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 >