Thursday - despite my best efforts, I worked late and left town an hour after I said I would. That's the curse of driving - you think you can make it up on the road. Just my luck there were a couple of accidents clogging up the freeway. So unfortunately, I got into Plano after supper time. Still, it was good to see Jeremy and his daughter Erin.
Jeremy's 14 year old cat slept with me that night. But she left sometime in the night - that tramp.
I tried to get a family shot of Jeremy and Erin before I left, but Erin wasn't cooperating.
This was her best shot. But my framing was a bit off.
Friday - Left Plano in the morning for Nashville. Kathryn plays tennis on Fridays, so I didn't have to be at her place until 8:30 that evening. That gave me time to check out the Clinton library in Little Rock. I was pleasantly surprised with Little Rock. It's a cool little town.
Next, I stopped in Memphis for a late lunch. I wandered around downtown until I found a rib place called Rendezvous. Cool place - it's been around since 1949. The pork ribs were ok. I later read on-line that their ribs are highly rated. I guess I prefer Texas-style BBQ.
Got into Nashville and went out to a nice brew pub for dinner with Kathryn. She also has a 14 year old cat (male and huge) who's pretty friendly. Her 2 other female kitties are younger and a bit more shy.
Saturday - left in the morning for Indianapolis. It rained hard most of the way, which is just draining. I got in early, so I went to a Target near my motel to see what different merch they carried. I was surprised to see they sold liquor and beer - things you don't find in Texas. I bought a 6 pack of honey wheat for later. Looking up at a store clock, I suddenly realized that Indy is on East Coast time, so I had lost an hour. I ended up getting to the North American Handmade Bike Show a couple of hours before they closed.
The show was packed - much more so than the San Jose show a couple of years ago. I was getting a little claustrophobic, so I left after about 90 minutes. Eh, it was long enough to check out all the booths and talk to some of the frame builders I didn't know. I'll stop back on my way out of town tomorrow for one last look. Definitely lots of bike bling - and lots of fixie types.
It had been a long day, so I bagged dinner with some of the Serotta forum-ites, and I no-showed on the talk Ben Serotta was giving at one of the local bike shops. Instead, I bought a half dozen White Castle sliders and washed them down with the above mentioned beer from Target.
Off to Chicago tomorrow...
Oh, and here are some of the bikes I liked from today...
I've been finalizing the details for my upcoming road trip. Leaving from Austin, I'm driving to Plano to visit Jeremy and Erin. Will spend the night with them. Leave the next day for Nashville to see Kathryn. Spend the night there. Will be in Indianapolis the following day and night. Then will meet Belinda in Chicago, where I'll stay a couple of nights. I was originally going to spend a couple of days in Milwaukee, but I don't have time. However, I think she mentioned something about dinner in Milwaukee. Will leave from Chicago and drive straight back to Austin. I'll probably find a motel for Indy, but looks like my lodging is taken care of for the other stops - Thanks everyone! Lots of driving - 7 states in 6 days. But you all know how I like to drive.
Currently, I pay around $170 a month to Grande Communications for my Internet, land line phone, cable, and security system. I received an offer in the mail from AT&T recently for their U-verse service, which promised to save me around $30 a month. Sounded good, so I called Grande to terminate my service. The Grande rep asked if they can save me more, would I keep their service? Sure, why not. So they dropped my fees by $60/month. Yeah, not bad - but I hate these stupid games you have to play.
In other news, the morale has been so low recently that my company has resorted to sponsoring happy hours at work every other Friday. Distributing depressants to a bunch of depressed workers - it sounds like a good plan. I understand they're handing out letter openers as door prizes.
Dios mio! - Did I just use a Britney Spears song as a blog entry title?! I really have hit rock bottom. That would also explain why I signed up for a certain on-line people matching site today. See, I'm pretty reclusive by nature, but I've been getting even more so recently. Probably not a good thing. Not that I have very high expectations for this venture. Actually, they're dismally low. But if I find someone who just wants to hang out and grab a bite or see a movie every now and then - well, I've greatly exceeded my goals. Btw, being the cheap guy that I am, I even managed to find a 15% off coupon on the interwebs. Which begs the question, "Can love be discounted?"
And now, here's the best version of that horribly infectious song:
Dustin was nice enough to play photographer yesterday, so I thought I'd share some of the shots he took. Yes, my shoes are so white because this was my first time to really run in them.
Here's me and Nick (Dustin's older brother) around mile 7:
Here I am at mile 14 (still smiling). This is from a video Dustin shot:
Glenn ran me in from mile 16 (many thanks). Here we are at mile 18:
Didn't win, but I did set a PR (by a few minutes) in yesterday's Austin Marathon, despite cramping from the heat. Got a nice sunburn also. Yeah, it's not a blistering fast time, but given my strict training regimen, I have no complaints. Thanks Glenn, Pete and Dustin for the support. You guys were great. And thanks to my friends that showed up on the course to cheer me on. Had lunch at Joe's Bakery and Mexican food on the East side after the run (it was so so), spent some time with my family, then watched movies (Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler) for the rest of the day. Legs are kinda tight right now, but we have today off for President's Day, so that'll give me a chance to recover.
Btw, I had 3 songs on my iPod: Talking Heads: Life During Wartime (live version), Concrete Blonde: Still in Hollywood, and The Cure: Just Like Heaven.
My Mom, sister and brother got in from Houston yesterday. They're staying with me for a couple of days. I'm just hanging out hydrating. Went to pick up my run packet yesterday at the Palmer Events Center. Got there soon after they opened and stood in line for 45 excruciating minutes to get my run number. Wouldn't have been quite as bad if the two guys behind me hadn't rehashed in grand blow by blow details all the marathons they've run since the beginning of time. Note to guys - Nobody cares how many times you ran Goofy.
I've been gripped watching the latest commercials from Audi, Transporter 3 and Taken. Ok, they're the most recent offerings from Luc Besson, the writer that gave us La Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional. I've learned so much about France from Luc. Apparently, it's a very dangerous country, full of assassins, drug dealers and terrorists.
However, you gotta love the Transporter series. Jason Statham's Frank Martin kicks ass, yet he always manages to look crisp in his trademark black suit, white shirt and black tie. And he actually gets to kiss the girl in the 3rd installment of this series. Good on ya, Frank.
Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills is like Frank Martin 20 years later - divorced, with a grumpy ex-wife and a daughter that lies to him constantly, he lives in a modest apartment, and drives a Camry. Yet he still knows how and when to open a can of whoop- ass. Also while wearing a suit - although he dispenses with the tie. I guess it's the more casual, retired look.
Anyway, the way these two annihilate celluloid villains and wreak havoc on Paris and greater Europe is pure escapist fun. And they also made me realize how sadly under-utilized my poor A6 Avant was when I had it.
My credit card numbers were stolen recently. Not my cards - just the numbers. It's been a fun week of calling financial institutions, canceling cards, figuring out the fradulent charges and cursing the douch-bags that did this. To all the people out there that got flowers, auto parts, iTune songs, Craigslist listings, and whatever crap else I unknowingly purchased - you're welcome. A-holes.
Watched Slumdog Millionaire last night. It was excellent - sure to be a classic. Odd, the last 3 movies I've seen were Forrest Gump, Benjamin Button, and Slumdog. Coincidence? A trio of films that at a macro level attempt a panoramic view of the world, and at a micro level share the pain of unrequited love. But to me they're really about the time-honored themes of perseverance, sacrifice, redemption, and the absolution of unconditional love. All wrapped up in a cathartic, if not happy, ending. These are, after all, straight out of Hollywood - even if one does feature a Bollywood-esque dance sequence over the closing credits.
Looks like my former DeSalvo made it to Germany - as evidenced by the following picture. I bet it never thought it'd see snow when it was hanging in my bedroom. Btw, the stem is supposed to be flipped the other way.
And here's a picture after the new owner spent a day messing with the components. ay Dios mio! - what happened to Teutonic sensibilities?
A bit of a whirlwind weekend so far. Spent 24 hours in Houston for my Dad's birthday. Took the family out to Tokyo One for dinner, watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and had dim sum at my folk's favorite dim sum place yesterday morning. The movie reminded me of "Forrest Gump" in a way. It's worth a watch.
Got into town yesterday afternoon and was invited over to Pete's for Maria-Elena's paella - which was amazing. After dinner, I went camping at Emma Long Park with Dustin, Emily Sue and some other Dell folks. Camping is probably a stretch. I got there late and didn't feel like setting up my tent, so I slept in the back of my truck. Played a few board games and attempted to play Chubby Bunny with large size marshmallows - not something I recommend for the novices out there.
Got home this morning and ran a quick couple of miles around the neighborhood to try out my new shoes. The shoes definitely have much more cush than the 2 year old Asics I was training in. Not much left now but to run the marathon next Sunday. Oh yeah, listened to the Pixies on my run.
By now you've probably heard about the recent high profile bike theif arrest in Austin. It's been covered in the news and in several local and national blogs. If not, here's APD's official take on the case and here's also a link to a local news story.
To summarize, this guy allegedly would befriend people either at races or through Craigslist type ads, find out what bikes they own, find out when they wouldn't be home, then break into their homes and steal their bikes. Police recovered over $60,000 worth of bikes from him.
Anyway, just goes to remind you that there are unsavory people everywhere. So I guess I'm not paranoid for meeting people in public places when I have to sell something and talking to door to door solicitors on my porch instead of through an door open (assuming I acknowledge them at all).
It must be a sign of the times. I noticed this Sunday that the inspection on my convertible had expired. Given my proclivity for traffic tickets recently, I decided I should remedy this within the 5 day grace period they allow for such transgressions.
I rolled out the door at 6:30 this morning, so I could be first in line at the neighborhood Groovy Lube. At 7:00, one of their technicians greets me and tells me that they are unable to do a state inspection on my kind of car. Puzzled, I told him that they were the ones who did my inspection a year ago. The technician then proceeds to explain that he know his equipment won't pass my car... yada, yada, yada... and suggested I try Flamingo across the street. Well, that got me flustered. I hate it when a fool tries to treat me like a fool.
On the drive home, I stopped by Groovy Automotive, the sister store to Groovy Lube. Stepping inside their office, I was told they could indeed examine my car, but their inspector doesn't get in until 8:00. He suggested I go home and call after 8:00 to see if his inspector shows up. Not sure why, but this also didn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
When I got home, I decided to call Roger Beasley, where I bought my car. I feared that I would have to make an appointment and it'd be next week before I could bring the car in. Turns out they could do it any time today. When I dropped in, the service adviser asked if I wanted my car washed while I waited. Free car wash? - hell, yeah! Then he pointed me to the coffee in the waiting room where I read the morning paper and watched MSNBC. The car was ready, and I was fully caffeinated, in about 45 minutes. Very painless.
David versus Goliath? - I guess Goliath wins in this case.
Now, I know that repair shops don't make squat from these state inspections, unless they specialize in the process - and then it's a volume thing. No, most shops do it to build goodwill - hoping you'll recommend their facility to others or bring back your car for future repairs. That said, I think the goodwill train has left the groovy station. Buena suerte, amigos.
I was watching Forrest Gump tonight while eating dinner. I saw the movie when it first came out 14 or so years ago. Ever since, I've resisted watching it again. Not sure why. I had forgotten that under the clever special effects that it really was a love story. And an even more compelling love story when dubbed in Spanish. Quiere un bon bon?
Congrats, Kate, on being promoted to Senior Scientist. All the sodium from dim sum this afternoon is making me puff up like a toad, but it was definitely worth it.
You know, there's an old Chinese curse that goes something like, "May you live in interesting times." My version of that curse would be, "May you live with interesting bikes." I just sold my DeSalvo track bike. And replaced it with a Vanilla Speedvagen road bike. 2008 was the first year for the road version of the Speedvagen. Sacha White and Mike DeSalvo of the Vanilla Workshop built 15 in stock sizes and 5 custom ones. I bought one of the custom ones second hand from a seller in Florida. The frame had less than 300 miles on it and looked basically new when I got it. I built it up this week with a spare Record 10 gruppo.
This morning I took the Road Vagen out for it's maiden voyage on the Spicewood Springs loop. It was a gorgeous day, and I gotta say, the bike was a joy to ride. It rode so well, in fact, that I'm thinking of selling my ti Crown Jewel. I know - that's crazy talk after just one ride, but that's how good the bike felt. It's a bit serendipitous, since it's a custom frame. But after looking over the fabrication drawings, I was pretty sure the fit was going to be spot on.
In other bike news, Dustin came by yesterday to work on his new Litespeed touring bike. I provided some guidance and tools, and he did most of the work while I had a beer. The most nerve-racking part was cutting the carbon steerer on his fork. Luckily, I just got in a steerer cutting guide just for this purpose. He still needs a set of shifters, but he's well on his way.
Also, apologies for missing your Super Bowl party at Steiner Ranch. Unfortunately, I still have a bike to pack and a resume to finish...
