Anyone who can correctly identify the city I'm in by these two photos, wins the chance to MTB with me tomorrow morning (or afternoon; I'm flexible!).
Good Luck!
Hint: These were taken from our hotel room window, facing south.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful . . .
So, stay inside by the fire silly!
To everyone who routinely drops in here, thanks for stopping by in 2008. I just want to wish all of you a safe and Happy Holiday!
Now, go drink some egg-nog or something.
Nothing more to see here.
To everyone who routinely drops in here, thanks for stopping by in 2008. I just want to wish all of you a safe and Happy Holiday!
Now, go drink some egg-nog or something.
Nothing more to see here.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Faded from the Winter
Is it actually winter yet? I think it officially started on Saturday. Who cares. I am sick of it already. I know, I know; I was going to be all positive and think happy thoughts in 2009. Screw that. Besides, 2009 isn't here yet. I still have time to be grumpy.
A weekend long blizzard has a way of changing a guys attitude. If we had received say 4 or 5 inches of snow, I would have spent the weekend gladly ski in the woods. We got 18 instead. Or more. I know I have shoveled at least that much off my deck. I have pushed more than my share of cars out of snowbanks and up the driveway. And I have filled bird feeders, standing in snow up to my ass. I haven't gotten to the fun part of winter yet folks.
Too much time indoors messes with your head too. I had to get out on Saturday and ride the bike around for a bit just to keep my sanity. And to keep from reenacting Jack Nicholson's "heeeere's Johnny!" segment from the Shining. Cabin fever is real people. And more cowbell is not the cure. Music and reading did serve to calm the savage beast, but its only a stop-gap. I might have to bring out the big guns: the snow sleds. Maybe bustin' a move around the trees behind the house will help to work off some of that latent hostility. Let's hope so. Hate to see anyone get hurt.
Of course, I am kidding (sort of). But a little sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures would go a long way to improving my demenor right now. Let's just hope that we don't have to wait too long until that happens! Could get ugly here.
Speaking of ugly, this is my favorite song of the Season. Enjoy!
A weekend long blizzard has a way of changing a guys attitude. If we had received say 4 or 5 inches of snow, I would have spent the weekend gladly ski in the woods. We got 18 instead. Or more. I know I have shoveled at least that much off my deck. I have pushed more than my share of cars out of snowbanks and up the driveway. And I have filled bird feeders, standing in snow up to my ass. I haven't gotten to the fun part of winter yet folks.
Too much time indoors messes with your head too. I had to get out on Saturday and ride the bike around for a bit just to keep my sanity. And to keep from reenacting Jack Nicholson's "heeeere's Johnny!" segment from the Shining. Cabin fever is real people. And more cowbell is not the cure. Music and reading did serve to calm the savage beast, but its only a stop-gap. I might have to bring out the big guns: the snow sleds. Maybe bustin' a move around the trees behind the house will help to work off some of that latent hostility. Let's hope so. Hate to see anyone get hurt.
Of course, I am kidding (sort of). But a little sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures would go a long way to improving my demenor right now. Let's just hope that we don't have to wait too long until that happens! Could get ugly here.
Speaking of ugly, this is my favorite song of the Season. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Like Spinning Plates
Well, it has been back to the basement since this weekends mud fest. I was able to finally fully cleanse (watch it!) the Trek to like-new condition. But man, what a mess. And now Danielle is telling me they are thinking of holding a second, Cross-Vegas style event at the same venue, this time under the lights! I might be interested if the lights are heat-lamps! The reason for all of this football field action is the school plans to install artificial turf for next season, so they have no problems with a bunch of bike riders tearing it up. And we are happy to oblige.
We are cold and snowy and windy and tired of it already. This early winter is for the birds. I do hope to get out and ski this weekend, so that may help my cabin fever. Wait, I think I see sunshine outside! HOLY CRAP; it is! Excellent. No more massive doses of Vitamin D for me now!
I was reading at our local cyclocross series website (http://www.kisscross.com/) that they are planning a spring event titled "Barry-Roubaix" (it will be held in Barry County) that will be a killer gravel road race! Sounds pretty cool. They mention multiple distances of 19 miles (beginners), 31 miles (sport/expert) and 62 miles (elite). The main ingredients of this event are: gravel, bikes and beer. I believe I am interested in all three of those! The date is March 28th which is a very iffy time weather-wise here in MI. Could be snow, could be rain, could be both. Sunshine is optional. If your interested, come on up and join in. I would be glad to host anyone at our place who is foolish enough to want to participate. Let me know.
Last of all, I just wanted to post another video of me training on the rollers. I am getting pretty good at it now and it even seems to be having an effect on my appearance. For some reason, I am looking a bit androgynous but younger; so its all good! Enjoy.
We are cold and snowy and windy and tired of it already. This early winter is for the birds. I do hope to get out and ski this weekend, so that may help my cabin fever. Wait, I think I see sunshine outside! HOLY CRAP; it is! Excellent. No more massive doses of Vitamin D for me now!
I was reading at our local cyclocross series website (http://www.kisscross.com/) that they are planning a spring event titled "Barry-Roubaix" (it will be held in Barry County) that will be a killer gravel road race! Sounds pretty cool. They mention multiple distances of 19 miles (beginners), 31 miles (sport/expert) and 62 miles (elite). The main ingredients of this event are: gravel, bikes and beer. I believe I am interested in all three of those! The date is March 28th which is a very iffy time weather-wise here in MI. Could be snow, could be rain, could be both. Sunshine is optional. If your interested, come on up and join in. I would be glad to host anyone at our place who is foolish enough to want to participate. Let me know.
Last of all, I just wanted to post another video of me training on the rollers. I am getting pretty good at it now and it even seems to be having an effect on my appearance. For some reason, I am looking a bit androgynous but younger; so its all good! Enjoy.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Let's Get Ready to Stumble!
Wow. That was fun. In a painful, Bataan Death March sort of a way. I had anticipated that the race might be a little sloppy given the rainy, sort of warm weather that moved in Saturday night, but I underestimated by about the length of a football field.
Right here I have to thank my sponsors (me), for giving me just a great set of racing tires.
But I digress. Back to the cheerleading event. The girls were shaky in the first round, much shakier in the second but finally seemed to gel in the third segment. The third round is the “throwing the little girls in the air and catching them” portion of the competition and thankfully, my daughter is a thrower and not a throw-ee. They had some nice moves and were pretty steady but it wasn’t enough to make up for the mistakes in the first two rounds. They finished last in their division, but they were up against larger schools that they normally would not compete against. Regardless, they have their work cut out for them. And as a nice cap to their day, they (including my daughter) returned to the locker room at the end of the match to find that someone had gone through their bags and stole money, iPods and even a cell phone! Thanks Comstock Park Public Schools for doing such a great job policing this event and making sure the girl’s belongings were protected! Pretty damn sad.
Later that night as I was getting my stuff together for the next day, I considered changing bikes for Sunday’s race. With the warming weather and rain coming down (40 degree temps; down right balmy!), it seemed like it might be to my benefit to use the single-speed MTB instead of the cross bike. But, given the fact that I had gone to all the trouble to buy new treads and install them on the bike specifically for this race, I decided to stick with the CX bike. Wrong. Looking back on it now, I know I would have been faster on the SS. I did not need many gears for this course but what’s done is done. I will say, despite the horrible course conditions (wait until you see some of the later photos!), the new tires were awesome. I did not slip or fall once during the race and given some of the awkward off-camber sections of the course, it is amazing that they held as well as they did. Thanks again to Sydney for the suggestion to go with the Schwalbe CX Pro’s!
At the starting line the older guys had to wait the mandatory 2 minutes behind the B Group starters and it was painfully cold. There was a brisk wind blowing across the football field that cut right through you and Martin Hall suggested we skip the first turn and ride right over to the bar instead! Needless to say, that got a big thumbs up from the field. The start was a run on pavement directly behind the football stadium where most of the course was laid out. The first turn through the grass was muddy, but not half as bad as the next section coming just after a climb up the stairs to the top of the bleachers and then a short steep twisting pavement section back down. The course then ran around the edge of the stadium along a grass slope and it was very off-camber. Without the right tires you could not ride it, especially because it was quickly becoming a mudslide due to the B’s and C’s racing ahead of us. I think I actually rode that section all the way through only once (maybe twice?). Then we were into the stadium which actually ran through the football field which had been plowed down to the grass to form the letters HUP. As far as I was concerned, that was the slowest section of the course. The grass was firm and held up to the bikes, but it was soft and squishy and offered a ton of resistance. You actually had to get out of the saddle and hammer like it was a hill to maintain any speed. After rounding the goalpost at the end of the field, you came to the second set of stairs which led back up to the concourse.
At the top, there was a short pavement section and then down into the grass for another off-camber area that saw many falls during the race. A number of them just in front of me! I actually passed a few people there by simply staying upright and on the bike. Following that was another the paved concourse on the backside of the stadium (with a tricky dip into the grass behind a light post) and then back down into the slop. The very back section of the course went out into the woods and reminded me of those mud bog truck events you see on ESPN or the SPEED channel! You had to hit the gas and just keep pedaling. I think that section of the course was faster than any other due to a layer of frozen hard ground under the mud. There were some tricky deep holes but if you watched for them, it was a place to make up some ground. The last portion of the course came back into the stadium and onto the grass again. It was also off-camber and got so bad after the second lap I just jumped off and ran the entire section, pushing the bike. By the end of the race, your feet were completely submerged in mud in that area! The final stretch of the course was back onto the pavement and back to the start finish line. It seemed like I was spending most of that part of the course trying to clear my shoes of glob. That pavement may have been the only place I shifted to a higher gear the whole race!
The organizers had planned an end of season party at the local Holland Brewery after the race which included much beer and pizza and awesome prizes (like Cross frames and forks awesome!). But Rene was leaving today for another full week in Minnesota (she had been there all of last week as well) so I really needed to get home. I usually stick around to watch the A’s race, but didn’t even do that this time. Once I was reasonably clean and the bike was on the car, I headed home. Sort of a bummer end to a great short season of racing. But the baked ziti and veggies we had for dinner were awesome!
I have to say I really love this new-found sport of Cyclocross racing and just want to thank everyone who encouraged me to get out there and mix it up. Despite the dirt and mud and cold, it has been a ball and I only wish I had jumped in sooner. One additional little item from yesterday. Just after getting back on the bike on the 3rd lap or so, a guy in my category passes me and as he goes by he said “I dig your blog” or something to that affect! I answered a half coherent “thanks” but must admit I have no idea who he was! Pretty cool of him to say so and I appreciate the comment. Blogging has been a wonderful new connection for me to the greater world out there. Getting to know people who not only share my love of cycling but also those who have interests in other areas such as music and politics has really been wonderful. Thanks again to anyone who checks in here from time to time; I really enjoy sharing it with you.
Right here I have to thank my sponsors (me), for giving me just a great set of racing tires.
While all the rest of the bikes out there were slipping and sliding, especially up in the marbles, (the first turn coming out of the second stair section), my CX Pro’s held on and did not let me down. I also want to thank Velo City, Founders Beer and the folks from CX Cowbells Unlimited. Couldn’t have finished the race without them! Also, my new C-dale gloves worked like a charm, so no cold fingers this time.
But before we get into the nitty and the gritty, let’s go back to Saturday for a moment. We attended my daughter Lauren’s first season cheerleading competition which was an invitational hosted by the Comstock Park team. There were 15-20 teams and 4 divisions, so it was a long day. So long, that I actually ran out and bought some beer during a break! No, not for the girls; for me. And I need to stop here and send a note of thanks to Chris “the Man” in Texas for his suggestion of Shiner Holiday Cheer. Mmmm, good.
But I digress. Back to the cheerleading event. The girls were shaky in the first round, much shakier in the second but finally seemed to gel in the third segment. The third round is the “throwing the little girls in the air and catching them” portion of the competition and thankfully, my daughter is a thrower and not a throw-ee. They had some nice moves and were pretty steady but it wasn’t enough to make up for the mistakes in the first two rounds. They finished last in their division, but they were up against larger schools that they normally would not compete against. Regardless, they have their work cut out for them. And as a nice cap to their day, they (including my daughter) returned to the locker room at the end of the match to find that someone had gone through their bags and stole money, iPods and even a cell phone! Thanks Comstock Park Public Schools for doing such a great job policing this event and making sure the girl’s belongings were protected! Pretty damn sad.
Later that night as I was getting my stuff together for the next day, I considered changing bikes for Sunday’s race. With the warming weather and rain coming down (40 degree temps; down right balmy!), it seemed like it might be to my benefit to use the single-speed MTB instead of the cross bike. But, given the fact that I had gone to all the trouble to buy new treads and install them on the bike specifically for this race, I decided to stick with the CX bike. Wrong. Looking back on it now, I know I would have been faster on the SS. I did not need many gears for this course but what’s done is done. I will say, despite the horrible course conditions (wait until you see some of the later photos!), the new tires were awesome. I did not slip or fall once during the race and given some of the awkward off-camber sections of the course, it is amazing that they held as well as they did. Thanks again to Sydney for the suggestion to go with the Schwalbe CX Pro’s!
At the starting line the older guys had to wait the mandatory 2 minutes behind the B Group starters and it was painfully cold. There was a brisk wind blowing across the football field that cut right through you and Martin Hall suggested we skip the first turn and ride right over to the bar instead! Needless to say, that got a big thumbs up from the field. The start was a run on pavement directly behind the football stadium where most of the course was laid out. The first turn through the grass was muddy, but not half as bad as the next section coming just after a climb up the stairs to the top of the bleachers and then a short steep twisting pavement section back down. The course then ran around the edge of the stadium along a grass slope and it was very off-camber. Without the right tires you could not ride it, especially because it was quickly becoming a mudslide due to the B’s and C’s racing ahead of us. I think I actually rode that section all the way through only once (maybe twice?). Then we were into the stadium which actually ran through the football field which had been plowed down to the grass to form the letters HUP. As far as I was concerned, that was the slowest section of the course. The grass was firm and held up to the bikes, but it was soft and squishy and offered a ton of resistance. You actually had to get out of the saddle and hammer like it was a hill to maintain any speed. After rounding the goalpost at the end of the field, you came to the second set of stairs which led back up to the concourse.
At the top, there was a short pavement section and then down into the grass for another off-camber area that saw many falls during the race. A number of them just in front of me! I actually passed a few people there by simply staying upright and on the bike. Following that was another the paved concourse on the backside of the stadium (with a tricky dip into the grass behind a light post) and then back down into the slop. The very back section of the course went out into the woods and reminded me of those mud bog truck events you see on ESPN or the SPEED channel! You had to hit the gas and just keep pedaling. I think that section of the course was faster than any other due to a layer of frozen hard ground under the mud. There were some tricky deep holes but if you watched for them, it was a place to make up some ground. The last portion of the course came back into the stadium and onto the grass again. It was also off-camber and got so bad after the second lap I just jumped off and ran the entire section, pushing the bike. By the end of the race, your feet were completely submerged in mud in that area! The final stretch of the course was back onto the pavement and back to the start finish line. It seemed like I was spending most of that part of the course trying to clear my shoes of glob. That pavement may have been the only place I shifted to a higher gear the whole race!
After the 2nd lap, I was sure I was not going to finish. My feet were wet and it felt like I was spending more time off the bike than on, but I decided to stick it out one more lap. After 3, I realized I could make it. In the last 3 laps I actually passed a few (emphasis on few!) riders including a couple back marker B’s in the very last segment. It wasn’t pretty but I did not finish DFL this week and I may have even moved up a couple spots (make that one spot; 22 out of 26) from the last race.
Needless to say, my bike and I were a mess afterwards. I had to strip down to my shorts in the cold outside the car to avoid getting the whole interior dirty. That even including standing in the parking lot in my bare feet to take my shoes off! I was not well prepared for the level of messiness from this race and could have used a couple gallon jugs of water to clean up. I did have a little left in my water bottle but it was not enough to make a dent in this grime.
The organizers had planned an end of season party at the local Holland Brewery after the race which included much beer and pizza and awesome prizes (like Cross frames and forks awesome!). But Rene was leaving today for another full week in Minnesota (she had been there all of last week as well) so I really needed to get home. I usually stick around to watch the A’s race, but didn’t even do that this time. Once I was reasonably clean and the bike was on the car, I headed home. Sort of a bummer end to a great short season of racing. But the baked ziti and veggies we had for dinner were awesome!
I have to say I really love this new-found sport of Cyclocross racing and just want to thank everyone who encouraged me to get out there and mix it up. Despite the dirt and mud and cold, it has been a ball and I only wish I had jumped in sooner. One additional little item from yesterday. Just after getting back on the bike on the 3rd lap or so, a guy in my category passes me and as he goes by he said “I dig your blog” or something to that affect! I answered a half coherent “thanks” but must admit I have no idea who he was! Pretty cool of him to say so and I appreciate the comment. Blogging has been a wonderful new connection for me to the greater world out there. Getting to know people who not only share my love of cycling but also those who have interests in other areas such as music and politics has really been wonderful. Thanks again to anyone who checks in here from time to time; I really enjoy sharing it with you.
Back to the grind today. It will be another long week with Rene in Minneapolis and that combined with the awesome frigid cold weather that showed up here today just makes it that much more painful! Guess it is back to the basement and the rollers again for the foreseeable future. Hope everyone had a little less grubby and warmer weekend than I did!
Had to add this to the blog! Great video of the race. Watch out, it's very dirty!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Sixpence, None the Richer
Thanks to Bonnie, I have once again been asked to open up the secret vault and reveal six deep seated secrets about me that might better be left buried. I could be over-exaggerating that issue just a tad, but we’ll see. If I remember correctly, I was asked to do this about a year ago and at that time, it was seven things about you that almost no one knows. Has the weaken economy and general downsizing come to the blog-sphere? Regardless, in no particular order, here is my list:
1. I want to be a World Rally Championship driver and have for some time. Despite my dedication to protecting the environment, expanding the use of the bicycle and generally trying to limit my interaction with the automobile, I secretly want someone to bankroll my dream of driving for Team Citroen. The opportunity to drive a 4-wheel drive rally car down Swedish country roads covered in ice and snow at speeds approaching 100 mph (150 kph!) would be a dream come true. And the pay isn’t bad either! Of course, no one is knocking down my door to take over Sebastian Loeb’s seat. But he was injured earlier this year in a fall from his mountain bike, so I am waiting patiently by the phone just in case that should happen again.
2. Before 1982, I had never traveled west of the Mississippi River. Ever. That was the year my then college girlfriend’s parents bought me a ticket and flew me from Detroit down to St. Louis for a visit. And to eventually drive back to Detroit with her for school. That flight actually was only the second time I had ever been on a plane as well. My parents were never big on traveling. We typically stayed in Michigan, often in pop-up trailers at MI State campgrounds or in motels in Charlevoix or Traverse City. I think we went to the U.P. one summer for a week and stayed in a cabin up there. Sort of like traveling to another state! Other than trips to Indiana to visit my step mom’s relatives or my first plane flight to Florida, we never went anywhere. That trip was to visit my grand parents who were living for the winter in Coco Beach and to see DisneyWorld which had just opened the year before (1971 I think). Me, my mom and my two brothers. I think I was in 8th grade then. My dad didn’t come because he was too busy at work. Supposedly. It was the trip from hell. Not only was it a week in Florida staying with old people at a condo complex filled with more old people, but my mom was determined to visit every freakin’ stupid, lame, predictable tourist trap in the State. We went to Weeki Wachee to see the mermaids, Cypress Garden’s to see the flowers and the skiers and finally, to SeaWorld (which had also just opened). I was so pissed off and bored by the time we got to SeaWorld I refused to go in and sat in the car by myself all afternoon. Ah, the good ol’ days! When a kid could be left in a car and the parents wouldn’t be arrested for child endangerment. Later that week I met a kid who lived in a nearby condo place (we were playing hoops at the park) and eventually went to his house for dinner. It was me, him and his mom. I had to get away from my family, so I just went. Of course, I neglected to tell my mom before doing so. Needless to say, I caught hell when I got back. So, what was the point of this one again? Oh, yeah. Vacations. Not my favorite thing to do as a kid.
3. My wife and I met at our class reunion. Embarrassing as that sounds, it was the best day of my life. And nothing has been the same since. That day I had breakfast and played golf in the morning with buddies from high school at a local course in our home town. By the 7th hole, we had had had a few beers and some of the guys were chased off the course by the groundskeeper for reckless cart endangerment! Afterwards, I went home (I was living at my parents house, having just moved back a few months before from Washington D.C.) and decided to rest up for the nights Class Reunion festivities by getting in the hot tub. It was July and 80 something degrees outside and I thought sitting in a hot tub after consuming a couple beers and playing 9 holes of golf was a good idea. Nothing can go wrong here. Wrong. I fell asleep. And my parents were not home. But for whatever reason, I did not drown or have a heart attack (obviously) despite the stupidity of my actions. But was in there for awhile. After I managed to regain consciousness, I sobered up and got going out to dinner with some pals before the Reunion. We made it to the event late and most of my classmates were already there. This was 1987 and a time when Miami Vice fever was gripping the nation. I was a fan. So, to make that point painfully obvious to everyone in attendance, I wore white linen pants, with no belt, white slip on loafers (no socks of course) and a cable knit mint green v-neck sweater. The hair was slicked back. There might have been a gold chain in there some where; my notes are fuzzy on the accessories. Needless to say, I was stylin’! I spent most of the evening high fiving my ex-sports buddies, talking with old girlfriends and sampling the “punch”. At one point, my best friend said he was heading to get another drink and I struck up a conversation with Rene (my wife) while waiting for him to come back. I think at some point, we decided to dance and well, the rest is history. She fell madly in love with me and we lived happily ever after. Okay, I might have over-simplified the past 21 years, but you get the idea. Regardless, despite my embarrassing attire, she decided that I was not a criminal and 6 months later, we got hitched. And I moved into her mobile home trailer. With her two kids. And 3 cats. And we lived happily ever after; for real this time!
4. When I was a kid, baseball was just about everything I cared about. Well, I liked to build car models too. I had Sox and Martin’s Dodge, the Little Red Wagon and both the Snake and the Mongoose Funny cars. But, I digress. From age 8 or so, I lived for summer and baseball. When I was in 6th grade, my dad brought home a catchers mitt that was given to him by a guy who caught for the Cubbies. He was just the bullpen guy, but it was still cool. That is when I decided to be a catcher. The mitt is still at my parent’s house. I will get a picture at Christmas and post it along with some other memorabilia that is sitting in their basement, collecting dust. Like my G.I. Joes. But again, I have gotten off track here. The point I was trying to make was to tell you about our secret baseball field. Not much of a secret given the fact that it was just behind my house. But my point was, only a couple of guys played there and we guarded it like Fort Knox. The field was approximately 70 feet wide first to third (a normal field is 128 approximately) , hemmed in on three sides by a chainlink fence (it was between three bordering neighbor’s yards) but the outfield was wide open and a hundred yards deep. And featured an 8 foot tall hedgerow (which is still there; remind me to get a picture of that too) right down the middle of centerfield. So, needless to say, we only needed a right and left fielder. Center was an automatic double. If the ball went in there, that was all you got. And often, you had to halt the game and go in with the guys to find the ball. We didn’t have many, so it had to be retrieved. At this point, I want to say that any parallels to the movie “Sandlot” are coincidental. But that movie could have been me and my buddies every summer as a kid. That is why I love watching it too. We had rival teams and a homemade dugout and backstop. And sometimes, we actually played with only 3 guys. Two in the field and one up to bat. Ghost runners and one outfield side was an automatic out (changed every inning just to keep things interesting). We would play like that for hours. Only stopping to eat lunch at one of our houses and when the sun went down. Greatest days of my life. Just about. My kid’s births were pretty darn awesome too. But I would give anything to go back and just hang by the fence again, waiting for my turn to pick up the Carl Yastrzemski bat and double one into the hedgerow.
5. I used to steal (a lot) when I was a kid. Money from my dad’s dresser, candy from grandmothers cupboards or later, things from stores. I took baseball cards from buddy’s boxes when they were in the bathroom, food from their kitchen when their mom was outside hanging laundry; even toys from a sandbox. It lasted into my teenage years. I once took a baseball from a hardware store. My dad and I had gone there to get some home fix-it materials and I wandered over to the sporting goods section (that is where kids bought sports equipment before MC, Dick’s Sporting Goods or the Internet) to check out the mitts. I was testing a glove with one of the balls and when my dad said it was time to go, I just walked out with the ball (also, no alarm systems at entrances back then either!). When we got to the car, my dad saw the ball and asked if I had paid for it. Realizing I had been nabbed, I started crying and told him that it was an accident and I just forgot. So, he dragged me back in and told me to apologize to the owner, who said “no problem” and I went on to steal again. The last time was junior high. Buddy’s and I went to the Kroger store (it is a Village Bike shop now) and pilfered baseball cards and candy, shoving it down our pants and calmly walking out. It worked the first couple of times, but eventually a guy in the barber shop who watched us come back again and again, pulling candy out of our pants, eating it right around the corner from the front door, decided to call the store. We went back for one more haul and as we rounded the corner, realized our bikes were no longer leaning against the outside wall. It didn’t take long for us to catch on and we high-tailed it out to the adjacent field and eventually back home. But now, my bike was in the manager’s office at the store. And eventually, I would have to fabricate a lie to explain where it went. So, I fessed up. Right about the time, the store called and asked to speak with my dad. We had to go down to the store and talk with the manager. Afterwards, they said that I was not welcome in their store again. Ever. That was it. No cops, no court date, no community service. But there was pain. Big time. After my dad finished beating me (with a belt; and I deserved it), I had my bike taken away along with leaving the house, watching TV and friends over. For a month. And it was a month. Not two weeks for good behavior. 30 days of hell. Yard work, scraping paint, picking weeds, washing dishes every night, etc. You know; good ol’ fashion punishment. And I learned from it. Not to say that I have never taken home a pen from the office or drove over the speed limit, but it was a lesson learned. I hate to say it, but I am not that good of a parent myself. My kids have never, really had to pay the price for anything like I did. And I deserved it. I don’t even want to go into the story about the field I set on fire! Nothing good down that road. No lives or property lost, but lets just say, playing with lighters; BAD!
6. I hate my profession. It is not what I signed up for. When the high school counselor recommended I look into it, I had visions of fame, fortune and travel. And in college those ideals were reinforced. Philosophy of design, the architect’s grand vision and its impact on cities and nations of the world. Any mention to say a girlfriend’s parents of my college major, brought an instant, positive reaction. And why not? Frank Lloyd Wright was a name everyone knew, even if they had no clue what he designed. And Mr. Brady (Bunch); come on, the guy was a god! But seriously, there was a time when people would say the dream professions were doctor, lawyer, astronaut or architect. And of course, it went without saying that all of those jobs paid about the same as well. Wrong. I started working full-time in 1985 and the best deal I could find (in Washington D.C. mind you) was $14,500. A year. And I took it. With excitement and an eye on the prize. It was just a matter of time. Put in your dues and the good life comes knocking at your door. But mostly, I had intentions of making my mark. Of having an impact. Designing great buildings, working with interesting, important clients and traveling the world. Boy, was I naive. I labored 3 years to get my hours in and took the licensing exam so that one day I was able to legally call myself an Architect. And clients could now, legally sue me for any mistakes I made. Happy days! The reality of this profession (at least today anyway) is a lot of mediocrity, filled with ridiculous deadlines, endless paper work and paper shuffling, working with clients who have no grand visions (or understanding of what we do) and accepting fees that would be embarrassing to a public defense lawyer. There are no headlines or travel to exotic lands. The local paper even has a standing policy to avoid mentioning the architectural firms name in any article concerning a new project in town. The developer gets interviewed as does the contractor and if you didn’t know better, you would assume they design it as well! It is just a thankless profession with poor pay, no benefits or opportunity for advancement and very few pats on the back. Maybe its just me, but I want something more out of my 40+ hours a week than just enough to make the house payment and a maybe a gift certificate to Meijer at Christmas. There has to be something more fulfilling out there to do every day than this. And I hope to find it. Eventually. It would be great to work in a community setting, having an positive impact in peoples daily lives that doesn’t involve selling your soul. I will keep searching for that slice of the dream. And when I find it, maybe there will even be some travel involved. The French countryside is beautiful in early July. I know that because I have seen it on TV. During the Tour De France broadcasts!
Well, there it is. A bit wordy, I know. Sorry about that. Most of you check out at number 4 I’m sure, but those of you still here; thanks for listening. Any of you who are interested in jumping in and giving us a peek behind the green curtain, are welcome to do so. Have a great weekend!
1. I want to be a World Rally Championship driver and have for some time. Despite my dedication to protecting the environment, expanding the use of the bicycle and generally trying to limit my interaction with the automobile, I secretly want someone to bankroll my dream of driving for Team Citroen. The opportunity to drive a 4-wheel drive rally car down Swedish country roads covered in ice and snow at speeds approaching 100 mph (150 kph!) would be a dream come true. And the pay isn’t bad either! Of course, no one is knocking down my door to take over Sebastian Loeb’s seat. But he was injured earlier this year in a fall from his mountain bike, so I am waiting patiently by the phone just in case that should happen again.
2. Before 1982, I had never traveled west of the Mississippi River. Ever. That was the year my then college girlfriend’s parents bought me a ticket and flew me from Detroit down to St. Louis for a visit. And to eventually drive back to Detroit with her for school. That flight actually was only the second time I had ever been on a plane as well. My parents were never big on traveling. We typically stayed in Michigan, often in pop-up trailers at MI State campgrounds or in motels in Charlevoix or Traverse City. I think we went to the U.P. one summer for a week and stayed in a cabin up there. Sort of like traveling to another state! Other than trips to Indiana to visit my step mom’s relatives or my first plane flight to Florida, we never went anywhere. That trip was to visit my grand parents who were living for the winter in Coco Beach and to see DisneyWorld which had just opened the year before (1971 I think). Me, my mom and my two brothers. I think I was in 8th grade then. My dad didn’t come because he was too busy at work. Supposedly. It was the trip from hell. Not only was it a week in Florida staying with old people at a condo complex filled with more old people, but my mom was determined to visit every freakin’ stupid, lame, predictable tourist trap in the State. We went to Weeki Wachee to see the mermaids, Cypress Garden’s to see the flowers and the skiers and finally, to SeaWorld (which had also just opened). I was so pissed off and bored by the time we got to SeaWorld I refused to go in and sat in the car by myself all afternoon. Ah, the good ol’ days! When a kid could be left in a car and the parents wouldn’t be arrested for child endangerment. Later that week I met a kid who lived in a nearby condo place (we were playing hoops at the park) and eventually went to his house for dinner. It was me, him and his mom. I had to get away from my family, so I just went. Of course, I neglected to tell my mom before doing so. Needless to say, I caught hell when I got back. So, what was the point of this one again? Oh, yeah. Vacations. Not my favorite thing to do as a kid.
3. My wife and I met at our class reunion. Embarrassing as that sounds, it was the best day of my life. And nothing has been the same since. That day I had breakfast and played golf in the morning with buddies from high school at a local course in our home town. By the 7th hole, we had had had a few beers and some of the guys were chased off the course by the groundskeeper for reckless cart endangerment! Afterwards, I went home (I was living at my parents house, having just moved back a few months before from Washington D.C.) and decided to rest up for the nights Class Reunion festivities by getting in the hot tub. It was July and 80 something degrees outside and I thought sitting in a hot tub after consuming a couple beers and playing 9 holes of golf was a good idea. Nothing can go wrong here. Wrong. I fell asleep. And my parents were not home. But for whatever reason, I did not drown or have a heart attack (obviously) despite the stupidity of my actions. But was in there for awhile. After I managed to regain consciousness, I sobered up and got going out to dinner with some pals before the Reunion. We made it to the event late and most of my classmates were already there. This was 1987 and a time when Miami Vice fever was gripping the nation. I was a fan. So, to make that point painfully obvious to everyone in attendance, I wore white linen pants, with no belt, white slip on loafers (no socks of course) and a cable knit mint green v-neck sweater. The hair was slicked back. There might have been a gold chain in there some where; my notes are fuzzy on the accessories. Needless to say, I was stylin’! I spent most of the evening high fiving my ex-sports buddies, talking with old girlfriends and sampling the “punch”. At one point, my best friend said he was heading to get another drink and I struck up a conversation with Rene (my wife) while waiting for him to come back. I think at some point, we decided to dance and well, the rest is history. She fell madly in love with me and we lived happily ever after. Okay, I might have over-simplified the past 21 years, but you get the idea. Regardless, despite my embarrassing attire, she decided that I was not a criminal and 6 months later, we got hitched. And I moved into her mobile home trailer. With her two kids. And 3 cats. And we lived happily ever after; for real this time!
4. When I was a kid, baseball was just about everything I cared about. Well, I liked to build car models too. I had Sox and Martin’s Dodge, the Little Red Wagon and both the Snake and the Mongoose Funny cars. But, I digress. From age 8 or so, I lived for summer and baseball. When I was in 6th grade, my dad brought home a catchers mitt that was given to him by a guy who caught for the Cubbies. He was just the bullpen guy, but it was still cool. That is when I decided to be a catcher. The mitt is still at my parent’s house. I will get a picture at Christmas and post it along with some other memorabilia that is sitting in their basement, collecting dust. Like my G.I. Joes. But again, I have gotten off track here. The point I was trying to make was to tell you about our secret baseball field. Not much of a secret given the fact that it was just behind my house. But my point was, only a couple of guys played there and we guarded it like Fort Knox. The field was approximately 70 feet wide first to third (a normal field is 128 approximately) , hemmed in on three sides by a chainlink fence (it was between three bordering neighbor’s yards) but the outfield was wide open and a hundred yards deep. And featured an 8 foot tall hedgerow (which is still there; remind me to get a picture of that too) right down the middle of centerfield. So, needless to say, we only needed a right and left fielder. Center was an automatic double. If the ball went in there, that was all you got. And often, you had to halt the game and go in with the guys to find the ball. We didn’t have many, so it had to be retrieved. At this point, I want to say that any parallels to the movie “Sandlot” are coincidental. But that movie could have been me and my buddies every summer as a kid. That is why I love watching it too. We had rival teams and a homemade dugout and backstop. And sometimes, we actually played with only 3 guys. Two in the field and one up to bat. Ghost runners and one outfield side was an automatic out (changed every inning just to keep things interesting). We would play like that for hours. Only stopping to eat lunch at one of our houses and when the sun went down. Greatest days of my life. Just about. My kid’s births were pretty darn awesome too. But I would give anything to go back and just hang by the fence again, waiting for my turn to pick up the Carl Yastrzemski bat and double one into the hedgerow.
5. I used to steal (a lot) when I was a kid. Money from my dad’s dresser, candy from grandmothers cupboards or later, things from stores. I took baseball cards from buddy’s boxes when they were in the bathroom, food from their kitchen when their mom was outside hanging laundry; even toys from a sandbox. It lasted into my teenage years. I once took a baseball from a hardware store. My dad and I had gone there to get some home fix-it materials and I wandered over to the sporting goods section (that is where kids bought sports equipment before MC, Dick’s Sporting Goods or the Internet) to check out the mitts. I was testing a glove with one of the balls and when my dad said it was time to go, I just walked out with the ball (also, no alarm systems at entrances back then either!). When we got to the car, my dad saw the ball and asked if I had paid for it. Realizing I had been nabbed, I started crying and told him that it was an accident and I just forgot. So, he dragged me back in and told me to apologize to the owner, who said “no problem” and I went on to steal again. The last time was junior high. Buddy’s and I went to the Kroger store (it is a Village Bike shop now) and pilfered baseball cards and candy, shoving it down our pants and calmly walking out. It worked the first couple of times, but eventually a guy in the barber shop who watched us come back again and again, pulling candy out of our pants, eating it right around the corner from the front door, decided to call the store. We went back for one more haul and as we rounded the corner, realized our bikes were no longer leaning against the outside wall. It didn’t take long for us to catch on and we high-tailed it out to the adjacent field and eventually back home. But now, my bike was in the manager’s office at the store. And eventually, I would have to fabricate a lie to explain where it went. So, I fessed up. Right about the time, the store called and asked to speak with my dad. We had to go down to the store and talk with the manager. Afterwards, they said that I was not welcome in their store again. Ever. That was it. No cops, no court date, no community service. But there was pain. Big time. After my dad finished beating me (with a belt; and I deserved it), I had my bike taken away along with leaving the house, watching TV and friends over. For a month. And it was a month. Not two weeks for good behavior. 30 days of hell. Yard work, scraping paint, picking weeds, washing dishes every night, etc. You know; good ol’ fashion punishment. And I learned from it. Not to say that I have never taken home a pen from the office or drove over the speed limit, but it was a lesson learned. I hate to say it, but I am not that good of a parent myself. My kids have never, really had to pay the price for anything like I did. And I deserved it. I don’t even want to go into the story about the field I set on fire! Nothing good down that road. No lives or property lost, but lets just say, playing with lighters; BAD!
6. I hate my profession. It is not what I signed up for. When the high school counselor recommended I look into it, I had visions of fame, fortune and travel. And in college those ideals were reinforced. Philosophy of design, the architect’s grand vision and its impact on cities and nations of the world. Any mention to say a girlfriend’s parents of my college major, brought an instant, positive reaction. And why not? Frank Lloyd Wright was a name everyone knew, even if they had no clue what he designed. And Mr. Brady (Bunch); come on, the guy was a god! But seriously, there was a time when people would say the dream professions were doctor, lawyer, astronaut or architect. And of course, it went without saying that all of those jobs paid about the same as well. Wrong. I started working full-time in 1985 and the best deal I could find (in Washington D.C. mind you) was $14,500. A year. And I took it. With excitement and an eye on the prize. It was just a matter of time. Put in your dues and the good life comes knocking at your door. But mostly, I had intentions of making my mark. Of having an impact. Designing great buildings, working with interesting, important clients and traveling the world. Boy, was I naive. I labored 3 years to get my hours in and took the licensing exam so that one day I was able to legally call myself an Architect. And clients could now, legally sue me for any mistakes I made. Happy days! The reality of this profession (at least today anyway) is a lot of mediocrity, filled with ridiculous deadlines, endless paper work and paper shuffling, working with clients who have no grand visions (or understanding of what we do) and accepting fees that would be embarrassing to a public defense lawyer. There are no headlines or travel to exotic lands. The local paper even has a standing policy to avoid mentioning the architectural firms name in any article concerning a new project in town. The developer gets interviewed as does the contractor and if you didn’t know better, you would assume they design it as well! It is just a thankless profession with poor pay, no benefits or opportunity for advancement and very few pats on the back. Maybe its just me, but I want something more out of my 40+ hours a week than just enough to make the house payment and a maybe a gift certificate to Meijer at Christmas. There has to be something more fulfilling out there to do every day than this. And I hope to find it. Eventually. It would be great to work in a community setting, having an positive impact in peoples daily lives that doesn’t involve selling your soul. I will keep searching for that slice of the dream. And when I find it, maybe there will even be some travel involved. The French countryside is beautiful in early July. I know that because I have seen it on TV. During the Tour De France broadcasts!
Well, there it is. A bit wordy, I know. Sorry about that. Most of you check out at number 4 I’m sure, but those of you still here; thanks for listening. Any of you who are interested in jumping in and giving us a peek behind the green curtain, are welcome to do so. Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Spin the Black Circle
That pretty much sums up my cycling “de rigueur” of late. Just spinnin’. Up to an hour now but that may be the limit of my enthusiasm more than my fitness. It just bores the hell out of me. But it has been damn nasty and ugly outside now for some time, so this is the only form of riding I can take. 
I actually watched an episode of “X-Files” from 1997 while riding last night! I only had the VCR in the basement for entertainment (that and my iPod), so I selected a tape at random from the pile, dusted it off and pushed play. It actually was one of my favorite shows back then and this was the episode entitled “Men in Black” which preceded the Will Smith movies of the same name ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Black ). Damn funny to watch. The commercials were hilarious; there was even one for the upcoming 1997 MLB All-Star Game (Randy Johnson on the mound gives up the game winning homer to Sandy Alomar Jr.)! And the Dodge commercials hawking their Neon’s and Intrepids! There was even a preview of an upcoming show on FOX called Roar, which happened to star a relatively unknown named “Heath Ledger”. I think the Dark Knight came out on DVD today. Weird.
Work is busting my ass to get out another project and now that I am finally free of driving my son to and from work, I can stay late to work overtime. Yahoo. Ridiculous deadlines is our business. Wouldn’t have it any other way!
Hoping to race this Sunday at the Holland Kisscross event. Hearing rumor it will be brutal with off camber snow bowls sections and long stair run-ups. Hell, maybe they will add in a “death spiral” to the course just for fun! The weather is looking slightly better (right now) for race day but I would imagine snow will be the majority of the racing surface. I have some new tires coming on Thursday (thanks Sydney B.!) that will potentially help and maybe even keep me upright this race. Schwalbe CX pro’s will replace the existing Bontrager Jones CX. The originals will be kept for summer grass and gravel adventures, but the CX pro’s will be my racing tires. As if I have a clue what I’m doing!
Not much else on the agenda these days. Settling into winter. Doing more reading, listening to music and catching up on home projects. We take the dogs out when we can and hope to get on the ski’s one of these weekends. Rene is in MN all week this week and next but then has some time off around the holidays. It is looking more and more like we will be moving there in 2009, though I will be here until late summer at least. Should be in time for the Cross season!
Chris asked me to set up a camera to record my indoor training technique. So here it is.
Hope everyone is having a great week and staying warm!
I actually watched an episode of “X-Files” from 1997 while riding last night! I only had the VCR in the basement for entertainment (that and my iPod), so I selected a tape at random from the pile, dusted it off and pushed play. It actually was one of my favorite shows back then and this was the episode entitled “Men in Black” which preceded the Will Smith movies of the same name ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Black ). Damn funny to watch. The commercials were hilarious; there was even one for the upcoming 1997 MLB All-Star Game (Randy Johnson on the mound gives up the game winning homer to Sandy Alomar Jr.)! And the Dodge commercials hawking their Neon’s and Intrepids! There was even a preview of an upcoming show on FOX called Roar, which happened to star a relatively unknown named “Heath Ledger”. I think the Dark Knight came out on DVD today. Weird.
Work is busting my ass to get out another project and now that I am finally free of driving my son to and from work, I can stay late to work overtime. Yahoo. Ridiculous deadlines is our business. Wouldn’t have it any other way!
Hoping to race this Sunday at the Holland Kisscross event. Hearing rumor it will be brutal with off camber snow bowls sections and long stair run-ups. Hell, maybe they will add in a “death spiral” to the course just for fun! The weather is looking slightly better (right now) for race day but I would imagine snow will be the majority of the racing surface. I have some new tires coming on Thursday (thanks Sydney B.!) that will potentially help and maybe even keep me upright this race. Schwalbe CX pro’s will replace the existing Bontrager Jones CX. The originals will be kept for summer grass and gravel adventures, but the CX pro’s will be my racing tires. As if I have a clue what I’m doing!
Not much else on the agenda these days. Settling into winter. Doing more reading, listening to music and catching up on home projects. We take the dogs out when we can and hope to get on the ski’s one of these weekends. Rene is in MN all week this week and next but then has some time off around the holidays. It is looking more and more like we will be moving there in 2009, though I will be here until late summer at least. Should be in time for the Cross season!
Chris asked me to set up a camera to record my indoor training technique. So here it is.
Hope everyone is having a great week and staying warm!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
A Mad, Unthinkable, Utterly Impossible Present
Just thought I would show off my bootie (watch it!) from this years b-day. First up, from my wife, my favorite snack treat: Peanut M&M’s. And one of the bags is greenies only. You know what that means! Of course, I will be bringing them to work to avoid consuming the whole thing myself. Thanks Honey!
Second up, from myself, new cold-weather gear from Cannondale (via Ada Bike). The cyclocross gloves I had were not cutting it for the cold conditions, especially on the road. So, I combined liners from MC Sports with Cannondale Windproof gloves and hopefully, the digits will stay toasty. The Holland Kisscross race should verify if I was right (from what Steve at Ada Bike told me, it is going to be a dew-zy!). Thanks Me!
Last up, from my ex-EXTERRA teammate, a set of Minoura rollers. He had bought these on clearance a year or so ago and never used them due to joining a spin class. So, I have inherited them temporarily and may give him some cash or a six-pack of Founder’s; not sure yet. I need this to work off the M&M's. Thanks Dude!
Last but not least, I have to direct you (if you don’t already know) to Dave Zabriskie’s DZ-NUTS site. Not for info on his new line of chamois creme but rather, the hilarious video “spots” where he is hawking the product! Pretty darn funny stuff. Check it out at http://www.dz-nuts.com/. And just to show you what a funny guy he can be, check out this video interview below from his CSC days. Enjoy!
Second up, from myself, new cold-weather gear from Cannondale (via Ada Bike). The cyclocross gloves I had were not cutting it for the cold conditions, especially on the road. So, I combined liners from MC Sports with Cannondale Windproof gloves and hopefully, the digits will stay toasty. The Holland Kisscross race should verify if I was right (from what Steve at Ada Bike told me, it is going to be a dew-zy!). Thanks Me!
Last up, from my ex-EXTERRA teammate, a set of Minoura rollers. He had bought these on clearance a year or so ago and never used them due to joining a spin class. So, I have inherited them temporarily and may give him some cash or a six-pack of Founder’s; not sure yet. I need this to work off the M&M's. Thanks Dude!
Took them home last night, set them up and promptly fell on my ass. I had set a chair next to me as a bailout device and the chair tipped on my first go, which caused me to fall over on the concrete floor in the basement. Good start there dufus! So, I resorted to what worked for me many moons ago in college and moved them to an adjacent door jamb. Climbed on board and away we went. I spent 45 minutes on there and when I was done, remembered why I hate indoor training! Holy crap. Someone get me a towel, stat! I may need to pull out the box fan and try to alleviate some of the heat build up from my Herculean efforts! But of course, I did some digging and now I know what I really want: E-Motion Rollers! Yeah baby. Check out the video below. These things are awesome. And $800. Crap.
So, in a nut shell, that was my total haul. We took some friends out to Bloom this weekend and that was sort of my B-day dinner too. Great food and presentation and service as usual. I miss being able to go there as often as we would like. But if I want Motion rollers, we have to cut the budget somewhere!
Last but not least, I have to direct you (if you don’t already know) to Dave Zabriskie’s DZ-NUTS site. Not for info on his new line of chamois creme but rather, the hilarious video “spots” where he is hawking the product! Pretty darn funny stuff. Check it out at http://www.dz-nuts.com/. And just to show you what a funny guy he can be, check out this video interview below from his CSC days. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Up the Hill and Down
Coming on the heels of a difficult weekend, it is good time to look forward and see a little light peeking in around the edges of the darkness. In the midst of suffering and loss, we all should remember to be hopeful. To not let go of our dreams; big or small.
I remember piano lessons
But maybe, its time to look in a new direction. To see a sunny day and the opportunity it holds. Look for the positive reinforcement of life’s possibilities. Maybe even some new song lyrics.
Let’s try An Architect’s Dream by Kate Bush:
I am as guilty as anyone of grumbling about LIFE. One can slide into that mode today with realitive ease. If you focus on war, 401K statements, world hunger or just the sad state of our local economy, your vision is blurred by funk. So, to balance that dark side, I have resigned myself to find more happiness. It is a bit of a change of pace for me, being one who has always reveled in serious idealism. Continuously championing the cause of the frustrated artist, I found satisfaction in say a song lyric that reinforced unfulfilled ideals.
An example, from the song Piano Lessons by Porcupine Tree:
The hours in freezing rooms
Cruel ears and tiny hands
Destroying timeless tunes
She said there's too much out there
Too much already said
You'd better give up hoping
You're better off in bed
You don't need much to speak of
No class, no wit, no soul
Forget you own agenda
Get ready to be sold
I remember piano lessons
Now everything seems clear
You waiting under streetlights
For dreams to disappear
But maybe, its time to look in a new direction. To see a sunny day and the opportunity it holds. Look for the positive reinforcement of life’s possibilities. Maybe even some new song lyrics.
Let’s try An Architect’s Dream by Kate Bush:
Watching the painter painting
And all the time, the light is changing
And he keeps painting
That bit there, it was an accident
But he's so pleased
It's the best mistake, he could make
And it's my favourite piece
It's just great
The flick of a wrist
Twisting down to the hips
So the lovers begin, with a kiss
In a tryst
It's just a smudge
But what it becomes
In his hands
Curving and sweeping
Rising and reaching
I could feel what he was feeling
Lines like these have got to be
An architect's dream
It's always the same
Whenever he works on a pavement
It starts to rain
And all the time
The light is changing
Winter and the lack of sunlight do not make it my favorite time of the year. But maybe, if I look on the bright side of life for a change and see the good things, it might just move along a little faster.
Can’t hurt to try!
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