This computer thing is going to be big...Com-pu-ter. That was my prediction 3 or 4 years ago. So, I went out and bought one.

Prediction for today: This blog thing is going to be big. Even the Snakewoman has one.

He saves lives, he diffuses bombs, he fill prescriptions...

I was looking forward to writing a blurb about the Florida pharmacist who rescued a woman from certain death this morning. CNN interviewed him this morning, and the story went something like this:

1) Woman comes in with what she says is a bomb strapped to her body; her face is cut, and she claims a man with a knife outside is going to blow her up if she does not return with Lortab in 2 minutes.

2) The brave pharmacist instead calls 9-1-1, and stays with the woman until police arrive. A robot then cuts the bomb from the woman, and our hero pharmacist has saved the day.

As it turns out, the woman later confessed that there was no man with a knife, and she had taped a portable propane tank/pieces of a video game console to her body because she could not afford to pay for the Lortab.

Alas, still no positive pharmacist press. Just another day for the dope police. Meanwhile, do not be afraid of this woman:

The Black Pill???

So this woman calls me to say that we're trying to kill her. Evidently her cimetidine (previously a white tablet) was now black. Actually, said I, that pill is green.

She went on to tell me that when she was young, if you were in the hospital and they gave you a black pill, it was poison. I have never heard this expression before, and my quick internet search only turned up a few vague references:

Italian immigrants to the United States brought with them the tale of the "Black Pill". According to this legend which was believed by many of them, at the end of their lives, if requested, a doctor could give them a black pill which would end their suffering. This legend would seem to be a direct reference to the Belladonna berry which is an integral part of their ethnic history.

My quick memory search tells me that there are no black pills (at least available by prescription). Legions of pharmacists reading my blog: Have any of you ever seen a black pill?

Because we're so good at handling our liquor?



CNN interpreted Mel Gibson's apology as a request to the Jewish community to help him overcome his alcohol addiction.

I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

Mr. Gibson: You could try drinking less...and maybe keeping your mouth shut when you do choose to imbibe. Also, whatever you, do not insult the masons.

People like crap.

That is the only explanation I can come up with to account for the incredible popularity of chain restaurants. Sure, In-N-Out makes a pretty good cheese burger (as spoken by a struggling vegetarian), though I do remember them being even better when you had to drive a little to find one. Also, the farther you get from SoCal, the worse they are. But In-N-Out is not even a good example. Take Chevy's. Has anybody ever said: "Mmmn, I love Chevy's. Nobody makes better Tex-Mex". (Disclaimer: I have never actually been to Chevy's, so maybe they do make the best Tex-Mex).

I bring all this up because last night the missus, the missus's sister, the missus's sister's roomate, and I went to Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food was a little better than mediocre, and the service was horrible (waiting 45 minutes for the check horrible...it felt like France). Many years ago, Nico and I ate at the original restaurant (in Columbus, OH, if memory serves). That place was quite good...and dare I say, original. It would have almost given me a reason to go back to Columbus...if I were ever in the near vicinity. But in Huntington Beach, it's just another restaurant serving large glasses of cheap wine.

Stokefire.com has earned an official takealotofdrugs.com hyperlink. Please loyal readers, try not overrun the stokefire servers.

Right on topic for this historic occasion: A mirror of the startup page at work this morning. Tate, perhaps you can explain why my company is inflicting this sort of thing upon us. Here's an excerpt from the "branding guide":

Through extensive research, we learned that customers want to do business with a company that has knowledge, that uses its knowledge and experience in innovative ways, and that has a commitment to achieving improved clinical and financial outcomes for its customers. This insight underscores the appropriateness of our brand
position. We measure outcomes and deliver results.

FYI the start page is usually used for really important stuff (like my 15 minutes of fame).

Finally put the bike back together, and did a run to Dana Point and back (40 miles round trip). It's still hot out there, and if we had not had all the heat training in Europe, I am certain we would have stayed home.

Been trying to decide what I miss most about Europe. Here's what I have so far:

1) Raclette...there's a wiki for everything.
2) Fondue..absolutely everything.
3) Cars that don't honk everytime they pass a bicyle.

Can't do anything about #3...aside from arming Nico, so I just bought a raclette grill. I was going to buy a fondue set also, but I cannot decide between electric and some weird gel fuel. Electric seems much easier, but also seems somehow wrong. Anybody have a fondue opinion? First 6 people to respond will be invited over for fondue.

Complaint from a new reader: "I don't think starting off with concentration camps and pharmacies is a good idea if you want to raise that sweet sweet ad revenue from your site. Gonna need something happier than concentration camps and more mass appeal than pharmacies if you want to drive the necessary traffic to your site."

While I can no longer remember why I originally started takealotofdrugs.com, I do not believe it was for the ad revenue. However, I was a starving student at the time...and I see that I still have the "Donate to the boat fund" button over there, so maybe I am mistaken; maybe I am doing this for the ad revenue. Regardless, a bit more traffic would make the countless hours I spend typing this drivel a little more worthwhile.

But how to generate more traffic? I saw on the news that myspace is the most visited site on the web. Unfortunately, I am not a 14 year old girl, and therefore no nothing about myspace. Also, I do much of my blogging at work (yes, I'm stuck at work today), and the company feels the need to block the site.

I believe google is the second most popular site on the web. But google has not cached my site in over a year. So I am boycotting google. Also, I have no idea how I would translate google's success to my own page.

There is only one other thing I can think of that sells, so I will be borrowing a page from bikeforums.net: Tandem Porn!!!!

I was also thinking of adding some stoker porn, but I have a feeling that might be vetoed.

P.S. If anybody else has any constructive criticism, you may want to consider placing it in the comments section (rather than emailing me)...that way it looks like your insightfulness is shaping public policy, or something.

P.P.S. If you have any tandem (or stoker) porn you would like me to post, feel free to send that via email.

We were told that 10,000 Jews died building the road that led to Le Struthof, a concentration camp in the Alsace region of France. Nico and I climbed close to 10 miles of hill up this road, and I tried not to complain, as my suffering was minimal by comparison.





Sorry for my lack of commentary...hopefully, the pictures speak for themselves.

My mother was not surprised that there was a concentration camp in France, and asked me if we visited any of the camps in Switzerland. Naturally, I thought my mother crazy, as Switzerland was supposed to be neutral.

January 26, 1998, Newsweek,
By ANDREW MURR AND TOM MASLAND; With SARAH ELLISON in Paris
The Swiss Halo Slips Again

THE MEN FARMED, BUILT ROADS or cut trees. Women cleaned and cooked for families. At night, they were confined to unheated barracks, where they slept on plank bunks padded only with loose straw. Armed guards beat workers, enforced rules against singing and threatened malcontents with deportation to Nazi Germany - and certain death. Occupied France? Try neutral Switzerland. "It was strictly a Jewish camp," said Michael Roth, 76, confirming this bleak picture of wartime.

Sweden, you would never let me down like this, would you?

In case you had forgotten, this trip was a tandem tour of Europe, so I really should have started with some bicycling pictures. Here are a couple, there are several hundred others that I have not yet sorted through.
Bill and Jan, of Santana Tandems. (If you were wondering what a $14,000 tandem looks like...)


Our new friends Tate and Sarah:


And a rare photo of us holding Tate and Sarah's bike (we match it pretty well):


If you are bored, here are all the photos we shot on the trip...with the exception of a couple of Nicole's bruised...how do you say? ah yes, deriere. No editing, or deleting has yet been attempted..and some of them are undoubtably sideways. Like I said, if you're bored.