If I could be so eloquent with my words, well, I'd be Glenn Beck. Check this column out.....brilliant, bloddy brilliant:
What do these stories all have in common?
A woman who says she lost more $1 million gambling in Atlantic City sues some casinos for $20 million, claiming they should've stopped her compulsive gambling.
People who bought houses they couldn't afford with loans they didn't understand want their lenders to change the terms.
Congress authorizes a war and then tries everything it can think of to get out of it.
Our country gets addicted to oil and then blames OPEC when it doesn't like the price.
These stories prove how personal responsibility has all but vanished in America, and our government is leading the way.
Remember the kid from that interminable 1980s commercial whose father caught him using drugs? The father incredulously asked, "Who taught you how to do this stuff?" and the kid responded, "You, alright? I learned it by watching you." Well, we are that kid and our government is that drug-using father who doesn't think that anyone notices his bad habits.
Our government is leading us by example, and I don't mean that in a good way. For years, it has spent us into oblivion, mortgaging our future for programs we can't afford, and Americans have happily followed suit, running up credit card bills and home equity loans for things they never should've bought. Unfortunately, we're also learning something else from our government: how to avoid taking responsibility for our actions. From Eliot Spitzer's alleged hooker craze to the revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger commutes to work in a large private jet even as he preaches the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions, there's never been a shortage of "do what I say, not what I do" hypocrites in politics.
But that same attitude has seemingly spread from individual politicians to an entire party.
Democrats aren't happy that delegates from Florida and Michigan won't be seated at the national convention because those states broke clear party rules. Well you know what? Too bad. We don't say that enough anymore. Too bad. You agreed to the rules; you broke them. Now you've got to deal with the consequences.
"But Glenn. ... Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will have enough delegates to win the nomination. We don't want this to be decided in some backroom by superdelegates."Too bad.
"But Glenn. ... You don't understand. If we don't seat delegates from those states now, then we might lose their votes in the general election." Too bad.
"But Glenn. .... The voters in these states are going to be disenfranchised if we don't let their voices be heard." Too bad.
If you want to talk about disenfranchised voters, then let's talk about why just 17 percent of Americans have a positive view of Congress. Let's talk about why we still have wide open borders despite most Americans wanting them sealed. Let's talk about why we keep selling out our sovereignty and our security by borrowing billions of dollars from-less-than friendly countries, such as China. Americans aren't disenfranchised because our leaders won't count votes in a couple of states. They're disenfranchised because our leaders aren't doing their jobs. They're disenfranchised because after working hard to support their families and to raise kids who understand the difference between right and wrong, their leaders do exactly the opposite.
In the cases of Florida and Michigan, I've patiently listened to all the moving arguments about why there should be a "do-over," but quite honestly, they're not arguments at all. They're excuses. If this race wasn't so close, or if these states offered a combined 36 delegates instead of 366, do you really think anyone would care? Of course not.
But no matter what you think should happen, you have to admit that Clinton's idea that we should simply count her "wins" in Florida and Michigan is completely ridiculous. In fact, if you played a rimshot and a laugh track behind her every time she recited that line, people might actually agree to a two-drink minimum to see her speak. How could you possibly count the results from an election when your main opponent wasn't even on the ballot (at least in Michigan)? You can't -- unless you think the rules are simply there for your own amusement.
Last year, when the punishment against Florida was first approved, Donna Brazile, a member of the Democratic National Committee rules panel, said she hoped that the harsh consequences would "send a message to everybody in Florida that we are going to follow the rules." And Brazile knows a little something about that ... she ran Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000. Voters in Florida and Michigan should ask themselves one important question before they blindly follow their party: Why did no one seem to care about "alienating" them last year when the rules were intentionally broken? It's only now, when their vote really matters, that everyone is suddenly so concerned about "enfranchising" them. Florida and Michigan have a golden opportunity to stand up and say enough is enough, to send a message that it's time to not only take responsibility for their actions but for those of our leaders as well.
After all, what would it say about personal responsibility in this country if we allow the two states that broke all the rules to end up having the biggest say of all?
f*ck yeah - well said. Have a good weekend everyone!
Friday
Thursday
Spring Break
is upon us here at work. The families are starting to roll in, and the hijinks on the canyon road to our resort are just beginning. Tanned collegians hanging out of Jeeps - one with a sign that said "Will work for drinks". Original.
My spring breaks at NAU were pretty tame because I always had a girlfriend, and I never had any money. Except for one year. Me and T-Bone took off for Tijuana in my oh so, well not really at all sweet Mazda 626. Drivin' across the desert at night, listenin' to Bobby Brown, Book of Love, Tone Loc, yeah....good stuff. We arrived in San Diego early the next morning, and we went to grab a cheap room since we were pretty tired from the drive. TOTAL no-tel Motel in town - so far from Mission Beach that the only chicks we were hanging with were homeless or toothless or both. Up early the next day and down to TJ. I remember crossing the border with $40 in my wallet which I was told would go a looong way. We parked at the border and took a cab into town.
The stench, the decrepit buildings behind the facades, the offers to 'meet pretty ladies', and the countless dudes who were trying to get us to go down into basements for a little 'action'. I ended up getting fleeced for an "eelskin" wallet - it was really rare according to Jorge. $12. SOLD. We were so scared to eat the food so we went to a Denny's and acually ordered hamburgers - you know that meat was fresh off the pavement in the form of a dog about an hour before we ate it. The bill was $19. I spent the rest on Tecate and forgot we needed a ride back to the border. We scraped together $4 or so and I arrived back in the states with a stomach ache, a buzz, and a sweet new wallet.
1 day later we were at Mission Beach, where we should have been instead of Tijuana. I don't remember scoring with any Cali beauties, but I do remember body surfing in some 4' surf that was a blast. Even back then I was more into the adrenaline stuff more than the chix.
10 days later, the Eel was wearing off the wallet and I was left with vinyl. I kept it out of spite and stubborness for 9 months. Spring Break 1987 - Woo Hoo Party!
is upon us here at work. The families are starting to roll in, and the hijinks on the canyon road to our resort are just beginning. Tanned collegians hanging out of Jeeps - one with a sign that said "Will work for drinks". Original.
My spring breaks at NAU were pretty tame because I always had a girlfriend, and I never had any money. Except for one year. Me and T-Bone took off for Tijuana in my oh so, well not really at all sweet Mazda 626. Drivin' across the desert at night, listenin' to Bobby Brown, Book of Love, Tone Loc, yeah....good stuff. We arrived in San Diego early the next morning, and we went to grab a cheap room since we were pretty tired from the drive. TOTAL no-tel Motel in town - so far from Mission Beach that the only chicks we were hanging with were homeless or toothless or both. Up early the next day and down to TJ. I remember crossing the border with $40 in my wallet which I was told would go a looong way. We parked at the border and took a cab into town.
The stench, the decrepit buildings behind the facades, the offers to 'meet pretty ladies', and the countless dudes who were trying to get us to go down into basements for a little 'action'. I ended up getting fleeced for an "eelskin" wallet - it was really rare according to Jorge. $12. SOLD. We were so scared to eat the food so we went to a Denny's and acually ordered hamburgers - you know that meat was fresh off the pavement in the form of a dog about an hour before we ate it. The bill was $19. I spent the rest on Tecate and forgot we needed a ride back to the border. We scraped together $4 or so and I arrived back in the states with a stomach ache, a buzz, and a sweet new wallet.
1 day later we were at Mission Beach, where we should have been instead of Tijuana. I don't remember scoring with any Cali beauties, but I do remember body surfing in some 4' surf that was a blast. Even back then I was more into the adrenaline stuff more than the chix.
10 days later, the Eel was wearing off the wallet and I was left with vinyl. I kept it out of spite and stubborness for 9 months. Spring Break 1987 - Woo Hoo Party!
Tuesday
Well for the first time in a year I have decided to get back into strengthening exercises. Not at the gym mind you - if I had to go there I wouldn't go. My garage is the best spot for this. I have nothing to say other than after 2 workouts, I'm sore - and it'll get worse tomorrow. Navy Seals say "pain is weakness leaving the body". I've accepted that mantra, drunk the Kool-Aid....whatever you want to call it. I can ride a bike pretty fast, but don't ask me to move your apartment because I'm WEAK!
Lyza's last B-ball game is tomorrow. I'm kind of bummed as she has really taken to the sport. Soccer starts in 3 weeks and her coach is typing this post. It's a good time, and its a lot of fun to see the kids - even the rotten little sh*ts - get better. I've decided that it was a good thing I had a kid, because I can't stand everyone else's kids....well, I take that back, there are a few that I like - but I could have easily been that surly, jerk-off neighbor who keeps the neighborhood kids football when it goes into my yard. Now - I'm pretty much immune to the crazy stuff kids do.
Lyza's last B-ball game is tomorrow. I'm kind of bummed as she has really taken to the sport. Soccer starts in 3 weeks and her coach is typing this post. It's a good time, and its a lot of fun to see the kids - even the rotten little sh*ts - get better. I've decided that it was a good thing I had a kid, because I can't stand everyone else's kids....well, I take that back, there are a few that I like - but I could have easily been that surly, jerk-off neighbor who keeps the neighborhood kids football when it goes into my yard. Now - I'm pretty much immune to the crazy stuff kids do.
Monday
Waived Off and a sad Conspiracy Theory....
So I'm at one of the 5,000 humongous grocery stores in Phoenix last Saturday night picking up the cherry for my Saturday night sundae. That would be a 24oz can of MGD to go with a football size veggie burrito and the movie Michel Clayton from good ol' Blockbuster. So I walk up to one of those self-pay stations, and it immediately says "SHOW ID TO CASHIER" after I scan that fine can of brew. I bust out the wallet, head towards the dude who is barely 21 himself and I get all of 20 feet from him and he waives me off and says "you're cool - I know you're of age". I look at Dana - she shrugs her shoulders and says "it's the gray hair on the side of your head". F*ck....I got waived off from 20 feet away. What - now do I go get a Volvo with a custom plate that says 'SETTLED'?
The movie was great, the burrito was good, and the beer did its job.
So last week I hear that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. It's probably the most aggressive form of cancer on the planet - or at least it has the potential to be. THEN, I learn that Jeff Healy died of cancer last week. Both of these guys were in one of my favorite movies, Road House. I'm tellin' you right now, if Swayze dies from this, I'll have a short vigil. Who was a bigger icon that Swayze in the late 80's and early 90's? Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break - HUGE grossing films, and one huge movie star. My pal Sheck and I have been threatening for years to print T-shirts that say: Crazy for Swayze I think it may be time to do this. Getting back to the conspiracy theory - everyone that died in the movie Road House is alive today. Everyone that lived in the movie is dead except for Swayze. OK - so that might be a generalization, but it seems that way. Ben Gazzara, alive and well.....the dude who had his heart ripped out, probably selling TCBY yogurt in a strip mall in Troy, MI. I hope Swayze survives this cancer. Afterall, I named our dog after his character in Point Break - Bodhi.
4.5 hours of riding Friday -Sunday. I broke out the singlespeed for the first time since November, and by Sunday I was feeling strong and used to it again - but tired. Riding the desert courses in Phoenix makes me feel like superman because the low elevation is a huge advantage. There's something therapeutic about that singlespeed bike. No excuses, no free lunch, and you better just think like a caveman and pedal hard when the trail goes up, and rest up a bit when the trail goes down, and stay on the gas on the flats otherwise some guy on gears will catch you.
So I'm at one of the 5,000 humongous grocery stores in Phoenix last Saturday night picking up the cherry for my Saturday night sundae. That would be a 24oz can of MGD to go with a football size veggie burrito and the movie Michel Clayton from good ol' Blockbuster. So I walk up to one of those self-pay stations, and it immediately says "SHOW ID TO CASHIER" after I scan that fine can of brew. I bust out the wallet, head towards the dude who is barely 21 himself and I get all of 20 feet from him and he waives me off and says "you're cool - I know you're of age". I look at Dana - she shrugs her shoulders and says "it's the gray hair on the side of your head". F*ck....I got waived off from 20 feet away. What - now do I go get a Volvo with a custom plate that says 'SETTLED'?
The movie was great, the burrito was good, and the beer did its job.
So last week I hear that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. It's probably the most aggressive form of cancer on the planet - or at least it has the potential to be. THEN, I learn that Jeff Healy died of cancer last week. Both of these guys were in one of my favorite movies, Road House. I'm tellin' you right now, if Swayze dies from this, I'll have a short vigil. Who was a bigger icon that Swayze in the late 80's and early 90's? Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break - HUGE grossing films, and one huge movie star. My pal Sheck and I have been threatening for years to print T-shirts that say: Crazy for Swayze I think it may be time to do this. Getting back to the conspiracy theory - everyone that died in the movie Road House is alive today. Everyone that lived in the movie is dead except for Swayze. OK - so that might be a generalization, but it seems that way. Ben Gazzara, alive and well.....the dude who had his heart ripped out, probably selling TCBY yogurt in a strip mall in Troy, MI. I hope Swayze survives this cancer. Afterall, I named our dog after his character in Point Break - Bodhi.
4.5 hours of riding Friday -Sunday. I broke out the singlespeed for the first time since November, and by Sunday I was feeling strong and used to it again - but tired. Riding the desert courses in Phoenix makes me feel like superman because the low elevation is a huge advantage. There's something therapeutic about that singlespeed bike. No excuses, no free lunch, and you better just think like a caveman and pedal hard when the trail goes up, and rest up a bit when the trail goes down, and stay on the gas on the flats otherwise some guy on gears will catch you.
Thursday
It's been 2 1/2 weeks since Old Pueblo, and I just packed Josh's bike up tonight. I still have a tent to clean, and some cookware to soak in 200 degree water for a month before I attempt to scrub it. I don't watch TV, I have a small house to keep up, and a job that usually requires 40 hours a week and I can't seem to find time to get this stuff done. I'm lucky to get 7 hours of sleep a night - so where does all the time go?
For one, I lose 1:15 minutes commuting every day. I would love to find a job in town, get rid of one car, and commute on THIS.
I'm committed to my current gig through 2010, but I'm keeping my eyes open in the meantime. Oh look, another 11 minutes writing in this blog - that's where all the time goes.
For one, I lose 1:15 minutes commuting every day. I would love to find a job in town, get rid of one car, and commute on THIS.
I'm committed to my current gig through 2010, but I'm keeping my eyes open in the meantime. Oh look, another 11 minutes writing in this blog - that's where all the time goes.
Wednesday
With a streak of several consecutive predictions,
I’m beginning to think I should be placing bets on primaries/caucuses instead of football. Hillary stepped up and kicked Obama to the curb in Ohio, and she will surely carry that mo’ into Pennsylvania which is basically Ohio with hills – a blue collar state that will care a lot about her pitch regarding economic relief.
Then, what we’ll have is a virtually tied delegate count going into the Dem convention meaning these two heated rivals will be kicking the crap out of each other for four more months while McCain sits back and uses their insults against each other to his advantage. How did this happen? I thought for sure we would have a Democratic Party nominee in the White House come late January 2009. It happened because we have two fiercely competitive and strategic campaigns going head to head with no real shortage of campaign finances. No one is backing down, and neither of these two wants to be Vice President. Governor Bill Richardson – a former candidate – stressed the importance of these two candidates working something out, and not taking this contest all the way to the Dem convention. He is absolutely right about that, even if he’s shamelessly aiming for a VP nod from either candidate.
So here sits McCain with a clinched nomination, and four months to prepare his campaign for the stretch run. How can he lose, especially now that he will have full support from the most evil Republican strategists/marketers out there (minus that fat f*ck Rush Limbaugh – that’s one thing I LOVE about McCain is that the far right fat bastards despise him). I still believe McCain is the only candidate from either party that will make progress on major political issues like Iraq and securing the border, but it still makes me hurl to think of actually voting for a Republican in a general election. I guess I have some soul searching to do, as I agree with McCain on three major issues, and I disagree with him on almost everything else. In the meantime, sit back and watch the Democratic Party eat itself alive with this heated contest. This is truly a great time to be a political activist/observer.
On a more fun note, my entry forms are in for THIS and THIS . I’m counting on a strong month of training in March so I can get revenge particularly at the Whiskey 50 race in Prescott. last year, I bonked with 15 miles to go causing a mental and physical breakdown that I had never experienced before. Harsh hamstring cramps, losing 35 places in a matter of 45 minutes up a 10% dirt grade, and not even being able to ride back to where we were staying after the race - a simple 2 mile ride on pavement. In short – total exhaustion after 5.25 hours and 50 miles. I'm comin' back for more abuse this time, and I hope to finish in a sub 5 hour time.
I’m beginning to think I should be placing bets on primaries/caucuses instead of football. Hillary stepped up and kicked Obama to the curb in Ohio, and she will surely carry that mo’ into Pennsylvania which is basically Ohio with hills – a blue collar state that will care a lot about her pitch regarding economic relief.
Then, what we’ll have is a virtually tied delegate count going into the Dem convention meaning these two heated rivals will be kicking the crap out of each other for four more months while McCain sits back and uses their insults against each other to his advantage. How did this happen? I thought for sure we would have a Democratic Party nominee in the White House come late January 2009. It happened because we have two fiercely competitive and strategic campaigns going head to head with no real shortage of campaign finances. No one is backing down, and neither of these two wants to be Vice President. Governor Bill Richardson – a former candidate – stressed the importance of these two candidates working something out, and not taking this contest all the way to the Dem convention. He is absolutely right about that, even if he’s shamelessly aiming for a VP nod from either candidate.
So here sits McCain with a clinched nomination, and four months to prepare his campaign for the stretch run. How can he lose, especially now that he will have full support from the most evil Republican strategists/marketers out there (minus that fat f*ck Rush Limbaugh – that’s one thing I LOVE about McCain is that the far right fat bastards despise him). I still believe McCain is the only candidate from either party that will make progress on major political issues like Iraq and securing the border, but it still makes me hurl to think of actually voting for a Republican in a general election. I guess I have some soul searching to do, as I agree with McCain on three major issues, and I disagree with him on almost everything else. In the meantime, sit back and watch the Democratic Party eat itself alive with this heated contest. This is truly a great time to be a political activist/observer.
On a more fun note, my entry forms are in for THIS and THIS . I’m counting on a strong month of training in March so I can get revenge particularly at the Whiskey 50 race in Prescott. last year, I bonked with 15 miles to go causing a mental and physical breakdown that I had never experienced before. Harsh hamstring cramps, losing 35 places in a matter of 45 minutes up a 10% dirt grade, and not even being able to ride back to where we were staying after the race - a simple 2 mile ride on pavement. In short – total exhaustion after 5.25 hours and 50 miles. I'm comin' back for more abuse this time, and I hope to finish in a sub 5 hour time.
Monday
Kenny’s birthday party was nothing short of a You Tube video waiting to explode across the internet, combined with a Jill Scott song about a family reunion. That family is tight, and you have to be impressed with the support they give each other. If you’re lucky enough to be in the Buckland inner circle, that’s about as close as you get to mafia in this state. Then you factor in the 10+ cops that were there. They all had an uptight feel to them, as their boss – the guy turning 40 that is, Kenny, couldn’t party too hard with them around. I got the feeling that if everyone had been a little looser, like if this had been a 4th of July party or something then all the cops would have let their flat tops down and started playing drinking games and tazering each other.
½ way through, Kenny’s little brother Brent and a friend started wrestling on the lawn. Brent is a black belt in Judo, and although he’s pretty beat up and broken down now from construction – he put this dude into an arm bar and got the tap out. Nothing like a little backyard wrestling at a birthday party for a 40-year old. I stayed the hell away, as Kenny, Brent, and Kenny’s sister Dawn are all blackbelts – I’ve been judo thrown before and I ain’t goin’ there again.
As we sat by the fire and BS’d for a while about this and that, I realized that this night wasn’t gonna’ end early. I started pacing myself with the beer around 10:00pm, and after I realized I was drinking keg Budweiser, I REALLY started pacing myself as I finally knew why the beer tasted funny. Kenny was drinking 19oz glasses of wine like they were Kool-Aid, and then he decided to pop some Cialis as kind of a joke. He’d received some sample packets as gag-gifts from his sister. Well no joke, within ½ hour he was racing upstairs to find his wife and since that stuff is good for 36 hours…….
I woke up to the sound of Kenny puking in his bathroom. Kenny’s a power puker too – he screams when he hurls. Good God….nothing like spending time with family. It was great seeing Mark/Carrie, A-man and Meador.
OUT of there on Sunday morning to spend the day with Dana. My allergies flared up and it was pretty much miserable – even though the sun was out and it was 75+. I did manage to ride for a couple of hours this weekend. Up at 4:45am and back to work by 8:00am this morning in Sedona. I'm a corporate whore.
½ way through, Kenny’s little brother Brent and a friend started wrestling on the lawn. Brent is a black belt in Judo, and although he’s pretty beat up and broken down now from construction – he put this dude into an arm bar and got the tap out. Nothing like a little backyard wrestling at a birthday party for a 40-year old. I stayed the hell away, as Kenny, Brent, and Kenny’s sister Dawn are all blackbelts – I’ve been judo thrown before and I ain’t goin’ there again.
As we sat by the fire and BS’d for a while about this and that, I realized that this night wasn’t gonna’ end early. I started pacing myself with the beer around 10:00pm, and after I realized I was drinking keg Budweiser, I REALLY started pacing myself as I finally knew why the beer tasted funny. Kenny was drinking 19oz glasses of wine like they were Kool-Aid, and then he decided to pop some Cialis as kind of a joke. He’d received some sample packets as gag-gifts from his sister. Well no joke, within ½ hour he was racing upstairs to find his wife and since that stuff is good for 36 hours…….
I woke up to the sound of Kenny puking in his bathroom. Kenny’s a power puker too – he screams when he hurls. Good God….nothing like spending time with family. It was great seeing Mark/Carrie, A-man and Meador.
OUT of there on Sunday morning to spend the day with Dana. My allergies flared up and it was pretty much miserable – even though the sun was out and it was 75+. I did manage to ride for a couple of hours this weekend. Up at 4:45am and back to work by 8:00am this morning in Sedona. I'm a corporate whore.
Friday
Another hour of BIKRAM BIKING on the rollers last night. No mirages or strange thoughts though. I think I'm getting used to the heat. It was a good session - I think I am getting used to this which is frightening.
House is clean
Dog is fed
D arrives tonight for the weekend - it's been 3 weeks since she's been home. Of course, I have to go to PHX for a 40th B-day party for my ol' college roommate in PHX on Saturday night....I wouldn't miss this chance to roast his ass though. Happy 40th Buckland. I know you don't read this because you can't find "the internets".
Got a 50 miler planned in Phoenix in Sunday. It'll be in the low 80's. Yeah baby...
House is clean
Dog is fed
D arrives tonight for the weekend - it's been 3 weeks since she's been home. Of course, I have to go to PHX for a 40th B-day party for my ol' college roommate in PHX on Saturday night....I wouldn't miss this chance to roast his ass though. Happy 40th Buckland. I know you don't read this because you can't find "the internets".
Got a 50 miler planned in Phoenix in Sunday. It'll be in the low 80's. Yeah baby...
Wednesday
About an hour into my ride on the rollers last night, I think I started to overheat. For a moment, I was competing in the lead group of the 40+ division at the Tour de Gila. Imagining duking it out with the fastest masters guys in the state, and taking the crit at the line. When I faded back into my world of kids, a full-time job, marginal talent, and the fact that I inadvertantly closed the door to the office where my rollers were set up - I realized I was in a 90 degree room, with a floor full o' sweat, and an earphone that was so doused with moisture that I missed C.C. Deville's guitar solo on some random song from Poison. It was probably one of the best roller sessions I have had in years with an average cadence of 92, and a lower than expected heart rate.
My core workout after consisted of eating two pop-tarts (shut the f*ck up - at least they were organic), and slugging a 16oz glass of OJ. There's some core work for ya....then off to sleep so I could wake up starving and engulf a mixing bowl of cereal and bananas. That's how I eat - always setting up for the next meal.
My core workout after consisted of eating two pop-tarts (shut the f*ck up - at least they were organic), and slugging a 16oz glass of OJ. There's some core work for ya....then off to sleep so I could wake up starving and engulf a mixing bowl of cereal and bananas. That's how I eat - always setting up for the next meal.
Tuesday
Remember when…
You were nine or so years old and you thought you locked your sister in the attic, turning you head confidently the other way, strutting to your success in making her cry only to feel the THUD of a hard object on the back of your head after she scratched her way out and snuck up on you for revenge?
Don’t think Hill is out of this DEM race yet….
She’s tough, she has connections, she’s funded, and if you back her or her husband into a corner they will come out brawling. You would think that Conservatives would be launching their legions of war-supporting, bible belting, gas consuming supporters (I’m sorry – did I stereotype a bit there?) to effectively campaign FOR Clinton in Ohio – trying to get DEM voters to the polls in her favor. Not because they hate McCain, although many of the do – but because Obama will kick McCain’s ass in a general election. Unless Obama gets shot in the process. Seriously, if you think racism isn’t still a deep rooted character trait in some sections of this country then you’re giving the Good Ol’ US of A way too much credit. If I were Obama I’d stay away from grassy knolls and 5-story school buildings to my right side. There’s a reason he has more security than Dubya. I think I would go ballistic (pardon the pun) if he were clipped – he’s a great man.
OK, back to Hill. She’s pulling out all the stops in Ohio and capitalizing on Obama’s tired rhetoric slowly but surely. I don’t know if she can pull it off, but she’ll go down swinging like my sister after being “locked” in the attic.
Have you seen this?:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wnVJZkDuVBM
and then the payback:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TilAqoYBVjA
You were nine or so years old and you thought you locked your sister in the attic, turning you head confidently the other way, strutting to your success in making her cry only to feel the THUD of a hard object on the back of your head after she scratched her way out and snuck up on you for revenge?
Don’t think Hill is out of this DEM race yet….
She’s tough, she has connections, she’s funded, and if you back her or her husband into a corner they will come out brawling. You would think that Conservatives would be launching their legions of war-supporting, bible belting, gas consuming supporters (I’m sorry – did I stereotype a bit there?) to effectively campaign FOR Clinton in Ohio – trying to get DEM voters to the polls in her favor. Not because they hate McCain, although many of the do – but because Obama will kick McCain’s ass in a general election. Unless Obama gets shot in the process. Seriously, if you think racism isn’t still a deep rooted character trait in some sections of this country then you’re giving the Good Ol’ US of A way too much credit. If I were Obama I’d stay away from grassy knolls and 5-story school buildings to my right side. There’s a reason he has more security than Dubya. I think I would go ballistic (pardon the pun) if he were clipped – he’s a great man.
OK, back to Hill. She’s pulling out all the stops in Ohio and capitalizing on Obama’s tired rhetoric slowly but surely. I don’t know if she can pull it off, but she’ll go down swinging like my sister after being “locked” in the attic.
Have you seen this?:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wnVJZkDuVBM
and then the payback:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TilAqoYBVjA
Monday
Silent Sunday
On the north side of South Mountain (I know that sounds f*cked up) we toured past an interesting area of Phoenix where new money has quashed any semblance of what used to be a borderline slum. Many poor homeowners have sold their houses/land – prime real estate that is elevated above the valley floor so you have great views of Phoenix (that’s an oxymoron in itself) – to make room for spec home builders/developers who “scrape” the old homes and have built up $400K - $750K plus track homes. There are a lot of holdouts though, and every 10th house or so you come across is a decrepit sh*thole of a home with the proverbial washer/dryer in the yard – surrounded by these huge stucco monoliths. It’s everything that’s good and bad about Phoenix in one condensed area. Most of the old homes were built in the 20’s and 30’s – and are incredible to see compared to the 3000+ square foot new homes. Families of 6 – 8 back then got by on 1,200 square feet. Today – couples alone seem to need 3,000 square feet or more.
We soft pedaled a 50 miler on Sunday around the front side of South Mountain – up the 7 mile slope to the TV towers – and flyin’ back down – on a 75 degree day. I only worked on the climb, and hit 170bpm for just a minute or so. It was a great LSD training ride with D.
Back in Flag now. It’ll be 58 by Wednesday. Time to bust out the skateboards.
On the north side of South Mountain (I know that sounds f*cked up) we toured past an interesting area of Phoenix where new money has quashed any semblance of what used to be a borderline slum. Many poor homeowners have sold their houses/land – prime real estate that is elevated above the valley floor so you have great views of Phoenix (that’s an oxymoron in itself) – to make room for spec home builders/developers who “scrape” the old homes and have built up $400K - $750K plus track homes. There are a lot of holdouts though, and every 10th house or so you come across is a decrepit sh*thole of a home with the proverbial washer/dryer in the yard – surrounded by these huge stucco monoliths. It’s everything that’s good and bad about Phoenix in one condensed area. Most of the old homes were built in the 20’s and 30’s – and are incredible to see compared to the 3000+ square foot new homes. Families of 6 – 8 back then got by on 1,200 square feet. Today – couples alone seem to need 3,000 square feet or more.
We soft pedaled a 50 miler on Sunday around the front side of South Mountain – up the 7 mile slope to the TV towers – and flyin’ back down – on a 75 degree day. I only worked on the climb, and hit 170bpm for just a minute or so. It was a great LSD training ride with D.
Back in Flag now. It’ll be 58 by Wednesday. Time to bust out the skateboards.
Friday
IF Pam Anderson were from Kenosha, WI.
(note - I totally plagiarized this from http://www.czabe.com/, but c'mon - is this not true?!)
Thursday
That's what I call Prison.....So I stop over at Ellsie's tonight, and his wife asks me "how do your legs feel now after the race". I spout off something like "great, they feel great, no soreness at all". So - head home, put blondie to bed and put myself in isolation on the rollers - prison as I call it. If it weren't for Beck, Buckcherry, Cheeseburger, Cake, and of course a little TLC, I would have not even made it for the entire 46 minutes that I did survive. My legs had nothing, I was pedaling squares, and worse off - around the 35 minute point when I usually hit my stride, I started crowning what was to be a colossal dumping of the kids at the pool. That kinda killed it for me. Ahhh well, at least I got on the rollers for a pretty good 46 minute workout.
Off to the hot tub....
Tuesday
Suffering builds character?....I think somebody said that before
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo…
I packed 3 days before the event based on a weather.com forecast of high 50’s to low 70’s with mostly sunny skies throughout the weekend. As they say in Wisconsin: “If you don’t like the weather – wait 10 minutes”. Well out here, change happens slower but when it does, it doesn’t relent.
It rained after midnight on Thursday so we arrived at the road to the race course Friday morning knowing it would be muddy – but not quite this muddy. Cars were all over the place, and the washes were pretty soupy. The camping area was already clogged up with RV’s stuck in the dips in the primitive roads, and most of the campsites occupied. We managed to find a pretty good spot and had about an hour to set up a tent, and get situated. Then it started raining – and didn’t stop for 6 hours….turning to snow overnight. Eck rolled into camp around 6pm to find two dudes (me and Josh) in our tent drinking Fat Tire with sleeping bags covering our legs in camp chairs shivering to stay warm. Eck brought a tarp, a couple of 2x4’s with rope and we strung a shelter off the end of his pickup tailgate. His Toyota is usually gold, but it was dark brown now – the whole thing. He also brought an above-ground firepit with enough wood to get us through until 10pm. Oh – and two cases of Sierra Nevada which kept us sane and warm until Jeff arrived late.
We woke up Saturday morning to snow patches on the ground and a heavy fog. Talk about no motivation to ride….but, you could feel the weather changing and by the 12:00pm start we were all pretty jazzed to rip it up. Jeff started off – being a rookie and a good runner – he was nominated for the LeMans start. The dude left our team baton in a port-a-john so he was running like a house afire after the gun went off to be the first one back to the port-a-john to get his baton. He found it, and was probably the 25th rider to get on the course because of his sprint! There were no less than 450 riders at the start line so he put us in a good place. He rode a steady lap, and we were mid-pack by the time he came in.
Being a brainless dumbass I tried to get us back into the top 20% immediately – forgetting due to overloaded amounts of adrenaline and testosterone (and some HGH that I got from Sylvester Stallone) that this was a 24 HOUR event. I gunned it over the bitches (a series of 7 consecutive “bumps” in the racecourse), rode my big-ring for the next 40 minutes and then my legs exploded on the final climb before the drop into the start house. Great strategy considering I haven’t ridden at a heart rate over 160 in four months while attempting to build a base of fitness for the year. As Gwen Stefani might spell out in one of her stupid songs S-T-U-P-I-D….B-A-N-A-N-A-S….I had a good lap time, but I was dehydrated, my thighs were cramped and it took a long time to recover. Josh and Eck followed with fast laps and we were in 36th place after we had all finished one lap.
Night laps creep up quickly, and we were into them at 5:30pm. My first one was horrible as it turned into a recovery lap for the first hell bent lap – but I didn’t realize that until mile 7. Of course, I started out way too fast again and floored it over the bitches, kept the gas on until mile 7 and then EXPLODED again….Women, children, cats, hamsters, invalids, you name it…..they were passing me on the final climb. I rolled into the starthouse gassed, and starving with a slow time. I went up to the camp, got a $20 bill and spent the whole thing on hot food at the EXPO area. Two steak sandwiches with everything on them and a hot bowl of soup with bread. It was probably 2500 calories in 15 minutes and it felt great. Back to the campsite for two handfuls of cookies and 24 ounces of water and a 15 minute nap…..massage the legs a bit, and I was ready to ride again. My third lap concluded at 3am and this time I spun out a smaller gear, stayed steady and never got out of the saddle EVER. It was a much faster lap time, and I felt great again. Josh, Eck, and Jeff all rode solid lap times throughout the night without any major mechanical or lighting issues. This kept us around the top 40 all night.
Daybreak – sun, no clouds, and by 7am I felt the warmest I had felt in what seemed like forever. My last lap started at 8:15am and I again, rode sensibly, but took some chances when I had the opportunity. I didn’t leave everything I had on the course, but that was OK because we were inevitably finishing with 16 laps regardless of how fast I rode. I ripped a good time, and crossed that line feeling great – knowing I had a few hours to eat, sit in the warm sun, and cheer on my teammates as they completed the final laps. Josh and Eck tore it up and we managed a 33rd place finish out of 134 teams. Damn fine results for 4 d-bags who normally don’t ride well until mid-summer. Eck had a great line: “I was only getting passed by guys with tan, clean-shaven legs so you can’t feel bad about that”. Indeed – the dudes from the desert occupied the top spots as they have been riding all winter long.
4 guys, 16 laps, everyone pulled their weight, and nobody bitched about the weather. That’s a recipe for a good team. Ordinarily I’d probably tell a better story about fighting it out tooth and nail with a guy for a placing….but I was really only racing for my own goals and to not let my teammates down. Good times – can’t wait to suffer again!
pics to follow, once I find my camera.
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo…
I packed 3 days before the event based on a weather.com forecast of high 50’s to low 70’s with mostly sunny skies throughout the weekend. As they say in Wisconsin: “If you don’t like the weather – wait 10 minutes”. Well out here, change happens slower but when it does, it doesn’t relent.
It rained after midnight on Thursday so we arrived at the road to the race course Friday morning knowing it would be muddy – but not quite this muddy. Cars were all over the place, and the washes were pretty soupy. The camping area was already clogged up with RV’s stuck in the dips in the primitive roads, and most of the campsites occupied. We managed to find a pretty good spot and had about an hour to set up a tent, and get situated. Then it started raining – and didn’t stop for 6 hours….turning to snow overnight. Eck rolled into camp around 6pm to find two dudes (me and Josh) in our tent drinking Fat Tire with sleeping bags covering our legs in camp chairs shivering to stay warm. Eck brought a tarp, a couple of 2x4’s with rope and we strung a shelter off the end of his pickup tailgate. His Toyota is usually gold, but it was dark brown now – the whole thing. He also brought an above-ground firepit with enough wood to get us through until 10pm. Oh – and two cases of Sierra Nevada which kept us sane and warm until Jeff arrived late.
We woke up Saturday morning to snow patches on the ground and a heavy fog. Talk about no motivation to ride….but, you could feel the weather changing and by the 12:00pm start we were all pretty jazzed to rip it up. Jeff started off – being a rookie and a good runner – he was nominated for the LeMans start. The dude left our team baton in a port-a-john so he was running like a house afire after the gun went off to be the first one back to the port-a-john to get his baton. He found it, and was probably the 25th rider to get on the course because of his sprint! There were no less than 450 riders at the start line so he put us in a good place. He rode a steady lap, and we were mid-pack by the time he came in.
Being a brainless dumbass I tried to get us back into the top 20% immediately – forgetting due to overloaded amounts of adrenaline and testosterone (and some HGH that I got from Sylvester Stallone) that this was a 24 HOUR event. I gunned it over the bitches (a series of 7 consecutive “bumps” in the racecourse), rode my big-ring for the next 40 minutes and then my legs exploded on the final climb before the drop into the start house. Great strategy considering I haven’t ridden at a heart rate over 160 in four months while attempting to build a base of fitness for the year. As Gwen Stefani might spell out in one of her stupid songs S-T-U-P-I-D….B-A-N-A-N-A-S….I had a good lap time, but I was dehydrated, my thighs were cramped and it took a long time to recover. Josh and Eck followed with fast laps and we were in 36th place after we had all finished one lap.
Night laps creep up quickly, and we were into them at 5:30pm. My first one was horrible as it turned into a recovery lap for the first hell bent lap – but I didn’t realize that until mile 7. Of course, I started out way too fast again and floored it over the bitches, kept the gas on until mile 7 and then EXPLODED again….Women, children, cats, hamsters, invalids, you name it…..they were passing me on the final climb. I rolled into the starthouse gassed, and starving with a slow time. I went up to the camp, got a $20 bill and spent the whole thing on hot food at the EXPO area. Two steak sandwiches with everything on them and a hot bowl of soup with bread. It was probably 2500 calories in 15 minutes and it felt great. Back to the campsite for two handfuls of cookies and 24 ounces of water and a 15 minute nap…..massage the legs a bit, and I was ready to ride again. My third lap concluded at 3am and this time I spun out a smaller gear, stayed steady and never got out of the saddle EVER. It was a much faster lap time, and I felt great again. Josh, Eck, and Jeff all rode solid lap times throughout the night without any major mechanical or lighting issues. This kept us around the top 40 all night.
Daybreak – sun, no clouds, and by 7am I felt the warmest I had felt in what seemed like forever. My last lap started at 8:15am and I again, rode sensibly, but took some chances when I had the opportunity. I didn’t leave everything I had on the course, but that was OK because we were inevitably finishing with 16 laps regardless of how fast I rode. I ripped a good time, and crossed that line feeling great – knowing I had a few hours to eat, sit in the warm sun, and cheer on my teammates as they completed the final laps. Josh and Eck tore it up and we managed a 33rd place finish out of 134 teams. Damn fine results for 4 d-bags who normally don’t ride well until mid-summer. Eck had a great line: “I was only getting passed by guys with tan, clean-shaven legs so you can’t feel bad about that”. Indeed – the dudes from the desert occupied the top spots as they have been riding all winter long.
4 guys, 16 laps, everyone pulled their weight, and nobody bitched about the weather. That’s a recipe for a good team. Ordinarily I’d probably tell a better story about fighting it out tooth and nail with a guy for a placing….but I was really only racing for my own goals and to not let my teammates down. Good times – can’t wait to suffer again!
pics to follow, once I find my camera.
Thursday
Wednesday
Here we go...
clothes - packed
Camping gear - packed
Human Growth Hormone - injected
Roger Clemens' manuscript "I lied and I got caught" - packed
Directions to venue - check
Beer - on ice
Tires - brand new tubeless setup that hopefully keeps me velcroed to the Sonoran desert floor
Snake bite kit - whoops...
Lookout Tucson, the Small Town D Bags are rollin through like a weak Canadian cold front that changes the ambient temperature by maybe 1 degree. At least we'll have a whole lotta fun.
clothes - packed
Camping gear - packed
Human Growth Hormone - injected
Roger Clemens' manuscript "I lied and I got caught" - packed
Directions to venue - check
Beer - on ice
Tires - brand new tubeless setup that hopefully keeps me velcroed to the Sonoran desert floor
Snake bite kit - whoops...
Lookout Tucson, the Small Town D Bags are rollin through like a weak Canadian cold front that changes the ambient temperature by maybe 1 degree. At least we'll have a whole lotta fun.
Tuesday
Did you see how much money GM lost last year?
They lost 38.7 billion dollars in 2007. As a result, GM offered buyouts to 74,000 hourly workers - their ENTIRE hourly workforce. I have a better idea, how about buying out shitcanning the upper end of the workforce?! All I know is that if my property lost money at the end of any given year, I would be tastefully shown the door with no apologies, no benefits, and no golden parachute.
The goal is to bring in a new workforce at lower wages, and to continue to produce the same vehicles. Gas guzzling, boxy, poor quality control, and of course dependent on gasoline. I wonder if they would ever consider, with all of their capital, starting a national movement of gasoline-free vehicles?
Johnny McCain was right when he said to the UAW that they would likely be losing jobs in the future - while Mitt Romney promised a resugence of jobs in the motor city.
I got a problem with Johnny though.....as I hope he doesn't sell out to conservatives. He's starting to walk the fence to please everyone and I wonder how much of that is political speak, and how much of it is really who he is.
My friend Ellen wrote to me today - here's an excerpt of her craziness after I told her how great it would be to be this generation's Frank Stallone:
"Seriously, you're right-- to be a Stallone would be a decent way to make a living, even if it meant that your Mom was this psycho... http://www.sonic.net/~atomicow/jackie_stallone.jpg
What up, Stalloney Boy! Crazye for Stallone. God, why have Stallone and Swayze never been in a movie together? That seems so wrong. Or have they been? Like "Throw Momma from the Train" or some crap like that!? Were they in "Too Wong Foo?" together? Anyway, it's too late now if they haven't been in a film together. They've both faded like wilted roses from a high school prom. "Rambo" is playing at the local movie house in Rottenwood. Jeezus, would Stallone PLEASE get some new material?? He's been milking Rocky and Rambo for the better part of the past 30 years. It would be like me carrying around Floyd's taxidermied body 20 years from now, taking photos of it in front of random locations long after he's dead. Ever see "Copland"? He was actually quite good in that. He's not a bad actor, truly, when he branches out. Though I do not see him ever making a "John Travolta-style" comeback. Don't call it a comeback."
They lost 38.7 billion dollars in 2007. As a result, GM offered buyouts to 74,000 hourly workers - their ENTIRE hourly workforce. I have a better idea, how about buying out shitcanning the upper end of the workforce?! All I know is that if my property lost money at the end of any given year, I would be tastefully shown the door with no apologies, no benefits, and no golden parachute.
The goal is to bring in a new workforce at lower wages, and to continue to produce the same vehicles. Gas guzzling, boxy, poor quality control, and of course dependent on gasoline. I wonder if they would ever consider, with all of their capital, starting a national movement of gasoline-free vehicles?
Johnny McCain was right when he said to the UAW that they would likely be losing jobs in the future - while Mitt Romney promised a resugence of jobs in the motor city.
I got a problem with Johnny though.....as I hope he doesn't sell out to conservatives. He's starting to walk the fence to please everyone and I wonder how much of that is political speak, and how much of it is really who he is.
My friend Ellen wrote to me today - here's an excerpt of her craziness after I told her how great it would be to be this generation's Frank Stallone:
"Seriously, you're right-- to be a Stallone would be a decent way to make a living, even if it meant that your Mom was this psycho... http://www.sonic.net/~atomicow/jackie_stallone.jpg
What up, Stalloney Boy! Crazye for Stallone. God, why have Stallone and Swayze never been in a movie together? That seems so wrong. Or have they been? Like "Throw Momma from the Train" or some crap like that!? Were they in "Too Wong Foo?" together? Anyway, it's too late now if they haven't been in a film together. They've both faded like wilted roses from a high school prom. "Rambo" is playing at the local movie house in Rottenwood. Jeezus, would Stallone PLEASE get some new material?? He's been milking Rocky and Rambo for the better part of the past 30 years. It would be like me carrying around Floyd's taxidermied body 20 years from now, taking photos of it in front of random locations long after he's dead. Ever see "Copland"? He was actually quite good in that. He's not a bad actor, truly, when he branches out. Though I do not see him ever making a "John Travolta-style" comeback. Don't call it a comeback."
Sunday
Good fun, good times, good Lord there's a lot of ice on my roof..
Time goes too fast, most of the time. My Mom and her hub came up for the weekend and stayed at Junipine. That seemed to be the best way to get them up to Northern Arizona in the winter. It's crazy that they have never stayed there - I have been there for the better part of the last 10 years. It was great to see them both.
Saturday morning, Lyza and I packed it up and headed south to meet them. The three o' dem went on a hike, and I hit the roadbike to ride from Sedona to Jerome and back. Sheck - I knocked on your front door, and the only one home was barky boy Floyd. Both parties finished in 3 hours. Lunch, playtime, dinner, DONE. It was a great day. Followed by a quick breakfast this morning, and we were back in Flagstaff for the warmest day since November - it was nearly 50 degrees. Unfortunately, with all of the snow we have had, everyone's gutters have pack ice, and the constant freezing/melting is rotting many north facing roofs in town. I have east/west roofline - so I was only faced with maybe 25 feet of ice. Hammer - check, ladder - check, ice chunks spraying me in the face on impact of the hammer, check.....2 hours later plus 1/2 hour on the roof shoveling off snow, and we're looking good again. The gutters are draining and all seems to be well. Lyza and I celebrated with a colossal fire in the stove, and a formulaic hollywood bomb called Fantastic 4 or something like that. It was perfectly simple, $1.49, and right around 1.5 hours. Good night Lyza, and I just finished 1 more hour of housework.
Being a single parent is not easy, and I have more admiration for those that do it 24/7/365 versus me going 24/7/187.5. I am listening to this new Sheryl Crow stuff on Napster and it SUCKS. Anywhoo - It's taken me a couple of weeks to get into the rhythm again, and it'll mean cancelling the gym membership and buying a few pieces of weight equipment for the garage so I can work out after 9pm with a sleeping kid in the house. D has 7 more months of massage school, so I better get used to it again. Ohhh for crissakes, this music is horrible.
Aside from the ice pack work today, I spent about 2 hours on the garage - making it more of a bike shop/work space combo. Big weekend - woo hoo! It was a big weekend for D, as she busted out a 15.5 mile run in around a couple of hours for second place in her age division. Why would anyone want to run that far on trails, when you could ride that far in around an hour on a sweet single speed? I think she's asking the same question as her left knee is all f*cked up.
I'll hit the rollers tomorrow morning for an hour, ride hard on Tuesday, and call it a wrap for Old Pueblo. I'm ready and psyched to race.
Time goes too fast, most of the time. My Mom and her hub came up for the weekend and stayed at Junipine. That seemed to be the best way to get them up to Northern Arizona in the winter. It's crazy that they have never stayed there - I have been there for the better part of the last 10 years. It was great to see them both.
Saturday morning, Lyza and I packed it up and headed south to meet them. The three o' dem went on a hike, and I hit the roadbike to ride from Sedona to Jerome and back. Sheck - I knocked on your front door, and the only one home was barky boy Floyd. Both parties finished in 3 hours. Lunch, playtime, dinner, DONE. It was a great day. Followed by a quick breakfast this morning, and we were back in Flagstaff for the warmest day since November - it was nearly 50 degrees. Unfortunately, with all of the snow we have had, everyone's gutters have pack ice, and the constant freezing/melting is rotting many north facing roofs in town. I have east/west roofline - so I was only faced with maybe 25 feet of ice. Hammer - check, ladder - check, ice chunks spraying me in the face on impact of the hammer, check.....2 hours later plus 1/2 hour on the roof shoveling off snow, and we're looking good again. The gutters are draining and all seems to be well. Lyza and I celebrated with a colossal fire in the stove, and a formulaic hollywood bomb called Fantastic 4 or something like that. It was perfectly simple, $1.49, and right around 1.5 hours. Good night Lyza, and I just finished 1 more hour of housework.
Being a single parent is not easy, and I have more admiration for those that do it 24/7/365 versus me going 24/7/187.5. I am listening to this new Sheryl Crow stuff on Napster and it SUCKS. Anywhoo - It's taken me a couple of weeks to get into the rhythm again, and it'll mean cancelling the gym membership and buying a few pieces of weight equipment for the garage so I can work out after 9pm with a sleeping kid in the house. D has 7 more months of massage school, so I better get used to it again. Ohhh for crissakes, this music is horrible.
Aside from the ice pack work today, I spent about 2 hours on the garage - making it more of a bike shop/work space combo. Big weekend - woo hoo! It was a big weekend for D, as she busted out a 15.5 mile run in around a couple of hours for second place in her age division. Why would anyone want to run that far on trails, when you could ride that far in around an hour on a sweet single speed? I think she's asking the same question as her left knee is all f*cked up.
I'll hit the rollers tomorrow morning for an hour, ride hard on Tuesday, and call it a wrap for Old Pueblo. I'm ready and psyched to race.
Friday
Growing up Zeppelin
Over Christmas, I picked up a copy of Led Zeppelin’s latest 2-disc compilation. It’s a chronological compilation of their biggest and best from Zep 1 though Physical Graffiti. Playing it from time to time in the house, my daughter has caught on to the music. She loves the guitar riffs, the heavy dose of John Bonham’s drums, and she mimics Robert Plant’s screams. I remember when I discovered Led Zep, but that was because I was closer to 13 years old. I found a copy of their Untitled 4th album – the one with No Quarter, Stairway to Heaven, When the Levee Breaks, Black Dog etc….I wore that vinyl out. Now, here’s Lyza asking me to play Kashmir because “it sounds like scary monsters are marching down our hallway!”. All I know is that it’s a good thing that it’s hard to comprehend Plant’s lyrics – so she is simply reacting to the music itself – which is arguably some of the best R&R ever produced.
I am fully ready for the day when she is listening to bubble-gum pop stars like Myley Cyrus and Hillary Duff, but I can’t help but think that with a Led Zep foundation, those forays into weak pop music won’t last too long. She likes Amy Winehouse too, but I cut her off QUICK when, while playing Uno, Lyza muttered “They try to make me go to rehab but I said NO NO NO”.
Looks like no racing this weekend – just training. I’m down with that 100%, and looking forward to caking up my bike with red dirt in Sedona.
Over Christmas, I picked up a copy of Led Zeppelin’s latest 2-disc compilation. It’s a chronological compilation of their biggest and best from Zep 1 though Physical Graffiti. Playing it from time to time in the house, my daughter has caught on to the music. She loves the guitar riffs, the heavy dose of John Bonham’s drums, and she mimics Robert Plant’s screams. I remember when I discovered Led Zep, but that was because I was closer to 13 years old. I found a copy of their Untitled 4th album – the one with No Quarter, Stairway to Heaven, When the Levee Breaks, Black Dog etc….I wore that vinyl out. Now, here’s Lyza asking me to play Kashmir because “it sounds like scary monsters are marching down our hallway!”. All I know is that it’s a good thing that it’s hard to comprehend Plant’s lyrics – so she is simply reacting to the music itself – which is arguably some of the best R&R ever produced.
I am fully ready for the day when she is listening to bubble-gum pop stars like Myley Cyrus and Hillary Duff, but I can’t help but think that with a Led Zep foundation, those forays into weak pop music won’t last too long. She likes Amy Winehouse too, but I cut her off QUICK when, while playing Uno, Lyza muttered “They try to make me go to rehab but I said NO NO NO”.
Looks like no racing this weekend – just training. I’m down with that 100%, and looking forward to caking up my bike with red dirt in Sedona.
Thursday
Just go here - and check out the reason for this quote: "I think God was holding my leg, beating my ass, teaching me that I hadn't been doing everything he wanted me to do,"
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/02/07/tornadoes/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/02/07/tornadoes/index.html
Romney quits, which seals the deal for McCain….
The only prediction I have been right on, since I can’t remember shit anymore, is saying that McCain would emerge as the frontrunner prior to the New Hampshire primary. I just had a hunch that it was his time considering how f*cked up this country is because of conservative control. I just wanted the most moderate GOP candidate to represent, that’s all.
I find it a riot that the right wing, you know – the ones who call themselves conservatives, are all up in arms over McCain getting the GOP nod. Their problem is that their leading candidate is FOR fiscal responsibility, and he’s FOR a fair solution to immigration. These guys (and chicks – see Ann Coulter the emaciated windbag who now gets to eat a whole lotta shit and campaign for Hillary if she gets the Dem nod since she vowed to do so if McCain wins the GOP) are just whining up a storm, clogging the national airwaves, and ruining my morning coffee time when I listen to NPR.
I like my coffee. I like a quality medium roast, fresh ground, moderately tamped, and I like to drive 8 bar/120psi of boiling water through it to create a frothy espresso. Then I steam ½ a cup of soy milk sans sweetener and voila….. perfuckingfection. Rather than listen to the white-guy, navy blue suit rhetoric on NPR, I flipped on Angry DiFranco – that’s Ani DiFranco for non franco-philes. She’s short, she’s pissed, and she has 10x the talent of 1997’ short, and pissed off chick Alanis Morissette. Check DiFranco out if you haven’t already. Her Out of Range CD is tight.
It was 1 hour and 5 minutes on the rollers again last night. That’s 2 sessions this week, and one more scheduled for tonight. Race day on Saturday may be cancelled as teammates are bailing for personal reasons and I don’t want to drop $50 on gas to get there and back. I can ride in Sedona for free – all day – and probably have more fun.
The only prediction I have been right on, since I can’t remember shit anymore, is saying that McCain would emerge as the frontrunner prior to the New Hampshire primary. I just had a hunch that it was his time considering how f*cked up this country is because of conservative control. I just wanted the most moderate GOP candidate to represent, that’s all.
I find it a riot that the right wing, you know – the ones who call themselves conservatives, are all up in arms over McCain getting the GOP nod. Their problem is that their leading candidate is FOR fiscal responsibility, and he’s FOR a fair solution to immigration. These guys (and chicks – see Ann Coulter the emaciated windbag who now gets to eat a whole lotta shit and campaign for Hillary if she gets the Dem nod since she vowed to do so if McCain wins the GOP) are just whining up a storm, clogging the national airwaves, and ruining my morning coffee time when I listen to NPR.
I like my coffee. I like a quality medium roast, fresh ground, moderately tamped, and I like to drive 8 bar/120psi of boiling water through it to create a frothy espresso. Then I steam ½ a cup of soy milk sans sweetener and voila….. perfuckingfection. Rather than listen to the white-guy, navy blue suit rhetoric on NPR, I flipped on Angry DiFranco – that’s Ani DiFranco for non franco-philes. She’s short, she’s pissed, and she has 10x the talent of 1997’ short, and pissed off chick Alanis Morissette. Check DiFranco out if you haven’t already. Her Out of Range CD is tight.
It was 1 hour and 5 minutes on the rollers again last night. That’s 2 sessions this week, and one more scheduled for tonight. Race day on Saturday may be cancelled as teammates are bailing for personal reasons and I don’t want to drop $50 on gas to get there and back. I can ride in Sedona for free – all day – and probably have more fun.
Wednesday
Super Tuesday...
wasn't all that surprising to me. Cheap Thrill Hill and He's Barack Enough fo' Me are in a dogfight, and McCain is distancing himself from Romney and Huck Finn. It wasn't all that surprising to see Huck Finn make a small comeback in the bible belt states smack dab in the center of Tornado Alley. Unless Johnny Maverick dies of old age on the campaign trail, he should get the GOP nod against who knows right now. There was talk of a McCain/Huckabee ticket last night which is intruiging. I have to do some more research on Huck Finn to see if I would be down with that.
It really wasn't a super Tuesday though. Work was flat, and boring - and Lyza was just drivin' me nutz last night with a whiny, confrontational attitude. I was so crunched for time that I took her to Taco Bell for dinner. That marked the 2nd time in her life she has had fast food with me. Now, I love TB Lounge - but I don't want to get her hooked on Taco crack. I gulped those tacos down like they were my last meal on death row and washed 'em down with a good ol Mormon Pepsi Cola product. Just puttin' money in Romney's pockets I guess. The Taco Bell must have helped though, because she aced her spelling words last night so there must be something smart about consuming Taco Bell food.
Old Pueblo Dreams are starting to come true. So far so good.....we have a team full of jokers who are taking this at the right speed....moderate. I figure we'll moderately ride, moderately drink Patron the night before, and moderately consume beer throughout. Team Moderate? Nope - we're the Small Town Douche Bags. Comin' at ya in slow-mo. Temps are looking like 70 and sunny. Does it get any better than that?
Go Small town D-Bags!
wasn't all that surprising to me. Cheap Thrill Hill and He's Barack Enough fo' Me are in a dogfight, and McCain is distancing himself from Romney and Huck Finn. It wasn't all that surprising to see Huck Finn make a small comeback in the bible belt states smack dab in the center of Tornado Alley. Unless Johnny Maverick dies of old age on the campaign trail, he should get the GOP nod against who knows right now. There was talk of a McCain/Huckabee ticket last night which is intruiging. I have to do some more research on Huck Finn to see if I would be down with that.
It really wasn't a super Tuesday though. Work was flat, and boring - and Lyza was just drivin' me nutz last night with a whiny, confrontational attitude. I was so crunched for time that I took her to Taco Bell for dinner. That marked the 2nd time in her life she has had fast food with me. Now, I love TB Lounge - but I don't want to get her hooked on Taco crack. I gulped those tacos down like they were my last meal on death row and washed 'em down with a good ol Mormon Pepsi Cola product. Just puttin' money in Romney's pockets I guess. The Taco Bell must have helped though, because she aced her spelling words last night so there must be something smart about consuming Taco Bell food.
Old Pueblo Dreams are starting to come true. So far so good.....we have a team full of jokers who are taking this at the right speed....moderate. I figure we'll moderately ride, moderately drink Patron the night before, and moderately consume beer throughout. Team Moderate? Nope - we're the Small Town Douche Bags. Comin' at ya in slow-mo. Temps are looking like 70 and sunny. Does it get any better than that?
Go Small town D-Bags!
Monday
My winter training schedule called for cross training today - as in shoveling snow for 5 hours to get my car outta the driveway and then to help shovel the walkways at the resort. Great for the core muscles, and lower back......none of which I ever train or even have. So, I'm on Vitamin I tonight, that would be a billion milligram dose of Ibuprofen. Ahhhhh, I still feel like shit. Maybe I need a 24 ounce can of Tecate.
So, I decided to sign up for the 2nd AZ MTB State Series race this weekend. I'll likely get my ass handed to me since we have had nothing but snow for a month straight, and all of the tan f*ckers in Phoenix and Tucson have been riding in optimal conditions. Our state series starts in January since it's desert-based.....therefore it ends in May when most of us in Flagstaff are finally done with the cold and snow. D says that the elevation will help me despite the lack of training time. I say - yeah - for maybe an hour, and then I'll explode. I'm racing Expert/Comp this year again, and that means you don't even finish in the top 20 unless you have significant mileage in every week. Ahhhh well, it'll be 75 degrees and sunny down there, and I haven't seen that kind of weather since September. Plus I want to test some new tires for Pueblo the next weekend - and the bike too.
I'm absolutely crushed that I'm missing a ski trip to northern Utah this weekend. My ex-father in law needs some help, so Lyza's birth mother is back in Michigan helping him recover from cancer surgery. I'm loving the extra time with Lyza, but I was really lookin' forward with going on this trip with 9 other dudes from W.L. Gore - a bunch of smart f*cking engineers and PHD's with the exception of the clown who got me the invite. He's just an MSU grad - so you know he's there just to drive, tune skis, and buy beer.
So - off to the rollers for an hour.....it's 9:30pm. Maybe I'll throw a little TLC in the CD player - nothin' like a little TLC to get me rolling. I'm totally f'n kidding, but I do have a crush on the since deceased Lisa Left Eye Lopes. She's the one who burned Andre Rison's house down - and they kissed and made up after it happened. I think it'll be Warrant and Ratt tonight....fo' reals.
14-6 is better than 18-1 isn't it New England?
So, I decided to sign up for the 2nd AZ MTB State Series race this weekend. I'll likely get my ass handed to me since we have had nothing but snow for a month straight, and all of the tan f*ckers in Phoenix and Tucson have been riding in optimal conditions. Our state series starts in January since it's desert-based.....therefore it ends in May when most of us in Flagstaff are finally done with the cold and snow. D says that the elevation will help me despite the lack of training time. I say - yeah - for maybe an hour, and then I'll explode. I'm racing Expert/Comp this year again, and that means you don't even finish in the top 20 unless you have significant mileage in every week. Ahhhh well, it'll be 75 degrees and sunny down there, and I haven't seen that kind of weather since September. Plus I want to test some new tires for Pueblo the next weekend - and the bike too.
I'm absolutely crushed that I'm missing a ski trip to northern Utah this weekend. My ex-father in law needs some help, so Lyza's birth mother is back in Michigan helping him recover from cancer surgery. I'm loving the extra time with Lyza, but I was really lookin' forward with going on this trip with 9 other dudes from W.L. Gore - a bunch of smart f*cking engineers and PHD's with the exception of the clown who got me the invite. He's just an MSU grad - so you know he's there just to drive, tune skis, and buy beer.
So - off to the rollers for an hour.....it's 9:30pm. Maybe I'll throw a little TLC in the CD player - nothin' like a little TLC to get me rolling. I'm totally f'n kidding, but I do have a crush on the since deceased Lisa Left Eye Lopes. She's the one who burned Andre Rison's house down - and they kissed and made up after it happened. I think it'll be Warrant and Ratt tonight....fo' reals.
14-6 is better than 18-1 isn't it New England?
Thursday
Rooooolllllliiiinnnnnn…
Damn brah – in the last week, its been 3 hours of road riding on wet and snowy roads + 4 ½ hours on the rollers. 7 ½ hours of ride time isn’t gonna get me on any podiums soon, but I probably will not explode or implode for that matter in Tucson. If it weren’t for Old Pueblo, I’d be boarding almost exclusively – and probably working more too.
I have a buddy who has a Super Bowl ticket. Bought it for $700. Won’t sell it for $4K to a broker. He wants to see the Patriots go 19-0. I politely informed him that he could sell the ticket, buy a HUGE ass HD TV, pay for the signal for a year, have enough left over for a colossal kegger with his moocher friends (me included), and celebrate the 19-0 season in the comfort of his home with a great view of the game. Doesn’t matter – he’s going. If it were me and I had been smart enough to invest in two tickets to this game, I’d buy a new Bianchi, book a trip to Italy, drink a ton of Moretti and Peroni in between rides, rent a Lamborghini for a day, and eat until my guts exploded – all thanks to the two tickets to the Super Bowl. For what it’s worth, I hope the Giants win by a point with their backup quarterback since the thought of another Manning winning a Super Bowl makes me want to hurl…..see why I don’t bet on games?!
Damn brah – in the last week, its been 3 hours of road riding on wet and snowy roads + 4 ½ hours on the rollers. 7 ½ hours of ride time isn’t gonna get me on any podiums soon, but I probably will not explode or implode for that matter in Tucson. If it weren’t for Old Pueblo, I’d be boarding almost exclusively – and probably working more too.
I have a buddy who has a Super Bowl ticket. Bought it for $700. Won’t sell it for $4K to a broker. He wants to see the Patriots go 19-0. I politely informed him that he could sell the ticket, buy a HUGE ass HD TV, pay for the signal for a year, have enough left over for a colossal kegger with his moocher friends (me included), and celebrate the 19-0 season in the comfort of his home with a great view of the game. Doesn’t matter – he’s going. If it were me and I had been smart enough to invest in two tickets to this game, I’d buy a new Bianchi, book a trip to Italy, drink a ton of Moretti and Peroni in between rides, rent a Lamborghini for a day, and eat until my guts exploded – all thanks to the two tickets to the Super Bowl. For what it’s worth, I hope the Giants win by a point with their backup quarterback since the thought of another Manning winning a Super Bowl makes me want to hurl…..see why I don’t bet on games?!
Wednesday
Losing my faith in all of this…..
Unless the Senate defeats the Dubya-inspired Economic Stimulus Plan, I’m afraid no one will. It’s a shame that none, NONE of the major Presidential candidates has the balls (or the rack) to stand up against this initiative.
Yes, I could use the money. I have a wife and a daughter in school right now, and we’re super tight on money. Obviously, I’m not alone in being on a short leash with $$. However, it is fiscally irresponsible to dive into more debt in an effort to stimulate the economy with cash payouts. Many people in this country gambled and lost trying to gain free money – and we are all paying for it. The last thing we need are the Fed’s using bailout tactics. If you gambled, and lost your home because you were under qualified in the first place or you grossly overbought with a speculative eye, then go rent. It’s not ultimately the lender’s fault, it’s your fault for not understanding the terms of your loan.
Sure, half of the businesses in America tease consumers with no payments/no interest, graduated payments ect – and there is some fault there. It’s too bad that this segment of financing has become dominant – and it’s a result of Americans wanting bigger, better, more, right now. The American sense of entitlement is powerful.
Mr. Prez - if you’re gonna do this, try food stamps. I could use $600 in food stamps to redeem at my local store. That would be a month and a half of “free” food which would trickle down to a lot of different businesses and employees who need their jobs. Since this isn’t gonna happen, I’ll save my cash payout in protest – and make a deposit in my already weak savings account.
Again, what I’m really disappointed in is the lack of character that the candidates are showing. What they are showing is that it’s an election year, and they are all truly slaves to the political process. I don’t know why I expected any more of them in the first place.
Unless the Senate defeats the Dubya-inspired Economic Stimulus Plan, I’m afraid no one will. It’s a shame that none, NONE of the major Presidential candidates has the balls (or the rack) to stand up against this initiative.
Yes, I could use the money. I have a wife and a daughter in school right now, and we’re super tight on money. Obviously, I’m not alone in being on a short leash with $$. However, it is fiscally irresponsible to dive into more debt in an effort to stimulate the economy with cash payouts. Many people in this country gambled and lost trying to gain free money – and we are all paying for it. The last thing we need are the Fed’s using bailout tactics. If you gambled, and lost your home because you were under qualified in the first place or you grossly overbought with a speculative eye, then go rent. It’s not ultimately the lender’s fault, it’s your fault for not understanding the terms of your loan.
Sure, half of the businesses in America tease consumers with no payments/no interest, graduated payments ect – and there is some fault there. It’s too bad that this segment of financing has become dominant – and it’s a result of Americans wanting bigger, better, more, right now. The American sense of entitlement is powerful.
Mr. Prez - if you’re gonna do this, try food stamps. I could use $600 in food stamps to redeem at my local store. That would be a month and a half of “free” food which would trickle down to a lot of different businesses and employees who need their jobs. Since this isn’t gonna happen, I’ll save my cash payout in protest – and make a deposit in my already weak savings account.
Again, what I’m really disappointed in is the lack of character that the candidates are showing. What they are showing is that it’s an election year, and they are all truly slaves to the political process. I don’t know why I expected any more of them in the first place.
Tuesday
Sunday
A good old fashioned self-inflicted ass whoppin...
44 miles on the road bike, 45 degrees, one mile of riding on snow/cinder covered roads. One somewhat trashed bike, two semi-trashed legs, and a couple of imminent saddle sores just for good measure. It was a glorious day yesterday, and probably the warmest day we have had in a month. Today? - the weather man says we should expect one to two feet of snow through Monday. Guess it's back to the rollers and the videos, and the snowboard.
My new favorite bumper sticker:
He's Barack enough for me!
Congrats Obama on a nice win in SC. Nothing like stomping Edwards in his home state.
44 miles on the road bike, 45 degrees, one mile of riding on snow/cinder covered roads. One somewhat trashed bike, two semi-trashed legs, and a couple of imminent saddle sores just for good measure. It was a glorious day yesterday, and probably the warmest day we have had in a month. Today? - the weather man says we should expect one to two feet of snow through Monday. Guess it's back to the rollers and the videos, and the snowboard.
My new favorite bumper sticker:
He's Barack enough for me!
Congrats Obama on a nice win in SC. Nothing like stomping Edwards in his home state.
Friday
Thursday
Old Pueblo Dreams -
warm days
frigid nights
great burritos
drinkable coffee
no sleep,
some sleep,
but not the right kind of sleep
adrenaline rush at 7am - sunrise
adrenaline crash at 3am - woken up in my tent "you have 30 minutes until you're up"
1300 people, I'm just another number
unless I ride in assless chaps, Aviators, and no shirt
Good times
warm days
frigid nights
great burritos
drinkable coffee
no sleep,
some sleep,
but not the right kind of sleep
adrenaline rush at 7am - sunrise
adrenaline crash at 3am - woken up in my tent "you have 30 minutes until you're up"
1300 people, I'm just another number
unless I ride in assless chaps, Aviators, and no shirt
Good times
This is, perhaps, the finest summary of exactly why you should consider voting for Johnny Maverick......
Anytime you can force 100% assclowns like Tom DeLay and Russ Limbaugh to vomit, you have a strong candidate. An excerpt from TIME mag this week:
Conservative élites are the ones most likely to break out into hives at the mention of McCain's name. Former Republican House majority leader Tom DeLay has declared that he would not vote for McCain in the general election, even if Hillary Clinton were the Democratic nominee. Railing against McCain and Huckabee, both of whom he views as anathema to conservatives, talk-radio kingpin Rush Limbaugh recently warned his 13.5 million listeners, "If either of these two guys gets the nomination, it's going to destroy the Republican Party." A few days later, Limbaugh was so outraged by the possibility that Republicans might support McCain that he bellowed, "If you Republicans don't mind McCain's positions, then what is it about Hillary's positions you dislike? They're the same!"
The truth is that McCain and Clinton remain far apart on the political spectrum. But it is also true that conservatives have a lengthy bill of complaint against McCain. In the past decade he has joined with Democrats on a series of crusades in Congress — with Russ Feingold on campaign-finance reform and Ted Kennedy on immigration reform — that a majority of Republicans have opposed. He voted against President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and '03, each time citing the need for fiscal restraint. And during his 2000 campaign, he labeled Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance."
Florida will be a huge Primary - plus we can finally put Rudy Giuliani to rest after he finishes a distant 4th.
Anytime you can force 100% assclowns like Tom DeLay and Russ Limbaugh to vomit, you have a strong candidate. An excerpt from TIME mag this week:
Conservative élites are the ones most likely to break out into hives at the mention of McCain's name. Former Republican House majority leader Tom DeLay has declared that he would not vote for McCain in the general election, even if Hillary Clinton were the Democratic nominee. Railing against McCain and Huckabee, both of whom he views as anathema to conservatives, talk-radio kingpin Rush Limbaugh recently warned his 13.5 million listeners, "If either of these two guys gets the nomination, it's going to destroy the Republican Party." A few days later, Limbaugh was so outraged by the possibility that Republicans might support McCain that he bellowed, "If you Republicans don't mind McCain's positions, then what is it about Hillary's positions you dislike? They're the same!"
The truth is that McCain and Clinton remain far apart on the political spectrum. But it is also true that conservatives have a lengthy bill of complaint against McCain. In the past decade he has joined with Democrats on a series of crusades in Congress — with Russ Feingold on campaign-finance reform and Ted Kennedy on immigration reform — that a majority of Republicans have opposed. He voted against President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and '03, each time citing the need for fiscal restraint. And during his 2000 campaign, he labeled Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance."
Florida will be a huge Primary - plus we can finally put Rudy Giuliani to rest after he finishes a distant 4th.
Wednesday
55 more minutes on the rollers last night....
had me feeling pretty good except for my nearly numb scrotum. The one bad thing about rollers is you can't get off your seat, and pedal standing up - or else you'll rocket off the front and into your TV or wall or whatever is in front of you. So after nearly 60 minutes sitting down, the ol' scrote starts to become uncomfortably numb. I guess I could get one of those huge-ass gel padding seats, but that would probably throw off my bike fit and cause some knee or back problem. 55 minutes is plenty, and THIS place opens soon - so it'll be nice to attend some spin classes that are motivating. Yeah, I know - the graphics make it look like it'll be some Oxygen/Oprah Winfrey studio, but the people running the place are serious jocks so I hope to get something out of it.
Starting Friday, I'll be able to get in 5 consecutive rides (road and MTB) in an effort to bulk up for the battle known as the Ol' Pueblo. I'll be working 3-11 every night next week so I can ride in the mornings before work. Get out the lobster gloves, the Gore legwarmers, and the neoprene thermo jacket. Yeah - it ain't Wisconsin weather, but anything below 45 degrees is cold to me.
My old boss, Jaymes Humel - the hard driving sales guy at Mold In Graphics would be proud of Lyza. She blew her Girl Scout cookie sales quota out of the water in one day. I brought her to Junipine and sorta' force fed the staff to buy cookies. There's nothing worse than your boss bringing his kid into work and saying, without really saying, "buy some cookies from my kid or I'll remember it come compensation review time". I limit myself to doing this only once a year since I hate being put in that position myself. But everyone loves GS cookies anyway so at the end of the day, no harm - no foul. Needless to say we sold 45 boxes at work, and sold the rest after school to our neighbors. I haven't even shaken down Ellsie yet, but now that he knows we're targeting him, he may suddly not be home for the next two weeks.
had me feeling pretty good except for my nearly numb scrotum. The one bad thing about rollers is you can't get off your seat, and pedal standing up - or else you'll rocket off the front and into your TV or wall or whatever is in front of you. So after nearly 60 minutes sitting down, the ol' scrote starts to become uncomfortably numb. I guess I could get one of those huge-ass gel padding seats, but that would probably throw off my bike fit and cause some knee or back problem. 55 minutes is plenty, and THIS place opens soon - so it'll be nice to attend some spin classes that are motivating. Yeah, I know - the graphics make it look like it'll be some Oxygen/Oprah Winfrey studio, but the people running the place are serious jocks so I hope to get something out of it.
Starting Friday, I'll be able to get in 5 consecutive rides (road and MTB) in an effort to bulk up for the battle known as the Ol' Pueblo. I'll be working 3-11 every night next week so I can ride in the mornings before work. Get out the lobster gloves, the Gore legwarmers, and the neoprene thermo jacket. Yeah - it ain't Wisconsin weather, but anything below 45 degrees is cold to me.
My old boss, Jaymes Humel - the hard driving sales guy at Mold In Graphics would be proud of Lyza. She blew her Girl Scout cookie sales quota out of the water in one day. I brought her to Junipine and sorta' force fed the staff to buy cookies. There's nothing worse than your boss bringing his kid into work and saying, without really saying, "buy some cookies from my kid or I'll remember it come compensation review time". I limit myself to doing this only once a year since I hate being put in that position myself. But everyone loves GS cookies anyway so at the end of the day, no harm - no foul. Needless to say we sold 45 boxes at work, and sold the rest after school to our neighbors. I haven't even shaken down Ellsie yet, but now that he knows we're targeting him, he may suddly not be home for the next two weeks.
Tuesday
Monday
We stepped off the plane in Flagstaff....
and it was 35 degrees. That was 50 degrees warmer than Minneapolis on Sunday morning where the temp was a brutally cold -15. Honestly, I forgot that REAL winter means that your car struggles to turn over, your nose hairs stick to the frozen membranes in your nose, and when someone in your family suggests an after dinner walk - you all move to the family room and play cards or sip an after dinner drink. I said to my Dad something to the tune of "Man, you gotta be tough to live here considering it can be 105, or -35 over the course of a year". He quickly replied "not tough, just stupid". He's still bitter about ovarian cancer taking out his wife, so chalk that reply up to 50% anger, and 50% truth.
Michigan is actually losing population, and it ain't about the cold - it's about an economy that is pretty depressed. I really enjoyed living there in the early to mid 1990's, but when you look at places like Saginaw, Flint, and Jackson it makes you realize how tough it is to live there. Mitt Romney took a harder than expected win there over Johnny Maverick primarily because he's a very successful businessman who preached a dedication to turning around the auto industry. He didn't mention squat about how he would do that, and I sure hope his vision isn't predicated on gas/oil machines.
So the democratic primary is on Feb 5th in AZ, as it is for most states. As a registered dem, I'm still on the fence about HILBAMA. John Edwards is done in my book, and I find myself caught in a position of pulling for the dem candidate that matches up the worst against McCain. I personally think that if McCain gets the GOP nod, even if it is solely due to his hot wife who by the way is the daughter of Hensley Distributors - the state Anheuser Busch rep - then there is no question in my mind that he wins the election in the fall. Call me crazy, but I think that the key to the election is not which minority dem candidate wins the primary....nope - it's who wins the Republican primary because if it's anyone other than McCain the dems will win. You know what? I'm cool with that. Cheap Thrill Hill, Obama, or McCain would all put a smile on my face.
And speaking of feelin' good - I managed to survive 55 minutes on the rollers today as I watched a rerun of the 2003 Tour, the one where Lance almost loses to Jan Ullrich. This isn't the one that convinced me that Lance doped like everyone else - that was in 2004 when he chased down Filippi Simeoni with an axe murderer stare on his face....those two had some bad blood (sorry about that) over doping scandals. Anyway, it felt good to move my legs again. Our Old Pueblo team consists of:
Jeff - hasn't ridden since 'Nam because he blew up his hotel staff and is working all the shifts himself.....training hours - 0 Good thing Jeff doesn't know he's doing the run for the Le Mans start or he might be panicking right now.
Eck - bad back, but is on the mend.......training hours - a few
Me - no motivation, working 55+ hours the next couple of weeks, and would rather be boarding....training hours - not much, but don't call it a comeback when I tear it up next week - 'cause I was never down
Josh - Just married in Jamaica, and now invested in some $6,000,000 crash course training system. training hours - top secret
I'll be ready, and I bet everyone else will make it there in good shape too - it's just a tough road this time o' year.
'Night
and it was 35 degrees. That was 50 degrees warmer than Minneapolis on Sunday morning where the temp was a brutally cold -15. Honestly, I forgot that REAL winter means that your car struggles to turn over, your nose hairs stick to the frozen membranes in your nose, and when someone in your family suggests an after dinner walk - you all move to the family room and play cards or sip an after dinner drink. I said to my Dad something to the tune of "Man, you gotta be tough to live here considering it can be 105, or -35 over the course of a year". He quickly replied "not tough, just stupid". He's still bitter about ovarian cancer taking out his wife, so chalk that reply up to 50% anger, and 50% truth.
Michigan is actually losing population, and it ain't about the cold - it's about an economy that is pretty depressed. I really enjoyed living there in the early to mid 1990's, but when you look at places like Saginaw, Flint, and Jackson it makes you realize how tough it is to live there. Mitt Romney took a harder than expected win there over Johnny Maverick primarily because he's a very successful businessman who preached a dedication to turning around the auto industry. He didn't mention squat about how he would do that, and I sure hope his vision isn't predicated on gas/oil machines.
So the democratic primary is on Feb 5th in AZ, as it is for most states. As a registered dem, I'm still on the fence about HILBAMA. John Edwards is done in my book, and I find myself caught in a position of pulling for the dem candidate that matches up the worst against McCain. I personally think that if McCain gets the GOP nod, even if it is solely due to his hot wife who by the way is the daughter of Hensley Distributors - the state Anheuser Busch rep - then there is no question in my mind that he wins the election in the fall. Call me crazy, but I think that the key to the election is not which minority dem candidate wins the primary....nope - it's who wins the Republican primary because if it's anyone other than McCain the dems will win. You know what? I'm cool with that. Cheap Thrill Hill, Obama, or McCain would all put a smile on my face.
And speaking of feelin' good - I managed to survive 55 minutes on the rollers today as I watched a rerun of the 2003 Tour, the one where Lance almost loses to Jan Ullrich. This isn't the one that convinced me that Lance doped like everyone else - that was in 2004 when he chased down Filippi Simeoni with an axe murderer stare on his face....those two had some bad blood (sorry about that) over doping scandals. Anyway, it felt good to move my legs again. Our Old Pueblo team consists of:
Jeff - hasn't ridden since 'Nam because he blew up his hotel staff and is working all the shifts himself.....training hours - 0 Good thing Jeff doesn't know he's doing the run for the Le Mans start or he might be panicking right now.
Eck - bad back, but is on the mend.......training hours - a few
Me - no motivation, working 55+ hours the next couple of weeks, and would rather be boarding....training hours - not much, but don't call it a comeback when I tear it up next week - 'cause I was never down
Josh - Just married in Jamaica, and now invested in some $6,000,000 crash course training system. training hours - top secret
I'll be ready, and I bet everyone else will make it there in good shape too - it's just a tough road this time o' year.
'Night
Thursday
Steve Czaban (channel 142 on your XM dial from 6am-9am Eastern)....does a great bit once in a while called "I'm so done with....". Well here's my offering:
I'm so done with the newest entry into the cliche hall of fame: "At the end of the day". For example:
Random Jock: "At the end of the day, we just has to goes out there an win"
Random CEO: "_(fill in company name here)________'s success is dictated by numbers. At the end of the day, if we sold our quotas then we will be a success"
Any politician: "It's about caucusing for me - and I ask each and every one of you to caucus for me, and at the end of the day we'll see who wins, and with your support it will be us together......
Joe Blow: "Yeah, I f*cked up and lost my job, my Camaro was re-po'ed even though it's an '84, but I was able to get re-hired after they found out it was Bubba who shut off the fryer. At the end of the day, It's all good (double heinous cliche there), now let's put on some Kid Rock and get high.
Jesus H Christ I think I heard it at least 20 times yesterday, even some dillweed at the airport on his stupid bluetooth was spewing it - while talking about how he brought his A-Game to a sales meeting. That had me snickering, especially since he was about 15 years my junior.
I first heard the cliche when it wasn't a cliche. Jaymes Humel was my boss here.
This guy was a classic, hard driving sales guy. Stood 6', drank Rogaine and Espresso from 5am - 10am easy, with a 'heater' in the afternoon just to stay awake. The f*cker commuted from Anthem to Clarkdale, AZ in a lowered, that's right, a lowered white Miata with custom rims and ultra low profile tires. He unfolded his body from that car, grabbed his TUMI briefcase, and strutted into the office with more confidence than George Bush at a Republican fundraiser. Gold chains, marginal hairline, small gut, but you could tell he was THE SHIT from his little hometown outside of Cleveland. I can't even imagine how much he was dying to return for his high school reunion - he was that confident. Jim could sell a bible to a Buddhist, or a vibrator to Mother Teresa. We sat down on my first day to talk, and I was brimming with confidence about selling these polyolefin-compatible graphics, and how excited I was to be working a straight 9-5 job. He says to me, he says "Chris, I'm gonna cut to the bottom line here 'cause I don't waste words on staff. You get on that phone, and sell these graphics because nobody else has what we have - period. Most people will tell you to f*ck off, but you'll make a few sales too. At the end of the day, it's about your successes, and the failures - f*ck em. Who cares.
Back then, it wasn't cliche - it was a way to truly measure my success. Now? Well now, Lord willing, I'll just give 110% and take it one day at a time. At the end of the day I hope to have won your vote, and life is what it is, but I hope to at least get my piece of the pie.
___________________________
Hours on the bike the last 14 days - squat
Hours spent working out in some capacity - maybe 3?
weight gained in 14 days - could be 2-3 pounds
Sweet - looks like I'm on a great training plan for a 24 hour team bike race in less than 30 days.
I'm so done with the newest entry into the cliche hall of fame: "At the end of the day". For example:
Random Jock: "At the end of the day, we just has to goes out there an win"
Random CEO: "_(fill in company name here)________'s success is dictated by numbers. At the end of the day, if we sold our quotas then we will be a success"
Any politician: "It's about caucusing for me - and I ask each and every one of you to caucus for me, and at the end of the day we'll see who wins, and with your support it will be us together......
Joe Blow: "Yeah, I f*cked up and lost my job, my Camaro was re-po'ed even though it's an '84, but I was able to get re-hired after they found out it was Bubba who shut off the fryer. At the end of the day, It's all good (double heinous cliche there), now let's put on some Kid Rock and get high.
Jesus H Christ I think I heard it at least 20 times yesterday, even some dillweed at the airport on his stupid bluetooth was spewing it - while talking about how he brought his A-Game to a sales meeting. That had me snickering, especially since he was about 15 years my junior.
I first heard the cliche when it wasn't a cliche. Jaymes Humel was my boss here.
This guy was a classic, hard driving sales guy. Stood 6', drank Rogaine and Espresso from 5am - 10am easy, with a 'heater' in the afternoon just to stay awake. The f*cker commuted from Anthem to Clarkdale, AZ in a lowered, that's right, a lowered white Miata with custom rims and ultra low profile tires. He unfolded his body from that car, grabbed his TUMI briefcase, and strutted into the office with more confidence than George Bush at a Republican fundraiser. Gold chains, marginal hairline, small gut, but you could tell he was THE SHIT from his little hometown outside of Cleveland. I can't even imagine how much he was dying to return for his high school reunion - he was that confident. Jim could sell a bible to a Buddhist, or a vibrator to Mother Teresa. We sat down on my first day to talk, and I was brimming with confidence about selling these polyolefin-compatible graphics, and how excited I was to be working a straight 9-5 job. He says to me, he says "Chris, I'm gonna cut to the bottom line here 'cause I don't waste words on staff. You get on that phone, and sell these graphics because nobody else has what we have - period. Most people will tell you to f*ck off, but you'll make a few sales too. At the end of the day, it's about your successes, and the failures - f*ck em. Who cares.
Back then, it wasn't cliche - it was a way to truly measure my success. Now? Well now, Lord willing, I'll just give 110% and take it one day at a time. At the end of the day I hope to have won your vote, and life is what it is, but I hope to at least get my piece of the pie.
___________________________
Hours on the bike the last 14 days - squat
Hours spent working out in some capacity - maybe 3?
weight gained in 14 days - could be 2-3 pounds
Sweet - looks like I'm on a great training plan for a 24 hour team bike race in less than 30 days.
Wednesday
I'm dreaming of this, this, and I was dreaming of this......but I didn't get in. I was pretty psyched about the possibility of getting into the SSWC, but I'm sure my lack of 'palmares' contributed to the fact that I didn't make the cut. The first two events/places are slated for February visits. We have a sausage fest of guys going to Utah for 4 days of boarding, skiing, beer, gas, trash-talk and not a whole lotta sleep. Then Old Pueblo which will prove to be merely a way to train for the spring/summer events. I haven't ridden a bike in 2 weeks, and I need to get through this stretch of commitments before that starts again.
In between errands for Pops today, I got in 1/2 hour of skating at the rink, and then I popped over and rented Kill Bill Vol. 1. Yes - I know, I'm only what...5 or 6 years behind the release date? It was worth it. Uma Thurman is smokin', Tarantino wrote a great script, and it's definately worth the $2.00 rental. You don't have to look too hard for the dark humour either - it comes at you like splattered blood, and there's plenty of that.
Tomorrow, family starts arriving for the weekend memorial. Thankfully so, because I'm ready for a reprieve. If you offered me a Vicodin with a beer chaser, I'd take it right now....turn on a movie I've seen before, and just feel the calm come over my body. I remember getting a 'scrip for Percocet and one for Hydrocodone when I had surgery, and I'd love to revisit that lucid feeling right now. However, I have neither in front of me. But I do have a pint of Haagen Dazs. That's going down right now.
In between errands for Pops today, I got in 1/2 hour of skating at the rink, and then I popped over and rented Kill Bill Vol. 1. Yes - I know, I'm only what...5 or 6 years behind the release date? It was worth it. Uma Thurman is smokin', Tarantino wrote a great script, and it's definately worth the $2.00 rental. You don't have to look too hard for the dark humour either - it comes at you like splattered blood, and there's plenty of that.
Tomorrow, family starts arriving for the weekend memorial. Thankfully so, because I'm ready for a reprieve. If you offered me a Vicodin with a beer chaser, I'd take it right now....turn on a movie I've seen before, and just feel the calm come over my body. I remember getting a 'scrip for Percocet and one for Hydrocodone when I had surgery, and I'd love to revisit that lucid feeling right now. However, I have neither in front of me. But I do have a pint of Haagen Dazs. That's going down right now.
Tuesday
My skates, my lovely hockey skates, check 'em out!
You know you love Fergie....(sorry Mom, you won't know what the f*ck that meant).
Let me tell ya, if I didn't have them with me I'd be going nuts right now. Two one half hour sessions of gassers has left me gassed. I didn't think I could sweat when it's 3 degrees out, but I'll be damned if I didn't nearly puke last night after 30 minutes of windsprints. O'ccourse, skating 20 minutes after a huge dinner probably contributed to that nauseated feeling. Feeling Minnesota?
Pops is in Defcon 3 mode, and there's not a safety pressure valve. He could blow at any minute trying to organize details, and I'm standing aside and just offering help when he needs it. It's pretty easy for me to be a little bit critical from the sideline, especially when he's been terse, short, and the lack of balance in his life right now is taking its toll on him physically. However, I don't know what I would do if one of my girls died. With that being said, I'm doing my best to not overreact to his harsh edge, and I'M THE ONE BLOWING OFF STEAM - via ice skating on the local rinks.
The rest of the familiy arrives on Thursday and Friday, and that will be a welcome relief. We should have most of the major details wrapped up today (catering, service, family dinner arrangements, and airport pickups). I think I'll rent some pathetic plot action movie tonight and just get lost in it after one more session on the rink.
You know you love Fergie....(sorry Mom, you won't know what the f*ck that meant).
Let me tell ya, if I didn't have them with me I'd be going nuts right now. Two one half hour sessions of gassers has left me gassed. I didn't think I could sweat when it's 3 degrees out, but I'll be damned if I didn't nearly puke last night after 30 minutes of windsprints. O'ccourse, skating 20 minutes after a huge dinner probably contributed to that nauseated feeling. Feeling Minnesota?
Pops is in Defcon 3 mode, and there's not a safety pressure valve. He could blow at any minute trying to organize details, and I'm standing aside and just offering help when he needs it. It's pretty easy for me to be a little bit critical from the sideline, especially when he's been terse, short, and the lack of balance in his life right now is taking its toll on him physically. However, I don't know what I would do if one of my girls died. With that being said, I'm doing my best to not overreact to his harsh edge, and I'M THE ONE BLOWING OFF STEAM - via ice skating on the local rinks.
The rest of the familiy arrives on Thursday and Friday, and that will be a welcome relief. We should have most of the major details wrapped up today (catering, service, family dinner arrangements, and airport pickups). I think I'll rent some pathetic plot action movie tonight and just get lost in it after one more session on the rink.
Monday
Leinie's, windchill, and bland food
F'n A. Back in Minneosta for sure when you add these elements into the already strangely but not so strange culture here. It's not that its any different from visiting any other place - we all have our oddities. But I'll be damned over the following:
1.) Minnesota has tough Mom's. Wanna know why? I drove up to an outdoor rink to do some skating. The place is packed with a birthday party. Are the kids and the parents in the warming house? Heck no, they are outside in 9 degree weather having a barbecue on the grill while the kids are sledding and skating.
2.) Caribou Coffee..almost like a little step sister of Starbucks. I think they have a nice corner on the market and Starbucks is not nearly as dominant here. PLUS - you can order small, medium and large drinks instead of the stupid Tall, Grande, Venti.
3.) The political slant is definately left - and I like that. However, nobody seems to like the cheap shots that the candidates throw around like syringes in a football locker room. Whoever wins Minnnesota's caucuses will likely be the blandest, milquetoast candidates out there. It's ironic too since the state took a flyer on Jesse Ventura a few years back when the 'old guard' fat white guys got stale. It's almost as if there is rebellion and angst in the residents, but only if you tick them off.
Spent the day running errands for Pops, and now he's trusting me to cook dinner. Seitan/Broccoli/Potato stir fry with a salad. Look out for a potentially sour stomach in about an hour. That's why I bought the 3.99 6'er of Leinenkugel's original - that'll kill any stomach virus.
F'n A. Back in Minneosta for sure when you add these elements into the already strangely but not so strange culture here. It's not that its any different from visiting any other place - we all have our oddities. But I'll be damned over the following:
1.) Minnesota has tough Mom's. Wanna know why? I drove up to an outdoor rink to do some skating. The place is packed with a birthday party. Are the kids and the parents in the warming house? Heck no, they are outside in 9 degree weather having a barbecue on the grill while the kids are sledding and skating.
2.) Caribou Coffee..almost like a little step sister of Starbucks. I think they have a nice corner on the market and Starbucks is not nearly as dominant here. PLUS - you can order small, medium and large drinks instead of the stupid Tall, Grande, Venti.
3.) The political slant is definately left - and I like that. However, nobody seems to like the cheap shots that the candidates throw around like syringes in a football locker room. Whoever wins Minnnesota's caucuses will likely be the blandest, milquetoast candidates out there. It's ironic too since the state took a flyer on Jesse Ventura a few years back when the 'old guard' fat white guys got stale. It's almost as if there is rebellion and angst in the residents, but only if you tick them off.
Spent the day running errands for Pops, and now he's trusting me to cook dinner. Seitan/Broccoli/Potato stir fry with a salad. Look out for a potentially sour stomach in about an hour. That's why I bought the 3.99 6'er of Leinenkugel's original - that'll kill any stomach virus.
Sunday
Welcome back to Minnesota
I'm home for a week to help out with any remaining details of my Step Mom's memorial service, and to be of support to my Dad. Tough times fo' sho. I just finished a weekend of Owner Meetings at work, which translated to a lot of stress and I'm glad they are done.
The mood here is purposeful, somewhat somber, but not bad at all. My Dad is hell-bent on delivering a great service for Penny's friends and family. The house looks great, and I applaud my Dad for stepping up HUGE. I think it's the first time I can remember him being a take-charge guy, as in clearly delivering to me/family what he wants to happen. I'm impressed, and happy for him.
I brought my hockey skates since I won't be riding a stationary trainer in a Goddamn gym for exercise. There's 10,000 lakes to choose from, so I'm pumped to hit the rinks and lakes for some exercise. Although, Friday's high will be 2.
Quick hits:
D is now enrolled in a Scottsdale AZ massage school. It's complicated.
John McCain is still rollin, rollin, rollin. LOVE IT.
I'm am so far behind on technology it's pathetic. I can't even discuss HD tv in public or I'll be ridiculed. Whatever...
Goodnight....
Thursday
Vixen
Don't tell me you don't remember these babes.....if you don't well you're missing out on some lyrics that could really steer your life, into a gutter. In sifting through some old CD's I have, I came across some good stuff to share:
Kip Winger told us 'She's only 17, but she's old enough for me'. Kip was about 34 when he waxed those words of wisdom. I believe that his 1988 lyrics led to the No Child Left Behind program, but I can't be sure about that.
Cinderella said "You don't know what ya got, till it's gone". No shit? I didn't figure that out until I was 7 and I lost my Evil Kneivel over a cliff into some river outside of Stillwater, MN.
Slaughter mumbled "Up all night, sleep all day" Having worked in hospitality, that is an ode to Night Auditors who are grouchy, pale, crusty, and generally enjoy gay porn. Hey - whatever you're into, right?
Warrant cried "Where the down boys go, I wanna go where the down boys go" Well if Janie Lane is a 'down boy' then I'm headed the other f*ckin' direction. Have you seen that human train wreck these days? Holy crap, he's even played in Flagstaff, and you don't play in Flagstaff unless you are bluegrass, or desperate for a gig - and Warrant isn't strumming strings and singin' about prison breaks.
Wednesday
My hat goes off to the Independent voters in New Hamp because they have once again given Johnny Maverick a lifeline and a pulpit to preach from. As a registered Democrat, I get a lot of flack for supporting this guy. I mean hell, if we sat down to lunch, we'd see eye to eye on very few issues.
The reason(s) I'm all for Johnny Maverick are summed up in one word. Compromise. Yes, he and I see the immigration the same, but, in no way do we view the war with the same perspective. BUT, I believe his stance on the war could work even if it's not my preferred path. Privatized Social Security, the No Child Left Behind Act, and what the heck to do about Socialized (I know that word scares some of you) Healthcare? Me and Johnny Mav. would have opposing views on a lot of these issues.
Compromise means change, and this is the guy we need. He's Republican enough to bring the fat white guy vote, he finds all of the Independent voters with ease, and enough Dems will hop on board once Hilbama hit the wall in the real election.
Finally, how do you not go with the guy with the hottest wife?
I wish Johnny Maverick success, and although I'm not going to bet my house on it, I think he has a puncher's chance if he can keep the 'MO going down south.
Thursday
Having been at work a lot over the holidays, I have taken every opportunity to get on the trails in between work and sleep. So far this week - 4 1/2 hours of riding. Today - I'm off to Phoenix for a company party, and on the way I'll be stopping for a little 3 hour mountain bike adventure at South Mountain Park. As much as I despise Phoenix, this park has it all. Steep drops, smooth granite, rocky and painful descents and climbs and above all - it'll be 72 this afternoon. Wrap it up with a big seafood dinner and call it a day.
HA HA! The Iowa Caucuses are today. It's amazing to me that this event has so much to do with an election that is 11 months away. I heard this morning that one candidate alone has paid for as many as 8000 television ads in Iowa. What the hell? Couldn't we use that money to, say, pay down the debt that our pathetic leaders have run up over the past seven years? My boy McCain will probably come in a distant 3rd or 4th place behind God-fearing candidates Romney and Huckabee.
D enrolled at NAMTI (Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute). She starts a 6 month program next week - graduating in June. Does this mean I'll get the spouse hookup with regards to massages? Heck no - I bet she'll be too tired to work out my kinks after 8 hours of class M-Th. BUT, I'm pretty excited for her and for us. It'll give her a new career path and a great opportunity to continue making a living in our little mountian town.
Snow tonight through Sunday means skinning up Snowbowl at sunrise. It should be a great weekend.
HA HA! The Iowa Caucuses are today. It's amazing to me that this event has so much to do with an election that is 11 months away. I heard this morning that one candidate alone has paid for as many as 8000 television ads in Iowa. What the hell? Couldn't we use that money to, say, pay down the debt that our pathetic leaders have run up over the past seven years? My boy McCain will probably come in a distant 3rd or 4th place behind God-fearing candidates Romney and Huckabee.
D enrolled at NAMTI (Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute). She starts a 6 month program next week - graduating in June. Does this mean I'll get the spouse hookup with regards to massages? Heck no - I bet she'll be too tired to work out my kinks after 8 hours of class M-Th. BUT, I'm pretty excited for her and for us. It'll give her a new career path and a great opportunity to continue making a living in our little mountian town.
Snow tonight through Sunday means skinning up Snowbowl at sunrise. It should be a great weekend.
Monday
Did you get a few of those "year in review" letters that people like to write? I got one that was written in the third person! "Nancy decided to take up hiking, and found a wonderful outlet for her daily stress". Of course, that quote was from a letter written by.....Nancy.
So as a tribute, I figured I ought to at least give an old College try to authoring a quick year in review in the third person. Here we go:
Chris doesn't know what to make of 2007. He goes from a honey-do job of painting two bedrooms in January to losing his Step-Mom to ovarian cancer on 12/30. All Chris learned is that things happen fast, and if he doesn't make choices, then time will make the choices for him.
In between Chris saw his lovely wife die a slow death in the corporate world, spin out of that with some control looking for a path to take, and then re-inventing herself on 12/31 with the decision to attend a massage school in Sedona starting 1/8/08. He saw his daughter embrace school, cycling, skateboarding, and he learned through her a lot more about patience, and the importance of direct communication.
Chris found solace in race results, with a 2nd place in a hotly contested mountain bike race in August, and a 9th place in a tough 52 miler in early October. The rest of the races before and after were just that, races. A few crashes, a few mechanicals, and some frustrating results to fuel the fire to race more.
OK, enough of that...Happy New Year. Cheers to health, health, and more health. You can't have the rest of life without it.
CB
So as a tribute, I figured I ought to at least give an old College try to authoring a quick year in review in the third person. Here we go:
Chris doesn't know what to make of 2007. He goes from a honey-do job of painting two bedrooms in January to losing his Step-Mom to ovarian cancer on 12/30. All Chris learned is that things happen fast, and if he doesn't make choices, then time will make the choices for him.
In between Chris saw his lovely wife die a slow death in the corporate world, spin out of that with some control looking for a path to take, and then re-inventing herself on 12/31 with the decision to attend a massage school in Sedona starting 1/8/08. He saw his daughter embrace school, cycling, skateboarding, and he learned through her a lot more about patience, and the importance of direct communication.
Chris found solace in race results, with a 2nd place in a hotly contested mountain bike race in August, and a 9th place in a tough 52 miler in early October. The rest of the races before and after were just that, races. A few crashes, a few mechanicals, and some frustrating results to fuel the fire to race more.
OK, enough of that...Happy New Year. Cheers to health, health, and more health. You can't have the rest of life without it.
CB
Sunday
Friday
I think I figured out why I've been snowshoeing up Snowbowl at 5am for the past couple of weeks.
6 In The Morning
I read somewhere
once
about a writer
who
as he got older
no longer
stayed up late at night
chasing his demons
instead
he’d get up early
and grab the bitch
by the throat
I guess that’s why
I’m writing this
at 6
in the morning
6 In The Morning
I read somewhere
once
about a writer
who
as he got older
no longer
stayed up late at night
chasing his demons
instead
he’d get up early
and grab the bitch
by the throat
I guess that’s why
I’m writing this
at 6
in the morning
Wednesday
Just a bunch o' random stuff to chew on
My Dad once said "Life's a bitch and then you die". It's not like anyone else hasn't said that a million times, but I think he really meant it when he said it 27 years ago, and I think if you asked him now he'd still say the same thing. I remember him saying it vividly when we were on a fishing trip.
I definately have a different outlook, and I think it goes a little something like this:
-Wake up and hit it...hard...everyday, but don't forget to stop every now and then to take inventory of yourself. Make decisions instead of time making decisions for you. karma is real. If you're not having fun then clarify why not, and make some changes -
Shallow, I know, but that's all I can come up with after 40 years. It's a good thing there are philosophers and therapists out there who actually put some thought into this stuff. OK - so I had some fun last night.....Me and D laughed a lot watching a movie, and then I got to go skiing this morning for a short bit. The temp was -4 at the top @ 7:00am, but the descent was great after another hike up to the top. We need more snow soon. I'm staying in shape with these hillclimbs, and I hope it translates to cycling fitness next month. The AZ racing calendar starts 1/19 for me in Phx.
On the campaign trail, things are gettin' kinda hectic in Iowa. Huckabee is making a nice run at the GOP victory, and Obama - thanks to Oprah - is digging into Cheap Thrill Hillary's "lead". I had a hilarious conversation with one of my right-wing friends last week. A friend who absolutely, positively will vote for the most Christian candidate egardless of his views of the socio-economic issues. He was pleasantly surprised to know that I'm still supporting John McCain in his bid in spite of my tree-hugger, liberal reputation. However, he isn't voting for McCain because he's not religious enough. McCain will probably not even make it out of the GOP primary because of voters like my religious buddy Ken. However if he does survive, McCain is the only guy in my opinion who can get Dem, GOP and Independent votes. Ron Paul - whatever. Guiliani, Thompson, Edwards - irrelevant. I think Huckabee will fall victim to his true self, when everyone is told of how intolerant he is of those with alternative lifestyles.
I don't care who you vote for next year, simply exercising your right is all I hope for. But if you're on the fence, look up McCain - and his Cougar wife - and give it some thought. He's realistic about getting out of Iraq, he's written a fair approach to solving the immigration issues, and he's a guy who is not afraid to say the unpopular thing because he believes it.
My Dad once said "Life's a bitch and then you die". It's not like anyone else hasn't said that a million times, but I think he really meant it when he said it 27 years ago, and I think if you asked him now he'd still say the same thing. I remember him saying it vividly when we were on a fishing trip.
I definately have a different outlook, and I think it goes a little something like this:
-Wake up and hit it...hard...everyday, but don't forget to stop every now and then to take inventory of yourself. Make decisions instead of time making decisions for you. karma is real. If you're not having fun then clarify why not, and make some changes -
Shallow, I know, but that's all I can come up with after 40 years. It's a good thing there are philosophers and therapists out there who actually put some thought into this stuff. OK - so I had some fun last night.....Me and D laughed a lot watching a movie, and then I got to go skiing this morning for a short bit. The temp was -4 at the top @ 7:00am, but the descent was great after another hike up to the top. We need more snow soon. I'm staying in shape with these hillclimbs, and I hope it translates to cycling fitness next month. The AZ racing calendar starts 1/19 for me in Phx.
On the campaign trail, things are gettin' kinda hectic in Iowa. Huckabee is making a nice run at the GOP victory, and Obama - thanks to Oprah - is digging into Cheap Thrill Hillary's "lead". I had a hilarious conversation with one of my right-wing friends last week. A friend who absolutely, positively will vote for the most Christian candidate egardless of his views of the socio-economic issues. He was pleasantly surprised to know that I'm still supporting John McCain in his bid in spite of my tree-hugger, liberal reputation. However, he isn't voting for McCain because he's not religious enough. McCain will probably not even make it out of the GOP primary because of voters like my religious buddy Ken. However if he does survive, McCain is the only guy in my opinion who can get Dem, GOP and Independent votes. Ron Paul - whatever. Guiliani, Thompson, Edwards - irrelevant. I think Huckabee will fall victim to his true self, when everyone is told of how intolerant he is of those with alternative lifestyles.
I don't care who you vote for next year, simply exercising your right is all I hope for. But if you're on the fence, look up McCain - and his Cougar wife - and give it some thought. He's realistic about getting out of Iraq, he's written a fair approach to solving the immigration issues, and he's a guy who is not afraid to say the unpopular thing because he believes it.
Monday
Back to life, back to reality...
After a 3-night hiatus in Tucson with family, I am back at work this week - yup, I'm working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's not a big deal - Lyza is with her Mom for Christmas and now that we had a chance to catch up with family, working this week feels pretty normal.
Up at 4:45am this morning, drove to the base of the Snowbowl, and snowshoed up again. This time I took a longer route. 1.5 hour hike up, and 6 minutes to get down - I took my time since the hike hurt this morning. A couple of pitches were so steep, I was moving 3-6 inches at a time, and almost fell ass over tea kettle down the slope. It was a full moon, temps were warm in the teens, and the sun just hit the horizon as I turned my board downhill. My camera wouldn't even do it justice, so I'll bank the memory. I needed this bustout, after a few shitburgers the past couple of days.
1.) Of virtually no importance whatsoever, I believe I smashed my laptop screen by pushing the power seat button a little too much on the way home from Tucson. It's DONE - no screen left.
2.) Of huge importance, my Step-Mom is really hurting - she's resting comfortably on morphene - but she's struggling in her long fight with ovarian cancer.
3.) I can't even go into the 3rd one yet since I don't have all the details.
I had a great year in a lot of ways, but it just seems like things come crumbling down sometimes - all at once. Fortunately, I've learned a lot about resilience, persistence, and patience - ironically a lot of it from a 6 year old. F*ck - I'll need it to get through the next couple of months.
Hell - the Small Town Douche Bags are even falling down a bit. We may be down to 3 riders as one may have to bow out with a back injury. I guess in a sickly, suffering way I'm pretty psyched to bury myself into the ground Feb 15th in Tucson. I'd love to ride 100+ miles on that cactus filled dirt course - it would be great training for the real races that start in March.
I hope you have a warm, safe holiday season. Here's to a new slate for 2008. Personally, and politically (it's about time).
After a 3-night hiatus in Tucson with family, I am back at work this week - yup, I'm working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's not a big deal - Lyza is with her Mom for Christmas and now that we had a chance to catch up with family, working this week feels pretty normal.
Up at 4:45am this morning, drove to the base of the Snowbowl, and snowshoed up again. This time I took a longer route. 1.5 hour hike up, and 6 minutes to get down - I took my time since the hike hurt this morning. A couple of pitches were so steep, I was moving 3-6 inches at a time, and almost fell ass over tea kettle down the slope. It was a full moon, temps were warm in the teens, and the sun just hit the horizon as I turned my board downhill. My camera wouldn't even do it justice, so I'll bank the memory. I needed this bustout, after a few shitburgers the past couple of days.
1.) Of virtually no importance whatsoever, I believe I smashed my laptop screen by pushing the power seat button a little too much on the way home from Tucson. It's DONE - no screen left.
2.) Of huge importance, my Step-Mom is really hurting - she's resting comfortably on morphene - but she's struggling in her long fight with ovarian cancer.
3.) I can't even go into the 3rd one yet since I don't have all the details.
I had a great year in a lot of ways, but it just seems like things come crumbling down sometimes - all at once. Fortunately, I've learned a lot about resilience, persistence, and patience - ironically a lot of it from a 6 year old. F*ck - I'll need it to get through the next couple of months.
Hell - the Small Town Douche Bags are even falling down a bit. We may be down to 3 riders as one may have to bow out with a back injury. I guess in a sickly, suffering way I'm pretty psyched to bury myself into the ground Feb 15th in Tucson. I'd love to ride 100+ miles on that cactus filled dirt course - it would be great training for the real races that start in March.
I hope you have a warm, safe holiday season. Here's to a new slate for 2008. Personally, and politically (it's about time).
Wednesday
Tuesday
Images from the top of Arizona.....7:00am 12/16. The lifts weren't running yet. The snow was freshly groomed. Not a sign of wildlife, but an pinkish incandescent sunrise. Snowshoeing up took about an hour of hard work, but it was worth it. The winds were completely still at 11,500 feet, and you could see the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north. Then.....a 3 minute plunge to the bottom on smooth snow. It was a great start to Sunday.
Sunday
4-0....
When my Mom turned 40 I remember it being a 'sorta roast' from her friends. Over the hill comments, ect. I'm not really sure why 40 is such a landmark other than it usually means you're probably starting to slow down mentally, physically, etc... Well I turn 4-0 tomorrow. According to female, African-American rappers, "Age ain't nuttin' but a numba".
Yesterday was a blur. I left Flagstaff with Rob at 7:15am. It was 2 degrees. By the time we started riding in Sedona it as just below freezing - much, much better. We had a great ride on the frozen red dirt, which gradually turned to sticky mud as we wrapped up the ride around 11:45am. A good 3.5 hour ass pounding was just what I needed. Then over to work for 3 hours, and off to do some X-mas shopping.
I got Bodhi and Jamocha out at 9pm for an hour bust-out in the snow. Bodhi, being the young pup he is, found a porcupine, and now has 15 darts in his nose and face. I pulled two out and he's about done with me doing that. We're probably looking at a vet visit tomorrow morning to tranquilize his ass and pull them out. These goddamn dogs are a blessing, and an expensive one at that. I love the little guy though. He took his punishment, and he hasn't whimpered once. Hopefully he'll learn.
Up at the crack of ass this morning (5am to be exact). Picked up Aaron and we drove 13 miles to the base of the ski resort. Strapped on the snowshoes and walked up the slopes to 11,500 feet in a little over an hour. I was soaked with sweat, but man - watching the sun rise over the valley was friggin' spectacular. Pics to follow this week. All of that for one 3 minute bomber run down the mountain on the snowboard.....it was fresh groomed cordury - perfect for long carving turns. Now - it's 8:30am and I'm done for the day.....done working out, and on to cleaning the damn house. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean sh*t - you still have to keep the place respectable.
I'm taking the day off tomorrow to ski free on my birthday. This time I'm not hiking up for one run down. It should be a good time, but I'll feel like a sandbagger. There's some real soul food in earning your downhill run.
Finally - the Small Town Douche Bags are officially a team at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in February. We could be good, we could be marginal, but we'll have fun doing it.
When my Mom turned 40 I remember it being a 'sorta roast' from her friends. Over the hill comments, ect. I'm not really sure why 40 is such a landmark other than it usually means you're probably starting to slow down mentally, physically, etc... Well I turn 4-0 tomorrow. According to female, African-American rappers, "Age ain't nuttin' but a numba".
Yesterday was a blur. I left Flagstaff with Rob at 7:15am. It was 2 degrees. By the time we started riding in Sedona it as just below freezing - much, much better. We had a great ride on the frozen red dirt, which gradually turned to sticky mud as we wrapped up the ride around 11:45am. A good 3.5 hour ass pounding was just what I needed. Then over to work for 3 hours, and off to do some X-mas shopping.
I got Bodhi and Jamocha out at 9pm for an hour bust-out in the snow. Bodhi, being the young pup he is, found a porcupine, and now has 15 darts in his nose and face. I pulled two out and he's about done with me doing that. We're probably looking at a vet visit tomorrow morning to tranquilize his ass and pull them out. These goddamn dogs are a blessing, and an expensive one at that. I love the little guy though. He took his punishment, and he hasn't whimpered once. Hopefully he'll learn.
Up at the crack of ass this morning (5am to be exact). Picked up Aaron and we drove 13 miles to the base of the ski resort. Strapped on the snowshoes and walked up the slopes to 11,500 feet in a little over an hour. I was soaked with sweat, but man - watching the sun rise over the valley was friggin' spectacular. Pics to follow this week. All of that for one 3 minute bomber run down the mountain on the snowboard.....it was fresh groomed cordury - perfect for long carving turns. Now - it's 8:30am and I'm done for the day.....done working out, and on to cleaning the damn house. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean sh*t - you still have to keep the place respectable.
I'm taking the day off tomorrow to ski free on my birthday. This time I'm not hiking up for one run down. It should be a good time, but I'll feel like a sandbagger. There's some real soul food in earning your downhill run.
Finally - the Small Town Douche Bags are officially a team at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in February. We could be good, we could be marginal, but we'll have fun doing it.
Friday
Fryday bluddy Friday...
"It doesn't make me feel comfortable to see a guy walking alone carrying a shovel around the city. Snow shovels are okay, I'm talking about earth-moving shovels here. A guy carrying a shovel around at night has secrets, things you don't want to know. Carrying a shovel means that the person has either just dug up something or is on his way to bury something. And it's worse when you see the guy with the shovel walking around late at night, because then you know whatever needs digging can't wait until morning. If I was a cop I would probably get in trouble for profiling guys carrying shovels around because my only police tactic would be to follow these people until they lead me to the scene of their crime."
On another note, I won my 3rd consecutive racquetball tourney last night. I beat Paul the Caveman (He's hairy and he mumbles) in the final. He was pretty tired, and he didn't put up much of a fight. It's time to go pro. Semi-pro that is. Next league starts in Jan and I'm getting the upgrade. It really doesn't mean sh*t. Just better players, more responsibility to play and show up for tournaments, and a couple of free racquets and some shoes. All I know, is that its fun to play with the better players in the state, as it makes me work harder, and its humbling to get your ass kicked by the elite players.
"It doesn't make me feel comfortable to see a guy walking alone carrying a shovel around the city. Snow shovels are okay, I'm talking about earth-moving shovels here. A guy carrying a shovel around at night has secrets, things you don't want to know. Carrying a shovel means that the person has either just dug up something or is on his way to bury something. And it's worse when you see the guy with the shovel walking around late at night, because then you know whatever needs digging can't wait until morning. If I was a cop I would probably get in trouble for profiling guys carrying shovels around because my only police tactic would be to follow these people until they lead me to the scene of their crime."
On another note, I won my 3rd consecutive racquetball tourney last night. I beat Paul the Caveman (He's hairy and he mumbles) in the final. He was pretty tired, and he didn't put up much of a fight. It's time to go pro. Semi-pro that is. Next league starts in Jan and I'm getting the upgrade. It really doesn't mean sh*t. Just better players, more responsibility to play and show up for tournaments, and a couple of free racquets and some shoes. All I know, is that its fun to play with the better players in the state, as it makes me work harder, and its humbling to get your ass kicked by the elite players.
Thursday
Holiday Blues....
Three work-related holiday parties in 7 days has me about DONE with people I don't know very well, obnoxious food offerings, and free booze. As usual, none of this is about the spirit of giving. Then again, neither am I. I want:
This
This
This
Racquetball tourney starts tonight. I'm going for the 3-peat. On the line is a sweet Ektelon Racquetball bag. I want it, I need it, I love it.
Three work-related holiday parties in 7 days has me about DONE with people I don't know very well, obnoxious food offerings, and free booze. As usual, none of this is about the spirit of giving. Then again, neither am I. I want:
This
This
This
Racquetball tourney starts tonight. I'm going for the 3-peat. On the line is a sweet Ektelon Racquetball bag. I want it, I need it, I love it.
Night Rider.....
That's my name. The days are too short. What's a self-professed addicted rider to do? Trainer- hell no. Rollers-not unless there's 6 inches of snowpack on the road.
I rolled out at 9pm to frozen ground, and a light dusting of snow. Traction was superb thanks to the flaky snow, and I climbed and climbed and climbed to warm up. At about 8,500 feet it was as if the last storm had laid a blanket of snow down. Instantly it was 6 inches deep, and as crusty as a high school girl's made up face. Rather than go back the way I came, I forged on. Ride - walk - ride - walk. Finally making it to Schultz Pass road. It was frozen like a skating rink, and I kinda skidded downhill for a mile until the snow relented.
Last Sunday was much better. Roadtrip to Sedona (I say roadtrip - but it is all of about 40 minutes). 58 degrees, sunny, and the red dirt felt like velcro. My new tire setup (Stans tubeless with WTB Exiwolf 2.3's) was amazing. Rear at 36psi, and front at 34psi. The only thing limiting me was my own fitness. We hammered off and on for 2.5 hours until I couldn't push the singlespeed anymore.
I'm committed to riding 6-8 hours per week. Not exactly road racing fitness, but certainly good enough to begin the state series in January racing mid-pack until I get my fitness back around April.
Check this one - My Uncle has become Mel Gibson. Not the racist drunk, nope - the Conspiracy Theory one. He thinks that 'secret societies' are convening to get Hillary into the White House. He isn't even a die hard Republican either. I had to laugh at that one. First - influential secret societies are typically made up of conservative white guys. So....I would tend to believe that these secret societies might be conniving to get, say, Mick Huckabee in office. Or maybe Ron Paul?
Happy f'n Thursday - and Fish - don't think I haven't thought about giving you sh*t about Jon Kitna's predicted 10 win season. Go Vikes...
Tuesday
Tribute to the last true stud of my lifetime..Evel Kneivel died, age 69. Beat up, beat down, broke, spent, and in a hella lot o' pain. Maybe 6-9 months ago, USA Today did about a full page story on him. They listed the number of broken bones, successful and unsuccessful jumps, operations, and the fact that he was piss-poor now. He's also found Jesus through it all.
I saw this guy as an icon as a kid. His insane jumps televised on live network television. Crashes were as frequent as successes so you never knew if he could pull a jump off. The distances seemed ridiculous, the obstacles - too numerous. Cars, vans, trucks, lions, crates of rattlesnakes. Even at the end of his career he tried to jump the Snake River Canyon in a rocket.
There are a lot of young dudes doing incredible things on their motocross bikes these days. Backflips, crazy aerials, you name it. These are conditioned athletes on machines built for stunts. Kneivel? Rode a stock motorcycle with a reinforced frame which of course, severed at the welds several times. His suspension often kicked him up over the front end on a landing, and I would have to imagine that the vertebrae in his back were really what 'suspended' his landings. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Truly crazy. Look up his crashes and successful jumps on youtube and you'll see just how ridiculous this guy was.
Fortunately, I'm a pussy and I couldn't bring myself to the point of wrecking myself just to 'pull it off'. Kneivel was the guy I could never be - so even today I ride my bike vicariously through him, and when I see the next 6 foot drop in the slickrock.....I step off, walk down, and think "damn, Kneivel would ride this with a trike". There is nobody who had his stones, and there is nobody now who would even consider doing what he did for the money he made which by today's standards would amount to squat.
Mr. Kneivel - rest in peace
Another one of your fans
Sunday
Key West is often talked up as the 'Southernmost point in the US'. Actually - South Point, HI is the southernmost point in the US. As usual, entrepreneurs have opened the Southernmost restaurant in the US, the Southernmost farmers market, and the Southernmost vegetable garden in the US. OK - I made those last two up, but I did see several shlocky signs that tried to capitalize on this. What this place is really? The damn windiest point on the island. Sustained winds of 35+ during the day. The surf was anywhere from 8-12 feet, and upwards of 30 on some days. Those giant windmills were a sign of times gone by - replaced by new ones that were about 2x as big - but impossible to get a good picture of. Even these had blades that were probably 30 feet long on each side. That's my goofy ass on the southernmost rock I could find without getting pulled into the ocean. Next stop would be Antarctica unless you could paddle out of the current to Fiji. One other cool thing about this barren place? They catch trophy size Marlin from the cliffs. 1,000 pounders. There was a 35 foot cliff some goofball tourists were jumping off of into the clearest water I could see. However, the thought of dancing with a 1,000 pound marlin overrode my desire to make the jump.
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