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.

The Postal Service

The Postal Service sucks. Not the group. The actual government agency.

I think that they probably had better delivery rates back when it was the Pony Express. Even though there are still mail bandits today (see picture), they are not as prevalent as they once were. But yet the delivery success rate today is crappier. Maybe having a pony that knew the way helped.

I have had more stuff lost in the mail in the last 13 months. I could randomly take stuff and throw it out into the street and I would have a better chance of that stuff being returned to me than having all of my mail delivered.

My neighbors started offering free HJ's if their mail was delivered. Now they get about 65% of it. Not great, but a heck of a lot better than me.

I tried to throw some stuff away the other day. It didn't work. The trash people left it behind for me. Then I put a stamp on it and addressed it to myself. I never saw it again.

If OJ Simpson would have paid good money and put a stamp on his gloves, they would nover have been entered into evidence.

You could go to Australia and buy the most expensive boomerang ever made. If you bring it back to the U.S. and have a postal worker throw it, it will turn into a frisbee.

Ever have a rodent problem? Put a stamp on the little critters. Problem solved.

I seriously think that the Post Office only bothers to deliver packages for which the customer has bought insurance or the tracking feature. That stuff always shows up great. But if you actually rely on regular postage and hope that the post office acts only with negligence (rahter than gross negligence), you might as well kiss your stuff goodbye.

Enough said.

The new, yet to be named, ride

After many months of trying to keep up with my friends on Champ, my commuter bike, I finally bought myself a new ride. It is a 2008 Specialized Roubaix Expert with the new ice grey Shimano Ultegra SL component group. Compact chainrings up front (50/34) and 12-27 casette on back (although I am thinking of switching to an 11-25). For full specs, go here http://http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=33546

Above, me getting fitted.

Below, the new bike where it belongs, at home in the dining room.

After taking this picture, I flipped the stem, so the handlebars are lower.

People often comment about the wicked shaped seat stays (picture below)