News story reports that one of DZ's cars was found.
Not much, but hopefully it's a lead to solving this crime.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
And we thought Lance had a bad run-in with thieves
Apparently, thieves broke in to DZ's house while he was off at ToC and stole ~$160k in stuff, plus two cars, all his old race bikes, race memorabilia, his Olympic ring, even some custom Marvel Comics models he had been given.
Talk about a buzzkill after such a successful ToC.
Talk about a buzzkill after such a successful ToC.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I'm surrounded! Surrounded!
By incompetence.
I see two ways out of this dilemma:
1) Accept it.
2) Fight it.
Though it seems like option 2 might be the more difficult path, I've come to the conclusion that option 1 would require significant resources. Namely, beer. Beer, and punk music. I'll certainly not drink the beer during work hours, but that's when the punk music would come in especially handy.
I also need to get on my bike more, whichever way I go. First race is in a mere 14 weeks. This is one of the events I've done for years, yet I haven't ever reached my personal goal for finishing time. Granted, that goal was chosen somewhat arbitrarily (I took my best time and rounded it down to the nearest 10-minute interval) so perhaps I should consider it meaningless. However, I've yet to let go of it, so clearly I have the same two choices in my bike life as in my work life:
1) Accept it.
2) Fight it.
I can chose to get over the fact that I'll never reach my goal for this race. Or, I can chose to get on my bike more and actually accomplish something.
The real dilemma, of course, lies in the intersection of these two decisions. In the resultant 2 x 2 matrix of options, are there any cells that are more or less desirable than others? Are there any cells that represent an impossible conflict in resource allocation or outcomes?
Perhaps there is an obvious conclusion?
I see two ways out of this dilemma:
1) Accept it.
2) Fight it.
Though it seems like option 2 might be the more difficult path, I've come to the conclusion that option 1 would require significant resources. Namely, beer. Beer, and punk music. I'll certainly not drink the beer during work hours, but that's when the punk music would come in especially handy.
I also need to get on my bike more, whichever way I go. First race is in a mere 14 weeks. This is one of the events I've done for years, yet I haven't ever reached my personal goal for finishing time. Granted, that goal was chosen somewhat arbitrarily (I took my best time and rounded it down to the nearest 10-minute interval) so perhaps I should consider it meaningless. However, I've yet to let go of it, so clearly I have the same two choices in my bike life as in my work life:
1) Accept it.
2) Fight it.
I can chose to get over the fact that I'll never reach my goal for this race. Or, I can chose to get on my bike more and actually accomplish something.
The real dilemma, of course, lies in the intersection of these two decisions. In the resultant 2 x 2 matrix of options, are there any cells that are more or less desirable than others? Are there any cells that represent an impossible conflict in resource allocation or outcomes?
Perhaps there is an obvious conclusion?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Change in direction
I've reached that point in a blogger's life where I'm either too bored or my attention span has become too short to actually write in a cohesive sense.
So why fight it? In the future, I plan on less serious and more:
-If I showed up at a Critical Mass in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned?
-Does anyone actually like Rock Racing?
-Why the hell is Wiggle named Wiggle?
-If I showed up at an alley cat in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned?
-If I showed up at a local sprint triathlon in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned? (I actually know the answer to this one and it's less exciting than you might guess)
So why fight it? In the future, I plan on less serious and more:
-If I showed up at a Critical Mass in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned?
-Does anyone actually like Rock Racing?
-Why the hell is Wiggle named Wiggle?
-If I showed up at an alley cat in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned?
-If I showed up at a local sprint triathlon in pro-team-kit spandex, would I get stoned? (I actually know the answer to this one and it's less exciting than you might guess)
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Final Countdown
No, not the song from Europe.
Rather, the final countdown to the one and only* ordinal moment in Unix time. Unix systems typically use a method for storing and working with time values based off the POSIX time standard.
The gist of this standard is that all values in time are referenced by the number of seconds they are away from midnight on the first of January, 1970. That date and time is the epoch for timekeeping in the Unix world, and hence has a value of zero. All other dates and times are referenced from that point. So, for instance, midnight on January 2, 1970 was 86400, since it was that many seconds after the epoch. Currently, by this standard, it is roughly 1234555212. Also known as roughly 3:00 PM EST on the 13th of February, 2009.
Astute observers will instantly recognize something. 1234555212 is nearly** ordinal - that is, the digits that make up that number are nearly in numerical sequence.
Astute observers with keen math skills will recognize that the Unix time value for Friday, February 13th 2009, 23:31:30 UTC*** will be completely ordinal. Huzzah for accidental patterns!
So, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps it is time Prince rewrote his infamous (and of course outdated) 1999, because in just a few short hours, it'll be time to party**** like it's 1234567890!
(* - in case there are any true nerds out there, I suppose I should qualify my "one and only" statement by adding the condition of "using every digit available for a positive 32-bit signed value" since technically, there are infinitely other ordinal occurrences according to the pure standard, if you ignore the convention of storing the value in a signed 32-bit integer. But, only two in a signed 32-bit integer with a value in the largest position, and only one that's positive.)
(** - By "nearly" I mean in terms of absolute numerical value, not positionally. In other words, the value of that number is close to the value of a number that is completely ordinal, though that number itself is less than half ordinal.)
(*** - AKA 6:31:30 PM EST)
(**** - screw everyone too busy with V-Day plans***** to appreciate this! Hah! Take that, you happy lovebirds!)
(***** - I have none.******)
(****** - Are you allowed to use *****'s in a footnote to reference another footnote? I don't think so. No more footnotes now, I mean it!*******)
(******* - Anybody want a peanut?)
Rather, the final countdown to the one and only* ordinal moment in Unix time. Unix systems typically use a method for storing and working with time values based off the POSIX time standard.
The gist of this standard is that all values in time are referenced by the number of seconds they are away from midnight on the first of January, 1970. That date and time is the epoch for timekeeping in the Unix world, and hence has a value of zero. All other dates and times are referenced from that point. So, for instance, midnight on January 2, 1970 was 86400, since it was that many seconds after the epoch. Currently, by this standard, it is roughly 1234555212. Also known as roughly 3:00 PM EST on the 13th of February, 2009.
Astute observers will instantly recognize something. 1234555212 is nearly** ordinal - that is, the digits that make up that number are nearly in numerical sequence.
Astute observers with keen math skills will recognize that the Unix time value for Friday, February 13th 2009, 23:31:30 UTC*** will be completely ordinal. Huzzah for accidental patterns!
So, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps it is time Prince rewrote his infamous (and of course outdated) 1999, because in just a few short hours, it'll be time to party**** like it's 1234567890!
(* - in case there are any true nerds out there, I suppose I should qualify my "one and only" statement by adding the condition of "using every digit available for a positive 32-bit signed value" since technically, there are infinitely other ordinal occurrences according to the pure standard, if you ignore the convention of storing the value in a signed 32-bit integer. But, only two in a signed 32-bit integer with a value in the largest position, and only one that's positive.)
(** - By "nearly" I mean in terms of absolute numerical value, not positionally. In other words, the value of that number is close to the value of a number that is completely ordinal, though that number itself is less than half ordinal.)
(*** - AKA 6:31:30 PM EST)
(**** - screw everyone too busy with V-Day plans***** to appreciate this! Hah! Take that, you happy lovebirds!)
(***** - I have none.******)
(****** - Are you allowed to use *****'s in a footnote to reference another footnote? I don't think so. No more footnotes now, I mean it!*******)
(******* - Anybody want a peanut?)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The fastest guy in the world meets the fastest guy in the world
AKA "My worlds collide:"
It turns out that Carlos Sastre (of bike riding fame) and Fernando Alonso (of F1 auto racing fame) met at a football match some time ago, realized they are fans of each others' sports, and as such, Fernando recently spent a day riding with Sastre's TestTeam cycling squad. Meanwhile, Fernando is (or has, probably, since that link is a few weeks old) letting Sastre into the pits during a practice day at Renault's test track.
Sastre apparently commented that he was surprised at Fernando's fitness. Knowing what conditions are like during an F1 race, it shouldn't be surprising at all - intense heat, extreme g-forces, and other unrelenting factors certainly demand a lot from an F1 driver's body, fitness-wise.
What a neat experience for both of them.
It turns out that Carlos Sastre (of bike riding fame) and Fernando Alonso (of F1 auto racing fame) met at a football match some time ago, realized they are fans of each others' sports, and as such, Fernando recently spent a day riding with Sastre's TestTeam cycling squad. Meanwhile, Fernando is (or has, probably, since that link is a few weeks old) letting Sastre into the pits during a practice day at Renault's test track.
Sastre apparently commented that he was surprised at Fernando's fitness. Knowing what conditions are like during an F1 race, it shouldn't be surprising at all - intense heat, extreme g-forces, and other unrelenting factors certainly demand a lot from an F1 driver's body, fitness-wise.
What a neat experience for both of them.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Coffee, leading the way to office productivity
Want to improve office productivity? Offer coffee instead of water!
No, really. And it's not the caffeine. Read on. . .
So, one of the clients I'm spending a lot of time with lately has a little break room with a water cooler and one of those automatic pod coffee machines - the kind that let you select from a variety of coffee and tea products in little single-use pods, pop one in the machine, hit a button, and wait a few seconds. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of most mass-market coffee products, but the stuff this one produces is actually pretty good. And the people in this place go through enough of it that it's usually fresh.
Now, about that water cooler. The office recently switched vendors, so the old machine went away and a new one took it's place. It's slow. s. . . . .l. . . . . o. . . .wwwwwwww. . . . . . . . . Slow to the point that some of the diehard water-drinkers started pondering the coffee machine, instead.
So, I timed them. (yes, I'm a geek.) As it turns out, assuming an astute and proficient user, the coffee machine is FASTER than the water cooler. Yes, it takes less time to heat up 8 ounces of water and force it through a small puck of coffee than it does to simply dispense it from the water cooler.
So, want to increase productivity in your office? Ditch the water cooler and get a coffee machine, instead. People will be back at their desks several seconds faster after each refreshment break.
No, really. And it's not the caffeine. Read on. . .
So, one of the clients I'm spending a lot of time with lately has a little break room with a water cooler and one of those automatic pod coffee machines - the kind that let you select from a variety of coffee and tea products in little single-use pods, pop one in the machine, hit a button, and wait a few seconds. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of most mass-market coffee products, but the stuff this one produces is actually pretty good. And the people in this place go through enough of it that it's usually fresh.
Now, about that water cooler. The office recently switched vendors, so the old machine went away and a new one took it's place. It's slow. s. . . . .l. . . . . o. . . .wwwwwwww. . . . . . . . . Slow to the point that some of the diehard water-drinkers started pondering the coffee machine, instead.
So, I timed them. (yes, I'm a geek.) As it turns out, assuming an astute and proficient user, the coffee machine is FASTER than the water cooler. Yes, it takes less time to heat up 8 ounces of water and force it through a small puck of coffee than it does to simply dispense it from the water cooler.
So, want to increase productivity in your office? Ditch the water cooler and get a coffee machine, instead. People will be back at their desks several seconds faster after each refreshment break.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Help me out here, people
So I noticed that Wiggle, the UK equivalent to Perfnashbance Bike (though arguably with better selection and higher quality goods), has an add on cyclingnews.com that orders over 100 GPB get free shipping to the US. Last time I checked, they didn't ship to the US, so this was news to me.
I eagerly clicked the add, then tried to find how to get their US-targeted site. Near the top, there's a section displaying that you're viewing prices in X currency for shipment to Y location - X and Y are links that allow you to change. So, for instance, you can specify shipment for the Vatican City State, if you so desire. There's even text that proclaims the site will be filtered to show only the goods they can ship to your locale, with correct shipping costs, etc.
I clicked the currency link and changed it to USD, then clicked the location link and changed it to USA.
Immediately, I noticed the currency had defaulted back to GPB. So I changed it back to USD.
. . . at which point the location defaulted back to UK. So I changed it back to USA.
. . . . which caused the currency to bounce back to GBP.
To make sure I wasn't off my rocker (I say this ironically, since I was sitting in a rocking chair at the time), I checked from another browser. Same result. I checked from a third browser, on a different computer. Same thing. Yet another browser, on a different computer. Same thing. I tried obscure combinations of the two, and each time, when I'd switch one variable, the other would default back to the UK-centric choice.
I even went to the length of finding the cookie wiggle.co.uk had put on my computer and manually editing it to reflect the correct choices.
Defaulted right back.
So here's my challenge - can anyone out there in blog-land get this site to recognize a non-UK currency AND a non-UK ship location?
I eagerly clicked the add, then tried to find how to get their US-targeted site. Near the top, there's a section displaying that you're viewing prices in X currency for shipment to Y location - X and Y are links that allow you to change. So, for instance, you can specify shipment for the Vatican City State, if you so desire. There's even text that proclaims the site will be filtered to show only the goods they can ship to your locale, with correct shipping costs, etc.
I clicked the currency link and changed it to USD, then clicked the location link and changed it to USA.
Immediately, I noticed the currency had defaulted back to GPB. So I changed it back to USD.
. . . at which point the location defaulted back to UK. So I changed it back to USA.
. . . . which caused the currency to bounce back to GBP.
To make sure I wasn't off my rocker (I say this ironically, since I was sitting in a rocking chair at the time), I checked from another browser. Same result. I checked from a third browser, on a different computer. Same thing. Yet another browser, on a different computer. Same thing. I tried obscure combinations of the two, and each time, when I'd switch one variable, the other would default back to the UK-centric choice.
I even went to the length of finding the cookie wiggle.co.uk had put on my computer and manually editing it to reflect the correct choices.
Defaulted right back.
So here's my challenge - can anyone out there in blog-land get this site to recognize a non-UK currency AND a non-UK ship location?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Ok, for real now:
Catching up:
1) I had two races last season I never posted about. One kicked ass (hard to argue with an age group win) and the other sucked (almost 15% off my goal pace).
2) I really like my Garmin Edge 305. It makes for an interesting conversation with other geeky cyclists I know. We can all sit around and compare heart rate graphs for that big hill on such and such street. More than anything, it's a motivator, in the sense that it doesn't lie. It's easy, when training, to either lull yourself into underperformance or work yourself to death. Having data at your fingertips can help prevent either of those extremes.
3) Also really like the new trainer. I dunno if it's pure luck or something special about this particular model, but it doesn't seem to eat tires like other trainers do. Right now I have cyclocross tires on one of my bikes, and I ride it on the trainer often. I'd expect a trainer to shred a cross tire, but it shows no wear.
4) Need to get/stay motivated. See second set of race results mentioned up top. In addition, lots of other things going on in life right now (not about to yack them all over this blog, don't worry) so it's been tough to stay in shape. I think I'm finally getting back on top of my game after months of crap, so hopefully this is the "real thing" and not a fake motivational boost.
On a related note, how do you know if a year is going to be "the" year? I feel like I've had certain bike-related goals for a few years in a row and they've never been realized.
1) I had two races last season I never posted about. One kicked ass (hard to argue with an age group win) and the other sucked (almost 15% off my goal pace).
2) I really like my Garmin Edge 305. It makes for an interesting conversation with other geeky cyclists I know. We can all sit around and compare heart rate graphs for that big hill on such and such street. More than anything, it's a motivator, in the sense that it doesn't lie. It's easy, when training, to either lull yourself into underperformance or work yourself to death. Having data at your fingertips can help prevent either of those extremes.
3) Also really like the new trainer. I dunno if it's pure luck or something special about this particular model, but it doesn't seem to eat tires like other trainers do. Right now I have cyclocross tires on one of my bikes, and I ride it on the trainer often. I'd expect a trainer to shred a cross tire, but it shows no wear.
4) Need to get/stay motivated. See second set of race results mentioned up top. In addition, lots of other things going on in life right now (not about to yack them all over this blog, don't worry) so it's been tough to stay in shape. I think I'm finally getting back on top of my game after months of crap, so hopefully this is the "real thing" and not a fake motivational boost.
On a related note, how do you know if a year is going to be "the" year? I feel like I've had certain bike-related goals for a few years in a row and they've never been realized.
This just in. . .
I have recovered from the freak dirigible accident (which involved a bird, a remixed jazz album, some red paint, the language of automation, and a spoke wrench) and promise to blog regularly once again.
So for all .03 of my fans, I'm back.
(No, I was not in a hot air balloon accident, but it sounds more interesting than the truth.)
So for all .03 of my fans, I'm back.
(No, I was not in a hot air balloon accident, but it sounds more interesting than the truth.)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Oh, and. . .
My Garmin was delivered this morning! Two days ahead of schedule! Yay! Thank you, Amazon. Thank you, USPS.
Grrrrr at the fact that it is now sitting on my doorstep back home. Lonely. While I'm stuck in a hotel until Friday, my bike looking oddly naked without a computer on it.
Grrrrr at the fact that it is now sitting on my doorstep back home. Lonely. While I'm stuck in a hotel until Friday, my bike looking oddly naked without a computer on it.
Garmin-Chipotle names Tour squad
As captured in this posting on velonews.com. People will probably anticipate my next statement: I'm really depressed to see DZ isn't on the list, since that basically confirms the rumors that he hasn't fully healed from his accident.
On a happier note, CSC released their squad, too. Both of the Schleck brothers made the cut, which makes me happy. Seeing the two of them cooperate in the peleton has always made me happy.
On a happier note, CSC released their squad, too. Both of the Schleck brothers made the cut, which makes me happy. Seeing the two of them cooperate in the peleton has always made me happy.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Giddy
I mentioned in a post last week that I'd just bought an Edge 305:
It gets here Thursday. Of course, I'm on the road this week, which means it'll be sitting on my doorstep until Saturday (when you travel nearly fulltime, you learn to give up on getting stuff quickly.) I've never had all of these functions on a single device, so I'm excited by the prospect. The Cateye computer I've had on my main bike "stopped working" last week, which prompted the Garmin purchase. I'm guessing it's just dirty contacts or something (seems to happen every few months) but I'm sick of dealing with the thing, anyways.
Also just got a new trainer, and I'm bringing it with me on the road - so on days with crappy weather, I can ride my own bike instead of relying on hotel fitness rooms. It's the nicest trainer I've ever owned, and that definitely helps encourage use. Yay! Go me!
I'll post more detailed reviews of both gadgets once I've had time to use them for a while. Now I just gotta start producing results worthy of all these new toys. . .
It gets here Thursday. Of course, I'm on the road this week, which means it'll be sitting on my doorstep until Saturday (when you travel nearly fulltime, you learn to give up on getting stuff quickly.) I've never had all of these functions on a single device, so I'm excited by the prospect. The Cateye computer I've had on my main bike "stopped working" last week, which prompted the Garmin purchase. I'm guessing it's just dirty contacts or something (seems to happen every few months) but I'm sick of dealing with the thing, anyways.
Also just got a new trainer, and I'm bringing it with me on the road - so on days with crappy weather, I can ride my own bike instead of relying on hotel fitness rooms. It's the nicest trainer I've ever owned, and that definitely helps encourage use. Yay! Go me!
I'll post more detailed reviews of both gadgets once I've had time to use them for a while. Now I just gotta start producing results worthy of all these new toys. . .
Friday, June 20, 2008
More freaky coffee adds
Take a minute and look at the blown-up version of this image:
Now, help me answer some questions:
1) What's up with the fence behind him? There's netting on it to the left, but not to the right? Can we really imagine that the netting just happened to end right behind this fool?
2) What, exactly, is said fool looking at?
3) The answer to #2 is obviously not the ball he's supposedly about to hit. Speaking of said ball, could it have been photoshopped into the image any more clumsily? I think not.
4) What exactly is he trying to do with the racquet he's holding? Is a forehand swing imminent? If so, his grip looks pretty awkward - the racquet looks a good 90 degrees off-kilter. Is this supposed to be the follow-through of a backhand? I certainly hope not, because I wouldn't even know where to begin picking it apart in that case. . .
Perhaps the caption at the top of this image should have read: "Redefine Doubles. Really test your skill by playing with a complete Idiot!"
Now, help me answer some questions:
1) What's up with the fence behind him? There's netting on it to the left, but not to the right? Can we really imagine that the netting just happened to end right behind this fool?
2) What, exactly, is said fool looking at?
3) The answer to #2 is obviously not the ball he's supposedly about to hit. Speaking of said ball, could it have been photoshopped into the image any more clumsily? I think not.
4) What exactly is he trying to do with the racquet he's holding? Is a forehand swing imminent? If so, his grip looks pretty awkward - the racquet looks a good 90 degrees off-kilter. Is this supposed to be the follow-through of a backhand? I certainly hope not, because I wouldn't even know where to begin picking it apart in that case. . .
Perhaps the caption at the top of this image should have read: "Redefine Doubles. Really test your skill by playing with a complete Idiot!"
This just in: Slipstream signs a title sponsor!
It's Garmin, if you haven't heard. Announced in a press release on Wednesday. Looks like the official name for the team will now be "Team Garmin-Chipotle Presented by H30."
I hope they don't change the scheme or kit too much, I kinda like the argyle look. I'm fond of Garmin (and the timing here is interesting - considering I just bought an Edge 305 and was on Garmin's site looking for a downloadable user manual for it), so I guess I should be happy that they're sponsoring one of my favorite teams, but somehow it's a hair disappointing. I've really been hoping that someone exciting would get into the pro peleton - someone like Apple, or maybe Marvel or Pixar or something. A brand with some flair. Right now, the only team with that sort of support is arguably Rock Racing, and I shouldn't have to go in to all the reasons why I think they suck. I actually feel a little dirty having just looked up their website on Google in order to post the link here. . .
Monday, June 16, 2008
An open letter. . .
Dear Sir:
Hello! You may remember me from yesterday, or perhaps you may not. Let me refresh your memory: around 6 PM, I was headed south on Rt 81 near the NY/PA border. You passed me, driving a dark green 1992 Griffen Edition Saab 9000 CD. I didn't really pay attention to you at first - after all, plenty of cars passed me last night, since I was on the highway for 4 or 5 hours.
At any rate, soon after passing me, you slowed down. I noticed that one of your passengers - a young man sitting in the back seat - had turned around to stare. He had a big, stupid grin on his face. When you had slowed to the point that I was traveling faster than you, I signaled, then pulled into the passing lane to execute a pass. I had my cruise control on - in fact, I had it on through this entire ordeal, so I can be sure it was your erratic driving habits that caused this issue, not any fluctuation in speed on my behalf.
As I slowly passed, you slowly increased your speed until you were matching mine. We then proceeded to drive for a mile or two immediately adjacent to eachother. As we approached a slower vehicle in the right lane, you immediately nailed your throttle, cut me off, and passed the slower vehicle. Since you were once again several car lengths ahead of me, I pulled back to the right.
This process repeated itself many dozens of times over the next half an hour. You would start out ahead of me, then slow down until I was forced to pull to the left and get next to you. At this point, you would nail the throttle and take off into the distance.
Perhaps I am jumping to conclusions, but I'm guessing that you put such effort into your driving pattern because you were trying to encourage me t0 engage in street racing.
To curtail the risk of becoming long-winded, let me get to the point by making a statement: I only race on the track.
I apologize if my car looked tempting to you because of its sporty nature. Sure, I have a large exhaust, big wheels with low-profile tires, and a big honkin' spoiler, but hey - the car came that way from the factory; and it has more than enough performance to actually justify these features. I have absolutely nothing against Saabs - especially some of the limited production models from years passed. In fact, I own an older, limited production Saab myself. However, I'm not sure what your goal was in trying to race me - my car, stock, has more than 60 hp and 60 flt-lbs of an advantage over yours. Your car has a sluggish 4-speed automatic transmission, while mine has a close-ratio 6 speed. Plus, my car weighs 100 lbs less - empty, that is: you had 4 friends with you and I was by myself, so the real weight difference was likely far greater. I think we can clearly agree that at highway speeds, I would have embarrassed you in a street race (in front of said friends, no less.)
At any rate, I appreciate the attention you showed. However, I am sure that you were extremely frustrated to miss an opportunity to show off in front of your friends, and as such I would like to extend a (sincere) invitation: If you are truly interested in seeing how you and your car stack up against me and my car, pick any Solo II event in the Northeast US and I'll meet you there. Heck - I don't normally enjoy drag racing, but if you're afraid of corners, I'll even meet you at any local drag strip. I'll even bring a set of wheels and tires that would be appropriate for your car to use in either situation (I have more old Saab wheels in my garage than I'd like to admit) in case you're worried about ruining your street rubber on the track. You can even bring your buddies along, though they'll have to watch from the sidelines. Given your display of driving skill, this might be the safest place for them, anyways.
I look forward to the opportunity to get you hooked on (legal) auto racing.
Sincerely,
-Smartypants
PS - Whiteys from the sticks look really, really silly with oversized, flat brimmed baseball caps propped sideways on their head.
PPS - If you ever see me on the highway and try these stunts again, I'm going to call the police. I know which exits you got on and off at, and I know your license plate number - so I'm sure I'll be able to help them find you.
Hello! You may remember me from yesterday, or perhaps you may not. Let me refresh your memory: around 6 PM, I was headed south on Rt 81 near the NY/PA border. You passed me, driving a dark green 1992 Griffen Edition Saab 9000 CD. I didn't really pay attention to you at first - after all, plenty of cars passed me last night, since I was on the highway for 4 or 5 hours.
At any rate, soon after passing me, you slowed down. I noticed that one of your passengers - a young man sitting in the back seat - had turned around to stare. He had a big, stupid grin on his face. When you had slowed to the point that I was traveling faster than you, I signaled, then pulled into the passing lane to execute a pass. I had my cruise control on - in fact, I had it on through this entire ordeal, so I can be sure it was your erratic driving habits that caused this issue, not any fluctuation in speed on my behalf.
As I slowly passed, you slowly increased your speed until you were matching mine. We then proceeded to drive for a mile or two immediately adjacent to eachother. As we approached a slower vehicle in the right lane, you immediately nailed your throttle, cut me off, and passed the slower vehicle. Since you were once again several car lengths ahead of me, I pulled back to the right.
This process repeated itself many dozens of times over the next half an hour. You would start out ahead of me, then slow down until I was forced to pull to the left and get next to you. At this point, you would nail the throttle and take off into the distance.
Perhaps I am jumping to conclusions, but I'm guessing that you put such effort into your driving pattern because you were trying to encourage me t0 engage in street racing.
To curtail the risk of becoming long-winded, let me get to the point by making a statement: I only race on the track.
I apologize if my car looked tempting to you because of its sporty nature. Sure, I have a large exhaust, big wheels with low-profile tires, and a big honkin' spoiler, but hey - the car came that way from the factory; and it has more than enough performance to actually justify these features. I have absolutely nothing against Saabs - especially some of the limited production models from years passed. In fact, I own an older, limited production Saab myself. However, I'm not sure what your goal was in trying to race me - my car, stock, has more than 60 hp and 60 flt-lbs of an advantage over yours. Your car has a sluggish 4-speed automatic transmission, while mine has a close-ratio 6 speed. Plus, my car weighs 100 lbs less - empty, that is: you had 4 friends with you and I was by myself, so the real weight difference was likely far greater. I think we can clearly agree that at highway speeds, I would have embarrassed you in a street race (in front of said friends, no less.)
At any rate, I appreciate the attention you showed. However, I am sure that you were extremely frustrated to miss an opportunity to show off in front of your friends, and as such I would like to extend a (sincere) invitation: If you are truly interested in seeing how you and your car stack up against me and my car, pick any Solo II event in the Northeast US and I'll meet you there. Heck - I don't normally enjoy drag racing, but if you're afraid of corners, I'll even meet you at any local drag strip. I'll even bring a set of wheels and tires that would be appropriate for your car to use in either situation (I have more old Saab wheels in my garage than I'd like to admit) in case you're worried about ruining your street rubber on the track. You can even bring your buddies along, though they'll have to watch from the sidelines. Given your display of driving skill, this might be the safest place for them, anyways.
I look forward to the opportunity to get you hooked on (legal) auto racing.
Sincerely,
-Smartypants
PS - Whiteys from the sticks look really, really silly with oversized, flat brimmed baseball caps propped sideways on their head.
PPS - If you ever see me on the highway and try these stunts again, I'm going to call the police. I know which exits you got on and off at, and I know your license plate number - so I'm sure I'll be able to help them find you.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Eager
I haven't done anything this week - partially because I needed a break after my first race of the season, and partially because I've got only two months 'till my A race. Oh, and because I'm on the wrong side of the country, so I couldn't bring my bike with me - and without the joy if biking, other forms of exercise are just no fun. I can't believe how tight my legs have been this week - I'm used to soreness, but it just seems like everything has locked up in absence of exercise. Just spent half an hour stretching during Extreme Makeover - tomorrow I'll be on airplanes all day, then
Saturday is gonna be spent on the bike! YAY!
Saturday is gonna be spent on the bike! YAY!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The final countdown
Were leaving together,
But still its farewell
And maybe well come back,
To earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
Were leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?
(This message brought to you courtesy of Wednesday Afternoon.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
