(photo © kiwidutch)

We are at Camp by the Lake in Maine, when our friends ask us if we might like to go tubing?. Ok, first off, what they actually asked was ” would we like to go toobing” . I had no clue what was being offered here and so had to admit that maybe I might, if only I knew what a “toobe” might be.

Ah Ha.. it’s ” tube” … and a tube turns out not to be particularly tubular at all anyway. It’s a doughnut shaped tyre that has a canvas cover over it and a canvas bottom on one side. The Tube name originates from a tyre ” inner tube” , and if you go ” toooobing” then you get towed behind the motor boat on this contraption. There are handles inserted into the canvas to hang onto, but ultimately the speed of the boat is what determines the smoothness of the ride or if you get unceremoniously tipped off into the drink.

We accept the challenge and Hubby is first to have a go… he’s 196 cm tall ( which I think is roughly 6 feet 5 inches in non metric speak) so there was no way in creation that he would ever be able to fold his legs into the inner space that was the hole in the doughnut… so he hung them out over the front of the tube, parked his rear end into the middle space and hung on for dear life.

(photo © kiwidutch)

He made the mistake of telling my friend that she wouldn’t be able to get him to fall off, a challenge she took up with great relish, and his ride got rougher and rougher with many a close call. Amazingly she didn’t succeed , simply because he was strong and determined enough to hang on with sheer brute force… (this time at least LOL), but later she managed some excellent boat moves that sent him flying off the tube and into the lake.

Tubing is excellent fun and if you ever have an offer to go ” toobing” then you should take up the offer and hopefully like us you will find it a brilliant experience.

You don’t have to travel very far to get in some really good downhill skiing.  There are four ski areas which are really close.  The Dartmouth Skiway is located in Lyme Center and offers family-friendly skiing on more than 100 acres of varying terrain and challenge.  The rates are very affordable with adult tickets costing $40 on weekends and holidays.  Mt. Sunapee, located in Newbury at the foot of Lake Sunapee, offers more of everything on its 1200+ acres:  more trails, variety, great snowmaking and grooming, a disabled ski program, learn to ski for kids, a snowboard park and a very comfortable lodge.  Pats Peak in Henniker, features 100% snow-making, which “guarantees great conditions all season long”.  There are 22 trails and slopes, 7 gladed areas and 3 terrain parks.  Activities also include night skiing and tubing.  Ragged Mountain Resort, located just down the road in Danbury, has undergone serious expansion and renovations over the last few years and they are not done yet.  From their promotional material:  “With lift access to two peaks, 45 trails (30% Novice, 40% Intermediate, 30% Expert) 4 terrain parks, a wonder carpet for the kiddies and the only 6 pack chairlift in New Hampshire, Ragged puts everything you want from a winter resort at your fingertips. After skiing yourself Ragged, relax at one of our numerous mountainside après skiing options including the new, upscale Overlook Bistro. Ragged Mountain, nothing close can even come close.”

If you love to ski and hate to drive to ski, this is a great area!

[Qdot] came up with a simple way to dosing out liquids to use in his Bartris project. As you can see above, flexible tubing is connected to some inverted bottles that house the liquid. A chopstick is attached to a board on one end, and via string to a servo on the other. When the servo turns it pulls the chopstick tight against the board, cutting off the flow of liquid through the tubing. This isn’t as elegant as the system the Bar2D2 uses but it’s a heck of a lot less expensive.

You can check out some of the build pictures in his Flickr pool. He’s included this concept in a project he calls Adult Mario. Watch the video after the break but the quick and dirty is that the more coins you score in Super Mario Brothers, the more beverage is rationed out into your cup. Ah, human lab rats, is there nothing they won’t do for booze?

[via DVICE]

… With this.

What an absolute pearl of a bicycle and made out of custom drawn aero ( Christ I have used that word a few times today havn’t I? ) steel tubing too. Damn!

This frame was initially an experiment to see how far we could push the boundaries and capabilities of 14 Bike Co’s resources. Andy at FGLDN based the concept on a couple of frames he had owned in the past. This is a frame that is all about the details…

Read more here and see more here.

Download this week’s drivetime programming at our Network Page at http://www.backcountrynetwork.com/Download/Download.htm  . Check out the schedule below or find a station near you that airs Backcountry Utah.

December 7, 2009
Monday Morning (Track 1) – Ride the Winter Rails and see Wildlife–Craig Lacey, Heber Valley Railroad http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

Monday Afternoon (Track 2) The Tubing Train is coming down the Track– Craig Lacey, Heber Valley
Railroad http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

December 8, 2009
Tuesday Morning (Track 3) Holiday Opportunities at the Heber Valley Railroad– Craig Lacey http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

Tuesday Afternoon (Track 4) Cold Dry Winter Weather may change– Kevin Eubank, KSL Television http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=88

December 9, 2009
Wednesday Morning (Track 5) Holiday Calendars support Kids– Kevin Eubank, KSL Television  http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=88

Wednesday Afternoon (Track 6) Old Lake Trout caught in Bear Lake– Scott Tolentino, DWR http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/reports_nr.php

December 10, 2009
Thursday Morning (Track 7) 22,000 Sterile Lake Trout Recently Planted– Scott Tolentino, DWR http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/reports_nr.php

Thursday Afternoon (Track See the new Neighbors along the Middle Provo River– Justin Dolling, DWR http://backcountryutah.blogspot.com/2009/11/dwr-starts-utahs-third-confirmed-otter.html

December 11, 2009
Friday Morning (Track 9) – Research Project tracks River Otters along Provo River– Justin Dolling, DWR http://backcountryutah.blogspot.com/2009/11/dwr-starts-utahs-third-confirmed-otter.html

Friday Afternoon (Track 10) Introducing the new Camp Chef Mountain Series — Guy Perkins, Camp Chef http://www.campchef.com/new_items.html

Download this week’s drivetime programming at our Network Page at http://www.backcountrynetwork.com/Download/Download.htm  . Check out the schedule below or find a station near you that airs Backcountry Utah.

December 7, 2009
Monday Morning (Track 1) – Ride the Winter Rails and see Wildlife–Craig Lacey, Heber Valley Railroad http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

Monday Afternoon (Track 2) The Tubing Train is coming down the Track– Craig Lacey, Heber Valley
Railroad http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

December 8, 2009
Tuesday Morning (Track 3) Holiday Opportunities at the Heber Valley Railroad– Craig Lacey http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/

Tuesday Afternoon (Track 4) Cold Dry Winter Weather may change– Kevin Eubank, KSL Television http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=88

December 9, 2009
Wednesday Morning (Track 5) Holiday Calendars support Kids– Kevin Eubank, KSL Television  http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=88

Wednesday Afternoon (Track 6) Old Lake Trout caught in Bear Lake– Scott Tolentino, DWR http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/reports_nr.php

December 10, 2009
Thursday Morning (Track 7) 22,000 Sterile Lake Trout Recently Planted– Scott Tolentino, DWR http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/reports_nr.php

Thursday Afternoon (Track See the new Neighbors along the Middle Provo River– Justin Dolling, DWR http://backcountryutah.blogspot.com/2009/11/dwr-starts-utahs-third-confirmed-otter.html

December 11, 2009
Friday Morning (Track 9) – Research Project tracks River Otters along Provo River– Justin Dolling, DWR http://backcountryutah.blogspot.com/2009/11/dwr-starts-utahs-third-confirmed-otter.html

Friday Afternoon (Track 10) Introducing the new Camp Chef Mountain Series — Guy Perkins, Camp Chef http://www.campchef.com/new_items.html

Getting Stronger One Pound At A Time

By John Simms “Master Fitness Trainer and Therapist

 If you’ve been around bodybuilding scene for awhile; you’ve probably heard about the Milo story.  For those of you who haven’t, Milo was this guy who carried a calf everyday until it became a full grown bull.  Basically it demonstrates the progressive resistance principle in weight training.  Unfortunately many of us weight trainers try to increase our weight poundage in our lifts to soon.  As a result, there are a lot of injuries do to the urge of piling on the iron.  Not only can one injure themselves by increasing the weight poundage too fast and too soon, but also could suffer from neuro fatigue in which you could become weaker instead of stronger despite your very best efforts.  Another interesting finding is that many veteran weight trainers are stuck at a certain weight poundage forever it seems in a given exercise movement. Thus, inhibiting further muscular strength and development.  So how are we going to increase muscular strength with virtually little or no effort each and every week throughout the entire year?  In regards to the actual weights in the basic gym setting, the weights only go as low as 2 ½ lbs for free weights are concerned.  However, 2 ½ lbs is too much weight as you have to put another 2 ½ lbs on the other side of the bar to even things out totaling 5 lbs.  So what’s the solution?  It’s very simple.  Just buy and use some washers totaling up to 4 lbs worth.  Each and every week just add 1lb of washers onto the bar and so on. The washers themselves can be taped or tied onto a bar, cables or machines.  I know this sounds very basic, but it never seems to fail when it comes down to adding more weight onto the bar.  Is this progress slow? Yes, however it will allow you to progress gradually and without the risks of possible injury and neuro fatigue.  In fact this approach is even excellent for rehabbing an existing injury. 

 Before starting this program or any other one for that matter; I always tell people to take a week off from weight training especially if they may have been overtraining.

If someone wants to increase their bench press; I’ll first find out what their 1RM is and then from week to week have them only do reps within the 1-6 rep ranges with strong emphasis in the 3-5 rep ranges.  Under no circumstances will someone ever train to muscle failure and only perform reps that are 1-3 reps before muscle failure. And remember to only add 1 pound of washers per week onto the bar and so on.  

Don’t be too surprised to see your bench press increase 10 lbs in ten weeks with this program alone considering that it’s not that fancy or require additional advanced techniques such as plyometrics, using chains, bands, tubing and etc.  Feel free to cycle it with your other training and always know your weaknesses and make them stronger.

About the Author:  John Simms is a master fitness trainer and therapist that has extensive backgrounds in sports conditioning, muscular development, fitness therapy, nutrition, physical therapy, chiropractic care and sexual health. He could be reached for consultation at simmsent@gmail.com

Komin til Vietnam og 23 dagar to go!

So sat mann i Hanoi! Hava ferdast i godar 13 timar i dag, so tad er deiligt aftur at hava fingid eina nyggja song at sova i, hoast tad at pakka ryggsekkin is getting pretty old!

I morgin er tad Hanoi, id stendur fyri torni og skal utforskast so vael, sum vit nu eina ferd tima. Eisini er aetlanin at keypa eina pakkaferd til Halong Bay, ein litil ferd, id varar eina natt og tveir dagar.

Nakad heilt annad! Her duga tey at skriva edd, fantasktiskt!

Hava annars verid i Laos i godar 8 dagar. Havi brukt meginpartin av teim at taka synd i maer sjalvari, ti eg havi havt so ilt i bukinum, og mamma er so langt vekk og faer ikki tikid synd i maer og pylra um meg. Men eg eri frisk nu, takk og lov!

Vit foru ur Pai i Thailandi, koyrdu gjognum 762 sving (vid einum minibussi from hell og einum sjaufforid, id hevdi tikid koyrikort sunnanfyri tad), id resulteradu i maer hangandi ut gjognum vindeyga, medan eg spydi, naaaajs. Moving along, hatta havi eg skraett meg um fyrr. So var tad uppreisturin og tad…

Ta vit komu upp a land o Luang Prabang, kom ein so fittur unglingi og bjodadi sitt guesthouse fram, og tad var biligt, so tad var ringt at takka nei. Tad kostadi 15 kr per natt, men tad minti allarmest um ein hjall, hvat hiti og kuldi vidvikur, harra G har var kalt at sova um nattina. Inni a wc’inum voru glopp imillum rimarnar, akkurat sum ordiligt, og har voru btw eisini musalortar, gotta love that! Vindeyguni kundu ikki ordiliga latast aftur, so eg royndi at klistra tey aftur, sum best bar til, so tey ikki svingadu upp og aftur. Eg var vael ilatin, ta eg for i song, og Annika, hon sa ut sum ein ninja, haha Hja maer voru undirklaedini innast, so ein blus vid longum ermum, leggings, sokkar, joggingbuksur, eitt stort turriklaed rundanum meg, min lekkri reydi jakki og hugva. Afturat hesum hevdi eg tvey loek og eitt teppi, men har voru kortini tidir, har kuldin spoekti, brrrr, frysti bara vid tankan. Tad logna vid hesum er tad, at tad faktiskt er heitari uti i Laos um kvoldi, enn tad er i Foroyum um dagin, men mann verdur forvandur, so i hesu lotu siti eg i jakka inni og skrivi blogg, hehe.

Eftir tveir langar dagar, sum dekkari a SS Mekong aetladi eg ordiliga at sleppa at sova leingi manamorgunin! Meeen hanarnir og flogvollurin i Luang Pragang hovdu adrar aetlanir, so eg vaknadi kl. 6:50 av hanum og flogforum, id skiftust um at halda gang (HVONN MORGUN)! Grrrreat! Men early wake up calls og bukilska, allarhelst mateitran, hjalptu maer at bliva lidug vid My sisters keeper, id btw we 438 sidur (kom aftur!) og heilt sikkurt verd at lesa, um tu longu hevur saed filmin, so skal eg heilsa og siga at filmurin er godur, men personliga meti eg bokina vera betri.

Manadagurin i Laos skuldi ordiliga nytast vid massagu og bara lelaxing a haegsta stodi. Fekk massagu, hon kostadi uml. 17 kr., og eg hevdi ilt i rygginum i tveir samfullar dagar aftana! Is that good or bad? Haldi konan hatadi meg, var i hvort fall uber sur! Kanska eg gloymdi at tippa ella okkurt. Massaga er finasta slag, men hati bara at skulu at lata meg ur! Hvorja ferd, eg taki i egnan barm og fai maer massagu skal eg ur klaedunum Annika fekk eina drakt at fara i, hon luktadi gott nokk av arsgomlum sveitta, but still, hon skuldi ikki strippa i einum strarumi, sum allarhelst var gjognumsigtut! Eg skuldi bara ur toppi og bh, men eg havi roynt verri i Budapest; tad er ein onnur soga.

Tysdagurin i Laos var ein skraepidagur i soguni hja Laos, fyri okkara part. Myndirnar a kameranum og geymanum hja Anniku voru horvnar! Og eg la i fosturstodu a seingini og grenjadi. So tann dagurin for upp i lort + at tad regnadi og var yvirskyggjad. Vit hovdu annars planlagt at fara at hyggja at einum storum must see fossi, og at solsetrinum fra einum templi, id la a einari hovd.

Eg la fyri tad mesta inni i Luang Prabang, men annars foru vid at ganga a kvoldmarknadinum, id klaradi at lokka okkurt nidur i mina i forvegin yvirfyltu tasku. Og at renna undan folkunum a okkara guesthouse, ti tey spurdu hvorja vekjandi lotu, um hovdu hug at fara at hyggja at fossinum og um vit skuldu keypa bussbillet til Vang Vieng. Annika kreyp til krossin og keypti ein tur til fossin fra teimum, men bussin bilogdu vit in town, tad var heilar 7 kr kronur biligari!

Vit foru tad svingutu leidina til Vang Vieng tidliga hosmorgunin, eg fekk sjalvandi tad besta setrid i bussinum, tad hevdi tann hentleika, at hvorja ferd bussurin dragadi til vinstru kastadist setri vid maer a, og eg eri ikki nakar fjodur, yvir a sidukonuna, so eg fekk eitt sindur meira enn eg hevdi goldid fyri.!

I Vang Vieng er tubing bara da shit! Tad er ti mann fer til Vang Vieng, og tad var eisini av somu orsok at vit endadu har.

Tann dagurin vit hovdu sett av til tubing var sjalvandi graur og heldur kaldur, men vit hugsadu at nu voru vit komnar so langt, so hetta skuldi also roynast! Lotu okkum i svimjiklaedini, leigadu hvor sina tube og so av stad. Ballid var byrjad, ta vit komu til byrjunarstadid, og tad helt fram eftir, at vit foru flotandi oman eftir anni. Vit stodgadu vid eina barr og flotadu annars bara. Shiiiiit tad var kalt! Helst til endans, vit flutu allan vegin oman til Vang Vieng, 3 frystandi kaldir kilometrar! Annika sa meira av einum manni, id vaskadi saer i anni, enn hon ynskti at siggja. Og vit og okkara tubes fingu lokalborn uppa sleip, id vildu hava pengar fyri at hanga a minari tube, I think not! Eg skuldi kravt pengar fra teimum, um raett skuldi verid raett, men lat tad fara. Vit, og tveir irar vit tosadu vid, hovdu tiverri misskilt at meginparturin av folkunum leiga eina tube og ballast so bara a barrunum vid byrjanina, tey fara nog illa i vatnid og koyra so bara heim vid tubeini, hvar er stuttleikin i ti? :O Men aja, um taer damar sera vael apufest vid partial ella full nudity, so er tubing just tad tu leitar eftir!

Hava faktiskt bara slappa av i Laos, har er ikki so raeduliga avirkad av ferdavinnuni enn, so tad er so deiliga odrvisi og folkini er ordiliga fitt. Byirnir eru litlir og fridarligar, og tad er nakad maer damar vael

Voru i Vientiane i dag, adrenn vit flugu vidari til Hanoi; foldist eitt sindur heimligt, so logid tad ljodar, ti byurin var so deiliga sunnudagsslovur, so har mintist mann i hvort fall, hvor dagur tad var, hoast dagaskilid er farid at bila.

Situation/Opportunity:
Lock Joint Tube LLC is a manufacturer of mechanical and structural grade steel tubing with plants in Indiana and Texas.  The tubing industry is transitioning to one with shorter lead times and much smaller volume/order sizes, and survival is dependent upon a company’s ability to adjust to these new market conditions. When they received a rush order from one of their customers, they needed 16 rolls repaired and returned to their plant in less than three days.

Our Solution:
Roll-Kraft was able to jump 16 rolls into the middle of their production schedule and have all 16 rolls inspected, ground, polished, repackaged and returned to Lock Joint Tube in 1 ½ days.

Results:
Lock Joint Tube received the product with enough time to setup on the mill, run their product and ship directly to the customer.

If you enjoy puzzles, playing with legos, or any games or tasks that require connecting pieces together, you will love adding lines to your irrigation system. There are little parts called connectors and sprinkler heads. Put those together with tubing and you have a water supply for your new, garden plants.

I think the drip irrigation system is way cool. Programmed correctly, it will deliver the right amount of water on the days you specify, which is important in the desert because water is precious.

A small tip that might be helpful if the tubing you are working with is very stiff and difficult to attach. Take a small dish of water and heat it to the boiling point in the microwave. Dip the tubing end into the hot water for a few seconds. It should slide easily onto the connectors or sprinker heads.

The video below shows in detail how to add that line!

Why should I go?

It’s a few years since I last visited Abu Dhabi, and from what I have read and seen the expansion – and the opulence – has continued apace.  Dubai’s lesser-known neighbour, Abu Dhabi is a great place for a break at any time of the year, but particularly in the winter.  Its benefits are two-fold; the weather is warm throughout the year (October is an especially good time to go, in my experience) and the flight is only six hours.  The four-hour time difference means you’re not jet-lagged and it’s short enough to get over there for a long weekend.  Perfect.

Its other key advantage lies in the fact that it is not Dubai.  Abu Dhabi has everything Dubai does – the trendy shopping malls with brands like Gucci and Prada; the spectacular five-, six-, and seven-star hotels; beautiful beaches with watersports – but without the tacky, over-commercialised feel that Dubai has.  If Dubai is the playground of the rich and famous, Abu Dhabi is their well-furnished living room; spectacular, fashionable, and oozing glamour and class.

The lobby of one of the Hilton Hotels in Abu Dhabi

What’s it like?

Driving in on the immaculate roads, everything looks a little bit unreal.  That’s because it is; it’s not so long ago that Abu Dhabi was effectively a small fishing port on the outer rim of the desert.  Then the oil was discovered and the rest, as they say, is history.  Palm trees line the streets, and everything is pristine and new.  Most people seem to drive shiny 4×4s (which are, like the petrol, incredibly cheap) and wander about looking like they’ve just stepped out of Vogue.

Relishing the warmth of the sea

The hotels compete with one another to look increasingly spectacular, and they certainly succeed.  But on the inside, they are even better.  Aside from the wonderful facilities, they serve exceptional food.  Each hotel generally has two or three different restaurants and bars, so the variety of choice will suit any palate – Italian, Indian, Chinese, American and English dishes are all on the menu.

But if you go out into the city itself you can eat a sumptuous meal for just a couple of pounds as the restaurants cannot afford an alcohol licence and therefore use rock-bottom prices to tempt in punters.  I went out in a group of eight or nine and I think a very good curry (two courses with sides and soft drinks) set us back £24 altogether.

Holding on for dear life - the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel is in the background

 What do I do for entertainment?

There are a vast range of watersports such as tubing, parasailing, banana boating and water-skiing to try, and they are exceptionally good fun.  The fact that the sea is warm makes the experience of falling in somewhat less unpleasant…  When I was there last I did have the misfortune to be on a banana boat which broke down about a mile into the middle of the bay and we had no radio, so I spent a long time standing on the front of a speedboat trying to rock it to get the dregs of the fuel through.  We ended up spending about 40 minutes cooking in the sun before someone finally noticed we were missing!

The most unmissable attraction, though, is the opportunity to do a bit of dune-driving.  You pile into a Toyota Landcruiser and a slightly crazy driver takes you out into the desert.  You jump out and visit a camel farmer for 10 minutes while the 4×4 drivers let all the air out of the tyres before you get back in for the ride of your life.  They race up 60 feet high dunes and then just let the jeep slide down sideways – you feel like you’re going to topple, but the flat tyres and the fact that the sand gives means you don’t. 

A new Lawrence of Arabia?

The adrenaline rush is unbelievable, and you can try it out in yourself when you reach the camp in the desert with a bit of quad-biking through the dunes.  At first it’s really hard to trust that it won’t just roll over and crush you but as soon as you get used to the sensation of sliding down the dunes uncontrollably it is absolutely fantastic.  The more timid can be content with the camel riding…

The camp is next to an enormous dune which you can use a snowboard or skis to travel down at breakneck speed (and end up in a sandy heap at the bottom).  The food is lovely, with a range of meats – including the chewy but tasty camel kebab – and curries on offer, as a belly dancer entertains everybody. 

Little does he realise he is dinner...

Then the staff get everyone to lie on their backs and switch off all of the lights in the camp; the view of the stars is just breathtaking, and the feeling of remoteness and solitude is very relaxing.  Then it’s either a retreat to the tents for those who are spending the night in the desert or a trip back in the Landcruisers for those who need a raturn to the creature comforts.

Can you tell by our faces who is enjoying this?

Dubai is a worthwhile day out, but only if you’re in Abu Dhabi for more than four or five days.  The Wild Wadi Water Park at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (next to the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab) is a great place to spend a few hours, and it is worth getting there as early as possible to avoid the queues.  The interconnected rides in the two-person rings are the most fun, but that is another story altogether…

yep…..

…still totally obsessed with Mt. Hood. I can’t wait to take a road trip up to see the mtn up close. We’re making plans with our friends to go snowboarding or tubing or sledding. Yah, I think tubing or sledding  is more my thing. I’ve signed up to take ski lessons in years past at Heavenly, and was dumb enough to try the bunny slope before I actually took the lesson. That didn’t work out so great. I ended up making speed -up to what felt like 100mph on skis that I didn’t know how to control other than “pizza” now “french fries”…..

 Yep. I bailed out, passed out, and was taken down the mountainside by the mtn patrol. A few months later, I made another trip to Heavenly (now that I think about it, I think I was cursed on that mountain) and took snowboarding lessons. Yah, I ended up being the adult student in the class that the bitchy blonde haired, blue eyed, snow bunny Tahoe queen picked on for the entire hour. “No, Trina. A falling leaf. Watch the others. Look. They’re doing the falling leaf down the hill on their boards. Now you try!” I thought it was quite entertaining since the moment I rocked myself upright onto the board and proceeded to barrel straight down the hill and practically taking out every person in my line of path.

I do have to say that the Heavenly ski lodge makes delicious hot tottie drinks.

After writing the only textbook devoted to elastic resistance training several years ago, I was excited to have the opportunity to visit the Hygenic Corporation factory in Malaysia to learn how Thera-Band® bands and tubing are actually made. I met Beh Kok Chuan who runs the 160-employee factory near Ipoh, Malaysia, which is about 120 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. Hygenic built the plant 14 years ago to bring its expert manufacturing process closer to the source of natural rubber latex.  After learning about the entire process from liquid latex to finished band, I now understand why Thera-Band brand is the best on the market.

Natural rubber latex comes from the latex tree, found on large plantations in the Malaysia & Thailand region.  The sap of the tree is harvested similar to molasses, except that the bark is cut at a spiral angle around the tree to drip into a container for collection. Beh explained that here are many factors that can affect liquid latex as any other natural resource: temperature, rain, and tree disease. For example, the rainy season makes it difficult to collect the latex, and cold weather slows latex collection. To make matters worse, the total number of latex trees in Malaysia in particular has been reduced in favor of planting more lucrative palm oil trees. All of these factors can increase the cost of natural rubber latex.

Beh said the factory receives two 20 ton tanker truck shipments per week of liquid latex that is offloaded into large holding tanks. For each batch of bands or tubing, a vat of liquid latex is first mixed with chemicals and coloring in a process called, “compounding.” After sitting for 2 days to mature, the liquid mixture is ready to converted to Thera-Band bands or tubing.

Bands are produced by a method called “casting.” The liquid latex is slowly poured onto a conveyer belt that runs about 50 feet inside a 240°F oven. The 4-foot wide latex sheet is then washed and dried in another oven before it’s imprinted with the authentic Thera-Band logo. Food-grade powder is then applied to the band to keep it from sticking to itself and is rolled into a 50 yard roll of latex sheeting. The 4 foot roll of sheeting is then cut into 8 individual 5 ¼” rolls.  The Thera-Band rolls are placed into individual boxes for shipping. Some rolls are cut into smaller lengths such as the 5 foot dispenser pack bands, and may even be imprinted through a custom screening process. The entire process to make a roll of band takes 2 ½ days.

I found the tubing process is much different and interesting. Thera-Band tubing is ‘dipped’ using a perfected proprietary method that is much better than the traditional ‘extrusion’ method. Because the tubing is dipped in latex many times, it builds layers upon layers, making tubing more resistant to wear and damage. Each dipping machine has a specially-designed roller that circulates a silicone center through a vat of compounded latex many times. One layer of latex is added at a time until the appropriate thickness of the tubing is achieved: more dips means thicker tubing and more resistance. Once the tubing reaches it thickness, it is washed to remove latex proteins. The silicone center is removed and the tubing is dried, imprinted, coiled, and packaged. Boxes of bands and tubing are packed into container trucks and shipped by ocean freight to destinations around the world.

“We have a very experienced and accurate process to ensure our products are the highest quality,” explained Beh. “Our factory workers, most of whom have been here since the plant opened 14 years ago, are well-experienced and take pride in their work. This allows us to produce the highest quality bands and tubing in the world.”  As an Iso-9000 certified company, Thera-Band products have high quality assurance (QA) standards, performing regular inspection and analysis of each batch. Samples are analyzed for proper thickness and pull force. This ensures a consistent trusted progression of Thera-Band colors.

I was very excited to see the process after 11 years of research and education on Thera-Band. The simplest rehab products have the most complicated and exacting processes. As a clinician, I now have an appreciation for the exacting standards and attention to detail that make Thera-Band the number one name in elastic resistance.

Daria’s method of getting us over jet-lag worked perfectly. We were both tired the next night, and ready to turn in before she even suggested it. We knew we needed to get good rest, because the next day it was time for our first trip on American soil: Daria was taking us to Cape Cod to one of her friends’ house. We would spend a couple of days with her friend Anca, Anca’s infant Chris, and Anca’s parents. I was very excited, having heard of Cape Cod only in movies (this is not different from most other American destinations, seeing that I had never been to America before), and believing it to be a retreat for the rich. This perception of mine has not changed over the years, even though now I recognize that there are several layers of “rich” one can achieve here. Still, in my eyes “rich” is “rich.”

We drove for several hours, never endingly it seemed to me (still nauseous every time I got into her car, an effect of jet-lag and my life-long motion sickness), and we finally got to Anca’s house. It was so beautiful, it took my breath away. The house had two floors, with an open first floor, large living room windows overlooking a big lake in the back, and a back porch with a hammock and an outdoor brick oven. I couldn’t take my eyes off the lake – its surface shimmering with the sunlight as if the water was continuously caressing a hidden treasure. Water has always been my favorite “environment” let’s call it, so I was excited to go on the dock (they had their own dock! And motor boat!) and let my feet dangle in the water.

I walked upstairs to put down my bag. Opening the door to my designed room, I was greeted by the smell of pine wood and fresh linen. The clean, simple comforters on the bed invited me in, especially since I still wasn’t feeling like I was getting quite enough sleep. The windows let in the cool wind and the melodious chirrup of the birds. Was I getting into a somewhat poetic mood? Maybe… but I didn’t mind.

I changed into my swim suit and went downstairs, where Anca’s parents were waiting to take us TUBING!

- Um… what exactly is “tubing?”

They explained that tubes are giant lifesaver shaped rubber… well… tubes, that you sit on and which are dragged by the motor boat. They made tubing sound like a lot of fun, and even though I got a very vivid visual of me tumbling head first into the water (which would not be soft and easy at that speed), I bravely said:

- That sounds amazing! What are we waiting for? Let’s do it.

Bianca was also game, so we each sat on a tube and let ourselves carried away. I was getting more and more excited, loving the speed, the adrenaline rush through my body, and the feeling that I was doing something risky and my parents weren’t there to caution me against it.
However, a look at Bianca showed me that not everyone felt the same way I did about tubing. She was terrified. So much so, in fact, that she couldn’t get herself to lift one hand to her throat and cut across it in the move that would signify “STOP.” She was holding on for dear life, and it was all she could do to yell (very softly) to me:

- Tell them to stop!

So I did. She went onto the boat, and Anca’s father assumed I would, too. I wasn’t done, though, so I went back, and after one more trip around the lake I started giving him the thumbs up, which meant “Faster.” He was surprised, and then grew determined to throw me off – I could tell from his sudden turns and other boat maneuvers he hadn’t done before. Eventually it worked, and I did fall into the water, almost losing the bottom of my bathing suit in the process (I can’t imagine how I would have felt, climbing into his boat in a life vest and… not much else). It was an experience I will never forget, and I could tell I gained his respect for the remainder of the trip.

That night we made s’mores, an American snack I had never heard before. You take a marshmallow, pierce it with a stick and roast it over fire (we used the outdoor brick over on the porch for that, sitting around it and warming ourselves in the orange glow). Then you put it on a cracker and a piece of chocolate, add another cracker on top, and there you have your s’more. Yes folks, it is a sandwich of pure sugar and chocolate, but by Gosh, it is tasty! So I enjoyed s’mores by the fire, entertained by the stories told, in turn, by the others. Then I sat in the hammock with Chris in my arms, his eyes large, staring at the night sky until he fell asleep. Anca said he was never this quiet, so it was there and then that I earned my nickname of “baby whisperer.” The day was so perfect and so relaxing, I have been hoping to get a similar experience ever since. I will never forget our one, and so far only, visit to the Cape Cod, and it definitely made for a perfect introduction to the US.

The next day we headed back to Boston – in another day we were both due on our respective campuses.

Choke can happen to any horse

My horse recently suffered from Choke recently.  Esophageal Choke to be exact. Simply put he had something stuck in his throat.

After a day of grazing I brought the horses in and 5 minutes DeL’Aire started choking.  Probably from bolting his grain.  He meets his grain with an open mouth and swallows without chewing.

He stood with his neck extended and gagging or retching as if he was trying to throw up.  Soon after frothy foam and mucous came out of his mouth and nose.  I walked and walked him and lead him around the sand ring and grass lawn.  All to no-avail

I have had horses with minor blockages before and they usually resolve themselves within a couple of hours.  Not THIS TIME

Saturday my poor horse was, still standing with his neck stretched and wretching.  The local vet came and tubed him.  The vet pushed a plastic tube slightly smaller diameter of a garden hose up his nose and into his esophageous. 

The vet returned on Sunday complete with tube and scope so that she could see the obstruction.  After we saw it and once again passed the tube we flushed the blockage by gently pumping water to remove the blockage.

Prevention

• Choke can be prevented  through  management strategies:
• Wet the grain.  Often pelleted grain swells and obstructs the esophagus. Prevent this from happening by watering the grain.
• To prevent horses bolting the grain, use a large flat bucket that grain is spread into.  Don’t use a narrow bucket that will lump the grain and promote large mouthfuls. 
• Get your horses teeth floated regularily.

i’ll admit that texas is maniacal in its seasonal changes. one day you’re sweating through your jockeys, the next there’s talk of freezing rain, which indefinitely shuts down the city — until tomorrow when the next wave of heat sends our A/Cs into panic. i lived with such weather madness for 28 years, and like everyone says, you get used to it. (you never really get used to 100º with 100% humidity, but you do learn to adapt — ie, make friends with someone who owns a pool.)

so when i moved here 3 years ago and met the season most folks know as fall, i was convinced i could live here forever. crisp cool breeze, open windows, comforting smells of a burning fire, scarves, coats and leaves that change from green to vibrant oranges, deep reds and shocking yellows, instead of straight up dead brown. it’s beautiful, really. like nothing i’ve ever seen.

[there were better pictures to be taken, i'm sure. like my friend, jess, suggested, i should've gone to yaddo, but time is against me. the leaves are falling more and more and sunny days like today have been few and far between, so my neighborhood was cast, instead.]

feet meet fall

sadly neglected outdoor fireplace thingy

this used to house a carriage. now it just houses junk.

leaves go crunch

mellow yellow

view from below

fiery red head

but wait. what’s this? snow. tons and tons and tons of it. (ok. perhaps “tons” is a bit of an exaggeration.) winter rears its ugly head and what tags along? air so cold you can feel it slicing through your skin. wind that instantaneously reddens your extremities. sundown at 5 p.m. snowbanks so high you cross your fingers at every intersection. waking up early to brush/scrape snow/ice off the car. snow boots instead of high heels. gloves. double, triple layers. UGH. i changed my mind about living here forever.

the sky dumped snow on v-day

that white blob in the street is a buried car

getting my car out of that was NOT fun

then april/may rolls around and spring finally arrives. the snow melts. it rains. a lot. the air brings promise of flip flops, shorts, better skin and i begin to smile again. i begin to see just why i live here. we plow — literally — through winter then reward ourselves with summer.

and so this year, i’m making a promise to myself. just like we find ways in texas to adapt to the miserable heat, i’ll find ways to enjoy the winter. i’ll make plans that don’t involve staring at my TV in a depressed state of winter funk. i’ll write. i’ll read. i’ll have snowball fights. i’ll sled. i’ll tube. i’ll even snowshoe. but i won’t ski. i’ll gladly wait at the bottom of the mountain in a cozy lodge beside the fire with a glass of wine, some good grub and leo (can he come, too?), but i won’t tempt fate by flying down a mountain. (i will, however, jump out of a perfectly good airplane. void of logic, i know.)

you ready to do this again, hizzle?

Sitting. A stripped down frame, idle longer as a frame than I used it as a complete bike. It was my first road bike. My first encounter with a bike made for speed. And now its boxed, being shipped to Salt Lake. Sold.

Bought from a shop I managed years back, I remember thinking it might be a waste of money. At the time I considered myself a mountain biker, not a cyclist. I used it as a daily commuter in the City for a year and then two years when I was out on Colorado. Central Park, 9W, Mount Evans, Sunshine Canyon and the sprawl of Denver’s bike paths,this bike ate it up.

I can’t say this is the best frame I’ve ever owned, but I have had some of my best memories on it.

So why good-bye? Why sent out to a buyer in another state after all these years? Because this buyer had been looking for my frame for a couple years. His was stolen off the roof of his car while eating a burrito at a local cafe. To him this was the best frame he’d ever ridden, the perfect fit and selection of Columbus tubing.

Instead of collecting dust in my hands, it was time to put it in the hands of someone who would use it. Allez.

The drains are in place and leak tested. In hindsight, using regular vinyl tubing would have worked better. I like the spiral stuff better because it doesn’t kink and it’s light, but the hose barbs I have have ridges that can interact with the ridges in the tubing to create leaks. Making the hose clamps super tight seems to have worked, though….

Now for the supply plumbing…

Drain Plumbing (Tubing to hard pipe)

New image in the rivers photography contest

Fun day in the sun in Steamboat Springs. No changes. …
Tubing photography picture

Random Bits of Happy

My new scarf…made by ME!

*I learned to knit on Thursday thanks to the lovely Emily!  We sat in the dimmed, candle lit den of the Underbelly and had a wonderful evening chatting and learning.  I am so pleased with the end result and have started 2 other scarves already.  I can lose myself while knitting, it’s much like meditation, clearing of the mind.  It’s wonderful. 

Hi from FL! Sending love to Japan!

*Friends threw a Sept./Oct. birthday bash since there were a handful of Libras in our circle of friends.  My Baby Brother included.  He turned 30!!!  It was great to have everyone together and having a good time.  It was a beautiful day and hadn’t gotten cool yet so the boat was buzzing across the water the whole day with people tubing on the wakes.  Lots of fun was had, meats were smoked, conversations were vibrant and friendly.  Missed was my girl Jes, she’s in Japan but we all took photos and I sent her the bunch of them, so she could feel our love!   

My eye Dr. mapped my retinas

*I went to the eye Dr. for my yearly exam and they had a new laser that mapped 200 degrees of your retina instead of the 30 degrees they can see by dialating your eyes.  This took a quarter of a second and required no trippy eyes for hours after the exam.  With all the wonky problems my family has with eyes I opted to pay more and MAN was it COOL!  And for the first time in years my eyes stayed the same, they didn’t get worse.  That is super good news. 

*The final bout of the season for  Rollerderby was this weekend.  It was fun to see the girl playhard and play it to win!  The first bout our B team kept the score close but in the end they lost, but our A team brought it and won with a 20 point margin.  It was a huge crowd and they had a great time hamming it up for all the new people that had never been to a derby game.  Seems “Whip It!” got the word out that Rollerderby is around. 

Quick Mentions:

*Cool weather is finally here, not for long but it’s still nice!  *rediscovered Regina Spektor – Far  *Leaving the windows open at night and snuggling under blankets.  *Music that FEELS like fall and seems to match the weather.  *fuzzy yarn  *text messages from my honey full of love.  *sitting outside to knit while my man does manly things.  *good non-fiction books, it’s hard to my attention with a NF book and this one does!  *Good friends chatting  me up on IM *Hair that dries into the perfect 40’s coif just by pinning it!

I’ve been pretty awful at updating since I got to Laos, but let’s blame that on the slow Internet connection here, OK? We spent our first few days in Luang Prabang. The town, full of cafes and al fresco restaurants, reminded me of a quaint European town. Even the architecture is styled after European buildings, showing France’s lasting influence on one of its former colonies.

We lazed our way through Luang Prabang (much as we’re lazing through the entire country), cafe-hopping and checking out the night market. On our last day, we headed out of town to play in some waterfalls and a swimming hole.

We decided to venture east to Phonsavan to see the famed Plain of Jars. The seven-hour minivan ride was just awful. Phonsavan is only a few hundred kilometers from Luang Prabang, but the only way to get there is by winding and swerving through mountains. We finally got to Phonsavan around dinnertime and searched for a guesthouse for the night. Lonely Planet recommended the Kong Keo guesthouse, but I can’t imagine why. We got there and looked around for the reception desk, only to find a man pissing on the outside wall of the bar. He got us a room and apologized for his drunken state (“Sorry, I have problems.” “Women problems?” “Yes, how you know?”). We met up with two guys we met on the van ride up to Phonsavan for dinner and drinks before calling it an early night.

The Plain of Jars was just that–plain. These jars, ranging from 1-3 meters in height, have been littered around the area for thousands of years, but nobody knows why. To be honest, there’s not much to do at the sites except take funny pictures of yourself popping in and out of the jars. We also visited the former capital of the province, which now exists as a few small shacks and a wat bombed into oblivion.

After our day trip in Phonsavan, we boarded another bus to Vang Vieng. The seven-hour trip on a public bus meant several toilet stops along the way. And by “toilet,” I mean, “everyone gets out on the side of the road and does their business simultaneously.” Weirdest. Experience. Ever. Especially when I stepped too far back and mooned everyone left on the bus. Still not the most humiliating part of the trip–that came a few minutes later, when an old Lao woman got back on the bus after the toilet stop and pinched my arm and grinned. I have never been so mortified.

Vang Vieng was an alright city. It would have been better had I not contracted food poisoning within half an hour of arriving. Note to self: Do not eat chicken from a street vendor in Vang Vieng. Big mistake. I was in bed sleeping the whole of the next day, absolutely miserable. I slept it off fast enough, and on our second full day, we made it tubing. Tubing is the only real attraction in the town. It’s tubing on a river, nothing strange there. The only difference is that every 50 meters or so is a bar. They rope you in, give you free whiskey shots and occasionally free food, and let you swing/slide/jump into the water. One place we stopped had a gigantic slide. We’re not talkin’ your mama’s country club pool slide here, folks. I went soaring a good 15-20 feet up in the air before landing in the water and being roped back to shore. Ridiculous.

Now we’re in the capital, Vientiane, which is likely going to be our last stop in Laos before moving on to Cambodia. Will post again before we leave, but for now, there’s a croissant with my name on it! Thank youuu, French colonization of southeast Asia! (Did I mention my six-dollar steak last night? How about the three-dollar carafe of wine?)