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Things to Think About on a Friday Night.....

Busy day here at the GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker.
It is that time of year though and that's to be expected.

I bought the piping for the woodstove chimney today. OUCH!
That shit is pricey but damn if it won't be nice to have that heat next winter.
The installation will be a lot of fun I'm sure and the Insurance agent says I have to have it checked off, "By a professional" in order for them to be satisfied. Just so happens that a friend of mine meets the criteria for that and he's going to help me with the installation.
It'll cost me a bit but that's ok. At least I'll know it's done correctly and all that.

As far as "Things to think about" goes, here's a couple of items I noticed today.

Dems spark alarm with call for national ID card Aren't these the same people that have been all having the Vapors lately over the Arizona bill regarding Illegal Aliens?

Sweet! Unelected And Unaccountable Department To Have Your Bank Records Oh hell yes. It's not like they are into our business enough yet. I'm sure all that shit will be safe too.

Unlike that Asshole Bush with Katrina, the Obama Administration didn't dick around for eight days in the face of a major crisis in Louisiana and the gulf.

Oh wait.........My bad. Maybe his white half hates black people. Like Bush was accused of.

You're doing a heckuva job, Barry
"The Obama Regime's pathetic response to the Gulf oil spill has one of three causes--gross incompetence, apathetic negligence or political malice. Given the regime's "baby duckling" approach to every bad news item it has encountered so far, incompetence is hard to rule out. The people in charge are, literally, acting as if this is the very first time an oil spill has threatened the US shoreline."

La. National Guard prepares to fight oil spill
"Obama reassured Gulf Coast communities that the federal government is "fully prepared" to meet its responsibilities to them as the spill gets worse."
Damn, I'll bet that makes 'em feel better.

Attorney General Holder Dispatches Justice Department Team to Monitor British Petroleum Oil Spill
Lawyers. After eight days of spanking the puppy, Holder decides that "We should send some lawyers down there. That'll help!"

It's gonna be interesting to see how the Media spins the obvious incompetence of this bunch.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-

Baby Holstein Strikes Again.......

The wife had to go into town this morning and left me in charge of the little CrumbSnatcher I call, Baby Holstein.

Believe me, that's an entirely appropriate name for this kid.
And sure enough, she lived up to it not 30 minutes after the wife hit the door.

It shouldn't be possible that a kid this small can generate that much poop in one shitting.
Blew out the Pamper, down both legs and feet. Poop on the floor. Poop on me. Poop everywhere.

I worked on farms as a kid and know what cowflop is like and damn if this kid, pound for pound, couldn't put an adult Holstein to shame.


Loser.
Piker.
Underachiever that let a 1 year old girl outclass you.

But hey, she certainly seemed to enjoy the whole experience!

Me? Not so much. Fortunately, I don't get left alone with the kid to often but I do wonder if she saves it up just for me.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-


From This Great Collection of Pictures.
Check it out if you like WWII history.

Last Sunday, I had the great pleasure of joining 7,000 eager runners for the 25th Big Sur Marathon near Carmel, CA. This was the second leg of the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge, two marathons in 6 days, and a great way to ring in my 41st birthday. Thanks to great weather and the incredible organization of the volunteers and race team, it was a weekend to remember.

The race weekend started with a Sophie-led tour through Cannery Row, the amazing Monterey Aquarium, and the beach at Carmel. It was such a delight to see this all through the perpetually curious eyes of a 3-year-old. Who knew seahorses were so cool? And the males give birth! Ouch. I pretended not to notice that I was already limping as I chased her around, still healing from the bike accident a few weeks ago, and now amplified by running a beer-soaked Boston Marathon just days earlier. But I so, so wanted to experience that feeling of having Highway 1 all to ourselves, drifting up the rugged Big Sur coast. It called me like a siren song.


At 3am on race day, I chased a handful of ibuprofen with a cup of coffee and hoped for the best. Taking meds before a race is like watching a traffic accident about to happen - ya know it ain't gonna end well. I may not be much wiser at age 41, but I'm as stubborn as ever! The bus ride to the start was an eager mix of first timers and grizzled vets, all citing that the projected 60 degree weather couldn't be better. Among the runners were 372 crazy enough to tackle the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge. The things we do for shwag...

I got off the bus and sat with Loretta and Pam from Denver, CO, as we let the sun slowly warm us up in the starting area. Pam was hoping for a Boston qualifier, but got nervous enough a few weeks earlier to drive to another marathon and qualify to "get it out of the way". I think she's going to do just fine! Loretta was a lifelong runner who only recently began doing marathons, and loved the fact that she was nearly as fit as her two sons in the Marines. We chatted with a nice couple from Kansas City who looked for any excuse to spend time in Carmel. We learned that all 50 states were represented here, as well as 21 foreign countries. This race attracts the coolest people!





We made our way to the start, just in time to hear the national anthem and see the doves released (much to the liking of the circling turkey vultures). I said a quick hi to Michael Wardian, a sure favorite here today even after running a 2:25 at Boston. He had some tough competition though, including Big Sur regular Jesus Campos, local masters demi-god Rich Hanna, and seeded runners Daniel Tapia and Chris Mocko. I didn't see defending Women's champion Mary Coordt, but there were plenty of new faces here who looked pretty fit. Melinda Schwartz from Buffalo, NY, was fresh off a 3:03 at the Athens Marathon and was looking forward to the challenging hills. As the gun went off, she said "good luck!" and dropped me like a sack of potatoes.


We descended out of the redwoods to the live soundtrack of local bands who braved the early morning to be set up for us. Thanks, guys! Within a few miles we were spread out along Highway 1, hearing only the popcorn sounds of our footsteps against the crashing waves. Ah, so peaceful...

My stride was quickly whittled down to a shuffle, roughly an 8:30 min/mile pace, which was about as much as my sore tailbone could handle. Hang in there, body! It's not like we use our tails for anything, right? Oh, yeah - except for holding yourself upright. Oops. Luckily I found plenty of new friends to help pass the time. Joyce Forier, a Race Director from Henderson, NV, shared plenty of stories of charting/planning/executing new 100-mile races, tours through Red Rocks, and her upcoming debut to run Comrades. If her passion for running is any indication, I bet her races are spectacular!



 The aid station volunteers were amazing, per usual, and the mile marker signs were hilarious. Everyone was chatting away and having a great time. I continued to be surprised by how many Boston 2 Big Sur runners there were - and they were doing great!


At mile 10, we got to my favorite part - Hurricane Point. This two mile climb never seems to end, but rewards you with the best views of the course. Fresh legs from the relay teams and the 21-milers helped pace us up the hill.



 I joked with the Boston 2 Big Sur runners at the top - which is tougher, Heartbreak or Hurricane? No contest, they said. Hurricane is 5x the heartbreak of Heartbreak.

The descent after Hurricane was quick, and we soon found ourselves crossing the halfway point at Bixby Bridge. The photo shooting session next to the piano player was so popular, I couldn't get in! It's definitely a great spot. My watch read 1:53...this was on track to be my slowest marathon of all time, but it didn't seem to matter. I was just glad to be hear to share the experience.



The weather held up nicely, and started to get downright hot. I cruised along with Kathryn Hazzard who came all the way from Maine, and told me about a lot of great races in her area. We were moving along with the 10.6-mile runners and making plenty of new friends.



As the ibuprofen wore off, I found yo-yo'ing between 7 and 10 min/miles as I slowly climbed into the Carmel Highlands. I ran with Matthew, whom I've now met at four different races (not counting Boston, which he also did), and he pulled me up to mile 22 before stopping for the fresh strawberry aid station. He could tell by my stride that the Miwok 100k next weekend was definitely out of the picture, and he advised to enjoy every last minute of this race. Well said, my friend.


With that, I pulled into the finish in 3:53 and thanked my body for holding up for one last race. That'll do, pig...that'll do. My good friend John Heltzel had finished a few minutes ahead of me, clocking a PR 3:50 on a tough course, and I got to bask in his glow as we greeted our respective families. Michael Wardian had gotten 2nd place (2:27), just a minute behind winner Daniel Tapia (2:26). New Yorker Veronica Clemens won the Women's division in 2:55, with Melinda Schwartz taking 2nd in 3:08. Mike Nutall, doing his umpteenth Big Sur, entered the 60-64 age group with a respectable 3:23 and won his age group again. All in all, some incredible performances.
Within minutes I had retreated to the Boston 2 Big Sur tent for a couple of beers and another dose of ibuprofen. Normally I would be stressing about it, but my heart was still overflowing from all the beauty, friendly faces, and inviting community that put on an amazing day. It's hard to imagine a better setting for a marathon, and I looked forward to taking a snooze on the beach before hitting The Forge in the Forest for some grub.

My thanks to the Big Sur Marathon Committee, all their great sponsors and volunteers, for putting on another epic race. You keep this up, and Runner's World's #3 destination marathon will claim the place it holds in our memories - #1.

- SD

Some Monday Night Music.........

I've had these here before but this is the mood I'm in right now.





I'm beginning to really like these guys a lot.

Another Gratuitous Picture For Ya-
My awesome yard helper. Ya can't even see the bracelet the court made her wear in this picture.

Lottery Gods...they work in mysterious ways. They control our destiny with their awesome power of fate, knowing just when and where to rock your world. Last Friday, they rocked mine yet again.

First, a slap in the face. I didn't get into The Dipsea Race for June, despite following their absurd and elitist application policies of including bribes in the application and hustling it to a post office within hours of downloading it from the Web (dance, clown, dance!). All this for the privilege of riding in the back of the bus by started 28 minutes behind the "real" runners. It was not only disappointing to not get in, it was fueling a rage against the establishment! I guess that movie On The Edge is based on the Dipsea for more than just location.

Next, a kick to the groin. It's quite clear that I am seriously injured from my bike accident two weeks ago, despite faking through a few fun marathons in the last couple of weeks (Boston was awesome, Big Sur Marathon blog write up in progress, but the 3:53 finish time should tell you something). If I take my recovery as seriously as my training, it's time to commit and take a month or so off. This means I won't run Miwok, a race I LOVE, and the only race the Lottery Gods graced me with this for the 2010 season. I try so hard not to take your name in vain oh Gods of Lottery, but you test me so!

On Friday, I took my grumpy mood and compromised posture to the garage to strip down my bike, throwing away the broken pieces and try to determine if what is left is worth salvaging. It seemed like more of the bike was going in the trash than remaining.

"Hmm," I thought, "perhaps this is fate's way of telling me to forget the bike and focus 100% on the trails. No cars, no hitting pavement with nothing but lycra on, no high speed descents. I was lucky to walk away - maybe fate is trying to tell me something."

A few minutes later, I got a text message from a friend. "Dude...you just won a lottery slot to Ironman Hawaii on Oct 9, 2010. You lucky bastard!!!". I wha? No way!!!

Could it be?!? I've been putting my name in that lottery for nearly 12 years and have a row of $50 DVD's (your parting gift for not getting in) to prove it. It's one of my "bucket list" races, the ones you must do before you check out of this world. I checked the Web site, and there it was. Unbelievable.

I immediately pulled out all the bike parts out of the trash and started assembling. Lottery Gods, how ever could I have questioned your powers of destiny? I am your humble servant. ;-)

Best of luck to the Miwok runners this Saturday, especially that wait-lister who just got a HUGE break! The Lottery Gods are looking out for you too.

SD

I Always Get a Laugh...........

When I hear someone say that life in the country is "Boring".

I suppose it may seem that way to folks who don't actually live in the country.
My usual response to the "It's Boring" folks is this - "If you think it's boring, go cut yer own firewood sometime."

Nothing ever boring about chainsaws and dropping multi-ton trees.
At least it ought not get boring. Bad Shit can happen in a heartbeat and that can seriously screw up your day, even if you are paying attention.

Which is sorta what happened today.

There was a big ass Poplar tree that needed to come down out back of the house. It had some obvious rot on the one side and was big enough, that if it decided to fall the wrong way it could do some serious damage to the GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker.

I've been putting this job off because that tree is so Damn Big.
But I really couldn't put it off any longer, Summer storm season coming and all. So off I went this morning.

I've never dropped a tree as big as this thing before and I wanted to make sure the damn thing went in the right direction when it did, so I started out by making a big ass notch. It seemed that most of the rotten area was in the notch area as I was cutting and I figured that was a good thing. I took my time and made sure things were done right.

Conditions were perfect. Not even a hint of a breeze and that was good as I was dropping it toward the West, the way the wind generally comes from around here.

So I start making my felling cut ......... And that's when things took an unplanned turn.

Seems that the wood in there was a lot less solid than I thought.
I was just getting close to the point where it was gonna let go when the whole friggin' tree just sorta squatted straight down. Of course the saw is pinched in there tight as a drum, but that was the least of my worries.

Oh sweet, Jeebus! Now what do I do?
Here I am with this huge tree, basically balancing like a pencil on a tabletop.

First thing was to move my dumbass out of the way and hope that the wind didn't pickup all of a sudden.

I figured I would have to influence it to go over somehow, so out to the barn I went. Grabbed the extension ladder and the heavy ass rope. On trip 2 I grabbed the come-along, a metal T post and the post driver.

The scary part was putting that ladder up against the tree and going up to loop a rope around there.

Believe me, my "Pucker Factor" was into Warp 9 level by this time and my ass cheeks were clenched so tight, you couldn't have pulled a Banjo String through my ass with a Caterpillar Tractor at that point.

I just kept saying, "Oh please, don't get any wind now."

I can't even tell you how happy I was to get the hell off of that ladder
.
I pounded in the T post, hooked the come-along to it and tied the rope on tight and started cranking.

Now that rope was only about 25' up the bole of that tree. Not nearly enough for optimal leverage, but Hot Damn, Skippy it was enough.

It took more time to get the slack out of everything than it did to actually start that tree falling.
But it let out one loud Crack !!!! And down she came, right where I wanted it too in the first place!

Turns out there was practically nothing beyond the first 3"-4" of the exterior that was all that solid.

Damn. Good clean living pays off once in awhile.

After it was on the ground, I paced it off and the damn thing was 85-90' tall when it was standing up.
Like I said, a big-ass tree.

I got most of it topped out and cut up this afternoon. The hard part starts tomorrow when I go after the bole of this thing. This is gonna be a real treat trying to section this thing into manageable pieces and then stacking them somewhere to dry.

Well, they say hard work never killed anyone. Scare the hell out of ya when it doesn't go right maybe.

I have several other Big-Ass Trees that need to come down too. It may be awhile before I tackle another one that size.

Besides, I may have maxed out my Good Karma points for now.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-
Fidel Castro drives the baseline, 1960.

Just Another Manic Monday........

It's wet as hell here still so not much gardening gonna get done today.

I have some lumberjacking that needs done so I'm gonna be out trying not to saw my friggin' legs off while taking down some trees.

Here's something for ya all to watch. Can't understand the announcer but it's not all that important really.

Agostini and Hailwood at the TT 1967



Gotta love them old go faster dudes!

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Morning-
A handy public service there. Those stakes look sorta flimsy though.

Peluang Bisnis di Internet : Internet merupakan salah satu media untuk menjalankan bisnis. Dengan menggunakan media internet untuk sarana bisnis, maka peluang untuk sukses akan terbuka. Dengan perkembangan teknologi dan informasi yang ada di internet, setiap pengguna internet dapat mencari pendapatan secara online di internet.

Menambah pendapatan dari web atau blog personal di rumah sendiri adalah hal yang sangat menguntungkan. Tanpa keluar rumah setiap orang sebenarnya bisa memperoleh penghasilan. Kalau pengelola atau pemiliki situs mau browsing di internet, dan ingin menjalankan bisnis online dari rumah, maka kesempatan menghasilkan uang sangat terbuka.

Another Exciting Saturday............

Here at the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker". Today I'll be in the trenches at the ER saving lives and raising the standard of living and all that.

Like I told ya the other day, posting is gonna continue to be light until the garden and all is in. Sorry about that.

Here's a few links to check out today.

Via Motorcycle Classics Magazine comes this - 11 New 1975 Norton Commandos Found in Belgium!

"Here’s something you don’t come across every day: 11 brand new 1975 electric-start Norton Interstate motorcycles, still in the crate and awaiting final assembly! The horde of Nortons came to light recently following the death of the owner of Motoshop Podevyn in Aalst, Belgium. Incredibly, the bikes are just a small part of an even larger collection."



Follow the link in that article and check out all of the shit that's being auctioned off. It's an incredible collection.
Hey, you can still bid on the stuff if you like.



Along those same lines, here's a garage full of cool old cars you might like
This guy is quite the craftsmen and car buff.



This is how I envisioned my brother, Chief being like when he gets to be 80 y/o. Smiling in a garage full of cool shit.



These British Gals show you how it's done when it comes to supporting the troops-
Meet the SWAGs (Service Wives And Girlfriends), whose cheeky naked calendar has raised £26,000 for Help For Heroes

"With only strategically placed guns and tanks to spare their blushes, these charity calendar shots have helped raise £26,000 for injured servicemen and women wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A total of 50 volunteers, all wives and girlfriends of men from the three Armed Services, stripped off to be photographed at bases and training centres in Hampshire. But their modesty was preserved by carefully placed pieces of military equipment."

Well done ladies!

Gratuitous Picture for a Saturday Morning-

Membuat blog untuk bisnis atau mencari pendapatan dengan blog merupakan solusi untuk setiap pengguna internet. Dengan cara yang sederhana dan mudah setiap orang sudah bisa membuat blog sendiri. Memilih blogspot atau wordpress adalah solusi yang tepat, karena sangat mudah mengoperasikannya.

Bandung merupakan Ibukota provinsi Jawa barat. Di bidang pariwisata, Banyak sekali obyek wisata atau tempat untuk tujuan wisata yang sangat menarik untuk di kunjungi jika wisatawan berkunjung ke kota Bandung. Panoramanya yang indah dan suhu udara yang sejuk, akan membuat wisatawan yang datang ke Kota Bandung merasa nyaman dan senang.

Oh Sweet Jeebus I Damn Near Forgot........

That today is EARTH DAY!!!!

40th anniversary too.

The rain has gone here but it's still pretty wet out there ............. So it's probably gonna take a gallon of Diesel Fuel to get the "Celebratory Pile of Old Tires" lit up and burning today.

As you can see, last years celebration is gonna be hard to top!


But we've been working on this since last year and I'm pretty sure we're up for the challenge.



Should be a good show.

Rainy Thursday Morning..........

Not likely to get much done in the garden today.
Things are gonna be a bit slow around here until I get the garden and whatnot up to speed, just so ya know.

If you too are stuck inside today, Here is an excellent Essay for you to read - X 2: How Well Do You Understand Your Rights?

It will take a few minutes to read and is worth the time.
Very informative and great historical background for ya.

It's the type of thing that should be required reading in schools and, most especially, by our congressmen.

A tip of the hat to - Green Mountains Homesteader for showing me the way to this excellent essay.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Morning-

This morning, I had the great pleasure of joining 26,000 runners for one of the biggest annual parties in American history, the 2010 Boston Marathon. Ideal weather (even a tailwind!), plenty of beer, and new and old friends alike made for a perfect day for the 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston, MA. Per usual, the Boston natives and volunteers made it a special day for all of us.

I felt a deep appreciation for this Boston, my 6th, for it nearly didn't happen. Just a week ago I crashed on my bike when I slid in the rain trying to avoid a rock in the road, and in one instant hit the pavement, crushed my helmet, destroyed my bike, and bruised up my back and left butt cheek enough to see my peak fitness get put on the shelf. Oh, and did I mention sexy? Nothing like asymmetrical swelling in the butt to drive women wild. I've spent a few days ass up on the bed, and it appeared to be healing quickly with rest/ice/elevation. I wasn't able to run all week, so I toed the line at Boston with that unique sensation of not knowing if a finish was in my future or not. Beers yes, pictures for sure, but finish, who knows?

The days before were the usual pandalerium, with all of Boston feasting on the Patriots Day long weekend. the only ones missing from the party were the hundreds of European runners stranded at home from the volcanic ash that stopped all jets the last few days. We toasted them in spirit. I had a pre-race dinner with fellow trail running warrior Sarah Syed and her Mom, sharing any Boston tips I could for her inaugural run.

I joined Laurie and the Injinji gang to work the Injinji booth at Expo, and had a chance to meet Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1966 when she snuck on the course and clocked a 3:21:40. Her new book, "To Boston with Love", chronicles a passion for love and nature that led her to running ultras long before her Boston victory. And get this - she got married in my home town of Woodside, CA! She could even recite my home trails by name. How cool is that?



Race morning found a welcome break from the rainy weekend, with enough blue skies to coax 500,000 spectators to line the course from end to end. Sarah and I both made it in time to get pre-race massages in the Athlete's Village (still the best kept secret), and I met a nice pilot from American Airlines from Chicago taking a break from his four girls for some marathon fun. With a quick sprint to corrals, I made it just in time for the countdown. 3, 2, 1 and we're off!



My pace was so slow, I easily got passed by 1,000 runners in the first mile. Yup, I was one of "those guys"! But as long as the strides were short, the pain in the ass remained only a pain in the ass. Among those passing me were familiar faces of Jason Jones, 24-hour superstar John Geesler (a prep run for the NYC 6-Day run next weekend), Roy Pirrung (doing a double marathon), Michael Wardian (actually, he was in front of me the whole time no surprise), and Kevin Sullivan (supposedly in running retirement...busted!). Ultrarunners are everywhere!



At mile 2, one of the local rabble-rousers handed me a beer and I was happy to oblige. In all my Bostons, the ones where I took the time to enjoy everything it had to offer were the most memorable, so why stop now?. It was fun to keep a mellow pace and reflect on all the world, local, and personal history of this race. It is the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon (which originated the distance and the legend of Phidippides), the 114th running of the Boston Marathon, and every street corner seemed to remind me of running with my Dad last year, donning the Bleeker costume, with my friends Kik and Paige, or the many folks I've met along the way. So many great memories!



At mile 4, I ran with Sam Morris from Laurel, MD, who was staying right on a 3:15 finish pace. Sam was new to running, but had that natural stride of an all-around athlete and the watch-like consistency of a military man. We passed the time sharing stories, meeting people, and getting high fives from the kids as we came through Natick. 



I grabbed another beer at mile 11, as we heard the famed scream tunnel approaching. I always enjoy watching the men check their hair and breath as the long line of beautiful young maidens approach - although it's not necessary, I'm sure the hundreds of Wellesley girls are appreciative of a little extra grooming. My favorite sign this year was "kiss me 'cause I majored in kissing!". I took a short stop to give/get some smackeroos, and immediately clocked a testosterone powered 6:20 min/mile. Ah, the sweet seduction of drunken youth.




As we entered the hill country, we got the benefit on a nice tailwind breeze. Sam decided to pick up the pace a bit to get closer to his 3:15 goal, so I wished him luck and watched him mountain goat up Heartbreak Hill. The Hash House Harriers aid station was fully functional this year at mile 20, and beer #3 made it official...I was running buzzed, much to the Harriers delight. I realized this when I took a PowerBar gel and washed it down with a Sam Adams (yuck). Probably best to cut back or this was not going to end well. Remember kids, do as I say, not as I do! (ahem)







The final stretch after Boston College had a wonderful tailwind, and I used the opportunity to pick up the pace a smidge.  My strides were still fairly short, like a Chi-running robot, but anything more felt too risky. I slowed to chat with Jason Jones, who is also doing the Boston/Big Sur/Miwok triple, before hitting the final 5k. The Citgo sign appeared in the distance, and the road began to fill with cramp-induced casualties. I slapped as many backs as I could to give encouragement.



The crowds went wild as we pulled onto Boylston St and made the final stretch into the chute. I finished in 3:18:10, good for 4203rd place. Another great race in the books! It felt like the first finish all over again, and I thanked my body for holding up.




I hit the post-race massages, and they did a good job of loosening up my back and glutes again. In an odd turn of events, I would get a phone call later saying that one of the medical advisors was convinced the bruising indicates a broken tailbone and I should get x-rays asap. How is that possible? I don't think you can run a marathon with a broken tailbone. Only an idiot would try something like tha-...fine, fine, back to the hospital. ;-) But I don't think I'll mention Big Sur on the calendar for next Sat. I mean, it's not like we use our tails or anything.

My thanks to the great people of Boston for another awesome race!

- SD