Monday, June 29, 2009

TdF

............ coming............ soon .............................. :)

Saturday, June 27, 2009

"The Look"


"The Look" from the 2001 Tour De France. Every time I watch it, my mouth closes and I shake my head in disbelief. What an amazing athlete. That is a steep, long climb at the end of a long day, and he just pwns it. (yes, I threw in a WOW-ism). That cadence also amazes me... if I did that, my heart would explode.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Project Upgrade... the final parts

Black will look sleek and sexy with the black/silver/carbon crankset...

I opted for the Sram PG-1070 11-26
I was all set to get a Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 chain, but this was a much better deal...
Sram PC-1070

Maybe this would have looked better? nah... wouldn't match the classy black rear derailleur!
(I joke, but I actually REALLY REALLLY want this snazzy chain for the blue single speed bike... just a bit out of my price range right now)

Freakout...... possibly quite soon

Mr. Jackson has died. I understand that he was an American icon and music "legend" and I like his older music. Thriller, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror... all good tunes.

Where am I going with this, you ask? That freak of nature died just today and on the way home, on Pop & Hip Hop radio stations, there were 2 Michael Jackson songs already broadcasting; completely out of sync with the other songs... like a Yankee's cap at Fenway Park (if you will).

For the next week, If I hear a Michael Jackson song on the radio every 5-10 minutes, it's going to thoroughly piss me the hell off. If you thought Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino was grouchy, wait until you say the name "Jackson" around me. Freakout imminent.

Ok, new topic. A (seemingly normal)teenage girl walking past me on a bridge today and became fluttered and asked me if "this was a bridge?" We were 25' in the air on a covered bridge over a street... I was contemplating a cruel joke to embarrass her with but decided to save the moment and keep it all to myself. I smiled and said "Yes, ma'am" and strolled away.

Boston, Fenway, and More...

I'll give a run down of the amazing journey in the pictures.... enjoy :::(>>>

This is how I felt driving the whole way down... lots of traffic, NYC and NJ jackass drivers




Those were all from the campground at Harold Parker State Forest. It was pleasant, but didn't go as well as planned. Got there late, couldn't get a fire to save our lives, and bugs bit my ass while I was setting up the tent. The lake was really nice though and it didn't rain. Our morning walk was my favorite. Bio-Nerd Brielle was thrilled to see big green frogs (not pictured).

(She hates this picture but I love it... on the dock in Boston)



Spent Saturday afternoon wandering around Boston. We took the subway in and out of the city (thank you park ranger Matt who gave us this GREAT idea) Quincy Market, The Freedom Trail, Old Churches, The State House, The Park with Baby Ducks, and a fun Street Show. It was fun.... I did see a pair of Red Red Sox Sox (ha ha) that I wanted to get for bike riding, but I opted out.


Finally... FENWAY!




The game was GREAT! Beckett pitched a shut out, Big Papi hit one off the Green Monster, Ellsbury had a wild catch at the track, and Brielle didn't complain once the we sat and watched the WHOLE GAME. Plus... the seats were definitely worth the price!

One the way home. I decided to name the GPS "Gladice". She was a life saver and we couldn't have survived without her. She did lead us to a non-existent McDonalds in a shady part of Boston late at night. That bitch.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Project Upgrade.. It Has Commenced!






The most expensive part(s) of the upgrade is out of the way:
Old: Shimano Sora with up shifting on the hoods
NEW: SRAM Rival Doubletap

Old: Truvativ ISOflow Triple Crankset 175mm (heavy flexible junk really....)
NEW: FSA K-Force Compact Crankset 175mm (50/34) w/ Mega Exo BB

Still need:
Cassette (anticipating Sram 11-26)
Chain (who knows... something strong)
Rear Derailleur (Sram Rival)
Right now I have a Sora Front Derailleur being used on a triple, but supposedly it works with double cranksets.... but if it doesn't, I'll look for a 105 derailleur or something cheap.


I'm excited....... very very very excited! Also, Mtn biked ~30miles with Big E today, it was great! I'm afraid this upgrade is going to drain the bike parts budget, but a 29'er mtn bike is DEFINITELY on my mind. A "build it myself" project.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Something's Not Right, I Just Can't Pinpoint the Problem

I'm no Physio-Chemical Engineer, but I would venture to say that your wheel is pretty much... well.... let's just say: fail. Full story here at Velonews.com

So Alejandro Valverde may be on a 2 year worldwide ban from cycling for alleged blood doping, while Tom Boonen tested positive for Cocaine for a second time and is still (as of now) allowed to ride in the TDF if invited. Crazy-ness. Check out http://www.velonews.com/ if you havn't lately, lots of happenings.


(Ps. What the hell? How can he pull off a cycling jersey with jeans in public and still manage to look "cool"? If I did that... I would have to drop out of school due to humiliation! *fists raised and shaking* Damn You Tom Boonen!)

PSP

NO, not Playstation Portable. YES, investigating today into my possible, hopeful, career. Scary to think that I should be taking this very seriously very soon. God Help Me...
~
Pulled directly from the PSP web cite w/ CW commentary:

Cadet Selection Procedures (aka, all the requirements you have to pass BEFORE you even have a chance of failing out of the State Police Academy)

Application – In order to successfully apply, applicants must meet the Eligibility Requirements. On-Line Application and may be filed anytime throughout the calendar year.

Qualifying Examination(s) – Examination notices will be forwarded to all eligible applicants advising them of the date, time, and location. Additional information may be found at Test Announcements.

Eligibility List (one of the worst parts....) – Upon completion of the qualifying examination process, including the application of veterans’ preference points, the eligibility list will be established, with notification to all applicants as to their ranking on the list. The Department will periodically invite a select number of applicants for further processing based upon the needs during the life of the eligibility list.

Physical Readiness Processing – Applicants invited to participate in further processing will receive an invitation from the Pennsylvania State Police which assigns a date, time, and location for this processing. The invitation will be a part of a processing packet which the applicant must complete in its entirety within the prescribed timeframe.

This one day of processing includes: submission of the completed processing packet, completion of various forms/documents, a urinalysis drug screening test, completion of the Polygraph Screening Booklet, and the Physical Readiness Tests.

Test
Applicant Standards
Graduation Standards

300-Meter Run
67 Seconds
56 Seconds

Sit-Ups
30 (1 Minute) (joke)
37 (1 Minute)

Push-Ups
13 (no time limit) (joke)
30 Repetitions (no time limit)

Vertical Jump
14 Inches, 3 Attempts
18 Inches

1.5-Mile Run
16 Minutes and 54 Seconds (joke)
14 Minutes and 5 Seconds

Polygraph Examination – The Polygraph Screening Booklets of those applicants who successfully complete all parts of the Physical Readiness Processing will be provided to the Polygraph Examiners of the Pennsylvania State Police, who will contact applicants directly to schedule the actual test.

Background Investigation – Applicants determined by the Polygraph Review Committee to proceed through processing will have a thorough, comprehensive background investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police. The background investigative report will address each area of an applicant’s life, specifically addressing, but not limited to, the following areas: personal background, family, education, military, employment, character references, personal associates, legal/criminal/traffic history/behavior, credit, and residency.

Medical/Psychological Processing – Applicants ruled eligible by the Background Investigation Screening Panel will be invited to the Medical/Psychological Processing. Accompanied by the letter of invitation will be a processing packet that includes instructions for completing and/or providing various medical documentation at the applicant’s expense. The State Police Medical Officer reviews the medical documentation provided by the applicant’s chosen physicians and uses it to conduct a cursory medical evaluation.

Appointment (aka... finally, the interview) – Applicants successful through the Cadet Selection Procedures will be eligible for appointment, in eligibility list and rank order, to the next available Cadet class. Appointment letters are generated at least three weeks in advance of the class commencement date.