its only tuesday?

I've given up on trying to come up with a cute system like SB has for naming posts... and since i generally start with the title and fill in this box next it often is tough to come up with something.

YES, i KNOW. I'm violating the penultimate rule of writing: Never come up with the title or abstract until the whole work is finished.

At least i'm doing it deliberatly and not out of ignorance. that counts right? I dunno The gal who knows grammer might dissagree... oh well, maybe with pressure i'll change... yeah right. (and i don't feel like going through and doing spell check today... be forwarned)

So my whole week is turned around a bit. Tonight has been the mellow Tuesday night BLVD ride. The social ride around for an hour and a half or more at a slow steady state (keeping the cadence high and the like)... Yeah this is the ride i approached last week with no fuel in the tank and no water bottle.

BUT, now the word comes in from the club (P-Velo) that the Thursday night TT has moved to Tuesday and will remain there for the rest of the season. 'Okay' no problem, right? Actually it works out 'cause bikeworks will be starting their TT on the 8th and that seems to be a marked event for the team. Seein as all the course records are held by 'us.' That sounds kinda funny, "us" as in i'm part of it. Hopefully it'll feel less funny as i get out and ride more with these guys.
Maybe i can get out for a Ninigret at some point too... and then there's the Wampatuck race on Tues and Wed.

And i may just have to bust out the Klein for its first ride today. I was gonna anyway, but the TT seems a better venue for the debut of my new kit and the old bike... Hopefully the position is okay. And no, no TT bars, yet. I've got some spinaci bars kicking around that'll see some action once we hit the Bikeworks TT...

The Race feed from RAI is really shitty today... and Salvodelli is getting the shit handed to him. well there's always the tour right? Would be nice to have a Disco rider win a big tour and sort of say "hey, it wasn't just LA" and since i can't understand much of what they are saying - screw it - i ain't watching 2 minutes of the lampre chase (frozen in time)...

Basso is kickin MASSIVE ass.

I did have a few other random non-cycling thoughts that i wanted to get off my head.

#1 Real Job.

I made the comment at the Bike to Work day event that i was riding every day as a grad student and a bike shop mechanic then i got a *real job* and had to drive. And later i used it in context with my job now, and heard others use it once or twice since. My sensitivity meter kinda pegged 'cause a gal who works at the Hub (check out the department store bike link there) was in earshot. And i don't mean to suggest that working in a bike shop is NOT a real job. Much the same way as this job could be seen as not a 'real job.' Why not this one? Well, like the bike shop i REALLY enjoy what i do. And when you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. Its true. I embody it joyfully. I still take it very seriously. But that sort of is tough when those words come out. Ah I can't ride to work because i have a 'real job'... BullShit... anyway... that's just something that was itching my cranial interior lately.

that and

#2 Real News...
Often i'll turn the AM "news" programs on when getting the girls ready to head out for school/daycare/work to catch the weather... well between the weather the morning shows talk about some crazy stuff. But lastnight - catching the news about the DownCity Fire, they went into a peice about American Idol. A freaking TV entertainment SHOW!!! A News program. WTF. Made me wonder, does NPR give ANY airplay to that glorified popularity contest? I sincerely hope not. You may ask, why don't you listen? I'll answer: Where/When? At work? i suppose, but if i'm listening i prefer music. But i'm not in the car at the Morning Edition or ATC time, like i used to be. And honestly i prefer a bit of music. 102.5 outa boston as of late. the 9-10am saturday morning kids programming kicks ass! How freaking sad is it that the news shows are giving props and publicity out to TV shows, and TV shows on DIFFERENT NETWORKS? WTF? its just VERY strange... but then not really for a country so wrapped up in their retarded idiosyncradasies(sic)... smelling the mass produced flowers... not going out to find their own and grow and be an individual.

#3... i went up on the soap box in the collegiate email list... i'll close with that, for now...
(Matt wrote a great letter to the club)
here's my comments:

Nice and well stated Matt,

I would like to clarify something though:

- don't cross the yellow line
- don't pass cars on the left
- if someone yells "car back", EVERYONE needs to get into a tight
double file or single file, depending on the road and traffic.
- sprinting or chatting don't exempt you from these rules

Crossing the yellow line is acceptable when passing, just like it is in a car. However if the line is solid the same rules apply.

ONLY pass cars on the left. NEVER pass cars on the right. EVER. Cars are not expecting to be passed on the right side and often will duck and turn into you if you are passing on the right. Don't believe me? Just wait... like me and millions (or only thousands) of other cyclists, we've been hit, or have had to take emergency evasive manuevers in those situations.

Car Back is a good heads up. BUT don't erractically all file in... your rights on the road are just as strong as theirs. Just like farm equipment, Amish Buggies, and other slower vehicles, a cyclists's repsonsibility is to maintain control in a predicatable manner. If you part like the red sea to let a car past that car will think it is acceptable, and expected. And you have no need to do that, assuming you are riding in a safe and predicatable manner. Now if you are doubled up and spread out from white to yellow that's one thing... but a tight double should require no change if you hear Car Back.

For those who missed the bike to work breakfast, you missed a nice free t-shirt, and a fantastic handbook for riding safely. I picked up a copy and read it. And even with all the city riding i've done from Seattle, Lansing and Providence, and the Road riding all over the Pac NW, SE Conn, RI/MA and Michigan, i still got a few tips and a few pointers that made me go, hey that makes sense. It also was a "hey i thought i was the only one that did that"

Confidence on the road as a cyclist is key. You have a place and a right, just as much as a car does, to occupy that space on the pavement. Like that *frenchman's* sudden agressiveness after a few more races this season... confidence is good.

Il Bruce may have the reference to that book. Or somewhere that it can be acquired. Personally i'd make anyone who wants to ride with the club read it and apply those rules listed. It really is one of the best tomes on how to ride safely on the road.

Another confidence booster is reading the Rules of the Road
BicycleLaws
ya can find em there.

Sorry to crowd the soap box there Matt...
-Geoff

BREAKING NEWS

I'm now a Cat 4

small things like this make me happy...


'course i still need to actually present the card to enter a race...

The Man Who Planted Trees

Damn finest short story written... maybe not but i really really like it...

if you have a few minutes and want to re-read it (also so i can find it easily)...

here's a link to a version of it:

The Man Who Planted Trees

i popped across this in a link from BikeMag forums.

The Art of Urban Cycling... might just have to pick up the book... although with the years and miles under my wheels in Urban (Seattle, Lansing, Providence) surroundings, i feel reasonably confident with my street style...

but its a good read...

Well... the weekend's over... maybe i can get back on the bike

Yeah... that's right... me no on the bike all weekend... Saturday was a great drive out to East Orleans on the Cape for a big TDIclub function. My wife had to work so the two girls and i loaded up in the Golf and drove out right after Ballet class. The VNT actuator was stuck and that took a liberal application of Boesheild T-9 to free it up so i would have boost (and dencent power and economy)... got out there, filled up the tank (only 1/2 empty) with 8 gallons of B100 for $3.50. $3.50 doesn't seem so bad now for 100% bio esp compared to the $3.00 ave around here for regular diesel.

But that morning I had actually contemplated driving up to Sunapee to spectate... instead... but not knowing how to get there, not having internet at home, not having phone # for anyone i knew who was going... pushed me back towards the Cape. It was great to see some friends i hadn't seen in a long time. But knowing i wasn't getting a ride in on saturday i'd seriously contemplated saying F-it and bombing down to North Stonington and racing. 23 miles in 1:03 seems reasonable, esp in a small group... I dunno i'd prolly have been shelled... but part of me thinks i might have been okay... and a big part of me wishes i'd got it all figured out.

On the flip side sunday rolled around i was tired, and we pop'd down to Warren, wandered around, checked out the Grand Opening of the Market at Cutler mills... stop'd at my bro's to check out the noise in the front end (no luck) then at 1pm we started driving around looking at openhouses... It started and it was still gorgeous outside... it took us more time to get from Warren to Providence than it took me to drive back from the Cape the day before... And like that drive the youngest fell asleep. By the time we were back the rain had started and the wind was up and it got suckier... Turned bright green outside "Hey that looks like its supposed when there' s a tornado" well there was a tornado 'sighting' in Pawtucket...

that and i got grumpy, my daughter got difficult and my wife made herself scarce... it took everyounce in me not to just completely let loose... the total rediculously expensive housing around here coupled with not getting out on a ride (even with a phone call saying hey we're headed out at 11am) and my daughter who was being defiant was too much...

Looks like SB did pretty well at Sunapee... not a win but nuttin to sneeze at... a bit better than mark (mentioned last time)...

Riding in this am with the trailer i just kept it light... keeping the cadence high... even did the whole Llyod hill seated... cadence wasn't 90 rpm but it was higher than when i was standing (in a bigger gear)...

I'll get this crap figured out some day... some day i'll get on a race course and find out just how slow i am... we'll see... I just finished reading SBs account (sue me i checked the bikereg before the play by play)... 170? dats it? Scarier is i've got over 100# on his girl! But even my 34 waist pants that i just got are a bit loose... so i ain't exactly too terribly huge... and rolling down hills...

Either i'm just extra aero, or my wheel bearings are extra smooth, or i'm just a big fat ass but downhills are so much fun... and so frustrating when boxed in behind small fry ped'lin skinny little legs off to keep infront of the big diesel breathing down their neck with the brakes on...

I'm just a big diesel... wondering if it'll work for cross or not...

Oh and the bar position on the Blue P-mount sucks for long rides... puts my fingers to sleep... and these Answer flat bottom 'freestyle' spd work shoes... put my feet to sleep if i spend an hour or more in the saddle with an effort wearing them...

okay...

well...

maybe i'll find something exciting to post later... i'm gonna fire up the Giro (assuming it aint a rest day... nope Cyclingnews has the live coverage on...) and get keep shufflin paper work...

I guess i wasn't so clear

The empty tank (no water bottle - low food level) ride was trailer less and on Tuesday night... the slow ass 17 mph 1.5 hour looping around the BLVD was Wednesday after lunch and reasonably hydrated, but with much more of a head wind. The headwind was going DOWN hill... and if ya think a 15-20mph headwind is a pain, add a trailer... the downhill section just isn't the same... when you slow down going DOWN hill then well... ya got some serious drag.

Sorry for the confusion.

i've been rather muddled in the head as of late. Combination of lots of factors.

Before i forget: Those of you racing tomorrow at Sunapee, in the 45+ race... keep a look out for an unattached rider. He'll be in a red jersey, and is just as tall as i am (except skinnier), probably riding a green IF (steel). Say hey for me... he's about the only one i've ridden with lately that i can get a decent draft....

here it is, noon, and i have YET to 'open in tabs' and for a change today i am going to get through this without adding comments/reactions from outside sources.

Now i said i was slow and that i had no skills. Part of it is to ward off any ego in my thinking that i am fast and have passable skills... I am much faster than lots of people, but not as fast as the single 35-50 folks who've done nothing but ride and race since they were 16... I'm getting there.
And also, my goals are limited this year. I'm still less than a year on the bike from being a 220 pound fat ass... I don't expect to dominate this season, and i'm not sure i'll be ready to dominate the next. I expect to improve. I hope to get at least one or two races in this summer along with a time trial or two.

And i just dropped the freaking BOMB. I am now official. No more "maybe if."

And they let me keep my OLD NUMBER! FREAKING SWEET. Low 300s... i wonder if that's enough for an automatic upgrade ;)

This is too much, it is also a clue - my BP is up a bit afterdoing it... although its probably due in part to the 3 cups of coffee i had at the BIKE TO WORK festivities this morning in Downtown. Ran across Il Bruce at the thing... and last time i checked his profile IIRC there was no blog... now he has one of the BEST blogs out there... one word... Anyway, Bruce was there, Jack from the HUB (it was his deal) and Seven Stars bakery Tazeasomething coffee (good coffee too). Handing out t-shirts, waterbottles, food, maps... loads of people even considering the lightning and the downpours. (there writing about that and not thinking about the license for a second worked but glancing back at the paper work as i'm writing this elevated the BP again). Crazy.

Good reason NOT to drink too much coffee... I'm ammped, and because of the three muffins, apple danish, three plain croissants, i'm not hungry. And its lunch time...

I didn't say much about the Ride of Silence, i didn't manange to get out on it. But my solo ride (the one alone, after lunch, well fed, well hydrated, WITH the trailer, 10 minute laps around 2.8 or so mile loop of the BLVD - WITHOUT a cycling computer - just the stopwatch on the HRM), but my solo ride was nearly all in silence and to me, it was slow. Not easy, just slow.

I am using the argument for strength building to justify the "overgearing" of my commuter. BUT, honestly if I am using all the gears most days, or at least the middle 5-6 (13 15 17 19 21 23) with a preference for the 50-19 (with trailer) and the 50-17 (without) on the flats I feel very comfortable that the gearing is appropriate. Sure it might be *better* to have a 36 or so inner to drop down to with the trailer when i have the 5%+ grades, but so far not a problem. The 11% grades are okay without the trailer, easier than the 6-7% with the trailer (also shorter)... Maybe for next year i'll go with a fixed gear with 39x17 (odd teeth for optimal chain and cog wear reduction)... and force the spinning when i need to go faster... But those silly little gear arguments will still exist... so maybe i need smaller still... There is time to consider it all...

We'll see though... only good measure are results... don't matter how strong you are, don't matter what your natural/trained pedaling cadence is, if ya can't produce the results it don't matter.

Oh and that Adam M-H guy... he gave a little talk to the Brown team earlier this year and when asked about the training regarding doing a variety or blocks (kinda like one of the recent cyclingnews email questions) he said mix it up... and the conveyance from one of the riders on the BLVD ride who was at the meeting seemed to be "don't focus on specific things like getting the Cadence up, just work on it all"

Now here is what i think. Cycling, like education, works best when you can build in blocks. Focus on one aspect, understand it, then add the next level. The next level though should incorporate the gains from the previous one, just as a properly set up educational block, or mental training would do. So in my case the first goal was to just get back on the bike. A side part of that was getting thinner and beginning the initial physical re-molding. Second part (what i feel i am still in now) is strength building, increasing cycling specific muscle mass, and pedaling force (torque). The third part i envision is leg speed, high cadence work. And somewhere in the middle of it all i should be building mileage and saddle time that should roughly equate to 1.5 times the race lengths.

Is that the proper way to do it all? Is that what doc ferrari would reccomend? Where is that 1.5x race duration from? Well its mine. Maybe someone else says it. But its been what i found is important, i don't have years of emperical data to back it up but i have a gut feeling that say if you are racing 1 hour races, you maybe should be riding no less than 1.5 hours. Now on the other side, mileage is mileage. Get the saddle time in and it's good. But that duration bit develops fuel consumption physiology (gut feeling again) in the muscles, and if you train your mind and muscles that 1.5 hours is good... the end of 1 hour technically you should be fresh enough to contest at the end. If you look at the well documented training of that LA guy, he was in the saddle one HELL of a lot. Time wise. Duh he's a pro, he gets paid to. But then look at the duration of his races...

I'll can it now. I am NOT a coach, probably shouldn't ever be but thinkin through this stuff satisfies a cerebral side of cycling that i am particularly partial to. Thanks for bearing with this non-sense. And please - rip it to shreds if you feel its total wrong and off base... unlike the narrow minded literal translationist Creationists and ID wackos... i WILL listen to what you have to say and AM willing to change my POV when the facts deem it.

Well i'm hungry now...

So Ciao
G

iTunes for PC? NoF*in WAY

Damn cool shizzle...

i D/Led the Quicktime update and well here's iTunes... SWEET...

(another short post for Suds)

Oh and DAmn freaking cool - the Oilers are in the conference finals... at least Detroit got taken out by a team that has a chance to go to the cup... and how cool... Shaw Horcoff (Michigan State U) and Ryan Miller (Mich State U) are critical elements of their teams... very cool

okay - at this rate - catching up on random stuff between emails and questions this'll be longer than the last one..

WTF is up with this front wheel (speaking of Time trial stuff - okay well SB was)

so... short post? good bad or "WTF happened to GeWilli?"

Yeah, Funny comment on this mornings post there Suds. it had me lmao... (laughing my ass off for those in the world who don't use LMAO on a regular basis)...

Listening to the Curious George soundtrack right now... not a bad CD... worth the $$? I dunno - i might not have bought it but my wife did and she has much less of the stingy bone component i got from my Dad. You'd be suprised, shopping at Mark-It-Foods, then Safeway, or Thriftway in that order as a kid with my dad made a big impression. That or its genetic. part of all my indecisiveness is the unwillingness to spend $. but then somethings i just don't car about. Do i get worked up if I'm buying a better fuel (B20 - or Shell Premium for the Volvo) that costs a few cents more? nah, hell it didn't even bother me that my last 100 gallons of fuel oil was bought at $0.05 more than another company... but... awefuggedaboutit... i'll shut up on that. I'm tempted to go on about Mark-It-Foods... that was a unique supermarket... but... well i won't

I'm pissed - stupid Open in Tabs got me everyone that ISN'T on google's blogger stuff... IE i could read Kerry's, 32sixteen, Wells, tree farm, and Megs.. maybe a few others... Joel's came up suprisingly though... weird.

Shit, i miss one day and i double my reading. Heck even superstar KL has a new entry! Suds starts writing meaty posts... SB's got two... man i am SLACKING.

And reading KL's Nat Guard Comment... ain't that the shit... Kinda funny, do the Red states actually every use the Nat Guard? Hell i guess not when W was in them...

Good luck to the flooded...

now what the hell was i gonna say?

Oh.... well lets see if i can do the housekeeping shit first. And yes... i'm swearing a bit... first i'll assume that if you have the patience to read this stuff here, your attention span has matured to the point where you are over the age of 18 and thus are considered 'adult' and thus are able to be legally exposed to 'such language.' (this is something that has been rolling around with the other marble in my head BTW)... Yes, there is a significant population over the age of 18 that call the use of explatives excessive, vulgar and a sign of nothing good (fill in the blank with derrogatory, immature nouns). Well I counter that there are very few other words that carry the same power, connotations, or emotion. Stuff or shit... different! "housekeeping shit" or "housekeeping stuff" different emphasis? no? Well it doesn't matter i guess, here i can pull the ego and say, it matters to me and i'm writing this and its a liberating feeling to write in a way where i'm not censoring myself. Although i will admit, i often sensor some thoughts... i'm human and have innapropriate thoughts, but I figure, as long as they stay in my head, don't make it down on paper, or make it out of my mouth or get acted on in any shape or form... i'm okay... And damn i wonder if this is needed (maybe i should go back and delete the last dozen lines or so... NAH - no backspacing here except to fix crazy blatent errors!!!

Okay - so why all this about being slow? Well i felt damn slow trying to hang on to G-ham's wheel... did fine for quite a while, suprised me... then i started pooping out. I could blame it on being dehydrated (no water bottle, 1-1.5 hour into the ride - working all day not drinking enough fluids), could blame it on no calorie consumption since lunch (ride was at 5:30), could blame it on the effort with the trailer earlier in the day... but mostly... lack of recent miles. Rain, workshop, work, family... has kept me off the bike. Biggest kicker was that Giulia showed up and had to ask me "Where's the Klein." No idea if she had seen this, but if she's a regular fan of Kerry's and clicks on any link over on the side - chances are she's run across this and may have put the email addy and the username together... but no... no klein. The roads were still wet, and i had JUST cleaned it (well cleaned it when i brought it up out of storage)... that and i had the race blades on the P-mount and thought it best to keep my jersey and the other folks dry... mostly... it wasn't as effective as Il brucie's full coverage monsters.

But besides feeling slow and like shit the ride was good. that last effort (the one making me feel slow) was great. And i followed it up yesterday with some killer resistance work.

Huh? resistance work? Well put a 30 pound kid in a trailer with 20" plastic Mag wheels pumped up to about 15 psi (if that) add a nice headwind, and some stuff... well we went down to P Velo to 'official' join the club and pick up some much needed new bibs (verge, and yeah SB... ya can pee wearing them) and a jersey... but no Joe. Damn. So we road back and stopped at wholefoods for some Coffee (beans not brewed) and what turned out to be 40-50 pounds of stuff (made lasagne last night, needed cheese, 1 liter of Olive oil, and i figured i'd get some flavorful black sesame oil, some rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, 3 pounds of ground sirlon, and some other stuff...). Well i thought i could just put some of the stuff at my daughter's feet and the rest in my messenger bag its freakin huge - oh seems they do still sell the size... it used to have a cool name... now its just the XXL a glorious 4100 cu in. of space... and i needed most of it... cause she was smashing the stuff under/by her feet...

That and if ya been down to the one here - Doyle hill is fun... esp with a trailer and a grocery store on your back... that 1/2 mile sucked... and climbing in the 50x23 might have been a tad over geared... but i made it up...

And made it home, made lunch, loaded her back up and headed out for 1.5 hours on the BLVD... headwind down hill, only 400-500 feet total climbing for that ride based on gmap-pedometer... but that 1.5 hours kicked my ass... barely keeping 17 mph average (10 minute laps) with a headwind heading down hill... and the aforementioned kid sleeping (nap time - i was damned if i was gonna sit inside while she was sleeping) in the trailer.

Now if i could just do that every day i 'might' be fast in a year or so...

So anyway - that's about it... enough babbling about that. I stopped at P Velo over lunch - met Joe and have my 'kit' am a few $$ poorer but now am somewhat official.

I'll stop - i can hear Suds crying Uncle!

30 second update

#1 i'm slow as hell... was able to hang with Graeme for about 2 miles pushing it hard and i blewup...

#2 got some damn fine riding in yesterday... trailer is heavy

#3 daughter was NOT sick... she was 100% at daycare when picked up and has not changed but it was a great father daughter day

#4 i'm slow...

Okay... well that's about it for now, i'll get a bit on these shoes gloves hands and all that from yesterday's events...

my hill of measure

well after a nice 3 minute debate with my wife about who will go get the feverish toddler (101 or so right now after her nap - most likely do to the latest round of vaccines - the timing is right)... she's going to get her... but... that means i get to go home and get in the car and go get the oldest... plus side = i get to leave early; minus side = i have to get in the car. Although my wife suggested i just ride over and get her... but... no helment for her, no go. So i am headed home here after the next meeting.

Should still be able to turn around and be at the bottom of the BLVD to see if any other brave soul shows their face... I'll be there, with every damn belgian bone in my body... you see, axle is my brother... a fellow tall skinny freak of a rider... i just don't have his genetics or last name... or a whole host of other confounding factors that make me who i am and him who he is... But i gotta say i've always admired and kept an eye out for that kid - more cause he's a tall skinny freak than cause of his dad... honestly. Same logic why i always kinda hoped that 4 eyed freak Zulle would come through... bad timing... on his part... racing against those guys... never mind - no reminiscinig(sic) about old pros. And don't ya love it, if you think you mis-spelled a word, or if you intentionally mis-spell it all ya have to add is (sic) after it and its alrite(sic). LOL

my hill of measure, really the point here of writing this is to say coming up College hill today felt freaking AWESOME. not to mention i was pretty much able to motor with and faster than the cars all the way here... no issue, the legs were 100% there... the lungs not quite so much but the effort was only around 1km or so... but it was great. Coming back up... now... here's something ya gotta pay attention to, wet man-hole/utility metal plates... esp cruising up an 11% grade hill... not to mention i thought i was headed up in the 23 but was only in the 50x21 oops... Popped up the top- so different from the gasping eyes surgin in my head wreck i was 6 months ago... felt inspiringly fantastic, which is why i actually considered riding out to pick up the oldest... may just have to start putting her helment in the trailer just in case, esp if i can bust outa here a few minutes early... one of these days...

Do i have a solo break of a 23 mile race in the legs (ie N. Stonington) prolly not... prolly not... should i? Yeah... ideally i should.

That and i hate to admit it, but i need some skills practice... cornering... big tall fat ass me just never has gotten comfortable heading down hill like Sean Yates...

Oh update (three phone calls, two emails, and associated stuff later) i don't have to get in the car afterall... BUT i do have to stay home tomorrow, the fever topped just over 101 and that means she can't come back tomorrow... even though she was running around happy as could be chock full of tylenol... STUPID RULES... oh well - i can look forward to a nice day with my daughter... maybe this is the excuse i needed to make my way out to Pvelo and see about getting all official and stuff...still gonna wrap up early... may not get anything published tomorrow (dissapointed i won't get to see the live feed of the Giro :( but... hey could be worse... I'm thankful this is all i have to deal with, and i will keep sending positive healing thoughts out to those close friends, Suds and his family, Chris and his... that they can find the strength and support to make it through. Not to mention all those others out there that need it... Like those stupid mt. bikers calling Roadies dickheads and what not... and those arrogant assmunching roadies who give a bad name to the gangs of slick tired brethren... FUckitALL we are CYCLISTS... we ride a freaking two wheel bike... who cares if yours has carbon fiber disked hydrualic brakes and 10" of travel front and rear or if you are riding some fixie minus brakes, or some beat up anchient old schwinn... WHO CARES... Two wheels. Stop judging... focus on commonality and bridge the Fucking gap! GOT IT? hey i've seen it happen in the TDIworld. People with absolutely polar opposite Political and Social points of view can be good friends and can get to know eachother focusing on what they share in common.

Focus on the positive. Focus on what's relatable. That is how you begin to foster peace and all that

One tough broken Axle

Damn did you see it? The finish? Holy smoking crap! Damn does axle just have the most rotten luck in the Peleton? Getting caught 100 meters from the line? Or was it 150 meters... yes... 150 meters. Oh man does that suck... attacking at km 15 and getting caught 150 meters... talk about your ultimate solobreak kick in the nutsack...

ah well... THOSE are the stages i like to watch... drama, pain... it woulda been doubly sweet if Axle had held on for the win... at least he got some major air time for the sponsor, prolly picked up the most combative jersey for the day.

I'm gonna pass this on from a local guy who race (for the last time appearantly) in the 35+ 5 race at Sterling. Supposedly came home from the race with a dismal placing and hypothermia... DAMN!

I did the 35+ Cat 5 [sterling, MA] last weekend, and ... oh boy, are they green. Can't hold a line, shift on a hill, or move into gaps without bumping. 'course, the road conditions were the worst.

GRRRR... great greenhorns... should be fun... maybe i'd just better get off my ass, get the lisence and get it overwith...

not the encouraging words... I would have guessed maybe that the 'old' folks would have a bit of skills... but then... what am i thinking... its probably a field full of Lance Wannabees with more cash and time than brains or skills at this point.

but i'll be nice - who knows - maybe people think i'm the phreaking phred stinkin up a ride... i don't think so, although i have been known to (due to in-attention) drop kick folks on a hill (stand in the saddle and let the momentum shift the bike rearward 6-12")... but at least i know what to do - even if i can't do it (exhaustion, brain fart, whatnot)... my guess would be the best way to deal with that crowd is to find one or two strong fit other guys in the group and get as far off the front as possible... down side is (my gut) some of the guys are stronger than they are smart... riding alone for 5000 miles so far this season might make ya faster than me but dude - hold a freaking line... (letting my caffine amped mind run isn't good maybe)...

at least its lunch time...

maybe? could we...

start drying out? its possible. I rode in today with out the Sugoi jacket on or the Pearl Izumi pants! Could be getting there. Even the puddles seemed smaller and managable.

Fingers crossed, but even if ol'Mother Nature is listening i'm fuckin riding. Screw this shit... BUT unless the roads are bone freaking dry i'm not riding the Klein YET... i just cleaned it (three weeks ago it seems) and i ain't about to start it off getting dirty for a BLVD circuit.... i don't need the lighter weight for that ride... maybe i'll bust it out for the PVelo Time Trial on Thursday...

The Giro coverage hasn't started yet it seems.. just some Live RAI TV with a Blond walking around and talking.

here's a question... Why do most of these euro folks walk around and talk or at least sit all visible? Not hiding behind a desk? Just curious...

Caught a bit of NOVA last night... and for what its worth... the particulates they are talking about are mostly gasser and power plant. Diesel particulate is a fair bit bigger (nulceating) and the Haze is the reaction of gasoline emissions with nitrogen oxides... or at least that's what i think it is... i don't know anymore... although i do know that Biodiesel has nearly zero sulfur (a huge component for nucleation both in soot/particulate formation in diesel and gas combustion) and the oxygenated nature of the fuel helps even more over regular diesel. Anyway... its a good answer... and its here and now... not down the road....

That's done and over...

Pretty much have ruled out N. Stonington this sunday... no miles, gonna be way out on the Cape Saturday on my feet hanging out... maybe down the road a bit i'll get in one of these nice 35+ 5 races.

The Giro is back on today (if your head is totally burried in the sand)
media.rai.it Giro Feed

Baso has a totaly hysterical smirk...

Diggin through loads of digital pics i can't find one set and its bugging the literalshitoutame... but looking back at ALL the pics from michigan and the stuff... there's some good scenery and now i have a nice record of the good parts...

And like that old saying goes... do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. I finally feel like that. here. its fantastic.

WOOOOOOOOO just found em... Freaking HUGE sigh of relief... not that its different than not finding negatives or prints and wondering what happened to them... at least digitally i KNOW they were somewhere and generally i never delete images so its just a damn matter of where the hell the shit it. Time for an external HD... that or a better organization system.

I kinda thought there was somethin else that was buggin me that i wanted to get off my chest... i can't think of it now.

One of the more prolific posters to the Bike to Brown email list got a nice write up in the Phoenix:
http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid12135.aspx

worth a read if you haven't seen it yet. And ya know i'd be lying if i wasn't jealous of Connie and Kerry... getting written up as 'super commuters' but i'll also be the first to say, my commute is pretty silly short, no stretch of a challenge, heck the gal downstairs walks to work, just about the same distance (sometimes she takes the bus i think).

Heck even Jack from the Hub gets a quote or two... nto to boast but honestly i've had enough quotes and press clippings to last a lifetime. Between growing up in the edges of a media spot light as a musical family, and the Biodiesel stuff in michigan my yearning for 15 minutes has been satisfied, and i'm just happy to see some good positive press for the cyclists.

Oh crap - the Ride of Silence is tomorrow... even if you can't get out, try and observe a moment of silence at 7pm...

The graphics from the riders is cool, 187 HR 95% max and speed 28 km/hr... at least thats what Gomez's stats where... cool stuff in a way... excessive in another... but you can be assured that these guys going up hill are actually working...

My standing form/strength is definately getting better... this trailer is kick ass for strength... now to hope i can find some speed with it someday... but that would mean I actually need to ride more than two and from work...

Oh the conflict stuff (how to challenge and bridge the gap without making it worse - but also to do it without seeming like a freaking pushover peacenik hippie). I had a few thoughts on the way home last night, riding... but seem to be unable to recall them... Freaking hell Lampre is driving the train... someone must a missed a break... DOH... sucks to be them...

Oh and what's this? Il Brucie is correcting my ride of silence info... appearantly RI wants it to happen at 6pm... interesting... well none-the-less... at least keep it in mind.

peace...
G

PS...


PPS...
pez fullstory 4011 nice read with some science about cadence... something i've been playing with in my head since its started to drop... also seems to make sense... 90 has always felt good to me... maybe there is a biomechanical reason? But then since i haven't had a cadence option on the bike for 8+ years... well maybe i have no clue (shuddup back there in the peanut gallery)

PPPS...

yeah one of these days i'll just start a new entry:
i did a quick seach for that newest article mentioned in the PEZ article...
found this stuff google scholar is coooooooool

You saw it here Second

youtube.com/watch?v=AHM7iyjMAnw
The video has been pulled - it was Al Gore's SNL skit to open the show... bummer it got pulled
holy freaking SHIT that's funny!

ah the downside of being asleep at that time of night...

I'm eating lunch... and while you are... take a peak

one comment about it - What the hell happened to Canada if Michigan and Northern Maine have been swallowed up by Glaciers?

But maybe this first:

Although we had our qualms before the storm, we think our little road trip shows the technologies are out there to promise massive gains in fuel efficiency in short order, should circumstances warrant it. Imagine a Prius-like hybrid that ran on biodiesel instead of gasoline. We may not be there yet, and adapting diesels to use the cylinder-cutoff technology found in the Jeep and Honda might be a tough task, but look how far we’ve come already.

BioDiesel HYBRID... freaking hell YEAH that'd be cool... BUT here's the rub... the Diesel stuff they like so much... um is getting on 10+ year old technology... the cylinder shut down on the Hemi is also pretty damn old... some caddy did that a while back (70s). at least they are talking positive like

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI
7.0 gallons of B20 biodiesel at $2.749
49.9 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 42 mpg
TOYOTA PRIUS
8.3 gallons of regular gas at $2.599
42 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 51 mpg
HONDA ACCORD V6 HYBRID
10.3 gallons of regular gas at $2.599
33.9 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 34 mpg
CHEVROLET CORVETTE
12.8 gallons of premium gas at $2.699
27.3 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 27 mpg
JEEP COMMANDER
20.3 gallons of premium gas at $2.699
17.2 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 18 mpg

Definately give that article a read... interesting... esp about the E85 comment ...

back in a few


--okay -- its nice when lunch gets interupted with a massive stack of literature from a vendor... sort of...

what was i saying? Oh nevermind... Keep in mind though that the Jetta there was base, no driver feedback for instant fuel economy (like the hybrids) and it weights in at over 3,000 pounds.... It ain't light. Its safe and economical...

And the Vette's a damn fine machine.

Okay - maybe that's it... nope... wait... one more from the email:

Yes, Bike to Work Day has snuck up on us, and is this Friday the 19th,
the culmination of Bike to Work week (which starts today), which is
itself the centerpiece of Bike Month. These dates are all designated by
the League of American Bicyclists, and pretty much every year I've paid
attention, they happen to fall during the wettest, coldest week of May
here in the Providence area! Murphy's Law, I guess.

Damn nope there was one other email that was pretty damn cool:

May 15, 2006 -- Bike traffic on the bridges spanning the East River is up 35 percent since last year, and 100 percent since four years ago, says Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group.

It's up 84 percent on the Williamsburg Bridge alone since dangerous expansion joint coves were recently removed.

And with gasoline at $3 a gallon, advocates predict the city will soon see a record 150,000 cyclists a day.

appearantly from the NY Post this morning... now that's a good measure!

i miei amici

Can one be confrontational without expanding the gap?

Can you confront someone and challenge them in a way that is supportive and fosters understanding...

Sort of in line with SB's post today. The challenge of confronting mis-conceptions... I may not have bought a mt bike in '86 but i bought one in '89

Challenge without alienation... Possible? maybe...

Oh if ya are bored and want a good run down on the deconstruction of a medical study and now experimental design... pop over to Sailor's stuff He's gone on with the verbosity that can only be directed at a specific target...

i am going to try and not revert to one of my one line + elipses entry. We'll see how i do.

No riding this weekend. Too damn wet. I also sort of want to remove a bit of the middle of the saturday post, but i feel somewhat obligated to the truth and to the whole point of this crazy endeavor to not edit. Raw bare truth is painful, and while i generally don't want to spill my guts for all to see, the rare glimpse of the baggage i carry is sort of how i can balance it all. Because it is truely about balance...

I did ride in this morning with the trailer... dropped the littlest off, juts sort of a misty mess. Like SB said - its the puddles not the rain... And again, i am lamenting not having taken the Q-pro out for a ride STILL... not to mention i haven't been out on a good ride in Ages. I may just sort of impose a BLVD ride tomorrow just to kill the jinx of the rain... That and i need some miles... somehow.

I put Dan Schmatz's blog in the "open in tabs" morning stuff for the heck of it... and this morning i see this pic...


The missing rider formation... in front of the hearse... don't forget the Ride of Silence...

I've got the Giro Live feed from Rai Sport... freaking kicks ass... and i'm sure someone will tell me that Eurosport has a TV feed in English (do they? nope)... although... i suppose i could try and listen to the Eurosport audio feed and watch the italian video... or not- if they use the same resource. The feed had shown a baby with a bottle of apple juice split frame with a blue kit'd guy in the tour drinking from his water bottle... rather funny...

I guess Paolo got shelled yesterday... Basso's looking pretty damn sharp... although we are only at La nona tappa. Anything could happen.

Props out to Javaspeed... this pic is for them... bootlegged from Pezcycling's daily distractions... but it works out well, as I'm pretty sure Javaspeed is a PVelo sponsor. at least the meetings are held there....

Besides, who can think about Italy without thinking about beautify fasionable women? That and some damn fine and gorgeous cycling venues... the TdF looks so proletariate compared to the lavish and gorgeous Giro. One day... one day we'll be there for the giro... drinkin way too much cheap italian wine, and enjoying the countryside....

Maybe one day i'll even make it to the Classics...

Maybe one day i'll even enter a bike race

Oh and those new Campy cranks are cool... I wonder if they'll have em in a 180mm...

Speaking of size... i'm back down to a 34 waist... yeah... 6'6" and i've got 34" waisted jeans... Kinda funny... i tried on some 501s... couldn't even pull em on... legs got stuck... tried the 505 same thing... 550 could get them on but the jewels were a bit uncomfortable wound up with a 560 and i could get em on... i've got a big fat ass but a tiny little waist... i guess... This is one of those things i think i should delete... but then again... as i mentioned... that's not the point of the exercise...

It is time for my Fuji (apple)... no more organics it seems but they are certainly yummy

at anyrate...
di ciao i miei amici

The weekend

Okay – it wasn’t really raining – the roads were wet, I’m exhausted… and with everything my wife had scheduled for herself… hair cut… meeting with the other two mom’s about the girl’s birthday party planning, these three girls are inseparable AND their birthdays are 4 days apart 6th, 10th, 14th so well they are gonna have a nice little party with the 26 other girls in the class and a host of others… should be a crazy event…

Being tired as poop is my own fault – but the second pot of French Press using some high test fine ground coffee is helping but not much…

Coffee… someone asked about decaf and all that… I’d invoke the google MoFo image but I’ve got my own opinion… if its too much in the morning – cut back to two cups instead of three… for a while back in Michigan I had got to the point of making a full 12 cup machine of coffee before I left for work. Drinking two (12-16 oz) cups before and during the drive, then drinking some of Jeff’s stuff in the stockroom, and finishing up the rest of the mornings stuff in my thermos. Total of like almost 64 oz of pretty powerful coffee. I may have mentioned stuff here but I think it was before I started the blogger stuff… I had major anxiety issues, stuff I knew would be okay but I couldn’t get over it and was loosing sleep, and being really stressed. Not fun. A week vacation in Maine in a cabin helped. I bought a 750 of Powers and 1 bottle of Jameson drank that during the day as toddies or just with water and had a few brews or wine with dinner, but no coffee. I did have one cup of a nice English tea to start the morning to help initially with the headache but that’s it “detox” was crazy. It was nice in a way – I got a chance to read 4 different books in a week… and I when I came back to work my coffee intake was down to a manageable 1/3 of what it was. I know I’ve got an addictive personality, I don’t need a psyc doc to tell me as much… my dad was a hard core alcoholic, but quit cold turkey when my mom kicked him out… he was drinkin in the morning, all day… all night… at work, in the car, fishing, pretty much almost never sober for a very long time… then it changed. Honestly part of the AFD purpose was to reinforce that I knew I didn’t need something with dinner. Down side is well… what else is there to drink? Water. Yup. I don’t like soda, except for the occasional Coke/root beer, but not with food. Milk? Nah it makes me break out, I have it with my Muesli in the morning but that’s about it and that’s once or twice a week. Juice? I just am not a big fan of sweet beverages. I drink my coffee black. I do put one sugar in a cappuccino. But short of wine/beer not much else I like to drink. Anyway what the hell started this whole introspective tanget to myself….?/??? oh… decaf poisons and what not…

How to cut down on the caffeine in coffee and still enjoy it.
1) Use the coarse grind at the store grinders. (or grind it at home very coarse)
2) Use the darkest roast you can tolerate.
3) Use as little coffee as possible to make the brew
4) Drink the coffee black

For me that works out very well. At work I make a 10 cup pot, but I only use 3 coffee scoops (6 tablespoons) of very coarse ground French roast (1-2mm mean size of the grounds). It is a cheap flat basket type drip maker. If I were to make that same water to grounds ratio with a light roast the coffee would taste weak, look weak and be yucky.
1-3 are pretty self explanatory, eh?
4… black? Yup. Black. The additives like sugar, milk or cream accelerate the uptake of caffeine in the coffee. And everything else in the coffee. Just like drinking Gatorade gets you hydrated faster than drinking Water (if you are to believe those commercials). The sugars and whatnot in milk and what ya put in there pump the stuff more quickly into the blood.

There is a reason people never drink Dunkin Donuts coffee black. It tastes like CRAP. And if ya are ALWAYS putting loads of cream/milk and sugar (or sugar substitute – don’t get me going on that) the coffee is for color, caffeine and heat.

Its a lot like mixed drinks. People drink the froofiest stuff and like it because they can’t taste the alcohol. They drink for the effect. I like irish and scotch whiskeys… but not rye or sour mash ones… and sure I could mix em with a coke and not taste it but why? You’ve gotta embrace and appreciate and like each component for what it is. I dunno people are definitely strange.

And its raining, and the youngest just woke up from a nap… fingers crossed she falls asleep but she’s getting louder and louder…. And my wife is only 10 minutes into her meeting. Oh freaking JOY… pouring rain. No car seat (in my wife’s car with her)… and a deluge outside.

Here’s to all yall folks out there who don’t have this to deal with… there is the part of it all that returns such joy that you can’t describe, but can just look at another dad and go, those good days… they ARE worth it… and the other dad says yeah, worth it in every sense.

A guy around here is fond of saying “Nice guys finish Last” (who said that? I forget and am not online to google right now)… my quip to follow that is:

“Nice guys may finish last, but they die happy!”

What is the point of finishing first if you can’t enjoy the process? What is the point of finishing first if you are always hustling everyone?

But there are plenty of instances of Nice Guys finishing first… I think… (she feel back asleep fortunately)

Oh and some jackass (Charles Buki; Alexandria, VA) wrote in to Bike mag and went on and on saying stuff I generally agree with sort of… then he writes this freaking gem:
“Fifth, when we come upon riders in distress, even sometimes in competition, we help. We throw a lifeline. A spare tube. A chain tool. Roadies, by contrast, preen pose and in general are not the same kind of community.”

WHAT THE FUCK? Dude go sit and spin on a pile of Ponderosa Pine Cones. That’s the biggest sack of horseshit I’ve heard. Maybe its just me. Maybe me coming from a slight bias of a Mt Bike background accounts for me always checking with people on the side of the road to see if there is something I can do. Doesn’t every one?

Look at the team racing? Do Mt Bikers on the same team work together like Roadies do? Nah, not in my experience. Sure they are there for support, spare tubes and what not… but its different.

He goes off and talks about Apple computers and all that too… and ends with the freaking kicker:
“Whoa… you guys don’t shower between laps like roadies would!”

Okay then here this might point to my Cross fetish… but roadies showering between laps of a Mt Bike race? WTF is this dude doing.

Not to mention what am I doing? Am I helping to bridge the gap? Or just fueling the flames? Where’s the balance? It really isn’t different than some c la n dude saying all the purtridly r ac ist stuff. It divides. It ain’t good. I shouldn’t get as worked up as I do but its in my nature… that passion, that emotion… its my albatross…

3.5 pages and I should really stop babbling on and on…. Man why does it have to freaking rain? WHY…. Why…. Crap I got more rides in, in the winter!

(a few hours later)

My wife came home, and took the girls off to the Mall. Doing a bit of shopping for the party it ain’t for a while but it might as well be next week!

I’m here… started a load of laundry, D/Ling pics off the camera to the HD on this thing. Violating every principle I have about images. “Pictures on a Hard drive might as well not exist.” At least in terms of archiving. If that HD dies you are SOL… $25,000 to get the data back off if one of the two motors die? Its not IF the HD will die its WHEN…

Hard copy back up. Well maybe I’ll get around to it. I hope.

But Hockey is on. The devils are kicking some Carolina ASS… too bad NJ is down 3 games in a 7 game series… they win tonight and they have to win the next 4… well they did that against NY Rangers… but Carolina is a different team… Drinking a nice Labatt Blue, watching the rain outside… and the game on the Tooooob…

What a statement.....

Ain't that the truth? Sure, google freaking rocks... and ya know... i use it a ton. Even lately for doing scientific paper searches. First Search? Stupid and a PITA. Google's hooked up with my U here and i can click on links from there and get the PDFs of the papers right away!

i love it... but i also find it funny people posting weird stuff or like me getting all stupid and sayin the ppm vs g/m think about emissions...

Gwadzilla reminded me about the horn... I honked at some oblivious bitch in her honda wearing her fake prada glasses when she went to cut me off... after i honked she slammed on her brakes... WTF? you force me to slam on my brakes or run into you, THEN you get pissed off at me for Honking? Excuuuuuuuse me ya freaking bitch... Gwadzy might use the C word but i stick to the female dog term... a high school buddy was fond of calling people "four fisted cluster fucks" (damn that's gonna turn up a few search hits speaking of google). And i can't just let the whole anger level go without comment.

Yeah... i like Denis Leary... i'm emotional easily excitable and generally one six and one half foot tall walking/riding/driving incediary device... and thankfully my little girls keep me in check. Mentally i KNOW as Joel has mentioned and others... probably me at some point... I know that its better if i just take a deep breath and say "its not worth it" 'cause its true... Its never worth it. That asshat/bitch/c*/FFCF ain't gonna be swayed by your agression, being a mean dickhead ain't gonna do zippidy squat... lecturing them about rules of the road ain't gonna do much good either...

as hard as it is for me to practice, i know the best answer to it is to take a zenlike yoga(i imagine) deep breath and move on. Stop the cycle of hate and rage that the stupid MoFo started... Cause once you are all worked up its more likely that you'll trigger more anger... and that perpetuates things...

Sort of like smiling. If ya walk around smiling at people, warm and genuine, people seem to react... Its true... smile, be a freaking lame ass ray of sunshine... grumpy pissed off people just spread the hate...

awe fuckit (i assume everyone here has seen/spoken/read the F word at least once) ...

Word out to Suds thoughts are with your family... (how about that segway(sic))

anyway - time to blow this popsicle stand... from the looks of the radar - i'll probably be getting wet on the way home tonight.... fun fun stuff...

Bike to work day is coming up (May 19th), as is The Ride of Silence... two very important events...

good luck to those competing... and my luck will be needed just to get out on a ride!!!
Peace

well G, ya made it through another week

Soundtrack for the ride in this morning:
"Johnny Steward, Drover" (link is for the lyrics)
The Gordon Bok version was the melody in my head...

Who needs an iPod when ya can make your own damn music...

Decided to pop Rush (1974) on the Media Player for some reason... not sure if I'm in that kinda mood right now or not.

News Flash: I took out a big hammer and busted the wheels off the wagon last night. Those two Samuel Adams Boston Lager's were like nectar. It took touring the factory and buying the stuff up around here before i decided that it was good beer. Just two, enough to make me super tired by 9:30 but the edge and flavor were well worth it. And SB... about the Brocton baseball... Pawsox and ya got something... I've been here in Rhode Island long enough to feel that driving more than 10 miuntes anywhere requires weeks of planning coordination and searching for alternatives LOL... not quite... but, we'll see... The other problem with driving somewhere to have an adult beverage is driving back... see i'm just freaking chock full of excuses... And KL... "I'll spare you the details of the race because let's face it - nobody cares - but Team Terry took first and second.I'll spare you the details of the race because let's face it - nobody cares - but Team Terry took first and second." That's not true... first person details of races are what are great to read about, what better way for those Cat 4 "have some cheese with your whine" girls to improve than by reading how an old experience 2 gets stuff done in a race... okay maybe those whiners don't care... but i'll admit, i like reading it. but on the other hand, it takes a lot of work to write stuff... so... i can understand that side of not elucidating the details...

Its supposed to get freaky here soon. Its just foggy this morning, Oh and Drismal? Did i mention that? Freaking all the stations were saying yesterday was starting off "Drismal." As a seattle "native" i've heard every terms to describe different types of precipitation but never Drismal. It ain't dismal if ya like plants and all that... and gimme Drismal over what is expected this afternoon... its that big ol storm dumping 1" or so of rain in a 24 hr period... that's gonna put a wet towel on the rides... not to mention all the ladies at Daycare were saying, "its okay now but ya know - its not going to be great for riding later" i think they weren't excited about L getting in the trailer on the way home in a torrential rainstorm... *shrug* I'm not thrilled but hey - ya can't let the weather rule your life... it just makes you slow if the rollers are tucked away in the barn somewhere.

About the stuff in the barn... Its been there a while now... in need of some major sorting. that or we need to find some better storage, or build something a bit more sealed/contained.... or just buy a house. Granted most of it has just been sitting there untouched. And yeah, lots of it could be purged, but a fair heaping handful of it all is what we are sacrificing being in the apartment and would go right back into circulation when we have a house... a house... mmmm the market is starting to turn almost daily now, which is kinda exciting... there are tons of houses on the market that have been there since before i got out here... and with intrest rates heading up all those folks with creative morgages are prolly starting to feel the squeeze...

so our search is on... and well... we'll see if we can get out of the apartment sooner than later...

I'm about done today- gotta plow through the day... and If ya checking back for Chris updates... i can't quite spill the who beans... lawyer stuff and all, but suffice it to say he's wicked lucky to be alive... all because he was wearing his helment. Those of ya who don't wear a helment, just consider how your Mom, Dad, wife, kids, siblings, sig others, what not would feel if you were dead or vegetabled because you were too vain/stupid/arrogant to ride without a helment... Be safe out there... Chris with no helment would be no more...

to a positive note before i'm outa here:

This came through on the Goggle news thing...
(an associate article)

Fun facts about biodiesel fuel

Biodiesel

• Biodiesel can be used at 100 percent levels or mixed in any proportion with No. 2 diesel or No. 1 diesel.
• Contains no nitrogen or aromatics
• Typically contains less than 15 ppm sulfur. Does not contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions
• Has characteristically low carbon monoxide, particulate, soot and hydrocarbon emissions
• Contains 11 percent oxygen by weight
• Biodiesel has the highest energy content (BTUs) of any alternative fuel and is comparable to No. 1 diesel.
• Fuel efficiency is the same as diesel fuel
• Fuel economy, power, and torque are similar to No. 2 diesel and vary linearly with the blend level

B2 biodiesel

B2, a blend of 2 percent biodiesel and 98 percent diesel fuel, is a fuel component to extend engine life through exceptional lubricity.

• B2 can add core lubricity to No. 2 diesel, or enhance lubricity of a premium diesel fuel.
• Can increase lubricity by up to 66 percent over No. 2 diesel fuel, which means:
• Protection against fuel injector and injection pump failure
• Longer equipment life
• Lower maintenance costs
• Less equipment downtime
• Reduces friction so engine doesn’t have to work as hard
• Virtually identical to No. 2 diesel in fuel consumption, power output and engine torque
• In winter, virtually no difference in cold flow properties between B2 and No. 2 diesel.
• Virtually no difference in cold flow properties between B2 and a 50/50 blend of No. 1 diesel and No. 2 diesel

B20 biodiesel facts

B20 is a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel fuel, which:

• Provides optimum emission benefits for the lowest cost.
• Keeps NOx increases small (1-4 percent) and within legal emission limits for engines. (NOx can be reduced further by changing engine timing.)
• Offers excellent emission benefits by reducing soot, particulates, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide by more than 10 percent each.
• Minimal increases in cloud and pour point levels can be easily managed by additives
• Does not contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions

Economy

• One bushel of soybeans can produce 1.4 gallons of biodiesel.
• Since June 1999, biodiesel sales have grown to an industry estimate of 15 million gallons, or the equivalent of 10 million bushels of US soybeans.
• A study completed in 2001 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses in conjunction with the Economic Research Services (ERS) found that an average annual increase of the equivalent of 200 million gallons of soy-based biodiesel demand would boost total crop cash receipts by $5.2 billion cumulatively by 2010, resulting in an average net farm income increase of $300 million per year.
• In the last year, the price of wholesale delivered biodiesel has decreased significantly. Generally, a 20 percent biodiesel blend (with 80 percent regular diesel, known as B20) costs about 15-30 cents more per gallon than straight petroleum fuel. B2 blends generally cost only a couple of cents more than No. 2 diesel fuel.

Environment

• Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable, cleaner-burning fuel. Unlike other fuel additives, biodiesel poses minimal risk to water quality.
• A 100 percent biodiesel blend lowers carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by 44 percent, particulate matter emissions by 40 percent and sulfate emissions by 100 percent.
• B20 lowers carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by 9 percent, particulate matter emissions by 8 percent and sulfate emissions by 20 percent. When B20 is used along with an oxidation catalyst, it reduces particulate matter by 45 percent, carbon monoxide by 41 percent and total hydrocarbons by 65 percent.
• The ozone forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon emissions for biodiesel was nearly 50 percent less than that measured for diesel fuel.
• Biodiesel reduces air toxins by up to 90 percent.
• Biodiesel has the highest energy balance of any fuel. For every one unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, 3.2 units of energy are gained.
• Does not contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions

Performance

• Biodiesel has the highest energy content (120,000 BTUs per gallon) of any alternative fuel.
• Biodiesel has significantly improved lubricity, which can decrease maintenance costs and reduce engine wear.
• A flash point of over 300 F makes it much safer to use, store and handle than diesel, gasoline, or other gaseous fuels.
• More than 100 major fleets use biodiesel. Additionally, numerous biodiesel demonstrations, including three one-million-mile tests and more than 30 50,000-mile tests, have logged more than 10 million road miles with biodiesel blends. In these tests, performance, fuel mileage and drivability with biodiesel blends were similar to conventional diesel, but opacity levels were reduced and exhaust odor was less offensive. No adverse durability or engine wear problems were noted.
• Biodiesel can be operated in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system. In blends over 20 percent, biodiesel has a solvent effect, which may release deposits accumulated on tank walls and pipes from previous diesel fuel. The release of deposits may clog filters initially and precautions should be taken.
• Manufacturer warranties cover defects in material and workmanship, and those warranties extend to engines burning biodiesel. Using biodiesel will not void warranties.

Information courtesy of the Iowa State Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

I'm a mechanic first

as evidence by the clinic i put on for the service engineers here to replace the diff pump heater element...

kinda fun... rule #1 if someone is using an adjustable wrench it should be no problem bettering them in a show of wrenching skills.... And freaking hell the Team Time Trial is on now... wicked freaking SWEET (live even) in italian, but if freaking kicks ASS. That nutella with sticks looks sweet! Gimme some of that chocolately hazelnutty goodness...

Anyway - being a decent mechanic could mean by measure that i'm gonna always suck at racing... seems to be some link... SB dropped me a not saying there's a Cat 5 35+ masters race coming up... not too far away... maybe that's the push i need... its the day after the big cape cod TDI event... but... this whole string of AFDs is working... need to slightly increase my uptake of water, but i'm starting to get used it all... confounding factor is almost all good bike mechanics drink two substances... coffee and beer... okay not all... but most... I'd probably do a team more good as a wrench than a rider at this point... Oh and those guys doing the team time trial are freaking FLYING... a gang of fast sunsofbitches... perfect rolling paceline
HAHAH Lancy boy is sitting shotgun in the Disco chace car #1... looking on over a race he was too scared to ride... Maybe that's why he bugs me, he never tried for any of the other races... well the other Grand Tours... I think he started a Vuelta or two but... Giro? too hard too soon before the Tour...

but what about the other guys who won a few TdFs? They all pretty much rode the races... sure it was really different back then... and with most of the pelaton on drugs if you try and do all ya gotta do the juice... ya can prolly manage one without the Juice... but that Heras punk... tried to with the Tour and the Vuelta... prolly was juiced... CSC just blasted through crushing LeakyGas by 42 seconds.... damn... you go Bobby J... Oh now they are showing the pink fairies from Deutcheland...

If ya got a second give a read to gwadzilla's post about a nice road ride... I'm not one to roll through a red-light, BUT what IS the difference between speed limit breaking and red light running? If a car speeds and a bike runs the red light... what's the difference?

I'll admit - i'm rolling through more stop signs now... mostly cause 95% of the cars i see do unless there's someone already in the intersection...

Oh well... Ciao

Stupid Rain

I was SOAKED when i got home... sort of... actually it wasn't bad. The fenders kept the bulk of the water off and it didn't really rain too hard. No trailer this morning though, but even still i took a round about way in...

Swung past the mail box, dropped some bills in the system, then spun over to 11th to look at a few houses for sale... meandered down to the BLVD and rode the length of it down to Lloyd and up to work... put in a decent effort, climbed lloyd in a extra big gear. I'm finally getting the standing climbing muscles back... and spinning down the BLVD i had the hammies working pretty well, i may not be fast but at least i feel my form is coming together... I just keep telling myself that its a couple year process to get to the point of being fast again. Even if i'll always be slow. I'd be tickled pink to beable upgrade to a 3... dunno if i should admit that and i know, i'll need to actually race to do it...

A quick update about Chris:

I want and need to thank so many people for your outpouring of support
during the time I have been incapacitated due to my untimely meeting
with another vehicle much larger than I. Friends of ours from the
area, family, and many people I don't even know from the cycling
community who have contacted me with well wishes came through. You
have all shown me how to be compassionate and make someone feel close
to community. I'll now be in full recovery mode and soon training
for the fall season and cyclo-cross. Hopefully I'll be back on
another bike in about 2 months.
Thank-You All,

Chris

That came through yesterday afternoon...

About yesterday's emissions ranting: i was runnin off the cuff and with goofy facts... i think... although at some point i know that data was accurate... but... now... nevermind - i'm a complete idiot... total idiot... sort of... vehicles over 6,000 pounds have had different standards... I was wrong, I mis-informed, and I appologize and will correct/edit the content (with strike through so you all can witness my erroneous ways - that and so I can see it and maybe not do it again)... I still was pretty sure about it but man i can't document where the hell i got the info....

here's some light reading:
TDiFAQ-5.html

epa.gov/otaq/consumer/05-autos.pdf

If ya get to the bottom of the TDiFAQ... it mentions the opacity test... well i passed... and on a scale of 100 i was a 2 i think... or a 0.2 a damn low number...

I'm biased... i'm a diesel head... and yeah SB's correct it all breaks down to Fuel per person. And 95% of the SUVs are driven alone... or with kids in the back heads glued to the DVD screen because Mommy or Daddy need to make phone calls or what ever the hell they do...

so i'm an idiot... prone to excitment and exaduration at times... i try like hell to get my facts straight but... often well i am wrong... unlike some assmuchingdickheadselfservingexecutive branch of our own government i don't have a problem admiting i'm wrong. And if i'm wrong i want to do the research to learn the right stuff so i won't make the damn same mistake again...

now that i've shown i can be an excitable retard...

I've started messing with HDR stuff... mostly (inspiration) from the images i've seen over at Flikr's group for the stuff.... wicked damn cool and since i have Photoshop CS on here... well i get to play... first couple actually are shitty subjects but the results are actually rather impressive. If i get any good stuff i'll pop it up...

Down side is tripod really makes a difference... and setting the brackets can be a pain... but man are they amazing results... no? and of course the obligatory Wiki entry for HDR... which actually helps understand it all....

I might have more up later... for now... coffee time...

late afternoon EDIT Good Morning

Sure sue me - its after Noon...

Trying to watch the Giro Feed that Big Jonny Posted but damn if it isn't a buffer sucking pig right now... 5 seconds... lock up... 5 seconds... lock up... (but there is a classicly hot sexy woman co-hosting... at least that's what it seems - maybe she's just window dressing).

not to mention my italian is more or less non-existant... i should recruit Giulia to translate for me... although i can get enough from watching the action and picking up the words...

But to start off: Thoughts and Prayers and all the damn supportive energy goes out to Suds, his wife and supporting family. Find some strength my good friend. back at the TDIfest in Toronto that he helped organize our families had fun, and since then they've grown a bit in size and soon number for both. I've moved further away but Gerry's an example of one of those rare friends and damn fine soul!

It seems like there's just load after load of 'Oh shit' no way lately... need something positive...

Like the weather to clear up for the Tuesday BLVD ride... for poops sake this could be the second Tuesday in a row with rain... poopydoop...

Poop, Potty... two words that parents of toddlers and young kids use way too often... "I'll be right back, i'm gonna go potty."

I say that phrase too much.

Woops... i hope no one walks into the office... it smells like someone pooped their pants... and they will of course blame it on my lunch of refer beans, rice, and secretly seasoned meat, okay the rice and beans are custom blended (flavors, ie spices) by me... And it tastes gooooooooooood.

interupted by a phone call, and lots of other stuff... slowly finishing...

anyway, cars... My damn Golf is making a weird clunking noise, the strut bearings seem to be sticky again, and i'm getting a squealing from a brake or bearing or something... I took it all apart and ruled out the sway bar, ruled out the pendulum mount... but am left with too much stuff... ball joint? tie rod end? wheel bearing? strut? steering Rack?

frustrating... I need a lift... and time... at least it isn't being driven much lately. But its one of those problems that i haven't run across before and don't have the time to take everything apart and figure it all out...

I like this picture... enough to make me wanna get a nice fixie... but i'm thinking i just stick with what i have till it breaks... starting to look at houses freaks me out a touch... damn things are a sinkhole load of money... but being one's own landlord is more and more attractive.... from the peace of mind standpoint...

There is some great footage in that Giro link... some boring stuff.... and lots of really little guys...

My legs... talk about jumping around... my legs felt great yesterday. Maybe the achyness at the end of the week was indeed repair... i was definately stronger heading home lastnight up the damn hills with a toddler load in the trailer...

diggin around that gmap-pedometer link is cool with the elevations... but takes forever and the elevations side of things is really buggy... But looks like my new daily route is somewhere around 7 miles
the elevation profile looks a bit like this. Total distance ~3.5 miles... one way... an extra 1.5 over the old route and all that extra weight in the trailer... and the trailer itself...

i think its making me stronger... but i dunno if its making me faster... Hell i pulled the damn Klein out of the barn, cleaned it all up... and haven't ridden it since!!!

I need keep my fingers crossed and hope the rain holds off... and with the nice plastic covering my windows i can no longer look over my shoulder to check... freaking hell that sucks... so i click on the radar... and that is just flat out shitty... shitty shitty shitty... damn i wanted to get out for more than a little ride... farkinhell... i know i'm not in a good position to be complaining about such a minor issue in light of what my good friends are going through. I am fortunate and blessed...

that and at this point - 30 million distractions into this - lunch almost over (one bite left) i'm FINALLY getting to the point where i want to wrap it all up and its a good bit past the noon hour now... dats what i get for not closing my door and ignoring the phone i guess...

be safe out there - keep the rubber side down And cat 4 women DEFINATELY should NOT be racing with the 1/2 much less the 1/2/3... give em their own start... hell just start em 5 minutes behind the first woman's group... ah hell i dunno - here's me, mr. haven't even re-upped the lisense... that $60 is looking at me all cross eyed like... I'll repeat KL's rant about outrageous fees that the USAC decides to charge... total bullshit.

on that note - stay dry...

Saw this... just had to add it here... Hey KL... poke... poke...


actually i'm not terribly found of it - Soot is a bad misnomer for a well tuned diesel... diesel emissions are no problem to make meet the most stringent European standards... its just the retarded bas akward way the EPA does stuff around here... how the hell can a Suburban getting single digit fuel economy be called a low emission vehicle? 'Cause of PPM... sure it may match a Civic's exhaust in PPM for particulate, CO, and what not, but if you do it grams per kilometer or pounds per mile... freaking in sane amount of pollution is spewed out... not even funny... (i'm an idiot - see May 9th morning post)

doh... there i go... must be end of day... Scopes busting left and right, supercharged meeting coming up tomorrow, product development excitement, dealing with VZW and weird strange effed up charges not to mention the whole insurance/autobody shop stuff... its been a fun day,

that and i think its still raining... meaning:
I have to ride home, (get wet - no rain pants tonight DOH), but no BLVD ride... bunch a fair weather pansies... although i can't blame anyone... riding alone or with one other in the rain is completely different than a big whole paceline pack of people....

an improvement

the big head guy came in and said "Damn - that's intolerable" and told the air-hammering seldge wielding freak outside the building to knock it off...

and he did it just before the director showed up... figures... i'm the only one that had to deal with the insane noise...

flip that to now and we've got some OTHER guy INSIDE the building with ANOTHER air-hammer/chisel removing flooring... not too loud but its horridly agravating... kinda like a dental drill but with more vibration...

woops... that was a while... just letting this languish - well i got a long list of stuff done... still another couple things to cover... maybe it'll just let it sit..

but

i'm flat... words used up.. maybe its that vibration

maybe its... no good answer i guess...

oh - i haven't even looked at the Giro results yet...

not sure what that means... i don't care about the pros? The drugged up field of genetic freaks?

Heck i tried to watch hockey yesterday but it sucked watching Liles lose like that. I saw Liles go from Freshman to Pro at MSU... talk about an impressive Defenseman! Not to mention Horcroff (oilers) who dispatched the Wings... he's from MSU as well...

As i get more on the bike i seem to be less excited about pro sports... i don't really care... too much other crap going on... birthday parties to take my daughter to... rides to go on... if it doesn't rain...

anyway i'm gonna pop this up... if any words show up below this comment i've gotten a second wind... maybe if SB gets more than a "hey we drove 750 miles to race 100 miles" maybe i'll post... i don't even feel like writing about ethanol and how the API is scared shitless about non-petroluem fuels. The API is all about the 3,000 mile oil change... why not! the more oil sold the more their members make... i'm done for now...

Crap....

This is from Chris' girlfriend, Alex.

On why busses and bikes do not mix:

As you might have already heard, yesterday afternoon Chris [Burke] was riding his
bike through Providence when he was struck by a bus. He was taken to Rhode
Island Hospital were he was diagnosed with a shattered color bone, broken
ribs and a collapsed lung. They operated soon after and repaired his
collarbone with a metal plate to secure the bone fragments while they heal.
The initial CAT scan was normal but he is experiencing numbness in his face
so he will go for another scan tomorrow. Chris is conscious and he is
breathing on his own with a little help from a chest tube.

There is no word as of yet on when Chris will be released. As for now, he
is morning the loss of a promising racing season and celebrating the fact he
is alive.

Man, that really sucks... rough week... first Nasmac's sister dies from cancer... Chris gets nailed by a bus...

that kinda shoots the morning in the ass reading that email.

Top it off with there are guys fucking hammer drilling the bricks off the wall outside my office...

Yeah 1/2 hammer drill - maybe its 3/4... one of those big fucking hammer drills... 4 feet from my desk, oh that's a nice change... the son of a bitch is out there with a sledge now... beating the crap out of the damn wall.

And i can smell the dust... not good... well it will help with my mineral intake, at least the calcium, phosphorous maybe some potassium... what ever is in the morter.

great freaking morning. now i have to deal with the insurance people too... Farking HELL.

What a monday... what a monday... oh and saturday i managed a few brews while making dinner for the two of us (my oldest daughter + me)... A nice copper river ale and a couple canadian's... still had a hard time falling asleep, woke up feeling better than some mornings but all in all no change... biggest problem with AFDs is i get wicked hungry. Those extra calories make a difference...

The legs felt good on the bike this morning, with the trailer... we'll see how they feel this afternoon, and fingers crossed the weather holds off and its dry for the Tuesday night pace-line ride.

I need some miles after being sidelined for a week or so prep'n for the workshop...

till later - here's to hoping they stop beating the shit out of the wall... DAMN a 30 second pause is enough to give me hope... well its still going on. I wonder how RIOSHA would view this work environment.

Craziness of …

Life,
Weather,
Kids,

Did I miss anything?

The weather’s crazy! Too GD hot. WAY too hot. Well for me at least.

Solobreak didn’t waste any time in busting my secret code out in the open…

I popped on the unsecured network here in the apartment – dunno who’s network it is, where its out of… its just someone’s netgear… could be fishing, I dunno… prolly not the best idea to check stuff with it… not sure I care too much. But that quick check added the twist of the thought…

Meanwhile back on track… It’s a daddy daughter weekend. I get back from the cape, specifically woods hole, totally fried… I couldn’t even stick around long enough to chat with anyone. Just said my thank you and see ya later and blew that popsicle stand. Which actually was perfect timing. I got back in time to unload and clean out the car, and walk over to the bus and wait for the oldest to hop off. We came back, washed her up, unfortunately what I thought was a big dirt mark on her knee was a bruise… oops doesn’t feel good I guess when your daddy tries to it off. We had fun, got ready, my wife came home started madly packing I picked up the youngest from daycare got back, changed – started getting a bit over the edge bloodsugar crash and all that – and followed a fellow father out to the Dance. How you get to West Warwick I couldn’t tell ya… getting there I was lost… coming back… no problem, well at least I had another kindergarten dad to follow back to 95… The dance was fun, the girls really had fun, the photographer was frustrated by my height… putting K on the chair still had me way too tall… so I had to sit down and K stood next to me… its not easy being the tallest freak in the show… That and since I have been too busy working on the Confocal Workshop I haven’t gotten this rock start hair chopped off… debating if I will or not – no debate… its getting cut but how much and by who… that’s the biggest question and as ‘calculating’ as I am (indecisive is another word for it) the hair may just get longer…

The workshop I think went really well. People were very encouraging, the Reps were extremely helpful and did a great job with stuff… It would have been great to stay and hang out it’s a good group… and a freakin GORGEOUS location. Just wait till ya see these pictures… okay – I didn’t take many and I will have to wait till the week when I can get to work early or take some time at lunch to mess around with them. Although, there has been a bit of shit flying that I’ve managed to duck and avoid… the re-occurring problem is the shit is still flying and I’m the one who’s supposed to flush it.

Not to mention I need to get the damn car fixed… not to mention I need to check see where the knocking sound is in the front suspension, although I’m thinking now it maybe the lower dogbone mount… I’m hoping it is… not to mention the brakes are getting worse… definitely a sticky caliper I think… need some new rotors, probably need to take apart the calipers… Gotta put the Shut off valve in the car. With the windows open I’ve heard three VW TDIs puttering outside…

After a week like this I’m thinking “How the hell am I ever gonna get in shape to race?” Then I think… well good luck winning anything… but its also my motivation to get back out even if I have a bad stretch. No point keeping training logs cause my main bike can’t even tell me how far I’ve gone… But rough calculations leave me around 700-1000 miles ytd. I think… % error is way too big to make those mean anything. Now… if I just moved another 2 miles away I’d add 20 miles a week and that’s close to an extra thousand miles a year… and thinking in those terms from a guy who’s just spent the last 6 years driving 40,000 miles a year…. Its nuttin… damn blew an hour already…

Better go walk over to ballet, its nice being able to walk over there instead of having to drive…. As much as I really like not having neighbors and I like being out in the middle of no where… having everything super close is REALLY nice… Maybe I work on my sunburn with a little ride down the bike path or something… with the trailer of course….

Alright – thus concludes my Saturday morning 9am update!

Peace out yall… and for those racing this weekend… kick some serious ass… and Gerry! Keep running man!

G dawg is a tired puppy and its only 10am!!!

much better

water now coffee... some food... feel great...

mostly caught up... battery on the laptop is down to 30 minutes left..

time to go...

thanks for the reading!
(over waiting while the battery is charging now)
Thanks for the reading clarification:
Thank you to those blogs out there that were great to read this morning... and last night.

There are some fantasically inspitiring folks here... the distinquished gentleman at breakfast that commented (while i was reading Sud's web log) on my pose as the modern Thinking man... left hand propping my head up and relaxed and mellow reading... lead to a pretty cool conversation. But i missed a fair number of his words and i'll be damned if i can remember his name! Grr... but the last car he owned was a 1952 Bentley. He's ridden a bike ever since, still riding a 30 year old Raleigh (road frame, very distinctive in the bike rack outside the swope center). He's the kinda inspiration that makes this job so cool. Guys like that who are governed by curiousity and driven by science and are passionate, educated, and intelligent, but not boastful.

i've gotta pack this crap up Zeiss is here and its time to play with my samples! Woooo.... well it'd be more wooo if i haven't looked at this stuff ad-nauseum...

well... that's about it...

i've gotta get working...

what happened

i feel like just woke up from a night of drinkin... 'course i was awakened by the birds and the light at 5:15 slept fitfully till now (6:30).

but outside is gorgeous... clear sunny skies... the harbor is dead calm...

it makes it better/easier to wake up feeling like i'm hung over... 4 cups and literally thats the size of the paper cups in here and i'm not a lot better than i was before... makes me think: Hungover=dehydrated and under-rested? seems to make sense everyone says: Sleep and Water are the best cures...
no getting more sleep... so i'll drink some more water...

its an elipse type morning...

elipse type (if i was more awake i could chuckle at the stupid humor in that)

oh this is good:

Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
- Robert Heinlein

true? maybe... kinda funny from my POV right now... i'm awake earlyish and have no motivation to do anything...

cruising through some of the stuff on the google personalized home page, i've got Alaska Jill's RSS feed (comeon all yall bloggers get a damn RSS feed - its easy) i've got space for most all the ones i read on the home... makes it easy to see what's new...

HOLYCRAP.. where have i been? giro starts today!
WTF - kinda cool but the bells are ringing out there - is that the alarm? nothing to do with 7am... maybe sailor boy can straighten me out... this is his neck of the woods and the voice mail ya left yesterday was somewhat no funny, but i appreciate the attempt

anyway - gonna start up the motor and see about gettung ready for the final assault on the confocals....

burnt.... out....

So its 11pm… do you know where the old anti-social tall geeky weirdo is?

Sitting here stretching out on an ‘institutional’ single bed alone in a conference center with freaking kickass wireless access. I’m running off the battery so as to ensure I don’t type too long.

The workshop is pretty much over. And I think maybe I just might have accomplished what I set out to. I think.

Hard to tell, but it is over…

I scribbled a bunch of stuff on a pad but that’s in the car, maybe it’ll be for later. My legs feel like shit. Two days of sitting in the car instead of on the bike. Dunno… that or they are finally getting some rest and are massively repairing themselves…

Going to successfully have my 3rd AFD. Don’t ask… I know what it means… it’s the Williams brother code… it’s a bit strange… and not altogether unpleasant…

I look like a Timbuk2 sales rep… on massive bag, one of the next size down and the laptop bag… the sizes refer to when they made 4 bags… in any color you want… current perusal points to their niche marketing success…

I’m chowing on wasabi peas, and fig newtons… not sure it’s a good middle of the night snack or not… but I’m feeling hungry… and it works. Except the peas are making me thirsty… that or the 9 hours of talking are catching up to me… or the fish and chips (which were good, but freaking outrageously pricey) or just flat out not drinking water.

Nothing crazy to say… day two of not doing my open tabs… I thought about doing the voice thing again… but then I thought…um… good idea, what the hell is the number… beats me…

Reading over at Kerry’s about the go green, go yellow… Go BioDiesel! Filled up at the B20 pump in providence (yeah it aint 100% but its still 20%). $2.999 and I went over 600 miles on $40 of fuel… not to bad… renewable, clean, cheaper now… No where near 60 or 70 mph but driving 85-90mph (I’m kidding… unless you’ve driven the I-195 stretch from providence out to Warren much)… I’m not kidding or am i… sort of seems not right to mention how fast ya drive – almost like an admission… except this is a blog, and everyone makes everything up anyway… right?
But I was over at the pump – and the gal who runs the show, asked if I wanted a bumper sticker… a new one… sure… still haven’t put one on the car… I’ve got the little biodiesel window clings on the front windows… that’s it… but man I tell ya this google alert thing… They’ve got BioD plants coming online left and right… prices now for Dino Diesel are at BioD levels… and ya don’t have to be Exxon or BP to get into the fuel biz… think about it… that insane 6% profit they made is insane… what are they doing? Are they in business?

But when starbucks announces what 27% profits no one gives a shit? Hmmm a gallon of fuel shouldn’t cost more than a cup of coffee – or is it the other way around?

What else to say? Dunno… I’ll upload the picture I just took of the room… and my spread… kinda funny…

Gonna sleep with the window open on a wicked quiet harbor… except I’m still not feeling sleepy…Okay that’s a lie… I’m starting to feel sleepy… and I get to luxuriously sleep till say 7:30… that’ll be two extra hours… if I can stay asleep that long