Journal
May 18, 2012
Facebook Is Going To Be Even More Annoying
I'm pretty sure that we'll look back on the privately held Facebook as the good-old days, when it respected our privacy and didn't go too far into tracking everything we did, everywhere we went. And that makes me kind of sad. And really scared.
Also, I promise this will be my last post/link about the evils of Facebook. Now that my account on said social network has officially been deleted (or so I've been told) my interest in it will likely wane.
May 17, 2012
2012 Giro d'Italia: Final push to the line in Assisi
The amazing scenery in this year's Giro d'Italia makes me want to grab my bike (along with the family, of course) and get my butt over to Italy, pronto.
May 15, 2012
Remembering My Brother: Jacob Yoskovitz
A heart-wrenching story that's sure to make anyone - a parent, sibling or otherwise - cry. I know it made me choke up.
May 8, 2012
May 1, 2012
Frozen toes and muddy faces
The result of last night's group ride in 3 degrees and rain. What happens at 52km/hr in a paceline of 15+ guys in these conditions? Mud and grit, everywhere.
Apr 27, 2012
One heckuva bike: Gaulzetti Corsa
Gone are the days where pro riders used to secretly, or not-so-secretly in some cases, have custom bikes made for them and rebadged with their official sponsors' logos. Sponsorship contracts have become so large and important to the bottom lines of teams that this practice is now economically impossible.
With this in mind, the Gaulzetti Corsa is designed to be the bike pro riders would ride if they had a choice of frames. It's a race machine in the purest sense; built for pure function, and designed with a keen understanding of all the rigors encountered by racers, from early season training miles in horrible winter conditions, to the longest, most grueling summer road races. In short, if the job is training and racing, the Corsa is the ideal tool for that job.
I'd be so much faster on this bike. Clearly, so much faster.
Apr 20, 2012
Chris Cole: Still got it
Old video, but Chris Cole kills it.
Apr 19, 2012
Has the Smartphone Killed Our Sense of Wonder?
I used to have conversations about movies, books, countries and cultures where the only source of information was what all of the participants had actually experienced and pondered themselves. Now everything is someone else’s opinion, searched for, read and regurgitated in our voices.
So how long will it be before we decide that it’s easier to just regurgitate rather than form our own opinions at all?
Apr 18, 2012
The fearlessness of kids
Until tonight, I thought I knew about fear.
I've done a lot of dumb stuff in my life, risking my own safety (and others; sorry). I've overcome my personal fears too many times to count and have come out relatively unscathed. Some broken bones, blood and bruises, but nothing too "major".
But tonight, out for a bike ride with our kids, with me on my skateboard, I learned that fear is much, much scarier when it's not yours to control and conquer.
Our five-year old son learned how to ride his bike without training wheels less than a week ago. He's already riding faster and doing crazier stuff than his seven-year old sister who's been riding a bike for years.
Tonight I watched him barrel down a busy road, skid in the gravel, bounce up and down curbs, and generally be reckless but miraculously stay in control. All I could do was watch from afar and yell "Slow down!" or "Use your brakes!" and hope/pray that he'd come out the other side.
It took me almost an hour afterwards to calm down. Him? Off to play with toys and read a book like nothing ever happened.
Boy, oh boy. This should be fun.
Apr 16, 2012
Peloton entering Schoten for 1st time
Beautiful.
I miss riding in a big pack. Also, being fast enough to keep up with said pack.
Apr 13, 2012
Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?
Social interaction matters. Loneliness and being alone are not the same thing, but both are on the rise. We meet fewer people. We gather less. And when we gather, our bonds are less meaningful and less easy. The decrease in confidants—that is, in quality social connections—has been dramatic over the past 25 years.
This reason, and for the sake of our kids, is why I'm no longer on Facebook.
Hand-drawn monkeys on felt
An Easter gift to me, as drawn by our daughter.
The moment
There's not much else that makes you feel more alive than the moment where you narrowly escape major bodily injury (or death, for that matter).
This morning's near-disaster on my skateboard - upon approaching a curb, one of the rear wheels hit a rock and immediately stopped the board's progress, but I kept flying forward and somehow, miraculously, landed on my feet - reminds me of this fact.
Apr 11, 2012
