Turkey Trot 5K

Well, I survived the Turkey Trot 5K.  It was touch and go. The first half was all an uphill slog of various grades (mostly pretty darn steep) and the last half was all downhill (much better) on icy and/or rocky road. The uphill portions were brutal.  It took me just over 30 minutes to go 5K, and I wasn't the last one in. Not my best time by a long shot. I beat some of those young whippersnapper types, at least.

The race was a great show opportunity for some people. Three self-styled MC's of the event dressed as turkeys and started the race. Some participants dressed up as well. I saw a few penguins, a few cross-dressers, and a cow.

The starting line

After the race I napped for more than an hour. I missed brunch (ended at noon; lunch is usually until one; I had no idea it was a brunch day), so by the time our scheduled seating for the special Thanksgiving meal came along I was quite hungry.  The dinner was very good. The tables were nicely set with tablecloths, most people dressed up, and some brought wine.

Along the course

We continue to work towards declaring "flight ready" the first few days of December. That means this week!  We tested both solar panels today and found they provided more than enough power to keep our instrument running as long as the sun shines.  I hunted down light leaks in our veto paddles.  They are only manifested when the instrument is in bright sunlight, which it will be when at the top of the atmosphere.  Meanwhile, I have identified a problem in the timing calibration system most likely due to a broken fiber. The problem effects half the veto system, so it is imperative to do what we can to find and fix it.  It is likely a broken optical fiber that is still in its casing, so some light is transmitted but not enough to do the calibration properly.

Near the finish line. See how much happier I am?

No time for much fun. I bought powerful medicine at the store and am dosing myself and feel much better.  We have managed to have group game nights the last two evenings. We played Clue. I won at Trivial Pursuits!  But I lost big time in Scrabble Deluxe.