Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and, I guess, this is one of those times for our beloved admin, erstwhile coach, training partner extraordinaire and certified master of the grill Jeff. He’s packed up the shop, loaded what’s important and is redeploying to the left coast in search of fortune, adventure and cracked crab. As we all navigate the fog caused by last night’s sayonara wumpus, I’d just like to pause for the cause and give a hearty HUZZAH to our partner in crime.

Fare thee well sir. You’ll be sorely missed but we’ve every confidence you’ll quickly get to holdin’ it down out there and swelling the ranks of the Dukes West Coast Chapter. Write when you get work and we’ll come inspect your beachhead.

Vaya con dios y un gato en tu pantalones Amigo.
-mismanagement

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This weekend saw the happy addition of another trusty steed to the Dukes stable. While floating in nature, this entry definitely satisfies all of the character requirements we’ve come to expect from the land-based fleet. Ladies & gents – I’m pleased to introduce the Sea Senor(ita).

The Sea Senor(ita) is a classic 17′ O’Day DaySailer. DaySailers are fantastic fun and this one should provide endless summer good-times plying the waters around Shelter Island. The craft was gifted to the these Dukes by a most-excellent family member who was tired of it gracing her lawn; a sort of God-Duke if you will.

She’s been sitting the better part of the last 10 years, so we have some work to do before launch. But working on a little sailboat in the sun is a damn fine way to pass the time. Plus this boat will be a floating classroom for a whole host of folks, little ones included, who are eagerly awaiting sailing lessons. With that to look forward to, we started out this past weekend with a solid first cleaning. I’m sure you’ll agree the results are impressive.

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The accumulated funk from years of sitting unprotected outside

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Dirty Deck; Liken Gone Wild.

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Much better – she’s actually kinda good lookin’ under all that grime!

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A much cleaner cockpit; neigh ready to bear Dukes upon the sea towards unknown adventures, spoil and plunder….

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There are some minor repairs still to be done, rigging to be replaced, and another round or two of cleaning, but what a keen reminder of the restorative powers of elbow grease. Will certainly update again as the Sea Senorita nears launch.

Stable report 1
Stable report 2
Stable report 3
Stable report 4
Stable report 5
Stable report 6
Stable report 7
Stable report 8

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I am not sure for a blog if you celebrate a birthday or anniversary, but either way it has been one year since the initial post on dofb.com. In our first year, there have been 186 posts ranging from stories on running, motorcycles, how to start a proper charcoal BBQ to how to grill on an engine block.

Hope you have enjoyed Year 1, and really do not have much more to say here then stick around for the future, it is going to get intersting

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I really do not need to say much, this picture really tells the story.

Here are the basics, the cat is Italian, his names is Orazio, eats lasagna all day long and once in a while will have a Limoncello as an after dinner digestivo. Oh yeah, he looks like he is scared S**t

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This is an animated series made for Heavy, the place where I work. This series is pretty over the top and has developed a bit of a cult following. Thought everyone might want to check it out… (more…)

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This afternoon I received an email from Lisa Klein who is the Director of Special Events for the Southern Ocean County Hospital Foundation, asking to spread the word about The Great Causeway Challenge. This event is extremely impressive and benefits a great cause, so I would encourage all of you to check out this event and donate to the cause.

Here are some of the details for April 19th

“The Great Causeway Challenge”

• Biathlon (30 Mile Bike & 10K Run),
• 30 Mile Bike Race/Ride Only
• 10K Run Race Only
• 5K Run Race Only

and a Kids 1 Mile Fun Run, on Saturday, April 19, 2008 to benefit Pediatric Services for Southern Ocean County Hospital.

Seems like there are a lot of events to choose from and a very worthy cause, so encourage anyone in the area who wants to start their spring running season to head over to Long Beach Island (LBI) and have a good time

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The more you learn about the Baja 1000, the more trouble you’re in. Although we have signed up for Honda / JCR Pit Services during the race, we’ll pre-run the course for 3-4 days leading up to the race without any outside help. That will involve a purpose-built race bike that will be used solely for pre-running along with one or two support vehicles. Although there won’t be as much time pressure, we’ll be out in the middle of the desert with limited access to supplies. One thing I’ve been concerned about is our access to fuel or water. And we’re talking about fuel for multiple vehicles and water for a decent size support staff. We’ve been tossing around the idea of mounting a fuel drum to the top of the roof rack, but I came across a less costly option, albeit one with limited capacity. These can holders mount to a roof rack and accept standard 5 gallon Wedco gas and water cans. Might be the ticket…

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Today’s lousy brand of inclement weather here in NYC has most DOFB members longing for something that at least provides a modicum of the things we like best: speed, entertainment and the potential for outlandish deeds. In short – WE WANT SNOW.

With this in mind, I am most pleased to introduce you to the newest, and yet untested member of the DOFB fleet; Traditional Tactical Craft: Bombardierous Hibernous 11c.  Code name: THE RAMMER.

Technical Specification:

Gross weight: 14 lbs

Dimensions: 72″L x 15¾”W.

Load Capacity: 648 lbs

Passenger Capacity: 11

Displacement: 1.375 Metric Ton (Crystalline H2O)

Operating Environment:

• Temperature: Sub 38 Deg F
• Humidity: 20% – 100%
• Altitude: 0 – 11,450 feet

Weapons Array:

• Vector-based Thrust Ram
• Non-lethal Urine Inducing Screech
• Optional Side Mount 80MM Snow Cannons

Fuel: Grog, pride and blatant disregard for the laws of physics

Governing Safety Standards: Camden Snow bowl Rules of Engagement, V7.4

Optional accessories:

• Front mount flask
• GPS beacon
• Anti-glare shield
• Second stage scat-fission thruster cans

For christ’s sake — a little snow already eh?

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This week work has brought me to New Delhi, India. I have only been here for a few days, but this place and country are just mind boggling. I have been in cities with a greater total population, but nothing compares to the density in India. The best place to see this is on the roads, if there is an empty space on the road, someone fills that space immediately. Whether it is a car, bus, truck, rickshaw, cow or person, every free spot is filled immediately. There is no personal space in New Delhi or in India, you just get used to it.

Two days into the trip and I have already made my way to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is. All I have to say about the Taj and the trip there is that it was amazing, incredible happy I did it and will never do it again.

Here are some pictures from Agra and the Taj and of course a roadblock that kept our bus from moving for awhile.

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So here in New York City, it is now the beginning of February and it has not yet snowed and has not really been too cold. Right now it is in the mid 50′s F and is projected to be over 60 degrees F tomorrow. We all know this is not normal, we have really screwed up the planet and something has to be done about it, but in the meantime is it wrong to enjoy the benefits?

I have to say I do not mind going out for a 5 mile run in February with shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Not freezing my a$$ off on the way to subway in the morning. Maybe I need to move a warmer climate, I do come from a desert people, but while I ponder these questions I have to say I do not mind the effects. For those that are out there reading and enjoying these mild temps, get out there and get your winter base miles in and RUN. You really have no excuse when it is this warm out.

In the meantime, I think we may not be the only ones enjoying this weather

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After a few days in Panama City and the Pacific Ocean, we headed to Bocas del Toro, Panama. Bocas is on the Caribbean side of Panama and is a gem of a location. Bocas is an archipelago of about 9 islands and is still pretty much undeveloped, with the largest hotel having about 10 rooms, and not much in the way of amenities. Hopefully not too many people read this and decide to go, as there are very few unspoiled remote Caribbean beaches.

The only issue that you can have with Bocas del Toro is the rain. When we first arrived it poured for about 30 hours straight and the people on the islands told us it had been like this for 4 days straight. But for those with patience, a nice day in Bocas is unbeatable (see pics below). The beaches are beautiful, empty and between the reef and the beach, some of the biggest waves and best surf around.

Special thanks to our hosts at Hotel Tierra Verde (Cookie and Ivan) on the island of Carenero who were incredibly nice and helpful and to the people at Al Natural where we spent one of the best New Years eve’s and had a night that cannot be repeated online.

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The first leg of vacation brought us to Panama City, Panama. With not much in my mind except the Panama Canal, this city actually blew me away. It reminded me of Miami of about 15 years ago when the South Beach area was just getting renovated and the rest of the city was high rise apartment towers. People here are very friendly and they are used to Americans since the US had sovereign territory in Panama for 80 or 90 years, the Canal Zone. The US dollar is the currency here and almost everyone speaks english if your espanol is not up to par. Panama City sites on the Pacific Ocean and is pretty much warm and sunny almost every day, not a bad place to visit or live.

I want to give a special thanks to our guardian angel in Panama, Mandy. She made everything happen for us and our whole trip would not have been the same without her. Also, if you go to Panama City I recommend the Canal House in Casco Antiguo. It is a new hotel and staying there feels like staying at the home of your extremely rich uncle, and his staff listens to your every word.

Here are some pics from Panama City, hope you enjoy

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Due to various changes in climate, rationing of marlin dip , the Seattle Seven and the FCC spectrum auction there was a splintering of the Dukes of Flatbush blogs that we realized must come to an end as we close out this year.

Let it be known that the Dukes are hard at work to unite the blogs so you can follow all shenanigans and feats of strength as we roll into 2008.

In the meantime I encourage you to follow the individual blogs until the unification occurs and keep your eyes here before the Dukes evacuate the NYC for the Christmas to New Years Eve stretch run.

http://tastytuesday.tumblr.com/

http://dukesofflatbushmc.tumblr.com/ 

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Once in awhile we need to go in the compete opposite direction and alert you to other important matters. Today that topic will be bacon, specifically The Bacon Book.

This is a great little book with 101 Bacon Recipes, which I may decide to carry around with me at all times and best of all it is spiral bound. Check it out

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