The History of My Chase

I just thought I'd share a little bit of my chase history.

I'd heard about the book when it first came out, and I thought it was very cool, and something I wanted to look into, but at that point in my life, tornadoes were ripping me apart from every angle, and my mind was spinning so hard I could barely put one foot in front of the other, much less concentrate on a story.

But life is funny that way. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will walk out of the storm and bask in the sunshine, if you're like me. I know some people who tend to run full blast out of one storm and right into another. And others, when they manage to emerge from the storm, they never really dry off, but instead choose to remain wet with self pity and a sense of entitlement.

It's all about adopting a "peaceful warrior" mentality. I have Viking ancestry, and I use that knowledge to fight on when things go South. Bad days are just regular days that take an extra effort. Like the Vikings--when they encountered a storm at sea, they just rowed a little harder.

Anyway, eventually I was able to start really looking at the poem and the book, but I was way behind everyone else, and I was a classic newbie on Dal's blog with my dam WWWH, my weird theories on Photoshop, my thinking that Oreo's meant badgers (they still could mean that, as I haven't checked that spot out thoroughly yet). Oh, I came up with some doozies, and I still do.

The Asperger's and ADD add fuel to that fire that constantly burns in my mind. My main problem now is sticking with one theory until I've followed it all the way through before being distracted with a new theory. I think I need a higher dose of Vyvanse, but I already take the highest allowed. Lol. At least I can focus long enough to have a lot of fun.

Then, for about a year, things got tough for a bit, then really busy, so I couldn't work on the poem too much.

When I returned, it was like I'd matured a lot and started to see everything new. That's when I came close enough to a solve to take my son on a trip to Colorado to search. You can read that awesome adventure on Dal's blog. Best time of my life. I can't wait to go again!

But I do want my golden, 100% spot. I do feel like I deserve it, as do many others that also rightly deserve it. I've spent countless hours making charts and diagrams, poring over maps and Google Earth.  I've searched and scoured the Internet for endless hours.

I'm in the middle of a solve now, the most promising yet, and today's SB on Dal's site confirms I *may* be heading in the right direction.

We will see, though. I just want to go exploring again, no matter what I find. :)