Sea Turtle and Humpback Whale

One of the coolest experiences of my life. Went with Mrs. Tank and the little tanks to Maui. I went snorkeling way out beyond all of the other multiple snorkelers looking for sea turtles. I had given up and was about to head back when I saw a large object approaching. It kept getting bigger and bigger . . . Sure enough it was a giant green sea turtle. He came right up to me and swam with me for about 20 minutes. Very gentle creature. Although I was within 2 feet of him for most of that time, I refrained from touching him as he is an endangered species. Here are some pics from a disposable underwater camera I had with me:

We also went on a whale watching trip. Here is a pic of a mother humpback whale (you can see her tale) and a baby (up front). She is slapping her tale, an aggressive behaviour, to keep a romantic male away (do you blame her?)

Land Wolf continued

As of my last post, I didn't have any pictures of the wolf. Now that I do, I thought I would post some showing the contrast between wolf and my yet-to-be-named Specialized (I am having a hard time, too much pressure, coming up with the perfect name).

Below: Wolf's front half - no frills, just heavy steel. By contrast, my road bike is totally pimped.

Next, the rear half. The wolf is more concerned with taking a pounding than ultra-light performance. By contrast, the blue carbon art work.

Quick! How many logos can you count? Notwithstanding his Italian heritage, Wolf flies the red, white and blue. He also likes to pretend he is a specialized.

RIP Champ; Introducing the Land Wolf

I am sorry to report that my faithful steed, Champ, won't be hitting the road any time soon. The cost to replace the worn out/broken parts (front and rear derailleurs, one shifter, bottom bracket, etc.) would have been about 75% of his original cost. I decided to put the money toward a new commuter bike. When I put Champ down in the basement, my son could tell I was saddened and asked if I needed a hug.

See you Champ, you served me well.

My new bike is a 2007 Bianchi Volpe. It is a Cyclocross bike, meaning it is sturdy and very versatile. I like to call it the Land Wolf. What's that you say, Wolves only live on the land? Well, then, you are forgetting the television series, co-starring Ernest Borgnine, about the super cool disguised military helicopter "Air Wolf" flown by Stringfellow Hawke. Indeed, the bike is not named after the animal but, instead, the helicopter (if it was on the land rather than the air).

Barack Obama is a Man to be Reckoned with

At 6:00 a.m. on Friday, February 9, 2008, people began lining up to see Barack Obama speak at Key Arena.  Doors opened at 11:00 a.m. and the venue was filled to capacity by about 11:20.

Keep in mind that Key Arena holds just under 18,000 people for a basketball game.  When Obama spoke, the entire floor was filled as were the hallways.  Mayor Nickels joked that he was glad he gave the fire chief the day off because they were way over capacity.  Thousands more were turned away when they were forced to shut the doors.  About 3,000 of those left outside refused to leave and Obama wisely placated the crowd by grabbing a bullhorn and giving a short speech before heading into the Arena.  

The footage in this video is from my bike as I rode by the line outside Key Arena.  I only had about 3 minutes of footage left on my camera, so I was only able to capture about 1/2 the line on film.

When I first heard he had booked Key Arena, I thought he may have been overestimating his drawing power.  After seeing this display, I think he grossly underestimated it.  This guy inspires people to leave work, school, home, etc. to stand in line for hours for just a chance to be near him.

Quite amazing.

Legs

Ok, this Monster.com commercial is awesome. This guy also looks like I feel after riding my bike every day and having to lay off the upper body workouts (injured elbow) for about 4 months.

Commercial Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBZmLzv9NKQ

Bike Commuting

As a bike commuter, I absolutely do not advocate the practices that go on in this video clip. This type of stuff gives bicyclists a bad name. Nevertheless, it is undeniably exciting to see these guys fly through traffic in large cities with wreckless abandon. It is like watching a train wreck. Only it is a train wreck that never actually happens. Don't try this at home, or at all. With that introduction, here is Lucas Brunelle Productions http://http://www.digave.com/videos/index.htm

I am a marketing person's dream

Earlier this week, Tom Boonen won Stage 2 of the Tour of Qatar, with an average speed of approximately 33.5 mph. Blazing fast. He also won Stage 3.

I do not know Tom Boonen personally, nor do I know anyone who does. Why am I so excited about this? Because we both ride Specialized bikes. Of course, he gets paid a lot of money to ride his and I paid a lot of money to ride mine. There are other differences as well.

I am a marketing person's dream.

UPDATE 2/1/08
Tom Boonen was the overall winner of the Tour of Qatar. See, I can't help myself.