The Autumn Of Our Discontent

Morning weigh-in: 181#, 12% BF

Things, and people, seem out-of-sorts lately, and I'm not just saying that because I'm wearing old-man stretch-pants today...

A Play

ASPIRING JUVENILE DELINQUENT: Uh-oh, here comes Old Man Stretchpants!
OLD MAN STRETCHPANTS: Hey, you kids! Get off my lawn!

...local scenes just seem to be coming apart.

Anyway, dropped off the Turner yesterday after work to get new pivots installed. The last time I did it, it was a total pain in the butt, so this time I brought it in to Bike King -- and Ron was halfway done with the job before I even left. I guess that's the difference between a professional and an amateur... I left the bike there instead of waiting though, because I had to race from Clinton to Wind Gap for physical therapy. Get there, typical circus (in the fun sense as well as the crazy chaos sense), then home to check the 'puter before going to Which Brew for dinner. First time there since the Halloween Party, pretty cool but I still got that "end of an era" feeling there as well.

Well, tonight I'll hit the towpath, tomorrow I'll go to the gym & then to the George Hrab record release party/concert (at the Ice House, dinner beforehand at Brew Works), Sunday I'll do some trail maintenance, it'll be just like old times.

UPDATE: Le Bobo smackdown, yo.

Odds & Ends

Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 178.5#, 9% BF
Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 179.5#, 12.5% BF

RIP Ken Whalen: Dude in my high school class, tough-guy athlete -- baseball, maybe? and "tough guy" in the "flannel-shirt crowd rather than Izods" sense) -- decent guy though I don't think we ever exchanged more than two words even back in school. Nodding acquaintance, I'd see him at the Yorktowne Inn on occasion, last time being probably 10 years ago. He was driving on the GS Parkway the other day, another car hit his pickup and both crashed: he was ejected from his pickup and died at the hospital. My friend "Henry" (Kevin) called and told me; his mother worked with Ken. Here is an article about the crash.

It's kind of funny, I was just thinking the other day that I was in the lucky "not many people I know are dying" years, too old for teenage misadventure and not yet seeing the effects of age.

Fighting Through The Blockage

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 177.5#, 10.5% BF
Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 179#, 87% BF (uh-oh)

I've got a lot to say about Nantahala I'm sure, but right now nothing's coming so I'll just keep to the normal routine, talk about my day... Not much to say there either: physical therapy was canceled yesterday (they had staff shortages), so I went straight home and played with the computer, then caught 2nd & 3rd quarters at Porters. Tonight I'll be cooking/eating in, then riding the towpath.

Back In The Valley

I'm back. Great time, more on that later...First thing I did when I got home was check my email -- how pathetic is that? (Don't answer!) Good night.

Weekend's Over, Vacation Starts

Morning weigh-in: 176.5#, 11% BF

A quick recap of this rather eventful past weekend:

Friday night was my Halloween night ride, with Mary, Rob & Sarah, and Roger. This, frankly, was a disappointment --none of the people I was hoping to come showed up, and the riders who were there (with the exception of Rob and Sarah) were not up for much anyway... I was also hoping to maybe stop in at a pub or two, like the very strange Fuglees, but (with the possible exception of Roger, who I don't know) everyone on the ride were vegans and teetotalers, very clean-living. Oh well. I went out afterward, caught some blues at Which Brew.

Saturday I brought my car in for an oil change at Revelation, then walked downtown to Coffee Works. On the way home I window shopped, stopped in to Utopia. Haven't been there in years, but it's still the same: bongs, bizarre knives/swords and incense up front, really nice furniture in the back.

Saturday night was the Which Brew Halloween Party. I went as a baby on its mother's back, but my costume wasn't as funny or convenient (or well-made) as it appeared on the box. So, out came the inflatble parts and the party roared on. Greg & Judy, Joe & Cindy, Doug & Lori, Eric and myself from the Chain Gang were there, and I saw plenty of other people -- basically, everyone who hangs out at Which Brew was there. Good time, but we didn't have a designated driver or a rented van this year, so things were a little more constrained. I was probably home (even after a visit to Taco Hell) by 1:00.

Sunday was the Lehigh Alumni Ride, alumni as in "veterans of the Lehigh trails," not university alumni. We were to meet at noon at South Mountain Park, but I showed up at 11:00 because I forgot to "fall back" with the clocks, so I retreated into Bethlehem, hung out at a coffee shop for another hour... Huge turnout, great ride with BBQ afterward. The infamous Bernie was there, guy who built the trail system up there way back when (he had help), and who is just now recovering from a broken neck and punctured lung suffered in a crash back in summer. One tough customer...

I posted pictures last night on Flickr, you can find the Halloween shots here and the Alumni Ride shots here. There's also a few from the Halloween ride posted. Check 'em out.

I'll be gone for the rest of the week, riding down in NC, leaving tonight for a mid-morning arrival hopefully. More on this after it happens, tune in next week...

Happy Scotchtoberfest!

Morning weigh-in: 175#, 9% BF

Busy evening yesterday: home to change, then to Wind Gap for physical therapy. Grabbed some Subway on the way home, ate, did chores, 'puter, then went for a ride around 10:00 last night. Short one, just a loop around the bikepath, trying out the bike and lights etc. Anxious few minutes getting all my winter nightriding stuff together & functioning, which is why the ride started so late. Back by 11:20, I played with computer some more & went to bed at 1:00 AM.

Finally, Going Riding!

Morning weigh-in: 175.5#, 8% BF

Went out and got my Halloween costume last night, what a friggin' nightmare but now it's over and done. No clues or spoilers, you'll have to wait for the Halloween party (or to see pictures here) to find out what it is... I was there (at the Party Store in Phillipsburg) from a little after 7:00 until about 9:00, so I blew off riding last night to play with the computer and finish Never Mind the Pollacks. Dinner was a meatball sub from the deli up the street.

I'm taking next week off. Today at lunch I booked several days at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in western North Carolina; car goes into the shop Friday/Saturday to get ready (oil change).

Tonight I have physical therapy, then I will hit the towpath, make sure new lights, chain/ring/cassette and cables/housing are all good before Friday night's ride, and Saturday's, and Sunday's, and next week's...

Getting My Act Together

Morning weigh-in: 177#, 12% BF

I put the new middle ring on the Turner last night, also greased the pivots (I think I'll need a new pivot kit, as well as replacement bearing inserts for the shock); did that while laundry was washing, then hit Which Brew for dinner while it was drying. Moussaka, washed down with Magic Hat Number 9.

Jump on it: For some reason I also decided to restart my web server last night, then I see today that Apache just now reached 50 million website users -- I wonder if it was me? Probably not, no one else can see my server.

Just Waiting for FitzMas

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 10.5% BF

Nothing much to say here, busy playing with computer & photos last night, instead of doing laundry/bike/housework, as you know...

(Re)Reading: Never Mind the Pollacks by Neal Pollack. Laugh-out-loud funny.

Some Photos From "Close The Loop" Day

Sals: Dave and John Address the Troops
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I posted a bunch of photos from Sunday's trailwork at Sals, you can check them out here.Enjoy!

Of course, I bought the new chainring I need for the bike, so I should be putting that on (as well as re-greasing the pivots), and I have laundry that needs doing, and then there's the issue of dinner (as in, not eaten or even cooked) -- thus I sat down at the computer when I got home, been fiddling here ever since.

Reporting In From Weekend Duty

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 12% BF (weight-gain weekend)

Friday night: I went on the Haunted Tour of Easton. Pretty cool, got to check out that "cemetery in the basement" in a local church; most of the rest of the tour was stories of hangings, Civil War history stuff, and goth-style vampires running around spouting "Diamond Dogs" quotes (I kid you not). Worked for me! Right after that I went over to Which Brew, where most of the volunteer cast, and a good chunk of the tour-goers, had already assembled. The Skulldiggers were playing, Heath and Hans were there as well as Mike & Carole, Brian came out, and they had Red Nectar on tap...

Saturday was sort of my selfish day, only different. Coffee Works was closed, so I went to the Quadrant, waited there for a call from Joe G: his girlfriend had grabbed some tickets to the Lehigh Valley Brewfest at the State Theater, and we'd be going to the noon-3:00 PM session. This was quite the beer snob's heaven, all sorts of local breweries with samples of their best beers... they filled up two floors at the State Theater, awesome scene -- though I ran into a friend at the Quadrant, who was going to the 5:00 session and he commented that the early one would be all the "sniff the brew and guess the hops" types, all the partiers would be at the later session with him. He was pretty much right, but I had plans for the evening.

Saturday night was Greg and Judy's "Island Party." They, with Eric & Kris, submitted a short video and won a sailing vacation, got filmed for a promotional movie; this was the premiere for their friends of that movie. Cool film, great party.

Sunday was "Close The Loop Day" at Sals: we finished the main trails there and marked them, so now there are several loops that can be ridden... then we rode them. Still finding issues on the bike, leftovers from All-A-Muchy that I must deal with.

...And Come Full Circle

Busy evening yesterday. I had physical therapy at 6:00 in Wind Gap, but on the way I stopped in at Curt's Cyclery & bought a new chain, a cassette, and new cables with housings, as well as a bar-mount HID light (expensive, but I really needed a new light). Then off to PT, where my arm was manipulated ("like flossing with the nerves" -- strange how the bike and hand problems are so similar), then home to check the email before installing all the new stuff, and finally stopping at Which Brew.

Tonight is the Easton Halloween Spooky Walk. Actually it's happening both tonight and tomorrow night, and I went out of my way to get a ticket for tomorrow night before realizing I had a previous engagement: Greg & Judy are having an "Island Party" to debut the promotional sailing video they were in. That's Saturday night, and so was my ticket, so I had to exchange it for a Friday at WB, nexus of all things Halloween in Easton. Good jazz trio playing, and some guy had an art/photo exhibit going on in the other room, pretty neat. Got into a conversation w/ young Pete about surfing...

But I did get the bike back up and running. Funny thing, I can remember when Shimano changed their derailleur springs to thwart the new Grip-Shift shifter technology, and Grip-Shift came out with those GoreTex-covered cables, maybe 10 years ago now. They worked unbelievably well, smooth shifting, like nothing you've ever used before -- for about two weeks. Once it gunked up or developed a little wear, it became the worst shifter cable you ever had. Moved to generic cable (mediocre performance, but the performance wouldn't degrade and you could clean/lube it to bring it back) and shimano shifters... now here I am 10 years later, using incredibly good Shimano cables that degrade within weeks, so much for progress.

Fourth Horseman Update: Neat science about the upcoming armageddon.

Back To Square One

Morning weigh-in: 176.5#, 9% BF

Last night was the Chain Gang meeting at Which Brew (who I still like, but I think they dropped the ball, service & food-wise last night). Good meeting, though.

The Money Pit: OK, I need new cable and housing for the rear derailleur, also a new chain and probably a new cassette. I'll pick it up tonight hopefully, also pick up a new handlebar-mount lighting system, slap it all on & be ready to ride tomorrow night.

Scopes Smackdown

Morning weigh-in: 176#, 8%

Nothing to say, really. Worked a little on the bike last night, cleaned/lubed, discovered problems with rear derailleur cable, must fiddle with it some more or, or... replace it yet again? Meantime, here is a little more about our homegrown monkey trial.

Big Time

Morning weigh-in: 175#, 12.5% BF

Looks like we made the big time: a mention in the NY Times via the (far superior) Clusterfuck Nation, and a little something something about Lehigh's own Prof. Michael Behe in the Morning Call. Lucky thing they're building that ballfield where the high-tech company used to be, and the gambling casinos where the heavy steel industry used to be, or there wouldn't be any jobs for all the new crowds... And speaking of gambling, I hear that the extra tax on stupid people Powerball Lottery is up to like $340 million.

In my world: Physical therapy last night -- ultrasound, stretching and some anti-slouch exercises. I hope that they're actually therapeutic and not some caprice of my slouch-Nazi therapist... Tonight I look at the bike, get it ready for some night rides.

Self Portrait

Lego me -- I did this a while ago, just remembered to post it now. You can build your own here. Can't remember where I saw this, kudos to some blogger...

UPDATE: Found it. Thank you, Culture Cat! I should have known it was part of the whole "needs meme" thang.

Weekend Report

No morning weigh-in (oops, not expecting/avoiding bad news, just forgot)

Friday I was going to go to the Pocono cinema to see Grizzly Man, but got out of work just at the tipping point of "too late to drive up there and be on time." I did some stuff at home, then went out to WB instead. A good night, but nothing exceptional.

Saturday was my "selfish day" sans workout (doctor's orders): bank, Coffee Works, then over to the Garlic Festival before getting a haircut. It was a nice day (finally!) so I worked on the bike and did a short ride, tried to wake up the legs for Sunday while doing some more recon & planning for the Halloween ride. Ran into my friend Scott from work, who was tooling around by Riverside Park. He was trying to find the guys who were marking the course for Sunday's adventure race, looking to help out.

Saturday night I went out to Allentown, met a bunch of friends (Doug & Lori, Greg & Judy, Brian, Eric & Janna, Debbie, and Eric & Kris, big table) at Lobaido's for dinner. Turns out it was Eric R's birthday. He kept it a secret though from the people he invited (like me), so didn't get many presents. The place is BYO, so I brought a bottle of Eco Domiani chianti; most others brought something as well. Still not a big wine fan, but there were a few I liked. Dinner of course, was awesome, I just wish I had room for the legendary homemade ice cream afterward...

Sunday was the All-A-Muchy 50k race at Allamuchy, put on by my friends Bob & Karen. Excellent day, and I did pretty good though my friends Greg and Joe did much better, coming in 11th & 22nd respectively. I did manage to get one good prize though: fell over at one point, landed THWACK! right on a rock with my knee, directly on an almost-healed scab. Spent the rest of the race with a rivulet of blood... Got home about 4:30, went to bed and didn't get up until this morning.

Speaking Secret Alphabets

Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 175.5#, 7.5% BF (NFL)
(No Friday weigh-in)


Reading: Graves's The White Goddess. Tree-alphabets, stone-age religious secrets hidden in medieval poetry... speaking of arcane knowledge...

Regex: Sed vs Perl: Found the source of my problem playing with sed: the syntax for regular expressions in sed and grep (and probably awk) is different from the regular expression syntax I learned for perl. I've been having problems with sed errors, and I've been been busting out my perl reference manual and just getting myself more confused. (I also think that the syntax doesn't quite match what I think the man pages are telling me.) What I thought was a common (and easily discoverable) building block is turning out to be splintered, and quite arcane indeed -- luckily, google and wikipedia came through.

Tonight I'm seeing that movie Grizzly Man. It was playing around here but I missed it; I'll be meeting Bob & Karen, also Joe & Cindy at the Pocono Cinema. Deja vu.

And Now For Something Completely Waterlogged

Morning weigh-in: 176#, 10.5% BF

It's been raining a lot the last few days not much outdoor life going on. First PA, and now NJ got hit pretty hard. My cold is abating though, so I did do a short ride down along the Bushkill yesterday, maybe five miles of recon: creek wasn't up, and the silt/crap down there wasn't too bad so I'll be incorporating it into my Halloween ride. Saw a fish about 100 yards from shore, flooding must have been intense Saturday night. The Muskenetcong was amazing this morning, waaaay over its banks. Outta here after lunch, first day of physical therapy.

Deep, In The Heart, Of Darkest America

Morning weigh-in: 174.5#, 10.5% BF

Interesting encounter with wildlife while on my recent travels: I can now attest that Chicago's O'Hare Airport, in addition to its amazing Corridor of Epilepsy, can also boast of having mice. One mouse anyway: it ran out from along the wall & up to my carry-on bag, then scooted away. But before it left, it looked me in the eye and sang "Yersinia pestis, yeedle deedle deedle daiddle deedle..."

You've already paid for this, listen to my heart beat.