So I'm sick again.
Worse, Wifey and Smarty Pants are both sick also.
This is getting ridiculous. I was sick the week before the 24 Hours of Moab also. I think this is a continuation. If it happens again then it's off to the doc.
I mentioned in the last post that November 1 would be a new beginning for me. Not so much now. I'll get over whatever I got first.
On the plus side, our trip to Dinnylan was fun. No children were harmed during the trip. The weather was great. The parks were pretty empty.
On the negative, the hotel sucked (except for the pool). There wasn't a market or even a gas station anywhere close which made buying snacks for the park and beer difficult. I needed a bike, wheels really improve transportation speed.
I'll get some pics posted just to prove we had fun.
Obviously being gone and sick there hasn't been much in the way of training. No cyclocross racing either. I wanted to ride Saturday but was faced with a shload of yardwork and a rainy forecast. So I took the high road and worked my ass off outside. It snowed again today, which makes me wonder if the 24 Hours of Moab wasn't my last mountain bike ride this year.
I hope not, we are heading to St. George for Thanksgiving and I really wanted to bring the bike with me. Escape might be important when confronted with my in-laws for four days...
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
November 4, 2008
September 12, 2008
The Weekend is SO Here!
Damn if I'm not ready for a day off.
Some of you that know what I do will scoff at that remark, but this has been a rough week. Deadlines and demanding clients have taken their toll.
I'm gonna rock out with my . . . I'm gonna run a 10k tomorrow to benefit the Hess Cancer Foundation, something I don't do enough of. It will be fun, I've never done an organized 10k, so whatever my time is will be a PR. It is also on the new Legacy Highway. A road that took 12 years and a buttload of litigation and environmental studies to build because it goes right through a wetlands area.
I'm not a fan of the Legacy Highway, but it's here whether I wanted it or not so I may as well enjoy it.
I'm sure a bike ride is also in order for the weekend. Maybe another morning dark ride. Something easy to recover from the 10k madness for sure. Or a road ride.
There is sure to be plenty of working in the house, too.
Time to go have a beer.
Some of you that know what I do will scoff at that remark, but this has been a rough week. Deadlines and demanding clients have taken their toll.
I'm gonna rock out with my . . . I'm gonna run a 10k tomorrow to benefit the Hess Cancer Foundation, something I don't do enough of. It will be fun, I've never done an organized 10k, so whatever my time is will be a PR. It is also on the new Legacy Highway. A road that took 12 years and a buttload of litigation and environmental studies to build because it goes right through a wetlands area.
I'm not a fan of the Legacy Highway, but it's here whether I wanted it or not so I may as well enjoy it.
I'm sure a bike ride is also in order for the weekend. Maybe another morning dark ride. Something easy to recover from the 10k madness for sure. Or a road ride.
There is sure to be plenty of working in the house, too.
Time to go have a beer.
June 26, 2008
Moving Forward-ish
I feel like I've reached a milestone as of late. I am finally moving one step forward and only one step back, instead of the normal two steps back.
This, dear friends, is a good thing.
Other than some dry spots in the yard caused by the sudden INSANE temperature increase the last two weeks the lawn looks great. The garden is coming along and within a couple of weeks I'll be moving door to door begging neighbors to take vegetables and trying to convince children that if they shove a stick into a banana squash and put it into the freezer that it will, in fact taste like a banana popsicle. Even the marigolds and sunflowers are finally going to bloom. However, the Chinese lanterns and English daisys are MIA. They may have started and been pulled by Wifey or myself during a weeding frenzy.
Smarty Pant's bedroom is nearly completed after 3 coats and 2 colors of paint. Only chair rail remains and for that I have my trusty miter saw that makes an incompetent assclown like me look like I know what I'm doing. That said, I should have used it the other night when I put the ceiling fan in Smarty's room.
Naturally, the light outlet in the ceiling was not reinforced for a fan which left me with 2 options: buy an expandable support that installs through the hole in the ceiling; or go into the attic and install a 2x4 between the ceiling joists. Now, I've gone both routes and much prefer climbing into the 150-degree hell of the blown insulation of the attic then try and put in one of those godforsaken supports. So I put on a mask (safety first!) and into the attic I go. And it. Is. Frigging. HOT! I dig through the insulation and find the spot, measure 22" between the joists and head down to cut the 2x4. Measure twice, cut once, and back into the attic.
And the board that I just cut and measured at 22" will not fit. The board is 1/4" too long. Yet both the board and the space measure 22".
?
Back down the ladder and out to the garage, cut the board to 21-7/8". Back into the attic, drop the board in and it is now 1/8" too narrow.
?
These are how my attempts at carpentry go.
Anyhoo, I tow the board in with three screws and the fourth hangs up and bends. I fight to get it back out and head back to get another. And let me tell you, it is hot and I am sweating and just frigging miserable at this point. I start carefully lowering myself down through the attic entry and I touch my knee on the edge. The part of my knee where I have a large scab from last week's low side on the bike. And off comes the scab. And out comes the blood. And the expletives.
That, my friends, hurt and bled more than the original injury.
But I got a ceiling fan put up. And Smarty's room is much cooler now, and one step closer to being finished so I can move to the next project.
But I'm one step back again. I need to let the scab heal a little before heading to the pool. But not to go for a ride tonight in near 100-degree heat. I hope I don't dry up like the lawn.
This, dear friends, is a good thing.
Other than some dry spots in the yard caused by the sudden INSANE temperature increase the last two weeks the lawn looks great. The garden is coming along and within a couple of weeks I'll be moving door to door begging neighbors to take vegetables and trying to convince children that if they shove a stick into a banana squash and put it into the freezer that it will, in fact taste like a banana popsicle. Even the marigolds and sunflowers are finally going to bloom. However, the Chinese lanterns and English daisys are MIA. They may have started and been pulled by Wifey or myself during a weeding frenzy.
Smarty Pant's bedroom is nearly completed after 3 coats and 2 colors of paint. Only chair rail remains and for that I have my trusty miter saw that makes an incompetent assclown like me look like I know what I'm doing. That said, I should have used it the other night when I put the ceiling fan in Smarty's room.
Naturally, the light outlet in the ceiling was not reinforced for a fan which left me with 2 options: buy an expandable support that installs through the hole in the ceiling; or go into the attic and install a 2x4 between the ceiling joists. Now, I've gone both routes and much prefer climbing into the 150-degree hell of the blown insulation of the attic then try and put in one of those godforsaken supports. So I put on a mask (safety first!) and into the attic I go. And it. Is. Frigging. HOT! I dig through the insulation and find the spot, measure 22" between the joists and head down to cut the 2x4. Measure twice, cut once, and back into the attic.
And the board that I just cut and measured at 22" will not fit. The board is 1/4" too long. Yet both the board and the space measure 22".
?
Back down the ladder and out to the garage, cut the board to 21-7/8". Back into the attic, drop the board in and it is now 1/8" too narrow.
?
These are how my attempts at carpentry go.
Anyhoo, I tow the board in with three screws and the fourth hangs up and bends. I fight to get it back out and head back to get another. And let me tell you, it is hot and I am sweating and just frigging miserable at this point. I start carefully lowering myself down through the attic entry and I touch my knee on the edge. The part of my knee where I have a large scab from last week's low side on the bike. And off comes the scab. And out comes the blood. And the expletives.
That, my friends, hurt and bled more than the original injury.
But I got a ceiling fan put up. And Smarty's room is much cooler now, and one step closer to being finished so I can move to the next project.
But I'm one step back again. I need to let the scab heal a little before heading to the pool. But not to go for a ride tonight in near 100-degree heat. I hope I don't dry up like the lawn.
June 3, 2008
Ooops, I Did it Again.
I'm still trying to get to know some of the neighbors, and last night I met the owner of the one of the last two houses I share a property line with. Nice guy, but really needs mow his lawn. Smarty Pants and Wifey love his two dogs: a bull mastiff and a min pin/chihuahua mix. I digress. I notice he is standing there in a pair of Shimano cycling shoes. So I bring up riding and yada yada and say we should go ride sometime. Great says he. Then he asks where I like to go and what kind of bike I have. And then I see we will never ride written all over his mug. Just like the guy next door and the guy down the street. And the guy that stopped by the house a couple of years ago.
No one wants to ride with me.
As soon as they hear words like titanium or carbon fiber or climbing, they shut right the hell off. Suddenly they think "Whoa, this dude must be fast. I can't ride with him." Here's a tidbit, my days of being fast were over before they began. Let's make a few things clear shall we:
- I'm not a natural athlete.
- I don't have great genes.
- My metabolism has metabolized.
- It's called a ride because it's a ride. A race is something separate. Though a ride can become a race but it's all good fun, right?
A few years ago I was washing my bike at the old house and this guy pulls in the driveway. He lives down the street and saw the bikes in the garage. Turns out he rides and finally saw me out front. Now his original plan was to see if I wanted to go and ride, until he got a good look at "the bike." Then all I heard Captain Twoofy yammer was "Wow, uh yeah it would be fun to go and ride but that's a really nice bike and you are probably way faster than me. Yeah, yeah I'll uh give you a call." Never heard from him.
We had the couple down the street bring us some cookies as a welcome to the 'hood thing a few weeks ago. Same thing. Hubby rides and does some triathlons for fun. "Hey, lets' go ride sometime!" he says. Then the brakes come on. "Is that your bike. Gee, uh, that's an awful lot of carbon fiber there."
And those are just some of the examples. Having nice stuff doesn't make you fast, but apparently it makes people think you might just rip their legs off faster than a combine on a tractor. While this feeling is great for the ego, it's always fun to ride with new people, especially when they are right there, literally next door.
So, when trying to meet new people to ride with, here are a few things not to mention:
- the word "interval"
- your bike, especially if it's nice (even though you really feel like a poseur riding it)
- singlespeed
- XTERRA
- 4-5 hour ride
- detailed knowledge of trails (soil types, rock locations, best places to pee, etc. it shows you go there often)
- long climb
- number of bikes
- XTR
Well, there's always the normal crew I ride with. Here's to y'all. I also have one new riding partner, I promised some video of Smarty Pants and here it be. Not bad for being only two and a half years old I'd say. I'm a proud Daddy, I'll admit it. Sorry for the marginal quality, a new camera is in the werks.
No one wants to ride with me.
As soon as they hear words like titanium or carbon fiber or climbing, they shut right the hell off. Suddenly they think "Whoa, this dude must be fast. I can't ride with him." Here's a tidbit, my days of being fast were over before they began. Let's make a few things clear shall we:
- I'm not a natural athlete.
- I don't have great genes.
- My metabolism has metabolized.
- It's called a ride because it's a ride. A race is something separate. Though a ride can become a race but it's all good fun, right?
A few years ago I was washing my bike at the old house and this guy pulls in the driveway. He lives down the street and saw the bikes in the garage. Turns out he rides and finally saw me out front. Now his original plan was to see if I wanted to go and ride, until he got a good look at "the bike." Then all I heard Captain Twoofy yammer was "Wow, uh yeah it would be fun to go and ride but that's a really nice bike and you are probably way faster than me. Yeah, yeah I'll uh give you a call." Never heard from him.
We had the couple down the street bring us some cookies as a welcome to the 'hood thing a few weeks ago. Same thing. Hubby rides and does some triathlons for fun. "Hey, lets' go ride sometime!" he says. Then the brakes come on. "Is that your bike. Gee, uh, that's an awful lot of carbon fiber there."
And those are just some of the examples. Having nice stuff doesn't make you fast, but apparently it makes people think you might just rip their legs off faster than a combine on a tractor. While this feeling is great for the ego, it's always fun to ride with new people, especially when they are right there, literally next door.
So, when trying to meet new people to ride with, here are a few things not to mention:
- the word "interval"
- your bike, especially if it's nice (even though you really feel like a poseur riding it)
- singlespeed
- XTERRA
- 4-5 hour ride
- detailed knowledge of trails (soil types, rock locations, best places to pee, etc. it shows you go there often)
- long climb
- number of bikes
- XTR
Well, there's always the normal crew I ride with. Here's to y'all. I also have one new riding partner, I promised some video of Smarty Pants and here it be. Not bad for being only two and a half years old I'd say. I'm a proud Daddy, I'll admit it. Sorry for the marginal quality, a new camera is in the werks.
May 30, 2008
An itch in time
Watching the weather this morning shows high temps in the 70s-80s for the next week. Perhaps spring has finally made it to Utah? In June, no less. Not really a big deal to most people, or the incredibly motivated, but for me poor weather presents some issues. Notably I don't like being cold. Or wet. Therefore being cold and wet together are right out. And that's been "spring" in Utah this year, mostly cold and wet. And why I barely planted my garden last weekend. Which means I'll be dining on fresh beans and radishes in oh, September. Just about the time my sunflowers bloom.
With spring here I am hoping to get more AM rides and trail runs in. Or maybe get to the pool. Not that cold matters when the pool is indoors, it is a question of motivation. Speaking of AM workouts, I have a question I need to throw out: I get itchy when I work out in the morning.
Really itchy. All over, Really really itchy. And it drives me nucking futs. I carry a Nathan Hydration belt, not to drink the water but to dump it on me to alleviate the itch. It lasts for about 20 minutes and blessedly goes away.
Does anyone else out there have this problem? Is there a cure? It think it could be dehydration after not drinking for 8 or so hours while asleep, or dry skin caused by my refusal to use moisturizers. But because it is mostly my arms and legs it's hell trying to run and itch at the same time. Or ride and itch. I've even been doing laps in the pool and had to scratch.
This is going to be a busy weekend. I'm hoping to paint Smarty Pant's bedroom and finally get my garage organized. I'm nothing without my garage, which is a far cry from the garage in the last house. All finished, painted floor, wider, deeper. I had room for everything. Not so much anymore.
But I will get a ride in.
With spring here I am hoping to get more AM rides and trail runs in. Or maybe get to the pool. Not that cold matters when the pool is indoors, it is a question of motivation. Speaking of AM workouts, I have a question I need to throw out: I get itchy when I work out in the morning.
Really itchy. All over, Really really itchy. And it drives me nucking futs. I carry a Nathan Hydration belt, not to drink the water but to dump it on me to alleviate the itch. It lasts for about 20 minutes and blessedly goes away.
Does anyone else out there have this problem? Is there a cure? It think it could be dehydration after not drinking for 8 or so hours while asleep, or dry skin caused by my refusal to use moisturizers. But because it is mostly my arms and legs it's hell trying to run and itch at the same time. Or ride and itch. I've even been doing laps in the pool and had to scratch.
This is going to be a busy weekend. I'm hoping to paint Smarty Pant's bedroom and finally get my garage organized. I'm nothing without my garage, which is a far cry from the garage in the last house. All finished, painted floor, wider, deeper. I had room for everything. Not so much anymore.
But I will get a ride in.
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