42 Years Birthday Ride

This year's birthday ride was in the rain. Not just any rain, mind you - this was what my grandpa would call a gully-washer.Forty-two miles of constant rain. Sometimes heavy enough to drop visibility to less than a quarter of a mile!

But fear not! I was prepared. I had my rain jacket and my backpack with the reflective rain cover. Both are hi-vis yellow with reflective patches. My rain jacket has fully-reflective sleeves that really light up in headlights. Unfortunately, it was hot enough to require me to open the pit zips and front on the rain jacket. While these jackets are great at keeping moisture out, they just don't work when they aren't sealed up tight.

I also discovered that my rain cover lost its elastic and is no longer waterproof. At one of my mid-ride stops, I found that water had penetrated just about everything. By the time I made it home, the elastic had given up and the rain fly was blowing in the wind behind me.

But those are just minor things. The big adventure was the construction on Alligator Bayou (Manchac drive). They are installing a new culvert to manage water in Alligator Bayou and Spanish Lake (see these links for more: http://www.leanweb.org/our-work/water/alligator-bayou-/-spanish-lake-update; http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=5428). I just happened along when they had a big hole in the levee and two small dams on either side. I was determined to finish my ride, so I hiked one of the dams. Unfortunately, the rain had soaked the area, so I had a bunch of mud to contend with on the approach and departure. Fortunately, the water was running off the dam, so there was little mud on top.

I headed west from there, toward the "split". I made the loop, then headed home, but not before stopping a couple of times for snacks - banana and bagel at stop one, dark chocolate at stop two. By the way, if you ever wondered why people in Louisiana are buried in above-ground crypts, take a look at this. If those were underground, they would be floating.

My second stop was at the flood control structure just before the construction site. It is just down the street from Alligator Bayou Tours (one of the victims of draining the Spanish Lake area). It is such a popular overlook, that they hung a trashbag from the railing to keep the trash from ending up in the bayou. There were a surprising number of beer bottles visible from the top. Go figure. Negotiating the dam was faster the second time since I didn't have to figure out the best way across.

I had to make a loop around the block to get the last mile in. It was somewhat of a mixed blessing. I picked up something in my front tire and had a flat in the last mile. Fortunately, I was close enough to make it home before the tire went completely flat. An interesting side note - when a tire punctures in the rain, the escaping air makes a nice mist to show the exact location of the puncture.

Melissa and the kids were just heading out for lunch as I pulled into the neighborhood. They turned around to welcome me home. After cleaning the bike, then taking a hot shower, I congratulated myself and took a nice nap. Welcome to year forty-three.

Perhaps the best camping grill I have seen....

The SlatGrill Is a Rearrangeable Range for Backwoods Gourmets:

Vibram FiveFingers - BIKILA LS

Vibram FiveFingers - BIKILA LS:

I'm really looking forward to owning a pair of these. I already own a pair of KSOs which I really like to wear, but they don't accommodate my wide feet as they should. The lace-up system for the Bikila LS provides a little more space and eliminates that annoying velcro.

One Reporter's Take on the Occupy Movement

Hey, 99 Percenters, You Call This 'Fair'?

By T. J. McCormack

Published December 16, 2011
FoxNews.com

A study by the New York City Independent Budget Office was released this week, and you didn't hear much about it in the mainstream media because it hurts their candidate's message.

Keep in mind, I'm your Conservative Everyman. I'm no economist, nor am I a political scientist. I call 'em as I see 'em just like you do. And away we go...

New York City has a little more than 8 million residents. Of those many millions, 1% -- ONE PERCENT -- pays 43% of the income taxes. You know how many people that works out to? About 35,000 people.

Picture in your mind's eye the City of New York, not just Manhattan, but all five boroughs. Imagine the throngs here right now enjoying the holidays. Think about the police presence, the sanitation, the schools brimming with children...East Side, West Side, The Village -- a hell of a town! 8 million people!

Now imagine Yankee Stadium, or any average Major League ballpark, and fill it except for the nosebleed seats. That tiny number pays almost HALF the operating costs for the city. How's THAT for fair?

Another kick in the head is that ten percent of New Yorkers pay 71% of the taxes. Guess how much income it takes to crack that ten percent?You don't have to be one of the millionaires or billionaires whom the Divider in Chief loves to vilify. You need not be an evil fat cat making $200,000 -- perish the thought! What's it take to crack the top ten percent in the most expensive city in America? $105,000. Yep, a buck five.

And they talk about shared sacrifice. They blather on and beat annoying drums chanting about fairness and "Tax the rich until they're poor". They should all be going door to door chanting to the one percenters, "Thank You for the Civil Services, We Owe You One!"

When I think about the wealthy in America, I think about the hard work, the risk and the sacrifice it takes to succeed. I think about all the people able to feed their children and send them to school because they have jobs created by the successful risk-takers. I don't hold a grudge against the big time rich -- except for limousine liberal millionaires in Hollywood.

Whatever you think about those disingenuous narcissists, multiply it by 75 and you're in my neighborhood. Heck with them. Until they remit an extra couple grand to http://pay.gov, they have zero credibility just like all leftists seeking to raise taxes.

The time has come to finally poke holes in the rhetoric of the Occupy rabble. It is time to pull back the curtain on leftists who seek to pit American vs American in a class war under the false pretense of fairness. It is time to silence the ugliness of envy. It is time to shame the selfishness and hatred of the American Left, starting with the election of a new president...That would make me fairly happy.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/12/16/hey-percenters-call-this-fair/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz1h8azvyhR

TF2 Maps « Article « Team Fortress 2 - TF2 - TFC - TFPortal

If you have ever searched for a plan view of the TF2 maps, they can be found here:

TF2 Maps « Article « Team Fortress 2 - TF2 - TFC - TFPortal:

Correlation != Causation

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/correlation-or-causation-12012011-gfx.html

Random Image Script — Matt Mullenweg

Script to select a random image from a directory on your site and display it on a web page using a simple call.

Random Image Script — Matt Mullenweg