two keypads with which to record my responses to video instructions and tasks reflected to my eyes by a slanted mirror and monitor in the tube. The 'tests' referred to were responses to racial profiling and involved making social judgments of people of other races. Initial interest turned quickly to a claustrophobic nightmare as I was bombarded for 1.8 hours with photos of Asian teens and confusing stories and puzzles to trick my short term memory. No breaks. No movement. Head was strapped to a board with a hockey goalie ish helmet fixture to send magnetic pulses through my highly irritated brain lobes, while being bombarded with the noise of magnetic pulses. (Magnetic pulses in an MRI tube sound very similar to the noise a snowplow on I-93 makes while scratching dry pavement at 70mph).
After the 2nd worst two hours of my life...
http://harvardnordic.blogspot.com/2007/12/new-definition-of-pain-and-suffering.html
...I was pulled out of the tube and vented my less than cordial opinions on how MRI's should be run, especially with students with flat bicycle tires. Lindsay, feeling terrible, shelled out $85 and a taxi voucher to North Station. I ended up being kicked off the green line 1 stop away from Park Street and the bike-friendly red line by a disgruntled employee and had to walk the last couple blocks from government center in a windy snow squall. I was sure that Lindsay was running behind me with a videocamera, that the real study wouldn't end until I made it back to campus.
So next time you need quick cash and think that lying, motionless, in a noisy, claustrophobic tube is the way to get it... think again. Or just hit the CLER lab.
Better yet, listen to Betsy Nabel. MRI's are toxic.
So the researcher contacted me a week ago, asked me to choose a two hour block of time to swing down to "Martino's Imaging Center" in Charlestown. First hint that this experiment will end in complete failure: the research center is named "Martino's". Sounds like a the name of a sleazy fast-food pizza place. In fact, they almost let me grab two pizza flavored taquitos off of a rolling grill before my study, but they decided the traces of lead in the ingredients would lead to less accurate MRI readings.
So I hopped on the bike, bound for Charlestown. I allowed myself 40 minutes to make the trip, in the likely event that their horrible directions would get me lost. I trucked it past the Bunker Hill Community College, where mere days earlier a young Anders Moore took his written portion of the foreign serivce exam. Time ticking, feeling close to the abandoned warehouses that must store this MRI machine, I trucked on. Trucked on over a broken beer bottle, I did...
... pppsssssstttttttt
Flat tire. Middle of the street crossing Rt. 1 into Charlestown. Game over. After a bout of profanity that would offend even the Miller brothers, I sprinted towards the wharf, dragging bike, sweating profusely. After arriving 10 minutes late for the study, I met Lindsay, a cheerful, blond lab assistant who led me to an empty classroom to fill out paperwork. She left me alone to sign forms which took all of 38 seconds to fill out, and left me to wait another 22 minutes alone to think about what I'd done to deserve this. I resorted to scanning my only reading material, a purple coupon guide to the Spar grocery store in Austria. Würst and Stiegl are as cheap as ever. Go figure.
Finally Lindsay came back and rushed me to the MRI tube, apologizing for her delay. She then strapped me down in the tube, taping my hands to two keypads with which to record my responses to video instructions and tasks reflected to my eyes by a slanted mirror and monitor in the tube. The 'tests' referred to were responses to racial profiling and involved making social judgments of people of other races. Initial interest turned quickly to a claustrophobic nightmare as I was bombarded for 1.8 hours with photos of Asian teens and confusing stories and puzzles to trick my short term memory. No breaks. No movement. Head was strapped to a board with a hockey goalie ish helmet fixture to send magnetic pulses through my highly irritated brain lobes, while being bombarded with the noise of magnetic pulses. (Magnetic pulses in an MRI tube sound very similar to the noise a snowplow on I-93 makes while scratching dry pavement at 70mph).
After the 2nd worst two hours of my life...
http://harvardnordic.blogspot.com/2007/12/new-definition-of-pain-and-suffering.html
...I was pulled out of the tube and vented my less than cordial opinions on how MRI's should be run, especially with students with flat bicycle tires. Lindsay, feeling terrible, shelled out $85 and a taxi voucher to North Station. I ended up being kicked off the green line 1 stop away from Park Street and the bike-friendly red line by a disgruntled employee and had to walk the last couple blocks from government center in a windy snow squall. I was sure that Lindsay was running behind me with a videocamera, that the real study wouldn't end until I made it back to campus.
So next time you need quick cash and think that lying, motionless, in a noisy, claustrophobic tube is the way to get it... think again. Or just hit the CLER lab.
Better yet, listen to Betsy Nabel. MRI's are toxic.
Still trembling with residual magnetic resonance,
-D
-D
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Absentee Captains Necessitate Mediocre Photoshopping
Check out this jewel that Naj spawned post-race yesterday...
-mer
ps. more girls write on the blog. do it.
Solid weekend
Well, Oak Hill has come and gone. The races were solid. Friday we put three girls in the top 35, highlighted by A-Devs scoring some points in 28th, then Audrey and Cara in 32nd and 35th, respectively. The rest of the girls had solid showings as well. Mer competed in only her second college race and beat a few skiers. Not bad for probably the hardest 5k loop on the circuit.
In the men's race we had a relatively historic showing, putting two men in the top 40 for the first time since I've been at Harvard (that is to say, 4 years), and probably since the City-Bellizzi era (though I can't say for certain). I rocked a 32nd, my best collegiate finish ever, which was pretty sweet, even though I'm disappointed I was out of the points. Dave was 39th, 24 seconds behind me. Both of us were less than 2 minutes from the top 10 (the race was crushed by Midd's Simi Hamilton, who put nearly 40 seconds into second place). Trev rounded out the scoring in 52nd place, beating some solid skiers from SLU. Anders was right in it, and Cullen had a solid 3rd college race on a wickedly tough 10k. Grundy had a tough fall that put him out of it, but he said the rest of the race went well. As a men's team, we beat SLU for the first time in a long-ass time. And we were close to catching Williams.
Today Oak Hill owned the men's team. With 9k of uphill in an 11k lap, we knew from the outset it'd be a challenge. And, having not previewed the course, we were skiing blind. But whatever, it was a fun day. Trev rocked a 48th, I survived in 49th, and Anders was up there in 52. Everyone had a rough day for various reasons. Props to Cullen for hitting up his first 20k in college, and to Grundizzle for doing the hardest 20k I've ever done in college on less-than perfect pre-season training. C-Nabes, if you read this, we missed you.
The women had another good day today. Audrey got it started with some points in 28th, then Alyssa was 34th and Cara was 41st, a gutsy effort considering after the race she felt feverish and had to go home early. Tannis popped off a great race, thanks to some good skis and an awesome effort. Schulzy got sidetracked by rough skis, but we'll fix that next time. Mer did her first ever race over 10k, and it was on the hardest course on the circuit. Nice going, killer.
And we were joined by some Canadians today. I don't know where they were from, but here's hoping they were from my favorite part of Canada:
-- O
In the men's race we had a relatively historic showing, putting two men in the top 40 for the first time since I've been at Harvard (that is to say, 4 years), and probably since the City-Bellizzi era (though I can't say for certain). I rocked a 32nd, my best collegiate finish ever, which was pretty sweet, even though I'm disappointed I was out of the points. Dave was 39th, 24 seconds behind me. Both of us were less than 2 minutes from the top 10 (the race was crushed by Midd's Simi Hamilton, who put nearly 40 seconds into second place). Trev rounded out the scoring in 52nd place, beating some solid skiers from SLU. Anders was right in it, and Cullen had a solid 3rd college race on a wickedly tough 10k. Grundy had a tough fall that put him out of it, but he said the rest of the race went well. As a men's team, we beat SLU for the first time in a long-ass time. And we were close to catching Williams.
Today Oak Hill owned the men's team. With 9k of uphill in an 11k lap, we knew from the outset it'd be a challenge. And, having not previewed the course, we were skiing blind. But whatever, it was a fun day. Trev rocked a 48th, I survived in 49th, and Anders was up there in 52. Everyone had a rough day for various reasons. Props to Cullen for hitting up his first 20k in college, and to Grundizzle for doing the hardest 20k I've ever done in college on less-than perfect pre-season training. C-Nabes, if you read this, we missed you.
The women had another good day today. Audrey got it started with some points in 28th, then Alyssa was 34th and Cara was 41st, a gutsy effort considering after the race she felt feverish and had to go home early. Tannis popped off a great race, thanks to some good skis and an awesome effort. Schulzy got sidetracked by rough skis, but we'll fix that next time. Mer did her first ever race over 10k, and it was on the hardest course on the circuit. Nice going, killer.
And we were joined by some Canadians today. I don't know where they were from, but here's hoping they were from my favorite part of Canada:
-- O
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Christopher Shield Nabel
Remember the days when Chris Nabel had a 10- Year Plan?
Remember the days when Chris Nabel had a plan?-D
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Saturday Recap
Well, there were bears. And by bears, I mean beater results by yours truly.
I'm starting to think this growing-a-mustache-to-shame-myself-into-racing-faster thing isn't working. I should stick to the clean-shaven look. Mustache may be gone tomorrow. Depends on whether I feel like getting up to shave.
-- O
Yeah, it looks that bad. Seriously. I look like I have cinnamon roll crumbs on my upper lip. Or maybe hot cocoa residue?
I'm starting to think this growing-a-mustache-to-shame-myself-into-racing-faster thing isn't working. I should stick to the clean-shaven look. Mustache may be gone tomorrow. Depends on whether I feel like getting up to shave.
-- O
Yeah, it looks that bad. Seriously. I look like I have cinnamon roll crumbs on my upper lip. Or maybe hot cocoa residue?Friday, February 1, 2008
Waiting Patiently (or How Cera F Will Someday Give Me Respitory Cancer)
Well, we raced today. The girls had a good one, and since no one really blogs anymore, I figure out of spite I won't mention it any further (maybe then someone will get off her ass and post something).
The guys ... well, the guys participated in a race. Some of us watched it unfold from the pack, most of us flailed around, and some of us had decent days. I think we all have more to offer in classic, and we've got 2 more distance races to show that. It'll come, but we need to remember to ski relaxed, smooth, and powerful, rather than frenzied, flailing (not the adjectival form I was looking for), and generally retarded.
Tomorrow is the sprint for which I am so patiently waiting. 15 second intervals, 65 starters, freezing-rain-pellet-things falling from the sky right now - all ingredients for a great day. Look for some of us in the top 30. We plan on being there.
The skis are waxed, food is in the belly, and the team is in varied states of relaxation as I type. Game on. Unless there's bears.
-- O
The guys ... well, the guys participated in a race. Some of us watched it unfold from the pack, most of us flailed around, and some of us had decent days. I think we all have more to offer in classic, and we've got 2 more distance races to show that. It'll come, but we need to remember to ski relaxed, smooth, and powerful, rather than frenzied, flailing (not the adjectival form I was looking for), and generally retarded.
Tomorrow is the sprint for which I am so patiently waiting. 15 second intervals, 65 starters, freezing-rain-pellet-things falling from the sky right now - all ingredients for a great day. Look for some of us in the top 30. We plan on being there.
The skis are waxed, food is in the belly, and the team is in varied states of relaxation as I type. Game on. Unless there's bears.
-- O
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