The Beer: As promised, the Belgian has been bottled and I gave away the first 3 bottles yesterday.
The Bicycle: 90 miles Friday through Sunday, including 2 rides with my lovely bride. Over 2000 miles total on the Madone. In just over a year.
The VRWC: The headlines tell us that a young man strangled his childhood sweetheart after watching "Natural Born Killers" and a 24 year old killed his parents with a hoe and buried them in the back yard. A woman may or may not have killed her own daughter.
How did life get so cheap? At what point did we, as a society decide life was unimportant? We choose to eliminate "pre-life" for our own convenience. We fail to properly punish those who take life. Soon, we will decide that those who no longer provide value to society (the old, the infirm) no longer deserve to live.
I fear for future generations. We are already on the "slippery slope". Evil will triumph because good people stand by and choose to do nothing. Shame on us.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Just another day (sort of)
The Beer: I swear, as God is my witness, I bottle the Belgian tomorrow. Really. Because I got the ingredients for an IPA today and that has to get brewed.
The Bicycle: My trusty steed performed well for 40 miles this afternoon. I needed it. Tough week. EPA. Need I say more?
Apparently, cyclists are expendable in these here parts. An elite triathelete was killed by a drunk driver here a couple weeks ago. Today, the driver went free on bond. How is that just? I had four, count 'em four very close calls today. I had an semi pass me on Green Bay road, so close that I could reach out and touch the tires. I was sure I would end up under them. As I approached 5 Corners, a young girl (15-or-so) would have stepped out in front of me had I not yelled. IPod. If I'd been a car, she'd be dead. A guy leaving the golf course pulled out in front of me. He looked at me as if it was my fault. Hello...if I was a car, you'd be dead, too. Got to Port, went up the hill to the park, called the Missus and started back down. At the bottom of the hill, a young blonde (again, maybe she's has her license for a year-or-so) never looks and pulls out in front of me. I chased her down and let her know it was a bad idea. The remaining 18 miles were pretty uneventful. And good thing. I don't think the Missus is all that excited about me riding right now.
I have it on good authority that Cadel Evans will take the Mailliot Jaune from Carlos Sastre in the time trial tomorrow.
The VRWC: This is Priceless. Clearly the Brits have figured out the Emperor has no clothes. Will we?
The Bicycle: My trusty steed performed well for 40 miles this afternoon. I needed it. Tough week. EPA. Need I say more?
Apparently, cyclists are expendable in these here parts. An elite triathelete was killed by a drunk driver here a couple weeks ago. Today, the driver went free on bond. How is that just? I had four, count 'em four very close calls today. I had an semi pass me on Green Bay road, so close that I could reach out and touch the tires. I was sure I would end up under them. As I approached 5 Corners, a young girl (15-or-so) would have stepped out in front of me had I not yelled. IPod. If I'd been a car, she'd be dead. A guy leaving the golf course pulled out in front of me. He looked at me as if it was my fault. Hello...if I was a car, you'd be dead, too. Got to Port, went up the hill to the park, called the Missus and started back down. At the bottom of the hill, a young blonde (again, maybe she's has her license for a year-or-so) never looks and pulls out in front of me. I chased her down and let her know it was a bad idea. The remaining 18 miles were pretty uneventful. And good thing. I don't think the Missus is all that excited about me riding right now.
I have it on good authority that Cadel Evans will take the Mailliot Jaune from Carlos Sastre in the time trial tomorrow.
The VRWC: This is Priceless. Clearly the Brits have figured out the Emperor has no clothes. Will we?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pelosi
The Beer: The Belgian is finally in the secondary. I'll give it a day or two, transfer it again and bottle Sunday or so.
The Bicycle: I know there are those out there who believe all the guys on the TdF are doping. And maybe they are. Certainly Ricardo Ricco is and I won't make any excuse. But the way he won the stage on Sunday was magnificent. It's about the Tour. It's about the human drama. In the same way baseball is "about the game". They are both something that I love for what they are, not for who is doing it. I'm just as happy to watch the local little league as I am to watch the Brewers. I'm much happier riding than I am watching the Tour. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. If you don't you don't.
The VRWC: Nancy Pelosi said what? Nancy Pelosi may be the most hate-filled person on the planet. Now I don't agree with the President all the time, but remarks like that have no place in US politics, especially toward the President. The only failure in energy policy is failure to stand up to the Democrats and say, "ENOUGH!" Name an energy technology that actually works and Big Environmental has used their political clout to stop it. Big Environmental is squarely in the camp of the Leftists who own the Democrat Party. Add Big Legal and Big Union and American competitiveness is gone. Sure. Blame the President. History will say differently.
If the President is guilty of anything, it is the willingness to be beaten like a pinata at a birthday party. He's too nice. In a generation, he'll be seen as a hero for the success in Iraq and Afghanistan. The failure of the economy will go to Congress' unwillingness to curb spending and the American publics' greed. And that means everyone. We gotta have, have, have. Stuff, stuff, stuff. We made a house of cards and now it's falling and we expect the President to bail us out. Suck it up. Man up and deal with the bed we made.
So shut up, whiners. Ya sound like Brett Favre.
The Bicycle: I know there are those out there who believe all the guys on the TdF are doping. And maybe they are. Certainly Ricardo Ricco is and I won't make any excuse. But the way he won the stage on Sunday was magnificent. It's about the Tour. It's about the human drama. In the same way baseball is "about the game". They are both something that I love for what they are, not for who is doing it. I'm just as happy to watch the local little league as I am to watch the Brewers. I'm much happier riding than I am watching the Tour. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. If you don't you don't.
The VRWC: Nancy Pelosi said what? Nancy Pelosi may be the most hate-filled person on the planet. Now I don't agree with the President all the time, but remarks like that have no place in US politics, especially toward the President. The only failure in energy policy is failure to stand up to the Democrats and say, "ENOUGH!" Name an energy technology that actually works and Big Environmental has used their political clout to stop it. Big Environmental is squarely in the camp of the Leftists who own the Democrat Party. Add Big Legal and Big Union and American competitiveness is gone. Sure. Blame the President. History will say differently.
If the President is guilty of anything, it is the willingness to be beaten like a pinata at a birthday party. He's too nice. In a generation, he'll be seen as a hero for the success in Iraq and Afghanistan. The failure of the economy will go to Congress' unwillingness to curb spending and the American publics' greed. And that means everyone. We gotta have, have, have. Stuff, stuff, stuff. We made a house of cards and now it's falling and we expect the President to bail us out. Suck it up. Man up and deal with the bed we made.
So shut up, whiners. Ya sound like Brett Favre.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Big Sigh
The Beer: I went to transfer the Belgian yesterday, opened it up and found the fermentation to be incomplete. I can wait.
The Bicycle: Decided to give the ride a break today and watch "Le Tour". It was wet yesterday morning, but I rode (carefully) anyway. Port Loop in just a hair over two hours. Hot and humid the next few days. I'm probably foolish for not riding today, but it's not like I'm in competition.
The VRWC: I'm resigned to continued Democrat political dominance, no energy policy and governement-run healthcare. The Leftys continue to find like-minded judges to stop any kind of drilling, the Dems and their media thralls continue to lie about available petroleum in the US and off our coasts. They use the same arguement to deny drilling as they use to promote energy sources that will never be viable for other than niche applications. For the last 40 years, we've been "one breakthrough away" from controlled fusion. It hasn't happened and probably never will (at least not in my lifetime). What's to believe about "cellulosic ethanol is only 5-10 years away"? Why wouldn't we use proven technologies while we look for alternatives (although I would argue that alternatives are not even necessary. Nuclear power is safe and proven effective for 50+ years now. Reprocessing used fuel can provide more than enough energy for several hundred years. But let's not talk about that.).
I'm also resigned to the public having a herd mentality and an equal degree of stupidity. There's no indication that humans have ever, as a group, looked at anything with a critical eye.
In the words of Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles, "I am depressed".
The Bicycle: Decided to give the ride a break today and watch "Le Tour". It was wet yesterday morning, but I rode (carefully) anyway. Port Loop in just a hair over two hours. Hot and humid the next few days. I'm probably foolish for not riding today, but it's not like I'm in competition.
The VRWC: I'm resigned to continued Democrat political dominance, no energy policy and governement-run healthcare. The Leftys continue to find like-minded judges to stop any kind of drilling, the Dems and their media thralls continue to lie about available petroleum in the US and off our coasts. They use the same arguement to deny drilling as they use to promote energy sources that will never be viable for other than niche applications. For the last 40 years, we've been "one breakthrough away" from controlled fusion. It hasn't happened and probably never will (at least not in my lifetime). What's to believe about "cellulosic ethanol is only 5-10 years away"? Why wouldn't we use proven technologies while we look for alternatives (although I would argue that alternatives are not even necessary. Nuclear power is safe and proven effective for 50+ years now. Reprocessing used fuel can provide more than enough energy for several hundred years. But let's not talk about that.).
I'm also resigned to the public having a herd mentality and an equal degree of stupidity. There's no indication that humans have ever, as a group, looked at anything with a critical eye.
In the words of Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles, "I am depressed".
Friday, July 11, 2008
You'll Notice.....
Brett Favre's picture no longer graces my page. I'm done. I've been strung along too many times now. So he's going somewhere else? Screw ya. I'm as done with you as I am with my once-beloved Cubs.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Too Big?
The Beer: The Belgian is done fermenting and I plan to transfer to the secondary tomorrow. In the meantime, the Red, Pale and Cherry are big hits. I should do this for a living.
The Bicycle: I scored 20 tonight before the rain. Good ride at 20 mph. I'm getting better. Unfortunately, this is a sad story. I think about the possibility every time I get on the bike, but remind myself that there's a better chance I'll be in an accident on the way to work. Even with this tragedy, I see people riding with no helmet and/or an IPod stuck in their ears. Ya gotta be kiddin' me. This is insane. You have to pay attention and you have to protect the coconut. I've heard all the arguments and they're all B.S. The only one who will protect you out there is you. If you choose not to, don't expect my sympathy.
The VRWC: Wow. Clearly a couple guys with no grasp of economics. If GM can fail (and they're on the verge), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can fail. I would argue they are very vulnerable right now and, not being much of a friend of throwing taxpayer $$ around, I'd be inclined to throw some now before it becomes a crisis. A default of either (or both) of these institutions would be a disaster. Holding nearly 1/2 as much in mortgages as the National Debt, a failure of either of these would likely make recovery from the current downturn long and hard. Putting taxpayer dollars into these institutions now, before crisis, will save much in the long run.
The Bicycle: I scored 20 tonight before the rain. Good ride at 20 mph. I'm getting better. Unfortunately, this is a sad story. I think about the possibility every time I get on the bike, but remind myself that there's a better chance I'll be in an accident on the way to work. Even with this tragedy, I see people riding with no helmet and/or an IPod stuck in their ears. Ya gotta be kiddin' me. This is insane. You have to pay attention and you have to protect the coconut. I've heard all the arguments and they're all B.S. The only one who will protect you out there is you. If you choose not to, don't expect my sympathy.
The VRWC: Wow. Clearly a couple guys with no grasp of economics. If GM can fail (and they're on the verge), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can fail. I would argue they are very vulnerable right now and, not being much of a friend of throwing taxpayer $$ around, I'd be inclined to throw some now before it becomes a crisis. A default of either (or both) of these institutions would be a disaster. Holding nearly 1/2 as much in mortgages as the National Debt, a failure of either of these would likely make recovery from the current downturn long and hard. Putting taxpayer dollars into these institutions now, before crisis, will save much in the long run.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence Day
The Beer: The Belgian is in the fermenter. About 2 weeks to ready to try. Four weeks to pretty good.
The Bicycle: Wife and I did 10 miler today and I followed up with another 40. It was 52 degrees (F, for my non US friends) this morning. The Tour de France Starts tomorrow (Saturday). Yeah, I know all about the doping and I know some think Lance Armstrong doped. This isn't about all that. It's about the human adventure of the Tour. I'm a somewhat recent convert and enjoy watching the spectacle.
The VRWC: Today is the day we celebrate the men and women who chose to put it all on the line to declare, "We hold these truths to be self-evident....." I hold those words sacred and have placed my life out there to defend this country from all enemies foreign and domestic. I will continue to do so, even in my old age, because this is what I hold dear.
The Bicycle: Wife and I did 10 miler today and I followed up with another 40. It was 52 degrees (F, for my non US friends) this morning. The Tour de France Starts tomorrow (Saturday). Yeah, I know all about the doping and I know some think Lance Armstrong doped. This isn't about all that. It's about the human adventure of the Tour. I'm a somewhat recent convert and enjoy watching the spectacle.
The VRWC: Today is the day we celebrate the men and women who chose to put it all on the line to declare, "We hold these truths to be self-evident....." I hold those words sacred and have placed my life out there to defend this country from all enemies foreign and domestic. I will continue to do so, even in my old age, because this is what I hold dear.
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