Slack Pays Off

Woke up today in a hard core funk. Just had no mental mojo. We got a dusting of snow and I just hate the sight of snow. EVEN a dusting. BUT the roads were only wet, so I figured the ride was still on tap. THEN about an hour later the it started raining. Great. Snow + rain = me on the trainer for 2 hours. NOT happy about that. Now my mental health was really in the shitter. I just sat at my computer watching Morrissey's performance on Jools Holland last night. It was the titz, and I was mesmerized at how good the yet to be released song "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" is.

I putzed around watching videos, listening to music and crying in my smoothie about not riding outside, when I noticed the sun was now out. A quick look outside showed that skies were clearing fast! This ride is gonna happen! Swwwwweeeet!

So I lathered up the buttocks, chamoised up, and got my shit together to do a Mamasita road ride. Temps were up in the mid forties now. I could not believe the turn around the a.m. was taking! So after a few minute drive to an appropriate ride launching pad I was good to go.

My mental health shot up faster than a junkie in a free needle program. Warmer temps, sun, fingers that I could actually feel, toes that were on not numb, etc., etc., I was having a blast. It would have been sweeter if I was on my new Campeon instead of the Mamasita. But a ride is a ride, and it was still damn good even on the 29er.

The main draw back to riding a mountain bike on the road, aside from the obvious weight, tires, etc, is going up hill. Yeah, you have 27 gears to get your ass up the hill, but the gearing can f*ck with you hill plan of attack. I alway find myself either over or under geared as I approach a steep incline. Trying to pull it out standing, but then realizing it just ain't gonna happen. Shift and find myself in a gear that has me having to sit and go about 3.5 MPH up the hill. Shit! Oh well, it's still a damn find work out. And if I can get my 26+ lb. mountain bike up these hills, I sure-as-shit can get my Campeon up them!

Any time you hit a road that says "Road Closed Except To Local Traffic" (HEY! I'm "local") there is a reason. In this case it was for the installation of a new water line. The road was a mess of mud, rocks, dodgy resurfacing, etc., NOW I was damn glad to be on the Mamasita. Opened up the lock out to be safe and I think I MAY have hit full travel on some parts of the road. Eeeesh!!

I ended with up with 2:35 of riding, improved mental health, and a big smile from having burnt the meat sticks outside rather than on the freaking trainer. Sometimes, slacking around DOES pay off.

Tonight is B-Man's Birthday Eve. Dude is gonna be "4" tomorrow. I really can not believe he is four already! Every day he does something just AMAZING! When Wifey got prego with him, I was sort of a dick about it. Kids just weren't on my radar. It didn't take long to fall incredibly in love with him. He means the world to JoErin and me. Happy Birthday Brennan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a pic of him from few days ago. He insisted on listening to my iPod. So I hooked him up with the ear buds and found something that I thought he would like. I picked out some Dressy Bessy for him based on the fact that they sound like the band that sings the Kenny The Shark theme song, which he really digs. I was right, he liked it. He'll be a hipster yet. If I can JUST keep him away from his mother's music! ;)

Later.