Yeah, I wrote it. Useless. Yesterday, all I heard on the news was, "wow, golly gee, this whole weekend is going to be beautiful! Plan all the outdoor activities you can! Great weather after all that rain we had last week!" So of course, now we're under a thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. AND it's supposed to be stormy for the remainder of the weekend!
If I gave clients statements like forecasters give the public (i.e., routinely wrong), I could get sued.
Meanwhile, Joe Blow the Weather Ho gets to make all the wild, reckless promises he wants to and there's nothing we can do about it! Why do they get paid? Why do we devote resources to university programs for "meteorology?"
I'm sure weather...people...and their supporters would opine "but, but, but it's hhhh...hard to forecast!" Oh yeah. That's a fart in a stiff wind. Lots of things are hard, and very few people doing those things wrong all the time get to keep their jobs.
What's worse is that they base these routinely wrong predictions on computer programs and gadgetry, and then whine about how hard it is to predict the weather. I walk outside this morning, feel how stuffy and humid it is at 8 a.m. and think, "Hmmmm. In my experiences on this Earth, it usually storms when it's stuffy and humid outside in the morning. I daresay it might rain today!"
And I was right! I think the weather forecasters entice us with promises of nice weather just so they can get a laugh when people get caught in rain storms or get beaten up by hail stones.
That's not nice. I need a glass of water now. Okay. I'm alright.
Last night, one of the OLN commentators actually said that Calgary was Edmonton's neighbor to the north. Uh, yeah. Hmmm. Not so much, guys. Try again. 50/50 chance of getting it right this time.
1. Sunny, pleasant weather - a little windy, but not too bad. 2. Rest stops with food, water, facilities, and helpful staffers/volunteers. 3. Free T-shirt and water bottle. 4. Lots of people outside riding bikes rather than inside doing nothing. 5. Free, quality support from Willy Bikes.
Here were the negatives: 1. I had to ride back to the start line in the SAG wagon. A new achilles injury on top of an older achilles injury flared up pretty badly and after about 7 miles of mostly hard climbing, I had to throw in the towel. BOOOOOOOO. I hate not finishing things.
2. The route was WAY too difficult for the recreational riders who wanted to take part. Though I didn't walk any hills, I saw too many people having to dismount and walk the bike up the hill. Walking your bike is not fun. Riding your bike is fun. People will not pay to not have fun.
3. The 'celebrity' speakers really hit hard with the "diabetes is a horrible disease and all the poor people who suffer from it need our help" angle. The ADA even pulled three diabetic kids up on the stage and had them tell about how they have to do shots and check their blood sugar. Poor little victims.
That's CRAP. I have type-I diabetes. I've had it for 15 years. I don't suffer. I'm not a victim. I don't need pity from an anchorwoman or a local comedian, thank you. Nobody else needs that either. You cannot live well as a victim. The organizers of the Tour de Cure in Madison seem to have lost sight of that basic point, using the emotional appeal to try to bring in more donations. That bothers me deeply. Seeing yourself as a victim is one of the worst things you can do when dealing with anything in life, and especially when dealing with a chronic disease that will remorselessly tear you apart. You don't get out of the disease by being a victim (or at all, for that matter), so you might as well suck it up and take ownership. No pity, thanks.
What I need is an advocate in Congress. What I need is affordable (or even better, universal) healthcare to help me pay for my supplies. What I need is easy access to specialists. What I need is someone with whom I can tear out my hair when I hit the rough days, and with whom I can cheer for the little victories.
What I need is researchers to find a cure.
As far as the ride today helped raise a few pennies to fund the search for a cure, I think it was great. Let's build on that, but respectfully - you know, without telling people with diabetes that they're victims.
The Raconteurs' new song, "Steady as She Goes," is playing in my mind - over and over and over and over and over and, well, you get the idea.
It's actually kind of convenient - no need to charge the ol' iPod. Thanks for writing such a catchy tune, Jack.
If you haven't heard it yet, check it out. Or don't. Maybe Mr. White is planning to turn us into zombified servants via his super-catchy tunage. Yes, I'm sure that's it.
In a late-breaking development, I've been a smidge obsessed with playing Funk #49 by the James Gang on my guitar. I'm not sure that it's a healthy obsession - could lead to all kinds of exploits involving cheap beer and cheaper women. C'est la vie.
Someone finally figured out who the other author was in one of my previous posts. Let's have a congratulatory hand for Greg!
In other news, I rode my beloved road bike to work today, which wasn't all that smart considering Dane County was under a severe thunderstorm watch pretty much most of the day. I got home just in time to avoid the deluge. Aren't attorneys supposed to have good judgment? Hmmmm.
I have two observations re: biking to work that I would like to share: (1) oncoming bikes, pedestrians, and rollerbladers complicate the already-challenging game of avoiding goose shit on the bike path, and (2) riding with traffic - and outpacing some of it - is awesome.
I should be nearing completion of exam 1. But I'm not. I'm not even in the classroom waiting for the test. Why? Well, it seems that before my professor jetted off to Europe, she neglected to ensure that the exam was copied.
Yep, you read it. There are no copies of the exam for the class. The proctor managed to find a copy machine somewhere in the law school that was available on a Sunday morning. It'll be at least another 30 minutes before the exam is copied.
It's a fitting end to the worst class I've ever had.
So I listened to the new Pearl Jam album straight through today. Very nice. It gets a little lost in the weeds in some parts, but overall the boys did an awesome job.
Well, I downloaded my pre-ordered copy of Pearl Jam's new album. I'm way too tired to listen to it straight through tonight (rule #1 of buying a new album - you MUST listen to it straight through at least once). I did watch the film that came with the album - sort of a documentary short about the band and the new tunes. Pretty cool stuff. Based on the advance singles I've heard thus far, the album should kick a fair amount of ass.
After downloading the album, I got to thinking about the first time I heard "Alive." It was the first time I had heard Pearl Jam, way back on the cusp of the "Seattle" sea change that cleared away the flotsam and jetsam of early nineties sugar-coated crap on the radio. I don't remember where I was, I don't remember what I was doing - all I remember was being in junior high and thinking, "this is the best thing ever." I immediately (and dutifully, I should add) figured out the opening riff and pieced together the chords as best I could. Once I finally earned enough allowance money, I bought the album. Ten is still - for my money anyway - one the high water marks in music.
