The Richmond Roadie

All Souls Day

2011-11-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Praying for the Dead

II Maccabees 12:43-46: "And making a gathering, he [Judas] sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."

Those who've died in a state of grace are not truly "dead"; they are our beloved in Heaven or in Purgatory (on their way to Heaven) and will forever be, world without end, part of the Communion of Saints -- the Church Triumphant (the Saints in Heaven, whether or not they are beatified or canonized), the Church Suffering (the saints in Purgatory), and the Church Militant (the saints on earth).

Because we can't know, aside from those the Church has beatified or canonized, who is already in Heaven, who is in Purgatory for a time, or who is damned, we pray for the dead for the rest of our lives -- assuming they are in Purgatory, while hoping they are in Heaven and not damned.

We also ask those who've died to pray for us. While those whom the Church has deemed to be of the Church Triumphant (the canonized Saints) are in Heaven for certain and are, therefore, in no need of our prayers for them, we've always asked for them to pray for us. As to the Church Suffering in Purgatory, Aquinas teaches that they are not able to know, by themselves, our prayers; however, it is piously believed, and taught by St. Alphonsus Liguori, that God makes our prayers known to them -- not directly, as they are deprived of the Beatific Vision until they enter Heaven, but by infusing this knowledge into their souls. St. Bellarmine teaches that because the Church Suffering is so close to God -- much closer than we are and having the great consolation of knowing they are saved -- their prayers for us are very effective. So, as you pray for your dead loved ones, ask them to pray for you, too!

As to the damned, there is no hope; no prayer can help them and we can't pray formally for those in Hell. The problem, of course, is that we can't know who is damned, and so we pray generally for "all the faithful departed." For those who've died outside of visible Communion with Christ's Church or for those Catholics who've died seemingly without repentance and in scandal, public prayer cannot be offered, but we can most certainly still pray privately with the hope that they've died in a state of grace (i.e., those who are denied a Catholic funeral can't be prayed for liturgically, publicly, but they can most definitely be prayed for -- and should be prayed for -- privately). Priests can even offer Masses for such people privately, without naming them.

Liturgical Prayer
for the Dead

Masses on the 3rd, 7th, and 30th Days and on Anniversaries

In addition to the prayers said just after death, and the prayers of the funeral Mass, it is Catholic practice to have Masses said for the departed on the 3rd, 7th, and 30th days after the death or burial. When tallying the dates for such Masses, one starts counting the day after the date of death or burial as day one. That is, for example, if someone were to die on May 1st and be buried on May 3rd, the Mass said for him on the 7th day should be offered on May 8th (the 7th day after death) or May 10th (the 7th day after the date of burial). Masses are also offered on the anniversaries of the date of death, but these are celebrated on the same date -- i.e., one who dies on May 1, 2005 will have a Mass said on May 1, 2006.

Masses for the dead have infinite value, in the objective order, for the souls of the departed. They also have great subjective value for those who survive in that it is comforting to know that Masses are being offered for one's departed loved ones. So, while the bereaved can arrange such Masses, others, even non-Catholics, can arrange with a priest to have such Masses said, too, which would be a great gift of comfort to survivors (stole fees for such Masses are usually $5 to $10 dollars, depending on the diocese). Such Masses don't necessarily have to be offered in the diocese(s) of the deceased or bereaved; any priest, anywhere in the world, can be asked to offer a Mass for someone (note to non-Catholics: traditional Catholics would be most comforted, or only comforted, by a traditional Mass being offered, depending on how they view the Novus Ordo Mass. So be safe and arrange such things with a traditional priest.).

In any case, it is customary to let the bereaved know you've asked that a Mass be said by sending him a "Mass Card." A Mass Card is much like a greeting card, but with a place to write in the intentions of a requested Mass, the name of the person who arranged the Mass, and, sometimes, the name of the priest who will be offering the Mass. Your church, chapel, or funeral home might have Mass Cards to send, but, if not, you can get them from Catholic gift shops and stationers, too. (Note that Mass Cards aren't only sent to notify people of Masses for their dead loved ones, though this is their most common use; they can be sent to notify someone about Masses offered for other intentions, too, but Mass Cards for the Dead and Mass Cards for the Living are usually decorated very differently).

Masses for the Dead can be offered at almost any time, not only on the days mentioned above. At any time throughout the year after death of a loved one, and also in the years to come, a Catholic would consider it a very beautiful thing to receive a Mass Card letting him know that a Mass is being said for someone he misses. Most importantly, though, aside from the "gift" aspect of offering Masses for a friend's dead relatives, the soul of the departed would receive the benefits of the greatest prayers of the Church and the infinite value of the offering of the Son to the Father for the remission of sins!

Purgatorian Archconfraternity

Another thing to consider for yourself and your loved ones is to enroll in the Purgatorian Archconfraternity -- an organization for whose members, living or dead, Mass is offered.

The Purgatorian Archconfraternity began with a group of Redemptorist Fathers in 1840, headquartered at the Church of S. Maria Monterone in Rome. Their group was raised by Pope Gregory XVI to the status of an Archconfraternity in 1841. After the Second Vatican Council, things went awry with the Archconfraternity as they did with everything else, but the Archconfraternity has been restored by the Transalpine Redemptorist Fathers who live in Golgotha Monastery on the little island of Papa Stronsay, in Orkney, North of Scotland (see video of these monks off the "Fun Stuff" page).

Once enrolled in the Archconfraternity, the traditional Latin Mass will be offered for you or your loved ones, as members of the group, living or dead, every day (except for those days when only one priest is available, or on those days when no Masses are ever offered, such as Good Friday, etc.). The Rosary will be prayed each Monday for dead members. If a living member of the Archconfraternity dies, a special Mass will be offered for him as soon as the priests are notified. One may enroll for a year or for a lifetime, as a single individual or as a family (parents and children). Living members should also try to assist the souls in Purgatory through their prayers and works, especially through the Mass, and should spread this devotion to others, but no obligations bind one under the pain of sin.

The daily Masses and weekly Rosaries offered by the island priests will continue until Jesus comes again, God willing, as long as there are at least three priests on Papa Stronsay. If ever there were two priests, the Masses would be offered weekly. If there were to ever be one priest, obligations would cease -- but vocations are booming. See the Papa Stronsay website (off-site. Will open in new browser window).

For information on the Purgatorian Archconfraternity, write to:

Purgatorian Archconfraternity
Golgotha Monastery Island
Papa Stronsay, KW17 2AR
Orkney, Scotland

Private Prayer
for the Dead

In addition to having a Mass said on the anniversary of a loved one's death as mentioned above, there exists an old Christian custom of fasting, burning a candle for 24 hours, and praying for them on this day (this custom was adopted by Jews in the Middle Ages; they call it "Jahrzeit" as did the medieval German Christians.) Any orthodox traditional or improvised prayer can be prayed at this time, but the Rosary is always appropriate and can be prayed now (or any time) for the dead, offered in the same way it is at Catholic funerals -- i.e., with the Fatima Prayer replaced by the Eternal Rest Prayer. The Eternal Rest prayer is also prayed by itself, offered any time for the dead, when visiting grave sites, and when passing cemeteries. It is a prayer every Catholic should know by heart:

Eternal rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him/her (them). May he/she (they) rest in peace. Amen.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei (eis) Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei (eis). Requiéscat (Requiéscant) in pace. Amen.

We also pray for our dead every time we eat if we pray the After Meal Blessing, another prayer every Catholic should know by heart:

We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest forever. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.

The Penitential Psalms -- i.e., Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142 -- are also prayed for the dead, especially the 129th Psalm, known as De Profundis (Out of the Depths):

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice.		De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: Dómine, exáudi vocem meam.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.		Fiant aures tuae intendéntes: in vocem deprecationes meae.
If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?		Si iniquitátes observaveris, Dómine: Dómine, quis sustinébit.
But there is forgiveness with Thee: because of Thy law I wait for Thee, O Lord.		Quia apud te propitiátio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Dómine.
My soul waiteth on His word: my soul hopeth in the Lord.		Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.
From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in the Lord:		A custodia matutina usque ad noctem: specret Israel in Dómino.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plentiful redemption.		Quia apud Dóminum misericordia: et copiósa apud eum redémptio.
And He shall redeem Israel, from all their iniquities.		Et ipse redimet Israel, ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.

The Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

Another prayer Catholics should be familiar with is that of St. Gertrude the Great (A.D. 1256-1301/2), who was told by Our Lord in a private revelation, that when the following prayer is prayed earnestly, 1,000 souls will be released from Purgatory. Because of the desire to unite the prayer with the merits of the Mass, it is most powerful:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood Of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen.

Heroic Act of Charity

An "Heroic Act of Charity" is the offering of the satisfactory value (not the merits) of all of our sufferings and works of our rest of our lives and of any time we may spend in Purgatory for the relief of the souls in Purgatory. We do this by first deciding to do so, and then praying (using our own words or the more formal prayer below) to offer these things to God through Mary's hands.

Doing this is not a matter of taking a vow; it doesn't bind under pain of sin, and it is revokable (unless one vows never to revoke the Act). But it is a tremendous sacrifice, hence the name. It is truly heroic, a giving up of one's own earned relief from the temporal effects of sin -- even relief of the sufferings of Purgatory -- for the good of others.

In addition to asking God to use their satisfactory works for the souls in Purgatory, those who make this Act also receive a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions) for the souls in Purgatory each time they receive Communion, and each time they hear Mass on Mondays for the sake of the departed. Words to a formal Act of Heroic Charity are as follows:

O Holy and Adorable Trinity, desiring to aid in the relief and release of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, through my devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, I cede and renounce, on behalf of these souls, all the satisfactory part of my works, and all the suffrages which may be given to me after my death. In their entirety, I offer them to Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, that she may use them, according to her good pleasure, for those souls of the faithful departed whom she desires to alleviate their suffering. O my God, deign to accept and bless my offering which I make to Thee through the most august Queen of Heaven and Earth. Amen.

The Days of the Dead

The entire month of November is devoted to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, and Rosaries for the dead are offered during this time (with the Eternal Rest prayer replacing the Fatima prayer as above). The month-long devotion to the Souls in Purgatory begins with the three consecutive "Days of the Dead" at the end of October and early November:

The Days of the Dead are:

All Hallows' Eve: 31 October, the day on which we unofficially recall the realities of Hell and how to avoid it;
All Saints Day, or All Hallows' Day: 1 November, the day on which we officially honor God's Saints of the Church Triumphant; and
All Souls Day: 2 November, the day on which we officially commemorate and pray for all the faithful departed of the Church Suffering.

Some Catholics might pray a Novena for the Holy Souls, the All Souls Novena, or some other such Novena beginning on 24 October and ending on All Saints Day (the eve All Souls Day). Then, after sunset on All Saints Day, we light a candle (preferably one that that had been blessed at Candlemas) and pray the Rosary for the dead. The next day, 2 November, being All Souls Day, we can offer public prayer for the dead by attending one of the three Masses offered for the dead on that day. We also visit the graves of our family members, seeking those special indulgences for them that are only offered on All Souls Day and during the Octave of All Saints:

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, may be gained on the 2nd by making a pious visit to a church to pray a Pater and the Creed, and
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, may also be gained fron 1 November to 8 November by visiting loved ones' graves and praying the Eternal Rest prayer for their peace.

(For more information on the customs associated with
the Days of the Dead, see the Seasonal Customs page)

We are not limited to indulgences for the dead on these Days of the Dead, however. Indulgenced works, prayer, votive offerings, alms-giving, etc., may always be offered for the dead, at any time of the year.

Note that those in Purgatory are also especially remembered on Ember Days. Also note that because those in Purgatory are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Church Militant, all the above prayers, indulgences, and works for the dead are offered by way of beseeching God to apply them for the relief of the Church Suffering.

Courtesy of the Fisheaters website!

On Holy Humility

2011-10-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

On Holy Humility
Thoughts of Blessed Charles de Foucauld
Part Two

“Where has he learnt these things? …Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:2-3).

You took only three years to teach the Truth to the world, O my God, to establish Your Church, to form Your Apostles; but you did not consider it too long to consecrate thirty years to preach the example of humility, of abasing Yourself in a hidden life to men…

“Quid est homo…” How is it possible that God has need of us, who can give Him nothing except that which He has given us? How is it possible to believe that we are in a position to be useful to Him, we, who can do nothing without Him, He, Who can do everything without us?

Let us throw ourselves into abjection, into poverty, into the humble manual labour of Our Lord: love demands imitation: let us love and imitate: “The servant is not greater than the master”; we are little like Jesus. Jesus tells us to follow Him: let us follow Him, share in His life, His works, His occupations, His abasement, His poverty, His abjection; let us be workers, poor workers despised together with Him! Let us wear the same crown of scorn and disdain on our head which He wore. “He who follows me will not walk in darkness;” let us follow Him, imitate Him and be for Him as little brothers who live like Him in all things: “I am the way, the truth and the life”; let us follow this way, let us live the life of Jesus, let us do His works, which are truth…

“I have come to save the world”; we have also the same aim and we must not ransom mankind, but work for its salvation; let us engage the same means as He Himself engaged. Now, these means are not human wisdom, surrounded by luxury and splendor and seated in the first place, but rather Divine Wisdom, concealed under the appearance of a poor Man, a Man who lives by the work of His Hands, a man Who is wise and full of knowledge, but Who is despised, abject, Who has never studied in the schools of men, but Who has been before their eyes and they have known Him as One Who lived humbly, performing lowly work.

Let us follow this Divine example; we are the faithful images of Jesus… We are truly, sharing His whole life, the little brothers of Jesus… Let us never separate ourselves from His work, from His abjection, from imitating Him just like St. Paul, who was filled with love for Him: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.”

From De vita Contemplativa – Franciscan Sisters of The Immaculate (Umbria, Italy) - Contribution and translation: Francesca Romana - This is the second and last of a two part series.

Thank You Rorate Caeli for your thought provoking Posts!!

Religion for Wrestling Fans!

2011-09-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little blah and need a reminder that my life isn't all that bad after all, I take this bad boy out for a spin. This is so unbelievably disturbing, and yet, so entertaining! I often think they just take the ropes down after a wrestling match and "let fly"!

Seriously, if you get sucked into "The Way International" you have no one but yourself to blame! However, on the plus side not only will your mind be "renewed", you'll be certifiably "entertaining"!

Election Reform for a Modern World

2011-09-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

As I watched the Republican "debate" a couple of weeks ago, shaking my head at what an absolute farce debates always are, I couldn't help but feel an impending sense of doom. I fully expect a future election to be determined in a reality show format. Aside from looking clean and apparently STD free, the contenders won't be that different than they are today. They'll be divided into teams (red and blue of course), shake hands, kiss baby's, talk crap about each other, form alliances, lie, cheat, steal, molest pages, and vote each other off the campaign RV. The last one standing is who we're stuck with for the next two, four, or six years. I think you get the idea. Mark my words, it's coming, and like our current crop of candidates "whoever wins, we lose"!

The only individual worth anything in the room was Ron Paul, but it's virtually impossible for him to communicate his message on crucial issues in one or two minute clips. In this age of professional politicians and "image management" he doesn't come off as polished and "dazzling" as some of the others. Unfortunately, on top of being addicted to the government "teat" in some form or another, most people are more concerned about the latest cast off from American Idol and what starlet plans on adopting a starving Asian child. They simply don't have the interest or time to research a candidates positions, they might fall behind on really important things.

If your fellow voters and the media were really interested in putting our country on the right track the media elites who produce these sham "debates" would give candidates enough time (and John Q. Citizen would demand it) to thoroughly explain their positions to a population mentally and morally stunted by our public education system. Alas they're not, and the madness will continue.

Litany of Humility

2011-08-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
Fromthe fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)

Unsolicited Rambling Thoughts and Advice on Dropping Some Weight

2011-08-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Oh to be young again! I remember when I could eat anything I wanted with virtually no consequences! Pizza, hot dogs, chips, ice cream, soda, mac and cheese, fast food, you name it. I indulged in all the staples of the modern American diet. I was in my 20's, very fit from cycling, and had the metabolism of a hummingbird. All that changed when I hit 30. I had stopped riding (and everything else I used to do), but still ate like I was ship wrecked. This overindulgence went on for years until about 6 years ago I decided It was now or never. Like most of America, I was fat, stressed, and depressed about the situation I'd put myself in. Over the years I had, on occasion, dropped a few pounds by walking trails and watching what I ate but I never made what I would call a change in lifestyle. I wasn't motivated enough and I thought I was too busy ("boy I need to start working out soon" I'd tell myself).

One day I got on the scale and realized I'd hit 240 pounds "on the dot"! Spare tire, double chin, budding "moobs", weird drivers license picture, holy crap! I was no longer the 1980's svelt cyclist (175 lbs), I was the 2005 "fat dad who got tired hitting grounders to his little league team". I was embarrassed that I'd let myself go like that! Something in me snapped at that moment. I decided to be a responsible adult and "dig out".

I started out by stretching and walking some local trails at a nearby park. I put my head phones on and walked at a pretty good clip (enough to break a good sweat). I didn't keep track of how far I went, I just made sure I pushed myself. I would do this whenever I was home, and when I was traveling I'd find a local park or neighborhood. It was tough at first. My muscles and joints would ache to the point of discouragement. "Screw this!" I'd say to myself, "you're fat and it's hopeless." Then I'd see someone in a deeper hole than I was in, out there plugging along, and I'd think "it could be worse, and if they can try, you better get your head on straight!".

In terms of getting my head on straight I performed a massive "ego check". I realized I put myself in that situation and it was going to take time and serious effort. I didn't get that way overnight, and fat or skinny I'd never be what I once was physically or in appearance anyways, but I would feel and look better than I did (I'm content to blend in). Coming to a realization of these things took the pressure off and I settled in for the long haul.

I lost some weight from all the walking and changing my diet, and a year or so later I decided to buy a bike (another Bottecchia!). I was very excited to get back on the bike and was quickly humbled. I knew it would be painful, but geeeeez! The first time out I did 10 excruciating, leg burning miles (probably at about 10 mph haha)! I felt jittery, and vulnerable before a car was even in sight. I used to hammer for miles and miles and miles! I could climb fairly well and could bomb down descents without a care in the world (I hit 50 mph a couple of times)! Now, years of inactivity later, I was fat, pasty white, and struggling up a very small incline in my small chain ring. I kept on riding and rediscovered a sport which meant so much to me as a younger man. After setting reasonable goals for time and distance, every chance I got I hit the road and basically punished myself. The weight started to melt off quickly!

I changed my diet radically. No regular soda or juice, junk food, fast food (avoid it like the plague), deep fried food, desert, etc. I wouldn't even take a sample at Costco! I tried as hard as I could to avoid processed "insta meals" and kept my portions of anything I ate reasonable (no buffets either!). I cut out diet soda a couple years ago (completely soda free for two years!) and drink a lot of water and unsweet tea.

For the most part (I'm not a killjoy) I now eat reasonable portions of salad, meat of all kinds, lots of seafood, healthy bread, fruit, vegetables of all sorts, healthy cereal, and dairy (very little cheese). I don't snack much at all and I don't have desert or sweets very often. I fast every week and abstain from meat every Friday. I "takes me vitamins" as well.

If I'm tempted I just remember that I've lost 50 lbs the hard way. I know what whatever it is that's tempting me tastes like, I've had my fair share. I don't need it, I'm an adult and can't eat that crap anymore. I'm can control my will (the Catholic faith has help me immeasurably in this!) and I choose to deny myself.

I think what we feed our minds with has a lot to do with what we feed our bodies as well. In a nutshell, we live in a culture that caters to the basest desires. In fact it often creates or magnifies those desires. It focuses on "the self". If we marinate ourselves in it, which most people do from childhood, it's bound to create unhappiness and confusion. We are constantly fed images as to what "success" is, what "happiness" is, what "fulfillment" is, etc. Problems surface and are settled in the duration of a commercial or sitcom. Good looking/ cool people (not fat slobs) eat lots of fast, un-nutritious food, are ultra fit (if obesity isn't normal, neither is being ripped! Shoot for normal), drive great cars, wind surf, look great dressed immodestly (you're not "hot", dress like you should, not how you want to..), are incredibly promiscuous (STD & guilt free!) and have a better time in the shower than you ever will! Life is seemingly good for them, and that could be you if only you bought___! So you buy___ and you're still in the same boat, only now you're poorer and depressed! It's not reality in any way, shape or form. So maybe, consciously or unconsciously, you eat as a temporary distraction?

Everyone has obstacles, your goal should be to limit them and keep them within reason. Honestly, if you really think about it, you bring the bulk of your problems on yourself to one degree or another. The opposite is true as well.

Try a "culture fast" for a week. Turn off your TV, get away from your computer, throw out your crappy music (or at least box it up) and fill your life with good music and books of substance. Pray often, learn to enjoy silence, being outside, walk and talk with your spouse and kids, talk with a neighbor, plant a garden, buy a telescope, go to a museum, park, zoo, or library.

As for losing weight, you can do that too! You Should!! It's the right thing to do for yourself, your spouse, and your kids! And if you ever need some realistic advice or encouragement please let me know!

Anima Christi

2011-08-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

The Anima Christi is a prayer from around the 14th century. It is still widely used after receiving the body and blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.

Good Times!

2011-08-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I did something that I've never really been able to do due to a hectic work/ travel schedule, I took my wife and daughters "on the road" with me. We had a great time driving through Northern Virginia and Maryland. Tuesday they were able to hang out at the hotel while I went on my appointments. Wednesday we ate lunch at The Shamrock, a restaurant owned by Mike Fitzgerald, a good friend of mine in Thurmont, Maryland. There's nothing better than a bowl of fish chowder at The Shamrock (although they do have a fine pub in the back I need to mention)!

After a great lunch we drove up to Gettysburg and were able to tour the battlefield for several hours! Over the years I've been able to visit every major Civil War battlefield and numerous smaller ones, and Gettysburg was the only one missing. CHECK. This is the 150 anniversary of the war so that made it even better. If you were a Confederate soldier in Pickett's charge, you had a suitcase full of courage (or a knapsack at the very least). Gettysburg, Antietam, and Shiloh are great places to visit if you ever get a chance.

Thursday we had a chance to stop at Mayorga Coffee! Mayorga is a regional coffee that we buy at Costco and their based in Rockville, Maryland. It's our favorite and we were able to buy some different coffee that's not sold at Costco! If you want to buy some I recommend the Cafe Cubano or the Nicaragua, you won't be disappointed. That night I scored a room at the Crown Plaza for dirt cheap, so we slept really well!

Friday I took a vacation day at we spent several hours at the US Botanic Garden in Washington DC. All I can say is WOW!! We've been to several gardens over the years including Bouchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. The USBC is one of the best and we'll being going back whenever we visit DC.

Over all it was a great week and it was nice to have some company "on the road".

Story Songs

2010-07-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was using "the facilities" at a restaurant in Silver Spring, Maryland (side note-If Somalia is wondering where all of its citizens disappeared to, they're in Silver Spring, MD, Columbus, OH & driving Taxi's in NYC) and what's playing on the in house play list but "Convoy" by CW McCall! In Southern parlance I'd been "talking to a man about a dog" and now my mind was racing! Now granted Convoy is an extraordinarily stupid song but it was a hit, mostly due to the rural/ truck driving culture that was a fad of sorts in the 70's and early 80's. People flocked to the theater's to watch artistic gems such as Convoy (yes it was a movie, so was Harper Valley PTA!), "Breaker, Breaker" (starring a young Chuck Norris) & "Smokey and the Bandit"! Clint Eastwood was "Philo Beddoe" and beat the crap out of many a meat packer and left Pacoma littered with the bodies of Black Widow's in his "Any Which Way but Loose" movies (still entertaining), this was spun off for TV with "BJ and The Bear" because there's nothing more amusing than the combination of long haul truck driving and sidekick apes.

I guess I've been wondering what has happened to the "story song" genre (Rap doesn't count)? When I was really small I loved Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" and Marty Robbin's "El Paso" ("Big Iron" is great too!). Johnny Horton had big hits with "The Battle of New Orleans" and "North to Alaska". The first one I really liked was Larry Verne's "Mr. Custer" (Hey Charlie duck your head!), that was a real classic! Kenny Roger's (props to Brian Gooch & Grandma Smart) was the last performer I can think of that could pull the "story song" out of his tool box and was able to make some made for TV movies as a result as well. It's sad we've lost this bit of Americana but maybe we don't have any stories to tell anymore, the music/entertainment industry is so crass and profane now maybe it's a good thing.

Capital to Capital Century 2010- A Saturday in Hell

2010-05-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

It's been two days since I completed the Cap2Cap Century and I'm still amazed that I finished.

This was my third consecutive year riding this relatively flat 100 mile route and I felt fairly well prepared to put in a good day "in the saddle". It's not a race mind you, but I do enjoy competing against myself and trying to improve my best time. While I don't have as many miles in at this point as I did last year (weather, work, etc), I'm certainly not in bad shape by any means. Miles wise January and February were meager. In March I squeezed in 300 miles. April was very good and I pounded out 500. I do the bulk of this on weekends and an occasional office week. Plus, I've spent much of the last year focusing on overall conditioning and I'm feeling like I'm in the best shape of my life overall.

That being said, when I woke up Saturday morning I felt like I could at least equal last year's time of 5 hours and 15 minutes. At 7:30 am a couple hundred of us rolled out on the road to Colonial Williamsburg. Much of the route is absolutely beautiful and the scenery is amazing. We cut through small towns and pass Colonial era plantations on heavily shaded roads. Sometimes the smell of the honeysuckle and gardenia is overpowering!

I jumped into a really decent pace line of about 20 riders and after warming up we were steaming along at an average speed of about 25 mph! I took a couple of good pulls at the front and we rolled into the first rest area. I refilled my bottles and ate a banana and a Clif bar. About 10 minutes later we were off again and clipping along at a good pace. As we were going past some open fields I noticed that we were being helped by a very stiff tailwind and our average speed was now around 32 or 33 mph. While this was deliriously fun heading toward the turn around point, I knew if the wind didn't change directions it would be a suck fest of mammoth proportions on the way back.

At the 50 mile turnaround I ate, drank, and relaxed in the shade for a little bit. It was starting to get hot and the wind was really picking up. I don't like sitting for too long because you start to stiffin' up, so I decided to get moving. I was talking with one of the ride volunteers when someone started yapping over his radio that they need an ambulance somewhere. A rider had been blown into another rider and they both went down pretty hard! Yikes! I took off with a couple of other guys and as we were heading over the James River bridge the wind felt UNREAL! I thought it was because we were on a bridge (duh!) but that was not the case. The bridge is not long, nor steep but it seemed to take forever to cross. We were going about 12 mph!

Once we crossed the river and got into the tree line it was a little better, but not much. We wanted to form an echelon, a great way to get in someones draft in a crosswind. But that doesn't work to well on a fairly well traveled road. The choice was echelon and risk getting thumped by a car or suffer in the wind. We chose the wind. The next 50 miles was by far the worst physical suffering I've ever felt in my life! We tried to stay together but eventually we were separated. You want to help a guy, but you can only do so much. You just go at whatever pace you think you can maintain. I did everything I could think of to distract myself from the pain. I said my Rosary. I asked every Saint I could think of to pray for me. I said an unknown number of Hail Mary's. I recited every prayer I could think of several times over.

The last 25 or 30 miles were a nightmare of freakish pain! I Filled my bottles at the last rest stop and ate again. I was only there about five minutes and took off again with Robert. Robert and I had ridden about 50 miles together off and on during the ride. He unintentionally dropped me on the first "hill" and he was a constant dot on the horizon for the next 15 miles or so. I finally caught him, and unintentionally dropped him about 2 miles later. I actually wanted to quit with 12 miles to go, then I saw a pair of crap filled white jockey shorts laying on the side of the road! How FREAKING BIZARRE! I've seen a lot of debris on the side of the road in my time but I can honestly say that was a first! I thought "if you quit with twelve miles to go after all you've been through today that will sum it all up"! So I put my head down and kept going. With three miles to go I had another first, my quads started cramping like mad! I had to put pressure on certain points to keep them from totally imploding.

When I finally crossed the line I was emotionally spent. I felt nothing whatsoever. No joy. No sense of accomplishment. Nothing. I just sat on a chair and tried not to fall over. I started feeling light headed and having sharp stomach cramps and decided to use a Port o' John. After a few minutes in there the cramps started to get so bad that I decided it was time to vamoose! I didn't want to pass out and die in a portable crapper. That's not a noble way to go and would not sit well with the wife and kids. So I staggered over to some grass and layed down for about 20 minutes.

Finally I felt good enough to partake of the lunch they provided. I had some "Buzz and Ned's" barbecue and tried to drink as much as I could. Carol came and picked me up. She'd been at the soccer fields all day with the girls and was worried about me when she saw how windy it was. Sunday I was not feeling too hot at all, but I'm doing much better today. I still feel extremely weak, but the stomach cramps are almost gone.

I'll be working in Albany this week. Usually I'd already be thinking about the upcoming weekends rides. At the moment it's the last thing I want to think about.

End Result- 103 miles in 6 hours, 5 minutes.

"Barkeep, Give Me a Shackelton's OTR Stat"!

2010-02-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

Since we live in a country chock full o' metro sexuals and other wussified males, many of whom would stay jobless if they couldn't find a job in their "field of expertise", imagine what kind of man it took to answer the following 1907 ad...

“Wanted. Men for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in the event of success.”

Men of a different time, no doubt about it. With the conditions (freezing temps, stiff winds, cobbled roads) of the early classics almost upon us, imagine that ad running in some small Belgian paper. If you're not familiar with the tale of Shackleton and "The Endurance", you should be!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton would have made one hell of a patron!

Of all the discoveries a modern day adventurer could make, this has to be amongst the coolest (literally)!

Shackleton's whisky stash recovered

(UKPA) – 6 hours ago

A stash of whisky which lay buried under Antarctic ice for more than 100 years has been recovered by a team restoring explorer Ernest Shackleton's hut.

The spirit, five crates in total, was made by McKinlay and Co, and drinks group Whyte & Mackay has asked for a sample to carry out tests with a view to re-launching the brand.

New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust team leader Al Fastier said the team thought there were two whisky and brandy crates and were amazed to find five.

Mr Fastier said restoration workers found the crates under the hut's floorboards in 2006, but they were too deeply embedded in ice to be dislodged.

The New Zealanders agreed to drill the ice to try to retrieve some bottles, although the rest must stay under conservation guidelines agreed to by 12 Antarctic Treaty nations.

Ice has cracked some of the crates and formed inside them. Mr Fastier said that would make extracting the contents delicate, but the trust would decide how to do so in the coming weeks.

Richard Paterson, master blender at Whyte & Mackay, whose company supplied the Mackinlay's whisky for Shackleton, described the find as "a gift from the heavens for whisky lovers".

He added: "If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated. Given the original recipe no longer exists, this may open a door into history."

Shackleton's expedition ran short of supplies on its long ski trek to the South Pole from the northern Antarctic coast in 1907/09 and turned back about 100 miles short of its goal.

The expedition sailed away in 1909 as winter ice formed, leaving behind supplies, including the whisky and brandy.

Requiem in Pace- Richard Kite

2010-01-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

On Veteran's Day 2009, one of the best friends I've ever had went on to his eternal reward. Dick was a fine Christian man, dedicated Patriot, and the most quietly charitable man you'd ever meet. A widower for a number of years, he lived very modestly, and used his income to help those in need. He was always happy, and never complained about trials in his life.

Every Veteran's day he would walk the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery and pay his respects. This last time he came home and quietly passed away. He was kind enough to let me stay at his home in Alexandria, Virginia every time I worked in the D.C. area. He always insisted on taking me out to dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse or at Hee Been, a Korean restaurant. He was a Bluegrass aficionado and could really play his guitar!

When I initially became interested in learning about Catholicism, Dick was the first person I spoke with and he was able to answer my questions, and straighten out my misconceptions.

Fittingly, The last time I saw him was at my baptism on October 17th at Our Lady of Fatima here in Richmond. He took my family and I out to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant afterwards and we had a great time. My wife and children loved him.

We will miss him dearly.

His funeral Mass was at Saint Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church in Washington D.C. It was an overwhelmingly beautiful Latin service. The following Sequence was chanted by a group of priests (in Latin) from a balcony in the cathedral. It was simply amazing.

1. Day of wrath and doom impending, David's word with Sibyl's blending, Heaven and earth in ashes ending.

2. O what fear man's bosom rendeth, When from Heaven the Judge descendeth, On whose sentence all dependeth.

3. Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth, Through earth's sepulchers it ringeth, All before the throne it bringeth.

4. Death is struck, and nature quaking, All creation is awaking, To its Judge an answer making.

5. Lo, the book exactly worded, Wherein all hath been recorded, Thence shall judgement be awarded.

6. When the Judge His seat attaineth, And each hidden deed arraigneth, Nothing unavenged remaineth.

7. What shall I, frail man, be pleading? Who for me be interceding, When the just are mercy needing?

8. King of majesty tremendous, Who dost free salvation send us, Fount of pity, then befriend us.

9. Think, kind Jesus, my salvation, Caused thy wondrous incarnation, Leave me not to reprobation.

10. Faint and weary thou has sought me, On the cross of suffering bought me, Shall such grace be vainly brought me?

11. Righteous Judge, for sin's pollution, Grant thy gift of absolution, Ere the day of retribution.

12. Guilty now I pour my moaning, All my shame with anguish owning, Spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning.

13. Through the sinful woman shriven, through the dying thief forgiven, Thou to me a hope hast given.

14. Worthless are my prayers and sighing, Yet, good Lord, in grace complying, Rescue me from fires undying.

15. With thy sheep a place provide me, From the goats afar divide me, To Thy right hand do Thou guide me.

16. When the wicked are confounded, Doomed to flames of woe unbounded, Call me with Thy Saints surrounded.

17. Low I kneel with heart's submission, See, like ashes, my contrition, Help me in my last condition.

18. Ah! that day of tears and mourning, From the dust of earth returning.

19. Man for judgement must prepare him, Spare O God, in mercy spare him.

20. Lord all pitying, Jesus blest, Grant them Thine eternal rest. Amen.

Simple Pleasures...

2009-06-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Watching a baseball game while working through a bag of Peanuts (Remember when a ballpark used to reek of cigar smoke, beer, hot dogs, fresh cut grass and dirt? The sights and sounds of pregame BP and warm ups? People using their scorecards? Organ music? That was atmosphere! There was no blaring hip- hop "music" or idiots using spud guns to shoot cheap t-shirt's into the stands? Nobody talking on their cell phone next to you; people were there to watch the game).

Southern cooking (It's hard to beat pork bbq, fried chicken, catfish, fried okra, hushpuppies, slaw, greens, pintos, sweet potato pie, banana pudding, iced tea, etc).

Southern humor (Last week I was talking with an elderly friend in Wilmington, North Carolina. He told me "it's so hot- This morning I saw a dog chasin' a cat and they was both walkin'". I've heard dozens of these over the years, I love em'!).

Amateur Sports (In an era of spoiled, cheating professional athletes; watching a good little league, high school, or college game is a distinct pleasure. I'm also disgusted by the owners, unions, and media who enabled these idiots! It really doesn't matter which sport).

Silence (I love not hearing a TV, radio, cell phone ring/ conversation, etc. This is especially true on a nice, long ride. Just the pedals turning on a finely tuned bike).

A good book (I love a comfortable chair, a cup of joe, and a good read. I love feeling the "heft" of a book in my hands!).

The sights and smell of a bike shop (Bikes, wheels, and tires. A mechanic turning a wrench, or truing a wheel. A conversation taking place. If you don't get it, that's o.k. But you're missing out on something beautiful).

Home garden's (Grow your own! It's always better than what you get at the store. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, beats a tomato sandwich with a tomato from your own garden! Plus, playing in the soil is therapeutic).

2009 Capital to Capital Century

2009-05-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I participated in the "Capital to Capital Century" for the second year in a row. The course is beautiful in a way I can only describe as "Southern" in terrain and spring scents. The 100 mile route ventures along portions of the James River, passing colonial plantations and civil war battlefields. Huge portions of it feel like you're passing through a forest. At 8 AM sharp, several hundred of us who were doing the century left Rocketts Landing on the Richmond waterfront heading towards Williamsburg, Virginia's colonial era capital. Rides of 50 and 25 miles left later that morning. Over 1300 cyclists signed up for the various rides.

There's a lot that goes into preparation for a century (if you want everything to go smoothly). Thursday I cleaned the drive train on my bike and did some minor adjustments. I didn't want any "mechanicals" to ruin my ride. Friday night I loaded up the Honda with all the gear I might need and mixed my water bottles (Hammer Nutrition supplements are the best!). The forecast was for the low 80's and probable thunderstorms. Last year was a bit on the cool side and we had a light rain at times. Carol, Jillian, and I got up very early Saturday morning and hit the road. It was nice to have "my girls" there to see me off.

This year I was very prepared, having about 1,100 miles in my legs. In fact, I'd already done rides of 45 (Monday), 40 (Tuesday), and 28 (Thursday) last week to keep my legs loose. So I felt ready for the challenge. My goal was to have a decent time and finish comfortably.

The first 25 was great. I warmed up and jumped into a great paceline of about 15 cyclists and we were clipping along pretty good. I took some fairly long pulls at the front and my computer said I was between 21 to 25 mph. When I'd slide over to let someone else have a go at the front it was really cool to watch the line move past me. I'd slide down until I saw a gap and then move into the line. On the down side; at about mile 20 or so we ran into some pretty rough road. In fact one stretch of chuck holes caused total chaos! The gal next to me bumped wheels with another cyclist and they both went down very hard. Several of us stopped to help. They both had some nasty road rash, but remarkably decided to continue riding! I saw both of them after the ride, bandaged up and happily chatting with their friends. That's pretty hardcore in my book!

During the second 25 I hooked up with 4 0r 5 riders from Rowlett's, a local shop team (They did all the work, I was invited to sit in). We were flying and I rolled into the Williamsburg rest area in good shape! I ate a Clif Bar and banana. Refilled my bottles and rested in the shade for about 15 minutes. I didn't want to sit for too long, when you do that your legs can get pretty stiff. Plus, it was really starting to heat up so I decided to start the trek back towards Richmond.

Miles 50 to 75 were pretty good. Once again I jumped into a pace line and was able to take some long pulls at the front. By now the temp was in the high 80's and it was very humid. I'm a fanatic when it comes to hydration, so I wasn't having any problems, but I started to notice a number of people sitting on the side of the road rubbing their calves, etc. To their credit, the organizer's did provide a "broomwagon" you could call if you had any problems, so I'm sure they were busy.

The last 25 weren't all that bad. My legs were tired, but not destroyed. I backed it down a bit the last 15 miles or so. I had some great company when I teamed up with Craig, a Rowlett's team member. Craig is on their mountain bike team and riding a friend's road bike (A sweet Litespeed!). We were able to pace each other along whilst chatting. Having someone to suffer with makes it go quicker (thanks Craig!) and is part of the experience as far as I'm concerned.

When I crossed the finish line I had a tremendous sense of accomplishment (and I really wanted to park myself in the shade). I grabbed some food and relaxed with "my girls" and fellow cyclists. We swapped tales and just enjoyed each others company. I got a free massage! I absolutely love cycling! Physically, I don't think there's a harder sport from an anaerobic standpoint. It's a great way to stay in shape and it helps you burn stress. I sleep better and it makes me want to watch what I eat. Not only that, I get some of my best ideas for work presentations while I'm riding! It has its own unique "community" and with its rich history it's a great sport to follow as well. I'm hoping to find another century to do later this year. Who knows, maybe I'll just go out and do one on my own...

Capital to Capital Century Prep

2009-05-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I'll tackle the "Capital to Capital century" again! It's a 100 mile ride from downtown Richmond to Williamsburg and back. I'm not sure how many people are riding the century, but there are around 1000 cyclists registered for the various rides. It makes for quite an atmosphere. Last year I did it in 5 1/2 hours. I'm in much better shape this year and would like to cut my time down. I've been putting in a lot of time at the gym and have a very decent mileage base this spring. My weight is down and my overall strength is up as a result, so I should feel better the 2nd half of the ride. I've been getting my miles in when I'm home, averaging 40- 50 miles an outing several times a week for the last month or so. I've also found some decent climbs, so I've had a lot more "hill work" this year as well. When all is said and done I'm very pumped for this ride! The route is beautiful, I'm feeling great, and I absolutely love my bike!

I found a really cool link to some info about my first "real bike"! Man, did I ever love that Fuji!! I don't have any idea how many miles I put on that bike, but it felt like a part of me. I wish I still had it.

http://www.classicfuji.com/ClubFuji_1985_Page.htm

Friend Dossier #2- Tom Connolly

2009-04-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

When the Connolly family moved from Edinburgh, Scotland to Fresno, Fresno immediately became a better place and Edinburgh has never recovered. I can honestly say that Tom Connolly made my early years tolerable and entertaining! There were numerous times when I was feeling down for a variety of reasons and just being around him was a breath of fresh air. To this day, I've never met a person with a better sense of humor or who cared about his friends more than Tom. I've always appreciated his honesty and sincerity. The following experiences always make me smile and laugh. In fact, I share them with others to this day...

* Tom's family was always very kind to me and I really enjoyed going to his house. His dad was one of the funniest people I've ever met. For example, one time his dad was driving us somewhere and saw a very fat woman waddling down the sidewalk. He said she "looked like 100 lbs of jello in a 50 lb bag"! I use that line to this day! He took us to the horse races a couple of times, I remember falling asleep on a bench. We were in the garage once and he asked me to hand him a "torch". I didn't know what he was talking about! Did he mean blow torch? Who uses a torch? He wanted a flashlight. He thought that was pretty funny! The first time I went to their house, his mom asked me if I wanted a "biscuit". I'd never been offered a biscuit but thought it sounded OK. She brought me a little plate of cookies. I thought that was pretty cool. His sisters, Ann & Louise were always nice as well. I can remember Tom yelling at Louise to shut up their dog, Sammy:)

* The family was hooked on Happy Days and Solid Gold. His dad used to call us into the TV room to check out the Solid Gold dancers. I thought that was hilarious! One time Tom and I were hanging out on our favorite "tanning spot", our thermo nuclear hot roof. We'd managed to get Toms current "dream girl, Kelly F., over to hang out with us. He was rubbing tanning lotion on her shoulders and had a smile a mile wide when he looked at his watch and said "DAMN, I've got to go! Happy Days is on!" He quickly hopped back into the house, threw his shirt on and left! Leaving Kelly confused and me laughing hysterically!

* Tom went through a stage where he had the hots for stoner chicks, or as he called them, "ZZ Top girls!"

* Tom loved to show me British newspapers with crazy pictures from soccer riots! I remember one pic of a girl with a lawn dart stuck in the side of her head! He told me the hooligans would chuck "missiles" i.e. broken beer bottles, lawn darts, etc at their rivals! Crazy!! I think the first day I met Tom (outside McClane's locker room if I remember right) he was wearing a soccer jersey and some snug pants that would've been styling in Edinburgh (but not Fresno).

* Tom always had a love of cars and scooters that apparently afflicts him to this day! We had many a good time tooling around in his Corvair! We'd go to "Dicks" for cheap hamburgers, or go "hang out" on the backside of the airport.

* Tom used to make really cool album covers for our imaginary band "The SKAT Team". SKAT was an acronym for something, I can't remember what though. It had a real "Rude Boy", "Ska" flavor to it. He'd make up some pretty funny song titles on the back. I remember one was "Cuba, a Romantic Country"!

* Tom went on a church sponsored "father/ son camp out" with us once. We rode up the mountain Smart family style, in the back of Dad's pick- up truck. We were hiking in the woods one afternoon and he got pissed when one of the Halverson kids threw a rock at him, so he started rifling rocks back as hard as he could. Brother Halverson complained to dad, who really didn't give a "you know what"! I remember dad felt good when Tom complimented his chili. Tom told jokes and made funny comments in the tent all night, that was one of the best camping trips I remember.

* If you looked up "Kraftwerk" in the encyclopedia you'd see a picture of Tom. Tom is a music FREAK and has pretty good taste. Variety is his middle name! Once flew on a plane with a very fat, sweaty "Buster Bloodvessel" from the Ska band Bad Manners, I was impressed by the story!

* We egged and TP'd many a house back in the day (I'm not proud) and only got caught once! We egged the hell out of some pseudo Nazi kids house; at least we thought he was a Nazi. When your testosterone is flowing, sometimes the thought is all you need. A bunch of us (Me, Tom, Sean S., Bert D, Pat?) set out in the wee hours of the morning in Tom's Corvair, armed with several flats of eggs and chips on our shoulders. When we drove by the kids house we were shocked to see him sitting on his front porch! We drove past, talked it over, and decided his sitting on the porch was "meant to be"! What we didn't expect was for Tom to hop the curb, drive across their lawn, and light him up with his high beams! Insanity ensued as we rained eggs on this kid! The kid retreated into his house (eggs following him inside) screaming for his dad, who came running out in his underwear! Tom, realizing it was time to bolt was grinding his gears trying to get his clutch into reverse! When he did we were practically "burning rubber" in reverse across their lawn (jacking up their grass I'm sure)! When we hit the street Tom pulled forward and started driving down the street, but went only fast enough to let the dad catch up a little, then Tom would drive forward a little more, let him catch up a tad, then drive forward, etc!
While this was happening Bert was chucking eggs at the dad, Sean was screaming "I can't believe this!" over and over, the rest of us were laughing hysterically! The next day we got a call from Tom, we'd been pinched by the cops! The dad had snagged his plate number. An officer called and told us we could clean it up and the parents wouldn't press charges. Tom showed up, we didn't (I can't believe I was that ballsy). I felt guilty for ditching Tom. He told us the parents even fed him!

* In the summer, sometimes we'd go for a walk late at night. If Tom was with us we'd always have to worry that he'd throw a rock or pine cone against a neighbors garage door! He'd say "What would you do if I was to throw this pine cone at that door"? We'd start running fast! KA-BOOM!! We'd hide in a hedge or behind a car! Hangin' with TC was crazy!!

* We did "Air Guitar" at McClane one year. We "performed" Depeche Mode's "People are People" (There's one I wish I could get back. Geeeez!). Tom was the lead singer, I was back up, Brian was Martin Gore, and an Asian kid named Gee played the other keyboard! Some kids cheered, others threw fruit cups at us! In hindsight, I'd throw a fruit cup at myself!

* We (Me, Tom, Pat, and Jason) had an "epic night" on the backside of the airport once. We then drove to Blackbeard's and Tom woke up the next morning with a girls phone number written on his arm, he was excited and called her! He found out later that she was 12 or 13!

* He took a trip back to Scotland once and I wanted to go desperately! I couldn't even come close to paying for something like that so I didn't even broach the subject. It's always been one of my regrets.

Tom, You've always been a solid friend! One of my best!! I have nothing but good memories of hanging out with you and I hope we can get together and reminisce someday soon!

The Wisdom of Joe Sobran

2009-04-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

Teach Your Children Well

In my own experience as a father, I have discovered several simple devices that can illustrate to a child's mind the principles on which the modern state deals with its citizens. You may find them helpful, too.

For example, I used to play the simple card game WAR with my son. After a while, when he thoroughly understood that the higher ranking cards beat the lower ranking ones, I created a new game I called GOVERNMENT. In this game, I was Government, and I won every trick, regardless of who had the better card. My boy soon lost interest in my new game, but I like to think it taught him a valuable lesson for later in life.

When your child is a little older, you can teach him about our tax system in a way that is easy to grasp. Offer him, say, $10 to mow the lawn. When he has mowed it and asks to be paid, withhold $5 and explain that this is income tax. Give $1 to his younger brother, and tell him that this is "fair". Also, explain that you need the other $4 yourself to cover the administrative costs of dividing the money. When he cries, tell him he is being "selfish" and "greedy". Later in life he will thank you.

Make as many rules as possible. Leave the reasons for them obscure. Enforce them arbitrarily. Accuse your child of breaking rules you have never told him about. Keep him anxious that he may be violating commands you haven't yet issued. Instill in him the feeling that rules are utterly irrational. This will prepare him for living under democratic government.

When your child has matured sufficiently to understand how the judicial system works, set a bedtime for him and then send him to bed an hour early. When he tearfully accuses you of breaking the rules, explain that you made the rules and you can interpret them in any way that seems appropriate to you, according to changing conditions. This will prepare him for the Supreme Court's concept of the U.S. Constitution as a "living document".

Promise often to take him to the movies or the zoo, and then, at the appointed hour, recline in an easy chair with a newspaper and tell him you have changed your plans. When he screams, "But you promised!", explain to him that it was a campaign promise.

Every now and then, without warning, slap your child. Then explain that this is defense. Tell him that you must be vigilant at all times to stop any potential enemy before he gets big enough to hurt you. This, too, your child will appreciate, not right at that moment, maybe, but later in life.

At times your child will naturally express discontent with your methods. He may even give voice to a petulant wish that he lived with another family. To forestall and minimize this reaction, tell him how lucky he is to be with you the most loving and indulgent parent in the world, and recount lurid stories of the cruelties of other parents. This will make him loyal to you and, later, receptive to schoolroom claims that the America of the postmodern welfare state is still the best and freest country on Earth.

This brings me to the most important child-rearing technique of all: lying. Lie to your child constantly. Teach him that words mean nothing--or rather that the meanings of words are continually "evolving", and may be tomorrow the opposite of what they are today.

Some readers may object that this is a poor way to raise a child. A few may even call it child abuse. But that's the whole point: Child abuse is the best preparation for adult life under our form of GOVERNMENT.

Hell of the North!

2009-04-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Tom Boonen avoided the carnage in the Arenberg Forest and basically brutalized his opponents to win his 3rd Paris- Roubaix in 5 years. He opened up a 15- 20 second gap with 13 kilometers to go and that was that. Never let a two time winner power up the road (easier said than done no doubt)! The Belgian flag should have a cobblestone right smack in the middle of it.

More Important Things...

Last Sunday was a great day! We went to Easter Mass at St. Joseph's, it was a beautiful service and really reminded me of what's ultimately important in life. God and family. God has truly blessed me in innumerable ways, far more than I deserve! I cannot possibly express how thankful I am for all that He has done for me. I'm even thankful for the trials. They've made me a spiritually stronger and more sympathetic person. There's a lot of disturbing things going on in our country and the world on many levels. Most, if not all of it angers and disgusts me. It's as if a fire hose of ignorance has been opened up by and on humanity. However, it's important to not lose sight of the of the many, many wonderful things that happen on a daily basis as well.

I just want to leave "the vineyard" in a little better shape for my posterity. The older I get, the more apparent my own mortality becomes I guess.

Belgian Bad Ass!!

2009-04-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Stijn (Stain) Devolder, and his posterity, will never have to pay for a beer in Belgium again after he won his second consecutive Tour of Flanders! With 261 km of racing in the wind and on some perversely steep cobbled hills, you must have an iron will, legs, and lungs to finish this race, let alone win it! What a perfect stud this guy is!

This week the "Monuments" continue with Ghent- Wevelgem and my personal favorite, Paris- Roubaix. I predict good rides from Fabian Cancellera, Heinrich Haussler, and Tom Boonen. Cobbles, cobbles, cobbles!!

I had a great ride yesterday. It was a beautiful 68 degrees, I did both hills on Old Gun Road and felt great! 44 miles in 2 1/2 hrs! Today it poured rain (urgh!), so I hit the gym after I did my office work. I'm really looking forward to the Capital to Capital Century next month. It's a beautiful ride from Richmond to Williamsburg and back. Last year I was recovering from a back injury, I finished just fine but was suffering a little towards the end. I'm in much better shape this year and want to finish strong.

Friend Dossier # 1- Brian Gooch

2009-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

When I think back on some of the positive things about growing up in Fresno, several friends immediately come to mind. I'm amazed at how fast time passes and regret not keeping in touch with a guy who has been a family friend for many, many years. Good friends are hard to come by, and I'm thankful to have exchanged some funny memories with him in the last couple of days. That "conversation" sparked the memories listed below...

*Brian had the first Atari I ever set eyes on. My brother Patrick and I spent a lot of time at his house playing Pac- Man, Asteroids, Space Invaders, and who knows what else. Brian was a video game master!

*Brian's house was so close to the railroad tracks that it'd shake when the train roared by!

* Whilst in front of Brian's house, my dad once lit some sort of explosive (I think it was July 4th) and through it into the air; when it exploded the street lights flickered and went out! We hid in the house and watched a police car cruise by, looking for suspicious "activity"!

* Brian had a "Doughboy" pool and we used to swim at his house quite a bit. One time, Pat and Brian started playing around by slap fighting. After a few minutes, they were slapping the ever lovin' crap out of each other!

* Brian always had the ultimate tan! After a cold, foggy winter; all he had to do was think about the sun and "POW" he was four shades darker than I could ever hope to be! I was always envious.

* Not only was he tan, he was ripped! He probably still is...

* One time, he and Pat had a hot dog eating contest on the patio of the local Der Weinerschnitzel!
I don't remember the numbers (it was disturbing to behold), but I thought he was crazy to try and out eat Pat. I think one of them yacked up a lawn and leaf bag's worth of chile cheese dogs!

*Speaking of yacking, Brian bought a pretty sweet Team Fuji (blue and yellow I think) and would ride with us on occasion. One time he had to stop, and he yacked on somebody's front yard! I always wished he'd of kept riding. He had freakishly huge legs! It's a shame those bad boy's weren't put to good use.

* He and Pat once shot up his backyard fence with a pellet gun. His mom, not knowing her own son was the culprit, freaked out and called the police. Brian "played dumb" when the cops came by, denying knowledge of anything. He hid the pellet gun between his mattresses. Pat once shot a girl (with the same pellet gun) in the butt, sniper style, from Brian's bedroom window. I don't think they escaped that one.

* Brian toilet papered his own house at least once! WTH?

* He once got into a fight with some kid named Eddie. We we're at Mayfair elementary playing baseball. I don't remember how it started, or who came out on top.

*He had numerous jobs. Taco Bell, Long John Silvers (deep fryer burns), and Televideo. He was robbed at least twice at Televideo, one time he was left hogtied in the restroom! He bussed tables with me at Roger Rocka's Music Hall and I think he got me a bussing job at some no-name diner. It sucked, and I quit a couple of days later.

* He usually had impeccable taste in music, but for some unknown reason was hooked on the album/ song "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie, and several Kenny Roger's songs! He'd play them all the time; perhaps he was trying to get Pat and I to go home!

* His mother's funeral was the first Catholic service I ever attended. I felt terrible for him and wished I could say something profound to comfort him. That's a rough thing for a teenager to go through. Sometimes, life can be pretty serious.

I'm sure I'll have more memories "surface" as we reminisce. I certainly hope he has as good of an opinion of me, as I do of him. Three cheers for you buddy!

Ukrops 10K- Richmond, VA

2009-03-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we drove into Richmond for Carol & Heathers first 10K! The out and back course is on beautiful Monument Avenue, famous for it's row houses and monuments of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B Stuart, and Confederate president Jefferson Davis (side note- In a obvious attempt at political correctness, a statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe was erected several years ago. Armed with a tennis racket and a book, not only is he completely out of place, some have observed that he looks like he's going to apply a "beat down" to the children that surround him).

With 32,000 participants and 50,000 spectators, it was an awesome scene to behold. They send the runners off in waves in 5 minute or so intervals. Carol has been diligently preparing for a couple of months and Heather was on Matoaca's cross country team this year, so they both felt confident they could set a good pace on the 10K (6.2 mile) course. While they were running, I took Jillian and her friend Bracey around some of the booths, etc. There were several music groups playing on different parts of the course and tons of people were running "in costume"as well (fittingly, they had their own wave). We saw Raggedy Ann, a team dressed as Pac- Man, Harry Potter, a viking, several men in business suits, a dude in a french maids outfit, a few people in bright green and blue skin suits, a man dressed like Indiana Jones pulling an inflatable rock, and most distubing of all- some fat guy from the cast of "Cats".

The weather was perfect for the event, just a tad chilly and most importantly, no rain! The local weather boobs had it completely wrong and this time the mistake was actually in our favor! About an hour after Carol and Heather's wave launched the girls and I grabbed a snack and found a place at the finish line. Carol and Heather crossed the line together in 1:26:48! Not to shabby at all for the first time! 6.2 miles is a pretty good haul! I'm extremely proud of them!

Today was a pretty good day...

2009-03-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

I got my work done early and put in a 44 mile ride (2 1/2 hours)! It's absolutely pouring rain right now and it's supposed to let up tomorrow morning, which is a good thing because Carol & Heather are doing the Ukrop's 10k in Richmond around 11am. If they're lucky, it'll just drizzle a little. This run is a pretty big deal on the east coast. Around 20,000 people are signed up if the news is correct.

My ride went very well. It was cloudy, dry and about 58 degrees. All I needed to stay warm was my arm warmers and vest. It's nice to pedal along the James River and enjoy the scenery before climbing up Old Gun Road. It's not a steep climb, or particularly long, but I hit it at about the 25 mile mark so if I'm not feeling all that great it can hurt a little. Today I felt very strong and blasted up as fast as I ever have! It felt terrific! My fitness level has really taken off over the last two weeks. I've put in a lot of upper body and core work over the winter and really ramped it up the last few weeks. It really feels like it's paying off. I'm not where I want to be weight wise, but I've not been this light in years. I'm very happy now, but I'd like to drop another 10 or 15, I'd be ecstatic!

As I plodded along I thought about how important it is to practice "self denial". From large and small financial decisions, to what we feed our minds, to quantity and quality of food choices; it's a great habit to cultivate in every facet of our lives. I've not always been good at it, but I try and that's a good place to start I guess.

I celebrated my fine day with an Amstel Light.

More Fresno Memories...

2009-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Fresno had its good moments. Now that I'm older and (presumably) wiser I can see that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I guess I was just your typically whiny (bored) teen who thought he was having a "Footloose" moment at times. You know the type.

I was out riding yesterday and today (42 & 32 miles) and had some great memories float by.

I remember...

I know alot of folks buy into the whole "global warming" scare, but it has always been hotter than Hell in Fresno. You have to be careful about touching the handle on your car door, sitting on your vinyl seats in shorts, and if your an idiot, walking barefoot on asphalt. The plus side was my mom dropping me and a couple of my brothers and sisters off to swim at Airways. I think it cost 50 cents and you could swim all day. The tallest diving board seemed like it was 50 feet in the air. I bet it was 10 feet.

I remember the Chicken Pie Shop. A restaurant that sells chicken pies has to be great, right? It was.

Zack's. I can never smell a clove cigarette and not thinks of Zack's dance club.

Bowling at Fresno State. We used to make up names for the score sheet, I'd usually pick a name like Fausto Coppi. My brother would pick something subtly perverse. We thought it was funny to have it glowing on the overhead!

We used to play "pickle" till we were exhausted!

My grandmothers walkway used to be lined with jars of sun tea in the summer! Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a Mason jar full of ice cold sun tea in the summer! She also made top notch potato salad as well! It had little chunks of pickle in it.

My dad was a mechanic for a time and once brought home a "crap load" of donuts he salvaged off of a donut truck that wrecked. If I remember right my mom froze alot of them so they wouldn't go to waste. I think we had the metal sheets they were on for quite some time as well.

I once had a blue and white "SWATCH". That was one trendy timepiece!

We used to eat breakfast at Roding Park with my Dad's family. They'd cook pancakes, bacon, etc. It was fun.

Grandma Smart always had a frosted Christmas tree! And made some wicked rum balls we used to sneak away with!

Ottmar Thomas' Toyota of Visalia commercials! What an accent that mook had!

Pizza and Pipes! It's impossible to eat cheap pizza whilst listening to an obnoxious pipe organ and not have fun! I think it burned down.

I used to get most of my school clothes from the J.C. Penny catalog and GEMCO. Those were the days of terry cloth shirts, O.P. shirts and shorts (nutters), and shoes (fake Vans) sure to keep an orthopedic doctor gainfully employed.

It doesn't seem that long ago. Man does time fly!

Pot O' Gold!

2009-03-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

The Eighties were an incredible time for Irish cycling! It's not like the peleton's cup was running over with Irishmen, I can only remember four. Two of them were amongst my absolute favorites, Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. Martin Early didn't get much press but was a very capable rider for Fagor (sweet kits) and PDM. Paul Kimmage toiled for RMO and later penned the very compelling "Rough Ride".

My first look at Kelly was the 1986 Paris- Roubaix. The combo of Phil Liggett's commentary and John Tesh's techno music blew me away. That was the most heroic sporting event I'd ever watched at that point in my life! This race was long, cold, wet and muddy. Over cobblestones? You've got to be joking! These are HARD men!! I wanted a KAS jersey something fierce!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_onBx2ZSHA

http://cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/rider_bio.asp?rider_id=49

Sean Kelly was a flat out freak on a bicycle! He also won the Vuelta d' Espana!

Stephen Roche was a weapon of mass destruction in 1987! He won the Giro D' Italia, Tour de France, and World Championship; only Eddy Merckx had accomplished that before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BrvsSOs920

"It's only a mountain..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8woHATqz8E

http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/rider_bio.asp?rider_id=114

I still have my Carrera jersey (what a team that was!).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Rain, Rain, Drizzle, Drizzle

2009-03-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

What a sucky weekend! Sometimes I think the weather has it in for me. The weeks I'm on the road it's 70 degrees and sunny. Lately, the weeks (or weekends) I'm working at home its too crappy to venture out. So I spin on my trainer, which bores me to no end. On the plus side I have been hitting the Y and getting some really good upper body/ core sessions in.

I've been using Hammer Nutrition's HEED drink mix the last few weeks and can't say enough positive things about it! I've used Hammer Gel for about a year or so and love it as well. They have an excellent website with some very interesting articles about their sports supplements; you can check it out at http://www.hammernutrition.com/.

I was up in the DC area this week and had Korean food for the first time. It was teriffic! In fact, I may go on a Korean food tangent. The dish I had is called Bibim Bap. It's a salad of sorts with rice, and several small bowls of a variety of marinated vegetables. You mix them all together and add some of the spicy sauce that came with it. I love variety in my diet and this is something I plan on enjoying again!

If you ever find yourself in Alexandria, VA you should check out Hee Been on Little River Turnpike (http://www.heebeen.com/), you won't be disappointed.

Delayed at JFK (again)

2009-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

ARRRRRG!

At least I can people watch. A woman (I think) just slithered past that reminded me of Ronnie James Dio! For those of you who haven't experienced RJD (or you just want to reminisce), you can "live it up" on youtube-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ_FgL5l1og

Picture him sporting a pair of trendy fur lined suede boots and you'll have an idea of what just strutted past me. Good luck getting a solid nights sleep!

Now I was never a Dio fan mind you; I just remember all the stoners wearing his concert t-shirts when I was in high school. I've always liked a lot of what is now termed "classic rock", but drew the line when it came to the more creepy stuff like Dio, Ozzy, Kiss, etc. I had AC/DC's "Back in Black" 8 track when I was in the 7th grade, I listened to it quite a bit until someone explained what some of the lyrics meant and I chucked it. Even now, I'll listen to a song and all of the sudden I'll understand what their singing about. Usually I'm disappointed and embarrassed at how naive I can be.

Tour of California Rolls Through the Valley

2009-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

I had an "office week" last week and was able to watch most of the ToC on Versus. It was great to see a couple of stages roll through the San Juaquin Valley on some of the same roads I used to train on! While we had some very good racing in the Fresno area back in the 80's, who would've ever guessed that a pro peleton as strong as that would roll through the Valley? I was amazed at the size of the crowds along the route of every stage!

Mark Cavendish stormed to victory in Clovis, just nipping Tom Boonen at the line!

He actually sat up a hair to early and was lucky that Boonen didn't snag that win! I Like Cavendish quite a bit. He's young and although some would say he's cocky, I think he exudes the confidence of someone who's racked up a pile of impressive wins. This kid is only going to get better!

The next day the ToC started in my wife's hometown of Visalia. I consider Visalia my adopted hometown and spent a lot of time riding in the foothills around Visalia and nearby Exeter. Visalia has hosted a teriffic road race and criterium every year since the mid 80's.

It was cool to watch the peleton line up at the corner of Church St. and Acequia!

Visalia has always turned out great crowds for the crit every year but they really outdid themselves at the ToC!

Overall the coverage and racing was pretty good. I'll admit my patience was tested with the Lance lovefest that was inflicted on me every day by Phil, Paul, and their sidekick who seems to ramble on. I love Phil Liggett. He's been the voice of pro cycling forever. However, when he starts yammering on about Armstrong I feel the bile start to churn in my stomach. On top of that you had the likes of Landis, Basso, Hamilton, and the rest of Rock Racing soiling the ranks of the peleton. It was a dopers reunion of sorts.

Another thing that needs to be addressed is the idiots running next to the riders on the climbs. Good grief! This is a safety issue and if people don't have the sense to stay out of the way it's going to cost someone their season. There were dozens of fat, wheezing losers sprinting along in asinine outfits within inches of putting a rider on the deck. I wouldn't be surprised if a rider dismounted and beat someone senseless!

I did manage to get in about 120 miles last week. The weather has been pretty chilly, but I picked up a Pearl Izumi Insulator jacket and some new Pearl booties a couple of months ago when I was working in New Hampshire (at a Pearl Izumi store no less). They work great! I've been trying some new embrocation by "Sports Balm" that I bought here at 3 Sports as well. It's very warm, but not overwhelming, with a great scent. Perfect on a cold windy day!

Load O' Feces

2009-02-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

I have a fantasy that is surely destined to remain a fantasy. I'd love to see an athlete clearly admit to knowingly taking "performance enhancing drugs" and admit it was cheating. He should express sincere remorse for damaging the credibilty of his chosen profession and make every effort to cooperate in the effort to clean up his sport. He should then retire and find something else to do with his life.

Watching Alex Rodriguez's lame attempt to "apologize" and field questions about his involvement with PED's was utterly predictable. He has now joined the ranks of other tainted atheletes who've made complete fools of themselves in an effort to salvage something they don't possess. A good reputation. This is no surprise to me, I've been saying this about him for years. Look at him! He's huge! In fact, I don't buy his PED time frame at all. He looks bigger now than when he was on the Rangers. Let's not forget this is the same guy who left the Mariners for the Rangers, and not for the money (Haaaa! Haaaa!). And what's with the current trend to "plead young and stupid" in an effort to excuse cheating, drug use, sexual promiscuity, fathering illegitimate children, etc? Is 24 or 25 years old the new 16 0r 17? I don't think so! It's merely an effort to downplay serious moral flaws!

My motto for a number of years has been "If you have low expectations, you're never dissapointed".

Bud Selig and the owners are another story. I don't believe for a minute they didn't know what was going on. They didn't notice that the players looked more WWF than MLB? An eyebrow didn't raise as longstanding MLB records were shattered? They allowed it to continue because the turnstiles were spinning like propellers. Ultimately they don't give a crap about the players or the integrity of sport, it's all about profits.

Mowtown is Rundown!

2009-02-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

I've been here working for several days and I've got to say, Detroit is a dump! I've been here four times over the last year and it's always the same. Filthy hotels and restaurants, depressing scenery, and roads that remind me of carpet bombed runways! On top of that the wind has been blowing about 30-40 mph all week. That's great in one sense; it cleans the streets by blowing all the trash who knows where.

Good job Detroit!

On a happier note, the weather in Richmond has been pretty decent for putting in some miles on the bike. Last weekend I was able to get in several 40 mile rides! Over the Winter I've been working pretty hard on my upper body conditioning and I can already tell a huge difference from where I was at this point last year.

I became interested in Catholicism last Fall and started attending the Latin Mass at "Our Lady of Fatima" in November. I've had some good Catholic friends for a number of years, but never really discussed religion with them. I always assumed (big mistake) that most of the bad things I've heard about Catholicism over the years were true and hence, had zero interest. However, early last Fall I read an excellent book by Tom Woods; "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" and it perked my curiosity. I had many questions for my friends and they were answered well enough that I decided to investigate Catholicism seriously. Several months and countless hours of study later, I've got to say I've fallen in love with the theology and the Mass. I'll certainly post more about this exciting change in my life in a future post!

California Vacation

2008-09-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

In August we took a couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation to California. It's always nice to go "home" and spend time with loved ones! We've not lived in California for about 14 or 15 years. We're used to not being close to family now, but it can be hard at times. We really miss them.

We flew into San Francisco and were picked up by my wonderful sister in law, Gloria. We checked into our hotel by Fisherman's Wharf and decided to take the kids down to the Wharf for some local "touristy" culture. My wife and I have been to the Wharf many times and always enjoy the atmosphere. The kids has a blast watching the street entertainers and checking out the shops. My oldest son even bought a piece of "Spray Paint Art". We really enjoyed getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, a San Francisco specialty!

The following day we went to Japan Town. My daughters are really into anime and found some cute anime characters to add to their collection of stuff. They got to eat some Japanese pastries and had a grand time! We also spent some time at the Golden Gate Bridge. What a beautiful day it was!

We drove down to Visalia that afternoon (pit stop at In-N-Out Burger) and stayed with Gloria and her husband Richard. They treat us so well and we enjoy ourselves tremendously when we're with them. It's great to really relax and enjoy our time off from the stresses of everyday life. My youngest, Jill, really loves their cat Cosmo. The funny thing about Cosmo is that he's deaf as a post and will let Jill pester him for hours on end.

My oldest son, Jaren, has taken up golf recently and plays on his High School golf team. Uncle Richard is an avid golfer and took him and my son Brad out golfing a couple of times and the boys had a blast! Richard has a great sense of humor and a great head on his shoulders. As a result, my boys love being around him. One of the best parts about visiting is that my kids get to spend time with their cousin Taylor. Taylor is a very nice young man. He's super Smart and can basically pick up a musical instrument and start playing. It's amazing to see how much he's grown! Most day's were spent visiting, swimming, and just plain relaxing. I've been blessed with terrific in-laws and it's always a pleasure to spend time with them. John is the friendliest person I've ever met and has always set the perfect example of Christian manhood. Irene is a wonderful person with many talents, she's amazingly well read as well!

It was really nice to spend a couple of days with my family in Fresno. I'm the oldest of 10 (5 boys, 5 girls) and it's really hard to stay in contact with everyone, let alone maintain any "closeness". I mostly stay in touch with my dad and several of my brothers. They all have a great sense of humor and love sports and politics! I miss them and it's great to "yuk it up". There are now around 25 grandchildren (and counting).

We've been able to visit California the last couple of summers and I hope we can make the trip again next year!

Cancer Sucks, And So Do Dopers!

2008-09-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Just when pro cycling is starting to put a dozen or so years of asterisk worthy results behind it, the worst example of "getting away with it" in sports has decided to poison the peleton. Lance Armstrong announced his intention to seek an 8th Tour crown via a carefully crafted propagandaesque 'interview" with Douglas Brinkley in Vanity Fair http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/09/armstrong200809?currentPage=1.

It's a very revealing look into the mindset of a foul mouthed celebrity athlete who's hoping to ride his popularity into political office someday.

Like many, I was thrilled (and shocked) when he won his first tour. He'd been a very good classics rider with the potential to be excellent, he even picked up a couple of stage wins, but win the Tour? After Cancer? Wow, what a miracle! His second win was equally impressive. After his third win in a row I really started to have my doubts. Not just about him, but much of the peleton. The speed at which these guys were plowing up the cols was unbelievable (literally)!

My discomfort with what was obviously going on with pro baseball absolutely fueled my suspicion of what was going on in cycling. When I was growing up, most baseball players were long and lean and if a guy cracked 20-25 home runs he had an awesome year. If you hit 30 or more you were a freak. Not many guys could do that. Starting in the early 90's, long and lean

became WWF. Guys started looking like "Hans and Franz" from the old SNL skits, and it seemed like anybody (even Brady Anderson) could go yard at will.

Unfortunately, baseball leadership, ownership, and management knowingly ignored the obvious. Attendance and profits were way up, "it'll be our little secret". I believe the same situation existed in cycling with regards to Armstrong and those he left in his wake. The story was great, sponsorships were up, and America was lapping up the Armstrong story. Sadly, the story is garbage...

His open association with infamous doping doctor Michele Ferrari is telling.

Almost every one of Armstrong's main rivals during his run have been identified as dopers (and he destroyed them all riding clean as a whistle?).

A large number of his former teammates have been caught doping, or have admitted to doping.

I believe the Andreau's story regarding Armstrong's admission to using PED's.

I find the Oakley rep Stephanie McIlvain's recorded admission that she lied "on the stand" about what she heard in the Armstrong hospital room nauseating.

He led the charge in bullying clean riders if they spoke out about doping in the peleton.

Before they let this guy take the line, I really hope the ASO thinks long and hard about the irreparable damage this walking drip bag has inflicted on pro cycling.

Fenway Park!

2008-09-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've been unbelievably busy the last several weeks and it's time for an update. A couple of weeks ago my oldest son and I had a fantastic evening at Fenway Park! Several months ago A wonderful member of the organization I work for gave me and a collegue 4 of his season tickets to see the Red Sox square off against the Texas Rangers. The seats were unreal! We were behind home plate about 20 rows back! The atmosphere inside and outside the park was terrific, in fact it reminded me of my trip to Wrigley Field earlier this year. Both venues are unique in that they're located in long established neighborhoods, not in the middle of 1000 acre concrete parking lots, hence people can walk around, visit pubs and restaurants, etc. "Dice-K" dominated the Rangers and the Red Sox pounded the ball. Dustin Pedroia and "Yook" were killing it and "Big Papi" crushed a home run.

The most exciting part of the night was when "Big Papi" fouled a ball straight back up the net, it hit a steel girder and popped through an opening, falling straight down toward us. My son out jumped a mob of fans and grabbed the ball! What a rush! This kid is a ball magnet! Last year we were at Dodger Stadium and the left fielder, Luis Gonzales, caught a fly ball to end the inning and tossed it into our row along the left field line and my son came up with it. He probably has a dozen balls he's snagged at various minor league games over the years as well. But catching a game and getting a ball at Fenway has to be the best one yet! (I'll post some pictures when I get a chance...)

Two Wheeled Idiocy

2008-07-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

I never cease to be amazed at the sheer idiocy I see as I'm out riding. Usually it's motorists who act like they ate a bowl of paint chips for breakfast. Today I was half way through a 45 miler when I saw the biggest idiot on two wheels I have ever observed. I was stopped in the bike lane at a red light when a "cyclist", riding between the two lanes on my left charged through the red light! Cars literally had to slow down to avoid drilling him! He was about a quarter mile up the road when the light changed, I clipped in and started reeling him in. I rolled along about 50 yards in back of him, amazed at what I saw.

This asshat was riding a Lemond of some sort, with aero bars. He was using said aero bars and was drifting so far out of the bike lane and into traffic that cars had to switch lanes to get around him. He looked at them as they went by, so I have no doubt that he didn't care at the hazard that he was creating. He was wearing an orange "muscle shirt", blue basketball shorts, white athletic socks that went half way up his shins, some sort of "hybrid" cycling shoes, and a cheap helmet that wasn't fastened. He also had some sort of aluminum bottle jammed upside down in his water bottle cage, and a camera bag slung over his shoulder.

As we approached Midlothian Turnpike (a very busy road) I slowed for the red light and he played human "frogger" again, pedaling through another red light. I waited through the light cycle and saw him stopped in front of a Quizno's, drinking from his aluminum bottle. As I passed him, he quickly slammed his bottle into his cage and took off after me. I decided I'd have some fun and would let him get within about 100 yards, then I'd pick up the pace and he'd drop back pretty quick. I did this several times and then he disappeared on a false flat. Either he was drilled by a car, cutting through yet another light or he turned on another street. Honestly, what a piece of work!

On a happier note, I found a really sweet batting glove on the road today! It fits me perfectly! I know some cyclists find all sorts of sweet "road treasure" (money, tools, etc), that hasn't been my experience. Then again, I'm not scanning the side of the road as I ride either. I did find a nice padlock with the key still in it several months ago; but that's been about it. All I usually see is trash and road kill.

Congratulations Carlos Sastre!!

2008-07-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Carlos raced a beautiful Tour de France! His win on Alpe d' Huez was classic! His defense of the Yellow Jersey in the final time trial was inspiring! Viva Sastre!

Overall it was a great race. CSC was extremely strong and did a great job of controlling the peleton when it was necessary. They were in (and controlled) all the important breaks and had a couple of stage wins. Andy Schleck won the White Jersey (older brother Frank was in Yellow for a couple of days and finished 6th). CSC handily won the team classification. I have to admit though, I'm still uncomfortable with Bjarne "Mr. 60%" Riis running the CSC show.

Cadel Evans rode a good Tour, but came up 58 seconds short. When your team sucks and can't help you conserve energy for when you need it, it takes a toll. He didn't have the legs in the final time trial.

Team Columbia had an awesome Tour! Kim Kirchen was in Yellow for awhile and finished 8th. Cavendish won 4 stages, they picked up a couple of other stage wins as well.

Gerolsteiner had a good Tour with Kohl taking the best climber classification and finishing 3rd. Stefen Schumacher surprisingly won both time trial stages.

The French had something to be happy about with Cofidis & Credit Agricole both picking up a couple of stage wins. Ag2r's Cyril Dessel picked up a tough stage win as well.

Happily, Garmin- Chipotle had a great Tour with Christian Vandevelde finishing 5th. They've really layed some groundwork down for the future.

Yes, some idiots were caught doping. But they were caught and tossed! That is positive in my eyes, cycling is confronting the problem and sending a message! Overall it was a great, very competitive race.

More Oddities...

2008-07-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

On my way to the airport this morning I passed a meter reader walking down the street playing with a yo-yo (no kidding)! This would seem to be bad P.R. for Dominion Power.

I'm at my gate at RIC and I can't help but notice the young "hippie mother" breast feeding her baby. Her boob is fully exposed, and it's not a pleasant one to glance at. She's quite chubby and has numerous tats in all the wrong areas. She's also letting her other young'un crawl around on the filthy floor. She's already picked up a chunk of food off the floor and put it back in his little mouth. I pray I'm not seated next to her.

I'm on Jetblue the morning and I can watch Direct TV while I'm in the air. They usually have VS. and I can catch the end of todays Tour coverage, that should balance out the suffering I've just been subjected to...

Mark Cavendish!!

2008-07-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Three stage wins (so far)? The bloke from the Isle of Man is blazing FAST and Team Columbia is doing an amazing job setting him up! He's the first Brit to win three stages in the Tour de France and at 23 years of age seems to have a terrific future ahead of him. He also picked up two stage wins at the Giro d'Italia, which is certainly no small feat. He's also a very accomplished track cyclist as well, with his eyes set on the Olympics.

Cadel Evans is sitting comfortably in Yellow, resting up for what is sure to be some expolsive stages in the Alps. Lotto is perceived as being a somewhat weak team and I agree. However, Evans is an expert at taking advantage of the work of others and is going to be very difficult to beat.

Frank Schleck and Carlos Sastre remain very dangerous. CSC is firing on all cylinders.

Christian Vandevelde and Garmin- Chipoltle are doing an amazing job! If he plays his cards right, who knows what could happen?

As for Ricardo Ricco testing positive for a new form of EPO, why is that a surprise? He idolized Marco "Drip Bag" Pantani for heavens sake! Pantani was a farce as far as I'm concerned. As I watched Ricco "work his magic" on Super Besse, I couldn't help but be suspicious. Piepoli and Cobo should be suspect as well. Good riddance Saunier Duval! I'm happy that a test has been developed to detect this new form of EPO and that cycling is trying to clean up their mess. I don't see this as a setback at all, it's progress.

Gig Harbor, Washington

2008-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Boy have I been busy the last month! I've been in Detroit, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Long Island. Now I'm sitting in my hotel room in Gig Harbor watching the Tour on Versus. The first week has been awesome with Team Columbia and Garmin- Chipotle "making themselves known"! I was really hoping Christian Vandevelde would pull off the stage win yesterday; at least he got some great camera time. Kim Kirchen has had a great first week!

Personally, I've put in some pretty good miles the last few weekends when I've been home. I've been averaging 40 miles or so, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The legs have felt great!

Being back in Washington State this week had been great. We lived in the Tacoma area for several years before moving to Virginia. Seeing Mt. Rainier again has brought back a lot of wonderful memories. Tonight, we had a staff meeting at a colleagues home on Fox Island. He grilled some Sock Eye Salmon for us and we dined on his deck, right on the water. Nothing beats seafood and wine on Puget Sound!

Steve Carell on the Letterman Show

2008-06-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of "The Office". In fact, it's one of the very few TV shows I watch. I happened to be surfin' through the channels last night and Letterman was interviewing Steve Carell about his upcoming movie "Get Smart". The subject of cycling came up because Lance Armstrong was making an appearance later in the show (ugh!). Apparently Steve was brought up in the Boston area and did some road racing in his teens! He brought up the fact that he used to shave his legs (for cleanliness in case of road rash) and wear a leather hairnet ("it's only function was to keep your brains in if you crashed")! He was very conversant in regards to cycling and is a very funny guy!

Oddities at the Airport & Elsewhere

2008-06-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

I had a short layover at Washington- Dulles airport today. I never cease to be amazed at how "odd" some people are. I was "using the facilities" when some guy sauntered in and used the urinal right next to me. The odd thing was that there was a row of about 10 urinals and I was using one on the far left, the rest were not in use, this guy chose the one right next to me and tried to strike up a casual conversation. I kid you not. I made no eye contact, etc that would invite someone to strike up a conversation.

Odd fellow: "Hey buddy, how's your morning been?"

Me: "Fine, I usually don't talk to anyone while I'm taking a piss."

Odd fellow: "Me either."

Very strange. It also creeps me out when someone is taking a wiz, and feels the need to lean forward and brace themselves against the wall.

I also find it odd when parents let their babies crawl around on the floor at the airport, Walmart, etc. "I don't know where Billy picked up that strange rash"!

Older men who dress "metro" are very odd, some still wear earrings. So are older women who stuff themselves into clothes meant for 12 year old girls.

People who walk barefoot everywhere are odd. Sometimes you see them trolling through a convenience store parking lot, or just hoofing it down the street. No shoes, no worries apparently.

Couples who argue in public are odd. I went to Comerica park last week and caught the Tigers and White Sox (great park!), part of the entertainment was hearing a vicious argument between a husband and wife stoner couple a few rows behind me, "F- bombs" and everything. Their mini- mulleted son looked like he was used to it. I thought they were going to start chucking funnel cakes and nachos at each other.

Adult, video game addicts are an odd bunch. Nothing screams "I'm odd" louder then camping out so you can be first in line for the newest game system, or the newest version of "Wizard of Warcraft". Reading a "cheat book" (and using a highlighter) on the airplane is a sure sign that your odd.

Yards chock full of tacky gnomes, fake animals, decorative flags, pinwheels, miniature lighthouses, and tons of other crap are extremely odd. I bet the inside of the house is wall to wall collectible plates, steins, ceramic figurines, and other bizarre things.

Why?

If you have low expectations you're never disappointed!

2008-06-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

That's certainly the case when it comes to athlete's nowadays! Cycling superstar (and this year's Paris Roubaix winner) Tom Boonen has tested positive for "Blow". Some are happy that it wasn't EPO, "just coke". I say BS to that! It's reprehensible behavior (as is his "dating" a teenage girl) and it makes me wonder what else he might be on! He did ride on the "Postal Bus" after all. Hasn't he ever heard of Marco Pantani? To be involved with any sort of drugs, particularly at this point, shows a very callous attitude towards professional cycling, its sponsors, and it fans. Perhaps it's indicative of the attitude the peleton has had since the early 90's? Specialized is going to have to alter their "I am Specialized" Tom Boonen ads now. Instead of putting Tom in a Roman gladiators get up, maybe they can dress him up like Keith Richards?

This is the sort of crap that is taking some of the joy out of following any professional sport, however, I do have a lot of hope that the new crop of cyclists that have entered the peleton have a different attitude.

Do you Remember?

2008-06-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Fresno in the 70's and 80's wasn't so bad. As I was driving today I had some flashbacks of that era, I'm sure most of this isn't unique to Fresno.

I used to go to the midnight movies with my slightly older Uncle and Aunt. Admission was a couple of bucks. I was about 13 or 14, nobody "carded" me. I can remember seeing "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". The crowd that attended was every bit as bizarre as the movie! The Zombie classic, Dawn of the Dead was playing quite often. I also remember seeing the Punk Rock documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization". The line into the theatre reeked of clove cigarettes and everybody seemed to have some booze stashed on them.

I remember when the TV went to "snow" or multi-colored bars at midnight! Just after the National Anthem played whist you viewed a picture of an Astronaut holding the American flag.

I remember listening to Vin Scully call Dodger games on my small radio. That man can paint a picture over the airwaves (what a voice!). I remember Walter Alston.

I can remember hearing Gordon Lightfoot songs on AM radio for some reason.

I used to have an 8 track tape player that looked like a robot. I believe it was called 2XL. I remember having 8 track tapes for AC/DC, Blondie, and the Village People, how's that for musical variety! I had a pile of vinyl albums and 45's. I also used a giant cassette player to record songs off the radio. I remember yelling "shut up!" at my brothers and sisters because I was afraid the noise they were making would drown out the song I was trying to record.

I remember there was a local drug store who would give kids stamps if they collected the shopping carts in their parking lot and from the surrounding neighborhood. You'd stick the stamps in a little booklet and when you filled the booklet you could turn it in for a free ice cream.
In the Summer, the parking lot would have 9 or 10 kids harvesting carts. What a hoot!

Sometimes, I wore a plastic Dodgers batting helmet to school (in the 4th or 5th grade, not high school just in case you were wondering).

I walked to school, or rode my bike (without a helmet). When Spring came around I brought my ball glove with me, like most of the boys. We played baseball at recess, with a real baseball. In the Fall and Winter, we played football. Or, had a rough game of "smear the queer".

My grandma bought me Avon cologne that came in a bottle shaped like a car, along with an arrowhead necklace.

I remember rotary phones. CB radios. Atari. Drinking from a garden hose. Teachers dressing up to teach. Alpha Beta supermarkets. Tomato sandwiches (I still love 'em). Jars of sun tea of my grandma's front steps. The hum of the fan in my room.

I remember a long drive from Fresno to Sacramento in the back of my dads pickup truck. We never wore seat belts, I don't even know if our car had 'em.

I remember the smell of grape vineyards and orange groves.

I remember when scary movies were just scary, not virtually Satanic! I used to keep count of how many times I saw Star Wars, it seemed important at the time. Jaws scared the hell out of me.

I remember my first bike. It was yellow, with a "banana seat" and chopper style handle bars. My brother had a matching one. We'd ride around the neighborhood pretending we were "Jon and Ponch" from CHIPS. We'd even park them next to each other in the driveway.

In the early 80's I fell in love with cycling. It was an era of steel frames, downtube shifters, and toe clips! The pro peloton was sprinkled with the jerseys of KAS, Peugeot, Hitachi, Gis, Fagor, Bianchi, Panasonic, Carrera, La Vie Claire, Renault, Del Tongo, and eventually 7-11. Bernard Hinault was the Patron!

Life wasn't all so bad ya know?

Whoever Wins- We Lose!

2008-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

It's amusing to watch the media bleat on and on about Obama, Hillary, and McCain. As if there's really a difference in their approaches to "governance". The difference really boils down to the Democrats wanting to drive off the cliff at 100 mph, while the Republicans would prefer to take us over the edge at a "conservative" 80 mph. Of course, if you want to change drivers, stop the car and turn around, you're an extremist!

As a nation, we've strayed far and wide from the Constitutional Republic that our Founding Fathers established. The Constitution was designed to limit the power of the Federal government to a very few, defined areas. Now, the Fed's are involved in one way or another in every facet of our lives. Couple that with state, county, & city government and you're talkin' marination! The seeds of a Socialist disaster were sown long ago and now we're reaping the harvest. The question is how do we limit the amount of damage this Socialist mindset is causing?

I'm often reminded of the Biblical lesson in Proverbs; "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it". That ideal cuts both ways and I believe the problem lies in the fact that our public education system, and most institutions of "higher learning", have been marinating young minds in Statism for several generations at least. Until this situation is reversed, we'll continue riding towards the cliff in a pack of donkeys and elephants.

Insight from BKW

2008-05-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Padraig from "Belgium Knee Warmers" waxes profound.

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/05/well.html

This Week...

2008-05-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

I've been working in Virginia & Maryland. We've had rain in bucket's it seems and everything is so green right now! Earlier this week I was out on the bike (rides of 30 & 50 miles) and was amazed at how fragrant the Gardenia and Honeysuckle is right now. Those scents are a blessing from God as far as I'm concerned!

I met with some wonderful people in Charlottesville and Buena Vista. Then drove up the Shenendoah Valley to Hagerstown, Maryland. What a beautiful drive! I brought my bike with me on this trip and did about 12 miles around Hagerstown before it started pouring rain. I hadn't cycled in rain like that in quite some time! Happily, it didn't bother me a bit. I was enjoying suffering on the hills around Hagerstown and the rain just seemed to make it "cool" for some reason. I had to wash my kit in the sink when I got back to my hotel room.

My evening appointment cancelled. So I drove down to D.C. and met a colleague who's on vacation. We bought some tickets off a scalper and watched the Nationals and Phillies while we "talked shop". Great ballpark! It has an old school feel to it. Too bad the Nationals are such a crappy team. They were shelled 12-2. Ryan Howard hit a couple of absolute bomb's for the Phillies.

Capital to Capital Century

2008-05-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I did my first century! The ride was from Virginia's modern capitol, Richmond, t0 Virginia's first capitol, Jamestown and back. Riding 100 miles is amazing to me in a couple of ways. First, back in the mid- 80's to mid- 90's I was a cycling fanatic. I trained constantly and raced cat 4's off and on. However, I can't remember ever doing a 100 mile ride. It's possible, as I didn't have a computer at times, but I'm fairly certain I didn't. Second, I've been recovering from a bad lower back injury that occurred in February so my mileage hasn't been what I'd like.

During the week I did rides of 30 (Sunday), 40 (Tuesday), and 42 (Thursday) and planned to do the half- century Saturday. After Thursdays ride my legs felt great so I decided to try the century Saturday morning as I registered. The routes I ride around Chesterfield County are somewhat hilly, and when I saw that the century course was pretty flat I knew I could do it. The only thing that concerned me was my back.

The weather was great! Mostly cloudy, starting in the low 60's and warming to the low 70's. The route was mostly down beautiful picturesque back country roads! Passing farmland, historical plantations, and Civil War battlefields.

Hundreds and hundreds of cyclists turned out riding everything from department store clunkers to top of the line professional road bikes on routes of 25, 50 & 100 miles. There were even a couple of recumbant's (ugh!), but to each their own. I love my fellow cyclists. I really do. There are very few that I've found intolerable. You can't hang with a nicer bunch of people. Old and young. Rail skinny and fat. Male and female. Vet and newbie. I respect them all. Why? Because they're trying something I love dearly. Riding a bicycle. I don't care what the distance or reason is, it's the act of riding itself that I respect.

I mostly ride solo, so I knew virtually nobody there. I hoped to jump into a pace line of some sort and work with others. I had a plan in my mind as to how I would pace myself so as to finish in half way decent condition. I broke it down into 25 mile increments, stocked my pockets with Fig Newtons, a few Power Bars and Power Bar gel packs, and started off on my own. There were several well stocked stops along the way. These were manned by volunteers from RABA, the Richmond Area Bicycle Association, and they did a wonderful job!

The first 25, absolutely no problem. I stayed in the small chainring for about 10 miles and warmed up, then jumped into the big ring and just cruised along. Mostly flat, with some very small climbs and descents. I made a note of those. I knew that they'd feel a little different on the way back with 75 miles in my legs! I rolled into the first rest stop (which would also be the last rest stop) and refilled my water bottles. I could've jumped into a pace line of about 20 people, but I noticed 3 or 4 were using their "Tri- bars" in the pace line. Stupid and dangerous unless you've got some serious experience. They didn't look experienced. I'll pass.

The second 25 was great! I worked with 3 or 4 other riders for awhile, then tried to bridge up to a pace line of about 20 riders. I chased for about 7 or 8 miles, but there were a number of cars that were in between me and the tail end of the pace line. The traffic made it impossible to safely bridge so I had to stop chasing, plus I didn't want to over exert myself knowing I still had quite aways to go! At the 50 mile mark, I rolled into the parking lot of the Jamestown high school rest stop feeling very good.

By the end of the third 25 I started feeling it a little bit. I got into a pace line of 9 or 10 riders and we were flying! Much of this part of the route back was entirely different from the route in. There were some small hills that I wouldn't have noticed at 25 miles that hurt at 70 miles and on one of the hills, I dropped off the back of the pace line along with a couple of others guys. I worked with them for a bit, they faded and I found myself alone, except for the occassional rider I would pick up every now and then.

At 75 miles I rolled into the last (first) rest stop, refilled my bottles, ate a little, grabbed a free Red Bull for my post ride celebratory drink, and headed out. The last thing you want to do at this point is stand around and let your muscles get stiff. You need to keep the legs moving!

The last 25 were exactly what I was expecting. Pretty painful! Especially the last 10. Those very small descents within the first 25 I mentioned now felt like HUGE climbs. My legs were in fuego! My neck and shoulders ached! However, I had absolutely no problems with my lower back! I took turns working with this guy on a sweet Cannondale (he did most of the work to be honest). He was quite impressive. He looked to be about 6'4 or 6'5 and had calves Thor would envy! I lost his wheel with a couple of miles to go and rolled in like I rolled out. Solo.

When all was said and done I did my first century in 5 and 1/2 hours, for an average speed of just over 18 mph. I was thrilled! I sat on a park bench for awhile and watched as dozens of my fellow cyclists rolled in. Old and young. Rail skinny and fat. Male and female. Vet and newbie. It made me smile to see them smiling. I really feel a sense of accomplishment, and look forward to doing another century soon.

Mrs. Roadie insisted. It'll be 10 times worse by the end of summer!

Fresno Giants Baseball

2008-05-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was born in Torrance, California and lived there until I was 10 or so. In the mid 70's my dad decided he wanted to live closer to his parents, so we moved to "Lowrider Country" aka Fresno, California. I've not lived there in almost 20 years and although it's "home" in a sense, nowadays it has few redeeming qualities. It's blazing hot in the summer. The Tule fog in the winter is so thick you can't see across the street. It lost its farming community charm some time ago and can now claim high crime, ghastly smog, and high unemployment as its modern day charms. In fact it seems that the only time Fresno makes the news is when something horrible happens. How sad.

For several years when I was growing up we lived right around the corner from Euless Park; home of the California League Class A Fresno Giants. Now I've always been a die- hard Dodger fan, but this was our local team. So while I hated them in San Francisco, I loved 'em in Fresno (even when the Lodi Dodgers were in town). My dad befriended the head groundskeeper, Tony; and he gave us several season passes every year. We lived so close we could walk to the games, in fact we were there just about every night.

Minor league baseball in the 70's and 80's was really something. Back then the stadium smelled of a mixture of dirt, grass, cigar smoke, spilled beer, hot dogs, and Old Spice aftershave (as for the Old Spice, I sat next to my dad). It was a glorious odor! That's how a ballpark is supposed to smell as far as I'm concerned. Euless Park had the best snow cones as well! I used to love watching the grounds crew water down the infield and lay the chalk lines. Crass, classless heckling was the norm! In fact I remember a third baseman, who'd been the recipient of some real "Olympic Class" jeers, give our section "the bird" while using his glove to shield anyone else from seeing "his digit"! Classic!

We'd get there early, watch BP and infield, get autographs (some of which I still have) and talk to the players. It was heaven for a young baseball fan. During the game, if you got a foul ball you could turn it in for a free ticket or a hot dog/ soda. The usher would try to hunt you down to get the ball back, so we'd stick it under our shirt and hope he didn't notice who'd picked it up. We'd also hover around the dugout during and after the game in the hopes of getting a cracked bat. We managed to get bats from Bob Brenly, Mike Aldrete, and Rob Deer. I also had bats from Minor Leaguers Wayne Cato (a catcher, who later managed the Fresno Giants), and Jim Elrod. Usually, we'd wrap the handle with silver duct tape and use the bats to hit tennis balls to each other.

Fresno had some great players pass through over the years, Chili Davis, Dennis Littlejohn, Bob Brenly, Mike Aldrete, Tom O' Malley, Joe Strain, Dan Gladden, Will Clark, Robby Thompson, Chris Brown, John Henry Johnston, John Burkett, Rob Deer, Gil Heridia. I remember managers John Van Ornum, Jim Maloney, and Wendall Kim as well.

Rival teams and various players were...

The Lodi/ Bakersfield Dodgers - Fernando, Alan Wiggins, Mike Marshall, Greg Brock, Doug Rau, Rudy Law, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Hideo Nomo, Candy Maldonado.

The Visalia Oaks (Twins)- Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbeck, Rich Becker, Jay Bell, Joe Charboneau.

Modesto A's- Eric Show, Ricky Henderson, Dewayne Murphy, Walt Weiss, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Mike Gallego, Dave Henderson,

Stockton Ports (Brewers)- Gary Sheffield,

San Jose Missions (Mariners)- Kevin Bass, Bud Black, Kelly Downs.

Reno Silver Sox- (Padres)- Ozzie Guillen, Kevin McReynolds, Benito Santiago,

Salinas Spurs- (Angels)- Leon Durham, Tom Brunansky, Gary Pettis, Mike Witt,

I saw some great players pass through, but I also remember many of the guys who didn't get very far with the Giants. I remember a shortstop named Mike Rex and a third baseman/ Power hitter Bill "Yogi" Young. A pitcher named Steve Wilkins stands out in my mind as well.

Occassionally they had "The King and His Court", a traveling softball team of sorts, for pregame entertainment. The team consisted of a fastpitch softball pitcher who could really bring it (almost unhittable), a catcher, a shortstop/ outfielder and a first baseman. They'd challenge some of the Giants hitters and never lost from what I can remember. Other than that, the entertainment was the game itself. No mascots, racing hot dogs, blaring, crappy music, etc. Just the game. Doubleheaders were very common!

One time we were sitting, waiting for the game to start and my dad says "I see somebody you need to meet". We walk down a couple of aisles and sit down next to an older gentleman. My dad says "Hello Mr. Spahn, if it's not to much trouble, can we chat for a few minutes until the game starts"? It was Warren Spahn! Mr. Spahn didn't mind chatting at all and was a teriffic fellow! Apparantly he was doing some scouting for the SF Giants. I still have my Fresno Giants program that he autographed.

Man, those were some great times!

Steve's Tag

2008-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

As a regular reader of From the Pew (and From the Bleacher's) I was very flattered to garner an honorable mention to share some info about myself. So here goes...

1) Four jobs I've had in my life: Bike shop, Propane delivery, Field rep, Fundraiser.

2) Four places I've lived: Fresno, CA; Nashville, TN; Tacoma, WA; Richmond, VA.

3) Four TV shows I love to watch: Baseball Tonight, The Office, King of Queens, Dirty Jobs.

4) Four blogs I read regularly: BSNYC, From the Pew, Belgium Knee Warmers, Maynard.Net.

5) Four favorite foods: Fish tacos, North Carolina BBQ, Fried Chicken, Grapes.

6) Four places I've been: Bahama's, British Columbia, Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico.

7) Four places I'd rather be right now: Riding my bike, Europe (It's racing season!), Just about any ballpark (It's Baseball season!), A lively pub.

8) Four living people I'd like to spend an afternoon with: Ron Paul, Greg LeMond, R.C. Sproul, My high school buddy Tom Connolly.

9) Four things I look forward to this year: Growing in Christ, Fenway Park in August, Hopefully- a trip to Cooperstown, Trips to Virginia Beach with my family.

10) Four best city's to spend a week working in: Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; Austin, TX; Washington, DC;

Beantown

2008-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

This was my second trip to Boston and I've got to say it's a great town to visit. Tuesday I managed to scrape together some time and visited the battlefield at Concord. I'm a history buff, and one of the periods of time that interests me most is the 1700's, so I'm like a kid in a candy shop living on the East Coast. I just finished reading "Paul Revere's Ride" by David Hackett Fischer for the 2nd time in preparation for this trip. Walking portions of the battlefield, it's easy to imagine swarms of pissed off colonist's laying into the British Regulars. These men had a completely different worldview than what the vast majority of Americans possess today. They recognized that their rights as Englishmen, rights they held sacred, were being violated in principle. If they allowed those rights to be violated in any degree, it set a precedent for further violations. If they could see "us" now, our Founding Fathers would be on a spit, turning in their graves.

If you ever venture to Boston, be sure to make time to tour the Sam Adams Brewery as well! It's a great tour and it's very interesting to see how they brew beer. Plus, at the end of the tour they do a "tasting"! Viva Sam Adams Imperial Stout (a very dark beer they're developing)! I was in a room full of people who'd run the Boston Marathon a couple of days before. I had a nice conversation with a couple of guys from Minnesota and a dentist from Berlin.

The airport in Boston is easy to get in and out of, and there's some pretty good restaurants scattered about. I've taken a liking to Lendy's Deli in Saugus, where I've been staying. Jimmy's Steerhouse is very good as well (try the beef tips!). My Magellan GPS unit is absolutely teriffic! It continues to drop me on the doorstep of every appointment on my schedule. Boston is a great town to work in and I look forward to coming back often.

Score!

2008-04-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

After a great weekend in New Jersey, I hopped a plane to Chicago for a fundraising seminar last week. After lunch one day, it was announced that one of the attendee's had an extra ticket to the Cubs game that night! When she announced it, the guy who had the ticket happened to be looking right at me. I instantly staked my claim and two hours later I was sitting in a great seat at Wrigley Field!

The Reds were in town and the atmosphere (as I assume it always is) was electric. I quickly grabbed a "Chicago Dog", bag o' peanuts, and an "Old Style" and settled into my seat. Aside from the two lesbians mawing each others faces two rows down, it was a great night. Ken Griffey Jr. went yard for the Reds, and Derek Lee absolutely crushed an Aaron Harang pitch into the left centerfield bleachers (he went 3 for 5). The Cubbies turned a couple of slick double plays whilst pounding the Reds 9-5. Cubs fans really let Dusty Baker have it each time he ventured from the dugout! It was crazy! Wrigley is one of the most unique baseball experiences I've had. I've not witnessed that kind of passion out of a group of fans before.

Last weekend I pounded out rides of 28, 38, and 30 miles! The weather was perfect and the legs felt great!

Finally!

2008-04-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

My sciatic nerve problem has subsided enough to where I was able to get in a few miles on the bike this week. With the exception of a 25 mile jaunt one day with my son, I haven't been on the bike since the beginning of February. I've done rides of 16, 26, 37, and 28 miles this week and have felt great every time out. Tommorow I fly to New Joisey for a couple of days, then to Chicago for a seminar until Thursday. I'll be distracted by thoughts of my bike the whole time no doubt.

Hopefully, I can catch Paris- Roubaix on Versus this Sunday. I'm looking for a Boonen/ Cancellara showdown. Although you can't overlook Freire or Gilbert either.

Oscar Freire threw down an amazing sprint to take Ghent- Wevelgem Wednesday. What a stud!

How does it feel?

2008-04-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

To win the Tour of Flanders whilst wearing Belgian colors?

Stijn Devolder had the race of his life and will never have to buy a beer in Belgium again!

Special thanks to the early risers at Podium Cafe for giving "play by play" to those of us who won't cough up the dough for Cycling TV. Y'all are Vin Scully's with keyboards!

My Children

2008-04-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my oldest son is 17! His birthday was Friday. My wife and I took him and his girlfriend out to dinner at Bistro, a nice Italian restaurant. It's amazing and fun to watch your children grow! God has truly blessed me with some terrific children.

My oldest is now 17. He's a very sharp, responsible, young Christian. He gets good grades (geez he's sharp!) and has just been made a crew manager at work. He also has a conscience and I'm always impressed at what a genuinely nice young man he is. He's very athletic. Baseball is his first love (as it was mine at his age), but he's developing a real interest in cycling. Cycling wise I think he'd make a very capable climber. I bought him an great old Cilo about a year ago.

My second son turned 15 in February. He's a great kid! He has a real love for God, history, and current events. I'm quite certain he knows more about Constitutional government and history than most adults. He has very high standards when it comes to friends, and carry's himself quite well (quite confidence). He's very athletic and is a vacuum cleaner with a baseball glove. He can really handle a basketball. In fact, he beat me two of three games at 21 yesterday (and swatted the crap out of me one time!). He'll make a good cyclist as he's got quite an engine (I need to find him a bike).

My oldest daughter is almost 12. She's a gem! She's very sweet, pretty, and smart. She's making honor roll in her honors courses at school (A's and 1 B+). She is an exceptionally talented artist and has had several pieces displayed in school art shows! She just made her middle school soccer team as well. I love that she'll watch my favorite British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances" with me and enjoy it as much as I do! What I love most about her is that she's a genuinely nice, caring young lady.

My youngest daughter is 7. She's such a delight. She's quite cute and at her age she's probably more advanced than my other kids were. I imagine it's from having older siblings. She acts way older than other kids her age. She's takes advanced courses at her school and is still bored with them (so she tells me). She reads and speaks like she's 10 or 11 years old. She plays soccer and has an ear for music that we really need to develop. She has a great sense of humor and can make us all laugh hard! What I love most is when she asks me to say a prayer with her every night. It's very sweet. We love to share an apple as well.

There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family! It's what life is all about as far as I'm concerned. Whether it's just sitting around talking, going to the gym, a ballgame, or on a family trip, I love being their father. I'd do anything for them. I guess that's what being a dad is all about.

I pray they'll always enjoy all life has to offer, and have many great memories.

What will it take?

2008-04-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Doping sucks! Having questions about who may be "juiced up" has taken much of the fun out of watching competitive sports. What the hell is wrong with people? Where are our morals?

Alexi Grewal winning Olympic Gold in 1984 was my introduction to competitive cycling. He was always one of my favorite cyclists. I'm proud of him for having the courage to discuss this part of his life. It takes a real man to admit his mistakes in the hope of keeping others from falling into the same trap.

Kudo's to you Alexi!

http://www.velonews.com/article/74053/an-essay-by-1984-olympic-gold-medalist-alexi-grewal

Will others will have the courage to do likewise?

Tour De Trump

2008-04-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

I was moving some stuff around in the garage this morning and stumbled across a box of old VHS tapes. Amongst this treasure chest of nostalgia are some classic videos of the Tour De France and Paris- Roubaix from the mid to late 80's. I used to tune into the coverage every weekend and mash the record button. Nothing says "80's cycling" like watching Sean Kelly pound the cobbles of Paris- Roubaix and Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault sore up Alpe D'Huez! All set to great commentary by Phil Liggett and John Tesh! However, one video gem in particular is priceless. That's the 1990 Tour De Trump. Yep, the Donald was the primary bankroll for what was actually a great East Coast race for a couple of years. The Coors Classic had gone by the wayside a couple of years before (what an awesome race that was) and the Tours of California and Georgia weren't around. It was with absolute delight that I killed a couple of hours this morning watching this blast from the past.

Many of the great Euro teams were there fighting for some very decent prize money. PDM (Holland), Panasonic (Holland), Carrera (Italy), Lotto (Belgium) and "Z" (France), were the most notable. The "Commies" sent an amature team over and one of there riders sported the leaders jersey (Why Hot Pink?) for several stages. America was represented by the much accomplished 7-11 team and a number of primarily US based squads such as Coors Light, Crest, Spago, Subaru- Montgomery, and the US National team. Even the Postobon team from Columbia was there.

These were the last of the bygone days of toeclips, downtube shifters, massive helmets (if you weren't wearing a leather hairnet), and Oakley Factory Pilots.

PDM's Mexi- stud, Raul Alcala bided his time and finally put the USSR's young Vladislav Bobrik to the torch on a very tough ("Hell's Kitchen") stage 13, Catskill mountains- Albany, NY. OUCH!!

I always thought Alcala was a great cyclist and a really decent guy. He won the coveted "Malliot Blanc" (white jersey) awared to the best rider under 25 for the 1987 Tour de France. He also won Tour stages in 1989 and 1990. I'm glad he at least got the overall in this race.

I think I'll dig around in the garage some more. I'm quite certain I have a couple of years worth of "Winning Magazines" in there, somewhere, as well.

John Adams

2008-03-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the HBO series "John Adams" the last several weeks. It's based on the book "John Adams" by David McCullough. I've never read the book (so many books, so little time) but this series is absolutely fantastic in every way. I highly recommend it.

In the way of books I've just finished "Paul Revere's Ride" by historian David Hackett Fischer. Have you ever picked up a book and not wanted to put it down? This fellow can really make history come alive. I understand his book "Washington's Crossing" is excellent as well.

El Manzana Grande!

2008-03-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

I made my first trip to NYC this week. Now I get it! I've been in most of the major cities in this country and it's one of the most unique and coolest places I've been. It's almost overwhelming. I started out with appointments in Connecticut and worked my way back. On my way to Connecticut I passed the Mets new stadium. It looks great and I hope to catch a game at Shea later this year. It's the last year for Yankee stadium as well and catching a game there is a must! Interestingly, I ended up renting a room at a HoJo in the Bronx. $100 doesn't get you very much nowadays, it was a dump (the HoJo & the Bronx). However, I met someone for breakfast at a "Seinfeld" like diner the next morning and the food and service were great.

If you ever visit a big city you'd be doing yourself a huge favor to use a GPS to get around! Just type in the address and it'll drop you on the doorstep. I have a Magellan and I can't begin to tell you how great it works! Most of my trip has been on Long Island. Since no trip to the area would be complete without "a slice", today I had some great pizza at a Mama Theresa's. If you ever find yourself in Westbury, NY do yourself a favor and check it out. You won't regret it I can tell you that. The eggplant panini I had there last night was excellent as well.

Some things I appreciate about New Yorkers...

Their bluntness (You can be polite & blunt).
Their sense of belonging (everyone should be proud of where they're from).
They (at least the ones I ran into) give great directions.
They know how to have a great time (when it comes to entertainment, if they don't have it you dont need it).
They know how to eat (the variety and quality is amazing).

JFK is a pretty easy airport to get around. I was able to get to the AirTrain and to my rental car agency easily. I've been driving a Chevy Cobalt. It's a bucket of bolts, but it's good on gas. I used Jetblue this week and had no problems. Aside from being delayed a few times I usually don't. Their planes are always very clean and have plenty of legroom.

I really look forward to getting to know this city!

O-Hi-O

2008-03-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I made my first trip into Columbus, Ohio. I've got to say, Ohio is a great state to visit. I was in Cleveland several months ago and enjoyed my week. Last summer I found myself in Cincinnati and spent an evening at "The Great American Ballpark". It's a beautiful park and I had an absolute blast. I even managed to snag a ball during pregame BP! So I wasn't surprised that Columbus was a great place to visit as well. What always makes a city stand out is cleanliness, pleasant people, and great food. Columbus has all three! I enjoyed several meals at "Max & Erma's" and some great BBQ at "City BBQ". We're talking North Carolina style pulled pork & great hush puppies! Columbus' airport is clean, has some decent restaurants, and has free wireless internet, which is a rarity nowadays.

I also made an overnight trip down to Northern Kentucky for an appointment. Afterwards I had a couple of hours to kill so I went through the nearby "Creation Museum". I was very impressed! I'm a firm believer in the Biblical view of creation, hence a "young Earth". They present the facts/ case extremely well and it was well worth the price of admission ($20 for adults).

I also got to use my new Magellan GPS this week and it's great! Pop in the address and it drops you on the doorstep! Next week will be a real test because I'm making my first trip to Long Island, NY and Southern Connecticut.

Congratulations to CSC stud Fabian Cancellara, who stole off the front of a strong break and time trialed his way to a win at Milan- San Remo, one of cyclings classic races! Cancellara is having an amazing season thus far. He won Tirreno- Adriatico last week as well!

As for me, I'm still battling problems with my sciatic nerve and have only been on the bike once in the last month and a half. It started out as a back problem. It is getting slightly better, but it's taking a long time. I'm hoping for some real improvement this week.

Elkhart, Indiana = Suckin' on chili dogs, outside a Tasty Freeze...

2008-03-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I flew into Indianapolis and made a 3 hour drive North to Elkhart, Indiana. First, let me say that Indianapolis has a great airport! It's very tidy and has a variety of restaurants to choose from. Elkhart on the other hand is in dire need of a "touch up". It looks dirty and very run down. The roads are some of the cruelest I've had the displeasure of rolling over. Potholes have spread throughout the area like STD's in a public high school. This was made to feel even worse due to the fact that I was driving a Ford Focus. What a piece of crap!

I had a number of completely unforgetable meals. These were consumed in your typical chain restaurants. Try as I might, I didn't see anything local that looked interesting enough to risk a few bucks on. That's pretty sad considering I'm really not that picky. Were it not for the great people I met with this week I'd say that Elkhart has no redeeming qualities at all. I was very amused that as I was driving around on a couple of occasions, one of the local radio stations played several John Cougar Mellancamp songs, thus providing the perfect theme music for my trip. Mellancamp's songs are custom made for Elkhart. Lame tunes for a lame town.

I wanted to make a side trip to South Bend and check out Notre Dame, but I didn't have the time. I also noticed a sign for the "College Football Hall of Fame" in South Bend. That will be a "must see" on my next trip to the area as well. So at the very least, nearby South Bend has something interesting to see.

Cycling wise, aside from a 20 mile spin a week and a half ago, I haven't been able to ride at all. My back pain is almost completely gone, but now I'm having problems with a sciatic nerve. The pain is excruciating at times. I've been going to a chiropractor for a couple of weeks now and it's helping. But my recovery is hampered by my work travel. The only solace that I have is that the weather's been on the crappy side. I've been following "Paris- Nice" on Podium Cafe. Some of these guys subscribe to cycling tv and do a great job of posting a play by play. David Rebellin won the GC today after one hell of a week of racing! It's to bad Gerolsteiner is pulling its sponsorship at the end of the year.

I'm shocked and depressed to hear that CSC is pulling out as well! These are the fruits of doping in cycling! DOPERS really do SUCK!! I do believe cycling is making great strides to clean itself up. I think ASO not inviting Astana to race is a good idea. I think they're wise to the potential mess they'd be inviting. After reading David Walsh's book "From Lance to Landis", listening to Betsey Andreu's interview on The Competitor's radio show, and various other things, I wouldn't trust anything coming out of the U.S. Postal/ Discovery Channel program.

Davey Lopes

2008-03-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've bled Dodger Blue since I was old enough to know what baseball was. I was weaned on Dodger baseball in the 70's and have the fondest memories of baseball in that era. I spent many an afternoon and evening camped out in front of the TV watching my baseball hero's at their craft. The Dodger infield of Garvey, Cey, Russell, and Lopes played together for a record 8 1/2 years.

I'm very sorry to hear that my favorite player when I was growing up, Davey Lopes, has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Not only was Davey one of the best 2nd basemen of his era, he was a very nice man as well. When I was around 10 years old, I wrote him a letter and he responded by sending me a really great postcard. It's an action shot of him running, helmet falling off the back of his head, obviously attempting to steal a base. It's inscribed "To Mike, best wishes always, Davey Lopes". That nice note made a 10 year olds life A- OK!

I was devastated when he was traded to the A's. It was hard to see him in another teams uniform. It was very weird! I liked Steve Sax and eventually got used to him. But it wasn't the same. I went up to DC and watched a Nats game a couple of years ago. I didn't know it at the time, but he was base coaching for the Nats. That was pretty cool, and brought back a lot of memories.

Davey, may God bless you at this time in your life.

Let the racing begin!

2008-03-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Blink, and a month and a half blows by! I wish I can say it's been pleasant, but I injured my back somehow and the pain has been unreal. On top of that, I've been traveling for work as well. However, on a happy note I've been seeing a chiropractor and I've felt significantly better the last week or so.

Travel wise, I've been to Boston, Albany, Detroit, Indianapolis, and all over Virginia and Maryland. I'm going to start "reviewing" and "rating" some of the cities and towns I visit frequently. Maybe I'll rate some of the airports as well. Maybe I'll start this week, I'm flying into Indianapolis and then driving to Elkhart, Indiana.

My back has kept me off the bike as well, and I'm getting depressed. I did go out last Monday for about 20 miles with my son. He's got a lot of potential! At 16, he's got a lot of energy to burn. I'd love to get both my sons a really nice bike. Right now they share an old Cilo. It's good though, for as much as they ride at the moment. My 15 year old son could be quite good as well. He's got a lot of stamina.

Thank goodness the pro peleton is back on the road and providing me quality entertainment. The Tour of California was great! Het Volk was very good as well, Philippe Gilbert had a quality win for Francaise Des Jeux. The guy is a stud!

Cobbles are insane! Last Saturday, I watched "A Sunday in Hell". That is one hell of a documentary and I highly recommend it to anyone. Paris Roubaix with Merckx, De Vlaemink, Maartens, and Moser! It doesn't get better than that.

Paris- Nice is running this week and it should be a good race if the UCI doesn't screw it up by intimidating the riders into not racing.

Man I love cycling! Last week I was thinking about Bob Brooks. I started riding in Fresno, CA when I was in my late teens. Bob was an older gentleman with legs of steel and Olympic class lung power. He holds a number of records for various cycling disciplines in his age group. I'd see him out on the road sometimes and he was always very kind and encouraging. He doesn't know it, but he was an inspiration to me. I hope he's doing well! Viva Bob Brooks!

I'm very pissed to hear that the the U.S. open Cycling Championships have been moved from Richmond to Providence, RI! What the hell? It only lasted one year in Richmond? I was really looking forward to watching the boys hammer up Libby Hill. When am I gonna catch a break? There was no Tour of Cali when I lived there. When there's finally a good quality race in the town I live in, it's moved after one year!Whatever happened to the Captech Classic by the

way?

That was a great race through the streets of downtown Richmond. I was out of town a couple of years ago when it was last held. I've not heard a thing about it since.

My wife and I celebrated 18 years of marriage last week. I can honestly say I'm a very blessed man. She's a wonderful wife, friend, and mother. I definitely "married up"! We went out for dinner at a new Japanese restaurant called "Kubuki". It was terrific! The chef was quite the showman. He was tossing knives and playing with fire, it was very entertaining and the food was excellent! all in all it was a memorable evening.

Cleveland Does Rock!

2008-01-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

Literally! I went to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" while I was there a couple of weeks ago. It was quite impressive! The Hall sits on Lake Erie and is very easy to get to from the freeway if you follow the signage. They had a very nice display on The Beach Boys and great presentations on a wide variety of performers and groups. My personal favorites were The Who, The Allman Brothers, Rush, The Clash, and The Ramones. The story on the rise of Punk Rock was very interesting and brought back alot of memories. There was also a cool tribute to Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar. If you're ever in Cleveland, make sure to visit. Foodwise, I ate several meals at a local restaurant chain called Max and Erma's. Very good food and great service make for a pleasant time. The price was decent as well. By the way, great skyline Cleveland!

Its been freezing cold when I've been home so I haven't been able to ride much at all. I can't wait for the pro cycling season to get started. Het Volk is on March 1st and it couldn't get here soon enough. I really think cycling is starting to get its collective legs under it after several years of doping scandals. Although I don't think we've seen the last of it, I do think our sport has made huge strides in cleaning up. In the classics I think we'll see great racing from Fabian Cancellara, Damiano Cunego (who'll pull his crap together this year), Daniele Bennati, and Tom Boonen (who I think is due to crank it up). I'd love to see Slipstream tear it up this spring!

In the major tours, watch out for team CSC. If Frank and Andy Schleck, and Carlos Sastre can put together a team strategy they'll be hard to beat in the Giro & TDF. Damiano Cunego could do great as well. I don't think Cadel Evans has a team that can help him win a major tour, but he'll continue to be in contention. Sadly, Alberto Contador could win the TDF again. But I'm sorry to say I don't trust him and his new Astana team. DS Johan Bruyneel is bad news considering the number of doped up riders with a USPS/ Disco history. I can honestly say I'll be rooting against them.

I worked in Philly this week and as I was driving down the freeway I passed the exit sign for "Manayunk". My mind went instantly back to the mid eighties and Winning magazine. I loved reading about the Corestates U.S. Pro Championships Road Race. With a 10% to 17% grade, that half mile climb up the infamous "Manayunk Wall" was gruesome to be sure! I remember a picture of a guy with a garden hose, spraying riders down from his front yard! It'd be cool if I could time a trip with a race.

Cleveland Rocks? We're about to find out!

2008-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

It's not often you get such a beautiful day for a ride in January! I set off for a 30 mile jaunt today with the temp in the low 70's. Perfect! After yesterdays relatively easy 25 miles, I wanted something that would put some burn in my legs. My route has a couple of short, steep climbs that are quite nice. One rewards you with a nice 40 mph descent that feels great. I've come a long way in the last year and a half. I've lost around 40 lbs since I started riding again. I'd like to drop another 20- 25 to be honest, that'd get me very close to what I weighed when I raced cat 4's in the late 80's. However, I'm a realist too. I don't have the metabolism of a hummingbird anymore. I don't have the time or the drive to ride like I used too either. I'm out of town working quite a bit and when I'm home I love to spend time with my wife and kids. I'm content to stay where I'm at right now weight wise.

This week I'll be in Cleveland working. I've never been to Cleveland, but I hear "it rock's", at least that's what the songs says. And being it has "The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame", I guess it better. I think The Pretenders are from Cleveland. I saw them in concert twice in the 80's. They were awesome! If I remember right, The Call and Simple Minds opened for them. Cleveland sits on Lake Erie, so this time of year it should be breathtakingly cold (I bet they don't get winter day's in the 70's like we do in Richmond!). It's also home to the Cleveland Indians & The Jake. In Cleveland, they can't play baseball in January, so I'll have to wait on that. I think they banned "Chief Wahoo" in the name of political correctness, which sucks! The Braves did the same with "Chief Nok-a- Homa", what an great name! I hope they've got some decent restaurants as well. When you're on the road as much as I am you try to find something different. I can't stand most of the chain/ clone restaurants anymore. Sometimes I think if I sit in another ChiliApplebee's again I'll go homicidal. That crap is way overpriced! I'll be frequenting Cleveland a lot this year, so I'm hoping for the best!

I'd Like You To Meet My Psychologist; Dr. Blue RC4

2008-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

In the Summer of 1984 a high school friend invited me to his house to watch the Olympic games. That day I was introduced to the greatest endurance sport in the world. I had never given cycling, as a sport, so much as a passing thought. Watching Alexi Grewal sprint around Steve Bauer and take the Gold medal just blew me away! I can picture him now. Arms in the air, freaking out!

In the 7th and 8th grade I had a yellow Schwinn Varsity I used to ride a few miles to a friends house. That came to an abrupt (i.e. violent) end one summer afternoon when I was riding home. I was peddling through our neighborhood and was distracted by a high school girl, watering her lawn in a bikini. I took my eyes off the road, and looked back over my shoulder to sneak a peak (lear actually) and plowed into the side of a parked station wagon! I slid over the hood and onto the sidewalk; getting pretty scraped up in the process. I was so embarrassed, I didn't even look back. I dusted myself off, picked up my bike (the front wheel was destroyed) and started walking home. Come to think of it, I bet those people were wondering what happened to their car.

I also remember when I was in the 4th or 5th grade my brother and I had some "cool" bikes with banana seats. In an effort to keep the neighborhood crime free, we used to race around pretending we were CHiPS. I believe, being the oldest, I was "Ponch" and he was "Jon". We used plastic baseball batting helmets for motorcycle helmets and used to park our bikes side by side (with the helmets hanging from the bars) just like on TV.

After trashing my bike, I had neither the money or interest in getting another one. That all changed that summer afternoon in 1984. At least my interest did. Being in high school; I was still broke. So I just watched cycling on TV whenever it was on. I remember watching Paris Roubaix and the 1985 Tour de France (my first). I was thoroughly captivated by how tough these guys were. That, coupled with commentary by Phil Liggett and John Tesh really made an impression on me (Tesh made some great music for TV cycling as well). Those events, and Winning magazine, introduced me to athletes I'd never heard of. Men such as Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault, Larent Fignon, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Eric Vanderarden, Marc & Yvonne Madiot, and others.

Later I would read about the giants in cycling history. Legends like Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Martens, Jan Raas, Jaques Anquentil, Raymond Polidour (the eternal second), Charly Gaul, Fausto Coppi, and many others. The first time I watched "A Sunday in Hell" I almost passed out! What drama!

The fall of 1985 I finally scrapped together some money and bought my first bike. A nice red and yellow Club Fuji with Suntour components. I put thousands of miles on it over the next several years. Around 1990 I bought a sweet Bottecchia Limited. It was white, with Campagnolo components. I also bought my first set of Shimano clipless pedals. That Bottecchia was awesome! So awesome that when I started riding again I bought another Bottecchia, a Sprint BZ562 with Shimano 105. Having the shifters on the brake levers was a welcome change. Finally, when I was working in Plano, Texas last spring I found a real nice bike shop across the street from the hotel I was staying at. That's where I bought my current ride. A Blue RC4. The frame is all carbon fiber and it has Shimano Ultegra components. It's great on long rides and climbs like a dream. What a phenomenal bike, I couldn't be happier!

I work out of town a great deal so I do most of my riding on the weekend. Still, I managed to put several thousand miles in last year. Today we had some pretty decent weather, it was in the mid- 50's so I ventured out for a quick 25 miles. Nothing to taxing, mostly flat with a few small hills. This was the first time I was able to ride outside in about a month, so it was nice to loosen up the legs. I'm not near as hardcore as my younger days, when I didn't care how cold or nasty it was outside. However, riding inside on the trainer is bloody boring! I'm on for about 45 minutes and I'm ready to go homicidal.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be nice again as well. If not, maybe I'll throw the 1987 Tour video on and get inspired!

Class of 85

2007-12-29T17:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was cleaning out some boxes in my garage and ran across my old high school yearbooks. It's been years since I've looked through them. Man, does time fly! I can't believe its been almost 23 years since I was paroled (graduated) from the California Public School System.

One of the most striking things I noticed was how lax attitudes were towards things people tend to "freak" over nowadays. There were pictures of kids wearing Copenhagen "painters caps" (jocks of course). One kid was wearing the same Copenhagen cap in virtually every picture he was in! There were a couple of pics of the same kid, with a couple of buddies, all holding up there cans of Copenhagen! Too funny! Of course the jocks always had the obligatory chew can circle worn into the back pocket of their 501's. You'd never see that today. there was also a really funny pic of a bunch of "popular" kids, sitting in a hot tub. A couple of the girls were holding wine glasses (what dorks!). They were all "living the good life" obviously.

Those were the days! Days when kids could get away with wearing all sorts of "cool" t- shirts and other things to school. Stuff like "Budwiser", or "Miller High life" t- shirts. "Mr. Zog's Sex Wax" t- shirts. "Big Johnson" t- shirts. The always smooth "Joe Camel" gear was worn by many a stoner, when they weren't wearing a "Blizzard of Oz" shirt. Punks wore Dead Kennedy's and Black Flag t- shirts along with spiked bracelets and dog collars.

The haircuts are hilarious! We were nuts (idiots really), just like todays kids. Kids in the 80's had "Wedges", "Flat tops", "Mullets" of various length's were in vogue for much of the 80's. "Spikes" & "Mohawks for the punks. Stoners wore their hair long and every Cholo had their hair slicked back, sometimes with a hairnet. The Cholita's had crazy looking "bat wing" hair, while the stoner chics sometimes dyed their bangs or the side of their hair blonde. Black guys were especially fond of Geri Curl!

There were lots of tight Levi 501's. OP t- shirts, pants, & "nutter" style cordoroy shorts. Vans & Nike tennis shoes. Sperry Topsiders. Sleeveless "muscle shirts". Plaid Shorts. Izod & La Tigra Polo style shirts (with the collar flipped up). Varnet & Ray Ban sunglasses, hanging from your neck on a cord. Painters caps. Green hospital scrub tops. Converse Chuck Taylor hi tops.

Concert t- shirts were huge. Lot's of Van Halen, Journey, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Ozzie Osbourne, Rush, Loverboy. I remember I had one for the Police (and Oingo Boingo).

Hiarious.

As for me, I thought I was cool (an individualist). Really, as I look at pictures of myself, I was just as pathetic as everyone else trying to fit in with their friends. I was really into SKA so I tried to dress the part. I had a wedge style haircut. I went "thriftin'" at the local thrift store in search of 60's style Mod/ SKA clothes. I could by my annual wardrobe for about $50.00, which was a plus. I had piles of vintage Penguin shirts. Suit pants. Knock off Clark's boots (and some saddle shoes). Converse hi- tops (including some hideous multi coloreds). Suspenders that hung down. Vintage button up sweaters. Dark sunglasses. that was my uniform for the most part. I remember being in a roomful of friends one time and someone was going on and on about how stoners and jocks were conformists because they all looked alike. I started laughing as I looked around the room and pointed out how we all looked basically the same!

More yearbook laughs. Was there anything lamer than "Air Guitar" contests? Guys wailing away on tennis rackets and broomsticks! playing trash can drums! One year a group of friends and I were Icicle works. The next year we were Depeche Mode. Just like everybody else, we were too stupid to be embarrassed. At least our pics aren't in the yearbook.

Why were jocks always wearing girls clothes on stage in some of these photos?

People wrote the lamest, insincere crap in your yearbook every year as well. "Have a great summer". "Call me" (but no number, what would they say if you did?) "You're such a great friend". (I barely knew you?) "Party Hardy!". "Smoke Dope!" (some stoner wrote that).

Some of it was surprisingly quite profane and illegal. I'll spare you the details.

Our school had a couple of smoking areas. One was off to the side of the school, the other was by some fake well on the quad. Teachers and students, lighting one up. Lots of kids had cigarette lighters. Whether they smoked or not. Which reminds me, do you remember cigarette machines? I can remember my uncle, who was a couple of years older than me, buying smokes out of a coin fed machine at a store one time.

What was up with the lame "Best Dressed" type props they'd pay to the popular kids? Completely lame. "Best Body"? HaHaHa! "Nicest Smile"? "Most Athletic"? "Nicest Hair"?
"Prettiest Eyes"? They seemingly made a catagorie for each of them. What about something for the rest of us? "Poorest"? "Crappiest Car"? "Drunkest"? "Most After School Jobs"?

We had donkey basketball in our gym.

Every year, we also seemed to have at least one student get killed somehow. Hit by drunk driver. Hit by car. A pretty cheerleader was riding in a car that somebody randomly fired at. The bullet killed her. Very sad indeed. The memorial pages are nice. I hope their friends still remember them.

I wonder what's happened to some of these teachers? I really liked my art teacher, Mr. Meachem. Great guy, with cool Hawaiian shirts. Mr. Fox was a really nice History teacher. Mrs. Wade, my English teacher was great as well.

I didn't realize we had so many clubs. Latin. French. German (a guy wearing Liederhosen!). Spanish. Fellowship of Christian Atheletes. Science. Sci- Fi (are you serious?). MECHA (Scary!). Black Student. Asian. Brainy Kids. Ski club. Senior Men's Club (oh brother). Senior Women. Drama (HaHaHaHa!).

One quarter of the book is dedicated to sports. Young testosterone and peach fuzz moustaches. Too funny.

Band Kids. We used to call them band geeks (some were my best friends). They get the last laugh, now I wish I played an instrument.

Choral Kids. My sister was one. Those were some talented people. Their outfits in the pics are less than flattering.

Drama Club kids. Wow! That would be embarasssing! "I wear black because it reflects how I feel inside"...

Ha, that was fun. Welp, back in the box they go. I hope my kids get a kick out of their yearbooks when they're my age. Mostly Good memories, that was the 80's for me.

'Tis the Season

2007-12-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I hate, it's crowds. And I seem to spend an inordinate chunk of my life wading through them. Yesterday, Mrs. Roadie and I threw caution to the wind and joined the roving hordes of shoppers trying to finish their Christmas shopping (or in the case of the average American male, start their shopping). We trudged through various malls and stores. It was an all day affair. The only fun thing about it is being entertained by the oddballs that seemingly come out of the woodwork during the holiday season.

Wandering the stores and getting stuck behind people wearing novelty sweatshirts and antlers tends to suck the Christmas spirit out of me at the speed of light. I bet they have an outfit for every holiday, but Christmas is when they really get to let it all hang out. I was in the Dallas airport a couple of weeks ago and the senior citizen volunteers that man the information booth were sporting Rudolph noses that actually lit up, and enormous antlers (we're talking 5 point buck). They should've had their "greatest generation" membership cards revoked.

Occasionally you'll see a whole family gleefully "kitted out" in the lamest of holiday attire (there's always one kid who looks distraught. He knows his life is over if someone from school sees him). It's not enough for the parents to make fools of themselves, but do they have "pay it forward" and drag the children into it? I always find myself wondering about what these people do for a living. Aren't they worried that their boss, or a co- worker will see them? You wouldn't want them working for you, there's no telling what they'd do! Wonder if a client sees them? Would you do business with someone who'd employ somebody that lacking in common sense and humility? You wouldn't want them handling your 401k, let alone bagging your groceries.

You also stumble across "Gangstas" full of Christmas spirit as well. Timberland's. Baggy jeans held up by hand on crotch. Xxxl 50 cent t-shirt. Mr. T starter kit. Grill. Antler hat (worn crooked).

Have you ever seen a "Goth" kid making a Christmas statement? Knock off Doc Martins. Skin tight jeans (or parachute pants, if his girlfriend is wearing his skin tight jeans), Xxxl Rob Zombie t- shirt. Facial piercings. Antler hat (worn crooked).

One can observe some oddities whilst sitting in traffic as well. Yesterday I saw two cars with antlers hooked onto the driver and passenger windows. Last year we saw a biker astride his "hog" wearing his Santa outfit, complete with fake Santa beard. His pear shaped old lady was smashed up against him, wearing the obligatory Santa hat and Christmas light necklace (egad!).
Truck drivers apparently run these bikers over quite frequently. I've seen Santa smashed, spread eagle, on the grills of numerous 18 wheelers this year (along with two Grinch's). As if having a lighted Christmas wreath mounted on the grill of your 18 wheeler isn't bad enough.
I really feel sorry for those poor folks who, in an effort to make some extra cash (to pay for more presents), managed to scrape up a 2nd job at a local pizza joint or furniture store. Only to be sent out in the freezing cold wearing an elf suit and a spinning sandwich board.

There's also the poor fathers and grandfathers who, against their will, have been dragged out for a day of pure misery. They get the annual thrill of watching their bank accounts dwindle to nothing and their credit cards maxxed out. You see these guys faithfully manning their posts, the benches, chairs, and anything else with a flat surface big enough to handle a couple of cheeks. They're exhausted, depressed, and sometimes intoxicated. I can't blame them. Heck, they haven't even paid off last years bills. Later they'll be at home. Exhausted, depressed, and certainly intoxicated, watching lame Christmas movies! The brain numbing effect from the booze can inoculate you from the permanently brain numbing effect of the average Christmas movie. In fact, the typical Christmas movie is liable to drive you out of the house, running for the nearest mall.

Opinion's...

2007-12-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me that "a man without opinion's isn't much of a man".

Sometimes in life, we must branch out and try something new. For me, this is one of those times. My hope is that you'll find my opinions (I certainly have a few) thought provoking and entertaining.

I have a wide range of interests, family, history, politics, religion, sports, music. I'll post as often as I can. It may take me awhile to "get the kinks out" as I've never had a blog, or anything similar before.

Thanks for visiting,

RR