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!.