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

[Kona2]

Only 14 reindeer days left in the Holiday Challenge ! We're halfway through...which means....whoa....better get busy busy on all the other holiday activities!

No doubt that this is a popular Challenge for many erging enthusiasts! The logbook community has grown from 28,000 when the Challenge first started to over 31,000 now. We are a little over 10 percent of the way towards Concept2's goal of $30,000 with MANY of our own Lunie teammates contributing to that $$ amount. Remember, nothing counts until you reach 100 K....and then it is the hardest $2 you've ever had to earn. Things start looking up as soon as you pass the 100K milestone, and your kilometers are then worth 4 cents instead of 2 cents...I know. The penny is still valuable.

Kristine and Danno both earned antler lights (and their Holiday Challenge pins!) in the last 24 hours by crossing the 200 K milestone of the Holiday Challenge - some good rowing there! And our Luniverse is a brighter place!



Dancer (Kristine)



Vixen (Danno)

Season meters as of /365 = 49,761,253 m....maybe TODAY will be the day we make it to 50 MM....barring any Benedict reindeers...

Total meters on the day = 453,578 m

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

4.25 MM Ed
3.2 MM bg
1.7 MM Ron
1.5 MM Danno
250 K Teresa
250 K Steven D
100 K Norton

And in pursuit of meter millionaire status:

Million Meter Milestone:

David T with a mere (16,000 m) to go!

Thanks, everyone, for rowing and ski-erging with us!

Kerry 2,006 m
Mike M 2,019 m
Ian 4,044 m
Lynne 5,000 m
Norton 5,000 m
Robert H 5,000 m
Patrick 5,176 m
David T 6,000 m
Karyn 6,543 m
AJ 7,021 m
Bernie 8,014 m
David G 8,161 m
Jeff D 8,182 m
Ron m ... a Frodian palindrome....hahahaha...
K2 m ... a starry palindrome!
Dan O' 10,021 m
Minnie m ... a starry palindrome!
Chip m ... a palindrome!
Sarah 11,132 m
Terry 12,000 m
Teresa m ... a palindrome!
Peter G m ... counting up the meters to reindeer....and his $2 !
Ted 14,000 m
Danno 14,731 m
David A 14,803 m
Steven D 15,093 m
Howard 15,426 m
Steve G 17,031 m
Laurie 20,000 m
Larry E 20,000 m
Mike C 20,000 m
Mikkel 21,097 m
bg 23,418 m
Kristine 37,108 m
Ed 50,104 m

[just27]

Welcome back to Dave H! You've been off the grid for awhile, and it's always good to see returning teammates.

Thanks for the welcome Jan and Barb - I feel like the proverbial prodigal! Great to see so many familiar names posting, and I will hopefully be around for a while whilst improving my meter contributions...

Cheers from Oz, Dave

Welcome back, Prodigal Dave ... have you turned in your absentee note to our Astrogator, and received your summer school assignment? (Extra lap around the moon, to make up for lost time!?) Hope all's well in Oz; good to see you on the forum, again.

[Dave_H]

Welcome back, Prodigal Dave ... have you turned in your absentee note to our Astrogator, and received your summer school assignment? (Extra lap around the moon, to make up for lost time!?) Hope all's well in Oz; good to see you on the forum, again.

Thanks Chris - sorry, no note from mum...
("...He's a very naughty boy!")

[Kona2]

What a great clattering of hooves ! Eight tiny reindeer...ha! We've got a herd going on here, and they are beasties with good speed and navigational skills! Today finds three new reindeer, and an impressive set of antler lights on Starbuck.



Rocket (Peter G)


Tundra (Stuart)


Frodo (Ron)


Starbuck (bg) earns antler lights !

[Kona2]

A fortnight (I think) left in this year's Challenge....reindeer on!



Whoop, whoop and hooyah! Congratulations, Lunies, on reaching FIFTY million team meters!

Season meters as of 223/365 = 50,095,917 m

Total meters on the day = 334,664 m

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

3.4 MM Steve G
800 K Mike C
650 K Stuart - and a reindeer!
650 K Peter G - and a reindeer !
350 K Rick C
50 K Ian

And in pursuit of meter millionaire status:

Million Meter Milestone:

David T with a mere (16,000 m) to go!

Thanks, everyone, for rowing and ski-erging with us!

Patrick 2,546 m
Mike M 3,000 m
Norton 4,000 m
Andre 4,006 m
Lynne 5,000 m
Chip 5,018 m
Kerry 5,019 m
Ross 5,277 m
Karyn 5,744 m
Rick 6,387 m
Ian 8,046 m
Peter G 8,810 m
Jeff D 8,880 m
Ron m ... a reindeer palindrome!
Dave H 10,000 m
Dennis 10,000 m
Jessica 10,000 m
Terry 10,000 m
Larry A 10,023 m
Dan O' 10,805 m
Andrea 10,948 m
Steven D 11,192 m
K2 11,438 m
Teresa 12,301 m
Minnie m ...a counting up and down to the finale! Hula hula palindrome!
Danwho m ...a whovian palindrome!
Sarah 13,006 m
Jane 14,105 m
David A 14,805 m
Mike C 16,000 m
Steve G 20,469 m
Stuart 21,097 m ...a half moon claims a reindeer!
bg 22,121 m

[Kona2]

It's a really big jump to go from a half marathon (or half moon) to a full marathon (or full moon)...but oh the satisfaction of conquering something that loomed BIG and BEASTIE in your mind. THAT feeling is one that we all seek throughout our lives. And so it was when I received an email from bg (aka Barb) saying that when I ran the numbers report this morning, it really WAS a full marathon that is on there for her. AWESOME! (She did relate that she believed her tush would never be the same.) I know that it seems like there is not enough cushion in the world to get through the last 7K.

Whoop, whoop and hooyah! Congratulations, bg, on achieving a full marathon on the erg. We wish you many, MANY more First Evers....and as many full moons as your tush can handle!

[Kona2]

I'd have to look back through the Reindeer Chronicles to be absolutely sure, but I am reasonably sure that this is the largest single day of reindeer claiming in Lunie history! Well done !


Buckaroo (Jeff D)


Star (Ted C-G)


Holly (Sarah)


Thunder (Ken G)


Rocky (Rebecca)


Buster (Dan O')


Turbo (Mike C)

[Kona2]

Wowzer, mates! We have 26 reindeer in Flight School at the moment! There's room for more...and time to earn your reindeer, too!

Hooboy! Seven new reindeer and NINE palindromes....surely that means it's going to be a most excellent day?!

And don't forget to put up the Christmas Pickle!

Season meters as of 224/365 = 50,556,676 m

Total meters on the day = 460,759 m

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

700 K Ken G
550 K Sarah
500 K Ross - a cool half million!
500 K Kerry - a cool half million !
450 K Lynne
400 K Paul R
250 K Karyn - a cool quarter million!
Full Marathon bg

And in pursuit of meter millionaire status:

Million Meter Milestone:

David T with a mere (10,000 m) to go!

Bernie with (114,499 m) to go!

Jane with (115,431 m) to go!

Thanks, everyone, for rowing and ski-erging with us!

Melinda 2,036 m
K2 m ...a twosie palindrome!
Kerry 3,004 m
Dan E 3,350 m
Norton 4,000 m
Danno 4,014 m
Andre 5,000 m
Dave H 5,000 m
Lynne 5,000 m
Jay R 5,022 m
Patrick 5,837 m
David T 6,000 m
Ian 6,231 m
Rick 6,403 m
Melissa 7,000 m
Karyn 8,178 m
Peter G 8,209 m
Ross 8,250 m
Paul S 9,503 m
Andrea 9,823 m
Ron m ... a starry palindrome!
Mike C 10,000 m
Bernie 10,007 m
Jane m ... a starry palindrome !
Steve G 10,339 m
Stuart 10,843 m
Rebecca 11,000 m
Teresa m ...she's counting up...or is it down?! a palindrome !
Danwho m ... a whovian palindrome!
Dan O' 13,069 m
Chuck 13,655 m
Sarah 14,000 m
David A m ...a starry palindrome! almost missed this one!
Dennis 15,000 m
Ken G 15,000 m
Howard m ... a palindrome!
Jeff D m ... a palindrome!
Ted 21,000 m
Ed m ... a starry palindrome!
bg 43,225 m
Paul R 43,812 m

[bg]

sooooo good to see da do ron ron back here :} and i don't remember why there are christmas pickle ornaments....and wow...what a herd of reindeer we have....santa will be envious :}

[Kona2]

The pickle ornament has mysterious origins. Some of the ornaments come in packaging that says they are part of a German tradition. There is a German mythbuster website that speaks pretty extensively about this, and since it has American Civil War ties, I'll go ahead and cut and paste it into the forum. Personally, I think it's all about marketing...and as a seasonal decoration for whatever faith you might be, provides a fun story.

Here's the blurb from About.com's German Myth 11:

A number of years ago when she was About's “Germany for Visitors” Guide, Rita Mace Walston wrote an article about the Christmas pickle ornament tradition. Despite her German background, she also had never heard of it. She wrote: “I did some first-hand research, asking friends, acquaintances, and even a few Christmas market vendors if they knew of the custom. I consulted my family in Bavaria, my best friend in Swabia, and folks who hailed from the different regions of Germany. No one had a clue as to what I was talking about. One acquaintance wanted to know if I wasn't trying to pull one over on her...”

Then Rita heard from someone who claimed to have an answer that might solve the mystery. A descendant of a soldier who fought in the American Civil War, John Lower (Hans Lauer?), born in Bavaria in 1842, wrote to tell about a family story that had to do with a Christmas pickle. According to family lore, “John Lower was captured and sent to prison in Andersonville, Georgia. ...In poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for John Lower. According to family legend, John said that the pickle—by the grace of God—gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. The first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.”

Whether this Bavarian-American pickle story is true or not, and if it really gave rise to the Christmas pickle legend is open to question. One may doubt the story itself. If you thought you were dying, would your last wish be for a pickle? Plus, it's a long way from a real pickle in Georgia to a glass pickle ornament in Germany! The Civil War ended in 1865, but glass Christmas tree ornaments did not become popular in the U.S. until around 1880, when F.W. Woolworth began importing them from Germany. However, one thing is certain: the “German” Christmas pickle tradition is virtually unknown in Germany. But...

The Lauscha Connection
There may be, however, a somewhat tenuous German connection to the glass pickle ornament. As previously mentioned, glass Christmas ornaments were being produced in Germany. As early as 1597, the small town of Lauscha, now in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen), was known for its glass-blowing (Glasbläserei). The small industry of glass-blowers produced drinking glasses and glass containers. In 1847 a few of the Lauscha craftsmen began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln were made in a unique hand-blown process combined with molds (formgeblasener Christbaumschmuck). Soon these unique Christmas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe, as well as England and the U.S.

Today Lauscha exports glass pickle ornaments to the U.S.—where they are sold along with the “German” tradition story.



Christmas Pickle Poem:
To start a tradition that will surely last,
Here's the story about the pickle of glass.
The night before Christmas, it's hung on the tree
While everyone's sleeping, it's done secretly.
And on Christmas morning, when you arise,
The first one to find it will get a surprise!
A family tradition for all to share,
You'll look for the pickle year after year.

[bg]

The pickle ornament has mysterious origins. Some of the ornaments come in packaging that says they are part of a German tradition. There is a German mythbuster website that speaks pretty extensively about this, and since it has American Civil War ties, I'll go ahead and cut and paste it into the forum. Personally, I think it's all about marketing...and as a seasonal decoration for whatever faith you might be, provides a fun story.

Here's the blurb from About.com's German Myth 11:

A number of years ago when she was About's “Germany for Visitors” Guide, Rita Mace Walston wrote an article about the Christmas pickle ornament tradition. Despite her German background, she also had never heard of it. She wrote: “I did some first-hand research, asking friends, acquaintances, and even a few Christmas market vendors if they knew of the custom. I consulted my family in Bavaria, my best friend in Swabia, and folks who hailed from the different regions of Germany. No one had a clue as to what I was talking about. One acquaintance wanted to know if I wasn't trying to pull one over on her...”

Then Rita heard from someone who claimed to have an answer that might solve the mystery. A descendant of a soldier who fought in the American Civil War, John Lower (Hans Lauer?), born in Bavaria in 1842, wrote to tell about a family story that had to do with a Christmas pickle. According to family lore, “John Lower was captured and sent to prison in Andersonville, Georgia. ...In poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for John Lower. According to family legend, John said that the pickle—by the grace of God—gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. The first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.”

Whether this Bavarian-American pickle story is true or not, and if it really gave rise to the Christmas pickle legend is open to question. One may doubt the story itself. If you thought you were dying, would your last wish be for a pickle? Plus, it's a long way from a real pickle in Georgia to a glass pickle ornament in Germany! The Civil War ended in 1865, but glass Christmas tree ornaments did not become popular in the U.S. until around 1880, when F.W. Woolworth began importing them from Germany. However, one thing is certain: the “German” Christmas pickle tradition is virtually unknown in Germany. But...

The Lauscha Connection
There may be, however, a somewhat tenuous German connection to the glass pickle ornament. As previously mentioned, glass Christmas ornaments were being produced in Germany. As early as 1597, the small town of Lauscha, now in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen), was known for its glass-blowing (Glasbläserei). The small industry of glass-blowers produced drinking glasses and glass containers. In 1847 a few of the Lauscha craftsmen began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln were made in a unique hand-blown process combined with molds (formgeblasener Christbaumschmuck). Soon these unique Christmas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe, as well as England and the U.S.

Today Lauscha exports glass pickle ornaments to the U.S.—where they are sold along with the “German” tradition story.



Christmas Pickle Poem:
To start a tradition that will surely last,
Here's the story about the pickle of glass.
The night before Christmas, it's hung on the tree
While everyone's sleeping, it's done secretly.
And on Christmas morning, when you arise,
The first one to find it will get a surprise!
A family tradition for all to share,
You'll look for the pickle year after year.

thanks k2.....i always thought of pickles as being jewish since they are found in he jewish delicatessans and often kosher....i love when traditions are shared by many groups :} btw...many runners swear by pickle juice...i think because of the salt...

[Kona2]

Whoop, whoop and hooyah! Congratulations, Ken G, on achieving TEN million lifetime meters! We wish you many, MANY more !!

This milestone announcement was "hidden" in Ken's team profile write up...it's definitely an explorer's logbook notation... "Passed 10 MM today 11/5/14."

[Kona2]

Every erging session brings you closer to your goal !! And, we have TWO new reindeer claimed today, and TWO sets of antler lights. Good work!


Jet (Ian)


Max (Chuck)


Donner (David A)


Cupid (Howard)

Season meters as of 50,983,996 m

Total meters on the day = 427,320 m

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

4.3 MM Ed
2.7 MM David A
1.15 MM Danwho
650 K Howard
150 K Larry E
100 K Ian
100 K Jay R

Thanks, everyone, for rowing and ski-erging with us!

Jeff M 1,617 m
Melissa 2,000 m
Mike M 3,000 m
Andre 4,034 m
Lynne 5,000 m
Terry 5,000 m
bg 5,013 m
Kerry 5,021 m
Jay R 5,121 m
Rebecca 6,000 m
Rick 6,419 m
Jeff P 6,618 m
AJ 7,071 m
Andrea 7,178 m
Karyn 7,607 m
Danwho m ...a lucky sevens palindrome!
David T 8,000 m (and only 2,000 m from meter millionairehood)
Bernie 8,024 m
Ross 8,521 m
Dan O' 8,677 m
Peter G m ... a starry palindrome!
Dennis 10,000 m
Dan E 10,107 m
Chip 10,143 m
Larry 10,143 m
Paul R 10,237 m
Barry 10,272 m
Jane m ... a Janeian palindrome...starry in nature
Steve 10,649 m
K2 m ...a repeater kind of palindrome
Minnie m ...a repeater kind of palindrome
Mikkel 11,125 m
Sarah 11,215 m
David A 11,299 m
Teresa 12,122 m
Stuart 12,976 m
Chuck 13,552 m
Laurie 15,799 m
Larry E 20,000 m
Howard 20,093 m
Ed m ...a starry palindrome!
Ian 43,327 m ...not sure if there's a full marathon in there, but certainly enough meters for a full moon!

[sarahaddams]

I'd have to look back through the Reindeer Chronicles to be absolutely sure, but I am reasonably sure that this is the largest single day of reindeer claiming in Lunie history! Well done !



Holly (Sarah)

I almost cut my row short (14k is a looooong row for me!) and put off getting my reindeer by 1 more day, bu now I'm so glad I went for it! I love the name Holly! Thanks Kona, for all you do!

Also, way to go on the marathon bg! I aspire to that some day (in the far, far distant future).

Congrats to all the reindeer, antler lights, and glowing harnesses out there! And good luck to those working on getting their reindeer.

[Kristine Strasburger]

Nice work with your marathon row, BG!
Jan, what about the Junior rower, and the coveted red nose?