The World's Wackiest Orator, George Shea delivers his Überhype in the first 60 seconds of the video. I always enjoy Shea's over-the-top style and I usually get more than a chuckle listening to the silver toungued huckster...and I mean huckster in the most reverent and American way.
I haven't bothered to watch the rest. The linked video is Part 1 of many you'll find on YouTube should you wish to watch the train wreck spectacle. I'm only interested in hearing Shea pontificate in his inimitable style. As a matter of fact, I didn't even edit the HTML to make the embedded video fit this space...I only need to hear Shea's spiel, I don't care to watch any of the other 14 minutes.
Save the full sized video to your own collection here if you like.
Tuesday, I was up before 0500, and stayed up and watched Stage 4 for an hour or so before I drifted back to sleep. It was literally 90°F in the shade Monday evening, and by the time I got the house cooled off enough to fall asleep it was past 1:30AM Once again, I got up in time to catch the final 5 kilometers and the uphill sprint finish.
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| 90° in the shade at 3:30PM July 4, 2011 It began to cool off at 8:30PM |
The rest of my morning vanished while I did some writing and editing, did some printing, and designed and printed some DVD Labels. Before I knew it, it was noon and it was a little hotter than Monday. I postponed my errands, and read most of the day. On a constructive note, I refined Wednesday's shopping lists...COSTCO, fabric store, health food store, electronics store, and the Big Box Office Supply Store. No wonder I'm tired...jeez...tonight I got the house cooled a couple of hours early, and I'm still up at 2:01AM!
Post Nap-Time Wednesday
I got out and after my errands well before 11AM, I was in and out of COSTCO in under 15 minutes. I changed up things a little and hit the Mexican produce market instead of the health food store...the produce market had the celery seeds for Mom's potato salad. I maneuvered through the Fabric Store in under 10 minutes, but struck out at Staples, Smart & Final, and at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Nothing that Amazon.com can't fix, however...
I was back at the Ancestral Digs by 1PM, and sawing logs by 2:30. I woke after 3PM and took a look around the 'net to monitor the High Sierra thunderstorm situation.
Truckee is dry for now, but the radar images and Reno's AFD caution that the fat lady hasn't performed her aria just yet. Reno's forecasters think today will be the last of it, thank goodness. Looking at the latest satellite loops, you can clearly see the monsoonal nature of the moisture training in from the desert southwest.
Here in the Inland Valley, the local NWS forecasters promise a break in our heat wave by the weekend, a welcome development as it's 90°F at 4PM for a third straight day...
Wednesday's TdF Stage 5
Though I managed to get to sleep by 1AM Tuesday night, a big improvement over Monday night, I still couldn't manage to stay awake for all of the LIVE broadcast. Again I drifted off in under 25 minutes and woke up for the mid-stage sprint, and again for the final 10K. I'll watch the prime time package before tonight's Giants game for the rest of the story. Team CorduroyPlanet didn't recover all of Tuesday's losses, but we did get back up to 29th Place.
Stepping back a little to take the bird's eye overview, I guess I can declare this spring's BodyClock Reset to be a success. It's been two months and six days, and the lion's share is complete...just an adjustment of my new bed time to a little earlier and I'll be 100%. I'm going to need a little help from Mother Nature, though...I'm determined not to fall victim to Air Conditioning's Siren Song
Five days in, the first week of the Tour is shaking out to be a typical nervous race dominated by the sprinters. There have been crashes, like all TdF Opening Weeks, but only two crash victims have had to abandon. Fortunately, none of the injuries are life threatening. Defending Champion Alberto Contador was on the ground once Wednesday, while Norwegian Super-Sprinter Thor Hushovd confounded the experts by hanging on to the maillot jaune despite the hilltop finish of Stage 4.
The God Of Thunder was in front for Stage 5's bunch sprint finish Wednesday, and retains the yellow jersey for a third day. Team HTC-Highroad/CorduroyPlanet sprinter Mark Cavendish won the day, with America's 4th of July winner, Team Garmin-Cervélo/CorduroyPlanet's Tyler Farrar right there to finish with the same time. There was no shake-up of the overall standings, and the Heads of State are all still in contention. You can't win the TdF in the first week, but you can lose it if you're not careful...and lucky.
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