what you are about to see

I had two days off and I thought what better way to spend them than by seeing my long time friend Brady. A little history, brady and I were each others first real drinking partners in high school, we reminsed that it is amazing that we didnt get in more trouble, doing those things that teenagers are prone to do. Lots of hormones and no way to cope, mix in pent up agression and that is what we were. So we both survived and have moved slowly in to adulthood, but then again that is another story. He has settled on being a tattoo artist and in the last 4 years he has improved rapidly and is starting to make a name for himself. He currently lives in San Deigo and works at Funhouse Tatttoo. Check out Brady's site at www.inkademic.com
Back to the couple of days off, so I went down to get inked and see an old friend who I hadnt seen in quite some time. I brought a friend from work because he is also in to tattoos and was looking for a reason to get a new one. So we headed down on thursday and hooked up with Brady and company for some Italian food and good company. I will keep it short so as not to bore you. What you see below is work that brady put on my skin, a skull with mandatory flames and a crankarm sticking out of the top, from the angle in the picture it is hard to see the crankarm but it is there. On the pain scale this was not the worst I have endured that title goes to the sacred heart in the center of my chest, but close to the nipple on this one and around the neck it felt oh so great. I just love the way it feels today a couple of days later all scabed up and tight as hell. I am so stoked with this piece and with the quality of artwork that brady is put out and he is only getting better. I am so happy for him. Enjoy, what you see took in the 4 hr range and was almost constant, the man does not mess around. I imagine in the futrue I will be getting some more ink from brady.

me awaiting the pain, I look out of it but I am really just laughing at what is about to happen, as my friend Geoffrey said, before the crying starts. ha ha 

my new tattoo. 

the only tan lines that I have this summer, obviously you can tell I have not been spending to much time on the bike as if I had I would have a more traditional cyclists tan, very reminisent of the farmers tan. cheers to all whove got the tan I wish I had. 

updates

Well I have started to ride about 4 days a week real easy on the road, and with gears for the moment. yuck, but look at the good side at least I am on my bike. Wow and might i say I am out of shape, fat and slow. Good times, fitness will return eventually, I hope. No plans as of yet to race I am tossing around the idea of racing Moab, but am scared to commit to anything in case my body/mind go to shit again and I am forced to ride the couch some more. That said I would love to race moab on a team, just still weighing the options I would hate to dissapoint myself or the team.
Went to Seattle, saw some good music at a little Irish Pub down the street from the house, had a job interview, got a job. I plan to move in about two weeks. MOre to come later when life slows down a bit and I have time to put it all down on paper. I am packing up the house and all my belongings trying to squeze in the rides, and tie up all the loose ends and say my goodbyes, which I have never been good at so I will probably try to throw a littl shindig at the house and then shove off the next mornign. A big change is coming, especially in the weather, but the good part is I will be able to commute on my bike to work, no driving in nasty traffic for this kid, and there is always so much to do, so many things to see that I am really looking forward to the change. so that is all I have time for right now, as I said before more later. out

Moving...

Well I have not posted in awhile, I have been packing up my house, getting it ready to rent out, and moving my stuff to my house in Seattle. On thursday I am going up there for a couple of days to look in to jobs and the such.
Moving and packing is always so draining and tiring, I have to go through all my stuff, it is amazing to think that just a short 8 years ago, i was able to fit everything I own in to a 4 door Honda Civic, with room to spare. The amount of stuff that we as humans accumulate is just amazing. I gave away bags of old clothing, and other things that I did not even know I still owned. I am some what of a pack rat, so I still just could not part with somethings and items that are just too near and dear to me. So my girlfriend was here and we were a two man woman cleaning crew, she more than I as I still had to go in and make the money in the afternoon at the restaurant. Hence the long lag time in posts as I have been under the gun so to speak, and still needing my rest. I am getting better, but am still a long way from 100% this has been the longest time for me. I think that I over did it really badly, I was trying to race full time work 6 nights a week so that I could race and pay off a large sum of accumulated debt, which I promised myself I would do before I moved. I am a mere 3,000 dollars from the end of a very long dark tunnel of debt. In the last 16 months I have bought a computer, gotten new eyes(lasik), raced, traveled and are you ready for this, paid off 18,000 dollars worth of debt. I will be estatic when I am truly debt free. happy, happy, happy, me.
That said back to the moving and this idea that I have been pursuing, sustainablity, in my practices, it is not the easiest thing to do, fair trade, local, green as in good for the environment, I have been trying to purchase only hand crafted or fair trade crafted clothing, and eat organic and the such. I have been trying to find ways to leave a light foot print, more riding less driving etc. but as you can see it gets overwhelming and takes a lot of energy, but if I want the world to be different I must lead by example, and hope others take note as to what is going down and open up peoples minds to what is possible. If we racers rode our bikes more for utiltarian purposes there would be less cars on the road. think about it. If we support companies that make sense and are world friendly more options will be avalible. ie dont suppport business men that act like Stuart of Adrenalin, support those like the promoters of the 24 hrs of old pueblo. etc. I could go on, and I will in a later post, but right now I must get a quick power nap after Pilates and head on up to work. In Seattle I plan to only ride my bike and am looking in to getting one of these www.xtracycle.com . Cycling has changed my path in life and has shown me what determination and perseverence can bring in to ones life and the doors that it opens. Think positive, and be awake.

what to say....

I wish that I were at the Trans rockies right now, well there is always next year. I have been trying to ride, but whenever I go for a Mountain bike ride I end up maxed out, feeling under powered and then very tired the next day, so I will not ride dirt when I have to go to work. It is too much. I have been planning on moving to the Pacific Northwest soon and I am going up for a job interview next friday, I hope to get the job. It is waiting tables, but living there I will be able to commute to work on bike. I already have the rain gear courteusy of Dr Doom. So I will be a rain riding fool. I am ready for a change, that and living with my girlfriend again, it sure has been a while. So I am on the mend mentally and physically but I am so not willing to push it, I am going to take it slow to see what happens.
Kent Peterson is researching a route that runs north to south in Washington in hopes of racing it Divide style next summer. I cant wait to get the recon reports as to what it will entail. Right now I know that it will be in the four hundred mile range with a bit of climbing he thinks that the winner will do it in about 48 hrs or so. He is doing a four day recon ride exploration in a couple of weeks, when I know more I will pass it along. I am thinking of next season already and hoping that I am ready to attack it, I plan on racing about 4 to 6 or 7 events maybe more maybe less it all depends on where life takes me, and what Seattle entails. Fixed gear fun i am sure. Does anyone know where to get sugino rings smaller than 45 I am looking for a 42, is there such a thing? I dont know but the 49x18 gear I am running right now might hurt a bit if I have to climb a lot, great on the flats, but steep hills and the such I would like a little easier gear.
Vulture socks will be in in a couple of weeks, stay in touch as they will be bad, sockguy is really doing it up. Well that is what I have, I am trying to stay sane while I pack and deal with work, I am holding out well and getting stronger each day.
I emailed Heather Mosley, www.hmosley.blogspot.com she is and endurance nut who had a great season going until the dreaded mysterious mono hit and put her down for the count, she seems to be doing the same thing as I using the time to reevaluate diet and other things, she reminded me how much I hate stuart at the 24 hrs of Adrenalin, no one should do their events they wont refund or even credit her entry fee, plain fuck up. He is a money gready bastard who is only on the look out for himself and not the betterment of the sport, fuck the worlds we should all go global, www.sleeplessinthesaddleusa.com There is too much to say about the way he runs his business and what kind of snake he is. He is ruthless and things that we have to bend to him because he has the worlds, fuck that if enough people dont show it is not what it is advertising it is, so I ask of you dont go next year make plans to support the sport not the slime that he is. Run him in to the ground. Pay for the awards banquet what is that, his prizing just sucks. I could go on Please I beg of you let your sponsors know that you dont want him to succed and that you want to support those who support mountain bike and love the sport, not the money, there are enough events out there that his dont need to be attended. More later I have to walkd the dog and get to bed, I have a busy day ahead and then my girlfriend arrives so I need to take care of business, and be rested and ready to pack and get things squared away so that when the time comes i can move on up.

Restaurant blues

I havent really felt like posting much as of late. I should be resting and getting ready for the Trans Rockies with my friend Rich, awaiting the time of our lives. Instead I am here sleeping lots and dealing with rich or the pysudo rich or just those who are willing to put it all on credit cards at work. I work in Incline Village, NV or should I say income village, and most of the people I encounter on a nightly basis think that they are entitled to treat me like an animal, a slave, that they have one up on me, for that matter on the world. They order martinis with specific instructions as to how long it should be shaken, but not to much. Whatever the hot new gin, vodka what have you and why dont you have it. Then there are those that just dont care or know and they order Beefeater gin, I think there is a joke in there somewhere, rot gut, lighter fluid straight up and not chilled, good for the liver. My favorite, or should I say with a sarcastic laugh, our favorite customers are those from the Middle East, they come in and make there own menu, order platers of red onions, lettuce and tomatos with buckets of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and cheese on the side, don't forget the 10 odd whole lemons that they choke down with this and the large bowl of mushrooms. Then when they get the bill they wonder why it costs 50 dollars for said platter. The best thing I saw the other night was a said man with his buckle undone at the table because he had been stuffing so much food in that he had literally expanded. Thanks for the 10% dick.
When it is not the rich it is the less fortunate, those who have to be money consious and still want a view for them it is soup and salad and not to fast because we are here to celebrate a birthday. or one of my favortie Sunday night where the strange and stranger crawl out of the woodwork and land their spaceships in the parking lot, yes in fact you can valet it sir, i have driven quite a few today. Anyways sundays we should just sell Prime Rib and Chicken two of the less expensive entrees becasue that is what most of them want. "How is the Prime rib? "I oftern get asked to which I respond "it is Prime rib."
"well is it good"
" there are much better opitons, the prime rib is large, how hungry are you?"
I would never order Prime Rib while out at a nice restaurant, why because it is filled with fat and is not a high qualtiy meat. Anyways so there it is my life at work in a nut shell, I havent really even cracked the surface, but that is a mere snapshot of what I deal with. You can take the person out the trailer park, but not the trailer park out the person.