ettetram

I recently downloaded the new Civilization and Scenario Pack:  Korean and Wonders of the Ancient World for Civilization 5 on Steam, and had lots of fun so far!  First,  I whooped the Wonders of the Ancient World’s butt, then I moved on to the Korean Scenario, which was considerably more difficult.  After trying it a few times as China, I figured out that bum rushing a few boats out to attack the incoming Japanese was the way to go.  I was able to eliminate several boats and save one Korean city from being taken over by the incoming Japanese, which was totally great!

After winning the Korean Scenario in less than 100 turns and earning the Seoul Power achievement, I decided to try my hand as Sejong, leader of the Korean civilization.  Just for fun, I named all of my cities after meh Slackin’ friends!  Wheeees!  There’s fibawland, Badlands, Bongoland, LunaLandingTram, Adam’s Apple, and, of course, at the center of it all is the House of Tomala!  I even had 71 smiley faces – Yays!

As you can see, I really enjoyed the Korean upgrades, and it would be a fine addition to anyone’s Civ collection tram!!!!

Haz all the funz out there tram!!!!!  Yays!!!

Hello yet again, meh hearties!  This is the final Saturday of this year’s Tour, with Stage 19 being an individual time trial from Bonneval to Chartres.

Nice eyebrow wiggle, Bob Roll, while you ‘wear’ the Yellow Jersey – LOL!  I enjoy the RoadID commercials that have aired during the Tour with his riding along the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile and playing the tiny Oscar Meyer Weiner flute – LOL!

A wonderful beverage for a day like today, something to sip on while reflecting on the amazing places the Tour has taken us is the Taylor Fladgate 20 year tawny port!  A thick, concentrated nectar of delicious layers of raisin, pecan, walnut, with a hint of citrus make this perfect for enjoying with company as well!  A bit spendy at about $53 in Washington State, but probably can be found for less on the Internet.

Lois Sanchez has taken the lead on the time trial so far, but the fastest riders are starting last.  The crowd appears to be cheering for Bradley Wiggins today!  “It’s Multiplying, It’s Electrifying!!!!”

Many of the riders here have their full-body slipstream suits on with wind tunnel hats, with super-aerodynamic bikes!  Wheeees!

As much as I love the Tour, the time trials are my least favorite portion of the Tour.  I prefer seeing the cyclists race each other instead of the clock.

There goes Peter Sagan in his bright green jersey!  What a great discovery of this tour as Sanchez keeps his lead for the day so far!

Hello Wiggo and Chris Froome, warming up on your stationary cycles!

Nicely done!  Someone mowed a large bicycle into their field here in an agricultural area!  Wheeees!

Richie Porte managed to get the second best time here!  Great job!

Cadel “Cuddle” Evans (born on Valentine’s Day!) and Tejay Van Garderen are on the course now!  And now Wiggo is starting tram as the crowd goes wild!!!! Will Wiggo be able to win the stage and further secure his victory in Paris?!?!?!  Go Wiggo Go!!!!

Chris Froome is having a nice stage here as he makes his through the scenic French countryside!  LOL!  The TV coverage got an extreme close-up of his butt wiggling as he’s pedaling along!  Wheeeees!

Oh, there’s Cadel as heads towards the second time checkpoint.  Hi Cadel!  Oh noes, Tejay Van Garderen has passed up Cadel Evan even though Tejay started three minutes behind him!  Tejay is on fire on this Tour!

Wiggo is flying along the flat area here!

Oh noes, Haimar Zubeldia slipped on the corner in town and almost landed on the pavement, then he narrowly missed the course barrier!  Glad you were able to hold on and keep yourself upright!  Nice recovery tram!

Tejay is zooming along through Chartres now.  Zoom zoom zooom!  And there goes Vincezo Nibali, pedaling for all he’s worth!  Wheeees!

And there goes Chris Froome as he captures the fastest time so far!!! Nicely done!

And shortly thereafter, Wiggo hauls ass over the line as Wiggo wins the Time Trial and probably the entire Tour!   It’s Wiggo Time as the French police surround him to make sure the crowd stays back!  Awesome Tour, Wiggo!

I liked watching the Podium Gals chat with each other backstage as Tejay Van Garderen was interviewed, and the Podium Gals didn’t realize they were on TV – LOL!  “Private eyes are watchin you!  They see your every move!”  LOL!

Oh now the podium gals are lined up for a picture while the director of Team Sky is interviewed.

There they are handing out the awards to Wiggo!  And the crowd goes wild tram!  He looked relieved for a second as he raised his arms up!

And Peter Sagen wins the Green Jersey once again!  Yays!   And he wins the Bulge of the Day Award with his Outward Pointing Vagina Bulge!  LOL!  That must be some cup he has on – LOL!

Awwws, Thomas Voekler has some Podium Gal lipstick on his cheek while receiving the Polka Dot Jersey.  Awwwws, Tejay is just beaming as he receives the White Jersey for young rider!

Oh mys, the rider that was bleeding on his handlebars will need to get a skin graft on the ends of his fingers after the Tour is over!  Ouchies!!!  Heal up fast tram!

Thank you for continuing to tune in to meh goofy coverage of the Tour de Underpants!  Tomorrow is the final epic stage in Paris as we find if out if Wiggo can win the entire Tour!  Wheeees!!!  Join meh tomorrow for some awesome picts of Paris!  Yays!!!!

Welcome back to Stage 17 of the Tour de Underpants!  Today’s epic mountain journey begins in Bagneres de Lunchon and winds around the Pyrenees Mountains to finish uphill at Peyragudes!  Wheees!!!!

Before we get started with our coverage, Frank Schleck claims that he was poisoned and that he never took the diuretic that he tested positive for!  Wow!  It does seem possible after someone threw dozens of nails on the course the other day!  Oh mys!

And because today’s stage is one of the more difficult ones on the Tour, the Wine of the Day needs to be something big and hearty, a full-bodied red that will help the riders kick some major butt through the hills!  And for that, we have a 2009 Chateau Haut-Beausejour, Saint Estephe, from Bordeaux, about $50 in Washington State.  Lush, concentrated flavors of berry and cherry on the nose, with rich layers of berry, cassis, vanilla, cedar, and more throughout.  Strong finish without being over the top!

Also excellent for a big day on the Tour at a much more affordable price is the Lafite Rothschild Special Reserve Red Bordeaux in any vintage you can find.  Full-bodied, rich, with layers of mature blackberry, cedar, vanilla, with a nice acidity and tannic finish without being overbearing or overdrying.   This is an amazing wine for the price and tastes much more expensive than it is!  Easily holds it own against a $50 bottle of wine!

Both of these selections are excellent with fi’s boeuf bourgignon, as shown below.   Nomnomnomnom!

Our Tour coverage for the day begins with Thomas Voekler in the lead near the top of the hill climb at Col de Menté.  Fredrick Kessiekoff fights hard but is not able to surpass Voekler.  Voekler looks relieved with that hill climb victory!  Then he stuffs a wind barrier under his jersey to help him stay warm on the descent with the very low clouds here.

Oh noes, it is extremely cloudy here in the Pyrenees National Park and the visibility is super-low, making conditions very dangerous, cold, and slick as moisture settles on the road.  That is odd, there is abundant sun above the cloud layer!  LOL!

The peloton has spread out on the descent at 67 miles to go as the clouds have lifted as they pass a few homes in Couledoux.

Seven riders broke away for the lead as they continue on through the national park.  Looks like a great area to camp with the tall trees and epic mountain views, outside of Sengouagnet!

Suddenly, Voekler came from behind and jutted ahead with a sprint!  Wow!  Kessiekoff was not expecting that, nor was anyone else!  Voekler wants it badly today!!!!!  And he wins!  Nicely done!  That puts him ahead of that group as well.

The peloton is about a minute and half behind the lead group, with more of the same as they continue on over the top of Col des Ares.

Oh noes!  Mark Cavendish crashed with Ritchie Porte around the food station at the small town of Aveux!  They crashed while passing the food bag.   Ritchie is still standing there as the peloton moved on, but everyone seems to be OK.

Ohhh, epic old castle ruins here as the riders head on towards the last hill climb at Port de Balès.  Awwws, nice sign by some spectators!  Have a nice day to you toos!

The road is getting steeper as the peloton stretches down the hill and some riders struggle uphill.  They are heading back into the clouds here.

The leaders are crossing a narrow, single lane road here, high above the cloudy, narrow valley below.  Aaaannnnnddd, Voekler keeps his polka dot jersey with his win of this hill climb!  Yay!

Riders need to slow down to maneuver through the rapid, sharp turns down the mountain.  They fly by some very old farms in the valley and some cool old homes.

Oh noes!  One of the riders was going wayyyy to fast and he missed the corner!  He ended up turning the wrong way and turning back around to go the correct way – LOL!

Now the leaders are starting their hill climb towards the finish, with just ten miles to go!

Cool ancient town at Caseaux-de-Larboust!

Allejander Valverdo is in the lead as Voekler runs out of gas and falls back.  One of the riders is bleeding on his handlebars as he rides down the road!  A newspaper was stuck in his spokes and he cut himself trying to extract it.  Ouchies!

Garin is a cool town with lots of spectators toos as the riders continue to pump uphill.  Oh noes, Kloden got a flat tire with just a few miles left!

Lots of caravans here as the cyclists kick up the intensity here and Valverdo keeps his lead with the peloton two and half minutes behind.

The Blue Angels are flying over my house now as the riders head toward the finish!

Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is struggling to keep up with chase group with about five miles to go.  Go Cadel Go!

They continue on uphill with increasing vigor.  Now it’s really steep here and the crowd is leaning in to cheer them on!  Oh good, barriers are keeping the crowd off the course here!  Yays!  A couple of guys almost got ran over further back!

Oh check out the nude guy and Egoi Martinez’s reaction to the nude guy!!!!!  LOL!  Classic Moments on the Tour de Underpants for sures!!!  Yays!!!! LOL!!!

They are really huffing and puffing as they pedal uphill for all they are worth!  I can smell the jet fuel from here!  Oh wait, that’s the Blue Angels!!!

LOL!  There is a guy with an Edvard Munich mask on and running along with the peloton!

Zoom Zoom Zoom on around past the very old ski resort at Peyregudes!  And Valverder keeps his lead and goes for the win!  Up and around the corner and over the finish line!  Nice cheer and nicely done!  Wheeees!

Wow, epic views from the Peyregudes Ski Area!  Amazing!  Valverder is really happy to have won!

Teejay Van Gardener received a Yeti with his flowers and White Jersey.

And Bradley Wiggins wins the Bulge of the Day Award as he keeps his Yellow Jersey!  He was off-center to the viewer’s right!  Nice junk, Wiggo!  Yays!!!!

These guys are fond of Wiggo also!  LOL!

Ok, that’s a wrap on today’s invigorating stage!  Thank you for continuing to follow the Tour via the Drunken Gaming Corner!  Wheeees!

Good Morgen meh hearties!  Welcome to Sunday’s coverage of Stage 14!  It should be an exciting day in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains as they journey from Limoux to Foix!

And since we are going through the foothills of the Pyronnes, the Wine of the Day is any Blanquette de Limoux or Cremant de Limoux you can find in stock!  This is French sparkling wine and was invented in 1531!!!!   The main grape is Mauzac, typically having an apple-peel flavor.  Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are often used here as well.  Sieur d’Arques is the largest winery in Limoux and is one of the brands most likely to be stocked in the States.  So Party On meh hearties trams!!!!!!  Wheeeees!

Today’s coverage begins at 68 miles out and the sound suddenly cut out.  Oh there it goes!  I wonder if the wind here is having some effect on Comcast.  The peloton is over 12 minutes behind in Mercus-Garrabet.  This is a beautiful, green, wooded area.  I wonder if the steam train will show up here.

We are approaching the sprint at Tarasco-sur-Ariege with six riders in the lead.  Peter Sagen was in the lead group, so of course he won, being the strong sprinter that he is!

Wow, epic stone bridges dating back to the Roman days!

They are starting their hill climb now in a relatively slow manner, outside of Port de Lers.  LOL!  Someone had a wooden sign that said “Vive le Tour” and a wooden guy on a wooden bicycle, and his wooden legs are actually pedaling the cycle!  Very clever!

They continue up their steady climb through the lush woods and past the many Norsk spectators as the peloton continues on towards the top of the hill climb. 

Oh noes, it’s raining here!  One of the Europecar riders hit a couple bumps on this narrow primitive road and his chain jumped off the gears.  He was able to get a new bike quickly.

The descent looks really treacherous as the leaders continue on, down the single lane primative road, around the sharp mountain turns, with lots of rain on the camera lens.

Oh noes, one of the leaders has all ready made his way to the second hill climb as the peloton starts their descent.  The road is made of the chip seal due to the large variations in temperature in the summer months, and other types of road surfaces don’t hold up as well in those conditions.  This rough road surface makes riding more difficult.

Much of this area is pure mountains and woods with no towns or buildings.  Oh, there went one small house and then an isolated barn a bit further down the road.

Oh noes, they have made their way to a very steep area with large trees and no visible towns here, a couple miles outside of Mur de Peguere.  The peloton is 15 minutes behind the leaders, and I hope the leaders aren’t going out too fast!

LOL!  The Clean Bottle character cracks me up and the way that, every year, there he is, bobbing along as he runs uphill and looking all top-heavy, as if he is ready to take a Clean Bottle faceplant!

One spectator has a fake tiger skin draped over him as he cheers on the riders.  The guy next to him goes wild as he claps and runs uphill like crazy – LOL!

Team Lotto has taken over the lead in the peloton with the leaders 16 minutes ahead now.  Looks foggy and misty here, further up in the Pyrenees.

Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is attacking up the hill on the peloton.  18% gradient here!  Five leaders on the way down as the peloton stretches out ad splits up.  The road towards the top of the hill is very narrow and will make it difficult to move ahead, so Cadel made his move early tram!

Sandy Casar is in the lead now as he flies downhill and the wind picks up.  Yes indeed, the peloton is going over a section of road that is about the width of walking path at about 19 miles away from the finish in Mur de Peguire.

Peter Sagan was able to shave off a corner and overtake Casar!  Peter Sagan and his protective cup tram!  Wheeees!

Ohhhs, epic castle ruins on top of a huge plateau with a view of the farmland below!  Beautiful!

Oh noes, 3 members of Team BMC needed new tires as they lost over a minute there!  Oh noes, he had to stop AGAIN and get a new rear tire, this time, losing another 30 seconds or so.

Peter Sagan keeps flying ahead as the peloton tries to reorganize itself.

Did someone throw nails on the course with the many, many flat tires that happened all in the same short segment of pavement, taking out some of the top riders?  I hope not!

Wiggo gets a new bike around Mouragues and gave up his lead.  He had a flat rear tire, but getting a new bike is faster.

There are only a seven miles to go as Peter Sagen in the lead.

Cadel “Cuddle” Evans stopped for a third time with yet another tire.  Someone else had a flat too at about the same time!  What a nightmare on the Tour today!!!

Foix is an epic, ancient city with narrow streets and sharp corners, as the cyclists pick up the pace towards the finish.

One of the BMC riders nearly rode right into another rider in a roundabout.   “That was a ‘tose one, Buckwheat!”  “No doubt, Alfalfa!”

Someone tossed their water bottle like week-old garbage – LOL!  He wants candy!

Cool diorama with farmers in traditional outfits and cows and some hay!

Just a couple miles to go now, and there goes another water bottle!  The peloton is wayyyyy back there now!!!

Oh noes, over 30 nails were found on the road!  Awful!  Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is pedaling his ass off after three flat tires!!!

With one kilometer to go, Luis Sachez is in the lead!  He’s cheering himself to the finish!  The crowd goes wild!  Huge smile as he crosses the line!  He looks really relieved as he gets beyond the finish!

The real competition came in for second place and beyond at the finish, with Sagen and Sanchez rounding out the top three today.

Wiggo retains his Yellow Jersey and is Bulge of the Day Winner!  Yays!  Nice show to our left tram!!!

Oh mys, Luis Sanchez has some serious varicose veins as he takes his turn on the podium!!! 

Today’s stage was a bit too exciting for me!  Whews!  Best of luck to all the riders on tomorrow’s stage as they continue through the Pyrenees towards Spain!  Should be beautiful!

Thank you for joining me here on yet another day of the Tour de France as we have made our way from Belgium to Spain!  Have fun and join me for the remainder of the Tour!