Another Funeral

I went to another funeral today. My neighbor’s son was struck by a car while crossing a street in Midland, Texas. He was only 25 years old. It’s all so sad. I think the hardest thing in the world is to lose one of your children. The next hardest, is to lose a spouse, and the third hardest is to lose a parent. I’m not a very religious person, so death seems awfully final to me. And funerals so close to Christmas, are even harder. My dad died in December of 1983. It ruined the Holidays that year, and I still think about him every Christmas. I have another funeral, for one of my cousins, to go to tomorrow (Sunday) in Beaumont, TX. I'll have to miss Halfmoon's anniversary run, which I really wanted to participate in.

Wasps on Trail

I was enjoying the moderate weather and cool forest conditions of the Michigan Expatriates Run. It was a nice day to be alive and I was following about 10 or 15 yards behind “Cums Happily” when I was suddenly ambushed by a bunch of yellow jacket wasps. The runners in front of me were not attacked, but I guess they annoyed the wasps just enough to put them on the warpath. It was amazing how coordinated the attack was, because a dozen or so wasps hit me simultaneously. I wasn’t sure whether it was bees or wasps, but I was certain that it was painful. I immediately picked up the pace to get away from them while yelling “bees, bees”.
“Momma’s Boy was the next runner behind me and he either didn’t hear my calls or he ignored them because he continued right into the middle of the swarm. I have only heard such swearing on trail once before when FMR was running down hill and suddenly found herself in the middle of acres of poison ivy. “Momma’s Boy” must have used the “F’ word 50 times as he was fighting off the wasps and telling the runners behind him to “go back”.
I ended up with about 8 stings. For the first 24 hours the stings were painful, but after 36 hours the pain had turned to just swelling and itching.
I once read an article that suggested that bee stings could cure arthritis. Between the bee stings that I got on trail a couple of years ago and the wasp stings that I got yesterday, I should now be immune to arthritis.

Sleeping on the same side of the bed

Ever notice how men & women develop the habit of always sleeping on the same side of the bed. I sleep on the left side of the bed and my wife sleeps on my right. We’re very comfortable that way, but how did we develop that habit? I asked my wife if she knew, and she actually remembered the story.
When we got married, we moved into an efficiency apartment near the campus of Lamar University where I was a student. It was a tiny apartment with no central heating system. My wife had already graduated from Lamar and was teaching at a Jr. High School. She had to get up each morning earlier than I did, because she had to drive to school, where as, I had only a short walk to campus.
Our apartment was cold on winter mornings, but there was a space heater located on the wall near the right side of the bed. Since my wife got up first, she got the warm side of the bed….the right side. And to this day, I’m much more comfortable sleeping on what I consider to be “My” side of the bed….the left side. Isn’t it strange how some of our habits come about?

Laughing after sex

I once heard a hasher say that she had recently had an orgasm that was so good that she just had to laugh after it was over. I gave that a little thought and then decided that it was probably true of most women. So, if a women laughs after sex, that could be a good thing……or it could be a bad thing, depending on what she’s laughing about!!

Snakes in Our Area

After laying trail for the Sept 16, Bayou Bivouac run, I’ve now seen all four types of poisonous snakes that live in Texas. I saw a coral snake while laying flour just a little west of the second Hunter’s Bayou crossing. I remembered the rhyme “Red on Black, Friend of Jack but Red on Yellow, Kill a Fellow.” And this snake was definitely red on yellow.

The other poisonous snakes in Texas are Copperheads, Cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins), and Rattlesnakes. If you’re ever bitten by one of these snakes, here’s
some good advice from the Texas Parks & Wildlife web page:
What to DoIf bitten,
1. Assume envenomation has occurred, especially if initial symptoms are present. Initial symptoms of pit viper bites include fang puncture marks; in addition, they almost always include immediate burning pain at the bite site, immediate and usually progressive local swelling within five minutes, as well as local discoloration of the skin. Initial symptoms of coral snake bites include tremors, slurred speech, blurred or double vision, drowsiness or euphoria and a marked increase in salivation within four hours; however, life-threatening effects from coral snake envenomation may not be evident for 24 hours or longer.
2. Identify the species of venomous snake that inflicted the bite, if possible, taking care to avoid another person being bitten. Identification is not necessary, but may be helpful.
3. Keep the victim as calm as possible. This helps reduce the spread of venom and the onset of shock.
4. Keep yourself and any other members of the group calm as well. This will help reassure the victim and ensure that the appropriate first-aid measures are followed, as well as preventing anyone else from becoming injured.
5. Know and be alert for the symptoms of shock, and institute the proper treatment should it ensue. Difficulty in breathing and/or kidney failure are frequent symptoms of envenomation.
6. Wash the bite area with a disinfectant if available.
7. Remove jewelry such as rings and watches, as well as tight-fitting clothes, before the onset of swelling.
8. Reduce or prevent movement of a bitten extremity, using a splint if possible; this helps decrease the spread of venom. For the same reason, position the extremity below the level of the heart.
9. Get the victim to a medical facility as soon as possible and begin treatment there with intravenous antivenom, crystalloid solutions and antibiotics. Antivenom treatment is generally most effective within the first four hours of envenomation, and is ineffective after 8-10 hours.
What NOT to Do
1. Do not make incisions over the bite marks. This can result in significant damage to already traumatized tissue, and can damage intact structures such as nerves and blood vessels, enhance bleeding caused by anticoagulant components of venom and increase the rapid spread of venom throughout the body if the circulatory system is compromised. A suction device, such as the Sawyer ExtractorTM, may be used without making any incisions. This device may remove significant quantities of venom, although its efficacy has yet to be conclusively determined.
2. Do not use a tourniquet or other constricting ban except in extreme cases of envenomation, and then only if properly trained in the technique. Such devices are of no value if applied more than thirty minutes after the bite, and if improperly used they can restrict blood vital blood flow to the traumatized tissue and possibly result in the amputation of an extremity. Unbearable pain can also result, and the improper loosening of such devices can allow sudden systemic absorption of venom.
3. Do not use cryotherapy (including cold compresses, ice, dry ice, chemical ice packs, spray refrigerants, and freezing) for the same reasons that the tourniquets should be avoided, and also because it can increase the area necrosis.
4. Do not use electroshock therapy, a method popularized following publication of a letter from a missionary in South America reporting its effectiveness in treating bites from snakes of uncertain identity. Several controlled clinical trials and at least one on humans have failed to demonstrate any positive result; moreover, the potential negative results from the uncontrolled use of an electric charge are obvious.
5. Do not drink alcohol, as it dilates blood vessels and increases absorption from the circulatory system, and thus helps spread venom faster.
6. Do not use aspirin or related medications to relieve pain, because they increase bleeding. A pain reliever not containing aspirin, however, may be used.
7. Do not use the pressure/immobilization technique, which consists of firmly wrapping the entire limb with an elastic bandage and then splinting, especially for pit viper bites. The theory behind this treatment is to confine the venom to the area of the bite until reaching a medical facility, but studies have shown the technique to be ineffective or worse with venoms which produce local swelling and tissue damage. Do not administer antivenom in the field unless properly trained in the procedure, unless evacuation to a medical facility will take many hours or days, or unless envenomation has been extreme. Intramuscular or subcutaneous application of antivenom has proven to be much less effective, and in some cases ineffective, than intravenous administration. Acute allergic reactions to antivenom can occur, and contemplated field administration of antivenom should include provision for a sufficient supply of epinephrine (adrenalin) to counteract any such potential effects.

Women's Equality

While I was mowing the grass today, my wife came out and pushed the mower about 3 feet, just so she could say that she helped. It was a joke, but I sometimes wonder just how liberated women really are. There is actually a pretty clear division of responsibilities at our house, and it’s pretty traditional. I mow the grass, take car of the cars, fix the plumbing, etc. She washes the clothes, mops the floor, and does the house cleaning. The division is not my choice, but hers. That’s how she wants it. And I see similar divisions in many other relationships.
When I was at Clearfork I saw something else that I thought was interesting. There was a group of young folks playing tippy cup and they began to loose their clothes. Before the girls would get naked, they would ask permission from their boyfriends, but the guys never asked the girls for permission…they just did it. There was a clear double standard.
I’m a big supporter of women’s equality, but I still see a lot of inequality, and I sometimes think that women do some of it to themselves.

Unusual People

I’ve always liked unusual people; they often make life more interesting. And I’m amazed that some people seem to dislike, even hate, anyone who is not like them.

I have a very good friend in New Mexico who is the most unusual person that I’ve ever met. He’s a full blood Cherokee Indian. And his ideas have had a profound influence on my life.

His Cherokee Indian grandmother raised him in a remote area of New Mexico. They lived in a one-room log cabin with no running water and no electricity. When he was about 13 years old he had the equivalent of a third grade education. A social worker convinced his older sister, to take him into her home in the city. The social worker enrolled him in a remedial education program and when he was about 16, he enrolled in High School. He told me that he had a terrible time in high school, because he didn’t have many social skills and was constantly being ridiculed by his peers.

When he graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force where he worked on heat seeking missiles and learned photography. After completing his Air Force service, he started a wedding photography business and paid for his own education at New Mexico State University where he obtained an electrical engineering degree. I met him when he came to work for the same company that I worked for.

We shared an office together, and got to be best friends. He questioned my religious beliefs, my political beliefs, and just about everything else that I thought I knew. He made me think about life in a whole new way. Today, my views are very different than when I graduated from college. And I have my very unusual friend to thank for opening my mind to new ideas.

PC Adventure

It’s Thursday June 28. I don’t usually run with the PC guys because the runs are often too long to suit me, but based on Pussy Checker’s assurance’s that the trail was only 6 miles long, I decided to give it a try. From the stories that I’ve heard, the OTR women plan their runs for a good time, but the PC guys are mostly interested in proving their endurance. It was a perfect evening for a run, and 10 or so manly men showed up for the event.
I started out with the group and held my own for 4 or 5 miles, but then lost the pack as we negotiated a really dense area of shiggy. When I emerged from the poison ivy infested area, I had lost the pack and it was getting dark. With flashlight in hand, I pressed on, and Heartache, knowing that I was following, had helpfully marked a couple of checks so that I could catch up, but I was too far behind. So I had to solve all of the last half of the trail by myself. This trail was the hare’s first PC trail and he purposely made the checks hard so that he wouldn’t get caught. I did pretty well until I came to the check under the Beltway 8 and Highway 59 interchange. The check was under a bridge and there were numerous directions to check. Homeless folks were living under some of the bridges, so I steered clear of them. After checking every other possible direction, I sprinted across the bridge, dodging high speed traffic as I went, and sure enough, found trail again. From there, the trail continued along the bayou. I was hoping that I getting close to the end, when I found the water check, which meant that I had a long way to go. The rest of the trail was uneventful, and I finished after 2 hours and 31 minutes coming in to the sounds of DFL, DFL. Oh well, at least I finished, and after having run 10 miles of so, I really didn’t care whether I was DFL or not. I was just happy to be among my PC friends again.

Slut Brothers Wet Run

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city and I love the view from Mount Washington. But after spending a week attending a conference at an expensive hotel there, it was nice to get back home to Houston and some good Mexican food. Our Pittsburgh departure was delayed for four hours because of storms around the Houston area but all was clear by the time we got here.
I got up Sunday morning, ready to go hashing. The storms had returned and lighting and thunder rumbled all around. But by afternoon, the weather was improving, and by the time the run started in the Addicks reservoir area, the skies were a beautiful blue, and the air was a crisp and comfortable 78 degrees. How often do we get that in Houston in the middle of June?
The slut brother promised a 100% shiggy run and they delivered. As soon as the pack cleared the reservoir levee, the trail was off road and led the hounds through miles of mud and water. The water slowed the FRBs, and helped to keep the pack together. Much of he trail was through ankle deep water, but many sections were knee deep. When we came to the bayou crossing near the end of the trail, the water was deep and required swimming across 50 or 60 feet of water, which I elected not to try. I’m not a good swimmer. When I was younger, I could swim the length of the pool, but I haven’t done that in years. So I ran the trail backwards back to the cars. By doing so, I probably ran further than anyone else on trail. It was kind of interesting doing the trail back alone, because I could hear and smell so many things that I missed before. The birds were singing, the frogs were croaking, and the fragrance of wild flowers was delightful.
I auto wanked to the on-on at a park on Highway 6 right beside Buffalo Bayou. McPisser led the circle under gorgeous blue skies. The On-on-on was at the JP Hop House, a Karaoke bar, where we were entertained by some talented performers. To the delight of the crowd, the bar owner talked Dry Hose into performing a couple of Eagles songs. Dry Hose played guitar and sang, and we all sang along with him. It was a great day. Life is good.

Full Moon Run

Estrus, C.R.A.F.T. , and I are co-hares for the full moon hash run on Tuesday, May 31. We've found a cool ending spot that's never been used for a hash run before. This will be the second full moon this month, so it's called a Blue Moon. If it doesn't flood, we should have a fun event with lots of Blue Moon beer to drink at the end.