My 2012 in Pictures

My 2012 in Pictures!

Why I Voted for Barack Obama

Election day is tomorrow but I've already voted and I'm proud to say that for the second time in my life I voted for Barack Obama.

It's not easy being a liberal in a mostly conservative section of Iowa but my surroundings have helped myself define what I believe in and why I believe in it.

Here's why I voted for Barack Obama this year:

1. I trust him. I believe that he is doing what is right for our country and that he is a leader. He inherited a fiscal and economic mess and has done a VERY good job getting us back on the right direction. What about the $16 trillion debt, you might ask? Well, the current deficit is largely made up of costs associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan along with stimulus and TARP money designed to get us out of the worst economic crisis since the great depression. So don't tell me that Obama is a free-spending liberal. He's not.
2. We need to reduce the debt and work toward a budget surplus. Romney will spend $5 trillion on tax cuts and increase defensive spending by $2 trillion. You can't find enough cuts to make up for $7 trillion in lost revenue. Obama will be brave in a second term and I think he'll push like hell for Bowles-Simpson to get passed (spending cuts AND tax increases). There is no real path forward for debt reduction without increases in revenue.
3. He's the first President to support same-sex marriages and he is DEFINITELY on the right side of history with this - just look at how strongly young people favor equality over bigotry. I have many friends who are gay and they deserve every single right to be happy that I deserve.
4. We're out of Iraq. Bin Laden is dead. We're getting out of Afghanistan. Questions about Benghazi? Really? You're raising a fit about Benghazi but didn't mind when we went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks?
5. I think every American DESERVES the right to health care. A lot of misinformation is out there in regard to Obamacare and I'm certainly no expert but this is a step in the right direction. Premiums have been going up by double digits year after year and something needed to be done. Parts of Obamacare may not be perfect but it's a good framework for improved access to health care and a reduction in the cost of health care.
6. Mitt Romney changes his positions on a whim, has no foreign policy experience and I honestly believe that he believes that providing more money to rich people will strengthen the economy when income inequality has only been increasing and the middle class continues to get hit. Directing money to the rich and hoping it trickles down is voodoo economics.

I'm incredibly proud to have voted for Barack Obama this year and I'm stoked to see him in Des Moines tonight.

Presidents do bold things in their second terms and I can't wait to see what progress we make during four more years with President Obama in the White House.

Enjoy the ride (and go vote no matter who you support),

Damm

PS. Vote to retain ALL of the judges. You're voting on their judicial abilities NOT on whether or not you agree with their decisions. Seriously.

The Best Meal of My Life - Comerç, 24, Barcelona

On a narrow street in the Born district of Barcelona, is one of the world's top restaurants (in my opinion at least) - Comerç, 24. Chef Carles Abellán is the protégé of Ferran Adriá who envisioned El Bulli - widely considered to be the best restaurant in the world until it closed in 2011 so Adriá could pursue other projects.

Eating at a restaurant of this quality was one of my 30 goals to accomplish by the time I turned 30 and on May 3rd I crossed this one off the list!

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Joining me for this incredible experience was my buddy Andrew Blum who traveled with me in Spain for a week. We were both absolute newbies to this type of dining experience but we quickly adjusted!

The meal started with a selection of 3 fresh breads and 4 Spanish olive oils along with sea salt. They also brought out a wine list with only glasses of Spanish cava (champagne) at 6€ per glass (not too bad really).

The next decision for the meal involved what tasting menu we were going to select. After reading a lot of online reviews before coming here I knew that it was going to be the most expensive meal of my life, so we decided to go big and go with the 12 course Grand Festival Menu at 106€ each (Blum saved me some money on the flight so I was covering the check for this meal).

Our awesome waiter let us know that this was an excellent selection and then the sommelier came over to take our wine order. The sommelier turned out to be our favorite server of the evening. He obviously knew a TON about wine and he helped us pick some great value wines starting with a Spanish Vionta Albariño (white) and later in the meal an incredible Remelluri Reserva Rioja (red) - both were under 30€ per bottle.

The Albariño paired perfectly with the seafood - it had an awesome citrus flavor but wasn't overly sweet. The Rioja was a rich, complex red and the sommelier said it was an outstanding wine for the price. We agreed!

Now to the meal.

The opening course was a cold cauliflower soup with smoked tea and nori, cauliflower with ginger and rice vinegar served on a stone and monkfish sashimi with black sesame and black garlic (above). At this point we knew we were in for something special. Each dish had such complex flavors while also seeming so simple and thoroughly enjoyable.

Next was Pizza 24. A flatbread cracker with mozzarella, anchovy, greens and a strawberry. A strange combination but absolutely brilliant. Each ingredient was of the highest quality.

And then we were served filo dough stuffed with Parmesan cheese, lemon and basil. The lemon flavor became increasingly intense until the basil leaf polished the dish off with a perfect note. This is in the point in the meal that we just started laughing with delight. And the adventure was only beginning...

Each dish was served with an explanation of what was before us but we constantly had to ask questions about what each ingredient was (sometimes having difficulty understanding our server's English). This dish, of course, was a large oyster on a bed of ice with beet root foam on top. My first foam experience and the texture was indescribably fun. Like cotton candy melting in your mouth - the oyster happily sliding its way into your throat.

Now for my favorite dish of the meal.....beach shrimp ceviche in a peach wine broth. The shrimp was nice and cold. The onion slice added a little crunch but the star of the dish was the peach wine. I've been lucky enough to have some of the best ceviche on earth in Lima, Peru, and this was even better. I ended up drinking the broth from the saucer - not wanting to waste a drop of this perfection.

The seafood continued with cockles and sea urchin in a cold Japanese dashi broth. Most of my friends would never eat this dish but the brave ones would be rewarded with an incredible reward of outstanding seafood in a salty broth. I wonder if you can even buy cockles and sea urchin anywhere in Iowa?

Another highlight of the meal was this tuna sashimi on a cracker with some other shit that I can't even remember right now and my notes made no mention of. At this point in the meal, I wrote into my iPhone - "This is art. The Da Vinci of food. Mind blowing. Wow."

I remember repeatedly saying "Wow" over and over again during this meal. There would be long periods of silence between Blum and I - we just couldn't describe what we were experiencing. I'm trying to do this place justice through my words and iPhone pictures but I'm sure it's all being lost in translation.

As a sardine novice I didn't know what to expect when this dish was presented but once again it blew our minds. Three beautiful pieces of sardine with orange, micro greens and wasabi (not the paste version of sushi restaurants but the grated form).

Here is tuna tartar with an egg yolk at the bottom and salmon eggs that popped in the mouth like candy with a juice filling. So fucking amazing. (Side note: we're probably about 2 hours into the meal at this point but we totally lost track of time. The meal ended up lasting from about 8:45 pm to 12:30 am and it was not because of slow service. It takes a long time to serve this much food and we savored every moment of it!)

Our next seafood course was squid with black sausage, fresh peas and mint. I hate peas but loved these because they were garden fresh and the mint was a classic combo. The squid was perfectly prepared and all of these ingredients somehow matched perfectly together with a buttery sauce tying it all together.

This is french onion soup with a beautiful egg and crunch croutons. The egg was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I went to take a bite with my spoon and the yolk ran out into the broth - the dish recreating itself before my eyes. The broth was nice and salty. The spoon was small so we could savor each bite. The course ended with the bowl up to my lips once again. Slurp. Next course please.

The next course was the famous Kinder Egg. "What's in it?" we asked. "Some things must remain a surprise," the waiter replied. We'd later discover it was a mashed potato foam with black truffles at the bottom of the egg. It was my first experience with truffles and I couldn't believe how earthy they were...mushrooms on steroids. Very intense flavor.

Then we moved to the rabbit with rice, cubes of apple and shavings of lime. The rabbit was so perfectly cooked - tasted a lot like good chicken thigh and the rice was not at all dry. The cubes of apple were a brilliant touch and added a great crunch to the dish. For me, it was another highlight and another excellent experience eating rabbit!

"Here is for you to smell," said our waiter. It was simply fresh rosemary and thyme herbs in a hot oil that released an incredible smell - a perfume really. He left us with this bowl of fragrant herbs for a couple minutes and we inhaled the smell like chain smokers inhaling their last bit of nicotine before entering the airport.

Then they brought out a white fish with mashed potatoes, a foam of some sort and fried skin of the fish. The waiter also came equipped with another profound statement...."Here is the sea and to smell you have the forest."

We just smiled and laughed.

The final entree before our hour-long dessert escapade was beef sirloin with turnips that tasted like scallops they were so incredibly pink and perfectly prepared. The beef was medium rare as they recommended and every part about this dish melted in the mouth. I was convinced we were eating scallops until I read our final menu and saw no mention of them. Genius.

Then came dessert. And it lasted for an hour. This was Mel i Mato. A Catalan dessert with cheese, honey, coconut shavings and chocolate shavings. Wonderful.

Then my favorite - lemon iced tea. A scoop cream with caramelized lemon rind? an iced tea broth and something that tasted like lemon but I'm not sure what is was.....The dish though was cool, refreshing and the highlight of dessert. 

Requit Napolita.

Apple and saffron with ice cream. Incredible pairing. Genius.

Nougat with twin chocolate cigar.

Conguito C, 24 - a shell of chocolate with olive oil and salt. The shell of chocolate was filled with air - you put it in your mouth and poof - it was gone.

We thought we were done when we declined the offer for coffee but they had one last surprise. From left to right, white chocolate tablets flavored with green tea, chocolate covered in gold paint, wild pine nuts with chocolate and dark cacao, and lastly Oreo vanilla with black sesame.

At the end of the meal they printed our menu from the evening and even listed our wine selections and the date to the left!

Myself, our two waiters and Blum.

The 4-hour meal ended around 12:30 am and by this point we were a little tipsy and definitely full.

Tipsy on the wine but also a little drunk with delight from the artistic culinary experience.

You can only really see a painting. But with food you can see it and smell it and taste it and feel it.

At its very best, food is art.

And Comerç, 24 is food at its very best.

Enjoy the ride (and the meal),

Damm

Hotel Nirvana

Like a Buddhist monk arriving at Hotel Nirvana I feel like I've reached my place of enlightenment recently. However, unlike the Buddhist monk, I check into the Hotel and then I check out and then I check in and then I check out and so on and so forth.

Why is it that we know what is important in life but we so often move away from the important things?

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I've always been a list maker. You may remember that I made a list of 30 thing to do before I turn 30. I made this list over a year ago and have accomplished only 3 of the goals. I have some work to do.

For the month of April, I made a list of things to give up - a friend is calling it "monk month."

My hope is that by giving up some of the less important items in my life I can focus on my larger goals like running longer distances, eating healthier, traveling more, spending more time with friends and less time with my TV.

Here's what I've decided to give up or cut back on for April:

• No TV (except for The Masters and Game of Thrones on Sunday nights)
• No Movies
• No Soda of any kind
• No fast food and no pizza
• No Alcohol (with just a couple exceptions)

I know what is important and it's high time I move toward the 27 remaining goals that I have left to complete in only 21 months.

So here's what is on the horizon for me as I try to check back into Hotel Nirvana...

I've been taking Rosetta Stone in order to become fluent in Spanish (goal #1).

I'm following a marathon training program right now to get ready for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth in June and I've registered for the Twin Cities Marathon in October (goal #18).

In May I'm getting Lasik eye surgery done (goal #28).

At the end of April, I'm taking a trip to Spain with a buddy and the plan is to see a FC Barcelona soccer match (goal #16) and also eat at a world-class molecular gastronomy restaurant (goal #22).

There are many more goals to work toward but I'm in a good place right now. More focused. More determined.

It's a good Friday to remember that we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to accomplish during our journey.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

A Reflection on Movies

The first movie of my life will always remain a mystery but the most recent movie I've seen will always be fresh in my mind. The movies have taught me many great lessons, they've often made my day or night better -- sometimes they've made them worse.

Movies have made me see through the eyes of a child again. And they have taught lessons of wisdom at a young age.

Most of the films that I've seen I have not been able to discuss with my peers -- hopefully this blog will create a dialogue with other film buffs. I watch too many old movies, documentaries, foreign films and unknown treasures to be considered a "normal" 28-year-old film lover.

While in college I sat in my dorm room one afternoon during finals week and watched Schindler's List for the first time. I cried my eyes out as I thought about the incredible compassion a single human could exemplify in the face of oppression and evil.

I once rented Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa on a VCR tape, took it to my parents house and watched the black and white Japanese film with subtitles by myself. Roger Ebert's review of Ikiru made the film even more magical for me:

"His voice is soft and he scarcely moves his lips, but the bar falls silent, the party girls and the drunken salary men drawn for a moment into a reverie about the shortness of their own lives."

I've seen dozens of foreign films with subtitles that have become absolute favorites: Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Lives of Others, The Chorus, City of God, Cinema Paradiso, and so many more.

Books may often be the "better" version of a story but the images from movies haunt our dreams at night.

I couldn't sleep after seeing The Sixth Sense or Devil's Backbone. While the beauty of Monica Bellucci in Malena and the sensuality of Penelope Cruz in Volver have haunted my dreams in a much more pleasant fashion.

Movies have made me a better person. Casablanca taught me that the difficult choice is often the most noble. The Shawshank Redemption taught me to "get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." Chariots of Fire taught me to strive for greatness. Dead Man Walking made me no longer believe in the death penalty. Caddyshack taught me....well, "gunga - la gun gala."

Quentin Tarantino compels me to think outside the box. Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have convinced me that loyalty and family are very important. Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson remind me to see the world as the incredible fantasy that it is. Woody Allen pushes my intellectual capacity and urges me to become a conversationalist. Steven Soderbergh shows that there is substance in style. Pedro Almodovar teaches tolerance through the portrayal of absolutely fucked up melodramatic situations.

I've rated 979 movies on Netflix which means I've certainly seen over 1,000 movies in my life - probably closer to 2,000 in all honesty.

A recent documentary I watched philosophizes about what makes us human. Over 30,000 years ago humans were creating art in the caves of France and now we continue to make art through the medium of film. Why do we do this?

I can only imagine that just like the early humans desired to depict their world on the walls of caves we also desire to depict our world on the screens of movie theaters and the televisions in our homes.

We want to hear stories. We want to laugh and cry. We want to see what else is out there. We want to believe in the goodness of humanity.

And maybe more than anything, we want to find the answer to the question of what, indeed, does make us human.

So go watch a movie that inspires your life. Find films that challenge you. I guarantee they'll make you a better, more well-rounded human being.

Enjoy the movies and...

Enjoy the ride,

Damm

My Top 20 Foreign Films of All-Time

My Top 10 of 2010

Cities

A city asks a lot of you. It calls for you to enjoy its vistas. Its soil demands that you take great care to produce the finest quality foods – so that savoring the gastronomical delights of this specific patch of earth allows you to marry the food and the land together in your memory. The sweet corn of a small town in Iowa. The acidity of ceviche in Lima. The salty jamon of Barcelona. The lardo di Colonnata.

A city allows you to come and it allows you to leave. The city has a special power so that you often leave with regret and enter with great joy.

The buildings of cities can be incredibly familiar and mysteriously unknown. You know the naves, crevices, nooks and crannies of your local church yet you enter the majestic Notre Dame with awe and trepidation – not knowing what mysteries and stories have taken place within her walls in your absence.

Running through the many alleys and pathways of a small town can take years – in larger cities, you will never know all of the roads that lead to homes, restaurants, and places of work.

A city can be an extension of your identity and a city’s identity can be an extension of the persona of its inhabitants. The authors, composers, artists, architects, and athletes all defining the existence of a place that could otherwise have been left empty.

Can you imagine a London without Shakespeare? Can you imagine a Vienna without Mozart? What about a Florence without Da Vinci? A modern Paris without the Eiffel Tower...surely not. Or what would Chicago now be without Michael Jordan or Oprah?

So the city continues to exist because we continue to live collectively. Our life intertwining with other lives in many different places.

Looking Back

Wow, so I guess it has been quite a while since I've updated my blog. It certainly has been a busy last couple of months and whenever I've had ideas or events to blog about I haven't had the motivation.

I'm not going to go into a lengthy post about everything I've done since early August but here are some brief highlights:

Lollapalooza - In early August, I made a 3-day weekend into a fairly non-stop weekend of music and partying. I ventured to downtown Chicago after work on a Thursday and arrived at my cousin's downtown apartment by Midnight. From Friday to Sunday, I balanced spending time with my cousins and trying to attend all the sets of the groups that I love and discovering new bands.

Young the Giant was as good live as they are in the studio and their after show was incredible -- I made it to the first row of the after show at a small venue and literally stood beside the lead singer during part of the performance!

Phantogram knocked my socks off with their deep beats and beautiful melodies -- I'm seeing them again tomorrow in Minneapolis. Foster the People played their hits to a huge crowd. Foo Fighters rocked out in the rain. The Glitch Mob and Skrillex killed it at Perry's DJ tent.

Ellie Goulding danced around with her white legs and British accent at the Google+ Stage. I fell asleep to My Morning Jacket as I sat to the side of the stage after a long Saturday of music. MUSE put on the best live performance that I've ever seen.

Deadmau5 produced some of the coolest live music and lights against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline. NAS and Damian Marley were awesome and one could almost see them through the haze of marijuana smoke that was drifting throughout the crowd. Walk the Moon played zero songs that I knew but I now know all of them well!

I saw the White Lies for the second time and Two Door Cinema Club for the first. And while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not there Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was a great live band to see!

So it ended up being an incredible weekend of music and I wasn't even a bit tired as I drove home from 10 pm until 4:30 am on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Triathlons - With all the madness of the summer, I neglected to train like I needed to in order to accomplish my triathlon goals. I battled through allergies and a cold to complete the Tree Town Adventure Race in Forest City. It was a very well organized race and I had a blast kayaking down the Winnebago, biking through Pilot Knob and running the bike path through Pammel Park.

Later in August I had my first ever Did-Not-Finish in a race when I had some lower back issues at a 70.3 mile triathlon near Cedar Rapids. I completed the 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike through hilly terrain but couldn't muster enough strength to attempt the 13.1 mile run when my lower back hurt enough that I almost didn't complete the bike. It was a depressing day for me and a reminder that I have to train and work hard if I'm going to do races of this distance.

Seattle/Tacoma - At the end of August, I traveled to Tacoma, Washington, to hang out with some buddies for a week. We went to a Mariners game, went out in Tacoma and Seattle, ate some great seafood and also drove up to Cape Flattery (the Northwest tip of the continental U.S.) and went surfing. Surfing was one of my 30 Things to do Before I Turn 30 and it was both exhausting and fun -- I definitely want to do it again but maybe in warmer waters.

Las Vegas - I traveled to Las Vegas for work in October and stayed at the BELLAGIO! Boosh. Even working 8-9 hours per day, we were able to get in two rounds of golf, dinner at a Michelin Star restaurant (Michael Mina at Bellagio), I played a fair amount of poker and also saw Cirque du Soleil's KA at the MGM Grand. One night I stayed up until 4:30 am and had to be up by 6:30 am for work. Let's just say 5 nights in Vegas was enough.

Odds and Ends - I've been playing quite a bit of poker lately and feel like I've been playing well -- other than some momentary brain lapses in a tournament last weekend. My hourly rate is increasing and I think I've made some fairly advanced plays at my stakes. My next step is to build my comfort level playing $2-5 NL Hold Em and be a little more consistent when I play.

We took 3rd place this year at the Bear Creek Pro-Am in August and I had a great time playing with my boss and two of his friends.

Want to see a strange, poetic movie? Check out "Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt. It's weird but I think I liked it.

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While I apologize that it has taken so long to write a blog entry, maybe it's a good thing.

I'm starting to spend a lot more time looking forward than looking back.

Enjoy the ride,

Damm

The Light of Their Love

You sit in a church. The front pew. Your sister stands at the front of the church holding the hand of the person she is going to marry. He's a good person and you're very thankful for that.

Also standing in front of you, are five of your cousins and your aunt. They are singing a beautiful song and you think that most of the church has a tear in their eye.

Your uncle and another cousin sit to your left. Both of your grandfathers sit to your right as well as your one living grandmother in her wheelchair. She is captivated by the singers...after all, she raised their mothers and now they are beautiful young women singing with poise and grace.

Your other grandmother passed away a few years ago but you get the feeling that her presence is also in the room. The title of the song only confirms your suspicion.

Your mom and dad sit to the far right of your pew. Your dad is crying as much as your mother.

At times you glance over your shoulder and you see dozens of relatives and family friends. They are all smiling.

You think about the great times you had at the wedding rehearsal and dinner the evening before and how smoothly everything is going today.

You imagine the night ahead...driving the motor home to the wedding reception, dancing with so many friends and family, eating and drinking until Midnight, listening to touching and funny speeches about your sister and your new brother-in-law.

You're happy...like blissfully happy.

You will probably continue celebrating late into the night. And maybe a bridesmaid will toast the couple at the end of the evening and compare the flash on your phone to the "light of their love."

But much of this has yet to happen as you sit at the front of the church listening to your cousins sing.

You look at your grandma -- the beautiful matriarch of a large family who is much closer to the end of her life than the beginning of her life.

You can see her eyes gleaming with pride. A life well lived. Many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Most of them so close today.

She hopes that for Jess and Chase the light of their love will see them through the difficult times just like the light of her love for Jim has stood the test of time.

You exhale a sigh of relief...the wind from your breath is calm and peaceful. All is well.

Time to...

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Jess & Chase's Wedding, Alumni Golf Tournament

#25 - Walk 100 Holes of Golf

We establish our own goals in life. We ascribe meaning to events, people and places that few others will ever care about. We live and die with 99.99% of the world never knowing our name, our impact, our face.

So on Friday, June 17, I set out to finish the second of 30 items on my "30 Before 30" list knowing that it held a large amount of meaning for me.

I had no idea if it was physically possible to walk 100 holes of golf in one day but I was going to try.

I made some Facebook posts, put a sign up at Bear Creek Golf Course in Forest City and asked some others for donations...in the end I raised over $300 for the American Cancer Society.

To be honest, though, the thrill of this day was only because I had placed a lot of meaning on this goal. There was also a thrill in not knowing if I would be able to complete the day.

I began playing at 4:40 in the morning in darkness. The grass was extremely wet with dew because of the humidity.

I played the first four holes with a glow ball and managed to make all bogeys in the darkness.

Oh, I should mention my established "rules" for the day:

1. I have to walk from tee to green for 100 holes at Bear Creek Golf Course...only accepting a shuttle cart ride from the 500 yard walk from hole 10 to 11 and also between a couple other long distances between tees.
2. I have to break 90 in all five full rounds from the white tees.
3. I have to play the entire 100 holes in a single day.
4. I have to play the entire 18 holes at Bear Creek for the five rounds and can play the last 10 holes on the front nine.

The sun began to light the sky as I played hole #5 and I started playing a regular golf ball for the remainder of the day.

In order to keep my bag as light as possible, I only carried 11 clubs in a Ping "pencil" bag that is very light and has no stand. I also only carried 3-4 golf balls, a few tees and a bottle of water. I would reload with golf balls and drinks when I passed my vehicle.

As I finished my first round, my parents came to shuttle me from 10 to 11. I had played the front nine in under 1 hour and felt great. The only issue was how wet the grass was...it was causing me to have trouble gripping the club as my glove got wet.

My mom and dad brought me a breakfast sandwich and followed me as I played #10 and then shuttled me from 10 to 11.

I saw a person walking when I got to #16 and told her about my plans for the day. She kept walking around the back nine and I played my last 3 holes of the first round thinking that I was easily going to finish 18 holes of golf well before I would normally be arriving at work for the day.

I ended up shooting 81 for the first 18 playing it in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Walking!

Rounds 2 and 3 went very well...I changed my shoes after round 2 and in round 3 I started thinking about how I was going to handle the chaffing issue. The answers ended up involving baby powder, compression shorts and Vaseline...fun stuff!

I shot 84 in round two. I made my first birdie on hole #3 of round 3 with a 2 and shot 84 in round three as well.

My co-workers and dad had lunch with me from Noon to 1 pm in the clubhouse and then I headed back out to the golf course. My dad had played part of the morning rounds with me and he continued to play with for a few more holes.

During round 4, the chaffing was getting pretty bad and it was making me walk a little funny. In round 4, I also noticed that cramping could be an issue at some point as my legs were starting to get a little twitchy.

I played my best round of the day with an 80 in round four including three birdies in the round.

As I finished round four, I simply had to take a break to shower, rehydrate and put on compression shorts.

It was getting really difficult to walk and on #18 I had a minor cramp in my calf muscle.

I went to my parents house to shower and then sat on the couch for a 15-minute rest. My mom was telling me to just play the front nine to finish and my dad finally said, "Josh, let's go to the course before you fall asleep."

It was good that my dad was there to push me along!

Round five was a blur. I would hit the ball without caring, put my bag on my shoulder and saunter to the next shot. The golf was definitely not very fun at this point and I was getting very sore and extremely tired.

A couple friends joined me during parts of round five and the final 10 holes. I shot 88 on the final full round that included a 9 on hole #17 with my swing getting very goofy.

The last ten holes were a struggle but I was so happy that I was almost done! I knew that I was going to make it and incredible my pace had barely slowed down at all throughout the day.

For the final 10 holes, I only carried four clubs along and didn't even use my bag.

All five of my rounds were played in under 2.5 hours even though each round felt successively slower.

As I finished my 100th hole of golf at around 8:30 pm, I "fake collapsed" on the green for the picture above.

I walked back to the clubhouse and entered the dining room to a round of applause and lots of questions about my day.

I sat up at the bar and a couple people were nice enough to buy me a beer and my dinner - buffalo wings and onion rings!

I was grateful to the people who had donated to the American Cancer Society. Grateful for the friends who had played with me during the day. Grateful to my parents for their support and encouragement. And grateful to all my friends on Facebook and Twitter who had shown an interest in what I was doing.

I drove to my parents house to fill them in on the end of my day and ended up falling asleep on their couch.

We establish our own goals in life. We ascribe meaning to events, people and places that few others will ever care about.

But we care about our goals. We place great emphasis on random things. How our lawn looks or how good our golf game is. The kind of clothes we wear or the color of the cars we drive.

I felt a strong sense of fulfillment based on a day of my own making. A day of my own imagination. And that is a truly magical thing...in fact, it is what life is all about.

Enjoy the ride (but not in a golf cart),
Damm

If you would like to donate to my efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society, click here.

TOMRV 2011 - A Recap

From left, Luke, me, Charlie, Ann and Mark. Great group for TOMRV 2011! It was awesome that they let me tag along for the ride.

Tracee, Dan, baby Clare and I rode up the 4th St. Elevator in Dubuque for an amazing view of the river and downtown Dubuque.

The Wall on TOMRV 2011. One of the steepest climbs on the route with about 11% grade at one point.

Crap, am I really in this bad of shape? I asked myself as I fell behind the group after only hanging on for a few miles and only providing one effort at the front.

It was Wednesday and I riding with the North Iowa Spin group on a ride from Clear Lake to Joice. The Saturday before I had run the Dam to Dam 20K. I rested on Sunday and did some short workouts on Monday and Tuesday but on Wednesday I felt like I was back to having fresh legs and ready to ride hard with the A+ group.

It only took 6 or 7 miles to realize that I still had tired legs, that I was still out of shape from a lazy winter and spring, and that my countless bad nutritional decisions were not doing me any favors.

What did you expect, Josh? That you were going to ride like you did in 2010 without any training?

I drove home that evening frustrated with myself but also with a renewed sense of commitment.

The following things do NOT get one's legs into cycling shape:

• 
  

  Drinking beer



• 
  

  Watching cycling on Versus



• 
  

  Blogging about getting back into shape



• 
  

  Reading "Triathlete" magazine



• 
  

  Talking about my "goals" to do "epic" races and efforts

Realizing this, I stopped being angry with myself and decided to get my ass in gear.
---

After work on Friday night, I took off for Preston, Iowa, to ride the shorter version of TOMRV (Tour of Mississippi River Valley). I got into Preston around 10 pm and met the nice family I'd be staying with.

Two weeks prior, my friend Abbey had said that her dad, Mark, was riding TOMRV and that I should join their group for the 2-day ride. So I did.

In Preston, we stayed at the house of Mark's sister and I was able to meet the group I'd be riding with - Charlie & Ann, Liz, Luke and of course, Mark.

On Saturday we got up at 6, had a great breakfast, and were registered and on the road by about 7:30.

It was slightly chilly that morning and unfortunately there was a 10 mph headwind most of the day but we avoided rain and had relatively nice weather (at least it wasn't 90 degrees!).

The first third of the ride was fairly flat and Mark and I pushed the pace for a while, and we zipped through the first section of the day. Overall, we would end up going about 70 miles on Saturday.

The rest of the day was all about the hills. Climbs like I've never been on before, having lived in north central Iowa all of my life and never having ventured to any mountain ranges with my bike.

We climbed The Blowtorch, The Wall and many other hills on the day. The Wall was the most difficult effort with the grade maxing out around 11 or 12%. After The Wall, my legs were shot. We had about 15 miles left to ride but I was starting to bonk and the legs were filling up with lactic acid.

I'm just over 185 lbs. right now and I could definitely tell that the added winter weight was making these tough climbs even tougher.

Mark was the gold star climber of the group while the rest of us struggled our way up those hills. The easiest gears on our bikes weren't easy enough!

We finished out the day with our bodies still intact but our legs aching.

I rode (uphill of course) to my friends house in Dubuque for a much needed rest. It was great to meet Dan & Tracee's 2.5 week-old daughter, Clare, and I held her for about an hour without her crying at all - #babiesloveme. It sure is cool to hold a newborn baby and look at the funny faces they make as they coo and smile and sleep.

I had a few beers after showering at their house and then we went on a short tour of Dubuque which included a ride up the 4th St. Elevator cable car for a great view of Dubuque and the Mississippi River.

After grilling out, Dan and I ventured out to a couple bars for a couple beers and by 10 pm we were back to their house and I was fast asleep.
---

I woke up Sunday with sore legs and did not enjoy getting back on the bike saddle - #soreass.

But once we got going again, I felt decent enough.

Mark and I started the second day's ride at 6:20 am and rode through the fog and the Mines of Spain State Park just outside of Dubuque. If you haven't been there before, it is definitely worth the trip.

As we left the Mines of Spain, we started ascending a 3 mile, gradual climb that kept going and going and going. I have a much greater appreciation for the professonial cyclists who climb the mountains in the Tour de France -- the hills of the Mississippi River Valley kicked my ass and they don't even come close to the difficulty of the Alps or the Pyrennes. Not close by a long shot!

For me, though, these were the two toughest days of climbing that I've ever done. And as we climbed up Upchuck Hill and completed the final three hills leading into Preston, I realized that I need to start doing some hill repeats at Pilot Knob again. And by "some" I mean like 20 in a row.

After finishing the short, hilly, 42-mile second day, I realized the last two days were exactly what I needed.

I didn't write about riding or watch cycling on TV. I rode. I climbed. I pushed myself.

TOMRV was a two-day slap in the face. It was humbling to ride up the many hills and have my legs hurt like hell.

In high school I gave one of two graduation speeches to my classmates, and I referenced Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them
better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort
without error and shortcoming; but who
does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows
great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends
himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

I didn't power up the hills...but I pushed myself. I put my ego back where it belongs. I lived life. I felt alive. I rode up the steep hills of the Mississippi River Valley so I could triumphantly ride down them.

I'm not going to end this blog with any predictions about what I'll do next.

I'll just say that it feels good to be back in the arena.

Enjoy the ride (and the climbs),
Damm

Wrigley to Dam to Dam

I ran into the Newcom family following the Dam to Dam 20K race in Des Moines.

The Cloud Gate in Millennium Park in Chicago.

Hanging out with Clint and Abbey at the Wrigley Rooftops over Memorial Day Weekend.

It must be summertime because every weekend is now booked with trips, races and adventures.

The last month has been full of busy weekends starting with a rained-out Twins game in late April, winning the Rice Lake 2-man with Mark van Gorkom in Lake Mills, riding the High Trestle trail with Quail and Fitz, playing in the Holes of Hope golf tournament, tying for 1st in the Bear Creek 1-man, opening The Vault in Forest City in style, going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and most recently running the Dam to Dam 20K in Des Moines.

Phew...and that's just the beginning of what will hopefully be a great summer!

The weekends in Chicago and Des Moines certainly taught me something about what I enjoy and what I just put up with to "fit in."

I truly enjoy running long distance races and riding my bike for 50-60 miles, and a few beers certainly taste good after doing those things. Especially when The Snacks are playing awesome cover music at Mickey's outdoor patio in Des Moines!

But a full day of drinking (yes, even at a Cubs game) is starting to get boring. Where's the adventure? Where's the fulfillment?

It's just drinking for the sake of drinking and I'm frankly tired of it.

I'm ready to spend a little more time discovering quality instead of quantity. A little more time finding adventure in races and long runs, bikes and swims. A little more time engaging my mind and not my liver. A little more time listening to new music and not the crap on the radio.

Broadening horizons. Finding fulfillment rather than just filling up with beer. Continuing to get in shape. Meeting new people. Seeing new places.

Letting summer spring me into action.

On Saturday, I ran the Dam to Dam 20K in Des Moines and it was awesome! I had only run 9 miles in training but covered the 12.4 miles in 2 hours - which isn't bad considering I did the first mile at a very slow pace due to the large amount of runners.

The heat almost knocked me on my ass during the last two miles but I survived. It was awesome running with a few friends for part of the race and talking with them. Having other people on the same adventure is an instant bonding experience.

It's fulfilling to wake up at 4 am and run 12.4 miles from 7 to 9 am.

So this weekend, in fact in a few hours, I'm heading to the Dubuque area to ride my bike through the hills of the Mississippi River Valley.

And when I raise my glass of beer on Saturday night, it's going to taste really good after 70 miles of hilly biking.

Time to work hard, play hard and....

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

#29 - See the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday, May 8, 2011.

At the start of this year, I wrote a blog that details 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. I wrote this about one week before I turned 27 so I left myself with three years to accomplish these 30 goals.

On Sunday, May 8, I was able to accomplish goal #29 - seeing the Dalai Lama. It's the first item I've crossed off my list and I was pleasantly surprised to accomplish this one so quickly.

Only a few days prior to the Dalai Lama's visit to Minneapolis, one of my friends let me know that he was visiting Minnesota and that the Dalai Lama had a couple of public speaking events planned.

I quickly got online and purchased a $35 ticket for the Sunday morning speech/ceremony at Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

On Sunday I got up just before 6 a.m. and drove up to the Cities for the 9:30 a.m. event.

It was a very peaceful drive. I kept the radio off for most of the drive, relaxed and let my thoughts drift. I took off my shoes and drove barefoot.

A meditative, tranquil way to begin my soon-to-be eventful day.

After taking forever to find a parking spot (but eventually finding a free one!), I made my way to Mariucci Arena and got into line. There were hundreds in the line still at about 9:00 a.m. due to the strict security... I didn't get to my seat until just after 9:30 a.m.

The Dalai Lama had already begun speaking and I was glad to hear that he was speaking in English. I had been under the impression that most of the event would involve a Buddhist ceremony in Tibetan with English translations. However, the Dalai Lama surprised most of us by spending nearly 2 hours speaking (most in English) about Buddhism. Only the last 30 minutes involved the Tibetan ceremony, which was explained in English in great detail.

I was quite a ways from the stage but the two large projector screens allowed everyone in the arena to see the Dalai Lama's facial expressions very clearly.

He discussed complex Buddhist ideas like the no-self doctrine, the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, the relationship between Buddhist religion and modern science - it was utterly fascinating for me!

However, most of the people in the audience seemed to lose interest when he delved into the deeper topics. I can't blame them. I was lucky to have taken a few classes in college about Eastern religions and I've read about a dozen books about Buddhism and the Dalai Lama.

Regardless of one's capability to understand the theory of the Dalai Lama's lecture, everyone was transfixed by his presence alone.

He spoke to each of us as individuals.

Many mistakenly believe that Buddhists believe that Buddha was God. He was not.

He was a human being who saw that the reality of life was suffering and he discovered the way to transcend suffering by riding his mind of desire. He became enlightened and achieved Nirvana.

The incredible thing about Buddhism is that we can all become Buddhas. There was nothing special about the Buddha and he failed over and over again before he understood the truth of life.

Another thing I love about Buddhism is that, unlike Christianity, it doesn't even matter if the Buddha ever existed.

If the stories of the Buddha are mythical, it does not destroy the teachings of the Buddha. The teachings of the Buddha (which the Dalai Lama also teaches) are there for all of us.

We can all practice meditation and achieve tranquility. We can all act with compassion and non-violence. We can all look inward and see that suffering truly does come from desire.

We desire bigger houses, nicer clothes, more money, fancier cars and more pixels on our TVs.

But as we continue to strive to attain these things, we find they do not create happiness. In many cases, they cause suffering.

We work too many hours in order to buy these things. We sacrifice too many moments with friends and family. We find that the more we own, the more we are owned.

More bills. More warranty claims. More files to organize. More hassle. More things to fix.

The Dalai Lama reminded me that suffering comes from desire. As I rid myself of desire for objects and possessions, I free myself of much suffering.

I free myself to expand my mind and treat others with true compassion.

I end this blog with the words of George Harrison, who describes my beliefs with much more eloquence than I could ever hope to achieve:

"When you've seen beyond yourself
then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one,
and life flows on within you and without you."

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Pilot Knob Run on April 5, 2011 - Forest City, Iowa

iLife

Right now I'm typing my first blog from my iPad. This morning I woke up to my iPhone alarm. I went for a run on a treadmill and logged my miles on an app that charts all of my workouts. I listened to an iTunes playlist as I ran.

I entered all of my meals into a calorie tracker app and that will chart my weight, calories and fitness goals.

I used my iPhone at PF Changs to figure out what was healthiest to eat. I used it last night for GPS directions in Des Moines.

Tonight I used it to look up reviews of the sushi restaurant we are going to.

My iPhone syncs with my iPad which syncs with most of my web-based applications on my desktop and my laptop.

Is this ruining my life?

No. It's enhancing it.

But when I'm not careful, I forget to look people in the eye. I forget that apps do nothing unless they help us actually do something.

Facebook and Twitter are helping lead revolutions across the Arab world. But they can also eat away too much of our time.

I hope that someday we use technology so efficiently that we only have to work 20 hours per week.

We all need more time to be outside and ride our bikes. And go to dinner with friends. And read books and watch movies.

It's not iLife after all - it's my life.

Enjoy the ride (and don't forget to log your miles),
Damm

Ending in Mid-Sentence

Life is a story with cryptic words.

Chapter two doesn't necessarily follow chapter one and we can't read from the beginning to the end and assume that we will understand what happened.

We often become too close with the protagonist; however, at times we don't feel affectionately enough for the hero.

The villains, though they may be menacing in our stories, are the main characters for different authors.

Sometimes we are the villains.

Some stories are written in different languages. We won't read most of them.

Quite a few are short stories made up of only a couple sentences.

But these stories can also stretch on like "War and Peace."

They can be beautiful, many are dark and a surprising number read nearly the same with only the change of a name or place.

Every single story ends exactly the same. The main character dies.

Every main character suffers. Some experience years of happiness but others do not.

The book I'm writing includes suffering and happiness. Fear and confidence. Sadness and excitement.

As I look back to the earlier chapters, the words rearrange themselves on the page. I interpret my earlier writings within a revisionist context -- the meaning of the words is never the same.

The pages in the future are not empty. There are pencil marks all over...dreamlike sketches of what may or may not happen.

So much of my story is just like yours but so much is so different.

Most who will read my story will probably find their name in the index...I would guess that I am probably in the index of their story as well.

As I grow older, I realize that every story is worth reading. Each story is filled with adventure, intrigue and honesty.

I love hearing stories as they are being written.

Tales told around campfires.

Poems spoken while a keg of beer redistributes its contents into our stomachs making the words fill with color and truth.

Songs with lyrics that make us understand exactly what the author is trying to convey.

But they all end the same. They all end in mid-sentence. The author can never finish the book because each story must end in the book of someone else.

We are all continuing the stories of each other.

Adding to a single book that has no beginning and has no end. A book that can't be understood until our story is finished.

It's a book that we all get to have a part in. But none of us get to dictate the meaning. We write our cryptic story.

And then...