First WKA Race

Blue skies, Audi towing an RV and a happy dog

After a late start to the season, I finally took Ralphie out for a spin this weekend. It's been a sedate year in karting for me this year, indoors and out. So on Saturday I competed in my first WKA (World Karting Association) sanctioned race, my second competitive race ever. The race was also the second of the five-race New Jersey Sprint Series, a series of races that take place in Millville, NJ, Englishtown, NJ and Cuddebackville, NY.

I ran in the TAG class again, against 4 other races, all considerably more experienced, better equipped and just plain better than me and Ralphie. One guy has a motor that cost more than my daily driver! I should note that I did install a shiny new gear and chain all by myself. It really didn't matter that much though, because I knew Ralphie and I would be disqualified before we even got to the track. See, Ralphie is equipped with a pretty powerful (but old) Comer engine that requires a total driver-kart weight of 380 lbs. Ralphie and I only weigh 294 lbs.

The practice sessions were shorter than my first race last year, and I turned a few surprisingly slooow lap times. The qualifier went a little better, as I was able to follow someone. I think I eked out a 44.15 for my qualifier. (The qualifiers are time-based. The pre-final and final are position-based.) 44.15 is still faster than my fastest time last season, so I was decently happy with my time. Even so, with a 44.15, I was still nearly 2 seconds slower than the next fastest driver. For the pre-final, I tried to stay a bit closer to the pack out of the gate, and did a decent job keeping up. However, by my 5th lap, I was quite aware of how tired I was.   Turns out that my fastest lap was either my 3rd or 4th lap... and I managed a 43.22! PR!  The final... The final did not go as planned. While I was physically exhausted, the fatigue mostly dissipated once the green flag dropped. Unfortunately, so did the integrity of the weld on my muffler. About 9 laps in, I had to pull in without finishing the race. :( All in all, it was a beautiful weekend.

Weekend loss tally: one karting glove and one race.  Oh and Singer lost her cookies on Sunday afternoon.  And she pooped at my parents' house.  Oops.

5 Second Rule

Does the 5 second rule apply when your dog licks your steak?  This is not a hypothetical question.  Can I just rinse it off?

I took a bite, and put it down next to me.  The next time I knew, I heard slurping sounds, and the steak had been licked.  To be fair, Singer, the steak and I are all in bed right now.  We're all on the same plane.  It could have been a misunderstanding (not!), and she stopped immediately when I caught her.  Now, she's eyeing the steak again and licking her lips.

Singer knows no boundaries.  When I first got her, I'd read all about boundary setting.  Dogs aren't allowed in the bedroom.  They're not allowed in bed.  You must eat before your dog.  You can never let your dog walk in front of you.  Dogs aren't supposed to be on the furniture.  One by one, I let these things go.  It was cold and annoying to sit on the floor to play with Singer.  I hated feeling time pressure to eat.  Besides, Singer's generally a very good girl, and I don't have any big issues with her behavior.  She knows who's boss.   I think she knows it's me. I think.

Happy Birthday BoBo!

After a rough start, you've managed to worm your way into our hearts.

Weekend update to come: BoBo's birthday cake.

Pop art dog.

I am ashamed to admit I can't tell which doggie is in this picture.  The silly crumpled up ears suggest Ms. BoBo. Either way, my Blackberry has rendered Singer/Bo pink!