The Journal of Dr. Richard L. Sleight

SEPTEMBER 2007 EDITION 

Weight change in September, 198.5 to 190.5

 
More and Less of Me
 
The beard, begun last month while on vacation, remains.  Perhaps when it finally comes off (and it will) there will be a new slimmer face to reveal.  Sunday, September 16th I started in on an Atkins style diet.  I just read a few pages on the web about food choices and have done a pretty good job of staying away from carbohydrates and sugar.  I've discovered that celery is not that bad with blue cheese dressing on it.

These past two weeks I've had mostly only meat, cheese, eggs, and salad vegetables.  It seems to be working and I'm not feeling especially hungry.  But I've also been too busy to eat much on some days.

Read below about the self-portrait (left) I took on the 28th.  Next time I'll remember a mirror.
 

Itching the Shutterbug

The theory is that Nathanael will only be in high school sports for this final year, so it's my last chance to capture him at his best.  The reality was that my Nikkor 70-300 G AF lens was just not doing the job.  On September 27th my new Nikon ED AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 D lens arrived, along with a lens hood and 77mm UV filter.  It is nearly three pounds (thus the built-in tripod mount) and almost 7.5" long without the HB-7 lens hood.  It is my first "pro" lens and came at a pro price of $884.95 + shipping from Andorama in New York.

My first shots with it were of my top model (Jeannie Beth).  From across the family room with both the flash and no flash, at night, I got great clear well-focused shots.  Click to see larger versions of these. (They are themselves much reduced and cropped.)

The self-portrait above was taken in my SPU lab using the ML-L3 remote control (below left). It allows me to take portraits without giggling such a heavy lens.  I can hardly wait to test this lens at the Kelsey Creek Park races on October 2nd.  The wall behind me is a white wall in bright sun.  I am in shadow with fill-in flash from the camera.  I'm wearing a wool coat too small for Randy and too big for my dad.  It's an odd cut but warm and made by Eddie Bauer. The tie is the St. Andrews tartan.

Also this month I paid for a  membership at Nikonians.org.  I chose the 3-year membership to obtain the 15% discount off the $25/year basic rate.  If this is going to be such a large part of my life, I figure I ought to "pay my dues" to the user group where I'm learning the art and science of photography.   They have the answers to the questions I continue to have.  Just learning the arcane method of using the remote control took only a two minute search at this web site.  I, too, am a "Nikonian."

Katherine Kleespies to Wed Adam Kidwell

Niece Katherine, daughter of sister Laurie and her husband Tom, and like Laurie a graduate of the University of Maryland, said "yes" to her boyfriend Adam Kidwell (26) at the Washington Monument on Monday, September 17th.  Laurie sent us all the play by play.  It reminded me what an unimaginative fellow I was on Sunday, October 5, 1980.  I was supremely confident, at least that day.  I never imagined before that season that it would be so easy.  It didn't hurt that God cooperated in the weather department and the roses were still in bloom in early October around "Frosh Pond" at the UW.  At least, like Adam, I chose a spot that would still be there a lifetime later.

Still Roofing through September

Nancy continues her roof ridge repair. Annie was a big help while she was still home.  Sometimes Jeannie and Nathanael help now.  But the task remains incomplete at the end of September. 

I sometimes fail to understand why this project will take her most of three months.  But she reminds me that laundry and other chores remain and that more of the domestic duties need my help to free up her time.

At least she provides a good subject for my new telephoto lens.  I'm standing near the front door and she is 35' up on the top ridge.

Bellevue Christian Cross Country
has Two Great Sleights

With three regular races behind them (Lincoln Park, Lower Woodland, and the Bellevue Invitational at Lake Sammamish), Nathanael and Jeannie Beth find themselves in the same positions.  They are both running #2 for their BCS varsity teams. 

J.B. has improved consistently and is only 15 seconds away from earning an Emerald League All-Star designation.  She seems to be enjoying herself more and was named Athlete of the Week after the Lake Sammamish race. The question we are asking is can she continue to make such huge improvements race after race.  In only her second race (she's a freshman), she eclipsed Annie's personal best as a senior at State in 2004.

Nate ran a race best described as 'sleep-running' at Lower Woodland Park.  He fell from 4th to 9th place in the league.  But he'd gotten little sleep due to "poor homework management" and the late nights that were the result.  He ran close to his personal best at Lake Sammamish, so we hope the next three races show that he's prepared for the league, district, and State races to follow.  For the past two races he has chased his teammate Andrew Van Ness.  It's great that Andrew has stepped up to fill the void Nate has left.  Last year Nathanael was 2nd in District 2 and Andrew (a junior this year) was 10th.

The BCS boy's team has been running second behind The Bush School, swapping places from last year.  If everyone is healthy in October, BCS should qualify for a return trip to Pasco. 
The BCS girls team of only five members has a difficult shot at State.  Again, The Bush School leads the league.  Only one other girls team will join them in Pasco on November 3rd.  Beyond this, the top 10 girls will advance as individuals.  This must be the goal of our runners.  Last year the top 15 went, including BCS sophomores Terra Oldham and Hillary Brown.  This year will it be Terra and Jeannie Beth?  We will know on Friday, October 26th.  Watch for the results at www.Bellevue1.net.  

I sometimes wish my dad could have come to more of my races.  He's making up for it by coming to these when he can.  It gets him out to walk.  At 88 his pace is very slow but steady.  This reminded me that Our Father is not 'off doing His own thing' but is, rather, intimately involved in the lives of His children.  God is His children's greatest fan.

• Nancy and I enjoyed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the final performance in the run at Taproot Theatre on September 1st.  They did a great job with their small stage and abbreviated cast.  The kids saw it with Annie in August.  Even with the humor and music, what God did on behalf of Joseph and Israel was not lost in the translation. 
• Bellevue Christian was looking for a new Wrestling coach and they found one in Mr. Paul Perkins who "retired" after the 2005-06 season.  When we heard that Nate would only have him as a coach for two seasons, we were sad.  Now to have him back in Nate's final season is especially wonderful.  Nathanael is Mr. Perkins' teaching assistant in Physics this semester.  Paul Perkins has coached wrestling for over 30 years.
• I have four students working in my lab this quarter.  One of my new hires is Tom Disher, Annie's special friend.  I also discovered Tom manning a booth at the SPU "Invole-o-rama" the Sunday before school started.  He is the head of the Celtic Club at SPU, having inherited the job due to graduation.  He looked the part in tweed.  I had just come from speaking on a faculty panel at "Transfer Express," a forum for new transfer students.  It was nice to play the professor, if only briefly.
• I'm leading the Saturday men through my favorite book, Ephesians.  In September we covered chapters 1 and 2.
• I finished Captain Blood at the end of the month but will be returning some other books unread to the library with it.  It was a fun novel with a special love story woven in.  Alas, it would have been better if I wasn't hearing and seeing Errol Flynn in my minds eye.  I will return to Bible subjects for a while for my bus reading.

My Quote from August

I just found this very, very funny (being that SPU is a Wesleyan school.)

"...As a Guernseyman, you speak French?"
             "Why, yes, sir."
"So you and your neighbours should sympathize with the Frenchmen who
brought about their monarchy's downfall!"
             "Folks in Guernsey have no liking, sir, for French atheists. 
              Many Guernseymen are followers, you see, of Mr John Wesley."
"Are you a Wesleyan, then?"
            "Not me, sir, I'm a gentleman."    
                                                                          from The Guernseyman (p. 30)
                                                                                by C. Northcote Parkinson