Child Labor

When it's ass hot out,
and the drill starts to dumb your hand,
probably the best money spent -
a kid Lego crazed and in need of a
Lego fix.

Project Soulville:

Can You Dig It?

The copper/bronze color,
whitewall gum tires,
the rack,
and under $600?

Was kinda psyched on this big guy
lurking in the corner of the LBS.
Fuji Portuer.
But I've got the Soulville project
laying in the basement in a bunch
of pieces. And after it gets finished,
it'll do the same job.....
But I still like it none the less.

But I might need some tweed.

Catch it!

$1.99!
Get on that shat!

A skate mag?
Sure!
Why?
Because I trust you most likely skated,
then you got old & fat & became
relatively unimportant. Don't worry, it
comes with time. Happened to Elvis,
and everyone hip in the 80's. You're
no different!

Anyways, it's nice to wax nostalgia
like you use to wax curbs. Grab it
while it's still on the stands. Think
about how awesome you were, maybe
dust off the board & roll around the
block. Then when the dreams are
crushed, go grab the bike & pedal out
your mid life angst.

Sorry Charlie

Brown.

So one of the resolutions,
and there's many,
is a post a day!

Here you go,
a sorry little tree that perfectly sums
up my lack luster bike year of twenty
eleven.

Yes, I know I'm a couple days behind.
So there's more on the way.
Now go stare out of the window
and think of happy warm thoughts.
Unless you live in some dreamy
tropical climate.... then I envy you.

Still Rolling...

Well, it's been a while.
Cross season is over,
unless you're doing Nationals.
The road guys are bolting up
for a winter of indoor trainers.
And the commuters have dwindled
to the dedicated few.
And those with no other options.
I fall somewhere in between both.

I hit my five year slump in dedication
and spent the last couple of months
not racing,
and appreciating the expanded limits
of using a car.

Sometimes, not having a car or the
option of using a car, can make me
feel like a total loser. But I'm also
very aware of the addictive or
uncontrolled decisions I make when
I have a vehicle. More on that later.

Right now I'm trying to build up the
motivation to be a dedicated winter
commuter, again. The torrential rain
that seems to be promising snow
for my commute home tonight makes
the thoughts that much more intense.

Old is new?

Well,
new can get old, eventually.
There are times,
when I think I spend too much time
thinking.

Right now I think I'm pretty much over
being 'the bike guy'. It's something I've
taken issue with several times. But for
the last couple of months I've found
myself at the limits of 'only a bike'.
And it's shifted to spending more time
in a car, than on a bike.

I could ponder this thing to death.
Actually, I'm pretty sure I already have,
several times. What is possibly ironic,
is I'll probably buy a car, be let down,
and years from now, be car free,
again. Stupid me. A vicious cycle.

Neato stuff!

Well, first off I've almost pulled the plug
on this blog, twice.
But it's easier to ignore it as life
becomes too busy.
But isn't it always?

So maybe it becomes the online
journal of my frantic & sporadic mind?

Bikes are still the drug of choice,
and they get mixed in with art & the
camera. So on that note.

I almost hit delete on this particular
email. You order one thing years ago,
and receive weekly adds every week.
I should unsubscribe, but you never
know. Lucky us!

Timbuk2 was my standby bag, first a
plain old medium, then you realize
exactly how much you can carry by
bike. And then the upgrades begin!
So I got a multi paneled large. But
in America we're never satisfied until
we over do it. And we have to be
different (cause that makes you just
a bit better than the guy next to you
at the light). So I got on the pedestal
and got a Reload. And why not get a
rolltop for those 'hauling' car free bike
commuter needs?

But the biggest issue is camera gear!
Camera bags suck to ride with, plus
you still need to stash tools & tubes.
And a messenger bag is unnerving
when you have lenses digging into
your back, flashes bumping into
cameras, and you have to dig through
it all.

Finally my need was met! Available in
Small or Medium, I think I'ld still take
a Large option. Timbuk2 now has an
insert available. Lined, zipper closure,
and adjustable dividers. Good thing I'm
a pack rat & still have all of my bags.
I'll set this up & give you an update!

It's the time of the season.

Ahhh
Long time with no posts!
Cross season is in full swing,
and I've sidelined myself,
with camera in hand,
for now.

The flickr site is slowly
getting uploaded.
And I'll have to get myself back to
posting. Lots of catching up to do.

Ommegang was the latest adventure,
with a healthy serving of mud,
and beer, as usual.

Electric Children

Spreading this stuff thin!

www.artgeekstudio.com

Just set up a smugmug pro account
for the 'cross season. Gonna be a son-
of-a-bitch getting last years photos
loaded, but seems like the easiest way
for people to get their photos.

Along with the other electronic children
I've been ignoring, there's a whole
'nother project in the works.

Set on Repeat?

Oh,
it's been a week.
And nothing has changed.
Barely made it through Irene,
a couple days of clear skies...
and the rain is back.

In my usual laziness
I never put away the pump & hoses,
so when I woke up to another yard
filled with water.
As I made coffee,
all I needed to do was plug the pump
back in.
Laziness Rewarded.

Not to make another post about boring
weather. Those were the conversations
I used to have with my dad,
when there was nothing to talk about.
We didn't share the same interest
in anything until I had kids. That was
our one common bond, weather was
the conversation filler during the
periodic phone call.

Analogy, sports related. This weather
is much like (and not helping) my
prep for the upcoming 'cross season.

So let's move this back to the usual
bike related things!

How High's the Water?

Not 3ft high,
but still rising.
Actually it's tapering off.

The talking heads on tv say 6",
but with neighbor's run off,
I've got more than that!
Over the berms,
through the ditch,
and over the back deck.
Then...
a nice 6" deep stream past the house,
onto the driveway... away it goes.
Worth the moving dirt this weekend.
Except...
for the water that went around the
other side,
and into the basement.

Not flooded out,
just wet floors....

Time to open some windows
and start cleaning up.

First Tracks

We made it out!
Not out of the storm yet,
but we got out on the trails early this
morning.

Years ago we took the dogs out to
the preserve,
and came back covered with ticks.
Something I never experienced while
living out west. The fact that most of
the land in the northeast is private and
posted really killed my motivation for
mountain biking. So it was back to the
20", a couple times. A short go at the
road bike - but I don't take myself too
serious. Mix in commuting, and the
perfect weapon was the 'cross bike.

But today was fun. Sandy & packed
rolling trails, totally doable on a 'cross
bike. And no tick issues today. Looks
like I'll be heading back for more trail
time as the kids head back to school.
And I think I'll try to squeeze another
day in with the not-so-mini-me.

No Man is an Island

Well
maybe in this case...

As I planned on my vacation with the
larger mini-me...
total man time of pizza, ice cream,
movies, sleeping in,
and some biking...

I pulled the trigger and ordered some
DIRT.
A dump truck full.
Sitting in my driveway.

But it's not for a pump track in the
backyard. Or jumps.

I spent this evening berming
.... my house.

This hurricane is turning out to be the
fun sucker of our vacation.

We'll see if this house is gonna float
or sink on Sunday.

Still gonna grab mini-me to hit the
trails tomorrow morning, before I
finish our storm prep.

Dog Days

The first 'official' day of vacation.
Some errands
and alot of laying around like dogs.

Nonsense

This sums up my life in many ways.
This is what sits behind me
as I stare at the computer....