Lance: One Week

Grafitti near our home that I just noticed this week

Hard to believe, but it's already been a week since Lance was born!  I tell you, this past week has gone by as if I was in a time warp!  Where has the time gone?

Sign Barb and John made for our front door

Significant developments:

Lance

• Yesterday (Sunday) we took Lance on his first trip outside since coming home from the hospital.  We visited the park.  Lance was awake the whole time and seemed to enjoy the trip.  There were a ton of people out in the park for some wedding-related thing at the Water Square and an ECFA speech in the speech plaza.  

The new stroller works great!

The wedding "thing" in the park

Lance gets some attention from a local woman

• This morning (Monday) there was another park trip, but this time Lance pretty much slept the whole time.

Since we've got a few pics of Lance, I wanted to compare how he looks with how John looked.  I was only able to find a couple pics of John here on Garblog from the first month or so after he was born, and in one of them, you can't see much of him (I am holding him while bottle feeding for the first time at three weeks old).  Here's one that we can probably use (I sure didn't take many photos back then - at least compared to now!):

http://garbjohnblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/obligatory-cute-baby-photo.html

John, less than 1 month

Obviously, it's easy to notice that Lance's eyes are dark (they appear to be brown), while John's were blue and later changed to grey, and that Lance's hair is darker and a bit thicker than John's was (although the perceived greater thickness could be largely attributed to the darker color - hard to tell for sure right now).

Will try to post more on differences between John and Lance as time goes on.

GJS

A couple new runs

Wanted to mention the last two runs I've done.  One was on Saturday and the other this morning (Monday).  Today's was a workman-like 5-mile effort, not bad in that I was pretty late getting out the door and it was starting to get pretty warm even by the time I took my first step. (See all details here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28320538)

Today's run

Saturday's run was more notable.  Even thought sleep the previous night had been rather interrupted (pretty much par for the course with a newborn in the house), I decided to go ahead and try for an hour-long run.  I had come close a couple weeks back (~55 min), but if I recall correctly, I was pushing the speed pretty good on that run, too, so not only was it long, it was relatively fast.  By contrast, on Saturday, I just decided to take it a little bit slower and make it last an hour.

Saturday - 1 hour!

In this I was successful.  The temperatures were quite cool and comfortable, which helped, and I must also admit that I am getting a much better feel for running-friendly places that aren't too far from where we live, so this helps a lot (last fall when I was running here I was primarily running only in the park across the street - I think the boredom and monotony of this is part of what led to me abandoning running for about 3 months).  I decided to head west, towards my school, and in fact I ran all the way there.  Once I was there, I took a little "victory lap" around the running track (check it out on the map).  Check out all the details here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28107375.

I feel like my running is coming along pretty well.  Still plenty of room for improvement, though.

GJS

Lonely Planet photo competition

via inside-digital.blog.lonelyplanet.com

I had a hard time picking a favorite from these great photos - there are so many good ones! I sent in a photo for the competition, not in any real hope that it would win, but just for fun. You can see it here:

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"American Footsteps" Exhibit Grand Opening

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“American Footsteps” Exhibit Grand Opening

Over 150 guests attended the opening

“American Footsteps” Exhibit Grand Opening: On March 18, AIT Director Stanton, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu and National Sun Yat-Sen University President Yang Hong-dun co-hosted the grand opening ceremony of “American Footsteps in Southern Taiwan: Our People in a Defining Era, 1950-1980,” an unprecedented museum exhibition conceived and coordinated by AIT Kaohsiung Branch Office and carried out under the auspices of Kaohsiung’s Sun Yat-sen America Center and Kaohsiung Museum of History.

In his opening remarks, Stanton lauded the exhibit’s many co-sponsors and expressed hope that in the future, the exhibit could be shared with other cities in Taiwan. The exhibit’s central theme is the close personal ties forged between Americans and Taiwanese in southern Taiwan during the period after WWII and up to the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act. The exhibit features a large number of vintage photographs and artifacts, including items donated under U.S. AID’s post-war assistance program in Taiwan and memorabilia left behind by U.S. soldiers stationed in southern Taiwan.

More than 150 political, academic and business VIPs attended the opening ceremony and follow-on reception, along with a large number of local print and broadcast journalists. The America Center will be organizing a series of special programs and lectures related to the exhibit, which will close on July 4. (Please see comments written by a United Daily News blogger on this museum exhibit: http://blog.udn.com/taipeicoco/3867189

via ait.org.tw

I didn't make it to the grand opening and still haven't seen the display, but there's plenty of time (open through July 4). Looks like of plenty of other folks were able to catch the exhibit's grand opening, though.

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Baby Lance

Here are a few photos of our new baby!

Lance Michael was born Monday, March 22, 2010.

We were able to come home from the hospital earlier today (Wednesday).  Everyone is pretty tired but other than that doing well.

The whole set is here:

Rest assured, there will be more photos of this little fellow to come!

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Our son

Lance Michael Sampson was born at approximately 2340 local time 22
March 2010. He weighed 8 3/4 lbs and was 21.5 inches long. I am not
sure where Barb finds the room in her small carriage for these big
boys! Everyone is doing great.

GJS

Go time?

Heading to the hospital.

Sent from my iPod

You guessed it

Still waiting.  Signs are again encouraging that we are coming to the close of this 9-month-plus process, though.  An interesting note – if the baby comes tomorrow (Tuesday), that will be 40 weeks, 5 days – identical to John’s gestation.  We shall see!

 

GJS

Worst-ever dust storm from China hits Taiwan - Taiwan News Online

Worst-ever dust storm from China hits Taiwan

The phenomenon is predicted to clear up gradually today, says CWB Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Page 1
2010-03-22 12:00 AM

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+ Enlarge This image With Taipei's Grand Hotel in the background, a crowd of marathon runners participate in the 2010 Taipei International Freeway Marathon amidst an increasing darkness of the unprecedented fierce dust storm which hits Taiwan all day yesterday. Taiwan News The worst-ever dust storms from China forced air quality in Northern Taiwan sharply down yesterday, the Environmental Protection Administration said. A total of 24 observation stations across the island recorded more than 1,000 micrograms of dust per cubic meter and a further ten showed values at damaging levels, according to the EPA. Skies turned a yellowish grey as there was no rain to wash away the dust, the Central Weather Bureau said. The worst levels of pollution were recorded on the island of Matsu close to the coast of China's Fujian Province, in Keelung on the North Coast and in several Taipei City districts, EPA official Chu Yu-chi said. Matsu airport was closed all day due to poor visibility, reports said. Doctors advised people to limit outside activities to the barest minimum, and to wear masks or even goggles when riding a motorcycle. Patients suffering from breathing problems even before the storm should wait a few days until after it had left before resuming normal outside activities, reports said. The number of patients recording breathing problems increased by 20 percent to 30 percent because of irritation by the dust, reports said. People wearing contact lenses felt irritation of the eyes, according to media reports quoting physicians. The storms expanded to Central and Southern Taiwan during yesterday afternoon, especially in areas close to the coast, the EPA said. Visibility in Taitung on the southeast coast was reduced to 5 kilometers, according to reports. The Central Weather Bureau however predicted the phenomenon would clear up gradually during the day today. The dust storms combined with a cold front to cut temperatures by 7 degrees, the bureau said. The next cold front from China was predicted to arrive Wednesday evening and to stay until early Saturday, though it was not immediately known whether it would bring more dust. That was dependent on the situation in Inner Mongolia and other regions in the Chinese interior over the next two days, forecasters said.

via etaiwannews.com

Really hazy this morning in Kaohsiung, too. The teacher at my son's school said the kids might not be able to play outside because of all the crud in the air. I feel sorry for those folks running the marathon in Taipei. They will need the "Lung Brush" for sure! (from SNL)

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"Hurry up and wait"

Still no baby.  Maybe tomorrow?

 

GJS

 

P.S. I did record my weekly audio segment and had it ready to upload, but it had an error every time I tried to send it from the iPod.  I don’t really “feel” a re-recording coming on…might just have to skip this week (unless I am somehow able to retrieve the file).  Sorry, folks.

Hot Springs in Taiwan

via nytimes.com

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Another day

Saturday is almost closed out here in Kaohsiung and still no baby.  Contractions, which seemed to tail off yesterday, started again today but seem to be relatively mild, not the uncomfortable / painful ones that signal impending birth.  We are all anxiously waiting!

 

GJS

HIT it! #running #Kaohsiung

A friend sent me a note today that included a recent article from Science Daily talking about high intensity training (HIT).  He sent it because he recently read my post about the challenges in avoiding the onset of a sedentary lifestyle and he felt that this article and the type of training it describes, designed to give you “more bang for the buck” for the amount of time you have to exercise, might be a good choice to help me on my “comeback.” 

His note and the article motivated me to get out and do some HIT running today.  I figured having the opportunity to run today in and of itself was a gift, since we are currently in the final stages of waiting for our new child to be born (his due date was March 18).  I imagined that I would probably be at the hospital by now, involved in assisting my wife in the birthing process and there would be no time for a run.

This type of training is not new to me.  As a trained exercise scientist (BS – Exercise Science, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 2004), this is something I have seen before.  I know that it works and why.  As with so many things, it’s just a matter of getting out there and doing it.

So I did.  The Science Daily article said that heart rates (HR) should be at 95% of max to obtain the positive training effects.  Looks like I was there for several of the intervals. (The sort of brown colored line in the above graphic represents % HR max (HRM).  From about interval number 5 on – at about 25 minutes into the run - I was peaking at 95% HRM and above.)  I did 10 x (1 min hard run, 2 min easy run).  With warm up and cool down jogging, the run was over 5.5 miles and 45 min.  As with my most recent run earlier this week, there was no doubt in my mind when I was done that I had done some work.  See all the details here.

Thanks for the reminder about HIT, I needed that!

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Pictures of the Day: Tuesday, March 9 - Lens Blog

via lens.blogs.nytimes.com

I want to avoid this blog being "all running, all the time," so here are some photos from the New York Times Lens Blog. I like this first photo of the Marines - check out the shell casings from the spent rounds in the air! The occasion is not so merry, though - laying combat dead from Afghanistan to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Semper Fidelis, Marines.

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New photos available at Flikr!

I love this park!, originally uploaded by gardahsam.

...not a ton, maybe about 100 or so. Figured it was in my best interests to "clear the queue," so to speak, get all the "old" pics shared before the onslaught of new baby pics come. (And no, this post doesn't mean the baby's arrival is imminent, although I can report with satisfaction that this week's check-up went fine and that if he stays in his mommy's tummy for another week he just may make 8 lbs!)

Head on over and check 'em out.

GJS

Still Waiting

OK, so it appears that yesterday's "prediction" is not going to be true - seems things have toned down a bit and we're playing the waiting game again.  Contractions continues apace throughout the night until about 4AM, after which they tailed off...so we carried out our Friday in a "business as usual" manner, for the most part.

Grandma brought with her a new stroller from the US that we ordered but couldn't get shipped to Taiwan, so we spent some of the morning "building  it up."

We also went for a stroll around the neighborhood to get Grandma used to the surroundings a bit, including a visit to the local fresh market to see some "sea creatures."  The fish was so fresh it was still flopping around!

Of course there was a lot of this going on today:

John is happy to have his Grandma here to play with him.

Since baby has not come yet, we will carry on as usual with our weekly OB appointment.  Like I said, due date (40 weeks) was yesterday, but there shouldn't really be any issues in terms of outside intervention to initiate the birth for at least one or maybe 2 more weeks (depends what we can convince the doctor of - so far we have had good success in staving off his desired interventions).

GJS

Baby update - no baby yet

The trip to pick up Barb's mom was a success and labor did not commence while I was on that errand.  The day (Thursday) is nearing a close now and it appears that it will not be "go time" before tomorrow comes.  We remain at home and are waiting for the onset of true labor.  It probably won't be too much longer now.  If I was into making predictions, I'd say that we are probably less than 24 hours out from birth.  Barb is having contractions every 1 - 2 hours and they are becoming stronger - mild to moderate "uncomfortableness."

Hopefully we don't have to do the 3AM mad dash to the hospital.  With John we went there at about mid-day and he was born later that same day, about 10PM.  With luck, it will play out about like that this time, too.

GJS

Due Date

Up early in Taiwan to head to the Taipei airport to pick up Barb's mom.

GJS

Sent from my iPod

Dream Mall run

For St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to try a longer, faster run than I have done in a long time, probably since I ran the Big Sur International Marathon last spring.

This run didn’t come close to a marathon or even a half, but it was certainly a challenge compared to what I’ve been doing lately!

This week also marks one month since I started my “comeback.”  Looking back at the first run I did last month (a little over 20 minutes of running) and comparing it to today’s 55-minute effort is encouraging!

Full details on today’s run are here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27207391

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Week in (P)Review III

Better late than never, right?

Keeping cool

GJS

"American Footsteps in Southern Taiwan" Exhibit to Open at the Kaohsiung Museum of History from March 16 to July 4

In cooperation with the Kaohsiung Museum of History and the America Center located at National Sun Yat-sen University, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Kaohsiung Branch Office is pleased to present "American Footsteps in Southern Taiwan," an unprecedented museum exhibition which will be shown at the Kaohsiung Museum of History from March 16 to July 4.  An opening ceremony will be held on March 18 with the participation of AIT Director William Stanton, AIT Kaohsiung Branch Chief Christian Castro, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu and National Sun Yat-sen University President Yang Hong-dun.

The "American Footsteps in Southern Taiwan" exhibit features stories of U.S. interaction with southern Taiwan in a key era from 1950-80.  Utilizing historic artifacts, photos, taped interviews and documentaries, the exhibition gives the audience a broad overview of the American cultural, social, military and religious presence in Kaohsiung and southern Taiwan during that period and the impressions Americans and local Taiwanese had of each other.

The items on display include a personal note written especially to commemorate this exhibition from U.S. Representative Lester Wolff (retired), one of the principal authors of the Taiwan Relations Act.  Other unique items provide a rare glimpse into America's multifaceted post-World War II economic assistance program in Taiwan.  The exhibition also highlights a host of fascinating artifacts, photos and documents from the long-ago U.S. military presence in southern Taiwan.

The Kaohsiung Museum of History is also proud to put on display for this exhibit an especially significant item acquired for its permanent collection - an antique karaoke machine with 30 vinyl records left behind by the U.S. Military Consulting Corps.  Decades later, the machine is still functioning well, and during the exhibition, it will play those vintage vinyl records to give visitors an authentic nostalgic sense of this unique and defining era in Taiwan-U.S. relations.

For further information about this exhibition, please visit the museum website: http://w5.kcg.gov.tw/khm.

via ait.org.tw

Saw a poster today on campus advertising this new exhibit. Looks like it might be worth checking out.

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Running derailed (sort of); Update

Alright, I missed a run.  I was supposed to go out either Friday or Saturday AM, but stuff happened both days and I didn’t make it.  I corrected myself and got out there again this morning (Monday), so I am back on track.  The run I missed was going to be about an hour long (that was the plan, anyhow), but today’s was shorter because it’s going to be a hot one in Kaohsiung today – already getting pretty warm by 8:30 AM.

 

You might be wondering, where is the Week in (P)Review for this week?  Well, this also got off track, due to network issues here this week.  In fact, as I write this, the network continues to be down and you will only get to see this post as soon as it comes back up! (hopefully later today, but who knows really) We’ve got a balky ADSL modem, supposed to be somebody coming out to look at it today.  When the network dropped yesterday about noon, that was the third time this week I had to call for them to try to do a remote reset.  First two times it worked; yesterday it didn’t.  Did I mention that the service folks don’t speak any English?  I’m getting pretty good at describing how my internet won’t work using Chinese on the phone!  Phone conversations are the hardest – no visual clues.

 

The new baby hasn’t come yet, but signs are positive that we are getting closer to “go time.”  Due date remains Thursday, March 18.

 

GJS

 

 

Mattingly wants to be "the man" in LA

Can't turn your back on this guy! ;-)

Note to Joe Torre: don't leave the country again (especially to come to Taiwan!), you might not have a job when you come back!

GJS

The Associated Press: Mattingly, Dodgers have talked about manager's job: "

On his first day as Dodgers interim manager, hitting coach Don Mattingly said Wednesday that the team has made overtures about him eventually becoming Joe Torre's permanent replacement.

With Torre en route to Taiwan to manage a Dodgers split squad for three exhibition games, Mattingly is in charge of the team in Arizona and will work at least five games as manager.

A little farther, a little faster...

This running business is going pretty good!  I got out the door a little earlier this morning, and it actually felt a little bit cool outside, which was nice.  Decided to run along the harbor in an area that is really hot once the sun gets up in the sky (no trees or shade at all).  It wasn't bad at all this morning.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26422943

Pretty soon I will be back up over doing 10K a shot with this running - not bad for only about 3 weeks back at it!  Heart rate data is included today,a s previously advertised.  My ticker was doing some work, especially towards the end.

GJS

Week in (P)Review II

2010 Tour de Taiwan (環台賽)

via tourdetaiwan.org.tw

The stage race starts in Kaohsiung on March 14 and goes all the way up Taiwan to the north, ending in Taipei on March 20. Looks pretty interesting - might be worth checking out. I might be able to use some of the same routes they will be riding as good places to ride myself (the race is just like the Tour de France, etc. with teams competing against each other).

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Today's run in Kaohsiung

I successfully integrated the use of the GPS back into my running routine today for the first time since my “comeback” began 2 weeks ago.  Only one obstacle remains – getting the device to record my heart rate again (it may be the case that the chest strap’s battery is dead – unlike the wrist unit, the chest strap’s battery is not rechargeable).  Nonetheless, this solves a few remaining “mysteries” about my running since I have started again, namely, how far and how fast?  Not bad for only being back in running shoes for a couple weeks.

I learned another thing today – it is already getting really hot here!  I will definitely have to start getting out the door on my runs earlier in the day.  By the time I finished my workout, the heat index was already approaching 90° F!  I could have used a little of the cooler weather we were having a couple weeks back.

The heat made me think about the folks I saw running in the Kaohsiung marathon yesterday.  The race didn’t start until 7 AM (pretty late, all things considered), so even reasonably fast “normal” people would still be out running at 10 and 11 AM.  Running a marathon here successfully certainly would require successful acclimatization and following a smart hydration plan.  Something to think about if I want to try to run the race in 2011…

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