Yesterday by the time I got home from work I was seething. I had discussed an issue with my boss and about an hour or so later that exact issue came up and, once again, I received no backup. I now have zero power when it comes to disciplining a certain segment of the students I work with. When I got I knew what I had to do...go for a bike ride. I geared up and hit the road. It was under a leaden sky with temps about 43 and misting...oh and the usual wind. About five minutes into my ride I had decided to quit as of the end of the day Thursday. Another ten minutes and I was going to think about it over the weekend but spend Thursday after school looking for another job. By the time I turned around to head home, thirty-five minutes into the ride, I had decided to stick with it and just do the job the best I can and if 11.12 and 13 year olds laugh at me because they know I have no power and that nothing will happen if I write them up, then so be it. It was funny because I was so angry the first half of the ride that I was on auto pilot and on the way back kept thinking "I don't remember riding past that house" or farm or truck, etc.!
I learned the power of a ride or a run at a young age. There is nothing better then a ride or run when you are angry or frustrated. I have always told the teams I have coached that we, as athletes, have a gift in that for an hour, 30 minutes, two hours, whatever, can put everything aside and just focus on pushing ourselves. We can take out that anger in a productive and healthy way. I don't ever remember seeing that one of these people who shot up a school or a McDonalds or a mall, etc. where athletes. Now, don't get me wrong, athletes do bad things I just think we have a chance to get our anger out in healthy ways. I can't tell you how often I have been mad at my dad,brother, friends,girlfriend, wife, boss, teacher, etc. and went for a run or a ride and felt 100 times better afterward. I think it's a combination of the endorphins released during exercise and the time you get to think about things. I have also solved many a problem during a run or ride. I think the world would be a better place if everyone ran or rode.
Craft base layers are great! I have some money put aside for cycling this season and, with two races canceled I decided to use some of that money to get some new base layers. I found some great deals on products by Craft and went for it. I got two, one for warm weather and one for cold weather. The warm weather one is the Craft Pro Cool Sleeveless. The pros use base layers like this in the summer for three reasons: 1) Wicking sweat 2) The way the fibers are stitched it is supposed to help air flow around your body and keep you cool 3) The extra layer give the jersey something to slide against in a crash rather then against your skin. It is very comfortable and felt good on a relatively warm ride. The cold weather on is the Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper. This one has a nice warm fiber that wicks sweat, is long sleeved and has a windstopper layer on the chest and shoulders. I wore it yesterday in 43 degree, windy and misty weather with just a light long sleeved jersey and a light rain jacket and it was perfect. I highly recommend Craft baselayers. (Craft should be sending me all kinds of free gear after that endorsement!)
On my way in to school today I was listening to "First Wave" the 80's alternative station on XM. They played Howard Jones "No One Is To Blame" and it got me thinking about how many 80's songs had backing vocals by stars. Phil Collins did the backing vocals on that song, the guys from The Hooters did backing vocals on "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, Don Henley on Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" to name a few. The only credit they got was in the liner notes and they just did the background stuff. Today if another star is on a song, they have to have a solo spot and must get credit such as "Band Name featuring, Solo Singer." I thought the 80's were the decade of greed?!?!?!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Birthdays and the Sherman Park Criterium.
Howdy, it's time for another installment of my blog. First off let me say thanks for reading my blog. The last time I tried this I think I had something like 15 total page views for my first three posts, I have had more then that for each posting this time. I even have some international readers (or people using proxies outside the US), with 2 from Canada, 2 from Singapore and 1 from Germany. I guess I am sort of like David Hasselhoff, now I just need the electric light suit like he had when he sang on the Berlin wall when it was coming down!
Let's get to the giant elephant in the room right away and not dance around it...my birthday. Yes, my birthday is on Thursday. This is probably the most I have said about my birthday since high school. I tend to keep things quiet and have always preferred to spend my birthday by myself. It is my birthday. My favorite birthday was probably while I was at UofL and it was Easter Sunday. I went to the Louisville Redbirds game on a sunny and warm day, got a seat just beyond first base and enjoyed the baseball with a beer and a steak sandwich all by myself. What a great day. This birthday I am turning the big four-oh. I still can't believe it, but not in a "Oh, my God, I am so old" kind of way. I just don't feel like I am 40. I don't look 40. I certainly don't act or dress like I am 40. High school doesn't seem like it's 22 years ago. When I see "39" next to my name when I register for bike races, my first thought is that I am not 39 but I am 29. I certainly don't feel physically old, though once in a while I do a race or play hockey or something strenuous and it takes an extra day to recover, but that is the closest I feel to being my real age. Last night I was looking at bike race schedules and was looking at different races in or around St. Louis to plan our next visit around and saw the Show-Me State Games. I looked at the info page to see if I could race even though I am an Indiana resident and saw that they do it by age groups and that I am back to being the youngest in my age group...40-44!
This past Saturday I raced in the Sherman Park Criterium and it was quite an experience! First of all Sherman Park is in the southwest part of the city of Chicago and is a pretty bad area. The park was built in 1905 and has a one mile oval paved road in it, that, supposedly, was built for bike racing, which was very big at the time. Looking at the Chicago Tribune Crime Database I found 62 crimes in Sherman Park in the past year. This is just in the park and not including the area around it. Most of the crimes were "drug abuse violations" but there was also a lot of "simple battery" and "larceny- theft." A great place to live and race! One of my teammates had a great morning in the Cat 5 races, finishing 3rd and 13th. The 3rd being his first podium ever. Then he went to his car after putting his bike in it and coming back to watch the races and found a brick and a broken window, but no bike. Keep in mind this occurred some time around noon on a sunny saturday with hundreds of bike racers in the area. Wait, that's not the worst of it. A rider on another team leaned his bike against the side of his car and then sat on the back to change his shoes (It was an Outback I believe) and someone walked up, jumped on his bike and stole it! Seriously! The guy was five feet away. I actually saw the person who stole it from a distance while I was going to see if my car was ok, so I gave a description of his clothes to the police. I hope I was able to help and that both of them get their bikes back. At that point I was going to go home, but one of my teammates saw me and asked if I had any spare jersey's for a couple of new riders (our team kit is not in yet, so the new guys don't have any team stuff). I did (I am a coach, so I always am over packed) so I stuck around for the Cat. 3 race. What a great decision that was! Our team had a great plan going in and we took the win. A breakaway got away and built a nearly insurmountable lead and then our rider pulled a Cancellara and just rode away from the guys in the break. It was epic! My race on the other hand was not. I warmed up on the trainer and was feeling good, but in getting my bike off the trainer I must have bumped the break because on the warmup lap I was pushing way to hard and going nowhere. I finally stopped and readjusted it, hoping I would not be late to the start, and my carbon Psimet rim smelled like it was burning...not good. I decided to start near the back for two reasons: a) I was late because of the brake issue and b) My legs were already feeling it, so I figured I could take a lap or two to warmup up without being an issue. I was a bit nervous because the races prior to mine had been a crash fest and I don't get to ride in groups much since I am the only bike racer in my small town (or serious rider for that matter). The road the race was on was an oval, so there were none of your typical criterium 90 degree turns, but it was in awful shape. Potholes, gravel and even one giant lump were all over the course. The race started and things felt ok, I even thought about moving up, but decided to conserve and get to know the dangers of the course. One thing I had going for me is that I train on farm roads so they very often have dirt,gravel and potholes, so I know how to ride over them without freaking out or swerving all over. As you hit rough terrain you loosen up the grip and arms and rise slightly out of the saddle. This helps to absorb the bumps and prevent you from being too stiff and flying all over. If you see an obstacle while in a group you simply ride over it or make a slight adjustment, if it is safe. Many people train on good roads year round and have no clue how to handle the bad ones...and it was showing in all the crashes. As I sat on the back feeling comfortable I kept seeing people getting shot out of the back of the peloton. We did not seem to be going to fast but people were dying left and right. Suddenly ahead of me a rider went down. I was in the perfect spot to avoid the crash and to see the carnage happen. The first rider who went down was on the left center part of the road and it looked like everyone was going to make it around him...until he spun around when he hit the ground. A few others hit the deck and one guy on the opposite side suddenly flew off the road and crashed (I assume he simple freaked out and over adjusted). I grabbed a handful of brake, but just enough to get by the crash with some momentum. As I went by I saw one teammate on the deck, one standing on the side and one getting back to speed asking if the one standing was ok. A split in the field occurred and I put my head down trying to get back on to the second group. A glance back showed one of my stronger teammates was on my wheel, so made it my mission to get him back as far as I could. We got to the second group (of three, I think) and he came around, so I stood up to jump on his wheel and...my rear derailleur ghost shifted! Shit! Ghost shifting is when the rear derailleur starts shifting on it's own, usually when pressure is put on the pedals. It's not a lot of fun and usually means your race or hard training is done until it can be fixed. I kept going but it just kept shifting all over. I tried adjusting the barrel adjusters but it did not help and I was losing ground. Eventually I dropped out when it was obvious the main pack was going to lap me. That was my first DNF in bike racing ever (well, sort of, last year I crashed in Michigan, but finished with a flat tire and some minor road rash, ahead of some of the field but they called me a DNF, but I know better! My teammate who was on the ground separated his shoulder, the one standing had a ruined rear wheel and another was in a later crash and has some wicked road rash in a place that makes him wish he had a job where he could stand up most of the day! It would have been a really bad day, based on my race, had I not helped out the two guys with stolen bikes, helped my teammate get back into the race (where he finished 4th) and loaned a jersey to a new teammate who helped our team take the Cat. 3 win.
Well, that's all folks.
Let's get to the giant elephant in the room right away and not dance around it...my birthday. Yes, my birthday is on Thursday. This is probably the most I have said about my birthday since high school. I tend to keep things quiet and have always preferred to spend my birthday by myself. It is my birthday. My favorite birthday was probably while I was at UofL and it was Easter Sunday. I went to the Louisville Redbirds game on a sunny and warm day, got a seat just beyond first base and enjoyed the baseball with a beer and a steak sandwich all by myself. What a great day. This birthday I am turning the big four-oh. I still can't believe it, but not in a "Oh, my God, I am so old" kind of way. I just don't feel like I am 40. I don't look 40. I certainly don't act or dress like I am 40. High school doesn't seem like it's 22 years ago. When I see "39" next to my name when I register for bike races, my first thought is that I am not 39 but I am 29. I certainly don't feel physically old, though once in a while I do a race or play hockey or something strenuous and it takes an extra day to recover, but that is the closest I feel to being my real age. Last night I was looking at bike race schedules and was looking at different races in or around St. Louis to plan our next visit around and saw the Show-Me State Games. I looked at the info page to see if I could race even though I am an Indiana resident and saw that they do it by age groups and that I am back to being the youngest in my age group...40-44!
This past Saturday I raced in the Sherman Park Criterium and it was quite an experience! First of all Sherman Park is in the southwest part of the city of Chicago and is a pretty bad area. The park was built in 1905 and has a one mile oval paved road in it, that, supposedly, was built for bike racing, which was very big at the time. Looking at the Chicago Tribune Crime Database I found 62 crimes in Sherman Park in the past year. This is just in the park and not including the area around it. Most of the crimes were "drug abuse violations" but there was also a lot of "simple battery" and "larceny- theft." A great place to live and race! One of my teammates had a great morning in the Cat 5 races, finishing 3rd and 13th. The 3rd being his first podium ever. Then he went to his car after putting his bike in it and coming back to watch the races and found a brick and a broken window, but no bike. Keep in mind this occurred some time around noon on a sunny saturday with hundreds of bike racers in the area. Wait, that's not the worst of it. A rider on another team leaned his bike against the side of his car and then sat on the back to change his shoes (It was an Outback I believe) and someone walked up, jumped on his bike and stole it! Seriously! The guy was five feet away. I actually saw the person who stole it from a distance while I was going to see if my car was ok, so I gave a description of his clothes to the police. I hope I was able to help and that both of them get their bikes back. At that point I was going to go home, but one of my teammates saw me and asked if I had any spare jersey's for a couple of new riders (our team kit is not in yet, so the new guys don't have any team stuff). I did (I am a coach, so I always am over packed) so I stuck around for the Cat. 3 race. What a great decision that was! Our team had a great plan going in and we took the win. A breakaway got away and built a nearly insurmountable lead and then our rider pulled a Cancellara and just rode away from the guys in the break. It was epic! My race on the other hand was not. I warmed up on the trainer and was feeling good, but in getting my bike off the trainer I must have bumped the break because on the warmup lap I was pushing way to hard and going nowhere. I finally stopped and readjusted it, hoping I would not be late to the start, and my carbon Psimet rim smelled like it was burning...not good. I decided to start near the back for two reasons: a) I was late because of the brake issue and b) My legs were already feeling it, so I figured I could take a lap or two to warmup up without being an issue. I was a bit nervous because the races prior to mine had been a crash fest and I don't get to ride in groups much since I am the only bike racer in my small town (or serious rider for that matter). The road the race was on was an oval, so there were none of your typical criterium 90 degree turns, but it was in awful shape. Potholes, gravel and even one giant lump were all over the course. The race started and things felt ok, I even thought about moving up, but decided to conserve and get to know the dangers of the course. One thing I had going for me is that I train on farm roads so they very often have dirt,gravel and potholes, so I know how to ride over them without freaking out or swerving all over. As you hit rough terrain you loosen up the grip and arms and rise slightly out of the saddle. This helps to absorb the bumps and prevent you from being too stiff and flying all over. If you see an obstacle while in a group you simply ride over it or make a slight adjustment, if it is safe. Many people train on good roads year round and have no clue how to handle the bad ones...and it was showing in all the crashes. As I sat on the back feeling comfortable I kept seeing people getting shot out of the back of the peloton. We did not seem to be going to fast but people were dying left and right. Suddenly ahead of me a rider went down. I was in the perfect spot to avoid the crash and to see the carnage happen. The first rider who went down was on the left center part of the road and it looked like everyone was going to make it around him...until he spun around when he hit the ground. A few others hit the deck and one guy on the opposite side suddenly flew off the road and crashed (I assume he simple freaked out and over adjusted). I grabbed a handful of brake, but just enough to get by the crash with some momentum. As I went by I saw one teammate on the deck, one standing on the side and one getting back to speed asking if the one standing was ok. A split in the field occurred and I put my head down trying to get back on to the second group. A glance back showed one of my stronger teammates was on my wheel, so made it my mission to get him back as far as I could. We got to the second group (of three, I think) and he came around, so I stood up to jump on his wheel and...my rear derailleur ghost shifted! Shit! Ghost shifting is when the rear derailleur starts shifting on it's own, usually when pressure is put on the pedals. It's not a lot of fun and usually means your race or hard training is done until it can be fixed. I kept going but it just kept shifting all over. I tried adjusting the barrel adjusters but it did not help and I was losing ground. Eventually I dropped out when it was obvious the main pack was going to lap me. That was my first DNF in bike racing ever (well, sort of, last year I crashed in Michigan, but finished with a flat tire and some minor road rash, ahead of some of the field but they called me a DNF, but I know better! My teammate who was on the ground separated his shoulder, the one standing had a ruined rear wheel and another was in a later crash and has some wicked road rash in a place that makes him wish he had a job where he could stand up most of the day! It would have been a really bad day, based on my race, had I not helped out the two guys with stolen bikes, helped my teammate get back into the race (where he finished 4th) and loaned a jersey to a new teammate who helped our team take the Cat. 3 win.
Well, that's all folks.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
iTunes Shuffle
When I started this blog I had the idea of writing about music as well as whatever popped into my head. I am watching American Idol, well watching JP dance to the music and thought I would do an iTunes shuffle and write about each song that comes on. Prepare for an eclectic mix of music and a view into how much music is a part of my life and memories.
1) Vital Signs by Rush from Live In Rio- Possibly the only song I will write about that does not immediately bring to mind a memory. The big things for me on this song are the way the keyboards come in to start the song sets a rhythmic tone for the whole song, but does not assault you with really dated 80's synth. Then Alex kicks in with a guitar that keeps that driving rhythm moving without blowing you out. As usual Neil sets the tone on the drums, helping maintain that rhythm while adding something almost bordering on funky at times.
2) Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran from Rio- This song takes me back to junior high school as it peaked on the Billboard chart in March of 1983 (when I was about to turn 11!). It actually was released in May of 1982 and the B side of the single was a live version of "Careless Memories." Duran Duran sort of changed music being the first band to really break due to MTV (remember when the played music videos). They were good looking guys, dressed well and made great videos. All the girls loved them, but the big memory I have is how awkward it seems being 11 or 12 in a car with your dad listening to a song with a girl moaning like she is having an orgasm!
3) River City Sunday by PM- A great St. Louis band that never made it big. The band actually brings back a lot of memories, but this song only brings back memories of coming home from college and singing it to myself as I drove across the river into St. Louis.
4) One Tree Hill by U2 from The Joshua Tree- When U2 made this album it was supposed to be their version of America and One Tree Hill really feels like driving through open spaces and small towns in the southwest. It has that guitar that seems to blend into the whole song and makes The Edge seem like he is not a very good guitarist, but when you really listen to the guitar you realize what a master he is.
5) On The Loose by Saga from Worlds Apart- A truly 80's song, with some serious synth running through it, a driving bass and drum line with that crunchy 80's rock guitar sound flowing through it. With the exception of the solo that goes guitar, keyboard, both, guitar, keyboard, both, it is a very typical 80's rock song. Saga was a good but very unheralded band.
6) Paul Revere by The Beastie Boys from Licensed To Ill- Ahhh, rap by four white, Jewish guys, from a time when white kids didn't listen to rap...how the world has changed. Humorous tale, not just about how awesome the MC is or how gangsta he is. The music is very simple but brings the rhymes. I remember listening to License To Ill with Emory Jackson after I got the cassette (remember those) from Dave Kendrick. We always cracked up at the Whiffle Ball bat line. It was rap, it was fun and it opened up other people not thinking we were crazy listening to stuff like Public Enemy or NWA.
7) Hungry For You by The Police from Ghost In The Machine- Ghost was the first record (remember those!) I ever bought and it was purchased from Styx, Baer & Fuller at Chesterfield Mall back when they had a music department in the lower level. I loved all songs by The Police, but I really loved the parts in French, it was fun to sing in another language and have people wonder.
8) Stairs by INXS from Kick- What a great band INXS was (sorry without Michael Hutchence it's just not the same), they were the biggest band in the world for a time kind of bridging the gap between The Police and U2. Their music always felt like it was just a step ahead of what everyone else was doing and Stairs is no exception, a driving bass beat, an almost Latin drum beat, guitars sort of hiding in the background and Michael exuding sexuality. It builds from the start seeming to kind of float into the speakers and keep getting bigger and bigger until the chorus comes in and melts away. Then the guitar solo comes in but in away that it does not carry the song away. Fantastic! The lyrics aren't lacking compared to the music either. A small selection: "The nature of your tragedy ,Is chained around your neck ,Do you lead or are you led ,Are U sure that you don't car"
9) Boys of Summer by Don Henley from Building The Perfect Beast- The first time I heard this song was on a bus heading to junior high. It was a snowy day, the bus was taking forever and Kelly Jones had his boombox in the back of the bus and played it for us in the back. A great drum/cymbal intro catches your attention while the music does not feel dated nearly 30 years later. As usual great lyrics by Don Henley. What guy of the right age does not hear this song and think of girls with tan skin glistening in the sun and cool summer nights with friends.
10) Blister In The Sun by The Violent Femmes- Just an absolutely fun song! I remember Amy something or other singing this song in Algebra class in high school with the volleyball coach (darn if I can't remember her name). It also reminds me of a great movie Grosse Pointe Blank. This is a song that really catches you and gets into you, you are either dead or have had a funectomy if it doesn't. How you can one resist the clapping beat and the dropping to a whisper and bursting out into full voice?!?!?!
1) Vital Signs by Rush from Live In Rio- Possibly the only song I will write about that does not immediately bring to mind a memory. The big things for me on this song are the way the keyboards come in to start the song sets a rhythmic tone for the whole song, but does not assault you with really dated 80's synth. Then Alex kicks in with a guitar that keeps that driving rhythm moving without blowing you out. As usual Neil sets the tone on the drums, helping maintain that rhythm while adding something almost bordering on funky at times.
2) Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran from Rio- This song takes me back to junior high school as it peaked on the Billboard chart in March of 1983 (when I was about to turn 11!). It actually was released in May of 1982 and the B side of the single was a live version of "Careless Memories." Duran Duran sort of changed music being the first band to really break due to MTV (remember when the played music videos). They were good looking guys, dressed well and made great videos. All the girls loved them, but the big memory I have is how awkward it seems being 11 or 12 in a car with your dad listening to a song with a girl moaning like she is having an orgasm!
3) River City Sunday by PM- A great St. Louis band that never made it big. The band actually brings back a lot of memories, but this song only brings back memories of coming home from college and singing it to myself as I drove across the river into St. Louis.
4) One Tree Hill by U2 from The Joshua Tree- When U2 made this album it was supposed to be their version of America and One Tree Hill really feels like driving through open spaces and small towns in the southwest. It has that guitar that seems to blend into the whole song and makes The Edge seem like he is not a very good guitarist, but when you really listen to the guitar you realize what a master he is.
5) On The Loose by Saga from Worlds Apart- A truly 80's song, with some serious synth running through it, a driving bass and drum line with that crunchy 80's rock guitar sound flowing through it. With the exception of the solo that goes guitar, keyboard, both, guitar, keyboard, both, it is a very typical 80's rock song. Saga was a good but very unheralded band.
6) Paul Revere by The Beastie Boys from Licensed To Ill- Ahhh, rap by four white, Jewish guys, from a time when white kids didn't listen to rap...how the world has changed. Humorous tale, not just about how awesome the MC is or how gangsta he is. The music is very simple but brings the rhymes. I remember listening to License To Ill with Emory Jackson after I got the cassette (remember those) from Dave Kendrick. We always cracked up at the Whiffle Ball bat line. It was rap, it was fun and it opened up other people not thinking we were crazy listening to stuff like Public Enemy or NWA.
7) Hungry For You by The Police from Ghost In The Machine- Ghost was the first record (remember those!) I ever bought and it was purchased from Styx, Baer & Fuller at Chesterfield Mall back when they had a music department in the lower level. I loved all songs by The Police, but I really loved the parts in French, it was fun to sing in another language and have people wonder.
8) Stairs by INXS from Kick- What a great band INXS was (sorry without Michael Hutchence it's just not the same), they were the biggest band in the world for a time kind of bridging the gap between The Police and U2. Their music always felt like it was just a step ahead of what everyone else was doing and Stairs is no exception, a driving bass beat, an almost Latin drum beat, guitars sort of hiding in the background and Michael exuding sexuality. It builds from the start seeming to kind of float into the speakers and keep getting bigger and bigger until the chorus comes in and melts away. Then the guitar solo comes in but in away that it does not carry the song away. Fantastic! The lyrics aren't lacking compared to the music either. A small selection: "The nature of your tragedy ,Is chained around your neck ,Do you lead or are you led ,Are U sure that you don't car"
9) Boys of Summer by Don Henley from Building The Perfect Beast- The first time I heard this song was on a bus heading to junior high. It was a snowy day, the bus was taking forever and Kelly Jones had his boombox in the back of the bus and played it for us in the back. A great drum/cymbal intro catches your attention while the music does not feel dated nearly 30 years later. As usual great lyrics by Don Henley. What guy of the right age does not hear this song and think of girls with tan skin glistening in the sun and cool summer nights with friends.
10) Blister In The Sun by The Violent Femmes- Just an absolutely fun song! I remember Amy something or other singing this song in Algebra class in high school with the volleyball coach (darn if I can't remember her name). It also reminds me of a great movie Grosse Pointe Blank. This is a song that really catches you and gets into you, you are either dead or have had a funectomy if it doesn't. How you can one resist the clapping beat and the dropping to a whisper and bursting out into full voice?!?!?!
Monday, April 4, 2011
World Readers/Frustration/The Wind/Debbie Gibson
You probably read the title of this post and thought...huh?!?!?! Of course, if you know me, then it probably would not surprise you.
Awaaaaay we go....
I was looking at the stats for this blog and am surprised at how many hits my blog has had. Right now it;s about 15 per post. I thought I would be lucky to get five. I also saw that I have had one hit from Germany and one from Canada. I wonder who those could be.
I went for a 40 mile ride on Saturday and averaged 16.1 mph. Sounds pretty bad doesn't it? It was an out and back and on the way back I averaged something like 22mph. Yes, the wind was so bad that I averaged about 13 mph into the head wind! I knew it was bad when I was going 12.5 mph and my power meter said I was pushing 300+ watts! This was supposed to be just a long medium paced ride, but I was wiped out from it. I actually took Sunday off rather then ride into a stronger wind. I need to write my "in-season" training plan now that we are the thick of things with potential races every weekend. I am planning on racing the Sherman Park Crit this weekend with my Psimet teammates, probably the Masters 30+ 4/5 race since it seems like more teammates are doing that one rather then the regular 4's race.
Well, the Blues have been eliminated from the playoff hunt. It's tough to miss the playoffs but it's obvious the Blues are on the right track. They have a ton of good, young talent and some solid veterans. A tweak here and there and they are going to be a very good team. The positive part of them not making the playoffs is two fold: A lot less worry/stress and more time just enjoying the great hockey in the playoffs. No disappointment when the Blues get knocked out. A side not on the Blues is that JP has become such a big fan that he says "Blues" whenever he sees my Blues calendar, when he sees them on TV (even a highlight or commercial) and even yesterday when I was playing Eastside Hockey Manager and their were only words and the Blues logo on the screen! He knows the Blues logo! I told you he was a smart kid.
I am so frustrated with this job search. For the second time I have had a phone "interview" and not heard anything back. This time it has been almost two weeks, last time it was three weeks and, when I called to ask about it, was told that they had sent me an email the day before. I still have yet to get an email, even one in my junk folder. I had another person call me, leave a message and when I called back to leave a message never bothered to call me back. Another company called to schedule an interview (local, temporary job), I told them my school schedule, when I could meet and could answer my phone, didn't hear anything for a week, then got a voice mail during school asking me to come in the next day at 10am...seriously?!?!?! That's ok, I would say at least 50% of the jobs I have applied for have not even sent a "thanks but no thanks" email or letter. I remember when professionalism was alive and well in America.
Occasionally I get on YouTube to look for a particular song or video and end up just goofing around for a while, looking up songs that pop into my head or searching for sound checks, acoustic versions, live versions, etc. Usually this starts with me looking for a particular video, Subdivisions by Rush, for instance and ends up with me watching videos of all kinds of music like 30 Seconds To Mars, Colin Hay, some talent show video, etc. The other night I found myself watching a Debbie Gibson video that was from a concert in 1988 (I started watching the video to "Closer To The Edge" by 30 Seconds To Mars). Yes, I do like Debbie Gibson, deal with it! Actually anyone who knows me knows I have extremely varied tastes in music, a mix playlist on my iPod is all over the place. Watching the video a few things struck me:
1) She can actually sing, unlike many of today's pop singers who sound awful live
2) Her outfit didn't show half of her ass or all of her cleavage, it was just stylish, not all about sex. Heck, she even put on a t-shirt in another video from the same concert, imagine today's artists doing that.
3) Her lyrics were not all about sex.
4) There was some choreographed dancing, but mostly just her doing her thing. It wasn't just a stage show.
5) She actually, wrote and produced most of her songs.
To end on a cute not, yesterday it was very warm so we let JP go outside on the patio and he cried when we brought him in, so we took him out and stayed outside for a while. It was so windy I was sure he was going to blow over a few times. I took him out front so he could walk around more and he took my hand and walked to the edge of the driveway. I stopped him and told him we don't walk into the street, so he turned and started heading down the sidewalk. When the sidewalk ended he turned into a driveway, walked to the end and stopped before the street...turned around and walked me back home. I am truly astonished and amazed at how smart he is and how quickly he picks things up. My one worry about getting a job is that I will be living away from him while the house is sold and I will miss out on all the new things he lears/figures out every day.
Have a great day and I hope the wind isn't as bad where you are as it is here!
Awaaaaay we go....
I was looking at the stats for this blog and am surprised at how many hits my blog has had. Right now it;s about 15 per post. I thought I would be lucky to get five. I also saw that I have had one hit from Germany and one from Canada. I wonder who those could be.
I went for a 40 mile ride on Saturday and averaged 16.1 mph. Sounds pretty bad doesn't it? It was an out and back and on the way back I averaged something like 22mph. Yes, the wind was so bad that I averaged about 13 mph into the head wind! I knew it was bad when I was going 12.5 mph and my power meter said I was pushing 300+ watts! This was supposed to be just a long medium paced ride, but I was wiped out from it. I actually took Sunday off rather then ride into a stronger wind. I need to write my "in-season" training plan now that we are the thick of things with potential races every weekend. I am planning on racing the Sherman Park Crit this weekend with my Psimet teammates, probably the Masters 30+ 4/5 race since it seems like more teammates are doing that one rather then the regular 4's race.
Well, the Blues have been eliminated from the playoff hunt. It's tough to miss the playoffs but it's obvious the Blues are on the right track. They have a ton of good, young talent and some solid veterans. A tweak here and there and they are going to be a very good team. The positive part of them not making the playoffs is two fold: A lot less worry/stress and more time just enjoying the great hockey in the playoffs. No disappointment when the Blues get knocked out. A side not on the Blues is that JP has become such a big fan that he says "Blues" whenever he sees my Blues calendar, when he sees them on TV (even a highlight or commercial) and even yesterday when I was playing Eastside Hockey Manager and their were only words and the Blues logo on the screen! He knows the Blues logo! I told you he was a smart kid.
I am so frustrated with this job search. For the second time I have had a phone "interview" and not heard anything back. This time it has been almost two weeks, last time it was three weeks and, when I called to ask about it, was told that they had sent me an email the day before. I still have yet to get an email, even one in my junk folder. I had another person call me, leave a message and when I called back to leave a message never bothered to call me back. Another company called to schedule an interview (local, temporary job), I told them my school schedule, when I could meet and could answer my phone, didn't hear anything for a week, then got a voice mail during school asking me to come in the next day at 10am...seriously?!?!?! That's ok, I would say at least 50% of the jobs I have applied for have not even sent a "thanks but no thanks" email or letter. I remember when professionalism was alive and well in America.
Occasionally I get on YouTube to look for a particular song or video and end up just goofing around for a while, looking up songs that pop into my head or searching for sound checks, acoustic versions, live versions, etc. Usually this starts with me looking for a particular video, Subdivisions by Rush, for instance and ends up with me watching videos of all kinds of music like 30 Seconds To Mars, Colin Hay, some talent show video, etc. The other night I found myself watching a Debbie Gibson video that was from a concert in 1988 (I started watching the video to "Closer To The Edge" by 30 Seconds To Mars). Yes, I do like Debbie Gibson, deal with it! Actually anyone who knows me knows I have extremely varied tastes in music, a mix playlist on my iPod is all over the place. Watching the video a few things struck me:
1) She can actually sing, unlike many of today's pop singers who sound awful live
2) Her outfit didn't show half of her ass or all of her cleavage, it was just stylish, not all about sex. Heck, she even put on a t-shirt in another video from the same concert, imagine today's artists doing that.
3) Her lyrics were not all about sex.
4) There was some choreographed dancing, but mostly just her doing her thing. It wasn't just a stage show.
5) She actually, wrote and produced most of her songs.
To end on a cute not, yesterday it was very warm so we let JP go outside on the patio and he cried when we brought him in, so we took him out and stayed outside for a while. It was so windy I was sure he was going to blow over a few times. I took him out front so he could walk around more and he took my hand and walked to the edge of the driveway. I stopped him and told him we don't walk into the street, so he turned and started heading down the sidewalk. When the sidewalk ended he turned into a driveway, walked to the end and stopped before the street...turned around and walked me back home. I am truly astonished and amazed at how smart he is and how quickly he picks things up. My one worry about getting a job is that I will be living away from him while the house is sold and I will miss out on all the new things he lears/figures out every day.
Have a great day and I hope the wind isn't as bad where you are as it is here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)