redkow97

I was raised Catholic, but I don't consider myself a practicing Catholic any longer.

As I understand it, the point of not eating meat was meant to be a general fasting. There wasn't much else to eat BESIDES meat when the tradition started, so you were pretty much living off bread and water - and you only had so much bread.

I've also heard (wish I could cite my source - i'll look for it) that the Papal dispensation for being allowed to eat fish on Fridays was a direct reaction to the Roman fish marking completely tanking during Lent. The economy was suffering, so suddenly it was ok to eat fish.

That kind of thing is what irritates me about Catholicism - the fact that they won't just acknowledge the truth about some of their beliefs and traditions; like, oh, I don't know - maybe Jesus didn't perform miracles, and wasn't the son of God. Maybe he was just a really wise and good person who we should all strive to emulate. Instead they try to convince me he walked on water. I find it insulting to my intelligence.

But I do love fish fry season

This is a 4wd day, everyone else needs to be very careful.

sometimes I find it hard not to laugh at statements like this...

there was a time (a pretty damn long time) when 4wd didn't exist. Even FRONT wheel drive wasn't really viable until 1967, and not not popular for several years after.

People still got around during the winter.

I realize the lower 80% of Ohio is getting pounded lately, but even in that horrible blizzard we had last year, my wife's neon was all we needed to get around. My truck was a bit worthless for a couple of days, but the neon would just push right through the snow, dragging the undercarriage as it went.

i'm not sure where you're getting the liver-damaging ideas on creatine but i've never heard that before, only the suspected, though unfounded idea that it may damage kidneys.

Maybe I read kidneys and typed liver. I did my research a while ago.

As much as I've raved about loving NO Xplode, i think the simple supplements are safer. Someone warned about unnecessary ingredients, and I think taht's probably the best advice given.

The FDA doesn't regulate supplements, and companies get around listing the doses of various ingredients to protect the formula for their "proprietary blend" of stuff.

the conservative route is to only buy stuff in the Canadian formula. Socialized healthcare gives the Canadian "FDA" motivation to be a lot more strict with supplements.

I have a pretty sensitive stomach, but my stomach gets used to creatine in a few days.

the joke on the internet about the caffeine-packed "NO Xplode" is that is gives you NO Xplosive diarrhea.

I admit that the first 48 hours are NOT pleasant, but man does that shit get you amped up for a workout.

Abe has been adopted! mods can lock or delete this.

'extreme' weather is all relative. 10" in Cincinnati is a lot, but these guys would find it pretty laughable.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/Chinook/photos.htm

I broke the belt on my snow blower a month ago, and i've been shoveling by hand for the last couple rounds of storms. It's not fun, but it's not the end of the world either.

So if Nesba gets half a session in and determines that it's unfit to ride do you get the credit?

I believe that would only yield a half-day credit.

if anyone turns a wheel, the "morning" is gone.

i'd be very interested in Grattan. never been. looking for an excuse to get out that way

i ignored the opening ceremonies, but i WAS excited about luge/bobsled/skeleton; at least until that guy died. It's a terrible tragedy, but I don't want to hear about it every 30 seconds during the competition (just like i didn't wnat to hear about Hurricane Katrina for the 2 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl).

there is undoubtedly a mental element to working out. You could call it a placebo effect if the athlete is in the dark. (Fonzie - if your son is hell-bent on taking creatine, experimenting with some deception might not be the worst idea...)

As I mentioned, I use creatine as a motivator these days. If i take NO Xplode (pretty expensive) at noon, I know i HAVE to go work out at 12:30, or 1) it probably hurts my liver, and 2), I'm wasting money.

There are certainly times I'm in the gym where I think, "well, i'm about done..." and I still do 2 or 3 more sets of some exercise I hate, simply because I persuade myself that I need to get my money's worth out of the supplement.

one other thing I don't think anyone has mentioned - Most creatine supplements will have instructions for a "loading phase." I have NEVER observed those, and don't see the need.

first, you're ingesting something new to your body, or at least in higher doses than normal. If you're sensitive to it, you want to find that out with a small dose, not a "loading" dose.

second, there's a lot of people who beleive the 'loading' phase is just a way for you to use up the product more quickly, so you buy more. Your body can only absorb so much creatine. Taking triple that amount is just a waste of money...

I guess i just wasn't into bikes when this was a big deal. Having owned an F2, I saw the "smokin joe's" replica body kits all over the place while i was pricing race bodywork.

I'm sure what he's got is relatively rare, it's just not exciting to me. I wish the guy luck with the sale, but I don't think it's quite "classic" yet.

Creatine is not remotely hormonal. I've never seen any data that even remotely suggests it can cause depression, anger, or aggression. If that's a possible side-effect, that's certainly news to me...

'Andro' is a different story, and I'd avoid it. I believe andro is a "pro-hormone," which stimulates your body to produce more testosterone. Now THAT is toying with nature a bit too much for my liking.

Creatine is naturally ingested via red meat... supplementing it is no different than eating steak 3 times a day; except that you don't get the cholesterol and fat (or the delicious taste)

He used the force Luke.

You can force Luke to do whatever the fuck you want, but please don't do it in front of me.

I guess it's kind of collectible, but $3300 sounds high to me... My RR cost me $3300 with a penske shock, GMD computrack fork internals, a full titanium exhaust, etc.

Are these so collectible that it's really worth $3k?

I just have a hard time believing that ANY bike from 1998 (even with 100 miles) is worth that much when you can buy something newer for the same price.

I didn't think it was that cool... Maybe the gay music diminished the effect for me.

I'm not going to pretend that I know how he did everything, but I thought it was clear for at least a portion of the tricks that there were multiple lasers with magnetic backing (thus how he 'broke' the beam behind his back), and he 'bent' them with a small mirror.

hanging his shirt was more interesting.

the thing with 'magic' is that most of it is very simple. Not easy, but simple. The manipulation is difficult, but the actual 'trick' is never that complicated.

Thats not worth the 100 plus travel and setup and all. IMO

Thats not a trackday thats a taste test.

I tend to agree. a 'regular' 7 session day is $195, so if this is only going to be 3 sessions, I change my vote to "below $100."

some people might like the lower cost to give the track a try. If that's their target audience, then the idea is more worth it.

for my part, I try to mainly ride 2 DAYS at a time so the travel is more worth it...

My first bike was purchased in 2005, because it was the first one I looked at that I could actually afford. I was trying to get a cruiser, but I just wanted a BIKE.

the pic is in the pits at Nelson Ledges, during my 5th trackday. Glad I didn't get the cruiser.

I still have the EX, but also have a 2003 CBR 600RR in the garage for trackday use:

I got the RR to replace my F2, which was a bit heavy and down on power compared to more modern 600's. It would be egotistical to say the F2 was "limiting" me on the track, but it's certainly easier to go faster on the RR

nostalgia pic of the F2 (the original Creamsicle):

(i had literally just finished mounting all the freshly painted bodywork. later, this bike had full Browns decals as well)

In college, I could have reasonably said I was into bodybuilding, and I would have been big enough that you wouldn't have had the balls to laugh at me

These days I'm about 10 lbs smaller, and not nearly as strong, but I'm still in good shape and work out 4-6 days a week. I take creatine more as a motivator than anything else. (i.e. "well, I took creatine - if i skip my workout now, i'm just wasting money and hurting my liver")

Creatine works. there are studies to back that up. It increases strength and overall muscle-mass. It's not a dramatic effect, but it's real.

The very very basic explanation is that creatine holds more water in your muscles. As a result, you can work out longer/harder, you recover a bit faster, and you gain weight. Initially, the weight gain is because of the additional water you're holding, but there will be muscle growth if you use it consistently and continue working out.

I am a firm believer that any creatine supplement needs to be cycled. Your body produces creatine naturally, but if you start supplementing, your body eventually compensates by slowing its own production. For a 'regular' creatine monohydrate supplement, I do 1-2 months on, and 1 month off.

I'd recommend the same for high-school athletes.

The more 'extreme' creatine supplements like NO Xplode or NO Shotgun have nitric oxide (or soemthing) that supposedly makes the creatine absorb better and quicker. They also have large doses of caffeine. I actually really like NO Xplode, but I wouldn't call it 'healthy' by any stretch.

As i mentioned before, excess creatine can damage your liver. It's relatively harmless if you work out, and actually draw it into your muscles where it's utilized, but if you just take it and don't do anything strenuous, your liver has to filter it, just like anything else you put through your system.

For high school kids, I'd start them on a small regiment of creatine monohydrate, and it will always depend on the kid. I barely needed to shave until my senior year of college, so I don't think any amount of creatine would have made me bigger in high school.

to put things in perspective:

when i started working out at 20 yrs old, I weighed under 150lbs.

On my 21st birthday, I remember telling them to put 165 lbs on my license thinking, "I'm at 163 - i'll get to 165," and really struggling to get there.

in the year that followed, I started taking supplements, and continuing to work out. I graduated college weighing 187 lbs, and could bench press 265 or so. If I'd been smarter about my workouts (i.e. not completely ignored my legs), I probably would have weighed more like 205.

today, I do not ignore legs, and i work out almost as hard as I was then - i just don't supplement nearly as much, and I can't eat 6 times a day like I did in college. I walk around at 178 lbs.

I think NESBA is the most strict group i've ridden with - in a good way.

if you buy a membership before monday, you get a $25 credit along with your membership, so it's $50 net.

the $15 difference from STT is quickly made up in gate fees; a lot quicker if you get a crash or rain credit.

Bet that felt good on a bare back.

i bet it felt worse on the passenger's bare head.

How does NESBA compare to STT? I've never ridden with NESBA

Anything positive I say about NESBA is going to get Brian all fired-up

basic similarities:

- same 3 groups per hour format

basic differences:

- You can't register in "A" your first ride with NESBA unless you have a valid Expert race license

- Once you register in "B" or "I," you can't register in other groups unless a control rider moves you up or down. (some people hate this. I think it makes things much safer)

- NESBA doesn't require classroom time for "B" group. You ride your own ride all day.

- NESBA does not allow inside passing in "I" group (again, some hate this, I like it)

- NESBA offers a credit if the day is rained out (rain insurance)

- NESBA offers a credit if you crash (you crash in the AM, you get a credit for the afternoon. you crash in the afternoon, no credit)

- NESBA pays your gate fee, and the gate fee for any and all guests.

- I have found that NESBA's CR's are more "proactive" about giving feedback to riders without the rider specifically asking to be evaluated, followed, etc.

It's a common misconception that you can't register directly into "I" group with NESBA. you can ...but I don't recommend it.

Because NESBA is a lot pickier about who they 'bump' from "B" to "I," NESBA's "I" group is (on average) considerably faster than STT's "I" group.

whether or not those are good or bad things are a matter of preference.

if you have specific questions, drop me a PM.

I'm a Parma resident. I'll post a line-by-line analysis of the lyrics when time allows

i hadn't even thought about that. It could take some of the worry out of booking at Mid-O.

Maybe Bucky Badger will jump in and clarify for us, but I've had mixed results with NESBA's rain policy.

I know there are some tracks (Summit JC, for instance) that NESBA simply WILL NOT ride in the rain. Without having run and event there in the past, I don't know if Mid-O will be one of them.

"rain insurance" only applies if NESBA calls the day off, not if you just decide not to ride.

May 10 & 11 (yes it's a monday and tuesday, but so are the dates I booked through mid-O's site)

check it out at www.nesba.com

The "buy a membership and get $25 back"

Keep an eye on our schedule too...a very special event should be posted within the next couple of weeks.

It has its own thread: http://www.ohio-riders.com/showthread.php?p=421006#post421006

unless there's some other very special event in addition to this one