Tired

I don't feel like posting anything right now.

Chilly

The weather is getting colder up here. Seems like fall is in full effect. Now, don't get me wrong.. I love me some fall/autumn.. but there is something really nice about 8am bike rides on the weekend where you start and the temperature is in the 60s. Right now... we are lucky if the temperature breaks 60. And it is raining today which just sucks all around. Oh well, winter is coming and there is nothing I can do about it.

One last ride of the year is going to be happening next year. Going to have some serious climbing (for folks who live up this way... for everyone else... moderate climbing) so I'm really looking forward to that. I'll let everyone know how it goes after it is done.

Anyways, that is about it.

-Later

Vegas

Vegas is fun...

I'm tired.

-Later

Blah

I've been feeling pretty out of it since the Ironman... just don't feel motivated to do much. I guess it is nice to feel lazy after all that prep work... but the laziness is starting to get to me. I need to get motivated to do something, but everything seems so... boring. Riding feels tedious lately... swimming is a chore.. and running, well we all know how I feel about running.

I brought my run stuff today.. so I'm going to try to get a few miles in before it gets dark. we'll see how I feel after that. Hopefully something will click and get me back into things. I think I just have to get back into the gym and lifting some. It has been too long since I've hit the weights.

The cat is doing well. Hasn't gotten much bigger... but much more active. He loves sneaking around, chasing me as I walk and attacking my feet. He is an incredibly loud eater.. and he likes to sleep in the middle of the bed. Despite his small size, he just lays down next to you.. and keeps take more and more space. It is pretty impressive. Stuart could learn a thing or two.

Ok, I'm out.

-Later

updates

The kitten is doing good. I'll post more pictures tonight when I get back home. His name is Nimitz... feel free to make whatever jokes you'd like now.

The Ironman was good. Harder than anything I've ever done. But it is over and I have no desire to do another one. It is just too long and punishing to want to do again. Also the amount of money that it costs to do one is staggering to say the least.

Anyways, I'm back, I'm tired and I feel like I'm coming down with something. Apparently my immune system decided that 13+ hours of physical torment is enough to shut down for a bit.

-Later

Kitty

So I got a kitten yesterday. First time I've had a pet since before college. Granted those pets have now passed... but I've been thinking about getting a pet for awhile. He is really tiny, really young, and incredibly cute.

But now I'm torn. I have to go to work today.. which means do I let him roam around the house, free to do whatever he wants? Or put him in with some food, water and a litter box and make sure he doesn't destroy anything while I'm away. He hasn't eaten much since he got here... nor has he gone to the bathroom yet (that I can tell... he is pretty sneaky). So I think it would be best to not let him have free rein of the apartment just yet. That'll come in time I'm sure.

Oh, and since most of you probably have me on facebook... I'll post another picture for your enjoyment.


-Later

Riding

I'm starting to love sprinting. I mean, I've always enjoyed it... but lately I've really been enjoying blasting the wheels off other riders and killing them in the sprints. I know I've got a long way to go... but yeah.. maybe more road racing is in my future next season. At least I won't be training for another crazy-ass ironman.

Hope all is well with my peeps out there.

-Later

Heh..

So for pretty much the entire summer... I've had a spider that lives behind my side-view mirror on my car. drivers side. I don't drive my car too much in the summer months.. and never that far. Well, anyways.. this spider comes out at night and builds webs between my car mirror and my car. The parking lot for my apartment is right near a lake... and bugs seem to be in abundant supply in the area, thus his decision to use my vehicle as a feeding area.

But.. back to the spider. The odd thing is that I never see him/her/it (I personally call it a "he" since I'm a sexist like that.. deal with it bitches)on the web... just when I get into my car there is this web there.

So I was driving back from Aikido the other night and the spider was actually hanging out in the middle of the web. I was a little concerned... since while driving the wind was buffeting him something fierce... but he hung on for the entirety of the drive, which consequently, destroyed his web. I didn't see him when i got back to my apartment... so I assumed he retreated back behind the mirror.

The next time I got in my car I noticed there was no web there. I grew concerned... had my driving thrown the spider clear of my car? Had he finally got fed up with constantly needing to rebuild his web a few times a week? Did he die and was a rotting tiny spider carcass hidden behind my mirror? I may never know the answer.

But, this morning I noticed on my drive to work (it was rainy) that the spider web was back. Now... does this mean the original little spider has returned.... using my car's safety devices to destroy the insects which threaten my car on a nightly basis? Or has another spider taken up residence... discovering that '96 mercury sables attract bugs due to their heated side-view mirrors? I may never know.

that is all.

-Later

wow...

So, some research has shown that curing obesity would save the healthcare system 50% more dollars than curing cancer.

I realize people don't chose to get obese or get cancer. Lifestyle choices play a roll in getting obese. Some lifestyle choices play a roll in getting cancer.

But exercising for an hour a day and watching what you eat... well, sadly.. that doesn't cure cancer.

-Later

Crit-tastic

I think I'm going to do a crit on saturday. Only a Cat. 5 race... but we'll see what happens.

20 minutes plus 1 lap? Shouldn't be too bad.

I'll let people know how it goes.

-Later

toe shoes

Yes, I realize most of you mock my purchase and subsequent wearing for my nifty little toe shoes. But I really do enjoy them. Did about an hour run in them last night (longest run in them) and I'm feeling pretty good today. My calves are destroyed... but my feet themselves feel fine. The run was through a forest preserve, so it was sort of a dirt trail I was running on... so that was nice.

One thing that these shoes definitely make you do is go down hill fast. Running with any sort of halting motion on a downhill really sucks when you have no padding on your feet. So on a downhill, you just have to increase your cadence and try not to slow down. A little different than I'm used to. But for the most part it was nice.

Now I just need to run a lot more. Odd, how I'm always saying that.

-Later

Ouch

Makes me squirm. Poor Jens.



-Later

Tour

If you haven't been watching... now would be a good time to start. Things are going to start heating up come Sunday....

I'm very excited to see what happens.

WATCH!

-Later

Tour and Idiot

really enjoying watching the tour daily. Having it available at work just kicks ass.... wake up.. watch it while I eat breakfast. Wait for a lull in the action.. come to work and watch the last 50 miles or so. Can't wait for the mountain stages... going to be awesome to watch it all live. Don't think I've ever had that sort of opportunity before. Maybe the summer after college. But still, I remember having to teach swim lessons first thing in the morning.

A guy brought a tri-bike to the group ride last night. I hate it when people do that. I don't think people realize: A) how much less responsive a tri-bike is, B)how much more aerodynamic you are when you go down on the aerobars, C) how much it sucks to draft off of a person on an aero bike. And yes I know that B&C sort of go together.

So this kid shows up on a tri-bike and liked getting at the front pulling 31mph. Wasn't that bad.. I could hold his wheel pretty easily... but it was jacking up the rest of the group. So every time he pulled I did my best to be second.. and pick the tempo up a little after his pulls. Of course this was slightly difficult to increase up to around 34mph for about a half-mile... but I was able to drop him a few times.

Ended up pulling most of the night.. won all the sprints pretty easily and was first over most of the hills. Wasn't too bad of a night. Average of over 22.4... fastest we've done the tuesday night ride, despite the fact there were a few dropped chains and bad lights.

that is all

-Later

another update

59 bites that I can count.

WTF?

-Later

update

the bites look worse today.

also, could barely sleep due to the itching.

Mosquitoes

I hate them. They are annoying, plentiful and vicious. They are also pretty interesting... I just heard an interesting report on them via NPR. Anyways.. back to my story.

So riding today.. going well.. got a pinch flat in a pothole through a shaded area. Couldn't even see it coming.. and I was trying to find a good line. Anyways.. I flatted. So I got off my bike to change the tube.


Suddenly I was swarmed by mosquitoes. They were everywhere. I tried walking farther down the road... no help. Tried to move around... they still were able to land and eat me alive. I finally just decided to hurry up and change my tube.

Got it changed... probably lost around a pint of blood. Right as I'm putting my wheel back on my bike a nice couple in an Escalade pulled up and asked if I needed help. Jokingly I said, "got any bug spray".. to which they responded, "yes... right here..." and the wife (assumption) quickly grabbed some out of the glove box. I declined.. said I was good.. and silently wished they had arrived a few minutes earlier.


I've included some pictures of the bites on my legs. Oh trust me.. there are more... but i can't post pictures of where else they got me.

-Later

Transformers 1

So, with the release of Transformers 2 I decided to re-watch Transformers the original. No, I don't mean the awesome 1986 movie cast with such greats as Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy and Eric idle... no, I mean the 2007 movie with such greats as.... well... yeah. Bernie Mac had a nice little part in it, and Anthony Anderson is always enjoyable. But for the most part... yeah, not many "greats".

So, I watched this when it was originally released. It was ok... but it didn't really strike me as "HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME!" like some movies have. So this weekend was only my second time seeing the film. I remember a lot of plot holes and sort of bullshit moments in the movie... but being that it is a sci-fi movie.. you have to allow some of those to slide.

Upon a second viewing of the film.. well yeah.. it is just a bunch of crap. It has its moments... but with the technological superiority of the Decepticons and Autobots... humans wouldn't stand a chance fighting against them. I mean, Blackout completely wiped out a base in Qatar at the beginning of the movie... but then a bunch of Decepticons are fighting in a city.. and getting their asses handed to them by a few squads of under-armed marines. Come on... they have no qualms over destroying human life... but they are just sort of sitting around getting shot at by mere humans. And it isn't like the autobots were able to protect them. Bah.

I didn't mind the humor from "section 7"... but they had the global communications net brought down (by what?) and then they are communicating pretty easily a few scenes later. Maybe this would be explained in an extended scene... but in the version I watched... yeah. Just sort of confuses me. And the x-bow, mountain dew machine, and lincoln navigator that get turned into machines by the all-spark? what happens to those? nothing?

I could go on and on... but I think we all know where that would lead. All in all... don't think I'll be paying to see the new one. or the third one.. which has already been slated since people are sheep and have already paid over 300 mil. to watch Transformers 2.

And some say the economy is in a recession.

-Later

so..

Things have been happening in my life. Exciting things? Sometimes. Entertaining things? Depends on your definition of entertaining.

I've been reading a lot lately. Vernor Vinge has been exceedingly entertaining. I can't remember the last time I got sucked into a book like Deepness in the Sky. Charless Stross has also piqued my interest and I've been tearing through his Laundry series. Quite entertaining and I'd recommend them to just about everyone I know... well, assuming you enjoy techno-demonology... yeah... you read it correctly.

I've been riding the fixed gear more and more. I love riding it to work... just something so pure about cranking constantly without being about to coast. Also, track standing at intersections is immensely fun. Actually, it is helped my balance enough that I'm sometimes able to track stand with the road bike during group rides. I've yet to fall down and injure my pride... but don't worry, it is merely a matter of time.

Other than that, not much really happening, just trying to keep up with everything. Oh yeah, had to get new tires on my car... boo to that shit.

later

Race Update

So the race went well. I swam very good, rode fast, and ran better than I've ever run that distance before. Actually, not entirely true... but for a half ironman.. it was very fast.

I did have a flat on the bike course.. and probably lost close to 20 minutes waiting around for a support vehicle. I know now to carry extra tubies... CO2, etc. Yep.. lesson learned.

I'm quite proud of my results... but considering how I've slacked on everything but riding this season.. really lets me know that I need to run more in getting ready for my Ironman in August. Also... more distance in the pool, rather than the shorter, faster distances that I've been doing. Might help me get in better shape.

Alright.. that is the update. Sorry I haven't called anyone back... I'm tired.

-Later

travel

I'm getting ready to drive to kansas this morning.... wooo.. boring. But on Sunday I have to make the return trip by myself... so expect lots of random calls throughout the afternoon and evening while I attempt to keep myself awake.

And, you can probably hear funny stories of me doing something stupid... like racing.

-Later

Racing

I have a race this coming weekend. I'm not looking forward to it.

That is all.

-Later

Sunday

Stupid freaking rain...

it has been either threatening to rain, or raining all day... sort of sucks. I hate riding in the rain... it is very annoying.

I should suck it up and go to the gym or for a run...

but eh.. I'm tired.

-Later

Random things

So I've been working downtown for the last few days.. and I notice a lot of single speed bikes. But they all have freewheels. Now, I know coasting is nice and all.. but if you've got a single speed bike, why not go all out and get a fixed gear? You can still put brakes on it, but then you would be far more efficient and most likely faster.

I want to ride my fixed gear more often. I've got the Vigorelli all ready to start riding to work.. and if I leave a road bike at work.. that means I could still get in evening rides and take the fixie home. I know.. probably going to destroy my legs and/or knees.. but it'll be nice.

Mash has some good vids up on their site. Get to see Lance riding a fixed gear and getting his ass handed to him. Of course, after watching the Giro one is used to seeing Lance getting his ass handed to him.

If you haven't already.. go watch some stuff by Tim Minchin. Very funny stuffs.

-Later

Update

So, I've finally got my computer up and running in my apartment. My old laptop was getting progressively worse over the last few weeks so I finally got a new desktop. It is really nice, much more powerful than my laptop... and it can output directly to my TV. Which is very nice (in my opinion). The video card actually has an HDMI output on it.. so I don't have to deal with odd sizing issues or anything like that.

I've been trying to get back into the riding scene. I was off for a week.. then this last week was sort of wonky with weather, work, and bike issues. But this last weekend I rode saturday and sunday. Went extra hard on Saturday... is hurt a lot. And then Sunday the same Cat. 2 rider showed up and decided that a nice slow recovery ride wasn't going to happen. So we averaged 20+ for that ride... which is pretty quick considering the amount of turns and stop and go we had.

Anyways.. hopefully I'll stay healthy and get back into the swing of things.

-Later

sorry

I've been sick.. and my home computer is busted... so yeah... sorry I've not been posting more.

I've got all my new computer stuff here... now I just need to get it up and running.

I'll keep you people posted.

-Later

Crazy weather

It was really windy this weekend... and chilly. When I rode on sunday I actually didn't have nearly enough cold weather gear on. But I mean, it isn't like it is nearly summer or anything.

Also, the high today, 70 degrees and sunny. The high tomorrow... 77 degrees and rainy. WTF is all I have to say about that.

-Later

whoa

Lack of posts.. sorry.

Let's see.. what is going on in my little world. I got a chance to ride a lot this weekend, some of the guys down at Well-Fit. Now, they are pretty freaking quick. Also, I found it interesting that after we rode 50 hard miles... some of the guys went out for another 20 miles or so easy... then came back and did a run. These guys are insane.. also they are a good motivation to train harder. Next time I ride with them I'll have to make sure to bring some run stuff so I can go and get my ass kicked by them while running as well as riding.

I'm hungry.. so probably going to run and get me some food. I know, this post sucks... deal.

-Later

Southern Cali Riding

Got to ride in Southern California this weekend. Both with the Swami Cycling Club and with John Howard.

Yeah, I got my ass kicked. Hard.

They are good... it really motivates me to get better, and to train a lot harder.

Perhaps it is time for a powertap.. and to start racing again. Need something to motivate me to get even faster. And I think losing some crits/races will do that for me.

Anyways, Yeah.. it was pretty amazing.

-Later

Rain + Ride = Sort of fun.

So I rode this weekend.. 50 miles on saturday, felt good. Nice and strong... beautiful weather. Was a great ride.

Sunday brought rain, cold and a shorter, harder ride. Only 30 miles.. but it hurt me a lot. Not only did I not get a lot of sleep the night before, it was wet and cold. I was soaked in about 5 minutes.. and stayed soaked the whole time.

Funny thing though, if you have aero profile rims... they will fill with water during your ride for added weight and increased rotational mass.

FUN TIMES!

-Later

disappointing rides

I had a very disappointing ride tonight. Went out with a group I'd never been with before, and I from first impressions I figured them for a good strong group of riders. Lots of nice bikes, everyone was in full kits it seemed.. but... they just didn't have that... extra bit that I was looking for. I don't think I was ever out of breath.. or even having to push myself very hard. It was strange.. even when people were "sprinting" I could easily match their accelerations and speed without really pushing myself.

Perhaps I've just gotten faster.. it is hard to say... especially with a group I've never ridden before.

Maybe I need to get into some races and see what happens.

-Later

hmm..

could have sworn I just posted a nice long rant about work being stupid...

where did it go?

-Later

Royksopp

Now, I know I have a tad big of an addictive personality. But, for some reason I can't stop listening to the new Royksopp album, "Junior". It is just so freaking good.

Seriously, go check it out.

-Later

Early Season Riding

It hurts.

And it is still cold.

-Later

My new bike..

This is my new bike. It is very very nice. I enjoy riding it very much.



I realize that many of you won't be jealous... but you should be. It has been awhile since I've felt unworthy to ride a bicycle... but if feels like this bike is sometimes telling me, "Hey.. wouldn't you be happier on a Trek?" And then the laughs at me.

The fork is new.. and I'm pleased with how it looks on the bike.

-Later

Roller Bags

I've traveled a lot. I remember being a young child and having to help carry luggage at the airport or during family vacations. We had suitcases that didn't have wheels. This was the norm.

I continue to travel a lot.. and even own a few bags which have wheels for easier transport. Do I think that all suitcases should be carried? Goodness no. Having a large, checkable suitcase with wheels is the way to go.

What really gets me is the smaller bags with wheels. The ones that people insist on carrying onto a plane despite the fact that planes were made long before these "carry-ons" were created and thus 90% of the people that own one has no freaking idea how to load them into the overhead bins. I believe that if you can't lift your "carry-on" over your head and place it into a bin by yourself.. then you shouldn't be allowed to carry it on.

As much as that pisses me off... in recent years smaller and smaller things have had wheels added to them. I see backpacks with wheels.. laptop bags with wheels... briefcases with wheels... what's next.. purses with wheels?

So I was walking through Chicago this morning on my way to the office. I like to walk fast for a variety of reasons... which i won't get into here... but I got stuck behind a slower gentleman pulling a tiny briefcase on wheels. Normally this isn't an issue and I can easily pass them... but due to the wheeled bag... he was taking up roughly the width of 2.5 people... (insert whatever fat comment you want here.. Sean, I'm looking at you).

I couldn't pass him. The bag trailed a good two feet behind him... so he was a slow moving road block basically. Now, I try not to judge to quickly.. since the briefcase could have been filled with gold, lead or osmium thus preventing him from carrying it normally. But we arrived at a curb and he easily, with one hand mind you, hefted the bag up to waist level and then gently set it back down once he was passed the curb.

It just boggles my mind.

-Later

Wooo

I passed.



That's my new belt.

-Later

Aikido

So I took my Nidan test on saturday. It could have gone better. A lot of people tested that day and a lot of people did poorly. So the instructors are asking everyone who tested to be prepared to demonstrate some skills that were asked for again.

I don't think I did fantastic on my test.. but I'm really nervous about what they'll be asking me to do again. Probably the tanto stuff.. because that just wasn't as smooth as I'd have liked it. But, honestly, who knows.

I do know that one of the people who tested before me did very poorly. I believe that put the instructors in a bad mood... which could have negatively effected how they saw my test.

I realize this sounds a bit like an excuse. I could have done better. I realize that too.

I'll let everyone know how it goes after tonight.

-Laer

Is it just me...

When I'm driving I tend to be sparing with my blinker. I hate people that have their blinker going and not realize it. Since hate has trained me to be very conservative with my blinker. I typically manually turn on and off my blinker since I don't trust whatever mechanism is integrated into the wheel to do it for me. Clearly it doesn't always work... especially clear when I'm driving behind a large SUV which has been attempting to make a left turn for the last 20 miles.

Anyways, I signal when I'm changing lanes. Usually 3-5 ticks of the blinker.. more if I'm attempting to merge into a crowded lane. But after I've made the lane change I turn off my blinker. Now, here comes the question.. what do you do when you enter into a forced turn lane? I signal when I enter into one of these lanes.. be it left or right.. but then I turn off my signal. I don't want to sit at a left turn arrow for a complete light cycle with my blinker clicking at me. It drives me crazy. I'm in the left turn only lane.. thus I must turn left. I feel that continuing to indicate that I am turning is redundant and pointless.

But I recently found out from a person who works at a driving school.. that it is required to have your blinker on in the turn lane. I was sort of confused as to why. But i'm just asking... what do you guys do with your blinkers in a turn lane situation. Do you leave them on? Turn them off? I must know!

-Later

Interesting.

This is a new gym marketing campaign in the Netherlands. It is a sign in bus stop which, when you sit on the bench, shows your weight.



I'm torn with what to think of this.

-Later

Happy Vernal Equinox

Yeah... the first day of spring is today!

I hope everyone is excited by this event. Equal sun and darkness tonight.

For those of you in the southern hemisphere... enjoy your first day of fall.

I know, presumptions to assume that I have international readers.

-Later

Nice weather

Over 70 degrees today. Holy crap, it was nice! Rode to work, went for a ride after work..

felt so amazingly good.

I know it won't last but it was great to take advantage of a fluke like today.

In more bike-nerdy news, Campagnolo Super Record 11 rocks. Shifts smooth, rides smooth... feels great. Really love it. If anyone is looking to spruce up their bike this season.. I'd strongly suggest some of the new Super Record.

Granted I've not ridden Red or the Dura-Ace 7900... but I doubt it'll compared.

-Later

Fun Times

It is bitterly cold here again. Very very cold and windy. And after the weather taunted me last week with temperatures over 60 degrees.

So it rained most of the weekend and some of the moisture got into my car. It was slightly warm yesterday so the water created a bit of humidity in my car. When heading to the gym this morning I found that with the sudden drop in temperature last night that the insides of my windows were covered in ice.

Yep.. so there I was this morning, scrapping ice off the inside of my windows, struggling to get my door to close since the locking mechanism was frozen.. and just being in a generally pissed off mood.

Oh yeah, I didn't have any cereal this morning. So I was extra pissed.

-Later

happy b-day

The CD, that is compact disk for all you young-ins out there, turns 30 years old today.

That's right.. March 9th, 1979 was the date the Compact Disc was first introduced to the world.

Craziness.

Damn, older than I am.

-Later

awesomeness

I'm sure any nerd out there has seen this. It is amazing no? Absolutely gorgeous. If I could scrounge up the 500 dollars to purchase this I would it a heart beat.

The box weighs 26 pounds... the instruction manual is 300+ pages long and weighs 4 pounds..

Let's just say that would be really really really fun to build. I've read some accounts that say it takes over 4 hours just to organize the pieces... which you need to do with over 5000 pieces.

Anyways, there are videos out there of people building them up. But... someone went and made a stop motion video... of lego men building it. BRILLIANT

It is 12 minutes long... but sort of interesting to watch.

Enjoy

-Later

Best idea ever...

All stoplights should be "Left turn yield on green." Rarely are they set up to give you an arrow without going through a complete cycle. Or at least around here it seems that way. I'm the only one at the intersection. Just let me go damn it!

Also, I think I hit 5 yellow lights on my way back from Aikido tonight. Felt awesome.

-Later

Almost half way there..

Nearly half way done with having to work downtown this week. It has been a frustrating ordeal thus far. Yesterday wasn't as bad as monday.. but leaving for work at 5:30am and getting home at 10:30pm really pisses me off for some reason. Go figure.

Some of the highlights of my day are walking across Chicago to get to the office. I could take a bus. In fact, the 122 (I think), would pick me up at Ogilvie and drop me off right outside this building. But I'm much more enjoying the 25 minute walk across town. Ok, so I don't know if it is across town... but it seems pretty far. I've found that if I walk at around 80% max speed I can hit all the lights when I'm walking East... but I need to walk a bit slower to hit the lights walking North. Guess the blocks are slightly shorter or something.

It is a pretty good walk.. brisk, relatively flat, plus you get to weave in and out of people. Lots of fun. Sort of like going to a crowded mall and attempting to wade through the throngs of people as fast as possible. Yes, I realize that is a stupid thing to get excited over... but I've gotta find something positive about my day.

Alright, enough whining. I'm off.

-Later

ugh - part 2

Today was a bad day.

I'm hoping tomorrow is better.

-Later

ugh

Getting up early to go to work downtown for stupid reasons really sucks.

Trying to have a positive outlook on it... but really just pissed about the whole deal.

-Later

Almost forgot

Breaking Bad is coming back for a second season.

If you haven't watched the first season... go do so now. It is amazingly good. Quite gritty and real compared to a lot of stuff out there.

Plus, seeing Bryan Cranston (the father from Malcolm in the Middle) being a badass is awesome in its own right.

-Later

Consequences

Some of the consequences for being sick are that yo send a lot of time doing nothing. So I've been spending time doing nothing. Well by nothing I mean watching TV and the such.

Anyways, I watched My Name is Bruce.. which is just hilarious. Check it out. So what if I have an unnatural affinity to Bruce Campbell. I've also been watching Dollhouse. The new Joss Whedon thing. Honestly, it sort of sucks. I'm trying to give it fair shot and the story is pretty interesting. The only problem is that Eliza Dushku is really bringing it down. I don't know if Joss is just trying to do a cross between Firefly and Buffy... but man.. it isn't working. Give me more spaceships.. seriously.

Let's see, what else. The Bridge is really good, yet incredibly depressing. I'd only suggest watching this if you have someone to talk about it afterwards with. Blood In Blood Out is epic in its cheesiness. Lots of medium name actors in this, I was sort of surprised. A decent watch though it drags on a bit in the middle.

That's about all I've watched lately. Can't wait to exchange TV time for workout time.

-Later

Sort of sick

So I've been fighting off a semi-cold for a few days now. Probably acquired it from some few Aikido practitioners during last weeks crazy aikidoness. It isn't excessively bad.. I sound like crap and my nose has decided to leak like a broken faucet (I really tried to come up with a better analogy.. but couldn't. I'm sick, leave me alone). I took yesterday off from work and just lazed around the house trying to drink a lot of fluids and not get snot over everything.

Anyways, today I woke up early since I didn't do crap yesterday. I went to work... putzed around there for about an hour.. then went to the gym. I'm tired of putting off things that I like to do only because I'm sick. Lifting wasn't so bad.. though I might have annoyed the fellow gym-goers since I was sniffling like a girl dumped the day of the prom (better analogy!)... but I felt good lifting. Probably taking the last 5 days off from lifting allowed my muscles to feel much better. After I lifted I went and swam for a bit. Hopefully the excessively chlorited YMCA water will help clear me out.

My throat still hurts, but I don't think it is from being sick. It isn't that sort of soreness. I think it is still from getting elbowed in the neck over the weekend. Since it only hurts on one side... and it is tender to the touch. Yes, my neck was tenderized by a guys elbow.

Ok, I'm out.

-Later

Ouch

So this weekend consisted of a lot of Aikido. A metric crap-ton of Aikido actually. I think it was roughly 7 hours on saturday with around 40 minutes of breaks and a few times where we were allowed off the mat to get water. Sunday was a tad easier.. but was still 4 hours. I'm a little torn up. All in all, it was that bad of a practice.

A few things I didn't enjoy. I think one of my toes is broken. Broken when someone fell on it with their elbow. I also go elbowed in the throat in such a way that it hurts to move, swallow, or pretty much anything. My whole body is pretty destroyed... good times all around.

I really hope my toe isn't broken. It is my... index toe.. and it is swollen and pretty colors. But I can still move it. So, it is hard to know. I've never broken a bone before, I don't want my first one to be from something stupid like this.



We'll see how it looks in the morning.

-Later

Stupid water

So, my apartment has this odd tendency as of late to have strange issues with the water. When I'm gone for a bit (work/vacation) or don't run it for awhile (work/sleep) it seems that either hot or cold taps just shoot out incredibly hot water.

So, if I come home.. I have to run the cold water for about 5 minutes before I can use it. Sometimes I forget... and will burn myself. Or be about to drink really hot water.

Sort of sucks if you ask me. Don't know why this is the case... and it really bugs me.

Especially if I'm trying to do a cold load of laundry.. since the first part of the cycle will fill with really hot water.

And trying to shower in the morning. Attempting to get the correct temperature without cold water is quite difficult.

Glad that I don't have to pay for water or the power needed to heat the water.

-Later

Frustration

It seems like a lot of things in my life at the moment are a tad frustrating. I've got the Aikido test coming up in late march.. and I still constantly feel that I don't know anything about Aikido. It is very very hard at times.. especially training in a different style. The more advanced stuff that I learn, the more that it is quite different from the style I originally trained in. I'll get through it of course but at the moment I feel very beaten down by Aikido.

With the economy the way it is, work is also quite annoying at the moment. Trying to sell high end bikes when people are losing their jobs is sort of trail in futility. We aren't doing that badly... just the owner has certain high expectations for things. Granted he has always not understood how the world works, it is annoying none the less.

My body doesn't always respond the way that I want it to. Working out, aikido, swimming, etc constantly can really drag me down. And for some reason, last night my ankle was doing really strange things. I've not experienced anything like it before... and someone did fall on my foot pretty hard on Sunday during Aikido training... so I hope it is just a tweaked nerve. I've skipped working out the last two days (gym stuff, not aikido stuff) in hopes that things will return to normal. But I'll be hitting the gym this afternoon/evening no matter what. Maybe the ankle just needs a good swim or lift to make it right.

Ok, I'm off.

-Later

Running out of things..

To read on the interweb. I've got a good selection of webcomics that I like to read, news sites, random stuff sites... but lately I've been feeling bored with these.

Do any of you out there have any sites that you love to read everyday? I don't care if it is crazy gossip stuff.. just curious what other people out there are reading to entertain themselves in between working or whatever else it is people do.

-Later

Stereotyping

Now, I know it is a bad thing... and that we shouldn't do it. But this past weekend while traveling I noticed two that just sort of stuck in my mind and made me laugh, if only to myself.

While flying, I was sitting in a row with a black (African American.. but honestly, I'm not that PC) lady. When they were coming around asking for drinks she asked for grape soda. I nearly lost it. First, I wasn't aware that people actually drank grape soda... and secondly, who actually believes that American Airlines would have grape soda? Seriously.

When walking through the airport.. I always sort of wonder why there are expensive shops located randomly throughout the airport. Do people really want to get an overpriced Big Mac then wander over to Mont Blanc and buy an overpriced pen? Actually.. when I think of it like that... yes, yes they do.

So, I was walking back from landing and saw a fancy, overpriced jewelry store (I've forgotten the name) but I can be sure they were selling diamonds of some sort. Which made the fact that a group of orthodox Jewish men were standing around looking at the jewelry. Of course, they might have been wanting to purchase some for their wives... but come on, give me a break.

I just found these two incidents which occurred in quick succession sort of humorous and stood out in my mind. Now I've passed them onto you.

-Later

Aikido

So, assuming I get all the paperwork filled out, I'll be testing for my Nidan (2nd degree black belt) in late March. I'm very much excited about this prospect as well as nervous as hell. I've only been back on the math for about 6 months... so being asked to test is quite the honor. But I'm also slightly apprehensive about it due to the same fact. I can't really say "no" to my Sensei, since she is sort of bending the rules to allow me to test.. and I don't think I would say no even if I wouldn't get my ass beat for disrespecting the offer.

With the plans to move coming up, this is a great chance for me to get my next rank without having to "start over" at a new school. True, another school could merely assume that I have the necessary skill-set to test... but it takes time to assess that. So this will allow me to test, acquire the rank (assuming I pass of course!) and move to a new dojo and begin training anew for sandan... which is many years in my future.

Ok, just wanted to let all of you peoples know that if I'm bitching and moaning about getting my ass-kicked in Aikido.. this is why.

-Later

Oh burn...

Even god hates cows...


via TYWKIWDBI.

-Later

This coming week..

So they say that it is going to be in the 40s here this weekend. I am very doubtful of this statement considering that it feels to be around zero outside right now. Don't know how that is going to happen, but I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll warm up soon.

I've been really enjoying my new shoes. They look crazy and probably make me look even crazier, but I really do enjoy them.

Granted that I get a lot of strange looks while wearing them. People seem to mistake them for socks since there isn't much too them. They can be used for running, and if I ever get off my ass and running again I'll let you know how they are.

Geoff seems to think that these shoes are quite stupid. In contrast, I'll post a picture of the shoes he is wearing today.
These are what are referred to as "Math Teacher Shoes". Can't you just see Stuart wandering around in a pair of these, laces undone, attempting to teach some poor undergrad the beauty of infinite limits? I can.

I personally think mine are cooler, albeit it dorkier.

I'm sure no one will agree with me.

I hate you all.

-Later

wooo

Achewood is back for a delightfully well written comic containing many names which I have no hope of ever pronouncing.

Also, Questionable Content today basically tells the story of our New Year's festivities... minus the drinking of course.

Settlers of Catan was bad enough without drinking.. but perhaps had Joey been forced to drink I would have stood a chance at winning.

-Later

Hmmm

I'm excited that Adult Swim is starting an hour earlier... 9pm in the central time zone.

I'm disappointed that they are showing King of the Hill for that extra hour.

Now, don't get my wrong.. I enjoy King of the Hill occasionally, but when I watch The Swim... well, I'm not really in the mood for that style of humor.

Also, King of the Hill just doesn't have the rewatchability that Family Guy and Simpsons.

-Later

No links! I promise.

So it was brought to my attention recently that I was linking an ever increasing amount of stuff on my blog. Which made viewing my blog tedious and somewhat annoying. If I can't come up with something clever why merely direct you to where other clever people are. It would be similar to entering into a Circuit City only to have them tell you to go to Best Buy.

Actually I have a feel that such a thing happened just a few too many times.

So let's see, news in my life. It is still cold. Instead of snow lately, we've just continued to be cold. Since is my second winter in this area of the country. After last winter everyone constantly said "oh, that was the worst winter we've had in years!" or some such excuse for the weather around here causing Eskimo's to scurry indoors lest their face be subject to hypothermia. But this current winter seems to continue to defy logic and it just keeps getting colder. There is snow in the forecast, temperatures not even getting close to getting above freezing and there is no end in sight. People are telling me it might be another 6-12 weeks before Spring might even show its head. Now, I realize complaining about this in January is sort of bitchy of me but I'm tired of slipping on the ice, not having my car start and being forced to wear a beanie 90% of my waking hours.

Granted I look awesome in a beanie but that is beside the point.

Oh, I'm going to get a tattoo... guaranteed. Feel free to ask to see it next time you see me, since I should have it by then.

-Later

HAHAHA

So many of us have seen these ads right?





I still find them very funny.

Anyways, there are new reports out detailing the discovery of detectable levels of mercury found in HFCS. Considering the average amount consumed by Americans... well... this article really describes it all pretty well. True it is long, but a decent read. Feel free to call me a hippie or whatever, but seriously... despite the commercials.. this shit is bad for you.

So yeah, might be a good idea to give it up?

Also, it seems that my blog was causing IE to crash.. I don't know why... probably something I linked. I'll try to resolve this issue.

-Later

Why American wrestling sucks..

Since it doesn't have stuff like the following:



-Later

Hehe.. fun times

I wish they had had this on the wall of my high school chemistry class.

-Later

Joey, what archeology should be like.. also funny animal videos.

Yay, double movie goodness on this fabulous wednedsay.



funny cat getting its furry butt kicked.



and that is all.

-Later

New Toys

So my brother was kind enough to hook me up with one of the new products that he has been working on. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but after having it just for a day I'm loving it. Now I just need a bigger apartment to really enjoy it.

I just have it set up at work at the moment and I'm playing stuff via Squeeze Network. Too much fun.

-Later

Whoa

Freaky shit...



From FlowingData.

-Later

Wow

I don't think that this could ever be aired in the US.



-Later

Tasty?

So.. I'm about to place an order for the following. Anyone interested? I'm looking specifically in Sean and Liz's directions.



Just thought I'd ask.

-Later

Happy New Year

Welcome to the last 'aught of this century. I hope everyone out there has resolutions planned out and the coming year.

I just got back into town this evening, so I'm tired and will be heading to bed soon. I just wanted to post a quick something before sleep. It was wonderful to see everyone this past week. I forget how much fun it is to hang out with everyone... I hope we can all strive in the coming months and years to keep up with each other and make the efforts to stay in touch... and more than just e-mail and phone.

Luckily Niki is getting married soon, so that'll bring everyone together again. I'm eagerly looking forward to it.

Ok, I'm off.. good night.

-Later