Secret Bike Projects

I have 3 secret bike projects (sbp) in the works. The first has been completed and is not so secret. Well 5 people know about it. Pictures and details revealed next week.

The other sbp are still in the works and are tied up in the business finance office. It seems I need to unload some bikes before the other sbp can continue. Damn bureaucracy and their red tape.
You may think you know what the sbp maybe, but trust me, you don't. No one knows. Hell, I don't even know what the final outcome will be. I may drop some pics here and there...we'll see.

I will be trying to sell the following bikes in the next month or so.

1.) Salsa Chili con Crosso complete
2.) Salsa Mamasita complete, xtr build
3.) Salsa Casserole single speed/commuter complete
4.) Custom painted fixed gear complete...my first road frame: Marinoni.

Later.

Well Shit...

Last night was the first Mid Mn Cycling Club meeting of the year. I believe I have made every meeting in the past, I skipped this one. I worked till 8 then had to groom Riverside so the kids at Lincoln Elementary good rip it up today. The past meetings usually were about 4-6 of us, maybe a few filler type people, never to be seen again. But shit this year looks like a ton of people showed up! Hopefully this equates into more help on trail work days and an overall better membership following for the club. This is awesome.
The club as a blog too, so check it out!

Uhhh, yeah...it's what you think it is.

Musical Beds

What a night. It started with Avery, sleep walking I think, to Brinna's bed and crashing there around 10:00. In the early morning hours Brinna was whimpering, has a cold, so she was in our bed then later I carried her to her bed...but I had to lay there for awhile. Next came Avery. She was in our bed kicking, talking, tossing, etc. I carried her to her bed and again I laid there for awhile. Around 5 am I made it back to my bed to have the alarm go off 45 minutes later.
Getting the kids ready this morning Avery puked all over her jacket, shirt, and a rug. Fun stuff. She sucks so much snot in she gags and pukes. Kids rule!
Still hit the trainer and now to the gym. Hoping the kids can make the day at school and daycare.
Downing fluids and Out.

Centipede

The Weekend Report:

Nothing too crazy happened but shit happened nonetheless. Sunday the Sons of Norway hosted a kids ski race at Riverside Park. I was asked if I could groom the course. Sure no problem. The plan was to groom Saturday night after work sometime. I bundled up and headed out to groom. The keys for the snowmobile were not where they were suppose to be...shit. After an hour or searching, calls to Alaska (no lie), more phone calls, more searching, and driving I got the keys. It took me about 10 minutes to start the damn thing and I was already cold, not good. A combination of my lack of grooming knowledge, me being pissed off and cold, the condition of the grooming equipment...I was having a hell of a time. A job I thought would take 1.5 hours took be an hour of key searching and 3 hours of grooming. Well there's more. I was so freakin cold I had to stop. I couldn't feel my fingers and I was shaking. Sunday morning I bundled back up and did another 1.5 hours of grooming. I still was not happy with my results but didn't care at the time. I still have sensitive fingers from the cold! I had to work so I didn't get to see the race but, despite the cold, there was a great turnout! Jen brought the girls to the race as well.

Avery didn't race but cheered: "Go Brinna, Go"

Showing off her medal. Brinna had to to the 6-8 year old race since they showed up at 1:01 and the 4-5 year old kids already went. Norwegians, no patience...or is that Belgians?

Out of order, but anticipating the start.

Gathering up the hardware. She has more than me.

And that was the weekend.

If I have not already said, I am sick of the cold. I do still enjoy skiing but the longer the days are getting the more and more excited I am for biking.

Unrelated to much of anything, but the title of this blog, Avery calls my penis a centipede. Every time I go to the bathroom both kids come running. They are fascinated with how I take a leak. I have now started locking the doors. In the shower tonight I had two kids pounding on the bathroom door. I made Avery leave my bedroom before I took my towel off to get dressed.

She said, "yeah and I shut the door. I don't want to see your centipede".

What the hell?

Slumgullion Stew...or Hodgepodge, if you prefer

Friday.
Last night Avery woke up crying with a nasty cough and sore throat. I laid with her a couple of times till she fell asleep. Every time I attempted to get up she'd wake up crying. I slept in her room...she won. In the early morning I went back to my room to find Brinna in my spot, screw it and I am staying up. Ahh, kids!

I am meeting Matt at Riverside this morning so he can show me what and where to groom for the Barnnaloppet (sp?) kids race this Sunday. I am pretty sure it would have been a really good turn out but the weather is suppose to suck ass in the cold department so we'll see how the numbers are on Sunday. I work and have the kids Saturday so I will be grooming in the late night hours or the early morning hours. Just received word from the city that it's ok this weekend to shoot any snowboarders, walkers, or sledders on the ski trails. Ready, aim, fire!

I am still deciding if I am going to ski after meeting with Matt or ride the trainer and watch "Death Race". Tough choices.

It seems like the blogging community has thrown up its arms and called it quits. I have the same blogs I check and only a couple seem to update anymore...maybe blogging is on it's way out. Hell, I really have nothing good to say and look how much I already have, and it's not about biking like the title would lead you to believe. Poser.

Speaking of biking, I want a new road bike. The last new road bike I got was the Trek Madone 5.9 when I raced...ha! That was like 3 or 4 or more years ago and I sold the bike 2 or more years ago. I really would like the Cannondale Supersix Hi-mod 1 with the new DA 7900 but the price is up there and Jen laughed at the price when I told her. I am usually an optimist but that doesn't seem to be the response I would have liked. I have a few bikes I am going to be trying to sell in the next month or so, that should help...and I stick to my rule: fun money stays fun money.

Alright, Jen still isn't up, or Brinna, so it's time to go crack the whip. Ha, that reminds me of Devo!
Later.

I'm Going Pro...in something.

Just got back from ice skating with the kids. I have not been on skates for at least 20 some years. I honestly cannot remember the last time I laced up some skates. I had a really good time and didn't even fall! Stopping is something I am not too sure on and I do quick little circles every once in awhile and I don't know why. I always used figure skates in the past and now have some hockey skates, maybe that's the reason...or I just suck at it. I really dug it and will do it again soon.
I also skied my longest ski of the year: 5 laps at the North Loop, 4 laps on Orchard, 2 laps on Baltos, and 1 lap on the warm up loop...I think that is about 36-37K but not sure. The weather was great, the trails were pretty good, skis were slow (oh well), Chemical Brothers were crankin, and the body didn't hurt.
Today was a good day.
Out.

Ha, just found this!

The good 'ol days!

1/2 Year Mark

6 months sober today.

Should I?

I'm starting to get the biking itch, even though skiing is great. I most likely will not get back into racing...at least not the serious, what's my heart rate type way. But would like to do some "events".
I have wanted to do the Almanzo 100 but have had stuff come up, like a torn ACL.
So should I?

ER Visit

Nothing too exciting to report from the weekend. Got some good skiing in, with great temps!
Sunday we had to go to McCann's Brewery for Jen's Great Aunt's Birthday. I wasn't too bummed since I thought it would be a fast trip. Nope a bit over 4 hours. If I was still drinking I think I would have gotten in trouble. 4 hours for a freakin b-day party...come on. But overall I was a good boy and nothing bad came of it.
Later on we went to my parent's house to hang out. They have a gas fireplace in the basement where we were "hanging" out.
Avery touched the glass with the back of her hand. She got some good burns on the top of three of her fingers. She was in a lot of pain and let us know. We called urgent care and they told us to go to the the ER. Are you kidding me? We went and I was surprised at the quality of service we got. Avery got a stuffed bunny and an Elmo sticker. She didn't cry once while they were fixing her up. They pretty much did what we did but it seems to be working. What a fun night!
I hope to ride the trainer tonight but am not feeling too motivated at the moment. We'll see.
Out.

Thanks

The knowledge I have in the bike/ski world has come from several people in my life. Actually I can think of three that have taught me most of what I know about how to work on bikes, buy bikes et al, and the importance of customer service...even though I fucking hate customers sometimes. (I just wait till you leave the store, then Darren and I start...). The three people I have worked with at sometime at ONAG. All have moved on but the knowledge they gave me still lingers. I have also gained knowledge through the years of just being in the industry. Some things I just don't care to know and it pisses me off when people want to know the weight of a bike (especially a hybrid), the difference between 6000 and 7000 series aluminum, or if the fork on a $250 mtb they bought 5 years ago can get replacement adjustment knobs, even though the knobs are just cosmetic. Anyway the guy below taught me lots and now buys shit for S&M bikes out in Cali. He's actually in Taiwan getting shit lined up for 2010!
I think the picture is funny since he's all "fly" and shit...but actully lives in shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops.
Thanks.

It's Still Butt Ass Cold...and that's cold.

Sounds like another 24 hours or so of this below zero stuff. I don't mind it that much, as long as there is an end in site. I half contemplated sleeping outside last night. Jen stopped that before I could fully process the idea. I have a -40 sleeping bag. Back when Arnie Carlson canceled school state wide because of the cold I was up on the north shore camping. We woke up in our tent one morning to -20...tad chilly.
Zoe and I went snow shoeing yesterday. We hit up the Riverbluff trails and did some exploring of our own as well. I was trying to scope out some new mtb trails for next year...some good potential! Jen bought Zoe some booties but they keep coming off. Not deterred I duct tapped them on. First 100 yards or so the front pair was missing. Later on one of the back ones came off. So she had one bootie and 3 taped ankles, she looked like a race horse. Making your own trail was hard work and Zoe soon dropped in behind me, lazy bastard. We went up and down some of the bluffs, damn are they steep. I was running down one when I thought I should be careful because of my bad knees and down I went. I swear Zoe was laughing. Zoe is getting old and has bad hips. I had to help her into the car at the end and today she is slow moving. Maybe we can be in wheel chairs together someday!
I rode the trainer again this morning and still enjoy it. I can tell that the "newness" will wear off soon and it will suck ass, but we will be out skiing then!
Out.

Made It!

Made 1.5 hours. I watched the cyclocross documentary, "Tim Johnson, A Nine Ball Diary". It was pretty good and got me excited for cross. Not that I plan on racing cross, it's just fun to watch. It was short so I listened to Rancid for the rest. I felt really good on the bike and am excited for the upcoming season. O.K. some will say there isn't a season for cycling, but it's all the time. I say bull shit to that. It's cold and none too fun to ride outside right now.
But we are still in winter and more snow and cold predicted tonight. I am ok with that, more the better. Just hope it goes away in March.
Time for some leg work at the gym.
Later.

Wish Me Luck

Shit, it's cold. Our house sounds like me in the morning, lots of creaks and groans. Since skiing would pretty much suck ass I am headed to the basement for the inaugural bike training session.
I can hardly wait...insert sarcasm.

Punk Ass Kids

I went skiing tonight at Riverside. I enjoy skiing there at night. Not many, if any, people around...except the few rogue snowboarders. On the uphill near the snowboard terrain park a couple boarders were hanging out. One started down the hill right towards me. Half way up I stopped and put my arms up...like what the fuck? At the last second he pulled to the side and shred down the classic track. I put my Political Science degree to great use and shouted, "It's a fucking ski trail you asshole!" Yeah, real clever. I almost turned around to confront him at the bottom but thought it better not to. I schemed up ideas the rest of the time how I was going to come back later at night and destroy all the jumps, yank out the rails and lock them to trees. Now that I am home and showered I think I will leave it till next time.
Bastard snowboarders.

Out in the Snow

Last night I got a call from Mr. Anderson, while I was cooking and had two kids screaming, asking if I wanted to groom with Kyia. Sure, why not. I got an hour ski at Riverside first. The conditions were great for both skating and classic. I wish I could have kept going but grooming was needed. We hit up the North Loop were we dragged, carpeted, and set a new classic track. It turned out really well.
This morning I headed over the the North Loop and for the first time in my skiing career I was the first on the newly groomed trail. I attribute this to the SCSU Nordic Team being in Anchorage...they seem to always be were it's freshly groomed. Bastard women and their title 10!
With the Ipod in and the new skate skis on I cranked out 7 laps and didn't go crazy. I only saw one other person and they were skiing in jeans...stearns county, well actually sherburne but close enough.
No knee pain and now off to the gym.
Out.

Hmmm...

Do I need a hair cut?

I let my hair grow out once a year till I can't stand it anymore, then I shave it all off! I have made it pretty far this year. We'll see how long it gets. I'm shooting for a pony tail. I have never had a pony tail so why not?

Went classic skiing with Kris and Kyia. I missed the kick wax today. Luckily the wax Guru was there to bail me out. Thanks Kris.
Now where's the snow?

Ouch

Yesterday and today I classic skied for two hours. Being the first time out with the classic skies I am sore. The hip flexors and triceps are just a wee bit tired! It's a good sort of pain and will go away with time and more of the same abuse. I love classic skiing, more so than skate skiing. For one, my knees do not hurt, at all, with the classic skies! There is also some satisfaction getting the kick wax right on, but also frustrating as fuck when you don't. So far I am 2 for 2! I also tend to crash a lot less on the classic skies. Yesterday, however, I took one of the biggest spills I have ever taken on skis. No body saw it so I guess it really doesn't count. The Graystone trails are in pretty good shape but very wind blown. Not much you can do about that but groom some more. I heard some more snow is in our future...bring it on.

On a different note Professor Eric is missing. I have not seen or heard from him in sometime. I think I may put his picture on some milk cartons if I don't hear from him soon.

A New Start

A lot of people, when asked about a New Year's resolution, make light of the fact...usually stating something like: "why is one time of year better to start something "good" for you than any other time?". Shit, it isn't but why the hell not? What's wrong with looking back over the past year to see where you fucked up, how you could improve, or what you can add to your life to make it better? I like the idea of a new start. The overflow at the gym will suck for a couple weeks but then the daily routine of life will catch up with people and things will get back to normal. I am guilty of this as well. I've started diets on the 1st several times to only last about a month, but damn it...this year will be different!

1.) Continue to stay sober. This month will be the half year mark. I am excited to have reached this point and love the benefits of a sober life! Being sober will and does make many of the following resolutions a reality.

2.) Keep walking with Zoe, my dog. This may sound stupid but we have been walking together more lately and I think we both really benefit from it.

3). Remain active, but not to the point that I am obsessed about it. Having missed most of the summer of road riding, I am really excited to start this up again.

4.) Cut back on soda and energy drinks. I consume too many of these at the moment.

5.) I've mentioned this before but I really want to try to eat more locally grown foods, both plant and animal. I have decided that doing this exclusively will be very difficult and expensive. But feel if I give it a serious try I will benefit from it. I have done a lot of planning and hope to start in May. See, it's not only January 1st.

6.) I feel if I am able to do the above resolutions I will be able to continue to lose weight. I don't have a specific number but just want to be cognisant of which way I may be going.

I think that is enough, but very plausible. Time to get ready for a ski and then it's fort building time.

Happy New Year!
Anyone hung over?