CH 4: Event Day
Saturday, Sept 10, 2022 - Swim to Alligator Lighthouse I knew it was vital to be rested before an athletic event but I was awake at 5:00AM and checked the clock every five minutes (ugh, adrenaline) with the uneasy, and mistaken, impression that we were late. Our phone alarms woke everyone else at 6:00AM as … Continue reading CH 4: Event Day
Coping Capacity
Otso Mustonen stood among onlookers crowding a pool table watching an intense game between an audacious university student and a cool-headed man wearing an over-sized cream-colored sweater. At 6'5" and as an avid weightlifter, Otso dwarfed all other patrons in the tavern. He stood in the back, leaning against the wood-paneled wall, and observed the … Continue reading Coping Capacity
Evil’s First Hello
Neutrino strode down a line of people seated on the bank floor with their backs to the wall, faces lowered, and hands on their heads. The armed supervillain's footsteps were the only sound in the largest financial establishment in the city. Police had surrounded the building and cut power nearly an hour ago however, due … Continue reading Evil’s First Hello
CH 3: Anne Beach and Amara Cay
Friday, Sept 9, 2022. One day before “race” day. Friday morning, Anton stayed in the hotel room to finish up a few things on his laptop for work while the rest of us went exploring before the mandatory safety meeting at 1:00pm. We chose to drive south on the lone road that threads the length … Continue reading CH 3: Anne Beach and Amara Cay
Weather Limbo
In the spirit of hurricane preparedness, we're ready but we're also doing normal crap like playing World of Warcraft and going to work tomorrow. While my bro Anton and I grew up in central Florida, we currently reside in Hillsborough County which is way closer to the coast than we're used to being for named … Continue reading Weather Limbo
CH 2: Point A to Point B
Thursday, Sept 8, 2022. Two days before "race" day. Reaching the general vicinity of the venue of the Swim to Alligator Lighthouse was an endeavor in itself. Seriously. I currently live in Tampa, FL. Our destination was the village of Islamorada in the Florida Keys. I won't give you a minute-by-minute account, but I woke … Continue reading CH 2: Point A to Point B
CH 1: Swimming Adventure in the Florida Keys
I participated in an open water swimming event this past weekend in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. The course began at Amara Cay Resort and took us 4-miles off the coast to Alligator Lighthouse and back. Anton (my brother) convinced Maddie (his girlfriend), Vanessa (our older sister) and me to sign up with him in … Continue reading CH 1: Swimming Adventure in the Florida Keys
Unsettled Spirits
A GROUP OF MONKS fled with the forest snapping at their heels. The forest itself squealed with bending tree limbs and groaning trunks; the deafening thrashing of lush branches grew wilder as the exhausted and despairing monks burst into a clearing. They prayed to be able to see the next village from the treeline. It … Continue reading Unsettled Spirits
Super Brief Book Review: The Jonathan Grave Series
Most of my favorite works of fiction are typically old timey (e.g. Victorian era) where the authors are long deceased. However, once a year, when on vacation with my sister and her family, we binge purchase new paperbacks to sample fiction from authors we typically wouldn't read. The 2021 family vacation book haul contained Stealth … Continue reading Super Brief Book Review: The Jonathan Grave Series