Sine Botchen

Winter Riding Gear

2012-01-08T10:54:00.000-06:00

I hate being cold. You'll never hear me complain about a 100+ degree summer day. I might remark upon it, such as "Man, it was HOT outside today," but I'll never complain about it. I will, however, complain bitterly about being bitterly cold. And by bitterly cold I mean anything under 85 degrees. In fact I make no distinction between 30, 40 or 50 degrees - they are all lumped into the same category: cold. It's kinda like my microwave, which only has an "on" button, it's either on or off with nothing in between.

My definition of cold means I dress the same whether the conditions outside are considered mild or snowing. I made the little man below out of clothes to illustrate what my winter riding gear entails. I start with a base layer such as a long sleeved shirt and tall socks. Then I pull on a pair of tights, or leg warmers (it's much easier to put on the socks first since tights have an elastic band around the bottom.) Next comes the bib shorts over the tights and a pair of low cut socks. Then I usually put on a short sleeved jersey followed by a long sleeved one. Cap it off with a helmet liner (beanie) and a pair of full fingered gloves and I'm ready to head out the door.

While the layers above may seem like over kill, they are just that: layers. This means I can easily lose sections of clothing as the ride progresses and temperatures warm, but I usually end the ride dressed the same as when I started. I don't mind being (almost) uncomfortably hot when the alternative means numb fingers or toes. Comment below and let me know what's your "go to" layering system when the weather turns colder?

An Intermittent Creaking Sound

2011-11-27T14:01:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a creaking noise coming from the left side of my drive train, so I did what I normally do - I ignored it. And it went away. And then it came back. The noise appeared to come from the area where the left crank arm attaches to the spindle and progressively got worse. So I tried spitting water on the crankarm as I pedaled along and that seemed to make it happy. I figured there must have been some dust or sweat-crud lodged in a crease somewhere. However, the noise kept returning. It was then that I noticed that the left crankbolt had come loose and upon tightening it down the noise went away. Several times the creaking resumed and I found that I was having to tighten the crankbolt every 15 miles or so. (Luckily the crankarm also has "pinch bolts" that hold it on as well.) Finally the noise became constant whether the crankbolt was loose or not and I began to suspect it was going to be rooted in the bottom bracket.
As I rode along muttering profanities and dreading the impending trip to the bike mechanic I thought of one last "user friendly" repair (if you count ignoring and spitting water as actual "repairs") that I could try. I removed the spindle cap from the pedal body, applied a couple of drops of chain lube and Viola! No more noise.

So, what I thought was going to be an expensive bottom bracket repair actually ended up being a creaky pedal and it helped me discover a potentially dangerous situation involving the crankbolt. A torque wrench should solve that problem.

Cycling Milestones

2011-09-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

I've reached a couple of milestones on the road bike recently.

Road Tube vs. Mountain Tube

My first "rite of passage" was a flat tire. As someone who has over twenty years of mountain biking experience I've had lots of flats, but this was the first time I had ever had a flat on a road bike. I haven't ridden a road bike (think English Racer) since I was probably thirteen or so. While the concept of patching an innertube is the same there are some subtle differences. First and foremost was the brake release. I actually had to ask the Bike Noob how to release the tension on the brakes in order to remove the wheel. It turns out that road bikes have a lever on the brake assembly, whereas my mountain bikes either have disc brakes or the cable unhooks from a slot. The next difference was/is that the tubes are really skinny. My patch was almost wider than the tube. Once I got the tire patched and returned to the bike I realized that my mini-pump wasn't getting a good "bite" on the valve stem and it kept "popping off" the stem every couple of seconds. Fortunately I had purchased a couple of CO2 cartridges and dispenser at the time I got the bike. I had heard various comments about how hard it was to reach the necessary PSI for a road tire with a mini-pump. Which led me to milestone #2, using CO2 for the first time. I was really apprehensive about inflating tire with the CO2 cartridge since I wasn't sure how hard it was to puncture the seal, and whether the tire would explode or all of the gas would leak out before I could get the tire inflated. Needless to say everything went smoothly and the tire inflated in less than a second. I really felt empowered and am now totally hooked on CO2, though I still carry the mini-pump just in case.

Perhaps the next milestone I reached was a "real" road ride, and by real I don't mean noodling around the neighborhood. Instead, I'm referring to the open highway. I was amazed at how hard roadies have to concentrate while riding in traffic. Naturally you have to pay attention to keep from getting ran over, I have to do that on the mountain bike as well. But roadies also have to literally watch the pavement in front of them since they don't have the shock absorbers and 2 inch wide tires that mountain bikes have. When I'm riding the road bike I have to be very alert for things such as drainage grates, cracks in the road, expansion joints and missing valve covers and such. These things can dump you off your bike in a heart beat and when you are riding less than a couple of feet from a moving vehicle it can even be deadly. And so we come to milestone #4, getting passed by car while in the same lane. There is only a brief stretch of road on my route (about 500 feet) where the shoulder disappears and I'm forced to share the lane with 65 mph traffic whizzing by. It's a white knuckle affair and I really don't like doing it, but it's really brief, and traffic is very light on Sunday mornings. I wouldn't be caught dead trying to navigate that section of SH 45 during peak hours.

So, what, if any, milestones have you met in the pursuit of your hobby/sport? I'd love to hear your experiences...

The Story of The Bike - I Got a New Bike, Biatch!

2011-05-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

I bought a new bike. A road bike. My first one. It's a Fuji SL-1 Pro. It's carbon, light weight, and it's fast.

I don't really know why I settled on the Fuji, but a guy I ride with has a Fuji. His is carbon and he likes it. A coworker recently bought a time trial bike (not a Fuji) but it is also a carbon frame. We were talking about bikes and he said, "Dude, whatever you do, go carbon, even if means paying more for the frame but settling for lesser components - you can always upgrade later." I think it was these two things that influenced my decision to purchase what I did. That, and the fact that the Performance Bike catalog had arrived in my mailbox the week before.

I had already decided it was time for a road bike and was originally aiming for something in the sub $1,000 price range. However, my attention kept being drawn back to the Fuji Pro. At first I was interested in the Fuji Comp. It was in the $1,300 range, had the same frame as the Pro, but was spec'd with the Shimano 105 gruppo, as opposed to the Shimano Ultegra that came with the Pro - and besides, I can always upgrade later, right?

Interestingly enough, the more I looked at the Comp, the more I noticed the Pro. There was just something about it. Maybe it was the name. Somehow owning a bike with the word "Pro" as part of the name seemed, well, legitimate. Maybe it was because the Fuji website said that this model was "not available in the U.S." Maybe it was the fact that the following week the bike would be on sale for $1,700 (currently listed at $2,495) and already in "low inventory" status.

The day before the bike went on sale I went down to the local Performance store to check it out and to confirm that the ad wasn't a misprint or some kind of sadistic joke. Surely enough the would be on sale as promised, but they didn't have any in stock at the store. To add to the suspense (anguish?), the bike shop was having a grand opening the upcoming weekend and would be offering an additional 15% off the sale price. So I had a choice to make: Do I wait a day and order the bike online, or do I wait a couple of more days and buy it locally (ie, have shop order it for me) and save an additional $255 off the sale price? My gamble was would I rather have 100% of a $1,700 bike, or 0% of a $1,450 bike? I chose to wait.

Throughout the week I began to regret my decision as I watched the online supply status change from "low inventory" to "out of stock". Saturday I got up, and figuring I nothing to lose, clipped out my 15% coupon, and went down to the bike shop anyway. The bike shop was packed. It's amazing how many people will show up for a free water bottle and some pizza. As I stood in line behind what must have been twenty people at one of the registers, I spotted my bike. It was a display model and had not been there the week before. Finally I was my turn at the counter and I can honestly say my hands were shaking at this point. I couldn't believe it.

"How can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"Yes, I want to buy that bike right there," I said, hooking my thumb over my shoulder, hoping no one else would walk up and grab it before I could get to it.

We went over and checked out the bike. It was a "small" frame size. Crap! Based on the Fuji sizing chart I was somewhere between a medium and a large frame. There was no way I could make this frame work for me. I thought I was going to puke. The clerk wrote down some numbers, went back to the computer, called someone in the back, and then informed me that they had one last bike in stock and it was a medium. We compared the medium frame to a large frame (of a similar bike with same geometry) and the medium was a much better fit for me.

I am so glad I didn't jump the gun and purchase the bike online. I would have paid more and would have gotten too big of a frame. Then again, I could have wound up with nothing as well.

That's my bike purchasing story, what's yours? Did you ever have any drama when purchasing a bike?

Left Behind

2011-01-02T11:43:00.003-06:00

I was finishing up my last lap around the Veloway when myself and another cyclist came upon a small boy, who appeared to be about five, sitting in the middle of the track. His bike lay on the road next to him, no one else was in sight. As we passed, the other rider and I both spoke at the same time: "Are you okay?" "Do you need help?"
"I have a question," the boy said.
The other rider, seeing that the boy obviously wasn't hurt, continued to pedal on while I, somewhat amused, unclipped and stopped.
"Okay, what's your question?"
"Can you go that way?" he asked, pointing towards the crossover between sections of the track.
"You can only go one way," I said, "so if you turn here you'll have to go back the way you just came from. I don't think you want to do that. Here, let's get your bike out of the middle of the road so you don't get ran over."
After a couple of more questions about directional flow around the Veloway, and more suggesting (okay, nagging) from me, he finally stood up, picked up his bike and pushed off to the side of the road.
"Stand over there in the sun so you don't get cold. Where's your mom or dad?"
"Mom's up that way, at the finish, and my dad and sister are back that way so I guess I'm kind of in between them."
"Well, let's wait right here for your dad and sister then, they'll catch up soon."
After a minute or two at the most, his mother rolled up. She gave me a 'thank you' wave as she approached and I returned with a 'no problem' wave as I pedaled off.
"What happened," I heard her say, "did you fall down?"
"I got behind," he said.

I see it all the time at the Veloway when parents ride with their kids. Junior (or Junior-ette) stalls out on an uphill section, gets off the bike and begins to push, and with so many blind curves on the track it's real easy for parents to ride blissfully along, getting much farther ahead than they intended. I also see the same situation with adults. It's usually where guys are supposedly out on a fun ride with their girlfriends/spouses but get all aggro when someone passes them and they end up leaving their honeys behind while attempting to keep up with the person who just passed them. Dudes, leave your testosterone at home when you ride with your girlfriend. She'll be happier and you'll be happier later - drop her, and you won't need that testosterone for at least a week.

Here are a couple of tips for riding with less experienced riders:
Let them lead. Not only can you keep an eye on things, but they'll get a sense of confidence and discovery.
Ride beside them. The person(s) you ride with probably are going along for the social aspect (and not a forced march) and it's hard to communicate when you're 50 feet apart.
And lastly, if you ride with your kids or significant other look over your shoulder more often than not to make sure they are still there.

Photo: Challot

A Roadside Repair That Actually Worked!

2010-11-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

   Okay, actually it was a trailside repair, but you get the point. I've rarely had any luck with those "emergency repairs" you read about in various cycling magazines, so you can imagine my amazement when I was able to successfully pull this one off. I've tried tying a tube in a knot to bypass a gash - it doesn't work and makes the tire all lumpy. I've tried stuffing the tire with grass - it doesn't work either (haha funny joke guys, you really got me on that one.) However, this time I was pleasantly surprised when not only did the "helpful tip" actually work, but it also salvaged an entire day's worth of riding.

   I had just pulled into the parking lot of the Wolf Mountain Trail at Pedernales Falls State Park, and as I getting my bike gear together I noticed that the front shifter cable seemed to be binding up. I tried shifting to a lower gear but the cable refused to move, so I slipped a plastic tire tool in between the cable and the seat tube, applied a little bit of pressure and snap! The cable broke. I couldn't believe it. I had just driven 45 minutes for nothing. As I stood there feeling like a complete idiot one of those magazine articles came to mind. I manually pulled the derailleur to the middle chain ring position and wrapped what was left of the cable around one of my bottle cage bolts, tightened it down and viola! The bolt held the cable firmly in place, thus keeping the derailleur in the right position, and I was able to spend the afternoon riding instead of driving back to Austin.

   A lot of these roadside repairs are pretty hokey, but you'll never know which ones work (and which ones don't) unless you try them. Of course, you really don't want to be in a position where you have to try them in the first place, but it's nice to know there are alternatives - just in case.

An Unexpected Package Arrived in the Mail

2010-09-19T16:40:00.001-05:00

This was in the mailbox when I got home on Thursday.. Beer and bikes, my two favorite past times. I love getting random stuff in the mail!

When I was a preschooler I got a large box in the mail from my grandparents, probably for my birthday or something, that was completely unexpected - it just sort of arrived one day. Mom helped me open it (ok, most likely she opened it for me) and inside was a crane. You know, the kind they use to unload ships and build buildings with. As I recall it was made of yellow plastic girders that snapped together and had a battery operated boom arm that would turn and raise/lower some kind of hook or bucket thingy. Not too sure how long it survived, but I do remember that by the time we (meaning mom) got the thing assembled it was time for my nap - talk about sheer torture.. I'm pretty sure I snuck out of my room and played with it anyway.

Gnomes Along the Veloway

2010-07-07T16:13:00.003-05:00

It all started with the rabbit. Some time just before Easter a white ceramic bunny rabbit appeared along side the Veloway. I guess it was a symbol of Spring, or just perhaps some left over garden art. Either way, I found it somewhat amusing since the little bunny seemed to get moved around to different locations around the track. Then came the gnomes. First there was the one with the red hat and, like the bunny, he too seems to travel all around the three mile loop that is the Veloway. At some point, although I'm not sure just when, he was then joined by his little white-haired friend (pictured). I've kept an eye out for more additions to the collection, however, the most recent (as far as I can tell) has been a cement turtle - to complement the hare.

I'm amazed that in the several months these little creatures have been traversing around the bike path that no one has stolen or vandalized them, with the exception of the bunny - someone broke his/her tail off and it has since been replaced with either a rock, or a potato, I'm not sure which. I also imagine that the average biker/skater probably has no idea of their existence and so they've been safe simply due to obscurity.

I like the fact that someone (or someones) takes the time to reposition them on an ongoing basis. It cracks me up to be pedaling along, deep in thought, and suddenly realize there's a gnome standing about five feet from the track looking at me as if to say "Shh! Keep it a secret."

Is Helmet Use on the Decline?

2010-06-30T14:51:00.002-05:00

I've been noticing what seems to be a decline in helmet use by recreational cyclist. Although my observations are purely anecdotal, it really appears to me that more and more casual riders are foregoing the old brain bucket. The alarming part is that I'm seeing more kids riding without helmets than I remember seeing in the past. I'm really not sure why this is so, and it could be purely because now that I've noticed it, I'm paying more attention to it (kinda like the *white van parked at the corner.)

   Another reason could be that it's summer and therefore more casual riders are out and about biking to the park/pool/store - the type of rider who probably has never owned a helmet. The saddest part is that these are the very riders who do not have the experience or expertise in cycling and are more likely to be involved in an incident.

   Of the "not so casual" riders I see sans helmet it could be due, in part, to emulating the image of the "bike messenger", a more recent fad. Oddly enough it's only been in the past couple of years that professional road racers have begun wearing helmets full time. I was watching a Tour de France documentary and was shocked to see so many riders without helmets ("crash helmets" as Phil Liggett called them), or wearing them on the downhill sections only. I'm glad to see that is no longer the case since so many youngsters (and "not so" youngsters) will emulate the pros. It's like Jonathan Vaughters supposedly said - "Next time your in your car going 50 mph, strip down to your underwear and jump out the window.....that's what a bike wreck feels like."

   All in all, I'm curious if any of y'all have noticed any changes in the public's use and/or perception of helmets...

*Once you start paying attention to vehicles parked on the street you'll almost always see a white van parked at the corner of a street. It's because your brain ignores the many times there isn't a van, but alerts you every time there is one.

Photo Credit

You Forgot What?

2010-06-01T21:59:00.003-05:00

   I know we've all done it. At some point you get to the trail head or meeting spot and suddenly realize something is missing.

   The other day I saw a guy pull up to the Veloway, get out of his truck, look in the back, scratch his head, get back into his truck and leave. A couple of his friends rode up and were having a good laugh while waiting on him to come back. It seems he had forgotten his bike.

   I don't know if I've forgotten my bike, but I know I'm guilty of leaving the occasional glove, backpack or sun glasses behind. Fortunately it doesn't happen very often since I leave all my bike stuff in my truck. My most recent transgression was leaving my Camelbak at the office so I simply rode without it. As long as the water fountain at the Veloway is working it's not too much of problem. I've also ridden sans gloves and that felt really strange. I've noticed quite a few roadies don't wear gloves, but it's pretty much part of the uniform for mountain bikers.

   Obviously riding without a bike (or a front wheel, which I imagine gets left behind the most) is impossible, but what about a helmet...

   I've only done so once, and it wasn't because it was missing. Instead, I just thought it looked stupid. The people who introduced me to mountain biking insisted on certain decorum from those with whom they rode, and helmets were mandatory. However, since I was riding solo this particular morning I decided that a dew rag was much more fashionable than that big old bulky block of styrofoam strapped to my head. Not sure if it was Karma or what, but (true story) I did not get more than 500 feet down the greenbelt before I hit a rock and flipped right over the handlebars. I limped my way back up Spyglass to the apartment and got that big old bulky helmet out of the closet.

   Secondary to a helmet for me is eye protection. I will not ride without a helmet and I will certainly think twice about riding without eye protection. I've had some close calls with "pokey branches" jutting out along side the trail and one good jab could certainly ruin your day and perhaps the rest of your life.

   If you showed up to a ride and suddenly realized you didn't have your helmet, would you ride anyway? What is on your list of "go, no go" items necessary for a ride?

The Progression of a "Cyclist"

2010-04-23T15:04:00.002-05:00

It's inevitable. You buy an entry-level bike for a couple hundred dollars and just start riding the thing, not really worrying about or paying attention to the details. Then, over a period of months and years, you slowly start to change. You notice everyone around you and what they are wearing, and how they are riding. Suddenly, your entry-level bike is no longer cutting it, and so it begins.

I've seen this guy at the Veloway (that I mentally refer to as "Chief") go through that change. At first he showed up riding an old clunker of what we used to call a "ten speed" or "English racer". I make this distinction to differentiate between that 1978-Sears-&-Roebuck-bike-rusting-in-the-corner-of-your-garage, and from what I'd call a real "road bike". So, Chief would show up dressed in blue jeans, backwards ball cap and t-shirt on his ten speed and chug out some laps around the Veloway. Eventually the blue jeans gave way to some baggy shorts. Next, the backwards ball cap was replaced by a helmet. The t-shirt turned into an "athletic shirt", not exactly a bike jersey. Yet. And, lo and behold, the last time I saw him I could have sworn he was on a new bike. A real road bike, complete with clipless pedals and shoes. I'm just waiting for the day he shows up in spandex. I'm taking bets that it'll be less than a month. We'll see...

Photo Credit: Asterix611

My First Mountain Bike Race in 16 Years

2010-03-20T12:59:00.003-05:00

   It had been 16 years since my last mountain bike race and while I always intended to attend some races in the years in between I just never managed to get around to it. Finally I decided to "just do it". It was fitting that the race I chose to enter after all these years was also the very first mountain bike race I ever competed in. Although I did not finish the race (DNF) I did complete one of the two 7+ mile laps before deciding that I was either going to get hurt, or totally trash my bike, neither of which was acceptable to me.

   I've uploaded some of the video I shot on race day above, however, the youtube video from the Pedal Mashers team is a very accurate depiction of the course - even if it is a couple of years old (see the "brutal" comment below.)

   Anyway... here are some of the things I've discovered. I'm going to leave out all of the standard stuff you've probably read a million times by now (get sleep, eat right, hydrate, don't make any radical changes to your equipment on race day..) and just give you some of the things I've learned the hard way:

1. Preride the course.
   Riding down a trail you are not familiar with at race speed is not only just plain stupid, it is dangerous. I've only ridden this trail once (16 years ago) and single-handedly the biggest mistake I made was not preriding. Of course, had I prerode the trail I probably wouldn't have gone through with entering the race. So, in a way, ignorance was bliss in this particular case.
   By preriding you can get a rough idea of what to expect and when. It's also reassuring if you make mental notes of various landmarks and where they occur in conjunction with the overall length of the course. That way you'll know the "big gnarly tree with rope swing" indicates the half way mark, etc.

2. Don't Stop!

No matter what happens keep going, or else you'll get passed too quickly by too many people. If you have to get off your bike and push, then jump off and RUN with it. Jump back once you've gotten enough momentum to keep going. Perhaps the second biggest mistake I made was stopping. I didn't quite make the top of one of the "roller-coaster" hills so I had to stop and push the bike over the crest. The backside was rutted and full of jutting roots and without any kind of momentum I knew I wouldn't be able to just hop on the bike and roll it down the backside (without doing a full-fledged endo).
So, as I'm pushing along, first one rider zips past me, then another, and another. By the time I was able to get back in the saddle and start rolling again no less than 10 riders had slipped past me. It was at this point that I realized that I was going to be lucky just to finish and that the majority of the guys in my heat were now way far ahead of me. It was demoralizing.

3. Don't race alone.

   Bring a friend, or even a complete stranger if necessary. Having someone else to hang out with and provide moral support and possibly even SAG duty (if you're not in the same class) will go a long way to keep you in the game and keep pre-race jitters in check.
   If I were going to race this course again I'd have someone acting as a domestique to hand up water (which would mean I'd have to stop and swap out water bladders) and the designated spot. Even though I was wearing a Camelback containing 70oz. of water, I still managed to run out by the end of the first lap.
   I went to the Warda race by myself and felt as if I was the only one there who didn't know at least one other person. Next time I'll force some unsuspecting sucker to go with me.

4. Bring extra water, food, beer & clothes.

   Not only will bringing your own supplies make you self sufficient, it'll make racing much less costly, as well as providing you with a little bargaining power should you need help with a repair or something.
   Being able to change out of your wet, dirty bike kit will be much more comfortable in addition to making you appear a little more experienced that the rest of your fellow weekend warriors.
   I personally brought a gallon of water, a small towel, an ice chest containing a six pack of beer, a couple of sandwiches, extra energy bars and some clean clothes.

5. Don't expect to win (yet).

   Even though you may enter as a Category 3 (beginner/novice) rider, don't be fooled by the name. There are going to be lots of riders who are way more talented than yourself. Just remind yourself that you are there to do "recon" the first couple of times you race and just try and hang on.
   Of course that doesn't mean that the spirit of competition won't naturally take over either. At my first race (Warda, 1994) I started out DFL (dead frigging last) and after I passed the rider in front of me it became addictive. Our field started out with 105 riders and I still managed to roll across the finish line in 62nd place after starting at the very end.
   Also, don't let the guys up front (the ones covered in tattoos, talking smack) intimidate you. Either they will be so far off the front you'll never see them again (unless they lap you), or they are going to go so hard, so quickly they are going to blow up in the first couple of miles. As you ride along you will be surprised how many riders you see who have run completely out of gas.

Some of the other things I observed are:

I had forgotten how absolutely brutal mountain bike racing can be.
The quality of racers has gotten much better, very few riders actually fell into the "beginner" category, as it used to be known. There definitely needs to be Category 4 (or even Cat 5) class in mountain biking. As a side note: when looking up the stats from 1994, I realized that that race was only one lap (approx 8 miles) as opposed to two laps this time. Now suddenly I don't feel like such a total loser for bailing out after the first lap.
Road riding has greatly improved my stamina and aerobic ability - I rode 40+ miles the day before the race and felt great on Sunday.
Road riding has greatly reduced my technical handling ability.
The GT is not conducive the racing. The bike is set up with a very tight cockpit and low rise bar stem. It's very nimble in the tight twisty wooded sections, but as soon a the trail points downward it gets really sketchy. I cannot race on this bike. I need a more relaxed, up right geometry in order to feel more secure at that speed. A 29'er would be more appropriate for racing (where brute force far outweighs finesse.)
There needs to be more "lead time" between heats in the various classes. At the Warda race there were multiple age brackets catching up with (and thus running into) each other. Not only is getting passed by a twelve year old embarrassing, but it's not much fun for the kid who has to weed her way through all of the old, fat, slow guys in her way.

Hopefully I have provided some degree of insight into the world of mountain bike racing, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see each other out on the course some day. I'd love to hear what experiences you've had with competition (in whatever discipline that may be.)

My SxSW Picks for 2010

2010-03-12T12:59:00.003-06:00

SxSW is in town with this week kicking off the film festival and next week being the music conference & showcases. I probably won't be attending much (if any) of it, but it's still fun to peruse the listings and compile a "wish list". If I were going in order to hear music that I already know and like (and I could magically teleport around town) then my line up would look something like this:

Wednesday:
-------------------------------
Nneka * 5p * Austin Convention Center
Fireants * 7:30p * Momo's
Marshall Ford Swing Band * 9:30p * Momo's
Ozomatli * 11p * Galaxy Room
Charanga Cakewalk * 10p * Ghost Room
Motorhead * 10:30p * Austin Music Hall
Raul Malo * 12:30am * Continental Club

Thursday:
----------------------------
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness * 1am * Red 7
Riverboat Gamblers * 1am * Red 7

Friday:
--------------------------
Bodeans * 6:45p * Auditorium Shores
Cheap Trick * 8p * Auditorium Shores
Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears * 8p * Austin Music Hall
David Garza * 9pm * Kenny Dorham's
Jimmie Dale Gilmore * 9pm * Beauty Bar
Grupo Fantasma * 12am * Copa
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart * 1am * Mohawk

Saturday:
------------------------------
French Horn Rebellion * 10:40p * The Phoenix (I've never heard this band but would totally go see them based purely on their name alone)

However, that's not what SxSW is about. It's about taking chances, blindly stumbling across "the next big thing", and just plain getting lucky. Years ago the music festival was much more approachable and the ability to wander from venue to venue was much greater, although most people (then and now) end up "camping out" at a particular venue instead. This is especially true if any kind of "big name" act is playing.

This coming week I expect to start hearing more & more of the "lesser known" bands on the various radio stations as they start ramping up the promotional push. Perhaps the biggest byproduct of SxSW are all of the "unofficial" shows that glom onto the hype. Look for every bar, restaurant, gas station and bus stop to be "showcasing" some form of music in the coming week.

Any favorites coming into town that you'd squeeze into a club to go see?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjungling

$12 later, I can sleep better..

2010-01-31T11:41:00.006-06:00

A while back I was talking to one of my neighbors and she mentioned that she had her water heater replaced. She said she'd been smelling "a damp, musty smell" in her hallway for a couple of days and then she noticed her carpet was wet. After a bit of investigating she discovered that her water heater had been leaking for some time until it finally soaked through to her carpet. This prompted me to go check on mine.

My water heater is pretty ghetto and I intend on replacing it with a tankless system once it finally goes out, or I save up enough money to do it voluntarily, whichever comes first. In the meantime I've gone to Home Depot and purchased a water alarm for around $12. It's a little box than runs on a 9 volt battery and has a wire with two sensors on it. If water completes the circuit the alarm will sound. You can actually test the circuit by touching it your skin (it doesn't shock.)

Now I can sleep just a little bit better at night.

The Perfect Mexican Martini

2010-01-19T12:20:00.008-06:00

I love watching Rick Bayless on PBS (Mexico, One Plate at a Time). His show always gets me in the mood for Mexican food, and of course, we can't have Mexican food without margaritas... So here is my recipe for the perfect Mexican Martini:

Pictured above (from left to right)
3/4 shot of good Tequila
1/4 shot of Grand Marnier
Juice of one small lime (fresh, approx 1/4 shot)
Splash of Margarita mix (approx 1/4 shot)
Teaspoon of Olive Juice

Combine ingredients in shaker with ice (and shake). Strain into a chilled martini glass with salted rim and add a couple of Jalapeno stuffed olives for garnish.

The perfect complement for shrimp tacos (tacos de camarones)*

*Shrimp tacos:

Flour tortillas
Shrimp
White Onion
Cilantro
Avocado (pureed)
Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Lightly coat shrimp with olive oil and seasoning (I personally prefer Tony Chachere's creole seasoning.) and place on grill along with slices of white onion.
Once cooked, coarsely chop shrimp, grilled onion and fresh cilantro while adding a squeeze of lime juice to mixture.
Spread a thin coating of the pureed avocado on a tortilla, add the shrimp mixture and roll up.
Cut tacos in half and stand up on plate to make it all "foo-foo" like. (I like to spread some tomatillo sauce around the plate for dipping and for color.)

I Found the Perfect Hoodie

2010-01-15T16:58:00.002-06:00

I'm soo getting one of these!

Will the New Year be "New"?

2010-01-03T09:48:00.004-06:00

As I was typing up some comments on The Bike Noob's blog (I seem to be a better commenter than blogger) it got me to thinking about the New Year and what I want to see happen in the future. I won't make a whole lot of resolutions, but instead I'll make some "likes", as in things I'd like to do.

#1 Cross Training - I need to vary my exercise routine by more than simply cycling. Last year I went as far as filling out an application for gym membership, but never got around to actually turning it in. So even if I don't join a gym (I can only afford so many yearly/monthly subscriptions at one time) I will make an effort to pick up the hand weights currently nestled next to the fireplace more often. I might even start jogging again. One of my co-workers swims year round, he's found several local pools that are either free, or nearly free, and that are heated. I might try that as well.

#2 Entertainment - I will go to a movie, concert, opening and/or other event at least once a month. I've lived in Austin for twenty years and have never been to the art museum, though I've been to the natural history museum like ten times (love me some dinosaur bones..)

#3 Finances - I will (and recently have been) spending only cash - no debit/check card, no American Express card. This year I paid for Christmas in cash. No surprises later.

#4 Laundry - I will put clothes away and hang up shirts (in the closet!) each time. No more piles of clean clothes on the laundry room floor because I had to make room in the dryer for the next load.

#5 Beach - I will make it to the beach *before* late July or early August, even if I have to go by myself - and preferably somewhere in the Caribbean. I will take advantage of every 3 day weekend (Memorial Day, etc.) to go out of town. I will actually use the tent I bought several years ago (and set up once) and go camping.

I think the biggest reason so many of us "fail" at keeping our resolutions is a perception of failure: Resolve to lose weight? Lose some, but the end up gaining a couple of pounds? Then you must have failed and therefore no use even trying any further. The problem is that we try to apply linear logic (on/off, pass/fail, black/white, day/night) to a circular or cyclical world. The world is round, not flat and everything in our lives is a cycle (messy kitchen/clean kitchen). The tide may be high or low, but it's not "either/or" - it's a cycle in that it comes in and goes out and never actually stops.

I Stole a Dollar

2009-12-24T12:19:00.009-06:00

I stole a dollar. It wasn't so much outright theft, as much as it was theft by omission.

I was standing in the checkout line at New Flower Market and the check out lady was scanning all my crap. She had a box of crackers that wouldn't scan. She leaned over and asked the cashier next to her how much the "never-scanning crackers" were again (apparently it was an ongoing problem.)

The other cashier said "99 cents. I think."

She shrugged her shoulders and punched in 99 cents. I was pretty sure the crackers were $1.99, yet for some reason I said nothing, and I don't know why. I'm not a dishonest person - except for that thing with the cheerleader, but hey, she said she was 18. In fact, I had already ran back down one of the aisles to retrieve the code for some organic rolled oats ($1.29 a pound, thank you very much) and would have had the perfect chance to substitute the code for the regular oats if I were so inclined, which I'm not. So it really bugged me why I chose to say nothing. I had plenty of time to have said "Hey, you know what? I think those crackers were actually x." Nope, nothing doing. I just didn't do anything.

Of course when I got home the crackers were all broken from repeated attempts at running them across the scanner, but then again, they always are - and I knew that'd be the case when I put them in the basket. That doesn't make it right.

So last night as I passed a Salvation-Army-Bell-Ringer-Guy I stuffed a dollar in his kettle. Hopefully all is well with the universe once again.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/corrieb/ / CC BY 2.0

The Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day

2009-12-06T10:16:00.007-06:00

No I haven't seen the movie, I just thought it'd make a great blog title..

It felt great to be off for four days over the Thanksgiving weekend. My parents, sister, and her family all came into town. My parents stayed with me and my sister, et al., camped out at my brother's house where we all gathered for the traditional Thanksgiving rituals (eating, napping, eating, tv, napping, etc.)

I got up Thursday morning and hung out with my parents long enough to drink a cup of coffee and then headed out the door for a ride. I felt guilty about leaving them alone at my house, but, hey, we've all got our priorities, right? Nah, they didn't mind and it made them happy that they weren't imposing on me (by keeping from riding) so that's how I justified it. Besides everyone knows by now where cycling fits into my scheme of things. (Recently I met some friends out of town and I told them I'd be there Friday night. They wanted me to stay thru Sunday, but I told them I couldn't - that I had other obligations. One of them said "I know what you're going to do.. you're going to ride Friday after work, then come here, and then leave Saturday morning so you can ride that afternoon when you get back home." Umm, I guess that means I got busted?)

Anyway... I cut my ride short on Thursday, only doing about 20 miles, but it was still great to get out and ride on such a beautiful day. In fact, the whole weekend was nice. I managed to log in 110 miles over the four days. So, on Thursday as I rode around the Veloway, I didn't notice the Christmas tree (pictured above) until lap #4. Had it been there the whole time? Hmm.. I suspect it was the handy work of the Hill County Inline Club, but I'm not sure. The roller blade club is always doing some kind of "fun thing" at the Veloway - candy at halloween, baskets and egg hunts at Easter. Since Thanksgiving at least three more trees have been decorated around the three mile loop of the Veloway. Although its been skipped from time to time, it's good to see the tradition continue.

Will My Mango Tree Survive the Winter?

2009-12-04T20:19:00.007-06:00

Woke up yesterday morning at 5:30.. walked out onto the front porch (in my underwear) and took a deep breath. It was a cool, crisp morning. I had every intention of riding before work. I clicked on the TV long enough to catch the weather and the current temperature was 37 degrees. I went back to bed. Today was more of the same, except it snowed. Big, giant, corn-flake sized, fluffy white things fell from the sky. Very few actually hit the ground. None stayed around.

Tonight I met Nancy after work for Mexican food, tequila, and about two hours worth of "catching up". By the time I got home, (approx 30 minutes ago) it was near freezing. Currently it's 60 degrees inside my house and I just built a big, roaring fire. However, I don't know if my mango tree is going to survive the night, let alone the winter. I put a garbage bag over it just now, but considering how little it's manage to thrive (and how little I've watered it, or even looked at it) over the summer I somehow don't think it's gonna make it.

I've had avacado plants (ne, trees) that have made it a couple of years but usually manage to succumb to a late spring freeze.. and that's the most "unkindest cut of all". If it's gonna die, then you expect it to happen in January or February - not in late March.. at least not in Texas.

The biggest problem is that I'm what you'd call a "tough love" gardener. I pretty much throw the plants out into the yard and if they make it, they make it. If not, then it was never meant to be. Had my mango plant/tree shown a little more initiative over the summer then maybe I'd feel a little more compelled to actually do more than throw a garbage bag over it. Oh well, you reap what you sow.. I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes. It's time to throw another log on the fire so I gotta go..

BTW, it's STILL 60 degrees inside the house.. if I had to rely solely on the fireplace for heat, I'd totally be screwed.

Movies Currently on the "Must See" List..

2009-12-01T19:48:00.003-06:00

2012
The Road
Men Who Stare at Goats

Any suggestions?

How hard is it to screw up sweet potatoes?

2009-11-08T20:31:00.008-06:00

Apparently not very hard...

A while back we were hanging out and getting ready to BBQ.. I firmly believe that there's a time and place for everything so I have absolutely no problem slapping some burgers on the grill and cracking open a couple, ok, a lot, of beers.. However, I always try to mitigate my losses and do as much damage control as possible. This means that while I'm not above bustin out some 1/2 pounders on the grill, they're prolly gonna be comprised of either ground turkey or bison.. So while I'm at the store buying whole wheat buns, organic ketchup and what not, I really had a craving for something decadent.. I figured some "fries" would really complement the whole backyard burger theme, and as I stopped by the freezer case I noticed a bag of "sweet potato" fries and I thought what better thing to blend in with the whole "naughty but nice" theme of the evening. At first I cross-referenced the price of what appeared to be approximately 2 sweet potatoes peeled, cut & chopped into roughly "french fry" shapes vs. the price two actual sweet potatoes and decided the manual labor involved was well worth the extra three or four dollars the bag of frozen orange slivers commanded.

Unfortunately it wasn't until I got the bag home (and was searching for cooking instructions) that I discovered their dirty little secret.. Although the bag was festooned with proclamations such as: "0g of Trans Fat" and "Low Sodium" and "An Excellent Source of Vitamin A", my attention was quickly drawn to the ingredient list, which I had not noticed at the store since it had never occurred to me that sweet potatoes would ever contain anything other than, well, sweet potatoes. So, what exactly are your "sweet potato fries" comprised of? Read on if you dare.. (from the actual packaging): "sweet potatoes, canola oil, and/or sunflower oil, and/or safflower oil, modified food starch, rice flour, cornstarch, dextrin, salt, dextrose, xantham gum, leavening (disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), colored with turmeric and oleoresin paprika." For me this was what you call a "WTF?" moment.. Several months later my only question at this point is "Why?"

Rainy Day Flats (or This is Gonna Suck)

2009-10-13T13:33:00.002-05:00

I've had flats while cycling and have had to walk some distances, so I know what it's like. I've even tried the "tie the tube in a knot trick" - it doesn't work. I've also had complete strangers just give me a tube (talk about a humbling experience) so I'm pretty sympathetic to most people in need of a little help. This weekend I ran into the two following situations:

Saturday I ran into a man was stopped and fiddling with his rear tire. Since I was at the end of a 40 mile ride I slowed down a bit and asked him if he needed any tools or a pump. "I need a tube," he said, emphasizing the tube part. "I've got a pump and a patch.." I offered, thinking he had run out of CO2. He something about "a problem with the side wall.. and it wouldn't help, but thanks anyway." So I rode on thinking "gee, some people really have hang-ups about patching tubes". As I pedaled along it suddenly hit me.. He didn't have a tube! He had tubeless tires and a problem with the sidewall was keeping it from sealing properly so a patch wouldn't have done him any good without a tube to patch. Der! Now I get it! Had I understood the situation in the 3.5 seconds in which our conversation in passing took place I would have told him that just around the bend was a garbage can where he could probably find a tube in pretty good condition, needing maybe a single patch. Garbage cans along bike paths are used tube repositories, because, some people really do have hang-ups about patching tubes. Unfortunately I was too far ahead by now to convey that bit of wisdom and my left knee was not about to let me do another 3 mile loop to circle back around. Shortly thereafter he was able to procure a tube from another roadie and I presume finish his ride without having to call for SAG support.

The other situation was two guys out riding in the rain on Sunday. They were pretty much the only other cyclists I saw on the Veloway that afternoon since the temperature was around 56 degrees and it had been steadily drizzling rain all day. I saw them riding along on a couple of laps and eventually caught up to them as they were now walking. Not really wanting to stop and lose what little body heat I had generated, I still asked if they needed any help. Hey, it was the proper thing to do. One of them pointed to his rear tire and said he had a flat. "Is is tubeless," I asked with Saturday's Duh Moment still fresh on my mind. "I'm not sure what it is," he said, adding "it's a rental," as if that should explain it all. "We've already called for someone to pick us up, but thanks anyway," the other guy said, perhaps sensing my desire to keep moving. So I waved at both of them and rode on. Man, what a miserable walk back to the parking lot (and wait for a ride) that must have been. But, I bet as they sit around talking over a couple of beers it'll be one of those things that start with "Remember that time we..."

Clueless?

2009-10-12T15:11:00.004-05:00

A local blogger had a post recently regarding two incidents where cyclist ignored police barricades. In one of them it seems a college-aged girl went around the barricades and proceeded to ride right through the middle of a movie set. It goes on to state: "During the day we had several bikes approach but generally they would make some attempt at eye contact with me, I would send them East / West if the movie was active, tell them OK to the next cross street otherwise. I just don't understand how these two could have a thought process that said none of this applies to me."

I can really sympathize with that.. I frequently ride at the Bicycle Veloway which just so happens to be across the street from The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. At least once a day someone will pull into the Veloway parking lot while looking for the Wildflower Center. Most people quickly figure out they are in the wrong place simply by observing the crowds of spandex-clad cyclist and roller bladers hanging around. The majority of them never even have to get out of their cars to come to this conclusion. Some will get out, walk up to the trail head, read the sign and turn around. Every now and then they approach someone and ask a couple of questions, but more out of curiosity/amusement than confusion.

So on Saturday as I sat by the trailhead I watched an older woman get out of her car and begin walking down the middle of the Veloway. I kept waiting for the little "light bulb" hovering over her head to blink on, but it didn't. Not even as she passed the trail map, or the signs that state "No Walking or Jogging on Veloway". Nothing seemed out of place to her even as several cyclists whizzed past. Had she made eye contact I would have said something like, "Are you looking for the Wildflower Center?"

Instead she kept her head down and walked with a very deliberate, purposeful stride that indicated this is something she's done a million times and knew exactly where she was going. She walked a ways down and out of my sight, but apparently at some point she turned around came back. I saw her walk back up to her car, get in it, and leave. Never once did she look puzzled, confused or say a word to anybody. I can imagine her going back to her friends and neighbors telling them that the Wildflower Center is nothing but bunch of exercise nuts or something... I'm just amazed how some people never clue in and yet somehow manage to blunder through life without a scratch.

Blogger just auto saved a blank page over my draft!

2009-10-10T17:12:00.004-05:00

Here is my complaint.. has this ever happened to you (especially if you use a laptop)? I posted it under their "help" forum before and I'm doing it again. I just lost over an hour's worth of composition.. I will NEVER type a post directly into blogger ever again. I should have learned by now to type it in notepad first.

Anyway.. read on:

When composing a blog if I select text (to change a font, etc.) by using the "Shift" key and "Arrow" keys to highlight the text it will DELETE MY TEXT if I arrow down/up past the end of the text. The Autosave will save a draft which is essentially a BLANK PAGE!!! ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!! This Sucks!!!!! This needs to be fixed and I've complained about it before.

Try it for yourself.

1. Start typing a blog (or cut and paste is a couple of paragraphs of something)
2. Arrow up to top of post
3. Hold down "Shift Key" and press the "End Key" to highlight first sentence of blog
4. (While still holding down Shift Key) press the Down Arrow Key to highlight the next couple of lines
5. Keep pressing the Down Arrow Key and eventually everything you just entered will disappear

Then you get the joy of having AutoSave save a blank page. What's the purpose of having a "draft" if it cannot be recovered?

FYI it doesn't happen when I use a mouse to select the text, only when I use the arrow keys (which I often do since my mouse isn't always plugged in on my laptop). I really really really wish someone from blogger/google would address this.

Chile Rellenos

2009-10-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

After watching Rick Bayless do an episode on Chile Rellenos I was inspired. He demonstrated several different versions of stuffed peppers but one method in particular caught my eye. He used some Anaheim peppers and wrapped them in corn husks to hold the whole package together.

Here is my version using Pablano peppers instead:

First I roasted a couple of Pablano peppers on the grill until the skin was charred and papery. Don't do this indoors unless you want your house filled with a very pungent aroma (rivaled only by a Doobie Brothers concert.) Then I cleaned and seeded the pepper and removed the stem.

Next I made a sauce using a couple of chipotle peppers (the kind that comes in a can coated with Adobo sauce) and some fresh chopped tomato. As I blended the tomatoes & chipotle peppers I added in a little water, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a tablespoon of BBQ sauce for sweetness.

I peeled and deveined a handful of large Gulf shrimp and coated them with some of the sauce before grilling them. Once the shrimp were cooked, I chopped them in bite-sized chunks along with some white onion, added some grated Jack cheese and tossed the mixture with remainder of the sauce.

In the meantime, I had some dried corn husks soaking in water which were then rinsed off and spread out on a plate. I placed a Pablano pepper on each husk (actually I overlapped a couple of husks because the peppers were so big) and spooned in as much of the shrimp/onion/cheese/sauce mixture that the pepper would hold. Then it was simply a matter of rolling up the husks in to little packages and tying them up (with strips of shredded husks) before placing them on the grill for about 10-20 minutes, until the cheese melted and everything got all toasty. Give it a try with your own twist and let me know what you come up with.. Enjoy!

Oh Hellz Yeah..

2009-09-29T11:43:00.003-05:00

File this under "It's about freaking time.."

Warner Brothers Music back on YouTube

I've complained bitterly, okay, more like bitched muchly, about companies that can't grasp the concept of free advertising. The last 5 CD's I've bought were because I heard a song either on YouTube or MySpace. I'm glad they've finally reached some kind of agreement. I bet they will see an increase in sales very quickly..

Riding in the rain

2009-09-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

It's been raining all week (yes!) which means I haven't ridden since Monday. Some of the "not riding" was due to the weather and some of it was due to me just being lazy. The rain is long over due since we are only two years into a predicted ten year drought. Today's forecast called for an 80% chance of rain and so far it has not disappointed. It rained for most of the night last night and when I finally got out of bed around 10am this morning it was still drizzling. I was finally starting to go stir crazy so I decided I was going to ride today regardless. I loaded my bike in the rain and set off for the veloway.

I was afraid the veloway would be closed as the city sometimes barricades off the parking lot during flash flood threats (which we have now). Parts of the veloway are in what used to be an old creek bed and although the track is paved it is also designed to facilitate storm run off and drainage. I passed through several showers on my way, but as I got just South of Slaughter Lane the rain stopped and as I pulled into the parking lot of the veloway I was relieved to see that it wasn't closed. I was able to ride for an hour and a half without rain, but it didn't mean I was able to stay dry. Several of the drainage areas had little creeks flowing through them which were about a foot deep.

Navigating these areas requires a bit of skill. Most people just ride through the water as usual (having dirt and water spray up their backs, soaking their shorts) but after watching some of the more experienced roadies I noticed they didn't have the "dirt stripe" and I too wanted to be stripe-free. There seem to be two popular ways to achieve this. One way is put your weight on one foot (left foot for example) and while keeping your body perpendicular, lean the bike at about a 45 degree angle underneath you. This directs the spray of water out and away from you. The other popular method utilizes the same logic however the rider keeps the bike straight and instead leans his body off the bike at angle. I prefer the first method personally. I just feel more in control that way.

So, between the drizzle, humidity, standing water on the track and the little man-made stream crossings I was pretty much soaked by the time I was done. I wanted to ride a bit more but some really dark clouds were creeping in more and more from the East and finally I decided it was time quit while I was ahead. I loaded up the bike and headed home. Oddly enough, just I crossed North of Slaughter Lane the proverbial bottom fell out. It was like the eye of the storm was centered right above the veloway.

I'm so glad I rode today and that I decided to go through with it regardless of the weather. It would have been very easy to just sit at home in the big comfy chair and watch it rain. Instead, I actually feel like I accomplished something. So the next time you are jonesing for a ride, check the weather radar and if it's raining in Austin, load up your bike and head to Bastrop or Pedernales or where ever it isn't raining. Make your own luck.

My Handwriting Sucks

2009-09-08T14:05:00.001-05:00

One of my coworkers sat back in his chair and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I've been working here too long," he said.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, pretending to be interested.
"I just realized I can actually read what you wrote down on the log sheet," he said.
"Ooh, that's not good," I replied.

My handwriting sucks. Its gotten worse over the years as I've worked more on computers, typing and all, and really no longer give a shit. I'm not in school anymore so who am I trying to impress? My attitude is: if you don't like it, then don't make me write. I quit attempting to write in cursive sometime in high school. If you want to read anything I've written, you're gonna have to settle for block printing and even then it's something akin to Sanskrit, which means it might as well be in cursive. I've also found it's not so much a problem of legibility, as if I could just take extra time to make it clearer, it's a loss of motor control. The actual dexterity that it takes to make the letters on the paper seems to have diminished greatly over the years.

The biggest problem I've experienced so far is writing checks at the grocery store. Sometimes I think I'd be better off just voiding the check and starting over after a couple of attempts to make "Safeway" resemble some part of the English language. However, after having worked in a grocery store for seven years, I can tell you that the only part of your check that matters is the number(s) you write in the little box - the rest of it could be in Spanish and no one would care. I once wrote a check in orange crayon (true story) and it cleared my bank.

Us vs. Them

2009-08-20T12:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's blog by the The Bike Noob touches on a rather volatile subject regarding cyclists and traffic laws. Let's face it, most motorist HATE cyclist with a capital "H". As a cyclist and motorist I've seen the situation from both sides of the fence. Motorist hate cyclist for running red lights/stop signs, blocking traffic and the like. Cyclist see motorist as antagonists and are often assaulted verbally and physically by them. That's why I'm a mountain biker. My only concern is angry land owners (huh? no trespassing? I didn't see any sign, I swear), the occasional militant hiker and over zealous parks police. I do ride on the road from time to time and spend lots of time at the veloway, which is closed to traffic.

On the road (and thus in my car) I drive the speed limit. Ok, maybe I'll drive like 5mph above the limit on the freeway, but only on the freeway. I stop at stop signs and come to a complete stop before turning right on red. And, believe it or not, I'll actually stop when the light turns yellow instead of speeding up, well, usually, unless it means stopping so abruptly I'm afraid of getting rear-ended, or it causes everything to go flying forward (ie, crap on seats and in the floorboards.) So when I'm on my bike I naturally tend to follow the same rules. I just ingrained and I don't even think twice about it.

I'm not a prude so I think my tempered driving habits stem from my younger days of hotrodding - which usually meant doing things we weren't supposed to be doing and therefore not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention to ourselves. I've gotten two tickets in my entire life: one for running a red light downtown (but not on purpose), and one for an expired/non-existent inspection sticker (in regards to said hotrod). Like I said though, I'm not a prude. Heck, I've been hauled to jail more than once, but I've just learned over the years to "minimize my risks" by not doing deliberately stupid things.

I think the biggest issue concerning cyclist vs. motorist is just that, one vs. the other. I'm amazed at how many people just don't understand it's not an "either or" type of thing. I'd guess probably 99% of the cyclist you see also on vehicles and drive on a daily basis. Likewise, 99% of the red-faced, angry motorist a cyclist encounters are probably his next door neighbors and Sunday school teachers - and are probably some the nicest people you could ever meet.

Creamy Cucumber Soup

2009-07-21T15:39:00.003-05:00

A coworker was making a salad and I could smell the cucumber as she was cutting it up. It gave me craving from something chilled and creamy. I wanted soup. I'm not a big fan of cold soups but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. After doing some recipe searching on Google, here is what I came up with...

In a blender combine:

2 Cucumbers peeled, seeded and chopped

1 Avacado (ditto)

Juice of 1 lemon

Kosher salt & dash of cumin

1 cup of milk (more or less)

Blend the crap out of it and let chill for a couple of hours. The avacado gives the soup deep green color and a smooth texture. Next time I think I'll experiment by adding a little chicken stock or white wine to help reduce the concentration of the mixture.

When is a farm not a farm?

2009-07-21T15:11:00.009-05:00

When is a farm not a farm? Apparently quite often... I picked up the usual assortment of frozen organic veggies at the store a while back, and as I was getting ready to rip open a bag of broccoli I noticed a box on the back that was stamped "Product of China".

WTF?

The front of the bag said this was a "mom & pop" farm in Washington with nice pictures of rolling hills and dells (or is it dales?) and lots of happy cows and what not. What gives? I felt cheated. Honestly, if I wanted Chinese broccoli (not that there's anything wrong with that) I would have gone to Walmart and simply picked up the cheapest thing on the shelf. I very specifically picked a US farm that grew organic vegetables only to be the victim of the flim-flam shim-sham.

I picked up the package and began looking for clues. Ok, they say their farm was "headquartered" in Washington and that it was "started" in 1972, but no where on the package do they literally state: WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY GROW THESE VEGETABLES.

Now, in all fairness their website states the following: "...we're a leading grower, marketer and distributor of a wide range of delicious organic products..." However, most of us don't have internet access as we are standing there in the grocery store. So, the moral to this story is be careful of what you buy and a little googling can go a long way in making you a happy consumer.

BTW, when you buy shrimp/shellfish you do look at the ingredients don't you? It may contain more than just crustacean goodness.

Major Bonkage

2009-07-13T12:02:00.001-05:00

This morning I was reading the Bike Noob's blog about Common Newbie Mistakes and it reminded me of something that happened on Sunday...

Yesterday I noticed a man and woman riding around the veloway together. The were only a couple, out of tons of other people, riding on the weekend. Other than noting the fact she was wearing a dress shirt with spandex shorts I really didn't pay them much attention. A lap later I saw them again, they were off the bikes and he was helping her walk up a short (but very steep) incline. By her body language I could tell she had just hit the wall. She had bonked. As I passed by on the next lap they were sitting in the shade near the same spot. Another lap later and they had abandoned the bikes and were walking; he was helping her and a roadie had stopped and walked his bike along with them to provide moral and physical support if needed.

As I kept riding along I realized I didn't see any water bottles in their hands nor did I see any attached to the discarded bikes. I did notice that the roadie had at least one bottle on his bike, however I couldn't tell if it had water in it. I remembered seeing a relatively new looking water bottle at the entrance that someone had discarded the day before. When I got back around to the entrance I rode past the bottle, slowed and turned around. I stopped and picked up the bottle. It seemed clean enough. I could rinse it out as best as possible, fill it with water and she could use it to dump on her head (or even drink some if she was desperate enough.) I thought about it for a moment and changed my mind. Surely they were close enough to the parking lot now that it wouldn't matter anyway. Instead, I rode on.

About the time I passed them again another rider had stopped and was offering assistance and/or water so I didn't feel too badly but I did have a twinge of guilt and wondered what exactly it was that made me change my mind in the first place. Why didn't I stop and help? I don't know.. A few minutes later I encountered a mountain biker who was ferrying one of their bikes along side his as he rode with one hand on his handlebar and one hand on the other bike's. We've all done that as kids, and it never really works for long, but it was inspiring to see this guy at least trying. After the couple made it back to the parking lot and (presumably) got everything squared away I saw the man practically running back along the track to retrieve the other bike. Man, what a miserable, long day it had been for them.

I hope the woman was/is okay. I applaude the roadie who stopped and walked with them, the mtb'er who ferried one of their bikes, and the woman who stopped at the cross-over to check on them. I feel bad for not offering to help, but it's not so much what I didn't do (I'll have to make up for that later) as it is what these caring people did do. They deserve a shout out.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

2009-07-10T15:50:00.004-05:00

Pains is currently in the CD player and the jury is still out on this one. Not sure how I feel about the whole distorted-twee genre just yet. Overall it's pretty much "my type" of music, but I don't see the point of producing such a crappily sounding CD that one would think it was recorded with a cell phone. I really wanted to like Wavvves as well, but just can't bring myself to wade thru the noise just to get to the good stuff. I came across Pains while watching FuelTV's segment on some surfer chick. They are coming to Austin this fall with the Plain White T's and I think they'll be much better live when all the noise and distortion is for real.

Bastrop to Buescher (riding the park road)

2009-06-29T12:12:00.004-05:00

I had been threatening to go ride the park road that runs between Bastrop State Park and Buescher State Park for about a month now. After running through all the usual excuses (it's too late in the day, it's too hot, I'm too hungover) I finally decided to "just do it".

I left the house on Saturday morning around 11 which for me is about as early as it gets, but it wasn't early enough. The temperature was already well into the upper 90's and I still had a 45 minute drive to Smithville. It was 100 by the time I got there. Both parks, with the exception of the swimming pool at Bastrop, were completely deserted.

I'll embed the video footage I shot below. The park road is great for novice to intermediate level cyclist since it is low traffic and contains just enough hills to keep things interesting without wearing you out. I only saw 4 other cyclist that afternoon and all 4 were mountain bikers. I guess the roadies have enough sense not to be out in the heat. I completely drained my 70oz camelback around mile #8 so I'm really thankful the road is only 11 miles long. If you go "out and back" and circle around both parks you can extend the ride to 25 miles or so.

Some parts of the video are a bit jiggly since I'm holding the camera in my hand as I ride.

Cycling Park Road 1-C (www.youtube.com/mx4789) - if you have a youtube account please log in and rate/comment/subscribe on youtube as well.

You're not gonna use these are you??

2009-06-26T13:03:00.012-05:00

Cost of getting chipped tooth filled: $426.00
Freaking out at collection of bizarre implements
in waiting room: priceless

When I mentioned the bit about "what if dentists had pliers & drills as part of their logos" in Monday's blog, I had no idea how true that could actually be... I snapped these cell phone pics on Wednesday while waiting to get my tooth filled/fixed. I couldn't stop laughing the whole time I was there. I can't imagine how many kids must sit in this waiting room in sheer terror.

You got to admit it though, this guy has a wicked sense of humor.

I know math isn't supposed to be fun, but...

2009-06-22T14:46:00.009-05:00

There's one of those "Kumon Learning Centers" in the office park where I work and quite frankly I've always found their sign to be a little disturbing. I mean, if you are going to have a smiley face as part of your logo then shouldn't it actually be "smiling"?

What if the local dentist office had a drill and pair of pliers as part of their logo? Or if the doctor down the street had a big giant syringe out front? How attractive would that be? Maybe it's just me but the little face on this sign just doesn't strike me as good advertising. Instead the message it seems to convey is "Come to our center and we'll destroy your self esteem twice a week."

Some Days You Just Suck.

2009-06-22T14:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I hit the wall at around 30 miles. I simply ran out of gas and could not physically turn the pedals over another time. It was hot, but no where near the 100 degree days I'm used to. I don't know why, but I just didn't have the legs for it. 30 miles is my usual weekday after work ride and sometimes I sprint the whole thing. So to be bonkin' on a Saturday or Sunday at the 30 mile mark, well, basically sucks.

My whole week had been like that..
Monday: hot & windy so I bailed out early (plus the prior weekend had been pretty productive so I wasn't too bummed about it).
Tuesday: grocery shopping.
Wednesday: hot & windy, flatted on 7th lap and chipped a tooth while eating fig newtons on lap 8. Still finished out the night with 30 strong miles.
Thursday: hot & windy, grunted out the standard laps.
Friday: BBQ with family.
Saturday: hot & really windy, barely finished 15 miles before I had to deal with umm, some "digestive issues". Sooo glad they got porta-johns at the Veloway.
Sunday: hot & windy and pretty much bonked after a miserable tedious ride. When I finally stopped to gasp for air and fellow biker as me how it was going. "Sucks" I replied. "Well," he said, "a crappy day on the bike is better than no day on the bike." I have to agree with that.

Now I'm off to go get my bike (drum roll please) so I can go out and do it all again this week.

(..then who would make the sandwiches?)

Big Yellow Death Trap

2009-06-16T13:57:00.003-05:00

I ran by the house yesterday to pick up my bike and related crap so I could ride after work (which turned into a BIG GIANT SUCK-FEST, but that's another blog) and I ended up sitting behind a school bus in traffic. I couldn't help but notice that in all these years school bus design has changed very little. The biggest mystery to me is why don't school buses in Texas have air conditioning? The bus was idling there at the red light, some of the windows were up, some were down, and the little fan mounted above the visor was pointed at the driver, spinning like crazy.

When I was in Jr. High we lived less than 2 miles from the school which meant the school district wasn't obligated to provide transportation but did so anyway. However, it was the barest definition of "transportation" legally available. Since we did live so close to the school (although in a small town 2 miles can mean a lot of woods, creeks and very pedestrian un-friendly roads) we were on the "2nd run" on the bus schedule. This meant that the bus picked up a load of kids, drove them all home and then came back to the school for another load. It also meant you got home almost an hour after all the other kids did.

Our bus was a total POS - complete with holes in the floor and non-functioning windshield wipers. I guess the school's logic was to put the crappiest buses on the shortest runs so if they broke down the kids could just get off and walk. During one thunderstorm our bus driver (who was also the science teacher and track coach) made one of the boys squeeze between him and the side window, and I'm not joking, stick his arm out the window and manually work the windshield wiper so he could see. Air conditioning? Non-existent. Heater? Only when the bus got up to top speed (around 50 mph) the heat from the exhaust, and much of the fumes, would blow up through the holes in the floorboard. Seats next to holes were primo real estate in the winter.

One time, and why I have no idea, I reached under one of the bus seats and found a plastic baggie full of a white, powdery substance hidden under the seat. Yep, I know what you are thinking and trust me I was thinking the same thing: Score! I walked around school for several hours convinced that the mafia was going to show up any minute and demand their "stuff" back. Finally I did what all good seventh grade, TV police detectives do, I cut open the baggie, dipped my finger in it and tasted some of it. What I was expecting "it" to taste like, and how I'd recognize "it" anyway never actually crossed my mind (nor did what I'd actually do with it either). Turned out to be laundry detergent, bleah. Mom pretty much had a spaz-attack when I told her what had happened. Note to self: Add this to the list of "stuff we don't tell mom about".

Friday - June 12th 2009

2009-06-12T20:00:00.002-05:00

Weigh in at 157.4 pounds

Breakfast:
1 cup of coffee
1/2 cup of oatmeal

Midmorning:
Another cup of coffee
1 slice whole wheat toast w/ cream cheese

Lunch:
16oz gatorade
Turkey & cheese sandwich (w/ lettuce, tomatoes & avacado)

Early Afternoon:
16oz gatorade
1 table spoon peanut butter

Mid Afternoon:
1 cup of coffee

-- Cycling: none. Day 2 off. --

Supper:
Crackers & cheese & ham
2 slices of pizza (left over from Austin Pizza Garden last week & frozen)
4 bottles of beer (12oz Carona - yeah and I still lost 3 pounds this week)

Austin Pizza Garden

Thursday - June 11th, 2009

2009-06-11T22:30:00.002-05:00

Weigh in at 158.6 pounds

Breakfast:
1 cup of coffee
1 egg (transmogrified in microwave) on whole wheat toast

Midmorning:
Another cup o' joe
1 plum (organic)
1 table spoon of peanut butter

Lunch:
Salad (organic: romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper & 1/2 avacado w/ ranch dressing)

Early Afternoon:
Coffee
1 banana + 1 table spoon of peanut butter (god i love that stuff)

Mid Afternoon:
1 kiwi fruit/thingy
16oz of gatorade

-- Cycling: 30 miles (1 1/2 hours) at 'balls out' near-race pace effort --
2 fig newtons

Supper: (at Cypress Grill restaurant)
Salad (w/ grilled chicken breast, mixed greens, pico de gallo, cheese & chipotle ranch dressing - muy bueno!)
3 glasses of white wine (Cypress chardonnay)

Marshall Ford Swing Band - Cypress Grill * Austin, Texas

Wednesday - June 10th, 2009

2009-06-10T11:57:00.006-05:00

Wednesday - June 10th, 2009
Weigh in at 158.8 pounds (WTF?? How did I gain a pound?!?)

Breakfast
1 cup of coffee
1 5oz cup of yogurt (Organic Peach)

Midmorning:
Another cup of coffee
1 banana (finally killed off the last of the bunch)

Lunch:
Fiesta Salad (actually I just made that up.. it's really the rest of the spinach with some black beans and corn - topped off with salsa left over from last week's breakfast taco binge)

Early Afternoon:
Another cup of coffee
1 table spoon of peanut butter

Mid Afternoon:
1 small apple (where the hell is the rest of that banana nut bread/cake???)
1 piece of wheat bread w/ peanut butter

-- No biking today --

Supper:
Crackers & cheese
4oz grilled tuna steak
1 large scallop (grilled - was 2 but the other one fell apart)
1 cup of green peas (simmered in old skool aluminum pot on grill as fish cooked)
Finished off the rest of the wine & beer (about 2 glasses each)

Tuesday - June 9th, 2009

2009-06-10T11:45:00.006-05:00

Weigh in at 157.8 pounds

Breakfast:
1 cup of coffee
1/2 cup oatmeal

Midmorning:
Another cup of coffee
1 rather mushy banana (I think the ones in the frige have "gone over to the dark side")
1/2 slice of banana nut bread

Lunch:
Salad (spinach, bell pepper & approx 3oz of grilled steak w/ organic ranch dressing)
1/2 baked sweet potato (olive oil & kosher salt)*

Early Afternoon:
Another cup of coffee
1 table spoon of peanut butter + the other half of the slice of banana nut bread

Mid Afternoon:
1 32oz bottle of Gatorade (melon flavored)
Another table spoon of peanut butter

-- Cycling: 30 miles (2 hours) at moderate/hard effort --
2 fig newtons while riding

Supper:
Crackers & cheese
2 glasses of wine (Beringer's cab sav, chilled, mixed with a little water)

5oz grilled lamb steak (not sure which part of the lamb it was though..)
1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans & what not)

1 bottle of beer (Shiner Bock 12 oz)

*groovy way to do sweet potatoes: split in half length-wise, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with kosher salt, wrap individual sections in foil, place on grill as soon as possible (while coals still getting hot or as soon as gas is on) and turn frequently. Potatoes are usually soft and ready by the time the meat is finally cooked.

Monday - June 8th 2009

2009-06-09T10:43:00.002-05:00

Weigh in at 160.6 pounds

Breakfast:
1 cup of coffee (2 spoons of sugar & 2% milk)
1/2 cup oatmeal - plain w/ a little (okay a lot) of salt

Midmorning:
Another cup of coffee (actually 1/2 cup b/c it got cold and I poured the rest out)
1 banana

Lunch:
Salad (handful of spinach, chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, 5oz can of tuna & creamy basil dressing)

Early Afternoon:
1 cup of coffee
1 table spoon of peanut butter (organic peanuts/sea salt)

Mid Afternoon:
1 apple and another banana

-- Cycling: 30 miles (2 hours) at moderate/hard effort --

Supper:
Crackers & cheese (6 whole wheat crackers & colby-jack cheese slices w/ a little horseraddish thrown in for fun)
1 glass of wine (Llano Estacado's pino grigio)

1/2 grilled chicken breast + 1 handful of steamed broccoli florets
1 + 1/2 bottles of beer (12oz Carona)

On being "good" (or debauch no more..)

2009-06-08T13:58:00.001-05:00

Organic or not? When and where possible I try to buy organic produce and related products. Sometimes the price difference is just too much and I'll go for the regular, genetically-modified, pesticide-laden version instead. One of my coworkers enjoys pointing out (and correctly so) that just because it is "organic" doesn't mean it is pesticide free, and I agree with him. After all, Arsenic is just as deadly as any man made poison, however, while that's nice it's not the only reason I go organic. I find that many organic products have less crap in them. I don't mean that in the way of fecal coliform but rather in unnecessary ingredients. Ever compare the labels of "regular" ketchup and organic ketchup? At least I can recognize the stuff they put in the organic ketchup - things like tomatoes, water, vinegar, sugar, salt. The organic peanut butter I buy has the following ingredients: organic peanuts, sea salt. That's it. Two things and I know what both of them are.

I'm not going to get into the whole thing about the nation's food supply and all that since it's been beaten to death by everyone else so far. I just wanted to say that I'll buy organic when and where I can for two reasons: it's the lesser of two evils and I don't need a degree in chemistry to read the ingredient list.

So anyway.. after a weekend of debauchery that did not involve anything organic, but instead saw the likes of Taco Bell*, pizza, pancakes, ribeyes, Shiner Bock and more than one glass of cabernet, I decided this upcoming week I'd be "good". "Good" means getting on the scale and actually looking down at the numbers. Good also means whole foods, no take out and actually cooking the things I eat, not just reheating them. Unless of course it's salad or something that would get all wilty in the oven. We'll see how it goes and I'm gonna post the daily totals/results so I'll have to be accountable. Wish me luck!

*(Me at drive thru: "Um I'd like 2 tostadas & 1 bean burrito please, oh, and what do you have that will mix with gin? Sierra Mist? Ok, give me a medium one of those too.")

Butterflies Eat Poop

2009-06-04T12:15:00.002-05:00

Butterflies Eat Poop (and other observations of a five year old)

I was gonna write a book full of witty things and such but faced a couple of major obstacles:

1. I'm not witty or even remotely funny
2. I don't know (or have) any five year olds

I'm pretty sure these things are what they refer to as "deal killers"... crap!

...and someone else has already beat me to the t-shirt idea.

I said whoa!

2009-06-01T13:37:00.004-05:00

I replaced the brake pads on my truck last weekend. The auto shop wanted $400 to do a brake job and the "quickie" brake places only charge $99 (at least to get you in the door). I checked out the prices for parts online and the only way the $99 companies can make any money is to use absolutely the cheapest parts available and somehow I felt that brake pads made from cardboard and paper towels was probably not a good thing so I decided to do the job myself. After watching a couple of "how to" clips on youtube I went to the auto part's store and got Ford's "motorcraft brand" pads ($65 for the front and $55 for the rear.) I have some basic tools at the house, but generally every project costs more than normal because I usually end up having to buy at least "one of everything" (hammer, pliers, nails, screwdriver, beer) to accomplish the task.

Here's basically how things went:
Go to auto part store buy brake pads ($130) and c-clamp ($10)
Go back to store and buy a floor jack ($25)
Jack up truck, take wheel off
Spend 20 minutes trying to break loose a bolt and destroy the socket wrench
Decide I'm gonna need something big and beefy to remove bolt
Put tire back on, drive to store and buy heavy duty socket and breaker bar ($30)
Jack up truck and remove tire once again
Discover that 3/4 inch socket only strips out bolt
Go inside re-watch video and realize the bolt is an 18mm (that's metric - on an "American" car?? I blame the Canadians for this one)
Debate putting tire back on car and going back to store once again
End up watching another video and notice that they don't remove this bolt at all
Go outside remove the two correct bolts and replace brake pads in less than 20 minutes
Realize that this would make a nifty youtube video, grab camera and film other side

Brakes, Bikes & Beaches (Oh My!)

2009-06-01T10:58:00.006-05:00

Dear Youtube & Yahoo.. thank you for offering to "remember my password" and/or "leave me logged in", but you see, the deal is I don't want you to do that. I keep unchecking the stupid little check box every time I log in and yet, somehow you just don't seem to get the message. I know you are not listening because every time I return to log in there is the little check in the box again.

Dear Flickr & Youtube.. please enable partial search matches. In the old days we called them "wildcard" searches and used an asterisk (*) to indicate our intentions. It would seem like you would have figured this out by now, what with all the kvetching from your users about it on your various blogs and what not

Okay, I'm glad we finally got that out of the way. Now I can move on to some more important things such as totally random crap..

I replaced the brake pads (front & back) on my truck (blog & vlog to follow).

I rode 650+ miles in May.

Did not get to schedule trip to Cayman Islands for June (or at all).

Going to Port Aransas (gulf coast) 1st weekend in August with Nancy.

Going to Port Aransas (gulf coast) 2nd weekend in August with my brother & his family.

Will probably go nuts and spend $$$ on a road bike (that I was originally going to go nuts and spend on the Cayman Island trip.)

Dead Letter Office

2009-05-18T15:17:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a beautiful day. A cold front blew through around noon on Saturday and the weather today is down right pleasant. This is what we call "patio weather", meaning it's not too hot (or too cold) to find a spot on some Mexican food restaurant's patio and sample the margaritas.

I rode Saturday morning and barely managed to squeak in 30 miles before the front hit. Got rained on just as I loaded up the bike and headed home. Sunday was cold & windy and pretty much overcast until late afternoon. I'm glad I broke the long-sleeved jersey out of storage (read that: pile on laundry room floor) because the wind was blowing right through my short one. I was able to crank out 40 miles on Sunday but not without a lot of hacking. It seems my allergies have mutated over the last year(s) and now instead of the sniffly sneezy itchy eyes/nose it just heads straight to my lungs in the form of phlegm.

As I was heading out the door on Sunday I stopped to sift through the CD pile and see what caught my eye. Found a couple of them that deserved to be back in rotation..

Currently in the CD player is: Dead letter office by R.E.M. (haven't heard that one in ages)

Others I brought along are:
The Stone Roses - 2nd coming
Anberlin - New surrender
The Lemonheads - It's a shame about Ray
The Click Five - Greetings from Imrie house

Okay, I'm kind of embarressed to admit I like The Click Five (I know, it's totally gay) but how often do you get to indulge in some good, old-fashioned "power pop"? I found this CD due to an Orlando tourism commercial they used to run on TV a couple of years ago. It was the one with the theme parks and in the back ground was a catchy little ditty about "...something something time machine.." So I googled it and then bought the CD. It really is good once you get over the stigma.

Badge of Courage (or Be it Resolved..)

2009-05-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

I've got these brown spots on the back of my hands. They are tan lines from wearing bike gloves. They are usually more noticeable in the spring before other (gloveless) outdoor activities, such as swimming, equalize the suntan on my arms, hands and rest of my body. After 19 year of cycling I've gotten used to it, but some people make comments every now and then. Mostly guys will point out that it looks stupid or goofy, but that's ok because the chicks dig them. I'm amazed at how many complete strangers will come up and ask what kind of sport I'm into. I kinda like them. I consider them to be a brown badge of courage. Ok, maybe not courage, but certainly one of endurance.
It's been summer for about a month now. I noticed it one day when I left the house for work and instead of the usual cool mornings we'd been having the temperature at 8 o'clock was in the 70's. Overnight it became summer. We haven't had any cool mornings or evenings since. Now they daytime highs are consistently hitting the 90's. It's okay with me, though. I consider 70 degrees to be "cold".
I guess the thing about depression is that you don't always recognize it until it's over. I woke up this morning and some how things were "different", things just felt better. For the past couple of nights I've actually started having dreams again. Last night I had this big long convoluted dream about SD cards (seriously!). I'll spare you the details. Anyway... like I said, this morning things just felt different as if coming out of a fog or something. My last couple of rides had just been laborious, tedious, suffer-fests where I've barely been able to turn out 15-20 miles at a time. Today was a great day. I put in 51 miles and just smiled the whole time. I think there had just been so much negativity going on lately that it was really dragging me down. Yesterday I was resolved to not let it bother me anymore, that and the fact I quit taking allergy medicine. The allergy medicine was keeping me sneeze/sniffle/itch free but it was making me so groggy in the mornings and though I was sleeping all night I constantly felt tired and burned out. You dream during R.E.M. sleep and if you are not dreaming then you are not getting the restorative deep sleep that your body needs.

What's on your i-pod?

2009-04-04T21:54:00.004-05:00

I love comedy and humor, but as much as people say I'm a "funny guy" (no, not like that) I can't ham it up or be spontaneous on stage or put on a show. Any perceived humor on my part is based or more witticism and such. So when I saw Steve Kardynal's post on his Ipod (Steve is a member of the Dirt Humor troupe) on youtube, I wanted to reply but there is no way I could stand in front of a camera and lip sync. So I had to figure out a way to do it "my way" and here it is. Watch his version first and then watch my reply.

Steve Kardynal (dominater005 on youtube):

My video reply (mx4789 on youtube):

Funny Games

2009-04-01T11:02:00.005-05:00

Just saw the American remake of Funny Games (or at least most of it, I couldn't finish watching it - I saw the original German version so I knew how it was going to end) and I had to think: what's the point? Naomi Watts did an excellent job of acting in it, and at first I was absolutely amazed at the similarity to the original but a quick check of IMDB shows that Michael Haneke (writer/original director) actually directed the remake as well. Which really makes me wonder "what's the point?" Was it just to make an English language version? The remake was almost identical to the original they may as well just have dubbed the first one in in English. Hmm.. actually I was wrong the remake wasn't almost identical it was identical (the below was taken from IMDB):
*Director Michael Haneke also directed the Austrian original: Funny Games (1997).
*The production crew used the blueprints from the 1997 original. The set of the house in the 2007 American remake has the same proportions as that of the 1997 set.
*The film is a shot-by-shot remake of the original.

Now don't get me wrong, the film is good and well done, but if you are going to watch it, do yourself a favor and watch the 1997 German version. Something about it being in a foreign language (and reading subtitles) makes it all that much more creepy. I just don't see any point for reinventing the wheel.

...and this film is creepy. *shudders*

Roadrunner, FML (almost)

2009-03-25T12:39:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all those years of ninja training and cat-like reflexes I narrowly avoided munching a roadrunner yesterday while zipping along on the bike at 20mph. Sucker ran right out in front of me and was almost toast. If it had run right across the track it wouldn't have been so bad, but instead it ran down the track at an angle. Whew. Close call. Coulda swore I saw the bastard smirking as it ducked into the brush. Do birds smirk?

Somewhat related... logged 325 miles this month on the bike so far. Max speed 28.7 mph - and that's actual hammering under a load (not coasting down some steep hill or something.) Average speed yesterday (over 28 mile ride) was 17.1 mph, not too bad for a fat guy on a mountain bike...

Mountain Biking at St. Edwards Park

2009-03-03T10:33:00.009-06:00

Mountain Biking at Saint Edwards Park in Austin, Texas. The park is located in the Bull Creek watershed. It is the first place I ever mountain biked in almost 19 years ago. We've logged thousands of miles on those trails over the years. Sadly, many of the trails no longer exist since much of the original tract of land (about 95%) is now off limits to practically everyone due to endangered species habitat. Not that there's anything wrong with that..

Spring! Bam!

2009-03-03T09:39:00.004-06:00

According to the rose bush, winter lasted exactly 2 months (and that's fine with me.)

I just got "spanked" by YouTube..

2009-03-01T19:29:00.008-06:00

Dear mx4789,
Your video, Mountain Biking at Saint Edwards Park, Austin TX, may have content that is owned or licensed by WMG.
No action is required on your part; however, if you are interested in learning how this affects your video, please visit the Content ID Matches section of your account for more information.

Sincerely,- The YouTube Team

Okay.. the "No action is required on your part.." part means "we've just deleted part of your video" but we've worded it in such a way that you won't freak out and go check your account. I knew something was up when it took almost an hour to upload a 2 minute video. Wow! They must have some kind of carnivore-type of software. My video was up less than an hour and only had 1 hit before it got flagged. Anyway.. be warned, big brother is here.

CD's that have accumulated in my truck.

2009-02-26T13:54:00.012-06:00

I'm really good about getting things "out", such as dragging out old cassette tapes to listen to, pulling photo albums off the shelf to peruse - I'm just not so good at putting things "back". Here's a list of the CD's that have slowly accumulated in my truck over the past months...

Currently in the player: Owl City - Maybe I'm Dreaming

CD's loitering amongst the rubble in the floorboard:

*Farewell - Isn't this Supposed to be Fun?
*Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer
*Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit
*U2 - Boy
*Echo and the Bunnymen
*The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
*Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled his Feet
*Ochestral Manouevers in the Dark - Best of OMD
*4 Non Blondes - Bigger Better Faster More
*Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
*Paul Westerberg - 14 Songs
*Johnny Cash - American IV the Man Comes Around
*The Wall Flowers - Bringing Down the Horse

Other things of interest include: bike helmet, backpack, 4 pair of bike gloves (!), sleeping bag, pillow, life jacket, no less than 3 fishing rods/reels, 1 pair of underwear (don't ask), water shoes, sunscreen, a big container of Morton's salt (handy for ice days), 2 pair of shorts, laptop computer, big heavy coat (no longer needed, same for salt), tackle box, 3 baseballs and a nerf football.

The Silent Wind of Doom

2009-02-23T21:27:00.004-06:00

"Clear your mind of whimsy. Learn to sway like the ginkgo flower." - The Angry Beavers (episode: The Silent Wind of Doom)
The wind is teaching me patience. A cold front was slated to come through around noon with wind gusts from 30 to 40 miles an hour. I hate riding in the wind (and cold) so I got ready and left the house at 9:30 hoping to avoid the whole thing. No such luck. It started to rain and then 4 miles into the ride the front came through much earlier than predicted. The wind picked up and literally blew me all over the place. My normal reaction is to stand up and power up the hills, but the wind was making it impossible. Finally I had to give in, sit back down on the saddle and dump a bunch of gears. As I sat there spinning, slowly winding my way uphill, I began to relearn that sometimes finesse is better than brute force; patience is better than instant gratification. I said "relearn" because this lesson is first thing mountain bikers discover. Brute force doesn't work in the rocks and dirt, you have to use finesse or you will simply spin out. Maybe the biggest lesson in all of this is that I haven't spent enough time in the dirt lately (both figuratively and literally). A little humility goes a long way, but needs to be experienced every now and then for us to remember what it is.

Things to do with tax refund..

2009-02-20T14:23:00.020-06:00

Things I might do with my income tax refund:

Get brakes fixed on the truck

Buy a refrigerator

Buy a water heater

Buy the following CD's: Snow Patrol, The Airborne Toxic Event, Owl City

Buy a new DVD player (see the old one)

Here's a little "Red Meat" for your diet:

A long and winding post.

2009-02-14T15:38:00.009-06:00

I haven't done any old fashioned stream of consciousness blogging in a long time. I was looking back at some of my myspace blogs and I love the fact that I can go back to just about any particular week and tell you what was happening at that time. For me the blogging was/is more of an online diary and notes to myself as opposed to some great proclamation to the world. It's just that the diary is open for anyone who cares to read it, that's all. I quit blogging pretty much about the time I started vlogging and even that seems to be slowly grinding to halt. I enjoy youtubing - I'm sure there's a name for browsing videos on youtube, but I don't know what it is. Anyway... the videos I like the most are the vlogs (ordinary people rambling on about their day) and the sketch comedy clips such as Smosh and ShaneDawsonTV. There's also quite a few how-to or self-help videos on things like repairing washers, or making hot sauce. I only spend about 20-30 minutes on youtube (early Saturday & Sunday mornings) while the coffee is percolating and there is really nothing on TV. I'm not a big Internet surfer. I've pretty much lost interest in maintaining a myspace account because myspace has gotten so bloated with ads, add-ons, apps and flash-esque crap that it is cumbersome, slow and clunky. Pages take forever to load, if at all. Many of their add-on and 3rd party gimmicks set off my firewall and virus scanner so I've all but stopped logging in. Besides, I like the ease of use and styling of blogger much much better. I have my own domain, but don't have a website hosted anywhere anymore. I used to, but it got axed during a round of spending cuts one year. Now I just have the MX record pointed to an email only host for like $5 a month.

It's 11;30 Saturday morning and I'm still sitting here waiting for the temperature outside to warm up. We've had spring-like weather for several weeks now and today is like some kind of cruel joke. It's been 48 degrees for some time now. I'm about to put on the tights and long sleeved jersey and go ride as soon as I put in my contacts and retrieve the two eggs bubbling about in the pot of water on the stove. I like hard boiled eggs because they require no tending to. Just plunk them in a pot of water and let it boil. No stirring or watching or any of that mess.

[several hours later...]

I'm back. Rode for a couple hours and mashed out a little over 21 miles at the veloway (and into the wind). It's now a balmy 51 degrees in Austin, Texas. Got a pot of coffee percolating on the stove and it's starting to make the gurgling and bubbling sounds that tell me I'll soon be smelling that intoxicating aroma of french roast. Okay.. maybe not intoxicating, but it does smell good. My sister-in-law got me that coffee pot for Christmas. It was completely unexpected and totally random. I've had other coffee pots in the past but this one is stainless steel and the whole thing can be disassembled easily and put in the dishwasher. My kind of pot. It reminds me of my grandmother's house in Mississippi. She would often be up as early as 5am cooking breakfast and prepping the kitchen for the rest of the day. As a child I was somewhat frightened by the noisy contraption and it produced a strong, thick black coffee that not even half a cup of milk could temper.

And now for some totally random crap:

On the way home from the track I heard another song by The Airborne Toxic Event - I'm soo getting that CD. I also want to get ones by Snow Patrol and Owl City.

It's Valentine's Day. This time last year I was in love and started working on this poem:

~~The angels coil in fear~~
~~The angels run in fear~~
~~The angels refuse to hear~~
~~a cry for love the angels refuse to hear~~
~~a prayer the angels will never hear~~

a love that will never be
even though I give you all
a total ~~consumption~~ surrender of me

and in a moment of utter despair
I beg for forgiveness
but the angel refuses to hear

I'm watching Jacques Pepin on PBS whip up some concoction on the stove whilst killing time waiting for the Tour of California to come on in an hour.

Yesterday was Friday the 13th and there must have been some kind of harmonic convergence because my phone which sometimes doesn't ring for weeks suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. We had arranged happy hour with co-workers and former co-workers on Friday. My sister-in-law called to invite me to dinner at Ranch 616 where she had made reservations for no one in particular. I couldn't go since I was already committed to happy hour. Funny part was that Ranch 616 was my first suggestion for happy hour location. It's a bit pricey so it got pooh-pooed by the budget conscious amongst us. Then Nancy called to see if wanted to meet for drinks after work and once again I had to take a rain check. We're gonna meet Monday afternoon at Guero's Taco Bar for margaritas and general loitering on Congress Avenue. It promises to be fun.

PS: spell check didn't like "gonna" (slang for "going to") and instead suggested I use "gonad". What?

ZOMG! LMFAO..

2009-01-29T21:19:00.007-06:00

This actually made me laugh out loud at work.. It seems some joker(s) hacked into a couple of the road-way construction signs and put in a custom message. I still crack up everytime I think about. This shows there is still some hope for humanity. Here's a link to the story.

Eww..

2009-01-16T15:15:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I'm a total ween.. At least I bought the soap in bulk.

What I did on Saturday

2009-01-05T13:26:00.006-06:00

81 degrees on January 3rd... who'da thunk..

Mountain biking along the Wolf Mountain Trail loop at Pedernales Falls State Park (Texas). Nothing extreme tho.. I'm too old and fat to huck.

Totally Inappropriate Christmas Cards

2008-12-31T12:25:00.009-06:00

I often give out humorous Christmas cards and last year I discovered a whole bunch of whacky cards at engrish.com - it's a site that posts various things in butchered English. Most everyone enjoys my sense of humor, however some don't always quite "get it". Below are the cards I gave out this year along with a video of my niece who is feigning indignation...

Happy 1st Day of Winter

2008-12-21T10:04:00.004-06:00

Yesterday the high was like 78 degrees, currently it's 36. Winter is fail. Wake me when it's spring. (only 90 days 'til then!)

Snow Envy...

2008-12-11T11:28:00.000-06:00

After going to one of my nephew's shows the other night, I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of sleet hitting against the windows and in the morning this is what I saw:

It's funny how just the day before I pulled this off the rose bush:

This morning I got a text message just before 7am from a friend who live near Beaumont. I pretty much guessed what it was going to be and I was somewhat right:

So how can they get this much snow down in the swamp, but central Texas gets bupkus? I officially have a case of "snow envy".

Returning Empty Handed

2008-12-11T11:06:00.003-06:00

I went an saw my nephew's band (or at least the band he's in) play Tuesday night at a place called The Parlor. At first I was trying to come up with an excuse (it's too early traffic will suck, it's too late I gotta work in the morning, etc.) but I really didn't have one. It was cold though. The temperature had dropped down into the mid 30's and then it started to rain. Believe it or not, the rain actually spurred me to go. I was afraid that no one else would show up and I kept thinking: oh man, he's gotta drive from San Antonio to Austin, lug his equipment in the freezing rain, and then play for free to an empty club. Well at least it will build character. I was wrong. They had a nice crowd turn out. I'm glad to see their band actually play some "real" places instead of just messing around at friends' parties and what not. I'll link to a clip they have on myspace. Their music is in the screamo vein, which is not exactly my type, but I'll still go and see them whenever I can - just for morale.

Link: www.myspace.com/returningemptyhandedtx

Video (be warned - it's screamo):

A Redneck Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T12:16:00.008-06:00

You might have had a redneck thanksgiving if...

1. Everyone parked their cars in the front yard.

2. The beer drinking started before noon.

3. Everyone had dinner on the front porch.

4. You can hit golf balls in your front yard (and not worry about breaking anything).

5. You use a frontend loader to get your kids down from the roof.

Two boys, a front-end loader and a roof...

2008-11-30T14:55:00.004-06:00

I caught this with my cell phone.

Kids at party getting their ball off of a building.
(or "you just might be a redneck if...")

An Accidental Stampede

2008-11-26T15:41:00.003-06:00

I started an accidental stampede this morning while cycling through the hill country. It seems that launching a snot rocket makes the exact same sound as a white tail deer's alarm/warning snort. The deer were not amused.

The price of butternut squash (they ain't cheap!)

2008-11-25T16:43:00.004-06:00

Not wanting to come to the family Thanksgiving hoo-ha empty handed I decided to make soup. Butternut squash to be exact, especially since it is way easy to make and has a great 'wow factor'.
"You made this?"
"This is great, how did you do it?"
It's really simple, but I act like it takes a lot of skill or something. So I went to the store to pick up a few items such as, well, pretty much everything. The grand total was $50 (!). Who knew chicken stock, celery, onions, carrots and squash could be so expensive? I guess I shouldn't have picked up that six pack of beer (Saint Arnold's Christmas Ale) or that bottle of wine. However, the wine went into the soup so at least that part is justified (and you can guess where the beer went). I got to looking at the receipt and the two squash totaled up to over $13. Man. That was more than I wanted to spend on the soup, let alone just one ingredient. Anyway... here is my recipe (I'm not much on exact measurements so you'll just have to wing it.):

1. In a pot melt a lump of butter and a big glop of olive oil
2. Add in chopped carrots, onion and celery, salt, pepper and little bit of cumin and sautee
hint: buy baby carrots since they are already peeled
hint: break top of celery rib and pull down to remove a lot of the stringy part which will make your soup a lot less fibery/stringy
3. Cut squash in half, remove seeds, smear with olive oil and put on grill or in oven (cook until somewhat squishy and it'll be easier to peel)
4. Once veggies are sweated add some chicken/vegetable stock, a little white wine and/or water to cover them and let simmer
5. Peel squash, cut into chunks and add to simmering pot
6. Let pot simmer until all veggies are soft (check for seasoning)
7. Remove veggies and put in blender and add some of the water from the pot (but not too much - not quite covering the veggies)
8. While blending drop in a chunk of butter and pour in a splash of milk or cream
9. Check for thickness/creaminess/seasoning and your done

One whole butternut squash (half an onion, a handful of carrots and a couple of ribs of celery) makes about two blenders full. For extra consistancy mix the two or three batches into one container once they've all been blended.

Things I've seen on the Veloway...

2008-11-24T14:48:00.001-06:00

1. Deer (lots)
2. Bunnies (lots)
3. Birds (scrub jays, cardinals, hawks, buzzards, misc. wrens/sparrows/jays)
4. Snakes (rattlers, coral, misc. garden snakes)
5. Road Runners
6. Tarantulas (more this year than ever)
7. A baby possum
8. Porcupine*
9. Armadillo
10. Fox (brown and red)
11. Coyote
12. Cats (domestic and feral)
13. Beetles (lots)
14. Random lizards
15. Squirrels (lots and lots)
16. Occasional mouse or rat

*favorite one so far

Today it is officially "fall".

2008-11-21T14:33:00.002-06:00

It looks like today might be the first day of fall. Currently the temperature is 52 degrees and it's just a little after noon. The temps have been dropping down into the 40's at night but then quickly climbing up the 70's by mid day for several weeks now. Today is just different. There's a smell in the air that definitely says summer is over, welcome to colder weather. The trees have finally started to turn gold and red and yellow. What a nice time to be in central Texas.

Well, it's a week before Thanksgiving and they are already playing Christmas music on one of the local radio stations. Unfortunately there's only so many Christmas songs they can rotate in and out in a given day. So after about 8 hours of having the radio on at work you've pretty much heard every yuletide song there is. Now we are on day five of listening to the same set of songs. It's slowly driving me mad. I switch stations when nobody is paying attention but somehow the channel keeps getting changed back. Of course it's hard to complain about the Christmas music since that's kinda like saying you hate kittens and puppies or something. Sigh..

What I did yesterday..

2008-11-19T18:57:00.008-06:00

Early morning ride at the veloway.

Out of the mouths of babes..

2008-11-13T12:26:00.005-06:00

A few years back my brother and his wife were preparing to move to a new house. They were in the process of packing everything up and my niece, who was about 3 or 4 at the time, was giving me a tour of all of the boxes stacked in their living room and kitchen. She was happily pointing out each box and telling me about the contents. When I asked her what was in one particular box her mother had just filled up she said, "A bunch of crap."
"Madison!" I said (trying not to laugh) as I looked at her and then at her mom.
Her mom just shrugged and said, "Well it's true," and then bent over and wrote 'misc. crap' on the flap of the box.

This memory came to me on Tuesday as I rode around the veloway. I often have time to think as I spend a couple hours banging out 25-30 miles around the track. I've tried listening to the radio or ipod and I don't enjoy it as much as I do the silence. I like having time to "just think".

I got up at 5:30 this morning (yes that is A.M. and on a Thursday) and went for ride. Around seven the sun came up and there was a slight mist in the air. The morning light caused the trees that have started to turn red, yellow and gold to just "pop" with contrast. It was then that I was glad I got out of bed after all. Wow! What a way to start the day, even if I did freeze my butt off. Of course now, I'm really dragging and plotting some way to catch a quick nap by crawling under my desk or something. I can't wait to get home.

Happy Monday

2008-11-10T11:02:00.005-06:00

Typical...

Sunday Morning

2008-11-09T09:54:00.003-06:00

The world is too much with us
as I slip on my jeans,
bare feet plodding
across a wooden floor,
not mine.

The world is too much with us
as Sunday starts,
saffron rays sending messages,
the day is yet.

The world is too much with us
while the smell of coffee fills the room,
fresh,
knowingly,
asking questions so early,
always there,
while dust plays in the sunlight.

It's Sunday morning and I'm on my second cup coffee (waiting for it to finish dripping actually) while I wait for the outside temperature to slowly climb high enough that I can go for a ride. Mountain biking to be exact. It's supposed to warm up to the mid -seventies this afternoon but I can't wait that long. The weather channel shows it's still 45 degrees but I think they are lying. I'll give it another hour and head out anyway.

The above snippet of a poem is something I came up with at a creative writing class years ago. Our instructor gave us the first line and said, "You have 20 minutes, create something." So I busted out a short poem. That was 18 years ago and that poem is still in my head, although it never gets reproduced the same way twice. I always manage to find a new word or line that I seem to like better at the moment. What made me think of that was the coffee, btw.

I knew it! I told you they were lying! I just poked my head out the door and there's no way it is still 45 degrees.. it's gotta be in the mid 60's by now. I don't know why they always try to make the weather sound worse than it is - maybe it's so you'll stay inside and glued to the TV (and therefore supporting all of their advertisers)? Yep, I was right. Just checked for myself and it's 66 degrees. In another 45 minutes I'll be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt. This will be a good morning to ride.

A little inspiration goes a long way.

2008-11-06T13:04:00.003-06:00

My friend Tracie Harris and I were at the grocery store purchasing the following items (as part of bigger scheme): a box of condoms, a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, a jar of vaseline and a roll of duct tape. When we got to the check out line the cashier (a girl of about sixteen) asked if we found everything okay. I asked her if they sold gloves - the big yellow disposable kind. "Aisle 16," she said, and never flinched.
Tracie has a very mischievous sense of humor and at work we were always coming up with interesting ways to keep ourselves entertained. Actually, she came up with the 'ways' and I just followed along for lack of anything better to do. Most of them were pretty benign and some were even officially condoned by TPTB. We held a raffle, an auction, an easter egg hunt, and a poster coloring contest just to name a few of the more 'tamer' ones. All the contest/events ended with some kind of awarding of prizes. The prizes were usually things such as stickers, candy, squirt guns and other items obtained from the Dollar Store. However, once our coworkers learned of an event I was amazed as to how many would volunteer or donate items for the bigger prizes. One would contribute a (nice) bottle of wine, another would offer an 'undistributed' gift that never quite made it to its intended recipient (a birthday party never attended, a christmas present never shipped to a relative, etc.) It was really like the modern version of making 'stone soup'. There was usually some good loot involved by the time it was all said and done.
The poster contest surprised me the most. It was Easter and we had copied a couple of like-wise themed pages out of a child's coloring book for everyone to take. The posters were done and everyone got to vote on their favorite with prizes awarded for various places, runners of up, etc. What amazed me the most was the creativity expressed and the way many people think out of the box. Most people colored theirs with crayons/markers, but some were painted, one was done with painted macaroni, another was done with balsa wood cut-outs to fit the sections (also nicely painted) and glued to the paper.
The reason we were in the grocery store check out line buying such a strange assortment of items was the 'Romantic Weekend Getaway' prize that was the grand prize to one of our events (no not the Easter thing - that would have been sacreligious). In addition to the condoms and duct tape we also included a pair of handcuffs, a toilet plunger and a couple of other interesting 'items'. Of course, we rigged the deal so that the guy in the office with biggest sense of humor would win. BTW, the prize also included some kind of hotel accommodations at a Marriott or some equally nice place (which was the 'real' prize).
Those were the days...

III Forks Steakhouse

2008-11-05T15:03:00.009-06:00

In honor of my brother's birthday, we all went to III Forks Steakhouse on Saturday; he turns a year older and I get free food & booze.. I'm kinda liking the way this thing works, I could get use to this. I'd never been to this restaurant before, but it's pretty much on par with Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - except III Forks doesn't char the living dog crap out their steaks. (I've only been to Ruth's Chris once but their whole claim to fame is some kind of patented crazy-insane broiling method that instantly converts a steak into a smoking lump of coal.)
The place was pretty snazzy and I felt waay under-dressed in jeans and polo shirt. I'm soo glad I didn't stick with the shorts and flip-flops I originally planned to wear. However, with Austin being the slacker-friendly kind of town it is, I sincerely doubt the "maitre de" would have flinched if I did show up in shorts.
Our reservation was for 7:15p but we got there around 6:30p to take advantage of the live Jazz in the lounge, which of course promptly started just about the time we were to be seated (far far away from the lounge). Oh well. But we did hang out in the lounge long enough to have a couple of cocktails. My brother and I had a glass of red wine, my sister-in-law ordered a dirty russian martini and the bartender showed no visible irritation whatsoever when my niece ordered a virgin daiquiri. Normally bartenders *hate* making virgin drinks, but our guy was a real trooper.
Next I decided to try a martini except I wanted mine with gin. After a brief question-and-answer session (brand? olive? twist? vermouth? - I didn't realize a glass of gin could be so complicated) the bartender produced a glass of gin. I gave my brother his present (Matthew Sweet's latest CD) which he duly noted was wrapped with christmas paper - hey, at least I wrapped it. We sat around and chatted and just about the time we started to get restless, my nephew and his new gf showed up and viola our table was ready.
It was basically steaks all around, except for my niece, who had a wedge salad, but not before she dug all of the soft chewy centers out of the loaves of bread on the table - leaving only the brown crusty hollowed out hulks, which she piled on my bread plate so I'd get the blame. Oh, and AW's new gf had some kind of marvy fried shrimp platter that totally put any $50 steak to shame. The steaks were expensive, but they were also like 16-18oz slabs of meat too. Service was good and not overly pretentious either, meaning no one came by and refolded our napkins or used a little swiffer thingy to roll the crumbs off the table. Another glass of wine followed by another martini and I decided dessert was not in my best interest. In fact, everyone was soo stuffed nobody wanted dessert. Our waiter didn't seem too disappointed, I think he was probably glad to have the table back. Happy birthday bro.

The back of my niece; AW's new gf (don't remember her name, but she IS cute); my brother and his wife. Nephew isn't in pic since he had to retrieve his own vehicle (the valets couldn't get the alarm to stop going off.)

Stuff you CAN'T sell on Craigslist..

2008-11-05T12:42:00.002-06:00

It's a wonder they even feel the need to list some of this, but you know how people are...

*Offer or solicitation of illegal prostitution.
*Weapons and related items, including but not limited to firearms, disguised, undetectable or switchblade knives, martial arts weapons, scopes, silencers, ammunition, ammunition magazines, BB guns, tear gas or stun guns.
*Items issued to United States Armed Forces that have not been disposed of in accordance with Department of Defense demilitarization policies.
*Fireworks, including but not limited to "safe and sane" fireworks or any destructive devices or explosives.
*Controlled substances or illegal drugs, substances and items used to manufacture controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.
*Alcohol or tobacco products.
*Prescription drugs and medical devices, including but not limited to prescription or contact lenses, defibrillators, hypodermic needles or hearing aids.
*Nonprescription drugs that make false or misleading treatment claims or treatment claims that require FDA approval.
*Blood, bodily fluids or body parts.
*Household pets of any kind including but not limited to dogs, cats, primates, cage birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish. Re-homing with small adoption fee OK
*Pet animal parts, blood, or fluids - including but not limited to stud/breeding service
*Restricted or regulated plants and insects, including but not limited to noxious weeds, endangered plant species, or live insects or pests.
*Pesticides or hazardous substances, or items containing hazardous substances including but not limited to contaminated toys, or art or craft material containing toxic substances without a warning label.
*Illegal telecommunications equipment, including but not limited to access cards, password sniffers, access card programmers and unloopers, or cable descramblers
*Stolen property, or property with serial number removed or altered.
*Burglary tools, including but not limited to lock-picks or motor vehicle master keys
*False identification cards, items with police insignia, citizenship documents, or birth certificates.
*Counterfeit currency, coins and stamps, tickets, as well as equipment designed to make them.
*Counterfeit, replica, or knock-off brand name goods.
*Material that infringes copyright, including but not limited to software or other digital goods you are not authorized to sell, warez, bootlegs (without consent of the band).
*Airline tickets that restrict transfer, and tickets of any kind which you are not authorized to sell.
*Coupons or gift cards that restrict transfer, and coupons or gift cards which you are not authorized to sell.
*Gambling items, including but not limited to lottery tickets, sports trading card 'grab bags', raffle tickets, sweepstakes entries or slot machines.
*Used or rebuilt batteries, or batteries containing mercury.
*Used bedding and clothing, unless sanitized in accordance with law.
*Non-packaged food items or adulterated food.
*Bulk email or mailing lists that contain names, addresses, phone numbers, or other personal identifying information

Damn! They just won't let me have any fun!!

New Page

2008-11-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

Some of these will be reposts of what's on myspace. Some will not.