Part 1 - Heroes
- Bruce Springsteen
The "Boss" has kept me company for 20 years now, adding to the soundtrack of my life. I believe that Bruce's "Born to Run" is the greatest Rock song ever written and is the best track on the "Live in New York DVD". The Video clip on "Anthology" is pretty awesome too.
One anectode of my Springsteen experience takes place in 2002. I was visiting the US and bought the just released "The Rising" and listened to it on the CD player in my rental convertible car. A couple of weeks later in September 2002 I visited Beech Mountain in North Carolina (see also Lance Armstrong below) and drove up the famous switchbacked climb... At this time "The Rising", the title track of the album came on the player... As I was "rising" upwards on the road, the music and the venue created a special mood and I knew that someday I would be back there... One of the top 50 days in my life.
I saw the Boss twice live in concert. In 1988 at the Frankfurt (Germany) soccer stadium during the "Tougher than the Rest"-tour with the E-Street Band. In 1993 I was in Munich at the old airport and was standing about 5 meters away from the center of the stage... Bruce was just in front of me for a 4-hour event. One of the greatest music memories in my life was "My beautiful reward" and "Who'll stop the rain", which Bruce dedicated to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong has been an inspiration to me both on and off the bike. There is much to be said but I suggest reading 2 books: "It's not about the bike" and "Lance Armstrong's War" to see the 2 sides of the medal. Lance is an ego-centric overachiever, a sucker for meticulous planning and detailed work, a hard, dedicated cyclist and a great manipulator. He is also a 7-time Tour de France champion, world champion and probably the greatest cyclist the World has seen since Eddy Merckx.
I saw Lance during the Time Trial in Verdun 1999 when he rushed by and I was fumbling with my camera and could not get a shot off in time. I yelled "Let's go boy, let's go go go..." and he did, winning the TT and getting the yellow jersey back. The second time I saw him in 2002 at the prologue in Luxembourg, about 300 meters from the finish line, which he won (I got a few pictures off at the time). The third time I saw him in action was at the Ronde van Flaanderen 2005 where he was riding for George (sadly to no avail). I was standing on top of the Muur in Grammont and waved a Texas flag... Lance looked cooked and for the first time I was thinking about him retiring. A month later he announced his retirement after that year's Tour de France.
In following in his pedal-steps I cycled around North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone and climbed Beech Mountain a couple of times during a week in September in 2004.
Lance will be forever a hero of mine, no matter how much "dirt" or "evidence" or "hearsay mumbo jumbo" the French newspaper "Le Monde" or the sports paper "L'équipe" will dig (or make) up on him.
This is my body and I can do to it whatever I want. I can push it, study it, tweak it, listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike, busting my ass, six hours a day. What are you on?
- Ayrton Senna
Long before there was cycling as my religion, there was Formula One. In 1984 I started watching and stopped about 10 years later after my God died. On May 1st 1994 Ayrton Senna da Silva crashed in the Tamburello curve in Imola, Italy at the Grand Prix of San Marino. That day was the sadest day of my life and has been ever since. Ayrton was a perfectionist and loved to live on the edge of possible. Racing and competition was in his blood and his fans (including me) loved him for it. Never arrogant but always ready to fight he was a God in the Formula One car and never has anyone matched his driving skills in the rain... NEVER!
- George S. Patton
The World War II general that liberated large stretches of Europe (including Luxembourg) has been an inspiration to me ever since I learned that he was actually buried in my home country. I strongly and firmly believe in his leadership principles.
Command and Management
Commanders must Command.
Commanders must have Authority to match Responsibility.
Talk with the Troops.
Always protect the Troops First!
Always do everything you ask of the men you Command.
Select Leaders for Accomplishment and not for Affection.
Any man who thinks he is indispensable, ain
Goals and Planning
Never fight a battle when Nothing can be gained by Winning.
No One is thinking if Everyone is thinking Alike.
Always keep something in Reserve.
Attaining Objectives
The
Say what you Mean, and Mean what you Say!
Keep a Quick line of Communication.
Never let the Enemy pick the Battle Site.
Never fear Failure!
Decision Making
We must always have All the Facts.
Know what you Know and Know what you do not Know.
Grab
Never make a Decision too Early or too Late.
Get up Front!" [No good decision was ever made in a Swivel Chair!]
In the long run it is what we don
Life
Always be Alert to the Source of Trouble.
Success is how you Bounce when you hit Bottom.
Live for Something rather than Die for Nothing.
And remember
Revenge belongs to God.
-
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb is the greatest Baseball player ever. After my interest in Formula One got shattered into a million pieces and I moved to the USA to pursue my studies, I got involved in Baseball... ALL of Baseball including the history. He who says Baseball must say Cobb.
The "Georgia Peach" was the first real superstar in Baseball, not because he was beloved but because he was hated. Legends around Ty are as numerous as his base hits. He retired with the highest lifetime batting average ever: .367
In many ways he reminds me of Lance or Ayrton. Check out more about Ty here.
-
others
Other (un-)likely heroes of mine include:
-
Howard Stern
-
Larry Flynt
-
David Letterman
-
Lewis Black
-
Al Franken
-
George Carlin
Part 2 - Religions
- General thoughts
Religion, and I want to define the term specifically to mean organized religion of any kind, is misused by those few who hold the power and authority within these religious organizations to manipulate and suppress people. That is why I hate EVERY form of organized religion. I hate people that are "holier than thou" in Church on Sunday morning, then go home and abuse their wife or children. Oftentimes these people couldn't care two pack of beans for other human beings, but by putting a few measly bucks into the collection plate they think they can buy their ticket to paradise.
On the other side I hate religion that is based on irrational beliefes that contradict every scientific principle in the known universe. Beliefs based on books (Bible, Book of Mormons, Quaran, etc...) make me loose my lunch.
As George Carlin says:
In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!
- My religion
By now you may ask, what do I believe in? I believe that one can be happy if one tries and that to this end one does not need to rely on books, prayer, other people, money or other forms of gratification.
One of the former CEOs of the Coca Cola Company M. Douglas Ivester once said:
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them — work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four balls — family, health, friends and spirit — are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
For me this holds a deeper meaning... There is a force that gets these balls juggling and prevents me from dropping them. This force, for many, is religion, praying, worship, etc... For me it is "THE BIKE". Lance Armstrong may say that it "is not about the Bike" but for me it is. If I get to ride as often as I want I am happy. Everything that life throws at me (good or bad) can be managed if I have my bike.
The bike represents not only a masterpiece of technology to me, it is also a trusted companion who I can invest energy and time (and sometimes a little bit of money) in and get paid back with plenty of dividents. It is freedom and it makes me feel free. Not only did I loose weight because of the bike, I also lost weight with the bike. Climbing hills and mountains is no longer a chore, it is now a pleasure. The force is with me as long as the bike is with me. Ride on !
Part 3 - Gadgets
Okay this part is mainly for myself. I wanted to have an accessible collection of links to the sites of the stuff I have and can never find when I need it.
- My phone
- My toys
- My MP3 Players
Sansa e260 (screw iPod and the horse they make them ride on)
- My favorite games
Inspirations
Some lyrics that meant something to me at some point in time...
Lyrics
Before I met my girlfriend I loved this song since it painted a pretty accurate picture of myself in the Fall and Winter 2005 - 2006.
GREEN DAY
"Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah
I walk alone
I walk a...
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I've met my sweetie we seem to fit this Ritchie Valens song quite perfectly...
We Belong Together
You're mine and we belong together
Yes, we belong together,for eternity
You're mine, your lips belong to me
Yes, they belong to only me,for eternity
You're mine, my baby and you'll always be
I swear by everything I own
You'll always,always be mine
You're mine and,we belong together
Yes, we belong together, for eternity
_______________________________________________________
One of the first lyrics I can remember and understand ...
DIRE STRAITS - "Brothers In Arms"
These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arm
Through these fields of destruction
Baptism of fire
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms
There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones
Now the sun's gone to hell
And the moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The greatest Rock song ever writen... Bar none !
Bruce Springsteen - BORN TO RUN
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
`Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
girl I want to know if love is real
Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss
The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
but there's no place left to hide
Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday girl I don't know when
we're gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go
and we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
baby we were born to run
________________________________________________________