Train Wrecks

Seems like a lot of things in life are just beyond our control. Jim over at Unholy Rouleur , seems to have run into this sort of situation. Pop over to his site and read his interesting post on that subject today. He's a funny guy who when not lampooning something, often himself, writes some very insightful stuff. I've been running into plenty of stupid in my personal and professional like myself.

We bought a Chinese scooter to ease the burden of gas prices. Of course the novelty wore off quickly for my other half, and I am the main driver. We sold my van and were going to be a one car /bicycle/scooter family. Cool. It made an immediate impact, financially, but not practically. It broke down after 1400 miles and is now waiting for parts.

The novelty of car pooling quickly wore off, too. Kids going to activities, shopping, going to the camper, all sometimes need 2 vehicles. No one but me in this deal has had to make any sacrifices but me. Cut backs on other things didn't happen as planned. The simpler life style doesn't appeal to all concerned. Realizing I couldn't fight city hall, I bought another van. It's actually quite an upgrade over the old one, 50,000 less miles, all wheel drive, heated leather etc., all for the same price I sold the old one for. A lot of brain damage for the upgrade, though.

Some of the moves at work are putting the strain on my thought process. Less is more, human nature can be manipulated, if I believe it, it's true. I've learned over the last 30 years, none of that is true. 2 things are happening in this world that are absolutely true. The haves are getting a bigger share of the pie everyday than the have not's. And the gap gets bigger every time you stick that nozzle in your cars filler neck. Every time you go to the grocery store, turn on the heat in your home, in fact every time you pull out your wallet. I have to work 7 days a week to live the same as we have been. So that just means our quality of life suffers. I haven't spent near enough time on my stress relievers (ie the bikes), so my blood glucose is up and the hopeless feeling sinks in. Maybe after the election things will change. Let's hope for the better.

Because right now, this is a train wreck.

Rare Bird

Here's something you don't see everyday ( unless you follow Doug around). An Xtracycle. As you can see, quite the hauling machine. I chatted with the owner when he came out of the store about what a great grocery getter this conversion made, where he replied it was also a great beer hauler, too! He was strapping on a twelver of Stella Artois to prove his point. A dog had chewed up the saddle, so I offered my BG Milano to replace it. It doesn't work for me, so I'm sure he'll put it to good use.

On the riding front, I haven't gotten in the miles I had planned in the last month or so. After @ 750 miles in July, I barely cracked 200 in August. Disappointing, I must say. My side projects and family have absorbed most of my extra time. And so it goes. This month is the start of the fall riding season for me, and this is my favorite time of year. Crisp, dry air, turning colors, it just can't be beat. I'm riding tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday for sure. As they say in the Red Stripe ads, Hurray, Fall !!

What The Hail ?

Sure, I get time off to finally make the Thursday night lbs group ride and what happens. Hail, thats what. Big ice chunks start coming down about 5:15, along with rain and wind. 5:45, the sky clears, I kit up and buzz down the hill to the Lester Park lot. Several cars in the lot, no bike racks. No one shows. So I head up the shore for a 20 mile cruise. Suddenly, the black clouds reappear, rain comes down, but luckily no hail. A few minutes later, all clear for a nice, but damp ride. I'm glad I stuck with it. I had a great ride, the legs felt good, especially after not riding very much lately. The new Fizik saddle is really working well, the most comfy seat I've ever ridden on.

I've been catching the Tour Of Ireland opening stages, and Mark Cavendish still amazes me. On the second stage finish, he was boxed in tight in the final meters. He gave a shove to the rider on his right, hit the nitrous and was gone. Julian Dean could do nothing to stop him. I want to see some Cavendish/Boonen scaps at the Tour De France next year.

Fall Is Around The Corner

Cool nights, warm, low humidity days. The nip of fall in the air. Great sleeping weather. My favorite time of the year. Just wish the days weren't getting shorter. Well, you can't have everything, I guess.

I haven't gotten as much riding in as I had planned. So what else is new. Family business crops up, and my ride gets derailed. Tonight would be perfect, but soccer is on tap instead. I think a new light set up is in order, so I can ride later safely. I see a lot more lights lately, so more people are on the same train of thought.

The wild life are starting to move around more, so one has to watch out. Deer, especially the young ones have little common sense when it comes to traffic rules. The bear cubs are curious and the sows protective, so take a wide birth when passing them on the trails. Or, turn around and goes back. The mothers will snort a warning or 2 before charging, so listen up if you come across a cub.

With the Tour De France now over for about a month, the pro tour starts revving up for the fall classics. I'm glad to see Tom Boonen back on form after his personal problems took him out of the TDF. He's already won a couple of races, so maybe missing the Tour was a good thing.

Drywall & Teeth

No, that's not the name of some alternative band, but what I've been up to lately. I'm doing a drywall project to raise some extra cash and have been having some dental work done. No of it what you'd call fun, but necessary evils of life. I'd never do drywall work for a living. Too tedious and tough on the shoulders and back. On the bright side, I haven't experienced any shoulder, back, or knee pain so far. Let's hope it stays that way. The dental stuff, now that's another matter. Root planing and antibiotic treatments are not comfortable, nor is tooth extraction. Diabetics have a distinct disadvantage as far as gum disease goes, so you have to stay ahead of things. I haven't, and now I'm paying the price. I learned my lesson the hard way, unfortunately. The damage was limited to one lost tooth, so it's not all bad, as I'd lost the one directly above it previously. It comes out next week.

I haven't been riding much due to all the extra work, but should get out several time this week. Time will tell. My blood sugar is still up and down, but should stabilize after the abscessed tooth is pulled. The infection plays hell with glucose levels, so once it's gone things should level out. I hope.

Olympic TT

Ol' Fabian Cancellara, one of my fav's in the pro peloton, put the wood to the field in the olympic time trial. I think he let Stephan Schumaker win in the Tour De France time trials to conserve energy for the team and lull the field into a false sense of security. His making "Swiss cheese" of the rest of the boys in the time trials is getting to be a habit. I love watching him ride!

On the diabetes front, a recent trip to the dentist turned out to be a major bummer. It looks like I'll be loosing a tooth and having some anti-biotic treatments, along with some major root planing. More vacation used on anything but rest and relaxation. That's just another side effect of diabetes. Fun times....

New Ride

No, not a new bike, but a new route. Sunday, I took the MTB out exploring different roads and trails around the camp ground area. I took a Google map, and set out around Sand Lake. What nice, quiet, smooth country roads. Rolling, twisting, perfect for the road bike. Then, some gravel roads and trails that are a gas. I wish there were more bikers in the area to ride with and enjoy the quiet country side. I never run into anyone on a bike, except on the Munger trail. The ones i do meet are usually on their way someplace special, and not riding locally. Too bad, they're missing some good riding.

Diabetes-wise, I'm going to cut back the carbs a bit more for a couple of weeks. I'll be monitoring my glucose levels more closely to see the reaction to low carb meals in the hours after eating. I sure would love to not have to be shackled to the regimen of a medication schedule. It's tough to be spontaneous in life and have a good time with others when this stupid disease looms over everything you do. But, others have it far worse than me, so I shouldn't complain. Just work harder at being healthy, maybe I can reverse this.