LUNA-TICS TEAM ROOM: Year-round "Looney" fun.

[Kona2]

Another reindeer seeker who was cheered onward (as you ALL are, believe me!) is Terry B of Cherry Hill, NJ. Cherry Hill used to be a farm, so I suspect reindeer are rather comfortable there. Much of the town has Cherry Hill in the names of its Mall, Post Office, and subdivisions. It also is home to some food groups like Vlasic (Vlasic is a pickle company)...which almost took me down the Christmas Pickle bunny trail...(oh wait....I AM going to go there...) This is how it happens...


Another episode...

I wonder how many teammates have a glass pickle ornament on their tree? The first time I saw one of these hummers, I wondered what possessed someone to want one...but I have since been enlightened. It appears that the pickle ornament is an American creation that began in the late 1890s. The Christmas pickle is hidden on the tree on Christmas morning, and the first one to find it gets either an extra present (kids) or a year of good luck (adults). There are many variations of how the pickle came to be important, but suffice to say that whether it was a starving prisoner who was given a pickle by a guard or saving young children who were trapped in a pickle barrel - the pickle is associated with good luck.

Berrien Springs, Michigan - is known as the Christmas pickle capital of the world...and has an annual pickle parade and festival each December. The Grand Pickle Parade's marshal is the Grand Dillmeister, and fresh dill pickles are handed out along the parade route.





So, after all that bunny trail, are we going to name this reindeer...Pickle?! No. We're going to name this reindeer Liberty, since Cherry Hill NJ is only a pickle's throw from Philadelphia....



Terry B (LIBERTY)

[Kona2]

David A (ORBIT)

Well done to David A for completing 300,000 m in the Holiday Challenge - that's a lot of Concept2 donation $$$.....although Ron and Minnie speak such true words about what their earnings per hour are in the Concept2 donation $$$ values. The exchange rate is probably really good, though!

[Kona2]

Kevin (THOR)

Congratulations, Kevin, on earning your Holiday Challenge pin, getting to the 200,000 m milestone, and earning your antler lights!

[Kona2]

I know. Rerun. But it's one of my favorites.

Good thing we do some pre-flight checks!

Day 26 or 27 of 27 ! Reindeer frenzy!

Season meters as of 236/365 = 83,582,804 m

Total meters on the day = 582,736 m

Oars in space (participation) = 33 percent

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

2.7 MM David A
2.5 MM Jay
2.15 MM Norton
1.5 MM Reba
900 K AJ
800 K Robyn
650 K Marty
550 K Ken G
550 K Norma
550 K Pat S
500 K Nataliya ... a cool half million!

Thanks, everyone, for rowing and ski-erging with us! And joining in our Reindeer Games.....whoa....looks like it is snowball fights today!



Sorin 2,000 m
Lily 2,500 m
Tony m
Mike M 3,412 m
Marty m
Cathie 5,000 m .... hmmm....Cathie has a new name!
Karyn 5,092 m
Diana 5,700 m
Pat S 6,247 m
Anita 6,300 m
Christa 6,500 m
Zander 6,500 m
Rivka m .. a double double!
Jane m
Rosi 7,225 m
Marie m ...a double double !
Jim m
Michelle 8,000 m
Ronnie 8,000 m
Nataliya 8,490 m
Steven 8,751 m
Bobbie m ...it's the Christmas Countdown!
Kevin 10,000 m
Norton 10,000 m
Rebecca 10,000 m
Greg C 10,325 m
Stephen 10,545 m
Minnie m
Terry B 11,009 m
Andrea 11,013 m
Dan W 11,549 m
Mike G 11,927 m
Melissa 12,000 m
Douglas m ...it's very fun to play number games!
Mikkel m
Howard 12,408 m
AJ 13,016 m
Norma m ... odds are very good that she will earn the flashy reindeer harness...
Harold 15,000 m
Ken G 24,504 m
Ron 25,097 m
Ted 27,000 m
Robyn 27,056 m
David A 30,038 m
Nathan W 30,059 m
Reba 42,403 m
Jay m

[bg]

Or get Kim Kardashian Inserts

so glad i did not have food in my mouth when i read this...rotflol :} and love the pickle bunny trail

[just27]

... and love the pickle bunny trail

One learns SO MUCH on these bunny trails!



Liberty is all well and good (and across the state line), but Pickle looks like a fun reindeer!

[Kona2]

Norma (STARGAZER)

Whoop, whoop and hooyah! It is quite exciting to see a teammate set a stretch goal and complete it! Congratulations, Norma, on finishing up the 300,000 m needed to get the flashing red harness for Stargazer. You have earned a lot of Concept2 donation dollars, too. Well done!

[Kona2]

Reba (PRINCESS)

Woohoo! Reba has earned her tail wag (what a flirt) and lots of Concept2 donations as she crosses the 400,000 m milestone. Lot a meters! Way to go!

[Kona2]

Well, we don't know if bg's reindeer has Kim Kardashian inserts or not, but it could since she has rowed 500,000 m in the Holiday Challenge. That probably qualifies for the Iron Butt award. Congratulations, Barbara, on earning the reindeer, the antler lights, the flashing harness, the tail wag AND the ear wag. Wowzer!



bg (PRANCER)

[Kona2]

Woohoo! Brian C of Torrance CA has earned the Concept2 donation and freed up his reindeer! Torrance is part of Los Angeles County, and home to some Pacific shoreline. The town is over 100 years old - and was part of the Tongva Native American homeland for many thousands of years according to Wiki. King Carlos III of Spain didn't know that and gave land grants in the 1780s that included the land that Torrance now occupies. Torrance is culturally diverse, reflecting many nations - kind of like this team! One of the things that caught my eye as I was reading up on Torrance is that it is home to the Southern California Live Steamers Miniature Railroad...so why not call this reindeer Steamer...after the way that Brian powered through the meters!



Brian C (STEAMER)

[just27]

Reindeer humor. (Took me way too long to get this, duh!)

[TeresaR]

21,097 m ....Teresa !

At first I thought this was a FIRST....because it has been a long time since 21,097 m popped up next to Teresa's name! I searched the ranking section of the logbook, and sure enough she logged in the official half marathon and got it ranked yesterday. AND, then I looked back through the years and discovered that it's been five years since Teresa threw down a half marathon she liked well enough to rank. So that makes this one truly noteworthy (although they ALL are) because she's celebrating it, too. Only three minutes difference between the one in 2009 and the one she completed yesterday. That is EXCELLENT, Missy.

This sent me down a sort of bunny trail. I wondered why it is - given that we have SO MANY milestones that are noteworthy as full marathons, and half marathons, and 10Ks, and 5Ks and 2Ks - I wondered what makes us stop ranking them or not rank them. There are a few who have some really specific goals about getting a sub-7 2K for example, who do pay very close attention to ranking their individual sessions. But, for the most part, we do our time on the erg and we log the meters, and we don't rank them. There are all kinds of meters - the kind that are hooboy - that was fast, and the kind that some call crappy meters because you're just getting the distance done and it's not really giving you a good workout. I know I have some of those...especially when I reach a level of tired that means I really need to take a rest vs push on and on. You can always go back in your history and look at the different distances you've rowed, and see what kind of times you were throwing down. Time is merely a tool....

The psychological component of some of these distances looms large when we think about them. And the hooyah! moment that occurs when they are conquered (and it absolutely DOES NOT MATTER how quickly you finish them....just that you FINISH them) is, as they say, priceless. I know that I wanted to commemorate the feat when I first completed a half marathon. I wanted the tee shirt...except there wasn't one then (that I knew about). Now, with Cafe Press as Concept2's partner, I believe you can order the tee shirt when you get an official half or full marathon into the books. You can also order the half or full marathon mug to quaff your favorite beverage after completing such an event. Used to be that Concept2 would provide the mug with the full marathon distance on it, but costs of shipping these items became prohibitive...but you can indeed order your mugs. Some have completed so many of these types of events that they would be overrun with items if they commemorated each and every one of them. For those of us that don't go after these distances nearly as often, it's a stretch assignment worthy of celebrating. So whether you celebrate with the quiet confidence of knowing that you've done something that much of the world can't do, or you give it a big SHOUT OUT of hooyah!, do celebrate!

Thanks K2 for the shout out. I hadn't originally planned on doing a 1/2 marathon that day. I was just trying to make up for missing my 1000 meters the day before; but before I started, I decided to go for it. I ran a 1/2 marathon in May and have continued to run before the Holiday Challenge so it was something I figured I could do. It was difficult. My daughter said she wanted to check on me after she hadn't seen me after an hour. Ha. I was down there much longer than that.
I have enjoyed doing the Holiday Challenge. Having DH (Paul R) doing it with me has been more motivating. December is an emotionally difficult month for me with many losses during the past years in December. This month was no different with the death of my wonderful Mother-in-law. Rowing helps keep the balance and is a good outlet for all the other stresses the month brings. Merry Christmas and I can't believe I rowed 200K for a polar bear pin!

[Drivetofast]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA

[Kona2]

Woohoo! Another reindeer is brought out of the reindeer stable as Sorin reaches the Concept2 donation level with his 100,000 m (plus some) and frees his reindeer. Seasonally, we'll call his reindeer Noel ! Congratulations, Sorin !



Sorin (NOEL)

[Kona2]

Whoa...we might have to find a dimmer switch for all the glow that we have going on our reindeer! Here are some additional antler lights!




Nathan W (FIREBALL)



Stephen W (MERSEY)



Diana (CONNEMARA)



Andrea (FROST)

Congratulations on reaching the 200,000 m milestone, and earning the Holiday Challenge pin - and the antler lights!