I don't think it's any big secret that we've not really been keeping up with the blog recently (ok, if we're honest, for a year or so), but life gets busy, moves on, and laughs at people who think that it's under their control.
The purpose of this post isn't to describe everything that's happened since the last time I posted, but rather to describe a dream that I had last night. Recently, I've been having odd dreams about WTM. Just as a quick recap, I ran WTM 13 (New Jersey), WTM 14 (Vegas) and WTM 16 (Vegas again). I wasn't able to run the 2017 event due to various life circumstances, but I followed along on the website as Danny ran and Brian pitted. I wasn't super happy about not being able to be in Vegas, but it couldn't really be helped, so I sucked it up and did my best.
Well, apparently, I must have some issues with missing out because I've been having dreams about various obstacles and races. Last night's dream was about an obstacle that required the participant to download an app on their phone as they approached a field full of various household objects. In the middle of the field was a wall. The app would inform the participant the specifics of the task that needed to be done with the objects and the results would be judged by a volunteer observer.
The first time I approached the obstacle I was shocked to hear that I would need my phone given the fact that there was a lot of swimming in the event and I couldn't figure how I would keep the phone dry throughout the rest of the race. As with most dreams that thought quickly fled as my phone appeared in my hand. I dutifully downloaded the app and was told that I needed to do something called "Power Outage", which came down to finding something that would normally move under its own power and then carrying it across the field. I found a weed-eater and decided that it had moving parts, which was good enough for me. I picked it up, climbed over the wall with it and dropped it on the other side. The volunteer observer nodded at me to indicate that was an approved item and I ran on.
The second time I approached the field, I looked at the app and was told I would have to do something called "Simple Machining" which was described as finding objects to build a simple machine. I found a Nerf football and a board, carried them over the wall, and put them together to create an Inclined Plane. I showed this to the observer and he shook his head. I was flummoxed. An Inclined Plane is pretty much the dictionary definition of a simple machine, and I told him so. He said that it wasn't a machine at all, and I would fail the obstacle. I told him that was unacceptable given the fact that any Google search would show him the six simple machine forms that he should have learned in elementary school. He got indignant and decided that he wasn't going to allow me to continue, so I decided to take a different tack. Given the fact that I had my phone, and assuming that he simply misunderstood the distinction between simple and complex machines, I offered to Google it for him. He accepted, but wanted conditions. He said that if I was wrong, I would have to stop running the race two hours before the cutoff time. Figuring this was a negotiation at this point, I told him I wouldn't do that, but I would take a 10 minute penalty. I knew I was right, so I wouldn't have lost anything by accepting his initial condition, but I didn't want him to have even the small victory of me agreeing to his demands. He agreed to my counter proposal, and with the conditions of the negotiation agreed upon I pulled out my phone to Google the answer, and then I woke up...
It was 3:15 in the morning. My wife was asleep in the bed next to me. My children were asleep in the living room (a long story in itself). And I was laying in my bed seething. I laid in my bed for nearly 45 minutes silently brooding on the idiocy of the made-up guy in my dream. I got so wrapped up in this dream scenario that I started to question my own knowledge about simple machines. After all, it was a long time ago. Maybe an inclined plane isn't a simple machine after all. I had to get up, since it became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep without finishing that damn Google search. I'm happy to say that I wasn't wrong. An inclined plane is a simple machine. I wouldn't have had that 10 minute penalty. I did lose a night of sleep, though, so that could have worked out better for me.
I guess the lesson to learn from this is that you can get TOO invested in things like this. It is tough to take the emotions out of the various straw-man arguments that we make for ourselves, but it's silly to lose sleep over these things.
The purpose of this post isn't to describe everything that's happened since the last time I posted, but rather to describe a dream that I had last night. Recently, I've been having odd dreams about WTM. Just as a quick recap, I ran WTM 13 (New Jersey), WTM 14 (Vegas) and WTM 16 (Vegas again). I wasn't able to run the 2017 event due to various life circumstances, but I followed along on the website as Danny ran and Brian pitted. I wasn't super happy about not being able to be in Vegas, but it couldn't really be helped, so I sucked it up and did my best.
Well, apparently, I must have some issues with missing out because I've been having dreams about various obstacles and races. Last night's dream was about an obstacle that required the participant to download an app on their phone as they approached a field full of various household objects. In the middle of the field was a wall. The app would inform the participant the specifics of the task that needed to be done with the objects and the results would be judged by a volunteer observer.
The first time I approached the obstacle I was shocked to hear that I would need my phone given the fact that there was a lot of swimming in the event and I couldn't figure how I would keep the phone dry throughout the rest of the race. As with most dreams that thought quickly fled as my phone appeared in my hand. I dutifully downloaded the app and was told that I needed to do something called "Power Outage", which came down to finding something that would normally move under its own power and then carrying it across the field. I found a weed-eater and decided that it had moving parts, which was good enough for me. I picked it up, climbed over the wall with it and dropped it on the other side. The volunteer observer nodded at me to indicate that was an approved item and I ran on.
The second time I approached the field, I looked at the app and was told I would have to do something called "Simple Machining" which was described as finding objects to build a simple machine. I found a Nerf football and a board, carried them over the wall, and put them together to create an Inclined Plane. I showed this to the observer and he shook his head. I was flummoxed. An Inclined Plane is pretty much the dictionary definition of a simple machine, and I told him so. He said that it wasn't a machine at all, and I would fail the obstacle. I told him that was unacceptable given the fact that any Google search would show him the six simple machine forms that he should have learned in elementary school. He got indignant and decided that he wasn't going to allow me to continue, so I decided to take a different tack. Given the fact that I had my phone, and assuming that he simply misunderstood the distinction between simple and complex machines, I offered to Google it for him. He accepted, but wanted conditions. He said that if I was wrong, I would have to stop running the race two hours before the cutoff time. Figuring this was a negotiation at this point, I told him I wouldn't do that, but I would take a 10 minute penalty. I knew I was right, so I wouldn't have lost anything by accepting his initial condition, but I didn't want him to have even the small victory of me agreeing to his demands. He agreed to my counter proposal, and with the conditions of the negotiation agreed upon I pulled out my phone to Google the answer, and then I woke up...
It was 3:15 in the morning. My wife was asleep in the bed next to me. My children were asleep in the living room (a long story in itself). And I was laying in my bed seething. I laid in my bed for nearly 45 minutes silently brooding on the idiocy of the made-up guy in my dream. I got so wrapped up in this dream scenario that I started to question my own knowledge about simple machines. After all, it was a long time ago. Maybe an inclined plane isn't a simple machine after all. I had to get up, since it became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep without finishing that damn Google search. I'm happy to say that I wasn't wrong. An inclined plane is a simple machine. I wouldn't have had that 10 minute penalty. I did lose a night of sleep, though, so that could have worked out better for me.
I guess the lesson to learn from this is that you can get TOO invested in things like this. It is tough to take the emotions out of the various straw-man arguments that we make for ourselves, but it's silly to lose sleep over these things.
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