keep moving along folks...
nothing to see here...
but - i will make note - made some lead stain that actually went into solution perfectly - here is to hoping it actually stains the grids well... and i get pictures before lunch to prove it...
might even stick one up here...
maybe...
coffee's not working today...
Friday, January 19, 2007
getting caught in the rain
yeah...
sweet...
actually last night it was a hell uva lot of fun... it was dry loading the littlest in, but barely. I felt a couple little drizzly drops like wet condensing fog on the way down the hill.
The road seemed just a wee bit wet... and i wondered if it was warm enough to not freeze or make black ice. It had been pretty cold in the morning.
Luckily no ice. But it did steadily increase all the way home.
Brilliant thing is, when its cold and raining i have a deserted bike path all to myself. The other bike commuter schedules often are 5-10 minutes before me based on timing leaving and me adding a bit extra time heading to the pickup.
It was great.
This morning, pro day for the oldest's school, in laws in town, so my dear wife took a day off and is hanging with everyone. The original plan was for me to take the youngest in. However, she was waking up every hour more or less from about 2am on... she stayed in bed, but... when i finally got her at 6am, and came back up after my coffee and shower she was still out, sleeping deeply. So change of plans. Let her sleep, one of the home crew will take her in to daycare (to play with her friends)...
The ride in blessedly was dry. The road was wet but there was no precipitation. Warm too. 36°F. Just the bellweather jersey and a wind vest today. Perfect. That and a little bit of slushy ice on the Washington bridge.
Mellow day in. And early.
Gonna suck down some coffee and also suck down some yogurt. It seems to make Yogurt boy fast so i'm gonna try it ;)
no links... no referencing anyone else today...
life is short - live it to the fullest
make your choices count
and never presume to have had a more difficult time than someone else
G
sweet...
actually last night it was a hell uva lot of fun... it was dry loading the littlest in, but barely. I felt a couple little drizzly drops like wet condensing fog on the way down the hill.
The road seemed just a wee bit wet... and i wondered if it was warm enough to not freeze or make black ice. It had been pretty cold in the morning.
Luckily no ice. But it did steadily increase all the way home.
Brilliant thing is, when its cold and raining i have a deserted bike path all to myself. The other bike commuter schedules often are 5-10 minutes before me based on timing leaving and me adding a bit extra time heading to the pickup.
It was great.
This morning, pro day for the oldest's school, in laws in town, so my dear wife took a day off and is hanging with everyone. The original plan was for me to take the youngest in. However, she was waking up every hour more or less from about 2am on... she stayed in bed, but... when i finally got her at 6am, and came back up after my coffee and shower she was still out, sleeping deeply. So change of plans. Let her sleep, one of the home crew will take her in to daycare (to play with her friends)...
The ride in blessedly was dry. The road was wet but there was no precipitation. Warm too. 36°F. Just the bellweather jersey and a wind vest today. Perfect. That and a little bit of slushy ice on the Washington bridge.
Mellow day in. And early.
Gonna suck down some coffee and also suck down some yogurt. It seems to make Yogurt boy fast so i'm gonna try it ;)
no links... no referencing anyone else today...
life is short - live it to the fullest
make your choices count
and never presume to have had a more difficult time than someone else
G
Thursday, January 18, 2007
its 37°F outside...
do you know what's running through GeWilli's head right now?
Do i wear bib tights over my shorts or not...
yup... two days of riding in the teens and i'm thinking 37 is a HEAT WAVE...
i'll prolly pull a solobreak and cover the legs...
Do i wear bib tights over my shorts or not...
yup... two days of riding in the teens and i'm thinking 37 is a HEAT WAVE...
i'll prolly pull a solobreak and cover the legs...
stupid peer pressure
but this time its good (I think)
Thanks Yogurt Boy...
a team mate of mine had signed up for the cat 4, so i jumped in with him... my gut wanted to ride the 30+ (cause i'm stupid i think)... team mate thought it would be a good idea to hit the 30+ group and twist arms of the rest of the team to go race (most of us are old farts too)... What's good about the 30+ race? Well all ya gotta do is read mr positive's jan 17th entry. Every reason in the world not to start in the 4s... 125 riders deep, starting after the 40+ (125 riders) and after the Cat 3s (80 or so at this point) dirt road downhills... Carnage...
so the 30+ (course the 30+ field is nearly as last minute as the Pro/1/2 field and that'll be the catchall for those folks... well basically 30+
i'd rather finish a few riders in front of the lantern rouge in the 30+ than maybe deal with what could be one serious bar banging jamboree...
'course now that i've said something the 30+ will fill in a matter of days, but i'll be still comforted by the fact that there'll be more people on the road behind me, than in front of me, at least through the first few hills...
heck i'm even thinkin about using a 27 cassette! Yes solobreak's absolute favorite - nothing better for a cyclist than the 12-27 - esp for those compact crank driving weenies... I wonder if i'd survive 30 miles of climbing with a 45x25 low gear ;)
we'll see what magic gears gewilli pulls out of the tool box...
oh and i'm thinkin CTodd needs to mix it up a bit more than just having one Todd-cast up all week... change up the content a bit...
or not...
what-i-think's tale of traveling to cali - mmm luxurious... envy...
all these tales of people riding in warm sunny lands... i'd not normally be jealous of, with as much as i revel in riding in challenging cold conditions... some how it just sounds awesome...
Thanks Yogurt Boy...
a team mate of mine had signed up for the cat 4, so i jumped in with him... my gut wanted to ride the 30+ (cause i'm stupid i think)... team mate thought it would be a good idea to hit the 30+ group and twist arms of the rest of the team to go race (most of us are old farts too)... What's good about the 30+ race? Well all ya gotta do is read mr positive's jan 17th entry. Every reason in the world not to start in the 4s... 125 riders deep, starting after the 40+ (125 riders) and after the Cat 3s (80 or so at this point) dirt road downhills... Carnage...
so the 30+ (course the 30+ field is nearly as last minute as the Pro/1/2 field and that'll be the catchall for those folks... well basically 30+
i'd rather finish a few riders in front of the lantern rouge in the 30+ than maybe deal with what could be one serious bar banging jamboree...
'course now that i've said something the 30+ will fill in a matter of days, but i'll be still comforted by the fact that there'll be more people on the road behind me, than in front of me, at least through the first few hills...
heck i'm even thinkin about using a 27 cassette! Yes solobreak's absolute favorite - nothing better for a cyclist than the 12-27 - esp for those compact crank driving weenies... I wonder if i'd survive 30 miles of climbing with a 45x25 low gear ;)
we'll see what magic gears gewilli pulls out of the tool box...
oh and i'm thinkin CTodd needs to mix it up a bit more than just having one Todd-cast up all week... change up the content a bit...
or not...
what-i-think's tale of traveling to cali - mmm luxurious... envy...
all these tales of people riding in warm sunny lands... i'd not normally be jealous of, with as much as i revel in riding in challenging cold conditions... some how it just sounds awesome...
so i roll into the office today
only to have to REALLY go potty, wet not poopy (can ya tell my bathroom vocab is influenced by a 2 year old?)...
and well i got as many layers on as ever... bib shorts - damp REI baselayer (poly pro ain't so stretchy when stuck to skin) bib tights, pearl wind pants, Bellweather heavy weight longsleeve jersey and Sugoi jacket.. getting changed into clothes just doesn't happen fast enough...
And if the ride in this morning at 15-17° F (yeah - balmy compared to the northern folks) wasn't quite enough - i've gotta pop back out, brave the city streets and hit the other facility in a few minutes. Farking brilliant. And no - thet littlest hitched a ride in the car this AM.
And while watching the news or something in the last couple days - i think just before the "cold" hit, a guy said "It is very important to get your car winterized."
So my wife turns to me and says "What do you have to do to winterize the car?"
And i thought for a second... um... um... um... not a Fahking thing! Not a Goll-durn thing. Okay - running through the list:
Oil- most all cars now require an "energy conserving" viscosity that is fine for cold weather
Coolant- winter/summer if ya coolant ain't ready for summer it ain't ready for winter and if it ain't ready for either it is just flat out asking for trouble and problems down the road...
Fuel- should be good fuel ya ain't gonna have problems if you have good fuel (gasoline or diesel)
so what else is there to winterize?
put the ice scraper in the car?
snow tires - yeah, that'd be winterizing, but most folks run all seasons and stuff...
winter wipers - yeah, i suppose... i've used em, and they flat out suck giant donkey testicles, esp if ya going over 60 mph... at least on the Golf they do.
I guess bottom line - if ya car is properly maintained and your maintenace up to date... ya don't need to worry about "winterizing" and yes... i've lived in michigan, two three months where the temp NEVER got above 20 degrees F EVER... weeks in the single digits. I ain't experienced penguin arctic cold... but the windswept fields of Michigan are pretty damn almost as close as you can get in the lower 48...
Okay,
scannin through skimming stuff (okay i read all of Peanut's new stuff while eating a fig newton or two or 6)...
I get to this at Big Jonny's and laugh... how funny - and how true - he DOES try really hard:
Patrick O'Grady's got some new stuff and a pic wearing a Richard Sachs T but that'll have to wait - as will what-i-think (she's talking about beer... mmmm beeeeer)
and heck - read the rest of Jonny's sh-tuff for a nice play by play from "demon cat" about some yuppie in a volvo in DC... good stuff - gwadz - watch out for that volvo!
Okay well that's about it for the link happy g...
*raising my cup of coffee in toast mode*
Here's
to rides that how ever freaky in the middle wind up safe in the end
to having family and friends you love and respect
to having the benefits of health and freedom
And to the bumper sticker i saw:
I can't wait till
2008
(ya gotta admit, it has a nice rhythm and meter)
Peace
G
and well i got as many layers on as ever... bib shorts - damp REI baselayer (poly pro ain't so stretchy when stuck to skin) bib tights, pearl wind pants, Bellweather heavy weight longsleeve jersey and Sugoi jacket.. getting changed into clothes just doesn't happen fast enough...
And if the ride in this morning at 15-17° F (yeah - balmy compared to the northern folks) wasn't quite enough - i've gotta pop back out, brave the city streets and hit the other facility in a few minutes. Farking brilliant. And no - thet littlest hitched a ride in the car this AM.
And while watching the news or something in the last couple days - i think just before the "cold" hit, a guy said "It is very important to get your car winterized."
So my wife turns to me and says "What do you have to do to winterize the car?"
And i thought for a second... um... um... um... not a Fahking thing! Not a Goll-durn thing. Okay - running through the list:
Oil- most all cars now require an "energy conserving" viscosity that is fine for cold weather
Coolant- winter/summer if ya coolant ain't ready for summer it ain't ready for winter and if it ain't ready for either it is just flat out asking for trouble and problems down the road...
Fuel- should be good fuel ya ain't gonna have problems if you have good fuel (gasoline or diesel)
so what else is there to winterize?
put the ice scraper in the car?
snow tires - yeah, that'd be winterizing, but most folks run all seasons and stuff...
winter wipers - yeah, i suppose... i've used em, and they flat out suck giant donkey testicles, esp if ya going over 60 mph... at least on the Golf they do.
I guess bottom line - if ya car is properly maintained and your maintenace up to date... ya don't need to worry about "winterizing" and yes... i've lived in michigan, two three months where the temp NEVER got above 20 degrees F EVER... weeks in the single digits. I ain't experienced penguin arctic cold... but the windswept fields of Michigan are pretty damn almost as close as you can get in the lower 48...
Okay,
scannin through skimming stuff (okay i read all of Peanut's new stuff while eating a fig newton or two or 6)...
I get to this at Big Jonny's and laugh... how funny - and how true - he DOES try really hard:
And yes, Al as in Al Gore. Who wants to pick on Al Gore? He's like everybody's retarded second cousin. You don't see much of him, but when you do your nice to him because he's trying really hard.
Patrick O'Grady's got some new stuff and a pic wearing a Richard Sachs T but that'll have to wait - as will what-i-think (she's talking about beer... mmmm beeeeer)
and heck - read the rest of Jonny's sh-tuff for a nice play by play from "demon cat" about some yuppie in a volvo in DC... good stuff - gwadz - watch out for that volvo!
Okay well that's about it for the link happy g...
*raising my cup of coffee in toast mode*
Here's
to rides that how ever freaky in the middle wind up safe in the end
to having family and friends you love and respect
to having the benefits of health and freedom
And to the bumper sticker i saw:
I can't wait till
2008
(ya gotta admit, it has a nice rhythm and meter)
Peace
G
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
doing a search...
to make sure i don't have words that i don't want hit from google i found the old haiku and word thread...
the word is still bike...
but i like the current haiku alot...
okay so its not that great... but
fast i commute
going north with wide open
stretches of water and
maybe better than
rocks oh and yeah there
were mornings with no coffee
beans to make coffee
combine them
fast i commute
going north with wide open
beans to make coffee
but then i click again and get a different haiku
part greasy mess arrrrgh
but whatever i'll survive
the stone hell maybe
floppy bar'd no
drops to grab bike running down
a narrow walk way
ah...
well ya know haiku - time to think along those lines -
i think economy of words could be good no? might be a new challenge
the word is still bike...
but i like the current haiku alot...
Haiku2 for gewilli
fast yeah i commute
going north with wide open
stretches of water and
okay so its not that great... but
fast i commute
going north with wide open
stretches of water and
maybe better than
rocks oh and yeah there
were mornings with no coffee
beans to make coffee
combine them
fast i commute
going north with wide open
beans to make coffee
but then i click again and get a different haiku
part greasy mess arrrrgh
but whatever i'll survive
the stone hell maybe
floppy bar'd no
drops to grab bike running down
a narrow walk way
ah...
well ya know haiku - time to think along those lines -
i think economy of words could be good no? might be a new challenge
14°F w/ a N wind @ 12 mph
yeah - thats the stuff i rode in today. And yeah i commute going north - with wide open stretches of water to the NNW (nearly north and effectively no shield from wind from the North to the South).
I was sweating. too many layers but not uncomfortably so. Big toes got a wee bit cold but here it is 30 minutes later waiting for coffee to brew and blocks to cool down my toes are toasty.
The trailer made the trek, but it was sans kid. Probably a good thing.
Tomorrow, yes, i will ride in, and yes it is supposed to be a mere 7-8°F in the morning. But the wind is supposed to change around to the SSW.
Thanks for the comments there molly - and suds on the soy stuff... good data...
and as they say, you can find statistics to back up any POV... heck people come up with ways to show the earth is less than 10,000 years old using "science" *gasp*
lets not even approach the whole politics side of things
Yall should read Mahk the Shahk's interview over at Cyclingnews.com kinda pissy what the new management did to him, but well...
i guess having a consistent podium rider isn't worth the cash to hang on to him or his bro eh? not all bad - Mahk of course has a great attitude, which is probably the biggest part of his success.
In honor of those two (and yeah its a cyclocross cartoon, and he isn't retiring from that... but anyway its the first image that pops in my head when Frank and Mark are brought up in the same breath)
Also: Don't miss milliman's article over at the snooze he even mentions the way too often overlooked US female cross racer Christine
then and last night before heading out i noticed the headline
BP gone... sad... he was one of the real entertaining guys in the booth... smoking kills - it might take an extra 28 years to catch up with ya... but ya can't escape it...
like anything - moderation ;) soy, diet coke injected in the ass, whatever ya prefer...
hell studies show that water can give lab mice cancer...
I was sweating. too many layers but not uncomfortably so. Big toes got a wee bit cold but here it is 30 minutes later waiting for coffee to brew and blocks to cool down my toes are toasty.
The trailer made the trek, but it was sans kid. Probably a good thing.
Tomorrow, yes, i will ride in, and yes it is supposed to be a mere 7-8°F in the morning. But the wind is supposed to change around to the SSW.
Thanks for the comments there molly - and suds on the soy stuff... good data...
and as they say, you can find statistics to back up any POV... heck people come up with ways to show the earth is less than 10,000 years old using "science" *gasp*
lets not even approach the whole politics side of things
Yall should read Mahk the Shahk's interview over at Cyclingnews.com kinda pissy what the new management did to him, but well...
i guess having a consistent podium rider isn't worth the cash to hang on to him or his bro eh? not all bad - Mahk of course has a great attitude, which is probably the biggest part of his success.
In honor of those two (and yeah its a cyclocross cartoon, and he isn't retiring from that... but anyway its the first image that pops in my head when Frank and Mark are brought up in the same breath)
Also: Don't miss milliman's article over at the snooze he even mentions the way too often overlooked US female cross racer Christine
then and last night before heading out i noticed the headline
BP gone... sad... he was one of the real entertaining guys in the booth... smoking kills - it might take an extra 28 years to catch up with ya... but ya can't escape it...
like anything - moderation ;) soy, diet coke injected in the ass, whatever ya prefer...
hell studies show that water can give lab mice cancer...
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Grrrrr
okay - now - i've got these great training audio bits - BUT - short of burning 6 CDs and re-ripping them... i can't use em on my MP3 PLAYER... yes, i have a prehistoric player that WILL work with mp3 files but THAT IS IT. AAC and i'm screwed...
now i've mined around abit and found some nice s h a r e w a r e stuff but they want cash... no f r e e stuff to be found... even re-DL'd i copyright your whole Hard Disc tunes... it'll convert everything to AAC but not the other way a-freaking-round. At least not that i could tell...
would be nice to pop one of these bad boys in the "playa" and sit on the rollas or the traina one cold day sometime... I guess i'm kinda stuck doing my own freaking damn thing... ifn all yall got some sort of suggestion i'm all ears... and maybe i'll just have ta break down and do the whole burn cd thing a try...
in the mean time anyone have any recs?
now i've mined around abit and found some nice s h a r e w a r e stuff but they want cash... no f r e e stuff to be found... even re-DL'd i copyright your whole Hard Disc tunes... it'll convert everything to AAC but not the other way a-freaking-round. At least not that i could tell...
would be nice to pop one of these bad boys in the "playa" and sit on the rollas or the traina one cold day sometime... I guess i'm kinda stuck doing my own freaking damn thing... ifn all yall got some sort of suggestion i'm all ears... and maybe i'll just have ta break down and do the whole burn cd thing a try...
in the mean time anyone have any recs?
found this funny...
(edited some of the stuff to reduce search crawlers and shizzle)
okay so i was slumming over at m y s p a ce - peeping at AM or AHM or whatever the hell he's calling himself nowdays. Someone told me a while back this fall that he wasn't A H M anymore - just A M... he dropped the H... okay whatEVER he's still the same dude with weird blog rules and what not... (oh and ace still refers to him as AHM so that adds to the confusion)
so i click on that soy will make you increase your femininity (read Gee Ay whY) link...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327
interesting - the literature cited wouldn't stand up under review for the most part (at least the medical stuff). Writing a "scientific" "article" and citing web only sources and books is alot like citing the bible for scientific support. It just don't cut it.
I've come across more solid studies showing that the phytoestrogen does not interfere with the human estrogen pathway. They are analogous in some regions but not functional. Has that been 'reversed"? I dunno. I haven't looked.
its curious tho - no my kids weren't raised on soy formula, hell they barely drank formula at all... they were raised on what G o d intended them to develop on. The proper balance of sugars, proteins, minerals, fats and what not.
I shouldn't give that dude any more press - but, ya know - it is a good example. Maybe he's right, but my 30 second read of it and the scanning of references leaves me thinking he's FOS. I dunno.
Something to think about.
Oh and just cause tofu and "raw" soy based products may shrink your pee niss, make your kids (read sons cause well that's all that matters right?-according to them), give you breast cancer(women), kill your wigglers (men), and whatever else... doesn't give you a reason NOT to be a vegetarian/vegan.
No?
No! Tofu don't have to be a staple in your diet to get a nice balanced meal. nope...
ah well...
i ain't a nutritionalisticly trained monkey sitting at a keyboard - just overly introspective with 30 seconds of time spread out here and there...
peace,
g
okay so i was slumming over at m y s p a ce - peeping at AM or AHM or whatever the hell he's calling himself nowdays. Someone told me a while back this fall that he wasn't A H M anymore - just A M... he dropped the H... okay whatEVER he's still the same dude with weird blog rules and what not... (oh and ace still refers to him as AHM so that adds to the confusion)
so i click on that soy will make you increase your femininity (read Gee Ay whY) link...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327
interesting - the literature cited wouldn't stand up under review for the most part (at least the medical stuff). Writing a "scientific" "article" and citing web only sources and books is alot like citing the bible for scientific support. It just don't cut it.
I've come across more solid studies showing that the phytoestrogen does not interfere with the human estrogen pathway. They are analogous in some regions but not functional. Has that been 'reversed"? I dunno. I haven't looked.
its curious tho - no my kids weren't raised on soy formula, hell they barely drank formula at all... they were raised on what G o d intended them to develop on. The proper balance of sugars, proteins, minerals, fats and what not.
I shouldn't give that dude any more press - but, ya know - it is a good example. Maybe he's right, but my 30 second read of it and the scanning of references leaves me thinking he's FOS. I dunno.
Something to think about.
Oh and just cause tofu and "raw" soy based products may shrink your pee niss, make your kids (read sons cause well that's all that matters right?-according to them), give you breast cancer(women), kill your wigglers (men), and whatever else... doesn't give you a reason NOT to be a vegetarian/vegan.
No?
No! Tofu don't have to be a staple in your diet to get a nice balanced meal. nope...
ah well...
i ain't a nutritionalisticly trained monkey sitting at a keyboard - just overly introspective with 30 seconds of time spread out here and there...
peace,
g
Silver Lining
Yeah - so i used another song from the same artist.
But that's the truth. Three days off and this morning my legs felt great. Well the headwind in the 18-25mph range riding in with an overloaded monday morning bag wasn't easy...
but after the daycare drop off i plunged the bag in the trailer and headed out - only to see a group of roadies out for a ride... i pulled in the middle of them on the BLVD, solo guy up front - pair off the back, and thought - well lets see what i got in these legs... i reeled in the first guy pretty quickly - granted he wasn't going that slow, but i was keeping pace with the school bus 50 yards or so up the road, and i was feeling strong, passing and sort of dropping the eddy merckx riding guy... But the legs were able to respond directly. No lingering soreness from a weekend of cross...
I kinda like this fresh leg feeling. Its cool. Cool, is what we're gonna be getting. Just ain't quite got it yet. but it is getting cooler so far as the morning is progressing. The legs are feeling the efforts of the morning - but we'll see how long that lasts...
That and why is it with adversity i can push myself harder and further than w/o it, adversity on the bike i equate with headwind or hill in general... items that work against your forward progress... mentally i can find the edge and sit on it longer under those conditions than say with a tailwind. But then maybe at some point here soon i'll be able to see if that's a mental feeling or an actuality.
eat well, food is life... the old saying you are what you eat is rather unfortunately VERY true... don't fill your sleeve full of junk... now where can i get some of that neuralchem...
and damn - i just discovered that there are two more to Takeshi Kovacs novels... more reading... SWEET
peace, and don't forget to smile at strangers
G
But that's the truth. Three days off and this morning my legs felt great. Well the headwind in the 18-25mph range riding in with an overloaded monday morning bag wasn't easy...
but after the daycare drop off i plunged the bag in the trailer and headed out - only to see a group of roadies out for a ride... i pulled in the middle of them on the BLVD, solo guy up front - pair off the back, and thought - well lets see what i got in these legs... i reeled in the first guy pretty quickly - granted he wasn't going that slow, but i was keeping pace with the school bus 50 yards or so up the road, and i was feeling strong, passing and sort of dropping the eddy merckx riding guy... But the legs were able to respond directly. No lingering soreness from a weekend of cross...
I kinda like this fresh leg feeling. Its cool. Cool, is what we're gonna be getting. Just ain't quite got it yet. but it is getting cooler so far as the morning is progressing. The legs are feeling the efforts of the morning - but we'll see how long that lasts...
That and why is it with adversity i can push myself harder and further than w/o it, adversity on the bike i equate with headwind or hill in general... items that work against your forward progress... mentally i can find the edge and sit on it longer under those conditions than say with a tailwind. But then maybe at some point here soon i'll be able to see if that's a mental feeling or an actuality.
eat well, food is life... the old saying you are what you eat is rather unfortunately VERY true... don't fill your sleeve full of junk... now where can i get some of that neuralchem...
and damn - i just discovered that there are two more to Takeshi Kovacs novels... more reading... SWEET
peace, and don't forget to smile at strangers
G
Monday, January 15, 2007
Life in Slow Motion
(title from a song cause Solobreak has predictably abandoned his long running web log entries using song titles... anyone name the artist - okay so its more a album title anyway here's the entry hammered out on monday...)
So here it is – the last day of a long weekend. Glorious I might add. Mellow. Productive and actually like a vacation.
Maybe because I read a book cover to cover in the span of two days (altered carbon, a great sci-fi book I might add). Had a bit of wine, slept in, stayed up late (watching football and reading books).
Not a lick of cycling. Thought about it. But the wet drizzle wasn’t incentive enough. The rides with the crew were at times when I was hanging with the family – getting items for the house and everything in order.
Chillin to some David Gray. Nabbed three CDs from my little bro today – needed a bit of diversity from the standard fair I have here.
Unfortunately the sporadic but generally there unsecured Linksys wireless that can be snagged from the house has vanished. Could have to do with a guy moving out of a duplex this week across the street. So there really is no way to even pop on and do a quick upload over the weekend.
Brings up the debate. Do we need to get it at home. And then because we have neither a home phone or cable activated, what route do we take to get internet hooked up here… those wireless broadband cards from the cell companies seem rather sort of attractive, subscription where ever we are (that has cell coverage) – but locks us in to one laptop (more or less). But the alternatives aren’t that much less money. Ah heck not pressing now. I can do this sort of thing and do a quick dump in the morning.
Winter is supposed to be getting here finally. We’ll see what it brings. In a way I’m looking forward to a bit of coolness. Change up the cycling challenges. Or not I guess its just the same.
The odd thing I find is that this long weekend really feels like a vacation. Its sort of kinda saying – okay lazy bones, next week and the next 4 months are going to be brutal, you’re going to be up to your eyeballs at work, the weather is getting warmer – sooner than later races will begin, training will have to take a more focused and specific mentality. Life goes on, challenges to be met, nothing gets easier – ya just get better at dealing with it.
I keep thinking about two projects, neither have funding, both probably would need some, and both I think even despite my involvement would be pretty spectacular. So if anyone knows anyone who’s looking to fund an art project or two send em my way. But I guess I have to actually have a decent accounting for the potential costs of the projects. Now speculating could just leave me with nothing more than hot air and ideas – but right now that speculation is inspirational. Movtivating. Stimulating creativity. Making the brain fire and focus and think. Helps me focus on the work at hand. It also drives the desire to teach. To try and impart a little bit of art in the teaching of microscopes..
Made a wicked damn good pot of soup on Saturday:
Onions (1/2 med sweet), celery (2 stalks), carrots (4 large), parsnips (2 med), turnips (2 sm), sweet potatoes (3 sm), butternut squash (1 v.sm), red kale (1 bunch), peas (1 cup frozen), garlic (6 cloves), red lentils (1.5 cup), extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce, sea salt, seasoned rice wine vinegar, dried basil, dusting of curry powder, water… dats it…
Vegan, uber tasty… and once its all cooked in, ya take a stick blender and make it all smooth and serve over cous-cous (which I typically make using 1:1 ratio of water to French style cous-cous with 1 teaspoon of organic chicken stock (that better than bullion stuff in a jar). Alternatively it can be served with rice.
Must haves to go with it are (for me) Hot sauce, fresh ground black pepper and a hard cheese, aged emmenthaller or parm or romano… and shaved into thin strips… obviously omit the cheese and chicken stock base for those vegans.
Cause vegetarians are just fooling themselves. “Oh I’ll just eat dairy and eggs.” Yeah. Like that is a good idea. Or a rational idea. Ya either vegan or ya an omnivore. Sure plenty of people fall into the no red meat or just fish or something… but I dunno that all is just wicked hypocritical for the most part- esp the ones with “moral” objections. If ya got moral objections, ya’d better be full hard core Vegan.
And that argument “but I can’t be fast as a vegan” “its too hard to get a balanced meal” Bullshit. I say that’s bullshit. Well maybe if your idea of cooking involves pre-packaged foods. On the other hand even those challenged in the culinary arts can survive and thrive on a vegan diet. Just takes a bit of education and effort initially. Like all things worth while, there is an investment requirement. Effort. That paleo diet mr Boulder was talking about is somewhat intriguing. But the problem with that diet is the pre-historic man’s diet was wildly dependent on seasonal offerings. Supermarkets here in the US/Canada and the world have pretty much made the consumers who shop there oblivious to what is in season and what isn’t.
Problem is which Paleolithic group do you pick? Which climate do you choose to model your diet after. I got started thinking about it when cleaning/unpacking book box after book box of anthropology, archaeology, and history books. And ya know, their diets may not have been super healthy all year. We have options to stay healthy more easily. Eat more consistently. Not to mention, when paleo folks ate a hoofed animal or what ever it was that they caught/slaughtered… they ate the whole damn thing. That’s pretty critical for their survival. The liver and other organs are important sources of minerals and vitamins you don’t get from just eating muscle tissue. That and just eating muscle tissue ain’t so good for ya. Some folks say protein is a poison to the system, at least in high amounts. There is some truth to that. Someone’s recent diet that was lacking in lots of carbs who was trying to race was definitely not a good idea. Following a diet purported by those with one goal (vanity) is stupid. Unless you are a purely vain person. Plant based foods, really for the most part can provide most all cellular basis of nutrients. Why? Cellular processes are just that. They are very well conserved. That Darwin book had a great point towards the end. Talking about the fact that Humans and Mice share pretty much 99% of the same genes, yet, a mouse and a human are rather different in rather striking ways. Ways that come down to the fact that: all biology is really evolutionary biology. Every new bit of knowledge about gene expression is related to evolution and the differential expression and how we adapt and change. We not humans, but we being more global, we being all living life on this planet.
Creationists must there fore disregard any modern understandings of viral genetics, antibiotics, and heredity. The question that’s hard to answer is why would a mouse and human have identical genes, but be so different? If we were created differently why not use different genes. I dunno – I’m just incredulous that anyone could, in light of knowledge, facts, testable, demonstratable fundamentals of biology dispel all that from one book. Its pretty depressing in a way. Extremely scary in others.
And yeah – so while the expression of the gene patterns are different (between mice and men) the genes are the same, and if you put a mouse cell cross section from a TEM (transmission electron microscope) next to a human cell cross section (in TEM of course) it would be near to impossible to tell the difference. Food, and fuel comes down to a few things, energy and nutrients. If you are conscious of what you are eating, avoiding shit that’ll fuck you up (trans fats and heavily processed shit like High fructose Corn syrup and the like) ya be way better off. Calories in = calories out for maintenance. And there’s the basal rate right? Then activity you add calories per that activity to maintain weight. If you increase slow twitch activity for along time you will (over time) chew up the fats stored in your system (assuming you don’t go over the caloric requirements). Now… segue (that’s pronounced 'se-(")gwA, 'sA- ) back into Darwin and evolution. Understanding your diet is not more complicated than evolution and science…
Well time to cook up some dinner – gonna be a Mexican night, beans, rice, and yes, meat. No seasoning packets, all from scratch. Okay – I’ll use a bit of enchilada sauce.
Peace out
g
So here it is – the last day of a long weekend. Glorious I might add. Mellow. Productive and actually like a vacation.
Maybe because I read a book cover to cover in the span of two days (altered carbon, a great sci-fi book I might add). Had a bit of wine, slept in, stayed up late (watching football and reading books).
Not a lick of cycling. Thought about it. But the wet drizzle wasn’t incentive enough. The rides with the crew were at times when I was hanging with the family – getting items for the house and everything in order.
Chillin to some David Gray. Nabbed three CDs from my little bro today – needed a bit of diversity from the standard fair I have here.
Unfortunately the sporadic but generally there unsecured Linksys wireless that can be snagged from the house has vanished. Could have to do with a guy moving out of a duplex this week across the street. So there really is no way to even pop on and do a quick upload over the weekend.
Brings up the debate. Do we need to get it at home. And then because we have neither a home phone or cable activated, what route do we take to get internet hooked up here… those wireless broadband cards from the cell companies seem rather sort of attractive, subscription where ever we are (that has cell coverage) – but locks us in to one laptop (more or less). But the alternatives aren’t that much less money. Ah heck not pressing now. I can do this sort of thing and do a quick dump in the morning.
Winter is supposed to be getting here finally. We’ll see what it brings. In a way I’m looking forward to a bit of coolness. Change up the cycling challenges. Or not I guess its just the same.
The odd thing I find is that this long weekend really feels like a vacation. Its sort of kinda saying – okay lazy bones, next week and the next 4 months are going to be brutal, you’re going to be up to your eyeballs at work, the weather is getting warmer – sooner than later races will begin, training will have to take a more focused and specific mentality. Life goes on, challenges to be met, nothing gets easier – ya just get better at dealing with it.
I keep thinking about two projects, neither have funding, both probably would need some, and both I think even despite my involvement would be pretty spectacular. So if anyone knows anyone who’s looking to fund an art project or two send em my way. But I guess I have to actually have a decent accounting for the potential costs of the projects. Now speculating could just leave me with nothing more than hot air and ideas – but right now that speculation is inspirational. Movtivating. Stimulating creativity. Making the brain fire and focus and think. Helps me focus on the work at hand. It also drives the desire to teach. To try and impart a little bit of art in the teaching of microscopes..
Made a wicked damn good pot of soup on Saturday:
Onions (1/2 med sweet), celery (2 stalks), carrots (4 large), parsnips (2 med), turnips (2 sm), sweet potatoes (3 sm), butternut squash (1 v.sm), red kale (1 bunch), peas (1 cup frozen), garlic (6 cloves), red lentils (1.5 cup), extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce, sea salt, seasoned rice wine vinegar, dried basil, dusting of curry powder, water… dats it…
Vegan, uber tasty… and once its all cooked in, ya take a stick blender and make it all smooth and serve over cous-cous (which I typically make using 1:1 ratio of water to French style cous-cous with 1 teaspoon of organic chicken stock (that better than bullion stuff in a jar). Alternatively it can be served with rice.
Must haves to go with it are (for me) Hot sauce, fresh ground black pepper and a hard cheese, aged emmenthaller or parm or romano… and shaved into thin strips… obviously omit the cheese and chicken stock base for those vegans.
Cause vegetarians are just fooling themselves. “Oh I’ll just eat dairy and eggs.” Yeah. Like that is a good idea. Or a rational idea. Ya either vegan or ya an omnivore. Sure plenty of people fall into the no red meat or just fish or something… but I dunno that all is just wicked hypocritical for the most part- esp the ones with “moral” objections. If ya got moral objections, ya’d better be full hard core Vegan.
And that argument “but I can’t be fast as a vegan” “its too hard to get a balanced meal” Bullshit. I say that’s bullshit. Well maybe if your idea of cooking involves pre-packaged foods. On the other hand even those challenged in the culinary arts can survive and thrive on a vegan diet. Just takes a bit of education and effort initially. Like all things worth while, there is an investment requirement. Effort. That paleo diet mr Boulder was talking about is somewhat intriguing. But the problem with that diet is the pre-historic man’s diet was wildly dependent on seasonal offerings. Supermarkets here in the US/Canada and the world have pretty much made the consumers who shop there oblivious to what is in season and what isn’t.
Problem is which Paleolithic group do you pick? Which climate do you choose to model your diet after. I got started thinking about it when cleaning/unpacking book box after book box of anthropology, archaeology, and history books. And ya know, their diets may not have been super healthy all year. We have options to stay healthy more easily. Eat more consistently. Not to mention, when paleo folks ate a hoofed animal or what ever it was that they caught/slaughtered… they ate the whole damn thing. That’s pretty critical for their survival. The liver and other organs are important sources of minerals and vitamins you don’t get from just eating muscle tissue. That and just eating muscle tissue ain’t so good for ya. Some folks say protein is a poison to the system, at least in high amounts. There is some truth to that. Someone’s recent diet that was lacking in lots of carbs who was trying to race was definitely not a good idea. Following a diet purported by those with one goal (vanity) is stupid. Unless you are a purely vain person. Plant based foods, really for the most part can provide most all cellular basis of nutrients. Why? Cellular processes are just that. They are very well conserved. That Darwin book had a great point towards the end. Talking about the fact that Humans and Mice share pretty much 99% of the same genes, yet, a mouse and a human are rather different in rather striking ways. Ways that come down to the fact that: all biology is really evolutionary biology. Every new bit of knowledge about gene expression is related to evolution and the differential expression and how we adapt and change. We not humans, but we being more global, we being all living life on this planet.
Creationists must there fore disregard any modern understandings of viral genetics, antibiotics, and heredity. The question that’s hard to answer is why would a mouse and human have identical genes, but be so different? If we were created differently why not use different genes. I dunno – I’m just incredulous that anyone could, in light of knowledge, facts, testable, demonstratable fundamentals of biology dispel all that from one book. Its pretty depressing in a way. Extremely scary in others.
And yeah – so while the expression of the gene patterns are different (between mice and men) the genes are the same, and if you put a mouse cell cross section from a TEM (transmission electron microscope) next to a human cell cross section (in TEM of course) it would be near to impossible to tell the difference. Food, and fuel comes down to a few things, energy and nutrients. If you are conscious of what you are eating, avoiding shit that’ll fuck you up (trans fats and heavily processed shit like High fructose Corn syrup and the like) ya be way better off. Calories in = calories out for maintenance. And there’s the basal rate right? Then activity you add calories per that activity to maintain weight. If you increase slow twitch activity for along time you will (over time) chew up the fats stored in your system (assuming you don’t go over the caloric requirements). Now… segue (that’s pronounced 'se-(")gwA, 'sA- ) back into Darwin and evolution. Understanding your diet is not more complicated than evolution and science…
Well time to cook up some dinner – gonna be a Mexican night, beans, rice, and yes, meat. No seasoning packets, all from scratch. Okay – I’ll use a bit of enchilada sauce.
Peace out
g
Friday, January 12, 2007
weeks come and weeks go
and its warmed up a damn heck of a lot today.
i'll take distinct pleasure in baring the fuzzy legs for the ride home, not bib tights over the shorts tonight... no sir!
Forgot to mention running into the damn blinky brigade again. Fewer of them tho as instead of straggling back to the starting point where they parked all their cars (don't get me started on people who DRIVE a short distance to go for a ride) the few souls who did RIDE to the start were still headed opposite my direction...
the whole helmet mounted lights piss me off - yeah what doesn't piss me off... anyway there was one train of three guys and well i noticed the first cause he had some wicked bright light - the two behind him - couldn't tell they were there until they were right there... blinky.
i'm a big big big fan of a front blinky like like i got. even if ya can see... or ya feel protected sitting behind someone with a light a blinky for the front - is helpful and wise...
The slight headwind/sidewind should provide enough resistance to make me work hard enough to stay nice and toasty warm... so anyway...
still off season mode- no riding planned for the weekend - two days off the bike! But plans, like someone has pointed out i might have said, plans are just plans. They ain't a contract, or a binding agreement. We'll see what the weekend brings.
And i ain't buying Beckham's reason for going to the LA Galaxy. He's not going to bring US Soccer to the mainstream. He's going so he will be able to get to the auditions and screenings more easily... $50 mil for some washed up old football playa? Not good enough to be in the EPL... whadda ya think about it all Suds? You and Jimmy being the consummate "football" fans?
Its a long weekend here in this neck of the woods... folks seem to think its a good idea to honor the good doctor. I pretty much agree with them. it'll be nice to have an extra day hangin with the girls...
if you've seen many of the cTodd_casts... check this video... it makes me laugh harder than the Frazz from this week...
"that was cool"
peace, and keep smilin
g
i'll take distinct pleasure in baring the fuzzy legs for the ride home, not bib tights over the shorts tonight... no sir!
Forgot to mention running into the damn blinky brigade again. Fewer of them tho as instead of straggling back to the starting point where they parked all their cars (don't get me started on people who DRIVE a short distance to go for a ride) the few souls who did RIDE to the start were still headed opposite my direction...
the whole helmet mounted lights piss me off - yeah what doesn't piss me off... anyway there was one train of three guys and well i noticed the first cause he had some wicked bright light - the two behind him - couldn't tell they were there until they were right there... blinky.
i'm a big big big fan of a front blinky like like i got. even if ya can see... or ya feel protected sitting behind someone with a light a blinky for the front - is helpful and wise...
The slight headwind/sidewind should provide enough resistance to make me work hard enough to stay nice and toasty warm... so anyway...
still off season mode- no riding planned for the weekend - two days off the bike! But plans, like someone has pointed out i might have said, plans are just plans. They ain't a contract, or a binding agreement. We'll see what the weekend brings.
And i ain't buying Beckham's reason for going to the LA Galaxy. He's not going to bring US Soccer to the mainstream. He's going so he will be able to get to the auditions and screenings more easily... $50 mil for some washed up old football playa? Not good enough to be in the EPL... whadda ya think about it all Suds? You and Jimmy being the consummate "football" fans?
Its a long weekend here in this neck of the woods... folks seem to think its a good idea to honor the good doctor. I pretty much agree with them. it'll be nice to have an extra day hangin with the girls...
if you've seen many of the cTodd_casts... check this video... it makes me laugh harder than the Frazz from this week...
"that was cool"
peace, and keep smilin
g
So this 'slow' guy asks me...
how do i know about all these pro sites?
ah super double secret grasshopper. one day you may learn.
research - data mining - them shit's skills ya learn from being a science major back in the day when journals were in the library and ya traced back through sources... it required a couple things - reading fast (yeah i can do that), thinking creatively and looking for maybe not obvious ties or allusions... speaking of mining - don't miss this shot - i was there (i think) and missed this photographic opportunity to capture (on a ccd) that gal that makes CTodd get all wiggly in the knees (it's over on Clara's page for context and words to go with)
so on with todays linkiage... cause last year finding a whole host of great sites to read happend around this time - so here it goes...
is it because cyclists are mentally checking off the bike and socializing now? come summer they all spend too much time outside or are brain dead tired alseep or too busy shoving mountains of pasta in their mouths to write?
and lemme try it again... HERE IT GOES (gewilli - stop adding shit)
Kinda Tom Brown like with the research. Tom Brown, everyone's his stuff, right? Maybe not everyone lived that book. (holy tangent batman) The Tracker was a book i read and kinda lived by when walking in the woods. Thinking about foot placement, sounds, sort of living the leave no trace mantra. Although - for damn sure i was no tom brown and prolly left a trail like a herd of elephants for him to follow.... others - maybe not so obvious.
One trick i started employing lately has been a gold mine of cross blogs and stuff - although - i'm now kinda over-saturated (fortunately few people provide content on a daily basis, and fortunately the blogs i prioritize mostly have been pretty quiet, lately).
Anyway two that HAVE to be mentioned. And i no - they must have been calling him Tonkinator (i did the search on Trebonator, which reads better than it says, unlike Tonkinator).
So up off the bat: TONKINATORS
its got a great video of Tonk or two and some pics... I didn't actually find it there first. Its here where this line grabs me
also the lead link for that thread is here at Kona World filed under CXBE (ZooziQ, that stands for cyclocross belgium)
Another one - can't miss: only from the entry title for the 11th: RAT SALAD
cronoman might be one of the few to associate that properly w/in a millisecond or two...
and partly as its discussing the whole iPod thing... don't ignore the fact that the iPod will greatly degrease your awareness of your surroundings and those many ton metal boxes driven by people drinking coffee - reading papers - crackberry'n - text'n and generally doing shit they shouldn't be doing while driving, esp driving where you might be riding...
Oh and file this under "that figures" as soon as i get bothered enough to link greg reain's blog... sumbitch goes and creates a whole new site. Well - dat's cool and all... props to him for doing that all and shit... but yeah well... its what it is
Oh and from nicomachus.net there's a great article for the ladies about cycling - or for guys dating/married to them... ala the bike seat... it wasn't a link to this story - just a link to all the bicycle related stories that popped up in the NYTimes recently...
i think i'd better NOT comment on that - could get into areas i shouldn't... I'll let MIF's mind wander and Zooziq can sit and scratch his head wondering
peace,
i'm gonna eat... lunch...
ah super double secret grasshopper. one day you may learn.
research - data mining - them shit's skills ya learn from being a science major back in the day when journals were in the library and ya traced back through sources... it required a couple things - reading fast (yeah i can do that), thinking creatively and looking for maybe not obvious ties or allusions... speaking of mining - don't miss this shot - i was there (i think) and missed this photographic opportunity to capture (on a ccd) that gal that makes CTodd get all wiggly in the knees (it's over on Clara's page for context and words to go with)
so on with todays linkiage... cause last year finding a whole host of great sites to read happend around this time - so here it goes...
is it because cyclists are mentally checking off the bike and socializing now? come summer they all spend too much time outside or are brain dead tired alseep or too busy shoving mountains of pasta in their mouths to write?
and lemme try it again... HERE IT GOES (gewilli - stop adding shit)
Kinda Tom Brown like with the research. Tom Brown, everyone's his stuff, right? Maybe not everyone lived that book. (holy tangent batman) The Tracker was a book i read and kinda lived by when walking in the woods. Thinking about foot placement, sounds, sort of living the leave no trace mantra. Although - for damn sure i was no tom brown and prolly left a trail like a herd of elephants for him to follow.... others - maybe not so obvious.
One trick i started employing lately has been a gold mine of cross blogs and stuff - although - i'm now kinda over-saturated (fortunately few people provide content on a daily basis, and fortunately the blogs i prioritize mostly have been pretty quiet, lately).
Anyway two that HAVE to be mentioned. And i no - they must have been calling him Tonkinator (i did the search on Trebonator, which reads better than it says, unlike Tonkinator).
So up off the bat: TONKINATORS
its got a great video of Tonk or two and some pics... I didn't actually find it there first. Its here where this line grabs me
How does an American cyclo-cross racer get a Belgium fan club? Good question…just be yourself.
also the lead link for that thread is here at Kona World filed under CXBE (ZooziQ, that stands for cyclocross belgium)
Another one - can't miss: only from the entry title for the 11th: RAT SALAD
cronoman might be one of the few to associate that properly w/in a millisecond or two...
and partly as its discussing the whole iPod thing... don't ignore the fact that the iPod will greatly degrease your awareness of your surroundings and those many ton metal boxes driven by people drinking coffee - reading papers - crackberry'n - text'n and generally doing shit they shouldn't be doing while driving, esp driving where you might be riding...
Oh and file this under "that figures" as soon as i get bothered enough to link greg reain's blog... sumbitch goes and creates a whole new site. Well - dat's cool and all... props to him for doing that all and shit... but yeah well... its what it is
Oh and from nicomachus.net there's a great article for the ladies about cycling - or for guys dating/married to them... ala the bike seat... it wasn't a link to this story - just a link to all the bicycle related stories that popped up in the NYTimes recently...
Really?
The Claim: Bicycle Seats Can Cause Impotence in Women
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: December 5, 2006
THE FACTS For several years, scientists have known that traditional bicycle seats can cause sexual dysfunction in men. Although female cyclists had not been studied directly, it was widely assumed that they, too, could suffer that fate.
Skip to next paragraph
Leif Parsons
But that may not be the case. For the first time, a study this month looked at avid female cyclists and found that bike seats may affect them differently. Like male riders, many women in the study experienced tingling, pain and decreased genital sensation. But they did not show symptoms of impaired sexual function, possibly reflecting a lower susceptibility to sexual side effects than men.
The study, published in the journal Sexual Medicine, looked at 48 healthy, premenopausal cyclists who biked about three to four days a week for two hours at a time, then compared them with 22 runners.
In men, traditional bike seats compress an artery and nerve that supply the genitals with blood and sensation, increasing the risk of impotence over time. Because the same artery and nerve are crucial to sexual function in women, assumptions about female cyclists are often extrapolated from studies on men.
But Dr. Marsha K. Guess, an assistant professor at Yale medical school and the lead author of the new study, said female cyclists may benefit from anatomical differences that produce less compression. She also stressed the possibility that sexual side effects in female cyclists might be noticeable only in longer-term studies.
THE BOTTOM LINE Bicycle seats can cause decreased genital sensation in avid female cyclists, but the latest study suggests they may not cause sexual dysfunction.
i think i'd better NOT comment on that - could get into areas i shouldn't... I'll let MIF's mind wander and Zooziq can sit and scratch his head wondering
peace,
i'm gonna eat... lunch...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
damn html
writing websites is fun - but if you go through the whole thing testing only in one platform and then after its up (well in beta form at least on the server - away from prying public eyes) ya go through in another platform and somethings majorly fucked up... ARGH just frustrating...
nah not this site - its why i like blogger - as quirky and sometimes down as google's blog thingy is, its still way better than writing and dealing with ya own site feed from the ground up...
and about the whole blogger rules thing...
crusin over to Mandy's (Yeah the link is up over there now) ya hit this entry:myerson is god...
specifically this:
Horseshit.
that rule might fly for that uber trendy sexually predator filled place called m y s p a c e where everyone has to have a HOT icon - even if they aren't - sure leaving comments to yourself there is stupid. M y s p a c e is not for me... maybe its for the adam miester. . . i'll leave it to the gwazd miester to find the better content over there - i ain't mining that creap zone. I feel dirty (not in the good sense - in the creapy can't wait to take a shower and wash the filth away sense) when i click over to m y s p a c e ... granted i some of the bands/musicians have pretty decent web pages... but they don't seem to be the norm... ah well... i ain't hip, trendy or any of that stuff... i'm old... and slow...
Oh and one person will get this reference - i tried checking the hostess web site to see if they list ingredients for the Ho Hos... nope... guess i can check on that later...
Its warmed up a heck of a lot today. /sarcasm
just a tick or two above freezing with a really nice headwind. Great. SUPER.
Although it looks like its just gonna get warmer and warmer - might top out around 50 degrees tomorrow. Damn.
Winter where are ya? Oh - next week. the 15 day is suggesting that we actually might be cold again. The cold is nice. Its a good hardiness filter. When temps drop only the hardiest folks venture out. The rest stay all closed in getting sick.
Well we'll see who i run into on the bike path
Bike commuting freaking RULZ YO - remember its alot easier to warm up riding a bike than sitting on your ass in a car - even with heated seats ;) with the assumption that ya dress proper like.
Don't forget the three Rs. Reduce Reuse Recycle... (in that order - ideally there shouldn't be anything left to recycle... )
peace
-G
nah not this site - its why i like blogger - as quirky and sometimes down as google's blog thingy is, its still way better than writing and dealing with ya own site feed from the ground up...
and about the whole blogger rules thing...
crusin over to Mandy's (Yeah the link is up over there now) ya hit this entry:myerson is god...
specifically this:
1. apparently, i must keep a healthy distance between myself and my readers by NOT commenting on THEIR comments within my own comments section.
Horseshit.
that rule might fly for that uber trendy sexually predator filled place called m y s p a c e where everyone has to have a HOT icon - even if they aren't - sure leaving comments to yourself there is stupid. M y s p a c e is not for me... maybe its for the adam miester. . . i'll leave it to the gwazd miester to find the better content over there - i ain't mining that creap zone. I feel dirty (not in the good sense - in the creapy can't wait to take a shower and wash the filth away sense) when i click over to m y s p a c e ... granted i some of the bands/musicians have pretty decent web pages... but they don't seem to be the norm... ah well... i ain't hip, trendy or any of that stuff... i'm old... and slow...
Oh and one person will get this reference - i tried checking the hostess web site to see if they list ingredients for the Ho Hos... nope... guess i can check on that later...
Its warmed up a heck of a lot today. /sarcasm
just a tick or two above freezing with a really nice headwind. Great. SUPER.
Although it looks like its just gonna get warmer and warmer - might top out around 50 degrees tomorrow. Damn.
Winter where are ya? Oh - next week. the 15 day is suggesting that we actually might be cold again. The cold is nice. Its a good hardiness filter. When temps drop only the hardiest folks venture out. The rest stay all closed in getting sick.
Well we'll see who i run into on the bike path
Bike commuting freaking RULZ YO - remember its alot easier to warm up riding a bike than sitting on your ass in a car - even with heated seats ;) with the assumption that ya dress proper like.
Don't forget the three Rs. Reduce Reuse Recycle... (in that order - ideally there shouldn't be anything left to recycle... )
peace
-G
updated links
and yet again...
further refined -
Peanut's prodding about ranking and all that forced me to get at it...
oh - now i just remembered i was checking Mandy's over break but didn't get the link translated over here...
well - look for more soon... more links or just more changes - we'll see
further refined -
Peanut's prodding about ranking and all that forced me to get at it...
oh - now i just remembered i was checking Mandy's over break but didn't get the link translated over here...
well - look for more soon... more links or just more changes - we'll see
"Do you have a heater in there?"
I was asked this morning dropping the littlest off. Sure it was in the low twenties. Prolly below that when we set out.
Last night i hooked it up with some 3mm closed cell foamy stuff (left over underlay stuff for the ikea flooring), doubled it up on the back to cover the vents and wrapped the inside in a single piece. Cutting slots to feed the straps through.
The normal two gatorade (yeah from the CX nats) waterbottles filled with hot tap water were sitting on either side of her and i added a third between her feet. Gloves were put on under the jacket to prevent removal and snack was not allowed on the way in (no temptation to take gloves off and eat). With her fuzzy fleece one peice suit on under the jacket, and a nice wool knit hat under the helmet - she was freaking TOASTY when i pulled her out. The exposed face was cool but not cold. warmer than my fingers that were inside the gloves. The rest of her was uber toasty.
We got at least another 5-10 or more degrees of tolerance maybe more... Kinda funny - she stays awake almost always along the path - once we hit the "city" Zzzzzzzz (that is if she falls asleep at all).
That and for me - having the trailer assures that i will work hard enough to stay warm. How hard?
Well we'll see some day.
That and that gewilliesque comment from Solofreak about the worry'n about tire weights and power and all that -
I finished the darwin book finally last night. One of those books ya don't want to finish because you know when its over ya feel a little let down. At least i do when i read a book. Esp a good book. Its depressing finishing a good book. I never want them to end. But of course they have to. And this morning it trigged a thought.
Doubt, questioning, looking for answers. Are very good and important things. If you take everything for face value, never wonder, question, investigate, hypothesize, discover - ya won't learn, ya won't expand your knowledge base. Even asking silly questions - is a process - even if ya know the answer - going through the Q&A process is helpful.
Like getting ready for a race:
Do i have my license...
Do i have my shoes...
If ya don't ask yourself those questions before ya leave - you may find ya lacking shoes just before the start of a cross race... but if you have a wonderful and understanding wife not that far away and with the shoes - ya really lucky and ya bacon gets saved...
If you don't ask the question you are likely to make an assumption. Take the shoes. If ya don't ask you assume that they are there. Cause you always put them in, why would this time be any different? Its the uninformed assumptions that get ya bit in the ass. When you assume... as Mr Leigh VanEtten always said (he was my high school chemistry teacher for both advanced Chem and AP Chem) "when you assume you make and ass out of u and me"
Of course he wrote the word assume on the board and drew hash marks saying the phrase ass out of you and me: ass/u/me
I know it ain't new, and most everyone's seen that once or twice before. But it really is important. And it is linked strongly to asking questions.
Question the Answers. Wait that's a MMB album Que pandora and my mighty mighty bosstones station! (Simmer down is playing)
Okay - that was stressful - on the phone with this entry open (and written to this point) and an unfinished draft in my webmail... and the computer decides to shut down and restart.
w/o warning (from what i could see)...
so here i am, hoping and hoping and hoping that Mozilla Firefox 2.0.x saves the entry, cause i didn't save as draft.... PHEW... totally sweet its here.
Now not only does Firefox 2.0 automatically spell check for me, it ALSO saves any forms/words entered when a session is closed like that, not to mention the whole open in tabs goodness.
That's about it. Content... just me - no MIF 3rd person dilution
oh
just to make it longer,
here's something i find rather amusing, showed up in the email from a good friend up in canada (no not suds... )
Last night i hooked it up with some 3mm closed cell foamy stuff (left over underlay stuff for the ikea flooring), doubled it up on the back to cover the vents and wrapped the inside in a single piece. Cutting slots to feed the straps through.
The normal two gatorade (yeah from the CX nats) waterbottles filled with hot tap water were sitting on either side of her and i added a third between her feet. Gloves were put on under the jacket to prevent removal and snack was not allowed on the way in (no temptation to take gloves off and eat). With her fuzzy fleece one peice suit on under the jacket, and a nice wool knit hat under the helmet - she was freaking TOASTY when i pulled her out. The exposed face was cool but not cold. warmer than my fingers that were inside the gloves. The rest of her was uber toasty.
We got at least another 5-10 or more degrees of tolerance maybe more... Kinda funny - she stays awake almost always along the path - once we hit the "city" Zzzzzzzz (that is if she falls asleep at all).
That and for me - having the trailer assures that i will work hard enough to stay warm. How hard?
Well we'll see some day.
That and that gewilliesque comment from Solofreak about the worry'n about tire weights and power and all that -
I finished the darwin book finally last night. One of those books ya don't want to finish because you know when its over ya feel a little let down. At least i do when i read a book. Esp a good book. Its depressing finishing a good book. I never want them to end. But of course they have to. And this morning it trigged a thought.
Doubt, questioning, looking for answers. Are very good and important things. If you take everything for face value, never wonder, question, investigate, hypothesize, discover - ya won't learn, ya won't expand your knowledge base. Even asking silly questions - is a process - even if ya know the answer - going through the Q&A process is helpful.
Like getting ready for a race:
Do i have my license...
Do i have my shoes...
If ya don't ask yourself those questions before ya leave - you may find ya lacking shoes just before the start of a cross race... but if you have a wonderful and understanding wife not that far away and with the shoes - ya really lucky and ya bacon gets saved...
If you don't ask the question you are likely to make an assumption. Take the shoes. If ya don't ask you assume that they are there. Cause you always put them in, why would this time be any different? Its the uninformed assumptions that get ya bit in the ass. When you assume... as Mr Leigh VanEtten always said (he was my high school chemistry teacher for both advanced Chem and AP Chem) "when you assume you make and ass out of u and me"
Of course he wrote the word assume on the board and drew hash marks saying the phrase ass out of you and me: ass/u/me
I know it ain't new, and most everyone's seen that once or twice before. But it really is important. And it is linked strongly to asking questions.
Question the Answers. Wait that's a MMB album Que pandora and my mighty mighty bosstones station! (Simmer down is playing)
Okay - that was stressful - on the phone with this entry open (and written to this point) and an unfinished draft in my webmail... and the computer decides to shut down and restart.
w/o warning (from what i could see)...
so here i am, hoping and hoping and hoping that Mozilla Firefox 2.0.x saves the entry, cause i didn't save as draft.... PHEW... totally sweet its here.
Now not only does Firefox 2.0 automatically spell check for me, it ALSO saves any forms/words entered when a session is closed like that, not to mention the whole open in tabs goodness.
That's about it. Content... just me - no MIF 3rd person dilution
oh
just to make it longer,
here's something i find rather amusing, showed up in the email from a good friend up in canada (no not suds... )
By George Carlin:
New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates dot com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.
New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?
New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky bastards.
New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you're a retard. When you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. When you're a grown man, they're pictures of men.
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.
New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.
New Rule: Stop f***ing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.
New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," Oooh, you're a huge asshole.
New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, selecting 'Debit,' entering my PIN, pressing 'Enter,' verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't want cash back, and pressing 'Enter' again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.
New Rule: Girls, just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.
New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."
New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&M. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two.
New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.
New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
linnk bar updated a bit
order still means nothing, but i've done a primary sort and added a few - more to add - might need to sort a bit more again, might - no definitely will have to...
ten dollars
Turning off the BLVD this morning i noticed a bill on the road - blowing about - first glance, that's not a single...
stop... back up... it starts to blow away - i grab it and - DAMN a Ten spot! Sweet.
Riding home last night - things going well - had the story board all figured out, and i meet up with Marky D on the path. So we ride together, he asks how the battery is doing. Well, i had just charged it and was saying how the microprocessor controlled charger revived the old NiCad battery pack... and i look down and the beam is a dull yellow. FUCK... oh well, fortune smiles on me i guess. Mark was there with his lights. Nice 10W old vista light halogen set up with a big lead acid battery, and a couple back ups. So well, Mark's not slow, but the trailer and going fast are different. So i worked my ass off the whole length of the bike path heading home. Legs sore. This morning figuring to work on the story board and document how gorgeous the ride is with a brilliant sun in the morning. barely to riverside center, here's Marky D! So... my 10-11mph mellow ride in the cold was ramped up to 15-16. that's a pretty big power difference with the trailer. And to make it all that much more fun we were headed into a nice 20 mph steady wind from the NWN (gusts up above that). So, i'm again pushing it as hard as i can while he's just toddling along. Mind ya Marky D rides a good distance further than me, basically the length of the bike path, and with/out trailer. Trailer is pretty amazing. Maybe one of those hub power meter things will help figure out exactly how much extra it is.
That and i started wondering (later after marky d and i went our different ways) can a power tap differentiate between a very heavy wire bead tire and a super light clincher? I would think so. as there is a noticeably higher power requirement to get the wheel rolling with increased mass... but then maybe the flywheel affect would negate any average power differences.
And i also at some point, might have been last night or this morning in the shower, started thinking about how people are training in the off season. And there are people doing mellow LSD. Working on getting miles in, optimizing the fat metabolism pathway to fuel the fast twitch fibers, while others are working on power only, doing weights or core work out.
Speaking of core workout. Check the FRAZ strip today (and yesterday) its a riot.
And so, well i guess i'm falling into the latter with the riding this week. Long intervals. power. maybe i'll start the longer distance sometime in February.
Also does it seem like a good time to dig up the old wolverine cycling club early season training program? Maybe Yogurt boy should be the one to try it out with all is recently acquired fixies...
and yeah - i figure if i quote it at least once a year maybe some day i'll actually do it:
65% - where does that fall in relation to power output. But then if we are talking about this "phase" as specifically developing capillaries, then heart rate could be a better metric to follow as capillaries are sort of related to the heart.
Colin's cross results are cool. It shows 11 of the 12 cross races i did this year (southington not there... 'cause wade's officials were challenged). And it also shows my steady improvement ;) (switching from A masters to B masters helps) and it shows my total collapse at the end of the season, that coupled with the increased competition. Can't wait to get the head to head working to see how i stack up against Rob and Bob. Sure - we aint the fastest trio but we typically finish pretty close to each other.
CTodd's shit today is hysterical. If he can keep that entertainment level that high for the next 50 tod_Casts i'll be impressed.
Anyway - peace pimps...
Oh...
wait - yesterday found the top ten organic things ya should eat:
link
this is a brief run down of the list
Don't eat them non-organic... shit'l poison a person - esp a kid...
be green, buy organic, smile at people...
G
stop... back up... it starts to blow away - i grab it and - DAMN a Ten spot! Sweet.
Riding home last night - things going well - had the story board all figured out, and i meet up with Marky D on the path. So we ride together, he asks how the battery is doing. Well, i had just charged it and was saying how the microprocessor controlled charger revived the old NiCad battery pack... and i look down and the beam is a dull yellow. FUCK... oh well, fortune smiles on me i guess. Mark was there with his lights. Nice 10W old vista light halogen set up with a big lead acid battery, and a couple back ups. So well, Mark's not slow, but the trailer and going fast are different. So i worked my ass off the whole length of the bike path heading home. Legs sore. This morning figuring to work on the story board and document how gorgeous the ride is with a brilliant sun in the morning. barely to riverside center, here's Marky D! So... my 10-11mph mellow ride in the cold was ramped up to 15-16. that's a pretty big power difference with the trailer. And to make it all that much more fun we were headed into a nice 20 mph steady wind from the NWN (gusts up above that). So, i'm again pushing it as hard as i can while he's just toddling along. Mind ya Marky D rides a good distance further than me, basically the length of the bike path, and with/out trailer. Trailer is pretty amazing. Maybe one of those hub power meter things will help figure out exactly how much extra it is.
That and i started wondering (later after marky d and i went our different ways) can a power tap differentiate between a very heavy wire bead tire and a super light clincher? I would think so. as there is a noticeably higher power requirement to get the wheel rolling with increased mass... but then maybe the flywheel affect would negate any average power differences.
And i also at some point, might have been last night or this morning in the shower, started thinking about how people are training in the off season. And there are people doing mellow LSD. Working on getting miles in, optimizing the fat metabolism pathway to fuel the fast twitch fibers, while others are working on power only, doing weights or core work out.
Speaking of core workout. Check the FRAZ strip today (and yesterday) its a riot.
And so, well i guess i'm falling into the latter with the riding this week. Long intervals. power. maybe i'll start the longer distance sometime in February.
Also does it seem like a good time to dig up the old wolverine cycling club early season training program? Maybe Yogurt boy should be the one to try it out with all is recently acquired fixies...
and yeah - i figure if i quote it at least once a year maybe some day i'll actually do it:
Michigan coaching legend Mike Walden kept his road racers on a 42/15 fixed gear at a heart rate never to exceed 65% of their maximum until they had logged 1000 miles for the season, and he claimed a single sprint would negate all the "capillary developing" of this phase
65% - where does that fall in relation to power output. But then if we are talking about this "phase" as specifically developing capillaries, then heart rate could be a better metric to follow as capillaries are sort of related to the heart.
Colin's cross results are cool. It shows 11 of the 12 cross races i did this year (southington not there... 'cause wade's officials were challenged). And it also shows my steady improvement ;) (switching from A masters to B masters helps) and it shows my total collapse at the end of the season, that coupled with the increased competition. Can't wait to get the head to head working to see how i stack up against Rob and Bob. Sure - we aint the fastest trio but we typically finish pretty close to each other.
CTodd's shit today is hysterical. If he can keep that entertainment level that high for the next 50 tod_Casts i'll be impressed.
Anyway - peace pimps...
Oh...
wait - yesterday found the top ten organic things ya should eat:
link
this is a brief run down of the list
- High-Pesticide Food: Strawberries
- High-Pesticide Food: Bell peppers
- High-Pesticide Food: Spinach
- High-Pesticide Food: Cherries
- High-Pesticide Food: Peaches
- High-Pesticide Food: Mexican cantaloupe
- High-Pesticide Food: Celery
- High-Pesticide Food: Apples
- High-Pesticide Food: Apricots
- High-Pesticide Food: Green beans
Don't eat them non-organic... shit'l poison a person - esp a kid...
be green, buy organic, smile at people...
G
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Who says you can find anything on you tube
Had enough of bob seger from NPR and with the success of finally solving the damn microscope interface controller box problem it was time for celebration tunes... a bit of rocking Mustard Plug's Big Daddy Multitude... track 6 specifically, although the whole damn album freaking rocks... not to mention ya gotta have spent at least a little time in michigan to get some of the references in the lyrics (murder in tulip city for example)... so i figure, track 6 is probably on you tube... nope, hell ain't much mustard plug there... okay what about google video? nope- couple there but no #6.
I thought there was a music video for that song... maybe not... i ain't writing the name of the lyrics for now... i probably have in the past... don't feel like it right now... although you tube has some other videos along the same search lines that are maybe entertaining to watch but more on the visual side than the auditory side of things.
I thought there was a music video for that song... maybe not... i ain't writing the name of the lyrics for now... i probably have in the past... don't feel like it right now... although you tube has some other videos along the same search lines that are maybe entertaining to watch but more on the visual side than the auditory side of things.
Katie... add space Compton
now peanut does a good job of getting her sponsor's exposure...
katie seems to do it in a much less subtle and kinda annoying way...
i mean she does need to give her sponsor's props... and the shout out to the FatMarc crew in the mid atlantic and all is cool...
that new sports drink... i guess its cool... but... sugar... glycogen... ya need more than just caffine to go fast... although... lookin at Katie start... looking at her power... holy shit maybe there's something to it. although i think its more genetics than energy drink. But the energy drink she's pimpin doesn't even have a fully functional web page yet... most importantly from my POV is the ingredients are missing... and it wasn't among those tested/listed in the test from the NPR segment.
Big kudos to the company for stepping to the line and sponsoring a cyclocross racer, a female racer none-the-less. V. Cool. However - it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the rest of the market... how many mgs of caffine does it contain.
And why would i want to drink that when a Star*ucks Venti of their Mexican bean will load you full of caffine to the point of needing medical attention! Seriously... if ya like caffine, try a drip brewed (fine grinds) cup of the mexican coffee from there... Back in the days of working at the Pine Street Pro Shop in seattle, when i'd get up, ride to the Ferry, hop on and switch to the passenger only boat to down town and ride up to the shop i'd stop (cause the ferry schedule got me there about 20-30 miuntes early) at the Starbucks on Pine street, between 5th and 6th (or was it 6th and 7th)... anyway this was before the days of Venti, back when Grande was as big as it got. I'd get a grande usually. And i'd be good. but the days the baristas decided to use the Mexican... i'd be jittery and amped until lunch off the one cup. Like can't hold the 2mm wrench steady enough to adjust the Deore canti brake spring tension shaky... Drinking one of those is prolly like downing three sugarfree red bulls, maybe 4 of them... cause i never put sugar or milk stuff in my drip brewed coffee... espresso is different... i think i've mentioned that before...
today i'm trying a medium roast from Allegra coffee... WholePaycheck roasts the beans in house and its organic and all that shit and it goes on sale... i ground up a 1/2 pound or less of the stuff to try out here... two cups in and i'm definately feeling the affects over the typical dark or extra dark roasted stuff i'm used to... way more caffine... just in case you doubted that dark roasted coffee has less caffine. It does.
mmm coffee...
and look... PEZ pulls a caffine article to the top
freaking kick ass article Dr Cheung, not that he's gonna read this... but still nice article.
and in other words - i'm screwed... in the high dosage daily user category it probably has no ergogenic benefits for me come race time. So, goal! Reduce caffine intake to as low as possible prior to the first race of the year... then control intake prior to competition and see what happens...
Nice note on the swimmers. The folks who were already fast, benefitted. IE they got fast FIRST then used it to boost their performance. So those folks dosing up on caffine and other 'performance' aids during/prior to training in order to get fast may be reducing the potential gains that the aids can offer come race time... or not...
Sure if you do EPO you can train harder, recover faster and train more and get faster... essentially using less time to achieve the same result that you could gain if you had patience, or if you didn't have some looming contract negotiations to motivate instant results.
Getting fast on the bike takes time. Right? Years. Days and days and days. Every day lost on the bike means a couple days lost in getting faster. Why? Ride+Recover. IF you don't recover and let the body build up from your training rides and repair itself ya ain't gonna do any good.
right?
anyway...
world cup cross in Providence? Sweeet
katie seems to do it in a much less subtle and kinda annoying way...
i mean she does need to give her sponsor's props... and the shout out to the FatMarc crew in the mid atlantic and all is cool...
that new sports drink... i guess its cool... but... sugar... glycogen... ya need more than just caffine to go fast... although... lookin at Katie start... looking at her power... holy shit maybe there's something to it. although i think its more genetics than energy drink. But the energy drink she's pimpin doesn't even have a fully functional web page yet... most importantly from my POV is the ingredients are missing... and it wasn't among those tested/listed in the test from the NPR segment.
Big kudos to the company for stepping to the line and sponsoring a cyclocross racer, a female racer none-the-less. V. Cool. However - it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the rest of the market... how many mgs of caffine does it contain.
And why would i want to drink that when a Star*ucks Venti of their Mexican bean will load you full of caffine to the point of needing medical attention! Seriously... if ya like caffine, try a drip brewed (fine grinds) cup of the mexican coffee from there... Back in the days of working at the Pine Street Pro Shop in seattle, when i'd get up, ride to the Ferry, hop on and switch to the passenger only boat to down town and ride up to the shop i'd stop (cause the ferry schedule got me there about 20-30 miuntes early) at the Starbucks on Pine street, between 5th and 6th (or was it 6th and 7th)... anyway this was before the days of Venti, back when Grande was as big as it got. I'd get a grande usually. And i'd be good. but the days the baristas decided to use the Mexican... i'd be jittery and amped until lunch off the one cup. Like can't hold the 2mm wrench steady enough to adjust the Deore canti brake spring tension shaky... Drinking one of those is prolly like downing three sugarfree red bulls, maybe 4 of them... cause i never put sugar or milk stuff in my drip brewed coffee... espresso is different... i think i've mentioned that before...
today i'm trying a medium roast from Allegra coffee... WholePaycheck roasts the beans in house and its organic and all that shit and it goes on sale... i ground up a 1/2 pound or less of the stuff to try out here... two cups in and i'm definately feeling the affects over the typical dark or extra dark roasted stuff i'm used to... way more caffine... just in case you doubted that dark roasted coffee has less caffine. It does.
mmm coffee...
and look... PEZ pulls a caffine article to the top
freaking kick ass article Dr Cheung, not that he's gonna read this... but still nice article.
and in other words - i'm screwed... in the high dosage daily user category it probably has no ergogenic benefits for me come race time. So, goal! Reduce caffine intake to as low as possible prior to the first race of the year... then control intake prior to competition and see what happens...
Nice note on the swimmers. The folks who were already fast, benefitted. IE they got fast FIRST then used it to boost their performance. So those folks dosing up on caffine and other 'performance' aids during/prior to training in order to get fast may be reducing the potential gains that the aids can offer come race time... or not...
Sure if you do EPO you can train harder, recover faster and train more and get faster... essentially using less time to achieve the same result that you could gain if you had patience, or if you didn't have some looming contract negotiations to motivate instant results.
Getting fast on the bike takes time. Right? Years. Days and days and days. Every day lost on the bike means a couple days lost in getting faster. Why? Ride+Recover. IF you don't recover and let the body build up from your training rides and repair itself ya ain't gonna do any good.
right?
anyway...
world cup cross in Providence? Sweeet
walking in the building
this morning - chatting with a med student (maybe he's a doctor already) who's on the teams here... and his theory about the whole lance thing (i joked with him about getting ready for riding with GH for three hours and needed some RBCs the day of)...
and he had a theory about Landis...
and it sounded pretty solid...
Floyd's blood that he added the day before that stage was from a bag of blood drawn while he was loading up on testosterone... he thought he was just getting his Hemocrit level back up to 48% or whatever but no... he added the dope he used during training (prolly just after/around the dauphine)...
interesting, no?
yeah - why worry about the dopers? I dunno - i'm a tonkin fan and i like his take on the whole thing (drug use in cycling). I like i so much i'm sporting the tonkin facial hair and leg hair proudly (it helps that it keeps my face+legs a bit warmer in the winter)
i thought the theory was good - hadn't heard it before...
Hamilton musta learned the blood thing from lance, and somehow his storage people gave him a different bag of blood (failing that test ya know) and Lloyd Flandis didn't have tight enough control on his blood supply to keep track of which was the clean blood and which was drawn when he was full of Testosterone...
ah well...
World Cup, coming to New England? Way cool... way freaking cool
and he had a theory about Landis...
and it sounded pretty solid...
Floyd's blood that he added the day before that stage was from a bag of blood drawn while he was loading up on testosterone... he thought he was just getting his Hemocrit level back up to 48% or whatever but no... he added the dope he used during training (prolly just after/around the dauphine)...
interesting, no?
yeah - why worry about the dopers? I dunno - i'm a tonkin fan and i like his take on the whole thing (drug use in cycling). I like i so much i'm sporting the tonkin facial hair and leg hair proudly (it helps that it keeps my face+legs a bit warmer in the winter)
i thought the theory was good - hadn't heard it before...
Hamilton musta learned the blood thing from lance, and somehow his storage people gave him a different bag of blood (failing that test ya know) and Lloyd Flandis didn't have tight enough control on his blood supply to keep track of which was the clean blood and which was drawn when he was full of Testosterone...
ah well...
World Cup, coming to New England? Way cool... way freaking cool
euro courses vs usa courses
in cross of course
the team email list pounced on the allusion to a UCI world cup event at Providence... the event organizers and helpers were talking about that during Nationals set up wed before...
and it hit me, sort of... at least an idea did...
why our courses never get as sloppy or shitty and gritty and tough and power sapping as the euro courses we hear about...
why?
well lets go over the landscaping practices of the typical parks and schools and multi-use trails/areas the races here are held at. They often are long standing open spaces, with grass, or lots of foot traffic. Right? What happens to the soil? It gets compacted and hard. Lots of the euro vid's i've seen of the World's show much the same type of surface. Well manicured, packed, groomed soil.
Molly made a comment that some of the courses were like riding in a muddy farm field.
Hmmm...
farm land... wait- we don't really have much of that here (unlike the Pac NW/Midwest).
And yes - i will conceed courses are different. Different is good. Not being the same is the great part of cross. The top 15 guys over there are pretty good but the rest ain't any better than what we got here. The top 5 guys here are pretty competitive, and the current super stars just happen to be very dominate folks like Nys Wellens and company... Dlask and Trebonator prolly can go head to head with Wicks and its a toss up kinda race maybe... maybe not...
Anyway - how cool would it be to run a nice roto-tiller over the whole course at Roger williams park? Well all but the off camber section, keep that hard packed and slick... but lets soften the rest of the course way up...
Riding in with the trailer i realized, i work much harder towing it than i do even when pushing it w/o it on there. When pushing it without the trailer ya can always back off for a second and recover... the trailer demands a certain amount that is significant and makes ya work... no backing off... climbing the hill up to the parkway i was working harder in the 38 than i was in the 49 yesterday w/o the trailer... and when ya get to the top with the false flat that keeps rising a bit - there's plenty of recovery without the trailer... with? not a chance...
Nailed it on the way home - frick'n pinned it what a blast... also tested something, something somewhat secretive! stay tuned tomorrow or later this week to find out..
world cup cyclocross... in the US? Hell even better, in NEW ENGLAND? saweet
the team email list pounced on the allusion to a UCI world cup event at Providence... the event organizers and helpers were talking about that during Nationals set up wed before...
and it hit me, sort of... at least an idea did...
why our courses never get as sloppy or shitty and gritty and tough and power sapping as the euro courses we hear about...
why?
well lets go over the landscaping practices of the typical parks and schools and multi-use trails/areas the races here are held at. They often are long standing open spaces, with grass, or lots of foot traffic. Right? What happens to the soil? It gets compacted and hard. Lots of the euro vid's i've seen of the World's show much the same type of surface. Well manicured, packed, groomed soil.
Molly made a comment that some of the courses were like riding in a muddy farm field.
Hmmm...
farm land... wait- we don't really have much of that here (unlike the Pac NW/Midwest).
And yes - i will conceed courses are different. Different is good. Not being the same is the great part of cross. The top 15 guys over there are pretty good but the rest ain't any better than what we got here. The top 5 guys here are pretty competitive, and the current super stars just happen to be very dominate folks like Nys Wellens and company... Dlask and Trebonator prolly can go head to head with Wicks and its a toss up kinda race maybe... maybe not...
Anyway - how cool would it be to run a nice roto-tiller over the whole course at Roger williams park? Well all but the off camber section, keep that hard packed and slick... but lets soften the rest of the course way up...
Riding in with the trailer i realized, i work much harder towing it than i do even when pushing it w/o it on there. When pushing it without the trailer ya can always back off for a second and recover... the trailer demands a certain amount that is significant and makes ya work... no backing off... climbing the hill up to the parkway i was working harder in the 38 than i was in the 49 yesterday w/o the trailer... and when ya get to the top with the false flat that keeps rising a bit - there's plenty of recovery without the trailer... with? not a chance...
Nailed it on the way home - frick'n pinned it what a blast... also tested something, something somewhat secretive! stay tuned tomorrow or later this week to find out..
world cup cyclocross... in the US? Hell even better, in NEW ENGLAND? saweet
Monday, January 08, 2007
rechargable batteries
work great when they are charged up...
but when ya realize that you forgot to plug it in, and there's 1.5 hours before departure time and its a darker than average night ride home...
ya can only be thankful that its just you riding home, not you and the trailer loaded with precious cargo...
we'll see if the charge was enough - radio shack had the connectors i needed and now i search my boxes of bike stuff for a saddlebag kinda thing to i can alternate between both batteries...
i was informed of a problem with the plan to use the generator hub with existing stuff - all the stuff i've got is DC (battery power duh) but the hub... is 6V AC... so... well... that kinda messes up the idea string... but the battery pack in the trailer is not such a bad idea. Maybe i just need a second NiMH battery pack or a third hook em all up in parallel (right? in parallel voltage stays the same) and have a weeks worth of juice...
Looking just now at the radar - ooh i could get lucky - looks like the rain may not be out there afterall...
and its a balmy 54 degrees... its going to be a low mileage day - only about 15 total instead of the almost 22 miles... dats okay... its the off season, i'm supposed to be resting and recharging the cycling muscles...
no valleys, no peaks... although i prefer to think in terms of plateaus and peaks rather than valleys...
Time to kit up and hit the road... sporting a nice 1995 era KLEIN retro long sleeve jersey (damn - can't find an image of it... its the yellow red white and silver colored one...
it may be deserving of a night-time-blind-myself-again-panda-shot
peace my friends...
G
but when ya realize that you forgot to plug it in, and there's 1.5 hours before departure time and its a darker than average night ride home...
ya can only be thankful that its just you riding home, not you and the trailer loaded with precious cargo...
we'll see if the charge was enough - radio shack had the connectors i needed and now i search my boxes of bike stuff for a saddlebag kinda thing to i can alternate between both batteries...
i was informed of a problem with the plan to use the generator hub with existing stuff - all the stuff i've got is DC (battery power duh) but the hub... is 6V AC... so... well... that kinda messes up the idea string... but the battery pack in the trailer is not such a bad idea. Maybe i just need a second NiMH battery pack or a third hook em all up in parallel (right? in parallel voltage stays the same) and have a weeks worth of juice...
Looking just now at the radar - ooh i could get lucky - looks like the rain may not be out there afterall...
and its a balmy 54 degrees... its going to be a low mileage day - only about 15 total instead of the almost 22 miles... dats okay... its the off season, i'm supposed to be resting and recharging the cycling muscles...
no valleys, no peaks... although i prefer to think in terms of plateaus and peaks rather than valleys...
Time to kit up and hit the road... sporting a nice 1995 era KLEIN retro long sleeve jersey (damn - can't find an image of it... its the yellow red white and silver colored one...
it may be deserving of a night-time-blind-myself-again-panda-shot
peace my friends...
G
Now if money wasn't a limiting factor
I'd get a kick ass commuter set up like this stuff!
Peter White's Tout-Terrain Line
The trailer is WICKED damn cool! HOLY SHNIT that'd be the BOMB... suspensed, dry...
Heck this morning riding w/o the trailer i was still picking a triple line, one for the bike and two for the trailer... avoid that bump to the left, oh wait - no trailer... doh... habit...
Couple thousand for the trailer tho... and almost $5grand on the bike?
For those who have truly eschewed car culture $5grand for a bike that replaces a car is pretty damn decent. Esp one as freaking rigged and tweaked as that is! Man that's just flat out brilliant i tell ya...
with a 61cm top tube that big size might even fit me....
Peter White's Tout-Terrain Line
The trailer is WICKED damn cool! HOLY SHNIT that'd be the BOMB... suspensed, dry...
Heck this morning riding w/o the trailer i was still picking a triple line, one for the bike and two for the trailer... avoid that bump to the left, oh wait - no trailer... doh... habit...
Couple thousand for the trailer tho... and almost $5grand on the bike?
For those who have truly eschewed car culture $5grand for a bike that replaces a car is pretty damn decent. Esp one as freaking rigged and tweaked as that is! Man that's just flat out brilliant i tell ya...
with a 61cm top tube that big size might even fit me....
is it really january?
Sure i'll start off by talking about the weather.
Bike Commuting makes you (as some other blogger, said, maybe it was G. Terry on NPR) a meteorologist of sorts. Constantly aware of the elements out there. You either spend lots of time looking at the forcast, the doppler animations, the wind the temperature to properly dress, or ya just get dressed with a cursory glance at the thermometer and get fully immersed in what ever is happening out side.
Unlike the mad dash to the car but the more sane, who might have to spend a minute or two outside at most... cyclists commuting spend the whole time out there.
This morning i was sorely tempted. Tempted to get a ride in, the girls both got rides in. No trailer in the downpour this morning... I rode in.
Clothes drying now for the ride home (esp the shoes). It was great.
Also strange riding without the trailer. Wow what a difference.
No riding this weekend, it was nice, but we took a nice walk from our house down to the sandy beach 1/2 mile or so away from the house on the Gannsette bay.
Picked up some $20 hoist mounts from Home Depot (target wants $25 for the same ones and LL Bean wanted $40 for the same Racor thing). I used a gift card and hopefully will have nice ceiling art in the bike room soon. Should help with the clutter... well at least help get the bikes up off the floor so other clutter can accumulate.
That and i got thinking, what does gewilli need to help keep track of the year in cycling? Some download-able device that allows me to accurately keep track of hours and effort on the bike, maybe tie in HR to the whole mix. So GeWilli is going to work on acquiring such said device. GeWilli's almost ready to kick himself in the nuts for missing the ergomo ebay auction that ended with a $399 winning bid. $400 for a freaking ERGOMO?!! farking poop - stupid sunday ending auctions. Coffee break and Lunch break. that's when they should end. oh well... it wouldn't prolly work on the Q-p anyway...
I gotta make a note: NEVER read a MIF entry before i get around to writing mine. Its hard not reverting into that motif. call me impressionable... gewilli seems to like falling into that 3rd person mode.
I thought there was a link to one of Gwazdilla's ipod things working in the iCasket concept. riding with an iPod is a fast way to get into an iCasket or something like that...
ryank and the kids seem to like to ride with them. bad idea... but then as long as they haven't reproduced yet, well... the are eligible for the darwin awards. USAcycling has also made it against the rules to use that sort of device in a race.
Riding on the road... bad idea... might as well take the helmet off, leave it at home, and heck go riding at dusk or at night without any reflectors or blinkie lights...
Okay - PSA over... just don't do it folks... just don't do it...
peace,
G
Bike Commuting makes you (as some other blogger, said, maybe it was G. Terry on NPR) a meteorologist of sorts. Constantly aware of the elements out there. You either spend lots of time looking at the forcast, the doppler animations, the wind the temperature to properly dress, or ya just get dressed with a cursory glance at the thermometer and get fully immersed in what ever is happening out side.
Unlike the mad dash to the car but the more sane, who might have to spend a minute or two outside at most... cyclists commuting spend the whole time out there.
This morning i was sorely tempted. Tempted to get a ride in, the girls both got rides in. No trailer in the downpour this morning... I rode in.
Clothes drying now for the ride home (esp the shoes). It was great.
Also strange riding without the trailer. Wow what a difference.
No riding this weekend, it was nice, but we took a nice walk from our house down to the sandy beach 1/2 mile or so away from the house on the Gannsette bay.
Picked up some $20 hoist mounts from Home Depot (target wants $25 for the same ones and LL Bean wanted $40 for the same Racor thing). I used a gift card and hopefully will have nice ceiling art in the bike room soon. Should help with the clutter... well at least help get the bikes up off the floor so other clutter can accumulate.
That and i got thinking, what does gewilli need to help keep track of the year in cycling? Some download-able device that allows me to accurately keep track of hours and effort on the bike, maybe tie in HR to the whole mix. So GeWilli is going to work on acquiring such said device. GeWilli's almost ready to kick himself in the nuts for missing the ergomo ebay auction that ended with a $399 winning bid. $400 for a freaking ERGOMO?!! farking poop - stupid sunday ending auctions. Coffee break and Lunch break. that's when they should end. oh well... it wouldn't prolly work on the Q-p anyway...
I gotta make a note: NEVER read a MIF entry before i get around to writing mine. Its hard not reverting into that motif. call me impressionable... gewilli seems to like falling into that 3rd person mode.
I thought there was a link to one of Gwazdilla's ipod things working in the iCasket concept. riding with an iPod is a fast way to get into an iCasket or something like that...
ryank and the kids seem to like to ride with them. bad idea... but then as long as they haven't reproduced yet, well... the are eligible for the darwin awards. USAcycling has also made it against the rules to use that sort of device in a race.
Riding on the road... bad idea... might as well take the helmet off, leave it at home, and heck go riding at dusk or at night without any reflectors or blinkie lights...
Okay - PSA over... just don't do it folks... just don't do it...
peace,
G
Friday, January 05, 2007
reading while processing images
reminded me that Lance's emphatic statement about never using performance enhancing drugs has always bothered me, seemingly too emphatic and legalish to not be trying to cover something up...
so i read Big Jonny's link over to the cbc.ca article referencing the IM thing i posted earlier... (yeah i know - sometimes ya can't read everything all at once)
the final paragraph:
But has he ever flat out denied transfusions of blood? He's always been clear about using the word 'drugs'
i dunno...
but i think the best aproach is from the Tonkinator... caveman said ya gotta focus on your race, your performance, ya can't worry about everyone else and what they are doing... that's a good attitude...
so i read Big Jonny's link over to the cbc.ca article referencing the IM thing i posted earlier... (yeah i know - sometimes ya can't read everything all at once)
the final paragraph:
Armstrong, who retired after winning the 2005 Tour, has repeatedly denied ever taking performance-enhancing drugs during his career.
But has he ever flat out denied transfusions of blood? He's always been clear about using the word 'drugs'
i dunno...
but i think the best aproach is from the Tonkinator... caveman said ya gotta focus on your race, your performance, ya can't worry about everyone else and what they are doing... that's a good attitude...
double trouble
yeah...
first this pressure is put on me by matt... not to rip apart every couch between here and where ever to find the coins to satisfy everyone's desire to see him blog once more...
and then i pop over to NPR's webpage cause someone asked me what instrument i played and explained that there was this cool bit about it that they were just listening to...
so i found this story: The Buzz over Energy Drinks... they've even got a nice chart showing how much caffine is in all that stuff...
'course if you read down and see this:
(bold added by me).
Um... that's it? I'm pretty freaking loaded with caffine then...
maybe one day i'll deal with it... for now, it works just fine consuming my double shot in the morning and my pot of coffee during the day...
but the 'dangers' in that article are directed at teens... not me... i'm very much aware that caffine is a drug. and generally treat it like a drug.... and when it does come time to purge the system i deal with it quite seriously...
now...
can you imagine this:
GeWilli with a powertap?
muahahahahahah
first this pressure is put on me by matt... not to rip apart every couch between here and where ever to find the coins to satisfy everyone's desire to see him blog once more...
and then i pop over to NPR's webpage cause someone asked me what instrument i played and explained that there was this cool bit about it that they were just listening to...
so i found this story: The Buzz over Energy Drinks... they've even got a nice chart showing how much caffine is in all that stuff...
'course if you read down and see this:
Another drink, a 16-ounce serving of SoBe No Fear, contained 141 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of almost five cans of Coke or 1 ½ cups of a typical brewed coffee.
(bold added by me).
Um... that's it? I'm pretty freaking loaded with caffine then...
maybe one day i'll deal with it... for now, it works just fine consuming my double shot in the morning and my pot of coffee during the day...
but the 'dangers' in that article are directed at teens... not me... i'm very much aware that caffine is a drug. and generally treat it like a drug.... and when it does come time to purge the system i deal with it quite seriously...
now...
can you imagine this:
GeWilli with a powertap?
muahahahahahah
random thoughts...
CPQ# 6
31. Why do you think the Europeans are so much faster than the US crossers?
Culture. But the gap is narrowing.
36. Any words of advice for those new to cyclocross?
Find a ninja to learn from. Technique is paramount. Try new things. Think smooth, not speed. Equipment is unimportant.
Also - honored to be among the 3bicoastalboys blog registry...
one of these damn days i'll update my link list... it needs some sortation...
Read Tonkinator's (sounds better than Trebonator) race report over at CXWorld... Awesome... simply truly awesome!
Oh and Suds... did you know that you left the date stamp on in all those shots of yours you put up in your flickr account? LOL
31. Why do you think the Europeans are so much faster than the US crossers?
Culture. But the gap is narrowing.
36. Any words of advice for those new to cyclocross?
Find a ninja to learn from. Technique is paramount. Try new things. Think smooth, not speed. Equipment is unimportant.
Also - honored to be among the 3bicoastalboys blog registry...
one of these damn days i'll update my link list... it needs some sortation...
Read Tonkinator's (sounds better than Trebonator) race report over at CXWorld... Awesome... simply truly awesome!
Oh and Suds... did you know that you left the date stamp on in all those shots of yours you put up in your flickr account? LOL
Panda shots from Jan 4th ride home
That one really hurt - it was the last one... KABAMM Flash blinding... ouch...
at least unlike the HIDs it was just for a fraction of a second not meters and meters...
and like the CaveMan me face is fuzzy now to complement my perpetually fuzzy legs:
a flashless shot of the trail/road that is bulk of my commute...
Getting lucky with the rain!
At least this morning, kinda nice. I went back through and read part of last year's blog at this time, crazy ya know? Snow, rain, wind, cold... i commuted today with shorts and a short sleeve jersey started with arm warmers and gloves, had to roll down the arm warmers!
Oh last night, GD blinky brigade. Effin Hell Brucie?! Don't those folks have any decent manners?
I really am fond of the f'ups with the fucking HID helment mounted lights who insist on WATCHING you as you go past... Nothing like some $500 light pointed in your fucking face...
Granted there were a few of the folks who dipped or covered the beam out of courtesy. But those who didn't.. GRRRR... what? they too busy talking about how great it is with the tail wind? Or how great their newest and amazing mail ordered SUPER light is? "See look, i can see that guy is pulling a trailer all with my nice new light! I bet he wishes he had one!" I mean it would be one thing if they could stay in a pack headed back to the top of the bike path, one massive onslaught of light would be bearable but a dabbling of onezies and twozies (double sic) for a couple miles is aggravating!
I mean its great that they are out riding and all. But... sheesh i get enough high intensity light focused on my eyes all day long fixing microscopes...
Now the next bit will be funny... (when juxtaposed with the rant)
I took some night time panda shots.
Yeah, with a flash... Hey GeWilli, lets see what we can do by way of blinding yourself, cause those folks in the blinky brigade weren't quite enough!
When i get a moment (prolly over lunch) i'll get the best... when reviewing them on the camera last night i had the thought "wow, i guess when riding in the dark you really open your eyes all the way up!"
Don't forget to read the link Big Jonny put up: http://www.drunkcyclist.com/rant_implicated.htm
insane eh?
not to mention there's a 53x11 company makin coffee... i guess they found 53x12 taken... maybe i should get a 55x12 domain...
peace,
G
Oh last night, GD blinky brigade. Effin Hell Brucie?! Don't those folks have any decent manners?
I really am fond of the f'ups with the fucking HID helment mounted lights who insist on WATCHING you as you go past... Nothing like some $500 light pointed in your fucking face...
Granted there were a few of the folks who dipped or covered the beam out of courtesy. But those who didn't.. GRRRR... what? they too busy talking about how great it is with the tail wind? Or how great their newest and amazing mail ordered SUPER light is? "See look, i can see that guy is pulling a trailer all with my nice new light! I bet he wishes he had one!" I mean it would be one thing if they could stay in a pack headed back to the top of the bike path, one massive onslaught of light would be bearable but a dabbling of onezies and twozies (double sic) for a couple miles is aggravating!
I mean its great that they are out riding and all. But... sheesh i get enough high intensity light focused on my eyes all day long fixing microscopes...
Now the next bit will be funny... (when juxtaposed with the rant)
I took some night time panda shots.
Yeah, with a flash... Hey GeWilli, lets see what we can do by way of blinding yourself, cause those folks in the blinky brigade weren't quite enough!
When i get a moment (prolly over lunch) i'll get the best... when reviewing them on the camera last night i had the thought "wow, i guess when riding in the dark you really open your eyes all the way up!"
Don't forget to read the link Big Jonny put up: http://www.drunkcyclist.com/rant_implicated.htm
insane eh?
not to mention there's a 53x11 company makin coffee... i guess they found 53x12 taken... maybe i should get a 55x12 domain...
peace,
G
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Is it really January?
WTF?
sure i'm miffed that i have to ride into a 10 mph headwind...
but look at that forecast... is that really January 4th 5th and 6th?
And sure, now it'll start getting wet and rainy on the weekends now that Cyclocross season is finished and over...
music... as critical for inspiration as visual art
here i sit one double shot from creative insight
an acoustic poet with a steel string voice trying one more open mic
with that said i get one more chance to write a that song i might like
in my head i've got countless words hope that these ones turned out right
a blank page can have a picture hidden if you look at it just right
here on stage i get to see that image in hopes you can see it too
with that said i get one more chance to write a song that you might like
and in my head i've got countless words and hope that these ones turned out right
like i said i get one more chance to write a song that we might like
in my head i've got countless words and hope that these ones turned out right
hope that this one turns out right
hope that this one turns out
That song played out on Pandora in my Pogues station... the first line got me...
and i had to transcribe the lyrics... listen for yourself over at m y s p a c e the song is called, obviously: Songwriter.
Oh shit - i switched stations to the Mighty Mighty Bostones... and i get a fucking add for MacFuckingDonalds... that really grinds my gears...
oh well...
an acoustic poet with a steel string voice trying one more open mic
with that said i get one more chance to write a that song i might like
in my head i've got countless words hope that these ones turned out right
a blank page can have a picture hidden if you look at it just right
here on stage i get to see that image in hopes you can see it too
with that said i get one more chance to write a song that you might like
and in my head i've got countless words and hope that these ones turned out right
like i said i get one more chance to write a song that we might like
in my head i've got countless words and hope that these ones turned out right
hope that this one turns out right
hope that this one turns out
That song played out on Pandora in my Pogues station... the first line got me...
and i had to transcribe the lyrics... listen for yourself over at m y s p a c e the song is called, obviously: Songwriter.
Oh shit - i switched stations to the Mighty Mighty Bostones... and i get a fucking add for MacFuckingDonalds... that really grinds my gears...
oh well...
bad jokes are great....
this one made me laugh...
Helper Bee
A man was driving down the road and ran out of gas. Just at that moment, a bee flew in his window.
The bee said, "What seems to be the problem"?
"I'm out of gas."
The bee told the man to wait right there and flew away. Minutes later, the man watched as an entire swarm of bees flew to his car and into his gas tank. After a few minutes, the bees flew out.
"Try it now," said one bee.
The man turned the ignition key and the car started right up.
"Wow!" the man exclaimed. "What did you put in my gas tank"?
The bee answered, "BP."
------
"We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true."
- Robert Wilensky
Helper Bee
A man was driving down the road and ran out of gas. Just at that moment, a bee flew in his window.
The bee said, "What seems to be the problem"?
"I'm out of gas."
The bee told the man to wait right there and flew away. Minutes later, the man watched as an entire swarm of bees flew to his car and into his gas tank. After a few minutes, the bees flew out.
"Try it now," said one bee.
The man turned the ignition key and the car started right up.
"Wow!" the man exclaimed. "What did you put in my gas tank"?
The bee answered, "BP."
------
"We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true."
- Robert Wilensky
Hey - Its the JD show
yeah... well not really technically it is the vervecken/johnson show but there's JD... not looking a lick different than now... Is that Feldman sitting in behind JD the whole race? Anyone know?
cnews results don't list more than the top ten... i'd be interesting to know if that big durance dude behind JD is the man with the mouth and the words "INSIDE A__HOLE"
oh link? http://www.cyclocrossvideos.com/
Henry's got some great stuff! Wicked damn good stuff...
And reading the comments from Coach Proctor's report over at Velonews (rank, take note, it ain't all trash over there)... i'm thinking i should be one of two things... Chef or Mechanic for that crew... maybe Chef... its alot easier to make good tasty race food, than to have the weight of a potential mechanical sitting on your shoulders...
January 27th and 28th...
will there be a live video feed?
will there be a live audio feed?
will there be ANY live coverage of the Cyclocross world champs that i can follow?
Live is good, cross rules, and i prolly need to sit down and lay out my goals for 2007. Cause that'd be the first thing a coach would need to know. Once i know those then i can take the next step in the "self coaching for the overtly negative and self doubting manual."
peace my friends and neighbors on this planet,
G
cnews results don't list more than the top ten... i'd be interesting to know if that big durance dude behind JD is the man with the mouth and the words "INSIDE A__HOLE"
oh link? http://www.cyclocrossvideos.com/
Henry's got some great stuff! Wicked damn good stuff...
And reading the comments from Coach Proctor's report over at Velonews (rank, take note, it ain't all trash over there)... i'm thinking i should be one of two things... Chef or Mechanic for that crew... maybe Chef... its alot easier to make good tasty race food, than to have the weight of a potential mechanical sitting on your shoulders...
January 27th and 28th...
will there be a live video feed?
will there be a live audio feed?
will there be ANY live coverage of the Cyclocross world champs that i can follow?
Live is good, cross rules, and i prolly need to sit down and lay out my goals for 2007. Cause that'd be the first thing a coach would need to know. Once i know those then i can take the next step in the "self coaching for the overtly negative and self doubting manual."
peace my friends and neighbors on this planet,
G
good morning
Link...
Lance armstrong is the president of france!
Also from the email
Thanks Solobreak... its making me laugh... but maybe i was too cryptic in saying her comment was "you looked fast" somewhere in that entry was the pondering that post race statement...
Gotta make some bean juice
Lance armstrong is the president of france!
Also from the email
Thanks Solobreak... its making me laugh... but maybe i was too cryptic in saying her comment was "you looked fast" somewhere in that entry was the pondering that post race statement...
Gotta make some bean juice
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
The Best Frazz from last week!
Commuting
bike commuting... still nothing like it...
days like this:
make it all worth while...
A shot from yesterday morning with the intense wind doesn't quite do it justices but the water there this morning was almost perfectly still (in the lee of the structures at least):
One realization i had yesterday was, the kid i'm hauling around everyday... isn't getting any lighter. In fact, its progressive resistance. She's gonna keep getting bigger, and i'ma gonna keep riding around with her. She loves it. Really excited to ride in the 'buggy' every morning. With her snack and juice. both said with emphasis of a 2 year old, which those with or around kids of that age understand.
I wonder how long the trailer will hold up tho. The plastic and aluminum construction is not super fatigue resistant. But lately the thoughts about putting a nice big 6V or 12V system on the trailer to power all the lights with one bank of rechargeable batteries has been rather attractive... just run a cable (with a disconnect at the hitch of course) between... i'll add that to the list, the growing list...
the whole power meter issue is coming back... esp with a buddy in Richmond running the Ergomo on his C-40... mmm power meter... but then musing at the dinner table last night it was mentioned that a power tap, even at rock bottom Ebay prices, still is about the same or more than a new commuter frame, or a new road/crit frame, or even a cross frame... all of which are more important than knowing if i'm putting out 300 or 330 watts. I'm sure there are many coaches that would dissagree. Saying training with a power meter will get me better results than having a purpose specific commuter bike, or a road/crit frame with no emotional attachment issues, or a cross bike that isn't a super noodle. Maybe in a few years. Maybe if i win the powerball lottery (would require PLAYING the powerball tho).
One of the banner adds up in gmail was for Lew Racing Wheels. So i clicked. And i noticed, "NEW RIDER WEIGHTS POSTED" hmmm i'm curious... oh wow, look at that Limit = 180 pounds. Farking poop. Not that i could afford to buy them, nor that if i could afford that i would but i'm finding weight limit wheels to be a two edged sword (man i wish i had a better phrase than that to use)...
On one hand weight limits keep the big fat freds with massive amounts of cash (ya know the 40-50 something doctors and lawyers who've got a bigger waist size than inseam) pushing the 100kg envelope, really NEED those limits. Cause most of em in the past just bought expensive shit and got all pissed when it broke JRA. Downside, you get some rider in the 190-200 range, who's easy on equipment that prolly would be just fine riding the wheels, and mentally would be better off not knowing that the manufacture set a limit that is lighter than they are. Oh well. Whatever, idea rich, cash poor. Not such a bad thing sometimes.
I was musing again yesterday, about power output (comparative, not absolute). Wondering how directly weight of bike/rider can be balanced against % grade. Say i routinely climb a 6% grade with a 28 pound bike + 80 or more #s of trailer and junk, how would the power requirements relate to me riding on a 19 pound bike up what % grade? Or is it not comparable. I've been a bit distracted or busy... and haven't managed to do the analytical cycling page thing yet...
Back to the title, people still are shocked and exclaim "You are STILL commuting to work by bike?"
Yup.
I am.
Because there ain't nuttin like the satisfaction and smugness of #1 getting exercise, and #2 getting to work not all that much more slowly than those car bound.
not to rub it in to those that don't, won't, can't or shouldn't... but ya know... even the worst days on the bike, are better than those in the car.
-G
days like this:
make it all worth while...
A shot from yesterday morning with the intense wind doesn't quite do it justices but the water there this morning was almost perfectly still (in the lee of the structures at least):
One realization i had yesterday was, the kid i'm hauling around everyday... isn't getting any lighter. In fact, its progressive resistance. She's gonna keep getting bigger, and i'ma gonna keep riding around with her. She loves it. Really excited to ride in the 'buggy' every morning. With her snack and juice. both said with emphasis of a 2 year old, which those with or around kids of that age understand.
I wonder how long the trailer will hold up tho. The plastic and aluminum construction is not super fatigue resistant. But lately the thoughts about putting a nice big 6V or 12V system on the trailer to power all the lights with one bank of rechargeable batteries has been rather attractive... just run a cable (with a disconnect at the hitch of course) between... i'll add that to the list, the growing list...
the whole power meter issue is coming back... esp with a buddy in Richmond running the Ergomo on his C-40... mmm power meter... but then musing at the dinner table last night it was mentioned that a power tap, even at rock bottom Ebay prices, still is about the same or more than a new commuter frame, or a new road/crit frame, or even a cross frame... all of which are more important than knowing if i'm putting out 300 or 330 watts. I'm sure there are many coaches that would dissagree. Saying training with a power meter will get me better results than having a purpose specific commuter bike, or a road/crit frame with no emotional attachment issues, or a cross bike that isn't a super noodle. Maybe in a few years. Maybe if i win the powerball lottery (would require PLAYING the powerball tho).
One of the banner adds up in gmail was for Lew Racing Wheels. So i clicked. And i noticed, "NEW RIDER WEIGHTS POSTED" hmmm i'm curious... oh wow, look at that Limit = 180 pounds. Farking poop. Not that i could afford to buy them, nor that if i could afford that i would but i'm finding weight limit wheels to be a two edged sword (man i wish i had a better phrase than that to use)...
On one hand weight limits keep the big fat freds with massive amounts of cash (ya know the 40-50 something doctors and lawyers who've got a bigger waist size than inseam) pushing the 100kg envelope, really NEED those limits. Cause most of em in the past just bought expensive shit and got all pissed when it broke JRA. Downside, you get some rider in the 190-200 range, who's easy on equipment that prolly would be just fine riding the wheels, and mentally would be better off not knowing that the manufacture set a limit that is lighter than they are. Oh well. Whatever, idea rich, cash poor. Not such a bad thing sometimes.
I was musing again yesterday, about power output (comparative, not absolute). Wondering how directly weight of bike/rider can be balanced against % grade. Say i routinely climb a 6% grade with a 28 pound bike + 80 or more #s of trailer and junk, how would the power requirements relate to me riding on a 19 pound bike up what % grade? Or is it not comparable. I've been a bit distracted or busy... and haven't managed to do the analytical cycling page thing yet...
Back to the title, people still are shocked and exclaim "You are STILL commuting to work by bike?"
Yup.
I am.
Because there ain't nuttin like the satisfaction and smugness of #1 getting exercise, and #2 getting to work not all that much more slowly than those car bound.
not to rub it in to those that don't, won't, can't or shouldn't... but ya know... even the worst days on the bike, are better than those in the car.
-G
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
well.... i did it
endured the transition...
i'm now... using the "newbeta blogger"
*looks around*
doesn't seem all that different...
i'm now... using the "new
*looks around*
doesn't seem all that different...
Me racing (LMAO) at CX Nats
yeah... pics... slow load fo dial up mo fo tho
Hey - at least my numbers got all pinned on pro like. I can hold my head up high knowing that only a handful of people in my race had numbers pinned on so perfectly. THANKSCHRISTINEPEANUT!!!
ya know... i think i could just barely make out where the front line was. I glanced back only once to see... YUP... i'm pretty much the last one here... what an ominous start... at least my ass looks good...
dig geoff - dig your hole cause ya all alone...
yeah... at least i look fast, in the picture... sort of...
These are all from friday... the day i put a stamp on what i need to do to prep for the race... or what not to do...
Don't break your wheel and crack the bars before a big race and make due with sub-par parts that create an ill-fitting bike. Don't go on no sleep for the week leading up to the race. Don't race on tires that you haven't before. Don't think that a 2pm start has the same prep as a 9 or 10am start. Don't start in the middle of the staging line, pick one side or the other, preferably the outside of the turn line, it is impossible to move up in a pack if you are getting bogged down in the middle.
oh and:
so slow that hula girl didn't notice me on the run up... yes - there was no one around me... go figure...
and the best... post race
Really? As slow as i look right now?
Yeah - it does look like i could have used 24 hours of sleep or so BEFORE the race...
well a few hundred yards later i was drinkin some Belgian ale courtesy of Timmie, Cronoman and Graybeard... i dunno if i looked any better after the Ale, but i felt better...
Hey - at least my numbers got all pinned on pro like. I can hold my head up high knowing that only a handful of people in my race had numbers pinned on so perfectly. THANKS
ya know... i think i could just barely make out where the front line was. I glanced back only once to see... YUP... i'm pretty much the last one here... what an ominous start... at least my ass looks good...
dig geoff - dig your hole cause ya all alone...
yeah... at least i look fast, in the picture... sort of...
These are all from friday... the day i put a stamp on what i need to do to prep for the race... or what not to do...
Don't break your wheel and crack the bars before a big race and make due with sub-par parts that create an ill-fitting bike. Don't go on no sleep for the week leading up to the race. Don't race on tires that you haven't before. Don't think that a 2pm start has the same prep as a 9 or 10am start. Don't start in the middle of the staging line, pick one side or the other, preferably the outside of the turn line, it is impossible to move up in a pack if you are getting bogged down in the middle.
oh and:
so slow that hula girl didn't notice me on the run up... yes - there was no one around me... go figure...
and the best... post race
Really? As slow as i look right now?
Yeah - it does look like i could have used 24 hours of sleep or so BEFORE the race...
well a few hundred yards later i was drinkin some Belgian ale courtesy of Timmie, Cronoman and Graybeard... i dunno if i looked any better after the Ale, but i felt better...
Cross is just damn cool
Reading Molly C's stuff, Erik "Urbanus" "The Caveman" Tonkin's reports, Peanut's,
Its fantastic. Following it up with some choice cross results and what not from cyclingnews.com i'm all weepy about the season. Lets keep racing!
But facing the fact that, i need time off, need time to get back to life...
But last year. I was doing the same. Reading as many reports as I could about cross. Following Geoff Proctor's camp was inspirational. Following the racing of wicks and company last year! It was the fuel that drove me to ride, to race, to build up as slowly as i did for cross. My results are none too stellar. Nothing to get invited to ride for a big team or what not. Nothing to say hey, i'm really good. But enough to say, hey, i'm getting better. AND most importantly. I LOVE THIS DISCIPLINE. Cycling has disciplines. Cross is definitely the most fun.
Reading about the courses. How they compare to the US. Can't help but think, if we raced like that it could be fun and challenging all at the same time. And potentially prepare our local heroes more completely for battle in europeland.
Or not. I'm sure there are folks that would argue it isn't "fun" to race in conditions like that. And the point that "we" can't afford to destroy our bikes racing week in and week out in those conditions. And the other side in that course designers get to choose what we ride. Not to overlook the fact that if we trashed a city park (Roger Williams wasn't really even that trashed last year) on a regular basis the way it sounds like it happens in euroland, we'd prolly not get invited back...
Still bears some thinking about cross here, verses cross there. no?
Of course, despite the course ya gotta run the races, and those guys over in euro-land (if they could figure out how to cross the atlantic without getting sick) would prolly come over here and completely fucking TRASH the 'muricans on any of our courses...
Imagine that. The whole Fidea team, loaded into a private jet, coming out to obliterate the US boys. How freaking cool would that be to see Bart Wellens and company lighting up the start line over here!
Oh...
Late props and great admiration goes out to Timmie. He toed the line at the Strawberry Cup. I'm sure much to the entertainment of that ridiculous groups of misfits and j-holes that make up his team. He looked like he was having the most fun on the course second only to the tall freak wearing the ill fitting stars and stripes. Timmie, you da man!
And add to the trivia this nugget: Name at least one president of the usa who was burried in a different year than he died.
Its fantastic. Following it up with some choice cross results and what not from cyclingnews.com i'm all weepy about the season. Lets keep racing!
But facing the fact that, i need time off, need time to get back to life...
But last year. I was doing the same. Reading as many reports as I could about cross. Following Geoff Proctor's camp was inspirational. Following the racing of wicks and company last year! It was the fuel that drove me to ride, to race, to build up as slowly as i did for cross. My results are none too stellar. Nothing to get invited to ride for a big team or what not. Nothing to say hey, i'm really good. But enough to say, hey, i'm getting better. AND most importantly. I LOVE THIS DISCIPLINE. Cycling has disciplines. Cross is definitely the most fun.
Reading about the courses. How they compare to the US. Can't help but think, if we raced like that it could be fun and challenging all at the same time. And potentially prepare our local heroes more completely for battle in europeland.
Or not. I'm sure there are folks that would argue it isn't "fun" to race in conditions like that. And the point that "we" can't afford to destroy our bikes racing week in and week out in those conditions. And the other side in that course designers get to choose what we ride. Not to overlook the fact that if we trashed a city park (Roger Williams wasn't really even that trashed last year) on a regular basis the way it sounds like it happens in euroland, we'd prolly not get invited back...
Still bears some thinking about cross here, verses cross there. no?
Of course, despite the course ya gotta run the races, and those guys over in euro-land (if they could figure out how to cross the atlantic without getting sick) would prolly come over here and completely fucking TRASH the 'muricans on any of our courses...
Imagine that. The whole Fidea team, loaded into a private jet, coming out to obliterate the US boys. How freaking cool would that be to see Bart Wellens and company lighting up the start line over here!
Oh...
Late props and great admiration goes out to Timmie. He toed the line at the Strawberry Cup. I'm sure much to the entertainment of that ridiculous groups of misfits and j-holes that make up his team. He looked like he was having the most fun on the course second only to the tall freak wearing the ill fitting stars and stripes. Timmie, you da man!
And add to the trivia this nugget: Name at least one president of the usa who was burried in a different year than he died.
First day of work,
First day back on the bike in the New Year.
Yesterday, with the drenching rain, and total exhaustion from the drive and the week of fitful sleeping on a small hard bed in a dry warm house, i was out of sorts and we stayed house bound.
Today, woke up, started the routine. I missed my tall shower with its pressure and spray pattern. I had a nice cup of coffee, saw that Boise State won in OT. Michigan tanked it, but Wisconsin and Penn State held on to gain a margin of respect for the Big Ten. But Michigan just couldn't defend the pass. Or is it the fact that Lloyd Carr can't coach big games? Hmmm. When was the last time he won a Bowl Game against an equal or better team? At least MSU didn't make a bowl game, thus avoiding any humiliation associated with them loosing as well. But Central Michigan? In a bowl game? Sure, it was against some small team... but that is huge for that school.
The one thing i noticed tho, was the weather. freaking wicked wind, a head wind... all the way in.
Our delayed departure, and my overly stuffed messenger bag, and my vacation rested leg, made for a bit late of an arrival. It felt good tho. Worked hard. Had some good thoughts. Really a good time out there.
I think i could probably count the days i drove into work last year on my fingers. The parking (lack of) is a great incentive. I'm looking forward to another great year. A fellow commuter put only 240 more miles on his car than his bike last year and that included three summer trips, and less than 150 days riding. Pretty cool. The traveling to races probably kept the vehicle mileage above the bike mileage. But still. I got some miles in the legs. And next year looks to be even better. Still building.
You know you're a cyclist when... yup, yup, yup.....
bike bumper stickers! coooool
Finally another CPQ...
Podium for the USA
Knees... reading Meg's stuff - about the knees and PTs and 4 headed quads... back in the day i was playing with saddle height... dropped it down a bit, a bit too far. Wound up with perpetual petallar inflamation... raised it way up, built some more medial (inside up by the knee) quad muscle... boom, no more knee prollems... SWEET... i wish her good luck with the PT...
Coffee time, over.
-G
Yesterday, with the drenching rain, and total exhaustion from the drive and the week of fitful sleeping on a small hard bed in a dry warm house, i was out of sorts and we stayed house bound.
Today, woke up, started the routine. I missed my tall shower with its pressure and spray pattern. I had a nice cup of coffee, saw that Boise State won in OT. Michigan tanked it, but Wisconsin and Penn State held on to gain a margin of respect for the Big Ten. But Michigan just couldn't defend the pass. Or is it the fact that Lloyd Carr can't coach big games? Hmmm. When was the last time he won a Bowl Game against an equal or better team? At least MSU didn't make a bowl game, thus avoiding any humiliation associated with them loosing as well. But Central Michigan? In a bowl game? Sure, it was against some small team... but that is huge for that school.
The one thing i noticed tho, was the weather. freaking wicked wind, a head wind... all the way in.
Our delayed departure, and my overly stuffed messenger bag, and my vacation rested leg, made for a bit late of an arrival. It felt good tho. Worked hard. Had some good thoughts. Really a good time out there.
I think i could probably count the days i drove into work last year on my fingers. The parking (lack of) is a great incentive. I'm looking forward to another great year. A fellow commuter put only 240 more miles on his car than his bike last year and that included three summer trips, and less than 150 days riding. Pretty cool. The traveling to races probably kept the vehicle mileage above the bike mileage. But still. I got some miles in the legs. And next year looks to be even better. Still building.
You know you're a cyclist when... yup, yup, yup.....
bike bumper stickers! coooool
Finally another CPQ...
Podium for the USA
Knees... reading Meg's stuff - about the knees and PTs and 4 headed quads... back in the day i was playing with saddle height... dropped it down a bit, a bit too far. Wound up with perpetual petallar inflamation... raised it way up, built some more medial (inside up by the knee) quad muscle... boom, no more knee prollems... SWEET... i wish her good luck with the PT...
Coffee time, over.
-G
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