Hot or Not

Remember that show with Lorenzo Llamas, where contestants would come out onto the stage, scantily clad, and he would judge them. He would use one of those laser pointers, highlighting their high lights and more frequently their low lights. The group would be thinned down to the one contestant that was Hot, or the hottest, and the others were Not.

That's how i look back at 2007.

HOT or NOT

1. Forgetting my HELMET for day two of the San Dimas Stage Race: NOT
2. Finishing second in a few national mountain bike race, and winning a few too: Super HOT
3. Moving out of the mountains: HOT - literally
4. Getting my own office at work: HOT HOT HOT
5. Having a 16 year old non-sister: HOT, not, NOT, Hot, hot, NOT, NOT - you get the picture...
6. Giving my bike back: NOT
7. Getting my super cool 69er: HOT!
8. Racing the 12 HRS of Temecula: NOT
9. Racing the 12 HRS of Temecula: HOT
10. Getting massage certificates: HOT
11. Donating my pets to the greater good of some other homes: Super NOT
12. Going to Grandma's 94th birthday party: HOT
13. Watching reality TV with the Johnsons: HOT
14. Minimizing my life into a bedroom and storage unit: HOT
15. Taking the year off from Graduate School: THe best HOT ever
16. Coaching Jr. High volleyball: HOT - surprised you on that one!!
17. Traveling to UT, VT, AZ, CO with Matt, Christie and sometimes Trevor: HOT
18. Sitting in the AZ sun for HOURS: NOT
19. Racing in VT mud, slipping, sliding, flailing: Shockingly HOT (worst national race finish this year! It was so much fun!!!)
20. Getting my PRO upgrade, and Shelli getting her EXPERT upgrade: HOT
21. Getting SHELLI back on the Bike!!!: HOT
22. My new hair cut: HOT
23. The Johnsons, period: HOT
24. Laying on my floor: HOT
25. "Picking up" Running: NOT
26. Family trip to Aspen: HOT
27. Training on the road: NOT
28. Getting new front teeth, for the third time: NOT
29. Falling with my bike at a water fountain: NOT
30. Being able to ride out of the garage on my road bike or mountain bike and be entertained for hours on end: HOT

50 would be too many.
Here's to some more pain and suffering in 2008, a little less character development, and many more good times!

In Search of Arnold

I had a fantastic Arnold picture, but i am on my mom's laptop and just couldn't save it to the desktop. No Dice.

But, in search of a meeting with the valiant leader...of our state, i headed to Sacramento for the holidays. My dad says Arnold is probably at Martha's Vineyard or something with the Shrivers, Kennedy's or other clan with some form of importance. So i have settled for a bunch of Duerksen's. two more are due in about 18 minutes which means i will have to share the casseroles and shower time.

Tonight alone i have watched Cars and Ratatouille. I could read something, but come on now.

I have been putting in some floor time honing up on my abs and pushups. i have this issue that i do not have a bike. yah, that's right. 6 more days to go. without a bike. I have been running up and down the halls and may even venture out onto the streets tomorrow to pound some pavement. Rumor has it that a week off is a good thing. i don't believe rumors.

There are two hybrid bikes kickin it in the garage. I may check the air pressure, put on some capris and pedal over to the coffee shop. I just have to find a basket or something.

But i did find this in a magazine, Mountain Flyer, defining the Rocky Mountain Cyclist. That's me...
"Giving yourself an annual break away from the bike has its advantages. You can reduce teh long-term risk of developing cycling-related overuse injuries. It gives you time to sort out any nagging injuries (or mental issues) from the previous season. ..You can maintain your physical condition with even as much as a 50 percent reduction in riding time for a month."

That's just to make all us lazy ones feel better...

I need to get back to my Disney movies.

Unraveling By Moonlight

After spending 5 hours on the road Saturday battling the wind, traffic, and debris in the road in the Inland Empire, we deciede that Sunday we should set out east to embark on another adventure.

Joshua Tree boasted open roads, new pavement, maybe 100 cars in 7 hours, and a prestine blue sky. The only issue with the park is water. Although the temperatures were in the high 50's, one still needs to refill the bottles after a few hours. The decison was made to ride 30 miles to a ranger station to refuel, then head that same 30 back which resulted in a long, steady climb out.

I had a lot of food. I had a lot of water. I had moderate clothing, but i was so hot, both jersey and vest were unzipped all the way, flapping at my sides. my leg warmers and arm warmers were rolled up nicely in my back pocket by my almonds. When i ventured to look up, all the guys had complete jackets on, full legs and long fingered gloves.

I did not feel well. I was beginning to unravel. Pedaling was not an issue at all, the problem rested under my helmet, in my head.


My back hurt, my belly hurt, i was coughing a lot which could have turned into a steady pukefest at any moment. Matt asked if i was doing ok. I calmly repeated the above statement and settled into a silent steady cadence. No use stressing over the facts at hand. Nobody's cell phone worked in the park. Nobody was closer to home than i was.

As we crested the climb, Tom told us that we would be riding out of the park in the dark. But to not worry, because it was the park, not a surface road. As soon as the sun dipped behind the craggly rocks, so did the temperature. My heat laden body quickly began to shiver and i struggled to redress on the shoulder.

We soon realized it was a full moon. THe landscape flipped to an entirely new dimension. Everything was silent except for the occasional vehicle, which slowly passed us. We were on the newly paved section of road, so we knew our lack of lights would only put us in trouble with the night creatures. We settled into a pace line as i stared at the only form of light in the group, a blinkie on Matt's seat post.

A big white truck passed, then slowed, then turned around. Tom's wife Trish has felt the urge to come looking for us and there she was. We threw the bikes in the back, i jumped in the front, pulled my shoes off and jammed my frozen toes as close to the heater vents as possible.

By now it was pitch dark. This segment of the ride was by far my favorite. Its one of those experiences that at the time, i felt so horrible, so incapable of completing the task, yet in the warm car on the way back, while eating a hot burrito, we plotted our next near 7 hour cycle into the wilderness. This was truly a fantastic ride.


Merry Christmas!!

Tan Lines

Yes, it is mid-December. And No, i didn't move to the Southern Hemisphere!

Yes, i am still sporting a "small white t-shirt" and "small white shorts." The last three rides i have taken i have only been covered with shorts, jersey and a base layer, which i almost shed after the first hour of five.

That's just how we do it SoCal. I felt a bit chilly on my spin the other evening, but that is just because the sun had set. My computer said it was 53 degrees. Time for the vest and long fingered gloves! Night spins have been excellent here! A tour of Christmas lights does wonders for the spirits.

Winter Gloom

this time of year i try to be as negative as possible. I need to balance out all the good karma floating around that just makes my skin itch with cheer.

I broke and then promptly lost my camera. If i had it, i would have taken a picture of the Christmas scene right outside my office door. The overwhelming smell of pine is wofting under the "stable" door and i am still angry that they did not fulfill my request for a Live Nativity Scene. If your gonna plug your lights in in my office, at least listen to my wishes.

However, i did find this picture online that closely resembles the winter wonderland that is my world.




There is one week until Christmas break. That week will be packed with banquets, concerts, fundraisers, basketball games, and covert gym runs and cycling in the dark.

That's all i've got. Covert ops and TCB...

Don't let the commercial propaganda suck you in. Buy things for yourself, eat more, and don't decorate the tree.

I'm just saying...

Shoot Them

The maker of the KAZOO, that is.

There was a Kazoo choir in the school concert tonight. They got to skip PE to practice their Kazoos. They then ditched the rest of class, i caught them though. But now they are roaming the halls, playing the kazoo.

It's December, bring on the gifts

I got myself my first Christmas gift today.

My Pro mountain bike upgrade.

I sent the news to some of the people i think are nice.

I should have thought twice.

"You’ve just sentenced yourself to a life of discontent, dissatisfaction, displeasure, misery, sorrow, unhappiness, dejection, and possible depression with a strong contrast of self-conceit (my favorite). Congratulations."

Matthew Freeman

So much for that idea.