Archive: March 8, 2008

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I did it again

Saturday,  03/08/08  07:31 PM

At this point riding centuries is a bit old hat for me, so perhaps I should stop posting about it.  After all I've sort of moved on to longer rides now; a "mere" century cannot be that interesting, right?  But today I successfully completed the Solvang Century (da da dum), with about 4,000 participants, and anyway it was a great ride so heck I'm going to post about it.  So yeah I did it, riding time 5:32, which considering the wind was pretty darn good. Here's a picture of me at the top of Ballard Canyon, with about 10 miles to go; it is notable for the house in the distance, which is my absolute dream, a gorgeous mansion surrounded by Pinot Noir vineyards. Hey, everyone needs a stretch goal, right? Next up for me is a double-double at the end of March; the Solvang Double, followed the following weekend by the Hemet Double.  400 miles in 8 days.  That should keep me out of trouble :)

 

Saturday,  03/08/08  07:53 PM

John Marshall on Clinton vs Obama: Thank You, May I Have Another?  Not only is the bloom off the Obama rose, but the thorns are missing.  I know I don't want him answering that phone at 3:00AM.  A Rasmussen poll which asked "who would you want to answer the phone", shows Clinton and Obama deadlocked at 25%.  McCain won easily at 42%. In other political ad news, Ann Althouse likes John McCain's new ad.  It's about time. A great post at Maggie's Farm: "I loved that jet".  "Only the Mach indicator is moving, steadily increasing in hundredths, in a rhythmic consistency similar to the long distance runner who has caught his second wind and picked up the pace...  With the power of forty locomotives, we puncture the quiet African sky and continue farther south across a bleak landscape."  I had the honor of meeting Kelly Johnson several times socially at his ranch.  Especially remarkable about the SR-71 is how old it was; this plane was designed in 1962!  And it is *still* the fastest jet ever flown.  [ via Gerard Vanderleun ]  Reader and fellow cyclist Joseph emailed me this link: Steve Jobs made me miss my flight.  Ah, the perils of owning an MBA.  (MacBook Air.)  Here we have a jet-powered Dodge Caravan, complete with soccer ball logo on the back.  "Like us, he apparently thought the 150-hp V6 just wasn't enough and added some supplemental power via a 1,000-hp helicopter jet engine."  Excellent.  [ via Instapundit ]  This is excellent; xkcd posted a tribute to Gary Gygax, inventor of Dungeons and Dragons, who recently died.  Er, you have to see it...  Andrew Grumet considers Life and Work.  I have to agree, these are not mutually exclusive, and heavily intertwined.  Finally: I love this picture so much, I'm going to run it again.  Very thought provoking, somehow.  A close friend has a mantra, "don't worry about what you can't control".  And yet, I worry about everything.  It may be out of my control :)  Anyway looking at this picture, you realize how small and petty are the affairs of men.  A lot of the stuff I worry about doesn't matter at this scale!

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