Friday:
This weekend witnessed our annual pilgrimage to Wichita Falls for the Hotter n Hell Hundred. This was an odd year for a couple of reasons: 1. We left early, so we actually arrived in Wichita Falls before 10:PM. 2. Only three of us were staying in the hotel room, so there was a greater chance Pete might actually get to sleep in a bed.
What didn't change was our dinner stop in Decatur at Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes.
I could wax poetic all night long, but suffice to say: their steaks are juicy, their potatoes are baked in pine resin, and they give you butter by the ice cream scoop-full.
Sadly, this year the event expo did not feature a display by Pfizer to extol the virtues of their little blue pill. No, the only wood featured this year were the frames found at the Renovo booth.
We stayed again at La Quinta where we managed to get the same room that we had a couple of years ago. Serendipitously, the room had been remodeled since we stayed there last. Later that night, Jeremy and Jim stopped by for some homebrews and joviality. Congrats Jeremy on the new job!
Saturday:
The ride started at 7:AM, which was late for Pete, but early for me.
The official start is a bit like a Cat 5 race with 13067 riders. As in years past, we chose to skip the opening ceremony.
While waiting for the police to let us through, Glenn shows his rebellious streak by refusing to look left.
I understand we rode the first 50 in the low to mid 20's. Thankfully, we slowed it down a bit for the 2nd 50.
Arguably, the best part of the ride for me are the rest stops. Here we are at mile 50 where fresh baked cookies were abundant.
And at mile 60-something we were still smiling, so that's a good sign.
The best rest stop was actually an unofficial gathering at mile 98 - at a machine/auto repair shop. Free beer, free sausage, free beans, free nachos... and more free beer. Did I mention they had 2 guys at the kegs pumping and handing out cold ones for the riders? "Hey, you have 2 hands, here's another beer!"
In the end, we all finished the 100 mile ride in record time and in record spirit.
After a little break, we hit the pool, had some dinner, then went to the movies. Last year we saw District 9. This year, it was The Expendables. Guess which one required less thought.
Bonus random pictures from this weekend:
Grasshoppers can hang on for a mile or until about 25mph - whichever comes first:
Lime green Converse Chuck Taylors, titanium Bianchi:
His tattoo seemed appropriate:
Mmmm... beer. Mmmm... sausage:
Obey the stamp - Live Well Laugh Often:
See you next year!
Quite a weekend I had. Raced down to Houston Saturday to meet my family in time for a 12:00 lunch reservation. Turns out my mom was sure I'd be late, so she actually made the reservation for 12:30 without telling me. Thanks, mom.
Lunch was a lot of fun. We actually had a Japanese chef. How rare is that these days?
Afterward, we had some cake back at the house. The tiramisu cake came from Patisserie Jungle Cafe and was incredibly yummy. The red eggs are for good luck. Shelling the eggs symbolizes the discarding of bad stuff before embarking on a new year.
Sunday, I raced back to have dinner with Alison and Eric. I was late, but I called ahead to let them know. So I thought it was a joke when they told me they were waiting on my porch for me. Odder still was them rushing me into Alison's car so we could get to the restaurant as soon as I pulled into my driveway. I understand punctuality, but I just drove in from Houston. Can't I go inside the house to use the restroom? In the end, the joke was on me - when we got to the Red House Pizzeria, a bunch of my friends were on the back patio to wish me a happy birthday. A total surprise. Thanks everyone for coming out and thanks to Alison, Eric, and Denise for organizing the party. I have great friends.
I went for a haircut at lunch today (I've never learned to smile in my self portraits):
...and came back to an empty office.
Turns out a meeting request for an off-site company meeting was sent out while I was out getting trimmed. It was one of 'those' meetings - those who were invited still had a job, those who didn't were in the main conference room getting their layoff paperwork in order. Pretty crappy.
Since we were let out of work early, I took out my frustrations by chainsawing branches in my back yard.
The Hotter Than Hell Hundred is fast approaching. This year it's going to be a mini high school reunion with me, Glenn, Pete, and Jeremy. Now, if can only get Ron to drive up from Houston...
In preparation, I managed to get a ride in both days this past weekend. Saturday, Glenn, Pete and I rode the Spicewood Springs loop. 6:30 start. Nice.
Sunday, we rode out East to Manor, Cele, Elgin and points in between. 6:00 start - an especially rough hour, since my neighbors kept me up til 3:30 in the morning with an impromptu party.
Manor:
Cele:
Elgin (breakfast stop at Taqueria Azteca De Oro):
After the ride, I discovered my new summer drink of choice - a slight twist on an old favorite. Salud!
My mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law visited me this past weekend. Actually, they were in from Houston to check on my other sister, who had her tonsils removed Friday. She's still sore and eating jello, but healing well.
Given my culinary abilities, we spent most of the weekend eating out - everything from Hyde Park Grill to Bess Bistro to McDonalds. The Bistro was rather disappointing. Shrimp over cheesy grits sounded good - maybe they have a new chef or something - but the meal was pretty boring. Sadly, I think the best meal of the weekend was the Sourdough Jack from Jack in the Box - a true indulgence.
I guess my family felt bad regarding the state of my refrigerator, so look what my sister left behind:
Yes, cupcakes and ice cream from a new place in town called Lick it Bite it or Both - touted as the only place in town for both cup cakes AND ice cream. Given the amount of money they spent on packaging, I expected more from their cup cakes. A bit dry and overly sweet. I'd stick to Hey Cupcake if I were you.
Speaking of overly sweet, I watched Valentine's Day this weekend. It featured an all-star cast in interwoven vignettes about love. I won't say it's the worst film I've seen this year (no, that distinction goes to The Back-up Plan), but it is pretty bad. And that's coming from an admitted 'hopeless romantic.' If you're looking for a better rom-com, go see The Kids are All Right or rent (500) Days of Summer.
