I discovered a little, ahem, shall we say "feature" in Word 2010 when it comes to establishing spelling settings. Granted, what I wanted to do is a little farther along the esoteric line than simple spell checking. What I needed to do is to establish the paragraph style to not be checked, but have a character style that overlays the paragraph get spell checked. Like I said, a little further along the esoteric line.

This is useful in the legal arena where you are (for example) modifying established legal language, but can't actually change it, only identify suggested changes. You'd need any modifications you are making (the character style) to be spell checked, but the underlying legal language (the base paragraph style) cannot be inadvertently, or accidentally changed during a spell check.

Establishing the underlying paragraph style as don't check spelling is pretty straightforward: in the style definition box click the Format Dropdown and select Language. In the subsequent dialog, click the "Do not check spelling or grammar" box and accept the style change:

Now is when it gets to be a bit interesting. After you have done that, you can open the style dialog for your character style, and try the same thing. Sure, you can attempt to set "Do not check...", but it doesn't retain the setting. What you need to do is a two-step process.

1. Change the language of the character style to anything BUT the same language as the underlying paragraph style, and at the same time, tick the box for "Do not check spelling or grammar." Then accept and save the settings. 
2. Go back to the style definition and select to modify. On this second go-round, change the language BACK to the language you want it to be (assuming you want the language of the character style to be the same as the paragraph style). Changing it back doesn't affect the spelling setting, and the language is matched to the paragraph style.
   

Voila! You now have a paragraph style that does not check spelling, and a character style overlying it that does.

In the legal world, things can go badly, if, for example, you are identifying a pubic law (instead of a public one) or refer to a statue of limitations rather than a statute of limitations. Both of the words used, are correctly spelled, and likely will not be flagged during normal spelling and grammar checking. Often, they slip through human proofing as well.

The best way to ensure these words do not slip through is to have them show as misspelled all the time, and yes, you can do that. Create a plain text file and put the correctly spelled words you want to have flagged as  in it. Name the file as shown below (Check with Microsoft for the file name for other languages): 

• English(US): ExcludeDictionaryEN0409.lex 
  
• English (UK): ExcludeDictionaryEN0809.lex 
  
• English (Canada): ExcludeDictionaryEN1009.lex  
  

Then save the file to:

                     C:Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\UProof 

The next time Word is run, the words you've identified in that list will show as misspelled. This way, you will see the words with the red squiggly underline and you can be sure the word is being used in the correct way. 

Given my recent Close Encounter of the Pavement Kind, I found it interesting that a week later, I discover the existence of what is being called "an invisible bike helmet." What makes it interesting is that it's a collar device that looks remarkably like a scarf worn around the neck, and deploys like an airbag:

I probably wouldn't use it on my next century ride (which will never happen anyway), but for the Urban Bicycle Commando (UBC) commuting to and from the office, it's a pretty great idea. No more helmet-head-hair. It is a bit pricey at 3998 Swedish Krona (around $600.00 US), but think of your HAIR!

For more information, visit the Hövding website. 

(Continued from Crash I)

I made it home from the hospital. Did I mention narcotic painkillers are great! If not, I should! Discharge was nearly delays by a swelling at the clavicle/sternum connection. Had it X-rayed, but no evident fractures. Swollen and tender though. I think it's pain slipped under the radar of the other injuries.

On the way home we drove past the crash site. Still didn't see what could have caused it. I knew where I ended my tumble though:

That's my blood in the road. Ugh.

When I got home and between narc-naps, I attached the Garmin to the computer to download the data. Turns out, I went from 29.4 mph to 0 in just a few seconds. Heart rate dropped to 46. No tachycardia here!

Time to heal and retool. Getting pressure to sell the Rocky Mountain Death Rail bike now. Still not sure that's necessary. We'll see. Off on another narco nap.

I am doing this post from my hospital bed. I went out for a ride on Monday night. Nothing special, out and back on Franktown Road. An easy, relaxing 15. I had made it past Lakeview and was tooling north on Old 395 when it happened. When what happened, I don't know. I glanced at a car heading southbound because it looked familiar. I remember thinking that I wasn't positive if it was who I thought. Then I remember turning back and scanning the road ahead. 

The next thing I remember is a Paramedic hovering over me. I was already in a neck brace, on a back board and stretcher. You figure out how long I was unconscious. I was apparently shaking like a leaf, too. Populus tremuloides slang.

The ride to renown hospital (the only trauma center I the area) takes about 50 minutes. Seemed like a painful 10. Due to my oddly shaped noggin, that backboard made the back of my head hurt! After arriving and evaluation, they at least put something under my head to cushion the pressure.

After a CAT scan and X-Rays, they discovered I had a couple of broken ribs (7 & 8 on the back side) and a "large" pulmonary contusion. The doc indicated that it takes a significant amount of blunt-force trauma to accomplish that.

In addition to the biggies, I had a puncture of some sort on my shoulder and left a fair amount of skin on the road.

Similar road-rash and a big-ass bruise on my hip and lower leg.

On some nice narcotics at the moment. Time to sleep. More later.
Continued in Crash II.

Things are busy in the slanghome. Weekends seem to be filled with rides (more on that later), prepping for the upcoming school year, prepping for the soon-to-arrive exchange student we are hosting, beating the slightly above average heat, and unfortunately, work.

Yes, we are going to be hosting an exchange student for part of the upcoming school year. After a hiatus of about 16 months, we are once again opening the slanghome to Young Persons of Foreign Origin. This time, our guest will be a student rather than an au pair (of which we had numerous from over the previous 6 or 7 years). We haven't actually had an exchange student since Fernanda  from Brazil stayed with us for the entire year way back in 2004. Since Fer, we've had aus pair from Brazil, Russia, Italy, Germany,  and Colombia staying in our home. 

This time, for the first time, we'll be hosting a boy. Spencer is pretty jazzed about that, and Mikaela is fine too. He goes by Brando, and in the grand American tradition, whenever I hear his name, I hear the Godfather saying, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." I certainly hope our Brando doesn't have any connection with the Mafioso. It is difficult to run wearing concrete overshoes.

Regarding the cycling on the weekends, I pinched/tweaked/irritated something when I pulled a double header last week, running  10K  in high heat, then hitting the yoga studio for a 2-hour session without proper hydration. The next day, my hammy wasn't complaining, it was screaming obscenities at me. One would think I would learn someday. Guess not. I must be too hard-headed. As a result, running has been a big zero since. Thankfully, I've been able to cycle and was able to put in 130 miles in the saddle Sun-Sat including a nice 39-mile out and back from home to Virginia City with over 3400' of climbing early Saturday, before the heat made it, um, uncomfortable? 
I followed Saturday with Sunday (as do most people) and rode with Spencer through Diamond Valley. Who knew that it was the home of Snowshoe Thompson? I certainly didn't. If I was in a car, I'm sure I would have blazed right past the marker. Then again, if I was in a car, I don't think I'd be driving through Diamond Valley in the first place.

I'm thinking that it would be good to continue to rest the hammy for most of the week, try a short run Thursday-ish and do a spectacular and fun 15 to Grouse Lake and back on Sunday. I haven't been there since last October. That would be following a Wellington to Bridgeport (80-mile) out and back on the bike on Saturday. The mileage is doable at this point provided I eat, it's the saddle that worries me. Since I have no meat on my butt-bones, long saddle time turns to torture. I've ordered a gel seat, and will put it to work on that ride. If the pain gets to be too much, the planned 80 will be less. Those are the plans. We'll have to see if my ego is writing a check my body won't be able to cash. Stay tuned. 

I haven't been watching much of the prime time Olympic coverage on NBC - too much "all-USA-all-the-time" for me. (I'm currently reading Charles Williams' last novel, Man On A Leash from 1973 instead. I felt the need for some detective-noir.)  I like sports, I like the USA, but there are a lot of sports in the games that don't have an American (or as Mr. Gin and Tacos specifies, a marketable American) at a highly competitive level. I understand that the point of televising the games is to stuff the coffers with advertising money - primarily from political mud-slinging - and that the time differential allows for an extremely selective process for determining what gets shown and what gets dropped. I personally would like to see some high jump since I participated in that back in the years between when Dwight Stones set his last world record and became a commentator. (His world record 2.32m (7'-7") in 1976 isn't too bad compared against the current record of 2.45m (8'-1/2") set in 1993)

The USA is doing well in the medal count as well. I'm guessing the $25K a gold medal garners the winner from the Olympic Committee certainly isn't a disincentive, but pales in comparison to the Italian payout of $182,400. Regardless, the USA pours a lot of money into system that spits out medal winners. After seeing three Jamaicans qualify for the 200m finals last night, I had a couple of thoughts cross my mind other than "Cool!":

1. What is a more fair way to determine medal harvesting? Medals per capita? Medals per GDP? and;
   
2. How many athletes from around the world train in the USA - either as part of one of the collegiate track teams or as part of a club?

To answer the first set of questions, I found this cool site: www.medalspercapita.com. It lets you sort the medal count various ways, and has data back for all summer games back to 1896 Games in Athens. 

I haven't yet found an answer to the second question, though I suspect the number is fairly high, especially with western hemisphere countries. Maybe somebody else knows?

... when I am able to run in the last mile, regardless of the overall distance.
... when the run is an "st" run - best, longest, fastest, most fun...
... when I don't have to bury any whiners in shallow, unmarked graves. Well, maybe only one.
... when there is a cold beer waiting at the end.
... when I don't bonk.
... when I don't run out of water with any more than a mile to go.
... when I finish. Upright.
... when a new trail route works out.
... when running with friends.
... when I have the trail to myself. 
... when my mind is clear and settled at the end, if it wasn't at the start.
... when I solve a gnarly problem.
... when following some flashy dirty girls on a pair of nice girl legs. 
... when I see wild critters.
... when I make a climb that I'd never been able to run before.
... when the laughs outnumber the curses.
... when I don't trip and fall.
... when a new runner tagging along has a great run.
... when the silence is only broken by my stentorian breathing.
... when I see more deer than cars.
... when I don't pee blood afterward.
... when I see cougar tracks and I don't get jumped by said cougar (the wild animal kind, that is.)
... ditto for bears.
... when the view takes what breath I have left away.
... when I jump OVER the snake on the trail.
... when I try new shoes, and they feel awesome!
... did I mention following girl legs?


What makes a run for you a good run? Pop them in the comments!