Truckin'

Thursday, 9 November, 2006, 07:51

My response to the election results...

I can't believe how thoroughly the Republicans screwed up their advantage over the last couple of years. Haven't they learned anything? If someone attacks you in politics, you don't give in to their assertions; you fight back. What a bunch of damned wusses.

The conservative in me is happy to see gridlock on Capitol Hill, perhaps fewer pointless laws will be passed. And perhaps the 2008 version of Congress will go back to the conservatism of 1994, because that's what it will take.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. -Lord Acton

The Democrats now get their chance to live out these words...

Running On Empty

Wednesday, 8 November, 2006, 17:54

Today was the busiest day in the film department since we moved to Santa Cruz. 189 rolls of 35mm, 65 sheets of 4x5 and 11 sheets of 8x10. So, after working my 8 hours and 20 minutes, what better way to unwind than with a nice long run? For those who think I've gone lazy, think again... =)

I started just north of Lighthouse Point and ran a combination of city streets, bike paths and dirt roads up to Wilder Ranch, and then back... Good stuff, and I finished up just before sunset. No need to let recent political events get me down...

Total mileage was 7.5 miles, and the time was 1:04:01.

Rainy Day Woman #11 & 34...

Thursday, 2 November, 2006, 15:20

As I left work this afternoon, the rain started falling. The first real rainfall of the season. And I get to drive back over Highway 17 shortly. That's always fun, but it should be a little better without the Metro to slow me down.

I am sitting in the 'customer lounge' at Subaru of Santa Cruz, waiting for them to finish my oil change. It's nice not to have to pay for oil changes, at least for a couple more years. But this is the first one with the new car.

Otherwise, things are actually beginning to look up at work. I can nearly see out from beneath the huge pile of work I have to do. But some of the stuff I will have to actually shut down production in order to do. One of these days life will be back to normal...

I need coffee! But what else is new...

Rising From The Ashes

Sunday, 29 October, 2006, 13:49

Okay, so it's not the most apt title for a blog posting I've ever come up with; but the essence of it fits. What's rising from the ashes, you might ask? Well, two things: my motivation to climb and my eternal optimism. The former is coming up quite a bit faster than the latter, but I'm working on bringing it up higher.

I spent this morning up at Castle Rock, after getting there around 9:00 (thanks to this being the first day of 'standard time'). I wasn't climbing super strong, but I was certainly feeling the motivation to actually attempt new boulder problems. Not that I got any of them, but at least climbing is becoming fun again, rather than some sort of forced ritual based on 12 years of habit.

As for the optimism, well perhaps I need to convince myself that things are looking up. Doesn't life always seem the darkest just before you are blinded by the reality that life truly is good?

I am beginning to think of going back to school, at least to take a few classes in design, if only so that my resume doesn't seem so dated. Sure, I know plenty of things about Photoshop and GoLive, but my skills in InDesign and Illustrator could use some freshening up.

In other random, totally unrelated news; I will be making my first car payment ever just as soon as I can find one of my checks. Then I will join the masses. Hey, at least I fit in somewhere! The car is running fine, and I am really enjoying driving a decent car.

With that, here are a couple of photos from Castle Rock today. They are of Pacific Madrone trees, along the trail above the Waterfall Cliff:

Today's ride...

Saturday, 28 October, 2006, 20:57

My ride today was a nice, mellow, long ride. The best part was riding Old La Honda Road for the first time ever (my time was 27:03, for the record books =)), and then riding along Skyline Road through some of the finest scenic road in the area.

Blasting down Highway 9 is always fun, despite the moronic drivers you always get along the way. And then I stopped at Peets for about 1 1/2 hours, reading Harry Potter and eating lunch.

Total distance was 62.5 miles (just over 100 km), and here's the route map...



Oh, and for the person who thought this was a long ride; here's a long ride... = )

TGIAF!

Thursday, 19 October, 2006, 15:51

Thank God it's almost Friday!

Today was my eleventh consecutive day of work, and also my shortest workday in about three weeks (7:40). It felt so good to walk out of the door before 3:00! Now I am on my way up to Skyline Boulevard to get in a run. Should be fun, and tomorrow I will bring my bike to work so I can start riding over in Santa Cruz once in a while.

Yesterday, my run was one of those nice runs through the westside of Santa Cruz. I parked by Lighthouse Point and ran up West Cliff, and up to the north edge of town along Highway 1. I came back pretty much the same way. The windy conditions made going north a bit challenging, but overall, I felt great; and ended up running about 10km (6.2 miles).

***evening update***

I ended up going for a much longer run than I was anticipating. At the beginning, I was aiming for about 5 miles, but that turned into 8.5. I just felt so good that I couldn't stop. =)

The funny thing was the during the whole run I kept thinking that it would be funny to run into some of my cycling friends. Around every corner I kept expecting to see a familiar face. But when I headed onto the foot-traffic-only trail, I gave that up. But when I got to the parking lot, there was Jocelyn's Pathfinder. So I hung out there until they got back.

So naturally, I ended up having sushi for dinner with her, Jeff and Nick.

Bouncing Off Boulders

Monday, 16 October, 2006, 20:47

After work today, I went for a lovely drive up Highway 9 from Santa Cruz up to Skyline, and up to Castle Rock. Once there, I went for one of those classic runs that you can only do when you are tired, and the weather is a bit cooler than you are used to.

The temperature wasn't truly cold, but upper 50s seems cold when it has been in the 70s and 80s for the past few weeks. And to add to it, the wind was blowing pretty strong.

I went down the Gap Trail to the Castle Rock Trail loop, and then over to the 'climber's trail' that goes out to the Western Addition. That trail gets a little fun, with low branches, and many slippery sections. Yet the best part comes near where the trail rejoins the Gap Trail. Coming down into the gully above the waterfall, the trail gets treacherous, and certainly is not something that you can run down fast.

After getting back on the Gap Trail, I took that out to the cutoff trail out past Goat Rock, and took that up to the Ridge Trail. Then, of course, I went up to the top of Goat Rock and sat down for a few minutes. That place is always cool witht the clouds rolling by. And as tough as this run was, I needed the break.

Back on the trail, I ran down to catch the Gap Trail, and back up to the road. Then I tacked on a couple of minutes on the road to bring the total time up past 40 minutes (42:10). Fun times! And I feel like I actually got a good workout...

Now, I'm sitting on the couch drinking St. Peters' Old Style Porter, and watching damned football. I hate da bears, and football...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Sunday, 15 October, 2006, 07:25

It's 7:25 on a lovely Sunday morning in Santa Cruz, and I'm about to head into work for my seventh consecutive day of work. The only thing making this better than the other overtime days recently is that we are nearly back to a normal production schedule.

Yesterday, I ran about 1/3 of my normal monthly run of 4x5 and 120 film. Today should be about the same, but probably more 4x5s. This looks to be a fun day. Now I just need to stop off and get some coffee somewhere so that I can survive the day.


***update for Sunday evening***
Today was even busier. And I also managed to squeeze in a 5 mile run through the bad part of Santa Cruz (Beach Flats).

Think Positive, Think Positive...

Thursday, 5 October, 2006, 22:15

Today, I discovered one really good benefit of working in Santa Cruz.

After working my 10 hours for the day, I decided to go for a run. Since I knew that I wouldn't have time to hit the trails before dark, I decided to run in Santa Cruz. So I parked down on West Cliff above Cowell Beach, and ran north along West Cliff Drive.

I only went about two miles up the coast before turning around, but during that whole time, the sky was lit up by one of those storybook sunsets. The clearing storm added some dramatic thunderheads to the sunset, and everyone seemed to be reveling in the aftermath of the first storm of the season. Just beautiful. Of course, I still dislike the drive over 17, but at least once I am on that side of the hill, I can take advantage of being there.

And on an unrelated topic, thank God that hockey season is here. Now there are sports on TV again...

Crazy Drivers

Tuesday, 3 October, 2006, 07:41

I somehow get the idea that I will get sick of the commute over Highway 17 very quickly. What is it about driving that makes people want to drive like madmen (and women) in order to save a few extra seconds?

I tend to drive about 55-60 on 17 (where the speed limit is 50), and all these other people come flying past me. Do they just enjoy that out of control feeling of driving their cars beyond the limits of sanity?

Perhaps one day I will figure it out, but for now I will content myself to keeping my commute safe. At least until I am completely used to the road...

23 hours...

Friday, 29 September, 2006, 22:12

I've worked 23 hours in the past two days, and the next few look to be about the same.

Should be fun... But hey, at least the paycheck will be nice.

Greetings from Mammoth Lakes!

Saturday, 23 September, 2006, 17:52

This is the first weekend trip with my new car, and eveything seems fine. After stopping at Mission CRC for a morning cup of coffee, I was off like a racehorse. Well, relative to the performance of the Metro, that's what it seems like.

Except for getting stuck behind a few slow drivers, the trips was fine. And Old Priest Grade was so smooth! I stopped at the Knobs and bouldered for a while, and finished the book I was reading (Why We Run -Bernd Heinrich). The I went up and over Tioga Pass to check out Mono Lake, and possibly even take a few pictures.

Otherwise, good times; and I'm enjoying an only slightly bitter cup of coffee at Stellar Brew (where The Looney Bean used to be). There has to be a better cup in this town...

Moving Up...

Sunday, 17 September, 2006, 21:37

Today was the end of an era, and of course the beginning of a brand new one.

I no longer drive a piece-of-crap American car (not that all American cars are bad, just the Metro). Now I drive a kick-ass Japanese car. Yep, I finally gave in and bought a new(ish) car. I was originally going to go for a 1998 Subaru Forester that had 101,000 miles on it. But if you've ever tried to get a loan on a used car, you know that banks don't like cars with over a hundred thousand miles on them.

But then I got to thinking and realized that this is a car that I will actually WANT to drive. And I fully intend to drive the car as long as possible. So with that in mind, I went with a 2005 Subaru Forester. Sure, it's the base model with only a few of the options. But I think that it is the perfect car for me. And the first thing to go on it will of course be a bike rack.

It was a tiny bit sad letting Metro go, but the life that I got out of her truly surpassed my expectations. 51,000 miles on a car that I paid $200 for is surely a worthy investment. And I got $100 for the trade-in, so I really only paid $100 for it.

After I bought the new car, the first drive I went on was naturally in the mountains. I drove up Highway 9 from Santa Cruz up to Castle Rock. I had to do a little bit, so I climbed a little at Castle, and walked about 1.5 miles. Then I called Leslie (who I bought Metro from), and then headed back down Highway 9 into Saratoga and met Leslie for coffee.

And of course, my dad absolutely loves the Forester. It certainly looks better in the driveway than an old, beat up, Geo Metro. = )

So here are the first pictures... The first is in the parking lot behind the Blue Rock Shoot; and the second is me with the salesman (Dan Levine) at Subaru of Santa Cruz (I apologize for the bad picture...).

Lazy Days...

Tuesday, 12 September, 2006, 20:37

Man, was today ever boring. Work was mellow for a Tuesday, so not much of is going on there. Somehow, I couldn't even work up the gumption to ride my bike to work this morning. And I still haven't found the energy to do anything after work. I've been dreaming about new cars all day, though I realize that I can't afford that AWD one that I really want... Somehow the thought of one car costing $150 more per month to operate than another just seems ridiculous.

Either way, my Metro is dying; and it won't be a slow death. The shaking is becoming worse, and the suspension is nearly useless. Hey, at least the brakes still work well... Soon enough, Metro will be donated (or sold to a demolition derby, whichever is easier); and I will enter the 21st century.

The interesting part will be to see how long Metro can take that commute to Santa Cruz before completely falling apart.

Ildiko's Wedding

Monday, 4 September, 2006, 13:31

Oddly enough, I've gone through 30+ years of my life without attending a friend's wedding. Somehow, the few good friends who have gotten married have all done either family-only ceremonies or eloped. But finally I was invited to attend my friend Ildiko's wedding this past Saturday.

She was the one person on the swim team during my Freshman year of college who was swimming at about the same speed as me. We would feed off of each others' energy, and push each other to new levels. We also took a mountaineering class together, and climbed a few times outdoors. Even after that, we kept in touch via phone calls and postcards. After she moved to Seattle, I lost track of her, yet always wondered what was going on.

Fast forward to early 2006, when I discovered the wonder that is MySpace. Naturally, she was one of the first few people I searched for. So we start up again with the occasional messages. And then one day, I received a letter in the mail that was a wedding invitiation. Of course I was honored, and wouldn't miss it for the world.

So on Saturday morning, I left home for the drive up to Colfax (about 40 miles east of Sacramento on Highway 80). Traffic was bad enough in places that I was beginning to wonder whether I would get there on time. But I made in on time, to find out that the time had been pushed back an hour. So I hung around, not really knowing any of the people there.

Once the time came to go outside for the wedding, the anticipation in the crowd was noticeable. I guess when two people are engaged for a few years, their friends and family just want to see them married. When the ceremony began, I recognized Nina's two sisters and then the crowd is all quiet. There was a bit of a delay, but then someone said. "Here she comes!" We could see her, through the fence, running while holding the dress up. Typical I suppose...

While repeating the vows, both traditional and self-written, Ildiko and Ron both seemed excited, and perhaps a little nervous since the both had to be prompted to continue. Ildiko's father was there to give her away, and Ron's parents just said," We're not giving him away, just gaining a daughter." And of course, to be more non-traditional; the ring-bearer was their dog, Billie; who did an outstanding job.

After the wedding the fun began, of course. The barbeque was excellent, and the toasts went well, with only a few embarassing stories told. I caught up with old friends, and met plenty of new ones. I even caught up with another old swimming teammate from West Valley, and we may try to psyche each other up for morning workouts over at the International Swim Center. Plans were made for running races and trips. We'll have to make sure that those happen. Hearing the message that Bruce (our swim coach from West Valley) left to say he was sorry he couldn't make it was cool. I'm going to have to drop by and say hello to him.

A large group of us sat around the fire until the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and telling stories. It was nice to get to know a lot of wonderful people, and the kegs of Sierra Nevada and Widmer didn't hurt either.

Sunday afternoon, Ildiko and I went for a walk (and picked up trash as a way of doing our part to keep the place nice, and say thanks for the great weekend) and soaked in Bear River until it was too cold. And of course talked about shared experiences back in school, and the future. Yes, I will know you forever. After that, the hot tub was the place to be...

In the morning, we said our farewells, and I was off. And now I have to make plans to drive up to Seattle this winter so I can hang out and go skiing with their friends...

Riding Through The Redwoods

Sunday, 27 August, 2006, 20:29

This morning, I was out the door and on my bike shortly after 8:00. Heading out, I had a specific goal: to beat my best time up Highway 9, and to ride to (and back from) Boulder Creek. And on both accounts, the ride proved to be successful, and in a few other ways as well.

Riding into Saratoga, I stopped in briefly at the Blue Rock Shoot. After that short stop, I headed up the hill. I felt really good from the beginning, staying in a higher gear than usual. I kept going at a decent speed, and by the time I got to the half-way point I was 1.5 minutes ahead of my time from Wednesday. Amazingly, I was still able to keep the pace high; though I started to get a bit tired in the last couple of miles. But when I got to the one mile marker at 34:00 I knew that I had a shot at it. With a half-mile to go I was beginning to actually slow down, but I was determined. I sprinted the last quarter mile, and got to the top in 41:40, 20 seconds faster than the time I chased a group of women to the top...

After a really short break to clean my glasses, I headed down the roller coaster ride into Boulder Creek. The air was refreshingly cool as I got down past Waterman Gap, and in no time I was pulling into the parking lot at the Rainbow's End coffee shop. After getting a cup of coffee and a brownie from Olga, I sat down and slammed it all. Caffeine is sooooo good when you need the energy. And the brownies there are second to none (at least as far as store-bought ones go).

Then I crossed the street and headed up Highway 236 towards Big Basin. This road was actually the first mountain road I ever rode on, way back when I was in high school. My memory of that ascent make the hill steeper than it is. For the first 4 miles or so, it is actually very mellow. Then it kicks up a bit for the last 2.5 miles. Still, cresting the top at Little Basin Road was a welcome (temporary) end to the climbing. The bit into Big Basin from there is slightly downhill and a smooth, fast road. I got an It's It and a Gatorade from the store there, and sat down outside and chowed down as well. The nice thing about long rides is you don't have to worry so much about how many calories you are consuming. = )

The ride out of the basin, and up to Highway 9 is on a rough road, but it is mostly uphill so the jarring isn't so bad. The downhill sections can be a little brutal, but it passes quickly. After those roads, the stretch of Highway 9 seemed fast. And in no time, I was summiting Highway 9 for the second time of the day. Without stopping, I bombed down the eastside of the hill, following two motorcyclists the whole way down. After some of the roads I had ridden, getting on a familiar downhill was a welcome relief. This was probably the fastest I've ever descended 9, hitting 45 at one point.

After riding the boring flats home, I showered and drove back to Saratoga to watch part of Alesandra's gig at the Blue Rock Shoot. After grooving to the good tunes for an hour, I was off to Santa Cruz to look at a potential place to live. One of these days I'll find something...

Live Music and Riding

Saturday, 26 August, 2006, 15:44

On Thursday, Soul Asylum played a free show at The Plaza in downtown San Jose. I've noticed that as I get older, it takes a bit longer to warm up for any sort of physical exertion. And it must be much the same for singers. The voices were a bit rough at the beginning, but after a few songs they were up to speed. And by the time they played Runaway Train (one of my favorite songs), they were right back into form. Overall a damned fine show.

On Friday, I went to see The Waifs at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. There's a bit of a backstory for this one, so bear with me for a moment... Last Saturday, I was in town and was going over to my friends' new place to help them move in. Turning onto Seabright from Soquel, I happened to look up at the marquee at the Rio, It said that The Waifs were playing on August 25. So I had to buy a ticket. I first heard of them during a live radio performance on KFOG some time in early 2005. I was instantly hooked on their style, and went out and bought a couple of their albums. Then when I found out they were playing in Santa Cruz (in July of 2005), I went to see them. Vicky and Donna were both pregnant at the time, but they were lively and fun on stage. So back to 2006. They are no longer pregnant, but as fun to see live as ever. And man, can those girls wail (as well as Josh Cuningham)! And their guitar and harmonica skills are only getting better. The opening act, Paul Kelley, was excellent as well. I'm going to have to go out and find some of his albums.

Saturday afternoon, I also went for a kickass bike ride. Starting from the Seabright area of Santa Cruz, I rode up Highway One to Bonny Doon Road, and up that past Bonny Doon. Then back down to Smith Grade and Empire Grade back into Santa Cruz. An excellent 60km ride with a decent amount of climbing. The descent down Empire is very fun...

Pictures....

Sunday, 13 August, 2006, 17:55

Just wanted to let you all know that I have actually, finally, begun to upload pictures to my Photobucket page. So check it out. Once that gets going, I may also begin to use my Flickr account in order to sort out the pictures better.

You can find that at the following link, or simply by clicking on the Pictures! link over on the upper right hand corner of this page...

Photobucket Site!

Singlespeeds on the Coast

Saturday, 12 August, 2006, 19:23

Today was quite the fun ride. I took my Bianchi out to Santa Cruz after bringing it into the shop for a checkup. After parking near Lighthouse Point, I headed up the coast on Highway One, up to Davenport. The last time I did this ride was during the Sentinel Triathlon last fall, so this was a little mellower than that time. This rig can actually handle the hills fairly well, and downhills are forced to be a little slower, since you can't shift into a higher gear. But overall the bike is great, even for moderately long and relatively flat rides.

The weather out on the coast today was absolutely beautiful, very conducive to riding longer distances. So after coming back down the coast, I stopped at the Wharf and ate some California Rolls while reading. The end of the pier is an excellent place to sit and read, despite the throngs of tourons and seagulls.

After that, I headed down through city streets to Capitola, where I sat at Mr. Toots Coffeehouse reading for a while longer. I hadn't been there for a long time, despite the fact that this coffee shop has a place in my coffee-snob history. This was where I had my first espresso drink, many years ago (1995, I think). That was the Mona Lisa Mocha, which is still on the menu and comes highly recommended. Their regular coffee is also outstanding. The location, and the fact that the back patio is there, makes this an amazing place to just hang with friends over a cup of something caffeinated...

Breweries

Monday, 7 August, 2006, 21:46

Just a random post, since I just realize that I've never posted anything about beer in here. So I thought I'd run through a top 5 of my favorite breweries (only the ones I have visited). And of course, why...

1. Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon). Mostly for the Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, but all of the beers that I've tried have been great. And the pub has a nice feel to it, and added to the good food that makes it a place worth visiting when you are going through Bend (and skipping Smith Rocks).

2. Fish Brewing Company (Olympia, Washington). The legend began with the Detonator Dopplebock (which I haven't had since it is seasonal) which depicts the destruction of a dam on its label. When I went in to the Fishbowl Pub, I was amazed to find $3 pints (a rarity here in the Bay Area), good food and a nice cozy atmosphere. Their barleywine-style ale was probably the best I've had, which in my book would make them stand out. But the Oktoberfestbier is also really good. The only one of their beers I don't really care for is the Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale.

3. North Coast Brewing Company (Fort Bragg, California). This has the winner for best single beer I've had (Cask Conditioned Red Seal Ale), and my favorite stout (Old Rasputin Imperial Stout), the only thing they're missing is a competitor in the porter and pale ales made by Deschutes, otherwise they would be number one. And the pub is absolutely brilliant; both in atmosphere and in food quality.

4. Seabright Brewery (Santa Cruz, California). This one gets the nod due to the bicycle friendly nature of the business. Any company that would put its logo on a bike jersey is all right by me. Its location is perfect after a day at the beach or before a show at the Rio Theater. Their Oatmeal Stout is among the best I've had, and yes the food is outstanding.

5. Gordon Biersch (San Jose, California). What can I say about my local hangout? Good beer and a friendly staff. Even the bartender knows me by my first name; which is a bit cool since I don't get in there all that often (maybe once a week during the winter months). I only really drink the darker beers (Marzen, Dunkles and Schwarzbier), but GB is more about the atmosphere than anything else.

Pete Zavala Jr.

Monday, 7 August, 2006, 17:57

The world has lot another one of those shining lights of decency in an increasingly troubled world. Pete (aka Hueco Pete), play an integral role in the golden age of American bouldering, hosting countless world-class climbers in the attic of his store, and later in tents pitched on the property. My first introduction came in late December of 1997, when I was sitting by the stove, warming myself on a cold morning. He said, "Like that fire?" "Yes, thanks." "Well, go get some more wood." He was a great man, and will be missed by anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting him.

Pete's Obituary

Suffer You Will

Monday, 7 August, 2006, 17:08

Just when I thought that I could not suffer any more on a bike, along comes the Shasta Summit Super Century. This ride is 135 miles of pure suffering; you know, the kind that provides a deeper insight into your mind and leads you closer to the state of prana that you've been trying to find all of your life... Right...

Rewinding a little, my alarm went off at 4:30 on Saturday morning; and I was promptly off on the road to Mount Shasta City. Three stops later (two for coffee and one for gas), I pulled into town and went for another cup of coffee at the Seven Suns Cafe. A little later I pulled out my bike so I could shake out the cobwebs that had built up from 5 hours of driving. The Shasta Valley is a beautiful place to ride a bike. The roads are lightly travelled, and for the most part have a decent surface. after a short 23 mile ride, I headed back into town for a burger and settled in to kill some time. Later in the afternoon, drove into Weed; but as I preparing to exit the freeway I got a flat tire. Such an aweful feeling, getting a flat at 7:30 PM on a Saturday (and in a place where not many shops are open on Sundays). I was having visions of having to call in to work on Monday (they'd have to put a sign up that said "Sorry, film processing is down today. Technician is stuck in Weed"), and not being able to do the ride on Sunday. But when I got a call back from the Les Schwab mechanic on duty, he seemed optimistic that he could help me. He didn't have an new 12" tires on hand, but found a used one that had a nail hole in it. So he patched it up and I was on my way. The amazing thing was that it was less than an hour and a half from when I got the flat to when it was replaced. Not bad. The worst thing was definitely putting the spare tire on on the side of a freeway...

That night, I slept in the parking lot at the high school. I'm not sure if it was technically legal, but no one bugged me; so I'll take it. When my alarm went off at 4:30, I was ready to suffer; yet I had no idea just how much I would suffer.

After finding a better parking spot, and riding to the start of the ride; I was off to the start and 135 miles of some of the most scenic riding in California (nay, the world!). At about 5:45 I got started and soon found myself thoroughly enjoying the riding throuh the farm lands northwest of Mount Shasta City, and then up into the "hills". The first climb, up to Parks Creek Summit was very fun, a mere 3300 feet above the town, and not all that steep. The road conditions leave something to be desired, and may be more suited for a cyclcross rig (perhaps not a singlespeed one though). Coming down the hill, it was amazing to see how far back some of the people were, of course I may have had quite a head start, since there really is no set start time.

The second climb, up to Mumbo Summit turned out to not quite be so fun. I'm not sure what the sadistic person that designed this course was thinking. But if it was to maximize the suffering of the riders, they have done an outstanding job. Putting a rest stop half way up the climb, and having everyone else turn around there was a stroke of pure genius. I was already into full suffering mode (replete with visions of ice cream and cold creeks) when I saw the tent for the rest stop. Coming up to it, I was shocked to see the orange arrows pointing straight. How could this climb get any worse? But yes, it does. For the next two miles or so, the road must be approaching close to 15% grades for significant stretches. I actually had to walk part of it. After that, it was amazing that I was able to ride the last couple of miles to the top. At the top, I sat down in the shade and drank a bottle of gatorade and a soda. That, combined with some fruit and cookies made me feel nearly human again. But still, two climbs to go...

The descent turned out to be a little rough, since I got a little piece of rock stuck in my cleat (the part that attaches the shoe to the pedal), and was unable to click into the right pedal. Not so fun when you are dodging rocks and bunnyhopping potholes. I eventually had to stop. Yet coming to the turn for the next climb I found myself dreading the hill. It turned out to not be as bad as the previous one, but the weather had grown considerably warmer, so the suffering was nearly as intense. At one point, I had to get off the bike and sit in the shade for a good 10 minutes before I felt that I could continue. It actually worked, and I was able to ride the rest of the way despite the cramps in my right leg.

Back into the valley, this time for the lunch stop. Which was nice, I figured that real food would give me the energy to tackle the last climb. Boy was I wrong! But it was nice to sit in the shade on the grass for a while. I noticed that a lot of people seemed to be talking about skipping the last climb, and that sort of steeled my determination to at least try it. But after getting about 3 miles up the climb, I decide that I'd had enough. So I turned around and headed back. The total was 110 miles with about 13,300 feet of climbing. At least the food at the finish was good!

And for the "Dirty Girl" (hey, that's what her jersey said!) from Redding, next year we will both finish!

The drive home was brutal, but I managed to get home reasonably early (just before 10:00) and was able to actually sleep before work today.

After only 90 miles...

Monday, 31 July, 2006, 19:39

After 90 miles and leaving countless mountain bikers and roadies in the dust, here is the first picture of me with my new ride. It's pretty much right on, though I might up the gears a touch (maybe put a slight smaller cog on the back). The top end speed is a touch weak while spinning like a madman. But I was able to climb Mount Eden Road on it, so the gearing may be a reasonable compromise...

Finding Serenity

Saturday, 29 July, 2006, 18:19

A friend asked the other day if I had ever found serenity. She seemed amazed when I replied that I thought everyone had at some point or another. Thinking about it further, I have to say that I find it pretty much every day, at least for a little while. I noticed it twice today.

I went up to San Francisco this morning to pick up my new bike (pics soon, I promise), but before that, I went up to Aquatic Park to go for a swim. Once I became acustomed to the cold water (takes a couple hundred yards or so), I settled into a worry-free existance, thinking about nothing really (except perhaps about the mechanics of the freestyle stroke). I really enjoy swimming in open water (especially salt water), and only long bike rides seem to offer the same sense of calm.

The second time was while I was out riding my new bike (a Bianchi San Jose). I always feel a sense of joy when out riding, and this was no different. But add the fact that the simplicity of the bike leaves no room to worry about anything except where you are going, and you have the perfect recipe for reaching prana. Riding with the wind out on the levees at the south end of San Francisco Bay, I felt as good as I ever had on a bike. Even scaring up a flock of seagulls added to the serenity of that couple of minutes (sorry for the bad music reference).

And now sitting here on the couch, watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and drinking a Thunderhead IPA, I'm almost there again. = )

Russian Dolls

Saturday, 29 July, 2006, 18:08

Yesterday after work, I cruised downtown to catch the "long-awaited" sequel to the movie L'Auberge Espagnol, Les Pouppees Rousses. The movie takes place 5 years after the events of the original. Xavier is now approaching the old age of 30 (hey I can relate to this!), and has never been able to have a normal relationship with a woman. We follow him through a few of them, including that dream woman that he has been chasing. At least he thinks she's his dream woman. But things change, people see hidden truths, and along the way Xavi goes to Saint Petersberg to attend William'd wedding to a Russian ballerina. Along the way, Xavi and friends discover what love is. The movie is a thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that succeeds in not being overly sappy. I kind of wish that Audrey Tautou had a bigger roll in the movie, but Kelly Reilley and Evguenya Obraztsova fill in nicely as the pretty women of the film...

Go see it, but see the first one first. And if you hate subtitled movies, stay away.

What Really Grinds My Gears v3.0

Saturday, 22 July, 2006, 00:54

This is for the guy that I chewed out at about 12:20 this morning...

When you are walking down the sidewalk and come to an intersection you have a choice between two alternatives. You either push the walk button or you don't. If you're going to push the walk button, wait for the damned light to change. Don't just go waltzing across the intersection. By doing so, you are inconveniencing other people, which is far worse than the fact that you are breaking the law by doing so. If there are no cars around, just walk across without pushing the button, no one will think less of you. In fact, you would have my gratitude if I didn't have to wait for a red light because you don't have any consideration for other people.

I Assure You, We're Open

Saturday, 22 July, 2006, 00:41

As requested, here is my review of the long-awaited and much-anticipated sequel to the 1994 classic movie Clerks...

Aptly titled Clerks II, the movie takes place 10 years after the events of the original, and yes Randall and Dante still work at the Quick Stop. Or at least they do until the opening scene. After the building burns down, they are forced to seek employment at that lowest form of work, at the fast food joint Mooby's. The movie boils down to some good dialog (let's face it, that's pretty much all Kevin Smith is good at delivering) and a somewhat mixed, though decent, moral to the story. There are certainly some good things to learn here that have nothing to do with donkey shows. In fact, Smith should have left that part out of the movie, I was cringing at that point. The main thing I took from the movie, and there is no surprise here; is that you should go for what makes you happy and not what society says is right. In that regard, Randall lecturing Dante comes off a lot like Howard Roark lecturing Peter Keating in The Fountainhead. And that's the highest praise I can possibly give a movie that has some of the more disgusting scenes ever in a movie. If you didn't like the original Clerks, you certainly will hate this one. If you loved the original, you will love the nods to the original as well as the absurdity that two highly opinionated and reasonably intelligent 33 year olds could possibly be forced to work in the fast food industry.

A Flat Clearly

Saturday, 15 July, 2006, 01:24

First the positive thing: today was actually a pretty good day overall. That said, when will they ever finish the construction on Coleman Avenue at 880? I hit a sharp esge in the road coming off the overpass and blew out my back tire. After replacing the tube, I got another flat about 100 yards later. Finally I stuck a patch inside the tire and rode off to the pool. After swimming I went over to the bike shop and got a new tire.

Afterwards, I went over to Orchard Valley Coffee Roasting Company and sat around reading my current book No god But God by Reza Aslan. It's actually quite a well-written history of the Islamic faith. I think he goes a bit far with many of his assertions about the peacefulness of the original religion, but he is Muslim, so we can give him a pass on that one. There was also live music there, The Undergrads, who played a few decent cover songs. Their version of Like A Stone was especially good. They'll be back at the OVC next month, so maybe I'll be there then as well.

Then I had a choice between seeing Pirates of The Carribean or A Scanner Darkly, so I naturally chose Scanner. As the keeper of the Grail said in Indiana Jones, "You have chosen wisely". This was actually a good movie, which perhaps falls into the same tradition as Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. The only problem I had with the movie were some anti-religion themes in the movie, and a bit of a "drug use isn't so bad" sort of attitude. It's not really the message I would want my kids to see. Visually, the animation of the movie was excellent, and the cast is certainly well-suited to play paranoid drug addicts.

After all that, the 9 mile ride home from the theater was pretty nice at around midnight.

Reading Ann Coulter in Tehran

Saturday, 8 July, 2006, 21:35

Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. -Ayn Rand (from The Fountainhead

And now that the random quote of the day is there, I will move on to lighter subjects. Today, I did not leave the house until 3:00 PM, and it felt pretty damned good to do so. I had no issues with motivation today, I was just enjoying watching Germany beat Portugal in the 3rd place game in the World Cup. Before that, I was watching the Tour de France.

All I did in the afternoon was to ride downtown and go for a swim. After a short workout (1500 yards), I went over to Peets and sat there reading Ann Coulter's masterpiece Godless until the weather was cool enough outside to make riding comfortable. Then I rode up into Mountain View and back home. All told, a very nice ride, especially the 10 miles after dark.

Now I'm sitting on the couch, watching The Crusades on the Discovery Times channel...

Some People

Thursday, 6 July, 2006, 23:29

Some people just can't seem to understand that there is a level in all of us that needs to be private. No one has the right to know the inner workings of our minds unless we choose to allow the access. This is why I try not to pry into the personal lives of my friends. If they want to ask advice or for an opinion, that's fine. But I don't have the right to pry it from them. If you're having a bad day, just do your best not to drag everyone else down with you.

When I'm at work, I think about work. Period. Weekends and time off are for avoiding the drama that is work-related. I don't want to think about it.

This post is either the result of too little sleep, too much coffee, or too much Ayn Rand...

Thoughts During Long Rides

Sunday, 2 July, 2006, 20:59

I did another fun long ride today, again without my iPod. Well, I had it with me, but I've discovered that the longer rides are better without the music. Only the "thought stream" within the conscious mind. The basic course of the ride was from north San Jose to Palo Alto, back down and through Stevens Canyon (I tried Redwood Gulch but it felt too painful today, so I went over Mount Eden Road instead), back through Saratoga and Los Gatos, and down Santa Teresa Road to Morgan Hill. Then back up Monterry Road into downtown San Jose. To finish off the full century, I rode through Milpitas rather than going straight home. 103 miles total.

It's really weird, the sorts of things you actuallly think about while riding. Of course, 60% of it is paying attention to what is coming at you on the road. Avoiding rocks, glass, railroad tracks, parked cars, idiot drivers, road separations, road kill, etc... That's most of it. I'd say that the biggest part of this category involves complaining about signal lights.

Paying attention to how your body feels takes another 20% of the thoughts: drinking when you're thirsty, eating when you need it, minor aches and pains, etc... The hardest thing to do during a long ride is to keep adequately hydrated, and keeping the blood sugar levels up to avoid bonking.

The rest of it is the fun stuff, the random little snippets of everyday humor that we all see around us. The best example I can think of is when I was riding past a sheep farm down in Morgan Hill, the sheep noises made me think of Kenny. I'm not sure why...

Other little things might include thinking things like: what was that that just slithered into the bushes right next to me?; did the girls really need to pass me at the top of Mount Eden Road (these were the same riders that inspired me to my best time up Highway 9 a few years ago); wow, that muffin at the Blue Rock Shoot is going to taste good; I sure hope the next food place I see is not a Taco Bell (fortunately it was a Subway!); and I always tend to think a little about work, and other thoughts that force themselves out of the subconcious mind.

Now I'm just sitting on the couch watching this mornings stage of the Tour de France.

Motivation And Sleep Deprivation

Wednesday, 28 June, 2006, 22:35

Last night was a late night (something about free beer at Gordon Biersch, how can you go wrong with that?), and today was a long day at work. Not very conducive to getting a good workout in after work. In fact, I was in my car for nearly two hours, trying to work up the courage to go for a run. Not even a crazy long one, just an average one; but I couldn't seem to get going. Finally, at around7:20, I got out of my car and started running. Once I began, I actually felt very good. I did intentionally walk a bit, just to avoid doing too much. Taking two months off from running is not good for maintaining the ability to run distance.

The coolest part of the run was seeing a California Kingsnake, so something other than a common gopher snake. And I also got hissed at by a goose for getting too close to its goslings. That's always fun. I wonder what it would be like to actually be attacked by a goose?

Also, I really miss the cool weather. Anything over 75 is too warm as far as I'm concerned...

Place of the week...

Thursday, 15 June, 2006, 22:21

White Rock, British Columbia

A nice little town on the shore of Boundary Bay, as you might guess, right on the Washington-British Columbia border...

Wikipedia Article- White Rock, BC

You Belong To Me

Sunday, 11 June, 2006, 12:45

Here's a link to the video of Kenny and Heather singing Tonight You Belong To Me. If you don't recall, that's from Steve Martin's classic movie, The Jerk.


http://www.mikedeitchman.com/videos/youbelongtome.AVI

If you happen to want to check out the original version of the song, you can find it on this page:

http://www.memorylane.mikesoldiestoo.co ... ndex19.htm

Basement 3 Pictures

Sunday, 11 June, 2006, 12:16

Here are a few of the shots I took at last night's show at the Blue Rock Shoot. I may also upload the video of Kenny and Heather singing the song "Tonight You Belong To Me" (from the movie The Jerk. That will depend on how long I sit around the house today watching World Cup Football. So much for going to that free Cake show at Golden Gate Park...

Higher Standards

Sunday, 11 June, 2006, 01:54

In response to a question that was asked of me recently...

I keep my standards high. I will not settle for second best, and what I end up with will be what makes me happy. There is nothing fleeting about this, this is how it is supposed to be.

On a lighter note, Saturday was all about cycling and a Basement 3 show at the Blue Rock Shoot. Some pictures will be posted soon...

Sunday Morning Coming Down (Part 2)

Sunday, 4 June, 2006, 21:32

This morning I really felt the lyrics of Johny Cash's song (Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt...).

That was the third song that popped up on my iPod on random play while driving north out of Bishop. And after yesterday's ride, what more could I expect than to be incredibly sore? But at least mentally I feel more complete than I have in a while. Of course, it might just be that I really needed those 4 days off from work (duh!)...

After riding around Lake Tahoe on Thursday, I drove down to the hot springs near Mammoth to soak for a while. Sitting in there, drinking an Old Stock Ale (that I got from the brewery on Monday!); life seemed pretty good. After I headed into Mammoth for some food, I hit the Crestview Rest Area for a nice place to sleep for the night.

In the morning, I hit Schat's Bakkery in Mammoth for a cinnamon roll, which I washed down with some fine pressed coffee (thanks to Eugenia at Barefoot for roasting the coffee so well!). Then I went back to the hot spring and soaked for a bit more, sort of prepping my muscles for the torture that lay ahead for the next day.

In Bishop, I went in to the Mountain Gallery to pass a little time before checking into my hotel. Kevin gave me the tour of the place, and introduced me to everyone and I was almost tempted to apply for the job they had posted on the door. But as much as I love Bishop, I'm not sure I could live there.

After settling in at the Super 8 Motel, I pulled my bike out to go for a short ride; yeah, a mere 26 miles. This was mostly to shake out the cobwebs since I hadn't ridden since the day before. And also, if I don't do something physical in a given day I feel lazy. Coming back through town, I checked in for Saturday's ride, then stopped at the Bi-Rite Market for some food. Pork chops, hard-boiled eggs and a brownie. (Yumm!!!)

Then I kicked back in my hotel room with a beer and watched The Blue Collar guys doing their stand-up routines. I don't think so, Scooter. Brilliant...

At 4:25 AM I awoke and quickly changed into my bike clothes, barely conscious of the fact that I was setting out for an absurdly long day of riding. I don't think that hit me for about 6 hours, but more on that later. I rode over to the start at the La Quinta Inn, and before long, we were off.

The ride started off with a tour of the roads south and west of Bishop, so that by the time we actually were out of sight of town, we had covered more than 20 miles. And then it was off into what is probably the toughest climb of the day, up Old Sherwin Grade (Lower Rock Creek Road), which is fairly mellow but also a bit of grind and must be tough later in the day since it is in the sun all day. From the first summit, there was a screaming descent in Rock Creek Canyon, then a mellow climb out to 395. From there, it was north and into the town of Crowley Lake and the second checkpoint. After checking in and refueling, we continued north parrelling and then joining 395 (and then on to 203) for the ride up into Mammoth Lakes. From town, we went through the Mammoth Scenic Drive, which has a fast descent onto 395. And then on to the Crestview Rest Stop for checkpoint #3, which is about where the riding starts to seem a little monotonous (although the scenery was still very nice!).

From there, it was on to the June Lakes Loop, which starts out fairly nice, passing June, Gull and Silver Lakes; but the turns bleak when going past Grant Lake. Grant just seems to last forever, with no shade, nor much vegetation of any kind. Finally though we crossed a little rise in the road an descended back to 395 for the ride up into Lee Vining. After passing through town, the road drops for a mile or so, and then seems to take forever to get you to the county park. But finally, like a mirage, it's there; along with soda, turkey sandwiches and plenty of granola bars. When I went to leave I noticed that I had a flat tire, so I had to pause to fix that before continuing on for the remaining 93 miles.

Back on the road, I slogged up the hill back to Lee Vining, and then after a fairly quick 10 miles, made the left turn onto 120 east towards Benton. Only 46 miles to the next town! The road up to Sagehen Summit is one of those that would be great if you were riding with fresh legs. But coming after 130 miles, it seems brutally long. At least I was able to chat with a couple of other riders while grinding up the hill. The fantasies about what food we were going to eat at the finish were already starting to dance in our minds. Steak was sure sounding good about then!

After reaching a false summit and seeing another small valley ahead, I was beginning to wonder how much longer this could go on. I decided that I would pause at the top of the next rise to take a short break. When I got to the top, I was overjoyed to see the sign announcing Sagehen Summit! The climbing was over for the day! Well, not really; but we'll stick to that thought for now.

I stopped at the checkpoint there, and restocked my gatorade; and consumed another 800 calories worth of food. And then off for the fast descent off the summit (nearly 50 MPH at the fastest). After the steep part at the top, the road makes a long series of ups and downs (as roads often seem to do in desert landscapes), some of which seemed brutal. But the worst part was the condition of the road. It really needs to be repaved! There are separations in the road about ever 20 feet; and riding across these is quite jarring on the body and on the bike. I was cursing the DOT most of the way along this stretch. Coming down through the last valley, I was almost disheartened to see another climb, but fortunately, it was too steep, and there was a sign at the top that would put a spring in any cyclist's step. 7% grade, next 3 miles!

So after flying down those 3 miles in record time, I passed the Benton Hot Springs, and found myself in town, and at the final checkpoint. After kicking back there for a solid 20 minutes, and refilling my camelback; it was off on the tailwind-aided final 36 miles of the day. The first 6 miles or so out of town, I was cruising at 30+ MPH, and after the road levelled out a bit, I was still flying at 25+ until about 20 miles to go. The tailwind sort of died, and the road was fairly flat. So the last few miles were a bit of a slog. That is, until I saw Five Bridges Road (about 2 miles to go). time for a final sprint! I almost fell over waiting for the signal light to get on Main Street, but managed not to, and the sprinted the last half mile to the finish. What a relief!

As luck would have it; after kicking back and relaxing for a half-hour or so, I went to leave and realized I had another flat tire. I almost decided to walk the 3/4 mile back to the hotel, but didn't. I have to have some sort of dignity! But changing the tubes was a hell of a lot easier after 107 miles than it was after 200!

After cleaning up, I walked (yes, I could still walk) over to Amigo's and had one of their kickass Chicken Changas. And then off to sleep, still watching Ron White and Larry The Cable Guy on the TV...

And then I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.

What Really Grinds My Gears...

Sunday, 4 June, 2006, 21:28 - Random Thoughts

Entry #2 in this series inspired by Peter Griffin (from the TV show Family Guy).

I absolutely hate people who pass on the right while driving on the freeway. Especially the jerks who weave in and out of traffic. I always do my best not to let them past.

Around Tahoe in 253 minutes...

Thursday, 1 June, 2006, 15:13

After sleeping at the Lover's Leap campground last night, I brewed up a fresh press of coffee to start my morning off the right way. Once the coffee was beginning its near-IV drip into my system; I hit the road for Stateline, Nevada. After parking in one of the casino parking lots, I unloaded my bike and got ready to tackle a ride around what has to be one of the most absurdly beautiful lakes in the world.

At 8:00 AM, I was on my bike, heading west with the morning commute (what little SLT has) along Highway 50. I was just getting my groove back on, and warming up to the altitude and the slight chill in the air. Reaching the "Y", I turned north onto Highway 89, and soon found myself on the first real climb of the ride. The ridge of land that forms the southside of Emerald Bay creates some steep roads, but not too bad after only 8 miles of riding.

After bombing the decent into Rubicon Bay, the road settles down for some slight ups and downs for the next 30 miles or so. This side of the lake is just beautiful, and the views can be stunning with snow still on the peaks for most of the year. After turning onto Highway 28, the road turns toward the east, and before long the "welcome to Nevada" sign is within grasp. After a few dips and climbs, the road finally settles for up after passing Incline Village. The climb up to Spooner Summit is not that steep, but the altitude and sun conspire to make it hard. But then the reward of flying down Highway 50 at speeds approaching 45 MPH (without pushing it) makes the climb completely worthwhile.

Before long, the tunnels through Cave Rock are past, and there are just a few more slight ups and downs before the casinos of Stateline are visible. Then just like that, it was over.

The pointless stats: 121.5 kilometres, 28.1 kph average, 4:13:25 total riding time...

Not bad for an easy Thursday ride. = )

Now I'm at the Alpensierra Coffee House in South Lake Tahoe, and soon will be off for the hotsprings down by Mammoth. That should feel good...

Greetings From The Halfway House!

Wednesday, 31 May, 2006, 20:35

I'm halfway there!

No, not to the insane asylum (although Folsom almost is one); I'm on my way to Lake Tahoe for the moment. My intention is to ride around the lake tomorrow, as a warmup for a long ride on Saturday. Getting used to the altitude should be fun; I figure that the best way is to go through some lung-burning riding with only one night at a moderately high altitude.

On the other front, the insanity front; I have 4 days off from work, which should help considerably. Hopefully by Monday things will be settled down a bit and I can get back to working my ass off without actually being overworked and overstressed.

And for the random motorcyclist who asked me why bicyclists feel the need to ride on steep and narrow mountain roads: it is necessary, as necessary as breathing or as it is for anyone to do anything. If you only live 1.735 times, why waste it on the pedestrian things in life? Why not enjoy a little suffering once in a while? Besides, the reward of blasting down the hills at jet-propelled speeds will at least put a smile on your face...

And greetings from the It's A Grind Coffeehouse in lovely Folsom, CA.

Morons and Broncos

Saturday, 20 May, 2006, 17:40

What is it about the Ford Bronco that attracts the biggest idiots out there to drive them?

Earlier today, I was driving southbound on 880 towards Santa Cruz, minding my own business, and keeping up just fine with the flow of traffic. This dumb blonde bitch in a Bronco suddenly swerves into my lane aiming right at me. If it wasn't for my Jedi reflexes, I surely would have been splattered across the barrier in the middle of the highway. I don't think she even noticed, even after I laid on my horn for about 20 seconds.

How do these people get their driver's liscenses?

In other news, the water off of Cowell Beach was perfect for swimming today. I swam straight out to the farthest buouy (parralleling the cliff north of the wharf), then hooked south and followed the line of buouys marking the swimming zone. When I reached the last one, next to the lifegaurd tower, I turned back and aimed for my stuff on the north end of the beach. After a while, I realized I was fighting a strong current, so I ended up walking the last couple of hundred yards rather than fighting a losing battle. All in all, a nice swim of about 1300 yards.

You may be right, I may be crazy...

Sunday, 14 May, 2006, 13:01

Yesterday was quite a fun day. It all started out with a drive into Los Gatos for the Cat's Hill Classic bike race. Since my race was first, I had to get there relatively ealy, around 8:00am. My dad went with me, so he could take some pictures and watch some of the races, and take my car home if I was motivated enough to go for a long ride afterwards.

After waiting in line at registration, I put on my cycling clothes and went for a warm-up ride. That was all of 7 miles at a moderate to slightly elevated pace. I felt that I was ready to go, so at 9:15, I was in the staging area, ready for my first bike race ever.

From the starting whistle, I knew I was in trouble when most of the field went sprinting past me. I was thinking, this is Cat 5? For the first couple of laps, I could see the main field stretched out in front of me. But Cat's Hill has a tough reputation, and for a really good reason. That short, 23% grade hill in the middle of the 1-mile loop really shuts you down. On the third lap, there was a crash in front of me, and I wasn't able to shift into a low enough gear. At the point I was really screwed, as it took far too long to get up the hill on that lap. I tried working with another rider to make up lost ground, but we were just too far back, and ended up getting pulled after the sixth lap. Oh well, at least I had my first taste of the world of bike racing.



After all that, I was still psyched to go for a ride, but I stayed around for a while, recovering and watching the Cat 4, as well as the junior, race. It's amazing how much faster cycling looks when you're not in the race. And now I've got something to train for.




After going in for more coffee and a scone, I got back on my bike and rode into Saratoga. There, I fueled up with an Odwalla super protein drink, and finished my scone. And then, it was on up highway 9. I actually felt quite good, riding to my third fastest time going up, and my fastest so far this year. Maybe there is hope of someday getting down into the low 30s. = )

When I got up to Castle Rock, I was just going to lock my bike up and find some of my friends who were climbing, but they were just coming out of the park, to go in to the Indian Rock side of the road, so I went over and climbed with them for a few hours. I didn't really have the energy to do much, but it was still fun to hang out. Towards 6:30, I had to get out, so I wouldn't have to ride too much after dark. I bombed down the hill in into Saratoga, and then over to a friend's house for poker, beer and pizza.

All in a day's fun. = )

Apologies for another work-related rant...

Monday, 8 May, 2006, 19:50

Why is it that some people, no matter how many times you point out problems with their work still make the same errors over and over and over again? Come on people, do you honestly expect me to listen to you whining about how busy you are, when I start two hours before you and frequently leave at about the same time as you do? Are 10.5 hours of work enough for one man to work in a day?

Come on, do your part. I really would like to see the company be a lot more successful than it is right now. Doesn't anybody take pride in their work any more? Did I spend half of my day today catching up on black and white processing for nothing?

The one phrase that I don't want to hear anymore is, "I was too busy." Angry customers should get a quick response, not being put on hold. When I've told you two times that you have a call, take the damned thing. Put out the flame before it consumes everything in sight...

Anyway, yet again, it's time to watch the Sharks kick the Oilers asses.

Funny Bumper Stickers

Saturday, 6 May, 2006, 11:50

I saw a hybrid car with a "darwin fish" and a bumper sticker that said "thank you for not breeding". Absolutely ironic! He's so smug in his belief that he is superior, and that people should not have kids. If he follows his own advice, he is proving that he is not "the fittest", since only the fittest can produce offspring...

Enough on that topic, it's neary noon, and I've only ridden my bike today. Time to get out to Castle Rock for a afternoon session of bouldering. Pictures may follow tonight or tomorrow...

Another Day, Another Year

Wednesday, 3 May, 2006

Yes, the rumours flying to and fro across the vastness of cyberspace are true. Yesterday was my birthday. In what has become my typical fashion, I did not tell all that many people, prefering instead to have at least part of the day to myself.

Since one of my co-workers has the same birthday, it is hard for me to get the day off. This year was no exception; so I had to work on my birthday. But at least I work the early shift, and I was not about to work overtime on this day. I punched out promptly at 2:44 PM, and got on my bike. 4.25 hours later, I was in downtown San Jose, ready to get some beer at Gordon Biersch. I shared a few laughs with nine of my friends; and ended up not getting home until 11:35, and not getting to sleep until 12:15. And then back up at 5:50 to get to work on time today. But I must stay away from those burgers at GB, my stomach is still a bit queasy from that...

But anyway. May 2 is still just another day. I've discovered that it doesn't really matter how old you are; just that you still have the ability to ride a metric century and still have the energy to get up the next morning and go to work.

And speaking of birthdays, congratulations to my old friend Dan on the birth of his first child, Ava Simone, who was born at 3:10 PM (EST) today.

Another random picture

Sunday, 30 April, 2006

Can anyone recognize Alesandra in this picture?

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Sunday, 30 April, 2006

More and more, I can see why people who work more than full time ending up becoming slaves to their jobs, and let themselves get out of shape. I'm sitting here on a BEAUTIFUL Sunday morning, having trouble motivating myself yet again. To be fair to myself, the pool is not open yet, so perhaps by then I'll have the motivation to get on my bike and ride downtown.

Yesterday was quite a good day. It was the first weekend day that has been dry enough for climbing up at Castle Rock. So I headed up around 10:45. After stopping for gas and coffee, I headed up. Naturally when I got there, the parking was full, so I parked at the Summit Rock parking lot, which is about a mile from Castle Rock. After a great day of bouldering and hanging out with friends, Ted gave me a ride back to my car. When I got to my car, I realized that I had left my lights on, and that Ted had driven off. But then I noticed that he hadn't pulled out of the lot yet, so I ran after him. Fortunately, he had jumper cables, so I was able to start my car and head down.

We stopped in at the Blue Rock Shoot in Saratoga to grab a beer and hang out for a while. When I walked in, I saw my friend Kenny's car in his usual spot. So I knew I was in for some good music as well. So I ended up staying and taking some pictures of Alesandra, Kenny and Lyndie; and generally enjoying the infectious happy bitterness of Alesandra's songs.

Being Alone vs. Enjoying your Life...

Wednesday, 26 April, 2006

This is somewhat in response to a conversation I had today at work with one of my co-workers. She was suggesting that to be happy, you need to be with someone (it's also somewhat in response to my friend Jen's Blogfrom about an hour ago).

I absolutely do not agree that you need to be with someone to enjoy life, or to enjoy art. My response to art, as to life, has more to do with my internal reaction to it. Having someone else thrust their opinion of the art at you may influence how you view the art. You might think that a particular piece is not overly good (and in my opinion, this is far too often the case), yet if someone next to you thinks that the piece is the definition of brilliance; you may decide to take a second look, and decide that the art is true genius. But is that really your opinion, or are you acquiescing to their point of view? Is that what makes you happy? If so, by all means, go for it.

I seem to be at the most peaceful, and enjoy my life to a greater extent, when I am alone and "suffering" on my bike. Or running, swimming, climbing, skiing or whatever. As long as I am outside, and doing something I enjoy I am happy. The problem is that when you allow someone else to dictate your pace (or your taste in art/music/movies/etc...) you give up a little of your freedom, and I cannot live that way. That doesn't mean that I always dislike being around other people, just that I do not want to let someone else dictate the terms by which I live my life.

***Warning*** This entry was influenced by strong coffee (from OVC) and by listening to the MacCast podcast...

Updates and roasting...

Sunday, 23 April, 2006

First, the update on Wednesday's entry. After work, I ended up riding nearly 60 miles to up my day's total to 64 miles. The weather was just so absolutely beautiful that I had to get on my bike, and I didn't get home until sunset (with only a few short stops). Getting off work on time (2:55) is a good thing on those days that are conducive to long rides.

Thursday was the first climbing day of the season. The weather finally has begun to cooperate, and the rock at Castle was finally dry enough to climb. I headed out to Summit Rock with my friends Evan and Chris. We did a few of the cracks there, and I discovered that I really need to start bringing my harness with me when I go up there rather than just my crashpad, chalkbag and shoes.

Yesterday's ride was quite fun, though I was a bit tired from all the running and biking. I went through Los Gatos (le tour de MILFs) and into Saratoga. The music at the Blue Rock Shoot was excellent, and Robyn Harris is definitely someone who is worth checking out live. Basement 3, as always, was excellent, and you all need to check them out before Kenny disappears into the outback.

I'm not sure why I'm lacking motivation today. Perhaps I just needed a day of rest (I wonder why!). So I've been cruising MySpace for long lost friends, and watching Tivo'd bike races on the tele. And I'm a little miffed at myself for forgetting that the Sharks were playing early today.

Weather...

Wednesday, 19 April, 2006

It's about time the weather started to get better. I was beginning to get a little stir crazy, riding to work so little for the last 2 months. The bike is calling my name more and more these days. So I sit here at 6:00am ready to get on my bike and ride to work; dreading the first couple hundred yards which seem always to be the toughest.

Only 43 days to go until the big ride, so hopefully I will get enough riding in before then that the 14 hours on the bike won't get me too sore.

Running and Stitches...

Sunday, 16 April, 2006

I love hanging out in Santa Cruz, depsite the sheer weirdness of the people that live here. One dude on the street even had neon blue hair, which I had no idea was possible until today. Right now, I am sitting in the Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company, pondering walking over to the theater to catch a movie...

So after sleeping in a bit this morning (which for me mean 7:30), I went for a drive down to Kasier to get my stitches removed. Amazingly, I was only there for an hour (this must be some sort of record for that place). So now I no longer have the stitches, but a bit of a mark that will hopefully subside and not leave much of a scar.

After that excitement, I drove down to Santa Cruz, where I ran the 10k run portion of the Sentinel Triathlon course. The last time I ran that was during the race in October. That time both of my legs cramped up in the first mile. This was nothing like that, except that had the tiredness remaining from the bicycling (in this case, it was from the 70 miles that I rode yesterday). My average pace was a bit off from my normal training runs, but I felt reasonable. You can't always run at your top speed, as my dad is so fond of saying...

The Best Way to Spend a Friday Evening!

Friday, 14 April, 2006

Can you say, "Runner's high"? I hadn't truly experienced it for years, until a few minutes ago.

After work, I went for a 6+ mile run (that's how I describe running 30 minutes out and the running back) out of downtown Los Gatos. My run went up the Flume/Jones trail to Alma Bridge Road. I then went up that until I hit the 30 minute mark (a bit past the rowing club). I then turned around and came back down via the Los Gatos Creek Trail.

For the marked mile and a half from the top of the dam down, I let loose a little. After about a half mile, I found myself cruising along at a decent (for me) clip, enjoying the hell out of myself. This feeling of near euphoria lasted until I slowed down to warm down near the end of my run.

And I think that this is a big part of why I find running to almost be more fun than cycling or swimming. With cycling, I have to go for hours before I get this feeling, and with swimming I find it nearly impossible to get that feeling if I am pushing myself at all.

And yeah, running is fun...

Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head

Tuesday, 21 March, 2006

Put your hand inside the puppet head: a song title? Or a really bad pickup line?

Just another random though that came up during the usually odd conversation at work this afternoon. Kind of makes you wonder what John(s) Linnell and Flansburgh were smoking when the lyrics were created...

Payback for the SUV Idiots

Saturday March 18, 2006

This may be stereotypical or something; but it really does seem like th idiots in our society are the ones who drive the SUVs. I'm driving along on a snowy road; and there's an SUV (I think it was a Honda Passport) off the side of the road, plowed into the snowbank.

The real kicker is that I was driving near the speedlimit, with no chains on my Geo Metro. What was this idiot doing that caused him to lose control?

I have no doubt that when I get an SUV, I will at least be able to drive the damned thing. And actually use the thing for what it was intended...

Lame attempt to salvage my coolness?

Friday March 17, 2006

This lovely posting is coming to you reasonably live from Folsom, CA. I almost feel that I should be listening to Johnny Cash; for some reason. I'm sitting in the It's A Grind coffee shop. The pastries are 2 for the price of one this time of night, which is always a bonus when you are scrimping every penny that you can.

Life in general is going well; I'm not even sure why I decided to start a blog. Perhaps to let my friends have a glimpse into the turmoil and confusedness that is my soul. Look for plenty of rants and raves here in the future; but none of that anonymous shit you get on Craigslist. For now though; I am in a decent mood. The snow beckons, and I will be ripping up some freshies tomorrow at Sierra At Tahoe; and at Northstar on Sunday. Life always looks good at the beginning of the weekend. Whether or not it still looks that way at the end is what makes life so damned unpredictable and fun to actually live through.

As for other reasons to get into blogging so long after the rest of the world? Hell, being a late-adopter means that the bugs should have been worked out of the system long ago. We'll see what happens.

Back to reading Saving Cascadia, by John Nance.