I try to keep the politics out of my blog but....

... this was too funny! I'm hooked on Facebook lately.

Up @ 3 am, Insomnia....

.... is a strange thing. I didn't know it was something that one could/would aquire, but I have. Dr. gave me a sleep aid, I hate them, they make me feel as though I'm watching life through an automobile windshield. Tough part is I'm a monster after a few days w/out sleep and it takes a toll on Kathy. Too late to try to go back to sleep, I have a ride @ 7:00... thank goodness for the interwebs... now if only there were some folks on facebook to talk to. *Note to self, make friends in the UK so you can chat at all hours of the morning

RIP Don Sleeper

A great spirit lost his battle with cancer today. Don Sleeper was a friend to me in a time when I knew none, he built wonderfully wicked trail for all to enjoy and asked nothing in return. He was a gentle soul and I a better person for knowing him. In lieu of trying to come up with something poetic to say, I thought of a poem I once heard by Rupert Brooke. Rest in peace my friend, you are in a better place.

---------------------------------------------------


The Hill
by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)
Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill,
Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.
You said, "Through glory and ecstasy we pass;
Wind, sun, and earth remain, the birds sing still,
When we are old, are old. . . ." "And when we die
All's over that is ours; and life burns on
Through other lovers, other lips," said I,
---"Heart of my heart, our heaven is now, is won!"

"We are Earth's best, that learnt her lesson here.
Life is our cry. We have kept the faith!" we said;
"We shall go down with unreluctant tread
Rose-crowned into the darkness!" . . . Proud we were,
And laughed, that had such brave true things to say.
---And then you suddenly cried, and turned away.

Lost pix of west Texas

... since I'm no longer using deathstar communications for my mobile, thought I'd wipe my PDA's before selling them. Found a bunch of pix that I don't think I uploaded anywhere. This was the 2008 Mas-o-meno's race.

Social Networking....

... who knew that it could be so much fun? Since I have time on my hands lately, and my bud Kev has been riding me lately to do the facebook thing, I decided to take on Facebook as well as Linked In. Apparently I already had an account on Linked in... wow didn't even remember doing that. Updated it, and loaded some contacts, who knows might find that lead for a job back east via the web. Facebook is proving to be much more fun, I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon enough, but for now, as Gary says, it's like interactive email. The added bonus is that I've seen names and faces that I haven't seen or hear of in years, some close to a decade or two.... man, when did I get old all of the sudden?

In other news, I'm thinking it's time to replace my old digi cam. My sister recently got a Panasonic Lumix 8.1, it's small enought for biking trips, has a good display, and is cheap @ $159.99. The biggest issue I have purchasing it is that last week the big box retailer selling it was offering a 1GB SD card free with purchase, this week it's a lame little tri-pod. I know, I know splitting hairs. Who knows maybe the little tripod thin will come in handy on some solo rides.

3 days 3 rides

... Friday hooked up with another VA expat (Halfinch to you MORE types) and rode out at Flat Rock Ranch we got a bit of a late start (my fault) but had a good ride and got out of there before it got dark. The different part for me was that it was the first time I've been on a non-fixed bike in several months. Coasting is fun!

Saturday, I rode with Shawn at my local stomp'n grounds it was a less than stellar ride, I was back on the fixie and just couldn't get in the groove. I had a flat, shortly there after Shawn flatted, so we decided to call it a day and cut out after about 1/2 of the ride.

Sunday... my bum was sore, my hands bruised, but that wasn't going to stop me from getting a ride in. This time Government Canyon. I always forget what a fun place this is, nice and rocky, good climbing, nice vista's... this place has it all, well everything but water. I felt pretty good most of the ride, wasn't pushing myself (didn't have coffee always bad) and then we hit the climb @ wild cat. I felt strong and ended up finishing the climb strong. The downhill out was brutal, and something in my handlebar set up was really taking a toll on my hands... numb and sore, I'm thinking the ESI's aren't quite broken in, might have to switch over to OURI's.

Monday... reality check. I really need to do something about the job scenario. I really had it in my heart that I was going to take advantage of this time to get a job back east, and while I still would love this, the logistics are almost impossible. I have a house to sell here, a wife, daughter, and two dogs to get back there, not to mention all the junk.

Home, no thanks to Ike...

... got home yesterday after 11.5 hours in the car, the trip should take ~ 8.5 hours. Remind me to tell you later how much I hate Houston.

Had a good visit with the in-laws. Kathy's brother is doing well, and his wife is busy as always. It was weird being back down there, and I realized that I hadn't been to MS since just after Katrina on our way to TX to live. While Kathy's folks have done a really nice job not only with their house but with the grounds, the area is still very much devastated from Katrina and subsequent storms. Lots of boats still ship wrecked in yards, in homes, on docks, in the road... sad. New Orleans is still a mess as well. The French Quarter was spared during Katrina, but the lower ninth ward was devastated, the scenes while driving around were much like the aftermath of Katrina, homes still boarded up with FEMA X's on them, holes still in roof tops from panic stricken residents creating impromptu escape hatches. The trip made me realize just how much I have to be grateful for.

Damn you Gustov!

So this weekend is a big ride at Government Canyon there's a big group heading down from Austin & the San Antonio Mojo's will be there too. Regrettably we'll be heading to the Gulf Coast to visit with the in-laws. I suppose it's not so bad, after all we will get to see Kathy's brother & sister-in-law who we haven't seen since we lived in Atlanta. Grrr I really wanted to ride there fixed, but I suppose such a venue is no time to experiment.

Went for a quick ride this morning to my fav. local trail had my tomi cog come loose. Second time in a couple of weeks. I think I need to loc-tite the threads. I also got one pinch flat. Good ride, and last one for a week at least as we'll be out of town. I also have three wheels to lace, it was originally two, but I let a guy try out my franken fixie on last weeks swill ride and he bent my rim jumping a curb... so much so that it broke the seam and I just don't trust it for the terrain around here.

The wife and kiddo will be gone for another few weeks when I get back from the in-laws... thinking it might be road trip time... where to go?

That's it, just wanted to get the random stuff out of my head. Also still looking for any leads back in the DC area job wise.

Cheers,

Idiot!

So you'll notice that this blog does not contain any pictures of my ride this weekend. Why? Because after taking the time to stop, take some so-so pictures, and even do some trail repair (some lazy fuggers have been cutting cheater lines) yours truly left his camera behind. Argh! Yes it was an old lack luster camera. Yes new ones are better, but the old one worked fine for my camera skills, and it was long paid for. Funny, fxwhl found a camera, and I lost one. The cycling karma does not go without notice. Perhaps I need to ride fixed more?

Cheers,

More Fixie....

... Thank you Tomi!





Sorry about the picture quality. I'm working on my skills. Any pointers Gary?

I'd like to get to the point where my random point & shoot comes out as well as fxdwhl or Joel's I'm amazed at their over the shoulder shots... maybe I need longer arms?

Camera found....

.... great thing about 3 year olds, they like to put things in random places. The camera was found in the center console of Kathy's Jeep... it would have been a long time before it was found, but Ella decided her breakfast should go in there, and viola out comes the camera. Interesting thing too, there were about 20 pix saved to the camera rather than the SD card, some 4 years old! Wow, funny.

Here is the after of the bench after I straightend it out, still a mess, but much better.

Prisoner....

.... to A/C and shade. I can't take it much longer. How the hell does anyone get used to this. I've been here for 3 years and it's not getting any easier. I can only ride either first thing in the morning, or late in the evening. I talk to lots of other cyclists here and they don't seem to have as much trouble as I do. I actually miss snow rides I tell them, they look at me like I'm crazy... thing is you can always layer up and adjust for temperature, in the direct sun and heat of the day you can only take off so much and shade is like gold.

In other news, the camera that was found, is now lost again... no pic's until I can find it. Too much junk in the house, why is it necessary to accumulate so much rubbish? Next week I'm beginning to clear out the clutter, fights will ensue. If I find the camera I'll begin to document.

Cheers,

Weekend review...

So my sister from DC and her family are in town this weekend, it's been nice having them around and getting a chance to hang out with them. Funny how when you live 10 miles from each other you don't take the time to hangout as much as you should. I suppose life gets in the way some times.

So our story picks up on Thursday night. I decided to go down to San Antonio and do the Thursday night swill ride. Prior to the swill ride, we did an off road adventure through the Olmos Basin. Alan was there, always good to see him and ride with him. Tobin from NB was also there, the second time I've ridden with him in a week, more than in the last two years I've lived in New Braunfels. Stayed out late, drank quite a few tasty beverages, had a yummy Portabello burger, this veggie lifestyle isn't so bad.

Friday Kathy & Ella had playnastics so I thought I'd do a quick run, and mow the lawn. Got in a short 2 miles, but the legs were spent from the night before on the fixie. Mowed the lawn, and even assembled our new bed frame. Quite a productive day.

Saturday morning I got out for a quick Madrone ride, came home and got ready for dinner at my sisters house. We had a great dinner thanks to her husband who's an excellent party host and cook. The girls had their feet done, Kathy's was her birthday gift from the family, which is really nice as funds are going to be tight moving forward.

Sunday I took Ella to the pool, and then we took a nice nap together. We then dropped her off with my sister so we could have a night together for Kathy's birthday.

Monday, I begin job searching... woohoo! I'm casting a broad net, Kathy has agreed to go anywhere, and this is the perfect opportunity to get back home to the east coast. Anyone hiring back east (DC, VA, MD) let me know....

Another benefit of being home...

.... more time with the princess. What is it about a bean-bag chair?

Now that I have some time on my hands....

.... it's time to straighten out the work bench.





.... and get the fleet in working order.

The Vassago still needs it's rear wheel laced. The Gunnar needs a new rear tire. The roadie needs new tires, maybe some 28's if they can be had on the cheap. So many projects, and no time constraints! Unemployment has it's benefits ;o)

Case of the Mondays...

.... went in for my weekly one on one with my Manager which was kind of strange because lately we've been doing group meetings. I didn't really think too much about it. Go into his office and there's some random guy there. He makes the introduction, Danny, I think was the guys name. Turns out that Danny is there to keep the peace, my boss gives me the news, says it's not his choice, corporate had some complaints from customers that I haven't managed in almost a year, and because there was no one to back-fill my old spot, the responsibility apparently was mine... the problem there is that I didn't have my old mobile number so the complaints apparently went no where until the FNG shows up and can't manage the territory. My boss is actually really cool, writes me a letter or recommendation and lists me a eligible for re-hire. Someone had to be the scape goat, I got the short end of it... or did I? As I made the numb drive home I realized just how lucky I really am. I have a great supportive wife, an amazing little girl, and a supportive and loving family. I'm still taking it all in, as I've never been "let go" before. It's a strange feeling. So, what to do now? Make lemonade out of lemons? The good news is I can float off of savings for a little while, but it did get me thinking about the possibilities out there. I checked on realtor.com and there are houses in my old stomping grounds that are reasonable, provided I have roughly the same income I had here. Granted the houses will be older and smaller, but seeing as there are rooms in this house the we're heating and cooling and not even using, perhaps it's the perfect timing?

Now to file for unemployment, spend time with Ella, and get some miles on my legs.

Oh, almost forgot I found the digi cam, charged up the batteries. So expect more updates and some more pictures. Here's one of the great work Kathy's doing in the back yard.

Another day, another fixie adventure....

Hooked up with Tobin, Joel, and Ride4beer @ the Madrone. I'm way slower than Joel, never ridden with Tobin or R4B, they're all fit so I figure I'm fugged, but what the hay, not like I've never ridden the Madrone solo before. The ride ensues, I'm hanging in the back chatting it up a bit at first, then just keeping up with the crew. Joel's up front on his new Mamasita, he was fast before the Mama, and just keeps me far enough behind that I don't see him except at re-group area's. Tobin's being cool and hangin' in the back with me while r4b is up front with Joel. At some point r4b drops back and I pull ahead. I'm burning pretty good for me, but know I can't keep it up for a sustained amount of time. Eventually we get to the Marina area where everyone struggles a little giving me a chance to pull in behind Tobin who's now taken the lead. The others catch up and at Joel's re-route I go straight into the sh!t, while the boys enjoy the longer, but less techy section. I know I'm up front now, so I take advantage of the situation and power through to the start/finish. We all re-group again, when Tobin & Joel ask if we want to get in another lap, there's no way I can do the first half, so I suggest "Grand Canyon" which recieves funny looks, Joel graciously corrects me and tells me it's called "Flying Cactus"... who knew? Off we go, again I'm pulling the back, when we get to an opening r4b pulls off looking for his lungs, Joel slows to see if he's ok and I take another spot, now I'm closing in on Tobin, who's officially warmed up. I give it everything I have and catch up, Joel's on my freaking rear wheel like white on rice.... I keep it up as long as I can but a cramp reminds me that I'm no racer boy. By the time I heal up I'm at the back of the pack again. I catch up at boat ramp, Tobin know's I'm toast and suggests we short cut over to the Marina and finish up in the dirt, I agree and spin along. We get to the dirt where again everyone is having a hard time, I clean the section and pull up front not to see the crew until we get to the cars.

After the ride I followed Tobin over to his crib to Czech out his rocking new Vanilla. All I can say is if I had the $, I'd certainly love to have one myself, although I don't know if I'd ever ride it for fear of damaging such a work of art.

Tomorrow is a rest day. I'll more than likely spend the morning playing with Ella at the pool, and hiding from the sun for the afternoon.

Thursday night social ride....

.... July was a tough month for me work wise. I haven't been this stressed out in years, at least not due to work. I finished up the month well, so I decided to treat myself to a social ride with the San Antonio Mojo's. I went early for the dirt ride, and was a little concerned since I was on the fixie again. This is a social ride, but the pace was good... not break neck speed, but not really slouching. I got a good workout in, and only had minor issues in the tight twisties which is more a bar being too wide for the trail thing. From the dirt social, we all meet up and head out for the pub crawl. I did reasonably well here until we hit a long downhill, which forced me to slow way down also making the transition back uphill a little exhausting. I hit the Mix, threw back a few cold ones, and decided to call it a night early-ish. I got home around 10, which is unheard of for me on one of these social rides, but it was enough of a ride, and I got to see some folks I haven't seen in months. Good ride, good people, these are the memories I'll take away from this place when it's time to move on.

I was impressed with the fixies performance, the more I ride the more I like being fixed. I'm learning how to adjust my body more for the terrain, but haven't really picked up the rear wheel hop thing just yet, I'm sure I look much like a smash'm up derby car just plowing into things. I am learning how to time my approach a little better, and have a general feeling for where the pedals will be at most objects. The multiple hops or drops are still a challenge and the random pedal strike is a sobering reminder that you can never stop paying attention on a fixie

Mid week fixie fix....

So I snuck out early this morning since my neighbor (formerly from Falls Church weird) wanted to check out Madrone, and we'd never ridden before. I was a little nervous at first since he's a fitness freak, does triathlons, runs 5 & 10k's, so on and so forth and I... well, let's just say I'm not quite a fitness freak. We hit the trail around 8:00 and did a 2.5 hour tour of Madrone. He did really well considering he was riding flats with Keens. It's always rewarding when someone rides a trail for the first time, this was no exception. He was thoroughly impressed with my ability to tackle hills and obstacles on a fixie, and I heard loads of "woohoo's" from behind me as we hit some of the double & triple drops along the way.

As a sidebar, I did try to take my camera with me, but Kathy has hidden it during one of her "cleaning" sessions. I'll probably find it when we go to move.

Cheers...

Another Weekend, another fixie outing....

.... so another weekend ride on the fixie. Got up early and out the door before the mercury hit the triple digits. I was having a somewhat stoic ride, got to the boat ramp and decided to take a moment to breath in the morning air and enjoy the views before the hundreds of boaters decided to disturb my peace. While enjoying the view a couple of guys rode up on me, cool enough guys we chatted for a bit, so I decided to tag along on their ride. The leader (Cody) was setting a brisk pace, not too fast, not too slow. He was clearly in better condition than me, but I could tell he lacked confidence in the technical sections so it was a good match up. His bud (Eric) had his two border collies with him, so he stayed back a little. It was fun to ride with other people as I tend to ride slow and solo most of the time. After the ride we hung out for a bit, they caught on that I was on a single speed, then the question of how come I only had a front brake came up. I don't think they were too impressed with the Franken-fixie, but were amazed at it's weight compared to their squishy bikes. We exchanged numbers and said we'd ride together again, don't know if they will or not, but I certainly felt comfortable with them.

In other news, I've been on the fence as to which rim to get for the 29r. I had pretty much decided to go with a Stans hoop. I went to my local shop and the owner, a former 29er guy told me he was going back to little wheels for the race season. He happened to be re-using his DT rear hub which meant he no longer needed his DT hoop.... looks like I'm going with the DT hoop, nothing fancy, but the price is right. Now I just need to order some spokes & nipples and lace her up. Love when things come together without effort.

Oh, and Joel G. FYI it was 103 today with 80% humidity... your 90 with 90% humidity seems like a cool fall day!