Bob traded in his BMW for a new sweet ride!

We tried...

Ever since I found out that one of my co-workers was going to leave I have tried to convince him to stay. On Monday another co-worker, the person leaving, and myself went out and rode our mountain bikes. It was almost a perfect day (would have been if we had succeeded in our mission). We tried really hard to convince him that the right thing to do is to stay, but it became pretty apparent that he was still leaning towards leaving. One of the reasons I am where I am is because I have a passion for what I do. I really love my job, and think that I would be hard pressed to find anything else remotely as cool. I think that there are many other people that I work with that share this passion and stay for the same reason. It is more than a job; I define part of who I am by what I do here. I don’t know that he has this same passion that I (we) do, and perhaps leaving is the right choice. It is definitely hard because we need his skills and will hurt because of his loss. His last day is a week from Friday and he will be missed greatly. I wish him the best of luck, and hope to see you on the trails…

8 out of 16!

So after today's team time trial the Discovery team lead by Lance Armstrong hold 8 of the top 16 positions. George Hinccape is in 2nd, and how fitting is that. Without George I don't think Lance would be where he is. It was bitter-sweet for me today because our local racer-boy David Zabriski crashed with 1.5km to go, essentially giving the jersey to Lance. Had he not crashed Lance and him would have been tied. Go Lance, Go!

Lance Armstrong 25th...Dale Earnhardt 13??? WTF?

Sports Ilustrated is running an areticle on Amerca's Revolutionary Atheletes. Now I agree with the majority of the people in the list, but not always with the order. One person in particular really set me off. Dale Earnhardt! Now I enjoy watching the rednecks runaround and make left turns on occasion, and will admit the triumph and tragedy that surrounded Dale Earnhardt. I watched and felt sorrow when he crashed in the Daytona and died. I can't however stand Dale Jr. "Little e". He is nothing but a pompous little fuck, and I hope he follows in his fathers footsteps a few years sooner so I don’t have to watch or hear about him anymore. Anyhow, back to my rant...Dale Earnhardt as the thirteenth most revolutionary athlete. For one, to call a driver an athlete is a little bit of a stretch. Yes, it takes physical strength and endurance, but not one NASCAR driver could go out and complete a workout like Lance, Michael Jordan, and many of the others (with the exception of Golfers) in the SI list. Not even close. What has Dale done to be revolutionary besides gathering the redneck troops together to rally around the number 3? NOTHING! He was a great driver and has a great story, but to include him in the top 25 American athletes is a JOKE! I think SI only threw him in as an attempt to sway readers from the south. Lance Armstrong has raised the bar continuously and has given hope to millions of people with cancer. He has raised over 85 Million dollars to forward the fight against cancer. All too often, as in the SI list, people say he survived testicular cancer. Sure, he survived testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs, liver, and brain! Then he fought back and became the ONLY person to win the Tour de France six times, and is well on his way to win it a seventh. He has done more for American cycling in the past 10 years than anyone else. There are currently five American’s in the top eleven in the tour. This is a huge difference from only several years ago. He is an amazing athlete, and deserves to be better than 25th, and certainly better than Dale Earnhardt. SI the UPS sucks tag has officially been moved to you. SI you SUCK.