Makin' Up for the Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

For a treat that's a lot better for you than the bacon cinnamon rolls from the other day, try this. It's a half-ass attempt of the Thai apple salad I get at the restaurant (Lamai's Thai Kitchen) down the street.

Mix,
the juice from 2 limes
about a table spoon of sesame oil
around a table spoon of peanut butter
a couple teaspoons of sugar
and a teaspoon or so of soy sauce

I don't measure things. Anyway mix those up you might want to microwave it for 15 minutes to get the peanut butter to mix.

Then Julienne 2 or 3 Granny Smith apples, 3 or 4 celery stalks, a quarter of a red onion. Chop a cup or so of cilantro and smash a palm full of peanuts. Combine all these in a bowl and dump the dressing over it. It tastes good right away but if you let it sit for a couple hours (and your celery was jullienned into thin pieces) the celery will absorb the dressing making it even better.

This is where I would post a picture of the dish if it could've lasted long enough for a picture.

It's great as a snack, I like it for breakfast but it's probably at it's best following a spicy Thai meal.

It's Started

Last night, during the Red Wings intermission, I dusted off the Bowflex and got started. They say the first step is always the hardest. I'm pretty sure "they" lied. The second step, the one that got me out of bed this morning was much harder. My arms, chest, back, stomach, etc, etc are in some pain. I enjoy strength training but it's not something I usually do during the riding season. That's probably going to have to change from now on. I lost too much stength since last winter. It was truly pathetic. Oh well, I'm in pain but it's a good pain. Right?

This morning we took the dogs to the park. It's not really much of a workot but at least it was outside.









Hopefully, I'll have the wheel back soon and I can get some trainer hours in.

It's Been Awhile

I'm not sure I've actually ridden a bike since my last post. Not exactly sure why. I've got my road wheel in to Spin Street Cycles to get fixed. Once it's back, I'm on the trainer. Last year I used the cyclocross bike on the trainer and didn't really seem to get as good a workout. Hopefully, having the road bike back will see an increase in intensity. If anyone is still looking to get me a Christmas present, I wouldn't mind getting Spinervals Competition 26.0 The Hardcore 100. 300+ minutes of training love.

Since I haven't been on the bike and the weight training machine is gathering dust, I had to let my nutrition go to hell, as well. I'm targeting 30 pounds that need to shed by mid-June. But before we get started with that, I'd like to share this interesting recipe I found. It's bacon cinnamon rolls. YUM!



http://bacontoday.com/bacon-cinnamon-rolls-o/

I'll be back with the positive news of my lost weight and increased fitness shortly. First I got to get some bacon.

Blog Refresh

I haven't been up to a whole lot lately. I thought if I didn't have anything interesting to add, a least I could make the look interesting.

I'm just starting to get over a bad case of gout flare-up. Time to cut out the high fructose corn syrup. We've been Up North a few times since the last post. We had a nice time on the river and had some new visitors and guests. I've got a new project at work. I'm setting up a Microsoft Sharepoint Server pilot project. That should keep things interesting at work for awhile. I switched my schedule to 10 hour days Mon-Thu. It's been a little tough to adjust but the three day weekends rock.

That's it for now, I'll try and be better at this.

I Set the Goal ...

... and accomplished it! Even though it was arbitrary, I thought it was reasonable. When I set it, based on the results from last year's results, I thought if I accomplished it I would land a podium spot. It didn't work out that way. But the goal was tough and I'm proud I got 'er done.

Comfortable, Funcional and On Sale!

We had to stop by Playmakers to pick-up some nutritional items for tomorrow's race. Luckily, they were having a "sidewalk" sale. I found the best flip-flops (yes, better than John Kerry's) evah.


The little circular brown thingy is a cap. Each flip-flops sole has a flask. Portable tequila, yep, that's how I roll.

Speaking of comfortable, functional and on sale (does Art Vans ever not have a sale?) the new furniture was delivered today. Electric recliner, yep, that's how I roll, err, relax.



The 6 hours of Chris' recliner sounds more fun than the 6 Hours of Ithaca. But we'll be there rain or shine.

Bad Blogger

I know it’s been awhile, so I’ll try and catch you up. The new training plan is going pretty well. I had a small hiccup over the 4^th of July weekend. It seemed more convenient to hang-out and drink beer than train. It’s OK, we had a good time. We got the kayaks out for the first time in along time. The weekend of the 4^th isn’t the most ideal time to paddle down the AuSable but it was nice getting out on the water.

I’ve had a few bike problems along the way. On a longer training ride I broke the release lever on the Rocky Mountain’s rear shifter. I was just riding along, I swear. With a broken release lever you can only shift into an easier gear, which was OK because it was suppose to be an easy ride. I figured I’d just single speed it for the rest of the training. Unfortunately, I kept fiddling with it and the gear became way too easy. So I started switching between the big and small ring up front. I ended up with such a bad chainline I got chainsuck so bad I had to break the chain to fix it. I gave-up and called it a day. While that was in the shop, I rode the Santa Cruz. Somewhere along the line something’s happened to the mechanics that bind the seat to the seatpost. No matter how hard I tighten it down, it still comes loose on while on the trail. It gets quite frustrating. One of these nights, when I have the energy, I plan on switching it with another post.

The Rocky is fixed, I had new shifter put on, I’ll warranty the others and have a spare set. It’s ready just in time for this weekend’s 6 Hours of Ithaca race. I have it as a C priority race. It’s more of a curiosity, than a priority. I set an arbitrary goal of 50 miles for the race. I’m not sure if it’s a reasonable goal because I haven’t ridden a bike for more than 6 hours in a long time, I’ve never raced a bike for that long and I haven’t been to Ithaca in years. Like I said it’s a curiosity. Being in Ithaca it’s a cheap way to see if I’d enjoy it. If I do, the 6 Hours of Drummond Island is on. It will also prove that training for next year’s Lumberjack 100 would be worthwhile.

Speaking of the Lumberjack, Andrea and I went up there this year to help out. I blogged it earlier. When we were up, we had the late shift at the aid station. So during the morning I got out and snapped some pictures. Michigan Sports and Fitness decided to use three of my shots for their July issue, one being the cover shot.

After this weekend’s race we have a TT coming-up the following weekend and then a trip Up North the weekend after that for some relaxation. Assuming I can arrange a relaxing weekend on the training plan.

Speaking of relaxing, we spent Friday afternoon shopping for furniture. That wasn’t relaxing but the electro-glide reclining couch and reclining chaise lounge will. It’s suppose to be delivered on Friday. I can’t wait, I’ve never had new furniture.

Well, I’m out. Hopefully it won’t take so long for the next update.

New Coach

I've hired USAC expert level coach David Grigsby to help me hold onto 2nd place in the CPS series. Should be fun to have a plan to focus on while out riding. Could be interesting with seven and a half hours of riding on the plan for the rest of the week and storms in the forecast every day.

I have on tap for tonight an hour and twenty minutes off-road with two simulated race starts and 5x3 minute hill climbs. Should be fun. Bring on the rain.

Going Forward

As much fun as it's all been, I'm glad it's finally over. The reception was a good time (check the pictures on Flickr), the food must have been pretty good because it went quick and the drinks we're, well, drinks so you know they were good. The wedding, reception, parties and everything were perfect, I wouldn't have missed them for the world, but it's time to get back to something that resembles normal.

So Sunday Andrea got to check out a new ride and we got to ride with Anne. It's been a long time since I'd ridden with her and it was big fun. Andrea and I spent the first half-hour or so cruising along in the rain (looking at the forecast that's going to become a normal thing I'm afraid). When Anne showed up the sky turned blue and we rode some slow, some easy, some technical and some fast. We closed out the evening with a stop at the club and a grocery marathon at Kroger.

It's Been A Really, Really Long Time

Sorry, I haven't been real motivated.

The Hanson Hills race, from what seems like a long time ago, was a bust. It was a race I should have finished high, I didn't. I wasn't feeling well and I couldn't eat or drink prior to the race. I did get the hole shot and stayed with the leaders for the first mile. I lost them mid way through the first hill. My heart spiked and I blew-up (better than threw-up which is what I wanted to do). The rest of the race was a struggle to keep turning the pedals over. I finished and that's the best I could do. Next year I'm targeting this race, I really like the trail.

We've had a couple nice rides out at Burchfield. Last week we had a trail day (evening) with a phenomenal turnout. It sure is a lot easier to maintain the trails when we have more help than work.

This past weekend Andrea and I went North for the Lumberjack 100. I spent the morning snapping pictures, then we helped out at an aid station. It was a great time, everyone was super nice. I hope I can race it next year, if I can't I'll be back to help.

Sunday we had a chapter picnic and poker run at Burchfield. It was a great event with another nice turnout. We raised some money and gave away some cool prizes.

We have the reception coming-up Friday. After that, it's back to training. Andrea needs to maintain her series lead and it would be nice if I could hold onto second in my division.

A Couple More Things

Click the Flickr link or box to the right for some more Key West photos, more still on the way. Click here and enter keywest for the password to see the professional wedding photos.

I was looking at the traffic sources for my blog and found a couple interesting Google searches that found their way here:

addison rose riding: could be fun, watch out for the prickers.
benefit of shoe trees: I guess they help dry wet shoes but I'm not really sure.

Like I Said ...

No rest for the weary. We headed up North this weekend. The weather was perfect, warm afternoons and cool nights. Rose (Andrea's mom), Scott and Ben (not the Key West Ben) came up, as well. We had some good camp fires, an awesome cookout and a couple great rides. Friday, around dusk, I went to check to make sure my marker flags were up at the driveway so Scott and Ben could find the place. On the way back a saw a small black bear hanging out around one of our ponds. It took off when it saw me but I still hustled back to camp.

Saturday we rode at Rifle River. It was our first time there, even though it's probably the closest trail to us. Not knowing the trail, we went through the hardest hilly part first. Looking at my Garmin's data it seems we climbed around a 1,000 feet over the first three miles. The trail flattened out nicely after that but we were a little gassed after the early workout. We ended up out on the trail for about three hours.



After our ride, we bathed in one of the local lakes. It was COLD but it felt good on the tired muscles. After a quick recovery chocolate milk we headed back for town and some grub. We found a good deal on prime rib and potatoes in Mio so we stopped there. After dinner Ben and I went to the club to watch the Wings crush the Pens.

Sunday, we headed to Grayling to scout Hanson Hills. It's the site of this Sunday's race. It's a great trail, it has lots of climbing but none of the extreme grades that we found at Rifle River or that seem prevalent downstate. We spent about an hour and a half tooling around before heading back toward camp.




We stopped at Scott's motel on the way through for a quick shower. Once back at camp, I fired up the grill for a nice tri-tip (a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin, also known as a Santa Maria steak). We added some homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad. We closed out the night with hobo pies and a rain shower.

I don't have any pictures but Andrea has posted some.

Monday was mostly a day of rest while watching the Wings clobber the Pens. Tuesday we had an MMBA Mid-State meeting. I'm once again chapter president.

Last night I finally bought a new lawn mower. My yard is just too rough for a reel mower. I unboxed, assembled, filled and mowed in the time it took to mow with the reel. Sorry greenies I need the power of petrol.

This weekend we're back up North. We're racing Sunday, it's our last scheduled race until the end of July.

... And We're Back

It was an awesome trip and a perfect wedding. We got to visit with friends and family, had a few cocktails, ate some great food and had a really fun time. No rest for the weary, however. The lawn is out of control, the house is a disaster area and the dogs are in need of much attention (although they must have a good time because they slept the full first two days they were home).

Once the lawn is mowed (not an easy task mowing two weeks worth of growth with a reel mower) and a wide enough path is cut through the house to safely escape, we're heading North. Because of the unusually high amount of snowfall this winter, it's been a long time since we've been up. I'm sure there's some work that needs to be done around there. We also need to pre-ride the Hanson Hills race course. It'd be nice to get the kayaks out but I'm sure the river is still really, really cold. Heck, the air is still really, really cold getting down near freezing at night.

We also still have to finalize the plans for the reception. It should be quite a bit easier than the wedding planning, seeing how everyone here is on Michigan instead of Key West "time." We're meeting with the DJ tonight and will meet with the "caterer" soon. I'm anticipating a very relaxing July.

I'll leave you with some random photos, there are more on the Flickr site and many more left to load.

We're Here

Well we finally made it. After a plane leaving an hour late, missing a connection and a 4 hour Atlanta layover we found paradise.



We saw a beautiful sunset on the plane on the way in. I didn't get a picture of that.



Our first stop was, naturally, Capt Tony's.



Ben was playin', bonus.



When Ben got too inebriated (he wasn't the only one) to play, we headed next door. I'm not sure what it's called but it use to be Bone Island Bob's.

(editor's note: The bar's name is the Drunken Parrot)



Key West beer pong! Their tables are a bit more narrow than the East Lansing tables.



From Key West with love, See Ya!

Defeat Without the Agony

Sunday was the Fort Custer Stampede, it's a good race on a fun trail I'm familiar with. Luckily, My fitness, skills and confidence are starting to come back. But I rode the race way, way too conservative. Something like a wild maverick pandering to a new base. I was on the new race bike for the first time, ever. I must have screwed-up something when I changed the grips over from the Superlight because the grip came loose early but it didn't end up being more than a minor distraction, much better than mass destruction. Because of the new bike, the upcoming trip (to the keys and down the aisle) I let my early-lead slip to the last entering the singletrack. I continued to be way to easy and polite for more than half the race. I finally got upset near the end and pored it on but ended up a day late and a dollar short. I still have 5 series races left with an optional sixth. As soon as we get back it'll be time to focus on becoming the front runner I'm capable of being.



24 hours from now (disregard the time on this blog, it's wrong) I'll be back in paradise.



I'm going to try and make some posts from down there but I'm not sure what we'll find for Internets connections.

The Shoe Tree

I saw this at the Detroit Free Press this afternoon.



It's only a few miles from our cabin. I don't know the story behind the tree. We usually tell new visitors that everyone throws them up there and the Amish come and pick-out the ones they like when they need a new pair.

Ouch!!!

So the plan was to run a 5k at the beginning and end of the season, without training, as a fitness gauge.

That was a stupid plan!

Sunday I "ran" the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. During the "run" I never really taxed my cardiovascular system so this is a poor gauge for aerobic fitness. I did tax some muscles in my leg I had forgotten all about. They were in a groove for the first mile and a half but then went on strike faster than a UAW member at a GM plant. My production line was shut down and my pace ground to a halt. I tried to recruit some "scab" muscles to fill-in for the striking "run" muscles that have been neglected for the past few decades. Unfortunately, my internal union struck a deal between the run muscles and cycle muscles and the cycle muscles wouldn't cross the line. In the end I was able to negotiate a temporary contract that allowed us to get to the finish line.

After the race I provided plenty of beer to both the run and cycle muscles, hoping they'd get drunk enough to forget the days activities and get back on board with the program. It didn't work. Both stayed on strike for the next two days, so I stayed in bed, on the couch or in the lazy chair. We finally reached an agreement to scrap the stupid plan. No more running without training. Everyone's back to happy again. Which is a good thing since we'll be in Key West in less than a week. Isn't it funny how these contract negations always get done just before everyone goes on vacation?




Next up, Fort Custer Stampede this Sunday. Followed by 10 days in paradise.

I don't necessarily condone what they're doing but you can't dispute the skill.



I'm sure glad I don't have to drive in NYC.

Zen and the Art of Bicycling

(Photo: Roberto Zingales)

I read this another blog the other day:

A Zen master teacher saw five of his students return from the market, riding their bicycles. When they dismounted, the teacher asked the students, “Why are you riding your bicycles?”
The first student replied, “The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes, I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back! The teacher praised the student, saying,”You are a smart boy. When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over as I do.”
The second student replied, “I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path.” The teacher commended the student, “Your eyes are open and you see the world.”
The third student replied, “When I ride my bike I am content to chant, nam myoho renge kyo.” The teacher praised the student, saying, your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel.”
The fourth student answered, ‘Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all beings.” The teacher was pleased and said “You are riding on the golden path of non-harming.”
The fifth student replied, “I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle”
The teacher went and sat at the feet of the fifth student and said,
“I am your disciple”

Blah, blah, blah! What a bunch of hooey. You want Zen?



Throwin' back a Founders, fresh from the keg, in the middle of a race, now that's Zen.

Anyway, Andrea and I rode Bennett Park again last night.



I might be getting this Zen thing cause my average speed was up almost 1mph while I felt like I was using less energy. Though, at one point near the end, Karma trumped my Zen and I got up close and personal with the ground. It's been awhile since I crashed, I should have some nice forearm bruising in a few days. It's all good though, chicks dig scars. Andrea seemed to have a good ride, she brought along her mp3 player and rocked (I wish there was a way to add ed to country because that's what she was actually listening to) out. I'm thinking about trying that. I could play some of those chanting monks, that will surely get my Zen on and if I pay for it Karma should treat me right. Or, more likely, I'll rent some Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and a bunch of other cheesy 80's testosterone rock from Rhapsody and see if I can't make my heart explode.

Only 12 days until I get a chance to ponder Zen, Karma, polydactyl cats and feral chickens in Paradise.



ohmmmm, ohmmmm, ohmmmmm

I was looking over the Feeling Right blog and came across this nifty chart detailing some of the health benefits of certain fruits and vegetables. Looks like I need to stock up on some apples with their magical lung capacity increasing properties.

Moving On

With the first race out of the way it's time to get down to business. And the business for Tuesday was recovery. We had a nice recovery ride at Bennett park after work. It was nice to go out and take it easy. I think with the in race saddle adjustments my saddle was moved from its prime position and stressed my knees. They weren't real happy on Monday and Tuesday but their getting better everyday. When I say I get a little dizzy riding at Bennett I think it's easy to see why when looking at the GPS info from Tuesday's ride.


Last night the recovery continued. We took the dogs to the dog park and let them wear each other out. It's amazing how much better they act off the leash.

Tonight we're going back out to Bennett after work. If the weather holds out we're going to pre-ride Fort Custer, the site of our next race, Saturday. And Sunday I'm going to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It's been 15 years since I ran my one and only 5K. 15 years must be the statue of limitations on the memory of the misery I had during the first. I hate running, I get horrible shin splints and it seems so unproductive when riding a bicycle is so much faster. But it's one of the only true ways I can gauge my fitness. I can't use times on the bike because as my fitness gets better so does my skill. So if I do two 5k's, one early and one late, with no running in between I should have a fairly accurate picture of the gains I've made over the season.

Two weeks from today you'll find me back at Capt Tony's. I can't wait.

The Agony of Defeat

The first race of the season is over and I finished but it was a struggle. The old race bike, which is better suited for Yankee Springs, has had an issue with the brakes dragging for awhile. But it's been tolerable, at least it was until just recently. It's something I could fix, if I had the right tools and some brake fluid. Anyway, I decided to suffer through the brake drag on Sunday so I could have fun Saturday instead of prepping the new race bike to run it. It ended up being the least of my concerns when the hammer dropped.

After a screw-up with the starting order, I found out my start time wasn't what I was told. I had to do a little scrambling to find my spot in line but I was OK. I was settling in for a tough but enjoyable ride. When the starter told me to go, I went. About 10 feet out of the start I hit the first little bump and my saddle came loose. I figured I'd ride it a little way to see if it would bother me. It did. There were a lot of spectators along the route because we hadn't reached the woods. So I kept riding until I could duck into the woods and out of sight. Luckily a half-hour before, when I was at the car getting ready, I made a split decision to throw my tools into my Camelbak. I've never had any mechanical issues on the trail so I rarely carried them, I was glad I did. So, I ducked into the woods, through my pack off and grabbed the tool. I quickly cranked it down, I am racing. When I jumped back on the bike I discovered in my haste I tightened the saddle down with the nose pointing up. Not wanting to risk the possible damage to my baby makin' parts, I jumped off, through the pack down and grabbed the tool, again. I'm still racing, right, so I loosened the binder, beat the nose down and tightened it back up. By this time about 30 people had passed and I knew I was pretty far off my planned pace. When I jumped back on the bike, I couldn't sit on the seat, I had pounded the nose down too far. So, I repeated the earlier process, only this time I took the time (as riders kept whizzing by) and made sure I got it right. Now I'm ready to give up, it wasn't going to be my day. I got back on and the saddle was perfect and held the rest of the day. Unfortunately, at the last stop I must have hit a branch that unlocked the quick-release on my front wheel. While riding down a hill shortly after the repair my front wheel was wobbling all over the place. At least that was an easy fix, I made it and got on with the rest of the race.

At this point, over a half-hour into the race and only a mile into it I was physiologically out of it. I didn't have to make anymore repairs to the bike but I sure could have used a fix for my head. It took another 3 miles to get into a groove, but it was a nice groove. At that point I was pretty sure the only people I was going to beat are the ones that weren't going to finish so I relaxed and had a good time. The race course was run in the opposite direction of the way the trail is normally ridden which turned out to be a lot more fun. With the awesome weather we had, it turned out to be a good day. Andrea turned in a nice time, 5 minutes off of mine.



The Wings advanced to the second round, as I get ready for the second race.

Only two weeks and two days until Key West, I'm ready for that.

Bennett Park

Andrea and I hit Bennett Park after work tonight. It's nice having a trail so close, it'll be heaven when we get Anderson Park done, options are nice. For being as wet as it is out there the trail was amazingly dry. It was our first time on this new trail. It's quite twisty, especially the Hard Woods section, it reminded me a lot of Randy's Maze at Burchfield Park. There was quite a bit of small up and downs with a lot of flow. When the trail gets ridden-in and I ride it enough to gain some local knowledge this trail will be a blast. Thanks to all the guys that put in the hard work to get this done.

Just a short one tonight, the Wings are fixin' to get it on.

Bad News for Don

Don picked this little lass up in Key West last year while she was mixing herself a cocktail from the drinks others discarded in various garbage cans along Duval St.



Unfortunately, she was recently picked-up by one of Key West's finest for trespassing. It's unknown whether she will be released from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Stock Island Detention Center prior to his return next month to paradise.


(Courtesy of Monroe County Sheriff)

Been Awhile

Haven't updated in awhile, haven't done much in awhile. Last Saturday, the 5th, Andrea and I got out to Burchfield to do a couple hours of trail work. A ton of people showed-up and it turned out to be quite productive. We cleared all the trails that were above water.



We finished so quickly we had time to sneak out to Rose Lake for a "ride" the first of the season. There's not enough GPS in the world for me to keep from being lost on that trail system. I can't explain it, I have a good trail memory and a keen sense of direction but that place just confuses me. It's probably the 4th most trail I've ridden. Anyway, it was nice to finally be on a trail. Bonus we saw Frank and Billy out there.









The next day was absolutely beautiful. Andrea and I met Jake at Yankee Springs for the first real ride of the season. There's nothing like Yankee Springs to make all those winter trainer hours seem like all you did was munch Doritos in the lazy chair in front of the big screen. We've got a race there this Sunday and it aint gonna be pretty. A few years ago I raced Yankee as my first ride of the season, with limited winter training and smoked my time from this past Sunday. Hopefully raceday adrenaline will get me through a bit faster and make me feel like less of a failure.



Since then it's been pretty low-key. Andrea had her last pre-wedding shower (pictures: Lansing, Jackson) this past Sunday. We've been keeping up with the Wings Stanley Cup run. I was able to fit in a card game Friday and a night out with the guys Saturday. Now it's time to buckle-down, get a few rides in before the first race and drop a few pounds before Key West.

Another Quickie

After the butt woopin the Spartans put on Northern Michigan last night, we went out drinking with the Yoopers until the wee hours of the morning (or at least midnight). When I got up this morning I figured we'd just take a "leisurely" ride on the Riverwalk. Unfortunately, the Riverwalk lived up to its name, the river was flowing right over it. Worried what diseases we'd get riding through the Red Cedar, we decided to tool around campus a little bit and then head over to the shop.


Our team manager, Jake, was at there to drop off the new jerseys, I think they look pretty sweet.




We also took the opportunity to order some new glasses while we were there. I ordered the Optic Nerve Syncro.



Andrea ordered the Optic Nerve Hell Camino.


Both are what Optic Nerve calls photomatic or what Lens Crafters (or whatever the cheesy eyeglass shop at the mall is called) calls transition lenses. Basically when we're in the woods they don't block as much light as when we're in the sun. It seems like a better deal than trying to match lenses to conditions and then scratching the hell out of them making the change. I can't wait to try them out. Both can be conveniently ordered from our sponsor, Revolution Bikes at a really great price.

Hopefully State will end the Wildcats' season tonight and the Yoopers will leave early so I can get some sleep tonight and get a long ride in tomorrow.

Fixed Comments

Apparently, people couldn't post anonymous comments to my blog. While I fixed that, I think. So, go wild!

Bored

Have you heard of this guy Jonathan Lee Riches? He's locked up in South Carolina for wire fraud. Apparently, he occasionally gets as bored as I do. While I waste time surfing "teh interwebs" he's filed over a thousand lawsuits in federal district courts nationwide. Here's some summaries from Justia:

Riches et al v. Vick et al August 3, 2007
Plaintiff a/k/a "Credit Card Czar" d/b/a "The Nostradamus of Commerce" seeks $662 trillion in British Gold delivered via JB Hunt trucking. Plaintiff alleges that he used a stolen credit card for surgery on his dog because Michael Vick broke its leg. Plaintiff explains that dogs are forbidden to take out home equity loans with Countrywide Financial. Plaintiff also charges that Michael Vick ordered Jason Michael Carpenter (Riches' co-defendant) to send a botnet trojan horse into his court records and place false information to make Plaintiff look evil. Plaintiff also noted that Michael Vick is spelled Kciv Leahcim backwards.

Riches v. Vick July 23, 2007
Prisoner Johnathan Lee Riches© seeks $63 billion backed by gold and silver delivered via UPS from Michael Vick for allegedly stealing his two pit bulls and using them for dog fighting. Prisoner also alleges that Vick damaged the RFID chips in the plaintiff's dog collars, sold plaintiff's dogs on eBay and used the proceeds to purchase missiles from the Iran Government. Plaintiff also alleges that Michael Vick subjected him to microwave testing, but that's not all...

Riches v. Gordon et al September 12, 2007
Plaintiff (a/k/a "Litigator Crusador") alleged that defendant Jeff Gordon conspired with Barry Bonds, Michael Vick and others to drive his life insane, create madness in the world, and use #24 as a weapon of mass destruction. Plaintiff further alleged that defendant tied him to the bumper during the Talladega race, took Kit from Night Rider, used his #24 car in illegal car fights at Jiffy Lube Express, and used the #24 to hit Juan Valdez's horse. Plaintiff seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent defendant from driving off without paying at Sunoco stations.

If you're as bored as Riches and I, take a look at some of his cases at Justia.

Pressed

Had a haircut and a little pre-Key West fake-and-bake after work. So I had to get in a quick weight training session before the Wings/Stars game. With a short time limit and in the spirit of resting the legs after yesterday's ride I stuck to an upper body routine.

• Chest Press
• Shoulder Press
• Lat Pulldown
• Crunches on the Ball
• Standing Curl
• Pec Dec
• French Press
• Back Hyper-extension
• Trunk Rotation
• Seated Row

I was kickin a little 8 Ball Grifter, some of the best lifting tunes I've found. I wish those guys were still around. In a perfect world, they'd be playin Mac's the night before every day-off I had.

Less than two months until our return to paradise.

Speaking of Key West, Daryl Lee Brooks, aka Gold Man, was busted last week for selling cocaine. He needed to make some spare dough so he could have a day-off from his day job, standing around, motionless, in gold paint. That's an extra dollar I can spend on beer.