The things I think about.

ASL 2 class.

2009-12-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, as all of the 0 people that read this blog know, I'm an ASL student. It's fun, I really enjoy it, and I hope to be good at it someday. I practice. I don't practice enough, but really, what is enough? Enough is NEVER enough! So, I have lately been voice off-ed in school. Or, at least I try hard. It's WAY more helpful and my classmates understand me. It's super no biggie. But anyhow, today we got our criteria for our expressive final. Should be fun. So my partner and I worked on that and then he went home. We got dismissed early because the teacher had nothing left to teach us (?!?).

Anyhow, I stayed late and talked to the teacher (I didn't get to be "teachers pet" by leaving early!) and she told me a couple things to work on during the "offseason". Eye contact. I get distracted when I'm signing and I'll look somewhere else. Obviously the person I'm talking to is going to get distracted too! I need to stay focused! Great tip!

The other thing I should work on, despite her seeing much improvement over the 1/2 semester is that I need to relax. I get really jittery and anxious and try to sign faster than I'm able. I acknowledge that, but it's hard to fix.

Last weekend made a HUGE HUGE difference in the way I sign. That much experience made me MUCH more comfortable using ASL and just doing it at my own pace and making it work. And work it does. I'm VERY happy with where I'm at for having one semester of ASL classes. I'm definitely not the best in the class. I'd say I'm up there, but we all have different strengths and weaknesses. I'm working on mine. I hope the others are, too.

I just need more practice. Always need more practice. I'm working on it. For real. More asl'ing this weekend. And I very much welcome it.

Feels like groundhog day.

2009-12-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Get out of work, go to school. That parts the same most days. BUT, yesterday I ended up stuck on the ice on Western about a block from where I usually park. That sucked. Was stuck there for about 30-45 minutes watching other cars get stuck and helping to push them out. I helped 3 or 4 cars (well, tried too. not sure how much help I actually was, but it's the thought that counts.) I'm still suck, eventually two people come to help push me. It doesn't work, but we're getting closer. So, I decide finally, "the hell with it". and I take my coat off to put it under a wheel. Will this work? I don't know! I was ready to try anything. So, I take my coat off, put it nicely under/in front of my tire and say my regards.

I get back into the car, turn it back on, and a dude in a truck with a chain on the back stops. Fucking A right, kharma! So, I get pulled up the hill, and I manage to park and walk to class. Bogus. That sucked. But, I didn't get towed or ticketed, I didn't miss class, and I made it home. Good enough.

Today at lunch I went and bought 4 70 sandbags for the trunk. Maybe overkill, but hell, whatever! So now I've got the weight equivalent of two high schoolers in my truck, and I get around pretty ok. Summit Ave was a damn slippery lot. Lots of people stuck at Snelling. I made it. I wasn't 100% sure I would, but I did.

So I get to class, go for a walk, give Shawn back the things he left in my car from the weekend, and all is well.

Class finished (that's a whole 'nother story) and I walk out with a classmate. She gets in her car and I keep walking to mine. I round the corner and there is a little purple civic very much stuck. Trying hard to go, but going nowhere (I know that feeling!), so I try to help. Try push from the back, didn't help. Try push from the front. Didn't help. So, she tells me to try, and I get it a little loose. Get it moved back a couple feet and off to the side, but then it's just stuck there. Anyway, eventually we get it back far enough so it can go forward again, and she's on her way. So I head back towards my car. BUT, she gets around the corner, and for some reason is stuck again. So, I go back, and she says she's stuck. Duh. I ask her if it goes back, she says no. I BARELY push on the front and it goes back fine. I doubt she tried, but whatever! So she goes back, then gets it forward again. No biggy. That was WAY easier than the first time.

The best part was when she said/asked "I'm totally not getting home tonight, am I?"

Well, we got her out and on her way. Life is good. I hope she made it home. It's too cold to sit around or walk.

Anyhow. I try to be nice. It works. I had three people tell me they liked my hat today. I can that a win.

I'm home

2009-12-06T19:37:00.001-08:00

This last weekend was without question in the running for the best weekend of my life award.

The only bad thing that happened is that I crashed my car on some ice in Illinois. Car still runs fine, and Shawn and I both lived, so it could be way worse. Fuck the car. Totally worth it. Besides, it was kinda fun. Oh, and I didn't get to see a couple Chicago people that I'd like to have seen. And Jon Raleigh refused to come say hi to me. Thanks dude.

The good things include 25+ hours of driving with a new pal in 3 days. A TON of ASL experience and lessons. Meeting several new amazing people. Eating food in 4 states in 2 days. A rally for a great cause. Coffee with a few great new friends. Meeting a band from NYC that played in MI 2 nights prior that had seen the flyers for the rally (proof that it's a small world). Pictures of the Willis Tower. Metal shows in Milwaukee with old friends (and new friends). East Side Ovens brownies. Granola pancakes. Spending time with by best friends kid 2 days before his 6th birthday. Lime Perrier. Good times.

I had an amazing time. This weekend totally renewed my faith in life and totally changed my perspective on a lot of things. Life truly is awesome. (Man, I sound like a kid that has half the word "Positive" tattooed on his chest. I still think POSITIVE would be a most excellent knuckle tattoo. Alas, I only have one set of knuckles...)

Until next time.
-Jason

I took this picture a LONG time ago.

2009-12-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Like, totally in 2005.

I was a bike messenger in Philly. I was meaning to deliver a package, but it had been a busy day, and I was in a hurry, and I went in the wrong door. I came back out and I saw this sign.

It spoke to me. Albeit COMPLETELY out of context.

Just a reminder that the clues and motivation are out there if you stop to look for them. Life guides you. Sometimes it tells you to step the fuck up.

Carry on. The internet will crash if you stop wasting time on it.

The Rally in Michigan was Today.

2009-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday I got up at 6:15am, did my routine and went to work until 4:30, then drove around and gathered required equipment for road trip, then I went to class...

That got done at about 8:30, then I met Shawn and we rolled to his house to pick up his stuff and then to Target to get him a hat and gloves.

We then rolled out and got a videocamera and got on the road. Left St. Paul around 10pm. From St Paul to Madison was a cakewalk. After that it started snowing and whatnot. It got really icy just outside of IL, and inside of it as well. Saw a lot of cars in the ditch, and I was driving carefully. Didn't matter though, because somewhere in IL near Rockford (Rockport?) I ended up sideways and then backwards on the freeway, and then into the guard cables. Messed my car up really good. That' REALLY depressing, but it still runs fine. It's all body damage, so it could be worse.

Back on the road, things still aren't great. Still slippy, and I was getting really tired. I drove into Indiana and then Shawn took the wheel at a Dunkin Donuts. We got back out there and I was able to nap for a few minutes. He got tired about an hour outside of the destination so I took over again and brought us home.

Then we found where we needed to be and we got there. Rally was good, albeit short because it was freezing and snowing. I hope it works. We'll find out eventually. If it didn't/doesn't work, then students there have until 2012 to figure something else out. Which is absurd.

We had coffee with the promoter and a few friends. It was really fun, and a learning experience. Lots of ASL this weekend, and it's not over yet.

I think I sign pretty well for an ASL 2 student. Just have to keep practicing. Same as anything else. Right?

So now I'm here in a Super 8 room with Shawn watching Cheers (It's not, but neither of us are watching it).

I'm going to try to catch some sleep for the first legitimate time since about 6:15 yesterday morning and see how I'm feeling when I wake up. Head out in the AM hopefully after some breakfast. Maybe stop in Chicago for a meal, and then up to Milwaukee for the rest of the day/night.

Good times.

song of the week....

2009-11-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

Or maybe just song of my day...

Deaf People and students at Michigan State University need your help.

2009-11-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DeafEd_MSU/?e

Go read this, then add your name to the list of people in support. I understand budget cuts need to happen somewhere, but not when it will isolate the deaf community in Michigan into an oral program. That isn't the way this should work!

Really, go read it.

To summarize, MSU is looking to make room in the budget by cutting deaf education and ASL classes at the university. That would leave only Eastern Michigan University as the only deaf education school, and a strictly oral one, at that (what is this? the 1950's? It's almost 2010, for christ sake.)

I am about 80% in to make the drive out there next friday for the rally. If you're in, let me know. I could use someone to split gas money with...It's not a short drive...

My English Comp Argumentative Paper.

2009-11-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

Feel free, and please do, read this entry. Punch holes in my statements. Tell me what I messed up. I'd really appreciate that. It's a rough draft. Tell me what you think. It's not like we all don't have an extra 20 minutes that needs wasting on the line, is it?

Why on Earth Would We Have A Food Shortage in America? (working title)

On November 16th, 2009, Jason DeParle with the New York Times reported that, “The number of Americans who lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food soared last year, to 49 million...”. That statistic is a record number since the Department of Agriculture began tracking food insecurity 14 years ago. Food insecurity is defined by the World Health Organization as “having access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life” (Teems 209). An important point to deduce from that is food insecurity is not necessary the same as hunger. A person can gorge themselves on frozen pizzas and hotpockets, wash it down with can after can of Coca Cola and still not eat anything nutritious, healthy, or reasonably satiating. A large part of the food security equation is nutrition based. Food production is not the issue at hand. Researchers for Oklahoma State University reported that, in 2009, we as a country, are projected to produce 2.17 billion bushels of wheat, 12.1 billion bushels of corn, and 2.88 billion bushels of soybeans (2009). That is a large amount, quite literally, tons, of food being produced right here in our own country. That's not even counting the fruits and vegetables we grow here, nor the massive amount food we import from other countries. With this much food production going on in America, why do 14 million American citizens million have trouble with getting enough of the right food to eat?

There are a lot of factors involved in the issue of food security in America. Most Americans have a a budget they can't, or at least shouldn't, go over every month; families only have so much money available every month to cover expenses. Utilities, healthcare costs, rising fuel prices, and a weakened economy all play a factor in the costs associated with living, and also the amount of money families are able to be spend on food. The large amounts of greatly processed and unhealthy food available at our local supermarkets are certainly not helping American families make better choices about what they eat. It doesn't take a scientist to notice that Americans aren't making healthy choices at the checkout counter. It does, however, take a little more investigation to uncover just how much of our national food supply we're feeding to animals in an attempt to feed the country with calories from animal sources, and why that's an issue. In 1997, David Pimental reported for Cornell University that each year an estimated 41 million tons of plant protein is fed to U.S. livestock to produce an estimated 7 million tons of animal protein for human consumption. That's an aggregate loss of 34 MILLION tons of food that could be fed to hungry Americans every year. About 26 million tons of livestock feed comes from grains and another 15 million tons from forage crops. Those numbers are sure to have gone up in the decade since Mr. Pimental reported them. That is a gross misallocation of edible food that could be better used to feed the American public. Simply put, as consumers, the down-turned economy is putting the crunch on our pocketbooks. Healthcare and utility costs are rising, and the food we have ready access to isn't doing it's job to keep American citizens healthy and well nourished. The food that we eat plays a big role in our lives, affecting everything from availability of food, to healthcare and fuel costs.

Current events notwithstanding, the healthcare issue is a big factor right now. Let's start there. It might seem strange to start a discussion of nationwide hunger on the topic of health insurance costs, but, as we'll find out, healthcare costs make up a huge chunk of our individual annual budgets. Insurance premiums are rising every year. As of 2009, healthcare costs have risen 5% since 2008, and a whopping 131% since 1999. The average family health insurance policy costs is $13,375 annually (Fritze 2009). That's like buying a new subcompact car every year. You wouldn't even be stuck with buying the same car every year. At that price, the consumer would have options! As of the writing of this paper, you could buy one of 6 new cars annually for the same price as the average family health insurance policy in America. In case you're curious, those options would be a Toyota Yaris, a Smart car, a Chevy Aveo, a Kia Rio, a Nissan Versa, OR a Hyundai Accent (Gold 2009). Granted, those cars are fairly basic, but when you consider the extravagance that would be necessary to buy a new car every year the point is hard to ignore.

Why exactly are our healthcare costs on the rise? That's a question that can't be answered in entirety in this paper, but we can touch on it. A large part of the reason is that Americans are eating more calories per day than ever in our history. In fact, between 1970 and 2000, the average number of calories eaten every day by Americans has risen 24.5% (USDA Factbook 2003). It's quite plain to see that more food plus an increasingly sedentary lifestyle are making American's fatter and more unhealthy than they've ever been. Reporters in America are writing new articles about the obesity epidemic every few months, at least.The diets and activity levels of Americans have a large role in shaping, pun intended, our nations health. It's no longer the case that people die of old age; Americans can't continue to believe the myth that people routinely die simply from getting too old. Rather, people die of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and a whole slew of other medical conditions. According to the Washington Post, a study of more than 500,000 middle aged and elderly Americans discovered that eating approximately 4 ounces of red meat, about the size of a small hamburger, caused a 30% increase in likelihood of death during the next ten years, mostly from heart disease and cancer (Stein 2009). Furthermore, Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute said herself that, “The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed meat and an increased risk of mortality.” (2009). In that same article, Rob Stein reported that “After accounting for other variables that might confound the findings, such as smoking and physical activity, the researchers found that those who ate the most red meat -- about a quarter-pound a day -- were more likely to die of any reason, and from heart disease and cancer in particular, than those who ate the least -- the equivalent of a couple of slices of ham a day. Among women, those who ate the most red meat were 36 percent more likely to die for any reason, 20 percent more likely to die of cancer and 50 percent more likely to die of heart disease. Men who ate the most meat were 31 percent more likely to die for any reason, 22 percent more likely to die of cancer and 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease.”. Those aren't small numbers. Americans cannot ignore consumption of animals as a significant contributing factor in rising insurance costs. The evidence is there. Americans eat a lot of meat. Meat consumption is linked with higher rates of death and those that eat meat will have more medical problems than those that abstain from meat. Ilness, and the high percentage of unhealthy people in America is what is driving insurance costs up. A total lack of regard for the proper maintenance of the American body is the main cause of increase in insurance premiums. That rise in costs is directly related with how much money Americans get taken out of their checks to pay for healthcare costs and subsequently don't have available in their bank accounts for their grocery needs. The next large part of that is the misguided allocation of American resources.

As mentioned earlier, America produces an extremely large amount of grain every year. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to feed the hungry in our country, and quite possibly other countries, if we were just to rearrange how those grains are allocated. I will start this section off with two statistics from Jonathan Safron Foer's new book, Eating Animals. One, on average, Americans will each eat 21,000 complete animals over the course of their lifetime. And two, Americans are known to choose to eat less than 0.25% of the edible food grown on the planet. (2009). In addition to that, it takes, on average, 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible animal flesh (PETA 2004). What those to statistics mean, taken together, is that the majority of Americans are eating in a manner that is inherently wasteful and inefficient. As of the year 2000, Americans were eating almost 200 pounds (199.99) of grain per capita, 195.2 pounds of meat and a whopping 593 pounds of dairy products (USDA 2003). If we take the statistic given early, 16 pounds of grains for one pound edible animal flesh, that means we feed 3,123.2 pounds of grain fed to animals PER PERSON to satisfy the American demand for meat. Another way to put this, as David Pimental did in 1997, is that "More than half the U.S. grain and nearly 40 percent of world grain is being fed to livestock rather than being consumed directly by humans.". He believes, that we would feed humans directly, instead of redirecting those calories to animals, we would be able to feed nearly 800 million people annually (1997).

Given that meat is so wasteful, and that eating meat is being increasingly proven to cause a great number of medical issues, we could conclude rather simply that raising animals for eating meat is a large cause for the food shortage issues in America. This paper could stop there and I'd say that I have made valid points and the negatives outweigh the positive, but, as always, there's more to the story. David Pimental, mentioned early with Cornell University, also reported that animal protein production requires more than eight times as much fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein. Pimentel also found broiler chickens to be the most efficient use of fossil energy, and beef, the least. Chicken meat production consumes energy in a 4:1 ratio to protein output; beef cattle production requires an energy input to protein output ratio of 54:1. Lamb meat production is nearly as inefficient at 50:1. Other ratios range from 13:1 for turkey meat and 14:1 for milk protein to 17:1 for pork and 26:1 for eggs (1997). So, when we also take into account the large amount of fossil fuels required to produce and transport animal flesh, we can also see that a large portion of the oil produced is allocated to that industry, thus removing it from the supply for our daily use in other industry or personal transportation, further raising prices at the pump, and on our heating bills. This is yet another knock to the pocketbook, leaving Americans with less money to spend on their nutrition and food.

We can even take that one further, with more help from Pimental, grain-fed beef production requires 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food. Raising broiler chickens takes 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for kilogram of food produced; rice, 1,912; wheat, 900; and potatoes, 500 liters (1997). That means, that the animal agriculture industry in America is very deserving of a large portion of blame for the water shortages in the southern and western states in America. If the Americans that live in that area of the country are bothered with water usage restrictions, they are able to voice that concern with their pocketbooks.

Writing checks to the companies that raise, feed and water these animals is a fantastic way to ensure that these abuses never stop. All of the citizens in this country have a voice in all of these matters. If Americans are concerned with the food shortages, water shortages, and rising fuel costs, they need to focus their energies and expenditures on the solution. Not being part of the problem is to be part of the solution. Americans can't continue to endorse the practices outlined in this paper if they are to live healthy and sustainable lives. While Americans may not emotionally or mentally endorse these practices, consumers are able to vote every time they make a purchase. Change doesn't need to happen only in the poll booths. One person can't change the world, but collectively, humans and societies have the power to do great things. Gandi had it right when he suggested that people “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Change starts on a personal level first. It's never to soon to change, but can often be too late.

DeParle, Jason. "Hunger in U.S. at a 14-Year High". NY Times. 11/16/09 .

Foer, Jonathan Safran. Eating Animals. NY, NY: Little, Brown and Co, 2009.

Fritze, John. "Average Family Health Insurance premiums". Washington Post. 11/21/09 .

Gold, Aaron. "Cheapest Cars of 2009". About.com. 11/21/09 .

"World Wheat Report". OK State University. 11/20/09 .

"Meat Means Misery for the Worlds Hungry". PETA. 11/20/09 .

Pimental, David. "Eight Meaty Facts about Animal Food". Cornell University. 11/21/09 .

Stein, Rob. "Daily Red Meat Raises Chances of Dying Early". Washington Post. 11/21/09 .

Teems, Jennifer. "Hunger and Food Insecurity in America". The Faster Times. 11/20/09 .

USDA Factbook. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2003

A Productive Saturday Morning, and an exciting Sunday in the works.

2009-11-21T16:09:00.001-08:00

Today started out at a good rate of progress. I knew that I had a 7 page paper (double spaced-rough draft) due for my English Comp class on Tuesday. As of about 8 am this morning I hadn't put a word to paper, digital or analog. By noon, I'd had written my paper, and I think it's good, too! 11 different sources, a whole slew of statistics. Now I have a solid 3 weeks to rewrite and edit and expand upon information for the Final.

I'll try to post it up here if anyone cares to read it. It's about food insecurity (hunger, almost. Not exactly) in America. If you didn't know, we (as a country) are experiencing the highest rate of food insecurity since the USDA started trying to track it 14 years ago. It's pretty interesting.

So, yeah, if you're interested in reading an argumentative research paper on almost hunger, I'll probably post it tomorrow.

Tomorrow. I'm going to church. Crazy, huh? St. Francis Cabrini. I hear they have an interpreted service and I think it would be good to witness. So, the Holy Day is Holy once again...For the first time in probably 12 years or so...

Then, I'm meeting with an ASL study group at 1 for some good studying time (which will be great. Carol threw a TON of new signs at us on Thursday).

Maybe that's all. Just ASL heavy. That'll be awesome. I tricked you into thinking something actually exciting was happening, didn't I!

I think I figured out a key difference between myself and others.

2009-11-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

Just tonight it hit me. I was at my Deaf Culture class. We met at Charles Thompson Memorial Hall, or, the Deaf club, this evening. It was a really great experience to see it all, and listen to a Deaf panel discuss their thoughts, ideas and upbringings. It was a very valuable experience, and was a bit eye opening.

I think the main difference between me, and a lot of my peers, is that when I learn something about the world, I tend to not ignore it as readily. Maybe that's just my imagination, but, when considering that I acknowledge that smoking is bad, so I don't do it. I understand that animals suffer to create our (meat eaters) meals, I know that minority groups are discriminated against, I know that drinking regularly is not good for you, and so on. I think all of these things are common knowledge, but I also think that some people choose to ignore the facts (and the beliefs that they know to be true, but suppress). I have a very hard time suppressing my outrage at injustice. I know I'm not alone in that, and I know I'm not perfect. We all have to choose our battles, but it seems to me a lot of people aren't fighting at all.

Just an observation. Fight for something. It'll make you a stronger human. You just might like it.

This seems appropriate

2009-11-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

Gorilla Biscuits - Two Sides lyrics

Some people think they're always right and right is all they'll ever be.
Well there's two sides and ego's divide.
And we're so concerned with who's right.
These people are so quick to judge.
Let's get the judgment straight.
It's not who's wrong it's how we get along.
And I'm not too sure that we do yet.
TRUTH is a word that you're sure of.
Or so you've said,
But I'd love to see you give someone else a chance.
Open up, It's not so hard.
Is hard what you want to be? to kick some ass.
It's a sure bet you'll get your way with no friends left.
Don't say you don't.
For God's sake give me a fucking break
you don't even know my name.
TRUTH is a word that you're sure of.
Or so you've said
but I'd love to see you give someone else a chance.
I listen to the things you say, I've weighed the facts out in my head.
Can you do the same...No, then don't waste my time.
TRUTH is a word that you're of.
It's all you said
but I'd love to see you give someone else a chance.
This time my mind is set.
My side you'll never get.
What I say.
What did you say.
We can both be right just not in the same way.
You think we could reach some common ground...No...no way

I don't think I need to add much else to that. There is a reason this is my favorite band.

Went to the Bike Race Today

2009-11-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Didn't take any pictures (I really need a camera that isn't my phone. It was really great to watch a bike race again, and also really great to see a lot of friends I hadn't seen in a while. I was surprised that people I didn't think would really notice my absence saying hi. It was pretty awesome. I'll be back. Not a full time amateur bike racer, but I'll be around on occasion. It'll be good. I'm excited for it.

Congratulations/Good Job's are in order to Smithers and Patty first and foremost. I only caught the 1/2 race, so I don't know how the others went, but I heard everyone had fun and liked the course.

I'm excited to go pedal in circles next summer at the velodrome again. That'll be fun.

Thanks y'all. It was nice to see you. (Taylor and Frye, where'd you two disappear to? I missed you both...)

Bicyclists VS. Drivers.

2009-11-14T20:49:00.001-08:00

So, I was just perusing Amazon.com for a safety razor to buy when my Schick Quattro runs out of blades when I came across this discussion http://www.amazon.com/tag/health/forum/ref=cm_cd_search_res_ti?_encoding=UTF8&cdMsgNo=69&cdPage=3&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx1KQF3WY5W3NQ2&cdMsgID=MxZPVVEPQDSXL9#MxZPVVEPQDSXL9

. If you're a bike rider, you don't need to read it, you know what it's about. Mostly drivers saying how much they hate bikes, and relish the days when they hear about bicyclists being struck by cars, and then the cyclists crying over how their transportation choice is better because it uses less natural resources, and so on and so forth. It's quite clear to me that this discussion is lacking a very particular mentality.

Why is it that whenever we, as humans, are doing whatever it is that we do to occupy our time, or get around, or whathaveyou, we always think that we are doing the right thing and that everyone else can fuck off (so to speak). I know I do it. When I'm on my bike, I want everyone to accommodate me and pay me no mind so I can do what I want to do when I want to do it. When I'm in a car, I'll speed if I want to, I'll roll through stop signs when I want to (I never want to do that, for the record) I'll get angry if someone is going slow or otherwise stupid.

Or, for example, like yesterday, I'll gladly move over in my lane on a one way street to make room for a car that is mistakenly (I hope) turned the wrong way down that street.

The thing that I, and we, all forget is that whether we are bikes inconveniencing drivers, or drivers inconveniencing bikes (which I tend to have no leeway for) is that we're all human. It's almost as though the drivers that wish death upon cyclists for running reds, or stop signs only see a bicycle, and cannot see the human perched upon it. Can they seriously wish death upon another human being for something as trivial as a minor inconvenience? Is it really worth getting really angry, to the point of vehement over a few seconds lost? Is life really worth that little? Can't you make up those few extra seconds by using an ATM instead of going inside the bank, or a restaurant drive through? When did our spare seconds become so precious? Or, is there more to it than that? I guess I don't have the answers. I just wanted to bring the human quotient into the equation. I'm not trying to raise anyone's blood pressure any higher, just bringing a different perspective. The lack of tolerance that drivers have for cyclists is really quite unfortunate.

Be safe out there, whether in car, riding a bicycle, on your feet, whatever you may choose.

-Jason

I'm back!

2009-11-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hello. I wonder if anyone missed me. Who knows, I'm not too concerned.

What's new? I'm still working at the Blood Center (which needs donors right now, so please consider giving the gift of life this holiday season).

The biggest news is that Margaret and I kinda separated. It's a really long story and not really internet friendly, but the gist of it is that we're going to attempt living apart and seeing less of each other as a way to reignite the respect and desire we once had for each other. Wish us luck!

I'm a full time American Sign Language Student currently facing the dilemma of where to focus my studies. Learn to interpret or other? Any insight?

I've been taking dance lessons. I feel that if I'm going to try to be a gentleman, I should know how to dance. Seems obvious, right?

I haven't ridden my bike in months, much less trained for anything. I'm happy with that. I had a good time with it, and I'm (at least temporarily) over it. I'm sure I'll be back on it as soon as it gets nice out. I just have other more important things going on in my life to spend the time and money I have spent in the past on racing bikes.

Not much else new. We'll see where this blog re-imagining takes us. Follow it if you care to. It's going to be much more life aware than majority focused on bicycles. I hope to keep it relevant.

Oh, another important thing. Upon last checkup I'm still cancer free. Which is great news. I still haven't gotten the Petscan that oncologist really suggests I get (because Health Partners doesn't think it's essential and therefore won't pay for it) but so far, things are as good as I could hope for them to be. Even went to the dermatologist a few weeks ago and didn't get cut open or stabbed. It was nice.

Updates from yesterdays HCMC journey

2009-07-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you know it wasn't be best time I've ever had. It was probably up there, but I don't think it was quite the worst 2 hours I've ever had...

I went in there knowing I was in for a Catscan, and then a trip to get looked at by the Dermatologist. I did know realize I was walking in for them to pretty much fuck me up.

I got there right on time for the Catscan. 8AM. It's a good thing I do mornings well. I had to fast for at least 4 hours (which, when it's 4 hours from 8, I'm sure as hell not waking up at 4 just to eat, so it turned into a 10 hour fast, which was fine, and turned out to be a good thing...) I went in, they set me with an IV, which I already didn't expect. Then they put me on the scanner, in the clothes I walked in wearing (which seemed odd. They didn't weigh me or anything...not even BP) So, I was lying there, and they had to call my Oncologist because she wanted them to scan "higher", which apparently wasn't specific enough. Go figure...

Anyhow, I'm sleeping in the machine by the time they come back in to get me, and then they get me ready (didn't strap me down this time...). They inject me with a contrast liquid (NOT the same as the lemonadey stuff they use for abdomen scans...) they tell me I'm going to feel warm and flush, and maybe like I peed myself because my bladder would warm up. It's true. It felt like I peed myself, but I didn't, so that was nice. So they did the first scan ("lower", I guess), and as they're finishing I get all sorts of nauseous. They say that that happens occasionally, and I get moved out of the machine, handed a bag, and then I proceed to throw up the nothing that was in my stomach for a few minutes. Apparently I don't agree with the contrast. Which is AWESOME, because they had to put me right back in with more contrast for the dr. ordered "higher" scan. So they injected more of that devil juice into me, although not as much, nor as quickly, and they got the 2nd one done. I hobbled around for a bit, but didn't throw up again, and then was discharged shortly thereafter.

It only got more fun from there! I went to the dermatologist expecting them to look me over and say that either I had goofy spots and we should arrange for them to be removed, or that I was ok for the time being. I showed them the new spots on my hands that I didn't like, and the consensus was that they were fine. Just sun spot wart things. BUT, then they said we should freeze them off anyway so they don't spread. That's about when things got interesting. So I didn't have much worth being concerned about, so they got the liquid nitrogen (which I was very intrigued by...) and then they look at my scar. They notice new spots in my scar approx where the original melanoma was. They didn't really like the looks of it, but they also weren't very suspicious of it, because "it wasn't behaving like a melanoma", whatever that means. BUT, spots get chopped off, apparently, so they went and got the bioposy kit.

Then it got really interesting. I got put on my side, I got a topical anesthetic, and they punched a 6mm round hole in my shoulder, threw one year old scar tissue. It didn't hurt, because I was numbed up, but I kinda watched and it was gnarly. The anesthetic, because it was only injected into the skin, and not below it, made my arm raise up, and then the cut the top off with the punch, so I totally looked like a small bloody volcano. That part was fun. The 4 stitches were fine, too. For about 5 hours, but we'll get back to that...

So, I'm injected, (again), punched, stitched, and now about to be frozen (keeping in mind I was not prepared mentally for ANY of this.) So they grab nitrogen tank and pretty much try to freeze my spots off. So now I have a few day old gigantic blisters on the back of my hands where they froze shit off. Apparently they'll scab over and fall off in a couple days. That only felt like they were sticking a small needle through my hand. It could have been way worse, I imagine.

BUT, the 9.5 hour workday got cut about 6 hours short as soon as the anesthesia wore off and my body became aware that it had gotten stabbed repeatedly. So I went home early and took it easy. I feel MUCH better today, I haven't had a bandaid come off the stitches without blood on it, so maybe I'm still doing to much? It doesn't hurt though, and it's not ripped, so we'll just let it ride.

Speaking of riding. None for me, thanks. Doctors orders. Stitches out in 2 weeks, and then I'll be at the track (sounds familiar doesn't it...For those of you that weren't paying attention or have forgotten, last time my shoulder was cut open, my first race back was on the track, and WAY sooner than I should have been racing again. Oh well. Let's call it a tradition to put a positive spin on it.

See you in 2 Thursdays!

Cancer update.

2009-07-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

Is it back? I don't know. I do know that I now have insurance again, and that means that I went to the hospital last week. They said they weren't sure, but the X-Ray came back clear. They want to see a dermatologist who is more visually adept at picking up spots and what they may be. So, I do that on Tuesday. The more unsettling news is that I have to get a catscan right before that on Tuesday morning also. Why? I'm not totally sure. Looking for things the X ray can't pick up. So, that's neat. They wanted me to get a petscan (what's the diff?) but my insurance wouldn't cover it, and I don't want to pay $4k for it. Screw that. So, I wait all over again.

The spots that are making me nervous are just on my hands. They're small and new, so, it's still early. We'll see what they say. Maybe they're nothing. Just playing it safe.

Here's hoping it all comes back clear. Naturally.

The best laid plans of Mice and Men...

2009-07-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

So, I had a nice fancy training schedule based around the times I had available, and then I go get a full time position at work...

Which is amazing, but a cause for revision/abandonment of the training program. Time instead to be an adult, save a bunch of money, and try to buy a house sometime in the next year. They're too cheap right now to not. So, if anyone has awesome resources for that, those would be good to send over.

Thanks

I was afraid of that.

2009-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, training is going well. By that I mean I've been doing it. One whole week now. BUT, today was a major setback. Knee issues. Again.

I went about 130 miles today. Got super lost in the NW metro and just rode around. Nothing strenuous, no big hills. About mile 95 my knee was acting all retarded again. It just doesn't want me to push even (very) reasonably hard on the pedal. My left knee. In the soft fleshy spot below the kneecap to the outboard side. It blows. I don't know if it's my position (which has been looked at), but I doubt it, because it's not bike dependent. Any of my bikes cause me to be temporarily crippled on the bike. I HAVE to figure that out. And quick! Tomorrow I'm "resting" it. Helping out a pal and then possibly playing tennis in the afternoon. Or not. I don't really know yet. But then on Sunday I'll be out again w/ The Fix for another easy 60. If it keeps being sore I'm in deep trouble.

Only time will tell.

So far so good.

2009-06-24T09:19:00.001-07:00

Aside from Mondays Mishap (Margaret took both our keys to work with her, so I couldn't leave the house for too long-couldn't lock the door) where I couldn't ride, So far I've been going as planned. Monday I ran for a few miles instead. yesterday I took it easy and rode to school and work. Then I got home and ran some more. (when I say "ran" I pretty much mean "jogged for 2 miles")Today I had to bring Margaret her phone at school, because she forgot it, but then I rode over to my favorite intersection (Ramsey/Grand/Irvine and did some hill repeats. Twice each up Irvine and Grand, and thrice up Ramsey. Then I got SOAKED on the ride home, but that's ok. It wasn't ridiculously cold.

So far, So good. Jut gotta keep it up! "rest" tomorrow and then a long day friday!

Training for 2009 Dairyland Dare.

2009-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

I will chronicle my exploits (which aren't going so well today...) Between now and the event itself, (A 300k, 22k elevation ft jaunt through the Blue Mounds area of WI on August 15th). I have a training plan written up, but I'm not the best at following those. So, if you or anyone you know is up for a bike ride on the days that I have designated as bike days, shout me a holler.

It goes a little like this.

Sundays start the week w. the 60 miles easy Fix ride every week.

Mondays are between 60 up to 100 miles of harder hills/hill intervals to test the knee. Usually Afton, Afton/Stillwater, or Stillwater/NW WI hills.

Tuesdays are ride my bike to school/work days, but no training/riding hard

Wednesdays are either a rest day or a hard lillydale/hill repeats on ramsey interval day depending on the week.

Tuesdays are ride my bike to school/work days, but no training/riding hard

Fridays are going to be 150-200+ mile days save for 2 rest weeks. The first friday after the first rest week I will be going to Hinckley and back, and the first friday after the 2nd rest week I will be riding to Spooner, WI and back.

Saturdays will be easy days either lillydale or greenway to cedar lake trail and back to greenway miles.

And then is Sunday Fix ride all over again.

Couple hard days, couple long days, couple super easy days. NEAT!

I have a full calendar written out until the Event, BUT, that's my whole summer, so there is room for messing around w/ it. And I have August away from school, so I can w/ workload there depending on how I'm feeling.

BUT, if ANYONE is into riding anything like what you see above, let me know. Help keep me honest. I'll need riding buddies to stay motivated.

I rode far yesterday.

2009-06-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I mentioned on twitter that I wanted someone to ride far with. Mike Hall mentioned he was going to Duluth that weekend. Long story short, I was in. As luck would have it, so was Monty Byrnes. This was good. The more the merrier.

Plan was to meet Mark in NE at about 6:45 and ride out to Lino Lakes to meet Mike. That went off without a hitch. 25 miles from my house we were at Mikes house filling bottles and emptying bladders. We set out up 23 (where Mike has the first mishap of the day-broken spoke) and down Kettle Ridge to Wyoming, I think and then onto a bike trail to North Branch. 5 miles down the road from North Branch was a tiny town. I stopped there twice, but I forget the name and don't want to google it. From my house to Mikes house Mark and I avg'd 17 mph. That was good. From Mikes house to this tiny town we avg'd 22mph. It was NOT Mike making us do that...Mark just wouldn't take it easy, or, more accurately, that WAS easy for Mark. We all made it, and at a good clip.

Next stop, Mark got a flat...We stopped and fixed that and then were off to Pine City another 20-25 miles up 61. we stopped, bought a bag of salty chips and gatorade and waited for Mikes wife to bring his race wheel turned spare long distance wheel. Made that switch and then we were off. Caught some fast tri guy that was riding from North Branch to Duluth and then running the Marathon today. That's just silly. It took the 3 of us about 8 miles or so to catch him, then we rode together a bit and chatted until the roads pointed up a bit. We got to some little hills and it broke up a bit, and we 3 slowed down to stay together. We caught back up to crazy tri guy and rode to Hinckley, where it was time for a potty break on the side of the Munger trail. The plants looked thirsty.

From there the pace finally slowed down a bit into Finlayson where we stopped for sandwiches in some tiny weird "deli" place. Pretty alright! We sat there for a bit, and recovered and ate and then we were back on the trail.

We made it to about a 1/2 from moose jaw. Jaw? lake? knuckle? something like that, I'm not from here. Then Mike flatted the almighty Zipp. Uh-oh! we tried to fix it. The sealant in the tire didn't work. The super glue I bought didn't work. He even tried to patch it from the outside, and that didn't work either. It never held air. He called his wife to come BACK down from Duluth to save the day. I wasn't having that, and had already been contemplating turning around. A few reasons, mostly because I didn't want to have to wake up and ride back the next day when the route wasn't fresh. SO, We tried to continue on with Mike riding just about on the rim, but then he gave up (wisely) and I turned around. That was at mile 120 for me. 97 miles away from Mikes house and just under 30 back to Hinckley.

Margaret was at the NSC in Blaine until 9pm, so I had 5.5 hours to cover that 110 miles. It was going to be close. I felt pretty good from the time I just turned around and was keeping it between 20-22 for the most part, save for purposely NOT pushing it up the hills to save my knees. I made it back to Hinckley in about an hour and a half, and stopped and bought more gatorade to stay reasonably hydrated. Another 20 or so back to Pine City, and I kept rolling. Starting to hurt. Just watching the pavement move on past my front wheel. My knees don't really like long trips. At that point I was up to 175 miles or so and my knees weren't too happy with me.

I kept plugging along, stopping at that little town again (15-20 miles past Pine City) where they told me I was 5 miles from North Branch! By this time it was almost 7. I had just over 2 hours to get another 35-40 miles in. It was starting to look plausible, but I was really hurting. I made it to North Branch at about 7:15, and looked for the trail for 15 minutes. Wasted time, wasted energy. At this point it was about all I could do to go about 18mph without it hurting too bad.

I get onto the trail, and Margaret calls me to say that she got done early. My shot of getting to Blaine was over. She was gonna come get me. I didn't WANT to try to ride home, I hurt, and there was a shower coming (a rain shower, not a physical shower, although that would have been wonderful!)

I rode down the trail into Stacy, and communicated with Margaret that she should take 35 north to Stacy Trail, and that I'd be on that rode. When I spoke with her I was at 197.7 miles and I wanted those last 2.3 VERY badly. I was pretty much falling apart, but I got them. Got to some mailbox on that road, and turned around. Margaret met me when my odometer read 200.3. Mission accomplished. Day saved. Success.

We drove home (but the car is dying pretty quick. It doesn't do well on the freeway anymore...think it's almost time to retire it.) and I got showered and made dinner.

Happy day. Under 12 hours of riding time. Got picked up at 8, so that's just under 14 hours start to finish. I'll take it. RAAM 2011? Doubtful. Margaret won't let me, my knees won't let me, and I don't even think I'd be game for that. Maybe in a team. Yep. I'd do it on a team. BUT, I WOULD love to be on a support crew for next year. I can offer mechanic assistance for the bicycles. Where do I sign up? I'd volunteer a week of my life to drive across the country at 12mph in an RV!

So yeah. All's well that ends well. Wrapped it up today with a 25 mile Lillydale loop with Margaret. Legs still worked, not too well though. Made it up both Ohio and Ramsey. I'll take it.

Now to help out with leading The Fix ride out west for 50-60 miles tomorrow! If anyone wants to ride, Depart The Fix at 117 Washington at 9am. It'll be fun.

OH! Forget to mention that we saw a flock of sheep being herded down the rural highway by sheep dogs and humans with sheep staffs! It was amazing.

rant.

2009-06-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

We all know them. The people that hang out on the Marshall/Lake st bridge between St Paul and Minneapolis carrying signs that say "US out of Iraq" and the like. First off, don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with their message, but they're going about it all wrong. Nothing makes me more angry on a regular basis than seeing these schmucks on the side of the road.

Why? Because I personally feel that they make my commute to work, or back from school more dangerous than it needs to be. It's hard enough to ride a bike in the city when drivers ARE paying attention. Do you really think that it's a good idea to be distracting drivers on a bridge? A bridge with a bike lane? I don't. Not only because there is no where to go on that bridge, but because the honks are also unsettling. Call me panicky, that's fine. I've been hit by cars before, and it hasn't been that bad, but I'm not trying to get hit again. It's been a few years, and I'd like for it to be a few more.

Folks on bridge, please take it somewhere else. I do realize that is a good spot for your visibility, but it isn't the safest.

Background: One time I was protesting outside of a fur store in Milwaukee with an animal rights group, and some cars stopped paying attention to the road, for who knows how long...Some driver just started slowing down, and the driver behind her rear ended her pretty hard. Not what we had intended to happen at all, and it sucked. Especially when the drivers were accusing us as the cause.

Not fun. Keep it safe out there folks!

It's the French Open, if you didn't know.

2009-06-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you the results mostly, but I have to say that I really appreciate when tennis players are able to control their grunts when they hit the ball. Now, i understand and appreciate that they're hitting the ball RIDICULOUSLY hard, but tennis is still more or less a gentlemans sport. I see often opponents hugging after a match, or saying quite wonderful things about their opponents in post match interviews, it's great. I love that aspect. I just can't get into the "AAAUUGGGHHH!" when the whack the ball.

That said, I'm psyched that Soderling is into the Final. It looks like Federer is stressed at the moment, but it also looks like Del Potro is about to choke. We'll see. I think that Soderling has a better shot of beating Fed than DP. Federer is amazing, no doubt, but I think that everyone knows Fed is in a rough patch and not playing super well (for being Roger Federer. He's still amazing)

So, I'd like to see Federer make it to the final, but i'd REALLY like to see Soderling take it.

Ever since I heard about Soderling imitating Nadals wedgie picking habit a few years ago, I can't not appreciate that guy.

High Five wheels.

2009-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

(pardon the blackberry photo)

They came in. I've ridden on them a few times and raced on them once. They're great. 58mm deep. Pretty light. Stiff. Exactly what I wanted. Very glad I got a set.

So that's super cool and I'm excited about that.

The race I used them for was the East Union Circuit Race. (Great race, by the way, Verve Ladies! and thanks to Hanna for the animal crackers!)

My job for the race was to keep it together for a bunch sprint for the Little Guy. I gave it my best shot. Kept things together, rode anchor position in a break. Sat in a bit after it came back and then focused on making sure no one got away.

A LOT of attack/counterattack coming from the gigantic sprinter types on GP. They raced a really smart race. Brandon (speedfix) launched an attack before the last turn, and then it was countered by a 4 person group (GP mostly...) They caught and passed Brandon shortly before the line, and the Mark Byrnes/Dispencer lead out train for LG couldn't quite close it up. They were able to launch LG for a fairly easy field sprint victory, and Spencer held for 8th overall (3rd in field sprint). I was tired and finished 14th or 15th.

It was a great race, a lot of fun, very well ran, AND I got to eat a veggie burger. Which always adds to the incentive to show up.

Good job team LGR= Fil, Rookie, LG, Dis, Byrnes, me!

Today marks the 2nd year.

2009-05-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

As of this morning at about 6:30, Margaret and I have been married for two whole years. Time has flown. In these last two short years we've been through a lot. Moved to a new city, a graduation, 2 new school enrollments, a house fire, a marijuana forest, new and lost jobs, new apartments, new friends, life threatening ailments, holidays at the pool, bike rides, dinner parties, therapy...but life goes on.

It certainly hasn't been the easiest two years of my life, but it has been the most fulfilling, and it has held some of the fondest memories I'll take away from this life.

Marriage. We certainly didn't know what we were getting into, and there have been a lot of times when we didn't think it was worth it. Well, so far, it's been worth it.

Margaret, I know you read this, perhaps not often, but you'll see this someday. I love you. Thank you for being there for me when I need you, and still there when I think I don't. I love you and the life that we have together. I am looking forward to the next two years.

my wife is amazing.

2009-04-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

She went to Opus on Tuesday and gave me the play by play in the 1/2/3 race while I was at work by text...

AND, later that evening, when I asked if she saw Cleary, she said that she didn't know what cleary looked like...

I asked if she saw any leprechauns.

She said that Yes, she saw one, but it was Pete Hannah.

-

yep. that's pretty amazing.

-jason

it's official

2009-04-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

I got 20th out of 29 starters in my field at durand. Spencer got 5th, so he held it down for the team. LGR at the back of the field, minus Taylor mixing it in with us!

First update in months. Durand happened.

2009-04-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

some other things have happened as well. I took up tennis. That's been treating me well. Been doing that more than bike riding lately. I've been enjoying it a lot.

Just got back from breakfast at the Seward co-op with Margaret and her dad. Margaret's treat. It was pretty great. It's been a good (couple) week(s).

Went to Oshkosh over Easter weekend. That was a nice getaway. Rode bikes outside and it got WAY colder than expected, and did an 1:08 on the computrainer at a pretty good clip. Not bad considering I had meant to load the 17 miler that takes about 45 minutes. Didn't figure that out until it was almost too late.

Durand was yesterday. It was WAY harder and faster than I remember it being last year. Again I worked too hard, but I made it pretty clear that I wasn't going to be the guy on our team that was gonna place high. So I marked a guy and made sure nothing got away that didn't have at least one LGR in it. LG and Byrnes kept things interested and each attacked a couple times. I got away once for a little bit. I kept things slow an awful lot, too. Got dropped just after the turn that marked the end of the 3rd lap (out of 4) and rode the last 12 miles by myself.

Before I got dropped the avg watts of my race was 240. That's pretty hard. At least for me. Including the last 12 miles riding at my "I got dropped, lets just finish this damn race" pace my avg dropped to 199. Super OK with that. Normally when things aren't going well for me I just throw in the towel and quit. It was have been WAY faster for me to quit than it would have been to ride the last 12 miles, but I did it. First time for everything. I mark that a check in the maturity box. I was happy to finish.

I also realized something. Whereas last year I could ride at the front of the race and then finish in the top 10 (more often than not) in the shorter races, this year is going to be different in that there is just more damn power in the field and I can't ride at the front the whole race and still contest the finish. That's good to know. Glad I got that out of the way early.

All in all it was fun. It was hard. Racing with a team is super rad, and I look forward to doing it more.

That's about it for me. Might have more to say soon. Here's hoping!

More Powertap info.

2009-02-18T09:20:00.001-08:00

Something I noticed yesterday at the Fix.

When I'm actually working, the Tacx unit is SUPER closer to the Powertap, if not a bit behind it. I DO need to set it to not read every second. That makes things SUPER hard to hold. I think a 3 second reading would be the way to go.

SO, at 60rpms and at threshold or just above, the Tacx would read about 320 (my supposed threshold) and the Powertap would read between 310 and 350 depending on fluidity of pedal stroke. If I slow the reading down I think I'd get a good average. Couple that with my earlier realization (that at 120% the powertap catches up and sometimes passes the Tacx) I think that the powertap is more accurate when you're working harder.

I'll continue to report my findings, even if no one else cares, it'll be handy to have this recorded later.

training, cookies and rest.

2009-02-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a good workout. I thought I wasn't going to make it through my intervals. I did. Could've gone a little more smoothly, though.

Rode in the cold with TC on Wednesday. It was cold and wet and windy. Rode outside with Aaron on Friday. It was cold, but not wet or windy. Dropped into Coldsprints adn said hi to the usual suspects. Rode indoors easy at the Fix for an hour and a half while watching Super Troopers.

Today was hard though. After the first interval I didn't think I was going to make all 5. I did. It was a struggle, though. 2 min @ 100% (320 watts) at 90rpm. 4 minutes @ 110% (352w)at 70rpm then 2 min @ 120% (384w) for 2 minutes at 90rpm. 3 minutes rest. Repeat x 5. That 110% @ 70rpms is a damn killer. To be honest, if I try to ride them at 70 on the nose I stall out. I don't think I can push that wattage that slowly. I tend to do them more to the tune of 72-74rpm. Makes it MUCH more manageable. Possible, even.

Got my Powertap the other day. WAY harder than the Tacx Flow trainers to hold your watts. The reading interval must be way shorter. That said, the readings are a lot different, too.

To elaborate on what Timmer said ( http://timmercentral.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/power-power-power/ ) The Tacx trainers read a lot higher. I don't know what the circumstances were for his readings, but I find that the powercurve is a lot different.

Seems like the Powertap shows lower numbers at lower watts, and then catches up the tacx at my upper limit. I've never gone more than 120% for any length of time with the Powertap, but when I'm at 100%, it's about 40 watts low. 60 watts at 90%...I suppose that's a big difference, but when I'm really working it's about +/- 10 either way. I can handle that. I wonder if I really gave it if the powertap would read out higher than the Tacx.

Also noticed that the Tacx is way more solid. It seems like the Tacx reads the watt spike first and displays that, and then works back down into the target, whereas the Powertap will read the target, the spike over, the dip back down below the goal, and then inch back up to the goal wattage. OR, It could be that I just need to be better about hitting the watts and not spiking/dipping. I'll get there. Practice!

That's about all. I made cookies today, and they're great.

By the way. The Tour of California radio broadcast is bringing me back to my days listening to the Cubs and Brewers games on the radio in my youth days...

High Five.

2009-02-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wheels ordered. See a couple new fancy wheels about town in around 2.5 months. So, that's pretty neat. Thank you, to those of you that ordered things, I am as excited as you are.

On a bigger and better note...Guess who got onto plusonelap's lightweight bike gallery? I DID! well, I didn't. Shawn Small of Ruckus Components did. BUT, It was his High Five bike that make the cut.

http://plusonelap.blogspot.com/
http://plusonelap.blogspot.com/2009/02/lightweight-cyclocross-shawns-high-five.html
Right on the top of the first page! sweet jams. This has me happy. Keep riding Shawn, and thanks for helping get the good word out there!

OH, and that's sitting on a pair of High Five wheels, as well. Good man!

Worked.

2009-02-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a common theme this week. At the Fix, we've started doing some muscle endurance training. Basically, high watts @ low cadences for 3-5 minute invervals and 1 or 2 minutes rest between. They get hard in a hurry. Especially for people (me) who like to spin faster and not mash on pedals. BUT, I imagine it will help me come springtime. The issue is, when pedal mashing, I tend to get side stitches. I got a REAL bad one today... Had to cut an interval short and then get off and try not to black out after the last one. Didn't cool down at all. I couldn't stay hunched over a bike anymore. It was awful. BUT, I did ok. Wasn't a total fail. Margaret BREEZED through it. I don't even get it. I wish I could have paid more attention to her than me. It was probably pretty inspiring to watch her ease through this hard of a workout. Darn it. Someday I'll have one of those days. You know. Those good days. Good enough to make you forget about a ton of the bad ones. I'm almost due. Maybe not. Just a rough week.

Bike swap on sunday. Besides that, increasing temperatures should get me out on my bike a bit. I'm super excited about that. First LGR team ride is on Saturday. A full MONTH later than last years early season rides. Time to get started. Season starts soon.

It's been a while...

2009-02-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

But, I might be back at this thing again soon. I've been busy, what with school now and training and work.

Still at The Fix. I can't enough good about these folks over there. If you'd like some smart interval workouts or some advice I suggest coming down to the Fix and talking to Larry and Sophie. They're seriously some of the best people I've met in this city. Bike fits, lactic and threshold testing, massage, yoga classes, training classes. It's all here and it's all good. Seriously. Come to ONE session. Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. Very much worth the price of admission. Just honest no cheating workouts. And Coach Troy isn't half as charismatic. (or effective, but I'm biased...) besides, he's boring! Here, you can suffer WITH other people!

So yeah, that's been going fantastically. Sure, they're hard, and sometimes I can't do what I'm supposed to do in the class, but, it's all making me better. And THAT is what I'm after. I'm feeling good one the bike, and I'm ready to start racing.

On that note, I've got my calendar marked with the races and where I'd like to peak. Pretty exciting stuff. I've got my goals. I think that I can get them. Hard, but not impossible. Just how I like it.

What else? SCHOOL! I started in January. Machining degree. So far so good. I remember quite a bit of what I learned in High School, and pick new things up pretty quick. It's working for me.

Other than that, life is good. 09 is WAY the hell better than 08. I never want to go back there again! (funny thing about time, even if I did want to go back, I couldn't)

High Five order is being placed this week. Look for more fast wheels and fast riders going around the local racecourses. EXCITING!

That's it for now. Better to keep it short.

Thanks for bearing with me during my blog hiatus. Twitter had me occupied for a bit.

See you at the bike swap.

training more.

2008-12-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

Didn't really feel like getting on the trainer...Waited until last minute, pretty much. Then, when I got on the trainer, I wanted nothing more than to get off of it.

But, I did it. 17 miler on computrainer.

12/25/06 finished in 47:06 avg 244 watts 91 avg rpm
12/23/07 finished in 46:59 avg 245 watts 100 avg rpm
12/26/07 thought I could do better. finished in 45:25 avg 256 watts 90 rpm
today. 12/26/08 one year later. finished in 45:00 avg 269 watts 92 rpm.

Seems like I keep getting better. I'll take it. Most I had on me was 800 something feet. Least I had on me was -100' or so. Usually between 100 and 400'. Enough. Didn't kill myself. Lowest peak watts out of all of them. (528 vs 576 rd 1 and 619 rd 2 and 575 rd 3).

Works for me. Notes improvement.

UPDATE!

2008-12-14T19:14:00.001-08:00

My team is amazing. I have mentioned that before, but I need to just reiterate that I really like this group of people. They have always been very supportive and just fun to be around.

AND, when I had my SECOND surgery of the year, they went behind my back and made some sweet "cancer free" bracelets and had them available by donation to help cover my bills.

THAT is amazing. I never asked for it, and I never would. I can't thank them enough for that, and it's a very amazing thing that was done for me (and my family).

Update 2! The Fix. It's still amazing. Got my results back on Thursday (after Hagerty dug me into the table during the massage. PAIN!) and then proceeded to get WORKED in the class that evening. I just couldn't hit my numbers. Could have been the DEEP massage. Could have just been a fluke. We'll see. Today's class went MUCH better. I was able to reach all of my numbers. Although today WAS an easier class (not as long of intervals with more recovery). Anyone that wants an interesting cycle class that is more personalized that a Spinervals dvd should come on down. It's awesome. (that means you too, Margaret). Good folks and hard work. New classes start up after the new year. Tuesday Thursday and Sunday. I'll post up more details when I have them. but don't be afraid to just drop in. There'll be room. And we'd all love to see you.

More news. Carbon wheels from Taiwan and High Five. 20mm, 38mm, 50mm, 58mm and 85mm. Pretty good weights. Tubular. CX Ray spokes. 24 rear 20 front. Shimano OR Campy freehubs. With skewers and carbon brake pads. $675 shipped. FOR BOTH. Get on it. Super Deal.

Similar deals on frames/forks. Inquire with questions.

Power Test @ The Fix.

2008-12-10T05:06:00.001-08:00

Gotta say. REALLY fond of Larry over at The Fix. Sophie, too. They're taking a lot of confusion out of what I'm doing and they're making it more fun. If I could make every one of you racers out there come out for one of these things, I'd bet you'd like it. Ask Delaney. (It was nice to see you the other day, by the way) They're a blast. The atmosphere is fun, and the peoples are good. Can't lose.

Come by. 6:30pm on Thursdays for an hour. $20
9:00am on Sunday for 1.5 hours. $25.
worth it.

BUT, I did my power test over there last night. It went well. I wanted to AVG between 300 and 310. I think I did that and then some. 30 minute TT. All out. Take the AVG of the last 20 minutes. No idea what my actual results are yet. I'd assume I find out at Thursdays class. I'd do it again, though. I like those solid hard long efforts. Sounds like I should get a TT bike. That'd be awesome.

I'm very psyched on all of this. I could never do all of this without direction.

Cold snowy mountain ride, and The Fix class...

2008-12-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a pretty uneventful day for me. BUT, I did ride to the store, and then later in the afternoon, Margaret asked if I felt like going mountain biking. I gave her a look like, "are you serious?"

we went. It was 14 degrees, and Lebanon had about 3" of snow on the trail. It was super slippery and a little dicey. I had fun. I got very cold. Margaret also got very cold, but I don't think she had fun. We got ONE short lap done. It took about an hour fifteen. SLOWWW! lot's o' hike a bike. Lot's of foot downs. Didn't end up on the ground though. DID have to grab onto a tree, which sent my bike going on down the trail sans rider at one point to avoid falling. Good times it was.

Then today, I had plans of doing my 30 minute TT effort to determine threshold wattage after class, BUT, mountain biking yesterday, and the efforts of the class today left me pretty worked. I'm not sure where it is exactly, but I'd say that 315 watts is over my lactic threshold. We'll see. Finding out tuesday. We rescheduled it for then. But I do know that I can sustain 350 watts for 1 minute @120rpm. I don't know if I will disclose full results as openly as on this blog. Gotta keep all those other cat 4's on their toes in about 5 months! Cat 3's watch out!

Introspective!

2008-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Beanie Sigel and Freeway did a song together (well, more than one...)

Freeways part in the song. (part of his part...)

My aunt's house, one of the places that I stopped
See she just died, she got cancer from smokin and drinkin
The same shit that I'm drinkin and smokin
I can't lie, wish life would just open its handcuffs
and let me go, I feel like I'm doin a bit
I can't slide, so what I'm a rapper?
I can't escape the wrath of the law if I crash up my whip
or get, blast in the jaw

That seems like a nice thought...Beanie has a couple good lines, too...but he ruins it with sexual orientation remarks...I can't get into that...Well, that an a lot of other things that most rap has to say... still get into listening to it, though...

No excuses.

2008-12-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

See that title? "No excuses"? Know what that is? THAT, is my motto for the 2009 racing season. NO excuses. I had too many this year. Surgeries, job changes, personal life issues...I don't want it anymore.

Next year, I won't excuse myself from poor performance. Workin' with the coach, gonna work on riding better/smarter. More and better pre-race prep, not getting so antsy at the front of the race. Just being better and more focused. I want this. Time to earn it.

Next season starts very soon. Let's get to it.

Jingle Cross

2008-12-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hello! Iowa was fun! lot's of hanging out, surprising amounts of vegan food.

I raced for shit. My season, it's over. Rest time. Back at it in a few weeks. Yearly power test at father in laws house over Christmas will tell me where I am in relation to last year. That'll be good to know. Just waitin' until then. Unless Larry has other plans for me.

Day one? I did two laps, couldn't get my head into it, and dropped out after wrestling with the back of the race for two laps. My chain fell off as I was passing Paul Schoenig over the barriers. The course turned, I went straight. Day Over. I don't really see the point in racing if I'm not having fun, especially when the season is one day from over. I don't know if it would have helped my overall fitness, and really, I just didn't want to race that day.

Day two. Better. Started 2nd row, because I raced as Fil. I "lost" my jersey, and therefore my number. TC saved the day. (Long sleeve jerseys are WAY better than SS jersey/armwarmers in the cold!) Turns out Spencer had my jersey. So, everything worked out. Anyhow, It had snowed about an inch overnight, and by the time my race was lined up, it was definitely a mud pile. that inch of snow turned into an inch of mud in the best lines. The downhill was awesome. The uphills/off cambers sucked! I raced my old teammate Cale (who I go back and forth with, apparently. He got me in Madison, I got him at WI states, he got me on sunday) and that was fun. The downhill scared me, so I went down on my top tube with both legs out in case I fell. A blast!

I finished in 27th out of 48(finishers..) and I only fell once. and I had a blast. It was the perfect way to end the season, and now I welcome the break.

Thanks to everyone that cheered, and it was awesome to see so many familiar faces that I haven't seen in a while!

If you'd like to see pictures of the carnage, Jared has it documented the best I've seen so far. It's amazing!

I got sucked in, and wrecked.

2008-11-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Riding today with the Swansons and gang was a blast. I didn't know what to expect. Coulda been fast, coulda been slow. It wasn't slow.

I was hanging in just fine, save for one or two rutted mud tire tracks that threw me, and when it got obnoxiously turny (ala theo). I took a turn wide and ended up in the woods, and had to chase back (with i believe charlie townsend, but I can't be sure). Didn't catch them before they stopped at the midway point. Then we went the other way.

I left a bit late after the log (or raft, i suppose) crossing. I had to pee. So I had to chase for a while. I made it, but I think it was because they slowed down.

Then it was 'corridor of pain' time. That part was fun. we went from about 12 people down to about 6 people in a hurry. I got caught behind Kruse and had to chase again for a bit. I got back on, but I don't think I ever got near the front. It was fast as hell, and a lot of fun. Then softpedaled back to minnehaha w/ grandstay.

Highlights?
Being cold and riding hard.
Bergman falling through the ice trying to prove it was thick enough to get over. (sorry Adam, I had faith in you.)
Crossing the log w doug rather than using the ramp.
Patty cakes being Patty cakes.
Getting home and taking a nap immediately and waking up feeling sick with a SUPER headache. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think that Grandstay killed me.

I hope I am right when I think that I race better with some intensity a few days before...

AND, I spent enough time to BikeSnob to be mildly intrigued by Genderanalyzer.com
They said it was 59% likely that this blog is written by a woman, BUT, that I am "quite gender neutral". I'll take it.

High Five updates!

2008-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

It looks like I'll be placing another order at the end of January. Let me know if you need anything. Wheels, bars, stems, frames, forks, etc. just about everything. Competetive prices. And besides, you get to deal with me.

Everyone has loved what they have so far. I am no exception.

Here are some pictures. One of mine, and one of Margarets.

How do I get faster for next season?

2008-11-25T20:39:00.001-08:00

Well. First, lets think about what I did THIS season. Basically, when I raced halfway decently, didn't do anything stupid, and didn't crash, I was in the top 10 in almost every race. That part isn't so bad, I guess. I have excuses, though. Which is something that I don't want anymore.

SO, I looked at what I did this year, and what I need to do next year. First off, not having any surgeries next year would go a long way to making me faster. That probably didn't help much.

Last year I rode MINIMUM 12 miles every day. That adds up to A LOT. This year? I walked two blocks. Gotta get back into riding.

This year I didn't have the motivation to get out and go ride. I didn't even do recovery rides after races very often. That's just silly. I know I can do better.

SO, I started at WCP again. That helps. There's my miles. Get those back up, and I'll be doing better. Starting school in January, so that's another 16 miles a day or so. Tack some trainers on the mornings and outsides on weekends, and I'm in pretty good shape on that front. BUT, there is still room for excuses.

I don't want excuses, so I called a coach. My coworker got me interested in a class series he'd been taking at The Fix. He said the teacher was cool, and he (coworker) was convinced that I should go with him to a class. I have been intrigued by The Fix as long as I've known Hareland works there. He's a guy I wouldn't mind riding like.

I went. It was fun, and it was ran in a way that made me think that the teacher knew what he was doing. That guy is Larry Foss. I was and am impressed. I talked to him after class, and called him to make an appointment the next day. I just got back a bit ago, and I'm sold. I'll continue to update with my thoughts on the matter, but I am very excited. He seems like a very knowledgeable guy, and his experience would go to show that as well.

Now, to think about and set goals for next season. THAT outta be fun. (I don't think that the helmet strap tan line goal will be enough...

last night.

2008-11-25T11:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to work at 3. by 5 I as in the ER with a co-worker.

It was no fun. But I bet it was less fun for him.

He was cleaning the chain on his fixed gear. (do I need to keep going? seems like you know how this will end.)

rag caught. finger caught. finger sucked into chainring/chain. Didn't get severed, but it was messed up. Finger looked like a trash can lid with the floor buttons to open the top. couple stitches and it was back to home for him, and work for me.

Remember! when cleaning a fixed drivetrain, move the rag. NOT THE CHAIN!

WHOA! I went to Milwaukee for a race.

2008-11-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

and only got kinda killed. I got 12th in the cat 3's. Better than I did here, but not as many people in the field. MN just dominated.

Dewey and Casper went 1-2 in one of the races. can't figure out which it was, though. Linda got 2nd in the elite ladies. Jordan (who is a MN racer, I don't care what you say) won his race.

Then it was Elite Mens time. Freaking HILARIOUS.

Marko won by over half a lap. Dewey second. Ezra third. Casper fourth. Jake fifth. Then the local WI guys started filing in.

That right there is pretty funny.

What I fit into my MKE trip:

6 hours in car. fuel coffee. best friends house. hooka bar for food/soccer game. Jon/jen's house. This is England. Andy playing Keytar. home @ 2. Breakfast at comet @ 9. kevins house. to the race. racin'. To Riverwest co-op for a cinnamon roll. Kevins house. Palomino. Kevins house. Fuel coffee. Home.

whirlwind.

Seriously, Take advantage of this. It's great.

2008-11-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Get your bike in here by the 23d (that's Sunday). Here is the Midtown Bike Center.

It's where I work. You knew this. Jake works here too. Come say hi. Bring us your bike for an overhaul. Cross season just ended. Your bike is in the basement still all muddy and not shifting for crap. The rear wheel is probably out of true, and one of the tires might even be flat.

I am a TRAINED mechanic. Let me make your bike work. It'll keep me from boredom at work, and give you an excuse to come say hi and check out the new digs.

AND! its cheap. 50% off an overhaul coupon! AN OVERHAUL! that's where we take your bike down to the frame, lube EVERYTHING, clean EVERYTHING, true and tighten everything. Basically make your bike work as good as it ever has! (I have the power to do that! Ask Nate!)

Print this coupon

http://freewheelbike.com/page.cfm?PageID=376

and bring it to me, with your bike. OR, if you can't do it by Sunday, just bring in the coupon, or CALL US (238-4447) and tell us that you HAVE the coupon, and when you'll bring your bike in for us. We'll take appointments. It works.

HELL! I can even probably have it done for you same day. (No promises, though. We all know that sometimes things happen)

No discount on parts, BUT, since you take reasonable care of your bike, and keep your chain lubed, it's still good right? cables are cheap. Working bikes are priceless.

Going to Jingle Cross? Nationals? You know the drill. Show up with a bike that works.

The end.

Do it. For me?

Sorry, vital information missing. Overhaul (after coupon) will be $75. Then parts as needed.

Why can't life have a rewind button?

2008-11-20T10:38:00.001-08:00

There are two times in my life I'd like to go back to. One, back to philly. Those were carefree happy days mostly.

Two, back to milwaukee, after philly. Those were fun times, and I had a good relationship.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the friends I've had and how I've fallen 100% (ok, well 92%) out of touch. I miss so many people. I have a lot of great friends here, don't get me wrong, but where is the hanging out?

What happened to the "high school days" of just going over to someones house and playing video games/watching tv or movies/listening to music? Going out to eat with 8 people at random, just because someone started calling around?

What is it about getting older that makes that not possible? Sometimes I can call one or two people and get together, but not immediately. When I am in MKE, I usually tell one or two people, and by that night, I will have seen everyone I want to, and it's probably at a restaurant being awesome.

I want to move back to Milwaukee. Which is funny, because I just had this conversation with Margaret and I decided I'd never want to move back there, but I know why, and I can explain it to her, it's no one elses business. What it boils down to is that I miss the hell out of my friends. I've lost touch and it's really bothering me right now.

I am happy to be going down for the weekend. You have no idea.

I am glad to have friends that will never stop being my friend. They say that true friends are hard to come by, and while I generally agree, it's even harder to keep them around when you lost sight of what is important. I know not many of my milwaukee friends read this, and that none of my philly friends do, but I want to thank them. All of them. I'd name names, but I'd forget people and it would piss me off.

to the haters.

2008-11-20T10:22:00.001-08:00

It's never to late to make things better. fuck off.

updates

2008-11-17T06:35:00.001-08:00

going to Milwaukee for the WI state champs this weekend. That's exciting. As always, I do like visiting the old home.

Back in the boat for Jingle Cross. Also exciting. Sorry to be so on the fence.

Raced the MN state cross race on saturday. Didn't go so hot. LOVE the Rawland, though. Am lusting for one of the SS ones quite badly. My back didn't hurt when I was done racing! That has NEVER happened. Heavier than my Alan, though. The price you pay, I suppose. It's worth it. (Hence the SS option. That's my ticket.)

I got 6th in the SS race on my Homegrown singlespeed. Soft suspension fork and 32-16 on a flat course was NOT the best idea. Spun like maniac, and that bike is pretty heavy for the runup of stairway to heaven. Rode with Cleary and Koala. Koala beat me, but I wasn't surprised by that. I gave it all I had.

Got 22nd in the Cat 3 race. HUH? My form is for shit this year. I know what needs to happen. I got 9th in the cat 3's last year. The difference? I was riding AT LEAST 12 miles every day., closer to 30 at the start of the cross season. What does that mean? That I need to put the time in on the bike if I want to see results. I guess that means that I actually have to work to do well. Lame.

My legs were super fried by the 8th lap of the day for me. Everything after the runup was a giant cramp. it sucked. Was riding with about 4 people the whole race, and then didn't want to get beaten by them, so instead of riding the sandpit, I ran it. I got quite a good gap doing that, and then was able to hold it, but it was easily down to a bike length at the finish. I was toast. speaking of toast, time to make breakfast. toast a bagel.

Toast to a fun season. It was a blast, even if I am not happy with my results. I can live with it.

I have a new goal for next season.

2008-11-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Not a race result I'm looking for this time around...

I want the best helmet strap tan lines in the city. cancer be damned I'm on this one!

rawland.

2008-11-11T09:59:00.001-08:00

Well. I did it. I went for a ride. Thankfully I made it home before the hail/sleet that was stinging my face turned into actual rain. So, that was ok. Just went out to the caribou in Wayzata, which was surprisingly busy. Lot's of people in there.

Well. I have to preface this with, my legs are very sore from the two days of running I have done. No running today, but legs still don't like me. So, I felt like I was riding to survive the ride, not to break any PR's. I made it out there in less than an hour, though. So maybe I'm actually not doing so badly.

I have to say, I REALLY like this bike. I've never ridden White Industries cranks, so I don't know if they're crazy stiff or anything, and the wheels are 32 hole W.I. hubs to Velocity Dyads. End up being pretty light, although I am almost positive they're not butted spokes. Let's just say that I didn't expect them to be super stiff. So, that means that the frame is surprisingly stout. I didn't notice any more movement below me (even out of the saddle) than I do on my bike (06 Alan Unicross). Everything worked well. I did notice that my back and hands did better on this ride than they usually do on my bikes. Could that be due to the higher bars (which I've complained about) or maybe that D/A hoods are in fact better, ergonomically speaking, than sram hoods? Could be. I don't want to guess, though.

What it boils down to is that this frame works. If it is in fact 4130 cromo, I'm impressed, because it sure doesn't ride like it. I will say again that I really like it. Not a lot of road buzz (even with 65psi in the Speedmax tires). I only took it off road for a second, and I shouldn't have. I knew it would be less than satisfactory. As I JUST mentioned, the tires are WAY overinflated. I'll get back to it and do a real test off road soon, assuming I can get another couple hours of decent weather before saturday. Otherwise, saturday will be the test.

If Rawland ever decided to release this as a singlespeed frameset, I'd be sold in a heartbeat. And that is only because I am not in the market for a new geared cross bike. If I were, however, looking for a great steel cross frame, this would be it.

The only thing that I am not sold on is the top tube. It's round. They didn't have time to have the prototype ovalized. It will be on production models.

These guys designed and made a great product. I'd like to ride it harder on the road when I'm both feeling better, and have different tires on. I just cannot bring myself to trust the Ritcheys around fast turns. I've washed out one to many times with them to really push them.

some more pictures.

2008-11-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Just trying to clean up. and show off, a little.

prototype frames to ride...

2008-11-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

this saturday.

Who knew? and it isn't even my company! just doing a favor for a friend. Rawland Cycles. SO, that's cool. So far, I like it. I'll try to get a write up in before the race (go ride theo on it sometime) with before thoughts, and then again after the race. it'' work out.

Rawlands first venture AWAY from 650B wheels. That is kind of "their thing". I talked with them about this choice for the racers a few weeks ago. My concern is huge lack of tire choices. Glad to see that they went with 700c's. Also glad that they chose to forego the discs in favor of canti's.

Spec'd with D/A shifters/der. tektro 720 brakes. white ind. hubs and crank. mostly ritchey pro accessories, but I swapped the stem for an fsa carbon jobber, cause it's longer.

Initial thoughts? Only that the head tube is too long for my liking, and that the rear brake stop is mushy. Easy fix, that one, though. So, I'm excited about this. Might be fun. I'll probably swap tires, though. Speedmax's aren't my cup o tea on anything but a perfectly dry course, though I've never used the pro's.

Will post pictures tonight.

more trip stuff.

2008-11-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, I took a trip this year!

2008-11-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

And I never put up any pictures. Or even really said much about it. Here's a few pictures!

mountain bikes. and being sore.

2008-11-05T17:33:00.001-08:00

Sore from a lot of things. Mostly riding, running and raking leaves. Kinda sucks, but at the same time, I actually feel strong for the first time since about Hopkins. It's kinda nice.

Been riding my Schwinn a lot more lately. Rode about 30 or so miles last night. Going riding again tonight. Apparently there are trails at Fort Snelling. Maybe from all the injuns sneaking up on the fort. Never know.

Probably go ride Theo for about ten laps in the morning, if it isn't super wet. This whole thing has got me having fun. More than I thought it would. Went to Leb instead of Red Barn. Might have had an epiphany down there that day.

Speaking of. I don't know how possible it is, BUT, I think my goal for '09 is to race Leadville. Last year my trip took me to Milwaukee by bike (mostly). Next year I think it'll be more focused. If I can get in, I know that a friend knows a place where we can stay in Denver(I have at least one buddy for a road trip). That cuts out A TON of expense. I think it would be cheaper to race that one day than it was for me to ride to Milwaukee. Less days off work. No hotels. No bus back. No food for 8 days. Just gas, entry, and 3 days of food. Sounds logical.

The catch. Leadville is on the SAME DAY as the Dairyland Dare. DD just went to a 200 MILE option, from the 200 KILOMETER option. I never got the 200k. I don't think it's possible. I really don't. WAIT! I DID do the 200k. It was the 300K I never did. Was ready to try, but then cancer struck me down. But, I gotta say it. I'm not convinced that 200 miles in those hills is possible. At least not for me. I don't know that I have that desire. I'll still do the Horribly Hilly. Sign me up. DD, I'm not so stoked on. It just sucks that those rides have into something of a tradition. I don't want to fuck that up. We'll see what happens.

YEAH! good times again on the bike, finally! Just in time for my shitty cross season to end! I've got no excuses. Just didn't have what I wanted to have. End of story.

Interesting...

2008-11-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not usually one to mention the weather, unless it sucks and I can make myself sound tough for riding in it, BUT, I just have to say that I've been on my bike more this weekend since the summertime. I got my schedule flipped to afternoons/evenings and I haven't really been on my bike since. This weeked Margaret and I went out to Lebanon Hills on saturday instead of spending money I don't have on a race I won't contest.

Went over my bars on the first lap. Hard. Slow to get up. Hit my bar on a tree about 2 minutes into the second lap. Got up before Margaret stopped. and she was behind me. Third lap was fun, and I stayed upright. That was nice.

Yesterday I rode 60 miles with a guy that's thinking about starting to race. Thought it'd be nice to ride. It was.

Today I got about 15-20 miles through St. Paul and a bit of this city. Nothing fancy, just running errands. Enjoying the weather. Can't beat it.

Did you know that VELOCROSS is less than a week away? I did. There are people that won't let me forget. I'm excited for it. I think that it'll be a very fun race with a high turnout. If you're unsure of how to spend you Saturday, you won't be disappointed if you come up to the track to watch some fun racing. More fun than the normal bicycle nascar that happens up there!

So, Racing starts at Ten. Ends about 2. Spend the whole day. Even a bouncy thing for the kids!

Halloween.

2008-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well. I just need to say something. Not important...

BUT, as always, due to a total lack of ideas or motivation, I have failed at procuring a costume. Mostly due to the fact that I don't feel right about trashing my clothes, and I waited too long to procure others.

SO, I'll just do what's easy. Scary, to boot.

See you at Red Barn.

when life gives you apples...

2008-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

I made applesauce last night. Seemed to work. That's what happens when you buy a bag of the wrong apples...oops, but it worked out.

I'd like to thank Margaret. Couldn't have done it without her. I still don't really know how to work the kitchen. I pretend.

touchy subjects and riding in the dark...

2008-10-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

First off...

Apple (computer) has donated $100k to fight "Prop 8". (another one of those attempts by government to ban same sex marriages in California). So, kudos to Apple. Buy a Mac.

Also. Levi Strauss has donated $25k. Word. Good thing I wear Levis. right now, actually...but I'm using a Dell.

A lot of money has been donated for and against this proposal. Something to the tune of a lot of millions. Don't want to google it right now, though... The Mormons are leading the monetary fight for the revision. Go figure... The best part is, very few of the donaters (?) have any financial interest in this. It's all moral. That's pretty rad.

Yeah.

Also. I rode bikes tonight for a few hours. It was fun. It was dark. It wasn't too cold.

It was nice. Not as fun as racing, but WAY cheaper...

I agree with the Italians, and not just because my Grandpas last name was Bonnini.

2008-10-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today ( I think) the ACCPI (what that stands for I do not know...Something Italian Professional Sporting Folk or some such business) wrote to Pat McQuaid saying that the Italian committee calls for LIFETIME BANS of all riders tested positive for the dopes.

Now that is some Italian I can stand behind!

Let's do it! I guess all it took was The Cricket to retire. He was really standing in the way. Not to say that he was doped up, because I really have to believe that anyone would know better....Obviously not the case judging by the months after this years tour.

I agree. But not only lifetime bans to cyclists, but you have to hit it in the Sponsors pocket as well. That would go a long way in either alienating potential sponsors (or, more likely) more cycling-interested sponsors that really want to clean up the sport, and are willing to take a risk to see it get there.

Only time would tell. Either way. I'm sure nothing will happen.

On the other hand...People make mistakes. I know that. Everyone does. It's a very touchy situation. Is it fair to ruin a riders livelihood because he or she did what they felt necessary to compete at that level? Who's to say? The Italians? Me? The UCI?

I can't be certain...

Ruckus Components is THE MAN!

2008-10-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

In a good way, not a bad way.

He's gonna do this for us. Hell yes to (as of yet) unofficial sponsor.

CHECK IT! and only 30 grams!

High Five Bicycles update again.

2008-10-23T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hey folks. Thanks for following the progress. Progress is, that we've got two cross frames in the world! One out in Portland, and another in Milwaukee!

That's good news.

Shawn (guy behind Ruckus Components is the one with the High Five out in Portland.

This is what he did with it.

And then he proceeded to do THIS with it.

and THIS is what he had to say about it.

"holy balls i love the high-five and those wheels. fuck man, totally awesome"
"also it is so crazy light I was flying through barriers"

"Late last night I finished building up my new cyclocross racing bike. It is a High-Five frame/fork courtesy of Jason Prudhom and High-Five cycles. The rest of the build is either parts I made or parts off my road bike.

The crankset is a FSA-SLK with big beefy external bearings on the bottom bracket and a single 42t chainring and a custom Ruckus Components chainguard.

The wheels are also courtesy of High-Five cycles and are a deep section carbon fiber tubular wheel with Grifo Challenges glued on them (courtesy of Ben’s Cycle and Fitness).

The brakes are custom Ruckus Components carbon fiber brakes.

The stem/handlebars/brifters are from my road bike and a Ritchey WCS stem, Bontrager Race Lite bars, Shimano Ultegra brifters.

The seatpost is the original OEM seatpost, which will probably be the only part I would ever really legitimately change because changing that alone drops more than half a pound. And when you are forced to run with your bike on your back, weight matters.

The rear derailleur is a Shimano XT shadow. I am really excited to be using this derailleur, it is a fairly light mountain bike derailluer (238 grams) with high spring tension. Also since it is a Shadow series it sits more underneath the chainstay and doesn’t stick out past the rear wheel quick release (very useful when crashing). Aesthetically it is nice because with the rear derailleur cable/housing running straight down the seat stay it goes directly into the derailleur, no silly loops here folks.

Overall it weighs in just over 17 lbs which is pretty impressive considering I have a really heavy seatpost, my unused left brifter, and my LOOK pedals still on there. By far the lightest bike I have ever owned, even my road bike weighed in around 21 lbs and that had road tires on it.

Today I took it out for the Monday lawyer ride. I put on an easy 30 mile (it is a recovery day after all) of good climbs and fast descents with tight turns. It handled marvelously, I was able to hang on the climbs with that 42:27 gearing, I think because it is lighter and a stiffer frame. The bike also handled all the speed bumps better than my steel/carbon road bike. The tracking on it is tight so that will need some getting used to, but it was my first ride after all."

He sent me a list of weights, which I will try to find and post. All said and done, if he likes it as much as I like my road frame, he'll be a happy camper.

Want one? $750 for the one he has. 55 top tube. 7005 front w/ carbon rear end/full carbon fork, and headset.

$550 for the same fork and headset, with an all 7005 frame. Same angles. Same everything. No carbon.

Shipping/paint included.

I have the geometry charts in a .pdf, but have NO idea how to post a .pdf onto my blog...

Will continue to update progress regarding High Five Bicycles on here, until I have enough to start a new site for it.

UPDATED WITH WEIGHTS

"frame/uncut fork/headset 4.40 lbs
frame/fork/headset/seatpost/wheels/tires/cassette 9.90 lbs
seatpost 0.9 lbs

apparently i can't find my numbers on the frame individual frame weight, yet
other info
ruckus guards 30 grams
ruckus brakes 160 grams for a full bikes worth, with hardware"

If anyone is looking for sweet chainring guards, this is the guy to talk to. I can put you in touch. Also, as soon as he'll send me a set of those brakes, i'll review those on here!

Warning to all MPLS cyclists.

2008-10-22T19:37:00.001-07:00

Turns out that the police are "cracking down" on some statute that is suppose to "protect cyclists".

Basically, what is happening, is that in downtown, they are pulling over and ticketing cyclists riding without a front light. Now, granted, it is illegal to ride without a light in the dark. Now that it's getting dark earlier, it affects more people.

I guess 4 people got popped just last night.

Go buy a light. Seriously. (I should take my own advice)...

It isn't a light fine, either. $190. That's right. One hundred and ninety dollars. Not fucking cheap! That's a WHOLE LOTTA light!

Do it. For me. And for your wallet.

Our Healthcare system is just silly.

2008-10-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hello. Me again. More complaining.

Today I called my health care provider to make sure that the Catscan and Petscan I have scheduled for the 23rd will be covered under my insurance policy. I was informed that not only would they NOT be covered (which wasn't terribly surprising) I was also informed that NONE of the hospital visits related to my cancer will be covered. Since I was diagnosed at the end of July, and my coverage didn't start until Aug 1, it's a pre-existing condition. Which wouldn't have terribly surprised me either, save for the fact that I called the HCP on Sept 19th (when I got all of my enrollment package info and ID numbers and what-not) to ask them if I was going to be covered for these visits/surgery that I had either scheduled, or already done. I was told an emphatic yes. I would be covered and I didn't have to worry about it. Turns out I should have taken the name of the employee down, because today I got the "I don't know who you talked to, but that's not true" card played. Not a whole I can do from where I am sitting, I think, but we'll just wait and see what happens.

It just figures that just when things were starting to look up regarding all of this, it all just gets silly and back to dumb. What am I paying this insurance for? Just in case something ELSE happens to me this year, after cancer and an appendectomy? I don't foresee that happening, but it would pretty much make sense if something did happen.

So, I was told that NOTHING related to my cancer will be covered for 12 months. Which doesn't help me at all with making sure that it's gone, and follow up visits for skin checks/etc. Pretty sweet system we have here!

Not only that, but for all intensive purposes, my situation is one that either I pay for insurance and do less things like race and see a movie every now and then, or I don't have insurance and am fucked when something happens. It's a GREAT system.

I think it is amazing that somehow in the last 5 months I have amassed hospital bills totaling more than Margaret and my combined pre-tax income last year.

Yeah! That's amazing!

And she's leaving for Puerto Rico tomorrow at 4:30 am, and I work this evening, so I'll see her for about an hour, if I had to guess. Pretty good day I'm having, huh. But seriously, I'm really excited for her. This is a very good opportunity to have some fun (night kayaking!!?) and learn and meet some of her future colleagues. It's amazing. Just jealous, that's all.

I think I'm done. Someone should make a documentary about me. It'd be boring, though...

what a trip.

2008-10-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

No, not Spencers trip to sunny west coast. Maybe the trip out to Ham Lake, and then out to Hudson. Almost like night and day.

Ham Lake sucked for me. Got a front row start. Proceeded to prove myself incredibly unworthy of such placement. I got shot out the back of right away. Proceeded to ride like I was hungover, not holding lines and not having any power. Finished the race, 23rd overall our of 74 or so and 15th in the category (at least until Byrnes gets put in the results.) It sucked. Was NOT happy with that performance.

SO, in Hudson, I made sure it wouldn't happen again. Felt better. Warmed up. Pre rode. Lined up. In the back. I didn't deserve a front row start after yesterdays showing, so I decided I'd start where I belonged. Got hung up in all of the bottleneck action you'd expect when you start where I did. Rookie took a super holeshot and led it around a lap. Very good showing, Tim. That was cool to see. I settled in somewhere. Not really sure how far back. Behind Mario. Behind pretty much everyone I knew. Again (there's a theme here) about midway or a bit before, I turn to pick people off mode. One at a time. Pretty soon Ezra is yelling at me about how I'm moving up well. Heard LG, TC, Bekah, Jake, Linda, Jordan, and a few other unidentified voices hollering at me. That was nice. Two laps to go, I set to get this guy on a yellow bike (which I did) and Eric (smallhead) which I did not. I wanted to get on his wheel, figuring I could outsprint him to the line, but he made it through the rock puddle WAY cleaner than I could ever hope to and got away. Didn't get caught by Kolyn, though. That guy really turns it on towards the end of a race.

I finished in 7th. Which I was happy with, considering placement. And it's nice to have that as an excuse. Whoever that dude on the singlespeed Fisher mountain bike was... Holy shit! I still want to know who you are!

Veganism.

2008-10-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I've been more interested in this lately. By lately I mean the last two days or so...I don't know why, but I got super lax and have been eating a ton of honey...I don't know how I feel about it. Sure, I can justify it, but when it comes down to it, it's just excuses. I shouldn't eat honey. I don't think I'm going to anymore...at least for a little while.

I think a lot of it has to do with the backlash that happened when Oprah went vegan for a few weeks a bit ago...She did it to lose weight, she has personal chefs and a lot of means to make veganism super easy for her. BUT, what she also did, was make it seem super unattainable for "Joe the plumber (and the rest of "average" america...)". When someone super high profile goes vegan (or jumps on any other "fad" for that matter), it's easy to discount it as "hard" or "expensive", and sure, while she may have all sorts of fancy meals cooked for her, with a ton of expensive ingredients, it's hardly necessary. When it's all said and done, I know that she opened more eyes than she turned away, but it's hard to support someone in her quest to become less obese at the hands of a temporary lifestyle change.

I commend her for doing it, but I don't think it should be treated so temporarily. It worked. She lost weight. WHY would she go back to eating animals?

While veganism can seem hard and expensive, it sure as hell doesn't have to be. It doesn't even have to be more than occasionally inconvenient. Sure, it can be hard to find something to eat in restaurants when you're out with non-vegan people that don't really care, but it seems to me that a lot of people are very sympathetic to dietary choices...And for good reason. No one wants to be a tyrant.

It's usually possible to find something to eat on any menu. Rarely is it more expensive than meat-laden dishes. May not be as tasty, but, if you go to the right places, which are not hard to find, you can eat just as well as if you ate meat.

I've heard all of the excuses, but they're all vanity excuses. Dietary familiarity with food that has been eaten for an entire life, if not for generations. It is SO easy to avoid harming animals for the sake of your comfort. It's just silly.

People get defensive when veganism is brought up. A lot of people make smart remarks about how it's good that vegans don't eat meat, because that means more meat for the non-vegans. That is just assanine. Or, dismissing vegans as "feminine". Which is just too far from valid that it's just annoying. Everyone has their own excuses.

I would like to challenge people to try veganism, just for ONE week. What have you got to really lose? Some weight and general fatigue after eating? What are you worried about? Decreased athletic perfomance? Tony Gonzales (chiefs tight endhas adopted a vegan diet. So has the Little Guy..So have I. Brendan Brazier, (pro triathlete)Desmond Howard (nfl-er. won heismann a few year back)Bill Pearl (4 time Mr. Universe) Stan Price (world bench press record holder) Sixto Linares (world record holder, 24 hour triathlon) Chris Campbell (olympic wrestling champion)...

I think that is a fairly impressive list. And there's more. You can still dominate your sport on a vegan diet.

Is it health Benefits? read the INTRODUCTION of THE CHINA STUDY. Just the introduction. Then get back to me.

try veganism for a while. you might like it.

Just don't give me the "french fries and plain potato chips" crap...While yes, it's vegan, that's just stupid and obviously not going to help you feel better.

Basically, do this.

Eat cereal for breakfast (tip. rice and almond milks are better than soy milk). Not hard. Or a Bagel. (what on it? peanut butter. jelly. tofutti makes a delicious soy cream cheese) I tend to eat a big bowl of granola.

Lunch? Falafel? Pizza from Luce? Vietnamese hoagie from Jasmine deli? Not into eating out? Put some vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, cucumber, etc) on some bread with mustard and pepper... Easy. what do you usually eat for lunch? I usually just bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from home.

Dinner? Tons of options. Take a tortilla shell, put it in a pan, put some beans (refried or black...use high quality beans without lard in the refried ones) squash, peppers, onions, avocado, and salsa. Fold it in half and cook it until its hot and eat it. Delicious. OR, use a pita, put some tomato sauce on it, and then cut up some olives, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and garlic. Maybe pineapple, if you're into that. Salt and Pepper to taste, bake @ 400degrees until brown...

There are other options that are easier still.

Like snacks? Matt's fig newtons are delicious. Nuts are great (in small amounts. Stick to almonds and cashews. Peanuts not so much... big fan of brazil nuts). Green beans with sea salt. Clif bars!

that was easy. AND notice, I didn't even MENTION tofu until now. No "fake" meats or substitutes. All things that are handy and cheap.

Yeah. Just giving people some options. It'll help you drop a few unneeded pounds, you'll probably tone up, and you'll feel a lot better.

And if you REALLY think you're not getting enough protein, look at the labels. You're fine. If you're still worried, eat a builder bar. That's more than enough on the day right there.

(if you doubt me, again, read the intro to THE CHINA STUDY).

I'll stop there. But seriously, don't be so bull headed. Keep the option open. If you have questions, ask. It isn't hard at all.

debate thoughts...

2008-10-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well, the best quote of the evening, as far as I'm concerned, goes to Moderator Bob (Schieffer- journalist).

He is wise enough to inform us that "we import 60% of our foreign oil."...Something tells me that isn't quite the whole truth...He was making a point about how in Reagan's day, we imported something like 13% of our oil, and that every president since Reagan (Reagan included) said that we need to reduce that dependency.

That made me happy, so Moderator Bob gets the "DERP" from me...But don't worry...Obama gets one, too...

he said that "we need to enforce unfair trade policies."...It's true...He said it. I think he was thrown off by McCains use of the word "cockamamie" though...( I didn't know how to spell that, thank god for the squiggly lines that tell me I did something wrong...)

All in all I'm glad I watched it. Although I wish Obama had not even dignified the question of "Why is Biden more capable a president than Palin...you know...if something were to...uhhh...happen..."

I pretty much think that Obama spent too much time on that answer, when a simple "Seriously? Are you serious? Did you just ask that?" would have sufficed.

Yay. Politics are fun!

me? an irrelevant joke? please!

2008-10-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

So, after little guy has been telling me to watch this for MONTHS, I finally did it. And you should too!

It's called Yacht Rock.

Basically, many of you probably know my affinity for sweet late 70's and 80's jams...This is a sketch TV show based in that era.

Basically, I can't say enough good. There is 11 episodes. each approximately 4 minutes long.

watch them all...

do it.

http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=152

"recovery" rides, rain, and failing.

2008-10-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well. I'd like to say that I was tough enough to go do a ride out in the rain...and, I did get out, but it wasn't for me...

Margaret forgot to bring clothes for yoga. So, I brought her some. But, in doing so, I get to say that I did a reminder (due to a few hills that I actually put some effort into going up, I can't call it recover, just reminding my legs what they should do) ride for an hour today. So that was nice, aside from getting really wet and mostly cold.

Took a shower, changed and went to work...Where I promptly got a soy latte. Which is against the rules...but they're my rules, and I'll break them as I see fit. I told myself that I was going to not drink anything but tea and water until it got warm again. I did well for a month. But, today I lost it. Was it worth it? not really. BUT, what's done is done, and now I need to go catch back up with that wagon. It's still in sight, and not even too far up the road.

That's all. Oh, and, since I keep seeing those dumb billboards lately, What did YOU do for your marriage today?

-jason

Theo wirth is a mountain bike trail.

2008-10-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well. I felt good going into this race. I felt good at the line. I got a second row start thanks to some pals from Q. Got a good top 15 or so start. Proceeded to pretty much stack it into the second barrier. People in front of me going slower than me, and I didn't want to take my hands off the brakes and run into them (which meant I couldn't pick my bike up by the top tube to get it high enough to clear the barriers.) Back wheel hit hard and threw my chain off. If was any other lap, I wouldn't have lost so damn many spots, but the race had just started, adn there were about 90 people behind me. I got passed by about 30 of them, if I had to guess.

Got back on, readjusted and turned on "pick people off" mode. It worked. I finished just behind the guys I usually beat. Which isn't so bad. I'm happy with how I rode, minus an extreme lack of HP in the straightaways. I'll take it, though, This course was too rooty and choppy for cross bikes. Which isn't to say it wasn't fun. It was a blast, but there wasn't much flow. It was all sections. Lots of barriers, though, so that was refreshing. Too many cross races nowadays forget about barriers. No run up today, though. Can't tell if that was a blessing or not. It would have been stupid hard with a run up..

In other news, Jake won the cat 3's. That's amazing! Patty won the Elite mens! Something bad happened to Dewey, and Doug cracked hard. It was a pretty tense race, for a while!

Margaret dropped her chain twice and it got all tangled once...she got lapped before she could get it back on...(She proceeded to carry her bike around the course and Chuck-team sponsor/BEHIND BARS-fixed it for her! How's THAT for service!) Then she sat on the Lindas ( a lap down) until the end of the race. Which is both bad and good. She may have finished in last, but it means that she can ride with the big girls. Barring mechanicals! and THAT is awesome!

Dave got 4th in the elite race, on a singlespeed. and bunnyhopped one of the barriers every lap!

GO TEAM. (both LG and Dis flatted. Dis did his best super rookie impression. It was great)

everybody is a critic.

2008-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Too often does someone write an amazing book, only to have some douchebag make it into a bad movie. Well, it happened again...

Chuck Pahlaniuk wrote a good book a few years ago. Hell, he wrote a ton of them...One of them got turned into a pretty good movie. Not this time.

Choke.

It's not that it was a terrible movie. It was just backwards. Don't go see it. Read the book. MAYBE see it when it comes out on DVD. Might be worth it then. You can always go to the bathroom, or make a sandwich without pausing it and not miss anything. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't TOTAL garbage. But it wasn't very good.

my 2cents.

more days in the life.

2008-10-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

I don't really have much to say, aside from some teammates hooking me up with cheap bike parts to build a pair of tubular wheels. That's all sorts of rad. Here's hoping I can get them together. Probably not before sunday....We'll see...

In other news, I have been with Margaret for almost 2 years now. Seems like it's been a lot longer than that, on one hand, but on the other, time has kinda flown. Who knows...Years get shorter as you get older. I'm convinced. So, that's something neat. Movies and dinner tonight. Hopefully something else interesting on Tuesday.

Speaking of Tuesday. A very good friend is coming to town for a few days. She's arriving Tuesday. Another one of those silly vegan folks...Good kids to know. She's coming from New York. Aside from NOT being New York, How else is Minneapolis better? We'll see what she wants to do...MN has nothing to prove.

Margaret is leaving to go to Puerto Rico pretty in a week or so. That's a bit scary. That's a long way away, and for almost a week, to boot. Question about that. Since PR is basically the US, does that mean that cell phones work down there? T-mobile has this silly "never roaming" thing...I shouldn't count on her phone being able to work, should I?

What else is new? Sitting out Twine Ball this week, in favor of saving money and not breaking things. Will definitely be at Wirth, though. Getting excited about it.

I think the dogs need to go out. I'll wrap this up.

Good night, God Bless.
-Jason

I can't win.

2008-10-08T07:01:00.001-07:00

Last night, somehow, I managed to dent the hell out of my REAR race x lite rim. Now it matches the front (that I destroyed 2 or so weeks ago) wheel and my rear derailleur.

Now I'm left with only my D/A wheels (16 spokes). probably not the best cross wheels. Just when I was getting optimistic about my luck turning around...Figures.

Is it '09 yet?

something resembling a training routine has formed...

2008-10-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

saturday - race
sunday - race
monday - 3 or 4 laps at wirth. some recoverin' some hot laps
tuesday - team cross practice. mostly barriers and starts
wednesday - hard grass ride. hour and a half or two. Powerfest?

Thurdsay and Friday are pretty much off days, but I want to change that to friday being a recovery ride/one (just one. no sets) HARD interval day.

we'll see if I can do it. Today was 4 laps, and half a short loop. Getting better at turning, but not as good as the mountain bikers out there. I know where my weak spots are, and I'm working on them, though. Fell off my bike today. Just like Margaret did in practice a few weeks ago. Just moving not the right speed, and landing off the back of the saddle and on the tire. I was almost stopped, so i didn't get hurt, just fell over...Smooth.

Back is still sore as hell. Might have to get myself addicted to Motrin or something...

YEAH! bikes!

Hudson.

2008-10-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that i consider today a victory. I didn't win the race, BUT, I did succeed in NOT blowing anything on my bike up. I started on my bike. I ended on my bike, and I didn't even end up on the ground. THAT, my friends is a win.

I knew the pouring rain and tough singletrack section would make it a race that doesn't suit me. It didn't. Got SUPER muddy again this year. Worse than last. So that sucked, although it was crazy fun. An easy 100' sand trap beach run through with a barrier at the end made life pretty much suck. I was able to move up in it, though. A lot of tight muddy (deep) corners, a few beach crossings, and that was enough to make me loose ground. That's ok. I beat most of the people I wanted to beat, and even walked away with some prizes again today (tire levers and some pedros lube)! I didn't even get first mustache, though...Boo on that. Anyhow, after yesterdays loose corner fest, I just gave it all I could. I could feel my legs were heavy after the race and ride home yesterday, but my back didn't hurt nearly as bad. Which was awesome.

I finished 7th overall and 5th in the 3's. Not too bad. Teammate Jake won the 3's. 2nd overall. Rich kept me honest all day again today.

In the Ladies 4 race, It wasn't super contested. Mary (from Time...employment, not factory team...) kept the first lap or so interesting, and then Margaret pretty much just rode away from her. And the rest of the Ladies in the race. Won by a pretty good margin. I'm super happy for her and proud of her. Her bike did well in todays slop, it'll be good for just about anything. She's a trooper. But now she's a 3. It'll be fun. She'll do great. As long as she does it with a smile. I'm not worried.

LG and Spencer get my bad luck award for shitty days. Spencer messed up his rear brake trying to slow down, and then broke his derailleur hanger on the last lap. LG flatted a tubie, also on the last lap...I thought Jake was going to die in the A's, but he kept it together and finished. Proud of him for that.

And watching Bjorn light it up was awesome, as always!

Racing in NOT Orono.

2008-10-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wasn't totally sure what the plan was today. Turned out Margaret got the call to be an official! So, that was cool. It was nice to know she was there, even if she couldn't really hang out.

A race. Little guy got the holeshot! Didn't want it, though, so Doug took it. He and Hareland fought it out for a few laps, and then Dewey have him a try. Dewey was able to pass Doug, but we think Doug was playing with him...Doug won. Not a big surprise, I reckon. Little guy dropped his chain a ton. New bike blues...Spencer didn't make good on his threats of Madison fitness.

B race. My race. Lined up next to Super Rookie and Cleary. Good times. Ridley guy got the holeshot. And won the race. He's old, though, so it doesn't matter to me. I was riding with Atherton and a few others...Which was going well, until I rolled my tire. Yeah, I ride clinchers...That was strange. Couldn't figure out what happened. I got off the bike, tried to unhook my brake, thinking that i broke a spoke or somehting and could just keep riding. Then I noticed that it wasn't broken, just that my tire was not all the way on. LG told me to get on his bike...I thought about it for about a second, and then got on and kept racing! LG and dis helped out a TON by fixing my tire, and reinstalling the brake pad i apparently lost... Did a lap on LG's bike and made up ground. They told me my bike was ready. I got around to the pit and we did the worst exchange in...i dunno. it was bad, though.I got on the right bike, and was back off to the races, though. Kept moving up and feeling ok, minus the SUPER sore lower back cross thing...I caught a group of 5 or 6. Mario, Rich, and some others...I rode with them through the BMX part of the course, and then gave it all I had to get around them (2 to go) and get a gap. It worked. I stayed away from them and turned my attention to catching Atherton (again) and teammate Byrnes. Never did it. Finished 12th overall and 7th in the Cat 3's. I'll take it. Too many LOOSE turns for me.

Hudson Tomorrow. That'll be fun! Oh, and thanks to a lot of people for yelling at me. I heard Margaret, although she was supposed to be working. Casper, Jimmer, The Team...I don't remember. Nate and Mario both were encouraging me while I was racing. I love Cross. So much fun! Oh, and I blew a kiss at Steve (Haugh) as I crossed the line, because he was SURE I wouldn't finish on the lead lap. Yep. A success!

Oh, and Margot, I never talked to you after the race, but I sure hope your bike worked well. And thanks to Ray for getting me involved in that can 'o worms!

And Aric and Patty...SWEET JUMPS!

Here's to rain!

holy COW!

2008-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Two quick things.

One. Yesterday was a good day to be poor. I'm not invested. Therefore, I didn't lose my ass.

Two. I just saw Andy Frye. In a suit. I wish i carried a camera around. (good look andy, bring it to the races. for serious!)

madison. day one.

2008-09-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

motel room full of mirrors. ."Hey! Fuuuccckkkk Yoooouuuu: Slayer at the bar. Stupid spray painted flat back civic street race club. 2nd gear chirps. IHOP. Angell Park. Bad Start. Barrier crash. (I cleared it, bike did not. wheel hit barrier, did a few somersaults. put me on my back, and i ducked so as to not get hit by flying bicycle. Lost a few spots in that one...)

Back on bike. Moving back up, a little. approaching hill. shift harder. Uphill. dudes going slow. stand. pass on the inside. Crack! no more go. huh?. Pedal more. Nothing. Look down. Derailleur trying to go into crank. No longer attached to bike. Broken. Race over. huh...throw bike. get mad.

anyhow. that's pretty much day one. JP killed it (the other JP...not me. BUT, technically, I did kill it. But the "it" I killed was my bike.)

BUT, after being bummed for the rest of the day, I got anther one and put it on at the hotel. all was not lost.

cross vegas?

2008-09-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

Spoilers?

Trebon beat Page. If this is going to be a theme, that's gonna piss me off. BUT, Wicks and Johnson also beat Page. This can't happen. BUT, Page has won his last three races...

And Lance? 22nd!?! That's not bad. I somehow thought he'd do better though. I give him credit for showing up and not getting lapped. Riding Unattached, though. Astana doesn't have a cross team?

That's all.

Good job Ben. You just REALLY raced the best in the country.

an uninteresting week.

2008-09-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well. I've been back. Missed the St. Cloud race. And I do mean "missed" it. Sucks I couldn't go, but I had to work. Grrr.... Margaret went though. And she won! First cross race ever. I'm very proud of her. I think that's very awesome. We made her city bike into a makeshift cross bike. Seems to work ok. If anyone has a cheap smaller (50cm ish) frameset that they aren't using, I'm the one you need to inform of it. Or her...We gotta get her on something proper, if she's going to keep up at it. She seems to be having fun.

Ben Popper has been doing quite well in his new season. I'm very much looking forward to seeing him this weekend. Madison, here we come. Ready or not. The team, I mean...I'm not so sure that we're ready, but I've done just about all that I can, and we'll see if that's enough. I heard off camber descents and big hills. I hate the former, and quite enjoy the latter. We'll see how it goes.

What else? Cross practice last night was fun, albeit wet. We saved a turtle. I think. I'm calling it saved. You may call it harrassed. It didn't bite me, though it sure wanted too. Just wanted to get it off the football field. Stupid thing.

In other news...anyone looking for a dog? We need a good home for a young pit bull thing. A teammate is the temporary caretaker, but we can't have it. We've got too much going on already. So, if you're interested, let me know.

Basically that's about it. I'd rather rest than go ride my bike today, but I should get off my ass. At least it's not raining today.

Yep. That's all. Sweet, huh?

rest daze

2008-09-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

That's about it. Not enough down time. Don't want to do more miles tomorrow. 50% chance of rain. 101.97 miles. Do not want. Oh well. As long as it isn't raining. SUPPOSED to have a tailwind. I'll believe it when I see it.

Went to Hughes Chocolates today. Best shit ever. Got some coconut and maple creams (dark chocolate) and some (dark) chocolate covered oreos (mint and peanut butter). I pretty much win. Not cheap, though... Oh well. Worth it. (like that wasn't the point of this trip!)

Oh well. Tomorrow is the last riding day. Bought the bus ticket home. Get in at about 11pm on Monday night. I can't wait to see my wife. I miss that woman. My home life is nice. I don't need to be away any longer. It's a work in progress, but what isn't, I suppose. I enjoy it. The lady, the dogs, the technicolor house...it's all great.

Basically, I miss Minneapolis. The trip has been fun, but I'm ready for it to be over. Ready for it to be cross season...Hope my legs will recover and be ok in a bit...It's funny that I'll be back down here in a few weeks for the UCI races in Madison...Whoo!

That's about it. At least for now...

-Jason

keep on trucking.

2008-09-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

We're in Wausau now. 12 hour day yesterday.

Left Spooner at about 11 on tuesday. Beautiful ride down HWY 8. Gorgeous. Windy, though. A whole lot of headwind so far this trip. Saw a bear swimming across the Chippewa River just outside of Bruce. Rode south a bit more looking for a hotel. Turs out the hotel we were aiming for was "closed". That sucked. So, we went across the way to the Cenex and got some bad coffee (Oh, and it's dark by this point...and getting cold)Turns out there is another hotel about 6 miles down the road (Paradise Shores). We go there. Just keep on turning pedals. THat's the name of the game this week. Hotel was expensive, but it had a ton of neat stuff that we didn't use. Like the pool, hot tub, fitness room, sauna, arcade, bar/restaurant. Oh well. It got down to about 40 last night. Bit too cold to be camping.

So we stayed there (Oh, this was in Holcome)and then headed out to here in the morning. We went throught the forest. It was supremely dissapointing. Just not close enough. People live in there! There are "cities"! Seems like a crime. Never were we just enveloped in trees and other neat stuff. Did see a LOT of pheasants being held hostage. A lot of corn. We went past a rode to an emu ranch, but I gave up going down it (gravel) before we got there...

We rode over near Athens, where some lady offered a us a place to sleep (she's puts up drivers for the amish...something about when they have to go far, they sell out and hire cars.) But we declined and kept moving. Made it to Marathon city at dark. Ate a toasted subway. Nothing worth doing here, and it was supposed to rain. Only get down to about 50 degrees though. I was ready to camp, but Neal wanted to hotel. He paid for it, so I'm ok with it. I'll have to retension my wheel before we go today.

Oh...rode across NN in the very dark and didn't get hit by cars. The silhouette of Rib Mountain in the near horizon. Looks big. Don't want anything to do with it on this heavy bike!

Oh well. I'm ready to find some bagels and then head to Amherst. 50 or so mile day today, but we can't get there until after 6. Works for me! Trip is winding down. Few more days. Another 240 miles or so. I think we've gone 285 or so. Stupid Trek computer reset itself somewhere between mile 248 and 253 or so. Jerk.

YES! legs coming around and feeling good. Just keep em turning. Piece of cake.

day 1. not quite as planned.

2008-09-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

neil woke up with a flat. he didn't make it to my house until 8. then we went out to eat with LG/caitlin/tc/ and margaret. that was fun. Everyone but Margaret rode us out to our turn on the Gateway Trail. Some crazy old guy tried to kick us riding the other way. "Bastards! Get over!". stupid old codger. Uneventful trip. Lot of rolling hills and headwinds. And cold. It was 49 degrees when we stoppped for the night and was 34 when I got woken up. At my moms house. Thank god. Otherwise we'd have frozen to death. Little worried about the next nights. Hope it stays a bit warmer. Gotta get south!

We didn't make it as far as we'd liked. Called my Mom in Cumberland, and told her to head south while we were heading north. Heard a car crash. Didn't see it, though. We made it into Washburn County. That was where we were headed. About 15 miles short of the total. It was cold, getting dark, and sucked.

I never called this a tour. It's a trip. 104 miles by bike. we'll see what happens today.

trips.

2008-09-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't break edge. Not that kind of a trip.

I've been off this thing for some time. This is updates. Last week I worked it out to get a few days off, so I went to Oshkosh/Milwaukee for a bit over Labor Day. It was GREAT to see my wife. It had been some time. It was great to see my new family, as well as my father. Trip went quick. Some food, some hanging out. A party for Labor day. Complete with Go Karts and Mini bikes and food. It was freaking warm down there, though. I didn't bring shorts. It had been cold up here. Oh well. More excuses to wear a tie. It's awesome. Anyhow, It was fun.

New game. It's called HellFire. Basically, you call it. Say "HellFire" and you have to make your immediate viscinity as hot as possible. I.E. that car drive to the suburbs on a 90 degree day. Call HellFire and the windows get shut and the heat gets cranked. No one really wins, it just keeps everyone miserable. HOORAY.

example. The rules of this game were being explained to Margaret and I. It was a bit warm in the apartment, so we told Andy to turn the AC on. A few minutes later he came out and asked if we called HellFire. He turned on the heat, instead of the AC, because we had been talking about it. He blew it, though. Had he not brought our attention to it, I bet no one would have noticed until it was 90 degrees in there. We were distracted by people playing Rock Band.

Sounds stupid, but I love my friends.

That, and cyclocross practicing has started. Should be fun. Still kinda know what I'm doing.

Trip starts tomorrow. Leaving the house at 7:30. Going to Seward Cafe for breakfast, and then off to Spooner for day one. Will update with goings on as available. Will have the camera along as well. Hopefully something neat will happen.

Things I want to see.

A big tractor carrying hay driving down the road.
Calvin peeing on something.
Tazmanian Devil OR naked girl silhouette mudflaps.
Spray Painted roadkill.
And Ostrich farm.
A moose in Chequamagon.
A Bald Eagle.
Pink Sunset/fancy clouds.

I'd settle for that.

We'll see what I can find.

Oh, and ZOOOM!

Jelly Legs. for the first time in a long time.

2008-08-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to say that I saw the Red Lantern today. That was nice. He promises to not be the Red Lantern this year, so watch out! He's back on an a mission (to not break anymore frames). Let's all wish him the best of luck. Good luck, Dan.

In other news, I was on my cross bike for the first time of the season. Oh man, I forgot how hard that is. It could be because I've been all but off the bike for a long time, or just because it really is hard. Rode the Deer Pen for about 45 minutes. Mostly working on barriers and jumps. I need to figure out how to clip in faster if I am going to be in contention this season. I'll get it down again. Cleats are just still too new. Last year I changed my cleats halfway through the season. BIG mistake. I had trouble clipping in the whole rest of the calendar. Boo on that!

And I found out what could just be the most fun cross training ride ever. I hope to do it at least twice a week from now on. Take the cross bike out to Hopkins. The Depot. BUT, do it on the grass. For as often as it's possible. It's tough. Really tough. But the best part is that you get all sorts of crazy looks from the roadie, but not racer crowd. I love it. That, and you can get coffee early out there. Here, too, but that's too easy.

Tomorrow. 6:30 am. Deer Pen. Be there. I'll do that for about an hour, let the dog out, go return Fil's barriers, and then hope to get out to hopkins again for a latte and then back to work for a shower and change before 9. Then I work until 3 and get on a bus to MKE at 4. THAT is exciting. Something about a Labor Day party that Margaret's Mom's family throws every year. Something about a big lot and go carts? Sounds like a good time. I'm excited. That, and I get to see my wife for the first time since the 16th.

Hell yes. Should be fun! Then I get back and leave in a week on my trip. Busy Busy. Then I get back, work a week, and then Cyclocross season starts! Life is certainly turning itself around for me. All it took was for the air to cool down a bit!

Hell yes. Life is awesome.

An interesting observation.

2008-08-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing a lot of "stop the RNC" or, "NO RNC" spraypaintings.
I have to assume that these are done by the leftists. This is fine by me. I share their sentiment, to a point. BUT, I feel as though a line is being crossed by this.

It isn't the spraypaint. It isn't the planned protests. It's the feeling that they have the authority to make it not happen at all.

I'm assuming that people are going to protest. I'll also assume that these protests will be watched by the cops. I'd even go so far as to assume that the cops are going to try shut them down.

Interesting thing, though. Somewhere in our constitution we are given the right to free assembly. I'm SURE that one of these 'leftists' will bring this point up to the fine policemen and women of St. Paul. I'm sure that any attempt to actually shut down the protests will be unsuccessful. They can move the protests to public property. They can allow or disallow the route of any marching protests. They can't make them go away entirely. It's unconstitutional.

I just think it's funny that the thing that gives these leftists the green light to go cause a ruckus is the same thing that they are ignoring when voicing their disapproval of the entire event.

*I am not a Republican. Probably not a Democrat, either. I really don't care too too much one way or the other. To be honest, for no good reasons, I just can't hate McKain. Just can't do it. I do think that Obama is a pussy. But I also think that he's a much better choice for president.

Let them assemble. Let them have their convention. If you don't like it, go protest it. That's fine, too. I'm not super patriotic. BUT, I don't think this country is all bad. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you have to try to kill it.

We've tried before. Doesn't work.

That's all. I got a little political.

Buy Levi's jeans. They'll fit your ass... and your budget.

FUCK! Stolen Bike Alert

2008-08-23T15:44:00.001-07:00

Johnny (QBP) and his girlfriend got their bikes stolen from a party last night.

Someone cut the lock.

Specs:
Hers. 14" black surly 1x1. Ritchey stem/flatbar/seatpost. BB7 discs. Style gigapipe cranks.XT front hub laced to a Mustang rear with a surly hub/wtb rim rear. Single speed.

HIS:
16" Black Karate Monkey. Moto Ace Bell Laps (flared drops) with 8 spd Sachs ergopower shifters (road shifters) Red bar tape. BB7's on this too. XTR derailleurs, cranks (2 rings) and pedals. White SLR saddle. DT 240 hubs (black/red) lased to DT 7.1 rims.

If you see them, take 'em back. get in touch with someone in the know.

I'm hesitant to put his # on here...

-jason

All Clear!

2008-08-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Node came back negative!

That means I'm a cancer survivor. Wasn't fun, but wasn't too hard. Take that cancer!

SO...That's it. Keep my ass out of the sun and I'll continue to be good to go.

Good news for me. Happy about that!

That's all I got. I wish my wife was here to enjoy this/celebrate this with me.

that, and an iced coffee (with vanilla soymilk and maple syrup).

I'll take it!

stupid cancer.

So, I should give HCMC and Dr. Jerains some credit. He called me on his day off, from his cell phone, and left me his cell # in case I had questions. And he's got an adorable semi-lisp. Ladies (and confused dudes) beware!

and Derek hooked it up with some awesome iced coffee thing! NO idea what it is, but it's awesome!

No new news, but something...

2008-08-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to mention that I got a muffin from the Seward Co-op this morning. It is delicious.

It's a (vegan) zucchini/almond/raisin muffin. It's moist and amazing.

Just a heads up. If you're in the west bank or seward area, go get one. Worth it!

a bit of news.

2008-08-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

On my ride up to the track I felt my pocket vibrating. I pulled over and answered it. It was one of the interns that worked on me. She explained to me what the hold up had been, and that I should expect the rest of the results in a few days.

Turns out that they had to send the big chunk of me (for the lack of a better way to describe it) to a place somewhere else. Apparently, they sent the Lymph Node with it. That wasn't supposed to happen, so the node got sent back to HCMC and then they now have to test it. Sheesh! Little Guy could have delivered it faster! (not a knock, LG, I know that couriers get to deliver body parts and other samples. I've done it before!)

Anyhow, the call was pleasant. Told me that there was a little bit more cancer in the chunk, but they got it all. Which is good news. That bad news is that the node hasn't been tested yet. Which is the one that I'm worried about. Doesn't matter if it's in that GIGANTIC chunk of skin they took out, because it's out. The node is more crucial.

In other news, I've been back on my bike. Feels GREAT! not sure what exactly I should be doing on it, though. Shouldn't really be training...just riding. I'll do that. Bruce gave the rest of the track season off. I'm thinking I might try a few races.

On that topic, I asked Linsey to check me out to see if she thought I could race the Match Sprints today. She said I was fine, but we taped me up again anyhow. She was right. During a few "practice" laps I felt very good. Ok, let me rephrase. My ARM felt very good. My legs not so much. Got to ride a fancy bike, though. (thanks Rookie). Didn't even have to move the seat or bars up or down. Let it exactly as it was.

Ran the second fastest flying 200 of "my" category. Nothing stellar. I wasn't happy with it. 13.68. Oh well. It was windy. Drew Linsey in the first round. Felt I rode it ok, but she beat me. I'm ok with that. She's fast, and I'd still get to race the losers race... which I also lost. To Mike Hall. He eventually won, though, so I'm ok with it. And he's a nice guy. Linsey won the womans race pretty easily, and rode to a 4th place in the 4/5 race as well. Well done lady! But that means that I lost. 5th place out of 5 people. I consider it a victory in getting out there and doing it. I'm super happy to be back on my bike already, and very confident I'll be able to put a bike on it within the month.

As long as Ferris stays off of it. (Just kidding. Didn't hurt, just scared me. You know how it is. Nothing personal, I think you're a great guy!)

Taylor demolished everyone on his way to victory. Tainter silver, Ferris Bronze. Well played.

Oh, That, and Rocky 3 is dedicated "to the gallant people of afghanistan" or something like that. I thought that be pretty humorous, considering...

fuck a bunch of doctors.

2008-08-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

I got nothing. Called them a 4. They said I'd here back by 5, or first thing in the morning. Didn't hear back tonight. Doubting I'll here anything tomorrow.

I just want to know why. I'm starting to not care what they tell, as long as they'd just tell me something.

Match Sprints are tomorrow. Excited to watch. Thinking of racing.

Just thinking at this point. Nothing certain. There is a lot hinging on my recovery. Namely CX. There are two races I want to win. I want to contest as many as possible. Hell. I'd like to be a cat 2. That seems possible. Not if I break myself back open. That'll shut the door to cross sooner than anyting else. I'm not going to do anything hasty. CX is easily my highest priority.

Tonight I rode for an hour and a half with Spencer. Rode up to meet some people at Behind Bars, only there was no one at Behind Bars for us. We just missed Megan. She had to go home a bit before we got there. BOO, but that's ok. Spencer and I had a nice easy ride NE of St. Paul for a bit. Shoulder felt very much ok. Road bike felt stiffer than I remembered, though. and my TIME shoes are a bit too small. Other than that, all ok. Didn't get in the drops, but my range of motion was fine. Sprinted up one hill. Didn't explode. Thinking I'm good to go again. As long as I'm careful. Not going to do anything careless.

That's about it from me. Watch either Michael Clayton or Rambo 3. Can't decide.
Hopefully news tomorrow. I'll see you at the track.

not much new.

2008-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Arm feels almost back to normal. no real pain to speak of, more of just the feeling of really sticky tape on me. Just limiting my mobility more than anything. It's nice. Well, it's not that nice, but it's better thank hurting a bunch.

I have the next two days off. I'd like to get out on my bike for a bit. That's the plan... maybe borrow a trailer from work and take the dog out hopkins or something...

Tomorrow I find out whether or not I still am infected. I am strangely unaffected by that. feels just like another day. Not stressing it at all. No real feelings about which way the call will go. Just calm, and ready for news.

Also interesting to me...I have been all sorts of shaky lately. I often am, but the last few days are a bit odd. I know none of you are doctors, but why might you think that could be? It's really starting to make me nervous. Don't want to make a special trip to the doctor for it, but I'm starting to consider it. Sucks.

Feeling better still!

2008-08-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well. Worked all day today. It worked. As long as I don't hit my shoulder on stuff (hell, touch my shoulder and it hurts) I'm ok.

No day to day pain, just contact and use pain. Which is an awesome thing. I'm very happy to be rid of the dull ache.

Rode to Nicolet Video and the wedge today. Not very far, but it means I can go further than the 20 blocks down lake street that Blue Moon is.

I want to try to ride around on tuesday or wednesday (as far as I know, I have these off) Anyone up for seeing just what I am up for. I'm not going to use "capable of", because I (and probably you) know full well I am capable of a lot, but probably not a good idea to test limits right now... Let's just recover. Seems like I can use my left arm for most of my leveraging. Seemed to go ok. As long as the inclines are slight.

Takin' it easy. Which basically means things are boring. Good thing I'm a sucker for the Rambo movies and Metalocalypse. If you're not familiar with the latter, come over. You'll be introduced to the best thing ever.

well. second best, but the best thing doesn't start for another month.

no news is good news?

2008-08-15T05:50:00.001-07:00

I got to the hospital. They said they'd need 15 more minutes for the "panel discussion". Fifteen minutes later they came and said that they'd need until tuesday. So, I got nothing, except that I'm healing ok. I can work again, and I got up to 20 pounds for a weight limit on my right arm.

So, I guess that's a plus.

So it goes. Margaret leaves on her trip today. She'll be gone for two weeks. She'll have fun. Vacations are great!

Good Signs.

2008-08-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I play solitare. I never do very well. Just play a few rounds and give up the ghost. USI wireless was a miss this morning on the back porch (which I have now! the new apt is amazing! Party coming a bit later. probably when i get back from my trip). Anyway, off topic.

I won. First try. Had no moves on the opening hand, but still pulled it out. I was happy about that, and I took it as a sign.

Linda's superstition worked out, too. All signals point to good.

We'll see what the doctors have planned for me, though.

I'm young. The cancer couldn't have been festering too long, right? PFFFT! cancer is dumb. Not very sneaky, in this case.

I should shut up. Watch me come back positive now.

go to hell cancer.

Rode my bike to Blue Moon again. They've got good iced tea. Yesterday it hurt. I called it a bad idea, BUT, I never learn, so I did it again today. After last night I was feeling much better. I woke up to less pain. The last week has been spent at about a 7 or 8 on the percieved pain scale. Down to a 4 or 5 when I got up and moved around. Cleaned up and rebandaged myself. I have to decide if I want to go to work or the track tonight.

I know which one I WANT to do. We'll see what I SHOULD do, though...

I'll probably see you at the track.

Holy Cow.

2008-08-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Black Dog. I don't know the hell I could have ever been down on myself with all of the amazing people pulling for me. I just met a ton of great people that have read about my situation on this thing, or from someone else.

I just want to say that I very much appreciate the support, and I'm feeling damn good about my appointment tomorrow. thanks for keeping me in your thoughts.

I love this city, this community, this bike racing thing.

Life isn't so bad. It's actually kind of fun.

Kinda like a bike race. If it's not hard, it's not really as much fun, is it?

News?

2008-08-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

I just got a call from the hospital. Man. I got a bit nervous when they start a phone call with "This is Laura from HCMC, Is this Jason?". Turns out that they were just calling to remind me of my appointment tomorrow at 1. At least now I know exactly where to go. That'll be nice.

So, Tomorrow I find out what happens. Either there is no cancer in the lymph node that they took out, and they chalk me up in the "Cancer Survivor" statistic, or there IS cancer in my lymph node, and it could be anywhere. The impression that I get is that the Sentinal node is the lymph node that is the first in the series for a particular area. When they injected me with dye, it drained to the "sentinal" node. From there, it can go anywhere and everywhere. I am under the impression that things go the sentinal node first, and then wherever it wants after that. No easy way to know.

I do know that I don't have any tumors, as an early x-ray and blood test indicated. Basically, If it's not in my node, I'm "cured" and that seemed too easy, despite the level of suck. If it's in there I'm screwed and get to do chemo to kill it. No more choppin me up, cause they don't know where I'd be hiding. Although, they do have fancy machines to help them find it.

We'll see how it is. I'll update when I find out. Come say hi to me at black dog.

my apologies

2008-08-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

for being a whining baby. This is dumb. I am far from the worst off person in the community/viscinity. I'm still walking, talking, thinking. I'm fine. Hell. I'm still breathing. If it were just the cancer getting to me, I could handle it. Hell, I've got excuses for days, but what it boils down to is that I'm being a big baby. I'll get over myself sometime soon.

probably right about when cross season gets here. or when I leave for my trip.

update.

2008-08-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

i'm still alive. they cut me. a lot. shot me full of dye and removed the lymph node it drained to. that's a 3" scar. they cut a solid 6" down my shoulder about an inch and quarter at its widest point, down to the muscle.

I'm out of work until friday. I have a one pound weight restriction on my right arm. I basically can do nothing. They've got me in a sling and on vicodin.

I'm just trying to stay positive. it's really hard. I've been having some sort of crisis lately, just wishing for a straightedge time out. I need something in my life to change. I know that it won't help, but I just need something to take my mind off of my life. Maybe I need to find god. (Unlikely) I just need something. I'm just depressed. I can't do anything. I want to do everything. It just hurts me and gets margaret mad at me for doing too much and hurting myself. The hurt I can deal with. The other effect not so much.

I can't go to school this fall and that upsets me. Starts too soon. I really doubt I'll ever get to go, which is stupid, because I've wanted to forever. I just need to get some sort of stability in my life. with a job that I can count on to actually pay my bills. Maybe someday. I doubt it though.

Either good things don't happen to good people, or I am a shitty person. Kharma is a joke. I don't deserve my life. I really can't. I've done some really stupid shit. But NEVER should someone deserve this. It isn't fair. But then again, that's life. Life isn't fair. I've known that for some time. Hell. It isn't my life that sucks. Just this year. Current life. Recent memory life. I can't deal with it.

There. I said it. I can't deal with this. I can't deal with my life. I am not strong enough.

Oh hell. I just lost it. That just turned into a "dear diary". That wasn't intended, but I'm leaving it.

Fuck.

I find out on Thursday if I have any more cancer of if they got it all. If I still have cancer I"m jumping off a bridge.