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My son couldn't make it but we had a fun family day yesterday. Headed up to Venice Beach and watched the freak show. Picture below is in front of the famous muscle beach. We then cruised up the coast to Malibu, went through Malibu Canyon to Thousand Oaks and had lunch at my sisters restaurant. Checked out guitars at a shop in LA and I went to my favorite LA bike shop and drooled over bikes. A little bit more driving than I like but a fun day. Picture is daughter flanked by me & wife of chrisl and future SIL.

A friend of mine is a artist and did a photo weaving of me a few years ago. She has about 10 works of art on display for the month at a coffee shop. And then I noticed that I was on display next to a book that was written mostly about my dad. Ok I thought it was cool

Kilmer's Mill, Manchester, Vermont

Wife, son and I went to look at four rentals yesterday. Lease on the apartment is up April 30 so we need to find something soon. Last place we looked at was it. Submitted an online application last night. It's fairly close to everyone's work and not far from the cross county trail. Five beds, three baths, 3,200 sq ft on a wooded acre.

Just a quick update. We took Tommy in. He has an infection going on from the fight. He received a shot of anti-bionics along with cream for his ears and more anti-biotic pills. We had the Feline AIDS test done and we are awaiting the results tomorrow. Hopefully, he's good on that front because that will me we can eventually introduce him to our other four cats. If this all works out, he will get his shots next week and his balls nipped off the following week. I'm hopeful at this point. Worst case, we get him all fixed up, get him fixed and he continues his life as an outside cat. Thanks for the vibes. I'll keep you updated tomorrow on the AIDS front. Couch

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa This is what you get when you keep holding "a" on Windows. You also get the $900 extra dollars you didn't waste on a Mac in order to run mostly Windows-based software.

Sleeping without having to set an alarm clock.

30 on the CX w/ two club peeps. Same route as yesterday. Except this...it was about 6 degrees warmer and the ice we walked over yesterday was half-ass melted which was good, but the conditions were peanut butter I fell once (on ice), but dayum was it messy. I'm worn out. @Parr8hed I did get dirty FYI

The second pic is showing a piece of molding that he installed to hide this fresh water line. It was so ugly, and hard to believe that the manufacturer just ran it across the edge of the floor exposed to the eye. Now, it's nice and hidden.

We saw a couple birds on our trip to Missouri...

I can see where it would be better if your son, RTJ, and LAJ each had his own bedroom.

It reduces the weight, easier to pull, and no need to sweep the floor anymore.

because she's bad ass @Dirtyhip

I had a fantastic day thanks for asking. Wo46 and I stopped at a volunteer fire department fund raiser and won big bottle of Vodka on a one dollar ticket.

Aboot 8 on a sunny and nice day in the mid 40s. I have a new favourite stop, a place where I can set a spell. Sometimes I set and think, and sometimes I just set.

Tommy is on the left in the picture. Here's the deal. Tommy was abandoned by someone a year ago. Tude and I have been taking care of him for some time now. A few days ago he came home after a fight, which has been a normal event since we have known him. Last night his behaviour has changed dramatically, he's lethargic and not his normal chipper self. Last night I had it in my heart I would wake up to a dead cat. However, he's survived the night. Tude and I are taking him to the same Vet Inge had at 3:30 EST today. I'm not hopeful but I don't want my friend to suffer. He's brought me so many joyful moments. He's taught me mindfulness and he's calmed my anxious spirit. He's always been a great and wonderful cat. Wish us luck if you can. Like I said, I'm not hopeful at this point. We will do whatever the vet suggests. Peace. Rick

Who said getting old was for the brave? I've just returned from the ER, a ct scan and various poking and prodding. Yes, I took a fall this morning walking down my driveway on this tiny piece of clear ice from a melt refreeze. I made a perfect three point landing, heels, ass and head. Nobody knew I had gone down so I lay there for a while dizzy, nauseous and stunned. I stayed dizzy even after getting back to the house so I had womaxx drive me to the ER. It was the worst hit I've ever taken. The doc says I may have black eyes later this week even though the hit was on the back of my head. The ct scan shows nothing new wrong with my head...............But.................it shows a lump in my throat just too far down for the ER doc to see. Now I have to go see a specialist for what might be nothing or something or nothing. I'm still on this side of the turf though. My advice, don't get old.

Rode 25 miles on the roadie with my wife. Stopped for a potty break at the beach and found this guy waiting for a hand out.... I guess riders feed the pigeons often here so they swarmed us even tho we didn't have anything for them.

...whenever I crash hard, I like to think of it as once again cheating death. It doesn't make it hurt any less, but it puts a positive spin on things.

Is there any other kind? Raisins in rice pudding, beans in... soup.

But don't forget pigs. Frogs and pigs just go together.

Three actually. One in a week to the Arctic but this one is for work. One to New Brunswick in April but that is for work. It is to the area where I grew up so I may take some leave and visit home. One to New Brunswick and PEI in the summer to visit family

I just spoke with her father. Somehow I found the words. When asked what I could do to help they said nothing. I suggested food for the gathering after the funeral. He said yes. Cupcakes, please. I am on my way to get stuff to make red velvet cupcakes. With princess decals in the icing. I think.

Well it was getting lighter during the race!

or maybe this

This needs to be @Square Wheels new avatar. Or maybe @Wilbur

On any Windows computer in the world, open a command prompt and type any DOS command you wish.

I cannot believe that you have turned my thread about the thing I made that everyone needs to see into a thread about ice dance you ass dunce.

I didn't have chunky peanut butter..so I chopped up a few to go in with the creamy It has a nice heat to it...not too hot..just pleasant (to my...my neighbor Nanette would call it too hot..) I brought Margaret a sample I got this recipe and one for a roasted root veggie soup from a resident...I made copies for Margaret...she plans to make the roasted root soup tomorrow

...the newer chains don't allow for that. Stuff like the 10 speed Shimano chain Wheels has got has pins that are peened on the ends. Once you push them out, the hole in the side plate is a teeny bit larger, so you need to either use a Shimano tapered pin with a break off end, or a quick link. Sometimes you can get away with pushing the pin back in on one of them for a while, but it will eventually give out, usually on a dark rainy night outside a Romanian castle. You can still buy some chains that work like you describe, but they're usually for 7 cogs or less in width and the pins are straight, not peened on the ends. KMC sells a version.

yes, not chef I have a staff cooking me eats here at the bikeman capital building you see

The weather creeped up to almost 50* after getting some wet snow yesterday. That meant the snow was melted on pavement, but that it was still a little wet in places. I chose to repeat a ride from a week ago, since I had been thinking about a new approach to a short, semi-steep climb. Normally, just prior to the start of the climb, I drop into my little (34t) ring and the middle of the cassette. I've been doing the whole main steep section standing the past few times and essentially not going below the 30/19, so I thought "WTF am I shifting into the little ring if I intend to stand?" Anyway I stayed in the 50t big ring, and rode in the 19, then 21, then 23, before briefly heading into crosschain & the 25 for about 10 seconds. So, long story short, it was a "success" since I am far from in shape, and I was not planning to push too hard today during my test run. (My rear cassette 11-28: 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-25-28) Anyway, 39.5 miles @ 17.3. Tom

...I'm not sure the fancy, better than you and me, 10 cogs on the back, plastic bicycle crowd can even buy steel chainrings for their "I'm lighter and faster than you" bicycles. Once you get up into ten and eleven in the back, you're already so far down the rabbit hole of light and fast that stuff that will last a long time doesn't get made for you any more. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

If they're smart, they'll tell you that the new chain rings are Bluetooth compatible, will wirelessly upload through your Garmin to Strava, and come with a free app to automatically synchronize with your iPod shuffle/iPhone/i-You-name-it. Then you'll be so happy you'll start skipping around the shop, because for you those latest electronic gizmo thingies are like crack candy hummus on sun-dried tomatoes.

That's more clear now.

Walked 5 miles outside with WoJSTL.

...if they tell you they won't use a quicklink on a Shimano chain because it's against the manufacturer's recommended procedures, KMC makes wonderful chains, and they are cheaper than Shimano chains. I stopped using Shimano chains when the made them directional, and started insisting you join them with that stupid disposable break off pin thingy. I have enough confusing things going on in my life without figuring our directionality in my bike chains.

...modern chainrings, which are cut to promote smoother and more trouble free shifting, often have a couple of "shark fin" looking ones spaced around the ring to make chain pickup more aggressive. It's more difficult to eyeball wear on them for this reason. But if you really do ride in crappy conditions and don't check your chain regularly for elongation, it's entirely possible that your froo-froo, ten cogs in the rear, "look at me I'm faster than you", bicycle does indeed need new rings. Any shop you take it into will probably suggest you buy new ones, because when you walk in the door you look like this to them.

My wife says she craves coffee in the morning when she wakes up, so I am going to change my name to Coffee.

....first, what they used to tell people at all the shops was not to use a quicklink on a Shimano chain. Second, most of the people I know who have done so have had perfectly acceptable results. Third, the more rear cogs you have on your drive train setup, and the narrower the chain, the more finicky it is with regard to wear and shifting. Fourth, if you really did make your chain too short to cover the large on the front, large on the back combination, it's possible (but unlikely) to accidentally attempt to shift into that combination and damage your rear derailleur or your brifters. Worst case is you tweak the rear derailleur into the spokes and crash....but hardly anyone has ever done that. Finally, chainwheels, being larger, do not wear as rapidly as the rear cogs (especially the smaller 12 an 13 tooth ones, if you use them). But they do wear eventually to the point where it's difficult to get good performance unless you replace them with something less worn. I buy my chainwheels over at the bike co-op, but I don't ride any of that high falutin' , more cogs in the rear than 8, fancy city folk bicycles. *ptoo*

I got my workout in..except for the TRX it was occupied during that session..which happens to be at the end Oh and a nap...

12 on the Mtn bike. I rode up the really long steep ridge trail I had to stop 3 times last time up. There is a really steep rocky section that I chose to hike a bike but otherwise didn't stop! Funny that I only see riders going down, I have yet to see another rider go up it. The best part was when I looped out of the nature preserve and had to ride on the road for a few miles to the park entrance. I was going up this moderate but long grade and wanted to really give it a push so was doing about 12 MPH up it. I end up catching and passing two guys ahead of me on road bikes and the look on their face was classic. First the rear guy looks back I'm assuming wondering what the weird noise is (knobbies on pavement) then does a double take as a dude in baggies on a Mtn bike passes them. I politely nodded and said hello as I went past. I figured they would have passed me on the downhill leading back to the park but they didnt...

This just sounds like more Russian interference with the American erection.

Where's the cheese?