Oh, Yeah, One More Thing

If it's a choice between watching this and the race coverage this weekend, then you should definitely watch the Tour. But if you're feeling ambitious and want to do both, you have an excellent opportunity to learn about pre-Armstrong U.S. cycling before we get too far into the post-Armstong era. Long before Lance got on a bike, Greg LeMond became the first American cyclist able to compete with the best in Europe. And he, too, made an amazing recovery from a near-death event. Greg burst onto the scene as an excellent young rider and became the best in the world as the first American to win the Tour in 1986. The coverage then wasn't nearly what it is now, but we watched every little bit of update we could. Less than a year later, he took a shotgun strike in his chest in a hunting accident and nearly died. After a long, slow recovery, he was on the verge of giving up when he found his form just in time for the 1989 Tour. He traded the lead back and forth with Laurent Fignon and headed into the final stage down 50 seconds. Almost no one gave him a chance to win at that point, but the final stage was a time trial that year. Greg set a Tour record for time trial speed (that stood until last year) and beat Fignon by 58 seconds on the day. His 8 second victory is the closest ever in the Tour and the most dramatic finish ever. It was incredible to watch. He went on to win again in 1990 as well. You have a chance to see this and learn much more about the man this weekend, as OLN is rebroadcasting a number of times the one-hour "Fearless" special it made about LeMond:
Saturday, 12:00 a.m.
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 10:00 p.m.
Monday, 10:00 p.m.
Sunday (7/23), 10:00 p.m.

Wide Open for the Americans

For the past few weeks a situation has been developing in Spain where a doctor was caught providing professional athletes from a host of sports with banned substances. The details aren't completely clear yet, but information is slowly being distributed to governments, governing bodies, and the press. 58 cyclists are said to be involved. A couple of teams have lost sponsors and trainers. A preliminary report finally reached the Tour de France organizers in the last two days, and it looks like a good 20 riders are going to be suspended before the race gets under way. No one has been proven guilty yet, but some have been caught at least lying. The team coaches/sponsors have all previously agreed to an ethical statement that riders will not be allowed to race while under investigation for doping, and they have decided to honor that agreement.

The top five finshers in last year's race: Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Francisco Mancebo, Alexandre Vinokourov. Armstrong: now retired. Basso: a pre-race favorite, now suspended, is maintaining his innocence and vowing to fight the allegations. Ullrich: a pre-race favorite, now suspended, is maintaining his innocence and vowing to fight the allegations. Mancebo: a definite contender, now suspended, decided today to retire from cycling. Vinokourov: a definite contender, not implicated individually, but part of one of the primary teams involved; the entire team has withdrawn.

So who does this leave? The other names being tossed around as serious contenders behind Basso and Ullrich include: Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, the best rider from Discovery--potentially George Hincapie, Paolo Savoldelli, Yaroslav Popovych, or Jose Azevedo--Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde, Denis Menchov, Damiano Cunego, and a few others. Basso's Team CSC and Ullrich's T-Mobile each have a number of riders with the potential to contend (including American Bobby Julich on CSC, who was third in 1998, the last time the Tour was rocked by this kind of controversy) but who have been preparing for support roles, so we'll have to wait and see on them. It's wide open now, but I really like the chances of the three top Americans: Landis, Hincapie, and Leipheimer, in that order.

Since I was planning on making a pick today, I'll make my prediction: the winner of the 2006 Tour de France will be Floyd Landis (who gets the edge because we share a Mennonite background).

Well This Changes Things

I was planning a post today with my prediction for the Tour de France. I hadn't 100% decided yet, but it was going to be either Ivan Basso or Jan Ullrich. Not anymore. They have both been suspended under suspicion of illegal blood doping, along with a host of others, and will not be in the race this year. One day before the start of the race. A huge scandal. I'll post more details soon.

The Team

Since all anyone ever hears about are the Lance Armstrongs, it’s easy to think that cycling is an individual sport. That is far from the truth. Even though their names have never gotten any mention, Lance would never have been able to win the tour without the support of his 8 teammates. One of the things that made him successful, in fact, was that they were so singularly devoted to his winning. Other teams might have multiple goals, with some riders hoping to win sprints, some the climbs, and others riding to gain experience or whatever, but Lance’s team (first U.S. Postal and now Discovery) has only ever had one goal. It is a formula being copied more and more.

The number one thing that the support riders do is set the pace and break the wind. Depending on the terrain, the peleton rides at 20-40 mph. So even in still air, they have 20-40 mph of wind resistance. That increases with a headwind. The person in front has to deal with this, whereas everyone who drafts gets a huge amount of relief from it. A rider can expend less energy going 30 mph while drafting than he would going 25 mph on his own. It’s also much easier mentally to sit on someone’s wheel and follow along than have to focus on maintaining the pace in front. It’s important to find the speed that will be fast enough to keep the other teams from attacking yet not be so fast that everyone wears out. A balanced team has big strong riders to break the wind on flat stages and little climbers to pull through the mountains. These supporters rotate turns at the front while the team leader sits right behind them, conserving his energy for when it really counts.

Aside from the other riders, the team has a ton of support people: trainers, managers, mechanics, masseuses, chefs, etc. Team cars trail along behind the riders with extra water bottles, spare bikes/parts, rain jackets, and anything else the riders may need. All a cyclist has to do is drop back and take what is handed to him (the team is in constant communication through radio headsets). Often the support riders will do this for the leader so he is saved the difficulty of working his way back up to the front. And if, for whatever reason, they are cut off from the team car, the other riders give the leader their stuff so he doesn’t have to wait. This can be as simple as giving him a water bottle to trading bikes so they can wait for the mechanic instead of him. If the leader does get a flat or such when the car is around, at least two teammates will stop and wait with him so they can do the work of catching back up to the peleton while he once again drafts.

If a teammate does his job well, he will likely never win a stage and will never see his name in the headlines. He may lead for the majority of a stage, but won’t bother sprinting for the victory at the end. He will lead the group up a mountain at such a blistering pace that only a few will be able to hang on, will go until his legs explode, but will then crawl the last few kilometers to the finish with nothing left, arriving well behind the leaders. George Hincapie is the only rider to have been on the team for all 7 of Lance’s victories. Others, like Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer, felt hampered by their support roles and found new teams where they could be the leaders. Both should be contenders this year. Of course, Hincapie, who started as a strong rider for the flats, has ridden enough mountains now that he won last year’s most difficult stage without even meaning to. No one knows if he can contend as a team leader since he’s never been given the chance before now, but Lance (among others) has said to look for something special from him this year. Basso and Ullrich are the favorites and have potentially the two strongest teams, but this could be the year that one of Lance’s previous lieutenants finally gets a chance to shine.

The Race

The 2006 edition of the Tour de France covers roughly 3600 kilometers from July 1 to 23. It begins with a short time trial prologue then heads counter clockwise around the country. Rest days occur on the 10th and 17th, breaking the race roughly into three “weeks.” After the prologue, there are 9 flat stages, 5 mountain stages, 4 medium mountain stages, and 2 individual time trials. Although most of the focus lies with the overall leader, many cyclists consider it the pinnacle of their professional careers to simply win a stage of the race. The competition is tougher for this race than any other and by winning a day they know they have beaten the best in the world. The “big boys” of cycling (to quote Phil Liggett), however, don’t care if they never win an individual stage as long as they win the General Classification (GC).

The first week consists mainly of the flat stages, which generally go to the sprinters. These riders can’t climb or time trial like the GC contenders, but have the most pure speed at the end of a long day of riding. Their only goal is stage wins—and the green jersey, which goes to the rider who amasses the most sprint points by the end of the three weeks. There are plenty of other racers, though, who most likely can’t win a climb, a time trial, or a sprint. Their best hope is to break away from the peleton (main body of riders) well before the finish in the hopes of beating the sprinters to the line. It is extremely hard to stay away, though. The large peleton has many riders who can take turns leading while everyone else drafts, but in a small breakaway everyone has to do a lot of work. Thus they wear out quicker. And the teams with good sprinters specialize in getting to the front of the peleton, reeling back in breakaways and getting their man in prime position for the dash to the line. So most of the flat stages will consist of a breakaway group getting clear early in the day and the peleton chasing them down near the end. Usually there will be a catch before the end, but every once in a while a break stays clear. The best riders will be content to simply bide their time in the pack on these stages since it is so hard to open up any significant time on anyone.

The intermediate mountain stages often follow the exact same pattern as the flat stages. The main difference is that the breakaways are much more likely to succeed. And the peleton gets significantly smaller as some of the sprinters and weaker riders fall off the back in small groups. It is these days, especially, when an “unknown” has the best chance of pulling off a stage win.

It is in the mountains where the real action happens. Even a good rider can lose 1 minute per kilometer if he’s not on top form, and this is where the significant gaps open up. The sprinters will give their all just to finish 45 minutes off the pace (because if they finish too far back they are eliminated from the race). This year, a less mountainous race than many, has two days in the Pyrenees during the second “week” and three in the Alps during the third. Based on the last two years of the Tour and this year’s Giro, Ivan Basso is the strongest rider in the mountains. There may be pure climbers who could beat him on a single day, but he is the best at doing consistent efforts day after day. If he—or anyone else—is to win the Tour, it will likely happen in the mountains.

There is one other type of stage, though, the individual time trial. Instead of working with their teammates and everyone else in a big group, the riders start one at a time (1 or 2 minutes apart) and aren’t allowed to draft or work together. It is a pure, individual effort. This is Jan Ullrich’s specialty. He has won by a significant margin the two time trials he’s competed in this year and it’s always been his strength. He is still one of the best climbers, but not, recently, the equal of Basso. And Basso has improved his time trialing ability to the point that there are few who can beat him, but Ullrich is one of those who can. Thus we get our two favorites, and the race may be decided by who can limit the damage best in the other’s area of strength.

Of course, if either falters, there are riders like Landis, Leipheimer, Hincapie, Vinokourov, Valverde, and Evans who will be snapping at their heels. The race will go to the man who can best combine climbing and time trialing with the strength to consistently go all out day after day.

Guts of Steel

Had a lot of fun yesterday doing a teen program at the library: Fear Factor Food Challenge. Only 5 of the 11 registrants had the courage to show up, but those who did had an excellent time. The menu:

• Kimchee


• Dried squid on a stick


• Hot (spicy) head cheese


• Octopus tossed in oil and vinegar


• Jalapeno jelly (w/Triscuits)


• Beef tripe (boiled)


• Pork cracklins (w/hot sauce)


• Chicken gizzards (fried)


• Frog legs (fried)


• Chicken feet (boiled)


• Corn lollipops (spicy)

Two of the five participants ate full servings of all eleven items. The other three downed most of the menu. We only had one regurgitation (from the tripe; on the table in front of her and not in a trash can, unfortunately), and she immediately asked for another serving so she could try again.

The pledge they made at the start:

I swear that I have entered this challenge willingly.
I will not whine or cry.
I can drop out at any time.

If I fail to eat something, I will admit it.
I will not hide it in my shirt, pants, or shoe.
I will not give it away and pretend I ate it.
I will not throw it in the trash and pretend I ate it.

And if I feel the urge to throw up,
I will make it to a trash can
Or I will clean it up myself.

Socially Challenged Wanderers of the Earth

Just finished reading the first volume of a new graphic title, MBQ, by Felipe Smith. Shows promise. I certainly recommend giving it a try. The passage below is not indicative of the general tone nor style as it is the only apparent bit of meta-writing in the volume and lacks visuals, but it might give you a hint at where the young author/artist is coming from.

I draw, I tell stories. Graphic novelist, comic book artist, manga-ka . . . call it what you like. It’s just a title . . . I tell stories with pictures. The funny thing about what I do is I love it and hate it at the same time. I draw comics . . . Panels arranged neatly on a page, containing pictures and text. Pretty cool, huh?

I hate it. I hate comics. They’re wack. No one reads them. No one over the age of thirteen could give a darn about them. And if they do, they’re nose-picking, Dungeons & Dragons-playing, super hero-worshipping, mom’s basement-dwelling, socially challenged wanderers of the earth. But wait, I read comics, too . . .

I just see no personality in comics. Comics, like any other art form, should be a reflection of the artist himself, if there’s any hope for originality. Originality . . . something personal is original. Doing what everybody else is doing is not. This is what they call “classic,” and classics never die. So forever we’ll see caped beefcakes punching through walls . . . bounding over buildings and carrying large-breasted blondes in their arms through smoldering wreckages. I hate comics, but ironically, that’s what I’m here to do.

But I don’t want to draw super heroes, robots or aliens . . . No ninjas, no supervillains, no time-warping monsters. No gothic adventures, no magical quests. I’d rather clean toilet bowls . . . than draw shit for companies that just copy each other’s ideas. Instead of trying to create the next original hit, they merely imitate past hits. The result is a lame, uniform, unvarying, unchanging industry. I’m not gonna do that.

That’s why I don’t have a job. I need to get a job.

Well That Just Makes Sense

I remember one of the things emphasized during the creation of the Department of Homeland Security was the need for the different government agencies to communicate with each other and share information. So it's only logical that we now have reports like this:

The Republican-led House is preparing to make the secrecy restrictions even more lunatic by actually leaving police officers subject to felony conviction if they dare to share interesting data on illicit dealers with colleagues in other departments. The criminalizing of peace officers for swapping federal data beyond their narrow jurisdictions is only one of the provisions in a pair of treacherous bills quietly on the move, in another sweeping triumph for the gun lobby.

But What Does It Do for Running and Swimming?

Maybe it's time to go tell my doctor I have that problem . . .

From today's KC Star:

Researchers have discovered that cyclists may be able to increase their athletic performance by taking Viagra.

Ten competitive male cyclists were tested on an exercise bike under normal conditions and also while breathing air low in oxygen. Some were given a sugar pill, and the others took Viagra.

Those taking Viagra improved their performance up to 45 percent, which would allow a cyclist racing in the high Rocky Mountains to cover a stretch of road in 39 minutes that would otherwise take him more than an hour.

“The participants told us that while they were riding the bike they didn’t know whether they were on the drug or not,” said Anne Friedlander, the study’s senior researcher. “However, what they did say was that in the showers afterwards they pretty much knew which pill they had been given.”

D'oh

In my excitement about the World Cup and upcoming Tour de France, I almost missed the U.S. Track & Field championships this weekend. Must go set the VCR . . .

T-Minus

Just curious, but did anyone accept the challenge I set for preparing to watch le Tour de France? Well never fear, even if you didn't you can watch OLN's preview show this Sunday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:00. Non-stop coverage begins with the race prologue the following Saturday, July 1st.

I'll offer my own brief preview (with more to follow) for those who can't/won't watch. First, since there is no Lance Armstrong to root for anymore, an introduction to some of the major players:

Italian Ivan Basso, riding for the Dutch Team CSC, will undoubtably be in contention. He's won the white jersey for best young rider in the past, finished 3rd in the tour in 2004, and was 2nd to Lance last year. He's been the only rider able to consistently ride with Lance in the mountains for the past couple of years. And this year he absolutely dominated in the Italy's version of le Tour, the Giro d'Italia, winning by the largest margin in 42 years. No one was able to stay with him on the hard mountain stages, even though he never seemed to be exerting himself too much. It remains to be seen if his body can handle another hard effort or if he peaked for the earlier race.

The other main favorite is German superstar Jan Ullrich, who rides for the German team T-Mobile. He was second in his very first try at the tour then won it in 1997. He was finished second to Lance four times after that. He got the flu heading into the 2004 race and had his worst finish ever: 4th. Last year he was 3rd behind Armstrong and Basso. Everyone agrees Ullrich is the most talented rider of the last ten years, but some have questioned his dedication during the off-season. His season started a bit late this year due to a knee injury, but his form has come on recently as evidenced by his victory in the Tour of Switzerland. He seems set to peak at exactly the right time.

While Lance is gone, the Discovery Channel Team is still one of the strongest in cycling. George Hincapie is the only rider to have supported Armstrong during all seven of his victories, but has slowly been improving each year. If he shows form, he may be declared team leader. Other possibilites for the team include Paola Savoldelli, a two-time winner of the Giro, Yaroslav Popovych, a rising star for the team, and Jose Azevedo, a climber who finished 5th in 2004 riding in support of Lance. No matter who the race shows the leader to be, the strength of the team will make him a contender.

Floyd Landis is another American who should be a contender. He was Lance's top Lieutenant in 2004 before switching to become leader of the Swiss Phonak team. He spent last season gaining the confidence to lead, finishing 9th in the tour. He won three early season tours this year--the Tour of California, Paris-Nice, and the Tour of Georgia--and looks like he's ready to compete.

While Landis has been training and saving himself in recent months--taking it easy to finish well back in his most recent race, the Dauphine Libere--American Levi Leipheimer felt no need to save himself and won that tour, which goes over many of the same mountains as le Tour. Levi leads the German Gerolsteiner team, who have dedicated themselves to helping him win le Tour this year. After his 6th place finish last year, he looks ready to move further up into contention for the win.

Other names that should be near the top include Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, Francisco Mancebo, and Alexandre Vinokourov, as well as a host of other possibilities.

Pop Quiz Time

Hmmm . . . this is disappointing; it might hurt my image a bit. I'll have to make a point to work on it.

You Are 20% Evil

You are good. So good, that you make evil people squirm. Just remember, you may need to turn to the dark side to get what you want!

How Evil Are You?

Maybe . . .

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

And according to an earlier quiz, I belong in Amsterdam. I guess I know who to root for now in the World Cup.

Your Inner European is Dutch!

Open minded and tolerant. You're up for just about anything.

Who's Your Inner European?

You Are Fish

You have a well formed palate and a daring appetite. If it's served to you, you'll at least try it. People are pretty scared of your exotic ways. But once they get a taste of you, they're addicted!

What Kind of Meat Are You?

Restless

That was nice. I just spent the second half of my lunch hour out walking in the 90-degree heat, soaking up the sun. When I was a student and then school librarian I got out plenty during the summer and looked for ways to avoid the heat. Now that I'm locked inside all day, I actually miss it. Ever since returning from the cruise I've found myself staring longingly out the window, wanting to get back to sweating and working on my sunburn. And I don't even need tropical beaches (although I wouldn't complain). I miss the dry, scrubby grass and hard, cracked earth of the Kansas plains. I don't care, I just want to be outside. All the time. I've always said spring and fall are my favorite times of year, but only getting dashes of summer is making me re-evaluate.

(That said, I think we're going to break down and put in the window units this weekend. Last night was the first time it didn't cool off enough overnight to sleep well, even with fans. I don't mind being hot during the day, but I've got to be able to sleep without sweating through the sheets.)

Can You Hear Me Now?

It's not that kids do poorly in school because they aren't capable, but because they don't see enough relevance to care. Here's an example of what they can do when motivated:

In that old battle of the wills between young people and their keepers, the young have found a new weapon that could change the balance of power on the cellphone front: a ring tone that many adults cannot hear. . . .

"When I heard about it I didn't believe it at first," said Donna Lewis, a technology teacher at the Trinity School in Manhattan. "But one of the kids gave me a copy, and I sent it to a colleague. She played it for her first graders. All of them could hear it, and neither she nor I could."

The technology, which relies on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, was developed in Britain but has only recently spread to America — by Internet, of course.

Too True (Hilariously So)

Admit it, fellow geeks. Even though you don't mind sharing--and even flaunting--your D&D-type interests in some settings, there are certain people and situations in which you keep them to yourself. But no matter how much you segment your life, there is one person you ultimately can't hide from: you're significant other. The Girl in Black has just brought to my attention this excellent post titled, "Your Husband Has Just Bought Himself a Complete Set of Dungeons and Dragons Handbooks – A Survival Guide for the Smart Wife."

Evangelism

A while back, Wizards of the Coast decided a good money-making scheme would be offering basic Dungeons & Dragons kits to libraries for free. Let the librarians find and train young, new players who will eventually seek out and buy books, miniatures, dice, etc. And while I don't like that commercial aspect to the enterprise, I requested a kit and put programs on the calendar this summer. Last night we had our first "Learn to Play Dungeons & Dragons" program. Highly successful. Five younger teens showed up and had a good time. The kit comes with pre-made characters and simplified rules, but it still took a bit to orient everyone to the game. Eventually we got started and they all survived the first encounter. A bit of learning occurred after that when one guy tried to pocket all the treasure. A fight ensued and the party ended up killing each other off. I explained that's why groups (characters and players) generally have more fun (and last longer) when they cooperate, and we rewound and continued playing until our time was up. At the end I explained the library can't support exclusive programs, which an ongoing campaign with me as Dungeon Master would necessarily become, so my part was done. When I offered the use of the kit as a reference resource and mentioned our study rooms, though, they immediately exchanged contact information and began planning to get together again. One mom was astounded at the end that her son was socializing so well in light of his Asperger Syndrome (which I never would have guessed). I had to work a 10 hour day and stay until close instead of my usual 5:15 for a Tuesday, but it was well worth it. Who else gets payed for playing D&D for three hours?

Sleep Is for Wusses

I’ll be the first to admit there are more spectator-friendly sports than triathlons. There’s not a lot of “action” to it and the athletes spend the majority of their time out on the course where they can’t even be seen by most. Nevertheless, they are a somewhat unique and exciting type of event, and you can have a good time hanging out near the transition area. If you’ve never seen one live, I highly recommend it. And you have a chance in less than a month to enjoy the Kansas City area’s most popular event: the 22nd Annual Shawnee Park Triathlon. It starts before the heat on the morning of Sunday, July 9. I’d love to see you there. Let me know if you might go and I’ll give you some spectator pointers.

So far I’ve registered for that event and the Topeka Tinman this Saturday. The other things I’m looking at—although I won't be able to do all of them and am open to other events if you know of any—are:
7/15 – Stump Jumpin’ Trail Trot at Clinton Lake in Lawrence
7/16 – Northland Delight Bike Tour in Liberty
7/23 – Midwest Mayhem Triathlon at Lone Star Lake in Lawrence
7/29 – Prairie Punisher Duathlon in Gardner
8/19 – Pain Terrain trail run at Landahl Park in Blue Springs
8/27 – Jackson County Triathlon at Longview Lake
10/9-10 – KC Area MS 150 bike tour
10/10 – Midwest Meltdown Triathlon at Wyandotte County Lake in KCK
10/23-24 – Eastern KS MS 150 bike tour out of Topeka

Jimmy Carter on Fundamentalism

The danger comes when those kinds of principles are applied on the international scene. That brought about a whole gamut of things. One, obviously, is the unprecedented preemptive war that President Bush has declared to be a policy of our country. Another is the total abandonment, and often the derogation, of every nuclear-arms agreement that has been negotiated by previous presidents, beginning in the time of Dwight Eisenhower.

At home, it brought about the deterioration of our commitment to environmental quality. Another [effect] is the enormous preference that has been given in tax laws recently to the extremely rich at the expense of working-class and poorer people. Then there's the implied melding of science and religion, where even the president himself has expressed the opinion that religious beliefs should be taught in scientific classrooms. That's unprecedented. And there is a unique and special emphasis—which is a recent development too—within the religious community, an obsession with the condemnation of homosexuality. Now, in the bible homosexuality is condemned, but along with divorce and greed and callousness toward poor people. So its elevation to a highest priority among some religious groups has been very disturbing to me.

One point I believe is important, looking at the political side once more, is that this is not a Democratic-versus-Republican or a liberal-versus-conservative concern. This is a departure in all those points, compared to all previous Republican presidents—compared to George Bush Sr. or Ronald Reagan, compared to Gerald Ford or Dwight Eisenhower, as well as the Democratic presidents. It's a radical departure.

Read the whole interview

This Book Will Poison Your Mind

I really enjoyed the book we read this month for our teen fantasy book group: Poison, by Chris Wooding. The main character is a 16-year-old girl so contrary she selected "Poison" as her moniker on her naming day in response to a rant by her stepmother:

You'll never do as I tell you! Never! You'll never be as a good girl should. Always full of questions, never accepting things as they are. Always full of spite for me! You'll never make your father happy, never marry a strong young man. You're poison to this family, poison!

After her young sister is stolen and a changeling left in her place, Poison decides the only thing to do is leave her swamp village for the first time in her life in an attempt to get Azalea back. The adventure leads to a confrontation with the Phaerie King and beyond. Not only is it an entertaining tale, it gets quite philosophical about the nature of stories and of existence itself.

I marked this quote from the book, as it's a good warning: "Cynicism was a one-way path, and once taken the way back was forever lost."

They are entirely different books, but I think I liked one of Woodings other books even better. Where Poison tends to be a bit cerebral and philosophical, The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray was more atmospheric and haunting. I recommend both.

Not Quite Flickr

Here's a selection of images from the vacation. We didn't get too camera happy this time so there aren't too many. And we still have to finish off the second underwater camera and then find a scanner for those two rolls before they'll be available here.

The Tale

Wednesday, 5/24

Drove east through St. Louis, southeast to Nashville, and east again to Knoxville, where we stayed for the night - had a cooler with food and drink so we didn't have to buy anything on the road (except expensive gas)

Thursday, 5/25

Headed across the Smoky Mountains on I-40 - stopped an hour into it to hike for a couple of hours on the Appalachian Trail along the Tennessee-North Carolina border - dense forest, kinda backwoods hillbilly lonely/scary - on and off rain, mud, damp - but really pretty - some people spend months hiking the entire 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine - we saw one of the shelters they sleep in; pretty rough - a fun change of pace from driving

Headed on through North and South Carolina to stop for the night just into Georgia - had a nice run to stretch the legs - had dinner and walked around after to experience the nightlife of historic Savannah - a very interesting place

Friday, 5/26

Headed down the coast on I-95 - got excited the minute we reached Florida and skirted around Jacksonville to Jacksonville Beach - frolicked in the ocean for a bit around noon and got our first sunburns of the trip - continued on A1A for a while right next to the water - saw expensive houses and preserved coast - eventually got back on the interstate and continued to our hotel in Pompano Beach (Ft. Lauderdale) - ate at the fisherman's wharf and had the fresh catch of the day (mahi-mahi) and walked on the pier watching the night fishermen

Saturday, 5/27

Drove the last bit into Miami, found the pier with lots of time to spare - headed over to Miami Beach and saw it begin to spring to life for the Memorial Day weekend partying - had breakfast, swam in the ocean, walked, and checked out the very hip stores - watched all the people trying to impress everyone with their bods and bling - headed back and boarded the boat (Carnival Triumph) - found our cabin, had lunch - she slept, I roamed, got moved in - watched Miami fade away - headed to the dining room and met our table-mates for the week (Canadians from Halifax), had excellent food - tried out the on-board casino - crashed

Sunday, 5/28

"Fun day at sea" - slept a lot - worked out - watched the ocean - mostly avoided the sun - ate excellent food

(If you've never cruised before, all the food is included in the cost of your ticket. If you care to dress up, you get really nice, multiple-course meals in the dining room. Fancy things like escargot and chilled mango soup. Pick whatever you want from the menu, no worries about cost. We went this route every evening and a few mornings and lunches. Then there are a couple of more casual buffets, the 24-hour pizza place, the chinese kitchen, the hamburger grill, etc. And room service. You will never go hungry.)

(While the food is free, the alcohol and pop are not. The have numerous night clubs, a casino, gift shops with alcohol, jewelry, etc, and lots of other ways to spend money and find entertainment. They have lounge shows, magic shows, and comedians, bingo, games like survivor and newlyweds. The spa with makeovers and massages. All kinds of stuff, most of which we didn't get into too much.)

Monday, 5/29

Day at port - the island of Cozumel, Mexico - got ready to leave and found our excursion (Mayan Jungle Adventure) had been canceled - ran and got a bike and snorkel one instead - rode along the road in a bike parade behind our guide, so nothing too adventurous or strenuous - saw iguanas, the coast, and a cenote - learned about how the island is recovering from being underwater for 60 hours during a hurricane last year - then enjoyed some excellent snorkeling

After the excursion, we walked into town - had lunch and checked out the very tourist-oriented shops - kept walking and found a "locals" beach on the other side of town - swam some more and enjoyed being away from the other tourists for a while - walked back and found ourselves sun beaten and tired (maybe 6 miles of walking throughout the day) - had dinner and went to bed

Tuesday, 5/30

“Fun day at sea” – tried to stay out of the sun – slept a lot – paid $10 to do a spinning class – pretty low key

Wednesday, 5/31

At port in George Town, Grand Cayman – our excursion started with a trip to a turtle farm – saw huge sea turtles and held baby ones – pretty neat – then stopped by a small shop to sample Tortuga rum cake – then went to Hell – an area of volcanic rock that’s pretty severe and barren named Hell, with a post office, so we sent some postcards home from Hell

Then the bus took us to a boat and we headed out into the bay on the backside of the island – it took 20-30 minutes to get to the sandbar – like the perfect beach without a shore – soft white sands, 3-4 feet deep in the middle, clear blue water, gradually deepening off to the sides – and swam with stingrays – way cool – they eat squid out of your hand and let you hold them – but are still pretty scary – but we hung out with them for a good while – then our boat wouldn’t start – one of the guides climbed under the boat and the battery blew up in his face – he wasn’t too badly hurt, but a police boat took him to the hospital while another tour boat took us back to town

Town was a bit different since the Cayman Islands are still British and exist for reasons other than tourism, so we saw people in suits going about their business and we weren’t accosted by salespeople in front of every store – found a nice Thai restaurant a bit off the main road – resisted the temptation to buy pirate souvenirs - walked and shopped before reboarding, sleeping, running, and having our usual nice dinner

Thursday, 6/1

At port in Ocho Rios, Jamaica – the first land with any kind of elevation in days – did an excursion that started with ocean kayaking – two person kayaks – calm seas – stopped by an isolated little beach with a cascading waterfall and everything – absolutely perfect – rested and swam for about 20 minutes – then went on to Dunn’s River Falls - the gimmick there is to climb your way up for a good half mile or more - would be lots of adventure and fun if it wasn't so controlled - have to walk in a line and hold hands, follow the guides, etc. - still really pretty and pretty fun

Didn't spend much time in town this time - the people were way too aggressive and in-your-face about getting you to look at/buy their wares - we lounged on the beach right by the boat for a bit, then called it a day - enjoyed the usual evening routine on the boat

Friday, 6/2

"Fun day at sea" - chilled - packed

Saturday, 6/3

Had breakfast on the deck while waiting for our turn to debark - watched the flurry of activity making repairs, refueling, and such to get ready for new guests coming in the early afternoon - made it through customs and such to get on the road by 10:00 - drove through the middle of Florida into Georgia, took a back highway to Montgomery, up to Birmingham, stopped for the night 2:00 EST/1:00 CST the next morning just outside of Memphis

Sunday, 6/4

Rose after 8 hours of sleep - drove through Arkansas and Oklahoma to catch I-35 north into Kansas - stopped at the parents for an hour to pick up our dog and tell them about the trip - got home a little before midnight

Reintegration Update #2

I think I've almost gotten my "land legs" back. It's wierd. I never really got seasick, but noticed by the end of the week when we got off the boat that solid ground swayed a bit. That part I could handle, actually, even if it made walking in a straight line a challenge. The part that's sucked has been the fact that my head won't stop spinning. I've been landsick. It gets a little less each day, though, and I'm hoping today might be the last.

It was also wonderful to get home to a backscratcher. The entire surface of my back has been constantly itchy from sunburn for the past week. At least now I can do something about it without bothering the wife.

Reintegration Update

So far I've quickly gone back and read everyone's blog posts for the last two weeks. No time yet to comment or check the email. Our house is still standing, Bush is still president, and I still have a job. Ivan Basso won the Giro d'Italia. Only gained a couple of pounds from the week of gluttony. The lawn needs mowing.

13 Days Later

Home. Nearly midnight. Happy. Tired. Tomorrow: back to the grind. Report forthcoming. Now: sleep.