eating

damn it - i was doing okay between fixing scopes and answering phone calls - till i read KL's food post. Sure it is about eating nothing. But. Man i was hungry this morning riding in.

So hungry that i started wondering: "hey maybe i'll swing up to Seven Stars and get a whole loaf of bread to nibble on all day." "too bad the dunkin donuts isn't there on Thayer anymore." "I wonder if there is another place on the strip besides 4Bux to get snacky breafasty carbo goodness."

that line of thinking was shut off pretty well with the flat tire. The 7stars bakery idea was the best. Even if i purchased an expensive $4 loaf, that's a lot of calories, and wonderful fresh baked bread goodness. And considering the offering at the quicky mart down the street - that $4 is a bargain.

But. CBurke was talking about the best way to get to ideal race weight. And that is don't eat in the off season. Best to hit the race season at race weight than race it away. Dropping weight is hard. esp for athletes. leaving ya tired and hungry. no good for racing. Ya need fuel to race. Ya need energy to train and to have effective recovery. Bonking erases all your training, it is bad. Better to be hungry this time of year. I'm hungry right now.

Twice i've gotten up to head to the quicky mart. Both time i got distracted. Dats good. Makes it maybe possible to make it to lunch time. Still wish i'd gotten that loaf of bread. But. I'm definitely slightly (by a couple pounds) heavier than i was on the 8/9th of december. So. Well. Damn it. Gotta be hungry to drop the pounds.

Man up and suffer. Hard to focus though being this hungry. But. it is needed.

So i'm hoping to quelch the pangs by drinking nice yummy locally roasted fair trade french roast coffee (brewed economically here in my office). The insect head laden fig paste cookies are all gone (one of the few preservative/HFCS items i still eat on a somewhat occasional basis).

Damn, between interruptions i'm down to the last cup of coffee from the pot today in my Diesel Only mug, and it still isn't lunch time yet!

phew - lunch finally rolled around and i managed to scarf down a 32oz tub of pasta packed full and heavy. I feel much better. Some retard said never to eat a meal bigger than your fist. Um. This was like 3x the size of my fist. My belly feels good. Although someone said i looked fatter than in december just a few minutes ago. Great. Now random users are telling me i'm fat. They were quick to say "You finally look healthy, you were too skinny before." Great. I was still one of the fattest cyclocrossers and i was "too skinny" kinda funny.

Despite the lack of racing left on the New England calendar there is still plenty of great cross news floating around.

And one other bit that i noticed reading while eating... ATMO got SOD'd!

The list of folks who've been tagged is making me feel a bit creepy. Kinda like being trapped on a rock as the tide comes in. Wondering if you'll be able to stay out of the water. But at least the rock i'm hiding/standing on has a high water mark way below my feet. No way in hell with those velosnooze folks tag me. Esp since i can't ever seem to use the official term for velo no news. Raggin on their beta site even (ugly CNN format - no better than the crappy site design they been using forever - not that i could do better, i can't). 1/2 of the most recent SODs are on my reading list. Maybe that's good. At least it validates my choices of web pages to read. Add the fact that i've been reading most of them for quite a while... Ah well.

WTG ATMO.

Other good reading for the day:
Heidi Swift's 1/6/08 entry

Oh and Heck, since Kette Rechts (the other JB) is soliciting teammates - we're looking for a few good members (having a member is no requirement for joining the team). drop me an email gewilli at ya know the big google mail thing...

And seeing as our 'boy' Frankie A is in the news. Check the Michigan Scene's Interview (man, reading that with the blue background will mess up your color perception for a while)

Seein at Hockey is on a few people's mind:


Damn. Talk about a whole day to write. Dats good though. 5 seconds here, there.

But. The lack of even one cup of coffee here after lunch is killin me. NAP TIME.

heddwch
g

back in the saddle again

Dat's the post title i've had rolling around in my head for a couple days now.

Raced yesterday, Effin FUN. Brilliant course. Tough, challenging, bike handling at a premium. Watched Luke put on a freaking clinic. Had a Dales Pale Ale, ya know it was pretty good beer! I could definitely feel the slip in fitness and the soreness was far more lingering than most races. Fun stuff.

Rode in this morning. Damn it hurt to sit down for the first few minutes. But i felt strong, felt good the whole ride in. Maybe i should have opened up a bit saturday, maybe i should have gone hard more than just on Wed night leading up to the race. It was fun tho. At the last minute i thought "I should stick a spare tube and the tool kit with those park glueless patches in the bag" this morning. Heading just before the drop off at daycare, squishy squishy. GD rear tire flat. But it lost air about perfectly. I could ride it all the way to daycare. We parked and the little one wanted to watch me change the tire before going in. So she held the stuff i needed until we got it sorted out and changed. Damn bit of glass, one millimeter outside of the plastic armor strip in these serfas tires. Damn it. Ah well, at least i had a spare tube, a safe place to change it, and somewhere to wash my hands afterwards.

Post race CTodd followed me back to the top secret tubular glueing hideout. Here's to hope the fact that one big omission of "I'll do it if" doesn't cause them to roll. Should be okay though. Should be. I'll say this though. The ambrosio curve looks like it would be good for a 18mm casing, in terms of the curve of the tire seat, but not so good for a 32-34 tire. The previous glue job looks like it never made contact with the center of the tire. No wonder it rolled. Here's to hoping the current glue job holds... I ain't got complete confidence, but i think it served the purpose of conveying the couple tricks i learned about gluing tubulars. The Grifo's might not have the most perfectly centered tread (like an FMB hopefully has) but they do go on really easily. Maybe that means they roll off easily too, hmmmm...

Yall missed a damn fine bike race on sunday. Here's to a GREAT week.

peace
G

more? now?

GeWilli is posing yet more stuff that has caught his eye...

Frankie Andreu Leaves Rock Racing? Can't blame him. Can ya? Somehow i'd missed that he was involved with those guys.

Actually glad to hear he's moved on, esp in light of the recent signings. Esp with the fact that some of those guys still protest their innocence.

Just sorry to hear he's got a pretty open schedule. That ain't good. Maybe Solobreak can hire frankie, right after he hires Yogurt Boy to hire ColinR to work for his future company.

The Tim Johnson interview is pretty damn good. You freaking rock man. Even if i thought the (blabber) mouth of new england Richy (you want some) Fries (with that) went way over the top at New Belgium Worlds.

I wonder if Timmie is riding a bike with a wicked low Bottom bracket.

And yeah, like Yogurt boy says, Cliff bar has done it again. But i found this to be why: Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge.

Check it out. Time to get that beater out, rig up some rube goldberg massive pizza and grocery carriers on it. Or find some beat up old bike trailer you'd be scared to put a dog in but would work great for running errands.

You CAN make a difference!

Heddwch
G

got some cash burning a hole in your pocket?

London-Paris Cycle Tour

The London-Paris Cycle Tour is a unique 3 day “Tour de France” style endurance event for amateur and cyclosportive riders. It is a professional event for amateurs and is the closest an amateur will feel like a "pro" having full support, rolling road closures and covering nearly 600km in three days followed by a rest day in Paris.

That time of year again.

This was written Jan 1 2005. But the message is still one of the most powerful ones and we must never forget. I still am not thrilled (understatement) with this new pope dude. But PJPII is a freaking Rock star. Be you Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Islamic, atheist or even catholic give this a read.

<

MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE
WORLD DAY OF PEACE

1 JANUARY 2005

DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL
BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD

1. At the beginning of the New Year, I once again address the leaders of nations and all men and women of good will, who recognize the need to build peace in the world. For the theme of this 2005 World Day of Peace I have chosen Saint Paul's words in the Letter to the Romans: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:21). Evil is never defeated by evil; once that road is taken, rather than defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by evil.

The great Apostle brings out a fundamental truth: peace is the outcome of a long and demanding battle which is only won when evil is defeated by good. If we consider the tragic scenario of violent fratricidal conflicts in different parts of the world, and the untold sufferings and injustices to which they have given rise, the only truly constructive choice is, as Saint Paul proposes, to flee what is evil and hold fast to what is good (cf. Rom 12:9).

Peace is a good to be promoted with good: it is a good for individuals, for families, for nations and for all humanity; yet it is one which needs to be maintained and fostered by decisions and actions inspired by good. We can appreciate the profound truth of another saying of Saint Paul: "Repay no one evil for evil" (Rom 12:17). The one way out of the vicious circle of requiting evil for evil is to accept the Apostle's words: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21).

Evil, good and love

2. From the beginning, humanity has known the tragedy of evil and has struggled to grasp its roots and to explain its causes. Evil is not some impersonal, deterministic force at work in the world. It is the result of human freedom. Freedom, which distinguishes human beings from every other creature on earth, is ever present at the heart of the drama of evil. Evil always has a name and a face: the name and face of those men and women who freely choose it. Sacred Scripture teaches that at the dawn of history Adam and Eve rebelled against God, and Abel was killed by Cain, his brother (cf. Gen 3-4). These were the first wrong choices, which were succeeded by countless others down the centuries. Each of these choices has an intrinsic moral dimension, involving specific individual responsibilities and the fundamental relationship of each person with God, with others and with all of creation.

At its deepest level, evil is a tragic rejection of the demands of love(1). Moral good, on the other hand, is born of love, shows itself as love and is directed towards love. All this is particularly evident to Christians, who know that their membership in the one mystical Body of Christ sets them in a particular relationship not only with the Lord but also with their brothers and sisters. The inner logic of Christian love, which in the Gospel is the living source of moral goodness, leads even to the love of one's enemies: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink" (Rom 12:20).

The "grammar" of the universal moral law

3. If we look to the present state of the world, we cannot help but note the disturbing spread of various social and political manifestations of evil: from social disorders to anarchy and war, from injustice to acts of violence and killing. To steer a path between the conflicting claims of good and evil, the human family urgently needs to preserve and esteem that common patrimony of moral values bestowed by God himself. For this reason, Saint Paul encourages all those determined to overcome evil with good to be noble and disinterested in fostering generosity and peace (cf. Rom 12:17-21).

Ten years ago, in addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations about the need for common commitment to the service of peace, I made reference to the "grammar" of the universal moral law(2), to which the Church appeals in her various pronouncements in this area. By inspiring common values and principles, this law unites human beings, despite their different cultures, and is itself unchanging: "it subsists under the flux of ideas and customs and supports their progress... Even when it is rejected in its very principles, it cannot be destroyed or removed from the heart of man. It always rises again in the life of individuals and societies"(3).

4. This common grammar of the moral law requires ever greater commitment and responsibility in ensuring that the life of individuals and of peoples is respected and advanced. In this light, the evils of a social and political nature which afflict the world, particularly those provoked by outbreaks of violence, are to be vigorously condemned. I think immediately of the beloved continent of Africa, where conflicts which have already claimed millions of victims are still continuing. Or the dangerous situation of Palestine, the Land of Jesus, where the fabric of mutual understanding, torn by a conflict which is fed daily by acts of violence and reprisal, cannot yet be mended in justice and truth. And what of the troubling phenomenon of terrorist violence, which appears to be driving the whole world towards a future of fear and anguish? Finally, how can we not think with profound regret of the drama unfolding in Iraq, which has given rise to tragic situations of uncertainty and insecurity for all?

To attain the good of peace there must be a clear and conscious acknowledgment that violence is an unacceptable evil and that it never solves problems. "Violence is a lie, for it goes against the truth of our faith, the truth of our humanity. Violence destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings"(4). What is needed is a great effort to form consciences and to educate the younger generation to goodness by upholding that integral and fraternal humanism which the Church proclaims and promotes. This is the foundation for a social, economic and political order respectful of the dignity, freedom and fundamental rights of each person.

The good of peace and the common good

5. Fostering peace by overcoming evil with good requires careful reflection on the common good(5) and on its social and political implications. When the common good is promoted at every level, peace is promoted. Can an individual find complete fulfilment without taking account of his social nature, that is, his being "with" and "for" others? The common good closely concerns him. It closely concerns every expression of his social nature: the family, groups, associations, cities, regions, states, the community of peoples and nations. Each person, in some way, is called to work for the common good, constantly looking out for the good of others as if it were his own. This responsibility belongs in a particular way to political authorities at every level, since they are called to create that sum of social conditions which permit and foster in human beings the integral development of their person(6).

The common good therefore demands respect for and the integral promotion of the person and his fundamental rights, as well as respect for and the promotion of the rights of nations on the universal plane. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council observed that "the increasingly close interdependence gradually encompassing the entire world is leading to an increasingly universal common good... and this involves rights and duties with respect to the whole human race. Every social group must take account of the needs and legitimate aspirations of other groups and the common good of the entire human family"(7). The good of humanity as a whole, including future generations, calls for true international cooperation, to which every nation must offer its contribution(8).

Certain reductive visions of humanity tend to present the common good as a purely socio-economic state of well-being lacking any transcendent purpose, thus emptying it of its deepest meaning. Yet the common good has a transcendent dimension, for God is the ultimate end of all his creatures(9). Christians know that Jesus has shed full light on how the true common good of humanity is to be achieved. History journeys towards Christ and in him finds its culmination: because of Christ, through Christ and for Christ, every human reality can be led to complete fulfilment in God.

The good of peace and the use of the world's goods

6. Since the good of peace is closely linked to the development of all peoples, the ethical requirements for the use of the earth's goods must always be taken into account. The Second Vatican Council rightly recalled that "God intended the earth and all it contains for the use of everyone and of all peoples; so that the good things of creation should be available equally to all, with justice as guide and charity in attendance"(10).

As a member of the human family, each person becomes as it were a citizen of the world, with consequent duties and rights, since all human beings are united by a common origin and the same supreme destiny. By the mere fact of being conceived, a child is entitled to rights and deserving of care and attention; and someone has the duty to provide these. The condemnation of racism, the protection of minors, the provision of aid to displaced persons and refugees, and the mobilization of international solidarity towards all the needy are nothing other than consistent applications of the principle of world citizenship.

7. The good of peace should be seen today as closely related to the new goods derived from progress in science and technology. These too, in application of the principle of the universal destination of the earth's goods, need to be put at the service of humanity's basic needs. Appropriate initiatives on the international level can give full practical implementation to the principle of the universal destination of goods by guaranteeing to all — individuals and nations — the basic conditions for sharing in development. This becomes possible once the barriers and monopolies that marginalize many peoples are removed(11).

The good of peace will be better ensured if the international community takes on greater responsibility for what are commonly called public goods. These are goods which all citizens automatically enjoy, without having consciously chosen them or contributed to them in any way. Such is the case, for example, at the national level, with such goods as the judiciary system, the defence system and the network of highways and railways. In our world the phenomenon of increased globalization means that more and more public goods are taking on a global character, and as a result common interests are daily increasing. We need but think of the fight against poverty, the promotion of peace and security, concern for climate change and disease control. The international community needs to respond to these interests with a broader network of juridical accords aimed at regulating the use of public goods and inspired by universal principles of fairness and solidarity.

8. The principle of the universal destination of goods can also make possible a more effective approach to the challenge of poverty, particularly when we consider the extreme poverty in which millions of people are still living. The international community, at the beginning of the new millennium, set the priority of halving their number by the year 2015. The Church supports and encourages this commitment and invites all who believe in Christ to show, practically and in every sector, a preferential love for the poor(12).

The tragedy of poverty remains closely linked to the issue of the foreign debt of poor countries. Despite significant progress in this area, the problem has not yet been adequately resolved. Fifteen years ago I called public attention to the fact that the foreign debt of poor countries "is closely related to a series of other problems such as foreign investment, the proper functioning of the major international organizations, the price of raw materials and so forth"(13). Recent moves in favour of debt reduction, centred mainly on the needs of the poor, have certainly improved the quality of economic growth. Yet, because of a number of factors, this growth is still quantitatively insufficient, especially in relation to the millennium goals. Poor countries remain trapped in a vicious circle: low income and weak growth limit savings and, in turn, weak investments and an inefficient use of savings do not favour growth.

9. As Pope Paul VI stated and as I myself have reaffirmed, the only really effective means of enabling States to deal with the grave problem of poverty is to provide them with the necessary resources through foreign financial aid — public and private — granted under reasonable conditions, within the framework of international commercial relations regulated with fairness(14). What is urgently needed is a moral and economic mobilization, one which respects agreements already made in favour of poor countries, and is at the same time prepared to review those agreements which have proved excessively burdensome for some countries. In this regard, new impulse should be given to Public Aid for Development, and new forms of financing for development should be explored, whatever the difficulties entailed(15). Some governments are already looking carefully at promising mechanisms for this; these significant initiatives should be carried out in a spirit of authentic sharing, with respect for the principle of subsidiarity. The management of financial resources destined to the development of poor countries should also entail scrupulous adherence, on the part of both donors and recipients, to sound administrative practices. The Church encourages and contributes to these efforts. One need only mention the significant contribution made by the many Catholic agencies dedicated to aid and development.

10. At the end of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, in my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, I spoke of the urgent need for a new creativity in charity(16), in order to spread the Gospel of hope in the world. This need is clearly seen when we consider the many difficult problems standing in the way of development in Africa: numerous armed conflicts, pandemic diseases aggravated by extreme poverty, and political instability leading to widespread insecurity. These are tragic situations which call for a radically new direction for Africa: there is a need to create new forms of solidarity, at bilateral and multilateral levels, through a more decisive commitment on the part of all, with complete conviction that the well-being of the peoples of Africa is an indispensable condition for the attainment of the universal common good.

May the peoples of Africa become the protagonists of their own future and their own cultural, civil, social and economic development! May Africa cease to be a mere recipient of aid, and become a responsible agent of convinced and productive sharing! Achieving this goal calls for a new political culture, especially in the area of international cooperation. Once again I wish to state that failure to honour the repeated promises of Public Aid for Development, the still unresolved question of the heavy foreign debt of African countries and the failure to give those countries special consideration in international commercial relations, represent grave obstacles to peace which urgently need to be addressed and resolved. Today more than ever, a decisive condition for bringing peace to the world is an acknowledgement of the interdependence between wealthy and poor countries, such that "development either becomes shared in common by every part of the world or it undergoes a process of regression even in zones marked by constant progress"(17).

The universality of evil and Christian hope

11. Faced with the many tragic situations present in the world, Christians confess with humble trust that God alone can enable individuals and peoples to overcome evil and achieve good. By his death and resurrection, Christ has redeemed us and ransomed us "with a price" (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23), gaining salvation for all. With his help, everyone can defeat evil with good.

Based on the certainty that evil will not prevail, Christians nourish an invincible hope which sustains their efforts to promote justice and peace. Despite the personal and social sins which mark all human activity, hope constantly gives new impulse to the commitment to justice and peace, as well as firm confidence in the possibility of building a better world.

Although the "mystery of iniquity" (2 Th 2:7) is present and active in the world, we must not forget that redeemed humanity is capable of resisting it. Each believer, created in the image of God and redeemed by Christ, "who in a certain way has united himself to each human being"(18), can cooperate in the triumph of good. The work of "the Spirit of the Lord fills the earth" (cf. Wis 1:7). Christians, especially the lay faithful, "should not, then, hide their hope in the depth of their hearts, but rather express it through the structures of their secular lives in continual conversion and in wrestling ‘against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of iniquity' (Eph 6:12)"(19).

12. No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love. When good overcomes evil, love prevails and where love prevails, there peace prevails. This is the teaching of the Gospel, restated by the Second Vatican Council: "the fundamental law of human perfection, and consequently of the transformation of the world, is the new commandment of love"(20).

The same is true in the social and political spheres. In this regard, Pope LeoXIII wrote that those charged with preserving peace in relations between peoples should foster in themselves and kindle in others "charity, the mistress and queen of all the virtues"(21). Christians must be convinced witnesses of this truth. They should show by their lives that love is the only force capable of bringing fulfilment to persons and societies, the only force ca- pable of directing the course of history in the way of goodness and peace.

During this year dedicated to the Eucharist, may the sons and daughters of the Church find in the supreme sacrament of love the wellspring of all communion: communion with Jesus the Redeemer and, in him, with every human being. By Christ's death and resurrection, made sacramentally present in each Eucharistic celebration, we are saved from evil and enabled to do good. Through the new life which Christ has bestowed on us, we can recognize one another as brothers and sisters, despite every difference of language, nationality and culture. In a word, by sharing in the one bread and the one cup, we come to realize that we are "God's family" and that together we can make our own effective contribution to building a world based on the values of justice, freedom and peace.

From the Vatican, 8 December 2004.

JOHN PAUL II

---

NOTES

(1) In this regard, Saint Augustine observed that "two loves have established two cities: love of self, carried to contempt for God, has given rise to the earthly city; love of God, carried to contempt for self, has given rise to the heavenly city" (De Civitate Dei, XIV:28).

(2) Cf. Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations for its Fiftieth Anniversary (5 October 1995), 3: Insegnamenti XVIII/2 (1995), 732.

(3) Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1958.

(4) John Paul II, Homily at Drogheda, Ireland (29 September 1979), 9: AAS 71 (1979), 1081.

(5) The common good is widely understood to be "the sum of those conditions of social life which enable groups and individuals to achieve their fulfilment more completely and readily". Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 26.

(6) Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 417.

(7) Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 26.

(8) Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 421.

(9) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 41: AAS 83 (1991), 844.

(10) Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 69.

(11) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 35: AAS 83 (1991), 837.

(12) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 42: AAS 80 (1988), 572.

(13) Address to Participants in the Study Week of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (27 October 1989), 6: Insegnamenti XII/2 (1989), 1050.

(14) Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 56-61: AAS 59 (1967), 285-287; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 33-34: AAS 80 (1988), 557-560.

(15) Cf. John Paul II, Message to the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: L'Osservatore Romano, 10 July 2004, p. 5.

(16) Cf. No. 50: AAS 93 (2001), 303.

(17) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 17: AAS 80 (1988) 532.

(18) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 22.

(19) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 35.

(20) Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 38.

(21) Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII 11 (1892), 143; cf. Benedict XV, Encyclical Letter Pacem Dei: AAS 12 (1920), 215.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Great quote to start the day

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
- Pablo Picasso

----------

I could probably sit down and type out a few thousand words in response to that quote. And if i sat down and brainstormed a bit, scribbled an outline with a pen, listed a dozen key points, i might be able to write a solid ten thousand words. And it might even make sense.

Maybe some other time. For now, it is enough to capture it here in my mental scrapbook.

I was going to get on the trainer last night. But we had a wee crisis requiring 3 stitches. Not me this time. The oldest crashed into the edge of a shelf and well... we headed to the same place that stitched me all up last year. Got in the office one minute before they locked the door. The oldest is a trooper, at least in the care of pros. At home she was pretty freaked. Started to settle down until she walked past the mirror and she panicked and really started crying. While we were only there for less than an hour, there was not quite an hour lead up to that moment (waiting for her doc to call back with some diagnostic advice) and what not. It is okay. There are far more important things to do than gerbil miles sometimes. And heck, if one night of intervals a week worked for g-ride, maybe gewilli should try that approach to bike racing.

Awe crap - pandora has picked The Pogues version of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" Doesn't usually matter when i hear it, i get a bit choked up and teary eyed. It is worse to play the song on da fiddle, esp with H. Purcel singing along hitting the chords with his banjo...

Here are the Lyrics:

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda Cords

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again

Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me?
copyright © Eric Bogle

I pop em up more for one reason than the words.

Specifically the copyright by Eric Bogle. He wrote another one of my favorite tunes: "Wee Dark Engine Room"

And looking over his catalog of songs, he's got one hell of a damn lot of good ones!

Give this a read:

Anyway, to continue, in June we went to the Gold Coast, Queensland, to sing
at the National Congress of the Australian Returned Servicemens League,
the RSL as it’s known in Australia.
Stange how time distorts and changes shape with the passing of the years,
as indeed does my waistline. But I digress. Thirty years ago, when I wrote
“The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, there’s no way that the RSL would
have let me set foot inside the door of any of their clubs let alone letting me
sing anti-war songs at their National Congress. But I think they gradually began
to realise that, whilst my songs might be anti-war, they were not anti-soldier. In fact,
the very reverse. It’s been my experience that the most anti-war people I’ve
ever met have been former or serving soldiers, for who knows the true cost of
war better than they? And if they do tend to get a bit nostalgic or sentimental at
times about their experiences, it’s not for the blood and the death, but for lost
comrades and the bonds of unbreakable mateship and trust that were formed
in the face of an often unspeakable adversity. Some have told me that it was
almost worth all the blood and pain just for the forging of that bond, one which
is rarely, if ever, formed in peace time. Almost worth it...but not quite.

From his Christmas "Letter".

It’s been my experience that the most anti-war people I’ve
ever met have been former or serving soldiers, for who knows the true cost of
war better than they? And if they do tend to get a bit nostalgic or sentimental at
times about their experiences, it’s not for the blood and the death, but for lost
comrades and the bonds of unbreakable mateship and trust that were formed
in the face of an often unspeakable adversity.

And the most pro-war are chickenhawk dipshits who've spent a part of their life avoiding the conflict in Vietnam, or who grew up with the only death and adversity they experienced was watching the World Trade center collapse live on TV. I'm not saying you can't be anti-war without being a soldiers who served in a bloody conflict. But how can you be a proponent of such conflict without that experience?

The Iowa folks have caucused. They've fired the first volley in a strange process. Democratic yet, when the final time comes it isn't the popular vote, it is the electorate. Which, may not be the worst thing, it is just sometimes odd. Maybe all those apathetic "democrats" or independents or folks who are fed up with the direction this country has been driven will vote this time. Maybe there will be fewer red states. Maybe there won't be any red states? is that possible? Can the blue that starts begins to pop up on the TV maps in the east spread to the west? taking over the blood, the red?

Okay - way more political than i like to get. Politics, religion. Too bad people can't feel less anger and divisiveness when discussing such things. Things involving faith and belief tend to do that. *sigh*

Back to those words written by Bogle.

Looking at the words with a slightly different quote applies quite well to Cyclocross:
And if they do tend to get a bit nostalgic or sentimental at
times about their experiences, it’s not for the blood and the death, but for lost
comrades and the bonds of unbreakable mateship and trust that were formed
in the face of an often unspeakable adversity. Some have told me that it was
almost worth all the blood and pain just for the forging of that bond, one which
is rarely, if ever, formed in peace time. Almost worth it...but not quite.

At least in the bonding and mateship. Friendships formed across bounderies on the race course. Where else can you put together such a diverse group and have them be best mates? Sure the common thread is they are all bike racers. But friendships form. Battling it out in the mud, the sand, the rain, the barriers. It is not unspeakable adversity. But it is more adversity than most people face. And, unlike war. It is worth it.

Lets resolve conflict on the pitch, on the field, on the track, on the fields of Olympia.

Home team advantage with your land at stake? I'd be that's a pretty solid mental inspiration.

So maybe my visit to Mt Vernon had an impact. The Battle of Trenton specifically. The power to rally a force, of bootless, tired, sick, hungry men to fight, to march in the snow, the cold of winter, across a river.

That kind of motivation is what makes winners. No?

Now pass me a bottle of the Water of Life. Time to toast a few rounds to those who've fallen, those who've inspired us, those who gave us our country!

Sláinte
and
Heddwch
G

depressing thoughts only get you so far

Hopefully they spur you to action and acting in a positive direction.

Sometimes ya just need a good palate cleanser.

And what better place to get that than the catching up on the new words documented by the folks at wordspy.com.

Scrolling through, some cool, some 'meh' but i stopped when i found this entry:

fixie

Yes. The derisive aim of most of BSNYC's humor is targeted at the crowd of 'fixie' folks. and Fixie has landed an entry along side metrosexual and other culturally 'created' terms of legitimate labels.

Pretty funny.

But the cake is taken with BSNYC pointing out (via email) the major flaw in the definition.

A fixed-wheel bicycle that has only a single gear since the pedals are chained directly to the rear wheel

That would probably cost you a few spokes...

I should always leave the one liners to the real writers like him.

(oh and gutter bunnies UNITE)

Preservatives

Specifically Food Preservatives.

Common, In almost all foods right?

I was set off on this tangent when someone, in response to me pointing out a flaw in someone's rational for buying fancy chicken sausage instead of regular pork stuff, said "[Preservatives] are in everything."

Sure innocuous statement alone. But the manner and delivery (delivery is always critical and hard to convey for literary cavemen like me) in person said far more than that. It was a resignation kind of comfortable acceptance of that fact. Like it was okay to be consuming chemicals that are designed to prevent stuff from growing.

Background:

Preservatives

As is said that except the food grown in your own garden, all food products have preservatives. Every manufacturer adds preservative to the food during processing. The purpose is generally to avoid spoilageduring the transportation time.

Because food is so important to survival, food preservation is one of the oldest technologies used by human beings. Different ways and means have been found and improved for the purpose. Boiling, freezing & refrigeration, pasteurizing, dehydrating, pickling are the traditional few. Sugar and salt are also often used as preservatives. Neuclear radiation is also being used now. Modified packaging techniques like vacuum packing and hypobaric packing also work as preservatives.

Chemical preservatives are also being used for quite some time now. They seem to be the best and the most effective for a longer shelf life and are generally fool proof for the preservation purpose.

Benzoates (such as sodium benzoate, benzoic acid) Nitrites (such as sodium nitrite) Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide), Sorbates (such as sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate

All of these chemicals act as either antimicrobials or antioxidants or both. They either inhibit the activity of or kill the bacteria, molds, insects and other microorganisms. Antimicrobials, prevent the growth of molds, yeasts and bacteria and antioxidants keep foods from becoming rancid or developing black spots. They suppress the reaction when foods comes in contact with oxygen, heat, and some metals. They also prevent the loss of some essential amino acids some vitamins.

Some common preservatives and their primary activity

Chemical Affected	Organism(s)	Action	Use in Foods
Sulfites	Insects & Microorganisms	Antioxidant	Dried Fruits, Wine, Juice
Sodium Nitrite	Clostridia	Antimicrobial	Cured Meats
Propionic Acid	Molds	Antimicrobial	Bread, Cakes, Cheeses
Sorbic Acid	Molds	Antimicrobial	Cheeses, Cakes, Salad Dressing
Benzoic Acid	Yeasts & Molds	Antimicrobial	Soft Drinks, Ketchup, Salad Dressings

There are other antioxidants like Sodium Erythorbate, Erythorbic Acid, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Succinate, Grape Seed Extract, Pine Bark Extract, Apple Extract Tea Proplyphenols, Succinic Acid and Ascorbic Acid and preservatives like Parabens and Sodium Dehydro Acetate used frequently for preservation.

source: foodadditivesworld.com

Yes, there are two elements to preservation. #1 prevent oxidation, #2 prevent bad stuff from growing on your "good" stuff.

Why?

Think about it.

So what does eating food loaded with chemicals (or even with just traces - think accumulation or small doses - just cause it don't kill ya...) do to the body?

Why does eating food so 'old' that i needs chemicals to retard spoilage and growth of composting/parasitic organisms bother me? If it prevents the growth of simple and higher organisms (bacteria, mold, insects) what does it do to us? Our individual cells aren't so much different than a bacteria cell (well, that's not true, but in terms of living, you try and keep a cell culture of mammalian cells alive, i'll just keep these bacteria cells alive).

Yes, there is "debate" in the "scientific" and "food safety" communities regarding these chemicals. But debate esp with huge profit margins for corporations often becomes 'who has more money wins' or at least creates a stalemate that doesn't impinge on profits.

I just can't help but wonder just how detrimentally all these chemicals are to a human body over a life time. Especially to a growing child. High Fructose Corn Syrup is REALLY really really scary for kids. Esp with the implications of insulin jacking and sugar loading in cells. Just ain't good.

What is so hard about sourcing food that isn't loaded with chemical preservatives?

Yes, there are natural preservatives. Humans have been using them for thousands and thousands of years: drying, smoking, salt curing, pickling in vinegar. Simple compounds. Salt. Vinegar. Stuff that we can deal with. Sodium benzoate? Sodium Nitrite? Oh. Sodium. Hello sodium. No wonder the american population has a sodium problem. All their food is OLD and has to be preserved with SODIUM. No. Not Sodium Chloride (we can deal with that as humans - esp if we manage to break a sweat now and then).

I've been working hard to eliminate as many of these items from our life as possible. Buying the food with natural ingredients. With a shorter shelf life. Maybe i spend a few dollars more a grocery store visit. But comparing what I spend to feed a family of four compared to national averages, i'm way under in food budgets and we eat remarkable well.

It hit me pretty hard on our vacation: where you live plays critically into this problem. I have it pretty easy, there are a good number of natural markets around. I can buy natural, local, fresh breakfast sausage. That tastes like breakfast sausage, that isn't loaded with preservatives. So what if i have to cook it or freeze it within a few days of buying it. Where is the problem with that? I manage to shop once a week roughly and still can keep good fresh stuff stocked and ready for the kids and me to eat.

Sure. it requires adjusting from a highly processed food diet to something simpler. But simpler doesn't have to mean void of flavor. Quite the opposite. Be a chemist, contemplate the mingling of flavors, the complexity and subtlety of herbs and spices.

On a somewhat personal note, i've noticed something kinda remarkable. When i eat a meal or two with highly processed foods, my BO starts to get rank. Eating my cooking, it doesn't really happen. I've been tracking it for many a months now. What it means is i've stopped using deoderant (another source of some scary chemicals). I've never been able to tolerate anti-p stuff on my skin so i've just been a de-stink man. Till i ran out of some of the natural stuff (not that it was terribly effective). And i stopped using it altogether. It has been months since, and i can tell by the change in me smelling me when i've eating something funky. Now yes my olfactory glands are way more sensitive than normal. Always been that way. I can sniff out the faintest wiff of chemicals and identify them pretty easily, or at least notice them long before anyone else it seems.

Why can't people just say no to preservatives and processing. Buy local. Buy fresh. Be aware of the label.

Your life WILL improve. Maybe not immediately, but 10 years, 20 years. You'll look back and thank yourself for doing it.

Take a look at this:

Toxicology

Toxic if swallowed. Severe eye irritant. Respiratory and skin irritant. May act as a carcinogen for chronic exposure.

Toxicity data
(The meaning of any toxicological abbreviations which appear in this section is given here.)
ORL-RAT LD50 180 mg kg-1
ORL-RBT LD50 178 mg kg-1
ORL-HMN LDLO 71 mg kg-1
IVN-RAT LD50 65 mg kg-1

Risk phrases
(The meaning of any risk phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
R8 R25 R50.

Environmental information

Very toxic to aquatic organisms.

Transport information

(The meaning of any UN hazard codes which appear in this section is given here.)
UN No 1500. Hazard class 5.1. Packing group III.

Personal protection

Safety glasses, adequate ventilation, gloves.

Safety phrases
(The meaning of any safety phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
S45 S61.

Okay and thanks CCC for catching my error. That is an old format MSDS sheet. Here's a bit from a new one:

Label First Aid:
If swallowed, induce vomiting immediately as directed by medical personnel.

and

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
Toxic. Causes irritation to the respiratory tract and systemic poisoning with symptoms paralleling ingestion.
Ingestion:
Toxic. Can irritate the mouth, esophagus, stomach, etc. Excessive amounts effect the blood and blood vessels. Signs and symptoms of nitrite poisoning include intense cyanosis, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, collapse, spasms of abdominal pain, rapid heart beat, irregular breathing, coma, convulsions, and death due to circulatory collapse. Estimated lethal dose 1 to 2 grams.
Skin Contact:
Causes irritation, redness and pain. May be absorbed through the skin causing systemic poisoning; symptoms may parallel ingestion.
Eye Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, and pain.
Chronic Exposure:
Repeated exposure through any route may cause symptoms similar to acute toxicity.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
No information found.

4. First Aid Measures

Inhalation:
Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical attention.
Ingestion:
Induce vomiting immediately as directed by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get medical attention.
Skin Contact:
Immediately flush skin with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Wash clothing before reuse. Thoroughly clean shoes before reuse. Get medical attention if irritation develops.
Eye Contact:
Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting lower and upper eyelids occasionally. Get medical attention immediately.

11. Toxicological Information

Oral rat LD50: 180 mg/kg; inhalation rat LC50: 5500 ug/m3; irritation: eye rabbit: 500 mg/24H mild. Investigated as a tumorigen, mutagen, reproductive effector.

  --------\Cancer Lists\------------------------------------------------------
                                       ---NTP Carcinogen---
Ingredient                             Known    Anticipated    IARC Category
------------------------------------   -----    -----------    -------------
Sodium Nitrite (7632-00-0)              No          No            None

---

12. Ecological Information

Environmental Fate:
No information found.
Environmental Toxicity:
96 Hr LC50 rainbow trout (juvenile):0.19 mg/L (flow-through) Dangerous to the environment. Very toxic to aquatic organisms.

---

13. Disposal Considerations

Whatever cannot be saved for recovery or recycling should be handled as hazardous waste and sent to a RCRA approved waste facility. Processing, use or contamination of this product may change the waste management options. State and local disposal regulations may differ from federal disposal regulations. Dispose of container and unused contents in accordance with federal, state and local requirements.

source
Do you want to ingest that on a regular basis?

how about the line: "May act as a carcinogen for chronic exposure"
Sound like something you want to repeatedly eat?
That quote is take directly out of an MSDS sheet for a common preservative. (MSDS for you non-science geeks is the material safety data sheet - in other words it lets you know if it will kill you and how much it will take).

I don't like that one bit.

Neither should you.

Okay - now it is cold

6 degrees on the remote out door thermometer.. with a 10-15 mph wind out of the north (i live south of work) we all piled in and carpooled. The whole family. Dropping off one by one until only the furthest passenger was left driving. Fortunately that is my wife (and not one of the girls). The daunting task of collecting the required layers to successfully ride to work in those temps was not helping the motivation. The cold, the fact that i rode the trainer (yeah, freaking intervals on the trainer) last night and the bigger problem of a hangover of sloth-like inertia from the break amounted to zero motivation to get on and ride in. Tomorrow? maybe, but i'll probably defer and just get on the trainer again tonight and carpool in the morning again.

Cruising through the open tabs, Patrick O'Grady's comments on 1/2 made me thing of Big Jonny and his constantly dying PCs. And it brings back fond memories of my first computer, a 512k Mac. Wicked cool box. Killer computer.

Pop over to Pedal Pushers if you haven't yet. They got some CX Nats coverage.

And speaking of reading. Go read some truely well written stuff:
It is a story titled "A Christmas Cookie" (it isn't a short read, but well worth a bit of reading over lunch).

As i was rolling my sore legs with the stick before bed (from the trainer and the running) my wife wondered if i should get some mental training type DVDs to watch while i'm riding the trainer or the rollers in the bike room. I got wondering if such thing exists. I'm a huge fan of Marvin Z's articles written for PEZ (they just revisited one of them). And out of anyone i probably might benefit extensively from that end of coaching. But that whole notion of DVD mental training was somewhat interesting. There is at least one, but it is $250... ouch... might as well sign up with Marvin Z for a few session... none of that is happening though. How to toughen up? race harder races. Keep racing and pushing myself till i learn to manage the suffering to my advantage. Throwing money at it might get faster sooner, but, it also removes the pathway of learning and the knowledge gained with experience along the way.

Riding in the bike room when it is in the teens and windy is nice. Although i started off cold and shivering after the 10-15 minutes of warm up spinning at 100-120rpm i had stripped my jersey off and started over heating. I just did a randomize set of hard intervals following the warm up. Out of the saddle sprints for a bit longer than was comfortable to hold, a few seated low cadence power grinding minutes, more out of the saddle sprinting... all while watching the 2nd Pirates movie. That Depp guy? He's freaking awesome. And Legolas? He's good too. and that gal, kira? Mmmmmm... Good cast. The speakers on the lap top are barely capable of being loud enough to really listen to the sound over the trainer. But it was enough. When will people realize you can get way more than you think out of things with an impression. Clarity in the audio and visual domain are overrated and the basically cut the achillies of your imagination.

Why train with an iPod if you can't race with one? Why not learn to mentally suffer alone without stupid headphones shoved in your ears? "It is much easier to ride the trainer with an iPod"
yeah cause like bike racing is easy...

but i'm just a Vox Clamantis in Deserto and not a pack leading points grabbing one at that.

Speaking of cross results, for the hell of it i checked my USAC results... WTF. that is a big giant cluster f. Lots of stuff i haven't done. Like that Chile Challenge? Man. I tell ya, that's a bunch of BOOO stuff... Colin's got some way bettah stuff. USAC should hire Colin as a consultant for their stuff.

okay - enough distracted ramblings for the morning -

peace
g

Stumbled on some wisdom today

About Cyclocross of course.

The racing season isn't officially over until Dayville. I'm racing and so should you. So what if you don't feel like you could turn a pedal over. Ya never had fun on a bike before? Ya think everyone else lining up will have been training non-stop?

Don't bother dusting the mud off. Douse the chain in some Slick Willy Lube, and air up the tires and head on over. Damn fun course. Don't need much fitness to have fun there, just one hell uva lotta fun.

So this bit of wisdom i came across was in Shaun Adamson's blog. From this entry:

Your bike is a tool. The difference between $1000 wheels and $300 is not going to make you faster. Take that $700 and travel and do more, bigger, harder races.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest. Good stuff.

Oh and i gotta say - watching that outdoor hockey game on TV was brilliant. We had a day planned, heading out to my bro's hanging out and by chance i changed the channel and BOOM. HOCKEY. SWEET!!!

Ya see. Double sweetness because my wife and I were at that first Cold War game. The one Ryan Miller played in. We were there with Tom and one hell of a lot of other people. Couldn't see shit but man what an atmosphere. Watching that game with the snow and all that in buffalo was cool as hell. I had joked with my wife when i first heard about the game that we should get tickets and go. We didn't but man, it looked like it would have been cool to attend.

This wicked cold snap looks to be making things challenging for tomorrow. But at least Friday and Saturday it is warming up. And with temps in the 40s on saturday and sunday we should be in for a kick ass race at Dayville.

-G

Josh's X-mas card close up

Josh's X-mas card close up
Originally uploaded by cardstock

Best CX themed Christmas card?

If not then it is pretty close.

humor

thanks for diggin up a good one from the past Lee!

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. This new element has been tentatively named "Administratium." Administratium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 111 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Administratium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Administratium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to complete when it would normally take less than a second.

Administratium has a normal half-life of 3 years; it does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Administratium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Administratium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass." You will know it when you see it.

and then there is the new one that had me laughing so hard i got tears running down my face

A minister concluded that his church was getting into serious financial troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several
cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed. So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Peter, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Peter and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louis stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister decided to let him try anyway.
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with bibles.
He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Peter, "Well, Peter, how did you make out selling our bibles last week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Peter replied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 Bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Peter!" The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand.. "You are truly a mighty fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the church last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, " I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and here's $280 I collected."
The minister responded, " That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is also indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did you sell any bibles last week?"
Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The reverend opened it and counted the contents. "What is this?" the minister exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"
Louie nodded.
"That's impossible!" both Peter and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think
you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this task, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I- re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!"
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied, "W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks ---o-o-o-or--- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r -r-read it t-to y-y-you?"

Happy New Year

Thanks to a thoughtful gift of Mexican coffee beans from 4Bux that my sister gave me, i'm almost finished with a french press worth and i'm bouncing off the freaking wall. Definitely making up for the transition to early rising. I was so amped this morning i had to actually eat something to settle my stomach. Caffeine? Yeah. The stuff is loaded.

Top of the agenda, or in other words, what is impacting my psyche the most is the race on sunday. I've been off the bike since Dec 9th. Yes, we got back to my bikes late sunday night. Monday = no riding. Tuesday = no riding. Today = no riding, yet. But i did get out and run with Lucy on Tuesday. Feeling it a bit this morning. Was planning on getting on the trainer last night but between dinner and just feeling tired (yeah, end of vacation and i'm exhausted) i decided that moving towards bed would be better than sitting on trainer. Sleep is important. And with my wife not heading back to work till tomorrow i loaded up the car with two girls and started the new year off driving to work. (gotta remember to move the car this morning).

I caught some TV morning show with some guests on there pleading "no more blogs" for 2008. I've been ruminating about that a bit. And well, writing a web log is cheap therapy. Keeps me sane. And provides an outlet for words that build up in a way that doesn't pin someone down in person with my kooky ideas and thoughts. So, i ain't goin no where.

That said, cross, as sad as the facts may be, is nearly over. So the focus will definitely shift a bit. Or not. Maybe i'll just refocus.

Battenkill is coming up. We had so much fun last year (yes, it was painful but, GDit, fun, even w/o water) the team designated it a marquee event. See yall in the 30+. Here's to hoping i can hang on to the main pack a few miles longer than last year!!!

That should provide some focus and cycling drive to the content.

I've been debating a list like retrospective post. Ya know. Like everyone is doing. Or has done. But. I think i will depart from the "expected" norm.

There are many things to be thankful for. While not an '07 list, expressing thanks is important. I'm thankful for my wife and my girls, for all of my family. Thankful that the location we live offers rewards beyond what we could have hoped for. Thankful for being able to provide my family with good healthy food every day. Thankful my brother's market is still going strong. I'm thankful to be able to compete in cyclocross, thankful that it is still rewarding even without spending thousands of dollars upgrading my equipment beyond circa 1999 parts and technology, thankful to be satisfied riding some old steel frame. Thankful to be happy rolling along with clinchers while everyone around me seems to run tubulars and carbon wheels and what not. Thankful that i still have a long road of improvement ahead of me. Thankful for the improvement i've made to this point. Thankful for friends and teammates. And thankful for my family.

life is special. life is blessed.

cherish it, and leave a lasting positive impact on those around you.

there is a pretty solid laundry list of stuff i want to shake out of my head. rattle it out and get it through my fingers. One of the items i was so concerned about forgetting that i scribbled a foundation/outline/sketch of the idea.

Now, do something healthy for yourself and the environment: make a pledge to avoid as much high fructose corn syrup as possible in the new year. Obviously it is hard to avoid completely, but it is easy to start in the grocery store. If it has hfcs or even just corn syrup in it, put it back on the shelf and buy something else. Trust me. There is an alternative that is better for you and even if it costs a few pennies more, your life will be remarkably better for avoiding it. Sure, there are plenty of other target items. But start simply. Life is too short to eat crappy food.

-peace
g

ruminations of the day

or maybe it should be a random title, maybe someone should write a title widget for days like today...

Bhutto's death was a shock, in a way. But not really. I sort of feel that she knew going back that it was a quest for martyrdom. How could she expect to stay safe in that environment? How could she expect to compete against the military regime. Very sad. Shocking, but i feel deeply that she knew the risks, and if she naively thought she would be safe, i don't know what emotion to express.

Topic switch. As i think about dayville (yall go register already m'kay?). Thinking about have i haven't been on a bike since the 9th of december. Thinking about how the only intense physical exertion was climbing up a 2-300 foot muddy slope carrying my tank of a 3 year old chasing the almost running 7 year old. Wondering if the saddle will hurt, wondering if i have any fitness left at all. None the less, i'm gonna go race. why? because, cross is just too damn much fun to let only those who are heading to europe to race in CX worlds, masters or elites. Southern NE ain't the arctic wasteland that NH and VT turn into. It ain't no rainy wet cold Portland/Seattle/Belgium/Netherlands. But it is close enough. The rumor continues that on the 12th or 13th there will be a gathering of cross folks somewhere in Providence, not at roger williams park though. Something closer to the coffee shops of the city, somewhere very very easy to get to from the highway. RFLCS stay tuned.

Another topic switch. Calories. My little bro has a big thing about calories in and calories out. Now a season hanging out with these twiggy cross racers has my perspective skewed a bit. Then couple that with the quality of food. Consumption of good quality food can make you healthy but it can still make you fat. But all i can say is i am so grateful of my commute. Instead of sitting every day on my ass in a car for 2-3 hours (like they do down here in suburban DC) i get to ride my bike. Now what i see in pantries is loads of "reduced" fat foods. Why? All these reduced fat foods still have tons of high fructose corn syrup and sugars. Sure the reduced fat is a part but what kind of fat is still there? Fake fat. How do you make a lean peanut? I realize how much i rely on simple clean pure ingredient. How much i am thankful for being able to stop my pantry and my fridge with foods with no complex ingredients. the most complex are the 6 active cultures in Yogurt Boy's brand. I find the quest for the best quality beer and wine counter to buying complex processed foods. And am overwhelmed by the acceptance of high quantities of sugar in diets of young and old a like. On both coasts. But the whole high sugar debate is a whole post alone. Esp when i start ruminating on the anti-sugar stance my mother had relative to the ever presence of cookies and jams and syrups in the house growing up.

Personally i will eschew sugars long before fats. But i drink black coffee.

Speaking of black coffee, my green apron wearing sister gave me a pound of 4BUX mexican (shade grown) coffee. I had mentioned my experience at the Pine Street Pro shop one morning after consuming a grande COD of the mexican stuff and being unable to wrench because my hands were so shaky. And, well, lemme tell ya. HOLY CRAP. yeah that stuff is high test. i'm amped after 1 french press. Amped. This is race test brew. WHOOO HOOO!!!

okay - enough hiding away... time alone with my thoughts and a change to get them out of my head has been dramatically lacking. I often forget how much time i have to think and meditate and focus on my commute to work. Even with a trailer load, it is a time when i can focus on a task but still let things cascade and process in my head waiting for a coffee break or a system to stabilize to dump them out of my head.

peace
-g

Boxing day

Put em up.

travel recovery day. transition from Hawaii time to east coast time. No i wasn't in Hawaii, just hanging in seattle on a 3+ hour later schedule than most folks. Didn't help getting up early that it was still pitch black at 7am with the cloud cover. 3am? 7am? Can't tell. Couldn't tell i should say.

Thanks to delta. Those flight attendants were fantastic as my oldest hurled all over the place. Got in late but still early for the girls. Some how got them to bed before 2am. At least we have till the 2nd to be back on a full school/work schedule.

So where is geWilli now (as Ctodd would ask)? Down about 30-40 miles west of THE gwadzilla. And sitting here with all but right now of his time 100% scheduled until our departure for New Belgium. Speaking of which. Why the sudden out pouring of praise for that brewery? I dunno. It tastes good. I haven't seen it around locally. Whatever it is. That two below is pretty awesome. No it ain't a chimay. But my bro was given a nice very special Chimay ale bottle at christmas and well, he and everyone else was raving about it. And maybe if i finished 1/2 the bottle i would have too. While distinctive i found it lacking the same OMG this is good that the Black Butte Porter does. Good thing not all beer is the same, gives people an opportunity to be individuals. Would be sad if everyone did exactly the same as everyone else.

A Good thing about the concerts in Seattle is that between the odd sleep patterns and the traveling there wasn't a whole lot of eating going on. I think if anything i dropped a few kgs. But then we'll see if that is a benefit or a hindrance heading into Jan 6th.

Time is short - merry christmas and a happy new year!
G

I toast everyone as we gather round the christmas tree with a nice 2° below new belgium ale.
Wow is it amazing.

All you belgium beer snobs check the offerings of New Belgium Brewery.


Good stuff. I raise a glass of 2°Below to You all wishing a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR

Merry Christmas

Yeah. Merry Christmas. No happy holidays at this point. It is christmas eve. A magical time of the year for our family.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas where ever you are.

And a peaceful new year!

GeWilli

Heaven simply heaven

heaven... pure heaven...

Yall buy your $20/bottle belgium trappist stuff. Gimme a six pack of each and i'm VERY happy.

The black butte porter is as good as it gets and the fat tire ale is a perfect balance.

Ahhh a real black and tan.

Lemme tell ya, those monks ain't got nuttin on the folks at New Belgium brewery or the Deschutes brewery.

Winter

So the drive down was fun. In a way. Put the carbide cable chains on cause the lady at the desk told my mother it was slippery in one spot. And she didn't quite refuse but suggested that i put them on. I'd done a few laps around the parking lots in the snow with the Goodyear advantage tires on the car (the ones that are supposed to be great in rain, ice, snow, dry). Overall not bad. Combined with the front wheel drive the ESP and ASR the car would have been fine. But i put the 15°F metal chains on bare handed just to make everyone feel better. Took em off at the "highway" and drove in the snow until deep in the columbia river valley (up north alongside lake Chelan) when it was just wet slush. The roads turned back to snow in Wenachee heading to Leavenworth and full on snow in Leavenworth. Parked in the most crowded little bavarian town this side of Germany checked out a few shops, gassed up and headed up the moutain pass. No problem going up. Much like me on the bike. Fine going up. It is the going down that was a pain. At first, just past the summit it was still snow. Then it went to an undivided one lane in each direction raining on snow and i couldn't really see the road. I was tired, too hot and had a full bladder and just working on the concentration. And i couldn't really see. Finally pulled off, took a road side opportunity to add some warmth to the water rolling off the side of the road and felt much better. Left Sun Mountain Lodge at 1pm. Pulled into the East West Cafe in Tacoma for dinner at 9pm. Made it home by 11. With not one single decent night of sleep since, well, since the Friday night before W.E. Steadmans race. Long time.

Got some sleep last night. Feeling better. But it is raining. Raining and raining. Finally cut down the christmas tree. We topped one of the trees from my grouping of roadside salvaged trees. Sort of a traddition for me after college started. One year i came home and noticed all the seedlings along the road up and down by the house. And then well, i started transplanting 6-12 of them a year for a few years. Now, some many years later the Pine trees are bearing cones and the douglas fir are 30+ feet tall. The last few batches of planting have been more understory and haven't grown quite as fast as the first three years of plantings. About 10 years ago we started a traddition of thinning the earliest plantings for use as a christmas tree. I deliberately over planted a few of them with the assumption (incorrectly) that i'd lose about 1/2 the trees. Well I don't think i lost any of them over the years. Even the deer browsing was only enough to stunt their growth for a few years (increasing the root growth and laying a foundation of drought tolerance). This year was the first year we just topped one. It was a short doug fir in the back row. We took the top 1/3 of it (10') and cut a bit off the top to get it to fit in the house. Not your regular super amazing ideal tree, but it smells nice, is natural and economical. Love of an idealistic college kid saved this tree from the county brushhogs, and now it has returned the favor by offering its top for our celebration of Christmas.

peace, joy and love
G