Window shopping for solace

Anna got me the new Matisyahu as a present. It is quite good and I especially like the Message in a Bottle cover. This was one one of my favorite songs growing up; I vividly remember The Police albums my sister had. When I first heard him, I commented that I thought he was heavily influenced by The Police so to hear this cover is pretty cool. The dub versions included are quite good too. It also came with a DVD of a live show in Israel. For those not familiar, Matisyahu is a reggae/hip-hop performer who also happens to be an orthodox Jew (Hasidic). His lyrics often express his relationship with G-d (his spelling, not mine), but even more so he is into peace and unity. The boy can hoop it up too!

The Joy of Festivus is abound!!

I was surprised to get gifts on the doorstep this afternoon. There was no note, but the second I saw what it was I knew who it was from: The Mop!!!! Here is what he had to offer:













Apparently, he wants some people to get fat so here is Sandy chunking-up:




























Perhaps Tbird is putting on some weight too. Invitations will be going out shortly for the 3rd Annual Festivus Party. Grievances will be aired to let you all know how much you have disappointed us this past year. Frank Constanza would be proud!

More breaking news...

Jeanson will never race again--apparently that is what happens when you become the best in the world as a doped-up teenager.

Floyd may give up his case.

It snowed bigtime in CO. I mean big time! Lucky dogs...

dirtdogs being dirtdogs?!?

Ramirez to Remain in Left Field for Duration of Contract
Zero Tolerance on 'Manny Being Manny' Going Forward

As Ramirez Packs on the Pounds in Florida,
Trump Decides at Last Minute Not to Send Him Packing

Manny Ramirez, a.k.a. Mr. USA, who had come under criticism amid rumors he had been frequenting fast food restaurants while he was supposed to be at the gym last month, will be allowed to keep his position on the Red Sox, Donald Trump announced today.

"He left a big condo in Boston and he was telling me that he got caught up in the whirlwind of Ft. Lauderdale," Trump said at a news conference. "It's a story that has happened many times before to many players and many men who came to the Red Sox. They wanted their bite of the Big Mac and they found out it wasn't so easy to stay in shape."

"I've always been a believer in second chances," Trump said, standing at a podium in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. "Manny is a good person, but Manny hasn't played hard. However, Manny is going to be given a second chance."

Ramirez looked chastened and grateful and hungry as Trump called him a man who'd "made some very very bad choices, especially last September when he chose to sit out, some very foolish choices."

Ramirez won the World Series MVP title and became a United States citizen in 2004 and has been living in Florida, hiding from Joe Kerrigan. Recent media accounts of heavy eating at Mickey D's brought a storm of criticism since he was already overweight at the time. Manny weighed 251 lbs. on Monday.

In a tear-choked voice, Manny said, "In no way did I think it would be possible for a second helping to be refused by me." Turning to Trump, he said, "You'll never know what this means to me, and I swear I will not let you down."

Trump said Manny would be entering fast-food rehab. A Red Sox nutrition official said details would be worked out privately with Manny over the next weeks.

"I think Manny is going to be the great comeback kid," Trump said after making it clear he would no longer tolerate any 'Manny Being Manny' episodes for the next two years.

If Manny had been dethroned, his position would have been taken over by left field runner-up Mr. Pawtucket, David Murphy.

Eventful weekend

The weekend ended up beginning on Friday morning when I met up with Tbird for a ride. Turbo was excited at the prospect of us picking him up after Mr. Epicnicity. Unfortunately, the epic one had to turn off early to make it to work on time. We got to Reynolds a bit on the late side, but had a nice ride with Turbo. I thought I was going to die at the end of it, but luckily Tbird agreed to stop for some food. I really wanted a hot dog and sheepishly asked Tbird if he would lose respect for me if I ate one. Not only did he say the opposite, but awarded me a high-five for such an endeavor. The dog hit the spot and got me home.

Saturday saw some fresh snow and some much needed turns with AJD at Alta. They still need a lot of snow, but we got some nice early season turns in. In the evening, we went to a Holiday party thrown by AJD's company. We had some great food and were entertained by the antics of one of her co-workers who was wearing the "bat bra." Yep you read that correctly. Apparently this thing has all sorts of settings and adjustment possibilities and is a feat of engineering. I will trust AJD's word on that one.

Sunday--more snow and a snowshoe-hike in the Western Uinta Mountains with RevP and the dogs. Chocolate donuts were enjoyed by all on the drive in to the trail head. We made some homemade ice cream in the afternoon which was the best we have made yet and shared it with some friends we had over for dinner.

Hot dogs, ice cream, donuts; no wonder I am not dropping weight!

One night in Boston makes a hard man crumble...

The two readers I have are probably saying "Enough with the damn Red Sox!"

Here is some more. Dice-k's interview at the press conference yesterday in Boston is pretty funny considering how bad his translator was. I will let you read the responses that often have little or nothing to do with the questions. Transcript here. By the way, Dice-k is correct phonetically for his first name.

My favorite is:

Q. Welcome and I wonder if you could tell us at what point in these negotiations that you realized that you would be coming to the Red Sox, and did you have your doubts that this day would come to pass?

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: My nickname is Japan is Monster.

Coincidence???

they got it done!

Yesterday was a good day indeed, unless you were Tbird with a bevy of flats. The Sox and Dice-K got it done.

"Matsuzaka will get a massage therapist, physical therapist, interpreter and personal assistant, and the Red Sox agreed to provide the pitcher with 80-90 flights over the course of the deal, along with special housing and transportation arrangements and accomodations for his wife." -- 12.14.06, ESPN.com

STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

Not to brag or anything, but I just got my grades and I posted my first ever semester 4.0!!! Pocket protectors and nerdy glasses are welcomed.

Boras = Greed

I am very frustrated with this guy:



How can the you impartially represent players when they go to other teams from your highest paid contracts?

If this deal goes South, things are going to get ugly for Boras in Beantown.

It is probably time to start writing about other topics.

The buzzer has gone off, the fat lady sang...

My semester ended a few short hours ago. Wahoo! It was a good semester in which I took an Engineering Material Science class which was pretty interesting. I also took Mountain Meteorology class which I really liked. I learned how to actually read different types of weather maps and now enjoy analyzing the models myself. (To do this choose the forecast time frame and area. I prefer the synoptic four panel. The panels then give a forecast model which you can analyze or just watch the green (rain/snow) move around.)

Now the emphasis is on my thesis work and some skiing, unfortunately in that order. I did enjoy a nice ride on Sat, though as soon as I left the group I had an impenetrable headwind. Sunday I got to enjoy a Hypocrit--veggie burger with bacon--at Watson's Shelter. Thanks to Mr. Broom for the suggestion. Oh and that is non other than Ms. Julie Willis on the left in the picture.

Off to move a couch...

Bad signs?

First bad sign: I fainted last week. All seems to be good and a trip to the ER produced nothing of real significance. I spent the rest of the weekend flu-ish, so I am hopeful that had something to do with it. More doctors appt.'s to come.

Second bad sign: The infamous SLC inversion is here. Yippee for smog and pollution combined with a localized high pressure system.

Third bad sign: The semester is almost over. That means finals are about here. This actually is not a bad thing and I look forward to being done for a couple weeks. It does mean I need to figure out my classes for next semester and get my thesis done soon!

Fourth bad sign: Drew and Lugo Kevin Kennedy says it all and I agree.

On the upside, the Bruins beat the Canadiens (the NYY of the NHL) this week for the first time in a couple years. Not sure where they got the ability to score 6 goals in one game, but they are solidly in last place still. What I would give to have Cam and Ray back!


Word of the day: orographic

shuckin and jivin'

Theo is making moves and some good ones at that. The Sox really suffered last year when it came to pitching. Plus, if Papelbon becomes a starter then someone is going to have to fill the shoes of his whopping 0.78 ERA in 2006 and 0.92 lifetime in the Majors. That is the best $335k the Sox spent since signing Ortiz!

I tend to get more excited about these smaller scale trades because it is always these guys that seem to step up and get it done. Ortiz, Mueller, Lowell, Roberts, Youk, Trot, you get the idea. I will take a Dirt Dog over a pretty-boy-Jeter anyday!



Word of the day: syncope. More to come on that later.

Used to drive to get to where I was goin' in a day...

My blog has apparently become a contest with myself to see how may WSP lyrics I can incorporate.

First off, I am sorry to see The Mop calling it quits. I am thinking of starting a "Save The Mop Foundation" with donations accepted. Perhaps a fund raiser from the sales of "The Mop" jersey worn at the Halloween cross race at RMR. All proceeds will go to beer, salsa and getting The Mop on a date with Julie! She was still pining at the last cross race.

Back to today's title; The drive home from SF was incredibly long--some may say it was epic. (Happy Birthday to young Sleeve today too.) We had a great time in SF and my sister and Peter's new place is really nice. The T-day festivities were a highlight for me. We rode bikes across the GG bridge and I saw a dude in Milram gear that looked like Saunders--Anna was hopeful, but alas it was not him. Turbo couldn't figure out his phone to text me back either. Upon returning home, we cracked a few cold ones and proceeded to make some cranberry chutney and an apple crisp. I really can't take credit as I primarily stood around. We then went to some friends around the corner--a mere two hours late--had a great meal and played Killer Bunniez. Lots of fun!

Overall, SF is a great place to visit, but AJD and I just couldn't see ourselves living there. The proximity of shops, bakeries, diners, fruit stands, sushi, thai, tamale parlors and coffee was fantastic and it was great to not touch the car the entire time we were there. I digress...

We are in the midst of the first epic snow here, so it looks like I time the end of my cycling season to perfection as the ski season should kick off shortly.

SF

We got in the car on Friday afternoon and started driving to sunny California. The adventure led us to Grass Valley for a cyclocross event on Sat. It was a good course and had a couple soft turns, but did not have any of the sand we get in SLC. The course was a 5 minute loop that consisted simply of working up a hill on one side and then back down the other. I couldn't really get going and Anna commented after that I just wasn't going as fast as the guys in front of me. Thanks for clarifying the obvious!

After the race we completed the drive to SF and I decided to do Sunday's B race as my sister had some friends in it and the Womens' race that immediately followed. As it was she and Peter spent enough time watching and drinking malted beverages. Anyway, the course on Sunday was fun and had some good technical sections as well as some wide dirt roads. I got a position in the third row and was able to enter the first turn in about 7th place. Unfortunately, that was the height of position as my legs just couldn't respond with what I needed. I lost a bunch of positions on the paved section and was able to finish 16th just 2:00 down. Not bad considering how I felt. I am definitely ready for some R&R off the bike. Which began last night by watching the SF Hip Hop Dance Festival which was unreal! Talk about skills.

Anyway, Anna is bored sitting in the coffee house we are at and I think I have repaid her enough for the comment mentioned above.

The Japanese Connection

When they make the movie who will Gene Hackman play--Theo Epstein perhaps, Terry Francona? Things are looking good for the Sox to sign Matsuzaka a much needed addition to the starting rotation. Sounds like a good move, but I like the idea of signing Barry Zito.

Anyway, standby at 6PM MT this evening for the official word. I am sure the Sox will find some way to screw it up!
















By the way, this is a doctored photo from a Liverpool match in England. Somewhat humorous all the same.

spew.

My wife woke me up this morning at 530 by jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom. At first I was annoyed because I knew that I was up for the day, but then I heard the dreaded gut wrenching sounds of her stomach having it's way with her. Good times! She has since spent the day much like Tbird's wife. And mine has been much like Tbird's.

Several others have complained of mild symptoms. Perhaps it was a good thing The Mop didn't show on Sat, because he might be sick too. Though he may have avoided the shameful event that transpired. However, RevP isn't happy and he didn't come on Sat, so who knows!

Now I have to go make dinner. Perhaps I will keep this in mind:

Summer relapse

Today is absolutely beautiful here in the SLC. Overnight lows were only into the mid-40's and it is currently pushing 70. While I am definitely ready for some skiing, I am pretty glad for this bit of warmth. It enabled a nice morning ride with a few local ciclisti. About 20 minutes into the ride I almost managed to crash us all and promptly relegated myself to the back where I couldn't do anymore damage.

Tomorrow is Sandy's 32nd birthday; be sure to visit his blog to send him birthday wishes.

Also don't forget to:

WSP

T-bird made me a bit jealous when he informed me that he was in Vegas and saw Widepread Panic. This doesn't mean that he saw a casino robbed or the response from an alien attack. Rather he got to see one of my favorite bands of all time. I will steal from my favorite song since poetry has been the latest craze:

The leaves seen through my window pane
Remind me that it's time to move my life again
November sun is felt by none
A chilly breeze has blown my thoughts to what's to come

Needless to say, this song gets me excited for ski season! In the words of String Cheese, "waitin' for the snow to fall..."

Flack

I have been getting some flack for not updating my blog. Sorry to keep everyone in suspense for so long, but things have been pretty "busy" for me. I say "busy" to pick on a certain roommate who used to work at Starbucks from about 5AM to 10AM. Then he was so busy riding his bike and taking care of email that he did not have time to do much else and was hence, busy. At the time, I was working more than full time and didn't understand. Now I get it. Thursday--as Anna will attest--is a super busy day for me!

I see a resemblance, how about you?


Anyhow, I have been racing some cyclocross. I have not gone as fast as I would like yet, but things seem to be starting to come around a bit. Anna has been great and there to support me at every race. I tagged my knee a couple weeks ago and now about the only time I don't feel it is when I am riding. Hope it doesn't effect my ski season. I should probably work on my flacktoids between now and then to be sure.

Otherwise, things are the same-old, same-old. Riley is doing very well and we were just remarking last night that she would not likely be as healthy and happy--and possibly not even alive--if she had not undergone the treatment last year. She still needs to be reminded of the rules sometimes, but it is well worth it. Talk about busy--sleeping all day except when she has to protect the house from the mailwoman or the UPS driver! She doesn't take any flack from them.

Quick Sat AM post

My cousin Nikki ran the Columbus Marathon in OH last week. Please visit her blog for complete details. However, note that she ran a 4:00 which is awesome though she would have liked to have been a little faster. She, like the Pilgrims, is feeling the pull to Boston! I wonder how she would do on the Mass Quiz below. Considering she is from Chicago, I would guess not too well.

I am off to race cyclocross today. Should be fun and Anna will have her picture taking device. I will post any good ones or ones of me puking. Enjoy the Oct weather--whatever that is in your neck of the woods.

I take great pride in my roots

Anyone who has ever seen my license plate will attest that I take pride in where I grew up and my family is from. I love New England and especially love to hate Massachusetts. It and New Hampshire are two of the smallest states with the largest political influence. I like how the people are outspoken, vocal and let you know when you piss them off. I can't remember when someone in UT told me I was #1!

Anywho I was forward this How Massachusetts are you? quiz from a teammate. The response I got was (and I can hear the accent when I read it):

Dude! You're 95% from Massachusetts! Me and Sully and Fitzie and Sean are gonna hit Landsdowne tonight after the game, hang out at the Beerworks. I'll pick you up at the Coop at 6.

My fingers are gold...

I was trying to type "cold" and "gold" came out instead. I guess my fingers really are cold though we just got some new insulation in the attic, so the house should be warmer?

Anyway, things are back to normal after traveling a bit. It has been nice to spend time relaxing with Anna! The turnaround from NE to Telluride took its toll on me and I was definitely tired at the ISSW. However, I caught some very interesting papers and talked to some key folks for my PhD. It really comes down to two programs: the more scientific one and the intensive fieldwork one. Both have benefits and I am hoping to visit both. More to come on that as I move forward. I also like the option of a job as it would allow Anna to begin to do more freelance work giving her more time to paint and play. We shall see what is in store in the spring.

As for my Masters, things are progressing well. I have been working to develop a finite element model of crack propogration between a composite sheet and a foam core. It has been difficult--often more painful than banging my head against a wall. My advisor, Dan, just presented some results to the Automotive Composites Consortium this week and they were pleased. I am pleased because I am now handing this project off to someone else to work with thermoplastics. We are going to try to develop methods for bonding them which is difficult. The nice thing about thermoplastics is that they can be recycled. This project is also for the ACC and someone from the group recognized me from my previous work on the Corvette hood when Dan gave an overview to them this week. I am excited to be working in the physical realm again instead of being stuck behind a computer all the time.

Cycling is going well and I am looking forward to more cyclocross in the coming weeks. Then ski season!!! I just got some new boots for the first time in about 10 years. I am not positive that I like them yet, but everything seems right with them. Regardless, I am very, very ready for some of this:

what's in a title nick?

check out my new header courtesy of my wonderful wife!

Traveling light

Anna and I had a wonderful, but very short trip back to NH last weekend. We flew out of SLC Thursday evening on what seemed to be the longest flight ever. Anna, bless her heart, gave me the aisle seat. As we came in for a landing, we broke through the fog and it seemed like we were going really fast. Sure enough we waved off and circle for a second attempt. You could cut the tension on the plane with a knife until we were at the gate. This added time to our already behind schedule arrival. We finally made it to the rental car place and they did not have the type of vehicle we were supposed to get, thus we ended up with a bright--I mean bright--red Dodge Magnum.

Friday we picked up Nellie and Peter and drove up to NH to some of the best fall foliage I have seen in years. We had a wonderful time eating Chinese and bowling with Jane, Jerry, Thomas and Karissa. The latter of whom have one of the most beautiful baby girls ever!

Saturday was a gorgeous fall NE day and Jane and Jerry had a party to show off their new
home and for people that were not able to attend the wedding. It was great to see so many people that I had not seen in quite a while. Sunday morning came very early. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and we missed the AB Memorial ride. I made a quick turnaround and then drove to Telluride for the ISSW workshop where I am now. I am looking forward to being home this weekend! Thanks to Steve and Susan for letting us stay at the Red Dog!

AB

The Sienna Development/Goble Knee Clinic will be enjoying a quiet ride with family and friends on Sunday at noon up Emigration Canyon to honor our brother Allan Butler. A lot of Allan’s family will be on hand for the ride. Given the construction we ask that people ride up at their own leisure and meet at the top for some thoughts and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join us and does so of their own accord and liability. Donations can be made to the fund set up for Allan’s daughter Odessa at anytime. See you there!

Up, down and around

Well we were supposed to fly east today, but it got bumped to Thursday for reasons I won't get into. The Red Sux dropped to 3rd last night. Other than that it is a bright sunny day here!

I raced cyclocross on Sunday and got some great support from my out-laws. Anna's sister Kari successfully handed up a bottle to me on every lap. Thanks! I would have done even worse with out it. Seriously it was a lot of fun and I had some gusto near the beginning that didn't last as long as I would have liked. Overall , I see some areas to improve my training and had fun. Sam put on a great race and managed to come in 3rd too!

Chris Waddell has a Quickie!

I used to have a pin that said "Nothing beats a Quickie". I was reminded of this pin when I ran into a fellow SOX fan, long-time acquaintance Chris Waddell. Notice the people magazine bit in the link. Anyway, he was at the birthday party of our friend Liz on Sunday evening and broke out of a conversation with not 1 or 2, but 3 women to chat with me. Considering the admiration I have for Chris not only as a ski racer but as a human being, I was pretty honored. I was also reminded why Gardie has long hair.

In other news, I have begun establishing contacts in the snow mechanics and avalanche dynamics world to possibly get a PhD. Then I could be: Jared W. Nelson, PhD--wow!. I will learn more in a couple weeks when I go to the ISSW. This is a pretty exciting field for me and while I don't see it being extremely lucrative, I am pretty sure that Anna and I could live in a place we really wanted to. Speaking of Anna, she turned 25 for the second year in a row yesterday! Both years I said to her, "You only turn 25 once!" Apparently, I can integrate over an area, but have trouble with simple addition.

First cross race in many years is on Sunday. I am sure a report with ensue.

Oh yeah--I wish I were there too Tbird. Thanks for thinking of me!

weather in my neck of the woods

To no one's surprise my favorite season is winter. Summer is out right away--the heat is uncomfortable and I end up retaining water--good times. Spring is great and I love to see things starting to grow. Fall is great too but it is just "a chilly breeze that blows my thoughts to what's to come." (A firm pat on the back to anyone that can name that tune!)

Anway I just awoke to find this:

Things have definitely changed with the arrival of the cold front yesterday afternoon. Looks like they are going to stay cooler.

In other news, there are a muckle of birthdays in coming weeks: Liz and Who is Gardie?!? share a day, Nellie, Mom and Anna. Yes, that is her Mini in the picture.

Newsflash!!

Sent to my by my aunt:

Roxbury MA (AP) - A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a Boston courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible.

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.

When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Boston Red Sox, whom the boy firmly believes is not capable of beating anyone.

what really happened?

First off props to my man Eck for winning LOTOJA. Gary--I will have to show you his nutrition during the race at some point; it is pretty impressive.

Second, Dupree seems to have gone on a couple of dates. Luckily that have been no incidents involving butter! Let's keep our fingers crossed.

But the real question at hand--other than why does no one wave to me when I ride up Emigration--is what happened to the Red Sox? ESPN and the like will say that it has to do with injuries, not making trades before the deadline, a bit of mismanagement, injuries and some more key injuries. Little known is that there was a game on Aug. 2 at Fenway that involved an extra body on the field. Youk tried to steal second and was called out, but this "player" ran the bases each of the last innings. The crowd even cheered when he successfully stole second and then third. Unfortunately, he didn't help the Sox and he didn't making it out of the park alive, literally. Thus, the real reason the Sox suck is the Curse of the Crow! But at least we will always have the greatest comeback ever to remember:

Everyone else does it...

so I figure I will too.

First off, props to Sandy who has gotten not one but TWO interviews so far. Way to go, we like it when the interviews outnumber the rejections!

OK so the purpose of this whole thing is for me to communicate a bit of my life to anyone who is remotely interested. Cycling, skiing, school, snow science, dogs, my mood, married life and the like are all fair game. I am pretty sure I will do us all a favor and leave discussing politics and religous to FOX News!

So the fun of riding over 200 miles in one sitting is this weekend. I am hoping that this guy will put me out of misery should the need arise:


I know a lot of people get excited for this race, but really this distance with a group of only 16 guys? I am sure that the Bonneville Cutthroats will be calling my name.

thanks for landing here. updates and more to come soon!