5 things

This feels like some sort of pyramid scheme, form letter forwarding, I was going to NOT do it, but i am bored this morning and avoiding doing annual reviews. Lyna is sick, the dog is sick, the cat is indifferent and work slows down between Christmas and New Years.

1. I Collect (or did collect) Teddy Bears. I know how it started, in the 80's, in High School I was trying to get a date any way I could, a sensitive story about a teddy bear did the trick, some how it grew and still, to this day, every year at Christmas my sister send s Lyna and I teddy bears. SHe gave us Teddy bears as part of our wedding gift 10 years ago as well. We have a critical mass of teddy bears, but we give them away occasionally. Crazy I tell ya, it all started with a bear I got from a bank account opening in the early 80's and grew out of control.

2. Some what related to the above, up until around 1992 I was very involved in Catholic Youth Ministry, as a teenager I went to retreats, leadership conferences, etc.. very often. As a young adult I moved into helping run these things, It was a nice spiritual outlet. I was rather inclined to let the teenagers find their own way, I usually had the presentation at the end of the weekend/ week and i tried to use what happened during the event build what my presentation was. I remember where it all ended for me. We were planning an upcoming event, the Director said we needed to review my presentation, I reminded her that it would not be ready until right before the time I was to give it. She told me that we needed to make sure the kids 'Got a specific message' I walked out and never returned. My parents still don't understand why I don't go to church. Religious does not equate righteous or spiritually sound.

3. In 2nd grade I went into the hospital on Christmas day with Pneumonia. Ever since I have chewed my nails, except recently since I started racing, while training, I have no nervous energy, although during the off season (now) I fight to NOT chew them.

4. I don't drink alcohol and I live in Utah. Yet I am not OF Utah, strange.

5. My Favorite High School teacher, due to my angry young man, anti establishment questioning, told me I was born 20 years too late. I would retort, If I was born 20 years earlier, I would of been a causality in Vietnam. She would walk away shaking her head.


Kracht, Kathy, Warren, Mark N and Brad Keyes

out.

Lotta Snow

Took the ski bus up to Solitude, everyone else did to, the kid (10 years old) puking on the snow right before we got on the bus kind of had me scared, but he held it in for the ride up. It took me almost 2 hours to get board on snow from leaving the house, but I did a bit of inversion saving, maybe. I'm tired.

Umm, i am not sure if this is correct, but hey, I'l take it.

Amazing

Dang UT rocked CX nationals

Lew brining home the stars and stripes
Kathy and Bart and Ali killin the fields with last row starts. Good times

Sunday i went and dragged my knuckles at Solitude. It was good to be out, 1st time in a few years. Ate shit on my first toe side turn, then remembered how to do it. Maybe lots of snow this weekend and some pow in Honeycomb.

Quick Stolen Photo Post

Krachty took 26th in B men today, i expect conditions to be UtCX#9 like on Saturday for his next race.

Just found these, from USGP #1 in Ky
If you look at this first picture carefully, you can pick out 2 Utah CX racers in different poses.

Me early in lap one

Me a bit later in lap oneBarriers at the beginning of lap 2

Me after the fall
EVen later, rippin a corner

End of season

Photo stolen from the Husla.

Yep, 9 months of racing, kind of does a body and mind in, It was a great year many highs and exciting times. The CX season was my first 'full' cx season, my form lasted until the Hawaii trip, missed 2 races and had fun afterwards. Not sure what this means fo the 2008 mtb season, hopefully it means more FAST. Bart seems to think that it will make me faster in March, we will see.

Saturdays race was another epic condition race, peanut butter mud and wet and cold. Krachty had a good ride for 3rd place, DW and GF were on fire, It was fun listening to Bart and Ali's battle. 2 laps in, I had no rear brake, disc brakes are great, except when it is sandy muddy. 3 laps in I was having a good battle with Fearick, except my fingers were frozen, my upper body was getting colder and my legs were not hurting, so i decided to man up and go harder, I lost fearick and was unable to pull Racer back. The thing is tha the last 3 races saw me just easing in at the start, you can't do that in Cross, at least i can't, there is no 3-8 mile hill coming up that I can bring it back on.

It was fun though, and I truly believe it makes me stronger. Now is a brief respite from the bike, rest, relax, snowboard, etc....

Some Call me the Grinch

But really am I? Regardless of what you believe, Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc... Regardless of the Birth conveniently falling around existing Non-Christian holidays and festivals, I do not believe that I am a Grinch at all.

I have a serious issue with the guilt ridden undertones of the commercialization of an event held sacred to many. The spirit of giving has been co opted by the culture of excess. Don't think that I don't like stuff, don't think that I don't have excesses in my life, I do, mostly related to bikes, go figure. But when there is a worldwide blitz of information whose sole purpose is to get me to buy more stuff, cause it is Christmas, and that is whats done, It just drives me nuts.

I have been bantering with my boss about the recently noticed (by me) attempt by DeBeers and other architects of war/poverty/slavery and death in Sub Saharan Africa to guilt me into believing, that if I REALLY loved my wife, I would buy a little glass like bauble that has an overinflated price by artificially controlling supply. Add that to the way that other organizations market 'beauty' to my wife, then I might get attacked on both sides, lucky for me, I am not buying what they are selling (literally and figuratively) and Lyna does not like diamonds. I am sorry if you like diamonds or buy them for the one you love, they are evil, due to the evil that they have created and sustained, this is definitely not in the spirit of the season, the commercials sicken me.

This is NO Movie-this is real life

Next is the way toys and the like are marketed to our children, I don't have any myself, but I am sure I would take a page from my parents, If I had a kid that wanted a 500 dollar video game for Christmas, I would say, NO. 1st off, go outside and play, maybe I was lucky enough to grow up in the days of Pong, definitely not addictive, so I played outside. You think maybe there is a correlation with sedentary, overweight America? Again, I love playing video games, nothing like a LAN party, but I don't own one. My parents set some limit somewhere, and when OI wanted something that costed more, they said no or they said go work for it, so I would mow lawns, deliver papers, shovel sidewalks before I was 16, then I worked at McDonald's (Bought a sweet Motebecane Touring bike in 84) and most of the time, when I made the money, I had forgotten about that piece of cheap plastic that i just HAD to have.

Good Strategy Right there to

The spirit of the season is giving, yes it is, but it is NOT about giving stuff bought at the local store, it is about giving LOVE, JOY, HOPE, UNDERSTANDING.

Give a hug, donate to a food bank, sponsor a family in need, give time, give energy and effort, help build a house, help build a community, help spread the Hope, Joy, Love and Understanding that is the true meaning of the season.

Regardless of religious affiliation, this is what the season needs to be about.

Dang, i need a bike ride soon.

Chris Sheppard 23 SKIDOO!

No matter what you think of former Dopers, this is funny stuff.

Wow

That was a blast, in some sick demented mind, which I have. The whole time warming up, I kept thinking, this was going to be a good day for me, don't sweat the start just keep smooth and loose and work your way up. That is just what happened, for a while at least.

I got a bad start, all over the place, ended up in about 10th position, started working my way up, takin it real easy and the first lap, pulled back up to Mike, Linde and Racer, on the third lap, i came up on KWilde diggin a snow fort he got on my wheel for a lap and we go back to the aforementioned trio and a few others, my sun glasses were fogged up and a hindrance, but grabbing them was more dangerous as one false move and bam you go down. SO i finally get em off and am on the back straight and hit bump and go down, head first, a bit of blood on the right shin. This was on the 3rd lap, I went down 2 more times here, lost everyone I was with at this point, plus Fearick got around me, spent the rest of the race with Kris A and Gary D and stayed upright somehow. It was all about slow in the corners and staying loose and relaxed on the bike. Think I ended up 8th or 9th in the end, had a blast though, much more fun than dry and dusty.

Went to dinner with Lyna, Ty, Bull Elk, Ronny Poo, Pepe and Sara and Meredith, then to an art showing, kind of a fun evening.

Photos of mostly A 35+A and mens B;s up on flickr tomorrow.

Pilling Boys and Zach Crane asking me why I didn't corner faster.