Four Fell

The drugs have helped. Today I can move my head side to side a little (a little), and more importantly, I got to sleep through the night. I didn’t take any more muscle relaxers ‘til I got home today (I did want to be able to drive home from work, after all). But I did when I got here, but not with a anti-inflammatory at the same time. Still, I can feel the effects.

Speaking of ‘effect’, I got into a discussion with another engineer today on the proper usage of ‘effect’ versus ‘affect’ (in general you should use ‘effect’ as a noun and ‘affect’ as a verb). But it got me to thinking about words in general, and how some have different meanings and et cetera, et cetera. I think the one I was most fascinated with today was the word ‘fell’, which has about four distinct meanings that I can think of without pulling out the dictionary. I can even make a sentence using them all.

The Fell Man of the Fell tripped down the stair and fell onto his ursine fell.

I think I got that right. I’m drugged up, though, so I really couldn’t say. Somebody look it up and tell me if I got it OK.

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Trivia
Follow the Rules. Email Answer to bgoab at mindspring dot com. Volunteer at a shelter. Help an old lady across the street. Don’t take candy from strangers. Have a good time, all the time.

1. Which Chinese philosopher wrote the Tao Te Ching?

2. The Aum Shinrikyo cult group release what poisonous gas in a Tokyo subway in 1995?

3. The Prime Meridian (the line denoting 0 degrees of longitude) famously passes through what English town?

4. Who played Lenny on Laverne and Shirley?

5. Which now defunct company’s camera technology made it possible to view images on your computer that you could rotate in all directions – up, down, and side to side?

What a Pain in the Neck

I went to the doctor today. Not my orthopod, but my GP. I’ve been having a problem with my neck for a few days and Mrs. Guy told me that if it wasn’t better today I needed to go have it looked at.

It started this on Monday. Yesterday was worse. Today is almost as bad as yesterday. I must have pulled something, maybe slept on it wrong. I can’t turn my head to either side. You don’t realize how many times a day you turn your head until you can’t do it, or worse, forget that you can’t do it, try it, and have hot and cold daggers of pain invade every inch of the realm of your conscious being.

I was surprised to be able to get in to see my GP today considering that I called just this morning for an appointment. He must have had a cancellation or something. I got in at about 4 pm, but didn’t see him until almost 5:20 pm. Still, he prescribed Celebrex and Flexeril (or the generic version of Flexeril). One is an anti-inflammatory and the other is a muscle relaxer. Both have a tendency to knock you out.

So I have decided to go ahead and take one of each before sitting down to write this, but I have also decided to stop writing when they start to kick in. I don’t want to ramble on in a drug-induced stupor (or worse, a torpor), so as soon as I feel the effects, I’m going to hit the ‘Publish’ button.

In other words, don’t be surprised if this post just stops in mid-sentence at some

Ode to Olive

On my way home from work today I had to run a few errands. Nothing major, just a stop to get a new car battery followed by visits to the Post Office and video store. The more interesting experience was in the Post Office.

I got in line to mail a CD or two to a friend. While I was waiting, I got acquainted with the talkative little girl in front of me in line. Her mom was looking a bit weary, so I got down listened to the little girl as she regaled me with her favorite stories of Christmas, of which she probably remembered no more than three (Christmas's that is...I'd guess that she was five years old, if that).

Her favorite story was about the reindeer with the luminescent proboscis and his various supporters and detractors. The detractor she had the biggest problem with, or at least was the most vocal about, was Olive. No, she didn't like Olive at all.

At this point I noticed confused amusement on the faces of several other folks in line.

Yes, Olive certainly was mean, wasn't she? She didn't act at all like a friend or classmate should. She should be sent to "time out" or possibly even grounded (I almost snickered at her unintentional pun*, but held it back).

Concern about the little girl and what types of things she was being taught seemed to be becoming etched on the faces of those others in line. Even her beleaguered mother looked a little confused.

But I was catching on. I just had to remember how to think like a child for a few minutes.

The little girl talked about the eight sleigh-toting reindeer for a moment, and even mentioned how glad she was that Santa had been nice to Rudoph (she pronounced it "RUDE-off" - no "l"**). Still, she wasn't very happy about that Olive.

It became to much for the guy behind me in line. He asked me in a loud whisper "Who the heck*** is Olive?"

"Oh, you know," I said. "Olive. The other reindeer. Who used to laugh and call him names."

I think there were some folks in pain trying not to laugh at my new little friend on that one.
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* You know, "grounded"? Flying reindeer?
** No pun intended, but I'll take it.
*** Not the exact word he used.

Seredipitish

I got up this morning and went to work. I hated to do that, especially after four days off, but I felt that it was something I really should do. I got to the parking lot, shut the car off, and grabbed for my cooler, my cell phone and my iPod on the passenger seat. I juggled those and my keys most of the way from the car to my office, amazingly managing not to actually drop anything. I got to my desk and set down my cooler, my keys, my phone, my iPod, ... and my head lamp? No, not a car-type headlamp, but the kind I use (on my head, natch) while camping so I can keep my hands free for other stuff and still see at night. I wondered about how it got there as I pocketed my keys.

Then I remembered. I had put the light in the car when I went to the 12 Hour Race back in October. I knew I'd need it to get to my car after the race was over near midnight (ain't no light out there but whut you brung yerself). I guess I just forgot to take it back out again.

So there it was, sitting there on my desk next to my lunch cooler. Uselessly so, I figured. But then...

I went to a meeting at 11 am. At 11:30am, the power in our part of the complex went out. Let me tell you, it was pitch black in that conference room. Luckily, someone had a (weak) pen light on their keychain, which Lee used to go back to his office and grab a more powerful flashlight. We went ahead and finished our meeting with that as our light source, wrapping up at about noon.

My office doesn't have a window. My old one did, but I'm going to be moving again in about another week or so, so I'm not complaining. Without use of my computer (and of course I lost the email I was working on before I went to the meeting), all I had to work on was several documents to review. Most of the other people in my group had to step outside in the breeze to see their work. Not me. Somehow I had my head lamp with me today.

If only I'd had it in the conference room during the meeting.

Post Scriptum: The power did eventually get turned back on at around 3:15 pm or so.

Busternut Squash

I rode in a race today. No, not really. That is to say, I did ride, but it wasn't really so much of a race. I guess I should say that I participated. OK, I participated in Busternut 2. The ride started and ended in Market Square downtown, so I headed over there after eating lunch with Mrs. Guy nearby.

If you are familiar with Alleycat Races, Busternut is loosely based on something that might somewhat resemble something similat...maybe. It really turns out to be less of a race and more of a good time. Today's ride was like a scavenger hunt in a way, in that you had to go visit several different (four) places around downtown, do something, and then get a stamp/mark/scribble/coffee stain on your map sheet. I don't think the coffee stain was intentional.

Most of these types of events are done on either weird home-made bikes or on fixed-gear bikes. I don't have a home-made bike, but I do have a fixie, so I took that. I needn't have bothered. Most folks showed up on everything from mountain bikes to cyclocross bikes to road bikes et cetera, including the lone BMX bike. I counted maybe three other fixies.

There was, for the most part, a team format going on. I didn't have a team, so I just planned on riding with Phillip and his wife. When the "GO!" came, people took off in all directions and we were pointed toward the Old City, along with Eric N. and Dianne. We got to our first stop at a hair salon at about the same time as ten other riders and went inside to figure out what we had to do.

Being a hair salon, they were cutting a small lock of hair from everyone before giving the requisite stamp on the map. I asked the lady with the scissors if they were collecting DNA samples for some secret database or something. She just gave me a truly wicked smile, so I'm not really sure what to think. Maybe they'll be making voodoo dolls?

The next stop was the statue of Alex Haley. A lot of people didn't know exactly where to look, but only to go to the general vicinity shown on the map. I knew where it was, and I owe that to cyclocross racing. Huh, you might say? The statue is in one of the parks we've used for 'cross races for several years. The stunt there was to have a picture taken with the statue. I was going to climb up onto his lap for the shot, but I was concerned that I'd slip on the way up or down and bust my butt (or something worse).

Leaving there, I found that we'd somehow left Phillip and his wife behind, so I ended up teamed with Eric and Dianne by default. We headed for one of the downtown cemeteries, only taking one or two wrong turns along the way. Once we got there our instruction was to find the marker for James White. Eric and I might still be there looking were it not for Dianne, who found it after we'd gone pretty far past it in the wrong directions.

The Library was the last place we had left to go, so we headed there along with most of the people who heard Dianne telling us she'd found the marker back at the cemetery. We got to the Library right as another group was getting their maps marked. One of the station workers thrust an atlas into my hands and said look up the Capitol of Alberta. Some guy behind me shouted "Calgary!" "No, that's not it," the station worker and I said at the same time. I stood there a few seconds trying to remember it and then started to flip through the atlas. Almost at the same moment I opened the book, it came back to me. "Edmonton." "You got it," she said.

Eric and I took off toward Market Square with Dianne right behind us. We ended up being 11th, just out of the top ten. We consoled ourselves with a beer over at Preservation Pub.

One quick note: If you are riding a fixed gear bike, watch out for the hills. You can't coast, so you have to keep your speed low enough on the downhills that you can actually keep up with the pedals with your legs. It isn't so hard if you have brakes, but if you don't you have to keep back-pressure on the pedals to slow you down. That ain't easy, folks, especially when you aren't used to doing it (like me right now).

Rack'em Frack'em

Mrs. Guy got a new lease car recently. I may have mentioned it before, but I can’t remember. Her new vehicle is a Chrysler Pacifica.<BR>
We’re going to Florida for a week in December. It will be the second full week in December, in fact. My parents are renting a house at the beach not too far from where my brother lives, so it will be a good chance to do the whole Christmas thing with them (we’ll have to catch up with my sister later).

Mrs. Guy and I have a tandem. I’m just now getting to the point in my recovery when I figure I can start riding on that bike again, especially passenger and all. Don’t worry, I’m about to tie this all together.

Mrs. Guy suggested that we take the tandem with us to Florida. We had already figured on driving the Pacifica.&nbsp; But there’s a slight problem. The Pacifica doesn’t have a rack that we can attach our existing roof rack system (Yakima, if you must know), and you can’t put a tandem on a rear rack, which requires that the bike go on sideways (it’s just too long and would stick way out on both sides). The only way to take the tandem is to put it on the roof.

So the other day I started looking up accessories available for the Pacifica, hoping to find something that will allow me to attach our existing system to it. Most of what I saw was cross rails, which I have from the current stuff I’ve got. I finally found something on-line that looked like adequate side rails on a Chrysler dealer’s web site from somewhere in Mississippi, so I assumed that I’d find that at the local dealer. We went to the local dealer this morning.

I walked into the parts department and told the guy behind the counter what I was looking for. I explained that I didn’t need cross rails, but instead wanted side rails. “Yup, I’ve got that in stock.” So I paid the cashier and off we went.

We spent most of the rest of the day just goofing off and avoiding the malls. We visited friends who work in a modernistic furniture store where I sat in a positively evil reclining chair. It was like a succubus. It drew me in. It didn’t want to give me up. Mrs. Guy had to threaten me to get me out of it. I think I hear its siren call even now. But I digress.

We dropped by the Bike Zoo to say “Hi” and then grabbed lunch at the Chinese/Thai place nearby. Mrs. Guy did some shopping in some of the other nearby stores, so I headed back to the Bike Zoo. We left there and continued to just drive around (avoiding the malls) until about 3:30 when we got home. We pulled the stuff we’d acquired out of the car and I decided to go ahead and see if I could install the side rails on the roof of the car.

What was in the box? Cross rails.

We drove back to the dealership. Then we drove back home to get the receipt that I left in the garage. Then we went back to the dealership. The guy at the parts counter was at least nice about it, and explained that he’d thought the box had the part I wanted, but that there was no picture in his database and the description was misleading. He then proceeded to try to look up the side rails again. He finally asked me if it was possible that what I’d seen was aftermarket stuff, and I had to admit that it was. He didn’t have it or anything like it in his system, and they had no way to order it. It seems that Chrysler calls what is on the car “integrated side rails”, meaning they don’t stick up above the roof and are therefore somewhat useless without buying the Chrysler-specific cross rails and bike rack. Figures. Also, they don’t have anything to accommodate a tandem. Double figures.

We were close to another LBS (local bike shop) and since the Bike Zoo doesn't sell Yakima anyway, I decided to check there for whatever Yakima might have to go on the roof parts we do have. Well, not exactly, it seems. They do show having something. Something that attaches to the Chrysler cross rails. Which I had just taken back. Sigh.

So I decided to look into the other major brand of roof rack systems (Thule, if you must know that too). They do have a system that will supposedly attach to the existing parts. The bad part about that is that I’d have to buy a whole bunch of stuff similar to but not compatible with most of what I already have from Yakima. Well, I’ve got about a week to decide, given that I might have to have some of the stuff special ordered either way I choose to go.

I’m beginning to think it would be less of a hassle to just buy a tandem when we get there and sell it again before we head back.
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Trivia Answers for 11/9

1. Name the characters on the front of a box of Rice Krispiestm. That would be Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Mom still makes the best Rice Krispie treats.

2. Where is the U.S. Naval Academy located? It is in Annapolis, Maryland.

3. What archipelago was made famous at the onset of US involvement in World War II? Most people don't readily think of the Sandwich Islands as an archipelago, but it is. Did I say Sandwich Islands? I mean to refer to them by their modern name as our 50th state, Hawaii.

4. What is the name of the location that serves as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail? The southern terminus, which is the place where most Appalachian Trail though-hikers start out, is Springer Mountain near Amicalola Falls in north Georgia.

5. Before the Euro came along, what was the major unit of currency in Switzerland (e.g., US=Dollar, UK=Pound, et cetera)? GeekCyclist corrected me on this one. Switzerland never actually went over to the Euro, so they are still using the Swiss Franc. Good catch, GC.
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Trivia Answers from 11/16

1. Name at least three of the four original members of KISS. There have been a few members that have come and gone (including one who died of heart disease), but the original four were Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss.

2. The newspaper cartoon “Snuffy Smith” started out with a different name and a different lead character (it slowly changed over time). Who was that original title character? I still vaguely remember the comic being title "Barney Google and Snuffy Smith", but in my memory it was almost all Snuffy and friends and little or no Barney Google.

3. (fill in the blank) Gropius, Jeanneret, and Mies van der Rohe are often considered to be the fathers of modern _______________. Architecture. I almost included Frank Lloyd Wright, but many consider Walter Gropius, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (AKA, Le Corbusier), and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to be the more important from an international perspective.

4. (One from Mrs. Guy) Who narrated “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”? Boris Karloff was the narrator, though he wasn't the one singing the songs. Anyone know who that was for a bonus point?

5. (Also from Mrs. Guy) What platform at King’s Cross does the Hogwart’s Express depart from? 9 and 3/4's. There's even a plaque in King Cross station today for the tourists to see, complete with a luggage cart apparently stuck halfway into the wall.

There and Back Again...

Well, that's another Thanksgiving Day in the books. We started out this morning by driving the 120 or so miles to Kingsport and started off by visiting Mrs. Guy's grandparents. We had a nice visit with her grandfather, but her grandmother barely stirred from napping in her recliner. She has fairly advanced Alzheimer's, so we decided it would be best not to wake her when she wouldn't likely know who we are.

We then drove to my parent's house only a few miles away. She-mom showed up a little later with the corn pudding, so we sat down to lunch. Dinner and conversation carried us until about 5pm or so (well, to be honest I did take a 45 minute to an hour nap in there too - have to keep up the American tradition). She-mom left then and we left about an hour later.

We finished up in Kingsport at Mrs. Guy's aunt's house. We ended up staying there about twice as long as we'd originally thought, but that was OK. All in all it was a good day. And now we're back home and Mrs. Guy is flipping through channels as I sit here next to her on the sofa.
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Trivia
You know there are Rules. You know to send answers to bgoab at mindspring dot com. So let's get started already.

1. Who were the Four Horesemen of the Apocalypse?

2. What are the Seven Deadly Sins (name at least six)?

3. Name the Three Musketeers plus one.

4. What was the Fifth Element (from the movie of the same name - you find out near the end)

5. What is the distinguishing feature of Hemingway Cats?

Green

Sung to the tune of "Dream" by the Everly Brothers

I know that there’s no chance that I’ll get to do a Thanksgiving ride tomorrow. Mrs. Guy and I are driving the 120 or so miles to the town we both grew up in. We’ll leave in the morning and go see her grandparents first, and then head to my parent’s house for lunch (and She-Mom will be coming over there as well). But instead of staying overnight, we’ll be driving back home sometime tomorrow evening. So no ride on the old routes tomorrow – no reason to even think about taking a bike.

But as it worked out I only had to work four hours today (I worked ten each on Monday and yesterday), so I went in a little earlier than normal at six and left at ten. After running some errands, I loaded up the bike and headed toward the Bike Zoo.

Knoxville has never really been known as a very cycling-friendly town, but there are several people working to turn that around. One of the notable improvements in the last several years has been the extension of the existing greenway trails (there weren’t many) into something that may one day stretch all the way across Knox County. While there’s still a long way to go, there has been some good progress.

I’d hoped to ride with John B. this afternoon, but he’s feeling a good bit under the weather, so I went on my own (I did also try to reach John H., but without success). One of the major stretches of greenway trail is only about ¼ mile from the Bike Zoo, so I just parked there. The closest point on the trail is at the old Bi-Lo supermarket (now out of business), and there’s a new section that goes east about a mile to an elementary school, so I decided to go ahead and try that first.

Interesting sighting #1 – There’s a sale on plots at the cemetery along that road (about mile 1). I guess it strikes me as odd to see a sale at a cemetery. Are they expecting a rush of business? Is there something they know that I don’t?

Interesting sighting #2 – A kid (maybe 6 or 7 years old) saw me coming and pulled his cell phone-bound oblivious dad out of the middle of the path (somewhere in the second mile). That sort of thing usually happens the other way around.

I hit the end and turned back toward the Ex-Bi-Lo. On the way I about got run over twice by the same Volvo. Luckily I saw her first and had a feeling her driving wasn’t to be trusted by bicycle riders, so I adjusted accordingly. At the Ex-Bi-Lo I got onto a section of trail that’s been around for a while. It runs from a set of the University’s graduate student housing apartments(where Mrs. Guy lived while she was in Vet School) about three miles to the back parking lot of the Vet School (Mrs. Guy never used the trail herself, but I did quite a bit back then).

Interesting sighting #3 – Squirrel fight at about mile 4.

Interesting sighting #4 – The young lady jogging in bike-type shorts with the hole in the back of them that she probably didn’t know about. ‘Nuff said. Mile 6 or so.

The greenway goes on eastward along the Tennessee River past the cement plant and the sewage treatment plant, but then the scenery improves as it goes through Volunteer Landing which has been built up in the past five to ten years to be a rather pleasant place, especially in the summer when the fountains are going and the kids of all ages are playing in them.

Interesting sighting #5 – I noticed a new set of condominiums on the other side of the river at about mile 7. They look pretty nice, I guess. Too bad they are located directly across from the sewage treatment plant. I guess they aren’t using the view as a selling point…or the smell, for that matter.

Once past the Landing you can ride to the end of the greenway in a less than scenic area, or you can turn near the brick manufacturer (part of that “scenic” thing) and get up on the bridge that crosses the river. This is not greenway by any stretch of the imagination, but it gets you over near another greenway trail that John B. and I had been on part of last Friday. Today I decided to follow that trail all the way to the end.

Interesting sighting #6 – The lady walking on the greenway carrying her dog (mile 13-ish). I think she doesn’t understand the concept of “taking the dog for a walk”. We’re talking about a 20 to 25 pound dog here; not one of those toy breeds.

The trail goes past “the castle” and then through part of the Ijams Nature Center. [There’s disagreement on how to pronounce “Ijams”. Some pronounce the ‘j’, and some leave it silent. I’m one of the second set.] Once on the other side, the trail goes past an asphalt plant (the second place of questionable smell, though not as pungent as the first) and into the “Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area”. I didn’t see any wildlife. I did see a bunch of dirt clods all over the trail from somebody’s tractor. I guess the tractor chased the animals away?

It was while I was riding through this area that I started thinking that I might want to turn back soon. I had committed myself to riding the entire trail, but was starting to wonder if I really wanted to push it. Just when I decided to ride about another ½ mile before turning back, the trail abruptly ended at a park bench. This was…

Interesting sighting #7 – The park bench faces out to look over the place where the French Broad and Holston Rivers come together to form the Tennessee River (hence the name “Forks of the River”. It was really a beautiful area. I hope to be able to spend a little more time there next time I go out.

I returned all the way to the Ex-Bi-Lo pretty much the same way I had ridden out. I did make one or two small route changes between the two greenway sections, but nothing of significance. I was glad I was getting back when I did, though, because the temperature started dropping steadily from about mile 19 onward to the end at mile (just under) 28.

Interesting sighting #8 – A jogger tripped and nearly fell off of the landing and into the water at mile 22, but she was pulled back by a lady with really fast reflexes. I saw it happen from about 50 yards away. The jogger was shaking like a Chihuahua going through Detox when I rode past. “Good catch”, I said to her savior on the way by.

Interesting sighting #9 – A squirrel ran between my wheels at about mile 26. I was expecting to feel the ‘thump’ when he darted through, but he made it without incident. It about freaked me out, though.
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Will I post something tomorrow? I hope to, but we’ll have to see how the day goes. I do want to at least get trivia out. No promises.

Cafe Meme

The inspiration for this came from Kelly.

1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 - in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?
I’ll skip over the dictionary here next to my desk and go to the next book. “David asked a passing man where we might find some food. He stared at us for a moment, then waved us toward a passageway which led inside the market. The four of us followed David in dumb procession. I kept a hand on my beltpack. We stopped at a few kiosks while David asked if there was any food available. They all shook their heads, so we turned back and wandered down a narrow rutted street, a single weak streetlamp making it seem all the darker.” (from Neil Peart’s The Masked Rider).

2. If you stretch out your left arm as far as possible, what are you touching?
My dictionary.

3. What’s the last program you watched on TV?
House, with Mrs. Guy, and it just ended a few minutes ago. I don’t watch much TV anymore, but she wanted me to watch with her.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
10:15 pm (It was 10:13, so I was pretty doggone close)

5. Aside from the computer, what can you hear right now?
The TV, faintly, in the other room, though I don’t know what she’s watching now.

6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?
I went outside at 10 pm to walk two of the dogs before putting them up for the night. So I guess I stood there getting cold while they sniffed out the ‘perfect spots’.

7. What are you wearing?
Carpenter’s pants, a blue UnderArmor shirt, and a pair of socks from Mast General Store. And underwear. And a watch. And my RoadID necklace. Do you have one? You should.

8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?
I don’t remember dreaming, but I might have. I just don’t know.

9. When was the last time you laughed?
There were a few good one-liners during House a little while ago.

10. What’s on the walls, in the room you’re in right now?
One photo I took, one photo a friend’s husband took, a Grace Kelly vintage ad poster, a “Night Scotsman” vintage ad poster, a poster from the 1986 Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, and a magnetic dry-erase calendar board. There’s also a CD rack attached to one wall.

11. Have you seen anything strange lately?
As a matter of fact, I watched a squirrel jump over me as I was walking from one building to another at work today. I went over my head and into a tree (and then further up the tree. I wonder if the other squirrels dared him to do it?

12. What do you think about this meme?
Well, I think it’s a meme. That’s about it. Let's not overanalyze these things.

13. What’s the last film you saw?
“Local Hero”. It’s a movie that a friend left here the other night for us to watch. It had Burt Lancaster in a supporting role.

14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?
Buy a car. Buy a house in Blowing Rock, NC (Mrs. Guy would insist). Go to culinary school just for fun. Become a travel photographer (who can also cook well).

15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I vacationed for a week in Bulgaria once. Not exactly a hot travel spot for most Americans.

16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt, what would it be?
Everyone would take better care of the world around us. Starting with the guy who emptied his ashtray in the parking lot at the Post Office this afternoon.

17. Do you like dancing?
I used to. I danced all the time at college parties. I just haven’t done it in a long time. At least not in public.

18. George Bush?
Which one? What about him? Oh, and I don't wear my politics on my sleeve.

19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy?
Not having children (nor being likely to at this point), I don’t really have an answer to that precisely. We have named our animals though. Oldest to youngest there’s Lindsay, Claire, Moira, and then the twins, Alice and Judy.

20. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Oh, yes. Though I think it would be better to go to a country were English is the native language. If I did the multi-millions thing I would probably buy a small place in Scotland as well.

21. What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven?
“Come on in Big Guy, there’s folks here waiting to see you.”

22. Who should do this meme?
Anyone who really wants to. I don’t feel I should challenge anyone to do it. Stuff like this should be voluntary.

Back In The Saddle

I got back out and rode again on Friday. John B. and I decided to go do an easy 25 miles. The problem is that what I would ordinarily consider to be an ‘easy’ 25 miles quite simply wasn’t so easy on me. Then again, this was only my third ride on a bike since the Labor Day Debacle, and my first since then of more than fifteen miles (and both previous rides were on relatively flat roads as well).

We started out at John’s, which as a good place to start for any number of good looping rides. The plan was to get out there and then decide whether to do 20 or 25 miles. We headed east at a leisurely pace out toward the Island Home community. We had gone maybe five miles when John saw that one of his musician buddies (someone who is starting to get into cycling) was at home, so we stopped to see if he wanted to join us. He couldn’t, but we stood and talked to him a few minutes before heading out again. I’d gotten a little tight, but was able to loosen up again fairly quickly.

We rode down a greenway trail I’d never been on, saw a ‘castle’ (quite literally – the home is built like a 18th Century castle), and avoided several dogs with nothing better to do than noisily investigate the pair of two-wheeled intruders into their respective domains. At about eleven miles into the ride, John turned and asked if I felt like doing the 20 or the 25 mile route. I was feeling OK, so I said “Let’s go 25. I probably need to push myself a little anyway…though I may regret having said that later.” The good news is that I didn’t regret it…much.

I didn’t really know where I was exactly for a large part of that ride (I think I’d been on those roads maybe once a good while back) until we crossed Chapman Highway. At that point I knew exactly what to expect for the rest of the ride. That was also the point at which I realized that we would have to climb up Neubert Springs Road. At somewhere around ¾ to one mile it isn’t a super long climb, but it certainly is steep enough. I didn’t even try to keep up with John on the way up. We were over twenty miles into our ride and I was already feeling the effects of my cycling sabbatical, so I just settled into the pace I could go and just tried to grind it out.

John had to wait at the top for me, and I wanted to stop at the top for a few moments as well to recover a bit. We started talking about other stuff and before we realized it we’d been standing there for about four or five minutes. Ordinarily that would be fine, but it was a cool day on Friday. We had stood there long enough to cool down a little. This is a bad thing when it comes right before a long, somewhat fast descent. I don’t think either of us warmed back up for the rest of the ride back to John’s house, even with the two shorter but steeper climbs we still had to go up (one being his driveway).

I was sore most of the weekend after that ride, but not in my legs as I expected. No, I was – and still am – sore mostly in my upper back. I guess all of the climbs we did caused me to use muscles I haven’t been using for a while. That’s OK. I really don’t mind being a little sore right now. But it does make me wish that I could go get a massage (which I can’t really do with the plates in my shoulders).