Mix tape

So in homage to one of my fave bands, The Black Crowes. Here is my Tall mix tape for a cross race. Keep in mind the sage advice of John Cusack from High Fidelity, paraphrased. Start out strong but a little slow. Let them wanting. The take it up a notch, then more again. Then you need to cool it down a little.
Kind of like a cross race. So here goes.
Thorn in my Pride for the warm-up. Chill, smooth, flowing.
Seeing things. Freak and Roll, Live from the Fillmore. On the line, then the crescendo hits.
Kickin' my heart around. By your side. Full gas.
Go Faster. By your side. Doesn't the title say it all?
Sometimes Salvation. Black Crowes Live. Big guitar riffs and pauses like coming out of a corner and the smack is down.
The race is half done. Time to go steady, hard. Like sitting on Blair's wheel.
Let me share the ride. Freak and roll, Live from the Fillmore
Remedy. The Southern Companion... Thirty five minutes in, yeah I need a remedy for what is ailing me.
Then she said my name. By your side. Yes, friends, we hear when you yell our names. It is awesome. When a pretty girl screams your name, woowee. I never thought a love could be like this. Keep yelling.
Less than a lap to go. What Tall tune will I chose? It needs to be rippin', yet calm.
My morning song. Freak & roll, Live from the Fillmore. Strong fast instrumental jam. Passion and powerful lyrics. Background crescendo escalates, like the tension in the last half lap. It keeps going, building, building, higher, higher, stronger, faster. It's a thrill a minute plane ride. It's overtime at ring side, no lie.
See you Saturday.

Don't ask, don't tell or...

putting the "fun" in dysfunctional.
Thanksgiving has come and gone. At least this year was more enjoyable than the great '06 debacle. I was able to see family and friends, eat well, drink a few, hear some tales and generally have a pretty good time. A few interesting observations and recaps in chronological order. Sweet single speed road ride for 2.5 hours. It really is amazing how fun just riding can be.
Wednesday eve the shop crew headed out for some food and drink. Very fun. Great reminiscing was to be had. Very nice to see everyone out having a good ole time. Thursday brought more singlie road action on some roads I have not been on in a great while. Another 2.5 hours in just shorts and a ss jersey. Perfect ride to empty the tank for a Turkey day gorging.
This led to what may have been the Star Chamber of Stubbornness dinner. My grandfather, the king. My Mom, the rightful heir. Myself, the apprentice who may have taken all the wisdom and passive aggressively surpassed the prior generations in "prove me wrongness". Dinner was great, absolutely delectable. The king commenting on too much food. The heir retorting, not to worry there are leftovers. The worthy apprentice smiling inside knowing that I have indeed inherited the kingdom of skills.
Friday brought the whirlwind trip to the bucolic land of dysfunction. A visit with my 95 year old Grammy who is still pretty damn sharp. A dinner with my dad and a Scotch laden visit with my uncles. The fact that my dad does not really speak with his brothers makes this a unsettling visit. My uncles are extremely funny and great people to be around, at least for Eric & I. For my dad, another story. Don't ask, don't tell. As long as every one's head is in the sand, it is all good right? Listening to my Uncle's speak of their exploits was damn funny. Experiencing this while my dad is three miles away refusing to partake is damn uncomfortable. Who knows.
Less than twenty-four hours after the grand depart to Bucolia, we start back. Sometimes I wonder, at what point does this all become yet another bridge I burn and walk away from?
Saturday brought cross race work, bike repairs for sale items and college football. Today brings more cross race work, some riding and finally some much needed computer upgrades. Then two generally unproductive days of work until 100% cross race focus.
I have really hit an ambivalence wall. I am tired. It has been a long and stressful year. I do not feel like going to Nats. I really have not given my race all the attention it needs. Work is unstimulating. Personal life and the hope/chance of meeting anyone is on indefinite hold. Maybe some hot model/cyclist will fall from the sky in the upcoming future. I really need to make some concrete decisions pretty soon.
Off to the course.

Under the cover of daylight 11/20

I made it. There were days where I did not think that I would.
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of when I backed up the moving truck w/ Gus and moved out of my own house. In the middle of the day, when most everyone is at work, I loaded up the truck. I snuck out of my home, my old neighborhood, and a part of myself.
This is not a post to lay blame, ask forgiveness, say what if, etc... This is a post to say, "I made it." Here I am. I am very different. I am exactly the same. So when I wake up tomorrow I will be thankful what what I experienced. I will be even more thankful for the experiences that are yet to come.

Guest writer

Seeking guest writer for a post or three. Topic can be anything. Your life, my life, their lives whatever. Send an email and I will post, unedited. roadracer35@comcast.net

Big bike game this weekend

Nats comes early in the form of the USGP. I counted thirty guys with top 10 Nats finishes, in the past three years, in my event. There were another ten with race wins besides that. Sweet.
Line up, ride hard, no excuses. We shall see.
Milestone day next week. Alice's restaurant next week. Turkey day with, filling, mashed tates and gravy, mmmm gravy next week. Fun night out next week. Damn, I got some shit rollin'.
Possibility of wearing just one kit to play ALL the bike games in next year. That would be cool. Almost as cool as the team. Who knows maybe I will even, dare I say it, find even more dirt under the rubber?
Business review with my manager tomorrow. Should be easy.

The Eli Lilly big brother health care blues

OK, I realize I have health insurance. I also realize it is pretty good. My gripe is with the process and billing and payment. I just got the bill for my ER visit from the great BMX incident. It was for $341 dollars. Hmmm. My health plan is to pay 100% of all non-admission ER visits. I was not admitted. Therefore buck up, Anthem. I read the bill and see my health plan refuses to pay due to incorrect coding. WTF! It said X-ray & ER visit right on the statement. What irks me is that I now need to file additional paperwork with my insurance. All the while the bill will remain unpaid and if it malingers too long ends up at a collection agency. Guess who gets the nastygram? Me!
To top that I go to re-enroll in my health plan for '08 and i notice small print from "the Colonel". If you fail to enroll benefits will not roll over. You will be reassigned to an HSA account. Whoaaaa Nelly. Since when can someone be reassignd without consent? Is lack of response consent? If someone approaches me and says "I am going to beat the living shit out of you", and I fail to respond in a timely manner am I giving consent to be pummeled? Out of curiousity I decide to compare my present plan and the HSA plan. My deductibel is $200 in and $200 out of network. That is a scam in and of itself. However, the HSA has a $2,000 deductible! No that was not a typo of one too many zero's. It is a full boat $2k deductible. Seems like a bargain huh? Read on. Every single line item for reimbursement was 10%-20% less with this new plan that people must avoid being reassigned to.
This is such an underhanded way to reduce health care expenditure for Lilly. Really the company should be paying people lioke me for being so healthy 99% of the time.
Damn, that got me in a lather today.
Don't let the bastards get you down!

Huffin' like a junkie

The past two days have been big glue fests for my tubular cross tire woes. It all stems back to some bad karma Leech is sending my way. I was all over him for rolling tubies last year. Well I rolled two this year and Hamdiggler rolled my spare front. In my defense my rolls were while using Tufo tape. I am heretofore rescinding my proclamations of love for gluing tape. Do not be lazy. Take the two or three days and enjoy the glue smell. Three coats rim, two coats tire and I am set. Your tires will stay put and your confidence will as well. Now all is well is cross wheel land. The file treads are ready to rock for Beacon. I am debating gluing a second set of carbon wheels for cross. Yes, that may mean an official "give a damn" departure from road race wheels. Nothing says Richard Feldman like two pair of carbon cross wheels. Throw in matching Colnago C-50's and he may as well be in Belgium.

40, thinning gray hair, skinny, never home on weekends: seeks supermodel cyclist

I think that is what my new Match.com "tag line" will be. Since my ex informed me today that my profile is a topic of conversation at her monthly Bunko gathering, I think I am going to go all out and see who I can attract. I will try it out on my loyal readers.
Me: 40, but act like I am MUCH younger. Maybe too young. Hates to travel, unless it is for a bikegame race. Religion is not important, unless I am puking my guts out at Ray & Nancy's wedding & I am praying to God to make it stop. Well read, Velo News, Cycle Sport and the innernet thing. I have never broken a mirror by staring into it. My body is slowly breaking down. Tattooed, probably will get more. Beer is good. Food is good.
Seeking: Really freakin' hot girl. You should probably race bikes, it is basically my life. Let's make it yours as well. Must despise travel also. Your idea of a long trip is three hors by car. Probably should not like the beach either. I get bored and antsy easily. No need to be religious. You may however scream "oh my god, you are great" while in the throws of passion. Be smart, just not smarter than me.

So there it is. My new profile. Seriously, where does one find a good match these days? At what point do I realize, that I am not a model and a girlfriend need not be one either? The bikegame thing is probably a requirement that will stick. Lesson learned. Plus now that I can look at female bikegamers, I realize how hot they are.
Since being thrust into the world of online "dating" I have realized a few things.
1) All the really hot girls are taken
2) Being a cyclist means DIDDLY-POO outside of our naive little cocoon
3) Online dating is predominantly made up of women who are larger than me
4) I have NO idea how to approach women, even online
5) I enjoy my free time
6) The ones who are hot, have two kids
7) Finding an athletic, slender, good looking, single, no kids girl in Central PA is the proverbial needle in a haystack
So to my faithful readers, hook a brutha up. You know a single bikegamer chick, tell her I am available and not an axe murderer.
Don't let the bastards get you down.