Thanks to Johnny W for the pic from the track a few weeks ago. My thought at that very moment? This is a RACE - will someone else please do something? I'm tired of doing all the work around here!!
Can you believe it? This is the 100th time I've allowed my brain to flow freely through my fingers and to the keyboard to post on this silly blog. What an occasion. Why not start it all off with the story of my super run-in with the Chicago PD this morning? What's that? Good idea? I thought so too - here goes.
It was raining and I was totally soaked to the point that my feet were squishing around in my shoes as I made the trek home on Milwaukee this morning after teaching a class and torturing a couple of clients. I had a green light at Paulina and was heading through the intersection IN THE BIKE LANE as a Chicago PD car (not an unmarked one - this one had lights and the whole cop getup going on) GOES TO TURN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! No signal, no warning, nothing. So I yelled "YOOOOOOOOOO!!" about as loud as I possibly could while grabbing two handfuls of brake and skidding across the wet pavement in front of his bumper.
The car stopped just in time - he was this/close to hitting me so I very calmly said, "nice job - you are a COP and you almost just jones'd me - I had a green light, you used no signal." The response? "Well, we heard yelling." Uh, YEAH because you almost just smashed me (asshole!). The driver was leaning over to the passenger side as his partner kept saying the same thing, "we heard yelling." My thought? Jeeezus, can't you come up with something better than that, tool? Admit your f*ck-up and move on!! Looking at the two of them a thought ran through my mind - collectively the IQ in this car might be similar to that of Forrest Gump. At that point it was obvious that putting any more time and energy into dealing with those jerks was pointless so I rode on, only to have them pass me and turn left at the next stop light - Wood St. - using NO SIGNAL. WTF? Chicago PD - still on notice because you're still disrespectful and incompetent jerk-o's.
I feel better now. I think I'll share my most recent playlist for post #100 - an odd mix, as always. I've found/rediscovered some old stuff I had sitting around on CD that I never transferred to my itunes library. Here goes:
Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver - Primus
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Brain Stew - Green Day
Ramble On - Led Zeppelin
Garden - PJ
Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet
Lies - Nine Inch Nails
Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
Aneurysm (Live) - Nirvana
Driven to Tears - The Police
Jerry was a Race Car Driver - Primus
Romance - R.E.M.
I Will Dare - The Replacements
Shattered - Rolling Stones
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
Hash Pipe - Weezer
Karma Police - Radiohead
Icky Thump - White Stripes
Flathead - The Fratellis
Shake Hands with Beef - Primus
After Midnight - Eric Clapton
Us and Them - Pink Floyd
I'm the One - Van Halen
YYZ - Rush
Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band
Please - Chris Isaac
Reach for the Sky - Social Distortion
Even Flow - PJ
Cuttooth - Radiohead
Deadweight - Beck
In the Light - Led Zeppelin
Race wise, not much to report. I sort of did a TT last weekend - it was all good until the corner marshall didn't tell me where to go and I went about 2 miles off the course before hitting a dead end and turning around. Corner dork claims to have yelled at me to turn around but with a TT helmet on I didn't hear a thing but for wind noise. Whatever. Josh rode two strong 40k's and MetLifeGuy had a pretty darn good day on the bike, all things considered. They're both still sitting at or near top of their categories in Rider of the Year points. Well done, gentlemen - you're the best.
What have I read lately? Invisible Monsters (decent) by Chuck Palahniuk, Best Friends by Martha Moody (total schlock), and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (fascinating). Up next, a trip to Louisville for Masters Road Nationals. I'm nervous....
It was raining and I was totally soaked to the point that my feet were squishing around in my shoes as I made the trek home on Milwaukee this morning after teaching a class and torturing a couple of clients. I had a green light at Paulina and was heading through the intersection IN THE BIKE LANE as a Chicago PD car (not an unmarked one - this one had lights and the whole cop getup going on) GOES TO TURN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! No signal, no warning, nothing. So I yelled "YOOOOOOOOOO!!" about as loud as I possibly could while grabbing two handfuls of brake and skidding across the wet pavement in front of his bumper.
The car stopped just in time - he was this/close to hitting me so I very calmly said, "nice job - you are a COP and you almost just jones'd me - I had a green light, you used no signal." The response? "Well, we heard yelling." Uh, YEAH because you almost just smashed me (asshole!). The driver was leaning over to the passenger side as his partner kept saying the same thing, "we heard yelling." My thought? Jeeezus, can't you come up with something better than that, tool? Admit your f*ck-up and move on!! Looking at the two of them a thought ran through my mind - collectively the IQ in this car might be similar to that of Forrest Gump. At that point it was obvious that putting any more time and energy into dealing with those jerks was pointless so I rode on, only to have them pass me and turn left at the next stop light - Wood St. - using NO SIGNAL. WTF? Chicago PD - still on notice because you're still disrespectful and incompetent jerk-o's.
I feel better now. I think I'll share my most recent playlist for post #100 - an odd mix, as always. I've found/rediscovered some old stuff I had sitting around on CD that I never transferred to my itunes library. Here goes:
Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver - Primus
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Brain Stew - Green Day
Ramble On - Led Zeppelin
Garden - PJ
Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet
Lies - Nine Inch Nails
Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
Aneurysm (Live) - Nirvana
Driven to Tears - The Police
Jerry was a Race Car Driver - Primus
Romance - R.E.M.
I Will Dare - The Replacements
Shattered - Rolling Stones
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
Hash Pipe - Weezer
Karma Police - Radiohead
Icky Thump - White Stripes
Flathead - The Fratellis
Shake Hands with Beef - Primus
After Midnight - Eric Clapton
Us and Them - Pink Floyd
I'm the One - Van Halen
YYZ - Rush
Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band
Please - Chris Isaac
Reach for the Sky - Social Distortion
Even Flow - PJ
Cuttooth - Radiohead
Deadweight - Beck
In the Light - Led Zeppelin
Race wise, not much to report. I sort of did a TT last weekend - it was all good until the corner marshall didn't tell me where to go and I went about 2 miles off the course before hitting a dead end and turning around. Corner dork claims to have yelled at me to turn around but with a TT helmet on I didn't hear a thing but for wind noise. Whatever. Josh rode two strong 40k's and MetLifeGuy had a pretty darn good day on the bike, all things considered. They're both still sitting at or near top of their categories in Rider of the Year points. Well done, gentlemen - you're the best.
What have I read lately? Invisible Monsters (decent) by Chuck Palahniuk, Best Friends by Martha Moody (total schlock), and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (fascinating). Up next, a trip to Louisville for Masters Road Nationals. I'm nervous....
