out here in the middle...

One Fine Cup of Coffee

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:38:00 GMT

It is no secret that I love coffee. I've liked coffee for a long time, but really got into it a few years ago, while working for a guy who had a fascination for fine coffee. It wasn't enough to drink the hotel coffee, he had to locate a Starbucks. He would go miles out of his way to find one, and he became known for his love for Starbucks coffee. In fact, he got me hooked on it. I always thought it was crazy to pay two bucks for a cup of coffee, when you could get a bigger cup, "just as good," I thought, for half that. Yeah, I thought Quik Trip coffee was just as good. Because my boss, when in town, always bought my coffee, the cost was not an issue for me. The more I drank it, the more I liked it. And the more I drank it, the more I came to appreciate consistency in the taste of coffee. That's one thing about Starbucks--it is consistent. It is the same good tasting drink every time. At Quik Trip, sometimes you get a good cup of coffee, and sometimes it tastes like the bottom of an ashtray. The more I became hooked on Starbucks, the more Quik Trip tastes like the ashtray. Today, the thought of drinking a cup from Quik Trip turns my stomach. No thanks.

Now I'm not going to get into why this is the case. I'm sure there are plenty of "baristas" out there who will say that Starbucks is consistent because they keep their coffee machines clean, or because they don't let the coffee sit after brewing for more than thirty minutes. Maybe it is because of the temperature of the water, or that they train their employees about one primary thing--making coffee, unlike Quik Trip, whose employees have to know about lots of different things.

I've found that most people don't know how to make coffee right. They use inferior machines, inferior coffee, and inferior filtering systems. Even at coffee shops and restaurants that are supposed to specialize in morning beverages (Ihop comes to mind), their coffee is sub-par. That is why I buy Starbucks whole bean coffee, by the pound, about once a week, and brew it at home. When I'm on the road, or I ride my bike to work, I go into the store, and I buy it by the cup. I'm the holder of the treasured Starbucks Gold Card.

Last year, I was in Jefferson City, Missouri on business. I was staying in the Doubletree Hotel, which had the distinction of being the site of the only Starbucks in town. Problem is, it wasn't really a Starbucks, it was a Starbucks stand, and was manned by an older lady who didn't know a thing about coffee. It was not the worst coffee I'd ever had, but it was by far the worst Starbucks coffee I'd ever had. By day three of the meeting, I was desperate for some decent coffee. Sitting in downtown JC, I used my cell phone to search for a local coffee shop, and to my surprise and delight, there was a place just down the block.

It was called Yanis Coffee Zone. I walked inside, and immediately noticed several things. First, the proprietor knew everyone's name and drink when they walked in the door. Taisir Yanis greeted everyone with a smile, and an encouraging word. The second thing I noticed was that there were two pictures of Taisir on the wall. One was a picture of him with King Hussein of Jordan. My thought was, "wow, this guy is well-connected, and King Hussein was a great ally of the United States." But then I looked at the picture a few spaces down, and noticed a picture of him with Yassir Arafat. Oh well, at least he keeps his options open.

When it was my turn in line, I asked him if he served Cafe Americano, which was my favorite drink at Starbucks. He grinned, shook his head, and told me to wait right there. He stepped to the back, and brought me a sample taste of his strongest coffee. I drank the sample, and it was remarkably good. I asked him for a full cup. He brought it to me, grinned, and said, "the first one's for free."

He called it "Rocket Fuel." I refer to it as "Palestinian Blend." It is really strong coffee, and tastes great.

The next day I was back, like he knew I would be. This time I purchased a cup of the Rocket Fuel, and a full pound of whole beans to take home. Since that day, any time a co-worker comes down from JC, I ask them to bring me a pound. They usually don't do it, because the smell is so strong, and it is a five hour drive. I was back in town last week, and bought two pounds home. When I fill my Moccamaster with Rocket Fuel, watch out. I am hooked on Yanis Coffee Zone--it is the best I've ever had, and Starbucks pales in comparison.

Taisir is a good study in how to run a successful business. He really cares about his customers. He is a nice guy, always smiling. He remembers names, and engages his customers in conversations about what is going on in their lives. He makes great coffee, but it isn't about the coffee, it is about doing what he does, really well. I suspect that if he had opened a car repair shop, he would be equally successful.

There is something else about Taisir. Something I didn't know until a friend sent me a news story about him. Taisir Yanis is famous--in his native Jordan, anyway. As it turns out, he gained notoriety as an actor, starring in many television shows and stage plays. That explains the pictures of him with Hussein and Arafat. Here is a link to the news story in the Jeff City News-Tribune. You should read it. Here is a link to his website.

Since the inauguration of President Obama, a lot has been made about America's arrogance in the world. Our president took it upon himself to apologize to the world for the attitude of many Americans, because we believe that America is exceptional. You see, there are those among us who believe that America is the same as every other country, and our belief that we are the greatest nation in the world is indulgent and rude. But the Americans of a hundred years ago thought differently. They believed in something called "American exceptionalism." They believed that America was better than any other nation in the world, and most of the rest of the world recognized it too. One famous historian believed that it was the "frontier mentality" that made America great. I don't know exactly why America is great, but I believe that it is. That's just how I feel.

The other day, some of us were discussing the article about Taisir, and someone asked me a question. They asked why a guy would leave a country where he had achieved so much fame and notoriety, to move to a small city in mid-Missouri and own a coffee shop.

I don't know for sure, because I've never asked him. But maybe it is because it is better to own a coffee shop in America than to be a famous actor in any other country. Maybe it is because this is a great country, the greatest country in the world.

And this nation needs more great coffee, and more great Americans like Taisir Yanis.

O Fickle March

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:43:00 GMT

As I sit here writing this, my minds shifts toward tomorrow, the first day of March.

March is a good month. I've always thought so. I was born in March. But it goes beyond the simple vanity of looking forward to my birthday. March 1st represents the unofficial beginning of Spring, at least in Oklahoma. I actually saw the first sprig of a daffodil in my garden the other day. When March arrives, I know that warmer weather is just around the corner.

There is a weatherman in Amarillo, Texas who does something I always appreciated. On the first day of every month, he talks about the average temperatures for the new month, and what they will be on the last day of the new month. It has been a long time since I lived out in the Panhandle, and watched "Doppler Dave" on television, but I have kept up the practice on my own, by visiting the NOAA website, and checking out the monthly climatology page. March's page is the best one, in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong--March can be as fickle as a lover. But it represents hope for those of us who live to spend time outdoors. You can check out the page yourself, by clicking here.

The normal high temperature for March 1 is 57. As it turns out, this March 1, the forecast high is 56. Close enough. For March 31, the average high temperature is 67. Now we're talking. Over the next thirty days or so, we will see average highs climb ten degrees, to near 70. Life is good once again.

But that's not the whole story. When you look closely at the web page, you will see that March has its share of extreme weather. For example, the warmest March day Tulsa has ever seen was on March 18, 1907, when the high temperature was 99 degrees. If you look at the chart, you will see several days that could be considered "extreme." Record high temperatures for individual days in March are all in the 80s and 90s. So March can mean a real warm up for T-Town.

It is not all warm news, however. There are extremes in the opposite direction as well. The coldest March day in Tulsa occurred in 1994, when it was -3 degrees. And in 1994, Tulsa had nearly twenty inches of snow in March.

One thing we do know--warm weather is a little bit closer now than it was before. Thank goodness.

There are some rides coming up soon. The Lasagna Ride is this Saturday. And the week after that, FreeWheel training rides begin. Then it is on to Racing on the River and Tulsa Tough, amongst many others. But it all begins with that first day of March.

Here are a couple of shots from March rides in the past, just to whet the appetite. Enjoy.

Spencer and I on a March ride.

Art and Paul on the Lasagna Ride last year.

Concealed Carry

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:38:00 GMT

I've never been a "gun guy." Having grown up mostly in Oklahoma, that surprises some people. Most people in the Sooner State are gun owners, and many are avid hunters. Not me. Ever since my dad had a near-fatal hunting accident when I was young, we just never did much of it. I did some shooting in the Boy Scouts, and for my birthday one year, I received a "gun kit"--a .44 revolver to built like a model, but it was real. I think I shot it once, and it was a wonder the thing didn't blow up in my hand like a grenade.

A recent report from the Brady Institute, which lives to take away every gun from every law abiding citizen in the country, placed Oklahoma almost at the bottom when it comes to handgun laws. Only Utah and Alaska have less restrictive laws. I'm hoping we can get it together, so we can be squarely at the bottom.

With crime on the rise, I have been wanting to get the concealed carry permit. About fifteen years ago, Oklahoma passed a law allowing qualified people to carry a concealed handgun. It is not an easy process. Getting a permit means about eight hours of classroom instruction, a simple written test, and qualifying on the pistol range, and about $125. There is a long, detailed set of forms to be filled out, and of course there is an in-depth background check, to make certain you're not a criminal or a mental case. Once all that is done (it is supposed to take less than 90 days), you can carry your gun just about any place you want to go.

Recently the city of Tulsa laid off about 150 police officers. If I am not mistaken, that is roughly 5% of the force. Or, as one TPD officer explained to me, it is like doing without an entire division for an entire shift. On the day the layoffs took place, the department stated which calls it would respond to, and which calls it would not respond to. On that day, there were four hit and run collisions in Tulsa. That week, there were two incidents where bad guys approached innocent people, demanded their money, then assaulted the victims, before fleeing. One victim was shot in the head. The other was knocked unconscious with a lead pipe. The following week, a woman came home (after being gone for only fifteen minutes) to find a burglar in her house. She entered the house, got her 9mm pistol, and shouted, "whoever is in my house, I want you to know I have a gun, and I will use it on you." It took about two seconds for the guy to leave the house. She called the police to report it, and two hours later, they still hadn't shown up. Her husband called them back and said, "never mind."

When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.

So Lisa and I signed up, got a couple of pistolas, and took the class. I learned a lot. For example, as the holder of a concealed carry permit, you cannot employ lethal force in order to aid a stranger. The law only covers you if you are protecting yourself or your immediate family, or, your boss or fellow employees. Interesting. Also, there are only six places you can never carry a gun, even with a permit. Banks are not on that list. There is a seventh category of places you're not allowed to carry, that would be anyplace with a sign saying that guns are not allowed. Problem is, if it isn't one of the "big six," all they can do is ask you to leave. There are no fines or penalties.

I learned that there are some potential changes forthcoming in the Oklahoma law. One such change, that I would like to see happen, is the right to carry on a college campus. Currently, you cannot carry on the campus of any college, although you can leave your gun in your car. In contrast, you cannot carry OR leave your gun in your car, when at a secondary school in Oklahoma--high schools, grade schools, etc. This new revision, which was passed by the Oklahoma House in 2008, but then defeated by the Senate, would allow faculty who are concealed carry permit holders to carry on campus. It would also allow students who are active duty military, police officers, or CLEET certified security officers to carry on campus. Now that Oklahoma voters have run most of the Democrats out of Oklahoma City, authors of the bill have resurrected it, and it is receiving serious consideration. It only makes sense to me. And I think that if some professors and students had been packing at Virginia Tech, a great deal of tragedy could have been avoided. In fact, I would like to see similar legislation to cover secondary schools. But I don't know that it will ever happen. Here is a website about concealed carrying on campus.

Another potential change to the state's law would allow for OPEN carry. That's right, folks. Just like in the old west, permit holders will be able to carry their guns in full view of the public. This bill actually has more traction than the one regarding carrying on campus. I was surprised to learn that 44 states already allow for open carry. How strange it is to think that there are that many states which have a LESS restrictive gun law that Oklahoma. I'm not so sure about the open carry thing. Oh, don't get me wrong. I would support it. But I don't know if I would open carry. For one thing, I like having the element of surprise. I don't want a stranger who is looking at me to know that I am carrying a weapon. When a member of the faculty at the University of Alabama Birmingham opened fire on her fellow professors last week, open carry would have been a distinct disadvantage, because she would likely have chosen that person to be her first victim. I would support the bill, however, if for no other reason than it would not matter if the weapon happened to show a little now and then. The way the law is written currently, a permit holder can get into real trouble if his gun accidentally gets exposed.

Oh, and I also learned that my wife is a heckuva shot. From fifteen yards, shooting in rapid succession, she put a line of holes in the target guy's abdomen that would have given him a serious belly ache. Remind me never to mess with this girl.

Lisa is the proud owner of the Ruger LCP .380. It is smaller than a cell phone.

When we started shopping for the right guns, I had it in my mind that I wanted a Glock .40. I ended up getting the Springfield XD40. It had some features I liked better than the Glock, and it came with more accessories. I opted for the subcompact model--because of it's size and weight, it is easy to conceal, and easy to carry on my bicycle. For Lisa, we got the Ruger LCP. It is a small .380 with a six shot clip. It is fun to shoot, but not very accurate from far away. Still, it is tiny--about the size of a cell phone, and light as a feather.

Tulsa Firearms has a deal worked out so that if you buy your gun there, you get a free one-year membership. When you're a member, you have use of the indoor range, get a steep discount on ammo, and the concealed carry classes are half price.

The Springfield came with a holster, a hard case, a speed loader, and two clips

I bought this pocket holster for transporting on my bike.

One clip is high capacity. The case says "HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINE ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA." Davey thought that was pretty cool.

With the high capacity clip

I also purchased a Galco belt holster. It is a high-rise, so it is easy to conceal.

So now it is all over but the waiting. We did the paperwork, submitted it to the county sheriff's office, and now we are waiting. I have a feeling that we might be waiting for a while, though. After the 2008 presidential elections (when many people thought the Democrat leadership would take away their gun rights), there was a six month wait. Once things settled down, the wait was only about six to eight weeks. But since these layoffs, it is back up for three to four months. One lady at the sheriff's office told me that before the layoffs she was processing about 25 applications a week. Now it is 25 applications per day. And there are 76 other counties in Oklahoma. So this could take a while.

That's okay, though. I can still transport it, in both my car and my bicycle. The only stipulations are that in the car, it has to be kept in full view, not concealed, and unloaded, with the ammunition out of the reach of the driver. On the bike, I can carry it unloaded, with the gun and ammo on two separate sides of the bike.

Can you tell where the gun is stored?

How about now? Can you see it? Right or left?

If you guessed left, you would be wrong. Or, you might be right. You never know where it will be.

I might just keep the bullet in my pocket.

Back On The Wagon

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:51:00 GMT

Next month will mark two years since I started losing weight. I've never kept weight off that long, ever. So I'm pretty pumped about it.

Unfortunately, the past three months have meant zero cycling. On December 24, we had a blizzard, and since then we have had nearly twenty inches of snow--among the worst winters on record. Every week it seems that another snow storm is in the forecast. Bad weather, cold temperatures, rain, sand and salt on the streets--it has been very frustrating.

When you ride several hundred miles a month, you can eat whatever you want. And it isn't about gluttony, it is about fuel. You have to eat a lot, to fuel the machine. Problem is, when the riding comes to a halt, it is really hard to stop eating.

There is something about that darn appetite, it is just so hard to shut off. I even started going to the gym at the college, working out three or four days a week. I have been running, lifting, and spinning, but I kept feeling like I was gaining weight.

At my low point last year, I weighed 188 pounds, then leveled off in the low to mid 190s, where I stayed for most of 2009. Over the weekend I stepped on the scales, and weighed in at 200 pounds. So, I've figured out a way to put on five or ten pounds since Christmas. Great.

With the cycling season and warmer weather on the way, I decided to get back on the wagon. Sunday I cut my calorie intake back down, to about 1200 a day. Over the past four days, I've taken in a few as 950 calories, and as many as 1400. If I can keep it at that level for a two or three weeks, I will hopefully take the weight back off, and maybe lose some more. I'd like to get below 180 for the season, but we'll see about that.

I've been counting calories, spending time on The Daily Plate. This week has been exceptionally busy for us. Two evenings we have to eat out. Tuesday, we ate at Subway. Easy--less than 500 calories. Lisa and I were trying to decide where to meet for Thursday night, and she suggested Taco Bueno. So we logged on to TDP to see what I could eat there, and stay within my limit. It is doable--a crispy taco and a bowl of soup, good to go.

But when I go to Bueno, I like to get a platter--the Whole-latta Platter. That can't be too bad, right? Well, check it out, here.

I don't eat at Bueno very often, but dang, its no wonder I put on some weight.

My clothes are already fitting better, even after just four days. If I can give this another two or three weeks, maybe I'll be back to a comfortable level. I'll keep you posted.

Arizona Lawmaker Proposes Controversial Change to Law

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:32:00 GMT

Expressing anger over what he calls "abuses" in the welfare system...

...Frank Antenori, a Republican from Tucson, said, "You shouldn't be smoking or drinking if the government is helping pay for your food or health care. And you shouldn't be buying an expensive TV or car, shouldn't have a cell phone unless it is your only phone, and shouldn't have cable TV with HBO or Showtime."

Oh, I like this guy.

Here is a link to the story.

Rep. Antenori says he is responding to constituents who complain that people in grocery stores will purchase food items, and run their welfare card or food stamps through to pay for it. Then in a separate transaction, they will run their liquor and cigarettes through, pull out a $100 bill, and pay for it. One resident of the Tucson valley which Antenori represents said she was in line recently, and the woman in front of her was purchasing expensive food with food stamps, while wearing a pair of $150 UGG brand boots on her feet.

Critics say that Antenori lacks compassion. They say it is impossible to enforce. They say that such a bill, were it to become law, would bring shame down upon people, when all they really need is a hand up.

Supporters are saying that it is about time. How is it responsible in any way, that we would give a person taxpayer money to buy groceries, when they are spending their money on cell phones, flat screen televisions, and cigarettes? Welfare needs to be about helping people out until they can get back on their feet, not subsidizing an over-affluent lifestyle.

My mom raised us on a pretty strict grocery budget. We ate a lot of hamburger helper and always had left-over nights. We didn't drink pop. But even thirty years ago, she would complain that people in line at the store were buying steaks and pork chops, while she was working her backside off to pay for ground beef.

In my opinion, there should be a certain amount of embarrassment if you're on food stamps. I agree with the good Rep. Antenori. If you're going to rely on government assistance, you should not have a big screen TV with cable, or a cell phone, or a pack of cigarettes. I think that there should be a separate line at the store for those paying with food stamps.

It isn't about a lack of compassion. It is about keeping people honest. It is about preventing abuse in the system. And hopefully, it is about teaching people responsibility. Purchasing things that are non-essentials is a privilege. If you are sitting in your apartment at night, with nothing on TV but four channels, with no booze or cigarettes or cell phones or X-Box, you're going to get tired of your cruddy situation pretty quickly. And you're going to want to work to pull yourself out of it. If you are receiving taxpayer assistance to get through life, you ought to have to make some sacrifices. It isn't too much to ask.

What do you think?

You Appear To Have Fallen Off The Map In The Blogging World

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:33:00 GMT

So says my friend Gary. But not literally, right?

I feel as though I have fallen off the map, but I haven't. I have just been remarkably busy since the first of the year. Here is a little taste of what I've been up to.

Teaching. I ended my teaching hiatus at the college. If I were an actual professor, I would refer to it as a sabbatical. But since I'm just a part-timer, I call it a hiatus. So, I'm back to teaching nine hours. When you already have a full-time job, life gets pretty busy, but I don't mind. I'm enjoying it a lot, and that's what matters, even it if leaves little time for blogging.

Leading worship. In January, I accepted a position as worship pastor at a local church. It is part-time, so it doesn't take up too many hours of the week, at least not right now, but it does drain the brain considerably. That means there just isn't much left to share.

Study. I am currently studying for two gigantic exams, which give me more street cred in the teaching world. Actually, studying isn't the word--CRAMMING is more like it. I had it all planned out. I spaced the two tests about three weeks apart, so I could complete one, then have 21 days to prepare for the next. Then the snow came, and the exam was postponed, now they are one week apart. I feel woefully unprepared.

Guns, Guns, GUNS! Recently, due to budget constraints, the city of Tulsa laid off about 150 police officers. Lisa and I decided that since the police aren't going to be there to protect us, we would exercise our second amendment rights, and buy guns. I purchased a Springfield XD .40 caliber subcompact handgun. For Lisa, we chose the Ruger LCP .380. Neither one of us have much experience in the firearm department, but we are having a great time going to the shooting range and getting our biscuit on. Next week, we are going to take the concealed carry permit class. Like they say, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. So don't give us any crap, okay, punk?

Weather. We have had a long stretch of dreary, wet, cold, snowy weather in Oklahoma. It began with the blizzard on Christmas eve, and hasn't let up much since. Tonight we are expecting another 4-9 inches of snow. Needless to say, I have not been on the bike much at all in the last six weeks. I even broke down and bought a gym membership. I've been going a few times a week, trying to stay on top of things. I need some sunshine. I need some serotonin. Some Vitamin D. Some buttered sunshine on my skin. But it isn't likely to happen anytime soon. That leaves me a little depressed, not in the mood to write. And since I'm not cycling, what do I have to write about anyway? Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts? John Edwards' sex tape and love child? Obama's push toward Socialism by proposing that students should not have to pay back student loans?

Actually, there is much to write about, if I could just find the time and energy. And maybe I will. Maybe I will.

Greatest Developments of the Last Decade

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:52:00 GMT

We turned the page on a new decade recently, and it doesn't even seem like it. Way back in the twentieth century, it was easy. I remember switching from the 70s to the 80s. It was so obvious that we were going into a new decade. Going from the "ots" to the "tens" was not. If they hadn't talked about it on television, I would have never even known it.

People always make lists of events of a past decade. You know, the most important news story, or the hottest movie stars, etc. This time, it wasn't too interesting, or difficult. I mean, if you asked anyone what the most important news story was, there is no debate. The September 11 terrorist attacks, right? It was a decade of unprecedented events, including the election of the nation's first black president.

There are some things that are open to debate about the last decade. A couple of us were discussing what were the greatest inventions, or technical developments, of the last ten years.

For me, it was obvious.

DVR. Seriously, what has impacted our habits, and frustrated people in the advertising business, more than the digital video recorder? I rarely watch my favorite shows live, I almost always DVR them, so I don't have to put up with the commercials, and the "cliffhanger" effect. When Lisa and I are watching our shows, and we want to discuss something about it, we call "pause it." The DVR has totally changed the way we watch TV, and the way we respond to advertising. And I love it. The other day, I was chatting with a friend, and asked him if he had watched the latest episode of some show. His response made me smile. "I taped it."

There were other great developments too. Facebook, for example. What other development has done so much to bring people (back) together? If Facebook had existed twenty-five years ago, it is likely that I would never have lost touch with some of my closest friends.

We should also consider Craigslist as a great development. Wait a minute--advertising, for FREE? I have listed several things on Craigslist, and it works, better than any classified advertising that I ever paid for. Where else can you get a used couch, a bicycle, or a hooker, all on the same website?

Another important development is self-checkout at the grocery store. Not that I don't like interacting with the cashier. But after going to the grocery store regularly for a couple of decades now, I have had all the platitudes I can stand. I can usually get in and out of the store much faster using self checkout, and I don't have to make small talk with a teenage girl who would rather be texting her friends than talking to me.

Small, affordable, accessible GPS. I haven't gotten lost on my bicycle since I got the Garmin Edge 705. It is so much more than just a GPS unit. I can upload my rides to the computer, where it coordinates workouts with Google maps, and keeps a permanent record of mileage, heart rate, and distance. It is an easy way to log my progress.

There are others, probably many others, but I have to get to work. What are your favorite developments of the last decade?

Desperate Times

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:01:00 GMT

Winter comes every year, so it should be no surprise that I've had to be off the bike for the past several days. This year, it is different. It isn't uncommon for Oklahoma to get snow in the winter. Generally, though, winter comes and goes pretty quickly. I mean, we might get a big snowstorm, but within a day or two, the temperature is back to the mid 40s or low 50s, and it all melts off pretty rapidly. That's what makes Oklahoma such a nice place to live--just enough winter to get it out of your system, but never guilty of wearing out it's welcome. Not so this year.

On Christmas Eve, we had a mild blizzard. We got six to eight inches of snow. Not a big deal. Here was my street on Christmas Day:

Problem is, we haven't had any warm days since. I think we've had one day out of seven where the temperature was above 40. So the snow has been very slow to melt. Here is my street this evening:

Better than last week, but still dangerous for cycling. Black ice is everywhere.

Last night, as I drove through town, I witnessed several accidents, as there was some melting and re-freezing. The city streets were like a skating rink in places. One pickup truck driver creamed a policeman. The cop didn't look too happy.

Needless to say, cycling has been non existent for me. The last time I rode my bike was December 22, and it is killing me to be off. Not that it hurts to take some time out of the saddle. But I just really miss it. And I have been eating like a horse. Needless to say, I've been feeling very lethargic. And fat.

Things don't look terribly hopeful either. The gang at Channel 2 had the nerve to put this graphic up on their website today:

More snow moving in on Sunday, and not one day above freezing. I could cry.

Yes, I have a gym membership. We put it on hold during the warm weather, and I haven't really wanted to spend the money to start back up again. I also have a magnetic resistance trainer, but I don't like it much. I can never get my heart rate up, and it doesn't really feel like I'm doing any work.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Today I got up off the couch, and went for a walk/run. I would like to have run more than I walked, but the sidewalks and streets were still very icy. I did that for about an hour, then came in and set up the mag trainer, and was on it for about thirty minutes. Surprisingly, it wasn't at bad as I remembered. I actually worked up a good sweat, got my heart rate up and into the mid 120s, and burned a few hundred calories. I think I'll leave it set up until the weather starts to thaw. Heck, maybe I'll even crack open my checkbook and re-activate my gym membership.

It wasn't so bad

At least I could watch the game while riding.

Good news is, I won! Stage victory!

Looks kinda like...

Hey, I can't dream, can't I?

Winter Cycling

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:00:00 GMT

"I wish I lived in Tucson" was the comment I made to Lisa last night. Cold weather is becoming less and less tolerable to me, and when I see people on television who live in warm weather states, I become a bit envious. Phoenix, Las Cruces, El Paso, LA, even Austin. Any place warm and dry would be okay with me.

Oklahoma can be a tough place to live, when it comes to the weather. I have always liked that we have four distinct seasons, but as I get older, it seems like we don't have four seasons. We have winter, which lasts about four months. Spring lasts two weeks. Fall lasts two weeks. And Summer hangs on for seven months. A lot of summer, and a lot of winter, with a little spring and fall sprinkled in there.

The best thing about Oklahoma weather is that you sometimes get a little reprieve in the middle of a season. It is not unheard of to see a 75 degree day in January. Or in July, we might have a stretch of weather with highs in the 80s instead of triple digits. When you live in the Sooner state, you never know.

The most important lesson I've learned about winter weather is that you just have to grin and bear it. It is going to be cold, and there's really nothing much you can do about it. And just because it is winter, that doesn't mean calories go into hibernation. It would be nice if our bodies were wired up to not get fat when it is too cold to go outside. But it doesn't work that way. We still have to burn the calories we consume, and since I hate going to the gym, that means getting out on the bicycle.

I've also learned to not complain too loudly, because it could be worse. I could live in Wisconsin, or Minnesota. Or Alaska. Not that those places are bad, it's just that the winter lasts forever there. No thanks. Oklahoma winters are more harsh than in Arizona or south Texas, but they could surely be worse.

Why is it so important to keep moving, even in the winter?

Fitness. Spring will be here before you know it, and it stinks to play catch up. 2009 was the first year I can remember where I was more fit when the cycling season started than when it ended the year before. It is a good feeling.
Weight loss. Or, weight maintenance, as is the case with me. I usually start the spring off with at least twenty pounds to lose. 2009 was the exception. It is always easier to keep weight off than it is to lose it. Since I love to eat, winter riding is essential.
Economics. Even though the price of gasoline is down from its high of 2008, it has gone up as a line item in many budgets. For me, that is because in the winter, I can't ride to work as often as I do in the warm weather. So I ride, to save money.

Riding in the winter is not as bad as people think. In fact, it really isn't bad at all, unless you're inside, where it is really nice and warm. And there is a game on TV, and a fire in the fireplace. Then it sucks. By that, I mean it is difficult to work up the motivation to leave a comfortable situation, to go outside where it is cold and windy. Right now, there is eight inches of snow on the ground here in Oklahoma. Personally, I try to avoid riding in the snow, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I don't have the right equipment. I no longer have any bikes with wide, knobby or studded tires. Also, Oklahoma snow is different than snow in northern states. Here, we get snow, then the next day the weather will warm up, melting some of the snow. After the sun goes down, the melted snow turns to ice, making it impractical and dangerous to ride. As I write this, it is day six off the bike for me.

My street on Christmas Day 2009

I've read some really good articles lately, on the virtues of winter weather cycling. Here is a link to a site which talks about riding in snow and ice. Here is a link to the ICEBIKE website. Here is a nice story from the blog of Fit Chick, who had some interesting experiences on a winter ride. And here is a funny piece from Bike Snob about cold weather riding.

This is Matt. He is riding on a morning when the temp is -7 degrees.

Matthew lives in Ontario, and he rides every day, no matter what the weather does.

The bottom line is that the most difficult part about winter bike riding is making yourself get out. When you're warm and cozy on the couch, it can be hard to muster the stuff it takes to go out into the cold. If you do it right, you'll only be miserable for about five minutes.

Here is what I do to combat the cold.

Layers. Usually that means a t-shirt, then a bike jersey, and a jacket or coat. Also, I wear a pair of bib shorts under a pair of bib tights. The tights I use are lined with fleece, and are very warm. For commuting, I wear a Columbia ski jacket, with the liner removed. It is really comfortable. The only downside is that the arms do not allow moisture out, so I often will get too hot, and even sweaty, even in the extreme cold. Also, because the jacket is only effective when exerting a great deal of effort, it might not be warm enough if you have to stop riding.
Cover the extremities. Normally, my core will be warm, even hot, within five minutes of starting a ride. My extremities, on the other hand, take up to twenty minutes to warm up. On my hands, I wear Pearl Izumi gloves designed for riding in the cold, wet weather. If I had it to do over again, though, I would wear mittens. Mittens are much more effective at keeping your hands warm. On my feet, I wear shoe covers. Ultimately though, your feet are just going to suffer in cold weather. I rarely ever get my feet warm enough. When it is really cold, like, ten degrees, I will put chemical warmers in my shoes. You can get these at any hunting supply or sporting goods store. They offer some relief, but not much. I read somewhere that you can put plastic grocery sacks on your feet, under your shoes, and that helps. I haven't tried that one yet. On my head, I wear a balaclava made for snow skiers. The lower half is made of fleece that is think, and fairly wind resistant. The top is made from thinner material, so that it fits under a helmet. It is very warm. There are some downsides to it, such as moisture from your breath will begin to gather if you have to stop for very long. But it is an easy fix--either pull the mask down below your mouth, or start riding again.
Move. The good thing about your body is that it is really hot. If you looked at the forecast, and the weatherman said that the temperature was going to be 99 degrees, you would call that a hot day. And yet, your internal body temperature is about 98.6. If you can figure out how to trap that heat in, you're going to be warm and fairly comfortable. Think about it. We drive in our cars when the weather is cold. And the inside of your car, if left alone, will be about the same temperature as the outside. It is only the heat generated by engine that warms the inside of the car. If you drive down the road with the windows rolled down, you're going to let all that heat escape, and you're going to be cold. In the same way, the heat generated by your "engine," that is, your body, will keep you warm, if you trap that heat close to you. The way to trap that heat is to cover up.

It is also important to light up during the winter, so motorists will see you.

The key is to keep yourself focused on the goal. Think about how much easier it will be in the spring, and your body weight is under control. You're in shape when the season begins, and don't feel like you have to start the year off playing catch-up.

You can do this. Let's go for a ride. As soon as this snow clears off a little.

Merry Christmas From The Family

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:13:00 GMT

From the Kearney home to yours...

Merry Christmas!

For a special video Christmas card, click here, sit back, and enjoy the holidays.

Tip Your Servers, Please

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:25:00 GMT

The Christmas season is the toughest time of the year, if you're a budget geek like me. In addition to all the gifts for all the relatives you never see, there are budget busters around every corner. No matter how carefully you plan, there will always be an extra gift, a meal out, or a broken water heater to mess things up.

Add to that a deep recession, and you have the makings for a difficult time financially in the month of December.

Sometimes it is hard to avoid eating out during the month of December. Whether it is a holiday gathering with friends or coworkers, or you're out Christmas shopping and don't feel like going home to cook a meal, this is a big month for restaurants.

I was chatting with some co-workers at the bank recently, both of whom happen to moonlight as waitresses at local restaurants. Out of curiosity, I asked them about the tips they receive this time of year. They both said it varies--regular customers will often give them extra tips, while others stiff them altogether. The most common reason people give for not tipping in December is that they say they can't afford to. Money is just too tight.

Can I just say something? If you're going to eat out at a sit down restaurant, tip your servers. Don't skip out on the tip. If you cannot afford to leave a tip, don't go to a restaurant where tipping is expected. That's just wrong.

In fact, I would suggest that you tip more than usual this time of year. Those servers are probably doing like my friends--working second jobs to help make the ends meet. Leaving an extra tip is a great blessing to them. I was listening to a talk radio show the other day, and someone called in to say that he had left a $20 tip on a $20 dinner check. He wasn't bragging, he was just so filled with joy that he wanted to share it. He said it felt great. Another caller said that they had left a $100 tip recently, and he had the same feeling.

That's because generosity is a good thing. It feels really good to be generous. And it doesn't matter if our generosity is directed toward those we know, or those we don't. Generosity to complete strangers is just as great a blessing!

Lisa and I are going out to eat tonight. No reason--our shopping is all done, and we don't have any other plans. But her dad gave us a gift card to a local restaurant, and it is burning a hole in our pocket. Now the gift card is for $35. We usually share a meal and an appetizer, so we eat cheap. Hopefully we can eat cheap, so that the remainder of the gift card balance will be enough to make a really nice tip for our server. But if not, we'll leave a generous gratuity for him or her.

Another thing for those of you who happen to be followers of Christ. Generosity should be a quality you strive for. And it is a quality that identifies you as a believer. On the flip side, a lack of generosity is a bad witness.

Talking to my friends about their experiences serving tables, they said there is nothing worse than seeing a group of people come to their restaurant, offer a prayer before the meal, then leave them a crappy tip. They said that they hate to work Sunday afternoons, because often the "church crowd" will be the most difficult customers. Not only to they leave lousy tips, but many times they complain about everything. One girl said that if she didn't go into the business already knowing what she believed, she would have been turned off to Christianity, based on what she witnesses regularly by church people in restaurants. So sad.

So everyone have a Merry Christmas, and don't stiff your servers.

Okay. Good talk.

Winter Solstice

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:31:00 GMT

Monday marks Winter Solstice, which is the day when the sun is the lowest in the horizon, for those of us in the northern hemisphere. It lasts only an instant in time, and marks the shortest day of the year. It also marks the first day of Winter.

If you're a pagan, Winter Solstice means rebirth, holidays, gatherings, rituals, celebrations, and all that crap.

If you're a bike commuter, it marks the beginning of the end of the dark night of the soul, also known as winter bike commuting. Don't get me wrong, winter bike commuting is still better than driving. In fact, I've read several article lately extolling the virtues of winter commuting, and I'm going to try to write about them here in the coming days. So I don't want you to think that I don't like commuting on my bicycle in the cold weather months.

Its just that warm weather riding is so much better. It is lighter, and therefore faster. You're not all bundled up. Your body doesn't have to decide whether to sweat or freeze. You don't have to worry about hitting a patch of ice. And you don't have to worry about riding home in the darkness. My resolve is not nearly as strong when it is cold and dark in the mornings. The fireplace is like a magnet, and knowing that I can be to work in less than twenty minutes if I wanted makes it very tempting to leave the bike at home.

When you're a winter bike commuter, you hang on to every little bit of good news.
"Sure, it's 35 degrees outside, but at least the sun is shining."
"There is a strong west wind today that should carry me straight to work."
"I shaved my legs last night, and I don't want to waste it."
Or the always good, "School is out this week so traffic will be light."

But there is no better motivator than December 21, Winter Solstice. Its like, we made it to the top of the mountain, and it is all downhill from here. From Monday on, each day will get a little longer. Darkness will come a few minutes later. And before we know it, the weather will be warm again.

I can't wait.

Tiger Woods is Athlete of the Decade

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:34:00 GMT

It is that time of year again. It isn't even Christmas yet, and everyone is scrambling to get their stories published about the "greatest this or that" from 2009, or as is the case this year, the "greatest this or that" of the decade. 2009 is the last year of the decade, I guess, so everyone seems to be looking back.

These lists are always difficult to quantify. How do you name the greatest sports team of the last ten years? Or the greatest news maker? Or the greatest anything? Especially in this day and age, when stories and celebrities come and go like a vapor in the wind. Most stories don't hang on for one year, much less ten. The only thing that is obvious on any list of the past ten years would be the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I'm sure that it will top everyone's list as the most important story of the decade.

But not all lists are as weighty as that. Take the AP list of greatest athletes of the decade, a list which was released earlier this week. It comes as a surprise to no one that Tiger Woods tops the list. Well, it WOULD have been no surprise up until about two weeks ago, when we found out that squeaky clean family man Tiger turned out to really be named "Cheetah." So far, fourteen women, most of them pretty trashy looking, have come forward claiming to have had an affair with Tiger Woods. It has been reported that most of the votes were cast after the scandal broke, so it would appear that his wandering eye and womanizing ways have no impact on his impact on the sports world.

Lance Armstrong came in second. A close second. And he is a womanizer. So I guess it doesn't really matter. When your top two choices are Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, fidelity goes out the window, at least as far as qualifications for this honor go.

Of course, I would argue that Lance Armstrong deserves to have won this honor. No surprise there. It isn't that I don't think that Tiger deserves it--surely one could make the case that he deserves it. I'm sure he does. I just happen to believe that Lance deserves it more.

I was chatting with a guy earlier in the week about this. He is an avid golfer, and he argued the point that Tiger deserves it more than Lance. He made some excellent points.

The PGA purse has grown from about $85 million to nearly $300 million since Tiger came along.
Tiger is the first athlete in history to earn over a billion dollars in winnings, endorsements, etc.
Viewership for tournaments where Tiger does NOT participate are significantly lower than ones where he does. In the year he was off recuperating from a shoulder injury, ratings were down 50%.
Tiger will likely win more major championships than any golfer in history. That is, if his current scandal doesn't force him into retirement.

So yes, in many ways, one could argue that Tiger deserves to be named "athlete of the decade." But I have a few arguments against it.

Is a golfer truly an athlete? I mean, sure, golf is a game, a fun game, but is it really a sport? I heard one person say that any game where an 85 year old man can beat a 35 year old man is not a sport, it is a game. There is a difference.
I've always said that any sport where you can be a professional, and be named "Lumpy," is not a sport at all.

Yep, his name is Lumpy

Any activity where the majority of participants drive around in little cars is not a sport.

One particularly passionate golfer said to me, "come out to the course with me, and play 36 holes, and see if it is an athletic endeavor. You won't be able to walk after that."
Of course, I defended myself by telling him that on at least a couple of occasions, I have played 100 holes in a single day. Sure I was tired, but I could still walk. And I was fat when I played 100 holes in one day.
Not one to get into a contest with him, I didn't suggest that he join me for a 100 mile bicycle ride. It is hard to argue against the athleticism required to be a pretty decent cyclist. Sorry.

And Lance has changed his sport pretty radically too.

He won the most difficult athlete event in the world, the Tour de France, seven consecutive times. Six of those victories came this decade. No other cyclist in history even comes close. Last year, after a three year retirement, he came back and managed a podium finish (third place overall).
While in retirement, he managed to run the New York City marathon in less than three hours. He said it was the hardest thing he has ever done.
While on vacation in the off season in 2009, he raced, and won by thirty minutes, a 100 mile mountain bike race in the mountains of Colorado.
Bicycle sales across the world are up, even in the midst of a deep recession. More people in the United States are riding bicycles than ever before, and much of the credit lies with Lance.
Prize money for cycling events has increased world wide. So have television ratings in the United States. Who would have ever thought that Americans would be lining up to watch bicycle races on television? But line up they do.
Sure, Tiger is the fourth most recognized athlete in the world. But Lance is the seventh most recognized.

Oh, and did I mention that Lance overcame cancer before he accomplished all these things? To me, that is the clincher. Tiger is a great golfer. He is the greatest golfer ever. He is one of the top athletes of any sport in the last ten years. He has won more money, and more tournaments, than just about anyone.

But he never had cancer. In fact, up until last year, he's never really even had a side-lining injury. Lance had testicular cancer, which spread to his lungs and his brain. Some doctors gave him less than a 2% chance of surviving. It hit him when he was in the prime of his career, or so he thought. But he fought through it, and ended up at the top. No other athlete in history has overcome such odds.

To me, Lance Armstrong is the greatest athlete of the decade.

Of course, now all the tennis fans might argue for Roger Federerererer, who came in third. Not a chance.

Oral Roberts Died Today

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:17:00 GMT

Tulsa is the home to Oral Roberts University. Today their chancellor passed away. Oral Roberts is a bigger than life personality, or at least he used to be, and his name has been associated with Tulsa for the past fifty years.

When I was a kid, and we moved to Tulsa from the great state of Maryland, Oral Roberts University was one of the first places we went to see. Anytime our family came down for a visit, they wanted to see ORU.

We watched him just about every Sunday. I'll always remember them singing their theme song, and hearing Oral say, "something GOOD is going to happen to YOU!" Then Richard and Patti, and the World Action Singers, would start in. Oral always referred to his wife as his "darling wife, Evelyn."

Upon the news of his death, comments posted online wish Oral well, quoting verses like, "well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest."

Respectfully, I must disagree.

Roberts did a lot for the city of Tulsa. I'll admit that. Before that, we were an oil boom town, known as the "Oil Capital of the World," because every year, the International Petroleum Exposition was held here. But as the oil began to dry up, and most of the oil companies moved to Houston, Oral Roberts stayed put. His university drew people by the thousands here, and many of them stayed.

His contributions to the Christian faith were not so positive. In fact, I would argue that there is a sum negative. He owned a Bible. He held church services. But that's about it. Let me explain.

Roberts is the arguably the father of the health/wealth/prosperity gospel. He taught that it is always God's will for you to be healed, for you to be healthy, for you to be wealthy. This is completely the opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus taught that in this world, we will have troubles, and our lives will not satisfy.

Roberts took advantage of people. P.T. Barnum said that there is a sucker born every minute, and Oral made millions from his belief in that. A fool and his money are soon parted, and Oral knew how to extract millions of dollars from little old ladies. In my opinion, he is no better than the people who send those emails from overseas, and take money from people who can least afford it, with the promise that they will get rich if they give their money to him.

Roberts was a false prophet. Many times, Roberts "prophesied," and those prophecies did not come true. In fact, often he was proved wrong. For example, he stood up and preached against the Assembly of God denomination for their handling of the Jim Bakker incident. He said they were wrong, and said that God told him that he was innocent. A true prophet of God is never wrong.

Roberts was a liar. When his son Richard divorced his wife, Patti, Oral gave the order for all records of her to be destroyed. Thousands of hours of archived video tape were edited to keep her out of the minds of donors. The same was true of his son Ronald, who committed suicide.

In the 80s, when trying to raise money for his doomed hospital, he claimed that he was visited by a 900 foot Jesus. Jesus told Roberts that if he didn't raise $8 million, God would "call him home." In other words, God would kill him. I'll never forget the Saturday Night Live skit about this little chapter in Oral's life. The final check came from the owner of a dog track in Florida, and when Oral endorsed that check, any credibility he may have ever had was gone forever. He would take money from any body, any time.

He wrote a little book many years ago, called "The Miracle of Seed Faith." I read it once. In it he claimed that the Bible teaches that God will specifically pay you back, financially, ten times what you give to him. Do you need a thousand dollars? Give a hundred to me. Do you want a million dollars? Send $100,000 to me, and God will give you the million. He treated it like an investment.

In the 1970s, John Lennon wrote Oral Roberts a letter. Lennon was obsessed with television, and watched several popular TV evangelists. Lennon told Roberts that he was sorry he ever said that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. He said he was afraid of dying, and wanted to escape hell. He asked Roberts if Christianity was real, and if it could really help him. Bro. Oral mailed John Lennon of copy of "The Miracle of Seed Faith." John Lennon send him a large contribution. A few years later, Lennon said that he had been born again. But within eighteen months, he had rejected Christianity completely.

Oral spent the last several years of his life in Palm Springs, California. That's where millionaires go to retire. While he was basking in the lap of luxury, the university that bears his name was nearly run into the ground. Only the actions of a few members of the board of directors saved the institution. If it had been left to the Roberts family, that school would be on the auction block today.

It is not my intention to bemoan the dead. I have prayed for Roberts' family today, because they are surely hurting at the loss of their patriarch. But the fact is that there are a lot of misled people out there because of Oral Roberts. Some of those who are misled are members of the faith, but their doctrine is jacked up because of what Roberts taught. And some of them are outside the faith, and Oral Roberts is going to be held accountable for the trash that he taught. It would be better for him if a giant stone was tied around his neck, and he was tossed overboard.

I only wish that his crappy doctrine would have died with him today. But there's no chance of that.

Biggest Loser Season 8: Danny Cahill

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:11:00 GMT

The eighth installment of The Biggest Loser did not disappoint. There were two Tulsa boys in the mix this time, and both did well, and one did really well.

Danny Cahill, who is 40, weighed 430 pounds when he stepped onto the ranch seven months ago. Last night, on live television, it was revealed that he had lost 239 pounds, which is more than 55% of his body weight. He now weighs 191 pounds. Well, he weighed 191 pounds at the final weigh in. I suspect that after the show, he went out for some pizza and beer, so he might actually weigh 199 pounds this morning. Surely he deserves it.

It was the most weight loss in the show's history. The transformation was remarkable. Who knew that such a handsome man was lurking behind that little tuft of jazz beard on Danny's face? Weight loss does great things for a person.

Danny won $250,000 for losing the highest percentage of body weight. He says that he and his wife discussed it, and they are going to put new carpet in their modest Broken Arrow home.

Rebecca Ann Meyer won the $100,000 at-home prize--she looks great too.

Season Nine begins on January 5--that's just over three weeks from now. It is a "couples" theme, and from the previews, it looks like another good one. This show is an inspiration, and if you need encouragement to get your life back, watch it. It can be done. If one man can do it, any man can do it. You can do it.

Here are some before and after pictures of Danny. Enjoy.

The Indiscretions of Famous People

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:01:00 GMT

The news media is all a-flutter over news that Tiger Woods has been playing golf with women not his wife. People are expressing shock and dismay, disappointment at his "transgressions."

I'm not sure why people are so shocked. Let's face it, he is famous, rich, and handsome. If you're a man in that situation, and trying to keep your marriage vows, you've got a pretty tough assignment. It isn't that men have no resolve, it has more to do with the way men are wired up. Whether you have a biblical worldview, or an evolutionary worldview, you understand that men are pre-programmed to perpetuate the species, and where there is no moral restraint, this kind of behavior is going to happen. Add to that the fact that there are women who throw themselves at these celebrities, they are going to have a difficult time staying true.

From Father Abraham to King David of Israel, from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton and Mark Foley, famous people have cheated on their spouses, and created scandal. Studies have consistently showed that more than half of all married people have committed adultery. Point is, this is nothing new, and yet it still shocks us.

I'm trying really hard to keep this post from turning into a sociological study of why people cheat. Or how many people cheat. Or the fact that for every man who cheats on his wife, there are (almost) as many women who are cheating on their husbands.

And I'm not going to turn this post into a commentary on the destructive effects of adultery. There is no question that when people commit adultery, there is a ripple effect, from the jilted spouse to their children to their friends, and everyone in their sphere of influence. When you're a famous person, that sphere of influence numbers in the tens of millions, and suddenly an extra-marital affair becomes a very big deal. But even if you're not famous, adultery is a wicked, destructive activity. It is not worth it.

What this post is about has more to do with why some peoples' affairs get a lot of attention, while others seem to get a free pass.

Specifically, I'm speaking of Lance Armstrong. Now Lance is one of my cycling heroes. And he is one of my personal heroes. His cancer comeback is inspirational, and even if I was not a cyclist, I would find his story compelling. It isn't just me, either. Lance is one of the most famous people in the world. According to Forbes Magazine, Lance is one of the top 25 wealthiest sports figures in the world, even though he is near the end of his professional career. According to a USA Today survey, he is the sixth-most recognized athlete in the world. Tiger is fourth on that list.

Kristin Armstrong, Lance's ex

In addition to being a cycling stud and a cancer survivor, Lance has a reputation of being a player. He was married to what some would call the perfect woman--a smart, beautiful, tall, long-legged, successful blonde who gave him three children. But they divorced, and speculation was the split was because of Lance's womanizing ways. The media just barely noticed. No one suggested that Nike or Oakley or Trek should cancel their endorsement deals over it. There were no women talking to Us or People magazines, saving hundreds of text messages, or voicemails played on TV. Lance has been with some of the most visible, hot celebrities in the world, from Kate Hudson to Sheryl Crow, even one (or both) of the Olsen twins (eeww). Today he is with Anna Hansen, the world-famous supermodel. In the Summer of 2009, she bore him a son, Max. How long this relationship will last is anyone's guess. I hope that he will settle down, and find the happiness he seems to long for.

Lance and his baby mama, Anna Hansen

The point is, no one seems to even raise an eyebrow when Lance cheats, but Tiger cheats, and it is the lead story on just about every news cast. Why is that?

I have some theories of my own, but I also asked around a little, to see what other people thought. Mostly, people didn't really have an opinion, but they were quick to share the latest Tiger Woods joke, tying golf and sex and driving/crashing cars together. But here are a few of the responses people gave me.

People don't give a crap about bicycling. This was one man's opinion. I disagreed with him, not because I think people give a crap about bicycling--he's right about that--but because the sport has little to do with it. People don't give a crap about golf either, at least most people. And recent surveys show that cycling is rapidly approaching golf as the popular amatuer sport. "Cycling is the new golf" was one recent headline. The sport these men play has little or nothing to do with it.

Tiger is more famous than Lance. Okay, I'll give you that. He is more famous, at least in the United States, where golf gets more publicity. On the world stage, I suspect that Lance is nearly as famous, especially in Europe, where cycling is king. Even in the United States, though, they are both on the top ten list of most recognized athletes. So I don't think it is about fame.

Lance lives in Europe half the time, and their set of morals is different over there. Okay, this makes sense. It is true that in other parts of the world, who a person sleeps with doesn't make the news as much as it does here. I'm no expert on European sociology, but what I have learned is that extra-marital relationships are more accepted in their culture than in ours.

Lance has never claimed to be a poster boy for morality. True, but then, neither has Tiger. I think this might just be the best explanation. It is true that we don't know a lot about Tiger's faith, or his moral code. I've not read a thing about his set of beliefs. He isn't going around carrying a Bible in his hand, or telling people that they should live right lives. But he is a good American man, brought up by good parents. He makes his living hanging out at exclusive country clubs that used to never let people of his color/ethnicity in the gates, unless they were carrying a serving tray. These country clubs are populated by people who express shock at the news that someone would have an affair, while secretly, many of them are carrying on extra-marital relationships of their own. Tiger is the spokesman for all that is good and wholesome in this country--Buick, Nike, fine living, and the rags to riches story.

Not so, Lance. Lance makes his living in the mountains of Europe, a teammate of other great athletes, where sweat and suffering are always the order of the day. Bicycle racing is a common man's sport, and it is the common man who comes to watch. Lance has never claimed moral superiority, and his life has never hinted that he does. He is very open about the fact that he is not a Christian (or anything else), that he believes in right here, right now. He believes in himself, and in the power of the human spirit and intellect to overcome adversity. Lance is a humanist. Nearly all success-oriented people are humanists, whether they admit it or not, until they are faced with something they cannot conquer. That's when they turn to God. Lance hasn't come up against anything he cannot conquer. Not yet, anyway. Hopefully, that day will come. But until it does, Lance is a man who lives for the day. He is rich, handsome, and successful. If women are throwing themselves at him, it is only because he has put himself in a position to enjoy the spoils of life. Among those spoils is sex with supermodels. He is going to indulge in that.

Chatting with a friend at work last week, we talked about the perfect storm these guys live in. Not only are they handsome, wealthy, and successful. They are on the road all the time, while their wives and children are at home. The more miles you put between yourself and your accountability structure, the easier it is to stray. When there is no commitment to faith or religion that would restrain such behavior, you have the recipe for unfaithfulness in marriage.

What can be done about it? If a person is in a similar situation (a person doesn't have to be wealthy or famous to be in this kind of disaster), how can they avoid the pitfalls? I suggested to someone recently that if I were Tiger or Lance, or whomever, I would take my family on the road with me. I would make sure that there wasn't any idle time. I would hope that I could find people to build a wall of accountability around me.

But what if you find no compelling reason to remain faithful? What if your attitude is "boys will be boys?" Someone suggested to me that these guys should just be very honest from the outset. They should say, "You know what? I want to stay faithful to you, that is my desire. However, I know that when I get out on the road, and there are women throwing themselves at me, I might slip up sometimes. If and when that happens, I need you to not freak out on me. Be patient with me on that, and we can spend the rest of our lives together, and grow old together. Freak out, and you'll end up with a settlement and a divorce decree." Yeah, that would go over REAL well, wouldn't it?

I wouldn't have a problem with Tiger and his wife coming to that agreement. As long as his wife said, "Look, Tiger, I'm a supermodel. I have blonde hair, long legs, and a rockin' body. Sometimes, when you're on the road, and I am missing you, occasionally I might have a quickie with the pool boy. Or one of your golfing buddies. Not saying I want to cheat, but hey, if it happens, don't freak out on me, okay?"

Mrs. Tiger Woods

Something tells me that wouldn't go over too well. What do you think?

There is a Mode of Transportation More Dangerous Than Cycling

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:51:00 GMT

I once heard a trivia question, it turned out to be a bit of a trick question:

"In what mode of transportation are more people killed than any other?"

Ask your friends. They'll guess all kinds of things. Cars is usually their first guess. Airplanes too. If you're a cyclist like me, they will guess bicycling.

They probably will not guess the right answer.

It is walking.

More people are killed while walking than any other form of transportation.

It is a trick question because people of nearly every age walk. They don't start riding bicycles until age five or six. They don't start driving until age 15 or 16. And the vast majority of people in the world will never climb on board an airplane.

But everybody walks. In most places in the world, walking is the preferred way to get around.

Not in Oklahoma. If you walk in Oklahoma, there is something wrong with you.

It is even worse, and in my opinion, more dangerous, than cycling.

Today, Brooklyn met me at my office for lunch. She came straight over from class, so I told her I would grab some Arby's and we would eat at the bank. Arby's is only two blocks away, so I decided to walk. I've done it before, no big deal.

It is one block to the corner, and two cross walks over to Arby's. Cars in the right-turn-only lane acted like they were in a race with me. Some cars completely failed to stop on red, they just assumed no one was coming, and went right. Screw the guy on foot, I've got to get to my aerobics class.

The kicker came when I encountered a lady leaving Starbucks. She was talking on her cell phone, wanting to turn right, and looking left. She never once checked the sidewalk, and if I hadn't yelled out, she would have run right into me. But yell out I did, and scared the you-know-what out of her. Job, done.

I suspect that if she had not had the cell phone glued to her ear, she would have been free to look both ways, and wouldn't have nearly hit me. A few weeks ago, a school bus passed me while I was riding to work. She barely made it, because there was oncoming traffic. The driver was talking on her cell phone, while driving a bunch of kids around.

It is my belief that cell phones should be banned from use within the confines of steel coffins (aka cars). It is already illegal in many states. Most every car I see, drivers are talking on their phones. Here is an interesting op-ed piece from last July's New York Times. Read it. Beginning on Tuesday, December 1, a cell phone ban takes effect in Philly. Read about it here. Here is a link to a chart that shows which states have placed a ban on cell phones while driving. You'll notice that Oklahoma hasn't done a darn thing.

Please, in the name of safety, make cell phone use illegal in cars.

And the sooner, the better.

Blessed. Thankful.

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:48:00 GMT

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving. If you're like me, you're taking stock of all the things you're thankful for. More than anything on this earth, I am thankful for my sweet family.

Overweight Students Don't Like Being Told What To Do

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:10:00 GMT

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him take a fitness class to lose weight.

No one wants to be told that they are overweight and out of shape. But the fact is that many people are. And like any life change, it is hard to force people to get in shape. But Lincoln University in Pennsylvania is going to try.

Many 2009-2010 seniors at the college are angry that they will not be allowed to graduate unless they take a course on fitness. But there is a catch. Not every student has to take the class. Only those students who are obese have to take it. Hmmmm....

Now, they've known since they were freshmen that they need to take this class. And many of them have not done it. With May 2010 looming, and only one semester left, many students are feeling the pressure to take it. And they're not happy.

You can read all about it here.

There are a lot of issues that need addressing here, and I'm not going to bother with most of them. We all know that obesity is epidemic among our society, and heart disease kills more people in the USA than anything else. There are a lot of fat, lazy people in this country, and many of them do not care, and don't want anyone telling them to diet and exercise. Since many parents don't seem to care enough to teach their children about fitness and a healthy diet, it would make sense for the schools to do it. But physical education programs are being cut in many schools, and once a person gets to college, they don't think anyone can tell them what to do.

There are about a million things wrong with Lincoln's plan here. For one thing, the BMI index is not very reliable. Many people have a fairly high BMI, but they are not really obese. I would want to use a more reliable scale to determine is someone is obese.

Also, a person can be skinny, and very unhealthy. We've all known skinny people who are lazy and out of shape. It seems to me that a lot of people can benefit from a fitness class.

My advice to Lincoln University is to make all students take the course. After all, some people who are skinny in college will get fat after graduation. They could benefit from the class. So make them all take it. Don't just single out the ones who are big now.

That's just wrong.

Want a Flu Shot?

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:10:00 GMT

Everyday, when you watch the news, you hear about the swine flu. Or, to be politically correct to swine, H1N1.

More specifically, we're hearing a lot about the H1N1 vaccine. News footage from across the nation shows desperate people waiting in long lines, hoping against hope to get the shot. It reminds me of those disaster movies, where there are thousands of people being left to die, while only a few people are saved. And since every good story has to have an antagonist, the news blew a story out of proportion about Wall Street firms who received shots for their employees, even while hospitals were running out.

It has gotten so bad that I usually just change the channel as soon as they start talking about swine flu. But recently, something struck me. The news was interviewing a lady who was lined up to get her swine flu shot, and she was aggravated that they ran out before her number came up. She had waited for over two hours, but she would be back to get her shot the next time around.

I wondered, what are the odds that this woman is going to die of H1N1? Don't know--statistics are not that readily available. But what we do know is that the chances that she will die of H1N1 are lower than dying of the regular flu. And the odds that she will die of the regular flu are 1 in 304,000. To put it into perspective, the odds that I would die from my relatively minor heart procedure earlier this year were one in 1,500. The odds that you will die from a lighting strike are one in 79. The odds that you will die from taking a prescription drug are one in 3,000 (meaning that you're more likely to die from an adverse reaction to the flu shot, than actually dying from the flu?). Point is, most people have a lot more to worry about than dying of the flu.

What are the odds that she, or any other woman in America, will die of heart disease? 1 in 10. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. It is caused by any number of things, most of them preventable. Smoking. Obesity. Inactivity. High cholesterol. High blood pressure.

On television, I see a lot of people lining up to get the H1N1 vaccine, and some of them are quite obese. I don't see these same people lining up to have a chance to join a gym, or go for a run. I don't see them waiting in line for the chance to eat more fiber, or to consume fewer calories. I don't see people getting angry at big American corporations because they lost out on a chance to drink less alcohol, eat fewer french fries, or smoke fewer cigarettes.

Granted, there is some evidence indicating that obese people are more likely to be affected by the swine flu than non-obese people. See this article out of Salt Lake City.

To be clear, the chances that an adult woman in the United States will die of heart disease is one in ten. The odds are even greater for obese women. But aren't worried about that, they're panicked about getting a flu shot, when they are more likely to die from a lightning strike than from the swine flu.

I suppose that if they made a shot that would cause a person to lose weight, quit smoking, and overcome all the poor decisions about diet and exercise we make, people would be lining up for that, too. It is hard work to reduce the risk of heart disease. Quitting smoking is not easy. Changing your dietary habits is hard. It takes more work to ride a bicycle than to sit on the couch and watch TV. Reducing the odds that you'll die of heart disease is not easy, but it can be done. And when the odds are so stacked against us, why wouldn't everyone want to try?

Right?

Meet Brooke Phillips, Friend of Jesus

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:21:00 GMT

This is Brooke Phillips, also known as Hayden Brooks, prostitute.

Ms. Phillips has been one of the prostitutes featured on an HBO series called "Cathouse," which follows the lives of women who work for the Bunny Ranch, a legal house of ill repute located in Nevada.

She was discovered murdered in Oklahoma City on Monday, along with three other people, shot to death, then burned in a fire that was intentionally set. Ms. Phillips, who was 21 years old, was a native of Oklahoma City. The district attorney has determined that six people died in the fire, since two of the victims were pregnant at the time of their deaths (Ms. Phillips was one of the victims who was pregnant).

I read the story on the online version of the Tulsa World, and as usual, there were several comments from readers. Among them was "William42," who said the following:

"And her mom and dad must have been so proud. That sick lifestyle cost her her life."

Readers called William42 to task for this comment. They chastised him for being devoid of compassion. Then he identified himself as a Christian, when he said this:

Everyone knows what this girl was. I hope God has mercy on her, but that wouldn't be biblical either.

WHAT?! It wouldn't be biblical for God to show mercy on a prostitute? What Bible is this guy reading?

I also commented on the story, and suggested to William42 that Jesus was friends with people like Ms. Phillips. Not that He gave these women a free pass--He always challenged people to be better.

I also suggested that William42 had forgotten how depraved his own heart is.

His last comment was to say that Ms. Phillips died totally lost, unless she managed to ask for forgiveness, which he apparently doubted had happened, because in a very smug way, he said, "this woman was a pregnant prostitute."

Couple things here, William42, and everyone else.

God doesn't send people to hell because they are pregnant prostitutes. He doesn't send people to hell because they are killers, or rapers, or stealers. He doesn't send people to hell because they are gay. Or because they don't go to church enough.

God sends people to hell who reject the gracious gift of the life of His son. That's it. That is the only sin that will send a person to hell. Now, ideally, once a person turns to Christ, they will abandon their sinful lifestyle. But not all of us are very successful at that. Some people really struggle with giving up the old ways.

One thing that William42 pointed out was the verse in the New Testament which says, "and you will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). In other words, when a person becomes a Christian, their actions (fruits) will prove that their conversion experience was genuine.

I agree.

However, many people in the church have changed the definition of what these fruits are. They may not say it out loud, but they seem to believe that the fruits of the Spirit are

church attendance (whenever the doors are open)
sexual abstinence
no drinking
no smoking
heterosexual (at least in public)

And of course, if you are really saved, you would never be a "pregnant prostitute."

I'm sure there are others we could add to this list of fake fruit. My point is the New Testament does tell us that true believers will bear fruit that indicates their conversion is genuine. But they have little to do with the above list. If a person has had a true experience with their Creator, it will be evidenced by:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control

These are the things, according to Galatians 5:22-23, that indicate whether a person is a Christian. Hopefully the presence of these nine things will result in a change in sinful behavior. (It is that darn self-control part that gets me).

Jesus was especially good at loving people. The reason people followed Him then, and follow Him now, is because He is your friend. He isn't barking at you to give up your way of life. Don't get me wrong--He will tell you to give up your sinful lifestyle. Remember the woman caught in adultery? The men of the city brought her to Jesus, and told Him that they were going to stone her, because the law said they could. Jesus told her that they could stone her if they liked, and the first stone was to be heaved by the one who was without sin. LOVE that. They walked away, starting with the oldest, and ending with the youngest. Jesus then said, "woman, where are your accusers?" Then He said, "neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more." That was it. Go, and sin no more. No shouting, no condemnation. Just a loving admonition. His love is so powerful, that no matter what He asked you to do, you'll do it. People abandoned everything to please Jesus. They still do.

The sad thing is that often, the people who have the most difficult time with the forgiveness of God are the most "religious" people. It was true when Jesus walked the earth, and it is true today. We all struggle with sin, but people inside the church often struggle with sins that are typically more easily hidden: pride, self-righteousness, gossip, etc. Religious leaders struggle with the same sins as everyone else--sexual immorality comes to mind. But those people are quickly cast aside, so we can get on with the business of condemning all the "real" sinners.

Religious people like William42 think that religious pride and self-righteousness is not as bad as sexual immorality, but they are wrong. It is still sin, and it is still destructive. And it proves that none of us have made it, none of us have arrived, none of us are perfect. It proves that we have all sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. It proves that all of our "righteousness" is like filthy rags, compared to the goodness of God.

I can relate much more readily with Brooke Phillips, the pregnant prostitute, than I can with William42. And that doesn't bother me. I used to be like him. Now, when I look back at how I was, I'm ashamed. I thought that because I was in church every Sunday, because I didn't drink or smoke or chew, that I was better than people who did. I thought that because I wasn't a prostitute or a crack addict, that I was more attractive to God. But I was wrong. Jesus would be more likely to be friends with Ms. Phillips than with me, because people like Ms. Phillips KNOW that they need help. I didn't think I needed any. It was only after I hit rock bottom that I figured out how dark and depraved I really was. And it was only after recognizing the depth of my own depravity that I began to relate to people like Brooke Phillips.

Ms. Phillips was raised here in Oklahoma. Maybe she attended a church youth group. Maybe she went to Falls Creek. Maybe she gave her life to Christ. Maybe she was a very loving and decent person, but went down the wrong path when it came to her lifestyle. I hope that when she died, she knew her Maker. And I hope that today, she is in Heaven, fully aware that her lifestyle was wrong, but thankful for a merciful Savior.

If you believe Luke 18:9-14, it is a more likely scenario than William42 being there. Because self-righteousness is a bad, bad thing.

Even worse than being a pregnant prostitute.

Now Is The Time For Diligence

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:06:00 GMT

It is that time of year, the time when we eat like there is no tomorrow.

What is it about the holiday season that makes our resolve fly out the window? I read somewhere that 51% of the weight we will gain during the year will be gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a remarkable statistic. And it should make us stop, think, and control our actions, even if just a little bit.

Here are some suggestions to help you get through the next six weeks without blowing it too bad.

*Don't let the weather keep you from getting in your exercise.
Weather is the main excuse people give me for not riding or running. Sure, it can get cold this time of year. But with the right kind of clothing, it isn't that bad. And remember, you generate your own heat when exercising. Think about the fact that your body temperature is nearly 100 degrees. If you're bundled up right, you can keep much of that hundred degrees close to you. That will warm you up in a hurry. If you spend 60-90 minutes on the bike, then get home and into a warm shower, you will feel twice as good as you do when you ride during the warm weather months.

Dress warm

*Use the extra days off to squeeze in a ride.
The holiday season means extra days off from work. Use those days to sneak in a bike ride. I suggest getting an early start, though. On colder days, the longer you wait, the harder it is to make yourself get out. And because it gets dark early this time of year, you might just procrastinate yourself into missing an opportunity. On Thanksgiving Day, we always go to Lisa's mom's house. Lisa's mom lives right by the Creek bike trail. So I always bring my bike along. When we're done eating all that turkey and pie, and when everyone else is passing out on the couch, I slip out and go for a bike ride. It feels good, knowing all that food is melting away.

Load up your bike

*Set manageable goals for exercise.
This is a busy time of year. In addition to all the stuff you have to do, it is dark by 5:30, and the weather is unpredictable. So when the weather gets cold, I shoot for three to four days a week. If I can be on my bike three days out of seven, I'm not going to beat myself up. Set your goal to ride at least three days a week, from now until the end of the year. Or, set a mileage goal. You should be able to get in 600 miles between now and December 31. Keep a log, so you can monitor your progress. And you can bet that your weight won't creep up like it does every other year.

*Eat what you want, but stop when you begin to feel full.
I like food, especially holiday food. My mom always bakes chocolate, apple, and pumpkin pies. Since I like all three, I don't pick just one. I'll usually eat at least two pieces at holiday dinners. If you're going to do that, knock yourself out. But when you get full, stop eating. That's one of the cardinal rules for weight loss: eat what you want, not what you think you should, but as soon as you begin to feel full, stop eating.

While they play football, go for a ride.

*Ask friends and family to help hold you accountable.
Maybe you could ask your riding buddy if he is available to go for a spin on Thanksgiving or the day after Christmas. That way, you're committed, and are less likely to skip out. Ask your family to help you when it comes to eating. Work out the details ahead of time, or you'll be less likely to do it.

*Don't beat yourself up if you miss some days.
The fact is that you're going to fall off the wagon. You're going to miss some days. You're going to eat too much. And you might even gain a couple of pounds. Don't give up completely, though. Just take it a day at a time. If you miss a couple of days, just get back on and start again.

Just because most people gain weight during the last two months of the year, it doesn't mean that you have to. Don't wait until New Years to make a resolution to lose weight. Make a resolution now to not gain it in the first place.

What are you doing on Thanksgiving? Want to go for a ride?

Freegans? Really?

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:31:00 GMT

If you know me at all, you know that I love to save money. I like free. Free is good. And I like to buy things that are on sale. Cheap isn't as good as free, but it is still good. Don't get me wrong--I don't think you do yourself any favors by buying cheap things, just because of the cost savings. But if I can find quality things on sale, or free, well, life is good.

So when I was watching the National Geographic channel recently, I was intrigued by a documentary on the phenomenon referred to as "freegan."

Freegans are people who strive to get everything they have for free, in an attempt to drop out of the culture of consumerism in western society. And how do they accomplish this? By taking it from other peoples' garbage. They are dumpster divers. I had never heard of this before seeing the documentary, but apparently they have gotten their fair share of attention. Even Oprah did a show about it. Of course, I almost never watch Oprah, so I'm not surprised that I missed the story.

Freegans are not necessarily poor. They are not necessarily homeless. They are not necessarily unemployed. In many cases, they are quite well off. But they have made a conscious decision to check out of the economic system as much as possible. And to be pretty gross as well. If you're interested in learning more about freegans, you can go here. Or you can go here to read the blog of a living, breathing freegan. Here is the last installment of a 31 day experiment by a young lady who tried being a freegan, covered in Newsweek.

One of the misconceptions regarding freegans is that they are cheap. Some of them may be, but many freegans live this way because of their objection to the massive amount of waste in America. According to the documentary, Americans throw away enough trash every year to cover tens of thousands of football fields, six feet deep. That's a lot of trash. Much of what is thrown out is food, and much of that food is still edible. I read someplace that grocery stores in America throw away $30 billion a year worth of food. For various reasons, it is illegal in many places to give away this food to the poor. Grocery stores will throw away food when it reaches the "sell by" date, even though it may still be safe to eat. Freegans learn when these stores throw stuff out, and they pounce on it. They're not picky--they'll take whatever is dumped. Beef, pork, chicken, fruits, vegetables, clothes, furniture, whatever they can get their hands on. My point is that freegans do what they do for a number of reasons, but mainly they are checking out of the consumerism and capitalism that they so object to. They don't think it is "fair" that there are hungry people in the world, when westerners throw away so much food.

I don't really know what to say. When I told Lisa about the program, I got the feeling that she thought maybe I wanted to sign up. It is interesting to me, but I don't see myself becoming a dumpster diver. It would be great to save the money though--we spend $800-1000 a month on groceries. So maybe...NO. I'm not going to do it. It isn't worth the taboo issues, and I like having friends.

I suspect that there are many things we say we would never do, but most of us have never been tested. I mean, really tested. Oh, sure, there have been times when I've been broke. It wasn't that long ago that I was scraping change from the cushions of my couch, so I could go to the grocery store for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. But that isn't really being tested.

If times were really hard, and you were hungry, and broke, you'd eat food taken from the dumpster, right? Freegans insist that their lifestyle isn't as bad as you think. In fact, they think its pretty darn good. The meat they take is usually still frozen. The fruits and vegetables they bring home are thoroughly washed in a water-bleach mixture. And the ones featured in the documentary insist that they have never gotten sick from eating the food they gather.

One couple lives in a nice urban apartment, well-furnished. And everything they own was taken from trash. It didn't cost them a penny. One man lives in his van/RV.

I love the idea of simplicity. I like how they don't have to give Wal Mart $12,000 a year. And I like the way they are willing to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. If it just wasn't garbage.

What do you think about this phenomenon? Is it gross? Would you eat trash?

Words I Am Tired Of Hearing

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:45:00 GMT

I'm picky. I admit that.

And I have a slight problem with obsessive compulsive disorder.

I'm the guy that counts how many times the guy says "our Father" during the prayer at church.

For some reason, I find myself noticing when certain words work their way into the vernacular. And it drives me crazy. So I am using the wide scope of this blog to call for an end to the use of some of these words.

Now, I've already covered the use of the word "literally." It doesn't seem to have helped, I still hear it all the time. I've also covered the phrase "at the end of the day." I seem to be hearing it a little less now.

In Kansas City last week, I sat in a meeting, compiling a list for this article. Hey, I had to do something to stay awake. Here you go, a list of words to be banished from popular language.

Absolutely. This word is way overused. Sitting in my meeting last week, I heard one presenter use the word fifteen times in forty-five minutes. Every time someone would ask him a question, if the answer was affirmative, he would say, "absolutely." If the answer was negative, he would say, "absolutely not."
Watch interviews on shows like the Today Show, especially reporters, when they are interviewed by the host as a follow up to a story. They'll use the word several times, even in a short segment.
The word is used mostly to impress people, I think. Otherwise, people would just say "yes." After all, "absolutely" has four syllables, "yes" has just one. Poly-syllabic words are always more impressive than mono-syllabic words. And let's face it, words are an important way for us to make other people believe that we are smarter than we really are.
And that is why people say "absolutely" so much.
Please stop it.
From now on, if you feel the need to say "absolutely," there are plenty of alternatives. How about saying "positively" or "surely?" Or what about saying "unquestionably," or "right on?"
From now on, when I feel tempted to say "absolutely," I am just going to say, "yup." Feel free to join me.

Exactly. I hear this word used all the time. Listening to Dr. Laura recently, I heard a caller use the word five times in a thirty second period. People use this word when they are in agreement with something someone says. I hear it a lot when people are involved in a heated discussion over something they feel strongly about.
"Health care reform is too expensive, and it is going to bankrupt our country."
"Exactly."
But you have to put the emphasis on the right part of the word, in order to make it count. "ExACTly." On tv and radio, you'll hear it all the time. I mean, ALL the time.
How about we use the word "precisely?" Or we throw back to the 90s, with, "totally?" I say that a lot. My friend at work uses the word "seriously" instead of "exactly."

Surreal. HATE this word. Somebody went to college for three semesters, and in one of those semesters, they attended a philosophy class, and the professor used the word "surreal." They thought, "cool word!" Then they dropped out of college, and have been using it, or should I say, over-using it, ever since.
The word means "dreamlike." It is the opposite of real.
"What was it like at the fair?"
(talking like a person who is high) "Oooohhhh, it was just sooo surreal."
Yup, college dropout.

Amazing. It's like, all the young people got together and said, "we're going to have one adjective to describe every great event that ever happens in our lives, from now on."
And it is going to be aMAYzing. See, you have to say it like that, a-MAAAAYYYY-zing. The more amazing it was, the more emphasis you put on the MAAAAYYYY. It works, try it.
"How was your date last night?"
"Oh, it was a-MAAAAYYY-zing."
"Yeah? Did you enjoy the movie?"
"Oh, it was so a-MAY-zing." (slightly less amazing than the overall date).
Yes, amazing is way overused.
How about this instead? "It was pretty good." Or, "yeah, it was great." Great's a good word. At just one syllable, though, you're not going to impress anyone.

Basically. People say this a lot. It is a stalling tactic. If someone asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, in order to stall until you can come up with a good load of crap to say, you say, "basically..." This word has been creeping into the vernacular of athletes lately, I've noticed. I heard one football player start every single sentence with that word, in a single interview. Every sentence.
A good alternative to the word "basically" would be just to say nothing at all. Nothing wrong with that. Just sit there, looking contemplative. Works every time. Then you follow up your silence with a "that's a good question."

Kinda. Oh man, people are saying that word a lot. I think it is an attempt at false humility, like people who say "ummm" a lot. Of course, it is a perversion of the phrase "kind of."
"Did you have a good day at work dear?"
"Kind of."
But we have smushed it all together, and say "kinda." And we use it in sentences, when we're talking about things we're supposed to know a lot about.
Listen for it, and you'll hear it all the time. And maybe it will drive you as crazy as it does me.

So there you have it. My list of banished soon-to-be-banished words. From now on, we're going to...kinda...basically stop using these words all the time. It might feel surreal, but when we're done, it will be aMAYYYYzing. Will it be hard? Absolutely! But at the end of the day, I think we can do it. And if we don't? My head is literally going to explode.

Greatest War Movie Heroes

jason@jasonkearney.net (Jason Kearney) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:20:00 GMT

I've been a fan of war movies for as long as I can remember. To this day, there are some movies that I watch every time they are on. This week, one of my favorites was on. It was late at night, it was on commercial television (I hate commercials), and I had to get up and go to work the next day--all good reasons to not watch. But I couldn't help it. I watched the whole thing, and didn't get to sleep until 1:00am.

It got me to thinking about the main characters in war movies. Admittedly, I haven't seen every single war movie ever made. But I've seen a lot of them, and it seems like a good idea to rank these heroes. Keep in mind that I'm not ranking the movies themselves. That might result in a different outcome. This is a list of the greatest heroes from the greatest movies.

Ladies, go on about your business. Gentlemen, let us talk of these things now.

13. Sergeant J.J. Sefton (William Holden), Stalag 17, 1953
Sgt. Sefton was the classic anti-hero in this film. Set in a German POW camp, we're led to believe early in the story that Sefton is giving information to the Nazis. His fellow prisoners despise him. In the ultimate show of cool, Holden doesn't defend himself, or try to prove that he isn't the mole. He just starts giving the real mole (played by Peter Graves) a little rope, until he has enough to hang himself. The big moment is where Holden outs Graves as a Nazi, and Holden is vindicated.

12. Captain Hilts (Steve McQueen), The Great Escape, 1963
The "kind of" true story of a group of POWs held in Germany during WWII. Steve McQueen played the stereotypical bad boy, motorcycle riding soldier.

Great movie, with more than a few heroes (including the man who spoke at my college graduation ceremony), but McQueen stole the show.

11. Major Reisman (Lee Marvin), The Dirty Dozen, 1967
A dramatization, of course, but a good story. Twelve misfit soldiers, all sentenced to death for various reasons, who are picked by Lee Marvin to complete a mission that will most likely result in their deaths anyway. Great ensemble cast, and Lee Marvin is awesome, as usual.

10. Captain Harry Clark (Treat Williams), The Eagle Has Landed, 1976
I always liked this movie about a plot to assassinate Winston Churchill during WWII. What always struck me about the story was that this Captain, out ranked but not out classed, stood up and took the mantle of leadership after his superior's lack of leadership got them killed (Larry Hagman, for example). The viewer sees it. And the German officer played by Donald Sutherland saw it too.
I saw it as a ten year old boy, watching the movie for the first time. What I didn't realize at the time was how Treat Williams stole the show from a lot of quality veteran actors. I mean, we're talking about a who's who list of award winning movie stars, like Sutherland, Robert Duvall, and Michael Caine. A great, heroic performance by an otherwise unknown actor in only his fourth role.

9. The Sergeant (Lee Marvin), The Big Red One, 1980
Lee Marvin makes the list twice, this time as a mysterious, quiet military officer who commands a group of young soldiers. We find out as the story unfolds that he is haunted by his experiences in WWI, which turn out to be very similar to his experiences in WWII. Great performances by Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine.

8. Lt. Colonel Mike Barnsby (Harrison Ford), Force 10 From Navarone, 1978
Love this movie. Other than the oddly placed Carl Weathers, it is outstanding. The scene where they blow up the dam, and take out the bridge, is a Hollywood classic. Not to mention the scene where they figure out who the spy is.

7. Major Jonathan Smith (Richard Burton), Where Eagles Dare, 1968
What kind of acting chops does it take to upstage and outclass Clint Eastwood? Richard Burton, that's who. To me, this movie would come to represent a "passing of the torch" moment in Hollywood. Burton, the classic tough-guy actor in the waning years of his career, passing the torch to Eastwood, who was making only his third film for a major domestic movie studio. Burton had all the answers in this flick, while Eastwood just stood and looked confused. The ultra-hot Mary Ure (who, it turns out, was older than my dad, and died only seven years after the making of this film) didn't fall for Eastwood, but for Burton. Remarkable. The scene where Burton outs the spy on the airplane ride home, and allows him to jump out of the plane with no parachute, shows what a studly character this was.

6. General Maximus (Russell Crowe), Gladiator, 2000
Some might argue this doesn't belong on the list, since Roman battles against barbarians do not usually come to mind when we mention war movies, but General Maximus is a true soldier, and at its heart, this is a war movie. All that matters to Maximus is that he do his job and go home to his wife and son. At least in the beginning. Later in the film, all that matters is that he exact vengeance for their deaths.

5. Admiral Chester Nimitz (Henry Fonda), Midway, 1976

This movie is a little too much like a soap opera for me (Charlton Heston is a little cheesy). But Fonda is remarkable as Admiral Nimitz. I love the scene between him and Hal Holbrook, upon learning that the American Navy had disabled three Japanese aircraft carriers:

Holbrook: "Three enemy carriers burning! Hallelujah!"
Fonda looks contemplative, but not overly happy.
Holbrook: "Three enemy carriers burning, sir, isn't that worth at least a 'hot diggity damn?'"
Fonda: "Yeah, Joe, but there's still that fourth carrier to deal with."
Holbrook: "You know, Admiral, we've already won a great victory. Yamamoto's still got a tremendous fleet out there. Shouldn't we get our people out?"
Fonda: "You mean break off, run for home?"
Holbrook: "Yes sir, before we get hurt."
Fonda: "Well, that might be the smart play commander. Trouble is, I WANT that fourth carrier."

4. Lt. Colonel Kiley (Henry Fonda), Battle of the Bulge, 1965
It is hard to go wrong with Henry Fonda, and he delivers in this movie. He plays an officer who was a cop in civilian life. He is the one who, using his skills as a detective, figures out that the Germans are running out of fuel. There are several great actors in this movie (Robert Ryan, Robert Shaw). The higher ranking officers are not too sure what to think of this draftee, but ultimately they realize that he is right. The most compelling scene is when Fonda, badly injured from a plane crash, limps up to the fuel depot, just before the Germans get there, and yells, "Burn it! Burn it all!" By the way, that's a great line to throw into everyday conversation, in case you are so inclined.

3. Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks), Saving Private Ryan, 1998
This is where it gets dicey. The top three could go in any order. As far as overall movies are concerned I might rank the top three differently. But as far as protagonists go, I'll stick with this order. Captain Miller, played by Hanks, manages to survive D-Day, only to be sent on a mission to save a soldier whose three brothers have all been killed in action. One of the greatest movies ever made, and serves as a reminder to a younger generation of the sacrifices made by "the greatest generation." The best line of the movie? Hard to say, but two scenes come to mind. Captain Miller, grabbing Private Ryan (Matt Damon) by the shirt collar, saying, "earn this." Wow. And Private Ryan as an old man, looking at his wife, standing at the grave of Captain Miller fifty years later, asking his wife to tell him he has been a good man. I don't care what kind of tough guy you are, if you don't tear up at that scene, you're just heartless.

2. Major Richard Winters (Damian Lewis), Band of Brothers, 2001
Another true story, written by an actual historian. This is my all-time favorite war movie (it is a mini-series, actually). It follows the lives of Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne Division, as they prepare for the invasion of Europe in WWII. The stories of each character are compelling, but none more so than Major Winters, played by British actor Damian Lewis.

He starts the film as a second lieutenant, who is a major threat to his superior officer (played by David Schwimmer). By the time the invasion is in full swing, we see what a natural born leader looks like, as Winters' talent and intelligence become evident.

1. Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), We Were Soldiers, 2002
I'm not much of a fan of Vietnam war movies, but this one stands out. It is the true story of the first major battle in America's involvement in the Vietnam war, and is based on the book written by Col. Moore himself. As a history minor, I appreciate that. I love a good story, but I mostly love a good true story. This movie is loaded with remarkable acting talent, including Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliot, Chris Klein, and Madeleine Stowe, who plays Mrs. Moore. The story is told from several different angles, not just from the front lines. The war is viewed from the perspective of the American soldiers on the battlefield, but also the Vietnamese soldiers, and the wives back home.

As Col. Moore prepares to take his men into battle, he meets one his young officers, Jack Geoghegan, in the chapel, praying before he ships out. Jack is afraid that Col. Moore will think that he is weak, not realizing that Moore is a devout Catholic who is there to make prayers of his own. So together, on their knees at the altar of the chapel, Col. Moore offers this prayer:
Our Father in heaven, before we go into battle, every soldier among us will approach you each in his own way. Our enemies too, according to their own understanding, will ask for protection and for victory. And so, we bow before your infinite wisdom. We offer our prayers as best as we can. I pray that you watch over the young Jack Geoghegan, that I lead into battle. You use me as your instrument in this awful hell of war to watch over them. Especially if they're men like this one beside me, deserving of a future in your blessing and good will. Amen.
Oh yes, and one more thing, dear Lord, about our enemies. Ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to hell. Amen.

The co-author of the book was Joe Galloway, who had been a reporter for UPI during the war, and who was on the battlefield for entire battle. He serves as the narrator for the story. After the fighting is over, he approaches Col. Moore.
Moore says to him, "I'll never forgive myself."
"For what?", Galloway asks.
With his lip stuck out and tears in his eyes, Moore says, "That my men...that my men died and I didn't."
Galloway then says to Col. Moore: "Sir I don't...I don't know how to tell this story."
Moore looks him in the eye, tears welling up, and says, "Well you got to Joe. You tell the American people what these men did here. You tell them how my troopers died."

Powerful moment, portrayed brilliantly by Mel Gibson, and I'll bet you can't find a man anywhere without a lump in his throat.

So there you have it, my list of the greatest war movie heroes. What do you think? Who do you like?