What's Up???

So what's up:

With people who are rude to waiters and waitresses at restaurants? What a luxury to have someone rush around to serve you food for a typically small price. Rudeness to store clerks and retail personnel also falls into this category. My #1 pet peeve!

With people who take your turn at the 4-way stop? Is that extra five seconds they stole really gonna make a difference?

With people who eat off their plates while going through the salad bar and buffet line? They ram their mouths full of food while waiting to finish loading up their plates THEN touch the serving utensils that we ALL share with hands that were just in their slobbery mouths. This is how people die.

With people who are cheap for cheap's sake? I'm not talking frugal people who are smart with their money. I'm talking about the instructor in our recent childcare class who spent 15 minutes discussing the merits of mixing soap, water, and paper towels to make your own baby wipes and save money. I bought a thousand of those the other night at the grocery store for $2.50.

With people who sit directly behind (or in front of) you and talk during the whole movie? Maybe they have forgotten that they're not at home? I seem to attract these cinematic-verbose types!

With people (and now the gloves are really off) who are granted handicapped parking passes simply because they are overweight? Sad that overt obesity can actually be viewed as an incentive. And yet another reason we tip the scales higher than any country in the world.

If you have been affected by some of these same types of people, here's a great way to get revenge. Great ideas for "out annoying" all the annoying characters you come across! http://www.getannoyed.com/

Got another annoying situation or personality that drives you fruit? Feel free to add it to the "Comments" section below.

Talk to you soon. Until then pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

TV Thursday!

They're baaaaaaack! All your favorite shows are returning to answer those lingering questions. Here's a quick rundown.

Grey's Anatomy
Thursday at 9pm ET on ABC
Everyone’s favorite McDrama is back, as “Grey’s Anatomy” launches its 4th season. Cristina and Meredith return from Cristina’s “honeymoon,” only to find that the ex-groom is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the residents take on their own new crop of fresh interns, which puts chief resident Callie into a rather awkward position (she’s now George’s boss!). As if things weren’t complicated enough, Meredith’s half sister Lexie is among the new interns, and Bailey is having trouble getting used to her new responsibilites.

The Office
Thursday at 9pm ET on NBC
Question: can life at “The Office” go on after everything that went down at the end of Season 3? Of course it can, because at Dunder Mifflin the only constant is constant insanity. Case in point: in the 4th season premiere, Michael becomes convinced that the office is under a curse. In the midst of the chaos, he manages to make everyone feel wildly uncomfortable about their religious beliefs as he prepares for a charity “fun run.” Also, you’ll get an update on the status of two important office romances: Pam/Jim and Dwight/Angela.

Survivor: China
Thursday at 8pm ET on CBS
Watch the 15th season castaways practice the art of war in the second episode of this groundbreaking new “Survivor” season. The contestants get down and dirty (and lose some clothes) as they mud-wrestle in order to win a grueling physical challenge. Meanwhile, strategy begins to unfold. Dave does his best to organize the Zhan Hu tribe, while Jean-Robert puts on an act of laziness as part of a strategy that will either work in his favor, or backfire horribly. And another young woman believes that God is reaching out to her.

And, look who's premiering Tuesday, October 2nd at 8pm on ABC! That's right, those wild & crazy (Geico) cavemen! Cavemen revolves around Joel, his younger brother Andy and best friend Nick. Joel is engaged to Kate. Even though he has some problems with her conservative parents accepting him, he is happy with his life and pursuing the American Dream. The pilot is based on the Geico commercials that claim their service is so easy, "Even a caveman can do it". Talk about Must-See TV!!!!

Gotta camp out in front of the tube. Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Buy The Book

"Just because you're at work doesn't mean you can't be on vacation." For years, that was my mantra in Corporate America. I never meant it to sound disrespectful, but I was able to typically work very efficiently, completing my assignments ahead of schedule and being left with little else to do for the rest of the workday. Compatriots around me, however, would often procrastinate, create unnecessary busy work, and schmooze with the managers while basically contributing nothing to the company's progress. These were the types that were rewarded for their "hard work" and "dedication" to excellence. It just never made sense to me - one more reason I never really felt comfortable or fit into a structured business environment.

Then I came across a kindred spirit who has taken this point of view to a whole new level and is starting to turn the accepted notions of "productivity" in the workplace upside down. In his book, "The 4-Hour Workweek", Timothy Ferriss introduces revolutionary notions that question such topics as the 40-hour workweek - "The world has agreed to shuffle papers between 9:00 and 5:00 p.m., and since you are trapped in the office for that period of servitude, you are compelled to create activities to fill that time"; saving time - "The object is to create FREEDOM of time and use it how you want"; and effectiveness vs. efficiency - "Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the defaul mode of the universe."

Ferriss outlines the parameters of what he defines as the "New Rich", a fast-growing subculture that has abandoned the traditional "deferred life plan" (slave-save-retire) and instead mastered the new currencies - time and mobility - to create luxury lifetsyles in the here in now. The thinking is that through technological mobility, opportunities abound to do more work in fewer hours, freeing yourself to escape the traditional office and enjoy the things in life you thought would have to wait until your retirement years.

In the free time he has created for himself, Ferriss has learned to speak six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, and has been a world-record holder in tango, a national champion in Chinese kickboxing, and an actor on a hit television series in Hong Kong, not to mention writing this book that is now the #1 "Wall Street Journal" Bestseller. He is 29 years old. Slacker!

This book is not only a great, humorous read, it explicitly outlines a plan that can be used to start doing the things you want to do in life, instead of just robotically doing the things you THINK you are supposed to do.

Roberts On The Run™ says BUY THE BOOK!

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Weekend Wonderings

Thoughts and musings floating through my mind as I go for an early morning ride on the St. Louis course of the Tour of Missouri (I know, I know - it's time to get over it and move on . . . )

The baby bears from Chicago's North Side have purposely not been mentioned in this blog for fear of jinxing them. But wow, 2-1/2 games up and just about a week left in the season - I can dream, can't I? I've been having flashbacks to my junior high and high school years of tagging along with Dad when he would have business meetings in downtown Chicago in the morning, then hopping the El train to Wrigley in the afternoon to watch my favorite team play - a team that, even now, leaves me an outcast in crazy Cardinal country.

And fond memories from 1984 of camping out overnight with buddies in college with our sleeping bags propped up against the leftfield wall in hopes of scoring bleacher tickets for the division-clinching game. (We did!) Other great trips to the Friendly Confines during the '89 playoff run and most recently, the best present a guy could ever wish for - luxury suite tickets at Wrigley for my 40th birthday from my wife. Rest assured, if the Cubs happen to make it to the World Series anytime soon (and that's still a HUGE "if"), the Roberts family will be reporting on this blog live from Clark and Addison - we will find a way!

Great news still continues to come from the Kevin Everett story. The Buffalo Bills football player, who was originally paralyzed from the neck down with a grim prognosis, was recently transferred home to Houston for rehab. The latest reports are saying that he might be able to walk in days! Miracles do happen! http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/09/21/bc.fbn.bills.everetthur.ap/index.html

Finally, I'm beginning to wonder why they call it "fantasy" football. When my nephew Brad recently formed an online league for friends and family members, I was one of the first in. Now after an 0 and 2 start, I'm starting to realize that my fantasy was never to have my butt kick around by relatives with vastly superior football - and sports - knowledge than myself. Looks like it could be a long season - it's hard to trash talk when you've got nothing to back it up.

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Show Me The Tour - The Finale

This was it - the final day of the Tour of Missouri. We secured the "$10,000 seats" directly across from the podium and just before the start/finish line. Legendary cycling photographer, Liz Kruetz, even took our photo before the race (above) and it appears on the thepaceline.com, the official web site of Team Discovery (unfortunately Aubs was asleep directly behind us in her stroller). http://thepaceline.com/members/view_gallery.aspx?cid=341 Before the day was complete, we would say goodbye to Team Discovery and Jackie would incite a near riot - but I'm getting ahead of the story.


This was the final stage of the Tour and would consist of seven laps of a 10.6-mile circuit that began and ended at Union Station in downtown St. Louis and included treks through Forest Park at its furthest western point. Murph captured this shot of Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador, warming up before the race.



An estimated 60,000+ plus people lined the course to watch the race, so we had to defend our position. I had driven down to the finish area early in the morning, set up our "luxury suite" by the barricades, then raced home on the train to wake Jackie, Murph and Aubs to return on the train and claim our spot. It was elbow to elbow, but thankfully the people around us were very considerate. Note the barricades directly in front of Jackie - they will become an integral part of the story before the day is done.



Murph steps across the street to capture the peloton zooming past. We would get to see them go by seven times. Note the Arch and Old Courthouse dome in the background.



Team Discovery leads the peloton past Union Station. Watch closely and you'll see George Hincapie, the race leader, go by in the yellow jersey in about seventh or eighth position.





The peloton passes late in the race.








George Hincapie of Team Discovery was awarded the final yellow jersey as winner of the Tour of Missouri.



Then Team Discovery took the stage to say a historic farewell to over a decade of dominance that included eight Tour de France victories.

But for us - and the crowd around us - the excitement was just beginning. Our front row seats to the podium suddenly became a beehive of pushing and shoving as everyone strained for a glimpse of the winners. Here's a video of the crowd around us.


Although we were semi-well protected by the positioning of our chairs and stroller, Jackie's claustrophobia kicked in and suddenly she attemped to scale the barricades in front of us - a near impossible feat. As the crowd watched in amazement, a man pulled out a knife and cut through the barracade bindings to free a panicked Jackie. Then the flood gates opened. Everyone spilled past us and pushed toward the stage. I quickly handed Aubrey to Jackie and they made their getaway as police attempted to restore order.

The police and security officers questioned the people around us to see how the incident happened and a man explained that a girl had been panicked by the crowd. Murph and I remained quiet as we waited out the festivities with our chairs and stroller and, thankfully, no arrests were made.

Like Johan Bruyneel, the mastermind behind Team Discovery, we also waved goodbye to yet another exciting adventure of travel, racing, and once again, a brush with the law.

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Show Me The Tour - Part Deux

Next stop on our Tour of Missouri bike race - the charming village of St. Charles. Aubs started the day with a quick nap as Jackie, Murph and I claimed a prime spot by the finish line to set up shop. As the tour went on, we became very adept at the art of arranging - and protecting - our viewing area to prevent the rush of late-comers who tend to push the crowd forward just before the cyclists arrive.




We discovered that by carefully positioning our chairs and stroller, we could quickly create a mini luxury suite that surrounded us as we prepared to watch the action. Once our spot was secured, we were free to leave and see the sites while we waited for the cyclists to arrive after completing the 127-mile trek from Jefferson City.


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To pass the time, we toured the race expo that featured the latest cycling technology, and tour swag. Here. Jackie finds a Felt wide-tire beach cruiser to her liking that's styled after a New York City taxi cab.



Big-screen monitors throughout the finish area proved to be the perfect gathering place - and alerted us to the fact that the peloton would be shortly arriving in St. Charles.



We rushed back to our seats, where Murph quickly pulled out the long lens and captured a great shot (see below) of American Danny Pate of Team Slipstream celebrating his victory as he rides toward the finish line.







If all goes as planned, Danny Pate is scheduled to ride in the Tour de France next year.






Danny Pate breaks away to claim victory as a small chase pack follows from behind.





Murph captures another great shot of the peloton and the race for the finish.





American Levi Leipheimer of Team Discovery wears the stars and stripes jersey as national champion. (Can you tell that Murph's photos are just a bit better than mine???)

Finally, just as we were leaving the venue after the race, we were interviewed from a reporter from the Kansas City Star who was writing an article about the last ride of Team Discovery. Check out the last paragraph of the story at: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/277217-p3.html

Next stop, the grand finalé in downtown St. Louis. We'd have to get up early the next morning to claim our viewing spot near the finish at Union Station. Little did we know that it was the calm before the storm - for the cyclists and for us! You simply can't miss the action-packed finish to "Show Me The Tour", coming this Friday, only at Roberts On The Run™!

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Show Me The Tour

It would begin with a late, lost night in Branson and end with Jackie inciting a near riot in St. Louis. In between, were brushes with the law, diaper changes on sidewalks, quotes in newspapers, and an all-around great time. This was the Tour of Missouri - the cycling stage that Team Discovery (Lance Armstrong's team) chose to say goodbye to America. And after Jackie and I had traveled halfway around the world to see Team Discovery race, life went full circle, when it all ended here in St. Louis.

As Jackie, Murphy, Aubrey and I have discovered, half the fun (and challenge) of following a race like the Tour of Missouri, is getting to the race itself. Here are some highlights from our our travels and adventures. Today, the first of a three-part installment of "Show Me The Tour" begins - where else - in the City Of Lights.

No, we're not talking Paris here, but when we arrived late Wednesday in the Ozark Mecca known as Branson, we were surrounded by the neon albatrosse that is The Strip - think Vegas meets hillbilly. Watch this clip below, shot circa 11:00 at night after I've taken us to the wrong hotel twice, Aubrey is exhausted, and Jackie is losing patience - fast. Of course, I deserved all the grief I received.


Bright-eyed and ready for the hilly Branson time trial on Thursday morning, Jackie and Aubrey traverse a steep hill to claim a good viewing spot at the finish. (I promise I didn't make Jackie carry all of our bags everywhere we went . . . )




The uphill finish at the Branson time trial - an 18-mile race in which cyclists ride one at the time against the clock.




Jackie and Aubrey enjoy some shaded playtime a short distance from the race course. Typical of our Tour trips, we dined on a sumptuous lunchtime meal of cheese sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, Power Bars, and Gatorade. Aubrey opted to go for the baby formula.




Legendary American cyclist, Levi Leipheimer, who finished third at this year's Tour de France, posts the best time of the day!






Alberto Contador of Spain - winner of the 2007 Tour de France.





American George Hincapie of Team Discovery wore the yellow jersey (just like Aubrey's) and maintained his race lead with a great ride.



(Partial) family fun (Murph couldn't miss school this day) and all smiles as we enjoy the day. Aubrey's yellow leader's jersey received lots of attention during the day!


Unfortunately, when the day was done, the racing wasn't over. "We" were clocked 85 in a 65 zone. But thankfully, when the officer walked up to my window and caught an aroma of diapers, baby formula, and my sweaty cycling jersey, he was all too anxious to give us a warning and escape the scene. Thank you Missouri Highway Patrol.

Next up, the road to St. Charles. Watch for installment #2 of "Show Me The Tour" coming Wednesday, only on Roberts On The Run™.

Talk to you soon. until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Off To The Races

Brushes with the law. Hotel controversy. Changing diapers on sidewalks. Lost in the middle of nowhere. We're still chasing the Tour of Missouri bike race.

Today, we're in St. Charles and finishing at home in downtown St. Louis on Sunday. Watch for a complete account of our adventures, including photos and video, coming Monday - only in Roberts On The Run™!

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Hangin' In The Hills

Coming to you live from the side of a steep hill at the Branson time trial as we chase the Tour of Missouri cycling race across the state toward St. Louis this weekend. Hard to believe that Team Discovery (Lance Armstrong's team) will cease to exist after this season and they have chosen this inagural race in our state to say goodbye. Aubs is ready in her yellow jersey for all the action. After today, we're headed to two more stages in St. Charles on Saturday and back home to St. Louis Sunday. Watch for a complete Tour post wrap-up, featuring Murph's photography and some great videos, coming to the blog on Monday.

Thought with all the negative news articles, and doom-and-gloom media stories, we'd leave today's post with something positive. Last weekend, you might have heard about the horrific injury to Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett which initially left him paralyzed. After doctors publicly speculated that he would probably never regain movement in his limbs, something inexplicable happened: Everett was able to partially move his arms and legs. Doctors have revised their prognosis, now saying that the chance of Everett walking again is a "realistic possibility" and calling his progress "miraculous". You can read a related article about the power of prayer and possibilities at: http://www.startribune.com/503/story/1420147.html.

Now back to the bike races. Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Campus Crawl

Silent thoughts and (surly) mind wanderings while roaming the local university quad before my night class:

Hey, you walking between classes with the "Free Hugs" sign. Wipe that sly smirk off your face. You're not a cool guy trollin' for babes. You're a psychology 101 student. I had that sociological assignment thrust upon me circa 1983.

You in the trucker hat. You're not making a fresh fashion statement. Kids were wearing those in the late '70s. We called 'em nerds.

The young blonde chompin' on two packs of Dentene. That smoke breath is still gonna overwhelm your class - and there's nothing you can do about it.

Hey there in the dirty, patchwork, holey jeans. The thrift store called and wants its wardrobe back. Oh wait . . . what's that? They said you can just keep it.

And you there, in the throwback alligator polo, canvas shorts, Oakley backpack, and Nike skater shoes. Dude, you are WAY too old to pull that look off, especially here on campus. Oh, hang on - that's me. (Sometimes I guess everything just goes full circle.)

Anyway, gotta go to class. Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Fast Friends

My buddy George is one of those people you feel blessed to call a friend. We grew up together and he was one of the first guys to hang around with me during my awkward-horned-rimmed-tri-focal-bad-haircut-people-thought-I-had-special-needs-junior-high years. As we grew older, we lost touch (completely my fault), but when my father passed this summer, there was George standing in line at the visitation, waiting to help console me and my family. Some people you can always depend on, no matter what.

After a couple of months of getting our families together, trading stories, and comparing interests, George decided to tackle his first biathlon, and today was D-day. We entered the team competition - I took on the run, George brought it home on the bike. You have to understand that anything George and I have ever participated in together has always taken on a hilarious life of its own and today was no different. From George changing our team name from "Slipstream" (my suggestion) to "Whipped Cream" (which is strangely appropriate), to George's wife, Beth, almost running him over on the bike course with the family truck as they raced to see him finish, the stories we walked away with were more than worth the sweat and effort.




After a celebratory pizza lunch, George's daughter, Lexi, gave us a tour of the nearby stables where she owns three horses. Aubrey was absolutely thrilled to get an up-close-and-personal look at the goats, mules and horses.





Who says you can't go home again? George and his family are the type of positive people that make you feel good about yourself just by being around them. I feel lucky that I've had a second chance to rekindle such a great friendship - and the story continues.

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Labor (Day) Of Love

First and foremost, there is great news to report on Sheila's brother-in-law, Steve. After suffering a stroke, he is now out of ICU and recovering well! According to Sheila, the doctors and paramedics said it was really touch-and-go at the beginning but the prognosis appears bright. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers!

On a less serious note, last week's Labor Day weekend seemingly began for the Roberts family with little fanfare and few plans. Since we will be traveling a lot in October and November, we had decided to keep it low key. Funny how even simple adventures find you when you have an open mind and are always ready to get out of the house.


The weekend began with excitement when Murphy (whose photo work you've recently seen throughout this blog) was contacted by an Israeli book publisher that wanted to use one of his Lance Armstrong photos in an upcoming book. These books, which are printed in Hebrew, are part of a non-profit effort to help young children learn how to read. Murph happily donated the photo, simply asking for a photo credit and a book. We were all so excited! Murph's work just keeps getting recognized - when we receive a book, you'll see and read all about it in an upcoming post - in Hebrew, of course!


Jackie used the long weekend to continue her heavy training for an upcoming half marathon. Aubrey and I surprised her at the halfway point of one of her long runs, meeting her in the park with water, Gatorade and Power Bars. Jackie has really been pushing the pace and is looking great!

Giving the weekend a distinctly European feel, we ventured to The Hill (the Italian part of town) and The Loop (a bustling college area) to catch part of The Gateway Cup, a local bicycle race that attracts top amateur riders from all over the country. Aubrey was fascinated by the speed of the bikes, and squealed when she felt the whoosh of the peloton (see this video), while Murph saw this as yet another photo op and recorded some great shots of the action.





One of the most tasteful highlights of our weekend was the discovery of authentic, Chicago-style pizza right here in a city that defines pizza as a cracker with a thin layer of cheese. Every time we're in Chicago, we always head for Giordano's just off Michigan Avenue. We often look for excuses to go to Chicago just for this gut-busting delicacy. Imagine our surprise when we came across a very passable version of this stuffed pie at a small, unassuming restaurant called Pizzeria Della Piazza. It was pure heaven and delicious way to top off the weekend!

I'm discovering that great get-aways are less about where you go and more about who you're with. And, for me, with my family is always the perfect place to be.

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff

Prayer Request

My sister Sheila's brother-in-law (brother of her husband, Roger), Steve, suffered a stroke yesterday and is currently in the hospital in stable condition. Steve is one of the finest people you will ever meet. Whether you are a family member or not, we ask that if you read this please offer up prayers on Steve's behalf. Thank you for your kindness!

Picture Perfect

For today's holiday, I thought I would take a rest from my labors of writing this blog and let us all enjoy some beautiful images of our daughter, Aubrey, from Murphy's recent photo shoot of her. The whole Roberts family has been on the run this holiday weekend! Watch for highlights in the next blog posting. Have a great holiday, everyone!











Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff