In My Life

Tour de France Tracker

2006-07-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

This app uses Google Maps (is the illest, tru that, double tru) to show you the route in which riders in the Tour follow. It also has all kinds of detailed information about the riders including heartrate, speed, distance, power etc.

Check it out here...

http://www.ubilabs.net/tdf/

(Paul found this one)

Unbelievable - Ullrich and Basso out of 2006 Tour

2006-06-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

I'm speechless.... I don't even know what to say other than the chances of an American winning this race just went way up.

And this list goes on with the riders suspected of having a part in the Spanish Doping Scandal...

http://www.velonews.com/tour2006/news/articles/10177.0.html

Very sad day if this is all true...

Chimp Detox

2006-06-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

From the AP -

A 26-year-old chimpanzee enjoys a cigarette at the zoo in Xian, China in August 2005. Xiku the chain-smoking chimpanzee has almost kicked his deadly habit thanks to the efforts of zoo keepers in China, but it has taken a beer or two to help get him through detox.

'These is magic beans'

2006-06-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

My day has arrived. They've done it. They've made one of my favorite foods (candy) an energy snack. I give you, the Jelly Belly Sport Bean. I tried them yesterday before a workout (albeit not a very demanding one, just one to loosen up for tonight's club ride) and I did feel like I had some energy that wasn't there prior to eating the 'magic' beans. Plus, they actually taste pretty good!

http://jellybelly.com/msib21/PromoSites/SportBeans/SportBeans.html

Sad State Of Kids These Days

2006-06-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

What's worse though, are you really surprised we've gotten to this point as a society?

From Netscape.com

Detox Clinic Set for Video Game Addicts
By FIA CURLEY

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - An addiction center is opening Europe's first detox clinic for video game addicts, offering in-house treatment for people who can't leave their joysticks alone.

Video games may look innocent, but they can be as addictive as gambling or drugs - and just as hard to kick, says Keith Bakker, director of Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants.

Bakker already has treated 20 video game addicts, aged 13 to 30, since January. Some show withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they look at a computer console.

His detox program begins in July. It will run four to eight weeks, and will include therapy sessions, wilderness excursions, healthy lifestyle workshops and possibly medication.

Research into video gaming is still in its infancy, and researchers haven't agreed on how to define addiction. But many experts say it's clear many of the young people who show dependency on video games are in trouble.

``We have kids who don't know how to communicate with people face-to-face because they've spent the last three years talking to somebody in Korea through a computer,'' Bakker said. ``Their social network has completely disappeared.''

It can start with a Game Boy, perhaps given by parents hoping to keep their children occupied but away from the television. From there, it can progress to multilevel games that aren't made to be won.

Bakker said he has seen signs of addiction in children as young as 8.

About a dozen clinics already exist in the United States and Canada, and even one in China, as excessive gaming increasingly is being recognized worldwide as an ailment requiring treatment.

Elizabeth Woolley, who founded the Safe Haven halfway house for addicted gamers in Harrisburg, Pa., welcomed the idea that treating addicts is spreading to the Netherlands. ``Thank God that somebody has finally recognized this is an issue,'' she said.

Jeroen Jansz, associate professor of communications research at the University of Amsterdam, estimates about 80 percent of boys aged 8 to 18 play some type of video game. Forty percent play at least 2 1/2 hours a day.

In a 2005 study, Jansz said gamers are overwhelmingly males, especially in violent games where adolescents find ``a safe private laboratory where they can experience different emotions.''

Hyke van der Heijden, 28, a graduate of the Amsterdam program, started playing video games 20 years ago. By the time he was in college he was gaming about 14 hours a day and using drugs to play longer.

``For me, one joint would never be enough, or five minutes of gaming would never be enough,'' he said. ``I would just keep going until I crashed out.''

Van der Heijden first went to Smith & Jones for drug addiction in October 2005, but realized the gaming was the real problem. Since undergoing treatment, he has distanced himself from his smoking and gaming friends. He says he has been drug- and game-free for eight months.

Like other addicts, Bakker said, gamers are often trying to escape personal problems. When they play, their brains produce endorphins, giving them a high similar to that experienced by gamblers or drug addicts. Gamers' responses to questions even mirror those of alcoholics and gamblers when asked about use.

``Many of these kids believe that when they sit down, they're going to play two games and then do their homework,'' he said.

However, unlike other addicts, most gamers received their first game from their parents. ``Because it's so new, parents don't see that this is something that can be dangerous,'' Bakker said.

Tim, a gamer who is under treatment, agreed to discuss his addiction on condition that his last name not be used. He said he began playing video games three years ago at age 18. Soon, he would not leave his room for dinner. Later, he began taking drugs to stay awake and play longer. Finally, he sought help and picked up other hobbies to occupy his time.

Richard Wood, a professor of International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, is skeptical about viewing heavy gamers as addicts. Wood says that gaming may be a symptom of a problem, but should be seen as a problem itself ``just because a person does the activity a lot.''

Bakker, however, says symptoms of addiction are easy to spot. Parents should take notice if a child neglects usual activities, spends several hours at a time with the computer and has no social life.

Bakker said parents of game addicts frequently echo the words of partners of cocaine addicts: ``'I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was.''

Old News To Everyone But the French

2006-05-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

Report clears Armstrong of doping in 1999 Tour de France
By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Independent Dutch investigators cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and blamed anti-doping authorities for misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.

A 132-page report recommended convening a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won the first of his record seven-straight Tour titles, came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested in 2004.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied using banned substances.

The International Cycling Union appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman last October to investigate the handling of urine tests from the 1999 Tour by the French national anti-doping laboratory, known by its French acronym LNDD.

Vrijman said Wednesday his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely with respect to alleged use of doping in the 1999 Tour de France."

The report also said the UCI had not damaged Armstrong by releasing doping control forms to the French newspaper.

The report said WADA and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law.

Vrijman, who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years and later defended athletes accused of doping, worked on the report with Adriaan van der Veen, a scientist with the Dutch Metrology Laboratory.

Squirrel Launcher

2006-05-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

I should have thought of this....

http://rjdudley.com/media/squirrel_launcher.wmv

Leprechaun

2006-05-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Enjoy. That's all I'll say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8&search=leprechaun

Easter Bunny Kicks Ass

2006-05-01T23:00:00.001-05:00

Got this one from Paul... HI LARRRRIOUS.

http://badmash.tv/IndianEasterBunnyKicksAss/

Lance Commercials

2006-05-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

Discovery has a bunch of new commercials (or at least new to me) that are entertaining. You may get a chuckle out of them....

http://team.discovery.com/racetoreplace/commercials/commercials.html

Big News

2006-04-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard already, this past weekend was pretty exciting - see pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdeerborn/sets/72057594121036332/

Freeware

2006-04-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

Check this out- basically a laundry list of freeware programs to solve those common problems/tasks (450 of em)

http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-freeware-utilities/index.html

Tour de Georgia

2006-04-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Got this from VeloNews

Caption: Attention, France: In Georgia, they stop the train so a bike race can pass.

If you don't get this one, then you must not follow cycling.

Commuting To Work

2006-04-13T23:00:00.000-05:00

So I've commuted to work on my bike twice now (which I couldn't do without my Timbuk2 bag (above), that thing is the shot), and I'm hooked. The trip is about 12.55 miles (which I plan on expanding) each way and most of the distance is on the W&OD. Right now it looks like it will take at most 45 minutes each way (which is a crappy average speed, but hey it's not the open road!). This is not too shabby considering on average it takes me 30 minutes to get to and from work by car.

As if all that wasn't perfect enough, there's a service elevator that I can use to get up to my floor (since I bring my bike inside - no way in hell I'm leaving it on the rack outside), and a private shower and bathroom right around the corner from my office (no I don't have my own office, it's a war room).

I'd like to say I'm doing this for the environment and to save gas, but honestly, I'm doing it all for the love of the bike. I would pay to do this everyday if it wasn't free. It doesn't get much better than starting and ending your day on the bike.

Anyone commute to work off the W&OD and want to meet up to do a workout?

Note to self: If you don't want to take a "condition shower", you must remember soap.

Too decadent?

2006-04-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, but I didn't buy it for him!

Pets these days ... I remember when "Bud" the chocolate lab was happy just to be eating my table scraps.

Spain - Barca & Girona

2006-04-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

Well it took about a month, but I finally got through all of the pictures from Spain. I've uploaded them to flickr. You can get to the whole set by clicking on the flash window to the right, or clicking this link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdeerborn/sets/72057594102196538/

Independent Cranks

2006-04-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

First time I've seen anything like this, sounds cool, anyone ever tried them?

"Designed by someone who is, presumably, smart, the Rotor Crank does what all cyclists wish their pedals did for them: remove that dead spot at the top of a new stroke. Well, this system does just that by using two independent cranks which work together to make sure the pedals never end up in a 180 degree alignment with each other. You end up with no dead spot and always in a power stroke. No more jamming your knees, injuries to tendons due to that dead spot, and better maintenance of traction as wheels do not slow down and do not have that unnatural jumpiness."

Demo Video for PowerCranks

*Thanks to Paul for finding this*

Riya Photo Search

2006-03-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Check out the latest online photo sharing tech - complete without face recognition.

http://riya.com/

TV Cycling Schedule

2006-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Srping is nearly here, get your Tivo/DVR ready.

ESPN 2
------
Feb 20 - 27 - Tour of California 1 a.m. ET

OLN TV
------
March 5 & 12 - Paris-Nice (France) 5 p.m. ET
March 19 - Milan-San Remo/Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy) 5 p.m. ET
March 26 - Critérium International (France) 5 p.m. ET
April 9 - Paris-Roubaix (France) 5 p.m. ET
April 23 - Liège-Bastogne-Liège/Flèche-Wallonne (Belgium) 5 p.m. ET
May 7 & 14 - Giro d'Italia (Italy) 5 p.m. ET
May 21 & 28 - Giro d'Italia (Italy) 4 p.m. ET
July 1-23 - Tour de France (TBA)

Delicious Library

2006-02-10T16:58:00.000-05:00

Delicious Library

Women

2006-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

I stole this right out of Andy's Blog, so he gets full credit, it was too good not to post here..

Recently a "Husband Super Store" opened where women could go to choose a
husband from among many men. It was laid out in five floors, with the men increasing in positive attributes as you ascended. The only rule was, once you opened the door to any floor, you HAD to choose a man from that floor; if you went up a floor, you couldn't go back down except to leave the place, never to return. A couple of girlfriends went to the shopping centre to find some husbands...

First floor
The door had a sign saying, "These men have jobs and love kids." The women
read the sign and said, "Well, that's better than not having a job or not
loving kids, but I wonder what's further up?" So up they went.

Second floor
The sign read, "These men have high paying jobs, love kids, and are
extremely good looking." "Hmmm," said the ladies, "But, I wonder what's
further up?"

Third floor
This sign read, "These men have high paying jobs, are extremely good
looking, love kids and help with the housework." "Wow," said the women,
"Very tempting." But there was another floor, so further up theywent.

Fourth floor
This door had a sign saying "These men have high paying jobs, love kids,
are extremely good looking, help with the housework and have a strong
romantic streak." "Oh, mercy me," they cried, "Just think what must be
awaiting us further on! So up to the fifth floor they went.

Fifth floor
The sign on that door said, "This floor is empty and exists only to prove
that women are f**king impossible to please. The exit is to your left, we
hope you fall down the stairs.

Muhammad Cartoon

2006-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Going to touch a little on international politics and religion here.... not something I usually do, but ......

The controversy over the Muhammad Cartoon has bothered me from the start, and I finally found an interesting opinion on yahoo I wanted to post (though the author is very anti-Muslim - she does have some points).

First let me say, that I understand why they're upset - they feel that someone is mocking/disgracing/violating rules of their religion;

But then let me say that I don't care how upset you are, there's no need for the violence, chants and radical statements against everyone that isn't part of the Muslim world (Danes, Europeans, Americans).

One of the points made by the author -

"Catholics aren't short on rules, but they couldn't care less if non-Catholics use birth control. Conservative Jews have no interest in forbidding other people from mixing meat and dairy. Protestants don't make a peep about other people eating food off one another's plates. (Just stay away from our plates -- that's disgusting.)

But Muslims think they can issue decrees about what images can appear in newspaper cartoons."

Article

Is it fair to compare cartoons that may depict Jesus in a negative light to this Muhammad Cartoon? Do groups of Christians get this upset by such things, do they riot over them? Do we just not hear about stories such as these in the news because the media doesn't make a big deal out of them (while they do when it has to do with Muslims)?

A lot to think about...

New Toy

2006-02-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

I want one.

RC Fighter Jet

Do they have any of these at the Toys R Us in Tyson's going out of business?

F'in Matt Damon; Armstrong in movie talks;

2006-01-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Saw this this morning on VeloNews.com,

Monday's VeloBriefs: Armstrong in movie talks;
By Agence France Presse
This report filed January 16, 2006

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has told a South African newspaper that he is in talks on a movie about his life.

Armstrong, 34, is due to travel to South Africa on Wednesday, accompanied by fiancée Sheryl Crow, for a first visit that will include a tour of Soweto, the township that was the center of anti-apartheid resistance.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Armstrong said that Matt Damon, an actor he has known for some years, was favored to play him. The American, who survived a bout of testicular cancer, returned to pro cycling and won seven consecutive Tours, said Damon "can dig into it on the athletic side and the illness side, but he'll also look and ride and feel like a professional cyclist."

---------------------------------------------------------

Any thoughts out there? I think as long as Armstrong is heavily involved the movie will be good, and Matt Damon, despite his relationship with Ben Affleck, is a good actor (and can slim down for the role - see Courage Under Fire). If the past tells us anything about Armstrong's level of involvment in his projects, he will probably be the one training Damon for the role, the one telling the director what angle to shoot from, and the one telling the writers to rewrite the script.

Surround Sound Headphones

2006-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

You have them, you don't know it, but you do.

Listen..

Listen some more...

Welcoming in 2006...

2006-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

View pictures

.. was a lot of fun. We started out the night in Arlington at an awesome house party. - ice luge, beer, and good food. Then the party bus arrived (I highly recommend this if you have a group of 30 people and you're looking to get everyone to and from a bar safely - only cost each person $20 a pop) to take us to the Falls Church State Theatre to see the Legwarmers. The bus ride was pretty money, and gave me just enough time to finish off 2 more beers before the show (yup, you can drink on the bus).

The State Theatre was fully decorated New Years style, the Legwarmers were better than ever, and the beer was flowing... good times were had by all. One of the best things about seeing the Legwarmers, is that you always run into old friends at the concerts. New Years Eve was no exception, I ran into two old friends from highschool, Brian Wallenhorst and John Fadgen, good seeing you guys, hope you enjoyed the show.

To all those reading this that didn't go to the show, there's always next year....see you there. Happy New Year everyone!

Top 25 Movies of All-Time Lists

2005-12-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Pretty good lists of Top 25 movies by genre....

Top 25 Movies of All-Time

Chronic - what!?!

2005-12-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

This video has been going around a lot, and rightly so - it's hilarious.

Listen closely to the references-

Example - "You can call us Aaron Bur from the way we're dropping Hamiltons"

that's some good writing......

Chronicles of Narnia

Ever been to Reddish Knob?

2005-12-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you've ever been to Reddish Knob, you may have noticed a group of large satellite dishes in the valley below.

I never knew what they were until Paul sent this article to me. According to this article, this "listening post" is at the center of the controversy over whether the president broke the law when he secretly ordered the N.S.A. to bypass a special court and conduct warrantless eavesdropping on American citizens..... who knew?

Full Article here...

The Darkness Returns

2005-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Darkness have a new album out in stores now, called "One Way Ticket To Hell .... And Back". If you haven't heard anything from it yet, go pick it up - pretty pretty pretty, pretty good stuff.

The Darkness - "One Way Ticket To Hell .... And Back"

I'm looking to get tickets to see them in concert when they come back in town, I'll make sure to post an update when they post their US Tour schedule.

Chappelle Show Finale

2005-12-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

4 - 30 min episodes to air..

Chapelle Show Returns

Saddam Say

2005-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Down with dope! Up with hope!"

New Years

2005-11-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't have New Years Eve plans yet, love the Legwarmers and are looking for a cheaper celebration to attend - check it out.

A Legwarmer's New Years Celebration

You can get your tix NOW on ticketmaster for $25, the show was just recently announced on their website (and it will sell out quickly), so if you want to go, buy your tickets ASAP, and let me know when you've got em.

Thanksgiving 2005

2005-11-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

It was a good one.

Went down to Charlottesville, VA on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mabby's family and some of their friends. Went mountain biking a couple times at Walnut Creek Park (which is a pretty good trail, with a little bit of everything), even ran into Matt Thompson and Jo Fitzpatrick (both JMU and JMU Triathlon Alum) on the trail.

Toured the Farm (the one Mabby's house is located on), visited the Farm's miniature Donkey- Squirt - who may or may not be the Budweiser Donkey from the Superbowl Clydesdale wannabe commerical (the farm is owned by a member of the Budweiser family).

Even got to shoot some skeet in the yard (you know you're in the country when the skeet shooter has a place on your lawn. I could definitely tell that the hours and hours I've put into Halo 2 paid off.

A page from the Urban Dictionary

2005-10-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

Some of you will probably say this is ridiculous, or even sad, but there are many of you who will read this and realize - YOU have evoided people on more than one occasion. My biggest evoid? Shopping online for almost everything... yea online groceries will most likely be my next major evoid.

1. evoid

to use technology for the sole purpose of avoiding (human) contact

I saw Jim headed in my direction and evoided him with my iPod.

avoid, electronics, contact, human, technology

Source: Lynne F., Williamsburg, VA, Oct 18, 2005

On a side note- the Urban Dictionary Book is now out- check it out at Amazon.com.

Mountain Biking

2005-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

So I finally got on the trail for the first time a month or so ago. I've been riding on my roomates (probably soon to be mine) Trek 4900 Alpha (pictured above). I've been riding about twice a week since I started. In short, I'm hooked. I plan on mountain biking through most of the winter, and riding my road bike on a trainer in the garage until it warms back up again.

All that said, is there anyone out there that wants to ride (indoors or out)?
Email me,
jack.lavoy@gmail.com

Today's News vs. The Onion

2005-09-13T23:00:00.000-05:00

This first link is an article currently on Yahoo's News page...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050914/tc_nm/manufacturing_gillette_dc_2

This second link is an article published on The Onion over a year and a half ago...

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930

Who's laughing now?

Gotta give this one to my co-worker Smereka, for actually remembering this Onion article from over a year and a half ago.

Shenandoah Valley Century

2005-09-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Paul and I completed the 23rd annual Shenandoah Valley Century yesterday. It took us approximately 5 hours and 36 minutes.

The race was well organized (as always), but there seemed to be a much smaller group of riders present than in previous years (could have been the large number of races going on in Virginia that day). One of the highlights of the race for me was getting to see the JMU cycling team in the race (even though I'm so old I no longer know any of the club's members - except Becca, it was good seeing you). Their uniforms were money (I want one) and watching them ride as a group, you can tell they're a close-knit team. I was hoping to see Les (East Coast Bicycle Academy owner, my mechanic while I was at JMU) at the race, but he was not doing tech support.

So, after completing both the Shenandoah and Reston centuries within a few weeks of each other, I can now say, that (IMO) the Reston Century is the more difficult of the two races. While both races have a lot of rolling hills, Shenandoah seemed to have a lot more downhills and flat stretches of road. In addition, the Reston Century has an optional hilly route that is supposed to be incredibly hard (it comes in at the 80 mile marker, didn't make it this year, I will next).

I've got one planned race left in the season, but if anyone knows of any other good road races in the area, let me know. Also, is anyone interested in doing some mountain biking?

More pictures here

Reston Century

2005-08-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

Paul and I rode the Reston Century (103 miles) this past Sunday. This was the second year we've done it, and it was much more difficult than I had remembered. I even wonder if it's more difficult than the Shenandoah Century (aka JMU Century). Guess I'll find out in about a week and a half (Sept 11th) when Paul and I do that race. (This is the only picture we have of the race, but if you'd like to see it in more detail, click on the Flickr link to the right, why, I don't know)

All in all, the race was good, finished in a little over 6 hours, got to ride with a large pack of riders from the local Pedal and Spokes club on some sweet climbs and descents and found some new roads to ride on.

On the subject of riding, does anyone out there ride (not everyone all at once now)? Paul and I are looking for more people to ride with (Tommy has gone back to Charlotte, NC - BTW can anyone give me Tommy's email address?). Also, if you read this and you still talk to Mike Lipari, tell him to call me (Tommy gave him my number), we'll ride.

Reddish Knob Ascent

2005-08-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday morning, Paul and I drove down to JMU to ride Reddish Knob.

Reddish Knob is located in the George Washington National Forest (about 20 miles from JMU) and it's one of the tallest peaks in Virginia (top 10 I think). The road to the summit is about 6 miles long, and rises over 4000 FT.

Anyone who's ever biked this climb (I know a lot of you out there have) can attest to it's difficulty, and anyone who's ever driven to the top would probably say you're crazy for doing it on a bike.

Paul and I plan on going one more time before the end of the year (probably October), so if you're interested, just let me know.

Click here to view more pictures

Tour of Hope Grand Finale

2005-08-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

I just signed up for the 50 mile Tour of Hope Grand Finale in October, to raise money for Cancer Research.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope is a 9-day journey across America by a team of 24 people who have been touched by cancer. In October 2003 and again in October 2004, Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope Teams inspired thousands as they cycled around the clock to inform the public about the importance of cancer clinical trials.
You can find more information on the event by going here.

I haven't done much fundraising since high school and college and am really excited to be participating in this event. I'll be raising money and riding for a great cause alongside one of my personal heroes, Lance Armstrong.

If you can spare anything at all, please contribute by making a donation. Any amount would be very much appreciated!

Make Donation

Thanks for your support!

UPDATE
I've reached my goal of $500! Thankyou to everone who made a donation, I really appreciate it. I'm going for $1000 now!

The Amazing Quarters Guy

2005-08-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

If you see this dude at a party and he talks trash and challenges you to a game of Quarters, let it slide and decline, he will destroy you.

Click here for the video

Sprint Finish video

2005-08-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

Video pretty much speaks for itself...

Click here to view the video

I'm brown, on the metro, and messin with your head

2005-08-16T23:01:00.000-05:00

Got this from Paul's blog. Check it out, this guy is pretty funny...

Read the post

Sad Day for Ali G fans

2005-08-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

"There is no third season. It's over. The show is over."

Goodbye Ali G ... much respect.

Read more here

Big News

2005-08-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

I found out on Friday night, that my long time friend, Paul Singh, is engaged to be married! You can read more about it here, leave a comment congratulating him!

Le Tour Finale

2005-07-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Tour is over, and it couldn't have gone more perfect this year. Lance and The Discovery Team dominated, got a Team and a couple of individual stage wins, and Lance is going out on top.

"The best time for a professional athlete to retire is when the public says, 'He could have won another year'" - Wayne Gretzky

New pics of Maverick

2005-07-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

Maverick is almost 6 months old so here are some new pics of him. Yea, I didn't see he had a boner until after I uploaded that one picture.

Maverick 6 months

Google Earth

2005-07-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

Google has reaffirmed that it's the hotness. Check this out-

http://earth.google.com/

Tour de France Live Audio

2005-07-05T23:00:00.000-05:00

Since the official Tour de France site is no longer streaming live audio for English users, go here for Live audio coverage of the race - Click the Live audio link in the very center of the page...

Live Tour coverage

The crazy Irish announcer speaks unintelligibly but.... what else can you do?

The Amazing Racist

2005-07-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Got this one from Paul - You my laugh at this video, and you may be disgusted.... either way, I can't believe what this dude does.... (totally safe for work)

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=loobia99

Blog entry from Larry David

2005-06-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

Classic Larry David. If you enjoy Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm give this a look-

http://news.yahoo.com/i/2413

Cruise and Oprah

2005-06-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

As you know, Tom Cruise has lost it. Coming out with Scientology, fighting with Matt Lauer, and making an ass out of himself on the Oprah Winfrey show. Here's a highlight from that show....

Tom Cruise and Oprah

LASIK

2005-06-26T23:00:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend, Mabby had LASIK eye surgery at the local TLC Laser Eye Center this past Friday. Prior to the surgery her contact/glasses prescription was around 2400,2400. Yes, this number does not mean much to me either, but apparently, she's damn near blind without contacts or glasses.

I watched the surgery on a monitor through a window. The surgery took about 5 minutes total. They use a clamp to hold your eyelids open, and place a plastic piece on your eye that has a horizontal track on it. They then put a cutter on the track and it slices open the lens of your eye (at which point your vision goes black!). Then they flip open the lens, swab the eye and use a laser on your eye anywhere from 20 to 90 seconds (depending on how bad your eyes are). Then they flip your lens back over, swab it a little bit, repeat everything on the next eye, and you're done!

You nap for 4 hrs, and wakeup seeing all kinds of things you weren't able to see before. As your eyes heal over the next week, your vision keeps improving.

Total cost for Lifetime Touch-ups (sometimes necessary if your eyes are really messed up) and supplies (drops etc)- $3600.

Real World- Austin

2005-06-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Seriously, how did Lacey (see pic if you dare) get on the Real World Austin? She's heinous. I expect certain things out of the Real World. Angry black men, drunken fights, skin, and hot chicks. So far it looks like they're 3 for 4, but still, shame on you MTV.

Tour anxiety

2005-06-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

It's a little early I know, but I cannot wait for this year's Tour de France. I'm probably more excited about this year's tour than any other (even more excited than last years- which I was fortunate enough to see in person).

First, it will be Armstrong's final pro race, ever (this would be exciting even if he wasn't going for 7).

Second, the list of potential rivals is enormous - Ullrich, Kloden, Vinokourov, Basso, Leipheimer, Mayo, Landis. Teams this year seem obsessed with winning the Tour at all costs (see T-Mobile excludes Zabel, Gerolsteiner going for podium)

Third, the trash talking. Basso says he'll attack Armstrong in the mountains (even though he says Armstrong will be unbeatable in this year's race), Ullrich says he's going to be wearing yellow in Paris, Landis is now co-team leader of Phonak (and beat Lance by a second in their last TT) and Leipheimer says that with a little bit of luck, he'll be on the podium.

Now let me say that I think Armstrong is definitely going to win this year's Tour, but I think it's going to be close. Set your Tivo's to record the morning broadcast, it's Tour-time baby!!!!!

Tour de France 2005

Let's have some posts- after Armstrong exits cycling, who are you going to cheer for during future Tours? I'm with Basso.

Myspace

2005-06-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought I had all of this online blogging/friend networking stuff covered with this blog and a friendster account (which I don't really use), along comes Myspace.com.

So naturally I have to create an account and add as many people to it as I can. So if you're on the mySpace.com look me up and add me as a friend (that is, if we really are friends).

Now I just need to set up the mySpace blog to get it's feed from this blog.....

Batman Begins

2005-06-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

Saw Batman Begins on Saturday night. If you haven't seen it yet, go. now. It's definitely the best movie I've seen in a long time, and I will even say it is better than the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton (yes I said it).

The following review pretty much sums up exactly what I thought about the movie.

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/626/626277p1.html

IMO the movie was perfect, I give it a 10 out of 10.

An excerpt from the diary of Moby "the dog" Patel

2005-06-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

This was emailed to me today- it's from Jay's dog Moby (who is much bigger than his picture above now). He speaks with an Indian accent, as Jay is Indian and naturally the dog would be too. Enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------

Hello.

7am

This is the moby. Today is the Saturday june 4, 2000 and 5. I am in the crate waiting for mr. patel to come take me outside to do the business. He says that. It is 7 in the morning. Mr. patel comes home last night smelling like the bad drink stuffs. He was very funny to me. I was sleeping and he try to play the catch with me and I did not play because I was lazy and tired. I got mad and scratch him on the arm because he didn’t leave me to sleep. So now he is up and taking me out. I will be back on in few minutes.

8:15 am

Ok mr. patel is very tired. He fell sleep giving me food then I had to do the business. I woke him up and he took me outside, then we comes inside and he turns on tv for the chaplain show, a comedy with very skinny black man. I watch for a minute then find my slipper and try to play with mr. patel. He sleeps on couch. Lazy.

9:30 am

I drink too much water, wake mr. patel up by scratching him then he takes me outside to do the business. We come inside then mr. patel sleeps again. Lazy.

10:30 am

Michelle wakes up, she is very lazy. She plays with me a lot so I do not mind it. We get ready to go for a walk outside.

11 am

The pollen stuffs outside is very strong. Michelle does not like it and is coughing very much. I do not know what the pollen stuffs is.

12:45 am

I wake up from nap and the dream that I had about my cousin mr. maverick. Mr patel tells me we are going to see him this week, but only if I am good dog. So I be a good dog because I want to go see mr. maverick.

2 pm

I play with my toys and stuffs while mr. patel watches the chaplain show. I try to eat some of his sandwich stuffs but then he looks at me and I remember about being the good dog, so I go and lay down.

4:30 pm

It is time to see mr. maverick! Mr. patel is loading the car up with my stuffs and he puts me in the car to go to mr maverick’s house!

7pm

I find a pencil and am mad. I am at the dog house because mr. patel goes to new york city and leaves me with the people I don’t know.

8pm

I have fun with the other dogs but I am still mad at mr. patel

9 pm

They say lights are out. I don’t know what they means.

NEXT DAY

7am

I wake up and go outside to play with the new friends but I do not forget about mr. maverick.

8am – 1pm

Lots of playing with the friends! One of them bites me in the ear and it reminds me of mr. maverick

2pm

Mr. patel picks me up. It is a quiet ride home

5pm

Mr. patel asks me what the problem is. I tell him I want to see mr. maverick but he does not understand barking.

9pm

I was told by michelle that we go to see mr. maverick on Wednesday. I believe her and then go to sleep. I am excited to see and I will write in the journal again!

iPods

2005-06-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

If you've got a busted 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation iPod with an ailing battery, now is the time to take it into the Apple Store and try and get a new one. Check it out...

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/pf/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002/20050602/2349796233.htm

When Online Gaming Strategies Go Wrong: The Story of Leeroy.

2005-06-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

This video is hilarious. It takes about a minute to get funny, but once it does, it's pure gold. Go Leeroy.

Video Link http://www.daalandroti.com/pics/leeroy.wmv
Right Click and choose "Save Target As"

Weekly Update

2005-05-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

First, thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting. It's good to hear from you all (especially if I haven't heard from you in a while).

A few shout-outs

*Tommy D, where are you man? What are you up to?
*Streak, congrats on finishing yr 1 of Law School, we gotta hang out sometime....Tailgate DC United Soccer game?
*Ferriter you donkey! Congrats on finishing your 1st yr of Law School (all these F'ing lawyers!) Are you gonna make it back to NOVA for any of the summer?

Other News

I got my bike back late last week. Damage came to a new wheel and chain for a grand total of $225. I think I won't be breaking my wheel again any time soon.

I've taken a solid 2 weeks off from physical activities to let my knee heal, and am ready to start some easy training. Paul, St. Muff, Master Burke we should set up some rides.

Jay has let me know that The Legwarmers (see previous post) will be playing BB Kings Blue's Bar and Grill in Times Square NYC on Friday, September 23rd. That's gonna be a hot show.

Coldplay is coming to Nissan Pavillion on Friday, September 30th 730pm. Anyone interested in tailgating? (I realize most people aren't going to be able to get off/off early 2 Friday's in a row, but let's be honest, I'm not expecting many of you to make either of these events.)

Lastly, how much interest is there in a house party out in Herndon? We haven't had one in a while, so I'm going to see what Jarad thinks and get back to you. Also, give me some good ideas on how to make the party a bit more exciting (i.e. something in addition to kegs and cards).

Memorial Day Weekend

2005-05-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

I drove up to Buffalo, NY to visit my Dad for the Memorial Day weekend. Went fishing, golfing, and even went over to Canada for a bit to check out the falls in the spring time (I've only seen them during winter) and get some beer (mmmm Labatt's Blue).

Maverick came along for the ride and slept a good 7 of the 8 hours it took to get up there.

The U.S. Falls, which sadly aren't nearly as good as the Canadian Falls.

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls

And for all of those people on Paul's Blog that didn't think there was such a thing as a "bender" ...

for all I know the origins could be Canadian...

The Saturday Night Show

2005-05-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

If you've never seen The Legwarmers, then I'm sad for you. They are probably the best 80's cover band in the world. Ever.

Here are a few reasons why-

-I have yet to hear a cover performed that didn't sound very close to the original. So imagine what it would have been like to be at a Whitesnake concert listening to Here I go again live. Yes, you got it.
-The show lasts a good 3, sometimes 4 hours and the tickets cost $10.
-There's a good chance you'll run into good friends that you haven't seen in a while.
-The State Theatre is right in Falls Church, they've got a decent bar, and the prices aren't bad.

They play in NOVA and Dewey Beach all summer long- if you have a chance- check out one of their shows.

A special note to the bartender I tipped $2.50 on a $52.50 tab at the end of the night.

Dear Female State Theatre Bartender,

Honestly, I was drunk and it just seemed like a good idea to take the $5 bill off the bar and leave the 2 ones and quarters (don't ask me why- like I said, drunk) but your disapproving "you're a fucking asshole you piece of shit" look that you gave me wasn't going to make me put ANYTHING back on the bar.

If you'd laughed and said something like "that's all?!", I would have realized what I'd done and gladly given you the $5 back.

How long did it take you to make those drinks anyway? 2 minutes? Reach hand in ice box, pull out bud lights, set on bar. And come on, jaiggerBombs aren't really mixed drinks, just a cup of red bull and a cup of jaigger, I do all the work of mixing.

Love,
me

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-19T07:51:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. I was one of the losers at the ROTS premiere, 12:01 AM Thursday morning (but at least not one of the losers that showed up at 12:01 AM on Wednesday and got denied).

Cinema De Lux was showing the movie on 10 - 64 Ft screens. If you've never been to this theatre, you're missing out; you can sit almost anywhere and still enjoy the movie (back, front, middle - as long as you're in the middle of a row), sound is very good, and lastly, they won't make you wait in line in the lobby before a movie starts (if you've ever been to the Hoffman theatre in Alexandria, you know how bad this is).

There weren't too many people dressed up, 1 Darth Vader (pictured), a few uber-geek Jedis and 1 old chick dressed as Leia. I couldn't get over how big the Darth Vader costume was. Now granted, this Darth Vader was a bit fat, but the actual helmet and shoulder/chest plates were huge! I'd say the Helmet was a bit larger than a basketball.

The movie review
Most of what you have read/heard about the movie you will find to be true. It is much better than any of the other prequels, it is pretty much non-stop action, and yes there's some shitty dialogue/bad acting (but less than the previous prequels). All that being said, I still liked it. There are definitely some holes in the plot (which I'll spare you), but the overall story does a good job of wrapping everything up, and even though I knew exactly what was going to happen (but not exactly how) the suspense was built up very well throughout the entire film. The film is long, but doesn't waste anytime getting started and never slows down too much before picking back up with the action. After seeing the first fight, my jaw actually dropped - it was that badass.

So go out and see the movie, it'll be the last time you can see a Star Wars movie in the theatres.

New Toys

2005-05-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

I finally received my Verizon Motorola v710. Main reasons I wanted it was that it's a flip phone, has a camera (1mp), speakerphone, and is Bluetooth enabled.

Before ordering I read a lot about how Verizon has screwed with the phone to disable the Bluetooth features such as synchronization, send file, and receive file (OBEX services). The phone itself and it's software is strong though, and since the phone's debut several months ago, people have hacked it.

I read up a lot on exactly what was needed to complete the hack
-Motorola v710 $99 with 1 yr contract
-data cable for v710 (w/ car charger - $7 shipped ebay)
-new firmware (enabling Bluetooth sync, send file and receive file - free)
-program to Flash the phone with new firmware (free)
-Motorola Mobile Phone Tools Deluxe (hacked free version didn't work, so $30)

Since it was time for me to get a new phone (1 yr contract up) and the hack had been perfected, I pulled the trigger and ordered the phone.

The whole process took about 30 minutes once I sorted everything out with getting the necessary software. I've now got it all set up and can transfer files from my laptop to my phone (and vice versa) via Bluetooth. So if you hate paying Verizon for shitty ringtones, want your own wallpapers, and want to be able to download your own pictures from your phone without paying for it, I suggest you try out an available hack for your phone, it'll be easier than you think.

Marathon Complete, let the Triathlon Season begin .... sort of.

2005-05-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

Paul and I finished up the Delaware Marathon early Sunday afternoon. My knee was fine for about the first half of the race, until the anti-inflammatory meds wore off and Paul was suffering from some cramped legs and some pretty nasty blisters on his feet (from his new shoes).

We were hoping to complete the race around 3:30 - which is what our training was geared to, and what we were well on pace to do half way through the race, but then the shit started to hit the fan. We were expecting food to be at the aid stations (as was generally advertised in the race papers) after the halfway point or so .... there was none (until the final lap- last 6 miles). At this point, I am extremly hungry (Gu just doesn't really satisfy hunger) and my anti-inflammatory meds have begun to wear off. Paul tells me his shoes are bothering him and stops to readjust them. As he does so, I see what has to have been the largest blister I've seen in my entire life on his entire heel (no exaggeration).

Long story short, after much cramping, stretching, hobbling along, we come through the finish. We had a good race this year, but next year we're going be injury/incident free and destroy this race Paul.

As always, my girlfriend Mabby was there to help out before and after the race. She took a bunch of good pictures (as always) while taking care of Maverick (who loved attending the event) at the same time. Much respecpa, thank you.

So now that the race is over, I've got about 3 weeks ahead of tying up loose ends, lifting, light swimming and cycling on the trainer to let my inflammed tendon calm down. My knee is still pretty sore right now, so I'll be taking it easy for a while.

First on the list of things to take care of now that the race is over: I've got to deal with the damage to my road bike. The bike shop mechanic is telling me that Fuji doesn't cover the damage under warranty (they're Ritchey wheels), and I should get a set of new 25 spoke everyday wheels... whoa... slow down. Have you see how money the bladed spoke wheels I have on that bike are? Am I going to replace those wheels with some crappy 25 spoke beater wheels? Noooooooooo way. I think I'll have my hands full for the next 3 weeks figuring out how to order a new rear Ritchey wheel ..... good thing, I'm going crazy not cycling.

ten·di·ni·tis

2005-05-12T12:52:00.000-05:00

ten·di·ni·tis n.

Inflammation of a tendon.

So I've been having a bit of knee pain during runs since Paul and I completed our distance training for the Delaware Coventy Marathon about 3 weeks ago with a 26 mile run. I've been taking it easy since then, running a few times a week, but the pain still has not gone away. The pain is not excruciating, but it was enough to bother me during an 8 mile run, and since the race is this Sunday, I figured I should get it checked out.

I went to the doctor's office this morning in Reston. He felt the knee a bit, bent it this way and that (which doesn't hurt my knee), and said that there was no cartilage damage or tear, just an inflamed tendon.

So i've got a case of tendinitis, no doubt from all the distance training and probably a pair of shoes I should have replaced sooner. The good news is that I should still be able to do the marathon as long as I take some anti inflammatory meds and wear a knee brace to cushion the tendon.

Once I'm done with the marathon I'm going to have to take a break from running and outdoor cycling for a few weeks to heal. It's going to cut into my Triathlon season a bit, but hopefully I'll be ready for a sprint race by the end of June or so.

Can I blog?

2005-05-11T13:46:00.000-05:00

My original reason for starting the blog was that I had heard doing so would get you a Gmail account. Starting this blog did not get me one, but a friend from school (Thanks Matt) did.

So now that I've got what I wanted- do I keep this blog? I'm not really big into the whole blogging thing, but I have to admit, reading them is a guilty pleasure of mine. I doubt that my blog will become the guilty pleasure of anyone else, but maybe my friend Paul will read it.

Anyhow, I'll see if I can't update this blog sometime this week with what's been going on, the new dog, the wife (I keed, I keed) the new house, latest hacks, movies, whatever.

Stay tuned.

The Story of Maverick

2005-05-10T19:19:00.000-05:00

I love dogs. I've been waiting for years and years to get my own. It not being "the right time" (everything works perfectly, my schedule doesn't have to change too much etc) was really the only thing keeping me from getting one.

In February Jay (the Indian in the center aka Naked Guy) got a Golden Retriever, Moby. After visiting him in early March, I realized, there's not really going to be a "right time". Regardless of when I got a dog, my day to day life and schedule would still have to change. So I decided I was ready to become a dog owner.

I talked about it with my roomates (Frank, Brandon, and Jarad) and they were all cool with it, so I started looking for pups. I knew the best dog for me was either a Lab or a Golden Retriever, and after some reading, I decided on a Golden.

I contacted breeders or should I say my girlfriend (Mabby) did, I have to give her credit for the majority of the research. Breeders ranged from the Accidental Breeder - "Yes, we have several left, if you'd like two we could probably offer you a better price", The Snoby Breeder - "We must know everything about your house, yard, career, and personality before we even think about letting you near our $1000 puppies of which we will select one for you if you qualify." There were other normal breeders in NOVA, but since it's the "city" all the pups were a good $300 or so overpriced.

Eventually we came across a Charlottesville newspaper listing for GR pups for $400 (Male) and $450 (Female). The breeder had sent me a picture of 2 of the puppies , 1 from each litter, a dark a light (Maverick is the puppy on the left). The breeder was very nice and just the type I was looking for (add type "Down to Earth Country Breeder" to that list).

Mabby and I went to Cville on March 11th for the night and drove to the breeder's home in Stanton (just South of JMU down 81) the next morning. The breeder had been breeding GRs for 20 + years and had 20+ (I think) Golden Retrievers. There was a huge run/barn in her backyard with stalls for every single dog. I think she said she has about 5 litters per year (which is a lot for any breeder) and that I was shopping for a pup during her "off-season" (not as many buyers out there) so he was a bit cheaper than I might have paid during the late summer/early fall.

We saw all the pups and played with them one by one inside the barn for a little while. We'd read a book on selecting puppies (yes, there are about 9 tests that should be done on a puppy to determine if he's right for you) so we knew what to look for.

I had really liked the dark puppy from the picture the breeder had sent me, but I didn't let that interfere with my selection and spent time with each individual pup. In the end, it turned out this dark pup was the one I liked most. He was a little shy inside the barn at first, but once we took him outside he came alive, running all over the place chasing me etc. At this point, I knew he was the pup I wanted and started the buy process with the breeder. About an hour later, I was headed home with my new pup.

Everyone always asks why I named him Maverick, and if I really like the movie Top Gun or something. Yes, I like the movie, but honestly it really isn't something I'm obsessed with (see other Obsessions listed in past and future posts). So here is the answer to that question-

Q: "Why did Maverick?"
A:
- I like the definition of Maverick (def)
- I like the fact that I've never heard another dog with the same name
and lastly,
- I'd like to think that when he's older and picking a chick up in a bar, their conversation will go something like this (and I swear I looked for this quote for some time, couldn't find it, so if this is a little off, take it easy)

Maverick- "I'm Maverick."
Bar Chick - "You're mother must not have liked you very much!"
Maverick - "No, it's my callsign."
Bar Chick - "Ohhhh a pilot!"
Maverick - "Actually, a Naval Aviator."

Anyhow, that's the story. I take pictures of him pretty regularly so check howthatdo to see the latest pics. (Click "My Webpage")

Here are some older pictures of him-
1st day
2 1/2 months (Moby visits)
3 months
3 1/2 months