Bubba's Life

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/specials/tour_de_france/2006/07/27/landis.doping/index.html

LONDON (AP) -- Tour de France champion Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race, his Phonak team said Thursday on its Web site.

The statement came a day after cycling's world governing body said an unidentified rider had failed a drug test during the Tour.



I give up on pro racing. :(

Well.. it's finally here. The time of year where I can usually be found on the couch from 9am till noon, nearly everyday. Yes... the Tour de France starts up tomorrow. Three weeks of the most grueling sporting competition on the planet. This year held lots of promise. The first time in eight years that last years champion will not be racing. Last year, Lance Armstrong retired from professional cycling after seven consecutive victories... a record that I don't think will be broken in my lifetime. I must say I was really psyched about the upcoming month.

In the past couple days, however, that excitement has become a knot in my stomach as some of the biggest names in professional cycling have been implicated in a huge doping ring.

( Read more... )

Well... I am still here. Been kind of busy as of late, so I haven't had much time or focus to be able to sit down and update this. We're onto a 10 hour shift at work right now... plus weekends, usually. So I don't get home from work until 9am and by then Jordyn is usually awake, so the free time I had in the mornings to decompress from work and update this and check e-mail is extremely limited. I usually get through my e-mail while she eats breakfast, but then she'd rather have daddy play with her then plunk away at the 'puter. Go figger!

Anyway, I do the work thing, come home and spend time with Jordyn, go to bed around 10:30 or 11 (sometimes after lunch), wake up just after dinner, and spend more time with Jordyn... except on Tuesday nights, which is my night to ride with the club. We're also kicking off our Friday night Ice Cream Rides, which I am co-captain of. Last week I led the "fast ride" and shocked myself by being able to keep the pace up. SWEET!

Really not too much been going on in my life. I'll try to get back into the swing of doing this... I know... I've said that before. But, really... I'll try.

As if the rainy weather we're having today and if the weatherman is right for the rest of the week... and the news I got that most likely I won't be getting laid off work for a week like most of the rest of the guys I work with (was hoping for a week off with my family and my bike (yes, in that order, Rebekah))... now I get this! Ugh!

You Will Die at Age 70

You're pretty average when it comes to how you live... And how you'll die as well.

So last night at work I was reading over the EH&S (Environmental Health & Safety) Committee meeting minutes. It was the usual, accident reports, machine modifications, blah-blah-blah. At the bottom they mentioned that they were going to be doing a self-audit for ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental safety. Apparently, they are going to train four hourly employees to do the audits.. I read through the names... Keith Bryan, Janet Ingersoll, Bob Howland, Rob Gerwig. Wait! Hold on... Rob Gerwig? How the heck did I get volunteered for that? I think I will have to go talk to the HR Manager in the morning about this. I'm not sure I like being volunteered to do things like that.

Meanwhile... did my first ride of the year last week Tuesday. 26.1 miles total. Didn't do too bad but I kind of hit the proverbial wall with about 3 miles to go. That was a struggle.. into the wind and mostly uphill of course. My new pedals worked great, I love them. The new shorts were quite comfortable... but as usual, the first ride of the year resulted in an extremely sore bottom-side for a couple days. OW!!!! Got to toughen up the tushy again for the season ahead. My goal this year is to get in more than 1000 miles... wish me luck!

One more thing, then I have to go... I just wanted to say that I am perhaps the proudest papa in the world right now. The other day Jordyn and I got her new big girl bike out and she took off on her own right away!

Here's a pic...

So a little over two years ago when I applied for my current job at the foundry, a new position that had just been created, I had to agree to stay on the job for two years. Must have had something to do with the month of training in Germany (all expenses paid :)). Anyway, we were told that after our two years were up that they would re-post the jobs, but that if we applied again we would get them. Usually job bids get awarded based on seniority, but because this is a specialized job, it is awarded on previous experience. So there is no reason I shouldn't get it again. Another aspect of the agreement we had to sign, that I apparently had forgotten about was that the Union and company would re-negotiate our pay rate... I figured it would stay the same or get lowered slightly. We have been the highest paid production workers in the shop... by $.08/hr. So imagine my surprise Wednesday afternoon when I saw the jobs posted with an advertised rate $.50/hr more than we were making. SWEET! That extra $20 per week will be nice considering my car is about to die. Just in time. :)

Also, Rebekah and I are working on starting a cycling club at our church. The Director of Congregational Life, fancy title for someone that organizes events, has approached me a couple times now about starting something up. I'm starting to get the ball rolling on that. Thank goodness I have such a supportive wife. Couldn't do half of what I do without her help... THANKS BUBBY! Love you!

Enough for now... keep tuned in for further updates.