Northampton, Mass

So here I am in Northampton, just back from a nice road ride (44 miles round trip plus a brewpub lunch) to Greenfield, the next town north of here... Yesterday was 25 miles on a nearby bike path, basically to Amherst & back, followed by dinner at a local brewpub, and breakfast was at a coffee shop. A guy could learn to like this...

We're up here visiting Anne's son Ben at college, saw him last night at the pub with a bunch of his friends. (In other words,this is just a quick min- vacation, checking to see whether or not he's been eating right.) We'll hook up with him again tonight or tomorrow, and head home in the afternoon.

These rides were a godsend, since otherwise this whole week was a wash: time commitments after work, bad weather, if it weren't for yesterday and today the week would have been a disaster mileage-wise, rather than middling-OK. (Granted, the weather's great at home as well as here, and even if we stayed home I probably would have been riding anyway, but still...)

Also this weekend: today is the big outdoor chili cook-off on Southside. I got home Thursday night and found the house in complete chaos, as Anne & Debbie made a huge vat of chili from a bunch of invasive plants they'd foraged that afternoon. Josh & Kim also came over and a good time was had by all as we made a huge mess. Good times! Debbie and Josh served it at his store today, and I hear it was a big hit, there are no leftovers. I hope they saved us some!

We're going out in a bit to do some people watching. Northampton -- home of Smith College (Emmi's alma mater) and with a bunch of other schools nearby -- is a neat town with a very crunchy Northeast vibe.

Et Tu, Aubade?

Morning weigh-in: 173#, 10.5% BF

 

Wow, it's really like Groundhog Day now: here I am again, and the weight and the weather are still the same.

 

Not much to say. I got in a good ride yesterday, 19 miles, though my average speed (approx 14 mph) was a little below par because it was a fairly hilly ride. (Dinner was leftovers at home, and bedtime was on the early side -- I've been trying to get my ass up a little earlier in the morning.) Tonight I'm riding offroad at South Mountain, then we're going to Porters -- I thought that BC Bluezin' was playing tonight and we made plans accordingly, which included telling a lot of other people about it. (Singer Bev is part of the old Hack's Diner crowd, a good friend of Anne, Judy & Deb from way back.) Oh well, I'm sure we'll still go, and whoever's playing will be great, but I may have some 'splainin' to do...

 

By the way, Pynchon has a new novel coming out in August. I already have it on back order.

Groundhog Day, Get Off My Lawn!

Morning weigh-in: 173#, 10.5% BF

Hi it's me. Just popping my head in for a moment... I don't think I've ever gone more than a week without posting, except maybe when I was on vacation or something, but I've just been very busy lately.

 

So, what have I been up to? Well, for a few weeks I was riding like it was going out of style, then it did sort of go out of style: I was supposed to be getting in about 120 miles per week over the two weeks prior to this one, and probably got in only half that. Bad timing, rain/snow (snow!), and sunny days when I had other commitments, etc. Oh well. This week's a rest week, but I'll be getting out today and tomorrow, and probably Saturday, and Sunday too.

 

Meantime, I've been well (despite, or maybe because of, the anti-Lyme antibiotics), though I can't say the same for Anne -- she's fine now, but she was hit hard by a nasty bug several weeks ago. Fever, chills, muscle aches, multiple doctor visits and prescriptions, but now she's much better. And now there are two jars of antibiotics on the kitchen counter...

 

What have I been up to? My birthday was last week, and we went out for a bit Friday night, and Sunday was Easter with Anne's family, and in between was yoga and the gym and Porter's And Brew Works, and a lot of time on the weekends at Wired (a coffee shop on Main Street, and just as much a Peyton Place as any of our other hangouts), chatting over coffee and playing with the computer.

 

I finally got the hang of that GRASS software, imported my Sals GPS data as well as topo maps, property boundary maps, and some aerial photos, and had the program "georectify" them into one big database. I've been trying to make sure our trails don't cross the park boundaries, but between the uncertainties in the maps and the GPS data, and the tendency of our trails to encroach on the property line-- a design flaw IMHO, and for more than just trespassing reasons -- I really can't say for certain that we haven't crossed that line.

 

Well, tonight is a road ride, and tomorrow I'm riding the other Bethlehem trail system. It's supposed to be beautiful through Sunday night.

Uh Sih, Sih, Sih, Sih, A-Sisyphus, Hey!

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 174#, 10.5% BF

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 174.5#, 8.5% BF

Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 172.5#, 11% BF

Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 174.5#, 11% BF

Morning weigh-in (Friday): 176.5#, 10.5% BF

 

So I was going to hit the gym on Monday, and I even brought my bike for a road-ride warmup; instead I took off work early and went to the doctor for that tick bite -- I am now on amoxicillin "just in case," and got an ointment for the bite area's rash. That sort of took the wind out of my sails, so when I got home I just blew off everything physical.

 

Tuesday night was going a Sals ride, but the world conspired to prevent me (worked late, hit traffic, bike routes were under construction, etc) and it almost worked -- almost! I took the lights but I cut the ride short, only riding about 10 miles and needing the light mostly for  the ride home. Trails were in great shape and I had a blast, even saw a few friends out there, but I didn't want to provoke the bike gods any more than they already were. (Strangely enough, that's the same neck of woods where I hiked and got the ticks the other day; Tuesday on the bike was back to my usual experience: nada. Note to self, never stop riding...)

 

Wednesday was yoga (and rainy so I couldn't ride there), yesterday was beautiful but it was a gym day. It's rainy today, and I already canceled the group towpath ride but I will try to sneak something in tonight.

 

I need a leg up -- last week is gone, this week has been a wash, I start over soon with another week's 120 mile quota, and I'm already behind on my miles... Effort equals results, if I'm lucky, and July is getting closer by the day. The weekend is supposed to be nice, maybe I'll do a bit of catch-up.

Repent, Harlequin!

Tick Tock Man: So I took Langston for a walk at Sals yesterday, and though I never really worried about ticks before (like, it's been a non-issue while riding), we've been finding ticks on him fairly regularly lately, so we gave him the once-over with the brush when I got back. (It didn't help that he'd been in every sticker bush and mud puddle up there: he was a mess of mud, burrs; I wouldn't have been surprised to find he had leeches.) We found a few deer ticks on him brushing him off, then we found two on my clothes. I went up to shower and found three more on my body, including one somewhat attached and one really attached -- that's the spot where I have a mosquito-bite-like welt today. If my summer really sucks, with PICC line and swollen joints, yesterday is the day I'll be thinking most about.

We went out to Donna's spring party after that, great time but I had to leave early because of her cats. When we got home we checked Langston again, and found twenty four more of the little buggers -- and one more today.

Anyway, Donna's party... Like I said, great time. I was surprised at how many peeps I knew there, even one or two of her work friends I already knew. Lots of good food, Dogfish Head beers... and speaking of peeps, that's what we brought, along with some cheese and bread that we picked up at the Allentown Farmer's Market. My first trip there, and the place really is a trip -- many many diverse types of characters, at one point I said to Anne that if you went there to actually people watch, your head would explode.

The Man With The Plan: This week was the first of the "build weeks" in my training plan. I was supposed to ride 120 miles and burn 7000 calories, those were my goals, and -- well, I made it. Eighty eight hundred calories, and 121miles, and as of tomorrow it's gone, I have to do it again next week. Wilderness 101 is coming, I am way ahead of where I was last year but the clock is ticking.

Wazzap?

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 174.5#, 11% BF

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 174.5#, 10% BF

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 174.5#, 11% BF

 

Wow that's quite a variation, Steady Eddie... I'd like to be below 170# by the end of next week, but I don't think it's going to happen.

 

Ride/Eat: I've started Build Week 1 on the bike, riding Sals on Monday night and the towpath last night. I would have been better off reversing that order; I was still a little tired on Monday from my "rest week" rides (several hot laps at Sals, and a leisurely, medium-longish road ride with Anne on Sunday). Tonight is yoga followed by a trip to Porters, since we can't swing the Thursday night trip this week.

 

Computer: I've been playing with the computer a lot lately, but I'm not doing much other than browsing. One exception: I've been saving GPS data from my rides, and using it with Google Maps to map the at Sals. (You can find a preliminary version here.) I am missing a few trails (including some unofficial ones required for the sake of completeness), and I need to get a better handle on official trail names, but we're getting there.

 

Listen: Continuing my old-timey retrospective, I downloaded a bunch of songs by The Fall, and also a Heather Nova album (don't ask).

 

Anyway, that's what's up.

On This First Day Of Spring

I have a bunch of half-written, diary style blog posts that I think I'll abandon, as they're losing relevance by the day. Just a quick note, I'm out of here in a few minutes...

 

Rest In Peace, Deanna. My friend Vito's wife passed away the other day, after a long illness -- she had lung cancer, which she beat but it got into her brain, she fought that (chemo, radiation, surgery), she had a stroke, and finally the game was up. She moved back home a week or so ago and was getting hospice care, and went into a coma just before last weekend. (Her obituary is here.) She was one of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege and pleasure to know, and while there's an Italian a saying, "so good he's good for nothing," she was good in a way that was very effective, she literally was a force for good in this world.

 

I'm leaving work early today to go to the wake, and tomorrow is the funeral. I especially feel bad for Vito -- he's a strong person, but that was at least partly because she was there to cover his back all those years. This isn't going to be easy.

 

Suitable

Morning weigh-in: 173.5#, 13% BF

 

So much for a hard ride: I went out last night but didn't feel like hammering, and since it had to be short I really didn't know what to do so I just rode around West Bethlehem. I hit Doug's house but no one was home, then I went over to Spanky's, where he and Tony D were ripping apart his kitchen -- worried that they might give me something to do, I got out of there as quickly as I could... Tooled around a little more, 8 miles, 45 minutes, done by 7:00 and out the door for the Men's Warehouse.

 

Anne was at a writer's group meeting (listening to and discussing one guy's story of being in the Ukrainian underground as a boy -- wow!), which was nearby, and she met me there. Long story short: the salesgirl and the tailor eyed me up and quickly produced what I wanted, and soon I was the proud possessor of two suits, two pairs of slacks, some ties, socks, and two dress shirts -- it was "buy one get one free night" or something -- paid for just minutes before the store closed. (I pick up the suits next week.) Now that's how shopping is supposed to work!

 

Dinner was leftover Indian food, plus a chicken cheddar & apple sandwich, and one of the Brown Ales we made a few weeks ago.

 

And Another Thing: As a followup to yesterday's post, I thought I'd note this in passing. I remember plenty of guys like this when I first moved to the Lehigh Valley, talk of sovereignty and the Constitution as code for white supremism... A lot of  things going to be crawling out of the woodwork, now that treason is the new patriotism again.

 

Beware Of the Ham Bushes!

Morning weigh-in: 174.5#, 10% BF

 

Oy: This was funny, especially in light of where I found it.

 

Fellow Traveler: In mostly-unrelated news, here's an article about a Windows user who tried Ubuntu, and here's a follow-up. While I would agree that "things are different in Linux" (if someone actually said that), different design philosophies, emphases & priorities etc, I use Ubuntu on the laptop and I think usability is down at a no-brainer level of easy, even -- especially -- when it comes to installing software.

 

Tonight will be a short, hard road ride, maybe hill repeats.

 

 

You Down with EDT?

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 175#, 12% BF

Morning weigh-in (Tuesday): 173.5#, 12% BF

 

My weekend?

 

Saturday: The tribute to the Talking Heads, a total blowout at Pearly Bakers.

Sunday: Janna's PPRAC charity spinning class, then the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

 

Rode the towpath last night, left after 6:00 and didn't need lights until long after my turnaround -- sweet! It's still pretty muddy down by Freemansburg, so I took the road from there on the return. Twenty five miles in 1:50, burned about 1650 calories... Tonight is the gym, and tomorrow in lieu of yoga I'll be doing a short, hard road ride, maybe hill intervals, before doing some clothes shopping.

 

RIP Waldemar Kulikowski, my old boss, who passed away in California over the weekend.

 

Congratulations James and Susie, on your new arrival! Sierra Rae, 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and 19" long, born 3/9/2009 at 11:08 AM.

 

 

All My GUY Friends Are Party Poopers

So it's Saturday, and I'm sitting at Wired with Anne. Second coffee shop of the day... Rode the towpath last night, then did the First Friday thing in South Bethlehem (me Anne, Deb, Donna, Scott and Joe); we ended up at the Tally Ho but the karaoke drove us out, and our feet took us naturally to Brew Works -- which was packed -- for the end of the night.

Strange thing: I ran into a lot of acquaintances, and friends, and people I knew, but -- except for Joe and Scott, who are really Deb's friends, and Deb's a friend I borrowed from Anne anyway -- I did not see one male friend of mine out last night. Walk into a gallery and there's a friend's wife, step into the Ho and there's an old Which Brew bud bartending, and over at the Steelgaarden we bumped into a biker friend and her whole posse. Dudes! You're dropping the ball, missing opportunities and generally making us all look bad...

Anyway, good ride last night, but very muddy: after the ride I had to strip in the foyer, quarantine my clothes and clean the floor after my shower; I spent part of the afternoon scraping off the dried grit & mud off the bike, but all is back to normal now. Yoga this morning, spinning tomorrow, and tonight will be a trip to Pearly Bakers to see that Talking Heads tribute -- apparently this is the ultimate buzz thing to do in Easton this weekend.

TGIF

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 11% BF

 

New Shoes: I stopped in at Curt's Cyclery last night and bought a pair of Shimano SH-M182's. Went home, put on the cleats (panic attacks as things seemed not to be compatible, but all was well) and -- waah-LAA! -- I am back in business. I'll be trying them tonight, either on the towpath if I hear from my usual riding partner, or maybe Sals.

 

Tough week, I am glad it's (almost) over. Tonight and tomorrow night are the last nights for the Grand Re-Opening Dollar Drafts at the Brew Works, and since tomorrow night will be Pearly Baker's for that Talking Heads tribute show, I think we'll be hitting the BW tonight. Tomorrow is yoga and the gym, Sunday (if they have any openings) will be Janna's charity spinning class at Everybody's; if we can't make that we may try to do that Genesis Bakery Ride.

 

 

Today In History

Morning weigh-in: 177#, 11% BF

 

Happy 45th Birthday to my brother Kevin! Today is also the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, and the third anniversary of my ankle incident.

 

Not sure what's going on, but my skin is all itchy lately, I'm getting nosebleeds (at least at work), I'm tired all the time and have had to skip several workouts this week, and that sudden jump in weight, wow. The first two I could ascribe to low humidity coming in with this cold snap, but I'm not sure about the  others -- except, I've been using cortisone again, hmmmm...

 

Weekend Recap: Anne and I got in a good ride with Doug on Saturday, mellow and fun despite the cold & wind, then Sunday (when we were supposed to go for a long Genesis-sponsored road ride, but blew it off because of the impending weather -- and it got canceled too, probably for the same reason) we went for an afternoon hike at Sals, probably got in a good 8 miles total while I did some more mapping. Saturday night was Porters, and Sunday night was Brew Works.

 

We hardly got anything from Monday's snowstorm, but there was enough on the ground to do some XC skiing on the towpath.

 

Spin Crash: Tuesday night is when it all fell apart. I went into the basement to do the interval workout I'd postponed from Monday, but after warming up I hit the gas and nothing happened: my heart rate would not rise into the workout zone, so I bagged the first interval, then I was so tired I couldn't even just sit and spin -- I bagged the whole thing, did a cooldown and was off the bike within 20 minutes of starting.

 

Last night was also a wash, but maybe not so bad: I blew off yoga to do a Sals ride, but first had to fuss with my bike shoes (I need to install new cleats and tried to get the old ones off last night, but the bolts are basically welded in place). After an hour of messing around I gave up, then decided I really didn't want to ride at all, even with the old cleats. I spent the rest of the night re-installing Google Earth and playing with some Sals maps.

 

Tonight is the gym, unless I locate some new bike shoes to go purchase.

 

 

Applebutter Headwinds, That's Not Fair!

Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 173.5#, 10% BF
Morning weigh-in (Friday): 175#, 11% BF

So I got up this morning, drew up a nice route on Google Maps, then downloaded and converted it to GPX and put it on my Garmin. Worked like a charm, the thing beeped whenever I had to make a turn (though I think it was in "offroad" mode, since it didn't really care about road turns per se, but just noted major changes in direction), all the way until got to where the road was closed -- it had nothing to say fort a while, until I got back to the original route again, but by then I was done.

My route was basically a modified Hellertown loop, only I added Millheim Road and Wassergass Road, and my plan was to got through Freemansburg on River Road, but Lower Saucon was the closed road and I took Applebutter back to Hellertown. Applebutter is a fun downhill in ordinary circumstances, like four miles of just rolling along, but today it was windy, and -- just my luck -- that was where the wind was in my face. I still could roll with almost no effort, but it wasn't the fast or exciting rollercoaster ride I was hoping for. In terms of training, this was a hilly ride and I was working the legs a bit, but my plan was to keep the heart rate kind of lower and more aerobic for the climbs, and, except for one maximum-effort wall on Millheim, I think I hit my sweet spot.

Here's A Little Thing That Is Sure To Please You: I guess I'm on a kick, I downloaded a bunch of other songs Wednesday night, only one I remember right now being Alex Chilton's "Bangkok."

That was after yoga, and after a fairly light (grilled cheese & salad) dinner -- the pork & sauerkraut wasn't quite ready. Since last night was burgers at the newly re-opened Brew Works -- note weight, and that despite a brutal gym workout -- and tonight is a visit to the Mauch Chunk Rod and Gun Club -- stay tuned for a full report, if I live -- we'll probably be eating it (the pork) as an early dinner tonight.

Spotlight On The Mountains Of Madness

Morning weigh-in: 174#, 10% BF

 

Crow Clock Running Faster: I'm usually not ready to get up when the alarm clock goes off, so I just sort of lay there for a while, trying to wake up, and don't actually get up until I hear all the crows flying off to wherever they go for the day -- maybe they're commuters too? -- from their evening roosts by the river. Unfortunately for my wakeup, they time their commute by the sunrise, which means that I've been getting up earlier and earlier each day.

 

I'm Not Gonna Go There: Looks like they shined some radar down through the Antarctic ice, and found the Mountains of Madness. Yikes!

 

Last night was the gym, followed by leftover chicken, and tonight is yoga. I believe Anne has plans to cook pork & sauerkraut tonight.

 

 

I Often Dream Of Trains

Morning weigh-in: 174#, 11% BF

 

Listening: I downloaded a bunch of songs from eMusic last night, including two from Robyn Hitchcock ("I Often Dream Of Trains" and "The Man With The Lightbulb head"), and a whopping 18 by the Dead Kennedys. I also picked up Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl" and a few others. Much nerdly rocking out by the light of the laptop last night, I must say.

 

Training: Last night was also interval night on the trainer, and (strange as it may sound) I had a lot of fun -- I was playing with the HRM, and the time just flew by. I felt pretty good too, but I was crushed by the time I was done, all rubbery and nauseous. Tonight is plyometrics at the gym.

 

Speaking Of The Man With The Lightbulb Head: Check out this deep-sea fish.

 

Drinking: A friend was singing over in Southside, but I couldn't make it in time, so I just met Anne over at the Steelgaarden, the club-like "martini bar" downstairs at the Brew Works. I had a beer while I was there, but I wasn't hungry at all, which was good because there was no food. The upstairs part of the Brew Works is closed right now, but will re-open sometime this week with their new kitchen, and not a minute to soon as far as I'm concerned -- the fire was more than two months ago, and I am jonesing for a burger, maybe some wings...

Back In The Saddle

Morning weigh-in: 176.5#, 10.5% BF

 

Rest week ends today, with basement intervals on tonight's agenda -- tomorrow is the gym, more plyometrics. (This week the bike volume is low, just tonight and the weekend's rides, but starting next week the crosstraining will be phased out, at least partially. It's really starting like the end of winter out there.)

 

I don't have much to say otherwise, not much has happened since my last post.

 

Some Music: We met Sally and Joe at Porter's for dinner Saturday night, but we all left when the band (southern rockers, complete with Confederate flag and "this is not a racist symbol, you should learn your history" spiel) was so bad we left. We all went down to Pearly Baker's for the reggae stylings of the Trouble City All-Stars, a major improvement in terms of both taste and general musicianship.

 

Anne and I went up to Jim Thorpe on Sunday morning and tried to ride the Broad Mountain Loop. It was beautiful out, with a light snow falling, but the trail (under the 3" or so of new snow) was all ice and we bailed after only a few miles.

 

Some More Music: We went out to the Tally Ho to see what looked like a local supergroup (really, stars from every Bethlehem band) playing a night of Talking Heads covers. Very fun, and apparently that's where the old Which Brew girls hang out, at least on Sunday: local hipsters take the place over when the frat boys are out of town, and I'd guess that half their boyfriends were in the band. There was a neat vibe despite the smoke, like Jabberwocky on Sunday nights, when the disco was shut down and Joe and I would go to play pool. Good to see some of the old faces too -- I haven't seen Andrea since WB closed in May. Her hair was alternately long/pink and buzzcut/leopard-print, but other than that she hasn't changed a bit...

 

Except for us (and Lee, and also Kelly-Jo), the scene was mostly younger and leaned toward the bartender crowd, as in "we always stay up late, and besides we all have off tomorrow," so Anne and I left long before the show was over, but they'll be playing Pearly's and the Funhouse in March, and I think they'll be worth catching.

 

Sign Sez "Westinghouse," Wight?

I'm back. Never really went away, but the posting has been light because -- sorry, life has been busy and full...

 

Last week was the end of "Base 2 training," and I am now finishing up the rest week, and going a bit stir-crazy too, all grouchy from not exercising. Not sure what base 3 training is going to look like on the bike, but I should be pushing for strength and speed, so I'm thinking I'll add hills and sprints. In the gym I'll be switching to plyometrics, at least for the legs; I did some Thursday, learning the technique, and it really spanked me...

 

Quick Look At Last Weekend: I had off Friday, and rode over at Sals, then the evening's ride was on the towpath with Anne; we met Larry for a bit of the return trip as well. (Total ride time on the towpath was 3 hours because of all the mud., we were whooped by the end.) We ended up at Rippers for burgers -- even before the ride ended I was so hungry and tired, that was all I wanted in this world. Saturday was mostly chores and errands, since I overslept for yoga and was too tired for the gym. We crashed early Saturday night too, but hit Brew works for a bit first. (There was a "Zombie Anti-Valentine Party" at Wired, and Andrew had his wine tasting party Saturday night, but we missed them both. Oh well.)  Sunday -- after a road ride to Emmaus for coffee at South Mountain Cycles -- was bottling of the beer we made a few weeks ago. Anne's niece & her husband came down, and we got down to business, then had dinner at Mama Nina's and Belgian beers at the Steelgaarden. Awesome weekend! I have pic posted of the bottling, by the way.

This has been a rest week on the bike, and like I said I've been busy at work, so last night after my ride -- even with a "rest week" I had to ride Sals yesterday, and got most if it done before dark -- we stayed in. Anne baked cookies, and we just kicked back and read.

Woman opens her refrigerator and finds a hobo lounging inside. She yells "What are you doing in my fridge?!"
Hobo sez "This is a Westinghouse, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
"So I'm just westing!"

Try the veal.

Mud Season Is Upon Us

Morning weigh-in (Wednesday): 176#, 12% BF

Morning weigh-in (Thursday): 173#, 11.5% BF

 

Happy Darwin Day! Today marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. You know it's coming, so here it is:

 

"It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the conditions of life and from use and disuse: a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved." -- Charles Darwin, concluding paragraph to The Origin of Species

 

That's probably one of my all-time favorite scientific quotes. Remember the great man today, and don't forget to do something spectacularly stupid, in his honor...

 

Anyway, I tried to do a towpath ride last night, but the path was so soft (and wet, even submerged in places) that it was just not worth it. I got as far as Freemansburg before bailing and taking the road back. It was unseasonably warm and pleasant so the ride wasn't a total waste but I should have just taken the road bike, thaw means mud. (I wanted to use the GPS though, and since I have no way to mount it on the road bike -- I lost the spare bracket that came with the unit -- I went out on the Turner. Oh well, I'll be getting a new bracket soon I'm sure.) Windy, warm, it sure seems like March arrived early today.

 

I'll Take "Logistical Equations" For $100, Alex: Speaking of Darwin, here's an interesting look at that "25 Random Things About Me" craze on Facebook, as seen from an epidemiological standpoint.

 

Tuesday was a hard, full-body gym workout, but it seemed like I just breezed right through it. Very gratifying, my weights (here at the end of the "strength" portion of my weight-room training) are as high as they've ever been. Unfortunately, I went out to Brew Works for dinner afterward -- which was really cool, hanging with Anne and her friends Deb and Donna, but it sort of negated my in-the gym gains, or rather losses... I made up the difference by forgetting to eat dinner last night, not the brightest move either.

 

More Birthday Greats: Today is also the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP. Watching our new President giving a speech at the Ford Theater today really shows that we've come pretty far, though for sure it's not as far as we like to think.

 

Tonight is the gym again, then Porters for Jazz Night. I have off tomorrow.

 

 

Heart-Healthy Nightmares

Morning weigh-in (Monday): 174.5#, 12% BF

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

 

David Rees Is A National Treasure: Check out my new favorite comic -- at least until Achewood comes back up to speed -- from the guy who brought us Get Your War On. Also, this.

 

So anyway, I hit the trainer last night for some basement intervals, 5 at 3 minutes with 2 minutes rest in between, for a 45 minute workout including warmup and cooldown -- Garmin sez I burned 563 calories. It also had a few nasty things to say about my heart fitness right now: maybe it's because I'm older (it's been years since I did this kind of workout, or worked out with a HRM), or maybe my heart was tired from other activities, but my HR would not go anywhere near the target I had set for myself -- I was shooting for a 180-185 bpm range for the hard parts, and was lucky to get 165-170. Oh well, I have my sights on Tipperary at least, but no one played the Rocky Theme for me last night... Dinner was pork and sauerkraut at home.

 

Movie Watch: Anne and I saw The Wackness on Saturday afternoon (before we went to see Raymond The Amish Comic). I'm not sure everyone will like it, but I thought it was good, lotsa Nineties references, and Ben Kingsley as a doped-up psychiatrist was worth the price of admission even if we did see it at home.

 

Movie Watch 2: Electric Boogaloo We also saw Gran Torino on Sunday afternoon, with Perry, Didi and her friend Sarah, downtown at the Boyd. If you've ever heard the cliche "I laughed, I cried," about a movie, well for this one it's true. Totally awesome, highly recommended.

 

Tonight is the gym, and tomorrow will be a road ride in lieu of yoga -- hey it'll be almost 60 degrees out! Meantime, here's a part of Friday night's ride.