Armstronging the Olsen Sister... Part 2

I thought it must have been a nightmare, but sure enough...

Straight off the MSN Entertainment Press:

In related sports hookup news, just what series of unfortunate events led to last week's squicky snuggle-bunnies between MK's twin sis, Ashley Olsen, and Lance Armstrong? The Chicago Sun-Times believes the pocket-size mogul, 21, has had her eye on the Tour de France champ-turned-marathon runner, 36, for a while, even hanging an autographed magazine cover of him on her bedroom wall. Ash allegedly got in touch with Lance (through his people) to get his advice on a bike purchase. (As you do when you're rich and famous.) The paper says he was so tickled by the request he called her back personally, which eventually led to a lunchtime tête-à-tête, followed by the nighttime lip-locking.

Speechless...

What the Hell? How could I top this? my last question: Who has the bigger build?

Armstrong, Ashley Olsen get cosy
1 Nov 2007, 2200 hrs IST,ANI

The actress Ashley was seen nuzzling up to cycling champ Lance at Rose Bar It seems like love is blooming between Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olsen, who were spotted getting cosy at a New York bar. A source revealed that the petite actress was seen nuzzling up to cycling champ Lance Armstrong on Monday night at Rose Bar. "Ashley and Lance settled in and within minutes, he was whispering in her ear and she was giggling like a schoolgirl. They totally looked like they were on a date,” the New York Daily quoted the source, as saying. Adding to the buzz, an onlooker told People Magazine that the 21-year old star was sitting on the 36-year old cyclist’s lap. "Lance was hanging with her, definitely. [Olsen] was very flirtatious, and was sitting on his lap,” the onlooker said. Another source added that Olsen was with a group and "hanging out, having a good time.”

Fixed Gear 1, Legs 0

Now that the weather is turning crappy it is time to start riding. I will ride on and off for the next two weeks and then determine that the weather is too crappy and hang the bike back up until I feel motivated to ride again.

Anyway, broke out the Langster in FM (fixed mode) late last week for a ride into work and have been on it the last couple days. The weather was actually good but the gearing (42/16) not so much based on my current condition and the rolling nature of my commute. Of course, when I say current condition it sounds like I am implying that I have any conditioning. Not so.

Long story short, I can take away three key points from the ride:

1) Not much of a reason to flip-flop the hub to go from s/s to fixed. Fixed is fine; at least at this point (we’ll see when it is wet…).
2) This ride is totally doable with a bit of fitness; Might not even have to get off and push…
3) Sometimes, with this gearing, you have to get off and push.


Bobke’s View on Tattoos
Saw Bob Roll quoted from a Pez Cycling interview and thought it was classic in regards to tattoos v. road rash:

“Now crashing, on the other hand, gives you scare tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will. And as the stories of your scars are retold, you’ll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds.”

Whiskey and pork rinds… Yes!

Let’s Get the Band Back Together

Styx… The Police… Van Halen… Even Led Zeppelin. This blog. Granted four of the five might have experienced more critical acclaim and , obviously, had longer runs of initial success and livelihood; but they are also shining examples of how things, both good and bad, can have a re-birth.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes; Like a super-group reuniting to tour, this blog henceforth will rock once again.

Weekend Update

Biting Off More than you Can Chew

A rare treat of having some available time this weekend toget out and enjoy the sun and get in 45 miles(http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2067443) on the bike with a group of 11. It was about 7-8 miles longer than I should have been out based on the climbing. Made the notorious crawl from just west of Monroe to Everett very slow. I must be getting old as I was able accept my desitny and just keep turning the pedals while fending off the ice cream pings and any cramping to just maintain and make it up El Hideouso (52nd). No such thing as a bad day on the bike. just different levels of suffering; In a good way.


The Wheels on the Bus...

Now that I am working in the heart of downtown, I have a great bus commute that allows for a good 30 minutes reading each way. I thought I might lose my reading time but it is looking like that is not the case. Boo-yah!

Life's a Beach...

Cannon Fodder

Back from 4 days at Cannon Beach with the the family. Of course it was rainy and windy everyday except for the last day. The beauty of 3 year-olds is they are immune to weather as long as they are warm... Which meant lots of beach walking and kite flying in what one might call "adverse" conditions. A great time was had by all regardless of the caste system that seems to permiate from that town.

Pack Fodder

Tomorrow a 50 mile ride is on the docket. It will be interesting to see how the body holds up with a group. I am sure I will be fine for the first 20...

Catching up

Night Prowler

Got in a few solid hill circuits around Richmond Beach last night with some of the team. A couple sketchy areas on the descents due to forst and left over gravel. All in all, a fun 2 hours. The body is feeling good today considering my complete lack of any saddle time.

Look Who's Coming to Dinner

Looks like the New Mexico crew, due to climate, great riding, and a great cycling scene, has scored quite well and is hosting the training camps for Team Lipton, Navigators, and the Belgian Cycling Center (International Cycling Development Team). The community looks to have the teams set up quite well with local resaurants donating meals and as well as allowing the common man to ride with the teams on two group rides.

They'll Pass You By...

I had a friend was a big baseball player

back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks
but all he kept talking about was


Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days


Well there's a girl that lives up the block
back in school she could turn all the boy's heads
Sometimes on a Friday I'll stop by
and have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed
Her and her husband Bobby well they split up
I guess it's two years gone by now
We just sit around talking about the old times,
she says when she feels like crying
she starts laughing thinking about


Glory days well they'll pass you by

Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye

Glory days, glory days

My old man worked 20 years on the line
and they let him go
Now everywhere he goes out looking for work
they just tell him that he's too old
I was 9 nine years old and he was working at theMetuchen Ford plant assembly line
Now he just sits on a stool down at the Legion hall
but I can tell what's on his mind
Glory days yeah goin back
Glory days aw he ain't never had
Glory days, glory days
Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
and I'm going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
but I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
a little of the glory of, well time slips away
and leaves you with nothing mister but
boring stories of glory days

Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Return from Sabbatical

What a month. 3 Storms, 2 Monsoon Seahawk games, 2 extended power outages, numerous holiday happenings, capped off with 10 days of visiting in-laws. It is a miracle I am still alive.

Promises of keeping this thing updated in 2007.

Back in the Game... Kinda.

Victim of a relentless cold that I cannot quite shake. It took me down last Sunday and is still looming more than a week later. It did allow quality reading time as I blasted through a couple of books.

Ring Tone of Death

Tragic death due to the driver mowing down a cyclist from behind as she was downloading a ring tone to her cell phone. Per the article she "was so far off the road that she hit Mr. Wilhelm from behind with the driver's side of her car." Check out the article to see if you think the punishment fit the crime.

Turkey Day 2006

Off to Mt. Baker today for a couple days with the family. Should be some quality reading time and hopefully I will finish Sinner's Guide to Evangelical Right and Iceland. I am sure we will have a quality snow day and all I am hoping for are no stitches, sprains, or broken bones from Extreme Sledding. Look for it in the Winter X Games 2008.

Saturday is the Seattle Kid's Marathon. Hopefully I can complete the final 1.2 miles with C without her dropping me. To get to this point we had to read 13 books and walk/run/jog 13 miles... By my calculations that will add up to 27.2. I think the Kid's Marathon committee is taking advantage of the fact that some little people have yet to develop math skills.

I Can't Explain...

...Why I am reading so damn much.

Could be no job.. But my reading list and library account is out of control. I guess it is my tax dollars at work.


...Why I am actually riding.

I got some quality time on the bike this week in between rain showers/downpours. Feels good to get out and get the legs moving regardless of the weather. Now if I can just get on the trainer when it all goes really bad.


...Why He's Dressed Like That.

Tonight I actually sat down and watched the "The Who- Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970" compliments of the Sno-Isle Regional Library System. I was looking for something completely different but this caught my eye and have heard quite a bit about it being a historical performance so I grabbed it.
I have to say it was pretty amazing. The Who was the last band to go on in front of ~600,000 people at 2am in the morning. This is an awesome DVD. Even if you are not a Who fan you can watch it and appreciate the music like a classic novel. It pre-dates the choreography and pyrotechnics that can be used to mask shitty music. A couple points:

1) In the interview included on the DVD, Pete Townshend starts off pissing and moaning on how he felt trapped in The Who. They stagnated his growth, reminisced about partying all the time, and he was trapped. He continues on about how simple the other band members were and on and on. About halfway through he then talks about how they were great musicians and had this incredible connection which made the experience amazing...? Which is it, you bitter old man? The interview could have been done as late as 2004. They were just in Seattle in Oct. 2006 and from what I heard, he didn't look half bad jumping around the stage... "For the Love of Money..."

2) Check out the suit John Entwistle was rocking on the DVD. He looks like he just got back from the Kobra Kahn Dojo Halloween party.

Letter of the Law; Spirit of the Law

I do have fond memories of the San Francisco Grand Prix (the now defunct one day race that was held early to mid September for the first part of the '00's). That is the basis for my concept on how cycling in SF would be. If you are a visual person, try this:

San Francisco has been working on a fairly comprehensive bike plan for about 10 years now. Apparently last week there was a suit filed to slow down the plan and subject it to environmental review. This prevents the painting of bike lanes, installation of bike racks, and transportation of bikes on SF Municipal Railway vehicles until they are in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (article).

I could be totally off base, but WTF? I understand you don't want bikes polluting the environment. Painting bike lanes on the street might destroy the delicate balance of the natural pavement ecosystem. Drilling into concrete to secure bike racks? That could tip the balance of nature in favor of man-made environmental features in the center of urban sprawl. You certainly not allow bicycles to piggyback on mass transit so the commuter could actually exercise as well as help the environment. Besides, that might eliminate additional transfers and the transit system would lose revenue by losing those commuters.

So now "they" get to spend a few years and a few million berries to determine if paint asphalt is bad for the environment; if bike racks are OK in a cityscape; and if mass transit will emit more pollution with bikes on board.

Slow Weekend

The Good Old Days


I have had this DVD for over a year now and can never make it past the 35 minute mark in the 4 times I have attempted to watch this. Maybe it is because I try to take it in at about 3pm on a rainy day; regardless, I end up taking a nap. The Ironic thing about that is I am not even a napper. I mean what could be better that Mapei taking another V in the Jello shot inspired kits? Those kits do give me thoughts to a day gone by when a chunk of the Old Crew met up for a ride one spring morning with two new kids... So new that they didn't know that 45 degrees was too cold for their matching short sleeve Mapei jerseys and shorts and nothign else. That would be even too hard for the Lion of Flanders. I am sure VDB would have no problems; just pop a horse tranquillizer.

Speaking of Museeuw and Tafi, I still think the last 100 meters of 1996 Paris-Roubaix is classic. Museeuw is so paranoid he is going to get jumped by Tafi or Bortolami in spite of the team's orders that he is looking over his shoulder. Maybe it was the particular drug he was on back then. Angel Dust can make one paranoid. But I honestly think "The Lion of Flanders" is quite possibly the most kick-ass nickname a rider could have bestowed upon him. Sure, there is "The Cannibal," "JaJa," "DuDu," "El Diablo," "El Pirata," "Elephantino," just to name a few.