To Work or Not to Work

Having a job has made me view my time and other things a lot differently than I previously had. Before I had a job, I thought that I didn't have any free time to just hang out and have fun. Now, I know that I don't have any extra time! Seriously though, I have realized that if there is something that needs to be done, whether it be chores or homework, or work outside of that, time can always be made to serve the purpose. Somethings like sleep or bike riding or practicing the horn might be done less frequently or for not as long, but all the necessities get done.
While it is possible to do all this, I'm beginning to question whether the money I make is worth my time. Sure, money is good to have, but how much better would my grades be if I spent even a fraction of the time I am at work studying? How much more fit would I be if I rode my bike all the days that I haven't been able to due to working? How much more relaxed would I be if I used that time to just hang out with my friends, or actually help out at home?
It's a double-edged sword, most definitely.

Windy Evening at the BBQ Fest

So last Friday, on the opening evening of the Barbeque Festival, the Apollo Jazz Band played music for an hour or so as entertainment. It was a fun time, but for the fact that a few things make the BBQ Fest one of my least favorite events. We had to be at the River Park at 5:45, so I left my house at 5:20 in earnest of finding a decent parking spot. Apparently I was not early enough. I finally found a parking spot at 5:40, 5 minutes before we were supposed to be infront of the River Park, seven blocks away at Allen St. and 7th. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I had to make two trips to carry all my stuff. Joe Stone came with me the second time and saved me from the ardous walking again by showing me his secret hiding spot to park. So we finally get up and start playing, but we're next to the river so it is hilariously windy. Even with the help of large paper clips to hold down my music, it still ends up blowing all over the stage no less than three times. We finally got done though, and playing at the BBQ fest was fun, but I'm glad it only comes once a year.

Mother's Day

So as we all know, last Sunday was that special day for all the ladies who are responsible for our existence here on this Earth. (With a little help from Pops, too.) But on this day, we honored our Mothers.
At my household, it was about 9 in the morning, and we had all just gotten home from church. My mom was deservedly sitting at the kitchen table reading and sipping hot tea, instead of her normal cooking routine on Sundays. Pops was at the stove making gravy or something, I don't recall, but anyway, he calls me over and whispers, "Do you have any money on you?" I did, so I said yes. His voice got a little louder, surely so that my mother would hear. "Ok, Joe, I want you to go to the store and get PEACHES IN HEAVY SYRUP AND FRUIT COCKTAIL AND BANANAS. THEN COME HOME, OK?!?!?!" I stared at him like he had grown a second head, but then a second later it clicked. I needed to get something special for madre. So with little brother in tow, I drove to the store and got the "necessary" items, plus a nice card and some flowers for the lady of the day. My brother was sulky that I didn't get her any candy. So I asked him, "Do I look like I'm made of money?" He goes, "Yeah, DUH!"

What a lovely day it was.

This time of the school year is absolute agony...

Well, here it is again. Approaching May, with a little more than a month left for school. It is going to be the longest month of my life, I can just feel it. I don't understand how this happens, this sluggish, unwilling attitude that grips me and my fellow students around this time each year. My head keeps telling me to press on with schoolwork, extracurriculars, and studying for AP tests and finals, et cetera, but I am mentally spent. I realize that this is just a fact of life that we all have to deal with, but regardless, I will be among the happiest to finally reach summer vacation so that we can all take a breather.

Wednesday Time Trial

So I did my first time trial yesterday at Panther Creek park, which was organized by River City Racing, the local team. I got there a bit late, so I got to start dead last. That's kind of a good thing, considering that makes it impossible for me to be caught, which really is demoralizing. I did manage to pass the two people in front of me, and came desperately close to passing a third person, whom I caught just after the finish line. I only averaged 20.67 miles per hour, which put me around the 9.8 mile course in about 28 minutes. Despite my mediocre time, I can't wait until next month when I can improve upon my time.

Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2010

I must say that I am surprised and a bit disappointed. This race is a Classic that waas won by Eddy Merckx 5 times, earning him the title "Mr. Liege-Bastonge-Liege. This year, the race was won by Alexandre Vinokourov, a Kazakh rider who was suspended for doping 3 years ago at the 2007 Tour de France. He was completely unrepentant, and now most of the professional peloton and fans alike hate his guts. Now that he has actually won something of prominence, it raises the question "Is he back on the juice?" I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt until something is actually proven, but I would not be surprised at all if a positive test pops up somewhere in the next couple of months. If not, well then, Congratulations Vino, good ride.

President Obama

There seems to be a great deal of hateful feelings and attitudes directed at our Commander in Chief recently. The aggravation claims to be stemming from health care reform, or whatever other policy he is thinking about enacting, but I think that it is just an excuse for some people to launch against him in their own personal crusade. I don't agree with everything that Mr. Obama is doing and plans to do, but I do need to get one thing straight. All politics aside, whether we like it or not, this man is in charge of the entire nation. I don't think that we necessarily have to like him on a personal level, and certainly should there be political opposition, but regardless of both of these things, he is our President. Bottom line. He deserves our respect and support as citizens of the United States. When Mr. Bush was President, I didn't agree with all of his policies either, but anytime people would begin to bash him, I was glad to defend him, and likewise with Mr. Obama. He has the most stressful job on the planet. I know that both of them have done and will continue to do a better job than me, and besides, I don't think the Presidency is a job anybody truly wants. Especially not after actually understanding what all it entails. The office should be respected, no acceptions. To quote an unknown person, "The man on top of the mountain did not fall there." He is in the position he needs to be, and I think that personal issues need to be set aside if we are going to recover and flourish again as a country.

Fabian Cancellara- What an athlete.

I think it's safe to say that Fabian Cancellara is my all-time favorite professional cyclist. It's no secret that he has had an amazing career already, and at only 29 years old, he is sure to be dominating for many years to come. With impressive palmares like 3 Tour de France prologues resulting in a week in the yellow jersey, along with a win in Classics such as the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Milan Sanremo. He also is the current world time trial champion, for the third time in his career. While any self-respecting cyclist would be more than happy with any one of these results, Cancellara just keeps getting better and continues to dominate. Take the last 3 weeks for example. Fabian is on the form of his life, and has won a race every week since the beginning of April, beginning with the E3 Prijls, followed by a magnificient win in the Ronde de van Vlaanderen (aka the Tour of Flanders), and most recently, at his most clinical, a crushing domination of a very strong field of riders in last Sunday's "Hell of the North", Paris-Roubaix, winning it for the second time. I can't wait until the meat of the season gets here, with Mr. Fabian Cancellara continuing to awe fans around the globe.

Choosing the Right College

Recently, I've been picking up some speed on trying to decide on where I want to go to school after high school. It helps a little bit more now that I know I want to major in Music, but still there are so many things to consider that I'm a bit overwhelmed. All my band friends say that I should go to a place like Murray or WKU, because they have really good music programs. This is true, and both of these are fine schools, it's just that I'd like to be a little further away from home. That seems to be a foreign concept to everybody for some reason. It's not like I want to change my citizenship or anything, it's just I'd like to broaden my horizons. That said, since I know more about in-state schools than out-of-state schools, for one, I can't use my KEES money, and on the other hand, I don't know as much about them. So what I'm endeavoring to do over Spring Break is to visit a couple of colleges that have piqued my interest and see how they turn out. Hopefully I will get some good answers!

Joe Biden

Alright, so I'm sure at this point everyone has heard about Joe Biden and his infamous slip of the tongue the night healthcare reform was past. I'm not here to talk about politics, but I will however, discuss morals. I find it highly irritating and discomforting that someone who is in such power in our government cannot control his loud vulgar mouth. He is someone who I'm sure a lot of people look up to, simply for the fact of his position. So, quite honestly, his behavior is unacceptable. If we can't trust our vice president to keep a clean tongue in his head, what does that say for the rest of our government? All I'm trying to say is, it's more than a little disconcerting that we have someone in office like that who can't control their words with more finesse.

Results from the Criterium International

The two day race has wrapped up for 2010, with many surprising results. Former French champion Pierrick Fedrigo dominated on the first mountain stage and was able to defend his lead through the flat stage and short time trial on Sunday.
Two of the favorites for the Tour de France in July, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, both suffered especially on the mountain stage, with Contador getting dropped from the front group, citing that his breathing problems from his allergies were to blame for his ineffective chase. Lance Armstrong was certainly not at his best, getting dropped off the back and finishing a mere 15th on Sunday's time trial, 17 seconds back from the winner David Millar of Garmin-Transitions. Contador, however, seemed to have recovered from the day before and finished an impressive second, only 2 seconds behind Millar. Fedrigo held on for 17th place, securing his overall win. Congratulations, Monsieur Fedrigo, on your win in this prestigious event.

In Heaven

I think we all have our ideas of what heaven is going to be like, but I don't really have an opinion on the whole "eternity" thing. However, I think one of the first things I would like to do is meet all the people who I admired during life. Not anything big or grand, maybe just having a cup of coffee at a small table with each of them individually. It would certainly take a while, but I'd have all the time in the world. This isn't the complete list, obviously, but I think it'd be awesome to get to know people like: Pope John Paul II, Paulo Coelho, Gustav Mahler, Wynton Marsalis, Wolfgang Mozart, the Dalai Llama, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Harry Truman, my great-grandfather that I'm named after, Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Omar Sharif, Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, King Louis XIV, William Shakespeare, Gregory Peck, Clark Gable, Susan B. Anthony, Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher, along with all the friends and lifelong partners I am sure to meet in my existence on Earth.

What do you wish you could take time out to do?

I really would like to have a day where I could put some serious miles in on the bike. Because of school or crappy late winter/early spring weather, all my rides have been sub-45 milers. Which I suppose would be a good thing, since I don't want to burn out early in the season, but still. It just seems that ever since November it's either been too cold or I've had school junk to do on the weekends. Take this weekend for instance. Friday was a beautiful day, and with the new extra hour-ish of sunlight, I was able to squeeze in 32 miles before dark. Saturday was gorgeous also, with plentiful sunshine and mild temperatures. But I had to be in Nashville for our last academic team competiton, so riding was postponed until 5 PM when we returned. I got about 8 miles into it, and I crossed some railroad tracks. One jostling bump later, and my handlebars are bent all to heck. Jeez! So I hobble back home riding on the tops and shelve the bike riding for Sunday.
They need to rename that day, because all there was was cloudy, overcast skies and inches of rain. It figures, the first day I have off in weeks, it's crummy weather outside. So I just sucked it up and put on a jacket and shoe covers and went out for a ride, thinking it would eventually clear up. Wrong. 30 miles and 2 hours later, my dad calls demanding to know where I'm at so he can come get me. I didn't need him to come get me, it was only about 15 miles home, but he insisted on the grounds that I was going to catch cold or some such nonsense.
So, hopefully on Spring Break, I can get some lovely weather to crank out some mileage.
Heck, I would even take high 80s and humid over windy and wet.

What was it like the first time you drove a car?

Considering this happened fairly recently, I can recount this event pretty well. I remember that when a got my permit in the fall of my sophomore year, I was elated. I was so excited to get to drive. Finally after having my permit for about two weeks, my mom took me over to a parking lot so I could get a feel for the car. I had never driven previously, and the car I was going to drive was a 1996 Dodge pickup truck. To make matters even more complicated, it was a stick shift. I assured myself that this upped my cool points and somehow evened out the fact that the car was light purple and green in color. The parking lot was spacious and had a roundabout that I could just drive slowly and continuously in. Simple enough, right? WRONG. I quickly learned that on manual transmissions, especially old ones like the one I had, it takes a great deal of finesse in order to not only start the car, but to get it in motion and keep it there. Much more complicated than an automatic. My parents did own an automatic car, but it was our relatively new Chevrolet Suburban and they decided that that was just too much sheet metal for a new driver like myself. And besides, it was good to learn on a stick anyway. After about a week, I was finally able to shift smoothly and consitently without too much trouble, and the monotiny of driving in the parking lot or back to the house on the same roads just got a little tiring. The real anxiety and exhiliration came when I got my license and was able to drive by myself. It was an invigorating experience, and to this day still makes me feel like more of an adult and gives me a great sense of freedom.

Alberto Contador wins Paris-Nice

Well, the Spanish stage race superstar is at it again. He just can't stop winning, can he? After his victory at the Volta ao Algarve, Contador defeated his rivals in the Race to the Sun by dominating on the only mountaintop finish and riding a defensive race against the likes of compatriots Alejandro Valverde (a 14 seconds) and Luis Leon Sanchez. Sanchez won the race last year after an isolated Contador suffered from the hunger knock. A lot of commentators and critics has commented on Contador's seeming lack of appreciation or need for team support. But I say, if he is strong enough, or conversely, if his team isn't strong enough for the situation, like in the final stage of Paris-Nice, when Contador rode away from the team to defend his maillot jaune against Valverde, then more power to him. Several people comment on the obviously weaker state of the Astana squad after Armstrong has hired many on his new team RadioShack. Personally, with no Team Time Trial in le Tour this summer, I don't think the strength of his team will be an issue. He is still the most dominating climber, and as stage 18 of the Tour de France 2009 shows, not too shabby of a time-trialist either. After all, Greg Lemond won the 1986 edition of the race against incumbent Bernard Hinault and his entire French based team. As for predicitons, I will let time tell. We'll see in July.

The Criterium International

This race is taking place in Corsica on March 29 and 30. It is a 2 day, 3 stage race, with a road stage taking place on both mornings, and a time trial at the end of the second day. Jens Voigt, a German rider riding for Saxo Bank, has won this prestigious event no less than five times. Another interesting bit of information is that this race is the first since the 2009 Tour de France that rivals Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong will compete against each other. Armstrong was planning on racing this course last year, but a broken collarbone at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon prevented it. It promises a lot of action, and is taking place this year on the island of Corsica. It will be the first time the race is held outside of France, but nonetheless it will be a very exciting race.

Unbeknownst-That's a funny word.

Anyway, the chicken had more than one reason to cross the road.

1.) To get to the other side.
2.) There was a "chick" over there.
3.) Chick-fil-A was having a special.
4.) The walk light was on.
5.) There was a garage sale.
6.) He was late for class.
7.) He was chasing Harrison Ford while impersonating Tommy Lee Jones.
8.) He was chasing Wesley Snipes while impersonating Tommy Lee Jones.
9.) He was chasing someone for an autograph, "chickened" out, went to turn back, and got plowed by a car.
10.) The ambulance broke down a block away from the emergency room.

Apollo Academic Team at GC Regionals

So this past Saturday Apollo hosted the KAAC Region 3 Governor's Cup Regionals. After many of us advanced in our written assesments from District competition and the quick recall team got in by the skin of our teeth, we were pretty pumped to get in and kick some tail. As it turns out, there is really only one word that can describe the day's events: bittersweet.

Pros: 4 people advanced to State in 3 tests, and one in Composition, the Quick Recall team beat the heck out of Henderson and Owensboro High School (the school that narrowly beat us at District) and in the breaks between the lunch and the second match, Rock Band all around.

Cons: While I'm happy that I can go to State in my written assessment, it's a hollow win. I was only one point in front of Kiersten Richards, and that turned out to be the point that denied her a placing. It's truly a shame, because we all know that she put a tremendous amount of time and effort into studying for it. In my opinon, she absolutely deserved to go, but life is just unfair.
We were also beaten by our arch-rivals, Grayson County, and let's just say that they aren't the most gracious of winners. After beating Owensboro and getting into the 4th round, we had a lead on Edmondson County going into the second half, but they came back with a vengeance and stomped us out of contention. So Quick Recall was out.
The FPS team had competed on Wednesday afternoon, but we wouldn't find out any results until the awards ceremony on Saturday. At the awards ceremony, they call FPS results in reverse order from fourth up. Fourth place: Some other school. Ok, we're still good. Third Place:...Apollo High School. I wanted to scream. Turns out, we also missed State in FPS by a one point technicality, which makes defeat all the more hard to swallow.

In the end, we may not have achieved everything we had hoped for, but we came darn close. I know that with a little more knowledge and a bit of luck, we will triumph in the competitions to come.

A Surefire Classic

Too many times lately, I have heard the phrase, "like in the good-old days". I think there is a certain longing in all of us that wants to experience our lives again in childhood or in the generation before us, when things seemed to be simpler. We cling at memories and fight to remember the way things used to be, in hopes that we may revive it one day. I think one of the best ways to not only feel nostalgic and suave, but also to brighten someone's day, is to write them a letter. Write. Not Type. On a piece of stationary, or a card, stick it in an envelope, lick the stamp, and put it in the mail. You would be surprised at how nice it is to receive something like this in the mail, often at a time when you least expect it. That's my challenge for you readers. Write someone a thank you letter, for no particular reason. "Just because" is good enough. What are friends for, now?

Alice in Wonderland/Willy Wonka/Anything you like.

The new movie remake has been airing trailers, and quite frankly, while the movie looks absolutely loony, I am somewhat attracted to it. This leads me to ponder, why do things that are uncharacteristic to our nature sometimes appeal to us in a big way?
I'm a huge fan of the movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Not the one with precious-Johnny in it, but the original. Gene Wilder, while his interpretation of Willy Wonka seems tame to that of Johnny Depp's, he was the better of the two in my opinion. He kept the character just barely tangible, so that the effect was someone we could relate to, but also someone that we subconsciously envied because of his freedom of actions and whimsicality. Why can't we all be that unique and admired? Obviously, we can't. In the movie The Incredibles, the villian states that through him, everyone can have super powers; everybody can excel. And if everybody's super, NO ONE IS. That is because a people, individuals in everyday society, iconoclasts if you will, are head and shoulders above everyone else. If suddenly everyone had the capability to be someone really special, for example, Einstein, than the whole connotation of the word, Einstein, would be lost. If everyone is as smart as one of the smartest people, then everyone is the same. Nothing is exceptional about that.

The best reasons for doing nothing.

Being dead.
Being Asleep.
Being Switzerland in a military conflict. (Because they do lots more than nothing in everything else.)
Having a snow day.
Being Paralyzed.
Being given a beating. (But seriously, who does nothing when that happens?)
Being a big fat politician in someplace.
Like Washington.
In all of these things, the people who aren't performing action technically can't help it. It is in their nature.
Now, obviously sometimes, people who have to capability to perform an action choose not too. Like a couch potato. Or someone who is clinically depressed. The couch potato chooses not to move because they are lazy. The depressed person does not move or act because they figure, why bother? In this sense, philosophers are clinically depressed. Or lazy. Or both. But they do think an awful lot. So I suppose that counts for something.

Several Ways in Which to Express Negatory Feelings without Actually Saying So

I'd rather that you didn't.
Please don't.
Stop. That's enough, Randy.
Absolutely not.
Non.
Never in a million years.
When Hell freezes over.
When pigs fly.
I'd love to, but I'm staying home to work on my cottage cheese sculpture.
Ewwwww.
If you do, I swear I'll...et cetera *censored* et cetera.
Why don't we do it my way?
Why don't you go do something else.
I'M watching T.V.
I do not want to play with you.
Oprah just isn't my favorite person.
I already saw that movie.
You are ugly.
I do not wish to conversate with you.
Non, s'il te plait aller.
Nope.

Silly things.

Here are some things I find to be extraordinary silly.
Musicals.
High School Musicals.
Tabloids.
Celebrities.
Celebrity Fan-boys.
Celebrity Fan girls.
Political Parties.
Blank-Americans.
Japanese youth.
Hello Kitty.
Dora the Explorer.
Go Diego Go.
Smart Cars.
Cadillac Escalades.
"Bling".
Project Runway.
America's Next Top Model.
Hillary Duff.
Miley Cyrus.
Hannah Montana.
Her parents.
Nickelodeon, as of late. What a shame.
The Disney Channel. The Anti-Walt.
Couches.
Laptops.
Blackberries.
Texting.
MySpace.
Telling people your schedule throughout the day, from your waking moment to your late bedtime, along with relationship conversations with your significant other via Facebook status updates.
Giggling.
Snorting while giggling, especially if female. How unattractive.
McDonalds.
Burger King.
Walmart.
Kmart.
Cosmopolitan Magazine- 100 ways to please a man? Give me a break, that list is 97 things too long. Let him drive, make him a sandwich, and don't talk during the commercials.
Lady Gaga.
Kanye West.
Taylor Swift. (You see now I take no prisoners.)
Jay Leno.
David Letterman.
Conan O'Brien.
Bill Clinton.
George Double-You Bush.
Having to ask to go to the bathroom.
M.I.A.
Paper Planes.
The 2006 Tour de France.
Rhythmic Gymnastics.
Running in place at a stoplight while jogging.
Bottled water.
99 cent items.
Pennies.
Robert Pattinson.
Taylor Lauter.
Androgynous names.
Janet Napolitano.
Indoor pets.
John L. Woolley.
Dentists.
Orthodonists.
Psychiatrists.
Fortune Tellers.
Zoroastrianism.
Jehovah's Witnesses.
Furbies.
Tickle Me Elmo.
Non-cookie eating Cookie Monsters.
National Public Radio.
Rush Limbaugh.
MSNBC.
Fox News.
Keith Olbermann.
Charles Barkley.
Hillary Clinton.
Michelle Obama.
Laura Bush.
Sarah Palin.
John Madden.

Just because these are silly doesn't make them bad.

Ooops

I apologize for the large picture in my last blog, as you can't really see it.

Here is another picture which represents another mustache.

Ever since I was a very small boy, I have longed for a nice, full, mustache. I don't know what it is, but to me, a moustache exutes an air of power and maturity. When you look at a man with a well-groomed mustache, you say, Hey, that guy knows what he's doing!

If I could have a big mustache now, I would go with something like Tom Selleck had in the television show Magnum, P.I.

I illustrate this magnificent embodiment of manlihood with this photograph.

Which is actually above, not below like I asked blogger to do. Thanks Blogger, my blog is quite lovely indeed now.

Wonderful Winter Which Warms Wandering Wassailers

When it is Winter, it is very cold outside. While some people Would argue that the cool temperatures are a Wonderful and Welcome change to the Woeful heat of the Waining summer, I tend to disagree. While pondering this, I tried to think of the many terrible and treacherous things that make Winter quite a bore.
When you hands dry up, they crackle and hurt and get itchy and dry. While some Would encourage me to wear moisturizer or lotion, I say be quiet, that stuff is greasy. Why Would you possibly Want to slather up that nastiness all over your hands, Which debilitate and and detract from the availability and usefulness of your hands.
Wondering what else I could add to my Wandering pondering, I am drawn further to the affect of Weather that isn't so Warm and its affect on (W)one's body. When it is cold outside, a certain thing blows in your face, chaps your lips, and makes you red in the face, and annoys the everliving crap out of you. "What is this cruel monstrosity?" you may ask. Well, I Will grant your Wish and tell you with utmost Wistfullness. Wind, Which is Windy and terrible and full of cold air in these less favorable months, Will Willingly Wreck any chance you have at Whistling Wonderfully.
While some will tell me that I have overlooked certain important aspects of Winter, I say unto them, "Who cares?"

Snow Days

Personally I don't care for them. They throw off the schedule of the week, force extra-curriculars to be rescheduled, and give a reason for my parents to get me to do laundry. Fun, fun, fun. It's even worse when what initially is a one or two hour delay turns into a full blown closed school day. Take this morning for instance. I rolled over and heard my mom tell my sister that it was a one hour delay, so I pulled the covers up and went back to sleep. Then at seven, an hour after I normally get up, I get dressed and ready, et cetera. Then the OneCall doo-hickey declares it a snow day. Great. So glad I got up and ready in anticipation of staying at home all day. So when I try and make the most of my mini-break, suddenly calling every college in the country to schedule a visit during Spring Break (which is still a full two months away) is the most important thing in the world, according to my father. My one condolence is that our FPS competition wasn't canceled or postponed. So here's to you, snow day. Thanks for all you do, especially the part where we get to stay in school until June.

A Dog's Advice About Life

1.) Hang your face out the window in a moving vehicle. Allow tongue to flop around and slobber extensively.
2.) Pee on fire hydrants, people's feet, trees, etc. Mark YOUR territory!
3.) Chew on shoes. C'mon they taste good.
4.) 2.5 words- Kibbles & Bits. Yeah baby.
5.) Always walk in a circle at least 4 times before laying down to sleep.
6.) Poop. Everywhere.
7.) When you want something, "puppy eyes" always work.
8.) DON'T eat chocolate. That stuff is whack.
9.) Get old. It's ok. 12 is the new 4.
10.) Get hit by a car. Cancer just makes your owners sad.

Team RadioShack at the Tour Down Under

The Tour Down Under is an annual race that takes place in Australia in January, and is considered the "first" race of the year. Because there are no mountain stages and no time trials, the Tour Down Under is a race dominated by sprinters. This year is was won by Andre Greipel, a German who has won the event once previously in the past. Lance Armstrong raced for the second consecutive year, and it marked the anniversary of his comeback to the sport. The goal for the team was stage wins for their premiere sprinter, Gert Steegmans, who transferred from Quick Step. While Steegmans didn't win a stage, he came in second once and finished consistently otherwise, showing some promise as a profitable sprinter for the future of the team. Gert's claim to fame is his win on the Champs-Elysees on the final stage of the Tour de France 2008, a dream win for any professional cyclist, especially sprinters.
So the 2010 season is off and rolling, with the next major race being Paris-Nice starting March 9, followed by the classics like Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, La Fleche Wallone, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Amstel Gold Race, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It should make for some interesting racing.

The many and numerous trademarks of John L. Woolley

There was once a man named John L. Woolley. He was born approximately 7,000 years ago, in Thebes, Greece. Shortly after his training to become a Spartan warrior, he gave up his profession of being fit an tan to don the lonely and rewarding position of the Apollo Academic Team Head Coach. For their first competition, the academic decathalon (which took place at the first Olympic Games in Athens) Woolley single-handedly lead the team to victory after a 9 and a half hour practice session the previous night.
John Woolley continued to coach the team to several victories in muy importante competitiones!, but the thirst for dominance was beginning to dwindle, so he packed his bags and moved to Owensboro, KY, subsequently taking the entire high school with him.
Since coming to Kentucky, John Woolley has enjoyed the various commodities and requirements of his postition, which allow him to run a training regiment similar to that of the Russian KGB.
Some of these job requirements include, but are not limited to:
Dressing in the same denim shirt for a semester
Driving the team bus
Talking to students while driving the team bus
Reading questions for the quick recall team while driving the team bus while cornering at 45 mph
Smoking
"Calling his wife"
Taking numerous pit stops
Screaming
Practicing the quick recall team for their vigourous competition schedule
Yelling at the team members when they miss a question "That they had in practice like, 5 months ago"
Denying that he has yelled at the team members when questioned about it
And last, but certainly not least, resigning after commiting several misdemeanors in Birmingham, Alabama.

The previous is false and should be treated as such. Any likeness of persons mentioned is purely coincidental. Copyright MMX, all rights reserved.

Note about Blog name

I would like to clarify something briefly. I noticed that I have some random followers of this blog that are cycling fans but who I do not know personally. I don't have a problem with then following my blog, but i just wanted to be sure that those people understand that this is not the actual blog of the RadioShack cycling team; I simply named the blog after it as a tribute to the team. So apologies for any confusion that has been created (if any has been there at all; I might be overthinking it.) However, once the team actually begins racing, I will post updates and comments in the form of this blog. Tour Down Under, the team's first race, starts January 19 in Adelaide, Australia. Good luck to all the team; Tear it up guys!

Predictions and Possibilities for 2010

As we are greeted with this new year, the possibilities for the coming events seem vast. Hopefully I will visit some colleges to try and decide where I want to go and what I want to do the rest of my life. When you think about it, decisions that you make in a time period that seems relatively insignificant, for example the next few months, the choices you make have the ability to impact the course of your life. It's a bit daunting, but I feel that I am ready to finally be presented with some choices and to expand my horizons.
In the next year, I will also find out a lot of things about my senior year, which will answer some questions of mine that I have been pondering since setting foot in this school. What's going to be the marching band's show? Who's going to be in what leadership positions? Are we finally going to make it to State Semi-finals? Only time can tell. It's our senior year, so we all want it to be perfect, but life teaches us that perfection rarely happens. One can still hope though. I have a lot of confidence in my fellow classmates of 2011, and I think that the next twelve months will be exciting and momentous, as we finally say goodbye to childhood and embark on our new, more difficult, but more rewarding endeavors.

The generosity of strangers

Today my faith in the fact that mankind is ultimately "good" to one another was renewed. Since we received lockers today, I had written down the number and combination in my agenda book. After putting my backpack and other items in my locker, I closed it and proceeded to class. Unbeknownst to be, I lost my agenda book. Maybe I put it down somewhere and forgot it; maybe I dropped it traveling between classes. Long story short, I realize that I have misplaced it. After much search to no avail, on the way to third block, my name is called to the office. To my absolute joy, someone had dropped it off to the lost and found. Without the numbers in the agenda book for my locker, I would have had a tedious task before me to retrieve my items. So, to the kind soul who has returned it to me, here's to you. It is your random act of kindness that elevate the status of the rest of us. You are the salt of the earth, and for this you have my humble and sincere gratitude.

2010- A New Decade

The beginning of this new decade has left me with a whole host of emotions. Joy, delight, sadness, solemness, determination, aggravation, sentimentality, and perhaps most of all, nostalgia. Although I have been alive long enough for this to be my second "decade-turn" as it were, this is the first one that I feel that I am aware. I have enough years behind me to look back with longing, and to enjoy the comfort, the bumpy roads, the displeasure, and the magnificence of all that has happened in the past ten years. While the years have contained more mournfullness and discomfort than I would like to recognize, they have most certainly been injected with varying times of great blessings and happiness. I hope that in the years to come, I can still mentally turn the clock back to these years, and still manage to find the significance in them, and all the blessing that I have been bestowed.