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...and is this a bad thing? My gut tells me that it can't be good!

I bet it was that azzclown @jsharr! The coffee this morning was definitely a little bitter ? making me bitter I ever read jsharrs' post yesterday

...is local beer. Been trying a few new options this past week: Of the two, the Solace Brewing Partly Cloudy IPA was the tastier. Definitely a fruity taste, I guess due to the Citra hops? Could be the El Dorado ones, but those don't sound too fruity. Not sure where Solace's bricks & mortar location is, though.

Sure, it ain't vegan, but it is KOSHER! Man, I wonder if SW would take a chance on it?

It's almost like a renaissance in this joint!

I love them. I have been to quite a few, and rarely pass up an opportunity to combine a celebratory event AND a vacation. My cousin is getting married next month, and I was bummed she didn't listen to my suggestion that she tie the knot in Spain. She and her fiance love Spain, so I was hoping that might sway them.

he's not going to read it. tags are fun!

...what kind of dirt would they have on you? I don't think twice about speaking freely in front of my pup, nor do I close the bathroom door when it is just me and her in the house. God knows what she has tucked away in that noggin of hers.

...regardless of type (dill, bread & butter, etc)? Seems like, as a veggie, they get points, but the way they are prepared might negate a bit of that?

...we recommended when you asked? I think @jsharr did, but I think @petitepedal didn't. I wonder who is happier with their choice?

...except for personal hygiene? Seems like they were pretty spot on about most things.

...or even just the simple "Lady Beetle"? We always call them ladybugs. They really are a fun little insect.

I can't say I ever follow LA's tweets and I still consider him dickish, but I am loving the hornet's nest he stirred up this weekend Only sad part is that SW didn't bother to head to Nantucket for the meet up ride.

...now that "Todd" = "Dottie" Jeebus, I'm worried the next horrific news I am gonna read is that "jsharr" is really "Frank", and "wilbur is "Justin". The world was so much more mysterious before the news came out, and there is no cramming that genie back in the bottle. Not even Frank has those skills ?

Driving your car (or, riding a bike): How long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal? I'm coming to a full stop, looking both ways, and proceeding.

Riding this weekend, I passed a dude on a TT rig coming from the other direction. All stiff, rigid, and sharp angles. I thought to myself, "God I hate TT bikes. I would NEVER get one." And, then (!) ? ? ? an aha moment! The way I feel about TT bikes is how Page feels about "plastic" bikes. @Page Turner isn't insane, just a bit behind the curve.

Anyone getting their TMAO levels checked? Is there an easy check? Anyone even heard of TMAO before? Seems like a potentially VERY useful diagnostic tool for heart disease. Background Recent studies in animals have shown a mechanistic link between intestinal microbial metabolism of the choline moiety in dietary phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) and coronary artery disease through the production of a proatherosclerotic metabolite, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). We investigated the relationship among intestinal microbiota-dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine, TMAO levels, and adverse cardiovascular events in humans. Clinical Outcomes TMAO Levels and Cardiovascular Events The baseline characteristics of the 4007 participants in the clinical-outcomes study are shown in Table 1, according to whether they had a major adverse cardiovascular event during the 3-year follow-up. The mean age of the participants was 63 years, and two thirds were men; the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was high, and many of the participants had at least single-vessel coronary disease. Participants who had incident major adverse cardiovascular events during 3 years of follow-up had higher risk profiles at baseline than those without events, including an older age, higher fasting glucose levels, and higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and previous myocardial infarction. Participants who had major adverse cardiovascular events also had higher baseline levels of TMAO, as compared with those who did not have cardiovascular events (median, 5.0 μM [interquartile range, 3.0 to 8.8] vs. 3.5 μM [interquartile range, 2.4 to 5.9]; P<0.001) (Table 1). As compared with participants in the lowest quartile of TMAO levels, those in the highest quartile had a significantly increased risk of an event (hazard ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.96 to 3.28; P<0.001) (Table 2). After adjustment for traditional risk factors and other baseline covariates, elevated plasma levels of TMAO remained a significant predictor of the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (Table 2). We observed a graded increase in risk with increasing levels of TMAO, as illustrated in the Kaplan–Meier analysis shown in Figure 2. A similar graded increase in risk was observed when levels of TMAO were analyzed as a continuous variable in increments of 1 SD (unadjusted hazard ratio, 1.40 [95% CI, 1.29 to 1.51; P<0.001]; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.20 to 1.41; P<0.001]). When the components of the major adverse cardiovascular events were analyzed separately, increased levels of TMAO remained significantly associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio, 3.37; 95% CI, 2.39 to 4.75; P<0.001) and nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke (hazard ratio, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.05; P<0.001). The inclusion of TMAO as a covariate resulted in a significant improvement in risk estimation over traditional risk factors (net reclassification improvement, 8.6% [P<0.001]; integrated discrimination improvement, 9.2% [P<0.001]; C statistic, 68.3% vs. 66.4% [P=0.01]). In a separate analysis, we excluded all participants who underwent revascularization within 30 days after enrollment in the study. In this subcohort of 3475 participants, TMAO remained significantly associated with the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (unadjusted hazard ratio for highest quartile vs. lowest quartile, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.87 to 3.27]; P<0.001). Cardiovascular Risk in Low-Risk Subgroups The prognostic value of elevated plasma levels of TMAO for cardiovascular risk remained significant in various subgroups associated with a reduced overall risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (Fig. S3 in the Supplementary Appendix). These subgroups included younger participants (<65 years of age), women, and participants who did not have a known history of coronary artery disease or coronary disease risk equivalents, had low lipid and apolipoprotein levels, had normal blood pressure, did not smoke, and had low levels of other known risk markers, such as C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase, and white-cell count.

...or "Awful"? Can you go negative???

Woot!!! The US is KICKING the AZZ of the World!!!! 3 out of 10 spots going to the US. U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!! U-S-A!!!! For the folks that like to read the drivel, click here.

...but I'm sure some of you knuckleheads won't. ‘Nature Can Wait’ by PAUL BLOW July 21, 2019, issue: “So many of us sweat it out while confined within four walls, rather than outside, where nature can heal us. I cycle and run; for both, I just need to step out my front door. Exercising inside, on a machine, seems sacrilegious.”

They don't work none too good when the power goes out. Many buildings in the area where I work had a power failure yesterday. Emergency backup generators came on for critical circuits but toilets aren't critical. Also some of the AC system didn't work. Let's just say that some of the bathrooms got ripe. Fortunately I knew about a bathroom with the old-fashion manual flushing handles.

...is always my worry!

...in the "Is Godzilla a dragon" debate? Walks like a duck. Quacks like a duck. Is it a duck? Does a dragon have to have wings? Seems that's a newer development. From Wiki: A dragon is a large, serpent-like legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures around the world. Beliefs about dragons vary drastically by region, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. The earliest attested dragons resemble giant snakes. Dragon-like creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature. Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Indo-European and Near Eastern mythologies.

The new Specialized Creo line is definitely PRETTY and can haul azz, but I still hate that they are SOLELY ebikes. I'm not sure if my heavy commuter bike tips that scales at 28 lbs, and I'd definitely not ride that in the mountains. I'm sure I'd get suckered into getting the S-Works version, so it would "only" be 27lbs to lug around when not in electric mode. I guess that sort of sums up my problem with ebikes - that they are basically always ebikes, and not just a boost when you need it. IOW, lug around 75% more bike than you need until that one climb comes along where a boost is what you want. The Turbo Creo SL Expert comes in road and gravel builds, the gravel model carrying the Evo designation. The road model weighs 12.8kg (28.2 pounds) and the gravel model, which comes with heavier tires and a dropper post, weighs 13.5kg (29.8 pounds); both retail for US$9,000. The higher-end S-Works Turbo Creo SL weighs 12.2kg (26.9 pounds) and retails for US$14,000. A limited-run S-Works Turbo Creo SL Founder’s Edition, which can be trimmed down to 10.9kg (24 pounds) with an external battery, retails for an astronomical US$17,000. By comparison, the Pinarello Nytro weighs 13kg (28.66 pounds), offers a regionally limited pedal assist up to 15.5mph (25 km/h), and costs US $7,000. The Focus Paralane2 9.9 weighs 12.8kg (28.21 pounds), uses the same Fauza motor as the Pinarello assisting riders up to 15.5mph, and costs US$9,849. Trek’s Domane+ weighs 17.19 kg (37.89 pounds), assists the rider up to 28mph (45 km/h), and costs US$7,000. The Pinarello has comparable weight, and costs less than a Turbo Creo SL, but delivers roughly half the power. The Focus Paralane2 9.9 has comparable weight, costs more than the Turbo Creo SL Expert, and also delivers roughly half the power. The Domane+ has comparable power to the Turbo Creo SL, and costs less, but weighs a not-insignificant 5kg (11 pounds) more.