the contrast!

Yesterday it was really warm, in the 70s, and so of course everyone
was out on their bikes. I went out for a ride with a group and I got
back at nearly 8. On the way home, we passed a park and saw all these
guys dressed up in medieval/knight garbs, with shields and swords and
having big duels. They do this every tuesday night during the summer,
and we see all these goobers getting out of their cars with their
shields and doublets and other gear. In fact, they all looked like the
stereotypical goober. Quite a sight. I thought of how funny it is that
on a nice tuesday, we all get out on our bikes and they re enact
scenes from LOTR. It was pretty amusing to watch. Judging from what I
could see it's the only thing these people do out of doors. Well, at
least it gets them out of their parent's basement!

: Yesterday it was really warm, in the 70s, and so of course everyone
: was out on their bikes. I went out for a ride with a group and I got
: back at nearly 8. On the way home, we passed a park and saw all these
: guys dressed up in medieval/knight garbs, with shields and swords and
: having big duels. They do this every tuesday night during the summer,
: and we see all these goobers getting out of their cars with their
: shields and doublets and other gear. In fact, they all looked like the
: stereotypical goober. Quite a sight. I thought of how funny it is that
: on a nice tuesday, we all get out on our bikes and they re enact
: scenes from LOTR. It was pretty amusing to watch. Judging from what I
: could see it's the only thing these people do out of doors. Well, at
: least it gets them out of their parent's basement!

You come across as elitist, disdainful, weird, judgmental, parochial, and
chauvinistic (and one or two more words I don't want to post in a public
place).

Please stay in California.

Pat in TX

Pat said:

You come across as elitist, disdainful, weird, judgmental, parochial, and
chauvinistic (and one or two more words I don't want to post in a public
place).

Please stay in California.

Pat in TX

I thought "California" too, at first. But I'm pretty sure that "CA" is Canada.
So we're safe. ;-)

.....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown, silly
colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and pretend they are
road bike racers!!!

[email hidden] news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yesterday it was really warm, in the 70s, and so of course everyone
was out on their bikes. I went out for a ride with a group and I got
back at nearly 8. On the way home, we passed a park and saw all these
guys dressed up in medieval/knight garbs, with shields and swords and
having big duels. They do this every tuesday night during the summer,
and we see all these goobers getting out of their cars with their
shields and doublets and other gear. In fact, they all looked like the
stereotypical goober. Quite a sight. I thought of how funny it is that
on a nice tuesday, we all get out on our bikes and they re enact
scenes from LOTR. It was pretty amusing to watch. Judging from what I
could see it's the only thing these people do out of doors. Well, at
least it gets them out of their parent's basement!

"D. Dub" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:e1pge.1318579$6l.496118@pd7tw2no...

Quoted message said:

....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown, silly
colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and pretend they

are

Quoted message said:

road bike racers!!!

no, that's almost as funny/silly as when Dennis P. Harris goes to the beach
and stuffs a potato down the front of his swimsuit and pretends that he is a
real man

Claire Petersky said:

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[string of insults snipped]

Quoted message said:

I thought she came across as bemusedly tolerant of other people's
eccentricities.

Using the term goober and claiming that it is what gets them out of their
parent's basement is not a sign of tolerance. Its painting them as being
stereotypically non-functional people. As far as the the original poster
knows these people might have careers, own their own homes and have families
to go home to, just like most bike riders. Remember that many Americans view
the original poster viewed them.

--
Bill

Diane Rocereto said:

"D. Dub" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:e1pge.1318579$6l.496118@pd7tw2no...

Quoted message said:

....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown,
silly colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and
pretend they are road bike racers!!!

no, that's almost as funny/silly as when Dennis P. Harris goes to the
beach and stuffs a potato down the front of his swimsuit and pretends
that he is a real man

Grumpy group this AM.

Bill "at least he didn't put the potato in the BACK of his swimsuit (old
joke)" S.

Claire Petersky said:

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[string of insults snipped]

I thought she came across as bemusedly tolerant of other people's
eccentricities.

Pat, go ride your bike.

I've got to agree. My daughter is a huge LOTR fan, attending the opening
of the last movie in full Legolas costume (sewn by yours truly), and
she'd be the first to laugh at such goings-on as being hopelessly geeky,
but would still probably want to join in. It's possible to both laugh
with and at. Especially if you're a cyclist.

Claire Petersky said:

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[string of insults snipped]

I thought she came across as bemusedly tolerant of other people's
eccentricities.

Pat, go ride your bike.

I agree. There was nothing mean about the original post. My first
thought was, I wonder if any of them commented on the silly lycra
clad, helmeted cyclist.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Pat said:

: Yesterday it was really warm, in the 70s, and so of course everyone
: was out on their bikes.

[...]

Quoted message said:

You come across as elitist, disdainful, weird, judgmental, parochial, and
chauvinistic (and one or two more words I don't want to post in a public
place).

Please stay in California.

I can only wish "it was really warm, in the 70s" in California. It is
half way through May, for God's sake, and I'm still having to wear long
sleeve jerseys and undershirts to keep my (very thin) blood from congealing,
even on afternoon rides.

I've noticed they're having rather balmy weather in eastern Canada, though...

Dennis Ferguson

D. Dub said:

....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown, silly
colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and pretend they are
road bike racers!!!

Agreed.

What the hell is "LOTR"???

Dan

: Using the term goober and claiming that it is what gets them out of their
: parent's basement is not a sign of tolerance. Its painting them as being
: stereotypically non-functional people. As far as the the original poster
: knows these people might have careers, own their own homes and have
families
: to go home to, just like most bike riders. Remember that many Americans
view
: the original poster viewed them.
:
: --
: Bill

That's my point. It's ignorant behavior to stereotype people based simply on
their hobby!
How many times have we heard that we cyclists are weird because of some
uninformed person's chauvinism?

Pat in TX

Dan said:

D. Dub said:

....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown,
silly colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and
pretend they are road bike racers!!!

Agreed.

What the hell is "LOTR"???

Lord, it rings a bell... Any help?

Bill Sornson said:

Dan said:

D. Dub said:

....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown,
silly colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and
pretend they are road bike racers!!!

Agreed.

What the hell is "LOTR"???

Lord, it rings a bell... Any help?

Word games. OK I'll bite. I've heard people described as being OTR, but
I'm guessing it's not related. Must be some kind of kid-related
pop-culture drek that has slipped beneath my childless radar. Seems to
involve costumes. A character from "Star Wars", perhaps?

I'm sure you're all ROFL'ing at my expense by now...

Dan

Dan said:

Bill Sornson said:

Dan said:

D. Dub wrote:

>....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown,
>silly colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and
>pretend they are road bike racers!!!
>

Agreed.

What the hell is "LOTR"???

Lord, it rings a bell... Any help?

Word games. OK I'll bite. I've heard people described as being OTR, but
I'm guessing it's not related. Must be some kind of kid-related
pop-culture drek that has slipped beneath my childless radar. Seems to
involve costumes. A character from "Star Wars", perhaps?

I'm sure you're all ROFL'ing at my expense by now...

No, but I am surprised at your cultural illiteracy. Lord of the Rings. Read it.

Despite the imitators, the movies and all else, it remains a classic of modern
literature. One of the few truly great books of the last century.

Ron

RonSonic said:

Dan said:

Bill Sornson said:

Dan wrote:

>D. Dub wrote:
>
>
>>....almost as funny/silly as grown men who dress up in full blown,
>>silly colored team kit on their outrageuosly expensive bikes and
>>pretend they are road bike racers!!!
>>
>
>Agreed.
>
>What the hell is "LOTR"???

Lord, it rings a bell... Any help?

Word games. OK I'll bite. I've heard people described as being OTR, but
I'm guessing it's not related. Must be some kind of kid-related
pop-culture drek that has slipped beneath my childless radar. Seems to
involve costumes. A character from "Star Wars", perhaps?

I'm sure you're all ROFL'ing at my expense by now...

No, but I am surprised at your cultural illiteracy. Lord of the Rings. Read it.

Despite the imitators, the movies and all else, it remains a classic of modern
literature. One of the few truly great books of the last century.

Ron

Ron-And I'm surprised at your gullibility. My remarks were tongue in
cheek.

A sense of humor. Get one.

Or maybe you're just OTR...

Dan

:
: Ron-And I'm surprised at your gullibility. My remarks were tongue in
: cheek.
:
: A sense of humor. Get one.
:
: Or maybe you're just OTR...
:
: Dan

No, it's just that we can't SEE your cheek over the internet. All we can do
is go by what you write.

Pat in TX

Pat said:

:
: Ron-And I'm surprised at your gullibility. My remarks were tongue in
: cheek.
:
: A sense of humor. Get one.
:
: Or maybe you're just OTR...
:
: Dan

No, it's just that we can't SEE your cheek over the internet. All we can do
is go by what you write.

Pat in TX

Pat-I dunno, I thought the "Star Wars" thing was pretty...

OH I get it, now YOU'RE doing it!

Good one, Pat.

Dan

William McHale said:

Claire Petersky said:

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[string of insults snipped]

Quoted message said:

I thought she came across as bemusedly tolerant of other people's
eccentricities.

Using the term goober and claiming that it is what gets them out of their
parent's basement is not a sign of tolerance. Its painting them as being
stereotypically non-functional people. As far as the the original poster
knows these people might have careers, own their own homes and have
families to go home to, just like most bike riders. Remember that many
Americans view the original poster viewed them.

Actually, I would wager that many of those folks probably make fairly
hefty money. Have you ever priced chainmail? It's not mass-produced.
All hand-made by serious craftsmen who have put a lot of time and effort
into learning how.

The same holds true for any kind of (modern) medieval armor. Hell,
whatever they were using that was made of metal costs the world.

The textiles in my experience are made at home, from relatively
inexpensive materials.

Bottom line, I would be willing to bet that people who are seriously into
medieval history re-enactments have a hobby that's *far* more expensive
than the vast majority of cyclists.

Mark