TrentonMakes

I am hopeful that I can continue to get out for occasional rides through the off-season - but I think most of them will be pretty short. I just don't handle cold temps well, and the trainer is a decent enough substitute. But Friday, the forecast is for partly sunny and low 60s - hoping to get out for what could be my last multi-hour ride of the season. This one mountain road makes me smile every time - after a steady 1-mile climb and then some rollers there's maybe a 1-mile false flat, slightly downhill, through the woods, and I end up flying in a high gear. Only thing is, to get up there and back (on safe roads) is pretty much a minimum of 40 miles. I think (hope?) my body's still OK with a ride that long - but what the hell, I think I will go for it. I even have a new phone, with a battery that will last long enough to get some photos. Anyone else with riding plans for the holiday or long weekend?

Very happy to read this. You've been through far too much to let this continue to drag you down. I'm convinced a positive outlook will let you heal faster. We will continue to cheer you on.

If you have Grape-Nuts in the house I recommend avoiding them.

Glad they got the win, though it looked less than convincing. I'm reasonably convinced that the inadvertent whistle cost them a TD. I'd say one inadvertent whistle cancels out one scandal though. We're good. They will have to play better to beat Denver, even with Brock Osweiler under center.

welcome, Ty.

We fell asleep, our goose is cooked Our reputation is shot Wake up, little Susie We gotta go home

Our daughter will become a teenager next April 27.

There are some imitation carbon-fiber-looking plastic panels on the dashboard of my car. That's as close as I get. It may be irrational but nevertheless I don't trust CF on a bike (and certainly not enough to pay the premium involved).

good morning Square Wheelers! 32 degrees this morning, going up to 44. It might be 44 in my cubicle.... the insulation in these windows is terrible. (but I'm not complaining about having windows)

well, the scale read 254 again this morning, same as a week ago. Fairly confident that this is one of my high-side fluctuations - after a week of exercise and light eating - but for now that's my weekly report. Yesterday we went to my parents' where my dad made a giant pan of lasagna, amazingly good. I had a decent sized portion, but still less than I wanted (which was another serving, same as the first). That meal was around 2 pm. Carrot cake was served around 4. damn, my dad can cook. Aside from a small fruit snack I didn't eat the rest of the day.

My dad and I put a metal roof on the barn where I grew up, probably a 40-degree pitch. Watching the snow slide off was a rare treat. The barn was where my parents' vehicles were kept. Two of the openings were like regular doors, on hinges. When the show slid off the roof it seemed to turn to ice instantly when it hit the ground, and then it took an hour's worth of chopping to be able to get the doors open again. I miss that place, my childhood home, but living there involved an awful lot of work. I shovel off the first couple feet of the roof if the gutters get dammed full of ice - maybe once every two or three years this happens.

yeah, that sums it up pretty well. I'm bracing for one of my least favorite parts, which is a nearly hour-long commute home every day, through a cornucopia of big box retail.

feel better soon, PP.

gotta be patient, PP. If it happens slow it's better than it not happening at all. You can do it!

Danielle can fix it.

My belly is still bigger than I'd like, but I don't think anyone would look at me and call me "fat". The BMI tells me I am overweight. I'm not sure I believe that but it's now below 26 anyway, so I'm in the home stretch. It's a race against Christmas.

What if you die tomorrow because you had TX chili today?

Can you please re-zero it first?

Once when I was maybe 5 my mom had gone out somewhere, and when she came back she said "Did you miss me?" I said, "no". I think she was offended.

I wonder if the FiOS at home is faster.

Since I used to be somewhat local, I'm curious - of which climb do you speak? I grew up a few miles from a 1-mile climb at 11% (Plank Road, Rensselaer CR 40 westbound out of Berlin) and I don't know much else in the Capital District that's comparable. I'm guessing Helderbergs, unless the Adirondacks are close enough to be considered "near". edit: 156 out of Altamont maybe?

My first car was a 1970 Malibu with bias tires (F70-14s if I'm not mistaken). I had a set of studded snows for the back and even then the thing was lousy in the snow. All of my cars since have had all-season radials and I've been OK. Most of them (including my current car) have been stick shifts - I think a stick is probably just as much a help in snow as the tires are.

Look on the bright side, DH - at least you picked up a head cold at a time when it won't keep you from racing (because something else has already done that). hope you feel better.

While I don't think he's the scourge of popular music, I don't think much of Neil Young's output really qualifies as "beautiful". Maybe "Pocahontas" or "Four Strong Winds". ___________________ If this guy's voice sounds familiar - he sang the ending theme The Princess Bride. send it out to the one you love. http://youtu.be/PiXjTGQ9zys linking's not working.... oh well.

well hey - only you know what's going to be best for you. You mentioned spinning out in the 48 - but you're going to be using this bike for racing, yes? Over how much of a typical CX course is spinning out an issue? From my third-party vantage point three time zones away, it seems like you excel at climbing and therefore it'd be important to have a comfortable climbing range. My KHS also came with a 50/34.... that's compared to the typical 53/39 on the old roadie, though it's not apples-to-apples since that had 27" wheels. The 50/34 seems to suit me better - I did find myself in my highest gear (50x11?) quite a few times this year, which was fun. There were times that the lowest gear (34x32) wasn't quite enough, but I'm going to keep what I have for now.