Dropped the ball...

Been a while since my last entry. I have to admit, I was rather swept up by the last couple of weeks down in Florida. Since my return the weekend prior to Valentine's Day, I've just been reacclimating myself to remaining portion of the cold Chicagoland winter. It was a hell of a trip. After a week or so of great dock fishing, I circumnavigated the central to southern portion of Florida. I departed Tampa to drop off some friends that came for a brief visit in Orlando. There wasn't much to see there. I drove down to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up another friend that flew in from Chicago. I stayed a night in Ft. Lauderdale, taking in the nightlife in the Las Olas portion of town. From there it was down to Miami Beach for a day to enjoy the beach and the always entertaining Ocean Blvd / South Beach area. We then worked our way down through the keys taking in some of the best weather I've ever experience down there this time of year.

Camping in Key West was so relaxing. Met some really interesting transplants and natives. They pointed us in the direction of some really great hidden locals bars and restaurants. Didn't have a chance to cover them all, but I'll be sure to hit them next time. After a few days we trucked back North to Miami Beach for one more night. I dropped my buddy off in Ft. Lauderdale, took one more stroll down Ft. Lauderdale Beach and then it was off across Alligator Alley (only spotted one. It was chilly) and back up to Tampa. I packed the remainder of my gear at my sister's house and pointed north to make Nashville the first day. I missed a bad winter storm that hit the southern region the day before. It was smooth sailing back home with great tunes and plenty of sunshine. It's always becomes a drag when I hit southern Indiana. That's when things pretty much start to look like Illinois....BLAH!

So here I am, once again. I'm riding out the last 5-6 weeks of crap weather in IL (mostly on my trainer). I'm sure anyone who religiously follows my blog have been waiting with bated breath for an entry since my last..... all 3 of you. I missed a lot of big things going on, so here's a poor attempt at catching up....

Superbowl - I had to leave the Key West bar that I wound up in to watch the game. I've never been so gutted by a game in my entire life. Just didn't feel up to watching the Green 'n' Gold since it had only been two weeks since they sent my beloved Bears packing. Have I matured that much (doubtful) or has the humor in commercials really been reduced to the lowest common denominator within a viewing audience? Kinda sad, but it sure beats the dot com ads of the mid nineties. GOOD GOD, those were boring and most of the companies promoted proved to have the staying power of Justin Bieber.

Egypt- YEAH, Facebook liberated one of the world's most ancient civilizations! Leave it to Americans to finally abstain (kinda) from involvement in a major world event, but find a way to justify it's success with a product of U.S. origin. Not trying to be ignorant about the significance of social networking/media in situations like this, but I think the key ingredient is America (gov't) finally starting to see the value of keeping their guns at home. If you think about it, this has really made George Bush look like even more of an ass. Passively feeding the fire of a foreign civil uprising with open and distant verbal support; it's a good template for the future. I prefer implosions over explosions. Good to see Obama starting to earn that Nobel Peace Prize.

Grammy's- Hey, to their credit, they try....kinda. I blame myself for always stumbling upon the event for several hours on end. I always hope that they're going to turn a corner. But always; pop product of the moment, catchy "country" ballad, young pop product of the moment, acknowledgment of those they've snubbed over the years they had their head in their asses and missed a moment, movement, or scene that has in one way or another shaped our nation/world culture. And then there's always the comeback story that everyone seems to always be a sucker for...

Notes from the event:

- I would love to someday arrive to a Catholic Mass in the same fashion that Lady Gaga did. But I'd pop out of the egg dressed as a Rabbi.

- It was good to see Arcade Fire handed the award for Album of the Year. After the conclusion of the show, it left many around the country asking "Who are these guys and I wonder if they sell their CD in Starbucks?"
- Bob Dylan has reinvented himself once again. This time into Tom Waits.
- Mick Jager looks like he's still got some good years left in him...even though he followed up the musical deaths of note over the last year. Is that like the Sports Illustrated cover curse?
- I had no idea Tim Tebow was the lead-man in Mumford & Sons. 
- Can someone ask Will Smith to stop reproducing? He's worse than a Georgian toddler beauty pageant mom. Sometimes parents just don't understand. 
- Lady Antebellums' "Need You Now" should be used on a late night burrito commercial for Taco Bell. Think about it. 

Lance Armstrong Retires...again - Austin's pride and joy better watch out. One more retirement and he'll start to be mentioned in the same breathe as Cher and Garth Brooks. Love what he's done for the sport and for the money he's raised for notable causes. But I'm sorry, with all those at the top of the cycling world falling into conviction and/or speculation of doping, I have to admit that his star has dimmed a bit for me.

IL state Taxes raised by 66%- After being handed some relief from the Federal Government, IL just couldn't wait but a week or two to snatch it all back and stuff it in their kitty. Census number report 200,000 people have left Chicago in the last decade. However, road construction just seems to increase year after year. I like the more pavement per capita approach; better make much of it a bike lane. Bike lanes are green (that's still popular in political agendas, right?) and a bike is all a poverty to middle-class person is going to be able to afford pretty soon. Great time of the year to implement the increase as well. A perfect time for people to look at their lives in the bleak winter months and ask themselves "Why the hell do I live here?!" Note: There are ten states in nation that have NO state income tax. Several of them are warmer!

Rahm 'n' oodles - After Rahm Emanuel's brief period of being removed from the Chicago mayoral ballot, it was great to see his name return after review by the state's Supreme Court. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Rahm, but if a polls are indicating a candidate to have a majority of the vote, I really don't care where they're from. The voice of the people is what is most important. Also, the man left the City of Chicago to serve a temporary and greater purpose for his country. It was shameful to see the insiders of Chicago politics yet again flexing their muscle to try to strong-arm their agenda by way of loophole. I'd like to see politicians try to pull the same on a recent war veteran. It wouldn't happen. But the one thing I'm not fond of regarding Rahm's campaign is the shameless running of commercials with verbal endorsement by Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton. How can  any local government candidate compete with that in a predominantly Democratic city? That's just playing dirty pool. Also, kinda funny how William Daley (brother of Richard M. Daley - current mayor of Chicago for all outsiders or Chicagoans sleeping under a rock for the past 22 years) lands Rahm's abandoned post without much scrutiny.  Funny how things unravel when two parties are in a situation to scratch one another's backs. I'm sure the final decision for the post came down to resume and track record.

Sorry to make this entry sound like an Andy Rooney rant, I'll work on the positivity in the following days. I have plenty of good things in the works and look forward everyday to the improvement of the weather. I think I'm going to hit the Lake Front trail to ride some base miles. I'm getting emails about spring training criteriums. This is making me feel warmer already. I've been spending more time on foot, hoofing it on some cross training runs. I've left the running shoes at home for the past couple years. It's going to be nice to crank out some 5-10K's this year. Maybe even a half marathon; I'm sure a suggestion to do a full will come from someone. Hopefully I'll have the strength to resist. My knees hurt just thinking about it!

Shack Attack!

Prior to next week's Tour Down Under, the Lance Armstrong led Team Radio Shack has released their 2011 kit design. Coinciding with the release, it has been reported by Forbes that Lance made the shortlist of of celebrity endorsements that were least effective over the past year. He was listed amongst the likes of Donald Trump and Tiger Woods. Now that's some strong company!

 In light of such report, it seems Radio Shack has made an apparent attempt to strengthen the visibility of their brand with an "in your face" jersey design. It would be of best suggestions to The Shack's advertising executives considering the possibility that it may not be the SIZE of advertisement, rather the choice of where they're putting it? If pending accusations bend in an ominous direction for the 7 time TDF champ this year, maybe a slight font revision of the team kit will be in order.

What the Schleck ?

"Just when I thought I was out.....they pull me back in."

I was surprised yesterday to read about the formation of a new cycling powerhouse backed by Trek. The team has been created after extensive planning and negotiation with riders such as the Schleck Brothers (Andy and Frank) who will be dropping their Specialized ties and migrate from Team Saxo Bank. Fabian "Motor Man" Cancellara will also join the crew in what is sure to shake things up on the pro circuit next year. Team Leopard-Trek has also rolled out a new line of Trek products that are sure to turn heads. The new Trek Madone and Trek Speed concept are some slick looking machines.

Now here's where the inquiries will start. The songbird of Trek a year ago was the launch of Lance Armstrong's Team Radio Shack. It seems like there has been a valiant attempt to shift attention away from Team Radio Shack's thunder of a year ago. One would have to wonder if this would have anything to due with the ongoing and bubbling accusations of doping with regard to several riders on the pro circuit? Or would this simply be a business minded decision along with Trek's attempt to stay fresh with a new group of GC contenders? One thing is for sure. If Alberto Contador is convicted of illegal substance use during last year's Tour De France, Trek may have brought aboard another reigning Tour Champion in Andy Schleck.

I'm not quite sure why Trek was so intent on keeping the almost exact color scheme of their then sponsored Team Astana of a couple years ago. If anything amidst the ongoing Armstrong controversy, it would seem these colors have the potential of permanently staining Trek's image. Nine of the last twelve tour winners have been on a Trek product. However, depending how things pan out with allegations, this may be a stat that is referenced with an asterisk (was it the crap or custom carbon) for years to come.

Now for the Good Part: (Eh,um....A.K.A. - How This Effects Me):

This is where I've become a bit perplexed. Trek is once again tugging at my heartstrings. The new Madone looks so very much like my Trek 2.1 that I sold last spring. The Madone was up in my top three options last year prior to my commitment and later pre-Super Week debacle in dealings with the inferior "Milk was a bad choice" Velo Vie. If you haven't seen these bikes yet. I'd heavily suggest taking a peak at Trek's website (link below). If you're lucky to test ride one of these fellas, make sure you leave your checkbook and wallet at home. So now a Trek bicycle will be once again running through my dreams through the spring season. It's a good thing bank account statements and my team leader will be around to keep talking me off the ledge.

If anything, I'm looking forward to watching Team Leopard-Trek this year. Long gone is Trek's jocking of Kazakhstan's Team Astana. Now enter the Schleck Boys from Luxembourg; coincidentally the country of the Galles family name's origin.

TANGENT ALERT: Ever wonder why Galles sounds French? Look into the recent two hundred year history of Luxembourg....duh! This also explains my fondness of baguette and Freedom fries.

The Schleck brothers bring a little punk to cycling. These guys are definitely fun to watch and are in the prime of their careers. They tie into the statistical defying athletic family anomalies with the likes of Thomas and Julius Jones, Peyton and Eli Manning,....and (OK, now I'm pushing it) Carson and Jordan Palmer . This is so rockstar; Last year Andy was removed from the Vuelta a Espana after violating team conduct standards with Stuart O'Grady. As a Get Out of Jail Free option, I would have suggested Andy pose the question to the team hierarchy addressing how difficult it is leaving a bar with an Irishman without imbibing a tasty beverage? But hey, we can't all be geniuses. At least they weren't invited to a steak dinner with Alberto Contador.

Enough rambling....Check 'em out for yourself !!!
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