May 14 2012

Happy Mothers Day


I want to wish all Mothers that read this a Happy Mothers Day. I am serving as father and mother right now for a very nice 16 yr old and happy to be able to fill this role. To this end some of my thoughts on this day.

First, thanks to my Mom for all of her support over the years. Her love is unconditional and she supports me and my brother and sisters regardless of what happens in our life. There have been difficulties that she has endured but she has been there for us through it all without judgement or criticism. She has been able to voice her opinion, and has the right to say she doesn’t like some of what she has seen, however she has not waivered in her support. While riding today I thought about this and another mother who is currently ignoring her son just because he made a remark that she didn’t like months ago.

Mothers love is important to us all, and the withholding of that love by a superficial mother is painful. This is not how my mother is, and not how mothers around the globe treat their children. They love them whether they are university grads or barely grads. They support them when they mess up, and hope that they can make everything better. Mothers have to endure the pain of seeing their child struggle and treat them the same as the one who has just accomplished something special. They cry in the backround when they know that destructive behavior is hurting their child but put on a good face when they make them a nice meal and hope that it will provide hope for them. Sometimes that support is hard to understand but they don’t care, they do it anyway. That is why we celebrate them today.

There are those who will expect the kids to kiss the ring today, make a big deal about the day, and will feel slighted if they dont get a gift or flowers. Those mothers may have every right to hope for that type of treatment but in all liklihood that “its all about me” type of attitude will have been present all year and todays celebration will be a furtherance of that attitude. Those mothers will only get that type of respect if they give unconditional love but they may be incapable of that.

We, as the children, cannot take our mothers for granted. We must respect them, and not take advantage of the kindness they send our way. We should learn compassion from them and hope we can pass that on to our children. We have to understand their pain if we make poor choices and vow to do better if only to make them proud of us. We must return the love they give us by our actions, and remember that they will always be there, but we cannot take advantage of that.

I have had success in my life and have not had too many “o my god” moments. Moms of the kids who are successful can look back and see how their good qualities and how those have been nurtured by their Mom. She is proud of seeing those accomplishments but I would guess that it is more important to her if you are a good person. Be that good person.

Happy Mothers day to all.

May 9 2012

Burden of Proof is on the one claiming the existence of the fact


It makes you wonder why the people that believe in God, refuse to listen to logic and reason when examining their own existence.

May 7 2012

Congrats Taylor Phinney!!


Over the weekend our own Taylor Phinney, from Boulder Colorado, was the winner of the prologue of the Giro d’Italia. For those that are not cyclists it is a three week cycling race similar to the Tour de France. It is one the three “grand tours”, together with the races in France and Spain. Taylor is only 21, and it is only the third time an American has put on the leaders jersey. Awesome!
Today the race was flat so it was expected that he would continue to hold the jersey because generally the riders finish as a pack and all are given the same time as the winner as long as there are no gaps in the group. If… there are no unexpected crashes or problems. Watching this stages on TV is brutally boring, like Nascar, unless something happens to upset the norm.
Taylor was cruising along, 8 k from the finish comfortably in the pack when that is exactly what occurred. He touched wheels with another rider and went down, though he said afterward that he “tumbles well”. Then to make matters worse his chain came off so he couldn’t jump back on and get going right away. The team car containing the mechanic had to stop and get the bike fixed quickly so he was even further back. This was at a time when the pack was really cranking it up for the finish and moving away quickly.
First one teammate, then three others, dropped back to help him get caught up. For non cylists this demonstrates the value of the non stars that are in the race. They lined up to go as fast as possible with a very short time left in the race to get their guy back up to the pack. Using the drafting techniques in cycling they allowed Taylor to sit behind three guys in a train formation and went like crazy to get him back up to the group. And they made it.
Barring accidents Taylor should hold the jersey for a week or more since all of these stages are flat and generally the group will finish with the sprinters doing the racing at the end. Congrats Taylor! The hometown crowd is very happy to see you in the leaders jersey.

May 7 2012

Dead Legs


I was out with the Irishman today and had the dreaded “dead legs” that all cyclists experience from time to time. We had passed the halfway point of the ride and were headed home in a cicular route that involved some riding into the wind and some uphill. I was lagging a little behind with no ability to step it up and stay on his wheel, something that usually would not be the case for me.
So what is the cause? Is it a lack of proper nutition leading up to that point? Or could it be the ride the day before that was harder than expected so that a day of rest was needed?
In the end I was happy to have got out regardless of how I did on the ride. If you only have more time to train on the weekends then you need to get out both days and try to get a ride in. I will concentrate on doing a better job of getting some training during the week. I would like to know if the lack of eating much the day before, or the lack of sleep was a factor, but in the end I just go for a nice ride and not worry about it. I’m not a racer, just a guy who likes to ride.

May 6 2012

Love Lost


I have been very fortunate in my post married life to have dated some wonderful gals. Most recently I was very fortunate to be with someone who cared for me, who looked after me and who supported me in everything I did. I hoped that I was equally supportive and a good sounding board for all that she did. Sometimes though there are everyday life things that prevent the relationship from being complete. I am sad to have left that several months ago however I hope that I have enriched her life as she has done to mine. I wish her the best and hope she finds the person that makes her happy.

I guess we all hope to find that one right person for the “happily ever after” but I will concentrate on the now and hope that it works out.

Apr 23 2012

Riding alone..time to reflect


I got a long ride in today and was by myself, with my music, and a lot of time to reflect on things that popped into my head. Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven came in through Pandora and made me think of my daughter Kacey, who left the world almost four years ago. Its so sad to think about, but when riding alone its something that happens. She was such a kind and caring soul, and would have made a wonderful adult. As time passes it is less of an issue for those left behind but it is still something that comes up when I ride alone because I remember so vividly my thoughts on that day, when I went for a ride to have some time away from the relatives to wonder why….and cry.

Riding, or running, alone really allows for a lot of random thoughts about all sorts of things. Loves lost…loves that never happened…even loves that might happen in the future. Today was one of those days.

Apr 22 2012

I love spring riding, playing, hanging out.


Today was a beautiful Colorado spring day that began with a bike ride. Once again I continue to salute those that provide the bike paths in our metropolitan area. The Irishman and I went over 30 miles with only a fraction on the road with the cars close by. I am following a blog that discussed the London cabbies using the bike lanes and it reminded me again how lucky we are here in Colorado. There are many cities that do not provide any bike lanes, or minimal, like Phoenix. People that live there have great weather for riding all winter but have to deal with the cars everywhere they go.
Thanks again to Bicycle Colorado for advocating on our behalf and to those who understand that one of the reasons we are the healthiest state is the option to go for ride like we did this morning in safety.

Apr 8 2012

Wind, hate it or tolerate it


I just got back from a ride with the Irishman and a gal training for an iron man triathlon. We rode through the rollers south of Denver and I struggled to fight the wind. For all of us in this part of the country it is inevitable that you will have wind this time of the year. If you live in Wyoming its all year, all the time. I try to embrace the challenge and keep a positive outlook because in golf I have always said that half the field has lost before they tee off if it is windy. They complain, they piss and moan, and then they play poorly. If you are not one of these people you now can work on beating the other half for the day.
I think the same is true of cycling. I am not a racer but in my mind I hope to do well against others I ride with, and against. When it is windy it really gets into your head. Today we had a headwind and were going uphill for most of the first half of the ride. The Irishman and I couldn’t keep up with the gal and her aero bars, though we tried.
Coming back, slightly downhill and predominately down wind, it was different story….

As I try to get back into better shape I need to avoid thinking negative thoughts about the weather or the fact that I can’t keep up with some of the other riders on the bike path or training ride, and just ride within my level. I like the challenge of riding with better riders, so I will just keep plugging away..I may have felt like the greyhound chasing the rabbit today, but sometimes the greyhound, even an overweight one, catches the hare. :)

Mar 25 2012

Beautiful Colorado Saturday


Todays ride was absolutely beautiful however spring brings out the swarms of bugs so near the river it got a little thick. This is why we live in Colorado. I wish I could say that I am in shape to chase down the “all the time” riders but unfortunately that is not yet the case. I just keep chugging along and enjoying the spring weather.

And for what its worth, welcome Peyton Manning and good bye to Tim Tebow. He will be in the the same shit show in NY that he started here, and I still don’t think he can play. While most would think I don’t like him because of his religious grand standing, if he was so great we would have got a lot more than a fourth round draft choice for him. The football people don’t think he can play either, so good luck in NY where you are developing “your brand” with Carmelo.