Maybe you should take the quiz.
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to hit up the difference between who's and whose either.
I'm not saying... I'm just saying.
25 November 2008
24 November 2008
random
After dinner A said that if I didn't put up a new post, people would stop reading my blog. What I want to know is who's reading this lame-o blog?? So, without further ado, here are a few images I dug out of iPhoto (which sucks, btw) to... well... keep whoever you are from never reading my blog again. Enjoy-
Brothers don't shake hands! Brothers gotta hug!!
Safety first -- I wonder if it's reflective for the night crowd, too...
Despite being taken on a shitty camera whilst driving, this is one of my all-time favorite photographs.
Give a girl a bicycle and you will be dumped. Newton's little publicized 4th law of gravity. The more effort you put into the bike, the swifter the verdict.
How can you know this was not taken in Nebraska? Hints: this is the dash of a 26' Penske truck; no, the instrument cluster is not frozen.
My favorite spot in the twin cities.
OH NO!!!!
Brothers don't shake hands! Brothers gotta hug!!
Safety first -- I wonder if it's reflective for the night crowd, too...
Despite being taken on a shitty camera whilst driving, this is one of my all-time favorite photographs.
Give a girl a bicycle and you will be dumped. Newton's little publicized 4th law of gravity. The more effort you put into the bike, the swifter the verdict.
How can you know this was not taken in Nebraska? Hints: this is the dash of a 26' Penske truck; no, the instrument cluster is not frozen.
My favorite spot in the twin cities.
OH NO!!!!
19 November 2008
#s
It's been more than six years since I last dreamed in numbers.
In 2002, during my last semester at Madison, I was a student in Professor Byrd's Logic course. I found a great deal of satisfaction in the proofs we worked week in, week out. I think -- nay, I know -- these exercises appealed to the same part of me that insisted socks be put on juuuuust right as a child, that meticulously applies handlebar tape at precise and even widths to my bicycles, and that relishes freshly "made" bed linens before turning in each night.
In the final weeks of his course, Prof Byrd assigned each of us a super-proof of sorts with which to grapple as part of our final exam. Of course, I immersed myself in this proof, sorting out sections and bits while riding to work at the shop or sitting at Einstein's on State Street chewing bagels. And then came the night before the proof was due; our group met that evening mulling over our efforts line by line but no one -- including me -- had achieved resolution.
Late that night I rode home, tired and stuck on this seemingly irreconcilable proof. I went to bed and slept poorly. I dreamed in numbers and figures and lines of proofs. I awoke early -- something like 4am, well before the sun -- and lay on my back staring at the ceiling and working through our proof. All of a sudden whatever I had dreamed, whatever my mind had worked out in my sleep came together in a solution to the elusive proof! Eureka! I fumbled for a pen and a notebook and started scribbling furiously in the dark. I was elated. I had sorted out the answer.
I passed on the shower, dressing quickly to allow for maximum transit time before the exam began at 8am. It must not yet have been 6am but I wanted to make damn sure that nothing was going to stop me from delivering my proof in time to get credit for it. I grabbed the bike and rode into campus aiming straight for the Helen C. White Library above which was perched the philosophy department.
I knew that Professor Byrd was often in his office early mornings and I held my fingers crossed riding up the elevator that that day was no exception. Success! He was indeed present. I handed him my proof, tired and a bit delusional from all the proof-crunching. He quietly looked it over, page by page, for what seemed an eternity. Eventually he looked up, grinned and before he even spoke I felt everything in the world was right.
I truly miss that class, Professor Byrd and most of all the proofs. It was something at which I excelled in spades and I loved that about Logic. It made sense to me -- it fit with the way I think about the world. It was neat and appropriate and everything had it's place, you just had to figure out where it all went.
Maybe some day I'll get to return to logic. Perhaps I'll become a Logician. I don't really know what Logicians do or even whether this is even a viable profession -- I mean, I can't imagine a great need for Logicians in the world but who knows. Perhaps there's something else. For now, I'll stick with bicycles and get my kicks from elaborate spreadsheets.
In 2002, during my last semester at Madison, I was a student in Professor Byrd's Logic course. I found a great deal of satisfaction in the proofs we worked week in, week out. I think -- nay, I know -- these exercises appealed to the same part of me that insisted socks be put on juuuuust right as a child, that meticulously applies handlebar tape at precise and even widths to my bicycles, and that relishes freshly "made" bed linens before turning in each night.
In the final weeks of his course, Prof Byrd assigned each of us a super-proof of sorts with which to grapple as part of our final exam. Of course, I immersed myself in this proof, sorting out sections and bits while riding to work at the shop or sitting at Einstein's on State Street chewing bagels. And then came the night before the proof was due; our group met that evening mulling over our efforts line by line but no one -- including me -- had achieved resolution.
Late that night I rode home, tired and stuck on this seemingly irreconcilable proof. I went to bed and slept poorly. I dreamed in numbers and figures and lines of proofs. I awoke early -- something like 4am, well before the sun -- and lay on my back staring at the ceiling and working through our proof. All of a sudden whatever I had dreamed, whatever my mind had worked out in my sleep came together in a solution to the elusive proof! Eureka! I fumbled for a pen and a notebook and started scribbling furiously in the dark. I was elated. I had sorted out the answer.
I passed on the shower, dressing quickly to allow for maximum transit time before the exam began at 8am. It must not yet have been 6am but I wanted to make damn sure that nothing was going to stop me from delivering my proof in time to get credit for it. I grabbed the bike and rode into campus aiming straight for the Helen C. White Library above which was perched the philosophy department.
I knew that Professor Byrd was often in his office early mornings and I held my fingers crossed riding up the elevator that that day was no exception. Success! He was indeed present. I handed him my proof, tired and a bit delusional from all the proof-crunching. He quietly looked it over, page by page, for what seemed an eternity. Eventually he looked up, grinned and before he even spoke I felt everything in the world was right.
I truly miss that class, Professor Byrd and most of all the proofs. It was something at which I excelled in spades and I loved that about Logic. It made sense to me -- it fit with the way I think about the world. It was neat and appropriate and everything had it's place, you just had to figure out where it all went.
Maybe some day I'll get to return to logic. Perhaps I'll become a Logician. I don't really know what Logicians do or even whether this is even a viable profession -- I mean, I can't imagine a great need for Logicians in the world but who knows. Perhaps there's something else. For now, I'll stick with bicycles and get my kicks from elaborate spreadsheets.
16 November 2008
15 November 2008
ouch
Went down pretty hard in the first 200 yards of the state cross race today. Got a great position on the starting line, had a solid start and was top ten (out of 101) through the first bend, then experienced a bit of bad racing luck.
Longer story short, ate shit, jacked up my right shoulder and hip, and bruised my forehead, elbow and knee a wee bit. The Empella suffered some wounds of its own: rear tubular wheel is all wobbles now and the top tube has a nice golf-ball-sized dent in it right where the handlebar must have tooled it in the crash.
On the bright side, at least this might be the last race of the season for me and the Empella. Plus, now I have a better reason for getting myself a replacement "A" bike for next year.
On the not so bright side, the shoulder has started to hurt again and the red mark where it hurts look to be some sort of contusions rather than spots from the heat-packs I had on the area after the race. This is not awesome.
As for the race, besides getting about a three minute delay courtesy of the crash and subsequent confusion, requisite wheel change, etc. things went OK. I wonder if this is because I pretty much had to start from the back of the field and work my way up and it didn't really matter what happened since I wasn't going to win anyway, much less make the top 10 or even 20. I just went as hard as I could go. It was great getting encouragement from friends and co-workers, especially from Ped who was yelling at me that I was gaining on Dick Tanner. Looking at the final standings and considering the time I was making up each lap, had there been one more lap in the end I'd have caught not only Tanner but Apples as well.
But it wasn't in the cards, I guess. And c'est la vie. I am not glad that I crashed but I feel like it helped me to relax a bit about the future racing seasons. Sometimes you feel good and sometimes you don't; sometimes things go well and other times the odds seem stacked against you even before you hit the end of the first lap. I am glad to gain this perspective as I'm sure it'll help me race better, smarter, and ultimately faster next time. And there's always a next time.
See you bitches next season in the B's!
Longer story short, ate shit, jacked up my right shoulder and hip, and bruised my forehead, elbow and knee a wee bit. The Empella suffered some wounds of its own: rear tubular wheel is all wobbles now and the top tube has a nice golf-ball-sized dent in it right where the handlebar must have tooled it in the crash.
On the bright side, at least this might be the last race of the season for me and the Empella. Plus, now I have a better reason for getting myself a replacement "A" bike for next year.
On the not so bright side, the shoulder has started to hurt again and the red mark where it hurts look to be some sort of contusions rather than spots from the heat-packs I had on the area after the race. This is not awesome.
As for the race, besides getting about a three minute delay courtesy of the crash and subsequent confusion, requisite wheel change, etc. things went OK. I wonder if this is because I pretty much had to start from the back of the field and work my way up and it didn't really matter what happened since I wasn't going to win anyway, much less make the top 10 or even 20. I just went as hard as I could go. It was great getting encouragement from friends and co-workers, especially from Ped who was yelling at me that I was gaining on Dick Tanner. Looking at the final standings and considering the time I was making up each lap, had there been one more lap in the end I'd have caught not only Tanner but Apples as well.
But it wasn't in the cards, I guess. And c'est la vie. I am not glad that I crashed but I feel like it helped me to relax a bit about the future racing seasons. Sometimes you feel good and sometimes you don't; sometimes things go well and other times the odds seem stacked against you even before you hit the end of the first lap. I am glad to gain this perspective as I'm sure it'll help me race better, smarter, and ultimately faster next time. And there's always a next time.
See you bitches next season in the B's!
14 November 2008
Cyclocross State Championship
This Saturday (11/15) at Basset Creek Park in beautiful Crystal you can see the Minnesota State Cross Championships. I will be racing. A lot of other folks will be racing. It's going to be chilly and crappy -- proper cyclocross weather.
Come out and spectate -- it'll be a lot of fun. I'll bring some beer for you in case standing and cheering in the cold doesn't do it for you on its own. Three letters that are sure to set your chops-a-droolin': P-B-R. That's right. Only the most premium bubbly beverage for my friends and supporters.
I will be racing at 11am sharp. It will be a half-hour jaunt through sand, mud, up stairs and over barriers. Wear your long johns and dig out that parka -- both are highly recommended for such an experience.
In the mean-time check out some of the sweet European cross action on the World Cup circuit...
Come out and spectate -- it'll be a lot of fun. I'll bring some beer for you in case standing and cheering in the cold doesn't do it for you on its own. Three letters that are sure to set your chops-a-droolin': P-B-R. That's right. Only the most premium bubbly beverage for my friends and supporters.
I will be racing at 11am sharp. It will be a half-hour jaunt through sand, mud, up stairs and over barriers. Wear your long johns and dig out that parka -- both are highly recommended for such an experience.
In the mean-time check out some of the sweet European cross action on the World Cup circuit...
12 November 2008
the best
words used to describe our global financial crisis were uttered by one of my Asian vendors:
"All that is solid might be melt into air all of sudden."
in appripriate
This is precisely the word (words?) used in an apology email by a coworker yesterday to describe a previous email he sent "to all" which clearly was not intended for said audience. Amazing, I know.
And then today, albeit using proper grammar/spelling/what-have-you, a vendor contact of the opposite sex called me a bitch. Yes, a bitch.
To this I say, "Madam, that is in appripriate."
And then today, albeit using proper grammar/spelling/what-have-you, a vendor contact of the opposite sex called me a bitch. Yes, a bitch.
To this I say, "Madam, that is in appripriate."
11 November 2008
on record
Today marks the first time I ride indoors this winter. This is not to say I have begun my winter training regimen; I simply wish to keep the legs moving in preparation for what could be the last race of the season.
On the bike training will commence in earnest some time in December. I am looking forward to a better yield (as a cash-cropper might say) this year. I will have had the past year's experience from which to gleam some degree of wisdom. I know where I fell short, what I will need to do more of, and when I can expect the motivation to wane.
A lot of exciting things will transpire in the following six months; a fruitful winter's training will be the icing on the cake come Spring.
On the bike training will commence in earnest some time in December. I am looking forward to a better yield (as a cash-cropper might say) this year. I will have had the past year's experience from which to gleam some degree of wisdom. I know where I fell short, what I will need to do more of, and when I can expect the motivation to wane.
A lot of exciting things will transpire in the following six months; a fruitful winter's training will be the icing on the cake come Spring.
10 November 2008
man....
How am I supposed to loose weight when I'm hungry all the time?
Last weekend A said I could probably get by on Punch Pizza and Potbelly's alone (not counting breakfast). I would agree. They are both delicious; I want to eat their yummy foods every time I think about either. Man....
And then there are the pastries. I looooove me some pastries. I especially heart Lucia's pain au chocolate as well as their crepes, the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies at the bakery across the street from my house and the blueberry and raspberry bran muffins at Gigi's. If you haven't tried but one of these delectable foods, you haven't lived your life to the fullest.
Did I mention I'm hungry all the time? I was hungry 26 minutes ago and bought a small bag of Cheez-its out of the vending machine at work. I'll probably be hungry again before I leave for the day. This is not good. What to do... what to do?
Last weekend A said I could probably get by on Punch Pizza and Potbelly's alone (not counting breakfast). I would agree. They are both delicious; I want to eat their yummy foods every time I think about either. Man....
And then there are the pastries. I looooove me some pastries. I especially heart Lucia's pain au chocolate as well as their crepes, the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies at the bakery across the street from my house and the blueberry and raspberry bran muffins at Gigi's. If you haven't tried but one of these delectable foods, you haven't lived your life to the fullest.
Did I mention I'm hungry all the time? I was hungry 26 minutes ago and bought a small bag of Cheez-its out of the vending machine at work. I'll probably be hungry again before I leave for the day. This is not good. What to do... what to do?
08 November 2008
Velo Cyclocross Wrap Up
Cyclocross racing in good cyclocross weather again this weekend.
When I saw Smithers out there after the C race was done, I asked if he was racing. Then I felt dumb.
My race went ok -- maybe a 7 out of 10. I missed the hole-shot at the start, setting me at about mid-pack despite lining up at the front. I missed clipping in and it cost me my good placement. The rest of my race was all about making up places. This was easy at the start as everyone was fairly bunched up but grew harder as the race went on. This was the only good part of the race -- namely, that I enough energy and strength to keep making up spots as the race went on. This bodes well for starting to ride the B's in a longer race format. I would start now, but there is only a single race left (state champs next week) so it'll have to wait til next season.
The worst part of the race was taking a spill on the wet plywood ramp leading into the velodrome infield. My bike slipped out and I went down pretty hard on the wooden track. My hip is pretty sore but I should be ok save for nice tennis-ball sized bruise. It was toward the end of the race and resulted in loosing the only 2 positions of my race.
I ended with a 14th place finish, a good bit behind Apples who held down a 6th place finish. Second week in a row for Apples -- good work Apples. I am excited for next week and a little sad for cyclocross season to be over. Strangely, I am looking forward beginning a training regimen for next year.
Apples and I stayed after our race to watch the B's and A's. In between, we went for pizza. Yum. The B race was good and I yelled at DC and T3 to go faster. T3 wins the price for most thorough observance of said hollering.
The A race was fast. Right away Doug Swanson and Adam Bergman took off. They would not be caught again. In the first lap, Ped suffered no less than three issues -- total bummer. First, the tubee's he borrowed from me got a slow leak on the rear requiring a wheel change. Then, his bike slid out on a hairpin taking him down. Then, his chain dropped on a short hill requiring off-the-bike attention. Again, total bummer. Hopefully next week he will have better luck.
When I saw Smithers out there after the C race was done, I asked if he was racing. Then I felt dumb.
My race went ok -- maybe a 7 out of 10. I missed the hole-shot at the start, setting me at about mid-pack despite lining up at the front. I missed clipping in and it cost me my good placement. The rest of my race was all about making up places. This was easy at the start as everyone was fairly bunched up but grew harder as the race went on. This was the only good part of the race -- namely, that I enough energy and strength to keep making up spots as the race went on. This bodes well for starting to ride the B's in a longer race format. I would start now, but there is only a single race left (state champs next week) so it'll have to wait til next season.
The worst part of the race was taking a spill on the wet plywood ramp leading into the velodrome infield. My bike slipped out and I went down pretty hard on the wooden track. My hip is pretty sore but I should be ok save for nice tennis-ball sized bruise. It was toward the end of the race and resulted in loosing the only 2 positions of my race.
I ended with a 14th place finish, a good bit behind Apples who held down a 6th place finish. Second week in a row for Apples -- good work Apples. I am excited for next week and a little sad for cyclocross season to be over. Strangely, I am looking forward beginning a training regimen for next year.
Apples and I stayed after our race to watch the B's and A's. In between, we went for pizza. Yum. The B race was good and I yelled at DC and T3 to go faster. T3 wins the price for most thorough observance of said hollering.
The A race was fast. Right away Doug Swanson and Adam Bergman took off. They would not be caught again. In the first lap, Ped suffered no less than three issues -- total bummer. First, the tubee's he borrowed from me got a slow leak on the rear requiring a wheel change. Then, his bike slid out on a hairpin taking him down. Then, his chain dropped on a short hill requiring off-the-bike attention. Again, total bummer. Hopefully next week he will have better luck.
04 November 2008
Grant Park - Chicago, IL
Wish I was there.
Thank god this man has become the 44th president of this country. I didn't want to have to look into property up in Canada.
A side note: some in the repub party are shameless idiots; this was evident at McCain's concession speech where the crowd booed mention of Obama/Biden and even took to chanting "Sarah" while their candidate was mid-sentence.
Unbelievable.
One might say pathetic.
So OK, eat your hearts out, douche-bags.
Obama is the president whether you like it or not.
It's now the dawn of MY America -- OUR America.
If you want to be part of it, great, if not, go suck on a lemon.
you fucking pieces of shit
This is unbelievable.
In other news, MPR reported this evening that text messages are being sent to Minneapolis cell phones stating Obama voters will be allowed to vote as late as Thursday. This too is unbelievable; in fact, it's illegal in Minnesota as well as under federal law.
People who do this ought to get shat on -- literally.
In other news, MPR reported this evening that text messages are being sent to Minneapolis cell phones stating Obama voters will be allowed to vote as late as Thursday. This too is unbelievable; in fact, it's illegal in Minnesota as well as under federal law.
People who do this ought to get shat on -- literally.
voting is totally awesome!!
I got to the polling place at 10 after 6am, and there were 7 people already lined up ahead of me.
Once the polls opened, I took my time ensuring that each oval was perfectly filled in so as not to cause any potential for mis-reading (or mis-scanning??) by the machine. I thought there was going to be an initiative on the ballot about unionized labor but no such item was on my ballot. Oh well. I voted for the environmental funding and for the chitlins' edumacation funding increases. The back of the ballot had something like 30+ judges to vote for, most of whom were running unopposed. Admittedly, I left many of these blank but managed to fill in a handful of ovals on that side in races about which I was at least nominally aware.
Other than that it was shout-outs for Obama, that dude Keith and big Al cause it'd be sweet to see a democratically held, filibuster-proof congress. I listened to a right-wing commentator being interviewed on NPR last night; she shared her concern that such a circumstance in concert with an Obama presidency would move the US away from what she called a center-right United States over the last 20/30 years and toward a European style Social Democracy. So OK -- I will vote to make this happen crusty old lady. Thanks!
Once the polls opened, I took my time ensuring that each oval was perfectly filled in so as not to cause any potential for mis-reading (or mis-scanning??) by the machine. I thought there was going to be an initiative on the ballot about unionized labor but no such item was on my ballot. Oh well. I voted for the environmental funding and for the chitlins' edumacation funding increases. The back of the ballot had something like 30+ judges to vote for, most of whom were running unopposed. Admittedly, I left many of these blank but managed to fill in a handful of ovals on that side in races about which I was at least nominally aware.
Other than that it was shout-outs for Obama, that dude Keith and big Al cause it'd be sweet to see a democratically held, filibuster-proof congress. I listened to a right-wing commentator being interviewed on NPR last night; she shared her concern that such a circumstance in concert with an Obama presidency would move the US away from what she called a center-right United States over the last 20/30 years and toward a European style Social Democracy. So OK -- I will vote to make this happen crusty old lady. Thanks!
03 November 2008
Go vote.
Tomorrow is November 4th -- Election Day in the US.
If you do not vote I will probably think you are a complete tool with exception for those who, by some freak chain of events, are physically unable to do so.
High-five for everybody who votes (low-five for those voting for McCain).
If you do not vote I will probably think you are a complete tool with exception for those who, by some freak chain of events, are physically unable to do so.
High-five for everybody who votes (low-five for those voting for McCain).
Suc-cesssss!! (a la Borat)
Another weekend come and gone. Another weekend of cross racing come and (unfortunately) gone. The weather was unbelievable. Racing went off without any major hitches.
Apples and I drove out to Taylors Falls on Saturday to participate in the Red Barn Cross race. Unlike last weekend, the course featured almost entirely flat terrain -- there was only a solitary 25ft hill that was so steep it required one to dismount and run in order to overcome it (this is called a run-up). The course wound its way through a local tree farm off hwy 8 and featured plenty of fast corners meaning that handling skills would come in extra handy as would the ability to accelerate out of each turn. Finally, besides the run-up there was a triple barrier and a lonely single barrier toward the front end of the course that necessitated dis- and re-mounting.
All in all the race went very well -- I managed a 7th overall spot and 5th in my category. I made the hole-shot in the top 10 at the start of the race, and this placed me very well to have a solid race. I don't believe I gave up position to anyone except for Apples, who caught me half-way through the race. This was a bummer to be sure but he is still stronger than me so it was not a huge surprise. I rode his wheel for most of the final 3 laps until he got a flat in the last half of the final lap. I believe he still pulled off a top 25 finish, which deserves some modicum of kudos. So, OK -- good hustle, Apples.
Two more weeks left before the season is over and the time will come to start thinking about training for '09. Good times, as always.
Apples and I drove out to Taylors Falls on Saturday to participate in the Red Barn Cross race. Unlike last weekend, the course featured almost entirely flat terrain -- there was only a solitary 25ft hill that was so steep it required one to dismount and run in order to overcome it (this is called a run-up). The course wound its way through a local tree farm off hwy 8 and featured plenty of fast corners meaning that handling skills would come in extra handy as would the ability to accelerate out of each turn. Finally, besides the run-up there was a triple barrier and a lonely single barrier toward the front end of the course that necessitated dis- and re-mounting.
All in all the race went very well -- I managed a 7th overall spot and 5th in my category. I made the hole-shot in the top 10 at the start of the race, and this placed me very well to have a solid race. I don't believe I gave up position to anyone except for Apples, who caught me half-way through the race. This was a bummer to be sure but he is still stronger than me so it was not a huge surprise. I rode his wheel for most of the final 3 laps until he got a flat in the last half of the final lap. I believe he still pulled off a top 25 finish, which deserves some modicum of kudos. So, OK -- good hustle, Apples.
Two more weeks left before the season is over and the time will come to start thinking about training for '09. Good times, as always.
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