Kirby

Here It Comes

2009-08-18T15:47:00.004-05:00

If you look back on my blog on March 24 I said Obama approval rating will start going down if he contiunes down his path. What can I say. Why will the Gov't not listen to the people? Below are a few thing I found very interesting in the poll.

Tax Increases Help or Hurt Economy

Help - 16%

Hurt - 54%

Tax Cuts Help or Hurt Economy

Helps - 54%

Hurt - 18%

Increase in Gov't Spending Helps or Hurts Economy

Helps - 30%

Hurts - 50%

Decreases in Gov't Spending Help or Hurt Economy?

Helps - 46%

Hurts - 26%

Interesting Time Line

2009-06-19T08:38:00.001-05:00

This time line really puts in prospective what North Korea's all about.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/05/world/asia/20090405-korea-timeline.html

Good Info For The Future

2009-06-01T16:28:00.001-05:00

Good vid to watch.

I Need To Speak Once Again

2009-06-01T13:10:00.003-05:00

Great photo I found

Do you remember back in September 2008 I was babbling away about letting the failing companies file Chapter 11. I got a lot of heat about saying those things but I knew what was going to eventually happen. I'm not one to say I told you so but I told you companies like GM were going to have to file bankruptcy in order to move forward. So our government spent billion of dollars on bailouts for the auto industry and look at what happen. A waste of our kids’ money. I remember those words "if we don't do something now they will not survive". This is the type of stuff that gets under my skin. Again....our government doesn't know anything about running a business. You cannot just through money at problems and it will fix them. GM could have filed back in Septemebr and already be working their way towards a different company without us spending billions of our childerns money.

Here are a few articles I read last week from some of my daily reading. Please read and do what you think is right for you and your family.

Green Shoots or Greatest Depression?

Kingston, NY, 7 May 2009 -- The financial fields replete with sprouting "green shoots" should be viewed with suspicion, if not alarm, warns Gerald Celente, The Trends Research Institute Director. "They are not a mirage, but they are ephemeral."

Field Marshall Ben Bernanke and his Green Shoot Brigade have fertilized the economic landscape with trillions of sweat equity dollars extorted from today's public and the public of generations to come. Regardless of how depleted the land, heavy doses of dollars spread so thickly over the financial and government territories, will force "green shoots" to grow. But the fundamentals of the economy remain unsound. They will not be corrected by forced fertilizing barren acreage.
"'Green shoots' may sprout," said Celente, "but they will not flower. The economy cannot be coerced back into growth with tons of money manure." As the ancient parable puts it:
"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." -- Luke 8:4-8
Now hear this: it is inconceivable that the "green shoots" are signs of sustained economic recovery.

Celente said no one could have forecast that the government would not only intervene in the markets by pouring unprecedented trillions into bailout schemes, but that they would commandeer the whole free enterprise system.
"The 800-pound gorilla has ridden the elephant into the Oval Office, and they are there for all to see. But few will call a spade a spade," declared Celente. "Benito Mussolini described Fascism as 'The merger of state and corporate power.' He suggested that, more appropriately, it should be called 'Corporatism.' By whatever name, Corporatism or Fascism, what it's not is Free Market Capitalism, much less Democracy," Celente said.

"Green shoots" can only be brought to harvest through real productivity. Pumping gigantic sums of money into too-big-to-fail financial institutions to jump-start the lending/borrowing cycle is to perpetuate a failed economic model. (See "The Greatest Depression," Trends Journal, Winter 2009.)
"We can extrapolate creatively from data, but cannot prophesize wild cards, such as acts of God, acts of nature, or acts of man that can only be described as 'schemes undreamed of.' While there have been warnings since the founding of the United States, no one, but no one, could have predicted the mega-merger of Wall Street and Washington that is now a fait accompli," said The Trends Research Institute Director.

Trendpost: With so much money being dumped into the system, there will be money to be made ... and lost. The agile and the knowledgeable may be able to reap "green shoots" while they're sprouted. But beware! "The Greatest Depression" -- that we forecast would begin to set in by the end of this year -- may have been postponed, but it has not been averted. When it does set in, it will do so with enhanced intensity and at a pace accelerated by complex financial finagling ... all under the guise of nation-saving action. Rather than let the failing industries fail and the failed banks go bankrupt, the government is deliberately bankrupting the nation. The lesson to be learned from the financial crisis that began in the summer of 2007, is that nothing succeeds like failure. The greater their failure, the bolder they become. The more they lose, the more they take. The greater the chaos, the more control they exact. The bigger they fail, the harder we fall. No act is too unthinkable or measure too draconian for the Washington-Wall Street Mob to concoct in order to maintain power, make money and cover their losses. While it is impossible to second-guess what the government will do next, it is absolutely certain that they will stop at nothing.The "green shoots" will wither and conditions will deteriorate. Those who are prepared for the worst will not have been taken by surprise.

© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401
The "Bailout Bubble" -- The Bubble to End All Bubbles

KINGSTON, NY, 13 May 2009 -- The biggest financial bubble in history is being inflated in plain sight, said Gerald Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute. "This is the Mother of All Bubbles, and when it explodes," Celente warns, "it will signal the end to the boom/bust cycle that has characterized economic activity throughout the developed world." Either unwilling or unable to call the bubble by its proper name, the media, Washington and Wall Street describe the stupendous government expenditures on rescue packages, stimulus plans, buyouts and takeovers as emergency measures needed to salvage the severely damaged economy.
"All of this terminology is econo-jargon," said Celente. "It's like calling torture 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' Washington is inflating the biggest bubble ever: the 'Bailout Bubble.' "This is much bigger than the Dot-com and Real Estate bubbles which hit speculators, investors and financiers the hardest. However destructive the effects of these busts on employment, savings and productivity, the Free Market Capitalist framework was left intact. But when the 'Bailout Bubble' explodes, the system goes with it."
The economic framework of the United States has been restructured. Federal interventionist policies have given the government equity stakes, executive powers and management control of what was once private enterprise. To finance these buyouts, rescue and stimulus packages -- instead of letting failed businesses fail and bankrupt banks and bandit brokerages go bankrupt -- trillions of dollars are being injected into the stricken economy.
Phantom dollars, printed out of thin air, backed by nothing ... and producing next to nothing ... defines the "Bailout Bubble." Just as with the other bubbles, so too will this one burst. But unlike Dot-com and Real Estate, when the "Bailout Bubble" pops, neither the President nor the Federal Reserve will have the fiscal fixes or monetary policies available to inflate another. With no more massive economic bubbles left to blow up, they'll set their sights on bigger targets. "Given the pattern of governments to parlay egregious failures into mega-failures, the classic trend they follow, when all else fails, is to take their nation to war," observed Celente. Since the "Bailout Bubble" is neither called nor recognized as a bubble, its sudden and spectacular explosion will create chaos. A panicked public will readily accept any Washington/Wall Street/Main Stream Media alibi that shifts the blame for the catastrophe away from the policy makers and onto some scapegoat.
"At this time we are not forecasting a war. However, the trends in play are ominous," Celente concluded. "While we cannot pinpoint precisely when the 'Bailout Bubble' will burst, we are certain it will. When it does, it should be understood that a major war could follow."

© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401

Find A Tea Party Near You On April 15th

2009-04-09T20:22:00.001-05:00

Another Government Double Standard

2009-04-06T13:47:00.003-05:00

So the government can take the bonuses away from AIG executives after they agreed for them to receive them. Now Freddie and Fannie Mac are going to dish out over $210 million dollars in bonuses after losing over $100 billion dollars. The bonuses are need to retain good employees, says Freddie and Fannie. I thought that was exactly what AIG was saying but the government didn't care about its contracts. How is it AIG gets slammed and plastered all over the media and Fannie and Freddie can kind of slide under the radar? I just don't understand all of this.

Here is and article from the WSJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123876318076986497.html

Bent Creek Race Is Coming

2009-03-29T21:52:00.003-05:00

Very exciting news. We are going to put on a 5K race, mtb short track race, and a volleyball tournament in our park (Bent Creek) April 25th, 2009. I have put a link to the blog on my blog so please visit and join in on the fun if you can. All the money goes to our park.
http://thefunpark.blogspot.com/

Yummmmmm.......yea.

2009-03-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

We Need Politicians Like Daniel Hannan

2009-03-26T08:25:00.002-05:00

This is how I expected my representatives to act when we (Americans) feel our leaders are going in the wrong direction. I applaud Mr. Hannan for speaking the truth and not sugar coding it. We need people in our government who can represent us like Mr. Hannan just did at the European Parliament.

Political Food For The Mind

2009-03-24T09:12:00.005-05:00

At what point do our representatives start to listen to us? Who is supporting our government’s decisions? You tell me because this clearly shows people are not for what's going on.

Below is the President's Approval Index. The reason I’m showing this is not because I’m trying to bash on Obama. I’m simply showing this to show that as soon as the newness of this president wares off you will see the true opinions of the American people. The more this government speeds, keeps making foolish mistakes, and continues to not listen to the American people, you are going to see his numbers fall through the floor. At what point will the government start listen to the US people?

Here are a few other important numbers I looked at from Rasmussen.

Taxes Will Go Down
18%

Gov't Spending Will Go Up
72%

Congress: Excellent/Good
18%

The US is on the Wrong Track
59%

America's Best Days in Future
44%

Tax Increases Hurt Economy?
Yes - 51%
No - 23%

Tax Cuts Help Economy?
Yes - 63%
No - 13%

Pay More than Fair Share of Taxes?
Yes - 52%
No - 30%

Here is the link to the entire report. After looking at this I finally don't feel alone.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/scoreboards/by_the_numbers2/by_the_numbers

This Headline Say's It All

2009-03-20T07:56:00.003-05:00

In the latest fallout over AIG's massive bonuses which the government failed to regulate, the house voted to use the tax code as a weapon.

Back on January 13th I went on a vent session and this is exactly what I said would happen. It's sad to see people approving our government’s mistakes. These guys (government) passed a bill that Chris Dodd added language about AIG and allowing their bonuses. Let me say that again….our government pass the stimulus bill and ALLOWED AIG to give out the bonuses. Why is this AIG’s fault? They should have never received the money in the first place and failed if it was over compensated and wrong. Back to Chris Dodd….he first lies and said he didn’t add any language to the stimulus package and 24 hours later says he did add the language. Now they (government) are feeling the heat so they once again point the finger at someone else and destroy innocent peoples lives. Literally, letting people put death threats on people and allowing it to happen? If they (government) would have never gotten involved in the private sector we wouldn't be talking about this. AIG would have filed chapter 11, restructured, and would probably be on their way out of their own mess by now. If not they would have failed and some other company would have bought them. This is exactly why the government should never get involved in any type of business. They (government) cannot manage themselves, how do you expect them to manage a business? You want these guys in charge of our health care, schools, and retirement…..??????

Watch the video below. At what point do you think AIG is responsible and should have the American people sending them death threats? Look at who's the real threat here. AIG or our government? I know the answer to this one, and I hope you do too. This is so black and white and easy to see what's going on. They (government) lied and act like it's nothing and will now pass bills to rob from people who had nothing to do with this bill. This is leading down a very bad road for all of us.

Now they have passed a bill to tax these bonuses, and again without thinking and in a hurry (just like every stimulus bill passed). Your liberty has just been knocked down another notch. I hope the government doesn’t think you make to much money because I guess they can pass a bill whenever they want and take all your money. No matter what mistakes they (government) have made they will never fall… they will only take you down.

Hold Your Elected Officials Accountable

2009-03-18T11:12:00.002-05:00

I haven’t blogged in a while due to my extremely busy schedule and working hard to try and insure a future for my kids. At this point most of you are saying….here’s where he goes off on his little soap box. That’s not the case today. I have, as I’m sure you have, witnessed enough destruction to our country with our government thinking they know everything about business, and never having to be held responsible for any of their actions. We have all seen how our government can make deals WE THE PEOPLE don’t want, break contracts whenever they want, decided which laws they should and should not enforce, and so on. I have decided I’m going to continue to call my State and Federal officials but I’m going to tone down the blog. I ask all of you to please hold your representatives accountable for their decisions and actions. Do not just sit back and complain, but make a phone call, send an e-mail, or even write a letter.

I want to share with you a video. I ask you to please not alienate our country. This is an awesome place to live and a place where dreams can come true if you’re willing to work hard and make sacrifices. This country is ours not the governments. WE THE PEOPLE make this country what it is not the government. Good luck and God Bless America.

Just some photos of the family

2009-03-14T07:46:00.006-05:00

Paige Finger Painting

2009-02-19T16:10:00.002-05:00

Paige decided to do some finger painting the other day.

Flood Gate Has Been Opened

2009-02-12T13:08:00.003-05:00

Our government can preach to you, me, and the private sector about how we all need to make cuts. But...they (government) do whatever they want, when ever they want. I don't understand all of this. These people think they are high and mighty. Laws, economic down turns, and ethical values I guess do not mean much to our government. This is absolutely absurd. You be the judge and decided if they deserve this. Remember it’s a $93,000 increase to their already large petty cash allowance.

Joaquin Phoenix Is So Out Of It!!!!!

2009-02-12T12:30:00.003-05:00

Here is something to make you laugh today.

Skating The Blue Ridge Parkway

2009-02-09T10:19:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful weekend for the outdoors. We had some snow and ice during the beginning of the week which closed down the parkway. Saturday and Sunday gave us 60+ degree weather and the parkway was still closed. What does that mean? It's skate time. I made 4 runs this weekend on the Parkway. I got Lyn to shuttle me up the dirt road that goes underneath the parkway and drop me off for my last run which was a lot less hiking. The only part I was a little concerned about was the tunnels. I used me light in motion helmet light and I was off. It was fantastic! Tons of fun. If the parkway is still closed this week I'll have to get Lyn to shuttle me up 151 to the back side of Mt. Pisgah. That should lend to a great ride down.

Claire Feeding The Cat A Dinner

2009-02-04T19:30:00.003-05:00

Good Job America

2009-02-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

Did you see the paper this morning? If not I have put a link below of an article from CNN this morning. You can make a difference if you voice your opinion. Thanks for helping keep our politicians in line. Good job Obama, but you need to keep moving forward and holding people accountable. Americans you deserve the pat on the back. Enough people felt this was wrong of our politicians and put the proper pressure on our leaders. Way to go! Keep up the good work. Obama, Timothy needs to go as well.

Obama: 'I screwed up' on Daschle appointment
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/obama.daschle/index.html

Hope And Change Is On It's Way?

2009-02-03T11:54:00.005-05:00

Someone please help me understand all of this. Tom Daschle didn’t pay over $100,000 in taxes and also shorted taxes on health. This is the hope and change that was voted into the White House? If Obama was true to his word, he would ask for Tom and Timothy to step down. Remember…these are the people who want to raise your taxes, expect you to tighten your belt, be a true American patriot and work hard to get us through the recession. So why don’t these guys have to follow the laws and do as they preach? Why do we let this go? I was listening to a liberal radio show yesterday and they never mentioned any of this. All they where talking about was how bad Bush was. I know Bush made some big mistakes but this is hope and change? You cannot change if you always look backwards and blame things out of your control. What has happen ahs happen and Obama needs to stick to his word. These guys do not need any power in our government. They have cheated, stolen, and have been unfaithful to our country and us. If they don’t hold these people accountable they will continue to live above the law. This in my mind is a true picture of who our government (left or right) really is.

Another one of Obama’s nominees bits the dust. From the WSJ “Nancy Killefer, nominated by President Barack Obama to be the federal government's first chief performance officer, is withdrawing from the post, the White House said Tuesday.” She did not pay Unemployment taxes for over a 1 ½ years. If our politicians cannot figure out what taxes they need to pay (these are the people making the laws) don’t you think we need to be doing something different? Please don’t let these people live above the law.

Paige's First Time On Ice Skates

2009-01-27T19:20:00.003-05:00

Lyn took Piage ice skating for the first time last Saturday. Paige had a lot of fun and talked about it all day.

The New Carveboard Rocked the Parkway

2009-01-27T19:13:00.003-05:00

I hit the Parkway early last Sunday. It was awesome! All by myself hiking up some of the high elevation sections towards Mt. Pisgah. It was like surfing. It was so much different vs. the long board. I’ll be doing this again this coming weekend. The only down fall is the Carveboard is about 10lbs heavier.

Enough hiking...time to go down.
The view my board has on the way down.

Way To Go

2009-01-27T13:35:00.003-05:00

Hot off the press. Citi has canceled their order to purchase the 50 million dollar jet. You can make a difference. They have plenty of jets in their fleet they can still use.

Our New Secretary of the Treasury

2009-01-27T11:21:00.005-05:00

Congratulations Timothy and Obama. You have proven to Americans everywhere you can lie and cheat, and still get what you want. What roll models for Americans. You can cheat on your taxes, get caught, say it was an honest mistake, pay the bill, and become the Secretary of the Treasury who will over see the IRS. Even after the American people flooded the phone lines and e-mails to our representative saying don't hire this guy. I wonder if a pharmacist could get involved in giving controlled drugs out for free without prescriptions to friends and themselves, then get caught, say they are sorry, maybe pay a small fine, and become the head of the FDA? I guess according to our Gov. you can. Anything is possible no matter what you do.

What's Another $50M?

2009-01-26T16:35:00.009-05:00

Remember my rant a few post ago about bailouts. Let me throw more frustration your way. So we (that's right you and me the beloved tax payers) have given Citi 45 Billion dollars over the last year to "help them out". So one year ago the company was valued at something in the neighborhood of 260 billion dollars and now (1 year later) is valued around 19 billion dollars. Let me do the quick math....so without our money Citi would be worth around -26 billion dollars. Yes, that's a negative number in front of the number 26. Does anyone in government understand when something is crashing as hard as Citi was and is, you cannot stop it? It has to hit the bottom first before you know what you’re dealing with. You need to invest money in companies that are getting ready to do well not failing. There is not enough money in the system to help companies like this. We have blown $45 billion dollars. Our kids are going to have to pay for this. Check this it. Just when you think the Wall Street folks have dropped to a new low the below article is released. Are you ready for this.... brand-new $50 million corporate jet. Go ahead ready the below article. http://www.nypost.com/seven/01262009/news/nationalnews/just_plane_despicable_152033.htm

If this doesn't throw you over the edge I have no idea what well. So once again who is to blame? The Gov. will probably blame the banks. As for myself I blame the Gov. (supposedly the smarts minds we have), for giving Citi the money. Once again remember the words, must act now, hurry....no time, if we don't do something now who knows what might happen? Remember all these things our Gov. was telling us?

Now they want to do another $825 billion dollars stimulus package. Why do they think speeding money will work? It does not work. Watch the below video of Nancy Pelosi. Family planning service is going to stimulate the economy? There is no mention of creating jobs to help stimulate the economy. Let's give more money to food stamps and unemployment? She should just say, you cannot do anything without the government, so don't worry about being successful or prosper to a higher livelihood, you should be happy you’re getting food on your table through food stamps.

I encourge you to watch the entire video on ABC

So Nancy thinks increasing funds for food stamps and unemployment is the answer. One other quick note. According to Nancy spending more money will "reduce cost"? What are you talking about? That's our Gov. at it's finest. Spend to save money. How about getting rid of programs that don't work and maybe you could fund ones that do. She also mentions she is not getting rid of the tax cuts. What? I thought tax cuts were bad? So what does this mean? A. Our Gov. is so proud they cannot admit when something works if it's not from their party or their plan. B. Our Gov. is so lame that when they know something isn’t working they won't do anything about it? C. Our Gov. has absolutely no financial responsibility and doesn't know what works and what doesn't.

I ask you who read my blog (all 5 of you) please do not let these people get a hold of our health care. They have almost taken over the banks and are making thing even worse. The Gov. doesn't have the answers, only hard working Americans like you do. Only through hard work will we keep this country afloat. There is no easy way out and I can guarantee you throwing money at everything will not work.

One more thing....if your looking into buying a house you will want to do it really soon. If you own a house make sure your on a good fixed rate mortgage, because rates in a few years will be at 10% or higher the way this is going.

Carve Board & Long Board

2009-01-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

I have completed my arsenal of weapons for the parkway. These two boards are completely different from one another. The Carve is a slow moving board with inflatable wheels. It’s all about carving. It emulates surfing and a little like snowboarding.

The long board on the other hand is full of speed and pucker factors. Both have their spot in my collection, and both have their spot on the parkway.

More Photos Of The Kids

2009-01-21T18:17:00.003-05:00

Last NCCX Race Of The Season

2009-01-21T17:33:00.007-05:00

A good race to end the winter series. Here are a few photos of the gang.

Throwing beer and slapping O2 tent on the butt

Giving away a King wheelset to another lucky winner

I decided to give him my hat too

Please Excuse My Tone

2009-01-20T22:55:00.002-05:00

I'm sure my two posts below you could read my frustration with our government. I don't mean to be so harsh but sometimes I just need to let it fly and thank you for listening.

Obama is now our President and I hope he makes the right and best decisions for the American people. Only time will tell and I wish him the best. Please keep us safe Obama.

Congratulations America....We Are Almost A Socialistic Nation

2009-01-16T10:33:00.003-05:00

Now the American people are official the largest share hold of Bank of America. The best part about this....we the people will be putting in charge of this company the same people none of us would let within 100 miles of our own check book or finances. Our beloved, scholar, smart then you, you cannot do it without us, let me take care of you because you cannot take care of yourself, US Government. AWESOME!!!! BOA has received $25 billion so far and is ready to receive more. Hey Daddy War Bucks, can I get some money? What the hell!!!!!!

Oh yea, did you notice Citi has failed even after they got their bailout? Bailout definition: In economics, a bailout is an act of loaning or giving capital to a failing business in order to save it from bankruptcy, insolvency, or total liquidation and ruin. That's right, they are still failing, and now they are splitting up the company. Aren’t you glad our government spent $45 billion to bail them out? Remember how important it was to pass the bailout NOW. No time, they are too big and important to fail. Does anyone else remember these types of speeches and words? They are still failing you morons. You cannot just throw money at things and make it work. They could have gone through this transformation last year and maybe by now they could be working their way back to stability. But no, our scholars in government (who don’t know anything about business, and should not) think they now best. So all they did was prolong the agony, just like they will do with auto industry and God help us all when they get their hands on health care.

Wake up people. The free market is dead if this keeps up. Well it’s been over 50 year since the market has really been “a free market”.

How about this. Obama has picked Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Another awesome move for the Obama crew. Wait, what’s that, hummmmm, really. Ok, so I guess with this move from the Obama crew they must be saying we don’t have to pay our taxes. We all can make honest mistakes. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! This guy is going to run our Treasury Department and lead our nations rescue and he himself cannot even pay his own taxes. Once again another politician gets a pass on the law. I cannot believe they are moving forward with this. I hope you all realize this is a smack in your face by our new administration. Hope, change, a new way of life, you got it. It’s the same way of life and it’s even going more south for the American tax payer. If you believe these circus entertainers when they say “it’s too big to fail”, “he’s too important”, I guess I gave you too much credit.

Wake up people. Our government is living above the law on a regular basses. This wasn’t and accident or the words Obama speaks “These errors were not intentional; they were honest mistakes”. I’ve got a suggestion. How about we all not pay our taxes and when the IRS or I should say Timothy Geithner comes after us we can all say it was an honest mistake.

I ask you these questions again. You really want our government in charge of our financial institutions, small businesses, auto industry, and our health care?

I Can't Take It!!!!!! I Need To Vent.

2009-01-13T15:50:00.005-05:00

So we are prepared to collapse our economy because our Government feels they are the only one's who have the answers? Right....when has that ever worked? Let's just keep throwing money at a black hole and not actually fix anything. Does anyone understand that Government has no ramifications if something fails? Obama is already hot to trot on getting another stimulus rolling. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!!! STOP, PLEASE STOP!!!!! This doesn’t work, it hasn’t worked, and it’s not going to work. Bush tried this and what happen? I’m waiting for an answer, anyone…..anyone? That’s right….NOTHING HAPPENED!!!!! People paid down their debts and cut back on spending. Wait….hum….stimulus???? Definition: something that incites to action or exertion or quickens action, feeling, thought, etc.: The approval of others is a potent stimulus. Yea……how do you stimulate the economy? Add jobs and not Government jobs, but privet sector jobs. Lower taxes to the people who build businesses. Sorry, reality check time people. If you have money your more then likely able to build a business to invest your money in to make more. How do you do that? That’s right; you have to hire employees to do that. That means people will get paid to work. Now of course the key word is work.

Has anyone noticed that Capital Hill gave themselves a pay raise http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=360044? That’s right, while you’re trying to hold your job, make your mortgage payment, or even trying to afford your yearly family trip, our Government officials get a pay raise. Come on people!!!! I know you all cannot believe this is ok? Who the hell got us into this economic situation? Our Government! So they get to point the finger somewhere else, unlike you at your job, and get a raise. If you screwed up at your job to the tune our Government does, you would be fired. They just raise our taxes to cover their expenses or failures. Nothing happens to them...hell they give themselves raises.

So now everyone is ready to hand our auto companies, banks, and health care over to these clowns. YOU ARE FREAKING NUTS!!! They have already lost track of $350 billion dollars they gave to the banks. Our Government is here to do one thing. Pass laws that protect us. We haven’t had an attack since 9/11 and I give them praise for that. They are not here to run businesses, invest in our financial institutions, and so on. GET OUT OF OUR WAY, and people like myself will bring back the economy and jobs.

One more rant that I know I’ll get a lot of s*** about. Stop with the global warming scare. If you want to live a more natural life style go for it. Stop making people live a life based on theories that have holes over it.

The 2008 top ten selling vehicles came out. #1 Ford 150, #2 Chevy Silverado, and we now have the fastest increase in ice on the polar cap in history. http://blog.heritage.org/2009/01/06/donâ€™t-worry-al-gore-thereâ€™s-plenty-of-ice-for-the-polar-bears/. Wake up and realize you have got to take control of your own life. Do not let our Government take away your ability to think, achieve, and inspire to be more away from you. Wake up in the morning and look at your neighbor. If he has something you want ask them how they did it and strive for it, don’t be jealous. If your neighbor is struggling help them as much as you can.

Here’s one for you….HAVE SOME FAITH!!!!!!!

Thanks for listening. I feel better.

Paige Dancing

2009-01-12T18:17:00.002-05:00

One of Paige's friends from school had a birthday party at the Orange Peel. Pretty cool place to have a party. After the party the Orange Peel had a dancing day for kids. It was total nuts. This video is of a few of Paige's friends and her dancing and getting warmed up before the big dancing party.

What A Show!!!!

2009-01-10T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last night we saw the GNR tribute band Appetite For Destruction. Freaking awesome! Go see them if they are near you, that is if you like GNR.

http://www.notquitegnr.com/

Gator Bowl Victory

2009-01-02T07:53:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to the Big Red Machine!

Happy New Years!!!!!!

2009-01-01T10:00:00.012-05:00

Last night we celebrated Claire's birthday party with the help of family and some good friends. Here are a few photos from the evening down stairs in the celebration room.

Runnning Low Lately

2008-12-31T11:21:00.002-05:00

With everything going on at work, family, and holiday excitement my car said it best the other night. Running on almost empty, but still moving forward. I hope you all have a Happy New Years.

Go Big Red!!!!!

2008-12-31T11:18:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the big game between Nebraska and Clemson. I'm very close to Clemson territory here in Asheville. So...why not let them know how the better team is. Wish me luck out here with the wolfs.

Here Come More Photos

2008-12-30T21:21:00.016-05:00

I'm final getting some photos posted from Christmas. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a great New Years Eve and New Years. Tomorrow is a big day for the Bedsaul's. It's Claire first birthday and we also celabrate a second birthday for Lyn. Most of you know why and if you don't sorry, but I'm not going to talk about it. I'm just going to say Thank you a million times tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Sleeping In The Tree House

2008-12-27T09:48:00.002-05:00

Photos Of The Kids

2008-12-24T09:53:00.008-05:00

Paige loving on a kitten

Paige taking mommy to show and tell at school. We better start saving for college because I think Paige is going to follow in mommy's footsteps.

Paiges class

Paige and I sleeping in the tree house

Paige and Carter chilling on the chair

Paige and Claire...what a pair

Claire showing off

Baby Carter and Lyn

Paige and the Kitten

Claire trying to walk

Paige and Claire Being Themselves

2008-12-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

Mileage Tax

2008-12-15T16:37:00.000-05:00

What the hell????? This is absolutely ridiculous!!!!! Why am I a conservative and believe in it… it’s because NC is a liberal state government that just keeps squeezing, and squeezing every penny they can get from everyone. Our awesome government now wants to impose a mileage tax on all NC residence.

Some of the articles I have read are talking about with the introduction of electric cars no one will be going to the pump and buying gas. First…nothing like implementing a tax before something even happens. Second…with Obama’s energy policy I have no idea how we are going to have enough electricity in the US to plug in these cars and recharge them. California…sorry but you think rolling black out are bad now wait until everyone has to plug in a car. Third…funny how the government talks about we need to punish gas companies when gas prices and profits are high. They make the gas companies sound like the most evil thing in the world and should all die. But, when the gas prices fall (due to supply and demand) the state now basically say’s they need more money because of loss revenue. When do we the citizens every win? The government just takes, takes, and keeps taking. I have an idea for our state officials…HOW ABOUT YOU STOP SPENDING LIKE A BUNCH OF DIPSHI*S!!!!

Question – If this passes where will the line be drawn? If this passes we will be taxed on the miles we drive… period. There are no state lines with this tax. I could drive to California and back and NC is going to capitalize on all the tax revenue, and I’ll be paying gas taxes in other states as I drive through. If they want us to go back into the late 1800 and use horses to get around just say it.

I’m telling you all now, if this thing passes this will be a feeding frenzy for the state government. They will open the flood gates and incorporate GPS system on our cars to track everything. Maybe they could tax the air I breathe in NC? If we don’t go electric you know they are not going to drop the gas tax per gallon.

Who keeps voting this type of thinking into our government? I think NC is probably one of the most corrupt state governments in the US. Some many politicians have been convicted based on corruption.

Wake up people…our government is too big and they are just holding us all back from becoming something great. Why do some many people think a politician know all aspects of business more then a person who runs a business? I just don’t get it.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/415604.html

Once again, another great weekend with family, friends, and racing bikes

2008-12-14T16:07:00.005-05:00

What a weekend! A lot has been going on at work (deals, new ideas, bring back old ideas, putting everything together to prepare for the future, stay ahead of the curve) which has been keeping me very busy. This weekend I kind of let all go and had a really good time.

Friday night Tammy and Ian had a KILLER Christmas party. These this are scaring me because each party seems to be getting a little crazier. Where will the madness end? I have no idea but Lyn and I are along for the ride. Great party….thanks.

Saturday morning I somehow was able to get up and head over to JC for the last cross race of their series. At one point on my drive I though Paige might see her Daddy pull over and make some noise, but I held it together. Did the race and though I was going to die, but still somehow had fun. Since it was the last race I had to stay until the end and give away the King Wheelset Chris donated to the series. It was awesome, and the guy who won gave me a big huge and was so excited. It made my day to see someone appreciate the gift.

Saturday night we had a birthday party we needed to attend. Round two? I don’t think so. We stayed for a few hours, had a couple drinks, talked to everyone, ate a little food and headed home. It was a really fun party. Everyone dressed according to their favorite era. 70’s and 80’s had the biggest showing. I got to wear both my leisure suits this weekend.

This morning I got the chain saw out and cut & split some wood for the stove. Got cleaned up and took Paige to the Nutcracker with Bill and Sarah. We got some great balcony seats and only four people per balcony. That meant we had it all to ourselves. Everything was going good and all of a sudden Paige wanted to leave. So we left and on the way home she started to get sick. Poor little girl. Back to the grind tomorrow morning.

Paige getting ready to see the Nutcracker
Paige and Sarah waiting for the dancers

Good seats

The winner of the King Wheelset

Mixing the drinks

Yea.....

Turn on the hot tub

Longboarding On The Parkway

2008-12-04T18:10:00.003-05:00

So I decided today would be my first day on the Parkway to try my very armature long boarding abilities. I hike up for about an hour and got to an area I felt was a good starting point. Its amazing how fast (or at least how fast it fells) you can get going on a board. There were some sections I had to walk and other I could ride. It was a great experience and I loved it. It gave me a feeling of being in the backcountry doing some skiing. I really miss those times in the middle of no ware, hiking to the top of a great run, and letting it all go. I think this long boarding thing might help me out.

I got to use some of my basic fundamentals of scrubbing speed by carving, and of course stopping by riding into the grass and jumping off. A few times I got up to what I felt was pretty fast and had to ditch and took a few tumbles. It’s all in the learning process. Hopefully I can get some good riding time in this coming year and have a lot more skills for next winter.

Hiking up the parkway

I have the raod all to myself

The board of choice

What The Hell Is Wrong With People?

2008-12-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

A hard working young man goes to work early on Friday to pull his shift at Wal-Mart. He is greeted to a bunch of idiots. He dies at work on Black Friday. Are you freaking kidding me? This is discussing! What have we as Americans turned into

Here You Go Shannon

2008-12-02T20:13:00.001-05:00

A picture says a thousand words

The Weekend After Thanksgiving In Blowing Rock, NC

2008-12-01T17:50:00.005-05:00

Lyn’s good friend Shannon invited up to her parents house in Blowing Rock, NC for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately the kids were a little sick so we waiting until Saturday morning and headed her way for the night. We had an absolute blast hanging out with her family. Paige and Claire got to meet Sam and Katie for the first time. Saturday was lunch in Blowing Rock and the Christmas parade. It started to rain right before the parade but that wasn’t going to stop all of us from seeing Santa Clause. Lyn, Shannon, Sam, and Claire stayed in the car while the rest of us flooded the streets waiting for Santa.

After the parade we headed back to the house for everyone to take a little nap (including myself). We had a fantastic dinner which included Gumbo (the Mississippians made some awesome Gumbo), chicken potpie, potato salad, and desert. Another day of feeding my face. After dinner we all watched football, drank some good wine, and eventually went to bed.

Sunday morning we all said our goodbyes and we were off to find our Christmas tree. Once at one of our favorite tree farms it only took about 30 minutes of searching and we found our new Christmas tree. We cut it down, loaded it on the car, and the Griswold were on their way back to Asheville. What a great weekend!

Make your own comments. I’m just posting a photo of what was in Trent’s drink at lunch.
Claire and Katie at lunch

Shannon and Claire

Paige at the parade

Paige and myself waiting for Santa

Sam and Claire taking a bath.

Playing around the tree

Thanksgiving Day

2008-12-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

This Thanksgiving we stayed home. Both Paige and Claire had little colds so we did not want to spread the cold to other little ones, so we stayed home. I will have to admit it was a very relaxing Turkey Day. Here is how it went.

I went out for a early morning ride in the back yard, helped out around the house, helped put the kids down for a nap, Lyn went out for a road ride, kids got up, Lyn got back form her ride, we took the kids out for a hike, came home, Paige went to Ellie’s to play, I went longborading for awhile, Lyn put the turkey in the oven, Paige came home, I made the mashed potatoes, food was done, we ate like mad, took a breather, headed over to the Black’s house for desert, ate some great pie, came home, put the kids down, went to bed…..great day! I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

Paige made the center piece for the table

Paige out hiking on the trails. She was all over the place.

Claire and I enjoying our hike.

Paige and Lyn posing for the camera

I guess wagons are the car of choice here in Asheville. Not just one brand either. Pretty funny

Turkey read for the oven. Lyn made an awesome turkey

What A Kick! This Was Such A Great Game!

2008-12-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Go Big Reg

2008-11-29T07:58:00.003-05:00

What a game last night between the Huskers and Buffalos. Sorry Steve, but the Big Red Machine redeemed themselves from last year.

A Little Ride Before The Big Day Of Feeding My Face

2008-11-27T15:27:00.004-05:00

My favorite machine to ride. I love this bike!
Way too many hunters in the woods today. I stayed on the dirt roads and did intervals.

What is that on my bike? Now that everyone knows this thing is really and not a mythical creature I can actually talk about it. Yes, the King bottom bracket. A must have for ever bike. So smooooooooth!!!!!

North Carolina UCI Has Come And Gone Once Again

2008-11-27T15:04:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was the UCI cross race in Hendersonville. Same drill. Friday setup course, crowed barriers, tape course, pits, tents, and a few beers.

Saturday morning treated us to 17 degrees for the Masters race. The course was a lot of fun. The cold keep the speeds a little slower, but still pretty fast for this guy. My 30 minutes of training a week isn't really doing much for me. I still got myself 11 place on Saturday.

Sunday was a lot warmer (32 degrees) for the Masters race. The speeds were a lot faster due to everyone being a little warmer. I still managed I think a 13th place.

All in all I wish I could have put a lot more time on the bike and gave the race a better effort, but that's what happens when you have a family. Maybe next year I can get my act together and place in the top 5.

Sunday after the race we took everything down and called it a weekend.

Course patrol

Paige getting ready to cheer on the racers

The whole family at the races

Ellie (one of Paige’s friends) cheering on the racers

Sorry, No Love From Me

2008-11-27T07:38:00.002-05:00

I have been hearing a lot about gay marriage and unisex bathrooms again. This seems to come and go from the news. The gay marriage thing I have no problem with saying I don’t agree with it, and I feel if this becomes legal it will only lead down a path I don’t want to go down. As for the unsex bathrooms...from the articles I have read it sounds like it’s more based on Transgender needs. Has anyone looked up the definition on Transgender? Let wikipedia help us out a little.

Transgender (IPA: /trænzˈdʒɛndɚ/, from (Latin) derivatives [trans gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at birth, as well as the role traditionally held by society.
Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, or neither) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male or female based on physical/genetic sex). "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual. The precise definition for transgender remains in flux, but includes:
"Of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these."[1]
"People who were assigned a sex, usually at birth and based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves."[2]
"Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth."[3]
A transgender individual may have characteristics that are normally associated with a particular gender, identify elsewhere on the traditional gender continuum, or exist outside of it as "other," "agender," "intergender," or "third gender". Transgender people may also identify as bigender, or along several places on either the traditional transgender continuum, or the more encompassing continuums which have been developed in response to the significantly more detailed studies done in recent years.[4]
Evolution of the term transgender
The term transgender (TG) was popularised in the 1970s[5] (but implied in the 1960s[6][7]) describing people who wanted to live cross-gender without sex reassignment surgery.[8] In the 1980s the term was expanded to an umbrella term,[9] and became popular as a means of uniting all those whose gender identity did not mesh with their gender assigned at birth.[10]
In the 1990s, the term took on a political dimension[11][12] as an alliance covering all who have at some point not conformed to gender norms, and the term became used to question the validity of those norms[13] or pursue equal rights and anti-discrimination legislation,[14][15] leading to its widespread usage in the media, academic world and law.[16] The term continues to evolve.

As you read Transgender is simply a choice someone has made. That means at anytime this person can chose to change their mind again. Do you notice they are also bisexual and polysexual?

Bisexual definition:
Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with[1] or attraction to people of both sexes, or to a bisexual orientation. People who have a bisexual orientation "can experience sexual, emotional, and affectional attraction to both their own sex and the opposite sex"; "it also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them."[2] It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation. Individuals who do not experience sexual attraction to either sex are known as asexual.
According to Alfred Kinsey's research into human sexuality in the mid-20th century, many humans do not fall exclusively into heterosexual or homosexual classifications but somewhere between.[3] The Kinsey scale measures sexual attraction and behavior on a seven-point scale ranging from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual). According to Kinsey's study, a substantial number of people fall within the range of 1 to 5 (between heterosexual and homosexual). Although Kinsey's methodology has been criticized, the scale is still widely used in describing the continuum of human sexuality.

Polysexual definition:
Polysexuality refers to people who are attracted to more than one gender or sex but do not wish to identify as bisexual because it implies that there are only two binary genders or sexes. Polysexuals are those people sexually attracted to many different sorts of ideas and characteristics. Polysexuality should not be confused with pansexuality; pan meaning all, and poly meaning many, though not necessarily all.
The term is also used as an appellation for relationships that are non-monogamous, but not necessarily intimate, polysexuals being those who engage in such relationships.
Polysexuality is a self-identifying term that is somewhat amorphous, as there is a wide variety of different people who use the term to describe themselves.

So what’s really the difference between Bi and Poly?

Let me explain where I’m going with this. States and small groups of people are trying to implement laws to make people happy that have no idea what will make them happy. Transgender people by definition are people who decide to be something different. So what will keep them from changing their mind tomorrow? Since I have no problem understanding what sex I am maybe tomorrow I’ll decide to be Asian. I’m not, but maybe I want to be. So I guess I should qualify for all Asian programs here in the US and all Asian people should adapt to me. Maybe in two months from now I'll decided that wasn’t for me and I should be African American. Now I should be able to go out and qualify for all African American programs and all African American people should adapt to me and my wants and needs.

I refuse to be sympathetic to this, and will not be forced to change bathrooms to please this type of culture. If you have only one bathroom and it can only accommodate one person at a time, yes it needs to be unisexual. If the bathroom can accommodate more than one person at a time, you need two bathrooms and it needs to be gender specific….period!

Is Technology Good Or A Waste Of Time?

2008-11-26T13:11:00.005-05:00

Letters, Home Phone, Cell Phone, Text, E-mailing, Flicker, Shutterbug, Blogging, Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, Post Your Pictures and Comments Here On Yourspace That’s Hooked Into Myspace, Leave Myspace Along I’ll Be In Yourspace, I Have Invited You To Comment And Call Me In Outerspace, and I think there is another one, but MAN....how many ways do we need to keep in touch with people? No wonder why no one can get anything done.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!!

Is This Who We Are Turning Into?

2008-11-20T14:01:00.004-05:00

Some of you have seen this video before. I sent it out several months ago but I feel it needs to be seen again. So is this where we are heading?

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.....

2008-11-19T09:17:00.003-05:00

Please keep in mind I'm not for people losing their jobs, but there is a tipping scale for everything. In business you have to be competitive and sometimes that means people (all people: works, management, upper management, etc.) have to make sacrifices to make sure their job and company is around tomorrow. Detroit has entered a phase of its life where it needs to be cleansed. Detroit pays its works way to much money, benefits are out of control, and bonuses based on the wrong numbers have skyrocketed.

I watched a TV show the other night about GM. I cannot believe how much money a general laborer makes at GM. Hell, why go to college if you can make $35 and hour right out of high school. Are you kidding me! The unions are holding Detroit captive. The unions when they were first born did what they were supposed to. Make sure people were treated fair, but in todays business they have overstepped their boundaries.

Don't get me wrong there needs to be fair wages and benefits but it needs to be inline with competitors, cost of goods, manufacturing cost, and so on. If you are paying you employees 50% more then the competition, and your product can not sell for that much more you are going no where fast. You will be bankrupted before you know it. Welcome to Detroit!

I have been saying from the beginning of this bailout crap that some businesses just need to fail and be rebuilt. I have attached an article from Mitt Romney who I feel knows business and I believe in most of what he is saying in this article. Once again our Government can not spend us out of the problem. Something is going to have to give and the sooner it happens the sooner we can get back on track.

One more thing, I heard an interview with a guy from GM that was retired. He was complaining how he might have to get a part time job because of everything going on with possible pension issues. After a few more minutes of talking the guy mentions he is 54 years old. Wow…you can be retired from Detroit at 54 years old? That’s awesome if that can happen, but it obviously cannot!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

More Longboarding

2008-11-14T16:38:00.001-05:00

Longboarding in the Jackson, WY area. Nice!!!!!!!

We Are In So Much Trouble

2008-11-13T11:12:00.002-05:00

Our government is out of control and we are going to crash and burn with them. Read the article below.

The article starts like this: Congressional Democrats are pushing legislation to send $25 billion in emergency loans to the beleaguered auto industry in exchange for a government ownership stake in the Big Three car companies.

Does anyone see a problem with this? Anyone....please anyone. Let me point it out "in exchange for a government ownership stake in the Big Three car companies". The government wants to have an ownership in the auto industry. The free market as we once knew it is going to be gone if this keeps going. This is the craziest thing I have heard and where will this stop. This is the new generation that has been voted into our government? Our kids are going to be in debit beyond imagination. Did you know the government has also given GE 139 Billion dollars? For what...more wind power and florescent lights? Are you kidding me! Wake up people, this is going to hit us like a freight train and we are all going to be looking back saying "what happen to us"?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081112/ap_on_go_co/auto_bailout

Gas Prices

2008-11-11T16:27:00.002-05:00

My bad on my last post. Oil closed at $59.33 a barrel today. I said 6 months ago our economy could not support the high prices and it will come down. How weird....look at the price. I hope all the people I saw rushing to the gas pumps filling extra gas containers (because we are all going to run out of gas and it’s going to cost us $10 a gallon because of evil Exxon) when the price was at about $4 a gallon is sitting with that gas in their garage. I think I might go out and fill up some extra gas containers because the price is so low. Wait....that would make me a speculator, and I would be speculating the price is low and I should stock up incase it goes back up. Bad me...I think the government can arrest me for think like this. Sorry for the crap talk. I’m so tired of people blaming someone else for issues we are all in control of.

What The He** Are We Doing??????

2008-11-11T11:43:00.004-05:00

AIG is going to get another $60 BILLION dollars; Amex is now a bank so they can get access to the "free" money in the middle of the night like everyone else. What is going on? Does anyone realize what this is leading us to? Let go of the dream US government, you have failed and it's time to realize it. You cannot spend your way out of this.

Funny...I was told Edison failed something like 6000 times before the light bulb was invented. You sometimes have to fail in order to learn. That's the scariest thing about our government….they don’t get it and they think they are above all of this.

I just read a book called FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression. If we keep nationalizing companies, bailing people out, it’s going to make the New Deal look like child’s play. My advice to you is read this book, hide your money in a jar until we get through this, and say thanks to a veteran today.

Oh ya, anyone seen the price of oil today? Probably not because the media doesn’t report anything good anymore. That right it’s in the low $60 for a barrel. Funny how supply and demand works.

Halloween and Other Photos

2008-11-10T21:25:00.008-05:00

Another great Halloween in Bent Creek. I think we have one of the best neighborhoods when it comes to Halloween. Tons of kids from other neighborhoods come to ours for the evening. Here are a few photos.

SSCXWC08

2008-11-10T12:14:00.006-05:00

Portland has it going on. I hope at some point people in other states (like NC) will look at what Portland is doing to create a great bike / cross scene at this level. The big thing I see from the outside is they get everyone involved (not just the racers). I personally feel that is the key to a very successful race. Everyone can partake at some level.

I found a few photos of a friend of mine in Portland racing the race. James....you looked good! Here is the flicker page I found the photos on. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/sets/72157608804644857/

CD and family

Portland is ready!

James going through the foam pit

James ready to rip someone's legs off....:)

longboards

2008-11-06T19:57:00.003-05:00

I have been looking at longboards and trying to find the right on. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to comment. I ran across this video during my search.

BMW

2008-10-31T14:06:00.005-05:00

BMW GINA is pretty cool

I'm sure you have seen this one before. Had to post anyways.

What A Week! I Need Sleep!!!!

2008-10-26T17:49:00.020-05:00

Where do I start? Since my last post we have done a lot. I guess I can start with Last weekend. My mom came into town for 6 days. We had a great time. Thanks for coming Mom; you really help us out while I was out of town. While she was here we took the girls to an apple farm that had a corn maze, chickens, apples, pumpkins, pigs, turkeys, and a bunch of other things. We also headed to Banner Elk to participate in the Woolly Worm Festive. What a hoot that was! You buy a worm for $1 and for $5 more dollars you can race it against everyone else. Talk about racking in the money! The Woolly Worm Festive was packed and we had a ton of fun.

Monday came around and I had to fly out to Providence, RI to meet up with me King Family for Interbike East. Had a great time seeing my other family out of Portland. Good people, good food, and lots of bikes. I flew home late Thursday night and had an early meeting in JC on Friday.

Spent Friday in JC and back home to pack the car and leave for Knoxville, TN for the night and part of Saturday. Lyn had a bunch of old college friends meeting in K-Town for the UT vs. Alabama game on Saturday. We meet everyone for dinner Friday night. By this time I was running on fumes and wondering how the heck I’m going to keep going. But….in Joey fashion I found the energy and continued on for the night. Dinner, some persuasion, and we were off to a local favorite for a few drinks. That lasted a few minutes and everyone was ready to call it a night, but Paul and I had some energy left in the tank. We decided to mix it up on the strip with the college kids and show them who’s still the King. After a few games of pool, my losing a bet to buying beers in Dear Valley, UT Paul and I decided it was time to hang it up. 2:30am and a hotel floor later I was sleeping. Thanks for the hospitality Beth and Paul. I owe you one.

Saturday came and Lyn and I were off on a morning ride at Norris (our old riding area). He had a really nice ride and headed back to town to prepare for the game. Cleaned up, some food in the belly, and people to see, we were off once again. Found a tailgate, watched the UT walk, and meet up with friends. Things were rocking. Now….my plans were to leave K-Town right before the game and drive to Newland, NC so I could race in the Boone cross race today. So I’m getting ready to leave and Rick says if I want to come into the game he had an extra ticket. How can you pass that up? So I head into the game and stayed through the first half.

I get to my car at about 9:30pm and hit the road with a destination of Newland. I get to Newland around 12:00pm and hit the sack. 7:00am comes around and I’m back up and going again. Breakfast, cold weather, frost on the car, and wind….what a day for a cross race. I got to the race and meet up with the team and start the morning. The race was great; me on the other hand was a hurting boy. I guess the lack of riding for almost two weeks, all the airplane time, car time, late nights, and sleeping on floors finally caught up to me. I got killed in the race. The best part was the heckling we did to the other races. That was worth the trip. Jason piled in with me and we drove back to Asheville. I was home by 6:00pm and ready to sleep for about a week.

Declaimer: The photos are not in exact order. I tried but failed in a few areas. I'm too tired to fix, spell or grammar check.

Entering the corn maze

Lost in the corn maze, but we did find our way out

Getting our pumpkin

Apples, apples, and more apples

Look at the size of that thing!

Claire and I on the move

Hanging out at the Grove Park

Claire and Grandma getting crazy

Paige's worm which she named Slop

Where the racing happens

Slop warming up

Slop on the move. He got 3rd in his heat. No to bad.

Slop's new home

Our new square feeder. Hopefully it will give us hours of entertainment

Claire going for a ride

Setting up the King booth in RI

A little ride after work

Checking out the town. What a bunch of clowns.

What a happy crew

Chris at the booth

Lyn and I on our ride in K-Town

Joey and his air guitar

Dinner

Football and Phil

Fire breathing at the tailgate.

All the girls together again

On my way to Newland

Jason helping out in the pits

A junor on our team that's rocking the house down.

Beers after the race with the team.

Congratulations Gabe and Thad

2008-10-16T08:53:00.004-05:00

Smoke Bikes has made its mark in the bike industry. Congratulations on your article in Bike magazine. Keep up the great work and your vision. Smmmmmooooooke!!!!!!!

http://bikemag.com/features/onlineexclusive/bike-magazine-157-november-2008/

Cyclocross Is On Like Donky Kong

2008-10-14T06:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was a double race weekend in JC. The guys in charge of the MSG series do a really good job. Everyone has a goodtime. It's funny, when the season starts up it's like your family away from family. All the same players and more are always being added to the mix every year. The only problem I'm having is my fitness has not changed in a few years and everyone else is taking the sport more serious. That means everyone’s coming into the season really fast and blowing my doors off. I keep tell myself in another few years I can actually start trying to work on my fitness and be more competitive. But....not until my kids get a little older. A few photos of me trying to ride my bike.

Getting Ready For Halloween

2008-10-10T20:51:00.001-05:00

Night Cross Racing

2008-10-10T20:37:00.003-05:00

Wednesday night cross racing (practice). Lyn told me a few weeks ago she wanted to race again. So I built up her old Ritchey with any old part I could find and got it back together. Lyn got back on her bike and raced for the first time in 5 years. It was a wonderful sight to see the girl I married 8 years ago back to herself. Welcome back sweetheart.

Paige was the official flag girl and lap counter. She did a great job. As for my race...it was a lot of fun! It started at 6:50pm as the sun started to set and the lights came on around the tennis courts. The last 4 laps of the race where in the dark and it was raining pretty hard. It was a lot of fun. We need to do more racing under the lights. Off to Tennessee this weekend for a two day race. Happy cross racing everyone.

Sorry for the blurry photo. It was the only photo I was able to take.

Paige had a lot of fun getting wet in the rain. Kids love the rain!

There is nothing more inspirational then your child cheers you on.

Claire Playing The Piano

2008-10-10T20:29:00.003-05:00

Sunday Was Slammed Packed

2008-10-05T20:09:00.009-05:00

Woke up Sunday morning and took Paige to the Waffle House for a little father daughter time together. Got home around 8:15am and Jason & D-Dub showed you to carpool to the cross race in Tennessee. Pretty good race but felt slow. I’m trying to get myself into shape but it’s been slow going this year. Will and I got home around 4:30pm and meet up with the girls at the trapezes training center. Ellie who is 4 1/5 actually did the trapeze. She didn’t know what to think but did it about 3 times. She had a blast. Lyn looked like a pro. We got home around 6:30pm, eat dinner, and now I’m ready to collapse in exhaustion. Back to the real world tomorrow.

These streamers are now rated at 75mph

D-Dub and streamers a flying

Racing thorugh a barn. Very cool

Jason help Will with his bike while his son gets a ride on his shoulders

Will smoking everyone

It's time to fly

Ellie flying high. It was so funny!

Lyn feeling like she is in the circus

Melanie giving the trapeze a shot.

Lyn missed her calling

Wow...What A Day Full Of Excitment

2008-10-05T19:36:00.007-05:00

Saturday was no stop actions from when we woke up until everyone finally called it quits. Went for a cross ride with Will in the morning. Got home and Lyn and Melanie went for a ride and I did a little house cleaning while the kids took a nap. When Lyn got home it was time to head over to the William’s house for Sarah's 3rd birthday. So we load the kids up in the big buggy and head over to the party. After the party we decided it was a great night for a fire. So well called over the Black's to invite them to a fire with marshmallows for the kids. So we ate marshmallows and got the kids all sugared up. They went home and I fired up the TV to watch the Nebraska game. Yea....no comment on that. Off to bed to wake on Sunday morning to another full day of excitement.

Will and I on a cross ride. The weather so prefect.

Kids ready for the ride over to the William's

Bill being a great father and an awsome host for Sarah's birday party.

Get that sugar!

Fire, marshmallows, a few beers, and good neighbors.

Finally they all ran out of steam.

Photos With Family

2008-10-05T17:57:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago we decided to head over to JC to hang out with family for the day. We all had a really good time.

A purse Grandma made Paige. Thanks Grandma.

Claire trying to play the piano. She was rocking the house down!

The road over to JC. In the Fall this drive is beautiful.
Paige catching some zzzzzzz....
Paige and little Carter

Claire loves ice cream

Bath Time

2008-10-05T17:35:00.005-05:00

Photos

2008-09-27T09:14:00.010-05:00

Thanks to Tammi for most of these photos while I did not have a camera. Sorry the photos are not in order.

After the ride

Lyn and Tammi did this ride. I got sick watching them.

Paige on her first rollercoaster

Sorry For Not Blogging

2008-09-26T15:32:00.001-05:00

I broke my camera so I have no photos to post. I should be getting a new camera sometime soon. Stay tuned.

Pics From Paige's Birthday Party

2008-08-15T13:11:00.010-05:00

Cynthia just sent me some great photos of Paige's B-Day party. Thanks Cynthia! Paige turned 3 on Aug 1st so we had a prince’s party. She invited 6 of her little friends and away we went. This is my new life being the only male in the family.

Paige Is In Training To Be A Plumber

2008-08-03T21:05:00.001-05:00

Looking good!

Portland Trip

2008-08-03T17:11:00.005-05:00

Last week I was in Portland visiting Chris. The trip was really great and it was good seeing a lot of old friends. King is doing some pretty cool thing for the near future. At PDX they had a really nice display of all the bikes that are built in Oregon.

This is Chris Kings frame on display.

Jones

Check out the custom stem that takes the place of the King bearing cap. Very cool and a glimpse of what King and a few others are doing.

Sausage Fest 08

2008-08-03T15:42:00.005-05:00

Tammy and Ian decided to cook a bunch of sausage and Ian made a great batch of home brew beer to go with all the sausage. These wasn't your boring sausage. This was a bunch of really unique sausage. The party was great and the food and beer rocked! Thanks for the party. We can't wait until next year.

Paige trying to catch a butterfly

Kids being kids

Look at all that sausage

Ian carrying everything to the grill

The cooks in action

Random photos

2008-08-03T15:18:00.011-05:00

Paige and Claire enjoying being sisters

Bele Chere is a festival that happens once a year in downtown Asheville. Thy claim it's the biggest free festival in the South. It does bring out a lot of folks and interesting folk I might add. This is a 12 year old jamming on the street.

There was a really good reggae band playing and the bar was too packed to get in. So a bunch of people (included myself and Bill) decided to go to the alley where we could see and hear them. They were rocking the house down.

We took the girls downtown to Bele Chere on Saturday and do some of the fun kids activities.

Claire's expressions are getting pretty funny.

Paige and Mommy dancing in the streets. What's new!

Short track racing in Portland last week

2008-07-31T20:59:00.001-05:00

Sorry I have not blogged in awhile. I have been in a whirlwind of travel and new things. Last week when I was in Portland I did some short track racing in the evening after a nice road ride. Thanks to CD for letting me use the watermelon King bike to race.

http://photos.oregonvelo.com/p/pdxstxc072108r2/pdxstxc07210823842

Not Much Time To Post

2008-07-05T12:13:00.009-05:00

There have been a lot of things going on around here lately so I have not had much time to write or post photos. Quick recap for the last few weeks.

My new company truck:) This is actually going to be my new rolling billboard for my business. It worked great to transport everyone on the 4th to the park for the firework show.

On our way to the park.

We did a little race for the kids. The dragon boat won but the elephant gave it a good run for it's money.

Caroline's baby shower

Thanks Alex for all these photos of Paige.

Claire kicking on the deck with Mom
Claire with Granddaddy

Photos, photos, and more photos. More about this at a later date.

Relaxing after a long evening of photos

Thad's house. Sweet place...the photo does nothing.
Downtown with the side car bikes

Giving people some rides

I love Fireworks!

2008-06-30T08:29:00.001-05:00

The launch pad.....

Short Track Racing

2008-06-26T12:35:00.002-05:00

This is what we need here in Asheville. I need to talk to a few people and see if this would be possibility. I don't race mountain bike anymore because of the crazy travel involved to race in a few races, and being a spectator at a mountain bike race is painful. When you have a family this type of racing is very appealing. When you can get the whole family involved it’s going to be successful. I have a hard time believing I'm the only one in this area who would take advantage of a month long short track series during the summer. I guess I’ll see what I can do. Check out the link below.

http://portlandracing.com/video-07-30-2007.html

2008-06-24T11:34:00.005-05:00

Now that the tree house is almost complete, Claire is a little older, and Lyn’s ankle is healing I figured it was time to get back on the bike. SSWC http://www.sswc08.com/ is at the end of August so I guess it would be a good idea to start riding again….you think? It always amazes me how long it takes to get in shape and how fast you can get out of shape. I guess all the beer and Oreo’s over the last 3 months has not helped. I’m about as fast as a turtle right now. Hopefully I can get my legs in good enough shape to enjoy the up and coming trip to Napa.

Whoa

2008-06-20T12:56:00.002-05:00

Thanks Chris for sending this to me. This is pretty crazy. I couldn't imagine building this thing.

A Great Fathers Day Weekend

2008-06-17T15:49:00.006-05:00

A fantastic Father Day and it was all because of my 2 girls and my wife. I hope all of you Dads had a great day on Sunday.

Redneck pool

Claire loving life

Bill reading to Paige

Paige driving us home. Shhhh...don't tell anyone we do this.

Steve, I'm flying this beautiful flag just for you

Lights on the tree house. I know.....I'm crazy.

Weekends Are So Fun!!!!

2008-06-09T19:31:00.007-05:00

Once again not much time to write so here is a small recap of the weekend.

- Wednesday night Lyn almost broke her foot. It turned out to be a really bad sprain. 6 weeks to recover.

- Friday night Paige I spent our first night in the tree house.

- Saturday did a good road ride, took a nap, and went on the 7th annual running man pub crawl downtown. 100 or more people showed for the outing.

- Sunday Randal and Stef were in town from MN.. Did a good mountain bike ride with Randal, eat some good food from the grill, sat in the tree house and watched the sunset and had a few beers. Also put up the new pulley system so you can send a basket from the house to the tree house. My days in JH working on lifts finally paid off.

Pub crawl

New pulley system to tree house

I had a few people ask for a few more photos of the tree house. Here they are.

Another Big Weekend

2008-06-02T20:25:00.005-05:00

Sorry no time to write much. Let me sum it up.

1 – Went to a baby shower and ended up seeing an old acquaintance from Lincoln that I have not seen in over 15 years. He and his family live her in Asheville. Very cool!

2 – Went to a flapper party. Rented a yellow zoot suit and Lyn wore her cool beaded dress. Lots of fun!

3 – Finished up the second story of the tree house. I cannot believe it’s almost complete.

4 – Actually found some time to do a little biking.

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Paige in the top room of the tree house

Yellow suit

Girls looking good

Fantastic Weekend With Family

2008-05-28T17:21:00.014-05:00

Where do I start? This last week and weekend was full of excitement. My parents (who will now forever be called Grandma & Grandpa) flew into Knoxville last Wednesday night. I happen to be in Chattanooga that day for work and came through Knoxville when they got to town. I picked them up and headed back to Asheville. I was able to take Thursday, Friday, and Monday off of work so we could all spend of good quality time together.

Thursday Grandpa & I worked on the tree house preparing the big swings for our Sunday party. We worked on this new addition pretty much everyday little by little until it was completed Saturday night. Great addition to the tree house. Thanks Grandpa for all the help. All the kids on Sunday loved it.

Grandma and Grandpa brought us a little treat from Nebraska. If you from the Midwest you know all about this little guys. There called mushrooms. For all you California hippies it’s not the mushrooms you’re thinking of. These things only come around for a few weeks out of the year. They brought two big bags with them. On Thursday night my Mom did her magic cooking and we eat mushrooms until we about exploded. They are awesome!!!!!

Thursday night I learned about “Bo In A Bottle”. A little inside joke on Grandpa. You’ll have to ask him about it. I have been sworn to secrecy on this one.

Friday brought great weather, several trips to Lowes, Home Depot, and a great night out on the town. Downtown was living up to its name on Friday night. We ate so good food and turned Paige loose with all the spinners. Great free entertainment.

Saturday lead to more trips to Lowes and more building on the tree house. Saturday night we had a few more mushrooms to cook up so we did. Mmmmmmm good!

We had Claire baptized on Sunday so we had an after church party with some friends, family, and neighbors. It was a good time.

Before we new it it was Monday and Paige and I were taking Grandma and Grandpa back to the airport. Time really flies when you’re relaxing and having a good time. I cannot wait until they come back.

Shelley I’m sitting in a hotel posting this so you have some photos to look at.

Nice Bike

2008-05-19T09:38:00.002-05:00

No golf just some good single track?

Family Beach Trip Dedicated To Mothers

2008-05-11T16:57:00.013-05:00

As I get older and became a parent almost 3 years ago things have started to change. It’s funny how we all go through different phases during our lives.

As all of you know I love cycling and it gives great joy along with much needed mind balance every time I go. When I don’t ride I can really feel it in my thinking process. My mind becomes slower, ideas don’t come to me as easily, and I’m restless. A person with my high energy level needs riding in their lives…..but I do digress.

I have realized a more important roll and that’s being a father and a husband. My girls and I aren’t getting any younger and everyday something new happens or changes. I have really become in tuned to this, and I don’t want to miss anything. Even if it means I don’t ride some good single track, or a great road ride, I have decided to be near my family as much as possible. Not that I’m not going to ride my bike (that could never happen), but for the next few years it going to be at a much different level and involvement.

This weekend we went to Folly Beach in South Carolina. It’s only about a 4 hour drive and we had reservation to stay in an ocean front home. The Williams (and their 2 children) and us went together for a Mother’s Day weekend full of fun for our lovely wives and our kids.

We left Thursday morning and were on the beach by 1pm. The weekend was a lot of fun! The kids had an absolute blast and the Mothers got to rest and enjoy themselves. Normally on a trip like this in the past I would have brought my road bike, but not this time. The bike was not going to build any king of family harmony or quality time. Instead of head out for a ride in the morning Paige and I would walk the beach at 6:15am and search for treasures. No ride could ever top the time I spent with Paige.

We stayed until Sunday late morning and headed home. Once we got home today Lyn went out on a road ride and I’m watching the kids. I’m going to get some take out when she gets back. It the least I can do for such a great mom and wife. I cannot wait until we do this again. All of you Mothers out there Happy Mothers Day!!!!!

Paige heading for the water right when we got there

Claire, Lyn, Sarah, and Bill enjoying the beach

Bill making the girls a little sand swimming pool

Lyn Grandparents happen to be in town. They stopped by for a quick visit.

Sarah and Claire kicking it

Paige and Sarah getting ready for bed.

Harrison and Claire flirting with each other

A quick trip to the Charleston Aquarium

William family photo

Paige and myself

The girls hanging out on the turtle

Super bed head

Lyn and Paige

The two youngins on the beach

Sarah takes a digger off the backside of the sand wall

Paige and Lyn getting some sun

Harrison loving the camera

Grill master Bill. Cooking up some great fresh fish.

All the girls. What a great group.

Sarah and Paige eating a little dinner on the deck

Mother's Day breakfast

The crew

Star Wars

2008-05-04T21:28:00.002-05:00

I was told to check this out tonight. Pretty darn funny.

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Bay Area Meets NC

2008-04-30T18:32:00.007-05:00

We had two visitors this week for California. Curtis http://www.ingliscycles.com/ and Jeff. They flew into Nashville on Tuesday night to partake in a race in Fayetteville, TN this Friday. Ken, myself, and a few others were able to convinced them to drive to Asheville to do some riding.

Below are a few photos of our riding adventures yesterday. Gabe (Smoke) joined in on the fun. Being the out of shape guy I am right now I could only put in about three and half hours on the mtn with them in the morning.

We went downtown from some good grub and a little tour of the basement of Hearn’s Bike Shop http://www.hearns-cycling.com/ in search of all bike stuff. We found a few cool things but nothing to write home to mom about.

Back to the house for a quick nap and before I hooked them up with a few friends around 6:30pm for another dose of riding. Curtis and Jeff got a good 5 ½ hours of riding in yesterday.

This morning we had breakfast at the Moose Café and they hit the road with a destination of Tsali. I’ll see all of you in August for worlds. Thanks for visiting and riding “The Back Yard” trails.

Ready to roll on a cool morning

Trying to figure out the camera.

Climbing to the top

Taking a break before more great riding

Photo says it all. Welcome to NC you Napa and Bay Area Boys

Trash or treasure?

Paige was happy to see us make it home

Gabe and Curtis climbing up to Five Points

Big Weekend

2008-04-28T18:49:00.009-05:00

Where do I start? It was a great weekend with a few issues that started to drag me down but I rallied through them. We had a wedding to go to at Duke on Saturday night. It was a Vet school classmate of Lyn’s and they were getting married at the Duke Chapel. So we decided Saturday morning we would get an early start and head to my parents place, drop the kids off, and head to the wedding. Luckily it was a 6pm wedding.

Saturday morning we left around 9:30am. First stop Winston-Salem for the girls to eat and take a little break from the car. I also had a little work to do in WS so it was a perfect stop. Ya…well that went down the tubes fast. My work that was supposed to take about 30 minutes maybe an hour turned into 3 hours of hell. I’m not going to go into details but let’s just say when all the wheels fall of the wagon it’s no fun.

I think it was around 2:15pm when we left WS and still had a 2 hour drive to the grandparent’s house and another 45 minute drive to the wedding which I remind you was at 6pm. We got to the house at 4:30pm and unload everything, ironed my clothes, got all cleaned up at light speed, and where on our way at about 5:10pm.

We made it to the wedding right when the bride was getting ready to walk down. Wow…we actually made it. The Duke Chapel is AMAZING!!!! It was beautiful! You would see people at the wedding looking around at the chapel during the wedding. It was mesmerizing.

After the wedding we headed to the reception at an art museum. On our way to the reception we drove through the campus and wow….no wonder why it’s crazy expensive to attend Duke. The campus was one of a kind. Most places are all cement but not this place. I know where my poor kids will never be able to go college.

The reception was really nice and we stayed until about 9pm. Big night for us old folks with kids. We headed back to the grandparent’s house to put Claire to bed and get some sleep ourselves.

Sunday was a lot of lounging for the first half of the day. That was needed. We took the girls to a nice park a few miles from the house that had some talking trees. Paige enjoyed the hiking and had a blast with all the insects. She was hold ladybugs, worms, caterpillars, and frogs.

This morning we got up and headed back home. Another couple hour stop in WS and we were back in Asheville a little after 5pm. It was a great time seeing family and friends.

The First Floor Is Almost Complete

2008-04-23T17:00:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to take a few week break from the tree house. I have all the outside walls, safety rails, and so on completed. It can officially be played in.

More Tree House

2008-04-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

I did a little more work on the tree house today. I got the back steps built and the safety bars on the front rails around the porch put up. It amazes me how much time it takes to build all of this. Hopefully I can get this thing completed within the next few weeks. Paige has been helping me and she really loves hanging out in it.

Park Party

2008-04-20T20:00:00.008-05:00

Our neighborhood park puts on three events a year. Yesterday we had the party but it started to rain after the food was served. They decided to postpone the band until today. So today we headed back to the park for some good local music and hanging out with the neighbors. Here are a few photos of the event. Due to the weather it was as big as a turn out as it usually is, but we still had a great time.