The plan is in motion: do a century in the fall.  That’s a 100-mile bike ride.

On October 18, I intend to be riding Foxy’s Fall Century.  Why that one?   First, it’s far enough in advance to allow some preparation.  Second, it’s only 100 miles from my home.  Third, the elevation profile isn’t as crazy as some of the other local centuries.

Alex is in.  Are you?

Given the bulging waistlines of our country, I’m surprised that we don’t see warning labels on food.  There are warning labels on alcohol and cigarettes cautioning the consumer about the hazards associated with that product, so why not label junk food?  Here are some ideas:

Edit (7/22/08): The image that was here has been bugging me.  I’m just not that cruel, and I’m sorry if I hurt my friends.  Removed.

Some other messages modeled on the cigarette warnings include:

• Lowering your weight now reduces serious risks to your health
• Excessive consumption of junk foods can shorten your life
• “Reduced fat” does not mean “reduced calories”
• This package contains 2500 calories

Surely there must be others…

Well, my ego and sense of vanity have certainly been given a boost these past few days.  Friday it was CNN.  Sunday it was Reddit.  Today it’s Slashdot.

Thus continues my on-again, off-again relationship with my webcomic.

Two reasons today was good:

• Melon season has begun in California, and I picked up a most amazing cantaloupe from a farmer’s market this morning.  Ripe, fragrant, and sweet.  Absolutely divine.
• Sailing in the Bay was fantastic.  We sailed a J/24 from Yerba Buena Island to Angel Island to Alcatraz Island and back.  The wind was fantastic, the sun was out, and spirits were high.

Only in the past year has the overuse of the word “literally” begun to irritate me.  It’s not just that the word is often misapplied to mean “figuratively,” since that usage has been around for a while.  All languages evolve, and people have a grand history of inverting the meanings of English words (e.g., “peruse” to mean “skim”).  Rather, I am frustrated that writing and speech has been besieged by what seems like an unnatural prevalence of the word.

Fortunately, I’m not the only one.