Last morning ride before the triathlon.

It's a beautiful day for a ride again. Not as humid as it was a few weeks back and because I'm riding with the computer bag as opposed to the backpack, I'm not schvitzing as much. I had started to read an article about posture in the office in Men's Health this morning but had to cut it short, will resume shortly. There was an article buried in the Personal Journal of the WSJ about jazz photography that was really nice, too.

Between the 3 rides (I'll include going home from RVC station), the run and swim, I did the triathlon yesterday over the course of the day.I swam last night so I am still a little drained though I ate and slept well. Sometimes there's not enough coffee in the world.

"In Your Honor" and "No Way Back" the first two tracks off the Foo Fighters' best album (In Your Honor) start me off on my way. I've had this album 5 years and it immediately became my favorite FF album (and a personal all-time fav). I remember before it came out I heard "Best of You" and it changed me completely and I called in to Steiner Studios the next morning and quit working on that godawful film office. Bunch of crap and waste of time that was -- except that I got a copy of a real shooting script so I know what one should look like in case I decide to infect the world with another original screenplay.

I was really moody yesterday -- you'd be too, if you hated your job as much as I do -- but today I know it's the end of the week so I'll chill out a little bit. I think about this when I hear the intense/positive lyrics of "Scraped" by GNR. "I'm here to tell you, you're worth more than they tell you." Damn right, I am.

So in the past few weeks I've really amped up the running during lunch. I tried to pick music that wasn't too heavy or else it would've ruined some of the nice moments and I don't want to be PO'd during cardio for fear I will keep running and never burn out and end up in Canada torn and tattered, hungry, but awake. So that's why I've dug in to a lot of Van Halen and Living Colour but I've re-discovered a Chili Peppers song that I always liked but now I love. "Turn It Again," the penultimate track off Stadium Arcadium. This is a rock song that is heavy without unnecessary distortion, cool lyrics and a dynamite guitar solo -- the kind where the musician and instrument just merge in a very "Matrix" way. I can tap in to that -- I respond to it -- it creates a high that cannot be paralleled by much, and pushes me to reach a newer, better high. I hear this and it reaffirms that I do not, and never needed, any kind of drug and why I only drink one or two beers on the weekend.

I'll probably never hear it live, in-person. I used to think that Flea gives up halfway through John's solo but he just tones it down. This album will always remind me of a wonderful time in my life -- probably the best so far. But this track is what will typically remind me of running along the Seaport and training in general. I can only hope the next album has another one of these on it.

Another old favorite, "Alive" by Pearl Jam is on for the red light at Albany Street. Yet another great song with a long guitar solo as an outro but it's just too good with a nod to the Doors' "Five to One."

See you Tuesday. Thank you for reading.

End of Roundtrip #185

There's not a whole hell of a lot to say about the ride back except the very beginning. Whilst passing the human-made chain rope-off (yeah, that makes sense) you could smell the hot street pretzels that were probably just a bit too crispy but worth the dollar fifty. Then a bus that had picked up its passengers on the left started up and kicked all this dirty air into the wind. So much for the pretzel fantasy.

I ran today during lunch and will swim tonight.

Thank you for reading.

First Sunny Day All Week

I won't pretend to have any real deep thoughts today. I am too driven and am too excited about Sunday. I think my blood is still pumping from the 3-mile run in the gym last night. The storm has passed and I am just content to be a meat head. You can tell by today's playlist:

Too Much Rock & Roll - Rollins Band
One Shot (live) - Rollins Band
Rusty Cage - Soundgarden
Yesterday Don't Mean Shit - Pantera
We'll Grind That Axe For a Long Time - Pantera

There is one thing to be noted and I'll ask the DOT about this: Why is there more ground work at the WFC? This stuff used to hold me up big time as I'd exit past the Deloitte building. They have one week before I get PO'd.

I did the ride today in about 20 minutes. I'm reading All-Star Superman tpb #1 that my brother lent me. It is a good take on the character and story. I'm not sure what book I'll read next, I've got shelves waiting to be tackled. Hemingway's Garden of Eden is at the top of the list, but that doesn't mean I'll get to it immediately. I have nice, probably unread hardcover first editions of Henry Miller books but I don't want to take that on the train and keep it in a bag next to my sweaty water bottle.

Maybe I'll have more depth or insight on the way home. I'll run during lunch today and maybe swim tonite or tomorrow.

Thank you for reading.

Don't try to intimidate me with rain #2.

Today was the ying to yesterday's yang: It wasn't raining at home when I left and it was coming down hard in Manhattan. But I said "screw it" because I didn't have any food with me and everyone will understand my coming in late due to constantly delayed LIRR trains. It forced me to ride without music (I don't want to screw up the Ipod or its holder) but that's okay it made it a tougher experience. There was a huge invisible puddle on the path approaching the Piers and it splashed and seeped right into my shoes and socks. Such a gross feeling but I will brave it, it just makes me wish I'd be smart enough to bring an extra pair of socks.

I do see some cyclists and joggers on the path today and a few gave me the nod -- the one that telepathically says: "We're like-minded and committed to ourselves." It's a good feeling. It's not about saving money it's about getting the training in for Sunday. I think this is also punishment for not riding on that last Thursday in July.

My dreams are getting more violent and erratic. I imagined I was picking a fight with an older fellow from work (he'd deserve it; he's not that old) and just as we were exiting the office to throw down, I woke myself up around 6:20. That could be attributed to hearing Pantera's "I'm Broken" for the first time in a while last night, or my (confident) anxiety about Sunday, or I could just not be too happy about my career. Either way, I'm trying to use this all to my advantage and convert it all to positive energy and not dwell on it or think of it as a premonition.

I can only go so fast on this thing to start with but with the few driveways along the path I don't want to push it.

To my right is the Hudson River and the water, like the skyline, is gray. It's like something out of "The Road." The buildings to my left I know normally have color but they are dulled today and everything is gray. After a while, not getting sunlight and the proper amount of Vitamin D takes its toll on your outlook. Supposedly the next 7 days will be nice out. I can supplement the Vitamin D with my multi-V but when you sit in an air-conditioned nightmare all day and there's no natural light coming in, it negatively impacts your mood.

I swam the 1/2 mile last night in 25 minutes which is a solid time for me -- I'll take it. I planned to run during lunch today but it's not worth it. If the rain keeps up like this I'll take the subway home I will not risk the road trip along the cars during the evening rush.

Soaked as I passed the WFCs there were thankfully no tourists, though I think if they had been there I would've left them alone because it meant they were braving the rain which would melt the average person for their weak shots of Ground Zero which would probably be blurry anyway.

Thank you for reading.

Don't try to intimidate me with rain.

Train wasn't delayed in getting to O'Side today but it was packed and hit every stop west of Jamaica. It was pretty peaceful but what bothered me was that some people still pulled that "I'm-sitting-on-the-outside-of-the-three-seater-seat-and-keeping-it-so-you'll-have-to-wait-for-me-to-get-up-and-sit-in-the-middle-because-I'm-above-it" crap. On a normal day I wouldn't care but everyone's standing and you're holding us up, so just sit in the middle, you loser.

It poured during the 5 minutes it took me to get to the station but I know that's just a test so I said screw it and took the bike and wouldn't you know it? it's not raining in Manhattan. It's blue-gray and windy, but dry. The train came in not terribly later than normal.

I'm taking 33rd Street up today because I had to use the bathroom before I left the NJ Transit side. "Wherever I May Roam" is on and I realize that I am not roaming, I have a destination, unlike Metallica in the 90s who did more shows than once thought feasible. Because I'm wearing boxers I will not run during lunch, which is a good idea because I'm scheduled to swim tonite. I'm killing the "Ghost" again and picking up speed as I pass the Piers.

All things considered I had a good night last night and this morning, despite a later train ride home and waking up at 4 a.m. for no good reason. My thighs feel the brunt of everything today and I have the computer bag (sans computer) to cut down on some of the weight. ("Whipping" - Pearl Jam) Gotta love the lyrics -- "Dont need a helmet/I got a hard, hard head." Brilliant and appropriate in the moment.

I finished Catch-22 last night and it is certainly one of the most effective and impactful books I've read. I know I mocked myself about reading it in the first place, but Yossarian is only a year younger than me in the story and is disillusioned (I realize it's about war, and I don't consider myself to be a tough guy) and there were certainly traits of other characters I could relate to (i.e. Milo, the schemer). All in all, it makes me want to read more of Heller's work, esp. Closing Time and Something Happened. I will watch the film, too, and see how it holds up. A friend said it was ok but cut a lot out, but I assume it'd have to. Not everything can be as faithful as "The Road" or "Sin City."

Because of some good work I accomplished yesterday I think I feel pretty good about today. Ozzy comes on for "11 Silver" and "I Don't Want To Change The World" as I approach and pass through the WFCs where there are no tourists today. I have some new CDs in my bag I'm happy to burn and upload.

Thank you for reading.

the day the LIRR caught fire

With the LIRR delayed due to a fire at Jamaica, I decided to hang back at the office a little bit and take care of some business. There were several options about what to do and how to proceed (stay with Grandmother, stay with brother & sister-in-law until things picked up, crash at friends' place, kill time in CD stores, etc...) But at 6:25 I decided to head to Penn, scope out the situation and worst case scenario was to get booted off a packed train, bike-in-hand, and be forced on to an E train to go to Forest Hills.

It's raining a little bit and I am wearing my long sleeve Sanibel tee and pocketless blue shorts, backpack on back. It's not raining hard but the wind is picking up and it keeps me focused on what lies ahead. As far as I'm concerned there are no distractions on the nearby sidewalks as I climb Church Street. It's just me and the cars and the lights. No one drove selfishly, or perhaps I was so absorbed in my own self that one car became another and one block melted into the next. I am not angry and am not in any real rush since I've no idea what lies ahead. I'm not stopping at many lights and did the whole ride in about 18 minutes. This is the first time in long while that I've rode in the rain and it's somewhat refreshing and I do not take it for granted that it's not a cold rain and it could've been windier. It's just gray and generally unpleasant but without any malice.

Thank you for reading.

No sun, no fun.

There's light precipitation upon us today. I actually like riding along the Hudson on days like today. There's something comforting knowing I'm not going to overheat and also won't get soaked.

Yesterday was the mock-triathlon in the JCC and I did it in about 85 minutes, which I'm very happy with. I stop a lot during the swimming and during the biking and running I had it on "Hill" setting to keep it as tough and accurate as possible. It will be hard to do that without listening to Rollins Band and Metallica's Death Magnetic.

So I'm a little sore/tired from that, or was it from the deep-tissue massage I got mid-day yesterday? I'm not sure. But I know now, at least, that I won't be as wiped out as I thought I'd be but I'm glad I will not be going to work next Monday and just take a day off from everything. My tailbone is sore.

I'm at the last 40 pages of Catch-22 and I would like to finish it today if I can read during lunch. I will not run today, no way.

Though there are some scrambled joggers and bikers, I notice almost nobody except for a guy I think is Tom Cavanaugh who walks his dog(s) every day. It could be him, but I mostly do not care.

Not excited to be getting to work today as there's only more meager tasks to finish. There will probably be no sunlight today and my mood is often reflected by that.

Thank you for reading.

"Black Capricorn Day" - Jamiroquai
"Thunderstruck" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" live - AC/DC
"Rain" - The Cult
"Storm Coming" - Gnarls Barkley
"Let It Rain" live - Eric Clapton