The Wifey and I are headed to Cape May this weekend for a wedding. I always look forward to quick little weekend trips down there. Anything more than 3 days would drive me up the wall. Nice place to visit but there just isn’t enough to keep me occupied. I’ll take with me my ‘crosser with road wheels to get in one if not two good long solid rides. One thing I do love about CM is the abundance of good food. I’ll need to ride a lot to earn my grub.
I think doing IC Lite is looking better than 50/50 right now. I didn’t really care for last years race but Granogue is only two weeks away and there is probably no better training than racing.
Big weekend up north in New England. Gloucester double. KHam is racin’ with any and every big hitter you can think of. I hope he does well. The rest of the locals should do well. The Really Fast Young Dude should be in the mix. Dieter. I’m also eager to see how the MABRA “A” race shakes out. I will expect a call from The Legend after that one.
Flyers made their season debut tonight. Or rather they showed up in Pittsburgh to allow the Pens to spank them without putting up any resistance. Embarrassing. I hate to say it but I don’t have a good feeling about the Flyers this season. Like losing in the first round last season gave me a good feeling.
Enough already.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Gratitude
Today was Erin’s baby shower. Or as she likes to point out, it was our baby shower. There must have been at least 15 of our friends and family attending. I was watching football with Erin’s dad and uncle downstairs but from what I could hear it sounded as though everyone had a good time. I’ve always been very uncomfortable in gift-giving/receiving situations such as today. I guess it’s something people have always done. Baby Showers. Bridal Showers. Weddings. Birthdays. Who am I to buck centuries of tradition? At any rate, Erin and I are extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity. Thanks to our friends and family Little Junior is well stocked and just about fully supplied for his first days, months, and years. Thank you everyone.
I got out for another good hard ride today. My new AC PowerTap has been schizting out the past few rides. It makes it a little difficult to do a specific training ride when everything is power/wattage based. I still managed to get some good stuff done.
KHam did his first ‘cross race of the season today. He flatted on the first lap and fought back to finish 9th. We’ll have to work on that back-up stuff this week. Kyle also told me Nate finished a close 2nd today. Nice work.
Erin’s little sis, Emily, is leaving for Hawaii next weekend. She’ll be gone for a couple months. Sounds like a fun. She’ll be back just in time to become Aunt Emily.
If anyone cares, the Flyers new season starts Thursday. I’m ready. The Sillies, once again, broke my heart. It would be so much easier if they would either suck really bad, giving me no false hope, or dominate. I won’t hold my breathe on that dominate idea. Speaking of suck, when is appropriate to give up on a team you’ve stuck with for 20+ years but has stunk out loud for the past 3+? Raiders. They may not win a game this year. In fact, I hope they don’t. There is no distinction in having a 3-13 record. However, going O’fer 16 would create an unprecedented level of infamy that I think I could root for.
Salt and Malt Vinegar Potato Chips are grrrrr-eat!
I got out for another good hard ride today. My new AC PowerTap has been schizting out the past few rides. It makes it a little difficult to do a specific training ride when everything is power/wattage based. I still managed to get some good stuff done.
KHam did his first ‘cross race of the season today. He flatted on the first lap and fought back to finish 9th. We’ll have to work on that back-up stuff this week. Kyle also told me Nate finished a close 2nd today. Nice work.
Erin’s little sis, Emily, is leaving for Hawaii next weekend. She’ll be gone for a couple months. Sounds like a fun. She’ll be back just in time to become Aunt Emily.
If anyone cares, the Flyers new season starts Thursday. I’m ready. The Sillies, once again, broke my heart. It would be so much easier if they would either suck really bad, giving me no false hope, or dominate. I won’t hold my breathe on that dominate idea. Speaking of suck, when is appropriate to give up on a team you’ve stuck with for 20+ years but has stunk out loud for the past 3+? Raiders. They may not win a game this year. In fact, I hope they don’t. There is no distinction in having a 3-13 record. However, going O’fer 16 would create an unprecedented level of infamy that I think I could root for.
Salt and Malt Vinegar Potato Chips are grrrrr-eat!
Friday, September 29, 2006
It's the Big One... You hear that Elizabeth... I'm comin'
As I was riding home from work tonight the coolest looking fox jumped right out in front of me and across the road. You rarely see foxes especially up close like that. Neat looking animals.
The Holmes Cycling/BodyLogicTherapy team unis arrived today. A few days late for the first race of the season but there is no one to blame but me for that. They look good. I might have to wear mine long sleeve skinsuit to bed. I would no doubt fall asleep faster.
The Holmes Cycling/BodyLogicTherapy team unis arrived today. A few days late for the first race of the season but there is no one to blame but me for that. They look good. I might have to wear mine long sleeve skinsuit to bed. I would no doubt fall asleep faster.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Back in Black
I'm not usually a sucker for TV ads but I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out this weekend and buy some Skinny Black Pants from The Gap. For The Wifey, of course.
Spent
I forgot to mention in my last post the fantastic race at Charm The Legend pulled off. 10th place. Helluva ride.
Last nights ‘cross practice was cool. We had approx 10-12 again. I warmed up well then did some good intervals with Zach. We’d go hard 20 seconds before the barriers and attack for 10 seconds after then ride briskly for roughly 3 minutes before doing it over. 30 minutes of that and I was spent. I did a couple more laps of on/off intensity to wrap up a productive evening. Zach’s a good kid. Plus he’s faster than me so doing workouts with him makes good sense.
Today I got out for a nice road ride. 2 hours of going hard over climbs/rollers. I got wet about 5 miles from home. The sky was dark and I heard a good bit of thunder but fortunately I rode into the aftermath of a storm so I only got wet from the road spray. Fun ride though. I felt great during the entire ride however my legs are now very well worked over.
The Wifey’s baby shower is Sunday. It should be a good time. Not sure who is showing up yet. My other friend Zach and his wonderful wife Angela stopped by the park last night after we were done. They had little Jocelyn with them. She’s growing really fast. I think she’ll be two in a week or so already. I can’t wait to be a parent. Anyway, Erin put Angela in charge of properly entertaining everyone on Sunday.
I wait 10 months so that I can enjoy 2 months of this awesome fall weather. Man this is how it should be all the time.
Last nights ‘cross practice was cool. We had approx 10-12 again. I warmed up well then did some good intervals with Zach. We’d go hard 20 seconds before the barriers and attack for 10 seconds after then ride briskly for roughly 3 minutes before doing it over. 30 minutes of that and I was spent. I did a couple more laps of on/off intensity to wrap up a productive evening. Zach’s a good kid. Plus he’s faster than me so doing workouts with him makes good sense.
Today I got out for a nice road ride. 2 hours of going hard over climbs/rollers. I got wet about 5 miles from home. The sky was dark and I heard a good bit of thunder but fortunately I rode into the aftermath of a storm so I only got wet from the road spray. Fun ride though. I felt great during the entire ride however my legs are now very well worked over.
The Wifey’s baby shower is Sunday. It should be a good time. Not sure who is showing up yet. My other friend Zach and his wonderful wife Angela stopped by the park last night after we were done. They had little Jocelyn with them. She’s growing really fast. I think she’ll be two in a week or so already. I can’t wait to be a parent. Anyway, Erin put Angela in charge of properly entertaining everyone on Sunday.
I wait 10 months so that I can enjoy 2 months of this awesome fall weather. Man this is how it should be all the time.
Monday, September 25, 2006
"Going to want to"
I won’t bore anyone with the details. Charm City ‘Cross was a disappointment from a results standpoint. An absolute blast as far as the course is concerned. I can’t explain why I felt the way I did but I feel like I should have been closer to the front of the race. All things being equal, 20th in a 80-90ish race ain’t shabby for my first competitive effort since Thanksgiving last year.
My intention was to gather valuable info from the PowerTap I used at the race. All it told me was my heart rate was ridiculously high and I wasn’t putting out anywhere near the power I was during practice/training efforts. Whatever.
It was a pleasure to see all the friends and faces from ‘cross. FortJames had some pretty cool news. Nice job man. Said hello to Nystrom briefly warming up. Nice job man. Zach had a great race. Even though I told him he wasn’t allowed to pass me in our race, well, he did anyway. 10th place. Nice job man. John Brewer won the B’s. I did Iron Cross Lite last year which may have been one of his first ‘cross races. John and I were back and forth all race long. He was sooo strong on open straights but less so in technical stuff. I would pass him in the tech stuff and he would blow me away on the long open stuff. I remember telling a few people if that dude could get some technical skill he would be an unstoppable force. Well, he did. Nice job man.
I wanted to stay to watch the rest of the afternoon races but truth-be-told, it was Sunday, and there was football to be watched. The couch reigns supreme on Sunday afternoons. Me and my wonderfully supportive and quite pregnant Wifey stopped in Hunt Valley on the way home to fuel up on some quality fast food. Wendy’s. First time this year I’ve had fast food of any sort other than a couple bean burritos from Taco Hell.
It’s official. KHam narrowly edged out VisitPA Ray for the season long MASS series title. No doubt, the two best Mtb’ers in the Mid-Atlantic finished 1st and 2nd. Waytogo guys.
The Wifey and I completed week three of six tonight of our Pregnancy classes at Harrisburg Hospital. Ho-hum. I guess I’ve picked up a few things but honestly I think breezing thru a book or two would suffice. Week 5 will be cool because we’re going to tour the actual hospital facilities.
The woman teaching the course kept saying “gonna wanna” all night. I’m sure I do it too but she must have said it a dozen times. Because I was so bored I tried to keep count of how many times to make the night go faster but then I got distracted by the Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews I was eating. Sometimes I forget that Erin reads this. Ummm……yeah, I was paying attention.
My intention was to gather valuable info from the PowerTap I used at the race. All it told me was my heart rate was ridiculously high and I wasn’t putting out anywhere near the power I was during practice/training efforts. Whatever.
It was a pleasure to see all the friends and faces from ‘cross. FortJames had some pretty cool news. Nice job man. Said hello to Nystrom briefly warming up. Nice job man. Zach had a great race. Even though I told him he wasn’t allowed to pass me in our race, well, he did anyway. 10th place. Nice job man. John Brewer won the B’s. I did Iron Cross Lite last year which may have been one of his first ‘cross races. John and I were back and forth all race long. He was sooo strong on open straights but less so in technical stuff. I would pass him in the tech stuff and he would blow me away on the long open stuff. I remember telling a few people if that dude could get some technical skill he would be an unstoppable force. Well, he did. Nice job man.
I wanted to stay to watch the rest of the afternoon races but truth-be-told, it was Sunday, and there was football to be watched. The couch reigns supreme on Sunday afternoons. Me and my wonderfully supportive and quite pregnant Wifey stopped in Hunt Valley on the way home to fuel up on some quality fast food. Wendy’s. First time this year I’ve had fast food of any sort other than a couple bean burritos from Taco Hell.
It’s official. KHam narrowly edged out VisitPA Ray for the season long MASS series title. No doubt, the two best Mtb’ers in the Mid-Atlantic finished 1st and 2nd. Waytogo guys.
The Wifey and I completed week three of six tonight of our Pregnancy classes at Harrisburg Hospital. Ho-hum. I guess I’ve picked up a few things but honestly I think breezing thru a book or two would suffice. Week 5 will be cool because we’re going to tour the actual hospital facilities.
The woman teaching the course kept saying “gonna wanna” all night. I’m sure I do it too but she must have said it a dozen times. Because I was so bored I tried to keep count of how many times to make the night go faster but then I got distracted by the Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews I was eating. Sometimes I forget that Erin reads this. Ummm……yeah, I was paying attention.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Monkey Bubble
Dubya Tee Eff?
Woke up. Fell outta bed. Dragged a comb across my head.
Got some good things done today. Things that needed to get done.
Short little EZ ride on the road sled. Fine tuning the fitness or as Chris Horner loves to say “I was finding my form today”. He loves that word. Read it in VeloNews or Cyclingnews.com. Every other word is “form”. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy. I hope he races lots of ‘cross this fall and does well.
Speaking of. Charm on Sunday. I’m excited and nervous. Nervous and excited. First race. Don’t know what to expect. Did I do enough? Not enough? Too much? Hopefully just right.
Fall has arrived a few days early. Awesome sleeping weather. I always get a kick out of that one too. Sleeping weather. What does that mean? And why is 50 degrees sleeping weather? I’m not sure but it seems to work.
Little Junior is approx 3 months away. We came up with our boy and girl names. Anyone who can guess the initials gets a bagel w/ cream cheese. My treat. And no, Josh, before you say F.U.K. better think again. I got shot down by The Wifey on that one. There will be no Fogarty Ulysses Kessel. Maybe the next one. Marriage is all about compromises, right?
A woman came into the bike shop a couple days ago with a rear wheel in her hand. The tire’s sidewall was badly deteriorated in one spot although the innertube was not exposed just yet. It protruded some but not terribly. Anyway, she claimed her tire had a MONKEY BUBBLE and wanted me to fix it. Sure. Why not?
Woke up. Fell outta bed. Dragged a comb across my head.
Got some good things done today. Things that needed to get done.
Short little EZ ride on the road sled. Fine tuning the fitness or as Chris Horner loves to say “I was finding my form today”. He loves that word. Read it in VeloNews or Cyclingnews.com. Every other word is “form”. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy. I hope he races lots of ‘cross this fall and does well.
Speaking of. Charm on Sunday. I’m excited and nervous. Nervous and excited. First race. Don’t know what to expect. Did I do enough? Not enough? Too much? Hopefully just right.
Fall has arrived a few days early. Awesome sleeping weather. I always get a kick out of that one too. Sleeping weather. What does that mean? And why is 50 degrees sleeping weather? I’m not sure but it seems to work.
Little Junior is approx 3 months away. We came up with our boy and girl names. Anyone who can guess the initials gets a bagel w/ cream cheese. My treat. And no, Josh, before you say F.U.K. better think again. I got shot down by The Wifey on that one. There will be no Fogarty Ulysses Kessel. Maybe the next one. Marriage is all about compromises, right?
A woman came into the bike shop a couple days ago with a rear wheel in her hand. The tire’s sidewall was badly deteriorated in one spot although the innertube was not exposed just yet. It protruded some but not terribly. Anyway, she claimed her tire had a MONKEY BUBBLE and wanted me to fix it. Sure. Why not?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Hillbilly Horseshoes
Crummy day to be off. Although I did everything I would have had it been sunny. I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few goodies. In the process I’m sure I single handedly put one or two mom & pop stores out of business by not shopping from them and also with my $24 purchase most likely paid the daily wage of two or three “undocumented” Wal-Mart janitorial staff. How do I sleep at night?
Next, a trip to Lowe’s to procure the goods needed to assemble Ladder Ball as a gift for my Brother-in-law’s 40th B-day. The Legend introduced us to this remarkably addictive lawn game. I think you could probably call it about 30 different things but whatever you call it, it’s a freakin blast to play.
Finally a stop to the local grocer to purchase the frozen fish sticks my wonderful wifey so desperately desired for dinner. Damn if those things aren’t really tasty! Not the healthiest by any stretch but yummy. The more grease the better the taste I guess.
After all that I was hoping the drizzle would have subsided. No luck. I got out for a ride anyway. I got drenched when the drizzle turned to an outright downpour for about 5 minutes but it still ended up being an excellent training ride. You always know when a particular workout you’re doing is going to be good when your 10 minutes into the meat of it and you’re dreading the rest of it. Ouch! Oooof!
Last nights ‘cross workout was somewhat mixed. There was a good turnout. 10 people, give or take. I warmed up fine but I found it hard to do what I was meant to do with others riding in proximity. It was meant to be a difficult workout to begin with but I was too often tempted to latch on to Nate’s workout with Hebe and Scott in tow. In the end I didn’t ride as hard as I needed to but still managed to get some good hard efforts in and quite a few laps of the Lower Allen CX course under my belt. To finish the night I did a couple practice starts with Zach Adams and his group. Like I said, not a bad night, but not as hard as I should have made it.
Now, I lay here, feeling a bit whipped. When is my easy week Coach?
Next, a trip to Lowe’s to procure the goods needed to assemble Ladder Ball as a gift for my Brother-in-law’s 40th B-day. The Legend introduced us to this remarkably addictive lawn game. I think you could probably call it about 30 different things but whatever you call it, it’s a freakin blast to play.
Finally a stop to the local grocer to purchase the frozen fish sticks my wonderful wifey so desperately desired for dinner. Damn if those things aren’t really tasty! Not the healthiest by any stretch but yummy. The more grease the better the taste I guess.
After all that I was hoping the drizzle would have subsided. No luck. I got out for a ride anyway. I got drenched when the drizzle turned to an outright downpour for about 5 minutes but it still ended up being an excellent training ride. You always know when a particular workout you’re doing is going to be good when your 10 minutes into the meat of it and you’re dreading the rest of it. Ouch! Oooof!
Last nights ‘cross workout was somewhat mixed. There was a good turnout. 10 people, give or take. I warmed up fine but I found it hard to do what I was meant to do with others riding in proximity. It was meant to be a difficult workout to begin with but I was too often tempted to latch on to Nate’s workout with Hebe and Scott in tow. In the end I didn’t ride as hard as I needed to but still managed to get some good hard efforts in and quite a few laps of the Lower Allen CX course under my belt. To finish the night I did a couple practice starts with Zach Adams and his group. Like I said, not a bad night, but not as hard as I should have made it.
Now, I lay here, feeling a bit whipped. When is my easy week Coach?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Fantasy Day
Today was a good day. I like my Sunday’s to unfold just like today did. I stumbled outta bed at 7:30. Did some quick internetting. Sat down with Erin for some breakfast. Waffle with granola mango and banana. Opened up the garage and got my road sled cleaned up for a ride. Hebe rode over at 10am and we set out for a quality ride. I got 2:20 in. Good steady wattage ride. Great pace. Good conversation. Home by 12:30pm. I had my do-list already knocked out so I had the rest of the day to do a mega-lounge. NFL opened up this afternoon. Which means fantasy football has kicked in. Nice. Had dinner tonight at Erin’s parents. Good, as usual. Pork chops taste good. Now, I lounge again, watching the Manning’s do battle. Doesn’t get much better.
GOODNIGHTNOW!
GOODNIGHTNOW!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
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Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Smooov
So, for those who haven’t heard yet, The Wifey and I have a decision to make in the next few months. What on earth do we name our child?
We started off making separate lists and combining them. Then tossing the ones we didn’t like. We were left with some cool names but truth be told nothing has absolutely jumped off the page yet. There are a couple names I really like but Erin doesn’t and some she loves and I don’t. What to do? After all, it’s not the name we will be called the rest of our lives.
Any thoughts?
‘Cross training has been going well. Crap weather aside, that is. Rain last Saturday and Tuesday morning kept me indoors. I loath exercising indoors. Today I flogged myself pretty good. I do need to remind myself that, although I’d like to do well at Charm City, the real racin’ doesn’t start for 6 ½ weeks in Delaware. Build + rest + build = fast. Sounds easy enough.
I made a HUGE pot of chili tonight. One less jalapeno this time. Last time was just a tad too hot. Good stuff. Four beans. Black, pinto, kidney, and northern. Red and green peppers, a Serrano, and two jalapenos. 1lb of ultra lean ground beef and 1lb of very thinly sliced steak. Throw in a pot for an hour and viola. Yum. We have enough to feed us for at least a week. It always gets tastier after a couple days.
I shaved all the hair off my head today. Purely for the comfort. There are times when I like having hair. There are times when I don’t. Yesterday I woke up thinking I didn’t want it anymore. I have a rule when I get this feeling. It’s sorta like the waiting period when purchasing a gun to prevent some crazy sucker from getting pissed and offing a bunch of people before he’s had a chance to cool down. Whenever I feel like losing the hair I wait a day just to make sure it’s what I want to do. I know it grows back but it takes a while. Anyway, it’s gone and I feel happy that it is.
I think I’ll sleep better with no hair as well. Less hair to get in the way of my dome and my cushy pillow. Yes.
We started off making separate lists and combining them. Then tossing the ones we didn’t like. We were left with some cool names but truth be told nothing has absolutely jumped off the page yet. There are a couple names I really like but Erin doesn’t and some she loves and I don’t. What to do? After all, it’s not the name we will be called the rest of our lives.
Any thoughts?
‘Cross training has been going well. Crap weather aside, that is. Rain last Saturday and Tuesday morning kept me indoors. I loath exercising indoors. Today I flogged myself pretty good. I do need to remind myself that, although I’d like to do well at Charm City, the real racin’ doesn’t start for 6 ½ weeks in Delaware. Build + rest + build = fast. Sounds easy enough.
I made a HUGE pot of chili tonight. One less jalapeno this time. Last time was just a tad too hot. Good stuff. Four beans. Black, pinto, kidney, and northern. Red and green peppers, a Serrano, and two jalapenos. 1lb of ultra lean ground beef and 1lb of very thinly sliced steak. Throw in a pot for an hour and viola. Yum. We have enough to feed us for at least a week. It always gets tastier after a couple days.
I shaved all the hair off my head today. Purely for the comfort. There are times when I like having hair. There are times when I don’t. Yesterday I woke up thinking I didn’t want it anymore. I have a rule when I get this feeling. It’s sorta like the waiting period when purchasing a gun to prevent some crazy sucker from getting pissed and offing a bunch of people before he’s had a chance to cool down. Whenever I feel like losing the hair I wait a day just to make sure it’s what I want to do. I know it grows back but it takes a while. Anyway, it’s gone and I feel happy that it is.
I think I’ll sleep better with no hair as well. Less hair to get in the way of my dome and my cushy pillow. Yes.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Labor Day
It’s such a nice day outside. I think I’ll bust out the hammock and lounge a little. In honor of Labor Day I think I’ll compile a list of my Top Ten Places/Things I’d Like to Visit/Do if I didn’t have to ever consider the word Labor. In no particular order:
- Visit San Francisco Bay area preferably during the first week in December so I could do this ‘cross race. Looks like a blast and I always wanted to visit SF and hang out with Josh & Beth.
- Go HERE for a few weeks. Afterall, it takes a day to get there and a day and a half to get back. Might as well stay a while, right? Why go here? Give me one good reason why not.
- Travel to Alaska. Not sure what I'd do once I was there but holy shit does it ever look beautiful with the mountains and wilderness and lack of people.
- Europe. I'm not sure to count this as One or Six. Germany. Italy. Spain. Portugal. Belgium. Holland. Forget France. No interest in the U.K. Just these six for starters.
- I want to see a couple hockey games in Canada. Montreal v Toronto or Ottawa. Calgary v Edmonton. Good rivalry games.
- Road trip inspired by Road Fever. Southern tip of South America to the most northern tip of North America. I mentioned this book before as being among my favorite. Maybe do this trip a slightly more leisurely pace. And maybe hit some of the more interesting points along the way. Patagonia. Santiago. Atacama Desert. La Paz. Lima. Somehow skip Columbia. Panama Canal. Chill in Costa Rica for a bit. Slight detour to Belize before rolling up the west coast of Mex. Oaxaca. Acapulco. Zihuatenejo. Mananillo. Vallarta. You get the picture. This might take some time to complete.
- Baseball game at The Friendly Confines. Among other thing I'd like to do in The Windy City. After which I'd make a quick trip to the land of the Cheeseheads and take in Madison and a tour of the Trek factory.
- St. Augustine. The Wifey has been there. She says it's great. I beleive her. Sign me up. The rest of Florida I could take it or leave it. I never got too excited about it. Maybe I'd feel different if I visited. Doubt it.
- See a College football game in Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor, South Bend, and Columbus. Bama is obvious, the rest, just because.
- San Diego. Because it never gets old.
Thanks to everyone who attended the very hastily organized grill-fest last night. Happy Birthday to The Wifey who will turn 28 tomorrow. And lest we not forget The Legend who turned UCI 40 today. Enjoy the day off.
Friday, August 25, 2006
The Three S's
I think I could get used to going to work at 1PM. I mean if I can’t work from 8-4 like the rest of you stiffs then why not go in at 1PM. Although, on orders from Coach Hebe, I’ve been told to rest the next three days otherwise I’d be out there hammering away for 2-3hrs today.
I managed to talk The Legend into “allowing” me to ride yesterday under his supervision. Good ride. A little over 2hrs. Fast cadence but just a nice easy ride. A couple times Mike had to tell me to ease off. I make it sound like I’m down on The Legend for telling me to shut it down for a few days but, alas, there is a method to his madness. Serious bicycle training starts Monday and it would suit me well to be as fresh as possible. Makes sense. PowerTap combined with CyclingPeaks combined with excellent guidance from Hebe should turn me into a crank bending powerhouse. Or so the theory goes.
This morning I climbed the big-ass tree in our back yard to trim some branches. I forgot how much fun it is to climb a tree. Mission accomplished. I also dug up the mulch around the perimeter of the garage and spread some diatomaceous earth to hinder the little critters trying to eat the walls.
Now, it’s time to shit, shave, and shower then go take a nap at work.
I managed to talk The Legend into “allowing” me to ride yesterday under his supervision. Good ride. A little over 2hrs. Fast cadence but just a nice easy ride. A couple times Mike had to tell me to ease off. I make it sound like I’m down on The Legend for telling me to shut it down for a few days but, alas, there is a method to his madness. Serious bicycle training starts Monday and it would suit me well to be as fresh as possible. Makes sense. PowerTap combined with CyclingPeaks combined with excellent guidance from Hebe should turn me into a crank bending powerhouse. Or so the theory goes.
This morning I climbed the big-ass tree in our back yard to trim some branches. I forgot how much fun it is to climb a tree. Mission accomplished. I also dug up the mulch around the perimeter of the garage and spread some diatomaceous earth to hinder the little critters trying to eat the walls.
Now, it’s time to shit, shave, and shower then go take a nap at work.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Mt. Kessel
There was a near eruption of Mount Kessel this afternoon. Thursday I went to the local grocery store and purchased all the fixins to whip up some guacamole. Main ingredient….avocado. All I could find in the entire produce section of this place was these silly “low-calorie” avocados. So I bought two. I get home, cut ‘em open and sure enough…..pure shit inside. Mount Kessel starts to rumble slightly. Things like this really piss me off.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. The Wifey makes another trip to same grocery joint to pick some things up. Three more avocados this time. Same “low-cal” fruit but much firmer. Same freakin result. They smell funky. They’re brownish inside. Pure shit. This is when Mount Kessel begins to really boil. 5 avocados in three days at a cost of approx $1.70 a piece. Now, mind you, I’m not looking to buy these stupid “low-cal” avocados. What I want is a real Haas avocado. None of this chemically altered bullshit. This time I took all three of todays fruits and bagged them and will be returning them tomorrow.
Unfortunately this didn’t solve my urge for guacamole. I had to drive in to the other local grocery store, which manages to piss me off far more often than not. Alas, they actually had the real deal. On sale too. Disaster narrowly averted. Mount Kessel has simmered down to safe levels once again.
On another note, I just watched El Tigre blow away another field of hacks. It reminded me of how much I love my athletes to be dominant. And I mean abso-freakin-lutly DOMINANT. I gave up golfing a couple years ago. Riding is more fun and less aggravating. But I still enjoy watching this dude crush people on the golf course. When he is on, no one can compete. In fact he is so good at his craft that he most often has his competition beaten before it even starts. The others are playing for second place. They are mentally beaten.
Which is why I was/am a Lance fan. Clean or not, I still loved the beat downs he administered for 7 years. Personally, I enjoyed watching USPS/Disco ride tempo at the front all day long, keep a couple climbers in reserve to blow off any pretenders, and then watch Lance pop Jan/Ivan/Tyler/Iban/Joseba/Andreas/Levi/whoever off his wheel. That never got old for me. It was fun to watch.
My love for dominance doesn’t really translate to team sports. Anyone who reads this knows it’s quite the opposite. I root for perpetual losers. The Phillies haven’t won dick since 1980. Raiders? 1984. Flyers? I was barely even able to read let alone be a fan of hockey. 1975. ‘Bama? That’s been my most recent taste of glory. 1993. But this doesn’t mean I want to see dominant teams fail. For example; college football. Teams like Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, or Oklahoma should never suck. This rule does NOT apply to Penn State, who as far as I’m concerned should always suck. Baseball; I don’t like the Yankees but the reason people hate them so much is because they win. It wouldn’t be any fun to see a team like that suck. Maybe one year but not over a long period. Detroit Red Wings. Colorado Avalanche. New York Rangers. They should never suck. You get the picture.
Party at Holmes Cyclery this week. The Boss has gone sailing on the Chesapeake for a week. I need to find a nice comfortable spot in the basement to take a nap. Just kiddin’. We actually work twice as hard when Allen’s gone so that he might leave more often. At any rate, leave me alone this week. I need to catch up my zzzzz’s.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. The Wifey makes another trip to same grocery joint to pick some things up. Three more avocados this time. Same “low-cal” fruit but much firmer. Same freakin result. They smell funky. They’re brownish inside. Pure shit. This is when Mount Kessel begins to really boil. 5 avocados in three days at a cost of approx $1.70 a piece. Now, mind you, I’m not looking to buy these stupid “low-cal” avocados. What I want is a real Haas avocado. None of this chemically altered bullshit. This time I took all three of todays fruits and bagged them and will be returning them tomorrow.
Unfortunately this didn’t solve my urge for guacamole. I had to drive in to the other local grocery store, which manages to piss me off far more often than not. Alas, they actually had the real deal. On sale too. Disaster narrowly averted. Mount Kessel has simmered down to safe levels once again.
On another note, I just watched El Tigre blow away another field of hacks. It reminded me of how much I love my athletes to be dominant. And I mean abso-freakin-lutly DOMINANT. I gave up golfing a couple years ago. Riding is more fun and less aggravating. But I still enjoy watching this dude crush people on the golf course. When he is on, no one can compete. In fact he is so good at his craft that he most often has his competition beaten before it even starts. The others are playing for second place. They are mentally beaten.
Which is why I was/am a Lance fan. Clean or not, I still loved the beat downs he administered for 7 years. Personally, I enjoyed watching USPS/Disco ride tempo at the front all day long, keep a couple climbers in reserve to blow off any pretenders, and then watch Lance pop Jan/Ivan/Tyler/Iban/Joseba/Andreas/Levi/whoever off his wheel. That never got old for me. It was fun to watch.
My love for dominance doesn’t really translate to team sports. Anyone who reads this knows it’s quite the opposite. I root for perpetual losers. The Phillies haven’t won dick since 1980. Raiders? 1984. Flyers? I was barely even able to read let alone be a fan of hockey. 1975. ‘Bama? That’s been my most recent taste of glory. 1993. But this doesn’t mean I want to see dominant teams fail. For example; college football. Teams like Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, or Oklahoma should never suck. This rule does NOT apply to Penn State, who as far as I’m concerned should always suck. Baseball; I don’t like the Yankees but the reason people hate them so much is because they win. It wouldn’t be any fun to see a team like that suck. Maybe one year but not over a long period. Detroit Red Wings. Colorado Avalanche. New York Rangers. They should never suck. You get the picture.
Party at Holmes Cyclery this week. The Boss has gone sailing on the Chesapeake for a week. I need to find a nice comfortable spot in the basement to take a nap. Just kiddin’. We actually work twice as hard when Allen’s gone so that he might leave more often. At any rate, leave me alone this week. I need to catch up my zzzzz’s.
Homemade
Another good week of riding. One more week of JRA and then the real fun begins. Coach Hebe takes over the week after. 4 weeks to Charm. Then four more to Granogue. Holy crap, that puts us nearly through October. Time flies when, well, I guess I’m having fun.
Speaking of parties. Last night was the Calvin & Amy fest. Calvin is The Wifey’s cousin. Anyway, imagine 200 people congregated on one 4-acre property, of which approx 10 I know, eating drinking dancing swimming smoking talking yelling screaming drinking and did I mention eating? I’m never disappointed in the food. I was especially pleased to see pork bbq and sloppy joe’s. I had one of each along with a several pasta/potato salad concoctions and a bevy of cookies and brownies. My favorite cookies were the HOMEMADE choco-chips. Yum!
A few months ago Erin bought a real nice used bedroom/crib set-up for little junior. I attempted to assembled the crib today and lost patience real quick. It’s great furniture but unfortunately zero directions were included. After 20 minutes of rising temper I gave up only to hear Erin say she forgot about the other parts hidden in the closet. Nice. I wasn’t about to resume at that point but lucky for me Erin’s dad came over for an unrelated reason. Somehow he got roped into putting the thing together. I heard him barking pretty good for an hour or so. I certainly would have been happy to try it again later but he managed to get it together. That works. Speaking of pregnant. 4 months to go. I also heard news that friends of ours are expecting, again. Congrats!
I’ve been working with Champ-Sys on getting some cycling clothing made for the coming ‘cross season. I sent them a bunch of logos and colors and yesterday I received some artwork to get an idea of what things will look like. Now I just need to get an order together. Nate, Kenny, KHam, Hebe. Anyone else?
I’m sleepy. Time for a nap.
Speaking of parties. Last night was the Calvin & Amy fest. Calvin is The Wifey’s cousin. Anyway, imagine 200 people congregated on one 4-acre property, of which approx 10 I know, eating drinking dancing swimming smoking talking yelling screaming drinking and did I mention eating? I’m never disappointed in the food. I was especially pleased to see pork bbq and sloppy joe’s. I had one of each along with a several pasta/potato salad concoctions and a bevy of cookies and brownies. My favorite cookies were the HOMEMADE choco-chips. Yum!
A few months ago Erin bought a real nice used bedroom/crib set-up for little junior. I attempted to assembled the crib today and lost patience real quick. It’s great furniture but unfortunately zero directions were included. After 20 minutes of rising temper I gave up only to hear Erin say she forgot about the other parts hidden in the closet. Nice. I wasn’t about to resume at that point but lucky for me Erin’s dad came over for an unrelated reason. Somehow he got roped into putting the thing together. I heard him barking pretty good for an hour or so. I certainly would have been happy to try it again later but he managed to get it together. That works. Speaking of pregnant. 4 months to go. I also heard news that friends of ours are expecting, again. Congrats!
I’ve been working with Champ-Sys on getting some cycling clothing made for the coming ‘cross season. I sent them a bunch of logos and colors and yesterday I received some artwork to get an idea of what things will look like. Now I just need to get an order together. Nate, Kenny, KHam, Hebe. Anyone else?
I’m sleepy. Time for a nap.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Title
I got in another great ride today. This weather is magnificent. 57 miles in 3hrs. I didn’t want to stop but I was getting pretty hungry. I’m still not sure what or why I’ve felt so good riding this week. I started using a supplement (legal) last Saturday and felt a positive effect. Of course you’re never sure of the source of these good sensations. Is it the pill or mental? At any rate, due to my great rides I feel it’s my duty to tell absolutely no one what exactly it is I’m taking (legal).
Today I ran out of samples of said supplement but felt the best I’ve been all week. I did pump my Vittoria Diamante Pro tires up to approx 135 psi after running them at 120 psi all season long. These tires are rated to max at 145 psi but I’ve felt no need to pump them that high. Although I am black from the waist down I would certainly not consider myself a big person. 120 psi has done me just fine so far. It just seemed today for 3hrs it was practically effortless. Not much wind. Dry. Sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. I don’t think you could order a more perfect day if it were possible. As much of a whiner as I am about weather I don’t think anyone could complain today.
Nascar was actually a joy to watch today considering it was a road race up in Watkins Glen. I need to make it up there again. it's not that long of a drive to see a good event.
As much as I’d love to sit here and peck away so more on the keyboard I believe I here the hammock crying out my name. L8
Today I ran out of samples of said supplement but felt the best I’ve been all week. I did pump my Vittoria Diamante Pro tires up to approx 135 psi after running them at 120 psi all season long. These tires are rated to max at 145 psi but I’ve felt no need to pump them that high. Although I am black from the waist down I would certainly not consider myself a big person. 120 psi has done me just fine so far. It just seemed today for 3hrs it was practically effortless. Not much wind. Dry. Sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. I don’t think you could order a more perfect day if it were possible. As much of a whiner as I am about weather I don’t think anyone could complain today.
Nascar was actually a joy to watch today considering it was a road race up in Watkins Glen. I need to make it up there again. it's not that long of a drive to see a good event.
As much as I’d love to sit here and peck away so more on the keyboard I believe I here the hammock crying out my name. L8
Friday, August 11, 2006
Blowin in the Wind
Well, not really. The past few days I just can’t get the wind figured out. Despite what Mr Weather-loser might forecast, it seems like no matter what direction I ride I’m getting headwind. No big deal. Just one of those minor annoyances of being a bicycler. Plus it reminded me of some good Bob Dylan songs to sing along in my head while I ride.
I’ve been feeling good on my rides this week. Hopefully good things to come this fall. I signed up for Charm City about 7 weeks early to ensure me a good starting spot. I’m going to use that race as a “training race” so to speak. It’s a full 4 weeks before the MAC season starts. I’m going to race Charm with my PowerTap set up on my ‘crosser. As if training for ‘cross is some mystical creature where only using my PowerTap will unlock the secret to being fast. It will, I’m sure, provide a nice set of numbers to base further training off of. I look forward to it.
Yesterday The Wifey and I both had the day off so after I rode in the morning we cruised over to BassPro with Erin’s parents to use up my Xmas gift card. I hate shopping but I managed to spend a little time and pick out a nice shirt and shorts to match. Outside of being a bicycler I really can’t call myself much of an outdoorsman but that place is pretty friggin cool. I guess I’m more of a Circuit City/Best Buy indoorsman but BassPro is fun.
We then went over to City Island and played a round of mini golf. Erin led halfway but completely unraveled after I deftly knocked in a hole-in-one on the 11th. Game over. After that we stopped at a Chinese buffet and gorged ourselves. Erin ate about 7lbs of king crab legs. I took a little of just about everything offered which made for a Bluto-ish type dinner plate x 2. Yum. I typically don’t care for Chinese food. Maybe once a year I’ll get a hankerin for it.
Weather looks nice for the weekend. Maybe a trip to Haars for a good double feature?
I’ve been feeling good on my rides this week. Hopefully good things to come this fall. I signed up for Charm City about 7 weeks early to ensure me a good starting spot. I’m going to use that race as a “training race” so to speak. It’s a full 4 weeks before the MAC season starts. I’m going to race Charm with my PowerTap set up on my ‘crosser. As if training for ‘cross is some mystical creature where only using my PowerTap will unlock the secret to being fast. It will, I’m sure, provide a nice set of numbers to base further training off of. I look forward to it.
Yesterday The Wifey and I both had the day off so after I rode in the morning we cruised over to BassPro with Erin’s parents to use up my Xmas gift card. I hate shopping but I managed to spend a little time and pick out a nice shirt and shorts to match. Outside of being a bicycler I really can’t call myself much of an outdoorsman but that place is pretty friggin cool. I guess I’m more of a Circuit City/Best Buy indoorsman but BassPro is fun.
We then went over to City Island and played a round of mini golf. Erin led halfway but completely unraveled after I deftly knocked in a hole-in-one on the 11th. Game over. After that we stopped at a Chinese buffet and gorged ourselves. Erin ate about 7lbs of king crab legs. I took a little of just about everything offered which made for a Bluto-ish type dinner plate x 2. Yum. I typically don’t care for Chinese food. Maybe once a year I’ll get a hankerin for it.
Weather looks nice for the weekend. Maybe a trip to Haars for a good double feature?
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Further Adventures of KHam the Kitchen Cleaner
What does winning 4 consecutive MASS races get you at Holmes Cyclery? More respect and admiration than ever before. Way to go young Kyle!
KHam showing off his kitchen cleaning skills
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Hey Brutha
I’m whupped. A rare Saturday off, and a beautiful day at that. Erin had another teacher type thing today that sent her to Allentown for the day so I was on my own. I got out of bed at 6:45am to send her off then took another 45 minute nap. I then proceeded to make a mega waffle/granola/mango/banana/kiwi breakfast. That damn near sent me to another nap but I fought through it.
Around 11am I headed out for a long easy ride. Just what the doctor ordered. Awesome weather. 3hrs. 50+ miles. I was getting a little cramped towards the end. Afterall, it was almost 90 by the time I finished. I was famished. Before I chowed down I did a little weigh-in. 140.0lbs. Obviously I didn’t eat diddly-poo during the ride and the cramping is an obvious sign of not enough water. BUT, holy shit! I’m sure I haven’t weighed this little since I was a porn-stache growing 10th grader.
So, I had the remnants of the sushi Coach Hebe bribed me with in exchange for building a couple wheels for him. Good stuff. Thanks brutha. Of topic a bit. Speaking of “brutha”. I was riding in to work a few weeks ago and was stopped at the 17th street bridge in Camp Hill. As I’m waiting for the light to change I hear this loud-ass rumbling of a motorcycle rolling up in the lane to the right of me to make a right turn. The unmistakable driver crawls by me and waves a peace sign and says “hey brutha”. Just for good measure, as if I didn’t know who it was, he turns around after he’s well beyond me and says “ it’s me, Turk”. Priceless.
Back to my day. After sushi, a trip to the couch. I watch the Sillies blow a sure win against the Mets. Dumbasses. It was enough to get me off the couch and mow the lawn. It was on my do-list so I had to do it eventually anyway. Now I’m looking to hit the couch again. I think when The Wifey gets home tonight we’re going to head up to the Lions Club in Marysville (Home of Kuhn ‘Cross) to take in the town carnival. I’ve had a hankerin for funnel cake for a while now and I’m sure I’ll find some there. All this hinges on how my wonderful pregnant wife is feeling after her long day. We’ll see.
I feel I have to pimp my XM radio some more. I’ve been listening a lot lately to channel 150 which is one of the comedy channels. Basically they play 5 minute clips of stand-up comedy routines from pretty much any funny person who ever told a joke. This goes right along with my long-standing need to have someone on my radio talk to me. Whether it be talk radio, sports, or whatever. Don’t get me wrong, 80’s new wave is still great but I’m having a ball listening to this stuff.
I also found a channel that plays nothing but that death metal shit where the lead singer sings in that low guttural voice while the band kachunka-chunkas away. Right now there is some band playing a song called 'Pool of Stool' (read these lyrics! a freakin riot). That, my friends, is not something you'll find on just any radio. Love it. I’m pretty sure Erin hates it. How do they make their voices do that? I want to learn.
Good day.
Around 11am I headed out for a long easy ride. Just what the doctor ordered. Awesome weather. 3hrs. 50+ miles. I was getting a little cramped towards the end. Afterall, it was almost 90 by the time I finished. I was famished. Before I chowed down I did a little weigh-in. 140.0lbs. Obviously I didn’t eat diddly-poo during the ride and the cramping is an obvious sign of not enough water. BUT, holy shit! I’m sure I haven’t weighed this little since I was a porn-stache growing 10th grader.
So, I had the remnants of the sushi Coach Hebe bribed me with in exchange for building a couple wheels for him. Good stuff. Thanks brutha. Of topic a bit. Speaking of “brutha”. I was riding in to work a few weeks ago and was stopped at the 17th street bridge in Camp Hill. As I’m waiting for the light to change I hear this loud-ass rumbling of a motorcycle rolling up in the lane to the right of me to make a right turn. The unmistakable driver crawls by me and waves a peace sign and says “hey brutha”. Just for good measure, as if I didn’t know who it was, he turns around after he’s well beyond me and says “ it’s me, Turk”. Priceless.
Back to my day. After sushi, a trip to the couch. I watch the Sillies blow a sure win against the Mets. Dumbasses. It was enough to get me off the couch and mow the lawn. It was on my do-list so I had to do it eventually anyway. Now I’m looking to hit the couch again. I think when The Wifey gets home tonight we’re going to head up to the Lions Club in Marysville (Home of Kuhn ‘Cross) to take in the town carnival. I’ve had a hankerin for funnel cake for a while now and I’m sure I’ll find some there. All this hinges on how my wonderful pregnant wife is feeling after her long day. We’ll see.
I feel I have to pimp my XM radio some more. I’ve been listening a lot lately to channel 150 which is one of the comedy channels. Basically they play 5 minute clips of stand-up comedy routines from pretty much any funny person who ever told a joke. This goes right along with my long-standing need to have someone on my radio talk to me. Whether it be talk radio, sports, or whatever. Don’t get me wrong, 80’s new wave is still great but I’m having a ball listening to this stuff.
I also found a channel that plays nothing but that death metal shit where the lead singer sings in that low guttural voice while the band kachunka-chunkas away. Right now there is some band playing a song called 'Pool of Stool' (read these lyrics! a freakin riot). That, my friends, is not something you'll find on just any radio. Love it. I’m pretty sure Erin hates it. How do they make their voices do that? I want to learn.
Good day.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Further Adventures of KHam the Broom Handler
So, what does winning three consecutive MASS races, including winning the third on a borrowed single speed, get you at Holmes’ Cyclery. Well, much admiration and respect, of course.
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KHam - Sweeping the sidewalk out front - Temp in shade-136 degrees
All due respect, young Kyle has a nice streak going although we’re not going to just roll over and take it easy on him. That wouldn’t do him or us any good, now would it?
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