For the Kathryn's

I was able to attend my sisters LPN graduation this past Thursday night because the Short Track races were rained out. I suppose I can thank my father for that (rest his soul). He was watching out for my ass and created a little rainfall above in order to appropriately re-arrange my schedule. Seriously, if I wouldn't have showed up, there would have been some serious hell to pay, and you don't want Kathryn on your bad side. Janie and I arrived at Gentry Middle school in Columbia just in time for the ceremony.

It was what I thought it would be. The graduates in their scrubs appearing to have worked very hard, relieved to have accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time. Their families filed in to the auditorium in droves, at least 20-1 on the average. I couldn't help but mumble to Janie that if there were a scuffle, I would take care of things with my glock, because it wasn't long ago that my daughter graduated from middle school, a fight broke out on our way out of Parkway West High School in Chesterfield. I was pretty pissed. There was nothing of that there at Kathryn's graduation. I was touched by the outpouring of support of the friends and family attending and ashamed of my rush to judgment.

There was a bond amongst these graduates, like they had been through a lot together. Like they had truly supported one another through thick and thin. I asked Kathryn how many started the program and how many finished. Eighteen out of thirty one "walked" that day. That is a little more than 50%. And I noticed something else about them as a group. They were all women. Not one guy. It was multi cultural bunch, some from the city of Columbia, others from the outskirts, small towns. Some were overweight, (well, most were overweight, but we can work on that). What was truly significant was that, when each girl received their diploma, they had written down a couple words of thanks to be announced by the head nurse when they walked across the stage. Most of them thanked their families for putting up with them, helping them persevere, helping them and being supportive as they took this meaningful step in the direction of accomplishment. It was obvious that these women were rising up out of their individual battles of social stratification.

The energy of this type of thing is really quite remarkable. You can't buy inspiration as authentic as this. I was chewing it up like bubble gum.

You see, (and I am assuming) there wasn't a person up there who hadn't overcome some sort of adverse situation. Granted, most of them probably self-inflicted (another assumption). Whether it was a teenage pregnancy that kept them from finishing high school, a bad marriage to the wrong guy, mistakes made in substance abuse or over indulgence, or maybe it was just the lack of any purpose at all. All of these women were bettering their lives by embarking on the 11 month journey, leading up to that one moment when they would be handed their certificate of completion, walking across the stage while the head nurse read their (quite touching) affirmations.

Kathryn was no different and at 48 years old, skipped across the stage with her "thank you for coming" grin on her face. Her affirmation: an "ode" to her father, Ralph. Yes, she had it in her head to accomplish something in his honor. He died a couple years ago. Those two, well, it was a little tough for them at times. The good news is that, in the end, they were able to see eye to eye on a couple things. Kathryn continues to embark on things that will eventually allow her to gain fulfillment. Her fear of accountability likely chiseled down a little further and with a little more confidence with this latest important accomplishment. Kathryn had the highest GPA in the class and got an additional award for that too. She was also awarded for being the class Vice President and the most out spoken. Go figure.

So there they stood on stage in the end of the ceremony, those women of achievement who paid good money to be used as a pin cushion when practicing procedures, those who could have easily found themselves on the other side of the 50% who did not finish. These women are now our care givers, the women who, for their own reasons, choose to embrace being a health care worker as a path to independence while contributing to the needs of our sick and aging. I feel pretty OK with that, after seeing them up there on stage, how meaningful it was to them, their accomplishments, their perseverance. How perfect a send off, the ceremony conducted in front of an audience of well wishers who truly, truly, want them to succeed.

Congrats Kathryn's.

Horse People

Just when I thought I was goin dry on content, a lurker surfaces....

Anonymous said...

You freakin' bikers ride down the middle of the freakin' highway so us "low income equestrians" have to drive 5mph. PLUS... they spent millions on all those damn trails in wildwood so you pedal pushers can continue to drive down the the middle of the road like your in a motorized vehicle. Give me a break you freakin' tree huggers!!!
July 17, 2008 4:23 PM

Anonymous said...

Actually, I know hundreds of low income equestrians. If you think ticks are only in wooded areas where horses have been then you obviously haven't heard the Brad Paisley song..."Ticks".
July 17, 2008 4:28 PM

Oh my, I do love a good cat fight. But let's be real here. I won't expose the chicks up top. They are pretty cool and, because they have indulged me, will soon receive "Got Wapiti?" t-shirts as part of an on going public relations smear encouraging equines to co-habitate with us. Truce ladies? By the by, these upscale T's are are "tick-proofed" in our bio-friendly laboratories and made of hemp in a village in the rain forest where little kids sing and dance for the birth of more friggin horses.

I must say I had no idea the equines, especially those in Oklahomer, gave a rats ass about the goings on at Greensfelder park or the ramblings of this writer. I will have to clean it up a bit, or not, whichever you prefer.

Back to business. First, we don't ride on the bike paths because we are too fast and way to spiffy in our lycra kits. Those bicyclers are the fair weathers, we are the off-road racers who train on technical trails and hilly (Wildwood) roads. We can't co-habitate with the stroller moms, the roller skaters (unless they are those roller derby women who look more like us than...girls), the joggers and/or weight watcher rally ups. The trails made in Wildwood were made for them and I am sure with the new council members recently elected there, a decreased emphasis on all infrastructure will occur and a barn built on every plot. So buy land now, in Wildwood.

We are speaking of the sweet single track, Dogwood and Declue, those trails built by hand, by mountain bikers. Maintained by GORC. To be honest, the horses don't really "ruin" the trails, they simply make them impassable by anyone other than horses during certain in-climate conditions. The "post holes" hurt my ass after a while and to hike on them is of danger to our cheeldrens ankles. Yes, I bring the cheeldren into this cat fight.

Here is what we will do. Let's have a party, Pfoodman will cater the food and Thrasher will bring all the Inbev we can drink. I'll put together a group of esteemed individuals, PBR lovers (and I don't mean proffesional bull riders). Pick one of those fancy three story barns in Wildwood with a corral and all. We will have games and stuff, like barrel wrastlin, or whatever that thing is when the horses go around the barrels. I for one like watching trotting, so we will do a bunch of that. We can do a bunch of "yeehaw's" and "gaul dogs" and build a campfire. I am going to wear me some of those jeans with a belt buckle bigger than my hubcaps. We'll get this thing solved once and for all. Who's in?

Funny Feeding

I have to give credit to Trailnet for finding this gem. Funny stuff.

My favorite quote: "We in the fast food industry are always looking to figure out was to put food in our customers gaping maws". priceless...


New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

Tubeless

I need a good rant, something that really gets down to business with an issue. I was thinking this as I was driving home from Castlewood the other day. I have a responsibility to my readers, after all. I had just threaded some pretty decent singletrack in a very minimal amount of time. Schuck couldn't have paid me to let him ride away from me. I shredded him while on the phone with a client. With the exception of my friggin back tire losing air again, I would have had the perfect ride.

So there it is. Tubeless! I suck at bike maintenance, I know this. I take a lot of trouble from it. Just last night I rolled in to Touring Cyclist, as I did a couple months ago with the same creaking that I had...a couple months ago. Matt Grottoff (C Ryback) asked me a really stupid question: Is that the same sound it was making last time you came in? Well hell yeah? Man, Matt, I am really embarrased dude. Thanks Kankles for trying to hook me up. I have to have a meeting with my people on that bike.

I suck at bike maintenance. I was totally busted, and having him bring that up again...I was exposed. And it must have been painful for Ryback to attain and keep my wheel (he was on a 200 year old fixie) for the noise was so loud going up Henry Road, women and children were dropping to the ground holding their ears, writhing in pain. Injury to women and children or not, it was good riding with anyone from Team Seagal.

I suppose I don't even bother being embarrassed about it any more. Friends of mine should recognize the fact that I likely won't improve much and simply sneak in to my garage and fix my bikes for me, when I am not looking. That way, the world would be better and there will be no more "waiting for Pfremmer", ever.

Ah yes, tubeless. Mark ( or Cody) at Ballwin Cycles hooked me up (reluctantly) with the Cross Max's and warned me that there are not "really" any tubeless tires made for 29ers, other than pythons, which were quite expensive. But as I have learned, hanging around Thrasher one can learn a thing or two. Screw what the system says, go cheap, use Stan's, "git your ass on the tubeless bandwagon and lets ride you fat bastard". And that is what I did. And I have had like 40 flats since then, tenubeddymud. I have Stans on the floor of my garage, in my car, on my driveway, on my clothes. I spill the stuff whenever I try and re-Stan's (seed) my tires. I have not become "one" with this tubeless thing yet.

I have shown signs of improvement as of late, after watching Schuck actually talk to the tire that he was attempting to get sealed trailside in the 95 degree heat. I will now refer to him as the Tire Whisperer, because now I have gone a couple days without a flat, and this morning I had a clean pair of bibs folded nice and clean next to the pump on my garage floor. Strange.

Wapiti News (Want a Shirt?)

So let's review, we have a little business called Wapiti, where we are involved with event management and breakthrough outdoor experiences; active lifestyle at the forefront, lots of wellness influence. In tandem with Wapiti's development, we recently rolled out a program called Wild Thyme's Wellness for Campus Hospitality Services, a new brand exclaiming our mission to change the world through active living and good nutrition..through kids. We are really on to something because the darn phone keeps ringing for us to present proposals for audiences wanting a change from the status quo of food sourcing.

Wapiti has grown legs recently because of our evolvement (involvement) in this cause. As a creative means to further our exposure, Wapiti will now include organizing and promoting events related to health, fitness and nutrition. Our most recent endeavor has been to promote the 2008 short track dirt crit series for Team Velo Force, my cycling team.

Pfoodman is the primary sponsor of Team Velo Force, with over 35 elite road and off-road bicycle racers throughout the region. I think the team has been around for a long time because Craig Farrel isn't looking any younger and neither am I for that matter. This is my 5th year on the team. We are looking for new sponsors for next year for the whole shindig. I took one of the old catering vans from Pfoodman and plan to put a bunch of stickers on it, make a bunch of T-shirts from time to time, order a bunch of Cow Bells, have a BBQ or a couple dozen BBQ's. Yep, mow we will have a race wagon, yeehaw, able to carry 8 bikes and 2 yaks, and lots of supplies. A good thing since soon marks the rest of the Mountain Bike race season and the van, when completed, will serve as a mobile home base.

Oh yeah, if you want a free "Got Wapiti?"t-shirt, come to the last Short Track Dirt Crit race at Casltewood State Park on July 31st. We also have Wild Thyme's t-shirts, simply email me and I will set one aside fer ya.

Hob knobing (Warning, political)

My boy Roy Manning got me to attend a men's picnic down in Columbia last night. Said it was a fund raiser for a good cause and asked if I would buy a couple tickets. You know I am all about that good charity martyr buzz so I headed down to partake in whatever Roy had gotten me in to. Turns out it was a major local political rally up picnic with a beer truck and smoked meats. Longtime acquaintance Gary Banks was presiding over the 200-300 people there, really had a good time. I must have been the only one not running for office, because after all of the announcements were made, virtually everyone there was recognized for either having had an office or for soon to be seeking one. I thought that was pretty neat considering the fact that I usually stay away from stuff like that.

Frankly, I have no idea what that world is all about, politics, campaigning, glad handing. My dad used to own a restaurant in Jeff City called Phil E. Busters, he was a local politico, a lobbyist, a statesman, I think he might have been the President of the Missouri Young Democrats back in his day. I always wondered what in the hell all those titles meant and what all those people do, at events like these. I wondered if he ever really got any work done or was it just a bunch of picnicking. Phil's was a local watering hole for the Missouri Legislation ilk. Quite the place in its hey day. It is now called Bone's.

I saw Boone County Prosecutor (now a judge he tells me), Kevin Crane. We went to high school together, one of the funniest humans on earth. He really knows how to work it. In between handshakes and back slaps of common people passing by, I was able to get exemplary technique on how to glad hand during a social event, as a politician. I was astonished, and to be quite honest, a little turned off.

I suppose it would come as no surprise to my readers that I think the whole system, the lobby, the schmoozing, the spending, status quo of government is so broken that participation in the system only adds to the continued evolution of inefficiency. That sounds bad doesn't it? It would not be worth my stab at public service to get caught up in gridlock. I would be too frustrated and, yes, there are the skeletons... Though my contemporaries would argue that the whole thing is a necessary evil, a slow, indulgent political process of posturing, I choose to provide influence in my own way.

So call me a pessimist. Fact is, my advocacy gets more done, even if it isn't as measurable. Pfoodman and just about everything I do as a human being resonates that which has become my position on everything. This blog pretty well sums that up. I was trying to explain myself to Senator Chuck Graham at the picnic (pictured above), how disturbed I get with the lack of clear vision, that which our politicians navigate daily in their world of influence, how strategies seem so ambiguous, how change is such a lengthy process of give and take.

I don't have to deal with any of that stuff if I am authentically engaged in what our company is about. Our business and its creative marketing program that has been strategically designed to encourage active living, nutrition and wellness beats out any declaration, writ or whereas-of-the-people that these guys can put together. It is we, the small business owners of the country who have the power to change, to establish our direction with a clear plan without much standing in our way. Pfoodman does this with creative marketing programs designed with the community at heart, business development strategies that speak to the culture of our clients best interest, brands that resonate a sustainable future. We are not mandated to do anything by bill proposals or laws.

So it is with this in mind that we manage our company. We take on the responsibility of change for a better future. We want to change the world a bit and it is part of the deal, because of our passion for good living and active lifestyle, sustainability. It is part of the budget, our "green initiatives". We spend a little here and there, justifying our position and our mission. It is not political at all, though very influential. That is why Pfoodman and Trailnet have entered into the new Active Living Partnership, where we help fund their ability to make a difference in the childhood obesity issue. That is why we have funded the MS Society Bicycle Tour, the Arthritis Foundation Walks. It is why I sit on the Board of the St. Charles YMCA. We are in the middle of promoting a 6 race mountain bike series and way too many other initiatives to mention. The theme, active living decreases health risks.

So I must have struck a nerve with Chuck Graham and a couple others at that picnic at Rockbridge State Park, Monday. In the last two days I have been contacted by two offices who want to sit and talk about my concerns. I learned from my father that when a politician says this, and they are running for election, chances are that the hand is out and donations are important to re-election. "You got to get a ticket to the ball if you want to dance." he would say. Hey, so be it. I think it's time to get the word out.

Short Track and other Race Stuff Week 4

Just returned from sun and beaches and frolicking active lifestyle people on the West Coast. I must say, the riding out there is limited to 30+ masters poseurs riding 5000 dollar road bikes in full/TOF kits. I think most of the riding begins at the coffee shop in Manhattan Beach. With the exception of being able to rent a 900 dollar road bike from a tri-shop, I was not able to find a decent rig, so I didn't. I found some single track on the PV, but even there, it was mainly fire roads. Instead I found myself running a long the bike path on the Esplanade, like all the other pretty people, smiling, waving, repeat.

Music freaks, I did run in to Chris Daughtry while listening to a street performer across the street from Skechers Corporate office. Seemed to be a real nice guy, with his daughter. If you look real close at all those pretty people, you can spot a celebrity or two. We couldn't get him to play with the dude, but he is often seen around town doing just that.

It goes without saying that we are off to a good season with the Short Track races. After race 3, where we had nearly 80 riders, it seems we are on to something in regards to building the community a bit. And that is the purpose. Let's get more people involved, build the off road community and get people in shape. The Short Track series was designed for that. So you can have a plate of guiltless ribs after running your heart rate up to 190. Yes, that is the ticket.

You can count on Pfoodman/Wapiti to be around next year, promoting more races, more events related to active lifestyle. We are commited to "out of the box" thinking when it comes to race and event promotion, looking to build more active lifestyle communities throughout the state. BTW, I noticed we had a couple adventure racers at the slop fest on week 2. We should put on one of those. Now that I have running legs, I may give one of those a go soon.

Race #4 will likely be in the back of the park this week. We have had a lot of favorable comments on the front course, but now it is time to shake it up a bit. Drafting will be at play, and sprint finishes are going to be a factor, Short Track should have as part of the dynamics. There are still a couple roadies that we would like to see. This next course should make for a roadie draw.

We are also gearing up for the finally on week 6, awards, swag, food, drink, music, Pics. We will have stuff for anyone who participated. Bring the families out for the shindig.

Fredbird and the Swedish

Greensfelder Race coming soon

We did a Greensfelder ride yesterday. 10, 10 ticks plucked from my legs. It is the equines. Those nice people and their 2000 pound animals who post hole the crap out of the trails that the mountain bikers build. That is the reason for the ticks. I must say, that usually around now, the trails start coming back a bit from the wet season and their damaging trail rides. As was the case today, for the most part. Except for the armoring that have been kicked away on the water shed areas. Those big hooves come clunking through the low points and basically kill the turns, creating more need for improvement, more man hours.

Lets face it. There really is no way to co-habitat with the horses. They are going to trash out the trails, time and time again. The only way to make sure that we can have access is to turn the other cheek, grin and bare it, bite our tongue, be damn glad they aren't taking away our rights to use. Even if it was we who build and maintain the trails. We need to show up in masses, a lot, to discourage the horses from coming to the parks where the MTB's train and maintain.

I would guess that your average equine doesn't have a clue as to how bad the damage gets in certain situations. They simply run over the trails, create switchbacks and walk arounds wherever needed. They leave their poo everywhere, which gets in my fingernails. I like it especially when the trail has become too damaged for them to even take the horses on the trails. Sooner or later they create so much damage that they quit coming to that particular trail and move to over-use the others. Until somebody fixes them.

Dirt Crit 2

Well, if this picture doesn't quite tell the story, I am not sure what else will. With 56 riders registered for this weeks Short Track Race at Castlewood, the rain was inevitable. Just say the words "bike ride" and the clouds role in. Not sure what we all did to please the rain Gods this year, but they have given us ample moisture. The river is still up but falling at this writing. Hopefully we will be on the old course next week.

This weeks course ran the opposite direction on the same single track and field. In the later half of the A race I felt drops and thought to myself: "hey it won't be all that bad, probably just some misty stuff that will not even effect the trail. Well, dumparoo. It rained hard for the last 10 minutes and well in to the B and C race. Didn't matter, a good time was had by all. I did feel sorry for the C racers, alot of them doing their first race ever. I reckon they know what bike mainenance is all about now. Clean those bottom brackets fellers.