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...