The Daily Dose

No More Daily...No more Dose...

2008-08-28T19:17:00.003-05:00

With regret, sadness, and a little bitterness, I have decided to end my run at The Daily Dose. Lately, I just have not found the motivation to continue the updates at a pace that is required to maintain a good, well maintained blog. I made it 206 consecutive days with the blog, but unfortunately, it ended during one of my most anticipated events of 2008...The Olympics.

The Olympics were amazing, Michael Phelps and his eight Golds, Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, and of course...beach volleyball dominance. Personally its just watching good looking girls in bikini's play volleyball :-) But with it, I noticed that the desire to post no longer exhisted. It became more of a chore than a passion, and that is not why I started this blog...it was supposed to be fun. So with that, through some Blog soul searching, I decided I should step away from the blog.

There may be a few posts here and there, but from this point on, The Daily Dose and Zachawii are no longer here. I thank you all for the wonderful support and hope that you will be able to find another feed that will tweak your interest for those few small moments in which you spent with The Daily Dose. I thank you, and so long!
Peace!

Water World!!!

2008-08-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable!
I have watched a redic amount of Olympics on TV thus far, and today was not an exception. I wish I could have seen a better variety of events, but so far not a bad total.
*Swimming
*Gymnastics
*Sculls (Rowing)
*Volleyball
*Beach Volleyball
*Road Bike Racing
*Basketball
*Fencing

But tonight's Mens 4X100m freestyle relay was simply amazing. Plus, I have a total dude crush on the American mens team, I wish I could look like that when I yell haha. Jason Lezak raced an amazing anchor leg to come back from over a half second at the turn to take gold for the American's. It was sweet redemtion, as the French, the favorites, had a bit of trash talking before the event. If you talk trash, be sure you can back it up! To think, the Olympics have been this exciting so far, and the best is yet to come...track and field (in my opinion)

A Brewing good time...

2008-08-09T15:00:00.001-05:00

I need to see some ID's...
Hoganistan and I decided to head over the Abita Brewing Company today to take a tour of the Brewery. K&A Wags headed along with us as well, and, upon arrival, was Hoganistans "Happiest day of my life." The tour really is not a tour, mostly a "here is where the beer is fermented" and "this is where the beer starts its life" tour of two stops and 10 minutes in length.

It is a good time, as they make it fun and, as you walk in the door, are ushered over by the receptionist who checks ID's. With that, you get your "sample cup" and have free access to all of the beers on tap. Best part...its free. No limit on the drinks, and 14 taps of various brews. There is even a tap for their rootbeer, which is AMAZING! So, if you need something to do on a Saturday and want to have a few cold ones, head over to Abita Springs, and its local, so you feel all warm and fuzzy for supporting the local economy...or maybe its just the beer...I'm not sure!

And so it begins...

2008-08-08T20:08:00.003-05:00

Simply put...the 29th Olympiad has begun, and China started it off with an amazing bang! Lets have some amazing games and I am pumped! I am biased, but USA, USA, USA! Hopefully my foreign readers are not offended:-)

No...not that Phelps...

2008-08-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

Speechless
Kansan's most beloved son...ok, not really, has made his entrance on to the media stage once again. The controversial preacher Fred Phelps and his breakaway church, Westboro Baptist Church, is planning on picketing the funeral of a Winnipeg man brutally killed on a Greyhound bus earlier in the week. Why, might you ask, would this church protest the funeral of a man sliced and diced by a psycopath? Its Gods punishment on Canada for allowing homosexuality, abortions, and divorce. Seriouslly?

This is nothing new for this dispicable sect, as I documented earlier in the year of the protest in Greensburg, KS during that towns 1 year anniversery of a powerfully destructive storm. The Westboro Baptist Church "is best known for picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers in line with a belief that God has been using the war in Iraq to kill American military personnel to show contempt for a nation and military that has allegedly become overly accommodating to and sympathetic of gay/lesbian concerns." As I said back in May, "this, by all accounts of the definition is a radically religious group no different of the Taliban. Extreme assertion, yes, but the stuff that this group chants at a fallen soldiers funeral is a shame and they themselves should be made to serve on the front lines."

Hopefully the group will not get to protest, let the man rest in peace. I agree that we have the right, as Americans, for freedom of speech, but there is also a moral obligation as humans to let ones family have a proper time to grieve, no matter the circumstances...On a brighter note...The OLYMPICS start tomorrow!!!

Hump Day Challenge...The End

2008-08-06T22:00:00.005-05:00

The season finale of another Club South Runners Hump Day 2-Mile Challenge was a success. I purchased my new kicks before my 5-mile warm up and absolutely loved them.

I will try on 20 pairs of shoes before the perfect fit is achieved. Its almost like the line in Transformers (the movie) where Bernie Mac says" A driver doesn't choose the car, the car chooses the driver." For me...the shoe chooses the runner, not the runner choosing the shoe. So what shoe was it?

The Nike Skylon 11, seen below. Its one of Nike's newer shoes and I was surprised by how well it fit. Normally, Nike and I do not get along, but, as I said earlier, the shoe chooses the runner!

After getting the shoes, we did a good 5-mile run with the Varsity Sports group and then jetted over to the final Hump Day Challenge. The race was stacked, tons of ex-collegiate runners, high school runners, and just plain fast guys. I went out fast, but conservative and pushed the second mile hard. I set a new PR for this racing series, which is nice. Placed second in the 'old mans' division. The Varsity Sports group represented well in most categories with two overall division winners and three 2nd place age group finishers.

In another note, in Hoganistan and I's absence, the Humpday All Stars pulled out another win...we officially have a winning streak now.

"The Rouge" View

2008-08-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

Back in early March (here) I mentioned that it would not be long before "The Rouge" would be showing up in GoogleMaps nifty little service called Google Street View. Well today, it has arrived, we, "The Rouge" are now mapped and photographed. Hopefully everyone was smiling when the camera rolled by! The streetview below is of Tiger Stadium...also known as "Death Valley" one of the hardest places to come into and play!

View Larger Map

Zachawii in "The Rouge"

2008-08-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

Hoganistan and I made it into "The Rouge" late last night. So, I decided to post a update on the past weeks worth of blogs. Some have said this is a cop out for a blog posting...oh well! Enjoy

Preseason Football..oh wait...thats a Cop (7/28/2008)
Take a deep breath...or not (7/29/2008)
Kickin Balls to a Win (7/30/2008)
Filler (7/31/2008)
One Week to Go! (8/1/2008)
HP Waiting Game (8/2/2008)
Back in "The Rouge" (8/3/2008)

Heading to "The Rouge"

2008-08-03T13:26:00.003-05:00

I will be heading down to "The Rouge" for two weeks today to continue the support of the company transition off of our program. I am excited to head back for a trip to join back up with the VS group and have some good runs. I need new shoes as well...so hopefully I will be able to sport some new kicks. And there are a few races I may partake in. It should be a good two weeks...see you from "The Rouge."

Waiting...and Waiting...

2008-08-02T14:16:00.001-05:00

Awhile back I posted that my trusty blogging laptop became ill and was a little under the weather. Heard from HP tech support, from India, and they informed me that the part to replace the piece (what is wrong...would not tell me) was back ordered. I'm looking at the 19th of August as my receiving date...great! Thanks HP thanks alot...

Olympics, one week away!

2008-08-01T20:00:00.002-05:00

Its only one week till the official opening of the Summer Olympic games...who's not excited! The athletes should start showing up in the Olympic Village in the next couple of days and the excitement will be awesome! Today, August 1st, was the opening day of the controversial 1936 Berlin Games. Hopefully these games will go smoothly but also bring awareness to China, in whatever manner floats ones boat: pollution, lax manufacturing standards, Tibet, Darfur.

Another Day Another Dollar

2008-07-31T22:00:00.001-05:00

Work was long...nothing to report

Hump Wins...Hump Wins...

2008-07-30T22:00:00.002-05:00

It is that time in the week again where the rubber meets the foot...KICKBALL. So the Humpday All Stars (my team) have never won a regular season game in their existence. I was not apart of the teams inaugural season, so for me, we have only ever lost one game (last week). In a lot of ways we are looked down upon, the little engine that could NOT win. But alas, that all changed.

Supported by "rummy worms" (Rum infused gummy worms)supplied by Hoganistan and VW we, the Humpday All Stars scored our first victory of this season and the first victory of franchise. Do I smell a playoff run? I think so...Following the game we headed to Penn Quarter (our sponsor bar) and held it down at the flip cup tables as well. All in all...a great day to be a Humpday All Star...a great day indeed!

Pollution go Away...

2008-07-29T19:00:00.005-05:00

Acid Rain, Particulates, Smog Oh My
As we get closer to the Beijing and the opening ceremonies, the talk surrounding the air quality in Beijing is heating up, much like the temperatures in the Chinese capital city. But, as much attention that has been given to China, I believe one much criticize their own backyard before criticizing someone else.

The Nature Conservancy recently released a report examining the impacts of air pollution on the ecosystem. They found that pollutants such as mercury and ground-level ozone are resulting in less fish stocks, reduced farm production and possibly linked in the drastic reduction in the honeybees population.

The image above depicts the distribution of the varying pH levels of precipitation across the U.S. Interesting, but ugly, map where red indicates a greater acidity. Its rare that studies actually document the impacts of pollution on anything other than human respiratory health. Imagine what the bugs and bunnies feel about all of our pollution.

"Dodge This"

2008-07-28T19:00:00.003-05:00

Most of you have probably heard or seen about this intersting video that occured in New York a few days back. A rookie NYPD cop was stripped of his badge and gun today after the video caught him slamming a bicyclist to the ground in an apparent unprovoked attack.

Officer Pogan was one of two cops monitoring the Critical Mass bike rally when a swarm of cyclists rode by ringing their bells about 9:35 p.m. Without warning, Pogan, appears to single out one cyclist, jog toward the sidewalk and then slam his shoulder into the biker, shocking the crowd on the sidewalk.

Critical Mass and Time's Up!both advocate for environmental issues with the monthly protest ride in several cities, including "The Rouge. Hopefully as gas prices goes up, we wont have angry motorists "car-checking" riders into ditches...its not fun!

Gravely Point

2008-07-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hold On To Your Hat
On our way to the airport to drop RAC off, we decided to stop by Gravely Point, near Reagan National Airport. Its a nice little spit of land that is on the flight pattern of the planes landing and taking off at the airport. It sits just a stones throw away from the runway and the planes literally fly directly over your head!

I shot the picture of a nice NWA aircraft as it was coming in for a landing. A great place to bike (click on link above) or drive and spend an afternoon having a picnic and watching planes! If you bring small children, ear plugs would not be a bad idea, though its not too loud. All in all, a sweet location to visit every now and then!

Up in the Monuments

2008-07-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

RAC'in up Monuments
This weekend RAC came for a visit up to good ole DC so I wanted to have a good trip. We decided that Saturday was going to be a Monument(al) day! We got up fairly early so that we could catch the metro to downtown to get in line for tickets to go up into the Washington Monument, you know that tall pencil looking thing. We waited in line and had to endure the "all knowing" knowledge of wanna-be locals who kept rattling off stats on the various monuments on the Mall.

After we got our tickets (you can book online weeks in advance here ) we headed to hit the rest of the sites. We went to the WWII

Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean, Jefferson and then to a few Smithsonian locations.

Finally we got to head to the top of the Washington Monument. Simple elevator ride to the top and you are presented with some wonderful views of the DC area. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. Below is one of the pictures from the top...

Marion Jones

2008-07-25T14:01:00.002-05:00

Do the Crime, Serve the Time...
It has come to light recently that former track star Marion Jones is asking President Bush for a pardon for her crimes in using steroids and check fraud. She is but one of many people who are requesting a pardon from Bush before he is out the door in January. I am deeply troubled by this, yet another high profile person using their fame/money to get preferential treatment that you or I would never have the chance of obtaining.

Marion Jones was the darling of the Olympics, looked up to by many young people and an inspiration. Her smile could lighten up a room and she had talent too. But she cheated, by her own admission (though lied to a federal grand jury) and with that, she is serving a 6-month prison sentence. Do the crime, do the time. That is why, after her tearful admission in January, I am astonished and upset that she would seek a pardon from the President. This just makes me feel like she has more to tell, more to admit to. If not, those tears back in January were obviously faked...

'Kickin it' at the Mall.

2008-07-24T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I officially became initiated into the wonderful sport of DC Kickball. I first talked about this in May, but I was only a spectator then. Now, I am a full fledged member of the HumpDay Allstars!

Before the game started, a ritual that I will most likely never get tired of, progressed down Constitution in front of the WWII Memorial...Motorcades!!! I am pretty certain that GW was not in this motorcade as it was fairly large, but not nearly as burly as (what others tell me) GW rolls with, but still...what a way to roll home.

It always starts with you noticing that cops are stopping traffic on certain streets, kind of odd, but you don't think anything of it. Then, all of a sudden you hear them...the sirens and the motorbike police. They coming flying down the roads and you have the black SUV's (totally pimp looking) come screaming by, followed by the limos. Trailing is the "gunship" which are the boys you would not like to mess with. All windows and back hatch are wide up and automatic rifles are visible. It happens a lot, but its a spectacle every time.

Oh...and we lost kickball...3-1. No biggie, bunch of newbies (Myself included) so it took awhile for the team to mesh. We beat the rains, and all in all a great day!
Cheers

Dolly...

2008-07-23T09:05:00.004-05:00

Not just a country singer...
Dolly has hit the Texas/Mexican border packing poorly sung tunes and a Category Five bust(i.e. chest)...wait...I mean. Ok, not that Dolly. The Hurricane Dolly hit as a Category 2 hurricane and looks more impressive on radar. The outer cloud/rain belts stretch clear to the south central coast of Louisiana. At least Dolly will not cause as much damage as Dean did last year...I hope.

One thing though, when anytime something like this hits the US, we can count on one thing...Jim Cantoree from the Weather Channel will be there! This guy is a manimal and loves to be in the thick of 100mph winds. Gotta love this guy! So the motto of the day is:
"Three things are certian life: Death, Taxes, and Hurricanes with Jim Cantore.

Turnin the Mocha lites off...

2008-07-22T21:14:00.003-05:00

Store closing list announced
Earlier this month Starbucks announced that approximately 600 of its locations would be closed by early next year to help it return to profitability. With the 'credit crunch' (really a reality check in my opinion), rising fuel prices (that 100 mile commute), and rising food prices (sorry, no name brands for you) have all squeezed consumers disposable incomes and hurt sales.

The list of the stores has just been released (here) and I was surprised to see that a few of the stores I used to frequent in "The Rouge" are getting axed. In particular are a couple that are less than 'across the street' from each other, which was obviously not good for sales. The loss of jobs and the empty buildings will be just another casualty of this latest spate of bad economic news.

Beijing dream popped...

2008-07-21T09:55:00.002-05:00

Amputee Denied Olympic Dream
Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee from South Africa will not be competing in Beijing after failing to reach the required A standard time and was not invited to the 4x400m relay. This particular topic has been one of mixed emotions for me and in a sense its a relief and a disappointment that Pistorius did not make the Olympics.

I am relieved because one of the biggest negatives of NBC's Olympic coverage is their over-the-top in depth personal stories that they fill in between starts of the 100m dash. I do not mind them, but a lot of times they go over the top and it gets old. I would rather see more of the athletes competing than standing around posing for their personal interest stories. We know, that if Pistorius had made the Olympics they would have talked about his struggles (which are legit) and the controversy surrounding the use of his carbon-fiber blades. Personaly I could do with out...

I am mixed, because it is hard to quantify the advantage Pistorius gets from his blades. There is, in my opinion (which doesn't mean much) an advantage from a material standpoint as the blades will return a significant amount of energy, but since Pistorius has been a double amputee for almost his entire life, there is simply no way to quantify his advantage. Either way, at least for Beijing, the dispute has been settled where it should have been...on the track. Accourding to Pistorius's agent, he had a slower time than the top 6 South African 400m runners times, therefore not deserving a place on the team. This case is far from over however and it will soon be back before us as London 2012 nears closer. Only 16 more day!!!

Where is Zachawii...?

2008-07-20T16:51:00.003-05:00

I apologize to all of the fans of the Daily Dose, life has been hectic since the trip to DC. First, there was the delay of my personal belonging arriving 7 days late, then the subsequent painting of my multi-colored walled room, the unpack, and repack of the stuff I would not need, and then...the dying of the laptop.

I believe that the motherboard is fried, but luckily I was under warranty still by 7 DAYS! Whew. I was not happy and it has been very disappointing working with HP customer service. The box to ship the product to the company has not arrived (supposed to be overnight...hum??) but is supposed to be there tommorow. So, I will try my best to get back to the daily dose and be a better blogger than I have been the past couple of weeks. Please keep checking back, I hope the second half of the year is just as good as the first!

Zachawii

Fireworks...and flashing lights

2008-07-04T17:26:00.005-05:00

Busted in a BUS
Today is the Nations Birthday!!! So happy birthday to you America! Since this was the first 4th of July in D.C. I wanted to get a chance to see some of the fireworks. Two of the three roommates had left for the weekend so it was just VW and I. VW is an avid fan of old school VW buses, those air cooled wonders of yester-year. We decided to head downtown and try and catch the fireworks.

We headed out, me sitting on a couch cushion, and not 2 minutes into the trip...the FC Heat comes swooping down on us. So...after a long drawn out processes and a couple of gotcha's, I had to drive the bus (the one on the right in the picture) back home and grab Calie to head to the fireworks!

Fireworks Precurser???

2008-07-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

400m Olympic Trials Surprise
Its almost that wonderful time of year when the smell of gunpowder fills the air! I'm talking fireworks, and I am really excited to try and catch the great fireworks show on The Mall here in D2theC. But, the excitement of the day/night was on the track in Eugene, where Merritt upset Wariner in the 400m Olympic Trials final.

Wariner is the reigning World and Olympic champion, but the prodigy who's agent just happens to be the real superman, Michael Johnson, was handed his krypotnite in the form of Merritt. Granted, its just the trials, but hopefully the electricity from this race will lead straight to Beijing!

W and OD

2008-07-02T21:21:00.005-05:00

Trails Trails, everywhere a Trail
Today I discovered I live RIGHT next to a sweet trail system called the W&OD trail system. It is an old railroad right-of-way and is about 8-9 feet wide and paved super smooth. It will be great for when I get my bike up here and I can fully take advantage of it. The good thing is, there are lots of trails that connect and cross it. More exploring will have to take place!

July !!!

2008-07-01T21:12:00.002-05:00

Today was the second day of working in the new office and so far it has been alright. I am still sleeping on an air mattress and I have 4 shades of white on my walls from a shoddy paint job by the landlord. That will hopefully get taken care of on the upcoming long weekend. Otherwise, things are good, just tired. Adjustments will take a little while to get used to...

"Diving" into a Dream

2008-06-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

Christian Smith...from the Land of Oz
The Olympic trials just keep getting better and better. One of my personal favorite events is the 800m run. Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating, qualified in less dramatic finish, but the coveted third spot went to Christian Smith as he literally dove at the finish line to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in the men's 800 meters.

Click the link above to get NBC's telecast of the whole race, it will only take a few minutes of your time. I raced against Christians older brother in HS, as they are both from a small Kansas town. Long ways from home, but an amazing feat! I know who I will be rooting for in Beijing! Video below is from a spectators view of the race...absolutely epic!

Tysons Corner

2008-06-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

Worlds Fastest Man?

I am a little tired after the week that I have and I sat around and watched the Olympic Trials for part of the day, which did not disappoint. After JUST about missing the semi-finals, Tyson Gay decided that one close call was close enough to him missing out on this years Olympics. So much so that he decided to break Maurice Greene's American record in the 100m. In the finals, well he decided he'd run the fastest anyone has ever run. Unfortunately the wind was over the allowable limit. Nonetheless, Beijing just got that much more interesting!

The Twisties

2008-06-28T22:10:00.002-05:00

For the final leg of my trip to DC I decided I wanted to put Calie into her designed elements...twisting roads. There are not many twisting roads in Louisiana, as there just are not that many mountains...ha! The route would take me up the final stretch of the Blue Ridge Pkwy and then up the entire spine of the Shenandoah National Park portion of Skyline drive, which can be seen here.

I will say that I never have had so much fun driving in a car on twisting roads. Absolutely amazing views and even better driving! Calie handled like a champ and I have a much better understanding of what she can do in her stock settings. So for her efforts, she gets a few of her poses in the blog for the day. We did pass seven other MINI's on the drive. British Racing Green was the color of the day, followed by a blue, Chili Red, and a Pepper White. Got some good friendly waves as well!

Oh, and I did make it to the DC area in one piece and noooo tickets...woot!

Ah...Topography!

3000' of Elevation...I'm winded

Another wonderful view...

Locals admiring the wonder drivers passing by...

Geriatric Club

2008-06-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

I left "The Rouge" for good this morning in Calie heading east...goal...Abingdon, Va. Calie ran amazingly smooth and steady for this leg of the trip and has averaged around 37-38 mpg at 75mph with the AC on the whole way, which for me is VERY acceptable. Not the numbers that hypermilers put up, but hey, I'm not claiming to be a hypermiler.

I arrived in Abingdon, but unfortunately there were no hotel rooms available, just lots of old people. Again, I have nothing against the elderly, I just wanted a room to crash in. Another hour to an hour and a half later I finally have arrived in Wytheville, VA. I am in a smoking room...gross...and surrounded again by the elderly. LOTS of buses of elderly indivduals...LOTS! I guess I'm a youngin in a land of oldins :-P To much driving...I think so...

Goodbyes

2008-06-26T22:03:00.003-05:00

Today was the final day of me being in "The Rouge" and so a fitting way to end my last day in this town was to finish with a good workout and hang out with the Varsity Sports running group. We did a good workout in a slight rain (perfect!) which included 4X400m repeats at Goodwood Park. Afterwards we headed over to Bobbie Joes place for a little cookout and celebration. They say it was for me, but I will say that it was just another reason to have good food and good company. It was sad to have to leave everyone that I have become close with within the group. I felt like I was finally starting to really become one with the group and, as it seems to be happening lately, was snatched away. I will miss them very much, but luckily I will have to travel back a few times for work. THey better bring their running shoes though...half marathon training has started!

Give me a P O D S

2008-06-25T16:23:00.003-05:00

Time to Pack
I announced last week that I would be moving to the DC area in the very near future. Today, that reality started to take shape. I decided to use the PODS moving system for my move because I want to take Calie out and play in the mountains of Virginia when I finally drive up DC. This morning, my moving PODS was delivered. Interesting machine, the pod-zilla- that comes in and drops of the container.

This is where the Pod-Zilla removes the container from the bed of the truck. Now it can be positioned anywhere you like.

Positioning the POD

This is the amount of room I have to put everything in...hopefully it will fit.

Well its time to get started packing...wish me luck!

Work..Pack...long nights

2008-06-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

I will not post much till this weekend. I have to pack and have SEVERAL hours of work to do. Not going to be a fun week. Check back soon for more posts..

U.S.A. U.S.A.

2008-06-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

What dreams are made of...
I have lacked in Olympic information for quiet awhile. The furor over the torch has taken a back seat to the humanitarian efforts for those affected by the earthquake in China. But this weekend the attention will be turned back the track, at least here in the U.S., as the US Olympic trials begin at historic Hayward Field, in Eugene, OR.

The distance events, which I am the most fond of, should set the stage for some fun races. The 800m will see the revival of the hottest duel on the track between Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds. The 1500m will bring old and new together again. Naturalized Bernard Legat will try to defend his title against one of the fastest in the world, and the American Record holder at the distance, Alan Webb. Webb has a bad habit of struggling when it matters most, so an interesting race to be had there.

Legat will also run in the 5000m, the other race he won in his historic 1500-5000 double at the world championships last year in Osaka, Japan. He has the best time for an American this year at 13:16. Matt Tegenkamp and Adam Goucher will be big names to look for in this race as well. Should be a good next couple of weeks for us track fans out there. You can see the event schedule by clicking this link.

Lets just hope that the TV coverage for these events will not be limited to just the 100m dash. I am not holding my breath though, as we all know that the 100m will get 20 minutes of coverage and ALL other events will get the remaining 5 minutes in the allocated 30 minutes of coverage for the sport.
Cheers!

Lagniappe

2008-06-22T13:42:00.005-05:00

Negative Aspect of the Job
This article is a little old, but I have been wanting to write about it for some time, and now I have finally come around to writing my take on the story. I am down here to help with the recovery efforts for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and when I find stories like this one, I get very frustrated at the inability of people to do things for themselves.

Recently, FEMA has mandated that all remaining trailer parks be closed and are trying very hard to move people out of the FEMA Trailers who still have them on their property, like the photo above. With this push to get people out of these trailers, FEMA has provided these people with housing assistance until they are able to find a place to live. Well...what do they do with YOURS and MY taxpayer dollars in the hot Gulf Coast summers?

"The scorching heat puts many at the Quality Inn poolside, but for Gwenester Malone, she chooses to beat the heat by setting her thermostat to sixty degrees. Malone's room for the past three months, along with three meals daily, have all been paid for by taxpayers."

I completely understand this in the months following the hurricanes, but nearly THREE years and countless handouts later, it still a "what are you going to do for me?" mentality that is a big disappointment for me and the work that I do. This is not the case for everyone, which is highlighted by the marked improvements in New Orleans and other hard hit area's, but its this, for lack of a better word, laziness, that leaves me with some bitter memories of "The Rouge" and Louisiana. Like the saying goes, one bad apples spoils the whole bunch...defiantly true when it comes to this disaster.

Fernandez is a 'Manimal'

2008-06-21T09:45:00.005-05:00

German Fernandez is back and in better form than ever. A few weeks back (see link) I introduced many of you to a young California track athlete that has set the running world on fire. Not this much hype has been thrown towards a high school track start since Alan Webb broke the Ryun's HS mile record back in 2001.

German just broke the 20+ year old record in the true 2-mile distance by two seconds, running a blazing 8:34. That is 4:17 mile splits, back to back. Or better yet, that's 1:04 for a 1/4 of a mile. Impressive? You better believe it. An also interesting note is that the third place finisher in this race will be German's teammate at Oklahoma State in the fall. I will place my prediction now, Oklahoma State will be a top contender in this falls NCAA championships...just throwin that out there. Watch the race below, if for nothing else to hear two of the funniest sport announcers I've heard in a long time...dude.

Jamie Lynn Solstice!

2008-06-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

Its summer...
Ah...Summer. That great time of year where the sun is out, pools are filled and tans are darkened. We even have some great lyrics, like from Grease "Summer lovin...had me some fun" or quiet possibly the greatest summer hit ever...LFO's Summer Girls, with the AMAZING lines

"And I think its fly when girls stop by for the
Summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear abercrombie and fitch"

Ok, all joking aside, summer officially started today with the longest day of the year (though technically its tommorow...) and pagan revelers in England celebrated the summer solstice by hanging out at Stonehenge. Anyways, I hope you prayed to the sun gods and remember, there is no such thing as a healthy tan...now its time to go lay out...but WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah...Baby time!!!
Jamie Lynn Spears had her baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know riveting isn't it. Her and baby daddy Casey Aldridge welcomed Maddie Briann to the family in Mississippi yesterday...yeehaw! This is as good of news as that pregnancy pact that is setting the town of Glocester on its head...ah you gotta love hormones!

Cheers!

Dominica update...

2008-06-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

Thar She Blows...
I have seriously been slacking in the Dominica department of late, REALLY late actually, so I decided I would do a little bit of an update. In all honesty, there was not alot of newsworthy updates to talk about. Except...whaling...

Dominica will not back a measure by Japan to reverse a worldwide commercial whaling ban that is being challenged at a IWC meeting that will begin next week in Chile. In an interview with Caribbean Net News, Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica stated that, "Our stringent environmental practices and philosophies have earned us the label, ‘The Nature Island’ and, upon careful review and deliberation of the issue, it has been determined that voting for an overturn of the existing worldwide ban on commercial whaling would be inconsistent with the standards and principles of sustainability that we so fervently advocate.”

Its a good thing too, as Dominica is known as the Whale Watching Capital of the Caribbean (among others) and has around a 95% success rate on seeing whales on whale watching excursions, which I have heard are fantastic. I only know of ones that originate from the Roseau area, hopefully when I return in the next couple of months I will embark on one of these trips. Any readers out there been on a whale watching trip? Pictures? Send them along!

Cheers

Hump Day Challenge #2

2008-06-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today was the second race of "The Rouge's" hump day challenge running series. I did the Varsity Sports easy 5 again, similar to two week ago and wasn't really feeling like racing, but alas, this weeks race was free to Club South Runners members. So, I said what the heck and decided to head over and see how it would go. The honey bun I ate at 4 that afternoon was not very happy with me at the moment...oh well

I decided that, unlike two weeks ago, I would take this race with a laid back start followed by a faster second mile. This is called running negative splits. I ran the same time as 2 weeks ago and it felt so much easier, even with a faster second mile. Placed a little worse probably, but there are no awards, so no biggie there.

Sports, Sports and MORE SPORTS!

2008-06-17T23:36:00.004-05:00

Tiger wins 14th Major
This is a post of sports and nothing but sports because the last few days have had some...interesting results. The first is the ridiculous feat by Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open this weekend. Tiger stormed back with some big time shots to take the lead going into the round on Sunday. Rocco Mediate maintained his sweet game and Tiger faltered, needing a clutch birdie putt to take the Open to a playoff.

Playoff was Monday, and boy what a treat. Back and forth, Tiger up by 3 strokes at one point then faltering again to Rocco Mediate to fall behind by 1 stroke. Needing another clutch putt on 18, Tiger pulled through again, taking the Open to its 91st hole. Rocco Mediate hit a couple of bad shots and left the cup on the course for Woods to take. Great weekend of golf and it was hard to decide who to root for this weekend, as Rocco Mediate is a great guy. But Tiger beat the world...on a bum knee. Crazy!

LSU Rallies...Again

Almost like guessing if Tiger is going to win another Major in golf, the LSU Tiger baseball team rallied in an amazing comeback to win against Rice in the College World Series. The video above is from a fans perspective of the game winning hit. Can you feel the excitement? This is LSU's 30th comeback victory (of their 49 wins) this season. They have earned the nickname cardiac cats...I wonder why. :-P

Celtics Win...Again
Finally, on this blog, the ole Boston Celtics won the NBA championships with the destruction of the LA Lakers. It wasn't much of a game tonight except that the Celtics were clicking as best they could. Paul Pierce (KU product...woot) was the Finals MVP and for someone who has been on an up and down ride with the Celtics. Going from the worst team to the best is quiet a feat, but he did have some help from Kevin Garnet and Ray Allen. I will see you later!

MINI's out of production...temporarily

2008-06-16T11:03:00.003-05:00

Production shut down
The drastic rise in oil and fuel prices this year have caused ripples to form in the massive global economy. Last week in Spain, cargo carriers protested the high prices of diesel fuel. This caused traffic and shipping headaches and effectively shut down the production of my favorite new car...MINI's.

A key component of the car is manufactured in Spain, and with the drives on protest, MINI was forced to temporarily shut down production of the cars until the protests were resolved. This effectively shut down the production of around 700 cars per day and affected several workers. As of today though, it appears that the protests are fading and the parts are starting to arrive again. You can see the update here. Motor on!

Custom Emblems

2008-06-15T11:02:00.003-05:00

I have decided to dress up Calie some more and put together some custom MINI emblems to put on the car. I pulled them off and started to sand, prime and paint the emblems. Minus the little hiccup that occurred when I was baking the paint, the process was simple and fun. Adds a little flair, what do you think?

This is before:

This is the new emblem:

This is after:

Oilin the Leeve with fruit

2008-06-14T22:45:00.003-05:00

A good way to start your morning is a good brisk run. Some will say that sweating out your impurities is the best way to go. I got both this morning when the Varsity Sports gang headed downtown here in "The Rouge" and boy was it hot. We did a 5 mile run down the new bike path that runs from downtown to LSU. Goal was to run faster on the way back than on the way out. Made it...barely...

If you're ever in "The Rouge" I highly recommend hitting up the farmers market that happens every Saturday morning during the growing season. Its got fresh fruits, vegetables and countless plants. Good stuff!

Finally, I performed the first oil change on Calie. MINI is supposed to cover all fluid changes for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. But here is the gotcha, that equates to really only about three free changes if you are lucky. The first, yes FIRST, oil change is supposed to be at 15,000 miles or 1 year, which ever comes first. I decided that I did not like that policy and decided I would just change it my self till I reach my first 'official' change. It was easy, fun and started raining JUST as completed the job. Good day all in all!

Oil Change

DC here I come!

2008-06-13T11:00:00.002-05:00

I am happy and sad to announce that I will be leaving "The Rouge" come the 27th of this month (June). I will be moving up the corporate office to continue my work duties up there. I will ultimately be traveling several time, so my exit is not yet permanent. But I have enjoyed my time but am looking forward to the new and exciting frontiers that await. I will try to keep the updates coming and I hope you will keep checking in as I embark on this new journey!

Wicked Witch is baaacckkk.

2008-06-12T10:37:00.001-05:00

Tornado Tornado Why do you come?
Several tornado's ravaged the heartland in the past couple of days. Our thoughts go out to those parents of the boy scouts that were killed when a tornado hit their camp...tragedy in every since of the definition.

In Manhattan, KS, Kansas State University was hit by a tornado causing extensive damage to the university and surrounding community.

It took awhile for the season to get started, but this tornado season will go down as one of the most powerful, destructive, and numerous seasons in history. Lets hope the hurricane season does not mirror the tornado season. Again my thoughts go out to all those that have been affected. I know what you are going through, just stay strong and count on those around you!

Getting Linked to...exciting!

2008-06-11T12:32:00.002-05:00

I was recently linked to by a Natural Disaster Blog...I was very excited :-) You can see it here! Otherwise...oil is falling, but will most likely rise with the latest EIA report. Oil inventories are down, Gas inventories are up. Oil prices are near record prices and Gasoline is at record prices and continuing to rise. I love depending on fossil fuel crack...love it!

Traffic Class

2008-06-10T22:24:00.002-05:00

I am in class for tonight and Thursday...not fun but something I have to do...blah.

Calie's Sunglasses are having problems...

2008-06-09T20:21:00.002-05:00

I got Calie (the MINI) tinted about a month or so ago and was loving the tint. At around the two week mark I noticed that the sunroof started to peel a bit around the black dot-matrix (most every car has this stuff) and is not uncommon with tints. I also noticed that along the top of the passenger and driver side windows were developing small bubbles.

I took the car back to the tinters and asked about what could be done about the sunroof and the small bubbles in the windows. They said "sure, no problem, a little heat gun action and you'll be good to go." I was excited, scheduled the day and time, and drove off. Delivered the car today and when I returned, I was utterly disappointed.

They ended up retinting my passenger window and did not tell me. I about rolled the window down (a no-no with a new tint) but noticed it just in time. Checked the sunroof and it was WORSE than what it was before (see top picture). To top it off, they BURNDED my sunscreen! I returned the car and asked to speak with the manager. Got it straightened out and HOPEFULLY the third time will be the charm...

Heat + Run = No Fun

2008-06-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

Today it was hot hot and hotter. I have been very inconsistent running wise and it will only get worse as the heat and humidity keep ticking up. I'll have to start sucking it up if I want to try and break my PR in the half marathon and also defend my only half marathon win here in "The Rouge."
Trying to get some motivation going, I decided that running in the heat would be fun (yes I'm sick :-P) and so I headed to the lakes near LSU. It was not a good run by any definition, hot, humid and I seemed to want to walk about every mile or so when I was in the shade of a big oak tree. There was only one other person out running at the time...maybe I should smarten up and run in the morning or evenings. DUH...haha.

Brown and Out

2008-06-07T22:30:00.003-05:00

Today K&A Wags came over to hit up the pool for a bit and have a little bite to eat courtesy of their wonderful host...me! Just as we were heading to the pool, the typical summer weather pattern of the Gulf Coast opened up in a small downpour. Clear blue skies to the north, east, south, and west. Directly above...ominous rain clouds!

The storm was actually good as it cleared out the pool area allowing us to nearly have our own pool. Water felt amazing and soon though, it was time for the third jewel in the Triple Crown to be run...the Belmont!

I was pulling for Big Brown to steam roll the competition like he did two weeks ago, but unfortunately Big Brown had nothing. AT a mile and a quarter the jockey pulled Big Brown up and glided him down the home stretch, placing last. I'm not sure what happened, maybe Big Brown just did not feel like racing today. Maybe he was nervous and slept bad. Who knows. All I know is that it has been 30 years since the last Triple Crown winner, and we'll have to wait yet another year!

Stealth Update

2008-06-06T22:37:00.003-05:00

Water is Mightier than the Sword
The Dept. of Defense today concluded the moisture in a key sensor brought down the $1.2 Billion (US) plane in Feburary in Guam.

The report said that moisture had seeped into sensors on the front of the airplane and confused the computer into thinking the plane was in a dangerous dive when the plane was actually on a normal trajectory. The plane’s flight system took over from the pilot, pulling the bomber into such a steep climb that it caused the engines to stall. The plane crashed seconds later, after the pilots ejected.

This is one of the potentialities of having such a sophisticated aircraft that cannot physically fly without the aid of computers. This was the first crash in the aircrafts 20+ year history (yea, these sweet planes are Cold War relics)and luckily nobody was hurt. With the crash of this plane, the US now has only 20 of these high tech billion dollar planes.

Stealth Bomber Crash in Guam

Going Going Gone...

2008-06-05T22:52:00.005-05:00

Sigg Sold Out
I have touted in the past the virtues of shifting from plastic based water bottles (disposable or Nalgene style) for ones made of aluminum or stainless steel. I was needing a new SIGG for a member of my family and well...SIGG is sold out. Due to the drastic increase in demand over the last few months, SIGG no longer sells its water bottles via the web. It is running around the clock to fill back orders. I only know of two stores here in "The Rouge" that carry the bottles and one was sold out. Luckily Whole Foods saved the day! Love that place! So, if you were wanting a SIGG, now is not the time to buy one, unless of course you live near a Whole Foods!

Run...Motor...Run

2008-06-04T22:47:00.003-05:00

Varsity Hump Day Fun
The summer here in "The Rouge" brings out the heat, humidity, and the Hump Day Challenge series. Its a small 2-mile race series that takes place throughout "The Rouge" every other Wednesday night. tonight was the first race of the season!
First though, I did a nice light easy 5-mile run with the Varsity Sports group which was a lot of fun. I love this group as it has a true southern charm that is hard to describe. Its one of the few things I TRULY enjoy down here.

After the 5 mile run (which was a new course...yikes!) I had to motor on over to the Jefferson Hwy BREC park to make registration. Luckily I was already dressed to run so no worries there. Paid my bucks (5 to be exact) and then headed to the starting line, which I just barely made. Lined up and decided to start out relatively fast for this race and see where the chips fall.

Passed through the first mile in a decent 5:38 but I was rather winded at this point and many people started to pass me up. One dude in particular would surge then die, surge then die, surge then die. Almost made me dizzy at the number of times I passed him. With about a half mile to go I passed him for good and finally started to feel ok and was able to pick up the pass. Finished 12th overall and ran 11:37, which was faster than any of the times I ran last year at these races. Happy? Sort of...Need to train more? For sure!

7.78 Million Pounds of thrust meets a brick wall...

2008-06-03T23:40:00.004-05:00

Shuttle Pad Damaged
Inspection after the launch of the Space Shuttle has revealed the tremendous power that the shuttle has at take off. The Apollo era launch pad suffered significant damage at launch and has concerned NASA officials who plan to use the pad in October. There are only two working shuttle launch pads and both must be operational in October when the final non-International Space Station mission is flown to repair the Hubble Telescope.
Since all remaining missions are flying to the ISS, the need for a rescue ship is negligible as the astronauts can use the ISS as a safe haven until help arrives. With the mission to the Hubble, no such safe haven exists, therefore a second shuttle will be on the other launch pad to serve as a rescue ship. Crazy power equals crazy damage. Will be interesting to see in the near term what comes to be.

Records are meant to be BROKEN!

2008-06-02T19:17:00.001-05:00

"Bolt" of Lightening
Usain Bolt of Jamaica came to the US this week with something to prove. He was out to prove that the 9.76 he ran in the 100m in Jamaica two weeks ago was not a fluke. Boy did he prove that. In what he calls "training" and "speed work" has led to a new 100m world record at 9.72. Set in NY, following a weather delay and a false start, who would have believed that a world record would be had? Bolt outclassed Tyson Gay (Current world champion and favorite in Beijing)and beat him by .13 seconds. The former world record holder, Asafa Powell, also Jamaican, will likely face Bolt at the end of this month at the Jamaica national trials. I know I will be tuned in. While your at it, check out how sickening fast and easy Bolt made this look...pure power!

Usain Bolt Seting new 100m Record

California Dreamin' of GOLD
There are runners, there are good runners, then there are those who just leave you speechless. There have been some great great GREAT individual performances in HS track and field over the years. Jim Ryan breaking the 4 minute barrier while as a HS. Alan Webb breaking his record then in 2001. You can insert so many great performances in this spot, but I think I have something that might just top them all. A truly remarkable double effort that left me gawking.

German Fernandez did what most HS athletes dream of...twice. He started off his final California State meet with a state meet record in the 1600m with a winning time of 4:00.29. There were some crazy times run in this race, with 5th place running a 4:16. That would have won state in a majority of classifications in several states. German then followed it up with a blazing 8:34 3200m to set a new HS record at that distance. CRAZY! I hope that he will have a good collegiate coach, because would love to see this kid run at the next level. But who knows, all it takes is one bad coach and German can become just another "amazing story" that was only reserved for HS. Good look, and DANG thats fast!

German Fernandez setting new National HS 3200m Record

Joey Mod Completion!

2008-06-01T22:44:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I started what is called a "Joey Mod" on Calie (my car) and so I woke up today bound and determined to get this modification done! So after baking the parts so that I could get into the reflector, I masked off the silver reflector (this is what projects the light out in front) and the orange turn signal lens.

The next step was to buff the chrome plated plastic so that the primer and paint would get good adhesion to the plastic. After this was three coats of primer and four coats of satin black

I decided to bake the paint for about 6 minutes at 170 degrees F so that it had a good setting period and hopefully good adhesion! Doesn't it look tasty?

Here is the semi-completed product. All the tape is removed and I think it looks pretty good. Time to get those clear lenses back on!

Here is the completed project, minus the car. Total time...about six hours and total cost was about $7...not to shabby if I do say so myself. My finger tips though, hurt like heck after peeling and sticking countless pieces of tap to get the mask job just right! Its worth it though...

And here are the lights back in the car...wahoo! Looks good to me! What do you think?

"Go for Launch" to bake the headlights

2008-05-31T22:03:00.007-05:00

Discovery Space Bound
The Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off today bound for the International Space Station with the Japanese made Kibo lab on board. I documented the last shuttle launch back in February, and again, NASA did not disappoint. For some reason these launches captivate me. The pure power that these machines poses is crazy! I just wish it would have been last weekend, RAC and I would have motored over and watched!

Discovery has quiet the payload on board, including Kibo. Kibo is the largest module to go up in the shuttle and is a huge 32,000 pound science lab. It fills the entire cargo bay of the shuttle, leaving room for very little. What little they could bring on board is some plumbing parts for the faulty toilet on the station. Does NASA have protocols on plumbers crack in space? Anyways, Buzz Lightyear also made the trip up as a part of a children's science awareness project. Pretty cool. So Check out the awesome spectacle that is the shuttle launch. Only 10 more remain before they head to the bone yard. Bummer!

Discovery Launch

Back on 250 until gooey and golden brown...
Tonight, after the launch I got busy doing another modification on Calie, the MINI Cooper. I decided to do what they, on the MINI forums call a "Joey Mod" and I decided, what they hay, I might as well try it right? The Joey Mod essentially blacks out a headlight, giving it a really different and unique look. So I checked out the DIY forums and found a simple how to and I decided that I was going to do this mod.

Little did I know that in the course of the evening I would be backing my headlights in my oven. Yes, my oven. Seriously its not as bad as it sounds. The epoxy that they seal the the plastic lens onto the main body of the light is really gooey at higher temps. I tried using the sun as my heat but it just didn't get it loose enough. So, back at 250 degrees F for about 5 minutes, pry gently with a screwdriver and you get the clear lens off. Now all I have to do is mask the reflector and paint in the morning. Check back later for the completion of this mod...oh and MMA is on CBS...lets go Kimbo Slice!

Boring Day...

2008-05-30T22:43:00.003-05:00

Nothing exciting at all that I want to write about....I apologize. Cheers!

Terrorist Alert! Terrorist Alert!

2008-05-29T22:43:00.005-05:00

Rachel Ray is a TERRORIST!
Rachel Ray is famous for her EVOO which many people thought stood for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Little did you know, that while on her show, she was sending out coded messages to sleeper terrorists cells. Attacks were to commence based off of key phrases, such as 'yummy' or 'delicious' and of course her phrase for Jihad is 'EVOO baby.'

She even dresses like a terrorist as the picture shows. Clearly we need to get this women off of the air...like now, before any more poor little olives have to be squished. Hit the link to get the real story. Is this seriously how low this nation has become...its a SCARF. I have to go yell!

Chuggles comin back...

2008-05-28T23:28:00.000-05:00

I picked up the ladies again today because Kmewalt was heading out to Sacramento, California to do a little house hunting. So I get the ladies for the rest of the week, weekend, and a couple of days next week! It should be fun, maybe they can help me work on Calie this weekend too! Other than that, it was hot here during our 'easy' run, which wasn't so easy in the heat, or maybe I was pushing the pace to much. Anyways, happy Hump Day!

The Phoenix has Landed

2008-05-27T23:33:00.003-05:00

Newest "Alien" on Mars
NASA's latest mission to Mars, dubbed Phoenix, had a successful landing on Sunday. I was too busy blogging about the Indy 500 and Memorial day so this comes today :-). The mission of Phoenix is to study the frozen polar regions on Mars in hopes of finding the presence of water and other "life" sustaining compounds that the craft might be able to "dig" up.

Phoenix is dubbed such after the mythical bird that arises from its own ashes, like Fawkes in Harry Potter :-) Phoenix is comprised of parts from other missions to Mars that was scrapped, hence being born out of the ashes. It is equipped with a digging robotic arm that will allow Phoenix to scrape up material and deposit it inside itself for chemical analysis. Like the two rovers on Mars currently, this mission is slated for 90 days. If you use the backdrop of the mars rovers, you'll be reading about Phoenix for the next couple of years...at least we hope!

Its highly unlikely though due to its location in the polar regions where the sun light is low, especially during the winter. It is likely the cold will sap the power out of the batteries much sooner than the crippling dust would. Fun stuff. Shuttle launch scheduled for this weekend...woot!

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T22:26:00.002-05:00

Somber Remembrance
This post is dedicated to those men and women who are serving, or have served, our country in times of conflict to defend our way of life. Thank You! May we think more of today as a day of thanks than that of a day of BBQ's, swimming, and relaxation. Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made in order for us to enjoy our freedoms and the life that we have.

Indianapolis 500

2008-05-25T22:21:00.005-05:00

Ah, the Indy 500...that Memorial Day weekend tradition at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. RAC and I headed over to K&A Wags for a little BBQ they were throwing while watching the race. K made some home made Mac-n-Cheese plus some AMAZING cheese cake bits. Oh, and there was a race. Check out A Wags blog over at The Furious Wedge for a great recap of the race and the BBQ.

Scott Dixon ended up winning the race, unfortunately I did not have him in the race pool. I think it was rigged as the host of the BBQ had him. I won't complain to loudly though, I was the reason why RAC and I were late to the race:-)

Closing thought of the day: "Um...nothing like dumping milk on your head after winning a race!"

Cheers

Airplanes, Sand, Sunsets!

2008-05-24T22:17:00.004-05:00

National Naval Aviation Museum
In the year that I have been down on the Gulf, not once have I actually been to the Gulf. Crazy I know...So that is why RAC and I packed up Calie and headed east to Florida for the day. Nice LONG day of driving, sightseeing, relaxing and driving some more.

We headed to Pensacola, Florida because they had the free National Naval Air History Museum and I highly recommend. Its a great way to spend a day learning about some of our greatest aircraft the Navy ever flew. The exhibits are well laid out, easy to read, informative and inspiring. My favorite exhibit was an exhibit depicting two submerged aircraft that were retrieved from the bottom of Lake Michigan and resorted back to their former glory. Lake Michigan was the site of a training station where new naval aviators honed their skills landing on aircraft carriers. Many planes went down at the hands of these inexperience pilots. Very interesting and I would love to go back and finish up reading about some of the planes that I missed. I had to get to the beach!

Sunset at the beach

Sand Dunes at Sunset...yes they are sand dunes, and not snow :-D

Clutchs, Crystal Skulls, and Crab Cakes

2008-05-23T22:16:00.004-05:00

Indiana Jones
Today I got to hang out with RAC some more courtesy of the ability to work from home for a few hours and a good accumulation of hours from earlier in the week. I love my job! Anyways, it was mostly relaxation for the first part of the day. We did occasionally play a game of Wii for awhile. RAC is trying to get Mario Cart Wii down pat so she can race me.

Kmewalt and K&A Wags, RAC and I decided that for the evening we were going to have dinner and go see the new Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But first, the fun...teaching RAC to drive Calie...WAHOO

RAC had driven a manual transmission only a couple of times (one of those was on a 4-wheeler) and so she was a little nervous. I was not worried at all...the cars still under warranty :-) Anyways there is a small stretch of road just down the ways from my apartment that was perfect. Though in RAC's opinion it was only long enough to get it into 3rd gear before you had to turn around. After several loops and a few kills later she was driving like a pro. I'm a good teacher...hehe:-)

After the driving lessons we headed over to meet K&A Wags at their place and ride with them to dinner at Portebello's. Dinner was fantastic, good food and good people. RAC had the crab cakes, said they were yummy and I had the chicken fingers...yum yum. It was then off to the theater to catch the newest installment of the Indiana Jones legacy. It did not disappoint, though there was some moments that were ...eh, I don't like that, but for the most part it was a fun movie. I recommend it! Off to Florida tomorrow!
Cheers

Taco Thursdays

2008-05-22T22:15:00.005-05:00

800's, Margarita's, and Taco's!
Working long hours this week I accumulated enough time to leave early today (yes a Thursday) and head back to the apartment to hang out with RAC. With her triathlon fast approaching, she wanted to get in a run or two while she was down. So I offered up my running club that I attend as tonight was an unusual occurrence. PARTY TIME.

One of our runners, Meg, is leaving to go to bigger and greener pastures, so the club gave her a little going away party...and RAC wanted to be apart of the festivities.

The festivities began with a nice moderate 5 mile workout that included 4x800m intervals with a minutes rest in between each interval. It was a good workout, just a little humid though there were some storms in the area to help cool down the air some. RAC held up just fine, go her!

We finished up at Zippy's Mexican restaurant for some burritos and margarita's! I had never been and it was a lot of fun. Its a converted gas station with a large outdoor bar area for games and hanging out when its nice out. All in all it was a good time and we even got some good storms out of the deal! Wahooo..
Cheers!

RAC is Back

2008-05-21T08:38:00.003-05:00

RAC comes back today, I need to clean the apt...so no blog for today. Check back for our recap of our week though!
Cheers

Zachawii

Brita Makin a Splash

2008-05-20T18:05:00.003-05:00

Filter For Good
Brita has teamed up with Nalgene to launch a new campaign aimed at reducing the number of disposable plastic bottles that make it into the waste stream every day. The picture at left is one of the marketing campaigns photo depicting a woman with 'oil' running out of her mouth. It is meant to symbolize the amount of oil that is 'consumed' in these plastic water bottles.

Though kind of graphic, its a good campaign and the website is pleasant and provides good information. Not sure about the running pledge total scrolling across the top, but interesting nonetheless. I am all for reducing the need for these wasteful products. Granted, in times of emergency they are useful and can save lives, but there are several alternatives out there for everyday use. I have detailed the plastic bottle issue in a few posts before (here, here and here) and have myself purchased a Sigg bottle and love it. It travels everywhere with me! So I say check it out, it even has a 'fun' google map app tracking how many bottles have been saved by each state. Hope you have an enjoyable Tuesday!

Cheers

Monday Mocha Update

2008-05-19T17:16:00.002-05:00

Logo Switcharoo
Thought I would do a little Starbuckian update as the last update since the reins of the company have gone back to CEO Howard Schultz was back in February. So here is your java update...riveting I know!

I have been behind the times and have not actually been in a Starbucks for quiet some time, but since April a retro version of the original Starbucks logo has been appearing on the company's ubiquitous white cups. The 'retro' logo is UPS-esque with its all brown design and a more revealing mermaid. This of course has not gone without any controversy, especially in the US's hyper-sensitive ultra conservatives.

One such group has been calling for a nationwide ban on Slutbucks, I mean Starbucks, due to the 'graphic' nature of the mermaid. The Christian group, The Resistance, based in San Diego, says that the new cup "has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute." Last time I checked mermaids didn't have legs, but it does beg the question, what exactly is a two tailed mermaid doing on a coffee cup. I think this group is a little overboard and will probably drive more sales at the stores because people will want to see what all the fuss is about...keep it up guys!

The reason for the change, as CEO Howard Schultz stated, was to generate conversation help revitalize the brand. It appears that the new logo will stick around for a little while longer on the cups, but will ultimately live on in Starbucks new coffee line of Pike Place coffee. Swim on Starbucks, Swim ON!

Ceramic and Starbucks?
Along with the brand revitalization, Starbucks is trying to be more eco-friendly by reducing its ecological footprint. One such measure was announced that would bring back the old ceramic cups of yester-year for in store purchases. This would help reduce some of the trash, but how many of us who go to Starbucks actually sit and hang out. It used to be a that third place between work and home but is not really so, at least what I have seen.

Starbucks also plans to slash energy consumption in its stores by 25% by 2010 and purchase enough clean energy certificates to offset 50% of its electrical requirements. Good steps to improving their efficiency and bottom line, but what about all of that double cupping that goes on and those wasteful plastic drink cups? Good steps in the right direction, but still a long way to go. It is a company after all, and a company based on nothing else than consumption of materials. Though they do make a mean Frapachino....I may just go get me one :-D

SkyMall Sunday's

2008-05-18T23:01:00.000-05:00

Who Buys this stuff?
Ah...SkyMall, that wonderful seat back pocket time suck that is a staple of most airline flights. Its one of the few pleasures of flying, if you're having a bad day, you can flip to page 130 and find a pair of 'stylish' golf ball finding shades staring back up at you. Today I flew back from spending the later half of the week at home and this trip was MUCH smoother than on Wednesday. As I was trying to come up with something for today's blog I noticed that wonderful little magazine staring back up at me...ah ha pay dirt.

There are to many crazy, useless, and ridiculous products to pick a top prize. I did however find myself staring at this for awhile, with that "huh, I wonder how that works" look on my face. The "Upside-down Tomato Garden. Supposedly it grows 'better' tomatoes because they are suspended in air rather than sitting on the ground where they can rot. Seriously, do you know of anyone who has bough this, or ANYTHING out of SkyMall. Sure there are a couple of good things, but not anything worthwile to purchase. Anyways, hope your weekends were good...alas another work week aways.

Big Brown Domination

2008-05-17T22:42:00.003-05:00

Preakness Destruction
Ah, the Triple Crown, the pinnacle of horse racing, was run today in Maryland. I missed the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and since then, the industry has been in a myriad of troubles surrounding the death of Eight Belles. With her death, the Derby was not remembered for Big Brown's convincing win, but the death of another race horse on the biggest stage (Barbaro being the other).

Horse racing held its collective breath today as the start of the Preakness began, hoping that no repeat of the Derby would be had. Much of the race was a positioning race for Big Brown and he (and his jockey) handled the shuffling well and coming into the homestretch he was in good position. With a few small prods from his rider, Big Brown decided it was time to turn on the jets and walked away from the field in a convincing manner. No other horse could manage to keep pace and the pure breakaway power that propelled Big Brown into the lead was really impressive. Can we say Triple Crown?

I think Big Brown has a convincing shot, more so than the few horses that have won both the Derby and the Preakness in the past few years. Three weeks will tell us if Big Brown is a legit horse, or one that has been running against inferior competition. I know I will be watching, I hope its a great race, and a splash of history would not hurt the sport after it tumultuous past few years. Good luck Big Brown!

Big Brown in Convincing Win

Playin Uncle

2008-05-16T10:36:00.001-05:00

Today, while working from home (perks of the job) I got to play uncle! Its rare that I get to see my nephew and niece so I was happy to play as long as they wanted me to. Though I do not look good playing dress up, we did have a blast :-)

It got fairly warm so we, including grandpa, decided to play with water balloons! I, being the one to want to get the action shots, decided pulling out the camera was the best thing to do, as everyone should do around young kids throwing water filled devices! Jadynn decided it would be funny to soak Uncle Zachawii's foot with a water balloon as I was trying to capture the Kodak moment.

Kasey (the youngin) first thought that these things were the grosses, most hideous form he had ever seen. He would not throw it, but only hold onto the end of the water balloon like it was toxic. After we made him realize that when you throw them they will pop and burst, did he realize the amazingness of the water balloon. After that, it was all down hill. We ended the day by throwing a Frisbee and chasing them down. Basically it was my excuse to run them into the ground so they slept good that night. Being an Uncle is great!

Little Sis's Graduation

2008-05-15T22:28:00.002-05:00

The younger sister graduated from the local community college tonight, hence the reason for the trip home, and all went without a hitch. Minus the usual BORING speeches telling them to go forth and spread their knowledge to the world, not much exciting was happening. I was in charge of the photography side of things, so I shot to my hearts content.

Oh, there was this one girl who went through every emotion possible in the span of the hour. She was drunk of course, but the list of actions include:

talking on cellphone during commencement speech
texting during commencement speech
waving at her 'interesting' looking boyfriend during commencement speech
talking to her neighbor (who looked agitated) during commencement speech
dropping her mortar board during commencement speech
nearly falling during walk up to get diploma
talking on phone yet again
and finally crying her eyes out because of something said during #6 (just my guess there)

So my words to the class of 2008, please please please, do not do many of the above items, or you may just end up the butt of someones blog. Have a good Friday!

Airport Sprint Workout

2008-05-14T23:59:00.003-05:00

So today I flew home to the great state of Kansas, _______ (insert Wizard of Oz Statement here). Just as I was supposed to leave "The Rouge" the mother of all rainstorms decided to sweep in and just DUMP water on the city. I knew I had to arrive in Memphis (my layover) by 7:00pm (cst) to have a shot at making my connecting flight. This meant that I must be in the air from Baton Rouge no later than 6.

The severe weather delayed the incoming plane by a couple of hours and as the minute hand ticked closer and closer to 6, I started to sweat a little bit. Finally, in the downpour to end all downpours, we boarded the plane and took off, right at 6pm...I have a chance.

Get to Memphis right on time and as we taxi to the gate (B36 above) we have to wait for equipment to be moved out of the way of plane. Tick tock tick tock tick tock.
Finally the Tug is moved, we taxi up.

I push my way through people with some groans but I really don't care, and let the sprinting begin. I had to get from B36 (see above) to B20 in about 5 minutes. Thank goodness I can run, as I made it in 3 minutes...but you must visualize me running. Moving sidewalks...check. Luggage bouncing around as I pull it along...check. Panting and sprinting to the ticket counter...check.

Luckily I made it, just as they closed the door. Got some unpleasant looks from those on the plane, but I really didn't, I had made it! Kansas here I come!

'Oiling' the 'Strategic' wheels of politics...

2008-05-13T22:00:00.005-05:00

SPR Debate
As much as I would like to stay out of the oil topics, I keep getting sucked back into the fray. Today, Congress passed a bill to suspend shipments of oil to the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help ease the pain at the pump. Why now and not earlier when prices started jumping above $100?

The most obvious is that there are several seats up for election this year and these congressman (and women) need to appear that they are doing something for their constituents in their home districts. A congressperson appears to be in favor of these high oil and fuel prices would certainly destroy their chances of getting reelected. This is also evident from 2 of the 3 presidential candidates were proposing suspending the federal gas tax for the summer to help ease prices.

What this all amounts to is just another bandage on the open gash that is our addiction to petroleum. I, along with countless others, have said that we will have to fundamentally change the way we live in order to adjust to this new era of 'expensive' oil. Reducing shipments to our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is NOT going to be the fundamental change. The SPR is currently at around ~700 million barrels of oil. This suspension will divert 70,000 bpd back into the oil stream flowing to our refiners. That's about 0.3% of our total petroleum consumption per day (based on 2007 data). Will that help? Doubtful...Its mostly political rhetoric to get elected and maintain the status quo.

So what is there to be optimistic about in these troubled times? For me, its the concept of close knit neighborhoods and a sense of local identities rising again. Since the disappearance of the front porch, which was a result of air conditioning and the invention of the television, the closeness of communities has been falling ever since. We crave interpersonal communications and relationships, why do you think that social networking sites are so popular. But, they still leave a sense of emptiness that makes us crave real interactions with people. Maybe a side result of closer knit communities, brought together because of high energy prices could alleviate some of the social ailments, poverty, crime, and poor education among our nations schools. Grand dreams...probably...optimisitic in a time of dire pessimism...sure. But instead of doing nothing about the current situation, change, adjust and move on. If not, you might just get left behind...

Random Pic of the Day

2008-05-12T21:11:00.005-05:00

Today was a very slow day, not much happening on any front. Run was warm and difficult, but other than that...zilch of excitement. Hope your Monday was better than mine, though I get to travel this week again, going home. That is exciting!

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T22:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there. I called my mom, did you? It was a gorgeous day here in "The Rouge." There was NO humidity (which is rare in May) and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. This week is another busy week so I was glad for the relaxing weekend. I get to head back to Kansas this week, K-Dog graduates. Wahoo. The last time I was there was when I started this blog...go figure! Haha. Anyways, I hope you all have a great week and please keep checking in for new updates.
Cheers

Refuel my A$$

2008-05-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

Refueling America?!?
I stated a while back that I was going to cut out any talk of high oil prices but in the past couple of weeks some totally dumb proposals to curb high oil and gas prices have caused me to be flabbergasted. The first is the proposed "Gas Tax Holiday" that Clinton and McCain are proposing.

This tax holiday is a bad idea and just political rhetoric to get them elected. I know that they could hypothetically persuade the congress to pass a bill to suspend the gas tax, but by the time they are President, the 'holiday' would have passed. Whats more is that it would save the average consumer the likes of $25-$30 (US) amounting to about 3/4 or the standard gas tank. There is also no guarantee that the producers of gasoline would not rise their prices to recoup some of the billions in taxes that would else wise go to the government. This would result in the increased consumption which would pinch supplies and result in higher oil and gas prices. Great plan! Lets work on efficiency first, then better alternative means of transportation and maybe we can make a dent in the petrol grip that has this nation by the throat.

The second idiotic thing I have read/seen just recently happened. Chrysler is offering their Refuel America plan which includes a set price of $2.99/gallon (US) for three years. It is essentially subsidizing the cost of fuel for Chrysler's fleet which just LOVES to suck gas. This is on par with those countries that subsidize the cost of gas for its citizens...maybe we can add Chrysler to the Axis of Evil...as that axis loves to subsidize fuel.

Giving Americans is not the way to ween us off of the oil addiction. It only prolongs it till we hang ourself with the oil noose. We have to first feel the pain and then realize how wrong we really were with depending on oil for so long. You can not run a marathon without going through some pain, neither will weening us off of oil is going to hurt for awhile as well. So please, do not buy a Chrysler car, its a dumb idea that sounds good, but really will prolong the pain. Hope you had a good weekend!

Cyclone Nargis

2008-05-09T17:07:00.002-05:00

On May 3, Cyclone Nargis swept across southern Myanmar, leaving more than 28,000 dead and 33,000 still missing as it washed away people along with their homes. The death toll is likely to continue to increase because the Junta are slowing supplies flooding into the region. This is eerily reminiscent of the Tsunami of 2005 that swept through southeast Asia. The Junta will likely have more blood on their hands than they will know what to do with after this ordeal is over with. Its sad that the poorest humans become pawns in a terrible governmental system when the goodness of the world tries to pour in. I hope that things will change, but I have not much hope. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Predict a Mile...or four

2008-05-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

Got back into "The Rouge" today after the trip to DC. I got a couple of runs in while I was up there and it was awesome. It was nice and cool in the morning with no humidity and a crispness to the air that I had not felt in awhile. Today, the running club was doing a "predict your time" run where the person who predicts their actual time the best gets a prize...running shorts I believe.

The course was 4 miles and it was hot and humid so I decided that just slightly faster than 7 minutes per mile would be sufficient to let me run well. As usual I ran to fast and was totally off of my pace and finished in 26:29, where I had predicted 27:57. Yes, totally off, and I even ran long...as I missed the turn around mark...whoops. I was not the worst predictors of pace, but pretty close. It did feel good to be out and about after the plane ride, but geeze it was hot and humid. Summer and sweat are here...and I'm ready to leave "The Rouge" more than ever!
Cheers

DC Kickball

2008-05-07T23:10:00.000-05:00

Today after work I got to experience Kickball on The Mall. DC Kickball is in full swing and Hoganistan is playing on a team. He invited me down to watch first hand the craziness that goes on and to also prep me for my tryouts for a team this fall, haha. Unfortunately his team lost, but as with every league, there was another ritual to be had....the annual trek to a bar for some drinks.

PennQuarter Sports Tavern is a sponsor and the designated hang out spot after the competition ceases. $8 pitchers and 1/2 priced appetizers sure were tasty. I'm ready to be up there so I can bring a little All Star presence to the team, or at least I hope :-) If your around the Mall on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, beware the flying rubber balls!

Pictionary Blues

2008-05-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

Today after work, which was another round of meetings and workshops, the boss decided to have a little work get together. We had a PS3, Wii, and Pictionary. After some hard core Grand Theft Auto 4, and Mario Cart for Wii, the drawing, or lack there of, began. The teams were divided into teams of four. Kwags, Steinrich, and Skorcho were on my team, and Mewalt (of Kmewalt) Hoganistan, J&S Dan, and I'm-always-Wright were on the other team.

Lets just say that the other team, with their wonderful guessing and sometimes crude responses whooped up on us. I myself got hit with some hard ones to draw, such as Memory and Plain as the nose on your face. Seriously, how do you draw that? Anyways, it was a great time...wish I would have brought my A game to the Pictionary world though...another day another drawing...

Washington DCinco De Mayo: Day 1

2008-05-05T23:00:00.001-05:00

Arrived in Washington D.C. last night for a work conference. Its going to be a hectic week and who knows what will happen or be seen. Today, mostly meetings and finally got to meet some colleagues I have been working with for over a year, but have never met. The wonders of the modern working world. After work I headed out with Hoganistan to check out potential places to live. It is a good possibility that I will be moving to Washington D.C for work in the next few months, so that is exciting.

We found a couple of places then headed to a bar to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. So...Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Cheers

Racing, lots of Racing

2008-05-04T15:43:00.011-05:00

2008 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon
The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon is one of the nations largest 1/2 marathon races, which sells out each of its 35,000 alloted slots. The race is run in scenic Indianapolis at the sight of one of the greatest racing venues of all time, the Indianapolis Speedway. This years race did not disappoint as it literally came down to a sprint to the finish. Kenyans Lamech Mokono and Valentine Orare both won the race, as the race officials awarded the first ever tie in the events history.

After reviewing the replay and still photos it was decided that each would be awarded the prize. I myself find that the sprint was a little weak, but judge for yourself who won the race. The video is located here, its HILARIOUS (ok, its only funny if your a runner or know a runner :-) )

Kentucky Derby Tragedy and Triumph
This weekend was the storied and historical horse racing event, the Kentucky Derby. This years race had history written all over it. A young gun with only three career starts trying to become the first in 93 years to do so, and a filly, trying to show the boys that women know how to run as well. The race lived up to its billing, with excitement in more than ways than one could imagine.

Big Brown (see top picture), the winner of this years derby, raced smart, hanging towards the front middle of the pack and then when he had to, turned on the gas and roared around the leaders for a 5 length victory. Eight Belles ran a great race as well and finished second behind Big Brown. As she was cooling down something terrible happened, one which is really hard to explain. Both of her front ankles broke, sending her to the track. With no legs to stand on, the on track veterinary euthanized her on the spot, to end any pain and suffering she might have endeared.

This will undoubtedly open up a huge controversy on whether or not horse racing is humane or not. PETA will most likely have some sort of outcry over this and images of Barbaro from a few years back will get plastered before our eyes once again. My only statement is this. These horses are bred to do this, this is what they live for. If you say that they are inhumanely treated, then I ask you to reevaluate your base line on this. These horses get treated better than nearly all animals and many humans at that. This is a sport, there will be injuries and casualties. I think we have bigger fish to worry about than a few deaths of horses. Anyways, I am out in DC for the week, probably no posts what so ever. I'll post the highlights from the trip, but really no news links or anything exciting. Cheers

Greensburg tornado

2008-05-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

'Green'ing of Spring
Greensburg, Kansas was leveled a year ago tomorow by one of the strongest tornadoes on record. A monster that was nearly a mile wide leveled ~95% of the town of 1500 people leaving few standing buildings.

Greensburg's claim to fame was its location near one of the best meteorite sites in the world and also the largest hand dug well. The town now has a new claim to fame, a green community in which the world can look up to in the ever changing world of global climate change and scarce resources. Locals have been encouraged to build green and purchase energy saving appliances and to use alternative energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines. Some people, and I feel their pain, want things to get rebuilt as fast as possible so some semblance of a life can begin.

The Early Show has been in Greensburg this week documenting the the advances the town has made from that devastating night a year ago. They have had the National Champion KU Jayhawks on the show, and have had several surprises for the town. I applaud the show for documenting all facets of life and doing it in a positive manner. They really have adopted the town and I hope will continue to come back and document the progress the town has made. One such progress though may be mired in controversy...Graduation

Some people may have heard of the Westboro Baptist Church and its inflaming pastor Fred Phelps. The church is known for protesting at soldiers funerals and is headquartered in Topeka, Kansas. It has been announced that Phelps plans to protest the arrival of President Bush, who is giving the commencement speech to the graduating class of Greensburg High School. Accourding to the Kiowa County Signal, "The group is best known for picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers in line with a belief that God has been using the war in Iraq to kill American military personnel to show contempt for a nation and military that has allegedly become overly accommodating to and sympathetic of gay/lesbian concerns." This, by all accounts of the definition is a radically religious group no different of the Taliban. Extreme assertion, yes, but the stuff that this group chants at a fallen soldiers funeral is a shame and they themselves should be made to serve on the front lines.

To protest in the town on a day of celebration, after all that it has gone through, shows how low this group really is. Its a shame on the state as a hole and the Christian faith to have these "righteous" people doing such horribly despicable things. Congrats to those who have overcome the adversity before them and I commend the graduating class for pulling through in times of adversity. May the future be bright, happy, and exciting as you prepare for your next chapter in your life!

The top picture is of Greensburg (taken via satellite) prior to the May 4th tornado. The middle picture is of the tornado that struck Greensburg, at its widest it was a mile wide. The last picture is a of Greensburg after the tornado (taken via satellite) showing the mass destruction.

Calie Gets a new 'Grillz'

2008-05-02T22:00:00.001-05:00

Today the new grill for the MINI came in. I had been obsessing over the MINI forums and decided that I wanted to spice up the front end a little bit and start the process of removing the chrome on the car. I bought the John Cooper Works (JCW) and installed it this evening. I also bought a "belt line blackout" kit which replaces the chrome line that separates the top and bottom of the car. Overall it was an easy modification and really changes the look. With the tinted windows, Calie looks more squat than ever.

This is the original grille

This is the new black honeycomb JCW Grille

I also debadged Calie, meaning I took off the "Cooper" logo off the rear of the car. It gives good symmetry and I plan on placing it somewhere else in the near future

This is the original Rear

Rear Debadged

Blacked out beltline, new grille, and stormy skies

May Day!

2008-05-01T15:43:00.002-05:00

Happy May Day. Nothing for today...boo. Just work no play.

Let the Mods begin...

2008-04-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

Today Calie (the MINI) got new 'sunglasses. I had been wanting to start doing modifications on the MINI and decided the first would be to tint the windows. Being here in "The Rouge" the summer sun is already out and force, combine that with the simulated leather in the car, can make for some hot rear ends. I decided go to a local shop that was recommended by the MINI dealership.

I went to Auto Images here in "The Rouge" and was happy with the tint job, though the total package was not that desirable. The lady at the help desk was slightly dry and hard to get any information out of her. Then there is the fact that they left my car soaked after the tint job. I had water streaks on EVERYTHING in the car, which really put a sour taste in my mouth.

I know that tinting takes time and liquids, but at least clean up afterwards, is that that hard to ask? Oh well, I love the look and the car is so much cooler now. I did 35% (its the percent of light transmitted into the car) and its dark, but not crazy dark. Did the sunroof in 20% and it is a nice touch. More mods to follow soon...wahoo. Top picture is prior to tinting and the bottom picture is after the tint. Its hard to take pictures of window tint I have found

Another Track and Field let down...

2008-04-29T11:03:00.007-05:00

Updates!
I have finally got caught back up again so please see the updates if you have not yet.
April 22nd: Earth Day
April 23rd: McDonalds gets a fashion McMakeover
April 24th: Conservation Reserve Program
April 25th: Money is time, Time is Money
April 26th: "Signs of Health (This is a good one!)
April 27th: Power Outage Fun
April 28th: Spider Man, Spider Man

Now on to today...

Asafa Powell out till June
Another track and field let down for the short term. World 100m record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica will miss most of this summers early races because of a pulled pectoral muscle. Sprinters are an interesting group, and you can see my take on it here, in which I talk about the retirement of Maurice Greene. Asafa Powell has been plagued with injuries of late, but has had a couple of really great runs.

Powell first lowered the world record to 9.77 seconds a few years back and last year broke it again at 9.74. However in the world championships he had his rear handed to him by U.S. Sprinter Tyson Gay. Marquee races between the two have not happened since Osaka last summer and it appears that both Gay and Powell are making sure that Beijing has a great 100m build up. There is no doubt that NBC will broadcast Gay's and Powell's every move up to the point of the pair getting into the blocks in the finals, and in a piece of made-for-tv greatness, the action will break to a commercial. The worlds shortest spectacle gets the greatest amount of coverage of track and field.

If Americans can watch 300 laps of NASCAR, surely coverage of a distance event like steeplechase is of equal value. Just as most of those who watch NASCAR to see wrecks, much more painful wrecks have occurred recently in the steeplechase. See picture at right...

Remember as life hands you hurdles be sure to jump, its not nearly as painful as running into them;-)

Asafa Powell Breaking World 100m Record

You seriously have to love foreign announcers. I have NO clue what the guy in the video is saying but I'm excited. For what...I don't know but man, such passion.

Crazy Monday

2008-04-28T15:05:00.004-05:00

Spider Man Spider Man...
Today's post is totally out of left field, but it was something that I could not pass up on. Kwags showed me this today and I could not believe my eyes. I'm partial to tattoos as long as there's some 'taste' to them. When I say taste I mean that certain body types, lifestyles, and personalities just allow for such a wonderful variety of artwork.
This particular Spider Man tattoo is amazing for its use of color and shading to really pull the look of the tattoo together. Amazing ink work...the artist is awesome. But...seriously, what was this guy thinking? Jump to the link to see his arms and legs. What a great Monday. Cheers!

Power Outage

2008-04-27T23:28:00.003-05:00

Today was totally uneventful. It rained off and on here in "The Rouge" so I messed around with photoshop adding "modifications" to Calie. That really was my day, oh yea, the usual laundry and vacuuming but how much fun is that, let alone interesting. Anyways at around 9pm cst the power decides to go out...wahoo. I break out the candles, finish dinner and decide to have some fun photography fun. So I made my apartment have a ghost that was a slash of light. Nothing fancy, just playing around. Oh well, another week, another pay check!

Cheers

The "Sign" of Healthy Lawns...Ha!

2008-04-26T08:00:00.005-05:00

I had to stop today and do a double take on my way back from Barnes and Nobles today. Down here in "The Rouge" spring has been in full swing for several weeks now. Yes, I know, many of you have not even started spring or are just on the upswing. But with spring comes the upswing in the frequency of cutting America's greatest crop...our lawns. Yes, you read that right.

Americans have an obsession with "the perfect" lawn, and at a rate of over $17 Billion (US) every year, you'd think we were obsessed. Americans also mow over 31 million acres of that "perfect lawn." I think we could cut our dependence on foreign oil if we cut our lawn mowing significantly. A "healthy" lawn is really a dead lawn ecological. The variety of organisms in a lawn are nearly non existent and its naturally impossible to maintain that perfect green color. Yet we pump the chemicals and pesticides on our turf to get that perfect look.

So back to that double take and the picture of the sign. What is wrong with this sign? I think its terrible marketing for your product, but it proves just how toxic our quest for the perfect lawn is. The "Sign" that the sign is talking about is Massey's lawn sign after pesticide application which has the image of an adult, child, and a pet warning them not to get on the lawn. Studies have shown that the chemical residue is tracked into our homes and our pets accumulate dangerous levels of these chemicals. This sign doesn't elicit my idea of a healthy lawn at all, more like a toxic wasteland. Just thought you might find the twisted humor...maybe not.

Seriously?

2008-04-25T07:31:00.007-05:00

Cash Costs More
I read this today and could not pass up the opportunity to talk about how fee based corporate America has become. Sure 10 cents here, or a dollar there for "service fee's" or whatever they get called may not seem a lot, but stop and think back to how much nickel and diming goes on. And then add to it the fact that you have no way of avoiding or opting out of these service fee's. So I bring to you exhibit A on another reason why this society has become backwards and out of touch.

If you have never read the Red Tape Chronicles on msnbc.com or never read "Gotcha Capatilism" by Bob Sullivan, then your blood pressure is probably close to normal. If you have, well you know how angry you can become at such STUPID ideas. Early this year AT&T started to charge customers a $2 US fee to pay their bill in person and with cash. The fee is about to go up to $5 soon. An AT&T service rep was quoted as saying,

"It is a way of saving money ... it helps us keep our costs lower," said AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel. "We want our associates to spend their time helping customers as they are thinking about their wireless plans or looking at phones."

Personally I read this as "our customer service sucks, so we have to beg people to start up new contracts with us because we are loosing customers on a daily business because of our poor business model."

Anyways...AT&T should not take the brunt of this argument, as they are just following along with a policy that the American consumer has allowed to happen. In our 'convenience' driven age, real people have been replaced with automated tellers that ask us to say yes or press 1. When you want to speak with a person, that will probably cost you extra, or you will not be able to understand them as the company you are wanting to talk to has outsourced their call centers. I recently came across this when I opened a new credit card with Bank ___. This was after a bit of trouble with my number getting stolen from a local eatery here in "The Rouge."

I got it sorted out and had the new credit card in my possession and as soon as I got it had signed up for paperless statements and it showed up with all of my other bank accounts that I have. I loved it, a one stop shop for all of my financial needs, until it was time for the first statement. As a "security measure" they, Bank ___, removes your account from your online bank view and you have to go through a verification stage. I followed all the steps and was told that I would be allowed to have access to my online credit card portal in 8-10 business days. What? Seriously, 8-10 days in an electronic banking world? Are you kidding me? I was worried that I would get a late fee for not paying the card off in time as I had no clue when the due date and billing cycle officially ended, so I contacted Bank ___ directly to pay the bill. I got everything squared away and was ready to pay off the bill and the polite woman on the phone state that there was a 'convenience fee' of $15 to pay the bill. I had to ask the her to repeat that amount to take payment over the phone. I politely declined and hung up. Seriously $15 to pay MY bill off?

Why are fee's so prevalent? How can we opt out? What options, do we as consumers and customers have when faced with these unwarranted charges? Its enough to make you scream...but its perfect for businesses. What better way to get more money than by charging customers for the right to do business with them...love it!

Day and Night for $300,000? WTF?
So, the tax rebate checks will soon be coming out and I have just the perfect gift you can get to help stimulate the economy! Ok, so you'll need your check and 500 of your closest friends, but who's counting right? So for $300,000 US you and your 500 closest friends can buy a watch...that does not tell time. Thats right...instead you will know perfectly well when its night and day.

The Day & Night watch by Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome sold out in just 48 hours after its launch. Chief Executive Yvan Arpa told Reuters,

"Why do people buy expensive watches? To have a trophy. A watch (costing) $9 gives the time as well as a watch at $500,000, so they really buy a trophy."

A trophy for what? Being a pompous rich snob? A trophy for 'making it' in the world? To show that you have more money than you need? Going to far am I? Clearly my propensity towards meagerness and being happy with what I have is clearly not the right frame of mind one would have to purchase and wear such a watch. Granted the design is amazing, but for $300,000 you could have me around and I'll remind you when its night and day, though I will be honest, I probably would not look as good on your arm as that watch does...:-D
Cheers

CPR for CRP???

2008-04-24T07:57:00.004-05:00

CRP Program
A disturbing trend is on the horizon like a looming thunderhead across the Great Plains. It is one that has mixed emotions and something I am sadden to notice happening. The government has released figures stating that the total number of acreage of US farmland that is in the Conservation Reserve Program has declined sharply in the last year, primarily due to increased grain prices which has in part been driven by the lucrative, yet highly subsidized, corn ethanol boom.

For the international readers: 1 hectare = ~2.5 acres

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the largest government conservation program which pays farmers by the acre to take that acreage out of production. It was begun to offset the glut of grains that arose out of the era of over abundance and mass plantings. The old adage of planting fence post to fence post. This over abundance has, like cheap oil, made American's addicted to cheap food. As more countries strive to be more "American," meaning increased consumption of beef, dairy, and refined grain products, the global supply of grains have slowly been dwindling. Combine this with rising energy costs and environmental factors of droughts and floods and you are creating a perfect storm for protests.

If these farmers were taking these fields out of CRP rotation to help alleviate world hunger, I probably wouldn't cringe nearly as much...though I still do, but nearly all acreage being brought back into production will be used to grow corn! Corn to feed our livestock (which makes them sick, yet we like cheap steaks), make our terribly unhealthy snacks (What products don't have corn syrup in them?), feed our hailed savior of the energy crisis..ethanol. Can you tell I'm not a fan?

Not only will native species loose valuable habitat, but greater environmental damage will be done, thus hurting us (humans) in the long run. Increased pesticide inputs, fertilizer inputs, and diesel inputs all have detrimental effects. The 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by to much nitrogen in the water, primarily from runoff of corn fields, which causes algal blooms leading to the depletion of oxygen in the water. This leads to valuable fishing grounds in the Gulf being affected as well as the nations waterways, creating expensive purification processes for those communities who depend on those waterways for drinking water. I am opposed to this on many levels, the CRP program is one of the governments few success stories when it comes to environmental protection and I would hate to see the greedy consumeristic society that we have become lead us down a path in which will cause greater pain in the future.

I realize my posts have sort of been doom and gloom lately...just had to get on my soap box for a bit. Please keep coming back, as I have great posts in the works for some big dates in the next couple of weeks. Cheers!

Designer Big Mac's...

2008-04-23T10:48:00.004-05:00

Designer McD's
The employees of UK McDonald's will soon be sporting designer clothing made by one the more well known fashion guru's, Bruce Oldfield. In an attempt to spruce up their image, the new styles will reflect class and eloquence, something the old uniforms left to be desired. Unfortunately this new look will not make it into the US markets any time soon. I think they have bigger issues to solve such as their customer service and health issues surround their products...think 'Supersize Me.' K Wags brought me to this article, thought it was fun and different. Clearly its a slow day in the office today!
Cheers

Earth Day!

2008-04-22T07:31:00.005-05:00

Today is Earth Day 2008 and I feel that more than ever this day is receiving a lot of attention of late. Why is this? Have, we the consumer, become more ecologically tuned to our 'surroundings?' Highly unlikely, as most people rarely notice the shifts in the seasons, can name a local plant species, or tell you the name of a bird singing. BUT they can tell you off hand about a 100 different corporate brands.

This is what I was thinking today when I got up knowing that today is Earth Day. Back a few years ago in a sustainability class in college, the professor, Dr. K., asked us to use a piece of clear overhead projector plastic and divide it into two columns. He then proceeded to ask us to draw the logo of any brand we could think of. I think we had something like 2-3 minutes or so. We then tallied how many different brands/logos we had compiled. A decent list to boot. Example: Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Ford, Chevy, Dolche, Starbucks, etc etc etc.

He then asked us to draw on the other half, the name and shape of leaf of the local trees (southwest Ohio). I flubbed, which is hard to admit, as I knew roughly 4 times more brand names than tree species. Maybe a red oak? Possibly a sycamore? Oh yea, Honeysuckle...oh wait that is invasive...It really was a wake-up to show how 'out of touch' we are to our surroundings...I say try it, see if you can do better!

So why, Zachawii, this rant? I just ask that don't let yourself get caught up in the 'green' movement just because its there. There is a lot of marketing and corporate hoopla going into today that can detract from the real message: care and respect for Mother Nature. The corporate influence of today is starting to feel like Christmas, which has been so corporatized that many probably do not know the origins of the celebration.

One last sour grape; the ubiquitous phrase of 'Save the Planet?' Save the Planet from what? The world works on one very basic principal, establishing equilibrium. If something is out of equilibrium Mother Nature corrects it. Humanity is but a blink, and the Earth has function fined with out us. We (humanity) may throw the planet out of balance (global warming) but Mother Nature will reestablish equilibrium, whether we are around to see it or not is another question. Its not saving the planet, its more of preserving the planet so that it hospitable for the human race to continue to flourish, which I'm all for. I love living, I love the planet...and I love Earth Day for what it is...a celebration of nature in its glory...not about the promotion of Clorox Green Works! I promise my rant is over ;-)
Cheers!

Bad Witch of the West!

2008-04-21T21:23:00.006-05:00

Twister, Tornado, Cyclone, Oh My!
Today marks the 7th anniversary of the event that drastically changed my life. On this day, seven years ago (really it was that long ago?) I anxiously awaited that high school highlight...PROM. I had the hot car, hot date, and was ready to go, but mother nature had other plans. Shortly after 9pm (cst) an F4 tornado ripped through my home town leveling a swath of homes and businesses. After a frantic phone call from the parents, I, after convincing some of the chaperone's, headed home to dig my parents out of the basement...they were trapped. Driving home, the landscape before my eyes changed from small town life to war zone HELL.

After surveying the damage the next morning it was and still is hard to fathom that only one person died in this particular storm. There was no warning for this storm as the power had gone out. The town has since moved on, rebuilt, and somewhat recovered. I lost all of my original neighbors that I grew up loving, and to this day only one lives. The rest have passed away all of natural causes, but when I close my eyes I can still picture my town, my neighborhood, and my house just the way it was on that warm and beautiful April afternoon...

Below is the infamous Prom Car...1991 Red Corvette...totaled.

Tornado:
Leaves stood still, and our hearts stood still,
But the sky was a-boil with clouds,
A coppery wrack, and the greenish black
Of shrouds.
We dove for shelter and none too soon.
The universe swayed and swirled,
And the monstrous horn of a unicorn
Gored the world.
-May Williams Ward

This was dads 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup which was parked next to the Corvette. For some reason Mother Nature wanted to play with it. You are looking at the front of the truck.

My house the next morning...

My house again, different angle...The brown truck was sitting on what used to be our front porch.

Aerial shot of the path of destruction. You are looking east, north east in this photo.

Huge burn pits were dug to dump the debris from the storm in. Not the most environmentally friendly option, but every now and then I look the other way.

I call this the tornado money shot. This was a brand new Chevy Tahoe, just down the street from my house.

For a more in depth look at the particular tornado, in particular my story, go to the link below. Just be sure not to laugh!
Video Link

Geaux Turena

2008-04-20T20:26:00.006-05:00

Olympic Trials
Today was the 2008 Womens Olympic Trials held in Boston, MA. Now normally, don't hate ladies, I would not pay much attention to the womens trials. Yes, the Olympics, but not the trials. This changed this year as a friend of the running club I frequent here in "The Rouge" was running in the trials. This morning, at "Ellis Island" the Boston "T" party was had, which included fresh blueberry and walnut pancakes, various fruits, breakfast casseroles, and of course OJ, milk, coffee and champagne.

Turena Johnson Lane ran a great race and ran a personal best for the marathon at 2:34:17 and came in at 6th place. A great showing indeed, especially considering the interesting race tactics that were had by several of the competitors. It was a great get together and we are all proud of how well Turena ran and represented the US and "The Rouge" Geaux Turena! Watch the video below, you'll see Turena at the 37-38 second mark and also her finish at the 1:15 minute mark. Brief but sweet :-)

Deena Kastor, the pre-race favorite, battled back from being over two minutes down to beat Magdalena Lewy Boulet who led the race from nearly the beginning. Kastor holds the U.S. marathon record at 2:19:36 and her experience and strength showed in the later miles. Averaging close to 5:30 miles for the last 12 miles, Kastor caught Boulet at mile 23 and never looked back. Don't forget, tomorrow is the real Boston Marathon. Good luck to everyone!
Cheers!

Spring Is HERE!

2008-04-19T20:44:00.006-05:00

Went for a run today and cleaned the ole apartment, that's about it. But I did notice that the apartment complex was truly into spring. Ok, spring has been upon us down here in the south for quiet awhile, but the true sign of spring is the first hatchlings. A few pairs of ducks around the LSU lakes have hatchlings, but the ducks around the lakes here at the apartment complex just showed up this weekend. There were (yesterday) two hatches of 6 hatchlings each, but today, there were only seven babies total. Something must have happened during the evening hours. Anyways, here is a shot of the proud parents!

Today RAC decided to emulate Zachawii and joined the ranks of the car buying fraternity (or sorority I guess, since she is a girl ). Not only did she purchase her new car, she also, like myself, ran a race RIGHT before doing so. So words of advice to anyone wanting to buy a new car. To solidify your decision, run at least 3 miles in a race format, and you WILL drive off in a new car. At least in our experiences you will:-)

RAC is now the proud owner of a silver 2008 Subaru Impreza. She was excited,surprised, and stunned that she overcame the doubts and fears that go through your head when making the decision to purchase your first brand new car. I like it...though I will be honest, Calie, in car terms, is dear to my heart. Awesome job RAC on doing something that you thought you would not do....those are some nice wheels you got there!