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"Everybody should get rich once so that they know its not the answer" - Jim Carrey
A quick digital painting of my all time favorite actor!
Jim Carrey! Took me around 7-9 hours..
He rocks!!
Tried to capture his personality while he was was a stand-up comic..
Tools..
Photoshop/Wacom Intuos3 A6
Please leave ur comments!!

A digital speed painting based on an actual painting..

My new digital painting.. done on adobe photoshop, using wacom tablet..
No reference images used..
Hope you like it!!!

Go Ahead and Get Angry.....

If you're not already.
This is just unbelievable.

Paramedics, Troopers Defend Themselves After Fight

What is so strange about this story is not that a policeman would choke someone who didn't deserve it. That kind of behavior seems to be getting pretty commonplace.

What is odd about this is that there is a symbiotic relationship between Law Enforcement, EMS and ER personnel. It's an understanding that we will take care of each other because we may NEED to take care of each other someday.

We all interact so closely and each of us understands that the other faces the same types of dangers.
It's just an unspoken agreement.

Hopefully you clicked through and watched the video. If you didn't, do it now.

Read the statement of the Paramedic Here.

I understand that what I've seen does not constitute all of the facts, but Dayem!! It sure looks wrong.

Hopefully, the State of Oklahoma will do the right thing when all is said and done.
I can guarantee that that Trooper better hope he never ends up in the back of that guys ambulance if he's got a gunshot wound or something serious wrong with him.

What you should be thinking is "If they will choke that guy, someone who they should be depending on, what will they do to me?"

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Night-

Look at the size of that bastard. One of the kids I work with got him a few years ago. Little Shit.

Graphic Illustration of Why You......

DO NOT POINT GUN MUZZLES AT YOUR OWN BODY PARTS!

Massad Ayoob explains. As if the pictures aren't enough.











What goes in must come out.



Like we always say in the ER - "Darwin Rules!"

Hat tip - Say Uncle

They Never Stop .........

Via Jennifer at Liberty Belles Here Comes the Bullet Ban

"The usual suspects in New York and California have introduced legislation that would require you to register your ammunition and would limit the number of rounds you could buy per month."

What part of "Shall not be infringed" do these people not understand?

It's been 14 days now since my last communication with Senator Dick Lugar (RINO,IN) mentioned Here regarding the CIFTA Treaty. Two calls and no response yet.

I was reminded of this while visiting curmudgeonly & skeptical this morning as he had the Lou Dobbs video of Lugar on the CIFTA treaty.

Lugar was a good Senator at one time. He started getting hinky a few years ago, but really went around the bend during last years push to give amnesty to all the Illegals. Whatever virus he's infected with I guess it's gone systemic in Washington.

These silly Bastards just keep pushing for more ways to disarm and piss off the law abiding folks in this country.
There appears to be no cure for this.

Gratuitous Picture for Thursday Morning-
On second thought, maybe there is.









UPDATE - Via David Codrea

Gun-rights advocates plan to rally this week against legislation that would require ammunition purchases to be logged into a statewide database for tracking purposes.

Good for them.

Rope. Tree. Politician.
Some Assembly Required.

I ran day #1 of the Western States Training Weekend on Saturday (32 miles from Robinson Flat to Foresthill), and was sure glad I did. Not only did I get to meet some really neat people, but I got some first hand experience in the canyons. It was eye-opening, to say the least. Let's just say I'm going to be pulling back a bit on that 20-hour finish goal. ;-)

Greg Soderlund gave us a quick overview of the day, and we loaded onto the buses at 8am. I had the fortune to sit next to Gordy Ainsleigh (the original Western States pioneer), his co-pilot Michelle Barton (one of the fastest women on the ultra circuit), and Mark Matyazic (adventure racer extraordinaire). We shared stories of the Bay to Breakers, and I mentioned how I was contemplating going "near nude" next year. Gordy let me know a properly placed gym sock is both fashionable and functional, as he found out when posing nude at a local art school and needing "minimal coverage". I get the impression Gordy has endless stories like this!


The buses arrived, and we charged out into the snow. Just a few patches this year, and we quickly found our way to the Western States trail. There were a couple hundred of us, so we weren't hard to spot! I caught up with Brian and Sophia Robinson, Whit Rambach, and a whole host of characters from Vancouver, BC, to Houston, TX. For some this was a training run, but for many this was a trail running vacation!





Paul Charteris was my guide for much of the first section, sharing his incredible knowledge of this trail and pointing out all the great views. It was really helpful to get the lay of the land and some history.


At the aptly named Dusty Corners, we fueled up for our first canyon descent. The large fire roads were quite runnable, but you had to pay attention to catch the turns to the single track. I was glad to see this now rather than on race day!



The descents were deceivingly runnable, meaning you could keep a great pace but your quads would take a beating. The heat (probably in the 80's) became oppressive the more you descended, until the oasis of the river rushed up to greet us. I was more than happy to take a quick dip, imaging how 20 more degrees would make this really tough.





Devil's Thumb (or Middle Finger as many were suggesting) was STEEP, and I don't think the elevation map does it justice. I was beginning to see why the canyons are so well-revered. I got up it in about 33 minutes, counting the 41 switchbacks to the top. Gretchen and Luis were there to take care of us at the aid station, where iced water and watermelon hit the spot.



I caught up to Jon Kroll (he is my trail soulmate, I swear) and we descended down to El Dorado Canyon, where I went for the full plunge into the creek. Very refreshing! Just like Gordy said, "it's like living water".




We ran a good chunk of the next climb, refueling at Michigan Bluff before heading into the final stretch. Jon pulled me up Bath Road, much like he had at Miwok, and we jogged into the party at the finish.


We had some Jamba Juice, some Zico coconut juice (more potassium than a banana...thanks, Paul!), and chilled in the shade. What a day!

This was a tough 32 miles all by itself, let alone as part of a 100-mile run. It took me over six hours to finish, and my quads are still burning. I'm so glad I had a chance to come out here and check it out a month before the big day. Time for more hills, some heat training, and some tapered finish time expectations. ;-)

Great to see everyone out there!

SD

Hope You All Had a Nice Holiday .......

The Weekend at work was a friggin madhouse. Nothing unusual about that. People out and doing things, having fun and whatnot. Lot's of cut's, crashes and broken bones.

I was wore the hell out and basically sat on my ass all day yesterday and watched it rain.
That was good. Needed to recharge my batteries so I can go do it again today.

Here's Something I Knew About, but not in this detail -
The Full Story Behind The Great Tennessee Pot Cave



I'd seen pictures of this place years ago and have to say it's an incredible operation.

Very illegal, but you have to admire the technology and layout.

Even if you didn't want to grow reefer it would be pretty cool.

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Rosie Rios, who was one famously known as the economic development division head sacked by then-Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown in 2003 as part of a "great purge" of Oakland economic development officials friendly to then-City Manager Robert Bobb's support of a downtown Oakland baseball stadium, has resurfaced in an excellent way this year as the person selected by President Barack Obama to be the United States Treasurer, subject to Senate confirmation.

The U.S. Treasurer reports to the Secretary of The Treasury Tim Geithner on matters of coinage, currency circulation, and related issues, but her signature also will appear on U.S. currency.

In 2001, Rios was appointed Director of the Oakland Economic Development and Redevelopment Divisions  by then-Oakland Redevelopment Agency head Bill Claggett.  Before her stint with Oakland, Rios served as an excellent and well-regarded economic development director in several bay area cities from Fremont, to San Leandro and Union City.  Rios recently served as a Trustee of the Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA) and is a member of the board of directors of California Association of Local Economic Development (CALED) and the Fruitvale Spanish-Speaking Unity Council in Oakland.  A graduate of Harvard University, Rosie is also a Fellow with the Royal Society for the Arts. Last year, Rios was responsible for public affairs, policy and planning for the Obama Treasury / Federal Reserve Transition Team. 

While with Oakland, Rios formed a business friendship with politically-connected real estate developer Victor MacFarlane who's company minority-owned MacFarlane Partners has grown from small beginnings in San Francisco to become one of the largest real estate investment management firms in America, with over $11 billion in properties in its portfolio.   MacFarlane Partners most recently participated in the competition to build the proposed new TransBay Terminal Center in San Francisco and is the developer of One Hawthorne. 

In 2006, Rios joined Mac Farlane Partners as managing director of investments in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. That year, MacFarlane Partners expanded east, with Victor becoming the owner of the soccer team D.C. United and with plans to develop a soccer stadium in Washington D.C. But the economic downturn impacted the firm, as 15 employees nationwide were laid off. Mac Farlane sold his stake in D.C. United this year.

Still, the rise of MacFarlane Partners and Rios herself to be named as  U.S. Treasurer-Designate is an example of a growing African American and Latino American professional class, very well-integrated (and proving that the media's obsession with stories of "black / latino" confrontations are largely over-blown), with its own structure of friendships and contacts that for the first time in American History extends to the White House itself under President Barack Obama.

Rosie's success is well-deserved and I personally add that I wish she were in Oakland while I was working on the Super Bowl bid; I used to joke that I missed her by a year.  It would have made my job a lot easier. (In fact, it was Brown's firing of the popular Rios that led to the development of a number of political enemies within Oakland City Hall, some of which are still vocal in their dislike of Brown to this day. That Brown was able to withstand that group as Oakland's Mayor, then rise to the level of California Attorney General and now possibly California's next governor (again) is testament to his political power.)

Keeping an Eye on Things.......
Sorta.

Hope you all get out and enjoy the weekend and please take a moment to reflect on just what The Memorial Day Holiday is all about.




Give thanks for all the Veterans that have kept faith and made the ultimate sacrifice.


Gotta go get ready to work. So I'm leaving, Major the big dumb Boxer in charge here till Monday.





He's got his eye on you, so behave.

Hopefully, the annual tradition of the Indianapolis 500 getting a rain delay at best will work again this year. A little rain right now will help all the farmers that have been out in the fields for 20+ hours a day this week planting. They're behind and could use a bit of help.

Friday Night Roundup.......
It's been a busy week around here. The holiday weekend approaches and that means that most of you will be having some off time.
Enjoy it and spend a little time with family if you can.

I'll be in the ER fighting off the Zombie Hordes. Just the way it is. I chose this schedule and as much as I dislike my job anymore, I'm damn glad to have it.

Went to the range this morning with MiniD. He's gonna get me to where I can actually hit what I aim at if he's not careful.
He had his 338 Rem Ultra Mag and was testing some loads out.

Holy Shit! That things is a cannon. I extracted a promise from him to let me shoot it next time. Oh Yeah!!

He's got a really nice collection of rifles and knows how to shoot them. The guy is also a walking encyclopedia of reloading data and why things work the way they do. He amazes me and patiently answers all of my questions before he makes fun of me, which I think is an ok trade off.

I finally got to cut the grass out behind the barn this afternoon. First time this year. The last 5-6 days of dry weather have finally got it dry enough. It was still a bit wet in a couple of places but I didn't get stuck so it's all good.
Unreal how tall some of that was. Some fence and a few goats and sheep would be a much better alternative. But who's got money for fence?

Oh well. Don't wanna bitch to much as things could be a lot worse.

I've been fortunate to have been able to travel to some third world places and unlike in the USA, the poor people there aren't fat.

So again, I'm damn glad for what I have.

Speaking of - The Wife will be home Sunday. That's a winner. Miss the old girl when she's gone.

Youngest Son, Dogboy came by last night with his Girl and we had dinner and sat out by the fire later and shot the shit. That was nice.

Here's a couple of crazy ass news stories for ya - Woman hunter kills elephant with bow and arrow Yeah, you read that right. With a Bow and Arrow. That's amazing.

On a different tack - Police: Shoplifting aunt used baby as weapon Not so amazing as the above, but ....... interesting to say the least. Throw a 2 month old kid at the cops and haul ass.
I still hate people.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-
PLAY BALL!!!

The Montrail Ultracup consists of the best of three races of six, plus Western States from the following schedule:

2008-2009 Montrail Ultra Cup Schedule

07/26/08 White River 50 mile Crystal Mountain, Washington
11/01/08 Mt. Masochist 50 mile Lynchburg, Virginia
11/22/08 JFK 50 Washington County, Maryland
03/14/09 Way Too Cool 50 km Cool, California
04/04/09 American River 50 mile Sacramento, California
05/02/09 Miwok 100 km Marin Headlands, California
06/27/09 Western States 100 mile Auburn, California

There's cashola on hand and some good prizes ($2,500 for the winners, prizes for top 5, jackets for those who complete it). They recently posted the results of everyone who qualifies, meaning each of the below has completed three of the six qualifying races, has entered those races on the Web site by the May 16th deadline, and have a slot for Western States (see guidelines).

Here are the standings; lowest score is better, scores are calculated based on your finish place:

Men:
1. Eric Grossman - 6 points
2. Victor Ballesteros - 14 points
3. Joseph D'Allesio - 34 points
4. Mark Lantz - 41 points
5. Graham Cooper - 64 points
6. Scott Dunlap - 122 points
7. David Rhodes - 16o points
8. Mark Winkelman - 230 points
9. John Catts - 242 points
10. Kevin Hume - 363 points
11. Charley Jones - 564 points

Women:
1. Jenny Capel - 182 points
2. Suzie Lister - 238 points
3. Lori Heinselman-Craig - 748 points

Check out Eric Grossman - what an animal! Single digits, baby. Plus the Western States score is divided by two, so he's looking pretty good. Rumor has it that Victor Ballesteros is supposed to be getting married the week before States, but I suspect a supportive fiancee might let him slip in one more race. ;-)

It looks like my fate is a jacket (assuming I finish States), but that's cool by me. I'm a shwag hag, jacket-lovin' fool. I thought of having my crew pull a Jeff Gilloly/Nancy Kerrigan by waiting at Cal 2 with a baseball bat, but it would only garner me a pair of flip-flops for 5th. Consider yourself lucky, Lantz!

Given the prize purse, I was surprised to see that both of these lists were so short. There's not even enough on the Women's side to claim all the prizes! I think last year, there were only a couple of men who got through the whole thing. What gives? Well, it turns out there are two tough barriers before the racing even starts. First, you have to get IN all of the races. Second, you have to START and FINISH them. That doesn't leave much room for error, particularly for those who train and race hard at each of these races and risk a DNF or injury. So it's extra impressive that the above folks can race with such consistency. And Grossman is just flat out insane.

Montrail does give away prizes, patches, and other goodies for folks who only finish one or more of the races. All you have to do is register! Some new rules/prizes are coming for next year, so if any of these races are on your calendar, be sure to register your results for some shwag!

- SD (the schwag hag)

If You Still Have Any Questions.....

About Why the DHS Has Been Spending So Much Time Worrying About "Domestic Terrorists" Lately....

No need to wonder anymore.
Obama Is Said to Consider Preventive Detention Plan

From The New York Times-
WASHINGTON — President Obama told human rights advocates at the White House on Wednesday that he was mulling the need for a “preventive detention” system that would establish a legal basis for the United States to incarcerate terrorism suspects who are deemed a threat to national security but cannot be tried, two participants in the private session said.....

“He was almost ruminating over the need for statutory change to the laws so that we can deal with individuals who we can’t charge and detain,” one participant said.

There's a lot that remains unsaid here and I expect it will remain that way. For now.
I'll hand it to these guys, they aren't going out of their way to hide the fact that they have created a Gangster Government.

This ain't good, Kids. Remember just who was included on the DHS List?

You may not be on that list now, but if they can do it to others they can do it to you.

And they will.

Gratuitous Thursday Evening Picture-

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My Bay to Breakers Sunday started unlike any in the past 19 or more years and it was even better than the "KGO coolness" of the last seven years. From 2002 to 2007, I'd get up at 4:30 in the morning to meet my friend Beth at the KGO Radio "Morning Stretch" held in the lobby of One Market Street before the start of the run. The basic advantage of being with KGO Radio was the free coffee and orange juice in the morning, plus we were at the start of the line, right where I could get hit by flying tortillas and giant beach balls. Sadly, in 2008 KGO Radio pulled its sponsorship of the event but we still managed a front-line position.

This year was just plain different. My constant trips between California and Georgia where my Mom lives made planning for the B2B difficult this time around. I'm not complaining, it's just the fact of family life right through here. But just by asking I managed to score a press pass to the event, and Mom being understanding (and in good health), I flew back to the Bay Area Thursday and got in by the skin of my teeth; the press conference was the next morning.

That luncheon and media-op was a fun look at the other side of the Bay to Breakers, but just when I thought I'd seen it all, Sunday gave me an experience impossible to forget and captured on video here.

Unlike past B2B mornings, I got up at 5:50 AM, worked on a blog post, talked to a friend, and worked on a tech issue, all the while mindful of the passing of time; I needed to arrive before 7:30 AM. I decided to take BART to the Embarcadero Station then walk over to Howard Street and the race starting line area. Just as I was making my way to downtown Oakland BART station, I got a call from Eva, one of the B2B media relations staffers that they were waiting on me and the press truck was getting ready to leave!

Yikes! It was 7:13 already?!

I called and said I was headed toward BART and to "Hold the truck. I'll be there." That was a request I must have repeated three times. And all the time, I later learned Eva was certain I would miss the truck. I got on BART at 7:24 AM. I was running late.

A Really Crowded BART Train Car

The train car I was on was too crowded for words; we were literally "smushed together" as a friend would say, and it seemed any inch of space was occupied by an arm or a leg. It was clear BART didn't put enough trains on the Sunday morning schedule to comfortably take all of the patrons heading over to downtown San Francisco. Still, just as I was on my way and confident I was going to arrive without a hitch, there was one.

We arrived at Embarcadero BART and as we did I called Eva, who said I had three minutes to get to the press truck or they were gone (Which reminded me of Balok's famous "THREE MINUTES" warning to Captain Kirk and the crew of The Enterprise in the Star Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver .") So I high-tailed it, but forgot one thing: I had to add money to my BART ticket, which would have eaten the "three minutes" I had.

I went to a BART Policeman for help, but the very relaxed officer told me to talk to the station agents, so I ran over to the agent booth, and one man dressed in what looked like a Kangol cap said "Why do you say you have a press pass?" I could not believe it especially because it was around my neck; I frantically explained my situation and begged for his help. The internal clock in my head turned into an alarm; I said "I've got to go; I talked to the cop." And I bolted.

I jetted up the stairs and onto Market Street, cell phone in hand, calling Eva that I was "running to ya." I arrived at Howard and saw the red truck with Eva on it, and yelled into my phone "Look for the bald black guy" and waved frantically. She spotted me and told the police to let me in; they did. I ran over and jumped onto the truck, feeling like I could just collapse.

But the race was about to start.

My focus turned to the "ING" branded start line, and so did my camcorder, and with the intent to follow-up on a story line I was interested in: the 2008 Bay to Breakers Champion Lineth Chephurui from Kenya, versus the challenger Deena Kastor from the USA. Yes, it wasn't the "battle of the sexes" storyline the race organizers were advocating (even to the point of having the elite women runners start 4 minutes and 40 seconds ahead of the male runners just to "even out" the race at the end) and that's because I have a personal hatred for such contests. With the rate of divorce so high and all of these forces pushing men and women apart, why a "battle of the sexes?"

I just hate the concept in any form. Sorry.

Besides, the race organizers managed to lure the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist and American Kastor to participate, and let's face it, African runners, and particularly Kenyans have taken over the Bay to Breakers. Kastor was billed as the best chance for someone representing the "Stars and Stripes" to win the race in a long time. The women held the most compelling story.

A Group of Speedsters

The women were so fast they actually caught up to the truck which must have been going around 15 MPH at the time. Someone said "Speed up! You're too close" (you can hear this in the video) and suddenly we lurched forward with such force, I thought I was headed off the truck! At that point, the women were right at the rear of the first press truck, so they must have been running at around 20 MPH just to catch us. Whatever; they were moving!

Here, Kastor and Chephurui were the leaders of a dense pack of runners including Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia and the party remained intact for much of the first two miles of the run.

Katie Takes Over

For the first two miles I was just talking into the camcorder explaining the action, then pure instinct said I should brave standing up in the truck bed and talk to this woman who seemed to know a lot of the course and wasnt shy to share her knoweldge. So I just pointed the cam at her and asked questions.

The "her" is Katie Harrar, who's a veteran runner and now Manager of Event Sales and Logistics for the Bay to Breakers, and possesses a voice for commentating. Aided by the spotters in the truck cab, and her great eyesite, Katie was able to spot where the runners were at a distance, which was useful when we got so far away from the runners it was hard for the untrained eye (mine) to determine who was who without my camcorder.

Kastor Falls Back; Chephurui Takes "The Hill"

The Hayes Street Hill is the hardest part of the Bay to Breakers course. It's known around the World as "The Hill" and can test even the best runners, and that was true on Sunday. Harrar informed me that it has an "11 degree incline" but I must add it has the added pain of being situated in such a way that the morning sun beats right down on it and its victims. One of them was Kaptor.

Deena started out well ahead but by the top of the Hill there was only Chephurui, who would win the $5,000 prize for reaching the "summit" (as if Hayes Street were a mountain to climb.) But the problem with reaching the top of Hayes Street is even those who've ran the Bay to Breakers before think it's all over from that point; they've got five more miles to go, as Harrar reminded me. The way to take the next five miles if you're a normal runner is to coast as it is mostly downhill, unless you're an elite runner in a race, where you look for any opening to increase your speed. Chephurui relaxed and for the moment she did, Kastor raced past her, veered from right to left on Fell Street as they approached Golden Gate Park and for the next mile appeared to be the new women's champion of The Bay to Breakers.

Then it got hotter.

I've ran the B2B on hot days before, and Iv'e done it with 15 pounds on my back (as Beth reminded me) but I was happy to be in the press truck Sunday. It' wasn't just warm it was humid and in Golden Gate Park the unusually warm weather took its toll. the younger legs of the Kenyan Chephurui and the Ethiopian Erkesso (21 and 26 years old respectively) caught the American, Kastor (36), passed her, then dusted her.

It was down to those two.

For a time, it looked like the idea of giving this gifted group of women the 4 minute, 40 second headstart would result in a female overall winner. But after seeing one police motorcycle pacing the women and behind us for most of the race, suddenly another one was only 50 yards behind the women's escort, and closing fast. It was the men's escort which meant the male runner were gaining: fast. There was one man running quite literally like the wind: Sammy Kitwara.

Now, I've seen a lot of things, or would like to think so, but I've never seen anyone run as fast as Sammy did after the six mile mark. He would set a course record of 33 minutes and 31 seconds for the race, which means at 7.46 miles he was averaging a mile every 4.46 minutes, or about 13.45 miles-per-hour, average. (Double check that if you want.) But it seemed he was going at about 20 miles per hour over that last stretch.

Why?

The "Breakers" of the Pacific Ocean and that nice cool breeze. Kitwara admitted as much later: "Yeah. Yeah. When I came down the hill it was cool; I just went."

His blazing speed caused our truck to accelerate to around 40 miles per hour just to get to the sideline area so we could get out of the truck and over to the finish line. Getting from the truck to the finish line was a blood-rush of a trek I'd like to see Ray Ratto try sometime. We arrived just in time to see Kitwara glide in the winner, followed by Tilahun Regassa a full minute later at 34:15 and John Yuda of Tanzania at 34:23. Then the women, Erkesso, Chepkurui, and Kastor came in at 38:29, 38;35, and 39:05 respectively.

Erkesso, the very shy Ethiopian woman with the lovely braided hairstyle was the surprise winner but she only beat Chepkurui by just 6/100ths of a second; they were that close. That means Chepkurui placed first and second in consecutive years running the Bay to Breakers and should be the favorite for 2010. Why? She says she's coming back, whereas Erkesso said to me "Maybe. I don't know."

Kastor indicated she may return and given this was her first "go" at the course, I'm sure she wants another crack at it.

But the overall winner was Kitwara and he says he's definitely coming back. Why not? He won something like $25,000 in prize money overall, taking the Hayes Street Summit Awards for the men (Chepkurui was the women's winner), winning the "Battle of The Breakers", then taking the men's prize as well. While runners like Gilmore complained of the heat, Kitwara said "It wasn't hot." Well, not for him, but for us mere mortals the weather was the only thing hotter than his amazing performance.

Back To The Future

For me the Bay to Breakers didn't end with the race - I wanted to see how the revelers were responding to the new policies I discussed in an earlier post - so after brunch at the Beach Chalet I went to "Footstock" with friends and through the park with my camcorder and their antics (That's another blog post to come). Later in the day, I went back to BART, told another station agent what happened that morning with the "Kangol Guy" and he reset my ticket and let me through. Nice. That made up for that one miscue in an otherwise incredible, unforgettable experience.

For those who didn't hear, triathlete and endurance athlete Steve Larsen died suddenly yesterday while training with a group of runners in Bend, OR. For those of us who knew how fit he was, it's quite a shock to hear. He was an amazing athlete, coach, and father. I'll miss him.

I had met Steve at the Pacific Crest Triathlon, the Haulin' Aspen Trail Marathon, Vineman, and numerous endurance events. He was always friendly and fun, and had plenty of time for us newbies in the sport. If you could keep up with his blistering pace, he had lots of great stories of being part of the Motorola cycling team with Lance Armstrong, his numerous Xterra and Mountain Bike victories, breaking into the world of Ironman triathlon with a victory at Lake Placid, etc. These stories were only trumped by the joy he showed when talking about his five kids, age 2-13. He was extraordinary in many ways. Dan Empfield at slowtwitch.com does a great recap of his life and career, and his devotion to his wife of 16 years.

I haven't found a memorial fund for him yet, so if anyone hears anything, please post a comment. In the meantime, I'm sure his family would appreciate any purchasing on Steve's online tri site called worldtri.com.

All my best to his friends and family.

- SD

[photo courtesy of the Bend Bulletin]

Because I Care for Y'all....
I'm gonna tip you to the most powerful and life changing thing ever.
The Three Wolf Moon T Shirt

Don't laugh. No really. Don't laugh. It could turn out really bad for you.

If you think I'm kidding, you need to read the reviews for this shirt. (No really. You NEED to read the reviews.)
I was just looking at, The Shirt and Shania Twain called and offered to ......... Well, let's just say I told her yes and she's on the way over now.

That was enough for me and I ordered, not 1 but 2 of these shirts! I can tell already that my life will never be the same.

If that isn't enough AWESOME for you, there's always - The Sea Cows Shirt

(Again, read the reviews.)
Seriously, I wouldn't order both of them. That may be to much AWESOME for any one person.

Hat tip to Larry Corriea
Go buy his book, Monster Hunter International while you're at it. Maybe not as AWESOME as the Three Wolf Moon Shirt, but it's still pretty AWESOME.

AWESOME Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-
Sticking with the theme here.

It's Humpday and it's Good......

Just got home from the second of the 2 re-certification classes I needed to do this week.
Glad that's over and now I'm good for another 2 years.

These are a stress free event anymore. The first time I took them I was nervous as hell. This is the 5th or 6th time I've taken them and other than the regular changes that evolve in any program like this, it's no big deal anymore.

The training style has changed dramatically over the years, too. It used to be very hardcore and regimented. No mistakes tolerated at all. That only made the participants more nervous and prone to Brain Farts and not real conducive to really learning anything other than passing the test.

They've relaxed the program to push for more critical thinking and actual learning for the real world and it's much better nowadays. You tend to remember things better that way.

Anyway, I'm glad that's over and I got to make a few extra hours on the paycheck.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Afternoon-
Maybe I can get out in the morning and work on this. From 1918.

Propositions that are on the
May 19, 2009, Statewide Special Election Ballot


Proposition 1A

State Budget. Changes California Budget Process. Limits State Spending. Increases "Rainy Day" Budget Stabilization Fund.  - (Vote No: we don't need a spending limit.  What we need is the ability to direct money where it's needed, when it's needed. )

Proposition 1B

Education Funding. Payment Plan.  NO: could result in lower education spending.  

Proposition 1C

Lottery Modernization Act. NO.  Reduces education-directed funds.

Proposition 1D

Protects Children's Services Funding. Helps Balance State Budget.  NO. Takes money away from Children Services. 

Proposition 1E

Mental Health Services Funding. Temporary Reallocation. Helps Balance State Budget.  NO.  Takes money away from mental health services. 

Proposition 1F

Elected Officials' Salaries. Prevents Pay Increases During Budget Deficit Years.  No.  Then officials may never see a pay increase as California runs chronic deficits. 

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of joining 33,000 runners for the freakfest known as the 98th annual Bay to Breakers 12k in San Francisco, CA. This “must do” event is one of the biggest costume parties in the US, running point-to-point from downtown SF to the ocean where the Footstock concert will be in full swing. We had a gorgeous sunny day, plenty of naked people sitings, and beer at 9am. What more could one ask for?

I started the day early, parking at the finish line to watch the sunrise at the beach and run the course backwards. My brother-in-law, Brian Drue, would be waiting at the start and ready for his 7th consecutive B2B. The streets of SF were eerily calm at 6am, short of a few cops already issuing tickets to keg-toting revelers. I guess the race PR about “getting more strict about open containers” was not just spin! I was glad to see it, actually – last year got a bit out of control with rolling kegs and discarded giant Trojan horse floats. But given the expected 100,000+ spectators and 80 degree weather, the law was definitely going to have an endurance event of their own even with scaled back expectations.



Brian was at the start, already sweating thanks to a wine hangover from a charity event the night before. “It’s just 12k”, he kept repeating while surfing the ebb and flow of wine-induced nausea. The tortillas and beach balls were flying around (a B2B tradition), and the costumes and runner-constructed floats were marvelous. We had no goals for the race other than to take it all in and enjoy the party.

The volunteers waived me through to the front thanks to my seeded number (don’t get too impressed – you can get a seeded number too with a fast enough qualifying time). I found myself standing right next to Deena Kastor, the Kenyans, the Cal-Aggies uber-fast centipede team (they clock 5:30 minute miles roped together), and was immediately sized up by all the gazelles thanks to my low number (#86). Once they saw the camera in my hand, they knew I wasn’t taking any prizes today and smiled and introduced themselves.


It was fun to live vicariously as a superstar for a few minutes! But given how fast they were striding out during their warm up I would be lucky to hang with them for two blocks. Even the guy in the head-to-toe pink ape suit was looking pretty fast.


The elite women went first, and five minutes later we were off! Sure enough, I couldn’t even hang with the pack for the first block so I pulled over to wait for Brian who was just a few corrals behind me. One minute later, the streets were packed with costumes, naked people, and live music. I could have sworn we were in the front 500 people - where did they all come from?!?





We found a nice 8 min/mile pace, fast enough to keep up but slow enough to enjoy the sights. The Flintstones were “rocking” out, Popes were on ladders giving high fives, DJ’s were spinning naked from the roofs of their apartments, Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders stopped mid-race to break into a cheer, Gladiators got in sword duels with the Knights of the Round Table (pizza, that is), Darth Vader told us to “run on the dark side…here in the shade!”, and the Drag Queens were everywhere. I’ve heard visitors call California the land of fruits and nuts…yep, that pretty much sums it up. Such a great place to call home!


Nakedness was everywhere, whether it be a sequin thong, head-to-toe green paint (SPF 30 let’s hope), or the preferred “hat and sunscreen only” look worn by the Bare to Breakers runners. Given the impressive lack of tan lines, I suspect this wasn’t their first streak through San Francisco. The temperature climbed quickly into the 80’s, and I suspect a few folks became naked converts just to stay cool.



Hayes Hill was HOT. So many times I’ve done this race looking forward to Hayes just so I could warm up and feel my fingers, and this year was like a sauna! I thought Brian was going to pass out for sure, but he focused on short strides and gave high fives to the salmon headed the other way (they run the course backward every year). The ocean air gave us some reprieve at the top, and we began the long descent down Fell St.




The shady lanes of Fell St were great, and Brian broke his hangover fever around mile 5 and instantly perked up. We took it easy cruising through the park and talking about family (his girls are a few years older than mine, so he’s a fountain of daddyhood knowledge), Western States (he’s the captain of my crew), The Death Ride (I’m his “domestique” to return the favor), and the simple pleasures of a enjoying a city that’s not afraid to let it all hang out once or twice a year.



Before we knew it, we made the final turn at the beach and finished in 1:01:30. It could be Brian’s slowest time, but it was one of my fastest! Certainly not as fast as Kenyan Sammy Ketwara, who won in 33:31. (another fun summary video here)


We drank a ton of water, accidentally wiped our hands with Salonpas spray (it looked a lot like hand cleaner…now we’re sweaty and numb!), and made our way to Footstock for some beers and snacks. Thanks to our early finish we got a coveted table in the beer garden, and instantly made all kinds of friends both old and new. I caught up with Glen Kacher, a classmate from Stanford, and we all enjoyed some brewskies and breakfast. By 10am, it was time to head home. I had that ultrarunner shock of being done so early – we should only be two aid stations in at this point in the day! Ah, it sure is nice to mix it up.

Back at home, Sophie joined her cousins in some kiddie pool romping before luring me to Alice’s Restaurant for a surprise 40th birthday party. Here I thought the black balloon revelry was done! I got to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in ages, and page through an awesome scrapbook that Christi put together showing me getting in all kinds of trouble over the last 40 years. Sophie proved to be the only bigger troublemaker, racing around with my friend’s wonderful children, eating all the raspberries and lettering off the cake before we could finish cutting it up, and somehow losing her underwear along the way. I guess we’ll start her scrapbook pronto!


I sat in bed that evening in awe of this amazing day, and I couldn’t get to sleep. Sunrises on the beach, running empty streets only to be joined by 30,000 on the way back, meeting Kenyans, pink gorillas, naked people streaking the big city, beer for breakfast, wonderful friends (and their wonderful kids), a family I adore…I am truly blessed.

Close your eyes, Scott. Admit you LIVED this day to the fullest and couldn’t pack in one more thing. Close your eyes, and see what tomorrow brings.