Settling into the grind

Wednesday would've been a great day to repeat the noon ride.  I thought the weather was going to go south but it gave us yet another surprise gift, which I unfortunately didn't take advantage of.  Indoor riding makes it that much better to enjoy the road riding when it happens.  Pretty cooked from Thursday night intervals, though.

It's already a barn burner of a year at work, as we have 5 deadlines at the latter part of this month, two by the middle of next month, and a monster project over the top of it all, sucking a lot of air out of the room.

Not that deadlines are anything unique to my work realm to the exclusion of everyone else...

The difference now is that I'm managing these deadlines by utilizing the extremely capable people that I work with, so that I can focus on bringing in more work to keep the beast fed.   For too long I tried to do it all, tried to please everyone, ended up pleasing very few.  So this change is good.

Speaking of which, the blog bug hit my friend/co-worker.  Check 'im out here.

Surprise gift

January 8, and I'm riding in shorts. Record setting weather today, and memorable because it's been too long since I've used my lunch hour to burn calories rather than gain calories.

Knowing that this freak weather day was a gift, I decided to squeeze in a couple of loops of Mass-Sangamore-Macarthur-Goldsboro. I had just over an hour to ride, and the added pressure of a big meeting in the early PM. At first it was just me and Scott from my office, but then the ride grew to a total of 6 as Brian, who works in our building joined us as we met with Kay and Mark who came over from VA. Just as we made the rendezvous on Mass, Eric joined us as well. Or should I say passed me as if I were standing still.

Unfortunately, impromptu group rides that are hemmed in by work or family obligations do not showcase the benefits of the "group ride". If someone flats or gets lost, there is reluctance to wait. Given the limited time, there is reluctance to schmooze and banter. Both were in evidence today, and the ride quickly splintered. Luckily we all understand this and it ain't nuthin but a thing. Regardless, it still beats the alternative, and it makes for an efficient little workout that is high on intensity and sets the table for a productive afternoon. Not much more to say other than getting dropped like a bad habit by Scott and Brian after we had left Kay and Eric to locate Mark. I chased to no avail but got in a decent workout. When we got back to the office one of our coworkers asked us where we parked the tandem. Good one!

So many thanks to my comrades who joined me on my little diversion, even though we didn't really ride together, we were together.

0 fer 2

Well my dream matchup of a Redskins-Steelers Super Bowl is no longer viable...oh well.

So here's a short exchange between me and my buddy from 8th grade, who lives in Seattle, who I haven't seen since we were 20. Last time I talked to him was the last time the 'Skins were at Qwest field. This pretty much summarizes my weekend.

Hey Johnny,

Nice hearing from you , we were actually at the game when you called You sound well and I hope everything is good with you. I do have to say that the skins put a scare into us in Seattle but matt finally pulled his head out long enough to get us going in the second half of the fourth. it was very exiting , hopefully we can beat greenbay next Saturday. Saturday must have been a bummer for you since the Steelers lost at home shortly after the skins loss. Anyway Ill will call next weekend and catch up with you, say hello to your dad and mom for me as well ..late..Al

p.s. this is me and my wife at the game notice the 12th man flag .the green hat was free so that's my only explanation for its intolerable ugliness

So I said:

Yeah I thought a SuperBowl trip was in the cards when the 'Skins recovered that botched kickoff and the mo swung our way...for about 28 seconds. It was a great playoff game. I was a complete basket case by the end, so much so that I could barely watch the Steelers game especially at the rate they were going, so I ended up missing the exciting last quarter. So now I'm ABD (Anybody But Dallas) since my fantasy Skins Steelers Superbowl, which was win-win for me went up in smoke in a matter of 5 hours.I figured that you were at the game--I got your message tonight and it was good to hear from you. Sorry about losing contact 2 years ago (time flies!) but I think this should stick since I've got your mug to look at now (even with that thing on your head). See ya Johnny

Those sure were ugly hats. That's all folks.

Shifting priorities

Sometimes my life is all about shifting priorities from the top of the deck to the bottom or middle or wherever.  Family, work, bike, drawing, guitar, this new blogging thing, the NFL/NHL/MLB, friends, extended family, coaching, hangin', watching the Godfather for the umpteenth time, cooking, honing useless skills like juggling and pencil spinning and catching grapes in my mouth, satellite radio, finishing the addition drawings..the list goes on.

Depending on who you are, these cards have different positions in the deck, and depending on the state of mind at a particular time, these positions don't necessarily coincide with the wishes of those around me, much to their dismay.  In other words, if I want to justify the time I spend on two wheels,  I need to finish the addition drawings so that we can start tearing out some walls and enjoying a transformation of living space.

For some reason I can't seem to move past the design stage, as it's done in my head and mostly drawn.  This is where this shift needs to happen, as finishing the permit drawings are the next step and lining up subs soon follows.  Once it gets started I think it will roll.  For a while my office was plastered with trace sketches of plans and elevations and sections as I worked through the design, though Mrs. Frites astutely pointed out that these were being replaced little by little with my race numbers from the 'cross season, an obvious indication of where my priorities have been.

It's time to get back to the drawing board.  Literally.

 

Sensory non-deprivation

If you just don't want to watch the Thursday night lineup, or, for example The Apprentice Celebrity Edition, try one of these two activities:

Turn on a hockey game, mute it out, and listen to Back in the Saddle (on Rocks by Aerosmith - Side 1, Track 1).  Not quite like Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz, but close.

Another good one:  Primus -  Tales from the Punchbowl in its entirety while doing intervals on the trainer.  Not that music and training is this cool discovery of mine but for some reason tonight it all clicked.  Especially since this you really need to be doing SOMETHING when you give this album a spin.

Speaking of albums, Santa brought the fam a turntable that has an integral CD burner.  Yeehaw, now I can get my vinyl digitized without shoveling any more money the general direction of our friends at itunes (at least not as much as I would've).

G'night!

Last ride of 2007/first ride of 2008

Today was the first day back at work for almost 2 weeks--something I haven't done in quite a long time.  I even lost track of the days...that's how vacation is supposed to be.  Even though I'm an optimist I tend to fret about the end of vacations when they're just beginning(i.e. "This time next week we'll be going home wah wah wah")

I figured that I could get some serious miles in on the Eddy but the influx of visitors and the visiting that we did gave my bike a chance to collect another fine layer of dust.  It was a great Christmas--my sister was in town from Ohio with her family; in-laws stayed with us a coupla days; Christmas was celebrated 3 times (Christmas Eve with my in-laws, Christmas morning with my family, and Christmas day with my extended family).  Mix in our 17th wedding anniversary in which 18 of us had a sumptuous Chinese feast at Hollywood East.  Sprinkle a few parties with friends and neighbors (and even the prologue New Year's Eve party at the bike shop) into the mix, including the weekend before New Year's, and we have a bona fide recipe for a memorable time.  

So I finally get back on the bike 2 days after Christmas after 3 weeks (mostly) off (since the last 'cross race)--3 weeks of don't even think about the bike time, and I've been on it for 8 straight days, both indoors and out.  Not too shabby, considering that inconsistency is the only consistent aspect of my "training" regimen.  Last ride of 2007 was virtually identical to the first ride of 2008--alone in Rock Creek Park, spinning a comfy gear, and just happy to be out.  I saw a few of my riding comrades, exchanged the good wishes, and kept on rolling.  Didn't go to the annual Hains Point New Year's Day mass gathering, but I got out anyway.

So that's what I will do.  Keep it mellow and consistent, and suddenly these 8 day stretches of riding won't be so irregular anymore.

Happy New Ear

We just got home from a New Year's Eve party at our neighbor's house, with the requisite celebration and overall good cheer.  I get a call from my mom and dad, who pass on their best wishes.

The real reason I'm happy is because my mom, after undergoing two separate surgeries to replace one of her middle ear bones with a piece of titanium in early December, is regaining the auditory function of her left ear which had been deteriorating due to some unknown cause since her teens.  By this stage in her life she was almost deaf in this ear, and the process of hearing again (ever so slightly) for her is nothing short of remarkable.  She is giddy with excitement, as are we.   

Happy 2008!