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...