Taking a knife to a gunfight

Watch a hapless "reporter" try to get a politician with a "Gotchya" question. Problem is the politician is Barney Frank, easily one of the smartest members of congress, and he does a great job of making the poor right wing dooofus look like a complete moron. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

Sometimes the cliche is true

You have heard it a million times, and quite often it is true-The sequel to x isn't nearly as good as the first one. I have another fine example.

I sat down and watched Swedish movie "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and was very impressed. DAMN good movie. You learn more and more about the two main characters as the movie unfolds. They aren't just cliche personalities you see so often in Hollywood thrillers. The movie makes you CARE about them and want to learn more with each tidbit that the film maker doles out. Lisbeth Salandar is a very damaged woman, possibly with asperger's, who still manages to be ridiculously strong despite the crap heap that was her childhood. On top of it, the mystery the two characters are working on is intriguing and keeps you guessing as to just what happened.

I liked Tattoo so much, right away I decided "What the heck, I'll watch the next one" So I queued up "The Girl Who Played With Fire". While not a bad movie it is nowhere as interesting as the first film. It seems the new director was just content to let the established characters go through the motions in a story that wasn't nearly as interesting. It relied on plot twists that began to border on the absurd. Granted there where a few parts that had me grinning and muttering "kick ass", but they were highlights in a far less engaging whole. I haven't read any of the books, so I cannot say how close either of these movies was to the source material-maybe the second book was a big letdown as well.

Hollywood is currently making an American version of "Tattoo". I can't say I have high hopes. I just can't see this American version trusting its viewers to have the patience to let a story and its characters unfold slowly over two hours. I expect they will try to spice it up by upping the action quotient. That would be a bad plan.

Dog's eye view-sort of.

From prolific MTBR forum poster, Dion. Just a cool picture.

Definition of "good light"

Ahhh dang it!!

Lambeau pics

Finally got around to downloading the pictures off my camera. Yeah the Vikes lost, but it was fun.

Downtime

So I had Tuesday off because of all the traveling and working in Appleton all weekend. Worked yesterday, then came home early to manage a workstation refresh in one of our branches in the Boston area. It wasn't complete until 5AM!!!!!!!!! My boss told me to stay home and sleep-so I am sitting at home doing NOTHING today.

FOOTBALL!!!

Sums it up....

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings
and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a
lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an
emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with
the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

MOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

More O'Keefe douchebaggery

Is there ANY question this guy is complete piece of shit?

Fake pimp from ACORN videos tries to 'punk' CNN correspondent

Lusby, Maryland (CNN) -- A conservative activist known for making undercover videos plotted to embarrass a CNN correspondent by recording a meeting on hidden cameras aboard a floating "palace of pleasure" and making sexually suggestive comments, e-mails and a planning document show.

James O'Keefe, best known for hitting the community organizing group ACORN with an undercover video sting, hoped to get CNN Investigative Correspondent Abbie Boudreau onto a boat filled with sexually explicit props and then record the session, those documents show.

The plan apparently was thwarted after Boudreau was warned minutes before it was supposed to happen...

O'Keefe is best known for making a series of undercover videos inside ACORN offices around the country in 2009. The 40-year-old liberal group was crippled by scandal after O'Keefe and fellow activist Hannah Giles allegedly solicited advice from ACORN workers on setting up a brothel and evading taxes...

But prosecutors in New York and California eventually found no evidence of wrongdoing by the group, and the California probe found the videos had been heavily and selectively edited.

CNN

This guy is a slimy asshole plain and simple. Nice of CNN to point out that the ACORN mess O'Keefe generated was completely baseless.

Teabagger that rails against "wellfare state" received ag subsidy and tried to get low income hunting license

Who woulda thunk? The fraudulent political movement is full of frauds.

Homeowning Lawyer Joe Miller Sought Low-Income Hunting And Fishing License In Alaska


The latest entry: In 1995 conservative Joe Miller, who wants to end the welfare state, acquired low-income hunting and fishing licenses, meant for families with an annual income of less than $8200 a year. Raising more questions: at the same time, Miller had just purchased a home in Anchorage and begun working as an attorney for a well-known firm for $70,000 a year, according to the Anchorage Daily News....

Talking Points Memo

Camping

Great weekend. Plain and simple.

Ride 35-40 miles from Q's house to a few miles past Watertown. Set up camp. Drink. Sleep. Tear down camp. Bike 35-40 miles back to Q's place. Did I mention I was towing a trailer heavier than my bike? Did I mention the wagon train, mini horses and dog sled riders? Perhaps the exploding puff ball mushrooms?

Fortunate Surprise

While walking home from the bus stop today I noticed a bunch of posts and what looked like course tape filling up a good chunk of Aquila park. I figured something was going on, but I wasn't sure what. A short time later I was walking the dogs and saw that there was a cyclocross race going on a half block from my house! COOL! It is part of a series put on by the Minnesota Cycling Federation

I finished up with dog duty then returned to the course with my camera. Watching folks hammer through the grass for multiple laps in the same park where the hill has me sucking wind after walking up it was humbling. And there I sat with no cowbell.



For some reason there was one racer who stood out. Dressed all in black, big bushy beard riding a gorgeous singlespeed which I thought at the time was Ti. Turns out it is a nickle plated steel frame made right here in the Twin Cities by Peacock Groove. The detail work on this bike was amazing. This guy finished first (I think) in the 35+ race, then 15 minutes later he was at it again in the Cat 1,2,3 field and was leading after two laps. I had to bail at that point so I don't know how he did, but DAMN!



Anyway, I was happy to find out that this will be happening every Tuesday for eight weeks. I need to get a cowbell.

More pictures HERE

Today's the day

These guys were not messing around

Its easy to find numerous examples of hyperbole in the mountain bike world. The word "epic" has been used so much, often describing things that are in no way "epic", that it has lost its meaning.

That being said, these guys truly had an epic journey. Biking 60 miles into the Alaskan wilderness, then breaking out portable rafts that they carried with them and proceeded for miles on a 34 degree river for 12 hours. They then bushwhacked, hiked and biked there way to visit the bus made famous in "Into the Wild"

I am impressed.

Wonders of physiology

This evening I took my second bike ride since breaking my right ankle. The first ride was on the mountain bike. Big fat tires, full suspension and a relatively upright riding position. Today I ventured out and took the same route, but this time on the road bike. Rigid steel frame, skinny tires pumped up to 100psi and a much more aggressive riding position.

The ride went surprising well, but had one unexpected curiosity. My ankle is still swollen. It is noticeably larger than its counterpart on the end of my left leg. On the ride today every time I hit the transition to cross a street and with every seam in the trail, I could feel whatever biological "stuff" that is IN my swollen ankle jiggling around like a bowl of jello. It didn't hurt, but the sensation was mildly disturbing. Part of my brain kept repeating "That's not right" every time it happened. Before heading out today, I had entertained the idea of hitting an off road trail sooner that the doctor recommended. After feeling the mini tsunamis in the fluid of my ankle, I think I will heed his advice.

This is kind of cool

I'm not much of a Korn fan, but my co worker Nathan is. Check this out.

Minnesota Primary tomorrow

Don't forget to vote!

Find your polling location here

NO MORE CAST!!!!

Went to the doc and had the cast removed. After a new set of x-rays and a mobility test the Dr. said there is no need for a walking boot! Still not 100% as far as moving around goes, but it is so nice feeling the breeze on my leg!

Great quote

"I have, in my writing, a tendency to become theoretically cute, and overly enamored with my own fair-mindedness. Such vanity has lately been manifested in the form of phrases like "it's worth saying" and "it strikes me that..." or "respectfully..."

When engaging your adversaries, that approach has its place. But it's worth saying that there are other approaches and other places. Among them--respectfully administering the occasional reminder as to the precise nature of the motherfuckers you are dealing with."

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Back in the day....

Good times.

Fun times on a Thursday night

Surly 1 Sean 0

Another angle

Of the bike I can't ride.

ch ch ch changes

Before



After

Ouch!

Odd yet cool

Those wacky kicking the ball around for hours on end fans.

Nature Valley Uptown Crit II

More HERE

Nature Valley Uptown Crit

I'll post some pics later

After the storm

Great Picture

Sterling Lorence photo of some pro bikers in the surreal terrain of Iceland



Bigger version here

About time

Between almost constant rain this month and creeping laziness on my part I had yet to do the bike commute home from work.

I finally got the rare combination of motivation and a favorable forecast today and biked home in bright humid sunshine.

The route home to the Richfield house is an entirely different animal than when we were is St Louis Park. City streets all the way to Richfield instead of 90% isolated bike path to SLP. The distance is about the same, but the need to have your head on a constant swivel while cruising down the bike lane on Portland avenue makes it a much less relaxing ride. No pedaling on autopilot while reflecting on the day or thinking about the upcoming evening-that would be a recipe for disaster. But I still feel good after the ride.

File under "Good Seats"

Got Twins tix from work. Wasn't exactly sure where they were. Needless to say, we were pretty happy when we sat down. Thanks Irv!

Coming to your TV on Jun 26th

On good old VH1

Progress at the Cabin

Went up to Bay Lake this weekend to see how the remodel is going at the Huntley cabin. I haven't been up there since fall when the additions were nothing more than holes in the ground. Can't wait to see this when it is done.

The rest of us

The other 95%

Seperated at birth?

Battle Creek

Urban downhill in Brazil

Amongst his peers

Kinda cool old british guy

The Making Of 'Scratch My Back' from York Tillyer on Vimeo.

Is anyone surprised?

Rush Limbaugh proves with no wiggle room whatsoever that he really is a racist bastard.

“I am reasonably sure that Paterson will be appointing the replacement, assuming that he, you know, doesn’t resign in the next 60 or 90 days,” a caller said to Limbaugh.

“Let’s assume you’re right,” Limbaugh responded. “So, David Paterson will become the massa…who gets to appoint whoever gets to take Massa’s place. So, for the first time in his life, Paterson’s gonna be a massa. Interesting, interesting.”

For those who might not know, Paterson is the African American Governor of New York. Massa is a congressman who is resigning.

This is pretty cool

Them Crooked Vultures

A couple of weeks back Them Crooked Vultures appeared on SNL. To probably no one's surprise they fell victim to that show's never ending difficulties mixing loud rock bands. The result was a mushy mix with buried vocals. It wasn't terrible, but it could have been better.

A week later they appeared on another TV show that, like SNL, has been on the air for 35 years: PBS's Austin City Limits. Unlike SNL, this show has always been focused on music. Big difference in the final product.

John Paul Jones provides several "what the hell?" moments in this-from crazy instruments to holding down a tricky bass line with his feet while playing keyboards. I wonder what else he has done?

Grohl reminds everybody what a kick ass drummer he is while Josh Homme just does his thing. And he does it well. Nice to see perenial side man Alain Johannes getting to shine as well.

Anyway, take a look. The link is to the entire episode.

Austin City Limits