The Crazy Will Continue

Michelle Bachmann has decided that since the law limits US Presidents to eight years, that same time period is long enough for her and she's not running for reelection next year. But unless something else happens, the American public will still be exposed to her craziness for another 19 months.

But don't worry, there are plenty of people on hand to take up the slack. Our own Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who puts a sane face on the insane Republican clown car, may not talk the crazy, but she quietly supports the policies. She speaks up apparently when she's told to because she never conveys an original thought, only repeating talking points.

She too is busy slapping the non-scandal cauldron with a canoe paddle, hoping the splashes and resulting mess will make people think something dirty has been cooking all along. The cauldron contains a bubbly sauce of Republican making called, Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! So far nobody likes it. And regardless of the many press conferences where you may think different, she didn't get to the number four ranking position on looks alone. No, she is showing true leadership and doing what her ideologue masters tell her to. Like and share if you want answers. Oops, I mean ANSWERS! 

One of her fellow Republican House members, Louie Gohmert of Texas, has been working hard--successfully, I'd say--to be the craziest Republican in the House. After Senator McCain visited Syrian rebels, Gohmert decided that McCain was also responsible for Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi!

"Yeah and then we know if it had not been for Sen. McCain and President Obama being for what we knew at the time included al-Qaeda in the rebel forces then we would still have a U.S. ambassador and three others alive today because Benghazi would not have happened. But by giving power to the rebel forces that included al Qaeda that brought that whole mess about and helped create problems in Tunisia and Algeria. So I’m not sure what to think about his going to Syria. If history is any lesson the people he met with he wants us to help should be very careful about what Sen. McCain’s support could mean for them."

I hope Cathy McMorris Rodgers received the memo so she can sharpen her rapier talking points. In another month or so we'll find out yet another political leader is responsible for Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi!

Our fair congresswoman is still pushing for the Keystone XL pipeline like the loyal trooper she is. I've addressed the Keystone XL before so I'm not going to repeat myself.

But I would like to mention that she's emphasizing her goal to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. 

If we're so dependent on it, why are we exporting so much gasoline to foreign countries?

In the meantime, the House will continue to accomplish nothing as it insists on a "my way or the highway" path to self destruction. Crazy, isn't it?

Sign Of The Times

Even Navin Johnson would agree.

 The new phone book is here!

...and it's gone.

Pump Track Session At Pat's House

Pat was kind enough to invite me over to ride the pump track. It was a learning experience and a lot of fun. I took the opportunity to work on my video skills. I alternated between auto and manual focus. Autofocus on the DSLR creates some weird scenes. Manual focus is difficult if you're not using a tripod and looking through the viewfinder.

Pump Track Session from hank greer on Vimeo.

The pump track is not only fun, but surprisingly quite the workout. Thanks Pat!

Murder, Manslaughter--Wait, Or Nothing?

Gail Gerlach is being charged with first degree manslaughter in the shooting and killing of Brendon Kaluza-Graham as Kaluza-Graham drove away stealing Gerlach's Chevy Suburban. One shot through a dirty, tinted back window, called "one in a thousand" by Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker, was all it took. And Gerlach appears to have regretted it immediately.

Here are the relevant portions of the Revised Code of Washington:

Murder in the second degree.
     (1) A person is guilty of murder in the second degree when:
          (a) With intent to cause the death of another person but without premeditation, he or she causes the death of such person or of a third person;

Manslaughter in the first degree.
     (1) A person is guilty of manslaughter in the first degree when:
          (a) He or she recklessly causes the death of another person;

It's a close call. 

But what concerns me most is at least one police officer or attorney in the meeting where they decided on manslaughter thought there shouldn't be any charges at all. Whether you're a marksman or a lucky shot, using a firearm to take a life requires strong justification. After all, what is the purpose of shooting at anything if not to hit it?

From the comments on the many Spokesman Review articles, the fact that Kaluza-Graham was a car thief makes it easier for some people to justify his death, which is itself disturbing. Callousness towards taking a life makes lesser offensive behavior more acceptable. 

It's all part of a civil society, something we have to work hard for if we want to have it.

Wish There Was A Lump Sum Option

Sir Eddy Michael wants to send me five grand a day every day until I get the whole 2.5 mil? Does he know how much Western Union, and possibly Western Uion as well, charges for each transaction? Send it all at once, Sir Eddy.

Even though he appears to be multilingual, Sir Eddy doesn't seem to be all that bright. I doubt Sir Eddy has been knighted. It seems knights would be smarter. Well, except for the Knights Who Say Ni.

Dang it!

He says in his best Kip voice as he discovers the flat tire he fixed last night is flat again this morning.

Instead of fussing with it, I put all my stuff in a backpack and rode the Elephant to work. The Elephant is fun anyway. When you hammer the pedals you can feel it trying to run out from under you.

Well, enough of this tom foolery. Back to fixing flats. Correctly.

Bike Happenings

Wednesday Night Mountain Bike racing at Riverside State Park. Registration starts at 5:00. Race starts at 6:30. Today's Wednesday, right?

This Bike Life has a shop road ride tomorrow night at 6:00 pm. Meet at Field House Pizza, 4423 W. Wellesley Ave, to do the Nine Mile Loop, about 24 miles in distance. But check the Facebook page to see if weather changes the plan.

Two Wheel Transit has a shop road ride tomorrow night 6:30 pm. Meet at the Manito Tap House, 3011 S. Grand Blvd, beforehand.

Saturday morning, Two Wheel Transit has a shop road ride at 8:30 am. Again, meet at the Manito Tap House, 3011 S. Grand Blvd.

Believers on Mountain Bikes is hosting a Beginner’s Ride/Basic Skills at 10:00 am, Saturday at Riverside State Park.

Also on Saturday, The Bike Hub is having a grand opening of its downtown shop, 1403 W 1st St. There's a road ride starting at 9:00 am and a couple of bike stunt shows during the day.

Tuesday, June 4, is another night of the Twilight Series racing hosted by the Baddlands Racing Club out at the Spokane County Raceway. Registration is from 4:45 to 5:50 pm. Racing starts at 6:00.

Start planning now to decorate your bike!  

Spokane Summer Parkways is happening from 6:00-9:00 pm, June 19, in the Comstock/Manito neighborhood. There will be a bike decorating contest. How do I know? Because I'm a judge. I can't be bought. I will share that I have a fondness for chocolate no-bake cookies. I don't know why I said that. No, really. I love chocolate no-bake cookies, but I don't know why it's important for you to know.

*** Update

Well, it appears I was asked to be a judge but didn't make the cut. I'll just console myself with a chocolate no-bake cookie.

Back On The Road

Riding to work this morning was a welcome change. The road was smooth and I was rolling pretty fast compared to the jarring rock gardens at the race last weekend. My joy was short lived, however, when I noticed my back tire was getting mushy. I was barely a quarter mile from work when I pulled over to the sidewalk to fix a flat. 

The cause was a thin piece of wire, probably from a steel belted tire, embedded in my brand new tire. I thought I removed it, but I only removed enough to allow the tire to go slightly flat on the trip home after work. So I had two tubes to patch tonight and I got the rest of the wire out.

Interesting reactions from people passing by while I had my tire apart.

Pedestrians: "That doesn't look like fun."

Cyclist: "You okay?"

This is why you can't find a phone book when you need one. Yes, the cab is full and there's no room for a driver.

24 Hour Race Video

24 Hour Race - May 25-26, 2013 from hank greer on Vimeo.

Mountain Bike Racing For A Whole Day

What, it's over already? The race may be 24 hours long, but it went by quickly. Since I rolled my ankle on Thursday, I moved from number one to number three in the rotation for the Because Beer Matters team. Mark Lambie volunteered to be our number one rider and did great during the run. Out of our four teams, he was the first Team Double Check guy on the bike. And he finished his lap in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Roland Goekel, team captain, cranked out a 1:16 so my first lap started around 2:30 pm.

Base camp for our four five-man teams.

I was unfamiliar with the last half of the course and had a couple of minor incidents along the way. There was a great downhill run followed by a nearly 180-degree turn and just to make it interesting there was a huge rock in the middle of the last part of the turn after which the trail rises a little. Someone faster than me was coming in on my left so I went right of the rock I was not expecting. Still a little unfamiliar with my loaner bike I reflexively gripped the bars tightly, hitting the button that shifted me up a couple of gears. Now I'm standing on the pedals and ended up going to far to the right where some tree branches would leave some marks on my arm after grabbing at it. So I became familiar with that part of the course. 

Some time later, Tom McFadden passed me and said hi. I knew Tom was experienced at this. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to learn something and maybe pick up some time so I hammered the pedals and latched onto his back wheel. About 100 yards later we hit this S-turn that weaves between two dead tree trunks. Correction. Tom hit the S-turn. I was watching Tom's back wheel and didn't see what was ahead of me. Suddenly Tom wasn't there any more and I was off the trail. Lesson learned. Don't latch onto Tom's back wheel unless you know where you're going. 

After the last climb, followed by passing Checkpoint 3 (oddly the fourth checkpoint), you have a wide open descent and level terrain all the way to the finish. You can put it in high gear and open 'er up. In spite of my derailments, I passed the timing chip to Steve Skeehan after an hour and ten minutes. Arriving back at camp, I let Dan Peterson (number five) know what time Steve left, cleaned and oiled my chain, changed into dry clothes, and ate. I ate a lot.

Get the timing band and go!

Lap number two started with darkness setting in. I had my brightest light on my helmet and a smaller one on my handlebars. One benefit of wearing a light is that you can now see the dust you'll be coughing up for the next couple of days. 

The direct light casts hard moving shadows on the trail making the rocks look much more menacing. It's like the rocks swell up when the sun goes down. And Devil's Down was terrifying. They had an alternate route at Devil's Down that the race organizers stressed you must take if you're not riding Devil's Down. No walkers are allowed. Too many close calls and injuries happened last year when someone would be on foot halfway down the steep trail and another rider would come flying. The alternate route was easier but it also added a lot a time. I took the main route but I dragged a foot in some parts. I turned in a 1:20 for my second lap. After eating--a lot again--I went to bed.

Tandem badasses.

Mark woke me at 2:30 am for my next shift. And I was sleeping so soundly. But I paid good money to do this and wasn't about to skip out on a lap just because it was the middle of a cold night.

The break of day was still a few minutes away when I got the timing chip from Roland. The air was cold and damp. I'd forgotten to bring my Under Armor-like clothing. A brilliant move on my part. Kathy told me to call if I needed anything but I'm pretty sure she did not mean I could call at three in the morning. I layered up with a fleece shirt and a light jacket. I wore jeans to protect my legs and tucked the legs into my wool socks. It was heavy, but effective. The sky was lighting up around the halfway point which overlooks the course and the river below. Looking down, I saw a few tree tops poking through a fog bank covering the fastest part of the course. 

Most energetic checkpoint crew ever.

The Marrakesh Express route was fogged in. What made it even more fun was the condensation building up on my glasses. The fog cleared up right before Checkpoint 2 where two young ladies in pink wigs and tutus danced, blew kisses, cheered, and rang cowbells. They were awesome. I was really feeling the climbs on this lap, dropping down to lower gears than usual and walking a couple of short steep parts. This lap took 1:26. The sun was up so I knew I wouldn't sleep. After making sure Dan was ready, cleaning the chain, and eating--a lot--I grabbed the cameras and rode out to parts of the course to get some video.

Dismount before the crossbar with the Dismount Here sign dismounts you.

I wasn't about to go to the hardest parts of the course since I had one more lap to complete. I wanted to get some shots of people on Devil's Down but there was no way I was going to ride there unless I had to. But I had an idea.

The cycle of life - Ride, eat, rest.

My brother John (resting above) was the second guy on his team. They were a bit slower than my team and as luck would have it he and I would ride our last lap together around 11:00 am. He left before me but agreed to meet me at Devil's Down where I would be guaranteed to shoot at least one rider--him. Leaving for my last lap, I was feeling much better and less tired. I arrived at Devil's Down and John shot me coming down. Fortunately I got some footage of some real riders.

My less than desirable technique.

John and I rode the rest of the lap together and we both thought it was the best lap of the race. There was no pressure on us since neither of our teams were podium bound and yet we still managed a 1:23 lap even with our video-making stop. I think riding it together just made fun. Arriving at the finish for the last time, we dismounted, ducked under the dismount bar, and dropped off our timing chips. A job well done by both of us.

Arriving back at camp we cleaned up and packed up. John had a craving for a greasy bacon cheeseburger and I had to admit that sounded really good. So we skipped the free pasta feed and stopped by Fatburger on the way home where I ate a lot. As you may have noticed, eating a lot goes hand in hand with a 24-hour race.

According to the official results, one of our teams, Vintner of Discontent, finished third in the 5-Person 250+ category, the 250+ referring to the total age of the team members. The team I was on, Because Beer Matters, was right behind them. I Freeride and the Jeremy Clarkston Five (John's team) finished 8th and 16th respectively in the 5-Person 200-249 category. 

John and I rode a total of 60 miles during the race. That's pretty cool and it was hard work. But if you want to see incredible, check out the awe-inspiring results for the solo and 2-Person teams. I can't imagine doing a couple hundred miles. Simple amazing athletes, each and every one of them.

Home For The Weekend

The 24 hour race is on this weekend. My brother John came over yesterday. He and I went out to Riverside State Park to help set up our team's camp this morning. We have four five-man teams. I was supposed to be the lead off rider tomorrow and do the quarter-mile run at the start. But while riding the course yesterday evening, I took a spill and stretched a bunch of connecting tissues in my ankle. I can ride but walking and running are problematic. So now I'm third in the lineup unless I miraculously heal by tomorrow at noon.

Location. Location. Location.

So There's This Big Scandal

You may have heard of it. Not the one where the IRS is required to determine whether organizations applying for special tax status are engaged in political activity. Not the one where the conservative groups that were passed to specialists for a closer look made up only one third of the total number that were more closely examined. Not the one where the applications for special tax status were sent for a closer look to see if they were engaged in political activity that would disqualify them for the special tax status. Not the one where none of the groups that applied for special tax status were harmed. Not the one where the only groups that were denied special tax status were progressive and not conservative.

No, this is one that our congresswoman, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and the rest of Congress are not trying to make political hay with. It's the one where the President can kill you without providing any evidence of your actions and intents to anyone.

Rather, it means that the government must take special care and take into account all relevant constitutional considerations, the laws of war, and other law with respect to U.S. citizens- even those who are leading efforts to kill their fellow, innocent Americans. Such considerations allow for the use of lethal force in a foreign country against a U.S. citizen who is a senior operational leader of alQa'ida or its associated forces, and who is actively engaged in planning to kill Americans, in the following circumstances: (1) the U.S. government has determined, after a thorough and careful review, that the individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States; (2) capture is not feasible; and (3) the operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles.

But at least we're taking special care and remaining consistent with the law of war principles, such as they are.

Squirrel!

It was a beautiful day for riding to work. The air was cool and the sun was shining. I was zipping along on the Centennial Trail when a startled deer jumped out from my right and startled me. It first crossed the path in front of me but then it cut back. I hit the brakes because I didn't want to run into it nor did I want to get kicked. After it's initial freakout the deer jumped up onto a retaining wall and then ran around the building. You may think that running across a deer is not all that strange while on the Centennial Trail and for the most part you would be correct. But this happened a couple of hundred feet away from the Division Street bridge in downtown Spokane.

I continued on to work passing through Riverfront Park. Suddenly something coming from my right and moving fast caught my eye. It was a squirrel sprinting like he was ahead of every other squirrel in a race for the last acorn in the world. And we were on a collision course. I veered left hoping to avoid it. It stopped and did this weird vertical jump about three feet high with all four legs sticking out to the sides. I wasn't sure what that was about but if it intended to send a "don't mess with me" message, it worked. I think it bared large canine teeth at me, too, but I can't be sure. The mind plays tricks in stressful situations.

And I thought vehicle drivers could be scary.

Bike Happenings

The Baddlands Racing Club has a Twilight Series Race out at Williams Lake at 6:00 pm today.

Dave Killen, of the Spokane Bicycle Club, is having a birthday ride tomorrow. One kilometer for every year. That's 78 kilometers which comes to...a lot of miles and a good ride. The club also has a full schedule of almost-daily rides.

Women on Wheels gets together quite often.

Spokane Rocket Velo also has a ride nearly every day of the week.

Bicycle Butler has their weekly Wednesday night mountain bike ride. Check their Facebook page.

The Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Series continues at Riverside State Park. Registration at 5:00 pm, and the race starts at 6:30. $20 for adults and $10 for 18 and under.

This Bike Life has a road ride on Wednesday and a mountain bike ride on Thursday. Check their Facebook page.

Wednesday is a popular day as Wheel Sport East also has a ride.

Fitness Fanatics has a Thursday evening ride.

Two Wheel Transit hosts a road ride on Thursday, starting out from the Manito Tap House. And they have a longer road ride on Saturday mornings. Check their Facebook page or blog beforehand. Why?

Because Saturday is the 24 Hour Race out at Riverside State Park!

This month's FBC Fiasco is Saturday night. Meet at The Swamp at 8:00 pm. I hate to miss it but I'll be riding around and around that night.

Run, Kathy! Run!

So guess who rocked the Windermere Marathon, set a new PR, and is taking a well-deserved nap at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Anticipation

Kathy will be thrilled and relieved to see this sign tomorrow. It's going to be a long morning for her.

Bike To Work Week Wrap Up Party

We had a good turnout at the wrap up party held at the NoLi Brewhouse. I think Spokane had a very successful bike to work week.

 And as Roger pointed out to everyone, the success was due to Erika Prins, chair of the Bike to Work committee. Spokane bikes, people! Get used to it.

Never Ending War

This from Wired yesterday:

Asked at a Senate hearing today how long the war on terrorism will last, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, answered, “At least 10 to 20 years.”  

It was just two months ago that the top U.S. intelligence official testified that al-Qaida had been battered by the U.S. into a state of disarray. A year ago, the current CIA director, John Brennan, said that “For the first time since this fight began, we can look ahead and envision a world in which the al Qaeda core is simply no longer relevant.” Just this week, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel, told a Florida conference that he was looking at missions beyond the counterterrorism manhunt.

Yet a spokeswoman, Army Col. Anne Edgecomb, clarified that Sheehan meant the conflict is likely to last 10 to 20 more years from today — atop the 12 years that the conflict has already lasted. Welcome to America’s Thirty Years War.

Since only 25% of America's 17-24 year olds are eligible for military service, a trend that has been going on for years now, if you keep your children fit and healthy they will be members of a select pool who will have the opportunity to become heroes.

What could be one of the reasons the war against terrorism could last so long?

What's Old Is New Again

Kathy and I were clearing stuff out of the basement. I thought we should put her parents' old coffee pot in the kitchen. Later, Steph got home from school.

Steph - "What the heck is that?"

Me: "A percolator."

I explained how it worked and Steph thought it was way cooler than Kathy's Keurig machine. She even looked up the inventor. We'll just have to give it a try.

Let's See How High We Can Go

If you haven't caught the many hints yet, May is National Bike Month. (Enter bike to work month in Google and check out how many Washington-based sites are listed first. Cool.) Anyway, during National Bike Month we reached an important milestone.

There are many reasons to ride a bicycle. It costs less than a car. To enjoy a sense of freedom. To get fit. It's fun. It's good for the environment. The list can go on.

Yet how ironic that during National Bike Month the milestone we reached is 400 parts per million of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Millions of years from now, the next self-proclaimed intelligent species will be excavating our fossils and studying the record buried within. And they will be amazed at what they find. Sure, they might be impressed with the bullet trains, the tallest buildings, and that we had a space program.

But what will amaze them is that we, who seemed to be so advanced, cooked the planet and killed ourselves off.

I Get Email

I received this spam and I showed it to Steph.

MY NAME IS QUEENET,AM A GOOD LOOKING YOUNG GIRL AND AM NOT MARRIED I WE LIKE TO HAVE A GOOD FRIENDSHIP WITH YOU I WE ALSO LIKE YOU TO NO MORE ABOUT ME REPLY TO ME SO THAT I CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT ME PLEASE REPLY TO ME AM HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU. 

STAY IN LOVE 
YOUR BEST 
FRIEND QUEENET

So what does she do? She reads it out LOUD! 

"MY NAME IS QUEENET, AM A GOOD LOOKING YOUNGER GIRL..."

She is so funny. And she'll tell you so herself.

Ride Of Silence

We had a good turn out of cyclists for the Ride of Silence. We followed a 4.5 loop around downtown, stopping by two intersections where cyclists were killed by cars. 

 

 

Not Fast And Furious Enough

View Spokane Bikes: 2013 Energizer Stations in a larger map

Today was the day for the Energizer Stations for Bike to Work Week. I studied the map and thought I could hit all the stations except for three in Spokane Valley before they closed. As has happened so many times before, I was wrong. Since I live north of town I planned to hit the north side stations first, catch the one east on the Centennial Trail, head back to downtown, and then get the South Hill stations. The north side stations were slated to open at 6:30 am. Leaving the house at 6:25, I headed just down the road to 421 East Hastings where the map said an Allstate office was located. There is no Allstate office there and no Energizer Station. Bummer. 

I rolled south on Hwy 395 to the Allstate office at Country Homes Blvd and the doors were locked. I was beginning to think the Allstate stations were bogus, but I tried one more just a little farther south on Division.  Bingo! John Reisbig was there. 

Talking with John I learned that the office on Hastings is at 421 West Hastings. Well no wonder I couldn't find it. From there I followed Country Homes Blvd to Wellesley and found another smiling Allstate agent offering up food and drink.  

Next up was the KPBX station on Monroe. This was the first station where I encountered another cyclist stopping by. He wasn't wearing a helmet and very safety-minded volunteer offered to buy him one.  

Roast House Coffee, who is also donating $1 of every bag of Ride the Edge coffee sold during May to Bike to Work Week, was the next stop.

After that I pedaled out east on Upriver Drive to the station at Green on the Centennial Trail. The scones were provided by the Scone Ranger and the one I had was awesome. While I was there a couple of cyclists rolled by without stopping, which seemed to be happening quite often. I guess some cyclists don't allow for extra time in case they need to stop.  

I turned back towards town and caught the North Division Bike Shop station on the north side of Riverfront Park. Homemade muffins! 

Time was running short so I skipped Indaba Coffee (sorry) and went downtown where I caught the Coffman Engineering station with an energetic crew.  

At the Green Salon & Dat Spa station I was treated to delicious cookies made without grain or eggs. I don't remember all of the ingredients, but chia seeds, almond paste, and strawberries were on the list.

Time was running short and I made haste for the South Hill, stopping by Rings & Things first. 

By now my panniers were filling up with goodies. I felt obligated to pick up something from each station. That's why they're there, right? Besides, I was working up an appetite racing to each station. Chatting was eating up my time but there's no sense in being rude. Besides, it's great to run into friends and make new ones, too.  Next on the list was Two Wheel Transit on South Perry where I scored some cinnamon rolls.

Sadly, time was up by then. The remaining South Hill stations were scheduled to close at 8:30 am and the witching hour had arrived. But I did not give up hope. I tore up the hill hoping they'd stay open a little longer. I use the phrase "tore up the hill" loosely. I may have felt like I was moving fast, but the truth has a more realistic view. Anyway, the two stations near 29th and Grand were gone. So was the Pedals2People station on 25th. Bummer.  

If I drove I could get to every station easy, right? But that goes against the whole idea of Bike to Work Week. Maybe next year I can coordinate with someone on the South Hill and the pair of us could get to each one.  Since I had plenty of time before going to work, I rolled on down to Riverfront Park where I thought I'd grab a park bench and enjoy some of the goodies I had picked up. I found the North Division station was minutes away from closing up. Michael Conley asked me if I wanted the box of homemade muffins that remained. I bungie corded them to my rack and shared them at work. They did not go to waste.

Possibly Coming To A Bigoted State Near You

The State of Minnesota is about to become the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage. 

According to Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann:

"The Bible is very clear on this issue," she told KSTP-TV this morning, "Homosexuality is a sin, and God will punish communities that support it."

"Sodom and Gomorrah thought they could defy the will of God - and we all know what happened to them. If the governor signs this legislation into law the Minneapolis-St. Paul region will be next."

That means eleven other states, including the dear-to-my-heart (hand over my heart and head bowed) Evergreen State, which she believes to be under threat of destruction by God are safe--from Michelle Bachmann. Yes, she's threatening to leave Minnesota should the governor sign the bill. The good news for us is that she won't be moving here.

Hey, if she's going to bring up the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, is she going to include the part where Lot offered up his daughters to be gang raped by the crowd? How about the part where Lot's daughters take turns getting their dad drunk and raping him? I mean, you know, if she's going to take the moral high ground let's tell the whole story.

She may get tired of moving over the next few years.

Bike To Work Week Kickoff Breakfast

It almost seems like the Bike to Work Week Kickoff Breakfast curse. Rain. Well, the clouds taunted us with sprinkles a couple of times and then the sun would shine through and remind us what a great day it was. We had a very good turnout. It's hard to keep count when people are coming and going so much. Scrolling through the photos I took I came up with close to 100 cyclists. 

Mountain Gear not only cooked up pancakes, but eggs as well. Roast House Coffee provided its namesake product to help ward us from a cool breeze shaded by a cloudy sky. City Councilman Jon Snyder addressed the group and talked about the progress that's being made in cycling issues and the transportation challenges that lie ahead. And Liz Rognes performed for the crowd. What a wonderful voice to brighten up your Monday morning. 

It only lasted until 9:00. Then as the name of the event implies, we had to go to work. 

 Mountain Gear cooking breakfast.

 Pedals2People manned the bike corral.

 Liz Rognes.

 One of many happy cyclists.

I think you get the idea.

A Learning Experience

This weekend we headed over to Seattle where Steph had a Taekwondo competition in which she sparred for the first time. She ended up going against a girl who's been in numerous sparring competitions. After a rough first round, Steph regrouped and had a much better second round in which she scored some points. She's in red and scoring with this kick. Now she has a better idea of what the competitions are all about and the importance of adapting to your opponent. She came away a little wiser. And a little sore.