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I was very surprised to hear that the President has ordered a second carrier group into the Gulf on Tuesday. Pair that with Adm. Fallon's departure as Commander U.S. Central Command (CentCom) and, pending confirmation (scheduled for later this spring) Gen. David Petraeus' promotion to that same post. Well, it doesn't take a big leap to see where this might be a prologue to a larger conflict that included Iran.
Also, 4 U.S. soldiers were killed today.
Thanks to the L&T for forwarding me this link to this interview of the CycleU Director Sportif, and one of my favorite coaches, Craig Undem. It's a great piece on accelerating your training by doing more hills (advice I'm trying to put into action). Besides being an excellent coach Craig's great attitude and his firm belief in the power of the mind and the effects of positive thinking is contagious and something I'm striving to learn. As I was typing this up, the CycleU newsletter arrived and I thought I'd share this bit from his "From the Dean" column;
"I remember when I first started racing I would always keep my expectations low, after all there are so many things that can happen in a race: flat tire, someone crashing me out, just not feeling it, better competition showing up from out of town... So many variables, why get your hopes up?
"I'll tell you why. Because you have to! There is no power in lowering the bar just so your precious ego won't get hurt if you fail. There is no energy to kick ass from mediocre goals that don't fully challenge you to be all you can be. There is so much more you can do if you put yourself on the line and go after a big challenge instead of shooting fish a barrel."
Not much I can add to that, except maybe Twilight here I come…
Faith No More had it right; it is a "dirty job but someone's gotta do it", fortunately that someone usually isn't me. Even more fortunately that some is frequently Mike Rowe and his film crew. With the exception of sports and movies, I don't watch a lot of television, but TiVo is a wonderful tool and thanks to it I've become a huge fan of Dirty Jobs. If you haven't seen the show, the host (the aforementioned Mike Rowe) and his crew go across the country doing the important jobs that people rarely see, but without which we'd notice. For me the thing that sets the show apart is twofold; first Mike actually does the work that he's talking about. Secondly, and maybe even most importantly, while he's almost always able find the humor in the situation, it's never at the expense of the people who do the work day after day (frequently the humor is at his own expense). From making water tanks above New York City, to harvesting cranberries in Oregon, to life on a dairy farm, the episodes and jobs provide humor and insight. If you're a fan of good TV, and don't mind a little dirt, it's well worth checking out.
I grew up watching Kung Fu movies. There was a theater near our house back in Rancho Cordova that on Saturday afternoons showed the classics of wuxia cinema; "Chinese Boxer", "Five Deadly Venoms", "Master Of The Flying Guillotine", "Drunken Master", etc. I loved them back then, and I have to admit that if I happen past one on TV I almost always stop to watch. So when I heard about "The Forbidden Kingdom", the new film staring two of the genre's biggest stars, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, I pretty much knew I'd be seeing it.
The story is pretty simple, teenage outcast who is really into Kung Fu movies travels back to ancient China to return a staff he found. Honestly the plot couldn't be more formulaic and predictable. Still, I have to admit, I enjoyed it. Look it's not "Gandhi" or "Chariots Of Fire", but the fight scene between Li and Chan is worth the price of admission. Featuring both "wire fu" (stunts done with wires, think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and standard forms (including "drunken style" which is a great nod to Chan's breakout movie "Drunken Master") you get to watch two virtuosos use all their talents. The rest of the movie's fights are enjoyable, but there's no doubt that it's Chan and Li's movie.
In short – If you're a fan of Kung Fu movies you'll probably enjoy the movie, otherwise there's not much there.
Trailer watch (the movies before the movies) –
"Speed Racer" – I was surprised to hear that the L&T wants to see this, but it's definitely on my list. If you've seen the cartoon, you know the movie, and it looks like the whole gang is here - Speed, Pops, Trixie, Spritle, Chim-Chim, Snake Oiler, even Racer X. Oh yeah, I'm seeing it.
"Bangkok Dangerous" – Looks like "Grosse Point Blank" but without the humor (or the Cusacks). I'll need to see a better clip than the one I did before I can for sure that I'd see it.
…It's 10:27 PDT on April 18, 2008, and I kid you not, we have at least 5" of deep powder and it continues to come down. I have to be honest and say that I'm totally depressed by this. The fact
that it's April gives us an added bonus – The increased likelihood of a quick thaw which adds the very distinct possibility of flooding our basement and backyard.
As I'm fond of saying "I wish I was making this up." Where'd I put my Scotch? I really need a drink…
I think the word "Hero" is used too often and too frequently used incorrectly, so with that in mind I wanted to spotlight two young ladies that I really have come to admire, and both are proof that when you set your mind to it, you can do great things.
First up is one of my CycleU coaches – Tammy. Setting aside the fact that she decided to give up corporate life and become a multi-sport coach and athlete (which in and of itself makes her pretty brave in my book), Coach T just finished her first Ironman – Ironman South Africa! Nothing quite says commitment (or is it saying she should be committed) like signing up to do a full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run) half the world away from your friends and family. We're proud of you T!
Last Friday I had the chance to meet an extraordinary young woman, Ms. Ally Bain. Back in 2004 then 14 year old Ally was shopping with her mom at an Old Navy store (I still won't shop at Old Navy) when suddenly Ally had to use the bathroom. Now those that have been out with me in the past know that when you have IBD and you have to go to the bathroom you have to go now, not in 30 minutes, or not when you get home. NOW! Well the same was true for Ally, but the manager at the store said that they didn't have public restrooms and there would be no exception, and sadly Ally had an accident. After some pressing Old Navy apologized and changed their policy, but that wouldn't help at other stores. Then Ally remembered meeting her State Representative while on a school field trip the previous year, and with the help of her parents, she got in touch with Rep. Ryg. Together they introduced and had passed the "Restroom Access Act" which is also known as "Ally's Law". When I think about the future of this country or even the world, then I meet kids like Ally, I think, you know what, we're going to be okay…
The last surviving member of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men" died on Monday (14 April) at the age of 95. Ollie was one of the greatest artists to have ever worked for Disney, and was a legend in the Company (our 2nd Golden Retriever, Goldsmith's Work of Art, CD, was named after Ollie). His talent and his passion, not just for the work of animation, but the spirit of the art itself, lives on at the Company to this day.
It's somewhat fitting that the last "appearance" by Ollie was a cameo in the 2004 Disney/Pixar movie "The Incredibles", appearing with his friend and collaborator (and also a member of the "NOM") Frank Thomas. During the scene Ollie says "There's no school like the old school", which was writer / director Brad Bird's homage to the legacy of Frank & Ollie, and a fitting tribute to the men who made movies like "Toy Story", "Cars", and "Ratatouille" possible.
I really enjoy playing golf. I don't get to play as often as I would like because of the weather and other time commitments, but it's always great when I do get the chance. Well yesterday was one of those chances, and so with three of my very dear friends – Mr. Jones, Timmah, and Fina – I officially opened my 2008 Golf season. We teed it up at Lynnwood Golf Course, a nice par 65 that even though it's located in a very suburban setting, is actually quite pretty and serene. It's also nice because it's relatively flat which means it's eminently walkable.
The jokes were the same as they are every golf outing (which at times made me feel a little bad for Fina, our [that is to say Jones, Timmah, and I] antics are funny to us, we laugh every time, but I doubt they were quite as amusing to her), and I thought we all played okay. Fina, who is pretty new to golf, came within a couple of inches of at least to par holes, and my new irons and fairway woods seemed to help my normally erratic play (I was still erratic, just closer to the hole). All in all a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Just wanted to take a minute to say Happy Birthday to my friend, my partner, and the love of my life, the Lovely & Talented Mrs. Smith.
The Kooks have a new album coming out and here's the first single off of it - "Always Where I Need To Be"
And for the classic? I've been waiting to spring this on you all for a while now. We're going deep into the playlist for this one. Falco's "Vienna Calling"
There has been some delay in getting this posted for a couple of reasons chief amongst them was that I got round 2 of the cold/flu thing. It started a bit on Saturday evening, was a little worse on Sunday morning, then it hammered me hard on Sunday afternoon after the race. Many thanks to the Lovely & Talented Mrs. Smith for taking care of me! The other part of the delay was it's never fun to write about less than stellar performances, and Sunday's Time Trial certainly falls into that category.
Quick primer for my non-cycling friends – A Time Trial (TT) is a pretty simple race; it's just you, your bike, and the course. Courses for TT vary by event and there's no usual distance like there is with Criterium type events.
Sunday's course actually suited me pretty well, it was 20km (12.4 miles) and mostly flat (there were a couple of very small elevation gains, but just enough to get you out of the areo bars (in my case additions to the standard handlebars that allow me to have a more aerodynamic position while riding, they're only used during Time Trials) and/or saddle, and even though the forecast had called for rain it was only overcast with a bit of wind.
Okay, starting with the bad stuff – I had an 8:12am start time in Carnation which is about 30-45 minutes from home. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to warm up so I targeted leaving the house at 6am. Because of my usual morning UC issues that meant a 4am wakeup call which was a little ugly. I normally have oatmeal on race day, but the way I prepare it takes about 2 hours in our slow cooker so I made it the night before. It kept pretty well, I think I just need to add a bit more water next time. Finally, as I mentioned above I wasn't feeling 100% and my performance (42.36) reflected that.
What went right? I'm please to say that actually quite a bit. I seem to have dialed in my night before pre-race routine. I know what I need to pack, and have it pretty well setup so that all I have to do is grab the bag and bike and go "so I got that going for me, which is nice". I feel pretty good about my pre-race and race day nutrition, there's a little additional tuning to be done but I think I'm close. The weather wasn't bad, no rain during the race itself (though the bike and rider got very dirty) and only a little wind and even that was on the outward leg so that you had a little tailwind coming towards the finish. The race was really well staffed (including my friend Molly in the start house, she actually counted me down) and the course was in good condition. My warm-up was good, and I remembered to take my PowerBar Gel and use my peppermint (a little bit of peppermint oil on the back of your glove help clear the sinuses, which needed all the help they could get Sunday). Oh, and the areo bars are excellent and I felt pretty good using them.
Recovery was obviously a little difficult to gauge because I was sick, but I will say this it's great to have a massage therapist who understands cycling/racing. It's good to get your leg worked and help flush the toxins out of the system. This is an unpaid endorsement, but if you're looking for a LMP on the Eastside, Laura at In Good Hands is fantastic.
Overall, I wasn't pleased with the results, but I was pleased with the race as a whole.
I'm not even sure how I found it, but it may be the coolest kids show on the planet - Pancake Mountain - Besides the standard learning stuff (with an admitted bit of an edge), they've got a massive musical guest list - Ted Leo, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Arcade Fire, Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins, George Clinton ("So, do you find it hard to find a parking space for the Mother Ship in DC?"), Guster, Thievery Corporation, The Buzzcocks, the list just goes on and on. Apparently it's on cable in the northeast, but you can find some of their stuff on YouTube. Personally, I'm thinking about ordering a couple of the DVDs. Below is their "introduction" video...
First and most importantly congratulations to Kansas for winning the NCAA Div I Men's Basketball Championship (and to Timmy for wining our friendly, in no way gambling [because that would be illegal], pool). It was a great finish to a very good tournament, and it answered a question for some – Why, many wonder, when a team is behind, do they start fouling the other team. Well, because sometimes the team that's ahead can't shoot free throws. That was the case for Memphis tonight who had several chances to put the game away but then went 1 -5 from the "charity strip". The Jayhawks were well coached and played smart basketball in the closing minutes of the game and in overtime, and deserved the title.
Gotta give a shout out to Kirkland's Jennie Reed who won the World Championship keirin title in Manchester, GB on Sunday. Though she's now living in Southern California (there aren't any keirin races up here), she got her start in track cycling out at the velodrome in Marymoor Park. Congratulations Jennie!!
