I am proud to be Argentine

Argentina is a machismo society.  So why is it that the country can transition from a homophobic nightmare into passing pro LGBT legislation in such a short time?  I mean while the US was stuck in the middle east securing oil contracts, Argentina was maturing its view of civil rights.  Lest you be reminded that from 76-83 Argentina was a dictatorship in which individuals would disappear for even speaking out against the state. The country has come a long ways.

I remember a quote from a politician back when the Civil Union’s were passed.  He said something similar to

I do not agree with gay marriage, but that has nothing to do with the law and rights.  The right is given under our constitution, and it applies to homosexual and heterosexual couples.

I LOVE that the issue is so black and white to them!  A right is exactly that, a right.  Argentina is a CATHOLIC country, yet the church does not get to create the legislation.   It seams that this sort of change only happens in the relapse of a dictatorship, so hopefully the US is not far behind.

Now, Argentina is not perfect by any means.  The country has a way’s to go, but the forward progress is what makes me so long to return.  Plus the country is beautiful (and so are the women).   Good job Argentina, I miss you.

I have always loved marketing and branding.  Since my early days as a student recruiter, the process of showcasing a product in a favorable way to a captive (or not) audience has been a great joy.  Over the years I have represented a range of products.  Some so cool, I can’t wait to share and others simply because I needed a paycheck.  Nothing prepared me for the challenges and joys of working at Sage.

My job is rewarding.  I work with 20+ professionals who dedicate there lives to helping others through mental health treatment.  I get to see patients come in, and over a course of treatment, improve there quality of living.  My job is to help these patients find the services they seek and deserve.

My job is challenging.  Typical call’s to action don’t work with depressed patients.  I am building a brand for a demographic that is across the board, and varies in age, gender,  function, computer literacy and more.  Beyond that I am also marketing to insurance agencies and general practice doctors alike.   This job is never boring and always a challenge to which I can apply my creativity.

My job is fun.  Mental Health providers are some of the most interesting people to work with.  Work place banter is both hilarious and insightful.  I don’t have the run of the mill co workers here.  The organization is also a great place to work as far as quality of work place.  The stunning view doesn’t hurt either.

The mental health population is under served world wide.   I go to work every day and promote something that is needed.  That is a rewarding job and why I love marketing mental health.

What it is

Cyclo-cross is nearly as old as the bicycle itself, and as fresh and full of vigor as if it were born yesterday. It’s a sport that enjoys rampant popularity in Europe, and in America, after it’s heyday of the late 70′s, is picking up momentum once again in areas rich with the history of road racing: Boulder, Boston, Chicago, Santa Cruz, Seattle, and even Montana where Geoff Procter teaches ‘cross clinics. It’s been called a “fringe sport” and “outlandishly demanding,” but at the same time some of cycling’s greatest heroes, including numerous Tour de France winners, have used it for winter conditioning. More and more ‘cross bikes are being taken from the race scenario — the ultimate hybrid for commuting, for fun. A skill and a tremendous machine that can cover all the bases.

The History of Cyclo-cross

Turn of the century “dead seasons” would find the young French army private, and later secretary-general of the French Cycling Union, Daniel Gousseau cycling through the forests along side his horse-mounted general, sharing their love of the outdoors. He enjoyed these winter outings so much that he invited a few of his friends along and soon dozens of cyclists were rolling along the trails. Impromptu racing occurred among the sporting cyclists and soon organized events were scheduled.
In 1902 Gousseau was given the opportunity to organize the first French championship, which was won by F. de Baeder. For years this “rough stuff” and “mud plugging” remained mainly a French indulgence until its popularity exploded when Octave Lapize attributed his 1910 Tour de France win to the off-season sport. The first International Criterium, which was won by the Frenchman Gaston Degy, was held in 1924 in Paris. Following Gaston to the podium were many of cycling’s greats: Charles Pelissier in 1926, 1927 and 1928, Sylvere Maes, the handlebar namesake, in 1933 and Robert Oubron who won in 1937, 1938, 1941 and 1942!

In 1950 one of the international events became official, and in Paris the 1947 Tour winner Jean Robic was the first to pull on the rainbow jersey. Like the International Criteriums, the World Championships saw many of cycling’s brightest stars cross the finish lines. But among them, Belgium’s Eric de Vlaeminck was definitely king of the ‘crossers having, at the tender age of twenty, won in 1966 and then each year from 1968 to 1973.

The open format of the World’s was changed in 1967 with the addition of a special amateur world title and the junior title was adopted in 1976.

Race Style

‘Cross races are generally held on circuits one to two miles in length. The perfect course will have paved and unpaved sections, wet areas and dry, will be about 75 percent rideable, the rest for running. It will have a variety of natural obstacles, like muddy banks, streams, and fallen trees, and man-made obstacles, like bales of straw, wooden barriers, and even flights of stairs. Depending on you classification and age the race will last around thirty to 75 minutes. After a season of multi-hour hour road and mountain races this may seem to be a short run, but for even the most prepared, this is a lung-blowing experience. Cyclo-cross is a very demanding, incredibly precise sport.
More like road racing than mountain, ‘cross racers are allowed “pit crews” where they can do bike exchanges, replace wheels or take care of any other mechanical problems they might have. It’s common on muddy courses to exchange your filthy bike for a clean one after each lap. The mechanics using buckets and brushes, high-powered hoses, and even rushing streams to clean off the bikes.

The only real way to learn the cyclo-cross ropes is to get out there and do it. If you happen to live in a ‘cross-friendly area, you can find folks to help you learn the tricks of the trade. Everyone else? Try finding some Euro-Pro ‘cross videos, look out for the fall ‘cross tip articles in VeloNews and the like, and, if you can track down a copy, read Simon Burney’s definitive work on the sport, Cyclo-Cross.

Why do it?

At a time when mountain biking is so popular, the question of why to take up cyclo-cross is often heard. There are basically three reasons to cross over. One is for the same reason you might, in this time of clinchers and STI, use sew-ups and down-tube shifters: history. Cyclo-cross has been around for about 70 years longer than its fat-tired grandchild. Its courses weave a rich tapestry of cycling heroes and two-wheeled feats. Its time tested and time proven.
Probably the main reason for taking up cross is for training. Nothing can beat the incredible workout afforded the roadie by this off-season sport. It builds stunning arm and upper-body strength and bike-handling skills that will eliminate the fear of rainy criteriums and gravel spotted roads, increases cardio-respiratory endurance and takes up surprisingly little time, since a one hour workout can be more advantageous than hours on mind-numbing rollers.

But the third, and my main reason for crossing, is that its just plain fun! Nothing beats the quick handling and lively feel of the cross bike on the quickest descents and trickiest singletrack. In his Feb. ’93 Bicycle Guide article “Mountain Bikes: Who Needs Them?” Chris Kostman called these modified road bikes “the first and only real all-terrain bike.” And he’s right! I believe they’re also the perfect commuter, or, as Grant Peterson would call them, all-rounder bikes. No throw-back balloon tires, elastomer bumpers, springs and OPEC drippings to separate you from the feel of the Earth. Just you, your wits and the perfect trail bike. The simplicity of a cross bike, and the very act of riding, running and walking, enable you, as Robert Oubron and Rene Chesal write in their book Cycliste 100, serie cyclo-cross (Paris, 1967),

“to discover hundreds of interesting things which you would have ridden straight past is you had not been tempted into hitching the bike over your shoulder, or simply pushing it along, and following a riverbed, or a footpath that may end in a spring or an unexpected view, or a lane that suddenly yields up some unexpected historical monument, or a lake you did not know existed.

…Just try doing this on a bridal path in Savoy or in the Pyrenees and I’ll be surprised if you don’t find yourself singing for sheer joy. And when you’re back down again, after clattering through streams and gullies and stony paths, sometimes on the bike, sometimes on your feet, you will have enjoyed a wonderful experience.”

The main bikes of my wife, Melanie, and I are ‘cross bikes. In the country area where we live there are too many dirt roads to just jump on our road bikes and ride — and way too much asphalt to lug cumbersome mountain bikes around on. With the sluggish and unresponsive geometry of the common hybrid, what’s left? If you want a machine that has precision slo-mo handling and can really pull out the speed when you want it, the cyclo-cross bike is the answer.

‘Cross bikes aren’t just for racing any more. “To call it only a sport,” says champion ‘crosser Laurence Malone, “is demeaning. As people seek increasingly creative and self-reliant means of transportation, this hybrid of foot and bicycle travel will take on new dimension and importance. As perceptions of the bicycle shift from that of toy to tool (and they will), two-wheeled expertise cannot remain confined to sport alone. What is regarded as ‘recreation,’ ‘sport,’ or ‘leisure’ today will be the challenge of mobility tomorrow.”

Okay, so this video came up in my facebook feed today (thank you Natalie and Stone Age) and I couldn’t help jumping all over it. Bear Grylls may have apologized for his motel living fake show in the past, but shooting a rock climbing video, talking about how climbing is how he clears his head? At least do your research and shoot it right! (Degree should up their budget). So if you haven’t see the video, here it is. See how much fail you can spot (and let us know in the comments!)

Degree Men Presents / Masters of Movement / Bear Grylls (Rock Climbing)

THE VIDEO IS FAKE (and really badly done)

Okay, so most commercials are fake, but most do a better job of appearing to look real. He may have gotten away with faking wilderness survival (since not that many people are into weekend wilderness survival) but the climbing community is both large and keen on the details. Take for Instance this first freeze frame.

Lead Climbing with a Top Rope

Now I have nothing against top rope climbing. In fact I personally lack the cajones to push into really hard lead climbing. You can see his yellow rope hanging below (super run out since he didn’t clip that piece he placed a few seconds prior). Also note his feet are not even in the crack and he appears to he hanging by a single hand jam. Maybe if he had actual climbing shoes on, he would be able to get some toe jams in! (oh… but what shoes is he wearing?

Bear… put on some climbing shoes please.

Yup, Bear decided that he is bad ass enough to use approach shoes for his route. Not a bad pair of approach shoes, but still.. get a nice pair of Five Ten or even better, Mythos by La Sportiva (crack climbers rejoice). If he is short on cash, he could always use his Citibank card to buy some shoes. I guess on a top rope it doesn’t matter that much though.

Clipping in to your rope, via a wired gate on the belay loop…. (my favorite)

It bugs me enough when people use a locking carabiner at the gym because they are to lazy to retie the figure 8. Outdoors on “lead” to put the full force of your fall on the belay loop and then on a wired gate? Come on! This is actually dangerous. I guess its a good thing he had that top rope set up.

More Top Rope shots if you missed them.

Everything is fake in Hollywood… so why do you care?

Last fall, I got txts from three different climbing friends telling me that Citibank had Alex Honnold and Katie Brown (Who I am madly in love with) in a commercial. Check it out.

See, you don’t have to be fake! First of all, they hired real climbers, and let they do what they love doing. What I like most about it is that they actually payed the climbers! (Not a ton of money in pro climbing) Plus, I would much rather watch Katie climb than Bear (and I know my female counterparts would agree about Alex).

Okay, did I miss anything? Am I going overboard on this? Let me know, leave a comment, bitch away or go buy a stick of degree…. I’ll stick to old spice, patchouli doesn’t quite do it. Oh and share this on facebook/twitter/Google or what ever your poison may be.

Climb On

- Julian

PS. Katie, you can contact me through the site, or twitter, or facebook… any of those ways works.

Part of having partners in business is being able to experience industries that are slightly different than your own.  Our partnership with Monster Media has been a perfect example of this. A couple weeks ago Monster Media installed a carbon fiber wrap on a rally car from K&N.   What makes this wrap so cool is that the carbon fiber wrap look is not just printed on (like most of the printing at monster media) but rather it is a textured roll that we special order from 3m.   Although the wrap won’t reduce the weight of your vehicle, it won’t reduce the weight in your wallet either.

Check out these sick Carbon Fiber Wrap Photos.

What can you wrap in carbon fiber?

So what can you wrap with carbon fiber?  Just about anything really.  Think about it. When was the last time you saw a mini van with a carbon fiber hood and rear door? I bet they don’t even make those!  For a few hundred bucks you can have the fastest looking mini van on the road.

What about Bikes? Helmets? Walls? In reality if you have enough square footage (will have to check with the guys in the shop to see the min.) you can wrap just about any surface.  Hm. Carbon Fiber Fridge doors anyone?

See, this is part of why I love working in the Monster Media building.  Although Zebra Kick is entirely an online service provider, we love to dabble in the offline world.  And without giving anything away, we are going to see some seriously cool stuff coming out of monster media in the near future.  Until next time though, that will have to wait.

Also if you have an idea for an awesome carbon fiber wrap project, let us know in the comments below.  In fact if your a comment spammer (I love you scrap box), leave a relevant comment suggesting a good carbon fiber wrap project and I’ll approve you link! (as long as your not linking to any of our orange county competition).

A quick glance through her portfolio left me with a new view of the ability for ink to create strong positive and negative space.  Each rendering shows a different way in which complex shapes can work together to create textures, volume and character.  It was a treat to see her work and meet her.

Check out this Video of Elana’s Work

I found some of Elana Hendlers images online, but if you want to stay up to date with her latest work or find out more, then I suggest you check out her social media presence.

• Elana Hendler on Twitter
• Like Elana Hendler on Facebook
• Network with Elana Hendler on LinkedIn
• Find Elana Hendler on Google+

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

– Buddha (but I could see Cash saying it as well).

Although typically not a fan of Jason Mraz, I ended up on Mr. A-Z this evening as I was taking care of some work.  Got to say, I really enjoyed this song.

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I’m saying

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is…so… wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful

Okay, so the joke was bad, but my friend Jed loves “this guy” jokes, so I had to work it in somehow.

Yes it is true, someone got me the Middle Earth public transit t-shirt. Super excited (thank you Bridget!). I grabbed a close up photo off of the website, along with another blurry webcam shot of the logo.