A Placid Life...

If what they say is true, and a picture captures 1,000 words.. well, then I submit to the jury exhibit A.
I love this picture, not just because its family, but because it was taken when they weren't looking, in between the gaggle of photographers present at the wedding. I took a bizillion shots and went 'paparazzi' myself, but out of all of them, I kept reverting back to this one as my favorite.
Two Thursday's ago, a small gathering of close family members on the Smith side & Jackson side ventured up to Lake Placid, NY for Kevin & Leah' wedding. I myself, hadn't returned to Placid in over 10 years... and upon returning, was reminded why it was my favorite place in the world growing up.
I was very glad to be back to Placid, and my 'Tara' as I referred to it growing up. 'Tara' comes from the character Scarlett O'Hara's reference to her home. It really is a beautiful town, and I have had the pleasure of seeing it in the summer months, when the weather is text book perfect, and even in the winter when this lake pictured above 'Mirror Lake' is frozen over allowing for dog sledding (did it, and it is awesome). It is gorgeous in the summer & in the winter!
I was also very happy to get in some hiking while up there too! After climbing Whiteface Mtn. so many years ago, it sorta gets ingrained in you... you may not do it often, but it's like riding a bike... you never forget.

Run of my LIFE!

Quite literally!
I was eager and excited before the Encierro started.. and to say that my heart was pounding as hard as it ever has in my life, doesn't do it justice. I have NEVER felt my heart beat that fast! I will tell the story of my Encierro experience as it pertains to how my run went... and add in the parts I know about from the others, but obviously the second the bulls even entered the street post the 90 degree turn.. all mayhem broke lose, and the three of us that were together were instantly separated.
The morning started bright and early. We had arrived to Pamplona the evening before, and dee med this to be the one night of the whole trip we would NOT drink... as people we had spoken to throughout our adventure so far had highly recommended. We walked the course clear from the beginning of the bull pen, to the Plaza de Toros, just a hair over half a mile. The trickiness lies in the cobblestones.. they are difficult for the bulls to run on, and cause lots of slipping action, and while we are a bit more nimble on our feet.. when hundreds of people are pushing and shoving around you, you want to know if there are any extra special 'spots' or dips in the road on the part you intend to run.
Luckily Simon was able to discuss in detail with a local at the Plaza de Toros how exactly to go about staging, and running. We had read the books, but BEING there, talking with locals, is the absolute best thing. You can also find out how the morning's Encierro (running of the bulls) went. We would be running on "Day 2".
So back to the morning of. We awoke bright and early, and met out by the car at 6am to make the 25 minute walk to the city center where the course was. We had to enter at one specific point, because by 6:30 the fencing would be up, and if we weren't in the only open gate by 6:50, we stood a chance of being locked out and unable to run. There are no cameras allowed on the course, as well as no drunks, but obviously people sneak their cameras in (The picture above is of our group in the staging area at about 6:50 am), and some sneaky drunks manage to sober up enough to 'run'.
Jill and Genna made the decision to run the earlier part of the course, so after 7:30 Simon, Justin and I left them to make our way to our designated spot to run. I snapped this picture right before we started walking... gotta love the Brits!!
A few of the pieces of advice the local told us: 1.) respect tradition! Wear the official garb. They wont necessarily kick you out, but this is one time you want to respect the tradition and wear the attire. There are at least a dozen little tents in pamplona where you can spend under 25 euro to get the whole outfit. 2.) Pick a staging area to run, the bulls are FAST! You wont make it the entire way with them, and there will be so many people that will get in your way/push you, that you will inevitably slow down.. so pick you place to run along the course.
At 7:30 they released the police line that was blocking us from walking all along the course. As I said earlier, there is only one area that you can enter and exit the course from if you intend to run. Once you are in, you are locked in! No backing out at this point!! So at 7:30 they released the police line and Simon, Justin and I said our goodbyes to Jill and Genna and walked past the 90 degree turn (hamburger corner) to wait about 50-100meters past the turn. The streets were A LOT more narrow than I had expected. Id watched enough youtube.com videos to know that the course was narrow but SERIOUSLY.. this was small!
At 8am they release the first rocket which signifies that the bull pen is being opened and releasing the 6 Steers & 6 bulls. The female steers know the course, have run it each morning/year and lead out the bulls. The bulls are selected from a particular breeder as being his best bulls, and each day of the San Fermine festival (there are 7 days= 7 Encierro's) showcases a different breeder. These bulls have never run the course, and they are making their 'last run' into the plaza de toros. All 6 bulls will die that night in the Matador show. So yeah, do the math... 7 days, 6 bulls per day= lots of bulls dying each year for the San Fermine festival. But again... tradition.
So the three of us were standing together when we heard the first rocket go off.. yes, your heart kinda skips a beat when you hear it.. cause you know exactly what it means.. then you wait to hear the second rocket go off.. the second rocket indicates that the entire pack is out of the pen.. the longer it takes for the second rocket, the longer the Encierro might last, because the herd isn't together. This is where you hear the term 'swelto' (which I apologize, Im sure it's spelled wrong) A 'swelto' is a lone bull... which = danger. When they get seperated from the herd they get scared, and their first reaction is to attack. We were warned if we hear swelto, to look out.. but truth be told, even though there were two sweltos the day we ran.. I didn't hear CRAP!
The second rocket took a little bit, I think Simon counted about 20 seconds or so, but then it was a waiting game.. wait until the crowd pushes you... I was warned by my father, who did the running 30+ years ago, of the dangers of the crowd.. they push, they don't care if you are a female, etc.. yeah yeah. I had previously decided that if I was running, I would be running the dangerous part after the 90 degree turn, and I knew that I wouldn't need to be the fastest, just not the slowest, but most importantly.. be ready to jock people like I was 7ft tall. Adrenaline does funny things to you, I will tell you that. As we waited for noise, the crowd to start freaking out, etc.. my heart started pounding. I had my arms up literally ready to push back the second someone came towards me...
We heard the screaming first.. remember the part about 'if you hear the world swelto'? Yeah.. f that.. all you could hear was mass screaming, grown men, literally screaming at the tops of their lungs.. the vibrations.. oh yes, 500+kg (1200ish) pound bulls 600+kg steers, causes a lot of vibration. I heard the screaming first, then the crowd start to move. We were jumping up in place to try and see something coming, and before we knew it, we were all yelling GO! at the tops of our lungs. I just turned and started hauling ass. I had my arms up, and to say I was just trying to envision myself being 7ft tall and 300 pounds (a fast 300lbs) was an understatement. I was mentally prepared for people trying to knock me down, and I wasn't gonna go down without a fight. I turned my head at one point and saw two black bulls alone heading right towards me, I was still a bit off to the side, but I remember my thought clear as day, "well, I can dodge that way, or keep running and hope they run by me without seeing me" Thankfully, the later happened. You are running literally out of your mind, can feel the vibrations to your left, and the massive screaming. I hurdled several guys, the run was literally a blur. It felt like 10 seconds long.. then as we were coming towards the plaza door, I knew previously that it narrowed down considerably... as I ran on the right side, I realized my momentum was going far faster than my feet.. I had just jumped another person, including one girl that got trampled, and later pulled off under the fence. I stretched my arms out and grabbed a fence post and bear hugged it like no tomorrow. People were running by/into/at me but I just held on for dear life. Another guy happened to get the same idea as me, and was next to me, but eventually wrapped himself around me holding the pole like a shield.. I definitely owed that guy a beer, but I never found him after the run.
I hung out there just long enough to get my balance and throw myself back into the herd of people, and into the plaza de toros. Goal #2 achieved.. SUCKAFOO. Haha.. let me back up. 30ish years ago, Dad ran with the bulls.. he didn't make it into the plaza de toros because if you don't run in right with them, or close to, they shut the doors and you cant get in. In fairness, Dad ran from a different point on the course, and had I done that as well, probably wouldn't have made it in either... but I just gotta hold that over Dad's head. Nah-nanny boo boo :)
I cannot begin to encapsulate the emotion you feel when you get into the ring. Your heart is pounding through your chest, you want to hug every person around you because you all went through an adventure together and you made it! I happened to run in and to the right, and shortly after wandering around, found Simon. Snapped a picture, and were just completely excited that the other made it into the ring too! It literally is an amazing experience.
We knew about the vaquillas (baby steers) that they release to let the crazy boys chase them around. They have corks on their horns to 'protect' you.. but lets be realistic.. a cork on a horn does nothing.... Simon and I jumped up on the inner ledge of the bull ring and had a great view of the three vaquillas they released. Shortly after that, Justin saw us and made his way over. "Stay here, I'm gonna go slap a vaquilla on the ass!" And slap he did. Just ask him what his hand smelled like for the rest of the day!! haha.
We had a staged meeting point to meet the girls at 8:30 at the Hemmingway statue just outside the plaza de toros. I have to admit, the excitement really hit me when I saw them walk up and I realized that all 5 of us made it through the running!! Now it was time for Justin and I to wait in line for 2 hours to get Matador tickets for the nights show (so we could watch all of our bulls get it) and drink Sangria. Did I mention how much Pamplona likes Sangria... well, the answer is A LOT.
This was truly a life experience. I had made my mind up when I was a little girl, and had watched my Dad's pictures on a slide projector (holler for the 80's), that someday I was going to do it too... just like Dad. I think he figured I would forget about it. Haha, sorry Dad! I think he regrets ever showing me those slides. There are a few more slides he showed me of things I want to do as well (climb the pyramids, visit Sardinia- did that!) so maybe the moral of the story is kids are like sponges, they dont forget.. and if they really want to do something, there is nothing stopping them!
To all of the people that are planning/wanting to run in an Encierro... remember this: people have died, people will die. People get gored. It isnt a American production where they say its scary but really you are under close supervision. No, this is the real deal. You have to understand what you are getting yourself in to before you even think of doing it. There is a chance you can get hurt. It is true what the locals say... the bulls are the 1st thing to look out for, 2nd are all the people. This is classic 'flight response' happening here people. If someone is thinking they are going to die, they WILL push you out of the way/knock you down to preserve themselves. Don't think you will run with a group, because I promise you, you will lose each other. Have a staging area AND TIME to meet at post run. If you dont have every one in your party accounted for, head to a infirmary tent. DO carry a photo copy of your I.D. in your pants somewhere... do imagine yourself 10ft tall and bullet proof (Thanks Travis Tritt), and be prepared to act like it... you will run with your arms straight out in front of you jocking people as you pass them, or keeping them from getting too close to you. It is ok if you arent 10ft tall and bullet proof, cause I sure as heck am not.. but I have always lived by the motto 'It isnt the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog'. People can do crazy things when high on adrenaline... last but not least. Have FUN! I can now say I've joined an elite group of crazy people who have run with the bulls during San Fermines, and an even smaller elite group of GIRLS.
I texted my mom when we got back to the hotel later, to let her know I made it safely.. and to take a jab at Dad, "Mom, Im safe, we all made it... and tell Dad his DAUGHTER made it into the Plaza de Toros! SUCKER!" hehe I know, I'm a competitive brat aren't I? ;)

We all give back...

Or.. something like that! So yes, in a manner of speaking I donated $100 of my hard earned money to the Alachua County & Waldo County police department for the most ridiculous circumstance ever but hey... I gotta figure out how to turn this frown upside-down!
So hmm.... you may be thinking to yourself (or mid google) 'where the heck is Alachua county?? Well my dear friends, in the heart of the place hated by every Seminole around... Gainesville, FL. I ask you... what is there to like in Gainesville Florida? The Gay-tors? No. The thriving metropolis? No. The #1 city for issued speeding tickets in the country? No. Tim Tebow? Maybe... but technically he is from outside of Jacksonville, so we'll call that a wash. Either way.. nothing good comes out of Gainesville, Florida or the University of Florida for that matter.. haha. ;)
So yes, a few months ago I got pulled over for speeding, and the cop issued me a ticket (while asking me for my phone number) at the lesser offense of 'driving with the expiration date on my tag covered'. So I'm thinking to myself I got off good on this one right? Wrong. Turns out ol' boy missed the 5 or so meetings the Alachua Co. Tax Collectors office has had with the Waldo P.D. informing them of the increase in citation fees issued by the state. A little known fact Judy of the Alachua Co. Tax Dept. clued me in on... Who are these cops in Waldo anyway?
Back to the story, homeboy wrote $104 on my ticket, which I promptly sent in the money, and figured that was the end of it... but oh was I wrong. Turns out, I get a nasty gram towards the end of May saying that 'While the Cops and the Tax Comm do not have the authority to lower your ticket, the Officer made a mistake, and you actually owe a difference of $50.00'. WTF mate? When does this happen? Wait... your covering for a Cop making a mistake? I thought they were 'THE LAW'. Whatever... so I send in ANOTHER $50.00 check to the luscious Alachua Co. and call it a day. About a week later I get a notice, mind you we are in the 1st week of June by now, that if I did not pay the ticket by the end of May, my license would be suspended on June 15th. Well thanks for the prompt timing guys, but I mailed that check off a week ago... so I threw the letter away and went on about my day.
This past Sunday I was racing to do an Ocean swim with the Hammerheads when I got pulled over, for admittedly speeding. (Hey, I can admit when I do speed now..) told the cop I was sorry, knew I was speeding, blah blah.. he told me he'd let me go with a warning bc I was heading to the beach to swim (Love Duval cops btw!!) And took my license and registration as protocol.
WAH-MO! This is where it gets interesting. He comes back to my car 'Mam, did you know you were driving on an expired license?' Como what? Come again??!! 'Yeah, it seems your license was suspended on the 25th of June. Oh hell no... So yes, I got to get in my workout and being Sunday, fume about the fact that BOTH checks has cleared my bank account to the Lush-Alach (who will from here on out be referred to as the Snatchawah (cause they snatch your money).
So I was eyeball deep in work on Monday, and had to drive to a market work-with with the song 'Wanted, Dead or Alive' in my head for the rest of the day... but was finally able to deal with Snatch on Tuesday.
Judy and I became great phone friends throughout the day as I called about every hour on the hour because see, the computers had been down since Monday morning.. and there was absolutely nothing they could do to even investigate/clear me of whatever seemed to be the problem. I would later learn, that the reason my license was suspended was because EVEN THOUGH I paid what I was instructed to pay well within the 30 day window, the BALANCE, that I didn't even know existed, wasn't paid within the 30 day window. (Well no duh, I didn't know about it) So my license was suspended, further more... no notice was given, and it was suspended 16 days after they received payment... GREAT. Judy was no dice on trying to help me out with the clearly 'I got screwed' situation... so $100 later ($23 late fee, $47 suspension lift fee, $15 dollars in processing fees, and $15 to get a new license- cause the cop took my old one) I am now back in business, legal to drive, and provided at least 1 Cop a few extra hours on payroll.
As I learn in the back draft of this situation, County offices are having meetings with Police Dept's and pulling Detectives that are normally on you know, important cases like Homicide, Drug Control, etc.. and having them go write tickets because revenue is down. Since revenue is down they have two options.. write more tickets, or people are going to get laid off... thus, you see where this is going. I think, if times were not as they are, it would have been very easy for Judy to lift the 'error' and wipe it clean, since all money was paid... but unfortunately, we don't live in those times right now.
I have to chalk this up as my Good Deed #2 for 2009... Good Deed #1 being helping a dude from the Dominican Republic who didnt speak A WORD of English, fill out his declarations forms for himself and 6 of his family members on the plane flight back from 4 days of ridiculousness, where all I wanted to do at 10am was sleep on the plane. Hey, we all help out where we can right? High five for Spanish retention!! hahaa..

Hopefully it'll come in handy in Spain... I leave in the morning to fly to Philly to pick up Jilly before we do the 'Atlantic Time Warp again' (cue Rocky Horror Picture Show!) and meet 3 other travelers for a 10 day adventure through SW France & Northern Spain. Holla! Wait, we're going to Spain.. so I guess we gotta elongate that 'o'... Hoooola ;)

Prost,
Jen

My what a difference a year makes...

So it's been a year. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days... don't they go by in a blink? Well, a lot has changed in a year! It's fascinating to see the progress that you can make in just a years time. I stumbled across my blog after deserting it a year ago, almost to the date, and decided it was time to pick it up again. The adventures keep mounting.. and thus, so do the stories. If nothing more, I can blog of the memories of the moment, so that some day (hopefully not annually) I can reflect back on where I was, and marvel at where I am...
I left off as I was departing for the first time to Europe. I cannot begin to explain the excitement of fulfilling that childhood dream. It was always a fairy tale for me. One, I always managed to place on the back-burner for 'another time'. Well, no time like the present ey? So, a year later.. it amazes me that my first trip was at age 26 'across the pond'. What amazes me even further, is that I managed to do it 3 times in a calendar year! Cause that makes sense right? Wait 26 years, then start blowing up the sky miles in 365 days!! Its funny how in life, sometimes all we need is a lil push to jump start ourselves in the right direction towards X'ing off our goals we set out to achieve. So what 365 days ago was a great big goose egg on the 'European countries visited' has now turned into: Germany, Sardinia (Italy), Czech Republic, Luxembourg, UK, and Scotland.
In another month, I can add Spain and France to this list, as I leave in a week to tackle another childhood dream I had of running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. What can I say, guess I'm a bit of an adventure seeker! What was a father harmlessly showing his 5 year old daughter slides of pictures (yes they were on slides) from his adventures in the military, later developed into an obsession of seeing the world, and doing 'just as dad did' on a few particular adventures that peaked my interest: running with the bulls in Spain, and climbing the Egyptian pyramids.
So, in a week we can check off one of those boxes... and I don't think it will be long before I can check off the other. Which brings me to another development that I finally put down on paper over the past year: my bucket list. I always had it in various places, be it computer, or written journals.. but I never put them all in one consolidated spot. Now, thanks to the beauty of facebook notes, and a chain letter that came my way in March, I finally put down all my bucket list goals in one location. Its amazing when I look at it and see just how much I checked off in a year... if I keep up the current pace, I'll be done with the list in about 5 years.. luckily for me, I am adding to the list almost monthly it seems. Thank goodness for a soul that never seems to settle for status quo. Gotta keep up'ing the bar. Gotta keep setting a new goal. Gotta make sure I am enjoying the journey getting there, just as much as crossing the line.

Here is to the adventures of the next 365 days and beyond...

Prost,
Jen

And yes, in about 4 months of consistent study, I managed to teach myself over half the German language. This goes along with a goal I set back in 2004 to learn French, German, & Italian. I started French a week ago, no telling how long it might take.. but I'm enjoying it along the way :)

Who knows what else I'll be doing in a year, and what language it will be in. :) Au revoir!