'The Protector', starring Tony Jaa

Simply put, this movie is awesome.

Tony Jaa puts on a Muay Thai clinic as he delivers serious ass-kickery all across Sydney, Australia. A big part of the excitement associated with this picture is the display of Muay Thai; a more brutal cousin to the martial arts displayed by Jackie Chan in recent films. The fierceness and purity is reminiscent of Bruce Lee's big screen offerings. With the interest in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on the rise, a movie showcasing Muay Thai is just what the doctor ordered. Tony Jaa serves up elbows and knees about as often as McDonald's serves up Happy Meals.

Enjoy.

1098 Delivery Party

February 9th, I had the opportunity to attend an event celebrating the arrival of the first Ducati 1098 to Ducati Seattle. It is actually a 1098S, and the new owner was there to twist the throttle for all of us to hear. David Roosevelt, Owner of Ducati Seattle, puts on a great party with food from Outback Steakhouse and champagne (for this IS a celebration). There was a great display of Superbike history, from the 851 and 888, to the Original, the Classic: 916, and forward to the 996, 998, and 999. With minimal ceremony, a bike tech rolled the new 1098S out onto the sidewalk and pressed the starter...

I must say, here, that there is no sound like the beautiful symphony that comes from a dry-clutched Ducati motorcycle - a symphony with one section: Percussion. Regardless of exhaust choices, the Ducati L-Twin engine puts forth a low, musical energy liken to the combination of base and tomtom drums. Switch out that stock exhaust for some sweet Termignoni carbon fiber cans, and the bass drum/tomtom duet is joined by kettle drums - the sound is just deeper, fuller, and puts forth an expansive range. You feel it in your chest. It makes my wife, a dedicated Ducatista, swoon. At the other end of the percussion section, holding its own rhythm, is the sweet 'tang, tang' of the dry clutch; a holdover from Ducati's racing roots. From the factory, the dry clutch is muted behind a solid steel clutch cover. But, as so many of us do, replace that with an aftermarket open cover, and you've just turned your Clutch Section up to '11'. Sitting in neutral, you are treated with the sharp rimshots of a snare drum. Engage the clutch and that snare is joined by an equally sharp set of cymbals. Ah, heaven!

But, I digress. The 1098S, with Termignoni carbon fiber slip-ons, delivered as only Ducati can...that beautiful pompone sound. The owner stepped up and twisted the throttle several times. There are only two words I can use to describe it: crisp and musical. The clutch was understated; give it a few thousand miles, they get louder with age. Back inside, it was easy to look the bike over and see the roots of its design. As a nod to Sr. Massimo Tamburini, and The Classic 916, Ducati returned to dual horizontal headlights and a side-by-side exhuast. The single-side swingarm, as well, harkens back to 1994, when the 916 was released on the motorcycle world. In keeping with the advances brought forth with the Art Deco-inspired 999, the 1098 bares crisp lines, modern features, and pragmatic accoutrements. In all, something for every dedicated Ducatista.

Once again, Ducati has set the bar a notch higher. In a small factory, outside of Bologna, where craftsmanship takes precedence over production, a small Italian manufacturer does battle with the motorcycle 'Big 3': Yamaha, Honda, & Suzuki. Taking the World Superbike Championship in 2006, and making it to the top 10 in the MotoGP Premier Class for the past four years, Ducati is definitely giving the rest of the world a run for its money. And, now, the 1098 hits the world stage. Weighing in at 377-lbs. and producing 160-hp with 90 ft-lbs of torque, the 1098 puts the 'Super' in Superbike. I will leave you to calculate the power-to-weight ratios.

Rainier Sunrise

Descending from the entrance to the Gib Ledges just after sunrise. Poor snow conditions turned us around at 11,000'; we sat out the night huddled on a ledge. Photo taken in April 2004.

Looking back on 2006

2006 was an eventful year for our little household.

Anastacia finished her didactic year in the University of Washington Physician Assistant Program. To say that she was stretched in every way possible, is an understatement. She finished with great grades. The summer was a welcome respite for her, and a chance to visit family back East.

I took up mountain biking and had the great opportunity to ride with my friends Ray & Mike. Mike was headed overseas mid-summer so, we hit as many rides on his "list" as we could. Ray and I hit some great rides down off of 410, near Mt. Rainier, and over the pass near Lake Wenatchee, as well as some good local mid-week riding.


June 29th, we picked up the latest addition to our family: MARJAN's Happiness is a Warm Gun, aka "Reagan". He was 18# of joy when we brought him home at 8 weeks; at 9 months he is pushing 70#, and still growing. He has been a joy for me to train, as he tries hard to learn and responds very well. I've taken a more serious, comprehensive approach to training Reagan than I did with Sasha; partly, because I am more serious about birdhunting, and I also see the value of skills that I didn't train in Sasha. It has been a challenge having two Chesapeakes in the house, but we love them both, and wouldn't have it any other way.

In July, I had a wonderful opportunity to travel to both Romania and Michigan to work on some incredible projects as an International Trainer for ECO-Block, LLC. In Romania, I worked with ICF ECO Construct (Bucharest) to build the first ECO-Block house in the country of Romania. It was an interesting challenge to work with a non-English speaking crew. However, I found that the fundamentals of construction are universal (and they gave me a wonderful translator, Oana Valeria Jancu). My clients were wonderful hosts, showing me the sights of their beloved country, of which they are so proud. Their hospitality worked: I fell in love with the country, the people, and the food! I left feeling like I had made some great new friends. On to the U.P. of Michigan for a week working with a crew on 16" thick walls at the Bay College, West Campus Building in Iron Mountain, MI. We poured on the fifth day, and I considered the training a success, not without challenges.

Over Labor Day Weekend, we found ourselves winging to Springfield, MO, for the Howell Family Reunion. This was my chance to meet many members of Anastacia's extended family. It was a fun-filled weekend with family; a great chance to meet some of the characters Anastacia has told stories about.

In September, Anastacia and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary, happy as ever was. Soon after, Anastacia started her clinical year of her P.A. program. To date, she has worked a month each in hospice, emergency medicine, psych., general surgery, and (of this writing) is in neurosurgery. This fall also held new challenges for me. I have been working on a $4M renovation of the Mercer Island Country Club as the Project Engineer. The superintendent I had been working with decided to relocate his family to Colorado. Looking at my career goals, my boss and project manager decided to turn the remainder of the project over to me in the field. So, I am the project superintendent now; it has been a great challenge, and a wonderful learning experience.


Sasha and I did some pheasant hunting, without much success. We got our first bird in Goldendale. Reagan got to tag along on the hunt, as well. Pheasant hunting in Washington can be a somewhat frustrating affair, as the bird populations are declining and the planted birds can get harvested rather quickly. Late in the season, it really struck me that duck hunting would be a fun activity, and a lot more productive. Besides, I own the hardiest breed of waterdog on the planet: Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.

Thanksgiving saw us in elk camp outside of Seneca, OR, again, and we had a nice, quiet Christmas at home with our friend, John. At the end, it was a great year.