I certainly have no regrets on cancelling the trip, but I do still feel some twinges of sadness at not being in Germany right now with them. But hey....such is life...we will just go another time. (actually Jeannie and I were planning to head over a week early and spend it in Italy as neither of us have been there, then we would have flown to Munich and met them today). For the next 10 days or so I will be living vicariously thru John as they once again do it up in Munich. Ahhh...what fun we had a few years back when we did go. It was SO MUCH MORE than just drinking beer...I had no idea!
Anyway, below I'll leave a parting shot of one of our favorite pictures from that trip. This is in one of the Grand Halls (can't remember which one)...you know, drinking beer, eating fantastic food, laughing till you cry, and dancing and partying with 10,000 of your best friends from all over the world (with ZERO fights)! This kind of thing truly restores my faith in humanity...you show up and see HOW MANY PEOPLE are there every single day, everybody having a great time, people of all walks of life doing their own thing and having fun! I just pray that this years event goes off without any tragedy.
And so...without further adieu, Oktoberfest! John and Peggy, I'm hoisting a Sam Adams Oktoberfest brew to you tonight...be safe and have fun! (yes, I know... Sam Adams is NOT an approved Oktoberfest beer).
Prost!
Hey Susie, you'll never guess what came in the mail last night (or maybe you will because you got one too): an envelope from the US Dept of Justice, US Attorney re the Floyd Landis case. I have been awarded $75 however the letter states that "while the court has ordered restitution in this case, it does not mean the defendant will make restitution payments". I'm a VICTIM!
ReplyDeleteSo we will see how this shakes out...(didn't Floyd get a BUNCH of money from the US Gov vs Lance whistleblower case?) If so did he GET the money or was just 'awarded it' like us Victims are? IF he got actual money then he should easily be able to pay back everybody who he conned. Very interesting...never truly thought anything would come of this...so I'm surprised indeed!
I got NOTHING in the mail! All I got was an email a few weeks ago (8/31/18) from the US Dept of Justice stating the amount that is owed me ($600 G'DAMN DOLLARS!) & that "it does not mean the defendant will make restitution payments". !!!
ReplyDeleteAnd that "it is your responsibility to keep our Office and the Clerk's Office advised of any address changes". My email & house address have not changed. Did you get the email in August?
It's been 11 YEARS since I gave that money & January 2013 when that court case was opened. Landis is in the POT business in Colorado (for the past 1-3 years) so there should be no problem to repay even without Lance's settlement.
At least YOU got your money back & hopefully others are too.
I'm sorry that you & Jeannie weren't able to go to Oktoberfest this year. When will the group of you go again - 3 or 4 years? I remember your write-ups & photos from that trip & you really seemed to be having a blast! :) Will you & Jeannie be able to go somewhere this year, just the two of you?
The cycling World Championships are going on this week (broadcast on the Olympic Channel & maybe some on NBCSN). I watched the men's Team Time Trial on Sunday & Quick Step won! BMC got 3rd, beaten out of silver by less than half a second. Today was the individual Men's TT & Rohan Dennis won - I hope to watch tonight. I think Dumoulin said he had a "bad day" & finished 2nd. Heck, he finished on 2 Grand Tour podiums this year, including the Tour, so 2nd in the World TT is not too shabby! Rohan won both TTs at the Vuelta so I'm not surprised he won but boy, he won by quite a lot!
The Men's road race is Sunday & I hope to watch the final 2-3 hours (it starts EARLY, as in 2 or 3 AM my time, I think)! It's supposed to be very hilly (mountainous?) so Sagan is not expected to win. I'm thinking it will be someone totally unexpected that will win.
We've once again had RAIN every day this week (since Saturday), either pouring or drizzle. It's SUPPOSED to be sunny on Friday - fingers crossed!
Hey, you know what we haven't heard or seen lately? Some doggie updates! Are the girls being good? Did you see that video last week of the guy doing leg lunges across the floor in his house & his pet Great Dane was at 1st mystified & then mimicked his master back across the floor? It was SO cute & funny, it made my day! :)
Gotta go,!
Hey Susie...I didn't get my money, just the same letter as your email (I never got the email, this is the first I've heard that they didn't lose my name off the donor list). I'm waiting for my money same as everybody else. What do you think the odds are that he will pay us back?? I know my email hasn't changed in like EVER...so it's odd that I didn't get the email back when you did. Anyway...we can hope...he's been ordered by the court to pay us...wonder if he ever got any of the whistle-blower money from the gov...or if he ever will...I'd think that would be the only way we will see any money is if he gets gov money. Crazy that a criminal can get money for turning in another criminal...(in effect that's what it is...Floyd was doing the exact same cheating that Lance did). Crazy world we live in for sure.
ReplyDeleteAs to Oktoberfest, we are hoping to reschedule 2 years from now.
And here's hoping you get away from the rain for a bit...watching the news it's been pretty crazy back there lately...I can hardly wait to move there (NOT). I won't be watching any of the Worlds sadly (no coverage on my TV)...I'll have to read about it. I'm still rooting for Sagan to give it a go...you never know...he's pretty surprising. But I'd think one of the Mt goats will be win this year, or a classics rider. We will know soon enough. Happy Friday!
Sorry, I misread your 1st sentence - thought you actually got the $75 in the mail! Did you not get the US Justice Dept EMAIL updates about the case, beginning in 2013 either? Mostly they were about delays, delays, delays. Until this recent email, the last one had been on 7/16/14. I logged into the "Victim Notification System" then to read about the case & the Hearing had been set for 8/26/14. BUT, if I remember correctly, it was later CANCELLED & the case seemingly closed. I was LIVID.
DeleteAfter his "confession", Landis VOWED to "pay" all of the FFF contributors back. It's been 11 YEARS...
The sports (especially cycling's) media constantly casts Landis as a FREAKIN HERO & Lance as the villain. The TRUTH IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE & it enrages me every time I read yet another article mentioning both. LANCE NEVER STOLE MY (or other gullible folks') MONEY! To this day, Landis' doping & lying about it does not anger me even a TENTH as much as the fact that he actually went around this country ASKING for money for help in "correcting the wrong done to him" by the supposedly faulty tests! I THOUGHT I was doing a GOOD & NOBLE thing by giving that money (twice in fact, I'd actually forgotten the extra $100 I'd given a few months later, guess I tried to repress the whole memory!). This has impacted me for the past 10 years in that I give MUCH LESS to charity than I used to as I DON'T TRUST ANYONE OR ANYTHING ANY MORE when it comes to money.
That Landis does NOT apparently HAVE to repay us angers me even more! WTF was the case even for?! WHY waste the time & money?! All these years, he COULD have begun paying us back. They COULD have garnished his wages! Right below my hatred for The Sociopath in the WH & the GOP Nazi collaborators in Congress, is my anger & hatred for Landis. His STEALING that money from us is SO FAR WORSE than the actual doping in my opinion & it's not even close.
And then there's all that TIME I spent reading about the case & reading the blog posts of "scientists" & medical folks 'dissecting' the data, day after day, week after week. ARGH! And then the actual stultifying hearing itself. Remember how his poor Mennonite parents sat there day after day? OMG, the memory fills me with such anger, I almost SHAKE!
I still have my copy of Floyds book "Positively False" sitting with my "Free Floyd" T-shirt...not sure what to do with them...sadly I think the only thing I can believe in the book is the title...as the book appears to be just that. But I didn't give nearly as much as you did (and no, I never got any emails from the Justice Dept...just the letter the other day finally).
DeleteHey Matt, just an FYI that you can watch the races on the UCI channel on Youtube, if you don't get them on your satellite.
ReplyDeleteWe had 4 more inches of rain from Sunday night to yesterday AM, topped off with a small tornado! Twice this summer the rain has come down so fast that the storm sewers were overwhelmed and folks took their kayaks out on the neighborhood streets! Wish there was a way to capture & pipe some of the excess water out west -- here it is just washing more pollution from farm fields and lawns into Lake Erie or the Ohio River.
Ooh...did not know there was a UTube channel that carries races...wow! I'll have to see if I can get that on the TV via the blueray player (it's a 'smart' device...we watch Amazon prime tuff thru it).
DeleteI am amazed that w/ all the talk of the true cost of the drought in the west all these years that NOBODY has started building a pipe system (aquaduct?) to bring excess water from back east out west. We SO terribly need it...lake Powell (Hoover Dam) is projected to be empty in another decade or so (I believe that's were LA gets it's water from). I know they say our water table is way lower than its been in recorded history...yet half the country is kayaking down the streets...a large pipe system would surely be WAAAAY cheaper than building an OIL pipeline across Alaska for crying out loud...and if it leaks somewhere, it's WATER! Let's get on it for crying out loud..I'd think it would be as important as the Interstate highway system...if not more-so. And hey...any pollution in it would be childs play compared to what's likely already all around us!
Hmm, they could probably route it along the interstates as well, couldn't they? Getting the water up and over the mountains would be a big obstacle. I remember somewhere along I-5 in Los Angeles you could look up and east and see where the water was flowing over the ridge into the LA basin -- in an open conduit, not a pipe. I never understood transporting the water through the central valleys and desert in an open system -- how much water do they lose to evaporation, I wonder?
DeleteWow, has it really been 11 years? and how long before that were the 3 of us following Martin Dugard's blog? You jogged my memory, so I went looking for him -- he is blogging again, but it is mostly about coaching his high school runners and no comments allowed. I don't think that he ever revealed why he concluded that HWMNBN (and also Landis, wasn't it? Didn't Landis approach him about writing a book?) were not clean.
ReplyDeleteGosh...seems like another lifetime that we were all gathered on MD's blog, where-apon coming back from vacation kindly asked us to leave (which we did). I know MD's been busy writing books for/with whats-his-name (which temporarily escaped me...getting old sucks!)...Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, Killing me softly with his song, you know.
DeleteOk, I did some breathing exercise to calm down (in, out...oooh, oooh, oooh). ;)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of rain, did your Hawaii condo experience any damage from that fluke hurricane that threatened the islands a while back? If I remember correctly, it changed course & didn't impact as much as feared, but I don't remember seeing any footage. Has your condo EVER had to withstand wind/water damage from a storm? Is that common there? I also haven't seen any updates in over a month about the volcano/lava on the Big Island. Last time I read something, I think it had destroyed a BUNCH of houses & a hospital. Is it still flowing? With all the crap from my neck of the woods dominating the news cycle day after day, it's hard for other areas of the country to be/stay noticed!
And you'll probably laugh, but I JUST (last month!) looked up the time difference between East coast & Hawaii & was SHOCKED to see it was "only" 6 hours. For some reason, I thought it had to be more. Lame question - how did/do you all (in Hawaii) watch LIVE TV programs? Are they tape-delayed by the TV channels? Or do you have middle of the night "watch parties"?
ONE of these days (after I retire), I hope to finally visit Hawaii for a couple weeks. I'm thinking Feb or Mar (if I can get past my post-Air Florida fear of flying in the winter). Would that be a good or bad time to visit, weather-wise? Of course, I can't imagine ANY time is bad to be in Hawaii, excluding hurricanes & tsunamis. :)
I have another Hawaii question. The housing prices there are SO HIGH, at least from all the TV property-housing shows I've seen the past 5 years or so. Where do the people who DON'T make 6 figures live? I would imagine this problem will continue to worsen, as in many 'resort' areas - the many local inhabitants can't afford to live there & have to commute farther & farther distances. Well, on an island, there is only so far one can commute! :)
Well, gotta run. Later! :) :)
Condo is just fine, thank you! (whew!) It's a pretty tough place...all concrete bldg (even all the interior walls are concrete...you want to hang a picture, you're drilling w/ a masonry bit). That's part of what I liked about the place...that also makes it VERY noise-cancelling..you don't hear ANYTHING from any other unit. The only damage we've ever had from trop storms/hurricanes is water getting inside those STUPID slatted tropical windows. Pretty much everywhere in Hawaii...and when the rain turns sideways there's NO stopping it from coming in...(also same for intruders...had my 1st house broken into oh-so-long ago...they waited till we were at work, went on the side of the house, popped out the slatted windows, cut the screen w/ a razor knife, and crawl thru the window, exit thru the front door w/ their haul). Maybe that's why Pitt Bulls, Dobermans and Rottweilers are the most popular dogs out there...even a stupid thief is afraid of big scary dogs (and rightfully so).
DeleteAnd yep...Hawaii is only 3 hrs fm CA time-wise. I remember Monday night football would be on starting REALLY EARLY...which actually was good...you could watch the game and still be in bed by 8 or 9! But yes, MOST stuff is delayed till local prime-time.
And pretty much anytime is good in Hawaii...tho the mainland winter obviously is the most popular, just cuz people want to get away from snow and cold. Summers are awesome too...the weather has very little change throughout the year (other than hurricane season, which is still great weather but a roll of the dice as to when a storm will threaten the islands).
As to cost, MOST students who leave for mainland college don't come back, cuz they can't afford to. Yes, it's pretty ridiculous, and being limited land it will keep going up and hold it's prices even when the rest of the country is going down. The other BIG problem is highways/roads. As more and more people move there, they keep building new homes further from Honolulu, but the highways can't accommodate the traffic, nor can the exits and off highway roads...so traffic is worse by the minute. And they have no plans to really fix that...other than they are trying to get light rail (like LA) but the cost would be ASTRNOMICAL. Who's gonna pay for it? But other than that, it's GREAT! (hey...it's HAWAII!) OK....gotta run.
And so....the Mens Worlds title is up for grabs on Sunday. Here's a nice pre-race bit by Velo news:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.velonews.com/2018/09/news/worlds-preview-the-climbers-get-their-shot-at-rainbow-stripes_479466
Totally not sure who to root for...lots of possibilities here between the Mt goats and the all-arounders. I'm kind'a hoping Valverde can give it a real go...he's got the chops for a race like this...but there is a LOT of young'uns that will be nipping at his heels, he'd have to play it real cool and strike at the end I think. We will know soon enough...game ON! Happy Friday!
Have you heard about this? Just came in my email today: https://letapecalifornia.com/letape-california-event-information
ReplyDeleteSounds like a whole lotta fun! If only my riding fitness was half enough to try something like it...
I've got tomorrow morning and Sunday blocked out to watch the World's -- USA has a pretty weak team (as usual, although Sep Kuss may be a name to watch in the future); but on the women's side perhaps Megan Guarnier or Katie Hall have an outside chance. The Dutch women have been so strong though it is hard to imagine that one of that team won't walk away with the win.
SusieB, when will retirement be coming up for you? I think that you are more than a few years younger than I, aren't you?
Speaking of retirement, did I ever tell you that when I was in Richmond in 2015 I chatted with a surgeon who had relocated to VA (more to the western side IIRC) from Tampa? I was asking him about living there, thinking in terms of looking for more moderate winters since CA is out of the question... he was full of praise for the location, said he would never go back to Florida. Really liked it. I was fortunate while there that except for one drizzly day the weather was lovely, so I was left with a good impression of the area.
Hey Rae...I looked at the link to the ride...wow! Not that I can't DO a ride like that...it's just that it's a 'race'..(and I'm SO not a racer). I can ride all day, but I'll never stay w/ even the remotely fast guys (and gals)...I got crushed today by a few gals in our Sat morn group ride. However NOBODY did the out AND back except ME...they all just went HALF WAY (and then had beer and burgers at Jalama Beach...so I DID miss that). The ride was only 42mi one way...rather short for my tastes...so I did the 84 (well, 83 and change) miler...the last half solo (which I'm not a HUGE fan of...riding alone on the roads..but I did it...and no scary moments...HOORAY!) Still just a bit over 5 1/2hrs...that's chump-change to my winter/spring mt bike rides that go upwards of 8 hours. I guess I'm an endurance guy (and I HATE to pay to ride my bikes...I can do that for FREE). Guess I'm just really frugal...saving so I can retire in 4 years...woo-HOO!
DeleteI can't believe it, Valverde DID IT! On yesterdays group ride we were discussing the possible winners, and I was sticking with Valverde...really hoping "the old guy" could pull it off...it's right up his alley, and he's VERY CRAFTY (along with him being a FANTASTIC rider)! I'm so happy for him! To stay with and then hold off the young'uns on that course and finish was incredible! Way to go OLD GUY!! I was hoping Sagan could stay close till the end, but it was a bit much for a SPRINTER, even one as amazing as Peter Sagan. That was a LOT of climbing, and Sagan had a FANTASTIC run, 3 years in a row! Just an amazing end to the season...will be fun to see him in the rainbow stripes next year for sure!
ReplyDeleteWow, wow, wow! Valverde! I knew he was on a good -- great-- year, but really hadn't realized that he had the 2nd most wins so far this year -- and now World Champion!Always consistent, always a contender and yet has never seemed to get the attention in the past several years -- I guess because he's been around so long?
ReplyDeleteAnd how about Michael Woods! that man has really blossomed this year, will he be a true contender next?
We've got a great bunch of pros right now, especially nice to see the French and Dutch with contenders again, so fun to watch!
So here you go Susie...Floyd is going to sponsor a cycling team with OUR money from the settlement (instead of paying us back).
ReplyDeletehttps://www.velonews.com/2018/10/news/landis-to-launch-new-continental-team-with-settlement-cash_479819
What a bunch of crap!
Can a class action lawsuit be filed against an individual?
DeleteWhat I don't understand is that Floyd was ordered by FEDERAL court to pay back the donors. Then a Federal Court got 5 mill from Lance and gave Floyd 1.5 mil of that. I'd think the Federal Court giving him the money would automatically deduct what he owes before giving him anything. Our system is sure screwed up (for instance: that one criminal gets whistle-blower money for ratting out another one).
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
Sorry about your Terps Susie...Michigan is getting better every game (I sure hope so anyway). That loss to ND in week 1 is really hurting, but less so than a late season loss. But their hardest games are coming up (3, count em, THREE ranked teams in their last 6 games)...Wisc, Mich St (who lost yesterday, HOORAY!...tho in recent years MI.St. has really had the Wolverines number, ranked or not), Penn State, and then as always, last game of the season, the dreaded Buckeyes.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of OSU, Rae, that's looking like it SHOULD be a great game this year! (we can hope) OSU is looking pretty great AGAIN, darn it. I'm really taking a serious dislike to Urban Meyer (in a poor sport sort of way). Should the Wolverines escape these next 3 games with wins, that should give them some good mojo for OSU (and then assuming they don't screw it up by losing to Rutgers and/or Indiana). I always find it odd that the Wolverines season always has their hardest games at the end, and if you go look at the top teams in the rankings, their 2nd half all seems relatively easy. Or maybe that's just sour grapes talking cuz I'm biased.
Well...back from my Moms in Yuma. That was a tough chore (going thru her house). EVERYTHING you touch has 4 choices to it: leave it in the house to sell (we are selling her home as furnished), throw it out in the trash, take it to the Mission (Mom volunteered there and she liked it as a charity, similar to Goodwill...they run a store of decent stuff cheap, which to us is still the equivalent of giving it away), or ONE of us is taking it home. That's it. There are NO other choices. So as you open a drawer, cupboard, closet, whatever, EVERY SINGLE THING needs to go thru this choosing process and quickly. Mom was very clean, but the house hasn't been lived in for over a year and a half now. Also, we all know where we got our 'packrat' gene from. She had a lot of stuff...but I think that's inevitable...she was in the house for over 20 years. I'm just glad it's over. It was very sad and strange to be in her house with her not there. And I apologized a LOT over the 4 days, knowing all this stuff was her life for a long time (she was VERY into crafts...and had a LOT of craft 'stuff'). And on top of all that, a lot has new sentimental value..."ooh...this was the coffee cup I used when I was there"..."ooh...these are the sheets I slept in there"...ooh...this was Moms 'whatever'. It's hard to detach yourself from that and do what needed to be done with the entire house, also knowing that once something is thrown away or given to the Mission it's gone for good...there will be no do-overs.
ReplyDeleteBut we did it (mostly...I think we gave up on her 'shed'...it's got 'stuff' in it and we just left it). Mentally a VERY draining 4 days (and a 400 mile drive each way, just to add to the fun). But she was a heck of a woman, nobody who knew her can deny that. And a FANTASTIC Mom! And so...whew.
And so...tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 20th) is the day. THE DAY. Michigan at Michigan Stage. They (MI St) have had our number 8 of the last 10 meetings. Not this year I say! THIS YEAR we TAKE BACK our pride! YES, the MIGHTY WOLVERINES will go to Spartan Stadium and vanquish one of their dreaded foes! This game will be the one that gives us the confidence we need to FINALLY take down Ohio State at the end of our season. They have also had our number for a LONG TIME. THIS YEAR we will take OSU out of the National Championship running, just like in the old days. It is the destiny of the Wolverines to do this I say! So....hang on tight, here we go! The beginning of the end of both the Spartans the Buckeyes Dynasty's begins tomorrow! BEWARE THE WOLVERINE!
ReplyDeleteBoy what a GREAT day Saturday was! An early morning bike ride with friends, lunch out (which we NEVER do) and then a movie (we saw "First Man", the story of Neil Armstrong). While we were at the movie Michigan played Michigan Stage in Spartan stadium (enemy territory). I had my DVR set to record the game with a half hour extra (just in case). Well...there was a lightening delay for over an hour...so when I was watching the game last night I knew I was in trouble. And sure enough, it was a pretty exciting game, but my coverage ended about a half hour too early. Score was 14-7...it was still anybody's game and I was biting nails! So I had to resort to the internet, and BAM! I could breath again...Wolverines WIN 21-7! OH YEAH!!!! And THEN, as if my evening needed to get even BETTER, Purdue BEAT OSU!!! OMG! I wouldn't have picked that in a million years! LOVE THOSE FIGHTING BOILERMAKERS!!! That does however take some of the enjoyment I will get on Nov 24th when Michigan beats OSU in the horseshoe (again, DEEP in enemy territory). I haven't enjoyed a day of football that much in YEARS!! GO BLUE!!!
ReplyDeleteI’m impressed, I need to say. Really hardly ever do I encounter a blog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you could have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the issue is one thing that not enough people are talking intelligently about. I'm very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for one thing relating to this. online gambling casino
ReplyDelete