Hodge and Podge

The sun was shinin’ even if it wasn’t exactly warm, and on Saturday a group of us managed a nice 3 hour ride on the wide shoulders of Lake Mary Road. 20mph sustained winds, and it was harsh in some places. We pushed it a bit, but not too hard, and it ended up being one of those efforts where you know you’re tired, but you don’t go fetal under the covers and fall asleep after a shot of espresso for 3-4 hours. Nope, this was more of a 45 minute recovery nap-type ride. Nice. Me and D had a shitty Thai dinner downtown….we have got to stop eating out, as the food is much better under he watch at home.

Sunday I was workin’ for the man, but I managed to sneak out before Sunset and spin half way up Snowbowl. D called it ‘active recovery’. I liked that term, since my usual recovery is shining the faux leather seat at work with my ass. My goal this week is 10 hours in the saddle before Friday. I’ve got five and ½ hours to go between today and Friday morning. Better hop to it.

I’m glad I didn’t waste my weekend at any one of the nationwide “Tea Parties”. The one in Searchlight, Nevada featured the motivational speaker known as Sarah Palin. As much as I’d love to see exactly what diarrhea of the mouth looks like in person, it ain’t worth the trip to Searchlight unless I get a comp room overlooking the fountain at the Bellagio in Vegas, free sushi, and a Mustang Shelby to drive out and back. There was a little Tea Party gathering in my hometown yesterday. It featured a nice gathering of handmade suits, and flannel sportin’ good old boys, with a touch of cowgirl/boy gear. My ultra-chic, very-used Patagonia/North Face wardrobe would have been rejected at the door – g’damn liberal.

Holy crap is my NCAA bracket broken all to hell. I have the Dukies making it to the finals, so if I can get that win, I receive a pittance of $60 because everyone in the pool has their titlist eliminated. Hey – that’ll pay for a friend’s race fee at the D2D in 12 days. Big Steve Nej will be flying in representin’ Wisconsin. I may even have his bike tuned and ready upon arrival, all pro-style and shit. We’ll probably stay in a Motel 6 in Gallup – not pro-style, but it’s better than a sleeping in a bag in 19 degree temps. Only the best for Big Steve.