Weekend in Review

Friday got out & enjoyed the "warm" weather with a descent ride. Just a quick ride though since I don't see much point right now in building form since I'll have to start from ground zero again in a couple of weeks. Going to use the off time to try & tweek my new training plan. Friday evening my whole family came for dinner. This included my extended St. Louis family since they were in town for the Home Show aka Office Supply Trick or Treat(more in a bit). I should mention the pic to the left is stolen from the Springfield News Leader without permission incase I get sued.

Amber & I think our house is pretty good sized till we fill it to full bed capacity. Add to that a 1.5 year old & wow does it get small in a hurry. The 1.5 year old is Madison of the St. Louis family. She's a sweet heart & really enjoyed playing with Mia & trying to get Uncle Scott to let her go upstairs. Its hard to say no to that cute face but its even harder to cross her Mom Paula & her Nanny Lyn. Paula was in town to work the AT&T booth @ the Home Show so she got us all free tickets as well.

If you never been to the Home show you are missing out on a prime opportunity to stock up on yard sticks & various office supplies. Each booth gives something away. Its so retarded the amount of crap they give away some booths give away sacks so you can haul all of it. My nieces have a year supply of pens, highlighters, & yard sticks. On the topic of yard sticks who's the genius that thought it would be a good idea to give away yard sticks to kids in a convention haul packed to the rim with people? What's the first thing that is going to happen? That's right they are going to whack someone, usually me, with it. We did get to see some cool things, but after you've seen 2 types of blown insulation the other 15 get a bit redundant.Sunday I took the opportunity to cut down my tree & mark off the to do list all the things that require the use of 2 good arms. I made a pretty good dent in it too. I think I have a good list of one armed things to occupy my time after the pain meds wear off Thursday. Though I've been threatened by every women I know to take the pain meds this time for more than 48 hrs. Is it my fault they don't enjoy pain as much as I do?

Sunday AM as I was getting ready to head out to the yard I got a call from John Jones asking me if I was watching CX world's on Cycling.TV? I had tried earlier but it wouldn't let me on. He said try again since the Elite men were live & I wouldn't believe what was happening. Holy Crap John Page was leading! I sat for the next 30 minutes yelling @ my computer screen every time Page attacked or got attacked. He put up a valiant effort but came up short on the final stair section. Vervecken was just too fast up them. But Silver @ World's is amazing. That makes 3 Silver's for the US; Elite Men, Elite Women Katie Compton, & Juniors Danny Summerhill. Then I find out in 07 the US gets to host a World Cup. Cross is going to be HUGE next season. Now I have some motivation to start training once I heal up.

Hindsight

Not my X Ray but pretty close to what it looks like.

What I should have had done back in June I get to go through next Thursday. That's right I'm getting cut on. It'll be done on as an out patient surgery which is a good thing. Dr. Crites is going to make a small incision, look @ the bone fragment then decide to use either an S shaped plate or a straight plate. The drawback to plates is I get a second surgery to have it removed. The Dr. doesn't think my recovery time should be too long so hopefully back @ it sooner than this summer. I tried to throw Curt some business but he no longer does surgeries only pain management. He'll have to find another way to pay for that altitude tent now.

Guest Blog

Amber wants a new post so she can do it her self, post thanks to Amber:



Last night I made the best lasagna ever!! Jeremy and Kathryn were here to share in the ooey gooey goodness. Jeremy also brought a BIG bottle of wine and after two rather large glasses I was ready for bed. Mia woke up @ 5 this morning and needless to say I was not ready to greet the day just yet. So I changed her little hinney and put her back to bed for another couple of hours. I actually had to wake up to an alarm this morning which I haven't had to do in several months.

Today was my interview with Lowe's for a part time cashiering position. You would think I was applying for a management position or something, after two interviews and a drug test (more on that later) I have to go back for a 3rd interview after my back ground check and drug test come back. The drug test was something new, I've taken quite a few in my day and this one was on site. I had to put a toothbrush shaped piece of cardboard on a plastic stick in my mouth and hold it there for 5 minutes!! It tasted really salty and thankfully the lady who will be my boss had some gum for me afterward. After I pulled the testing stick out of my mouth I had to put it in a sterile tube that had some kind of blue liquid in it and seal it with a sticker that I had previously initialed. So after all of the fun of the hiring process I still want to know how much of discount I will be receiving.

Well that's all the excitement I have to share for now. Enjoy the pictures of my most beautiful creation, Mia!!!

ARGH! Trees in the way

My plan to get in a good ride on the Frisco trail kind of back fired. I took the SS CX bike since I figured less moving parts the less to screw up. You can't imagine how many trees are down on the trail. A lot you can ride around or through. There are a few sections that you have to climb, drag, or push your way through. After 45 minutes out I lost patience & decided I was getting soaked dragging through the trees so it was time to head home. I hit as much pavement as I could on the way back. Hopefully the thaw will stand some of the trees back up, but I have a feeling that a saw will have to do the brunt of the work. I had plans on doing quite a bit of training on the Frisco this year but it might be awhile before any quality workouts can be done on it.This was one of the better sections. Right after this I ripped my Gore-Tex tights.

This week has kind of sucked training wise so going to make an effort to get on track next week. Yesterdays ride was a pleasant surprise when I looked @ the numbers. It was a lot more quality than I thought it was. Wednesday is the big day when I find out if I go under the knife or not.

How to loose a day

Its easier than you think when you work nights. Yesterday I went to bed to take a "nap" @ 11am Friday. I woke up @ 2:30 am Saturday. See a day lost. When I got up I put the time to use clearing off the DVR of shows I hadn't watched yet. Shane I watched 3 episodes of Dirt, definitely not the best show on FX. Though I do enjoy the Schizophrenia guy & his relationship with a dead imaginary movie star. The soft core pornography doesn't hurt either. Don't think I'll make much effort to keep up with it though.

I've been getting pretty soft lately with the ice & all. So I got out this AM a little over 3 hours of quality "cold forging". I think I have my cold feet problem about solved. For all but about 20 minutes of my ride @ sub 31 degrees my feet were toasty. Tomorrow might be a challenge to get in some saddle time with this coming down. I might try for a ride on the Frisco trail on my MTB if we only get a few inches. Might be fun. Stay warm kids.

More ice dilemna

Work cancelled out 3 more shifts yesterday. So I got to spend a B.O.R.I.N.G night @ work. Not even any parts to fab. Did get the chainsaw tuned up, then got accused of trying to steal a chainsaw by the idiot guard. Kind of hard to steal something you own Einstein. Oh well already to saw some wood when the ice melts. Though it sounds like Skip doesn't need help now since he got visited by the wood fairy. Maybe their is some hope for human kind.

Good news the girls are coming home today! Though I hear my lil sis is now without power. Guess the generator might need to go a little more north. Keep the generator calls coming kids I'm thinking about doing a step by step instructable to help people know for future reference. Be like a scout, always be prepared.

Do onto other bee-aches!

Yesterday I subjected Amber to a tyraid about others being idiots & having no respect for others. Well I hope their Karma screws them. Mine on the other hand seems to be on the upswing.

I came home this AM to a cold house, so I kicked on the generator. I started looking out the back window & something struck me as odd. It took me a minute but it dawned on me; I was looking @ a doorbell light. So I looked out my front door to my neighbors house who both of who are currently in Iraq(husband & wife), & their doorbell light is on. Light bulb moment! Holy crap I have power. So I turn off the generator, turn on the main breaker, & viola! I've been repaid for a favor & I have P.O.W.E.R.!!!!!!! I'm no longer a simulated Amish member.

You ask what favor? Simple I turned out a little part for MacAnutt's wind trainer. Q.E.D I have power. I went into work last night to find out that the shift had been canceled for the first time in like 15 years. Crazy! So what to do to pass the time? Make Cale's little do hickie for him.

What do I get in return? A light switch that works. Thanks Cale. Here's your part. I hope your power is on soon.

Shane, I could explain in detail about the generator but here's the nasty. Your house has 220 volts coming in from the line. Thus the reason your dryer works. OK split that in 1/2 & you get 110 volts, thus the reason your Microwave works & most assorted household appliances. Look @ the breaker see how its broke into 2? 110 each side. Two breakers together taps all 220. One breaker gives you 110. OK? Anyway if you reverse a plug & pump 110 into it(after turning off main breaker) you get 110 to 1/2 the house. Electricity is a 2 way street so to speak. Not really a scientific or to code explanation but I think that makes it as clear as mud anyway.

OK back to getting my house warm so I can go to bed to go back to work.

Ice Storm 2007

The storm got us pretty good. No power since 4am Saturday. By the looks of it no power till sometime late next week. Today my dad brought up a generator & took Mia & Amber to the lake where they have only received rain. We got by this weekend with the gas for the fireplace & hot water, & candles & headlamps for heat. Since I have a plant to keep running I'm staying put with the dogs. I'll run the generator to run the furnace & the TV when I want to watch it. Mostly I'll work a lot since the family is gone.

Very Dark

Cozy with fireplace & candles

Fireplace keeping house mid 60's so Mia gets to wear a beanie.

It looks more like a tornado went through than an ice storm.

The tree in our back yard. Its now split even more than when this was taken.

Our neighbors had a limb hit their house.

Everything has a nice thick layer of ice. Took me an hour to chip my car out.

This little bad boy is now powering my house. Though I've already had to repair it once. Carburetor fell off.

Plug the generator into an outlet, turn off the main breaker, figure out which leg your back feeding, swap the breaker over to that leg, & Viola! You have power.

Post to be posting

To make my mom happy & to give everyone something to read this icy weekend here's a rambling uncohesive post. Since it looks like all riding will be done indoors thanks to the predicted ice its a good thing I have a lot of shows stock piled on the DVR(yes Amber I'm glad I got one, finally). Plus my garage has become the place where projects go to become unfinished. I have a pretty healthy list of stuff I NEED to get done this weekend. Tops on that list would be finish up the painting & figure out why the pilot light on my h2o heater keeps going out. Plus I need to sort through all my unused goodies for a big EBAY style garage sale.
Surfing the net this AM I discovered I can buy a Derny in the UK. A derny would be way cooler than any scooter. I just need to figure out how to get a 2300 euro bike that weighs 47 kilos to the SPR. I thought getting Dugast's from Europe was going to be hard. This might be a bit more complicated since I don't think any of my relatives in the UK would be willing to pack it over in their luggage.

That's 70x11 gearing !

From Wiki:

"On a Derny, the driver sits close to the back of the bike in an upright position to provide an envelope of low wind resistance for the cyclist 'drafting' or slipstreaming behind. The machine has to be pushed and bump-started. It can then pace riders up to about 90kmh, although speeds in races rarely exceed 80kmh......A small group of semi-professional pacers travels around Europe for the winter six-day season. Most are in their 60s and 70s and some have been pacing for more than 40 years."

Somehow I can see my old man really getting into derny riding.

Edit to above post:

After more surfing I have stumbled on what could be a solution for Farasy's surgery & my possibility of surgery. A recumbent. No upper body needed. Plus they can be hooked to trainers. Who would have thought that? What do you think Jim? Maybe we could talk someone into loaning us one for a few months.

There is evil in my kitchen

This is the evil that is currently sitting in my kitchen tempting me to eat it. Friday was Amber's dad's BDAY & since my niece Nina had come to stay for the weekend they decided to bake him this calorific horror. So far I've only had one small piece but my will power is being stretched to its limits. I'm sitting here waiting for Amber to get back from returning my niece to my sister while I watch Mia. Oh the agony, the thing keeps yelling to me to come & eat it & ruin my new found thinness. Hopefully Amber will return soon so I can go ride. I got out yesterday with some of the old guard of OCC for a good 3 hr spin.

Nina also cooked this very tasty apple pie. My small slice about sent me into diabetic shock but it sure was tasty.

Battling the elements

Mia has been doing a lot more sleeping than me this week. Once again I'm sleeping for crap. Figure once I work a full non holiday week I'll get back on track.
Mia's an expert on soggy butt syndrome. After the Celebrity ride I suffered from it due to the wet roads.
Being a great daughter she got me the coolest fenders for XMAS. They are quick connect & fit 700 X 23 tires. How freaking cool is that?

I got out yesterday for 2 hours of blissfully dry butt riding on wet roads thanks to her gift.

That's right, sub 150! Hairy legs & all.

Cuts like a knife

Yesterday was my semi annual trip to the bone Doc. Guess what? Still looks like crap so now I get to go to a surgeon to be told what my surgical options are. Great! Should have had my collarbone operated on 6 months ago. Hind sight. The part that I don't like was there was mention of cutting the broken section of bone out. I bet that will feel wonderful. All in all yesterday was a pretty crappy day. Maybe I'll luck out & surgery won't be necessary. I get to stew over it till the 24Th which makes my motivation to ride plentiful(read very sarcastically). I mean what the hell is the point if I'm going to loose another 2 months to freaking rehab. I guess the one upside is its winter so the trainer won't be too bad.

New Years Day ride

This AM I hopped on the Felt & rode over to Hickory for the New Years Day ride. I rode over thinking we were supposed to ride North & West then I could just cut off & head home for a solid 3 hours. Well that's what I get for thinking. We headed North & East. OOPS! Oh well the first ride of the year should be epic. About 20 souls braved the 36 degree start temp. No Skip & Farasy since I hear they're still stuck in Colorado.

Some where along the way we lost the vast majority of the group so only 9 of us rode in together. That was one long ass piss break they took. My legs started getting heavy & a bonk was well on its way with about an hour to home. My 3 hour ride stretched out too far. I ended up with 4.5 hours for 126.5 km. A long day in the saddle makes for a sore butt when you haven't rode in 3 weeks.

Happy New Years!