Keep It Coolie, Baby

I'm outta here, logging off and powering down, "see" all y'all in a week or so...

Fourth (but not last) Loose End

Sports at the Wedding
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I just posted my wedding photos from Heath & Margarita's wedding, the good shots anyway. Plenty of loose ends left I'm sure, but at least the photos are up to date...

Loose Ends #3: Mountain Bike Weekend

MBWXX: Me and a Wierd Root
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Photos are now on Flickr. That finishes up my June shots.

Birthday Pics (Loose Ends #2)

Out by the Pool
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

The day after Tom's wedding was a small party at my parents house, combines birthday for my dad & also Father's Day: hanging out by the pool, cake & ice cream...

Loose Ends Tied #1: Tom's Wedding

On the Threshold of Married Life
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I just posted my pics from Tom & Barbara's wedding (way back in June, remember?) on Flickr. I'm clearing the decks for vacation, and I'll be posting more of my stuff today as time allows, but right now I'm off for brunch and a haircut.

Busted, Burned, Breaking Down

No morning weigh-in. Forgot to do it this morning, and forgot yesterday's numbers.

I take the Free Bridge across the Delaware from Phillipsburg to Easton every day. It's the last exit off US22 before the toll, just as US22 is the last exit off I-78 before its toll... Small suspension bridge, with a stoplight at each end as well as several commercial/industrial driveways (gas station, restaurant, truck depot driveway, boat ramp access road) tucked into the approach on the Jersey side; there's also a RR crossing just as you turn onto the bridge. Needless to say, it gets very crowded, especially at rush hour, and especially since they raised the tolls from 50 cents (or two $0.10 tokens) to a dollar. Usually it moves pretty fast though, maybe a 5 minute wait -- it just seems like you sit still forever -- unless a train comes along. Then you're stuck, especially if it's a coal train, they can be huge.

I got skunked twice this week. Wednesday was a coal train right at the peak of rush hour (PPL is probably working overtime, restocking all their plants after the heat wave), then yestersday was a bunch of sodium hydroxide tankers, but that was at 7:00 PM or so.

PPRAC Countdown

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 12.5% BF

Nothing much happened yesterday, just errands/chores left over from the weekend, plus bills, basically clearing the decks for vacation next week. (I also worked on the Turner, of course.) Tonight I'll probably do an easy road ride, then go on a buying spree for the trip -- I don't need much, just some travel-size toiletries, allergy medication, a few snacks (maybe some granola & beef jerky, useful for "a little more than a snack" duty if necessary), and a travel-worthy fan. Bike is ready, clothes, including bike clothes, should be ready, not much left to do...

An Interesting Diversion: I checked out TWENEX.org, which allows you to telnet into a TOPS-20 system. I remember that shyte! Kickin' it old-skool...

Weekend Update #25 (#26? #56397?)

Oops, no morning weigh-in. [steve-martin]I forgot![/steve-martin]

Friday was a really good ride out to Sals, super-hot lap there: was riding well, probably 10 minutes ahead of normal schedule, until I ran into John E who engaged me in about 10 minutes of conversation. Flying home, passed a couple of guys -- nothing overt or hostile, we were just moving at different speeds -- and one of them, the one in the "biker clothes," grabs my wheel. That's all the encouragement I need... I brought it up to about 20 mph and kept it there for a few miles, noticed he was no longer in sight. Heh.

Anyway, went to Which Brew, nice night & I sat outside with Mike & Carole & their friend whose name I can never remember, also Stu & Kathy, and Joe M, Hans and Megan. Good conversation, dinner was beef & veggie stir-fry over saffron rice. Woman came over & sat down, friends w/ Joe & others, she was still agitated from the earlier part of her night, apparently the blind date from Hell...

Saturday was the "brew ride": bunch of guys from the VMB were riding from Allentown to Easton to take a tour of the Weyerbacher brewery; I rode to Sand Island & met them there. The tour was very nice, new guy (or new to me) working there, gave best explanation I'd heard so far of the brewing process and equipment... Theresa was working, got us some samples, coupla guys then bought cases. I had parked my car there early in the morning, to do storage/transport duties, but another dude from Allentown skipped the ride & met us there; his car became the delivery wagon.

Lunch at Which Brew, where we saw a few other tour-takers, then we rode along the towpath some more until it was time to separate. Shower, chores, nap and then I met Doug, Lori & Brian -- you'll never guess where! ...actually, it was Porters, where they'd had dinner, but we did walk over to WB for dessert.

Sunday was trailwork at Salisbury: Doug, Eric, Brian, Rich, Greg H, myself and Dave. We did about 200 yards of bench-cutting and fairly hardcore trail-building (sometimes all you have to do is rake leaves and you have a "trail," but this was heavy pick-and-shovel work). Lunch break, and then Rich and I went back for a little ride. We met Joe G, rode together until Rich's rear hub crapped out, and then it was me and Joe and the pace picked up noticeably... Split up at the Brighton Street trailhead where he rode home and I started back to my car. Problems with shifting but it was still a good ride. I drank -- and by "drank" I mean "chugged uncontrollably" -- a half gallon of Gatorade on the drive home.

The rest of this week will probably be fairly mellow, as I count down to the Perimeter Ride which starts next weekend.