The whole “Michael Vick” story sickened me.

A seemingly intelligent and undeniably gifted athlete at the top of his game is the ringleader of a despicable and loathsome criminal enterprise. In a contrite and altogether unconvincing performance, admits his guilt and is sent to prison for 23 months, possibly ending his career. (VA state animal cruelty charges are forthcoming)

But what happened to the dogs? There is some good news. Here is Hector’s story

From fighters to friends, Vick’s pit bulls learn new life – CNN.com

Priceless video:

A quick trip to Tampa FL on business, and now I’m back home. Somehow a quick change of location is all it takes to tilt the universe back into your favor. To whit:

• My limo driver got me to the airport in 20 minutes.
• There was NO ONE at EWR security. I was at my gate within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport.
• The business end of the trip went very well. We even got to see the server farm where Wikipedia lives.
• We had a great sushi lunch at a restaurant that also served Conch Fritters.
• While waiting on my flight home tonight, I was able to reserve a room at the Alpine Air Motel for IMUSA, less than 2 miles from the Olympic Oval (thanks Kurt!).
• I was able to catch an earlier flight home
• My return flight hit the ground 45 minutes early. Meaning I landed at EWR before I was originally scheduled to leave Tampa.
• The snowstorm that was supposed to wallop NJ skipped us by completely.
• The goodies I ordered from Jenson were waiting for me when I walked in the door.

I suppose I could say that all this was balanced out by the Cowboys loss to the Giants. But I won’t blame the cosmos for that. My team sucked ass…

Sometimes I think that Scott Adams sits in a cube or office near me. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the empty office two-doors down is his secret lair. I never actually SEE him there, but I know he has to be watching me.

Some career changes may be coming soon, so work may become technically challenging, interesting and fun once again.

Ever since I donated the GT Karakoram to BB’s church project, I’ve missed having an ‘urban assault vehicle’.

I’ve been eyeballing various ‘cross bikes, and finally found a nifty deal on a Surly Cross Check. After waffling on the purchase for a couple of weeks, I finally decided to pull the trigger.

The bike arrived on Monday, while Weazer was at home for lunch (lucky me!). I put it together last night, but did not get a chance to test ride the bike.

Today I threw on a tail-light, strung up the old halogen Jet Lites and headed out to the YMCA for swimming. I ended up having to make TWO round trips to the pool (w/out ever getting in the water — don’t ask). I think that I’m really going to like this bike. It’s plush, with the fat tires and steel frame, handles well, but not twitchy. It’s not light, but not all that heavy, even after hanging the seat bag, battery, lights and full water bottle. The ‘Cross gearing makes it pretty easy to pedal, and once up to speed, it cruises nicely.

I’m going to have to get used to bar-con shifters again. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve used them. If I really hate them, I’ll swap them out for the old 105-STI from the Cannondale.

I’ve got a new seat and some fenders on order. The old Trek rack doesn’t fit this frame, so I’m going to have to replace it, but I should be able to salvage the panniers. My goal is to bike-commute 2-3 days a week.

It’s not easy being green!

I’m not sure if this kid ever wants to have children

Video – Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

’cause if he keeps this up, he’ll break something off…

I’m a big RR fan, and I always make time to read his blog. This latest post is an excellent example why I like his stuff

Robert Reich’s Blog: Thank Me For My Patience

Best quote:

I’m stuck because I’ve already committed myself to their service, flight, hotel room, or table for two. What I’m really being thanked for is not going ballistic.

Amen.

I don’t remember a lot about my NYE celebration, though Weazer and my friends tell me I had a good time.

But I’m sure we didn’t celebrate as well as the fine folks in Olso, where it’s really freakin cold, and they allow everyone free and easy access to high explosives.

Fireworks: Oslo Celebrated New Year’s Eve with More Fireworks Than You

A truly civilized culture.