Enough!

Pop Quiz! The guy on the left is:

A. Conrad Janis
B. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
C. John Lennon
D. Lasse Viren

I apologize for starting your day with a political rant, but seriously folks, these people MUST be stopped!

Mayor Bloomberg's egregious attack on personal freedom is just the latest in a long string of "First they came for the SUV drivers..." gestapo tactics by various government agencies. I've complained about it, and have voted against the Soylent Green factions at every opportunity. As much as I have always hated the government's uncalled-for intrusions into our personal choices (automobiles, insurance, light bulbs, etc), when they start coming for our soft drinks, it is time to draw the line.

Please, please join me in voting against anyone and everyone who thinks Government knows better than citizens. While I'll admit that there are some things that probably do require government involvement to be done effectively (roads, defense, forest fire fighting, etc), I simply cannot agree that it is the duty of elected officials to tell me what to eat and drink.

Don't get me wrong; I'm totally in favor of good nutrition. I spend a large chunk of my time trying to help others in their quests for health and fitness. But I do not see it as my responsibility (nor anyone else's) to force people to live their lives in any particular way. I am not Herbert (nor Landrew), and I don't think anyone needs to assume those roles, either. I'm sure that the Bloombergs of the world are working to change the situation to take away our ability to reverse their edicts, but as of right now, we still have the power to vote these tyrants out of office.

So, in November, let's all stand together and say "Enough is enough!" Let's replace these power-mad elitists with people who understand and respect the concept of freedom. If you hear any candidate talking about how government involvement can solve everyone's problems, then vote for the other guy. Our elected officials shouldn't be telling us what to do -- it's the other way around. If they don't understand that, then they shouldn't have that job.

OK, let's move on. It had to be said, but it's out of my system now. Congratulations to everyone who knew the answer to the pop quiz, and bonus points to anyone who knew that Conrad Janis was the guy who played Mindy's dad on "Mork and Mindy." (He does look like Vladimir, though, doesn't he?) And Lasse Viren was a famous runner whose phenomenal performances were frequently attributed to blood doping.

Anyway, thinking of those guys gave me an idea for a good graphical quiz that I'll present in the next few days. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, let's talk about what a fabulous weekend I had.

The highlight of the weekend was our Foothills Masters Swim Team party. Our hosts were Leif Oines (the smiling fellow shown here), and his lovely wife (and famous author), Margaret Feinberg. I knew Leif was a talented sprinter and supremely nice guy, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is also an unquestioned Master of BBQ. Swimmers will eat huge quantities of just about anything, but it's unusual to see them stop after each bite to make yummy noises. There were continual "mmmmm!" expressions throughout the evening as people savored Leif's tender and tangy creations.

Of course, there were also plenty of salads and desserts, too. And though you might expect swimmers and triathletes to talk about nothing but training and racing, there were also fascinating conversations on other topics, including a hugely entertaining and touching recap of the Titanic's 100-Year Anniversary cruise presented by Janet Kalstrom, who had represented Denver's Molly Brown House Museum during the event.

As I sometimes do at parties like this, I probably had one too many cans of Dr. Pepper, but hey -- it's a party, right? Gotta live it up.

Anyway, it's always good to be able to spend some time with my teammates without yelling at them about two-hand touches or interval management, etc. They normally think of me as a heartless sadist whose only purpose in life is to administer tortures and reprimands. But at a party like this, they can see the other side of me -- a cultured gentleman who can also quote lines from both "Star Trek" and "Dude, Where's My Car?" And if the mouthwatering food, sparkling conversation, and historical edification weren't enough, there was also the view from Leif's deck:



Whoa. Life is good, eh? But eating BBQ and gazing across golf courses wasn't all I did over the weekend. Friday after swim practice, I got a new windshield for my car. The old one had a crack in it, and while it wasn't a safety hazard at all, the timing seemed right to go ahead and get the new one installed. I didn't want to put my new parks pass on a cracked windshield, and the old one had expired. Ergo...time for new glass.

Saturday morning, it was my turn to monitor the swimmers at the Chatfield pond. Each swimmer is supposed to volunteer at some point over the summer, and I figured this would be a good time to do it. It would force me to go to the pond, and as long as I was already there, I'd probably be able to talk myself into swimming a lap or two. What I hadn't thought through was the fact that this particular Saturday would be the first day for hundreds of other lake swimmers, and the vast majority of them would need to sign waivers before we could allow them to swim. I was constantly busy throughout my shift, with extended queues for both the "pre-approved" swimmers and the "paperwork" crowd. Thank goodness the swimmers were all polite and patient; we processed them through as quickly as we could. But it did require a pretty high level of effort.

But now that we got everyone signed in with the proper authorizations, all the other monitors will have a much easier job. Their challenge will consist of nothing more than knowing the order of the letters in the alphabet.

You're welcome. Oh, and by the way, I did swim about 2 laps in the pond, and the water was refreshing! I'm glad I went.

Anyway, after a long day and too much BBQ on Saturday, I wasn't sure I really wanted to get up early on Sunday morning for a ride up Highgrade/CityView. But as he always does, my buddy Kim managed to talk me into it. We met a little before 5:30am, and rode about 50 miles before we called it a day. It was good to get the saddle time, and it served as a confidence builder for the upcoming Triple Bypass ride. I wish I felt a little more powerful at this stage of my training, but we still have a few weeks left -- so with some good self-discipline, I might be able to eke out some sort of conditioning improvements.

Wait? Self-discipline? Uh, yeah, not really my thing. Oh well, maybe I just need to oil my chain really well and pump the tires up to maximum pressure to decrease rolling resistance. That'll take care of it, right?

Actually, that's a problem I'll have to deal with. After pumping up my rear tire on Sunday morning, I went to twist the Presta valve closed...and it snapped off in my fingers! The little knobby part just separated from the valve stem. It held air just fine, but without being able to loosen it back up, there's no way I can fill this tube again. Therefore, I'm going to have to replace it before my next long ride. Windshields, bike tubes, groceries -- there's always something that needs to be replaced. Oh well, that's just how it goes, I suppose. I'll have to find a spot in my schedule for that.

In the meantime, here's a picture I took at the Pleasant Park Schoolhouse at the top of Highgrade Road on Sunday. There was a family of three foxes dancing around in the field near the biker rest stop. One of them ducked behind the grass when I hit the camera button, but you get the idea.



On Sunday afternoon, I did another interview for the Veterans History Project. Wayne Best is a Navy veteran who served on a Destroyer throughout World War II, both in Europe and in the Pacific. He is a delightfully funny guy, and it was a pleasure hearing and recording his story. I've had the honor of talking with many of these patriots throughout this project, but it never fails to impress me how selflessly they served and how modest they are about the sacrifices they made to preserve our freedom. Wayne signed up early on the morning of December 8th, 1941, and kept fighting until the war was over. Thanks, Wayne!

And that, my friends, pretty much sums up my weekend. I hope yours was as satisfying and fun as mine was, and I hope this new week is off to a fantastic start. Have a great day!