2010 So Far So Good

Didn't bother to weigh myself this morning, but I suspect it's gone up: we had a great little dinner party last night. We threw a pork tenderloin into the crock pot with some sauerkraut and apples (and beer), Debbie and a friend came over (with beer), and Donna and a friend of hers also came over (cookies, brie, and more beer), and we just sat around, eating, and talking, and laughing, nothing too crazy but it was a really fun evening.

Reading: I picked up a book about Byzantium in Philly last week, and it's pretty interesting to juxtapose it against David Byrne's book, as he writes about his experiences playing and cycling in Istanbul.

Listening: "Calibration" by either the Mars Volta or maybe a side project or something. Oops! Now it's Deer Tick, "Stung."

Playing: It's really cold out, maybe 25 and windy, but I think I'll be going over to Sals for a bit, I need to get out. I have to get my skis ready, this would be perfect ski weather.

I go back to work on Monday. Sigh.

Welcome To The New Now

Morning weigh-in: 178#, 12.5% BF (so now I know where I stand)

Happy New Year! And good riddance to the Aughts...

Last night was a little bit mellow, more by accident than anything else. We started the festivities by doing the Bethlehem First Night 5k. Me, Anne, Donna, Doug & Lori, and Greg along with his daughter Julie (a high school runner who crushed the rest of us), it was a lot of fun, especially after we woke up to a snowstorm and wondered if it was even going to happen. But it did, and it really was fun, and I had a pretty good finish time -- I ran with Anne, who pushed our usual "morning run" pace, and we ended with 28:32.

After that we hit Southside. We tried to go to The Bookstore but it was closed, then we stopped in at Clothesline Organics to say hi to Kim, and finally ended up at McGrady's where we only had two beers -- except (and we found this out later) they were 10.5% ABV and, on top of our empty stomachs and running/walking in the cold air put each of us out of the game, one way or another, before midnight. Mellowest New Year's Eve in a while, for me at least, but the morning was a lot easier than some.

Today we're heading over to Judy's to say hi, then having a little pork & sauerkraut -- I'm told it's a local tradition.

Back In The Saddle, Again

Just got back from a ride at Sals. The wind had died down from yesterday and the temperature had gone up, and conditions were awesome: the ground was dry (or more likely frozen), and the trails seemed effortlessly fast, which was good because I was still hurting from all that sinus/chest stuff. A few trees were down though, probably from yesterday's wind. I moved a few of the smaller ones, and most of the rest were rideable and already "in play" -- you could see chainring marks where people had gone over -- but one tree took down a huge tangle of vines and sticker bushes with it, forcing me on a hike-a-bike detour. Still, even that was kind of fun, like exploring or something.

Reading: David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries, a gift from Anne. I got a bunch of books from my Mom & Dad too, by the way.

Mapping: I got a map of all the roads (and major trails, and elevation data, and rivers, and...) in North America from my Uncle Pat, on a chip that goes into my Garmin. I think it'll be more useful on road rides, but I was having fun with it today -- the level of detail is much greater than what the GPS unit comes with "out of the box." I also got, from my sister-in-law, a wireless pedal cadence sensor that works with the Garmin, but even though it's already on the bike, it's on the road bike and I think I'll wait until better weather to play with it. Thanks Pat and Tara!

Listening: "The Doldrums," by Ariel Pink. Shuffle, whatever...

Gift Season Wrap-Up

No idea what my weight is, but I have been doing nothing but eating and lying around since I got back from Florida -- hey I'm sick, leave me alone!

Most of my time has been taken up with that GRASS stuff, and I now have a pretty good database of the trails at Sals, as well as aerial photography and topographic maps, and satellite elevation data, from "the government" aka Penn State's repository for all that kind of stuff. Some serious learning curves as I try to make sense of a lot of disparate data -- and also try to dope out the Official Worst Interface Ever -- but I think I have made a fairly good start. (Accuracy can come later as I refine the database.)

A Recap: Christmas Eve Eve was and awesome night at Brew Works. a great time with friends Debbie and Donna, and Debbie's friend Rosemary, and some guys Debbie knew, and a few more peeps at the bar... Needless to say, Christmas Eve morning was a bit rough, but we went out for breakfast at Blue Sky with Doug & Lori, then visited my parents, plus my brother and his family, down in Jackson.

Christmas morning was quiet, as was the day itself. Anne brought her mom down from Jim Thorpe, and she stayed overnight, and we all spent most of the day just hanging out and reading. The next morning we met Donna and her daughter for another Blue Sky breakfast, but I was feeling kind of crappy: sneezing, stuffy nose, and an ominously sore throat... I took it easy for the rest of the day, only going out to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. (Verdict: Pretty Good.)

Today is another mellow/rest day, and tomorrow I may run and also go for a hike at Sals, and Tuesday we' very likely go for a ride at Jacobsburg. Maybe tomorrow I'll talk loot, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas Some More!