Christmas

OK, longest I've gone without a post since I started this thing. Time to get back in the game....but not much time today, as I have to also get back in the grind at work.

Here's a pic of the family at Christmas:

Pure Confusion

Not sure this silly blog gets read at all. If I thought it did, I probably wouldn't spill my life for all the world to read, but it's my outlet sometimes. Life is coming unravelled again. Everytime I think I have something figured out, I reach another obstacle. Honestly, I thought life was supposed to get easier the older we get.

I have been searching for some clarity. I am truly trying to not sweat the small stuff. I am trying to find the silver lining. Right now, all I find happiness in is spending time with my daughter and riding my bike. They are my salvations and my escapes.

Last night, after work, I drove to Blanket's Creek and rode in the dark, in the woods, by myself. It was surreal. Just me, the lights on my handlebars, and one on my helmet. Occassionally, I would see a pair of eyes light up off the trail. Every now and then I'd hear a rustle of feet off in the distance. About half an hour in, I came around a corner and was face to face with an 8-point buck, just standing in the trail. I stopped abruptly, and he stared into my light, just 20 feet away, for what seemed like over a minute. I could hear him breathing, but he didn't move. It was an incredible experience.

After work tonight I ran over to Olivia's house, spent five minutes hearing about her day, gave her a kiss, and ran back home. Running at night can be fun, but tonight wasn't near the thrill of riding last night.

If I'm going to work a meaningless job, making peanuts, I'd rather be somewhere that I could enjoy my surroundings more. I know that's not possible, but I can wish for it nonetheless. I know it's not good to live in the past, but there are some mistakes I've made that I've just never recovered from. I'd like a "do over" on some of them. I know what I want, and where I want to be, I just have no idea how to get there anymore.

House for sale

I've decided to put my house on the market. It will probably be after the first of the year, but if you know of anyone out there looking for a nice little home close to the interstate (I-75) in Marietta, then let me know.

I've got a few things that have to be done - primarily some additional insulation in the attic. I'm going to try and sell it by word of mouth at first - I'd love to save the realtor's fees. If someone is looking for a rental property it would be great, and for the time being, I would be more than happy to be the renter. What more could you ask for?!

I'll update with more details and pics in a few weeks.

By the way, my truck is still for sale, as well - 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab - 140,000 miles. Great condition inside and mechanically. A few cosmetic issues on the body, but still drives like it's new. $5500 is a steal...but I'll take it :)

Time to call on the optimist in me

Today I go into Ibex Bikes to learn the ropes, and hopefully start working there permanently on my days off from the "other" bike shop.

Yesterday, before work, I went to Conyers to do one of the Georgia Cyclocross Series races. I rode really strong - me and four others had about minute lead after the first lap. Halfway through the second lap I went through a little swale in the grass before a turn...and my rear wheel folded under me. Game over. I'm 0-2 in finishing cyclocross races this year. On another front, I found out about an epic 50+mile cyclocross race in mid-January. It is in the mountains (Ellijay, GA) and will probably be a 5 hour+ race. I'm gonna set my sites on that.

I got to go trick-or-treating with Olivia! I am very grateful to her mother for inviting me at the last moment. She was Sharpay from High School Musical. I was happy to be there for it.

Liv and I have a long weekend ahead. Her mom goes out of town for a couple of days. I'll be teaching Sunday School at church this weekend. Olivia is excited about it. We may go up to Rome, GA to watch the cyclocross races after church on Sunday. I may plan a hike for us on Saturday.

I need to get to the grocery store - I've had peanut butter on toast for breakfast for about 12 days straight.

Happy Halloween, I guess...

So, I wake up this morning to an e-mail from the owner of the bike shop. It's got the new work schedule attached with a note saying that sales are down in October so he had to cut back hours. Unbelievable.

Last month we sold almost $30,000 more than the previous year's number...now we have to cut back hours because of a down month. I'd go off on a long rant, but what's the use?

Misc.

No emotional post recently...I guess it's about time.

Every year about this time - well, exactly this time, I get a little sad. Today would have been my 9th wedding anniversary. It's also marks the 4th year since our separation and ultimate divorce. I guess the good news is that each year I get a little less angry, but the sadness never seems to go away.

Tomorrow (or today, I guess) will also be the first Halloween that I won't go trick-or-treating with Olivia. Her mom is taking her to a classmate's house to go out in their neighborhood. I wasn't invited, and I guess I understand. I don't put the parameters on divorce and how it looks to other people like some do. I guess I just want what's best for Olivia.

I hatched this crazy idea to do the NUE (National Ultra Endurance) series next year. It's a series of mountain bike races. Someone asked me how I plan to do that on no money and no time....I'll train as though I'm going to do it and worry about the logistics later. I freely admit that the only reason I'm racing mountain bikes is because it makes me feel good. It seems to be one of the few things I'm good at. Riding for long distances allows me to escape for a while and puts me in a place where I can really focus - something that is very hard for me in most of the other endeavors in my life.

I'm really just trying to enjoy some things in life, even though my stress levels are through the roof right now. Olivia and I have spent some really good time together. We are connecting well and she responds to me like every dad would want. It's something I've learned to not take for granted. There are parts of me in her that make me cringe, but she is a phenomenal little girl and I am very proud of her.

Hard to believe that about 6 weeks ago we were paying almost two dollars more for a gallon of gas. I wonder if the people that were so quick to blame George Bush for the increase in gas prices are now crediting him for the dramatic drop in prices? It's funny, that so close to the election people on the left want to treat this economic period of difficulty as though it is purely an American thing. Here's a wake up call - this is GLOBAL...Might as well throw every governmental official in every country out of office...unless, of course, you, like me, think that this problem was created by the CITIZENS, not the government.

I'm tired, and I'm going to go to bed. Actually, I'm going to "couch". I haven't slept in my bed in about a month. For some reason, I'm just sleeping better on the couch lately. Maybe it goes back to my last 5 or 6 years as a bachelor. When me and my brother lived together I slept almost every night on the couch. Don't know why - it just felt comfortable.

My buddy Bruce sent me some videos he took from Las Vegas on my 40th birthday trip today. They are unbelievably funny. I had tears rolling down my face from laughing. Good times indeed.

Update

Well, the job didn't start as planned yesterday. I'm concerned about the economic stability of the company - the owner doesn't want me to start until the week that the other guy leaves. Maybe it's a sign that I need to keep exploring other possibilities.

Took Olivia to the Tumbling Creek 6 hour mountain bike race in Gainesville on Saturday - once again, a last minute team formation left me racing. I paired with Betsy Austin for a co-ed team. Friends of mine, Chris and Brigette Dusack, have a daughter, Norah. They set up a tent and the girls played in it all day. Chris and Brigette do a team at each race. We all took turns when we weren't riding watching the kids. Everyone had a great time and Olivia was on her best behavior. It's really cool to be able to spend time riding and being able to hang out with Olivia as well. It couldn't have worked out better and Olivia is being exposed to sports.

There was a "Lemans" start, where we ran about 500 meters around a lake to a staging area where the bikes where. I don't run much anymore, but compared to other cyclists I guess I'm pretty good. I got into the transition area in 3rd place, and thanks to cyclocross skills of being able to get on my bike quickly, I led the first mile or so of the race. I settled into 3rd, knowing I was going to ride 2 laps before handing off to Betsy. I clipped off some pretty fast laps and we had a nice lead. The course was fairly flat, but there were some really muddy spots, some tight singletrack, and brutal winds in the open field where the transition and our tents were.

Olivia and Norah

Cyclists running usually ain't pretty!
The winds when we rode the mile or so on this field were brutal

We ended up finishing 2nd. Not a bad effort at all. I was on the bike about 3 1/2 hours total. Physically, I felt pretty strong. I still have a lot to learn technically. I met a tree on my last lap and I've got the bruises to prove it! All in all, a great day though. I spent less money than I would have taking Olivia to a movie, and we probably had a lot more fun.

Conyers 12 Hour

New part-time job

Unless something falls apart, I'll be starting Monday working for Ibex Bikes - http://www.ibexbikes.com/. One of my friends has worked there a few years and is leaving to go into the computer field. I will work there on my current days off, Monday & Thursday. Unfortunately, it means I'll have all of 4 days off a month, which will be my weekends with Olivia.

Ibex is a manufacturer/distributor of bicycles that sells exclusively on the internet. Their warehouse/office is in Alpharetta. Not a fun commute, but I can't really be picky right now considering it works with my schedule.

I'm honestly not sure about the stability of the company. I know the current owner is looking for someone to buy it. Their bikes are OK. I am going to feel out the possibility of riding their bikes next year at some endurance races. Will (my friend) thinks that it would be huge for their exposure to have a tent/rider at some local mountain bike races. Obviously, it would have to pay or I wouldn't even consider it. He doesn't see that as a problem - we'll see.

Tired

Long time, no post. I've been busy and, honestly, a little tired. I'm starting to pay the price for burning the candle at both ends lately.

The weekend before last I teamed up with Jason Seaver, a teammate of mine from Peachtree Bikes less than 48 hours before the 12 Hours of Conyers mountain bike race. Jason hasn't ridden a mountain bike in about 5 years, and I've just recently gotten back on the bike. We borrowed a bike for Jason and headed to Conyers, site of the 1996 Olympic mountain bike course. Long story short, we pretty much cleaned the floor with the other 12 teams.

We were told we were obviously "roadies" because of our white shoes

We covered 136 miles between the two of us. Our strategy was almost flawless. I took it out fast on the first lap, then let Jason go for two laps of the 8.5 mile course. I then took a two lap session, but for some reason was cramping, so we went to 1 lap stints until it got dark, when we decided that I would ride the first two hours with lights since Jason had no experience riding at night. We were up a lap when Jason got on for his first night lap, but his light didn't hold a charge and he had to follow another (slower) rider for half the course. We lost our lead, so in order to secure the win I had to go out for another lap about 9:30.

Looking fairly fresh after over 12 hours in the saddle

We ended up winning by 38 minutes and were ecstatic. The course was rough and I wasn't walking upright for a couple of days, but it was a lot of fun. The announcer kept asking the other teams if they were going to let a couple of "roadies" kick their asses. Jason really rode well and I'm amazed that I can spend that much time riding when I only train a couple of times a week.

We've been moving the bike shop the last week into a new space. It has meant a few long days and a lot of time on my feet. Today Olivia was off from school. We went fishing and didn't catch anything, then went to watch Wall-E at the dollar theater.

The job market blows chunks right now, but I'm still plugging away. I'm going to start looking at more blue collar stuff - I need regular hours and benefits right now. I can't assume that a job that fits my degree or skills is going to come along right now.

You only live once...twice if you're dumb enough

Jesus...What was supposed to be a way for me to make a few extra bucks on Saturday has turned into another "only James could get himself into this" situation.

I was (and am) going to be wrenching for a team at the 12 Hours of Conyers this weekend - basically just making sure their bikes don't fall apart and prepping their lights, food, etc. Now, it looks like I may actually be riding in this stupid race.... No details will follow because apparently I've lost my freakin' mind.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's on this day every year that I realize that my dad may be the greatest engineer in the history of earth. If my grandmother or great aunt were still alive they would testify to this fact. The reason why: according to them, he was the first man since Jesus Christ to walk on water!

Have a great day! I hope that one day people think as highly of me as most do of you.

One and done..

Right now I want to scream the 7 words that George Carlin says you can't say on TV...

Sometimes when stuff isn't going well you do things you know you shouldn't do, but you hope will make you feel better. So was the case with going to the opening round of the Georgia Cyclocross series.

Jay and I carpooled, and it wasn't far away, so gas was not a big concern. My entry will be paid for by the shop, and I was able to get back to Atlanta in time to work. It's everything in between that was stupid.

I don't have any 'cross racing wheels, but the guy I train had a set we have for sale in the shop that he said I could use. He had talked about the possibility of me buying them from him and just deducting a little from my bill each month. Well, one of them is an expensive paperweight right now.

I guess I can take solace in the fact that I rode well, was running fifth (would have probably ended up fourth) with just under 3 laps to go when I dismounted to go over a barrier. The rear of the bike hit the barrier and shattered my borrowed carbon fiber wheel. What sucks is that it wouldn't have even dented an aluminum one. My season is officially over. I'll work off the damage, but I just can't throw any more money at a stupid sport when I have other things to concentrate on. I really hoped I'd be rejuvenated and have a brighter outlook when I left.

Exercise has been my escape lately. I'm not in great shape, but it has been one of the "positives" in my life, and I'm not going to eliminate that time because I think it keeps me sane right now. I'm just wondering when I'm going to get a break (no pun intended). Add to all this, it was confirmed this morning that the bonus we were supposed to get from work last month, will indeed be SIGNIFICANTLY less than what is was supposed to be. For the most part, Murphy's Law has ruled my world lately. I'm gonna keep my head up though because the alternative doesn't attract chicks...:)

This is not the way my wheel looked when we arrived>>>When I prayed for a break the other day, this is not what I intended>>>

Jay made the podium after a very solid ride - Good job, brother!

A pretty sh*tty week

I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, but it's amazing the number of people that won't take responsibility when they do. They don't seem to care if someone else suffers for their bad decisions, only that THEY don't. This is exactly why the economy is in the crapper. You can blame the politicians, the banks...whoever you want, but the bottom line is that people want to be able to be careless and stupid, but not have to be punished for it.

A friend of mine wants to blame the Republicans for the economic recession. That's fine if it makes you feel better. Putting a Democrat in office isn't going to stop people from being dumb. He told me that people aren't responsible enough to not have the government regulate mortgages and lending. He thinks that people aren't responsible enough to determine how to invest their retirement savings. Why live in a democracy then???? Just move to a communist country where they will be glad to make all your decisions for you and leave you in poverty. Nice alternative, huh?

You won't have to worry about whether you should have taken mortgage option A or B...you just won't OWN anything. You won't have to worry about your retirement savings....there won't be any. You won't be able to make decisions about where your child gets their education, where you want your medical care, what you want to watch on TV or what car to drive. You'll have most of the decisions made for you or you'll be too poor to even have an option.

You can put whoever you want in office, but until the general public starts taking responsibility for their own actions, nothing is going to change.

The weekend

Considering all the stress in my life, Olivia and I had a great weekend.
Olivia had a soccer game, in which her team got destroyed. She played very well though, and is much more aggresive than last year. She just needs to charge the goal a little more.
Camping was fun. We set the tent up on my deck, started a fire in the chimenea, made S'mores, and watched a movie in the tent. Olivia fell asleep around 8:30. I went inside and did some work on the computer and watched a football game. Around 11:30 I decided she would probably be up as soon as the sun rose, so I figured for a decent night's sleep I'd take her inside.
Yesterday we went on a hike at Sope Creek. We took Bear and had a good walk. We then tried our hand at some fishing on the pond. Didn't catch anything but a turtle. It was a fun day anyway.

Campin'

Olivia and I are planning a "backyard camping" trip. Actually, we aren't really even going to make it to the backyard - it will be on my deck.

Saturday we'll go shopping for ingredients to make S'mores. We'll pitch the tent, lay out our sleeping bags, arrange the various blankets and stuffed animals, then light a fire in my chimenea. It should be fun for both of us.

Vegas has the odds at 3-2 that we'll end up in my bed before midnight. Not sure my little girl is quite ready for the great outdoors.

Back in the saddle

John O'Brien took this - interesting shot. He met me at the door when I opened the shop today and had this photo all blown up. Nice guy
During my scratch race qualifier - not much mojo going on...
We had a pretty big pro field
Rick Miller and I making an exchange during the madison event

So, I raced the track last night. I thought I might have a good night because I've had pretty good fitness lately and rode well last weekend....I think I might have overdone it. I was just flat last night. I just couldn't accelerate well and lactic acid seemed to rush into my legs during the first lap of every race.


I rode a decent miss-and-out, finishing 10th out of about 30 in the pro race, but that was pretty much the highlight of the night. There were some real studs there. I completed my first madison since my epic crash 12 years ago that witnessed me waking up on a backboard in an emergency room. I rode with Rick Miller from Philadelphia. We didn't do great, but we were a pretty good team as far as working together, and our "exchanges" were pretty solid. Rick is a really nice guy, and it took a little bit of trust on his part to ride with me considering how long it had been since I had raced.


Afterwards, a good group of track cycling peeps met at a new bar in Decatur that is run by a fellow cyclist. I was exhausted and ended up crashing at Joe and Wendy's house, which was within walking distance of the bar :) The bad news was that they had stopped serving food when we got there. Keith was a lifesaver and walked back to his house and brought me back some grilled chicken, some pistachios, some Doritos and yogurt!


My butt hurt too bad to ride today! The track really beats me up. I'm meeting my client in the morning for an easy ride on the Silver Comet Trail, then I have a lot of work to do around the house - clean, mow, dishes, etc. Sooooo looking forward to that, not.


Did I mention that Tennessee football sucks???

This n' that

A lady called the bike shop yesterday and asked me if we sold soccer balls....

Another guy came in and asked me if I could change the cleats on the bottom of his shoes because he "didn't have the right tools". The cleats are held in by a bolt that accepts a regular flat blade screwdriver... I'll bet HE is the only tool around when he opens his toolbox.

The Ryder Cup started this morning. I'm a fan of that type of golf.

I have a bad feeling that Tennessee is gonna get their asses handed to them by Florida tomorrow, but I hope I'm wrong.

Here is a list of foods that Olivia will eat:
Macaroni and cheese
cheese quesadilla
chicken nuggets (only from McDonald's)
cookies

I'd probably cancel my cable subscription if it weren't for Family Guy, college football, and a good Carey Grant film on AMC every now and then.

I'm gonna take my track bike in the shop to prep it for tomorrow, but I still don't know if I'm racing or not.

To prove that my cupboard truly is bare; I put a hot dog bun in my toaster and scraped out the bottom of the peanut butter jar for breakfast this morning.

It's Thursday

Hmmmm...I'm beat. This week has flown by - It's already Thursday. I have really focused on doing some networking this week. If I don't get out of the bike shop soon I'm going to need to apply for food stamps.

I recovered pretty well from the race on Sunday. Maybe I'm in better shape than I thought. I'm really struggling with whether to race at the track Saturday night. It's the last race of the year and I love track racing, but racing really can't be a priority right now.

Unfortunately, I've felt the arthritis in my hip for the first time in months this week. I really thought that dropping some weight and increasing my flexibility had really helped relieve it. I'm finding that it flares up when I'm dehydrated or put in a really hard effort. It's nothing compared to what it was a year ago though.

I got the most bittersweet of invitations this morning. My new client told me that he has an extra seat on his chartered Leer that he's taking to Knoxville on Saturday morning to watch the Tennessee/Florida game! Regardless of whether I race on Saturday, I'm still on the schedule to work the first part of the day - can't get out of it if I wanted.

The weather has been great this week. I love a crisp Fall morning, even though we haven't exactly had one yet, I've still opened a window each night this week. I love Fall.

Will work for food >

Finding myself, being a hero, and suffering like a pig...

I could, and may, write a long synopsis of this past week's trip, but right now I'm just exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.

I got just what I wanted out of my little roadtrip - some great time alone, away from the stress. I went to the Tanasi trails in Ocoee, TN. I got a nice campsite, rode my bike a ton and enjoyed the wilderness.

The highlight, or lowlight, however you want to look at it, was that on my Friday ride I happened upon an old lady who flagged me down. Her husband had broken his ankle. Long story short - another 2 1/2 hours later and I had ridden to the Whitewater Center, got a hold of the Ducktown Paramedics and led them to the site while they drove an ATV & trailer. I felt somewhat like a hero, but was also beat. My ride ended up being over 6 hours.

I drove back to Atlanta just in time to make it to the Kate's Club Cabaret charity event. It was a slightly smaller even than the past ones. I ducked out relatively early, knowing I was headed to Macon the next day.

I drove to Macon mid afternoon on Saturday and found the trails for a preview lap. I rode, but got lost and couldn't make sense of where the course went. When I returned to my car, I met the race director and a few of his friends. They invited me to ride with them and help mark the course. It was very beneficial, but I was feeling the efforts of the day before. I helped them for about half the course, then headed back to my car and drove to the campground on Lake Obefsokee.

It was hot and there was absolutely no breeze last night. I didn't fall asleep till about 2, and was awake by 6. It sucked. I drove to the race site early and set up my pit. 4 hours 42 minutes later I finished 3rd overall! I will write a longer post later, but today I actually felt like a mountain biker. I could tell that I was riding well, but didn't really know how well. I suffered like a dog the last lap and a half, but I'm pretty sure that only 4 of us made the 4 hour cutoff to start a 7th lap. I can actually say that I am proud of myself. It wasn't the biggest race - 40-50 people, but you can only race who shows up. It was my first event of this kind and I really rode over my head.

As soon as the pain goes away, I'm hoping I'll feel recharged and satisfied with making the decision to take a few days to myself.

Misc.

Well, it looks like my trip may be delayed because of weather. I have pretty much decided that I'll head out early tomorrow morning, try and ride some before noon (wherever I go) and make a decision as to whether to stay and set up camp for a night. While I'm looking forward to some time away, time spent in a wet tent is not my idea of fun.

Regardless, I have a lot to think about the next few days. I was presented with a business proposal last night that is very intriguing. I need to see if I can get my arms around the entire thing. The idea is a service type of business. If it was a product I think I could think it through more clearly. I think it definitely has legs, it's just the implementation that has me a bit puzzled.

My new personal training client is proving to be elusive. He has been travelling a lot and has a big deal he is trying to close. I hope that he can be more consistent in the future.

My resume has seen several revisions in the past few weeks. It's close to being something that I can present a little better, I think.

Olivia is off on her trip. Her cruise actually starts tomorrow, so it looks like she'll be on the backside of Ike.

Monday, Monday

Olivia leaves for a Disney Cruise with her mom tomorrow after school. They'll fly to Orlando, stay at the Disney Resort and then cruise for 4 days in the Bahamas. Olivia is really looking forward to it. They really do cover all the bases on those cruises.

The weather forecast is starting to look iffy for my camping trip. I may, once again, have to change my venue. Looking now at Bear Creek in North Georgia. It's not much closer, but my friend Jay went there this past weekend and said the campground was pretty deserted. It's also easy to find, which could be a problem at Tanasi because I'll be arriving after dark on Wednesday.

I've got a busy next couple of days. Lots of chores and my "to do" list today. Tomorrow, I have work and then I'm meeting with a friend to explore a business idea he has - could be a late night. Wednesday morning I'm working out with my new fitness client, then working, then taking off on my trip.

100th post

So, I couldn't sleep, as usual, last night. I started thinking of my strategy for this race next weekend. I have no idea how many riders there will be, but I'm shooting for a top 20 finish.

The race has a LeMans start - riders run to their bikes from 1/2 mile away. This shouldn't be a problem for me. However, in calculating lap times, it will make things difficult. In order to complete 7 laps (which last year would have put me in the top 15) I would need to average just below 40 minutes a lap. Looking at last year's lap times - most riders were well above 40 minutes for the first lap.

Factor in that on some laps I'll pull in my pit to get water, food, energy gels, or just plain rest...and I have no idea how to prepare for this thing. I guess I should be more concerned about the fact that I haven't ridden 4 hours straight, even on a road bike, in over 12 years. Time on a mountain bike is even more painful. I think my back and my legs are going to be more of a factor than anything else.

This has been an extremely stressful week - I'm glad I've got something to look forward to. I may just end up hibernating in the woods for five days and forget my other obligations of racing and going to the charity event.

THE PIG

This is the race I'm probably gonna do next weekend. I need to suffer some. It's a 7 mile loop - you do it as many times as you can. If you can start a lap before 3:59:59 you get credit for the next lap, assuming you can finish it. There are much longer endurance races out there, but this one will be long enough.

Shorter post

FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!! Do you ever feel like the harder you try, the harder it gets??

Short Post

My little vacation plans seem to be changing by the hour. I'm now thinking about heading to the Tanasi trails in Ocoee, TN. They are less than 100 miles away, a little easier, and there's a little more to do in the area. I am supposed to attend a charity event on Friday night. I assume I'll come back for that. Since I have Sunday off I may try the 4 Hours of Pig mountain bike race in Macon.

I picked up a new client yesterday to coach. It's less structured than the other guy I'm coaching, but the pay will be better. I am trying to get him to commit to at least a couple of days a week of one-on-one training. Unfortunately, he is very busy, and it may be sporadic.

Tennessee football sucks.

A little trip

I rolled some coins today and decided I'm taking a mini vacation next week. Olivia is headed on her Disney Cruise with her mom. I'm gonna go to the Cohutta Mountains in North Georgia. You can camp for free anywhere inside the National Park. I'm going to leave after work on Wednesday - the trip shouldn't cost me anything but a half a tank of gas and some food. I'm taking my mountain bike and plan on a 4 or 5 hour epic ride on Thursday.

I was supposed to go to Alabama to race in a criterium that weekend, but I think I need this trip more. I'm broke and don't need to waste money on a bike race anyway. If I don't get away I may shoot someone....and I'm really not in the mood for jail.


I'll probably throw in my old fishing rod, my camera, and a good book. I need to get lost for a couple of days, and this is the perfect opportunity.

A day at the races

Olivia and I tripped it on over to Birmingham (Leeds, actually) yesterday to watch my dad race at Barber Motorsports Park. I raced there a few years ago. It is, by far, the nicest race track I've ever been to. The grounds are immaculate.

Not such a great weekend for the old man. It was the first time he had seen the track, and there was only one qualifying session and the race. He managed to keep his nose clean after a first lap spin, and qualified 4th. During the race he got a great start and even got side by side with the leader going into turn one. The cars disappear into turn two, then come back into sight for turn 3...which is where his race ended.

He was third entering the corner - a downhill 180 degree left turn. The guy in front of him locked up his brakes at the same time my dad did. There was tire smoke, cars dodging, and part of my dad's nosecone flew into the air. His car lifted slightly off the ground, enough that he couldn't steer and sent him right into a large gravel trap. He tried valiently to get out, but it just dug the car deeper - day over.

Olivia actually seemed to kind of enjoy herself. Got to see a few people I hadn't seen in a while, and despite being a little hot, the weather was pretty nice. Birmingham is only two hours from my house, but the drive back always seems much longer.

The view from the backstretch where we watched the Spec Miata race - my camera battery died before I could get any pics of my dad's race

The grounds are covered with interesting sculptures - this is a giant spider on the infield of the track

The Miata field entering the hairpin where my dad went off - stage left

Rick Gambill (82) passing a competitor after his first lap spin

An old bike racing friend of mine, Tommy Mulkey, was in fifth until he ran off course into a tire barrier.

Olivia chilling at the races
These two old guys kissed each other after I took this picture...

I'm a pig

As my brother would so elequently put it, "Look at the terd cutter on that chick".

I'm standing at my sink this afternoon doing dishes. I turned on the TV and saw that they are showing the US Open. Ana Ivanovic is playing some other girl, but I can't take my eyes off this Serbian hottie.

As many of you know, I've been trying hard to get a new job. I think I've found it. I'm going to apply to be Ana Ivanovic's husband. I swore I'd never get married again, but I live on the edge, kids. I'm willing to make the supreme sacrifice for a hot, rich, probably non-English speaking girl that's half my age.

I'll let you all know how it turns out. In the meantime, I need to go back to being a HUGE tennis fan.

Like winning the Lottery

Olivia and I stopped by the grocery store on the way home yesterday. We needed to return a movie and get just a few items - peanut butter, chips, etc. While walking down the cleaning supplies aisle I remembered that I was about out of toilet paper. I'm pretty snobbish about my TP, but for some reason I grabbed a four pack of the house brand - it looked to be of decent quality. I figured it would do until payday when I could afford an eight pack of the good stuff...

We go to pay and the kind, old, wrinkled, heavily made-up cashier says "You got the penny item". I looked at her quizzically. She said "Well, I'm going to give it to you anyway (with a wink). This toilet paper is the 'secret penny item'." SHANGRI LA!! I'm gonna wipe my butt for the next week basically free with GreenWise Market Double Roll Bathroom Tissue goodness! If life gets any better than this I may just eat some rat poison and die content.

Under the influence

First off, I am under the influence of a couple of Ambien - I simply have not slept in two months and my body needs it BADLY. We'll see if this works. If this post is rambling, then it's not entirely my fault.

I gave some advice to a friend the other day. I said, in essence, that if you keep taking the same approach towards something then you shouldn't be suprised if you get the same results. It sounded good at the moment even though my friend didn't seem to quite get it.

I've thought about it a lot since saying it. I realized that I'm not taking my own advice. I am no doubt in a rut right now, and I think it is because I expect different results without changing the way I do things. The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" still applies today, but turning the radio up to drown out that awful sound your car is making doesn't work either.

I have really attempted, and I think I'm succeeding, at taking a more positive attitude, regardless of the situation. I think I am coming off as a more happy person now.

I've got to re-evaluate several things in my life. The one thing positive that comes out of being confused is that you realize what is important to you. Being a good father, staying in shape, enjoying what you do for a living, learning new skills - I may not be achieving all of them, but the list of that which is important becomes smaller, but more passionate.

I need to heed the attitude I had for 3 of the 4 decades I've been on this earth - I've made it this far and I can only assume that everything moving forward will work out as well.

Reading

Olivia has become quite a good reader. Part of her homework for last night was reading to me for 10 minutes. I usually let her try and figure out most of the words for herself, but I helped her a little in this video for time purposes.

Uploading video was new for me. Not that hard - you just have to be patient.

A great night in Gainesville

Went up to Gainesville for the last of the TNT Mountain Bike time trials. We picked up Anne and made good time up there. The mountain bike community in Gainesville is awesome. They told me to bring Olivia up and people would watch her. I barely know most of the people, but they were great to her.

Olivia was given all kinds of jobs. Her first was decorating number plates for those that wanted. She helped put down the start and finish lines. She called out numbers of riders as they approached the finish. She drew names for the series finale raffle....and she stood in for Aimee Murphy, who couldn't make the final, on the victory podium. Aimee finished 2nd in the series and Olivia did her proud.

Me? I finally felt like a mountain biker tonight! I took almost a minute and fifteen seconds off my previous time. I changed my position a bit and put a different fork on my bike this week. I also rode better. Two weeks ago, my fastest time was 14:24. Today, I put in a 13:16, followed by a 13:12! I recorded the third and fourth fastest times overall of the night.

I came within 4 feet of hitting a deer on my first run! He just appeared out of nowhere. On the second lap I hip checked a tree and I'm gonna have a really nice bruise on my hip bone. I hit it so hard that it lifted the back end of my bike off the ground. I was better off than another guy tonight that broke his collarbone!

Anne finished 3rd in the series. She has been battling a sickness for 6 months now that they just can't diagnose. She and her husband have a great attitude though, and she continues to compete even though she gets sick to her stomach often.

Norma Rainwater (middle), Anne Ledbetter (left) and Olivia standing in for Aimee Murphy on the series victory podium
Me and my girl after my first run.

Olivia helping Anne decorate her number

The best number plate of the night - notice "I love you" above my number!

My Girl

Wood Acres School map ^

The first day of school went off without a hitch. I drove Olivia to school yesterday - walked her in, took a pic of her with her teacher, settled her at her desk, kissed her and left. When I picked her up she seemed to have had a great day. She is really a very happy girl.

When I got her home we went through her folder. There was a school calendar in there and I asked her if she could ask the teacher for another copy for me. She is acutely aware that her parents are divorced, but sometimes wears it as a badge of pride...It's strange, but I'm sure it's just one way she copes with it. She said "Sure, I need to tell her that sometimes I need two copies of things because my parents are divorced". It was matter-of-fact and very adult of her....and, she'll remember. She has the memory of an elephant.

I'm going to pick her up today and we'll go do the mountain bike time trials that were postponed from last week. I think she'll enjoy it. I think they are going to give her a job to decorate people's number plates. I don't have anything planned for us this weekend. I need to be more creative with her and think of new activities.

Gotta get to work and make something productive of this day off.

Meet N' Greet

Today was meet and greet at school. Olivia starts first grade on Wednesday. Her teacher is Mrs. Pacifico, who has been an assistant teacher, but this will be her first year as a head teacher. She seems very nice. The school looks phenomenal. There was a lot of construction last year, but now the grass has grown in and it looks great.

Olivia only has 12 kids in her class - I guess that's one of the huge benefits of private school. Olivia and I went to Chick-Fil-A with a few moms and their kids afterwards. Sometimes I feel pretty odd being the only dad at a lot of functions, but I'm trying to be a little more social this year. We are, once again, the only divorced parents in Olivia's class. Odd, considering today's divorce rate.

What a hen house these types of functions are. I understand that there are a lot of traditional families in East Cobb, but sometimes I wonder if Olivia is the only child with a dad at that school. It's a bunch of friggin' women standing around talking about "mom" stuff....and none of them are remotely cute. It would be one thing if I was standing there listening to them go on and on about the cost of eggs and I could at least be thinking "Hmmm, Kate's mom's got a nice rack"....but, no, they dress in their Winnie the Pooh T-shirts and their Keds and look like a member of a late 80's sitcom.

Here are some pics:

Looking in the classroom from outside
Olivia's favorite subject

Hope

I've learned not to get too excited about job prospects. I applied to five jobs this week - three of which I think I am very well qualified and have contacts within the company. This certainly doesn't mean I'll even get an interview, but it is better than nothing. I've been very reluctant to even mention job leads because they can lead to false hope, but I've been busting my ass and have to believe that something will pay off soon.

I met an interesting person this week - a professional organizer. Not only does she literally organize people's belongings, but also helps them manage time. I find the whole thing fascinating. Maybe it's because I'm such the opposite at times.

The Olympics start tonight. I still don't sleep worth a damn, so at least I know there will be something to watch in the middle of the night.

Wow, what a day...

Holy crap, someone must be filming my life! I swear I'm being tested for some reason - just to see if I'll crack. This complete bitch came in the bike shop today. I could tell she was trouble from the first words out of her mouth....after her 3 minute conversation on the cell phone before she'd even look at me.

She was vague and argumentative from the get go. I decided I was going to kill her with kindness. I showed her several bikes. She had something negative to say about everything. After 20 minutes, she tells me that the current bike I'm showing her "looks like crap, and is cheap". I decided I just would stop talking at that point. I really didn't know how to respond. The nicer I was, the ruder and meaner she got. I hope that my job in Purgatory is pissing on her head in Hell....Some people are just meant to be miserable.

So, my self-imposed deadline of August 1 to find a job has come and gone. I'm cutting myself some slack since I did pick up a client to train. I am still pounding the pavement hard. Something has got to come my way soon because I'm about to lose my shit working retail. I had a lady the other day that sweated which color of baby jogger she wanted for a full half an hour. Seriously, if this is a big fucking decision for you perhaps you need to analyze your life. It's not a car, it's not your house, it's a STUPID MOTHER F'ING BABY JOGGER!!!!!! She brought it back two days later and exchanged it for another color. Her husband must wish for a car accident to take his life every day on his way home....

Busy week

Went to Gainesville last night to work/ride some mountain bike time trails that they hold at Chicopee Woods. You can ride the 3 1/2 mile loop as many as 3 times, with your best time counting. I was the only one to ride all three times - I figured if I was driving that far I was going to get my money's worth.

This is my mountain bike that I "kinda" own - I've begged, borrowed and bartered to put it together. It is an Orbea Scandium Team, made in Spain. The cool thing is that this was a Team Issue frame and I doubt I'll see anyone else on one anywhere.

I finished fourth in the Expert class, which I think is pretty good considering I've ridden this bike exactly twice and have never ridden the course. I was pretty spent afterwards. Each loop took about 14 1/2 minutes and I rode them with my heartrate pretty much at 175 beats and above the whole time. That's about 45 minutes totally anaerobic!

The crazy thing is that my first lap felt totally out of control - I overshot corners, wasted energy and rode over my head and fell off twice. The first lap was in 14:25. Because I was tired and needed to ride better, I concentrated on riding smoother the second lap. I didn't fall and I felt like I rode much better - 14:36....I was very tired on the third attempt, but felt like it was technically FAR superior to what I had done the previous two rides - 14:37....All three rides within 11 seconds of each other! I took about 20 minutes rest between each attempt.

I got up early to meet with the guy I'm going to be coaching. It went very well and he is very excited about the program. He is like a sponge trying to absorb all that I am telling him. Someone else came in the shop today asking if we knew a coach. I gave him my number. I guess I'm going to make some business cards and build a basic website to sort of legitimize the whole thing. If I can get 4 or 5 regular clients it will definitely supplement my income.

I guess I need to keep working out myself if I'm going to portray the image that I know what I'm talking about!

I have Olivia this weekend. We are going to a birthday party tomorrow morning at one of the inflatable jumping places. We'll probably hit the pool at sometime. I have tickets to the Braves on Sunday - we didn't go the last time I had them.