Christopher Rowe

And I bet you do, too.

I've never even been there

Gwenda literally squealed in delight when this answer came up. Via Haddayr.

Your Score: PORTLAND!

You scored 25% Style, 27% Climate, and 67% Culture!

You are Portland, Oregon! Portland, the largest city in Oregon and seat of Multnomah County, is located in the northwest part of the state on the Willamette River. Portland has a diverse economy with a broad base of manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and retail trade, regional government, and business services. Major manufacturing industries include machinery, electronics, metals, transportation equipment, and lumber and wood products. Technology is a thriving part of Portland's economy, with over 1,700 high-tech companies located in the metropolitan area. Tourism is also important to Portland's economy, drawing more than 7 million visitors annually.

You are a nicely cultured individual, appreciating a good play, book, movie, or fine dining. You also appreciate some diversity, lest things get too boring. Not one for sitting and relaxing for long periods at a time nor dressing up the nines, you take interest in getting outside and being out in nature, enjoying the cool, crisp air...maybe even playing a sport or taking a hike. Portland is a good place to be, my friend.

Link: The Which Major U.S. City Are You? Test written by weeredII on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

All I Want for Christmas

If you're one of the folks who habitually feel like you have to get me something for Christmas or my birthday (and if you're one of those people, you know that those two days are one and the same), here's my Santy Clause list for this year.

Yep, that's the whole thing.

These guys...

These guys better not break my heart. (Be sure and check out the pictures--they seem to have hired a giantess to run the auction at the end of the presentation!)

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"If we really want to keep doping off of this team, off of the stage, out of   cycling, we have to win within the context of humanity. It's simply saying that   some days are great, some days are not. The wins will come to this team, but   when no one expects it. And when everyone thinks we'll be there, we may fail.   To agree to not dope, to agree to never let that enter the context the team   is to agree to fail sometimes. To agree to let your fans down sometimes is to   agree to the fallibility of the human body… but to abide by humanity is also   to go beyond anyone's dreams on the occasion, to celebrate the joy, the rarity,   and the preciousness of winning when it does occur, and to celebrate with honesty.   You have a choice in cycling: you can choose to turn a blind eye and cheer for   glory at all costs… or you can choose to choose to cheer humanity and celebrate   the rarity of victory and perfection."  --Jonathan Vaughters

Anybody remember who had a hit with "Love Plus One?"

Preparation for our Jamaica trip continues. We got a new digital camera a week or two back. And today, spiffy new haircuts. (Normally I'd go ladies first, but this way we get to end on G.)

Newspapers, tired puppies, the smell of rhinos

Yesterday, Brother Tantor opined that three St. Christopher's medallions wouldn't be enough for the number of bicycles I have. Leaving aside the question of how many bikes is appropriate (an easy question to answer algebraically, by the way: when x is the appropriate number and b is the number of bikes you have now, then x=b+1), the question of how many are actually on site here on North Upper is addressed in passing in a front page article in today's Lexington Herald-Leader. Watch for a hilarious uncredited cameo (in print) by your favorite BondGirl. (Um, don't read the comments to that article if you want to retain your belief in the basic goodness of humankind.)

Writing stuff. Well, I've folded elements of the two different novels I've been working on and off over the last couple of years into one. As of now, it features no bicycles. I do however, find myself needing to know what rhinos smell like up close. Anybody got anything on that?

Nothing much in short fiction news, though I do have to come up with a new story soon to take to Turkey City next month.

I spent the morning playing host to a guy that came by to do an energy audit on the house. I remember when my mom used to perform these as a home economist for the local utility company offices back home, back when the utility company had local offices in small towns. I even went with her to do one, I think, on Hurt Street in Columbia.

These days they're subcontracted out to Honeywell by the utility company (same one my mom worked for, actually, though as the Honeywell guy darkly alluded to, it's now "owned by Germans.") Fifteen bucks, but we got a bunch of free CF light bulbs and some shower heads and stuff. They'll send a report about what needs extra weather stripping and so on. You should check and see if your utility company offers that service.

Since that guy was in and out of the house all morning, the dogs had to spend a few hours outside. Spending a few hours outside makes Puck very tired, and he has to use his hedgehog stuffed toy as a pillow.

+3 on Saving Throws Vs. Asphalt

I'm not Catholic--and I actually think they demoted this guy anyway--but look what I got in the mail today. St. Christopher's Medals with little velcro straps for my bicycles!

Webby, webby

Well, lookee, Gwenda's spiffed up my "About" page and the Typepad site in general.

While she was doing that, I used that Google Page service to post a tentative calendar of next year's area bike races. Gwenda and her mom are getting me a coaching package for Christmas/Birthday and I'm planning on participating in at least ten or twelve races.

While she was Typepad tinkering, G had the idea that somebody should figure out a way to automagically put the top ten DVDs in your Netflix queue into a sidebar on your blog/LJ/whatever. I'd be really interested in that, except that before anybody does it I would need to shift my queue around a little.

Holy crap!

First of all--why didn't anybody tell me about John Crowley's Aegypt novels?!?

Second, Brad Huff, a cyclist on my favorite team, Slipstream Powered by Chipotle, took a spill in the Tour of Missouri a few weeks back. Check out this video.