It's vacation, not staycation

Ask me where I'm going on vacation. Go ahead, come on, ask me. Century Oak Winery. Yeah, that's right! The season is coming to a close and it's time to get back on wine wagon. I haven't had so much as a sip of anything in about three months, but the wheels are going to come falling off next week.

Once again I am taking off to the Lodi wine region to help my good friend Adam Housley and his family bottle up their latest harvest. We'll spend all day bottling wine, working, sipping, working, sipping and then celebrating our hard work afterwards. Check out this link to a VIDEO to see what wine bottling is all about; scroll down to the Summer Bottling 2006. Yours truly makes an appearance at the end of flick. After doing all the 'work' we'll take in some time with Adam's family in Napa and soak in a few more tastings. The extra kilos won't matter now that I'm done suffering up hills.

I am going to take a page from other bloggers out there and edit this post after having posted it. I stumbled across some news this morning that all ice cream lovers will be delighted to hear. Sunday afternoon, August 3rd, Purity cranks up fundraiser for Martha O'Bryan Center here in Nashville. Purity Dairies and the Martha O'Bryan Center have teamed up to host the Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' 2008 to help raise money for families living in the James A. Cayce Homes and surrounding East Nashville neighborhoods.

I visited this event last summer after racing the Allanti/Bike Pedlar Criterium in downtown Nashville. It was hot, super hot, and I was still an inferno after racing when I arrived to cool off with some sweets. There were several thousand people there, a great family atmosphere, and so much home-made ice cream to choose from you almost couldn't make your mind up. What I realized was it didn't take long before my stomach actually said 'stop!' All summer time crits should have an ice cream festival nearby. Make plans to support this event and enjoy some great ice cream to celebrate a tough weekend of racing! (as if you need a reason to eat ice cream)

Moving on.....

From the Erotic Domain, an Aerobic Trend in China
So let me get this straight. China is ok with pole dancing for fitness, but.....

China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games
So they say and do anything to earn the bid to host the Olympics, but now they're going back on their word and will censor journalists covering the event. This is a real surprise huh. I love how the NY Times' headline says "limit access", which is nothing more than censorship. If a country is seriously worried about social stability then maybe they should put away the guns and chains and do something positive about their disgusting human rights record.

How Beijing won the honor to host the Olympics is really beyond understanding. Out of all the great nations in the world the IOC chose China. Nice pick. Sooner or later someone will uncover the money trail, especially considering China is in the process of buying up the world. As if all that isn't bad enough the athletes have this worry about.....

Cyclists Will Test the Air in Beijing
For a country worried about social stability maybe even before addressing human rights they can focus on cleaning up their dirty skies. Cyclists and other endurance athletes will likely have a lot to say, after catching their breathe, about how difficult it was to compete at or above threshold.

Though, one good thing will happen at the Olympics.....

Out of 4,500 expected doping tests, about 400 will be for HGH
The cat will always catch a mouse or two. If that cat is like all others it will parade the mouse in front of everyone to brag about its prowess.

What is Tax Free?
What about getting little Bobby a new bike to ride to school? That should be tax free too don't you think! This weekend is the sales tax free "holiday" from Friday through Sunday. Get while the getting is good.

101 tips to save and stretch hard-earned money
Obviously no #4 for me this year. She stole #30 from my blog. The kicker has to be #96. That's not cheap, it's crazy!

Eye candy on 2 wheels
Here's another cycling blog that can keep you busy for awhile. As David says, "Do."

By the numbers
It was still the 5th fastest Tour de France ever this year. Did they catch 'em all?

Tour chief Christian Prudhomme says deterrents are working
Alright boss man, we're going to remember you said this. He's right about being ashamed had they not caught anyone, but that's something the mainstream media can't seem to get their head around.

Memphis roads not friendly for bicyclists
The downside of more people riding their bikes due to high gas prices is that drivers have yet to have an accommodating mindset. Then again, there are less drivers on the road while...."As gas prices go up, auto deaths drop." Now if only those fewer drivers will exhibit a little more patience and caution.

Best Places to Live
Franklin makes the list of top 100 cities at number 45. Though only 1.9% of population walk or bike to work while the top 100 average is 3%. Nashville on the other hand is above average at 3.2%. What a shocker considering the Memphis article above - Germantown is a measly 1%. No wonder considering nearly 40% of their population suffers from hypertension!

Oil Price at $90 Is Enough to Save Global Economy
Maybe more of this kind of "speculation" will help our pocketbooks, but as the columnist suggests a lower barrel price will help the money supply in various ways. It will slow inflation, and help interest rates come down; which of course would positively impact the real estate market. Sadly, the lower gas prices drop the less people will ride their bikes.

Cop decks Critical Mass rider
Maybe you've seen this video of a NY City policeman taking out a supposed unruly critical mass rider. The cop is on desk duty while an investigation is taking place. I've heard there's another video out there with an angle showing what transpired causing the cop to single the guy out. Maybe the guy on the bike deserved to be stopped, but did he deserve to be tackled Ronnie Lott style?

Starting a Business: It’s Never Too Late
Here's a good article about taking risks and going out on a limb. You're never too old to start. Like Michael says, "Now’s your moment, whatever your age."