Yesterday I rode my bike for an hour, spandex and all-- but not until after spending 30 minutes mowing down the foliage that had spread over my legs.
We live in pretty tight quarters here on Stocker Street, so I automatically think of that famous leg-shaving scene from Breaking Away when I'm sitting in my kitchen with the clippers in hand and a leg propped up on the trash can... and my neighbors walk by. What do they think of Rosa and I? I disappear for months at a time, then upon my return, mow down my legs with hair clippers in preparation to leave the house everyday wearing an outfit tighter and stretchier than a superhero's?
More importantly than what the neighbors think, what do my muscles think after clipping in and turning the pedals for the first time since Downer's Grove? They seemed to remember the drill well enough, but my sit bones are wildly protesting the return to the bike. That's my own fault though, as back in August I'd put my comfy Serfas Furano saddle on another bike to test it out... and when I went for my ride yesterday I had just some standard OEM saddle on the bike- dumb.
And for anyone wondering about the SoCal fires, we're pretty lucky here in Glendale. It sounds like the folks in San Diego have it really tough, but they are finally getting to go home and return to school. Fortunately for us, none of the blazes are too close to us and the smoke isn't too bad in our immediate area. There are quite a few mountain rides that I'll be putting on hold though.
Last but certainly not least, huge props to Jim Nowak and the ABD crew for pulling off our first 'Cross race! Thanks to the over 170 riders that came out and ran around Sunrise Park for the day!
10.29.2007
10.25.2007
Aaannd, I'm back.
Back in all sorts of ways: back in LA, back "in the office", back on the bike. Well, almost back on the bike. My legs haven't been this hairy since I was 14 years old...
Last weekend we celebrated Grandma's life just how she would have wanted. The family gathered, talked a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot. We were up until the wee hours of the morning most nights, and then turned around and did it again. There was definitely some readjusting to life in the days after her death too. For 67 days Mom, Dad and my lives revolved around Grandma, and we enjoyed it. It was very, very odd the first few mornings that I woke up and didn't check in on her, help her enjoy a cup of coffee, track her medicines and help her to the bathroom. That's not to mention how odd the first night of sleeping without the constant hum of the monitor was too. But, being surrounded by family and partying to exhaustion helped keep us distracted.
It was the second night after Grandma died that a long-lost feeling crept in... I wanted to start training. Rosa's analysis is probably right: I have an addictive, probably-even-obsessive personality, and it had been a real easy move to transfer my energy into helping Grandma. Then, once that job no longer required me, my mind turned to it's trusty, old, two-wheeled fix. Oh well, there are certainly worse things.
In between gatherings and services I packed my life back up into a duffel bag and a bike box for my flight back to LA on Tuesday. Bless the bike-box. If I'm going to pay $80 to bring it on the plane, rest assured I'm going to use the biggest cardboard bike box I can find and stuff it to the gills. And as a bonus, all the clothes stuffed into plastic shopping bags and packed around the bike act as extra padding. I've made three-week trips with nothing but a bike box and one carry-on.
The flight home was a bit of a pain as the leg out of ORD was delayed 70 minutes, so I missed my connection in DFW by seconds. I could still see the plane at the end of the walkway as I ran to the gate: AAGGHH! "Sorry Sir, they just closed the doors. You were the only passenger that didn't check in." Still being able to see the plane is probably the worst scenario in missed-flight history, especially if it means a 3.5 hour layover. The looooooonnng walk (I despise airport trams and people movers except when used by the injured or elderly) from A10 to D37 helped me cool off, in addition to a couple of Tecate's and my amigo Rick DeMoan "talking me off the ledge".
The final leg of the trip went smoothly enough, and since it was night it was easy to see the SoCal fires as we flew in. That was weird- just isolated bunches of orange flames dancing on the mountainside. There were also a few firefighters on the plane that were coming into help. They definitely looked a little pensive when they saw the fires.
Speaking of which... I best light one under my a#! and go exercise.
Last weekend we celebrated Grandma's life just how she would have wanted. The family gathered, talked a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot. We were up until the wee hours of the morning most nights, and then turned around and did it again. There was definitely some readjusting to life in the days after her death too. For 67 days Mom, Dad and my lives revolved around Grandma, and we enjoyed it. It was very, very odd the first few mornings that I woke up and didn't check in on her, help her enjoy a cup of coffee, track her medicines and help her to the bathroom. That's not to mention how odd the first night of sleeping without the constant hum of the monitor was too. But, being surrounded by family and partying to exhaustion helped keep us distracted.
It was the second night after Grandma died that a long-lost feeling crept in... I wanted to start training. Rosa's analysis is probably right: I have an addictive, probably-even-obsessive personality, and it had been a real easy move to transfer my energy into helping Grandma. Then, once that job no longer required me, my mind turned to it's trusty, old, two-wheeled fix. Oh well, there are certainly worse things.
In between gatherings and services I packed my life back up into a duffel bag and a bike box for my flight back to LA on Tuesday. Bless the bike-box. If I'm going to pay $80 to bring it on the plane, rest assured I'm going to use the biggest cardboard bike box I can find and stuff it to the gills. And as a bonus, all the clothes stuffed into plastic shopping bags and packed around the bike act as extra padding. I've made three-week trips with nothing but a bike box and one carry-on.
The flight home was a bit of a pain as the leg out of ORD was delayed 70 minutes, so I missed my connection in DFW by seconds. I could still see the plane at the end of the walkway as I ran to the gate: AAGGHH! "Sorry Sir, they just closed the doors. You were the only passenger that didn't check in." Still being able to see the plane is probably the worst scenario in missed-flight history, especially if it means a 3.5 hour layover. The looooooonnng walk (I despise airport trams and people movers except when used by the injured or elderly) from A10 to D37 helped me cool off, in addition to a couple of Tecate's and my amigo Rick DeMoan "talking me off the ledge".
The final leg of the trip went smoothly enough, and since it was night it was easy to see the SoCal fires as we flew in. That was weird- just isolated bunches of orange flames dancing on the mountainside. There were also a few firefighters on the plane that were coming into help. They definitely looked a little pensive when they saw the fires.
Speaking of which... I best light one under my a#! and go exercise.
10.19.2007
Grandma G
Last night my Grandmother passed away as we sat with her, our hands on hers.
She was pure Betty Geraghty to the end, gracious and composed. Her final words were "Thank you" after she'd had a sip of water earlier in the day.
No. Thank you, Grandma.
She was pure Betty Geraghty to the end, gracious and composed. Her final words were "Thank you" after she'd had a sip of water earlier in the day.
No. Thank you, Grandma.
10.18.2007
If I liked it bumpy...
... I'd head on over to Palos this weekend to check out all of Trek's new mountain bikes and see what sort of damage I could inflict on myself. (The word on the bikes is that they can take it with aplomb).
Grandma's Going On the Payroll
So since we've been taking care of Grandma here at Mom and Dad's place, almost every ABD and Prairie Path Cycles' meeting has taken place here at the house. There is no doubt that Grandma can now run both entities.
Of course, my guess is that she'd just want us to start making donations with her salary- 'cause that's the kind of lady she is.
Of course, my guess is that she'd just want us to start making donations with her salary- 'cause that's the kind of lady she is.
10.12.2007
Short Post, Big News
I'm squeaking this post in just under the self-imposed one week wire....
Well, the Fling's done. We had record turnouts on Saturday and Sunday to go along with our near record weather. There was close competition in all the races, and it was sweet watching teammate Josh Carter power that 54x11 to a pair of sprint wins to close out the season.
...and with that, no more donning of the race director's cap. This year's Fling marked my final round as an ABD event director.
It's been an awesome five years running the events- starting with our first Fling in 2003. Thanks to all the riders and volunteers who've been with me along the way. I've had the opportunity to get to know most of you, and it's truly been a pleasure. It's to the point I can watch finish line film without even looking at your numbers: "Oh yeah, that's Uwe; that's Scott V; that's Cecile; there's Fabio..."!
But never fear, the ABD army is chomping at the bit to take over for me, and per usual, the events will just keep getting better.
So, what now?....
To be continued
Well, the Fling's done. We had record turnouts on Saturday and Sunday to go along with our near record weather. There was close competition in all the races, and it was sweet watching teammate Josh Carter power that 54x11 to a pair of sprint wins to close out the season.
...and with that, no more donning of the race director's cap. This year's Fling marked my final round as an ABD event director.
It's been an awesome five years running the events- starting with our first Fling in 2003. Thanks to all the riders and volunteers who've been with me along the way. I've had the opportunity to get to know most of you, and it's truly been a pleasure. It's to the point I can watch finish line film without even looking at your numbers: "Oh yeah, that's Uwe; that's Scott V; that's Cecile; there's Fabio..."!
But never fear, the ABD army is chomping at the bit to take over for me, and per usual, the events will just keep getting better.
So, what now?....
To be continued
10.03.2007
No, I really suck...
A week without a post!?!? That's unacceptable. I'm putting myself on blogging probation. Another week-long gap and I'll fire my ass.
But...in my defense, I have been a little busy. Grandma's going strong, we kicked off the Fall Fling this last weekend and it's "reload" time for ABD as we look ahead to '08.
Grandma is truly amazing. No matter what might actually be happening to her, anytime we ask if we can get her anything she always looks up, flashes a beautiful smile and says, "No thanks, I'm fine." Total Grace.
The Fling started off fabulously. The weather was perfect, the riders were fast, and as always the ABD volunteers did a fantastic job keeping things moving smoothly.
Last but not least, we're deep in discussions for the ABD program in '08. No official announcements yet, but "I've got one idea that I'm especially psyched out of my mind about." (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that's from.)
Alright, back to Fling details. Riders, don't forget to keep your number!
But...in my defense, I have been a little busy. Grandma's going strong, we kicked off the Fall Fling this last weekend and it's "reload" time for ABD as we look ahead to '08.
Grandma is truly amazing. No matter what might actually be happening to her, anytime we ask if we can get her anything she always looks up, flashes a beautiful smile and says, "No thanks, I'm fine." Total Grace.
The Fling started off fabulously. The weather was perfect, the riders were fast, and as always the ABD volunteers did a fantastic job keeping things moving smoothly.
Last but not least, we're deep in discussions for the ABD program in '08. No official announcements yet, but "I've got one idea that I'm especially psyched out of my mind about." (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that's from.)
Alright, back to Fling details. Riders, don't forget to keep your number!
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