Lance, dying with the sword....

We all have specific events that we rememer better than others...I remember when I heard that Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer, I sunk....and then when he won his first--and seventh Tour d' France,  I was so happy/can't describe the feeling....now, I'm back at the bottom with him. It's likely he blood doped, maybe even used EPO; he broke the rules, but he was likely not alone--his team, his competitors were probably doing it, too. It was what 'you had to do' to be competitive. I am not saying now I think it 'makes it OK', but I understand the 'culture'...I thought Lance was Superman. I fought the mindset that 'if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't' in Lance's case....but now, it's probably not true. This makes me more cynical, more dubious of great achievements...this is the sad legacy that Lance leaves me with, and it just sucks, just sucks....but I'm still going to ride my bike, suffer when the hills get too steep, the miles too long...suffering without Lance. Climb ride with me.

Political Science! is....

DickMorris.com....you may not like him, but Dick is all about demographics and how a campaign pays attention to what the electorate thinks/belives, is whether it wins. Check out the stats on why women favor Obama...all I know is I'm not voting with the single mothers. I'm not telling you who to vote for, just vote with your head.

Always, if I ever forget....

Come ride with me...

Time to unload

Many things to share...random, yet not too extemporaneous....
Linda Thomas of MyNorthwest.com has a great blog...a super model on how to comment on 'the news'.
I really liked the first two episodes of "The Newsroom" on HBO on Sunday night but episode 3 opened my eyes to the trite political 'messsge' that Aaron Sorkin is offering: if you are a Republican or conservative or worse! a Tea Party person you are either stupid or mean. I'm probably a conservative--and none of those things, I'm done with "The Newroom"...but I still like Jeff Daniels...maybe that makes me Dumb and Dumber....
Michael Vick, who single-handedly turned me off to the NFL, has a new clothing line...I've tried to vote with my 'pocket book' and I won't be buying anthing associated with Michael Vick, which includes Nike products and his new clothing line...but if you disagree and decide to buy one of his shirts, remember the dogs he brutalized, I won't forget. Like 9-11, I won't ever forget. I will forgive, but not forget...and forgiving doesn't mean I buy his T-shirts and make him rich.
A great friend of mine suggested I change my theme from 'Adventures in Reinventing', not really understanding what reinventing is all about...to just being a sage Bullshit Detector. I don't want to sound angry in that regard, but I do think me, you, all of us, need to be critical thinkers, and not trust the first sound or the first message we receive....
I'm going to 'try on' this new 'approach' and would like to hear from you if I'm on the right track...or if I'm not. If you are reading this, I love you....but may need a second opinion.
Will talk about Lance, passion, and customer service next time...which I promise not to take too long to post.

Godspeed Gary Carter

For those of you who check on my blog and are 'still with me', sorry I've been away/on vacation/uninspired...but I'm back:

Let me tell you a story--not quite "Friday Night Lights"--but this one is real:

We were playing Sunny Hills High of Fullerton in football, at Sunny Hills. They were killing us--fourth quarter, maybe 30-14...and I've been put in to play defensive end. I usually play first string guard on offense, but our first string defensive end gets hurt and rolls an ankle, so coach puts me in. Sunny Hills' QB is good, fast, cocky. On the first play, he rolls out and can't find a receiver and considers running but I get him around the ankles...right before he gets away from me. He's Gary Carter--who ends up in the baseball Hall of Fame, and a hero for the miracle NY Mets. Gary died today of a brain tumor and this game, this lucky tackle, came back to me. Again, it's another one of those wake up calls: live life fully, tell the people you love, who are still here, that you love them. Always: clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. Thank you "Friday Night Lights" for that...and thank you Gary for the memories, and for letting me tackle you.

Not giving up on heroes

I was on a century ride yesterday and I overhead a few of my bike club teammates remark about how they no longer were 'investing' in heroes (related to Lance Armstrong and all the rest....). I wrote recently about how I'm feeling more cynical, more reluctant to be a 'fan' than ever before...but I'm not ready to give up having heroes.

But I think my appreciation of heroes and heroic actions is different now--if not better. It's more personal--vs. media-generated. Many of my heroes are actually people you've never heard of. For example:

My mother and father are long gone, but I continue to be inspired by their courage/work ethic.

My father was an illegal alien from Germany who boarded the Queen Elizabeth secretly and hid in cargo when it crossed from England to New York, after WWII. My mother was a green-card immigrant from England who came to California after the war to 'start a new life'. I'll tell you about how they met in another post--it didn't go so well at first.

Sometimes I have anxiety to travel by myself...what my mother and father did, in leaving their birth homes with practically nothing, is incredible. And my father didn't speak very much english either.

My wife, Karen, is a hero: heading off to teach a 5th grade class every day. Today the argument is that our teachers are failing our children....more like parents are failing their responsibilities.

My best friend, Irv, reinvented himself over 20 years ago, giving up a lucrative career as an executive in the food business to be a track coach, at considerably less money...but coaching was his passion, and he had the guts to follow his heart.

My former work colleague, Bonnie, lost her teenage daughter in a car accident...but instead of pulling in/giving up, she reinvented herself and went back to school and became a surgical tech. Bonnie is a hero.

So are the Marines in Afganistan and

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers...

I'm not giving up on heroes.

Come ride with me.

Not celebrating or crying...

First, I'm not saying that Lance, Arnold or even Oscar are/or were my 'heroes' but at different times each inspired me to do things I may not have done--ethical stuff of course. With the impending fall of each of them I for one am not celebrating or crying--I think I'm just sorry for myself that I may becoming more cynical instead of inspired.

So, I can't help but wonder: who's next? I'm hoping I won't have to read some scandal involving Carl Edwards (NASCAR driver) or Gene Hackman or Denzel Washington. And if Penelope Cruz is really a terrorist and Willie Mays used steroids, please don't tell me...especially if you come ride with me.