Eugene, June 11, 2008
I have been working on constructing a harp from a kit. The kit is pretty minimal so I am needing to do some pretty fine woodworking. She is walnut, her curves are smooth and round, her angles captivating. I was turned onto the harp through my girlfriend, Kelsey, when she was keeping hers in my room to practice. When she plays for me I am transported to a calm peaceful world, and all my troules seem to dissolve. When I play, the strings almost play me; the meditation resonates a basic vibration that unifies the Spirit of the universe.
I will be putting on the second coat of varnish after blogging. Then bed time. The light lingers until almost 10pm, only ten days away from summer solstice. Where have the seasons gone?
Love and Light
Gabe
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
State
Eugene, May 28, 2008
The State meet rapped up the 24th of May, and after a few days of reflection, I am still at a loss to express the enormous emotions that have sprung from a full season working with the ITA Eugene South Axemen. A few individuals made some impressive marks (in order):
Sasha took third as a sophomore in the 800m: 2:16!!
Walker took fourth in he 1500m: 3:59.
Casey finished fifth in the 800m: 1:56.
Sammy was just off the lead pack in the 3K, sub 9.
This third day of competition I ran in the elite 800m: eighth in 1:49.6. I was actually quite encouraged by my performance: form, feeling and motivation.
I am looking forward to the Pre Pre, 1500m on June 8 before the televised portion of the Prefontaine Classic. Then on June 15 I will be running another 1500m at the "Last Chance Meeting" at Hayward Field. At this point I have a solid B standard: 3:39 from the semifinals at last years outdoor nationals in Indianapolis; so it is just a matter of getting to the line as psyched as possible for July 4 and again on July 6 for the finals of the Olympic Trials.
God Bless and destroy your opponents! When you can't destroy your opponents, destroy yourself so you can rebuild yourself.
Gabe
The State meet rapped up the 24th of May, and after a few days of reflection, I am still at a loss to express the enormous emotions that have sprung from a full season working with the ITA Eugene South Axemen. A few individuals made some impressive marks (in order):
Sasha took third as a sophomore in the 800m: 2:16!!
Walker took fourth in he 1500m: 3:59.
Casey finished fifth in the 800m: 1:56.
Sammy was just off the lead pack in the 3K, sub 9.
This third day of competition I ran in the elite 800m: eighth in 1:49.6. I was actually quite encouraged by my performance: form, feeling and motivation.
I am looking forward to the Pre Pre, 1500m on June 8 before the televised portion of the Prefontaine Classic. Then on June 15 I will be running another 1500m at the "Last Chance Meeting" at Hayward Field. At this point I have a solid B standard: 3:39 from the semifinals at last years outdoor nationals in Indianapolis; so it is just a matter of getting to the line as psyched as possible for July 4 and again on July 6 for the finals of the Olympic Trials.
God Bless and destroy your opponents! When you can't destroy your opponents, destroy yourself so you can rebuild yourself.
Gabe
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Districts
May 17, 2008
The Arena Axemen competed in Grants Pass today for the final day of competition in the Districts championships: qualifying for the Oregon State High School Championships May 22, 23, and 24th.
There were a lot of brilliant performances, but a few stand out in my mind from memory: 1,2,3 sweep in the boys 800m 1:57/1:58's: Casey Weinman, Walker Augustyniak, Brad Gissel: Walker took control from the gun, Casey surged with 230m to go, and brad finished well over the last 120m; 1,2,5 in the girls 800m 1:21: Sasha Teninty (sophomore), Rachel Bunting, and Nora Wilson (freshman): Sasha stalked the leader from the gun, sling-shotting past with 170m to go, while Rachel moved from mid-pack to third in the backstretch, challenging Sasha in the homestretch; 1,3 dominance in boys 1500m with a bold move by Sammy with 800m to go and a final quarter surge by Walker in 58 for a 4:06 and 4:09 respectively. The South girls dominated the 4 X 400m relay, victorious by 70 meters: lead-off Anna Persmark (frehman), Sasha Teninty, Lauren Opsal and Rachel Bunting (after winning the open 400m and second in the 800m).
I am excited for the State Championships next week! I would like to see some aggressive and confident running: fast and relaxed : : the sublime opposition. I believe we can win some titles. Hayward Field here we come! I am also competing myself on Saturday, May 24, in an elite 800m set up by Mr. Gagliano of the OTC elite Track Club with the intention of running the Olympic A standard: sub 1:46! We will race at around 1pm to start off the final day of the State Chapionships. It appears that I will be holding myself accountable to everything that I ask of my athletes. Do as I do!
God Bless and PUT YOUR HAND ON THE TORCH!
Gabe
The Arena Axemen competed in Grants Pass today for the final day of competition in the Districts championships: qualifying for the Oregon State High School Championships May 22, 23, and 24th.
There were a lot of brilliant performances, but a few stand out in my mind from memory: 1,2,3 sweep in the boys 800m 1:57/1:58's: Casey Weinman, Walker Augustyniak, Brad Gissel: Walker took control from the gun, Casey surged with 230m to go, and brad finished well over the last 120m; 1,2,5 in the girls 800m 1:21: Sasha Teninty (sophomore), Rachel Bunting, and Nora Wilson (freshman): Sasha stalked the leader from the gun, sling-shotting past with 170m to go, while Rachel moved from mid-pack to third in the backstretch, challenging Sasha in the homestretch; 1,3 dominance in boys 1500m with a bold move by Sammy with 800m to go and a final quarter surge by Walker in 58 for a 4:06 and 4:09 respectively. The South girls dominated the 4 X 400m relay, victorious by 70 meters: lead-off Anna Persmark (frehman), Sasha Teninty, Lauren Opsal and Rachel Bunting (after winning the open 400m and second in the 800m).
I am excited for the State Championships next week! I would like to see some aggressive and confident running: fast and relaxed : : the sublime opposition. I believe we can win some titles. Hayward Field here we come! I am also competing myself on Saturday, May 24, in an elite 800m set up by Mr. Gagliano of the OTC elite Track Club with the intention of running the Olympic A standard: sub 1:46! We will race at around 1pm to start off the final day of the State Chapionships. It appears that I will be holding myself accountable to everything that I ask of my athletes. Do as I do!
God Bless and PUT YOUR HAND ON THE TORCH!
Gabe
Saturday, April 26, 2008
1500m Opener
Eugene April 25, 2008
Life is full.
The South Axemen continue to prepare for Districts May 15. I am optimistic for big performances. A couple of our stars are set on winning, and most of our leaders are autonomous, free acting, free wheeling runners who intend on turning some heads on and off the track. As my Achilles Heel has sidelined me the past month, I have not been able to actively run with the kids, which has left me taking a larger role on the coaching side of things. Today I drive up to the Centennial Invitational in Portland to encourage a few of our stars on the boys side: Walker, Ryan, Casey and Sammy. All of them will be aiming for personal bests; what more can you ask for?
Last night I raced in a 1500m: 3:41.68 (I believe) for second, just behind Pifer from Colorado. Thanks for coming out last night and supporting. It was a good opener; better things to come. I race again May 9 at Hayward field for the Oregon Twilight.
Today I am going to the Opera at the Gateway Mall, live feed from the Met, the show is a favorite of mine: Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment"; then I am driving up to Centennial to support the Axemen. Sunday morning I am driving out to Fossil in Eastern Oregon where Bill Bowerman grew up to present to the elementary kids on Monday, where my coach, Dick Brown's Daughter, Jenny, teaches. Monday afternoon my girlfriend, Kelsey, and I are planning on an overnight canoe trip on the John Day River--some 38 miles. It should be a fun weekend!
God Bless and Destroy Your Opponents!
Gabe
Life is full.
The South Axemen continue to prepare for Districts May 15. I am optimistic for big performances. A couple of our stars are set on winning, and most of our leaders are autonomous, free acting, free wheeling runners who intend on turning some heads on and off the track. As my Achilles Heel has sidelined me the past month, I have not been able to actively run with the kids, which has left me taking a larger role on the coaching side of things. Today I drive up to the Centennial Invitational in Portland to encourage a few of our stars on the boys side: Walker, Ryan, Casey and Sammy. All of them will be aiming for personal bests; what more can you ask for?
Last night I raced in a 1500m: 3:41.68 (I believe) for second, just behind Pifer from Colorado. Thanks for coming out last night and supporting. It was a good opener; better things to come. I race again May 9 at Hayward field for the Oregon Twilight.
Today I am going to the Opera at the Gateway Mall, live feed from the Met, the show is a favorite of mine: Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment"; then I am driving up to Centennial to support the Axemen. Sunday morning I am driving out to Fossil in Eastern Oregon where Bill Bowerman grew up to present to the elementary kids on Monday, where my coach, Dick Brown's Daughter, Jenny, teaches. Monday afternoon my girlfriend, Kelsey, and I are planning on an overnight canoe trip on the John Day River--some 38 miles. It should be a fun weekend!
God Bless and Destroy Your Opponents!
Gabe
Monday, March 31, 2008
Spring Break
Eugene, March 31, 2008
The past week has been spring break for the ITA Axemen. We held informal workouts Tuesday and Friday and begin a full-fledged spring season tomorrow.
The flowers are blooming, and like the birds and the bees, I too have caught a bit of the spring fever, even though the weather has been wet and miserable as usual--snow, at times--now, however, the sun suddenly shines through in all its glory--that's Eugene for you. What I mean by spring fever is that I met a beautiful girl a little over three weeks ago and we have been dating ever since. Her name is Pearl, we met at the opera and we live through the opera. Last week we explored the Oregon coast of Yachats to Newport, settling down in the Tennessee Williams room of the Silvia Beach Hotel. The highlight of the trip was reading "A Streetcar Named Desire" in a tiny but hot bathtub with a rich Sonoma Cabernet and dark chocolate: an Ecstasy one can only wonder. In recent months Silvia's Beach has taken me on a journey beyond the horizon of our recent centuries to the depths of the Mediterranean world. Silvia Beach's physical hotel is just the immediate gratification of months of research. With Proteus as my guide, I feel like I can do anything. Apollo may frustrate my enterprise, but Proteus will protect me. The problem now is that the Willamette Valley is so far from the sea, and my vanity is in constant danger of self-destruction without assistance from the gods to properly channel my energy. Such a dilemma Joyce identifies as a "Tall Man's Complex" of sorts, always thinking oneself the tallest man in the room, but I prefer Schopenhauer's title "World as Will and Idea," Emerson's "Over-Soul," Nietzsche's "Superman," or Campbell's "Hero." However one defines this teleological principal of processing the ideal, our literary history is enough entangled in Aristotelian cannibalism, for me to offer yet another list of hackneyed footnotes. Yet I am too smitten with the enigma to offer a solution. . . better to just BE THE HERO, in between your blogging of course, where the customs of society beg us to describe THE HERO.
My Achilles Heel has taken me away from running the past 10 days, and I anticipate another week heavy on race walking and pool workouts. Such a regime screams "Victim," so I have added a goodly amount of power, weight lifting to get my testosterone levels up, and vindicate myself from the recent calumny that I am a faggot; my antagonists cite the tendency of me to take two hour walks along the river while belting Flowtow's "M'appari" from the top of my lungs as a sure sign of homosexuality. I assure you that this is a false rumor, though I do quite enjoy the motion of race walking, the sexiness of the step, the efficiency of the stride. And although I remain contemptuous of race walking as a sport, I am an advocate and subscriber to race walking for its physiological benefits: form-running breakdown, freeing of the mind, focusing of the mind, and its low stress.
God Bless and Walk with the Hips!
Gabe
The past week has been spring break for the ITA Axemen. We held informal workouts Tuesday and Friday and begin a full-fledged spring season tomorrow.
The flowers are blooming, and like the birds and the bees, I too have caught a bit of the spring fever, even though the weather has been wet and miserable as usual--snow, at times--now, however, the sun suddenly shines through in all its glory--that's Eugene for you. What I mean by spring fever is that I met a beautiful girl a little over three weeks ago and we have been dating ever since. Her name is Pearl, we met at the opera and we live through the opera. Last week we explored the Oregon coast of Yachats to Newport, settling down in the Tennessee Williams room of the Silvia Beach Hotel. The highlight of the trip was reading "A Streetcar Named Desire" in a tiny but hot bathtub with a rich Sonoma Cabernet and dark chocolate: an Ecstasy one can only wonder. In recent months Silvia's Beach has taken me on a journey beyond the horizon of our recent centuries to the depths of the Mediterranean world. Silvia Beach's physical hotel is just the immediate gratification of months of research. With Proteus as my guide, I feel like I can do anything. Apollo may frustrate my enterprise, but Proteus will protect me. The problem now is that the Willamette Valley is so far from the sea, and my vanity is in constant danger of self-destruction without assistance from the gods to properly channel my energy. Such a dilemma Joyce identifies as a "Tall Man's Complex" of sorts, always thinking oneself the tallest man in the room, but I prefer Schopenhauer's title "World as Will and Idea," Emerson's "Over-Soul," Nietzsche's "Superman," or Campbell's "Hero." However one defines this teleological principal of processing the ideal, our literary history is enough entangled in Aristotelian cannibalism, for me to offer yet another list of hackneyed footnotes. Yet I am too smitten with the enigma to offer a solution. . . better to just BE THE HERO, in between your blogging of course, where the customs of society beg us to describe THE HERO.
My Achilles Heel has taken me away from running the past 10 days, and I anticipate another week heavy on race walking and pool workouts. Such a regime screams "Victim," so I have added a goodly amount of power, weight lifting to get my testosterone levels up, and vindicate myself from the recent calumny that I am a faggot; my antagonists cite the tendency of me to take two hour walks along the river while belting Flowtow's "M'appari" from the top of my lungs as a sure sign of homosexuality. I assure you that this is a false rumor, though I do quite enjoy the motion of race walking, the sexiness of the step, the efficiency of the stride. And although I remain contemptuous of race walking as a sport, I am an advocate and subscriber to race walking for its physiological benefits: form-running breakdown, freeing of the mind, focusing of the mind, and its low stress.
God Bless and Walk with the Hips!
Gabe
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Purlple and White
Eugene, March 9, 2008
Some people run for the money [me].
Some run for the glory [me].
Power [me]?
Others run for companionship.
Still others run for fun.
To stay in shape.
For fashion [Nora?].
After watching the South Axemen compete in the Purple and White intra-squad meeting I realized that I have been running for the wrong reasons. As I reflect on my life I realize that money, glory and power have brought me little ultimate satisfaction in life and a lot of tears; mostly, because I have failed to gain material wealth, glory or power; or at least to any sustaining degree. Yet, I fear that even when I do gain these material rewards, part of me will remain unfulfilled. Yet, I remain fixated on this whole reputation thing: above all else I desire honor. Yet honor is so fickle, earthly fame seems to disappear almost as quickly as it is won. So I guess maybe I am after some more lasting satisfaction. Any ideas?
After Coach Hess helped team Purple take second in the 4 X 4, he gleefully took a victory lap with the whole Axemen team: Purple, White, winner, loser, competitor, injured reserve, and team volunteer. Coach Hess handed off to anchorman, Carlos, with a 20 meter lead; only to watch Casey make up the deficit in the backstretch and utterly destroy Purple in the homestretch, garnering victory for White. But Coach Hess was not pissed off; he did not reproach Carlos for losing the race, succumbing to lactate head, his terrible form. No! He congratulated Carlos on a courageous effort, and congratulated the enemy team [white]. I was really taken in by this chivalry, and gentlemanly sportsmanship; his ability to subdue his pride and honor the champions as well as the defeated. After watching Coach Hess play the valiant knight, I am glad that I chickened out of the 4 X 4, because I am afraid that if Carlos has lost a race I had worked hard to win; he'd be running 5 mile Lydiards with the distance runners for the rest of the spring until he shaped up or dropped out.
Yesterday, thanks to coach Tyson, our Axemen brilliantly exhibited a brilliant spirit of unification at our Purlple and White meeting. And it is these young athletes who will remain my inspiration and models for the future!
Sunshine and God Bless!
Gabe
Some people run for the money [me].
Some run for the glory [me].
Power [me]?
Others run for companionship.
Still others run for fun.
To stay in shape.
For fashion [Nora?].
After watching the South Axemen compete in the Purple and White intra-squad meeting I realized that I have been running for the wrong reasons. As I reflect on my life I realize that money, glory and power have brought me little ultimate satisfaction in life and a lot of tears; mostly, because I have failed to gain material wealth, glory or power; or at least to any sustaining degree. Yet, I fear that even when I do gain these material rewards, part of me will remain unfulfilled. Yet, I remain fixated on this whole reputation thing: above all else I desire honor. Yet honor is so fickle, earthly fame seems to disappear almost as quickly as it is won. So I guess maybe I am after some more lasting satisfaction. Any ideas?
After Coach Hess helped team Purple take second in the 4 X 4, he gleefully took a victory lap with the whole Axemen team: Purple, White, winner, loser, competitor, injured reserve, and team volunteer. Coach Hess handed off to anchorman, Carlos, with a 20 meter lead; only to watch Casey make up the deficit in the backstretch and utterly destroy Purple in the homestretch, garnering victory for White. But Coach Hess was not pissed off; he did not reproach Carlos for losing the race, succumbing to lactate head, his terrible form. No! He congratulated Carlos on a courageous effort, and congratulated the enemy team [white]. I was really taken in by this chivalry, and gentlemanly sportsmanship; his ability to subdue his pride and honor the champions as well as the defeated. After watching Coach Hess play the valiant knight, I am glad that I chickened out of the 4 X 4, because I am afraid that if Carlos has lost a race I had worked hard to win; he'd be running 5 mile Lydiards with the distance runners for the rest of the spring until he shaped up or dropped out.
Yesterday, thanks to coach Tyson, our Axemen brilliantly exhibited a brilliant spirit of unification at our Purlple and White meeting. And it is these young athletes who will remain my inspiration and models for the future!
Sunshine and God Bless!
Gabe
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Shame
Oregon City, February 26, 2008
I apologize to my family, friends, and fans. I represented Saucony dishonorably this Sunday at the USATF Indoor 1500m Championships. I succumbed to fear and exhibited cowardice and impotence in my race. In the Army such behavior would be met with Court Marshall, and possibly dishonorable discharge for abandoning the front line. I am fortunate for my life that Sport is a somewhat forgivable game, unlike her sister War, who kills and takes prisoner. Unfortunately, for the honor of my family I can not even find the courage to make seppuku. To hell with honor and reputation! It is my own anguish I wish to be rid of. My only redemption lies on the track. I would vow revenge on my enemies, but I have vowed before and made a fool out of myself. Empty promises are laughable. Our only salvation lies in action and virtue.
Gabe
I apologize to my family, friends, and fans. I represented Saucony dishonorably this Sunday at the USATF Indoor 1500m Championships. I succumbed to fear and exhibited cowardice and impotence in my race. In the Army such behavior would be met with Court Marshall, and possibly dishonorable discharge for abandoning the front line. I am fortunate for my life that Sport is a somewhat forgivable game, unlike her sister War, who kills and takes prisoner. Unfortunately, for the honor of my family I can not even find the courage to make seppuku. To hell with honor and reputation! It is my own anguish I wish to be rid of. My only redemption lies on the track. I would vow revenge on my enemies, but I have vowed before and made a fool out of myself. Empty promises are laughable. Our only salvation lies in action and virtue.
Gabe
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