I'm the reason I can't have nice things.

two weeks of weak brakes

2008-10-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get used to the idea of having brakes that only kinda work on my cross bike. I probably should look more into how to tune the TRPs, but that's no fun. I did put some new kool-stop salmon pads on to replace the stock pads that picked up about 75 slivers of rock at the dirt crit. We'll see if those hook up any better.

Dirt Crit-good times. I got a crappy start to pair with my crappy warm up. Settled into fourth place after the first lap mayhem (especially the creek crossing). Being one of the few on the cross bike, my lines and technique was a bit different from the mtb riders. I was solo for a while, and disheartened by the fact that Thrower was up ahead of me kickin' my ass on a single speed. Got caught by Fuhrman and Bierman after a bad lap and let myself follow Dan's wheel. After banging my rim on a root and not being able to take Dan's lines, I realized I'd be better off on my own and surged on the grassy uphill, separating myself for the rest of the race and coming in for third. Bob Arnold flatted out of the race for second, which I didn't know about 'til later.

After the race I wanted to get out of my wet shoes and kit, only to find my car keys staring at me from behind my locked doors. And I had just told the story the night before of how I had broken a window on my old Caprice Classic (bought the car for $100 and spray painted some bitchin' flames on the hood of that beast) on a cold Thanksgiving night a few years back on the landing because I had neglected to bring my keys in to the show with me. I think it was to go see NIL8 (Jeff Williams' band). So there my keys were, just looking at me from the comfort of my front seat. I borrowed a cell phone to make the call and was able to get the keys before the start of the PF race. In the meantime I occupied myself with free sausages and energy drinks courtesy of Pfoodman. The beer looked enticing, but I decided to wait a while for that. Probably should've started drinking then instead.

I paired up with Travis Thrower for the PF race. We were all set to beat up on Chris Ploch and Carrie Cash and pick up $100 for our efforts. Travis would battle Chris on lap one, and then I would establish a gap on the ensuing laps that we would easily maintain/build on. That was a great plan until "Chain" Thrower dropped his chain 50 meters after the start. He was able to get it back on and get going for at least another 5 meters before it came off again. Hooray eccentric bottom brackets! When he finally came through after lap one I had a lot of traffic to navigate through, but everybody was very friendly and I was able to cleanly make every pass I needed to do. We got as close to second place as about 20 seconds, but then Travis had more mechanical issues and we ended the race more mid-pack. It was a great time though, and I hope they do something like this again next year. Now it's a weekend away camping (hopefully I can stay away from the ER this time) and back to Bubba cross next weekend.

cx is here

2008-09-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

I guess I still remember the log on to my blog, so it's time for my yearly post. Cyclocross season is here, so happy days are here again. Sold the Colnago on the e-bays, and got hammered on shipping cause I didn't put much in the fine print. It costs $235 to ship a frame/fork to Alaska. Picked up a Felt F15X as a replacement-it rides great. Didn't have in time for the Hermann cross under the lights race, so I resurrected the cross check into a ss cross bike. 39X16 turned out to be about the perfect gear for me. I was able to push it through the mud bog (barely) and spin it on most of the rest of the course. Wish I could have had a better starting position than on the last line, I probably could've done top ten and maybe not have been lapped by Butthead. Ronde von Evergreen was this past weekend, and the race started in a different spot but used much of the same course area. The gravel pit was a new and challenging addition. I felt pretty good for the race, and was able to stay at and off the front the whole race. Unless you count the high speed wipeout going from the first gravel road section to the grass. Amazingly I didn't even get a scratch. It did knock out my back brake for the rest of the race, so I had to hope my front could scrub enough speed to negotiate turns. The only time I really needed the rear brake was coming off the gravel pit. Nagy and I rode most of the race together and ended up making it a Dogfish 1-2, with Mark taking the honors.

I'm looking forward to doing the short-track this weekend, I hope it'll be cross bike friendly.

P.S. McDonald's doesn't have $1 double cheeseburgers in Carbondale :( However, down there McRib is back!!!!

things to do different next year:

2007-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

1) don't get a viral infection after thanksgiving and spend a whole week on the couch and in bed, effectively snatching any top-end power and motivation for the rest of the year

2) don't try and save my battery power by riding singletrack in near black conditions and then rip off my derailleur with a stick

3) ride more, explore new roads

4) ride to hollywood at dusk, ride home at daylight? hmmm.

Free Ladies Ride!!!!

2007-11-09T07:22:00.001-08:00

moustaches not mandatory, but encouraged. and read the flier- no goatees!

who likes turkey legs?

2007-11-08T07:50:00.001-08:00

This guy does.

Who likes knuckle sammiches?

One of these guys does.

In other news, it has been gettting colder out. I don't think it is summer anymore. I nearly got lost in State Park, IL last night on my solo ride. That wouldn't have been a good thing. I blame google earth.

I think yard raking season is upon us. Yard raking is one of my least favorite things to do; I hate it more than picking up my dog's intestinal refuse. If my city allows leaf burning, I might just set my whole yard on fire.

In case you were wondering...

2007-07-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

this is what these devices are used for. I've got a funny story about this one in particular, ask me about it sometime.

in a haze

2007-07-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been hitting the bike earlier and earlier these days. 6:30 am on wednesday. 6 am on thursday. 5:40 am today. I wanted to get in a decent ride before work, since I won't be able to after work- going to the monroe county demolition derby tonight. Bring on the rednecks and fried foods! But with all this early riding, I really should go to bed earlier too. Not the case last night. But how could I pass up free third row tickets to the Cards game, plus free booze? To boot, it was a good game and redbirds win for once. So after coming home around midnight in an alcohol influenced haze, my 5am alarm was quite the rude awakening.

I was able to drag the wildman out with me with a promise of free coffee at the halfway point. Riley's Coffee in lovely Belle-Vegas offers free double shots on Fridays, and I was in dire need of some sort of pick me up. So we geared up and rode south to caffeinated salvation. The espresso was pretty good, at least to a layman such as myself. I might have to learn me some of the finer points of the espresso so I can appreciate it more. So we drank, ate and then left to find much more traffic on the return trip. I headed back home while the dub (w) scurried up to edwardsville and employment.

here's a picture of what i've been up to recently, albeit not as prolific as furby. good times nonetheless:

Castlewood MTB Race

2007-05-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mountain Bike racing is tuff. I didn't quite crash, but I did do a nose wheelie on the lone wolf downhill for about 12 feet. Luckily a tree was there to stop me. And a man on camera to record me. I think that's where I picked up the cut on my wrist and bruise on my leg. I also ran into a tree with my shoulder, which had me worried for a sec. That was just on lap one of six. On lap two I blew up pretty hard and had to battle a fierce case of iwannaquit-itis. I've lost some of my technical skills by avoiding my mountain bike for the past month, so that really put a damper my ability to clean any climb from bottom to top. I cleaned all obstacles at least once in the race, but I couldn't string them together to have one clean climb. On my sixth and final lap I was more than ready for the race to be done with when Eric Pirtle came blazing past me on the Lone Wolf uphill. It was as if I was standing still. In fact, I was. I had just had to hop off the bike again because some roots had gotten the better of me once again. But hey, I finished, which was my goal. 5th place out of a decent crowd and I'm satisfied.

My buddy Andy came out to try his hand at mtb racing and had a great time. Judging by his enthusiasm after this race, he'll be back for more.

On the way home from the race we saw guy playing a harmonica while he was driving along. I guess it's safer than reading or putting makeup on. Maybe I'll have to start learning me a muzical instrument while I drive. Accordian anyone?

No racing this next weekend; I gots me some painting to do at home.

Tour of St Louis

2007-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! I never predicted my weekend would have ended up this way. I'm incredibly happy with how everything turned out.

Friday night I went to the pony races at fairmount park and probably stayed out a bit too late, but I didn't have to race until the afternoon on Saturday so I still got plenty of sleep. At Carondolet my job was to sit in and wait for the sprint. I can do that. The race was a bit windy, with a cross wind on the downhill that put things in the gutter and a headwind on the bottoms. The crosswind came back on the climb and then turned to a tailwind up top. Everything went well during the race and I didn't do much except bring back one break, which helped to open my legs up for later. It was only Johnny, Peder and myself representin' in our race, so we didn't have much responsibilty to chase anything. I got a little nervous when it came down to laps to go, but was able to calm myself down and get my head back on straight. A break of three was up the road with a good gap, kudos to them for being able to stay away. In the field sprint I tried to mark Joe and Kurt since they're the two that I figured had the best chances for the sprint. I tried to follow Joe on the hill but got stuck when he squeezed through a gap that got closed on me. I had to route myself through traffic on the uphill and surged once I was clear. A bike throw on the line did me no good, I was third in the field sprint behind Kurt and Joe by at least a wheel. 6th overall.

The time trial was at greensfelder, as it had been for the last two years. I raced it the first year and did it in5:47. It was tough. Last year I was too hung over to race and went to the course just to heckle racers on the hill. We got to the course too late to pre-ride, but I still remember how much it hurts. My legs felt like blocks of concrete when I hopped on the bike to warm up. I had about 20 minutes to ride around before my start time at 5:40, so I threw in a couple of efforts to open everything back up. My heart rate redlined way quicker than I wanted it too, but what could I do? I jumped hard from the blocks at the start and quickly got up to speed. A bit too quick I think. I went a bit hot into the first corner and skidded my rear wheel for a while. Not so fun on chip-seal roads. That scared me. At the bottom of the hill I went around the bend too wide and rode into the gravel, losing a bit of time there. It turns out that Lonnie Kennedy had just crashed near there and was off in the woods. I think he broke his clavicle, get well soon! Earlier I had told myself I would drop into my little ring at the first rise before the big climb, but decided to wait until I started to round the corner before the wall instead. I mashed the climb in my 39x21 as best I could. The destroyers were out in full force, but I don't remember much of what they said over the sound of my own labored breathing. I saw my minute man at the top of the climb, so I had something to aim for. 3/4 of the way up my right foot unclipped. Great. I need some new cleats. I got my foot back in and sat down now, changing into my 25 cog. I got into the big ring as soon as I could and dug in. Picked up my minute man after the second climb and kept the hammer down until the finish. Almost picked up my two minute man. Final time: 5:27. I felt like I was about to exhale my right lung. Begged water off of someone at the finish; I very much appreciate their kindness. Picked up a horrible hic-cough that I held onto for a few hours. I love tt's! TT placing: 3rd (tied w/Joe Hill) Overall placing: 2nd (tied w/Kurt Fletcher)

Showing up at Forest Park on Sunday people were telling me that I was in good contention for the overall after my time trial result (I hadn't seen any results yet at that time). My thoughts: Bullshit, whatever. Well, it turns out I did ok and now I've got a job to do today: Maintain or better my overall placing by marking Joe and Kurt all day and try my damndest in the sprint. I decided that it would be best to change my 12-25 cassette out for my 11-23, even though an 11 is a huge gear and 12 is usually all you'll ever need around here. But just in case... While changing casssettes I came to the realization that it's really hot out. I don't do so well in the heat, but I've been trying harder to adapt. Johnny and Peder were there again for support, and I told them I would really need them today to make things run smoothly. My legs had a bit of tinge in them from Saturday's efforts, but it went away. Sat in all race and tried to stay near Joe and Kurt, all the while trying to save as much energy as possible. Everything was going according to plan. At about the 65 minute mark my legs started to hurt and I was feeling the effort a bit more. I suffered through it and came around those feelings. At laps to go, Johnny started guiding me through the pack. Peder brought back a potential escape. Things got busy with fewer and fewer laps to go, but having a teammate's wheel to follow made me feel much calmer and more confident. On the bell lap Joe moved up on the outside and I had Johnny drop me off on his wheel. Wow, I was really there at the end of a race for once! Sure, I've done ok in lower category races, but this is the main event now, and I'm in it! Joe ended up at the very front of the pack over the bridge, mostly due to a lull in the pack. He started to ease up a sec and I got worried about getting swarmed by the pack so I tried to get him to keep the pace up. On the rise to the last corner, he jumped, and he jumped hard. Sumbitch kicked like a mule! I wasn't quite ready for that but did what I could. Joe had several meters through the corner, but I knew that it was a long sprint and anything could happen. I dug in after the corner and put everything into the final sprint. Slowly I was gaining on him, and caught his back wheel at around 50 meters to go. I edged up along side, and threw my bike at the line to take it by half a wheel. I instinctively put my hands in the air after I crossed the line, but then began to wonder if I really did win. I mean, did really just win the race? Against local strongman Joe Hill? No way. And does that mean I got the overall as well? Winning can be so surreal. One minute you're suffering and dying in the pack, and your mind is going even faster than your heart rate. And in a split second, it's all over. There aren't any do-overs. You either did it or you didn't. This time, I did, and I think I amazed myself more than anybody else. Forest Park placing: 1st. Overall placing: 1st. Max Heartrate: 217. Max speed: 41 mph (glad I brought that 11tooth)

Last week I was talking to my friend Tom King about bike racing and life in general. He just turned 40 and graduated from college after getting a late start. Many congrats to him! He said I've come a long way, and now that I think about it I guess I have. But I don't plan on stopping yet either, I've got many more goals to reach before I'll be through with anything.

dogwood rr

2007-03-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Travelled down to springdale, mo for some skinny tired racing last weekend. The weather was much warmer there than at lost valley last weekend. Just as windy, but warmer. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, at least for me. I got hit in the arm with a nickel thrown from a passing car early in the race. It's a nickel for sure, much too small to be a quarter, but larger than a dime or a penny. I can almost make out Jefferson's head imprinted on my arm. If it would have left a perfect mark, I might have gotten it tattooed on my bicep, but no. Then I ran over a squirrel. And we bike raced. I got a killer headache and then got dropped, even though it felt like we were just crawling along. I tried to stay plenty hydrated and fueled up, but it wasn't enough. The winner came in at just under 5 hours of racing. Long, hard day for those that finished.

We stopped in Ozark for dinner at the famed lambert's Cafe, Home of the Throwed Rolls. It's quite a good place for people watching, there are lots of gastronomic enthusiasts that frequent the joint. I never gots me no molasses for my roll, and the fried okra dealer came through too infrequently. Our energetic waitress commented on our newly acquired reddened skin, all the while looking like she'd spent the last year in a tanning bed at night. All in all, good times had by all.

Tonight will be my first tuesday night crit of the year, and this weekend brings Hillsboro Roubaix. Good times ahead.

stoplights

2007-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Imagine you're driving along and you come up to a red light or a stop sign. There is nobody stopped in front of you at the stop, or if you are travelling on a multi-lane road, there is at least one open lane for you to change into. If you were to coninue on at the posted speed limit and not slow down or stop, what are the chances of an accident? This is assuming that all other traffic operates as normal, and does not even notice your vehicle blowing through the intersection. No swerving or braking to avoid an accident for either party. I'm thinking that you could probably make it through safely 60 to 70 percent of the time, if not more. Especially if you think about traffic signals you come up to during off-peak hours. Not that I would ever intentionally do this. Just something I notice now every time I come to a red light or stop sign.

why

2007-02-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help but go out on tuesday night and lay down some first tracks somewhere. The plan was to meet up at 6-ish and head out to the trails for some hiking and sledding. Once there, we decided to nix any formal hiking since we'd be doing enough of that just going from hill to hill. I brought my Clark Griswald edition metal disc sled, but it proved to be useless. 5 dollar plastic tobaggans were the tool for the night. We were unsure of how the hills of the cross country course would sled since I've only ever ridden my bike and ran on them. They were ok, and all of them got better after we laid a few base tracks. Otter was loving the snow since he's a polar bear trapped in a dog's body. Last weekend he jumped into a hole at the edge of a frozen lake for a bit of swimming and then proceeded to get out and lay on the ice after he was soaking wet-all the while acting as if it were 75 and sunny out. His issue with the snow however was that snow and ice would get packed up in his pads and start to bother him. He'd stop and lay down to gnaw at his feet so I would try and help too by getting out as much as I could with my hands. Maybe I should look into getting him some little booties for the winter. After a few hours we became cold tired and hungry, so we made our way over to the local Denny's. Big mistake. I didn't go to work yesterday because of it. I slept all day instead and had no appetite. Fun times.

Mardi Gras this weekend. Woohoo. Parade. Drinking. Bockman playing at Cicero's that night. Cross racing in the snow on Sunday. Chance to win some money, I feel strong so I'm gonna give it a shot.

If you're going to go through the trouble of putting a bumper sticker on your car, why won't you at least put it on halfway straight?

tuesday the sixth of february

2007-02-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

Long time, no post. Not much is new. Got a new caad9 road frame, but haven't taken it off the trainer yet. Hopefully I'll get it out this weekend. Even on the trainer it feels stiffer than the schwinn I was riding. It ought to fit me better too. I've been putting more time in on the cross bike than anything else. Trails at siue are awesome right now, but the new loop is quite lumpy still and kills my hands when I ride the cross bike with lobster claws on. I hit a wall last night when I stopped being smooth in the woods beacuse I hadn't eaten anything. I was still fine on the road, but i couldn't coordinate anything well in the woods. Tried the pork burrito at qdoba-once is enough for me, chicken still the best. Later, I went and watched the departed-not bad.

We had to put one of our cats to sleep yesterday, she was about 16 years old (apparently that's about 80 in human years) and has been going downhill for a while. Tumor in her nose, fluid in her lungs, fun stuff like that. I'm sad to see her go, but her quality of life wasn't what it used to be.

So far so good.

2006-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm having a good week thus far-

Had a solid race on Sunday for once. I didn't win - or really come close, but jackie d did and methinks it's because of our recent Saturday training session. I was very satisfied with how I raced, and had a great time. Maybe my new threads helped out a bit. I beat gibbs, just like I told him I would.

Looks like I'm getting a new job - been waiting for a while, and the little birdie finally called my name today. It'll still be several months before I start, but at least now I know they want me. Plus it'll be a nice increase in pay!

I got to reconnect to someone I've been out of touch with - sometimes just a little while can feel like forever.

I'm headed to chi-town for some cross racing/GIS conferencing this weekend, and I think it's gonna be a good time. Maybe I'll even learn something at the conference instead of just wasting my employer's money.

Heading to the stagger inn later after I go wait in line forever to vote. Hopefully they'll still have some Schlafly 15th anniversary left for me.

Today is Monday. It won't be Tuesday until tomorrow.

2006-09-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

My back hurt yesterday after the endurance race. Just like after most hard races on the cross bike. Only this race was three hours long. I felt good though, I kept my pace even for the whole time and was satisfied with how I rode. I think I need to get someone to look at my back though. Even when I've been working on core strength, the lower back hurts after some real hard rides. I think I'm crooked. My arms aren't quite the same length because of broken collarbones, and hats and sunglasses never sit perfectly on my noggin.

We went to the 'Supreme Fighting Challenge' Saturday at the beatiful Belle-Clair Fairgrounds. 10 fights. Only one of those fights went into the second round. At least 6 guys got KO'd, that's as much as I can remeber. One fight lasted 8 seconds. One kick to the leg followed by three rapidfire punches to the face will knock your ass out. The tickets were free, so I had to go. It was either that or take free tickets to the Styx/Foreigner concert. I think I made the right choice.

Songs I (sometimes) like that aren't any good

2006-08-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

OK:
Theme to Fraggle Rock - inexplicable

Theme to Smurfs - even more inexplicable, it pops into my head on super easy rides

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again (sometimes I like to hear this while driving and turn it up) I take the t-tops off my IROC-Z and let my mullet flow in the wind.

Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

TNT - AC/DC

Guns'n'Roses - Almost any song

WHY?:
Men Without Hats - Safety Dance

title of post

2006-08-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Our fridge at work stopped working over the weekend. I didn't find this out until Monday morning after I rode my bike to work, having planned to eat food I had stored in the previously functional fridge. Said food was now moldy, so I decided not to eat it. Luckily I brought in some food with me, so I didn't starve completely to death, just halfway. Just my legs fell off. Oh well, I haven't been using them much recently anyway.

On the plus side, it looks like I won 24 tickets to a party suite at the Cards/Cubs game this Sunday. And I get to throw out the "first ceremonial non-dignitary pitch" (probably along with about 8 other people). I entered this sweepstakes back in May when I bought some Cardinals tickets online, wanting to win the opportunity to throw out the first pitch so I could give it to Bridgette's brother Stevie, who is the biggest Cardinals fan I have ever met. He's also the most genuine and kindest kid ever, so I thought it would be cool to give this to him if I won. I never actually thought I would win, but I guess I did. Woohoo! Now I just have to convince whoever is running the show that they should let Stevie throw the pitch instead of me. They only give me a few days to turn in affidavits and figure stuff out, so everything is still in a rush right now. It should be a good time, maybe even better than the hot tub we had at the Grizzlies game last Friday! Hell, I'm not much of a sports fan at all and this'll be my 4th game this year (a lot for me) and each time it gets a little bit better. I probably need to check out espn.com or something to catch up on some stats and stuff. Or at least prepare my stomach for mass quantities of hot dogs nachos and beer. I think I'll focus on the latter.

Welcome to August

2006-08-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's been hot out recently. I feel like a polar bear in this heat. I'm going to Chicago this weekend for some crits, hopefully it will be less miserable up north. Even my dogs won't go outside for more than 10 minutes at a time. Moose handles it better than Otter, but that's because his fur is about 5 inches shorter, not black, and he weighs 30 lbs less. Maybe I should wrap Moose in a layer of attic insulation to even it out.

It was warm at the Tuesday night crit. I'm glad we switched to full-zips this year. I couldn't pull for more than 30 seconds without blowing up. My heartrate didn't dip below 180 at all, even when I tried. Got it up to at least 206 at the end.

drained

2006-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

In an effort to keep me from having too much fun in my free time, I have to submit to random drug testing at work. This is primarily so that we don't have cracked out bus drivers, but even lil' old me in the trailer has to take the tests too. Usually you have to get tested after a major workplace accident as well, but they didn't make me when I wrecked the explorer (which I never got any discipline from, just a bunch of people giving me shit). Sometime the test is a urine test, sometimes it's a breathalyzer, sometimes both. I've been tested twice in the 2.5 years I've worked here, with yesterday being the second time.

While I was in my office tending to my own personal business, I was rudely interrupted and told to go to building 2 for poking and prodding. I didn't think I had gone in a while, so I figured it would be a cakewalk. Go in, give your name and other info and then proceed to the pissing. The urine handler gives a cup that he drew a line that you must fill the cup to. The guy looks like a really skinny Mike Lanyon. I go to the women's bathroom in the garage (designated pissing room) and proceed to get down to business. After getting about a third of the way to the line on the cup, the pipes run dry. Fuck me. Where'd ya go my golden stream? Since I can't perform to standards. I must wait in the driver's lounge until I can go. I can't leave the area, for I might try and spike the test. Now I get to stand around while coworkers walk to and fro asking what I'm doing. "How's it going?" "Not too bad. I can't pee enough. Look at me, standing here like a doofus and going to the water fountain every two minutes."

After forcing enough cold water down my gullet to make my stomach hurt, I finally felt I had enough in me for a solid performance. I was worried when I went for the second try, because I sure as hell didn't want to stand around any more. And did I have enough! I got to that line and kept on going. I should have filled it to the brim and handed it to the urine handler. It would have been funny watching him have to tiptoe back to his table trying not to spill my piss all over his hand. It's a different job he's got for sure. It seems like he gets paid well though. So that's it. Mission Complete! I didn't have to take a breathalyzer, so I was mildly disappointed. I was hydrated though, and couldn't stay out of the bathroom for more than 30 minutes at a time for the rest of the day.

I've got it (relatively) good.

2006-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dawson and I felt like poo on wednesday night, so we opted for an aimless, unstructured ride with no boundaries. We ended up heading northwest of E-ville, and saw the sky go from bright and sunny to dark and ominous in a matter of minutes. By the time we found a road to take us home the winds had picked up tremendously and allowed us to head south at 34mph with minimal effort. That is, until they became 40mph gusting crosswinds. Since Matt was borrowing my airfoil of a giant fork, he was having a harder time in the crosswinds than I. We made it back to town just as the power flickered off. I rode home among lightning and tornado sirens. Crazy fun. B's power was off all night, so I had to help her pack for her trip with flashlights and candles. Dinner by candlelight isn't as romantic when it's stifling hot in the house and there's no ventilation. Still fun, but not the same.

As I headed west to work on Thursday I found out that Granite City had it pretty bad. We have huge backup generators at work, but since I'm a bastard child there, we don't get any of that backup power in the trailer. I was heading out to go drive around and gps some things when we got the call to help evacuate a nursing home that had over 100 residents in wheelchairs and no power. We have several types of buses that can hold lots of people, but when those people can't leave their wheelchairs we can only take four people at a time. The residents were taken to a location in Granite City that had air conditioning so that they wouldn't have such a hard time. They had already had to go the previous night without power, and three residents had gone to the hospital. It must have been as confusing and exhausting of an ordeal for them as it was for us.

By the time we finshed evacuating the nursing home the driver I was with got a call to pick up a disabled person and take her to a local cooling station. Usually are services begin at their front door and end at the door of their destination. Thus we call it a 'door-to-door' service. This lady was severely immobile and could barely get out of bed. She lived alone and did have visiting nurses that came by for a few hours at a time, but they would have been of little use in an emergency. The reality of the situation was that this lady probably shouldn't be living alone anymore and would be better off in an assisted living situation. I can imagine it would be a hard hit to the pride to give up your independence at home, but when you're already relying on others to take care of you all the time, why not make it a little easier on those that are helping you. It's easy for me to say that t hough, because I'm not in her situation. I'm sure I'll be just as stubborn when my time comes. Hell, look at Steve Hall now.

It was a miserable ride last night. I came home and passed out as soon as I crammed some burrito down my gullet. But I was able to pass out in the cold a/c while watching Floyd Landis put his man stamp on everybody at the tour. Which means I've got it good. However, there were no virgins feeding me grapes and fanning me with palm leaves while I lay there, so the goodness is only relative. It could be better.

Four seconds

2006-07-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

I got three of these now. Weep, bitches. Weep in the sorrow of your inferiority.

Mustered up the inner strength to do the Tour de Donut on Saturday morning. I ended up using Andy Gibb's number since he couldn't show and there is no race day registration. It was great to see a bunch of racers show up just to fuck off for a day. Ranek brought a boatload of domestiques with him to clench an adjusted time victory. BVD, lil' gary, and Dick Racer showed up, as well as Zach Reed. Reed was racing under the name of Thomas Rose, but he was riding stealth since he didn't pin his number on. I don't think they were expecting a sprint finish at the donut race when Thomas Rose and Andy Gibbs came tearing down the final stretch and into the chute. We didn't know where the exact finish line was, so it was agreed that Andy Gibbs had taken the championship. After a photo was found later it turned out Thomas Rose was actually first across the imaginary finish line and Andy Gibbs was second. It wasn't worth the hassle of talking to the promoter to change the results though, plus that son'bitch Rose (Reed) didn't eat any donuts and I had crammed two down my gullet. Ranek had twenty circles of glazed heaven, and a filthy, glazing encrusted brake lever to prove it. Impressive, but there was a dude that ate 25 and didn't have a herd to push him up the hills.

Rolled down to Carbondale that afternoon for some summercross. I was tired. The sun hurts my precious skin. I shoulda worn sunscreen. In the short track Pease tried to take me out in the first set of barriers. I got the first two primes and then faded back. Got stung in the loin by a bee during the race, but so did about five other people. Finished second. There weren't a lot of competitors, but it was still as tough as you wanted to make it. Sampled some of Winston's bagels later that night. Tasty. I think it's the charoal grill that adds all the flavor. Drank PBR. Good stuff, as always.

After a shitty night's sleep it was time for the TT and CX race. After sweating my nuts off helping set up the course it was time to get dressed and sit around, putting off any warm up. Nate Rice showed up to school us, so I ended up second. Sat around until cx time eating powerbars and wasting time. Local media came out for the cross race with camera and video. That gave us some extra motivation to look good on the course, which became miserable after a while. I ran up front for a while until Rice tired of lollygagging at the back. He then proceeded to catch me, ride in front of me, and roll off the front with ease in the matter of three laps. Pease came up too, but faded. This put me in position for my fourth and final second place of the weekend. I ended up with the omnium for the Pabst Cup as a reward for my efforts. Consistency baby!

Went to the local fine dining establishment of Ponderosa afterwards, and saw the finest Kentucky Waterfall mullet God ever created. It was pure beauty. The curls started on top and cascaded and flowed all the way down to the dude's ass. It even came packaged with a white linen suit. Pure class.

Smells kinda fishy

2006-07-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Usually it's pretty nice to live in a house that's right next to a park. Even nicer if that park has a nice little lake. Not so for the residents that live near Leclaire Lake Park in Edwardsville this summer. Thankfully I live down the road from this park and not next to it. You see, over time the lake has silted in and the shoreline is eroding pretty badly too. So this summer the city (with the help of a state grant) is dredging the lake and improving the shoreline. It took about 2 weeks to pump out the lake. Turns out the damn thing was only about 2-3 feet deep in most places. The city made an effort to remove some fish, but they didn't get them all. Apparently there were some big'uns in there. When I rode past yesterday evening I thought I saw a big hose in the lake bed. Turns out it was about ten or twelve big fish that didn't get caught so now they're just going to rot in the sun. Lots of little ones too.

When I was coming back home from driving all over StL last night, I was able to smell the rottenness from 1/3 mile away. Sure must suck to live next door to the lake right now.

In other news, yesterday was my third consecutive day of riding. Woo hoo! Looking forward to racing some cyclocross in Carbondale this weekend. I miss my cross bike. We rode a bunch of singletrack on it Tuesday, and my triceps are still a bit sore from that. Amazingly, I'm not dead from all of last nights run ups. Those hurt.
I bought my four wheeled baby some new shoes this week. She rolls a lot quieter now. In the future I think I'll pay more attention to routine maintenance and rotate them tires more often.

Straight to the junkyard.

2006-06-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

We're less one 1993 Ford Exploder at work. No thanks to you know who. Until today, I'd never broken a windshield with my forehead. Until today.

Smell ya later.

rekindling the flame

2006-06-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Took the cross bike out last night. It's been a while since we've spent some quality time together, so at first things felt a little awkward. But after a few minor adjustments and a few miles, it was as if we'd never been apart. Yup, she still hurts me sometimes. Yup, I don't always treat with as much respect as I should. She can be finicky sometimes. Oh well, that's why I love her. We've got a date coming up, so I need to brush up on a few of my skills. You know, riding her good and hard, smooth mounting, finessing the curves, and knowing just the right moment to slow it down.

Last night was the summer solstice, the day of the year when the sun is up the longest. Dawson and I had planned to ride out to Whiteside Hill and pop a few cold ones as the sun went down. It was kind of hazy, so there wasn't much direct sunlight. Also, since the sun is at its most northward point, sunset was more over Wood River than Granite City. This meant that the sun was partially blocked by the trees. I hadn't given that much thought until the last minute. It was still good though. There's a small graveyard up there too, dating from the mid 1800's. They've got a beautiful resting spot.

I had to teach some orienteering skills to Gibbs & Co the other night so that they might not get too lost in their adventure race on Saturday. I think they'll be alright; it seems like the promoters are making the orienteering part of the course pretty easy anyway. If I can muster up the motivation, I'll probably ride my bike out to Highland on Saturday to watch them for a bit.

Gonna do the Calhoun ride on Sunday. It'll be fun. I might not do so hot on the steep stuff, but I'll be sure to get a good workout in. I wouldn't mind racing, but right now I'd rather save my money for real things. Of course you have to pay to play, and you can't win if you don't try, but I'm just not feeling it right now. I'm all about the hard training though. Hopefully I'll find a nice garden hose on one of my rides and be able to wash this sand out of my pussy and really want to race hard soon.

After while, pedophiles.

Yesteryear

2006-06-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Looking at camp from the point.

Back in what sometimes feels like another life, I spent at least some part of my summers at my local boy scout camp. For me, this was Camp Sunnen outside of Potosi , MO. It wasn't very local to me, but our this was the camp that our council owned. Besides, the area and terrain down there is much better for a scout camp than the local cornfields.

I'll admit that as a youth, I was somewhat embarrassed to be a boy scout. Not that I didn't like being one, but just that it wasn't the cool thing to do socially. Today, I am very proud of what I have accomplished, the friends I have made and the places I have gone through scouting. Just don't expect and eighth grade version of me to get up in front of class and try and tell everyone how cool boy scouts are.

I got involved with scouting when I was 5 years old as a Tiger Cub. I don't remember much of what I did. My parents signed me up for it. I am not sure if I was a willing participant or not. I went through the normal progression of cub scouts and then followed moved on to the ranks of boy scouts. The big leagues. Camping, merit badges, planning your own adventures instead of your parents doing it for you.

Once in boy scouts, I started going to weeklong summer camp every year. This started in 1992. At summer camp you could earn merit badges, explore, and goof off. You also learned some responsibilities. You and your patrol had to cook and clean up after yourselves for every breakfast and dinner. You had to show up to merit badge class on time and complete your requirements before the week was through. Of course there were still adults around to make sure you didn't fuck up too much. Sometimes overbearing parents stayed all week to make sure their model children were on the right track to severe burnout. One time this kid had such a busy schedule at camp (because his father made him) that he didn't have enough time to make it to the latrine so he shit in his tent. It was fantastic. I can still hear his dad yelling across the campsite, "Robert, have you taken your diarrhea pills?"

I went to Camp Sunnen as a camper for 5 years. Every year I had a little more responsibility in the campsite making sure that everything went smoothly. Every year we had new first-year scouts that always had some unique problem during their first stay at camp. My troop also had some members that worked on staff at the camp for the summer. As a camper you look up to the staff tremendously. These are older scouts (16+) that always seem to be having a good time, no matter what they are doing. They taught the merit badge classes and were always hard at work, but still finding plenty of time to goof off and screw around. And they got to stay in cabins. They were like gods to the campers.

In 1997, I decided that I wanted to work on camp staff. This would end up being my summer job for the next 4 years. We only worked for about 5 weeks each summer, but those weeks were the greatest part of my teenage years. Working on staff was great. We were responsible for giving all campers an excellent week of camp when they were there. Not only did we provide learning and advancement opportunities for the campers, but we were the entertainment as well. And I had a blast, hardly ever realizing that what I was doing was actually a job. It also gave you a chance to be yourself without anyone to give you much grief about it. As staff members, we had to eat with a troop for breakfast and dinner every day. They cooked. On monday mornings (their first meal) it was always a rush to the bathroom afterwards. As the week progressed, so did their cooking skills. By the end of the week you developed a bond with the kids you were eating with. They were always full of questions about what you do and how things are, and looking back on it I realize how cool I probably seemed to them. One time one of the campers in the troop I was eating with came up to me and asked me why none of the kids back at his school were as cool as I was. Me? I thought I was just a big dork boy scout. But to this guy, I was somebody. As it turns out I was a somebody to many kids that came to beautiful Camp Sunnen, I just didn't know it at the time. Now that I do it means a lot to me.

As staff, we made the best of our free time. Burning shit. Shooting bb guns at each other. Shooting slingshots at each other. Shooting fireworks at each other. Smoking cigarettes in your cabin. Playing the shit out of goldeneye and mario kart. Going to town on the weekend and hitting up wal-mart, pizza hut and sometimes the movie theater. Making fun of the locals.

Of course, if you do something long enough something will make you tired of it. Every summer during my years it was the same core group of guys working. We were close friends, and close to the camp. But in charge of everything was politics, economics and adults. The youth versus the evil adults. The adults in charge of the council and camp wanted to make money from the camp instead of breaking even. Our fires were too big and unsafe. Bullshit this and bullshit that. After 2000, no one wanted much to go back and work there. A few of us put up with the crap and went back to work another summer of two. But things were different. More business like. Not as much free time for campers or staff. Not as much fun.

That said, Camp Sunnen still means a lot to me. I have always talked about it fondly. Last week I had the chance to take Bridgette down and show here something that is special to me. I showed her around and told her stories of this and that, and most of them involved me getting in trouble for something or other. Some things are in disrepair, and other things are fresh and new. I missed the place. It's not the same anymore, but it still is.

Mountain Man cabin-it was bad when I left, but this is worse.

Entrance to the mud cave

This used to be wal-mart. Now Potosi has a new super wal-mart

Blogservations

2006-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been using the next blog tool to see what else is out there. Generally not much. Most people suck. The breakdown of what I have found:

50% Blogs in a foreign language

20% Heavy religious content (they all tend to use the same template with a lighthouse on it)

20% Heavy political content (the most annoying blogs of all)

7% Normal blogs

3% Sports related blogs

Attention all foreign language bloggers! I can't understand your shit!

Attention all hyper-religious bloggers! Your lives seem more lame than mine! Wow!

Attention all political bloggers! Is that all you fucking think about? Why aren't you president?

Attention all normal bloggers! Good job not sucking as bad as 90% of the blog world!

Hey sports bloggers! How come you only talk about watching sports and sports statistics and never seem to participate? Cycling seems to be the only blog-sphere where people actually participate in the sport they blog about.

I watched Lucky Louie last night on HBO. It looked alright on the previews, but they didn't let on to how much the show revolved around sex. That's ok with me. The acting is mediocre and it was made on the cheap, but it's got some funny moments. I prefer Curb Your Enthusiasm, but this show will be alright.

Monday Morning Blog-a-thon

2006-06-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

What did you do this weekend? I saved the world from imminent doom and total destruction. How? By doing nothing of consequence for the whole weekend. You see, if I would have tried harder, or been successful, I would have become greedy with the resultant power, success and incredible sexual prowess. Then I would have eventually taken over the world. And when you rule the world, what happens? You kill things. Lots of things. Look at god. He rules the world, and he kills shit all the time. So by avoiding taking the necessary steps and not filing the necessary paperwork, I have temporarily thwarted my plans for world chaos. Everybody should thank me right now.

Friday night I helped set up the TT course. Woohoo. Saturday I worked at said TT course. Clubbers are now the current Mills Apple Farm TTT world champions. Even though our TTT time was much slower than 'Druber's blazing individual time. And we were the only entry in the A race. But you've only got to beat who shows up. As soon as we finished out ride, the heavens fell on us. Hard. Like an Acme brand anvil on Wile E. Coyote.

Made it just in time to the Tom Petty concert to get a warm beer and no pretzels. His music and lyrics are pretty simple, but good. And he has a funny voice. And some drunk girl fell and nearly punched me in the nuts. Her excuse? "I tripped over my feet."I think I spent as much time trying to get out of the parking lot after the concert as I did at the concert. I should bring a cooler full of beer to the concert just so I can sell it in the parking lot afterwards.

Made it to the Winghaven race in time to watch the kids races. These races are what allow us to have the big boy races. Otherwise we're just a bunch of assholes that want to close the roads for no good reason and don't say thank you often enough.

It seems the Clubbers have been making a bad(?) habit of having just as many racers at the race who are not racing as there are Clubbers who are racing. With Andy (2nd place cat 3) and me (King DNF) racing that meant that Dawson (stye in the eye) and Shoemaker (hangover with a story to tell) had a green light for sitting on the sidelines. Of course, this can also be seen that we're not too pussy to come to a race even if we ain't racing it. Cause races need spectators. Also, it can be seen that we are multi-dimensional. You see, we drink at least as hard as we ride, if not harder. And we talk trash on each other even harder than that. Come by our tent next time for some minor verbal assault. Or we're just a bunch of alcoholics that liked riding our bikes to the bar so much we sometimes ride even without the liquor.

While cleaning my bike before the race I found a 1.5 inch crack in my rim. That's probably why it doesn't stay very true anymore. So I cornered one of my campy-equiped brethren and got him to loan me a wheel. Later in the race I watched as the loan shark (Johnny Merli) took to the other side of the roundabout so he could empty his stomach on the course. It was pretty fun to watch. It was fun, until I was behind him on next uphill and I got hit with a large splash of something wet. I thought he was throwing up on me. Echhh. As it turns out, someone was throwing water on the riders and I was coincidentally in the wrong place at the wrong time. It freaked me out for a moment thinking I had puke all over me. I kept smelling my gloves and looking at my legs trying to reassure myself it was just water. Later on, I got dropped.

I think I'm going to start saving it all for cyclocross. Anybody want to go to Colorado with me?

A Tail of Two Puppies

2006-06-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Name: Otter
Who's dog is it?: My dog
Fur: Long and Black, just how I like it.
Canine since: 2002
Sex: Neuter
Body type: Thick
Likes: Swimming, rawhide chews, eating.
Loves: Attention, belly rubs.
Dislikes: Fireworks, guns.
Good at: Getting attention from the ladies, not getting in the way, getting shit stuck in his fur.
Faults: No matter how much his diet is controlled, he always finds a way to gain weight
Quote: "You know that place PetSmart? Yeah, I go in there."
Communicates with: Short barks
Sleeps: On his back
Eating style: All at once
Intelligence: Seemingly high

Name: Moose

Who's dog is it?: My sister's dog
Fur: Short and brown.
Canine since: 2004
Sex: Neuter
Body type: Thin
Likes: Getting in the way, being confused.
Loves: Chewing on Otter's collar, treeing squirrels.
Dislikes: Things that move, things that make noise.
Good at: Shaking hands, being the one first out the door.
Faults: Always underfoot, doesn't understand the concept of fetch.
Quote: "Dog food? Nah, I'll wait for steak."
Communicates with: Howls
Sleeps: Curled up
Eating style: Take a mouthful of food and then go lay behind the recliner, all the while walking with an open mouth and dropping half his food on the floor.
Intelligence: Acts like he's high

e-townz

2006-06-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Edwardzville suckz sometimez. On Friday they stopped serving at 11:30. When I walked up at 11:32, they had already given the leftover beer to B'z downstairz neighborz who had set up camp next to the beer tent. That left me with two beer ticketz. So we goed to the bar. I've been picking up the habit of playing with matchez recently. It'z fun. They're free at the bar, courtesy of the Bank of Edwardzville. Then we went to the lamest party ever. All the chubby emo kidz looked at us funny when we piled our bikez in the bushez, and then they shuffled around in their tight darkwash jeans and cool retro t-shirtz mumbling to themselvez. The next night we got to the festival at 9pm and they had just clozed up shop at the beer tent again due to the weather. This iz how they fundraize in e-ville. Sell ticketz and then go home early. Zydeco Crawdaddys waz playing at Stagger, and they were pretty fun. A man waz playing the spoonz. I've gotta get me a bowl of that crawfish stew.

Don't ride your bike through town in Bethalto. Or Rozewood Heightz. They don't like us. You'd have a warmer reception trying to steal one of their sizter/girlfriendz or shooting the tirez out on their monster truckz than coming through town on a bicycle.

Somehow I pulled a muscle in my chezt. It hurtz occazionally. Real bad. Othertimez it'z hardly noticeable. It doezn't hurt too much when I ride, but I think I'll take it e-z for a few dayz just in case. Doctor B'z orderz. She came back from a foray to North Carolina and told me whatz up. I'm glad to have her back.

In regional newz, there'z another e-town that sucked it up pretty bad thiz weekend, the bustling metropoliz of Effingham. Az my sizter and her boytoy Chad were coming into town, proceeding straight through a green light, a lady in the oncoming lane made a left turn in to Chad'z Jeep. He'z only had it for about two weekz. It'z pretty messed up now. I guess the rulez of the road are different up there.

z-ya later, fornicator

'splorin

2006-06-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

I decided I didn't want to ride around Edwardsville wednesday night, so I headed towards Alton instead. I left straight from work, and promptly got stopped by a train for 6 minutes. Joy. Car exhaust and hot pavement. All of the hopper cars on the train were brand new and shiny, so it made me smile to see that some graffiti artists had already tagged one of the cars. It was a decent headwind from the north, so the ride to Alton on the levee wore me down pretty quick. Here's the Lewis and Clark Memorial Tower, under construction as it has been for the past few years.
The city of Hartford just received $1 million from the state of Illinois to finish the tower. Then visitors will be able to go up a whopping 150' to overlook the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to the west, and the beautiful refineries of Hartford and Roxana to the east.

After much grinding and gnashing on the levee, I finally made it to Alton. I had three steep climbs in mind, and planned to do each of them twice. Planned. After the first circuit, I decided once was enough.

First I went up third street heading east. (My compass gets messed up when I go to Alton because although I think I'm heading north, I'm going more west around the riverbend.)

I looped around and then went up the bricked climb on 4th street, heading west. This one is tiered, with the second tier a little more demoralizing than the first.

The view from the top is pretty nice.

The third climb was up State St going north. I was pooped and it was steep.

Then I rolled through Alton and on towards Bethalto on some backroads. It was quite pleasant.

Look! A baby interstate!

I hate trying to post multiple photos. I had several other things to say, but the frustration in getting my photos to load has taken away all joy that occured on this ride. Instead I sit here exasperated in a puddle of self-pity and loathing, wishing I were Amish and had never tried to embrace technology. Then I could have a cool beard and make good food, and I would also know how to raise a barn good and proper.

I'm done.

Back in the saddle

2006-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

I finally started riding to work again. It's been nearly a month since I've ridden in. My goal has been to average 3 days a week of commuting via chain drive all year, but something happened in May and I don't know why. So far I'm 2 for 2 this week. I'm aiming for all 5 days to make up for lost time. It's actually been pretty easy getting up early with all of the daylight in my room.

Route 66 festival in Edwardsville this weekend. They're having a washers tournament and 'Festival 66 Idol' !! Wowzers!! Some other things do look interesting so I'll probably go by and check it out. It's not like I have anything better to do anyways.

Summer solstice is coming, Wednesday June 21. Looks like another reason to party for me. Anyone else in?

SWM seeking F

2006-06-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.

Single white male, racing age 25, seeks fitness for reunion and good times.
Where have you gone? I haven't seen much of you since early May. And even then, it was only fleeting. What happened to us? I thought we had something special, something unique. I guess not. Remember last year when we won some races? Those were great times. Granted they were just cat 3 races, but I thought that we had come a long way together and were ready to make the next step. It turns out you weren't, and so here I am all alone. I've worked so hard for us to have a chance to be together, and for what? I'd do anything to get you back. Please contact me if you're ever back around. Oh, and if you run into motivation or power (or perhaps real ultimate power - http://www.realultimatepower.net/) bring them along too. You know how much I've wanted a threesome or maybe more.

Rolla, Misery

2006-06-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

I like Rolla. Seems like a fun place at times. Pretty hilly though, so my legs don't get along with the local surroundings too well. Route 66 bikes has an excellent location in town, with a nice deck out back for hanging out and watching the locals drag race each other from the stoplights. Free entertainment. Many thanks to Jim Felts and family for putting us up and feeding us some good food. If you ever go to cuba (mo), stop in at the Missouri Hick bbq restaurant and order a full rack of ribs. The food is good, and they'll put a signed polaroid of you on the wall for ordering a ful rack. You don't even have to finish your meal, just order it. Steve "you see, the thing is" Parks thoroughly enjoyed his full rack, two sides and buttered roll.

I am currently accepting donations for two (2) seperate business ventures that you (yes, YOU!!) can be a part of.
First, I would like to present you with an opportunity to get in on a new entertainment venue called "Meramec Taverns". Simply put I'm going to open up a bar as close to Meramec Caverns as possible. Might even make it subterranean just for kicks. We'll advertise in a similar (read near copy) fashion to Meramec Caverns' current billboard campaign. I hope to draw business from unhappy dads, local hicks, and people fresh off the water from a float trip that are already lubed up.
My second wonderful opportunity is to help in the creation of a fantastic new sub-species of dog to be named 'Qdoberman'. The description of this plan is simple while the execution may be a bit more complicated, given my current inexperience at playing god (or higher being or yahweh, or whatever the fuck you want to call it). Somehow I want to take a doberman dog and breed it so that it defecates fresh, foil wrapped Qdoba burritos. Think about it-a burrito factory in your own house!! Feed it anything, and the results are always tasty, foil wrapped burritos. It could be a long road with lots of trial and error, but if succesful the results could be gi-normous.

peace out, brown trout

Balance

2006-06-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

When I was in college I worked a warehouse doing deliveries most of the time. This gave me plenty of time behind where all I had to do was point the truck where it needed to go and I could spend the rest of my energy thinking. At the time I was taking several philosophy classes and thinking about going after philosophy as a major. Not that I really paid attention in most classes or did much of the reading, or could connect a philospher with their main ideas anymore, but I was into the 'what is life about' and 'who are we' and 'how should we interact' type of thinking. I didn't waste any time at coffee shops or in deep conversations, but during my hours behind the steering wheel of a truck hauling heating and cooling supplies across the metro-east I was able to have long thought processes about life.

One of the main thoughts I had focused on equality. At the time I wanted to believe that all people were equal, or at least had equal potential. Not necessarily along the lines of all people were created equal type of constitutional rights belief, but just that no one person was really better than any other person when you looked at all aspects of each person. These thoughts pertained more to the potential and capabilities of a person rather than their previous actions. Of course murderers and rapists are not good, and people can be capable of very bad things. My thoughts were more along the lines of although one person may be an athlete and a scholar they might not be any more valuable a person than somebody who is a high school dropout that washes dishes at steak n shake. I wanted to believe that inside of that scholar and athlete there was something ugly or dirty that would knock them down a bit, and that inside of the dropout was something beatiful and valuable that not many if any people know about but would balance out his shortcomings in life. I felt that given the full spectrum of a persons attributes, no one person would be any better or worse than any other person. Everybody's potential would be a balance of good and bad. It's just that the full range of people's traits would rarely be seen. This was one of my philosophies at the time.

I am not completely sure why I came up with those thoughts. I don't know if I felt inadequate in my life, or if I wanted to think I could look at all people equally, or what. It's just something I thought about at the time, not necessarily something I beleive today. Nowadays I don't have as much of a philisophical view on life and people. The closest thing I use is the phrase 'everybody's people'. It's mainly just a rephrase of 'nobody's perfect'. I use it to show that everybody has messed something up, or makes several mistakes a day. Even that supemodel you drool over, or your waiter, or the dude who cut you off in traffic. All human. All making mistakes all the time, but often doing wonderful things for people that often go unrewarded.

Another phrase I like: You could build a thousand bridges and suck one dick, and you know what they'll call you? A cocksucker.

I always thought that was hilarious.

Lastly: Jelly Belly are the only jelly beans worth eating. The baked bean flavor is crazy. Crazier than buttered popcorn. I'm partial to red apple, watermelon, caramel apple, and kiwi as my current favorites.

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

2006-05-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

Short version: Long weekend, hard racing, good times.

Long version: Headed up north on Friday morning for some racing. I survived the Burlington Road Race, finishing in the pack (although I was omitted in the cyclingnews results). B and I had a nice dinner at the Big Muddy on the riverfront. Saturday was Snake Alley. It was hot. Very hot. I felt unprepared. Last year I had more specific training for this weekend, and now just the sight of the snake made my legs hurt. I got caught behind a crash the first time up and got lapped 5 laps in. I think I surived 10 laps. Here's Bridgette hanging out with Duff-man. (thanks to BVD for making it look like she's just hanging out with a shirtless guy. he actually had a cape and beer belt on)

Here's me on the snake.

We dined with Matt and Bobby in downtown Burlington that night. Bobby drank a bowl of worceteshire sauce. I don't think he felt too good after that.

We traveled to Muscatine for the Melon City crit on Sunday. I won this race as a three last year. Now I just wanted to survive. I couldn't even do that. After having to put my foot down before the first corner because of a crash, I was having to jump hard out of every corner just to stay on. I only lasted about ten laps. Why does Muscatine stink so bad? Why is Iowa so weird? This is the part of the midwest people make fun of.

Bridgette and I before the Muscatine crit. She looked rather glamorous that day with her sunglasses and hair. I had no idea of the misery I was about to endure. Note: I'm getting pretty good at self photography. Although you can see my arm in my sunglasses, I've been centering the photos quite nicely. Also: the goattee. I think I look like an asshole with it, but B seems to find it attractive so I bring it out on special occasions.

After my premature departure from the race we drove to Rock Island where there seemed to be only one local restaurant open, and everybody was there. We walked 5 blocks to another restaurant only to find out they were closed. Bummer. So instead we had overcooked pasta and a bad salad bar. All of it overpriced. I was worried I would do poorly in my race on Sunday, but I was able to tough it out and finish. all 400 corners. It was fun and fast. I only finished in the pack, but I was very satisfied given my two previous performances. I'll be back next year more prepared.

I got 'sick' on Monday night and ended up having to go to six flags on Tuesday to pick up my medecine. B and I met up with her mother and sister at the water park and partook in some waterslide fun. B and I then took off on our own to do some dry rides. The new superman ride was pretty fun, you go up a fair ways and then they just drop you. Freefalling is pretty cool. The Boss hurts. I proved my superiority by winning the scooby-doo ride/game. And then I took the moon car out for a spin. Afterwards there was much rejoicing.

Road Trips

2006-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

I love going on road trips. Seeing new places (or old ones again), getting away from home for a few days, and just feeling free. Many of my favorite memories have occured while on some form of road trip. Like the time we..... nevermind. Whether it's one of the many trips I've taken with B, or school, or the trips I took when I worked in New Mexico for a summer, road trips have always brought fun and adventure of some sort. So I'll be travelling this weekend, and although it will be fairly close to home and on a fairly organized schedule, it still beats staying home all weekend. It looks like it'll be the warmest weekend of the year too. I realized summer was pretty much here when I looked down at my computer last night and saw that it was 8pm, daylight, and I was still on my bike. Although I don't welcome the heat and humidity as much as I like the other aspects of summer (minimally dressed chicas, etc) I'll deal with it.

Ever been writing or typing and use a word you've used many times before only this time it seems completely alien to you? Like you've never spelled it out, or it just doesn't sound right anymore? I just had that with the word 'whether'. Had to look it up online. I even had to look up the meaning because I couldn't remember if I had even been using it right. Welcome to the exciting world of me.

post number 1

2006-05-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day races are this weekend. I'm excited about going, but there won't be the crowd like we had last year. I'm the only clubber racing all 4 days. Bob-vandalay and Dawson are coming up for the snake which should be cool. Otherwise it's just me getting my head smashed in by the big guys and then hanging out with the lovely B for 4 days. I'd like to get in the money at least once. That way I can pay for some part of all the new crap I've bought in the past weeks. New glasses, bike (already crashed), and now new shoes. Watch out cash registers of the world, here I come. It's only paper, right?