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May 30, 1997
News
Information about Ty Davison straight from the horse's mouth.
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Years worth of mind-numbing details, ponderings, and events.
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May 30, 1997
I've got four different e-mail chess games going right now, two with friends in Oregon (Dennis and Ginger), one with a guy in Florida (Allen) and one with a student in Germany (Bernd). Three of the games I'm playing fairly well in (which is to say that I've not yet lost). Bernd, my opponent in Germany is clearly hell-bent on my destruction, and thus far I've managed to oblige him nicely with my very poor play. Hey, anything I can do to perpetuate the "Americans are uncultured louts" stereotype.May 29, 1997
Physical therapy is getting increasingly difficult, and though that's how it's supposed to be, it's sure not gonna stop me from whining about it. I now consider myself something of a pseudo-expert on the rightly much-maligned abdominal strengthening exercises. Of course I also consider myself the King of Liechtenstein and prefer to be addressed as "Your Lordliness," so I wouldn't be calling me for sit-up advice anytime soon.Erin found out she'll be teaching French 3 next year, a departure from the more difficult French 4 and French 5 AP classes she handled this year. While it means much of this year's lesson plans are destined for the proverbial dust bin, there will be some material she can carry over and, thank God, she won't have to deal with a split class (French 4 and French 5 together). The P.R. department here at Davison HQ is trumpeting this news as a major triumph, so spin doctors please spin accordingly.
Update: Looks like it won't be French 3 after all, but rather Intro to Religion and New Testament. P.R. says, "Even better!"
May 27, 1997
Friend Steve and I go for yet another two to three mile run.May 26, 1997 — Memorial Day
Another two to three mile run, and now my legs are jelly. Back continues to feel fine. How I'm going to transition from this to sprinting (slowly, I know) is the big question. Had an interesting discussion with Erin regarding something completely unrelated to what we ended up talking about which was her joining the BDLF, or "Belly-Dancers' Liberation Front," and terrorizing the Turkish embassy using two tomatoes and a roll of Scotch-tape.I'm thinking neither one of us get out enough.
May 25, 1997
In what can only be considered conclusive proof that I'm on the road to recovery, I went for a two to three mile run with Erin and friends Steve, Susan, Jen and Gary. My back feels fine, but my legs feel like jelly.May 22, 1997
Second round of physical therapy continues: This time, class number 2 of 6. Conclusion: Stomach muscle strengthening exercises are a drag. It's not an over-the-top kind of workout, but you definitely "feel the burn." Can't wait to do this every day for the rest of my life.May 21, 1997
Admittedly this falls into the "why in God's name would he put that on his web page category?" but that's never stopped me before: Perfect dental check-up! And Judy, the dental assistant, used this interesting ultra-sound cleaning pick which (1) is easier on the teeth, (2) cleans better and (3) is virtually painfree. High tech is terrific.Helped out at a Saint Francis High School summer-league soccer practice. No sprints for Ty, but all the jogging and kicking was fine. Still speeding down the road to recovery. Yahoo!
May 17, 1997
Another mid-90s heat-fest. Sweltering, like Atlanta in July. Me, like an old hound dog plum tuckered out on a rickety front porch. To say I got nothing done today is overstating it.May 16, 1997
Watched Just Cause with Sean Connery and Courage Under Fire with Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. The Connery flick was a too-lengthy picture that was more interesting without the action-packed finale. The latter picture feature fine performances by Washington and Ryan, but its take on the Gulf War was substantially, though not thoroughly, inaccurate.Yesterday's temperature was in the mid-90s, the hottest May 16th around here in 43 years. And nothing like a little sunburn to top it off.
May 15, 1997
Round two's first physical therapy class at Kaiser Santa Clara. By far the youngest back patient in our group of five, I also probably hold out the most hope of recovery. First class was a breeze, though two of my classmates didn't have as easy a time with it.May 14, 1997
Did a little jogging for the first time in months. Happy to report that I survived the two miles with nary a problem. Sprinting is, of course, still out of the question, but this can only bode well for a full recovery.Watched Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman in Chain Reaction, a surprisingly good action/suspense film. Reeves, one of my least favorite actors, does a fine job. I would've enjoyed a little more romance—okay, I would've enjoyed any romance—but that deficit doesn't stop this from being an entertaining picture. Recommended.
May 12, 1997
I've begun not one but two chess by e-mail games with friends Ginger and Dennis. Expect updates here only if I'm victorious. No need to ramble on about my latest humiliating defeat at the chess board. There's plenty of other defeats to talk about first.My brother Bret arrived late last night, and, as per usual, we stayed up far too late talking. A severely disrupted sleeping pattern is nothing new to me, although whether I'll be able to keep writing comprehensible sentences remains something of a giddy-up to the barn door. What year is it anyway? Time for bed...
May 11, 1997
Kasparov loses the 6th and final game and the series. Depending on which pundit you listen to, this is either a ho-hum no big deal or the end of humanity as we know it. I'm somewhat bummed, but if people will kindly check my May 2 entry to see what I predicted for this matchup.May 7, 1997
Another draw, so it's 2-2. This one featured about as complete an endgame as you're likely to see in a match that's drawn, though. I finally sat down and studied the rules of chess notation, so I re-created the match while reading a commentary on it. Lots o' fun. This also means I'm ready for that chess by e-mail game if anyone's interested. I'll even let you play white. Ready, set, e-mail!Thirty-three and ten, if anyone cares.
May 6, 1997
Kasparov and Deep Blue game 3 ends in a draw. Word on the 'net is that Kasparov's team found a sequence after game 2 (which Kasparov lost) which would have allowed Kasparov to draw the game. Of course nobody—from International Grand Masters down the line—saw it at the time.33/10 in today's pushup and situp thing. I wonder if broadcasting my exercise results to a world-wide Internet audience will have any effect on my persistence in doing them? I'd think it would be highly motivational, but we'll see.
We have discovered in recent weeks that a local TV station, one of the few we get with superb reception since we've foregone cable down here, is carrying daily repeats of "The Simpsons" at 6 and 6:30 PM. What does it say about my personality that I find the show hysterical? I probably don't want to know.
May 5, 1997 — Cinco de Mayo
Took an hour to walk through the neighborhood today as part of my on-going anti-back-surgery rehab program. Am now able to walk painfree, though jogging is still out of the question. Next physical therapy class starts May 15. I need to start doing some sit-ups prior to this—it's essentially an abdominal strengthening class—but I'm really having a hard time getting motivated. I've got the push-up thing going again, which I couldn't do for a few months 'cause of my back. My goal is to get to 100 per day of each...Maybe I'll start posting some of the numbers to keep me honest. Well, today I did 32 pushups and no situps. There. Now I can sleep with a clear conscience.May 4, 1997
Kasparov 1, Deep Blue 1. Deep Blue, playing white, evened the series. Kasparov, by most accounts somewhat fatigued after yesterday's battle, was manhandled by Deep Blue. From the sound of it, the computer simply outplayed Kasparov, which is no mean feat since he's generally considered the best of all time. Next match is Tuesday, May 6.Sat down and figured out various life goals. Still on track for producing a music CD in 1998, and looks like our retirement savings program is going well. Not sure how I'm gonna become an astronaut though. Maybe I can sneak aboard the next shuttle launch.
May 3, 1997
Kasparov 1, Deep Blue 0. The world champ makes IBM's little two-ton toy look silly in a decisive victory. According to chess experts who watched the match, Deep Blue made some very strange moves—moves no human would've made. Kasparov, playing white, abandoned his normal attacking style and played defensively.May 2, 1997
Stayed up too late last night so I slept in too late this morning. (Still haven't managed a lucid dream, but I'm trying.) My internal clock is all messed up, and getting back on schedule is gonna be really lame. I hate trying to stay awake when I'm really tired.Kasparov plays IBM's Deep Blue computer tomorrow in first game of a rematch of last year's man vs. machine chess series. Last year, Kasparov lost one game then proceeded to the wipe the board with the all-too-logical Deep Blue. I'm pulling for Kasparov again this year, but I think the upgraded Deep Blue will be too much for him. Check out Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery to see where this technological progress leads...
May 1, 1997
Nothing like spending $400 at the California DMV to register my $500 car. Well, nothing except having to spend two and half hours in DMV lines waiting to pay the $400. Maybe there's some kind of class action lawsuit I can file on behalf of everybody in the state of California. Argh...
