big bike back

Today was the first day with my regular Dahon. One big difference is that the seat is much kinder to my butt & crotch as I think the seat of the small one was made of samsonite. One advantage to the little one, however, was the gears. That was nice. Oh, well, I think I'd rather have the bigger wheels. I move equally fast on both of them, though.

I did ride on Friday also, but didn't have time to document anything.

Today there was one interesting development: this was the first time I saw the traffic light on 31st between 7th & 8th. Not sure if it was completely necessary or even a smart move but what the heck?

It rained too hard yesterday morning for me to act on it and though the weather channel was sure of rain, I rolled the dice and won as there was barely a drop this morning and nothing at all on the way back.

I'm reading This Side of Paradise, which was F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel. It's okay so far, but if I ever met most of his characters I'm quite sure I'd beat the shit out of them. Of course, they were all aristocrats (or wannabes) so odds are I wouldn't have met them anyway. I will have more insightful things to think about tomorrow.

Thank you for reading.

Blessed Hellride Home

I'm still moving quite fast and I'm not as sore as I was yesterday (due to the boxing class) but I have a feeling I'll be sore tomorrow.

On the way back, b/w 22 & 23rd Street some dumb meat-head -- who saw the major oncoming traffic -- decided to run head-first into the street. Tank top and no brains. I am glad he's alive but it would've been justified if his foot had been run over.

How can anyone justify that level of stupidity?

My wife worked hard today and I'll buy her some flowers.

Thank you for reading.

Blessed Hellride

Nothing terribly fascinating on the road today though the weather is beautiful. Stopped at the median next to a hardcore bike-riding dude who was sponsored to the gills by some organic food company.

I'm listening to the first tracks off Black Label Society's Blessed Hellride. Nothing terribly deep happening on that front either -- I love the music. I'd love the first song if it weren't called "Stoned & Drunk." I feel same way about that as I do about Pantera when they sing about that. If I ever write another song it will not be about booze as there is plenty more to life than drugs & alcohol. If you don't start it, then you don't need to write songs about kicking the habit, neither.

Still a little sore from Tuesday and today we'll see if I have what it takes again in the boxing class. I'll make it a point to hydrate myself properly this time.

I was reading Punisher War Journal today (new one, vol 2, where he has a Captain America-like suit). The logo was cool.

Slept better today and there's a turkey sandwich waiting for me as a reward when I'm still standing after the class.

Thank you for reading.

Jimi on the Highway

I've got no caffeine in my system, and had Wheaties "Fuel" for breakfast. I'm extremely sore and tired today. That boxing class yesterday tore me up. I can't wait to do it again Thursday. I am waiting too long at the WSH light and another mistake I won't replicate is to look at the traffic. There's debris blowing in the wind and I'm not about to wear goggles so there you have it.

I am halfway through "Reach Down" by Temple of the Dog. I never paid much attention to this song as a kid but now I can't get enough of it. When I'm tired, this is a song to pull me back up -- just a long, heavy blues song.

I don't want anything too loud or angry -- actually I'm in a pretty clear mode because we made a strategic house-hunting move last nite (didn't bid) and though I didn't sleep much, I slept well. I realized I haven't listened to Jimi in a little while and decided to break out South Saturn Delta, which was a gift I rec'd on a Christmas sometime between 1999-2003.

The songs on the list are:
"Here He Comes" - The solo actually means something on top of being long and interesting.
"South Saturn Delta" - Funky, jazzy, rock-like tune. Instrumental. Had so many instrumentalists they couldn't list them all because they don't remember them all.
"Power of Soul" - Here's a great, "would've been a hit" song had he lived long enough to work out the kinks (of which there aren't many). The song just needs to be edited a little and the lyrics a little more concise. The first minute or two is all masterful guitar groove with him just humming over it. But the producer and engineer did a fine job of making his voice hover in this one -- it becomes almost spiritual or meditative. I know George Clinton covered this, I'd like to hear that.
"Message of Love" - This song has that hook that is used in RHCP's "Deep Kick." I new it sounded familiar even then, and the reason was b/c this song was originally on Jimi's Voodoo Soup, which some asshole in Kinder Ring stole from me in my first or second summer there. Why didn't they put locks on the doors of bunks that were gone for the day? I think the kid's name was Adam Green and if you see him, kick him in the shins because he also took Black Crowes' Amorica and Pink Floyd's Pulse. I re-purchased the former and will one day do the same for the latter.

I made it here in 22 minutes.

Thank you for reading.

Roundtrip #300

Today is a red-letter day for me in terms of fitness and goals. It was 2 years ago when my employer moved down here when I vowed to make it work for me, somehow. I already had the tools and I just needed to reach down and let out the intensity and determination. I don't feel that I'm any better than anyone other than my former self. This is all about the internal struggle. Every day that I ride is a day further from the 180-pound waste of space on my parents' couch during freshman winter break. I am glad my brother has proof in the form of a photo and has circulated it because it shows how hard I've worked to divorce myself from that lifestyle. It's a blessing and a curse because I'm ready to move on to better opportunities and hopefully they'll be a little closer to Penn (or home).

Tunes from Van Halen's Balance start me on the ride today. I'm glad I never sold this because thanks to Chickenfoot, I enjoy Sammy's wailing again. "Amsterdam," and "Big Fat Money" were the choice picks. I always loved the riff of the former, however, I can see how Eddie wanted more meaningful lyrics. I don't need songs about booze they run dry pretty quickly. You'll almost never see me go wild at a concert for a song about alcohol, and I'd be largely disgusted with myself if I did. Then the Best of Volume I kicks off with "Runnin' With the Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love." Best of both worlds, eh? I sing "Runnin's" chorus aloud at the WFCs and crossing Albany Street in a Pat Boone-type voice. I wonder if anyone who passed me had the song stuck in their heads today.

I'm still moving quite fast. I feel good -- my right side, which had been bothering me a little is not an issue anymore and I can attribute that to rest and some changes in my ergonomics. I have a non-contact boxing class today that should be a good workout.

I don't think I can pull out another 50 round trips by the year's end. Between weekends, holidays, forced time off, after-work events and weather concerns, I'd really be pushing it. Possible, but unlikely.

Ultimately, the 300 trips equal at least 2,100 miles and $1,200 saved (based on a $4 a day habit, the fare increase of '09 and the absence of an unlimited monthly notwithstanding. If you factored those in, I estimate that it may be at least $1,400 to start with.) I'm happier with the money, the experience, the confidence and the mileage. The riding put me in the frame -- physically and mentally -- to prepare for the triathlon, which was yet another milestone. It's not like I had to first lose a ton of weight to get in shape for that -- it was more about the pacing than anything else. This keeps me in check. I can see and feel the difference when I do not ride for more than a few days.

I could go on and start to sound like a braggart. I'm proud of the accomplishment because no one put me up to it and I am not underground on the 2/3 train. But I am not special (and I promise I remind myself of this aloud many times a day) -- anyone could do this. Spend a few hundred bucks for the bike and some quick modifications and do it. The day that my physical health is no longer a concern is the day I have thrown in the towel. I don't want that sagging gut that a lot of guys with sedentary lifestyles have. I'm happier working harder to keep it off than to relax and let it happen. There will be other events like the TOBAY that need to be completed for a sense of self-satisfaction. Those are fleeting feelings, too, and I want more than that. I wish I could make a living doing this.

I expected the ride home to be tougher because that boxing class was a killer, but I had an earlier train to catch for an important appointment and hustled (and I drank half a box of coffee) -- I'm not sure that I stopped at too many lights. It all happened so fast. At Canal Street a police funeral procession was about to begin as I passed by.

Today was round trip #300 but tomorrow is slated to be #301. I'll keep doing this as long as I'm down here (and beyond, though who's to say the benefits will be as great?).

Thank you for reading.

Riding Taylor's Coattails

Today started from RVC station, which I rode to in about 10 (maybe less) minutes. I've corrected and isolated whatever issues I thought I was having with the 2nd gear. There are no issues b/c I was in between gears. Optimistically I won't have my bike back until the end of this week.

This 7 days have caused me to look sluggish and I'm losing some definition so I'll..um, re-define myself.

I'm listening to Red Light Fever by Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders. I got this when it came out in April and it is really good -- much much better than their debut album.

At the end of the opening track, "Not Bad Luck," the final lyrics, are truly a concluding statement and something of a warning, "Don't believe the writing on the wall" and then the music sort of spins out of control. I think he did that for dramatic purposes. He uses a lot of old sayings and cliches but there's a usually a twist to it. I can't stand cliches as song lyrics most times.

I'm moving swiftly, so though I don't look as good as normal, I'm still in good enough shape to pass folks who are on bikes with tires 3x the size of mine.

Fasting this weekend wasn't terrible in terms of hunger but the headache was rough there at about 1:30. I won't have to endure it again for another 363 days.

Thank you for reading.

sept 16th night/sept 17th morning

Sept 16th ride home -- infamous rainy night --

Stepping outside literally a few minutes before 5:30, a guy is admiring the bike and I look up and ask if that was lightning we just saw.

"I don't know, I was looking at your bike."

A half-second later, I knew it'd rain in a matter of minutes. But that normally doesn't deter me because I've beaten the rain before in terms of getting to Penn dry (or mostly dry). That didn't happen this time. Had I left 5 minutes earlier, I would've been mostly dry entering Penn. But I rode it out, pedaling as hard as I could in the third gear and was doing pretty well. So well, in fact, that by the IFC theater at W. 4th Street, I thought I could pull it off. It's invigorating to look uptown from street level just before a storm breaks -- the lightning off in the distance aesthetically blocked off by the skyscrapers is quite nice. If only I wasn't 66% water and riding an aluminum bicycle I would've stopped to bask in it.

But about 10-14 blocks later, the party was over and I was drenched. Somewhere before 20th Street I had to pull off the road and run the bike via 6th Avenue sidewalks. My shoes kept untying themselves and my sneakers were saturated. I had enough time to make it on foot and I knew I was licked, which boosted my confidence. Once I hit 31st Street I hopped back on the bike because there weren't that many cars. Approaching 7th Ave. corner, however, I saw that the water wasn't draining very well and hopped back off and made my way downstairs. I entertained the notion of jumping on the very first train I could and just changing at Jamaica. I probably should have done that -- it's impulsive but under the circumstances I just wanted to get home -- but I didn't and decided to wait the 5 minutes for my train to be called. But it never did and the rest is a bunch of regretful history.

Morning - Sept 17th

The only good to come from yesterday's stomachache was that much of my lunch is still in the office fridge, so I didn't need to brown bag it, and decided to bring a small folded shirt and my still-wet copy of Into The Wild in a plastic bag and let it dangle off the handlebar. I'm wearing a thin, long-sleeve cotton green shirt (which I wore to sleep) and my damp shorts and love the feeling that I have forgotten something when in fact, I've intentionally left my backpack at home. I'm sweating much less and the ride is mostly pleasant. I'm listening to Audioslave's Revelations from the start. I found out that my bike will take another week to fix up since the part is so rare it needs to be ordered -- that means my 300th trip will be on Bob's bike. I have no real problem with that but there's some sentimentality to the event. But then again, it's just another day and another round-trip.

I'm halfway through the book and it's quite gripping. Part of me wishes I could do what McCandless did, without the dying of starvation part.

Today I'll be sans coffee for the first time in a while and we'll see how that works out for me today, and more importantly, tomorrow. I'll allow myself a second cup of regular tea today and then that's it. I wonder if I've been less fun this past week because of the gradual fade of the java in my system. I'm waking up more easily, that's for sure.

The roads are slightly glazed but otherwise you'd never know that there was a tornado not 20 miles from here.

Since the day after Labor Day, I'm 8-for-9 with the bike. I haven't worked out this week but that's okay, I'll make up for it next week.

Thank you for reading.

yesterday & today & Didjits

Sept 15 --
Both trips yesterday were largely uneventful. In the morning there was a mother-son combo taking photos of Ground Zero near a loading dock checkpoint at the Deloitte building. (A) they were standing in a terrible spot as that's the only spot for joggers, cyclists, pedestrians, and runnists (that's right, I made up another pricelarious word) to pass through; (B) as far as I'm concerned they are being disrespectful. So I stopped and stood right in front of both of them. I hope I was a major disturbance and that their photos came out lousily.

Playlist:
Soundgarden: "My Wave" and "Superunknown"
Airbourne: "Born To Kill"
Living Colour: "New Jack Theme"
Biohazard: "Pride"

On the ride home the 2nd gear was giving me some problems so I was forced to ride in the 3rd gear to keep the chain in line -- this is the gear that has the most resistance. That was acceptable since I had extra time as I was making a later train than usual. Still I was not moving very quickly and it alarmed me.

Sept 16 (morning) --

I'm moving pretty quickly today. My stomach was giving me problems this morning and I think I'm moving faster today because I'm lighter thanks to about an hour of evacuation rituals this morning. Second gear is fine once again I think I was just pedaling with too much force yesterday evening. I am once again waking up way before my alarm and even Gilly's alarm, so who knows how I'll fare today.

I'm about 40 pgs deep into Into The Wild by John Krakauer. Fascinating read, thus far. Chris aka Alex reminds me of an old friend who is unfortunately a friend now only in "facebook" theory, and on a deeper level I can relate to Alex now. The longing for some sort of transcendence is a pretty universal theme and this guy went for it, too bad he didn't make it out alive. I'm not ruining the book with this knowledge as it's detailed on the cover that he's dead. I don't know if I could hack it being a nomad, vagabond, call it what you will. I will have more to say about the book as the next few days progress, as it's only about 200 pages.

I didn't have to wait very long at the Highway intersection and a Postal trucker of Asian descent saw me making the left and let me dart out ahead of him. I waved back to him once on the highway as a thank-you and he seemed genuinely concerned for me.

I decided to play the Didjits' final album, Que Sirhan Sirhan for the duration of the ride since it cannot be more than 28 minutes. This was my favorite of their albums, though I only owned one other which I sold to a used record store. On this one, however, the sound quality is light years beyond Hornet Pinata and it's faster, heavier and more fun.

So the story behind this album:

When I was about 14, I became a fan of the Supersuckers and the first album I bought of their's was Sacrilicious Sounds of the Supersuckers. Their lead guitarist at the time was Rick Sims. That partnership, while artistically successful, was a one-shot deal. Sims did sing on one track and had backing vocal duties on a lot of songs. Upon learning he had left a previous band, the Didjits, I picked up the two aforementioned albums under the radar of my parents, who at th time were slightly dismayed at the amount of money I was shelling out for music. (To this day, not a whole hell of a lot has changed, though I'm far more cost-conscious and with the advent of the internet, I get much better deals.)

Que Sirhan Sirhan has a tranquilized pig floating in clouds on its cover and the insert is a single fold but contains every lyric. These songs are all just fast, fun, furious and all about rocking out, girls, booze, energy and "Get Smart." The opening track is "Agent 99" which, at the time, I didn't realize was a nod to the old television show. I was 14, and only knew "Beavis & Butt-Head" and "Married With Children."

The guitar work is the draw of the album, as it's pretty complex for garage/punk and more than once he makes sounds similar to a chainsaw. While Sims' voice is a falsetto acquired taste, he at least hits his notes. I remember my old best friend, with whom I fronted a garage trio, hated Sims' voice, which was funny because I always thought they sounded similar.

Fast forward to post-college and the CD was in a green carry-pack, which I thought I'd left & lost at my gym. I'd scoured my room to no avail. About a year after I abandoned the search, I looked in the same spot (under the pull-out drawer on the right side of my computer desk) and behold, the green carry-pack, with all contents accounted for. I immediately took the CD to work, burned it, loaded it to ITunes and then kept the disc in the car for short drives, where it has mostly remained. I figure if I ever lose the CD again, it'd be alright, as I now have it preserved digitally (didjitally) in a couple of places.

It's a good rock CD and perfect for my bike rides. Though the songs are adult-themed, the music itself brings me back to a time when the worst thing I could do was buy a CD from The Wall, and when Fridays meant jamming in my drummer's basement. Que Sirhan Sirhan hey, whatever, man.

Thank you for reading.

ride home

I'm not pushing as hard as I once thought I needed to. Not sure if it's b/c I leave myself an extra couple of minutes or because I made nearly every light today. I'll conserve a lot of that for the winter (I know I'm repeating myself -- sorry).

One interesting thing did happen at the very end of the ride back.

At the corner of 31st St. & 7th Ave., possibly one of the busiest intersections in the world, a cop car hit a van's back passenger side. It was a loud BANG and then you heard all the air hissing its way out of the rear tire. This happened, in my opinion, because pedestrians cross as the westbound traffic light turns but if there's no car immediately coming toward them they'll keep walking. I know every NY pedestrian is more important than the next -- I mean, why else would they be getting those uber-important calls and texts? -- but they seem to think they are indestructible and they are not. Their bones will break just as easily as the next uber-important pedestrian who will step over them just to get to MSG, or the NJT, or the LIRR or the subway. I mention all this because the van in question was making a right into this tiny passageway and probably stopped short because of the aforementioned pedestrian-ism and that's why the poor van driver's day is completely decimated. It really wasn't his fault and the cop should've used a little better judgment.

Today was round-trip #295.

Thank you for reading.

day 5 of little bike

Another nice morning.

"Fresh Tendrils" by Soundgarden starts me westbound. I used to be all about making lights and things like that but I realize that mindset doesn't kick in until Thanksgiving time when it's colder in the morning. Still I hate just waiting at the median for all the southbound cars to move -- each time they slow down just enough and I think I can dart across, they pick up again. (Velvet Revolver - She Mine)

There is something about the way I have to sit on the train that is screwing up my ergonomics, as I've felt some tenderness on my lower right side. I was very graciously given a pristine copy of In The Wild which I'll start reading soon, but I am writing an essay to be submitted to MH and I need to get it done, so that's what I was working on during the ride. It's about the triathlon.

The seat on this bike is very hard and it's like getting a prostate exam if I accidentally ride over a pothole or bump. (Diamond in the Rough - Airbourne)

This is day 2 of my caffeine phase-out. I passed out at around 9:30 last nite and would've stayed asleep... I'm certainly less twitchy today & I woke up much easier. (Thunder Kiss '65 - White Zombie) I will work out tonite as I've already written out what the routine will be. (A Small Victory - Faith No More)

I've got an empty head though I think about an article that suggests that humans have biophilia and we yearn to get outdoors, and I'm proudly among those statistics. I know I have time off coming to me and believe me I won't be indoors the whole time. (Get Out The Door - VR) Libertad really did rock, too bad things didn't last for the supergroup. I liked Audioslave better but they were almost as good.

Thank you for reading.

day 3 & 4 of little bike

I'm pretty fortunate to have the little bike, else I'd have spent money on the subway which I like to avoid.

Friday was pretty uneventful, save for the additional tourists and blocked-off streets due to the (then-looming) 9/11 anniversary. It's a madhouse down here on that date so I am glad it fell on a Saturday this year. As it turns out, I cried while watching the first half of the ceremony. I haven't ever cried over it but this year there was something very profound about it -- the time lapse and that I can never know what those people's grief is like overcame me and I lost it a couple of times in the privacy of my apartment Sat morning. I wonder if people are "holding out" for next year, on the tenth anniversary, which is just a weird thing to do. Doesn't matter how many years, it's that it's another year. If a 12-year-old kid lost a parent on that day, he/she is now 21. I don't know how that thought really occurred to me, but it was an original thought and I think that's what did me in.

This morning, I had some fresh music to ride to and though the morning started in a dull gray it was nice and sunny by the time I platformed. ("1970" - Monster Magnet)

I am pretty well-rested as I haven't exercised at all since Saturday at noon. This is a rarity and I am not Henry Rollins. Once or twice a month is an acceptable length to not exercise. I ate a lot last week and it was delicious of course but this week is going to be tough as I attempt to ween myself off coffee and ultimately, caffeine, by Friday. I'm doing all this so that Saturday's fast won't be so tough. Last year was rough toward the end because there'd been a dramatic weight loss between Sept 08 & 09 but this year I'm the similar weight.

"Where You Come From" by Pantera is a song I specifically chose for this ride as it's a new one for me. I am a fan but mostly of Vulgar Display and Reinventing the Steel -- I like the other ones, esp the first 4 tracks off Far Beyond Driven but have never given Cowboys a full listen and I don't particularly care for TGSTK, though a couple of tracks are badass. This particular song, though, sounds like it didn't make the cut from the TGSTK though I think it's better than 90% of what made it on there. I love the riff but the lyrics are so-so. When Pantera's all about power, inner strength and longevity, I'm with them completely, sometimes even moreso than Rollins. But when they're all about drugs and booze and seem to lose their focus, I'm not with them at all. That's why Rollins prevails.

"Live For The Moment" by Monster Magnet comes on about halfway down the highway. I'm moving faster than most people on full-size bikes. I don't know if it's because I'm in better shape than they are, because I'm accustomed to the ride, or to the inverse of those ideas for them. Either way I did hit a couple of the very few lights where there are inlets for the Sanitation Dept., which makes everything tougher with the stop-and-go nonsense. I love this song, I know I had heard it once or twice before but I was able to download it free off MM's updated web site. Last week I was able to download (legally, and for free) more than an album's worth of B-Sides, remixes and covers. This song is every bit as good as "Space Lord" and possibly better.

"Funeral Bell" by Black Label Society is next as I'm pushing past Chambers Street and creeping in to the WFCs. I like Zakk Wylde as much as the next guy but he likes his wammy bar more than the next guy and after a while it's distracting. He's not a great singer, either, which is probably why I didn't love Pride & Glory, though I regret selling it years ago. This is good for a rock workout though, where I'm energetic but not in a Biohazard-feening craze.

"Who Made Who" (live) by AC / DC is just too good. By the final verse you are just there with them on the journey and it's a good morning. Their live album is one of the first CDs I ever bought (through a mail-order club) so I've had it 16 years. It's wrong to dislike AC / DC.

I'll try to make today a better day than most of the past few weeks. I left my lunch home so I'll agonize over what to do.

Thank you for reading.

Day 2 of Little bike.

Day 2 on the smaller bike. I'm a little tired (and somewhat parched) already b/c I had to book it over to RVC which is the best morning train as it only has 2 stops. That train leaves 15 minutes later than the 818 Oside and comes in maybe a few minutes later. (Monster Magnet - "Solid Gold")

The brakes are the only thing keeping me cautious but that's okay I'm not pushing hard to get to work. I have plenty of calories to burn thanks to Rosh Hashana's festivities and yesterday's sedentariness (is that a word?).

Yesterday was the first day since late-July that I didn't ride to work and wouldn't you know it, I slept on the bus ride to Sheepshead Bay -- no headphones, just gold ol' fashioned weariness.

I was supposed to start reading another novel but I'm finding good tips in the last two MHs and I'd like to finish up an essay for one of their contests so I want to keep the fitness on my mind.

As "Readymade" comes on I am of course reminded of May 9, 2006 which is a focal point for my life. The only song I'd heard prior to buying Stadium Arcadium was "Dani California" so when I heard this song, I was just happy to hear that more than one song rocked for real. The riff is reminiscent of Jane's' "Mountain Song" but not nearly as heavy. This is more "high-quality garage band" than "high-quality studio." I remember being in my old room and hearing this and banging my head in the air anticipating my date with Liz and my set at the Comic Strip.

Trying to get used to the seat -- not loving it but I am fortunate to have one. (Jane's Addiction - "Had a Dad" and "To Match the Sun") It's getting windier which doesn't phase me but if it's going to keep up I'd like bigger wheels. If it's going to cost and arm and a leg to fix the bike I may just get a newer, better one. I've pumped enough dough in to this one and though I love it I'd rather take the money and effort and parlay that into a better one. We'll see.

I'm moving pretty quickly past Pier 40 and am nearing Chambers and I keep looking at my watch like it's going to make a difference. "To Match the Sun" is a great tune -- I've written of my affinity for Strays before but it's worth repeating. I was a little bummed that there were only 11 tracks but all of them are good and only 1 doesn't "rock." I think it's an appropriate song for summer's finale and there's some bittersweetness to it that I can identify with, as this was obviously the most monumental of summers and it's blending into mid-September nicely.

At the WFC there was one guy with a hi-tech camera shooting Ground Zero and I stopped in front of him but he'd already gotten his picture in. I really want to ruin someone's pictures w/o touching a camera.

(Monster Magnet - "Slap in the Face") I made the light at Albany Street, to my surprise -- I hustled to make up for some of the time I lost waiting to cross the Highway earlier.

I have to bring the bike in again as it may rain and I forgot to bring the smaller lock. No biggee. I'm anticipating the ride home to see if Tuesday's time was a fluke.

Thank you for reading.

Thurs/Fri/Tues

I did ride on Thurs & Fri round-trip. As I recall, both days were run-of-the-mill in the sense of excitement. The problem arose Friday as I was folding the bike when I snapped the screw near the handlebar and now I am riding my father-in-law's loaner. I was uncertain at first that it would ride very well but it does, and though the wheels are smaller than I'm accustomed to, that there are gears seem to compensate.

It was an atypical morning anyway, as I was had to change trains and I did stop off to use the bathroom at the Piers so it's tough to say exactly how long the ride would've been. I'm more concerned about the ride home, not so much for safety but for speed, since that's when I really have to fight the hourglass. I'll leave a few minutes earlier today just to see what it's really like. Weather-permitting, I will ride for 3 days of this 4-day work-week and try to have the bike fixed in the interim. I just pumped $80 in to it for a tune-up and new brakes and then of course I broke the one part (a goddamn screw) that cannot be mended and is custom-made. You know it's not a good sign when ACE hardware doesn't have it in stock. We'll see.

I'm also concerned about the prospect of fathering children, since the seat is a little tough.

I listened to GNR & Rollins Band on the way down. I am sore anyway from the squats yesterday and the hard leg workout on Saturday. There were some guys taking photos of Ground Zero in front of WFC and I just stopped my bike right in front of them w/o acknowledgment. They were either done with their photos or took the hint.

Tomorrow will be a train/bus day so I'll work out a little extra tonight and take tomorrow off completely from exercise.

Thank you for reading.

End Of Aug/Start Sept

I had Monday off to rest off the Triathlon. Click here for my results.

I rode both Tuesday and Weds to and from work -- nothing changes. I had the bike tuned up during the extended weekend and I can certainly feel the difference, esp. in the brakes.

I welcome the heat and humidity. The summer is trying to stay in the forefront of our thoughts, basically being a showoff. That's fine, bring it. The less I know of the winter and sweatpants, the better. I won't get too in to what music I'm listening to but it's mostly Monster Magnet, Jane's Addiction, RHCP, and Van Halen. I'm not happy with my situation at work and the thought of rushing to get there is nauseating, even whilst riding.

Part of me seemed to have thought that finishing the Triathlon would've been like hitting a reset button but that's simply not the case. Same BS is happening in downtown NY -- the lack of acknowledgment is getting to me and if I didn't like the my colleagues who are also picking up the slack, I wouldn't do it.

On Tues there was a medical emergency on the morning train so rather than wait, I high-tailed over to RVC and that 8:33 train is great b/c it's express.

The rides home have been hot and rough getting stuck behind the buses. Both northbound trips have been reminiscent of July's humidity -- where I couldn't tell if the wind is a natural breeze or bus exhaust.

No tourists taking shots of Ground Zero, which surprises me now that we're in September. Maybe they're reading this blog in Zurich and thinking before they act.

I am pure energy. I have seen the improvements I've made to my body and the leanness I've regained (re-lost?) and I am content for the moment but I am positive it can go away as fast, so I will not stop running during lunches I just won't do it this week. I think one reason I'm leaner now is that all the extra biking was catching up with me -- I went to work 20 weekdays in August and rode the bike round-trip each day. I haven't been on a subway car since July 29.

For a long time I was sure I was riding for an alternative goal, it wasn't just money or even time, though they are of major and equal importance. I was getting in gear (mentally and physically) for a real test and I think I've found a new niche.

The song that has stuck out most in the past two days is "Right Now" by Van Halen.

Sammy played it live a few weeks ago, he stripped it down and re-tooled it and incorporated a bass solo and it just sounded so great. A little lighter but it displayed a little more feeling. If you really really pay attention to the lyrics, you realize they are universal and better than most anything you could come up with. Work harder and do more -- TODAY.

Thank you for reading.