Happy International Jewish Movie Day!!

I often wondered what Christian people do on December 25, for a good Jewish boy like me, alright I'm a pretty lousy jew, pork tastes good, cheese burgers are good! But anyway for a decidedly non-believer such as myself Christmas has always seemed a curious holiday. Suddenly nobody wants to do anything, well how does one stay occupied?


In my case, wake up at a quarter to one in the afternoon helps, followed by a mass cook-a-thon, Nanaimo bars, two batches. (For Americans who may read this Nanaimo is a place in British Columbia that a baked good is named after, just like the chairs are named after a popular cottage spot in Central Ontario.) For normal people who call it washroom, I was referring to Muskoka Chairs, apparently Americans call it Adirondack Chairs, but then these are the same people who feel it is appropriate to take a nap in the sink?


I really should stop, making fun of American "English" is sort of like shooting fish in a barrel, its just too easy. Teddy Roosevelt once said "We have room in this country but for one language and that is the English language." Which to my way of thinking sounds like intolerant horse crap. For one thing, Americans don't speak English, at least not very well and for another here in Canada, a country significantly smaller demographically speaking, we seem to have room but for about 278 languages (possibly a lot more) and that is the English language (typically, sad to say, spoken like an American), the French language, the Italian language, the Spanish language, the 23 different dialects of Chinese languages, & cetra. So Mr. Lou Dobbs, take Teddy Roosevelt and go invade some small defenceless Latin American nation.


In other news, on Lesley's Birthday, Dec. 23, I wrote that I wanted a Specialized Transition Pro 2008 model. It turns out there is no such thing. Ooops! On the advice of a guy in the Beaches Cycle Club, I spoke with Neil, the store manager of D'Ornellas (now I would rather shop at my local shop, but they have limited experience with either of Specialized and Tri bikes). Anyway Neil told me that in 2008 Specialized tried to make the Transition Pro as per the specifications on the Specialized Site (well probably some written document that was later copied onto the website) but Specialized just could not get the paint right and gave up, so in the 2008 model year there was no Transition Pro.

Neil went on to describe how the 2009 S-works had an Easton bar that he was not fond of, it is not adjustable, so if it does not fit, you either buy a new bar ($1000) or you be uncomfortable and less aero. Now I was not thinking of getting an S-works transition, as I already wrote, they are too expensive. But then Neil told me something, somehow D'Ornellas can sell me an S-works frame, Zipp aero wheels, full Dur-ace group (except the brake calipers and crankset, those come with the frame) and adjustable Profile Design carbon fibre bars for only a few hundred dollars more than the MSRP (Manufactures Suggested Retail Price) of a Transition Pro. Needless to say I am thinking that over very seriously, the wheels alone retail for over two thousand. The most ludicrous part, if I buy a considerably inferior model, the Transition Expert (Ultegra group, heavy parts and frame) and then upgrade the wheels to the same aero wheels, I end up paying as much as I would for the S-works with Dur-ace.

For anyone not into road bikes a quick translation, I can buy a low end Ferrari with reasonable parts, replace the wheels with something nice and spend about as much as a Ferrari with custom selected parts that are the best money can buy. (You can replace Ferrari with your preferred method of transportation.)

One nice thing about recessions, suddenly all these wonderful toys are very cheap!

Its time to check on my thoroughly Canadian Nanaimo bars, so in the spirit of quoting people from a hundred years ago, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!