Bdog's B-log

Christmas

2010-01-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged since FB hit a fever pitch. Just in case there's still some traffic on here, I decided to post some pics of my kids and Christmas. My nephew and I built a tobogan run down the side of my brother's house. The thing was 70ft long and the only thing stopping Nathan from going further was the fence in the back of the property.

Doper or Diabetic?

2009-08-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

Top of Lone Wolf Trail, Castlewood Park, MO.

Went on a ride with my homeboy Tom Borich aka TB, aka Freighttrain, aka Linebacker. Homey shoots up on a regular basis when we ride. He assures me it's insulin, but I'm not a chemist so I can't confirm what he's putting into his bloodstream. All I know is that the hills of Missouri kicked my butt and I coulda used some EPO. Two days of climbing hills with my out of shape legs really hurt. I put on 2000 feet of climbing in 24 hrs. It didn't help I was riding my 1x9 mountain bike on the road on day 2. Thanks for the ride TB! You're looking good dragging your 200lb carcass over those hills.

Anyone still there?

2009-07-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm just posting a pic of my little girl to see if anyone reads this blog anymore? Facebook has taken most of my online time, so go find me there.

Reclaiming my family room

2009-03-13T11:38:00.001-07:00

Vince has been migrating all of his toys into my family room. Slowly but surely they have found a home in my ottoman, under the end tables, in front of the fireplace, next to the TV, and in the middle of the room. Michelle wanted a toychest/cabinet so she started shopping online. She found a great cabinet at Pottery Barn. As you can see from the link, the full deal wasn't cheap. I decided that I could build it for much cheaper, and make it nicer. With some help from Master Carpenter Jerry "Four Fingers" Jenks, we pulled it off over the weekend. I'm still deciding about staining or painting at this point, but the kid has his toys loaded into it already. Total cost of the project is under $200.00, and it's a much nicer piece of furniture. Now I have to decide what to do with Isabella's toys when she gets older...

Isabella Concetta

2009-03-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the new pride and joy of the Jenks household. Thanks to all my friends and family that have helped and supported us through the process. Michelle and the baby are both doing great. The baby eats constantly it seems. Every time I come back into the room with the baby, she's feeding again. I do sneak in time with her and get to stare at her. I wonder how much money this one is gonna cost me...

Gracie Seminar

2009-02-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

Our club is a Carlson Gracie club so it was only fitting that the man himself come up and show us some of the techniques that made him and his father champions. Don't let his stature lure you into thinking this guy isn't a badass. Check out his bio to see some of the things this guy has done. If you've ever seen the UFC, and saw Royce Gracie take out Kimo who was 70 lbs bigger, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

My attempt at an armbar on Carlson...

2009-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Vince "Hef" Jenks, explaining the finer points of barrell aged wine.

Michelle's been preparing for the new arrival with the usual "nesting" activities that mothers do. I've been doing the usual father "nesting" and picked up this beauty of a Smith machine. No more running to the gym for a workout. I can watch kids and lift all while in the comfort of my own home. This thing has all the pulleys for various lifts, plus the Lat tower, squat rack, bench rack, cable rows, pull up bar, and tons more. I'll get my cardio on the trainer, then hit the weights for strength training.

Annual Hayes party 2009. A few racers are not pictured, as they are sissys and left early. You know who you are. Jerry wasn't there as he was getting his pec implant surgery so he gets a pass. Brodick has a full bottle of wine in his hand; but he is wearing an argyle sweater so he's not a complete bum. Jay's porn star mustache is fully grown in and looks the part. You'll notice that my alter ego appeared in this photo on my left shoulder. You can only see it via photography or night vision goggles.

The Boy

2009-02-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Check out my boy holding court with the honeys. Yes son, you're number one.

Who has the time?

2009-02-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Man I've been busy. The day isn't long enough, there aren't enough days in the week, and the months go by too fast. The new baby is due March 4th, so we've been gearing up for that. Isabella's room is almost ready with some minor decorating to be done. Michelle will be out of commission for at least 4 weeks, so I'm on double duty with kids and work. Vinny is easy enough but still can't make his own meals and isn't quite ready to use the big toilet (getting close though). Punk needs to start carrying his weight around the house soon.
Work is crazy. Tons of people looking for advice and trying to clean up the mess they call their portfolios. Most of my clients use some form of guarantee, others are long term investors and don't worry about the ups and downs of the markets, so all in all my clients aren't panicky. But, I'm still doing a lot of maintanence and working with the new clients is time consuming so I'm plenty busy.
Working out is limited to 1 or 2 days a week, with Jiu Jitsu 2-3 times a week. My biking is limited to seeing the bikes in the basement occasionally. Classes have been good and my technique is getting better. The more you know, the easier it gets. I've been trying to roll with the biggest guys in class to make it more challenging. Last night the guy I was rolling with had a freak accident. He's a big dude, so I had to get nasty with him. I jammed his big toe into the mat, folded it over until the skin broke and tore the skin almost all the way around the toe. No blood at first, just torn flesh; really weird and disgusting. It was the first ambulance visit to the club. I call the move the BJ toe hold; I'll patent it and use it sparringly. I could demonstrate sometime, just ask. Check out the new website for the club. http://rfobjj.com/
I had a good Saturday night at our UFC fight party. I started taking bets on fighters. One guy would be convinced that a guy was going to win, so I'd take the other fighter. $60 later I went home content with my sophisticated betting program.
Racing in 09 is looking sketchy at best. Looks like I'll have to be a spectator for another season until the baby gets older. I miss getting on the bike and racing, but the training time is so hard to squeeze in. A good training ride takes at least 2hrs, and you gotta do that several days a week. Then I've got the work obligation as I'm not able to retire yet. Then of course the first priority of family. I'm sure nobody else has a clue about this. Biking is one of those hobbies that to remain competitive, it has to be your only focus. No lifting weights, Jiu Jitsu, basketball, softball, or football, can be squeezed in without negatively effecting the racing.

Cliff Bar recall

2009-01-21T08:15:00.001-08:00

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/clifbar01_09.html

Finally

2009-01-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

There is now a new blogosphere standard for postings, so from here on out, I've got to be diligent about getting your attention. I think the first photo in this blog is gripping, don't you?

Read my blog or else...

Sit on this fat strangers lap, it's no big deal...

It took all of one present for Vince to figure out this was fun

Kid loves to be outside

Been hangin with this crew my whole life. We've got group pics back to when we were babies.

What do you say about this pic? Cool shades, chiseled physique, hip Dump Truck fashion clothing, curiously messed up hair; this is just plain old cool.

Get your suit!

2009-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Christmas fun

2008-12-30T08:14:00.001-08:00

ghetto pose with the 357

This is just good clean, all-American fun. We spent 4 hours at my Uncle's farm shooting up a small arsenal of ammo. We lit a fire to keep warm and took turns shooting the 15 different guns.

I lost count of how many rounds of trap we shot, but it was a lot. I do know I ripped off some rounds with a 44 Magnum. You can't forget that. It ripped shots through the above target box. The box has 3 layers of 2x6 boards, surrounded by a 3/8 inch thick steel box.

The above pic is my cluster with a 357 Magnum. So evidently I shoot a gun better than I shoot a basketball. My brother managed to stick the bullseye three times! Of course, he did accidently shoot off the roof of the target box too, so I'm not sure if we can call him a dead eye yet.

My nephew got to shoot his late Grandpa's rifle, so he was excited about that.

My brother in law decided he'd rip off some rounds with the Magnum load in the 357. After one shot he remembered he forgot his earplugs and decided to put the gun down. That's saying a lot considering he's in the Army and spent years firing mortars and various big firearms.

Really?

2008-12-17T14:23:00.001-08:00

Do you suppose they send these jackets out to their "top" clients? Talk about "crappy" marketing.

MU vs KU

2008-12-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

I'm finally settled down from the game, so here's the recap.

Mizzou played their usual defensive scheme; Swiss Cheese. Leave a bunch of holes in the secondary and allow the receivers to settle into the open field. The result was KU 40, MU 37. It was one of THE best college games I've ever seen, minus the outcome of course.

My dad, brother, sister, cousin and brother-in-law are Kansas Jayhawkers. Yeah, I know, you're asking how could I turn out so well being surrounding by such degenerates? The answer is I have faith in God, I care about animals, and I had a great high school counselor. Anyway, the game got underway and the peanut gallery started in. Trash talking abounded, slurs were spoken, dirty looks, insults, and of course the occasional "loser" comment.

After the MU loss, I took out my anger on the perpetrators of the insults.

Sleepy time, just relax and you'll be asleep in a few seconds

This is what I think about your "number 1" symbol

The School

2008-12-10T15:26:00.001-08:00

RFO Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. The whole crew isn't pictured of course, but there's several regulars. Daniel Wanderlei is the black belt instructor in the camo Gi from Carlson Gracie Academy. He's got mad skills in BJJ and it's wise to be friendly with him. I think he likes me because the last time we sparred, he only tapped me out 3 times in the five minutes. The sissy looking chump sitting to the right of Daniel is the owner of the club Randy. He's pretty good at BJJ, and only gets tapped once or twice in five minutes with Daniel.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T10:17:00.001-08:00

Vinnie is learning Karate, Kung Fu, and Jiu Jitsu. If you ask him to show you Kung Fu, he throws a punch at you. When you ask him to show you Karate, he does the kick shown above. Ask him to do Jiu Jitsu and he chokes you unconscious.

Thanksgiving is always jammed full of activities.

My Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers and I get together to play football on Thanksgiving. This year marked our 14th annual time. The Channel 5 News cameraman came out to document the action. He had the camera on the field, in the huddles, and in the middle of the plays. I didn't get to see the final cut, but I'm sure it was funny. Seth got the gold star award this year for his impressive 5 interceptions on D-Rock. Johnny "JMack" McCormick QB'd the winning team with a calm only exhibited by the most veteran of quarterbacks. Davin "My skirt is too tight" Sills had the pleasure of being thrown the ball 1 time the whole game. Playing defense against him was worthless as he got no action. I should have covered his lineman, as they got more passes then him. I was on the winning side again, and kept my streak of scoring a TD every year alive.

My older brother and I make it a tradition to get on the bikes every Thanksgiving break. This year was pretty mellow. We rode a couple of times easy, as he was planning on doing the local CX race on Sunday. He had a great race and soloed in for 3rd.

Vinny got a ride in on the Voodoo too.

Blood, Guts, Nastiness

2008-11-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

The Blog Analyzer thought my blog was written by a woman. So I decided to put some nastiness on here.

Jacked up the dog in class. This is a classic case of turf toe. Probably just bruised and not broken. Funny thing is there isn't a bit of turf in the gym; just cushy mats.

And for those who like a little blood...

I'm gonna run the analyzer after this post and see if I can reduce my chickness to below 99%.

First Hair Cut

2008-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Cool, like the Fonz

Remember these days? Bet your kid didn't get the custom cut by a Mario Tricocci stylist at the office like Vinnie did.

Sailing anyone?

2008-11-17T08:34:00.001-08:00

Congrats

2008-11-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Ethan on a great tournament. Ethan won the NAGA tournament and got his first belt along with a cool sword as a gift. Ethan is 13 and has some very good skills. He's gonna be a handful for a lot of the adults in the school soon. Check out his podium pic!

LIke cars/driving? Got 4 1/2 minutes?

2008-11-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-jAImScms

Vince is outstanding...

2008-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

in his field.

From the Rant Page...

2008-10-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Kid can fight

2008-10-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been teaching Vince some basics in Jiu Jitsu. He's mastered the full mount position on the bear. We're working on striking from that position so he can knock out that fat furry bear.

Hayward Fun

2008-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Little Daredevil

I'm not that bald; it's the lighting
Famous Dave's Dock
Hangin at the hot tub, waiting for chicks

The Telemark may be old, but you can still have fun.

Hayward

2008-10-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Got the new rig out for the first time on single track this past weekend. Headed up to Hayward for some much needed R&R. This was the first time I've ridden in Hayward outside of the Chequamegon 40 race. It was nice getting out riding up there without worrying about all the extra stuff with racing.
I rode Saturday and Sunday on the Ojibwe Trail and then the Esker trail. Ojibwe was an excellent test of the new 29er's ability to handle single track. Whoever made that 12 mile loop was smoking something when they did it. It's non-stop twisting turning, rocky, rooty, up and down and around riding. Very little flat sections, with almost constant pedalling required. The carbon rigid fork was awesome, and the bike seemed to soak up the bumps. I wasn't sore after the first day as I expected so the proof is in how I felt. The Esker trail is a difficult trail too, with a big knife edge ridge that you climb up and traverse. It's got some technical parts, some grassy open areas, some wooded, pretty much a mix of different trails.
2 days of riding, 4 hours saddle time on the new ride, no sore spots, and the bike is smoooovvvve.

It's Alive

2008-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

From just a fleeting thought, to a beautiful reality. 1x9 29er, custom from the ground up. Hayes Stroker brakes, SunRingle' Wheels courtesy of Russell, Bonty XDR tires, Voodoo Aizan 29er frame, Exotic carbon rigid fork (also known as a White Brothers, but half the cost), XTR derailleur, shifter, chain, and cassette, Truvativ Stylo crankset, Easton Monkeylite bar, Ritchey World Cup stem, King Headset, Thompson Elite seat post, and the comfortable WTB silver rocket saddle. Now I guess I have to ride it sometime...
As Lenny so eloquently put it; "You're building a bike? Won't it get all cobwebby sitting in the basement"? I promise it won't get cobwebs.

Children of the corn

Family Hayride.

Boy needs to grow so I don't have bend over to hold his hand...

Finger Pointing? You bet!

2008-10-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm recapping some recent political information, and some old information as I see it.
First off, the Community Redevelopment Act was enacted under Clinton to get more poor minorities into homes (the American dream, and right evidently). That Act gave the green light or mandate to Fannie and Freddie to relax lending standards to allow for zero down payment loans, no doc loans, and loans with very low credit score requirements.
Fast forward to 2004 in a committee hearing in the House about the state of Fannie and Freddie. Congressional GOP leaders are calling for more regulatory oversight on these two companies because of the impending danger of this house of cards crumbling down. See this video to catch up on the hearings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs.
Democrats resist the implication for some unknown reason (greed).

Fast forward to today and the credit markets have seized up, the stock market is on shakey ground, the economy is struggling to survive, and all because of the toxic waste known as Subprime debt. This debt was inserted into the banking system by Fannie and Freddie. It has pierced the balance sheets of banks large and small.
Democrats are championing a bill to help us recover from this problem and are making themselves out to be the heroes. They put us here, they need to get us out, I agree. But don't make it look like you're a savior Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, and Chris Dodd.
Democrat Dennis Kucinich voted against the bill. Great guy, being responsible with your money and not wanting to bail out the banks. I can sympathize, until he tells you his plan that is. He wants us, the taxpayer, to bail out the people defaulting on their loans. A bottom up approach he says, helping out the people on mainstreet, not Wall Street. Give the money to your neighbor who can't make his subprime loan payment.
Let me get this straight. If I give my hard earned money to some guy who got himself in over his head in a mortgage, that he shouldn't have qualified for, couldn't afford, and can walk away with no monetary loss whatsoever, that will fix this situation? You must be crazy!
Bailout of Wall Street is a farse. It's not Wall Street that needs bailing out. The bill is detoxifying the books of the banks that were infested with that garbage from Fannie and Freddie. Unfortunately, the only institution big enough to do that is the Federal Government. So we lick our wounds, clean up the mess socialized housing programs like the Community Redevelopment Act created, and we learn from our lessons.
There's no short cut to owning the American dream! And the Government shouldn't interfere with the free markets.

Fall Color Festival

2008-09-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't get the 1x9 29er built in time for the race, so I raced the old Fuel. Probably a good idea considering I haven't ridden in over a month and haven't been on single track in ?????. I opted for the 20 miler considering my lack of bike fitness; good decision as it turns out. I staged on the front row because I didn't want to deal with the traffic. Over 100 riders in this race. To get things started on the right foot, I t-boned a guy in warmups. I was preriding the grassy leadout and he was riding it backwards. I tried to stop, but the grass was wet with dew and I just smashed into the side of him. Pushed him into the weeds, managed to stay on my feet, picked up a few scratches, then I was on my way.
I did the first lap at a great pace. I stayed within a minute of the leaders and came through the start/finish in 5th wheel. I was actually holding a little back, knowing I had 20 miles to race. In the last lap, my lack of muscular endurance started to show and I was really struggling up even the littlest climbs. It was a parade of riders coming by me at that point. I didn't really mind though, I was having a lot of fun racing on the mountain bike again. I set a personal worst time of 1hr 55 minutes! It's nothing but good things to come from here. That new Voodoo probably would have shaved 10 minutes off my time I'm sure.
Garmin report: Race time 1hr 55 minutes, 21 miles, avg speed 11mph, avg bpm 182, max 200, 2184 calories burned. I put all those back by the time I went to bed easy.

28 1/2er

2008-09-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Almost done. I need a 9 speed shifter and I'll be rolling the 29er. I thought I was going to finish it last night until I went to pull my XTR off one of my other bikes and realized it was a dual shifter unit. Considering I put the Hayes Stroker carbons on, I don't need a dual shifter. Anyone have a spare rear shifter? Thanks to the Bike Lab and Eckel for the use of the slick star nut driver and steer tube guide cutter. Weighed the almost complete bike and it's going to be under 22lbs for all you weight weenies.
I think 1x9 is going to be the trick for me. I put in too much effort climbing in the SS sometimes and it saps my energy cranking up steep hills. Being able to shift into some easier gears will save some of that power late in the race. I was hoping to have this beast done by Fall Color Festival on Saturday but...looks like Sheboygan will be the coming out party.

Ouch

2008-09-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

You know how much interval training and/or hill repeats suck? Your tongue hangs on the bars, your eyes go dizzy, your lungs feel like concrete blocks, your legs are toasted from the effort; you know the drill.
Well imagine that feeling, and then having a guy putting you in an arm bar, or a triangle choke, or contorting your body in ways you didn't know it would move. You're absolutely exhausted, your muscles don't seem to work, and in the meantime you're being choked.
That's the fun stuff in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. I get the unlucky "pleasure" of rolling with the instructor every class. He takes great pleasure in reminding me why I'm the student and he's the teacher. I outweigh him by 15 lbs, but that's irrelevant in this martial art.
It's now just a game of seeing how long I can survive before he tears my arm off or chokes me out. I got a good 30 seconds in today before the first choke! But he keeps reminding me, that that's the evolution of learning. At some point, he may not ever get me. That's probably 10 years from now I'm guessing. I keep telling him, that if I could include striking, I'd have a far better chance.
If you think you're tough, take BJJ. You get humbled very quickly.
So how does this help my biking? It's interval training, but with your life at risk.

13 mos!

2008-09-09T11:03:00.001-07:00

The Front Fell Off...

2008-09-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

Too funny!!!!

DPRT Again!

2008-08-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Feels good to be a part of the action again! Albeit a very short part of the action. First off, my ride is under protest. The Goat said he would wait for 8 miles until he dropped me. It was 7.58 according to the Garmin Goat. I'm also riding a 26in wheeled bike on flat trails against a bunch of 29ers and cross bikes. Can you blame me for getting dropped???
The group was plenty strong with the members being Goat, Jerry, Bender, JT, and Doug Pietz. The big German Magnus Eckel made the ride in the last half. When I caught the group, Doug and Jerry were in a spot of bother (as Paul Sherwyn would say). I was fresh and easily attached to the ride. Just as we left Gurnee and entered Libertyville, the trail tipped up slightly just after the 120 bridge, and I fell off. I did OK staying in relative contact, but the next 2 miles is a fast part and I slowly lost sight of the group. I kept the pace steady and turned around just north of Old School. I ran into Magnus north of Independence Grove, rode his bike to test it out, and then saw Pietz coming up the trail. Doug and I rode north past Gurnee before I turned around, just in time to see the group coming back north.
An average of 17 mph, 30 miles, 165 bpm, max at 199 bpm, and 2300 cal burned. Good ride for this outta shape rider!

Catching up

2008-08-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Typical of the summer, the blog is usually behind. I've been really busy with work, family, and things in between.

Not much biking for me, so all you biking nerds won't hear of any great two wheel stories. I am in the process of building up a 29er right now so I can be like the rest of you chumps out there. I have plans to do a 1x9 though, instead of the SS two niner. I figure that will give me a few more options when the fitness isn't good enough to warrant running the SS for the whole race or ride. Lenny wondered about me building a new bike and thought it might get, and I quote, "all cobwebby" sitting around. I figure it's like the Field of Dreams; if you build it, you will ride.

Quick non-biking summary for you non bikers who aren't sure what "SS" or "two niner" or 1x9 means.

Michelle is pregnant again! Vinny's gonna be a big brother. The lab project worked again, and we have a "build-a-baby" on the way.

Vinny turned 1 and we threw the 1 yr party for the boy. 58 people made it to the house for the water slide, pools, food, and drinks.

Of course he got the cake everywhere, including his nose...

I had my national sales conference for my firm, LPL Financial. 7000 brokers converged on Chicago and the McCormick Place to get the latest scoop on all things financial. On Monday of the conference, Sheryl Crow opened the event with a private concert, Tuesday meetings were hosted by Ted Koppel. I hung out with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith early Tuesday night.

Went to dinner at Ditka's and met da Coach when he strolled in to have dinner with some of his son's friends. My stupid camera phone doesn't have a flash, so no pic of that encounter. Saw Hall of Famer Goose Gossage on Wednesday; no pics to prove that one either. Bonnie Raitt closed the conference with another private concert.

Then I played golf this Wednesday at Ruffled Feathers with Wayne Player; former PGA pro and son of the legend Gary Player. (Gary and Wayne are the only father/son duo to play in the British Open and the US Open at the same time.) I won the long drive contest and scored an autographed Masters flag by Gary Player; who won the Masters three times in his career, and the PGA Championships several times. I smoked the drive 340yds, 14yds longer than Wayne. Of course I can't hit a short iron to save my life. As Wayne so elegantly said to me in his South African accent; "Brad, I love the violence in your driver, if only you could do that with your other clubs." And so it goes; drive for show, putt for dough. I closed the day with a 92. Whatever, I got some cool memorabilia out of the day.

And so, there is a nice time capsule of my last three weeks or so. Maybe when things settle down and my 29er is done, I'll get back on the bike and back to "normal."

The Wednesday DPRT battles are in full cry and I'm sick about not being able to get out and contribute some the usual punishment. Maybe I'll sneak out one day and hang on for a few miles...

Cleaning up

2008-08-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

I play softball with a group of guys from church (Christ Church Lake Forest). It's a great group of guys, and they are all talented ball players. We join all the local "bar leagues" and represent the church in the neighborhoods. We play like gentlemen, and win like champions. We won the Gurnee Park District Competitive league for the third time last Monday night. We enacted the slaughter rule on the other team and won 15 to 5. After some "atta boys" from the other team, we all headed over to Kaisers to get some beer and pizza and watch the Cubs beat up the Brewers.

We followed up that championship with a cleaning up of the Wheeling Summer Sizzle tournament on Saturday. It was a double elimination tourney and we came out unbeaten. Nice job to all the guys playing as we represented the church well, played with good attitudes, and walked away with a nice purse and yet another trophy in the lobby.

We start the Libertyville competitive league at the end of August, and will go for our 3rd straight league championship there.

Everybody Smile!

2008-07-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

Kleetus

2008-07-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

If you haven't met my dog, then you won't appreciate this story as much. He's a German Shorthaired Pointer, 10 yrs old, going on 2, lovable, playful, and tons of personality. He's a serious hunting dog though, and he has one high tolerance for pain. I've worked him all day on a number of occasions and all he wants to do is keep hunting. He's never been to the emergency room and has never been sick. He's lacerated his chest, sliced up his paws, sprained his hips, had a huge contusion on his chest from a pipe stuck in the ground, and he let me take out a cyst the size of a peanut M&M in his side without a peep from him. All in all he's just a tough SOB. That's why this incident last night didn't come as much of a surprise.

The short version is that he was running for the stairs, went around Michelle, jumped, and caught is skin on the baby gate. The knob of the gate hung on to the skin while the dog kept going. He ripped off a piece of flesh the size of your fist. Michelle freaked out when she saw him filleted open, and I ran over to check him out. He was howling in pain, but not from the wound, but from his bark collar shocking him. I took off the collar and he stood motionless. He knew something was up, but he wasn't sure. I was barking out orders; get a towel, get some duct tape, call the emergency clinic...Meanwhile I was holding the flap of skin in place while the dog stood there wagging his tail! After a rushed trip to the emergency clinic, over 2 hrs of waiting, a stay over night, and $680 later, he's back home feeling the effects of his surgery.

On a different note, my buddy from the good old days flew in from Denver and hung for the weekend. We played golf, pool, football, went to Blarney's for Girls Gone Wild (lame), hung out at the Sand Bar, rode the cruisers, went to the emergency room twice (Vince had a flase alarm on Friday night), and just did some catching up.

How I remember it...

2008-06-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

I got out for a ride on Sunday. Winds blowing 15mph out of the West/Northwest made for some nice power intervals out to the Twin Lakes. Just as I reached the lakes, it started to sprinkle. I turned around and headed back with the tailwind. I was cranking 24-30 mph doing the one man version of motor pacing. The rain caught me and I was full on in the downpour. I was racing toward Wilmot and some shelter at the gas station, but by the time I got there I was lathered up and digging the ride. Water pouring down my face, rooster tails of rain coming off the tires, fully drenched head to toe; why stop now? I stomped on the pedals all the way home. Averaged 19mph, 2 hrs riding, 180 bpm avg , max bpm 196, and 2206 calories burned. Went to bed at 9pm after all that work too.

Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center

2008-06-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we held our 7th annual Women Helping Women luncheon. 600 guests attended the event and we raised over $100,000 in the 3 hrs. Our guest speaker was a well known editor and author Robin Stone.

The Mini Mercedes was in the Silent Auction and Michelle had her sights on it. Another bidder, whose name I'll withhold, was bidding up the price. Being that he is the CEO of a very large company, his bank roll was a bit higher than ours. He won the auction; then promptly gave us the car for Vince. He's been an extremely generous supporter of the Zacharias Center over the years, but this gesture was a huge suprise. Especially given how much he paid for the car.

Everybody asks me why I haven't been on the bike much these days. Part of the answer is because I've found a way to use my time, contacts, and resources to help out a great organization. I took on the role of President of the board at the center for 4 years, so I'm trying to figure out how to balance riding with charity work. If I could figure out a way to ride my bike, tow Vince in the Burley, oversee the center, and make a living at the same time, I'd have to bottle that formula and sell it!

That smarts...

2008-06-25T08:25:00.001-07:00

I don't pitch in softball for a reason. Monday night I was throwing a few pitches in warm ups while I waited for our regular pitcher to show up. One of the boys does the ultimate no-no and "hits up the box" (softball lingo for "at the pitcher"). I got my leg moving backwards trying to absorb the impact, but obviously not in time. Of course it wasn't on my glove side so I couldn't get to it in time with my glove. We have bats that are carbon fiber and are rated at 105 mph. Some are rated higher, but are illegal; I wonder why. The 12 inch softball comes off the bat rocket fast and weighs a lot. So naturally that didn't feel too good when it tagged me. The best thing for it was to play the double header and work out the blood that was rapidly pooling in the area. Ice later that night, a bit of painful massaging, and things are doing pretty good considering.

Know your place...

2008-06-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Don't doubt that these conversations actually happened. When you're a proud patriot, anything is possible.

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.. What does he intend to do, bomb them?'A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people;they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris byplane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passportin his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officerasked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to Francepreviously."Then you should know enough to have your passport ready." TheAmerican said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." 'Impossible, Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!"The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, 'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'

Cell phone spam

2008-06-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

888-382-1222
If you haven't already done so, call the 888 number to block your cell phone. It takes less than 60 seconds.

Busy Weekend

2008-06-16T10:35:00.001-07:00

I got up on Saturday morning and did the Lake Geneva ride solo. I didn't have a set time or distance that I was going to ride so doing the group thing didn't make sense. I rode due west into the headwind for almost 2 hrs before turning back and flying home. I love the feeling of power while riding with a tailwind! I put in 3hrs so I was pretty happy with that.

When I got home I immediately started cutting the lawn and cleaning out the garage. I finally put all the crap into the shed I built three weeks ago. I got a little bit of a nap; 15 minutes or so before Vinny and Michelle came home from their errands. We started cleaning the house and getting ready for friends to come over. I cooked burgers and brats on the grill while it rained, had a few drinks with Sam and Amy, played some pool, and went to bed early. Sam came over to get beat in pool. Amy came over to spend the night so we had someone to watch Vince the next morning.

Michelle and I got up at 4:30 am to head down to Highland Park Hospital to start the procedure of making Vince a brother/sister/or both. We're both excited again, and pray that this one works on the first try like Vince did.

The first steps

2008-06-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

Vince started walking at 9 mos. This video is some of his first steps. He turns 10 months today and struts all over the house thinking he's all that and a bag of chips. I agree with him and think he's the super jumbo size of Doritos.

On the phone and drivin, just like his mother...

Digital world

2008-06-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've got a Facebook account now and have been linking up to people I know. I've been thinking about how cool all of this is and how the connectivity is so much more convenient than when I was in college.
I had to put in a hard phone line at my fraternity room at considerable cost. I had to pay for long distance to call my friends at other schools, or send actual letters! With cell phones, texting, internet, facebook, blogs, myspace, etc. it's easy to stay connected today.
The internet was just coming out in 1990 (remember Prodigy?) and wasn't really that useful. E-mail didn't get to be worthwhile until maybe 1995? My email carries the year I got my first e-mail address; 1999 (bjenks99@aol.com).
Digital cameras are awesome. Gone are the days of worrying about using up film, taking a bad shot, and paying for film developing and duplicates. I didn't record too many of my rowdy college days because of the hassle of carrying a 35 mm camera and paying for film. My memories are all I have, with the exception of a handful of pictures. Video cameras fit on your shoulder and cost over $1000 so forget getting video. Today kids have the luxury of taking as many pics as they want, save the good ones, delete the bad ones, share them with each other, blackmail each other, etc.
The digital era is truly a huge step forward. If you're over 30, you know what I mean. Your technology was the same as your parents technology when they grew up. Not so today.

Boy's Weekend

2008-06-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

Check out the cool skull and cross bones shirt.

brunettes...
blondes...he's a ladies man!

Michelle headed to the Keys to go see her father one last time as the end seems to be very near for him. Her and her brother Mike made the trip together and will be gone till Tuesday night.

That meant that Vince and I got to do the "bachelor" weekend thing. Friday night was pretty rowdy as we stayed home, watched UFC and WEC fights, drank out of bottles, and ate pizza. Saturday we got up and headed over to some friend's house for a little pool action. Vinny had a blast, I sat out in the sun, drank out of bottles again, ate some more pizza, and just simply relaxed. Vince was hogging all the females at the pool. He had three girls fawning all over him, while I got the company of some half balding dude, and listened to the Cubs game.

Sunday we headed over to Vince's girlfriend's house. Payton had her 1 yr birthday party and was flirting with all the boys. Vinny didn't care as he was clinging to my leg the whole time, feeling the effects of Mommy Withdrawals by now. We headed home, did some lawn care, played some more, rode bikes (trike for V-Man), messed with Kleetus, and pretty much relaxed yet again.
I had a blast with Vinny, minus the fact that Michelle wasn't there. I'm having some workout withdrawals myself though. I was seriously Jonesin' for a ride with the weather as nice as it is. I could swear that I'm atrophying when I look in the mirror. It's that horrible mental game we play with ourselves. I suppose that's what keeps me coming out for more in the long run though, so I'll fight through it. I'll bet all you punks reading this got out and rode and don't know the feeling. Well enjoy all the fun; just don't tell me about it.

A little more...

2008-05-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

I got to join up with the Tour De Goat (Jerry, Goat, Kevin, Gatto, and Lori-the rest of the tour got dropped early evidently. Something about farmer's markets...). I met the crew north of the house in Bristol. The pace was torrid from the start and I barely latched on as they wizzed by. I left the house at 8:30 am and got home at noon. Not bad ride time for my schedule and I got the biker tan in one day!
I left the group just east of Geneva and headed home. There was no way I was gonna make the Lake Geneva loop. It's a 70+ mi day from my house with those nasty hills thrown in. Just as I started back, I picked up the Vision Quest group 2. I passed group 1 going west, and was lucky to have caught on to the next train. I rode in that group of 12 for about an hour (thanks Stathy). Once I detached from the VQ caravan, I realized how lucky I was. The wind was coming out of the east/southeast and I would have suffered badly battling that alone.
I got home, drank a bottle of water, ate a Clif Bar and mowed the lawn. Once I finished the lawn, I showered, cooked a Jack's pizza, got a beer and sat on my deck for a couple of hours.
On a kid note, Vinny started walking last week so we're all excited about that. He's motoring around the house now with that drunken sailor stagger. He's digging the mad skills, and at 9 mos he's doing good in my book. Now if he would just poop in the toilet.

Busy weekend

2008-05-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got out on the mountain bike! I went up and met the group to pre-ride the Treadfest course in Lake Geneva. Pre-ride implies that I rode later; which I did not. No flat stuff there, so I knew I was in for work. Even riding at the cruising speeds of everyone else, I was suffering. Climbing with no riding in the legs and extra weight is tough. I still have good strength, but no muscular endurance. Track racing here I come! Good to see everyone though, and pretend like I was still "in the scene". Playas present: Goat, Baron, Jerry, JT, Skidmark and his protege', Mini Goat (she's slow-I didn't even see her), and others.

Looks like this season will be a bust at this point for racing. I can't string together enough good days to stay fit and keep the cardio up high enough. This raising kid stuff is tough.

I did find time to do my man duty stuff and get some projects up. Vinny helped on these projects, holding onto the tape measure, sitting on the wood, chewing on the bags and screws, and clinging to my leg like a dog in heat. Great stuff!

Gotta keep the crap outta the garage with the 10x8 shed

Mulch containment system

Play area for Vinny. Step one: swing. Step two: slide. Step three: sandbox. Step four: kill mosquitos

Back on the bike...

2008-05-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm on the bike, but not mine obviously. I got Michelle all hooked up to tow around the VinMan. He digs the ride. I tested out the speed and found that 26 mph is plenty fast with a Burley.

Maiden Voyage

2008-05-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

*baby pictured not actually Vincent. Stunt double's name withheld for security reasons*
We got the VinMan out in his first ride in the "new" Burley. My price conscious wife scored a sweet Burley at a garage sale for $125. It's in perfect condition and just needed a little cleaning. Vinny is 9 months, so it's high time he get on the wheels. When Michelle posts her pictures eventually, I will put them on here. Not only did he get his first ride in the Burley, I've got some great pics of him on the tri-cycle. He prefers riding the tri-cycle standing on the back and doing it stunt style; kid's got guts. I had to stop before he did, as my back was getting cramped from bending over and pushing. Soon he'll be able to reach the pedals and pedal himself. It won't be soon enough that he starts to fend for himself.

New Mommy Mobile

2008-04-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln had to go. It was just an unsafe, unstable, gas guzzling vehicle. Vince's safety is a priority and I need to know he is safe. So went the argument I gave Michelle for upgrading to her new ride. It's even got all wheel drive. She would have been just as happy with a Camry or Altima, but not me. I'll be driving this car too when she needs my Yukon, and there was no way I was going to drive around in anything but German engineering. She's had 2 E Class Benzos before this one and we loved them both. We made a mistake in buying the Lincoln, but have corrected that. We also get 30% better gas mileage, and in this day of $3.90 a gallon, that matters!

The Baron loves BMW, but that's because he doesn't care about his kid's safety. I'll stick with the Mercedes as Vinny is my pride and joy.

What's next?

2008-04-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

This was a random experiment. I put Vinny in the Lincoln for a second while I grabbed a few items. He jumped up and "assumed the position", with a smile. That's my boy, already into cars.

Sunday Ride

2008-04-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Good ride for me on Sunday. Not terribly long, but with the headwinds on the way out, the first hour was a bit challenging. I did my turns at the front, kept the pace high, doing about 19mph into the 15mph winds put the heartrate up in the 185 range. That's good work for this time of year and made the legs burn. It also drew a scolding from Springer as he was not happy with the pace. He's lucky I like him.
By the time we were 5 miles from home, I was ready to call it quits. Good thing I didn't do the Kenosha County Tour of Flanders ride, I would have had to get a sag ride home. Team members present: Spring Diddly Dinger, Danny "super strong and not weak" Schneider, Dan "I'm not fat" Berg, Lenny Pooh, Dave "Crash" Engwis, and Beth "National Champ" Engwis.
Legs are getting better and soon I'll be ready to extend the rides into the 3-4 hr range. 2 1/2-3 hrs seem to be right in the sweet spot for now.

It has begun

2008-03-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of Goat Photography LLC
Saturday offered me the best option of the Spring. Ride outdoors with 15mph winds and 37 deg. temps. How could I pass that up? There was plenty of horsepower on the ride, so I was good to just ride along. Well, that is until I realized that the biggest motors weren't turning at the 20mi marker. That meant me, new Hayes guy Dan Berg, Danny S, Lenny, and Danny's bro Jeff were left to pull the youngsters back home into the headwind. I assumed that because of the 3 total hours of riding this year, I would get a pass on doing any work. Nope. Evidently, Lenny was pretty close to my training schedule, Danny is just downright weak and slow, Dan Berg was punishing me for making him drive to the ride, and Jeff was only using one leg as he's asymetrical. So, my nose went on the bars and I pulled the youngsters along.

Good 145 miles, 2 1/2 hrs, give or take a hundred miles. (Is that right Goat?).

Funny mental picture. The five of us guys, pulling the four juniors. It looked like two very different clubs. I think I was the smallest adult at 185lbs. No offense if Bergy weighs less than that. I think the biggest junior was Gage at 125lbs? I'd love to ride behind that wall. Instead I end getting behind some 4ft 11in. chick with no motor.

First Bike "Ride"

2008-03-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is not cycling related, but is a cute picture of the boy

It all has to start somewhere. Let the biking begin.
This is also proof that I'm actually getting in some bike time, and it's only March! I put in a Saturday and Sunday, back to back! I should be ready for WORS Citizen clydesdales by May it looks. I need to be careful not to lose any of the hard earned pounds I got this winter though, as basketball season is still in full swing and the extra weight comes in handy.

First one in!

2008-03-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hitting the deep end...

Lazy river floating

Vinny's got one serious bladder

Last week I got the distinct honor of being invited to try out the new Keylime Cove Resort before it opened to the public. It's a very cool place of course. Dave Anderson of Famous Dave's and Rainforest Cafe came up with this first off concept. He plans to open more of these around the country. It's 414 rooms, 65,000 sq ft of water park, three restaurants, 8000 sq ft of arcade, and a 15,000 sq ft. banquet facility. The amazing thing about this place is that less than a year ago, I was doing my first ground breaking as the Chairman of the Chamber for this project. 10 1/2 mos later I'm using the water slides.

Vince was great. Scared at first, but after five minutes the little dude was splashing and playing and loving his new surroundings. He's never had fear before and was clinging to my neck when we first got in. That was cool to see that he knew I was his safety net. Anyway we went down the kiddie slides and he just smiled and never once complained. They wouldn't let me take him down the Vortex for some reason. It's only 40ft high, and I'm sure he would've loved it!

The chalkboard

2008-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

This pic needs some essplainin'. That dude is my best friend since Junior High, the infamous Shane Day. He and I doodled on Mom and Dad's chalkboard years ago. We'll call it 20 years, as I think we were around 16 yrs old. The head of the character was a self portrait by Shane. The body was my rendering of his physique. Of course it was "tongue in cheek", as he was always buffed, and eventually went on to play football at the University of Iowa. The guy ran a 4.29 40 yd dash, and 10.4 100yd dash. Scored him All State honors and was the fastest Hawkeye in his day. Oh, those were the days.

What fitness?

2008-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

VinMan is a bit too interested in Daddy's Juice
Big boy's gonna be ready for the playground rumbles

I have found a little time to jump on the trainer, but mostly the Tuesday and Thursday hoops will have to be my cardio for now. Sprinting up and down a basketball court for two hours is great for the heart and lungs. Constant starting and stopping, maximum exertion output when you're completely scorched; kinda feels like the track or the end of Chewamy. I took a shot in the ribs last week that I'm still feeling the effects of. I was on a fast break driving to the hoop and a guy on the other team pushed on of my teammates into me just as I was taking off. His head smashed into my ribcage and left a nice bruise.

My lifting is moving toward biking now. I've got the leg workout at the gym started, so the power should be on track (so to speak). I feel pretty good. I hit the leg press and easily did 5 reps with the sled loaded up on the main pegs (14 plates I think). Hammies feel strong, and my skinny calves continue to amaze and yet disappoint me. I can't get them bigger, yet they get stronger. Genetics I guess. I'll just use the line I used throughout school. My calves are skinny for aerodynamic purposes.

Power Meters?

2008-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is looking into the power meters and wanted opinions on the different kinds. I don't use them, but know that many of you do. Other than the obvious issue of cost for a DuraAce SRM kit, what are the big pluses and minuses of Power Tap over SRM?

Evolution at work

2008-02-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

He's coming along nicely. He's currently working on advanced Calculus, drooling inside his mouth, and trying to crap in the big toilet.

Someday...

2008-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

If things work out with my training plan, I could start to lift as much as this guy. Note the custom cartoon shorts and tank combo, designed for the serious weight lifter in you.

Size Does Matter

2008-02-05T09:42:00.001-08:00

View from the bed
What did I do?

I got a new TV for my birthday. It's a TV for the bedroom so I started looking at the 40-42 inch range. I ran across this baby for the same price as the little ones. It's a 50 inch plasma. So I said to myself "yeah I know it's bigger than I planned, but there's no such thing as too big." I proved myself wrong when I put the stupid thing up. It looks like a movie theatre screen. I don't think the pictures really show how stupid that thing looks.

I have a back up plan though. We're getting the basement finished soon, so I'll move this one downstairs and get a more reasonable sized TV for the master suite. It really does look stupid. So take a lesson from me, size does matter!

Cool tidbit. We just installed AT&T Homezone. It's an HD DVR Satellite/Internet/Phone combo. I run an HD DVR in the family room. The bedroom remote is RF so it operates the same box in the family room but runs the signal in my bedroom. No clunky satellite DVR box in the bedroom! I have another box in the basement and it runs 2 TVs also. I can access my DVR from any web connection and tell it to record a program. That means from my Treo, my Itouch, my office computer, wherever! My PC is hooked up to the DVR via a wireless router so I can download music, pictures, or movies. The phone caller ID pops up on the TV also. Man being lazy was never easier.

Hayes Party/Meeting

2008-01-28T11:37:00.001-08:00

That looks like a fast group
These guys showed up...
...the three stooges made it...
...and Lenny and me whooping up on Fooseball

The first Hayes team meeting of 2008 happened at the Bdog compound on Friday night. The wife was so excited to have 14 guys hanging around the house. She was talking about it for weeks!

Actually, I reminded her of the meeting the day before and she said "What?! You stupid @#@&*%%head, you're such a !#%$&*!" So needless to say she was excited to prepare the snacks and drinks for the event. You're all welcome back next meeting!

We did manage to get some business in, but most of the time was spent initiating the two new members and drinking fun type beverages. That reminds me, Danny come pick up your two sheep, and Russell, pick up the empty keg of PBR. We got in some major games of pool, darts, and Fooseball. Nobody pulled out Dance Revolution or the Pop-a-Shot, so I'm a bit disappointed. After much begging, I did crank out a nasty drum solo around 10:30 and woke up Vinny. Michelle was happy about that too. I'm still learning this baby thing.
I'm happy to report, nothing was broken, no vomiting on anything of significance, everybody left by midnight, no police arrived, and no neighbors called to complain. Part of the secret to my success was that I had all the guys from Wisconsin park north of the border and walk down to the house. Jeff let me know that it's a 4 beer drive to Antioch, and a 3 beer walk to the house. Now some skeptics may say that's a pretty boring party, but you have to remember that Jack wasn't there, so things were guaranteed to be a bit tame.

Vinny"s training

2008-01-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

Things are coming along nicely.

MLB and Steroids

2008-01-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

I won't rehash my opinions on whether steroids should or shouldn't be allowed in professional sports.
I'm venting because I don't see how it is that the US House of Representatives and this stupid Mitchell Report has anything to do with Major League Baseball. MLB is a business, and a private business at that. If MLB wants to make rules to limit use of drugs, so be it. It's also their job to police it. If those substances happen to be illegal on the street also, then the local authorities can get involved. How is it that the House gets involved? Why are they wasting tax payer dollars on hearings about a private business?
For example, if you didn't pass a drug test at your employer, would you expect to go to Washington and sit before a House sub-committee and testify? No, you'd be fired and then probably arrested by the local police. What's the difference? Please tell me!

Christmas Extended

2008-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

Why? Because I like it and I can. And I like this picture and wanted to post it.

Official bike time in 2008. 0 minutes o seconds. I'm polishing up the 3 speed Schwinn for the season and will start my training this weekend.

Christmas wrap up

2008-01-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Grandma Jenks with Vinny

Pretty slow year for the Christmas break at the Jenks household. Michelle's dad is staying with us while he receives radiation and chemo for lung and brain cancer. Not fun for anyone, but Michelle knows what radiation and chemo are like, so it's good for him to be at our house.

We did make a short trip to my folks house in St.Louis. My sister and her husband Chris got to finally see Vinny which was cool. Chris is a drill instructor in the army at Ft. Benning in Georgia. It was cool to see him again as he's usually deployed overseas or can't leave base.
Chris, his boy Nathan, and I got to act like UFC fighters and had a throw down match in the basement. I spent most of my time on my back taking punishment so Nathan could have a chance at beating his dad. I decided after 10 minutes of taking a beating, it was time to reverse my fortune. Chris was wise to my armbar attempts and got out of 2 of them. I couldn't pull a triangle choke because of the couch cushions. Fighting on a couch with a trained hand to hand combat guy isn't easy, let me tell you. I got out from underneath the death squad, and put the drill instuctor on his back for once. He tried to escape and I promptly put him in a guillotine choke and he tapped out. I wish he would have stayed down longer so I could have dished out some of the love he was giving me, but no dice. He knows about the path of least resistance. Good rollin with you. Next year let's get Brendon and Dad in on the action.
There he is, sucking up to my kid. He did decorate a Christmas cookie in honor of VinMan though. Looks pretty close.

iTouch

2007-12-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is my consolation prize for not dying in the crash. Wow, all I have to do is smash up a 07 Yukon and I get an iTouch? What do I get if someone burns down my house?

T-Bone

2007-12-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

What happens when a Toyota runs a red light in front of a Yukon? Answer....the Toyota gets smoked. Yup, a guy ruined my beautiful Yukon this morning by blowing a light. I didn't see him until he was right in front of me. I didn't even hit the brakes; he was my brakes. 40 mph collision, airbag deployed, OnStar comes on instantly (wow!), I walk away and didn't even spill my coffee on me. It was all over the truck, but I didn't even look like I was involved. Check out the damage to both sides of my truck. I literally smashed his car in so far, that it folded around the front of the Yukon and damaged both sides. He was clearly at fault, and took the brunt of the collision. He was out walking around but bloodied up. He was in shock and a bit foggy on what happened. I hope he's OK, but they hauled him off to the hospital with a neck brace and IV. I declined immediate care, opting to keep the paramedics available for someone in serious need. I didn't even have adrenaline pump after the crash, what's wrong with me? I was really pissed off, but the guy was in enough pain, so I didn't feel like making matters worse. This is my first high speed collision in 20 years of driving, but my record stays clean. Better yet, I'm OK. God's watching out for me, and I thank him that Vinny and Michelle weren't in the truck with me. I'm also thankful that nobody was in that passenger seat. I've been really blessed with the accidents I've been involved in. In 2003 I was hit by a car on my bike, went up on the hood, flew off and landed face first on the pavement. I walked away with scrapes and bruises, and didn't need to go to the hospital. God definitely watches over me.

Mizzou Snubbed

2007-12-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

This BCS system just plain sucks! Lee Corso said it , Lou Holz said it, Kirk Herbstreit said it, Barry Switzer said it, Jimmy Johnson said it, Charles Davis said it, everyone said it. How can the Tigers, now #6 in the BCS, but #1 on Sat., be left out of the BCS bowl games? They went head to head against Kansas and Illinois and beat them, yet each of them is going to a big bowl game. How can you be ranked higher than a team, then beat that team, yet that team gets an invite? All the pollsters said MU should be at a major bowl game, but BCS doesn't think so.
The BCS system is full of crap! They sit around a conference table and decide who plays in these bowl games. This decision is not the computer mind you. It's people sitting in a room deciding who is worthy. How can you justify the #6 team in the nation not playing, and yet the #25 team in the nation is playing?
Here's the dirty footnote. They created a b.s. rule that 3 teams from the same conference can't be in major bowl games. Why I ask? I digress...So they have Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mizzou ranked in the top 10, all from the Big 12. Their rule says they have to boot one of them. Oklahoma beat MU, so ok, they stay. They should logically take out Kansas b/c Mizzou beat them head to head last week and Mizzou ranks higher in the polls, and had a way way tougher schedule. Nope, they let Kansas in. BS! Nothing against Kansas, it's not their fault the system sucks. I root for all the Big 12 teams as it's good for recruiting, competition, etc. I just wish they had a playoff system and could make all this subjective selection process a thing of the past.
Here's another little foot note. Because Mizzou played a conference championship, they put an extra game on the schedule. If Mizzou hadn't played that game, they'd be playing for the national championship. Ohio State just sat back and let the conference championships sink teams. They get rewarded for not playing, MU gets punished for it. Not equitable. Not all conferences play a championship (ie:Big 10-Ohio State), so the results should be considered post season play and not be counted in the polling.
Regardless, I think everyone in the country knows MU got a raw deal. We'll look back on this season, knowing full well how good our team was, and nobody outside the BCS will question that.

Smile

2007-11-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Old school buddy from 7th grade

I know I'm biased, but that kid is really cute!

MIZZOU

2007-11-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming. Since I was in school in 1990-1994, I've been towing the line for Mizzou. Basketball has been good, football not so good. That is until a few years ago when a guy named Brad Smith showed up. He ran the offense and set records in the Big 12 with passing and rushing yardage. He's playing on Sundays now. Then came Chase Daniels and the program is officially a top ranked team.

My dad, brother, sister, and brother-in-law are all Kansas Jayhawk-ers. I broke my father's heart and went to Mizzou. It has the 48th ranked business school in the country, and in the top 5 of Finance programs (I got a Finance degree from MU), so why wouldn't I go?

For years, Kansas has had their way with the basketball program, but their football was miserable. Mizzou's football wasn't much better, but they were always better than Kansas. Last year my dad, brother, and I went to the game and watched Mizzou stomp all over Kansas.

So one year later, Mizzou is #1 and wouldn't you know it, Kansas has a top ranked program too. Talk about lucky! Regardless of ranking, Mizzou handed Kansas their butts and stepped into the position to play for the national championship.

Maybe now when people see the yellow "M" on my hats they won't say "Go Michigan".

Christmas gift?

2007-11-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Do we really need something like this?

2007-11-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

That's my boy

2007-11-14T08:19:00.001-08:00

Vince and I were enjoying watching the #5 ranked Mizzou Tigers beating up on Texas A&M when...
he got a hold of my bottle of Shiner Bock and, well you know what 3/4 of a beer can do to a 13.5 lb-er.

The Monthly Ride

2007-11-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

I got the call from Goat that it was time for my monthly training ride. He also mentioned that Bender wanted me out there to be his whipping boy. Well I can tell you that I'm nobody's whipping boy and Bender wasn't going to have it that easy. I met the group on the trail as they came south through Gurnee. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the dust storm that they were kicking up. I integrated into the group to endure the DPRT ride. When I was by myself, I was riding at a comfortable pace of 16.5 mph. When I joined the group, it was 19-20mph. It wasn't long before the fireworks started and I hung in for as long as I could. Mitch K and I sat on the back suffering as Bender, Goat, JT, and Donny traded punches. I popped outside of Independence Grove...the first time. Then I popped going into Old School Preserve. Looks like I'm somebody's whipping boy afterall. Donny was cooked as well, and we had lost Mitch back at Adler Park 5 miles prior. He told me that they hit 28 mph on the bridge at 120. Those guys on cross bikes think they're so fast. Try to ride a Trek Fuel at that pace for 2.5 hrs and see how you feel! DK and I didn't do the Old School loop and turned back north at the aforementioned 16.5 mph pace. Didn't see the other boys again, but I'm sure they made the trip OK. Didn't see Mitch on the side of trail either so I'm sure he made it home too.

Pumpkin Time and some riding

2007-10-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Michelle and I have a traditional pumpkin carving party every year and turn out some pretty cool pieces.

We got out and rode the DPRT on Saturday. Jerry, Goat, DK Superstar, Tumbly, Schrank, Eric (new guy), and me. The pace was good and we had some hard efforts thrown in for good measure. I averaged 17 mph, 175 bpm, max of 203 bpm, 2909 calories, 39 miles and 2 1/2 hrs. That was pretty tough for my fat self. I tipped the scale at 183 lbs in the morning. Good news is that I came home and hit the scale at 175 lbs. Thats a weight loss program baby! Forget the fact that DK and I went to the Lodge in Antioch for burgers and beers afterward and I gained most of that back.

We dropped new guy Eric somewhere in Libertyville. He was completely cooked and was wearing his shirt on his head when I last saw him. Can you say delirious? I think it's easy to say that he was in a different zip code when we finished. He may still be out there for all we know.

I was hanging on at the end. I was so desperate for help I was looking for a draft behind Schrank. Any protection I could find helped. Good news for me is that I didn't bonk. My legs were just tired, and my body wasn't used to that much work. Good prep for the Basketball season.

Bald?

2007-10-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

Michelle took a picture of this guy and claims it's me. There's no way I'm that bald.

Vincent Update

2007-10-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

No caption required

Check out the Grandpa pants hiked up around the chest

This is what I've been doing. Ah, they grow up so fast don't they. I don't want to brag too much, but he's already juggling and ran a 4.35 second 40 yd dash.

The Bike

2007-10-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's the remnants of my first bike, the Huffy Pro Thunder III. Bullett proof frame; been jumped over countless jumps, creeks, trash cans, leaf piles, friends lying on the ground, you name it. The rest of the parts create my Frankenbike masterpiece known only as Hunkacraptacularide. Hey, I was a kid and the budget was tight...

Zacharias Center/LaCasa

2007-10-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

It's official, I was elected to the position of President of the Board of Directors at Zacharias Center/LaCasa. It's a huge honor to be tapped as the next president and I'm really excited about what the future holds for LaCasa. For those who don't know about the organization, it's one of the largest sexual abuse awareness and counseling centers in the country. http://www.lacasastoprape.org/index.htm
If you're interested in finding a good charity to give to this year, give me a shout.

Sheboygan

2007-10-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

So what, I didn't finish the race. I did finish all of my spaghetti and all the gas in the Yukon tank though. After three laps on an overgeared SS, I had to throw the towel in. I did manage to pilot the 32/16 gear up and over the Equalizer though, good for a $10 bonus. Ronsta and I were the only SS'ers to pull it off according to the race authorities. I did pay the price though. The HR hit a season high of 207 bpm, and according to my Garmin, I almost died.

That's me pulling over the top with one hand. The crowd loves it!
And pocketing the payday for the effort.

Not the coolest face

I think next year I'll not be so stupid and come out to my first WORS race on my SS.

Law Breaker!

2007-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

This dude is so fast, he got a speeding ticket on the Des Plaines River Trail. Is that a subliminal middle finger to the cops?

Horsepower Anonymous Meeting

2007-09-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Matt, DK, Goat, Mystery Rider

I don't mean to brag....

2007-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've been called out twice by a moutain biker, and I've answered the call twice. When the going gets tough, I just lay down the thunder and let the power roll. At the Palos Meltdown I left this expert rider in the dust on the side of the trail. At the Kettle rematch, I continually put time on the competition and put the unnamed rider in the hurt locker. After a 5 minute lead I decided to stop counting time and just enjoy my Saturday stroll through the Wisconsin woods. I spent most of my time riding with the Goat and Kevin; chasing the single speeders around. Kevin made some interesting moves out there and did his best impression of a rock hitting a tree. Or did he just make an impression on a tree? I digress. He blamed his hap-hazard control on the "new" bike, but I think it was the torrid pace we set. The Goat and I duked it out for supremacy on the day including the final sprint. I'd call it a draw as I let up just before the parking lot.

Palos Meltdown

2007-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

My first mountain bike race for the year is in the books. I accomplished everything I wanted in this race; finish, keep the HR at the limit, beat MiniGoat, and not puke. MiniGoat was talking game as if she was the Big Goat, who won the race by the way. When you get in my grill and start closing the distance, expect to get smacked! I managed to haul my carcass over all the climbs, despite heavy fatigue, over heating, and a nice bee sting 1 inch from my...um...thingy... Congrats to the http://www.cambr.org/ for putting on a great race for their first time. Turn out was great, course was challenging, the Goodyear Blimp was there, and the weather was epic. I actually was doing OK, riding with some guys I know have decent fitness. I got off course at one point, backtracked and got on course to squander a few minutes. On the paved climb on the last lap, I broke my derailleur and lost Heppner's wheel and watched 6 or so guys go past me. My chain wrapped around the rear hub and took some serious coaxing to unwind itself after I forced the wheel off. I didn't really care as I wasn't threatening the podium or money, but I know I was a bit faster than the result will show. My HR avg was 187, with a max of 198.

Classic Schwinn

2007-09-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was out riding the Twin Lakes loop and came across this beauty at a garage sale. I couldn't resist getting an old classic. It's even got one of the hub gear boxes. Russell would be proud. What's the name of this Schwinn?

New Hayes Team member

2007-08-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Caught Vincent trying on my jersey and glasses. Patience son, patience....

Oh yeah, I just signed up for the Palos Mountain Bike race Sept. 9th. I must be crazy!

Baby in a Bucket

2007-08-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

Contrary to Vince's face, he was loving the bucket time, at least that's what I told DCFS. I knew I'd get some use out of the old biking gear in the basement. 7 1/2 lbs! That's 11 o-z's in one week, easily 2x the expected.
Quality time. In lieu of riding the bike on Sunday, I did a bunch of this.

Time flies!

2007-08-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

I bought this 100 year old house in Oct. of 1999 and converted it into my office. At that time, the Des Plaines river had severely flooded two times in the past century. They call the major flood a "100 year flood". Cool, I was safe from flooding because the 100 year flood had already happened, twice. Wrong. Since '99 I've been through two 100 year floods, one not so major, and I'm preparing for a fourth. Although this one may not be as extreme, it still sucks. The basement gets real wet because the concrete is old and pourous and soaks up water like a sponge. The sump pump does well as long as it's not clogged or jammed against the side of the sump pit. My basement turns into a swimming pool when that happens.
I don't anticipate having to commute to the office in a Zodiac boat like in 2004 (no joke), but road closings should create some major inconveniences. So according to the flood schedules and 100 year floods, it seems that 300 years just flew right by in less than 8 years. And I wonder why I'm balding so fast...

View from in front of my office as the water approaches in 2004

Hwy 41 in front of Community Trust Credit Union.

For those who have ridden DPRT, this is the overpass at Hwy 41.

Vincent Gerald

2007-08-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

My favorite pic. Look at how small he is compared to my fingers.
Pic a sport buddy! He digs the basketball more at this point.

Can't get enough of this.
Michelle looking great as always.
Yep, that's the record breaker.

After a long week of recovering from delivery and putting Vince on antibiotics for 3 days, we are ready to go home. Momma is doing great. Vince is doing awesome! He eats like a maniac so I don't think he'll be small for much longer. He gained 1/2 pound in one day already! He needs to grow into those big feet of his anyway.

He takes after Dad already. He's wayyyyy handsome, balding and big nose aside, sleeps a lot, eats a lot, farts a lot, and he can't stop checking out all the female nurses that come into the room. Thanks to all for the kind words, being a dad is unlike any feeling I've ever had, you're right!

To answer a few questions...Yes I did buy him a basketball, football, and baseball 1 day after he was born; you can't start too early. No I didn't get him a bike, but only because they don't make helmets his size yet. And yes I have him on a workout program already. He has a great cardio system already; max HR of 207, and a resting of 84. Not too shabby for an infant. (I looked at monitors on the other babies and they don't have nearly the number Vince has). Oh yeah, he's really smart too, I can tell. He learned how to poop and pee on his first day.

Prodigy

2007-08-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

8 years in the making. Vincent Gerald Jenks, 5lbs 15 oz, 18 in. monster baby born Monday at 9:32am. Don't let his size deceive you, he's small but strong, and built for speed. More pics to come.

"Fit for a King" Track Bike

2007-08-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's 14ct gold sprinkled in this one-off masterpiece by Donny K. I commissioned the artist with the task of creating a unique palette inclusive of gold flecks, and to tie in the colors of my alma mater, The University of Missouri. I think it speaks for itself.

24 Hour National Champs!

2007-08-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

I know these guys! They are my closest two friends. I rub shoulders with the fastest guys in the country! I trained with both of them this year and got them ready for their Championship run.

Congrats to Jerry and Ron on your efforts. These guys kept pulling lap times like freight trains even during the weeeeee hours of the night. For those of us who have done 24 hr events, you know how hard it is to stay motivated when you're alone in the woods and cramping in your legs and back and all over.

Don't worry, Jerry did get a bigger jersey from the promoters after the podium pic.

Hayes Team bragging rights. We've got 2 National Champs in 24 hour racing, a dual reigning Collegiate National Champ on the track in the kilo and sprints, a reigning Junior National Champ on the track, a kajillion time reigning state pursuit Champ, the reigning Wisconsin State Crit Champ, an Illinois TT State champ, and a bunch of others I'm sure I'm missing. Whadyu got?

Kenosha Superweek

2007-07-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so I got suckered into my first real race of the season. The best way to get your feet wet on the Cat 3 road circuit is to race a SuperWeek race. I've raced this race 5 times, including a wet version in 2006. It's 45 miles, 72 laps, 1 hr 35 minutes or so of racing. In the front it's hard and speeds reach into the high 20's and low 30's according to Garmin and the police speed trap set up. In the back is a battle of yo-yoing that I try to stay as far away from as possible. Sprinting out of corners every lap sucks.
I managed to find myself up front early and not feeling too bad. I was just waiting for the body to shut it down, so I was going to enjoy my positioning as long as I could. 15 laps in I found myself in a 3 man break for 3 laps. The last lap of our break was a prime lap, and I out-sprinted my companions for a $20 prime. What??? Yeah, that's what was going through my head too. I just got a prime in this race, with no racing in the legs this season? Maybe I'm going to do better than I thought?
It took me 10 laps to recover from my efforts, then I drifted back up to the front. With 6 laps to go, some little weasel tries to head butt me out of the way. I hear Danny yelling at the guy and some other riders not liking the argy-bargy. I wheeled around and looked at this pint sized racer and calmly suggested that that would be the wrong thing to do. He went on to win the race. I take some credit in his win, as I departed from my usual behavior, and chose not to plant him on the asphalt. Just ask the Clif Bar guys about that manuever.
I led out Springer with 3 to go, lasted into the 2 to go lap, chased down an attack, and then turned Springer loose. I wheeled off the course and ran back to the finish line to catch the fireworks. Springer had some bad luck and finished in 5th.
I was just happy and amazed I finished the stupid race. Race log: 45 miles, 26.3mph avg speed, heart rate avg of 185 bpm, max heart rate at 207. A suspicious top speed marker of 42 mph, but Danny registered a very high top speed too, so who knows.
Way fun, I gotta do this more often!

Doping in Professional Sports

2007-07-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting question. What do you consider doping or performance enhancing? Is my Cytomax not considered performance enhancing? If it's not, why am I taking it? Is it okay to drink some exotic recovery drink to enhance my fitness? Is it okay to use Clif Blocks for energy? There are thousands of synthetic performance enhancing products that get used by amateurs and pros alike. Where do you draw the line and why?
It seems I may fall into a bit of a different camp on my opinion of doping in professional sports. I want to be clear that I'm referring to pro sports, not amateur. I'm talking about the business of sports, not the hobby of it.
People for decades have had a bit of what I would consider a misguided opinion of professional sports and athletes. Recall the interview with Charles Barkley when he said "I'm not your kids parent, you raise your own kids." All that stemmed from the "role model" issue and the "message" that was being sent to our children by these athletes. I believe parents raise kids and that's their responsibility. If your kids are influenced by a sports figure on TV that much, you've got problems. The Goat wants to make me look like I don't care about kids and that I don't mind cheating. I think we know that's not the case but let me clear this up real simple.
Firstly, parents raise their kids and teach them how to interpret what information they get from society, good or bad. The athletes, actors, TV personalities, and the kid next door should have minimal impact.
Secondly, I don't care what pro athletes do because it's entertainment. If I'm not entertained, I won't watch. I hate hockey, I don't watch. Pro sports is a business, not a message. It's there to entertain, and we can choose to watch. I'm entertained by Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies, but I wouldn't tell my kid to shoot people and blow up things, yet I watch. Vino entertained me, but I wouldn't encourage my kid to cheat like him. Use that as an opportunity to teach your kids what not to do.
So someone will say; "if they weren't testing we wouldn't find out who was cheating". They're all cheating! For example, one day Phil and Paul are raving about the heart of Vino, the next they find out he's cheating. They can't even spot the cheats.
The point is that you don't know for sure if your "hero" is clean or not, so don't worry about it so long as you're having fun watching. It's only a game, it's not life. The business of sports can do whatever they choose. And a parent can choose whether their kids get influenced by it.

What's your number

2007-07-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

I just ran my training log from my Garmin Edge 305. Total miles for 2007 is a hard fought 622 miles. There were a few rides where I forgot the unit or ran out of battery, so real mileage is probably close to 700 miles. That's the fewest miles I've ridden in a 7 month stretch in probably 8 years. Make me feel worse and give me your miles. Driving mileage doesn't count.

Goat quote: "There aren't many elderly woman I can't beat on the bike"
So it begs the question. Who are the ones he can't beat?

Bob Pfarr Classic

2007-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't race this year due to my lack of ability. It looked like it felt last year though; painful. My hands went numb during the race! 150 lap points race that lasts over an hour at speeds in excess of 27 mph avg. Of course track bikes have no bottle cages so drinking is out of the question, and taking a hand-up at 30 mph doesn't work either. After 30 miles of racing without water, you look like this guy.

Two toned arms, very manly.

Jerry looked fresh though. (of course this was before the race)

Danny got so tired he layed down for a nap with his blanky.