HAPPY NEW YEAR!

That is all!
Seriously, I want to wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! With that I will commence with the drinking of the Double Bastard,(notice the Spin pint glass! Those guys rule!) and partying with the family! God Bless, and Happy New Year!!
-Don

In Keeping With The 'Green' Theme From Yesterday, And Staying Timely With The Season

My friends know that I am not the most crazy 'green' person. It's not that I'm into destroying the environment, it's more that I don't buy the 'end of the world as we know it' talk (I feel an R.E.M. reference, I'll let that pass... OK). So, after saying all of that, I'm going to go in a green direction today.

Especially in the cycling world it seems as though many people are so adamant about protecting the environment. I have to admit, I like to ride in the country far more than in heavy traffic. There's something that's just enjoyable about being able to breath while you're riding. Since I've been riding I've been a little more aware of the environment. You notice things more on a bike than in a car. I'm still not crazy about the global warming hype, though, and think Gore is a douche bag (sorry, I like the term... it's a guilty pleasure of mine). There I said it. One thing had me kind of tweaked out the other day, though.

It all started Friday. My wife and I were out shopping the sales, and saw gift wrap on sale really cheep. So we loaded up on it. As I was walking with, what seemed like, about three acres of trees worth of paper it hit me. I turned to my wife and asked a simple question, "With all of the freaking out over the environment, how the hell are we still allowed to buy gift wrap?" This sentence was further brought to life on the drive into work today. Seeing countless mounds of trash awaiting pickup. Boxes and bags, and all of them full to the brim with paper.

I know, it's not about cycling, but seriously. We're so worried about every little thing we do, and it's impact on the environment, how do we let this pass? My suggestion? I don't know. Follow Fatty and use Gift Bags? Maybe the answer is fancy, reusable cloth bags? Eh, whatever. Just wanted to throw this out for you to think about next year for the holidays.

Hope your holidays were, are, great!

Maybe I'm Down For This Global Warming Thing After All

Before I get into the meat of the post, I've come up with more than I thought I had to dole out as Christmas gifts. So, I'll keep taking emails (you can email me via the link at the top of the right hand side bar that says "you can contact me by clicking here") until I run out of stuff. The rest of you who have already emailed me, I will get the stuff out soon. Probably after the first of the year, though. Also, thank you to all who have left comments or emailed with kind thoughts and words for the holidays!

I know, I said I wasn't going to post until the new year, but I couldn't resist. Odds are I'll post another time or two between now and then as well.

This weekend was long! I was off Wednesday through Sunday, and technically don't have to go back in until Monday January 5, 2009. I say that because I need to get used to saying 2009 or, once again, I'll screw up the date on every contract I touch until March! Anyway, with all that time on my hands I got around to getting back into the swing of something resembling exercise. I kind of 'forgot' that with as busy as I was with work and such. I think I put about five pounds back on over the last week though. Regardless, I'm well on my way, again, to weight loss.

Another thing that was interesting was the weather. Christmas Day and Friday were in the teens. I was, originally, planning a trip to Rays with an old friend, her fiance and brother on Saturday. That fell through on two accounts. First, she was in from out of town and party fowled by leaving her gear at home. Second, it wound up being 65ºf on Saturday... IN CLEVELAND! It was ten degrees warmer here, than it was at my friends in California. Seriously! So with that in mind, I needed to be outside. It sucked just a little bit on account the trails were mud pits, but I was able to ride some 'improved' (read: crushed limestone) trails around the neighborhood. It was wicked good fun throwing on shorts and short sleeves and getting out in the fresh air. If this is global warming, may I'm down for it.

Reality check, anyone? Sunday, temps back down in the thirties, wind gusts up to 58 MPH. Oh well, all good things must come to an end, right? So, back to waiting for a good time to get out on the MTB in the snow, working out indoors, and re-planning a trip to Rays. Well, off to work for now, for a while anyway.

Merry Christmas!

UPDATE 12/28/2008: I've come up with more than I thought I had to dole out. I'll keep taking emails until I run out of stuff. The rest of you who have already emailed me, I will get the stuff out soon. Probably after the first of the year, though. Thanks for the kind thoughts and words guys!!

Well, it's that time of year. Time for a certain amount of chaos to ensue, but for now a good kind of chaos. I will be making Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Dinner, New Years Eve dinner and the "getting over the hangover from drinking too much Double Bastard and/or Arrogant Bastard New Years Day Breakfast. Also, the plan is, still, to get out to Ray's this Saturday for some indoor mountain biking. Ray's just might be one of Cleveland's few, if not only, blessings. Anyway it'll likely be nice enough to ride outside, God forbid Ray's somehow falls through.

Anyways, add to that all of the family plans: sledding, toy building, date night with the wife, and it just makes for a lot to do in five days. With that said I will likely not be doing much posting until Monday January 5th. This will however likely change assuming I get out to Ray's, or something earth shattering come up.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you, in case I'm not here between now and the new year, for reading and commenting. I enjoy writing, though it sometimes feels like self-deprecation, and really dig the fact that I've made some new acquaintances in the process. I seriously would love to figure out a way to get together and ride, outside of any of you who I might run into in Philly.

For now, one last little way of saying thank you. I have some stuff still laying around that I want to give away, Christmas Presents if you will. Here's just a taste...
So, all I want is for you to do is go up to the "you can contact me by clicking here" like at the top of the right hand side bar. Drop me an email with your email address and name, and I will get in touch if you are one of the lucky ones to get a Chrstmas gift. I will take emails through Sunday night so you have through the weekend to email me. Once I figure out everything I have I will lay all of the items out, and one by one I will grab an item, throw all of the names into a hat and force my wife to pick one. She will complain that I am a 'dork' and I will say something inappropriate. She will break down and pick names and I will put that name on the gift and then send it out. Just ask Thom! (Thom: I SWEAR I will get that out to you, like, this week!) I will pick names until I run out of stuff.
The only rule, and I apologize but I'm footing the postage, is that I'll only send to the US and Canada. I feel like a punk for saying that, but the postage to send the calendar to England is more than the calendar costs... sorry. :(

Anyway Thanks again. To all my friends; May you all have a Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah), and Joyous and Prosperous New Year!
Also, Thanks again to Anke from Cyclepassion for the calendars this year, and Mike from Mr Smith for the Jimi's! You guys rock! Also remember, Only a couple days left to get 15% off your entire JIMI purchase! Just go to http://thejimi.com and look around for what you want from the Jimi Store. Throw it all into your basket and fill out all the necessary info like name, address, payment, etc. When you're filling it out, make sure you type 'phun' as the coupon code on the payment page, and you get 15% off! It's just that easy!

Until next year, or until I get antsy to post!

Tis The Season To Be Green

Hey all. Just wanted to give fair warning, I have some stuff to give away for the Holidays! I will figure out how I'm going to do it and post more on how you could get something TOMORROW! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I want to play Santa! So tomorrow I'll post how you could get your hands on something. Tomorrow. Check back then. Did I mention it's tomorrow?

Also, don't forget about Mike O'Neil and his Jimi offer! Only a couple days left on this bad boy. Mike would like to extend a special offer to all of the Cycling Phun readers through the Holiday! 15% off your entire purchase! So jump online and get one for you, one for dad, another for mom so she isn't jealous, what about the guys at the local bike shop who never charge you to tweak out your bike (give 'em a six pack too, those guys love the suds, usually!), heck go mad and buy a case of these things! They're 15% OFF! Just go to http://thejimi.com and look around for what you want from the Jimi Store. Throw it all into your basket and fill out all the necessary info like name, address, payment, etc. When you're filling it out, make sure you type "phun" as the coupon code on the payment page, and WHAMO! (I just wanted to use the word whamo one more time), 15% off! It's just that easy! These things are seriously cool, one of the best purchases I've ever made!

Alright, for now, check this out!

What better time of year to be a little bit more green than during the red and green season of Christmas? Apparently UPS liked the idea. Recently UPS decided to restart a program of delivering to neighborhoods via bike, and it's been all over the net. What UPS has done is to give temp workers a goal of 25-50 packages on average, and a bike specially fit with their two wheeled trailers. They then drop the days packages at the employees home. The employees load the packages they plan to carry for their first trip and head out to deliver. Once those are done, they come back for another round and repeat until all of the packages for the day have been delivered.

UPS is also providing train for these employees on how to maneuver a bike with a two wheeled trailer, and while carrying up to two hundred pounds.

I can't help but to think that this would be an astounding way to lose a few extra pounds. New dream: I hope they spread this to Cleveland next summer (right), but doubt it as they are currently only doing it in Oregon. As far as the stories? You can read about it all over the net, I liked the Treehugger write-up, and this video hit the spot too!

UPS Delivery By Bike! Salem, Oregon from nwduffer on Vimeo.

Weekend, Nay Holiday, Blues

The weekend wasn't a total washout, it was only about 80% a washout. I did get to do a few things that were pretty righteous. Friday sucked in SO many ways. Friday was a crazy morning of rain and warm, than cool and ice, cold and snow, more warm and ice, finally cold and snow. It kinda sucked, really. Not to mention that the culmination of the afternoon was freezing cold, and the now rain and slush freezing solid. This left sheets of ice and the tire tracks frozen solid in mini stalagmites all over the roads and parking lots. Again, it just sucked.

Saturday had some promise, not for riding, but it had promise. I woke up at the butt crack of dawn and got out to ring bells for the Salvation Army. Yeah, I was that guy. The one who stood in the mall ringing the bell non-stop. Did that for a bit, saw a ton of people, some who I knew, and got to see a generous side of people. I was amazed to see how much money some people will cram into the small red kettles. VERY cool. Also really enjoyed seeing kids digging through their pockets, or being egged on by mom and dad to go put some change in the kettle. I think it's important to teach kids to give back at an early age. Saturday night turned out amazing as well. Had the annual family Christmas dinner. My family is pretty huge. My moms sister had five kids, they had six, four, two, two, and two respectively. All total I figure there was about thirty-five or forty people total. About eight or ten of them are under the age of ten. I would be more specific, but I keep counting and missing people or having too many. Oh, and I'm too lazy to write down name, so you'll have to deal. OK, so my family is insane! When we get together we are just insane, in a fun way. We all hang out, chase kids, talk and do a white elephant gift exchange. Every year there is an abundance of crap! After all, thats what a white elephant should be about, right? It was four hours that flew by, and I would've been OK if it had been longer. Digressing.

Ugh... This is where it starts falling to pieces. Yeah, it's that time of the year. Holiday season! Woo-freakin'-hoo! I like to consider myself one who, generally, likes the holidays but this is where my fine line gets drawn. I was up early, earlier than I wanted to be, but late enough that going to church wasn't going to be an option. Suck. So I rolled out of bed and realized a shower right out of bed was going to be both a time issue, and futile since I would be cooking like a fiend. So I got our Christmas diner with my father-in-law done, and realized I felt like crap. Yup, a cold. Two weeks without a cold, and now it's back! Double suck. Shower should help. Or not. Had dinner with the in-laws, crashed in my bed for a minute (hour... or so) startled awake, groggy and grumpy. Triple suck. Got dressed and went to Target for drugs, in 30 MPH winds (with higher gusts), about 2ºf temps, and double digit below zero temps with wind chill (as I type this it's 10:00 pm Sunday and it's -22ºf with wind chill right now, in a whiteout), and a full parking lot. Suck to the fourth power (this is where it gets into exponential growth). To top it off Christmas Eve has now been changed no fewer than thirteen times, and it's supposed to be a freezing rain storm anyway, which will make all of the plans useless. Suck to the fourth power. OH! and I ate my own body weight in homemade Christmas cookies. Enter the suck trump card!

So, now I sit here complaining it now dawns on me, Saturday is the trip to Ray's MTB. So I now have five days to recoup for the trip to Ray's. By the way, if you're in Cleveland you should be meeting up with us to MTB at Ray's. Just comment ere, or send me an email through the link at the top of the sidebar on the right. So, original plans on hold, if not DOA, for the Christmas Eve run.

It may sound like I'm complaining, because I was, but it was to set up this point. All of that said, It could be a lot worse. I hate to be a downer, but I want to encourage you to remember just how lucky you were this year. Whether it's your family, your health, the fact that you are in a good place financially, the fact you still have a job, we all have things to be grateful for. Heck, if you could, donate. Donate money, donate time, whatever you can do. Remember that while some people have it better than you, some people have it far worse.

Until tomorrow.

Weekly Roundup December 19, 2008

OK, so I’m still planning on getting out to ride the weekend after Christmas. Not just anywhere, but to Ray’s Mountain Bike Park. I have a friend, like the little sister I never had, who I lost track of for some years. We just got back in touch with one another, and it seems that her and her beau both mountain bike. They’ll also be in Cleveland for Christmas, sooo… Ray’s it is! Best part is… You’re all welcome to come! So, drop me a line via the “You Can Contact Me By Clicking Here” link, or drop me a comment with a way to get in touch with you and lets chat about how we can make it happen.

This weeks roundup I’ve decided to give some love to some friends that I’ve (regrettably) neglected over the last couple of months, so without further adieu, I give you what’s been giving me my fix in the last week, short and sweet, I give you the Weekly Roundup!

Let’s Rock…: One of my original guilty pleasures had a funny relevant post for me. A post that had Yeahdog Livid! Apparently Chicago is partaking in the hell that is northeast US winter. We’re not far behind you, Lisa! They’re calling for an ice and freezing rain storm overnight and through rush hour tomorrow in Cleveland.

Ray’s Racing Adventures: I haven’t really talked about Ray often this year, but I felt it would be a good time since I have the opportunity to congratulate him on him getting his papers and will be USA Cycling Coaching!! That’s a big step, Ray, and you sound mighty amped over it. Congratulations, and best wishes!

Competitive Cycling: Someone I’ve recently been really enjoying reading up on, though haven’t really mentioned all that much. Groover shares the story of her Last Race Of 2008. I have to admit, Groover, this has me Jealous. I don’t like it that we’re looking forward to ice, snow and single digits, and you are just kicking into summer, over there in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Enjoy some warm rides for me, would ya?

Cozy Beehive: Finally, Ray shared a quickie on a PS3 related note. He risked life and limb to bring us the news that Call Of Duty 4 Has Many Bicycles! I have to admit I’ve always loved C.O.D., this just gives me one more reason. Course I can’t run the bloody game since I’m not running a G5, but…

Also, please remember, I will be riding in the Philly Leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I will be riding in honor of my father who was taken by cancer on Fathers Day 1993, and as a part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I have started the journey to reach my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and my participation in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page HERE, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will! Please check it out! As usual, I’m the Phun Cyclist, you stay classy Cleveland.

Crazy Week, Weekly Roundup To Come Tomorrow... I Promise!

Let me be the first to be two days late on the Weekly Roundup post. I have had a deluge of work at the office, believe it or not, and just typical holiday chaos. The good side is with that comes family, good health, and great friends, so I really cannot complain. The downside is that things that can wait, have to. So, again, tomorrow I'll do you right with a Weekly roundup.

Also, if you are able and willing to donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), I will be riding in the Philly Leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I have started the journey to reach my goal of raising $2,500 for LAF and my participation in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. If you would like to help and donate to LAF on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page HERE, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those family, friends, and strangers who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

Crazy Week Phun: The Two Great Tastes That Are Great Together Edition

Between work and holiday parties things are totally nuts right now. I will try to get a weekly roundup up today, but it will likely be tomorrow. Who I am kidding, that's happening tomorrow.

Also, please remember, I will be riding in the Philly Leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I will be riding in honor of my father who was taken by cancer on Fathers Day 1993, and as a part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I have started the journey to reach my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and my participation in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the Lance Armstrong Challenge. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

For now, I'd like to give you two great 'tastes' that taste great together. Cycling and geekdom! Seriously though, this was a pretty cool clip regarding bike drafting. Enjoy!

Another Installment Of The Hottie Of The Week, And A Great Show To Boot

It's been a while since I've humored Matt with a Hottie Of The Week®! He wanted a "Babe Of The Day", but that would just be crazy. So I gave in, I think the first time was Oct 23, and threw out Niki Gudex as my first Hottie Of The Week®. It's been a while since last I had a Hottie post, so I wanted to throw one in.

I've got a good reason for the Hottie Of The Week that I chose too! Not only is this woman b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l, but she is part of a show that, much like 24, is like crack to me. The show is Fringe. If you haven't seen Fringe, let me try to explain it in a hundred words or less, way less. If X-Files, which to be fair I loved, did a metric sh__-ton of steroids, then did a handful of drugs in hopes of sick creative plot-lines, and then beat the heck out of X-Files just to prove it was stronger. Yeah, that's Fringe. It's all about the paranormal, government conspiracies, crazy mind control, chemical warfare, and so so much more.

OK, I talked it up enough... all that just to get to this: The Hottie Of The Week®! Australian beauty, Anna Torv.

Weird Weekend Weather

Northeast Ohio is a weird animal. If you live in Cleveland you live by one quote; If you don't like the weather in Cleveland, give it five minutes. An example? OK. Friday night I took a forty-five minute ride to my brother-in-laws birthday party. It took about a hour and a half, or more. It was snowing horribly, and everything was icing over. There were three accidents on the way. Crazy! The saving grace? There was Christmas Ale, Christmas Ale makes it all better. Saturday It was nice. Sun out, cool, breezy, but tolerable. You needed to grab the jacket, but no snow, not too windy. Sunday, about fifty and rain, windy as all get out. To top things off, perfect cold weather. Just got over the coldS I've had since October 19th. Reason I know that, I started the cold the day after the cross race. So, now I have another one, by the way... I blame my wife this time... just for the record.

Anyway, this is just a perfect example of Cleveland. You never know what you're going to get. I am, however, anxiously awaiting the first real snow fall of the year. None of this two to three inch crap. I want the good old Cleveland type of snow! You know, like, two to three feet... at once. Then another two and a half feet the following day. School closed for two or three days, just stay home and work from home. Take a lunch ride, or something. That's what I'm talking about.

Regardless of the weather, I need to get far more serious about the training. This is a bad time of year for so many reasons. This is a crazy time at work, everyone is facing year end, and we are swamped. Every week there are two to three parties for the holiday, this week I have five. Seriously. How the heck can I expect to lose weight with five parties in a week. With weeks like these, I haven't been out on a bike since Thanksgiving now! I just suck. I'm über excited, though, about the holidays! Christmas falls on a Thursday, as does New Years, why is that significant? It means four day weekends! Hopefully, I'll get in a Christmas Eve ride, maybe one on Christmas, the weekend after, and a similar ride schedule New Years weekend. Gives me something cool to look forward to, I suppose.

For now, don't forget about Mike O'Neil and his Jimi offer! Mike would like to extend a special offer to all of the Cycling Phun readers through the Holiday! 15% off your entire purchase! So jump online and get one for you, one for dad, another for mom so she isn't jealous, what about the guys at the local bike shop who never charge you to tweak out your bike (give 'em a six pack too, those guys love the suds, usually!), heck go mad and buy a case of these things! They're 15% OFF! Just go to http://thejimi.com and look around for what you want from the Jimi Store. Throw it all into your basket and fill out all the necessary info like name, address, payment, etc. When you're filling it out, make sure you type "phun" as the coupon code on the payment page, and WHAMO! (I just wanted to use the word whamo again), 15% off! It's just that easy! These things are seriously cool, one of the best purchases I've ever made!

The Greatest Stocking Stuffer Ever!

If you're like me, and you celebrate Christmas, you are probably about twelve days shy of finishing your Christmas shopping. With that in mind I would like to make a recommendation. Mr Smith, well Mike... but he 'is Mr Smith. That's to say he created, well, never mind. For the sake of this blog post, and to save my wind wandering any further, Mike is one cool guy!

Mike would like to extend a special offer to all of the Cycling Phun readers through the Holiday! What is the offer? how about 15% off your entire purchase! Yup, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or even Ramahanukwanzmas he'll give you 15% off a Jimi wallet! Heck, why stop there? Get one for you, make you dad a wee bit more hip by getting one for his stocking, another for mom so she isn't jealous, what about the two guys at the local bike shop who never charge you to tweak out your bike (give 'em a six pack too, those guys love the suds, usually!), heck go mad and buy a case of these things! They're 15% OFF!

OK, so here's how to do this. Go to http://thejimi.com and look around for what you want from the Jimi Store. Throw it all into your basket and fill out all the necessary info like name, address, payment, etc. When you're filling it out, make sure you type "phun" as the coupon code on the payment page, and WHAMO! (I just wanted to use the word whamo), 15% off! It's just that easy!

So what are you waiting for?! Get over there and get your stuff ordered so you can have it in time for holiday gifts! Oh, and enjoy changing your life, and the lives of others, with Jimi!

Quite Possibly The Coolest "Office" Ever! Meet Conjunctured

Merriam-Webster defines the word "conjuncture" as: a combination of circumstances or events usually producing a crisis.
OK, so what the heck does this have to do with anything? It has to do with this. I like to think I am fairly on top of things, and pretty revolutionary in comparison to a good portion of those around me. An example is those I work with. I suggested that we should look into various forms of impromptu advertising, and you would think I suggested smoking crack in the workplace. I suggested things like tying into facebook, blogging, twitter, etc. I got blank stares, snickers, and push-backs. Much like when I suggested that 4/12 weeks are an awesome idea. The point of these things being, I think different. I use an Apple, For God sakes I've worked for Apple. I just think different, and my mind is always firing.

Apparently, so do these guys. The name is Conjunctured. They describe themselves simply as:

The very first Austin coworking space. We’re a growing community of like-minded professionals who have grown tired of working alone and crave the vibe of working in a collaborative and creative space.

As someone who has the ability to work from home, let me tell you... It sucks! Seriously. Sometimes you just need some background noise. Sometimes you just need someone to bounce an idea off of. Sometimes you just need... coffee? Sure, why not. The place is built on a group that used to take over a coffee shop weekly. They got sick of the weekly groove, so a group rented a house and turned it into a shared workspace. Wireless internet, fax, copiers projectors, a coffee bar, the whole sha-bang! People pay $25/day or $250/month for use of the space, and work in open groups, no cubicles here.

This is just one example of where the world is going. The generation that can't take the starched white shirt and tie, the corporate 9-5, the musty cubicles finally has it's own place. Kudos to these guys and gals in Austin who wanted to buck the system. Hopefully if, or when (?!), I get out to Austin to ride, I'll have an opportunity to pop in and visit the peeps at Conjunctured, and see firsthand what they have going on.

Weekly Roundup December 10, 2008

So cool! The colds are gone, done, over, no more! WOO! So I’m doing what I have to make money before the market dries up right before the new year, and then I ride. I’ll have some time coming with the Christmas holiday and New Years. What does that mean? There’s a GREAT chance to plan a trip to Ray’s Mountain Bike Park. I have a friend, like the little sister I never had, who I lost track of for some years. We just got back in touch with one another, and it seems that her and her beau both mountain bike. They’ll also be in Cleveland for Christmas. Get it? Ray’s! Best part is… You’re all welcome to come! So, drop me a line via the “You Can Contact Me By Clicking Here” link, or drop me a comment with a way to get in touch with you and lets chat about how we can make it happen. OK, without further adieu, I give you what’s been giving me my fix in the last week, short and sweet, I give you the Weekly Roundup!

Bluenoser: My dude Bluenoser is well on his way to going off the deep end for cross! He wrote in his 09.12.08 blog post about how the Provincials went for him. Clearly he forgot that this was his first year trying cross, as he was a bit hard on himself. Bluenoser, er, pot! My name is Kettle… I know.

Travels With A Tin Donkey: It’s been a while, and I hope Sprocketboy can accept my humble apologies. I haven’t forgot about you bro! I am back on the Muesli, like it was crack, as a matter of fact. Can’t eat the stuff without wondering how you’re doing. Anyway, it appears that Sprocketboy had a great time on his Visit To The Pedaling History Bicycle Museum. He stopped at the museum, just outside of Buffalo apparently, and has a great story about the journey, complete with pictures. Hmm, Buffalo is only about three hours from Cleveland, may have to get out there.

Highwaymunky Blog: Munky seems to be having a similar problem to us here in Cleveland. Cold! He also seems to be lacking a certain four letter word. S-n-o-w. Lucky for him. Although snow is a ton of fun. Munky posted a quickie, with pics, about his Fresh Faced Ride. Sounds like it was more of a frozen faced ride.

Fat Cyclist: Fatty had a great little post about Property Value. I know, what does that have to do with cycling? I’m not even going to get into it, but to say you HAVE TO read this! It’s truly awesome, and funny! Oh, and congrats to you, Fatty, on the awesome first week showing for Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting For Susan! LAF must be blown away!

Harp Rider: Harp took a huge step and quit his job at the golf course, as a chef, and is focusing more on his work teaching at the college, as a chef, and his cycling, as a ch… er, just cycling. Also, “Bike Pedalers” will be opening a second store, so he’ll have more hours there as well. Seems as though Harp has had quite A Week. Here’s hoping for all the best for you Harp! Enjoy your new shirt! Oh… Still working on the calendar getting out to you. I PROMISE soon!

Well, that’s it for this week. Don’t forget to get over to Fat Cyclist, and sign up for the LIVESTRONG Challenge. Whether you ride, run, or just support, it’ll be an awesome time, and a chance to win some really cool stuff. GO! Check it out! As usual, I’m the Phun Cyclist, you stay classy Cleveland.

Too Cool For Words, And By Recommendation Of My Doctor

I wanted to include a quick reminder again. I'll stop doing it daily soon, but for now... I will be riding in the Philly leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I will be riding in memory of my father who was taken by cancer on Fathers Day 1993. I will be riding as a part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I'm still quite a way to reaching my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). In the first week I have managed to get $200 in donations thanks to some awesome people who, by the way, you can see scrolling under the thermometer on the sidebar on the right side. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

I'm going to warn you off the bat, this might be a bit gross to you, but I had to rave about it. If you think gross things are, well, gross, you may want to skip the videos but the links will be OK. So for years now I have had MAJOR sinus issues. Most of them have been in the winter, once everything is closed up, and there is no fresh air. It leads me to believe that it is partly or wholly related to dust. Alas I am not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. However I go to a doctor, and the doctor said, "no more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Uh, sorry... Long story there. Anyway, my doctor told me about something that I should be using. It's called a Neti Pot.Yup! That's it! What you do is rub it, and a little genie pops out... Again, I know... Sorry. It's the mood I'm in. Anyway I'll try and stay on topic from now on.
So, The Neti Pot. Mine wasn't as pretty as that, but it is wicked effective. I bought mine for under $15, it was made by a company called NeilMed, and they are cool in my book because in their two minute forty five second video showing a bunch of allergy sufferers and the like, they fit in a gratuitous guy on a bike. That makes them 82.7% cooler.
I used it one time today, and I have to admit that I already feel a difference. Since using it about three hours ago, I haven't blow my nose once. I usually would be about an eighth the way through a box of tissues by this time on a ordinary night. Not to mention I'd have major drainage in my throat (I warned you, gross). Tonight? Breathing freely! WOO! I can't wait to see if it helps when I'm riding, as that's a HUGE problem when I ride, nasal drip like crazy! Anyway, if you haven't seen a Neti in action, I have the video below. It's actually really cool. Based solely on the first time using it, I have a feeling I will be extremely happy that my doctor recommended it. I'll keep you up on it, but for now, check it out in action!

Thoughts On Holiday Weight Gain... And Weight Loss

As a quick reminder before the main post: I will be riding in the Philly leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I will be riding in memory of my father who was taken by cancer on Fathers Day 1993, and as a part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I'm still a long way to reaching my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). In the first week I have managed to get $200 in donations thanks to some awesome people who, by the way, you can see scrolling under the thermometer on the sidebar on the right side. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

OK, now that Thanksgiving is over and the left overs have been dealt with now it begins. What begins you ask? "It"! Weight maintenance and weight loss. Example, I have readied the famous "Sprocketboy Muelsi". You may remember that I lost a whopping 7.4 pounds in one week during the Fat Cyclist Get A Grip Weight Loss Challenge because of Sprocketboy's Muesli. I'm also going to be hooking up a Weider smith rack here in the near future, cracking the rollers out (and trying to figure out how the hell to ride 'em well), and watching what I eat (until the Christmas/New Years week), and getting out in the mediocre weather on the mountain bike.

The aforementioned is part of my 2009 goals, but I'm not going to get into that just yet. There will be time enough for that in the coming weeks, once I have my list completed. I would love to hear what you guys are doing to keep in shape. Further I would love to hear what your plans are for 2009. I know Bluenoser has already expressed interest in reviving the Lean Look Challenge. I have to be honest and agree with Bluenoser when I say, I too have slacked off on There Lean Look. I will likely restart the book in the new year. I don't have much to lose, but the principals are what I need to focus on. So, anyone who would be interested in that should let me know. We could do a contest or something, and maybe even start a side blog based on it!

Anyway, hope you all had a great weekend, and that your plans for the holidays are going well. Catch you tomorrow!

Phun Phor The Weekend - Thank You Prodigy!

As a quick reminder, I will be riding in the Philly Leg of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I will be riding in honor of my father who was taken by cancer on Fathers Day 1993, and as a part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I have started the journey to reach my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and my participation in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the Lance Armstrong Challenge. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

Some of you who truly know me for sometime know of my love for the "party scene" (read that as "rave" to those who were not as in the know) back in the early 90's. I enjoyed the scene, the music, the people, and managed to keep clean and clear of the drugs... Thank God for that. Anyway, I always loved the music. The way you could feel the base, the lights and lasers, and spinning the stuff as well. I had a couple of shows, on a couple of local college stations, and made mixes as often as possible. Never really got deep enough to spin a party, wasn't my style. I never liked the stress of it. One of my favorite bands of all time is, was, and will always be The Prodigy. So, I have to say I was giddy like a school girl to see that they have a new album set to release on 02 March 2009! I know if no one else, Lisa will appreciate this... I hope you do too!

Have a Phun weekend, please donate to my Lance Armstrong fundraising, and enjoy!

Gratitude And Chaos

First off I want to thank my awesome family! I am $150 closer to my goal of raising $2,500 for Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and my participation in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the Lance Armstrong Challenge. If you would like to help and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation on behalf of my fundraising effort, you can go to my secure LAF Page, and make a secure donation. You can also track how I am doing, and there is a link to donate on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Thank you so much to those who have donated, and in advance to those of you who will!

OK, I was going to write a post base a bit on why I am so adamant that come hell or high water I will do the LIVESTRONG Challenge this year. Well, to be honest, I am just burnt out! Seriously. I will post something about the LIVESTRONG Challenge next week, or the week after, or maybe early next year. I'm just doing eighty things right now, and, well... This is how it's been:
I am taking a break from work, at home, after working late, at the office, to try and make hay while the sun shines. It has been chaos, I tell you! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find an Electrical Engineer who has FPGA, SPICE, and C Language experience, and further has used Xilinx and Altera products? Ugh... You probably don't, unless you are one, than you know how in demand you are. With that said, and with the chaos of Holiday and the year end deadlines coming down on me like a boulder on Willey Coyote back in the day of Looney Tunes (the original, not the wanna-be junk in the 90's). It's just all left me feeling like... Feeling as though... Well... Like this...

So, please bare with me if I get a bit flighty in the next couple of weeks, and know that I'll turn it around really soon! Thanks!

Weekly Roundup December 03, 2008

So I think the colds are finally ending, the snow is coming back just in time for some free time thanks to Christmas, and there is a GREAT chance that there will be a trip to Rays Mountain Bike Park. I’m a bit excited at all of the potential fun to be had. For now, Imma keep it short and sweet, and without further adieu, I give you what’s been giving me my fix, I give you the Weekly Roundup!

Bluenoser: Bluenoser had his final cross race of the season, and the bug has seemingly bit him hard! On 30.11.08 he posted a great story regarding how the race went. Complete with pictures and video! Looks like the race was a blast Blue. Maybe in a couple years, after getting the lungs in shape and some training, I’ll get to race with ya.

The Wah Report: Wah? Heh… Wah has too much going on with his cross racing to even start to talk about. Just go to The Wah Report and check out the last week. Hell, check out the last couple weeks. There’s pictures, video, stories, links, hand ups, brews, all kinds of stuff going on there. Just set aside, about, forty five minutes to an hour and check into the blog.

Highwaymunky Blog: So with every major world economy in the toilet, what the heck is a brother, or sister, supposed to do when it comes to buying a new rig? Munky hooks us up with a guide to Surviving The Credit Crunch… No, Wait, Recession… Oh, No, Now It’s A Dep[CENSORED]on. I like it Munky, I really like it! You might just be able to market this!

Harp Rider: Harp got out for, what sounded like, a fun but Cold And Rough ride. As the weather changes so do our habits, right Harp? By the way… The calendar is on it’s way… soon. Promise.

Rays Racing Adventure: Ray has me jealous, as he got out for what sounded like a wicked fun Thanksgiving ride. He got out in West Woods Trail and didn’t even invite me. I really need to find a couple better trails in the area to ride. Should probably think about setting up a winter run too, sometime soon!

Well, that’s it for this week. Don’t forget to get over to Fat Cyclist, and sign up for the LIVESTRONG Challenge. Whether you ride, run, or just support, it’ll be an awesome time, and a chance to win some really cool stuff. GO! Check it out! As usual, I’m the Phun Cyclist, you stay classy Cleveland.

LiveStrong Challenge - Dates Announced, I'll Be There, You Can Win Stuff From Fatty, Kick Cancers A__! What More Could You Ask For?

That's right! It's that time of year again, and I'm excited! What time of year? Why am I so excited? OK, there are a few reasons, so I'll take 'em one at a time.

First, one of my goals for 2009 is set, and I'm already moving ahead with it. I will be riding in the 2009 Philadelphia leg of the LiveStrong Challenge! If you would like to donate to my fundraising effort for the LiveStrong Challenge you can go to My LiveStrong Challenge Page to make a secure donation by credit card, or find out how to donate by phone or mail. You can also click on the LiveStrong Challenge Thermometer in the sidebar on the right.

Another reason I am excited is that I will be riding as a part of the now famous Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting For Susan. It's a brilliant idea that Fatty put together with the idea of having the largest team, make the most money, and break all LiveStrong Challenge records as a team. You don't have to be a pro rider, or even very good, or even want to ride or run! You too could join the team and raise money for Team Fatty and be a part of history. The easiest way to explain this is to have you go to Join Team Fatty Today (With Some Unbelievably Good Reasons Why). Once you are there you will find all of the info on how you too can join the team, and have a chance to win some really cool swag! You can chose from four LiveStrong Challenge Dates: Seattle, WA (June 21); San Jose, CA (July 12); Philadelphia, PA (Aug 23); and Austin, TX (Oct 23 – 25). Like I said, I will be riding in Philly (as it seems everyone else will, by the looks of Fatty's blog comments).

Well, for now that's all I've got, I need to go and work on My LiveStrong Challenge Page, and getting out some fund raising emails. For now, please go and donate to My LiveStrong Challenge Page, and we'll catch you again tomorrow!

Thanks, in advance, for your consideration!

Thanksgiving Regret - The Ride: A Not So Good Idea?

So Friday I wrote a nice little post about my Thanksgiving Ride. If you haven't checked it out yet, go to the Friday post, check it out, and then come back here. Trust me, It'll just be easier to understand the rest of this. I'll wait... go.

OK, so we're all on the same page, right? Good. So I got a short ride in on Thanksgiving. It was cold, there was snow, I was breathing hard, the lungs felt like butt! I'm extraordinarily happy that I didn't go into an asthma attack, as I left the inhaler at home (for the record this was a stoopit idea). Anyway, I got home and was feeling the ride in my lungs, but I didn't think about it. I got in the shower and finished the Turkey Day dinner stuff, and went about my business eating and drinking myself into a food and, to a smaller extent, alcohol induced coma! It was, however a really nice Thanksgiving and a great dinner. I don't mean to brag, but I'm a pretty decent cook, and so is the wife.

So I crashed a bit early on account I was going to shop Friday, and I was tired from the days events. I felt like I was going to die the entire night! I woke up countless times, and was just in pain. The lungs haven't felt right since it was cold. Got up early and hit the shower. Weighed myself, a full five pounds high than I was Wednesday, and left to shop with my wife and about twenty-two million insane people. All of whom were extremely nice, and very conversational. It's amazing what you learn about people when you're in line with them for thirty minutes or more. On a positive note here, Im down from what used to be a forty waist to a THIRTY THREE! I haven't worn a thirty three since early in high school! So while I am seemingly stagnating in the middle to high one seventies, my waistline is making me happy.

To finish the long story, I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out. Swam on Saturday, just hung out and enjoyed the rest of the holiday weekend, but the lungs felt tight and hurt pretty much the entire time. Still can't shake the cold 100%, and just feel like crud! Anyone have any suggestions on how to build up lungs? I'd love to hear em. Hope you all had a great weekend too, been enjoying the blogs over the weekend. Keep reading and (for those of you who do) writing!