Oops, we did it again!

Well, we did it again. We skated the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails on Sunday, August 8th. Smyrna, GA to Anniston, AL. 95 miles. It was HOT.

Yes, it was a planned skate. But I say "oops, we did it again" because I really didn't think I was going to do it AGAIN so soon! I had just skated most of this on July 4th and figured once per year was enough.
http://tblooming.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-4th-tradition.html

It took about 10.5-11 hours. Did I mention it was HOT? Forecast was for 96 degrees, not sure if we hit that or not. Sure felt like it to me.

At one point (at the Georgia/Alabama state line, at Mile 62) I was really feeling it. We had to keep going, though, because it was hot and humid, smothering really. We decided it was better at that point to keep rolling just to have a bit of a breeze.

We did stop a lot and took our time. According to my GPS we had over 2 hours of "stopped" time. Stopping at convenience stores along the way to buy drinks. Lingering in the frozen foods section of the grocery store in Piedmont, AL for a while! ;)

Did I mention it was HOT? I'm happy that A2A is in October...

Here are some better write-ups of the skate. Blake and Elizabeth know I'm a sucker who will always join them for a long skate when I can. First from Blake:
http://roadskater.net/skating-full-silver-comet-and-chief-ladiga-trail-again-94-miles-hot-fun-georgia-and-alabama

And then from Elizabeth:
http://roadskater.net/not-quite-atlanta-not-quite-anniston-another-94-miles-silver-comet-and-chief-ladiga-trails

P.S. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my fellow Atlanta skater, Sam, finished 327 miles in the solo division at the 24 hours of Montreal while we were doing our skate. Dwarfs what we did.
http://tblooming.blogspot.com/2010/08/me-skate-you-long-time.html

Song of the Day: Eminem - Love The Way You Lie, featuring Rihanna

Here's a new song by Eminem and Rihanna. The video is intense, as the song and video take on the subject of domestic violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&playnext=1&videos=H8zKLEnwV4M

Here is an interesting review:
Eminem And Rihanna Take On Domestic Violence
http://carnalnation.com/content/58365/957/eminem-and-rihanna-take-domestic-violence?page=0,0

You all might think I'm crazy (if you don't already), but I completely agree with this line from the review: "I bet it's another one of those Eminem duets- and oddly enough, I trust him to make art."

Love him or hate him, I think you'd have to agree that Eminem pours his heart into his music. Good, bad, ugly--all of it. Perhaps the best example of this is this song, which I think is simply brilliant:
Eminem - When I'm Gone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wYNFfgrXTI

Back to the featured song of this blog post, Love The Way You Lie. I think that the fact that it is performed by Eminem and Rihanna makes is even more powerful. Rihanna was the victim of domestic abuse and Eminem has a long history of altercations with his on-again, off-again wife Kim.

So what do you think? Thought-provoking video or a step too far?

Me Skate You Long Time!

A week and a half ago Blake, Elizabeth, and I skated the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails from Smyrna, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama (again). About 95 miles in 96-degree heat (in the middle of the day at least). I thought we had skated a long way.

But let me tell you about Sam. While were were in the middle of our skate, Sam was finishing up a slightly longer skate.

First I'll let Sam tell you about Sam. Check out his website:
www.meskateyoulongtime.com
Be sure to scroll down to the end where he tells you why he chose that name for his website!

Anyway, Sam won the solo division of the "24hrs Inline Montreal," held August 7-8, 2010. The results show that he covered the 2.9 mile course 113 times, or 327.7 miles! If I did my math correctly, a fast lap of 10:17 around the 2.9 mile course works out to a fast lap of 16.9 mph!

In Sam's own words:

"First, I was hoping to break the Joel XXXXXXX Curse. This is when I don't prep and end up changing my equipment last minute, ultimately causing problems, at which point Joel tells me about getting better equipment and having it ready well in advance.

"Needless to say (but necessary to write?), I had not transferred my new frames to the boots I was going to skate in (my old Powerslide R2s), and spent the hour between 1pm and the 2pm start doing that, and getting it done just in time to hustle out the paddock towards the start, a group, rolling start. So naturally, not even two seconds past the starting line ...

"... someone cuts me off in one stroke and falls at/on top of my skates on the next stroke. I do a superman-like belly flop, picking up 9 abrasions in the process, and creating a majorly disgusting, red and black elbow wound where my last one was just finishing up the healing process.

"Won't bore you with the details, but about 327 Uwe-like miles later, I crossed the line as the Solo Division winner.

"I know you all are super impressed now, so what I am going to do, and not to steal the thunder from Guiggs' last MNS, is offer to sign autographs at tonight's skate.

"For guys, it will be $5 for a sheet of paper signed, $10 with personal message. $3 for a postcard, $5 with a message.

"For all the single ladies ... I won't be using paper or postcards. I will be signing body parts instead. $5 for a simple autograph, and $10 with a message.

"Oh, and that's ME paying YOU the $5/$10 for each autograph. I know how the world works."


Cost of autographs? See above.
Sam's humor? Priceless.
Because ... he so roll-y.

How to quit your job

I guess I've been in a light-hearted mood lately. Here's another funny story. See if you can be this creative the next time you quit your job!

Fed-Up Flight Attendant Makes Sliding Exit
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/nyregion/10attendant.html?_r=2

The flight attendant was arrested shortly after leaving his job in this creative manner. But according to the news accounts, "Mr. Slater ... 'had a smile on his face when the cops brought him out, like, "Yeah, big deal."'" So at least he was still amused by the whole affair. As are we, Mr. Slater!


There is a flip side to this story, however. Dealing with obnoxious people in what can be a stressful environment is what Slater was paid to do, and he failed at that job. Would you hire him, knowing that he cracks under pressure? Of course not.

I wrote this post when I first heard this a while back. Now it has become a national story, and a lot more information has come out. I admit, I liked this story a lot more before I knew all the details. Here are a couple more links.

Steven Slater articles in NY Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Steven+Slater

Here is one of the more critical articles:
"Some passengers dispute jetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater's claim that he was provoked"
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/13/2010-08-13_out_to_launch.html

Notice this passage:
"After he slid out of the plane, Slater went home, where cops found him drunk and in bed with his boyfriend - his eyes bloodshot and reeking of booze, sources said. When cops asked him if he had been drinking, Slater said, 'Yes, while waiting for you to show up,' sources said."

Still, don't feel bad for Slater. He will likely be able to cash in on this publicity somehow, so this will still work out for him if he plays his cards right.

Bitch wants her some chicken!

I'm a bad person, I know, but I can't help but post this. This is a video of a customer who just wouldn't take no for an answer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10922428

And here is the longer version, on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlbV-NPT56s&feature=player_embedded#!

Incidentally, I'm getting hungry...

If Lady Gaga Wasn't A Popstar

This video was too funny to pass up. I had to share it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9iLDSk6hUI&feature=player_embedded&has_verified=1