So What Have I Been Up to Lately?

If you're like me, you completely forgot that I have a blog.  It's okay, I haven't updated in a while.  Rest assured, I will be updating it more frequently for all three of my readers.

So what have I been up to?  Well, I've been watching Peter Sagan take a close beating:

I've been watching Pirelli tires become dangerous projectiles:

And, I've been ignoring my blog.  Of course all of this was after things like a quick vacation to Emerald Isle and my 15 year class reunion.  So, there has been much to talk about, but not a lot of time to talk about it.  I'll try to get everything caught up over the next few days.

I've been training a ton, with no real specific goals other than fitness, so I thought I might do a self-supported century (I don't think I'll call it a century though, give me time to come up with some more creative) this summer just so I can have some purpose for all of this amazing strength I am getting.  Maybe early September?

I'm re-watching the team time trial in Nice currently, I missed a bunch of it today during the live feed.  It's wrapping up now.  I understand that Ted King came in outside of the time limit, and if he is, in fact, disqualified, it will be sad because I'm a huge fan of his.  He seems like a stand-up guy that usually has some interesting things to say.  I was looking forward to his blogs from France throughout Le Tour.  Fingers are crossed, but rules are rules.

I guess that's it for the night.  Time to lay on the couch until I doze off, or get the motivation to climb the stairs.  See you guys tomorrow.

Mother's Day Weekend Edition

What a weekend.  Busy to say the least.  And now, Monday morning, as I am sitting in my office, I just want to go back to bed.

Friday after work, Lindsey and I went and had a bite to eat at Mimi's Cafe.  Lindsey isn't a fan of the place, but she didn't make any other suggestions, so off we went.  I give props to Mimi's.  They have extremely high calorie food, and they completely own it.  They post the calorie count right next to the descriptions in the menu...and very few of them are below 1,000 calories.  I knew I wasn't going to ride any this weekend, so I probably should not have gotten the roasted chicken crepes, but man, they were good.

After Mimi's, we hit Barnes & Noble and World Market.  Exciting, isn't it?  There was a reason for our wild night on the town.  We picked up a basket of Belgian goods, and a Bruges guidebook for Mom, so she can be prepared for the wedding.  Lots of chocolate, a framboise lambic, some Biscoff (cookies and spread), etc.  I wanted to keep the food for myself.

Saturday morning, I probably could have squeezed in a quick ride, and I was tempted to.  I got up nice and early for that reason, but as soon as I rolled out of bed, other responsibilities kicked in.  Basically, it wasn't happening, but after my high calorie meal the night before, I forced myself to do something I hate...go for a run.

Typically when I go for a run, it's just for fitness maintenance, and it's slow.  I tried a route that I thought would be about 3 - 3.5 miles.  It turned out to be 4.7.  Almost immediately after the run, we left for Wilmington to see Mom.  It turned out to be a long day that I spent roughhousing with kids, playing ball, giving piggyback rides, and somehow I was roped into a situp contest with my niece.  Needless to say, I am not moving much today.

Our gigantic and loud family all got together on Sunday for BBQ.  Lots of wedding discussion.  Found out one of my cousins dropped out of high school, so I've put him on the "List of Morons" I keep.  Around 3pm, we loaded back into the car, and headed back to Raleigh so we could take Lindsey's mom to dinner.  More wedding discussion.  I need a break from all of the wedding discussions.  It's starting to dominate every conversation with anyone. 

I didn't get to watch the Spanish GP, the Giro, nor the Tour of California this weekend, so I have a lot of TV to catch up on.  I'm way ahead of schedule at work, so I'm probably going to be watching quite a bit here.  If you walk by my office and see me with headphones on, please do not disturb.

A Much Needed Respite

Sometimes I like to laugh at someone (slightly) funnier than himself.  Sometimes.

Sometimes I like to drive to Durham to laugh at someone (slightly) funnier than myself. Sometimes.

One of those times was Friday.  Lindsey and I had date night in the (slightly) faraway land of Durham, where we saw this (hilarious) jester:

I highly recommend you see him if you have the chance!

Saturday I did what every good cyclist does; I woke up and spent the morning on the bike.  I wanted to get a TON of miles in, somewhere close to 80 if possible.  I charged out a little later than I planned, as I often do when left to my own distractable devices on a Saturday morning.  

Lindsey was working until early afternoon so I had the time, and the energy to hammer on the bike.  I rolled out solo with no particular plan, knowing I was going to at least get some miles in around Jordan Lake.  Whilst sitting at a stop sign approximately 10 miles into my ride, my buddy Grant rode by with another friend Dave and called out to me.  I jumped on the pedals and chased them down, then rode the next 6 or so miles with them.  At the next crossroads we stopped and chatted a bit, they were finishing up their ride for the day, and we parted ways.

I continued to the other side of the lake, feeling good, hitting the hills hard, just enjoying what I would consider our first day of true spring weather.  I was a bit overdressed with arm and knee warmers, but it was borderline most of the day and there was still a bit of chill in the wind.  Riding in the changing sun/shade conditions on Big Woods Road proved that it is best to be prepared this time of year. While I was out that way, I saw another rider come into view ahead of me.  He was older, but in good shape, and had some strong form.  When I finally caught him, we traded off riding in front for a few miles, then sort of rode lazy and had some brief conversation.  He was also wrapping up his ride, and eventually turned off.  Then it was just me again, a man alone with his thoughts.  Just the way I like it.

I was so in the zone and having a blast, I lost track of time.  I looked down at my watch and realized it was getting to be time to head home.  We were meeting friends for dinner, and I wanted to be home early enough to get some recovery food in me without spoiling what promised to be a good meal.  I was going to have to be satisfied with 55 miles.  Honestly, I was more than satisfied.  It was the kind of day on the bike that keeps me coming back for more.  It was the type of day that I describe to my non cycling friends when they ask why I ride.  Most of all, it was a much needed respite from freezing rain and cold road grime coating my embrocated legs.

A Mema Weekend

Every now and then, no matter how busy you are, you gotta make some time for family.  I have been really bad about that the last few years, which is really sad since the majority of my family lives but a mere two hour drive from here.  I've been making it a point lately to try to get down to Wilmington more often, at least a weekend every other month, to see the rest of the crew.  This gives me an excuse to get out of Raleigh every now and then and absorb the slower pace of Coastal North Carolina and just take a break.

This most recent trip took place over the weekend.  Since Lindsey has been swamped and working over the weekends, it seemed like now would be as good a time as any to sneak away for a weekend.  Friday afternoon, after a long day of pretending like I was actually working, I jumped into the car and aimed it southeast.  The next two hours were spent pushing 90mph and watching for cops.  Arrival in Wilmington was earlier than expected.

The weekend went by pretty fast.  I spent a lot of time with Mom and Mema, along with a few of Mom's billion brothers and sisters, a few of my trillion cousins, and even had some time with my niece.  The majority of Saturday was spent doing one of my favorite things - hanging out in bike shops.  Mom is in the market for a beach cruiser.  We visited a few shops, and ultimately she decided on a pretty sweet Felt Bixby that rides like a Lincoln Town Car.  That's right, I tested it out.  She decided on a white one, with white grips, and a white seat (so pro).  Here's a little video of her testing it out:

You'll note that she can even detect an incorrect seat height (it must run in the family).

On Sunday, we discovered (the hard way) that the bike was not made to fit in the back of a 2012 Honda Accord.  Yikes!  Not that it would have helped, but I didn't have my trunk rack with me, so unfortunately we had to leave the bike at the shop until a pickup truck could be obtained.  No worries, we still had lots to do to keep us busy.  My nearly twelve year old niece came over to hang for a bit.  Curious on how to keep a twelve year old entertained on a rainy Sunday afternoon?  Well, the Vine App works wonders.  I never knew so much story could be told in such a short period of time...

Comedy...

Horror...

The possibilities are limitless!  I can't take all of the credit for the above adventures, I had a great cast and crew working on both projects.

So after the final scene, it was back to Raleigh, where a fiancee, way too many pets, and three pounds of chicken fajitas were waiting for me (and after not riding a single mile over the weekend!).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I’m writing this whilst celebrating St. Patrick’s day.  My Ireland Rugby Union t-shirt is on (though at approximately 10 years old, it is so faded and thin that you can barely make out the word “Ireland” but you can still see the shamrock, and well, it’s green, so it counts.  I’m also having a Guinness, so there (I’m assuming everyone in Ireland is currently doing the same).  It’s a good way to end what has been a really long and busy weekend, that unfortunately, did not include a ride.  Let’s recap, shall we?

Of course, as per tradition, Lindsey and her sister were able to play hookey from work Thursday and Friday to go to the ACC Tournament in Greensboro.  Since her sister lives in Richmond, that means that she was able to grace us with her presence as a guest in our home.  And by “grace us with her presence” I mean she actually stormed the front door in an all-out blitzkrieg, destroyed our defenses (literally, she broke our front door, but more on that later) and planted her flag and claimed our castle in the name of Heather.  Henceforth, Lindsey and I were enslaved to a very high maintenance sibling.  She actually arrived on Wednesday afternoon while we were at work, bearing a gift of a bottle of Chianti (which she opened and ingested half of before I got home a little after 6pm).  Lindsey worked late that evening.  She said it was to make sure she finished up a few projects before being out on Thursday and Friday, but I think we all know what was really up.

Wednesday and Thursday evening came and went without a hitch.  I didn’t work out any either day.  Why?  Well, since I usually wake up at 5am to get a workout in, the last time I did that with Lindsey’s sister staying with us, she complained that my alarm woke her up...and she complained a lot, so it’s just best to preserve the peace sometimes.  Since they watched 8 games in a span of two days coupled with a total of three hours (minimum) of commute each day, they were exhausted when they got home each night, and I was already in bed.  Luckily work has not been too busy for me right now, and on Friday (as tradition in North Carolina) we knocked-off of work early and headed to a local sports bar to watch the NC State game (I’m not going to summarize the game for you, I’m not ESPN) and then I headed home and watched the rest of the night’s games from the comfort of my couch.

Saturday started the rough patch.  I was startled awake when Lindsey’s sister announced that she had broken our doorknob on her way out to meet an old friend for breakfast (good morning Jason!)  I spent a little time trying to get it temporarily patched, long enough to make a quick trip to Lowe’s and get a new knob.  Long story short, it was pretty jacked and I had commitments.  Goodbye planned workout for Saturday morning (not even a short ride on the trainer).

Since Lindsey and her sister were going to be at the Tournament all day, I was elected to be the Kingdom’s representative to attend a birthday party.  For a set of twins.  That were turning one.  Actually, I had a lot of fun.  Our friends Brian and Rikki had twins, well, about a year ago (give or take a day) and they had a Dr. Seuss themed party.  It was good to catch up with some of my friends that were there as well as their families.  I’ve known them for years, all the way back when I lived in Wilmington.  The party went longer than expected, and I had a doorknob to replace at home, but everything was done by the time the women returned from the game that evening.  When they got home, the sister was in a grouchy mood (shocker!!!!), so Lindsey and I ducked out for a late dinner at (unfortunately) O’Charley’s...because it sounded Irish.  There we received slightly less than mediocre meals, and experienced slightly less than mediocre service.  Just a few more hours and this weekend was over...

Saturday evening, I managed to actually wake up and watch a little of the Formula 1 Australian GP and an ungodly hour of the night.  My predictions on a final podium were not correct as I expected a bit more out of Vettel, but I digress.  Back to sleep I went, because (as per our long-standing tradition) Lindsey’s sister gives me her ACC Tournament ticket for the final because she always has to be back in Richmond early.  She left while I was in the shower that morning, and we noticed she left her drip Mr. Coffee machine that she brought with her (don’t get me started on that, apparently our French press and espresso are not good enough to match the warm, soothing aroma of Foldgers drowned in half & half) and took Lindsey’s favorite fleece jacket with her.  Cause, you know, fair trade.  Lindsey placed a call to tell her she left her coffee pot and that her fleece was missing.  Heather’s response...”I’ll mail the fleece and I left the coffee pot there on purpose so it will be there when I come to visit.”  Let’s focus on the last half of that sentence...”I LEFT THE COFFEE POT THERE ON PURPOSE SO IT WILL BE THERE WHEN I COME TO VISIT.”  Guess she’s planning on coming a lot.  Meanwhile, I have placed the dirty coffee pot in a grocery bag and placed it on a shelf in the garage.  And no, by “shelf” I do not mean “garbage.”  

Once all of that was behind us, we headed west to Greensboro, met up with my brother and niece, who came up from Columbia to watch the Carolina/Miami ACC Tournament Final (if you want details, check ESPN).  I followed Milan-San Remo on Twitter the entire way there, and another of my predictions ended up sour, but only slightly this time.  Honestly, you can’t bet against Sagan in a race like that and second place is nothing to be ashamed of.  Had a good time at the game, sorry the Heels couldn’t pull it out in the end, but it’s always exciting to go.  Had a late lunch with my bro before leaving Greensboro.  Now, here I am, back where I started from in my Ireland Rugby Union shirt and a now empty pint of Guinness.  Guess it’s time for one more.  

Have a good night everyone, and well, I leave you with a video of Conan O’Brien visiting the Guinness Brewery....

Confession...

I have a confession to make.  I’ve always wanted a blog.  Not just any blog, but a BLOG!  

I don’t know why it was something that I wanted to so bad, I’ve never been much of a writer, at least not in long form, rather my short attention span was always better suited for a short tweet.  Still, nearly 5,000 tweets later, I still can’t help but think I will never be awesome(r) until I can truly say I’m a blogger.

Now, I suppose another confession is in order, this is my second stab at blogging.  I started one back in, I believe, 2007?  It didn’t last long, and the only people that consistently read it was an ex-girlfriend and some lady I didn’t know that kept emailing me to ask how to improve her 10 mile time trial.  Seriously, she must have emailed me 20 times.  Obviously that blog went nowhere fast (it probably went nowhere at a slightly faster pace that than lady’s 10 mile time trial), so here we go again.

I haven’t quite figured out what my blog is going to be about just yet.  You can bet it’s probably going to have a lot to do with cycling, probably a lot to do with Formula 1, and probably a lot to do with whatever pops into my head throughout the day.  I’ll rant, I’ll joke, I’ll confuse, but it’s all in good fun.

I look forward to becoming BFFs with each of my readers.  And yes, I’m using “BFF” ironically.