Crest Ride w/ D

We are really quite fortunate in Utah to live 20 minutes away from riding like this. I absolutely love it. My guess is this will be the last big ride I will get to do because it will only get colder. There was quite a bit of snow up there on some of the north facing slopes which made life pretty interesting, especially the icy parts. All in all, we had lots of fun, and I consider it a success because last time I rode this trail I ended up in the ER getting stitches. We went to Davanza's after for lunch and it was awesome (it is right behind Chevron on Foothill, you should check it out. It was reasonably priced and definitely good grub.)
To sum it up,
No stitches + no crashes + beautiful views + mud + pizza = good ride + degrease(lube) = fun

This is from the top of Puke Hill, if you look hard, you can kind of see where the trail breaks the tree line. In the middle of the big patch of trees you can see a slight shadow that runs horizontally, that is the trail before Puke Hill.
This is puke hill, and it winds down to the right at the base.

This is D at the top of Desolation Peak. Park City's lifts are off in the distance.
Still at the top of Desolation, looking down on Desolation Lake.
Ahh, singletrack.
The quakies were awesome.
This is near the Mill D trailhead.
This doesn't really do it justice. We were both covered in mud and our bikes were plastered. The timer feature was a great invention.
A dirty bike is a happy bike.
Cool colors on the drive home.

My Project

So I have a little project I am thinking about. I really want to go to Samoa to do some service. I have done quite a bit of thinking about it, and I would like to teach first aid/basic life support and donate materials to do these things to several villages. In my experience as a missionary there, it was very apparent that these skills were seriously deficient - virtually nonexistent. There is no emergency medical service infrastructure (i.e. paramedics, ambulances, etc.) besides the Moto'otua hospital which is bulging at the seams. There are some satellite stations in remote villages that nurses visit occasionally, but in truth it is not enough. Many people I know in Samoa have stories of friends or loved ones dying in the waiting room because the system was so over taxed. There is a need for action.

Conditions are prime for infection because of the warm and humid climate, especially with hardly any lay knowledge of appropriate wound cleaning and dressing. I remember seeing and taking care of hugely infected wounds which would have been fine had they been properly cared for initially. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are also huge problems. Due to poor diets and a sedentary lifestyle in much of the elderly population, diabetes is rampant. Many care takers do not understand the ramifications of these diseases, much less how to help their loved ones in when they are in need. Infant mortality rates in Samoa are also much higher than in the US. Although first aid and basic life support are no substitute for quality medical care in emergencies, they are essential components in saving lives. If CPR is administered appropriately, there is a greater chance of survival than if it is not. I could go on, but I believe that the benefits are clear.

After having trained and certified as an Emergency Medical Technician, I would like to teach these people I love how to prolong and improve quality of life. I also feel that if I receive the opportunity to provide educational services now, I will be laying the groundwork for humanitarian service I strongly desire to render as a medical professional in years to come.

I have spent countless hours searching for humanitarian groups who provide such services in Samoa, but they simply don't exist. There is a Red Cross branch in Samoa, which provides occasional training services, but they are offered in Apia, and likely not well publicized or attended by citizens outside of the downtown area due to financial (travel) and geographical constraints.

While I lived in Samoa, I was a student of the language as well as the culture and local government. I grew to love it as I grew to love the people. Implementing an educational program in Samoa such as this requires careful attention and respect to the rich cultural heritage. I am very familiar with the culture and I can provide that attention.

Strategy is also an important component of an effective program. Because location and expenses are an issue, it is important to assemble comprehensive and effective supply kits, and to place them in central areas which are too far away from the hospital to receive immediate care. The funding I will obtain will likely be the determining factor for the number of kits placed.

If I can get funded, I am going to go in June. It's not cheap though. Airfare will be over $4,000 for me and my wife (I am going to try and do something with teaching English too). I am trying to find support and feedback wherever I can.

Phew, that sounds like I am pitching it to you. This is the first time I have sat down and put my ideas on paper. Do you have any ideas? I would love feedback.

Road bike?

This is my dad's fancy road bike. I took it out yesterday for a little jaunt, and I am considering buying one this summer. I liked it, but it isn't as much fun as mtb for me. I think that it may be too small for me. It is a 53cm and I felt a little cramped. Then again, I don't know exactly how it is supposed to fit.

Derek and I went out for what will probably be the final Dry Creek > Bobsled run of the fall today. I think we are going to hit the Crest on Thursday for what will no doubt be the last time this season. I bet we are going to hit some snow. I will be taking the camera, and I will post some pics.

Hyphenation

Before this gets going, I must make a disclaimer. My father and all of my sisters are English majors. My dad is an attorney and two of my sisters are editors. At any point during a typical Sunday dinner, it is not uncommon to hear "Well, according to the Chicago manual of style..." followed by some sort of correction. This undoubtedly played a huge part in the development of what many consider to be my picky nature. I come by it honestly and genetically.

Andrew S. and I recently had a discussion about hyphenation. He maintains that if a word is made up, hyphens can be arbitrarily inserted on a whim by the wordsmith. I personally disagree. After conference today, I asked my editor sister and father what they thought. My dad said "I think that they are overused" and my sister said "I think that they are often incorrectly used." Candidly, there is not necessarily a correct or incorrect way to use them. In general, hyphens are used to form compound adjectives or adverbs, as well as dipthongs.

Hyphens are used chiefly to make things more clear for the reader. As I was reading about "humid-ville" and "tune-age", I was not feeling like things were more clear. In point of fact, "tune-age like 'stone-age'" would lead me to think that the music in the player would be from the age of tunes rather some tunage. Furthermore, I think that such usage of hyphens is contrary to AK's style. AK has a very wry sense of humor, and if you aren't listening closely, you will miss the hilarious things he says. Hyphenating humidville draws more attention in writing than it would in normal conversation with him.

So there you have it according to the PL manual of style.