I've almost finished a book entitled "American Fascists" by Chris Hedges. This book will open your eyes to the ongoing attempts at creating a theocracy in this country. And, as noted on the back cover, it "reminds us of the danger to liberal societies when they tolerate the intolerant".
No matter where you stand, this book may enlighten you at least a little. Pulitzer prize winning author Hedges considers where we might be if fundamentalist Christians get their way. To me, the key issue here is not so much the Bible as it is the totalitarian system (that the fundamentalists are trying to create) that will force citizens to "believe" (and, by the way, fork over huge amounts of cash) or be marginalized, even summarily killed as the return of Christ (and the "rapture") is anxiously anticipated. No, not the stuff of moderate Christians and not related virtually at all to truly personal religious belief ... this is state driven religion as envisioned by Falwell and Pat Roberts and many more of their ilk as they reach higher and higher into all aspects of the political hierarchy (Judicial, Legislative, Executive) of the United States.
You don't believe this is possible in our country, right? Neither did I ... well then, you might just want to read this book ... see what you think after that.
Riding today was great with a temperature in the mid-70's and a time of 48 flat. Sweet! Although I'm at 919 miles today, it's unlikely that I'll reach 1000 next week as it will be a short week since I'm going to Florida to visit Larry's mom and stepdad. That should be a fun time. They also invited my girlfriend ... so I guess I'd need one of those to take along before that could ever happen, eh? As they say in North Dakota sometimes ... "oh well". Keep smilin'
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
905 Miles, 48:36 Ride
Fun ride today as I broke 900 miles for the year and also broke 49 minutes for my standard ride of 14.2 miles ... the time was 48:36. My previous best this year was over 51 minutes, so I'm not sure where that comes from except that the wind was very mild. Of course now I'm feeling like it's time for lunch (which, turns out, it really is!) and tonight's going to be a fun night for dancing so I'm looking forward to a smoothly fun end of this week.
Later ...
Later ...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Amazon Kindle ... Still Cool
I've had my Kindle electronic reader for about 2 weeks now and I noticed in the news today that Amazon dropped the price by $40. So I gave them a call and they immediately and with no hassle at all issued a credit to me for the $40 price change. That's just good customer service. I've already downloaded and read 3 books on the Kindle and it continues to impress me. Again, if you're a big reader and you often buy books or want to take many more with you than you might have room for when traveling ... take a look at the Kindle. It might be just what you're looking for.
In other news (hold on, I know you're on the edge of your seat at this point!), I've reached 891 miles on the bicycle and will hit 900 on my next workout. That's a good feeling. I'm also thinking I should replace the chain now and then leave the bicycle at the shop to get tuned up while I'm in Florida playing golf. That way I won't even miss it being gone.
Went up to Cedar Falls and sang some karaoke at Joker's on Sunday night (May 25). Turns out that the karaoke hosting company posts pictures of the singers on their website. The base website is at www.ultimateentertainment.cc and you'll have to click on their pictures tab, etc., to get to it but I'm in the first picture. That was a fun evening.
Keep smilin' ...
In other news (hold on, I know you're on the edge of your seat at this point!), I've reached 891 miles on the bicycle and will hit 900 on my next workout. That's a good feeling. I'm also thinking I should replace the chain now and then leave the bicycle at the shop to get tuned up while I'm in Florida playing golf. That way I won't even miss it being gone.
Went up to Cedar Falls and sang some karaoke at Joker's on Sunday night (May 25). Turns out that the karaoke hosting company posts pictures of the singers on their website. The base website is at www.ultimateentertainment.cc and you'll have to click on their pictures tab, etc., to get to it but I'm in the first picture. That was a fun evening.
Keep smilin' ...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Dodging Raindrops
Cool outside (again) today as it was about 48 when I left for my ride at noon. There's rain all around and it was on the horizon at the start but near the end I just made like a mosquito and rode between the raindrops, which weren't too numerous. Always feels good to get that ride in.
Caught a little bit of Kathy Griffin on Bravo this morning ... that gal is very funny. So much so that I ordered a couple of her DVD's.
Looks like time to get some reading in and I need to pick up a few things at WalMart ... so better get a move on.
Later ...
Caught a little bit of Kathy Griffin on Bravo this morning ... that gal is very funny. So much so that I ordered a couple of her DVD's.
Looks like time to get some reading in and I need to pick up a few things at WalMart ... so better get a move on.
Later ...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day ... Status
Good day out for riding. It's about 70 and it's still morning, plus it's *not* raining (yet) ... go figure! Turned 852 miles for the year on the bicycle today with about 55 hours of total riding time. It was a nice ride up to Center Point ... although the bugs are starting to be more numerous (quite a few hit me in the face and I'm pretty sure I swallowed one ... but at least I can say that he got the worst of that deal!).
I was up in the Cedar Falls area last night right after the big storm (several tornadoes) went through and it looks like it too. There were videos this morning of the Parkersburg area, which was hit hard by a mile-wide tornado (probably F4). So far it looks like 6 people died there and several more in nearby towns. It looks like a huge bomb went off and flattened most of the town ... pretty sad.
I'm shooting for 1500 miles as a minimum of training before RAGBRAI on the 19th of July. I think it will be as many as 1750 or so but probably not 2000 unless I get really serious about more consistently doing 25-50 miles several times a week. I'll probably replace the chain in early July and also put fresh tires on ... maybe a tune up in June would be good too. Otherwise, most things are ready to go. Of course, I still have to figure out the logistics about how to get out to the start and then back from the finish ... but there's time to work that out.
Today I took a minute to remember my friend, Larry. Along with other situations in life, this quote from Dean Koontz seems to say it best for me: "Loss is the hardest thing, but it's also the teacher that's the most difficult to ignore."
Later ... and keep on smilin' ...
I was up in the Cedar Falls area last night right after the big storm (several tornadoes) went through and it looks like it too. There were videos this morning of the Parkersburg area, which was hit hard by a mile-wide tornado (probably F4). So far it looks like 6 people died there and several more in nearby towns. It looks like a huge bomb went off and flattened most of the town ... pretty sad.
I'm shooting for 1500 miles as a minimum of training before RAGBRAI on the 19th of July. I think it will be as many as 1750 or so but probably not 2000 unless I get really serious about more consistently doing 25-50 miles several times a week. I'll probably replace the chain in early July and also put fresh tires on ... maybe a tune up in June would be good too. Otherwise, most things are ready to go. Of course, I still have to figure out the logistics about how to get out to the start and then back from the finish ... but there's time to work that out.
Today I took a minute to remember my friend, Larry. Along with other situations in life, this quote from Dean Koontz seems to say it best for me: "Loss is the hardest thing, but it's also the teacher that's the most difficult to ignore."
Later ... and keep on smilin' ...
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Kindle ... Cool ... 800 Miles ... Crazy Love
Well, I'm at 765 miles this year on the bicycle and should hit 800 easily during this week. But the big news is that I started using my Kindle electronic reader yesterday afternoon (and finished a book today). This device is sold by Amazon.com and it has it all over sliced bread (hehe). I don't like the "plastic" feel of it or the cheap feeling Kindle holder that comes with it, but Amazon really has got the logistics of getting new books into it down right. EVDO wireless is used and a computer is unnecessary to get a new book. Although the wireless will not work in Europe (which uses GSM technology for wireless) it's still all I need for the U.S. and GSM compatibility may be something that they'll update in the next release (which may be 6-12 months from now).
Problems with Kindle? Not too much ... but in the first complete book I read, there were 11 actual typographical errors. This is extremely unusual to me in a published book. Typically, with the printed books I have, it's rare to find even one such error. So I'm thinking they still need to work on the conversion process that takes a published book from print to the Kindle (proprietary) format. Additionally, there were numerous missing hyphens and spaces (many more than the number of typos, I gave up counting these). Well, it's neat to have this compact form factor as well as the simplicity and ease of getting new books to read. And, by the way, the non-backlit text is very easy on the eyes ... I have to say it's really no different than reading paper. So that's something no one needs to worry about. I'd say that Amazon needs to put in a few ergonomic refinements and lower the cost of the initial hardware investment, along with book prices ... but that will all come with time and more widespread adoption of the Kindle.
Oh, and there is no additional charge for the wireless download connection, so the user pays only the price of the book being downloaded.
And my new theme song is Crazy Love by Poco.
Later ...
Problems with Kindle? Not too much ... but in the first complete book I read, there were 11 actual typographical errors. This is extremely unusual to me in a published book. Typically, with the printed books I have, it's rare to find even one such error. So I'm thinking they still need to work on the conversion process that takes a published book from print to the Kindle (proprietary) format. Additionally, there were numerous missing hyphens and spaces (many more than the number of typos, I gave up counting these). Well, it's neat to have this compact form factor as well as the simplicity and ease of getting new books to read. And, by the way, the non-backlit text is very easy on the eyes ... I have to say it's really no different than reading paper. So that's something no one needs to worry about. I'd say that Amazon needs to put in a few ergonomic refinements and lower the cost of the initial hardware investment, along with book prices ... but that will all come with time and more widespread adoption of the Kindle.
Oh, and there is no additional charge for the wireless download connection, so the user pays only the price of the book being downloaded.
And my new theme song is Crazy Love by Poco.
Later ...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
50 Mile Ride, Over 700
Very good riding today as I followed my road route up towards Waterloo for 25 miles. It worked very well and I also saw some additional riding loop options such as turning south towards Vinton and then coming back through Shellsburg and Palo. I think I'll take the motorcycle out and ride such a route to check the distance and intersection turn choices. The bicycle odometer passed 700 today, reaching 708 by the time I made it back home. Burned 1756 calories and I didn't really focus too much on ensuring adequate carb availability. But I did have a few Slimfast bars, three carb gel packs and a 20 oz. Gatorade. I'd have needed much more than that for a full 100+ mile ride but it was adequate for today. Time for the ride was 3 hours and 15 minutes ... for a 15.2 mph average. Fairly easy to do when not hauling a load (like on RAGBRAI) and it could've been quite a bit better if not for a fairly consistent 10-25 mph breeze from the southeast (which affected the ride home significantly, although it did help on the way out).
Trying some new (old) songs again as I re-discover many that I've simply ignored for quite some time. One of these is "You Can Sleep While I Drive" by Melissa Etheridge. Also I'm trying some of the old Jim Croce stuff like "I Got A Name" and "Lover's Cross". Finally, a new (for me) country song "A Fire I Can't Put Out" by George Strait.
Tomorrow is the Spring Memorial Golf Tournament at Saddleback golf course in Solon. It will be good to see everyone from work again but, of course, sad in the sense that Larry will not be there. I'm tasked with running the scoring spreadsheet to figure out the winners (6 flights) as everyone comes in from the course. Although I was going to go to a surprise birthday party tomorrow night, I've decided to not go there as the start of the party is too close to the end of the golf outing and I don't want to be rushed in any way tomorrow.
Later ...
Trying some new (old) songs again as I re-discover many that I've simply ignored for quite some time. One of these is "You Can Sleep While I Drive" by Melissa Etheridge. Also I'm trying some of the old Jim Croce stuff like "I Got A Name" and "Lover's Cross". Finally, a new (for me) country song "A Fire I Can't Put Out" by George Strait.
Tomorrow is the Spring Memorial Golf Tournament at Saddleback golf course in Solon. It will be good to see everyone from work again but, of course, sad in the sense that Larry will not be there. I'm tasked with running the scoring spreadsheet to figure out the winners (6 flights) as everyone comes in from the course. Although I was going to go to a surprise birthday party tomorrow night, I've decided to not go there as the start of the party is too close to the end of the golf outing and I don't want to be rushed in any way tomorrow.
Later ...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
RAGBRAI Prep
Having traded in my tent for a Hennessey Hammock, the sleeping bag for a Hi-Tech blanket and eliminating the ThermaRest pad, I've been able to get all my sleeping gear in one pannier, all my riding clothes in a second and then the remaining stuff (first aid, walking shoes, sunscreen, etc.) in the front panniers with a little room left. Without having to mount the tent, etc., on the back of the bike I'm also able to now add back my regular rear rack top bag for some extra storage. With all that, the weight is currently at 36 pounds and I think I'll be able to keep it in the 40-42 range (this includes 3 20-oz. full water bottles) which compares to 55 pounds last year. We'll see, but I hope to be able to hit 40 pounds or less by the start of the ride.
Thinking about golfing today but I'd rather ride bicycle, so that's what I'm going to do. Probably up to Center Point, now that it's warmed up to about 60 degrees and it's sunny. I like the wind from the north too as that makes the ride back home "a breeze".
Ryan made it back to NC last night ... last week was a fun one with him here. I'll be taking some time off of riding in June to play some golf and to do some camping with Scott ... already sounds busy, eh?
Later ...
Thinking about golfing today but I'd rather ride bicycle, so that's what I'm going to do. Probably up to Center Point, now that it's warmed up to about 60 degrees and it's sunny. I like the wind from the north too as that makes the ride back home "a breeze".
Ryan made it back to NC last night ... last week was a fun one with him here. I'll be taking some time off of riding in June to play some golf and to do some camping with Scott ... already sounds busy, eh?
Later ...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Fun Week, 1 Milestone, Ironman
Well, it has been a great week. My son Ryan has been here (he's at his mom's this weekend) and we went up to North Dakota to visit my Aunt early in the week. Then we just went out singing (karaoke) and also worked on getting his birthday PC set up and ready for him to take back to school.
The milestone this week is that I passed 600 miles on the bicycle for the year (606, in fact) as of yesterday's ride. I'm thinking I'll have between 1500 and 2000 miles ridden before the start of RAGBRAI, so I should be in good shape for that. I've also done a preliminary map of a road route (i.e., non-bicycle trail) from here to Waterloo so I can try that out without having to worry about a muddy or overgrown bike trail impeding progress. The only drawback is that it's between 4 and 6 miles further to ride the road (i.e., the bike trail is more direct than the road) so that's 8-12 miles added on to the standard 104 mile ride. But it would still be fun to do and I know I can handle it.
Just talked to Scott (my younger son) and he's looking at doing a National Park tour in June and asked if I wanted to go with him (camping, driving from park to park all month). I do, but I might end up joining him in the middle (say in San Francisco or Oregon) for the last 2 weeks or so as I'm not sure I will feel comfortable with my RAGBRAI training if I take all of June off from bicycle riding. Well, we'll see what happens there but it would definitely be fun to spend a few weeks doing that, especially with the Hennessey Hammocks (I talked to him about that and he's going to order one as well since he was just trying to figure out what to do about a tent anyway). That would be good training for setup/breakdown of the hammock before RAGBRAI.
Not much else to talk about I guess, except for Ironman. Don't even think about not going to see it, this is a good flick.
Later ...
The milestone this week is that I passed 600 miles on the bicycle for the year (606, in fact) as of yesterday's ride. I'm thinking I'll have between 1500 and 2000 miles ridden before the start of RAGBRAI, so I should be in good shape for that. I've also done a preliminary map of a road route (i.e., non-bicycle trail) from here to Waterloo so I can try that out without having to worry about a muddy or overgrown bike trail impeding progress. The only drawback is that it's between 4 and 6 miles further to ride the road (i.e., the bike trail is more direct than the road) so that's 8-12 miles added on to the standard 104 mile ride. But it would still be fun to do and I know I can handle it.
Just talked to Scott (my younger son) and he's looking at doing a National Park tour in June and asked if I wanted to go with him (camping, driving from park to park all month). I do, but I might end up joining him in the middle (say in San Francisco or Oregon) for the last 2 weeks or so as I'm not sure I will feel comfortable with my RAGBRAI training if I take all of June off from bicycle riding. Well, we'll see what happens there but it would definitely be fun to spend a few weeks doing that, especially with the Hennessey Hammocks (I talked to him about that and he's going to order one as well since he was just trying to figure out what to do about a tent anyway). That would be good training for setup/breakdown of the hammock before RAGBRAI.
Not much else to talk about I guess, except for Ironman. Don't even think about not going to see it, this is a good flick.
Later ...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Great Trip ...
Ryan and I just got back from a quick trip to Fargo over the past 3 days. We went up there to spend some time with my Aunt Elaine, who has been diagnosed with cancer and may not be around as long as we would like. Anyway, it was a great time and we also got to go out and sing some karaoke with my cousin and his son. Then on the way back we headed south on I-29 and went through Sioux Falls on the way down to Missouri Valley, IA ... the starting point for this year's RAGBRAI ride. We then went through several of the ride's following towns to get a feel for the hills involved and, believe me, there are *many* more hills this year than last. So it will be an interesting ride, eh?
Oh, while up in Fargo we also stopped in to see my senior creative writing teacher from South High, Gloria Johnson. Just said "hi" and chatted for awhile and then headed out. We also stopped out at Uncle Don's shop and played some 8-ball with him while chomping down some pancakes (and peanuts).
It was sad leaving this morning but we're hoping for the best for Aunt Elaine as she reads and uses her new book on fighting cancer with good nutrition ... which I think will be an eye-opener for her (I bought a copy for myself, I liked it so much!). Hopefully, today was not the last time we'll be able to talk to her and give her a hug.
Later ...
Oh, while up in Fargo we also stopped in to see my senior creative writing teacher from South High, Gloria Johnson. Just said "hi" and chatted for awhile and then headed out. We also stopped out at Uncle Don's shop and played some 8-ball with him while chomping down some pancakes (and peanuts).
It was sad leaving this morning but we're hoping for the best for Aunt Elaine as she reads and uses her new book on fighting cancer with good nutrition ... which I think will be an eye-opener for her (I bought a copy for myself, I liked it so much!). Hopefully, today was not the last time we'll be able to talk to her and give her a hug.
Later ...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Good Timing ...
Some strong but not terribly severe storms around here this morning. Then it cleared up around noon and the sun came out with a temp in the mid 60's. So, although I was planning on not riding today, I simply couldn't resist the call of the road. Now at 549 miles and 34 hours for the year, I'm starting to get in pretty decent shape.
Ryan arrived on time this morning from Raleigh. It was good to see him and he'll be back over here on Sunday as we prepare to head out to North Dakota on Monday. It'll be good to see Aunt Elaine again.
Think I'll take the afternoon off now and get a sandwich as I consider where to go dancing tonight. Decisions, decisions ...
Later ...
Ryan arrived on time this morning from Raleigh. It was good to see him and he'll be back over here on Sunday as we prepare to head out to North Dakota on Monday. It'll be good to see Aunt Elaine again.
Think I'll take the afternoon off now and get a sandwich as I consider where to go dancing tonight. Decisions, decisions ...
Later ...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Nobody Knows, RAGBRAI News!
Interesting night of singing tonight (the evening of April 30). I went to 3 different places, including one on 2nd street where Chance was doing a show. Seemed a bit melancholy, I guess, which is somewhat unusual for me. Anyway, the main things that happened tonight are that someone asked me to sing Jim Croce's "Operator" (which I did).
By the way, some good news on RAGBRAI. I got my "wristband number" yesterday, meaning that I am fully registered for the 2008 ride. Well, now all I have to do is find a way to get to the start and get home from the finish ... of course, I could ride over to the start and ride home from the finish ... but I'm not sure I'm *that* much of an IronMan (hehe). Of course, Ironman (the movie) opens tomorrow (May 2) in Cedar Rapids and Ryan and I are tentatively planning on seeing it on Sunday. Should be cool!
Tonight's singing (i.e., the evening of May 1) was much more upbeat than last night (see text in the 1st paragraph, above) and two gals asked me to sing duets with them, plus I found a new duet partner for one song. So it was very good. Gotta decide what to do the next two nights though as I want to go out singing but there are a few good dances to consider as well. So many things to do ... so little time.
Ryan will be in town tomorrow and will be at my place on Sunday, that will be fun! Looks like some storms coming in from the southwest tonight ... hope all that clears up in time for Ryan's plane to land tomorrow morning (9:35).
Well ... goodnight all.
Ken
By the way, some good news on RAGBRAI. I got my "wristband number" yesterday, meaning that I am fully registered for the 2008 ride. Well, now all I have to do is find a way to get to the start and get home from the finish ... of course, I could ride over to the start and ride home from the finish ... but I'm not sure I'm *that* much of an IronMan (hehe). Of course, Ironman (the movie) opens tomorrow (May 2) in Cedar Rapids and Ryan and I are tentatively planning on seeing it on Sunday. Should be cool!
Tonight's singing (i.e., the evening of May 1) was much more upbeat than last night (see text in the 1st paragraph, above) and two gals asked me to sing duets with them, plus I found a new duet partner for one song. So it was very good. Gotta decide what to do the next two nights though as I want to go out singing but there are a few good dances to consider as well. So many things to do ... so little time.
Ryan will be in town tomorrow and will be at my place on Sunday, that will be fun! Looks like some storms coming in from the southwest tonight ... hope all that clears up in time for Ryan's plane to land tomorrow morning (9:35).
Well ... goodnight all.
Ken
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