Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Brookers / Quiet Riot
I've been watching these rather strange videos on YouTube lately. I was searching one day for an example of an x-ray of an S curved spine and came across Brooke Brodack's Quiet Riot YouTube channel. Apparently making videos and video blogging is what the kids are doing these days and I've been completely ignorant about the whole thing. I've watched the entire lot of videos on the Quiet Riot channel and I can't figure out why I did it. I was drawn to watch them for some reason I can't figure out. They are a good break from studying I guess. Probably Brookers most viewed video is the crazed numa fan spoof video which currently has over 8 million views.
This video here is Brooke and iJustine. iJustine is a viral video star according to Wikipedia. She's known for her 300 page iphone bill video (2 million views and counting). I just post this vid because it has the 2 of them in it. It' s complete nonsense. The head pinching/crushing part at the end was something I remember from Kids in the Hall. I don't know if that's where these 2 know it from or not.
The title of this video on YouTube is poop.mov and the sort of joke at the beginning is about 2 girls 1 cup. If you haven't seen "2 girls 1 cup" I suggest you keep it that way. I've seen some disturbing things before on the internet...bones breaking etc...but that video nearly tops them all. There's a lot of reaction videos on YouTube of people watching it. It's far too graphic for YouTube so the vid itself isn't on there. I'd say I handled it better than most. I didn't wretch like some people did.
I'd say that this is a video that happens because your trapped inside all day due to a snowstorm except that the video was posted in the middle of summer so I would be wrong to say that.
Is Brookers certifiably insane? I say no.
Why do I do this? Because I can. [iieeiieauiiieeihhrreurrr] This is what the internet does to your kids! Aaaaghh!
This video here is Brooke and iJustine. iJustine is a viral video star according to Wikipedia. She's known for her 300 page iphone bill video (2 million views and counting). I just post this vid because it has the 2 of them in it. It' s complete nonsense. The head pinching/crushing part at the end was something I remember from Kids in the Hall. I don't know if that's where these 2 know it from or not.
The title of this video on YouTube is poop.mov and the sort of joke at the beginning is about 2 girls 1 cup. If you haven't seen "2 girls 1 cup" I suggest you keep it that way. I've seen some disturbing things before on the internet...bones breaking etc...but that video nearly tops them all. There's a lot of reaction videos on YouTube of people watching it. It's far too graphic for YouTube so the vid itself isn't on there. I'd say I handled it better than most. I didn't wretch like some people did.
I'd say that this is a video that happens because your trapped inside all day due to a snowstorm except that the video was posted in the middle of summer so I would be wrong to say that.
Is Brookers certifiably insane? I say no.
Why do I do this? Because I can. [iieeiieauiiieeihhrreurrr] This is what the internet does to your kids! Aaaaghh!
One Three Zero
I went up to Door County last weekend for a weekend of bike riding. I stayed at a lodge in Fish Creek along Hwy 42 across from Peninsula State Park. This turned out to be a pretty nice central location to start my bike rides from. My parents were planning on going up to Door County for a weekend and they decided to invite me along so I could do some biking up there. After breakfast I did my bike rides and they went off and did their activities and we met up again for dinner is pretty much how it worked out. On the way up we drove separate so I could take my bikes. On the way up Friday I had them drop me off in Sturgeon Bay near a ship yard and I rode my bike the rest of the way to Fish Creek via (mainly) Bayshore Drive along the bay side. That was a pretty nice ride. There was about as much bike traffic as there were cars until I got to Hwy 42. It was a nice warm-up ride of approx 28 miles.
Saturday I did a tour of Peninsula State Park (map here). I went mainly from the East entrance of the park up to Eagle Tower and then west thru the park on the roads and bike trials and then finished on some of the mountain bike trails. I haven't been on mountain bike trails for a while and it rather made me want to do it some more. These were simple trails as mountain bike trails go. I also found out how crappy the brakes are on my old bike...lots of sliding and squeaking. I'd forgotten about that since I've been riding my new bike. Riding my old bike just made me want to go out on my new bike later in the day so I did that. There's a lot I skipped at the park so I'd like to go back someday. This little park tour clocked in at about 13 miles.
Saturday afternoon I took a trip up to the north end of the county. I stopped about 2 miles west of the car ferry to Washington Island. Somewhere about where the "people ferry" is which I think is Gill's Rock. I took roads the whole way that were marked on a bike map they had in the office lobby of our lodge. (It looked something like this.) It was an enjoyable route. It may have been more enjoyable except for it rained on me for about 45 minutes of it. The roads were wet for other stretches and it sprinkled here and there for a while even after it stopped raining. It didn't bother me much, but I was glad when the sun came back and I was able to dry up some. This outing came in at about 49 miles.
Saturday night for dinner we went to Ephraim and ate at Wilson's. It's sort of a burger/ice cream parlor type restaurant. It looks like the 50's or something inside and they have coin operated jukeboxes right at the table to pick out songs to play from. It says "Coca-Cola" on the outside of the building so right away you know it should be good.
Sunday after breakfast I had to get going pretty quick. Scattered thunderstorms were forecast for later in the afternoon about 3PM so I wanted to get out before that. I drove to Jacksonport and parked at Lakeside Park at about 57 and V. I had my picnic lunch there after I got back and the park sign said it used to be a big shipyard where they loaded up lumber destined for Milwaukee and Chicago. I followed the "bike route" signs south on N. Cavepoint Drive and then through Whitefish Dunes State Park to Glidden Drive. I continued south after that. I wasn't sure exactly how far south I went until I got back and looked at the map. I followed Lake Forest State road all the way to where the Sturgeon Bay ship canal is. I walked out onto a concrete pier and watched a big yacht come in. It was super windy. You can see the pier on Google Maps on the satellite view. Glidden Drive was about the coolest part of the whole ride. It's forested the entire way and the only thing separating you from the lake is lakefront homes which are mostly in the forest also. Glidden Drive was all nice rolling hills and curves and none of them tough to climb really. On the way back I was really hauling tail. I made it back in probably 2/3 the time it took to get out in the first place. The 15 mph wind at my back didn't hurt either. I battled that the whole way down. I saw some dark clouds rolling in just as I was north of my turnaround point. I got rained on a little, but nothing like I did Saturday afternoon. It passed and cleared up again. This outing came in at just over 40 miles.
This is N. Cavepoint Drive. It wasn't this colorful just yet.
Google Satellite view.
A picture I found on the web of the pier. I didn't take my camera on this particular outing.
All weekend I kept seeing letters and numbers painted on the road. I didn't realize until my route on Sunday that the "DCC" I kept seeing stood for Door County Century and the numbers were the mile marks. I might do that ride next year. The only thing is it might conflict with Maywood. If not it might only be a week apart. That would be interesting doing 2 century rides in back to back weeks.
Sunday night we ate at PC Junction (YouTube Video here). They deliver your drinks and food on a model train. As it turned out we were the only people in the whole place, but I understand it's often mobbed during tourist season and you have to wait just to get in. I had a Baumeister Cream soda which was pretty good. I think it was bettter than Sprecher's Cream soda which I like a lot too.
Saturday I did a tour of Peninsula State Park (map here). I went mainly from the East entrance of the park up to Eagle Tower and then west thru the park on the roads and bike trials and then finished on some of the mountain bike trails. I haven't been on mountain bike trails for a while and it rather made me want to do it some more. These were simple trails as mountain bike trails go. I also found out how crappy the brakes are on my old bike...lots of sliding and squeaking. I'd forgotten about that since I've been riding my new bike. Riding my old bike just made me want to go out on my new bike later in the day so I did that. There's a lot I skipped at the park so I'd like to go back someday. This little park tour clocked in at about 13 miles.
Saturday afternoon I took a trip up to the north end of the county. I stopped about 2 miles west of the car ferry to Washington Island. Somewhere about where the "people ferry" is which I think is Gill's Rock. I took roads the whole way that were marked on a bike map they had in the office lobby of our lodge. (It looked something like this.) It was an enjoyable route. It may have been more enjoyable except for it rained on me for about 45 minutes of it. The roads were wet for other stretches and it sprinkled here and there for a while even after it stopped raining. It didn't bother me much, but I was glad when the sun came back and I was able to dry up some. This outing came in at about 49 miles.
Saturday night for dinner we went to Ephraim and ate at Wilson's. It's sort of a burger/ice cream parlor type restaurant. It looks like the 50's or something inside and they have coin operated jukeboxes right at the table to pick out songs to play from. It says "Coca-Cola" on the outside of the building so right away you know it should be good.
Sunday after breakfast I had to get going pretty quick. Scattered thunderstorms were forecast for later in the afternoon about 3PM so I wanted to get out before that. I drove to Jacksonport and parked at Lakeside Park at about 57 and V. I had my picnic lunch there after I got back and the park sign said it used to be a big shipyard where they loaded up lumber destined for Milwaukee and Chicago. I followed the "bike route" signs south on N. Cavepoint Drive and then through Whitefish Dunes State Park to Glidden Drive. I continued south after that. I wasn't sure exactly how far south I went until I got back and looked at the map. I followed Lake Forest State road all the way to where the Sturgeon Bay ship canal is. I walked out onto a concrete pier and watched a big yacht come in. It was super windy. You can see the pier on Google Maps on the satellite view. Glidden Drive was about the coolest part of the whole ride. It's forested the entire way and the only thing separating you from the lake is lakefront homes which are mostly in the forest also. Glidden Drive was all nice rolling hills and curves and none of them tough to climb really. On the way back I was really hauling tail. I made it back in probably 2/3 the time it took to get out in the first place. The 15 mph wind at my back didn't hurt either. I battled that the whole way down. I saw some dark clouds rolling in just as I was north of my turnaround point. I got rained on a little, but nothing like I did Saturday afternoon. It passed and cleared up again. This outing came in at just over 40 miles.
This is N. Cavepoint Drive. It wasn't this colorful just yet.
Google Satellite view.
A picture I found on the web of the pier. I didn't take my camera on this particular outing.All weekend I kept seeing letters and numbers painted on the road. I didn't realize until my route on Sunday that the "DCC" I kept seeing stood for Door County Century and the numbers were the mile marks. I might do that ride next year. The only thing is it might conflict with Maywood. If not it might only be a week apart. That would be interesting doing 2 century rides in back to back weeks.
Sunday night we ate at PC Junction (YouTube Video here). They deliver your drinks and food on a model train. As it turned out we were the only people in the whole place, but I understand it's often mobbed during tourist season and you have to wait just to get in. I had a Baumeister Cream soda which was pretty good. I think it was bettter than Sprecher's Cream soda which I like a lot too.
Monday morning after we checked out we ate breakfast in Sister Bay at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant. It has a grass roof but the goats weren't grazing up there because it was raining. I had Swedish pancakes which I found out are flat. I had no idea Swedish pancakes were flat until I had these, so I learned something that morning. They were square too and they looked exactly like in this picture.
Seven Zero
Maywood 2009 I decided to take the 70 mile route. I thought it would be tougher than it turned out to be. I think I'm in better shape than other years when I've only done the 50 mile route. The big hills I remember from other years didn't seem as big this year. Plus I finally got a new bike like I've been planning on for several years. I did the second annual Ronald McDonald House Charity Ride a month before and that was only 40 miles but more hilly and I thought much more difficult. I even walked up part of a hill on that ride. It was kind of embarrassing. This hill was steep and long and partway up it turned and went up some more that you couldn't see until you made the turn. It didn't help that I clicked into the larger chainring instead of the smaller one partway up and had to work my way through that and get back to the low ring. I got to a point where I couldn't breath any harder and I had to stop. It was such a steep hill where I stopped I didn't think I could click back into my pedals and so I just walked up the rest of it. I haven't walked my bike up a hill probably since I was 12. I've got that hill in my mind and next year assuming it's on the route I'll beat that hill. It's on Peerless Road just north of Ridge Road in Dane County. The whole route was hilly and there didn't seem to be very many flatter portions to recover in before the next hill. I stopped a bunch of times just to get my breath before moving on. Not a lot of rides I go on make me feel out of shape, but this one did.
In the first part of July I picked up a Trek 7.3FX in red just like the picture above. It's a hybrid bike. If you consider all of the hybrids on the market as falling on a spectrum with "practically a mountain bike" on one end and "practically a road bike" on one the other end, I think this falls closer to the road bike end. For me it was as big of a jump as I wanted to make right now after having ridden a hardtail mountain bike for so many years. I couldn't see myself moving all the way to a road bike yet. I swapped the saddle out for one of those anatomic relief saddles after my first 70 miles, but other than that I haven't changed a thing. I got used to riding this bike pretty quick and I've been on my old bike just once and I can hardly believe I used to ride that thing so much. My new bike is so much better, and better suited to the type of riding I do anyway. It's not all that much lighter, but the roll is better on these tires than the fat mountain bike tires I had been riding on. Plus I use a larger range of gears instead of just 4 or 5. This was definitely the best money I've spent in a while. I got it at Emery's of course.
Maywood 2009 was one of the best I've done so far. I consider the Maywood Earth Ride the highlight of my riding season every year by far. It's more about the ride than the cause...which I'm not exactly sure what that is. The earth??? They changed the 65 mile route to a different area this year and made it a 70 mile route instead. As I was doing it I considered just taking the turn and going on the 100 mile loop, but I didn't. Maybe next year. I had a ton of energy left at the end. That might have had something to do with eating 3 Powerbars and a couple gel packs along the way. At the end I had some really great soup, "Chicken Tortilla" or something like that. I hung out for a while and watched the Beef Tea String Band which was pretty cool.
In the first part of July I picked up a Trek 7.3FX in red just like the picture above. It's a hybrid bike. If you consider all of the hybrids on the market as falling on a spectrum with "practically a mountain bike" on one end and "practically a road bike" on one the other end, I think this falls closer to the road bike end. For me it was as big of a jump as I wanted to make right now after having ridden a hardtail mountain bike for so many years. I couldn't see myself moving all the way to a road bike yet. I swapped the saddle out for one of those anatomic relief saddles after my first 70 miles, but other than that I haven't changed a thing. I got used to riding this bike pretty quick and I've been on my old bike just once and I can hardly believe I used to ride that thing so much. My new bike is so much better, and better suited to the type of riding I do anyway. It's not all that much lighter, but the roll is better on these tires than the fat mountain bike tires I had been riding on. Plus I use a larger range of gears instead of just 4 or 5. This was definitely the best money I've spent in a while. I got it at Emery's of course.
Maywood 2009 was one of the best I've done so far. I consider the Maywood Earth Ride the highlight of my riding season every year by far. It's more about the ride than the cause...which I'm not exactly sure what that is. The earth??? They changed the 65 mile route to a different area this year and made it a 70 mile route instead. As I was doing it I considered just taking the turn and going on the 100 mile loop, but I didn't. Maybe next year. I had a ton of energy left at the end. That might have had something to do with eating 3 Powerbars and a couple gel packs along the way. At the end I had some really great soup, "Chicken Tortilla" or something like that. I hung out for a while and watched the Beef Tea String Band which was pretty cool.
Netflix Update #?
In order of most recent at the top of the list. I linked each one this time with the IMDB. I've suspended my Netflix account as of a couple weeks ago. I'm too busy lately to be taking the time out every week to watch another movie. There's still a long list of things on my queue I'd like to get. They let you suspend your account for up to 90 days before it reactivates. That'll be about right.
Eastern Promises
Æon Flux
Ultraviolet
Push
Burn After Reading
Gran Torino
Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
Taken
Valkyrie
The Quiet
In The Shadow of the Moon
Killshot
Eastern Promises
Æon Flux
Ultraviolet
Push
Burn After Reading
Gran Torino
Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
Taken
Valkyrie
The Quiet
In The Shadow of the Moon
Killshot
Friday, October 02, 2009
Photo Dump
This is a collection of dumb, hilarious, outrageous, or odd stuff I've found on the internet.
Ask your daddy why he's hooked on killing!
Ask your daddy why he's hooked on killing!
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