Karma

I'm a big believer in Karma, the good kind. Do something good for something and it comes back to you. It works with money, and good attitude. The more you give away, the more you get in return. I know there are some who will think of the money thing as "yeah right" but it's true. There are countless enormously successful people who put all there money in to start a charity and it all came back to them and more. But this post is not about that Karma.

Today my big sister and I did something we should have done a couple years ago. Our mother is diagnosed with mental inllness and 4 years ago the Doctors said she shouldn't be driving. Today we finally got the nerve up to steal her car and her license. It was not an easy thing to do. In fact it was one of the sadder moments of my life. Car travel was part of her life. It was how she got out of the house. We took it away. In the long run it was the right thing to do but Karma will strike back. Somewhere down the road probably when I'm 70 years old Karma will strike. Maybe if I can I'll write about it.

Passion

Marco and I talk regulary about Passion for life. He is at a stage in his life where he is trying just about everything but not really doing any of it passionately. That's not totally true. One of the the things he is really passionate about is reading and that's really cool. Obviously that passion comes from his mother because it takes me about 2 years to finish a page in a book. Anyway he's taking a shot at Soccer, Track, Basketball, and Skateboarding right now. Can you guess where the above pictures are from? No, it's not track. It's Skateboarding. I have yet to see this up close because this happened while I was on the plane. It looks awfully painfull but his mother tells me he is really proud of the wound. That smells like a bit of passion. For his recent birthday all he wanted was a grinding rail. So on Saturday he and I went to the local Hornbach (Home Depot in German) and purchased the makings of a griding rail. Total bill was 8 euro. We then went home to build it. I'm sure the above wounds were caused by a grinding attemp on the new rail.

On this same day clear across the world, Marco's cousin Elliot was on his skateboard, fell off as often happens and broke his arm.

I've heard somewhere that if you really want something, want it really bad, you do what it takes to get there. I recently read "We might as Well Win" by Johan Bruyneel the team director of the teams Lance was on. The book is all about the thoght if if you're going to do it, you might as well go after it and win! Marco and I'm sure Elliot were all over it. Both were probably trying some trick they had never done before. Trying to win over gravity while keeping a board between their feet and the pavement with nothing but great balance. The pavement won this round but based on their current attitudes, they will win the overall.

It's a good life...

Dave

Panama Again

I know, it's been awhile since I last posted. When the tour is on priorities change. What a Tour de France it was! The best team won. Carlos Sastre, rider for rider probably wasn't the best in the field but he had the best team that surronded him and protected him the entire tour and that's why he was fresh on the big days. Cycling is such a team sport in that way. When Lance was winning he had both going for him. He was the best rider in the bunch and he had the strongest team every year. That's a combination that will win every tour. Not really easy to do though.

So yes, I'm back in Panama. The third time this year. I'm really getting used to the city and of course I love all the people I work with. They just have a passion and energy for what they do. The big difference this trip is Marco and Mary are joining me and we are going on vacation in Panama. I know it sounds crazy. We live half way around the world and choose Panama but there are huge benefits. The Euro is really strong and we get paid in Euros. Panama other than that really big ditch called the Canal is not really on the map of heavy tourism. So we are heading to some little known Islands in the Carribean for sun, warm water and fun. It has all the things we love, Spanish Language, great food and the above necesities. Germany was just plain ugly the last two weeks. For more than a week it seemed we were heading to a really early Fall. The temperature dropped 10-15 degrees Centigrade (that's a huge jump for you Americans), the wind picked up and lots of rain. The two big Ironman distance races in the area were raced in poor conditions. Athletes in both races complained about being cold. Anyway it's hot here in Panama and we like Hot.

I'll post some pictures from Panama and other adventures on this 4 week trip for me.

It's a good life...

Dave