What I Learned This Week - 8/15/14

1.  489 days until Star Wars Episode VII is in theaters.
2. My kids don’t get why all call all Cocker Spaniels, “Joe”. 
3. Even nationally ranked triathletes are prone to really dumb errors like leaving transition with an aero helmet on……backwards. WAY funnier in person.
4. According to my oldest, Milkwaukee-ans and the local spectoators have no concept of how to cheer or ring a cowbell for anyone that comes down the home stretch of a triathlon. They need tutoring.
5. GI distress can occur on an Olympic distance triathlon, and people suffering from it are not ashamed.....and surprisingly photogenic.
6. Sometimes it’s the simple things in races that are the biggest achievements. After talking to one of the 80 year old age group finishers at Nationals he said was most proud of the fact that he found his bike amongst the 5,000 plus - the first time he tried.
7. Robin Williams was an accomplished cyclist and triathlete. Apparently he almost went pro as a soccer player.
8. Now that my racing season is over, I refer to my lunchtime workouts as “Lee-hab”. 
9. Frozen custard from Milwaukee’s “Pops” is awesome.
10. Basically, the difference between ice cream, frozen custard and gelato is the percentage of fat from cream and/or egg. Relatively no fat from cream = gelato, >1.4% egg yolk = frozen custard, >10% milk fat= ice cream. 
11. Dollar rental car lies about toll roads and the requirement for transponders.
12. Yes, Wisconsin cheese is a big deal. A big tasty deal.
13. Mork from Ork references are completely lost on my kids. Pouring glasses of milk and trying to drink them with your finger will only get concerning looks from your children. Hopefully, the show will soon be on Netflix.
14. The new internet craze of photoshopping guitarist solos by replacing their guitars with large banana slugs is genius….and hilarious.
15. Writing “sin/cos” on your arm is not an effective tan-ning method. It’s spotty at best.
16. If you have to wear earplugs to protect your ears from the deafening wind while driving your convertible, you probably don't need a convertible.
17. I'm not a huge car guy but I love the stories behind cars passed down from generation and the pride people take in rebuilding and reminiscing about family.
18. The toll road isn't always faster.
19. Deep-fried cheesecake filled strawberries is a thing. So is watermelon soup.
20. While in an interview, you should not add a person as a friend in Linked-In.
21. Many special effects and props are reused for other movies. Some notables: The flying car in Blade Runner was used in Back to the Future II.  The body armor and helmets from Starship Troopers was used in Planet of the Apes and Firefly.
22. I don’t understand why those small battery-operated “Power Wheels” that toddlers drive don’t have a parent remote control kill-switch.
23. For Windows users that play the game “minecraft”, under the language settings is the language “Pirate Talk”. Are you not entertained?