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I have friended a past high school girlfriend, two former college girlfriends, a dozen relatives from around the country, and at least a dozen former high school friends in just the past two weeks.  (And I attended a country high school with a graduating class of around 50.)  These are all people that wouldn’t have gone anywhere near a social networking site just a few short months ago.  These are not cutting edge technologists - these are normal people.

So what does it all mean?  Does it mean that this bastion of uber-coolness has been invaded by the mainstream?  Yeah, it certainly has changed… but I think for the better.  Does it mean that I have to find something else to remain on the cutting edge?   Well, I kinda do that anyway.

I’m actually enjoying facebook’s explosion because it has allowed me to get in contact with so many cool people from my past.  Sure, it has changed the dynamic of how I view facebook, but its a dynamic that I like.

What are your thoughts?  When did you join?  Are you an old-timer like me, or did you just get sucked in recently?  What got you involved?

Now, I am no fan of Alexa (don’t get me started on how skewed their results are) but it looks like April of ‘08 is when facebook surpassed MySpace.  The incline in the past few months has been surprisingly steep though as it has indeed hit the mainstream.

Catch-up time. The 12th, I went to visit a girl named Traci to study for my Exercise Physiology test. She’s a real nice girl - I think I’ll go out with her before the semester ends. The 13th, I took the test and scored an 89 on it. The 14th, I made the mistake of running all out for 4 miles and then playing basketball for two hours. Normally, it would be no big deal, but the next day was my 50 mile bike race, the 2nd annual Tour de Pines. I cut my best time by 30 minutes but still finished out of the top.

Janie and I went out Saturday. We went to see Leviathon at the dollar theater. We were talking about heading out to the lake afterward, but she decided against it at the last minute. I saw her out later with Greg and Mark. I was pleasant but pretty pissed.

I started seeing more of Amy - every night for the past week I’ve been up until at least 2AM with her - she’s a really good friend.

Big news last night. Tonya plans on moving in with us this Summer (purely platonic) and this didn’t get a good reception from Brock (her beau.) I was totally surprised to find on my answering machine a message from Brock saying that he was upset and - to put it lightly - wants to kill me. Brock is a huge guy but he has a mongo beer gut and I don’t think he is smart enough to hurt me. I know I’m not dumb enough to stand there and find out. (The bigger they are…)

I tried calling Tonya this morning to see what was up but she wasn’t home. Oh well - like sands through the hourglass…

Another interesting post. Once again a whole host of girls are mentioned in a single post - and once again, the only one that keeps showing up in all of them is Tonya. It is a bit weird that these are the first Wayback posts I am making when I know one of the involved parties is actually either reading them as I post - or at least can read them easily. Maybe I should stop posting these? Maybe it is too much info. ????

“If you’re not willing to stand up for yourself - don’t complain when you’re pushed around.”

– Chris Doelle

I heard about twittersheep over a month ago, but just finally got around to running their word cloud application. This site takes the personal profiles of everyone following your twitter feed and creates a word cloud. I find this visually extremely informative.

Who is following you?

Did anyone think to ask the users what they liked about facebook?  It wasn’t the stream of stuff you could or could not give a damn about from your friends - it was YOUR homepage.  It was about YOU.  It was about YOUR likes - YOUR thoughts - YOUR games - YOUR posts.

The good news for blogging is that while facebook was the single biggest killer to personal blogs, this move has increased their relevance overnight.  Thank you facebook for removing the ongoing struggle between posting to my personal blog or facebook - you just made it a very easy choice.

I really enjoyed the heck out of the film despite never having been a fan of the graphic novel. I had numerous opportunities to read it through, but each time was put off by the sheer volume of text. It looks like a comic, but reads like a novel. I just couldn’t reconcile that.

With no background in the story, I went into the theater with a completely open mind. I was going to let the film speak for itself… and it did! I LOVE the characters. I LOVE the story. I LOVE the visuals. I LOVE just about everything about the Watchmen. Now, I want to go back and read the graphic novel and immerse myself in extremely rich universe. I am a fan.

There are few films that I would even consider watching more than once - this is one.

The character Rorschach is the perfect modern-day anti-hero. How can you not love this entirely unlikable guy? Even the despicable masked hero known as The Comedian has something strangely appealing. These heroes are flawed - these heroes are troubled - these heroes are real. (Well, except for all those cool abilities.)

One thing I found very cool was the historical backdrop against which the storyline is set.  Their world appears to be a parallel universe in which superheroes walked among us, and Nixon was in the middle of this third term as President.  You can see bits of this storyline (and others) in NBCs series Heroes.

FUN, FUN, stuff!

RATING 9 out of 10

Something interesting happened tonight when talking to an old girlfriend (not sure if that is really the right term - but I know I definitely had a thing for her - that’s all I am saying and you’ll see why.)

We got back in touch recently via facebook and were talking about things “back in the day.” One thing led to another and I remembered those series of blog entries. Sure enough, I did a search on her name and found at least 15 posts which mentioned her. I started reading through them and suddenly realized that some of it was very revealing of my feelings at the time. As posts to random people in cyberspace, I could care less that they knew what was going on back in college - but in the context of one of the involved parties now able to read my attitude toward her, feelings I had kept to myself, and things that happened without her knowledge - it was a bit scary.

Would this information change her perception of the events of the past? Most likely. Would it be for the better? Who knows. Was it right to put that out there and risk causing her pain in reading? I don’t think the truth is wrong, but would never want to hurt her. Would she just find it hilarious that I was such a dork and so insanely immature? I hope so.

I told her on the phone that I am going to rush out and delete the posts, but I knew I wasn’t. It is an interesting dilemma, but despite the fact that I was indeed a boorish, self-centered, cocky jerk at times in college - I just hope that the underlying “good guy” in me can be seen through the immaturity.

I am not sure the outcome or if she will even bother to go out and read the stuff, but the good thing to come from it is that it has reminded me to keep posting those entries. I will restart when I get back to San Marcos.

Hey Jerry Jones - T.O. didn’t get you into the SuperBowl, he didn’t even get you close. It seems like all the moves you have made with the exception of hiring Jimmy Johnson have been horrible.

The good news though is that the Cowboys have come through and I feel confident in giving the team my support once again.

The film I saw most recently was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I really enjoyed the movie on a couple levels. The fact that it was entirely story and character driven made it a welcome change from typical Hollywood fare. The other aspect that delighted me throughout was the use of special effects and makeup, without which this film would have been impossible. Benjamin as an “old” toddler and tween were some of the most amazing effects.

Watch this movie for the special effects. Watch this movie for the rich tapestry of sets and cinematography. Watch it for the great acting throughout the cast. Watch it for the emotional highs and lows. But most of all, watch it for the message.

RATING 8 out of 10

I also saw a documentary about jumpers at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge called The Bridge. Apparently, more people choose to end their life from this span than another other single location each year. The filmmakers setup their cameras to film jumpers for an entire calendar year. They then went back and investigated the deaths to talk with friends and families of the jumper.

What seems like a macabre, voyeuristic attempt to exploit people in their lowest (and often last) point, really turned into a look at suicide itself.

I am sure that some people will still find the entire subject matter too disturbing to watch, but as a student of humanity (hence the Psychology minor) I find the subject too important to ignore.

The film tastefully handles a very complex issue, but in the end, stops short of offering any real insight

RATING 6 out of 10

I was a little confused as getting flowers sent to me is a bit out of my normal routine. “From who?” I asked.

“It doesn’t say. When will you be at home so we can deliver?”

I asked the guy to instead deliver them to my office and gave him the address. After relaying the story to my coworkers and racking my brain to try and figure out who would be sending flowers, Eric said, “You’ve been SERVED!”

What? Could it be a process-server posing as a delivery guy and I was indeed being sued? I continued to rack my brain in an attempt to fathom who would possibly have a cause to sue me. I was dreaming up wild outlandish scenarios involving cases of mistaken identities, alter egos, corporate espionage… nothing made any sense.

I was still very freaked when the delivery guy showed up with a vase filled with 1 dozen long-stemmed, red roses. This actually freaked me out a little more than the idea that someone was suing me.

The card had no signature - no name - and simply said “Happy Birthday!”

Uh… my birthday is in November! Talk about adding a hint of weirdness to an already perplexing morning.

I called the flower shop - they said it came in off an internet site through FTD, but gave me an order number. I called FTD and they told me that they could not give out the sender’s name unless they had permission. They agreed to call the sender and see if permission would be given to reveal the name - they will call back if it is.

No call back as yet.

So did YOU do it? The whole thing has me a bit off-kilter, so I guess if that was the intent, it worked. Do I have someone playing an expensive prank (the order was $70,) do I have a stalker, do I have a secret crush?

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/22/do-the-right-thang/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/19/chris-needs/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/19/chris-needs/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:47:46 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1894 I saw a friend post what is becoming a popular meme - letting Google tell you what you need. To do it is simple.

Go to www.google.com and type in your first name, and the word needs. Put the search phrase in quotes, for best results. Here are the top ten things Chris needs according to Google?

1. Chris needs a blog
2. Chris needs the “new Paris Hilton sex video”
3. Chris needs a wee wee (this from a YouTube video)
4. Chris needs to give me cancer
5. Chris needs Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
6. Chris needs Americymru (this is an interview with someone actually named Chris Needs)
7. Chris needs My Autobiography (referring to same Chris Needs)
8. Chris needs your sex talk
9. Chris needs your vote for the European Video Music Awards
10. Chris needs Myspace music profile (that same musician from Wales)

Interesting results. They are very skewed in favor of the actual Chris Needs, who appears to be a musician from Wales. He appears to be the subject of five of the ten. The other big theme here is sex - between “sex talk”, “sex videos”, and a “wee wee,” Chris apparently is jonesing for some sweet love.

I have to give the Cytomax kudos for their inventive packaging. As it was in the section with milk, I assumed it was just milk with some added good stuff. The bottle doesn’t at all look like the massive tubs of protein powder which are closer to its origins. For what it is, I am sure that Muscle Milk is a great product - but as a milk shake… I don’t think so.

Drink it to help with your training… just don’t expect it to taste like a milkshake.

My father who was a true jack of all trades and master of none, built the family stained glass studio buildings by hand.  Actually, he built it by hand with the aid of child labor - namely his children.  I spent many a day shingling  a roof, pouring concrete, hammering studs, and yes - running electrical wires.  As my dad and I were in the rafters of the new shop hooking up overhead lights and the like, he discovered a very effective (albeit evil) way to determine if a line was hot or not - “Hold this.”  That was it.  He would simply hand me the wire (exposed end first) and say “Hold this a second.”

If I squeeled like a girl or shook violently while slumping in the rafters, he knew that was the hot line.  Simply buying a tester or shutting off the power in between lights would take too much effort.  As a result, I have avoided anything to do with electrical wiring for decades.  Something as simple as hanging a ceiling fan would be too risky,  That changed today.

I consider myself a rather skilled handyman and finally got fed up with this glaring weakness.  When i discovered that all the living room electrical outlets were dead and that all the lights in the kitchen didn’t work, the thought of some high priced electrician coming to do a ten minute job was too much.

I went online and searched for “several dead outlets” and found a very cool site run by The Circuit Detective.  After reading through, I decided that I could do this.  On top of all the great information on the site, you can call Detective Larry for $1 per minute and he will talk you through the entire fix.

As it was late (just before his availability ran out for the night) I called him and said, “I want to use your service tomorrow morning.  Is there anything in the way of testers or tools I should have handy when I call?”  He told me what tester to buy and I told him I would call back in the morning.

First thing today, I headed to Lowes, picked up the tester and proceeded to test the circuits.  As I had an hour or so to kill before he was up (Pacific time zone) I did some more research on the web.  It turns out that I found my answer online and had it all narrowed down by the time I called him - a loose neutral in the living room and a loose ground in the kitchen.

Is is one thing to know the name of the problem, but quite another to solve it. Detective Larry was extremely informational and although the progression through gathering historical information about my house seemed to drag, being someone accustomed to telephone support, I know that he needs the information to make sure his solution is the right one.

Larry made up for his methodical pace with shortcut methods of narrowing down the line of dead outlets. His insight into which outlet to try first saved me opening up as many as five other outlets and his trick of using a small lamp to detect poor connections saved much more time. In all, we spent right at 20 minutes troubleshooting the problem and he billed me via PayPal. We’re talking $20 to fix something that an electrician would have charged $100 to come over and another $100 to fix. I am going to give Detective Larry a nice bonus when I send my payment.

There is nothing new about this administration - it is business as usual. Who invented the plans for these bailouts? The same guys that put your elected officials in office. $800 billion for the credit crisis - how does it make sense to give that money to those that screwed it all up? Why not give the money BACK to the taxpayers, or better yet - pay off their mortgages with it. Then, the banks and lending institutions stay solvent AND you get a generation of citizens with their houses paid off. Talk about an incentive to get out and spend - pay off my house and watch how fast I put some cash into the system.

Same thing with this retarded stimulus plan. Put huge incentives on creating affordable, recyclable energy sources and watch the American people create what this “green” energy plan sets out to do, but in 1/10th the time - and at 1/100th of the cost. Stop the corporate handouts - why not try to return some of the people’s money to the people and eliminate the disgusting corporate tax breaks and loopholes. You’ll end up with MORE money in the system and MORE money available in the government coffers as well.

Long story short - if you’re expecting this stimulus package to change your life for the positive in any way - you are ill-informed. Politics as usual - unfortunately, over the past decade, the “usual” has been increasingly to plunder our country and economy with no regard for the future.

Thanks to motion-detecting automatic flushing toilets, it is nearly impossible to flush on demand - trust me, I have tested this out. I thought maybe if I leaned way forward, it would trigger… maybe leaning to the side or wiggling around - nothing works.

Hey, what can I say? When the opportunity comes to test out a theory - I do it… even if I don’t really need to give a courtesy flush.

I guess in the grand scheme of things - the automatic flusher saves water, ensures that toilets are clean, and maybe a host of other great things - but there are times when the good old-fashioned courtesy flush will be missed.

Nice stuff. I should have been snapping pictures all along, but the only ones I managed to get were 1-one that contained my thoughts on my buddy, Lou - Dave’s response - and then my final refrigerator retort.

Fun stuff. I will try to remember to catch more.

I discovered on this morning when updating my cycling statistics. It appears that a couple years back when totally up the html columns on my cycling page, I left roughly 100 miles off my career totals. I finally got smart and put the document into a Google doc so I could update from anywhere and actually let the spreadsheet do the math instead of me. Lo and behold, I found the error, and now I am that much closer to my goal of cracking 20,000 total miles by the end of 2009. See, sometimes errors do come out okay.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/07/gator-motorplex-willis-tx/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/07/people-good-or-bad/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/07/people-good-or-bad/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:22:18 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1874

One of the questions that has always interested me is “Are people basically good or basically evil?” I mean, we all know people who would give you the shirt off their back (and much more) without any regard for themselves. Yet, we all know people who would take the shirt off your back without any regard for you. So what IS in man’s nature? Is it self-preservation, personal gain, and selfishness or is it more about community, assisting those who are down, and “doing the right thing?”

Again, we have all met absolutely evil and selfish people - but do they outnumber the ones that are absolutely good and sharing? I am sorry to report from my perspective that it is more of the former and less of the latter. But it could just be that the evil folks in the world do such tremendous amount of damage that it is more noticeable than the millions of kinds acts performed during that same time.

What are your thoughts? We can agree that both types exist in the world - who is the larger group? Who is in charge? What can you do to affect that balance? (Personally, I find that surrounding myself with good people and putting distance between myself and the bad folks in the world, does wonders for your faith in mankind - even if it is a bit of self-delusion.)

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/07/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-with-power/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/06/from-my-mouth/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/06/from-my-mouth/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:42:30 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/06/from-my-mouth/

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/06/from-my-mouth/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/road-ramblings-02-05-09/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/road-ramblings-02-05-09/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:40:23 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/road-ramblings-02-05-09/

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/road-ramblings-02-05-09/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/downtown-dallas-as-seen-from-the-deep-ellum-area/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/downtown-dallas-as-seen-from-the-deep-ellum-area/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:33:39 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/downtown-dallas-as-seen-from-the-deep-ellum-area/

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/05/downtown-dallas-as-seen-from-the-deep-ellum-area/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/03/join-me-in-sending-ginger-good-thoughts/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/02/03/join-me-in-sending-ginger-good-thoughts/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:37:01 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1867 I just heard some horrible news from my good friend, Tony. His dog, Ginger, has some sort of advanced sinus cancer that has already spread extensively. From what I understand, the prognosis is not good at all.

I am just crushed by the news because Ginger is such a great dog and the absolutely sweetest girl.

Crap, I am without words. I wish Tony, Julie, and Ginger all the best and know that nothing I can say can help, but wanted them to know I am thinking of them.

I just rewatched all of them on HULU and while one or two may have given me a smile, there was nothing special.

The most telling thing here that the people in Washington seem to have forgotten. The largest word here is STATES followed by STATE. That’s how the document was designed - for the states to have power and the national government works FOR them.

I have to say, the first thing I noticed in Gran Torino is that Clint Eastwood seems to get tougher as he gets older.   This part seems like it was written with him in mind.  I mean… come on, who doesn’t like seeing Eastwood kick ass?

The script does a good job of telling a story of America through Eastwood’s character.  The struggle to overcome past beliefs, cope with the changing face and habits of society, and deal with personal demons is the undertone to what looks to be a simple tale.

While the dialogue involving off-hand racist remarks and “guy talk” is great, the writer’s seem to falter at times when dealing with the “big picture” issues.  It’s as if they took a solid story and dumbed it down for the consuming public - you know… Hollywoodized it.

In the end, Clint Eastwood turns in a classic Eastwood performance.  Had the script been stronger and not relied on so many cliche setups, reactions, and dialogue - this would have been a 10 star rating.

RATING 8 out of 10

I did just over five miles today on my bike and started thinking about a goal.  Last year was one of my worst in terms of total mileage and I think its time to get my butt back in gear.

Rather than just do something simple like set a goal of “ride more” or “ride once a week,”  I just went all out insane.  I noticed I was right at 1,300 miles away from achieving 20,000 since I graduated from high school and started keeping track. What better goal than breaking 20K?  Sure, I haven’t done over 1,300 miles in one year since 1989.  Heck, I haven’t even broken 1,000 since 2001 (the last time I trained for a ride - the Hotter N’ Hell 100)

With about 47 weeks left in year, I am looking at somewhere north of 27 miles a week.  Back when I was training, I used to do over 20 miles a day with rides of 50-75+ on weekends.  I can do this.  What better way to make it real and force me to stick to it than making it public.

Now, I am going to count on all of you to keep me motivated and kick my butt when I start slacking.  I will be posting the remaining mileage from time to time - and if I can figure out how to do it, maybe even paste it to my back when riding.

Here is one I did based on my recent Facebook note “TAG - I’m it (25 things about me)”

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… here is one from THIS article.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/31/lou-enjoying-a-sunny-day-overlooking-the-square/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/30/cool-morning-in-arlington/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/30/cool-morning-in-arlington/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:41:11 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/30/cool-morning-in-arlington/

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/30/cool-morning-in-arlington/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/25/two-great-love-stories-that-couldnt-be-less-alike/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/01/25/two-great-love-stories-that-couldnt-be-less-alike/#comments Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:36:33 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1852 It feels like a crime to review these two films in the same post, but I thought the irony of seeing two excellent films back-to-back that are so wildly different was too much to pass up.

The first one I saw was Zack and Miri Make a Porno starring Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks.  It was crude, it was vulgar, it appealed to the lowest common denominator (heck it was about making and porn film), and you know what?  It ROCKED!!  I was laughing out loud throughout.

Hidden among the the constant stream of Rogan’s masturbation & ejaculation references, and the always funny appearances by Jason Mewes, was a very touching little love story.  Sure, it was formulaic, sure the comedy was sophomoric, sure it would have climb up to achieve even “low brow” status - but darn, this stuff cracked me up!  In fact, there was only one scene that I felt should have been left on the cutting room floor - I’ll let you figure out which one.

If you like Seth Rogan, if you like Kevin Smith and his gang of regulars, if you don’t mind jokes that would be right at home in junior high school boy’s locker room, then this is your kind of film.

RATING 8 out of 10

The next one was a surprise to me.   Between Tony D. and Blake’s answer to “what’s it about?” I thought it might be kind of lame.  I won’t spoil it for you if you don’t know the storyline because I felt I may have liked it even more had I went into it without that knowledge.

The film I am referring to is Seven Pounds starring Wil Smith and Rosario Dawson.   I expected this to be sappy - and it was.  I expected this to be an attempt by the director to force you to feel something deep - and it was.  I expected this to be a film I turned off about halfway in - and it WASN’T!

I give Wil Smith a lot of flack (well deserved) for films like Wild Wild West but when he gets one right - it is as solid as any actor in the business today.  He got this one right.  I don’t know how much of the pacing and storyline is due to writer, Grant Nieporte and how much is from director, Gabriele Muccino but this film is a perfect vehicle for a good actor to suck you in and force you to care.  This is a creative team that brought out the best in the story and the incredibly talented ensemble cast.

If you’re a he-man tough guy - watch this with your lady friend and one of two things will happen.  If you’re a good guy that does good things, she will be all over you.  If you’re a cad that isn’t considerate of her or others… she’ll be looking for someone better.   Watch with caution. 

RATING 8 out of 10

I just had to snap a pic after I saw this at the checkout of my local 7-11.  You are looking at a Butterfinger BUZZ!

Yes, you read that right “With as much caffeine as the leading energy drink!”  So take the sugar bomb and add a boatload of caffeine - nice.  It’s a wonder our species is still alive considering the stuff we are talked into putting in our bodies.

Trust me - I am as guilty as anyone of eating crapola, but this one caught even me off guard.

Good times.

The problem was it worked too well.  Not only wasn’t I hungry, but I was waaay under for my caloric consumption and my level of fat intake was too low.  Seriously, this sort of diet extremely high in protein and absent of fat is not healthy.

So, I fixed things when I got home by making some Queso con Bambi.  (hehe)  My brother is an avid deer hunter and always supplies me with plenty of deer meat.  Not only is it darn tasty, but it isn’t pumped full of all those steroids and chemicals in beef.  With it, I make the most amazing dip with Velveeta, deer, Rotel, and a nip of beer.

The cheese took care of getting my fat intake higher, but this stuff sure was filling - and, the deer is also high in protein.

Here is what I did today:
Total Calories: (under 2,100) 1,887
% Fat: (25-35%) 16%
% Carbohydrates: (40-50%) 34%
% Protein: (20-30%) 50%
Minutes of exercise: (30-60) 15

In the end, I lost another couple hundred calories, but went waaay overboard on the protein side.  Overall, it is fine as I have gone overboard on the carb side plenty of times.

I love Photoshop

Another big trip to H-town. Racing, house stuff, client work, podcasting stuff, you name it - jam packed.

Biden, rather than saying “the duties of the office of Vice-President of the United States” said “the duties of the office on which I am about to enter”

And the way Judge Roberts butchered Obama’s oath, I couldn’t tell if it was valid or not.  What do you think?

I continue to come in low in the area of fat and although you would think that would be good, if it drops too much farther, it could be unhealthy.  I overdid the carbs by 6% yesterday so I will need to watch that - and of course, the exercise was bad as well.

I moved a few hundred of them when I first made the switch, but eventually forgot to move them all over. She was asking about the formula recently and even though I had forgotten about it completely - her prodding reminded me that there were still some posts over there. Sure enough - there they were. I moved about 20 of them a couple nights back and will continue to move the remaining 200+ until I forget - haha.

So for the record, here is the formula: First, you determine your BMR (basal metabolic rate) which will tell you how many calories you need to consume each day to remain exactly the same weight - then you shoot for totals under that. I also broke down the calories into carbs, fat, and protein - based on the research I had done. The focus on carbs is low-glycemic food as they take longer to break down and are healthier. I threw the exercise in as a general goal.

Calories < 2,100
Fat 25-35%
Carbohydrates 45-55%
Protein 15-25%
Minutes of exercise 30-60

Based on these numbers, I report here the totals and then color them according to whether I hit in the range, over, or under.

Here is what I did yesterday:
Total Calories: 1,970
% Fat: 24%
% Carbohydrates: 53%
% Protein: 22%
Minutes of exercise: 35

I haven’t mentioned it yet because I am unsure about how fast I will pick it up but it is official - I have started my quest to become a “guitar man.”

I am doing it for several reasons - 1) I have been meaning to learn guitar for a very long time - 2) it is a very healthy way to chill - 3) its so much easier and cool to break out a guitar when sitting around a campfire than to setup a piano.

I picked up a guitar when I was in town this week visiting my mom. She saw me shopping and said, “Get it.” My normal procedure is to spend several months shopping around, weighing the options, convincing myself it is worth the money, and either scrapping the idea or moving forward. She saved me a lot of time.

I still haven’t had any lessons although Gary has told me he will sit down and walk me through some stuff. I have mainly just been downloading things off the Internet and realizing just how little I actually know about it all. Even when I was playing keyboard way back in the day, I never learned to read music.

One thing I am sure of - it will be an adventure!

Then you have the “winners” - I may be cynical but theses awards seem totally rigged. The wins go to the B-list stars that agreed to show up. Coincidentally, it seems that the A-listers somehow just don’t win. Seriously, this is the garbage shows of garbage shows.

Okay, it may not actually slow the aging process, but it sure has worked wonders for me.

I moved to San Marcos right at a year ago and one of the first things I noticed was how much drier it is here than most of previous homesteads.  In Houston, where I have lived for the past 18 years, 85% humidity is considered a drought period.  It is typical to have humidity levels in the mid 90s.  While, it was tough to wear the traditional suit-and-tie without walking around drenched constantly, it sure was easy on my skin.

Taking an overnight trip Dallas, let alone a week in Vegas, would turn my skin to dust.  I am not exaggerating!  Rubbing my hands on my parched face would result in a shower of skin dander.  Oil of Olay for Sensitive Skin stock must surely have jumped when I took long trips.

Just as it was Mom who clued me in on the Oil of Olay, she was also the one that gave me the idea of getting a humidifier.  When I was a child and would ask her how she knew so much, she would always respond, “Because Mom’s know everything” with a smile.  That is yet to be disproven in my eyes.

Overnight (literally) my constantly dry and cracked skin turned to the covering of someone twenty years my junior.  I am loving it! 

And, if you are still in search of a New Year’s resolution - go have a chat with your mom, I bet she can help you with that too!

So I went and bought a four-pack of rawhides and gave them two each at the same time. What did he do? He took his to “his spot” in the yard and came back one at a time and grabbed her two. He then sat there trying to decide how he could take one off and chew and still protect his stash. Its pretty funny to watch.

Lone Star Gridiron Annual Meeting

We will be planning out the entire 2009 season for our coverage of the greatest sport from the greatest state!!!

http://www.lonestargridiron.com

The title of this post was stolen from Jake Cordova who posted that as a comment when I uploaded this video to Facebook

I’ve long been a fan of Jimmy Fallon, and I don’t blame him for taking the gig - hell, who would turn it down?  I mean come on - a HUGE budget to pretend to be a small budget production certainly takes all the pressure of actually being good.

Lesson to big “old” media attempting to catch the new media wave… it is NOT about being amateur - its about being REAL!  Until you figure that out, you will continue to be “old” media.  Using twitter to advertise your garbage does not make it cool.

And hey, if you want us to overlook this HORRIBLE attempt to obfusciate that you are anything but the same old crap, at least hire better writers - this stuff so far is extremely lame.

Okay, the film Frost/Nixon got me interested the “historical” interviews between David Frost and President Richard Nixon.  The previews of the film left me with the impression that the interviews and subsequent television special consisted of scathing, dramatic exchanges that painted President Nixon as a liar, cheater, and overall bad guy.  Because “true” films are rarely honest translations of what really happened, I knew it was on me to make my own decision.

I found a copy of the 88 minute PBS television special from 1977 and what I found was not a bumbling, evil, or corrupt President, but a bumbling, evil, and corrupt journalist.  These 88 minutes were culled from the original 28 hours of interviews and purposefully edited to show Nixon in the worst possible light - that is the FIRST sign of yellow journalism.  Mr. Frost took readings from official transcripts out of context, consistently attempted to twist President Nixon’s responses, and just generally attempted to lay traps and set up his interview subject.

Before you dismiss this as ramblings of a right-winger… read the years of entries on this blog and you will see that I am very far from a right-winger… nor am I a left-winger.  These ideologies both are fraught with tortuous stupidity and short-sightedness.  I am no fan of Richard Nixon, but also, I am no fan of “gotcha” journalism.  As someone peripherally involved in journalism, this piece by Frost embarrasses me and I assume that the dramatized film version will be that much worse.

I applaud the act of interviewing and giving tough questions to our elected officials (although it should happen while they are still in office) but I think that Frost did more to hurt journalism’s access to these people with this hack job.

No rest for the weary however, as I have to catch some shut-eye before heading to Houston for two more championship games later today.

In addition to the serious mission of the group, there is a lot of fun. When you see these guys play on your TV Saturday afternoon, it’s hard to remember they are just kids themselves. Each year, the groups have been, to a man, fun to be around. I was especially pleased to see Ohio State linebacker, James Lauraniatis return after being a finalist last year. It was good to see him again.

Oh yeah, one of the side perks is things like this:

Yes, that is Brooke Daniels, the 2009 Miss Texas USA winner. In addition to being extremely easy on the eyes, she is a witty, funny, and talented communications student at Sam Houston State. We talked about her career after college and I have a feeling she is going to go far.

Tonight is the big award banquet featuring dozens of high-profile sports figures and we are filming and producing the live video. Should be a lot of fun.

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Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/12/06/playoff-time-in-texas-a-taste/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/12/04/sometimes-theres-something-good-in-the-spam/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/12/04/sometimes-theres-something-good-in-the-spam/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:42:10 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1774 You know I have no patience for forwarded cutesy emails. I have told good friends, “I don’t care if you’re my own mother… I hate getting all this junk in my inbox.”

Wouldn’t you know it - it WAS my own mother that sent me a good one. (I mean come on, how can you ignore an email from your Mom?)

————————— begin forwarded email
WHAT PETS WRITE IN THEIR DIARIES

Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary……

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary…

Day 983 of my captivity…

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now …
——————————- end forwarded email

Okay Mom, you win this round… but seriously, try to keep it to just absolute must-see stuff. haha (who am I kidding?0

On one of my last trips to Victoria, I swung by my brother, Tom’s place and found him building a coffin. Not just any coffin - a coffin for playing music. It is complete with handles for pall bearers to carry it to the party of your choice.

Ever the one for reporting on good food, I snapped this at Kip’s BBQ in San Marcos but my Blackberry was unable to send photos at the time. This is some pretty darn good barbecue for San Marcos. Not as good as Woody’s, but darn tasty. What you are looking at here is a chopped beef and sausage sandwich and side of macaroni and cheese.

That’s all I have right now and the Blackberry is rocking and rolling again on sending photos, so look for them to go here, Facebook, Utterli, or Brightkite as I feel motivated.

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Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/27/turkey-day-thought/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/26/carls-jr-comes-to-san-marcos/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/26/carls-jr-comes-to-san-marcos/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:52:44 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1762 I used to be a big fan of Carl’s Jr. hamburgers - we are talking from way back in the day (like the 80’s.) Although I had never actually eaten one until much later, they advertised on all the LA Lakers games. Being a Laker fan since I started watching basketball, and being the the burger seemed exotic (as it wasn’t available in Texas) I liked the thing.

When I actually did get out to California, it was the first fast food outing I made. I have to say, I was not impressed, it tasted like a more expensive version of the Hardees burger. (Which was available in Nacogdoches where I attended college, and I later discovered was owned by the same company.)

In any event, I don’t eat a lot of fast food burgers anymore, but I will give the new Carl’s Jr. in San Marcos a try for nostalgia if nothing else.

I am guessing that Paris Hilton is not included.

I mean come on, Flint is the quintessential real American hero - forget about Duke, Hawk or Sargent Slaughter… they can’t hold his jock strap.

And Lady Jaye? Are you kidding me? She was my first big cartoon girl crush… she was the one with brains and grit. Its a betrayal to Joe fans everywhere.

I guess that is what you get - a no-name director and Brendan frickin-Fraser as the star. This really can’t be good.

Hey, if the filmmakers are reading this…. Now you know - and knowing is half the battle!

One of the recent changes that I have been noticing more and more over the past three or four months is the media campaign designed to sell the public on the “dollar coin.”  Apparently, despite the fact that the new coins were created by law in 2005 and rolled out in 2007, nobody seems to be using them.

Now I am seeing posters at restaurants and convenience stores as well as hearing countless ads on the radio extolling the virtues of the $1 coin.  You tell me - have you used them?  Have you ever seen them in circulation?

Here’s a clue for the folks at the mint - get it into the places we spend our money so that it will be returned as change.  THAT, will get us to use it.

The other thing I have noticed recently is a bit more subtle.  Smokey the Bear has always been a stalwart defender of our nature spaces against careless fire starters.  His PSAs have been running quite a bit on television recently and there is a subtle difference in his famous tagline, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

Now Smokey ends his pleas with, “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”

Why the difference?  Is it some conspiratorial positioning to keep us from realizing that our “forests” are diminishing fast?  Is it some move to update the language for “the kids?”  You tell me.  It just strikes me as an odd thing to change.

I received a sample from Dr. Hana of Nasopure with the recommendation that I give it a try before poo-pooing the whole idea.  Tonight I did.

Following the instructions, I put the nozzle of warm water and nasopure solution (salt and baking soda) to one nostril, closed my throat so that I wouldn’t drown and squeezed.  My formerly clean(?) sinus let loose what felt like gobs and gobs of snot as the solution made its way through the cavity and out my other nostril.  Judging by the expelled mucus in the sink, it really wasn’t much stuff, but I guess when it is forced through your sinus and out your nose all at once, it seems like a truckload.

As first, I just sat there a second experiencing the sensation, and then I proceeded to repeat the procedure via the other nostril.  It was a bit more sketchy this time as the flow wasn’t as smooth and in stopping to breathe, I half drowned myself.  In the end though, I made it through in time for an all-over sensation I wasn’t expecting.

Not only did my eyes start to water, but I felt lightheaded.  It was as if I had a light buzz going and not at all unpleasant.  I don’t know if it related to the fact that I have never had that much of anything in my nasal cavity or that the solution absorbed in the membranes was having some sort of affect, but it was definitely interesting.

Now, twenty minutes later, I have a more acute feeling of the cleanliness and absence of mucus.  The temporary goofy feeling has long since disappeared as well.

I have enough solution to do it a couple more times and will let you know not only how it works on the whole, but will try it without the solution using just water as well.  The jury is still out on a final verdict, but so far I am inclined to think it will turn out to be a good thing and maybe even a part of my future routine.  Stay tuned.

To curb that I have put a bounty on soft drinks - well not on the drinks themselves, but on catching me drinking one. Its pretty simple - you catch me partaking of a carbonated sugar-water drink and mention it. I hand you five bucks. The system will stay in place until the end of the year which will certainly be enough time to break the habit.

And just so you don’t get any ideas about turning this into a money-making machine, only the FIRST person to catch me drinking on gets paid (and then I get to finish that one.)

I figure after drinking a couple $5 Dr. Peppers I’ll break the habit pretty easy.

Wish me luck

“Henry Ford said, ‘If horses could vote there never would have been cars’ and in our system, coal and oil can really vote.”

– Thomas Friedman, author “Hot, Flat, and Crowded”

Confused?  Not know what a Neti Pot is?  Well, it is a device used for simple nasal irrigation - a way to clean the nasal cavities of mucus and various other things that may have found their way up your schnoz.

I can accomplish the same thing in just a matter of a few seconds while showering - why buy another “must have item?”  This is a classic example of conspicuous consumption.

Still don’t have a clue what this is all about?  Consider yourself lucky and don’t be taken in when your friend says, “Oh yeah, you should get one - it does wonders for your sinuses.  I can breathe so much better and concentrate at work…. blah, blah, blah.)  Go snort your boogers in the shower like a man. 

Examples that make their case perfectly are too numerous to mention - from the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to his steroid use to win Mr. Olympia and doesn’t test for any illegal drugs in his annual Arnold Classic, to the hypocrisy of Floyd Landis’ Tour de France disqualification based on having too much oxygen in his blood, despite the fact that there are two legal methods of increasing oxygen count and two illegal methods.

I have always been completely against cheating and more importantly, against a sports environment that props up the substance abusers and makes heroes out of people obviously “juiced.”  The victim here is not the fans that wanted a pure competition between athletes on even footing, but the children that are bombarded with the subliminal message that to win means to cheat, and to cheat is okay.  Its not even their world view or moral compass I fear being corrupted, but their bodies themselves as they take these substances without regard to the health consequences.

“Bigger Stronger Faster” may take the case for using these drugs too far in an effort to make the point but, it is a good film, and it does a good job of taking the argument out of the minutia of things like steroids in baseball and onto the bigger picture of the American culture of “Bigger Stronger Faster.”

RATING 7 out of 10

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed; those who are cold and are not clothed.”

– Dwight D.Eisenhower

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Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/09/lou-lolas-morning-ritual/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/08/way-to-go-bro/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/11/08/way-to-go-bro/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:00:52 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1745 Congratulations goes out to my older brother, Tim.  He won first place in the Jackson County Go-Texan Texana Chili Spill Bean Cook-Off.  Out of 69 contestants from around the state, his beans ranked as the best.

Team Blackheart celebrates their win!

Not being a big bean eater, I can’t vouch for them personally, but when outings with family and friends are planned, someone always asks if he is going to make his beans.

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“whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”

– Galatians 6:7 (King James version)

“To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day hero … assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight in what would be an un-winnable urban guerilla war. It could only plunge that part of the world into even greater instability.”

– George Bush Sr.

That’s right - personal changes.

First off, the beard is gone. Funny thing about wearing a beard or goatee for the better part of a decade or more - when its gone, it throws people for a loop. I didn’t have anyone come right out and say, “Wow, you shaved off the beard.” I heard some, “Did you get a haircut?” an occasional, “Gee, you look younger” and even two people who said, “When did you grow the moustache?” haha Uh, when I was in high school. (That is the only thing that hasn’t gone away since I was first able to grow facial hair.)

Another big change is the new digs. Finally, after ten months of sleeping in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, I have moved into a three bedroom house. I still am not ready to purchase a home as I haven’t sold the one I own in Houston yet, but it sure is nice to have a little elbow room again.

I took some pics of the house the other day but was organizing all my shots so I didn’t lose them and I think they ended up on a storage drive at the office.  Oh well, take my word for it that I am digging the new crash pad.  I did manage to find some from the backyard.

I am sharing the new place with Blake and Eric, while Lou is sharing his backyard with Eric’s dog Lola.  Lou, for one, is definitely digging have a backyard again.

I know this time of year the lack of grass doesn’t look all that great, but it is a nice big yard and we are just a few blocks away from a wilderness area of a couple hundred acres.

Good times!

Oh yeah, and I guess something happened concerning an election or something… I should look into that. 

Nice stuff. See, both math and music education ARE well worth the effort.

“I don’t pay attention to polls - I just count yard signs.
So get ready for President REMAX!”

– Stephen Colbert

It appears that my tolerance for spicy food has given out.  Last night was the second time in the last couple weeks that I had a pretty spicy meal just before before bed and woke up in the middle of the night with some serious acid reflux.  Sure, eating anything that late is not a good idea and I am sure that played into it.

In the end though, I am going to take it as a painful message to make a few changes.  I may not lay off spicy food entirely, but I certainly will keep it earlier in the day.  I will also take it as ‘another’ hint to drop some weight.  Oh yeah, cutting down on stress would be a good idea too.

I am actually starting to believe that I am not invincible and could possibly miss out on my plan to live forever.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/29/late-night-fun/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/29/sometimes-they-just-get-the-title-dead-on/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/29/sometimes-they-just-get-the-title-dead-on/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:05:23 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1732 NBC’s psychotic spy thriller show My Own Worst Enemy could not have been named better.  The show is indeed, its own worst enemy.  It launched a few weeks back on NBC and HULU and I finally sat down to try out the first episode.  Wow, this is a real stinker.

Sure the acting is okay, Christian Slater and Alfre Woodard turn in servicable performances.  The premise though is a bit riduculous.  A secret agency “manifests” volunteers with a split personality - one that is a normal white-collar husband and father, and this other side that is a ruthless spy.  Uh - why?    This is just another in a line of shows trying to be the next X-Files that failed to grasp why X-Files worked.  Hint:  It wasn’t because of a sci-fi twist on tired government storylines… it was because it took a very normal premise, gave us characters we cared about, touched on unknowns that touch all us, and oh yeah - HAD GOOD WRITING!

And for the record, Fringe is still on my list of ones to watch after one episode.  I will let you know after I get a few under my belt.

Whether it is a beer or a soft drink, I am a slow drinker. The problem with beer used to be that it was warm before I finished a regular sized one - with soft drinks, the same thing. When I get a bottle of Mountain Dew now, it literally takes me three or four sittings to finish one. The sweet is just too sweet.

I think he found them at HEB in a 12-pack or something. Oh, and yeah, I did sort of cheat in the photo by placing it next to a 1-liter Coke not the traditional 16 oz. All the other photos I took of it didn’t show the size difference well. Trust me though - these are some tiny bottles

About a month ago, I was looking for something to watch in bed (it helps me stop thinking about work and actually knocks me out quicker than any sleeping pill could) and grabbed a nearby copy of Speed Racer.  No, it didn’t hit me like a brick and cause me to stay up watching the entire thing - it was much more insidious.

I watched about 15 minutes of it and as usual, was out like a light.  It was the next evening when looking for something to play, I decided to pick up where I left off.  It literally took me about12 sittings to finish the movie - but finish, I did.

There was something about the vivid imagery, and total disregard for physics that kept calling me back.  By the end, I was concerned about the characters and stunned by the filmwork.  No, it isn’t one of the top films of all time, but it was a lot of fun.

You can do a lot worse than watching this extremely family-friendly film and if you open your mind to the idea, you may even find yourself impressed by the vision and the downright impressive expression of the craft of film making.   The Wachowski brothers have outdone themselves.

RATING 8 out of 10

I went against the wind on the way out and uphill on the way back, but it didn’t matter. The sound of the bike tire humming on the pavement, the smell of fresh air, the slight burn in the thighs on a sharp incline… its all great.

When the world gets too noisy and the to-dos get too numerous and seem too important, nothing sets me right better than a bike ride. It’s been that way for years.

After that ride - bring it on, I dare you to try to ruin my day - not going to happen.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/26/bike-ride-video-test/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/25/good-thing-its-all-fixed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/25/good-thing-its-all-fixed/#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:35:12 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1724 Gas prices are down, interest rates are down, our banking system has been bailed out, life is good.  I was going to say, “How dumb do you guys think we are?” but that’s obvious.  The truth is that “we” are dumber than a box of rocks.

“We” - and I am using the collective “we”, continue to fall for this nonsense.  We continue to think that our elected (harrumph) officials are working or have worked to make thing better for us.  We continue to think that just because someone says “change” that they intend to make a change that helps us.

More importantly, we continue to think that these two bloated political parties actually have some difference between them.  They both conspired to lock out third party participation, they both conspired to convince the people that they give a minute’s thought to what is good for the US citizens.  They both do things in lock step because they are the same party.  Sure, one plays good cop for a while, and then they switch it up when we start getting wise.

Wake up!  Get your head out of the training box called television and try thinking.  Turn off all the things that numb your mind and you’ll suddenly discover that your need for all those medications, your fear about all the uncertainty, and your hesitation to take responsibility for your own happines will disappear.

That said… if you haven’t already - VOTE.  Sure, you may be voting for the wrong reason, or you may be making your decision based on misinformation, but right or wrong - at least you’ll be doing something.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/25/dinner-at-furrs/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/23/auto-posting-via-blackberry-test/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/23/auto-posting-via-blackberry-test/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:24:07 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/23/auto-posting-via-blackberry-test/

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/23/auto-posting-via-blackberry-test/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/22/freedom-through-education-vii/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2008/10/22/freedom-through-education-vii/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:11:16 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1719

“Short of changing human nature, therefore, the only way to achieve a practical, livable peace in a world of competing nations is to take the profit out of war.”

– Richard Nixon

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If you haven’t recognized Fred Berry - it was just under a year later that this appearance apparently landed him a new gig - playing the character of Freddy “Rerun” Stubbs Jr.  on the comedy What’s Happening!!.

He was in a group of dancers that appeared on SNL under the name “Lockers” - as in pop-locking.  I had to pause the DVD and grab a quick picture.

Nice.

How do you do that?  How do you let your dog take a massive dump on someone else’s property and walk away feeling that its okay to leave it there?  These are the type of people that shouldn’t have dogs.  That’s part of the deal.  You take care of them - you feed them right - you exercise them - you provide a good environment for them - and yes, you pick up after them.

If you have a dog and do not pick up the poo created then you, like the target of the above sign are a jerk. If you do the right thing for your furry friend and neighbors - then kudos to you!

I took this photo with my Blackberry and uploaded it to my Facebook page as well.  This was after watching a sports update and news brief during the walk.  Yeah. life it good.