The Winner (by handicap)

Ms. B wins with 8 bars eaten (10 bars with the handicap figured in).

Ms. B: 8
Mr. C: 2
Mr. Mc: 8



Here are the nutritional figures for those who ate eight bars:

• 2240 calories
• 112 grams fat
• 32 grams protein
• 8 grams fiber
• 80 mg cholesterol
• 280 grams carbs
• 1120 mg sodium

Mr. C admitted he was just in the contest for a couple free Snickers.

Snickers Eating Contest, 2:20 P.M.

Here are the latest with 40 minutes remaining:

Ms. B: 6
Mr. C: 2
Mr. Mc: 6

News Flash!

Ms. B sent out this email:

"Does anybody have any Benadryl or comparable drug? I seem to be having some type of allergic reaction. Perhaps it is something I ate??"

The judges have no sympathy. Her plea for more handicap is rejected.

Snickers Eating Contest, 1:44 P.M.

Here's the latest with an hour and 15 minutes remaining:

Ms. B: 4
Mr. C: 2
Mr. Mc: 5

The group has allowed females a 25% handicap. So each of Ms. B's bars are worth 1.25 in the bar count. The handicap was a compromise based on the National Rules for Snickers bar eating contests.

Snickers Eating Contest, 11:27 A.M.

New rule: Each contestant must report each eaten bar as soon as it's eaten. This will prevent a contestant from hiding wrappers until the end and then surprising an opponent. We think the contestants should be able to see each other's progress.

Ms. B: 3
Mr. C: 2
Mr. Mc: 2

This is the official wrapper pile on Mr T's desk. He's the score keeper.

Snickers Bar Contents: Rules Update

• The cutoff time is 3 P.M.
• The official clock is on my desk.
• The candy bar must fit in the contestant's mouth with lips fully closed.

Anyone remember Cool Hand Luke?

Snickers Eating Contest, 10:30 A.M.

It's too early to pick a winner, but we have a clear leader.

Ms. B: 2
Mr. C: 1
Mr. Mc: 1

Snickers Eating Contest, 10:02 A.M.

Mr. Mc checked in at about 10 A.M. and is happily eating his first bar. He would have began sooner, but he needed a bit of toast and coffee to fortify his stomach.

Snickers Eating Contest, 9:50 A.M.

At 9:50, the second contestant, Ms. B has checked in and is eating her first Snickers.

I'm told the winner will receive a $25 Border's gift card.

Mr. T is serving as official counter. He's on the left side of the photo.

Snickers Eating Contest

Some of my coworkers are having a Snickers bar eating contest today. The person who eats the most by the end of the day wins. Place your bets for highest number eaten. I'll post updates throughout the day.



Mr. C is eating his first at 9:25.

I Wants My Five Grand!

I read that McCain has proposed some ideas to improve energy efficiency for transportation:

"The Arizona senator proposed a $300 million prize for whoever can develop a better automobile battery, and $5,000 tax credits for consumers who buy new zero-emission vehicles."

Because bikes are zero-emission vehicles, how about if my next bike purchase is eligible for the tax credit?

I'd have a difficult time buying a bike over $5000, but some of you fancy pants could spend $5000 and not even have the bike fully equipped. If this sort of tax credit became reality, what bike would you buy that would eat up that $5000? I'd start with that sweet Schwinn Continental sitting on the Hiawatha Cyclery showroom. I'd have $4900 left to spend. How about a Surly Big Dummy equipped with a Stokemonkey.

I'm just dreaming though. Tax credits will never be applied to bicycle purchases. These proposals are intended for the traditional auto industry.

Saturday HC Ride

Last Saturday's Hiawatha Cyclery ride took us through lots of alleys. Some of them are in really bad condition -- more like dirt roads than alleys. That's another sign of crumbling infrastructure. We heard that term every day after the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, but I don't hear about it much lately. Now, were talking about oil speculators and off-shore drilling. Watching current events is fun.

Anyway, back to the ride. I love art cars. Here's a late model VW bug. CreepyCam disappoints, but you get the idea.
How about art bikes? Got any ideas?

We stopped at the Hard Times Cafe. I think there at least 10 riders. When we left the Hard Times, we ran into more riders on bikes like ours (fenders, lights, baskets and bags, etc.). It was a mutual love fest of comparing bikes and bike parts.

I finished the ride just in time to meet my daughter at soccer practice. The coach was running them pretty hard. He's got a British accent and everything he tells them sounds like sarcasm. How would you like to have Basil Fawlty for your soccer coach?

I got tagged

Pick up your nearest book and go to page 123. Find the fifth sentence, and post on your blog the next three sentences. Acknowledge who tagged you, and then tag five more people.

The problem with this is honesty. To play honestly, I have to find a book with more than 123 pages. After that, I'm not going to post a line from a project management training book I stole from my wife which is the closest book. I've got my laptop propped up on an English grammar book. I'm not posting any of that either.

The nearest book that's worth posting: "Rough Ride" by Paul Kimmage.

"I hadn't got a clue what that was, but I didn't like the sound of it so I said I didn't want any. It was a bit embarrassing, but the doctor bowed to my wish and didn't insist -- he gave it to my room-mate instead. (Synacthen is common, even a 'lightweight', among many of the hormonal products used in the peloton."

I read this book several years ago during the Festina affair. It's been sitting on the shelf ever since. The author's quote is from his experience during the '87 Tour de France.

The Contents of a Boy's Pockets

My wife cleaned my son's pockets out before loading the washing machine. I applaud her, because I usually forget to check the pockets and find a disaster of tissue residue, melted crayons, and candy in the dryer.

This is what she found in three pairs of his shorts:

• 1 pocket knife
• 1 stubby pencil
• 9 candy wrappers
• $5 and change
• 3 tissues
• 1 Claritan wrapper (he has allergies)
• A flyer for an unknown event

When I was a kid, I wouldn't have forgotten a fiver -- no way! I guess that shows the value of today's dollar.

Tandem Riding with Kids

For years, I've looked forward to riding my tandem with my kids. They grew to the right size more quickly than I expected. I've been running errands with them on the tandem. We make lots of little trips to soccer fields, piano, and school. It's a waste to use a car on such short distances.

So this is our family commuter. I have two kids. If we had two tandems, we could travel as a four-person family on two bikes. Cool.

The kids like to be seen on it. I'm sure that'll change someday, but I'll enjoy it for now.

Because today's schedule was especially full of these short trips for kid events, I've got five bike trips under my belt right now and another before I'm done.

Flat Tire

I had a flat tire last week. I took a photo of the mess I made in the parking lot. Lots of crap strewn about the area. It turned out to be a nice time to stand around and watch the sun rise. The birds are really active at that time and the lighting is beautiful.

Tagged for Books

I've been tagged for five books.

If I was sitting at home:

• Minnesota Field Guide to Birds
• How to be a (Bad) Birdwatcher
• The History of Pi

But here at work, the books are much more fun:

• XSS Attacks
• FISMA Certification and Accreditation

That's five. The list tells you what I do for work and what I do for fun.

This reminds me that I plan post about the bad birdwatcher book.

Bike For Sale

I built this bike as a backup offroad bike a couple years ago and never rode it. I rebuilt it last fall and determined it was too small. Recently, I decided to get rid of it, because it's taking up room. I turned it into a commuter by a installing skinny road tires, a rear rack and a set of old panniers I had sitting in the basement. I put it on Craig's List this afternoon -- no calls yet.

The fork rake looks crazy. That's partially due to the angle from which I took the photo and partially because it is a bit of a crazy angle. The bike had a Manitou 3 suspension fork when I received it. So I replaced it with a rigid fork that is suspension corrected. Well, I should have looked at how much correction it had. It rides just like it looks, kinda crazy.

Wish me luck.

Silly Stuff in the Kitchen

My son picked out these ramen noodles in an Asian market.

I picked out these salt and pepper shakers at a Lego store.

Flower Report

Rhododendrons and other flowery things are appearing all over our yard. I won't embarrass myself and try to identify them. I don't even know the variety of our rhododendrons. But I know which lens and settings I used to take these photos. Click on the images to see a larger version if you like larger versions.

Bike Basket Support

I support and encourage the use of bike baskets. To prove it, here's a photo of the support I built for my bike basket. The basket is very helpful carrying things that don't fit in the rear bag or panniers. Equipped this way, the bike can be a real work horse.

I mounted the basket a few months ago on top of a Nashbar front rack. The setup was a little wobbly so I built a support for the basket from aluminum stock. It is a much sturdier setup now.





I couldn't keep the three-speed wheel from slipping in the drop outs. I tried lots of cures that didn't work. That story is worth a post in itself. Last weekend, I installed a derailleur and a wheel with a freewheel. I'm not done with trying the internal hub on this bike, but I needed the bike to work reliably. It's my best bike for riding to work.