I’ve joked several times that the next big event on my bucket list is an Iron Man. I’ve never done at triathlon, but why should that stop me from participating in one of the most grueling endurance sports? I’m a good swimmer, and I’m a good biker. I’ve even done a marathon.

This video explains everything about why I’ve hesitated to undertake even something as tame as the Danskin:

They are good for many things, including watching the Tour de France and bar review lectures simultaneously! 

Nick upgraded my handlebars, stem, and seat and his handlebars on the tandem this morning. A quick spin verified that this is indeed a better setup. (Looks nice too!)

This was our intended route. We had to ride back into Issaquah on Hwy 900, though, because May Valley was closed just east of there. In a few months, when the bridge is repaired, this will be a good route!

We also made a quick stop in Redmond for Derby Days. The masters men were just finishing as we rolled up. We watched the beginning of the women’s race, but it was too hot to stick around and enjoy the beer garden, so we climbed the hill home with thoughts of beet salad dancing in our heads.

I had to watch this twice - once to reminisce about the original song and once to really listen to the clever parody.

Here’s a quick round up of activity on Salad Days in the month of June. I wish you good health and happy eating!

June 19th: Vegetable Scrap Stock
June 20th: Indian Cauliflower & Kidney Bean Soup
June 24th: Cheese-less pizza
June 25th: Green-Ya Colada
June 27th: Corn & Kidney Bean Salad - Two Ways
June 30th: You can starve cancer with a healthy, plant-based diet

We’ve been farting around with our STP training. Today, we’re riding our first century to get ready:

After a near daily barrage of solicitors interrupting my bar studies program, I decided to post a no-solicitation sign on our door. (Thanks Patrick for reminding me.) It reads as follows:

NO SOLICITING!

(Unless you are someone under the age of 12 selling something sweet, like cookies or candy, at a price not to exceed $2 for your scout troop, sports team, or church group. I’m sympathetic to child slave labor, I like kids, and I like cookies even better.)

But if you do not fall into that category, I don’t want your magazine because I already have a subscription. I don’t want your newspaper because I can read it online for free. I do not want to pay you to run, walk, swim, jog, jog-walk, swim-jog, or walk-run. I do not want to pay you to cure AIDS. I don’t want to fund your fraternity’s trip to Mexico. I genuinely hope that together we can help stop breast cancer, and while I’ll be more than happy to give you a free exam, I do not want to pay you to examine others. I do not want a “trial” anything. I don’t want you to “inspect” anything. I do not want to pay you to leave me alone. That’s what this sign is for! I do not want you to keep standing in front of my door, reading this sign in the hopes that I might have posted an exception for your particular breed of leech. If you want my money, feel free to try robbing me. I carry a knife with a 4-inch blade and will gladly extend your smile to your ears. Thank you, and the best of luck screwing over my neighbors.

Think that’ll help?

Last year I advised a client in the Community Development & Entrepreneurship Clinic at Seattle University on proper classification of workers - how to tell if they were employees or independent contractors. I stressed the importance of classifying them correctly because it told the company what responsibilities it had to both the workers and the government. A misclassification could lead to all sorts of trouble if the government ever figured it out and decided to go after them. The business could owe back taxes (what you should have paid if they had been treated as employees), plus hefty penalties.

At the time, the danger seemed a little more theoretical than actual, but now that the government is $7 trillion in debt, it looks like the gloves are off. The President’s 2011 budget provides for a hundred new IRS agents to ramp up their enforcement efforts. Mislabeled contractors are among their priorities with 6,000 companies already targeted as potential violators. Yikes!

If you own a business that has hired independent contractors, I hope you’re starting to wonder whether there a chance you are at risk. Without knowing the specifics, of course, it’s hard to tell, but the Department of Labor estimates that 30 percent of companies misclassify employees as contractors. (The General Accounting Office estimates the cost of misclassification at $7 billion a year in underpayment of social security taxes, unemployment insurance, and income taxes.)

If you have hired an independent contractor, it may be time to refresh yourself on the rules of classification. Start here, on the IRS Web site. When in doubt, however, make sure to contact your lawyer.