...and five months later... First a little context. I decided to make meself a margarita before I commenced typing tonight. I've got 65 dollar-a-bottle tequila mixed with 99 cents-a-bottle sweet and sour mix. Just didn't feel like heading down to Lowes Foods for the mixer. Somewhere during my 30 to 40 mile bike ride with the group tomorrow, I'll regret this drink, but in the mean time and in between time let's enjoy shall we?
Everyone wants to know how Karen is doing. Let's see... it's August, she's completely pregnant, enjoying being over the poison ivy that attacked her about three weeks ago and is recovering from our vacation. Let's expand on each thought. It's now early August and July left much of the nation with record high temps. The outlook for the next few days portends some relief, but if not Karen might insist on no anesthesia for me during my near future vasectomy. Regarding the poison ivy, we think the dog got some PI oil on him and then transferred it to Karen. She was really in tough shape for about three weeks but has comnpletely recovered now. And then there was vacation.
Long story short we ended up in North Myrtle Beach in a roach motel during perhpas five of the hottest days of the year. Add to that a total of 13 adults and 15 children under the age of 11 and you start to understand how the 65 dollar-a-bottle of tequila came into being. It was really nice to see all the Pearson folk, but truth be told the accomodations mixed with the hellish temperatures and Karen being eight months pregnant took their toll and we ended up leaving after four days instead of the planned six. It probably wasn't the wisest of decisions to go at all, but the lure of quality time with family is strong for Karen, so if she got thrity minutes of close time with her siblings or neices or nephews then she would tell you it was worth it. I'd buy another bottle of tequila and get back to you.
Seems everyone wants to know my opinion of Floyd Landis these days and that's a tough one. As a rational scientist I have to admit that all the evidence points to exogenous introduction of testosterone. As a cyclist with a heart that can spell Mennonite I have to plead, "Say it ain't so Joe". The real problem I have is that regardless of the outcome, the outcome casts an even darker cloud over cycling than it already had hanging over its head in recent years. Take the case where he is guilty. This would simply confirm the widely held suspicion that doping is de rigeur in professional cycling and the ill effects are obvious. Now, take the unlikely case where he is indeed innocent. The problem here would be that the process of winning the Tour de France would be: amass the smallest amount of time to pedal one's ass 2,200 miles around France and then assemble the best legal defense team to defend the victory in the courts, WADA etc. Screw that! So I leave you with these thoughts. Ride your bikes. Wear your helmets. Don't cheat. Don't ever give in to redefining what is right and wrong.
