End of Nov. I'm 17-for-19

Surprisingly this was one of the most productive months for the bike. For the 19 days I went in to work in November, I rode 17 times. That's well over 100 miles and about $70 saved.

Yesterday was nice and warm -- that could've been because I was wearing my SI sweatshirt or just the weather. First day back since last Weds, and I noticed that there are a lot more people in the street/sidewalk having angry phone conversations. I guess the holidays tend to bring that out in people. In the morning I listened to the first few tracks off Chinese Democracy and the NIB version of "The Wizard" and a Rollins Band b-side, "Also Ran," which is better than most tracks off the under-appreciated Come In and Burn.

Today's weather was pretty much the same, though the sky is quite gray. I listened to songs by Gaza Strippers, Foo Fighters and Jamiroquai. The trip today was a little tougher because I had to book it over to Rockville Centre, which I accomplished in less than the 11 minutes I had from the time I got to the Oside station.

I am waiting on phone calls from folks who are stringing me along, it seems. It's just disrespectful to not return a phone call or honor a commitment without explanation. I am also trying not to let certain people at work get in my head but sometimes knowing I have to deal with rudeness and lack of character irks me in the morning. I feel as though I'm in a weird spot because there are some people who are about 25 - 35 years older than me who couldn't dole out some gratitude if it meant their lives, and then there are some people maybe 4 years younger who, also, are short on thanks and people skills. I wonder if the latter is because of the selfishness that technology has sold us. They try to make you seem like an individual if you have some device that is programmed "for you and you only," but it just keeps you tuned out from the world and plugged in to yourself, which isn't always a good thing. Some people have lost whatever manners they had. If I work with someone in the same building (or the same floor), I will always introduce myself and sincerely offer my help and services. Most people are receptive, and some just look at me like I'm a door-to-door salesman. Yet they text all day and want to be my facebook friend. You won't talk to me in person but I have to look at you when I sign on at home? Hell no. I think about how I will raise my children with regard to this dilemma and I will do my best to keep them from acting like selfish, self-involved little buggers. Oh, and you can take "shyness" and shove it. No such thing anymore. You're an adult, you don't get to be shy.

The Gaza Strippers cover Costello's "Lipstick Vogue" and it is fantastic.

I will have to bring the bike in today.

NITE TIME

Streets were wet but manageable and to be perfectly honest, the weather is warm. I know it's all humidity but it's all good. Still no phone calls from the people who should be returning them and it's just agitating. It's pitch black tonite but I'm setting a good pace and I only had to stop twice, once at the Church Street crossing and once at 14th Street.

I'm too fast for you I am too strong I am too much too much all the time. I am shedding my old skin and you will never catch me. I am too tough to die right now.

Thank you for reading.

last week

This post was started last week but was de-railed in its publishing.....Yesterday was especially nice outside and I felt very fortunate to have such clear conditions on the road. On the ride back I stopped in the Vitamin Shoppe before Waverly Place and got hooked up with a couple of packets of some hardcore testosterone-inducing powders. The kind of stuff you see people use before a workout and they turn green and their pants turn purple and they eat cars and you say, "wow, whatever he's having, i don't want any part of..." So I'm gonna try it out on Thanksgiving morning at the gym.

Wednesday was a nice day and the ride back is fine but I may need to reconsider my current route as there's way too much congestion on Church Street.

Thank you for reading.

catching up

Well, it's been another few days of largely uneventful riding. I do vividly recall that last Wednesday that the wind gusted so hard as I was about to cross Vesey Street (and coincidentally, for the 3 whole seconds, stopped pedaling) that I felt myself about to be tossed. I laughed, half nerve-crazed, half-amazed, and walked the bike across the street.

Today, I was a little sore from yesterday's leg workout, specifically the squats and deadlifts, and the wind was blowing against me today so that made it a little tougher than normal. I will not run today during lunch since I'm sorer than I'd anticipated.

This has been a solid month thus far for me and the bike and I'm grateful for warm, sunny mornings such as this.

I'm listening to choice selections from the band Eleven which was a rock trio just under the radar in (mostly) the 1990s. I have the first three Eleven albums. What's interesting about this band is where they came from and where they are now. Long story short (b/c I don't know the whole story) the drummer was Jack Irons who was a Chili Pepper and played on Uplift Mofo Party Plan, and left shortly afterward when Hillel died. He has a style that is not as showy (nor as creative) as Chad Smith and as far as RHCP was concerned, musically it was for the best that he left. The singer/guitarist/bassist and singer/keyboardist were a married couple. The guy, Alain is a really good guitarist and songwriter and he wrote some really good hooks (listen to "Reach Out") and his wife, Natasha, was a good backup singer. These two played as part of Chris Cornell's backup band on Euphoria Morning. She doesn't have the typical female voice which is why I don't really like her singing too much and mostly skip the songs where she provides the lead. The duo did some supporting acts like that and were producers on a No Doubt album. She passed away due to cancer somewhat recently and now Alain collaborates with a lot of fantastic rockers (i.e. Mark Lanegan) and is one of Them Crooked Vultures (at least, on stage). That's gotta be weird -- he was on SNL as one of TCV but his wife and partner had to pass away for that to come to pass. I don't know if that's taking lemons and making a drink of it or just focusing or what -- it's certainly not a situation with which I'd want want to familiarize myself. I knew this band from way back in the early 90s when Q104.3 was a hard rock/alternative station and they'd play "Reach Out." I never forgot the song and thanks to ebay was able to pick up the 2nd two albums pretty inexpensively. Not great albums by any stretch but they are good.

This week will be simpler than most since it's only 3 workdays long. There are certain phone calls that should be coming my way that I'd just like to happen. I'm the point man for a lot of things going on in projects that are bigger than just myself, and I've done what I'm supposed to do (returning calls, sending emails, having my moneys in order) and I have a lot of dissatisfied people on the other end b/c the calls haven't come in. I hate that female silence over the phone that somehow transfers this message: "Why isn't this done yet? Why aren't you trying hard enough?"

When someone calls me, I return the call and get it over with -- good or bad.

Thank you for reading.

Been a while

It has been too long since my last post and I truly feel that I let myself down when I do not continue writing, especially since I've kept a good bicycling percentage the past few weeks.
To start, the last week in October I didn't ride at all b/c I was on a forced furlough week. I did keep up my time at the gym.

November went like this - 4 days in the first week (thurs was a bway show)
4 days last week (thurs was veteran's day and I was off from work). I rode today and yesterday so at last count that makes me 10-for-11, which is quite good. There were a few days last week that were very very cold in the morning to the point where I had to drive to the station to avoid the frigidity. But this week is humid and warmer and today nor yesterday did I wear my fleece.

The cold mornings took some adjustments but otherwise they are okay, it's the matter of wearing pants (as opposed to shorts) that's a little tougher b/c I'm less flexible that way. One day last week it hailed on my way here. IT HAILED! Not hard, mind you, but it was still unexpected.

I am still reading Zarathustra and am nearly finished. This was a tough read -- partially because you almost need to translate for yourself (in the way you do with Shakespeare, getting this old rhetoric into modern-day speak) and partially because some of it is so redundant and boring. There are a few pages that really speak to me and I will be curious to read the "notes" at the end. It will be nice to read something less dense.

Now that the day ends an hour earlier, it's pretty much pitch black when I leave for Penn, which makes me more cautious. But it's not rocket science -- I'm not looking for trouble it's just a matter of moving quickly. The ride itself is much easier than it had been in previous autumns and that is because I have no doubt kept myself leaner. There is no better route for me to take so it's still just about beating the clock.

This morning I listened to a handful of tracks (and two B-Sides) off One Hot Minute, an album I've had since my freshman year of high school. I actually think the b-sides -- "Let's Make Evil" and "Stretch" -- are better than most of tunes that made the final cut. It was nice to hear "One Big Mob" again after a nice long hiatus. When I saw RHCP in Feb of 1996, they played the first 8 tracks off this album, I feel somewhat special about that since you will not hear them play them ever again, sans "Pea."

I'm at a good pace today and though my calves are still a little sore, they do not feel as burstful as they did yesterday.

Thank you for reading.