Wow what a great holiday season. I am not sure where to begin. I will preface with: I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family and some awesome friends!!!
The holidaze started for me on Tuesday December 23. This was my last day at work until January 5, 2009. Christmas Eve I did a quick mtn bike ride @ Bent Creek came home and helped Diana get ready for all the family coming over for dinner. Diana's parents came over, our 2 kids their 2 dogs and our dog. We had a full house of people and dogs. A true southern Christmas lol,, well not quite, if it had been a true southern Christmas there would have been more dogs than people. After dinner we all sat around talked, told funny stories etc. Clean up was next and while Diana and the kids were cleaning up I made my way to Black Mountain to feed Andy and Cara's cats.
I arrived at their house took out my flashlight let myself in and began to look for a light switch. At this time it occurred to me that it might look a little suspicious, me rumbling around in someones house with a flashlight. To make matters worse I had left my wallet at home and had no form of identification. Luckily none of the neighbors called the sheriff so I did not have to give any law enforcement officials an explanation of why I was there. Sure I could have told them I was there to feed the cats but once they looked at the cats I am not sure if they would believe the cats needed to be fed and therefore would have assumed I was there to pilfer and plumage.
The cats are mmmmmmmm as Cara would say: "big boned". Once the cats were fed and I picked up my present left on the counter I headed home. THANKS FOR THE PRESENT!!
At home the kids had brought out the Monopoly Game and were setting up the money and game pieces getting ready to play. I sat out of the Monopoly game, took care of the dogs and watched some useless TV. I am not sure how long the Monopoly game lasted but I had to call it a night. Lights out for me, off to bed and wait on old Saint Nick. Nathan, Amber, Abbie, Joseph, Pete(dog#1), Oscar (dog#2) and Little Pete (dog #3) all spent Christmas night with us. This was great. Oh yeah I was warned quite sternly not to get anyone up before 8 am!! 8 am??? no one sleeps to 8 am on Christmas morning! You're supposed to be up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought you. Needless to say no one seemed to share my view on this matter so I let everyone sleep until 8 am. While everyone was fast asleep I got up and made breakfast, eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage and coffee. I waited anxiously for 8 am to roll around, finally it was 8 o'clock I yelled for everyone to be out of bed, downstairs ready to eat and open presents. We had a great morning of eating and sharing gifts. The rest of the day was spent going to my families gathering,more eating and talking. The day had been great but man was I tired.
Friday and Saturday of Christmas week was spent mountain biking and enjoying the company of some great friends.This week I have began to work on finishing my garage and hopefully getting it a little more organized. People have been know to get lost in there for days, not that its that big just that there is so much clutter. We shall see how this goes. I have tried to be organized but sometimes I think I may be one of those people that were meant to be disorganized. I will post pics of before and after. I have also got in a couple of road rides this week. These were short 2-2.5 hour rides. Tuesdays ride was great. Some friends came over and we did one of my favorite rides from my house. The ride was short 2 hours but I was tuckered out at the end. The pace was crisp and the weather perfect. After the ride we got to try out my panini press. I have looked at getting one of these for almost a year and was very excited purchasing,using it, and especially sharing with my friends. They thought I was wacky for being so excited over a panini press, although one or 2 of my friends know I am wacky.
BOTTOM LINE:
HOLIDAZE-ARE GREAT
FAMILY -WONDERFUL
FRIENDS-AWESOME
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Pants That Fit
Some of you may find this silly but I am excited to have found some pants that fit.Not only do they fit but they were on sale and I had a coupon for an extra $20 off wooohoooo. I have a difficult time finding a 30w-30inseam pant. Actually a 29w-30i would be perfect but this would be asking wayyyyy to much. Apparently I am disproportionate in that my waist is not larger in circumference than my inseam. Not sure what I would do if I were skinny guess I would have to go around nekkid.
There seems to be plenty of 42-30 46-30 out there but no 29-30 or 30-30, not sure why I posted this other than I find it odd that I have such a diificult time find pants that fit.
Have a good day and keep an eye out for 30-30 pants!
There seems to be plenty of 42-30 46-30 out there but no 29-30 or 30-30, not sure why I posted this other than I find it odd that I have such a diificult time find pants that fit.
Have a good day and keep an eye out for 30-30 pants!
MSG #6 and Dupont Mtn Bike Ride
MSG #6
The last race of the Tennessee MSG series was held Saturday December 14. This is a great series...a huge thanks to Dwayne Letterman and Eric Wondergem for oraganizing and coordinating the series. These guys do a great job setting up a fun and challenging course each week. Thanks for your efforts, they are truly appreciated.
The TCRC gang make this series great!!!
This particular race Chris Young and I car pooled.We left the house @ 8 am and made our way over Sam's Gap and into Tennessee. On the way over we got a call from Jason Morgan asking for directions. Jason had taken a left on 11W when he should have taken a right.We got Jason heading in the right direction and we all arrived at Deer Creek Park and began preparing for the race.The course had quite a bit of elevation change, one set of barriers and a run up. I chose to go with the bike with the double ring in front with hopes spinning up the hills in the small ring and hammering the flats in the 46t.My race went well with Jeff Haase and myself taking turns on the front. The last lap I attacked hard up the paved section at the start finish line in hopes of cracking Jeff. I put 5 secs on him but he closed it back in the flats. I attacked again on another uphill and again put time into Jeff. Jeff countered on the flats and I was unable to hold his wheel. Jeff won by ~ 5secs. In retrospect I may have attacked to soon...oh well a great race. I did end up 2nd in the series which was a surprise since I missed 2 races.
Chris and I hung out at the race all day, cheering heckling and having a good time. We were hoping lady luck would smile on us during the raffle at the end of the race. These guys had some super nice swag ie easton carbon fork, chris king wheelset and all sorts of other goodies.Needless to say no luck in the raffle well almost...I did win a t-shirt. Chris and I collected our stuff and made our way home.
I arrived home @6pm ate dinner then Diana and I made our way to the Warren Haynes Christmas concert. I have been trying to get tickets to this for the last several years. This year he did 2 concerts and we were able to get tickets. The concert was awesome and had a variety of talent. I lasted till 1:30 am and had to call it a night. We got home I was off to bed, it took me a while to get to sleep but eventually I went to sleep but woke up early Sunday morning. Sunday was a lazy day,I guess I am getting to old for those all nighters. I did very little Sunday.It was a good day to do nothing, cold cloudy and damp.
The week was spent working and very little riding. Diana and I did go mtn biking Friday and again on Saturday. The pictures are of our ride Saturday at Dupont State Forest. I did really well picking the route. I only got one grumpy look the entire ride. This may be a record for me.After the ride we went to the Hob Nob for lunch. This restaurant is located in Brevard and has excellent burgers. Once our bellies were full we headed home, oh we did go by the movie store and rent a movie to watch.
Once home we just vegged out. Watched the movie petted the cat and dog and did nothing.
I hope everyone has a great week and a Merry Christmas.
And now for the fine print:
I have 2 checks from MSG, if not claimed within 30 days d-dub gets to keep.
photo id will be required to pick up
The last race of the Tennessee MSG series was held Saturday December 14. This is a great series...a huge thanks to Dwayne Letterman and Eric Wondergem for oraganizing and coordinating the series. These guys do a great job setting up a fun and challenging course each week. Thanks for your efforts, they are truly appreciated.
The TCRC gang make this series great!!!
This particular race Chris Young and I car pooled.We left the house @ 8 am and made our way over Sam's Gap and into Tennessee. On the way over we got a call from Jason Morgan asking for directions. Jason had taken a left on 11W when he should have taken a right.We got Jason heading in the right direction and we all arrived at Deer Creek Park and began preparing for the race.The course had quite a bit of elevation change, one set of barriers and a run up. I chose to go with the bike with the double ring in front with hopes spinning up the hills in the small ring and hammering the flats in the 46t.My race went well with Jeff Haase and myself taking turns on the front. The last lap I attacked hard up the paved section at the start finish line in hopes of cracking Jeff. I put 5 secs on him but he closed it back in the flats. I attacked again on another uphill and again put time into Jeff. Jeff countered on the flats and I was unable to hold his wheel. Jeff won by ~ 5secs. In retrospect I may have attacked to soon...oh well a great race. I did end up 2nd in the series which was a surprise since I missed 2 races.
Chris and I hung out at the race all day, cheering heckling and having a good time. We were hoping lady luck would smile on us during the raffle at the end of the race. These guys had some super nice swag ie easton carbon fork, chris king wheelset and all sorts of other goodies.Needless to say no luck in the raffle well almost...I did win a t-shirt. Chris and I collected our stuff and made our way home.
I arrived home @6pm ate dinner then Diana and I made our way to the Warren Haynes Christmas concert. I have been trying to get tickets to this for the last several years. This year he did 2 concerts and we were able to get tickets. The concert was awesome and had a variety of talent. I lasted till 1:30 am and had to call it a night. We got home I was off to bed, it took me a while to get to sleep but eventually I went to sleep but woke up early Sunday morning. Sunday was a lazy day,I guess I am getting to old for those all nighters. I did very little Sunday.It was a good day to do nothing, cold cloudy and damp.
The week was spent working and very little riding. Diana and I did go mtn biking Friday and again on Saturday. The pictures are of our ride Saturday at Dupont State Forest. I did really well picking the route. I only got one grumpy look the entire ride. This may be a record for me.After the ride we went to the Hob Nob for lunch. This restaurant is located in Brevard and has excellent burgers. Once our bellies were full we headed home, oh we did go by the movie store and rent a movie to watch.
Once home we just vegged out. Watched the movie petted the cat and dog and did nothing.
I hope everyone has a great week and a Merry Christmas.
And now for the fine print:
I have 2 checks from MSG, if not claimed within 30 days d-dub gets to keep.
photo id will be required to pick up
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
shelves
Almost forgot:
the shelves are almost done. I have put a primer coat on and installed the crown and base board molding.next step decide on final color and install some more trim.
the shelves are almost done. I have put a primer coat on and installed the crown and base board molding.next step decide on final color and install some more trim.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Good Day/Bad Day
This past week was spent trying to motivate my self to get out and ride. I have purchased all the necessary paraphernalia to ride in the dark and cold but for some reason my body wants to go home and sit in front of the fireplace eat soup and a grilled cheese and read magazines or watch useless TV programs. Needless to say I am having a bit of a problem with motivating myself to train. Perhaps I need a rest from training and need to just ride the bike have fun no goals etc.
In retrospect this year has been great:
· I participated in numerous mountain bike events and won the overall SERC series in my age group. The cyclocross season has been fun. I did not attempt to win an overall series, instead I chose to travel to some races outside of the area and race some different venues. I have had some first place finishes in the cross races and these are always welcome.
· Diana and I purchased a tandem earlier this and it has been awesome. We have done several organized rides and have ridden it at least 1/week , well until the time changed. Needless to say we have had a great time riding the tandem.
· Amber our daughter is engaged
· I did attempt to grow a garden and it was a disaster. I was banned from the garden center at several stores for fear I would kill the plants.
· I raced my SS cross bike and consistently beat Cara. I chose not to do the last race and spare her the humility of being “seniored” (def. being beaten by an AARP member) before nationals. I thought being beaten by an AARP cardholder a week before could have an adverse effect on her performance at the US cyclocross nationals. I can just hear the whispers as she lines up with the other racers…hey there’s that girl that got beat by the old guy!! You can imagine what that would do to her psyche.
Goals for next year:
I have loosely set some goals for next year nothing definite yet…well except for Amber’s wedding. That is going to be exciting. Nothing definite…not quite true as I have registered for Southern Cross and plan on doing the Snake Creek Gap series. I do plan on doing some mountain bike races but I may not focus on an overall series win. I would like to spend more time in the garden (don’t laugh).I am sure the Gardening centers will have forgotten about my disastrous results from this year and allow me to purchase plants, seeds etc. I will need to automate my irrigation system, build some frames and I may buy a small tiller. I thought about chickens but Diana said a definite no to chickens and any other farm animals. She may have a point, based on my results with plants. Dead plants are easy to get rid of, a dead cow on the other hand may be a problem, may not be a bad idea for me to stick with plants and see if I can get them to live before I branch out into livestock.
Oh yeah back to my post- Good Day/ Bad Day:
I got a call Friday afternoon from Jess, Cara’s friend asking if I would like to car pool to the x-race in Bristol on Saturday, I said sure since our races were relative close and I always have room for another person. Jess’s husband dropped her off at the house Saturday morning and we loaded up the truck and made our way to Tennessee. It was nice to have someone to ride over with and to chat with. Hairry and I travel quite a bit together but with Hairry the conversation is usually one sided…although I think I may have heard some uttering’s from him on occasion or perhaps it may have been voices in my head. Like I said Hairry doesn’t talk much but man he farts a lot when it is just the two of us.
Anyway back to the trip, Jess and I made small talk on the way over talked about our family, jobs etc. She asked where I worked how I got into racing cross etc. I wanted to tell her that I started racing cross while doing 15-20 years in the State Pen but I was not sure if she would see the humor in this and I did not want to get maced before my cross race. Some of you may find this odd but I have noticed a lot of people do not share my same sense of humor…interesting.
We made it to the venue and did the usual prerace ritual, registration getting dressed pinning numbers etc. Jess had a good race and finished 2nd. This was her first cross race since moving here from Boston. I was up next and was not sure how I would do following my week of feeling puny. The race started and instead of going to the front I sat 3rd wheel for the 1st lap. I had not pre ridden the course and decided to follow and learn versus going out and making a mistake, which would have cost me time. 2nd lap I went to the front and attacked the course. I shed one of the 3 but Jeff stayed on my wheel. I was unable to crack him. I did put some time on Jeff over the barriers but I bobbled the remount and lost all the time I gained. With 3 to go we came around to a short steep incline which none of us could ride. I would always dab at the top push the bike re-clip. This time Jeff was right on my wheel, when I dabbed at the top he was on the steep part of the hill and had to come to a complete stop. In doing so he fell over lost his chain, hearing the metallic sound and someone say sh_t means one thing ATTACK!!! I went as hard as I could and put 30 secs on him. I was able to maintain this gap and won the race.
After finishing I went and got into the truck cranked the engine and turned the heater full on. Eventually I was unthawed and able to change my clothes. Working zippers, buttons etc is next to impossible with frozen fingers. While waiting for the results and to collect my swag I went to watch the women’s cat 1,2,3 race. Cara dominated the race and came away with the win. I am sure part of her fitness can be attributed to her trying to kick my butt in the SS races. This was a good day!
Next up Salisbury. This race was a total disaster. It was probably my lack of focus as I had seriously considered staying home and doing a long mtn bike ride. Based on my performance I should have stayed home period. Not only should I have stayed home I probably should have stayed at home and stayed in bed!!! I will not go into the details but it was my worse race ever…oh well there’s always another race. This was definitely a bad day!
I made my way home, Diana and I went to the grocery store and bought the stuff to make chili. I made a pot of chili had a glass of milk, sat in front of the TV and became a vegetable. One more cross race in Tennessee and that’s it for cross season!
In retrospect this year has been great:
· I participated in numerous mountain bike events and won the overall SERC series in my age group. The cyclocross season has been fun. I did not attempt to win an overall series, instead I chose to travel to some races outside of the area and race some different venues. I have had some first place finishes in the cross races and these are always welcome.
· Diana and I purchased a tandem earlier this and it has been awesome. We have done several organized rides and have ridden it at least 1/week , well until the time changed. Needless to say we have had a great time riding the tandem.
· Amber our daughter is engaged
· I did attempt to grow a garden and it was a disaster. I was banned from the garden center at several stores for fear I would kill the plants.
· I raced my SS cross bike and consistently beat Cara. I chose not to do the last race and spare her the humility of being “seniored” (def. being beaten by an AARP member) before nationals. I thought being beaten by an AARP cardholder a week before could have an adverse effect on her performance at the US cyclocross nationals. I can just hear the whispers as she lines up with the other racers…hey there’s that girl that got beat by the old guy!! You can imagine what that would do to her psyche.
Goals for next year:
I have loosely set some goals for next year nothing definite yet…well except for Amber’s wedding. That is going to be exciting. Nothing definite…not quite true as I have registered for Southern Cross and plan on doing the Snake Creek Gap series. I do plan on doing some mountain bike races but I may not focus on an overall series win. I would like to spend more time in the garden (don’t laugh).I am sure the Gardening centers will have forgotten about my disastrous results from this year and allow me to purchase plants, seeds etc. I will need to automate my irrigation system, build some frames and I may buy a small tiller. I thought about chickens but Diana said a definite no to chickens and any other farm animals. She may have a point, based on my results with plants. Dead plants are easy to get rid of, a dead cow on the other hand may be a problem, may not be a bad idea for me to stick with plants and see if I can get them to live before I branch out into livestock.
Oh yeah back to my post- Good Day/ Bad Day:
I got a call Friday afternoon from Jess, Cara’s friend asking if I would like to car pool to the x-race in Bristol on Saturday, I said sure since our races were relative close and I always have room for another person. Jess’s husband dropped her off at the house Saturday morning and we loaded up the truck and made our way to Tennessee. It was nice to have someone to ride over with and to chat with. Hairry and I travel quite a bit together but with Hairry the conversation is usually one sided…although I think I may have heard some uttering’s from him on occasion or perhaps it may have been voices in my head. Like I said Hairry doesn’t talk much but man he farts a lot when it is just the two of us.
Anyway back to the trip, Jess and I made small talk on the way over talked about our family, jobs etc. She asked where I worked how I got into racing cross etc. I wanted to tell her that I started racing cross while doing 15-20 years in the State Pen but I was not sure if she would see the humor in this and I did not want to get maced before my cross race. Some of you may find this odd but I have noticed a lot of people do not share my same sense of humor…interesting.
We made it to the venue and did the usual prerace ritual, registration getting dressed pinning numbers etc. Jess had a good race and finished 2nd. This was her first cross race since moving here from Boston. I was up next and was not sure how I would do following my week of feeling puny. The race started and instead of going to the front I sat 3rd wheel for the 1st lap. I had not pre ridden the course and decided to follow and learn versus going out and making a mistake, which would have cost me time. 2nd lap I went to the front and attacked the course. I shed one of the 3 but Jeff stayed on my wheel. I was unable to crack him. I did put some time on Jeff over the barriers but I bobbled the remount and lost all the time I gained. With 3 to go we came around to a short steep incline which none of us could ride. I would always dab at the top push the bike re-clip. This time Jeff was right on my wheel, when I dabbed at the top he was on the steep part of the hill and had to come to a complete stop. In doing so he fell over lost his chain, hearing the metallic sound and someone say sh_t means one thing ATTACK!!! I went as hard as I could and put 30 secs on him. I was able to maintain this gap and won the race.
After finishing I went and got into the truck cranked the engine and turned the heater full on. Eventually I was unthawed and able to change my clothes. Working zippers, buttons etc is next to impossible with frozen fingers. While waiting for the results and to collect my swag I went to watch the women’s cat 1,2,3 race. Cara dominated the race and came away with the win. I am sure part of her fitness can be attributed to her trying to kick my butt in the SS races. This was a good day!
Next up Salisbury. This race was a total disaster. It was probably my lack of focus as I had seriously considered staying home and doing a long mtn bike ride. Based on my performance I should have stayed home period. Not only should I have stayed home I probably should have stayed at home and stayed in bed!!! I will not go into the details but it was my worse race ever…oh well there’s always another race. This was definitely a bad day!
I made my way home, Diana and I went to the grocery store and bought the stuff to make chili. I made a pot of chili had a glass of milk, sat in front of the TV and became a vegetable. One more cross race in Tennessee and that’s it for cross season!
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