I am not very religious....
but I do worship Madonna!



okay... I do not worship Madonna...
but I do think that she is COOL AS SH-T!

the last two albums by Madonna have been her best two albums
let me rephrase that one
the last two albums by Madonna were completely different from each other...
each completely awesome in their own way!

on top of that...
last night when I wanted to get Dean off to bed I lured him upstairs with the promise of reading him a few books..
I let Dean select one... while I selected another
Dean selected Blueberry's for Sal,
while I selected one of the books authored by Madonna, Mr. Peabody's Apples
(she has another book that I have not read yet; The English Roses)
I must say.... Mr. Peabody's Apples is a fun little story
it is a little heavy handed with the message
but
it is a nice little book with beautiful images and a nice little story

oh..... after Dean was born... Lisa wanted to go out... she felt she deserved a little "treat"
we bought tickets for the Madonna "show"
I say "show" as it was much more than a "concert"
it was pretty dam spectacular
not sure if the display justified the ticket cost.... but it was quite a show!

Pictures of MADONNA ON A BICYCLE!
yes
we can always bring it back to the BIKE!

and never forget!
Madonna's first child was fathered by a cyclist
he was once a NYC Messenger
so... at least she is giving it up to the boys on the bike
well... she was...

Race this Weekend?

Gettysburg/Michaux



Richmond/Poor Farm



not looking good either way....
but
Poor Farm may be looking better
I may have to monitor this stuff!

bad
I have been bad... very very bad
okay it is not that I have been so bad just another case of my never ending hypocrisy
yesterday there were all sorts of plans
double booked myself
had to weigh my priorities
there was a meeting with the Reunion Committee; my high school 20th reunion
there was my wife's desire to attend yoga....

no brainier.... wife gets to go to yoga!
there have been too many time in the last month where she has had to handle both the kids as I have had to work (and a few cases where I went out for a ride on my bike)
what is good for the wife... is good for the family
the positive effects of my wife getting a good workout radiate throughout the whole family

as my day grew closer to a close to quitting time I got a call
lisa had attended a field trip with Dean and his class to Wheaton Regional Park
at this pre-k field trip there was a little mishap... little freddy threw a rock that hit lisa's ankle
she was not going to yoga
there was some reconsideration of the reunion meeting
but the tone of her voice said... "I need help!"
so I opted to head home, not straight home, but home and not to the meeting

the Jamis Nova cross bike was the vehicle of choice on this day
the rear end had some parts replacement and was begging to be pushed
had swapped out the old tired Tiagra rear wheel for a 105 wheel that I had reserved for cross races

not many cross races right now

seems foolish to ride a wobbly old wheel while good wheels sit in the shed removed the TUFO tubular clincher and put on an old Ritchey Speedmax 30mm tire
thinner than my fat ass desires... but it better condition that the Specialized Cross tires I had been riding
the wider diameter cross tire I had been riding was worn and had already allowed two flats
two flats being two too many
most definitely want to save the TUFO tires for racing...
not to mention the fear of flatting away from home on that tire would not allow for an "on the spot" repair without much time

I was able to sneak out of work 15 minutes early
an efficient clothing change and quick evacuation
on the road and rolling with nothing but a rolling goodbye to all my friendly co-workers

knowing that lisa is at home after a full day with the boys
knowing that lisa works three days
knowing lisa handles the lion's share of parenting and house keeping
(and it is the female lion that does the hunting as the male sleeps in the shade)
knowing I best get home ASAP I hit the Capital Crescent Trail with no deliberation

arrived to the trail a few minutes earlier than the commuter clog on the Capital Crescent Trail
so I pick up the pace and spin the cranks
in the smaller of the two front rings
but in a smaller cog in the back
going pretty hard
going pretty fast
the path is not entirely user free
there are joggers, walkers, babies in strollers, and other bikers
not congested but the path is occupied
perhaps I am going faster than I should on a multi-user trail
perhaps I am being a hypocrite
had I seen another cyclist going as fast and as aggressive as I was traveling I would most certainly make a face...
I may even say, "joker" as they pass yes....
I was riding like a joker!

it felt good to make the legs burn raced up to Bethesda Avenue
then instead of taking the path straight through the tunnel under the Air Rights building onto Rock Creek Parkway I turned it around to take the steady grade downhill
which was just the steady grade uphill for the last 25 minutes
wanted to try and get home by 6PM

more concerned with getting home than the duration of my ride
aware that I had gone a little too fast on the way up I try to hold the throttle on the way down
it is tough as it is such a nice subtle grade downhill
things are getting to be more congested
the spring weather is bringing the hermits out of their caves
all the people I passed coming up are now oncoming traffic
all the people that were oncoming traffic on the way up are now being passed
everyone gets eye contact everyone who gets passed gets an audible, "on your left"
efforts are made for a safe pass each and every time these multiuse trails are potentially dangerous it is vital for me to be alert at all times
as I approach any obstacle I anticipate any and all moves
always expecting the worst slowing for children on their small bikes
always anticipating that they may do the unthinkable....
a buttonhook into my path creating a very dangerous point of intersection

children and dogs usually get special attention
not only do I slow for them
but I get the fingers on the brake levers and I keep my focus on their next move
often talking to them to let them know I am approaching and I am in control
I watch runners and roller bladers knowing that they are often the most dangerous buttonhookers out there

LOOK BEFORE YOU BUTTONHOOK!

when will they learn? will it take a trip to the ER for this lesson to be taught?

LOOK BEFORE YOU BUTTONHOOK?!?

and if they could think about it buttonhook to the outside!
not the inside
traffic will be moving along passing right into your buttonhook

if these people were more alert
if these people were not wearing headphones
if these people took responsibility for their own actions
if these people anticipated the actions of others then the multiuse trails would be more safe
but that is not the case

people are stupid
people are selfish
people are either idiots or assholes....
some are both!
to protect myself I have to think for them and for me that goes for car drives as well as most anyone else

so I rode my bike fast and hard
never leaving the smaller ring in the front
even for the potentially fast sprint from Bethesda to Georgetown
it felt good to get home
I was greeted by my family with open arms and kisses
like a soldier coming home from war

lisa's ankle was sore, but did not look too bruised
Grant was in a bit of a mood
and Dean.... well... Dean was being Dean
we all hung out and played
I took the dogs for a loop in the woods across the street
had to leash the dogs for a good portion of the hike as the hiker population has grown from me and several others to what appears to be the whole neighborhood

got back
we fed the kids
I took a shower
the boys took a bath
lisa dressed Grant
I checked emails while issuing orders for Dean to get dressed if he wanted me to read him a story
read Dean SHREK
then told him a few random stories....
some made up stories about a future that may or may never be
something simple about the family hiking or the family going skateboarding...
something to fill his little head

Dean made one effort to escape.. but after a little reprimand he stayed in for the night
it had been a long active day for him
normally he will make three or four escape efforts... all with a very cute face and some very amusing warm fuzzy manipulation tactics

it was almost 9PM
I went downstairs... fired up the grill.... tossed a few burgers on the grill and made some dinner

oh....
just spoke with a coworker who I passed both ways on the Crescent Trail yesterday
he said I was not going "too fast"
that statement is bitter sweet!
I thought I was going FAST!
I want to be seen as courteous and responsible... and I also want to be seen as FAST!

SHREK

TUFO TIRES

Capitol Crescent Trail

UPDATE: Frank Hart's death due to Cancer

it is no longer a mystery to me
now I know how Frank died
as it turns out Frank was diagnosed with Cancer in February and died just one month later
tragic
nothing shy of tragic
people should not die so young
especially people who are so full of life

here is my previous post about Frank Hart
this post includes an image/obit from the Washington Post

again
my heart goes out to Frank and all who were close to him
Frank was a good guy and a good friend

not time to blog
adult life is shuffling my priorities
work comes first

so...
go check out the words at BLUECOLAR MTB
there are some ideas there that I had wanted to post about....

Lance claims "le tour" is to be his last race...
Tyler Hamilton claims to be clean... while he is as dirty as a pig in the mud...
a reference to Dirt Rag Magazine! I LOVE DIRT RAG!...
and much much more!~

New Pope?
sounds like an old pope to me....

the notion of orthodox was not what I was looking for
as a liberal in hope to find religion before I die... it seems unlikely that Catholicism will ever come around to meet my views

new pope Nazi Youth? NY POST ARTICLE
more on the new pope @ Belief.net
Washington Post Article on Pope Benedict XVI

now back to things that really matter....
bicycles! The Bicycle Museum of America

and three races this weekend
Michaux
Big Bear Lake (not the 24 hour event)
and Poor Farm
I am planning on the rocks of Michaux

Tribe...
Friendster...
Dogster...

how many of these things did I join?

none of them caught my attention quite like the madness of the BLOG
BLOGGING... reading BLOGS... searching for and seeking out BLOGS

but recently I started messing with MYSPACE
here is my MYSPACE PROFILE
there are aspects of MYSPACE that is superior to BLOGGER
yet
there are aspects of MYSPACE that are a tad CREEPY!
MYSPACE seems like some sort of seedy meat market
it seems like all the girls are showing off what they have to show off
and well
all the boys are there to see what the girls have to show off

I originally created my space at myspace in an effort to create a network for communication among fellow graduates
but
the Reunion Commitee is claiming that there will be an "Official Site"
well....
I am waiting for this "Official Site"

note to self:
the only people who are interested in stories about my children are other people with children and family
even other people with children are not that excited about such boastful tales

when people ask about my children... I need to remember to respond, "they are great!" smile and then let the topic drift

as cute as it may be for a 14 month old to make a great physical effort to jump
or
as magnificent as the talents of your near 4 year old may be
no one cares as much as a parent about the advanced nature of a child

to lenny:

What is the difference between a BMW and a porcupine?

with the porcupine the pricks are on the outside
while with the BMW the pricks are on the inside!

.