Hillary probably didn't win the primary there...

Kansas that is. This story tells us how a female referee was stopped from officiating a boys highschool basketball game.

"The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs."

Can you believe this stuff?

As I read the article, I found a few more interesting points.

1. Despite the school's name (St. Mary's), the school is NOT catholic. It is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X.


2. The society's world leader, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s.

Huh. This church has been around for less time than ME. Sweet.

Race? I love to race! Oh wait...

The other day, I stumbled upon This blog. Now, I love satire, but I can pretty much say I've never been personally the subject of it before. It's kind of weird.

I mean, I'm white (as you can tell by the bicycle - bikes are one of the things that white people like). And as a white person, I understand that I probably have a better life because of it. It's not something I'm proud of, but I will admit that having pale skin and a non-ethnic name has probably helped me in my life. Thus, I'm skeptical of people who complain about "reverse-racism" and crap like that because it's garbage.

But I've never really heard any negative connotations about being white before, other than the obvious "they can't dance and they like mayonnaise". And I never even heard the mayonnaise part before Undercover Brother. It seems like every other race has some sort of negative stereotype that the anonymous cabal of racists keeps pushing on us. Well, now there is a list (a numbered list!) of things that White People like, and how wrong they are for liking them.

I don't think it would bother me so much if it weren't so accurate. I mean, that list is basically describing me and my friends. The numbers that fit me are: 3-16,18-20,23,25-27,30,31,33,35-45,55,48-53,55,58,61, and 63. That is a LOT. I mean, that's 70%. In college, that would have been a C. Getting a C on describing me without having ever met me is is pretty damned creepy.

But, the thing is, a lot of people like that stuff. The only thing I can think of as an illustration of how dumb stuff like this is the stereotype that black people like fried chicken and watermelon. Everybody likes fried chicken and watermelon, that stuff tastes good. Also, the "Jews like money," bit. Well, seriously, find me a person who hates money and I will show you a freaking anomaly. Money can be used to purchase goods and services. You'd be hard pressed to find somebody who doesn't like goods and services, they are the bomb.



I think I know what David Chappelle was getting across in his sketch where he is on an airplane, and he doesn't want to order the chicken dinner, because he hates playing into the minstrel-show black stereotype. I mean, I felt self-conscious about liking NPR. Seriously. I mean, I'm probably not going to stop liking snowboarding or bikes or stuff like that. And Panera makes some damn good sandwiches. But it's hard not to hear a little bell ring every time I chick off another mark on the list.

What I do like about the list is the things that I feel don't describe me. Liking "Thinking they know what is best for poor people." I'm very confident that I have no idea what is best for poor people. So, no skin off my nose. And "The Toyota Prius". Aside from the exterior design (it is the most aerodynamic car on the road), it is a nearly negligible improvement over a regular economy car. And it uses highly toxic batteries which will need to be replaced every 7 years.

How does the list make you feel? How much applies to you? I almost prefaced those questions with racial identifiers, but I don't think it's necessary.

Bike Drama

Here's a story that nobody will enjoy.

In December I bought this bike on the local Craigslist for a song:



Pretty sweet, right? It's a 1993 Eddie Merckx Corsa. Columbus SL tubing, full 8-speed Chorus build... pretty sweet, right? It even has tubular rims.

Right there, that is the sand in the ointment. Tubular rims, for those unaware, don't take a normal "inner-tube + tire" setup. Tubular rims use tubular tires. That is, the tire is actually a solid tube. With an inner-tube sewn inside of it. This allows the use of much more supple rubber or something, so everybody says that tubulars have a great "feel". Most pro racers (and even a lot of amateur ones) use tubulars for racing.

So what's so bad about that? High end, pro-level wheels. That should be pretty rad, right? Well, if the tires are tubular, there is no bead to catch under a rim like normal "clincher" rims. "So how are they attached to the rim?" someone might ask. They are glued.

That's right. The tires are literally glued to the rim. This is fine for racing, where if you get a flat you are basically out of the running anyways and a car will come pick you up and drive you to the finish. But if you are not racing (like me), getting a flat means a 10+ mile walk in cycling shoes, which is about as graceful as a horse walking on its hind legs.

So, what to people do? Most folks get another set of wheels that use "clincher" tires, which are usually inexpensive (for bike parts), and just train on these wheels, and pull out the tubulars for racing. So, I need a set of training wheels (ha ha ha). Therein lies another great conflict.

My bike has (as previously mentioned) a Campagnolo drivetrain. Most wheels nowadays are Shimano compatible. If you have paid any attention to road bicycles in the past 20 years, you are probably aware of the rivalry/lack of compatibility between these two companies. If you ask some people, mixing the two is akin to beastiality. It's just not done, and it is a crime against whichever manufacturer they prefer.

So, I was stuck looking for a Campy wheelset, since a Campy cassette (the gears on the rear wheel) will only fit on a Campy wheel. After a lot of searching, I found that even the cheapest Campy wheelset was about $300, which is almost what I paid for my bike. Then, I learned that an 8-speed cassette won't even fit on a modern campy wheel, which will only take a campy 9 or 10 speed cassette. Campy 8-speed compatible wheels are super-rare now, and thus command quite a premium. Things were looking grim.

Luckily, I discovered that the only difference between a Campy 8-speed cassette and a Shimano 8-speed cassette is that on the shimano cassette the gears are slightly further apart. So, I found a cheap wheelset, and can take apart the cassette and make it work with my Campy drivetrain. Whee! Everybody is happy (especially Kate).

How am I paying for this, when we are trying to save money, you might ask? There is a book that somebody keeps telling people is "essential" for runners to read. It is a pretty good book, but "essential" might be a stretch. It is called Once a Runner.



It is currently out of print. After 25-some years, the author has written a sequel. Demand for the book is (apparently) ridiculous. My brother Dave turned me onto this, because I got him a copy for Christmas a few years ago, and it is in mint condition, so he is selling it. I also got Kate a copy. Hers had one slight mark on the spine, so we looked on Amazon. The lowest price they were being sold for was $150. For a paperback book. We put ours up for sale for $140, and it sold. Best investment ever.

So, that is the story of my bike wheels. Yay!

Awesome Times

Time: last evening
Dialogue between: NydamPress and Aaronplane

NP: (something funny that makes me laugh)
AP: HA ha ha ha!
NP: That was quite a gustaw you let out.
AP: Yeah, I guess that was funny though.

(pause)

AP: Did you say "gustaw"? (pronounced like the first two syllables in "gestapo")
NP: Yeah.
AP: What is a "gustaw"?
NP: It's a big, hearty laugh. My english teacher once said I had a healthy gustaw.
AP: I'm going to look that up.
NP: Fine, you'll see that I'm right. It's a laugh.
AP: I think you are thinking of "guffaw".
NP: NOOOOOO! Stop!
AP: I am blogging this.

Valentines Schmalentines

A paraphrased exchange between NydamPress and I last night:

(after seeing an ad for "Jumper")
Me: Ooh, Jumper comes out on valentine's day. Maybe we could go see it?
NP: You really want to do something for valentine's day?
Me: Not really.
NP: All I want for valentine's day is to go to CVS the day after and buy a bunch of candy.
Me: I love you.