Ocotillo

I want to give a rave review of a fairly new restaurant that we went to a couple of weeks ago. I would give Ocotillo 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!

This place is in Greenwood Village so it may be a little bit of a drive for you city dwellers, but I tell you it is worth it! I had one of their special mojitos and it was so good I had to have another. We shared the house specialty guacamole that they prepare tableside and that was muy bueno. We also shared the Southwest Stack. The main courses were excellent (Mission Tamales & Hatch Chile Chicken), the Mexican chocolate creme brulee was a fantastic way to finish.

The atmosphere was very nice. I wouldn't say romantic, but very close. The service was very good. Our server was super nice, very knowledgeable and accommodating. I thought that he looked like younger version of Ty Pennington.

Anyway, you need to try it out. And after you eat there, go to their sister restaurant, Ventura Grill which is 2 doors down and another fabulous find.

We went to Swallow Hill Sunday night and saw one of our favorite bands, Los Lantzmun.

If you love different types of music you need to see them! We first saw them a couple of years ago and fell in love with their style. We had the opportunity to see them this last summer at the Boulder Jewish Festival and what a spectacular venue to see them. A lot of dancing and high energy!

We have both of their CD's and if you want a peak at their stuff let me know, I'll hook you up.

Meet Jackson

My good friend from Austin just got a new puppy. His name is Jackson and is 7 weeks old. Is he cute or what?!

Congrats Dave & Christy!!!

We went to Dave & Christy's annual holiday party last night and we had a great surprise. Some carolers showed up at the door and everyone was thinking how cool is this. These were not just your typical neighborhood folks either. They were all dressed up in vintage clothes and they could really sing. So we are all enjoying the festive singing and they were in the middle of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and they changed the lyrics to Will You Marry Me Christy Allbee, Will You Marry Me Christy Allbee? And they held up a sign. I had to do a double take! It was soooo AWESOME!

Dave & Christy - Congratulations, Mazel Tov and may this year be the best one yet!

NY Times "Select" Service

So... remember the days when you didn't even need a free account to read the NY Times online? Well, signing up for a free account was not a big deal but now they have created the Times Select where you need to pay a subscription to get to parts of their web site content, particularly the Op-Ed columnists. See a story here.

This site is offering his services free of charge to get your fix. He doesn't always find them, but it's a start. Here is the story on it.
Enjoy!

Restaurant Review

So in celebration of KSM's b-day (she turned 34 today!) and our anniversary on Thursday (3 years!!) her mom came to town and took us out to dinner. We went to Sparrow restaurant. We had seen this place before and decided to try it out.

We were pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was very cool. Lots of color and kind of funky but not over the top. The service was friendly and prompt. The food was delicious! The menu had a great variety of unique flavors but not too crazy.

For a drink I chose the Jolly Kingfisher Martini. A martini with Jolly Rancher infused Ketel One vodka (blue raspberry) and Chambord. I could also sense some freshly squeezed lemon or lime. They serve it in a martini glass and the presentation is excellent. The color is light blue with the light purple color of the Chambord at the bottom 3rd of the glass.

I started with the soup du jour, which was a chili with the meat from beef short ribs. It was tasty and had the consistency of soup, but still very good. For the entree I had the rabbit in a yellow curry sauce with Caribbean rice. It was perfect! The rice had some mango & green beans which made it sweet & crunchy. The rabbit was served on the bone and was moist. And for dessert we shared the Molten Chocolate Bombe. It is a chocolate cake with gooey chocolate sauce on the inside served hot. It was also accompanied with home-made mint chocolate chip ice cream and a very light coffee cream sauce. Very delicious!!

We all enjoyed the meal & experience and I would rate it a must go. Reasonably priced ($15 - $25 entrees) and cool design. A little on the noisy side after 8pm with more people.

What have I learned??

I now have 3 1/2 weeks of school behind me now and I have learned a lot! Most recently I learned that you can boil water if you drop the pressure around it enough. Sounds simple since I live at 5,400' and water for me boils at 205 degrees F. But If you lower the pressure enough you can get it to boil at 40 degrees F. The water will still be cold to the touch but it will boil or turn into the next state, vapor (steam). Cool 'eh!

Also I started brazing in one of my classes and here is some of my work. I swaged a few pieces of 3/8" copper tube and then brazed them together. Remember this is the first time I have ever used a torch.

What Kind of Coffee am I

Thanks for the link Sam.

gee and I always drink americanos....

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

A Letter to All Who Voted for George W. Bush

Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 03:36:34 -0400
Subject: A Letter to All Who Voted for George W. Bush from Michael Moore

To All My Fellow Americans Who Voted for George W. Bush:

On this, the fourth anniversary of 9/11, I'm just curious, how does it feel?

How does it feel to know that the man you elected to lead us after we were attacked went ahead and put a guy in charge of FEMA whose main qualification was that he ran horse shows?

That's right. Horse shows.

I really want to know -- and I ask you this in all sincerity and with all due respect -- how do you feel about the utter contempt Mr. Bush has shown for your safety? C'mon, give me just a moment of honesty. Don't start ranting on about how this disaster in New Orleans was the fault of one of the poorest cities in America. Put aside your hatred of Democrats and liberals and anyone with the last name of Clinton. Just look me in the eye and tell me our President did the right thing after 9/11 by naming a horse show runner as the top man to protect us in case of an emergency or catastrophe.

I want you to put aside your self-affixed label of Republican/conservative/born-again/capitalist/ditto-head/right-winger and just talk to me as an American, on the common ground we both call America.

Are we safer now than before 9/11? When you learn that behind the horse show runner, the #2 and #3 men in charge of emergency preparedness have zero experience in emergency preparedness, do you think we are safer?

When you look at Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security, a man with little experience in national security, do you feel secure?

When men who never served in the military and have never seen young men die in battle send our young people off to war, do you think they know how to conduct a war? Do they know what it means to have your legs blown off for a threat that was never there?

Do you really believe that turning over important government services to private corporations has resulted in better services for the people?

Why do you hate our federal government so much? You have voted for politicians for the past 25 years whose main goal has been to de-fund the federal government. Do you think that cutting federal programs like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers has been good or bad for America? GOOD OR BAD?

With the nation's debt at an all-time high, do you think tax cuts for the rich are still a good idea? Will you give yours back so hundreds of thousands of homeless in New Orleans can have a home?

Do you believe in Jesus? Really? Didn't he say that we would be judged by how we treat the least among us? Hurricane Katrina came in and blew off the facade that we were a nation with liberty and justice for all. The wind howled and the water rose and what was revealed was that the poor in America shall be left to suffer and die while the President of the United States fiddles and tells them to eat cake.

That's not a joke. The day the hurricane hit and the levees broke, Mr. Bush, John McCain and their rich pals were stuffing themselves with cake. A full day after the levees broke (the same levees whose repair funding he had cut), Mr. Bush was playing a guitar some country singer gave him. All this while New Orleans sank under water.

It would take ANOTHER day before the President would do a flyover in his jumbo jet, peeking out the widow at the misery 2500 feet below him as he flew back to his second home in DC. It would then be TWO MORE DAYS before a trickle of federal aid and troops would arrive. This was no seven minutes in a sitting trance while children read "My Pet Goat" to him. This was FOUR DAYS of doing nothing other than saying "Brownie (FEMA director Michael Brown), you're doing a heck of a job!"

My Republican friends, does it bother you that we are the laughing stock of the world?

And on this sacred day of remembrance, do you think we honor or shame those who died on 9/11/01? If we learned nothing and find ourselves today every bit as vulnerable and unprepared as we were on that bright sunny morning, then did the 3,000 die in vain?

Our vulnerability is not just about dealing with terrorists or natural disasters. We are vulnerable and unsafe because we allow one in eight Americans to live in horrible poverty. We accept an education system where one in six children never graduate and most of those who do can't string a coherent sentence together. The middle class can't pay the mortgage or the hospital bills and 45 million have no health coverage whatsoever.

Are we safe? Do you really feel safe? You can only move so far out and build so many gated communities before the fruit of what you've sown will be crashing through your walls and demanding retribution. Do you really want to wait until that happens? Or is it your hope that if they are left alone long enough to soil themselves and shoot themselves and drown in the filth that fills the street that maybe the problem will somehow go away?

I know you know better. You gave the country and the world a man who wasn't up for the job and all he does is hire people who aren't up for the job. You did this to us, to the world, to the people of New Orleans. Please fix it. Bush is yours. And you know, for our peace and safety and security, this has to be fixed. What do you propose?

I have an idea, and it isn't a horse show.

Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

Where are you??

I am sure my regular readers (all 3 of you) are wondering what the hell happened to Jay. WHen I was working I was posting at least once per day. Now that I am unemployed, it's like once per month. So you are thinking that I must be riding 4-5 hours per day getting ready for some of the big races at the end of the year..nope.

Just got back from a week long trip to Grand Junction, Telluride, Mesa Verde, Durango and Ouray. Went with my sister & mom celebrating her ahem...60th b-day. We had a great time seeing a bunch of beautiful scenery. I took 7 rolls of B&W and just developed them. I'm headind to the darkroom today to try to get some printing done. Of course I'll post some.

So the big news is I have figured out what I want to do with my life once I grow up! Over 6 months ago when I knew I would be getting laid off, I started seriously thinking about what I REALLY want to do. I went through staying in my current field (Network Engineer), working for a non-profit that I am passionate about, technical recruiting, commercial real estate, getting back into thte hotel business and I am sure a couple of other careers. After thinking and pondering about it I figured out that I wanted a career that I could benefit from personally and one that can not be shipped overseas. After thinking back to all the jobs I had, I thought about my late teens and early 20's when I worked for a landscaping company, fence company and a general contractor and realized that those were the jobs I really enjoyed. Getting into my work and using my hands and brain. So I asked around to friends and other people I met that knew the trades and asked them their thoughts. Most pretty much said start with HVAC and that will give you a great beginning.

I finished up my first week of classes at Red Rocks Community College. It has really opened up my eyes to make me wonder why I did not do this earlier in my life. I am taking 4 classes (Monday - Thursday nights) at 4 credits each. Fundamentals of Gas Heating, Refrigeration Fundamentals, Electricity for HVAC and Pipe Fitting Skills. I am stoked realizing that just after these classes I should be able to do more fixing around the house. The teachers seems pretty cool so far. I like 3 of the 4 and the 4th guy is ok. He is younger and comes across as the tough guy image. I am sure he is fine as a teacher and I just need to appease his personality.

Peace Out!

Here's Mack getting wet!

New Pics

I just posted a couple of new pics on flickr.
Enjoy!

Hitch Hiker

So here I am on my last interval today going up past Red Rocks and I look down at my rear derailleur. I see at grasshopper, large I might add, hanging on to the cable upside down. Crazy! So, after I finish the interval I turn around to start going downhill and I look down again and there he is now hanging on upright. It was actually pretty funny. He held on for about 5 more minutes, then climbed onto my cassette, not a good idea, but I did not pedal ;) and then he was gone. I was wondering if I was seeing thisngs since it was 92 degrees and I had just finished my 6th 8 minute LT interval. But I think it was real.

Here is a new picture I printed today. It was taken on top of Bierstadt looking out to Gray's & Torrey's. I'll start posting them on flickr as well.

Hmmm... weekly update?!

Ok, so it has been one week since I posted. I guess it's getting better than before. ;)

Here are 2 more pictures I took & printed. I really like the dew on the rose leaves. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it. I do have a few more negs I'd like to print. Some are from our recent trip up Bierstadt with some friends.

Shabbat Shalom!

What have I been up to?

So my last day at work was July 1 and my last post was a few days prior to that. Now that I have not been working for 3 weeks I have not posted. I guess that tells you what I was doing at work...

Let's see the TdF started on July 2 and I have been faithfully watching that every day. I have been riding my bike a lot. It has been sweltering hot, so fortunately I can ride earlier in the day than normal.

I also started taking a Photography class at Denver Darkroom. I am 3 weeks into the 4 week course and am really enjoying it. Here are a couple of my first prints. They are from the Parker Main Criterium on Saturday, July 16.


Not too bad if I say so myself. I have a couple of more to print, but when you are in the darkroom time goes by. It's like a black hole and kind of like sitting at a table in Vegas gambling.

It looks pretty darn clear that Lance will have #7. The time trial is tomorrow and the weather looks good, so he can go all out and finally win a stage this year. Not that it matters, but it would be nice to win a stage.

Ciao!

The Lost Liberty Hotel

Taken from Needcoffee.com
Logan Darrow Clements is our hero. Why? Because he's started the process necessary, in the town of Weare, New Hampshire, of taking privately owned land from a homeowner and turning it into a hotel. This is because private property rights in America have just been turned on their head by the Supreme Court: all you have to do is prove that you can bring in more revenue for the local government than a homeowner (not hard to do), and bingo–eminent domain can kick in and you can kick the homeowner out!

Why in the world would we be in favor of this? Because Clements wants to build this:

The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."

And he wants to build it where Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter's home is now. Read the full press release here. We heartily endorse Clements and will probably invest capital in this endeavor when the time is right.

Celebrate your fireworks electronically

I think instead of driving out to see fireworks, this year I am going to get cozy by the computer and create my own show.

Honda Delivers FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle to World's First Individual Customer

This is very cool!
Read the story here.

More Proof the Government Does Not Work for Us Working Class People

Now under consideration when you buy your next house; make sure it is not in an area that developers may want to put a mall, hotel, spa or tax revenue generator for your local government.

Taken from the Denver Post today:
"The Supreme Court today ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses - even against their will - for private economic development."

Thank you to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who argued that cities should not have unlimited authority to uproot families, even if they are provided compensation, simply to accommodate wealthy developers.

Read the story here.

Mojito Fever

A cool refreshing drink and perfect for this time of year, especially the way the weather has been (HOT!).

I had my first Mojito a couple of years ago and have only had a few since then. However, earlier this year I made a plan to grow some mint and have them all summer long.

Last night it began....hmmmm...didn't even realize that today is the first day of summer, so it was perfect timing. And it was a perfect drink! I guess you can screw up a Mojito, since I was not impressed with Mynt's, but I thought mine was very tasty.

Here is the recipe taken directly from the Bacardi web site:

1 serving
1.5 oz. BACARDI rum
12 fresh spearmint leaves
½ lime
4 tsp. sugar
Top off with club soda

Muddle mint leaves and lime in tall glass. Add sugar and fill
glass with ice. Add BACARDI rum and club soda; stir well. Garnish glass with
lime wedge and sprigs of mint.
*side note - make sure you stir real well. You need to make sure the sugar, lime juice & mint flavor gets throughout the drink for maximum taste.

To muddle, a muddler would be nice, but you can use anythig that will break up the mint and lime juice. Here is a fancy one I found online at Crate and Barrel. All the other ones I have seen and used are wooden, shaped like miniature baseball bats. Unfortunately the 2 liquor stores I went to had no idea what I was asking for or talking about. I guess they never worked in a bar before. So I will be shopping for one soon.

I hope this new 'addiction' does not turn out like my friend JD's a few summers ago with Mint Juleps. ;)

Dancing Queen

iPod's Royal nod 

Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has dipped into the royal purse to snap up an iPod, a report said today.

Britain's biggest-selling daily The Sun said the 79-year-old sovereign had bought a six-gigabyte silver model for £169 ($A400).

The pocket-sized digital music players can hold up to 10,000 downloaded songs.

Queen Elizabeth's second son Prince Andrew, fourth in line to the throne, was reported to be behind the move, having bought his mother a mobile phone and taught her how to use it in 2001.

"The Queen loves music and was impressed by how small and handy the iPod is," a royal insider told the tabloid.

"Obviously it is quite complicated to download songs, but I'm sure one of the courtiers will do it for her.

"Prince Andrew will probably also help out because he's a real dab hand with gadgets."

Abba's Dancing Queen and Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears might be on the royal iPod, the newspaper suggested.

Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald

Pass the Pigs

I vaguely remember this game and just heard about it on a recent podcast. Ahh... the good old days when it was easy to entertain yourselves without electronics and such. Even though this is an electronic form, it is still fun and a great way to pass the time. ENJOY!

Are you Kidding Me People?!

Discovery channel has a program called The Greatest American. They have a list of the top 25 people that came out of a list of 100. Some of the nominees are: Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, Neil Armstrong, Ben Franklin, Bill Gates. As I am looking at the list I see George Bush's name listed. How the heck did he make this list? And there are a few others that I was surprised to see, but come on, George Bush?! PUH-LEASE!

MMMMMM!!! Bike Porn!

Trek's new weapons for the Discovery Team Tour de France campaign.

For more pictures and the story go to CyclingNews.com

Lance Armstrong's new Trek Madone SSLX  

Trek's new TTX time trial bike was a winner on its first time out, as George Hincapie blasted to victory on his new TT rig at the 7.9km Prologue of the Criterium du Dauphine Libere in Aix-les-Bains. 

Can I/We Wait This Long?!

Paris Hilton plans to give up public life for family life -- but not immediately.

The hotel heiress, 24, star of "The Simple Life" reality series, told Newsweek magazine that when she was younger, "I thought it was cute to play a dumb blonde. On TV, I do it because it's funny. I consider myself a businesswoman and a brand."

But Hilton says she plans to give up her public life in two years, by which time she expects to become a mother with her fiance, Paris Latsis.
Star Tribune

Once the TdF starts, I'll change my countdown clock so we can all see how much longer we have to put up with her. ;)

Dia de la Bandera

That's Flag Day in Spanish ;)
I also just learned that Flag Day in Argentina is June 20. The internet is a wonderful thing!

Here's a little trivia for you to celebrate Flag Day:
Do you need to burn the flag if it touches the ground?
For the answer and other cool stuff...go here.

Something here is wrong!

In Denver News...Repeat DUI Offender Gets Heavy Sentence

Things I see wrong:
1) Repeat DUI Offender - Why is this guy still driving after 7! DUI arrests?!
2) Heavy Sentence - 24 years in prison is not heavy enough for killing someone

How did the courts/law allow this guy to get back behind the wheel? Did he have a current driver's license and insurance? I realize that he could drive a car without those and risk the chance of getting pulled over.

During the news broadcast he was requesting to be put in a prison near where his mother lives so he could be close since she was sick. I'm sorry Ramon, but you screwed up! Why should anyone try to cater to you anymore? You have had 7 opportunities to change your life and once again you f'd up! You are so lucky that the law only allows a maximum of 24 years. I would give you life with no opportunity for parole or even visitation rights!
100% RESPONSIBILITY!!

Truth or Urban Legend?

I came across this entry at my favorite Urban Legends site, Snopes.com and wonder (as they do) if it is a true story. I think it is, not because I know, but because I have a gut feeling it is. Hopefully we will get more information as time goes by and those crafty researchers at Snopes.com uncover more.

Here is a snippet..."I am picturing a board room full of executives giving props to the young promising engineer that figured out how to squeeze an additional row of seats onto this plane by putting them next to the LAV. I would like to flush his head in the toilet that I am close enough to touch, and taste, from my seat."

eBay Listing

This is hilarious! Especially the Q & A section.
Anyone care to donate so I can buy it?! The auction is over at 5p MT on June 12.
F DUBYA

First Pepsi Now Slurpees

Apple announced that they are teaming up with 7-Eleven to give away 8 million songs from iTunes in a promotion. I haven't had a slurpee in a while, but water ice is so much better! ;)

My Summer Vacation... sort of :)

I am back from my trip to Philly and what a trip it was!

We went there to see the races at the Velodrome in T-Town and to watch the Wachovia USPRO Championship race in downtown Philly, oh yeah to visit family too ;)

One of my favorite places to go while back in that area is Rita's. They serve Water Ice, Custard and some other items. I will go there every day and get a water ice when I am in the area. These are the best treat for a hot summer day! Water ice is hard to describe, it is a cross between Italian ice & a snow cone. They use fresh fruit and it is mixed in with very fine ice. The flavor stays within the ice unlike a snow cone where it just goes to the bottom. Rita's only operates on the East coast, so if you are ever near one, check them out.

We had an incredible meal at a restaurant called Marigold Kitchen which is located in West Philadelphia. We are friends with the parents of the owner/chef. I started with the smoked trout wrapped in avocado, had the rabbit for the main course and an extremely yummy dessert (of course I forgot what I had!). This restaurant has been given so many phenomenal reviews and well deserved.

The races at the velodrome were rained out so we went to see Cinderella Man instead. I give this movie 5 of 5. As much as Russell Crowe seems to be an idiot in real life, this movie was powerful. More than just a movie about a fighter. It shows that true desire of a man to keep it together and get through the toughest times of life, even after already having it all. Must see!!

Saturday night we stayed at a friend's house in Manayunk to make it easier to get to the race on Sunday. We stayed up (until 1:30a) and had a few margaritas and met some new friends. Got up at 6:15a on Sunday to go pre-ride the race course with Josh so I could get an appreciation of what the pros have to do. This is an organized fun ride for the fans. I was riding his old MTB that was too small and hadn't been cleaned in years. A little different from riding my bike that is fit to me and wearing the right shoes & apparel. So the course up to the famous Manayunk Wall is really easy. Once we get to the wall you get a great view of how it shoots straight up and keeps going. I see a bunch of people getting off their bikes and walking up and I am passing a few here & there. Makes me feel like I am in better shape than I thought. But then again these are not the people I race against! I get up over the first part then it levels out for a small section and then up again. Overall it is not that bad, BUT I would not want to try this at race pace and have to do it 10 times. We head on through the course and take it to Lemon Hill. This is another part of the course that is a good climb and they do this one 13 times. A lot shorter, but still hurts. And then back to the start/finish line. We hang out for a bit at the expo and then ride back to Josh's house.

We all get cleaned up & eat and start watching the coverage on TV. We jump in the car and head over to the Manayunk Wall and go to a friend of Josh's that is right on the course. I find out that most of these houses just open their doors and people come in & out all day. A reporter interviewed a homeowner and asked her how many people that were there she knew, her answer, none. Crazy life during the race on the Wall. A friend of Josh (Alison-who we met the night before) knows that I am really stoked about the race, asks me if I am interested in taking one of her TV Production Crew all access pass. My eyes were wide open and mouth hanging open and she figured my answer was yes. This pass gets you ANYWHERE and gives you clout. So we watched a few laps on the wall and then jumped into the media van to get to the start/finish line. We talk to the crew with ABC and hang out with one of Alison's friends right on the mobile studio set where the announcers are. I must look like a little kid with the biggest smile on my face. After that we start walking around and head over to the feed zone and walk behind all the team tents and chat with some of the team support people and riders that have dropped from the race.

Once the race was getting into the final laps, we head back over to the mobile studio and I hang out with all the photographers. So here I am snapping away with all the professionals with one of the 'best seats in the house'. After Wherry finishes & wins the race the whole slew of us surround him and I am right in the middle of it all while he is giving interviews etc. What a rush to be right there!

So now we need to get back to Manayunk... well, as clever as Alison is, she asks the cops to see if we can get a ride back. The moto cops said, we only have one seaters so go ask the cop with the side-car. And he said, sure I'll give you a ride back, jump in. I get in the side-car and Alison sits on my lap. This is hilarious! Here we are driving back down the race course and people are yelling & screaming & taking pictures of us. I am thinking this has to be illegal somehow: 2 people in a side-car with no helmets. He said if anyone asks, the chief said it was ok. What a treat!

Monday before we went to the airport we went downtown to have lunch. Of course I had to have a cheesesteak sandwich. :)

Here is a link to some of the pictures of the trip. I took 5 rolls of 35mm, and still going through them. I will scan some more and get them posted soon.....
Pictures here.

Now I can get a good nights sleep...

Phew! After all these months of agonizing over what the Colorado quarter should look like, Governor Owens finally made the decision. Now he can get back to the more important issues. See the press release and the 4 losers. 

Caution! New Scam! ;)

My wife & I had recently (about 2 weeks ago) visited Quiznos store #5 (3200 South Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood) and noticed that they have a sign (homemade) posted that said, tomatoes only upon request. I thought that was odd. I ordered my sandwich (Classic Italian) and my wife orderd her's (Turkey lite). And I had indicated that I would like tomatoes on my sandwich since the sign said I needed to ask for them (even though the menu above my head says they are part of the sandwich).

After getting our sandwiches and looking at my receipt, I noticed I was charged an extra $.20 for tomatoes. I inquired as to why and I was told because I asked for them. I then indicated that per their sign I had to ask for them if I wanted them even though it was shown on the menu as an included item. She told me that this just went into affect (within the last hour) and they have not been able to change the menu sign. I mentioned that the sandwich is supposed to have the tomatoes as part of the recipe, but they indicate that now i have to ask for them. So I now have to pay the full price of the sandwich plus an extra $.20 for tomatoes that are supposed to be included? I told her that $.20 is not a big deal but they need to figure out what they are doing before they implement something.

To cap this all off, my wife shows me her sandwich which has tomatoes on it and she never even asked and was not charged extra. What is going on here? Must be a conspiracy against men...now that I remember, there were 3 workers there and they were all women! A HA! Figured it out...

I told them that I would never step foot into this store again and make sure my friends and neighbors do the same. I have never felt that comfortable in that store and this caps it off. There are always homemade signs about not sitting in certain areas because they are closed (this section closed) and not to take too many napkins or condiments, but they leave a pot of Aus Jus sauce sitting on the counter to take as much as you want. I know that stuff is not cheap!

I still enjoy Quiznos and will still patronize some stores. I have been in there enough times to know who the owners/managers are and did notice that the women who, from what I understand, is part owner/manager didn't even have the guts or smarts to come talk to us about it. Maybe then she could have at least made me understand what they were doing. She let her teenage worker do that instead. Unfortunately, this is the sign of the times, poor customer service.

There are some of you who think I am a little over the top with this and saying, get over it, but trust me, I have been going to this store for over 6 years and this finally put me over the edge. I only went to this location because it was close to home and more convenient.

When was the last time you rode your bike wearing jeans?

I ask that question because I honestly can't remember, but today I did. So many miles in lycra... jeans are so much less constricting and free feeling. Granted I would not want to ride more than a 1/2 hour in them, but it does give you a different feel on the bike.

A couple of years ago I was riding to work 3 - 4 times per week which was 38 miles round trip. Great way to rack up some mileage, start the day 'awake' and clear my mind on the way home. But, trying to do that the next year was a little tougher. The drawbacks of commuting to work on a bike for me are: bringing my clothes I will wear at work with me (fortunately I can wear shorts etc.) and bringing my lunch. So it can get to be a little bit of a nuisance having to carry that stuff every day. Fortunately I was able to leave my showering supplies in a locker at work.

Overall it was not that big of a deal, but seemed like work. So I stopped commuting on my bike. Plus my workouts were so specific it was hard to do a workout and commute.

Over the last several weeks I have really missed getting on my bike in the morning and riding to work, however I did not want to worry about taking a shower at work in the morning, so I started looking at the bus schedules to see about riding to the bus, taking the bus to the DTC and then riding it to work from there. I live fairly close to a park n ride and work near one as well, so I looked at all the bus routes that went between the 2. I did find 2 busses, one would take me 1hr 10mins plus riding time, which is absurd. The other one is more of an express that comes from the Conifer area so it is the bigger more comfortable busses and they now have bike racks on the front. That route would take 40 minutes to ride.

This morning I headed to the bus stop (arrived in 10mins) put my bike on the bike rack (first time for me and it was super easy), paid my $2.75 and sat back to enjoy the ride. This bus is way nicer than any other RTD bus I have been on, but then again it is more like a lower end coach. Tried to read a little, but the jostling around does wonders for my equilibrium. 40 minutes later I arrive at the DTC, take my bike off the rack and proceed to work. Arrived at work in 10mins. Total commute: 60mins, Cost: $2.75 and 200 calories (joking).

My plan is to do what I did this morning: ride, bus, ride and then just ride home. That way I can get into work easier and also get a nice ride home that takes about an hour.

So I did some quick figuring and I can drive to work in 30mins and home in about 40mins. So I save no time. My car gets about 18mpg so it takes 2 gallons a day to commute. Based on current gas prices it comes to $4.50 per day to drive. Bus fare is $2.75 so I save $1.75 per day. At first I was looking at this and thinking, ok so I save some money, but is it really that much? As I was riding from the bus stop to the office, I realized as in most things, if it is good for you or the environment it costs more. Of course then I also thought that I am taking one car off the road for 38 miles a day. Granted, 1 car off the road for 38miles does not reduce a measureable amount of congestion or pollution, but it does help somewhat.

So we will see where this goes, but I have to tell you, getting off my bike coming into the office feels good (again). In some ways, I am gloating inside saying that, yes I am doing my part taking alternative transportation to work. Of course I can also tie this all back into a mitzvah of Judaism, tikkun olam (repairing the world).

In case you are wondering....I do have my lycra to wear home. For some reason 19miles wearing jeans on a bike in the afternoon heat just does not appeal to me.... ;)

My New Favorite Site

Here is a site that I had stumbled across from a blog I was reading. It has some hilarious stuff on it. Safe & Not Safe For Work ;) The euros really know how to make commercials.

Smoothie King vs. Jamba Juice

So on my way to work this morning I decided to get a smoothie. I noticed that there is a new store (Smoothie King) that opened in the DTC. They are new to the area but have been around since 1973.

I ordered a Peach Slice Plus thinking that hmmm... I'm in the mood for some peach. I get the smoothie and taste it and the girl asks me how it is. I said that I had ordered a peach flavored drink and was wondering if that is what she made because it tasted like strawberry. She & a co-worker said that the strawberry flavor overpowers the peach. So I mentioned that they may want to change the name of the drink or change the recipe. They were very nice and added more peach to make it taste like I think it should (peach). Price for 20oz with tax: $4.61

Rating: 2 out of 4
The store was clean, has a lot to offer as far as supplements, drinks, bars etc., the staff was very friendly. However, I will stick to Jamba Juice for now, unless of course someone wants to take me back to Smoothie King and buy me a drink to give them another shot.

Finger Not Included with Every Order

Free Frosty Weekend at Wendy's!

To Quote Gene Autry..

...I'm back in the saddle again!
I took my first ride after 2 weeks of recovery from my crash and all seems well. My bike is handling the same. I was on a descent and hit 40mph no problem without any vibration or odd feelings. My tailbone was a little sore after the ride. I noticed that there is no direct pressure unless I sit straight up. So it looks to me I am back and ready to roll!

Priceless!

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him.

He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

Giro d'Italia Streaming Live to Your Computer!

OLNtv.com will be offering a live video stream (webcast) from the world feed covering the race. No commercial interruptions, on-screen leaderboards, time gaps etc. This service will be live Monday through Friday, May 7th - 29th. If you are not awake during the live feed, they will be archiving each day to view at a later time. All this for just $5.95!

Also, OLN will have same day coverage on the Saturdays & Sundays during the race. Of course it is taped and will be shown 5p-7p ET.

BlogShares

This is a site I stumbled across randomly doing searches and it seems kind of cool. I just registered, so I do not have all the details. BlogShares is a fantasy stock market for weblogs. Players get to invest a fictional $500, and blogs are valued by incoming links.

Who knows, it may be fun for a little while, but I need something to do!

What are dogs really thinking?

I wish my parents would let me out of the house so I can play with the birds, rabbits & squirrels. I must get out out! How can I do that? Look innocent, yeah that will do it!. 

It was bound to happen...

At least I figured it would be some time since I just purchased my new bike. But then again the law of averages kicks in when you drop some coin on a new ride.

So Sunday, April 22 I was riding and went down VERY hard. Of course my first thought was, shit my new bike! And then, what did I break? I was down for a few minutes, curled up in a fetal position on my right side and tried to roll on my back. When I did, I opened my eyes and everything was very blurry and actually spinning around. I have NEVER experienced that and it freaked me out.

Went to the hospital and my injuries are as follows: road rash on upper right thigh, right hand, right forearm, right shoulder and across to the middle of the back. Very tender tailbone and very sore shoulder. Fortunately nothing was broken and at the time the Doctor was not sure of the extent of muscle damage. However, I just came from seeing my Doctor for a follow up and everything is healing extremely well. The road rash is really coming along well and I have regained a lot of movement in my right shoulder. Still sore and I can't push with it or put too much weight on it, but it is doing well. I really do not know when I will be back on the bike again. I hope in another week I should be able to at least ride it.

Now the damage to the bike...... where do I begin?....
Shaved the metal off the handlebars down a bit on the right side, scratched the brake levers on right & left, scratched the rear derailleur, both wheels out of true, scraped the labels off the rear wheel, a nice chunk of the seat is missing and the big problem is the rear end is 1 - 2cm out of alignment. So that makes the bike pretty much history. Aluminum does not bend back into shape.

Equipment damage......
Cracked helmet in 4 places, shredded the shirt I was wearing, glove was shredded with chunks missing, arm warmer has a couple of holes but still wearable. Thankfully the shorts held up well. Almost no visible sign of damage. Lycra is magical!

So when I get to the ER, I was obviously in extreme pain and not really sure what the extent of my injuries were. The dream topical drug for road rash is Lidocaine. Now let me tell you, it feels like acid burning your skin when it is being applied, but wait 30 seconds and all the pain has gone away. It's like the road rash does not exist. I hear if overused it can be pretty dangerous though, like a heart attack. The other magic item is Tegaderm. This is a sheet of clear saran wrap like material that sticks directly over the wound. It creates essentially a new layer of skin. It can stay on for up to 7 days. However, after moving around & taking a shower, 2 days is really the max for me. They took x-rays of my neck, shoulder and pelvis area.

Mentally I am doing well. I am very bummed that I can't do simple tasks, but each day is better and seeing a lot of improvement. I still do not have a solution about my bike, but am checking with our homeowner's insurance to see if it is covered and what the deductible is. Not sure if I will get another Merckx or maybe try a custom Primus Mootry. Great builder out of Boulder. That was my second choice when I was originally looking. And do I want aluminum again or try steel this time.

I'll be back!!

Hag Sameach Pesach!

ShaBot 6000 and Fitty Cent getting down wit da Seda' Club!

And in this Corner Rabbi Fine...

Rabbi Fine did what we all should do when we see an idiot wearing a swastika. My applause goes out to the Rabbi.

When wagging your tail hurts so much!

So I come home from work yesterday and as usual get ready to take Mack out for a walk. We keep him contained in the kitchen because we are not quite ready to let him roam the house while we are out all day. We are very fortunate though, he has not left us any "surprises".

He is soooooo excited when I get home that he is wagging his tail and it actually looks like he is putting everything into it, because his butt is wagging just as hard. This is very typical when he is very excited. So I notice that there is some blood streaks on the dishwasher and then on the edge of the wall. Well come to find out he was wagging so hard that he cut his tail. Poor thing! How do you tell a dog to stop wagging his tail when he is sooooo excited?! He has always wagged so hard and always had hit things, but this was the first sign of blood.

So I guess now we have to make sure we get to him right away (which I know was his ploy all along!) and keep him from hitting his tail on anything. I never thought this would be a challenge of owning a dog.....

Hamilton Suspended

Velonews.com Article
Tyler Hamilton's response to the decision

I personally think he is not guilty. He comes across as a stand up guy and not a cocky elite level athlete. It is a shame that this will end his career and most people will consider him a doper/cheat.

Armstrong Retiring

Taken from CyclingNews.com

Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will retire on July 24, one day after the Tour de France. At a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia today, 33 year-old Armstrong announced that he would not be continuing for another year, confirming his statements earlier this year that "four months, and it's over."

Armstrong said today, "I have decided that the Tour de France will be my last race as a professional cyclist. July 24 will be my last one after 14 years in the professional peloton. Having said that, I'm fully committed to winning a seventh Tour.

"I have thought a lot about it, I have gone back and forth. My time has come but I will definitely have the itch every now and again. My children are my biggest supporters but at the same time they are the ones who told me it's time to come home...I am 100 percent committed and the decision is final."

Apart from spending more time with his family, Armstrong will also put his considerable energy into the campaign to fight against cancer. Armstrong came back from cancer in 1999 to win the Tour de France an unprecedented six times in a row, and became the major cycling celebrity in the process. His achievements also include winning the World Championships in 1993, Clasica San Sebastian in 1995, Fleche Wallonne in 1996, Tour de Suisse in 2001, Dauphine Libere in 2002 and 2003, and Midi Libre in 2002.

Armstrong also said that after his retirement, he will work with Discovery Channel (both the media outlet and the team) to help develop younger riders.

Armstrong's immediate goal is defending his title in the Tour de Georgia, which will start on Tuesday, April 19.

Gooooooogle Ads

Ok, so I figured I would see what all this commotion is about adding Google Ads to my blog. So let's see what happens with this. I understand it has to associate with key words within the blog. I wonder what happens when you insert words like: pesach, afikomen, plagues, haroset, bitter herbs, frogs. Ok that's enough for now.

Gene Simmons eat your heart out! 

Spring Scenes....

 

 

Here are 3 colorful & aromatic spring scenes in my 'hood. 

4 Days Later....

So we had how much snow on Monday?! Hmmm... gotta love spring in Colorado! 

Reality of War

I came across this web site from one that I visit often. It is a very disturbing look into the reality of war. Big Neal is the creator of this and does a great job of giving us a very small glimpse of what his day to day life is in Iraq. The navigation is done in frames so it is difficult to link directly to the certain sections of the site, but go to the navigation on the left side and click on 4th ("a closer look"), 5th ("photo gallery") & 6th ("video clips") links. I must warn you that some of the video & pictures are disturbing, however this is reality for these folks.

Smart Dog

A wealthy old lady decided to go on a photo safari in Africa. She took her faithful pet dachshund along for company.

One day, the dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the dachshund discovers that he is lost. So, wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch.

The dachshund thinks, "OK, I'm in deep trouble now! Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dachshund exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here."

Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-stride, a look of terror comes over him, and he slinks away into the trees.

"Whew," says the leopard. "That was close. That dachshund nearly had me."

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard.

So, off he goes. But the dachshund saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal with the leopard.

The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine."

Now the dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet... and just when they get close enough to hear the dachshund says...

"Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

The Tulips will be blooming in less than a week!

Here is our backyard after 24 hours of snow! Now the sun is out and it's starting to melt away. I love Colorado weather. When this happens in New England, it stays until June. 

No Mountain High Enough - Raising Lance, Raising Me

Linda Armstrong Kelly (Lance's mom) just released her book on Tuesday, April 5. Of course I got a copy right away, but now I need to find time to read it. I am sure it will be a very interesting, inspirational, uplifting and 'feel good' book. It chronicles her life raising Lance, and overcoming the mountains of obstacles they faced. 

Lance's 10//2 Line Launches!

“The day I was diagnosed with cancer was the day I started to live,” Lance said as he began his journey along this new path.

Check out Lance's new line of clothing at Nike. The Lance Armstrong Foundation will receive $1.00 for each 10//2 product sold. 

Modern Day 20 Questions

20Q.net is an experiment in artificial intelligence. The program is very simple but its behavior is complex. Everything that it knows and all questions that it asks were entered by people playing this game. 20Q.net is a learning system; the more it is played, the smarter it gets.

Venga, Venga, Venga!!!

2005 Eddy Merckx Race with Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed and Proton Wheels 

What's going to happen as we start running out of cheap gas to guzzle?

The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler.

This is a very interesting look into the future of our world and the need/usage of oil. Not sure if I need to run for the hills or think this guy is a quack. But it does make you think.....

wag, wag, wag, wag... 

Want to play? 

Woof!  

Hello Everyone

Hi my name is Mack.
I was just adopted by a great family and I am soooo happy to be with them. I am a Golden Retreiver that was rescued from a shelter in Missouri. I really like Colorado, but I am getting used to how dry it is here so I am drinking lots of water and I have a little allergy problem but hope to get it taken care of. I am just over 1 year old, I am housebroken, not interested in getting on furniture, I walk on a leash pretty good but I do need some work on this, I love wagging my tail. I am such a good boy because I don't chew on anything. The vet says I need to gain a little weight so I am back to eating puppy food. I am a little sloppy when I drink my water, but I am soooo cute.

I look forward to meeting everyone and their doggies. I am sure you will see more pictures since my parents love me so much!
wag, wag, wag, wag, wag... 

"The Drugs I Need"

Our friends at JibJab have found a very interesting piece of animation that I am sure they wish they could have come up with.

This video was commisioned by Consumers Union on the prescription drug industry. It is a comical yet scary look into the drugs that are on the market today and pokes fun at side effects. My all time favorite side effect is 'anal leakage'. Now why would someone take a drug knowingly that they can possibly have anal leakage??!!

Now for some political stuff:
Take action now -- Tell Congress to support the FACT Act, requiring drug companies to make public all the results of their clinical trial research and improve the safety of drugs currently on the market. There's growing support in Congress for real reform, and your voice right now will make a difference.

Dog Update

We have decided to have GRFR get a second opinion on Mack's lump on the back of his neck. So hopefully they can get him in by Saturday and as long as everything turns out ok, we can officially adopt him then!

I went to a local pet store in Lakewood, Pets 'n Stuff, yesterday and bought a bunch of supplies to get started with. This store was recommended by a lady from GRFR. It is locally owned and in Lakewood, so we are all over shopping there (since we like to support our local merchants when we can. then our tax money stays in our city). They have a great selection of pet supplies for all types of pets. They also offer a washing area for dogs and it costs $9.99 and they supply all the 'stuff' to wash your dog. You just supply the dog. It's seems very cool, especially for people like us who do not really have a convenient way to wash a dog at home. So we'll see how it goes....

Stay tuned!!

Meet Mack

We received a call the other day that GRFR has a dog that fits our adoption profile. So we set up a time to visit his foster home last night.

He is such a well behaved dog. He didn't jump on us at all, he hasn't been interested in getting on furniture or his foster mom's bed. He's a little over 1 year old and very slender, beautiful reddish coat and very happy.

Our only concern was a little bit of a lump that is on the back of his neck. He was checked out by a vet and they said he was fine, but we are not sure if that lump was noticed. He has been 'chipped' so I wonder if that is what the lump is.

Our next step is to check with GRFR to see if we could get a second opinion on the lump. If another vet says he is ok, then we are ready to adopt him!

Stay tuned....