Show the world what you’re made of. Race in five Leadville events — Leadville Marathon, Silver Rush 50 bike or run, Leadville Trail 100 run, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and the 10K run — and you’ll be forever known as a Leadville Leadman or Leadwoman.
Racers must complete the Trail Marathon and at least one of the Silver Rush events within the cut-off times in order to be eligible for the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. To be crowned a Leadman or Leadwoman, racer must complete the five events within the designated cut-off times. Registration closes 8pm (MST), January 31, 2011.
I have registered for this and hope to be a Leadman this year!
23.5.11
13.11.09
28.9.09
FSC Race 2 Fort Clinch
Steve Spencer's contribution to our library of pictures, thanks Steve and thanks for coming out to hang out as well!!!!:
14.9.09
23.2.09
Miami the greenest city????
New Belgium Team Wonderbike
Team Wonderbike is a laughing war whoop, a social movement, an opening salvo in the campaign to greatly increase the use of one of mankind's greatest inventions, the bicycle. Human-powered, carbon-free, and more fun than walking, driving or running in place - the bicycle offers an elegant solution to so many issues. All that AND it's good for you.
Currently more than 15,000 strong, we on Team Wonderbike have pledged to bike - not drive - better than 14 million miles in the coming year. But that's just the beginning. We need you (and your family and friends too) to take the pledge and commit to biking whenever you can. We're building an online community with regional chapters and a national voice for sensible transportation alternatives. And we're having a damn good time doing it.
So join us, won't you? Together, we'll change the future one bike at a time.
Also
Assault the City
I will be posting this other info at bike shops soon, I will get a package with promo material. Please join me in logging some ride miles for Team Wonderbike. My team name is et3surge if you want to see it on the map. I can add your miles to mine or you can create your own profile and we can make Miami the biking city.
Team Wonderbike is a laughing war whoop, a social movement, an opening salvo in the campaign to greatly increase the use of one of mankind's greatest inventions, the bicycle. Human-powered, carbon-free, and more fun than walking, driving or running in place - the bicycle offers an elegant solution to so many issues. All that AND it's good for you.
Currently more than 15,000 strong, we on Team Wonderbike have pledged to bike - not drive - better than 14 million miles in the coming year. But that's just the beginning. We need you (and your family and friends too) to take the pledge and commit to biking whenever you can. We're building an online community with regional chapters and a national voice for sensible transportation alternatives. And we're having a damn good time doing it.
So join us, won't you? Together, we'll change the future one bike at a time.
Also
Assault the City
I will be posting this other info at bike shops soon, I will get a package with promo material. Please join me in logging some ride miles for Team Wonderbike. My team name is et3surge if you want to see it on the map. I can add your miles to mine or you can create your own profile and we can make Miami the biking city.
9.2.09
YIPPEE Card!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will never forget Lexis BDay from now on, she brought me good luck.
Thanks
Thanks
22.12.08
Leadville or not to Leadville
I don't even know what the right thing to do would be this year. I entered last year got in and could not go. I don't want that to happen again and $250 dollars is not a drop in the bucket.
About Leadville Trail races
Leadville Trail 100 2009 application
About Leadville Trail races
Leadville Trail 100 2009 application
3.12.08
NYC after Halloween
Poor me, I know but I had to go to NYC to cover for one of the other guys in my ompay while he served on Jury Duty for a whole two weeks...LOL
So I got a hotel in Chinatown at first, well let me re-phrase that, between Chinatown and Little Italy one block either way and two or three from The Village. It was a pretty nice Holiday Inn and quite central but at night it left a little to be desired which from what I learned later was a fairly quiet and safe area. So about mid trip when I decided to bring Lucas up with Ximena as an escort on the flight, I booked a nicer hotl actually quite an amazing hook-up in MidTown at the W "the Court" location on 39th and Lexington. What a great hotel, great service, great vibe, fun bar packed every night, music was great all over the property really a great experience.
I did so much I slept so little that it's hard to capture it all, next time I will blog daily. I started out trying to figure out work things like where the sites were, where the storage with parts was, the command center etc.. I met with Kasim, the first night we met in Union Square at the Heartland Brewery, a very goo Brewery and restaurant. Afterwards, we went to McSorleys for some good beers with him and his friends.
The next day I decided it was time to plan my days better so I bought the Time Out Top 100 things to do in NYC. This is from a publication for New Yorkers but I got a book which covered way more than the weekly. I started labelling pages and tackling things to do, I labelled a whole lot more than time allowed, albeit if the book were laid out by area it may have been easier. I will list some of what I did and can say I have done in NYC...later.
I got a few calls for work minor issues and minor problems but nonetheless it was a work week.
Once Ximena and Luke arrived we had three days to tackle a whole lot, he wanted to do stuff, I had things marked in my book, there was timing involved, taxis, trains and a lot of walking and again very little sleep. I would say we did A LOT A LOT A WHOLE DAMN LOT! But that was the intention and maybe he now sees it like I always did, I think Ximena left loving it just as much also.
LUKE Pics 1:
Small list for them mainly Lucas would be, Empire State, ChinaTown, FAO + Apple store underground, Central Park + Zoo + Midnight Carriage Ride, Museum of Natural History, MOMA Tweens Tour, Shopping Shopping Shopping, Rockettes Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, Prada Changing Rooms and round glass elevator, Thai Dinner, Pretzels, Cookies from Treat Truck, Rockefeller Center Visit, Time Square, Coffee shake from Juan Valdez, Trains and taxis, Tunnels, Bridges, Little Italy, Lower East Side + Trash Vaudeville + Andy Cheapies + The Cube + Free BDay Starbucks Frap, Haircut at the Astor Place with NY Yankees shaved into his head, MTV Studios, Queens cemetery, walking the Brooklyn Bridge...and so much I can't remember.
So I got a hotel in Chinatown at first, well let me re-phrase that, between Chinatown and Little Italy one block either way and two or three from The Village. It was a pretty nice Holiday Inn and quite central but at night it left a little to be desired which from what I learned later was a fairly quiet and safe area. So about mid trip when I decided to bring Lucas up with Ximena as an escort on the flight, I booked a nicer hotl actually quite an amazing hook-up in MidTown at the W "the Court" location on 39th and Lexington. What a great hotel, great service, great vibe, fun bar packed every night, music was great all over the property really a great experience.
I did so much I slept so little that it's hard to capture it all, next time I will blog daily. I started out trying to figure out work things like where the sites were, where the storage with parts was, the command center etc.. I met with Kasim, the first night we met in Union Square at the Heartland Brewery, a very goo Brewery and restaurant. Afterwards, we went to McSorleys for some good beers with him and his friends.
The next day I decided it was time to plan my days better so I bought the Time Out Top 100 things to do in NYC. This is from a publication for New Yorkers but I got a book which covered way more than the weekly. I started labelling pages and tackling things to do, I labelled a whole lot more than time allowed, albeit if the book were laid out by area it may have been easier. I will list some of what I did and can say I have done in NYC...later.
I got a few calls for work minor issues and minor problems but nonetheless it was a work week.
Once Ximena and Luke arrived we had three days to tackle a whole lot, he wanted to do stuff, I had things marked in my book, there was timing involved, taxis, trains and a lot of walking and again very little sleep. I would say we did A LOT A LOT A WHOLE DAMN LOT! But that was the intention and maybe he now sees it like I always did, I think Ximena left loving it just as much also.
LUKE Pics 1:
Small list for them mainly Lucas would be, Empire State, ChinaTown, FAO + Apple store underground, Central Park + Zoo + Midnight Carriage Ride, Museum of Natural History, MOMA Tweens Tour, Shopping Shopping Shopping, Rockettes Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, Prada Changing Rooms and round glass elevator, Thai Dinner, Pretzels, Cookies from Treat Truck, Rockefeller Center Visit, Time Square, Coffee shake from Juan Valdez, Trains and taxis, Tunnels, Bridges, Little Italy, Lower East Side + Trash Vaudeville + Andy Cheapies + The Cube + Free BDay Starbucks Frap, Haircut at the Astor Place with NY Yankees shaved into his head, MTV Studios, Queens cemetery, walking the Brooklyn Bridge...and so much I can't remember.
2.12.08
23.11.08
Mom and Dads 40th anniversary
So they hit 40 years and we procrastinated quite a bit. We had ideas of parties, inviting people from all over, floating things in our pool and tents in the yard, sooooo many ideas that in the end we did nothing.
Then in a Brainstorm, Ximena and I pu together a very nice package to go to Niagara Falls, they had Falls views from their room, they had dinner atop a hotel, falls boat tours and walking tours, they visited wineries. In all I think it turned out very very nice. I have some pics to scan but for now here are some of when we gave them their vacation package.
Then in a Brainstorm, Ximena and I pu together a very nice package to go to Niagara Falls, they had Falls views from their room, they had dinner atop a hotel, falls boat tours and walking tours, they visited wineries. In all I think it turned out very very nice. I have some pics to scan but for now here are some of when we gave them their vacation package.
Ximenas Birthday
We had a little shindig round the pool for Ximenas BDay, we invited her friends and we think she did not expect it. I hope so. Some pictures below:
I guess the house has become the "party central" LOL, but we enjoy it, it's fun to have everyone over.
I guess the house has become the "party central" LOL, but we enjoy it, it's fun to have everyone over.
Halloween 2008
So Halloween came and went and this is a very late update. We created a haunted house at our new house. We covered the front carport with tarps and created a maze with tarps. Inside we had dead guys in coffins, smoke machines, strobe lights and at the end was my dad, with his head in a hole in a table with him appearing as if he was a head on a platter. I dressed up like a devil using liquid latex to create a wierd skin, it smelled terrible and I had to remove it after a few hours. It required a shaving of arms and chest to prevent yanking hair. Liz was a black angel, Andre was a punk, Lucas was a jailbird, and Noah was a Ninja. Pics below but more as I get them.
I will try to collect pics from several people, mine did not come out so well but it was fun for us, fun for the neighborhood and the party was pretty fun as well.
Here are some of them:
I will try to collect pics from several people, mine did not come out so well but it was fun for us, fun for the neighborhood and the party was pretty fun as well.
Here are some of them:
8.10.08
Halloween Time
It's Halloween time again and we finally decided to throw a good party. I hope everyone can come as planned, if you read this and do not have an invite you can expect it soon, I just did not have everyone's email address when I started sending them.
Come at 7, take your kids Trick or Treating in the "hood", and come back to the party round 8-830. We will have snacks and drinks but BYOB please.
I will work with Dre and the boys to get the house Halloweeny this weekend, should look pretty cool I hope.
You know how to reach me, if you know me and read this and you have not been invited...consider this the invite, let me know you're coming.
Thanks c u soon
Here is link to invite:
HALLOWEEN PARTY
Come at 7, take your kids Trick or Treating in the "hood", and come back to the party round 8-830. We will have snacks and drinks but BYOB please.
I will work with Dre and the boys to get the house Halloweeny this weekend, should look pretty cool I hope.
You know how to reach me, if you know me and read this and you have not been invited...consider this the invite, let me know you're coming.
Thanks c u soon
Here is link to invite:
HALLOWEEN PARTY
2.9.08
18 year Anniversary
Well, what a nice weekend, despite Hurricanes and Tropical depressions. My sister and mother put together a very nice weekend for my wife and I. We were told to keep Sat and Sun free and they would dole out instructions as time went by.
We were told to pack a day bag with toiletries (yes it makes a difference Ximena), and be prepared to be told what to do. Ximena came over at about 1PM and we handed the boys off to her and were lucky Gemma was there to watch the dogs. She handed us a folder at the car and said read the sheets of paper and open envelopes based on instructions marked on the outside. Once we rolled out we started reading and we were told to head for Lincoln Road with all stores and restaurants listed on the paper, to have a nice walk, shop, lunch etc. free of kids and "you have to hold hands" was the text message that followed. The first envelope had to be opened right on 152nd street so as we left and on the corner we opened it to find a nice poem and cashola...yes Lincoln Road, started to sound even more fun.
Once on Lincoln, we walked around, decided to get lunch at a nice Italian cafe, food was good and we met interesting guy named Robert at table next to us, big movie buff... Anyway, we walked a little more, went to Books and Books, Liz found an autographed Salman Rushdie book and so she had a big smile. Instructions were to call at 4PM so I set an alarm on my phn, we called at 3:59 because Liz was so anxious she wouldn't even shop. The next instructions were to head to 1677 Collins, I had to ask about parking but was told "just go". When we arrived, it was the National Hotel
a very nice Art Deco hotel preserved to it's original luster. The lobby was very nice so our anticipation was incredible. We checked in and were told the pool was 24 hours, and that we had a Cabana room facing the pool, we headed to the room and it was great, view of a long narrow pool the length of the hotel and views of the ocean as well. After rummaging the robes, chocolate, flip flops and other nice things in the room we put on swimming suits and headed to the pool. When we got there, it was blustery so we decided to walk to the beach and see the weather and watch the waves, after a short beach walk, we got on the boardwalk. We walked down Ocean Drive a bit then on to Espanola Way. The young lady wanted a pastry. There we stopped at a little cafe and ate some Palmier type pastries . On Espanola we found a quaint little French Cafe 
where we wanted to come back and have dinner, but then we headed back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel we got in the square pool by the bar and just relaxed for a while and I had my first $14 dollar drink...yes $14 wow that's a whole bottle, but hey, I didn't pay for it it was gift so it was the best $14 dollar drink.
So the only other instruction we had that night was to have fun, hold hands and...well have fun, enough said. We went to the room took showers and headed out all primped up for a night on the Beach. The weather was cooperative, windy but quite ok. We went to the little French Cafe and had a nice Crepe and some French Cider.
Here is a preview of more pics to come (Liz is drinking too!!!):
So now I found some time to continue.
After our nice dinner at the French Bistro called "A la Folie" on 516 Espanola Way, where we had nice Soup, Crepes, Salad and Cider we headed back towards the hotel. On the way there we remembered the bartender by the pool mentioning that if we wanted to do anything we should simply go to The Delano(click and listen to cool tunes)Check this place out. Forget all the other clubs and nightspots the Delano was where it was happening. So since it was next to our hotel we went there. The lobby was covered by long flowing white curtains floor to ceiling making it secluded from outside passersby. There was cool loungy music playing and lots of people decked out for a typical night out on the beach. The only difference was that it was very laid back and not a crowded pushy nightclub. We had a couple more drinks there for more DING DING DING$$$, and actually too strong for Liz. After some light dancing and roaming out by the pool where the party continued we noticed that there was an actual nightclub in the basement also. We skipped this and called it a night. Back at the Hotel we opened the last envelope only to discover some more gift money for our next day out...how awesome.
The next day, we slept in just long enough to get out on time for some French pastries up the street and back for checkout time. Once we checked out we decided to go check out Bal Harbour and act like the Rich and Famous. Well shopping is not easy there, but window shopping is fun. My favorite was obviously
Agent Provacateur, if you don't know who they are go check it out... Maybe on another day Liz can come back to actually shop there. I almost forgot, on the way there we stopped in N Miami Beach and ate churros at a cool little Latin cafe, I wish I knew the name but it was on a corner around the block from the Days Inn. From there we decided to go get some lunch and I did not want to interfere with a Dinner I had planned so we went to an Asian restaurant right next to Soyka on North Biscayne Blvd.. It was a light lunch and we followed it up with a little shopping where I bought a nice shirt that I have yet to wear, maybe tomorrow.
Finally we headed back to South Beach for a small stroll on Lincoln Road
to kill some time before dinner. There we visited lots of clothing boutiques like Guess, Victoria Secrets, and some smaller local shops. When it came time to leave so we could head for a 7PM dinner we realized we had nowhere to change into nice clothes so I drove to the roof of the Convention center parking and found the most secluded spot where we changed out and into our nice evening clothes. Truthfully had anyone shown up in any elevator they would have been about 10 spaces away from seeing our naked asses. This just added some fun to the day and we did a pretty good job changing in the car. Then I took Liz to my gift for the night a dinner at Capital Grill. Ximena came through with the reservations, because our table had been decorated with rose petals and we got a nice corner booth. Liz had the Dry Aged Sirloin and I had a special New Orleans Delmonico 
, we topped this off with a Creme Brulee 
the restaurant gave us as a gift...it was truly incredible and I don't do sweets. We were kinda pooped and lunch ended up lasting longer than we thought so once we got dinner, it was hard to put it all down. By the way, if you ever go to Capital Grill, make sure you don't sit under an AC vent as they condense and drip on your dinner...yeah we had to move a bit.
This was a very nice weekend, I appreciate everyone who worked hard to make it happen and hope that one day we could make it up to you guys. Sorry for the long boring story...but it's been a long time since we first met.
We were told to pack a day bag with toiletries (yes it makes a difference Ximena), and be prepared to be told what to do. Ximena came over at about 1PM and we handed the boys off to her and were lucky Gemma was there to watch the dogs. She handed us a folder at the car and said read the sheets of paper and open envelopes based on instructions marked on the outside. Once we rolled out we started reading and we were told to head for Lincoln Road with all stores and restaurants listed on the paper, to have a nice walk, shop, lunch etc. free of kids and "you have to hold hands" was the text message that followed. The first envelope had to be opened right on 152nd street so as we left and on the corner we opened it to find a nice poem and cashola...yes Lincoln Road, started to sound even more fun.
Once on Lincoln, we walked around, decided to get lunch at a nice Italian cafe, food was good and we met interesting guy named Robert at table next to us, big movie buff... Anyway, we walked a little more, went to Books and Books, Liz found an autographed Salman Rushdie book and so she had a big smile. Instructions were to call at 4PM so I set an alarm on my phn, we called at 3:59 because Liz was so anxious she wouldn't even shop. The next instructions were to head to 1677 Collins, I had to ask about parking but was told "just go". When we arrived, it was the National Hotel
a very nice Art Deco hotel preserved to it's original luster. The lobby was very nice so our anticipation was incredible. We checked in and were told the pool was 24 hours, and that we had a Cabana room facing the pool, we headed to the room and it was great, view of a long narrow pool the length of the hotel and views of the ocean as well. After rummaging the robes, chocolate, flip flops and other nice things in the room we put on swimming suits and headed to the pool. When we got there, it was blustery so we decided to walk to the beach and see the weather and watch the waves, after a short beach walk, we got on the boardwalk. We walked down Ocean Drive a bit then on to Espanola Way. The young lady wanted a pastry. There we stopped at a little cafe and ate some Palmier type pastries . On Espanola we found a quaint little French Cafe 
where we wanted to come back and have dinner, but then we headed back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel we got in the square pool by the bar and just relaxed for a while and I had my first $14 dollar drink...yes $14 wow that's a whole bottle, but hey, I didn't pay for it it was gift so it was the best $14 dollar drink.So the only other instruction we had that night was to have fun, hold hands and...well have fun, enough said. We went to the room took showers and headed out all primped up for a night on the Beach. The weather was cooperative, windy but quite ok. We went to the little French Cafe and had a nice Crepe and some French Cider.
Here is a preview of more pics to come (Liz is drinking too!!!):
So now I found some time to continue.
After our nice dinner at the French Bistro called "A la Folie" on 516 Espanola Way, where we had nice Soup, Crepes, Salad and Cider we headed back towards the hotel. On the way there we remembered the bartender by the pool mentioning that if we wanted to do anything we should simply go to The Delano(click and listen to cool tunes)Check this place out. Forget all the other clubs and nightspots the Delano was where it was happening. So since it was next to our hotel we went there. The lobby was covered by long flowing white curtains floor to ceiling making it secluded from outside passersby. There was cool loungy music playing and lots of people decked out for a typical night out on the beach. The only difference was that it was very laid back and not a crowded pushy nightclub. We had a couple more drinks there for more DING DING DING$$$, and actually too strong for Liz. After some light dancing and roaming out by the pool where the party continued we noticed that there was an actual nightclub in the basement also. We skipped this and called it a night. Back at the Hotel we opened the last envelope only to discover some more gift money for our next day out...how awesome.
The next day, we slept in just long enough to get out on time for some French pastries up the street and back for checkout time. Once we checked out we decided to go check out Bal Harbour and act like the Rich and Famous. Well shopping is not easy there, but window shopping is fun. My favorite was obviously
Agent Provacateur, if you don't know who they are go check it out... Maybe on another day Liz can come back to actually shop there. I almost forgot, on the way there we stopped in N Miami Beach and ate churros at a cool little Latin cafe, I wish I knew the name but it was on a corner around the block from the Days Inn. From there we decided to go get some lunch and I did not want to interfere with a Dinner I had planned so we went to an Asian restaurant right next to Soyka on North Biscayne Blvd.. It was a light lunch and we followed it up with a little shopping where I bought a nice shirt that I have yet to wear, maybe tomorrow.Finally we headed back to South Beach for a small stroll on Lincoln Road
to kill some time before dinner. There we visited lots of clothing boutiques like Guess, Victoria Secrets, and some smaller local shops. When it came time to leave so we could head for a 7PM dinner we realized we had nowhere to change into nice clothes so I drove to the roof of the Convention center parking and found the most secluded spot where we changed out and into our nice evening clothes. Truthfully had anyone shown up in any elevator they would have been about 10 spaces away from seeing our naked asses. This just added some fun to the day and we did a pretty good job changing in the car. Then I took Liz to my gift for the night a dinner at Capital Grill. Ximena came through with the reservations, because our table had been decorated with rose petals and we got a nice corner booth. Liz had the Dry Aged Sirloin and I had a special New Orleans Delmonico 
, we topped this off with a Creme Brulee 
the restaurant gave us as a gift...it was truly incredible and I don't do sweets. We were kinda pooped and lunch ended up lasting longer than we thought so once we got dinner, it was hard to put it all down. By the way, if you ever go to Capital Grill, make sure you don't sit under an AC vent as they condense and drip on your dinner...yeah we had to move a bit.This was a very nice weekend, I appreciate everyone who worked hard to make it happen and hope that one day we could make it up to you guys. Sorry for the long boring story...but it's been a long time since we first met.
11.8.08
Family in the Olympics!?!?!
I never knew until recently that I had a Pro BMX'er for a cousin. Just as soon as I knew about him, I found out he's now an Olympian. I so cheering for him, apparently he is no slouch, I have read up on him and he has been a rocket since about 16 in the elite of the elite.
Here is more about him:
FAT BMX
MORE BMX MAGAZINE
And Sports Illustrated
and a video of him flying
Go COLOMBIA!!!! and Augusto.
Here is more about him:
FAT BMX
MORE BMX MAGAZINE
And Sports Illustrated
and a video of him flying
Go COLOMBIA!!!! and Augusto.
Leadville 2008
OK so everyone knows I cancelled but I kept in touch with many people and here is the lowdown. Doc (Bill Wenmark) on his UMPTeenth race in Leadville fell down and broke his collarbone during the parade leading up to race day. Mick another awesome guy in his UMPteenth race, broke his wrist prior to raceday and raced in a cast, and finished!! I feel like such a bum. Art, the wonderful guy we all asked a million questions before race day and past National and World MTB Champion somehow had some blood clotting issues and had to rush home for treatment ( I hope he reads this I wish you the speediest recovery ).
Of course this is not all bad, Jan from Cali finished the race. Joh Odle apparently did also on his single speed in 10:27:04, whoa... Nancy his wife DNF'ed somewhere around Columbine but she just broke something recently I don't remember I think her ankle sheesh thats hardcore.
Finally here is what everyone wants to know more about, yes Lance did NOT win but he is so awesome to blow this race out of the water the way he did:
removed the autoplaying video
Of course this is not all bad, Jan from Cali finished the race. Joh Odle apparently did also on his single speed in 10:27:04, whoa... Nancy his wife DNF'ed somewhere around Columbine but she just broke something recently I don't remember I think her ankle sheesh thats hardcore.
Finally here is what everyone wants to know more about, yes Lance did NOT win but he is so awesome to blow this race out of the water the way he did:
removed the autoplaying video
11.7.08
We've moved again
Yeah I know, what the hell is wrong with us!!! Well as you may have read in a previous post we bailed on the other house, it was becoming a money pit. Not because of the house but because of the market, so like any investment we got out instead of continuing the downward spiral.
We found a great house in The Village of Palmetto bay, or some of you may know it as south of Pinecrest. It's a great neighborhood, unaffordable to us until this market crash but now we are enjoying it. We have a nice pool, corner lot, lots and lots of trees, mangos, jackfruit, oaks, palms palms palms, squirrels and an occassional mouse/rat eating out of the bird feeder.
The house is a little dated but maybe in a couple years we can buy it or one in this neighborhood.
Here is a map to the general area as I wouldn't put my address here. We are pretty much east of US1, near the Deering Estate.
The boys have schools within bicycle distance and Dre well he'll just finish up at MAST.
We had a great BDay party here last week, and hope to continue this way til we get kicked out or our lease expires.
We found a great house in The Village of Palmetto bay, or some of you may know it as south of Pinecrest. It's a great neighborhood, unaffordable to us until this market crash but now we are enjoying it. We have a nice pool, corner lot, lots and lots of trees, mangos, jackfruit, oaks, palms palms palms, squirrels and an occassional mouse/rat eating out of the bird feeder.
The house is a little dated but maybe in a couple years we can buy it or one in this neighborhood.
Here is a map to the general area as I wouldn't put my address here. We are pretty much east of US1, near the Deering Estate.
The boys have schools within bicycle distance and Dre well he'll just finish up at MAST.
We had a great BDay party here last week, and hope to continue this way til we get kicked out or our lease expires.
Mike and Claudias little man
Thought I'd share some very nice pics of little Alexander. He's growing fast. He is now 5 lbs 10 oz according to his latest weigh-in, almost a Featherweight.
Mike, he will be your nemesis on the next Ironman!!!
Mike, he will be your nemesis on the next Ironman!!!
8.7.08
response to Miami Herald article
I read this like many other articles about the foreclosures going on and I could not resist any longer...Miami Herald Article:
________________________
I am one of these described people in the foreclosure "market", and yes we will soon become a strong market, everyone wants to capitalize.
We are a dual income family, we earn a good wage and qualified for a loan within our means. The rates in late 2006 were still favorable so we bought into a home in Homestead where we could get more home or better yet an affordable home versus Miami. Our lender and builder were one in the same (DR Horton and DHI Mtg). We were shooting for a conventional or even better a VA loan, but ended up with conventional or so we thought. At the last minute the broker told us he was able to work out a better deal and our payments were going to be lower. That turned out to be an interest only loan, for 15 years, I found this out when I contacted Countrywide (they bought the loan) to find out why they were not excrowing for taxes.
To make this short, we got a loan we did not want, a house delivered 6 months late although it was a "quick move in" inventory home, tax bills instead of escrowed taxes, no pool yet, no rec center, paved streets just this past week, street lights half of which don't work, THE WORST association Castle Management (the builder has control of it still since they have not made the necessary sales), terrible landscaping, terrible cable and internet service.
Now to top it off, the builder is now selling the same house they sold us for 377K and 40K in upgrades for starting prices of 260K. I have now lost 117k of the base price into negative equity, still have no rec center or pool overdue since Sept 2007.
This is what is happening to people with good credit, good incomes, good savings and families to take care of. I have just walked away and will soon expect to start getting foreclosure letters. I know I can stay in the house for free until then but before I have bad credit I have already rented a GREAT house in a high end of Miami for almost 1000 dollars less.
What a terrible situation this has become...
____________
Now I posted this on the herald because I just got very fired up reading about this but to top it off, I had spoken with Countrywide and asked what can be done and they let me speak with 6 people in 4 departments and the answer was consistently..."there's nothing we can do". The last gent I spoke with was some Broker Manager and he basically explained, they just manage some Wall Street investors' money and therefore cannot do anything with my loan. To top it off he blatantly suggested I simply default, otherwise, I will continue to lose money every month.
Now what is going to happen in the next 7-10 years, as people default and more homes empty out, there will be less capable buyers to buy those homes. Will we start to see Ghost Towns? Or maybe Ghost Developments? I mean in the next seven years I can continue to make the same income, but I can no longer buy anything because of my now scarred credit but I am not alone so WHO is the next buyer???
Also, what will happen to military or federal employees and contractors, will the government revise the rules of "fiduciary responsibility" or will many people lose their jobs and clearances?
What is coming is far worse than the situation we are in. I don't care what party your affiliated to, I would hate to take over this economy.
________________________
I am one of these described people in the foreclosure "market", and yes we will soon become a strong market, everyone wants to capitalize.
We are a dual income family, we earn a good wage and qualified for a loan within our means. The rates in late 2006 were still favorable so we bought into a home in Homestead where we could get more home or better yet an affordable home versus Miami. Our lender and builder were one in the same (DR Horton and DHI Mtg). We were shooting for a conventional or even better a VA loan, but ended up with conventional or so we thought. At the last minute the broker told us he was able to work out a better deal and our payments were going to be lower. That turned out to be an interest only loan, for 15 years, I found this out when I contacted Countrywide (they bought the loan) to find out why they were not excrowing for taxes.
To make this short, we got a loan we did not want, a house delivered 6 months late although it was a "quick move in" inventory home, tax bills instead of escrowed taxes, no pool yet, no rec center, paved streets just this past week, street lights half of which don't work, THE WORST association Castle Management (the builder has control of it still since they have not made the necessary sales), terrible landscaping, terrible cable and internet service.
Now to top it off, the builder is now selling the same house they sold us for 377K and 40K in upgrades for starting prices of 260K. I have now lost 117k of the base price into negative equity, still have no rec center or pool overdue since Sept 2007.
This is what is happening to people with good credit, good incomes, good savings and families to take care of. I have just walked away and will soon expect to start getting foreclosure letters. I know I can stay in the house for free until then but before I have bad credit I have already rented a GREAT house in a high end of Miami for almost 1000 dollars less.
What a terrible situation this has become...
____________
Now I posted this on the herald because I just got very fired up reading about this but to top it off, I had spoken with Countrywide and asked what can be done and they let me speak with 6 people in 4 departments and the answer was consistently..."there's nothing we can do". The last gent I spoke with was some Broker Manager and he basically explained, they just manage some Wall Street investors' money and therefore cannot do anything with my loan. To top it off he blatantly suggested I simply default, otherwise, I will continue to lose money every month.
Now what is going to happen in the next 7-10 years, as people default and more homes empty out, there will be less capable buyers to buy those homes. Will we start to see Ghost Towns? Or maybe Ghost Developments? I mean in the next seven years I can continue to make the same income, but I can no longer buy anything because of my now scarred credit but I am not alone so WHO is the next buyer???
Also, what will happen to military or federal employees and contractors, will the government revise the rules of "fiduciary responsibility" or will many people lose their jobs and clearances?
What is coming is far worse than the situation we are in. I don't care what party your affiliated to, I would hate to take over this economy.
21.5.08
Old bike, new bike
the bike is now completed, I rebuilt the peugeot 1985 PGN10 size is a 58 CM frame. It's was a gift from an old co-worker that had it in a garage and I think it was a great gift. It was given to Steve-O but he felt the frame was too large and had some trouble finding some of the parts. I got it back together and rolling in the past month for about 125, maybe more if I add some nice pedals instead of the GT platform pedals I put on it to test ride it.
So here it is:
It rides very stiff but very nice, I am not used to the old chrom-o feel anymore, lovin it.
So here it is:
It rides very stiff but very nice, I am not used to the old chrom-o feel anymore, lovin it.
15.5.08
Riders on Freeway
Radical Cyclists Take to L.A. Freeways to Say Bikes Are Better
By Chuck Squatriglia EmailMay 14, 2008 | 6:41:53 PMCategories: Bicycles
Crimanimal_mass_02
For the second time in two months, a bunch of Los Angeles bike advocates calling themselves Crimanimalz took to one of the busiest freeways in the world to make the case that, when your freeways are gridlocked, bikes are better.
About 30 cyclists rode onto the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) at the height of Friday's rush-hour commute and went east to the San Diego Freeway (I-405), where they rode north to the Santa Monica Boulevard exit, moving easily through traffic. In all, they rode more than two miles.
"There's thousands of cars and you're just flying by," said one of the group, called RichToTheIE, by phone on Wednesday. "It's an amazing feeling."
The renegade rides are a radical off-shoot of the popular - and often controversial - Critical Mass rides held each month in cities around the world as cyclists grow increasingly vocal in asserting their rights to the road and extolling the environmental and societal benefits of ditching your car in favor of a bike.
Such rides are usually limited to downtown areas, but Crimanimalz are taking them to the freeways of Los Angeles to prove that riding a bike is faster than creeping through bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Crimanimalz first appeared around the end of last year after Santa Monica police started coming down hard on the monthly Critical Mass ride.
"The freeway is the last stronghold of the car, so when you've got 30 cyclists flying down the lanes, you feel like General Custer, you feel like the good guys," said Alex Cantarero, another of the group "People look on the bicycle as an anachronism. Now with high gas prices, the car looks like an anachronism."
Crimanimalz has held three Crimanimal Mass rides since April 18, when 15 cyclists rode almost three miles on the Santa Monica and San Diego freeways.
They haven't had much trouble with the California Highway Patrol, who managed to nab two of the cyclists in Friday's rides but let them off with a lecture even though Section 21960(a) of the California Vehicle Code gives police the authority to cite cyclists for riding on highways.
Bay Area cyclists haven't been quite so lucky. They've been busted biking over the Bay Bridge as part of their campaign to get a bike lane added to the span.
The Crimanimalz plan to keep pushing their luck - they're promising more Crimanimal rides. "We want to do a bigger freeway with more riders," said Cantarero.
The rides have garnered mixed reaction from cyclists at the Midnight Ridazz website.
Photo by Alex Thompson. See more on his Flickr page.
Here's video of the May 9 ride. More videos here.
VIDEO on HWY, bad music though
By Chuck Squatriglia EmailMay 14, 2008 | 6:41:53 PMCategories: Bicycles
Crimanimal_mass_02
For the second time in two months, a bunch of Los Angeles bike advocates calling themselves Crimanimalz took to one of the busiest freeways in the world to make the case that, when your freeways are gridlocked, bikes are better.
About 30 cyclists rode onto the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) at the height of Friday's rush-hour commute and went east to the San Diego Freeway (I-405), where they rode north to the Santa Monica Boulevard exit, moving easily through traffic. In all, they rode more than two miles.
"There's thousands of cars and you're just flying by," said one of the group, called RichToTheIE, by phone on Wednesday. "It's an amazing feeling."
The renegade rides are a radical off-shoot of the popular - and often controversial - Critical Mass rides held each month in cities around the world as cyclists grow increasingly vocal in asserting their rights to the road and extolling the environmental and societal benefits of ditching your car in favor of a bike.
Such rides are usually limited to downtown areas, but Crimanimalz are taking them to the freeways of Los Angeles to prove that riding a bike is faster than creeping through bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Crimanimalz first appeared around the end of last year after Santa Monica police started coming down hard on the monthly Critical Mass ride.
"The freeway is the last stronghold of the car, so when you've got 30 cyclists flying down the lanes, you feel like General Custer, you feel like the good guys," said Alex Cantarero, another of the group "People look on the bicycle as an anachronism. Now with high gas prices, the car looks like an anachronism."
Crimanimalz has held three Crimanimal Mass rides since April 18, when 15 cyclists rode almost three miles on the Santa Monica and San Diego freeways.
They haven't had much trouble with the California Highway Patrol, who managed to nab two of the cyclists in Friday's rides but let them off with a lecture even though Section 21960(a) of the California Vehicle Code gives police the authority to cite cyclists for riding on highways.
Bay Area cyclists haven't been quite so lucky. They've been busted biking over the Bay Bridge as part of their campaign to get a bike lane added to the span.
The Crimanimalz plan to keep pushing their luck - they're promising more Crimanimal rides. "We want to do a bigger freeway with more riders," said Cantarero.
The rides have garnered mixed reaction from cyclists at the Midnight Ridazz website.
Photo by Alex Thompson. See more on his Flickr page.
Here's video of the May 9 ride. More videos here.
VIDEO on HWY, bad music though
1.5.08
2008 is a good year for whine!
Man just when I thought things were going good. My MDC year has gone downhill, Dre is havin school troubles again, Luke is having discipline issues at school, the house is 100k in negative equity and for some reason my credit has gone haywire..probably some identity theft issue.
I have been considering options, like move to Spain, or leave the house, or put boys in private school but none really appeal to me enough. Gotta make some sort of changes though.
Riding has become increasingly difficult, even though it should be easier with this new job schedule. The new dog is very sweet but not easily trained and it is an allergen magnet at least for me and the boys.
My mom is having blood pressure issues while in Colombia almost hospitalized, and my uncle is getting operated today. My sis just got over tonsillectomy...geez slow down 2008 SHEITZE
Well I am employed and pretty well at that and so is Liz. That's kinda good no?
I write to myself here a lot huh...very therapeutic. I think I am getting Asthma in my older years.
Here is something nice to look at.
I have been considering options, like move to Spain, or leave the house, or put boys in private school but none really appeal to me enough. Gotta make some sort of changes though.
Riding has become increasingly difficult, even though it should be easier with this new job schedule. The new dog is very sweet but not easily trained and it is an allergen magnet at least for me and the boys.
My mom is having blood pressure issues while in Colombia almost hospitalized, and my uncle is getting operated today. My sis just got over tonsillectomy...geez slow down 2008 SHEITZE
Well I am employed and pretty well at that and so is Liz. That's kinda good no?
I write to myself here a lot huh...very therapeutic. I think I am getting Asthma in my older years.
Here is something nice to look at.
17.4.08
This grows at one of my work sites
It's a really cool looking flower looks like a Poppy bud must be in that family. This site is very close to Jonathan Dickinson park where I ride after I work up there.
6.3.08
NC for Dre's B-Day
So I decided to take a few days off before things get busy with work. I had Andre's BDay coming up and no good plan for it. I thought about a big party, DJ and the whole gig but then Liz pointed out his interest in Outdoor activities etc.. This came from a book he was reading called "Into the Wild" about Christopher Mcandless and his venture into Denali where he later was found dead. So he had been talking about Outward Bound
So I decided to take him as a surprise to NC and visit Nantahala Outdoor Center, US National Whitewater Center, Appallachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, Smoky Mountains National Park etc.. The plan changed a bit once we got there, so I will post more about the rest of the trip soon...
OK so we ended up doing a University visit trip. Andre suggested and I jumped.
We visited UNC Asheville, Appalachian State University, Davidson College, Queens University and UNC Charlotte. Apparently Andre like many of us felt more comfortable with the smaller schools like Davidson but Queens University is probably his favorite. It had a nursing program and is ranked in the top of nursing programs in NC.
So we'll see where it goes from there..Up to Dre now. Maybe some more April open houses to see what can happen.
24.2.08
a few more of Maya
Yeah I know they are both very cute, and Noah even takes out the trash !!! LOL he's so sweet.
22.2.08
Maya is in the house!!
So we added a new member to the family, it was a tough one because she had brothers and a mom that were also gorgeous but here she is:
She is almost 6 weeks old but the vet said she is so healthy and big she can come home with us already. I also loved her brother a white one with brindle patches on the eyes. If anyone wants a new puppy or a gorgeous brindle boxer mom let me know she is only 10 months old also.
that's all.
She is almost 6 weeks old but the vet said she is so healthy and big she can come home with us already. I also loved her brother a white one with brindle patches on the eyes. If anyone wants a new puppy or a gorgeous brindle boxer mom let me know she is only 10 months old also.that's all.
17.2.08
Leadville Tunnel disaster imminent
First of all I got this info from Bill (Doc), so thanks for keeping us posted. If there is anything we can do to help people there please let me know.
Here is an article I found and also one other from the paper below...first the info locals got:
LEADVILLE TUNNEL please read this.
Newspaper:
Sen. Salazar weighs in on tunnel threat
By Kirk Mitchell The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 02/16/2008 05:48:28 PM MST
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar visited the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel today, where officials are striving to stave off a gigantic spill of toxic materials.
Salazar met with Lake County commissioners to discuss a four-point plan for swiftly dealing with a blocked tunnel that threatens to blow out.
"This is a serious issue, and the Bureau of Reclamation needs to act with urgency," Salazar said.
On Friday, Gov. Bill Ritter asked President Bush to take immediate action to "avert a catastrophic event."
Local, state and federal officials agreed Friday to a four-point plan including immediately pumping water out of the mine shaft beginning next week, conducting a risk assessment, creating an incident action plan and testing groundwater for contamination.
Colorado health officials estimate it will cost about $5 million to pump the tunnel out and permanently address safety issues.
Salazar earlier wrote a letter to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Robert W. Johnson, requesting a report of possible blockage in the drainage tunnel and the likely effects of contaminated water on California Gulch and the Arkansas River if there is a discharge.
The tunnel, which is owned and operated by the bureau, has a major blockage, and behind the blockage is about 1 billion gallons of toxic acid and metal-laden water, now almost 200 feet high.
Because of a buildup of pressure, the blockage could blow, inflicting numerous deaths and the destruction of property, the Lake County commissioners said in a news release on Wednesday.
"As the Bureau moves forward to address the blockage I will monitor their actions closely and provide any assistance that I can," Salazar said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
Here is an article I found and also one other from the paper below...first the info locals got:
LEADVILLE TUNNEL please read this.
Newspaper:
Sen. Salazar weighs in on tunnel threat
By Kirk Mitchell The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 02/16/2008 05:48:28 PM MST
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar visited the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel today, where officials are striving to stave off a gigantic spill of toxic materials.
Salazar met with Lake County commissioners to discuss a four-point plan for swiftly dealing with a blocked tunnel that threatens to blow out.
"This is a serious issue, and the Bureau of Reclamation needs to act with urgency," Salazar said.
On Friday, Gov. Bill Ritter asked President Bush to take immediate action to "avert a catastrophic event."
Local, state and federal officials agreed Friday to a four-point plan including immediately pumping water out of the mine shaft beginning next week, conducting a risk assessment, creating an incident action plan and testing groundwater for contamination.
Colorado health officials estimate it will cost about $5 million to pump the tunnel out and permanently address safety issues.
Salazar earlier wrote a letter to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Robert W. Johnson, requesting a report of possible blockage in the drainage tunnel and the likely effects of contaminated water on California Gulch and the Arkansas River if there is a discharge.
The tunnel, which is owned and operated by the bureau, has a major blockage, and behind the blockage is about 1 billion gallons of toxic acid and metal-laden water, now almost 200 feet high.
Because of a buildup of pressure, the blockage could blow, inflicting numerous deaths and the destruction of property, the Lake County commissioners said in a news release on Wednesday.
"As the Bureau moves forward to address the blockage I will monitor their actions closely and provide any assistance that I can," Salazar said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
16.2.08
Airport hangin...
I am sitting in Charlotte Airport waiting on a connecting flight back to Miami. I had a nice Carolina BBQ sandwich and cornbread. Yes I am bored.
So I am completeing another trip to Scottsdale to visit my new bosses and get a better idea of the systems I will be supporting. I am confident that I can do this easily. I hope they feel the same, but there is an underlying feeling that they are soooo big that I will have to do VERY well to impress them. In Scottsdale they have someone for everything, they have admin people for every detail of daily work, there are managers of managers of managers..etc. It isn't a bad structure, as they would put it a "matrix" instead of hierarchial.
I did what they call a PC or Personal Commitment, which is a doc to state what my goals are for the year, my personal traits etc.. I basically tried to make it a little lofty while using what they already had as an example of some good starter goals.
I just read up to page 88 of the Billy Bragg book, it is an interesting book teaching me about some of Englands history as well as how Billy has been influenced by England and it's history in his music, especially the more political parts of his music and career. He gets into the geneaology of his family that albeit they were fairly normal people, they seem to have had as much interest in social causes as he does.
I guess I need to shut down..running out of battery.
cyall in Miami
14.2.08
My sons...
From Billy Bragg's book "The Progressive Patriot" page 5 of the intro, yes I got that far...:
"My son is a part of me, and I want the best for him; I want him to flourish, to be at ease with himself, to be admired. But I recognize that he is not perfect, and when he makes mistakes I am compelled to speak out and correct him - I can't merely accept and applaud everything he does just because he's my son. Why not? Because I love him and I don't want him to grow up to be a spoiled brat whom others despise - I want him to understand that there are consequences for his actions in the wide world. When he lives up to my expectations, I am immensely proud. And when we're apart, I think of him every day."
That is how I feel, I love you happy Valentines day, you make me very proud because you are an especially good son.
Dad
"My son is a part of me, and I want the best for him; I want him to flourish, to be at ease with himself, to be admired. But I recognize that he is not perfect, and when he makes mistakes I am compelled to speak out and correct him - I can't merely accept and applaud everything he does just because he's my son. Why not? Because I love him and I don't want him to grow up to be a spoiled brat whom others despise - I want him to understand that there are consequences for his actions in the wide world. When he lives up to my expectations, I am immensely proud. And when we're apart, I think of him every day."
That is how I feel, I love you happy Valentines day, you make me very proud because you are an especially good son.
Dad
9.2.08
New Rescue 21 job
It has been hectic to say the least but this new contract and position seems to have been a positive move. I will be running solo but the infrastructure behind me is robust. I will have a call center handling most of the trouble calls and when it is beyond their reach, from Scottsdale, then I will have to go to the sites and resolve whatever is going on.
I think the nature of this position is much more management of the system and subcontracts and less climbing towers or redoing weather proofing of cables. The USCG operators have a lot to learn but I think it is a great step ahead for the USCG.
Here is some info on what Rescue 21 is all about.
Here is a little video of a Rescue 21 case
I think the nature of this position is much more management of the system and subcontracts and less climbing towers or redoing weather proofing of cables. The USCG operators have a lot to learn but I think it is a great step ahead for the USCG.
Here is some info on what Rescue 21 is all about.
Here is a little video of a Rescue 21 case
CO in August
Woohoooo, I guess I am in, I made the lottery cut! I can't wait to be back in CO riding in August.
YIPPEE!!
YIPPEE!!
17.1.08
Oh no I did it. Click here for info.
OK so I lost my mind and signed up again. I have road rash on my elbows and knees, bruises from an "over the bar" experience and my legs are generally sore. But......
Thanks to people like my wife Liz, Bill, Nancy and John as well as many others like Mike and Steve I have decided to go for it.
Here is the app...I hope I get picked in the lottery.
Thanks to people like my wife Liz, Bill, Nancy and John as well as many others like Mike and Steve I have decided to go for it.
Here is the app...I hope I get picked in the lottery.
13.1.08
need to keep up the training
I have a lot on my hands lately, change in job, school starting again, kids getting sick, kids needing stitches and a bunch of other stuff. So what has suffered is my plans to start training very regularly. I have been training just not on a well laid out schedule.
Now I have a series of ideas for the year including Leadville but I am concerned that things will continue this hectic and strenuous. I trained in the gym Thursday and I was taking Friday off to go ride with my sister Saturday. She got sick and she needed time off, so I should have trained alone, but I had to go to the college and speak with an advisor. The rest of the day I had to spend with the wife and kids, and it was a nice day with them. Sunday was shot because I promised Liz the opportunity to go to the spa, I bought her a package, so the boys were with me and I promised them a fishing afternoon. That was cool too, they had to use their new rods etc..
I really have to fit in the training, I just don't understand how other people fit so much in their days because after all that f you train you also need the added sleep and time for food prep and gear prep etc.. It's a nutty hobby I think, I hope I can pull this off. I need a complete home gym so there is no travel time and I can train while I eat dinner, check homework, guide Andre while he hangs his curtains, fix the home computer, fill out insurance paperwork, pay bills and do my homework...is there such a home gym? Does some like OhnoFlex make one or NordicCrack??
Now I understand illegal enhancement drugs LOL. They are for people with a life who don't want to waste 7-10 good hours a day sleeping.
I need a pot of coffee. Clicky this...
Ciao
Now I have a series of ideas for the year including Leadville but I am concerned that things will continue this hectic and strenuous. I trained in the gym Thursday and I was taking Friday off to go ride with my sister Saturday. She got sick and she needed time off, so I should have trained alone, but I had to go to the college and speak with an advisor. The rest of the day I had to spend with the wife and kids, and it was a nice day with them. Sunday was shot because I promised Liz the opportunity to go to the spa, I bought her a package, so the boys were with me and I promised them a fishing afternoon. That was cool too, they had to use their new rods etc..
I really have to fit in the training, I just don't understand how other people fit so much in their days because after all that f you train you also need the added sleep and time for food prep and gear prep etc.. It's a nutty hobby I think, I hope I can pull this off. I need a complete home gym so there is no travel time and I can train while I eat dinner, check homework, guide Andre while he hangs his curtains, fix the home computer, fill out insurance paperwork, pay bills and do my homework...is there such a home gym? Does some like OhnoFlex make one or NordicCrack??
Now I understand illegal enhancement drugs LOL. They are for people with a life who don't want to waste 7-10 good hours a day sleeping.
I need a pot of coffee. Clicky this...
Ciao
10.1.08
New Gig
New year, more change in the air. First Anteon in 04, then the subsequent buy out by General Dynamics IT until...
I recently moved to Allied Technologies, the company that took over my contract. The government always looks towards lower bidders and lower bidders look to hire all the employees on that contract.
I did this to maintain a paycheck but also to stay with the program and site that I had built up since June 2004. I had built this site from being phone less, computer less, vehicle less, no office, no tools etc... to now having twice the sites (about 20 and up to 15 boats), 3 vehicles, office in Doral and 3 other techs. I saw several hurricanes and tropical storms destroy the sites and rebuilt from the ground up. I was able to work with DHS, USCG, Miami Police, Miami Dade Police, Customs, Fish and Wildlife. National Park rangers and many more. I worked at events like Organization of American States helping secure the inner Port.
So now the time came to change and an opportunity came my way to go back to General Dynamics only this time to a different division working a different contract. This time I will not be working to secure the South Florida Ports, instead I will be working to keep the National Distress System up and running, now aptly called Rescue 21. This is the system that is always listening for that scary "mayday" and has Coast Guard personnel listening 24/7/365.
So this comes with some change, I will leave the office to work from home, responding by myself to all calls in S FL from East Central Coast down to South FL not including Keys. I think this will be nice to learn a new system, a new set of problems, and new opportunities. I don't know how long this will last, there are always hopeful reassurances about longevity of a contract but in reality, 3 years, 3 companies taught me there is no rule, rhyme or reason. It can all end tomorrow.
So that's all for today, I start the 28th...CYA Hawkeye...
I loved this quote:
Ours is a sick profession. [A profession marked by] incompetence, lack of training, misconduct, and bad manners. Ineptness, bungling, malpractice, and bad ethics can be observed in court houses all over this country every day.
- Chief Justice Warren Burger
7.1.08
Incredible cyclist
And I thought I can ride a bike for a while!?! WOW
Read Jill's blog as she prepares for the Iditarod Bike Ride a 350 mile journey in Alaska.
Jill's Blog
Read Jill's blog as she prepares for the Iditarod Bike Ride a 350 mile journey in Alaska.
Jill's Blog
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