week's winding down already?

Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 175#, 11% BF
Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 175#, 11% BF

Last night was the Chain Gang Time Trial, on an approximately 14.5 mile long, hilly loop from the C's house. Joe & Cindy, Greg, Doug, Eric and myself, and Judy kept the time. I did it in 42.09, for an average of 20.6 mph -- not too shabby, except that I came in 2nd to last...

After that I went to Which Brew. It was Rachel's husband Bill's 50th birthday party -- Rachel was the first bartender at Weyerbacher: pretty girl, super-smart. I met T down there, and I finally wheedled out of her that she was fairly expert at UNIX printing, especially using nroff. I knew there was something I liked about her!

When I got home I signed up for a free account at the Super Dimension Fortress, a public-access UNIX system.

This is probably my last post for a few days, as I'm going to Florida tomorrow morning for my niece's baptism. See you next week!

they call it stormy monday, but tuesday's just as bad

Morning weigh-in: 175#, 11% BF

Rode last night at the 'burg with Brian and Curt. Curt (owner of Curt's Cyclery)was on his Surly singlespeed, similar to the one I plan to buy soon from him; Brian was back on his usual bike after getting his rear hub replaced, and I ... forgot my Camelback. I actually rode pretty good without the extra weight, but I felt naked without it and of course had nothing to drink. Luckily, it was pleasant and cool out, and I grabbed something afterward at the first convenience store I passed on the way home. I'll probably hit the gym tonight, avoid the rainy world outside.

Meantime, books: now that Mason & Dixon is out of the way I can continue in earnest with The Education of Henry Adams, and pick up One Man's Meat where I left off.

Love and Mortality

Just finished Mason & Dixon. Wow. That has probably the most bittersweet ending of any book I know. Gravity's Rainbow is still Pynchon's most brilliant and involved book, but M&D, despite the rollicking, complicated fun along the way, is deeper and sadder and far more beautiful. G'night.

Back From Camping

Morning weigh-in: 177#, 12% BF

Wednesday Night was the Chain Gang meeting. It seems so long ago now...

Thursday: was spent running around, getting ready for camping, then my neighbor's wake (pretty rough: his wife, even though sedated, lost it at one point), then I swung by Theresa's to check out her new car, a Volkswagen diesel station wagon, then "dinner" and drinks at Which Brew -- gotta love vacation!

Friday: I got up to the campsite in Jim Thorpe about noon, met John C and his friends/co-workers Bruce and Mark, set up camp and hit the trails by about 3:00. We rode Psycho Betty's Revenge and Bob's Option, which is only maybe a 6-7 mile loop but fairly technical, then cooled off in the lake. We biked downtown for dinner (and we also grabbed a few beers with Rich B, Greg H and his friend Mike at the Hotel Switzerland) and returned via the Switchback Trail in the dark. I went to bed, but those guys stayed up a little later...

Saturday: We drove to Tamaqua, the new local hotspot, to ride the trails near Bungalow Park. No other Gangsters showed up, but somehow I became "leader" for a pretty big group after Greg H told everyone I knew the trails there... we did the racecourse, then stopped for lunch when we found ourselves back at the park -- and suddenly our picnic tables had at least 40 people hanging out, friends of friends, a "six degrees of we camped with you last year" sort of thing going on. Our plan after lunch was to try and find the big field, a reclaimed stripmine that covered half the mountain, and the trails beyond it on the powerline ridge. Lots of backing and filling, and we finally discovered the powerline but not the trails I wanted; instead, we rode a cool downhill to Tuscarora Lake Park, found a trail around the lake and took a fun road descent back to Tamaqua. A shout-out to the Jersey Action Riders, especially Barb, Mary, Andrea and What's-Her-Name, who kept the ride fun and on course.

We ate in-camp Saturday night, then Mark and Bruce took off for home. John and I paid a nominal visit to the VMB campsite after dinner, but we were both tired and crashed early.

Sunday: John left in the morning, and I packed my stuff up but went for a ride with Rich B, Beth McG, and Joe G (yup); we did the Switchback to Summit Hill, then the Ridge Trail and other singlerack on Pisgah Mtn. When we got back I hopped in the lake, grabbed a burger and hit the road for home.

Dinner was an entire pepperoni pizza, with Gatorade and some Czech beer and Mason & Dixon, followed by an early bedtime.

Happy Bloomsday!

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 172.5#, 12.5% BF
Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 174#, 10% BF

Not just any Bloomsday either... 100 years ago today was the day, in fictional Dubliner Leopold Bloom's life, that James Joyce immortalized in Ulysses. Bloomsday is now a holiday in Dublin, and in this centennial year it's an even bigger celebration than usual. So go out and lift a Guinness for old James & Leopold, or (if you're brave) maybe a Bushmills or a Jameson's -- it'll be easier than reading the book!

Got my plane tix for Florida last night, then had dinner with T since I'll be gone camping this weekend, and tonight is the Chain Gang meeting; tomorrow and Friday I'm on vacation. This weekend is Mountain Bike Weekend in Jim Thorpe, but my original plans to go up Thursday afternoon have been changed: my neighbor Ted died last Friday of injuries he got in a truck accident. The wake is tomorrow evening, so I'll probably get ready for camping in the morning, then go to the viewing, and then head up to JT on Friday morning.

an interesting (and busy) weekend

Morning weigh-in: 174.5#, 12.5% BF

Friday: Towpath ride, then ...what? Chores or something, I already forget, but I ended up at Which Brew (of course) for dinner. Hung out with T, some others.

Saturday: A beautiful day. In the morning was the Aloha Ride, a 50-miler through areas north of Hackettstown/Blairstown, the hilly back roads near Walpack Center (ie in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area). This was just a great ride.

The afternoon was at the 15DollarLime fundraiser for MoveOn.org, then came naptime, then later some pizza and "The Great Escape" at T's.

Sunday: The morning was spent looking at a new park where bikers have permission to build, maintain, and ride on a trail system. A bunch of us did a walkdown of the park, terrain, inventory of existing trails, etc... In the afternoon I went on a ride with Theresa, got her bike in working order and we rode the bike paths from Hugh More Park to the Chain Dam.

UPDATE: Rode Jacobsburg tonight after work, then came home and read these words in Mason & Dixon:

On June 14th, they stand atop the Allegheny Divide.

Sweet! By the way, The Education of Henry Adams is better than I remember it (though I do remember it as only bogging down near the end, and I'm at the beginning right now) -- every page, every paragraph, has its gem.

Friday (Thank God It's)

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 12.5% BF

Not much to say. All quiet on the Linux front (NVIDIA servers were cranky last nite so I didn't download the new driver software), stopped by T's to exchange her bent wheel with a loaner from me, and her bike (a Wal-Mart Mongoose) has 24" wheels -- WTF? Riding the towpath tonight, maybe WB (again) for dinner, maybe not.

It's official: I just mailed my entry for the Wilderness 101. Gulp!

Day of the Locust, a Day of Song

Morning weigh-in: 174.5%, 12.5% BF

The heat must have finally got them going: yesterday and today the cicadas were extremely loud near work.

Rode yesterday on my own, did the Hellertown loop but started late so I skipped the Morvale Road "Hill Climb of Death" -- the ride was hilly enough even without it. Funny though, and I can't say whether I'd attribute it to my new gearing or some newfound climbing strength, but this ride doesn't seem so hellishly tough anymore.

Got home, did more laundry including my Camelback, went to laundromat to dry it and had a late dinner at Which Brew -- busted! Theresa was there: I didn't tell her I was going & she didn't tell me, like that commercial where the couple breaks their date (each claiming sickness or something), and then they accidentally meet at a nightclub... To be perfectly honest, I think the "interpersonal compatibility index" between us isn't all that high.
Oh well.

On the Linux front: still messing with NVIDIA & the new kernel, still unsuccessful.

Linux Voyager: win some, lose some

Morning weigh-in: 174.5#, 7% BF (WTF?)

Went to that Democratic meetup last night, but it was kind of lame, everyone seemed tired.

Came home, did more laundry and recompiled the kernel -- this time I got all the bugs out of my procedure; the installation was actually easy once you know how to do it right. Should have read the HOWTO before starting...

Unfortunately, something went wrong with the next step, video card installation. I thought I totally lost everything for a minute, but reconfigured X to think I had just a generic monitor, and I was back in business, sort of. Now I have sound, but the 3D graphics accelerator has vanished -- no GL, thus no cool games for a while.

Tonight I may run through the process one more time, make a new kernel but modularize it a lot more than I did, then try again with the Nvidia driver install. I'm supposed to do an offroad group ride from Eric's, but it looks like it's becoming a big production ("bring lights," BBQ afterward) and I have things to do, like drying my clothes (otherwise I'll literally have nothing to wear tomorrow), food shopping, and fiddling with the 'puter. I think I'll just do the "benchmark ride" on my own after work.

PS Happy Birthday Dad!!

Transit of Venus

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 11.5% BF

Got up this morning to watch the Transit of Venus, but my "light from pinhole in one paper plate shines onto the other paper plate" method of viewing left a lot to be desired. (I'll get another chance in eight years, so I have time to find a more effective viewing method.) There are some great shots here, though. This is especially interesting to me right now, since I'm in the middle of Mason & Dixon, whose main events are bracketed by the celebrated Transits of 1761 & 1769.

Ride: I rode at the burg last night. Myself, Rich B, Greg P and Kathy S (who was hurting, suffering from allergies/asthma worse even than mine, and in the throes of a medication change). We took it pretty slow, and I skipped out at 7:45. A nice ride, but the place was a little muddy. Actually, a lot muddy. Ran into Rob L and his wife Sarah, both wearing Campbell's Soup jerseys. Rob broke his collarbone racing a few weeks ago, and was riding one-handed -- the animal!

Dinner: was Mug Club Night at Which Brew. I met Brian there, also Theresa. Brian was a little miffed when I told him about T, wouldn't come over to meet her. She also seemed a little distant or preoccupied...

Computer: I think I have it (Nvidia vs my system upgrade) figured out, but I haven't done anything about it yet. I must recompile the kernel once more anyway, I may do that tonight when I get home, before running back out.

Tonight: I'll be going to the Democratic Meetup at Wegmans.

Linux Voyager (part umpteen)

Morning weigh-in: 174#, 11.5% BF

Saturday night I had dinner with T at Which Brew, then went home and studied the situation with the new kernel. My strategy: delete the image I made already, recompile with new configuration (specifically: I neglected to allow for RAM disks last time), use something called mkinitrd, and set up LILO read the image file thus created. (I really think I ought to take a look at this. When all else fails, read the directions.) I got the kernel recompiled, modules done etc, then Sunday morning I installed the new modules and ran mkinitrd, but I was also going for a century ride so I had to put it aside for a while...

The ride: we started from Greg's house around 10:00 AM, and Greg (uncharacteristically) opted for a less structured ride. Myself, Greg, Joe C, Doug, Brian, Bob W and his friend Chris from the Bulldogs. It was a pretty decent ride, lots of fun and at a pretty fast pace even if it ddn't feel that way most of the time. Brian dropped out before we did Blue Mountain, and Doug & I left a little after that (we ended up with 82 miles), while the crew continued, looping around back roads in the Slate Belt to get up to their 100-mile quota. We had a little lunch/dinner afterward at Gregs, burgers etc.

When I got home, I tried my new kernel, but it failed to start the X server (I think I have to deal with Nvidia 3rd-party modules), and I was too tired to do anything about it...

Rainy Day

no morning weigh in, ahhhh...

Rode the towpath yesterday, ran into Joe and Cindy, riding with Talley their dog. I totally did not expect them, but they say they ride there almost weekly now; I guess this is a good substitute for Cindy's "real singletrack" fix until her neck situation is resolved. We met at the Bethlehem Boat Club boat launch, and I turned around & rode with them to the baseball field, then back towards Bethlehem on the singletrack, parts of which I never rode on before last night, though I have jogged the entire thing. We got to Freemansburg before I decided I'd better head home.

During the ride I had a later Mozilla version downloading (v1.7, release candidate whatever); when I got back the connection was broken but the (13 MB) download had already completed, luckily. I then re-connected and started downloading the latest 2.4 kernel (2.4.26, another 30 MB), showered and went over to T's for a bite to eat, a few Sierra Nevada Pale Ales and some Raiders of the Lost Ark on her new TV. I got home around 12:30 and found that the kernel download was fine as well...

When I got up this morning I blew off the gym, instead installing the new Mozilla (it went just fine, though some of my favorite themes are now obsolete), and the new kernel (it went not-so-fine). Make xconfig, make dep, make bzImage, make modules, make modules_install, yadda yadda, put new image in boot directory, upgraded lilo.conf, rebooted and -- got a kernel panic. More fiddling with lilo didn't help, so I may start over from source.

here comes the weekend

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 10.5% BF

Looks like tomorrow will be a washout, which means our plan to ride Blue Marsh on Sunday may have to be modified -- the place gets pretty soggy, and we planned to do two laps, or fifty miles. Greg M suggested a road century instead, hmmmm...

Meantime, there's tonight on the towpath, then probably WB for dinner (unless that 15DollarLime.org thing is happening tonight) -- then maybe over to Porter's Pub to see Duende? I'll have to give T a call, see what she's up to.

Worked late yesterday, then stopped at Merrill Creek on the way home and hiked for about an hour. More people than usual there, I didn't have the place to myself this time but it was still nice.

the Cheese Grate ride

Morning weigh-in: 175#, 10.5% BF

The "Wednesday Night Roadie Geek" ride last night was a little rough: we were caught in thunderstorms (which of course started when we did), taking shelter on the side of the local vo-tech during the worst of it and then riding in the rain for about a half hour. (Not really that bad, actually, once the body started cranking out the watts.) After that the weather cleared up, though the roads were wet. There were several "open grate" metal bridges which were scary slippery -- and on the last and biggest one, Greg M took a spill at speed. Knocked the wind out of himself, got bounced around and scraped up but was able to finish the ride. A little BBQ and beer at Brian's and everything was OK.

Not much time for reading or the computer lately. I get in a page or two each in Henry Adams and Mason & Dixon, at breakfast, just before bed etc. Read half of One Man's Meat at a sitting, will let that sit for a while, at least until after M&D.

wednesday, wednesday (unfinished weekend thoughts)

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 177#, 11% BF
Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 176.5#, 10.5% BF

When I saw my trainer Dawn on Saturday, I gave her the wedding presents I bought: two Camelbacks. She and her fiancee were leaving to get married in Florida the next day, then honeymooning in St. Lucia or somewhere like that -- not the regular hotel/casino/restaurant part of the island, but some eco-resort section, nestled in the mountains that I expect she'll make her new husband climb...

She was also talking about her sister, who is a bear-control officer for New Jersey. They have a more work than ever, and a smaller budget (and staff) to do it with so they're relying on volunteers; Dawn does this occasionally, and has shown me photos of her holding bear cubs etc. I asked her to put in a good word for me, see if I'd be allowed to help one day and she said sure, though it means taking a vacation day to do it. All right!

I got an email on Monday from my Mom, saying my grandmother was not feeling too well. Her eyesight is not too good anymore, and her hearing is getting worse, and she feels cut off from the world, especially her family, who live all over. I thought it would be a good idea to write her a letter, including photos, telling her about my latest vacation. Turned out it's 16 pages, so I haven't sent it yet until I get postage figured out, but it was pretty easy to make so I think I might write a few more, maybe take pictures so I have something to send her.

Anyway, last night I went to Which Brew for Ed's birthday. Ed is reasonably regular at the WB (also a Virtual Pubster), and a good friend of T, who called me to meet her there. I worked late, then hiked at Merrill Creek on the way home to check on my friends the cicadas, and only got the message at maybe 9:00. Things were winding down by the time I arrived, but it was still pretty nice. I was starving, so I had dinner there, sure didn't bother to play "catch up" with the revelers.

Memento Mori

Morning weigh-in: 174#, 10% BF

Memorial Day, 2004. Um... rode a hard ride at Allamuchy yesterday, then had a little BBQ at the Workmans. Saturday was close to the usual "selfish day" except I hit the Quadrant. I went in to get a half pound of coffee, then I got a cup to go, then I ordered food and sat down with my cup, then I saw two books to buy...Picked up the autobiographical The Education of Henry Adams, and One Man's Meat by E.B. White.

Today will be low key if at all possible. Maybe a little food shopping, house cleaning; there are thunderstorms supposedly on the way.

TGI Long Weekend

Morning weigh-in: 177#, 14% BF

Saw T again last nite, feel a lot better for it. I stopped by her house Tuesday & hung out for a while, but felt ...stupid... last night I grabbed dinner at Which Brew, where I met her & we really "clicked" again. It didn't hurt that she was in possession of anti-Bush propaganda that she made & printed (nice job, too) -- she just reads Michael Savage because she thinks he's funny. Phew! Also saw that guy Rathi there, with his wife whose name I always forget, plus some others. Dinner itself was an appetizer of "tuna bites" (very rare pieces of seasoned tuna steak), and a bowl of chili. Their chili has less cumin in it lately, which I miss but the beans are a whole lot better.

Since I worked late (until 7:00) I went home past Merrill Creek Reservoir and stopped in for a quick hike. (I did the same thing on Tuesday.) The cicadas are a little behind schedule there, compared to the woods near work: no song, mostly just nymphs crawling around. The woods are full of them, it sounds like rain as they crawl through the leaves. I guess they can't see too well, and head for any tall tree-like thing to climb and pupate (or whatever). If I got close to some and stood still, they would take me for a tree; I got one or two to climb onto my boots, before looking around and realizing I was the center of a slowly converging circle of creepy crawlies... The deer there are pretty tame too, just placidly watching as you walk by, literally within yards of them.

Tonight I'll be hitting the towpath, then uh, back to WB where Duende will be playing.

Flying Bike Alert

Morning weigh-in: 174.5#, 11.5% BF

Wow! Fast ride last night. The usual Wednesday night crew (Doug, Brian, Joe C, Eric, Greg M, Greg P, Pete H and yours truly), only we rode from Doug's house. He had a seriously hilly route figured out: through Lehigh & up South Mountain, then on roads near my "Hellertown ride" route. Since I forgot my Camelback (I usually wear it, full of tools/food/parts/clothes, plus 100 oz water, even on the road) I was traveling light, and was extremely competitive even with the fastest riders, especially on the uphills. The weather was a little cool, and we were all really pushing, so things moved very fast. I still can't believe how fast we were going, and how good I felt doing it.

Afterwards was a cold-cut supper at Doug's, also good times. Lori told us she did her usual ride with Judy & Donna at the 'burg, and (as usual) saw the VMB crowd -- she said they saw Joe & Dave on the ride...

On the bedstand: I'm rereading Mason & Dixon, and enjoying it even more than usual. I can't believe my friends (those who tried it) didn't like it.

flying pig alert

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 12.5% BF
(looks like I've re-inflated from the long ride)

Finished Uzumaki last night: it was OK but not spectacular, really just a collection of weird (well OK, stupid, for the most part) horror stories set in a remote Japanese village, all of which involve spirals.

Dinner: lemon-poppy baked tofu, sauerkraut, & rice. Kickass!

Hell just froze over, since I seem to be dating someone, or I'm on the verge of a relationship, or... something... She has four cats, a dog, and a copy of Savage Nation though, so I'm not too sanguine about long-term prospects but I like her and (much more important) I think she likes me...

Tonight is a road ride, this time from Doug's but once again it promises to be a suffer-fest.

nothing to see here, move along

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 12.5% BF

A good ride last night at Jacobsburg, nice and easy. Scattered thunderstorms were blowing through the area, so there was hardly anyone there, and of the Chain Gang only Brian, Rich B and myself. We chanced a ride anyway though, and lucked out with perfect weather even if the trails were wet in places (probably from the night before). Later on I grabbed dinner at Porters while laundry dried. Excellent food: blackened tuna w/ pineapple-orange salsa, plus string beans in an orange glaze, & rice. Tonight is a "rest nite," working late.

Just finished Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was really good but dragged right at the end, and am now reading Uzumaki, a "graphic novel" about a small town possessed by the idea of the spiral. So far it's neither good nor bad, just wierd.