New JAVELIN Time Trial Frame

I guess you're asking yourself why a guy with a freshly broken ankle is itching to get a new time trial frame for racing...it's a good question...one which I don't have a good answer to, so I won't really try. My standard answer is: I got a really good deal on Ebay!

Whether you think it's stupid or not, PLEASE DON'T TELL AMBER or I will be in a great deal of trouble. Just kidding...but seriously...don't tell her!

It's a 2007 Javelin Barolo in a size 51. I only purchased the frameset which includes the frame, fork, headset and seatpost. It's only been built up, but never really ridden. Since UPS destroyed the Specialized Tarmac I sold recently (remains to be seen whether UPS is actually going to pay for destroying the bike frame), I will use the build kit from that frame to finish out this speedy time trial machine in preparation for my second full Ironman race sometime in 2010...race still to be determined based on the progress of my ankle and how fat I get from not working out for a while (I blame the Dairy Queen Blizzard by the way).

Levi Wins a Third Consecutive Tour of California

Levi Leipheimer won his third consecutive Amgen Tour of California this past Saturday, February 21. "I've been trying to articulate the feelings I've got on taking this race three times," Leipheimer said. "To win it once was huge, to win it twice I was a little bit lucky, but this is the sweetest victory of the three. I told Lance the other day that I don't know how he won seven Tours in a row. You can't get second place because that's losing." Although born in Butte, Montana, he is a long-time resident of Santa Rosa, CA, which makes winning the TOC that much more special for him.

Levi is wouthout a doubt one of the greatest American cyclists that has ever ridden. He has achieved a tremendous amount of success on the bike both in Europe and domestically while being a member of several different teams: Astana (currently), Discovery Channel, Gerolsteiner, team Rabobank, U.S. Postal Service (with Lance), and with the domestic team Saturn.

He is credited with numerous wins including now being a 3x winner of the Amgen Tour of California, winning the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré, stage wins and overall podium places at the Tour de France and Vuelta de España, and was a bronze medalist in the individual time trial at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In addition to winning countless races, and perhaps more importantly, Levi Leipheimer is a really good guy...modest, caring, drug-free, and a fierce competitor.

Stimulus/Porkulus Plan

HOW DOES THIS THING WORK?

It's going to cost America dearly to give the "average worker" an extra $13 per week...only to have Obama's Transportation Secretary chomping at the bit to take that and more back in a mileage tax (which has luckily died for now...we'll see what the future holds).

I like to remind everyone that Robin Hood did not steal from the rich and give to the poor...he took back from the government what it had been STEALING from its constituents for far too long. Maybe it's time for Robin Hood to pay Little John a visit and get the people's money back.

Restraint: The Economic Plan That Will Save America

The inspiration for this blog entry comes from an article written by Chuck Norris in the 25 FEB 09 issue of The Conservative Chronicle entitled "Our Congress' clueless credit system."

"There are only two things that are going to get us out of this particular financial mess, and only Americans (not "only government") can implement those solutions. Both come down to one word: RESTRAINT. We must restrain our government and we must restrain ourselves. Feeding the money monster will not reduce its size...it will perpetuate the problem. We must tame the money monster. We must return it to its cage. We must return to a time when we put a bridle on the spending of government and of our households. We've got to simplify our lives. We've got to learn to be happier with less. We've got to get out of debt."

-Chuck Norris

As I look to depart from military service and pursue another career path, people continually warn me how bad the economy is and how dangerous it is for me to leave government service in the midst of such economic turmoil. It is pretty disappointing to me when men and women who are wearing the "cloth of the nation" remain on active duty not out of pride or service to their country, but rather because they are too cowardly to stand on their own two feet and have no confidence in their ability to contribute to society without the reassurance of Uncle Sam's outstretched hand placing dollars in their pockets.

Where have all the people gone who would take offense at having some sniveling, pompous, liberal piece of bureaucratic trash giving them a handout, thus implying they didn't have the strength or intestinal fortitude to stand on their own two feet? Have Americans in general became so soft and unable to care for themselves that they rely solely on big government to find a way out? I think we are headed that way, but it's not too late to reverse that trend.

· PRACTICE ECONOMIC RESTRAINT
· STRETCH YOUR MIND
· BUILD A STRONG BODY (I THINK A TIME IS COMING WHEN YOU'LL NEED IT TO SURVIVE)

Probably coming to Texas to rehab my foot

The Navy medical clinic submitted my paperwork for a lim-du (limited duty) board yesterday, and if the board's decision is to put me in lim-du status then I will receive a set of orders that will cancel my duty in Bahrain and place me at Lackland AFB in San Antonio for rehabilitation. I chose Lackland, but I could have gone to any major military medical facility that had the capability to conduct orthopedic rehabilitation. I should find out the results of the board late next week and could be out of Bahrain in the next few weeks.

Getting out of the flat for a few hours...

Rich came and picked me up so I could get out of my flat for a few hours. Although I have been busy studying and sleeping, it has been pretty boring thus far. I can only imagine how bored I will be prior to this whole ordeal finally being over (some 4-5 months from now). I am studying to get both my personal trainer's certification and GRE knocked out. I have plenty to do, but I tend to build up a lot of nervous energy when I can't move around like I am accustomed to and exercise when I desire. So, it was sure nice to get out of the house for a few hours. **Notice the new HALLIBURTON t-shirt I won on ebay!**

There was a huge traffic jam just down the street from my building, and come to find out it was because an armored truck had broken down right in the middle of one of the busiest streets in Juffair...or was this just a new approach to stealing an armored truck?

I am sure the KFC delivery guy didn't appreciate me taking his picture as we passed, but so what! Almost every eating establishment, including fast food joints such as McDonald's and KFC, has delivery guys that zip in and out of traffic all day and all night on motorcycles like the one above. In case you were wondering Dairy Queen has one as well, although I have been hesitant to order a Blizzard for delivery because it might not arrive in a timely fashion and already have melted...I may try it at least once before I leave though!

We drove down to the south end of the island and back, passing the University of Bahrain as we went. Maybe I'll have my GRE scores reported here as well as Texas Tech after I take the exam...do you think they'll accept the GI Bill? I wonder if I'll have to grow a mustache and gain forty pounds prior to commencement?

Broken Tibia

This is a picture of my buddy Rich and his girlfriend Christiana. They were good enough to come pick me up from the NSA Bahrain Medical facility and get me to the hospital since the Navy wasn't set up to do so...I am not sure I always understand why we have medical folks in the Navy when they don't really try very hard to do anything for us. Not only was there not an x-ray technician on duty, but they asked me if I would mind getting a ride to the hospital to get my x-rays done since their x-ray tech would have to walk 30-45 minutes from his house to do it on his day off. Wow...another big plus for staying on board with the military...then they would not give me a ride over to the hospital since it wasn't classified as URGENT?!?

The above picture is to compare my broken right tibia to the left prior to going into surgery. When I would lift my leg, my foot would move in a completely different direction and flop to either side...not a good sign I didn't think!

The doctors used two pins to fix my tibia and one screw to repair the ligament torn between the tibia and fibula. They will go in and remove the screw about four to six weeks from now when the ligament has had time to heal. I am not supposed to put any weight on my right leg for six weeks...I guess that means no marathon next Saturday! I am not really in much pain, but they have given me ample pain medication in the event that my condition changes. I am also on a round of antibiotics for a week. Once they cleaned my wound, they put me in a new cast which will be changed out in another two weeks.

The medical staff at the Bahraini Defense Force hospital was great. They didn't always fully understand what I was saying...and vice versa...but all in all, a very good experience. Much better, I think, than anything the Navy would have been able to do for me here. I am shocked that they are bringing dependants back to Bahrain when the medical staff clearly can't support the personnel that are already here, much less the wives and children that will be coming. I think they have really jumped the gun on this one.

A few more close-up photos to see the staples on the right and left side of the foot.

Shamal In Town

A shamal has blown over Bahrain and lasted approximately four days...which means constant filth and dirt in the air day and night. The wind isn't blowing very strong, but the dirt is blowing all over the Persian Gulf and covering everything. I think that people tend to get sick during these sandstorms becasue the air is so full of filth. Luckily, I have only been outside to ride to work and back. As luck would have it, the first day that the air cleared up was the day when I broke my foot! What luck, huh?

No more sunlight...got to get some sleep!

After a few series of nights with little/no rest, I decided I needed to change something to help my body adjust to sleeping during daylight hours better. Although I didn't originally think the sunlight creeping through the blinds was causing me to wake early, I decided I might be wrong and would attempt to block the sun out of the equation. One roll of aluminum foil later, and I have one dark bedroom that I will hopefully be able to sleep in during the coming days. I only averaged 2.5 hours of sleep per night during my last set of nights...in case you didn't already guess, that doesn't work for long!

I received my new GRE study guide in the mail from Amazon today, and I am going to begin to prep and hopefully take the exam late next month prior to coming home on leave. I have also been doing some work toward completing my certified fitness trainer course through the International Sports Science Association (ISSA).

Although I don't have a car, there is a parking spot in the building dedicated to my flat. I routinely use this spot to clean my bikes, and on the rare occasion that one of my buddies from work comes over for dinner, they have some place to park. There have been several occasions in the past when I come back to my building to find someone parked in my spot, and although I may not have a car to park in that spot, I can't use it if it's not empty.

The car that was parked in my spot today was a bright yellow Lamborghini. It was a beautiful car, and after spending several minutes admiring it with my doorman and taking a few pictures, I told the doorman to call and get the car moved. He laughed for a minute because he thought I was joking...he quit laughing when he realized I was serious. I am sure it made the owner of that car mad to move in order for me to wash my bike, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

I blame the Blizzard...

I personally think the similarities are incredible...except for about 30 pounds. For those who may not know, the left picture is of Lance Armstrong during his early triathlon days. Like the title of this blog entry reads, I blame the Dairy Queen Blizzard for my inability to become an world champion triathlete/cyclist. The blizzard is just so hard to turn away from, and it's nearly impossible not to ask for the LARGE blizzard when the bright lights of the Blizzard sign have me hypnotized.

Maybe I'm taking the wrong approach with my diet and training. I should embrace the Blizzard completely and see if Dairy Queen would like to sponsor me as a cyclist. With the full support of what I consider to be my evil nemesis, the sky may be the limit with regard to my athletic potential. Either that or I will be entirely too fat to race due to getting free Blizzards all the time...it's hard to tell.

Medieval Torture Device...

Had the indoor bicycle trainer been around in medieval times (or bicycle for that matter), I am certain that historians would classify it as one of the most primitive and gruesome of its age. The more time I spend utilizing this instrument of pain and suffering, the more wonderful even a terrible day of riding outdoors seems.

Prior to coming to Bahrain, I purchased the Tour de France DVD set that includes all seven of Lance Armstrong's tour wins (1999 - 2005). As they are great motivation to get on the trainer, I am getting to be an expert on all seven years of his TDF domination. Cody was also good enough to send me some Spinervals DVD's (more torture...not sure whether to thank him or put a professional hit out on him) to help the time on the trainer pass by quickly.

IT LOOKS LIKE I'LL BE HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL!

Given that the Post 9/11 GI Bill's benefits are so amazing, I am planning on probably returning to graduate school upon getting out of the Navy in Oct and pursuing a Master's in Exercise Physiology through the college of Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences. I will still have to work full time, but not nearly as full time as I was as a manager with United Supermarkets. The new GI Bill covers all tuition, fees, most books and also includes a monthly housing allowance. Since I will be in a period of transition leaving the Navy anyway, this will likely be the most ideal time for me to knock out my graduate work. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a good job in Lubbock that will give me the flexibility of putting a solid effort into school and taking care of my family at the same time...if anyone hears about something along those lines, don't be shy about letting me know!