Where Do You Buy Your Biking Clothes?

I have to buy my bike clothes at places that cater to large guys. Not as large a guy as before, but still reasonably large. Bike shops don't usually have large enough sizes. I'm at a level on my weight where it's been really tough to lose more weight. If I could stay this size the rest of my life I'd Be happy. Debbie can find bike stuff at all kinds of outlets. She even found a nice jacket that was 70% off at Marshall Fields. She's a patient shopper. She's willing to go through racks of stuff at thrift stores to find goodies. I think she's a size 6. Hell, I don't know, I'd never buy her clothes. She's way too particular. I do have a knack for jewelry and bike accessories.

One of my co-workers reminded me that I clean my Surly far more than I clean my car. I told him that my bike is now probably worth more than my car. I think tonight I'll give Mrs bike a thorough cleaning including chain degreasing. I've got a big bottle of Bike Lust which works pretty good on the frame and not too bad on the fenders.

Got into a little jag of tree marking today. No elms. I just marked some smaller trees that didn't make it through the winter. I really hate to see a tree I planted like 5 years ago die. It's so tough to get them to survive 2 years. Once they get to being about 4-5 inches in diameter, you hope they are somewhat out of the woods. We had a late frost which I believe to be the culprit in most of these cases.

Boy, was there a cast of thousands out on the trail system in Minneapolis yesterday. Love to see people on on their bikes. Would love to see more of them wearing helmets.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

After not riding since Thursday I needed to get out on a bike. I've only ridden about 8 miles but it feels good to blow the pipes out. My knees feel particularly good. My side hurts a little when I breathe deeply, laugh or cough. Leftovers from my little crash on Wednesday night. I wanted to make sure I could ride to work tomorrow so I took my sore ribs out for a test ride without the bagload of shit I usually cart to work.

Drunken late night phone dialing only seems to have pissed off one person. My friend Kris seems rather perturbed. She's pregnant and still a little pissed about ringing the bell on my bike at 6:20 am. I thought that bike bell was there to ring as often as I could. I'd apologize to her here but she doesn't read my page. Probably not interesting enough and no pictures of mullets.

Will be sort of glad to return to work tomorrow. I believe I'll get in less trouble there.

I Believe I Can Fly

Happy hour with the City Hall people was a blast. The retiree John is a great guy. I'm going to miss him. I saw him this afternoon and asked how the ride home went. I said, 'great, I only fell down once'. I was only going about 14 mph and landed in the grass. Surly is unscratched. Minor wounds to me. My hand must of smacked the brake lever on the way down because there's dried blood on the left lever. I also have some tightness on my left side. Nothing major. The lens on my blinkie must of fallen off about a block before because two girls walking on the trail handed it to me as I was dusting myself off. Gosh, lucky I crashed or I would've had to spend $9 on a new blinkie.

As of 4:30 I'm off for 4 days. Mrs. has already been talked into calling in sick tomorrow. What a pushover. I'll have to get her out for a ride and take her out to eat.

Doggie vet day tomorrow. This is their annual check-up. This one usually runs about $400 after all the shots and the heartworm test. They're worth it. Wu is a trooper at the vet but Snowy is a real baby.

I'd like to go on the Mass tomorrow afternoon but the vet appointment is at 4:45. Josh said he might go so I'll check with him later in the afternoon. Burns said he can't make it because of work. Saturday Night Ride. Maybe. Fritz said he was going to try and recruit new riders for The Ride. He's so personable, I'm sure he'll pull in some new blood.

Party at Big Daddy's on Sunday. The plan is to take the train to the Mall of America and walk to Big Da Da's. It's only about a mile. If I go on the ride Saturday night I better try and be home early (not 5 am).

Our stump grinder ground the wrong stump. It was one that wasn't on the boulevard. Of course you know who gets the first call. Lucky I'd dealt with the guy before. No major schmoozing necessary. Usually when the tree crew call and says, 'Ray can come out to...', it means they've dropped a tree on someone's private tree. And, usually it's a tree planted in honor of someone who's died.

Peace out. Have a nice weekend.

Greetings From The Internal Revenue Service

The nice folks at the Treasury Department sent me a notice that I received yesterday. It appears as if they want the rest of their money. We sent them $500 dollars on April 15th. That leaves $1500 still due. I put a note in with the payment to use the money to buy George Bush a bike or at least a frame. I suggested this bike. It fits him perfectly. Never been to the White House. Are there hills in the neighborhood? He wouldn't have to ride with a bag. That's what all those Secret Service agents are for. Hey IRS guys, check's in the mail.

Speaking of checks. Debbie pays the bills, walks the dogs after work and does everthing around the house except mow the lawn. I do that 3 times a summer. How much money is in our checking account? Hell if I know. I better be careful or she'll have me clipped. Ask Tony Soprano for a definition of clipped.

Surly's computer is operational again. Battery in the computer died. Got a new back tire too. I wrecked the other one by not changing the brake pads soon enough. Tyler (Freewheel) once called me a hammer and Patrick (Freewheel) called me an animal just last week. Hmm. My man Josh took good care of me, making sure the wheels wouldn't fall off. Have ridden about 2100 miles so far this year. 1100 of them on the Surly. I think I like that bike. I love to read blogs about bikers who ride 50 miles at a crack. I kind of grind out the mileage 20 to 25 miles at a time. Let's see, 6000 miles, 20 at a time. I'll need to ride about 300 times. 65 off days for social commitments. No problemo.

Cocktails after work at Hoolihans. A guy I know from City Hall is quitting to do some things he's always wanted to do. You know, ride a century, climb a mountain, improve his bowling game. He's in the planning department and his job is very political. I think he's just tired of the bullshit. I can relate. Trim my tree or I'll call the mayor. Cut my tree down or I'll call my council member. My time is coming. But not just yet. I've still got a dog to put through college.

Blah, blah, blah

Profanity usage around my job is just a way of life. I've worked at 5 city-type installations over a 26 year period. The f-word is common in almost all conversations at every one of my stops. Adjectives, verbs and all other grammatical forms. Come to think of it, the three years I wasn't employed at a municipality was for college. College kids are pretty good at swearing too. The other part of working for government your whole adult life is that you're kind of like a career criminal. I don't think I'd survive in the outside world.

I'm lost without my computer on my bike. I like to know how far and fast I went. I use it as a cadence meter. I'm riding to Freewheel after work to see what's wrong this time. Maybe we'll just get rid of the wireless computer. Back wheel on the Surly is a little wobbly too. I hope it's just a tire.

We are in the process of applying for a grant from the Minnesota DNR. We would use the money to reimburse homeowners who get clobbered by removal costs for diseased elms. The grant isn't like filling out one form. The DNR wants a load of information before they give you any money. We're asking for $26,000 to be used over a two year period. It will help speed up the removal process because homeowners will have to act promptly to be eligible. It's going to be too late for the guy that had two trees marked last year for a total of $4900.

Not sure if I mentioned it but the Christmas tree (most of it) has been burned. It lasted a long time. I lit the lights on it until early May. It's kept out on the screened- in porch. The cold air keeps it green longer. We don't have a tree in the house because of a certain bratty white dog. I wish had a picture of Debbie's face the time we came home and the tree was on its side in the living room. Video footage of Snowy running away from it as it fell would've been cool too. My late father-in law used to say that nothing tears up a house like kids and dogs. Yep JB, you were on the money with that one. Parties don't help either, but hell, it isn't a party until something gets broken.

18 MPH, 30 Minutes At A Time

Saturday Night Ride was really fun. We had a nice group of 10. Dinkytown to Boom Island. Boom Island to the witches tower in Prospect Park where there's a really big hill. Witches tower to Lake Nokomis. Lake Nokomis to Rail Station bar at 37th and Minnehaha. Then on to my house to pick up refreshments (Gatorade). I changed bikes at this point switching to the green Giant. I also let Snowy out to introduce herself. The group had been reduced to six by this time. Took our refreshments to Josh's to listen to punk rock music. My favorite! By 4:30 am a White Castle stop on the way home was called for. Sliders before bed. Yummy. Rode with Fritz to my house. He crashed on the couch. I took a power nap and felt like a million bucks. We rode somewhere between 30 and 40 miles. My computer on the Surly quit again so I'm not completely sure. The pace of the riding was quite spirited in the range of 18-20 mph. Almost every one of the 10 of us took a turn at pushing the pace. That last sentence would have my 7th grade English teacher's red pen out. I just re-read this paragraph and things are out of time sequence. Quentin Tarantino would be proud of me.

Tree planting ends today. Full Redbreast celebration will be next Sunday at Big Daddy's house at a party he's having. It just seems like we've been planting for six months. We will have planted 218 trees which is more than we've ever planted in one stretch.

The lawn has been mowed. I was embarrassed when I got out of the car Saturday. It was sort of knee deep in spots. The self-propelled mower I got from Big Daddy worked like a charm. Lawn should be good for another month.

Plumbing problems blow. Kitchen and bathroom sinks are both having problems. Good thing I know a plumber who works for beer and pizza.

Garage Sale Treasures And Shoe Pair Number 45

I actually enjoy garage sales, as long as the experience is in moderation. I also need to be fed beforehand or I'm a little cranky. Linden Hills had their neighborhood garage sales today. I agreed to go. Rich people usually sell some pretty good stuff cheap. And these people aren't poor. I bought two shirts and a cd rack. I'll be damned if I can remember what crap Debbie bought. I did stop at a thrift store after the garage sales so she could buy two pair of Clark sandals she had seen there last week. Yeah, a real booty smoocher. She wears a size 6. I think my foot was about that big at birth. Then it was off to the dog food store. 40 pounds lasts those girls about a month.

I'm going on the Saturday Night Ride tonight. I'll prepare by drinking myself into a stupor. Maybe not a complete stupor. I also think a nap is in order. Nine o'clock is late for a fellow of my age to go out and meet hooligans at a liquor store parking lot. Especially when you sometimes don't return home till 5 am. I think tonight will be Burnsy's last ride. Josh told me he's moving to Ely (where the hell is Ely?) to be a cook. Sorry, I've lived out in the middle of nowhere before. Never again. Not even the suburbs.

I had hoped that I could've reported by now of a successful lawn mowing. I intended to mow it last night but the tractor beams of the Potter Posse pulled me in. I'm pathetic. Yes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The Surly Gets A Train Ride

Rode with Debbie all the way to the hospital this morning and then caught the lrt at the Riverside station. I've ridden the train loads of times, but never with my bike. I wanted to try it when I knew the train wouldn't be crowded. I got off at the 28th Avenue Station in Bloomington at 6:53. Seven minutes to get to work! Made it by 7:05. I think it was a little over 4 miles. I found out that my bike kind of hangs out into the aisle. Some woman was sure mesmerized by the hula girl tattoo. Gee lady, I'm glad her topless boobies were covered by my sock.

Thanks to Patrick at Freewheel for changing the break pads and chain last night. That maintenance may have saved me from getting hit by a car. It would of been my fault. I said I was sorry to the motorist but he continued yelling at me as I rode away. There was no need to hang around for an altercation. Debbie wants me to make a video with a helmet mounted camera. I'm not too sure you'd want to view that video darling. You'd probably worry even more when I'm out riding.

Mother says the outgoing message on my cell phone is naughty. But she said it with a giggle. She had asked me recently if I had left a banana outside her door. So, my message now says,'Hi, this is Ray, which one of you smart asses is leaving the bananas outside Mother's door'? I try to keep the foul language to a minimum because my Mother calls my phone almost every day. I used to change the message almost every day but nowadays it's like once a week. Other favorite messages include:
No, I don't want to re-record my message because this is the 15th fucking take.
Hi, this is Ray, former stage manager to Madonna.
Boy am I sorry I taught Debbie how to use the cash machine.
I'm out teaching Snowy how to drive.
Does anybody want a GD dog? One that goes wu wu at three o'clock in the morning.
One of you needs to get your ass over here and clean out the gutters.

It's all pretty stupid shit, but it amuses me. Have a great weekend. Ride safe, it's been a bad week in Minneapolis for crashes and near crashes.

Bike To Work Day

Today's BTW day? Cool. I'll celebrate by taking a longer route home through downtown and a stop at Freewheel to exchange pleasantries. I think it just seems like it's been raining all week. I got really soaked in both directions yesterday. When I stopped for the light at Minnehaha Parkway and Cedar it was absolutely pouring. It'll take a while for my biking gloves to dry. Good thing I've got three pair of them. Debbie has gotten pretty soaked a couple of times this week too. My co-workers keep saying the rain will make her quit riding to work. Not a chance. She's in for the long haul. It is now protocol to ride with her to 28th and Hiawatha before turning around and heading out to Richfield. I've got it timed perfectly to get to work by 6:50 am. I'd much rather ride longer than sit around work longer.

Rode 9 miles home in the rain like a banshee last night. Flew around corners at 18 mph and then fell down in my neighbors driveway. There must of been something on her driveway that doesn't react well with water. Came out of it with a little rash on my left knee and a knob on my left arm. Was only going about 6 mph at the time. Bar tape suffered a little gouge.

Hoping for no rain tomorrow so I can ride the Salsa in. The boys are simply amazed by the clipless pedals. My boss always remarks about the lack of a kickstand on the Surly and Salsa. I think the quote is, 'how the fuck can you spend that much on a bike and not get a kickstand'?

Our co-worker's death has brought up all the usual talk about funerals. You know,'when I die I just want to be drug out to the curb in a trash bag'. Not me. I want a huge Irish type wake with a shitload of booze and some good food. I better start a slush fund because the way these boys can drink and eat...

Imitation Is The Greatest Form Of Flattery

Proud to introduce 3 new links today. In honor of Fixedgear:

Useless bicycle stats for the ride in to work:
Distance: 10.2 miles
Riding time: 42 minutes 20 seconds
Maximum speed: 23.2 mph
Average speed: 14.65 mph
Speed when deluge started coming down: Just under the speed of sound

If you see a guy riding with a short sleeve shirt and shorts on in the rain in Minneapolis this afternoon, it's me. It's dark and raining and I'll be wearing sunglasses. This one's for you Dave, 'cause I'm going to have it down to the boards.

Happy Birthday To Brian And Snowy

Brian, I can't believe you're 28 already. I remember the first time I held you and kind of fumbled you which made you start crying. I lived in Kansas City at the time and came to Chicago for your christening. I was afraid to hold you the rest of the week I was there until it was almost time for me to leave. Then with proper guidance from your mother I mastered how to hold you. I was 19 and you were the first baby I had ever held in my life. I've always felt honored to be your godfather. I love you. I wish you lived closer so we could go to the Poodle Club for the big burger. Have a great day. I can't wait till the baby is born.

My Snowy Bear also has a birthday today. She's 9 and still a handfull at times. We adopted today as her birthday because when got her from the pound they said she was 11 months old which would've made her a year old in May. What better day to pick as her birthday than that of my godchild. She's my baby. She was really a wild child until about 6. I'm going to stop at the doggie bakery on the way home tonight for birthday treats. This is how people with no children treat their pets.

On a very sad note, we learned this morning that our co-worker who had the massive heart attack has died. We'll all miss Dave. He was always in a good mood and always had time to talk to you. He worked here 36 years and knew the place from top to bottom. It won't be the same without him. I'll always miss the conversations about investments, restaurants and bikes. God bless you Cheetah. It's going to be a sad ride home in the rain this afternoon.

Ouch!

One of my fellow biker/bloggers had a crash recently. A full story of the crash can be read at First and Last and Always (I'm note sure if I'm supposed to refer to her by her real name) on my links list. She's been on the deck before as have most of us. Just reading her blog I can tell she's tough and will heal quickly. I know she always rides with a helmet which at least helps for the old noggin. I went through a little no helmet phase when I got the Surly but I knocked that shit off fast.

Good news from my tree contact at Bachman's. He agreed to replace the rest of the Autumn Spire Maples that didn't leaf out this spring. We had 20 Autumn Spires die shortly after planting last year and Bachman's replaced those. I need the extra 10 trees to cover all of my planting spots. I hate to find a recently planted dead tree after planting is over because then those people have to wait a whole year for a replacement on top of the year they waited for a tree in the first place. Make sense? Good, because it doesn't to me and I just wrote it.

Can't believe my nephew and godchild Brian will be 28 tomorrow. He shares a birthday with a certain bad-girl golden retriever/samoyed who will be 9 tomorrow. Full birthday wishes will be covered in tomorrow's post.

After work I'm off to Big Daddy's to look at his tree. Yes, it's an Autumn Spire that I got him at Bachman's. And no, we didn't steal from the ones we bought for planting on the boulevard. My tree inspection fee will be two beers. Try running that deal past your doctor some time.

Green Giant Is Back On The Road

Josh was nice enough to stop by last night and change tires on the green Giant ATX 870 mountain bike. He and Cipriano were lured by the promise of food and cocktails. Never underestimate the power of a good meal especially when you're dealing with single guys. After riding 700's all winter, 26 inch tires seem a little funny at first. This bike isn't one you're going to get in any speed duels with. It's been set up for an upright riding position and has fenders and huge mudflaps. Yeah, a picture would sure be nice right about now. I spent the better part of lunch time cleaning it. Oh was that chain and cassette grimy.

The Saturday Night Ride made their first beer stop in my front yard at about 11:30. When I heard that knock on the door I knew it wasn't Avon calling. There were only 5 of them and I was recruited heavily. Cip needed pedals so Josh took the set off the Giant and Cip was back in business. Since I was in my jammies and had taken my "sleep aid" I really wasn't in the mood to ride a bike. That and I had a warm, cuddly woman back in bed. Alright, enough of that shit!

New floor pump is outstanding. It has the dual filler jobbies so I can fill the tires with those skinny valves too. Which one is presta and which one is schrader? Hell if I can ever remember. Debbie's Surly was badly in need of air in the tires.

Tired of me writing about not mowing the lawn. TS. I honestly intended to mow the lawn tonight but now that it's rained for three hours, that job is on hold for yet another night. I'd get a goat but then the damn thing would want to sleep on the bed and go to Wisconsin on vacation. It was hard enough to find a guy who accepted dogs to start with, much less a goat. The City of Minneapolis may also have some ordinance concerning farm animals within the city limits too.

Finally, I'd like to answer Nathan's comment. Mrs. was taking her bike up the freight elevator. Hospital security (no gun) was waiting for her Friday afternoon to inform her that bikes can't be brought inside.

Nothing Good Lasts Forever

Upon meeting Debbie for escort service home I learned that hospital security informed her that she can no longer bring her bike up to her floor on the elevator. Some whiny MF must of complained that she took her bike on the elevator. Now the few times I've been on the elevator there's all kinds of carts and dead bodies (just kidding) going in either direction. It's OK, I'll just get her a nice lock so she can lock up her Surly outside. People just live to fucking bitch about something.

Rode 34 miles today between escort service and meeting the Q people for coffee. Stopped at Freewheel on the way to meet Debbie to buy a floor pump and have my computer checked. One of the batteries in the sending unit was dead. It only took two months for that to happen. Wireless piece of shit! Tyler changed the battery and I was good to go. He really is too good to me.

Dinner at 1st Wok in Bloomington was awesome tonight. After posting I think we'll take the LRT downtown for coffee and desert. Go ahead, leave a yuppie comment and I'll hunt you down like the Terminator.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Coach Purse

I'm proud to say that my wife Debbie crosses the bridge into the world of foul weather cycling today. After riding when it's 40 and raining, riding below 20 degrees is a snap. I think Impossible Thrill (fellow biker/blogger who rides like a mofo) said that once his feet are saturated, he's good to go. I agree. I really hate sleet and freezing rain the most.

Tomorrow is my regular Friday off so I'll get to escort Mrs to and from work. I'll lock my bike up outside the hospital and enjoy a institutional breakfast at the world famous Fairview cafeteria. I think the head chef was lured away from Spago. Then it's off to Richfield for coffee at Caribou with the QBP gang. I think a Mother errand will soon follow. Ha Ha, now it's too wet to mow the lawn.

I can see the light at the end of the tree planting tunnel. I can almost taste the Redbreast and the cigar. There's a swank liquor store that sells Redbreast at the Mall of America but it's $5 more a bottle than at Haskells.

The tractor beams of the Big Daddy/Potter posse are pulling me in to Backyard Grill after work tonight. They've been there since noon and it's 4 right now. I can't wait to see what condition the boys are in.

What Did We Learn Today?

According to my lovely wife, we all learned yesterday at the Walker Art Gallery that modern art sucks. Oh, it wasn't all bad. I really liked the video some guy made that ran on like 15 televisions of street life in Russia. The people looked so sullen. The guy did a really good job of shooting the film and the presentation is very powerful.

I hope my sister-in-law Dawn and her husband Terry had a good time visiting. Dawny wanted to see the giant spoon at the sculpture garden and go to Saver's (thrift store for my Chicago peeps). I threw in Mall of America and a tour of the lakes for good measure. I know Debbie is a little sad to see her little sister leave. I know I'm really sad on the plane in January and August when I come back from Chicago.

After 4 days off, the 4:45 am alarm was a stark reminder that I'm still employed. Being able to ride the bike to work softened the blow. I hadn't ridden since Sunday so my legs were especially fresh. I'm in a pretty good mood at work mainly because I only work two days this week. Friday is my regular day off. I think I could work only Wednesdays and Thursdays until I'm 70. Then, I'll work one day a week at Wal-Mart as the greeter.

When I arrived at work today I found out that one of the boys had a massive heart attack over the weekend. He's worked here 36 years. His brain was oxygen starved so there may be some brain damage. I don't think I can visit him at the hospital because he's in intensive care and in pretty rough shape right now. Hopefully, he can have visitors soon. Davey was one of the first people to introduce himself and be friendly when I started here 22 years ago. I hope the doctors can help him.

Happy Mothers's Day

Just dawned on me while riding this morning that I left home on Mother's Day 1976. I can remember that it was really tough on both of us. I can still see her standing there waving as I turned the corner to head out into the world. Hell, I was 18. I was moving in with my brother Jim in Kansas City. Six months later I had pissed him off enough to get him to find his own apartment. All I had then was a shitbox '66 Chevy Malibu and an 8-track player. We'll see how much fun they make of your electronic stuff in 29 years. 18 and basically on my own. They live at home until they're GD near 40 now days.

Busy day today. After blogging I'll ride fast back home to shower and get dressed to visit Ma. When we get back home it will be cleaning time for the arrival of company. The bathroom will be my job. No problem. My room (remember, the only personal effects I keep in the bedroom are my jammies) is an absolute fucking disaster area. I'll quickly jam all my clothes into the closet and shovel/vacuum the carpet. I don't think there'll be time to mow the lawn. Fuck that grass.

Call or visit your Mom today. As my Uncle Steve once said, 'nobody will ever love you like your mother'.

It Was A Shame I Had To Go To Work

The ride in this morning was especially fun. I escorted the lovely Mrs. to the Seward neighborhood before heading off to work. My knees felt great. It was a balmy 55 degrees and no wind to speak of. One of these days I'm just going to call in and continue riding. The only problem I have with commuting is that I'm always kind of sad to get to work. Then playtime is over.

One of the ladies who used to work at city hall has had some really tough going lately. She retired 13 years ago and in the last 4 months has lost her husband and is being treated for breast cancer. We're planting a tree on her boulevard to replace a maple that just kind of died quickly. She wants another maple. She will be receiving the best tree we have on the lot. She still smiled and joked even though all this bad shit has happened to her.

Pray for me. I'm riding out to the devil's triangle in Bloomington after work tonight. Potter is having a little get together. Last time I rode home from one of these events I fell off the bike at 66th and Bloomington. I think the momentum of the bag tipped me over. A nice young man waiting for the bus assisted me back on my feet and bummed me a smoke. I'm not looking for a replay of that incident.

Does Coach Make A Messenger Bag?

Well, if Coach made a messenger bag I'd get one for Debbie. She has a nice backpack style bag that she bought at the Land's End Inlet. It was half-price because it has somebody elses initials monogrammed on it. They must of ordered it and found out that there wasn't enough room for a 12 pack of PBR. I think she also has four other Coach purses. Purse snob!

It's almost 70 degrees and sunny so I'm taking the really long way home with a stop for some kind of alcohol. There has to be a secluded park bench near the lakes that I can enjoy a cocktail and take in the great weather. I won't be buying Redbreast, but when I do, I'll always share it with a certain fixie who always shares the Jameson.

I won't be receiving a Christmas card from the lady at 67th and Columbus. She didn't like me when I marked her boulevard elm tree last summer and likes me even less now. I can't convince her that we have to plant the new trees before we can grind stumps.

It has come to my attention that some of the main streets in Minneapolis such as Lake Street, Lyndale and Nicollet Avenues are in really shitty condition. Now I'm from Chicago which has some really legendary potholes, but I think Minneapolis is making a strong effort at catching up to Chicago.

The time is nearing to either mow the lawn or get some sheep.

Ride fast, but hold on tight if you're on the main drags in Minneapolis.

I Think Sid Hartman Calls It "Jottings"

My co-worker Tom informed me that my blog was mainly about biking. Actually, it would be more about the components of bikes if I knew anything about it. I admire many of my fellow biker-bloggers who can spit out all that gear, bottom bracket, headset, crank and wheel information. These hands were not meant to take things apart and put them back together. It once took me an hour and a half to put up a paper towel holder under the kitchen cabinet. I can spot Dutch Elm Disease from three blocks away when the disease is at its first stages.

I wish the woman on 76th Street who keeps calling me about planting the wrong species of tree would stop calling. I told her we would pull the tree out and put the right one in on Thursday. Calling me when you're drunk isn't going to speed things up.

I get to play tour guide on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of next week. Debbie's little sister Dawn and her husband Terry are coming to visit from Chicago. Let's see. I need some canoli, a copy of the Chicago Sun Times and 100 boxes of the frozen apple cinnamon waffles from Dominicks. I think we're going to an art museum as part of our activities. Nothing compares to the art at One On One.

I should really quit this job and get a job at Fairview Riverside so that Debbie and I could ride the tandem to work together. But I'd want to be a psychologist or something like that. How would you like to be the head chef at a hospital with people always making fun of the food quality?

Why can't George Bush send part of the two grand we'll be sending him between now and October back to Hennepin County to be put towards a new Twin's ballpark? I'll gladly pay my share of the new park. I love baseball but can't stand to sit inside to watch it. Maybe growing up taking the bus to Wrigley Field has something to do with my attitude.

Finally! When tree planting is over, I'm going to celebrate with a bottle of Redbreast (Irish whiskey) and a really good cigar. And maybe some Cheez Whiz and Ritz crackers.

Escort Service, Critical Mass, Saturday Night Ride And A Donut Ride

Between escort service to Fairview, a ride to Richfield for coffee with the QBP gang and Critical Mass I rode 52 miles on Friday. The Mass ride was fun. From what I hear it was one of the bigger groups in a while. Some of those people in cars sure get pissy. We stopped at the Red Dragon after Mass (Chicago Catholics can relate). A small group continued on to Joe's Garage at my request. This is really when I should've gone home but we didn't. We headed through downtown to Palmers. I think it was that shot of Jameson that really put me over the hump. Home at midnight, sandwiches with the dogs and then beddy bye.

Hey! There was a Saturday Night Ride where we actually rode bikes. A group of six headed out from Dinkytown about 10:15. I think the threat of rain probably kept some people away. We rode the Greenway to the lakes and the Minnehaha Parkway Trail to the falls. No bar stops and everyone loved the ride. I wasn't in the mood to burn shit or drink for that matter so I said Good Night at the falls. A quick ride home found my wife still up at 12:45 am. She was watching some shitty horror movie. I asked if we could change the channel so I wouldn't have to sleep with the light on. Coffee and cookies and then - you guessed it - beddy bye time. 26 miles ridden. The only riding done Sunday was a 5 mile round-trip to Scandia Bake Shop at 50th and 34th. I was jones-ing for an apple fritter.

Good Morning Debra. If you can ride when it's 28 degrees like you did this morning, then riding when it's 15 in November is a piece of cake.

Oh. Good Morning to the two other people who read this thing: Marcy from Freewheel and Scott from Q. Have a nice day.