The Biciklista

ESPN360.com is

2008-10-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

the shit!!!!!!

I was totally unaware that I can get this at home for free, thanks to my AT&T subscription.

As a result I watched for the first time in the USA - Euroleague basketball game between Unijaca Malaga and Olympiacos.

Slovo Gorcina

2008-10-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.slovogorcina.ba

ZARA

2008-10-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was informed by my sister that ZARA opened a store in Old Orchard Mall recently. Now I can get some eurotightandtacky clothes 10 minutes from my work. Well, OK. One can find some decent clothes for women there, but for men - so so. I guess it's a bit edgier than Banana Republic or J-Crew, but I predict thousands of Europeans who live in Chicago are already swarming the place.

M-L-S

2008-09-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

I was craving fish and chips last night for dinner so I ended up going to the Globe Pub. I knew that Chicago Fire was playing LA Galaxy (you know - the team Beckham plays for). When I got there it was pretty empty, the two buses of fans going to the game in Bridgeview already left and apparently from Stewart's comments, 3/4 of those fans were women. How come??????
I ate my food and watched the game while chatting with the waitress and a nice older fella from Argentina who happens also to be a Roma fan. The dude was loaded it seemed and he kept showing me pictures on his iphone from various stadiums around the world he's been to, and various ex girlfriends he's been there with. He just came back from Buenos Aires and he was showing me pics from La Bombadera (Boca Juniors game I watched on TV last sunday). Next time I see him, I gotta find out what kinda businness he be in.
Anyway, back to the game. I actually thought that the game was excellent in terms of quality of play. I might watch MLS playoffs when they start.

Hideout Block Party

2008-09-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

I have done a lot of stuff lately, just havent had time to blog about it.

I had an amazing time over the weekend at the Hideout Block Party, an event that seems to get better year by year. The lineup was as diverse as you can get and that made for a great crowd as well. Neko Case live under the stars was an unforgettable experience. Summer is not over, the forecast looks great for the next week or so with my bday coming up on Sunday. There is a Fall Fling series of bike races over the next two weekends, but I rode my bike 3-4 times since the beginning of the month, so I guess I am out.

Forte.

2008-09-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging politics lately but who didnt talk about it over the last two weeks? The conventions were timed perfectly before the start of the NFL season. The wait is now over and the Bears' season started last night. And what a night it was! Forte rules!!!!!!! I dont mean the Performance brand of bike parts , but the rookie RB Matt Forte. All eyes were on Orton, and not much was expected from new running backs, other than maybe higher average as compared to Benson's -2.4 yds gained average.
I cant say he's Adrian Peterson (of the Vikings), but it sure is good news that the Bears might have a RB who can make a few decent plays from time to time. That's all we need, a QB who doesnt throw stupid interceptions and doesnt fumble the ball, RBs that make plays on 3rd down, and defense that does its thing- the way they do how they do.

In unrelated news, Britney's back!!! I dont know if that's good o' bad but it made the newswire.

Traitor Joe

2008-09-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

I think that Dick C. should take Joe L. hunting to thank him for a job well done last night at the RNC.

Swiftboat that!!!!!!!

2008-08-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

"Hey what's up dude?, haven't talked to you in a while whatcha up to?"

"I am watching the convention, Obama is supposed to speak in an hour."

"Come on, it's all the same BS, politicians doing their thing, promises blah blah they just wanna get elected and then it's all the same. Let's watch the game!"

This is a conversation I had with my buddy, myself being the one watching the convention.
I am neither young and naive to be starstruck by Barack Obama or old and cynical to be indifferent to the upcoming election. I, and noone else in their right frame of mind can afford not paying attention. What has happened to this country in the last 8 years is scary, on all fronts and time is running out if we want to preserve what is left of the great dream and source of hope that my family saw in America when we moved here in 1994. We had a choice to move to any other European country after my native Bosnia-Herzegovina was englufed in a horrible war. Instead, we came to the USA. The Star Spangled Banner that I used to see being raised a lot in the Olympics and the flag that Rocky wrapped himself in when he beat the crap out of Drago - was now my flag. Not to get into the last 14 years of my life here, but I have become a citizen of this country not just for the fact that I carry a US Passport, but that I care about the direction this country is going in and the well being of its citizens.
After last night's speech at the DNC, I am excited about a possibilty that this nation has produced a leader who can revive the dream and hope I want my kids to have living in this country. It has nothing to do with Obama's race that made last night's speech historical, it was its content. He said everything that I wanted to hear, from the social issues I am passionate about and the foreign policy strategy that has caused so much travesty in the last 8 years.

Throw all the media hype and great oratory skills away, this man is for real (just like the first time I saw him speaking at the Daley Plaza at an anti war rally during my college days when the rest of the Dems were scared to stand up) and millions of American people see that. If it took 8 years of misery to bring this about, I would say that it was almost worthed - but I know better.

Swiftboat that Karl Rove!!!!!!!!

TOOBRRRR

2008-08-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

A lesson I simply fail to learn.

Staying in the back is not a good position in a race when you do not have fitness to match any accelerations needed to bridge and jump across bad wheels. Truth be told, I was second to last Cat 5 racer to get his bib number/chip so had to squeeze myself in at the back as the directions were being read (well I gotta have an excuse, the list is getting shorter and I was left to blaming quality of air in Oak Brook)...but still. I lasted 3 laps out of 6 with the pack and when that moment of weakness came, there was noone behind me (by that point the other dozen or so riders who started got dropped). The guy in front of me started jerking his bike around as we rode up the incline and coming down on the descent, when the gap was forming, I seriously thought he was gonna pass out and crash. I was too afraid to jump around him with open traffic in the other lane. I also made some bad nutritional choices - just too many energy food flavors (berry pomegranate vitamin drink on the drive up, odwalla bar, mocha clifshot, lemon lime gatorade in a race bottle) in a stomach that was cramping up and I almost puked. I am still washing away the taste in my mouth as I am writing this, yuck.
The gap was there and that was that. Due to a short course, many overlapping fields and registration problems (chips and all) that delayed and shortened the race, I was asked to hang it up by the official on the motorbike. The pack was no more than 50 m ahead of me but at that point I was gonna take myself out.
I clocked the max speed of 57.4 km/hr (35 something mph), on the 31st St. straightaway, in an attempt to move up a few positions. With that wind, I wanna see what the final sprints looked like for the higher categories.
And so the season pretty much ended. I have undeperformed but at least I raced enough to identify my mistakes and realize that I need to find and follow a training program and learn more about my body and its limits. I am not a high school athlete stressing over his results and performances, but with all the monies going into this I might as well go the extra mile. My HRM is still in the box never been used, so this winter it's time to get hooked up. I plan to learn how to fix/maintain bikes over the winter so I can be self sufficient for repairs and adjustments. Other than than, it's almost fall time, I have 5 days off in a row this week so I think I am going to get out of town and hit the beach to show off my tan lines.

Oh, judging by the Beckham's football kick and that horrible rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" during the closing ceremony, the English better start working on those opening ceremonies right now, because that just sucked.

Tickets for cyclists.

2008-08-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bike-laws-crackdown-webaug22,0,3716423.story

Hey!

Here is an article from yesterday's Tribune. As much as I sympathize with the lack of respect we as cyclists get on the roads, especially when training, I do feel that it is getting kinda congested on the city streets. I drove to Wicker Park last weekend on a friday night and the number of irresponsible cyclists (and those walking their bikes as if though they were fashion accesssories) is disturbing. No helmets, no lights....no brakes in some cases, wearing dark clothes, weaving through traffic......come on. Lakeview/Lincoln Park area is no different, other than they are riding mountain bikes shirtless wearing Cubs hats. More effort needs to go into education of urban cyclists/commuters on proper behaviour in traffic and raise awarness of dangers of urban cycling. It is admirable that more people are getting out and riding but WE SHARE THE ROAD, and there are rules to follow.
I stop at red lights, I try to be a safe defensive cyclist if not for anything but for my own good.
As much as it would suck to get pulled over, I think some people will not get a clue until they have to pay up. Better than losing a life or carrying a burden of taking a life because of someone's lack of good judgement.

Not so lucky this time.

2008-08-11T14:28:00.002-07:00

It was gonna happen anytime now for sure. Woke up late Saturday morning and skipped the race in Grayslake, enjoyed a nice breakfast at The Grind, and then dressed up for a late morning ride on the lakefront path. By 11 am it was already busy and I rode slowly to avoid any trouble. Just before the Navy Pier on the banked section of the path, I was passing people up above the southbound lane when some kid made a sudden U-turn into me and after a little balancing act I ended up falling over. Scraped my elbow and thigh, but nothing too major. The lifeguard gave me some alcohol pads and gauze and I administered first aid to myself, reminiscing with her about my 3 summers as a Chicago Park District guard. The good old times!
I raced on Sunday in Glencoe, chip timing and all. Thirty plus lined up. Nice course with two narrow turns (#2 and final turn), basically 90 degree on small side streets. You hade to make the turn precisely or you're on the grass. Very first lap, turn #2, guys in front of me go into the turn too fast/wide one hitting the curb and falling on the grass, the other braking in panic and falling over sideways-right in front of me.
I unclipped, stuck my foot out and came to a stop. The speed was low and I kept it up, but had no way to go around as the field sped away. Now, the rule says if you get stuck behind a crash, you chase. So I chased, not succesfully though. This was not what I needed considering all my crappy performances but that's life. I came close to bridging up on the 3rd lap, but at that point I was getting gassed and settled into my own pace riding to finish. Anyway, I finished the race, getting lapped after 26-27 mins of riding solo. They gave me 26th place finish. It sucks but it's all part of the experience.
My evening went much better as I watched Jeepers Creepers (I and II) on Ch.50, had some delicious lentil soup my friend made, and saw Meat Puppets play at the West Fest. Serenity Now!

Race before the race

2008-08-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

So,

here we go again. Another race report.

After being spanked at the Chicago Crit, I signed up for the first heat of the Tour of(de) Elk Grove Village the same evening. I actually took my bike to work and did interval sessions very close to my Skokie workplace (a stretch of Lehigh going northbound from Dempster). I got a few good sessions Mon-Wed and was still able to get home before 8 pm - something I could not do training on the lakefront path averaging 16-17 mph.

Anyway, Saturday comes around and for some reason I estimate that it would take me half hour to get to Elk Grove from my Lincoln Square apartment. Left my place at quarter to 8, and by 8 found myself stuck on I-90 moving snail pace, screaming and shouting with my windows down. Apparently, the bridge at Lawrence Ave. was falling apart and the crews were cleaning up the debris - reducing the traffic to one lane. After that it cleared up and I stepped on the gas pedal. I parked my car at 8:35 (my race starts at 9:00 am), scrambled to pump up my tires while putting on my shoes and gloves and a helmet. Picked up my bib number at 8:54 and procedeed to put my number on MY right side. Erik was giving me advice to stay up front but I was focused on getting to the line in time that it seemed I was blowing him off. I hear a first call to the line and I had not even gotten a lap around the course, let alone a warmup. This was going to be a disaster! At the line, I realize that MY RIGHT side is everyone else's LEFT side, so I tell the official to let me switch my number. As they were reading the instructions, I put my jersey on ready to go, lined up third row or so. I pulled a sneaky move when the pace car was getting through and moved to the first row. Everyone was slow to get back to their position, I just took the open slots. But, as always, I missed a clip in and ended up mid pack as the race started.
First two laps went fine, U-turns were slow enough and there were no crashes. On the third lap I was towards the back of the pack chatting with teammate Matt. I tried to move up on the straight sections but couldn't gain more than 4-5 wheels and I again found myself at the back going through the last turn. I guess my lack of warmup finally kicked me in the ass and I couldn't accelerate to move up. Slowly, I started fading but it was a bit of good luck because there was a big crash in the pack (one rider flipping over his bars), and I was able to ride through the mess. Ended up riding the last lap and a half with 3 more riders that popped off the back and came in 27th on the day.
Can't complain considering that I almost missed the race.
Back to training on Lehigh. I hope to get to know the people who leave on that stretch of road, the kids are waving at me as I go up and down. It's pretty cool.

A big thanks to the Mayor of EGV, who's put on a phenomenal event 30 mins (well, depending on traffic conditions) from my home.

Chicago Criterium.

2008-07-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy!

The reality of crit racing sinks in again.
Line up in the second row - miss a clip in - slow down for the second turn down Jackson Ave. - watch the leaders go bye bye down Michigan as you're trying to sprint out of a turn. After sprinting down Michigan finally caught the leading group, but took the uphill turn on Balbo way wide, didn't downshift enough for the kicker, and basically started the chase all over again. The pack was really moving down Columbus and the second time down Jackson, the front 15 already gapped the rest of the field leaving the rest of us to try and form groups. After a lap I found 2 partners in crime- or should I say despair- and we tried working for a few laps wanting to finish the race. I've been dropped after the first 10 minutes of intense riding before but I typically find some rythm to ride it out, but the Ref. was having none of that in the first Cat.5 heat and eventually pulled us even though we were not even half a lap down. Most of the dropped riders got pulled leading to a total of 17 riders finishing the race. Anyway, it was a fast lead group containing 4 teammates whom I knew were prime contenders to win the race. Tom won it in a powerful sprint and Kyle got 3rd. Amazing results. In the second heat things were a lot more compact as the speed was just bit slower according to the announcers, not to blow the race apart from the start. Another 1-3 finish for XXX. So much praise in the awards ceremony was given to the team for its work on the new racer development, and one could not agree more, even if it takes a year or two or three :).
I returned to watch the races after a shower and breakfast. In general everyone was moving freakin' fast from the start hoping to win in the first ever Chicago Crit. Some fields were nearly halved by the end of it, highlighting the discrepancy in the physical preparation needed to compete with the big boys. But I am sure everyone enjoyed having an opportunity to just take a lap on this awesome course.
Hats off to my MS-150 riding buddy Ed Ekstrom of Tower Racing who in his second race ever managed to take 3rd in a highly contested Masters 4/5 race. I didn't see the finish, but when I ran into him and was told about the result, I can tell there is a new star in the works.
I will race the rest of the August events, which is a change in plans. So far this year I have done 2 (two) intervals training sessions, including one on Saturday.
I have gotten lazy and less motivated to ride on the lakefront path after work because of all the dangers that it entails, which leaves me to weekend rides and half hour trainer sessions to keep me in shape. Just on Saturday morning, I almost crashed full speed into a runner (listening to his ipod-but of course) on the south side who in his infinite wisdom decided to JUST turn around in the middle of the path. Now, I've had this happen to me before and even though noone else was near, I went into the opposite lane to give myself enough space in a case the sudden turn happened. It's a good thing I am bilingual and people generally don't understand when I swear but even without that I probably scared the crap out of the guy.

Reckless Driving!!!!?????

2008-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am copying a story from VeloNews about a "doctor" who intentionally stepped on the breakes in front of a group of cyclists. This person should be put away for a long time (longer that 7 years), because these incidents are not just a case of reckless driving but an attempted MURDER.

Doctor charged in one road-rage case, linked to another
By VeloNews.com
Posted Jul. 13, 2008
A California physician alleged to have braked suddenly in front of two cyclists has been charged with four felony counts and could face more than seven years in prison if convicted, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Christopher Thomas Thompson, 59, was charged Friday with two felony counts each of reckless driving causing injury and battery with serious bodily injury in connection with a July 4 incident that sent one cyclist flying through his car’s rear window and the other to the asphalt.
The cyclists, Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr, alleged that Thompson deliberately bit the brakes in front of them after they exchanged words while descending Mandeville Canyon Road.
Peterson, 40, suffered broken teeth, a broken nose and serious cuts on his face that required 90 stitches to close. Stoehr, 29, had a shoulder separation that he said would require surgery.
Thompson has not spoken to the press about the crash. His lawyer, Peter Swarth, has called it “an unfortunate accident.”
But the Times report quotes a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman as saying that Thompson was involved in a similar encounter with cyclists on March 11, also on Mandeville Canyon Road.
According to LAPD Capt. William Eaton, another pair of cyclists riding on Mandeville Canyon Road accused Thompson of running them off the road and then shouting at them. The Los Angeles city attorney's office declined to file charges, according to the Times.
Advertisement

Thompson, who is free on $30,000 bail, is to be arraigned Aug. 1 at the airport branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court, the Times reported. If found guilty on all counts, he could face up to seven years and eight months in state prison.

Adio Barba!

2008-07-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=768426

This man is a legend. A class act!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EROzqjRpU8c&feature=related

Pollsters are getting out of hand!!!! Take 2

2008-07-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/potential-first-ladies-get-mixed-reviews/20080702065609990002

I know I'm just copying the Yahoo and AOL headlines but it's amusing. I think the two potential first ladies need to have a bakeoff or a swimsuit competition.

Pollsters are getting out of hand!!!!

2008-07-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-candidates

Now that the primaries are over and November is far away, it's down time for the pollsters. That's why they have to come up with stuff like this.

Peoria Corner Bakery

2008-06-30T13:22:00.001-07:00

Ahoy!

Another recollection of another sub par performance in a bike race coming your way.

A few days ago I decided to sign up for the IL State Championship Criterium being held in Peoria, IL. I didn’t have an intention of racing this, but signed up anyway. I realized after the fact that the course was what one would call “technical”. Eight corners on a 1.0 mile loop through downtown Peoria seemed like a fun race to watch, but not necessarily participate in for someone who has limited racing experience on such a course. It was going to be a learning experience - hopefully.
I was going down with a couple of teammates and when I received a text message from Erik about a 4:30 am departure I had some second thoughts. It was a summer festival extravaganza in Chicago the day before the race, Stevie Wonder was playing at the Taste of Chicago for free (now who would want to miss that?), and then there was BAM (Belmont Arts and Music Festival) later in the evening with The Redwalls playing at 9 pm. Well, I did manage to wake up and get to his place around 4:45, and we loaded the bikes on the roof rack in the midst of a summer rain shower. Two and a half hours later, we were parked in Peoria watching the juniors warming up on the course.
We had almost 3 hours before the Cat 5 race, so I rode around the parking lot to warm up and watched some of the races. At 9:45 or so we did a practice lap and that was my first look at the corners. The roads were wiiiide no doubt about it, but there was a strong headwind in the longest open stretch of the course that headed into a slight uphill before the final stretch. I lined up and with the sound of a gun 38 of us catfivers were off. After two laps I already started losing ground on the corners as I was very hesitant to take the turns at high speeds without braking, and on the third lap I heard a loud bang ahead, going into a fast descending corner. Seconds later I see Erik getting up from the ground. It was he who crashed after his tube exploded. Instinctively, I slowed down a little to glance if he was ok and lost yet more ground. By this point, I was trying to catch the pack on the windy stretch and that was just not happening. 10-15 meters seemed impossible to bridge, and I could hear my heart thumping as my legs were crapping out.
So I lost contact but kept riding, at least I was going to practice cornering. I can’t say that I didn’t feel like pulling out of the race for a moment (you know, when you’ve realized you blew it 6 minutes into a race) but what good is that. I recovered a few minutes later and then got into a somewhat steady pace and was able to catch 3 others who got spat out from the back of the pack. I eventually got a chance to sprint against these guys but it seemed that I was the only one interested in a little competition at the end of it.
A guy from the local Proctor team ended up winning the race, while Erik jumped back on his bike after a free lap (with a borrowed Zipp wheel) to sprint for 6th. He is one tough dude. The results showed me finishing thirtyfirst. Doesn’t that number sound familiar?

I completely missed the Euro Cup final, but had 3 people text me with updates so I knew that Spain had won it (as I forecasted it, including the goal scorer Fernando Torres). Eventually, I will watch the tape of it. I prefer live viewing of such events anyway.

Sherman Park, Euro Cup recap.

2008-06-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

So, I ended up racing on Saturday at Sherman Park, a race that's organized by my team. I signed up to help out with the setup early in the morning before the first (my) race at 8:00 am. Helped set up barriers, spent 10 minutes trying to sweep off remains of a dead squirrel from the course. That thing was glued to the asphalt, yuck!

Warmed up with 20 mins to go before the race, lined up, had our rights read by the official and Randy, including the warning about not posting up in a case of a victory unless you're way ahead of everyone. Smart thinking, but I for sure wasnt gonna be making that decision today.

Whistle and off we went- a pack of 50 riders, almost half of whom were my xXx guys. I struggled in the past to stay with the pack, either because of fitness issues or turns and subsequent accelerations. This time around, due to the ease of Sherman Park course, I had an easy time riding with the bunch. I rode on the outside a number of laps, not taking advantage of a draft, to which a few teammates commented aloud. " Grab a wheel, don't waste energy!": they'd say, but I felt fine the whole time. Just before the final lap, I was in the middle of the pack when an ABD rider went down inches from me, and that killed any ambitions to take risks and move up on the final lap.

I simply rode it out and finished with the pack. I rushed off for course marshalling duties and didn't get a chance to see and verify the results. A few hours later, I went to check the results and saw no placing next to my name/number. Apparently, the camera couldn't catch my number as I crossed the finish line and since I wasn't there within 15 minutes to review the tape, I was not assigned a placing in the results. Talked to an official and they wrote in a "pack finish" but couldn't alter the posted results. Fine, I wasn't in the top 10 anyway so who cares. My guys went 1-2-3 and that is a great result.

Spent a few more hours marshalling, saw a couple crashes both of which were not supposed to happen if you ask me.

This EuroCup is turning out to be exciting, with Nederland, Portugal and Croatia being the most impressive teams so far. One more game left in the group of death with Italy, France and Romania still in play to go through to the Quarters. Turkey pulled of an amazing comeback Sunday to make the knockout stages, by scoring 2 goals in the final 3 minutes. Now who can say football is not exciting !? You should have watched this game.
I pick Dutch to win the whole thing, but you never know. We'll see.

OMG!

2008-05-28T06:35:00.001-07:00

Lance Armstrong and KAte Hudson (aka the most beautiful person according to the People magazine) are an item.

Move over Cipo, cycling has a new bad boy.
But then again, Ms. Hudson used to date the Black Crowes singer (you know the skinny bearded pothead), so I don't know what that says about her taste. But she is still the most beautiful person according to the People magazine, so who cares.

Monsters and Inter hate

2008-05-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

OK!

So after some debating, I decided to race Monsters of the Midway- a bike race that takes place at the U of C campus. I got there just in time to watch the first lap of Cat 3 race. My girlfriend's work colleague knows a guy on Get a Grip who was racing in the Cat 3s. Also I wanted to see as much racing as possible on a nice day like it was Saturday. Apparently, this guy was waiting for her to come and he brought some cowbells. This guy was so good that he shouted the location and appearance of the bag all while winning a prime on one of the early laps. Impressive. A few minutes later the girls had the cowbells in their hands and were cowbelling the remainder of the race. Not only did they cowbell, they also ran across the park each lap to cheer the racers on twice per lap. Impressive.
Anyway, at 4:00 pm it was time for me to warm up. And so I did. Practice lap and then lining up. I had trouble clipping in but that wasn' the problem as was some sketchy cornering being done by true citizens in this race. No problem, everyone learns with time so I tried to make up ground by sprinting on the straight parts of the course. On the third lap, I had to slow down really bad in order to get through the turns and avoid a few wheels going into the headwind (top part of the course), and by the time I got out of the turns, the front pack created a gap. They were already flying down, as I was getting through the turns. I started hammering and noticed that I had 3 more guys on my tail. Good, maybe 4 can make up the small gap that formed and I dont have to blow up myself chasing the pack. I still dont have enough racing experience to know how much I can push myself to bridge up and not blow up. So I backed off and started working with these guys. 3-4 laps later I realized that the pace of this chase was not fast enough to even avoid getting lapped so I went on my own. I was joined by one of the guys (Flatlandia I think) and we basically traded pulls until the end of the race.

So another familiar turn of events, but the more you race the better you get, or so I am told. Need to train more and eat a little bit less burritos at Garcia's.
It was a great day to race and a great course, hope to do it next year as well.

Woke up the next morning bright and early to watch the last round of Serie A, hoping to see my AS Roma lift the Scudetto for the fourth time. This promised to be a great 90 minutes of football, with Inter and Roma both playing the teams playing to stay in the top division. Inter played Parma and Roma played the other Sicilian team-Catania. In the 10th minute, Roma scored via Vucinic to become a virtual champion at the time. It stayed like that until the second half when Inter introduced Ibrahimovic, who ended up scoring two goals to seal the championship for Inter. Now I know Ibra is my countryman but there is no love between the two of us. He is one heck of a player and a punk, he just plays for the wrong team.

Luis Figo - Cat Killer:(

2008-05-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

In somewhat related news to this morning's incident, I read this

What a moron. No wonder he plays for Inter.

Rabbit Killer :(

2008-05-16T07:10:00.001-07:00

My first roadkill!

Just before I pulled into the parking lot at work this morning, this rabbit runs out of the woods and runs smack under my wheel. I don't know what to say or feel - I am sad for sure. I now somewhat understand the hit and run mentality because I wanted to get away from the scene unseen by anyone, and as quickly as possible (maybe because I was late for work).

It's not a good feeling.

May 1st

2008-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the International Worker's Day. It is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886, for those who don't know the origins of this day.

So, this is to all the working people (A rendition of "Bandiera Rossa" performed by a Slovenian punk band Pankrti).

Ah yes, the blog.

2008-04-30T10:43:00.001-07:00

I know I was forgetting something. Just sent my boss a monthly activity report for the month of April, and remebered that my last blog entry was on March 31 - more or less a month ago. I will write a longer post to summarize my month but in the mean time here is my revised lunch rotation (ever since my favorite pizzeria in Niles moved to Des Plaines). So.....

The Biciklista's lunch rotation :

Monday - Chinese at Chinatown on Demspter and Austin in Morton Grove.

Tuesday - Subway or Jimmy John's. Lately more Subway because of the 5 dollar footlongs (oh yeah).

Wednesday - Falafel Plate at the Gourmet Pita on Touhy Ave.

Thursday - Chicken Legs special at the West of Edens, on payday thursdays it is Al's Beef where I treat myself the Giant Al's sandwich

Friday - Corner Bakery or Baja Fresh.

And there you have it. Now you can totally track me down between 12 and 1 pm on any given work day.

The Solo Fadeaway

2008-03-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

As I said, I was going to start my racing season this year earlier than I did last year. Picking a highly contested Superweek race as your first is not a smart thing to do, especially of you're new to the whole racing thing. Oh well.

My expectations for the race were not much. Due to my irregular training (2 days on, 3 days off...), my fitness was not where it should have been in order for me to compete, and I definitely was not interested in taking a risk of crashing this early in the year, so I was just hoping not to finish last and keep rubber side down. So after an four + hour drive down to Litchfield, a town next to Hillsboro where we had booked a hotel room, I was ready to dive into the bed and get my sleep on. Not before feasting on a burger at the Ruby Tuesday with the rest of the XXXers.

Waking up, breakfast........registering for the race, pinning bib numbers, mixing energy drinks, chatting with the wonderful cycling crowd, taking a lap around the town getting a taste of the infamous brick roads, lining up at the start line. For some reason I was not nervous at all, being surrounded by a number of familiar faces, joking around. We started with the sound of a whistle. The race began with two inclines (not really hills even though we call them that), that quickly broke up the field of 40-50 starters. After the second incline, I was at the back of the main pack, and had left at least 15 riders behind. I was riding smoothly....until we turned into the crosswinds. I was keeping up but barely maintaing contact with the group. The next turn was right into the headwind, and that was it for me. I felt pain in my lower back, and that's the way my body tells me....:"hey, you suck!" I was being passed by the people who got dropped on the inclines. The rest of the ride was basically trying to finish this - now ride - and possibly pass a few more people ahead of me. At the half point, I had three guys in my sight , but I misjudged one turning blind descent and almost ended up in the ditch. I unclipped and barely stayed upright sliding with my bike onto the edge of a narrow road. I was in the biggest gear, anticipating to hammer down the road, gaining all the speed from going downhill. Well, there was a short steep incline ahead and I ended up pushing my bike to the top. By now, I had lost additional 1-2 minutes, and got passed by 2 more people. Got back on my bike, and eventually passed those two guys, finishing thirtyFIRST.

Now, finishing thirtyFIRST was ok and definitely something to improve on. It is also better than 18 others who finished behind me, did not finish at all, or never showed up for the race (for no valid reason, but registered and took someone else's spot in the sold out race). I discussed Sat. what was worse -DNF or DFL, and not showing for such a great race that was organized so well, is definitely the worst.

Kudos for the town of Hillsboro and the organizers, it makes me wonder how come there aren't more small towns in the Midwest that are willing to put on cycling races. It's one day in a year to do and see something different, be it or not be it a bunch of people in lycra.

The bike had a good night sleep too. The celophane was all Erik's idea. No scrathes on the top tube from transport here.

Long time no blog.

2008-03-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's been a while since I last posted anything. It's not that nothing has been happening in

my life - on the contrary. It's just that I found a way to cheat my way out of long blog entries. I signed up for Facebook, and a cleverly phrased status update can go a long way in conveying my thoughts and activities for the day, if you know what I mean.

Well a lot has happened, mostly regular work/play/kinda- winter- train for the upcoming racing season. And here I am tonight blogging away on a night before I depart with my friends for the first road race of the '08 campaign. Oh no, I don't mean anything political..like 3 am phone call commercials, or running from "sniper fire", and certainly nothing along the lines of misspeaking or my pastor can beat up your pastor kinda campaign. Just a season of bike racing, starting Saturday and ending, hopefully, early October.

So, I have some pictures i wanna show you and give you an update on what's happening.

As some of you may know, this winter set all the records for the snowfall in Chicago. As I am typing these words it is snowing outside. I have exhausted my "I hate this weather" statements so for all I care, let it snow let it snow, let it f-ing snow.

In the absence of my home grow tomatoes and other veggies I planted last summer, as well as random garbage that finds its way on my deck, the possum that hangs around the neighborhood has decided to chew on some furniture. Here you see what happens when possums get hungry.

These are no love bites my friends. This is one hungry, froze ass possum. It is time for some man on vermin violence. It's a good thing I still haven't put away my snow shovel. Don't worry, I am just going to scare it away.

What else......ah! I started collecting paintings. From now on my kitchen is known as the Gallery.I happened to like one of the paintings displayed at my fave neighborhood coffee shop -The Grind, so I decided to purchase it. It's not a Monet, but it's not my best kindergarden work either. Judge for yourself.

Went to New York City for St. Patrick's Day weekend. Had a good time. It's a happening place, what can I tell you. It took me 45 minutes to get a cab. Basically, if you wanna score a cab in NYC on Sat. night on St. Patrick's you have to hijack the cab and its passengers. But maybe that's how it is every Saturday.

You have to love the Joey Ramone Place.

Found a really cool bike shop in East Village.

OK, enough for tonight. I am packing up and getting ready for the trip downstate. I have never been past Urbana, so this is totally new territory for me. Here is a preview of the race from the greatest cycling blog in all of Chicago.

This is what they call cyclocross, boys and girls!

2007-12-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

It's a discipline becoming more and more popular these days. I watched the Illinois Cup Race or something official sounding like that competition at the Montrose Ave. by the lakefront. All in all, it was fun watching for the whole 15 minutes I was there snapping the photos below, but very discouraging in terms of getting motivated to actually partake in one of these races. Snow on the ground, below freezing temperatures and blustery winds coming off the lake is not the type of setting I am used to when bike riding or racing. If I wanted ride my bike in weather like this, I'd do the IDITAROD in Alaska. But maybe I am just not that hardcore yet or perhaps I am still more of a classic road bike type of a guy. Anyway, here are the pictures. See for yourself!

XXX guys are not only fast, they are also smart. Dismount and run seems to be a better strategery.

Well, it's not exactly like equestrian show jumping but it's still impressive.

And down they goooooo..... watch the brakes!!!

Everybody needs a little Wiener's Circle sometimes.

2007-12-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

OK. Clearly blogging on a regular basis will not work for me. And you can forget about the lengthy entries as well - they take too much time. So let's keep it brief.
After stopping by at the Guitar Center and getting some cables, I was contemplating where to go for lunch. Being in the hood known for mexican food joints, I still decided to drive a bit further and go the the Wiener's Circle - a well know dog/polish place in Lincoln Park. It's been a while since my last visit. Everyone in Chicago probably knows of this place, even those Iowa and Wisconsin transplants, so I will not bother explaining the "charm" of this place.
Anyway, ordered a char cheddar burger and fries, and sat next to a round shaped dude. I enjoyed my food no doubt, but this fellow was clearly orgasming eating his cheese fries. When someone looks so happy eating fatty food, then let them be and don't judge. It's winter here in Chicago after all, we all need another layer of something something.

Enjoy!

2007-11-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in quite a while. This past week I was on vacation and did tons of turkey and pumpkin pie stuff, as well as the friends and family in town stuff so I have plenty of material to write a quality post. In a few days time.......

The self-made capp and smokes in this picture are for two special people - one who just had a bday recently and the other who made me laugh my bum off with the jokes e-mail on a friday at 4:30(aka the longest half hour if you're a 9-5 type). A - please stop by for the real thing, and V - this is the best I can do right now about that coffee I owe you.

Oh, I forgot the mineral water. Shoot!

Cigarettes, and carrot juice....

2007-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbN_jhkWlU4

Big Dipper

Cigarettes, and carrot juice
And get yourself a new tattoo
For those sleeveless days of June

I'm sitting on the Cafè Xeno's steps
With a book I haven't started yet,
Watching all the girls walk by...
Could I take you out?
I'll be yours without a doubt
On that Big Dipper

And if the sound of this it frightens you,
We could play it real cool
And act somewhat indifferent

And hey June, why'd you have to come,
Why'd you have to come around, so soon?
I wasn't ready for all this nature
The terrible green green grass
And violent blooms of flowered dresses
And afternoons that make me sleepy

But we could wait awhile
Before we push that dull turnstile
Into the passage

The thousands they have tread
And others sometimes fled
Before the turn came

And we could wait our lives
Before a chance arrives
Before the passage

From the top you can see Monterey
Or think about San Jose
Though I know it`s not that pleasant

hey Jim, Kerouac(The brother of the famous Jack),
Or so he likes to say.
Lucky bastard

He's sitting on the cafe Xeno's steps
With a girl I'm not over yet
Watching all the world go by

"Boy you're looking bad
Did I make you feel that sad?
I'm honestly flattered."

But if she asks me out,
I'll be hers without a doubt
On that Big Dipper

Cigarettes, and carrot juice
And get yourself a new tattoo
For those sleeveless days of June...

I'm sitting on the Cafè Xeno's steps...
I haven't got the courage yet
I haven't got the courage yet
I haven't got the courage yet.

Really looking forward to the Cracker show this Saturday!
Back in the late 90's, when I was still in high school, I saw them play at the Metro. Have been a fan ever since. That same night, our apartment building on Argyle street burned down. I got back home from the show with my sister at about 1:30 am. An hour later we were awakened by the sound of alarms. We all lived to see another day.

I am fixing my tire!!!!!!!

2007-11-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

I've been driving with a slow leaking (left) rear tire for almost 6 months now.
I bought a brand new car when I graduated from college in 2004, and even though I told myself and my dad I would baby it, I really dont pay all that much attention to it. I managed to travel 24000 miles in these 3 years which is well below the average I'd say. Having a new car under warranty helps if you hate going to the mechanic and dealing with the BS quotes and hustling that goes along with it. So far I only needed to change oil and do regular 20000 mile service. But then this tire thing keeps bothering me. Every weekend I abandon my plan to fix it and rather go for a bike ride, and by the time I am back home, you can forget about getting in and out within an hour. So I postpone........over and over again.
I had to borrow a compressor from my boss, use my bicycle pump, drive for blocks with little air until the next gas station only to find out that the air machine is not working or that I don't have enough quarters to get it going. All in all, it's inconvenience but I manage. Until today!
I had to visit a vendor in Elk Grove Village who does teflon coating for the project I am working on. Since I was low on air, I stopped by a gas station looking to air up. Ahead of me in the line for air was this older man with long gray hair and a long gray beard, who seemed very clumsy. His tires were, in my opinion, sufficiently inflated but he decided to check the pressure in all of his tires with the little 2.99 gage and inflate them to the "suggested" kbar-age. I am rather a patient man and despite wanting to get out of there in 2 mins, I found his dropping of the hat every time he bent over, his inability to figure out how to read the gage, running out of air time and having a hard time putting a quarter into the machine very comical. After the 4th quarter a line had formed behind me and I kept laughing, now out loud. When he sat down on the pavement to get a better reach, I knew it was time to move along and look for a different station. I made it to Elk Grove in time but I promised myself that I will fix the damn tire.....this weekend for sure.

Lance Armstrong dating one of the Olsen Twins? WTF???

2007-11-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=21563

Just when you think cycling doesn't need more bad publicity.....he pulls this off.
Damn, I wish it was finally proven that he doped all those years, rather than this.

Read the comments!!!!!!!!

What is he thinking???

A new cable network??? Yes...no

2007-11-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

In my last 2 posts I kinda made fun of the grad students, but to prove that I love making fun of my own kind - the cycling nation, here is a post from a cult blog Bike Snob NYC. If you don't get all the puns or "lampoons" as some like to call them, you just need to have more fixie riding hipster friends.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/10/bsnyc-tv-putting-bikes-on-air.html

Latin Music = Great Party

2007-10-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

So I went to a Halloween party in Pilsen on Saturday.

I was supposed to be Barrett- the graduate student, however Barrett instead decided to stay at home grading papers, after having a busy afternoon going to an anti-war demonstration dowtown and stuffing his stomach full of veggie samosas and biryani on Devon Ave - where he may or may not have picked up a bit of food poisoning. His tummy hurt like hell and despite his wish to eat in one of those authentic IndoPak joints (where all the cabbies go to eat), he realized that he just wasn't cut out for that much curry and spice.

It was time for plan B.

I put on my cycling kit, sprinkled some mud on myself and in just a minute I looked like a 2002 Paris-Roubaix Winner Johan Museeuw (pictured below).

I went with two girls, and since they showed up a bit late and already dressed up (as Frida and a pirate), it was too late to ask them to change into the podium girl outfits to compliment my look.
I am sure that the idea would not have gone down smoothly anyway :(.

The party was great. What made it so good was the DJ, who played mostly Latin music with few hip-hop and 80s tunes mixed in. I danced pretty much the whole time, and even though I didn't know the steps for some of the dances, I did well. All the people there were also very cool and laid back, which made me very glad I went. I ended up talking and dancing with a super cute girl scout for about 3o-40 minutes. I was craving some cookies but she didn't bring any with her that night. She also forgot to bring her boyfriend which I realized at the end of our 40 minute "nice talking and dancing with you" moment. Apparently, her other 2 friends were SINGLE and looking but I never caught on to that. All I could think of were the coooookies.

The other memorable costumes : two graduate students (yeah - the couple) dressed as the red tape whatever that means, not one but two priests, the Brawny man, and the Flavor Flav.

Heading home, we decided to take Damen and check out the scene in Wicker Park, and it was happening big time. These people go all out. One of my cycling teammates played the show at the Double Door, where a bunch of local bands dress up as some other band and do covers. His band was Culture Club. Read his blog! Good times.......good times.

My Halloween Costume - Meet Barrett!

2007-10-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am writing this after texting back and forth with my friend, who invited me to a huge party in Pilsen on the ocassion of birthdays and Halloween. As she asked me if I had any ideas for a costume, I finally remebered what I wanted to be myself. I played around with the idea of showing up in one of my cycling or soccer outfits-taking the easy way out. And as I was in the middle of pressing number 9 key for the third time, the lightbulbs lit up in my head like crazy: "I AM GOING TO BE A GRAD STUDENT FOR HALLOWEEN!!!!!"

How could I have overlooked this hardworking yet underappreciated (not to mention underpaid) segment of our population, when selecting my Halloween persona? I say persona because it is more about showcasing one's acting skills rather than just wearing a costume. After all, most of my friends are grad students and I should be able to pull it off easily. This is my tribute to them, with all their genius and tiny imperfections.

In order to look most recognizable I will wear a pair of Camel infused Levi's jeans (5XX), a gray 50/50 blend stretched out turtleneck (Old Navy), brown cord double breasted jacket with elbow patches (vintage), my black plastic frame glasses, big maroon acrylic scarf (my mom's back to knitting project gone wrong) tied into a loose knot, an optional wool hat or a fedora, all bottomed out with some black Converse All Star shoes. But enough about the clothes.

I will arrive to the party 90 minutes late blaming the CTA, and bring an opened 12 pack Old Style carton (containing 5 Old Styles, 3 PBRs, and two random Goose Island brews - let's say Honker's and 312). I can totally see the chain of events to follow.
I will politely blow off the first 2 people I see on the account of their wearing the high school cheerleader and football player costumes respectively. I didn't hang out with this type of crowd back in the 11th grade, why the fuck would I want to shmooze with them now? They probably didn't even make the squad or the varsity team if they dressed up as such for Halloween. Plus, they will probably ask me what my costume was, and if they can't read through my elbow patches, they're still reading at the high school level. I will proceed to the kitchen where I will store away my beers and survey the scene. I will then be impolitely blown off by 2 ladies dressed as nurses on the account of my scarf and looking nothing like the Dr. McDreamy they're after. The nurses don't like my sense of humor anyway, just read my At the Doctor's post. After an akward 5 minute period of standing by myself enjoying someone else's Belgian beer (perhaps another grad student's who'd spent his study abroad days in Brussells or has now gotten a first teaching job at the junior college and can afford to share with all his awesome taste in beer - acquired at the many post academic conference drinking outings at the Hopleaf), I will spot a cute hipster chick in skinny jeans and a classic blue Sonic Youth t-shirt. We will get into a conversation and I will try to impress her with my knowledge of random indie bands, all of whom I had seen listed on my neighborhood record shop's display board and listened to on myspace. My sporadic and uninvited glances at her overflowing washing machine will piss her off and I will get nowhere. After swiping another smooth Belgian, I will go onto the porch and encounter a couple smoking. "They have to be grad students!" I'll say to myself. And they will be. We will immediately bond over the fact that we've all been turned down for Fulbright's 3 times, that we can live on lentil soup and falafel sandwiches for a whole semester, and that it's so fucking hard to get any grants for the type of enlightening studies we are doing. Our conversation will last some good 45 minutes, in which time I will explain to him (a poli sci major) origins of the conflict in the Balkans, that Milosevic is not spelled Milosowicz, and listen to her ramblings about the time spent in Morocco's Atlas mountains studying Berber tribal culture. The exchange will end when I get invited to a Socialist conference, as I draw the line at the Kucinich type of leftism.

The rest of the night, I will get into a several boring conversations with already drunk people, all of which I will end with the favorite excuse that always works like a charm: " Oh yeah, I have to go home and grade some midterms, I am so behind with everything."

And there you have it. An uneventful fictional Halloween in a pretty uneventful life of a fictional grad student. I guess I'll have to give him a name. Let's call him Ga...Barrett.

Casual Fridays.

2007-10-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday!
I never thought I would be one of those people who would be tired at the end of a 5 day work week, working a regular 9-5 job. I had worked odd schedule jobs until this - my first real job out of college- and I always thought that the happy hour was stupid. I feel differently now.
What I considered even more stupid is the idea of a casual friday, when all the people try to look casual wearing their out of style jeans. In my line of work (engineering) I get to wear jeans almost every day, and casual for me has a different meaning. Well today, my coworkers all showed up in jeans and white walking gym shoes. I don't remember when I saw so many pleated jeans in my life. I forgot that these existed.

How to talk to non-cyclists.

2007-10-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/humour-how-to-talk-to-non-cyclists-12730

Just so we have an understanding.

Chain Letters!

2007-10-11T07:42:00.001-07:00

I just received one of them chain e-mails from a colleague at work (yessssss). It had to do with some picture of what he called "God's eye" taken by the Hubble telescope out there in the vastness of our universe. It is supposed to change my day around (for better I hope) and eventually make an impact on my life so I shouldn't keep this e-mail and need to pass it onto 7 more people. Great, if you're reading this blog you have one chain letter coming your way.
Now, in some respectable companies this kind of e-mail would not be allowed, but neither would blogging so I'll take the chain letter.
What I am getting at is that for me chain letters lost their credibility and intrigue once the copiers and especially e-mails started being utilized for their distribution. In the old days, you had to hand write the letter, put it in the 7 or 107 envelopes, lick them envelopes and put the proper stampage on there. That shows real belief and desire to have your life improved or risk doom by not passing the letter on. Copy and Paste just seems too convenient.

Police evict rebellious ex-nuns from Polish convent

2007-10-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071010/ap_on_re_eu/poland_rebel_ex_nuns

Now, what is a "former" Franciscan monk doing rebelling against Vatican with 65 ex-nuns?

Sting - The worst lyricist of all! WTF????

2007-10-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

According to Blender

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_15548.aspx

I don't know about this Blender publication since I never read a single issue, but I smell a rat.
Any publication that preoccupies itself with the best and the worst lists is stupid to me.

"....be yourself no matter what they say!"

Sting - "Englishman in New York"

At the Doctor's.

2007-10-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, apparently one of my chest hairs decided to give me break and not make a showing on the surface, hoping it would make me look a bit less like Tom Selleck and more like the guys in the BOD commercials. In the process, it created a whole lot of mess underneath the skin and a minor surgery needed to be performed. On thursday, I went too see my doctor and a small incission was made which hurt as hell. I was told to come back on Saturday after taking some strong ass anti bio's which were to reduce the inflammation.
My appointment was for 10:00 am, and I showed up half an hour late, which translated into a 2 hour waiting room experience. Making eye contact for a second with the strange looking dude across from me and then looking away pretending I wasn't looking at him was my only amusement left after reading through a stack of WebMD magazines. At 12:32, my name was called out and I entered the doctor's office. They took my blood pressure, pulse and weighed me again.
I was whole 4 pounds lighter since Thursday. A perfect occasion to say something funny!
Nurse: " You are 209, that's 4 pounds less than thursday night!"
Me: " Yeah, I hooked up with Jenny Craig last night. Four pounds in one night, I really like her program!"
Me (Silent) :" I am sooooooo funny, hahahahahaha."
Nurse : " Yeah.....please have a seat. I'll be right back."
She came back carrying a toolbox of scalpels, needles and various poking instruments. I guess I am done with comedy. When you get this kind of feedback, you're pretty much out.
Half an hour later, I walked out bandaged up and in pain, but y'all don't worry! I'm gonna be OK.

The best birthday ever and the real Scotsman.

2007-10-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

My birthday on Friday was indeed the best ever.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of the most talented actresses, models, animal right activists (slash immigrantgay hater - BB). We all had a great time surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of some of my favorite people - Critical Massers. Dita told me that I looked much better in my spandex outfit than Marilyn Manson ever will in latex, and the rest of the ladies agreed. I am not sure if this was post divorce angry talk and an attempt to score on a rebound, but it sure did feel good and it cancelled out all the hostility I've been getting with the :"Get off the road you f@$%# !" comments while dressed in my cycling outfit.
As the ride was passing through Logan Square, I decided to say my goodbyes, split off, and head towards my apartment in Lincoln Sq. On the way, I encountered a bunch of drunk Cubs fans marauding onto the streets from their "$12 Bud Light buckets and 10 cent wings" corner bar, singing the Go Cubs Go anthem - off tune. The Cubs had clinched the division! All we need to do now is keep our hands away from foul balls, and they might actually go all the way. Nah!

I got home, showered, and changed into my party clothes. A friend was throwing a party in her glamorous 1 bedroom apt. in a trendy WickerS Park neighborhood. Or was it BuckStown? Not really sure, but it is trendy. At the party, I had the honor of meeting a real Scotsman. Living in Chicago you run into a lot of Irishmen and Englishmen, but Scots are a hard find. At first I didn't know what to say, he was surrounded by a crowd of people trying to talk to him about stuff. All I kept repeating in my head was: " Please don't be the first person to bring up Braveheart or quilts!". Let me tell you, if guys are fans of the women with the french accent (I've heard that Russian is also in but my being of Slavic roots, it doesn't do much for me), women at the party were all "one finger playing with the hair and one leg up" over this guy's talk. You could be balding and 100 punds overweight, as soon as you opened your mouth you'd become freakin' Sean Connery. As someone who prides himself on being able to immitate various accents (my Apu and Arnold are superb), it was discouraging to realize that my Scottish is way off. I will never again do my Groundskeeper Willie or the "Choose Life..." monologue from Trainspotting. Eventually, we talked about soccer and the fact that I knew about Motherwell kinda impressed him. Unfortunately I forgot to bring up "The Flying Scotsman" - a movie about a famous Scottish track cyclist. Maybe next time.

Special Invitation To......

2007-09-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is September 28th - my birthday. I will be 28 years old. It is the same age my father was when he married my mother. I know this doesn't mean anything to you all, but as of today every time we get into one of our deep conversations about my plans for the future and stuff, I will have: "Son, I was already married by your age" thrown in, at the very moment I am winning the argument for living the carefree bachelor life I am enjoying at the moment.

I have decided to make this birthday the best birthday of my life. After so many lame ass birthdays, I have finally realized what I need to do. In order to have a better time, I need to party with the people who have the same birthday as me....DUH!
And what better day for it than this Friday - the last friday of the month. It's time for the Critical Mass. It happens to be the 10th Anniversary Ride and supposedly Our Beloved Mayor Daley will be attending (which makes me wonder if Critical Massing is on its way to become an Olympic Sport in 2016????). Anyhow, it is sure to be a spanking good time for me and the people who are getting the special invitation to party the night away with me on my and our birthday:

1) Mira Sorvino (born 09/28/1967)

A big fan of yours. Stunnigly beautiful Oscar winning actress. Loved you in Mighty Aphrodite and The Replacement Killers. Not only do we have the same birthday, but our first names are off by ONE letter! To quote you :"There's a side of my personality that goes completely against the East Coast educated person and wants to be a pin-up girl in garages across America...there’s a side that wants to wear the pink angora bikini!" If you bring some of this attitude with you, you don't need to bring me a gift!

2) Naomi Watts (born 09/28/1968)

By far the most lethal combination of beautiful blue eyes and a gorgeous smile out there (just ask King Kong). I still haven't figured out the ending to Mullholand Drive after watching the damn movie so many times. Maybe I am just focusing on the wrong scene in the movie and cannot get the deeper message David Lynch is trying to send. I am sure you can get me some scoop later during the ride.

3) Gwyneth Paltrow (born 09/28/1972)

My favorite British actress! We can talk about how great the British humour is (Monty Python, Black Adder, Only Fools and Horses), Arsenal vs. Chelsea vs. Tottenham vs. West Ham rivalry, and the new Coldplay album.

4) Dita Von Teese (born 09/28/1972)

WOW! A really really big fan! You might not know it, but we go way back. I am still a little mad at you for marrying that douche Marilyn Manson, but there is always going to be a place in my heart and my hard drive for you Dita. If you know any of the Suicide Girls please bring them along with you. There will be plenty of tattooed guys on choppers at the Mass, I don't want them to be jealous of all the attention I'll be getting.

5) Janeane Garofalo (born 09/28/1964)

I know what you think. He invited all these hot women ahead of me, but the truth is that a cute funny girl with black frames will always be number 1 in my book! Besides, where else can you gather more Bushbashing AnnCoulterhating bunch other than at the Critical Mass. You'll be my and their superstar.

6) Hillary Duff (born 09/28/1987)

My niece is a big fan. Now that you are of legal age to..........VOTE, we can share a pitcher of pink lemonade (you're still not legal to drink alcohol), discuss the upcoming Iowa Caucuses and eventually talk smack about Lindsay Lohan.

7) Briggite Bardot (born 09/28/1934)

French Marilyn Monroe! My dad is a big fan. I'd like to say like father like son but you used to be hot and now you're not. I know you'd like to blame immigrants and homosexuals for that but in reality, it's a natural process called AGING that you have a problem with. If you do come, bring two presents, one from you and one on behalf of Mira Sorvino.

So Ladies,......

Let's make MY and our birthday one to remember.

I have ordered one of those $17.99 yellow birthday cakes covered in Team Lampre color frosting, which we can devour after the ride.

Please bring your helmets, and if I am running a little late keep yourselves busy finishing that Happy Birthday banner.

See you at the Daley Plaza!!!!!!!!

Why Blog?

2007-09-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

I intended to write a meaningful first post on why I decided to join the ranks of bloggers, but nah - it’s better to get straight down to business. This blog will serve as a way for me to tell you (acquaintances and strangers) those thoughts, experiences, and observations that I cannot bother you with in an 11pm phone call or a long ass email. I will try to focus on the positive and stay away from serious politics, celebrity gossip, talking smack about my bosses, and posting shirtless pictures of myself. I will however talk about my big passions: cycling, soccer, music, film, traveling, friends, family,…….etc.

Brief explanation of the blog’s title. Biciklista means “the cyclist” in my native tongue. I added the “the” in front because biciklista.blogspot.com was already taken by a Hungarian mountain biker. Apparently, paprikash is not the only word we share with the Hungarians. I now like the “the” in front of it. It sounds better.