Thursday, October 29, 2015

Please report to doping control immediately after reading.

How was your commute this morning?  Mine was quite lovely, thanks:


Indeed, I can assure you I was beaming the whole time--not just because of the blue skies, unseasonable warmth, and multi-hued autumnal foliage, but also because it turns out the winner of this year's Gran Fondo New York was doping, and there's just something about Gran Fondopers that fills me with glee:


Oscar Tovar from Colombia, the winner of the 2015 Campagnolo Gran Fondo New York and first annual GFNY Championship, tested positive for synthetic testosterone use during the in-competition doping controls administered by US Anti Doping Agency (USADA) at the race. Tovar has been banned from any competition under World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) rules for two years and by GFNY for lifetime at any GFNY World event.

Yes, instead of vilifying this rider we should be celebrating him, for Fondos are essentially mass expressions of the Fredly ethos, and doping to win a Gran Fondo is the very highest expression of Fredness.  See, it's one thing to dope when big money is involved, but this guy put it all on the line just for a cheesy jersey and a free De Rosa!


It doesn't get any more Fredly than that.

Unfortunately the GFNY organization doesn't see it that way, and instead of being honored they're rather offended that Tovar had the audacity to rub his "doper taint" in their faces:

“We are of course upset and hurt that a doper taints the reputation of our race and had us celebrate him on the day”, says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “However, it’s without a doubt more important for us to do what we can to make our race fair, of which doping controls are an integral part. Simply looking away and not testing the athletes is the worst decision that a race director can make because it forces everyone to take drugs to try to level the playing field.”

"Doper taints?"  Gee, you'd think they'd have noticed the testosterone patch.

Oh, and the third place finisher in the women's field was also doping:

Another athlete who tested positive for a banned substance is Yamile Lugo of Colombia, who finished in 3rd place overall in the women’s field. Just like Tovar, the values detected in Lugo’s sample were consistent with the administration of a steroid of exogenous origin. Those values certainly could have been caused by the athlete’s use of testosterone, but it could have also been caused by her use of another anabolic agent such as DHEA.

Put that on your pudendum and absorb it.

And let's not forget about that Cat 3 who got busted at the GFNY back in 2012.


All of which goes to show not that there's anything special about the GFNY, but that Freds and Fredericas are incorrigible cheats.  Yes, the sport of cycling is filthy at every level, from the Grand Tours, through the Gran Fondos, and right on down to your local Tuesday night training series.  This is because bike racing is a disease, and anybody willing to spend $3,000 on a pair of wheels is a person of weak moral (crabon) fiber.  Indeed, every Fred or Frederica is potentially only a hairline fracture away from slapping a testosterone patch onto the ol' perineum before the big day as casually as a barbecuer throwing a slice of cheese on a sizzling beef patty.

You're fooling yourself if you believe otherwise.

Even I am no exception, and on the very day Oscar Tovar was besmirching the Gran Fondo NY with his doper taint, I was leading the BSNYC Gran Fondon't:


On which I took a hale group of willing lemmings cyclists on some of my favorite nearby roads and trails:


Needless to say I was doped to the gills.

Yet despite all this, people continue to associate cycling with good health, which is why the image of Stock Photo Mountain Fred graces this article about exercising and aging:

(Stock Photo Mountain Fred portages his Barney sled up a hillside.)

Alas there's virtually nothing about cycling in the article itself, but it does say that people who exercise have "longer telomeres:"

However, recent science suggests that exercise may slow the fraying of telomeres. Past studies have found, for instance, that master athletes typically have longer telomeres than sedentary people of the same age, as do older women who frequently walk or engage in other fairly moderate exercise.

Interesting.  At first I thought telomeres were like palmarès, but then I looked it up in the dictionary:


Hmmm, makes total sense.

As for the conclusion of the article, you'll no doubt be stunned to learn that exercise is good for you.

Though if you don't wear a helme(n)t while doing it you're sure to die.

Yes, it's all about inevitability.  Throw a few thousand Freds together and invariably some of them are going to dope.  Similarly, propose new bike lanes in Manhattan and inevitably some Upper East Siders are going to plotz:

Sure, they'll have to go a long way to rival the property owners of Coronado, CA, but these complaints are still pretty good:

Michele Birnbaum, an Upper East Side resident, considers the First Avenue bike lane already too intrusive, and notes that crosstown streets are far narrower, said that adding crosstown bike lanes would be “entirely inappropriate.”

“As much as biking has increased, it is still a teeny tiny percentage of the population and there's no reason to turn this city upside down to accommodate them,” Birbaum said.

Yep, that's right, they're TURNING THE CITY UPSIDE DOWN!


(Inversion effect caused blog to go over budget so we were forced to do the shot in Toronto.)

Meanwhile, someone who's a member of some kind of "alliance" thinks cyclists are "spoiled:"

Susan P. Siskind, a member of the New York Alliance for Pedestrian Safety and a First Avenue resident, said any crosstown lanes would merely increase what she characterized as bicyclists' unruly conduct.

“Adding crosstown bike lanes is like rewarding a spoiled child with a new toy when they misbehave,” she said. “I witness the lawless behavior of bicyclists every day and until all bicyclists obey all the rules of the road and the NYPD provide enforcement, a great majority of pedestrians will continue to feel unsafe.”

I'm willing to accept that metaphor just as long as you take it all the way and paint drivers as the unemployed 40 year-old Ignatius Jacques Reilly types still living rent-free at home and bellowing "MA, BRING ME A SANDWICH!!!" until they "accidentally" murder somebody.

Lastly, here's a Fred pushing a couple of cars while wearing cycling shoes:

 

Never, ever do this.

The proper etiquette when passing a fender-bender is to point, laugh, and keep riding.

126 comments:

Unknown said...

Note 14. (Paragraph 73) When someone approves of the purpose for which propaganda is being used in a given case, he generally calls it “education” or applies to it some similar euphemism. But propaganda is propaganda regardless of the purpose for which it is used.

ricochet said...

I MISS HER

Two Claws said...

Two Claws UP!

Ted Sucks said...

Ted sucks

dop said...

fondle don't

Serial Retrogrouch said...

not a big bang

Roille Figners said...

Tedless podio, ass-grab position?

dcee604 said...

Did I make top ten today?

Anonymous said...

Je suis dans le premier dix

Freddy Murcks said...

How do I square the fact that I am a lifelong fred with the fact that I think that freds are bunch of pathetic douchebags? I generally don't think that I am a douchebag. I am an MTBist, primarily, so technically I am a barney, but there are plenty of douchebags among the barneys too. Uggghhh!

Anonymous said...

10!!!!!!! Ted doesn't count

dnk said...

Freddy Murcks: try to look at the bright side: you've probably got longer telomeres!

Freddy Murcks said...

I checked out Oscar Tovar's results yesterday after the doping story broke. He was somewhat of a serial Grand Fundo "winner." I.e., he is/was the biggest, baddest cat6 in the NY metro region.

Marge simpson said...

Just look at all this beautiful foilage!

Everybody must get stoned said...

"Simply looking away and not testing the athletes is the worst decision that a race director can make because it forces everyone to take drugs to try to level the playing field.”

He is saying "Forcing everyone to take drugs", like it is a bad thing...... Sounds like leveling the playing field is a Platonic Ideal to me. Or maybe just everyone on drugs all the time is what i think we should try; we're not that far away.

Anonymous said...

Susan siskind should examine the behavior of pedestrians, as if they never cross against a light or jay walk. Multiple times every day I have to stop for pedestrians who are crossing against the light or wandering cluelessly into a bike lane.

lardass said...

In spite of my possession of a biology degree, you got me with the telomere gag.

Anonymous said...

Telomeres are basically end caps on chromosomes that keep your DNA from degrading and making bad copies of itself. This keeps your DNA accurate and theoretically keeps you from degrading.

ken e. said...

pidgen euro-speak... present!

clyde said...

TOPPUS XX - now to read I hope there are boobs

lardass said...

Anonymous:
I know what telomeres are. For some reason I just assumed that maybe it was a non-science term also and went so far as to look it up.

balls™ said...

Did somebody get a new thesaurus? I learned more new words for genitalia in this post than I did in the 7th grade.

Excuse me whilst I rub my telomere up against her pudendum and ride off to scranusville.

N/A said...

My oh my, look at those massive swinging telomeres!

clyde said...

Wow this blog is getting a bit too highbrow for me! Snob please bring it back down to the 13 year old male level. We all know this where men stop mentally maturing.

Anonymous said...

Oh Tedrick.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 1:13pm,

I run my DNA without the end caps to save weight.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Roille Figners said...

Nobody is going to comment that both the dopers, as well as most of the good dope, come from Colombia?

Anonymous said...

I unload my DNA regularly to save weight. If ya know what I mean...

Soon To Be Disappointed said...

Jesus has come again in the form of Justin Trudeau. Shuttered Coast Guard stations will be re-opened, postal service will be restored, the long form cencus will be brought back, weed shall be legal for all, government scientists will be able to speak freely of their findings, etc... The reign of the evil emperor are over.

Your a Jack-Ass but said...

Anon @ 1:37

Yes, of course we know what you mean

brother yam said...

Hey, wasn't Doper Taint the bass player in Lelee Viride's band?

Meet the new boss said...

Same as the old boss

Prince said...

Doper taint, doper taint

Doper taint, doper taint

Doper taint, doper taint

I only want to see you dancing in the doper taint

Anonymous said...

*You're...

Anonymous said...

Nuttin to see, just polishin' the old telomere here.

brother yam said...

Gah, Letli Viride, not Letlee Viride.

I'm sorry, I'll go and punish my taint...

BamaPhred said...

Reporting for doping. Seriously. Have you seen how many pills senior citizens take?

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

I keep my telomeres long like my beard.

Malificent said...

Tell a mirror what? You ask mirrors things, like who's the fairest. Poison apples for all you.

JLRB said...

At least the super-Fred doper for a non-race-race didn't try to ride with a giant wind-foil-lance like that "sipping coffee" guy (tried to find the old post but failed)

N/A said...

So, where do we go for the dope?

P. Bateman said...

dang it. late again.

i once got the male version of a UTI...which actually is just a UTI but i guess i mostly associate those with cunnilingus and vaginas. anyway, my right tenure was the size of an orange for a week. not some junk tangerine, i mean a naval orange.

was very painful. but also pretty impressive.

Becoming Complacent with Shit. said...

Hey the Gran Fondo winner was probably suffering from low T and erectile disfunction, hence the Testosterone boosters he was taking. Is erectile disfunction a side effect of riding your bike too much, or of being too Fredly?

leroy said...

A Confederacy of Dunces reference, yes!

Now I see my problem with the Gran Fondon't. I neglected to ask if you'd brought enough for everybody.

Anonymous said...

GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme's reference to the participants as "athletes" ... priceless.

McFly said...

I'm totes down with older women that engage in moderate exercise...vigorous even.

Spokey said...


top semi-centennial

maybe the last day of nice riding here.

Charlie said...

Je suis Fred.

wishiwasmerckx said...

I liked it better when telomeres referred to labial folds. After all, who doesn't enjoy a well rugated secret garden?

Anonymous said...

I was expecting Dudley Do-Right in the video to fall or at least scratch one of the cars and have the drivers come barreling after him as he veered away on his Fred-sled. Nope, nothing like that - it was all good.

Jeez it is windy out there today.

wishiwasmerckx said...

These pretzels are making me thirsty.

Anonymous said...

WCRM, "I run my DNA without the end caps to save weight." is gold, shouldn't have wasted it in the comments

wishiwasmerckx said...

While we are on female anatomy, have you ever noticed how breasts are like batteries? Nobody wants AA's. C's are good, but D's are better. If they are rectangular, you don't want to put your tongue on them.

Yes the Link Is Both Bicycle Related and SFW said...


While we are on female anatomy...

Anonymous said...

Any plans for another Fundon't?

ChamoisJuice said...

Speaking of telomeres, DID YOU KNOW? The asymmetry of your balls is correlated to your handedness AND your cognitive abilities?!?!

Human Reproduction vol.12 no.1 pp.68–72, 1997
Genital asymmetry in men


study showed that men with a larger right testicle have more cognitive skills than men with a larger left testicle. If asymmetry and intelligence are related, this may indicate that crooked junk and smarts are linked to a common prenatal hormone.

My right testicle is the size of a grapefruit.

1904 Cadardi said...

"Point, laugh and keep riding."

Until today I didn't know there were options.

Unknown said...

vsk said ...

Careful on them awesome trailpathways Sr. Snob with all those wet leaves around.

That picture gave me an idear for a dedicated Wet Leaf Bike. Will definitely still work if the leaves are only ... moist ...


vsk

Gideon said...

Oh man, I remember the Gran Fondon't. I was doped to the gills too, which explains why I brought with me two snickers bars ya know what I mean - heh...heh?!

Wish I wasn't stuck here in my office. A friend of mine quit his job recently and has some free time, so I told him to ride up the south county trail today. Are those pictures from the trail? I'm so jealous.

-Nada Robot

Spokey said...


i spun me wheels a couple times this afternoon on wet leaves. and me legs have the powers of overcooked noodles. so be careful. it can be slippers out there.

Glory said...

In search of relevance until all bicyclists obey all the rules of the road! Those two phrases aren't any more absurd together than they were apart.

Grump said...

I've never done a Fondo, I'm not a fan of Fondos, I'll never do a Fondo, and I make fun of people who ride Fondos.
If I feel like a long "fun" ride, I ride long with my friends. If I want to ride long with hundreds of Freds, I'll pay $20-$25 and sign up for a Century (or Half Century) ride.
If I want to compete against other people, I pay my entry fee, pin on a number, and give no quarter. Some people I know get upset with me when I call Fondos "Pretend Races" for people who are lacking in the "balls" department.

BamaPhred said...

So whatpressureyourunnin for them wet leaf rides?

P. Bateman said...

i think Leroy's dog gets excited about "slippers" riding conditions.

Rubber Cleats said...

I can't believe I watched the whole video and not once did I see a fred-shoe wearing fred slip on the concrete. No fun today. Can anyone tell me why the microphone in the video was mounted INSIDE the rear cassette?

JB said...

If a Gran Fondo is not a race, then why are there prizes for winning? Does not compute.

babble on said...

Heh you guys are on fire today. Specially da man. Fuck yer funny snobberdoood. You run yer DNA without the end caps to save weight indeed. Heh heh. Pure, unadulterated genius.

And of course we're all cheaters. Cycling IS cheating!! You get to go really far really fast and you hardly have to work at all to get there. Heh. Yep. Pass the dope. Sign me up for that sweet stuff that gives you the big-azz telomeres.

I.M. Impressed said...

Grump - You are soooo manly in your little lycra tighties costume with your cute "I'm a competitor" style number pinned on your faux pro sponsor jersey.

Anonymous said...

Hi Snob, thanks for this reference to the old Ignatius, a good reminder of a fantastic book.

P. Bateman said...

i have learned an awful lot from this here blog today - some biology, some life skills, and now a bit of literature. i'm intrigued by this confederacy book. i am going to read it.

now i know, and that is half the battle.

thanks for the enrichment BSNYC and commentariat.

Dooth said...

While I'm sure that Michele Binbaum has had her share of things teeny tiny, she's off about the cyclist population in NYC. From where I'm sitting, the Continental Bar on Third Ave, I've counted 8 cyclists and 24 cars crossing St Marks and Third ave...there goes another cyclist...followed by two cabs. A skateboarder, then two more cabs. About ten cars just passed, then two bikes. Wow! A pregnant mom portaging a small child on Workcycle! Yeah, let's not protect cyclists.

dop said...

I think Dooth should get a grant from the NIH to count cars while sitting in a Bar in the East Village.

A grant is like a kickstarter you get from the government.

DB said...

BikeSnobNYC at 1:22, COD.
Good one today, Wildcat.
Spent afternoon with my 90 year-old father. Took expired meds to police station for disposal. OxyContin, Hydrocodone for when he fell and broke some bones.
Probably should have kept them and sent them to my NYC friends.
Leroy: sounds like your dog took care of you during your down time. Hope you insisted on steel parts rather than carbon if you had any replacement issues. Assume all is well?

dop said...

He could hire one of those 'research assistants' who walk the streets to count the bikes.

P. Bateman said...

those police guys and gals are going to be very, very relaxed tonight.

ChamoisJuice said...

Confederacy of Dunces was moderately entertaining. Couple few laughs. Ignatius is this know it all blowhard, oblivious to the feelings of others, and he kinda gets on your nerves.

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT, TINDER! I matched with this cutie when I was in NY this summer. Graphic designer, good style, thin, nice boobies, a bit of a five head, well four and a half head. Anyways, turns out we went to the same private school, though she's 10 years younger than me. She found me in all my 90's kid glory in her older brother's yearbook.

Anywho, we been chit chatting the last little bit. Last messages I sent her:

Halloween is the one day of the year I will wear stretchy pants in public.
I ride bikes a lot, and not to be vain, have nice legs. But firmly believe Lycra looks ridiculous on men.

LOL have to agree.
Wanna meet for drinks tonight?

And tells me to pick her up at her house, so we can go to Irvington. Which I can only interpret as she definitely wants the schmeckle in her vag, and a grapefruit sized testicle in her butt. Goddamn, it is frustrating when you can't carpe diem. At least I know what I want for Christmas...

ChamoisJuice said...

>:@
Cyclist to blame for his own death near Whistler in May: British Columbia insurance authorities

The Yumster said...

Heat the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped lavender flowers and remove from the heat. Steep for 1 to 2 hours, then strain out the lavender. Pour this fragrant syrup over the grapefruit sized testicle and stuff medium sized apple in his mouth. Enjoy the delicious silence!

Bob Patterson said...

Asking why someone would dope to win a Fondo is like asking why bicycle jerseys do not come in 5XL.

Bob Patterson said...

Of course there was the trick or treater who wore a bicycle jersey and was asked why he would not wear a costume.

babble on said...

Yes. ICBC at it again, asshats. There they go, trying to BLAME THE VICTIM so that they don't have to pay out as much dosh. Fucktarded, but it's exactly Who.They.Are. Back in '97 I wrote a report, a response to their chicanery on behalf of BC's mediation providers, petitioning the government to refuse ICBC's motion to cap the payouts on motor vehicle inflicted injuries. They insisted that if you lost your hand, for example, the maximum payout you could possibly receive was $5000. (They drew up a shocking chart proposing what they considered the value of human life - maybe I still have it somewhere. You can't make this shit up.) and they were trying to legislate their evil little plan. For real. At our firm, for example, we took payment in the form of a percentage of winnings, so that wasn't going to work.

Needless to say, we won. :)

ChamoisJuice said...

Whatcho dresses up as for halloween ms. babble? I think you could pull off a pretty hot "Sexy Justin Trudeau" costume

Spokey said...

ummm

why don't cycling shirts come in 5xl?

i have my weekly call with my bro & lil sis in a few minutes. i'll ask the bro if the fat cycle guy was wearing a biek-sickening joisey when he mooched a bed & meal recently. that guy must be at least a 5xl. maybe 8-10xl.

i run the same pressure with / without wet leaves. 82 red blooded 'merican psi

hey potbelly. they're paving east mtn between amwell and south branch so you'll be able to take that road without losing your wheels or teeth now.

babble on said...

Ok, but still, there's so much to choose from!! A whole lifetime documented from day one... were you thinking Trudeau the Boxer or maybe Trudeau the Bhangra dancer would be more interesting? When I used to teach the downhill ski-ingness in Banff waaaaaaaaay back when, the Trudeau kids would come out with their dad quite regularly, full security detail in tow.

The boxing clip is funny. The Sun recorded it, and they're a notoriously right wing institution, so from the beginning they're calling him a shiny, pretty little pony and making fun of what they call a fake tattoo, though it is a real tattoo of the Haida symbol for Katimavik, a program his dad founded which the conservative government unfunded in one of its austerity omnibus bills a short while ago. It's worth ten minutes of your time, that one. :)

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

I was gonna go along with DB's "BikeSnobNYC at 1:22, COD." but The Yumster's receipe @6:43pm is funny. Honorable mention at least.

Spokey said...


yes

the fat guy had a bike jersey. so they do make really big ones.

dop said...

Wien 2:32 cod

dop said...

WIWM

Earth First! er said...

Ted is like a god to us!

Ricky Ricardo said...

Whattaya expect?
Mexicans are sneaky...

BamaPhred said...

I can't go trick-or-treating. The Ms hid my costume, Dr Frank N. Furter. Doesn't go over well, for some reason. Yet it's ok to wear ratty Nashbar bib shorts around the neighborhood every day. I don't get it.

Mirror Mirror said...

ChamoisJuice said...

... Ignatius is this know it all blowhard, oblivious to the feelings of others, and he kinda gets on your nerves.

Anonymous said...

Wham! And the day is over...

Anonymous said...

Ted counts. He is up to paragraph # 73.

Snow Winter Boots said...

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P.S - I also recommend purchasing the Ugg Cleaner Kit, which you use on your Uggs before you wear them. You let the boots dry, and voila! Your Uggs will be more protected from rain and accidental scuffing :D The sprayer thingie also protects the boot from discolouration :)

Spokey said...

rise & shine people

thought i'd beat snobbie to the quiz room this am

Spokey said...

or maybe

Spokey said...


just trying to sneak

Spokey said...


in the

Spokey said...


century !!!!

leroy said...

CJ - John Kennedy Toole was a literary giant who fought inner demons beyond the limited scope of your imagination. On my best day, I will never write long form as well as he did.

His humor is the kind that doesn't have a shelf life. Try working in that mode sometime. Very few can pull it off. Twain, Will Rogers, Jack Handey are masters. Andy Borowitz, who is undeniably brilliant, usually won't work in this genre.

leroy said...

DB -- I'm fine. Figured out why hills have seemed tougher. Can't wait to test newly installed carbon fiber upgrades to internal hydraulic system.

P. Bateman said...

i'd like to learn more about these UGGS. i hope that is part of BSNYC's next equipment review.

Anonymous said...

Stick to short form, kid, it's what you do best.

@brakelessballsdeep said...

I am wondering if mr bsnyc actually wears rocks adorns or otherwise festooned himself w/ any cycling accessories that he so earnestly shills to his "readership"?

Been There Done That said...

"i'd like to learn more about these UGGS. i hope that is part of BSNYC's next equipment review."

If any of BSNYC 18 (17?) childern are female, he will have to deal with UGGS when they enter Jr. High. More then he can even imagine.

DB said...

Leroy:
Glad to hear you're okay.
Time to enroll at the Iowa Writers Workshop and ride some flat land? I know your dog would miss the city, but there are book clubs and karaoke in the Midwest.

N/A said...

Confederacy of Dunces is total crap. I mean, to each his own, but I can't see comparing that to Twain. It's been a long time since I've read it so specifics are failing me, but I do remember laboring to get through it. And, no, that's not due to illiteracy. It had some moments, but mostly it was ponderous, and all of the characters were unlikeable.

Spokey said...

come on scranoids. this is not the fuck-o new york literary club.

   boobies
         boobies
               boobies
         boobies
   boobies

N/A said...

Spokey, you make a compelling presentation. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

new york art club said...

Check out the pedal forward chopper in the background.

Freddy Murcks said...

I am with N/A, I found Confederacy of Dunces to be completely unreadable. I know a lot of people who love that book, but I have a hard time slogging through books with thoroughly unlikable characters. Another book I would put into the same category is Geek Love. There is no book that I hate quite as much as that one. And it's not because it is badly written; all of the characters are just deplorable people. I interact with plenty of deplorable people in real life; I don't need to spend my precious reading time also interacting with deplorable people. I also ignore CJ's comments for the same reason.

leroy said...

N/A -- that's like saying curb your enthusiasm is crap because the Larry David character is unlikeable. The strong reaction to the character -- as opposed to a current events context -- confirms the author's ability to create a memorable character. No mean feat regardless of whether you want to have a beer with the character.

My dog just poked me and reminded me this is a bike blog. Well thank goodness he didn't slap me. I'm very delicate just now.

Spokey said...

freddy

but you manage to read this commentary. i'm sure i'm taking this out of contextity, but it sounds like you're implying that we all are thoroughly likable characters?

Spokey said...

curb your enthusiasm is crap. arrested development would be a better example

   boobies
         boobies
               boobies
         boobies
   boobies

DB said...

Leroy:
May I suggest reading Jewelweed by David Rhodes.

I like this BSNYC book club chat.

Anonymous said...

Confederacy of Dunces? I'm waiting for the Classics Illustrated version to come out.

Anonymous said...

Prances with Dunces? Wasn't that a Costner flic?

N/A said...

Haha, I was going to stop talking books, but you Fuck-Os dragged me back in!

The lack of tolerable characters was not the totality of my dislike, but merely one aspect that I could remember, so I mentioned it in that post. Your analogy doesn't quite work, though I get your point. I didn't think the author created a memorable character so much as he created a cast of equally un-relatable characters. I didn't have a strong reaction to "a" character, I reacted to the fact that I couldn't make myself care about "any" of the characters. I guess that may be remarkable in its own way.

Like I said, it's been an awful long time since I've read it, so I'm struggling to lay out specific examples. It's just the impression in my memory that it was a horrible slog to get through the book, vs. my normal quickness when reading through books of that sort. (entertainment, fiction, etc.)


We don't all have to like the same things, that's cool. Makes the world go 'round.

Freddy Murcks said...

I have never watched Curb Your Enthusiasm or Arrested Development. I have a hard time with uncomfortable social situations in TV or movies, which seems to be the bread and butter of both of those shows.

And Spokey - most of you are likable most of the time, but even when you are not it's a short form. As noted, however, there are commenters whose comments I don't read. CJ's, for instance, are entirely made up stories about a thoroughly unlikable character.

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I am pleased to report that the winner (well, the only participant) of the Sam Henderson Memorial Grand Fondon't of Maine 2015 (yours truly) was not doping... I couldn't get the tamper proof bottle open... Better luck next year...

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