Back In The Swing Of Things

First off two quick points of business. First off, as a point of cross promotion, I was featured for The Art Of Brew (my other blog) on Drink With The Wench. Both AMAZING blogs, if I may say so myself.

Also, my buddy rich is almost completely through Virginia on his 4500 mile cross country ride. He is raising money for LiveStrong, and is accepting donations for LiveStrong on his LiveStrong page. He is now officially more that 500 miles into the journey, and it's day 10. More to follow as I hear more

So it has been about ten days now since my last post, but at least it has been for a good reason. I've been managing to get out on the bike and log some miles, and have been putting myself into a world of hurt working out my core. It's one of those weird things that my body is hurting so much that it feels so good.

I've also been making a point to eat a lot better. Skipping wings with the guys from work, eating a lot more raw, and veggie, and even being suckered into my wife's vegan habit. I have to admit that I could likely be persuaded to go vegan if I didn't have to give up cheese... Or chocolate... Or bacon. OK, I could give up bacon, but it's SO good.

Anyway, I think this is going to call for a July ride in Cleveland. Likely the Towpath once again. So if you're in the area, or want to be, drop me a line and you can meet up with us.

Cheers, for now!

Day One Of Re-re-re-re-re-starting The Working Out Stuff: Cooked

So, after a trip to the most magical place on Earth, and eating like crap for a week, continuing that for a month afterward from home, etc. I am currently up ten or so pounds. It fluctuates between ten and fifteen. Epic freaking suck. I went out and tried to ride fairly seriously, and felt every bit of it. Asthma was acting up, it hasn't in about a year and a half, I felt like someone was forcing a tire iron in my right side, it was just a hot mess. I feel bad as hell for the person who agreed to ride with me that day. I just sucked.

So, today I started some of my Lean Look exercise routine, and am hoping to build up to starting P90X soon. I'm pretty sure that will be a nice mix of love, hate, pain, joy, happiness, and regret, but also know it will be worth it. I need to build up my muscle tone, again, and start losing fat. Why is it that when you hit, like, 30 everything goes to crap exponentially faster? I have actually, also, been debating going veg again. The wife wants to try going vegan, and I keep telling her she is in-freaking-sane! First off, how the hell do you give up cheese?! Just asking... It's the worlds most perfect food! Anyway, I'd love your opinions on vegetarianism. Any of you doing it? I did a while ago, but fell prey to a 13oz fillet. I ate about a third or a half of it... Mistake. Thought I was going to die. Started back on meat.

Well that's it for now, back to the grind. back to trying to get some level of health and fitness about myself.

Happy St Patrick's Day! I'm Going Freakin' MAD!

Hello all! I was actually just thinking about letting this bad boy go for another ten days, just so I could see that it's been a full month since my last post, but I couldn't do it. I know that so many of you out there are hanging on my every word, that it's been breaking your hearts to have me absent for such a span of time. Please note: This has ALL been sarcasm. Truth is, I often wonder if I just pulled the blog what would happen? Then I look at my analytics, and see how many people are checking in, and I feel like I can't. Furthermore, I feel guilty for not giving people who are checking it something to read, then I wonder why the hell I'm so lucky to have people reading it, then I feel bad again, luck, bad, lucky...

So the bottom line, as always, is this; I will continue to write if you continue to read. Things will be getting better, more interesting, and more frequent. (Lord, if you are listening... HELP!) Part of the issue has been I really haven't had the time to ride with some of the current events in my life, with the current climate (weather and economy) being the way they are, and coming off of a WAY too short, but much needed, one week vacation. My hope and prayer is to get back half way into the shape I was this time last year. I'm ten pounds (and change) up on where I was, and I promise that my muscle tone is way hurting too.

So the plan? To hit the bike again this summer. Hopefully harder than last year. I would like to get weekly rides, and would like them to truly be weekly this year. I want to get the damn weight bench I was supposed to get last summer, and use it. Who knows, I might even go veg again for a while. I'd probably go pseudo-vegetarian and fish, possibly chicken, but who knows. I just know that there needs to be change again, and no time is better than the present!

With that, please keep in touch, and let me know what you think and what you're up to in the comments, and I hope to deliver a better Q2-Q4 in 2010!

All my best!
Don

Yay For Weight Loss

Well it's been about a week, I know... "[I] suck", since I last posted here. I have been posting along with the brewer Thomas at The Art Of Brew somewhat more regularly, and as things settle in life a bit I will be hammering away at both Cycling Phun and The Art Of Brew. Then again, it is the winter in Ohio, really quite cold, and kinda crappy. Not a whole lot of riding going on right now to report. The weather has been just cold enough to suck, but just warm enough to be slushy snow and ground that won't freeze. Soft ground+cold rain=no bueno por ciclismo.

Luckily I have been getting back into core workouts (which, honestly, is a part of the reason the posts have been sparse), eating better and less, drinking less beer (surprisingly! I've really been writing about it more than I've been drinking it) and such, and it really is paying off. I can't promise once we get the brewery sculpture built I'll fair so well on the drinking part, but... Regardless of what might happen, right now I'm back on my way to some sort of fitness. I'm back down into the 180's, high 180's, but 180's nonetheless. I can already see the fat bump going away, and feel my abs tightening. The core exercises that were killing me just a week ago, now feel "good". I say "good", because I mean they've transitioned from the pain that lingers, to the lighter pain that turns to a really sweet-ass burn when resting.

I am actually at a point now, where I am SO anxious for the weather to break so I could start turning cranks again outdoors. Likewise, still looking to trade a set of rollers or sell a set of rollers so I can acquire a trainer. If you know of anyone who might be interested, use the "you can contact me by clicking here" button in the upper right hand corner of the sidebar on the right. Hope y'all are doing well, and thanks as always for your readership!

Positive Trending

OK, so it has been fifteen days since my last post, once again I will apologize and ask (nay, beg) that you please bear with me while I try to put my life in order. I have seen the official demise of the only cool bike shop within a forty minute drive, I have had countless issues with time, work has been so stagnant that algae is officially starting to grow on it, and there is nearly NOTHING keeping me motivated for shit! I know, I usually do my best to not use vulgarity in my posting but this is the real me. The real pissed off me. The one real advantage to this, is I have had some of the best motivation through my anger.

Example, some of my hardest riding has been right after a blow up over something, or generally bad event in my life getting me so hot that I just go out, put my head down and turn cranks. Arguably one of my best rides turned out like this. I got so zoned that I was staring in front of me, turning cranks, forgot where I was, looked down and I was pacing at about 20 MPH on a flat. I NEVER get up to 20, I usually hit the high end of my comfort zone at 17. Irregardless (Yes I know... I meant it... As an inside joke. It's a pet peeve of mine), anger motivates me.

I do have some positives going on right now. Like the trending down from a high of 195 right after the new year. I had a week of craziness with one of the kids in the hospital for emergency surgery (It's OK... problem solved, everyone is healthy!), and a crazy work schedule (both jobs) that lead to what I'd like to call "convenience eating". You know, when you eat what is convenient, not really what's good. Example, in the part-time job we had Wendy's. So, while we were locked out of the truck, we were sitting in Wendy's... and got a round of Frosty's. At the hospital, a place of health, a Chipotle-esque burrito, not wholly unhealthy, but then again it could be worse.

Bottom line is in the last two weeks, I have dropped back down five pounds, to an even 190. Not nearly as cool as the 179 all time low, but far better than continuing upward. One of the things I have learned is to pick my battles. I'm not going for getting back to perfect shape in a month, I'm going for slow and steady, and to be back as close to my optimal health by the time the snow melts and I'm on the road bike. For now, that means eating better again, and getting back into core workouts, strength workouts, adding in aerobic workouts and intervals, and rebuilding.

So, for now, there you have it! 190 and dropping. Hopefully this will become a trend.

Twenty Days Later

Yeah, I suck. What can I say. My life is on indefinite hold and chaotic all at the same time. Make sense? No? OK, let me try to explain here. I work HR (recruiting, benefits, etc - full scale HR) for a living, the economy sucks (expletive deleted) with a straw, because of this my job sucks hard. With that in mind I've been picking up side jobs where I can, and doing what I need to, dig? likewise the ol' lady picked up something. It all helps to get by, but it suck big time when you're trying to hold a weight loss plan, or something resembling normality. Hence the posting has suffered.

As far as the weight loss? Yeah, that has suffered too. Just when I thought I was turning a corner, BOOM! It all blew up again. So, I have been less than perfect at the whole working out scene, and forget eating well. I mean, I guess I have been eating OK, but not like I should. I have managed to keep constant at just either side of 192, but I want to be at 170, so...

Lastly, for today, I am thinking about ditching the rollers in lieu of a trainer. I just can't concentrate in my home enough to ride 'em. A trainer would be SO much easier. So if anyone is interested in trading a trainer for rollers, buying a set of rollers, or something along these lines, please message me at the "contact me" button on the upper right hand corner.

World Of Hurt

Well, after about eight months, plus or minus, of chaos in my life, and putting aside the workouts I have (kind of) started back into it. Tonight was day one of muscle building exercise. Let me start by saying I can't believe how far you can fall in a short amount of time. I felt so great early this year with my rides. Legs felt great, lungs felt great, just full of piss and vigor. Now, not so much. Add to the slow down, OK near halt, of almost all activity a great deal of stagnation and I am in a world of pain tonight.

I started in on the muscle building where I left off in, like, March-ish... Yeah, not the best idea I've had in a wile. After knocking it back a few steps I got through the workout, and am sitting here aching in places that I forgot existed. I will say this, it is a good kind of hurt. You know the kind; your muscles burn, they get tense and sore... but you sit back with a big smile.

So, from here on out the plan is to do some muscle building to get back into the swing every other day. Once I am getting back into the swing, I'll add in some intervals, until by the start of 2010 I am back into the full swing of The Lean Look: Burn Fat, Tone Muscles and Transform Your Body in Twelve Weeks Using the Secrets of Professional Athletes by Paul Goldberg and Matthew Fitzgerald. GOD! I just love to say the full title, it's just so freaking long. (Sidebar: Paul and Matthew should hook me up for how much I've pimped the book on this blog now, don'tcha think? - hint, wink)

Anyway, I lost fifty or so pounds and put ten or so back in the last six months. Just imagine where I can go from here. My next ideal weight, for 2010, is 170. There I said it, it's official. Once I hit 170, I'll see how I look and feel and decide from there how much further I want to go, or whether I need a different muscle building program, whatever.

Also, I would love to start a serious ride once a week from May (unless April is really nice in 2010) through September (unless October is really nice in 2010). Once a week, after work (or on a weekend day), whatever it takes. if you're in the Cleveland area, I'd love for you to be a part of it. If not, maybe I'll finally bite the bullet and join the Cleveland Touring Club. Who knows? They're a great group of guys and gals, it could be a lot of fun.

Bottom line, I need to get back to where I was, build from there, and get better. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

The First Week Of Weight Loss. So Far, Uh, So Far?

Well... Hello to Bluenoser, Munky, Clyde, Lily, and Trio. Where to begin? So the first week started at a 193 weigh-in on Monday. Since then, two thirteen plus hour work days have given way to poor eating, lack of exercise and being completely wasted-tired by the time I got home. So the bottom line is as of Wednesday morning, still a not-so-svelte 193.

I did not manage, due to time and lack of planning, to get my muesli made, so I have not kicked back on the Muesli Diet. For those of you who may be new or not remember, I lost a ton of weight through exercise and a diet of Sprocketboy's Muesli. I will be going back to Muesli starting Monday.

I also hope to get a, roughly, twenty-five mile ride in on Saturday and a shorter fun ride, mountain bike, on Sunday. I will also be getting back in the habit of doing some of the "Lean Look" exercises.

How about you guys? Also, anyone else who is interested in joining else on the fun, feel free to jump in. Just leave your info in the comments section.

Cheers, for now!

Calling Out To The Fitness Geeks

OK, OK, OK... So it's been a hot minute since I've posted regularly. Likewise since I've seriously been turning cranks. Furthermore an eternity since I've had any serious level of fitness. I have a feeling that is all about to change. Recently I have been stressing out, and have been at home a lot more often. One major problem with that comes the serious problem of grazing. If you are not familiar with grazing, let me explain. You walk past the kitchen, do a double-take, go into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen you take ice cream, crush cookies on top, keep looking, grab the whipped cream and throw a dollop on, then move that concoction on a brownie that you warmed in the microwave, and finally cover it with chocolate. Disclaimer: I haven't done this, it was just an example I got carried away with... But now that I think of it, I wonder how much of it I have here...

Digressing... So I have a serious problem being in my home, for extended periods, stressing out, and around food. With all of that said, I have gained about 10 pounds in the last three months or so. I am officially back into the 190 range, and need to drop back to the sub 180 range. The lowest I have been in the last two years has been 180, so I think that will become my new goal. With all of the holiday's coming up, and all of the engorging that will occur, my goal will be to drop to 180 lbs by year end. Anyone on board with me?

Here's what we'll do... I don't have the time or money to do a prize this time around, and since we're publicly embarrassing Don; I still owe Bluenoser his prizes from last December. My suggestion is accountability. Set a fitness and/or weight loss goal for year end, and push for it. I don't care what you are eating, I don't care what your exercise is, so long as you're growing toward your goal. If you're not reaching the goal I will ride you, like my Rockhopper, until you do. Likewise, I'll expect that you do the same. Anyone up for it? Drop me a comment and lets get cracking. We start Monday! Hope I could get 3-5 of you to get on board, I'm sure that I can at LEAST count on Bluenoser, right? C'mon, it'll be fun, and we'll all be a bit better for it going into 2010.

Cleveland Beer Week

For those f you who are regular readers of the blog you know a few things. One, I like to ride my bike, and had a great chance to finally get out and ride late this week. Two, I am a die hard Clevelander. I've had the opportunity to leave before, and just cannot imagine living anywhere else right now. Finally, three... I LOVE good craft beer and home brewing.

With the later in mind, er the second and third I suppose, if you you want to be more accurate I want to take a minute to push a breakthrough event in Cleveland. October 16th-24th Cleveland will celebrate, for the first time ever, Cleveland Beer Week.clevelandbeerweek.org
Throughout the city events will be going on to promote craft beer and beer culture in Cleveland, Ohio.

Too many companies to mention here, too many venues to mention, too many times to mention... Get the point? If you need info on what events are going on where, you can check out the Cleveland Beer Week Calendar. This is going to be HUGE! Cleveland's own local breweries will be teaming up with national craft brewing companies to promote the craft brew industry and the passion that comes along with it. It will bring in the likes of Greg Koch of Stone Brewing in CA, Jim Cline of Rogue Brewing, Chris Trogner of Troëgs, and many, many more.

Cycling and beer have, for years, gone hand in hand. So break out the fixie, road bike, commuter, whatever and get out to the venues to sample some amazing creations. For more information you can check out Cleveland Beer Week. There you can find out about the Cleveland Beer Week (a not-for-profit, collaborative celebration to raise awareness of and education for the strong American and imported craft brew industry, while promoting patronage at local establishments. Also all proceeds from the Grand Reception, "Brewzilla" on Saturday, October 24th will be donated to the Malone Scholarship Fund which is managed by the Cleveland Scholarship Program.), event info (times, dates, ticket prices, etc), and everything you need to enjoy this monumental Cleveland area event.

Gaining Fitness Takes Time, Losing Fitness... Not So Much

I would pay to find out the answer to the following: Why is it so #@&$ing hard, and time consuming to gain fitness, but losing fitness can happen, seemingly, overnight? Seriously? I can't be the only person to notice this. I worked like hell to get into something resembling fit. In about four months of working two jobs, having to stay home with the kids while the wife is at work/school, etc, etc, and not having the time to be as on top of the working out it has all but gone to pot.

I'm not going to say that I am a slob fat-ass like I was before, but I was nearing the lean stage heading toward cut. Now I am in the not lean stage, heading away from cut. I haven't gotten "fat" yet, I just have noticed a loss in muscle and a gain in fat for a zero net gain/loss. The problem, if you know the whole fat/muscle gig, is that muscle weighs about twice that of fat. So for me staying around the 180 mark, I am getting a bit more squishy at 180 than I was just this past March.

Not to mention, having been off the bike for about a month, I can't get over how quickly you get cooked. I did a ten or so run, before I lost sunlight, and I felt every hill that I climbed. I think part of it goes along with the loss of fitness. So, bottom line is I think we need to have another Lean Look Challenge or something. Would anyone else be in? I'd like to see a minimum of three to five people, nothing crazy, just keep people accountable, and I'll work on a prize for the winner.

Drop me a line, or hit me up in comments if you're interested.

The Winds Of Change

There comes a time in everyones life where change is inevitable. Sometimes you crave it, sometimes you loathe it, sometimes it happens and there is indifference, but regardless of how it happens or the outcome it is inevitable. This blog has had a bit of change in the last six months or so. Some have liked it, some haven't, but it was inevitable. Change in my life reflected in my blog. The change you've seen will be continued in a new blog in the future, more to follow on that soon, but I don't plan on letting Cycling Phun go anywhere, not just yet anyway. I am, however, curious who is still out there reading. I see the hits and such, and have my ideas of who is reading, but I don't know for sure.

Another change is healthfulness. Where I work there is a young lady in an attached office that works out religiously in a shared common warehouse. I have not been following my regimen. I've realized that my lethargic nature lately is, likely, due in large part to my lack of exercise, and the lack of time for getting a serious ride in. I'm in the process of revamping my life to better allow for that again as well. It's been tough to man up and make time with changes in work schedules, giving up the YMCA membership to save money, etc, etc, etc, but I am realizing I need to man up and make it happen again.

The weekend was melancholy to say the least, but that changes this week. No more excuses, make the time, get it done. That's how it's going to have to be. Changes that may put off some people in my life, but this time it's about me. It's for the best, for my benefit, for the benefit of my family. Selfish, maybe. Necessary, definitely. What will I ask of you? Hang in there, keep reading, keep me accountable, and do something for your self while you're at it.

The Joys Of Trying Something New

The weekend was crazy. It was busy, I was sick, wife had to work, I had work to do, but I did have time for some new experiences. I knew right away that there was no way I was going to ride. I was sick, Saturday was cold and rainy, Sunday was 90º+ with about 90% humidity it was just a bad weekend. So I did what, I think, anyone would do. I cooked.

Crazy stuff first... Saturday was chilly outside, and it was still cool to have the windows open. Actually, almost a bit chilly to have them open, but I digress. So, I had no problem cranking the oven up and making some homemade pizza. Pepperoni, Mushroom Onion, Pepperoni Mushroom Onion, Pepperoni Olive, Olive Mushroom Onion, the combinations were crazy. I did them in thirds and made a few. Good times, great pizza, a few beers, and a happy wife.

I knew it was going to be 90º+ on Sunday, so I decided I needed to make a food appropriate for the weather. Chili! That's right, a huge Crock-Pot of chili. OH! With Habeñero Hot Sauce. Yup, nothing says better food for a hot day like chili! Funny thing about it, we weren't having dinner at home. We were grilling out with some friends, and having the most amazing chicken marinaded with Sioux Z Wow. If you have never had Sioux Z, you need to find this stuff. I would whore myself out doing anything for about five gallons of the stuff. I think I might be willing to do shots of this stuff.

Finally the highlight to my weekend. I, for the first time in the history of Don, made jelly! Not just any jelly, no way, Jalapenño Jelly! If you've never had Jalapeño Jelly, I don't even know where to start. It's a divine combination of subtle heat, and sweet pepper goodness. Simple; sugar, cider vinegar, jalapeños, pectin, and about an hour of work. The taste is pure heaven on a good cracker, and is made only more complex and delicious atop a small cracker with a light spread of cream cheese.
All in all I'd call it a pretty good weekend.

A Beer Thought For Tuesday: If You MUST Watch What You Drink, This Might Be A Good Start

Due to some serious time constraints caused by work, imagine the audacity, I will not be posting a stage four Tour de France update. Then again it's a time trial, so who cares. Right? Ugh. I would love to see a Tour TT, Lance might just move up to second, or even first in a TT. Oh well, you'll have to fend for yourself on Versus or something of the like.

For now I'll leave you with this. For years there has been a debate about none other than beer. Beer bellies, fat guys with beer, pub food, etc, etc, etc. Now, I have to to speak my mind here. I don't buy any of it. I've known too many brewers who are actually quite thin. I will admit, excess probably doesn't help, but I don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. First off, I think the biggest problem with beer drinking is that it is usually followed by bar food. You know, take anything you can find and deep fry it. I can't explain it, but the fattier the food, the better it goes with beer.

With that said, if you have to watch your calories in a beer you should check out Mens Health Magazine. They put out a great guide in their Eat This, Not That series. More specifically they did an Eat This, Not That of The Best And Worst Beers In America. If you haven't seen the series, or the Eat This, Not That books, I have to admit, I think they're pretty cool. They take some very general "favorites" from restaurants, and give you healthier alternatives to the high calorie choices.

Go ahead, check it out, and come back tomorrow for some more Tour talk.

Coolest Race EVER

I just got an email today from Colavita Ohio Cycling Club, by the way thank you Roger. Anyway, Roger contacted me about a race in Ohio that I've been wanting to do for a few years now. Not for the reason you are probably thinking, but because it sounds like an awesome time. You see the race combines the beauty and excitement with the joy and deliciousness of donuts.

That's right folks, September 12 is the date, the 2009 Tour de Donut in Arcanum, Ohio! For those of you unfamiliar with the Tour de Donut, it goes something like this:

You line up for a mass start then follow a 30 mile route. This years route follows lightly traveled rural roads over flat terrain.
There will be rest stops, and at each checkpoint stations you eat donuts. They'll also be providing plenty of fruit and other refreshments for those who don't want donuts, so no worries. Donut consumption isn't mandatory but you get a five minute time credit for each donut you eat, so I'd recommend manning up and taking one for the team. OK, I'd just recommend donut consumption. What this means is if you do well enough on the cycling and eat enough donuts, you could go into negative time. Seriously!

They will time this, but it's not a race, and they ask that all traffic rules must be followed during the event. The roads will not be closed to traffic during the event, helmets are required, and the ride goes rain or shine... No refunds.

For more information you can contact Roger Bowersock at info@colavitaohiocycling.com, by phone at 937-548-2511, fax 206-338-4434, or by snail mail at 1098 Buckeye Dr. Greenville, OH 45331.

Keeping Busy, Getting Exercise, And Generally Trying To Be Productive

I have been so busy with everyday life, that I have had no time to do anything that I want to, let alone need to. OK, that is sort of a lie, I guess. I mean, I've been busy with the "must do" stuff, so I guess I have been getting most of the "need to's" done. Things like work, the second job, dabbling in a third job, not throwing myself from a tall building, fixes problems with my house, finishing home improvement projects that I've started in my house, etc.

I have, however, had no time (OK, read this as have not gone crazy out of my way to make time) to do things like workout or ride. I have ridden so few times this year, my wife is wondering when I am going to sell the bikes off for cash. Furthermore, in an effort to cut back, I got rid of the YMCA membership since 1) it was not being properly utilized any longer, and 2) I needed to cut the outgoing money. The results have been weird, but understandable. I have not gained or lost weight. You are thinking, "that's not too bad." I know you are. Let me continue. I have maintained the same weight on the scale. Get where I am going? Yup, my level of fitness is going to shit. I am losing some of my muscle and tone, and gaining fat. You see, if you don't know this, muscle weighs more than fat. So, if you lose muscle you may lose five pounds of muscle, but if you gain (just for the argument sake) eight or nine pounds of fat, it will balance on the scale. This is the level of suck I am currently involved in.

So, what have I been doing to keep from jumping from tall buildings? I have planted a garden yet again this year.Isn't it a thing of beauty? If you click on it to pop out a larger photo, you can see some tomatoes coming in. It really is a beautiful thing, but it should be better by now. We've had a particularly cold summer so far, Al Gore and his global warming can bite me, and the gardens have felt it. People who got 'em in too early, or didn't cover them properly fell prey to frost and the cold temps. Also, the cold and excessive rain have kept plants small, and kept them from producing fruit. But, the great thing is the garden has kept me sane.

Also, just as an aside, the main hop plant is doing KILLER!You can't really tell, but that bad boy is about eight or nine feet tall. Hope that soon I will get some buds, followed by cones in a few weeks. I should have some hop cones in August, if all goes well. If not enough to brew, at least enough to wet hop some homemade beer by the pitcher. The gardening is seriously keeping me sane.

I'll have a beer review coming up for the weekend, stop back tomorrow to check it out. Also, I will have some good ones coming up. I am anxiously awaiting the Stone 13th Anniversary beer coming out Monday. MAN! I cannot wait to try that. Also, speaking of wet hop, I'll have a GREAT wet hopped beer coming up soon, check back often for that! Well, for now a well deserved beer, see you tomorrow!

Horrible Weekend? At Least When It Come To Diet

Ugh. I need to stop getting into funks, and learn how to get out of them. I had a great Father's Day, by the way... Happy Father's Day to all of my readers who are dads! Hope the weekend, especially Father's Day, was a great one! Anyway... I had a great Father's Day, and as usual my wife knows just how to make my day...Researching for work on Father's Day suck? Nah, check out the "office".
Yeah, by way of beer. Ahhhh, if you haven't had Torpedo yet, you need to. I'll review it in the coming days. That is a promise. Anyway, I had a few (too many, the Torpedo included) beers this weekend. Along with some (I'm thinking) Arby's treats, a foot long and Cheetos®, (what seemed like my weight in) homemade pizza, and (my son's) birthday cake. AGHHH! Craziness. OH! Almost forgot... I need to make an appetizer for July Fourth, so I was working on some gourmet deviled eggs.WHAT?! Cause you can perfect recipes without trying them?

Ugh, such an ugly weekend on my part in terms of fitness. I have now regressed, slightly but still regressed, back to about a year ago. I have not really gained or lost pounds, but my level of fitness is in the toilet. That is to say, I have lost muscle mass and tone, and maintained weight through fat. I SUCK! I need to find a happy place, get back on the wagon, and achieve some level of fitness. I cannot let depression suck me back into the life of a fat-ass. I look back at the plus fifty pound pictures, and let them serve as a reminder of what I have accomplished, and what I cannot go back to.

The Problem With My Fitness

OK, so I think I might have figured out the main problem with my fitness dilemma. I actually got a lot done this weekend. Of course, by a lot done I mean I did NO riding, and nothing (really) to further my level of fitness. In hindsight the weekend is the problem with my fitness. The following is an example of what I mean.

So I start with a party on Saturday. Pizza, and snacks galore! While totally yummy... Not good for the diet, or fitness. Then a rushed dinner, in this case burgers - homemade at least - and a couple brews. Get out and do some yard work, and that ends the extent of the physical activity.

Sunday was a waste. Shredded wheat for breakfast was the highlight of the healthful food for the day. Then a burger for lunch, nachos and a hot dog for dinner, and the remainder of a twelve pack for dinner. More work in the house, redoing the bathrooms still, was the only physical activity.

See, here in lies the problem. Weekends are my bane. I do fine losing weight all week, and I put it all back on the weekend. I haven't lost any weight in about six months, but I haven't gained any either. Furthermore, I have not worked out in forever. Since mid February I have been so backlogged with life in general and I have been working so much in three different jobs. It just sucks. my level of fitness has gone to pot! And I'm two months and change away from riding the Philly LiveStrong Challenge. At this rate I'll be lucky to ride the twenty-five mile leg successfully. Hell, I'll be luck to have the time, money and a car to get to Philly.

OK, that's it. I can't continue on this today. It's just going to get über negative, and far more boring than it already has been. Bottom line is I need to get back on track. I need to MAKE TIME to get back on the bike. I need to get out with some groups, whatever it takes at this point. I also still need to pick up the weight cage that I was supposed to pick up about six or eight months ago. Ugh, I hate growing up and losing metabolism, I hate watching your body go to hell, it's just irritating. Enough bitching for today. Come back tomorrow when I'll, hopefully, have a change of attitude.

The Best Way To Start, And End, A Day

Got Up this morning at the usual time, made myself a healthy breakfast for energy, grabbed the mtb, loaded the tires full of air for the road, and hit the road for work. It felt so good to ride to work for the first time today. It was great! The weather was warm, ish. About sixty if I had to guess, with no wind whatsoever. The birds were out, no bugs, it was just perfection! Got to work, had an amazing interview with a great candidate, did some work, got what I had to done. Lunch came around and I had a quick bite, grabbed the bike & two co-workers and we hit the streets. It was only an hour ride, but it felt so good to get out and get moving in the now seventyish degree weather. Came back, finished up for the day, got out early and road home. Perfect day!

When I got home I grilled brats, had those and some potato(e) [Dan Quayle joke] salad, and headed out for some yard work. Got the yard work done, and concentrated on some gardening. I have to admit, this is a new addiction for me. Well, maybe not new... Every summer I have a small gardening addiction for a while. Organic veggies and such. This year, not only are they organic, but some of the plants were ones that I sprouted. Admittedly, the garden itself is just an eight foot by eight foot bed with a few tomato plants, couple peppers, couple beans, couple yellow squash, couple zucchini.
I also have some melon plants (I believe they are honeydew, but forgot to label the seeds. If they're not honeydew then they are cantaloupe, so...), and pumpkins elsewhere throughout the yard.

OH! Did I mention I also planted Hop plants? The hop rhizomes are doing quite well too.
All but one mound has sprouted, and I dug into that mound and found the problem. You see... while I was planting the Hops, I was drinking the beer. I somehow planted this mound at eight or so inches. Yeah... Hops are supposed to be planted one to two inches below ground under a mound. It was sprouting roots, though, so I remedied that and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will still grow.

Well, that about sums it up. Now I am sitting here drinking a homemade vanilla Diet Coke®. The vanilla part was the homemade, the Diet Coke® part is, well, Diet Coke®. Here's to the weekend, hope you have a good one!
Cheers!

Beer Review: Tröegs Hopback

Tröegs Hopback (Sung to the tune of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” – Yeah, really... I know, just trust me.)

I’m drinking Tröegs Hopback (yeah)
The other beers just cannot touch that (yeah)
You better watch or it might kick your ass (yeah)
I am not kidding and that is a fact (yeah)

Take it to the bar

Yummy Ale (Uh-huh)
It’s so dang bad
It should be in jail (Uh-huh)
I drink too much and I may misbehave (Uh-huh)
But it’s the beer that makes me say hoo-ray! (Uh-huh)

OK, enough of that… Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. So I’ve been tasting the heck out of Stone and Bell’s brews lately and I needed to taste something different, if for no other reason for the sake of the blog (right). This time around I dove into a couple of Tröegs brews and I have to admit, I’m really glad I did.

I tried Tröegenator Double Bock and Hopback Amber Ale. This review will focus on the later. If I focus on the Tröegenator I will have to do so later, after I’ve had it again. You see, I ran into a bit of a problem. I tasted the Hopback and I really liked it. In fact I liked it a little too much. So much so that, while I know that I tried the Tröegenator, I can’t tell you what it tasted like. You see, things got a bit blurred when I stopped counting the number of Hopbacks I had had. I do, however, have taste notes for the Hopback, so here goes!

APPEARANCE: A nice, deep, bright amber color, almost bordering orange/amber, with a small white head that’s quick to disappear.

AROMA: The first thing right of the bat that I notice is the hops. It’s a noticeably hoppy, citrusy smell, with a touch of malty sweetness.

FLAVOR: This beer to me is all about the hops! A noticeable hop character with a subtle malty sweet finish that is just slightly dry. A perfect balance to keep the sweet subdued but still enough there to keep the dryness in line. The best part, in my opinion, is how the taste lingers on the palate even after you’ve swallowed.

MOUTH FEEL: A light-bodied beer, maybe leaning ever so slightly toward medium-bodied, but extremely well balanced. It’s got a great mouth feel that is almost, dare I say, creamy.

NOTES: I had this 6% ABV on tap in a pint glass, I could really see hanging out for a while taking a few of these bad boys down, and I did. It was perfect by itself, but I could see the flavor standing up to something hearty like a FireHouse Burger, or a FireHouse Chipotle Bacon Burger. All in all a great beer that I can’t wait to have again. So, what’s next on the Tröegs list? Nugget Nectar!