Will Smith's "secret" to his success:

"Here's the thing: I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together, one of two things is going to happen: you are going to get off first or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to be outworked.”

This comment both inspires me and gives me pause.  Inspires me for the shear strength of mental fortitude.  But, it also alarms me to think a treadmill, even metaphorically, is worth dying for.

I don't know, is it?

1.  After nearly 100 years of both the automobile and the Tour de France the French still can't drive. As proven by the horrific carnage in the photos below.  Hoogerland went into the fence, but amazingly got up to finish the stage and is still in the race.

 

2.  You can indeed forget how to ride a bike.  As proven by Alberto Contador. He has crashed four times in this year's TdF and there's still 1 week of racing to go.

 

And finally....

3.  There are no real champions in cycling.  During what many of us in this generation will call the glory days of cycling there were real heroes.  They were a champion's champion.  Cyclists won by guts and for the glory.  Today's riders are more concerned about their competition and how they feel than just deciding to win the race.  Where are the Jan Ullrich's and Lance Armstrong's of yesteryear?  Where are "the looks" and then just leaving your competitors in the dust? Today's riders try to separate from the field on a climb for a whole 30 meters.  No one wants to win this year's race, just like last year.  This is not a track race, get on with it already.  

The last 4 visits to Plateau de Beille saw the winner of the stage go on to win in Paris, but not this year.  Jelle Vanendert won the stage in his first TdF.  Someone just needs to man-up and take this thing (that is how ever much someone that is 6'1" and 140lb can man-up).  I want to see someone turn themselves inside out and lay it all on the line.  Sadly, there were only two individuals in this years Tour that fit that description Thomas Voeckler and Alexandre Vinokourov and Vinokourov dropped out of the race after a terrible accident that left him with a broken pelvis. That is why I'm going with the underdog of Tommy Voeckler.  He leaves nothing in the tank and his rag-tag team of underdogs know it and love him for it.

Go Voeckler.  Vive la France!

Happy Father's Day to all the guys.  In the spirit of fun I've collected this list of "Man Laws" from across the Internet, modified a few and deleted some.  Guys, give this to the woman in your life to help her understand why you are the way you are.  Of course, this will likely land you in hot water, but you'd get there anyway so what's the difference.

Have a great day!

Man Laws

1. Men are not mind readers.  We have no idea what you're thinking.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports are like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:

• Subtle hints do not work!
• Strong hints do not work!
• Obvious hints do not work!
• Just say it!

1. Yes and no are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something, or you can tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions, and neither do we.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it's just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want the answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight.  It's like camping, I actually like it.

 

What do you get when you combine Elton John, lawn gnomes, Michael Cain, a dash of Dolly Parton, Ozzy Osborne and Hulk Hogan with Shakespeare and a modern take on Romeo and Juliet?  Gnomeo and Juliet of course (just saw it on DVD).  What a great movie.  Kids will love it and it has a ton of adult level humor to make it fun for parents too.  If you like Elton John you'll love the sound track.  There are two outstanding original songs that are simply classic Elton John.  Definitely worth the rental and in my humble opinion well worth the purchase.

It's no secret that Kansas City, MO has been kicked in the teeth for the last several years by our State line neighbors KCK, but things maybe a changin'.  Google announced yesterday that KCMO will also get Google's ultra high speed Internet connectivity.  This is a huge political win for KCMO.  Great Job!  Now let's just hope that I get it and if I do I'm kicking Time Warner to the curb so fast (1GB/sec to be exact) that their head will spin.

The joy of having a 6 and 7 year old.  I've been humming the Care Bears theme song for two days now.  It's like an episode of Fringe where there has been something hypnotic placed into the song to melt your brain.  Watch it I DARE YOU!

 

Okay, this is one of my hot buttons.  Not only does the border war include 2 huge arch rivals MU and KU, but 2 cities KCK and KCMO.  Once again KCK has managed to turn on the cooperative charm and work with companies that can really impact the economy and area.  Today Google announced that the winner of the Google Fiber project is none other than KCK.  Good for them.  I know I can't blame this one on Sly, but I'm at least still pissed at the KCMO ineptitude to do real business development.

It's amazing how the smallest pebble can cause such irritation especially in your shoe, but an oyster turns that same irritation into a pearl.

Just a thought.