As an idiot, I did that too. My beautiful Bianchi EV3 with campy carbon seatpost. It actually striped the rack (the whole rack with bike attached) off the top of the car and this may be hard to beleive, but the only damage was the nose of my saddle was bent down. No damage to frame or seatpost. I've ridden 5000 miles on both and there is still no signs of any damage and I check it everyday as I can't believe my blessing.

I had a friend do that with his Serrotta(sp) Totaled rack range rover roof and of course the bike but in his case homeowners ins covered total cost.

A close friend of mine lost a limb in an accident. He was a very handsome and full of confidence 27 years old guy. He lost his self esteem, he feels depressed and suffers from severe pains. A Trek bicycle is simply a mass produced and over priced (very high margins) piece of carbon fibre. Most consumers who own one do so as an act of idolising Lance Armstrong – therefore it is extremely popular. I doubt many cyclists specifically opted for this bike due to its superior attributes over other bikes.

If you perceive the loss of such a bike (let alone any bike) similar to the loss of a loved one and it can make you feel sick, then I think you need to examine more carefully your cognitions in terms of your core beliefs, values and attitudes. I would not like to be judgemental, but the comparison that you are suggesting is pathetic. You friend is not starving to death or recovering from cancer he has simply not been careful and lost a bicycle. If he tries so hard to copy Lance (i.e. the bike), I suggest that both of you copy Lance’s mental stamina as well.

Pluto

---

---------------------------------------------------------

Hey come on now. I could never attempt to imagine your friends loss. but you need to chill and take some of these postings in context.



These guys lost they're bikes throught they're own doings and are posting their thoughts only.



Take a chill pill!

TriandRun, thanks for understanding the feelings that I have regarding my friend, and of course I can’t understand what he feels. I used it as an example of something that I perceive as comparable to losing life.



>>but you need to chill and take some of these postings in context.



This was exactly my point – take the loss of a bike in context.

I love bikes, so I can see that if I lost my own bike I will not be very happy about it. But, don’t compare it to the loss of life which is out of context.



Some athletes are so obsessed with their training/diet/equipment that they may take things out of context, magnifying the importance of the unimportant.



In one of the other posts a guy crashed his beloved Cervelo and asked about replacement. In my mind he was taking things in context. I am sure that if Quintana Rooster was in his position he will go through the process of bereavement. And I will then say – the bike just died, a year has not passed and you are already thinking about a replacement?!





Pluto

---

---------------------------------------------------------

What could be worse? Doctor I used to work for has a Litespeed Vortex actually collecting dust in his garage. Says he took a few rides but bicycling just wasn't for him. Yes a Litespeed Vortex and didn't even know if he really liked riding a bicycle. At least your bros bike was an operational loss. It died do to bad intel but was still in there for the good fight.

I am very sad to see it go.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Pluto, you are taking my posting out of context. I did not equate loss of life with loss of a bicycle. I see death on a regular basis in the operating room and in the Emergency Room. In no way did I say losing a bike is like losing a human's life. I said losing a human's life is worse. And for those of us that are very passionate about our sport, yes, losing our bike that we ride 5000 miles a year is a big loss. It's a big inconvenience when you are training for a particular goal and then you have to alter those training plans because a.) you no longer have a bike to train on and b.) you can't afford a replacement because you have medical bills to pay for because you were recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and on top of that you have a family to feed. And your opinion on why somebody rides a Trek is way off. Sure some people may choose Trek because of Lance or because it is a yuppy bike but for you to bring your opinion of Trek into this posting and sort of pass judgement on my friend is out of line. Makes you look like the forum IDIOT! Perhaps you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you have the true passion for this sport like my friend does.

---

Team Endurance Nation

It's a bit like the pilot's saying. There are those have run out of gas and there are those who are gonna. (and I should know !).

There are those who have had a bike damaged fastened to the outside of the vehicle and those who are gonna ! Take off the wheels and put it in the trunk.

Title of thread: What can be worse other than a death of a loved one?

QR: Pluto, you are taking my posting out of context. I did not equate loss of life with loss of a bicycle.

How else is one suppossed to interpret "What can be worse other than a death of a loved one?" We could basically point out a million examples of things that are worse than losing a stupid friggin bike, but aren't as bad as death. I'd trade an expensive bike to have my brother in law home from Iraq. I trade a bike to save a loved one from cancer, divorse, verbal abuse, hunger, homelessness, depression, injury, scars, neglect, etc, etc. Let's not get too far out of touch with reality when talking about a piece of metal. I'm sorry the guy backed out of his carport and wrecked his bike ... but it the grand scheme of things, that's pretty insignificant. I hope nothing bad happens to HIM to make him realize this.

Basically, anything that cannot be replaced by money is more important than the bike. If the guy gets a part-time job or works overtime, he'll have a replacement bike in no time.

Again, those reading the thread cannot see in your mind as to what you had intended for this thread, all we know is what we see, and what you wrote is "What can be worse other than a death of a loved one?"

How else is a person suppossed to interpret that?

---------------------------------

Injecting humor ...

Q: What can be worse (other than death) than wrecking a bike?


A: Apparently ... not making the Honor Roll in Nashville.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

By Lance QuintanaRooster, if that is your real name, how could you? Comparing the wrecking of a bike to the death of children and kittens. You are a soul less man. I have never ever heard anyone using terms of love and affection toward thier bikes.

We never play around and goof that our bike is like family. We never ever ever do anything close to showing any real feelings toward our bikes.

You should leave the forum.


(joke)

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

"How else is a person suppossed to interpret that?"

As a joke on how much we love our bikes.

I sentence you too eight hours of Eddie Izard and three watchings of the Princess Bride.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

This is unbelievable. Isn't it clear he was MAKING A FRIGGIN' JOKE. I compared picking up my new bike to an expectant mother looking forward to her new baby; I didn't think anyone would take it literally.

This is starting to get old with all the no-it-all, self-righteous, political rantings and the lack of humor expressed on this forum.

OK Tibbs, this time it is personal. The Princess Bride is the best movie of all time. If you have not read the book it is also awesome and is definitely worth the read. "The Zoo of Death" which was left out of the movie is in the book and is quite amusing. In any case both are pure entertainment.

David

PS, the original poster was being humorous about the sense of loss of a possession you could tell from the subject line.

He was just saving up to buy a tri bike as he is training for an IM and now he has zero bikes. What a tragic loss. I don't know what I'd do if anything similar happened to my Tiphoon. I feel sick thinking about it. I can't imagine how he feels.

Which part of that sounds like a joke? Is anyone laughing at anything in the above paragraph?

Could it be this guy is one of those that DOES equate his equipment with life, that DOES equate triathloning as being as important as marriage, etc. There are certainly enough of those out there to create a stereotype, generalization.

A joke would be "My buddy wrecked his bike. We're broken hearted about it. So, we did the next logical thing. We had a service and buried it in the backyward, and drank ourselves silly about it." That's a joke ... see because they buried the bike in the backyard as if it were a living thing ... then they .... oh nevermind.

This is starting to get old with all the no-it-all, self-righteous, political rantings and the lack of humor expressed on this forum.

Okay, if you're referring to the original post as "humor", then it is getting old. We used to have a saying in college, "if you're going to be an asshole at least be a funny asshole, people can tolerate a funny asshole". "He's an asshole." "Yeah, but he's funny".

Some people in this thread did not interpret the original post as a joke. Why? because THERE"S NOTHING FUNNY IN IT. It literally reads as if some guy is torn up because he wrecked his own bike out of stupidity. So if you wanna come on with the "self-righteous, KNOW-it-all, blah, blah, stuff go right ahead.", just because certain folks didn't recognize the obvious humor in the above post, so be it.

I think you should read the original post and see if it might just not be an attempt at humor. Do this before you go assuming everyone else is coming down high-handed. You don't know anyone that would view their bike, dog, car, stereo, as being more important than they are? I know a few folks that would equate having their stereo stolen as being the same as having a child kidnapped. In a time like that, I'd take an aluminum baseball bat (or bike top tube) to their skull to remind what's worth worrying about.

I could do that in this situation, if it's required. It may not change perspective, but it sure would make me feel better.

Now, figure out if I'm joking or not.

Later. RyanB.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

"I'd take an aluminum baseball bat (or bike top tube) to their skull to remind what's worth worrying about. "

What's worth worrying about... Like an innocuous thread on a triathlon website??

Maybe we should all sit back and take a nice deep breath.



On another note, for those of you who love the honor roll story so much, you may want to hop over to http://www.tonguetied.us/ if you want to get really worked up. Not all of the entries are that great, but there are some fantastic ones.

Maybe we should all sit back and take a nice deep breath.

Good Point.

The whole deal could have been avoided with reprasing the original post to where it didn't read of "whiny pussy". If they would have just said "check this out" and explained what the friend did, we'd have all said "that's too bad, hope he gets another, bike" and wished him well on his training.

But, since the post reads as it does, and many people deal with rougher situations (having a bike wrecked is not a problem) on a daily basis, with much more severe consequences ... the post met some opposition. I didn't think it was attempt at humor. I thought it was over-reacting to a simple situation. So then I did the next best thing ... I over-reacted to their over-reaction. Anything that can be immediately "undone" with $2K is not that big of a deal.

"I'd take an aluminum baseball bat (or bike top tube) to their skull to remind what's worth worrying about. "

What's worth worrying about... Like an innocuous thread on a triathlon website??

Figure of speech. Uhhh ... yeah ... Uhhh ... I mean, I was making a joke. That's it.

On a serious note. In college as part of an ethics class for Pre-Med studies we visited a children's hospital for the terminally ill. Talk about a life-changing experience. From that day on I've made a point to bring to people's attention when they have a legit complaint and when they're being a whiny pussy. We all whine from time to time, but when it's not called for, we need reminded. It goes without saying, that includes myself also.

"I was upset that I had no shoes ... until I met a man that had no feet"

People complaining about insignificant things (i.e. cannot be easily undone or replaced) has always bothered me ... especially when another member of the forum had just posted that her dog was badly wounded from an attack the other day. At least have the consideration to wait a few days before complaining about a bent bike.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

As someone who lost his mother 6 weeks ago, I read your post title already knowing the answer to the question presented. Granted, I do see that you were just joking, but I can also see how some who have experienced such loss (especially recently) may not have seen the humor. But, all in all, I think a round of chill pills may be just what the doctor ordered. Sorry about your friend's bike, I know I would be pissed myself had I done the same thing.

Alan

p.s. Since this seems a good place to mention it - help find a cure for breast cancer. Go to the Avon website to make a pledge. Every bit will help save the life of a mother, a wife, a sister or a daughter.

TripleThreat,

Wow, you've got that crowbar shoved pretty far up there, don't you? You must be a real joy to be around on a daily basis.

Your students must love your daily lectures about how you think the world should be.

I have to say that the title and subject of your post is very distasteful to say the least. Had you lost a loved one recently or maybe at all, I bet you wouldn't post that.



Paulo

---

-
"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Why are you attacking me? I was informing people it was a joke and to watch the Princess Bride and Eddie Izzard to learn to laugh.

Put the crack pipe down.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

I have said before I am a very compassionate person. If you need help getting a job done, I will help you even though I know no credit will be given to me. If you legitimately need money, I will give you some even though I don't have much, and even though I know you won't pay me back. If you have something horrible happen to you or a loved one, I will cry and pray with you. That's who I am.

However, I also am a very honest and direct person, that doesn't always come across as "nice". If you're whining about something insignificant, I will tell you.

I should have just said, "Dude, it's a bike. Get a new one. People deal with worse stuff everyday."


What I cannot tolerate is when people are complaining about things that are insensitive to those that deal with worse situations daily. This guy is complaining about his friends wrecked bike when just the other day someone posted a story about their dog almost being killed in an attack. The guy in his post is comparing a wrecked bike to almost everything short of death. It's not a joke. It needed to be put into perspective.

I'm tired of listening to fat people complain the elevator is too far away from their classroom. I'm tired of single people complain they cannot get their work done because they don't have time. I'm tired of people complaining about anything and everything to those that are less fortunate. I'm tired of parents telling me that don't know how to keep their kid off the internet all night. Really. Throughout threads we have here, we can see how folks whine about useless stuff, expect others to pay for their responsibility, etc.

I don't like it, and I say so. It amazes me that people are "refreshed" with Dr. Phil's attitude of telling people "that dog don't hunt", etc. Why should a grown man have to tell another grown man to "suck it up, and face your yourself". Good grief.

All I'm asking is that society be honest and responsible. Bad me.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Are talking to me? Is anyone reading my posts or is everyone looking to be offened?

Triplethreat and Pluto are wet blankets. They need medication. I'll put my expriences with death and maming up with anyone on this site and I thought the orginal post was friggin great.

Hey Pluto stop being such an eletist and let people ride what they want to ride.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

"If you're whining about something insignificant, I will tell you."

Your whining about something insignificant.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

"Touche", said the wet blanket.

-------------------------------------------

I just noticed the title of the thread has been changed. Classic. Now that's humor. "My friend had a bad day". I love it. That's awesome when a person can take some heat in stride and turn around and offer a bit of cleverness. That made my day. Nice going, QR.

-------------------------------------------

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Your students must love your daily lectures about how you think the world should be.

What kind of teacher would waste limited class time talking about that?

My students can tell how I think the world should be by how I conduct myself. I am always prepared for class. I speak and dress professionally. I take responsibility for my mistakes and successes. That speaks loouder than lip service.

I certainly hope teachers aren't using classtime to verbalize their complaints, etc.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

YIKES!!! nothing like some exciting reading first thing in the morning. our commpetiveness sure comes out in our postings.

I see that you changed the title of your post... very funny... NOT...

For those of you that found it a joke, and since you're changing the title, I'll suggest some:

"What can be worse other than losing a loved one that worked at the WTC"

"What can be worse other than losing a loved one that is in Iraq"

"What can be worse other than losing the carreer that you loved due to illness"



I guess that if one of those titles was up, maybe some people wouldn't find it funny after all...

---

-
"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Gee whiz Tibbsy, I was attempting to engage you in playful banter not attack or provoke you. I assumed you really did enjoy the princess bride. The only two bad parts of the movie are that in real life the princess is married to Sean Penn and that she smokes. Yecch to both.

David

I give the guy credit for taking some heat, changing the title, and not making a bigger deal out of than it was (like some of "us" .... me).

Did he use the best judgement in the world? No

Was it funny? No

Should he and his friend be upset his bike was wrecked? Yes

Do I think the guy intentionally set out to offend? No

Did others point out the error (opinion)? Yes

Is the situation corrected? Yes

All in all, I'm sure QR's friend will get a new bike, and I wish him well in his training. This thread shows that a person can be unintentionally insensitive, and those wishing to point that out can over-react.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Sorry I just get real senitive when someone compares the loss of a soulless, unhardcore, no triathlon spirit bike to the death of my buddy
A-Dog. I know for fact Quintanarooster was talking about him. When he made the post he knew for a fact that I had just lost a friend in a training operation a couple of weeks ago. He knew it and he knew how I felt about it and he wrote that post agianst me. It wasn't funny!!! How can I go on? Look what the thell you've done QR!!!

YOU BASTARD!!!! YOU ARE THE CUASE OF ALL MY PAIN!!! YOU THINK YOUR YOUR SO CLEVER BUT ALL YOU DO IS DESTROY PEOPLE!!!! I HAVE TO TEACH CLASS NOW AND LECTURE THE KIDS ABOUT THE EVILS OF TREK BUT I CAN'T GO NOW BECAUSE YOU CAUSED MY FRIEND TO DIE!!! IT'S ALL YOU FAULT MY KITTY DIED WHEN I WAS 12!!! YOU WANT TO COME INTO MY HOUSE AND KILL MY FAMILY DON'T YOU!! DON'T YOU!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOUR NOT FUNNY QR!!! YOUR NOT FUNNY!!!!!!!!! YOU HEART LESS FUCKER!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Last time I checked, whether something was funny or not was subjective.

I found it humorous (maybe not laugh out loud funny, but definitely humorous).

Perhaps we should start including labels in the Subject line to clue in potential readers that the posts are intended to have certain meaning. After all, we don't want to unintentionally offend someone who may have experienced something we couldn't possibly know about. Come to think of it, we should also include post submission disclaimers to avoid the inevitable lawsuits that will arise from such callous behavior. And to ultimately limit potential harm to our "victims" we should consult a medium prior to posting in order to tell us if one of the readers will take the post in a manner in which it wasn't intended.

Humor is subjective. The guy told a story about his friend wrecking his bike and them being sick about it. Doesn't even seem like humor was implied. It'd be like me saying I injured my ankle, cannot train, and am upset about it. There is no humor implied.

I think folks are confusing pepole being direct and straight-forward with them being angry, and ready for blood or extremmely offended.

Disclaimers are not necessary, but realizing that all will interpret a post differently and comment as such is.

Taking my own medicine ... I've done a poor job illustrating my feelings. I am not typing with fists or crapping bricks.

Normaly I would have laughed off a post like this, but it occurred the day after my 2-year old son had a one-in-a-million accident when he fell into a chair, had a small piece of his nose tore off, glued back on in the ER, and awaits plastic surgery. Even as traumatic as that is to me and my my wife (and my son) we relaize many people deal with much worse situations EVERY day, and there's that little thing called a war going on, etc. So ... I commented. And I commented in a way some folks don't like ... I was direct and honest which doesn't always play so well on the internet where facial expressions, body language, and tone cannot be revealed. The internet is great for information, not so great for communication.

In hindsight, I should have just said "Dude, it's just a bike. Everyone is going to come out okay. You're buddy'll be training in no time" and left it at that. I didn't and look what happened. Hindsight.

I thought QR handled the situation beautifully and without drawing major attention to it. By all rights he is free to counterpoint each complaint/praise being made, which means telling some of us to kiss-butt(if he wishes) or whatever comments he feels is necessary. But chose a low-key, sutle, approach ... I liked that. I found it funny (not funny ha ha, but funny ironic). Everyone is argueing about the title of his post, and he changes it when no one is looking. Classic.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I found it humorous, because he was obviously over-exaggerating the loss a bike by comparing it to the loss of a loved one. Why was it humorous to me? Because, as a group, I find that we triathletes tend to treat our bikes like membes of the family. In doing so, I'm sure we look even more ridiculous to non-triathletes than people who treat pets like family members look to non-pet people. Bottom line is, yes, it was terrible that the friend lost his bike. No, it doesn't come close to comparing to the loss of a human (or in my opinion, an animal) loved one. But that's exactly where the humor comes in. Was it laugh-out-loud, guffaw type humor? Nope. But humorous, nonetheless... at least to me.

I think it was intended to be humorous. Problem is, he didn't think about how it would affect people who really have lost loved ones. However, can you REALLY blame him? I mean, how am I supposed to know you just had to take your son in to the emergency room after a scary fall? How am I supposed to know Tom D lost his mother a couple of weeks ago? How am I supposed to know that your values or morals or opinions are going to find that offensive? Some things are a sure bet (sexist humor is probably going to upset a lot of women, and probably some men, on this board), but some things aren't. This, IMHO, falls into the latter category.

Maybe posters and readers alike need to count to ten before posting an original thread or a reply, and really consider what the original poster was saying. I don't know. But for Pete's sake... do you think the original post warranted this much debate?

For the record, I haven't thought anyone was angry or out for blood, and I think QR handled it beautifully, too.

But that's exactly where the humor comes in.

I haven't been in the game long enough to pick up dry, bike humor.

I know folks that have material items they value as much as their health (classic cars, electronics to be exact) and the health of their loved ones. Certainly there are triathletes that value their equipment more than what it is. That's apparent from how much conversation goes on about it. Initially, that's the perspective I looked at it from.

Then, I thought, that the guy was telling a story and it was unintentionally coming across as "out of whack" (whatever that means) ... so rather than assume my divine role as "perspective giver", I looked for the humor but did not see it. It came across rather literal to me.

It is impossible to know of indidivdual occurances, but it is possible to know of general situations. If the situation happenned to me or a buddy, I'd be pissed. I just wouldn't say so on a forum.

If QR was making a joke, or making light of the situation then that changes everything. I thought he was genuinely upset about it, and understandably so. I just didn't agree with saying it ... especially following the day when someone posted that their dog was attacked.

As far as my son goes ... people don't need to worry about stuff like that (and the other things you mentioned). In reality those are only important to those directly involved.

Like I said, I thought his post was serious, tried to invoke some perspective, and the all hell broke lose. It's the internet. It happens.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I hate to trivialize philosophical bent this topic has created with a bit of practical advice. I know my own ability to be a bone-head, so when I have a bike on the roof I take the garage-door opener off of the visor and throw it in the trunk.

Practicality? We don't need no stinkin' practicality!

:)

---

-------------------------------------
Steve Perkins

He can't kill your family. You burned them up for a TitanFlex with Rotorcranks, remember?

Crap! I was going to frame QR for it. Looks like the chair for me.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

I can't speak for the other 39,999 people to whom you've admitted your crime, but for a portion of the insurance check I'll keep my mouth shut. How much, you ask? Just enough for something like a Litespeed Tuscany . . .

Guys, Guys, Guys Chill out. All of us have dealt with loss in one way or another. It is obvious that there was no comparison to the death of a real-life person or animal or whatever. Should he have started with a different title? Maybe. All I can say is that a lot of you are ruining the biggest reason that I enjoy this sport; sense of humor while taking your body to its most realizable limits. When I suffer a loss of any kind, whether it be business or even my divorce, I have taken to the streets with either my bike or my running shoes. I rely on this sport to make a lot of my worries go away and I am a better person because of this sport. Hell, I will even go as far as saying that I am a better person because of people like you guys who said, 'don't give up' or 'keep going you are almost there' during some of my races/workouts. This sport is like a life to me and losing something like a bike would be devastating to me, but someone who understands this sports fully would have realized that there should be no comparison to life. If you don't agree with what someone says, then go on to the next post. Are you the kind of guys that were camping out on the grassy knoll in Texas because you didn't believe in the President? Calm down and have fun with this site. If you don't like something, move on.

Good luck to all. TripleThreat, I hope your kid never spills his/her milk or makes a mistake.

Thanks.

Bro, you come in with a "chill out" post, hours after the situation is dissolved and handled. Why? It's over. Did you read the thread? It's over. I was just about to start the whole misunderstanding over again buy pointing out that it was a bike, but then I read your post and finally I realize the whole thread was just one misunderstanding after another. Thanks again. (with your sense of humor, I'm sure you're picking up the fun sarcasm)

If you don't agree with what someone says, then go on to the next post.

Yes, we must never disagree. That would be bad. No one should ever say anything to anyone else unless it is in total agreement. Someone's feelings might get hurt or self-esteem lowered if there was a disagreement. (again, this is all in fun)

Good luck to all. TripleThreat, I hope your kid never spills his/her milk or makes a mistake.

Did you read the whole thread or just one post? Don't come at us with all this "hey, let's keep it fun. Everybody hug. If you don't like something move on. If you can't say something nice at all, don't say anything" lecture, and then throw a smart-ass comment in there as everyone is leaving. Again, thanks for squashing the situation, it was out of control, until you got here. I think if you read the thread, you'll find that in the end everyone realized what they did right/wrong. Some of us even had a laugh at ourselves. Not everything said in the thread was dead serious.

Now, if you want to make this personal, it can be made personal. There were certainly more people than I that commented, if you want to call me out, then do so.

Figured I better translate this last paragraph before we're into another misunderstandingfest.

Translation: Use the private message function and we can get it straightened out.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

 Post pulled as it was more appropriate for a PM.

Jaylew,

what you just wrote should have been written awhile ago. If that is the image I give off, then I am doing a poor job of representing myself. I am a very sarcastic and fun loving guy guy (think Jim carrey ... no kidding) ... that does not come across well on the net. As far as me thinking my opinions are right ... of course I think that. If I didn't they wouldn't be my opinions. Some of my opinions are really strong, like how I want the govenrment to be, etc. But, that doesn't mean that I think other opinions are wrong ... not all of them. Different is good. variety is what makes the world what it is.

If I agree with something, I generally don't comment. So, often the only things I will debate are things I don't agree with. That can lead to certain assumptions. I'm certainly not perfect, nor pretend to be. I don't even try to infer that in my posts.

The points about freedom, liberty, demands a certain "responsbile" tone, that does rub some the wrong way. I won't apologize for that.

So, If I am coming across as a high-handed, holier-than-thou horse's ass, then I am embarrassed at how I have represented myself. I live in a world where if one is being a dick, friends say "dude, you're being a dick", and the situation is then changed. I'm about as easy-goin' as it gets.

It bothers me that my posts are coming across as yelling, preaching, or commanding, rather than discussing. That is something I must work on.

If this be the case, I have some work to do.

--------------------------------------

The last part in my previous post about "being called out" done in a private manner ... I wasn't joking about that. I don't dig that kind of thing, and I try not to do it myself.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

That wasn't there when I was writing my post. I'll do that next time.

Naw, asking me "what's your deal, man?" is called for. I have no problem with that. If I need to be set straight, then someone's got to do it. I had no idea that's how I was coming across. Everything I say needs to be used against me if it's warranted. I supply my real name as to be held accountable for what I say, and how I say it. I'm a confident guy, don't get me wrong ... but not at the expense of other people.

That private message bit was for the "peaceful, fun" guy that wanted to throw a jab as everyone was walking away. There's really no way to respond how I truely feel about that, without it turning ugly, so I'll bite the bullet on that one.

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

"Each morning brings opportunity, every evening bring judgement"

With that thought in mind, it doesn't take much reflection to realize what these past few days have been for me.

As I explained to QR a little earlier ... I guess with my son getting hurt and no one to blame, I've had a serious chip on my shoulder and looking to unload on something. That certainly doesn't justify anything I've said/done, but when looking for a source of the antogonistic attitude, that's likely it. Please, do not take that as someone that's using his son as an excuse to act like a jackass. I don't approve of that, and I don't wish to do that. The fault is squarely on my own inability to channel the anger in a positive way. I want to make that point crystal clear. I also passed off my behavior as "sarcasm", but that's like blaming a typhoon on a "mild breeze".

I don't apologize for certain comments, but I do for others (not just in this thread). For the comments I don't apologize for, I cetainly do regret the manner in which they were said. There are others that have had similar ideas, but voiced them in a much more reasonable and tolerable fashion (tri_bri_2 for example).

The purpose of this thread is to completely squash the stuff that can pollute a forum, at least the stuff I initiated. In other words, I don't want my behavior to lead to weeks upon weeks, of stuff that detracts from the intended goal of the forum.

I firmly believe that those that dish it out, also take it. The whole "make your bed, you lie in it" thing. So, to those that have some beefs to voice, please do so in a private message (as I should have done), so this doesn't continue. I won't dodge. Well, not until you pick up the sledgehammer anyway. *wink*

Not sure if this post is overkill or not, but if it is, I'd rather it be overkill in this manner, and not the other.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll direct my anger toward a more fitting source ... the street ... in the form of a long run that leaves me too tired to feel much of anything. That should have been my first move.

I know one act doesn't erase previous ones, but at least those in the sights, know where I stand.

-----------------------------------

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --