Nice job of editing, and still remains somewhat inspirational

And pretty funny to boot!!

Replace “nerd” with “ironman triathlete” and “WOW/gaming” with “training” and you have a pretty good idea of the relationship challenges involved in BOTH genres.

Heart Nerds

good stuff!

Great ride this morning. It was snowing when I went to bed, but there was only a light dusting on the ground when I got up. I met up with a couple of friends at Washington Valley Park . We were a bit concerned that the recent rains and new snow would create for very wet and muddy conditions, but with temps flirting with the freezing mark, we decided to ride, but to stay away from the areas that stay wet. No sense tearing up the trail and making more work for ourselves on trail maintenance days next year!

As we headed out, we noticed that there was no wind, and the dark overcast skies left the woods very quiet and peaceful. At the end of one loop we stopped and looked out over the reservoir, and admired the stillness. We looked at each other and just smiled. Life is good when you can get out and be the 1st to break through the snow on the trails!

The sections we rode were pretty dry, with just a few mud holes. Most of the damp areas were lightly frozen. The rocks and roots were pretty slippery, so it was slow going but we had a good solid ride. Nobody fell, though there were a few close calls. Just about 6 1/2 miles and 1:13 riding time.

Just as we got back to the cars, the sun started shining through and the snow started melting. Glad we got the ride done before it got really sloppy.

Let’s get this out of the way. The Big Three? FAIL. Bankrupt them. The chips will fall, thousands (10’s of thousands) will lose their jobs. Pain will be felt by everyone in the country

So. Be. It. I’d rather my tax $$ go to unemployment and to retraining than to the inbred dumb-asses that ran these once-great companies into the ground.

Case in point. FREEP, posts a weak-ass article

myths about Detroit automakers | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Let’s take this point by point:

Myth No. 1: Nobody buys their vehicles..Freep goes to great lengths to say how the big three outsell other manufacturers.
Mythbuster: Show me the money… If they are selling all these cars, why do they need cash?

Myth No. 2: They build unreliable junk
Mythbuster: And? ALL car makers got the memo back in the ’70s. Foisting crap on the consumer was a bad idea. If all of the Big Three’s cars are so good, why are they still losing sales? Why are they still bleeding cash? Also, pay very close attention to the specific makes and models listed in this myth. Feel the spin. Embrace the spin and hold on to your wallets.

Myth No. 3: They build gas-guzzlers
Mythbuster: See: Bamboozle If you compare the AVG CAFE standards across the board (not car by car, as the article implies, you will find that the FAIL-3 are way behind the rest of the world in fuel economy. Apples are not Oranges people.

Myth No. 4: They already got a $25-billion bailout: FREEP spin: None of that money has been lent out and may not be for more than a year. In addition, it can, by law, be used only to invest in future vehicles and technology
Mythbuster: Isn’t investing in future vehicles and technology EXACTLY what the FAIL-3 claim they will do with the NEW bailout $? WTF? Have they already consumed and digested the 1st $25BB. Show me the money!

Myth No. 5: GM, Ford and Chrysler are idiots for investing in pickups and SUVs.
From FREEP: “Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have spent billions of dollars on pickups and SUVs because trucks are a large and historically profitable part of the auto industry.”

Mythbuster: Question #1 Who is sitting in front of Congress asking for a shit-load of your tax dollars? Question #2 Where did all of the money go from the “large and historically profitable part of the auto industry” See definition of “Bamboozle” above.

Myth No. 6: They don’t build hybrids: The Detroit Three got into the hybrid business late.
Mythbuster: To bad, so sad, buh-bye. Ask any of the Johnny-come-lately dot-com companies what it feels like to “get into the business late” and they’ll say “it feels like failure, bankruptcy and starting over”

Myth No. 7: Their union workers are lazy and overpaid. FREEP: Chrysler tied Toyota as the most productive automaker in North America this year, according to the Harbour Report on manufacturing, which measures the amount of work done per employee. Eight of the 10 most productive vehicle assembly plants in North America belong to Chrysler, Ford or GM.

Mytbuster: “most productive in North America?” Since when are cars exclusively built in North America? Ford’s most productive facility is in Brazil.

We are living in a global economy. The FAIL-3 have been milking this for their own benefit for years (decades, really). See “Bamboozle”

FREEP: The oft-cited $70-an-hour wage and benefit figure for UAW workers inaccurately adds benefits that millions of retirees get to the pay of current workers, but divides the total only by current employees.

This doesn’t even make sense on basic math or logic. The $70/hr number RIGHTLY includes retiree benefits. Somebody has to pay for them. If you buy a FAIL-3 car, YOU pay for the lame-ass contract negotiations of the FAIL-3.

FREEP: That’s like assuming you get your parents’ retirement and Social Security benefits in addition to your own income.

No, in fact that’s paying for the fat-cat salaries and bonuses of decades of greed from the FAIL-3 executives, managers, lawyers and no-value-add UAW sycophants. Do you think they get paid in credits from the good fairy?

The UAW contract requires high hourly and benefit payments by the FAIL-3 in order to pay for the lavish retirement and health care benefits from past employees. Look back at the contracts that the FAIL-3 agreed to years ago and you’ll find total capitulation to the UAW. In order to keep their massive salary and bonuses, the FAIL-3 execs have sold out the current workers.

FREEP: Hourly pay for assembly line workers tops out around $28; benefits add about $14. New hires at the Detroit Three get $14 an hour. There’s no pension or health care when they retire, but benefits raise their total hourly compensation to $29 while they’re working. UAW wages are now comparable with Toyota workers, according to a Free Press analysis.

This is a doozy (pun intended). Follow the math:

Top Hourly workers:
Pay = $28/hour, benefits=$14/hour. Total compensation $42/hour

New hires:
Pay = $14/hour, benefit=$15/hour. Total compensation $29/hour, w/no pension or health care.

See any problems here? If new hires are being paid MORE in benefits, but getting NO health care and NO retirement, then where is the $15/hr going? How stupid are FREEP readers? This is dumb on a 3rd grade math level.

The answer is pretty simple. The extra $15/hr in benefits goes to pay for the lavish contracts awarded to the UAW when times was good.

It’s time to let the FAIL-3 fall into bankruptcy. Resturcture, reorganize, unload themselves of the brain-dead management and fracture the industry into a thousand new entrepreneurial car makers.

Then the tax $$ can be spent on investment not mistakes.

Satan, get thee behind me…

Project USA – Black Friday Special

I will NOT buy myself a present this year… but if you are looking for a SMOKIN’ deal, this is GREAT!!

But, if you are shopping for me, I’d like the Rydon with the Laser Black spare lenses,and the Kontact+ helmet (large). T-shirt size medium..

Santa? my RSS is at the bottom of my blog…

and I thought my swim sessions were tough…

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites

Masters is over and the group leaves.

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

500 free sip of Gatorade
500 free two gel Powerbar bites
and a sip of Gatorade

Time 3:09:00 good for 10 km

Now time for a nap before work.

in there and donate to this most worth cause!

Ironman Tony… The nicest guy in the sport is going all out for charity

swim

26.2 mile swim, in a pool.

The dude abides!! Check out his site, and kick in some coin for an awesome charity!

A great family day!  We slept in late and had a big pancake breakfast.  Piddled about on the computer and around the house for a couple of hours, then headed out for my annual Thanksgiving morning bike ride.  The Loud Guys were not in attendance today, so I was alone with my thoughts.

It was clear, but chilly so I opted for a quickie lake-loop.  This is one of my favorite short rides or long runs as it covers some quiet roads in some of the most lovely areas around where I live.  The “lake” is a smallish body of water in Far Hills.  It’s surrounded by private property, so there isn’t a lot of development to spoil the views.  It’s a beautiful stretch of road in any season.  Today I noticed that the lake was just starting to ice over:

I made it around the lake and tried to catch a couple on a tandem as they road back up Far Hills Road, but I just didn’t have the gas.  They were very strong, and I only got within 20 yards of them before the hill topped out and they bombed down the back side into Liberty Corner.

After a quick shower, Weazer & I packed up for the short ride to the shore for Thanksgiving in Seaside Park.  This year Mom decided to have the family celebration at the beach house, and have the whole meal catered.  The drive down the GSP was through some of the worst traffic we have ever seen.  At one point, it took us 30 minutes to go 13 miles.

We finally arrived at the house in time to get a drink, some snacks and take some pictures just as the sun was starting to set:

The pictures of Fran & I are some of the best ever taken.  I’m so grateful that she’s stuck by me all these years!

We had a great meal, with lots of laughs, lots of fine wines and happy kids.  We had an uneventful drive home and went to bed fat, tired and very, very happy!

– Festival of Speed – Dougie Lampkin Video