Posts Tagged → random

A Short Break Of Sorts

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Wow, what to say about the past week? We’ve had snow, ice, sleet, ice again and then more snow. All that was enough to close schools, make traveling treacherous at times and ruin the local cross-country skiing. At the same time in my soon to be returned to homeland of Western PA they had temps in the 60s and rain. At least I won’t feel homesick when we travel to WPA this week, since by Tuesday temps will be VERY Michigan-like. Brilliant.

Much of my “doing stuff” the last few days was ruined due to the ice and snow. BUT it was still an OK-ish time and I did get some time in on the trainer to burn some pre-Christmas calories. Too bad I put them all right back on by finding Founder’s Imperial Stout at the beer store on Saturday.

I will (most likely) be taking a break from blogging over the holiday week. I won’t be going to the gym, riding, skiing, cooking or drinking. Just vegetating and counting the minutes until I return home.

Many of my fellow Michigander-burgher-ites are without power due to all the snow, ice and wind. I hope that they all get their power back soon so as to enjoy the holiday.

Have a great holiday. Ride, hike, ski, walk, sit, drink, eat, have fun, vegetate, do whatever it is that makes you happy until we usher in the new year.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, peace on earth, get the Led out, etc., etc., etc.,

Better Than Nothing

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I’ve mentioned more than a few times that I have a road loop I call the Better Than The Trainer Ride. It’s  just what the names says it is; a ride that is better than the trainer but not much more. It can clock in at between 22 and 25 miles and is used when time is tight or the weather looks shit. After my second ski of the winter I realized a loop around Deerfield Park is about the same thing. NOT a ride by any means but it gets about the same thing done

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The Nothingness of Dec. 11th

Today was another day on planet Hoth (AKA Michigan). Wind swept frozen snow and ice now covers everything and probably will until June. As per my standard operating procedure, I did not ride outside but did go to the gym for my cardio and strength training. It was pretty uneventful other than seeing one of the many characters I have come to encounter (or make up in my mind based on their appearance alone) each visit… today it was the Lesbian Mafioso.

Who is she? Hell, I don’t know, what I do know is that I spent my first few visits assuming she was a 50-year-old man. I’m not trying to be a dick or rude, I just thought she was a dude with a mullet and a track suit. Turns out he’s a woman, and from what I can tell, based on recently seeing her at the grocery store with her kids, NOT a lesbian (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I also have my doubts that she’s in the Mafia but if you don’t want to be stereotyped as such, don’t drive a Cadillac and wear track suits while looking like a high school gym teacher circa 1989.  How do I creepily know so much about her? Easy, she pulled into the gym parking lot the same time I did one day driving a Cadillac and she always wears track suits.

All this makes me sound like I am nebby, prejudice, judgemental and homophobic doesn’t it? I swear, all this is in jest, not to mention if you would see her, you too would think that she’s a lesbian Good Fella. OK, forget all that, I am grasping at straws for something to write about. I guess I could talk about my past history of not doing stuff or not doing enough to make me a better bike rider or racer? OK, I will…

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It’s About Ned

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 I would say that 99.9% of cyclists (including myself) were pretty pissed and disappointed at Specialized and their corporate wankery towards the Cafe Roubaix shop. I am also relieved to see that things are smoothing out and we don’t have to hear about it anymore. I hadn’t even planned on mentioning the whole small shop vs giant bike brand with apparently nothing else to worry about saga, since just about every single cycling media (and pseudo cycling media) outlet already has. BUT, I wanted to repost (for my sake) a little PS piece that I did for xxcmag.com a while back and figured I better justify giving Specialized any free positive coverage (fingers are still crossed they don’t sue me for mentioning their name here).

Oh well, this isn’t about the bike anyway, it’s about Ned. Dude was a mountain bike legend no matter who he raced for or what he raced on. Who among us hasn’t at least taken a peek inside his book Mountain Bike Like A Champion while loitering around Barnes & Noble, drinking coffee and not buying anything? Hmm… in hindsight I should have really paid more attention to the chapter on high-speed turns.

More on Ned [HERE].

Photo Source: Winning, Bicycling Illustrated, March 1991
Photo: Neal Palumbo
Text by Tracy Seip
PS Design: Jason Mahokey, XXC Magazine

When In Doubt, Cook Up Chicken

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As you may or may not know, I hesitate to call my riding, time on the trainer and in the gym “training.” I suppose it sort of is, but I think of it more as “doing stuff” so as not to get even fatter… and an attempt to get back to just mildly embarrassing myself on the bike next season (oppose to completely embarrassing myself as I did in 2013). Having once again said that disclaimer of my slackness and douchery I can get to the post at hand…

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Thanks A Lot

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It’s the eve before Thanksgiving Eve (also known as Tuesday) and the day/eve, was a fucking mess. We got an ice storm last night, so B-Man’s school was cancelled today and I needed to get the snow tires back on the xB. Not to mention I had a million other things to do as we prepare for our trip back to Western PA for the holiday. Thankfully (or not) I had the chance to squeeze in 40 minutes on the trainer. 40 minutes that would have been better spent guzzling a vodka/sleeping pill/Lexapro cocktail instead of half heartedly spinning along and going nowhere for 40 minutes of a planned 60.

Don’t get me wrong, I am anxious to see my father, brother, sister, and in-laws, but mentally I would rather suck on a gas pipe than have to endure four days of explaining why the magazine went bust and I am mooching off my Wife’s brain and (thankfully) its associated income with no gainful employment in sight. But… such is life. I am very thankful. A slacker, but a THANKFUL slacker.

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Breaking Rules

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There aren’t many artists, musicians, or sports figures that I would honestly care to meet and NO political figures at all (swarmy bastards!) I always fear that they would be total assholes and ruin any fondness I ever had for their art or abilities. Why ruin it?

The photographer (and painter) Saul Leiter would be an exception to this rule.

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