The Criterium

Saturday was the second annual Bank of America Criterium, a bike race in downtown Charlotte that passed right in front of our condo building. It had a total purse of $175K, and many of the world's top riders were present.

Mary and I and some of our neighbors grabbed some adult beverages and spent the late afternoon watching the racers fly by. Most of the time Mary and I spent in the lobby in air-conditioned comfort, but by the end of the race it was about as nice as it's going to get outside in August. We took some pictures, too.

The start/finish line was a couple of blocks away, so we went back to our place to watch the final couple of laps on TV. It was a pretty exciting finish, with a wipeout on the last lap ending the chance of a repeat winner in the men's division. Full results are here.

Signs of My Times

I'm not really sure what to say about either of these two objects in my building. The one on the left is from the security panel in the lobby. If anyone can tell me why "audible silence" is not completely nonsensical, I'd like to know. I feel good having a "trouble" indicator though: now I always have a way to know for sure.

I understand the one on the right intellectually — there might be times when you'd need to shut down air circulation in the building — but emotionally it just doesn't ring true. In my head I keep seeing this image of someone running out into the hall screaming "it's too cold!" and hitting the switch. And in the South in summer, that's just crazy.