50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

Sometimes, I am not sure what to make of how information spreads online, even though one could argue my life revolves around, and in, cyberspace.

Case in point: #33 on the list, but DFL in your heart.

I see Squirrel is on here as well. Healthy lifestyles brought to you by the BKB!!

Stamps in a Passport

Harlan has me thinking... And thinking very seriously.

Boxedbee.blogspot.com

Life Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously - Oscar Wilde

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Post 9 Mile I have consistently found myself in-between motivations. One day, I will just spin around, the next do intervals and the next I'll be buying Matisse prints for the house without riding at all. When racing is showing itself from the shadows, it's as much about next year and anything remaining on the 08 calendar. At least it's all too positive a mindset to be mistaken for apathy.

Maybe for me it's the simple knowledge that with cross, there won't be any racing for places and it all boils away to riding the fall, with the leaves turning, cowbells ringing and friends cheering you on and challenging you to snatch dollar bills from the strangest of places.

Sunday Morning Ant Brigade

With the Pirate's Good Life Gravel Adventure conflicting with a family event, I decided to hit another set of intervals with a dash of Wilderness Park single track this morning. While I still feel like I have the top end of Doc Holiday on his death bed, it's been fun trying to wind it up and feel the lungs expand and burn.

Generally before the cross season starts, I find myself on the ground from either an over-aggressive turn or a mediocre mount. This year was no exception as I decided to catch my saddle remounting and rodeo-clowned my way on to the limestone of the Homestead trail. Somehow though, my bike has managed to stay upright, rolling away and taking a gentle seat on the grass as I gathered myself.

I was in no hurry to get up, but a small cadre of ants on the trail beside me gave me just enough motivation to get my act together and return to my bike.

3rd Degree of Separation

Started researching NAHBS...

Watched a video with Ira Ryan...

and ended up here:

My Reservoir Dawgs

I had almost forgotten I had these...

Johnny, Sam and some guy in an over-sized tux.

Got Curb?

"Urban Struggle"

"Tonight we're gonna take my fast car

We're gonna go down to the cowboy bar

I'm gonna wait til the club is full

and I'm gonna ride the mechanical bull"

"Cowboy look is the one I sought

Can't quit now cause the clothes are bought

To be a true cowboy is my fate

I can't help it if I was born late"

"All the cowgirls in their stetson hats

and their tight-fitting jeans so they don't look fat

We'll all be listening to cowboy tunes
and stomp around like a bunch of goons"

"Cowboy look is the one I sought

can't quite now cause the clothes are bought
to be a true cowboy is my fate

I can't help it if I was born late..."

"...I know I'm a cowboy deep inside

my hat band's made of synthetic rattlesnake hide

After a couple of shit kicking cowboy movies

I'll check out the cowboy scene down at Zubie's"

"Cowboy look is the one I sought

can't quit now cause the clothes are bought

to be true cowboy is my fate

I can't help it if I was born late."

Assorted Snobbery: Travel Observations

One thing that travel often accomplishes for me is a renewed irritation for many of my fellow man. I have a few pop pyschologist opinions on the subject of travel which are likely full of holes, but here are a few items that are sticking with as I sit in the Denver airport.

People walking in crowds need signalling devices, like a car.

Watching people get sideswiped and rear-ended over the course of the past few days became commonplace. Like the white rabbit muttering, "I'm late," people seem to be walking around, heads down looking at their smart phone, or simply avoiding eye contact. "An important email? I better stop dead in my tracks to read more closely." Bamm. Spilt Starbucks. I've heard Americans make fun of traffic overseas for its chaos and rudeness. We do the same thing when we walk. After one such collision, which left paper all over the floor, I quipped, "I'm signalling for turns from now on." The comment got some laughs, then some guy typing on his Blackberry slammed into the guy picking up his papers.

"Uh, it seems your in my seat" or Squatter's Rights

This may be a weird creation circumstance, but it's happened to a lesser extent on others, so I am rolling with it. On all but one leg of my flights, someone decided to hunker down in my seat since they didn't like theirs. Each time, when I politely asked for my seat, the offender gave me a look like I had just screwed him over. Yes, I paid a bit more for my seat, made the effort to get the aisle and now, simply because you've sat there, I am the bad guy. Got it. I guess they do say that ownership is 9/10's of the law.

Rube Goldberg Flies.

Suddenly leaning your seat back blindly on a plane is likely going to negatively impact someone, and that someone could be you. I've never seen synchronized seat back leaning before, and I hope it doesn't make the Olympics, but I have to admit, it has entertainment value. On the other side of the aisle during my flight home, two people leaned their seats back without looking simultaneously and all hell broke loose. Both the aisle side and middle seats came back while beverages were being served and, while I can't explain the physics involved, a coke and a water were catapulted into the air, spraying various parties and making a general mess. Quick to follow were heated exchanges and stewardesses scrambling to restore order and bring peace to the middle of the cabin. Then, after 15 minutes of uneasy calm, the aisle side offender dropped his seat back again without looking, coming inches away from the guy behind him. The near missed caused the man who had narrowly escaped to look around stunned as if to say, "Can you believe this shit." I made a face of sympathy in return, then, looking at close the "leaner's" head actually was to the guy behind him said, "Flick him in ear. That should send a message," then put a big grin on my face. To my surprise, both guys turned and grinned at me. It was unbelieveable.

Man, am I happy to be back home.

Dinner's View

Even in San Diego

The poor guy on the right flatted on his way to work and was so
stressed out that I almost yelled down to him to tell him to relax.
It reminded me of my first race flat where I started to panic and
fumble everything in sight. Calm down and get it done. It's easier
that way.

Dead Canary in a Coal Mine

With the cross season in mind, I spun South to the Homestead Trail to attempt a few highly unscientific intervals in what will likely prove to be a futile attempt to avoid falling apart the first 600 yards of 60 hard minutes.




In the end, I'll be glad to have started now, but after the first minute of hard effort I was trying to recount how many times I'd truly tried to top out my heart rate this year. Aside from the two early season XC races I tried, I couldn't think of any and found myself more and more occupied with the seconds slowly ticking past on my watch.

Aside from three or four groups of turkeys I passed, very little was happening on the trail. With the football game capturing the attention of the 'Husker Nation' there were only wild life and a single recumbent to break up boredom of limestone.

With the legs a bit like jelly, I rolled gravel home and wondered how I would feel tomorrow. With a flight to San Diego late in the day, I'd like hit it hard again before I sit and watch 50 new companies take three minutes to convince the world why they're the next great technology worth watching.

Some People Are Just Show-Offs...

.... Take the proprietor of Snappy Caps, for example.

Cross Dressing

Last year, someone was kind enough to gather nearby cross race schedules in a single post and since I was going down that road today, I decided to do the same.

September 27 and 28th: Pleasant Hill Cyclocross (Des Moines, IA)

September 28th: Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge (KC)

October 4th and 5th: Omaha Cyclocross Weekend

October 12th: Criss Cross (KS)

October 25th and 26th: Smithville Cyclocross Festival (KS)

October 25th and 26th: Spooky Cross (Urbandale, IA)

November 9th: Veterans Cross (KC)

November 16th: De Stad Cross Cup (KS State Champs)

November 22 and 23rd: Nebraska (Lincoln) SOBE No Fear Cyclocross Weekend (State Champs on Sunday)

November 29th and 30th: Jingle Cross Rock (Iowa City, IA)

December 11th - 14th: Cyclocross Nationals (KC)

Geek Like Me

Is That It?... Uh... I Think That's It...

As Corey and I were riding on Saturday, he asked me a simple question which, I was suprised to find, I had a pretty simple answer for.

"So, are you done racing mountain bikes for the year?"
"Yeah... I guess I am."

It seems to early to say that. In fact, I almost feel guilty. A road trip for work shot down the Dakota 5-0 and with the Evil Unicorns on hold until Old Pueblo, there's nothing staring me in the face and challenging me to turn the pedals over.

I think Corey has some plans to break me in half getting ready for cross so I might as put my neck in the noose and let the fans cheer from the gallows.

In other news, we have a few pieces of War Axe kit left over and open for public consumption. Visit the War Axe blog for more details.

On a note of Assorted Snobbery, is there a rule at National Political Conventions that a certain percentage of attendees must wear a ridiculous hat?

High and Low

The Low: Late last night, as Mrs. Snob and I watched Superbad, Johnny sent me a text message reporting that he and Carrie had just had bikes stolen. Shortly after, John and I were on the phone burning emotional energy on both ends. Apparently, their steeds had been locked with two other bikes, but those bikes had been left against a tree, apparently not worth the trouble.


The High: The RadMan rode Wilderness single track from 14th West to the bridge with Mrs. Snob and I today. I have a general rule about keeping posts about the kids to a minimum but the smile across my face has me breaking that rule today. There's nothing quite like hearing, "This is FUN!!" from behind you and having to speed up because your little man is on your wheel.

Assorted Snobbery: "There's Blood in My Mouth...

... 'cause I've been biting my tongue all week."

It's not often that the office leaves me ready for the weekend, but that's the way things went for the last five days. The outside world then decided to yell, "Pile on!" so now it's even more appropriate.

Of course, it's nothing that the saddle won't cure in very short order.

This also came out of my mouth a few minutes ago and I think that I'll stick to it. (I am sure it was Johnny inspired but hardly mother approved.)

"Some people will tell you to live life like you have a million dollars in your pocket, but I think it's a million bucks and a bottle of whiskey. Sometimes you just don't have time to go to the store."

Rats On The Sidewalk

Occassionally, I just need to get out of the office. Those times often find me downtown for a coffee and trip into Monkey Wrench for a little mental refreshment.

Yesterday, I had just started down the last block when I noticed a Rock Racing Escalade across the street from the shop.

"Okay," I asked, "Who signed the pro roadie contract?" Neither Nate nor Eric had transferred teams or donned high end fashion though, so the mystery remained.

On a side note, for those of you who can see through my references and puns like a broken window, yes, I was listening to Rancid this morning.

Out on a Lark

With the exception of the fact that I dropped into some Wilderness single track for a few miles, I might as well have ridden an hybrid today with a big basket and a orange safety flag flying off the back.

Proof I need a haircut.

While the fixie did make me pay some attention, the fact that Cross season is really just around the corner preoccupied me most of the ride. No dismounts or run-ups on the day (I still feel pretty sah-lough) but the thought of cowbells and an hour's worth of everything you have sounded pretty good in concept.

Trying a different angle.

With Nationals in KC again this year, I'd like to take the line instead of watching from the sidelines like last year.

You may be wondering why black and white. Why? Because that's the way the settings were when I took off. Boring, a bit lazy, but true.

Eroded

My last post's enthusiasm has been balanced over the past week by the feeling of being a fuzzy, half step behind on all things having to do with the bike. Slow commutes, late reactions and the bare desire to simply go to sleep have held court.

Instead of a long gravel ride with friends or trying to race around like a hamster for three hours, I think I'll likely be putting around on the road bike or low-tailing my way around Wilderness.

In the spirit of my spirit, Luna's Bewitched is keeping me company this evening. 'Sleeping Pill' will likely prove exactly that.

Pass the decaf.