# crain (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover crain. Page: Feed: --- ## [Masters 4x800m Relay](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2026/masters-4x800m/) _2026-04-26 · Josh Crain's Notes_ The Drake Relays is a track and field meet held in Des Moines. Billed as America's Athletic Classic , it is one of the top track and field events in the United States. It's also one of the oldest. I participated in the Relays in high school and then in college. Since then, I have returned each year to watch and spend time with friends. Less than a week before the meet, I was contacted by two old… ## [The Winter I Became Gary Kelley’s Courier](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2026/the-winter-i-became-gary-kelleys-courier/) _2026-04-17 · Josh Crain's Notes_ In the winter of 2009, I received an email from someone at Graphis Magazine . She had tried unsuccessfully to reach Gary Kelley by email and wondered if I could help. My office was just a few blocks from Gary’s studio. As a young designer I was thrilled. The agency I worked at had done a small amount of work for him—nothing significant—but because of proximity (and maybe a bit of luck), I found… ## [2025 Year In Review](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2025/2025-in-review/) _2026-01-05 · Josh Crain's Notes_ I don’t love this end-of-the-year write-up. I hate looking back, it sucks my energy. I get more excited looking forward to something new. Even so, in years past I have found it useful to look back to other years in review, so for now, I continue. Running This summer, I started waking up early with the sunrise. I didn’t want to lie in bed for an hour or more, and I didn’t want to do anything that… ## [The Ghost On The Trail](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2025/the-ghost-on-the-trail/) _2025-10-21 · Josh Crain's Notes_ Owl Illustration This summer, I began to wake up with the sunrise. Rather than lie in bed, I decided to start the day with a run. The trail nearby is one I’ve used a lot in the past. So most mornings, this is where I would go. By August, when summer started to fade, the trail was noticeably darker, with tree cover and no streetlights. On August 14th, I began down the hill, past neighbors' houses,… ## [The Bobolink Link](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2025/the-bobolink-link/) _2025-06-11 · Josh Crain's Notes_ The truck bumbled over the horse path toward the road. It was a good afternoon of fishing. The rain from the morning held and touches of blue sky slowly appeared in the west. A white egret stalked the pond’s northern shallows while we sat in the small fishing boat. As we reeled fish to the surface we guessed the catch. Crappie flashed white, bass a warmer gold. From the tottering trunk I watched a… ## [2024 Year In Review](https://joshcrain.io/notes/2024/2024-in-review/) _2024-12-30 · Josh Crain's Notes_ It's that time of year again. It's time to look back at the previous year and write a bit about it. This site I've been thinking about how much I like my website this year. I've never been able to dedicate a lot of time to it in one sitting, but over time it has shaped up. In past years, I've spent a lot more time on the mechanics of things—how some thing should work. But this year I spent a…