Welcome to Dyronman.com! My first blogging experience undertaken as a result of much encouragement by Brady Davis and Jeff Hicks , two genius computer guys here at my place of employment, CTEH .


The origin of the name of this site is twofold:

First, my name is Dyron.
Second, I am a man.

Bible

Which brings me to subject one: I clearly realize I am not "the" Man...He is mentioned elsewhere , and will likely be throughout this site as well. My understanding of my place on this Earth as a mortal man is pivotal to the way I live my life. On that religious note, I currently associate myself with the Christadelphians - I feel their understanding of and love for God's Word are tops amongst organized religions. I love discussing the Bible, but loathe getting bogged down in "religious" discussions. Religion is active, and I try hard to make my religion #1 in my life.


Family

Second in my life is my family. They are truly my pride and joy. At the top of the page you can see them in top form - the way I like to remember them. Marria and I have been married for 9 years on July 1; Asher is 4.5, and Lillian is 16 months.


Dyronman

Next is probably my pursuit of endurance sport greatness. My top accomplishment to date is completing the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships. Full Details! What excitement was had on that trip!


There is much else to be written - I'm excited about having a place to share my thoughts and hear thoughts from others! Thanks again, Jeff and Brady!

This past Thursday, I went to Houston. There was some training to be done for the UP, so I was called upon to deliver the goods. It was one of these one-day jobs – leave early, about 7 a.m. in this case, and return late, about 11:30 p.m. in this case. It’s amazing how these one-day excursions can take all the energy out of you!

After the training, Tim O’Brien (UP) pointed out to me the passenger train that they were putting together at the yard – about 10 antique passenger cars that were going to be hooked up behind the Challenger (a HUGE steam locomotive that did a national tour and actually came through Little Rock). The train was being put together for a charity event for 799 guests and former President George Bush. The scheme: travel to College Station, TX so that former George can skydive on someone’s back for his 80th birthday.

I got to have dinner with a good friend and brother in Christ, Brad Bennett. He happens to live about 5 miles from the railyard where I was doing the training. It’s always nice to be able to get together with believers when you’re traveling. Bill and Trey will forgive me for sleeping through the alarm on Friday – especially because my cell phone (which doubles as my alarm clock) died in the middle of the night. I still managed to ride my bike in to work, and home from work – so Thursday must not have tired me out that much. i need to work on being on time...

Saturday morning we headed for Fayetteville, Arkansas – one of our favorite places, and maybe our MOST favorite place, on the entire Earth, especially because of the people. I can only say it’s “home.” I was raised in Richmond, Virginia; I grew up in Fayetteville. The trip started off as a reunion with some of her grad school classmates, and ended up including quite the romantic getaway. We usually stay with friends, but Marria had requested this time to use some Holiday Inn points and get a hotel room. Instead, I lined up a room at a local B&B in downtown Fayetteville, less than a block from the square.

GUYS – HONOR YOUR WIVES!!! Not only does it make you happy in your relationships, it is a simple gesture to be able to show your wives how much you appreciate their hard work, whether it’s raising children, working outside the home, or (perish the thought) some combination of the two! Check out Proverbs 31:10-31. The only way our wives can achieve these wonderful things is for us to honor them appropriately in all situations. Too often in discussions, we guys will joke about “the old ball-and-chain,” or make fun of how our wives gripe at us all the time, or something along those lines. Maybe even spout off how appreciative we are when they go out of town so we can get a little peace and quiet. Truth is – we’re much less valuable without our better halves around! Many guys wonder why their marriage is not successful, or blame their wives for their marital misery. The bottom line: the man is responsible for the health of the marriage. Wives submit, men love their wives as their own bodies. Someone once asked me, “but who goes first? I can’t love the woman that won’t submit!” The spiritual allegory of marriage tells us exactly what to do: the MAN has to go first, just as Jesus first loved the assembly of believers, and gave Himself for it! It’s as simple as a back rub, and as potentially complicated as giving her a seemingly useless object like a big, fat, diamond ring. How much is enough? You will NEVER do enough. It’s time for real men to step up and strengthen these weakening marriage bonds. So guys, HONOR YOUR WIVES!

Forgot to mention...but was reminded by my tie this morning...the Razorback baseball team is going to the College World Series for the first time since 1989! The last time they were in the NCAA tournament at all, 1999, we were still in Fayetteville, and actually saw them get eliminated :(. now, however, they'll have a chance against Texas (a longshot, some may say) to go further...maybe even a championship? All I know is, either way it goes this Friday, I win! (as a graduate of both UA and UT) But I will freely admit I'm rootin' for the Underhogs!

Marria and I drove by the stadium during the top of the 7th and watched the Hogs finish off the Florida State Seminoles from our room on ESPN2. Just when our Hog pride was at an all-time high, we read the next morning in the paper that the outdoor track team had won the national championship for an 11th time!

What a great day to be a Razorback in Fayetteville!

Today, I'm working from home. WOW! I never imagined it could be so great. Actually, I did imagine that it could be so great. The first time I tried this with CTEH, it was because Marria was sick, or the kids were sick, or something. But back then, I had to save all my files to my laptop and come home to work on them. I know, I know - that's ancient-style thinking.

On Wednesday night, I hooked up to Yahoo DSL, so I have hi-speed Internet access, which allows me to connect to my office computer via Remote Desktop Connection. Of course, I have a laptop at the office, so you may be thinking, "why connect to your laptop? Why not just bring it home with you? Isn't that the point of a laptop?" Well, the laptop at the office is hooked to a T-1 line, which means I am fully connected to the office without having to go through an additional connection, our Virtual Private Network (VPN).

So it's just like I'm sitting at my desk in my office (or "hole," as Brady prefers to refer to it), only instead I'm getting to watch my family swim (ok, I admit to taking a dip around lunchtime, which I almost missed because I was working so hard), and enjoy my parents being here! More on that later...

Well, we were all geared up for the race. And I mean geared up. I donned my bike helmet for the 1.5 hour trip to Centerville, AR. It was a long trip for all...we managed to keep Lillian satisfied with cookies, and Jeff Moran sprung for beef jerky and Gatorade at our stop in Perryville for gas - and yes, I did put the high-octane stuff in the plum racing machine.

Jeff, myself, Asher (by his request, of course - he HAD to be in the winning car), and Lillian chose the Saturn, while Grandy, Grammy, and Dwight Kindred were passengers in the Trans Am, which was guided skillfully by my lovely wife, Marria.

Sure, they scooted ahead of us on I-430 - but only because we let them. And yes, Grammy looked pretty mean while sporting Grandy's tanning goggles - but we were not intimidated. In the blink of an eye, the Saturn had regained the lead, and we headed out west on Highway 10.

It started raining just after our Perryville stop. At first, we considered this a stroke of luck - the Saturn's previous victory over the Trans Am was also in rainy conditions.

When we arrived at Centerville Dragway, however, we were crushed, absolutely crushed, to find that there would be no rematch that night. The Dragway had closed due to the rain. I tried to tempt the owner of the place by revving the Saturn Power Module, hoping she would make an exception due to her love of powerful machines, but she wouldn't budge.

Never the kind of people to let a little trial like that get us down, we headed to Papa D's (Dr. B's? April's?) - a local family-style joint. We had a blast...when I ordered cornbread, she said they weren't serving it that day because the day before, she'd served someone a piece, and noticed it was moldy! Grammy said you always have to wonder about a place that merely says "Food" on the sign out front. We were all a little concerned, but hungry enough to push through the fear. I don't think anyone had too serious digestive problems.

After dinner, Asher went bouldering out front, and Lillian replaced the cookie on her face with grass after she fell down face-first in the ditch. She didn't appear to be injured.

We enjoyed a beautiful country sunset and rainbow at the end of our journey to centerville, and of course the best part of all - the Saturn retains the head-to-head Championship until another suitable venue can be found to race again...

For those of you that don't know, I am part of an emergency response team that responds to hazardous chemical incidents. I am an air dispersion modeler. That means I try to determine downwind distances to hazardous levels of whatever chemical is spilled on a site - I help advise evacuations and such with this skill...basically, it's determining
1) how much of the chemical gets into the air, and
2) where goes after it gets into the air.

Well, the call came in Monday morning...if you have to get a call to go out on an emergency, that's the morning to have it...I mean, you're going to be working all week anyway, right? The derailment was in SW San Antonio, TX - which is less podunk than where these things usually seem to happen...we usually end up in towns with populations less than 1,000 it seems.

But you tend to miss the family, for sure. Luckily, I had a chance to set up the webcam on this one, so Marria and Asher got to see me live!

Gotta go calibrate some instruments!

It's hard to categorize some of these entries, as all aspects of my life seem to run together - especially when we talk about being "back in the saddle."

First and foremost, the implication of the phrase is that I am back in Maumelle/Little Rock - HOME!

The best thing about coming home is this...and this. And of course, this. I tried to capture the kids' expressions when I first arrived. They have this extra special "glow" about them when I first return. I peeked around the corner and surprised Lillian just waking from a nap. Asher held me for a long time. Man, it's great to be home.

I got back just in time to be able to visit with my sister Carmen for about 8 hours. She had been in town since Tuesday, but I was in San Antonio starting Monday, and didn't get back until about noon on the following Sunday. Much to our dismay, Carmen headed out Monday morning - a holiday for CTEH, so I was home with the folks. We finally upgraded our stereo system and got a DVD player (I think Marria was tired of the video store guy laughing at her when she rented VHS tapes).

Secondly, I'm literally back in the bike saddle again - after a week of no exercise, yesterday went surprisingly well - except for the Arkansas River, of course! Best we can figure, the Corps of Engineers was trying to compensate for all the rainfall we've had in Central Arkansas over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, they forgot about the poor bikers that still use the trail that runs right along the riverbank! We ended up having to ford the river for about 100 yards or so in waist-deep water!

Of course this could have been prevented - the COE provides a website from which you can track hourly records of "tailwater" (the water downstream of the dam) elevation (go to the Arkansas River link; we bike by Murray Lock & Dam).

I have actually made a spreadsheet (did I mention I'm a nerd?) that attempts to estimate the maximum tailwater elevation that is still passable on the bike trail. We raised the bar on Tuesday!

I'm in South Louisiana now; I have been since Saturday. Work, work, work. Of course, others at CTEH have been traveling much more than I have: Brady, Amanda, Matt, Cory, Jeff, Jeff, Brian, Hyland, and JR (although I think he enjoyed his travel more than any of us!), just to name a few...oh, and even Todd Crawford made it out to the field!

On the home front, Marria basically told me the other day that things ran more smoothly when I wasn't there...I'm still processing that one.

Public Service Announcement:
If you ever run into an apparatus that looks like this, it is a sink, not a urinal.

Things are slow down here, as far as work is concerned. Basically air monitoring, so I'm not getting to use any of my special skills.

In training news, I got a long run in on Sunday - although it doesn't look nearly this far from the map, it turned out to be just shy of 12 miles. These Louisiana roads are long and straight...I felt like I was in Texas! Actually, the length of the run turned out to be somewhat dangerous. I ran between 10 and 11:40, and took no water, and had no breakfast. It was stupid...I almost died.

The pictures above are (from left to right) 1) Baton Rouge skyline from the bridge over the Mississippi; 2) LSU from I-10 (look closely for the football stadium); and 3) the most fascinating cloud formation I have seen in my life to date: the sun was shining behind a huge wall cloud, reflecting back away from us to a "hole" in the clouds, which created a rainbow effect in the hole...as one guy put it - it looked like a great oil spill in the sky. You can't really see the rainbow in that picture, but I'm working on getting a better one (got one - colors still aren't great - but you get the picture) .

The past two mornings, before some people in the Central Time Zone were even awake, I was high above the Earth, suspended in a "man-basket" by a crane, climbing on a distillation column. It was truly an experience.

I would like to describe a former experience with a radio tower in Richmond that demonstrates, despite the absence of drug addiction in my life, I still like to get high.

As seniors at Mills Godwin High School, a group of friends and I became enamored with climbing. We would climb just about anything. It all started so innocently - trees, rocks, and the like - but eventually, our addiction to heights became insatiable. We worked up to climbing light towers, jumping off the backs of bleachers into high jump mats, and climbing radio towers.

There was a medium-sized radio tower near my home - based on highly scientific eye-balling measurements, I'd say it was on the order of 250-300 feet high. We climbed it frequently (at least twice a month) - no big deal. The cross-section was small, maybe 3x3x3 in a triangle.

We began to lust after the mother of all radio towers in Henrico County's West End - the XL102 radio tower. I must apologize to all those to whom I've told this story, when I claimed the tower must have been 1,000 feet high. I did some research recently, and determined it was only 790 feet high. And the radio station is now "The X." (the story here is interesting, too...) (if you think I'm crazy for researching radio towers, check out this guy!

I couldn't find someone to brave it with me, until a junior and fellow cross-country runner named Ryan Julian stepped up to the plate. Ryan and I pretty much hung out one time. We started out Saturday afternoon with Nirvana blasting in the CD player of his RX-7, and headed for a local high school. We "warmed up" for XL-102 by jumping off the bleachers onto some high jump mats, then climbing up a light pole like this one at the football field (at the top was a small platform like this). A cop showed up shortly afterwards, and I ended up hanging onto a single peg on the blind side of the pole, until he made two rounds of the parking lot, looking straight at us, and left.

Nirvana took us to the XL102 tower about dusk. There was a barbed wire fence under construction, but it was not complete - we simply walked right up to the tower and started climbing. It took us 30 minutes to reach the top, climbing at a steady pace on a ladder that was about one foot wide, with one foot between the rungs. Looking down the tower was something like this. We paused just below the huge red lights, and scooted past them quickly, fearing that our scheme would "come to light."

When we reached the top, there was a platform about 3.5 x 5.5 feet; above us, another one of those pesky concrete poles with the pegs in it stretched about 50 feet higher, into the screaming, 50-mph wind. We elected to remain on the platform and enjoy the sights of Richmond.

We're in Vermont now, and have been since Sunday the 1st of August. We're staying at Jay Peak Resort, at the foot of Jay Peak, a mountain rising 3,861 feet above sea level. Yes, I have conquered the peak a couple of times so far this week - there's something so elemental about man conquering mountain. It's a natural desire we all seem to have.

My younger sister, Shannon, got married this past Saturday. There will soon be pictures in this post; right now, I don't have any PCS Vision access for my Sprint phone, so I can't upload them from my phone. It was a lovely wedding, and a fun reception (you can't have a reception near a pool and expect people not to jump in in their tuxes and dresses...).

That's all for now. We're loving the week at the Ontario Christadelphian Bible Camp - more details to come as I have time and PCS access! Next week we're at the Canadian Christadelphian Bible School. The family's doing great!

Wow - I have been such a pathetic blogger. But I have many updates today! Our recent trips to Richmond, Vermont, Lennoxville, and Richmond were all so exciting that I didn't have time to blog!

The trips involved much driving -
-7 hours to Knoxville, TN on Thursday, July 29
-7 hours to Richmond, VA on Friday, July 30
-14.5 hours to Jay, VT on Sunday, August 1
-2 hours to Lennoxville, Quebec on Saturday, August 7
-14.5 hours to Richmond, VA on Friday, August 13
-14.5 hours to Little Rock on Sunday, August 15.

I guess I'm about over the jetlag. And we'll talk about how hard it was, how tiring, how it took FOREVER. Then we'll go home and read Little House on the Prairie and think about doing the trip in a covered wagon over rutted trails through neck-high grass. We'll realize just how cushy road-tripping has become! What with our DVD players and room for 19 passengers and all their stuff and cruise control because we can't stand to push that great resistance the pedal offers for 10 WHOLE HOURS! It makes me want to race to Alaska, just to experience challenging driving again!

Oh, and Trey - is this where people with special bike-seat injuries go to live after a long bike riding career?

This past Friday I did something I never even considered as a young man. I got a vasectomy. I hesitated to share this on the blog, but hey, it's a big part of my life, right? Plus, Trey Chandler, a friend and colleague, also got a vasectomy on Friday, and he posted an entry about it on his blog, and well, that makes it okay. My visual aid for this entry was much less gruesome (my wife made me remove it; however, (in the name of science, of course) you may e-mail me for a password to view a positive side-effect of a vasectomy - the requisite ice pack provides a place to set your cold beverage).

Well, yet again I must use my road weariness as an excuse for non-blogging. However, the associated pictures are all evidence of the worthwhile trips I've made - I picked up Alberta as my last of the "really big" Canadian provinces - only those little pesky ones on the east coast to go. And of course the northern ones - Yukon Territory, and the little-known Nunavut (I missed this one on a quiz given by Bill Hay while in Alberta).

States 48 & 49 (South Dakota and Nebraska) will actually have to wait until Friday to be picked up. That, of course, sets up a final trip to Alaska, planned for July 4 weekend, 2005 (read all about it at http://www.racetoalaska.com).

I got in a round of golf, which means 2 rounds so far this year. I blasted a drive off hole 11 at the Lynx Ridge golf club outside Calgary, after dedicating it to my brother-brother-in-law, Randy Smith - an avid golfer. His response: "how far'd you hit it, 220, 250? That's WEAK. I blasted one the other day, blah, blah, blah..." Some support, eh?

We were guests of Canadian Pacific Railway and their subsidiary (?), the chain of Fairmonts, and specifically the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in Calgary. I got a nice room, which is pictured below. What a perk! Can't wait for that Canadian Rockies trip!

Recovery from the procedure went well - I was officially back in training last Thursday, with a swim and run to/from the Palliser to the Talisman Centre (also pictured below) - what a great facility! (and I got back to the hotel that night to watch a little SportsCentre...we used to joke that it was probably spelled that way - it REALLY IS!)

The kids were super-cute this past Friday at the Sheesley's - pictures included below. (you can tell this is a quick entry, but I'm sure you will enjoy wading through the barrage of pictures. No time to plan!)

My name is Dyron. To date, I am the only Dyron I've ever met. Like most people, I've met Byrons; but I've also met a Myron, a Tyron, and even a Vyron. I've met Darrens, Dylans, and Darwins, of many and varied spellings.

My name has defined me in a number of ways. First, it has made me more outgoing than I think my personality would normally have allowed. Second, it has allowed me the special privelege of being remembered by people - even if I'm only remembered as "the guy with that different name, now what was it?" Also, it has left me with an uncertainty as to how my parents felt about me...it seems a lot of kids were named a meaningful name, one which defined the attributes of the child (or at least what the parents hoped the attributes of the child would be). My mom always told me that she "made my name up." So now I'm a guy that has no meaning? Am I made up?

Well, I finally figured out what I mean. I finally have a personal identity. The way I found out is interesting - Marria and I were selecting an alternative name for the child I have currently dubbed "Smeagol." And as we swept the "D's" in this fantastic book, we settled upon "Dyronisha."

WHAT A FIND! I WONDER IF "DYRON" IS IN HERE TOO?

And there, plain as day, was me - the part of me I never understood. WHO AM I? WHY AM I HERE?

Apparently, I'm a lover of the ocean. I'm mercurial. Finally, I am at peace. And won't Dyronisha be excited to be named after her daddy, never having to deal with uncertainty of self-meaning?

I like to plan crazy events. You know, some people have these ideas that are productive, that is, they make themselves and/or other people lots of money.

My ideas cost people money.

Maybe it's my belief that great things involve great investment that causes me to devise these plans...the "something for nothing" mentality doesn't cut it. You've got to give something up in order to experience something truly great - and my ideas bear that out.

So the next great race is this - I thought of it while in NE Wyoming. See, it's coal mine country up there. And the landscape is also very unique. In fact, I have narrowed the Ultimate Defining Landscape Qualities of NE Wyoming down to two.

1. At each coal mine, a large silo stores the coal before it is loaded into trains. They have a characteristic set of conveyor belts leading up to them. This special kind of silo is called a "tipple."

2. Dotting the otherwise flat and uninteresting landscape are small hills, apparently with sandstone cores (some of which are visible at the top), which rise from the flat prairie and form a perfect little point on top. Now these, as far as I know, don't have a name to glorify their unique quality. So I have assigned them a special name - the first one that came to mind, really. A hill with such a shape and size, I call a "nipple."

So...next year, I am planning to hold the first annual NE Wyoming Road Race...we'll do a 5k, 10k, and half marathon...

...jogging tops optional???

Have you ever played the game "telephone?" I've been intereseted lately in the Flood which affected this earth in Noah's day, and still has implications today (see related article.)

Funny the side-adventures you have when studying things...Specifically, I've been looking at flood stories from other cultures.

I kind of see it like playing the game "Telephone," where people form a large circle, one person whispers something into the person's ear to their left, and so on around the circle until it reaches the original person. The message received by the end often differs greatly from the original message, and tends to be quite humorous. (for me to poop on.)

But seriously (not so much) - look at some of these flood stories, and you will doubtless be amused, regardless of how convinced you are that the global flood described in the Bible really occurred (although it DID).

Here are a few real winners:
#1
#2
#3

No, I did not stutter. I have a couple of long-range goals (what am I saying? ...I have hundreds!) that are crystallizing into reality. They are long-distance race goals. I started by signing up for Ironman Florida 2005 in Panama City Beach.

Then, I got to talking (which always gets me in trouble) about the Boston Marathon, for which I've never qualified, although I came close once...

So I started talking smack with Preston Smith and Cameron Beeler - two other alleged long-distance runners. We're all going to try to qualify, and in the meantime, we'll track our training with a massive blog entry at http://www.dyronman.com/boston06. So check out all the action. I'm sure we'll have some other stuff pop up there over time, including the book that Preston and I are co-writing (we talked about that, right P?).

Long before Eden was born, Marria suggested I use some of my time between her birth and going back to work to build Asher a tree house.  Of course there's a reason that I burned sick time during that time - because she was unable to care for our two energetic children, and so I was busier than would permit the building of said tree house.

Which is not a big deal - except that Asher was aware of the general plan. 

So finally, on December 24th, I got a chance to start - I went and got wood from my in-laws house (we had torn down a shed about 3 years ago, one built by my carpenter uncle-in-law, which therefore included much great wood) and propped up the center beams on the tree.

My younger sister Shannon and her husband Ty Elsea arrived for a 2-day visit on Monday.  Ty and I labored with no ladder (sitting on the cross beams to screw in the floor joists - all rough-cut 2x6s) on Monday for about 3 hours, successfully hanging the beams and 3 joists.

Regrettably, I had to work on Tuesday, and Ty left on Wednesday - leaving him hungry for more. 

After going to Houston on Wednesday, I returned on Thursday with a vengeance - AND a ladder.  On Saturday, Will, Jacqueline, Savannah, and Abigail Jackson came to visit for our 2nd annual New Year's Get Together.  Will graciously lent a hand on the construction Saturday and Sunday.  Watch the progression of things in the pictures below...

I got a call to go to a major train derailment in a small town in an eastern state on Thursday, January 6th, at 2:30 a.m. or so.  I was there 11 days.  Marria was the real trooper - taking care of 3 kids all by her lonesome.  She's holding up fine, though - but obviously in a better mood when I'm around...usually.

After returning last Sunday, I was off again Wednesday-Thursday to Cincinnati to do some training; this week, I'm gone Wednesday-Friday to Atlanta to do more training.  In fact, I write this from the conference room, awaiting my section, which is coming up in about an hour.

So things have been busy.  Eden, meanwhile, has been growing by leaps and bounds, becoming a little person.  She's cooing and smiling - Marria left a voicemail for me as I came back from the derailment on the 16th (unbeknownst to her), which included some of said cooing, plus a bonus "I love you, Daddy" from Lillian.  I still have it saved on my phone.  After 11 days away, it literally brought a tear to my eye.

Lillian latest is talking, singing, and strutting.  I'm envisioning high phone bills in my future - she LOVES to talk.  Her favorite song is "Sing Hosanna," hands down, although "Row your Boat" is a common bedtime request.  She "walks with her shoulders," which is the only way I can describe her strut that I hope won't bring along with it the attitude that one often associates with such struts...so far, so good - she's still as sweet as she was day 1 (February 1 she turns 2).

Asher is back into gymnastics, and has expressed interest in basketball, baseball, and soccer, in that order.  A few weeks ago, he was also interested in moving.  But he came back and told Marria while I was in Cincinnati that we could "never move."  "Why not?"  "Because I don't want to leave my treehouse."  That sure makes a daddy feel good.  I attribute the sudden shift in mentality to the hatch that I completed before heading out to Cincinnati (picture below).

So we're busy, but doing well.  Dwight and I are gearing up for the Little Rock Half Marathon March 6th; long runs now stand at 7 miles.  Our ecclesia has picked a place to rent on Sundays - we've outgrown our homes, which is a nice thing.  I'll try to be better about blogging - with the increase in connectivity (I'm now on the WWW through my cell phone), there's no excuse for not dropping a line here and there...

I heard a blurb on NPR the other day about how bloggers are increasingly taking time off.  Apparently, I fall in this category.  The main reason given: the pressure involved with having to share one's life with the world on an ongoing basis;

Basically, things have been "normal" around the Hamlin household.  Over the last couple of weeks, we had a lovely birthday party (tea party for princesses theme) for Lillian, I went to PA for a derailment and almost drowned in the Allegheny River, we celebrated Marria's birthday dinner at 1620, the best restaurant in Little Rock, Dwight and I are up to 8.5 miles max, Asher got shots yesterday and did incredibly well, Lillian and Asher are sleeping in the same room now and Eden's in her own room as of Feb 5, no recent updates of the treehouse besides a few more screws in the decking, what else?

Here are a few pictures of the fun...

Cameron "BeeliSwahili" Beeler and I successfully completed the framing of the treehouse walls this past weekend.  Here are a few shots, plus some other tidbits from the weekend...

Here are a few pictorial updates of this weekend's progress.  After Jeff Moran helped with the front porch, the side porch is on and covered, and half of the siding is up.  Last night before Bible class, there were 6 kids and an adult in the treehouse - an all-time record!  (I'm going to have to change the 'Maximum Occupancy' sign now...)

okay - you, the viewer, are due some pictures with creative captions...here goes.

Here are some pics...

Travelling will flat take it out of you.  Whatever "it" is.  I had a little ski/work trip to Colorado April 17-25, was gone again the 27th to South Carolina, then May 2-4 in New Orleans.  Since then, I've been home...plenty to catch up on. 

A tree blew down in our yard (boo, Bradford Pear trees - the "instant gratification" tree is what I've heard arborists call them), so I spent that first weekend cutting it up and hauling it off. 

Asher's lost two teeth now...Eden's got one coming in...the cycle of life.  Lillian is two and in addition to some of the things that fact implies, she has some moments of utter cuteness.  One of my favorite exchanges:

Lilli, are you my princess?
Yes
Who's the queen?
Mama
Who's the prince?
Bubba (Asher)
Who's the king?
Papa (Marria's dad, Gerald)
I thought I was the king!
No, Daddy - you're the pirate.

Sometimes I wish I could record every word my children say.  Most of them are just that entertaining. 

Here are a few pics from Colorado.  I was training others and being trained by others at the Emergency Response Training Center outside Pueblo, CO.  And when you're in Colorado during the month of April, you've GOT to hit some late-season skiing.  Plus, there's no better word than "skiing."  There are as-good words, like "llama" and "heinous," but no better words.

I would like to hike the Continental Divide Trail before I sleep awaiting God's Kingdom...just because it looks like the kind of thing I might enjoy.  It would surely bring me much-needed meditation time.

While browsing around our computer at home, I found a few pics of interest...here, here, and here.  Turns out Marria is hoarding all the cute pictures - I guess that's an advantage of being home to capture the moments. 

Also, here's just a taste of Cayman Brac.  It was AMAZING.  The island is only about 10 miles long and 1 mile wide (I ran the entire length one morning), has about 1,000 residents, and yet is the most populated island for 100 miles in any direction.  That's because the only other island in that radius is Little Cayman, which boasts 50 residents.  The water between the two islands is about 5,000 feet deep!!!  Here's just a taste...

A few pictures of Asher starting kindergarten - WHAT A HUGE DAY!!! He did really well - I'm sure his nerves were fairly shaky, but he didn't dare show it. I was off work on a flexible Friday, so I got to take him to his first day. Maybe you can read more about the event at Marria's blog, 2manykids2littletime.com.

Also, I heard this guy, Jay Shafer, on NPR this morning.  He makes tiny houses.  He also sub-contracts a treehouse manufacturer in Scotland.  I thought I'd put myself on the list of providers for the midwest...do you think I have the skills to make a living out of it? 

Things have been busy with work...two ERs (Fort Worth, TX and Romulus [Detroit], MI).  What a great name - "Romulus."  The signs as you come into the city read:  "Romulus:  Gateway to the World."  Don't pack your bags just yet, though...there are some who would dispute that assessment, unless it refers to the town's position at the border of the underworld...

is that new orleans is crazy.  i'm working on a project down there, and it's stressful.  i think it kind of hit me just now.  you know how that is...you manage it just fine until WHAM.  all of a sudden it hits you.

but it's been a really enjoyable project, working with GREAT people.  i'm blessed to have a good job and to work with good people. 

Here are a few pictures - as always, check out the captions (you, too, Mozilla Firefox users - who will need to check this out in Internet Explorer).

chicago marathon in one week.  am i ready?

I have continued working on our project in New Orleans.  We're in the Doubletree Downtown now, which is a step up from the Western Inn in Gonzales (about a 2-hour drive).  Keep in mind, as I've said their slogan should read, "It's not the Best Western - It's just the Western."  One of our gals said she saw at least three roaches per day.  Brady was in the Budget Inn, where he had a glass ash tray for roach killing.  It's amazing how quickly we can become "uncivilized" in such conditions, eh?

So I bought these sunglasses, as many of our guys have, to go with our beards.  It's quite the look.  We were hoping to move into some RVs on site at the refinery, so we could grill out every night and wear those tank-top T-shirts that are also known as "wife-beater-t-shirts." 

Time would fail me to tell of all the CTEH Christmas party fodder that we've accumulated.  For example, the sunglasses - I bought them from a guy with 12 fingers.  We had made our purchases (Brady got some at the little shop on Canal St., too), and were walking out of the store as it was closing.  Brady says, "did you see?  That guy had 6 fingers on his right hand."  I asked the guy if it was true, then if I could see.  He said, "Sure!"  So I asked if I could take a picture.  He said "Sure.  I get this all the time." 

Lesson:  you never know until you ask.

This year's Krimmas lights celebration at the Hamlins featured one addition (in the 2nd annual tradition of adding one new thing per year) - the treehouse was lit up.  I'm wearing my headlight because I had to search for some burned-out lights in the falling twilight of dusk...

So for the funeral, Grandy calls me and tells me to meet him in short term parking at the Richmond Airport. 

HUH?

I go out, and wait and wait and wait, and up pulls this taxi.

Out climbs Grandy.

[what's going on what's going on what's going on...come on dyron you can get this one]

I'm embarrassed it took me so long.  It's simple really - my aunt Jacqueline, my mom's sister, drives a taxi.  She drove it to Richmond for the funeral.  My dad borrowed it to pick me up.

Very funny.  It cost me $60 just to get home.  Not very funny.

The astute dyronman.com reader will recall that last year about this time, a good friend helped me with my treehouse.  Well, we went to see the Jacksons this year, as tradition mandates (friends in Austin, one year there, next year here, next year there, etc. for New Year's celebration).

I jokingly mentioned to Will that he might want to consider conscripting me to help him with his treehouse.

Five hours later, we had an incredibly solid structure started, ready for decking (I hear the decking is up).

So I will add to our portfolio (we see a major business opportunity) what I'm calling the "Frank Lloyd Wright Special."  Notice the cantilever, and how it plays naturally into the live oak landscape.  What do you think?

This is a water fountain.  From this amazing invention, free (meaning it does not cost you ANY money!!!!), fresh (in most cases), clean (again, in most cases), tasty (okay, I'm pushing my luck here...) water flows forth at the mere push of a button. 

ALL THE FRESH, HEALTHY, LIFE-GIVING DRINKING WATER YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT!!! 

In fact, sometimes I will stand at a water fountain for up to 25-30 minutes, just holding down that magical button, marvelling at the simplicity of the device, and its ability to bestow life-giving water endlessly to its user, me. 

When Hurricane Katrina hit, I appreciated anew the importance of fresh water.  I'm a super-hydrater by nature, admittedly - a function of my participation in endurance sports, no doubt.  In fact, I may be the only guy in the world whose wife has scorned him with the phrase, "You and your WATER."  When she said this, my gut reaction was, "well, I have to LIVE!!!"  So during our response to Katrina, I was always stocking up on my personal supply of water.  I stopped buying those 1-liter and smaller bottles, though, since I was unsure where my next drink might come from.  I started buying gallon jugs of water. 

As things have come back to "normal," I have noticed some things about buying water.  The latest gallon jug we bought at home for Asher's hermit crab states clearly on the label:  "Purified Drinking Water from a Municipal Source."  In other words, "When You Run Out Of This Water, Go Refill The Bottle From Your Bathroom Sink."  Also, the water that is for sale in airports is RIDICULOUS.  $3 for 1 liter of water.  This water has been magically purified using the same processes that are taken care of day-in and day-out by your municipality, filling those magical lines that feed, amongst other things,

the water fountain in your local airport.

I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  Thankfully, I was there with someone that I could count on for accountability (and for him, vice versa).  Anyway, I was also trying out the panorama feature of my picturephone.  I got a picture of a couple of our guys looking at the same phone. 

The scenery panorama is from Grand Isle (and a few other pictures, too), Louisiana - a barrier island bordering the Gulf of Mexico.  It was a truly unique experience driving down there...we hit the streets of Mardi Gras (quite unimpressive to me) about midnight, then took off for Grand Isle about 2 a.m. I slept past sunrise, but enjoyed a lovely mosquito-ridden morning on the coast before heading home.

Well, I got me a gee-tar.  It's fancy - a Yamaha S750G or something.  It's nice, and it's got a nice case (although the case is made in China - sorry, Marria).  The case is good for travel, so I take it with me when I can.

The first time I took it with me when travelling, I noticed a couple of things:

1. People notice it, first thing.  I got 3 or 4 comments from airport folks.  The first guy I saw on the day, at the Northwest Airlines ticket counter in Little Rock, said, "Hey, man...what kinda axe you got in there?"  Me, making it seem right off that I'd heard guitars referred to as "axes" all the time, replied, "it's a Yamaha S750G.  I'm just picking up the instrument..."  The ticket guy nodded approvingly.  Then the guy at the rental bus in Denver was giving me practice tips.  I'm loving being a part of this culture!

2. You have to take it with you everywhere.  Even to poop.

Well, my annual Colorado trip did not disappoint.  Pike's Peak summit (at 14,110, my first fourteener, and doing it in a car made it easy!), Bishop's Castle (the weirdest place I've ever been), Great Sand Dunes National Monument (amazing!), and skiing Vail with Marria...UNBELIEVABLE!

You have GOT to check out Bishop's castle. ONE MAN has been building this thing since 1967.  He's 59 years old now, and still builds the thing, rock by rock, on the weekends.  Mixes the concrete by hand.  And according to some fellow visitors the day we were there, he has the hunch-back to prove it.  Move over, Quasimodo.  There's a new castle in town!

The Great Sand Dunes is amazing, too - 1,000-foot dunes amidst 14,000-foot mountains.  And quite a workout if you choose to run up them - as Mark and I found out!

The lone picture I have from the skiing extravaganza with Marria is of her getting hauled down the mountain by ski patrol after a bout with altitude sickness.  She arrived in Denver ~9 p.m. Friday, and was at 12,000 feet at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.  Not a good move.  She recovered, and ended up having a good time. 

There's more...but who has the time?

Asher's doing well in T-ball.  The other day at the park, I noticed this bucket of David Sunflower Seeds.  I maintain that chewing sunflower seeds is the fool-proof way to stay awake while driving.  I will need this bucket for Race to Alaska, for sure!

I hate to see this sort of thing.  It's another example of how one bad apple must've spoiled the bunch.  The rest of us...suffer.  This is in a hotel lobby in Atlanta.  As a traveler, I wish I had the chance to enjoy such activities on the road.  Unfortunately, Sportscenter is my only repose.

We went to Philadelphia on an emergency response recently.  So of course, I had to have a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for lunch. 

What's the big deal, you ask?

Well, it was Philadelphia, MISSISSIPPI. 

The sandwich came with brown gravy. 

Does THAT seem right to you?

I got mine on the side.  It was good...but it was no standard Philly, believe me.

The other night, on the way to Bible class, I left my Bible on the bumper of the Suburban.  This is what I found when we arrived.

We bought a Jeep Cherokee from some dude back in 1998.  He had apparently bought it from a dealership in Cassville, Missouri, because there, on the rear hatch, was the dealership's name spelled out in black stickers. 

I don't know about you, but I find this completely annoying.  I really don't feel like giving Bobby Robertson's Auto Sales in Cassville, MO free advertising.  I mean, what does he have to do with my Jeep???  So I proceeded to take off the stickers...I removed all the letters, up to the "C" in "Cassville."  It was then that my idea was born, because at that point, it of course read "assville, MO."  I thought that was funny.  So I left the "assville," and took off the "MO."  I enjoyed when people would ask me what "assville" meant. 

So we've bought two cars since then.  First, the Honda Accord, from Russell Honda in Sherwood, Arkansas.  This brings up the second thing I like about doing this - the challenge to make something which makes sense out of the existing letters, while maintaining some sense of style (I look at these as my classy bumper stickers, intellectual challenge included).  So what did I come up with?  See below.  Also, see our most recent purchase - a Chevrolet Suburban from Gwatney Chevrolet in Jacksonville, Arkansas.  Where do you think I'm going with this one? 

It took me like 10 minutes to get the "G" off, so I'm working slowly, to save the thumbnail.  I've learned you've got to strike early, or that glue will set in (we got the Suburban after these stickers had been in the sun for a couple of years...it's a used 2003 model).

Do you own a cookbook? 

Of course you do.  EVERYONE has a cookbook.  Whether you use them or not, some nice old(er) lady got one or three for you for your [wedding/graduation/first home/pick one]. 

Well, I'm writing a cookbook.  Marria's doing the recipes (with outside contributors, too).  Grammy's doing the artwork.  I'm doing the writing. 

I figure if every household in America has at least 1 cookbook (I feel this is a conservative estimate...we have at least 8), I should be able to get in to about 0.1% of the homes in America (77 million in 2005), then that's 77,000 cook books sold.  Not to mention international sales, eh?

It's an upscale cook book - marketed as an entertainment/coffee-table-conversation-style book, too - so it won't be cheap.  I'm thinking $25-$30.  People will be glad to pay that to bring smiles to their loved ones' faces.  After the publisher gets their cut, I'll take 50%, meaning this is truly my million-dollar idea.

So when I saw this bookshelf in New Orleans, filled with cookbooks, I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Why do trucks on the highway pass each other at 0.0001 mph, while traveling 70 mph?

see video of what I'm talking about in Quicktime.

I try to learn one lesson per year.  This occurred to me in 2003, which was a "breakthrough" year in a lot of ways...I felt I found some personal direction that year, after having a hard time identifying my purpose.  When I looked back on the entire year at the end of 2003, I found that my year had an almost theme-like quality to it.  Nearly everything that year seemed to relate to one bottom line.  So I decided it was my lesson for the year.  It was...drum roll...

Do Something.

I guess I was having a hard time getting going, so I just decided to 'do something' and see what opportunities and lessons it brought.  Turns out, the next year's lesson was just as clear.  And the year after that.  It's a pattern in my life.  So here goes:

2003:  Do Something
2004:  Be Realistic (you can't do everything)
2005:  Be Patient (some things you can't do will 'do' themselves, given time)
2006:  Have Faith (sometimes you have to be confident you have the answer, even if you don't have all the answers).

Now, I'm looking forward to 2007!  I just got my Professional Engineering Certification, as I was beginning to think most of my open doors were behind me.  This opens new doors, and may be the road which leads me to lesson # 5!

Also, I told Marria that I make 2 decisions per year. Two decisions for which I will entertain NO discussion. It seems to work out.

I'm reminded of this each time I grow out my afro.

I deserve to be placed in a different triathlon category. 

You have the "age-groupers."

You have the "pros."

You have the "Clydesdales."  (for those of you who don't know, the Clydesdales are those male athletes who weigh more than 200 lbs.  Presumably, they have their own category because they are at some physical disadvantage from the common triathlete, having to carry all that weight around.)

Well, if ANYONE deserves to be in a different category, it's me, having to haul this huge cranium about.  I need to be in the "Sputnik" division, reserved for people with abnormally large heads.  Rick Pyne would also be in this category. 

this is a typical snack.  when i'm most active, i require 5000-7000 calories a day.  it's a challenge. 

I have a suggestion.  If you're traveling to Little Rock and can avoid them, DO NOT fly American Airlines.  I'm not as much of an expert on other routes, although I've had other bad experiences with this airline.  I'm not sure if they've ever been on time for me.  The last time I flew, I arrived in Dallas with a 35 minute connection.  Did I rush to my connecting gate in a panic?  No.  Instead, I called home, told Marria that I was in Dallas, and although they had not officially delayed my connecting flight yet, I predicted they would not only delay it, they would cancel it and bump me to the next flight (after lying to me for 4 hours about how it was always going to be "just another 30 minutes") which would put me in late. 

I was right.  Again.

Because of my experiences with them, if AA is the only airline flying to a particular place, say for example, Bermuda, I will opt for other means of transportation (e.g., a boat, swimming, water skiing behind a couple of harnessed dolphins, etc.) before taking this airline.  I have been solid in this committment not to choose them for a couple of years now, and have had few issues with the other airlines.  I put in at least 50,000 - 75,000 miles a year, so I think my opinion may be worth something. 

If all you want is to be on time, Southwest is your best bet.  They've got friendly service and decent planes, if you can tolerate the "cattle call" they have instead of assigned seating. 

If you want a little more standard fare, here's my ranking of the other major carriers for routes I fly:

1. Northwest - crises are very rare, but are huge when they happen (don't ask).


2. Continental - only real down side is you pretty much have to go through Houston.  They have a fantastic flight tracking function.


3. Frontier - flown them just a few times, screwed only once.


4. Delta - tends to have the delay issues that American does, only less frequently.


5. United - too limited for me...don't know much about them and don't need to with other options available.


6. US Air - limited routes, equipment is not the nicest.


7. American - see below. 

Given my distaste for American, I couldn't resist snapping this picture on a perfectly clear weather and travel day - if you can't get it right on a day like this, then you can't ever get it right. 

But I have to leave you with a positive note. Comfort during travel matters. But no matter how you get home, there are certain things you look forward to. On a recent arrival back home, below are pictures of things I got to enjoy. Homecoming is always sweet.

The Parable of the Bud Light Can

Novel ideas may be likened unto an event you surely experienced when you were a child.  You had ventured far into the woods, further than you had ever before ventured away from your house.  I mean, you could hardly even see your house any more.  And you thought:

 

“I wonder if I’m the only person who’s ever been here.”  And then, you look down, and there’s a Bud Light Can sitting on the ground right next to you.

 

This has happened to you at various other times as you’ve grown.  A few years later, you found yourself on your first camping trip with Dad or Uncle Steve, and you wandered a bit off the trail, always in search of an adventure, and you thought:

 

“Certainly, with all the miles and miles of open country, this one spot on the ground has never seen another human being.”  And there, again, lies the Bud Light Can.  You start to wonder if it’s following you…

 

Here is the interpretation of the matter:

Our novel ideas are a lot like this encounter with the Bud Light Can.  It’s late at night, and the philosophy is running deep (and maybe there’s other “deep stuff” being thrown out, too – the kind that requires waders).  You think:

 

“Surely no one has EVER come up with this idea before!”  And you close your eyes for a moment, so proud of your unequaled mental capacity, and there, in the darkness of your mind…

 

is a Bud Light Can, left by some other human in search of God’s Way. 

I do not want my blog to be a place for negativity.  So I am trying to find something positive to say about Casey Dick, quarterback for the Razorbacks. 

Okay, here goes.  He played the whole game on Saturday in the Hogs 1-point, 4th-quarter loss to Kentucky.  He passed for 94 yards, which is more than zero yards.

I am ready for change, and I don't mean Barack Hussein Obama.

After successfully campaigning for their preferred candidate and party in the recent elections, NPR has had to replace all of its election campaign rhetoric.  They have chosen to fill the void with more rhetoric in support of the next item on their agenda:  the advancement of homosexuality as an appropriate alternative lifestyle. 

Oh joy.

In other news, many people just went to work today, did not obsess over where they were (or whether or not they were) obtaining their personal sexual gratification, did not lament the way they were raised or blame others for their difficulties, lent a helping hand to others trying to make a positive difference in the world, and went to bed with a prayer on their lips thanking the Creator for pitying us in our state of mortal vanity and allowing us to live normal lives and a normal day.

Realized i failed to post the lessons i learned in 2008 and 2009.

2008:  be purpose-full

2009:  be committed