Go Habs

I attended my first Hockey game ever last night. It was the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Buffalo Sabers IN MONTREAL! Wow, what action. Before the game we went to this nice French restaurant, ate a medium rare filet (arrrrrgh), drank some thick, bold red wine...then meandered into the shrine of hockey - the new forum for the Montreal hockey team. I've learned so much about the pride (and prejudice) of the French Canadians - including the renaming of historic streets that sound too english, the booing of the Canadian national anthem. However, the recent conclusion of the strike...the French are now for the first time embracing the anthem and nationalism (or so it seemed). It was cool to feel the excitement and passion of these people for the chasing of a black rubber disk on ice...and the passion for their culture; I am after all French Canadian (with a US Passport)! Peeeeeeecarrrrrrrrrrr(d).

No Confidence

Sitting here in Montreal, I'm reading about Canada's four party system; not perfect, but some interesting points to take back home. So if the party in power receives a majority vote of no-confidence - an immediate election takes place (usually within 5 weeks) for the Prime Minister. Wow, just think how much money is NOT spent on a national campaign in 5 weeks. I wonder if we had an ability to "no-confidence" vote our President...how long would it take before a "no-confidence" vote occurred? I guess we need more than a two party system...and to still be under the rule of the queen. I'm game.

Thud

Thud.
After riding all day, I threw my laundry into my front loading washer.
Thud.
Hmmmm, that's odd.
Searching my jersey's back pockets, I thought...
Thud,
Doesn't seem like a laundry sound.
Thud,
was likely the sound of heavy laundry...yeah,
Thud.
Spinning to conclusion, I removed my laundry for its toss in the dryer.
Thud?
Holy crap...what is that remaining in the washer?
Thud?
Its square, its shiny its...
THUD!
my camera.
thud.

OK Corral-ing

Saturday, Mark and I rode from Tombstone, AZ to Bisbee (which is just a spit from the actual border between US and Mexico). We were amazed at the thriving metropolis that existed in this part of the country prior to 1880; all to mine silver (later flooded with water and emptying the town). Well, mark rode through the center of town, along the facade of the OK corral - and the famous shoot out.

So I asked Mark..."why is this place so special where two people died from modest injuries in a gun fight, AND people flock here from all around the country, YET this stuff happens everyday in cities all across the country." Mark said..."well, it was legal here." Well, Tombstone was a little too made-up...but Bisbee was the coolest, hipest town for being nearly 150 miles from an airport and 30 minutes from a military base. Bisbee had hip cafes, theaters, galleries (not the cheesy type) and great espresso. The ride back was graced with a strong tail wind.

winter riding

sun is out;
its on a low angle;
long shadows;
gentle hues;
75 degrees;
no wind;
puffy clouds;
12hrs of daylight.
is it november?
yup, in AZ.

Here we (Deb, Arch, Paul, Emily and Mark) were taking it all in on a typical winter riding day up Lemmon - sans sleeves, jackets, full-finger gloves.

Turkey Day Fun

Here is a cool clip of Mark crusin' along the ridge above windy point, yes it is Mount Lemmon (again). We had to climb to mile 17 to make room for the extra pie. Oh yeah...then we went for a 2.5 hour hike. Fun.

Vrooooooom

Had to do it in color (sepia wouldn't work). Here it is!

Pure bliss baby! These are my new wheels 2006 Audi Avant Quattro, straight off the dock from Germany (it actually arrived in the port of Miami the same time Wilma did - not a scratch!). The details: Its a 2.0 liter V4 Turbo that jams.

Oh and it get 33 mph per gallon. Oh yeah...and its morrow blue (gotta give the color - 'cause I'm a chick).

It Hurts

109 miles; Two dusty river crossings; 7500+ riders; That is the annual El Tour de Tucson.
Yesterday I finished this race in 5 hours 24 minutes at an average speed of 20.3 mph (which includes 1 stop to refill water bottles). The top women was 4 hours 54 minutes...so I've got some work to do. I'm pretty happy about my time...because I finished with a Platinum metal; which means I earned a VIP start next year. Next year? Oh man, this race hurts. I hurt. My head hurts. My shoulders hurt, yet I'm feeling pretty good today...

Klock

Here is a wicked cool clock

Cycling Legends, Icons & Rock Stars

Last night I went to the fancy dinner preceding the El Tour de Tucson (the annual 109 mile race with over 7,500 riders). So at this dinner I met some of the legends, icons and rock stars of cycling. Actually...Jo, Jon, Dean and I had a bit of debate on what distinguishes the various designation among us in cycling. Here is what I concluded:

• LEGEND - an individual who inspires a story coming down from the past; especially: one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable.
• Eddy Merckx
• Greg Lemond
• Lance Armstrong
  

• ICON - an object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response.
• Mario Cipolini
• Bob Roll

• ROCK STAR - an outstandingly talented performer that can easily take center stage with its abilities;
• Ivan Basso
• Floyd Landis (I stood about 3 feet away from this Rock Star last night).
  

The Things People Think Of...

Another hypnotic website...
Free Falling Georgie
Okay...its kinda fun.
NOTE: If he gets stuck just drag him with your mouse.

Sleepy

Travel makes me so sleepy. I landed back in Tucson from Miami this morning around 1am. Got in bed at 2:30am, then woke at 5am to get ready for a presentation. Yeah...this picture my sister took of me explains it all.

Unifying

My friend Matt and his partner Rob adopted the most amazing little boy; Cory. Cory just turned 1 (same day as my birthday - October 13th) and he has some of the darkest skin I've seen combined with an infectious smile (which now has teeth - never before seen). I'm amazed that when a couple of white folks, push around this little baby in a stroller...all of us showing love, care, hope, joy toward this amazing little creature...people the world over are unified; the one world we live in. No matter what color you are, you can't help smile. Its amazing. As we strolled through central park this weekend...my sister had to grab this bundle of joy too.

It goes to 22

I'm sure you must be getting sick of me talking about mt lemmon, but I don't get sick of riding it; it goes to 22 and 9,000 feet. Here was my climb (again) captured at mile #3 this morning. On Sunday...Chris and I rode to the top where the ski run is flanked by the famous fudge shop. We had a great climb - 32 minutes to mile marker 5 (a record)passing the masses.

I'm headed to New York city tomorrow morning - mt lemmon will wait for me next week. My twin sis will be meeting me in the Big Apple. Cool. More later!

Surge of Lisas

Don't ask me how I found this web site...but it's wicked cool; Baby Naming Wizard. What I find most fascinating is to follow the continuum of a name through time, its surges and disappearance from societal use. Quite frankly, I don't know why "Lisa" hasn't had a massive comeback since its #1 ranking in the 60's. I think my parents were a little past the curve...but I still like the name.

Ripping Down

descending on Lemmon is so crazy cool, I had to capture its fun on my camera this morning. I know it was crazy to pull off such a stunt when you are ripping down at 40mph, but there was a nice straight section so I seized it.

Earth Google-ing

Okay...I spent way too much time google-ing the earth. If you haven't downloaded google earth, DON'T DO IT. I spent several hours plugging in all my prior residences - starting with my childhood home in Downey, California to my apartment in Cambridge when I was trapped at MIT. Wow, the memories of these spaces kept flowing (neighbors, daily rituals, etc.)

When you Google the earth, it zooms you across the globe (anywhere you pick including the Eiffel Tower if you choose) to a satellite image with such detail, I could see the color of my house in Seattle. Then you can change the angle of the aerial to make it a perspective. Unbelievable! AND its all free. Wow! Google will also likely own this earth we can now search. Below is the results of me googling my home in Tucson. You can see that Mount Lemmon is just behind...waiting me and my bike tomorrow morning! Woooooo Hooooo!

Clif Dwelling

Racing home this evening and at the mercy of my carpool buddy (actually Kevin Kelly the President of Canyon Ranch), I landed home just around the fall of darkness. Hungry and tired, I shuffled for the porch light to find my way into my house. Closing the door and heading for the fridge (yeah the one pictured below)..."Ding, Dong"...."Trick or Treat!" Good Lord, I thought...I forgot to get candy. Running to my cupboard...I located the only thing remotely sweet and "candy-like" - a box of Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bars. Yikes, these are a buck a piece (probably not much differnet from the mini-candy bars you buy just for this holiday). Oh well, I didn't want these kids to be stiffed on Hollar-ween, so I opened the door...and the kids were excited with the size of the prize. Needless to say this evening set me back about $15 in Clif Bars, yet these kids were much better off by paying a visit to the "Clif Dwelling."

Hollarween

I love this time of year. Jack-o-lanterns, corn mazes, apple bobbin, sweet potatoes, egg-nog lattes (actually starting tomorrow) and cooler air. I went to Deb's pumpkin carvin party last night. There was some mean carving going on. Good food and fun. Here were some of the results.

Shoot Out

"Hey...i'm headed down to Tombstone with my buddy Franklin. He can drop us off and we can ride back." Deb asked.

"Why not." I answered.
So we left Deb's house at 5:30am. Franklin dropped us 85 miles from home in the lands famous for silver mining and the shoot out at the OK corral. Starting our ride just past "check-point-charlie" where boarder patrol inspects vehicles heading north from Mexico...we were euphoric.

The air was crisp, the angle of the sun, soft and the riding...well, magnificent.


2000 calories, 4 hours and 20 minutes later...we arrived home satisfied of our days work (I mean play).

LIFE IS GOOD!

Click here for a video taken on the ride.