Day Dreaming On The Company's Dime

Why is it only going to be December?


Back to real life...

THIS is what 10+ years of marriage gets you.
Stop. I'm so turned on. Seriously. I mean it. That's TOO hot.

:)

Happy Friday!

Later

Taking Life At 50 RPM

While I was at the Soob Dealer today, I picked up one of these bad boys...

My local mechanic was spot on. The Soob's head gasket is f*cked. So I picked up this barrel to bend over for the financial ass pillaging the will take place Monday when they make the repair. Shhheeeeeeeeit!

The only good part was that during my research I stubbled upon a post on CarTalk- There was Subaru with similar issues and they recommended that since the car has close to 100,000 miles (mine has 80K) go ahead and have the timing belt replaced and save the future labor costs. I suggested that to the service guy and for the first time in my life they said "yeah, that would be a good idea". All I have to do is pay for the belt. That makes dropping $1K MUCH better. Yeah right!

Things could be worse. I have one more payment (that will be mailed in the a.m.) and the Soobie is officially mine. Sweet! I could use the extra jing to pay for race fees "guilt free" in 2008! Sweet baby Jesus!

The bright side to the day was getting home and getting my spin and weights in. Grinded out a few sets of 5 minute 50 RPM intervals, light recovery spinning and weights. Then I plopped my ass on the couch for some whole wheat pasta goodness. I also got my new Hammer Pants as I like to call them. OR my new bib shorts from Hammer Nutrition. God damn they have my favorite taint pad EVER! The Ion pad, made by Voler. I believe the swanky "hot peppa on my ass and in yo'face" Salsa team shorts are made by Voler too (correct me If I wrong) I might have to pick some of those up from Bikeman.com World HQ someday and show off some Pepper Power whilst keeping the bunz and boyz happy.

There was one more skid mark to the day. I have that "I think I'm getting sick" feeling. Got me some cold fingers, toes, and a dry throat even though I drank about 120 oz. of water today. Need to pound some more Navels and get some rest. If I can keep it at bay I hope to get outside for some time on the road or trail trail this weekend.

Oh well I need some rest. Get one more work day in and then chill for a couple.

Later.

I Just Fried Your Bacon!

Nothing going on bike wise today. Pretty low key. Hung with B-Man "played guys", Legos, etc., Good times. Then I cooked up one of my fave mid week meals.

I've shown a variation of this one before with spinach and some melted cheese, but since I'm "watching my figure" I've been cutting the cheese. That sounds bad doesn't it?

Whole Wheat Pasta, Tuna & Green Peas
• 3 Servings of Barilla Whole Grain Penne (2 1/4 cup dry)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1.5 Table Spoons)
• Frozen Green Peas (1 Cup)
• 1 Can Of Albacore Tuna in Water (6 oz.) Drained
• Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese (about 2 Tea Spoons)

Cook pasta & drain, add drained tuna, EVOO, and cooked peas. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. I like a couple of few shakes Parmesan cheese too. Mix through, eat and enjoy.

Stats For Whole Meal: 1150 Calories, 30g of Fat, 147g Carbohydrates, 28g Fiber & 68g of Protein. Most of the fat comes from the EVOO, but only 3 grams of that is saturated fat! And that's in an entire meal! One Big Mac has 30g of Fat, 10g Saturated and 560 calories. Yikes!

Oddly I sucked down this whole meal along with a laundry list of fruits, vegetables, and cereals today and I still came in with 370+ calories to spare. Then add in what we cyclist types normally burn in a day's ride or workout and you're looking at some seriously low net calories. I find it's a combo of What and How Much. Sometimes all it takes is keeping track of your intake for a while to first realize how much you ATE, then eventually realize how much you CAN eat.

Some good rules for eating according to your Training Periodization can be found in Chris Carmichael's book- "Food For Fitness". I've read and re-read this book countless times over the past few years. Don't get the cookbook. It sorta blows.

Hope you all didn't mind me talking about freaking food. But when I get bored I always seem to write about food. Or beer. But it the work week! And I'm only able to enjoy fine beverages on the weekends. Keeps calories down and makes riding in the cold worth while. ;)

I have read a few cool things this week. I really dug this article on Pez: "Beating The Winter Blues", by Marvin Zauderer. I've always dealt with "winter Jason" as Wifey calls it, and in this year's case "winter Jason" in Spring, Summer and Fall as well. So this was a good read.

There's also a good thread on MTRB.com about weight lifting and cycling. It seems like there are many pros and cons. I think I fall somewhere in the middle of not wanting to gain any muscle mass of course but also wanting to up my muscular endurance, help prevent injuries, strengthen my aging bones and of course tighten my hips, thighs and buttocks!!! I never get around to lifting HEAVY stuff. Given my time allotment, I want to work my legs as much on the bike as I can. Lifting days ARE a nice way to break up winter indoor training though, I will say that.

One last thing- I've started freebasing. There I said it, now check it! :)

Later.

Six And Done (For Now)

Got some more time in on the trainer tonight. Did what I call a "Zone 2 Calorie Burn". Intensity is not to high, just trying to burn some calories and keep my ass and legs used to the bike. I was sort of feeling it by the end. This has been my 6th day in a row of being on the bike in some way. So seeing that calorie counter click over to 1,000 (my motivation for these indoor rides) at 1:22 felt good. Knowing I have no plan tomorrow except hang with the B-Man and Wifey feels good too. Back to the weights Thursday.

Got my gloves and cap from Hammer today. Both are top notch. The cap rocks and will no doubt assume duties as my "race cap". The bill stays PERFECTLY flipped. Something that my new Walz Cap does not do, but it of course lacks the style/cool factor of my Walz Cap (seen below).

Cap = Cool. Me = Not. EXCEPT when I'm wearing the cap. So I wear it 24/7.

Nice that the cap's bill is the same angle as my burns and shnozz. I guess.

Speaking of Hammer, they are having their Annual BIG ASS SALE (my term not theirs). I took the opportunity to order a pair of new bibs. The pair of Hammer bib shorts I currently have are my faves! Price are pretty sweet, plus I had some more referral points to spend (thanks Brett! Hope you enjoy)

Oh well, that all I got. I know, it wasn't much. But hey it's a Tuesday in November!

Later.

Up The Stank!

Wow, going back to work after a holiday (or any weekend really) always sucks, and today was no different. Pissed down hard rain all day, and there was little work to do. All it made for was a long day of Net surfing and clock watching. That combination makes for a lonnnnng day.

Tonight it was to the Stankment® for spinning and weights. I increased time on the bike and added some mild increases in weights. I also introduced some 5 minute low cadence (50 RPM) muscle tension intervals to make up for the lack of leg specific weight equipment I have.

Why is it that along with onions, gasoline, and baby poop, trainer glove stank is one of the hardest smells to get off the hands?? Soap, shampoo, rinse, repeat, and I SWEAR I can still smell that disgusting hand B.O.! I just can NOT keep up with the glove washings and refuse to wear my good gloves on the trainer. Going bare back is not an option because I hate the feeling of sweaty hands on the bars. I tried some scented hand lotion, but now my hands smell like the stinky old lady that inevitably gets in front of me in the grocery store check out line. Oh well. Stank happens.

Later.

Spin, Span, Sunday Spun

I was all set to ride outside again today, since high temps were gonna be near 50. But a high near 50 unfortunately takes until 1 p.m. to happen. I got anxious and sadi- "f*ck it". I have enough hours in for my last Prep Week, so I hit the trainer, listened to some Decemberists, and sweat out some calories before B-Man and I headed out to my Dads.

The trainer was good. I went just hard enough, that most of the time I could sing along (badly) with some of my fave Decemberists tunes like The Legionnaire's Lament. Damn I love that song. I have NO idea why, but it always makes me think of those old Tour de France picts of dusty faced riders, riding 40 lb. road bikes over dirt road mountain passes. I'm a nerd. I know. I've been called worse.

I love this t shirt. Steven's stolen bicycle "Madeleine" from The Apology Song.

Death...or Life Begins in the Colon.

In REALLY gross, nothing to do with cycling news. I stumbled upon an advertisement via my dad's Yahoo home page today that almost made me throw up. So of COURSE I'm sharing it here. Let me ask you this... Are you clean inside? Click and be amazed at what they claim is inside you, can help you lose weight and feel younger. And then click here to see a gallery of shit. I'm not kidding. People took pictures of shit they claim came out their asses. I'm not buying that it's real, but I do have to ask myself A. WHO would take photos of shit?? B. Who would fish said shit out of the toilet and lay it ON the toilet and THEN take a picture of it?? Dude if you're fishing out shit and taking pictures of it, feeling "young and less bloated" is the LEAST of your freaking problems. MY GOD!!!

Oh well another week is fin. Back to work in the a.m. and the start of Base I. Weights increase. Rides on the trainer and outside will get longer and I am a few weeks closer to spring and the start of another season. JOY!!!!!!

Later.

Like A Limestone Cowboy

Rolled a steady tempo ride on the rail trail this a.m.. It was a witch-tit-nip-fest with temps in the low 30's at the start and mid 30's by it's end. Many parts of the trail were soggy due to some rain and snow earlier in the week. That really upped the workout for the the day, and upped the cold factor once the meat sticks got wet. It also left the Mamasita looking like I rode through wet cement all day. Instead of a Zone 2 ride for 2 hours, it ended up being a more of Zone 3. My avg. HR of 149 was on the low side of 3, but much of the time I was working much harder with my HR up near 155 or so.

It would have been nicer to get a longer ride in, but I know my cold weather limit, and as I thought by rides end I could not feel my hands. So 30 miles, and 2 hours of steady tempo pedaling would have to work for me. I'll take that for the end of November!

I borrowed Wifey's iPod Shuffle for the ride. Since I had on the Bikeman.com winter skull cap on underneath my Lazer lid I was able to keep the ear buds in and listen to a combo of Franz Ferdinand (2004 French Radio Black Sessions) and the complete Glastonbury 07 set from Arctic Monkeys. Why do I feel like even at 36 years old I'll always be a big teenage, Brit-Pop music nerd obsessing about tracks I don't have and the next great song? Issues. Then again what the f*ck made me pick doing 6, 12, and 24 Solo races as a HOBBY??? As I said- Issues.

The best part of a cold ride is the hot shower that awaits at the end. That and the knowledge that every hour spent outside is one less on the trainer. Even if it means frozen fingers and endless miles of crushed limestone.

I picked up some Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Goooood. Nothing out of the ordinary, but damn fine. Imagine their Pale Ale, but with the hops turned up to eleven. OR if your a hop head from 37 IBUs to 62. It's got some bight RIGHT were you want it.

Time to split. Watch some Ninja Turtles, have a beverage and make some Mexican food.

Later.

80% Gray Friday

"Black Friday" big Christmas shopping day for 90% of America. Wifey worked. I hung with B-Man and bought nothing. I did take the Soob for inspection at the BP down the street. Passed just fine. They fixed the rattling heat shield that has been driving me crazy for $15. The stupid Goodyear place in Monroeville wanted $80 labor plus $20 for parts to fix. HAAAAAAAATE!!

I also had them investigate the smell that I sometimes get from the Soob. They confirmed my fear- It's a small oil leak most likely from the freaking head gasket. F*CK!!!! Soobs are known for this. Mine is a 2003, with 79K. OUT of warranty. I have heard about extensions for the head gasket issue though. Plan to be in touch with Subaru USA ASAP. Figures. The car is paid off next month. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!

B-Man and I did have a great day though. It was boss to hang with him all day and play, watch Ninja Turtles and Sponge Bob.

Once Wifey got home I hit the Stankment® for a spin and weights, since I didn't do my weights yesterday. It's only an hour work out, but it gets the job done and I sweat out some more of yesterday's bird.

Have you seen this Cycling News story about Björn Leukeman? Tested positive for synthetic testosterone and claims that his reading was high because when the doping officials came to his house he was in the middle of having sex. The doping officials scoff at the notion but say it was unusual and a tad uncomfortable for an athlete to greet them with a massive erection. OK I made up the part about the hard on, but the rest is true. Nice try Björn.

Also on Cycling News is a great story from Sue Haywood about La Ruta de Los Conquistadores.

I've always thought Sue Haywood was one of the most inspirational pros out there. I think my fave parts of the movie Solo 24 were the 2 minutes of sound bights from her. Call me crazy, but she was the only one not obsessing about winning and saw the best parts of 24 hour racing racing. I felt bad she couldn't have got more coverage in the movie or elsewhere. I mean she freaking won the race and it went virtually unnoticed. I guess that's the unfortunate price women pay in a sport that is too often a freaking sausage party. Plus she's is/was from Davis, WV. A nice little part of mountain bike heaven that I've been fortunate to ride and race in more than a few times. Ride on Sue!

Hope I can get some outdoor saddle time tomorrow. It's gonna be cold, but I think I can come up with some sort of layered ghetto outfit to get me through.

Now just to enjoy Friday, now that the Part One of the "Evil 3" that is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's is complete.

Later.

No Turkey Legs. Just Breasts. Dig?

As expected weather and time frame did not cooperate with outside riding today. Oh well. I did chamois up in the a.m. and hit the trainer for a 1:15 sweat fest. Upped the intensity for this time of year and stayed in zones 2/3, burned up 1,000 calories and many a fat cell. My HR was up from the start. Not sure what was up with that. Could it have been up from the 1/2 pot of coffee? Either way, it felt good to get some time in.

After that, the non stop cook fest began. Turkey, sweet pots, mashed pots, stuffing, etc., I'm spent. Most of the stuff is done and will be finished off when Poppy O' arrives later today.

Nice bonus today. Instead of spending my time watching the 300 lb. roid raging freaks of the NFL, I was able to watch some Footie (UKraig's term) on TV. A replay of Liverpool vs. Fulham. Reds wins 2-0. Nice. Did I mention B-Man is playing Soccer/Football in the spring. Righteous.

Anyone find it odd that Team Astana who not only is steeped in doping issues, can't even pay their '07 riders, yet are signing rider after rider??? Maybe they're gonna pay 'em with chicken or something. Or the directors' sister's vagine (have you seen Borat??). I look to Borat (or CyclingNews.com) to have some info in a coming news report. Apparently they can't pay their web designers either, 'cause it's all f*cked up too.

Oh well, time to go hang with the family and get ready for our dinner.

Don't forget. T6 tomorrow. You know you want to look cool and not like a knob. Why not save some casheesh. Time for a beverage of adult origin.

Later.

Pre Gut Bomb Eve

My plan for a 3k+ calorie burn ride in the a.m. is doubtful at best. Rain and storms are moving in now through the a.m. and will be hanging around most of the day. Sheeeeeeeeit. So, I'll either be doing a 1K calorie burn and/or my scheduled Thursday weights session. Crap! Crap! Crap! Every time I mention getting outside for a ride, something happens. I'm in full on ride jinx mode.

Friday is booked with B-Man duties and getting the Soob worked on, so I hope to get out Saturday and Sunday for some real ride time. Mind, body and soul require it.

Right now I have my turkey brine started and I'm just waiting to finish it off and get the bird soaking. I've been using this recipe from Cooking Light for a few years now and it turns out pretty damn good. I can't imagine making a bird and not brining it at this point. It just comes out so freaking tasty!

Other menu items will include: Smashed Sweet Potatoes (not that surgary crap either), Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Peas, Stuffing, etc., etc., I'll be hitting the Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Corn and the Turkey Breast hard. I'm sure a few Indians will show up through the day too.

Should be a pretty low key day with just a few members of Wifey's family coming over later in the day. We do most of Christmas with my family so this is a good compromise.

Wish me luck on the bird or I might be showing up at YOUR house for some food. Hope you all have a good holiday, and remember it's not overeating- It's "carbo loading"!

Later.

NEWS UPDATE FROM TWIN-SIX:

"BLACK FRIDAY SALE, November 23rd. Some pretty sweet deals to be had on a whole lot of super-awesome cycling-inspired stuff. Select jerseys will be $45. Select t-shirts as low as $12. A couple wool socks will be marked down to $9. Even the glorious T6 Sack will be on sale for a mere $90. A few items are nearly gone. And when these things are gone, they'll be gone for good. So check back on Friday to claim yours. Hope you and yours have a stellar Thanksgiving."

Don't let your friends look like squares. Buy 'em some Twin-Six. Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya. Or me, either way, just get something cool.

Pimple My Ride

Last night I said I would be heading out for some night riding base miles tonight if I could stay motivated. Well a morning filled with rain and the prospect of 2 hours on wet crushed lime stone was not motivating in the least. So outdoor ride aborted, indoor ride conceived. Plan: After a 10 minute warm up, keep HR in zone 2 until 1000 kcal hit. Not a big deal, except as soon as my ass hit the SodoMizer1000™ (also known as my Selle Italia Flight Gel saddle on my trainer) I knew there was an issue. Left cheek was sporting a pimple. Nice. So after some wiggling around on the saddle I found a good spot and cranked out 1:25.

I read today that the typical American will eat 3000 calories & 230 grams of fat in a Thanksgiving Day meal. I eat about 2700 calories all day (and net less) and I average just less that 60g of fat per day. Hmmmm. I know I will eat far less than that in a Thanksgiving meal, BUT I'm still gonna try to roll a turkey day ride and attempt to burn as close to 3K as I can. Then come home, cook up the bird and eat without the slightest hint of guilt. I think nothing says "Thanks" like sacrificing some calories and miles to the Ride Gods.

Things that scare me: multiple people finding my blog with the Googled words "spandex crotch shot", "big teets at school" and the scariest of all "Jason Mahokey". Dear God, teets and crotch shots I can see, but who the F Googles ME?? Oh well. I can almost see the disappointment when they see THIS is what I've become. There are worse things, right? Right? RIGHT????

Check out this pict of Adam Craig from CyclingNews.com:

I think his boyz just got what I had to PAY a doctor to do to me last winter! Ouch!

Ordered up some winter gloves from Hammer Nutrition-

On sale for 15 beans! Plus I have some credit with them so they're like "free". Woot! Woot! Speaking of Hammer thanks to Sidney for putting me down as a referral. Sindey saved some casheesh. I saved some casheesh. I'm getting gloves. Sweet! Want some of that action? tell 'em 70768 sent ya!

Oh well. time for bed.

Later.

A Monday Struggle

Damn today was a tough one. If for no other reason than I slept like a tub of cow feecus last night. Hours of tossing and turning. Not good.

Somehow I made it through day 1 of a short, but notoriously boring work week. Got home and got my spin/weights done ASAP. Felt pretty good too, for hardly sleeping. Maybe it was the 9,000,000, mg of caffeine I sucked down today.

I have my light charging now so as to get some base miles in tomorrow night. Nothing too exciting, but it should beat the trainer for base miles. Hope I am as motivated to do it tomorrow as I am now.

I did score a new digital camera today. Soon as this stellar blog entry is finished I'm gonna get it all hooked up. Went with a simple Kodak EasyShare. Has all I need.

I have to thank my buddy KoKo for sending me this CyclingNews.com pict....

Too much! I tried tracking down the original Dave Z. article that this shirt is based on. All I could find was THIS link that at least puts the shirt in perspective for folks who might not know what the F it means.

Later.

Easy Going (Nacher Anthem!)

Not too much going on today. Chose not to ride, and just stepped up on getting some of my pre Thanksgiving chores done, so as to have more time to get some base miles in through the coming short work week (3 days!!!! Oh yeah!!!)

Had a great night last night at Y,M & I's house. Good food with some good friends, a couple Weyerbacher Double Simcoes I.P.A.s and some of Yancy's Rye I.P.A. home brew. Good stuff.

LaRuta is finished. Congrats to Blog Master Jason Sager on his 8th place finish on GC and to Andy, & Dicky on their finishes. Look forward to the reports. Nice to see Sue Haywood (one of my fave chicky Pros) win the Women's GC. She did Davis, WV proud I'm sure.

Other than taking B-Man out to play with his cousins and my dad today, I haven't done much. My camera search has not yielded very good results, but I think I'm getting close.

Right now I'm just sipping a Dog Fish Head, listening to some Grandaddy demos and getting ready to cook up some Mexican grub. By the way if you have some kick ass spicy Mexican grub recipes, and want to share it with your fellow riders head over to Salsa Cycles and drop some knowledge . Eat to ride. Ride to eat!

"I'm gonna walk up the side of the mountain, then walk down the other side of the mountain, I'm gonna swim in the river and lye in the sun, I'm gonna try to be nice to everyone..."

Later.

All Cats Are Gray

Poo Pooed the trainer today and looked to get some outdoor riding in. First I decided to I swap out my Rampage/Fire Pro combo for my set of easier rolling, worn to the point of being almost "slicks" Maxxis Ignitors. Then I layered up, grabbed the Mamasita and hit the rail trail for 2 hours of steady tempo riding.

Went with a couple light weight layers that include a base T and my thermal "gay man shirt". So called by Wifey since if I was to wear it out of the house as a primary shirt I would look sort of like a "highway rest area gigolo". Those layers combine with tights and my Craft rain jacket seemed to be the ticket for warmth. Temps weren't too bad, in the mid 40s, but the breeze coming off the cold stank river water made it seem a bit colder.

This is THEE time of year to ride the rail trails. They are virtually empty. I saw about 5 other riders the whole ride, and except for one, you could tell they were folks such as myself. Rolling the RT for some training or an alternative to the potential too damp single track. There wasn't an upright bar end or fuzzy seat seen the entire 2 hours (Not that there's anything wrong with that! OK there's a little bit wrong with that).

Riding the RT is not one of my fave things to do, BUT it's a better work out than you think. It's sort of like riding the trainer since there's really no coasting. Just a steady tempo that allows you to put down a much or as little power as you want.

Today's ride would have been perfect to roll with iPodious, but since ear buds are the work of the devil and will not stay in my ear, I saved myself the aggravation and left the Pod at home. Might get some over the ear buds soon.

The rail trail must be the cruising ground for cats. I must have seen 12 cats sneaking around during the ride. Some looked like house cats who escaped looking for a good time and some looked like they just crawled out of a river rat's ass and I took great lengths to avoid them so as not to catch some sort of air born cat diseases.

All in all a pretty good day in the saddle. Not my first choice of riding, but I accomplished what I wanted and needed to do and that is what's important.

Later.

Tri Means 3. Or Does It Mean 3.5? Or 6?

Tomorrow is the rescheduled 18 Hours on The Farm that was canceled back in August due to HUGE storms. I must say PART of me wishes I was heading to Goochland, VA for the race like I was supposed to in August. Now it's just way to late in the season for me to have the proper fitness or more importantly the desire to race for 18+ hours. A bigger part of me is glad that I am NOT racing. Night time lows look to be in the 30s? Ah, NO THANKS! Good luck to J.B and my other friends who will "man (an woman) up" and race tomorrow. Stay warm!

Those folks racing at the 18 hours will be starting at 6 p.m. so as to avoid blood thirsty, flesh craving, Virginia hunters. That means 12+ hours in complete darkness. Hope you have a good light system if you're going Solo! Wich brings me to a subject I touch on now and again- Lights.

Lights have become so touchy with folks lately. It seems light systems are are just like everything else in mountain biking- LED vs. HID, Full Suspension vs. Hard Tail, 26" vs. 29", Lap Race vs. Big Ass Loops, etc., etc., Everyone had their opinion and the following is just some things I've noticed.

I, along with just about 90% of every other endurance racer, has seen that the future is LED lighting. HID is VERY bright, but at least to me, it has always been a purple/white light that can often f*ck with my eyes. The LED light systems that I've seen from folks like Princeton Tec and the new NightRider Tri-Newt are very impressive, and at least has my attention, if not my dollars in 2008.

I currently run HID. A NiteRider Storm. I can get 4 hours out of a battery and I have two. That's 8 hours of light. More than most folks could/would ever need. But HID can be problematic. My light has been repaired by NiteRider once and by Tommy H. once. The SurLoc plugs sorta suck and the bulbs are UBER pricey if they need to replaced.

I've saw the Princeton Tec lights first hand last year at Lodi Farms (thanks Justin!) and have seen the reports from Adam and Solo Goat. The Switchback 3 has a burn time of 6+ hours on high, is super bright (IMHO), comes with a car charger, has a short 2 hour charge, and can be mounted on bike or helmet. The plugs have locks and if I add a 2nd battery I would be looking at 12+ hours of light. This is pretty key for someone like me who has done/will be doing Solos in a sort of "semi" self supported fashion.
Some races Wifey is my pit crew, other races I am there 100% solo. Having the knowledge that light would be there for me 100% of the time would be pretty sweet. The only drawback I've read and seen to the 2007 SB3 is the battery weight and that the helmet mount mounts sort of high. I'm not sure if PT has any changes in store for '08 but I'm anxious to see.

The new NiteRider TriNewt is also VERY impressive and they drop some serious LUMEN numbers (near 500) on folks. I've seen beam shot picts and it is very impressive. BUT the problem is this: Max burn time on high is 3.5 hours. That means I would need a 2nd battery. A car charger is NOT included, which is pretty sweet accessory for a Solo racer without a sack full of extra batteries. Plus even with 2 batteries I would STILL only get 7 hours? VS. 12+ hours with the SB3. ANNNNND the charge time is 4 hours. A full 1/2 hour more than the burn time one would get from a 2nd battery??? Hmmm.

There are DIY systems that folks whip up. I'm sure some of these are lighter, brighter etc., But if you can't make it, you can't use it! There are lighter, brighter LEDs on the market. Some are upwards of $600+ AND STILL do not have the burn time or short charge time of the PTs. Again I say- Hmmmmmm.

Now I have no idea what I'll be running in 2008. Most likely it will be my NiteRider Storm HIDs. BUT seeing the progress that LED is making and what folks like Princeton Tec are doing with it makes me feel that in the near future I might have to make LED happen.

Anyway, that's my light rant. Hope to get some miles in out in the cold tomorrow and then head over to Y&M's for some food and home brew.

Later.

Play Da Living End!

Not too much exciting going on right now. 'Tis the season. The weather is turning cold, I'm basement bound, with spinning and weights and grasping a straws to come up with bike related topics for the blog. I do hope to brave the chilly air this weekend for some mileage.

One of my plans for the weekend is to seek a new digital camera. Mine is k'put and need a new one. I can't believe how the price has come down since I last bought one. I had a Cannon 2.1 MP, that I think was 6 years old and I paid $499 for it! Yikes!!! Now you can get a 5 MP for like $90. And that is my plan.

I had some interesting e mail correspondence yesterday with a friend in the upper mid west. It served to be a cool exchange and has me motivated to keep plugging along through the off season and excited for 2008. Thanks man!

Found this link on the Salsa Amigo's Blog: check out CX racer Tristian Schouten's double helping of Chili. Nice!

Noboday can Race AND photo-blog like this kat! LaRuta keeps going.

Later.

Low Slow And In Carbo (Serious Moves)

Rest day today. Just hangin' out doin' a bunch of nothing. I mean that too. I did nothing. OK I DID cook up some Whole What Pasta/Albacore/Green Pea & EVOO stir fry. It was tits! I have been watching how much pasta I eat, so I've been "off" pasta Monday thru Thursday. Not because of "carbs" like some folks, but because with every 3/4 cup of pasta comes 210 calories. And I have NO freaking self control with pasta. That shits adds up QUICK! BUT, I was damn low on calories today and had some nice wiggle rooms so I was able to stuff 3 cups of guilt free whole wheat pasta down my throat. BONUS: because it was whole wheat with 20 grams of fiber (33g in whole meal), I can go ahead an pencil some "thrown time" in for 7 a.m.

That's about it. BORING day. Make dinner, watch Family Guy till B-Man comes in the room, blog, and get readay for bed. Lame.

I did spend some time watching B-Man bust some "serious moves" - his words for his new found "Ninja moves" that has him spinning and jumping around. Wifey and I are hoping the ninja phase ends soon or by the time he goes to school he'll be hanging with the kids (like me) that "get" this T Shirt design-

Later.

82 Minutes and Going Nowhere Fast

I've been building up my tolerance for the trainer on a daily basis. Today was L.S.N.D. Long Slow No Distance. I had the goals today of good form, keeping it in the high end of HR Zone 2 and burn 1000 calories. Mission accomplished. 1:22/1004K. Nowhere Fast*, but hey I got saddle time in and finished my day -900 calories and by NO means starved myself.

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So you want to be mediocre?

I got an e mail from a fellow blogger yesterday who is having a tough time getting "into" riding the trainer, and wanted some input. I'm never sure if I'm giving good or bad advice when someone asks me about my training or racing. I mean I really only have a bunch of entry fee paid for t shirts and water bottles to show for my efforts. But hey this mid packer holds no secrets! I wouldn't call the following "tips" or "advice" by any means. They're more just "observations" of what works for me. I won't bore you with my full reply but this is it in a nutshell...

01. There is no REAL joy in indoor sessions on the trainer. I never have as much fun or get as much mentally out of being on the trainer as I do outside on a bike, so I just put that out of my mind.

02. I can't do movies or DVDs. Distracts me from the work out. I've tried to do the Spinerval DVDs, and I just can't get into it. The ONE that I tried had a bunch of spandex clad folks on trainers along a river and had about the same film quality as an old porno. I half expected Jenna Jameson to be bending Ron Jeremy's Crank Arm! I will sometimes put an old Tour video or MTB race on just to glance at occasionally for motivation, but the workout tapes just don't cut it for me.

03. My iPod with headphones is a must. When I do my spin/weight work outs I have some speakers I blast, much to Wifey and B-Man's dismay in the living room above me.

04. I have an old mirror that I like to keep near bye to watch my form and make sure my pedal stroke doesn't get to lazy and choppy. Plus I like to look at myself. (Joking! Sort of.)

05. Using a HR monitor is great for keeping things in control and to motivate me. Using a HRM on the trainer is where my HRM gets 95% of it's use.

06. I go into a session with a set work out in mind and try to stick to it. Random spinning is a sure way to lose interest fast, climb off and sit on the couch with a big carton of F*ck-It 'Tude™

07. This might sound whacked out, but mental imagery is a HUGE part for me. Slow grinds in 53/14 I see climbs on my fave rides or races I've done. High cadence spins I'm cruising along farm roads on a summer night or putting the hammer down during a race. Whatever can motivate my legs to move and get the workout done.

08. The trainer is a tool. It will never replace riding for me. BUT I do enjoy it more than going to a gym, it's cheaper in the long run and it allows me to focus on a given work out without cars, etc., etc., It would be nice to have some scantily clad gym bunnies walking around the basement to look at, instead of piles of dirty laundry, drying chamois & jerseys, and my sweaty ass in an old dirty mirror ;)

09. Some folks have a higher tolerance for trainers or rollers than others. I might be one of those people. At this phase of the year 1:30 is about the longest I will go but come Jan & Feb. if weather doesn't cooperate 2+ hours will be done to help me be ready for outdoor riding in March.

10. There is no "10" but I hated to leave off at 9. Sorry.

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*Nostalgia": The above link to The Smith's "Nowhere Fast" is from a 1985 show, recorded by the BBC at the Apollo Theatre in Oxford. Later it was broadcast on onetime Pittsburgh "alternative" radio station WXXP. I recorded that show onto cassette tape via a boom box on my kitchen table. I would have been about 14 years old at the time it aired. I had that tape in my car constantly for roughly 12 years or so before we finally parted ways. I found the complete recording on the Net about a year ago. Thanks to the "jolly BBC" and some kind, tech savvy Smiths fans I am 14 again, if only for 57 minutes. Good times....

Later.

Tracky Bottoms Tucked In Socks

Oh yeah, Monday. Always feels like a mental kick in the junk. Got some decent work done today, at least so that made the day go reasonably fast and that's all I can really ask of Monday.

Got my spin & weights done quickly tonight. I in NO way felt like doing it, but Wifey was spot on when she said I'd feel worse if I skipped it. So I hit the Stankment® and threw some big weights around. Does 75 lbs. count as BIG??

Saw the word on 24 Solo Nationals today. Gonna be back in Wisconsin at 9 Mile. August 2nd & 3rd. Part of me is thinking about a road trip to do it. After this year I believe it's out in Arizona for 2 years and God knows I'm not driving 3000 miles to race for 24 hours. But Wisconsin is doable. I think.

I IN NO WAY feel that I compete on the same level as guys like Ernie, Eddie O', Nat, Eatough, Kerkove, etc., etc., but how many chances do you get in life to line up with the absolute best in your sport?? Even if that means coming in DFL! But there are a few other really cool events that I'm looking at around the same time and I can only afford (both literally and physically) to do so many, so we shall see. It's a long winter and I have the attention span of a 2 year old, so tomorrow I might decide I'm gonna race at the Recumbent Bike Track World Championships. Better known as the R.B.T.W.C.

Later.

I'm Just A Crosshair

So the weekend did not really go how I planned. I had NO outside ride time and some Saturday night plans were derailed when a buddy's baby got sick (Get better Izzy!). BUT I did get some quality indoor riding in (oxymoron?) both Saturday and this morning and had some quality time with B-Man and Wifey.

Wifey had B-Man an the REI climbing wall yesterday! Little guy made it up about 5.5 feet before he got a bit scared. Dude was in the harness, climbing shoes and all. Not bad for 3.5 years old! I can't wait to go back and see him try for 6 feet. I'm not sure that I would even be comfy climbing 5.5 feet! ;)

In hindsight I probably could have gotten my road ride in today and not got THAT cold and wet, but I'm not gonna dwell on that. I feel good about my indoor workouts for the weekend. I tried to up the tempo and HR a bit today since I was missing a "real" ride and wanted my legs to feel it just a little bit. In the end I think it worked out OK. The legs were burning, I was sweating like a damn fool and enjoyed an hour live BBC recorded Franz Ferdinand circa 2005. TAKE ME OUT!!

Time to chill, eat some left overs and get ready for another week of dross.

Later.

Shake Dog Shake!

Does waking up, feeling run down, and not wanting to ride in the morning's 38* temps make me a girl-boy? I hope not. I did convince myself to burn the extra junk calories I scarfed down last night by doing a 1:15/1000 calorie/Zone 2 trainer ride. Not a bad time. Kept some nice cadence and listened to some new live J&MC and Cure stuff I recently got. Shake Dog Shake!

Does shaving my legs all year round for the past 5+ years because the thought of hair on my legs kinda grosses me out make my a girl-boy? Hmm. That one just might. Let's forget that one. Move on now...

After the Stankment® sweat fest it was to the yard for what I hope is the last major round of yard work for the year. Now I just hope my grass, trees and shrubs get some sort of funky disease that prohibits them from growing in the spring thus freeing up more time to A. Ride and B. Not do yard work.

Some good video coverage on CyclingNews.com of the recent
2007 Crocodile Trophy Race in Australia. Check it out. (click the pict).

There was only one American that I saw on the start list. I can see why! Flying to Australia from the U.S, race fees, and bike shipping must cost a freaking fortune! When l Googled loan American (ex Canadian I think) racer Allen St. Pierre the #1 return was that he's the executive director of NOMRL. I have a feeling it's NOT the same guy. Dude must get searched every single time he flies!

Lastly check this stuff out from Totally Tubular Designs. You can't make sh*t with dried up Stans goo! ;) OK , I guess you could make some fake boogers or something, but a wallet? Doubtful.

Later

It's Good To Be The King

Not much going on today. I go COMPLETELY out of my way to avoid doing a workout on a Friday. Friday is the night to chill your ass out, drink a few beers (Dog Fish Heads!), hang with your "peeps" (Wifey/B-Man) and plan your rides for the weekend. If that Friday is the night before a race this ALL changes of course, but let Friday be Friday. Enjoy it. It's the best night of the week.

Tonight was pretty much as described above. Throw in making a cheezy turkey/spinach meatball, pasta bake playing with B-Man and watching Spider Man for maybe the 300th time, and you have my Friday night in a nut shell.

Big thanks to Salsa, Jason and the Amigos Blog for giving me some props today. Thanks J.! Keep on keepin' on with the kick ass frames and the Soiled Chamois will keep on kickin' out the bike lovin' goof ball nonsense.

Later, time to eat some ballz & pasta. Why does that sound SO freaking nasty???

Argyletastic Thursday

Almost got this week in the books. 1 more day and then I hope to have the cheeks in the saddle for some casual extended mileage. Tonight was my weight work out mixed in with some spinning again. I really don't know how people get "in" to lifting weights. If I wasn't riding and racing racing I most likely would not even own weights. I think I would go out of my way to avoid picking up anything heavy at all. As it is I'm only doing 2 nights a week. I'd rather spend most my time on the bike.

In consumerism news:

Placed my order for some new duds today...

New jerseys are hitting Viking country and should be hitting dealers soon. So keep you ballz peeled. Nothing against Slipstream-Chipotle but if you're gonna do Argyle, do it right. (see above photo). I will say their 2008 kit is gonna be MUCH better than last years "fem" kit. Check it out HERE. It was the winner in their team kit design contest. You can see all the entries HERE. There are "unique" designs to say the least.

That's about all I got. Time for time wasting on the net.

Later.

Color Me Plaid

No work out tonight. Just some dinner makin' and B-Man time for a while. Through down a Chicken/Broccoli/Brown Rice stir fry/colon cleanse.

Got my new Walz lid in the mail today. It's sweet! The bill is NOT good for flipping and staying put, BUT the bill seems shorter than many caps and it the cap it's self is constructed in a way that the bill does not interfere with my line of sight too bad. That and it just looks freaking sweet! I will say if you have a XL cranium you may want to order the larger size. I went with the reg/small head size and it fits great but if my skull swells I'll be f*cked. Of course if my skull is swollen I think the cap will be the least of my concerns.

I wanted to snap a pict of the cap on my noggin but it appears my digital camera shit the bed. DRAT! We were do for a new camera anyway. This one was about 5+ years old and pretty much sucked by today's standards.

Anyway time for some house stuff. Back to the trainer and weight tomorrow. Even with the flurries in the air, it looks like the weekend might be shaping up to allow for some saddle time.

Zen?

Later.

Tuesday Doesn't Have a Feel

Sighted- The first snow flakes of the year. Grrrrr! Felt- diamond cutting man nips as the wind blew said snow flakes in my face when I was out and about on my lunch hour today. Oh well, not much I can do to stay warm tonight except roll for an hour on the trainer and turn the heat up to 75mg as winter looks to be on it's way.

I linked up a new nutrition site (to the right of your screen). It's for folks like me who like to track their calorie intake in attempts to make sure their "winter layer" is referring only to an extra sweater, instead of an extra 10 el-beez around the gut. Check it out- It' called The Daily Plate.

The free account (what I'm using) allows you to search, log and track thousands of foods and keep track of your daily calories, fat, carbs, protein etc., You can enter your daily calorie goals, weight loss goals (if you have one) calories burned via exercise, etc. It's super easy. The paid account allows for a little more info and it would be nice to have, but I'm not THAT obsessive (yet). For me this is the time of year to get a handle on portion sizes and total calories and the easiest way for me to do it is with something like this.

I used to use the meal log on my TrainingPeaks.com account, but they have now put the best features of the meal log in the paid account section. And since I'm not ready to pay for it right now, so The Daily Plate seems to be the one for me. I think TDP's data base is easier to access foods too. Just my 2¢

I'll pretty much only use this 4 to 5 days a week and on the weekends just try to make sure I keep in control. I gotta give myself some rewards for all the work I do, or it's just not worth it. As long as I make sure I don't get intimate with an XXL Pizza I can usually break even one a weekend do to longer rides/work outs.

Checks this- A few weeks ago I was talking about CX bikes and how I was sort of lusting one. Well I had it in my mind that the Mamasita could make a great CX bike, in lieu of blowing cash on a CX rig. I thought If I just put a rigid fork on, and some CX tires it would be pretty fast and sweet. Well, low and behold my Bikeman.com teammate Troy went one further and turned his Mamasita into a full on kick ass cross machine. Take a look....

Troy went all out in turning the Mamasita into a 21.5 CX machine including tubeless tires! For the complete run down of the parts he swapped out and how it's been running for him check out his write up here. Thanks for sending me the pict Troy and good luck. It's looks freaking boss!

Lastly tonight. I have found myself contemplating the move to a compact crank for my road bike. Ever since I saw JK half jokingly mention getting a compact road crank now that he is riding the big ass climbs in Colorado, I've been thinking about it.

Can I muscle up and over the climbs here in PA with my 53/39 crank? Yep, but most often it's in 39/25, pushing so hard I get a turtle head poking, and I'm way into my "might need to call an ambulance" HR zone. I'm not out for speed, racing or doing any competitive group riding.

I mostly use my road bike for base miles, maintaining fitness and recovery. BUT with all the steep climbing around here, EVERY ride turns into a Zone 3+ ride. A compact 50/34 won't make things "easy", but if it can keep my legs from getting too over trained too quickly and avoid "no man's land", it might be worth it. Thoughts?

Oh, well that's it. Time for some sleep.

Later.

Have Fun Storming The Castle!

Wow, fall gave me a mental kick in the ballz big time today. First kick was the realization that my sweet post work rides at Boyce are done for a while. The second kick came in the form of some late afternoon down pours and darkness. But the ball kick pain was short lived, since it made descending to the basement for this off season's first official work out a lot easier.

Tonight was weights and core stuff with a mix of spinning added in between sets (mostly just to warm up and stay warm). Felt good and I pack as much into an hour as I can. I attacked the weights with all the gusto of an 11 year old girl. I'm sure I was lifting about as much weight as one too.

I already have 3 race dates pretty much confirmed for next season. April 19th looks to be the date for the 2nd Annual Leesburg Bakers Doz, May 3rd/4th is the 12 Hours of Lodi Farms and June 7th is the 24 Hours of Big Bear. If Big Bear doesn't happen I'll head to Mohican, but I think it will.

Why has my 3.5 year old son watched The Princess Bride 4 times in 48 hours??? He thinks it's funny (way more than I do) and digs all the fencing/sword fighting.

Speaking of swords and funny. I leave you with this....

Even B-Man giggled when he saw me looking at this photo on CyclingNews.com this a.m. . "Why is he riding a bike carrying a sword?" he asked. "I have NO idea B. I have no idea..."

Later.

So Long 2007!!!!!!

This is it. The last day of my 2007. How am I celebrating? By doing nothing of course. Went to my dad's with B-Man, hung out, ate some spaghetti and trucked home to do more nothing.

The way I see it, yesterday's ride was too damn good and no ride today could match it. So I'll just take the memory of yesterday's 23.5 miles of sweet ass, North Park single track with me as I start 2008's training Monday.

So with over 3300+ miles and 400+ hours of training & racing I say farewell to 2007 and hope that I can kick it up a notch in 2008 and get to the upper end of mediocre.

Here are some of my 2008 Favorites...

Race- all of them were cool for one reason or another. I can't pick. At everyone of them I saw friends, and had a good time even if I didn't see any time on the box. The hundies are the most fun. Hands down, but the lap solos are going to be the focus in 2008. I THINK.

Bike- My Dos Niner. I know, I know, you would have thought after ALL the panting, drooling and bike porn self gratification I did over the Mamasita SHE would have one. But nope. Don't get me wrong, it's a GREAT bike. Fast, quick handling, a 29" XC racer's wet dream and I love riding her (I love saying that!) BUT for hundies, solos and long rides the Dos Niner just can NOT be beat. THEESE I SWEAR TO YOU! Plus the orange '07 version that replaced my '06 green one (thanks to Jason at Salsa) is stiffer and basically "the ballz". Thanks Salsa!

New Component- My Ergon grips. God damn they are good. I only wish I would have had them for ALL my races this year. Since using them hand pain is a thing of the past.

Race Food/Nutrition- 3 Way (I love saying that) Tie between Carbo Pro/Universal Carbo Pro, Hammer Gel, and Hammer Heed. Carbo pro stepped up and delivered calories when Perpetuem made my stomach heave gobs of vomit. It's tasteless, can be mixed with anything and it plain works for me. Heed and Gel from Hammer Nutrition is just the best at what it they do. Drink it up, shoot it down and ride!

Photo- This one from Leesburg....

Thanks to Bikeman.com (Big Al & Davis), all of our team sponsors, Ergon (El Jeffie!!!), Brent & Ryan at Twin-Six for THEE absolute coolest duds in cycling, Jason at Salsa, all my friends and bloggers at the races who supported me and lent me a hand- (J.B., Fernando/Loretta, Rich B., Rick N., Jeff W., Andy S., Fat Marc, Buddy, Matt, Fitzy, (all the other Henry's/T6 folks), and Pedro.

Big extra special thanks to Tom H. for all the wrenching and bike building he does for me. (I owe you blood and more!!!).

Last, but not least- Wifey and B-Man. Wifey for letting me drive all around the Mid Atlantic, blowing coin we don't have racing for 5th place and B-Man for not hating me (yet, I'm sure there's time) for riding my bike more than he rides his and for thinking that riding a bike is cool (little dude you have yet to see how cool riding and racing a bike can be!). I love you both.

Later.

Le Tour de North Park

Wow, what a day in the saddle! I must say this was one of the best rides I've done in a while. I hooked up with Mark, who I met on a long climb at the Wilderness 101 this year, and he gave me the grand tour of the dirty goods at North Park.

We did 23.5 miles and never rode the same trail twice! I was shocked at how good the trails were. I never could have made sense of the trail network without a guide, and Mark not only showed me a great day in the saddle, he gave me a hell of a workout. AND he did it all on his single speed Niner. In the first few miles I was panting like a dog! I was glad I didn't wear the HR monitor, 'cause I think I would have been way too distracted from seeing my HR in the "stroke out zone".

The trails were a great mix of roots and rocks with way more fast sweeping down hills, and lengthy up hills than places like Boyce. The ride truly had it all, and the Dos Niner was the perfect choice for ride. Thanks for showing me around Mark!

It truly was a incredible way to a cap off the last ride of 2007. Yep, all from here on out is 2008 stuff. Really looking forward to another year of riding, training and racing.

Oh yeah, I ordered up my Walz wool plaid cap last night. Anxious to get it on my noggin.

Time fore some White Trash Mexican food and a couple Indian Browns.

Later.

Cap It Off. Hats Off to Walz (pun intended. I think)

Just an update on all my cap talk yesterday.

I've decided that the plaid Walz Cap just NEEDS to be for my late fall winter riding. My justifications? First, Jennifer at Walz e mailed me back today with a good bit of info. The bill may or may not stay up, BUT the cool factor is pulling me in like a Death Star tractor beam*. That and the fact that she made with some cool customer service talk that basically said if I don't dig it Walz, and don't think I look titz in it they'll take care of me. Right on! That's what I like to hear from a company. Plus, this cap oozes "hipper than thou zen soul ride" not training/race. That stuff will be good enough for a Euro Road Dog Lid or some Olivia Newton-John "Physical" era sweat band.

Off to North Park with 101 Mark tomorrow. My hope is to get the info on a good night riding loop. Speaking of night riding I have some thoughts on a new LED (like you care). I'm still mega interested in the Princeton Tec SB3. Or may just end up status quo with my NR HID.

Later. Time for WHATever.

*The Death Star asterisk is just to say that the DS may or may not have a '"tractor beam" and if it does NOT I'm sure my friend KoKo will let me know.

Helmet Heads And Caps

All my talk of the "helmet headed weatherman" came to bite me in the ass today. I woke up to rain and a dark gray sky. The forecast said that the day would improve, but it was just NOT looking good at 8:15, and I was not keen on hauling all my gear and bike if it was just gonna pour all day.

So my quick post work ride at Boyce Park was shot in the ass. Two hours after getting to work, the sun came out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Shit. A ride lost. I can admit it, the weather man was right. So I will never talk badly of the local weather man (for at least 2 days!). Had I listed to him I would have got some time in the dirt.

Opted to spin the legs on the trainer for an hour. Zone 1/2 HR, 95 to 110 RPM. Glad I did. Felt good afterwards and enjoyed more acquired Moz bootlegs from recent shows in NY on iPodious.

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I need a new cycling cap. I like to wear a cap to keep the sweat out of my eyes and off my glasses when it's hot and keep my noggin warm when it's cold. My beloved (soon to be vintage) Nike Discovery team cap is about two washes away from the garbage. Plus it's a roadie cap! (joking!) I have a couple others, but they just don't cut it.

My Salsa cap is SUPER comfy and great for the trainer, and just all round wearing about, but the damn bill will NOT stay flipped up when riding outside.

My Bikeman.com cap from Champion System has the triple whammy of 1. Having a bill that won't stay flipped up, 2. The head band irritates me, and 3. Mine came "ghetto custom" with BIKEMAN mistakenly printed so as to be upside down and unreadable when the bill is flipped. That annoyed me so much I colored in the letters with black permanent marker. That fix was sort of like spraying cologne on a pair of stinky ass jeans and considering them "washed". Lame!

I have heard great things about Walz Cycling Caps and they have some SERIOUSLY cool styles. My only worry is the bill. WILL it stay flipped? I have an e mail into them asking their opinion.

This wool one is at the top of my list for cooler weather...
Man, this thing rocks!! I may get one just to have it. Would that clash with argyle?

Orrrrrr...

I could come up with a bad ass custom one! Home grown and homemade
here in Pittsburgh via Spokepunchers.
I got me a few ideas that I'd like to see come to light from the talented artists at Spokepunchers.

Speaking of homemade, on the Net today I found another cap maker here in Pittsburgh called Built In Pittsburgh. They also make some super cool caps from the ground up.

They, along with Spokepunchers and a bunch of other seriously cool indie crafts people and artists are going to be at the 2007 Handmade Arcade on November 10th & 11th. I'd like to check that out. Probably end up dropping a lot of coin though. So maybe I better not.

I may just end up getting a couple cheap ass Euro road dog team caps with big ass, garish logos from companies that I have NO idea what the make.

Oh yeah one last thing. I found another use for my Tifosis tonight. B-Man was wearing his "x-ray" sun glasses and I was wearing my "x-ray" Q3s to fight Green Goblin and Sand Man tonight. I must say the yellow lenses worked PERFECTLY for fighting EEEEE-vile!!!!!

Oh well, enough about freaking bike caps. Time to get some sleep.

Later.