recent activities

Walked 8 miles on the MKT.

Went to St. Louis for work and took the kids.

Watched Nora perform with her school choir at her teacher's wedding.


Survived the first ice storm of the season.

i heart crazy fun but not in the rain

Spent Saturday in the rain with Sam but not Dr. H-V.

cx is here

I'm a bit nervous. I didn't expect to be but I am. Heading out to cx practice tonight at the scene of my accident last fall. I probably should have put bigger tires on my bike and probably should take it easy on the corners, especially since it rained a bucket load last night. I haven't been riding as much as I would like either. Only rode half the number of miles in September that I did in August and close to a third of what I did in July. Not that I have anything to train for anyway. Hopefully by this time next year I will be ready for a real cx racing season.

Congrats to Josh on his most excellent finish in Michigan. That is some stiff competition and he did great!

life

It's been a while since I wrote.
Here's a summary:
Work, eat, bike, disc golf, watch soccer. And celebrated our 16th anniversary Aug. 31. 16 years wow! THe kids stayed with a friend while we ate at Sycamore, and the Upper Crust. MMmmmm good! Especially the dessert at Upper Crust. We even got a hotel room over night.

Big news this week of course...one more day of work and then I am outta here. Tuesday a.m. road trip to KC for the first stage of ToM. I think I'll stay overnight in KC with my inlaws before heading to the start of Stage 2 in Clinton on Wednesday. Maybe I'll have pictures next time.

baby or Playmate?

If this is liberated, I’ll opt for dignity

...Bratz dolls apparently aimed at ages "4-plus." "Bratz Babyz makes a ‘Babyz Nite Out’ doll garbed in fishnet stockings, a hot-pink micromini, and a black leather belt. … The baby also sports a tummy-flaunting black tank paired with a hot-pink cap. ‘These Babyz demand to be lookin’ good on the street, at the beach or chillin’ in the crib.’ " Another of the dolls wears heavy red lipstick and bright toenail polish to match red panties. One is almost reduced to sputtering.

For the slightly older set, the "tweens" - girls between 9 and 12 - Target markets thong underwear. Apparently you can find "Care Bear" thongs at some retailers and "push-up" bras at Kohl’s for the first-time bra purchaser.

I don't usually like what I read by Mona Charen and even here I don't like her tone but as a father of a 9 year old girl I have to agree with Mona on this one. I would place the blame on some sort of right-wing, capitalist "conspiracy" to keep women in line rather than left-wing feminism like Ms. Charen does but either way the result is disheartening and depressing to anyone raising a daughter (well, I guess not everyone because someone is buying this crap for their kids).

bwahahaha

From the latest installment of Trib Talk:

"I hate to rain on the parade of supporters of more streets for cars and trucks, but it is unreasonable to expect them to address certain problems that should give us a pause from our headfirst dive into a new scheme of public transportation. Hundreds of thousands of children are injured riding in automobiles annually, more than any other activity except perhaps basketball. Many of these injuries are serious head injuries, and no other activity comes close by comparison. Adult drivers frequently suffer injuries as well. More streets in more neighborhoods will likely lead to more crime in those neighborhoods. Wish that it were not so. Balance is essential when driving a car. Balance in discussing this community issue is important as well. It is not the job of advocates of streets for cars to provide this balance."

Not really, I plagiarized and edited it for reasonableness but what a strange world it would be if it were so. Unfortunately, the actual blurb went something like this:

"I hate to rain on the parade of supporters of more sidewalks for bicyclists and pedestrians, but it is unreasonable to expect them to address certain problems that should give us a pause from our headfirst dive into a new scheme of public transportation. With few exceptions, most of us will not ride a bike or walk when the conditions are too hot, too cold, rainy or snowy or icy or when the travel distance is very far. Those conditions prevail most of the time. Hundreds of thousands of children are injured riding bikes annually, more than any other sport except perhaps basketball. Many of these injuries are serious head injuries, and no other sport comes close by comparison. Adult bicyclists frequently suffer injuries as well. More sidewalks in more neighborhoods will likely lead to more crime in those neighborhoods. Wish that it were not so. Balance is essential when riding a bicycle. Balance in discussing this community issue is important as well. It is not the job of advocates of sidewalks for walking and biking to provide this balance."

The only legitimate complaint in this entire ramble is "With few exceptions, most of us will not ride a bike or walk when the conditions are too hot, too cold, rainy or snowy or icy or when the travel distance is very far. " But some of that even could change if people accepted a little sweat.

And why exactly would a sidewalk create more crime? Is it the as of yet unheard of population of "green" eco-thieves unwilling to use internal combustion engines to wreak havoc on these unsuspecting neighborhoods,

"Bwahahah! now that you saps have sidewalks, me and my gang, the "Strollers" can unleash our nefarious scheme of walking off with your televisions and stereos, iPods and computers! Oh, had they only put in sidewalks when they built your houses! We could have been robbing you ages ago, you unwitting stooges! And with sidewalks our getaway will be so much easier now that we can simply walk away from the scene of our wrongdoing. And our rivals in the "Walkers" better watch out--we're gonna go for some walk-by shootings!"

WTF!

just 2 months away

NEWS RELEASE
Top-ranked Team Discovery Channel to participate in the upcoming inaugural Tour of Missouri international cycling race

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (June 25, 2007)
Just two weeks before this year’s Tour de France, America’s newest elite
cycling race---the Tour of Missouri---today announced the participation of
the World’s No. 1-ranked team, the American-based Discovery Channel team
for the inaugural race.

The event is scheduled for September 11-16, 2007, starting in Kansas
City and finishing six days later in St. Louis. It is the season-ending
finale for many of the top teams and promises to be one of North America’s
top events.

OFFER: advice

1) When responding to an offer on freecycle DO NOT use all one case (either UPPER or lower) and DO use punctuation. Your response will most likely be
ignored if you cannot write a readable and courteous email.

2) Because offers on freecycle generate approximately 100 million responses from people asking for the offered item, DO NOT send follow-up emails. If you don't hear
from the offerer, assume you have not won the lottery and won't get the item.

3) DO NOT send emails to the offerer asking for special conditions or
more details and DO NOT ask to be telephoned about the item.

4) Most of all, DO NOT send emails asking if the offerer received your email. He/she did. Your response was NOT chosen from the 100 million responses and someone else's was. DO NOT stress about this; it is the way the freecycle game is played.

The preceding is a rant and rules that were almost posted on freecycle and, because it sounded too much like a similar rant on another yahoo group, was nixed by others in my household with more sense.

Freecycle is a perfect example of community. It's a non-self selecting group; people of all types are participating. There are lots of folks you have to get along with or at least treat with what passes for respect, when in fact you are bothered all to hell by them. You can get lots of great stuff from freecycle but if you offer stuff you've got to be prepared to face a barrage of emails, many from people who do not get the concept very well.

there are no strings (or braces) on me!

Saw the Doc this morning. He was pleased to see that I am seemingly whole in body again. Not only do I have a working ACL but also it appears that my femur has healed. Evidently if it wasn't healed then I would certainly be in much pain and agony. I told him it was still tender inside the joint and had a sharp pain once in a while but he thought that was normal and was unconcerned about the cartilige fragment we were so worried about.

So...I can ride without the brace now. I can start weaning myself off the brace otherwise. And I don't have to go back to physical therapy. Still need to do muscle exercises like leg presses, quad curls, swimming and elliptical machine, etc.

tuesday nite ride

Last night was the Brendaville Cycling Team's first training ride. All went really well. Sam, Jordan, Steve and I rode up to Jason's house (we're an inter-'hood team) picked him up and rode to Grindstone where we hopped on the trail and rode it to McBaine. I had never ridden with Jason before but he is a strong cyclist. He is only 12 and rode a bike that was a bit small for him. If he had a bike that fit him with larger wheels he would have hammered Sam and Jordan. We all were tired and hungry by the time we returned but it was a satisfying ride for sure. I hope this was just the first of a long series of rides.

When we stopped at McBaine we met up with some people from Pennsylvania who were riding the length of the trail from St. Louis. They were loaded down with camping gear but wanted to head to Columbia for a bed rather than a sleeping bag. So we escorted them into town. Evidently they have done several different rails-to-trails trips around the country. Sounds like a great adventure and a great way to take a bike trip. There is one along the Erie Canal they would like to do next. I would like to do that one too.

I am off to the Doc's this morning. I hope I get a big thumbs up. I am a bit nervous as I have ridden 5 days in a row now and have already had my biggest week this year with 84 miles and it's only Tuesday. I just hope my knee is not hurt by that. It's kinda sore and tender in the joint. But is has been before and only gotten stronger and better afterward.

of sheep

My entire family(3 brothers, their wives and children as well as my parents) all got together this weekend outside of Columbia. Friends of ours who live on a small farm went out of town so we took over for them and took care of their animals and garden in return for a place to stay. The weekend didn't start out terribly auspiciously and my career in livestock seemed blighted as I killed two chickens in the first day. I know it sounds terrible and it was. Evidently I didn't know how to operate the water dispenser correctly and on the hottest day of the year the "Meat" chickens (as opposed to the "Layers") ran out of water and two died from dehydration. After having my burying them (Sam and Nora dug the hole) I got a fresh start and didn't kill any more animals. Saturday night as I was closing up the barn, I looked into one of the stalls and saw a sheep and what I thought at first was a chicken. Turns out it was a newborn lamb, the speckled one in the picture above. I started hyperventilating and calling for my wife and as I did so I realized there was another even newer born lamb. Jesus! this wasn't supposed to happen for a nother couple of weeks. WIth the aid of my brothers, we spent the next four hours watching them, wiping them, sanitizing their umbilical cords, and trying to get the lambs to nurse. They didn't seem to know what to do. Or rather they knew what to do but for whatever reason couldn't. I called several veterinarians and finally was able to get a hold of one. True to James Herriot, when I called the vet it was near midnight on Saturday. Isn't that when all the calls in All Creatures Great and Small occured? The vet said that we could wait until morning and see how they were doing then. If they hadn't started nursing within 18 hours of birth then we would need to intervene. He asked if I could stick a tube down the lambs' throats. I wasn't sure about that and hoped it wouldn't come to that. I slept for a few hours then got up and checked on the lambs. Thank god they were still alive and even better were nursing and seemed to be doing well.

I think I could really get into the livestock thing.

Nora discovered fishing this weekend and after catching three fish now wants start fishing regularly. Sam enjoyed the fishing and swimming as well.

Sam started his new job at Shakes yesterday. He even made some tips while busing tables. I hope he enjoys the work and it is a good experience for him. And I hope he makes a wad a dough so he can pay for his trip to Europe next summer.

Nora power

From Friday's paper:

Gerik Parmele photo

Lee Elementary School third-grader Nora Hargett, center, leaves Flat Branch Park this morning with about 70 other bicyclists and walkers from the school after a free breakfast provided by Broadway Diner. Also participating are Kim Dill, far right, and Nora’s mother, Bridget Murphy, center left. This weekend is the conclusion of Bike, Walk and Wheel Week. Tomorrow’s events include a final rally with free food and music beginning at 2 p.m. at Stephens Lake Park. For a complete list of tomorrow’s activities, visit www.pednet.org.

That's my daughter! She says she'll never get a car.

things are starting to hit a little close to home

Crash kills 16-year-old boy

Horrible and awful. It's only a matter of time until I personally know one of these kids. Sam can start learning to drive next year and he is starting to know kids in high school. I don't think he knew this boy but Sam probably knows friends of his.

Nora says she is never getting a car. I'll buy Sam a Colnago, Felt or Madone 8.9slx or whatever it's called but not a damn car. One tin can death trap is enough. Look at that picture. I am scared and sad.

Nora with her 1st place trophy

st. louis lacrosse parents are the worst

Went to StL Saturday to watch Sam play two games of lacrosse. The first game was exciting, Hickman lost 6-5 but the lead went back and forth the whole game. First one side then the other seemed to be dominating. And dominate is the right word here. Lacrosse is an extremely physical sport, it makes hockey look like a nancy game. I am not sure but it seems you get penalized in lacrosse for hitting the guy with the ball. You can smack the ball out of the opposing team anyway you can, body checking, stabbing with the sticks, smacking the carrier across the back, etc. The game was exciting but unfortunately, did not include my son. Didn't get to see him play. Coach didn't put him. Rather disappointing considering we went to considerable expense and drove two hours starting at 7:30am. With an 18 degree wind chill. It was really too cold to watch him watch the game.

So ok didn't get to see him play the first game but usually he gets some time during the second. Drove in the insane StL traffic to find some food. Found some for Sam at (shhh) Sonic. drove him to the next game, dropped him off and drove to find food for the rest of us (the rest of us didn't want Sonic). Found a Subway, ate a sandwich and had barely swallowed the last bite of something called a, "sweet onion teriyaki sub" when Sam called and said that the second game had been canceled. Seems that for some reason the coach of the other team asked the coach of the Hickman JV team (Sam plays for the freshman team not JV) if the freshmen were coming. Evidently the answer was negative and the Parkway Central High School freshman team went home. Before game time. Sucks. I don't know why the Parkway coach didn't ask our coach but cest la vie, eh. Stupid man. And to top it off, the Parkway Varsity team offered to play our freshmen. Right. Those guys are big, they would have broken our boys' legs. Like a cat 5 going up against cat ones, that's no race. Oh and when our boys declined, the parents of the Parkway team called them "babies."

I think we have one more weekend to drive up to StL and deal with the StL parents and stupid coaches.

HELP - will fiddle for jet

I'm so friggin' tired of these damn pan-handlers. We should give them a hand-up not a hand-out!

KBIA and the University Concert Series have an unusual request that we hope you, or someone you know, might be able to fulfill.

For its upcoming 100th-anniversary season, the University Concert Series is on the verge of bringing acclaimed violinist Itzhak Perlman to Jesse Auditorium. As part of his standard performing contract, Mr. Perlman requires private air transportation.

Paying out-of-pocket for a private jet might prove cost-prohibitive for the Concert Series. If Mr. Perlman visits Jesse, the end result for patrons could be ticket prices in line with the expectations of concertgoers in larger cities.

To try to keep down the costs of bringing back this performing legend for his first visit in nearly a decade, we're appealing to you for an in-kind gift that we understand only a very small minority of our listeners could supply. Do you, or does someone you know, have access to a private jet that Itzhak Perlman could use for a day in March, 2008?

If so, then please call us at 573-882-3431 or 800-292-9136 and ask for Mike Dunn. And thanks in advance for considering a gift to one person that would enrich the cultural life of mid-Missouri as a whole next year.

back in the saddle (part 2)

Ever look at your "tight pants" and realize that they are baggy? I do. Actually they are only half-baggy. They fit pretty well on my right leg but as for my left, I might as well be wearing mtb shorts. That will change soon though! I have ridden the trainer for 2.5 hours so far this week.

One of the good things about riding the trainer in the backyard is that it doesn't matter how many cold beers you get from the fridge, the bike stays upright!

that's the spirit!

There's something admirable in this.

Germany Men's [x-c skiing] team skipped Falun relay... partied instead!

The German men’s relay team sat on the sideline and drank beer while Norwegians, Italians, Swedes, Frenchmen and other nations struggled through the 4 x 10 kilometer relay in warm conditions in Falun, Sweden on Sunday.

FIS and Vegard Ulvang disliked the German ”stunt." They choose not to race the final World Cup race of the season. Instead they brought several kegs of beer and lined up along the course in the sunshine.

- This is not cool, but it’s not mandatory to race. It’s voluntary to start or not, so it’s not much we can do in this case, said Ulvang on Norwegian television.

Overall World Cup winner Tobias Angerer didn't see any problem with their decision not to race.
- We have had a long and good season. The batteries are empty, so we are choosing to stay here today, said Angerer to German television, while a sequence of Germans were cheering for Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset (of Norway) and drinking beer was shown in the background.

Source: Langrenn.com

back in the saddle again

Started riding my bike on the trainer a week ago. Beginning with 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening, I slowly worked up to 18 minutes each time yesterday. All this without having the rear wheel touch the flywheel of the trainer. Actually started intervals of using only my left (bad) leg yesterday; one minute one, one off. Was kind of tough. I haven't decided exactly what I will do today. I think I'll start with resistance and try the one leg pedalling again but maybe not for as long as yesterday. One on, one off for ten minutes maybe.

And good news (or not) depending on your persuasion:
All the Columbia Public School Board candidates are against teaching how the magic man done it. http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Mar/20070324News001.asp

a magic man done it