That's Sooooo Cal

So STL/KC was three weekends ago. Two weekends ago, I decided to go to Ventura on a whim. Why? Why not. My friend was going and I wanted to see was up down there. It's north of LA, so Ventura feels like my Mason-Dixon line on this side of the country.

We left on a Saturday evening and drove until about 12:30. We attempted to find a campsite. Next time, we'll plan ahead, but this was a last minute trip. I have only slept in my car once before and I don't really have a desire to do it again. It was not fabulous. We tried to get into one campground which seemed to have people living there permanently. They have their RVs and they must just dump them out as soon as they arrive at a campground. A few looked like they had a fully stocked kitchen outside of their RV. I am, now, even more put off by RVs.

The next morning, we made the short drive to Santa Barbara and ate breakfast at the Cajun Kitchen. If I'd known this was a chain, I might not have gone there, but the kid (really, a young guy) at Starbucks could not contain himself when I asked him where we should eat. He had three places and this was his favorite. Actually, it was really good. The biscuits were to die for.

It was less than an hour to Ventura! Woo hoo! We saw more RVs and tried to secure camping for the night. No dice. Meanwhile, I'm on about five hours of sleep. It was like taking a red eye.

As I started to enter delirium, I suggested we stop driving and just walk downtown. Main St. Ventura might be one of the cuter places I've been. Most everything on the street is local and there are lots of cute surf shops, restaurants, boutiques, and....thrift stores! There were at least three thrift stores on the main drag and more as we drove around that day. How does this town support so many thrift stores?

Well...maybe they're not doing the best job supporting as this 1979 product made by Ronco was still there.

This was the mural to honor the Chinese immigrants who lived in Ventura. Sorry...San Buenaventura. That means Saint Good Luck. Wow. What a sweet name. EB is stylin' here!

Why did we really go? A pilgrimage to Patagonia headquarters. Why else? And let me tell you. It was nothing short of amazing.

Here's the shed that Yvon Chouinard rented way back in the 70s (1973) to make his climbing gear. The climbing gear company eventually became Black Diamond.

The first retail store used to be a meat packing and sausage plant. Today, I met the granddaughter of the man who owned that plant and who rented the tin shed to YC. This is outside, looking in on the kids area. The glass windows are where the loading docks used to be and inside, you might be able to make out the rusty racks that meat used to hang on. There are even drains in the basement. Ugh!

The retail store there, known as Great Pacific Iron Works, was really beautiful and it was our first encounter with the amazingly nice people of Patagonia. They gave us a suggestion for lunch and we were off.

In no time, we saw this guy...

Can you see the dog with the sunglasses? Yeah, I think you should click on this picture to look at a larger size. I wish we had counted how many times we saw this car throughout the day, but it had to be bordering on a dozen. And this was from about 11am - 5pm. What's his story?

Our story was that we were tired. I was grumpy and the food didn't actually help. Only sleep would help. So, we started on our mission to find a place to lie horizontally for the evening. It was probably 2pm at the start and it took hours! We first tried to go to the library. The one we found was closed and then the other one didn't exist. We had an address, but there was no building there...not even room for one. We got some DQ to help our brains. I was really getting cranky at this point. I called the YMCAs, only to find out they didn't do sleepovers. I finally figured out how to get to Kinko's so we could use their Internet. Every place we called was full or no one answered. Vagabond Inn it was ($60 would be fine). Then, EB's friend in Ventura called. Oh, just head up to Camp Comfort in Ojai. I put it in the GPS. It was only 11 miles away. I thought I was going to die, but we had to try. We got to Camp Comfort and as we were scoping it out, the "Park Host" came around in his little, tiny vehicle. He told us that we could stay there with the RVs, but we may want to check out an all-tent park that's just 6 miles further up the road for half as much ($20). Yes! We do! We get on our way (about 6pm now), exhaulting when we found a great grocery store that gave us a cheap-ish dinner and even more celebratory when we got to Dennison Park. All campsites were available and we couldn't be happier.

We set up the tent and ate some dinner. So thankful.

Here's a view of Ojai from the park. Did I mention it was about a million degrees up there. Ventura was a nice high-70s or low 80s. Ojai had to be in the 90s. But, it was going to be the best sleep I'd had in 24 hours, so I was content.

The next day, we got up whenver and made our way back to the ocean. It was a gorgeous day. We started by hitting up the beach.

Does it get better? Blue sky. Blue ocean. And trains.

Then we went to Patagonia HQ...Corporate. This place was so incredible. I would love to tell you every little detail, but I'll say that everyone there was just awesome. If I liked Ventura/SoCal more, I might just consider working there one day. And maybe I will work there one day. We...had a great chat with the receptionist Chris, were toured around by Maggy (who I had met in Palo Alto only days before) who works in R&D, we saw the sewing rooms and the design rooms and the environmental department, and the chef, etc. Did I mention how nice everyone was? I liked asking people how they ended up at the company. I got some pretty diverse answers. All of them made me think that it's not totally unlikely that I could work there one day if I wanted to. Probably the greatest thing about Corporate for me are the parent benefits. There's on-site child care and flexible hours for parents in order to make the place as family-friendly as possible. I wish I had the memory to describe it, but it wasn't just your normal day care. This is one of the first on-site child care set-ups in the country.

In front of HQ, they have two cruisers. You are just allowed to take them and cruise around town if you want. So we took them to the beach.

Check out what's in the background on the right in this picture.

And they were everywhere! A man was building them...by balancing rocks on top of each other. I'm not sure if the pictures convey just how incredible this was. It's not like the rocks were shipped in and flat on one side. He was just collecting rocks and balancing them by finding the center of mass.

The colony!

The artist. Wow. What a great way to finish off the trip.

From there, EB got in the water for some surf time. I read my book. And we both enjoyed some mellow time in one of the most chill places I've been. Cheers to a fun trip!

Midwest!

I love the Midwest. Perhaps it's because the people are really as nice as everyone says. A few weeks ago, I got to head east for my cousin's wedding. He grew up in Colorado, which is where I spent time every summer, and then went to college in Kansas. There, he met his lovely bride. Today, he's been in western Kansas coaching baseball and she's been in eastern Kansas finishing up her master's. They got married outside of Kansas City and we danced the night away just over the state line in Missouri.

I flew into St. Louis, where my sister lives and works these days. The next morning we got in the car and drove four hours to Kansas City, KS. All the way across Missouri. It was a pretty, pretty ride, only marred by one thing: the signs that said "Arrive Alive. SaveMoLives.com" I went into a tizzy about the downfall of the English language and why can't we spell word out completely, only to realize later that "Mo" was "MO," as in the abbreviation for Missouri. Whew!

When we got to KC, we went to the hotel, grabbed some food, and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. We weren't in the wedding, but all family was invited to the dinner. Oh, did I meantion the humidity yet? It was pretty much all anyone talked about, including me, from the moment I stepped off the plane in STL. Onward. The rehearsal dinner was humid. Like I haven't felt in a while. We battled our hair and sweat glands, but had a great time. It was the first time I'd met the bride. She's the youngest of six and only my cousin, her husband, is sweeter and nicer than she.

The wedding was on Saturday at 2pm. Catholic mass. Haven't done one of those in a long time. I think it goes without saying that the JK Wedding Dancers didn't make an appearance.

Yay! My dad, my sister, and me!

The ceremony was only 70 minutes and since I don't know the routines, I hate to say it, but I zoned out quite a bit and just looked at the bride and groom. They are cute! After the ceremony we had over an hour before the reception started, and even though it was in Missouri, it was only about 20 minutes away. So, what do you do when you have time to kill? Find some frozen custard!

I don't really understand what frozen custard is and it will probably kill me, but given that we don't have this in Cali or at home in Mass, so I think I'll be okay. Oh, but it tasted so good! Not as good as Rita's where they have that Mister Misty-like stuff to mix it with. So, we were on our way.

Here's the happy couple getting out of their limo. How cute are they? Oh...and the priest at the ceremony pronounced our last name wrong, so I made sure the DJ knew how to say it. It's not that hard of a last name. It's basic phonics.

This is my other cousin, the youngest on this side of the family. He was the best man and was studying his speech. It was precious. And he gave a great, funny speech.

The reception was so much fun. I danced the whole time (except for some slow songs and some of the choreographed songs...who knew there was a Cotton-Eye Joe dance?) and so did the bride, once she got her bustle up. She loves to dance. I kept thinking that if I get married, I hope she's there to keep the party going.

The next day, we were lucky enough to get some KC BBQ with the newlyweds. I was happy to be fulfilling my weekend's destiny with the meal.

Cousins! The newest Dudley of the generation. She's a little short for the tribe, but otherwise, she fits right in.

My sister and I had a fun drive home, except for the dead dog we saw in the middle of the road. Yikes. We were completely pumped for exit 148 on I-70. It houses Ozarkland and Nostalgiaville. Unfortunately, since we wanted to stick around for dinner with the family, they were both closed. But we got pictures. Apparently Ozarkland is amazing. I guess I'll have to go back.

Do I sense a new Facebook profile picture? What you can't see in this picture is how much my sister was obsessed with Dorothy, Toto, and everything Wizard of Oz. I wish I could post the picture of her at around age 10, all dressed up for Halloween in the blue gingham dress with the basket and her stuff dog Woofer.

I wish I drank a Dr. Pepper at 10, 2, and 4 because I love them so much, not because I love empty calories.

The next day, Monday, my sister was off to work and I was off to be a tourist. Woo hoo! I bounded out of the house and within a few blocks, I saw this...

It's 8:20 and the All-Star Fan Fest doesn't open doors until 9am. But wait, there's more...

The line goes around the corner and all the way down that block. But look at that Cardinals love! I started hustling to the arch, worried about the line that might be there.

This stopped me in my tracks. The Freedom Trail is just starting randomly here, I guess. I didn't follow it, as I was on a mission, but I did see some other random spots with a red line later in the day. How confusing if you're from Boston.

I was once in the arch when I was in high school (?). I have a lot of family in the STL area, so I've been here a handful of times. I love the arch. It's just so magical. I rode up with a cute family of four from Kentucky. One of the boys proceeded to play out every worst case scenario outloud. "What if there's a tornado? What should we do? I'm going to stand on the side that's facing the river so that if the arch breaks, I'll be safe in the water." I didn't have the heart to tell him that if the arch is going down, we are saying goodbye to this sweet world. But I did tell him that we're probably not going down.

It was only when I looked out the window that I realized there's a new stadium here in STL. The New Busch Stadium, ladies and gentlemen. Wow. It's pretty. The longer I was in St. Louis, the more I was reminded of Baltimore. They feel like very similar cities.

Here's another great view from the arch looking down on the city's court house and park. Someone was thinking when they designed this city.

Can you tell how much I love this arch? It's not a parabola though. It's a catenary curve. If you'd like to know the difference, listen here at about one minute in. I think it's extremely interesting.

I spent the next few hours under the arch at the Thomas Jefferson Museum of Western Expansion. This place was amazing. I really took it all in. I read all the Lewis and Clark journal entries they have posted there, watched the Lewis and Clark documentary (I loved this!), and went to an ehibit they had on the Westward Expansion of Baseball. Man, was I in heaven. No, it was Missouri.

While in this little exhibit, they had a quiz you could take. It was buckets of fun for me as a baseball fan and I got some Cardinals baseball cards for doing it.

I can't resist...

I just think it's so darn beautiful. And what a perfect day, right?

After the movie and museum, I walked to the court house. There, I watched a brief movie on the Negro Baseball Leagues (loved it) and the Dred Scott Case (so happy for the history refresher).

This court house totally made me feel more patriotic. It was just stunning. Then I was off to find lunch. There's a cool new sculpture garden (highlighted this month in the NYT) and it was fun to wander around there.

I know Pinocchio...what should I eat?

I decided to really get a sense of the city by hopping on the MetroLink. That, and, the suggestion for lunch from people was the St. Louis Bread Company...which is just Panera with a different name. I was craving something familiar though. So, off to the train I went. In the station, a nice man started talking to me. I think the best way to describe him is that he was the idiot savant of St. Louis. He knew everything! It was fun. He rode with me and told me everything about every stop, who owns the rail lines, the financial problems of the city, etc. It was great. Hi bid me adieu at my stop and I went on my way. I went to Best Buy hoping for lower sales tax on CDs...no such luck as it is only about 1% lower. Then I went to Whole Foods.

It felt like a pilgrimage when I saw it. I was hot, sweaty, and ready for calories. And boy was I happy to get them here. In STL, they donate 10 cents for every bag you bring. Out here, it's only 5. I love STL!!

I got back on the MetroLink, went back to my sister's, and promptly fell asleep until she was pounding on the door. So much for going to the Fan Fest. Oops. We got ready and walked down to the ballpark for the Home Run Derby. We didn't have tickets, but you didn't need them. You could see right into the park to the scoreboard (and they are $200...that's crazy!).

Here's the view.

Can you believe the amount of red in there. And it's not even a Cardinals game. No wonder this place has been called one of the best baseball cities in the country. I was in a Red Sox shirt and Leah in something from Stanford, so we fit right in (sort of).

A little Albert Pujols. And the crowd goes wild!

Wow. I really like this shot. So majestic. So old-fashioned. So....commercial.

We watched the last round of the derby from a restaurant. It felt good to sit. The next morning, I got up early and went to Forest Park for a run. This park is fabulous. They have lots of museums and an amphitheatre for summertime plays and lots of bike and running paths. It's bigger than Central Park. I had a great run.

Forest Park loveliness.

Yay! It's green. We don't really have green in the summer where I live.

And then, on the ride to the airport...in Normandy, MO...

Maybe JC should be my guy. I mean, if I'm going to be saved, being saved completely would be preferable. You gotta love G-d's Country.

P.S. Sorry for any typos. I'm trying to catch up on posts before getting on a plane tomorrow morning and I'm working today. I'll keep pushing though.

What To Think

Someone who I see frequently, but not in a while, recently saw me and told me I looked great and asked if I lost weight. I told her that maybe it's three pounds, but I really haven't. I don't think I look any differently these days. She insisted that I must have.

What should I think of this? What must I have looked like the last time she saw me? Maybe she's getting bigger and I look smaller in comparison?

Then I saw her a few days later and she said the same thing to someone else. Maybe she's just trying to be nice.

Oh man...at least no one's asking me if I'm pregnant.

July, In Music

July has been a fun month of road tripping and time in the outdoors. I had to whittle down this month's playlist from one more than twice the size of this final version.

Three songs didn't make the playlist because iTunes does not have them. But, I found them as free downloads. Yay Internet! They are...

The new Jay-Z song with Rihanna and Kanye, Run This Town, can be found here. Rihanna is nearly the next Beyonce. Beware of language.

Jim James or Yim Yames...whatever he's calling himself these days has a solo single released called Beyond That Locked Door, available here.

And, Noah and The Whale with The First Days of Spring.

Some notes:

I am really enjoying the "new" Coldplay CD, especially the song "Lost" that I've included here. There's new Regina Spektor (who has great songs on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack...I saw that film the other day), new Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman's band), and a bunch of fantastic covers. I'm getting most of this stuff from blogs I read and the folks at my summer job. We hear a lot of My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, and The BoDeans (name that TV show theme song).

And now...the July playlist. It is dedicated to future big brother "Minus," as I affectionately call him. Apparently he loves my playlists. And he's single! Unfortunately, it would be significant robbing of the cradle as he's one.

Bad Custy Service

Wow. If I ever give out awards for bad customer service to any store that I stop in, Banana Republic might lead in votes.

Here's the scenario: I go in with a gift Visa card, a $20 BR rewards coupon, and $15 BR birthday coupon. Both coupons expire on Friday. I found some jeans (it's been almost three years since I found a pair that fit) and was totally excited to pay as little of my own money as possible for them.

I get to the counter and I put out my BR charge card, the two coupons, and the Visa gift card. The woman tells me that I can't use the Visa card with the BR charge card. Okay...I'll find a use for it. Then she tells me that I can't use both coupons at once. Why not? They can't enter in those two different codes on the same transaztion. It's just the rule that they have. Lame. Okay, I think...maybe I'll get another pair of the same style of jeans in another wash. I ask, "Do these jeans come in another wash?" BR Lady: "Some of our jeans come in other washes." Me: "Okay, but I'd like to know about these jeans." BR Lady: "Some of them do." Me: "What I'd really like to know is that if these specific jeans come in any other washes. This style. Is there somewhere you can look that up?" BR Lady: "I don't think they do." There was no "I'll look that up, do you have a second?" or "I'd be happy to ask someone if you want to wait." Is BR not suffering from recessionary blues? You would think they would be doing everything they can to get a sale and make people skip on out of there with a smile on.

Then as I was walking out, I had a thought and called the store. Me: "Hi, I have a question about your returns. If I bought something with my BR charge and a rewards coupon and then I return it, do you just put the whole amount back on the charge?" New BR Lady: "Yes, we credit the whole amount of the item on your BR card." Me: "Thanks."

Okay, so this whole rule about not using two rewards at once is dumb. I am just going to go back, return the jeans, and then buy them back with the coupon I didn't use. And, I'm going to call BR and tell them that I'm not happy (I just did that). I've been a loyal cardholder for many years now (at least seven) and I know what good customer service is. Remember kids, it's not just the absence of bad service.

Like I'm Ten

I got an email from my friend Amy. She sent a 1977 article from Running Times giving advice and tips for female runners (meanwhile, I believe my mom was kicking butt all over New England in her running shoes...I wonder if she read this...ma?). My favorite of the twenty-four suggestions was number 8:

Do not scamper like a dignified lady trying to catch a bus. Run like the ten-year-old you used to be, with knees bent kicking backward, and arms pumping from relaxed shoulders.

I don't know if I'm back to regular training yet, but I did run five miles this morning like I was ten. It was just fun the entire time. Somehow, I sprang out of bed at 6am with a smile on my vace and hit the roads, Ira Glass in my ear.

I don't have a "Run Happy" sticker on my car just for looks, you know.

Best Dream Ever!

I know that no one really cares to hear about dreams, so I'll make this snappy.

I dreamt last night that I met Bob Dylan! I think it was at my school, outside on the luscious grass field that we don't have, and I won a contest by catching something. I went up to meet him and Bec followed me to take pictures. I told The Legend that I was really looking forward to seeing him in concert soon. He told me that I wasn't really going to hear anything. He looked old and feeble, which made me think that he wasn't going to be performing. But, he continued to say that he's just playing old songs. I told him that I didn't care one bit; I love his music because I can find songs to relate to at all points in my life.

Woo! It was so cool to meet him, even if it was only a dream. The painting above is his and it's on sale for about $2000. Booo. I love it. It must be fun to collect art.

Something New...

These are things that have just dawned on me, like lightbulbs going off in my little head. I'll chalk it up to the idea that you learn something new every day.

1. I grew up in The Hundredth Town of Westborough, MA, so named because it was the 100th incorportated town in The Bay State. I grew up near Hundreds Road and it was just today that I realized that the street name was a shout out to our nickname, not just some random word. Cool!

2. You know the Adopt-A-Highway signs. While driving back from Ventura on Monday, I saw one in the middle of nowhere for such-and-such company and I thought in my head, "How often do those people really come out here to clean this stretch of highway? It can't be very often." (I was also thinking that if my employer adopted a highway, I would not really want to be asked to go stand along the highway picking up trash. Not a job perk.) And then, the lightbulb! Ohhhhh...it's not like adopting a pet, it's like adopting a child in Africa. The companies just pay some money, get their name on the sign, and other people (like the state workers or convicts, I guess) clean up the highway.

Really...it took me 29 years to figure this stuff out? Did I really get into those schools I went to on my merit?

Brutal.

I Think I Can...

I'm not ignoring my faithful blog readers. It's just that I'm trying to crank out these books while I have the time and the drive. Recently, I've read Siddhartha, joining my student in their summer reading, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, for a maybe book club with the work folk, and American Wife, because I've been dying to. I liked each book more than the one before. Siddhartha took me a while to get into, but it was a quick read and I am most anxious to talk with my students about their impressions and what thoughts it inspired in them. Oscar Wao was great. I was definitely engaged with the story and once I got over the sometimes page-long footnotes (not my favorite thing about the book), I enjoyed the story and I'm glad Junot Diaz told it the way he did. American Wife was my marathon today. I really liked Sittenfeld's first book, Prep, and I think I liked this even more. Based (a lot) on Laura Bush, I could not put this book down and it was such fun to read. I do best with books that have nuanced characters (which is why Siddhartha didn't like my fire, perhaps...it was just a bit too one-note) and The Blackwells fit that bill well.

That makes seven books for 2009, one that was on CD. I'm back on pace! My goal now is to get to 11 or 12 by the time school starts (I'm officially back on the 17th) because once it does, books become a pipe dream.

Next book is The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer. She wrote a great book a while back called The Position, which I enjoyed quite a bit, so I'm looking forward to this one. Maybe it will wake me up from my x-year nap.

I promise, one day you will hear about the fun trips I've taken. Today's just not that day. I'm off to REI to get some stuff for a short backpacking jaunt with Bec. We're going into the woods on Friday and Saturday and then to the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival.

Final Notes: Stepbrothers, the movie with Will Farrell, is pretty darn funny and I wish I was better at bar trivia. I was really good at the celebrity picture round and okay at The Beatles, but I second guessed myself on battle of Waterloo and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Next week, I will arrive with confidence! And pray for a Bob Dylan or Lance Armstrong round. Or better yet, maybe some high school math.

Still The One

Do you remember the Nike-Lance Armstrong ad way back when that went: People always ask me what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day.

Here's a refresher if you need it:

When I was in Israel for the Jewish Olympics back in 2001, I met a sprinter who believed that basically every professional athlete was on drugs, including Lance. I didn't care to continue that conversation. I have read Lance's books, I've seen him speak, I've watched him ride. I believe everything he says and will be a faithful fan of his...forever? Sure, he's been on drugs and that chemo is pretty nasty stuff, from what I hear. So today, I smiled when I read his Twitter page (and no I don't have my own Twitter...I just read Lance's every few days to see what he has to say about Le Tour):

& big surprise, had antidoping control @ the finish. Keep looking, nothing to find xcept hard work & sacrifice. Never was, never will be.

So glad you're back, Lance!

One of these days I'll post about KC, my cousin's hot wedding, humidity, STL, Home Run Derby, the MetroLink, pilgimages, Richard Avedon at SFMOMA, Cafe Gratitude in SF, and my upcoming road adventure to San Buenaventura (I guess you probably call it Ventura). Not enough time to read the paper fully these days, but plenty of fun is being had out here. Did hear the news about Cronkite. The world loses a legend. I wish I had known the days when one man in this country was so trusted by so many. Finally, though, we have a death that is not "someone taken too early." This has been one wild and crazy summer for the Death Pool.

Custies!

I just read "Let My People Go Surfing" by Patagonia founder and owner, Yvon Chouinard. If you want to be inspired about the future of many things (business, the world, your career) you should read this book. It was recommended to me by a woman I met at the "Beyond Searsville Dam" night and its effect on me is that I want to go work for Patagonia HQ. I just need to get the right skill set. One of the most interesting things in the book talks about customer service. For Yvon, if you do not have good, no great, customer service (which is not the absence of bad customer service) you are not going to get a leg up, especially when you're selling pricey stuff. I have now become hyper-aware of customer service. Nordstrom staff was waiting on me hand and foot the other day and all I wanted were some flip flops.

Why should companies go the extra mile? Because it costs way less to keep a loyal customer than to go out and get new ones (YC gives you the math in his book). And you know how Patagonia has that Ironclad Guarantee...if your stuff isn't performing, just bring it back? You might think that doesn't make business sense. Well, the money the company spends to replace old gear or refund money is less than 0.4% of sales.

I know you probably don't care, but just like I'm trying to figure out who the next CA governor should be right now, I like being able to support companies that I really believe in, as much as possible. And it doesn't just have to be about the environment...it could be what they do for the community or the artistic risks they take.

I'm thinking about this today because I just watching this video (below), which you may have seen on Woot.com or BoingBoing. You see, this guy flew United Airlines and from the plane, he watched the baggage handlers as they threw his guitar around. He got his guitar at baggage claim, it was broken, and went straight to customer service. It's been nine months and only after posting this video did United say "this has struck a chord w/ us and we've contacted him directly to make it right" on their Twitter yesterday.

United has missed YC's class in customer service. Think about it...when you get bad customer service, how many people do you tell? The data says that it's around ten. When you get good customer service, do you tell anyone? Data says that you don't, or maybe you tell one other person. I have almost always found that the airline industry doesn't have the customer service thing down. Maybe it's because they think they have power over their customers because so many people fly. I have sent them a note, of course. I explained the math I laid out here and suggested to them that they think about the cost of keeping a current and possibly loyal customer happy versus having to replace that custy with a new one. As I've learned doing Statistics, the people who usually express their opinion are on the extremes (outside of 3 standard deviations of the mean, I'd say). One result is that when you get bad press, it can be really bad.

On the good side, I just ordered some new lights and other stuff for the Xtracycle from Planet Bike. On the order, I wrote that I was gearing up my new Xtracycle (4 of the 5 employees there have one). I got a personal email back with my tracking number and a note that I should enjoy my new bike and to check out pictures of another employee's new custom ride. I've had a nice email exchange with them about it, proving yet again that they have a great company. They give 25% of their profits to bicycle advocacy groups and always put off a positive vibe.

The "United Breaks Guitars" song is pretty catchy and you'll get the gist after a minute. High five to David Carroll for finally getting United to listen to him. But frankly, it shouldn't be this hard. The custy is always right. Even when they are wrong, they are right. Remember that, United.

Massholes, We Are Not

...At least not when it comes to some civil rights. You can be the judge on the driving habits. I'll just link straight to Perez Hilton on this one. Yes, that is my source.

Not Kosher

Do they make turkey bacon strips for the Jews? Faken strips for the veggies/vegans?

And what could the free toy inside be? I may just have to order them.

Team Time Trial!

This is the most wonderful day of the year. The Team Time Trial is back, folks, and I couldn't be more happy. Despite the fact that I couldn't fall asleep last night, I was up at 5:40, with no alarm, giddy like a Gentile on Christmas (I guess I was really excited about today). This is my favorite stage of Le Tour de France, topping Alp D'Huez, because this is when you truly get to see how good a team is together and why there are teams in this race (it's can be more subtle in other stages). By having this at stage four (it's usually at four or five), most teams should be at full strength, with all nine riders. As far as I know, no one has abandoned the Tour so far, but I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong (correction: QuickStep has lost one rider).

I thank Versus for bringing me live streaming today! I got to listen to Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett...and I am at peace with the world. I am happier without a television in my life, except when it comes to one-time events, such as sports and bizarre celebrity funerals. Thankfully, the Internet rules the world, so I can get all my viewing in if I want. The last time the Team Time Trial (TTT) ran was in 2005, which was the last year that Lance rode Le Tour. Coincidence? I think it's kind of like a chicken-egg thing. Did Lance come back first? Or did Le Tour announce the TTT first? The official dates of announcement show Lance coming out first, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

Oh man! Four Telecom riders just went off the road on a tight curve! Brutal! This highlights something that P&P keep mentioning: this course is curvy, which takes a different kind of bike than a typical time trial bike. TT bikes are meant for pure speed, not for maneuverability. I'm sure a few teams stressed over the bike choice. Lance was quoted to say that there would be "carnage" today, and it's coming true. Most every team seems to have some sort of hiccup...crashes, bike problems, and what have you.

So, nine riders start and the clock stops when the fifth rider crosses the line and there's more drama than you would expect in 39K. I'm expecting a showdown between Columbia HTC--I missed the drop of High Road with these guys--(with on of my faves and former Lance domestique, George Hincapie in his 14th Tour!) and Astana (with Lance, Contador, Levi, Popovych...). Lance owns this stage. While he only batted .500 during his reign of Le Tour (his team did not win the TTT in '00, '01, or '02, but won in '03, '04, and '05), I think he takes a lot of pride in being an excellent time trialist and while every stage is important, you can set a tone as a team today. Saxo Bank, with the Schlecks should have a decent day as will Garmin-Slipstream, but I don't think it will be good enough, unless someone has a disaster on these turns.

Okay...the first of the best four teams is about to roll. Enjoy!

Goosebumps!

Usually I'm all over stuff like this. You know, stuff from the Internet. Anyway, JPa sent this to me today and I'm hooked. This is NYC PS 22. And it's a great defense for music education in schools. The passion these kids show is amazing. Big props to their teacher, who is clearly tapping into something these kids love. Yay teachers!

See if you can spot the Nazli look alike (if you went to high school with me).

They have awesome stuff on their blog but while you're on YouTube, check the "Just Dance" video. They are totally just dancing in the background! The young girl, Tirzah, could be a star right now (she apparently won her school's American Idol competition in 4th grade...I'm pretty sure she's going to win a lot more). I love the slight lyrical changes to make it okay for school. And the I Heart Haters shirt on one of the kids. I hope that they stay as impassioned about music and as fun loving for as long as possible.

Well I Declare!

I recommend some 1812 Overture with this.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Things I Now Know

Now that I'm 29, I'm learning some things. Ahhh...the benefits of getting older and wiser.

1. There are no good movies worth paying $9 for right now (that I haven't seen). I didn't go to a movie today; I just know that I wouldn't want to pay $9 for any of the ones out there.

2. One of my favorite sections in the NYT, Escapes (pronounced Es-cah-pays), is no longer a stand alone section. While I have seen this in past weeks, today, it became clear to me that this is likely permanent. Boooo!

3. My state is now paying people in IOUs. Cool. I hope my landlord, the electric company, my loan company, Verizon, etc. accept IOUs from me when the state can't give me a paycheck in September. Actually, the IOUs can't be given to schools, which is somewhat relieving, but there are so many things in the linked NYT article that are crazy. Here's one: “In the past, there haven’t been many opportunities for states to have to issue them,” Opportunities? When are the aliens coming to rescue us? I am so disappointed in the Governator. He is the furthest thing from a leader, blaming everyone (Dem lawmakers, unions, and special interest groups) and taking no personal responsibility.

4. Next year, when I turn 30, I request the presence of someone on my birthday. Really, anyone. Spending a birthday by myself, even though I find myself somewhat entertaining, is just not that much fun. I'm already starting my brainstorm for next year. Back up plan is already in place: I will be driving quickly to the nearest human I know. In the meantime, I think that the next time I hang out with one of my good friends, I'm going to pretend on that day that it's my birthday. It'll make for better memories.

5. Wool shirts are the best. You can wear them for days and days in a row and they don't smell. I guess I already knew this, but I'm reminded of it today. My life indicator: I will slowly but surely convert my entire wardrobe to wool.

6. The governors you want to resign...well, some of them resign and some of them haven't yet.

7. Trader Joe's has some nonfat frozen yogurt that tastes every bit as good as those boutique joints that keep cropping up.

You Know Me So Well

It's here. 100+ SPF sunblock. Sunblock, despite Bec's hatred of its chemicals, is like my crack. I am a marketer's dream when it comes to ridiculous and irrationally higher SPF values. I was totally the black sheep on my field hockey team because of my obsession with always needing 50 SPF and didn't mind tan lines compared to AR and AE, who would lay out and go to the tanning salon a few times a week. I just bought my 90+ SPF last week, but I come to find out that 100+ SPF also exists. A dermatologist has referred to this as "an arms race." Yes indeed.

I couldn't be more pumped. From this picture, I couldn't actually tell you what "Leightweight" means, but I think I'll like it. And it comes in a 3 oz bottle...check-able at the airport!

Of course you're all thinking in your head, "They say you don't need anything about 30." Do you even need 100 SPF? Here's a quiz to help you understand what I know about SPF. Think about the first time you're in the sun for an extended period of time in the spring/summer season. How long does it take you to burn if you don't wear protection? (Have that number in your head.) Now, if you were to wear 30 SPF, it will now take 30 times as long for you to burn. If you wear 50 SPF, it will now take 50 times as long for you to burn. Get it? So, do you need 100 SPF? Probably not, because you probably won't be outside for that long (or it might not even be sunny for that long in one day). But, maybe you do need it. Whether I need it or not, I want it.

Drumroll, Please

Last Saturday night, I made my way to Stanford Stadium. Despite the still 90 degree heat and all my sweating, I was in for five hours of drum and bugle corps excellence. The first hour and a half were bands in the open class. These are the "JV" of teams, but I was still quite impressed. I had no idea what I was in for.

In case you're not sure what I was watching, it's basically marching band, but with only drums, horns, and color guard...and major league choreography.

For the open class bands, there was a judge on the field talking into tape recorders or walkie talkies. When the night first started, I saw one of them on the field and I thought, "Why is that guy wandering around in the middle of the performance?!?!" It took me a few bands to figure it out. It's fun to watch them have to run out of the way when they mis-predict what the band will do. My apologies for the pictures being taken from so far away and some blur. I almost didn't post any, but I think they help tell the story. Full album here.

I guess that you need everyone present in order for the formations to work. I felt bad for this woman in the sling.

Woo! They are dancing!

On came the world class bands...

The Mandarins--the color guard used air matresses as props and changed costumes, while the band played "Ode to Joy."

The Troopers--from Casper, WY the band looked like military men and the color guard looked like Pocahontas. I really liked their style. They were very serious.

Blue Knights from Denver--I think this is when I saw my first bugle tumble of the night.

Blue Cadets from Ohio--this band stole the show from me up to this point.

They started with this guy in a black suit with a red umbrella. I lost track of him once he put down the umbrella.

The theme was "Imagine" and during the 10-minute show, the entire band changed from their dress tops to shirts that looked like a blue sky with puffy clouds and got rid of their hats (can you see the new outfits?). I was impressed.

Santa Clara Vanguard--The locals! This band was completely professional. They played "Simple Gifts" at one point and their use of changes in volume was impressive. But only good enough for a Silver. I like them though.

The toughest part of watching drum corps is not getting completely distracted by the color guard. They are flashy with all their flags!

Blue Devils--The other locals! These guys are from Concord, CA (near-ish to Berkeley). They

had chairs in their routine. Just these white folding chairs, but they moved all around the field and sometimes I would have no idea how they even moved...all the sudden, the color guard had them in a totally different configuration. It was awesome. They got the Gold. I'm not sure why as there were two falls during this routine. But then again, I don't really understand how these things are scored.

Here are three bugle boys getting ready to play some jazz. The routine is called "1930."

Now the chairs are over there.

Now the chairs are in a straight line. How'd they do that?

Check out Blue Devils videos, including one of their Stanford experience here.

All in all, it was a great night. Check out Fathom Events to get tickets for the National Quarterfinals, which will be beamed to movie theatres everywhere on August 6th.