Friday, December 31, 2010
Into the unknown
Like a flashback from 11 (or was it 10?) years ago, there was some debate at the Full Moon run the other night about whether tomorrow, 1 January 2011, marks the start of a new decade or not. Taking the nay side was Softcock, who quite reasonably maintained that the first year of the Christian era should have been Year 0. Logically it probably should have been, but unfortunately:
1) It wasn't.
2) Even if they'd wanted it to be, they didn't have a zero
Anyhow 1/1/2011 has the look of a new decade to me, so here are a few thoughts on the last one and the new one to come.
Cast your mind back exactly ten years, to New Year's Day 2001, and you may remember a very different Songkhla Hash. Well I don't, because I didn't even start running here till six months after that, but I think we can safely say that:
• We were a much larger hash, with a steady stream of new runners, returnees, and visitors.
• We had many more active hares, and few if any of them set (or needed to set) more than a handful of runs per year.
• We still had a real hash bar, the late lamented Parlang, and regularly practiced that grand Hash tradition of the on-after.
• We were generating new breakaway hashes. Our first offspring, the Hatyai [Sunday] Hash, was already in the process of establishing itself, to be followed a couple years later by a second one, the lively little bastard known as Sadao H3.
In short, we were a big, active group still pretty much in the mold of the classic 1980s and 90s' SE Asian international hashes, as still found today in places like KL, Singapore, and Phnom Penh.
Well, we're not that anymore. We're much smaller, we get disappointingly few new runners and visitors, we're largely dependent on just four or five superhares, and for all purposes we've become reunited with what remains of Hatyai Hash. (And Sadao Hash? Who knows, but let's hope it carries on in some form, if only once or twice per year.) On the other hand, consider the upside:
• We may be small but we're more dedicated than ever. As you'll see below, almost two dozen people came to 40 runs or more this past year. Whatever the weather, wherever the runsite, whatever the reputation of the hare, we can always count on the hardcore turning up and going out.
• Ditto with our hares. They're fewer in number but they're there when we need them. And one result of fewer people setting more runs is that they're now generally far more experienced and skilled than the average hare a decade ago. Together with GPS, that means a better standard of runs (uh . . . usually). In fact I can't remember a year more filled with good to great runs than this past one.
• We may seldom meet up anywhere after runs, but we now bring our dinner party with us, every single run. No one seems to know of any other hash anywhere that has food of the quality and quantity that we do. We should be hugely grateful for the generosity of our food providers.
• Songkhla-Hatyai have in effect become a single hash offering up two good runs every weekend. Many of us always run both whenever we can, and the styles of the runs and the circles are just different enough to keep things interesting. Plus our partnership has led to some really good extra-hash activities, notably the treks up Khao Luang (2008) and Khao Jet Yawd (2010), a revival in outstation runs, and even a few sleepover hashes close to home.
So it seems that for each thing we've lost, we've gained something else. Even the new roads that have cut into our running country have opened access to new areas and runsites. Really the only big question for the coming years is whether we can maintain enough critical mass to carry on at this level. Oh, and how long we can continue to sneer at the physical limits of geezerhood. Ten years ago most of us were in our 40s (OK, late 40s, but still). By the end of the decade that begins tomorrow most of us will be pushing 70. The only rational response? Ignore the calendar, continue the stupidity, and redouble our efforts to grow old disgracefully.
Now the drumroll please . . . courtesy of Egghead, the godhead of all Songkhla/Hatyai hash data, here are stats on the top SH3 runners and hares in 2010 (dogs excluded, sorry). No big surprises, though we would note that Stick Insect, with more runs than anyone else including even the Beer Truck Driver, clearly wins this year's "Get A Life" honors. In addition to the usual suspects, we also note the strong haring performance of R2D2 and The Pussies, the latter of whom continued to go well above and beyond the call of duty in the food arena as well. And is it possible that Knob Goblin has run with us only 69 times, and has set just 3 Songkhla runs? It seems far more traumatic than that. (Apologies for the crap formatting -- if this site does columns I certainly can't figure them out.)
Runner -- Runs (2010/Lifetime)
Stick Insect 51 926
Buk Toy 50 772
Egghead 50 548
B. T. Driver 50 362
Only a Yolk 49 509
Peppered Pussy 49 434
Nosin 46 944
Crackwurst 46 701
City Tits 45 1002
Knackerwurst 45 936
Meals on Wheels 45 264
Sex Sprinter 45 195
R2D2 44 193
Temporary Relief 44 164
Tutee Fruity 43 326
Chao Ngor 42 544
Solong 41 777
Ram It In 41 444
Safe Sex 41 356
After Ours 40 642
Softcock 40 311
Beavershot 36 292
Knob Goblin 33 69
Palm Job 31 423
Phone Sex 31 97
Self Pumper 30 458
Yardstick 30 342
Hare -- Lays (2010/Lifetime)
Egghead 16 131
Only a Yolk 15 93
Sex Sprinter 9 31
Buk Toy 8 63
Beavershot 7 55
R2D2 6 15
Hand Job 6 8
Stick Insect 5 68
Crackwurst 5 53
Meals on Wheels 5 13
Peppered Pussy 4 35
After Ours 4 23
Temporary Relief 3 12
Tutee Fruity 3 28
Knob Goblin 3 3
Yardstick 3 23
Roadrunner 3 30
Khii Leum 3 22
1 lay each in 2010: Ram It In, Softcock, Palm Job, Gaseous Clay, Gan Yao, Phuk, Schmuckme Witherspoon, Dung Beetle, Rotten Johnny, Last Lover, Wet Spot, Smeghead, Pig Porker, Yolk's Polk
Kurt Vonnegut in one of his books claimed to distill the ultimate wisdom about life into three words: "It goes on." For Songkhla Hash, past, present, and future, it's even simpler: On on!
1) It wasn't.
2) Even if they'd wanted it to be, they didn't have a zero
Anyhow 1/1/2011 has the look of a new decade to me, so here are a few thoughts on the last one and the new one to come.
Cast your mind back exactly ten years, to New Year's Day 2001, and you may remember a very different Songkhla Hash. Well I don't, because I didn't even start running here till six months after that, but I think we can safely say that:
• We were a much larger hash, with a steady stream of new runners, returnees, and visitors.
• We had many more active hares, and few if any of them set (or needed to set) more than a handful of runs per year.
• We still had a real hash bar, the late lamented Parlang, and regularly practiced that grand Hash tradition of the on-after.
• We were generating new breakaway hashes. Our first offspring, the Hatyai [Sunday] Hash, was already in the process of establishing itself, to be followed a couple years later by a second one, the lively little bastard known as Sadao H3.
In short, we were a big, active group still pretty much in the mold of the classic 1980s and 90s' SE Asian international hashes, as still found today in places like KL, Singapore, and Phnom Penh.
Well, we're not that anymore. We're much smaller, we get disappointingly few new runners and visitors, we're largely dependent on just four or five superhares, and for all purposes we've become reunited with what remains of Hatyai Hash. (And Sadao Hash? Who knows, but let's hope it carries on in some form, if only once or twice per year.) On the other hand, consider the upside:
• We may be small but we're more dedicated than ever. As you'll see below, almost two dozen people came to 40 runs or more this past year. Whatever the weather, wherever the runsite, whatever the reputation of the hare, we can always count on the hardcore turning up and going out.
• Ditto with our hares. They're fewer in number but they're there when we need them. And one result of fewer people setting more runs is that they're now generally far more experienced and skilled than the average hare a decade ago. Together with GPS, that means a better standard of runs (uh . . . usually). In fact I can't remember a year more filled with good to great runs than this past one.
• We may seldom meet up anywhere after runs, but we now bring our dinner party with us, every single run. No one seems to know of any other hash anywhere that has food of the quality and quantity that we do. We should be hugely grateful for the generosity of our food providers.
• Songkhla-Hatyai have in effect become a single hash offering up two good runs every weekend. Many of us always run both whenever we can, and the styles of the runs and the circles are just different enough to keep things interesting. Plus our partnership has led to some really good extra-hash activities, notably the treks up Khao Luang (2008) and Khao Jet Yawd (2010), a revival in outstation runs, and even a few sleepover hashes close to home.
So it seems that for each thing we've lost, we've gained something else. Even the new roads that have cut into our running country have opened access to new areas and runsites. Really the only big question for the coming years is whether we can maintain enough critical mass to carry on at this level. Oh, and how long we can continue to sneer at the physical limits of geezerhood. Ten years ago most of us were in our 40s (OK, late 40s, but still). By the end of the decade that begins tomorrow most of us will be pushing 70. The only rational response? Ignore the calendar, continue the stupidity, and redouble our efforts to grow old disgracefully.
Now the drumroll please . . . courtesy of Egghead, the godhead of all Songkhla/Hatyai hash data, here are stats on the top SH3 runners and hares in 2010 (dogs excluded, sorry). No big surprises, though we would note that Stick Insect, with more runs than anyone else including even the Beer Truck Driver, clearly wins this year's "Get A Life" honors. In addition to the usual suspects, we also note the strong haring performance of R2D2 and The Pussies, the latter of whom continued to go well above and beyond the call of duty in the food arena as well. And is it possible that Knob Goblin has run with us only 69 times, and has set just 3 Songkhla runs? It seems far more traumatic than that. (Apologies for the crap formatting -- if this site does columns I certainly can't figure them out.)
Runner -- Runs (2010/Lifetime)
Stick Insect 51 926
Buk Toy 50 772
Egghead 50 548
B. T. Driver 50 362
Only a Yolk 49 509
Peppered Pussy 49 434
Nosin 46 944
Crackwurst 46 701
City Tits 45 1002
Knackerwurst 45 936
Meals on Wheels 45 264
Sex Sprinter 45 195
R2D2 44 193
Temporary Relief 44 164
Tutee Fruity 43 326
Chao Ngor 42 544
Solong 41 777
Ram It In 41 444
Safe Sex 41 356
After Ours 40 642
Softcock 40 311
Beavershot 36 292
Knob Goblin 33 69
Palm Job 31 423
Phone Sex 31 97
Self Pumper 30 458
Yardstick 30 342
Hare -- Lays (2010/Lifetime)
Egghead 16 131
Only a Yolk 15 93
Sex Sprinter 9 31
Buk Toy 8 63
Beavershot 7 55
R2D2 6 15
Hand Job 6 8
Stick Insect 5 68
Crackwurst 5 53
Meals on Wheels 5 13
Peppered Pussy 4 35
After Ours 4 23
Temporary Relief 3 12
Tutee Fruity 3 28
Knob Goblin 3 3
Yardstick 3 23
Roadrunner 3 30
Khii Leum 3 22
1 lay each in 2010: Ram It In, Softcock, Palm Job, Gaseous Clay, Gan Yao, Phuk, Schmuckme Witherspoon, Dung Beetle, Rotten Johnny, Last Lover, Wet Spot, Smeghead, Pig Porker, Yolk's Polk
Kurt Vonnegut in one of his books claimed to distill the ultimate wisdom about life into three words: "It goes on." For Songkhla Hash, past, present, and future, it's even simpler: On on!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
From the archives: Gone but not forgotten
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Day 2010 in glorious technicolor!
Long run in red, short run in yellow. 6.8k and 4.2k respectively. 52 minutes for Sex Sprinter with the short runners, and the sick lame and lazy from the long run straggling in around the hour mark.
But the good news is that we ate all the turkey, and although there is still some beer to be dealt with, the residue of the chickens and the cow were polished off today at Hatyai Hash, so anyone who went to both runs needn't eat or drink for a week!
Sadly no image of the bewilderingly good HH3 run today as Off T failed to deliver up the GPS with the track on it, but it may follow later. However, Sex (S)Printer is now GM of Hatyai Hash after a unanimous vote.
Long live the GM! (and Happy New Year to Cesspool who may be dropping in about now)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Full Moon Pussy and the Stuffed Turkeys
A big week in prospect, as in we're all going to be bigger by the end of it.
First up, tomorrow, Tuesday, 21st December there's a Full Moon H3 run which is being set by Only a Yolk and After Ours as well as quite possibly other members of the pussy-pack.The run site will be at Prem's Place and the run should start at 7:00 p.m. Usual stuff applies: Bring some beer of you want, although the hash-mistress-who-must-be-obeyed will be dispensing Full Moon ale at 3 cans for 100 Baht. Bring some food if you feel like eating something after the run and bring a handlight to avoid getting lost.
Then on Saturday, SH3's Christmas day run will start one hour earlier than normal at 3:00 p.m. and Christmas dinner, featuring turkey, chicken, roast beef, (for those who aren't into fowl) and a full range of festive fare including Softie and Temp's famous Olde English Christmas pudding, will be served as soon as we get back to the run site at about 4:00 p.m.
Details are:
SH3 run # 1542, December 25th 2010, 3:00 p.m.
Hares: Egghead, Only a Yolk and Peppered Pussy
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left for 5.2k, then right through the temple arch and follow the signs to the run site.
There'll be some stuff for the kids as well so please bring the whole family along. Beer will be on sale from the beer truck as usual but please bring along some booze as well so that we can carry on into the night after the beer truck has departed for safer places. And speaking of the beer truck, don't forget that it will leave the Hot Bread Shop at 2:00 p.m. to accommodate the early start.
And after all that over-indulgence on Saturday, what are you going to need on Boxing Day? You're right! Another run! And Hatyai H3 will be happy to oblige. The run site is at the Or Bor Tor at Prutoh/Tungyai (from Ko Yo take the old Hatyai road for 10k and turn left for 3.5k then right for 500m). The run should start as soon after 4:00 p.m. as can be expected and the hare is Porky Sex.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
1541: A proud tradition upheld
This afternoon, SH3 upheld a proud tradition of having run every Saturday for the last 29 and a bit years except when the run was cancelled, which is what usually happens when HH3 put on an outstation run. But today SH3 ran while most of us, it appears, went to Phattalung.
Did we have a good time? Of course we did, even though the whinge brothers complained and bitched round the whole run and the rain didn't let up until we hit the top of the hill, rendering the under-foot conditions, soft to shitty. Not sure of the distance: 6.7k was what the handpiece recorded but later analysis suggests it was closer to 5k. But it took the pack of 5 plus 4 dogs an hour and twenty to complete and thanks to Phuk for guiding us round the sometimes rather sparse paper. Thanks too to the Softie family for organising it all and then buggering off before we could ice them Never mind, we'll get them next week!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Instation or outstation
Two runs this weekend. The trouble is they both take place on the same day at about the same time but about 80k apart!
If you are not going to HH3's outstation run then you are in good company because a number of people can't make it; so SH3 will be running as normal and details of the run are:
SH3 run #1541; Saturday 18th December 2010: 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Softcock, Temporary Relief, Phuk, Softdog, Korean Barbecue, Illegal Beagle
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Hatyai road for 8k and turn left for 1.2k then left again for 500 meters to the run site.
If you are going to HH3's New Year outstation run, it is at the Klong Pa Bon reservoir in Phattalung province. Follow the map above: head North from the end of the New Hatyai road for 43.6k, turn left at the Pa Bon Intersection and follow the road for 10.7k, then turn left for 2.9k then follow the right fork for 3.5k. You need to be there by 3:00 p.m. and you would be well advised to take a tent, although there is some more permanent accomodation available about 1k away from the main run site at an additional cost of 400 Baht. Otherwise, regular runners pay 100 Baht and guests 300 Baht, with the run, food and beer all thrown in.
Finally, all being well there should be a Full Moon H3 run next week and Tuesday (December 21st) is the suggested day. So far there are no suggested hares and no suggested run site, so if you feel like suggesting either then please let the GM'ette (Only a Yolk) know on Saturday or any other day that is convenient.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
1540: a symphony in concrete
Subtle it wasn't!
Like short time upstairs at the Cosmos, run 1540 got straight down to the business in hand; went up as far as it was possible to go in that locality (which for the record was 279 meters) then having got all the macho stuff out of the way came down by the most direct route possible before spending 20 minutes of fun running along the bottom of the hill.
But as a prelude to celebrating City Tits' 1000th run it did the biz. And then celebrate we did with copious free food and beer and a couple of bottles of the hard stuff as well. At the end of the afternoon there were a lot of replete happy hashers and the odd replete and happy dog as well, as the SH3 canines and some of the local mutts to boot got in on the act and enjoyed the bonanza.
Thanks to City Tits for her generous sponsorship and thanks to R2D2 and Kii Leum for the sore ankles!
Friday, December 10, 2010
1000 congratulations
Details of runs this week are patchy but:
SH3 run #1540 Saturday December 11th; 4:00 p.m.
Hares : R2D2 and Kii Leum
Misdirections: From the Kao Saeng intersection take the old Yala road for 5.5 k and turn right towards Wat Cham Uthit. Follow the road for about 1k and look for signs/paper to the run site.
Now wasn't there something else?
City Tits 1000th run!
Hatyai H3 on Sunday will be set by Sofar and Ouab Im. No details of the location as yet but that will all become clear on Saturday.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Post-pussy-penance
Yes, it was back to reality after our brief trip into pussy heaven on Saturday, as the rain resumed and Kai Jeow attempted to prove you can squeeze 10k of running into 6.7k and still get back before dark.
6.7k? That's all it was, and but for the forced change of run-site, it would have only been 6k, after the hare thoughtfully went out and relaid the in-trail during the run to avoid the 3k loop that somehow got laid in the morning. But on the positive side both Sex Printer and Nichaow were sufficiently misled to come in off paper and Off T and Big Foot both stayed on the paper and didn't need to be rescued by the hare, as the hare was there to guide them home while they could still just about see the trees for the wood.
Shame about the run site though. Sai Kao Resort is a reasonable alternative but we need to keep them sweet as there really aren't a lot of other run-sites in that neck of the woods. Perhaps we might all try to use their services. Now exactly what services is it they offer?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Pussy-whip it good!
Mee-ow! 7.7k horizontally, 430 meters of upward mobility and a maximum elevation of 176 meters. The thick end of an hour and a half for Foo-Foo to run it and a whacking 4 3/4 hours for the pussies and their canine cohorts to set it (OK, so only 2 3/4 hours of that was actually spent moving, but, hey a girl needs a rest now and then!)
But this afternoon's outing has only confirmed that these days our pussy runs are among the best runs we get set, and full credit to After Hours, Crackwurst, Only a Yolk and Meals on Wheels for a great afternoon's running, and particularly to Only a Yolk who not only guided the girls round with the new PGS (Pussy Guidance System) but then with barely an hour's break, swept the long run and guided no less than 4 of the pack safely home who otherwise might still be trying to break the last check.
On! On! to kinder gentler things at HH3 tomorrow when we promise there will be no pussies involved!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Pussy heaven
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
For the second time in living memory there has been a late change of runsite, and the pussies will now be doing their stuff at:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run # 1539; Saturday December 4th 2010: 4:00 p.m.
Hare-ettes: Crackwurst, Only a Yolk and Meals on Wheels
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for 3.5k to the run site on the left.
Sunday's HH3 run will be from just across the road from last week's HH3 run. Correct misdirections are:
From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn LEFT for 6k then left for 4.2k to the run site on the right. Hare is Kai Jeow, for whom, coincidentally this will be his 200th lay (but don't hold your breath for a T shirt!)
Finally there will be a catering meeting at the Hot Bead Shop on Friday evening (3rd December) commencing at around 6:30 p.m. when plans will be laid for the Hash Christmas dinner on 25th December. So if you feel like stuffing a turkey or even pulling a cracker or two, then drop by and offer your help or advice.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Autopilot delivers...
... 7.3 kilometers or thereabouts; max elevation: 110 meters; total ascent: 234 meters.
FROP, Sex Sprinter back in 1 hour 21 minutes.
Nosin, still smiling brought up the rear in 1h.35m.
Stick Insect found 5 out of 6 false trails (tee hee hee!)
And all this wrought by a GPS guided robot and three doggies (Oh, and Only a Yolk as well who is all too human!)
But despair not, The Pussies will set a real run next week. Be there and weep!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Autopilot kicks in
Heart-felt appeals for hares this week notwithstanding, the autopilot has seamlessly kicked in and this weeks SH3 details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1538, 27th November 2010, 4:00 p.m.
Hare: Egghead and canine friends
Misdirections: From the Kao Saeng intersection take the old Yala road for 11 1/2k and turn right. Follow the road ahead for 3.2k (straight across the crossroads at 2.2k) to the run site on the left.
(Anyone coming from near the Ko Yo intersection will find it easier to go all the way up the new Yala road and turn right at the An Tong intersection then go 1k up the old Yala road and turn right at the hash sign. Then follow the road ahead for 3.2k etc.
For those coming from Hatyai the quickest route is from the Nam Noi traffic lights, turn right and follow the road for about 11k then turn left into the road to Khao Ron; after 600m take the right hand fork, i.e. don't go up Khao Ron, then follow the road through the village for a further 800 meters to the run site on the right.)
Heart-felt appeal for hares:
We have only 4 runs left this year after this weekend, and autopilot is already down to set the last one on Christmas Day so will not be available for any of the 3 intervening runs respectively on 4th, 11th, or 18th December. That means we weally weally need hares for those weeks. Now we don't want to invite an unseemly and potentially life-threatening stampede but the Hare-board will be at the run site this week for YOU to choose which of these 3 runs you want to set. But don't be disappointed if you don't make it onto this year's hare-list - there's always next year which is virginally chaste as we speak.
Sunday's HH3 run (November 28th, 4:30 p.m. – let’s be realistic!) will be set by Toy Boy and Sex Sprinter, HH3's very own autopilot, and the run site will be at the Sai Kao Resort (where the HH3 500th was held): coming from Songkhla take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn right for 6k, then left for about 4k and it's on the left (OR just follow Saturday's misdirections above, but carry on beyond the SH3 run site for 1.4k and turn right then go about 1k to the run site on the right.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Camping it up
There's a CHANGE OF RUNSITE for Saturday's SH3 run, and we will now be running from behind Prem's Place. This is to accomodate the Full Moon run and campout mentioned below. So the details now are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1537, Saturday 20th November 2010; 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Sex Sprinter and Buk Toy
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for 800 meters and turn left. Follow the road for about 1.2k up the hill, 400 meters past Prem's place. Park on the LEFT hand side of the road then walk across the road to the run site on the right
Please don't try to park on the right as there is very limited space and it is difficult to turn round once you are in. There is plenty of space to park on the left of the road but if you are not intending to stay overnight or you don't fancy driving up the hill, you might want to park in the car park at Prem's Place and walk up or catch a ride with someone else to the actual run site. If you are intending to stay overnight then it is probably a good idea to get there early to grab a decent tent site!
Some time after the SH3 circle there will be:
Hatyai Full Moon Hash run #72, Saturday 20th November 2010; 7:00 p.m.
Hares: Sex Sprinter and Buk Toy
Misdirections: Stay at the SH3 run site!
Following the Full Moon run there will be over-night camping across the road from the run site. As usual contributions of food will be welcome and there will be a BBQ available. We will be selling beer in the normal way at the SH3 run and there will also be a limited supply of Full Moon beer on sale for the Full Moon run, but it is suggested that everyone intending to stay overnight should bring along most of what they want to drink.
Just to add to the fun, we're expecting about 20 guests from Malacca H3 on Saturday for the Songkhla Hash run so if you see anyone who looks like a hasher wandering up the hill, do stop and pick them up!
The Hatyai H3 run on Sunday (21st November, 4:30 p.m.) will be set by Nichaeow and will be from somewhere down Poonakan Road in the vicinity of the Gam Ling Reservoir (from the Ko Yo Intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k; turn left for 8k then right at Wat Keow Kloy for about 8k and look for a sign on the left.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Vaseline (and Scud)'s worst.
Those of us who feared that Vaseline was going to go out on his own with a bag of paper and randomly wander around the hills behind Nam Noi in the hope of eventually ending up back where he started were proved wrong. He went out with Scud and randomly...
And actually there was nothing very random about the process. They had obviously and quite sensibly decided to follow an old run as the old shreddy we kept seeing bore witness.
But things have changed up there; some things have grown and some things have been knocked over. If the pictures (below) of Hatyai two weeks ago lead you to believe that's all that happened in the great storm of '10, think again. Trails which we've run for years are now strewn with fallen trees and sections of the hillside yesterday resembled a scene from The Great Chainsaw Massacre meets Big G Goes Mud Wrestling. The result was that this little 4.6k tour took an hour and 20 minutes to slog round with almost no opportunity to stretch our legs and prove what we are capable of until we actually hit the flat near the run site.
But we all got back; eventually. A chastened Off T having miraculously not got lost on Saturday took his new GPS with him and stuck closely to Moo Sahb just in case, and Gogo Pock alias Tuttee Fruity having escaped the clutches of Chao Kuay was assisted round by Sofar and Ouab-Im as far as the Wat before they escaped to the road and were assisted home by a passing Sawng Tao.
This month's storm is going to affect the way we do things for a while. Bits of 'our' countryside have been devastated and some of 'our' trails are going to be difficult to use for a while until either the debris is cleared or more likely until it gets eaten by the bugs. The moral is that until we work out what's changed, unrecced runs are unwise if not positively dangerous ... but then some of us worked that out a long time ago!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Run 1536: Was this what the hares meant us to do?
'cos it sure wasn't what this hound did. But a process of guesswork and editing out the numerous extra bits and diversions suggests that this may have been approximately where the paper went. 4.7k of hashing in the raw (red) and 2.7k of road running (blue) , or, if you were sensible, being ferried home by Kii Leum in Stick Insect's limo.
But look at it this way: Vaseline? Give us your worst son; you're on a winner today!
Friday, November 12, 2010
An ominous weekend
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Yes, dam that Beaver!
He was atop Beaver Manor and here's what it looked like. That's chin-high water in most places, and probably about five meters deep in the center of the photo, which normally is the Mae Rian Klong.
In his defense, Beaver was reported to have said, "I always thought bio-degradable dams were a good idea."
Where's a Beaver when you need one?
Wikipedia says:
Quote Beavers are known for their natural trait of building dams ... also build canals ... Beaver dams are created as ... protection ...and to provide easy access to food ... Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders…Beavers can rebuild ... primary dams overnight…unquote
So where was the Beaver last Tuesday then?
Quote Beavers are known for their natural trait of building dams ... also build canals ... Beaver dams are created as ... protection ...and to provide easy access to food ... Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders…Beavers can rebuild ... primary dams overnight…unquote
So where was the Beaver last Tuesday then?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Did we have fun?
I don't remember; but these guys seemed to have enjoyed Saturday night.
But on the assumption that it was fun, thanks to everybody who braved the stone age conditions and came and helped me to celebrate hitting 60 last Saturday.
Thanks in particular, to :
Buk Toy for the gift of electricity courtesy of his generator, Rocky for the Indian food which was almost cooked to perfection and arrived just when Only a Yolk's feast seemed to be in danger of running out, Hand Job for the arm power in the som tam factory, Softcock and Temporary Relief for the PGS (Pussy Guidance System),
City Tits, Ram It In & Tutti Fruity for the gift of Beer,
Solong and Safe Sex, Eightball, Giraffe Whisperer and Chris for the gift of wine,
Chao Ngor, Meals on Wheels, Freehand (alias Homey) and M for breaking the embargo on birthday presents in general, and to anyone else who I haven't mentioned including everyone who filled the icebox which never ran out.
Who's next then?
Run #1536: A proposition from Wittgenstein?
Basil tells Manuel how to get to Saturday's SH3 run
Manuel: Hhwater Tank?
Basil: It's not difficult Manuel.This is not a proposition from Wittgenstein.Go to Ko Yo intersection, turn left; go 6 kilometers; turn left; go up track - 150 meters; park near water tank.
(Ok, Ok! here are the official misdirections:
SH3 run #1536, Saturday November 13, 2010; 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Stick insect and Kii Leum
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for 6k and turn left up the track for 150 meters. Park near the water tank.)
On! On!
P.S. Sunday's HH3 run is from the Old Hatyai road, 9k on the left near the former gas station and is being set by Vazzerlean.
Mine is longer than yours
"In 2004, the most recent year for which there are final figures, life expectancy at birth in the United States was 77.8 years. That’s 75.2 years for males and 80.4 years for females. But if you’ve made it to sixty your life expectancy is 82.5 years: 80.8 for men and eighty-four for women."
-- from Mine Is Longer Than Yours, by Michael Kinsley, New Yorker magazine
(OK, these figures are for Americans, whose lifespans have been freakishly extended by diets of milk and honey and gold dust, not to mention fluoride and other anti-Communist drugs put into their water supplies. But still, they suggest that, despite people like Egghead insisting on having birthdays normally consistent with decrepit geezerhood, we probably still have a few decent years left in us. Kinsley's article is worth a read, especially if you have hopes of still hitting the ski slopes and rogering young women into your 70s and 80s.)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Cracked but unbroken
You would have thought that the Biblical tempests and floods, power and water outages, plagues of locusts, etc. descending upon all of us this week would have suggested to Egghead that maybe the heavens were aligning against his birthday celebrations tomorrow. But no, he claims it's all going ahead as scheduled. With one special request: BRING BEER! We'd hate to run out while celebrating such an august occasion.
Songkhla Hash House Harriers Run #153-something or other
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Hares: Egghead (& dogs & relatives?)
Misdirections: Chez Egg (from Koh Yaw intersection take the Old Hatyai Rd. 4km, turn left and go 5.2km, turn right and follow the curvy road around the righthand side of the wat)
It's an A-to-B run, with transport to the A site leaving Egghead's at 4 pm. sharp.
From Songkhla you can catch a ride on the beer truck, leaving the Hot Bread Shop at 3 pm.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Birthday gaiety
Monday, October 25, 2010
SH3's 29th birthday extravaganza
Yes, it's October again and as I'm sure you all know, tomorrow, 26th October is SH3's birthday, and Saturday's run will be a special celebration of our continued tenuous existence, against all odds, for another year, our 29th to be precise.
So the misdirections for this week's run are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1534, Saturday October 30th 2010; 4:00 p.m.
Hares: R2D2 and ....
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo Intersection take the new Yala road for about 8.5k to the Tung Jaeng restaurant on the right hand side. Park considerately!
There will be a run or two, free beer before and during the circle (and for as long afterwards as the beer lasts) and the restaurant are laying in extra supplies of cheap beer for when ours runs out. So anyone who feels the need to offer some sponsorship for the event might want to chip in a bottle of wine. Then there will be the usual sumptuous Southern Thai style buffet dinner after the circle, and despite the games master's continued absence in Fort Worth, some light entertainment to follow including some modest, low volume Karaoke for those who are of a mind to sing.
Everyone is very welcome. For active runners and recently lapsed returnees with a reasonable excuse, the price will be the usual 60 Baht. For genuine returning runners and guests the price will be 200 Baht. Kids will be 30 Baht as usual.
Now this is a biggie:
IF YOU DIDN'T COME TO EITHER THE SONGKHLA OR HATYAI RUNS LAST WEEKEND (23/24TH OCTOBER) PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU INTEND TO COME TO THE SH3 BIRTHDAY RUN BY THURSDAY EVENING (28th OCTOBER)
as we have to commit on numbers to the restaurant on Friday morning.
Either e mail to miccurrie@hotmail.com or phone R2D2 (081 9908482) Only A Yolk (089 6542351) or Egghead (081 9691227). Ta!
Sunday's Hatyai run (October 31st: 4:00 p.m.) is being set by Off T and the run site is likely to be from about 13k down the old Hatyai road on the left hand side.
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