I'm going nuts - but am thankful not to be in prison.

[joe_papp]

OK, it's official - I'm going nucking futs sitting at home, although it's better than prison...yes, yes, yes.

So here's the latest find - the best map of the good ol' USA ever (in the modern era):

News story on the map: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/01/the_best_american_wall_map_david_imus_the_essential_geography_of_the_united_states_of_america_.html

Website for the map: http://imusgeographics.com/

<removed image>

Anyway. I am sooo bored (#2 above doesn't return until Sat. night). But thankful not to be in prison.

Bringing it back to the map, here's good ol' PA - a state you DON'T want to drive across w/o satellite radio...

(I live in Bethel Park - don't ask me how we merit a dot and label on the map, but Mt. Lebanon doesn't!)
(I was born in Ohio, the state next door to the left of PA. Spent first 8 years of this torturous life living in the Cleveland area. Dead flat...while Southwestern PA is all up/down short-steep-climbs and equally sharp descents and very little level riding. I had a dream a few nights ago about being back in Ohio...it was weird. But, I guess better to be having weird dreams about Ohio than living the nightmare of spending a night in prison - right?)

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

OK, it's official - I'm going nucking futs sitting at home, although it's better than prison...

Are you under essential house arrest? Or limited travel anyway (store, post office, school, Heinz Field, etc.)? Or is it that you can't leave the state?

Yes, better than prison. If confined to the state, I guess you could also feel fortunate you don't live in North Dakota! Or Oklahoma, or Iowa, or Delaware, or Connecticut, or any other state where nothing happens and there's nothing to do (this might get some responses!)

Awesome story about the map. Well worth reading about.

 

[craig1985]

Ever ridden up Mt Davis Joe?

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Nice map Joe! Sucks to be that bored though, some recommendations against boredom: Play games, a ****load of games or read
and watch series

 

[RedheadDane]

Naah! You're not going nuts. Not until you try to stick all your furniture to the ceiling and live you life up there.

You haven't... right?

Cool map!

 

[joe_papp]

Are you under essential house arrest? Or limited travel anyway (store, post office, school, Heinz Field, etc.)? Or is it that you can't leave the state? Awesome story about the map. Well worth reading about.

I'm under actual house arrest. I'm not electronically monitored, however, and thus far have had a good relationship with the officer assigned my case, so if I step into the street or the the neighbor's yard, alarm bells don't go off and no police cars show up like in "Disturbia."

Glad you enjoyed the map story. Can't believe the guy put 6000 hours into it! Wow!

Excerpt from the story:

"...Post-computer editing decisions are frequently outsourced—sometimes to India, where teams of cheap workers will hunt for obvious errors and messy label overlaps. The overall goal is often a quick and dirty turnaround, with cost and speed trumping excellence and elegance.
By contrast, David Imus worked alone on his map seven days a week for two full years. Nearly 6,000 hours in total. It would be prohibitively expensive just to outsource that much work. But Imus—a 35-year veteran of cartography who’s designed every kind of map for every kind of client—did it all by himself. He used a computer (not a pencil and paper), but absolutely nothing was left to computer-assisted happenstance..."

Ever ridden up Mt Davis Joe?

I never have - do you recommend it? (For those wondering, Mt. Davis is the highest point in PA and it's located in the southwestern portion of the state: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Davis_(Pennsylvania)). You can obviously see it on the map excerpt posted above.)

Nice map Joe! Sucks to be that bored though, some recommendations against boredom: Play games, a ****load of games or read
and watch series

Thanks - all good suggestions! I read a ton (every day I spend a few hrs at least reading) and by games, if you mean video-games, I've got that covered too! lol.

Naah! You're not going nuts. Not until you try to stick all your furniture to the ceiling and live you life up there.

You haven't... right?

Cool map!

I live my life inverted!

Crystal blue skies today w/ unlimited sunshine...52F...oh how I wish I could go for an hour on the road bike! lol. Have a good weekend everyone.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Joe,Hang in there and write poems about vino or a story based around him

 

[ggusta]

edited .... horizontal scrolling triggers my freaking anxiety

Despite the scrolling (which is more a forum technology problem)

I would like to nominate this post as best post of day with 3 excellent images in it. They didn't have cellmates like that in Ye Olde Graybar.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Nice map.

boo hoo over your sitting around your house...you're lucky compared to others. next time don't do anything illegal.

The girlfriend shot in lingerie....
?? very cute and mature

 

[RedheadDane]

Just be a good boy and before you know you'll be free to fly right outta the door!

 

[ggusta]

Just be a good boy and before you know you'll be free to fly right outta the door!

for the time being, he will have to live out of his suitcase of courage.

 

[ggusta]

Nice map.

boo hoo over your sitting around your house...you're lucky compared to others. next time don't do anything illegal.

The girlfriend shot in lingerie....
?? very cute and mature

i think if i had just gotten out, the lingerie would be quite modest. i think it would be in tatters before we got out of the car. not sure what else you want. and yes, stay on this side of the law, sir.

 

[jamiephillips]

Hey isn't that Durian Rider's mrs??

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Hey isn't that Durian Rider's mrs??

Joe's missus is way hotter

 

[jamiephillips]

Lucky devil's still moaning!

 

[jamiephillips]

Hey isn't that Durian Riders mrs??

 

[pedaling squares]

OK, it's official - I'm going nucking futs sitting at home...

Couldn't care less, Joe. Do the crime, do the time. If you can even call house arrest "time" with a straight face. I do wish you a happy and successful future though and hope you come out of this for the better.

 

[ElChingon]

I have to say you're doing time in not so bad of conditions. A friend did some half time where they had to spend their nights at a place or semi-prison I guess they call it work furlow. It was like a barracks sleeping quarters with who knows who and then a shower room... being in your own house is pretty nice.

Anyway, enough about the yellower grass.

I would say some exercising till you get to exhaustion would help simmer the body. Try jumping for a minute, jumps must be full on jumps and continue for a minute Then try the old static of virtual sitting on a chair with no chair, hold it for as long as possible, then repeat till you can't. Situps till you can't. Being winter that will also warm your body up and hopefully get your mind to go elsewhere for some time.

The fact that you're on the computer means you can still at least entertain yourself (I think?). I'm taking catching up on shows and movies (I know most haters will at this point will start to start to go off, but), get a hulu account, checkout justin.tv (don't add any toolbars), netflix.

I'm only adding things others haven't already suggested.

Lastly, when are we going to see your list? Or has it been marked top-secret and stored in a vault?

 

[The Hitch]

If your under house arrest, I reccomend watching the series - OZ, about prison.

Show was so brutal, it would make you instantly thankful your not in prison.

BTW thats not a snarky comment but a plug for the awesome show- OZ.

Personally im starting to wish I was under house arrest. It would be the perfect excuse not to come into uni on Monday and have my tutor scream at me for not having done my coursework.

 

[jamiephillips]

God you're living on the edge!

 

[Thomsena]

What did you do?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Have you been living under a rock?! Plenty of info on him out there. Basically, he doped in cycling, imported and sold doping products to other athletes, got caught, confessed, cooperated with federal prosecutors, and now is under essential house arrest as a result.

An ex-boss of mine is actually in federal prison. Sentenced for three years to a medium security penitentiary. Got bused for SS fraud and tax evasion. The guy was a very prominent broadcasting executive, knew an absurdly high amount about the industry, wrote two respected books on it, and to be candid was a very good manager who knew how to keep people together and moving forward. But he was also a con man living a double life, and got busted for it, big time. I think it sucks they locked him up like that instead of just fining the hell out of him and garnishing his future wages, but they decided to throw the book at him and now he's locked up.

 

[Oldman]

Joe-if you took the picture of the girl personally you are already living a better life than most of the folks on the forum. Focus....

 

[Thomsena]

Have you been living under a rock?! Plenty of info on him out there. Basically, he doped in cycling, imported and sold doping products to other athletes, got caught, confessed, cooperated with federal prosecutors, and now is under essential house arrest as a result.

I guess I have then. (I don't follow the clinic forum)

Popular guy considering the crime and the fact that this is a forum for cycling enthusiasts...

But again. I've just heard about this now.

 

[mewmewmew13]

@Thomsena

My observations are that we are a strange society.

Some have a need for recognition or like to think of themselves as a 'folk hero' of sorts. When attention flags we see desparate attempts to revive our interest.

For some strange reasons a huge chunk of our population has to get their '15 minutes' of fame...consider the ilk of reality shows and viral videos.

If someone is a 'celebrity' no matter how minor you will see people afraid to challenge them or point out that maybe there are some integrity issues.

Some things just have no explanation.

BTW Joe, why don't you just put your pic of your gf in the 'Babes on or off the Bike" thread where it belongs on this cycling forum?