Survived Another Week

Morning weigh-in: 184#, 9% BF

Now all I have to do is survive the weekend...

Gym last night after working late, then went to Which Brew for dinner -- had hot wings, some Appalachian "Purist" ale and a Mad Elf. I was going to go across the street (ie Porters, to check out open-mic night), but decided against it, which was a good thing. Home, bed by 12:30 or so.

Tonight is a towpath ride, very likely followed by more nitelife, and tomorrow is yoga and more gym.

Linux Voyager, Off the Map: I am now in the process of getting myself some mapping software, which may mean re-installing my system since it's now woefully behind the times. I downloaded GRASS GIS as a start, but couldn't get it to compile yet, looks like some dependent files are still missing. Oh well, my new winter projects...

This Hankerchief Has Been Around The World Nine Times

Morning weigh-in: 182#, 13.5% BF

Stayed in Tuesday after yoga, got an enormous amount of stuff (by my standards) done: I'd gone shopping on the way home from work, then after yoga I cooked dinner (tuna & wilted greens over pasta), and while that was cooking I downloaded and compiled a bunch of software as well as uploading a bunch of photos. New Year's resolutions are starting to kick in...

Last night (after working late) I finished the leftover tuna/pasta, then rode the towpath. I managed to spook myself at one point (scary out there at night sometimes), rode like I was being chased by demons and eventually blew up, so by riding fast I ended up taking longer to complete the ride... Got home, a bowl of cereal and bed.

My New Year's Resolutions:

1. Lose weight. Don't eat out so much, and eat right more often.
2. Ride more, return to an acceptable level of fitness.
3. Don't be so stand-offish. Engage people more, and be a little more connected to them.
4. Use your time more effectively. Stop procrastinating, and be cleaner & more organized.

I have a feeling #1 and #3 will conflict, as well as #2 and #4.

Holy Handkerchief, Batman! I usually throw my junk mail away, but I got something yesterday that was so bizarre I had to open it. It was from some weirdo church in Kansas or Oklahoma, "loaning" me a special handkerchief -- it was paper, and looked like just some fancy stationary -- that if I wrote my name on it and sent it back, all sorts of good luck would come my way, praise Jesus. The name of the church was something like "St Matthew's 56-Year-Old Church," which made me wonder what the name was when it was founded. Very much like a chain letter, but that handkerchief part sounded so weird, and so familiar...

Rainy Time

Joe Peeks Out From The Cave
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Not much going on, but I did just post some pictures on flickr from last weekend. I went geocaching -- something I once was into but sort of lost interest in -- with some friends who are way more into it than I ever was. We found a bunch of caches hidden at a park called Sourlands Preserve in New Jersey (near Belle Mead I'd guess), not a bad way to salvage a rainy Sunday, as Joe said.

Anyway, enjoy! By the way, I now have over a thousand photos posted on flickr.

Beguiled At Last

Morning weigh-in: 185.5#, 10% BF

Back On The Linux Voyage: I am back on the guile kick again, and, looking at this tutorial and realizing what was wrong with it (it's old, basically, and the examples no longer work), I fooled around with updating the example and got it to work. Pretty neat, but I'm not sure what that gets me now.

I did that last night. I was going to ride the towpath (after working to 6:30, home by 7:00 and out the door around 7:30) but forgot to charge my lights. Oh well, I really needed the time to do chores, maybe I'll go for a run in a little bit after I fool with the computer -- holy cow it's midnight! Thank goodness for microwave mac & cheese.

Inner Voices

Despite All The Amputations #1
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 186.5#, 11.5% BF

What Once Was Sacred Ground:I posted more photos, this time from my ride at Round Valley last Sunday. I'm closing in on 1000 photos on flickr, so I may may start padding my photo posting just a bit...

Songs From The Heart, Or At Least The Lungs: A lot of times when I ride I get a song in my head, and it's almost always been the same one lately: a sort of stately andante-paced thing, french horns and other non-brassy brass parts, kind of repetitive but with the melody or progression carried by the inner voices. I realized the other day that this song was actually in tune with my breathing on climbs. I wish I could get this out on paper, or make it happen in the real world.

And Speaking Of "Inner Voices:" Monday night was yoga class, and the class was packed. Lot of newcomers, maybe a bit of a New Year's resolution crowd, but also some workshop will be practicing in this class as well. (Different teacher too, one who takes a more physically strenuous approach.) Anyway, among these new people were two friends, girls who bartend at Which Brew, who thank goodness were not near me in class -- someone passed wind in class towards the end, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing, especially knowing that they were stifling themselves on the other side of the room... Hey, I guess gas happens -- it happened to me my first class, and the toughest thing I ever did was go to the second class -- and you can be mature about it, but not on "no laughing in church" day. I saw them later at Mug Club Night, and there was much juvenile snickering.

Wot No Pictures?

Morning weigh-in: 185.5#, 12% BF

Not much to say since last night, just thought I'd record the weigh-in. Tonight is yoga, then Mug Club Night at Which Brew.

Thistle

Holiday Dinner: Group Photo
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

So, last night was the annual Chain Gang Holiday Party, with group photo as seen to the right. Great fun, we had it at Everybody's Cafe in Stroudsburg like last year, but started the night at Rich & Linda's for some hors d'oeuvres & cocktails. Highlight of the night was the gift exchange, since it involved the complication known as "stealing"...

Anyway, after that we went to Siamsa, the Irish pub up the street. First time I'd been there, and it was a bit of a let-down, since I'd heard good things about it. (Instead of being what I expected and would have liked, it was, in Doug's words, "like a bad Friends episode.") One Guinness and I grabbed a ride back to my car at Rich's. Early night actually, I was home by midnight.

Listening: Some words I never thought I'd hear on the radio: "and now for some Jacobite music." It was on Thistle, NPR's Gaelic-music show, and they were featuring some Scottish fiddler and music publisher from the early 1800's. He didn't publish any such tunes -- they were probably forbidden -- but the DJ played a few to give a sense of perspective. No offense, but it sounded pretty much like all the other stuff to me.

I heard that on the way to Round Valley, which is where I rode today. (Stay tuned for pictures.) I'm feeling a little stronger over there, but it's still an uphill battle to get back the fitness I once had, that made riding there more than just a hard-ass slog. I did feel good though that there was another group of riders out there, who started after I did but got ahead of me by taking the easier (and shorter) jeep roads, that I overtook and passed on the Tree Trimmer Bypass. Sorry dudes, maybe I ain't still got it, but that's home turf, don't ya know...

I Love A Short Week

Morning weigh-in: 184.5#, 11% BF

This week went pretty fast, work especially was a blur...

Rode last night with my friend/neighbor Mike B; we did the towpath down to Bethlehem, where we attended the VMB meeting at CAT headquarters. Fruitful meeting, mostly brainstorming on the coming year's agenda. After that was the ride home, then pretty much straight to bed.

Tonight I'm working late, then running before going to Which Brew for roast pork & sauerkraut, with cask-conditioned Old Heathen.

But Enough About Me

Yes Virginia, Don Rides
Originally uploaded by tahl007.

My friend Brian took a photo of me at the Mahlon ride. Do I look a little like I should be worried about my Lucky Charms?

In the time of leprechauns,
A wizard, noble, sprang!

So wassap? Nuttin', honey.

(I cannot tell a lie, I stole those lines from alicublog, who got them here.)

All Is Quiet, On New Year's Day

Puddle: Self Portrait With Flash
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Welcome to 2007! I have a feeling it's going to be a good year...

Went out last night to a friend's house in Jersey, to help send 2006 on its way, then I went walking today up at the Water Gap, to welcome the new year. Posted photos of same at flickr.

Year-End Wrap-up

Posing For Photos
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

I'm back. Actually I haven't really been away, just playing too much to have anything to say here. I've been off for over a week for the holiday (going back Tuesday), and living as if it were a week of Saturdays: get up, browse the web, go to the coffee shop, ride through the afternoon, then either Porters or Which Brew for dinner & music. Not a bad life, but it's ending after tomorrow.

Meantime, I have some new photos up on Flickr. Enjoy!

In terms of a year-end wrap-up, I really have nothing to add to what I've been saying all along -- so Happy New Year!

A Silent Night

Happy Christmas, war is over.

See you in a few days.

"Whose father, whose son will I be killing tomorrow?"
-- from "Christmas in the Trenches"

A Day In The Light

Under The Christmas Tree
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

My plan was to participate in the "Day In The Life Of: Dec 22" Flickr photo pool (post photos from that particular day; the theme being light), but my shots didn't come out too well, and my best "light theme" one, on the right, was taken a minute too late to qualify... Oh well, it was a good day and good evening, and I have about two dozen other photos posted. Enjoy!

The Light Upon The Water

Originally uploaded by otarako.

Merry Christmas! Isn't that a cool photo? -- flickr tossed it up as one of the "most interesting photos in the last seven days." I agree!

Meantime, I just thought I'd mention that Against The Day is just getting weirder and weirder...

I did that road ride today, went up along the Delaware ,north on 611, then (eventually) back along Bushkill Drive. Very nice, the water in creek and river had that "really cold water" look, even though the temperature was pretty moderate.

Vacation!

I'm at home right now, waiting to go pick up my car from its oil change. Yesterday I slept in, then ran -- in daylight! -- and rode the towpath (ditto daylight) before going out to do some Christmas shopping. Today is more shopping when the car is ready, to be followed by a trip to the gym. Tonight, third night in a row, is Which Brew. Ahhhh, life is good...

Meantime, I'm playing with the computer.

Sadly, No! A site you should read every day, otherwise you'll miss gems like this, and this. Speaking of "whoops," check this out. I spend a lot of time biting my tongue, to keep from saying "told you so" to a lot of people, but some people I feel deserve at least that much, and a hearty "now that you've done your part to wreck this country and kill thousands, maybe you should STFU now -- and if you weren't such a shit you'd have already hung yourself in shame." But I'm not bitter.

Sun's out, think I'll go for a road ride.

Flickr Catch-Up

Doug Down The Hill
Originally uploaded by donXfive.

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 183.5#, 11.5% BF

I posted my Mahlon shots over at my flickr page. That's a photo of Doug riding down a fairly steep section -- some good riding, but I also like the color juxtapositions, especially that rock on the left.

Anyway, last night at yoga I almost did a headstand -- I was so excited, like a little kid. Not the greatest challenge in the world I know, but there are things going on there, that it never occured to me to be able to attempt, that I know someday I'll be doing. I think that's at least part of why I like it, there are totally new challenges, like the "adventure-bike" days.

Dinner was GoLean Crunch.

Naptime Redux

Morning weigh-in: 183#, 12% BF

Started this a little too diary-like, and it ran over, finished it on Tuesday...

On Friday I picked up a new rear tire at Bike King for the Turner. By the way, I'm going back to the WTB tires, Velociraptor 2.1 in the rear and Motoraptor 2.3 (if I can get it) for the front. (For now the Kinetics is still on the front; it's still too new to think about replacing.) I'm already happy with my decision.

I was too tired physically to want to ride, so I went to Which Brew for an abbreviated Friday night, even though I stayed longer than I expected.

Saturday was yoga, then errands and breakfast, then the gym, then some Christmas shopping and more errands, worked on bike aqnd -- suffice to say I was running around from about 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM. Saturday night was Fred & Lara's party, and since I was up the street from Joe G I stopped by his Xmas shindig as well. Looonnggggg day...

Sunday was a group ride at Mahlon Dickerson, about a dozen people in all. I felt really good and was riding well (for me, for this time of year) so was happy. Lunch/dinner afterwards was at the Thirsty Moose, then it was home and I slept straight through, from about 5:30 PM until morning.

Semi-Rest

Morning weigh-in: 185.5#, 9% BF

WEnt to the gym last night, then to the Which Brew "re-gifting party." I ended up with a bottle of wine, which I'll be bringing to Fred & Lara's party tomorrow night. Early night despite everything, but I skipped running this morning -- I was too tired, figure I needed the sleep...

Hitting the towpath tonight, then tomorrow is a busy day.

The Healthy Stuff

Morning weigh-in: 184.5#, I forget the BF

Last night didn't work out quite as planned: I rode the towpath with Doug & Eric, but we didn't actually finish (late start, slow pace) until almost 11:00, then went out to get some food, ended up at Shruty's after exhausting all other possibilities -- I didn't get home until almost 1:00 AM. Needless to say, I didn't bother getting up early to run this morning. Chili, cheesesteak, two pints o' Guiness and skip the exercise...

By the way, new photos at Flickr.

Echoes? Reflections?

Morning weigh-in: 184#, 10.5% BF

Still nibbling away at Against The Day, up to maybe page 85-90 or so. Just went through some stuff involving the Michelson-Morley experiment, bar-room cabals of aether-enthusiasts growing despondent, waxing philosophical, & speculating on double refraction and alternate identities/realities, as rumors of the experiment's results start seeping out of the lab... Next was stuff about a traveling photographer ("alchemist") and his young daughter, who ends up getting a job in Cripple Creek, where we run into labor agitator and dynamite junkie Webb Traverse blowing up a railroad bridge on the Fourth of July -- that's where I closed the book the other night.

"Echoes" brings to mind "resonances," as in "harkening back to the mystic chords of memory etc," but maybe the more sterile but light-oriented "reflections" will have to do... there is a lot here that I'm picking up: Speculations on the Luminiferous Aether like those on the Soniferous Aether in Gravity's Rainbow and that whole 19th-century vectors-vs-quaternions thing, the father and daughter with missing mother mirrors Zoyd and Prairie in Vineland (ditto the Traverse family thing), and now shades of The Monkey-Wrench Gang.

Anyway, it's tomorrow and I didn't finish this post, so what-EVAH...