Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Bike Widow Quote

So I stumbled onto a new blog today - Bike Widow - it looks like it just started but I found the following quote hilarious

Sometimes, talking sense to a man who bikes is like nailing jell-0 to a tree.

You can replace the word 'bikes' with just about anything and it holds true

Now if only I could find a biking man

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Death in the backyard

There is a hawk swooping down on my back yard trying to catch something - and since it is probably something that keeps trying to eat my plants, I approve.

Therw is sometimes I really love living in Ann Arbor

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Credit Quote

This is from one book I really enjoyed reading called Not Buying It - a good read to understand why working is how it is now a days

Consumer Credit resolves a fundamental dilemma of capitalism - how to pay workers as little as possible while making sure they can buy as much as possible - p32.

Work Quotes

Somethings I came up or read with and had written on a post-it that I feel needs more permanence

My workload should not be dictated by my desk's proximity to the person handing out the work. (my own thought)

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want.

Brick walls are there for a reason - they let us prove how badly we want things.

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you. When you are pissed off at somebody and are angry at them you just haven't given them enough time (not so sure this is actually true :P )

Don't Bail - the best of the gold is at the bottom of the crap

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

HEED - Mandarin Orange

Short review - yummy - tastes like an orange creamsicle lite.

First off, I got this as an envelope of mix, however it has what I can only guess are the container directions on the back: "Mix 1-2 scoops of HEED in a 16-20 ounce water bottle....." How the heck big is a scoop - teaspoon? tablespoon? the whole darn packet. The nutrition facts do say a serving size is one heaping scoop (as I am finally seeing now) and that the pack contains 1 serving, but if I can't figure it out when I'm relatively with it at work, how a I gonna be able to figure this out when I'm half dead from running/biking/etc?

Apart from that I like how it tastes - a hint of creamed orange without being overpowering or sugary sweet. I do like that they claim not to have any fad ingredients or anything unhealthy.... like doing they kinds of things that make you drink this stuff can really be considered healthy :)

Finally I just love the name of this product - I know it isn't spelled head but whenever I see it I first think head then I think about when Michael Meyers plays the father in "So I Married and Axe Murder" and is yelling at the kid with fro about his huge head....

Stuart Mackenzie:Look at the size of that boy's heed.
Tony Giardino: Shhh!
Stuart Mackenzie: I'm not kidding, it's like an orange on a toothpick.
Tony Giardino: Shhh, you're going to give the boy a complex.
Stuart Mackenzie: Well, that's a huge noggin. That's a virtual planetoid.
Tony Giardino: Shh!
Stuart Mackenzie: Has it's own weather system.
Tony Giardino: Sh, sh, shh.
Stuart Mackenzie: HEAD! MOVE!

Sharkies - Citrus Squeeze - A review

In short - blech.

The taste was overly citrusy and had the annoying ability to stick to the tongue so even when you were done with it, the taste was stuck to your palate. It took a lot of water to wash this down. The concentrated flavor might be due to how dense it is (not squishy like a Clif Blocs) but who knows. I have the other two flavors to try out (Fruit Slpash and Berry Blast) and since I tend to like those types of flavors more than citrus, who knows.

Be warned - Reviews comming

Just a heads up for you all, as triathlon season ramps up, I will be reviewing a number of supplement products as I try them out - gels, liquids, fruit like chews, etc etc. This is more for me so I can remember what I like and what I don't but also think of it as a little present for you, my readers (all 5 of you)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Mountain Biking Fun

Well this past weekend was Bike Demo Days at Island Lake, which was a BLAST! I got to test out two bikes, Giant's Cypher (2,000) and Gary Fisher's HiFi Pro 29 (3019.19). Both were full suspension which was a bit... squishy?

I did the Blue loop on the Cypher and found it was fun to ride, esp since this was the first time I had been on a mountain bike or at Island Lake and the first time I had been on a trail in over 2 years. It was comfortable, and took the hicups with some fun. I am not exactly sure I liked all the squish since it made it feel a little sloppy around curves, but that could also be in part due to it being my first time out.

I then took out the GF which was a bit big for me, esp with the 29rs on it, but I managed. It was much less squishy, and it could have been cause of the tires, the size, or the section of the trail I was doing, or cause I was just FREAKING TIRED and dehydrated, but I didn't like this bike as much as the Giant. It just felt a bit off, although I couldn't tell you why.

Then, two days after the Demo, my boss (who is on a mtb racing team) decided to offer to take people on the team out for a ride at Island Lake (boy was I glad I was there to scout it out a few days earlier). Since I didn't have a mtb, a friend of my boss's was kind enough to as his wife if I could borrow hers (at a party while she was drinking, so I'm not sure that is a completely legal ask) so I got to ride a front suspension Kona Lisa HT ( funny enough her name is Lisa) whic I pretty much adored - brakes handled well, it was pretty upright, which I think I like on a MTB - I wanted to sit further back in the seat at first, but I got used to that pretty quick. Funny enough Kona also has a bike called Lanai which who knows, may be my first MTB :) After doing blue and yellow loops at Island Lake I was totally bonked (I didn't know you could bonk while driving, but apparently you can). Lucky for me I had some tuna to go at home which was a total life saver (well not life, but hunger at least)

Here is to hoping to hit the trails again soon!




NOTE: I did not know the price of these bikes when I was riding them, I only found out when I looked them up at home. Needless to say I need to find myself a sugar daddy to fund my bike habit.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Dryer Sheets

So I had a random conversation with some people at work - a friend was talking about how you can buy a whole like of like scented items from Restoration Hardware, and while some of it was reasonable, stuff like dryer sheets were incredibly over priced. I then mentioned that I don't use dryer sheets and the people responded to me as if I had just admitted I killed puppies. I have weird skin stuff and I try and avoid stuff with heavy scents, like those darn dryer sheets. I was informed that they do sell unscented ones, but still they make things have that filmy feel to them. My clothes seem to turn out fine, some static, but no big deal.

Is it really that weird that I think dryer sheets are icky?