I just spent the morning booking spots in some fun Springtime events:

Pedal Power 2010, March 20, 2010: Pedal Power is an event that promotes moving to a more sustainable lifestyle and taking simple steps to reduce energy consumption coupled with an electricity-generating contest among 2-person teams of cyclists. There are demonstrators on site with information about sustainability and conservation as well as promoting fitness through cycling. I did it last year and it was a lot of fun. Ethan Seltzer, the guy who came up with the idea and puts on the event, is a good guy and a pal of mine.

Monument Av. 10k, March 27, 2010: With over 35,000 entrants and prizes offered for best costume, this is much more of an event than an actual race. Yes, there are real racers that sign up and compete but the fun of the morning, for me, is in getting out for a good run and taking in the sights along Monument Avenue. I used to run this alongside Michelle as pace support but I made the switch last year to see how fast I could run it at my own pace. This year, I am spending some time training and I hope to cut a good chunk of time off of last year’s result.

Cycle North Carolina Spring Ride April 9-11, 2010: I rode this last year for the first time and it was an absolute blast. CNC sponsors a Fall ride that runs from the Western mountains of NC to the beach on the East Coast. It’s a bicycle tour of the state stopping in small towns for the night along the week long tour. The Spring ride is different in that there is one host town and all of the rides begin and end from the same place. It’s a 4-day, 3-night weekend of camping and riding and nothing else. It’s a pretty exciting feeling to wake up in the morning and not have anything to do but eat, drink, and ride bike. I’m looking forward to this one most of all.

I have a pretty ambitious event schedule I’d like to follow through on in 2010. This is the just the first leg. It’s going to be a good time.

I haven’t worked on one in a while, but I still love the idea of a DIY vinyl toy. They’re terrific rainy-day projects with the kids. I’m going to have to try these new models out.

Especially the giraffe.

This is a genuinely unusual collaboration. Rockin’ Jellybean (NSFW) is a Japanese illustrator and poster artist who does a lot of, um, suggestive work in highly 70’s-influenced style. Kind of a mashup of Archie comics, hot rod magazines, and Cherry Poptart . It’s really well-done but not the exactly the kind of thing I could hang around the house. Because it’s dirty.

I don’t have any idea how he got tapped to interpret the ladies of the Marvel Universe in vinyl, but I would bet that now that Marvel is owned by Disney this little venture is getting nipped in the bud.

[via Hope]

This is the best chance for the Wii to make it into my video game rotation since I never got around to buying Mario Kart. No firm US release date yet, but I’m going to be keeping a close eye out for it.

I do love a Mario game. New Super Mario for the DS is one of my all-time faves.

[ via kottke]

As an unabashed Jack White fan and a late-in-life fan of Led Zeppelin, It Might Get Loud is right in my wheelhouse.

Mercy.

Saturday, August 8, 2009 – 8 p.m. Starts and ends at Sports Backers Stadium. Its a night time ride for families. They offer a 2 ride lengths, 8- and 17-miles, and I Emma and I are definitely going to do it. I don’t know if she has 17 miles in her today, but she might by then.

Here’s the signup link.

Huck Gee does all kinds of crazy, crazy custom work off of the Dunny template. This might be the best of his that I’ve seen. 10 Pieces at $800 per puts them way, way out of my league. It’s cool to look at, though.

[via Vinyl Pulse, the source]

I’m going to try a triathlon next weekend, the 2009 3Sports Triathlon. A buddy pitched this particular event as a way to try out a triathlon since it has a super-short pool swim (just 300m), as opposed to an open water swim or something in the 600m pool swim range.

I’ve been riding my bike a lot since last summer and I have been meeting folks who ride in bike races and who race in triathlons. I’m no racer but the idea of completing a triathlon, of any length, is especially intriguing. It turns out that I have spent 2009 doing things I’ve never done, so now I’m all signed up and ready to go do a triathlon. I’m a decent swimmer and I am okay on the bike. I’m not much a runner, though, so that’s the bit of the day I am anxious about.

If this goes well, and I really expect it to be fun and exhausting, I’m going to try something with an open-water swim soon after. We have a full triathlon calendar here in the Richmond area. It’s pretty cool.

Cool Hunting has the interview. It’s short, but it’s not like they need to sell me on it. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.

Actually, the “interview” sucks. Let’s just call this a reminder that the DVD set comes out next week.

Just sick. No word on when they’re on sale but I will pass it along as soon as I hear anything.

Here it is, LARGE.

[you know I got the tip from OMGposters, Mitch sees all!]