2008 from the RCVman iPhone

Three minutes around the world with RCVman and his trusty (low rez) iPhone. It was a wild journey and thanks to all who played a part in this grand adventure. Don't blink!

2009 RCV Shoot Schedule (Tentative)

Staying true to the title of this Blog, and in the interest of keeping each and every one of you updated with more news that you would normally bother to Google, we had a marvelously productive meeting at CTHQ this morning. The boss was as jovial as I have ever seen him. That spans ten years of our working relationship. And he should be jovial, after all, how many VPs do you know of right now, today, that are in good moods???? So I took full advantage of this circumstance to present the tentative shoot schedule for 2009.

Time will tell whether or not the monstrous sales of December will be data enough to send the intrepid (and always ready) RCVman back out into the terrifying world of triathlon for another round in 2009, however, I feel pretty good about the chances. Playing it safe I eliminated all the exotic ports-o-call and focused on the domestic events, hoping that the reduction in travel expenses would seal the deal. Fingers crossed. Here is the schedule.

And RDs, if you feel that your event should make this list, just send me a note via the comments tab below.


DATE EVENT LOCATION

• April 4 Oceanside 70.3 Oceanside, CA
• June 21 IM CdA Coeur d'Alene, ID
• June 27 Pacific Crest 70.3 Sunriver , OR
• July 4 Kansas 70.3 Kansas City, KS
• July 11 Lifetime Fitness (OLY) Minneapolis, MN
• August 1 Steelhead 70.3 Chicago, IL
• August 16 Lake Stevens 70.3 Seattle, WA
• August 22 USAT AG Nationals Tuscaloosa, AL
• Sept 13 Nations Tri (OLY) Washington DC
• Sept. 27 Augusta 70.3 Augusta, GA
• October 10 Kona Hawaii
• Nov 22 IM Arizona Tempe, AZ

Chapter 86

Cautiously he tried again. It was now or never. A critical mass of interrelated randomness had conspired to ensnare his free will. He no longer possessed the power of choice. If he was to survive, there was but a single move to make, and it would require all the concentration, focus, calm, resolve and skill he could coax from his broken body and frozen cpu.

He coughed a laugh of phlegm and type O positive thinking about an embarrassing moment on stage during a dance recital some 50 years prior. Who in that audience would pay another price of admission to see him now?

Perhaps that was the lesson. Step, shuffle, ball, change. His eyes opened like the iris of a camera in low light. All these years carrying the emotion of that ridiculously meaningless moment. Why?

It didn't matter then, but it seemed to now.

Step, he commanded.

King of the Mountain

Well now. As many of you have inquired over the last few weeks, the 2009 RCV shooting schedule has been in flux since the economy tanked. Shoot more? Spend more? Add more? Or cut back? Those were the questions at hand heading into the Holiday buying season, the traditional time that CompuTrainer sales peak. After all, there's snow and ice (and darkness and irritated motorists in big cars) out there. Our model has always been to train indoors when this fat hits the shan. And, we've done pretty well with this model when times were good, as captured in this video clip:

But when things like house foreclosures, lost 401Ks and the complete meltdown of the Big Three tumble to the table, what then? Will the belt tightening include $1,500 indoor trainers (and the adjacent use of RCVs?).

I have been keeping nose to the St. Croix RCV grindstone for weeks now and haven't spoken with a soul at HQ since my last visit before Thanksgiving. Until this afternoon.

Seems we set an ALL-TIME sales record for December. And when I say ALL-TIME that goes back almost 30 years. All vacations were cancelled, peripheral parts were ordered from tertiary vendors and all systems were on red alert overtime to get the product out the icy doors and into the hands of our plethora of new users.

Congratulations CompuTrainer, you are still KOM!

Now about that shoot schedule.........

(Top photo from 2007 Tour of California, Stage 5, King of Mountain)

O-dark-thirty

As advertised, here is another top ten list. This one about early morning workouts. Like you've never heard all this before.......Ladies, be advised that the site is wayyyyyyy overloaded with testosterone.

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness_top_ten/10_fitness_list.html

Here are the Cliff Notes:

1. Builds consistency
   
2. No waiting (refers to free weights or machines--not bikes)
3. Jump start metabolism.
   
4. Gives you energy.
5. Clears your head.
   
6. Regulates your appetite.
   
7. Increases mental awareness.
8. Increases discipline.
9. Sleep better.
   
10. Improves diet.

See you Wednesday at 0530.

A Fine 2009

I'll admit to liking top ten lists as much as the next blogger, but in the interest of making a new or different contribution to the annual collection, here we present the RCVman "TEN OF TEN THOUSAND THINGS" list. A farrago of items we stumbled across in 2008. Not to be confused with the triathlon film of the same name (Farrago) released in 2005 (to little popular acclaim). On then with the list.

TEN of TEN THOUSAND THINGS discovered (or re-discovered) in 2008:

• 1) The Time Travelers Wife. A remarkable book by Audrey Niffennegger. Absolutely no connection to the HG Wells method of time travel I assure you.
• 2) The Dark Knight. Best movie in the total entertainment category. Saw it in Lake Placid and then at my 'home' theatre the following week. My sole criteria: Expert filmmaking.
• 3) Ironman Canada. Best Ironman on this Planet (and I've seen, done or filmed most of 'em). One loop swim, one loop bike and an out and back run in the Paradise called Penticton.
• 4) Idaho. Best Half Ironman. With the 70.3 events popping up like spuds, this one took the top tater award. I love Boise.
• 5) Wake of the Flood. Grateful Dead. Stella Blue and Row Jimmy. Nuff said.
• 6) "Remarkable things can be accomplished simply through persistence."
• 7) The wisdom of the body. High Intensity workouts. Endorphin flow before sunrise.
• 8) Playing chess with my nephew Elliott.
• 9) Knowing that I have lots (LOTS) more to do.
• 10) Hoping, wishing, praying that one of these days, I'll get it right. (That's three, I know)
• (Revision to Number 10 by Anonymous) It's right right now. Thank you anon (although I beg difference--SOME of the ten thousand are right, not all.)
  

It was a great 2008
Here's to a fine 2009.

207 Indoors!

On rollers, fixed frame. WOW. And the 207 referenced in the title is MPH!!!!!! More here:

http://thegoat.backcountry.com/blog/2008/04/30/bursford%E2%80%99s-ultimate-speedy-grocery-getter-track-bike/

RCVman cometh

The Exploder is certainly paying for its dented and decaying self this week! Out into the wet and wild streets of BI we intrepidly slid to pick up the bikes at Classic Cycle (power was out downtown) where Jeff, Kevin, Gavin and Paul all helped load up and pack out. Then to the store (nightmare) for the Big Night groceries and Frankies prescription refill, and finally over to the recipients of the first two bikes, Alex and Lucas. In the process the winds are coming up, the snow is turning to slush and the temps are rising. We're not out of this thing yet folks. The big delivery day is tomorrow, but here are a few photos from todays joy-ride ntl.

BIG thanks to Classic Cycles for getting us the bikes and helmets at cost. Jeff is shown here in front of tree and cycle at the shop.

We bred a National Champion and T&C is letting people know about it on their big marquee.

Lucas is Happy Boy Number One with his new Trek MT 220. He looks ready to be the next name on the marquee.

Peace all. The Exploder sails again on the morn.

Backyard Blizzard

The House of Pain prior to our Indoor Century fund raiser.

Skinny fingers of ice from my gutters.
Should I wait till Spring???? Nah.
Along with our yearly dusting, we had below freezing weather, with a low of 18, a power outage, DSL interruption and more snow. Truly going to be a White Christmas. We raised enough to buy six bikes and helmets for local kids and Thursday I get to outfit the Exploder, don the Santa cap and deliver. Ho Ho Ho. I will try my best to use the camera this time. Here are a few samples of the last 48 hours, filed under: Blizzards, backyard. Stay warm folks, today is a great day for an RCV ride.

We did it!

We rode 5 hours today to raise money for local kids. I got in 122.1 miles (as registered by the LeMond Pilot, thought by some to be less than perfectly accurate). At this early post-event point, it looks like we raised enough to buy 6 or 7 bikes. Not what we were hoping for, but hey, there will be a half dozen kids this year that will get new bikes on Christmas Eve, and that was the mission. I took the Sony camcorder and had the iPhone all five hours but still managed to come away with zero media. Guess I was preoccupied by this odd burning sensation in my quads. Seriously HUGE thanks to Harry, Diane, Eric and Lynn who came out to join in our reindeer games. And to Ted for opening the club. It's snowing again and below freezing, but tonight I have a warm heart. Thanks for letting me ride with ya...................goodnight.

Christmas Spin is ON

Just get the call from Ted the boss that he has braved the elements and opened the club so we can use the HOP for our spin today!!!!!! Hooooya. I am scrambling to put gear together and ready the intrepid Exploder for the jaunt (via Devils Dip) to get set up. Here are a couple of shots of the snow at the cabin. YOU can still donate on the comments page, show up and spin with us (if you can get here), or call the BAC at 206.842.5661 and make a live phone-in contribution to this great cause. Ted is standing by.

Update #271

Coupla updates this beautiful snowy Sunday morning. First is this one: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008544344_bush21.html therefore we at RCVman HQ officially post the correction as to our citing the cordovan Wing Tip as the shoe of choice among war protesters. Seems that the Ducati Model 271 holds that distinction. We stand corrected. Secondly......

The Second Annual BAC Christmas Spin scheduled to begin a scant two hours from now, is in danger of being snowed out. Seems at this point that nobody can get to the club to open the doors.......I'll keep trying. We also concocted a Plan B backup yesterday involving RCVman spinning at home for 100 miles and doing a "live" update once an hour over on the RCVman YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/user/RCVman. Well (update 2.1) a power outage this morning, or last night, has knocked out the G5 responsible for RCV HD video editing, so we are down to this........the RCVman blog site! Could be worse. So, stay tuned folks, starting at ten (PST) we will be spinning somewhere for five hours, 100 miles or $5,000, (whichever comes first) all to raise money to buy local kids new bikes for Christmas. And YOU can help. If you want to pledge towards the cause, just hit the comments button below and leave me a response as to who you are and how much you would like to contribute. Easy enough, eh?

I wonder if there is a Ducati Model 271 cycle shoe??????

The Stelvio

Now THIS is a climb:


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

House of Pain

Watched the doc "Taxi the the Dark Side" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0854678/ the other night and I am still trying to shake the gloom and doom from my normally rosy colored eye wear. Seriously folks, I don't know how these purps are still on the street. I love Jon Stewart and when I came across this piece, immediately after making sure that we can all meet in the House of Pain tomorrow at 0700 (despite the snow and ice), I figured a story was hiding here somewhere. So here it is: Our cozy spin room (aka The House of Pain), the doc on torture and this from the Daily Show.

You can make up your own mind as to which hurts the most.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

House of Pain

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

ONCE in a lifetime Deal

OK, folks. HERE is the deal: WTC (World Triathlon Corp.) owners of Ironman (insert trademark icon here) following the implicit instructions of former owner and founder John Collins, stage an annual lottery so that the poor triathletes that will never be able to qualify for this prestigious endurance event at least have a "chance" (150 people are selected) to participate via the annual Ironman lottery ($35 to enter). And although the odds are not very good (I have entered five times and have yet to race there), yet another reminder from their lotto department reminded me today that there is still time to enter (Feb 28 is last day).

In conjunction with this, as I was discussing CompuTrainer training with Pro Triathlete Spencer Smith yesterday, the value of the current sale (INCLUDING ZERO FINANCING FOR ONE YEAR) at CT, got me to thinkin'.

Why not sponsor a deserving athlete by getting them a CT thru this incredible deal, set them up with a killer training schedule, get them fit and in race shape NOW (as the snow flies) and then, if they are happy with the results (which are guaranteed) come spring when we can again ride joyously outside, they pay for the product -- and use the results. Really, that is the value of CompuTrainer (and indeed all indoor training) to get fit NOW, to be race ready come June and July. Then coupled with the Ironman lottery..............

Is the offer du jour for the loyal readers of RCVman exclusively:

Buy a CompuTrainer today (offer ends Dec. 31) with zero financing. (And get a free RCV as part of the deal, btw). http://www.Racermateinc.com
Enter the Ironman lottery. http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1608973&assetId=4c6a3ca9-4cb5-4c89-bd83-ff10fd42b1bb
Start your training.
When the lottery winners are announced, if you win a slot, the fun will begin as myself, Spencer Smith http://www.tri247.com/article_2970.html and The Triathlon Coach, Simon Ward, http://www.thetriathloncoach.com will assume the duties of your personal on-line coach in order to get you to the finish line on Alii Drive on October 10, 2009.
And, whatever remaining balance you have on your CompuTrainer will mysteriously disappear.

IS THAT A DEAL, or what??????

Sign up by clicking on the comments tab below and sending me a ONE SENTENCE explanation as to why you think that YOU SHOULD WIN this ONCE in a lifetime deal from RCVman (and Co.). We will select one winner on March 1.

All others just get fit, faster and with less cash out of pocket.

UK Photos

From the beautiful collection of award winning photos from the Telegraph UK. These are four of my favorites. See the others here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/pictures-of-the-year/3796092/Pictures-of-the-year-spectacular.html

IM France RCV?

Art imitating life once again.

Chapter 85

Eliminating 'getting lost' from the equation, she narrowed her mental search to three possibilities: Injury, foul play or none-of-the-above. The injury file had sub-files that included fights with bears, broken bones, avalanches and myocardial infarction. The foul-play file contained; Kidnapping, abandonment, pranking, alien abduction and drug use. The last possibility, the one most likely, was of course, the none-of-the-above file, which contained a warning in 60 point bolded helvetica:

YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG FILE FOR THE WRONG REASON. PLEASE DO NOT OVER-REACT (AGAIN) AND RETURN TO WHATEVER IT WAS YOU WERE DOING PRIOR TO YOUR PANIC ATTACK. EVERYTHING IS FINE.

Closing the folder with care she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Fucking bears.

Winged Tips

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/15/bush.afghanistan/index.html#cnnSTCText



RCV operatives in Iraq are reporting that imprisoned TV reporter Muntadhar al-Zaidi, of the Al-Baghdadia channel, pictured above, is being tested for drug and alcohol abuse to determine his state of mind at the time of the incident. The reporter tossed BOTH his shoes at the POTUS along with the verbal accompaniment, "This is a farewell kiss, you dog".

Shoe tossing, especially in the direction of a President, is in many cultures considered a very aggressive insult, displaying an ultimate form of contempt.

Bush's cat-like reflexes and the US trained security (allowing not only the right, but also the left shoe to be launched), narrowly averted yet another international incident.

When taken into consideration the loss of life (1,297,997 Iraqi Deaths to date) http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html

and the cost to each US citizen
$4,681 per household.
$1,721 per person
$341.4 million per day http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

One has to wonder why shoe tossing as a deterrent to war has not been used sooner and more frequently, indeed begging the question, is one type of shoe better than others for this specialty purpose?

We searched the archives for data on this subject and humbly submit the following report.

A) The traditional cordovan Wing Tip seems to be the most popular and effective shoe for tossing at lame-duck bureaucrats with a history of preemptive, illegal and devastating wars in the Middle East. Also noted, is the use of the "West Coast Offense" football grip on the shoe. Field notes also suggest that your best bet is to use the shoe opposite your dominant throwing arm for the first strike as most often, this is all you will get.

B) If Wing Tips are not available due to security reasons, the use of any old running shoe will get the point across (deliver the payload). Shown here is an arsenal of Adidas, Mizuno and Saucony (never use Nike), running shoes hanging in storage ordinance, at the ready.

As for the reporters state of mind at the time of the incident, we can only speculate that he was pissed off enough to donate his shoes for the sake of his fallen brethren, his occupied, humiliated and destroyed city and the total disrespect and abuse shown by the recipient of his charity (since 2003).

B in 7

Ran across this marvelous quote the other day. Keeping in mind (maybe that is my job) that the sub-title of this Blog is The Ten-Thousand Things and how they are all connected to each other (through me, you and everyone else), it seemed most appropriate. Especially in the snow today.

BUDDHISM IS SEVEN WORDS:

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED
EVERYTHING CHANGES
PAY ATTENTION

Beautiful even at 29 degrees.

IronMarion

Another weird day in a long line of weird days. Started innocently enough with our now standard 60 minute hammer fest in the House of Pain. I then mashed out a DVD project just in time to watch the annual NBC tribute to Ironman. It is always interesting to watch as not only was I there as working media, but I know a lot of the production staff, having spent enough time in the magical grip of both Peter Henning (Executive Producer) and Madame Pele (Goddess of Fire). It is always a special trip to work the World Championships and I enjoy watching the masters ply their trade on TV exactly two months later. And you wonder why RCV's take so long????????

After the broadcast I attended the funeral ceremony of a dear friend. She was 94 when she passed on Thanksgiving Day. One of the kindest, most gentle and sincere people I have ever met. She often introduced me as her adopted son. I was lucky to say to her at the occasion of the marriage of her REAL son a few years ago that I was honored by that introduction. At that we smiled at each other and I have never seen more truth and beauty in the eyes of another human before or since. She seemed to be looking right through me and into my soul. It was a very special moment.

As I drove home in early afternoon in a light snow listening to NPR, the images of Ironman came back to memory. All the pain, suffering, hurt. And I thought about Marion and how meek and tender she was. Just as alive as Crowie or Chrissey. And I tried to draw some metaphorical connections. Like I say, it was a weird day.

Maybe living is nothing more that us in preparation for dying. Live fully, then, chase your dreams. Feel the pain. Embrace the challenge. Relish the tiny victories and celebrate the big ones. Share the love.

One day, soon enough, we will all knock on that door. Thank you Ironman and thank you Marion. Inspiration from different ends of the same spectrum.

Door photo from Nice, France. IMF race week 2008.

Ten hut

The greatest gift you can give others is your full presence. If you want to really succeed, show up. You have been taught that what you do is your contribution to life, while your deeper gift is how you do it. If you are going to do something invest your full self. If you can't be fully there, don't be there at all. (How ripped off do you feel when you are on the telephone saying something important to someone, and you hear them doing dishes, punching keys on their computer, or flushing the toilet?). When you act with resistance, resentment or distraction, you poison your endeavor and relationship. (Paramahansa Yogananda noted, "Manners without sincerity are like a beautiful but dead lady.") If you find yourself doing something halfheartedly, stop and decide if you really want to do this, then either dive in or dive out.

p. 107, Alan H. Cohen, "Why Your Life Sucks"

That being said, there's more to be said; about tact, diplomacy, sensitivity and respect. After all, this isn't the USMC. I stand corrected.

Dismissed.

Venalities vile Vanity

This is the cover of the January 2009 Vanity Fair featuring a red, white and blue clad Tina Fey. I got it in the mail yesterday as a promo offer and immediately put it on the kitchen table where media of this nature gets a scan over coffee, post workout cereal (with protein powder and bananas) during seated periods of rest and recovery. What caught my eye in this issue was the intro letter from editor Graydon Carter. If you are still a Bush apologist PLEASE do not read any further, (or maybe you should), but if you want to hear what those felons are attempting to do to US in the last days of an eight year reign of terror, click here: http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2009/01/graydon200901

"...from the first day in office, the Bush administration has done everything it could to turn the nation's public land and water over to the exploitative, polluting interests that helped put it in power."

Vile.

Calories and YOU

ONE HOUR in the House of Pain =

http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

There was much discussion this morning after class regarding calories "burnt" during our high intensity session (HIS) or the humongous ergo rally (HER), either acronym will work for this exercise. Take a look at the handy chart on the link and then do this: Change your average heart rate and re-calculate after each change. Then examine the difference in the calories spent total. See anything interesting? A trend perhaps? Then, for the sake of this example, think of what we do in class. We start out (kinda) slow, ramp it up (can you hear The Who), recover (with decreasing duration) and repeat for 50 (on average) minutes. Intervals. High Intensity Intervals. So when you look at this chart, and it asks for your average HR, we must take this into consideration and do a much finer detailed analysis because of our constantly changing interval training and its impact (to the positive) on our "average". Does this help any?

Regardless, and I have said this often, the two other items that are just as important as calories spent in our sessions, are diet and finding something (hopefully this) that will keep you coming back after your recovery to burn more calories. And I don't care how many. Just burn 'em. And keep burning 'em. 1-2-3-4.

2008 Christmas Spin

Again this year we will be doing a 100 mile indoor spin on Dec. 21 to raise money to buy local kids new bikes for Christmas. Last year we raised almost $2,500 and put a lot of smiles on kids (and their parents) faces. If you want to pledge please hit the comments icon below and I will respond with info on where and how to electronically make a pledge. Our goal this year is $5,000. Thanks to co-sponsors Bainbridge Athletic Club and Classic Cycles.

BTW, if you are still shopping for that perfect gift for the cyclist on your list and already have the entire six-volume set of CompuTrainer Real Course Videos, check out a gift certificate for a massage at the BAC or Jeff's ultra cool book or DVD on the Six Day Racers.

We'll be back!!!

Click on the We'll be Back header if video does not immediately begin to kick ass.

Every Path

Though the world is vast, there is only the road you walk. You make your road a possible course for others. So please walk carefully along your chosen path. You cannot stay in one place over time. Stopping permits reflection, but going on permits stopping. In your search for a stopping place, don't neglect going. There is no backtracking. Every path ends.

David K. Reynolds. Light Waves, Fine Tuning the Mind.

To which I added a hardscrabble indentation many years ago:

It's the same story
just told a different way, and with a different ending.
Point A to point B
hardship, struggle, obstacles,
and the passage of time.
Joy, sadness, tears, smiles
in the end, it's all the same story.

Three of Four

Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Don Miguel Ruiz

New waterview

Both of you know that my secrets to happiness lay in two areas. In order to enjoy this mysterious and fleeting emotion you must first have good health, and secondly, good neighbors. Everything after that is icing on the happiness cake. If you doubt this, go ahead and try to dispel and report back with your sob stories. I've heard 'em, so please, take this as gospel.

This afternoon as I was finishing up putting down the felt underlayment and flashing for the new roof, my neighbor Frankie strolled by asking if I needed anything from Costco. I quickly scribbled my usual order (soy milk, peanut butter and bread) on a 2x6 scrap and then asked him to come take a look at what I had unwittingly discovered.

The 3x6 window (that just might end up being the new kitchen replete with Italian pizza oven) winked at the slightest of peek-a-boo water views through his beautiful Korean laurel, cedar and hydrangea hedge. I told him I feel like I should call the county and have the accessor come out to take a look because I'm probably not paying enough in property taxes now that I can actually see Puget Sound from the new Phase 93 space. We both laughed.

I came inside to check e-mails, (as lot's of coaches are wanting CT deals and RCVs, but still no word from St. Croix), had a cup of coffee and went back out to stock the roof when I heard a familiar sound. It was Frankie busy with his pruning shears enlarging the peek hole in the hedge.

Imagine, my neighbor was trying to improve my QOL by trimming his hedge in the middle of winter! I am here to tell ya folks, spinning hard and a pair of GREAT neighbors will do wonders for your happiness quotient.

More Yellow Tree House

More on the Yellow Tree House in Auckland, NZ. Some really fun stuff about the design, construction and concept on their website. Oh, and btw, they are scheduled to open on Dec. 12, that's Friday! We could leave right after spin class. Here is the link: http://www.pacificenvironments.co.nz Nice work, mates!

Tree House

I have always liked tree houses. So much so that I built one upstairs as part of the 1992 Phase 23 (I think) construction project. It's a small rectangular space with matching fixed-pane-wood-sash windows that are the shape of Idaho. All the trim wood was recycled from my neighbors guest cottage and I built in a desk and captains bunk. It is cozy and is mainly used as a guest room, although it was my office for a while when Phase 24 was beginning (Ah, I mean waiting for the work permits). When the wind gusts, the encased 300 foot fir tree pushes against the frame to rock you gently to sleep.

So imagine my interest when I came upon this little gem from New Zealand (it is actually a restaurant) today while searching for the phone number of the Tree House Cafe to order a pizza. As a Phase 93 update, the roof sheathing is on and the cammy tarps are on---let it rain.

12/5/08

The goings on:
Nothing like a warm fire on a chilly December night.
Parking and play areas getting scarce.
Phase 93 construction update: iJoists for front expansion goin up.
Junior and Togue and Tom B on our Thanksgiving pre-dinner ride.

Wild Sheep Chase

My dear friend gave me a novel by Haruki Murakami to check out while she was busy finishing two others. The work, A Wild Sheep Chase, is, according to the authors' bio on the rear jacket, "A marvelous hybrid of mythology and mystery, A Wild Sheep Chase is the extraordinary literary thriller that launched Haruki Marakami's international reputation. "

Here is a sample from page 145:

"Correct, I said. Giving the situation further thought, I went on: "I'm something of an authority on troublemaking. I can claim to be second to none in the ways and means of creating problems for others. I live my life trying my best to avoid things ever coming to that. Which ultimately creates more problems. It's all the same. That's the way things go down. Yet, no matter that I know it's all the same, it doesn't change anything. Nothing gets that way from the start. It's only a pretext."

"I'm not sure I follow you."

"What I am saying is, mediocrity takes many forms."

Pretty good stuff. Check it out when you are up counting sheep.

Charlie Prince

Last Five: Netflix.

Jodhaa Akbar. Colossal Bollywood Epic.
3:10 to Yuma. I really like this movie. Charlie Prince alone (photo) is enough.
The Straight Story. Go ahead make me cry.
Juno. Had it's moments (home skillet)
Leatherheads. Clooney fumbles.

And I saw Quantum of Solace downtown on the big screen. Just cause Bond is bigger than life.

Also finished the Kona 2008 RCV. Guess it's fitting that tonight I am watching Iron Man.

Nighttime 6

"We tiptoe through tenuous times", is about as perfect an opener for the Nighttime Six chilled compilation as I can concoct. As mentioned in the liner notes (sometimes I think I am living in a 33.3 world), this one was designed to balance the stress and chaos of our everyday world, in the hopes of finding musical relief from a place where crazed shoppers trample Wal-Mart greeters to buy big screens, where people get shot at Toys R Us, where pirates take pot shots at luxury liners, where extremists commandeer hotels with grenades and fear and auto CEOs lobby congress for bailouts and perhaps most sadly, where a religious holiday is now being asked to save a transparent economy.

This mix is to chill, however briefly, from the insanity that surrounds us.

Please enjoy.

Ho Ho Ho

Christmas Sale 2008
1-Dec-2008
Save $200 + FREE Real Course Video + 0% Financing
The best deal on a CompuTrainer Pro that has ever been offered -- $1449 (normally $1649) PLUS a FREE real Course Video of your choice (normally $99.95) PLUS 0% Financing for one year. CompuTrainer is the best present obtainable for a cyclist interested in getting FASTER. Sale ends December 31st. ORDER HERE

http://racermateinc.com/

Oh, and by the way, Real Course Videos are now available for the Velotron. Get 'em while they're hot.