Evil Makes A Better Foe

eBay exposes a funny side of society. I'm on my third attempt to sell a Babolat Aero Storm I bought a few years ago. The first two auctions ended with buyers getting a fair deal, but defaulting and never sending me payment. This has been going on for months. I wonder about the thoughts that go through a person's head as they bid sixty bucks on a used tennis racquet. Do they impulsively bid without knowing what they are bidding on? For the sake of mankind's destiny, I hope that's the case. I hope the latest buyer thought he was getting a real deal on the newer Aero Storm model and only discovered that this is the 2009 model after he won the auction and just saying screw you, I'm not paying for that. I'd rather fight willing deceit than plain ignorance; evil makes a better foe.

An Open Letter to President Obama

Lou Pritchett is a former Vice President of Procter & Gamble. He retired in 1989, wrote a book on business strategy in 1995 and sent the letter below to the New York Times in 2009. Snopes confirmed its authenticity later that year. Not surprisingly, given their complicity in Hussein Obama's efforts to re-make America, the New York Times never published the letter. Despite three years of news, vetting and revelations, every point remains right on the mark. I wish I had written it myself. Thanks Lou.

Vince

---

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail..

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything You do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaugh's, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, Conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Thoughts on The Game, 2011

The Game. It needs no other introduction. Its outcome makes or breaks the season. The 2011 edition was especially important given the one-game-season pressure on interim Buckeyes coach Luke Fickell. The Bucks had won seven straight after the Cooper doldrums ended. In Tressel We Trust. Well, trusted anyway. Unfortunately the 2011 battle ended, rather sputtered, with an awkward Ohio State two minute drill that stalled on our own 35 when some scumbag intercepted a Braxton Miller 4th down pass.

34-40? Are you kidding. The last ranked offense in the Big Ten put up 34 points? The last ranked passing offense in D1 (other than Army and Navy) put up 235 yards of passing and two touchdowns passes over 40 yards? C'mon Luke, were you hiding that for The Game? Now that I can respect!

In the old days I'd turn off that idiot Brent Musberger and listen to the Ohio State Football Radio Network. Then came Paul Keels, the voice of michigan football from 1981-1987. Who the hell hired him? Now I listen to the TV. Despite a media bias against Ohio State earned by Woody Hayes decades ago, the last many years haven't been bad thanks to Tressel's winning record. This year was tough though thanks to the mindless repeating of that stupid hail to the victors drivel.

You've got to respect Denard Robinson's speed. Not so much the press release picture ABC flashed up every time he crossed the goal line. With a mug like that he's got to sound like, well, use your imagination. And what's with his touchdown dance? Was he that hungry? Regardless, you've got to respect him.

Speaking of respect, the only blemish on this great rivalry is the shocking absence of judgement by the 1991 Heisman committee. What became college football's ugliest black eye, unsportsmanlike conduct lept to an all time high with the "pose" struck by Desmond Howard that sadly cemented his run to the Heisman Trophy. It endures today as the low point in all of amateur athletics.

Kudos to the michigan cheerleaders for their slit miniskirt, barefoot, somewhat slutty look. Very hot. Of course they can't play on natural grass up north because the cheerleaders will graze on the field. That will always be sad.

The genuine jubilation exhibited by the michigan players when today's game and their seven year losing streak ended was nice. If our winning streak had to end, today wasn't a bad ending. I remember the shallow, jab-me-in-the-eye "Michigan State is our real rival" air michigan fans belched toward the end of the Cooper doldrums. Not me. I would be content beating michigan every year. In my opinion, that wouldn't diminish The Game one bit. I hate michigan. And I'm ready for Ohio native Urban Meyer to come home. Go Bucks!

iPhone, Here I Come

I gave the Android platform two good years a patient and expensive effort, but now it's (finally!) time to move on to iPhone.  As smartphones go, the newest iPhone 4S is clearly the cream of the crop.  My first smartphone, a 2001 Qualcomm PDQ featuring the original Palm OS, was as thick and heavy as a short 2x4.  Wow, what progress a decade of electronics evolution delivered.  That first Smartphone was nothing but a Pilot 5000 molded together with a 2G Sprint cell phone.  Even the graceful Samsung i500 had little web integration and no over the air sync.  iPhone, here I come.  Damn glad to meet you.

The Angry Federal Employee

So I got chosen for the porno scanner at Port Columbus this morning and I had the gall to lower my arms from "the posture" when the irradiation indicator light went off. The angry TSA agent snapped "I said ten seconds! Step aside" and directed me to the groping line where another angry federal employee felt my armpits and studied my watch. He concluded the grope with a terse "Next time she says 'ten seconds' leave 'em up for ten seconds."

In hindsight the irradiation indicator light may have only been on for eight seconds. I couldn't see my watch as it was held over my head in "the posture". It felt like ten seconds to me, but obviously not to the power tripping federal employee.

My preference would be to trade some of my tax dollars spend on TSA bullies for TSA profilers who can tell Tue difference between potential security threats and nuns, six year old girls, grandmothers in wheelchairs and frequent flier water treaters. It works in the far more dangerous airports of the world and it would work here. How long will we have to suffer the wrath of political correctness?

Knowing such a dramatic change is years away, it may be more effective to speak with my travel dollars than my lone vote? I am a devoted Southwest customer. I fly out of CMH a lot. At the other end of the terminal, TSA lets fliers choose which security line they enter. One has the metal detector and the other has the porno scanner. Amazingly, a substantial number of travellers choose the porno scanner. To each his own. I'm fine with others choices, but c'mon Southwest, give us a chance to choose.

Spring Break 2011

Our first day trip to St. John suggested that is the place to be on future trips to the Caribbean. St. John is far less commercialized than St. Thomas where virtually every beautiful overlook and beach is marred by a tourist attraction. Cruz Bay has some cute shops, but after that the development ends and the island is about like it looked in 1920. Not bad. It was the second and third days on St. John that really made the smaller island stand out. Snorkeling at Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay was awesome, but Trunk Bay is what stole the show. The beach is the best we've ever seen and the snorkeling is the best the VI has to offer.

Among the highlights we've been looking forward to this Spring Break, in addition to getting away to warm and sunny St. Thomas, is the chance to take our tennis back outdoors after a winter of trying to keep the game loose indoors at the Players Club. Since Reagan is now competitive if not already better than us adults, we will be playing daily round robins with 3 points for winning both daily matches, 1 point for winning one match and no points for losing both matches. Here's the running tally.

• Sunday, March 20. Vince was down 1-4 to Reagan early in the first set, but came back to win 7-5. Since the winner keeps the court, Angie was the next opponent. She went down early and never came back. Vince won the second match 6-1. Reagan also beat Angie 6-4 to take the fourth point. The score is Vince 3, Reagan 1, Angie 0.
  
• Monday, March 21. The girls played first today and Angie got some revenge beating Reagan 7-5. She didn't beat Vince though falling for a second day, albeit this time just 4-6. The tight match was Reagan vs. Daddy. The lead swapped a few times and it came down to a tie breaker with Rea winning 7-6. The points were split equally putting the daily tally at Vince 4, Reagan 2, Angie 1.
  
• Tuesday, March 22. Today we went over to St. John for the morning, so tennis waited until late afternoon. If anything, the weather was better than in the morning. Despite 28 unforced errors and starting out 0-3, Daddy beat Reagan 7-5. Angie was a different matter however and my sloppy play earned me a 5-7 loss. Angie gave away two late games including a break, but still beat Reagan 6-2 to earn the day's 3 points. That brings the trip totals to Vince 5, Angie 4 and Reagan 2.
  
• Wednesday, March 23. Reagan played tough against Daddy today, but an early break gave him the lead that led to a 6-4 win for Vince. Angie started off 0-3 but drew the second match even at four all. Vince won the last two games to take the match 6-4 and the day's three points. After the break Reagan came out swinging under the lights and won the first two games of her match with Angie. After getting the break back and squaring the match at two games each, Rea went on to win 6-3. The trip total now stands at Vince 8, Angie 4 and Reagan 3.
  
• Thursday, March 24. This was warmest morning of the trip and two sets each really felt hot. Vince beat Reagan 6-1 in the first match, but the second match against Angie went to a tie breaker. Vince won the breaker 7-4 to take the three points. Angie rolled over Rea in the last match 6-1 to take the single point. The trip total now stands at Vince 11, Angie 5 and Reagan 3.
  
• Sunday, March 27. We got one more match in on departure day morning. Vince beat Reagan 6-3 then Angie 6-1. Angie beat Reagan 6-1 to finish the week. The final trip points are Vince 14, Angie 6 and Reagan 3.
  

Reagan Resor Plays Her First USTA Tournament

She has been playing tennis for five years. She is 9 years old. The fun tournaments have been fun. The Bernard Masters Series has been great. But this is the USTA. Seems big time to us. Reagan had the benefit of playing her first USTA tournament on her home court at the Players Club where she spends about ten hours every week. Needless to say, Mom and Dad were on the edge of our seats.

Each of the nine 12 and under girls is guaranteed at least two matches. Rea's first match was against a nice girl who played a lot like Australian Open finalist Li Na. Wild top spin, exceedingly sound all around game, works the ball like someone far beyond her years. Reagan won two games. Not bad.

She had Friday night and most of the day Saturday to think about her second match. They call it the Back Draw. It's a very encouraging term. USTA tournaments are all about acquiring points to establish and build a national ranking. You have to play three USTA tournaments to be ranked. It's a goal. Anyway, Reagan's second match was against an un-ranked girl who drew a bye the first round. Rea's game looked good during the warm up and she jumped out to an early lead that went on to become a win at 6-1, 6-1. Her first USTA victory!

Her third match was pretty deep into the back draw (the semi-finals as it were) against a 12 and a half year old with a steady serve and solid game. Reagan won two quick games and went on to win the first set 7-5. She won the first game of the second set, but lost some momentum and lost the second set 3-6. After them match she rationalized that she "was pacing herself for the tie breaker." Right. The USTA plays a 10 point tie breaker in the 12 singles division. Reagan won the first 8 points and went on to win the match 10-4 in the tie-breaker.

The finals of the back draw is Sunday morning at 8:00 am. Bright and early. Stay tuned for updates!

Buckeye Football Stars Sell Pants?

Yes, the NCAA rules are stringent. Perhaps a solution is needed? Here's a solution. How about following the *@%$ rules? There are 40,000 other student (including me back in the day) who trudge from class to class every day in knee deep horizontal blowing snow and also live within rather confined means. Some of them are at the top of their professions too, be they chemists, business people or athletes. That's the way amateur sports works. You pay your dues, you learn the game, you develop as a player and if you are among the very best in the world, someone pays you a big salary to do it professionally.

Those guys knew the rules. Maybe Terrelle Pryor didn't "get" the depth of the Buckeye tradition being from Pennsylvania, but DeVier Posey and Dan Boom Herron and especially Dublin native Mike Adams sure should have. Can you grow up in Ohio, even in Cincinnati, and not know the history of the Ohio State - michigan rivalry? What does it say about your soul, about your character, if you sell your BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP RING? Maybe it says you're still a dumb kid without the sense to know better, but that does not explain the rest of the kids on that team and past teams who recognize the significance as 18 year olds.

The whole thing is so very disappointing.

I am Vince Resor and I am a victim of racial profiling!

Note from Editor: This is a reprint from my old Geocities.com website. Geocities closed down in October 2009, but in the wake of continued invasions from TSA, this page has never been more appropriate. Other than fix the broken image links, it is reproduced here as it was originally published back in 2001. Enjoy.

Most of you who read this have known me for years. Am I a drug dealer? No. Am I a murderer? No. Am I a terrorist? No. I am squeaky Midwest Fly-over clean. So why am I selected "at random" for a secondary security shake down EVERY TIME I board an airplane? Simple: racial profiling. I am approachable. Complete strangers seek me out to ask for directions. People ask me for the time even when they can't see my watch. Racial profiling. I am being discriminately selected because I am approachable. That's my profile. Don't believe it? Why then aren't I patted down when travelling as a family with wife and baby? It's simple really: the inspection process wants easy inspections. Can you imagine them going through the diaper bag, stroller, car seat, toys, bottles, etc.? They can't either and that's why they skip me when travelling as a family.

Is this a problem? Am I against post-9/11 airport security? Certainly not. What slays me is the misguided method security personnel use to "randomly" select me: the least threatening, most approachable passenger in line. Does this strike you as an efficient way to spend our tax dollars? Do the words "Transportation Security Administration" make you think of money well spent? The next time you are reviewing your paycheck stub, whip out your calculator and figure out how much of your hard earned cash is headed to Washington to fund the Transportation Security Administration. As you recover from the shock, think of Ahmed searching my briefcase with his metal detector.

THIS JUST IN: To ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, the soft underbelly of America recently decried that airport screeners will not be allowed to profile people. They will continue random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal Of Honor winning former Governors. Let's pause a moment and take the following test:

In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
(a) Olga Corbutt
(b) Sitting Bull
(c) Arnold Schwartzeneger
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Iran was taken over by:
(a) Lost Norwegians
(b) Elvis
(c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
(a) John Dillinger
(b) The King of Sweden
(c) The Boy Scouts
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
(a) A pizza delivery boy
(b) Pee Wee Herman
(c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
(a) The Smurfs
(b) Davy Jones
(c) The Little Mermaid
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by:
(a) Captain Kidd
(b) Charles Lindberg
(c) Mother Teresa
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was blown apart by a bomb placed by:
(a) Scooby Doo
(b) The Tooth Fairy
(c) Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
(a) Richard Simmons
(b) Grandma Moses
(c) Michael Jordan
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) Mr. Rogers
(b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's womanizing
(c) The World Wrestling Federation to promote "Mustapha the Merciless"
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In October, 2000, the USS Cole was almost sunk and 17 sailors were killed by a bomb floated next to the ship in a rubber raft by: (a) Tonya Harding's bodyguard
(b) A coalition of LA Clipper and Detroit Tiger fans
(c) Crash test dummies
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and thousands of people were killed by:
(a) Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd
(b) The Supreme Court of Florida
(c) O.J. Simpson
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
(a) Enron
(b) Pedophile priests
(c) Gary Condit
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
(a) Puff Daddy
(b) Captain Kangaroo
(c) Billy Graham
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

You get the point. Truth be told, I am all for racial profiling, good ol' detective work, intuition, and any other method that helps law enforcement civil servants rid us of the criminal element fouling our society. Things definitely took a turn for the worse on September 11th, the latest day to live in infamy. I don't mind taking my turn in life's random queue, but the thought that America's response to 9/11 is to search me for weapons is appalling. Get mad. Speak up. Thanks for reading.

Reagan Wins Bernard Masters Tennis Tournament

Reagan won her first tennis tournament tonight by retiring three boys and one girl at the Bernard Masters event at the Olympic Tennis Club in the Ten and Under Division. Quite a feat for any player, and especially so for an 8 year old as the youngest player in the field. She drew a bye in the first round and did not play her first match until nearly 8:00 pm, but then she won match after match and swept the field. Daddy's so proud!

That fist pump at the end was one of many. Rea kept her cool through the difficult points in each match and proved her mettle against some tough competition. The champions trophy looks perfect along side her proud smile.

Reagan's Student Spotlight 2010

Each student in Reagan's second grade class at Eli Pinney Elementary School gets a week of fame called the Student Spotlight. Last week was Rea's. Among the highlights were bringing in Daddy's football helmet to share, reading Boomer's Big Surprise (Reagan's favorite book) to the class, the big parent letter and watching Reagan's Disney video from our recent trip to Florida.



On Thursday Daddy brought Wendy's in for lunch. A few of Reagan's friends sat with us including Alex and Kendall. It really hit the spot. That weekend we watched the Ohio State Ladies Tennis team beat the Oregon Ducks (Go Bucks!) and Reagan won the door prize including a visor, T-shirt, window decal, tote bag and other cool stuff. It was quite a week.

Vince's Solution to Healthcare

Before I get to my solution to America's healthcare problem, let me explain that I don't believe that a problem exists. The United States has the finest healthcare system in the world. It ain't cheap, but would you want it to be? Would you trust your eyes or your heart to a low budget, under incented, government trained doctor? When a Canadian Premier needed surgery recently, did he go to Montreal? Toronto? Nope, he went to Boston*. If you need prostate surgery, my advice is to stay here in Columbus, not go up to Canada. If it's too expensive for you, then cut out the lawyer's portion, not the healthcare professional's portion.

Okay, so how am I going to solve the healthcare problem our liberal government believes exists? I'm going to become a Congressman! Simple. Just like that I've protected myself and my family. You see, those guys aren't subject to the socialist system they are trying to foist upon us taxpayers. They won't stand in lines like we did for the Pig Flu vaccine (a foreshadowing of Obamacare). Their life or death will be decided by God or their family instead of a government panel like our's will. They will keep the same Cadillac plan and stay right here in the USA for the prostate operation. By then maybe we will be better off going up to Canada. How ironic is that?

Seriously though, running for Congress isn't an option. Writing my Congressmen is. I've written six letters to them in the past year. Speak from the heart; it's easy. An overwhelming majority of our fellow countrymen oppose government healthcare, yet Obama continues to talk of ramming it down out throat. Get mad. Speak up (here's a link to house.gov). November may be too late.


*Here is a link to the story at CBC.ca.

Happy Veteran's Day

It's 11:00 am on November 11th. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Today is Veteran's Day. Today I am grateful for my many friends and family members who have served in our armed forces defending our freedom here and abroad, in peacetime and at war. These are crazy times. It is increasingly difficult to tell the difference between peace and war, terrorists embedded in our own armed forces open fire on their fellow countrymen, and some among us seem bent on appologizing for the very strengths the make our country great. These are times when thanking a veteran is especially important.

I remember my Dad telling me back in 1976 that he hoped I would be lucky enough to avoid being drafted in the war Jimmy Carter was sure to start. Dad served in the Air Force and was in Viet Nam during the Tet Offensive of 1968. He knows of what he speaks. I was lucky Dad. Thank you and the many veterans I know for standing up to protect the freedom and liberty I enjoy every day. I am truly honored.

Why I Voted Against the Ohio Casino Amendment

Today the State of Ohio votes to amend our constitution to allow casino gambling in our state. According to the pundits it should be a very close contest. I voted against Issue 3. Hopefully it will come down to one vote.

There are a lot of issues surrounding this relatively simple ballot item. Liberty, jobs, state's rights and revenue are among them. Defending the few liberties we Americans have left is high on the list of priorities these days, but we are free to fly to Vegas or drive to Indiana or michigan to gamble. To me, that's not the real issue. I've played poker since I was ten and made a craps blanket with friends in 7th grade. Let our citizens gamble if they want to.

Jobs are important, especially when some are trying so hard to remake our country and eliminate some traditional industries. Still, it is not the government's responsibility to create jobs. That duty falls to small companies and private industry. Government's job is to get out of the way and let all Americans flourish and pursue the American dream.

Our great nation went to war over state's rights when the northern states asserted that slavery was wrong and tried to impose their will on the southern states. It was the ugliest period in our short history as a nation. May we never repeat it.

Those issues are all important, but it was taxation that swayed my vote. Proponents of Ohio Issue 3 call it revenue, but make no mistake, it's a tax on the citizens and guests of the state of Ohio. In fact it's a huge tax with estimates as high as $1 billion. A billion? Shouldn't that make us taxpayers shudder? Are we really going to give the government another billion? We Ohioans pay enough. When I was in Junior High School Ohio had the 5th lowest tax burdon in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, last year we had climbed to 43rd. Enough is enough! Remember how the Ohio Lottery was going to fund schools and keep property tax rates down? Didn't work folks. Does anyone think that the Casino Tax will cause our property taxes, state income taxes, sales taxes, or any tax to decrease because we are taxing the gamblers of this state A BILLION BUCKS? I don't. That's why I voted against Ohio Issue 3. The answer isn't more tax, it's less spending. C'mon man! Thanks for reading.

Moving my websites

So Geocities finally shut down. The passing of an era. They have hosted my personal site and the Columbus Metro Golf Club site since HTML 3.0. Old school. After some brief research into Facebook and Twitter, Blogspot quickly emerged as the most appropriate host for the next generation of my sites. Stay tuned for the relaunch*

Vince's Blog never really amounted to much; a sort of underachiever. Hopefully as my main site it will enjoy a more diverse life. And the CMGC site will come back to life on a sister Blogspot site. Stay tuned for more on that. Till then, thanks for reading.


*Not that anyone is really seeing this.

My Sprint 8 Program

I plan to climb Wheeler Peak, the 13,161 foot high point of New Mexico, this fall. In order to make the 16 mile, 3600 foot climb without ruining my week or killing myself, I need to get in shape. While I'm a firm believer in the No Magic Diet (to lose weight, you must burn more than you consume), it's hard to ignore the success Lance Armstrong has has with interval training.

The Sprint 8 program appeared in the April 2006 issue of Outside Magazine and it made sense to me immediately. It's very simple. After warming up, you do 8 seventy yard wind sprints, 8 thirty second bursts on a bike, 8 twenty second bursts on cross county skis, etc. My plan was to start my Sprint 8 program twenty weeks before the climb. The chart at right shows my progress. You can read more about the program on my website at www.geocities.com/vresor. Here are my updates.


7/14/06: Wow, over a month since my last post to the Sprint 8 blog. no wonder my progress has gone slack. Is it an American wearing the maillot jaune in the Tour de France? Or maybe the brutal sales training session this week? Maybe it's time to add a more aggressive diet adjustment to the Sprint 8 program? Regardless, it's time to pick up the pace if I'm to lose enough weight.


6/12/06: It's been six weeks since I started the Sprint 8 and yesterday was the first day I was able to sprint 8 windsprints without pain in my knees or quads. It was quite rewarding. Losing nine pounds makes me feel good too, but it makes me wonder if there is a more effective measurement of dieting success. I'm much less interested in what I weigh than in my cardiovascular condition and how well my pants fit. Maybe I will add a line to the chart showing waist circumference?


5/29/06: A second word to the wise for prospective Sprint 8 programmers: do not grill spare ribs the night before your weekly weigh in. Seriously though, a pound a week is a pretty good pace and will lead to 20 pounds I won't carry to the top of Wheeler Peak.


5/22/06: The running is getting easier now that I've gotten over the muscle agony. A word to the wise for prospective Sprint 8 programmers: do not eat half a large pizza the night before your weekly weigh in.


5/10/06: My mountain bike and the Sprint 8 program go well together, but I broke down and bought a pair of running shoes and wanted to try them out. I walked the seventy yard sprint "course" twice and jogged it once for a warm-up, but my quads felt like they tore on the first real sprint and I could only jog the rest of them. Nice. I bet that will feel good in the morning.


5/7/06: Today was the first day I tried actual wind sprints for my Sprint 8. It had probably been 25 years since I last sprinted (as in on foot) and I wondered if my knees would come apart. They didn't and I was able to muster 6 seventy yard sprints.


5/3/06: My Sprint 8 program started today after a long winter of Ohio slothdom. I could only muster 4 thirty second sprints on my mountain bike. Thankfully I didn't puke.

The Van Lane

So I'm driving to work this morning and there's a huge white van in front of me for several miles. All I can see is the non-descript read end of this huge white van. This isn't anything new of course and it prompted me to create a new post.

First you have to understand that I call anything bigger than a car a van. That includes vans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, conversion vans, RVs, and anything else car drivers can't see through the windows of.

Anyway, there I am tooling down the freeway seeing nothing but the back of this van and it hits me, there's always a van hugging the fast lane! When someone comes up behind me, I move over. That's the law, right? Evidently vans are exempt. Maybe it's a special sticker van drivers get on their license?

Car drivers can see through the windows of cars in front of them. That's safe. That lets you react more quickly to brake lights and other things up the road. Vans block the view. It's downright dangerous and I think they should have their own lane. The Van Lane.

The Pneumonia Diet

My incessant hacking finally turned to pneumonia. As if a weekend spent staring at the ceiling wasn't bad enough, pneumonia cost me four days in the hospital. And as if four days in the hospital wasn't bad enough, it began with 28 hours in the ER.

Don't get me wrong, my doctor is a great guy. The problem is that everyone thinks he's a great guy and consequently he's booked around the clock. That means when you're in the hopital, you see a Hospitalist. When you're in the ER, you see an ERist. I was sick for nearly a month and never saw my doctor.

Oh yeah, what about the Pneumonia Diet? I lost 10 pounds in two weeks on the Pneumonia Diet. I overwhelmingly prefer the No Magic Diet, but the Pneumonia Diet is definitely effective. Good luck.

Ground Zero

So I'm broswing Conde Nast at B&N and come across an article updating websites from the road. Just two days ago a co-worker asked me "what does blog mean?" Apparently I'm an authority. Anyway, here I am. Hopefully I'll think of something profound to publish. Thanks for reading.