Far Out Son of Lung...

Noise.

2009-01-24T13:37:00.002-06:00

The idea was to do some writing today, but my sanctuary -the apartment clubhouse- has gone from peaceful and empty to a mass of distractions and irritants. A "health fair" is starting soon, there's a family conducting an air hockey tournament and someone keeps trying to change the channel so I can't watch downhill skiing.

I need some lunch. Earlier I thought of some prose, it was on my way home from work last night. I liked it. It had a nice flow. Now I'm drawing a blank. I'll blame them.

Looks like I need to clear out. Computer wants a restart so downloads can take effect.

10 Months ...

2008-09-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

Wow. I've been away from this blog for too long. 10 months. So much has happened I cannot even begin to convey it all.

Started a new job at TDMN (Oct)
Started writing for the Racing Post
Started not liking my new job (Dec)
Got engaged (1/12)
Set a wedding date
Moved the wedding up a week so we would not conflict with Superdrome race night
Got married (4/12)
Went to Salzburg, Austria for the Honeymoon
Really knew I hated my job
Built a brand new bike, a Fausto Coppi Neuron, my first in 8 years
Loved riding the Fausto Coppi Neuron
Got hit head-on by a car while riding the Coppi (6/11)
Found a new job (8/10)
Put in two week notice (8/14)
Built up Ridley Damocles (8/15)
Rode a solo near-Century of 96 miles (8/26)
Started new job (8/29)
Went back to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch (8/30-9/1)
Celebrated Betty's 29th Birthday (9/06)
Spent last night at ER watching Betty get stitches after she low sided the Cervelo (9/8)

sitting downtown

2007-11-06T10:15:00.000-06:00

Well I am in training this week at my new company and posting from my first blackberry. I used to think of these as a tether, but I coming to realize they are more of a release from the office.
Two weeks of training then I will be on the road and selling to clients. Steep learning curve in some respects, but being with another paper keeps it more familiar and less trouble.

Racing Post

2007-10-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

I need to do some creative writing, but I'm not feeling terribly inspired. I need to write a story about track racing to be run in the Racing Post, a local publication about bicycle racing. I want to, I think its a neat idea, but so far I have yet to conjure any inspiring words. This happens too often. I like to write, but for some reason I have difficulty with creativity on demand. So I wait. Maybe climbing tonight will spark something in me to set pen to paper and/or finger to key.

Perspective: New racer at the track
Audience: Bicycle racers, intelligent people
Point: Get people to want to attend, new racer development

Longest Short Week

2007-10-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

Friday, October 12th will be my last day at The Wall Street Journal. I'm moving over to the local competition as an outside sales rep. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and a little scared, but fortunately for me this move was forcast in my monthly horoscope.
In fact, I am not the only person benefiting from the alignment of the stars this month. Sgt. D is also starting a new position (within his company) that will advance his finance career, and J.W. found a new position with a fashion mag here in Dallas. She also has a friend that found a new position, although not in media... and all four of us are Capricorns. Coincidence? Perhaps. But if it is, I think it is really freakishly weird.

So as of Friday I am done 'n gone. I think I'll still get my commission check for October, and I think I'll still get my back pay for the "raise" being negotiated in the new union contract. I think. No one seems to have a solid answer, but a lot of probably and maybe type statements that are fairly reassuring.

New job.

2007-10-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

I accepted an offer this morning for an outside sales position with The Dallas Morning News. I'm nervously excited. It is totally outside my realm of comfort and almost completely different from what I thought I would be doing next, but I think its a good move. Better sales experience, earn my dues on the street and try my best to make the most of a product with which I am already somewhat familiar.

Superdrome

2007-09-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

So Friday was my third night of racing at our local velodrome. I'm a Cat4, but only because there's no such thing as Cat5 on our track. I don't know why. I do not race as a roadie or MTB so it has all been a bit of a learning curve.

The program started Friday night with a low attendance, and the powers that be decided to run only two groups:
1) Youth
2) Cat 1/2/3/4 + Masters + a junior girl (15) all in a second class

The first race of the night was Miss n' Out. Apparently, you start from the rail and do a neutral lap or two before they ring the bell. From that point, every other lap the last person across the line is taken out of the race. With 12 riders in the race it was going to be a 24 lapper if you're in it to the end. I chose to run a 48 x 14 (92.6") as this would give me some speed but I could also spin it for the whole race.

At first I was pretty convinced I was going to be out early because the Cat 1 & 2 guys (6 of them) were not too keen about keeping the pace slow. The pack stayed together at a very fast clip the whole race, and I was boxed out continuously by one woman -good strategy- but I hung in there for awhile before looking back and realizing I'd be the next out if I didn't get my butt in gear. So, I pounced. I blitzed around the outside and made straight for the front. This ensured that I would remain in, but also be able to rest and stay attached to the main draft.

It worked perfectly and I ended up out sprinting several of the Cat 1/2 guys over the next few drops! In fact, coming to the line with only four of us left in the race I made a push and managed to fend off last year's Masters Champ to stay in the race! But, going into T1 I was forced low and off the track. This scared the shit out of me b/c the banking in T1 is 44 degrees for a very good reason. It allows you to stick. I back pedaled hard and hung on but the incident rattled me and I lost all my speed trying to keep the bike upright on the apron. So... I was out. Technically I guess I DNF'd, but in my mind I finished 3rd.

After a very short rest for a Youth race we headed into race #2, a 20 laps scratch race. This time I knew I could hang up front and made moves off the start to get there. I dropped right into the lead draft and hung with the Cat 1/2 guys in 5th place up until we had 6 laps to go, at which point my energy started to drop and I lost the lead draft. A few tense laps later I'd managed to sling through the lapped traffic and was the last rider on the lead lap in 5th place!

Now we have another brief rest before starting a 40 lap points race. Does it ever end?! It was more like an excercise in pain management and recovery... A points race is structured so that every 10 laps is a sprint with points going to the top 4 riders 5-3-2-1. Off the bat I knew I had limited reserves so I sprang for the front. I hung in there for the first ten and sprinted for points, taking 1 point and beating a few riders in the sprint. I continued to hang on to 4th for the next 9 laps, but coming to the line for the next set of points I lost my juice. From there I just tried to remind myself that lactic acid doesn't last forever and I just had to stay on the bike. I remained on the lead lap, thanks to a kind race leader, and didn't take anymore points but managed to finish.

For me, securing a point in this race was a bit like being Minardi and taking points in a 90's F1 race. Hell, winning some sprints against a slew of Cat 1/2 guys was awesome, too! So we have one race to go this year (this Friday) before things go dormant until March.

Elite National Qualifier

2007-09-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from the Elite Qualifier that took place Sept 7th & 8th.
I competed in the Kilo and 200 Meter Time Trial events, both of which were a lot of fun despite getting my ass kicked.

Here's a pciture of my butt at the start line for the Kilo. As described my Michael Morris, the Kilo consists of a standing start and the fastest 500M you can muster, followed by a battle against lactic acid where the point is to just stay on the bike.

For this reason, pictures like this were taken during my Kilo... followed closely by this photo just before the finish.

All of these great shots were taken by Will of WillShootPhotos.com and really illustrate what I was feeling at the time. Pain.

Firday night my legs hurt so bad I couldn't sleep, and the burning sensation in my quads and calves was far and above anything I have ever felt after riding a century.

With only two races left in the series this year things are really winding down. I've really enjoyed being on track the last couple months and look forward to racing all next year, but up first is a full winter of rock climbing!

Velodrome

2007-08-16T16:55:00.000-05:00

Here's the very start of something potentially creative. Maybe this will get developed, but I put this much down in only 10 minutes at the end of my work day.

Silently, an assault is being made on a fortress in Frisco, TX. The rhythmic thump-thump of the wooden track, a swish of air and bright flash of color are the only evidence of attack as another cyclist tests their determination and strength on one of the least known strongholds of speed, power and endurance in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.

This is a place where tenths of seconds are an eternity, speed is measured in gaping breaths and the best efforts are commonly followed by the heaving, wrenching reintroduction of one’s lunch. The war is waged on steeds constructed of carbon fiber, steel and aluminum; power is measured in watts and the battle is often against the clock, a foe that equals or bests your determination with the cruel expiration of precious seconds.

This is battle in a most pure and brutal form that rewards pain, suffering and complete muscle failure. Achieve these things, and the reward, if only felt within, bestowed upon the pained and spent rider is immeasurable pride. Pedal faster, breath harder, sweat more… Pain is your friend and your foe.

Steve Martin

2007-08-09T16:50:00.001-05:00

Steve Martin competing at Brands Hatch in the last round of the World Superbike Championship. Ok, not that Steve Martin!

Regardless of your location, work stinks.

2007-07-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

Here's an email string between myself and my billing/credit rep in India.

Sai,
My client received a “Payment Shortage” in the mail for $369.08. He’s been paying for advertising by check, in full, so I’m not certain why he received it. Could you check into it and let me know? Thank you, and have a great day.

Hi Greg,
Sorry for the delay as was on vacation.
The original invoice# 24614064 was for $3,204.93. We had received payments only for $2,835.85, which left them a Short Payment of $369.08.
We received payment for $348.19, which again left them a Short Payment of $20.89.

Sai,
Thank you, I’ll talk with my client today. I hope you had a nice vacation!

Greg,
Vacation was nice!! But coming back to work is terrible.
I guess even you might have have gone through this.

Sai,
Unfortunately, I can share in your pain. I think work stinks regardless of where you are in the world.

Velodrome

2007-07-18T10:07:00.000-05:00

Rock Gal took the track photos during my Development Class a few weeks ago and I took the crappy shots of the bike last night. I need a tripod or a steady hand or something. The track photos will give you an idea of scale, as well as a better feel for the banking of the track. The apron at the very bottom is flat, banking on the straight is 17 degrees and in the corners it is 44 degrees. Total track length is 250 meters with 200 Meter Time Trial events starting from the white line that bisects turns 1 & 2, and other starting from other locations depending on length and the style of racing.

The sprints (200 meter time trial) are the most fun because you drop from the rail (outside of track) down into the Sprinter's Lane (between black & red lines) as you progress through turn one. The banking acts like a downhill and you pick up a lot of speed, which is also a lot of fun. The hard part is maintaining that speed and keeping the bike below the red line in the corners.

Since there are not any brakes on the bike we use the banking to slow down as well. If you turn right you go up the bank and lose speed pretty quickly, which is also a lot of fun. You can also back peddle, or resist the motion of the peddles to slow down, which works better in a group of people to maintain a speed, but you can't really stop the bike that way from high speed without a lot of room. Since everyone is just going all the time, in the same direction and roughly the same speed, it is not necessary to stop while you're out on the track like you would on a regular road or trail. I know it sounds strange, but it makes sense once you see it in progress.

I'll get some better photos on Thursday but this at least gives you an idea of what the heck I've been doing.

My power has been increasing steadily as has my speed. Most of my workouts last about 2 hours, but that does include some downtime for rest and water. Typically I do intervals of either 250's with rest laps, or a build up from 250 to 1000 meter sprints, with two to three rest laps between each effort.

BMX Plus!

2007-07-17T09:49:00.000-05:00

I saw a t-shirt in the June 2007 BMX Plus! that I really want, but now the magazine is off the news rack! I wrote them a letter asking for contact info for the company and will keep my fingers crossed. The t-shirt image showed a guy (looking at him from a downward angle) holding a gas pump to his head like a gun. He was drawn clearly to his waist but the rest of the image was running down and looked like fluid, or gas, making the image. It was stunning, and I really want it!

Now its off the shelf though and I don't know how else to find it. The caption on the photo said Design Syndicate but I could not find a website related to that name in the listing at the end of the "Buyer's Guide". I googled it but have not found what I'm seeking yet.

I might call RBM today and ask them to look it up for me. I really want that shirt.

17, 18, 19...

2007-07-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

This morning on my commute to work a cop was sitting at the top of a hill on a two lane road. They sit out every once in a while looking for speeders but today he found me. As I rode up the hil toward him I heard his P.A. come on...
"Seventeen... Eighteen... Nineteen... c'mon!"

I didn't realize it at first because he was difficult to understand on the PA, but he was reading my speed off of his radar gun. As I approached, "20!"

I feigned hard work (tongue wagging) and he gave me a big thumbs up and a smile as I passed him. I was glad to have the pep and it was nice to see him out there. Folks tend to really blaze through that section of roadway.

Paris Program Brings 10,000 Bikes to City

2007-07-17T09:44:00.000-05:00

This article is from the Charlotte Observer.

Bicycle Drifting

2007-07-11T09:11:00.000-05:00

This may or may not link/play/display properly so bear with me.

Looks like a fixed gear to me, but quite how he's able to slide like that...

Vomit Comet

2007-07-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Rogge stopped by with his ages old Mongoose BMX bike, complete with flat tires, a rusty chain and wheel bearings from hell. We repacked the bearings -but it didn't help much- aired up the tires -carefully- and Rogge set to work repolishing the chrome (now varnished) frame. Within an hour we had it rolling, and only the freewheel was still in truly bad shape.

Off to dinner we go, but not on the bikes. Red, Hot & Blue was the cuisine of choice that evening and it certainly was a treat. Sausage, mashed potatos and cole slaw packed our bellies along with more than a few honey biscuits! Upon arriving back at the pad we set to work fixing iTunes, my favorite love/hate relationship. iTunes has been, up until now, a complete bear. I hate my iPod only because I hate iTunes. Not any more. Rogge had it running smooth as silk after only a few minutes and even found time to explain why centrifugal force doesn't exist. I get it now, but I liked be wrong better.

Skip ahead a few minutes and we're riding along on our BMX bikes to a fun filled evening at the local RaceTrack gas station. We crusied along at a reasonable clip, or so I thought, and made our way through the neighborhood to our destination. Upon arrival Rogge made it known that dinner, however tasty, would be making an appearance.

While this was never my goal, I suddenly realized that commuting to work on a bicycle and riding at the velodrome may have prepared me for our ride somewhat better than Rogge, who had not been on a bicycle since 1994. 13 years had taken its toll and along with the knee aches, and things went south (or north then south) several times before we were able to head back. We took it easy for round two and I made sure he had plenty to drink when we got back.

I felt bad, I really did, but I couldn't help laughing. I don't know why, but it was just really funny. I wasn't laughing at him, not like I was amused at his predicament, just laughing because the situtation seemed so surreal. Here we are, two guys in their 30s, crusing the neighborhood on our 20 yr old BMX bikes for a Slushee at the local convenience store... at any rate, it has also reinvigorated my desire to build up a more properly sized BMX bike. I might build a cruiser, but I've been eyeing 20" Pro XL frames on CraigsList and Ebay for a good deal... project number 5!

Superdrome

2007-07-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

Last night was my first of my practice sessions at the Superdrome (velodrome) in Frisco, TX. Having completed my development class only this past Saturday I was anxious to get some more seat time at the track. I feel more comfortable on the track and really enjoyed getting out there for some intervals and 200M efforts.

For intervals I would ride a warm-up lap or two, then drop in off the banking and do a 250 meter effort, rest for a lap and a half before doing a 500 M, etc. This continued up to 1000 meters before I worked back down to 250 M. I did two sets of these and tried to make my efforts as close to 100% as possible.
I also rode a couple of 200 M efforts by starting low, working a lap at the blue line, then went high for a lap and dropped into the sprinter's lane in Turn 1 to gain momentum and speed. I'm not super quick, but it is fun and I'm getting stronger.

All told I ended up at the track for 2.5 hours last night. I wasn't on track the entire time, but I did get a number of good efforts and felt really comfortable on the track. The banking was scary as hell on Saturday morning, but it became easier and last night it almost felt flat!

I'm looking to return this afternoon since the office is closed for 4th of July. We'll see if Rock Gal minds going out there, though I'm sure she won't care. She seems to enjoy seeing me ride and get excited about mashing pedals out there. She doesn't want to ride on the track, but she's behind it all the way and I really appreciate it! We'll take her bike as well, of course, and she can ride laps on the apron while I'm doing efforts. Its all good.

Happy Fourth of July. Although, honestly, I think this is another holiday lost to the whimsy of commercialism and retail sales.

Brass Knuckle Pista

2007-06-28T10:26:00.001-05:00

The rain has kept me from getting any preliminary photos, but the Brass Knuckle is ready for racing. The biggest problem now, of course, is that I still need to take my class to get approved to race there. The rain has kept me from doing so once, and they're predicting more rain for this weekend... Let's hope for the best.

In the meantime, here are some preliminary cellphone camera shots I took in the garage. The only thing I have yet to mount are the Continental Grand Prix 4000 tires, but otherwise I'm ready to start lapping.

I had the fine folks at RBM fit me Monday night by setting the seat position, stem length & height and pedal position.

Right now here's how the bike is equipped:

2007 EAI Brass Knuckle frame & fork (Aluminum)
Chris King headset
Deda Newton 100mm stem
3TTT Pista bars
Profile Design bar wrap
Look PP 246 pedals
(I have Look Keo Carbon pedals waiting for install)
Full Speed Ahead (FSA) Carbon Pro track crankset (165mm)
FSA Chainring (48 & 49 tooth)
Dura-Ace Cog (14 & 15 tooth)
FSA 290 aluminum seat post
Sella Italia SLR saddle
Veulta XRP fixed flip-flop wheelset
KMC 1/8" BMX chain
Custom vinyl graphics

June 2006 Flooding

2007-06-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

I know this pales in comparison to what has happened in other parts of the country, but this is the worst flooding I have ever personally experienced. I have been unable to commute to work on the fixie this week because the rain just has not stopped falling. The bike trail I use for part of my journey (Campion Trail) is almost entirely under the Trinity River now, and numerous other intersections and side streets on my trip are also impassable.

Here's a teaser photo, and a link to the rest of what I took this morning while driving in to the office.

5,355

2007-06-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

My fixie commuter is live on the Fixed Gear Gallery. Details are in the email I sent, which is on the posted page. Link is to the right as well.

Rain.

2007-06-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping to do the Development Class at the Superdrome tomorrow, but with 80% chance of rain slated for today and tomorrow I won't be surprised if it is cancelled. I'll be depressed, but I won't be surprised. Still, you never know how the clouds will flow and it could be completely dry for the three hour class. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

On a related note, the Brass Knuckle is progressing nicely. I installed the FSA cranks and slipped in the rear wheel to check the chain line, but my vision is poor and I can't tell if its right or not. Its adjustable, so I mess with it once I have a chain to install and a proper 1/8" cog. Once that is completed I can make an appointment to get fitted and finish the bike off with a stem. In the mail right now are a Sella Italia seat an aluminum FSA post.

Weather Update: Its supposed to rain with severe thunderstorms all day long today, and it is currently doing nothing. It rained earlier and then cleared, and now I'm just sitting here watching overcastness. All I can do is hope...

Fixie Pics

2007-06-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

I'll post the link to FixedGearGallery once my little post goes live, but in the meantime here are some photos of my fixed gear commuter. Total cost to build was about $300.00, which includes lots of parts-bin-special pieces and on sale items. I'm averaging 180 miles per week on the fixie, plus additional miles on the Pinarello and will soon be logging more miles on the Brass Knuckle once I get it completed for the track. So, without further delay...

Feel free to "vote" on your favorite pic by leaving a comment.

Development Class

2007-06-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be taking my Development Class at the Superdrome this weekend. The class is 3 hours long and provides the ground work for riding and racing on the track. The 44 degree banking seems a little daunting, even compared to dragging knee at 100+, but I think I'll be able to get the hang of it! What started as a fun way to train became a great way to commute... and will now be progressing into racing. At the beginning of the year I swore I wouldn't get back into racing, but that only lasted 5 months (ok, maybe 6). Now my goal is to develop some monster quads so I can crush some egos and slaughter the field on Friday nights. That, of course, will take quite a bit of time. I know I'm going to be slow for quite awhile, but it looks like a lot of fun and I won't mind getting my ass handed to me for a little while.

I'll post pics of the Brass Knuckle as well. I took delivery on Thursday and it felt a lot like bringing a new race chassis into a shop for development work. Starting from a bare frame and building up necessary parts and equipment is fun! It isn't cheap, but it is incredibly rewarding and really makes me proud of what I have been working on for the last month and a half. Pics soon.

No more 'Zuki

2007-05-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

Last night I sold the SV650 to Crash Crain. Windsor sent me an email with a link to the TSBA thread from Crain stating that he was seeking a street legal SV. I shot him an email and within minutes we had a deal. I wasn't looking for much, just enough to feel decent and pay off my remaining credit card debt. As soon as I've deposited the cash and made the payment, I will be debt free aside from my car payment. Nearly free. After that I'm going to continue hording money into my ING account.

I'm sad to see it go, don't get me wrong, but it is a relief in a lot of ways. Its been sitting dormant in the garage for eons and I just hadn't been inspired to get back on the thing to ride. Every time I thought about it or felt like I was ready to get back in the swing, I would talk to someone else that had crashed recently. It served to remind me about what I was doing, the things I was really enjoying, and where I wanted to concentrate my time and money. By getting things paid off I've opened up a large window of opportunity to save for things that really matter in the future, like moving somewhere more cool than North Texas.

I have also been commuting to work on the fixie Nishiki. I didn't yesterday because it was raining so damn hard in the AM, but I could have pressed ahead and done so. In retrospect, I should have, but no worries. Rock Gal and I rode last night when I got home and that was fun. It was casual through some neighborhoods and felt nice to see her enjoying riding her new bike.

I'm also looking at building a better fixie for my commute. I wanted to base it on a proper track bike with racks, but track frames don't include braze-ons for bottles or rear racks. I started looking at the Soma, and this might be the ay I go, but I just found a steel Spicer that looks interesting as well. It is a proper track frame and I would need to use a seatpost mounted rack as well as some seat mounted bottle cages, but I think it would be nifty. My other current option is a BrassKnuckle from Euro-Asia Imports. They've commissioned with some random frame builder in Taiwan to build these $300 aluminum frame & fork sets that are inteded for track racing and some street.

In either case (Soma Rush, Spicer, BrassKnuckle) I'll be looking to use a cyclocross disc fork and build up a new front wheel from a disc hub. I think it'd be fun and interesting to have a disc brake on a road bike, especially a fixie. I think it is pretty reasonable and the fun/cool factor is intriguing.

Bicycle Commuting

2007-05-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

So last weekend I picked up a rack and small bag for the fixie and made plans to begin commuting to work on a regular basis. I planned to start Monday morning, but that didn't happen. Bad weather and a touch of laziness has held things off until today, but from here forward I really do want to make it a regular thing.

I didn't much much at all in April, maybe a couple of days at the beginning of the month. Poor weather and weekly rock climbing trips with Rock Gal put a damper on my energy level and desire to get on the bike during the week, which stinks because I lost what little strength I had built up in March. Still, I'm back in the saddle and hopeful that the extra excercise and endorphine rush in the morning will help me through the day. Riding at White Rock was nice in the evenings but driving all the way to the lake after work, then home again, was getting expensive. Instead, maybe I can save some dollars in gas and get strong again.

I'll post some pictures if I can ever remember to take them, and show off my honkin' new commuter set-up. I also have a new *purple* Raleigh fork and threadless headset to install, and of course still want to do a disc brake / cyclocross fork set-up.

What's Worse?

2007-04-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what is more sick and twisted:
1) That the country is so fascinated with the social affaris of a dead woman
2) That a person can be so permiscuous that the father of her child is not obvious
3) That a person can get a television show based on bad acting and poor judgement
4) That it takes months to decide which of nine possible men fathered the child of a dead woman

I'm really fed up with the media at the moment.

Flagged and Removed!

2007-04-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

Your posting has been flagged down by craigslist users.

Approximately 98% of postings removed by flagging are in violation of craigslist posting guidelines.

Please make sure you are abiding by all posted site rules, including our terms of use:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/terms.of.use.html

If you need help figuring out why your posting was flagged, try asking other craigslist users in our flag help forum: http://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=3. Include posting title, body, category, city, how often posted, any images, HTML markup, etc.

If your posting was wrongly flagged down (2% of flagged ads are) please accept our apologies and feel free to repost.

Sorry for the hassle, and thanks for your understanding.

Some of the good responses.

2007-04-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the responses I recieved. I'm still trying to pick a "winner".

We would very much like to come pick this up for a teen's first computer.
Please call 817.xxx.xxxx Alexis

I am need of a computer for my children, can please contact me at 214-384-5866 asap with thine directions.
God Bless
Ms. Gray

If this is still available I would love to have it for my grandson. I’ll pick it up at your convenience if you’ll let me.
Jim

Hello,I was trying to reply using the Bible language, but being a foreigner, I do not have the English skills. I would love to receive the pc you listed, it would help me a lot with my work at home. I just relocatedwith my family from Europe to Texas so we have a lot of financial priorities before we can afford a PC. I could come any time of your convenience. Pls email me your address or call me at 972 xxx xxxx. Thank you very much in advance. Martin

Wouldst thou devine to me this thou computer Pentium 3? I live just yonder by thee in shire Carrollton my horse is swift, and I am in need of this once great lord and master P3.

I sent you an email earlier in regards to the computer... if it's still available, call me at 817-xxx-xxxx and I can come pick it up anytime.
Thanks again!

I want this

I would cherish the opportunity to open mine home up to thou computer. As I have 5 offspring, 3 of which art in thine college. I could pickth up thou computher before the sun setteth to thy west. Please send thou number so I could contacth tou. God bless you.

May I please come and pick this up from you?? I'm sure you've beenblown up with e-mails already, but I thought I'd take a shot, I canpick it up within a couple of hours, I'm in Carrollton right now. Danny

It's me again.
I can be reached at 214-xxx-xxxx.

Oh holy one…
I would greatly appreciate the PC. I already live in Lewisville so it would be a quick pick up. Is it still available? I can pick it up anytime after 5:30. I am currently a student if that helps….

Hello I'm in carrollton and this would be great for my Dad he is 67 and has some health problems and he cant get outside so he surfs on his computer which has bit the dust...I could come pick up today

does thou still havest/
callest me so that i may be happy
469 xxx xxxx

Great Poem. Loved reading it. You’re a good person giving it away. May great fortunes come upon thine!!!!

I have a daughter that is in the 7th grade that need a computer for herhome work. DO you still have it please call me (682)831-5761 work, (817)491-6389. Thank You.

Greetings Thou fellow brother:
May I come pick up thine computer this evening April 6th 2007/ I dont get off until such ripe hour as 9 pm from work. Please respond as to the affirmative or positive. Be thou blessed

Also I could provide Gift Certificates for free meals at either On The Border or Macaroni Grill as a thank you.

Where must one prostrate himself in order to receive such a divine offering or gift from Lord of Pentium?
As a fine and experienced hearer of words, spoken and unspoken, the mystical voice tunnel to which I am tuned remains open and available, awaiting further instructions me'Lord.
214-212-1775. Many thanks, and blessings.
If I am chosen by the Lord of Pentium, to receive the gifts that are offered by such a giving and kind creator of offerings. I will then begin my journey to the once forbidden land of Lewisville, locate, and bring back with me, to the land of Gar, the gifts bestowed upon this worthy seeker.
With grace may peace find you never wanting. Sir Thorn

The above is our winner. Just talked to him on the telephone and... yeah.

Holy Free Computers!

2007-04-06T12:40:00.000-05:00

At 11:48 this morning I posted the following to CraigsList.com:

And thine lord says unto thee, "Take thee thine computer upon the land, and give it to thine neighbor, or thine poor college student, for it is FREE."

Thine Pentium 3 hath a divine CD burner (that shalt not be used for pirating of thine musical whimsy), DVD player (which can playeth thine movies) and just enough RAM to process thine older games and accounting software.

At the beginning, when thine desktop was king, the Pentium 3 was your lord and master. But lo how the times have changed and the systems have become faster. Lo how the screens have become thinner and the storage -however small- is more grand. Too many miracles have occured for thus to be worth money, and so it is said that the desktop will be given away, unto thee, for FREE.

To gather thine FREE Pentium 3, thee must drive thine self to the holiest of holy lands in the North. Thine must make a pilgrimage to Lewisville. Oh yes, thine must travel long and far to collect thine gifts of computer, monitor, keyboard and speakers. And after such a time as thee hath collected such things, thee shalt have thine self a desktop. And, thine shalt have such desktop, for FREE.

I went pee, came back to my desk and had 15 responses via email. So far, (as of 12:48pm) I have recieved... let me count again... 42 total responses. That's a magic number! I need to stop this thing I guess.

Hueco Tanks

2007-01-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

Since not all climbing is overhung, here's a photo of a slab route called Slim Pickens.

All of the holds (both hands and feet) are literally so small, flat and/or featurless that the buttons on an office telephone would be considered a godsend. Actually, the buttons on a cellphone would have been really nice as well. Just for grins, take out a piece of scap paper and crumple it up into a ball. Now flatten it on your desk and do your best to smooth out the folds with your bare hands. Run your fingers across the paper and feel what's left. That's pretty much what we were working with on this problem. The angle is not completely vertical but instead leans away from you slightly (a few degrees) and that helps, but not much. Several holds were the size of a pen tip (the ball, not the whole plastic tip) and were described as "huge" and "really good" by the people with whom we were climbing. I contend that these people need to seriously reevaluate their judgement and use of adjectives.

The gal in this shot is about to shift her weight (oh so slowly) onto her left foot and stand, while reaching for a chalky hold in the upper left quadrant of the photo. This is about as far as I got before slipping off time and again, and its only three or so moves into a problem that consists of well more than 20 movements of this type!

Nothing new.

2006-12-20T15:11:00.000-06:00

Aside from a few climbing trips to Roger's Park Rock Gal and I have not been up to much, and with little to talk about that seems interesting I have not been posting anything new.

Ideally, 2007 will bring with it a new direction for my blog that will constitute more than just an online diary of random thoughts and events. I tried to do that this year with the addition of photos, but seeing as how I consistently forget that I even own a digital camera, that has gone by the wayside. Instead, I'm sitting here with the same lack of ideas I had a year ago.

Freelancing never got off the ground because I'm not willing to do boring work for others just to make a buck. The problem, however, is that I haven't really given myself anything else to write about since returning from Belgium in April. I have been in contact with a variety of websites for whom I might provide content (no $) because they are subjects that interest me. Cycling and climbing, being chief among them. So we'll see what happens in '07. I'll be turning 30 in just a few weeks time, and while I'm not expecting any big changes I am hoping to continue learning, progressing and generating new ideas. Who knows, maybe something will come along.

Dosage IV

2006-11-16T09:21:00.000-06:00

I recieved Dosage IV in the mail on Monday, and must admit this is one of the more inspiring climbing movies I have seen. I'd say it ranks right up there with Dosage III, which I have very nearly worn out.

I'll spare you the details as they're availalbe online (linked above) if you care to find them. I can say that the production & editing are excellent, the music is quite good -except for maybe Dreamcatcher, it sounds like TJ Hooker- and the routes/problems they focus on are hugely entertaining.

Along the lines of climbing, here's a link to a Japanese bouldering website that is posting videos on UrbanClimer's TV site.

Rock Gal and I also attended an ABS climbing competition last weekend that got us pretty inspired to climb. The problems are challenging and I have really enjoyed working on them after seeing the competitors send them during the comp. I'll see if I can write more about it later, if I can think of a way to make it interesting...

New Toy

2006-11-02T08:37:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of my new toy. It kicks much ass. I think it is amazing how much fun you can buy at Goodwill for only $20 (+ tax) and another $20 worth of parts. The seating position is so low my quads and knees are getting slaughtered, but it also responds well to sprints and likes to go in the grass.

I'm thinking about riding it to the local aquatic center a couple nights a week to swim laps, so we'll see how that goes. The swim pass is like $40 for 20 punches, and swimming twice a week would allow the thing to last quite awhile. The only issue is that they have most of the lanes blocked off for swim lessons and shit right when I would want to be there.

I also dig the pegs. I don't know what to do with them, nor do I think I'll ever use them, but I think they're necessary for some reason. Now I just need two feet of chain and a padlock.

Thirty by Thirty

2006-11-01T08:08:00.000-06:00

So I've set a goal for myself. I want to be back to my 30 inch waist by the time I am 30 years old in mid-January. I can definately stand to lose 15 or 20 pounds to help with climbing, and it will certainly make me feel better. Which, of course, is the primary reason for doing it.

To further this goal I know that I need to consistently eat better and excercise more often, especially cardio. On the excercise end I decided that I wanted to get back to riding my bike more, swim indoors and continue rock climbing and general excercise.

With the cold weather setting in getting on the road bike has been less and less appealing. I don't enjoy freezing my nuts off and sometimes I just want to ride. I don't care about getting all geared up, putting on my clipless shoes and setting a goal 40 mile route... I just want to go out and ride because it is fun. So last night I dropped by the Goodwill store and bought a BMX bike. I also stopped by a pawn shop and met a guy named Jake. Jake is super passionate about BMX, which is totally cool, but it also meant that he wanted to sell me his old BMX bike for $300. I told him I'd have a hard time riding a $300 BMX around town and leaving it outside of stores, and he understood. Still, you have to respect anyone that is truly passionate about what they do.

But I digress... I picked up my bike from Goodwill for $20 and promptly found that the forks don't fit my Yak rack. No worries, I stuck it in the back seat and drove to Blue Bonnett Bicycles for some parts. I knew it needed a tire, brake cables and some tubes so that part was easy. The brakes were a little suspect up front but I figured that some tinkering could take care of any problems. The bike also has rear pegs, which I'm not crazy about, but Rock Gal wants me to keep them so that I can give her rides "and we can be totally ghetto" as she put it.

It only took me 45 minutes and 45 bucks to get the bike all together and ready to ride! I slapped on my beanie then headed out into the cold Halloween evening for some good ol' fashioned cavorting around. I love it. Sitting down on the thing is going to give me an awesome quad workout, and simply being able to jump on it and ride anywhere I want makes it easy and quick for me to get excercise. No more planning, loading gear and hoping for decent weather. Now, I just ride!

The Pinarello still has a special place in my stable, and will get ridden quite a bit as well, but the BMX makes the riding on a whim thing much easier. The last thing I wanted to do to my gorgeous road bike was bang it off curbs or dick around town.

The Ozarks

2006-11-01T08:02:00.000-06:00

I'll need to take some time to write about everything that happened, but for now here are some pictures. I'll link these on the right as well. Just click here for photos from our camping/rock climbing trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Northwest Arkansas.

GT4

2006-10-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

I had every intention of going cycling last night after work, but other circumstances prevailed. My rear tire was missing a large chunk of rubber -straight down to the chords- and my intestines were unhappy with a pasta lunch. Rather than push it and risk further illness, I went home and fired up the PS2.

Gran Turismo is a pretty neat series of racing games and the latest version, 4, does not disappoint. Until, that is, you've been playing it for a few years and then it starts to get boring. Add to that the thought of sitting in front of it for many, many hours to complete the grueling, real-time endurance races, and things go downhill fast.

Fortunately, There's an alternate function on the game that allows me to relinquish driving during the race and act as a race director. Essentially, I act as a crew chief and simply watch the race unfold while I plan pit strategy. No more burning, dry eyes from staring at the screen for hours on end or falling into a state of sheer boredom seeing as how there are only 6 cars on the track during races. Instead, I get to see the race either live -from any car on the track- or from the pit monitor where I can speed the race up by two or even three times. So, instead of sitting there for three to four hours with bleeding eyes, I can sit back and be done with a race in only an hour or so.

Although I'm not doing the race driving, I am responsible for setting up the car before the race so that the computer driver can run fast laps. The computer driver is, of course, not nearly as fast as one would hope if the car is not either inch perfect or extremely neutral and predictable. If the car ends up being a litttle loose, the problem will only be worse with him driving. Tire choice and fuel consumption are pretty important, and I am also given the ability to select the driver's pace during the race. I can tell him to go slow, easy, steady, fast or push, depending on the situation in the race and the relative speed of my competition. Quite why I would need to go anything but fast or push is beyond me. Maybe it is my car choice or set-up, but so far I have need to use those two exclusively just to keep pace during the events.

So far, I have competed in a handful of races with various cars, but my favorite is the Amuse S2000 R1 that runs in street tire equipped classes. I'm usually up against big V8 monsters so having a nice lightweight 4 cylinder makes for fewer pit stops and long lasting tires. On par with this strategy was a Lotus Motorsport Elise that nearly defeated me, but 5 pit stops to my two made for an easy win. My closest race came in a BMW M3 GTR, where the margin of victory was just over two tenths of a second after three game hours of racing!

There are three full 24 hour events built into the game, but I'm not sure if I'll be competing in any of them. Even with the pace increased three-fold the event would take eight hours... a bit much to be sitting about watching a race unfold without commentators. I have started keeping lap charts to help pass the time, along with cooking & eating dinner and catching up on reading.

Tsukuba 9 Hour - 1st place - Subaru STi race car (+16 laps)
Grand Valley 300km - 1st Place - BMW M3 GTR (+.238 sec)
El Capitan 200 - 2nd Place - Amuse S2000 R1 (-8 sec)
El Capitan 200 - 1st Place - Amuse S2000 R1 (+14 sec)

India

2006-10-03T14:13:00.000-05:00

You have to love it when the Indian juggernaut known as Bollywood recreates music videos from the 1980's. Click here.

Idiot Returns

2006-10-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted a message. Regarding a client. This client was seeking $25M dollars. His ad was punctuated in an odd manner. He used many periods. Where they were not. Necessary. Here is. The original post.

Now there's more. Today, I got another email from Mr. Alfred Lawrence Patterson. This time he has a new name, but the grammar and over use of punctuation are as maddening and demented as ever before. You have to give him credit for the catch-all name of all names...

October 2, 2006

Dear Mr. ...:

Would you tell me the cost of the advertisement below. Under Financial Services. For one time and three times. For Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurday Nationally. And last if possible, would you reply with a copy of the way the advertisement will appear. I will send a Cashiers Check for the advertisement cost. Reply to: jesus_b_i_a_muhammed@yahoo.com Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jesus Bilal Islam Allah Muhammed

_______________________________________________________________________

Republic Investments is a Small Business Investment Company. Regulated by the United States Small Business Administration. Is seeking $25 Million and plus Investments in Businesses. 5% Fee of Investment Amount at the Closing. Required information of Clients: Information on the current Business Operations and Finances. Information on the Allocation of the Investment Amount. Information on the Collateral to be used for the Investment Amount. And Information on the Repayment of the Investment Amount. Send the Information to Republic Investments, 6131 Oakman Boulevard, Dearborn, Michigan 48126-2327. Will peruse all Applicants Business Information. Thank you for considering Republic Investments for your Financial Services.

I'm going to string him along for awhile this time, just need to think of how.

Contradiction

2006-09-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

You have to love the current papal situation.

The Pope enraged Muslims in a speech a week ago in Germany quoting 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said everything the Prophet Mohammad brought was evil "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

To which Muslims and followers of Islam took offense and demanded an apology. I don't have trhe full trasncript of his speech though, so I don't know the exact context here, but I'm guessing that the wrong ways to react include:

In a telegram to the order of an Italian nun killed in Somalia who may be the crisis' first victim...

Italian media said an al Qaeda group in Egypt called for the German-born Pope, who is 79, to be punished by strict Islamic sharia law for insulting their religion.

An al Qaeda umbrella group in Iraq has also vowed war on "worshippers of the cross."

Workers at Turkey's Directorate General for Religious Affairs, or Diyanet, petitioned for the arrest of the Pontiff when he makes a scheduled visit to Turkey in November.

In Iraq, where an effigy of the Pope was burned on Monday

But the cleric asked for an end to attacks on churches in the area, after seven were vandalized this weekend

And the clincher...

The head of Australia's 5.1 million-strong Catholic church went as far as to say that violent reaction "justified one of Pope Benedict's main fears" about Islam.

Cardinal George Pell said this showed "the link for many Islamists between religion and violence, their refusal to respond to criticism with rational arguments, but only with demonstrations, threats and actual violence."

Local Muslims called Pell's comments "unhelpful."

It does seem rather unusual that a people who is so offended by being refered to as violent, would respond to the accusation with violence and threats of violence.

Here is a link to some pictures from around the world that show people protesting the Pope and his comment(s) by burning flags, waving signs and looking angry. Oddly, the groups of people don't look all that big and some of the signs are written in English.

I have always wondered if these things are staged. I had seen reports of faked photographs appearing on Reuters and in the AP during the violence in Lebanon, and it makes me wonder if people in the Middle East are only being portrayed in this way by the media. A bit like protests here, the people involved are the zealots and freaks, but it does not necessarily reflect the opinion of everyone in the country.

It just seems strange to me that a religious community such as Islam has become so bent on the destruction of the Western World. I guess it is nothing new, and attacking them repeatedly doesn't help the situation, but I wonder how closely this all relates to the lack of a modern Cold War. I've always wondered how bad the Cold War ever really was, and whether it was all staged to some extent. I want to say that I'll read more history so I can learn about it, but depending on the history books you read you'll get a different slant on the truth. Which, of course, leaves me wondering if anyone really knows what has ever really been going on...

What if everyone is lost? Confused by conflicting reports, altered text books and half-truths in the media. Who is to know what the reality of any past event is if we keep sheltering youths from events like The Holocaust? Hell, everything could get so twisted we'd never be certain of anything.

Climbing

2006-09-18T10:15:00.000-05:00

My climbing has been going up and down, with more downs recently than ups. No pun intended there, I've just had a tough time of it recently and I'm slowly getting to the source of all my troubles.

Primarily, my energy levels have been blighted while climbing. I'll get in one or two good routes and then I just don't seem to have the ability to muster up the jiuce to make even some of the most simple moves. I've attributed this to several things in the past it all pretty much boils down to two things:

Lack of Sleep
Poor Diet

I think the two are also somewhat interconnected, although there could be other things affecting my sleeping pattern of two hours on, two hours off.

I'm also going to research Melatonin, a chemicle that supposedly helps a person switch off their brain and fall asleep. At the moment I'm looking into eating better dinners that include steamed veggies. I have a steamer, I just never use it. I generally eat when I am hungry, which means I want to eat immediately, and often do not care to wait the legth of time required to make a meal. I'm also lazy when it comes to cooking and cleaning dishes.

I've been eating a great deal more protein in the form of Optimum Nutriotion's Whey Protein shakes in the morning and evening, with a Nestle Carnation in the mid-morning time frame of 10:30 to 11:00 AM. In all I'm taking in roughly 61g of protein every day and am hoping this helps muscle recovery & density, and will hopefully not mean I have this bad of gas forever. That's been a newer problem though...

Typical weekday breakfast:

ON's Whey Protein (24g)
Bagel w/ cream cheese or bowl of cereal

Mid-morning Snack:

Nestle Carnation Instant Breakfast

Lunch

Peanut Butter & Jelly (x2)
Yogurt
Fruit (apple or banana)

Dinner
Varies between:

ON's Whey Protein
Ramen (x2 packets)
Stouffer's frozen dinner
Something else I can't remember

Dinner is not my strong suit and lunch is probably lacking a bit as well, but I've been in worse situations. Still, my diets needs some improvement if I can figure out a reasonable solution.

My last two trips to Summit have actually been good climbing days. I've been working on easier routes (5.7, 5.8) and concentrating on my footwork both climbing and down climbing. If I can get that sorted out I think I'll be much more capable of thinking through moves from the ground, visualizing myself on the wall (from the ground) and keeping my footwork clean so that I don't continue to destroy shoes as quickly as I have been by dragging my toe on the wall.

I am also going to start bouldering more, though I've said that before, because I want to get stronger at reading routes and using technique more ably. Rocking onto high feet, pulling through slippery holds, building core strength and dealing with difficult moves that require a bit of faith and concentration.

School killings: I don't understand it.

2006-09-15T17:42:00.000-05:00

I'm having trouble understanding the latest reports of a school shooting spree in Montreal and a thwarted plan in Michigan.

I wasn't the happiest kid at school when I was growing up, still don't know why, but I don't think anything like this ever crossed my mind. It just seems so extreme, so final and I'm having trouble figuring out why such a thing occurs.

People blame video games, music and such things but I don't think it is justified to do such a thing. The reason I say this is because music, be it metal, rap, goth or what have you, does not drive people to take action. It may support someone's mood or allow them to relate, in some way, to a set of lyrics... but I cannot believe that listening to any type of music would drive someone to action.

Video games fall into the same level. They are interactive and create an outlet for certain feelings but with all the millions of people who play first person shooters and games like the Grand Theft Auto series, it is silly to blame the game, or it's creators, for the actions a person takes in real life.

I'm not sure what to think of the people who blame music and games either. On one hand I think they are desperate to find something or someone to blame for the deaths, but it seems short-sighted to try and affix blame to inanimate objects. I mean, maybe these kids were just screwed up. Has anyone considered that? I mean, it takes a pretty damn screwed up person to decide that it is a good idea to buy a bunch of weapons (be it guns, knives) or build bombs at home and then intentionally deploy them in an assault against defenseless civilians.

I could not possibly begin to wonder what the solution to this sort of issue is, but blaming music or video games is sure to come up soon. I hope people are smart enough not to medicate the problem by blaming these things, and instead look past for more sensible and plausible solutions.

134340

2006-09-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

News Release
With the reclassification of Pluto to the status of Dwarf Planet, protests are being waged by communities of Little People.

"This is an outrage, once again we are being minimized by society because of our size", stated Bilbo Wadsworth.
Wadsworth is the spokesman for Raising Awareness of Little Fellows, or RALF, an organization known globally -among some- for it's work in the uphill fight for respect in modern society.

"Calling Pluto and the other heavenly bodies Dwarf Planets without recognizing them as actual, full fledged planets is a slap in the face for dwarves, midgets and other height challenged races across the globe. It suggests that we are not to be recognized as real people, either."

Rioting has broken out in several cities but damages have been relatively limited as most businesses do not have windows low enough to be reached by protesters. Despite using baseball bats and wrenches as implements of destruction, their efforts were stymied by low sidewalks, tall curbs and limited access above the three foot high walls that characterize most modern architecture.

Confused passers-by also found their efforts confusing, "I never thought school children would be so empassioned about this Pluto thing."

Another couple had this to say after passing a large group of dwarves and midgets on their way home from the park, "At first we thought they were out on recess and headed for the park", stated Agnes Ramirez, "but we soon realized that they were somewhat angered and some were even armed."

Her boyfriend, Chuck Waverly, continued, "we were scared at first but then it just became cute. You know, seeing them swing baseball bats and trying to break car windows they couldn't reach. It was pretty funny. But... I guess laughing at them only made it worse."

At first encourage by a growing throng of spectators, the demonstrators from RALF began building steam and movement toward the Museum of Modern Science. Several blocks from their destination, however, confusion grew as truancy officers arrove first and threatened to "round them all up if they didn't return to their grade school classrooms".

Through lawyers, Wadsworth explained the situation this way, "We were outraged. How could we, the little people of the city, be confused for simple minded school children? This just goes to prove the terrible prejudice and ignorance shared by modern society toward our people. Something had to be done."

When fights broke out between protestors and spectators the police were called in to break up the scene and make arrests. Arriving in full riot gear, police were at first thwarted and quickly overrun by the mass of rioting RALF members.

"It was eerie", begins Officer Roger Thomlinson, "it looked like a crowd of children at first, but when we saw they were armed with bats and pipes we knew things could get ugly."

Captain James Monroe continued, "I was confident my men could bring the situation to a peaceful resolution. When they threw some stones we didn't worry, afterall we were in full riot gear, but as soon as they got close and began to charge, I knew we were in trouble."

With signs reading Little Body, Big Heart and I'm a person and Pluto is a Planet adding confusion to the size and strength of the RALF members, police units were completely unprepared for what happened next.

"You've seen Return of the Jedi haven't you? I felt lie I was fighting ewoks. They just slipped right under our shields and started hitting us, you know, where it counts. God it was awful. For a bunch of little s[censor]ts, they sure are strong."

While the ensuing conflict brought several officers to their knees, eye level with RALF members, the situation was largely peaceful. Most of the RALF members slipped directly under riot shields and ran through officers legs, creating a situation vrife with confusion never-before-seen in the city.

Moments later, having broken through the police blockade, RALF members stormed the museum and took up controlling positions within and outside the building. The demonstration continued peacefully for several hours with patrons allowed to enter and exit the building freely. While many people still enquired about the whereabouts of RALF member's parents, most onlookers were becoming keenly aware of the situation due to television news and some radio media outlets.

The protest eventually broke and many RALF members escaped arrest with the departure of Rosemont Elementary's entire fourth and fifth grade classes from the museum.

"It sure seemed like the bus lines were more crowded, but who's going to take attendance in a situation like that?" stated Mrs. Feldman after the debacle. She continued, "Some of them stood out like sore thumbs, what with the facial hair and all, but most just blended right in until later when we got back to the school."

The District Attorney is still weighing options regarding charges against Wadsworth and the short list of apprehended RALF members.

Interesting Client

2006-09-12T11:39:00.000-05:00

A week or so ago I received a phone call and an email from a gentleman looking to place a full page advertisement in the publication. Getting a call for a full page advertisement is strange enough, mostly given the $250,000 price tag involved. On top of this, ads of this nature don't just get called in to our office and the people who do call looking for such a thing are typically a little off.

Here's a link to the first email. It is lengthy, I admit, but entertaining. I am especially fond of his grammer and prolific, if not sporadic, use of periods.
The first email

I responded to this email with some questions, mostly because this type of advertiser generally ends up reducing in size to a much, much, much smaller ad size. But, given all the things he was proposing, we needed some clarification if it was even worth pursuing. Then I did a little research and found this.

He responded yesterday with the following email, in an attempt to explain not only his current situation, but another idea of his, should he ever be elected to Senate. The second email

I went ahead and let him know that his advertisement was not going to be accepted by our publication, primarily because getting a loan from the SBA (Small Business Association) for advertising was not possible, especially considering the fact that his entire business plan is built on the assumption that a company showing no revenue, no profits and not even in existence would sell stock for over $100 a share.

I also let him know that his plan to print money and pay of city, county, state and federal debts was absurd. I informed of a little thing called inflation and urged him to do a little research on the topic so he'd understand what he was proposing a bit better.

I get the impression this guy is just sitting around on his porch conjuring up these stunning revelations, completely unaware that he is ignorant and uneducated about what he's trying to do. Poor fool. I guess we'll see how he takes it.

This is brilliant

2006-09-12T11:38:00.000-05:00

So last Wednesday I was contacted by a recruiter/head hunter with a job opportunity in sales of some unknown product. We talked on the telephone while I was driving to meet Rock Gal for her birthday and a question about my outside sales experience came up. Of course, I have none, so he said he'd call the client and get back with me if that was ok.

He called back but I was already with Rock Gal and honestly didn't feel like talking about it at the time. I forgot to call him on Thursday. Just flat out forgot. I think he might have called and left a message but it just never really crossed my mind. Friday I went to Talbot Rain's funeral and it never crossed my ind then, either. I had time to call, sure, but I didn't care to and figured I'd just be in touch with the guy Monday.

But he did call me on Friday afternoon, and left me a very nasty message. His voicemail was angered and condescending, two things I don't respond well to on the phone or in person. So I called him back. I got his voicemail.

"Mr. Caserta, this is Me. You know what? If you want to leave me angry voicemails that's fine, but the day you called me was my girlfriend's birthday and today I was at a funeral. I don't think your acting very professionally and I have no desire to have any further contact with you."

So today I fire up Outlook and I have an email from him.

Greg,
I just received your call. I am going to make this short because spending any level time or expending energy to write this email is a waste of time.

First of all, If your going to bad mouth me, DO IT to my face over the phone. Have a pair of balls and look me directly in the eye. Leaving a msg is gutless and yellow. It's like Swinging at me when I am not looking.

Secondly, WE are all busy. I have birthdays also and we all experience death in our life. I am sorry about your friend, Truly I am, but that doesn't excuse the level of unprofessionalism you have demonstrated. If you can't return a msg in three days, then you are not a viable candidate. Don't give me the bullshit that you couldn't leave me a voicemail over three days. That's a piss poor excuse for your lack of unprofessionalism. You have a cell. You could have even left me a voice mail even after hours to let me know when a good time would be for me to talk. To not return one of those calls is unacceptable and unexcuseable. I have a sense of urgency to assist candidates who want to make career changes and clients who want to fill positions. You don't pay my fee. My client company does.

If this message finds you pissed off, GOOD, because I'm pissed off also. I don't EVER care to work with you. Don't call and don't even bother emailing back, You can't anyways BECAUSE YOUR email is blocked. Your completely blackballed from my office.!!! If your upset, be more upset about your pathetic lack of professionalism because it sucks wind.

Hasta La Vista

Obviously I won't be calling him back, but I'd love to figure out who the client was and let them know what kind of contact I've had with their recruiter. I've also considered contacting the Better Business Bureau in Scottsdale, AZ (this gentleman's location) and letting them know of my complaint. Was I interested in the position? I was curious about it, but obviously he was right- I wasn't that interested. Is that a reason for him to leave me shitty a voicemails?

For now I'll just leave it up to the randomness of the Blogosphere to raise my flag. I would strongly recommend against doing business with this guy.

Here's his business name, address and email:
Caserta & Associates LLC
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
(480) 443-3343
andrew@fcaserta.com

American Republic Association (2)

2006-09-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

He replied with this message. We're still trying to figure out the relevance in his reference to The Price is Right.

September 8, 2006

Mr. Sampson:

Thank you for being a Critic of American Republic Association.

Pertaining to the $5,000 consumer products I plan to advertise. Will
come from advertising in The Wall Street Journal. To Manufacturers of
Consumer Products that Retail for $5,000. I will give an example of $5,000
consumer products, some more, some less. Do you recall a Program on
CBS called The Price Is Right. But that will not happen until the Construction
of the 10 Building Complex is built in 3 years. Please do not confuse what
will take place Immediately and what will take place 3 Years from now. The
Initial Public Offering comes 1st, or the financing of the Cost to Conduct the
Initial Public Offering comes 1st.

Pertaining to disclosing my business plan. I am giving as much information
as possible for the Investors to understand what American Republic Association
will do. Like an Unofficial Prospectus.

Pertaining to why an Investor would send money to American Republic
Association. The Investors are being informed they will receive 5 times their
Investment after 8 Months. After American Republic Association's Initial Public
Offering has obtained $8 Billion.

Pertaining to the Rolls Royce and living expenses in Washington, D.C.
Is minute, to the less than 1/25th of the $25,375,500. Which is the Cost of
American Republic Association's Initial Public Offering.

Pertaining to the Falcon Jet 900 Aircrafts and Learjet 36 Aircrafts.
American Republic Association will advertise 15 $5,000 consumer products
per week. The 15 Learjet 36 Aircrafts will go to the City of the Manufacturers
of the $5,000 consumer product. To investigate the Manufacturers and an
agreement with American Republic Association. To advertise their $5,000
consumer product. And allow American Republic Association to obtain
100,000 prepaid customer orders per Manufacturer. The 31 Falcon Jet 900
Aircrafts-15 Cargo Aircrafts will transport 100,000 prepaid customer order
Forms to the Manufacturers. 15 Executive Interior Aircrafts will deliver a
Check for $350 Million per Manufacturer. This requires 15 Cargo Aircrafts
and 15 Executive Interior Aircrafts per week.

Pertaining to justifying the Cost of a $5,000 consumer product. The
Manufacturers of the Consumer Products set the price. Same on CBS's
The Price Is Right. The employees on the Learjet 36 Aircrafts will determine
if the consumer product justify's the $5,000 price. Plus other factors.

Pertaining to the Contracts, it is convenient and expendient. I am
advertising an Investment. The Investors of the $25,375,500 will Receive
$126,877,500 for their Investment. After American Republic Association
finish its $8 Billion Initial Public Offering in less than 9 Months.

Pertaining to American Republic Association asking for $5,000 from
the Investors. American Republic Association will not ask for $5,000 from
Investors. But after the 10 Building Complex is built in 3 Years. Only after
the start of Operations. I reiterate, I plan to advertise in The Wall Street
Journal to Manufacturers of Consumer Products that Retail for $5,000.
After 3 Years, not now.

I close with the fact I did not Mention that each Manufacturer of the
630 will receive $350 Million Each per year.

I did not Mention the aspect that after 4 Years and 6 Months, American
Republic Association will start to Finance and Build a Prison State.

I did not Mention the aspect that All 121,000 Employees will have their
Federal, State, County, and City Taxes paid by American Republic Association.
Part Time Employees-the 75,000 Employees will be paid $1,000 a week for
entry level employees. The entry level for full time employees will be paid $5,000
per week.

I did not Mention that if I was a Member of Congress. I would put forth
this Legislation.
The New Financing Of Governments Act

The National Government Print The National Currency
To Finance The National Government Budget.

The National Government Print The National Currency
To Finance All State Governments Budgets.

The National Government Print The National Currency
To Finance All County Governments Budgets.

And The National Government Print The National Currency
To Finance All City Governments Budgets.

The Result, No Taxes. Each Nation can do the Same.

I hope this Reply is sufficient. But if you have more questions about this
Reply, please contact me again. At His Email

Thank you,

Alfred Lawrence Patterson
American Republic Association

American Republic Association (1)

2006-09-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

This was his proposed "advertisement".

September 5, 2006

AMERICAN REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION
ALFRED LAWRENCE PATTERSON
His address
His Email
His phone number

My Employer
Display & Classied Advertisement
Me
My Address
Dear Mr. Me:

My name is Alfred Lawrence Patterson. Sole Proprietor of American
Republic Association. I request approval for the Full Page Display
Advertisement below. I also request the Cost for a Full Page Display.
The advertisement will be an Investment Offer Advertisement. Seeking
$25,375,500. For the Cost to Conduct an $8 Billion-80 Million Preferred
Stock Share In-House Initial Public Offering. At $100 per Preferred Stock
Share. The Investors will have a Return of 5 times their Investment. Or
$126,877,500. After 8 Months. The time required to Conduct the
American Republic Association $8 Billion Initial Public Offering. I plan to
obtain the Cost of The Wall Street Journal Full Page Display Advertisement
from the United States Small Business Administration's assistance.
______________________________________________________________
Investment Offer Advertisement Investment Offer Advertisement

AMERICAN REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION'S
INVESTMENT OFFER

This is an Investment Offer. From a new company called American
Republic Association. Which is seeking Investors. To the amount of
$25,375,500. For the Cost to Conduct an $8 Billion-80 Million Preferred
Stock Share In-House Initial Public Offering. At $100 per Preferred Stock
Share. American Republic Association will sell all 80 Million Preferred
Stock Shares itself. No Brokers. The Investors of the $25,375,500 will
receive a Return of $126,877,500. Or 5 times their Investment. After 8
Months. Which is the amount of time required. To Conduct the American
Republic Association's Initial Public Offering.

American Republic Association requires $8 Billion. For the 1st 10
weeks of Operations. $2 Billion of the $8 Billion will be used for the
3 Year Construction of a 10 Building Complex. For 121,00 Employees.
$2.9 Billion of the $8 Billion will be for 121,000 Employees Salaries for
the 1st 10 weeks of Operations. $1.085 Billion of the $8 Billion will be
for 31 Falcon Jet 900 Aircrafts-15 Cargo Aircrafts and 16 Executive
Interior Aircrafts-at $35 Million per Falcon Jet 900 Aircraft. $1.125
Billion of the $8 Billion for 45 Million Product Photo Literature Booklets
for the 1st 10 weeks of Operations. At $25 per Booklet. $126,877,500
for the 1st Investors of $25,375,500 for the Cost of this Initial Public
Offering. $150 Million for 15 Learjet 36 Aircrafts. $90 Million for
Advertising during the evening ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News
for the 1st 10 weeks of Operations.

American Republic Association will have a Division called an
Advanced Advertising Agency. The Clients will be Manufacturers of
Consumer Products that Retail for $5,000. American Republic
Association will pay All Advertising Cost for its Clients. American
Republic Association will Deduct $1,500 per $5,000 prepaid customer
order obtained. American Republic Association will obtain 100,000
prepaid customer orders per Manufacturer. 630 $5,000 consumer
products will be advertised per year.

American Republic Association will require 3 sets of 25,000
Employees(Not including Management)Each Employee will receive
12 Toll Free Telephone Calls per Day. During American Republic
Association's Advertising during the ABC News, CBS News, and
NBC News in the evening. The 75,000 Employees will obtain the name
and address only of the potential customers. Each 25,000 Employees
receiving 12 Toll Free Telephone Calls. Adds up to 300,000 potential
customers per $5,000 consumer product. Multiplied by 3 equal
900,000 potential customers per Day. American Republic Association
will send 300,000 Product Photo Literature Booklets per $5,000
consumer product. The Product Photo Literature Booklets will have
information on the $5,000 consumer product, order form, and
envelopes. This will take place each Day. Monday through Friday.
Even though 300,000 potential customers per $5,000 consumer
product. Only 100,000 prepaid customer orders will be accepted per
$5,000 consumer product. All prepaid customer orders above 100,000
will be returned their $5,000.

Multiply 100,000 prepaid customer orders by the fee of $1,500 per
$5,000 consumer product equal $150 Million. Multiply the $150 Million
by 3 $5,000 consumer products equal $450 Million per Day. As stated
before, 630 $5,000 consumer products will be advertised per year. 630
$5,000 consumer products multiplied by $150 Million equal $94.5 Billion
to American Republic Association per year. This is the total gross
income. 100,000 prepaid customer orders multiplied by $5,000 equal
$500 Million. 630 $5,000 consumer products multiplied by $500 Million
equal $315 Billion per year.

American Republic Association will Declare 5 Dividends within the
1st 6 Quarters of Operations. Each Dividend will be $8 Billion. Or each
Dividend will equal what was invested. That means $40 Billion. To the
80 Million Preferred Stock Share Shareholders. The Full Term of this
Investment from start to finish is 4 Years and 6 Months. Then this
Investment Ends. 3 Years for the Construction of the 10 Building
Complex, and the 1st 6 Quarters of Operations, 1 Year and 6 Months.

Here is the allocation of the $25,375,500.
$15.4 Million for 2,500 Accountants for 10 business days. $2 Million
for 500 Secretaries for 10 business days. $2 Million for the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission-For the Registration
Statement Fee-$250 per $1 Million obtaining-Obtaining $8 Billion.
$2 Million Preferred Stock Share Certificates. $1.2 Million for
Advertising on the evening ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News
to go to Website. $1Million for 3 Million Sheets of Heavy Bonded
Paper and Envelopes-Letterhead and Envelopes. $780,000 for
Postage for 2 Million Letters to Investors. $380,000 for a Rolls Royce
Automobile. $250,000 for Hotel Expense at $1,000 per Day for 250
Days in Washington, D.C. $160,000 for $5,000 a week Salary for
8 Months. To the Sole Proprietor of American Republic Association,
Alfred Lawrence Patterson. $100,000 for an Office in Washington, D.C.
and 2 Websites-1 Website about American Republic Association and
the Initial Public Offering-2nd Website will have a Contract with the
Preferred Stock Shareholders. $38,000 for Auto Insurance. $30,000
for Hotel Expense in New York City, New York near Accounting Firm.
$25,000 for Typist on the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission's EDGAR Computer for the Registration Statement. And
$12,500 for Meals for 250 Days at $50 per Day for Alfred Lawrence
Patterson. At Incorporation, Alfred Lawrence Patterson will Retain
All Common Stock Shares.

As stated before, the Investors of the $25,375,500 will Receive
5 times their Investment. Or $126,877,500 after 8 Months. The amount
of time required to Conduct American Republic Association's $8 Billion-
80 Million Preferred Stock Share In-House Initial Public Offering-At $100
per Preferred Stock Share. Below are 2 Copies of American Republic
Association's Investment Contract. Fill in the Required Information. Send
the 2 Investment Contracts and Investment Check to American Republic
Association. And Thank You for Investing in American Republic Association.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-81/2"by 11" Contracts

AMERICAN REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION
INVESTMENT CONTRACT

American Republic Association agrees to accept Investor
_____________________________'s $___________________. American
Republic Association agrees to pay Investor________________________
5 times their Investment of $__________________. Which will equal
$___________________. After 8 Months. The required time for American
Republic Association to Conduct its $8 Billion-80 Million Preferred Stock
Share In-House Initial Public Offering-At $100 per Preferred Stock Share.
American Republic Association will Conduct its Initial Public Offering from
Washington, D.C. American Republic Association will continue to
receive Investors' Investment Checks. Until $25,375,500 is obtained. The
total amount Investors will equal $126,877,500. Or 5 times the Investors'
Investment Checks. American Republic Association requires All Investors'
Investment Checks to be a Bank's Cashier Check, or Certified Check, or
Money Order. After 8 Months, All Investors will Receive 5 times their
Investment. After American Republic Association has obtained $8 Billion.
In 8 Months or sooner. The Investors will send their Investment Check and
Investment Contracts to American Republic Association, Alfred Lawrence
Patterson, 6131 Oakman Boulevard, Dearborn, Michigan 48126-2327.
American Republic Association Thanks You for your Investment.

Print Investor's Name American Republic Association's
___________________________ Accounting Firm
Print Investor's Address _______________________________
___________________________ Accountant's Name-Print
Print Investor's City, State, & Zip _______________________________
___________________________ Accountant's Signature
Investor's Signature _______________________________
___________________________ Accounting Firm's Address
Date _______________________________
___________________________ _______________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Dear Mr. Me:

As stated in the start, I will go to the United States Small Business
Administration for their assistance. To obtain the Cost of The Wall Street
Journal Full Page Display Advertisement. I respectfully request that The
Wall Street Journal approve delay payment. From publishing date to no
later than 10 business days after publishing date. American Republic
Association will Pay in Full for the Full Page Display Advertisement.
American Republic Association is at an advantage. Because the Investors
will be sending their Investment Checks immediately. Along with their
copies of American Republic Association's Investment Contracts. The
Wall Street Journal, I hope I am approved for delayed payment. Instead
of the time required to have the assistance of the United States Small
Business Administration. To obtain the Cost of The Wall Street Journal
Full Page Display Advertisement. I am a 51 year old African American.
So approval of delay payment will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Alfred Lawrence Patterson
American Republic Association

P.S. Request Publishing Nationally

Who Needs Kneaded Knees?

2006-09-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the latest round of the TMGP (Texas Mini Gran Prix) racing season at Denton's North Texas Kartway (NTK). Broom and I had a four hour race to contend with on the XR100 powered YSR, complete with a freshly rebuilt motor and all the knee destroying goodness of being a mini.

The weather held and things went quite well, the bike was super-fast, and at the end of it all I came away with the usual grins and horribly painful knee aches that goa long with being crammed onto the YSR for 40 minutes at a time. Broom was quite fast this weekend, giving Denny a run for his money for about 10 laps before fatigue set in... I was quite slow all weekend and managed to stay out of most people's paths of travel in almost all the corners. I'm still having trouble getting my confidence back on the brakes and simply feeling the damn thing in the corners. I tend to scare quite easily these days and haven't been as... uhm... willing to take the risks as I used to be.

I sort of forgot that I was going to write a piece about the series and so forgot to get anyone's name that is associated with the TMGP. The piece was/is going to be submitted to a website that talks about Mini racing and would be great for drawing in some new riders for 2007. With Broom's help I think I can get it together, but I completely forgot to do any fact gathering on Saturday.

Sunday was painful. I think I would have been moving easier on crutches, especially on the stairs. The inside muscles around my knees, or bottom section of my quad, felt like it didn't want to do anything. Bend? No. Straighten? No. Support weight? No. They just wanted to be removed, placed on the side of the road and left for dead.

Finally.

2006-08-24T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am excited to say that I have very nearly finished writing and posting the story about my trip to Europe on my other blog website. In the four months since my trip I had every intention of writing a piece concerning the trip and all that happened. Unfortunately, I think the whole experience was a little overwhelming and I had trouble getting anything started. I didn't want to just talk about myself, didn't want to bore the reader with mundane details and was leary of conjuring up some story that had little to do with the myriad of experiences I had in Europe.

Four months worth of stopped up creativity finally broke the damn a few nights ago I wrote a piece that I actually liked. It flowed well and was written, as usual, as a stream of consciousness. From that initial start I was able to leap frog and create more, covering the topics I wanted to cover in enough detail to keep things interesting without getting bogged down in the minute boredom I had feared. When things seemed sufficiently described I jumped timelines and shifted my focus to events well before or after what I had just written.

Tying these two timelines together never occurred much to me but I knew it was critical to keep from confusing the reader. Honestly, I'm not sure if I've pulled that off or not. Being as close as I am to the experience it is easy for me to think that I'm being clear about a series of events, when in fact no one has any idea what is happening.

At any rate, take a look over the next few days and I'll see about adding photos to the text enable to make things even more interesting. By all means give me some feedback, and most of all... enjoy.

Seismic

2006-08-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

“Oh my gosh, he looks like Bruce Springsteen.”

Sure enough, our loud-mouthed, ego-driven entertainment had donned a white button down shirt to compliment his red bandana just before tying in for his next climb. Ever moved was joined by a chorus of instructions for his belayer, standing some distance below and answering only with what must have been extremely curtailed enthusiasm.

We weren’t very interested in watching Bruce climb, but his attire was certainly worth a brief glimpse when you needed a good laugh. This and we didn’t feel like watching him deck, due either to his own gross overabundance of confidence or the supreme negligence of his belayer.

Standing at the bottom of Seismic Wall for the first time I look up at a series of routes on the far right face. I am terrible at reading real rock, but I can tell that all of the routes look like they’ll be a lot of fun. Slabby with big jugs, a few ledges and plenty of options for footwork will make these an excellent means of getting back into the swing of outdoor climbing. The last few months of indoor training have been paying off and despite what the purist might say, the benefits of gym climbing are numerous when you live in a city that affords a climber with no natural cliffs.

Rock Gal leads the first few routes and sets up top rope anchors so that I can ascend and clean the routes. My confidence soars and before long I’m contemplating my first outdoor lead. Then Bruce arrives, complete with requests for pictures and a phone call to “Mark and tell him to bring his video camera!”

We break for lunch.

Upon returning from Thundercloud for a tasty, air conditioned lunch we approach the wall with a desire to enjoy the afternoon and explore some new climbs. It doesn’t take long for me to warm back up and attempt a new climb on lead. We clip the first bolt from the ground and I carefully make my ascent. I have planned a few moves but by and large this is going to be nothing more than a learning experience about what can work. The ascent goes well, if a little slick, until I make my way off the first ledge. I know what I want to grab, but I’m having a lot of trouble getting there. Standing on a pair of slippery nubbins I reach for, and actually grab, my intended target. Upon so doing I realize that I had not planned much to happen after this and found myself slipping off, tumbling downward as my feet hit but rope slack sends we reeling backward. My belayer, Rock Gal had done nothing wrong in anticipating my sticking the move and paying out slack, I simply slipped and the angle at which I fell was awkward enough to make things look quite silly. It was my first lead fall, but to me it was more of a lead stumble twirl and fall on your ass.

After getting up, laughing and thinking about what had happened, I set to work at making myself stick. My second try rang true and the little horn I’d been reaching for was suddenly much easier to reach. Not only that, but the desperate grasp for the adjoining sloper shelf probably looked quite intentional from the ground.
My first complete lead came on Sunday, my final climb before leaving Seismic in peace for the weekend. Over Easy was a 5.9 that started slabby and finished with a little roof and some hard to reach anchors. The movement felt natural and I was able to confidently ascend the rock face without any hiccups. The roof section provides a good bit of fun as it becomes necessary to try a little drop knee or cross over for a nicely shaped horn above and to the left of a rather large gob of limestone.

Plate

2006-08-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

I also got pulled over on Sunday for not having a front license plate. Front license plates are ugly, but I put it on anyway. He let me go with a warning. It was kind of a silly reason to get pulled over when I see people backing up on the highway because they missed their exit, speeding through school zones and using the emergency lane as a lane of traffic.

I don't understand why people can't look far enough ahead to see the sign reading EXIT ONLY in reference to their current lane of travel... all three of the GIANT overhead signed telling them that their lane is a forced exit. And all of the sudden they think, "Oh, where is this taking me?" and then either cut into traffic or simply drive up the break down lane kicking up dust, freaking people out and nearly causing accidents.

But you can only pull over what you see, I suppose, and my lack of a front plate was enough to do it. Oh well.

I still need to build that custom front grill for the car...

I've been busy

2006-08-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

Or atleast that's the excuse I am going to use for now. I haven't been writing much lately and I'm chalking it up to a healthy amount of other activities. Now, if I could just remember what those were...

I've been contacted by a gentleman with a website. He is wondering if I would like to do some freelance gear reviews for the site. Sounds cool, sounds like fun. We'll see where that goes.

Today I contacted TXWerks, a group of guys that build mods for the Mini Cooper. They have scales for corner balancing. I wrote them an email proposing that if they allow me to corner weight my car, I'll write press pieces or a brochure for them.

Rock Gal and I are climbing in Austin this weekend on the Greenbelt. I'm stoked. We haven't touched real rock since Enchanted Rock many moons ago. The heat will suck, the climbing will be an adventure.

My shoulder is tweaked. Last night on a lime green taped route, with a nice overhang, I got myself in a pinch. I think I was mantling when I did it. It hurt last night so I iced it, this morning it wasn't bad. I'm going to swim on it after work and see how it feels. Press on regardless, I'm not missing Austin this weekend.

Not much else going on... I've been much more positive while climbing and have been able to keep my evenings in perspective. Last night started crappy. I couldn't hold on to anything, couldn't make moves happen for shit on the first climb. Then, something happened. I decided that I wanted to use it as a challenge and continue to learn. Push through a tough spot and still learn something about climbing, myself and how to make moves happen. It worked.

I got a drink of water and decided to just screw it. I wanted to climb, I was mentally going strong but I was feeling like ass. I drank some Accelerade. Rock Gal climbed and then I was up again. I flashed my next route and came don feeling good. We swapped back and forth and before you know it I'm on a harder route pulling some nice moves, thinking about my footwork and really making it happen.

I'm ready for this weekend and willing to try any route we find. Grades no longer concern me. Reaching the top no longer concerns me. Learning, getting stronger and progressing are the only things that matter now.

Busted

2006-08-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

This happened last night on my way home from work. The impact was so violent it made me duck in the car... I never left the lane but it scared me pretty good. There was a lawn mowing tractor thing in the median so I'm guessing it must have kicked up a rock. I was in the far right lane, but still... I don't know what else to say about it.

Tuning

2006-07-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

Popcorn
Saturday night my suspension sounded like popcorn. No worries, this sort of thing is to be expected. As the suspension settled I figured I would have these noises and simply needed to go back in and tighten everything. I also realized, Saturday afternoon, that I had not installed the tuning adjusters on the rear coilovers. Due to the location of the top of the strut tower, the top of the KSport is buried behind a portion of the unibody. You can reach it with your hand, you just can't get the angle to install the rod or see the knob. This will need a creative remedy.

Engine Mount
Sunday morning I rolled out of bed after a long night of cruising on popcorn and slipped out the back gate. B picked me up in the Mini and we headed for Plano to have a new engine mount/shock absorber installed. Apparently, the Mini's are real bad about breaking engine mounts because the engine is allowed to sling 3-3.5 inches to and fro under hard acceleration. The damper, mounting brackets and installation was devised by some Mini owners and they were holding an installation party to sell and install the new part they had designed and beautifully produced.

Prest-O, Change-O
Sunday afternoon I dropped the rear coils, slipped in the tuning rods and re-installed them both in about an hour. The passenger side got hung up on the Nismo rsb mounting plate and this took some extra time to work around, but it wasn't a big deal. The fornt end was popping but I thought it might just need to settle, so I ignored it until later.

Another Late Night
Sunday night I stayed up to work on the front end and solve the popping problem. It was 10:30p before I'd gotten home and changed after meeting up with Rock Gal after her shift, but the work needed to be done. Once I had the SE-R up on stands I noticed that the lock rings were loose on both sides. It is damn hard to get these things tight and the guys had done so withothem off the car, so I can understand the popping noises. No fault of theirs of course, we were all leanring about this stuff as we went and who is to know that they needed to be that super-tight!

Using a dial caliper and some patience I adjusted the coils so that they were snug on the top mount but only barely pre-loaded. Just snug. The change was 0.3" (3/10") and I adjusted the ride height accordingly. This took about an hour and a quick drive around the parking lot told me that I had solved the problem. No more popcorn! Unfortunatley, I had not measured the ride height very well and the front was now taller than the back. So back up on stands it goes for an adjustment to ride height. Another hour and numerous checking and rechecking with the caliper later I had the fronts properly adjusted and even with the rear.

Pressure
Tuesday morning I stopped at Chevron and the only working air station I know if in D/FW. I was thinking that increasing the tire pressures to 34 psi (factory says 32) would help the tires help the suspension. I don't know why I felt this way, but I did. Luckily, I think I was right. The car seemed to turn a little better and didn't squeal as quickly as it had been. In fact, I could probably go a little higher, maybe to 36 psi.

Ping-Pang!
Tuesday night on the way home from work I noticed some more pings as I approached the garage. Damn it. I got to work on it at 8:30p after spending some time with Rock Gal playing a game of catch the careening-sopping-wet-ball in the pool. It is always good to relax, get hit in the face with a wet ball and do crazy stuff like jump off the side of the pool like a maniac trying to catch a foam football.

But I digress. The car needed some attention. Apparently, I had not gotten the lock rings entirely tight enough and I had a little ping from the front. Combine that with my lack of any real preload and the car was making noises when the wheel was turned side to side. This time it only took about an hour and I had the rings as tight as I could manage. I had also messed up the ride height. Somehow, I have the right corner an 1/8" more preload or height than the left. Damn it.

I didn't bother changing anything because, as tired as I was, my measurements were likely somewhat off. It took enough tries to get those measures in the first place so I wasn't too keen on depending on them. Still, I need to get the car settled and even, then make changes from there.

ping.
This morning there was still a little noise (very little) from the right front, and the only thing I can think of is that I had kind of messed up the right side when I was doing it Tuesday night. Somehow, after adjusting the preload, I had unadjusted it instead of doing the ride height. I think. I'm a little unclear about exactly what happened but the lowest lock ring had not been backed out of the bottom of the coil when I thought I was lowering the car. Shit. So I went back and readjusted everything to what I thought was correct, which is likely the cause of my uneven stance. I need to measure the preload (first thread to bottom of perch) on both sides and even them out left to right, then readjust the ride height to make certain they are even. Another night in the garage, but not tonight.

Alignment
I also need to get the car peoperly aligned. It is close, real close... but you never know and I'd rather be certain that everything is properly set so I can more effectively tune it.

Suspension

2006-07-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

Friday Night
It took two trips but I managed to tote all of my tools, four jack stands and SUV sized floor jack to B's place. The jack itself was purchased at Pep Boys Thursday evening and probably weighs about as much as a dead minister. The thing is huge, red has dual lifting pistons and picks the car up with the same effortless shrug that Hulk Hogan has when he picks up a toddler. Add to that two tool boxes, a torch, various bits and pieces and all the parts that were to be installed.

Saturday Morning
Cooper S
I woke up around 8 o'clock jonesing to get to work on the car. With all of the parts and tools already at B's place I need only run to Home Depot for one final item I might need to finish the job. It was, of course, a giant freaking C-clamp.

We started with the morning with a break job on the Mini. B's Cooper S was getting a new set of cross-drilled Brembo rotors and some pads, none of which seemed too daunting. We ran into a few snags, primarily with the rear calipers not wanting to slide off because of a massive lip on the rear rotor. This, of course, is due to the lack of brain power on the dealer's behalf when they did B's brakes a year ago.

When you replace pads you have to turn the rotors down and remove the excess material. It brings out a new, clean, smooth surface and eliminates that annoying lip on the rotor. The dealer didn't want to do that though, so B & R had to remove the rear calipers with a rubber mallet. After that, it was easy.

The only thing we noticed on the Mini was excessive wear on the inside edge of the rear tires. The whole edge, mayve 3/4" was worn bald and into the cord on the driver's side tire. I have no explanation but it looks like he's running some hardcore rear camber. I am also told that it could be due to low tire pressures. B took the car for some new rubber while R, E and myself continued.

Spec V
With the Mini completed it was time to roll in the SE-R. We had a full plate of activities ahead of us and would need to be diligent if we wanted to complete all of it that day. Our to do list consisted of installing:

Nismo front anti-roll bar (25mm)
Nismo rear anti-roll bar (25mm)
Nismo lower tie bar
KSport coilovers
SuperPro suspension bushings

Rear End
We started with the rear of the car and went to work removing the rear beam suspenion in an effort to remove and replace the trailing arm bushings. It didn't work. There's a central main bolt that supports the beam that would not loosen. We tugged, torqued, WD-40'd and I cussed a lot, but it wouldn't budge. I think I know why. I had put the monster jack under the beam to support it but had not lifted it much to take weight off the main bolt. I'm pretty certain now that there was so much of a load on that bolt that it wasn't going anywhere. Good design, we just weren't thinking at the time.

Front End
Back at the front we'd removed the OEM struts and had the brakes sitting on spare jackstands. I then released the pittman arms on both sides and slung the steering arms out of the way so we could loosen the front anti-sway bar. After some frustration we were able to loosen both sides of the stock anti-sway bar and removed it through the driver's side wheel well. It didn't take much effort to slide the old bar out, which was only around 19mm in thickness and had just enough bends to make it interesting. I had read horror stories about loosening or removing engine mounts enable to set the thing free, but I could not imagine this being truly necessary. The Nismo bar, 25mm thick, went in just as easily and we set about reconnecting it within minutes.

The purpose of a thicker front anti-sway (or anti-roll) bar is to control and limit the motion of the unibody durung the side loading stresses of cornering. By keeping the chassis more stable you can effectively utilize the suspension and it makes the vehicle far more predictable under load.

The front lower tie bar was next, a 30mm thick piece that rigidly connects the front a-arms at the forward most mounting point. The bar is designed to stop the a-arms from being pulled, or spread, inward during cornering or backward under braking. Ideally we'll also install new bushings in the front end to add castor and reduce flexation even more, but at this point I had no access to a press and didn't want to risk getting them off the car and then being stuck half way through a critical job.

Back to the Back
B and I started installing the Nismo rear anti-roll bar while R&E set to work installing the KSport coilovers. It didn't take too much longer and everything was in place, though we did have some issues refitting the rear brakes.

With the car finally finished we took it off the jackstands and...

Oak Hill

2006-07-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

So we were racing at Oak Hill last weekend and here are a few pictures. They are not terribly exciting but we had a lot of fun until the motor packed up and left. Apparently we were running too lean and the bottom end went to pieces.

Oh well.

Next race, if we make it, is July 22nd in Denton, a four hour endurance.

A good start to the week

2006-07-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

SE-R
I got a call from Bankston Nissan this morning, the SE-R is ready. I'll drop off the rental, walk three blocks and get my baby back. With any luck I'll start getting fun, go fast parts real soon as well.

Swing Shift
Rock Gal is on a swing shift now and will be off tomorrow. With any luck we'll be able to see the Germany v Italy game at a fun bar tomorrow!

Pop
Went the motor on Saturday. It sucks that we stuck the piston in the YXR but we were having a great time up until then... Sitting third in class and plowing through our day without problems until overheating became an issue. Looks like the piston just got too hot and things went south from there. No worries, we'll chunk a new cylinder and piston on it and race Denton on July 22.

MTB
Looks like I might have a buyer for the Giant. I just haven't been inclined to get back on it since last year's leg snapper and figure that might be for a reason. I'll stick to road for now and what I enjoy. If I spread myself too thin on hobbies it'll only get worse. I'd rather be good at a couple of things than ok to crappy at 10 of them...

Giving it up? (Part 2.)

2006-07-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

I have had some interesting comments on my original post about this and I guess I should agree, disagree and so forth because its interesting.

Broom makes a good point about how having a kid can totally change a person. I agree that when/if a person has kids their responsibilities will -and rightfully should- shift dramatically. If I wanted to have kids, and I really don't, I would think that my focus would shift toward taking care of the kiddo and having time and money set aside for such a purpose. This isn't to say that a person should not continue with some hobbies, though. I think Broom does it right by having his kid at the track, spending time with his parents at the races to make it a real family affair and they have fun regardless of what happens. Granted, this past weekend could have gone better than others, but as far as I can tell he's doing things as well as he can. You have to take care of yourself and do the tinhgs you enjoy, involve the kid(s) but be certain you don't try to do too much. I am, of course, speaking from zero experience.

With absolute confidence I can say that none of this worries me, not do I think that Rock Gal is going to be changing me or herself any time soon. I guess my point in that post -that I never made- was that she is not a needy, self-confidence lacking worry-wart that is going to demand more of my time. I have seen women that simply cannot deal with not being number 1... fortunately for me, she is not that type of person.

Weekend Rant

2006-06-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

Job
The Commercial Insurance gig isn't my cup of tea. I'm just not that stoked about the hunter/gatherer thing and I'm not driven by money... I just want to find a job that isn't going to give me stress, set me up to fail or make me feel like I'm beating my head on the wall.

I have an interview next week with a major corporation, but they're on the verge of bankruptcy. We'll see how that goes...

Racing
We're racing the YXR at Oak Hill tomorrow, should be pretty interesting. I'm guessing that we'll be racing in a fairly large grid complete with everything from NSR50s to RS80s and a 230 stuffed into a GP chassis.

I love the track, even if it is the last place I took a massive shunt. Grippy, fast, bumpy, deceptive... Oak Hill pretty much offers it all. To me it felt like a brief lap of the Isle of Man or another open road circuit because the track is just sort of out there in the grass and trees.

Parts
I have a set of SuperPro's on the way now. I'm not really sure when all this stuff will arrive but with any luck it will be sooner than later. I'd like to start installing some things in the back end and have less to do with the front when we put in the coilovers, but we'll see how all the timing plays out.

Work
I'm bored.

Giving it up?

2006-06-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

I just walked out of the breakroom and a rather disturbing discussion. Three guys were discussing about how, when they got married, they had to give up all their toys and possessions because their wife doesn't approve of what they have/do/enjoy. I piped up, of course, that its stupid to think that someone would have to stop doing something they enjoy simply because of their wife.

I made that point that Rock Gal has more goodies than me and she thinks everything I am involved with is pretty cool. Hell, she encourages me to get back into racing, spend time cycling and do all the crazy man-type shit I enjoy doing. Of course, they all jumped in with "Oh, just you wait!" and "you'll see how it is someday..."

I'm not thinking about getting married any time soon, but this kind of conversation always bothers me. Honestly, if the person you are with is bent on changing you, or isn't happy with you doing something that makes you happy... what's the point in marrying them? Its not my fault they married the wrong women.

Unfortunately, I've seen this kind of thing far too many times in the past. I always used to think it was more of a joke than anything else, but I've come to realize it is much more of a reality.

As far as I'm concerned the only reason a person would be this way is because he or she has low self-esteem or no self-confidence. If a person feels like they are competing against your hobbies, they are obviously needing to do some maturing before they should be in a relationship. This was the case with Ferrett Girl but I didn't put enough thought into it at the time.

Car

2006-06-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

Rental
Monday morning I dropped the Sentra off with Bankston Nissan so they could fix the dented bodywork sustained way back in January in the parking lot incident. As a result, I am now driving a Neon. Again. This time it is white and features little more than a radio and A/C as well as a massive amount of body roll and seats that want to spit you right off the side every time I go into a mild corner.

Bankston told me they'd have the car done in seven (7) to nine (9) business days but I'm hoping it all gets handled a bit sooner. I'm not too crazy about being away from it to begin with, but the good news is that more changes are in the pipeline.

Major Mods
I ordered a whole plethora of parts from Major Mods, a company in California that I found through a group buy on the B15 Forum. The group buy was for a nice suspension goodie that I've been contemplating for quite some time...

Coil Overs
These beautiful bits are KSport coilovers. They replace the existing McPherson strut set-up and vastly out perform it by means of accurate valving, stiffer spring rates and fully adjustable bound, rebound and ride height. The company actually builds these to order so I won't have them for another three to four weeks.

Anti-roll bars
There are a number of companies producing anti-roll bars for the Sentra but few are thick enough to really make much of a difference in handling. Progress makes a 19mm rear, Eibach has the same as well as a front (sold as a package) at 25mm... Stillen has some pretty thick bars, but they're also known for crappy customer service. So instead of all that, I went with the Nismo parts. Nismo produces a 23mm front bar, 25mm rear bar and an additional 25mm lower tie bar that will further increase chassis stiffness and allow the suspension to work properly.

Bushings
I am also trying to get my hands on a set of SuperPro suspension bushings if I can get the site to work properly. I found these through the B15 Forum as well but the guy hasn't posted in awhile. I sent him an email yesterday but so far have not heard anything back. Hopefully this will work out as well, but I certainly have some time to get it worked out. The best thing about these is that they really help tighten up the handling and take all the slop out of the suspendy bits.

Dressed Up
Grill
I'm also looking to make a new grill for the car because I hate the big plastic thing that is on there now. I'd like to find a tighter weeve piece of expanded aluminum that I can paint black, but I'm thinking about something else, too. I was thinking about painting a red section onto the aluminum and applying a Nismo decal before I spray it black. Remove the lettering and I'll have the Nismo logo (complete with Red "o" right there on the grill. In my head it looks really cool.

Decals
I'm still trying to decide if I'll be putting decals on the car for the parts I'm installing. Part of me really wants to, part of me doesn't. I just have this thing about being all Fast and the Furious about it and atleast having a few things on there in a creative manner. The idea I had was to lay the vinyl lettering so that it starts on the hood at about a 45 degree angle and wraps onto the left front fender. They won't be huge, believe me, and I'd do them in either white or ice blue. I've seen the color on a black BMW racing in the WTCC but can't find a picture now to prove it.

Coilovers

2006-06-22T15:26:00.000-05:00

Might have a set of these in my near future. Combined with a set of Eibach anti-sway bars the SE-R would be on rails. Well, assuming I put decent tires on it as well.

The bits pictured are KSport coilovers and include a pillow-ball front mount with adjustable camber, which is essential on this car as it sits stock with positive camber in the front... That means the top of the tire points out from the car and you drive on the outside edge, which is completely opposite what should be happening. Fools.

I found a guy selling new sets for $750. Compared to going with Koni Yellows and Tanabe springs the cost is nearly identical, only $100.00 more for these and you don't have the hassel of cutting, grinding and draining the original pieces.

Ascending

2006-06-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Monster
I had a reply from Monster today. Insurance. No thank you.

Also had a voicemail from a recruiter that I need to call back.

Leading
I plan on leading some routes tonight and continuing to build my mental and physical inventory of muscle memory, accuity and focus. Over the last couple of weeks I have found that, more often than not, I am capable of climbing 5.9s without any trouble. I tend to get a little hung up when leading enters the picture, but I think it is more of a mental block than any lack of skill or strength.

If I try to many things in an attempt to make the move flow more easily I end up pumping out, which only makes it harder. I have also found that when I approach the route too seriously I end up over-thinking the moves, overlooking obvious holds and getting arm pumped in odd sitautions. However, when I devote myself to a challenging route I am able to tackle it and achieve things that are quite fun. Even over-hangy spots that require a bit more technique have not been too bad unless I allow myself to pause for a moment too long to consider how I am moving.

It is hokie, but it actually comes back to a single word. A single word that a shoe company uses as part of their advertising: Believe. I'm sure it sounds a bit silly, but if I simply believe that I can make a move, I -more often than not- am able to stick the deadpoint or needless heel hook. And, it is great fun.

Canyons
Climbing at Canyons in Frisco did me a lot of good. As Rock Gal pointed out to me, the routes required more thought and technique than the routes we are accustomed to at Summit. While some of the routes did go from jug to crimper and back again a bit too regularly, others were smooth ascents that forced you to consider your hand position and next three moves enable to correctly attack.

5.9+
One route, a 5.9+, was a particular bear for me. It started out on an arete and crossed to the right where a deadpoint was needed. The long move started off balance and out/up into a two finger, side-pull pocket. It took some mustering but I made the move and stuck it on my first try. Three or four moves later it was necessary to make a similar move around the same arete. The hold in question was much larger but the reach was a little further out. Again, I made the move without any real drama, and it tought me to trust myself on the harder stuff.

5.9 sit start
This route incorporated a very fun, sit-start overhang. My hands started on the left side of a sharp arete but my only footing was on around the corner, a bit far away and higher than my butt. I really needed to think about how to sit into the move and then slide across to the next two holds, both of with were small undercling type side pulls used to stand into a long throw to another side pull. From there it moved across a hook, then into another side pull and a gnurled sloper. The rest of the moves were not desperate, but they certainly were not simply. The route did require some thought and a few stretches, but I was pleased to cruise up without a take.

Tonight
I'm anxious to see how this plays into my climbing and if I will be able to overcome previous impressions of certain climbs.

FIFA World Cup

2006-06-21T14:44:00.000-05:00

Up until now I had not said anything about the world's most important sporting event of 2006. It was not out of a lack of intrest or intent on my part, simply ignorance. Don't get me wrong, I have been anticipating the WC for the last couple of months and listen to recap coverage every night on XM148 (and got on the air Monday night) but I really don't know that much about the teams that are competing.

There are all the old staples like Brazil, England and Germany... upstarts like Ecuador, Trinidad-Tobago and the Ukraine... and juggernauts like Argentina, Spain and The Netherlands... and all of this I've learned from XM148.

XM
"Are you a lawyer?"
"Uhm, no. Do you need to sue someone?"
"Well, after tonight's broadcast you never really know."

The guys on XM148, examining the FIFA World Cup exclusively with 24/7 coverage, have a great rapport with each other and their callers, as I found out Monday night. While I must admit that I am a little tired of hearing about how Team USA can improve in X, Y or Z fashion and how we sucked in game one and did well in game 2 aside from the shitty ref-ing (was actually all good calls, I & XM thought) the coverage has been quite good. They answer every caller and address their points positively. Most of the people calling in have had great things to point out and certainly know more about the game, the other teams and the history of the cup than I ever will. So, I refrain from talking about the WC to avoid sounding stupid.

Tonight

2006-06-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

I just put my resume on Monster. I'm ready to leave my current boring waste of time and find something that will pay the bills and keep my interest. Monster looks promising but its still full of shit jobs that are either Work From Home or telemarketing intensive and characterized by bold type, lots of exclamation points!!!!!! and promises of demented salary expectations in the six digitsss,sss.00.

There's a fair amount of industrial related stuff on there, which is more along the lines of what I'm seeking. I'm not sure what I'll really be able to get into as a sales person that doesn't involve 1) not working at all or 2) acting like an idiot.

I wonder if I should be concerned about my current employer somehow finding my resume online?

Cafe Brazil
The middle-aged lonely wives club just left Cafe Brazil.

Next Step
I need to go home and sleep.

XMLM
I wrote to Cool Guy on XMLM last week to tell him he was an annoying fucktard. He wrote back. He said it was supposed to be annoying and weird, but not boring. Because he replied to my email I decided to listen again tonight while I fucked around on Monster. He's actually pretty funny.

Cool Guy is all tongue in cheek. He's supposed to be a jerk, an ass and the whole name/concept/idea makes fun of itself and all other DJs.

Now I'm a devoted listener. So I shot him an email and told him so, then requested a song from Opeth. Two minutes laster I had a reply and an Opeth song (a nice long one) on XMLM.

Yeah, Cool Guy is actually pretty cool. Thanks for being a cool motherfucker, Cool Guy.

Hobbies

2006-06-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

Since I'm always on the lookout for a fun new activity... I am back to thinking about racing at the Superdrome in Frisco. I am also back to thinking about doing some suspension mods on the Sentra, and then Autocrossing it on occassion.

Plan A
The Superdrome has appeal because it is cycling related, requires physical prowess, seems like torture, moves fast, is crazy to watch and -quite simply- its fucking awesome to ride a bicycle on 44 degree banking. The downside is that I would be required to build another bike that can only be used at a Velodrome because it is built with so much purpose in mind.

No brakes, direct drive, tubular tires, carbon wheels, super-stiff frames... all the ingredients needed for a purpose built track bike.

The big downside to this is that I would have to drive to Frisco to use it, and the novelty of being on the high bank might wear off after a little while.

Plan B
Modify the Sentra. I've always thought it would be fun to throw some Koni struts, stiffer springs, anti-roll bars and such on the SE-R and take it to AutoX or simply have a more fun means of squealing tires on the way around town. Hell, I put 24,000 miles on the SE-R in the first year I've owned it so why not spend a little money on it to make it super fun and cool?

Sargeant D has also been an influence in this since he purchased the new Mustang GT. Who knows if he'll go through and mod the car -he never did touch the RX-8- but he put the idea back in my head the other night.

The downside to AutoX is that for the money you really don't get much, if any, track time in the car. A few laps here and there totalling 3 minutes in the car... all for a $20 entry fee and drive to either Bedford or Mineral Wells unless you're lucky enough to do an event at the TMS road course... something that occurs only once or twice a year.

Another option exists for track events with the car at TWS, MSR, MSR Houston, etc but then you are into the expense of making the car even more track ready... which isn't cheap either. But it would be fun.

Plan C
Do nothing new. Concentrate on climbing, cycling weeknights and swimming. Pay bills. That, my friends, just seems boring.

Pros & Cons
There are obvious pros and cons to any of the plans. From fuel costs to actual use and the perverbial fun factor. How enjoyable will X, Y or Z really be for any length of time? What do I really, truly enjoy doing? I don't know, to be quite honest.

Gigapxl Project

2006-06-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

This is the Gigapixel project. Read about it by clicking on the title, or click below for my favorite sample of their work.

Half Dome

Kids are Stupid(er)

2006-06-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

I really cannot believe that this shit gets this kind of press. Two mislead teens seperated by an ocean, the common sense of one of their families and US Customs officers.

Gigapxl Project

2006-06-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

This is pretty awesome. They've built a camera that takes digital images containing a gig of pixels. That, as I understand, is a whole hell of a lot. Because of this whole hell of a lot of pixels they can zoom in on stuff in the photo for further investigation.

Many of the photos are just way, super-cool and deserve a look. Click an image and then scroll down the page to see the zooms and explanations of the images.

Here's one of my favorites, a shot of Half Dome in Yosemite, complete with two climbers! Just as the caption states, the original photo was taken from 2.5 miles away, final zoom is .01% of the original size.

TT Tournament Round 3

2006-06-13T09:29:00.000-05:00

We just finished round three of the Tourist Trophy video game tournament and my result this time was a bit better than I anticipated. We were competing for best single, flying lap at a track called Deep Forest. We're also limited to race modified bikes, with a displacement limitation of 636cc's.

Testing Begins
After my initial laps on the track, a twisting affair reminiscent of an Irish Open Roads event, I felt that running a Supersport bike was going to be a bit overkill. The track is bumpy, full of odd dips and throws in a fair amount of cresting apexes, diving braking zones and off-camber corners. The result is a hairy ride on a 600+cc bike and it can be very difficult to get power on the ground as the back end slides and bounces over some of the harsher dips.

Where there is Smoke
There is a crest at the end of the front straight that leads into a steep negative grade, which also doubles as a hard braking zone for turn one. The 600cc race bikes, regardless of make or suspension settings, launch over the crest and remain well out of control just long enough to high side and send the bike off into the barriers. The situation repeats itself at the exit of turn one as you crest the hill and smoke billows as the tire spins up and you fight for traction. Much of the rest of the lap is punctuated by such events, and it leads to desperately slow lap times.

Solution: Two-stroke
Given the problems at hand I decided to compete in the event with a 250cc two-stroke GP bike. The only one available in the game is Yamaha's 2003 TZ250, and it is probably the most difficult bike in the game to earn. After spending the better part of an evening fighting for a victory and the ability to add the bike to my garage, things worked out and I began tuning the 92 HP bike for Deep Forest.

Compared to the 130+ HP 600's I would be racing against, the 250 seems like a poor choice. However, at only 102 Kg the bike has a similar power-to-weight ratio and certainly a much better ability to put power on the ground. I could stay in the throttle all the way down the hill (into turn one) and I never had issues with violent high sides on bumpy twists later in the lap.

Results
While I was hoping that I would be the only person to use the 250, I knew someone else would clue in to the GP machine. Even more unfortunate, they were faster.
My placing in the final results is still very strong with a step on the podium, and it vaults me into 3rd place overall going into round four.

Testing: Round Four
Now we're racing at Special Stage: Route 5, a street course with one long straight and a healthy dose of more downhill, off-camber braking zones. In this round competitors are limited to 1000cc street bikes on a track that probably cannot be run on any -or many- of the liter sized superbikes. Unfortunately, the street only designation eliminates my 250cc plastic missile option, so I'm looking at running smaller displacement street bikes like the Kawasaki 636 and Gixxer 750.

In initial testing, riding the liter bikes around Route 5 has proven difficult because, even with gearing changes, the bikes are only able to use first, second and sometimes third gear! Route 5 is just too tight for the big bikes, and this is why I'm seeking to compete on something smaller. Another great option is one of the two twins, Ducati or Aprilia, as the added torque and wider usable powerband make the bikes more compliant on the tighter, slower corner exits.

To put things in perspective, my fastest lap so far is once again on the 250cc GP bike!

Popular Media

2006-06-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

Suicide Kitty made an interesting point this morning, something I really had not considered until he brought it to my attention:

When Janet Jackson's nipple made it onto National Television for the briefest of moments conservative America went into an uproar. All the news channels showed slow-motion instant replays of the event and made a much bigger deal out of it than would ever be necessary.

Violence, however, is voraciously consumed by Americans as a means of justifying the war and confirming some sense of power over a collection of third world countries. That, I must say, is rather sick to think about. The fact that violence is considered more acceptable viewing than a breast is confusing.

Parade of the Dead
When an American soldier is killed and the people of the country parade the body through town as a symbol of their victory we call them barbarians and shun their activities as disgusting and inhumane.

When American troops killed al-Zarqawi in Iraq the American military and media was quite quick to parade the body around in news print, television and on the internet like some kind of flag. His death symbolized some great achievement and they put it all over popular media as quickly as possible. They brag about the death, show video of the attack and video of his body.

Are we any different from the barbarians in other countries?

Park Brawl

2006-06-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

In a stunning showcase of adapt gymnastics and martial artistry, two squirrels faced off in Biltmore Park Tuesday afternoon. Fireballs, ice rockets, other-worldly spirits and a multi-dimensional phase-shifting elementals were employed while the two battled for territory.

"There isn't room in this park for the two of us", chattered Do Ming Xi on a website hosted from his dark and seedy tree knot within an ancient Walnut on the Western rim, "He shall fall and I shall reign supreme over the creatures of Biltmore. I will be a God to them!"

"Biltmore should be a happy home for all, not ruled over by a tyrant who wishes to oppress its population. This is not a place for a warlord, it is a place of peace", quothe Sparky, a feisty squirrel from Biltmore's newly renovated East section, and Do Ming Xi's opponent. The comments were made prior to the fight on an open forum for the inhabitants of Biltmore Park.

Biltmore, a sprawling 632-acre park, is currently home to not only both squirrels, but also an estimated 42,000 other rodents including squirrels, possums, raccoons, mice and rats. Many birds, snakes and salamanders also inhabit the park, but they are by and large unconcerned with the current mammal plight taking place.

The fight itself drew thousands of animals from around the park, and those who could not make it were treated to arial video and commentary provided by a squadron of Blue Jays.

"We shall crush them", screamed Bongo a possum from the seedy, lower West side of the Biltmore Park, "we will eat their corpses and drink their blood!"

"Only the righteous and true of heart can prevail", urged a teary eyed Ms. Wiggles as she watched the fight from the crwoded branch of a nearby Oak tree, "Sparky has to win, he just has to... he is a true champion of all animals of the park!"

Her words were quickly muffled by the cheers of the animals as Sparky delivered a ferocious, clawed round house to Do Ming Xi's chest. The blow was quickly followed by an amazing ball of ice meant to distract Do Ming Xi as well.

"My goal is not to kill him", Sparky was heard panting as he retreated, "Nothing can be solved through death. We just want peace and happiness."

Moments later Do Ming was on the offensive and had Sparky pinned to the ground, preparing for his final death blow. (pictured)

Without warning however, a bicyclist came down the path and was headed in the genral direction for the pair. Embroiled in battle and oblivious to the cyclist, both squirrels continued to fight and seemingly ignored the biker.

"We heard the clicking but thought it was something Sparky had cooked up, some secret weapon he had against the forces of ultimate evil. Unfortunately, it was a bicycle...", stated Mr. Ricky Raccoon from the base of the third grandstand some 10 minutes after the fight had ended.

As the bicycle approached both combatants continued to fight until the last moment when they seemed to sense impending disaster and broke apart. Perhaps it was the surprise of the cyclist or the interruption of the fight, but no matter the reason... both Sparky and Do Ming Xi were left with a rather copious amount of indecision as the bike closed quickly on their position.

An unnamed hedgehog pointed out that, "they didn't even have to stop fighting, the bike was no less than 10 feet from their position. They guy had even changed course to avoid them. I guess he thought they were playing or fighting over some nuts."

Regardless of the circumstances Sparky managed to use the situation as a distraction and break free from Do Ming Xi's self-proclaimed Death Attack of Doom, dart across the sidewalk and change direction as many as four times in an attempt to evade any magical spells being cast at him from behind. Unfortunately, his path ultimately lead him directly into the cyclist. Sparky's body was quickly whisked into the spokes, carried to the top of the tire and violently jammed through a very small gap in the fork. The result of which broke his neck, crushed his vertebrea and caused him to vomit his spleen, left lung and both kidneys. It also killed him instantly.

Upon witnessing this most voilent of deaths Do Ming turned and raised his tail to twitter in celebration, not noticing that he had turned back into the path of the bicycle. Tail snagged in the chain, his body was carried directly into the rear cogs of the speeding cycle and sliced to pieces by the hard pedaling cyclist. With blood dripping from both ends of the bicycle the cyclist could be heard laughing for several minutes.

With the rest of the park animals staring, some going into shock, it was clear that no winner had been established. Just then Mrs. McMurtry, a widow from the glitzy Park Heights neighborhood, arrove with a bag of fresh Walnuts. Within seconds much of the squirrel population was gathering for handouts.

State of Life Address

2006-06-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I really don't have anything to talk about but I'm bored and figured this might be a good way to waste a little time.

A better way to earn a living?
I need to look for a new job. I know I said this last year and I started to think about it when I broke my leg. Actually, that happened the year before, too. Hmm. But seriously, I need to get my resume on Monster, think of some good companies I could sell for and get things rolling. I don't want a shitty job, either. No recruitment, no pilfering sales, no small potato shit where I'm selling small ticket items and making a billion phone calls a day.

Products or Services?
What do I want to sell? I have no clue. I want a position in which I can build relationships with my clients. I want to work with fewer clients, but more closely with those clients. I might have a range of products, selling them more products from that range over time, and building something worth talking about instead of going from customer to customer every 10 minutes.

Large ticket items, slower sales processes and products/services that are available from only a smaller range of suppliers. I don't want to be fighting for my life everytime I go on a sales call, that sucks. Stress at work is stupid. Seriously, stressful jobs ruin the rest of your life and I already know that it would be a stupid mistake to chase money, or the impression of money.

B2B?
Business to Business might be better for me as well but I'm not certain. Mostly it all just depends on the product and the market. One option I've considered is Commercial Real Estate, and I need to get in to chat with one of Katherine's brokers if I'm going to learn more about it.

Hobbies & Health
I've finally managed to drop my 24Hour Fitness membership. I hadn't been there in about three months and really didn't enjoy going anymore. The only thing I was getting out of it was the ab workout, which I do miss, but getting it worked into my climbing and cycling schedule was proving pretty difficult. That and I really just started to loathe going to the gym because it was inside, anti-social and exceedingly boring compared to everything else. I'm also cheap.

Cycling
So far so good on the bicycle, though making steps forward in terms of strength and endurance has been quite slow to progress. I'm getting better but I want to be back where I was last year. I hate sitting in with the old guys all damn evening (or day) and not being able to get up front and pull the line. The Big Dogs are all up off the front, well away from my own plodding pace. I'm not super slow, but I am around 4 mph off the pace and my endurance is shot to shit. I end up drafting off of a couple of great guys every week but I want to be sure I'm progressing. Rewarding yet frustrating, is my current theme.

Swimming
I just started swimming again yesterday afternoon. I had gotten in the pool at 24H Fitness but had not been doing it regularly and, of course, had not been there in many weeks. So now I'm back in open water at Lake Grapevine and I must say, it is much different from last year. Swimming 3 kilometers a week last year had me in very nice shape and certainly helped my cycling, and just like cycling I am back to ground zero in the water. I got about halfway to where I wanted to be yesterday and decided that I'd better build up slowly. I could have gone the full distance but didn't want to be completely winded and risk trouble. I don't think I would have drowned, but why take the chance? I'll build the ditance slowly and it should help my cycling quite a bit as well.

Climbing
Climbing is going very well and I'm making progress for sure. The lead certification is very cool and has given me a real bump in confidence on the wall. I'm still only tackling 5.8s on lead but will try some 5.9s on Wednesday and hopefully again this weekend. I'm going to avoid being on top rope unless I'm on the crack or having a lead belay isn't an option. I need the practice with clipping and muscle memory is going to be critical as I get on climbs that are not familiar. Rather than thinking too much about clipping and struggling or panicing about hanging on, I need to be concentrated on resting, clipping and climbing with technique. It will take some time but I am confident I can do it.

I also need to be sure that I take my time with climbing and don't get a big head thinking I can do things that are well over my head or simply stupid to try. I don't want this to be motorcycle racing. I thought I was good, up to speed and ready to race... but I can see now that I just didn't have the skills needed to push as hard as I was and get out of the trouble that arises from the faster lap times I was turning. For track days I was fine. For racing, for being several seconds quicker a lap, my demon was the extreme lack of experience and perhaps a tendency to get a little too deep in the corners. Tunnel vision? I don't know.

Essentially, I just want to keep climbing safe, smart and responsible. I want to travel this year (in the fall?) for a sport climbing trip because I think it would be a lot of fun. I just need to keep it all in perspective and be sure that I don't try to do something I'm really not prepared to do. Play smart.

Racing
I've been half-assedly racing the mini with Broom, which I feel a little bad about. He takes it seriously and wants to do well, but I'm not taking it nearly as seriously and sometimes prefer to climb or go other places. I enjoy the endurance racing side of it but have little interest in sprints and mostly just enjoy getting on the bike for a few hours (collectively) and dragging knee. I also owe him some money for the 4-cycle motor swap thing, and need to get that to him because I know it really put him out some cash. I'm sure I'll race with him again next year, and am struggling with the idea of going back to a big bike or simply realizing that there are other things in life that I enjoy besides racing. Rather than pump money into racing agina, maybe I'll just concentrate on climbing, cycling and such? Dragging knee is, of course, still a tremendous amount of fun... but there is so much else to do in see and I don't want to risk missing it because I'm pouring money into a race bike, car or kart.

Personally
Things with Rock Gal are going very well. We had a little moment over Memorial Weekend that was good for us and helped keep everything out in the open. Its nothing even worth writing about and didn't result in an argument, just an epiphany and a little peek into her psyche.

We have our moments when we get frustrated but we're also both mature enough not to take it out on each other and are both pretty quick to apologize and keep things straight. We're smart enough to know the frustration is directed at the rock, and so far things have been as easy and straight-forward as the day we met.

She also has a new job, which is great for her emotionally. I think she was a bit beaten down at Whole Earth and it was really starting to weigh on her that she was not in her industry, doing something she really enjoyed. Now that she's back in plastics and manufacturing I think she'll change a bit, but I'm not sure how.

I think she'll be working more and I'm almost certain we'll see less of each other, but I'm not too worried about it. We might have been a little to zealous at first, spending a little too much time together (hence my lack of gym activity) but she's smart and knows that we both need space and our own time. Her position will also give us the chance to make more weekend trips out of town, probably once a month, to climb at Reimer's or Pace Bend or Enchanted Rock. The heat won't be fun but we'll give it a shot, I'm sure. Climbing is too much fun not to sweat a little.

Friends
Not really sure what to say here, but it seemed like they should be included. Life takes us all in different directions and I tend to spend my time doing what I enjoy, so I also tend to not spend as much time with friends as I could or should. Honestly though, it does bother me sometimes and I need to do more to take the time to get on the phone with them or grab a beer together.

Family
Not sure what to say here either. We're on opposite sides of the country. I love them but I'm also perfectly fine with the distance. Things have been better, things have been worse... I guess I'm just content and not concerned with it.

Money
Seems fine, just more of the same. Trying to save, trying to stop myself from that consistent urge to spend it. So many things I enjoy, want, think I want or simply need... too easy to spend though I've been pretty good recently. We eat out a lot, that gets pricey, but otherwise I make money to spend it anyway. Future? What? I have savings and its getting to be more, I just need to be sure and get the old racing debts handled and gone sooner than later. I'm making great progress, just need to stick to it and -most of all- sell that damn SV.

Ropeless Jump Rope

2006-05-30T15:50:00.000-05:00

What kind of gutless pussy does it take to invent two handles and call it a ropeless jump rope. As if the kids of this country were not pansied enough and convinced they could do no wrong, now we have a way for them to jump rope without actually jumping over anything. So much for coordination, competition, games and singing to the beat of a rope slapping the gound...

Tell you what, from now on no one can fail at anything because it might hurt their feelings to find out that they are a complete fuck up. No one gets anything but an A in school. No one gets fire from work for not being capable of performing their duties. No one gets dumped in a relationship for being a loser or a cheat.

Thanks Shithead inventor dude, thanks a whole lot.

Cracks

2006-05-30T12:10:00.000-05:00

I'm tired.
Tired tired. Enchanted Rock was a great experience and we had an absolute blast out on the granite. I learned some of the basics of crack climbing and was able to climb Sweat (5.7), Eat (5.9) and Little Feet (5.9+) though it took some additional instruction, patience and takes from Rock Gal. Each of the climbs had its own set of challenges and certainly provided me with quite a bit of opportunity for cussing, frustration and falling. Still, it was a great experience and I look forward to going back and trying again.

Off or On?
During our weekend experience we learned that free, Herbal Insect Reppellant works much more effectively as insect attractant. In fact, it works very well on flys, gnats and bees. They seem to smell the stuff and decide that if the mosquitos won't have any of it, they might as well dive in and enjoy. Gnats also seem to have an accute ability to fly into one's ears and nose in the middle of a difficult move, and this made for some rather interesting flailing.

Primitive Camping
However cool, is easily foregone for a shower and gnat-less sleeping experience, which can be found at the Lady Bird Park in Fredericksburg, a short drive from Enchanted Rock. It provides a nice pallette of grass, a bug free environ and a bathroom that flushes. I still love camping, but when you are exhausted from climbing, sore and sunburned, sometimes you have to just give in and go for the comfy place.

Jamming
"So, you just stick your hand in thumb down and find a good spot to set the jam. Then, turn your elbow down until it locks in place and you can move on it."

Right. Wedge my hand into the crack, then twist my body unnaturally until the rock imprints on my skin and my hand is securely stuck in the crack. Then standup, find another jam with the other hand and try to figure out ho to get my first hand free of the jam.

Jamming hurts. Foot jams involve turning your foot sideways before sticking them into the crack as far as possible... crank your knee & ankle up to lock your foot into the crack and then stand up. Toes crushed? Good. Painful? Excellent. Hands are still worse though. But in the end, after all the cussing, sweating, bitching and general "I can't believe this is how you do this" comments, it is incredibly rewarding.

And, of all the beautiful scenery we saw, all the incredible cracks we climbed and places we hiked to... I don't have a single picture.

Long Weekend

2006-05-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

Enchanted Rock
Rock Gal and I are heading to Enchanted Rock this weekend for a shit load of crack climbing. The granite should offer plenty of traction, grip and finger shredding for the weekend.

Remember
I'm not a fan of war, but I am a fan of Memorial Day. If nothing else, we need to take a moment for ourselves to remember all of the Americans that have fallen in combat for our country. They may have not agreed with what they were doing, and we may not agree with what is happening now, but you cannot ignore the sacrifice.

MySpace
I've been getting contacted by odd old friends recently on MySpace, but once they are in touch for the Friend list they seem to disappear. Two old friends from college and another from last year, plus the ex-girlfriend... it is a little wierd in some respects and welcome in others.

I'm not going to be picky, its nice that people are looking for me on there somehow, but I don't quite understand why it ends there. I think there's a general theme of flakey-ness to my friendships in the last few years, but the gems I've been able to hang on to are worth the other wasted effort.

I don't try to figure anyone out, I just write them off.

Lead Test: Passed

2006-05-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

So I passed my lead test last night despite being completely worn out from a long round of Medicine Ball Soccer between climbs. Proton, the daughter of a friend from work, went with us to climb last night. She's 12, full of unlimited energy and made it all very fun. Watching her use slopers and crimpers like bomber jugs was fascinating, especially because she could find purchase on the smallest, most oddly shaped holds that I hate!

Lead
So I took my lead test at Summit at the end of the evening, using my old faithful 5.9 lime green taped route. Even with the added challenge (mental & physical) of purely leading the route without a top rope, I was able to make my moves confidently and get all my clips (fairly) cleanly. I still need to practice clipping quite a bit in my spare time and have so much to learn about technique, but I'm one step closer. Once I get more comfortable with reading routes for optimum clipping, get used to falling and making cleaner moves with the techniques I do know; there's still more to learn about new techniques and awareness of the route.

Cleaning Trad
We're headed to Enchanted Rock this weekend to climb some cracks and do some trad climbing. Rock Gal has all the gear necessary and I won't be trying to do anything but learn how to set anchors and clean routes. It seems pretty straight forward but I know it will be challenging and rewarding. I have never climbed in this fashion so the biggest hurdle is just understanding how it all works (which seems pretty simple) and how the placements are chosen (not so simple) and removed (sounds simple).

Essentially, as Rock Gal climbs upward she'll place protection (nuts & hexes) into the crack. Should she fall these placements will act as my fulcrum for belaying. Once she has either reached the first belay station or the top of the wall, I'll follow her up and clean the route by pulling the gear from the crack and reslinging it on my harness.

The odd part here is that to get the pieces loose from the rock you have to be pretty violent. Yank, jab and stab the placement free from the rock without scoring or damaging the rock (that's important).

Reward
I'm rewarding myself for passing my lead test by getting my own set of quickdraws. I don't want to depend on Betty for the gear, especially if we end up climbing on different evenings. Since CenTex passed his lead class as well we'll both be able to lead and belay more climbs at the gym. There's no point in being able to practice if I don't have the equipment to do it, so getting my own set makes sense anyway.

I've been researching the prospect all morning (its a slow day at work) and found several solutions. I can buy a prefab set of draws, or I can buy carabiners and slings seperately to create my own. The things can get a little pricey and most of that comes from saving weight. Much like cycling, a few grams can be worth a lot of money. So can, of course, a brand name that does not necessarily imply more value. Or does it?

Having just spoken with Rock Gal, it looks like my best bet is to spend the extra money on quality gear. Quickdraws are a bit like leathers, one thing you do not want to skimp on when getting gear. It makes sense, too. The draw and your rope are the last line of defense when it comes to climbing. Should you fall, you need all the protection you can get. Having a set of carabiners that break, fracture or get recalled is certainly not a desirable position to be in when taking a screamer, and would not do much to inspire future confidence.

Quality
What the brand names offer is lots of expensive testing, research and confidence. These elements alone can certainly lead to better climbing and, most importantly, ensure a safer experience with a greater margin of safety. I should have known this already, of course, but I related it to the wrong hobby.

Leading

2006-05-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I practiced more lead climbing and things went quite well. Better, I should say, than I expected. The preceeding Tuesday I had also been up on the wall leading, and had gotten on a couple of easy routes (5.6 & 5.7) to learn clipping. Things went well. I had no trouble placing the the draws, very little trouble clipping the rope and set anchors at the top chains as well.

The safety in practicing comes from being on the top rope while dragging a second rope and acting as though you are clipping and leading the entire route. Should anything go wrong your fall is arrested by the top rope instead of the lead rope, and this does a lot for confidence. It also serves as a training tool if the climber gets stuck, back clips or tangles in the rope as the belayer can easily tell the climber to make a correction without risking a fall.

Sunday
Sunday was spent practicing more clipping, which involves planning my moves so that I could properly clip draws from the safest possible position on the wall. It also involves more thorough planning in regard to where I will carry my draws and how I will climb the route. Leading introduces a new set of variables that are not difficult in themselves, but when it is a new process it can seem a little daunting.

Old Faithful
Having climbed up the 5.7 route successfully both Tuesday and Sunday Rock Gal thought it would be a good idea to try a more difficult route, but one I am familiar with and comfortable climbing. To that end I jumped on my old faithful, a mildly overhanging route marked with neon green tape, rated 5.9.

On top rope I can blaze up the climb in a matter of seconds. Each of the moves comes naturally and going from floor to summit typically takes about 30 - 45 seconds. Obviously, I've done this route entirely too many times. I have however, found it to be a lot of fun and it builds my confidence when other routes are troubling me. It has also taught me the importance of flow and continuous movement on the wall.

I was pretty certain that I would not complete the route on lead. In fact, I was pretty sure I knew exactly where I would pump out and need a take. Oddly enough, this didn't happen. I worked the route as swiftly as I had done previously on top rope, but even with the added challenge of clipping the rope on preset draws I was able to complete the route without a single take or fall!

Falling!
Falling on a top rope involves a brief blip from which a few feet are lost as you scrabble for any last grip left on the wall before you end up 3 feet lower than where you started. Falling on lead involves something entirely different, and requires more muscle memory. Falling is definately something I need to get used to...

We practiced a few times Sunday afternoon and I felt pretty comfortable with the idea of letting go of the wall and dropping. The big problem comes with controlling your body's momentum and not allowing yourself to lean back as you drop. If you do, it stresses your back and is a quick way to get yourself seriously injured when the rope runs out of slack. I was using the rope as a means of centering my body as I fell, and this didn't seem like a bad idea as long as I let go of the rope and catch myself from smacking the wall when it goes taught. I picked up this idea from a single photo in a magazine advertisement, and it seemed like a logical thing to do in my mind.

Grapping the rope does not, of course, mean grabbing it in an effort to stop your fall. instead, I reached down to my knot and held the rope with one hand, then extended a leg to arrest my swing into the wall. My other leg was out to the side but in a position to secondarily slow my inward momentum when the rope caught. This position seemed to work well but there's no telling what position my body will be in when I am climbing, so I need to establish a better sense of balance and sense of awareness about my body as I climb. Reaching for a hold and being off balance is so much more common, and this puts a climber in a position that is ripe for injury should you not fall properly.

Next Step
My next step in leading is to actually lead a climb. There's a certain sense of dread and maladjusted anticipation that goes along with leading your first few climbs and not having the implied safety of a top rope, but I think I'm ready to start leading some easier climbs. I'll start again with the 5.6 and 5.7 routes to be sure I am confident in myself and not getting psyched out of something I already know I can do. After that I'll progress slowly and learn how to manage the climbs, my body and the routes for best efficiency.

Acopa

2006-05-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

I recieved my Acopa Chameleons last week just in time for my weekyl trip to Summit with Rock Gal. From the moment I took them out of the box I could tell they were a quality product.

Finish
I slipped them on at home and sat around on the couch for a little while before walking around the apartment a little to get a feel for them and try to start the break-in process. Rock Gal noted the exceptional, hand sanded seams between the rand and the sole as well as the quality of the stitching done on the shoe. To say the least, I was instantly impressed. The shoes are nice, too.

Stick
When I sat down and looked at the shoe, it was coated with cat hair and lint. Aside from the initial sense of "Eeew!" I quickly realized (with a little hint from Rock Gal that this was due to the ultra sticky rubber on the sole. In fact, the rubber is so sticky that our fingers actually stick to the sole and make that nice little *tick* sound when you peel them off slowly. I honestly have not felt rubber that sticky since I was at the track handling a freshly annihilated rear tire at Le Mans.

Fit
Unlike most climbing shoes I have worn recently the Chameleons fit my D-width foot very nicely. My toes are contained within the entire last and do not protrude off the side as they did in my Phoenix shoes from MadRock. My toes are nicely packed into the shoe and do not leave dead air, but are also not crushed into the shoe.

Normally, when a shoe was wide enough to accommodate my foot, it was too long and allowed my toes to sit flat in the front of the shoe. Or worse, if my toes were properly packed into the shoe, the width was such that my pinkie toes sat well off the last and I was standing on the rand. As you might imagine, this was not a fun situation to be in for back stepping and getting on edges.

Performance
This one is still up for some testing but having used them at Summit this past weekend I felt great. I had a renewed confidence in my climbing and was able to concentrate on the task at hand, learning to lead climb. I could stand on what I wanted to but still had reservations about some of the jibs, a bad habit from my old shoes.

This weekend we're headed to Enchanted Rock and my first experience with granite. I'll be following Betty up some trad routes, cleaning gear and learning the fundamentals of crack climbing. I'm really looking forward to the experience and the chance to test my Acopa shoes in another environment.

Advertising

2006-05-19T09:35:00.000-05:00

Link goes to a lot of funny ads. Here's one:
Carlton Beer

New Monopoly Board

2006-05-18T09:12:00.000-05:00

... "Monopoly: Here and Now Edition" will use streets, neighborhoods and national monuments from 22 U.S. cities. The cities, picked by Hasbro based on population, popularity as tourist destinations and input from the company's game designers, include Chicago, San Francisco and New Orleans."

So I'm left wondering. Are there natural disaster cards, and will New Orleans really be worth anything in the new game?

"Oh shit, I landed on New Orleans! Well, let's see what the card says..."

Hurricane destroys all property, you owe the bank entire contents of your account.

"Damn, not again! That's everyone in the game now!"

Psychopath?

2006-05-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

Pat Robertson has lost his mind. Apparently, God has told him that storms and possibly a tsunami could hit the United States this year. Hm... Well, seeing as how storms ALWAYS hit the American Coastline, that isn't much of a stretch. This guy is a complete jackass, and I cannot believe he is still on television or even in the newspaper. Link goes to an article about his prediction, which of course was told to him directly by God.

What a fucktard.

Good ro Bad...

2006-05-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

... atleast they're talking about us.

The Da Vinci Code is going to be coming out in theaters very soon, and this seems to have a lot of people, countries, ethnicities, religious leaders and Bible Thumpers in an uproar. We all know the premise of the movie and most of us probably understand why all the hub-bub has been stirred, but here's what gets me most:

Why do we have all this uproar over a movie, based on a book, that SUCKED. The Da Vinci by Dan Brown (wasn't that his name>) is one of the most poorly written examples of American novel writing I have had the horror of expereincing full on. I finished the book, but not because it was a great story that was well told. It was an interesting concept that moved quickly, presented twists and catches and ultimately ended up reading like a very low-budget B-Movie from the infamous Plan 9 director, Ed Wood.

The Da Vinci Code is a New York Times best seller. Lots of people love this book. Lots of people hate this book. Lots more people hate this book because it makes their religion look like a hokie, over-done, politically motivated and ludicrous schlock fest... which I think is funny because its non-fiction! And, it is very poorly writen shit, which amazes me even more...

"Robert quickly explains the concept of symbols as a method of soul transference to Sophia as they leap over a hedge..." and such statements seem to populate every fucking chapter of the book. Robert quickly explains... to Sophia as they careen through traffic..." Over and over and over... Dude, learn a new fucking phrase!

Anyway, the book ends with a twist that makes you realize the writer has been staying up too late and is now in a bind.

"Oh shit... now what the hell am I going t-... YES!" and the book ends with some weird, exceptionally convenient twist that solves everything. And then it gets worse. Yes, worse.

And yet the Catholic Diosese (spelling?) is fighting over this shit? Free fucking advertising...

MotoJournalist Follow-up

2006-05-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well, here's the announcement of the winning entrant. It wasn't me. While I had not expected to win, I would like to know what he wrote. Of course, I can take solice in the fact that in two months I'll be sitting in the pits at the Suzuka 8 Hr.

Tourist Trophy

2006-05-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

I entered a tournament for the PS2 game Tourist Trophy. I thought it would be fun to see how well I could do against some other racers, and the concept is pretty simple. Each week they post a track and bike displacement limitation. You pick your bike, run your laps and email your best lap time to the host of the competition, PartTimeGamer.com. Once the results have been tallied the times and positions are posted along with the next track to be raced.

Round 1 involved 250cc street bikes on a circuit called Autumn Ring Mini. A tight, short course and low horsepower meant a need for smooth lines and accurate game play. I had some decent times but only spent a few hours Thursday evening (punctuated by a trip to the rock gym) for attaining my lap time, rather than practicing all week. So, how did I do? My handle is NW200.

I wanted to be "in the points" but since there are only 10 competitors and everyone scores points, that went down the drain. So I figured I wanted to be in the top 5 at some point during the five race season, but also knew it would be a tough fight as many people play far more often than I do and have more of the skills needed for nailing some seriously quick lap times.

After running my laps I had what I thought was a reasonable lap time, though I did predict that the fastest guys would be turning laps about two seconds quicker. Luckily, I was wrong. Here are the Results, my handle in the comp is NW200.

Our next track is Laguna Seca, riding 600cc stree bikes. I'll probably be riding a Moriwaki-Honda but also have the Kawasaki 636, Honda 600 and Triumph Daytona at my disposal if I need them for comparison.

Northwest 200

2006-05-11T08:23:00.000-05:00

This week is/has been the Northwest 200 in Northern Ireland. Link goes to the official website featuring live streaming video, photos, audio clips and a wealth of information about the race.

The Northwest is one of, if not the, fastest track on the Irish Roads calendar. The circuit conects three villages in Ireland with three monster straightaways and some chicanes.

Motojournalist Contest

2006-05-11T08:18:00.000-05:00

Road Racing World is holding a contest to be a Motojournalist for a Day, this is my entry. Link goes to a description of the contest.

The best motor sport journalism does more than simply tell a story of hard luck, glory or determination.

Given the immediacy of information available on the Internet, a reader cannot experience an event through the publication of simple race reports. Putting the reader in the paddock holding a wrench, or on the bike for a lap of Infineon however, draws them into the story and takes the reader to a time and place about which they have been dreaming.

Engaging journalism puts the reader in the paddock adjusting suspension, on the track approaching a blind crest and inside the helmet of a professional racer as he communicates with his team about what it will take to gain just one more tenth of a second.

Any writer can report results, but few can offer the ability to transport someone from their couch, garage or office cubicle onto the seat of a headshaking, arm thrashing, tire shredding race bike. Conveying the emotion of a race is far more important than simply reporting who was passed when, and which rider crossed the line first.

Coming off of a two week stint in Europe as a volunteer mechanic for a World Endurance Championship team, and preparing for a similar trip to the Suzuka 8-Hour has given me a perspective on racing that most fans and journalists experience only in dreams. Crewing for the team at Assen, flawlessly completing yet another tire change at 3 o’clock in the morning at Le Mans and rejoicing at the glory of simply finishing the 24 Hours has given me a fresh perspective on the joys and agonies of racing.

I would greatly enjoy bringing this perspective to the readers of Road Racing World with a thorough depiction of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Challenge at Infineon Raceway.

ImprovEverywhere

2006-05-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

This is awesome. ImprovEverywhere invades a Best Buy in Manhattan.

No motivation

2006-05-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I should be writing a killer story about my experiences overseas. I should be writing about how the whole team felt like a family and from the moment I got there I was right at home with Hans and everyone I met. How I earned respect from the crew and was able to take on responsibilities like rear tire changes at Le Mans and intricate work on the lighting system of the bike.

But I'm not. I can't get motivated and I don't know why. I don't get it.

TMGP in Denton

2006-05-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

We raced the YXR for the first time this weekend in a 6 Hour endurance race at my old haunt, North Texas Kartway. Being out there on a mini motorcycle was quite a bit different from being out there in a kart, and it was a lot of fun learning the track again and figuring out the right lines. Back in the day... I remember whipping into turn 1 and turn 2 flat out, quick lift of the throttle to scoot the tail out and slide through the corner with the inside rear tire 6 inches off the ground. That doesn't work on bikes, but there were people screaming through the first two turns (both banked) with about as much speed as some karts!

The forecast called for thunderstorms and rain, and the clouds were quite ominous all day long. This did not make me a happy camper.

I was slow, real slow, but I had a blast and it is nice to be back on a bike dragging some knee and enjoying riding. John's parents were out to help us again (always nice to see them) and his son Hayden was along as well.

Our third rider was a CMRA regular named David Nolden, the pictures supplied are from his camera since I completely forgot to get mine out for some shots. Go figure. Here, David whips through turn 2 like a demon.

The bike required very little work prior to racing but we did change gearing and tighten some random bolts...

Here I am exiting the chicane. I'm chasing an Aprilia 50cc that I had trouble passing. Mostly because I have not passed anyone on a motorcycle in about a year.

I took some time to set him up before handily low-siding in turn three with a poorly timed outside-inside move that left me at full lean with a chopped throttle. Basically, the other rider was still there when I went to cut inside and I had nothing to do but close the throttle, which tucked the front and put me on my shoulder. I slid about 3 feet, picked up the bike and rode away.

Pictures from Overseas

2006-05-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to Snapfish and some pictures that were taken overseas. The track shots were supplied to me by a professional photographer from Belgium, the rest were taken by me, Yves or his girlfriend Susie.

The Photos.

The link may or may not work, someone let me know...

Assen: Race Day

2006-04-17T05:02:00.000-05:00

Clear skies, a little wind and chilly temperatures are a welcome sight compared for teams competing in Holland at the Assen circuit. There's no rain in sight and should be clearing for sun this afternoon, so things should be looking rather pleasant very soon.

Pictures.

Heathrow

2006-04-13T05:07:00.000-05:00

I'm posting this from Heathrow and only have 2:35 remaining on the pound coin I put in the machine. Anyway, its 11AM here and my flight to Brussels leaves in just over 1 hour. So far so good, I slept great on the flight over and feel pretty zippy for the time my body thinks it should be... I guess I've been on Euro time for awhile?

Anyway, time to run. Only 1:20 left on the machine....

Climbing

2006-04-11T11:58:00.000-05:00

Rock Gal and I went climbing on Sunday (a few days ago now) and despite my lack of energy about half way through, we both had a great day with some break throughs for each of us.

Rock Gal has discovered that by getting on the smallest, crimpiest and most shit-for-slopers route in the gym she has convinced her psyche that anything large enough to actually put your hand on in later climbs is quite easy. She hopped on a climb on the slab that, as far as I could tell, was covered with holds roughly the size of pencil erasers. While it took quite a bit of effort and heart, she masterfully crept up the route and made some killer moves along the way.

Later, on a route that would normally give her pause and a reason for a take or two, she blasted up like it was nothing. Awesome. She makes me so proud, and full of awe! Basically, having been on all the small stuff, the larger slopers and mid-sized crimpers were a piece of cake. Every hold that had given her pause before was now a bomber hold that required less effort and did not destroy her confidence. What a woman!

As for me... I got to the gym and did a couple of routes but got tired, real tired, very quickly. I nearly fell asleep on the mats and did not foresee myself doing any more climbs. Until... I got a second wind and decided to jump on my favorite route while she waited for one to open up. I flashed up with what Rock Gal tells me was great technique and a flash of confidence. Backsteps and hand placements were more simple, things moved more fluidly and the moves just felt as though they needed to happen. After that I did two more routes (after she motored up a couple of tough ones) and felt tired but good. I wasn't sure were the energy had come from though. Was it the Clif Bar? Who knows. But those last two climbs were pretty smooth and only required one take, as I'd never been on one of the routes before that afternoon.

I'm glad I felt good up there, and I'm moving with more precise footwork.

World Endurance: Preview

2006-04-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

Check it out! The World Endurance Championship is slated for broadcast and highlights on MotorTV so you can all check out the action from 2005 and get an idea of why I am going across the pond. Highlight videos are 26 minutes in length and run within the browser so they should work for Mac & PC.

MotorTV will also be showing reviews of the 2006 Assen and Le Mans round a week late, so be sure and check back for coverage of the race. And, who knows, I might get a few second of air time from pit lane.

Also be sure and check out the Official Le Mans website for live Webcams, time & scoring as well as photographs from the paddock, pit and track all weekend. You might also look in on Eurosport for live streaming radio coverage from the 24H on April 22/23.

I'll also be posting (hopefully) press releases and information to Motorsport.com during both rounds, but much of that is going to depend on my Internet access at the tracks, as well as time!

Inching Closer

2006-04-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

Had an Email from Hans today detailing internet access at Le Mans. Apparently, they charge for WiFi there, which I should have anticipated. Its 98 Euros for a full week of access, but I don't mind. I need the access enable to send updates to Motorsport.com and will be using it plenty both at night posting pictures and such for friends & family so it is well worth the hundred or so dollars for connectivity. No word on Assen, so maybe it is free...

Everything else is going smoothly and packing started last night. Rock Gal and EOC geeked out about her new Osprey backpack last night while I counted socks and underwear. I was dead tired from a great afternoon of climbing at Summit, but by the time I'd organized and gotten in bed (11PM) I couldn't sleep. It was not anxiety about the trip, it was iced tea from Alfredo's!

Speaking of caffeine (if that's how you spell it) I just downed a Red Bull. I'm hoping it will offset 3 hours of sleep on the couch. The bed was just too hot. No fault of Rock Gal's, the bedroom is just 5 degrees warmer than the living room and that's enough to crap out my ability to sleep. I can the Red Bull now.

Jinkies.

BSB

2006-04-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture for you. British Superbike series at Cadwell Park.

Two days and counting. The nerves are starting to set in a little, but its all good.

Pondering Possible Press Publications Profoundly Perplexing.

2006-04-01T16:33:00.000-06:00

Having my project rejected by Roadracing World on Friday, I was feeling a little discouraged. John Ulrich is one of the most open editors to new content and new types of stories, so getting a no from them is a little more of a hit. However, having spoken with Bill and Rock Gal, I'm starting to feel a bit better.

Bill suggested that by establishing strong contacts in 2006, and maintaining those ties through the year, we might find a way to bring a rider to the series in 2007. He hinted at someone with "fewer ties and commitments, someone like John Haner" and I think that's a neat idea. Assisting the orchestration of such a project would be pretty exciting and rewarding, to say the least.

Given my present goals however, I just sent the following letter to three of the top UK magazines.

(Addressed to X magazine),
As an American freelance writer it is not often that I get the chance to cover something truly special. However, I am traveling to Europe mid-April to join Primo Racing as a volunteer mechanic on their World Endurance Championship team at the first two rounds of the 2006 championship season. I am arriving in Brussels just in time to join the team on their drive to The Netherlands to take part in the Assen 500K before we make the trek to Le Mans for the 24 Hour Moto event.

I would like to offer (magazine X) a(n exclusive) story covering the event from inside a private team, Primo Racing, at both rounds of the championship. I will be traveling, eating, sleeping and working with the team for over two weeks, the extent of my available holiday time from my employer here in the States. To further this project I have been in touch with many other teams and have been granted interviews with other concerns competing in the championship. Diablo666 and Terry Rymer have invited me to their pit for several interviews, as have their sister team Bolliger. PhaseOne and Shell Advance have also been in contact, and many other possibilities are presenting themselves daily. On top of this, FGSport have granted me full press credentials at both Assen and Le Mans, and access to professional photographers will be excessive as series photographer Martin Gelder has been in touch to offer such an opportunity. Seeing as how I will likely be the only American in the paddock at both rounds, Roger Bennett at Eurosport has contacted me regarding several on-air interviews over Eurosport's radio broadcast during the Le Mans 24H event, an opportunity that is certainly perfect for the mention of a certain magazine for which I could be providing an exciting and engaging story!

If you would enjoy seeing exclusive content from both rounds of the Championship and an insider's view of the World Endurance Championship, as well as interviews with the principals and riders of many top teams, please contact me. I will be in Europe from 12 of April through the 28 of April and also plan on visiting Spa and the Nurburgring aboard a Suzuki GS1200 on loan from Primo Racing after the Le Mans event. I will have my cell phone with me in Europe, but email is probably the most efficient means of contacting me. Your time and attention are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Greg Sampson
http://gresam.blogspot.com/

The middle paragraph is a bit long and perhaps awkward as such, but there's nothing I can do about it now. With the email now sent to Bike, Performance Bikes and Motorcycle Racer I am left to simply wait for a response, which will hopefully be favorable.

I also sent messages to RubberMag and Crash, two internet based racing news organizations. I will also likely contact Motorsport with content, but they are a small concern and won't have a budget to pay me. Still, it could be a publication and at this point, that is about all that matters.

Outside of motorsport rags I have also written to Budget Travel and another travel rag that I've forgotten... I don't expect responses from either as they tend to concentrate on beach/cruises and outdoor/natural activities respectively. My next hits will be the AMA magazine and AA's in-flight rag, though I'm not too keen on either of those as real opportunities.

I suppose we'll see what happens. With luck I'll find some new contacts while in the press centers at both events. That, alone, could provide me with some serious clout given that I can gain a rapport with people solidly in the business.

On the home front, I have also attempted to contact Jason Pridmore through the Star School website (he rode for PhaseOne back in 2003) and am trying to get in contact with Joe Prussiano, David Estock and Michael Barnes via a variety of message boards from WERA and CCS. It has not been easy.

How else can I open doors?

14 Days and Counting

2006-03-29T09:34:00.000-06:00

I just got this email from Hans

Greg,
There is plenty to do so we will find you a proper job in the team.
I spoke whit a Belgian photograph and he is willing to provide you whit proper pictures .
I am sure you are go to have a great time over here.
We all looking forward to see you .
I all so find you a ride for the days after the races a Suzuki gs 1200 so you can visit Nurburgring and Spa.
The day you arrive is the day we leave for Assen so I pick you op at the airport bring you to my home and we leave .

Sorry i don't have any pictures off my without a helmet ,

HANZZI

I guess I'll be packing all of my riding gear.

FIM & ACO Press Releases

2006-03-29T08:33:00.000-06:00

Press Release from the F.I.M. concerning the Assen 500K, Easter Monday.

Press Release from the A.C.O., the organizing body for the Le Mans 24H Moto race.

I was talking to Weeble last night and she made a good point that, among other things, has not sunk in yet: Exactly one month ago, this whole trip to Europe had just come on my radar as a pipe dream. I did not have a passport, I did not know anyone living in Europe and I had no contacts at the FIM or ACO. As of yesterday, I will be attending the first two rounds of the WEC as a mechanic, volunteering for a Belgian concern. I will be fully press credentialed at both races and have access to numerous team managers and riders in the paddock. I have also been contacted by Eurosport for an on-air interview at Le Mans and will likely meet a lot of people from the organizing bodies that I can interview.

One month ago, and up until two weeks ago, I did not have airfare to Europe, let alone a US Passport. Now I am preparing to fly overseas to meet, for the first time, a team of 15 racers and mechanics with whom I shall spend 2.5 weeks on the road racing in The Netherlands and France. My only contact with the team has been a handful of emails and a single phone call. To top it all off, I'm not concerned in the least with the trip and barely have a grasp on what is about to take place.