This blog was supposed to be about the Tour de France and then some other thoughts leaked in. So I will go first with the Tour and then branch out a bit. I love this tour. It is democratic and everyday brings new challenges and new excitement. Cyclists you never heard of representing Russia, the Ukraine on teams that had taken a second fiddle to Discovery for 7 years have suddenly stepped forward. Lance's retirement and Doping have removed key players and it is a free for all every single day. No team is controlling the break(s) or jersey and everyone seems nicer. It has become clear that without Lance there is not the same "will to win" or leadership on Discovery. Without Jan, and Ivan, and Valverde the other teams have risen and blossomed; like Rabobank making you wonder if what is being revealed is a level playing field sans drugs.
Insert - I now digress. I was driving to work on Friday and 3 teenage girls were pushing a car into Circle K (apparent car trouble) the two who were actually pushing were celebrity thin in shorts - the chunkier one of course apparently owned the car and so was steering. My thought (why is it that it is always the girl with the big ass that owns the car?
Back to something that actually belongs with the tour blog. It is refreshing that I don't have to pay Espn Insider or Rivals or Scout for News of the Tour. It is FREE! like Sports News used to be and should be. The Media creates an appetite for news. Without their McDonald's like marketing most of us would ignore Paris Hilton, and Angelina & not get worked up into a frenzy about something we don't care about; what is Politically Correct without Media Push? So Viva la France and Viva la Tour!
I wish Journalism was a bit more honorable but I think I will take that thought and just say Goodnight and Goodluck and save it for another post.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Driving School
I am a confirmed old speeder and likely to remain so. After all, Pickering - hmm oops got caught in my rewrite of a My Fair Lady song. This the tale of the dreaded 7 hours of a Saturday spent with strangers for having too heavy a foot in the wrong "zone." For the approximately 35 people trapped yesterday I think they all came away with the "this wasn't as bad as I expected" feeling. It was an amazingly interesting group with one thing in common; we had all been trapped in the Pilot Program in Scottsdale Arizona by cameras. No motorcycle cop stopped us- we were not in our home city - and had no idea until days later we had done anything wrong. We were innocently driving the 101 loop around the city (Phoenix) - mine was on the way to a Sunday Brunch, happy to be going to what would be a great gourmet experience.
Jeff who sat behind me got two - One going North and the other going South on the same road. The lady next to him got two just a couple of miles apart on the same day going in one direction. Whew!! made me feel lucky that I only got the one.
Yesterday was great from the time our teacher said his name was Montoya ( I kept thinking of Princess Bride and who in the class might have killed his father) til the end when we were released.
There were really good audio visual aids. I sat next to a woman who was publishing a book on Travel, and another who's son-in-law was a pitcher for the Sidewinders. Both had recently moved to Tucson from more intelligent places on the planet. The conversation was lively. Three people were actually told to reschedule when they came back very late from lunch (they probably killed Montoya's father).
There were of course a few who should have been wearing signs that said "Just Stupid." One guy I am sure will be divorced by the time he gets his next ticket. He wanted to know why they pinned this on him when the car was jointly owned by him and his wife; just because it was his picture on the camera. He gets the "just stupid" and the "no loyalty to spouse" awards in the same day and Oh he has to reschedule.
So for me the strangers I met were a whole lot more interesting than the people I know in Tucson, so the day was not lost. And oh yes the residual effect is that I will drive slower and wear my seatbelt. So I guess it was a day well spent.
Jeff who sat behind me got two - One going North and the other going South on the same road. The lady next to him got two just a couple of miles apart on the same day going in one direction. Whew!! made me feel lucky that I only got the one.
Yesterday was great from the time our teacher said his name was Montoya ( I kept thinking of Princess Bride and who in the class might have killed his father) til the end when we were released.
There were really good audio visual aids. I sat next to a woman who was publishing a book on Travel, and another who's son-in-law was a pitcher for the Sidewinders. Both had recently moved to Tucson from more intelligent places on the planet. The conversation was lively. Three people were actually told to reschedule when they came back very late from lunch (they probably killed Montoya's father).
There were of course a few who should have been wearing signs that said "Just Stupid." One guy I am sure will be divorced by the time he gets his next ticket. He wanted to know why they pinned this on him when the car was jointly owned by him and his wife; just because it was his picture on the camera. He gets the "just stupid" and the "no loyalty to spouse" awards in the same day and Oh he has to reschedule.
So for me the strangers I met were a whole lot more interesting than the people I know in Tucson, so the day was not lost. And oh yes the residual effect is that I will drive slower and wear my seatbelt. So I guess it was a day well spent.
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