Rippin' ld!

Golden

Season of the bright death.

Tree Painting

Rain in the city.
No ride.

Spending the day painting and fixing my computer and iPod stuff...

Written while in line: heaven or hell?

Stuck in line at ipod palace, trying 2 get a resurection for all three i now own. They are all dead. Including the brand new one i just bought 2 replace the old one that just kicked. I take it back...ipod hell

Family...can't live with them and can't live without them

This is dear old dad. My sister (french one) is one the right. The other chick is my now my fathers 3rd wife...Sort o' crazy right.
I have gotten a couple of emails from him and I have not been able to respond to them...I had hard time even opening his emails at first...I waited a few days.

Anyway, I found this picture, posted it and plan to respond to his email in the AM.

"BLAH BLAH BLOGGER..." sung to "bah bah blacksheep"

Stupid is, as stupid does...

Feeling unispired today. Could be due to the fact my iPod broke. I have had it for 4 years. I really liked it. I decided to take all the change that was laying around and go drop it into one of those change counters...Ilike the idea that my change paid for most of my new ipod. I get to pick it up today from circuit city.

What does XO mean?

My bike friends who read this will think I am referring to SRAM stuff....but I was really referring to when theh chickies sign off with a XO? Ever since I was in 6th grade and Dylan McGee (2 years my senior and I had a major little boy crush on her.) signed my year book with an XO I have wondered. Hugs and kisses right?

Listening to the Strokes (is this it?...it has been about 2 years since I listened to it and enjoyed it quite nicely after having got stuck on a little Alanis Morrissette...Yes I just admiteed that ). Took a break from my project tonight. Hope to return with new found excitement in the AM after todays wall in which I just edited over and over...
Pictures of my cat zoe.. That seemed so long ago as if it was a different life other than mine. Yes, many things i do miss.

Last night: new rides, wine and lack of sleep.

Slick ride: This was the east coast Cervelo reps rig decked to the nines with Lightweight wheel, power meter and carbon everything. Scary race bike.

Last night I headed uptown to check J-girls new rig. She had gotten a new Salsa cross frame with a ritchey carbon cross fork and a King headset. She then just moved the parts over from an older bike and voila the new rig was birthed. The build was really done as a winter training bike, thus saving the road bike from the salt and grit of the winter.

Was too dumbfounded by its beauty to remmber to take a picture. I will say that Salsa's new cross bike is pretty sweet looking in that rich green. Pictures do not do it justice so even if I had taken one I am not sure it would not have been as nice as it was in person.

It also gave us a chance to drink a little wine, shoot the shit on the latest and greatest in bike related and non bike related topics. Wine; we had a few different types of wine. The first glass was really nice. The second glass of a different bottle was so poor that it would not be fit for vinegar. The third glass from another different bottle was better.

I left their place around 8.30 with the intent to go right to sleep. For whatever reason, I seemed to miss my window of sleep and ended up being up the whole night. So much for going to bed early.

How it all started years ago....

I had just been dumped. Again. In a story I often
retell in the following manner with a smile of
satisfaction of dodging a bullet: I fell in love, I
moved to a foreign country for this girl, gave her
all my money , only to have her get pregnant with some
other guys baby. Ok, the foreign country was Canada.
But it still sucked.

__________________________________________________
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Remembering back 10 + years ago...a snippet from a journal.

In many instances, some of these firms would offer
career nights or an open house. Often there would be a
little food with some soft drinks, and then followed
by speeches by some of the producers in the office who
started talking about "the business." Then the branch
manager would get up and say his bit about how great
"the business" was. While the offices of the different
firms would be different, as would the speakers (some
would be more polished than others. Some speakers were
less believable than others.), the common denominator
was the phrase "the business." It was almost spoken
about in a religious fervor. "The business changed my
life", "this business is good and yet so easy", and
the ever present "you can make so much money in this
business." There was always talking about how good it
could be. In fact, there was a few times in which a
speaker would pull out a picture of his Ferrari, yacht
or mansion as proof of the trappings of success. It
was uncomfortable for me being a private school WASP
who never discussed money to have someone flaunt their
success in such a gaudy manner and yet I still wanted
to pursue the business.

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Riding in the season of dead leaves and Navigating youth

I woke up Saturday AM at 7 to be out on the road before 8 in order to make my way to Nyack for what was one of the Falls best days on record. Warm enough for shorts (wore knee warmers),but cool enough so that one did not sweat too much. The leaves were red and yellow as I made my way through the back roads into nyack. There is a park that is splendid that one must pedal through and over to make it to Nyack. It was a nice ride into Nyack. For a bit I was at peace with myself.

The Runcible Spoon(biker destination for java and treats) was busier than I had ever remembered. Another sign that biking has really become much more of the norm compared to where it was 20 years ago.

The compnay on the ride was just fine and while the conversation was good, no one subject comes back to mind. It was mindless pedaling with random discussions that took my mind off of heavier thoughts. I needed the distraction. Thank you JB.

Navigating Youth:
Recently I have reconnected with somebody who I went to high school with. I have spent many years trying to forget akwardness and painful growing, but suprisingly I have quite the memory for what took place over 20 years ago.

Through the talks of youth gone wild I realized how periless the navigation of youth could have been. With little or no maturity and restraint, many of the kids I knew as a teenager could have turned out differently. I could have turned out differently. It made realize that although I felt immortal in some senses, I was for more fragile then I realized.

I am now trying to get it into gear for a ride this fine Sunday morning. Solo and slow. I sip coffee on my bed, type and wonder how in the briefest of times people can change so quickly.

"Late news breakin', this just in..."

Kid sister is going quarter century. Funny how I remember her still playing with my little pony and cabbage patch kids.

If you are interested shoot me an email and I will see if I can get our names on the exclusive guest list. I hardly carry any clout with this young woman but your name might help me get in...

Evidence that NYC is in my blood and my love for java.

It is one of my pleasures in life to walk the streets of NYC with cup of coffee in hand.

Drinking a cup of coffee from a paper cup with a plastic cover on, dressed light and sweet, is divine. I will occasionally drink it darker than night, stronger than god, and sweeter than love. In general, it is light and sweet.

Cup of joe in the hand, busy streets and a little music provide theatre that never bores.

It is this quintessential NYC behavior that I see so many do that makes me realizes that there is a little NY in me as I do relish this experience. I feel confident, after slight intoxication from the caffeine and the sugar, that the walk to the subway or anywhere else I may be going is more of a treat than anything else.

I love Big Jonny at Drunkcyclist.com

I have always been on the fence about liking Drunkcyclist over the last 5 years, and that might have been because of all the porno stuff that used to be on his site. Dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with porno, but it distracted from the postings. But within the last 4 months I have appreciated Big Jonny more for his honesty, talent and writing then I ever thought I would. He does some real good stuff.

He posted a picture today of his battered nut snack after he dumped it because of a storm drain. I do not think I will post the picture of the carnage because of the countless number of small children who flock to my bog each day for their dose of insightful BS, but he did.

He wrote a story in Dirtrag recently that I thought was great about falling in love, riding bikes and getting dumped. All my favorite topics. The trail of heartbreak (singletrack of course) is windy and treacherous but so sweet. Jonny wrote this story with a nod to Hemmingway but also with the heartbreak of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Good stuff that we cave boys dig.

Anyway, I had not been by his site in a week or two and his post about his accident made my day. It was honest, funny and he posted a picture of his battered balls....

Long Live Big Jonny!!

Anxious for the arrival

Everyone knows that feeling in which you know an imminent action will occur and it is only a matter of time. It could be that work meeting, that bonus, or that talk with a lover. It is almost sickening how it can sit in your belly, make you nervous so you can't eat, and repeatedly run through different scenarios to almost the point of insanity. You are hoping for a best case scenario but realistically you know that the outcome will be disappointing. It is funny when you are facing this feeling when at work.

Makes me think of Big Audio Dynamite "Just Can't Wait". The live version on The Globe is good. I listened to it twice this AM and decided that it did deservedly have a place in my list of favorite songs.

"It`s called Can`t Wait"
What you doin` to me
You`re messin` with my brain

What you doin` to me
I`m stuck in purple rain

And I just can`t wait
Any longer
I`ve got to leave today

Please believe meI was well on my way
Yeah believe me
We thought that we would play

And I just can`t wait
Any longer
I`ve got to leave today

Don`t fall for me
Don`t wanna sail away
Don`t you wait for me
Just let it slip away

And I just can`t wait

I also had to make sure I could post with out having to put a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon up.

Last Night: Sushi with Sis.

Sushi with Sis

Amongst many subjects of the night that varied from old to new, I admitted to my sister how disgusted I was with the fashion industry and really it represented the worst in human beings: mass consumption, greed and vanity. Some of our more ugly habits just magnified to the highest degree laid out in the pages of a magazine. It is in fact, not an ordinary magazine, but one in which it serves as a pulpit in which to dictate what clothes one might wear. Preach fashion and look down on the non-believers. Who cares if some chick is decked out in last years clothes or this years clothes.


I felt it important to note that, while certainly not the intended audience, that a great portion of their readership has hardly the brain cell to read sufficiently, thus the need for pictures. How could anyone take themselves seriously when so many of those who read your work are certifiable dolts. ...


The naked girls do look good though...

I feel like I read Vogue as this is the 3rd day in a row I have posted a Calvin comic up: I am starting to question my own level of intelligence....I just did not think it could go any lower.

Early AM Ride

It has been a few weeks (or it feels like it..) since I was up early for a ride. Maybe it just feels like it because I did not get to ride over the weekend. Anyway, the alarm went off at 6 and I was out the door shortly thereafter.

In my haste to be rolling I left the casa sans bottle and iPod. I was cotton mouth at the start so I knew that it would have to be a very metered ride in terms of efforts. Just ride steady (slow) and I knew I could roll for a couple of hours with out water. Music on the other hand, I was not sure I could live without.

Without the music, the only noise was the sound of the tires, the sound of the chain being pulled around the crank and the wind. In the background I could hear faintly, but only occasionally, the traffic.

It was was chilly out and I was under dressed. It was subtle reminder that summer really had ended.

One of the reasons I often ride alone is that it is one of the best times for me to come up with ideas/stories. It is peaceful. With no sounds to speak of really, and just the company of my own slightly labored breathing, it can be one of the most therapeutic times. It is in this semi meditative state in which I run through the current events of my person, think of things to write about either here on my blog or for my own personal consumption and basically get right with the world. Exercises and thinking go so very well together.

I can not tell you what I exactly came up with, as sometimes the lightning strikes with genius only to have its luster fade by the end of the ride. The blackboard of ideas known as the solo ride yields great quantity but not often does the inspiration survive the solo break out session. When I finished my 1.5 hour ride with zero water intake, with only my thoughts thirsty for more bike time, I knew that the theme was surely about being at peace with personal decisions, and to leave the struggle behind. The only fight worth fighting for is the one that really matters. Others, while they may anger, are just road blocks to life that hide as confrontations.

I can only do what I think is best and try make decisions that are not hurtful of other and that are truly in my best interest. This has often been harder for me to do till recent. I am truly more aware of my actions than I have ever been.

When I re-read this I feel as I am in some sort of weird 10 step recovery program.... BUT I AM NOT!

More bike related stuff:

LAL Report:

I normally try and look inward when writing here while trying to connect pieces of my life (as random as they seem) into some semblance of order so that I can make sense of what often seems senseless.

I really recently have not written anything very personal as there have been an instance or two where people have misread or used it against me. Frankly, my emotional state has been poor as of recent (combination of work ennui and the uneasiness of not being accepted externally the way I want to be accepted...I know that one can not dictate acceptance) and I don't see much merit in writing about how blue (or the varying shades of blue) I may be these days. I just don't seem to be able to get it together and I need to really regroup and work on me.

With that all being said I wanted to share a little about a wedding I attended over the weekend. Normally I am not a fan of weddings. Hardly ever go when asked. This weekend I attended one that really served as a reminder of what a little faith in one another can do.

This wedding (I am not going to touch on details as I am pretty sure the two who were married will not appreciate me sharing many details of their day) touched me as it shows that every pot has a top out there. But more than that it was making of not just a couple but a family. This resonated with me deeply as I have come to the conclusion that my great undoings in life is due to my need for and to create family. Until recently I never realized this. Looking back, this has caused me to make some poor choices. Furthermore, when coupled with the fact that I never really understood what love was till the last year or so, it was all a recipe for disaster. Some things I wish I could take back as they make me cringe (especially those within the last 2 years) as my actions were not the ones I would be proud to tell anyone about, but I am proud to be on the other side of a turbulent period with a little better understanding of who I am and what it takes to take and give love.

This wedding reminded me of this and in the end that what I hope to have one day will have to be done in tandem with a true partner. These two people had this partnership and I am pretty sure everyone who attended, no matter how content, had a twinge of envy as it was really spectacular to see two love birds go from being a couple to a real family.

LAL...I will let you all figure that one out.

Just in case you don't need or want to read my sensitive pony tail BS:

Mmm

Mexi-mission style eats- i love eating real deal food as in local only. Blancos not seen around here with a translator for us 2 pay with our dineros.

Multimedia message

"I took a tram 2 the 4th dimension..." on the train

I love Hobbes.

I used to have pets. I miss them terribly. I can think of tons of things about them that I love, but everytime I write one down it makes me miss them more. I guess I will just leave it with that I miss them and they are on my mind.

Save the Ta-Ta's

Saturdays ride was highlighted with the Avon Breast Walk, which happened to be heading in the same direction as I was. It was great to see the huge number of women out in support of breast cancer. Many of them dressed in wild Mardi Gras type outfits with pink ribbons, pink cowboy hats, pink dresses and the like. They looked like they were having fun doing something I think is very positive. In the very least, outside of raising some dollars, it brings people together of like minds. I am all for it.

Let us really save the Ta-Ta's:
As I was coming back I rode by a woman who had a clever top on that said "Save the Ta-Ta's" and after having ridden by such a large number of women in various degrees of dress, I feel strongly that we should step up and really save the ta-ta's. Almost 185,000 people reported/diagnosed (roughly 1,500 were men)with breast cancer in 2003. Roughly 41,000 died. A very serious cause. But there is more we can do in the name of breast awareness.

I am not making light of the cause at all:
I think another aspect to highlight the breast and raise awareness would be for a big bra company to step up and sponsor the event and give free bra consultations. In fact why not have self breast exams classes coupled with the do's and don'ts of boulder holders....There seem to be so many women with ill fitting bras, which can lead to many long term health issues including posture/back issues.

Why not get those pups strapped in right ? I seriously think this is a great idea. Why not call a Victoria Secret in and a team of folks to go over your current bra set up and help people get sized right. We would save on long term health costs and provide women with a more comfortable living experience.

Anyway, this is what I seriously pondered on my ride. Maybe I was delusional from lack of water, but it seemed like valid reasoning to me at the time. I am sure there will be some riducule....

Legs up sketching big stones

How i spent the last cup of coffee

Got breakfast on-line....

Get it together,

Still trying to mototivate for a lttle easy smooth circles. Sort of strange that I want to ride when my legs are tired and tight and my head is slightly congested. I love to ride. It is the one good thing in my life that does not change. I strive for that almost mediatitive state where one is working hard turning the pedals over and yet is not so engaged in the act itself. There is no focus other than making sure there is no giant hole in the rode that will wreck you and that your legs keep moving round. It is simple and pure.

I used to like the suffering aspect the most. The speed work that would make you "hurt good" and the taste of blood in your mouth after ripping your legs off ashard and as fast you can for two hours. 178 bpm was one average from a bike race for 2 hours.

I like the constant movement, of either making your way through the woods or riding on the road. Legs are spinning, breathing should be a little heavier than normal and you have all the time in the world to think about everything and nothing. And it seems these days I have alot to think about.

Still trying to motivate...

Sunday AM

I hit the sack last night at about 9.30 with only the ride in my legs as the main source of activity for the day and the driving force behind my ealry slumber time. I awoke this morning restless after a long sleep but interrupted with a few trips to the kitchen for a snack.

I am boiling a couple of eggs and cooking up some turkey bacon (below should have been a place for the finished product: I spent so much time screwing around getting the picture taken and uploaded that it got cold...so I ended up bagging on it for now...check back later for images from breakfast). Breakfast was good, although slightly cold. I think I may have burned out on hardboiled eggs. I think I have eaten too many of them in the last 2-3 months and now I am having to struggle eating them with the same vigor I had before. It just shows I can get sick of eating the same thing over and over...Some accused me of being unable to eat new foods and that I like my routine too much.


This is an older picture I took a long time ago when I used to live on Grand. For some reason I like the picture alot. Maybe it is because there is some crazy chinese kid fishing for dinner in the east river. China town is right next door and number of people fishing for dinner is insane. Which is one of reason why I tell anyone and everyone that easting fish at a chinese food restaurant is way stupid...But, that being said there is alos a large hispanic and black fishing crowd as well. I am just being totally paranoid about eating fish and getting food posoining. Stupid on my part for sure, but really stupid for fishing and eating out of the east river.

It has been a really quiet weeked so far. Not too productive. After my ride I have to do some bike maintenance stuff. New tube in the rear tire of my road bike for one. Some cleaning. Stuff I am not excited to do but have to do it.

A little later:
Still on my first cup of coffee. Pretty relaxed. Legs still hurt from the ride yesterday. Brief synopsis of the ride: rode to bridge. Got a flat. Changed flat pretty quickly. Rode to Renaissance bikes on the west side to get another tube. Then rode back up tothe bridge and over to the ranger station. Rode home. For whatever reason my legs are trashed.

Words for lack of better words...

"All your life you dreamed a dream
Somehow connected with the silver screen
With half closed eyes you realise
It’s love in the life that is paradise
In a technicolour fade - I dream a parade
Like some flob house - bop house serenade
Every dog must have his day "

It is funny that this resonates more from when I was in college than when I was 8. Furthermore, shopping cart jaunts still have some appeal for me.

Wild Card seen and heard on a subway...

NYC is small like a town. I have lived here since 1980 and while it is the greatest city, and it is the city to be measured by for all other cities, it still is a small town.

I was zoning out on the way home on the train after a drink with J and J and guess who was standing right in front of me....The wildcard. I was stunned and blurted out "where are you going?'

The wildcard smiled his Texas Tea grin and he said he was off to a running clinic. Another wildcard moment as one has to wonder what is a fully capable biker like the Wildcard would be doing wanting to get all Bi-Ped with the running. And a running clinic none the less... I have genuine concern for his well being with this type of self destructive behavior...You can not help but want to save the kid from going all dark side. I just hope that it does not get more serious and he considers wasting time and prime cartilage on something like a Marathon.

All that being said, it was nice to bump into a super friendly face in the often crowded, but never personalized, NYC. I hope the running clinic was fun...just don't let me catch you again going that way or else more drastic steps will be taken which by no means will be limited by shock therapy and hospitalization.

Ten four good buddy: Happy B Day J girl!!

J Girl gets a little older today. I am supposed to meet the J's for a drink to celebrate but frankly I am feeling a little out of sorts again today. Not as social as I would hope I should be...and I should make an appearance for my friends.

Night Rider and Opening night for Toga NYC / Specialized

Night Rider and Opening night for Toga NYC / Specialized

Willis was cool enough to invite me to the grand opening party for the new Specialized concept store run by Toga that happened last night. I had no clue what to expect but he promised that there would be some drinks and a little food, so I thought I would at least stop by after a few laps in the park.

The park ride got sort of weird quick with dark setting in not too long after 7. At a couple of points I could not even see the road as there were no overhead lights and the park had become devoid of people. I saw two raccoons. They were big.

The ride itself was really nice. My bike feels so smooth with nary a sound from the drive train (other than the BB clicking a little when I stand) and the tires perfectly topped off to give a plush, smooth but pretty fast ride. Vittoria All Weather tires are my favorite but so slow. I am looking forward to new tires that dont feel like they super under inflated.

I did 3 laps steady and cut out even though I really wanted one more. The park was way dark and empty, so sort of dangerous, and besides I wanted to stop in to say hi to the boys at Toga.

As I got about a block away from the shop I could see these huge red Specialized bike banners and a team Specialized Truck and a Team SRAM Volvo. All of the sudden I realized that this was the big deal, and that they had even rolled out the red carpet for the event. I felt a little under dressed in bike gear as there were a lot of folks decked out in their west coast party garb: specialized was very well represented including their top end tri guy Peter Reid.

The place was packed with happy faces, new product from Specialized and SRAM and booze and food. Stayed a little longer than I really wanted (10 minutes is all I wanted to stay) but ended up seeing some people I have not seen in awhile, checked out an 18 pound tt bike that was way slippery and a 9 grand 14.5 pound road bike. The road bike was the new S-Work Tarmac SL-2 and it could have lost another pound by changing the brakes and crankest and bars. It was a sick bike and it really made have some bike lust. But it is hard to argue with a bike with soul (hand built in Boston...) vs. a technological wonder that weighed nothing. Bayer to entry on the S-Works 14.5 pound wonder bike is roughly 8,500 bucks.

I got to hear the spiel on the new SRAM Red top end road group-o and I have to say I am in intrigued. I love the ergo of Campy, and the SRAM stuff is not too different and is so well engineered, I may have to make the switch for the next rig.

The only thing missing from the product portion of the party was that there was no high end mountain bike stuff: I wanted to see the new StumpJumper FSR S-Works in person. But then again I understand that the market is all about the tri folks so they have to cater to them.

Then I ended up talking to a few tri-peeps and then I went on to watch them froth at the mouth while watching the big screen of some epic Kona race...Ironman? all I know is one of those Ironmen threw a tantrum in the video because he could change a flat. What attracts people to the idea of doing 3 sports on the same day in some grueling experience that universally makes people wish the experience was over?

Left after 2 beers and a handful of celery (that was dinner) and some good smiles after hearing the latest from a few random folks. All in all a nice time.

Thought for the day.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain.

The self penance of being not quite right is a hard one to endure.

Fall has arrived and it is a reminder of what a rough and junky period the last 2 years have been for me. I feel as if I have hit rock bottom a few times, kind of the way a ball bounces to a stop. Jolted and jarred I am not always sure where I am anymore. The list is ugly and long of the stuff that has been lost. I use the term "stuff" loosely as I classify people, pets and all the other junk with that term. I am left with a stronger for sure, but also bruised and beaten. I want to almost start clean again with so many things: most importantly relationships. I know you can not go back in time, I just wish I could change things so that they were better than they are now.

I am not sure why I am full of reflection these past of couple of days... or maybe I do know but it could be too honest for me to even say out loud. I just know I wish I could change the outcome of so many things.

The self penance of being not quite right is a hard one to endure.

Photos from a few weeks ago...

I had done a road ride with the J's one Saturday...it just so happened to be J-Girls first ride on her new rig. Sweet!

Maybe the only carbon bike I lust for...
I really have not seen them much this year at all... they seem to be off to their place in upsate.

Bike Gossip, "ain't she a pretty little thing " and early to bed.

Rumor spiralling out of control is that Pacific Bicycles (the same folks who were at the helm of the seriously diabolical scooter faze and owners of GT, Schwinn and mongoose) is going to buy Cannondale and move their production offshore. Why do I care since I don't ride a Cannondale? Cannondale is one of the last high end bike builders making their stuff here in the USA...It would be sad to see them die in the same way that Schwinn died off as they started to make some really decent USA made (yeti built) bikes. Oh well... and it seems the rumor I had posted about Leipheimer/Trek is only a small step away from being true as VeloNews.com had an article about it this AM.

"ain't she a pretty little thing ":
Met LD's new lady that he has said such nice things about for so long and all I can say is "ain't she a pretty little thing." She is a sweetheart: looking the part and being the part. She also chews gum, which there is so something sweet about a gum chewer. Most people, myself include find me repulsive when I chew gum, but for girls it is a nice accessory. Anyway, she seems to fit LD just right and he seems happy to be in her radiance.

Early to bed:
I am pretty sure it has been the stress, lack of quality sleep, a bit of melancholy of late and some enui of life but last night I was so tired I basically was asleep by 8PM. I was thoroughly wrecked. I had painted a little before bed some new designs of trees and did a small version of an idea about dreams. If I do the big one and it comes out right I am going to submit it to dirtrag in the hopes of getting it used on their font cover. I wanted to stay up longer but my head hurt I was so tired. Woke this AM a little fresher than I have felt in some time...Sleep is so underrated sometimes.

Thank you Pez....

Sort of funny but at the same time not that funny....With Bettini winning the worlds again under a very dark cloud (like Lance, there was/is allot of smoke coming from his camp...) that I can not help but be suspicious knowing who he raced for and who is friends were...couple that with the fact he refused to sign a piece of paper saying he would allow for DNA testing...If I was innocent I don't think I would have an issue with this...

Base..how long can you go?

I ended up riding to Piermont on Sunday solo: My legs were tired from the prior days ride so I just ended up rolling slow having a coffee or two and then rolled on home. Barely uttered a word all day other than to compliment/talk with a guy about his Rivendell (original Joe Bell paint with Henry James lugs...Sort of odd that he was not some weird science guy with a weird or hipster type as that seems to be the only people who seem to ride these anymore..). Felt completely out of touch with the world in some ways as I felt comforted by the routine but felt disconnected.

Having been away from the bike for such a long time it was nice to get two very solid days in. Although the distances were not that far on either days (Saturday was a harder day by far) I definately pushed myself...Sunday, even though legs were tired from the get go I kept a decent pace. Love getting those base miles in at the end of the season....

I have been wanting pancakes and eggs for so long...I loved getting pancakes and eggs at 7A. Need to do that soon...

Some other random things: There has been a house cleaning at the office. Done quietly, as it is done every year and then the rebuilding process starts over. Fall is the time in which people are in motion...

eGay: the process of downsizing, minimilizing everything continues. New rule: Nothing new shall be bought unless it is needed (outside of chains and brake pads) as I keep finding parts for "that" project that I never really started/finished. Stuff that I want and stuff that I need is the new litmus test.

That being said, I would not kick out of bed Mike B's new 96'er...Would be awesome XC bike for Blue Marsh...I have not ridden there is so long...I even rode the whole 50 mile loop once on a rigid bike. Pure fast XC ride with twisty bar wide single track looping around a lake. Almost all smooth, just making it plain fast.