Weekend Update: Stupid Singing Swans

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 10% BF

 

"I said, 'Kiss me you're beautiful -- these are truly the last days.'
You grabbed my hand and we fell into it, like a daydream, or a fever..."

-- Godspeed You Black Emperor

 

Another great weekend. I keep thinking "this is it, the swan song for the summer/partytime/whatever, better make the most of it." So, I do make the most of it, and the very next weekend it's yet one more last chance, this is it, better make the most of it...

 

Friday: Towpath ride, followed by dinner at Which Brew. It was a mite cold out, and just a little breezy so I broke out my new jacket as well as the winter-weight gloves and tights. Verdict? The ride felt great: the ground was frozen so things felt fast, and though I wasn't actually going very fast I was pumping enough calories that the cold breeze felt refreshing. It was really a pleasant ride, totally a boost to the old mental health, and I think it set the tone for the whole weekend.

 

The band that was playing at Which Brew is called Wrong, and is part of that younger Bethlehem crowd -- WB bartender Andrea's boyfriend Steve plays drums, and Johnny (ex-bartender Tara's boyfriend, and the drummer for the Insidious Rays)  was playing sax Friday. I've seen them before and knew they rocked out, but Friday's show really grabbed me for some reason. I was totally enjoying myself, and you could tell they were having fun with it too. It must have been kind of a generation gap thing though, since Gary and Perry, both about 10 years older than me -- well, they both hated it.

 

Despite all that, it was an early night.

 

Saturday was early morning yoga, then errands, then breakfast at the coffee shop, then the gym with Dawn. Home, chores, laundry, bike prep, and I was out the door for the First Annual Allentown Brew Fest. I think this is basically the same brew fest that used to be in Easton, which was great at the State Theater two years ago but horrible & crowded last year in that tent along the river. Allentown Brew Works has enough room that they dedicated medium-sized banquet halls on two floors to the event. It was agreeably crowded, plenty of buzz and activity but also a little elbow room if you needed it. I went with Joe G and Sue, and we had dinner afterward at O'Malley's -- Sue was the manager there in a previous life, and still maintained some connections.

 

Bedtime after that: I was a bit tired, and that show at Zoellner was not going to happen even if Eric had the date correct...

 

Sunday: I'd say I consider this day seized, maybe even throttled. Leisurely wakeup, a little surfing before I rode downtown for breakfast, then I rode the towpath to Sals. I ran into Pete H and we bopped around on the trails for a few hours, running into Doug & Lori hiking (their weekend was not going as well as mine, I guess they just had to get out of the house for a bit), then heading back.

 

Home, shower, haircut, then out to Porters for dinner as the laundry dried -- I'm working on another mug over there, and I wanted to catch at least part of some game, but the TV was off, and in the end I was happier that way. As per usual though, the nuts rolled my way -- one nut anyway, but that was enough. It was that wingnut guy, Colonel (yes that's really his name). I kept it friendly, kept up the verbal judo until he started talking politics... luckily, the girls from across the street were there, and I made my escape by going over to say hi, then I took off.

 

Yoga tonight, active rest. By the way, the photos from last weekend are posted, check them out.

 

Celebrity Bear Stories

Morning weigh-in: 168.5#, 6.5% BF (uh oh)

 

I sent this news article to my friend Dawn to pass on to her sister Heather, who is a bear control officer in New Jersey. Heather sent me back an email: yup, she was involved, and was one of the ones investigating this. She was a little irate at the "lookit the cute bears" tone of the article, thinks that kind of attitude will eventually get someone hurt -- and she's right.

 

Anyway, the VMB meeting at Allentown Brew Works was pretty nice last night. To cap it off, I bought a pair of skis off one of my friends, picked them up after the meeting. Rudy and I went back inside after that, had a beer with Matt who showed up after he got out of class. Like I said, the place is pretty nice -- not as nice as good old Which Brew, and definitely too far away for regular visits, but hey, they are smoke-free... I'll be back there with Joe and Sue tomorrow for the Brew Fest.

 

Tonight is Wrong at Which Brew, after a towpath ride. Early night, since I have a lot to do tomorrow, starting with 8:00 AM yoga and finishing with an 8:00 PM show at Zoellner.

Logo-Pepto Bismal

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, I forget the percentage

 

Passing through, not much to say. My logorrhea seems to be drying up...

 

Tonight is VMB meeting at Allentown Brew Works, where I may end up buying skis from a fellow member. (I'd still have to get boots though, and they'll probably need to be custom. Must investigate.)

The Name Of The New Rose: How Can I Resist?

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 9.5% BF

 

Worked late, then hit the gym: full workout except that I skipped the final ab stuff (it was getting late). Dinner was a plate of black beans and a bag o'salad. Tonight is yoga. Not sure what dinner will be, but probably a turkey sub of some kind -- I'm here late again, the money is too good. I'll be buying new skis/boots for this winter, ditto new XC skis.

 

One More For The Wishlist: I saw this the other day, Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail, and thought "this must be a joke, right?" Nope, it's actually a non-fiction buddy/travel/mystery story about a dude whose neighbor, once the drummer for The Damned and now all into that DaVinci Code stuff, drags him along on his quest. Looks very good, in that British, A Walk In The Woods kind of way.

Just An Experiment

Trying something, uploading a photo from an email post. This is a shot of me on Saturday's ride, taken by my friend "Allamuchy Joe." If this doesn't work out I'll fix the post tonight.

UPDATE: It worked (sort of, except for formating) at first, but then crapped out later -- stupid yahoo images! This ought to do it.

Waving Scallions Gradually Laughing Into Seahorses

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 11.5% BF (Stupid cheeseburger...)

 

Yoga last night, different kind of class, since we did a lot things with chairs as props. The teacher also announced that she was pregnant, which I'd sort of suspected for a while, but I sure wasn't going to ask -- as the old joke goes, what if you're wrong?

 

After that was Mug Club Night at Which Brew, hanging with Brian. He's been kind of scarce lately, and a bit pissy when he was around, but last night I was able to remember how good a friend he is -- he lent a sympathetic ear as I did a little venting.

 

Cloudy night, no stargazing, after WB I went home. Brian said he's been watching this event thru the telescope all week, and it's been pretty cool, though not nearly as cool as back when Hale-Bopp came by.

 

Tonight will be the gym, after another late night here. By the way, we now have coyotes here, or rather "coyotes," as they're actually super-realistic statues, meant to keep geese out of the pond.

Remember, Remember

Morning weigh-in: 166#, 10.5% BF (not great, but not bad for weekend damage control)

 

Happy Guy Fawkes Day! -- though they say the Gunpowder Plot imploded on Nov 5 in the Julian Calendar, so the actual anniversary would be a little later. Go blow something up anyway, or build a bonfire, or whatever it is you do...

 

Working late tonight, then "active rest" with a beginner yoga class, followed by the Mug Club dinner. Finally, I'll just kick back and  astronomize. 

 

Meantime, this is pretty funny. Mmm, I reckon... (Even better !)

We Like Birdland

Great weekend, but now I'm afraid to get on teh scale...

Friday night was Karen singing with Philly Funk Authority. A different context and a totally different view of her: you know someone for years and you suddenly see a side of them you never even suspected. By the way, she was great -- she mostly did backup, but was the main singer for a few songs. The place (Stanhope House) was cool too, I'd definitely go back there.

I crashed that night at Joe and Dawn's, and in the morning we hit Allamuchy for Joe's "40th Birthday ride." There were probably 17 people on the ride, including Bob & Karen on a tandem, and Doug & Lori on one as well. Good riding, but short for the amount of time we were out -- not everyone there was a rocket, but we had fun. Birthday party afterward back at their place, but I only stayed for a bit, had to do the Brew Ha Ha.

That party was another blast. Kathleen and Lisa (some of my sisters in the PPRAC brotherhood) live in the Poconos, and have this party every year but I could never go before now. Everyone had to bring a different beer, something in one of four categories; there were about six beers (or ciders) in each category on average, for about 24 beers total. Even just taking small "sampler" sips, everyone was pretty loopy by the end. Plenty of great peeps I didn't know but there was also Joe & Cindy, Greg & Judy, and Eric & Kris. Plenty of appetizers and other food, great fun, prizes (I didn't win anything) and most of us stayed over.

I left this morning after watching "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Got home, did what I called a "hangover ride" even though I actually felt fine, towpath/sals at a nice easy pace.

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: Actually, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the death of Wilhelm Reich, pioneering psychoanalyst and inventor of the Orgone Box. One of my favorite songs is a semi-spoken-word thing by Patti Smith called "Birdland," which is based on a memoir of Reich written by his son, who was a teenager at the time of his father's death -- in it he slowly comes to grips with all the crazy things his father told him as he drifted into eccentricity, which naturally the young boy believed absolutely. Anyway, the book is now on my wish list...

Hey Hey Sparky Everyman

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 4.5% BF (dehydration?)

 

"The best part of the emergence of blogs is when you can match up John Updike with Roy Edroso and they play to a tie. Both brilliant." -- Tbogg

 

I guess I wasn't the only one to notice, Alicublog does rock... I checked out that John Updike thing by the way, a review of the new Charles Schulz biography. That was brilliant, and now I might have to get that book.

 

The Money Pit: Anyway, wrenching last night, put on the new handlebar and also new tires. The WeirWolfs just don't look as aggressive as my (apparently now defunct) all-time favorites, the MotoRaptors, but some friends swear by them. We'll see tonight on the shakedown cruise, and tomorrow at Allamuchy, and so on, and so on. (Actually, I think they sent me the wrong ones -- the downhill rather than race version.) Well, if I don't like it I'll just get another one... Meantime, I think I'm going to need a new front derailleur real soon.

 

Oedipus With a Twist: Hit Which Brew for dinner last night while the laundry dried, hanging for a bit with the bartender and her (relatively new) boyfriend, who has a young, say toddler age, son; I'm guessing he has partial custody from the general drift of the conversation. At one point she said something along the lines of "he hates me." Well, I would run with with "just feels threatened," but that still must be a tough situation.

 

Tonight is Philly Funk Authority, tomorrow is the Allamuchy birthday ride, and tomorrow night is the Brew Ha Ha -- and I cannot find the beer I want to bring.

Ima Think Out Loud Here

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 10% BF

 

Yoga last night, felt kind of inept, not quite the "be here now" that I would have liked. Oh well, always start with where you are and move forward... Dinner afterward was pasta & tuna with wilted greens. Haven't made that in a while. Tasty, I made it super-extra-garlicky, and I have enough left over for dinner Friday, which may or may not be a good thing:

 

My friend Karen (better half of "Bob & Karen") is a singer, mostly studio work and wedding bands. I've heard some session tapes, and one time on vacation she banged out some tunes on an old honky-tonk piano (at the only saloon in Downieville, California: locals were tipping her with gold nuggets), but in the fourteen years I've known her I have never seen her perform for real. That will change Saturday, because she's singing with the Philadelphia Funk Authority at the Stanhope House, and a bunch of us are going to check it out. I'll be crashing at Joe & Dawn's new place, which is nearby and also right up the road from Tranquility Farm, because we're doing a 40th birthday ride out of Tranquility for Joe on Saturday morning. (My bike parts arrived yesterday, and I'm blowing off the gym to slap them on tonight.)

 

I can usually get away with a bit of garlic on the breath -- with a little help from gum, or hoppy beer, or whatever -- at Which Brew, since garlic is pretty popular there, and I'm normally not the only offender by a long shot. Friday night's crew will be a bit on the conservative side though, not quite white-bread-and-mayo, but close enough that my food choices will make it harder to blend in.

 

Saturday night I'm going to Kathleen & Lisa's "Brew-Ha-Ha" beer tasting. I'll be bringing the Weyerbacher Winter Ale if I can get it, otherwise it'll be Autumn Fest. Probably stop at WB tonight, grab dinner and pick up a six pack of whichever one they have. My routine is gone: I am back into the rocks, water will flow disturbed for a few days or a few weeks more.

Errata Stigmata, Yadda Yadda

Morning weigh-in: 166#, 7.5% BF

 

Car: Finally it was finished, and I picked it up around 1:00; I was at work by 2:00. Worked late to make up for some of it.

 

Bodywork: Hit the gym on the way home, did my long workout. Cruised through it, like a hot knife through butter, even added some stuff.

 

Loose Ends: Took care of laundry, and stopped in at Which Brew for dinner. I was under the impression that I might have left without paying on Saturday, thought I'd better take care of that ASAP. Felt some trepidation, didn't know what kind of reception I'd get, but everything was cool, probably would have been cool regardless but in fact I had paid -- good! I can still walk in there with my head held high... I think I'll be cutting back on the nightlife anyway though, since it doesn't fit in with my other plans, and I've had my party.

 

Pass The Popcorn, part 2547: We-heh-hell, another one bites the dust... I saw something once that compared "the closet" with "the patriarchy," the same self-loathing, denial, the same enforcement of its norms even by its victims. Granted, the only gay people I know -- that I know are gay -- are of necessity out of the closet, but they seem like nice, grounded, ordinary people, maybe even a little boring at times. (Also granted, I know them as people, not as some bizarre Other.) These guys however -- the current Republican Freakshow crowd --  seem driven and tormented by personal demons, too bad we all have to suffer along with them.

 

Roy On The Arts: Yet another great post. It's funny, speaking of "new cartoon paradigms," I first heard about Achewood from Alicublog.

 

Parting Shot: One from the Doghouse.

 

Tonight is yoga, though that means I'll be missing Trick Or Treat. Oh well.

Downtime

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 11% BF

At home right now, just got back from my 2nd trip to the garage (they're just around the block from me). I thought I'd be able to pick my car up first thing this morning, but nothing seems to be happening...

Got A Car I Got, Car Trouble

Morning weigh-in: 169#, 9.5% BF (whoops! good weekend I guess)

Rode the Giant in to work today; the car is in the shop. I'm guessing that the battery got run down a little bit, since apparently I didn't shut the door totally when I got home Saturday night -- the door is a bit tricky since the car got hit last year. I saw the door somewhat ajar on Sunday morning, and then the car wouldn't start, so I figured that the interior light must have been on and drained the battery. I walked downtown for breakfast -- my original plan, except for the "walk" part -- and on the way I stopped in at the garage, asked the guy to give me a jump, and then decided I wanted an oil change, also new belts and hoses, and my wish list kind of snowballed from there. They picked up the car in the afternoon, and I figure I'll be car-free for a few days.

Bike Trouble: The commuting actually fits in with my current agenda, I can call this the start of "Phase 1." It was supposed to start Friday night but...

There's a saying, "I've forgotten more about [area of expertise] than you'll ever know;" it seems that I'm in that boat right now with cycling. It was raining Friday but hey no problem, I've got the gear so I went to do the towpath. It was coming down pretty hard, and my glasses were wet and all fogged up... anyway, the towpath is wide, and flat, and easy to stay on even with limited visibility, but every so often they have anti-vehicle poles to keep cars off, and I rode right into one, at speed. Didn't flinch, never even saw it until -- WHAM!

I was rattled but stayed upright, and I thought I was none the worse for wear until I noticed that I'd broken my handlebar. I finished out a very abbreviated ride after that, but was still suffering from visibility issues the whole rest of the way. I used to have a whole set of infrastructure for dealing with this, anti-fog products etc, but don't have any right now, and went out unprepared and not even thinking about the issue. I guess there will be many moments like that in the next few weeks, where I realize once again why I used to roll this way and not that.

After that was dinner at Which Brew, then over to Porters where I discovered that the nuts still all roll towards me -- I swear, they must smell that I'm an easy victim or something. Some woman buttonholed me at the bar, and over the music (Post Junction, or why I wanted to be there in the first place) I learned that:

1. Her dog can kill me!

2. Her husband is hooked on crack, that's why they live in Easton now.

3. None of my friends would rescue me.

I left right after that, didn't feel like waiting around for the UFO-abduction stories to start...

Saturday was the gym, then the Which Brew Halloween Party, which was lovely -- I think it was their best party ever. By the way, you can see my pictures here . Sunday was the car, and breakfast, and then I just worked on the bikes, and played with the computer (uploading pictures, buying bike parts) until bedtime. And now it's Monday!

UPDATE: Edited for clarity.

Another Late Night

No morning weigh-in: overslept, forgot, dammit don't get complacent...

 

Good upper-body workout last night at the gym. Didn't do legs, and hit the core and upper body with non-standard exercises; weights were high but not ridiculous. I felt good. (Before the gym I did some Halloween shopping, looking in vain for some necessary accessories for my costume -- I'm not getting a good feeling about this.)

 

After that I hit Which Brew for dinner, where I got into a few really good conversations. I was talking bikes with Gary early on, and then it turns out that the girl sitting next to him knows Lars Tribus -- small world, though he does live somewhere in NJ, like near Holland Twp or something.

 

Later in the evening some of us let our geek flags fly: talking with two guys (Ed's roommate Mike, and a buddy of his wearing a GNU teeshirt), turns out they do network stuff for Lafayette College, working on some major project, and they are big into Open Source. Some dude on the other side of the room joined in, and poor Ed got stuck in the middle...

 

The girls were cool, letting us hang out & BS for a while after last call while they cleaned up. Since last call there is 11:00, it was once again a late-but-not-too-late evening, at least not until I got home. Some thought struck me, and I wanted to look up something or other... computer, internet, Google, Wikipedia, saw a whole bunch of other shiny things to go ADD over and completely forgot what I was originally looking for. Ended up at like 1:45 AM reading the Anabasis online.

 

 

 

 

Cowquaculture! I Want A Cowquarium!

Morning weigh-in: 164.5#, 11% BF

 

Good news, bad news? I'm liking those weights, but the body fat percentages? ...eh, not so much. I suspect that my body fat was reading a "false low" of around 11%-12% when I was heavier, because my scale reads body fat based on electrical impedance through the legs, where there was very little fat. That number shouldn't change as the fat disappears from areas, like my gut, that don't have any impact on the measurement -- at least, that's what I hope is happening. The (somewhat disquieting) alternative explanation is that I'm losing muscle as well as fat, while the percentage remains the same; I find that hard to believe though, since my strength is actually up.

 

W101, NFA (Phase Zero) Mission Accomplished: Either way, I have reached my "number" goal -- I'm below 165 pounds. (My real-world goal is to get rid of all the chub, and the mirror tells me that I have a little more work to do.) I guess it's time to talk about why I decided to lose the weight...

 

Next year I'll be doing the Wilderness 101 again, and I'm involved with a challenge with my friend Greg M (among others), that he calls "No Fucking Around." You can treat the W101 as a lark for extremely tough people, or as a survival contest for the weekend warriors, but what he wants is for us to take it seriously as a race, and do whatever you have to, to get the best time there that you can. For me that means some serious training, but before that I have to prepare myself to even begin that real training. Hence the weight loss -- this is a good time of year for it too, since the dieting is not very bike-friendly, but cycling should not be a big priority at this point in the training year anyway. Next up will be the introduction of cardio and base work into the mix, of low intensity but gradually increasing volume, a phase that will probably last for several months.

 

My actual goal is to break 10 hours in the race. I absolutely know I can do this, but I also know it won't happen by not caring.

 

Teh Funny: This Sadly, No! post got this comment, which brought about this comment in reply, which made me spit coffee on my computer screen.

 

Anyway, kick-ass yoga class last night, followed by the second half of a turkey sub that I bought for lunch. Tonight is the gym, followed by laundry and dinner at Which Brew.

Blast From The Past

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 10.5% BF

 

Listening to college radio on the way in this morning, the DJ played some early Blues Traveler in honor of their 20th anniversary or something; the song he played featured the guy who would eventually become the lead sing for the Spin Doctors. He dedicated the song to "everyone who used to hang out at The Wetlands." I was never a real fan of either band -- actually, I hated the Spin Doctors -- but I did see them once or twice at The Wetlands. At least, I think I did. Those were the days...

 

Ho Hum, What Else: Went to the gym last night, really good workout -- my legs are stronger right now (at the beginning of leg weightlifting season) than they've ever been. Dinner was black beans.

 

Got a flu shot today. Tonight is yoga, then I'm making tuna & wilted greens.

Watch The World Die

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 9.5% BF

 

It was strange on Sunday how warm and pleasant it was. We were joking about global warming as we rode, but it was obvious that the insects were all discombobulated, and then we started talking about colony collapse disorder... It really wasn't that unusually warm, but it did seem like we were in the middle of a swan song, one last kiss before the end. It's probably just winter approaching, but I could think of  worse ways to live out the end of the world than watching it from the woods.

 

Speaking of woods and the world's end, here are some dispatches from the current apocalypse. Good luck, Tbogg.

 

Last night was "active rest:" beginner yoga; it was a nice class with a pretty big turnout. I hit Porters afterward, for dinner and Monday Night Football. Not exactly the most exciting I ever saw, but I stuck around until the end anyway. Saw Eamon and Kateryna (best guesses on spelling) towards the end; they bought me a drink, so I bought them drinks, and then I absconded -- they're bartenders, night owls, I couldn't let things get too late on a school night...

 

Went home right after the game, late but reasonable -- then I blew it by posting my R.B. Winter photos on flickr, playing with computer until 1:30 or so. Enjoy the photos, morning wake-up was easy but I'm hurting now.

 

Tonight is the gym, then probably an early bedtime.

 

 

Swim Out Past The Breakers

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 11% BF

 

 

Damn fine weekend. Beautiful weather, sort of "Indian Summer's Indian Summer," as a certain author might say...

 

Friday I took a rest day, worked on the bikes instead of riding them, then went and did that Haunted Historic Tour of downtown Easton. It was pretty neat, and I got a few photos (already posted, you know what to do). I ran into a bunch of friends, including D&L, Spanky, and E-Rock, as well as Heath & Hans, all peeps you don't see over there much these days. Lotsa good conversation, then I drifted over to Porters to catch Brujos playing. Got and posted some pics over there too.

 

One thing I found out on that tour is that Easton Library was built on a graveyard. They relocated most of the graves to other cemeteries, but the bodies they couldn't identify they re-interred in an unmarked mass grave -- supposedly it's visible as a depression in the street behind the library. Since I'd parked downtown, on the (very late) walk back to my car I decided to try and find the grave... I have photos of that too, but they're just blurry, underexposed shots of asphalt so I didn't post them. Luckily I didn't get arrested, or jumped.

 

I had the best intentions to go to the early morning yoga class on Saturday, but did not actually wake up until a half hour after the class started. Oh well, coffee shop for breakfast, then I went to the gym. Chores, errands -- later in the afternoon I got in a ride at Sals with Larry, a friend from Porters. Nice ride, kind of mellow but I don't think it was what I led him to expect when I sold him on the ride. Dinner was Which Brew with a Japanese bossa nova band, and more BS'ing with whoever happened to sit next to me.

 

Sunday was Teh Awesome. I met Doug, Eric, Rich and Bob in Tannersville for breakfast, then we made the trek out to RB Winter. Beautiful weather, bright blue sky and an unseasonable 70 degrees, it was a perfect day for a ride, especially since the foliage up there was just about peaking. The ride itself was the usual "Cowbell Hollow / Top Mountain Trail" epic, maybe 29 miles total on a mix of jeep roads and super-rocky, technical singletrack. I think some people were hurting by the end, but I felt great, and really we all rode well. Long day: I got home about 13 hours after I left the house in the morning.

 

Tonight is "active rest" with the beginner yoga class, then I might post pics from the ride.

Skyfishing

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Check out these photos and video of atmospheric waves. Cast your fishing line like a kite up into the sky, sit and stare at the slow wave...

 

Hit the gym last night, light, upper body only, and nonstandard exercises to boot -- a change is as good as a rest, or so they say. After that was laundry, and dinner at Which Brew. Quiet night there, almost empty except for maybe a few bartenders' boyfriends. Cool culturati, had some interesting conversations on music (bands I didn't know) and comics as the girls closed up. They all went over to Porters after that, but that change in the gym wasn't quite rest enough and I needed my sleep.

 

Still Screaming After All These Years: Still reading Gravity's Rainbow. It still kicks ass, even after umpteen re-reads. I also happened to look at the cover of Ghostwritten the other day, and couldn't help but notice the similarity to the cover of Against the Day, that doubling of the writing.

 

Tonight is the towpath, then maybe I'll check out the scarecrow festival.

Winding Down My Administration

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 10.5% BF

 

Good meeting last night, probably one of the last with me as Prez -- elections next meeting, I've done two my terms, and now it's someone else's turn in the barrel...

 

Got there a little early, even after dealing with Rt 31 traffic, stopping in at Bike King and picking up a new helmet (paid $20 for low-end, slightly unstylish, 2007-year clearance model; it's slightly less fancy, but the level of head protection is exactly the same as for a new, $150 helmet -- I win!), and also picking up some ice cream sandwiches on the way. So I arrived at Chez Bob & Karen at the same time as Bob, and got to hang with B&K and their dogs for about an hour until the others showed up.

 

Dinner was baked ziti -- I was starving, and it was good -- with salad, Italian bread and honey butter, and some desserts which I skipped but I did have two ice cream sandwiches... meeting afterward, which, like I said, was pretty good. B&K, Doug, Eric, Eric, Greg, Joe & Cindy, Rich & Linda, Brian, Joe and Dawn, and even Bryan K who showed up on his motorcycle. Lotsa gossip and good conversation before, amongst after the club biz. I would have liked to stick around, but the dogs were bothering me, so I left almost immediately after we finished.

 

Tonight is the gym, then laundry while I check out the Frost Hollow Rounders at Which Brew. I'll be getting back onto the bike probably this weekend.

This Old Factory

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 9.5% BF

 

We-he-hell, looks like it's SadlyNo!'s turn to whack a fish in the barrel out of the ballpark...

 

The cold has abated, and I may have been more stuffy than I realized, for longer than I realized, since my sense of smell now suddenly seems pretty acute -- I noticed it on the drive home last night. Of course, that's not such a great thing when your drive home is on a NJ interstate: all sorts of chemical smells, from Ortho-agribiz pesticides and fertilizers (corporate suburbia lawncare, I suppose) to diesel fumes and burning clutches, to ozone -- WTF? Also smelled good old excrement from the more traditionally fertilized farmlands...

 

Drycleaning last night, then I hit the gym. A good solid workout, and I felt much better than I did on Saturday. I was pretty tired, so after the gym came bedtime. Tonight is the Chain Gang meeting, and I may spin around town on the singlespeed for a bit afterward. 

 

 

Sketches From A Life

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Looks like Doghouse Riley hit another one out of the ballpark... though granted, the more apt simile there would be "like shooting fish in a barrel." Strangely enough, I read  George Kennan's memoirs, gave it to my dad as a Christmas gift once.

 

Speaking of Dad: Hey Dad, how about them Giants, eh?

 

Speaking of Giants: Caught the game, or at least the first thee quarters at Porters last night after yoga -- I'd finished dinner by the end of the third, and I sort of knew which way things were trending and lost interest...

 

Tonight is the gym.

Echinacea Daze Are Here Again

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Yesterday was pretty much a rest day, then later in the afternoon I took a walk at Dunnfield Creek. It was a little too late to go all the way to Sunfish Pond, so I just walked up the hill for an hour, then at the one-hour mark I turned around and came back down. I took some photos of the creek, some of which I may post in the next few days if they came out OK. Tonight is yoga, then I'll have dinner at Porters & catch the game.

 

Sicko: Sometimes in the dead of winter you might miss the warmer weather, conveniently forgetting about the bugs and humidity until summer is a reality again.... part of what's going on with me healthwise may be similar: my body does not like being too skinny, and my disease resistance drops with my weight. I remember being strong and fit, and really fast on the bike when I was 150 pounds, but I forgot about the twice-monthly sinus infections.

 

There is another possibility though, and I think Dawn nailed this one on Saturday. We haven't worked together since I went big with the legs, and on Saturday she's watching me lift, and cough, and blow my nose, and she started asking questions about how many times I do this exact workout per week. Bottom line is, she thinks I'm overdoing it, and told me that if I'm hitting the gym three times a week, then for one of those days I should skip the legs and go light, with alternate exercises, for the upper body. In other words, I was overtraining -- two symptoms of which are rapid weight loss and frequent colds.

 

Kind of a chicken-and-egg thing: back in the day my low weight may not have been the cause of my low resistance, but the low weight and low resistance may both have been caused by the hardcore training I was into. Well whatever, I'm doing now what I did  back then -- echinacea.

 

Femme Fatality: On this date in 1917, Mata Hari was executed by firing squad.

 

 

Hey Hey Paula

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 12% BF

Ran into someone last night I hadn't seen in a while: Paula, who used to date Joe. (She's also my doctor's granddaughter.) Saw her in Which Brew at the bar, yelled out "Hey Paula!" and watched her look around trying to figure out who called her name; she saw me looking but didn't recognize me until I put my hand over the bottom of my face, covering my beard...

"Oh my God, it's Don Kelly!"

She came over and said hi, we got to talking. Married now for a year and a half, she and her husband just relocated back to the Lehigh Valley from Philly. She asked about Joe; I said I'd been camping with him recently (the BASH) but we really no longer hang out. She agreed he could be difficult, talked about the end of their relationship and how he was two-timing her. Even now, I didn't have the heart to tell her she was "the other woman" the whole time... Always liked her, even though I thought she was way too young for Joe (also too good for him), glad to hear she's happy and doing well, though she looked a little strained.

Colonized: One thing I told Paula was that I might be visiting her grandfather soon; I have a pretty bad headcold right now, bordering on sinus infection. I was supposed to be riding the Covered Bridges Ride with a bunch of friends today, but decided to play it smart and get some rest. I just got up, and the ride is probably half over... I'll probably get some breakfast downtown, then go for a short hike maybe at Wind Gap or the Water Gap, catch at least some of the foliage -- it's a beautiful day out.

It Could Be Worse: I was thinking about Steve Gilliard this morning, and decided to see how his legacy was doing, and there I found this heartrending post. That artwork is what caught my eye, but it really took me once I read the story. I'll be keeping that one in mind come Thanksgiving.

Legion Of Decency, Death By Misadventure: Holy Roller preacher, Falwell protege found dead in his home, no foul play was suspected. The Smoking Gun has an excerpt from the autopsy report (don't click unless you're an adult). Another one bites the dust, I guess... My theory? They're all pervs.

Whappo

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 13% BF

 

Not much to say. Gym last night, and I really hit it hard; I was exhausted when I got home. Surprised and gratified with how the weights are increasing, especially the legs. Dinner was a plate of black beans.

 

Tonight I'm riding the towpath, probably on the singlespeed. I'd like to hit Which Brew for dinner, and I also wanted to see the Skulldiggers (at WB) and then maybe Post Junction at Pearly Baker's, but as of now I'm planning to meet Doug & Lori, and Eric & Kris, somewhere in Bethlehem for E-Rock's birthday. Hmmmm, Funhouse? I don't want the evening to be a late one though, since I want to do that early morning yoga class. Hooting with the owls vs soaring with the eagles, we'll see how it all works out.

Leaving The Rapids Behind

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 10.5% BF

 

Yoga, laundry & Which Brew last night; tonight is the gym, then bike maintenance. Life is flowing pretty smoothly once again, last of the recent interruptions to my perfect schedule are behind me -- for now.

This Very Wednesday, I Will Fly Towards Grace

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 11% BF

 

Well it looks like I managed to slow down the weight loss all right, careful what you wish for... Worked late last night, then hit the gym, did a full leg workout for the first time since the winter. I felt good, and strong, and the weights were almost my maximum from last off-season so I'm coming in at the top of my game.

 

Saw Violetta there, taking yoga or bellydancing or maybe that hip-hop jazzercise they have. She was in  a hurry but seemed healthy & in good spirits, good for her.

 

Dinner was a turkey sub from Steve's, then I blew off everything else and played with the computer, just like surfing, nothing too demanding. Tonight is yoga, then maybe some more laundry and some Which Brew.

 

Reading: Yeah, it's time for the tome... picked up Gravity's Rainbow again, probably haven't re-read it in more than a year -- but I still have it memorized.

 

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now.

It is too late. The evacuation proceeds, but it's all theatre..."

 

[whole bunch of other stuff here]

 

"Follow the bouncing ball:

 

There is a Hand to turn the time,

Though thy Glass today be run,

'Till the Light that hath brought the Towers low,

Find the last poor Pret'rite one...

'Till the Riders sleep by ev'ry road,

All through our crippl'd Zone,

With a face on ev'ry mountainside,

And a Soul in ev'ry stone...

 

Now everybody --"

 

A Souvenir I Left Behind

Hidden somewhere in the attic of my parents' old house (and I mean well-hidden), there is a jar like this, with an octopus pickled in formaldehyde. Maybe someday the new owners will find it.

(Image cribbed from LolCthulhu, which, like all things Lovecraftian, gets old pretty quickly but I like it.)

A Retrospective

Rooting through the archives... this is what I wrote on this date last year (God I still remember that dream), this is what wrote in 2005, and this is what I wrote in 2004.

Rest in Peace, Grandma.

UPDATE: Oops! Better buy myself a calendar, I got the wrong date...

Jesus Ate My Homework

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 10.5% BF

 

Worked late yesterday, then went to yoga. Stopped off at home, collected laundry and took off for the laundromat... Actually, there was a bit of wasted time in there as well, since I did a little surfing when I got home. My plan was to drop off the wet clothes and then eat dinner at Porter's as it dried; unfortunately I was on "Which Brew time," and since the Porter's kitchen closes earlier than Which Brew's, I now found myself under the gun.

 

Thus it was fated that, walking to the car, I was accosted by a couple walking their dog: "Don? Is that you?"

 

Why yet it was me, and they were my old next-door neighbors, Joe and What's-Her-Name, who moved out about a year ago. I thought they were planning to relocate to Emmaus but they only live a block or so away. I did the polite thing and we chatted, and the next thing you know I was trapped in a Christer commercial, praise Jesus this and praise Jesus that -- when they started talking about forgiveness I said "you'll have to forgive me too, but I gotta go," and absconded. Dropped off the laundry and just about made it to Porter's in time for dinner, praise be. (These peole were not religious when they lived next door, or at least, not in your face religious like that. I wonder what happened since they moved? Whatever, I think I'll avoid them if I can.)

 

Anyway, nice ribeye sandwich for dinner, and then Kirk came in and we had a pretty solid conversation, mostly about green homes technology. (He's the one who emailed me that error-filled flyer, and we got a laugh out of his misadventures, trying to follow their advertised "Green Homes Tour" on Saturday.) He's actually pretty into that kind of thing, architecture & restoration & whatnot, and is now helping Rob with his repointing biz. Yesterday was his first day, and it sounds like it was some heavy labor.

 

Tonight is another late night at work, then the gym, then back to the house project: probably organizing my camping gear -- yikes! I may want to do a fall camping trip when the leaves do change.

Fresh Out Of Stupid

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11% BF

 

Not much to say here today after last night's logorrhea... Weight loss continues apace, maybe a little too fast. Tonight is "active rest" with a beginner yoga class, then I'll let laundry night come early; I'll probably catch at least part of the game at Porters, down a steak sandwich.

Bellyride

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 10.5% BF

That blood donation sure came back to bite me in the ass... I kind of figured there'd be a performance hit, and the girl said not to exert myself for the rest of the day yesterday. I asked her how long until I'd be back at 100% and she said "oh, six to eight weeks" -- yikes! She then said (and mind you, this is Saturday afternoon) not to drink any alcohol for 24 to 48 hours -- God DAMMIT woman gimme my blood back NOW! Oh well. I questioned her very closely as to why alcohol was bad (dehydration), then after the fest I went home and chugged water all afternoon. Went out to Which Brew, had a burger and one cask-conditioned pumpkin ale (plus two more glasses of water), then checked out the Lafayette Bar, for one last beer/water combo.

I'd never been to the Lafayette. This would be the bar in the Lafayette Hotel, which used to be a transient hotel/flophouse, and maybe still is -- though I remember it being closed down a few years ago, after a mentally ill tenant started a fire. Anyway, the bar has always been open, but I never went since I figured it would be filled with off-duty prostitutes and semi-homeless people or whatever, sort of like the Mt Vernon before they renovated it. Over the past year or two though, the place has become a jazz club of sorts. I ran into a friend at the garlic fest who really pushed it (she was garlic-festing with the girl who would be singing), and I decided to check it out...

It's pretty nice, a big place and well set up for jazz-combo stuff; the beer selection could be better but it was cheap enough. The Dan DeChellis Trio was playing, and that guest singer was awesome, but they went on break almost immediately after I got there, and were still on break when I finished my beer and left. It's not where I'd prefer to hang out, but I will probably go back. (Saw Art, and Dee Dee, and one or two others I recognized.)

Early bedtime. No dehydration issues, as far as I could tell.

Got up this morning and did a towpath/Sals ride, found out that there was a serious performance hit involved. I didn't feel tired or winded, just lethargic, especially on hills. I started downhill, went to the usual coffee shop (closed) so I went to Rumpelstiltskin's, a new coffee shop I wanted to check out (ditto closed), and so I had breakfast at the Quadrant. (Saw Sarah & her kids there, and also Pete a little later.) I ate a huge breakfast, then headed down the towpath.

When I got to Sals I found out about the lethargy thing (the feeling reminded me of having my heartrate maxxed out, and still needing more -- sorry Don it ain't gonna happen), so I did an abbreviated loop and headed to Ilick's Mills, to check out some Green Home Technology expo supposedly happening there. Nothing. I think the flyer I'd been emailed was pretty confused on what the event actually was, but I also had the wrong date... Anyway, if you can't go green go blue, so I hit Blue Sky Cafe (former home of Green Cafe) for some fruit & oatmeal and an iced coffee. (Saw ex-WB waitress Tara and her boyfriend John there, both working.)

The ride home, like the ride out, was done with a very full belly. Back home and it's been downtime ever since, doing laundry and playing on the computer. I just posted a bunch of weekend photos to flickr too, so go check them out. Garlic Fest, bike ride -- I've been trying to learn how to photograph while riding.

"We Exist And Thrive At The Mercy Of Others"

Morning weigh-in: 168.5#, 8% BF

Well I'm back, got home last night. Interesting (and fruitful) trip, work part of it went very well. Some other highlights:

1. Flying there, reading Ghostwritten (again!), and occasionally looking out the window to see amazing sights, like the afternoon shadows of Chicago's lakefront skyline spreading across the lake.

2. Climbing around inside the boiler, like a giant set of monkey bars, in pitch darkness.

3. Getting a glass of wine spilled on me at dinner. (Got a free dinner out of it, but big deal -- I was eating on the corporation's dime anyway.)

4. Not one, but two fire alarms that night at the hotel.

5. My luggage taking a different route to Allentown, arriving before me, and being put in storage where they took forever to find it again -- and I still made Last Call at Which Brew.

Date With A Vampire Girl: Went down to the garlic festival today, after breakfast at the coffee shop and a trip to the gym. There was actually a girl dressed as a vampire there, but there was also a bloodmobile -- donor registration was inside the coffee shop. Purely on impulse, I decided to give blood. A few minutes of pleasant conversation with the nice ladies while my blood drained away... Pretty easy, quick & painless, and now I know that my blood pressure (I have long since stopped taking those pills) is 110/70. After that I went out to eat garlic -- protection you know, I'm already a pint low.

The fest was nice, but as always, it seemed a little on the small side.

(By the way, the title of this post is a quote from a VASS brochure I saw at last week's race, basically about how they help people, and we help them.)

Parting shot: A strange and interesting blog.

And Speaking Of Photos...

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 10.5% BF

 

Some "official" photos of me from Sunday's race can be found here, and here, and here.

 

Hit the gym last night, first strength workout of the post-season. It actually felt easier than some of the endurance ones. That'll change... I'm leaving for Litchfield IL in a few hours, getting back Friday night; I'll probably do some hotel-room yoga/calisthenics while I'm there, but that's the extent of it until I get back in the game.

 

Catch y'all on the flip side.

My Other Most Popular Photo

Exxon Demolition
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

As rated by "interestingness" -- a patent-pending algorithm that counts numbers of comments, notes, and times people chose the photo as a favorite, as well as number of views -- this is my most popular photo.

Friggin Finally!

My Shiny New Toy
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

This is my most popular photo on Flickr, based on number of times viewed. I've been waiting for it to be my first photo to reach 500 views, but it's been parked at 499 for about a week -- and then three more people looked at it today. Woo hoo!

I'll probably be getting the x-rays and posting them soon as well.

And Back Again

Morning weigh-in: 172#, 5% BF

 

Got back yesterday afternoon, laundry, nap, uploaded trip photos (check 'em out now), Which Brew Mug Club dinner, now back at work. For some reason I'm pretty down in the dumps, like a bringdown from the weekend's fun.

 

And it was fun, a great weekend. Course and weather were both the best I'd ever seen there, and I did well in the race (actual rolling time was 6:27, official time counting rests was 6:51). Some of my friends did really well, like atomically fast, beating me by more than an hour. (A season-long rivalry finally came down to this weekend. Joe and Greg were training all summer for this, and when the time came they went all out.) Our place was awesome, by the way, and the non-race part of the weekend was also really pleasant.

 

Now here I am, listening to Snot Boy sniff, snort and cough, over and over, basically picking his nose from the inside. I think I'm going to snap...

 

Biz trip later in the week, southern Illinois.

Outta Here (Remix)

Early morning, just waiting for my ride -- Eric called from Bethlehem buying some Mocha Mike's, so he's maybe 15 minutes away. Living room is mostly clean, new vacuum was bought & used, and I may sucker E-Rock into helping me move that dresser before we leave. Got up early, bought Easton Bakery donuts, use them as a bribe...

In a few minutes it's travel time, then a weekend of Fall foliage racing.

By the way, that woman trapped in her crashed car for a week? She was driving an Element.

Gotta go.

Symbiotic Patriotic Pancreatic Lectrostatic

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 11% BF

 

I love it when a plan comes together: I wanted to be 170 pounds for the VT50, and here I am! My real target was 165 lbs for All-A-Muchy, but that's been canceled so I won't worry about it -- all the baggage I was carrying for All-A-Muchy has been transferred to Vermont anyway, but it's really a different kind of race, apples and oranges. Weight loss may help more in VT though, hillier and less technical. Tough slog, I've been grouchy it seems for weeks. I may carb up tonight and tomorrow for the race, weight gain or no.

 

The Project: Anyway, the bedroom is done, all except the dresser (still in the car) and the computer table, which I will not be straightening. That's a fully functional work area, and it'll be hard enough to keep that room clean, while living in it, as it is. All other surfaces are now cleaned and polished though, and floor is vacuumed but I might have to do that part again -- I think I broke my vacuum. I'm getting a new one on the way home tonight, then the living room is on the agenda, but first I have to prep the bike -- I'm carpooling up to VT with E-Rock, and we're leaving at 8:00 AM tomorrow. There'll be an early stop at Easton Bakery to help the morning drive go more pleasantly.

 

Car Talk: One reason I wanted to carpool up with Eric is because he has a new Honda Element, which I think is one of the ugliest cars around but it's very practical, especially if you like to do stuff -- I'm talking about riding, skiing, car-camping etc. Among my friends this has been the buzz car recently, and there was a whole flock of them at the BASH. Good mileage, 4-wheel drive, lotsa space... a-and since two of the most stylish dudes I know now have one (E-Rock, and Jorge aka "Style Man"), I may be wrong about Teh Ugly. I'll be getting up close and personal with one this weekend, so we'll see.

 

What's Next: My medium-range fitness goals, after the race, are to continue the weight loss down to 165#; transition to "base mode" for a few months -- this may include running, as well as bike commuting; and finally, transition back into strength (as opposed to endurance) workouts at the gym. We'll see. All I'm sayin' is...

Sitrep

Morning weigh-in: 171#, 11% BF

Reading: David Mitchell's Ghostwritten, again. I though I lost it, or lent it to someone, or something; basically it was in the "never to be seen again" category, until I found it while cleaning the kitchen table the other day.

Listening: Gregorian Chants, at least in the car. Don't ask.

Computing: Not much, unless you count idle surfing. I'm thinking of a finger exercise for the winter though, more of that predator-prey modeling.

Went to yoga last night, then hit Which Brew while the laundry dried. Good talk w/ Kirk, also a couple of others. Talking about dogs we have known, made me wish I could have a dog. Tonight is back to cleaning.

Able Archer

Morning weigh-in: 169#, 12% BF

 

Happy Anniversary! On this date in 1983, the world almost ended.

 

Getting There: Bathroom, hallway are now clean, and I started with the bedroom last night. I cleaned up a bunch of junk, threw out a lot of unwearable clothes, and also moved the dresser & bed. It's amazing how much better the space is utilized now, better flow & feng shui; I now also have room to put that other dresser in there, and maybe install that mirror. Tonight is laundry, yoga and garbage, and Friday will be race prep day, but any spare time for the rest of this week will go towards straightening/cleaning the bedroom and living room. I tackle the storage room and laundry room next week.

 

Listening: Total impulse buy -- only nearby ATM was in a record store -- but when I was in the city I picked up Graham Parson's Grievous Angel, as well as Clear Impetuous Morning by Jason & The Scorchers. I guess I got an alt-country bug up my ass from a Wilco CD a friend burned for me, which I didn't really care for, and wanted to see how it was once done for alt-real. CIM rocks, GA not so much -- it's funny how William Gibson uses titles from distinctly non-badass songs for badass futuristic slang in his novels. I guess I can't complain, it cuts both ways: Straylight Run is now the name of some kind of emo band...

A Productive Evening

The Start Of The Party
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Morning weigh-in: 170.5#, 10.5% BF

Got home, finished the Carmine's leftovers, then did laundry and dishes while I cleaned the kitchen. I mean cleaned it, like tore it down to bare metal and scrubbed it, it actually looks weird in there. Threw out a ton of clutter, found a bunch of thing I thought were lost..

I also put my McSorley's trip photos on flickr, check them out here.

A Day In The City

Morning weigh-in: 173#, 12% BF

 

Had a most awesome time yesterday: 30 good friends on a bus ride to NYC, bagels & mimosas & Irish coffee on the way in, an afternoon at McSorley's Old Ale House (plus a trip to the Blind Tiger with a splinter group), then dinner at Carmine's. It was all good, but dinner was especially amazing since I'd never been there, and it was as impressive as people said: incredible food in gigantic family-size portions. there were eight of us at my table, and we ordered two entrees and couldn't finish them. Changing taste: I normally do not like seafood such as, say, calamari, but I was scarfing that stuff down last night like there was no tomorrow. And don't even get me started on the lox cream cheese...

 

Tough Call: I went with a few friends (Fred & Lara, Don G, and Jim & Allison) to the Blind Tiger, and just as we exited McSorley's my phone rang. It was my friend Joe S, calling with some very bad news. His girlfriend Dawn has a nephew Eddie (her godson, and they're very close), three years old and in the hospital awaiting a heart transplant, and he had just passed away. He'd been very ill recently -- even a cold is life-threatening for someone like that -- so they put him in an induced coma about a week ago, and now he's just gone. Joe had no other info, and since I wasn't in any condition to deal with something that serious, I told him I'd call today.

 

I gave him a lunchtime call just a minute ago, on his cell -- I didn't want to talk to Dawn about this, get her any more upset than she probably already was -- and it was Dawn that answered. And needless to say, she is pretty upset. I ended up walking around the building here, talking on the phone and crying. Man that was rough.

Red Red Wine

Morning weigh-in (Friday): 169#, 10% BF
Morning weigh-in (Saturday): 168#, 9% BF
Morning weigh-in (Sunday): 170.5#, 11% BF

Yeah, she has a boyfriend... saw her Thursday night at Porter's, sorta-semi went there to see if I'd run into her, you know, by chance: "Fancy meeting you here! Blah blah can you be my girlfriend, Mollie?*" Jesus. Anyway she was there, but before I could bust my move I saw she was there with some guy. Oh well. There's a saying, "looks, brains, personality, availability -- pick any two!" She's off the charts with the first three, my mistake to think she was single.

Today is the bus trip to McSorleys, with dinner at Carmines afterward. I was going to ride this morning, but yesterday was a tough yoga class and a tough workout in the gym, and Friday night was a night ride on the towpath and at Sals, and my body is whooped. I'm walking downtown in a few minutes, catching the bus at 11:00.

In other news, I'm cleaning my apartment. Good Lord.

*Not her real name!

Ice Nine

Crush Girl is a dead issue. That is all.

Ficht Nicht Mit Der Raketemensch

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 10% BF

Positively fiery hot lap last night on the towpath: 23 miles in 1:25, for a little better than 16.2 mph average. My personal best, when I lived on Southside and the distance was 25.4 miles (but I was 10 years younger & twenty pounds lighter), was 1:28, which pro-rates to 1:20 for the current route. So, not bad! Best part was, I got the whole ride in before dark. My legs are killing me today though, especially my calves. (Tonight is the gym, and I think I'll be skipping any leg workout.)

One bummer right near the end though: when I tried to make a left into my neighborhood, signalled, and was about to get into the left part of the lane, but a car behind me (black Toyota pickup actually, with a couple of Junior Yahoos in it) refused to let me over -- in fact sped up to cut me off. Almost hit me, I actually flinched. They turned the same way I did, and I chased them but they ran a stop sign at the end of the street and were gone. I don't know what I would have done if I caught them, except maybe get beat up, but I was livid.

Home, shower, then Which Brew for dinner and the Chain Gang meeting. It didn't quite work out that well: long wait for food, orders jumbled... The meeting itself wasn't all that great either, oh well. I wore shorts which are apparently a little too unfashionably short, got comment about it & an eventual grope from Gropey Girl -- I'm less OK with that than you might think, and will wear long pants next time I'm there. Also ran into Crush Girl at the end of the evening, but (sigh) there wasn't much rapport.

All Is Wellness

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 11% BF

 

"Happy the people whose annals are tiresome." - Montesquieu

 

We had the CIGNA Wellness Bike Tour stop in to work today. Stood around the parking lot for like an hour -- the cyclists apparently had gotten lost somewhere -- then listened to the HR director, deputy mayor & a CIGNA VP talk about "wellness." All this while Snotboy stood right next to me, totally invading my space (it wasn't crowded either, and I can say now that he smells), and doing his nervous-habit Snotboy thing: snorting, then coughing as he chokes on what he just snorted, playing with it in his mouth or whatever, shuttlecocking the snot back and forth between his nose and throat, over and over and over again -- gaaaaah! Good thing they didn't check my blood pressure... That's one hour I'd like to have back.

 

My own sinus issues seem to be waning. I took off last night: no ride, went to bed early and it seemed to help. I was thinking of working late again, but I now think I'll slip in a quick ride before the meeting.

 

Happy International Talk Like Pirate Day!

Q: How much for the corn?

A: Arrgh! Buccaneer, matey!

 

Speaking of pirates, I wonder what the Flying Spaghetti Monster is up to?

Jumble a Song Title And Put It Here

Morning weigh-in: 171# , 8.5% BF (my guesstimate is more like 14%, the scale's batteries must be dying)

 

Shout Out: Happy Birthday, Mom! I will call tonight.

 

Win Some, Lose Some Kept up a whirlwind pace last night: drycleaning, haircut, chores, gym, yadda yadda. All got done without a hitch until I went to the laundromat -- put laundry in the dryers, went to to get coins, the @#&$!!&! coin machine's busted and I have maybe three quarters in my pocket. Oh well, pack up wet laundry, go to Porters. I caught the 2nd half of the game, so I got to see myself win the office pool, $100. Sweet! Now I have to buy donuts for tomorrow.

 

Really not much to say. Working late again tonight, followed by a night road ride (or maybe I'll do the towpath), then I'll give the laundry another try. Tomorrow is a rest day, so I want to hit it pretty hard.

 

By the way, Doug and Lori are both sick, sinus infection. I've got a bit of that going on as well; we probably all caught it from Spanky who was sick as a dog at the BASH. Stupid shared bottle of cheap tequila... They (D&L) were going to host the Chain Gang meeting tomorrow night, but that doesn't look like it's happening now -- I'm going to call Which Brew, see if I can get a reservation on short notice. Hopefully people will still show up, I'm supposed to pick up my winter jerseys and some E-Load from my various contacts.

Culture Jamming From Beyond The Grave

Morning weigh-in: 172#, 12% BF

 

So anyway... Came in to work today and I had a new phone, with new phone number. Never had a phone at work, not sure I want one. (I will get the number out to those who need it -- but cell phone is still and always the best choice.)

 

I'll probably be working a little late tonight, skipping yoga -- I always get something out of the beginner class, but right now there are a bunch of true beginners in it and they might need more help than me -- in favor of drycleaning & a haircut, then I'll probably hit the gym. Laundry night, also Monday Night Football so I'll hit Porter's to catch a quarter or so, reload my sports camouflage for office conversations: "How 'bout them Denvers? Yeah that guy sure is a great homestar runner..."

 

They Are Immune To Your Recuperation: I know I was saying how disappointed I was to check out the old punk songs again, only to find some of the luster worn off -- but this is just Situationist comedy gold.

 

Back From The BASH

Doug In The Rain
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

And I had a blast! My photos are posted and can be found here.

By the way, a little perspective from getting away: I realized that the reason I've been so agitated recently is because I have a major crush on someone that I won't mention by name. I've known her, not well but for a long time, and always did think that she was hot and really nice, but all of a sudden, hmmmm... I have a feeling that nothing good will come of this, so stay tuned.

Almost Forgot

An Anniversary: Today is the day we all learned a valuable lesson -- if you find glowing blue metal in an abandoned hospital, don't eat it! Also, Ad Decimum but that's old news.

That Reminds Me: What radiation story would be complete without the Kidd, Of, Speeeeed!

Listening: The Cramps, "Can your Pussy Do The Dog?" (Sorry Mom, but you did once buy me the album.) Now it's Johnny Cash, "Big River." Told you I was moving on.

Outta Here: Hit the gym after work, short (10 mi) fast (20+ mph avg) warmup ride beforehand. That felt good. Now I'm heading downtown (after Neko Case stops singing) for some dinner, and tomorrow I'm off to the BASH, three days of a mini Mountain Bike Weekend. My blues seem to have evaporated...

Ou Sont Les Fafblogs D'antan?

Morning weigh-in: 172#, 10% BF

Saw something at the Washington Monthly asking "What are the funniest blogs you read?" My own top five:

1. Sadly, No!

2. Alicublog

3. Bats Left Throws Right

4. Tbogg

5. The Poor Man Institute

(Funniest political blogs, anyway. YMMV, as always.) These were all well represented in comments over there, along with most of my honorable mentions, but someone mentioned the one I forgot about, good old Fafblog, once the best there was and a blogroll to die for, now gone the way of the Whiskey Bar. Wonder what ever happened to those guys...

Listening: Basically just finished my Sex Pistols retrospective, found that only a few of the songs seemed to hold up to my memories/expectations -- the songs actually seem slower now than they did back then, and way more hokey. Time to move on.

UPDATE: Fafblog? Yes, Fafblog! Oops, forgot to put the link in, but I fixed the shit out of that.

Unsettled

Morning weigh-in: 170.5#, 12% BF (so close I can almost taste it)

 

Been kind of uptight lately, snappish and not very able to assimilate disquieting news -- sorry about the phone conversation last night Mom, though once it's stripped of the editorial tone I'll still stand by what I said -- having trouble sleeping, absolutely no appetite...

 

Don't know what the root problem is, but I know I've been unconsciously trying a few, ah, ad-hoc solutions. Last week I hit WB (ditto Porters) a little more than I should have; this week I've avoided that particular good decision but chose one only a little better: I couldn't sleep last night so I went out riding the singlespeed. My usual sprint workout, back and forth the numbered streets, sprinting up and coasting down (stopping or jumping onto the curb at every street or sign of a car, since I'm invisible sans lights -- that's part of the game), working my way downtown and back a few times. The first hour was a little crazy, then around 11:00 the traffic quieted down and it was just me and my breath and legs. Sprint, coast, sprint, coast... Good workout, especially if I'm physically up for sprinting, but the "can't sleep --> go riding --> burn out" is how I screwed myself up last year. Like I said, it's better than sitting in a bar, but only marginally so.

 

Got to bed around midnight, slept OK. Got up this morning, early, and ran.

 

Now How Much Would You Pay? Anyway, what else I did: stopped in to Bike King, bought some derailleur cables and, purely on impulse, a new rear XTR derailleur. Not the newest one, but one of the older ones I like (though the most recent XTR's look pretty sweet). It was last one he had like that; the product line was discontinued years ago. The cables were also XTR (sheesh, $40 cables?), so  all together I paid about $160 for the both of them. Put them on last night, the Turner shifts like a dream now. That bike could really use some TLC, but then so could the singlespeed, as I discovered last night. Squeak! Squeak!

 

Tonight is yoga.

 

"Give me a dozen such heartbreaks, if that would help me lose a couple of pounds." -- Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
 

Under The Banner Of Heaven

Morning weigh-in: 171.5#, 8% BF (WTF? must be a hydration issue -- but I do like that weight)

 

Playing Footsie: Slept in this morning, played hookey from work to go to the doctor's office. Ankle surgeon, final visit one year later, and I got a clean bill of health -- with the usual ticking-time-bomb disclaimer: "You do realize that the infection may return at any time..." What-eva, I think I'm good and the hardware is permanent as far as I'm concerned.

 

Remembrance: Pat Driscoll, Dean Eberling. Just thought I'd say a few names out loud. And here's some Sadly,No! caught in a reprise of being serious. (As for public ceremonies, well, here's a little rudeness.) Funny, I was dehydrated that day too, snuck out of work early and rode the towpath to clear my head -- it was actually a beautiful day, "nine-eleven weather" as the New Yorkers call it now. Went to give blood, me and half the Lehigh Valley, two AM before it was my turn and the nurse couldn't find my veins.

 

Meantime, today's the anniversary of another faith-based mass murder.

 

In other news, I hear that Into The Wild is being made into a movie.

 

 

The Borderline They Call Hazel

Morning weigh-in: 172.5#, 12% BF

 

One Other Reconnection: Saturday morning I was running around doing errands on a very tight time budget, so needless to say there were all sorts of delays thrown in my path. One delay was OK though: I saw my riding buddy & former neighbor Mike B outside his old house. He looked OK if a bit haggard -- he had the stooped posture & body language I associate with a medical beat-down, and the realization that you're not just mortal but frail -- but told me he was basically out of the woods. In other words, he's cancer free, and had in fact been so since June. Unfortunately, he had two more treatments, to make extra-double-sure it was in remission, and the second treatment wiped out his immune system; he spent most of August in the hospital. But he's back, the last PICC line comes out Friday, and he'll be riding Saturday.

 

We joked about "Lance Armstrong syndrome" and about how Dona, who once told me "you have no idea what fatigue is until you've been through this," came back as a monster rider. Mike laughed and said that hills he's suffered on don't seem so bad now in retrospect.

 

A History, A Pattern: Wikipedia sez that today is the 110th anniversary of the Lattimer Massacre, the killing of a bunch of striking immigrant mine workers by sherriff's deputies near Hazelton. I guess the nuts don't fall too far from the tree up there, but luckily their latest great idea was shot down, pending appeal of course...

 

Tonight is yoga, then Mug Club night, and I'm curiously reluctant to go... Tomorrow (if it doesn't rain) is a road ride, then the VMB meeting. This weekend is the BASH, and I personally could use a weekend in the woods about now, rain or no rain.

Beth Opens Presents

Beth Opens Presents
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Put a bunch of photos up on flickr, mostly of the baby shower but a few recent mellow rides as well. Enjoy!

Steer Toward The Sound Of The Guns

Another high speed weekend, like I'd been shot out of a cannon...

Hit WB & Porters on Friday. Post Junction was playing at Which Brew, and was a little disappointed at not seeing some people I'd hoped would be there, but did see Joe & Cindy with Eric & Janna, which was very pleasant, and also very much of a surprise. They were getting ready to leave about when I got there (early AM road ride for Joe & Eric, while I did a towpath ride after work & arrived late), so we only hung for a few minutes but it was nice.

More Un-Missed Connections: It was hot inside so I went out on the deck, and sat with Stu & Cathy who I hadn't seen in like a month -- I was thinking of sending an "Is Everything OK?" email. Turns out they'd been up in Canada & upstate NY on a road trip, as well as doing one or two other vacationey things. Good to see them, even if they looked pretty much the same.

At the same table were Jeff & Tracy, another couple I hadn't seen in a while (embarrassing fact: they're my neighbors, I can see them any time I make the effort). Tracy dropped a news bomb: "I'm pregnant!" Things is moving along, they even sold their car and got a family-style SUV...

Joe M was also hanging out, but another guy showed up: a friend who shall remain nameless but whose recent conversations have become tedious and disturbing (obsessive, delusional, concerning a girl he likes), which left a bad taste in my mouth right at the end of a pleasant evening. Went across the street -- I know he doesn't like it there, but real reason was because WB closes early & they don't -- got another beer to help wash the taste out. Not really my crowd, but there were a few people I knew. (I could talk more about this night, maybe I will later.)

Doily, And More Doily: The next day I skipped morning yoga, but hit the gym. I saw Janna again as she was leaving (she teaches spinning there). Good workout, yadda yadda, numbers were good even if I didn't feel especially strong -- legs are doing well, I expect I'll be able to start hitting them hard when the season ends -- I am already jonesing for leg workouts. I got some good gift ideas from Dawn S ("go to the mall, get a gift card") for the "co-ed baby shower" I'd be going to later in the day.

Anyway, on the way to the mall I had lunch at a new place in P'burg that a friend recommended, sort of tea-and-sandwiches place. Very nice but very estrogen, which I guess got me ready for what was coming...

That afternoon was Beth & Kevin's "co-ed baby shower." First one I ever went to, and hopefully it'll be the last -- the people were nice, it's just that that party format is really annoying. Luckily it was actually just a barbecue for most of the day, and they didn't do the whole shower thing until the end. I dropped back and punted, got them a gift card, but some people had really nice gifts. (Their daughter Charlee was 2 months premature, so there was a lot of specialized "preemie-sized" clothes.)

The party ended soon after the gifts were done, and I went back to Easton, to a friend's 40th birthday party. Low key, but lots of good food & company. Bed by midnight, maybe 11:00.

Sunday: Trail maintenance at Allamuchy, fixing damage from the race, then I rode towpath/Sals. Saw Dave J from the PPRAC ride at Sals, but we were both leaving by then. My bionic weather foot tells me rain's coming, and from what I saw the trails (at Sals, Allamuchy, and even Jim Thorpe) could sure use it.

Things I Missed: There was a lot of stuff going on this weekend, including the P'burg Criterium & a collegiate MTB race at Lehigh on Saturday, and the Hellertown Hill Climb & a road race (through the Allentown Brew Works, for one lap at least) in Allentown. I caught part of the Hill Climb from the towpath, but it's not the same since the stopped letting people hit each other with beer bottles...

Well, Duh

I had this same experience last year with the ankle and related health issues:

The bill arrives today and (without any itemization) totals up to -- are you ready? -- $116,749.00 (not included the cardiologist fees which are billed separately-- about another $6k).

I kid you not.

In a column lateral to the "amount billed" I then find the "amount allowed" i.e. the amount that Blue Cross is actually willing to pay the hospital. That amount: $4730, or less than 4% of the total charge. But wait, there's a footnote appended to the amount allowed. In fine print at the bottom of the page the annotation says that the provider accepts the amount allowed as payment in full and that I, the insured, owe nothing.

Doug told me he had the same experience, and I remember a conversation with a woman (waitress, uninsured) who was stuck paying full price for major surgery. If only she had a corporation or rich man to own her... Stand in the shadow of your padrone, baby, only the powerful can negotiate with the powerful.

Zoinks!

fake babies two
Originally uploaded by badsibot.

Man that's one freaky picture. Was out exploring flickr, and since none of my friends/contacts have posted any pics lately I went a little further afield...

Apocalypse Then and Now

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 12% BF

Remember how I said that Saturday's yoga class (with Michael Lear) really got me stoked again, and I felt good to be able to hang in the more advanced class? Well, at last night's class I heard that he and his wife are moving to NYC, to be closer to her job. Anyway, good workout last night, then laundry nite.

Some science: Looks like there's a hole in the asteroid belt, new evidence for the "meteor killed the dinosaurs" theory. Meantime, in our own bid for extinction, the ice caps are melting, and wheat prices are rising. I just might live to see the end of the world after all...

Tonight is bike/gym, then probably corn on the cob.

UPDATE: Fixed the link to Michael Lear. Skipped the ride, hit the gym.

Doldrums? Imposing Order?

Morning weigh-in: 173.5#, 10.5% BF (Not bad, not bad...)

 

Took yesterday as a rest day: no biking or gym, though I did do a little yoga at home, that 15-minute routine. Went food shopping, blah blah, ate a cheesesteak at the new "Hot Dog Drive-In" (can't shop hungry) but did not go out for real.

 

I was downloading software, some big files so I couldn't play with much else online -- didn't want to choke the download / hog the bandwidth --  and so I used my spare time to clean up a little, mostly just collecting books from various places around the house and putting them in the new bookcase. Some other light tidying might be in order, maybe I'll straighten up a little more as the week goes on, start getting ready for "spend more time in the house" season.

 

Tonight is yoga, then laundry; probably going out while the laundry dries. Oh how it all falls apart so quickly...

Summer In Deceleration

Morning weigh-in: 122.5#, 10.5% BF (NFLikely)

Well, the Labor Day Weekend has come and gone...

Friday: Did an "easy spin" on the towpath on the singlespeed. My intention was to practice high-cadence riding (hence the SS), but after a while I thought I was going to go insane, crawling along while my legs spun madly away beneath me... Met Brian afterward for a Which Brew dinner. He called while I was on the ride and said he had news that he wanted to deliver in person: due to scheduling conflicts with that "Science of Racing" thing he does, he's going to have to drop out of the VT50. Oh well, shit happens, but he was still pretty disappointed. Pork tostatas, Pyramid Apricot Ale, music by the Family Circus Trio (aka guys from Post Junction).

Saturday started with a yoga workout, followed by chores and breakfast at the coffee shop, and then a gym workout (with legs once again). The leg weights were light, but yoga was pretty intense -- I finally screwed up the courage to take one of Michael's classes, and to tell you the truth I'm pretty stoked on yoga again because of it -- and my body was quite tired by the end of the day. An early evening at my usual local watering hole -- Mexican pizza, more Pyramid, Dave Cahill & friends making the music.

Sunday I did a "local epic:" I had breakfast at the coffee shop, then I rode around Easton until Genesis Bicycles opened (I needed tubes), and finally rode down the towpath to Sals. Since I woke up already tired & sore, with muscles full of prostaglandins, I kept things pretty mellow until I got to Sals, but even there I didn't really try to hammer. On the way home I met a Maryland couple, who were visiting the area specifically to ride the towpath! Pretty amazing, when you think about it. We got to talking, and they told me that there's a new section of the C&O canal (their stomping ground), and you can now go from Georgetown to Pittsburgh offroad. Hmmmm...

Sunday evening was a party at Judy's place (she's the one with the composting toilet). Only a few people there that I knew well, but it was really nice. Dawn S had given me some corn on Saturday that her husband had grown, so I brought that. (She was worried that it would be "starchy," but it tasted great to me.) Plenty of other good stuff there to eat too, of the BBQ & summer salad variety. Turns out it was Judy's birthday, or near enough the actual date for us to sing.

Monday: A killer Jim Thorpe ride. Me, Doug, Brian, Joe C, Rich, James, and maybe a half dozen other people. We did the singletrack through the strip mines, then the core group climbed up to Flagstaff -- we were very disappointed to find the bar closed at the top -- and rode over Mauch Chunk Ridge and down Bob's Option. I was surprised at how well I was riding, especially considering the preceding days' experiences. Afterward, the good old core group treated Rich to dinner at the Hotel Switzerland, since it was his birthday. Guinness, pork tenderloin medallions and a few tall tales -- good times, good times...

Some News: The 24 Hour race was so bad on the trails, that All-A-Muchy has been canceled. Oh well.

Florida Photos!

Kevin And Olivia
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Get 'em while they're hot & fresh, I just put a bunch on my flickr page.