Thursday, April 03, 2008

Distracted

Thanks for the comments regarding my grandfather, all, including those that were sent privately. This is hitting me a little harder than I expected, to be honest. We weren't super close, but I loved the old man as did everybody around him.

Freddie Rodriguez - (c) Ken Conley
Freddie Rodriguez (Rock Racing) @ Ronde van Brisbeen 2008. Photo ©2008 Ken Conley.


Instead of getting any work done, I've been talking with some of my family on the phone while also listlessly browsing the web. Here are a couple of items that caught my attention that might interest you:

A man was arrested for stealing used restaurant grease from a Burger King. This stuff has market value: 5,000 gallons (what a tanker truck carries) of used fry oil is worth $6,750. "Our guess is it's a biodiesel fuel thing. It's like someone stealing copper wire," said Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing. "This might turn into something that starts to occur more frequently."

This is a little late but he's my buddy. Ken wants to know: should he shoot photos, make a poster, or make a book? He's gauging interest so shoot him a note. The photo of Freddie Rodriguez illustrating this post is by him.

Tour de Georgia VIP hospitality pass contest: Record a short video telling them "Why I Love the Tour de Georgia" in 60 seconds or less, upload it to your YouTube account by Thursday, April 10th at 11:59PM, submit the entry form and be entered to win two (2) VIP Hospitality passes to the final stage in Atlanta. They don’t need an epic production, just a sincere and exciting testament that shares your affinity for the Tour de Georgia. All entries deemed acceptable in content by Tour de Georgia staff will be displayed on the official Tour de Georgia website. Winners will be determined by fan votes (so let me know about the videos and I'll help get the word out for you if you're my friend). Details at Tour de Georgia website.

I'm not getting anything done, so I think I'll bail from work early and take a nice, long bike ride.

5 comments:

Nick said...

Cycle therapy can get you through a lot of life's down times.

Regards,

-Nick

Tim Jackson said...

Fritz, my friend, I am very sorry to read of your loss and I fully understand the distracted mind.

My very best to you and your family during this time. At 83, your grandfather had a full life- you can see it on his face in the picture.

May peace be with him and all of you as well.

Unknown said...

Stealing grease? So Homer Simpson is out there, somewhere.

I am sorry for your loss.

SiouxGeonz said...

ONly thing worse than listlessly browsing is listfully browsing. Where'd I put my list?

Use the memories to make your world better :)

Coelecanth said...

Ah Fritz, I wish you and yours all the best. There's little that I can say from the other side of the world and the other side of this screen that would make much difference, so how about I add to your distraction?

Picture this:

It's just coming up dawn, the sky is orange and pink. A 41 year old city-bred guy is in the back of a pickup as it bounces across stubble filled paddocks and down dirt lanes between gum trees. He's daydreaming, partly about sleeping more than 2 hours at a time but mostly about bicycles. He's wondering how he can justify buying another when he already has a cruiser, a roadie, a mountain bike, a fixie, a folder and a xtracycle.

He's thinking about recumbents when the pick-up makes an abrupt turn just as the 170kg ram he's sitting on decides he's had enough and is going to get out here, thank you very much. There's 30 seconds of flailing legs, flying poo, bad language and at least one near miss with a horn that had it gone the other way would have prevented any further expansion of his family. It ends with him once again on top of the ram, this time with one knee on its neck and both hands holding the horns to keep its head down. He comes to two decisions: not a 'bent, life is weird enough without riding around in a lawn chair and the next time someone asks if he's awake he's going to say "No."