 |
| Where is Smorg? |
Hint: I'm on a newly opened bridge (2012. No graffiti on the thing yet) within the San Diego city limit.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Thinking about things while watching the London Olympic Game
Like many other sport fans I've been spending a lot of time indoor glued to the tv set since the London Olympics started last week. Not that I have any Olympic aspiration, mind you, but it is fun and mostly inspiring watching all sorts of summer sports being played at such amazingly high level.
I suppose what drives many athletes and many fans watching these games is the competition and the competitive spirit. But obviously, competitiveness means different things to different people. Is it a cultural differences thing? Some people are driven to beat everyone else, while others are driven to be the best that they can be (even if they don't beat anyone). The two surely aren't the same...
Take the recent badminton scandal where players from the Chinese, South Korean, and Indonesian teams got disqualified for trying to throw their matches in order to avoid having to play a better team in their next round. I don't know if I would call that 'cheating', but it definitely is unsportsmanlike. They were trying to beat the other teams by gaining unearned advantage in the drawing rather than trying to play their best in every game. It is 'the ends justify the means' rather than 'it isn't about winning or losing but how you play the game', sort of thing.
I've read some rationalizations that blame this gaming of the system on the system itself, but this surely is problematic. Should we only do the right thing when it benefits us or when we know we can't get away with not doing so, rather than just because it is right? Gaming the system may win an athlete a coveted medal, but, aside from the financial and social advantages gained from 'winning', does it really feel right to win - knowing that the win was obtained in a questionable manner?
Having spent a bit of my developing years in different cultures, I'm afraid that question would produce different answers, too... Some cultures actually do think it a virtue to outfox others even if the outfoxing violates the spirit of fair play. 'The ends justifies the means (do whatever it takes to get the win, regardless of fairness)' or 'how you play the game matters more than what result you get'. For myself, I'd throw my lot in with the latter. Focusing on winning or losing makes one's happiness dependent on others' performance. Focusing on how one plays the game is a lot more self-contained. Natural ability is largely a matter of luck. Personal integrity, on the other hand, is an earned quality, and one that nobody else can ever take from you without your consent. Having both is ideal, but if I could only have one, I'd go for the latter every time.
PS: Since the Olympics vibes on the web seems dominated by the notion of Asian athletes' bending of the rule, I don't think those badminton players did any worse than what the Great Britain track cyclist did in intentionally crashing in order for his team to get to restart (and not have to suffer from being slow taking off the first time). Unethical is unethical regardless of nationality or skin color, and to have the temerity to go around talking about it as if he had done something clever... Ugh! Hindes and his likes could learn something about sportsmanship from Victoria Pendelton and Jess Varnish, GB's women's team sprinters who got relegated out of medal contention for a marginal and unintended rule violation. Everyone goofs every now and then, but it takes character to own up to it without excuses.
 |
| US Olympic Training Ctr in Chula Vista, CA. |
Take the recent badminton scandal where players from the Chinese, South Korean, and Indonesian teams got disqualified for trying to throw their matches in order to avoid having to play a better team in their next round. I don't know if I would call that 'cheating', but it definitely is unsportsmanlike. They were trying to beat the other teams by gaining unearned advantage in the drawing rather than trying to play their best in every game. It is 'the ends justify the means' rather than 'it isn't about winning or losing but how you play the game', sort of thing.
 |
| No matter whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game that reflects who you really are. |
Having spent a bit of my developing years in different cultures, I'm afraid that question would produce different answers, too... Some cultures actually do think it a virtue to outfox others even if the outfoxing violates the spirit of fair play. 'The ends justifies the means (do whatever it takes to get the win, regardless of fairness)' or 'how you play the game matters more than what result you get'. For myself, I'd throw my lot in with the latter. Focusing on winning or losing makes one's happiness dependent on others' performance. Focusing on how one plays the game is a lot more self-contained. Natural ability is largely a matter of luck. Personal integrity, on the other hand, is an earned quality, and one that nobody else can ever take from you without your consent. Having both is ideal, but if I could only have one, I'd go for the latter every time.
PS: Since the Olympics vibes on the web seems dominated by the notion of Asian athletes' bending of the rule, I don't think those badminton players did any worse than what the Great Britain track cyclist did in intentionally crashing in order for his team to get to restart (and not have to suffer from being slow taking off the first time). Unethical is unethical regardless of nationality or skin color, and to have the temerity to go around talking about it as if he had done something clever... Ugh! Hindes and his likes could learn something about sportsmanship from Victoria Pendelton and Jess Varnish, GB's women's team sprinters who got relegated out of medal contention for a marginal and unintended rule violation. Everyone goofs every now and then, but it takes character to own up to it without excuses.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A Splendidly Sluggish Sunday
I'm having a fabulously lazy Sunday recovering from yesterday's arduous and very hot 75 miles ride (it would have been so much more enjoyable had I not spent the first 55 miles going up and down the hills with a rubbing rear brake. 
What sort of a dunce rides that long without noticing a mechanical issue??? It takes a smorg, I tell you!). Anyhow, have gone for a very easy going 30 minutes recovery ride, walked the dog, and am now settled down to recommence reading Herodotus' Histories and enjoy some really good music...
What sort of a dunce rides that long without noticing a mechanical issue??? It takes a smorg, I tell you!). Anyhow, have gone for a very easy going 30 minutes recovery ride, walked the dog, and am now settled down to recommence reading Herodotus' Histories and enjoy some really good music...
... courtesy of the amazing Marilyn Horne.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Cycling Around Town: Mt Helix
I went out for a cool and leisurely morning bicycle ride a few months ago, heading east on relatively gentle El Cajon Blvd toward the mountain range that looms over the San Diego skyline. At about 11 miles mark (now on La Mesa Blvd) I spotted a lone hill dominating the south side of the road.
 |
| Mt Helix partly hiding in a low cloud in the unincorporated area between La Mesa and El Cajon |
This, of course, was Mt. Helix, the steep 1365 ft (416.05 m) hill that presides over the Casa de Oro - Spring Valley area. Its tall peak punctuated by a cross at the top, making it a prime locale for a smorgish investigation! I pulled out the area road map and steered my bike onto Jackson St and then headed up Lemon St straight to the mountain.
 |
| Mt. Helix from Lemon St |
The area is unincorporated, though the road surface is very well kept. A good thing since the road's shoulder is really narrow and there is no bike lane. Once past the intersection with Bancroft St, though, my ride became decidedly non-leisurely! Lemon St climbs steadily up and becomes steeper closer to the mountain, and the only real rest spot to be had is at the bend as it passes over the Helix Reservoir, where the road shoulder widens for a few meters. I don't know if one can get to the lake if one doesn't live there (the entrance is gated), but from the top of the Lemon St curve one can get a pretty good look at it while catching one's breath and rubbing some sense back into the legs.
 |
| A brief pause to admire Lake Helix. |
That rest spot really is the last flat-ish bit of road you'll find on your way up Mt Helix, I found. Lemon St kicks up again as it runs into Fuerte Dr, the main roadway through the area (and a narrow and steep one at that!). Turning right on Fuerte, and then immediately turning right at Mt Helix Drive, there was no rest in sight as I pedaled up the long 8% grade entrance stretch. One rest stop under a small shade and more panting, I made it to the junction where one-way driving begins, and turned right up the first ring of the road...
 |
| Arrrgggghhh! Why does one have to go up a mountain before coming down it??? |
It's still all uphill, though this section is the mildest slope on the whole climb and serves as a bit of an active-rest stretch. The road kicks up as it curves north... though provides an excuse for a quick stop in the form of the famous Mt Helix rotating house! It wasn't turning at the time, but as you can see from the video, it must be quite spectacular living in a pad like that. You can go for a spin any time you want without even having to leave the house at all!
 |
| Mt Helix's rotating house, private road ways, Mt Helix drive. |
The whole hill/mountain is pretty much privately owned, and many of the side roads are privately maintained... with 'proceed at your own risk' signs at intersection. I passed a few joggers making their way up or down the same road. Everybody was nice and very encouraging so that even though much of the view was still obscured by the lingering marine layer I felt compelled to keep on pedaling up the ickily tilted road.
 |
| Mt Helix nature theater. |
And was rewarded by the sight of the magnificent nature theater at the top of it. I mean... have a look!
The park, like the rest of the mountain, is private, but is open to the public during daylight hours. It was privately built and dedicated on Easter 1925 to the memory of Mary Carpenter Yawkey by her children. I don't know anything about Mary Yawkey, but she must have been a really remarkable person, at least to her family, to warrant such a magnificent monument at such a location. And that the place is open to the public only makes it more grand! I looked up the Mt Helix Park Foundation after a good coast down the hill on delightfully wiggly Alto Dr. Will post a little chat with the park's director in a bit.
PS: Since my first multi-stop ride up Mt Helix on my old heavy mountain bike I have been riding up that hill once every week or two. Finally managed to go up it in one nonstop push yesterday on the lighter road bike, so now I'll turn to pick a fight with Mt Soledad - a bigger hill - instead. I'll still ride up Helix once or twice a month, though. It is a really great spot to hang out and soak in the atmosphere. It's like a great hidden gem in a touristy town. You can walk down the Yawkey Trail and spend a hour or two on its benches without seeing anyone at all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)