TexARC's Thots

Narita to Tokyo in one easy step

Texarc — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:32:59 +0000

We arrived in Narita, our bags all showed up promptly. As with Beijing, Narita Airport supplies adequate numbers of luggage carts for FREE. They are designed with rubber bumpers around the wheels, so that when you go on the escalator with them, the bumpers keep the wheels off the steps, and veeola, you take your luggage easily from the place where you leave the bags overnight (for 8 bucks per huge bag).

So we checked the luggage and hopped on a highspeed express train to Shinjuku station in Tokyo, and easily found our hotel, thanks to the great folks on the Thorn Tree Forums at Lonely Planet. If you have to travel *anywhere*, this is a great way to prepare.

So with a little more than a full day and two nights, we set about Tokyo using the subways and taxis, and of course, walking about. Saw temple shrines, the view from the highest building (where I had a white russian with the largest ice cube I had ever seen in a glass), shopped left and right in outdoor malls, department stores, akihabara electronics shops.

It is kinda funny – I went to the Akihabara district, world famous for electronic gear of any and all sorts, expecting to be able to get great deals. huh, go figger. I had trouble even finding the memory chip currently in my Casio EX-F1 pro – a 16 gb, class 6, SDHC chip. And when I did find it, the price was in the range of more than 120 bucks. (12000 yen) Since I paid around $30 for it at Frye’s in Austin, I was really disappointed. Likewise other things from laptops to Ipods to Iphones were MORE than they are in Awestin. Then it dawned on me that Tokyo has the rep as the most expensive place in the world, and now I believe.

Cokes were as high as 8 dollars. I sit now in the Admirals Lounge at Narita, our flight boards in 15 minutes, and in 15 hours we will be in DFW. 15 is a good number right now. Arigato! Sheh Sheh! Muchas Gracias.

Excuse me now while I click the heels on my tennis shoes and repeat three times: “There is no place like home.”

Photos to follow

Finale

Texarc — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:36:38 +0000

We are packed with at least two overweight suitcases. We’ve experienced the closing ceremony, which I have to rate as better than the opening, in nearly every way. More on the way, hopefully from Tokyo during our day+ layover. but … Continue reading →

Photos For Lindsey

Texarc — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:53:28 +0000

I have put a rush job through of photos of Lindsey, making an album with no annotations, and almost no video clips. There just ain’t enough waking hours for me right now, and I have gotten a number of comments, well, ok, COMPLAINTS,, from folks back in the Yew Ess Hay about my shortcomings in this area.

So I am posting a limited resolution version that will let you see her in her regaliac splendoriforous self starting before comps and finishing up well, after competitions.

Enjoy. Once I get all of the photos that Lindsey has been shooting on her cameras, pull them all together, I will re-do this entire website of hers.

HERE IS THE LINK TO HER CURRENT PHOTO SET

Note that I am starting the upload now, so if you try this link and it doesn’t work, give it 30 minutes and try again. LOTS of files have to be uploaded. enjoy!

Another Reason We Are Here

Texarc — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:41:20 +0000

Once an athlete is through his or her competition schedule, the mission changes focus. Instead of focusing solely on doing everything “right” and winning their competitions and ultimately gold, they then begin to broaden their awareness of what is around them.

Things they had only noticed in passing, like the game room in the village with the foosball, air hockey, pool tables, etc…, now become places where they can meet athletes completely outside of their normal sphere.

Trade pins, socialize, and even trade the shirts off their backs become typical activities. In a way they become hungry for more experiences to take home with them.

The second medal for Team USA archers of both the Olympics and Paralympics was obtained by Jeff Fabry yesterday, after some really excellent shooting in the semifinal match. It’s hard to beat a bunch of nonstop 10′s, but when the bronze medal match came Jeff did what he had to do, and kept his composure throughout it all. I have photos on the computer to process but just didn’t have the energy last night.

We went to the Wheelchair Rugy where USA beat archrivals Canada handily. This sport has to be seen to be believed. The collisions (on purpose) between dudes strapped into armored wheelchairs is incredble!

After US victory, we went out to a #1 restaurant for a celebratory feast including Peking duck (of course), followed by deserts at the Hard Rock cafe. The athletes with us longed for a drink but are still on the no-alcohol ban directive from the team leader, so they just had sprites and watched us well, drink the drinks. Kevin Stone added yet one more Hard Rock pin to his huge collection – he’s been in most every HRC ever built, I suspect. Good times.

It rained on us as we taxi’d back to the hotels, but this morning the skies are blue and clear, so off to shopping at Ya Show, dining at Hou Hai lake, and then on to the swim cube for some finals and craziness screaming our heads off again for U…..S…..A…..

Link to the results for the archery competition

Texarc — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:10:56 +0000

Here is a link to the results index page for the archery competition

Jeff Fabry is the last American archer in the medal hunt, and will shoot tomorrow morning for his chance at paralympic gold.

Bronze

Texarc — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:57:25 +0000

Lindsey’s first match was a nail biter, as usual, and she tied her
opponent at the end of 12 arrows, and then in the one-arrow shootoff,
her opponent shot a 7. Lindsey had to let down with 5 seconds to go,
but managed to get the arrow off with less than two seconds left,
scoring a…….6. SO she then went immediately to the bronze match,
where she shot very well, defeating a multiple-medallist from Poland
and took the bronze. Her loss in that shootoff made her much more
determined, I am sure, and she shot every point with great form and
focus.
The Korean from Lindsey’s first match fired a 103 to win Gold.

Yay, Lindsey!

She promptly told me she was going to Disneyland.

Even now, 5 hours or more after her match, I feel the adrenaline
effect. It is incredibly stressful for the coach/parent/fan to have
to go through that. I think she did it on purpose! But we are so
proud of her and her successful battle over TP and everything else
that she has overcome to stand on that podium with the medal in her
hands.
phew. More after I recover.

On to the semifinals

Texarc — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:29:09 +0000

Leaving in a few minutes for the semifinal matches. Lindsey shoots at
10am, about 2 1/2 hours from now. Already my heartrate is up 20 bpm
when I think about what is happening today.
I’ve finally gotten caught up on photos – Lindsey’s last match is at

http://www.arcarmichael.com/Beijing/Day6/slides/CIMG8676.html

although I have yet to put up any videos (other than her youtube
account). They will come when I have more time.
Today is overcast, the kind that doesn’t show up on the radar, which
means it is purely smog. cough.cough.
But right now, who cares.

http://www.arcarmichael.com/Beijing/Day6/slides/CIMG8676.html

will take you to some shots of Linds. I also uploaded some 350+
photos from yesterday’s events. enjoy.

Lindsey to the semis

Texarc — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:21:02 +0000

Lindsey gave her dad a coronary, as well as the rest of the crowd today. She was shooting in the quarterfinals and had a comfortable lead after two ends, then threw a 4. On the last arrow for both archers, she shot last, needing an 8 to tie the match. She calmly stands the line, bright sun in a cloudless sky beating down on her shoulders, she watches the clock tick down before her. At 10 seconds she raises her bow, draws a perfectly nice BEST method shot, and nails a nine to win. I pretty much lose it for a few seconds. You can see the last shot on her youtube account.

The rest of the day – hmm – what DID happen? One US archer (TJ Pemberton of Oklahoma) had to take out another American (Joe Bailey) by a point or two, in a very closely contested match. Luck of the draw is sometimes no luck at all.

Jeff Fabry had his first match, won handily, and set a record in what was a virgin category (it did not exist at the 2004 Athens game).

Tennis phenom Nick Taylor was defeated in an uncharacteristically quick and easy match, but still has his doubles track to medal in. The media attention he always attracts is impressive, as is his ability with a tennis racket.

The fragrances that waft over the tennis venue in the evening reminds me of the airport area of Austin – Raw sewage carries for quite a ways…And I think most Chinese men think they are really “gifted”, as they stand a foot or more away from the porcelain when relieving their inner tensions. The song, “Cry me a river”, comes to mind every time I literally wade into the mens room.

The iron hand of the hosts has relaxed slightly, once Lindsey came onto the stands and claimed me as a family member. I’m now able to move around with the wheelchair athletes in their viewing space to take photos for all of the matches, so well, I take photos. You can view tem at the aforementioned links, of course. Videos will be available if I ever get enough time….:) maybe after I get back to the US? Lots of good photos, though, I am having a ball with the Casio.

More tomorrow, as Lindsey shoots in 12 hours for a medal berth. It is going to be tough, she will have to put her act together a little more than it has been to date. I am confident she will do it.

change to the photo link

Texarc — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:42:51 +0000

I’ve modified the website a lot so there is a new link for the photographs.

Many photos added so I am now caught up with the photos up through the 1/8 rounds of archery.

The video clips I have shot will have to wait, though. many good hi speed, ultra slow motion, shots of archers during releases. And some jerky high def movie clips. (they won’t let me bring in a tripod, but I am going to try something out today

here’s the brackets

Texarc — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:11:43 +0000

The results can be found in an adobe acrobat file at this link, in the form of a brackets layout, shows past and future matches