Well…it was a long day yesterday and I didn’t sleep at all so this one is going to be short for now…I did lose at pool but don’t feel bad about it….okay…not working…back later…I’m back and feeling somewhat better after some water and thinking…but the brain is still not working as well as I like so this could get interrupted when it stops working completely…it was an okay day again yesterday and I did another 30 miles on the bike with no damage to show for it so I guess that is something….won’t go that far again today since I think I’m going to alternate 15 and 30 mile days….didn’t make coffee this morning and I may live to regret that later in the day…I may go out to read the papers tomorrow since this staying in here is getting boring…and I can sit outside at the coffee shop which would be neat…have to take a look at the weather and see if it’s going to be warm tomorrow…more later…
March 18th
Well…it was a day of basketball yesterday and not much else…the Wings lost their fourth in a row and then just look slow and unengaged…oh, well…not much that I can do about it….it was a gorgeous day out on the bike, though, and the 30 miles I did yesterday was not special…and that is a little disappointing…it’s suppose to be a big deal going that distance but I’m just a little sore today….and I wasn’t even tired when I got done…I think I’m going to try to do the 30 every day for a while…at least it’s something to do…not much to do today…it may be a pool day with Tom and K may come to hang out if she gets back form Chi-town in time…I’ll try to get back for another one…but it’s the weekend and you know how that goes…
March 17th
Well…it was a day yesterday that was filled with disappointment when Michigan lost in the first round of the NCAA’s but, at least the Wings didn’t play so another loss didn’t add to it…I’m running as late as I ever have, I think, and there is no reason for it other than I had to load up the slow cooker and get it started…I have gotten through the papers and the only coffee cup that was clean is this huge thing that is almost as big as the pot…so it only takes two cups to empty it…don’t know what that means other than it’s a lot of coffee…I am going out on the bike early today since it is already over 60 but I am going to get back into the normal routine for the weekends…it is going to be a no sprint day today but I may do 25 miles or so…not sure yet….I am going to try to get back here for more today even though I’m way ahead for the month…the repubs have a death wish attacking Medicare late this week that I do have to comment on…but, right now, Everton is playing Sunderland and it is tied so I need to get back to that…
Okay, just a quick update…it was so nice out there on the trail, and the Pink Floyd sounded so good that I did decide to do the route twice for almost 30 miles….just a little sore but I bought myself being able to eat whatever I want without any guilt today….so, I’m going to do just that…have ribs in the slow cooker for later and pork loin for lunch…
Arizona is the model if the Republicans win…
Well…just a short one to comment on the jaw-dropping new bill that is being passed in Arizona concerning women’s access to birth control….this new bill would make women prove they are not using birth control for non-medical reasons…like for contraception before their medical plans would cover this necessary medicine….and the worst part is that it would allow all employers to not cover birth control without any reason….and, depending on the interpretation, may allow employers to fire women who use it….I’m not making this up people….this is what the US is going to look like if the repubs win the White House this fall….I just have nothing more to add to this one…just can’t believe we are still talking about this nonsense in 2012…geez…
Finishing up the placholders…
Well…I promised I’d get back to take on the placeholders from last night..the first one is the repubs going into full attack mode on the proposed release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to bring down oil prices…and, of course, the repubs don’t want to hear it, trying to tar this attempt to relieve prices for the middle class “just politics” and vowing to fight it….but, I have a different take on the whole thing…first, what’s wrong with spanking the speculators that are driving up the price? Every analyst says there is plenty of supply and the Saudi’s have said that there isn’t anyplace to put any increased output….so, the only reason that oil prices are soaring is the speculators are betting there will be a rise in prices which fuels the rise in prices…pretty neat for the speculators, huh? Second…why not sell of oil that was purchased at 20-70 dollars a barrel for 128 dollars? It wouldn’t hurt to sell off 10 million of the 177 million barrels in the reserve and even using the top price of 70 dollars, that would make a profit of almost 500 million dollars that could be used to reduce the deficit….I threw that last part in kind of tongue in cheek…500 million would be smaller than a drop in the bucket against the deficit but I wanted to say it before some politician. The only reason the repubs don’t want this release is that their oil company masters love it when prices soar…just more profits for the oil companies and campaign contributions for the repubs…geez…
March 16th
Well…I know there is a placeholder down below but I wanted to get to this one first…weird thing..split my heel open last night and now I have blood trails on my carpet…didn’t notice it until this morning so I have some cleaning to do today…it was a cocktail night last night watching the basketball so I do feel a little slow but okay….there is a really thick fog outside that I hope holds until it gets light so I can go ride in it this morning…the dew on everything makes it look so cool…not much else to do today….more b-ball but that is about it…I will be back for the placeholders in a few but right now I need to go back to the couch and drink some water…
Okay, I’m back for a few minutes to add to this one since doing another one on my routine, daily life just seems like cheating..but I did want to comment on the bike ride…went out early today to get into the fog that was quite thick and it was just so cool…it looked like the world had shrunk down to about 30 yards across and even the sound was different…and the dew that collected on my hands made the fine hairs on them look like I was turning into some kind of werewolf….all in all, one of the best rides of the year so far…
One last thing….I’m having trouble choosing which gear to wear today…Michigan or the Wings…okay, it’s Michigan….maybe if I don’t wear my Wings gear they’ll win tonight…
another placeholder…sorry
I need to put a placeholder in to remind me to talk about oil prices and the possible release from the SPR….cost now versus costs then….oh, and Mitt and the dog to his callousness about dogs and people…
A little known fact on Keystone…
Well…just a short one on some little known developments in the Keystone pipeline dustup…with the repubs continuing lies on where the oil coming through the pipeline is going to go; making the statement over and over that it will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and all of the other nonsense they continue to shout, we had Ron Wyden, the senator from Oregon offer to help get the pipeline approved if the repubs would agree to legislation that would mandate that any oil that comes through the pipeline would be sold in the US. Seems to me to be a reasonable compromise, but the repubs went nuts and started their normal screeds that the government shouldn’t interfere in business, yada, yada, yada…..to any thinking person, what this means is that the repubs are lying again…even the pipeline company has said that most of the oil will be sold into the world market and will be used to “correct” the oversupply in the midwest; resulting in higher prices there. So, anytime you hear the repubs talking about Keystone (or Exxon for that matter in the new ads they have out), they are lying…lying about where the oil is going to go and lying about how many jobs the pipeline will bring….geez…
This is interesting…
Well… just a short one on politics since the NCAA tournament is on…I’m not usually a basketball fan but who can resist right now? Okay… read a really interesting article this morning in some paper..not sure which one but the interesting part is that as the repubs tack further and further to the right, they are becoming the party of angry, old, white people, that feel that their time has passed and who will do anything to try to maintain their privileged place in the world. And, it does nothing but get worse for the repubs as the changing demographics of the population is taken into account; with their harsh rhetoric against immigrants, they have alienated the fastest growing segment of the population. The article was interesting in describing the groups that the repubs have offended in this campaign…starting with women, Hispanics, independents, and basically everyone other than their base…and the stupid thing is that appealing only to their base to get through the primaries, they are limiting themselves to about 30% of the electorate in the general election. But, it couldn’t happen to a better bunch…who would vote for ole Mitt when he stated the other day “oh, Planned Parenthood, we’ll get rid of that”….an organization that does more for women’s health needs than any other in the US….this pandering to the hard right, hate everyone but themselves group is going to guarantee a loss this fall…keep it up, guys…
Snakes on the trail!!
Well…haven’t done a trail update in quite a while but today’s weather and the happenings out there have made one necessary…first off, what a fricking great day! I came back from the ride sweating through my shoes…oh, I’m burying the lead….okay, the snakes…first, on the run through the woods, I almost ran over an 18 inch Garter snake…just missed his head by about two inches and the thought entered my head “cool, first snake of the year” and it made me smile a bit….but then, up the trail a couple of miles, I was looking out about 30 yards or so and, since I had already seen one snake, thought there was another or a stick on the trail ahead….then, I noticed something big coming over my left shoulder, turned and saw a red-tailed hawk diving to skim over the ground at just a couple of feet of altitude and right next to me so close that I could see the feathers on it’s wingtips move…the hawk then stalled, hit what I thought was a stick, and carried another snake into the air; landing on one of the power poles that line the powerline trail. One of the coolest things I have seen in quite a while and it is such a huge cliche’ but it made me feel glad to be alive and there….