I took an irreversible step towards going through with the whole 'cross racing thing: I purchased my racing license from USA cycing. That's right, now that I have spent money on it, I am obligated to actually race at least one of the races. Jenn and I went by Addictive yesterday to drop something off for Scott, and we met a very charming Polish gentleman that was very excited to see a newbie getting ready to try cyclocross. He was describing a cross race to us like this (insert thick Polish accent here): "Cross is fun because you are either puking or gasping for breath the whole time...if not, you are not racer, only participant." Wow. I'm in!

It's 1 am on my last night at Tractor Supply Company. It's hard to believe somethimes that I have been here for almost two years, all of which has been on nightshift. Of course everytime I have to leave Jenn to go to work at night, it seems like I've been doing it for an eternity. Tractor has been really good to me in some ways, and not so good in others. Most notably the fact that I am still the night shift receiving supervisor even though the dayshift receiving supervisor left in April kind of ticks me off. None of that matters now though, as I will be starting a new job on Monday as the dayshift receiving supervisor for Ace Hardware distribution in Gainesville. I'm really excited about the new opportunity, and I'm looking forward to working in what seems to be a much more positive environment. I'm very thankful for the opportunities that I've had with TSC, as they gave me the necessary skills to be hired by Ace! I will definately miss some of the people that I worked with at TSC, but I won't miss having to look at the Mule.

So I'm going to try cyclo-cross racing this year. If you aren't familiar with this fringe type of cycling, it's basically an off road criterium on a road bike (with a few other twists of course). Of course you can use a mountain bike if you want, but you're instantly at a disadvantage on the portions of the course where you have to dismount your bike and carry it. Which is exactly what I plan to do this year. When I ride up to the barriers I'll be carrying my 35 lb mountain bike right next to the folks with their 18 lb sport specific 'cross bikes...and I don't care a bit. With any luck I just might pass a few of them. You can check out the series' website here. I'd love to have a few folks rooting me on if you have a couple of Sunday mornings free in the coming months; I'll keep everyone posted on which races I plan to enter. Of course I'd love to have a few fellow racers as well (Read: Heather, Tim, and Greg)!

Since today is my birthday, I thought that I would take some time to show everyone what is quite possibly my best birthday present ever! Thanks to Heather, Jennifer, Greg, Tina, Mom, and Dad for contributing to the mountain bike fund. For those of you that care, you can read up on the specs of my new bike here.

About two months ago, Jack Nicklaus announced that he would retire from competitive golf following the British Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, the Royal Bank of Scotland announced that they would be issuing a special commemorative 5 pound note with the Golden Bear's likeness to celebrate his achievements, and his contributions to the game of golf worldwide. At first blush this seems to be an incredible honor. I mean this is not the Confederated States of Micronesia putting your face on a replica of a US quarter, this is a real honest to goodness world power issuing currency with your mug on it. But let's take a closer look. If you've watched much golf on TV in the past few years, or if you subscribe to any golf magazines, you'll see some interesting ads featuring the Golden Bear. Most of these ads have a very nostalgic feel to them, prominently featuring highlight reel footage from Nicklaus' long and storied career. It is interesting to note that adds are paid for by the RBS Group. That's right, the Royal Bank of Scotland is Jack Nicklaus' biggest sponsor! Of course they are going to issue money with his face on it! They know that the average American is just dying for some piece of rare memorabilia featuring one of their favorite sons. You have to take into consideration that the Pound is somewhat stronger than the Dollar in the world market, which means that the Scots are getting a favorable exchange from all of the dumb Yanks that want to put a couple of Jack's 5 Pound notes in a shadow box. I for one will not fall for it. There is no way that I will email the Royal Bank of Scotland to order any of these notes. I'm buying mine on eBay. :)