It's killing me but..........

Originally Posted by jsirabella

One last post though, "tomato gravy" ???? What the hell is that? Did you say stuff like that to her parents? My mom would have hit you with a pot also.

-js

Originally Posted by Felt_Rider

My first wife is a J.A.P. (at least that is what she called herself) from Bawston. Her nose is a little bigger than the typical Japanese girl's.

Originally Posted by kopride

Tony,

They're not . . . that's the point. People laugh and joke at serious subjects to take the edge off. As I said, if you read in context, my wife's family (and my own) does not fit any cultural stereotype-despite her Latina heritage, and for that matter, its my own children's heritage. If you listen to George Lopez, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Woody Allen, and for that matter any relevant comedian, past or present, you hear a lot of the same type of self-deprecating cultural humor. On the other hand, Jesse Helms. . . . not funny, and not sympathetic even in death, (although the postumous revelation that Strom Thurmond fathered a mixed race out of wedlock certainly was ironic, for its sheer hippocracy alone.) My Prada wearing lawyer wife supposedly cursing at me in Spanish while she throws pots and pans, is a pretty funny image. And, I don't believe that she (or any other female family member of hers) ever wore a tube top, to a funeral or elsewhere, that's why the image was so funny. (She does make a mean tomato gravy though). Japanese race promotors sending Tyson on a 35km detour, was also pretty darn ironic, if not funny to everone else but Tyson. . . because it was inconsistent with the stereotype of the ordinarily meticulous Japanese.

Believe me, if you follow the trend of the US Supreme Court's jurisprudence, you will be much more concerned about the so called humorless "color-blind" Justices, than the ones that recognize cultural differences and realize that there is still work to be done --even if they attempt to remedy discrimination with a sardonic sense of humor. I think it is obvious to anyone that read any of these offhand jokes (other than apparently to you) that they were made with affection and not with any intent to denegrate a particular race or ethnicity. But this is Tyson's thread about his personal power quest so I will let it go and stay on topic in the future.

Originally Posted by kopride

If you have been married twice, the first wife is the "ex-wife." If you have more than two, then it is perfectly appropriate to refer to her as the first wife, to distinguish her from the second, third, or fourth, etc. If you really are a man with baggage, then, the best tactic is to refer to the woman you are currently married to as "the current wife," and any other previous one as "one of my ex-wives," leaving the exact number somewhat vague.

And, if you're "first wife" truly was a J.A.P., then there was no risk of ever being hit by a pot, only the telephone while she was calling for Chinese takeout. As Michael Corleone said: Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in"

Originally Posted by tonyzackery

are usually the most sensitive to it,

Originally Posted by Piotr

Alright y'all, pour on the Polish jokes!.. I've heard them all and it made my skin like that of an armadillo (BTW, I'm not a plumber but indeed, my Polish wife is a nurse. ). The only way to HTFU is to practice, practice, practice...

Originally Posted by Sillyoldtwit

Sorry to interrupt this lively skin colour conversation, but would anyone be offended if I mentioned something about cycling?

Music and the importance thereof.

I always remember RapDaddyo at the beginning of this thread when I was doing 140Watt L4 intervals, telling me to not be too ambitious and to keep it at 140W, because I would derive a lot of benefit by doing so.

In keeping with this philosophy, this morning I was purposely doing my L4 intervals at a low wattage. Anyway, even at this low wattage (290 W) I was beginning to mentally flag in the middle of the second interval, when all of a sudden 'The Bucket' by the Kings Of Leon was the next track up. Wow, I did a Landis and belted the rest of the interval with the help of the next track -'Diamond' by Battles.

Again in the 3rd interval I started to mentally wilt, when up popped an old inspirational favourite of mine - 'Holding Out For A Hero' by Bonnie Tyler, and I was off like I had a firecracker up my rear end.

The point I'm making is, that without the music I probably wouldn't have completed 2 intervals, never mind 3. I appreciate that music might not work for everybody, but if you haven't already tried doing your intervals to music, give it a whirl - it works. Tyson

P.S. You older cyclists probably won't know these artists, but us youngsters are inspired by these bands!

Originally Posted by wiredued

Ooops I almost forgot FWIW my wife is pure Sicilian.

Originally Posted by kopride

well, this explains why nobody else on this board but Tyson has any energy left to ride.

As for indoor distraction, I am a big fan of DVD sets, non cycling related. The HBO shows, the Wire, Sopranos, etc, were all good, and I also like Weeds, but it is a half hour. Some of my best rides were watching shows that I really enjoyed. I also like to watch sports and do intervals during commericals. I find music alone to be a little tougher.