Top Three Halloween Costumes 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Here are my top three costume ideas for Halloween 2009:

3 - dress up like a "thriller" zombie in tribute to the late great King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

2 - Dress up like a fortune teller, Madam So-and-So -son. Some cool spin of a Swedish name, go all out and have a crystal ball, and tarot cards. Tell everyone you are a member of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee

1 - Balloon Boy. So many possibilities, and likely to generate lots of media attention.

More troops to Afghanistan?

I've figured it all out.

This is what we need to do to solve all these problems.

Train a portion of the American Residents to make Big Mac's and be Walmart greeters. Then send them to Afghan/Pakistan/Iraq/Iran... etc. Hell I'll even say North Korea. Then we outsource some 100% Great American diplomacy by establishing these fine institutions in these places.

Now, I'm sure there are some details that I'm overlooking, but I'm sure we can eventually figure out how many goats a blue burka costs. I suppose the introduction of toilet paper would be great achievement in it's own right.

I don't know how this could fail?

Walking in circles?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32494981/ns/technology_and_science-science/

This is a brilliant study, and from my limited experience, very true.

I've found that my orienteering style is much different when the sun is shining. I use the shadows to keep my direction, while when racing in overcast conditions I rely on the compass much more. Another note: People dying within a mile of where they became lost. - quitters.

What is the limit? Is there a limit? 30 Ironman distances in 30 days?

Wow,

http://www.limit09.com/

or for those who have not brushed up on their Italian lately:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.limit09.com%2F&sl=it&tl=en&hl=EN&ie=UTF-8

This Italian gentlemen is attempting 30 ironman distance events in the course of 30 days.

Now considering some people race deca irons (10x the iron distance - 24 mile swim, 1120 mile bike, 262 mile run), this is really only three of those, and he is taking breaks to sleep between each set of iron distances.

That makes it seem more plausible.

And of course Dean ran 50 marathons in 50 days.

Then again, you can see that in a month he plans to swim 72 miles, bike 3360, and run 786 miles.

hmmm.....

I wonder what toll bad weather, injuries, etc. could have?

I imagine that his body will also adapt.

I wonder what his pace will be. Most Iron distance races have a cutoff of 17 hours, and most are won with a time sub 9 hours. His pace will dictate recovery time between efforts and sleep. Unless he's figured out how to sleep while performing one of the events.

So, obviously he has a background, an aptitude, and base for this type of undertaking. Vincenzo planned to start at the end of August 2009, but has postponed until 28 AUGUST 2010. I guess we will wait for a year to see - holding our breath. :)

Here is a part of Vincenzo Catalano's resume:

2006 ~ Break the world record with 40 Ironman's completed in a year

2004 ~ Set the world record for most triathlons done in a year, completed 31 Ironman's alongside Giacomo Maritati and Jaques Fox

35 Ironman's completed

12 Double IRON Triathlons completed

6 Triple IRON Triathlons completed

1 Quintuple IRON Triathlon completed

2 DECA IRON Triathlons completed

54 Marathons completed

Leadville 100 MTB -

http://raceacrossthesky.com/

I wonder if it is worse to run this or ride it? I guess it would be mostly downhill rolling on the bike ride back down.

I expect this race will become huge now. Over the years it drew some of the best of the MTB world.

Qaddafi - the height of being a fashionista

Wow - who knew that being a dictator would enable a person to become a fashion icon?

I don't normally read Vanity Fair, but this article caught my eye. And, oh by the way, who cares if Michelle Obama wears shorts to see the Grand Canyon?

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/qaddafi-slideshow200908#slide=15

recent movie reviews - Bruno, District 9, Orphan

oh yeah - Movies Reviews as of late:

Bruno - Difficult to watch. The same premise as his Cohen's other characters, gratuitous gay sex acts, and some appalling revelations of what people will do to get their kids in movies. Don't see in theaters, with children, and only on DVD if you have 2 hours of your life to kill.

District 9 - Good movie. Good story, and somewhat mirrors the apartheid's travesties in South Africa. A little scifi with funny accents.

Orphan - I hate the character of the little girl in this movie, and despite being somewhat predictable, this may be the best horror movie I've ever seen. Worth seeing.

Lance going back to his roots?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLQrO0l4gjY&NR=1

In his comments after winning the Leadville 100 MTB race, Lance Armstrong speculates on racing in triathlons.

This could be another amazing boost. to one of the fastest growing sports in America. Really looking at the sport of cycling, whether intentionally or not, Lance has done tremendous things to increase awareness of cycling in the United States.

very cool

Mellow Johnny

Image by puliarf via Flickr

Way to go Lance!

http://www.velonews.com/article/96668/armstrong-wins-leadville-100

Nothing like using LeTour to train up for a Leadville 100 victory!

Pure Brilliance

I made a great discovery this week.

This may be the best food ever created.

Chocolatey

Marshmallows

and a pirate styled name!!!

I may never eat anything else again-

Alleycats

Image via Wikipedia

How to do this properly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv-ISen-UTQ

A long time ago, in a land far away, my good friend Dickie and I decided to ride 50 miles (on mountain bikes) from our school to NYC and get lunch. It was an absolutely great experience. I was most impressed with the mass of humanity and traffic we navigated as we rode 80+ blocks to Grand Central in Manhattan. (It took us almost as long to do that as to ride the 40 miles to the outskirts of the city).

It impressed me that bike messengers navigated these dangerous routes, as a career, as quickly as possible.

Later in life, I learned about Alleycat races, which are a races formatted to duplicates tasks a bike messenger does as a part of their 8-5.

I did my first Alleycat race last Friday. With luck on my side, I picked a good group to pace with coming out of the manifest pick up at our second point.

I found that an Alleycat is like combining bike racing, urban adventure racing, and orienteering. Lots of luck involved, a moderate dose of danger, and a necessary fitness prerequisite.

"No Brakes" hosted the event, celebrating their second anniversary in Atlanta. At start time, the race had 70+ signed up. Plenty of PBR was donated for all participants who requiring carbs or liquid courage.

It started with bikes locked up, and racers on the opposite side of the back lot. Just before starting, they told us where our manifests would be. Once we had our manifests, we could go to the rest of the points in any order, but had to reach all points.

Each point had its own little challenge and peculiarity. Certain time bonuses were offered for getting a tattoo, or having your pubes shaved off. There was a line when I reached each of these, so I opted out - seeking to set a better time.

Despite a split up, mass confusion, break up, and a flat tire, I stuck with the good group for most of the race, pulling my weight and contributing when I could. Mostly beginners luck, but I finished with the 3d fastest time. Others with time bonuses placed higher with time bonus credit, but I'm pleased with the outcome. Overall it was a great experience and I was glad to be able to ride away at the end of the evening.

TDF stage 4 - Team Time Trial

2009 Tour De France stage four is in the books.

Lance missing being yellow by milliseconds, but Astana takes the win and puts 4 of their rides in the top 5.

Astana is a powerhouse team, with Contador, Lance, Kloden, and Leipheimer all potentially having a shot at taking yellow in Paris.

The big question of the 2009 tour still stands to be who among Astana is going to be the team leader.

Lance - the Boss, the veteran, the 7 time champ ?

Contador - the team leader, the prerace favorite?

or another?

Lance currently has the lead for the team - but will he get usurped by his own team or teammates. (Similar to the teammates racing each other with 5 time tour winner Hinault and American racer and Tour Champion Greg Lemond 1984, 85, and 86)

And the drama with team Astana. What a pain, and I suppose nothing new among the politics and sports and money. At the beginning of the Giro, after Astana hadn't been paid by the Kazakh government for months, Lance suggested that the team license be turned over to team manager Johann Bruyneel. Money troubles, on top of interpersonal differences between Lance and Contador - and potentially the banned Vinokourov returned to race for Astana (the "team created for him").

Isn't this the obvious question - Why doesn't Lance and Bruyneel start their own cycling team? Sponsored by Mellow Johnny's? After all the Lance has done, intentionally or not, to promote and grow interest of cycling in the United States - I think they have enough clout to pull that together...

I guess we will see.

Tour De France - stage 3

Image via Wikipedia

After today's unexpected breakaway catching breakaway - Lance Armstrong has moved up into 3d place. With tomorrow's stage 4 team trial - a win from Astana could put Lance in Yellow. Tremendous.

As the rest of Le Tour plays out, the question on everyone's mind is whether Astana will back the tour favorite Contador, or the boss Armstrong. Levi and Kloden have a shot as well. I'm sure all of you will be sitting on pins and needles.

Did you know that this year, the U.S. has 7 riders in the tour? That's up from 4 last year, and much more than the typical 1-2 or 3 riders for much of the Grand Tour's history.

Buying a bike, part II.

Stolen from Seattle Craiglist:

Whoo-hoo Seattle, the sun is out! Let's discuss a few things before you fumble with swapping the unused ski rack for the unused bike rack on the Subaru.

So yes, you've noticed the sun is out, and hey!- maybe it would be cool to to some bike riding. Let's keep in mind that the sun came out of all 600,000 of us, so for the most part, you're not the only one who noticed. Please remember that when you walk into my shop on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. It will save you from looking like a complete twat that huffs "Why are there so many people here?"

Are we all on the same page now about it being sunny outside? Have we all figured out that we're not the only clever people that feel sunny days are good for bike riding? Great. I want to kiss all of you on your forehead for sharing this moment with me. Put your vitamin D starved fingers in mine, and we'll move on together to some pointers that will make life easier.

SOME POINTERS FOR THE PHONE:

- I don't know what size of bike you need. The only thing that I can tell over the phone is that you sound fat. I don't care how tall you are. I don't care how long your inseam is. Don't complain to me that you don't want to come ALL THE WAY down to the bike shop to get fitted for a bike. I have two hundred bikes in my inventory. I will find one that fits you. Whether you come from the north or the south, my shop is downhill. Pretend you're going to smell a fart, ball up, and roll your fat ass down here.

- Don't get high and call me. Write it down, call me later. When I have four phone lines ringing, and a herdlet
of people waiting for help, I can't deal with you sitting there "uuuuhhh"-ing and "uuummm"-ing while your brain tries to put together some cheeto-xbox-fixie conundrum. We didn't get disconnected, I left you on hold to figure your shit out.

-I really do need to see your bike to know what is wrong with it. You've already figured out that when you car makes a noise, the mechanic needs to see it. When your TV goes blank, a technician needs to see it. I can tell you, if there is one thing I've learned from you fucking squirrels, it's that "doesn't shift right" means your bike could need a slight cable adjustment, or you might just need to stop backing into it with the Subaru. Bring it in, I'll let you know for sure.

- No, I don't know how much a good bike costs. For some, spending $500 dollars is a kingly sum. For others, $500 won't buy you one good wheel. You really need to have an idea of what you want, because every one of you raccoons "doesn't want to spend too much".

FOR YOU INVENTIVE TYPES AND DO-IT-YOURSELFERS:

- Just because you think is should exist, doesn't mean that it does. I know that to you, a 14 inch quill stem makes perfect sense, but what makes more sense is buying a bike that fits you, not trying to make your mountain bike that was too small for you to begin with into a comfort bike.

- If some twat on some message board somewhere says that you can use the lockring from your bottom bracket as a lockring for a fixie conversion doesn't mean that A: you can, or B: you should. Please listen to me on this stuff, I really do have your best interests at heart.

- I love that you have the enthusiasm to build yourself a recumbent in the off season. That does not mean however, that I share your enthusiasm; ergo I won't do the "final tweaks" for you. You figure out why that Sram shifter and that Shimano rear derailleur don't work together. While we're at it, you recumbent people scare me a little. Don't bring that lumbering fucking thing anywhere near me.

A DEDICATION TO ALL THE HIPSTER DUCHEBAGS:

-If you shitheads had any money, you wouldn't NEED a vintage Poo-zhow to get laid. Go have an ironic mustache growing contest in front of American Apparel, so that I can continue selling $300 bikes to fatties, which is what keeps the lights on.

- Being made in the 80's may make something cool, but that doesn't automatically make something good. The reason that no one has ridden that "vintage" Murray is because it's shit. It was shit in the 80's, a trend it carried proudly through the 90's, and rallied with into the '00's. What I mean to say is, no, I can't make it work better. It's still shit, even with more air in the tires.

SO YOU'RE GONNA BUY A BIKE:

Good for you! Biking is awesome. It's easy, it's fun, it's good for you. I want you to bike, I really do. To that end, I am here to help you.

-Your co-worker that's "really into biking" knows fuck all. Stop asking for his advice. He could care less about you having the right bike. He wants to validate his bike purchase(s) through you. He also wants to sleep with you, and wear matching bike shorts with you.

- You're not a triathlete. You're not. If you were, you wouldn't be here, and we both know it.

- You're not a racer. If you were, I'd know you already, and you wouldn't be here, and we both know it.

- So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you're doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than $300. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs $3,000. I also want a unicorn to blow me. What are we even talking about here? Oh yeah. Listen, bikes can be fast, light, cheap and comfortable. Pick two, and we're all good.

Favorite Music Videos

Here are some of my favorite Music Videos. No real rhyme or reason, but I admire the genuine creativity of each one. In no particular order:

- Hey Ya! - Outkast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvIw5ZqC1ms

- Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs

- Come into my world - Kylie Monigue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUueEVXw7ec

One of the most expensive music videos ever made:

- November Rain - Guns N Roses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwu7ixmQk0c

- Hardest Button to Button - White Stripes

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

- Virtual Insanity - Jamoriquai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2UZkb4lqHY

- Dance of the Dope Hats - Marilyn Manson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h71zdK9M9qE

- Everlong - Foo Fighters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H0BMfqFP9c

Pick your teams now! Le Tour starts on Saturday the 4th!

I never really understood the draw of fantasy football. I had a roommate who obsessed over it, and it seemed a popular subject in his discussions. I would just nod and smile, as terms flew over my head.

But when I discovered fantasy cycling teams a few years ago - I get it now!

to each his own.

only a few remaining hours to pick your fantasy tour teams:

http://www.nrtoone.com/fantasy/cycling/

Blogging, why?

My girlfriend doesn't like my blog. Perhaps it is useless, and not a good investment of time.

I hope to actually make this a useful blog for at least something. hmmm.... vague. I should come up with a blog mission statement. Perhaps even a blog vision. I'll mull this over.

For now, this will have to do. I hope to at least reach the tiny green circle of useful blogs.

otherwise, check out the great viral humor of graphjam: http://graphjam.com/2009/05/22/song-chart-memes-blogs/

Update to Motivation and Julie Moss Ironman

Update! Bob Bennitt spoke in Atlanta this week and I was able to catch the presentation.  

Short Bio: Babbitt completed his first Ironman back before the earth cooled, in February of 1980. How big was the Ironman back then? Only 108 idiots were entered that year and Babbitt completed the race on a $75 police auction bike that had been charred in a fire. He raced with panniers on said bike with a tent and a sleeping bag because he didn't know you were supposed to do the whole thing in one day, plus he had a support crew that provided him with the best in the world of nutrition- Big Mac, fries and a coke plus a snow cone. He also is the only athlete in Ironman history to complete the bike ride wearing regular shorts and a belt plus a wool cycling jersey.... in Hawaii.  

Since the Ironman, Babbitt has co-founded Competitor Publishing, a division of The Competitor Group, Inc., which now owns eleven regional fitness publications in 28 major municipalities around the nation with a total monthly circulation of 700,000. He also co-founded the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) which has raised millions of dollars to help disabled athletes stay in the game. He created the Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series, which makes its Atlanta contest this Saturday, June 20th at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers. Bob became the 10th inductee of the Ironman Hall of Fame in 2001.  

Bob spoke to the effect that for the first few years, Ironman was just this crazy event that a few people were doing. ABC sports would show Dave Scott jogging across the finish at the end of the days racing.  

It wasn't until Julie Moss, needing so desperately to finish what she had began, being passed as she crawled the last 100 feet of the course was broadcast that Ironman and triathlon exploded. People sought inspiration in what could motivate somebody to keep going when their body had completely given out. That is the spirit of Ironman and possibly a key to human condition.

ALL CAPS DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER

Image via Wikipedia

BE CAREFUL WHEN BUYING BIKES ON CRAIGSLIST

I cannot take credit for this and read it on CL from another city. 


1) Just because your bike was made in Europe doesn't mean you've got a winner. They made a lot of junk, too. 
2) A low end bike that was $97.00 in 1976 is not, magically, worth $400.00 now. 
3) Adult bikes do not have goosenecks. 
4) If the chain is conspicuously rusty and kinked in the picture, nobody is going to fall for your claims of "mint condition." 
5) If you get asked how many speeds it has and do not know nor care, pull your ad. Immediately. 
6) Telling us that you found it in a barn is not a rationale for overpricing it. 
7) Take OFF the $10 price tag from Goodwill before you take your Craigslist picture and ask $250 for it. 
8) "Light and FAST!" . . . Ok, if you say so. 
9) Not everything with those cooky, curvy handlebars is a race bike. 
10) Neither is a race bike "improved" by flipping those curvy handlebars upside down. 
11) Don't be offended if someone offers you an insulting amount that is far less than you want for your bike - they're just smarter than you. 
12) Don't get ticked off if someone low-balls you when you state "make offer" in your ad. You asked for it. 
13) Tires are tires and wheels are wheels. These terms are not interchangeable. 
14) Breaks should be referred to as "brakes", petles or petals as "pedals". 
15) Your bike was not made by Shimano, Suntour, or Campagnolo. I know you saw that name somewhere on it, but just trust me on this one. 
16) Vintage implies it was worth something when it was new, otherwise it's just OLD. 
17) High tensile steel - yeah, they put a sticker on the bike that says it but I wouldn't be bragging about it. 
18) Go ahead and repost that 10 speed Huffy every week - no one will tire of its charm. If you're willing to endure the humiliation, we'll be there for you until you reach your target market. 
19) ALL CAPS DOES NOT MAKE IT A BETTER BIKE. 
20) Pictures of the LEFT side of the bike aren't worth much of anything, nobody can see the drivetrain. All things considered, perhaps you'd rather want to hide it anyway. 
21) Blurry pictures add a negative symbol to your price tag. 
22) If you steal someone else's photos (not the manufacturer's) from the web and use them to represent your own bike, you are absolute scum. 
23) "Suitable for fixie conversion" doesn't make a POS frame any more valuable. For that matter...WHAT makes it suitable? 
24) If you think your bicycle is worth a four figure sum ($x,xxx), the LEAST you could do is to spell the brand and component names correctly (eg. Trek, not treck; Schwinn, not shwin; Campagnolo, not Campagnola; and Shimano - not shmano, shimono, or shamano) 
25) Include the size of the bicycle! Measured from the center of the cranks (the big sprocket) to the top of the seat tube (before the silver or black post that holds the seat [saddle].) It needs to be in either inches or centimeters. Both if you are nice. 
26) NEXT, Magna, Huffy, Roadmaster, and Murray are NOT highly-respected brands. Get over it. 
27) Taking a nice multispeed road bike that was posted here two days ago for a reasonable price raping it of all good derailleur parts, making it a single speed with a $22 Chinese bmx cog from performancebike.com does not double or triple its value or make it a "race bike" or "fixie". 

Additions from a local CL reader. 

28) There is no such thing as a road mountain bike 
29) Just because you are selling it for a friend doesn't make you an expert if you are not 
30) If you don't list the brand and it is unreadable in the photos, we will assume it is a POS 
31) Research the going price of your bike before posting 
32) Just because it cost a lot 10 years ago when it was brand new and you have barely rode it, doesn't mean it is worth 50% + of new price (see #31) 
33) Just because you bought it within the past year doesn't mean someone is going to pay close to what you paid, especially if the new model years are coming out and yours is now discounted 
34) Don't use terms you do not understand - if it does not have rear suspension, it is not full suspension 
35) Proofread - I have never seen a bike measured in feet but I've seen a lot of 26' bikes posted 
36) If it is a *mart bike and you just paid to have it "tuned up", you probably just wasted your money as the tune up was probably more than the bike is worth 
37) We don't want to call for basic information you should have posted or to have you send us pictures 
38) Don't sell a used helmet unless you really did just buy it, otherwise it may have been crashed and is a safety hazard 

Barrel Man update

From the looks of things the vandal has quite a talent. Perhaps this notoriety can help open opportunities for work more legitimate and profitable.  Like a hacker who then helps the law enforcement catch other criminals - Mr. Joseph Carnevale has limitless potential in traffic safety creation.

Although, his barrel man costing $360 in damages for three barrels reveals overpricing in the construction barrel world.  Hell, oil doesn't even cost $120 a barrel - yet.

N.C. Artist get in trouble for Barrel Man

From: http://nopromiseofsafety.com

I couldn’t get it out of my head. Its that itch, that need to make real an idea that has rolled around in one’s head for days, snowballed itself into a temporary obsession that just has to be satisfied.I arrived in a flash and snatched them up from where they stood on the street. As I threw them into the trunk of the vehicle I had to rough them up some so they would fit. I shoved and beat and mangled them into place and was off before any witnesses knew what had even happened.

Later on that night, they stood huddled in the corner of the room, silent. They looked on while I slowly set out the duct tape and plugged in the power drill. Then I pulled out the switchblade and released the cold metal blade. They would never be the same.

It didn't last long, but commuters in Raleigh, North Carolina were treated to a whimsical display of street art recently, as a 22-year-old NC State student (allegedly) assembled a barrel monster out of bright orange traffic barrels and put it to work directing traffic on a busy public street. Police say Joseph Carnevale is being charged with larceny for stealing and damaging the traffic barrels on May 31 for the purpose of building a statue, and I guess they're right, but it always seems unfair when it's vandalism you actually like.

The lesson learned here is: Don't be so vain to take credit for your work, unless you are willing to pay the price of your pride.  More should follow after Joseph's court appearance on the 21st of July.

Happy Birthday Army

Image by US Army Korea - IMCOM via Flickr

14 JUN 1775 - making this the 234th Birthday of the U.S. Army!

Motivation

Are people inherently lazy?  Does the majority of the population just go with the flow, and take the path of least resistance in life?

Maybe it is because people become comfortable with their station in life and do not desire to make more of themselves.  I think that most individuals will act to avoid discomfort, than to seek pleasure.

So if the above is valid, what propels some individuals to go beyond their comfort zones and try to make something better of themselves, or their world?

Julie Moss, 2d place 1982 Iron man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRB1p89k7_I