do you remember me?

Don't you think,

we should be closer?

how much?

Veloforma/Planet X/Pedal Force same frame? Hugely different price.

Hmmm. Sorta brings up loads of questions.

tour pics

Lazy. Will add captions later.

i will not join facebook sam i am

It seems like all those brothers and sisters who used to post regularly with creative zeal about personal happenings have all gone away; that is to say, left me here, alone at the party with a keg of beer...bastards! I will wait, patiently until they return, because they will. Once the luster of the new thing gets old and boring. Maybe blogger won't play your favorite song for all to enjoy each time they visit your page. Maybe it doesn't need to be your friend before you can look in. Maybe blogger requires bravery upon the author to put out there what they wish and be damned the consequences. Maybe blogger doesn't easily facilitate gossip or voyeurism. You all will return when you wish to begin living lives and honestly journaling for those of like mind to read or take inspiration from, rather than creating an experience, a facade, an online avatar. Pry if you must, yourself away from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter (I realize the hypocrisy in the last, though I used it out of necessity, due to my phone being only a phone, not a palmpreipodlaptopexpressberrynuvepoopoo) and simplify...whilst coming back to me, cause I don't wanna leave.

I will not eat green eggs and ham.

Rant over.

finally jim's bike...pics

Finished this a long time ago, months in fact, but today at last I got a few pictures. So here's what the Right Hand Ride "Beta" looks like.

The bike weighs just under 21 lbs for very mediocre components.

Pink wrap job happened in my absence.

Double tap road shifter provided by SRAM for front der.

A little flourish by me. Angular chainstay bridge. No reason, just cause I could.

Nuther shot of the Double tap.

Full frontal.

And the side.

Low bottom bracket. Considering dropping it another centimeter. Have wet dream plans for the front, including fork and possible custom machined neatness. Stiffer tube set, shorter and asymmetric chain stays, ideas abound for the Alpha model of Right Hand Ride coming in the New year, fingers crossed.

Stiff mulling the tour. Words are coming.

wonder what happened at the ballyhoo

Pics here.

home again

Odd being here, but in a good way. Somehow it all seems new. Words cannot describe seeing my lady again. Like a first date, we hardly knew what to do other than hug and stare. We'd talked nearly every day since I left, but there really is a person on the other end...odd.

Got a coupla days off before heading back to work. Time to reflect, get used to my surroundings and rest my legs, which still ache from Saturday's ride. Out come a few words regarding that adventure. Left knee is puffy now, but not painful. Legs are okay, but when moving from sedentary to motion they remind me they're shredded. Sort of like after I climbed Rainier. I never have been a fast, skillful or strong athlete, but resolve I usually carry in buckets, equally blended with beat downs I dish myself to make any ridiculous endeavor more a personal one than a physical one. Somehow when it gets the worst I can shut down what my body is telling me and it becomes me against that little bastard inside. Not always the best thing as I am finding out after riding 245 miles across Iowa. Near the end, with only 30 miles to go, we rested and I thought of throwing in the towel for moment, but that passed. I kept thinking when would I be in this position again to do this. My legs could manage a dozen pedals strokes seated during the last hours, then I'd have to stand and pedal to give them some rest. They weren't sore at the time, just slowing considerably. Alternating I would move forward in this way. Now rest and reflection on the past month plus.

Excellent seeing everyone. My pal Andy and his better half Gina put me up like the champs they are, for the better part of a week. Seeing them is always a treat, my family away from family. Paul J, Matt and Nick always remind me of things I dearly miss and why Iowa will always hold a good chunk of my heart - few people exist like they. Cheers, truly. Skunk and those therein are as an idealized world, if only all people and places could be the same.

Experiencing some euphoria if you can't tell.

Didn't get to hook up with Kiel and Emily as I'd hoped, while I was back, but I am sure as I can be that they'll one day turn up again. They seem too mobile to not end up on my doorstep at some time. Can't say enough good about them.

More to come to be sure. Need to organize some thoughts, also obvious I think.