Keep on keeping on.

So Wednesday I answered a friends "Call to Ride" by accepting an invite to go camping @ Sherando Park w/the idea that on Thursday we'd be putting in up to 40 mls on the trails.

It sounded good, right?! I mean come on, the promise of camping, friends, fire, beer, and bikes. Everything started out well enough, perfect weather, finding a camp site, late night of beer and chit-chat, even an easy early morning rise to follow. (I'm not a morning person, so waking at 7am w/out issue was amazing! Do you know there is sunlight at 7am!?!)

So by nine we're at the meet up and we even picked up a few other Richmonder's. All on the same page, to have a fun easy ride and actually everyone stuck to it. Normally I'd be in heaven @ this pace, but no, my body still has to revolt.

Somewhere about mile 4 of the 6 ml commute to the trail head, we hit a trifecta of hill, low energy, and humidity and I went from having fun to a sky rocketing heart rate. I slowed up, and found my pace to regain control. By ml 6 life was getting better as I was settling in, just in time for the 8ml climb.

On the climb many little issues would end up leading to an exhausting ride. I've done this climb many, many times before, but never suffered like this. Loose rock, sand, & an experimental handlebar (meaning new style handlebar for me) made didn't help.
The handlebars not only altered my seating to a too upright seating position which made the front end "float", it also forced a new seating position on my seat which had me in pain by mile 7. So now with I was constantly fighting to keep the front end straight, my the sun was roasting my head, and it was just humid enough so that I couldn't cool down, a migraine was beginning to set in.

Lucky for me, the rest of the group was having some issues of their own (bike related) which allowed me to keep my tortuous pace and still keep up. Although by the end of the climb, they still had a good 5 minutes or so on me.

I just kept telling myself, downhill, downhill soon, downhill = smiles! The days plan would have us making a figure 8, where the top of climb 1 would have us in the middle of the 8 ( Mills Creek).

As luck would have it, I had no such luck by the time we hit Torrey Ridge/Slacks, etc. My head was pounding so badly, I was having double vision. So I would find myself bailing out of the 1st downhill midway @ Slacks Overlook. The gang continued down to the campgrounds and would ride back up where we'd join again.

While I was waiting I took conversation up with someone from Pitts, Pa and he offered up some Advil. Perfect!
However 3 hrs later & no gang. I was torn as to what to do, but I stuck with the plan and headed up the mountain back to the middle of the figure 8 for the last downhill that would lead back to the cars.

The Advil worked, my migraine had been severely diminished to a mild headache. By the time I I reached Mills Creek, I was almost smiling! I was feeling good, really good. But by myself and at least 7 miles from anyone and without any cell reception I took caution on the initial downhill that would be the next mile. You drop about 1500' in 1 mile of switchbacks on very loose shale. At times (Ok, most of the time) I think it would've been better to just go full-bore as the braking just caused sliding.

At the bottom of the switchbacks was another 6mls of trail that looses about 1200' of evaluation as you roll through stream crossings and forest. What an amazing end to the day. With a clear head and a cool breeze I was able to just big ring it and fly! ( Maybe that bird feather I found earlier in the day gave me the wings I was looking for all day.)

When I got back to the cars, 1 was gone, 1 person was there, & two others where still on the trail. Apparently 1 of the 4 to go to the camp grounds was too beat to climb, so they bailed for a road ride back. Of the 3 remaining to climb to the meet up spot, 1 would end up cramping bad enough to turn back and head back to the cars via the road. The last 2 would end up giving chase to catch up to me, but would end up coming back to the cars 10-15 minutes behind me.

By days end, I bagged 28 mls, B1 about 25mls, B2 28, B3 & 4, 32 mls.

We ended the day with dinner @ Devils Backbone Brewery which was just what the Dr. ordered. I was so tired that 1 beer was all I could handle, but I enjoyed every drop of it!

With this glass I Toast...

... For more years than I care to count my, life as a student continued.
Today my life as a student has come to an end leaving leaving me feeling more emotional than on the day that I walked in the graduation ceremony.

To this I raise my glass filled with Three Philosophers by OMMEGANG (fitting, correct?!) and say, "Oh that heavens," and... "A huge thanks to all the support from my family and friends who kept me encouraged in the rough times, keeping this dream alive."

I know many people head to school as an avenue to success, but I went for the reason of a personal goal. It's been a long, long journey filled with laughs, tears, love, and surprises, but in the end I am better for it all.

Most of all, I want to thank Lisa, she is the definition of pillar and her support never wavered!

Cheers all, cheers!!

Been busy.

It's been a busy past few weeks with at least 2 more intense weeks of hard studying, papers, and exams.
It's all good though, I can see the light and it's beautiful!

I've also been able to get on the bike lately (5 rides in 9 days) and really enjoy the stress relief that comes with riding and getting fresh air. I flub up today by not heading out before the days heat sets in, so tomorrow might be my next chance to ride.

Now I have to get back to researching the external / internal forces for the Steel industry & Nucor. I think I'll get the history buttoned up also.

What-do-ya-know?!

Only a few days after venting and I managed to get in 2 rides and fix / mod the bike. Tomorrow I'll need to buy some new parts for it.

Baby steps I guess.

Hopefully my current desire to bike will keep on keep'n on.

Have you seen my bike mojo?

Seems that I have losing my bike mojo over the last few years and all attempts rekindle it have failed!

I know it's gone now, but as I just had $3k to spend wildly and not even .01 of it went to a bike related part. I never even had a thought of purchasing bike related parts or gear. In years past I definitely would've had some bike "thingy" that was shiny and new with this kind of loot to spend.

I'm not sure how I began to loose my interest, maybe it's that I'm not a racer and everyone else is. So I want to ride just to enjoy and challenge myself, while others want to ride to blister new times while running you (& others) off the trail.

Politics have also certainly played a large roll in the demise of my riding. If I could do it all over again I'd certainly think twice about my involvement with a club beyond helping to promote it. What starts out nobel quickly excellerates into too much info, too many headaches, too much time, and for too many years. Which in the end = a sour taste for the hobby.

Lastly, I know that not having time to exercise or at least having another form for exercise has dampened my mtb spirit.
I rode because I enjoyed riding and any health bene's were simply a plus. But as time wore on I relied on it to be my "needed" exercise too, which creates a whole new outlook for a hobby. It turned something fun in to a must! When I must do something I begin to view it with "distain" in which I end up doing anything and everything to avoid it.

I guess that is where I am today, avoiding it.

I'm a Trader Joe's Whore

During the last year Richmond,Va became the lucky recipient of a Trader Joe's store. For years I've heard about them, but I've always used the "talk" about TJ's to just be a "yuppy" store. This theory was mostly based on the fact that just about everyone who buys from there talks about their great wine deals & all I could picture in my head was a bunch of blue shirts & khaki pants pushing & shoving their strollers past each other to fight for the last box-O-wine. As it turns out, they literally having bottles of wine for $3.00 and still being able to get volume discounts by purchasing by the case.

After being completely disappointed in the new Whole Foods in Richmond, (The store seems to be more about, "who's watching who pay stupidly inflated prices for the same foods they can buy across the street for 2/3's the price." Don't get me wrong, I was all about getting a Whole Foods in Ric, as Lisa and I would drive to Char'ville just to hit up that store. Somehow once introduced to the West End of Ric, it became a store more about posh than content (quality & more healthy foods).

So we finally broke down and headed to Trader Joe's & since that day we've been kicking ourselves for not getting there sooner!
For me though, most of the wine is irrelevant when you consider all the other goodies TJ's has to offer.

Their food selection and pricing is second to none!! Seriously, some of their pricing is on par with large volume box retail chains, and or store brand prices at places like Foodlion, but the quality is SO-O much better.

Just a few examples:
- Organic Breads on par or better than the quality of local bakeries and starting at $2.29.
- Organic Chocolate Syrup for $2.49
- Organic granola & fruit bars $1.49+
- Organic & Fair Trade Coffee $6.99 - 9.99 and usually 1lb too.
- Organic Peanut & various Nut Butters (Quiet!) $2.49 +
- Pasta's, Italian made & full pound servings only .99 w/whole wheat for $1.25.

And the list keeps going.

Perhaps the best part of the store is that they are doing what mainstream has said can not be done.
They are providing many products that are cheaper than name brands while using better ingredients and still having great taste. Most products that aren't Organic are most likely HighFructroseCornSyrup free!

That IMO is worth the drive any day of the week & while most stores will have you paying more for using sugar cane, TJ's is charging less.

Walk the walk

Sometimes (& to a fault) I find myself too anti-establishment.

It makes me feel bored, constricted, even dirty. I've been this way from as far back as I can remember. It seems that even as a young child being read the rules to a board game, my first thoughts were always to question the exception or even the validity of a rule.

But this past weekend I took part in what many may consider everything I've questioned or stand against. I took part in my Graduation ceremony by walking; and it was one of the best days of my life!

As it turns out, if you argue with yourself long enough about something you realize that even the stance of "anti-establishment" is itself, an "establishment." And as such, I owe it to myself to truly way the Pro's and Con's of participating or not.

A few months back I realized that the day I was to walk & accept my diploma also turned out to me my birthday. Me being someone who tends to get caught up in the "things happen for a reason," looked at this as a huge signal that I need to give this some serious consideration.

In the end my decision was more about I owed it to me, myself, & I. I have spent many years fighting my way through school, on & off, full-time, part-time, working & not, and now everything is coming to a conclusion.

For me, walking gave me a sense of closure, an end point to a journey, my goal, to attend and finish college.

Oddly enough from the moment I arrived at the Siegal Center it hit me, this day was as important to all those who gave me the support that I needed to make this dream a reality! This day will help them to have closure too; witnessing this event is their return for for their unquestionable and unwaving love and support that they have always shown me.

So for those who find themselves pondering the same question I had, I say do it!

Very few moments in life can ever measure up to hearing thousands of people cheering & clapping as you enter the Graduation Ceremony. For those few moments, the magnitude of your accomplishment strikes. It touches you on a level that is difficult to put into words.

So to all my friends and family who put up with my stories & rants over the years, "Thank you." To all my friends and family who help me keep my spirits up when things looked grim,"Thank You." To all my friends and family who were simply there for me, "Thank you."

You have all taught me as much about giving, kindness, and caring as school has on the studied subjects.

One last thing, several friends just since yesterday has informed me of their regret to having not walked, but I have yet to meet someone who feels their time was wasted by attending.

In short, the underlying lesson goes beyond partaking in a graduation ceremony or not, but rather is a challenge to you, me, & everyone else to really gauge why we make the decisions we do and force us to reconsider any personal opinions that just may turn out too antiquated for today.

Cellphones Madness

Does the cellphone give all of us the "plugged-in" companionship that so many of us really crave, or may worst, fulfill for that what we might not have had w/out one? A life...

Why does owning a cellphone automatically give us the right to carry it everywhere & anywhere we desire? I mean really, why does the waitstaff need to have a cell on their belt when their job is there to wait on visitors of their restaurant?

Why should students be allowed to carry them in class, only to disrupt everyone w/fancy beeps, sounds, games, etc?

In Boston this morning a report of a double trolly crash because 1 came up from behind (w/a 480' sight line) ended up crashing in to a second trolly, despite having warnings go from green to yellow to red plus 80'. Why the crash? F'ing conductor was texting his girlfriend and now 50+ people injured.

Boston's MTA took immediate action, absolutely NO CELL PHONES allowed on the job by any employees!! Go Boston!!
NJ MTA doesn't allow for even the use of cellphones by the passengers. At first I was like, "WTF?," but 10 minutes into the ride and you quickly realize that a bus of 50 people can actually be one of the most peaceful crowds to be. No one is forced to listen to yelling, arguing, STD results phone-calls, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a cell phone toter myself & I often find myself "needing" to check the cell for a text or missed call after 10minutes goes by without a peep. "Is the volume set right? ", "Is vide mode set?", "Did I just miss beep?".
Usually the answer is nope.

I usually find this cell phone "twitch" to come only after the cycle has been started by a barrage of incoming communications or when I'm bored and the response is often we feeling compelled to send some sort of mindless thought to a close friend in a feeble attempt just to gain any social interaction.

So my question is, how do we become so celf-focused (celf = cell + self) that we will use our phones despite the danger that we pose to everyone around us?

How can we possibly justify the reply to "dinner @ 7" if it means that we might kill/injure/maim 1,10, 20, 50, more?