Colossus Mark Seven

Morning weigh-in: 181.5#, 6.5% BF (I think scale needs new batteries)
Blood Pressure: 135/80, 57 BPM
(My systolic pressure has dropped 10 points a day over the past two days.)

Meantime: I picked up the bike yesterday, all systems are go, with new pivots & BB cups. Just clean & lube them (Turner & Surly are both going) and I should be good -- must also remember to charge my batteries, since there will be at least one night ride. I still have to do all my packing & prep to do, since the chili has been taking up all my time.

I now have two big batches of my chili -- I have decided to call it "Simple Life Chili" if we need names -- for the contest, and the house reeks of it. There's a whole lot of the stuff, I sure hope people eat it, otherwise I'm committed to the same thing for dinner for at least a month.

Interesting post by Amanda of Pandagon, commenting on this article about hipster/X-Game Xtians. Different focus than my experience (no male-female interaction), but the scene definitely reminds me of Utah, and also of the Mormon missionaries who lived above me on Folk Street.

Oh, and by the way: the title of this post is a bit of a mishmash, between the huge amount of chili I made, some Wolf Mother tune that seems to say "colossal," and also in honor of this.

All Better Now

And thank goodness for yoga...

Went to a yoga class on Monday (beginner class, Ashtanga style), which was good, and on Tuesday I took that Svaroopa style class which was very good as well -- it was also packed, I think this class is going to be pretty popular. (Represent: I was the only guy there.) It's actually funny how much you feel like you're walking on clouds when you leave this class...

So anyway: after yoga on Monday I picked up some pivots from Doug, then went to Which Brew for the Mug Club dinner. That crazy boring dude was there again, but I avoided engaging him in real conversation, just exchanged pleasantries and kept myself to myself.

Tuesday before yoga I dropped the Turner off at Bike King, where Ron will replace the pivots for me; he also has bottom bracket replacement bearings, so I'm getting a new set of those as well.

(Looks like my bike woes are being solved in a most timely manner, except one: my mojo Roswell has a broken arm, so I took him off the bike for some R&R; he'll be sitting the RCSS Bash out though I will take him along for good luck. Looks like it's time for a little Shoe Goo first aid...)

Dinner last night was chili plus open-mic bluegrass jams at the WB; ironically enough, it's because I made a crock of chili at home (it's cooking today) that I didn't feel like cooking my own dinner. My chili is destined for the contest at the Bash anyway (I'm making another crock of it tonight/tomorrow).

No weigh-in: several nights eating out have made for discouraging results, and I also forgot my blood pressure meds two days in a row, so that looks scary as well. Don't want to think about the last few days worth of body data. Meantime though, I have taken the first steps in really dealing with this: checkup/physical/consultation with my GP, which I expect will bring about a referral to some kind of specialist.

Oh When The Weasels, Come Closing In...

"The weasels were starting to close in" is how Hunter Thompson described it in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, when his life seemed spinning out of control. I may not be up for the drastic measures he took, but I think it's time for a change of pace. I'm feeling pretty burned out, and though I think the crisis passed on Friday & I'm now recovering from my low point, I've reached the "just had enough" level in some parts of my life...

Friday night I went for a ride on the towpath. I was going to do that and a loop at Sals, but I was suddenly feeling very tired and unenthusiastic. I went out to the bike, and discovered that the bushing in one of the pivots was shot. Uh-oh, those things are hard to get in a hurry, and I'm going on a biking/camping trip this weekend. (I pumped it full of grease, hoped for the best but I'll need to deal with that this week, one more thing to stress me out.) I finally went riding, and found I had nothing in me. Luckily I ran into Joe and Cindy coming the other way; since they had their dog with them they were riding pretty slow, so I turned around and went back to Easton with them. They turned around at the new boat launch, so I said goodbye there and took the Palmer bike path home. Much shorter ride than usual, but I was dragging.

Anyway, I go out to Which Brew for dinner, and get stuck in a conversaton about bikes with an annoying weirdo -- someone ditched the guy on me in order to make his own escape. There's not much in this world I really know, but do know bikes, and biking, and bikers, and I could tell that this dude (even if I hadn't known his flakey background) was both full of shit and more than a bit looney. Worse yet, he was monopolizing my attention, and there were a lot cooler things going on all around me, just out of reach. It was actually my worst experience at Which Brew, and I paid up and went over to Porters.

There I ran into the friend who palmed Crazy Boring Guy off on me. I was like, "Dude, you owe me big time!" I thought I'd get at least a beer out of it, but he was leaving, and I got snookered into another crazy conversation. This was with a friend who'd had maybe more than her share, and I just pray that she doesn't remember what she told me about herself (a chronicle of the differences in her BO when she's healthy vs when she's sick), the next time I see her could be very awkward, this is very much not her normal conversation.

It sounds funny now, but both of these conversations really depressed me at the time. I got a little gun-shy after that, tired of people dumping their shit into my brain, so I just hunkered down at the bar and watched Dave Cahill play his guitar.

Saturday I woke up tired, but went for breakfast, then to the gym (which was excellent thank goodness, even though I was tired) then over to the Phillipsburg Criterium where I was supposed to help out. There didn't seem to be much for me to do there, so I left, went home and took a nap.

A singular lack of crunch: Last week Coffee Works was closed for repainting, and when I went there Saturday morning the place was completely different. Not just new paint or a new color scheme, it looks like it may have changed owners and it was completely redecorated. Gone was all the homey stuff, and in its place was a bunch of modern, stylish and uncomfortable-looking furniture. This stuff left me really cold; it's not my kind of place anymore at all. Wow.

Saturday night was the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for the 12 O'Muchy race. This was awesome. The promotors (my friends Bob & Karen, and their friends Kris and Karin) took us out to eat someplace in Newton (amazing eclectic place, wish I remembered the name) then back to K&K's place for some homemade dessert. I sort of surprised myself by getting tofu for dinner, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Blueberry pie, some cappuccino and conversation, and my spirits were restored considerably.

I was supposed to go riding this morning at Mahlon with Bob & Karen, as well as Joe & Cindy and a few others, but realized that I'd left my sunglasses (prescription, my riding glasses) in Doug's car, so I had to blow off the ride. Just as well, I was still tired and I would have had to ride the singlespeed. Did some flickr uploading, got some coffee at Cosmic Cup, retrieved my glasses and rode at Jacobsburg.

Now I have to go shopping. The camping event features a chili contest, and I entered so I have to start making several batches this week. (My friend Beth called me the other day, told me she & her husband were going as well even though his wrist might be broken, and then she started trash-talking my chili because she was also a contestant. Bold words, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating...)

Son Of A... More Photos!

Kevin In The Sandbox
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Still cleaning out my backlog of pictures from the summer. These are a few I took of my brother Kevin's kids when they (the kids, but also Kevin and Amy) visited my parents this July. I went down, helped my parents pick them up from the airport, and took these shots the next morning.

That was the July 4th weekend; they stayed the whole week but I went home, then went back again the next weekend for a backyard BBQ before my brother had to fly back. In between was a bunch of riding, but I only took two pictures...

Slip Face

Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 182#, (damn I forget) % BF
Blood Pressure: 136/84, 65 BPM

Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 182#, (forgot again) % BF
Blood pressure: 140/84, (wow forgot heartrate too... )

Morning weigh-in (Friday): 181.5%, 10% BF
Blood Pressure: 126/75, 67 BPM

Wow, looks like this week flew by...

Labor Day was my Sals 101 ride. Eleven people showed up including Tom D and Beth McG (the only ones who met me at Genesis), Rob L & Eric as well as John E, and a whole bunch of Dirt Devils out to learn the trail system. Broke my cleat, and there were a few of the usual minor spills and mechanicals you'd expect with a big group, but overall it was a great ride -- Tom D was a hurting puppy (fatigue) by the end though...

Yoga on Tuesday night, more of that new style which is, or at least seems, fairly nondemanding physically; I'd guess it's very conducive to restorative work. There was an older woman in class, maybe in her seventies, who came in on crutches, & took off a removable cast (like an inflatable boot or walking cast, I'd guess) before class. Turns out, she'd had her ankle replaced. Didn't talk to her about it last night, but if she's there next week we'll be getting into some serious ankle talk...

After that was some crap at home, then I didn't feel like cooking so down to Which Brew I went. Pretty nice night, quiet but decent crowd.

Wednesday I hit the gym after work, then fixed my cleat (none of the usual problems with stripping screws, thank goodness), fooled with the computer for a while and then decided (about 11:00, I couldn't sleep) to take the Surley out and just cruise the mean streets of Easton. Downtown, Wilson, over by the cemetery -- the only place I didn't hit was Southside. No lights or helmet: just me, the cops and the criminals -- but I did wear my newly-repaired shoes...

Last night I did a towpath ride when I got home, then went down once again to WB. Good night, as per usual, and this time I resisted temptation and went straight home afterward -- no Taco Hell, no open-mic nite at Porters.

Tonight will be towpath/Sals, lights are charging as we speak, then out to, um...

Bathroom Reader: I've been browsing & skimming that book about medieval civilization again. It's pretty annoying (written in the early sixties by some Catholic college professor, plenty of cringe-worthy stuff, it's like being being trapped in a room with Robert McNamara), but you can follow the general outline through the editorial chaff. The part that caught my interest this time was where the civilization after slowly growing, integrating, blossoming and peaking in the 12th century, collapses pretty quickly not long after the Summa Theologica -- which my author treats like the Medieval Civilization operator's manual -- comes out.

For some reason that slow-growth-sudden-collapse shape got me thinking about my other bathroom companion, the Edward Abbey reader. There was a section in there about dunes in the desert; their characteristic shapes (gradual convex rise on the windward slope, steeper concave drop on the lee, or slip face, side) and how they come to be that way. There's a hill outside of work here, old worn-down Appalachian mountain rather than a dune, but it's the exact same shape and I wonder if forces with similar structure were involved. Now that I think about it, those predator-prey relations follow the same shape...

Apres Le Deluge, Singlespeed Sunday

Easton: 3rd Street Submerged
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

More photos, this time from the flooding in late spring. I was pretty much just back on the bike (PICC line came out days before); I rode downtown on the Turner and joined the thousands gawking at the water, ran into my neighbor and riding buddy Mike B doing the same thing.

Meantime, today turned out nice after all the rain we've had, so I did the same thing again, only different: I took the Surly out for the day this time. I wanted to do a "triple play" -- that is, hit all three coffee shops in town, but my first stop, Coffee Works, was closed for repainting. Doh! OK, "double play." I hit The Quadrant, then went over to Genesis Bikes, then into P'burg to pay a visit to Cycle Funattic, back across the river (high, but luckily no flooding) and down the bike path to the ruins of the old bridge. (Interesting new historical markers about the bridge there.) Went back downtown and finally up College Hill, got an espresso at the Cosmic Cup and headed home. Maybe 10-15 miles total, just toodling along really, but I was out for about five hours. I brought the camera and took some photos, but not many. You'll see them soon enough.

More Pictures!

Dad Opens Birthday Presents
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I dumped another 28 shots into Flickr, check them out by clicking on the one to the right...

This bunch is from the weekend of my Dad's birthday, when I went down to Englishtown for his b'day celebration, then did what was probably my final "tourist walk" in Easton before the PICC line came out. River scenes, Blues Festival, yadda yadda.

The next bunch will be from the recent flooding downtown, and then some shots of Kevin & family's visit and party.

Rainy day, was out late last night and went to the gym this morning, did some errands, played with the computer, think I'll take a nap. I can hear the train whistle blowing, think it's the recreational/tourist train ride one in P'burg: sounds lonely, making me sleepy...

New Photos!

The Pez That Refreshes, Baby!
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I've been pretty remiss lately in getting my photos onto Flickr, but I just uploaded 38 shots from late May and early June, including the 12 O'Muchy race, some PPRAC fundraising, and yes a trip downtown to visit the Museum of Pez. (I still have about 80 shots from June/July/August, including more touristy Easton hikes, and shots from my brother's visit, so stay tuned, because maybe sometime in the next few days...)

Heading out after this, going down to WB for the evening.

Hausfrau Agonistes

Morning weigh-in: 183#, 10% BF
Blood Pressure: 129/84, 54 BPM

Listening: Gang of Four's Return the Gift, which is a re-recorded set (done maybe last year) of their hits from the eighties. Been mostly digging "Natural's Not In It" and "What We Want's Not What We Get."

Also Listening: I went out last night after a satisfying "benchmark ride" (no digital input or recording equipment, but my time was about 1:28), had dinner at Which Brew, then I went over to Porters for some of the Open Mic Night. Saw a great, but unfortunately anonymous duo: not the best singing going on, but the guitarist was unbelievable. Sure which I caught their name.

Baseball, You Bet!

Morning weigh-in: 182.5, 11.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 126/81, 56 BPM

Reading: Don DeLillo's Underworld. I'm re-reading it, or rather, making a second attempt at finishing it. I can't believe I put it down the first time, it's totally awesome -- but I'm at the begining, maybe it'll bog down and I'll get bored somewhere in the middle this time too.

It Ain't Allamuchy If It Don't Rain

Morning weigh-in: 183#, 10.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 133/75, 51 BPM

Well, I'm back, and only a lttle bit the worse for wear... Good weekend though, and a good race. I did rather well (considering what I wanted to get out of it) with four laps: I felt that I could have easily done more if the plan was to be competitive, but I only rode when it seemed like it would be fun. Thus, no laps in the rain, and I also avoided night laps because there were rumors of rain coming -- and it did come, but very late & then all day Sunday. I did all my riding before dark on Saturday. But the experiment was a success, I felt like I could ride and compete again, and was actually jonesing for more at the end, almost regretting my vows of caution and non-competitiveness. The funny thing was, I felt very strong on the Friday pre-ride and the first few laps; riding (fast) seemed almost effortless until that final lap. A lot like the other day on my benchmark ride, sure hope this a breakthrough and not just peaking...

One good fall at the start of my third lap, where I apparently hit an invisible rock and went sprawling. Knocked my knees up & wrenched the left one a bit, got a nice handlebar-shaped bruise on my upper inner thigh, and was walking like an old man for the rest of the weekend -- the ankle got swollen after a while too, and the other ankle was also bothering me, but I think that was from walking on uneven terranin in sandals all weekend -- but I managed another 20 post-crash miles just the same.

Long Day's Journey Into The Long Weekend

Morning weigh-in: 180#, 12.5#
Blood Pressure: 129/79, 65 BPM

I guess it was a bit of a triumph for my willpower, since I didn't order dinner while I was there -- and I was hungry -- but I went to Which Brew last night to get my weekly fix. (Tonight I have to pack and get ready for the weekend, and by tomorrow I'll be camping.) Timing is everything: there's a great band playing this weekend, and also a "Voodoo Luau Party." Doh!

Anyway, had a good conversation with Darrin, drifting from topic to topic (pork tenderloin recipes, Chinese buffets, Johnny Depp and Baron Samedi), also found out why it was so quiet in there: they'd had a bit of a blowout the night before for Alison the waitress, who will no longer be working Tuesdays. Once again, timing is everything.

Also had a good, if somewhat disturbing, conversation with another friend: it seems a friend-turned-flame-turned-abusive-relationship is trying to get back into her life, and through rumor and innuendo has successfully poisoned her current relationship. (Meanwhile, she feels like the focus of all her town's vicious gossip.) There's not much I could do except be sympathetic, but I at least said my peace about staying clear of that dude -- the classic "red flags" are there for eventual violence. My problems (right now) seem trivial compared; I'd like to be able to help, or at least give good advice, but I felt totally out of my depth. Nod sympathetically, hope for the best...

Tonight I don't know what I'll have for dinner, but I will be prepping the bikes and then the camping gear, then going food shopping (which was supposed to happen last night but didn't), then packing -- it'll be a long night.

UPDATE 8/28: I removed identifying info about the "troubling conversation" friend.

Benchmark, Va-Va-Voom

Did my "short northern benchmark" ride after work, (611 to Mud Run to 191 to Bushkill) -- and did it in 1:27, or nine minutes faster than the last time, which also was my personal best this year. Not bad! Guess I'm ready for Allamuchy.

SS BSD: Also, today I figured out how to use the programs I compile & link over at the Super Dimensional Fortress -- actually, I discovered my mistake and fixed it, which made for a short and sweet (but very dorky) voyage of discovery...

And yes, the pork tenderloin is all gone.

What Mythical Man-Month?

Morning weigh-in: 181.5#, 11.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 129/77, 51 BPM

I'll try not to rant, but as a result of some people trying to rush things and putting the cart before the horse, I was stuck here until 9:00 last night trying to get something done. What makes it worse is that yesterday was beautiful, and I was planning to leave "early" -- ie on time -- to take advantage of it. My friend Joe, who does similar work as me only freelance, emailed me to say "don't miss this opportunity," which is probably what jinxed me...

Meantime, it was pork tenderloin day three of four. That and another salad, sauerkraut, and the last of the corn on the cob. After dinner I totally crashed: played with the 'puter, checked email etc & went to bed. It felt like I just got home but it was already midnight. (Tonight will be the last night of pork.)

Tonight I'm going out riding, screw anyone who tries to say different. I told myself when I was down that I'd never again miss a riding opportunity, and I'd be an asshole about it if I had to -- I guess the time has come to stop welching on that.

By the way and speaking of Joe, I ran into the other Joe G (vegan Joe), while riding at Sals last Friday. He was riding Rob R's 1x1 (Rob was on his 29"er) because his own bike was in Canada. Apparently he's been spending a lot of time up there, Montreal area or whatever, after helping a friend relocate. Hmmmm... I wonder who's watching the strawberries?

Everything Dies, Baby

Morning weigh-in: 181.5#, 12.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 138/80, 50 BPM

Yoga last night (once again, felt amazingly good afterward), then I got home and had more pork tenderloin (w/ salad & more corn on the cob). I felt kind of agitated around bedtime, up instead of sleepy, so I took the singlespeed out & cruised around Easton for an hour or two. No lights, no helmet, no gears or suspension -- just tee shirt & gym shorts, sandals and a "simple" bicycle. First time I took that bike out since February. I was a little nervous about climbing back uphill from downtown, but I felt surprisingly strong, and my climbing cadence felt vigorous, dancelike, I was almost aggressive dancing up those hills.

Reading: Still dipping into the Edward Abbey reader occasionally, but I picked up a book on yoga last night before class, and spent some time looking it over after I got home. I've been having trouble coming up to speed on a few things (mainly nomenclature, but also multiple-posture sequences), thought I'd supplement class with a little home study. The book itself, several hundred rather forbidding pages of small-type print and lotsa black & white photos, covers everything I've ever seen or heard of within the first 50 pages, which also include the forward, preface, introduction...

Linux Voyager, New Boat: I got a friend (Mary M's husband Paul, who runs a computer repair/consulting company, and who occasionally helps me with my own computer needs) to burn me a copy of the latest Ubuntu distribution, as well as the latest Fedora Core distro. I'll be checking these out, then picking & installing one of them -- after Allamuchy!

Sals 101: Speaking of Mary, check out this flyer that Doug made me -- I'll be leading a Genesis group ride at Salisbury on Labor Day.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention the reason for today's post's title -- I broke my wooden spoon last night, my longest-lived and most useful kitchen implement. Dang! Now I'll have to go carve a new one out of a bigger spoon.

Zombie Dancer

Monday morning fly-by: weight about 182, bp still slightly high... Sals/towpath on Friday, followed by too much Which Brew & Porters, Saturday gym/errands, then more Which Brew but not as much as last night, Sunday rode the Allamuchy race course, helped with pre-race prep.

Yep, racing Allamuchy next weekend, solo; my team name is "Gimpy's Revenge." Time to get back to the weird world of the crazy-tired solo racers, walking and standing around in the woods like zombies...

Still busy at work. No OT tonight though, hitting the yoga class instead, then starting my camping gear & clothes preparations for the weekend.

Last night's dinner was awesome, by the way: I had to cook some pork tenderloins before they went bad, so I had that with some corn on the cob a friend grew & gave me, plus some sauerkraut. Will probably be having the same tonight, ditto tomorrow etc until it's all gone.

Strekefuss

So where have I been... uh, nowhere! Or rather, right here, but with nothing to say.

I've been riding a lot offroad: did a few towpath/Sals day-into-night extravaganzas, also hit Musikfest once or twice (including once by bike, a "beer lap" on one of my big rides). Yoga, gym, no Which Brew because they're on vacation, still managed to gain weight though my friends say it's probably muscle...

My ankle is doing really well; last visit to the surgeon was Wednesday and he basically said "You're done here, have a nice life." OK, I will! Most of my flexibility is back too, except for my toes of all things, which I notice at yoga. Must stetch my feet.

Yesterday was a kick-ass ride at Jim Thorpe, dinner was potatoes & chickpeas in a lemon-tahini curry sauce over barley. Tonight is Mug Club night at Which Brew.

Heavy Tortellini

Morning weigh-in: 181.5#, 13.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 134/75, 45 BPM

Wow that's a low resting heartrate, I can almost hear my blood hammering through my veins, Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Little disappointed about that weight though. I had a bag o'salad, and meat tortellinis for dinner, guess the tortellinis were heavier than I realized.

Anyway, hit yoga last night, a really good (ie easy) class, I felt much better than last Tuesday when I thought I was going to die. No problems with the ear/vertigo, but I'd been taking Astelin for a few days to see if I could clear things up -- maybe that's what's causing the higher BP?

Tonight will be the gym, followed by more salad (gotta get rid of it before it rots) & maybe those pork tenderloins.

Meantime: today is the final showdown, Joementum vs Nedrenaline.

Where Ya Been, People Been Askin About Ya

Morning weigh-in: 180.5#, 12% BF
Blood Pressure: 144/83, 59 BPM

Whoa, that's a a major spike...

The weekend:

Friday was the "Wiener Derby," Janna & Eric's ride/picnic from the Velodrome. The ride, basically following the "Derby Ride" course, started at 6:00 sharp, and I just made it. I rode with one of the slower groups, then hooked up with Eric R and we cruised at a bit quicker pace for the last 10 miles or so. Hot dogs & summer salads in the Velodrome lot afterwards, almost like we were tailgating since there were races going on. My friends Heath & Hans were inside watching the Madison Cup race, so I went in and said hi, then they came outside & hung out afterward.

Heath told me that he and Margarita, married this time last year, are now separated. Things got a little awkward after that...

Saturday had a lot of running around: started by picking up drycleaning, then got a carwash -- Wilson Band fundraiser, swore I'd never let them touch my car again, but hey it's for a good cause, and this time they did a great job -- then the gym, Sears for some hardware, organic food shopping, and a visit to Doug & Lori. At home: got the new dryer going, washed & dried (woo hoo!) a few loads of laundry while I worked on the bike, and then went out to Which Brew for dinner. They were trying to get ready for vacation -- they're closed this week -- and giving away desserts etc. I got a huge chunk of chocolate cake -- schweet! Very rich though, and I was stuffed full of the dinner I ate and the beer they were pushing (cask of Autumn Fest had to be finished that night), and the cannoli that had already been foisted upon me... I got some help from the bartenders and my friend Kirk, who I think saved the last of it for his girlfriend.

A good night, saw Mike and Carol & their friend (whose name escapes me), and had good conversations with Kirk and and Arnie (it was his birthday) and also with Lee, who don't know well but he had some very interesting things to say. Even so, I left kind of early, I felt like a beach ball with arms & legs sticking out.

Sunday started with a ride at Sals. Me, Brian, Pete H, Eric R, Scott S, and a guy named Ron, who we saw wandering around in the baseball field; he couldn't find the good trails so we hooked him up. The only person missing was my friend Tom H, who was the reason for the ride, I was going to show him around. He actually called around 11:30 (ride started at 10:00), to see what was up. Oh well, not riding today... The ride itself was very good, and though I wasn't the fastest there I felt pretty strong. Lots of other people in the woods, saw three other groups of riders, including some Wildlands Conservancy guys planning an adventure race.

Home, nap, shower and back to Bethlehem for a little bit of Musikfest. I met Joe & Cindy there, had some pork tacos and a pulled-pork sandwich (one animal species, two vendors) for dinner, had a few Brew Works beers and caught a zydeco band, as well as a set of the Red Elvises. Saw Andrew (from Porters) there with a few friends, but I was out of there pretty early: stopped for more food shopping on the way home, and was still home before dark. Ice cream and a little more Edward Abbey on the porch, and I was in bed by 10:00. Woke up exhausted.

Reading: Besides the Edward Abbey reader, I've been checking out The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman, which Doug loaned me. So far it's sort of like a Carlos Castenada Lite.

Listening: Doug also loaned me a CD he'd been pushing for a while, a band called Wolfmother. I've been listening to it in the car ever since. Kind of super-derivative metalloid rock, but there are a few songs that I really like.

Wow, What A Dinner

Morning weigh-in: 183#, 10.5% BF
Blood Pressure: 134/75, 61 BPM

Looks like it was dinner that spanked me last night, gained four pounds in a day... nachos and a slice of cake, accompanied by two beers and two drinks. Hung out with Kirk, talked with a few others, but it was pretty loud there, at least until the place started filling up. Anyway, a good night, maybe not worth the price I paid but good nonetheless.