Pure suction

I have no clue what my wife
was watching on tv.

This past week I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine... to own a Dyson vacuum cleaner.  Well, maybe it wasn't life-long, but I did go through a stage in my early 20's where I was obsessed with stainless steel kitchen gadgets and other random household items. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a stage. Maybe I am still that way.

When the Dyson broke on the vacuum scene years ago I knew I wanted one. I also didn't think I would every spend more than $150 for a vacuum cleaner, let alone $500-$600 that the Dysons went for.  I bided  my my time. When we got the house I was ready to pull the trigger on a Dyson, but I got a good deal on a Bissell healthy home. It was a beast that served us well for the last 5 years.  However, the dirt bin closure broke months ago and I was sick of screwing with it.  (Yes, I am the one that vacuums our house.)

C'est la vie

For the past 22 days I have spent far too much time watching cycling. Though my daughter doesn't realize it she has already watched more cycling on television than what most people will sit through in their entire lives. Today the 2011 Tour de France ends, and cycling gets put on the back burner until next July rolls around. The end of the tour is always a bittersweet time.

For 20 days this month there has been 3-6 hours of cycling coverage each day. I dvr all the action so I can watch it at my own leisure. Even though I skip through a lot of it, I put in a lot of hours. I am always glad when it is over. It is totally enjoyable, but some days I feel like it is my duty to sit through it as a fan. That sounds stupid when I think of it, but it is almost an obligation. As those guys have to pedal their bikes for 2,000 miles over the roads of France... I have to sit on my couch and watch them do it. Another reason why I love watching the end of the tour is seeing the riders come into Paris. These athletes have made it through an extremely tough three weeks and it is always nice to see the joy on their faces as they roll into town. Even the dude who finishes dead last must have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. That is rare to see, and I like it.

A rough day at le Tour

Most people would argue that cycling is incredibly boring. For the most part I would agree with them, but for some reason the Tour de France ropes me in every year and I get so enthralled with the event. These guys are riding 2,000 miles over 21 days... pretty darn impressive. Beyond the physical feat, there is so much strategy and planning that goes into it. I get caught up in the drama. I get excited to see if a rider can deliver the goods when his teammates put him in position to win.

There is also the whole soap opera aspect of cycling. There are heroes, villains, and rivalries. It is fun to follow it all and see how it plays out. In the past I've gotten all excited for the "big" stages of the tour and they have come up short. There have only been a few times where I have felt the importance of the moment. The year Sastre took off up Alpe d'Huez was one of those moments. This year there isn't a clear favorite after the first week. Contador, last year's winner, has had a rough go of it so far. He has some catching up to do. I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks. It's shaping up to be the most exciting Tour I've seen yet. Of course, I did miss Lance's 7 wins. That would have probably been more exciting.

Oh Disney!

Have you ever watched a Disney animated movie and sensed there was something familiar about it? I'm sure I've felt like a scene was really similar to one from another film, but I didn't realize they were blatantly identical. I have always known that Baloo from the Jungle Book was exactly the same as Little John from Robin Hood, but other than that I didn't think about it.

I saw this video posted on another blog a few days ago and it kinda blew my mind. As a child of the golden era of Disney animated films I feel a little taken advantage of. I'm sure it was a lot of work to draw those sequences, and it saved them some time to use the exact same movements, but seriously. I can't imagine how long it took to comb though all the Disney films and put this video together.  It is crazy to even think about. I am sure there are tons more examples that weren't included.