Archive for July 2011
Talking Tour
I really am enjoying this year’s Tour de France bike race. I am a reluctant Mark Cavendish fan. I like him, and I dislike him. I suspect that the things about him that bother me, are probably what contribute to his success as a sprinter, and produce the aspect of him that I do like. I don’t have any strong opinions about the current yellow jersey holder, Frenchman Thomas Voekler. I like that he appears humble, and he has done well to keep the lead through the Pyrenees Mountain stages. I like the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank. I wish at least one of them could accomplish a gap from the other contenders on a climb, before the chances to do so pass by. I am not a fan of Alberto Contador, but I stand in awe of his climbing abilities. I look forward to seeing what transpires in the final week, where they will climb in the Alps and then ride an individual time trial. I anticipate a change in the lead, yet, at the same time, I will not be surprised if the order of the General Classification holds as it is, all the way to the end.
Watching the daily stage races on television provides opportunity to witness a select few cycling-related advertisements over and over again. I’m really not the target audience, primarily due to my lack of interest in buying the latest and greatest equipment that they are hawking. However, on a whim, when they ran an ad for a new Cannondale bicycle, said to be lighter, stiffer, stronger, and more aerodynamic than all other bikes, I allowed myself to imagine the possibility.
In all honesty, I do not do any road riding that would justify this level of bicycle. I am the kind of person who likes to carry plenty of things with me on my bicycle. It wouldn’t make sense to buy the lightest bicycle and then load it down with a trunk full of relatively heavy conveniences. Of course, the heaviest thing on my bicycle is me. If I want to peddle a lighter load, I should lose some of the extra weight around my middle.
Regardless, I decided to imagine myself buying one of the latest and greatest new bicycles being offered. I did a search for pricing information:
I won’t be considering the “Ultimate” as a potential new bike for me.
As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go back to pushing the “Mute” button during ads for the rest of the race. Hopefully, that will help me to ignore the commercial for the stationary trainer that allows you to select a route on Google Maps, and then it automatically adjusts the resistance to simulate the terrain of the route you picked. Some of the Tour stages come pre-programmed!
What I really need is Cyndie to come back to town and distract me with games of Scrabble on her iPad.
Foot Print
I’m back in town, having left Cyndie up at the lake with her mother. The hot, humid weather continues its oppressive squeeze on us here, so staying near that great big natural cooler of a lake is where she will be. I’ll succumb to the air-conditioned atmosphere of the day job. Yesterday, when I went out to take a picture of the thick air over the lake, I noticed that every cool surface outside was damp with condensation. It made tracks.
Humidity Wave
This week, we are experiencing what would most often be referred to as, a heat wave. However, the brunt of the oppression is coming as a result of a dew point temperature that is hovering near the 80°F (26°C) mark. That manifests in a variety of obvious ways. Most ubiquitous is the puddle that forms around our water glasses. It creates the impression that there is more water outside the glass, than inside.
As is often said, “What a difference a day can make.”
Yesterday, Cyndie got out in the water for the first time since she injured her knee in May. What a lift that was for her! Everything about the day was supreme, which added to her bliss, which she expressed with irrepressible exuberance. Once again, pictures tell both stories better than words, especially the contrast…
Today
Yesterday
Aaah Summer
I just can’t seem to keep my hands off my laptop screen. I know a certain lad who grew up in my home who is much more disciplined than me. If it is not a touch-screen, hands off. This morning, I noticed a smudge on the display of my laptop and reached out to give it a wipe with my bare hand. How Neanderthal of me! Then it occurred to me that using my hand to clean it was not nearly as disgusting as the way the smudge got there in the first place.
In the calm and dark of the hot summer evening, as I lean back in my comfy chair and scan the far reaches of the world on my computer, the distinctive glow of the screen attracts whatever winged insect happens to have made its way indoors with me. I just can’t help myself. I actually reach out and put my finger on the little no-see-um that has alighted on the display. How gross is that?
Knee News
I must have experienced an intuition which led me to choose that image of Cyndie’s knee brace for yesterday’s post. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I wasn’t entirely unaware of the fact that Cyndie would be going to a physical therapy appointment in the morning. The news out of that appointment was exciting! She was given permission to spend more time out of the brace than in it. Also, for the first time since the injury occurred, she is allowed to put partial weight on the broken knee, while using her crutches. In addition, she gets to add swimming back into her routine. That is a real special milestone for her, and will give added incentive for our weekend drives up to the lake. It has been a torture for her to sit on the beach, but not go in the water.
There is evidence the bone is healing, and she has successfully avoided putting any weight on it up to now, which has prevented the fractured portion from displacing. They even teased her with the possibility that riding horses might be only a month away, if she experiences no setback in progress.
Cyndie is very focused on getting back to spending more time with the horses. Monday she made the trip out to visit her friend’s ranch, just to sit in a chair at a corner where groups of horses in two different fields can reach her. Someone pointed out that she should see the movie, “Buck,” that is in the theaters here now. She didn’t hesitate. We made it a date Monday night and went out for dinner and a movie. It is a pretty special portrait of a man who definitely understands how to communicate with horses, and that a horse is a mirror to our soul. We highly recommend it.
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Good luck today to the US Women soccer team in their semi-final game against France. Turn it on if you get a chance, (11:00 a.m. CDT, ESPN). I am not able to miss work to witness the competition, but I will try to pick up a bit of the live streaming video during my lunch hour. What? Me, fret?
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Well, Well…
Full disclosure: I fretted. Regardless what I posted yesterday, the intensity was a bit too much for me. Yes, indeed, I fretted. The red card, the penalty shot. The second penalty shot. Pretty much the entire 2 overtime periods. But my admonition to stay engaged and never give up because you never know what might happen, was more prophetic than I could ever have imagined. How long could anyone expect to hold out? After the full 30-minutes of extra time has passed? Into the last seconds of the added time to the overtime period? It is the stuff of fantasy. The latest goal in the history of the Women’s World Cup. Granted, it took the penalty kick shootout to seal the deal, but it was the tying goal that deserves all the attention possible. Absolutely picture perfect. Everything about it. Watch it. Please. Even if you have seen it, it deserves to be seen again and again. Congratulations Megan, Abby, and the rest of your team.
Meanwhile, the following is a case of not being able to avert my eyes from a train wreck. As absolutely awful as this is, I have stared at this multiple times and I still cannot believe it. I suppose, to those who are not familiar with bike racing, this must seem a totally expected situation; seeing cars, racing bikes, and motorcycles all squeezed onto roads together. Honestly, it is probably more remarkable that this doesn’t happen more often than it does. But, really, this was just so outrageous on so many levels. Avert your eyes, if you can.
So, hang in there today, you just don’t know what might happen next. Oh, and try not to fret.
Relative Something 