Hmm, if you are an early morning reader you may notice a repost as I prematurely published this morning. Oops!
Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.
There is an important difference between telling a person how I experience him and adding arguments to support my correctness of my view. My feelings about another do not require a case — I don’t notice them deductively.
To all who have helped me — Thanks.
Up Close And Somewhat Personal With Dead Confederate & Cracker
On Friday night I was ready for entertainment. After turning down a very tempting invitation to join coworkers for happy hour I took the train back to my car instead. From there my destination was Fox Bros BBQ because I was still craving bbq meat a week after eating it two days in a row. I was not disappointed.
After dinner I headed over to Variety Playhouse to get in to line for the Dead Confederate / Cracker show.
A strange crowd it was. First, I was like seventh in line for the doors to open and I missed a chance to park myself in my favorite sections for photography. So instead I went “to the front row” where I set up shop front and center. Twice during the evening people asked my about my equipment and for a website at which they could check out my shots (is it time to resurrect Japaleno Beach?). Both times I had an incredibly hard time comprehending the questions they were asking me; have my forty-two year old ears started to fail due to too much rock and roll?
The show was great although much of the vocals for Cracker were low because being in the front row of Variety means that you are on the wrong side of the speakers in order to get good vocals from the headliners; sounds crazy but it has happened on more than one occasion to me.
ITP Flickr Pic
I was “that guy”, front row and center.
I’m still not thrilled with my photography (sharpness means everything to me) perhaps I should get used to feeling like this?
It Was Just Like Riding A Bike
In fact, it was exactly like riding a bike!
On Saturday I drove down to Moreland, Georgia (fwiw – taking Moreland Avenue seems like a good idea, but take my word it is not.) to my friends, and ITP readers, Debbie and Steve’s house (read “beautiful little horse farm”). The Red Rocket was placed atop the Jackmobile although I was certain that the weather would not allow us to go on our scheduled twenty-five-mile bike ride. I was so wrong and could not have been happier.
The course that Steve laid out was a wonderful combination of country roads and rolling hills. I have now been to and through the towns of Senoia (pronounced “Sen-oy” for some reason”) and Turin and have lived to type about it. It felt fantastic being out on the open road again even if I correctly predicted that I’d have a sore saddle on Sunday. The seven of us, including John (aka Afterbirth) who kept up even though he rode a borrowed mountain bike (show off!), kept a reasonable pace. For a first ride in some time it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Post-ride we sat around and watched the Kentucky Derby, the first one I’ve seen in years, and the horror that ensued after Eight Belles fractured both ankles and had to be killed. My first thought was the joy that my friend Betsy only fractured one; she’s too young to die.
And what do you do after working off so many calories? Why put them back on with a delicious dinner and beers of course!
Hey, Why Not Use That Zoo Membership?
Waking early on Sunday morning I mapped out an action-packed day. My first stop was Kasan Red for a skillet breakfast.
Following breakfast I thought I’d “beat the crowds” and hit the Atlanta Zoo. I showed up minutes after it opened only to find out that there was some sort of sleep-over which had occurred and the place was already overrun with children. If you like MILF viewing and don’t mind the rugrats which accompany them, then the zoo on a sunny Sunday morning is an awesome place to be.
Next on the agenda was attending the Reds v. Braves baseball game at Turner Field. However something fell apart between the time I got home from the zoo and the time I was supposed to head to the ballgame; I became comfortable. I wound up missing the game completely and instead headed to Kroger later in the afternoon to fight the masses so that I could have the necessities to prepare my dinner.
I Knew This Would Be A Challenge When I Signed Up
When I signed up for a people photography class I knew that my biggest challenge would be asking people to pose for me. It’s not like I don’t understand at least one of the reasons I have difficulty getting dates, you know.
Unfortunately I am as right as rain on this issue. Today is Monday, my class is tomorrow night, and I have no idea how I am going to get subjects before then.
This six-week course has the potential to be either the most rewarding or painful experience that I have ever encountered.
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – fair, I just wish that I was normal
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Whigs — “Right Hand On My Heart”
Website Of The Day – Former Rocketboom host Amanda Congdon has a new gig at Sometimes Daily.
Exercise (b)Log – riding, 25 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage – 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 25 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In – 197 pounds
Mode Of Transportation To Work – My car
Monthly Marta Rides – 4
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 35 (35)
May Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Great job on the ride. Sounds like you are ready to do the 45 mile route with me this weekend.
We did the Mayor’s ride yesterday. We either cut off 10 miles of the 40 mile route or (and this is the way I like to look at it) we ADDED 10 miles to the 20 mile route. Damn Roswell is hilly.
We saw Steve yesterday, he was busy being ‘offical’ so we didn’t get much of a chance to speak with him but Barb made it sound like you all had a great time.
45 miles HAHAHAHA!!!! (okay, I’ll at least think about it — send me the website).
Yeah, Steve was working the race. Barb and Allan tried to twist my arm to ride yesterday, but I had other plans and knew that my ass would be hurting. How Steve and Debbie managed to have the rain pass through early and have the roads dry up in time for our ride I will never know.
I sense another trip down Moreland/Senoia/Turin way for photographic purposes if not for another bike ride as well. 🙂
They used magic…
http://www.cvca.org/about_us/utc.htm
Hey this will be my longest ride to date, if I can do it….I just sent Barb the link also. I’m sure we can find room for you in Brad’s truck if you want to carpool. He’s doing the 62, so I’ll be hanging out, alone, for awhile.
I spent so much time, standing up in my seat, climbing hills that my ass doesn’t hurt a bit.
Looks good. I’ll make a decision about day-of registration later in the week when a “reliable” weather forecast is available. If I ride, I will do forty-five — as much as I’d like to do sixty-two. I will make further comment about what I see in tomorrow’s blog.
By year’s end I may make a goal to do another century.
Paul – we did 26 miles, it was 25.7 on my computer, so I rounded it up!
You could have taken TONS of people pictures at the Roswell Crit yesterday…. Steve looking official, Freddie Rodriguez in the hot looking Rock Racing jersey, many hot looking girls in biking gear, or just hanging out watching.
Martha did great!!! It was her first ever real road ride with some not so small hills. I suck at hills, but luckily I have a very strong husband that gets tired of waiting for me, so he helps by puching me up some of those hills.
As for next Saturday, I WANT to go, the hard part will be getting up and leaving the house around 6AM. I don’t even get up that early during the week for work…. so I’m still debating it. I might just go over to Roswell and see if I can do better than we did yesterday.
hey Martha, we’ll get you in on the next Moreland bike ride and grill (not that I rode a bike… I did ride a horse!). We should shoot for monthly or so during the summer.
>helps by puching me
I swear I thought that was punching me….
We did 29ish yesterday…I had 27 on the GPS but lost about 2 miles when I forgot to turn it back on after the rest stop yesterday.
Debbie that sounds great, thanks!
@Barb: Maybe if your office offered free beer you’d have a better chance of getting up early to go in to work? 🙂
@debbie: You better expand the kitchen… when Martha’s involved there is always way too much food (he says in partial-jest). Do me a favor and give me a long-lead head’s up so I can try to keep my calendar open for the next riding day in Moreland. 🙂
PUSHING – but hey, punching might have helped too.
Free beer wouldn’t work, when we did that tour at New Belgium and they said they had to taste beer every morning, I thought, I could never work there! (while Allan thought, COOL!)
If I’d just go to bed earlier, it would help…. but that never seems to happen.
Debbie & Steve – we had an awesome time as well – hopefully Allan will be not working, and we can attend the monthly road ride around Moreland, GA. (or Sal & I will have to carpool alone)
We were certainly glad to have everyone down. A monthly ride will certainly get me out on my bike scoping routes, which can only be a good thing.
I know there were some complaints about the route being too flat, so I’ll scout out some hills.
-FP
> I know there were some complaints about the route being too flat,
> so I’ll scout out some hills.
Really? Which over-achievers thought that it was too flat? It certainly wasn’t me!
>so I’ll scout out some hills.
NOOOOOO…after yesterday I can skip hills for awhile (not that I’ll be able to this weekend).
@Barb…I think/know if Allan ever punched you it would be one of the last things he ever did. I was really shocked how strong he saw…he gave me a nudge and I flew up a hill.
and thanks…yesterday was fun but I felt I was holding the group back sometimes.
GOD NO, you were not holding us back at all. Without Allan’s help, you would have smoked me on some/most of those hills. I’m sure the run the day before was not assisting your legs.
If, and that is a big IF, I go Saturday to Rome, and Allan doesn’t go, you will see my true riding speed.
He likes to give us girls a push, besides probably he just likes touching us, but it makes him feel like he rode harder, and can justify all the beers and food after.
Must have been Sal asking for more hills………
Could have been Afterbirth… he was on a mountain bike after all!
Paulie — We’re hosting the Sunday morning run/ride on June 1, so mark your calendar!
Alright, calendar marked! By then it will be warm enough for over-achievers to do the Moreland Triathlon…
1) swim a bunch of laps in the swimming pool
2) hop on a bike and do a 25 mile ride
3) go for some crazy long run
🙂
Now we’re talking!! I think it was Sally asking for more hills… she gets the beater mountain bike next time. Or better yet, I’ll put her on the back of the tandem!! Let her push me up the hills.
-FP
Guess, I better defend myself. Can’t belive you guys believe Steve…you know how he is! I did not ask for more hills. I did ask for money to have a beer in town though….next time I’ll have to remember to bring cash.
I could bring the tandem beach cruiser!!
I will confirm that Sal asked for beer money. If I had some we could have stopped into Crook’s Hit ‘n’ Run and had a beverage.
Why stop at the triathlon — go for the modern (Moreland) pentathlon. We’ll swap out cylcing for fencing and then add on horseback riding and shooting. 🙂 Beer stops for every event — guess we better start with the shooting rather than finish with a bunch of drunks and guns!
I graduated high school with the Crook of Crook’s Hit n’ Run and think it’s pretty funny how they’ve incorporated what might be considered an unfortunate surname for retail into their marketing plan.
And as Paulie said of the Crooks Tire Store in Senoia, “We have those in East Atlanta… we just don’t put signs on the outside.”
-FP
Barb-> Sorry I missed the Mayor’s ride, not much sleep was had so I just could not drag myself out. I did do a short mtn bike ride in the afternoon though.
Paulie, I’m glad you were finally able to get out on the road bike, when are we going to get you up to Roswell to take on the hills?
Steve, are babies allowed at the Moreland ride?
Bob, the let me in. Okay, I am more of a child than baby. 😉
Roswell will happen in time. Definitely not this week however since I have another event planned.
If we split up the triathlon & do the ride on Saturday, Allan could be there. He has to be at work Sunday morning at 07:00. (but, don’t start thinking I’d be doing that crazy thing you kids call running on sunday). I’d have to stay behind to help Debbie cook bacon or something like that.