NBM #30 End of the Month

Well I made it. 1 month of blogging, although I think I missed two days somewhere in there. Thank you Angee for putting the challenge out there. And Missy for being there too, blogging along. I've had my blog for well over a year, but had gotten away for updating it more many months. Hopefully now I can keep it going.
This has been a good month. Of course Thanksgiving is always great, and I grown closer to some very good, understanding friends. I hope to continue to open up to wonderful caring people like them.

NBM #29 Work

   It always seems so hard to get back in the swing of things at work after a long weekend. I guess it's not as bad as coming back from a vacation, but I didn't have one this year. The four days over Thanksgiving seemed to go by so quick. I'm ready for the week between Christmas and New Years. The whole company will be shut down then. I'm sure that time will go by equally as fast. Maybe I should take an extra week then. I have the leave time built up. I could use a real vacation. Daily stresses build and build.

NBM 27 Thr tree

    The day after Thanksgiving is our usual day to put up the Christmas tree and decorate it. Our tree is never anything elaborate. We have used the same artificial treee for years. It's not huge, it's not very full, and it's not pre-lit, but it's ours. We put one set of white lights and two sets of colored programmable lights on it, and top it with a star lit with white lights. We have a hodge-podge of ornaments. These include standard colored balls, Star Wars and Star Trek, Hello Kitty, VW, Batman, a Red Lobster ornament (no comment about how I got that), and some homemade ornaments from when Tyler was little. This year I found a cute little red, glittery high heel that I added to the tree. I love watching tv at night with all the lights out and the tree lit up. It's definitely the season of joy!

NBM #25 Thanksgiving

   I had a great Thanksgiving today. I went to my grandmother's early to help get the food ready. Jess and Ty came out later. Right before it was time to eat, I got a call from Jess. She had a flat tire. After going to pick them up, we had a delicious meal. When we went back to put the spare tire on, I found a large chunk of metal in the flat tire. Then we went to her parents for a while. Home now and still full. :)
   I am very thankful for my great family and all my good friends.

NBM #24 Pre-Turkey Day

   I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. For us, it's more like lunch. My grandmother always has the meal eady around 1pm. This will probably be the last year that she make Thanksgiving dinner. It's so much work for her. She loves doing it, but it's gets more and more difficult for her each year. I will be heading out to her house early to help. Maybe next year I'll take over the family Thanksgiving duties. It makes sense, I love to cook. :)

NBM #23 Riding

   This is one of the great benefits of cycling a lot. After riding on Candlers mountain tonight, with lights, I come home and have a bbq sandwich, and bunch of hushpuppies, and a latte. I would be in trouble if I had not burnt off a ton of calories earlier. :)

NBM #22 Politics

   I am not one to discuss politics very often. I think it usually boils down to choosing the lesser of two evils. But I just saw a Facebook status that said "‎20% of Americans are considered to have mental illness. 20% are also considered to be liberal." Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think it's the whole 2 party system that's dragging us down. People on both sides blindly follow what their party tells them is right. If we could ever have a nice blending of the two, we might get somewhere. For most politicians, if you align with a certain party, then you are pretty much locked into voting how the majority of that party votes. There are some that walk on both sides of the line, but they are rare and will never carry much clout with their party leaders. There's too much "us against them" attitude. How about voting for what the peole you represent want? Well unfortunately, it seems most common people like that "friend or foe", gotta vote how they tell me, mentallity. Two strict options just aren't enough. Just like how America was the "melting pot" of the world, taking all kinds of people and making a great nation, we should have a melting pot in politics and maybe we can get the best parts of both sides.

NBM #21 Sundsy

   It's Sunday again. Unlike meny of my friends, I don't care about football in the least. So what do I look forward to on Sundays? The Walking Dead zombie series on AMC. There's only 3 episodes left for the season. The bad part of Sundays is going back to work on Monday. At least this is a short holiday week. :)

NBM #20 Saturdat Stats (format borrowed from a great friend)

1. Life is good. No matter ups and downs there are, I am very thankful for all I have.

2. My family members may be very quirky, but I love them all and they love me.

3. I have a very loving and caring wife. She is a wonderful person.

4. I have some of the most understanding, non-judgemental friends. Without them I may not have such a good outlook on life.

5. Cycling is more than a sport for me. It's a passion and lifestyle. It helps keep my sanity. There's no better therapy than a long ride.

6. I have a cat with the funniest personality, Bud is more than a pet, he's a family member.

7. I used to care what people, who are not close me to me, thought of me. I've gotten to the point where I realize more and more that narrow minded opinions don't matter at all.

8. Big changes may be on the horizon. I need to prepare myself mentally and physically. I hope I make it through ok. That's where the great family and friend come in. :)

9. I try not to unfairly judge people. I love to laugh and joke at everyone. But when it comes down to it, I will not judge individuals on any stereotype that has been applied to them by society.

10. I wish the world would be more open and forgiving.

NBM #19 Spa

   I'm thinking tonight will be a spa night. A nice hot bath, then fresh nail polish for fingers and toes.Most guys would not be caught dead doing such things, but it's part of who I am and I love it. :)  If not tonight, then definitely tomorrow night.

NBM #18

   Just a quick note. I'm closing on my refinancing in the morning. Going from 7% to 4.5%!

NBM #17 DWR

   Tonight I went to one of our Dire Wolf Cycling team meetings. It's been a year since the team was formed. In years past a few people have tried to start a local race team here in Lynchburg, all have failed. So when Elery Brown decided that he want to get a team started, most people just laughed. Elery was very picky in who was asked to join at first, wanting to have a strong team to get a foot hold in local racing. I feel very honored to have been part of the team from the beginning. Against all the odds, Dire Wolf is still going strong and growing. The coming year will see real sponsors coming aboard, a women's division, and more team members. Now every race we go to, people instantly know who we are. There were very few races last year that at least one of us were not in the top 5. The best part about the team is how well everyone gets along together. It's like a big family. Hopefully it will never get too big for it's own good. Now it's time to see what Dire Wolf can do next year. We also have a new website that should be active in a week or two, http://www.direwolfracing.com/

NBM #16 Tan Lines

Well, we are over halfway through the national Blog Month. So far good. :)

   There is a sure fire way to tell who does a lot of cycling in the summer. Cycling tan lines. Very distinct lines marking the transfer from very tan to very light on the arms and legs. This could easily be mistaken for a farmer's tan, until you notice the outline of fingerless gloves on the hands and wrists. Most cyclists wear this tan as a badge of honor. Proudly displaying it whenever possible, hoping someone will ask about it so they can tell of their love of the sport. Which all well and good, but not for me. I do not like these tan lines and I try to avoid them with sunscreen. I still end up with them though, and it's not until mid winter or early spring that they fade. When I wear a tank top or a shirt with very short sleeves, which most of mine are, I really don't care to see those annoying lines. I suppose I could go to a tanning bed, but it's expensive and too harsh on the skin. So I guess I'm doomed to have tan lines. I could cover them with shirts and shorts with longer sleeves and legs, typical "guy" clothes, but that's just not me. :)

NBM #15 ?

Had a topic, but thought it best not to delve into it at this time. So I'll just say that it's cold and rainy and I think that I need some soothing hot cocoa. :)

NBM #14 Ride

   We had a great team ride today up on the Blueridge Parkway. 11 of us met at the James River Overlook and headed North. It's a very long first climb through the tunnel and to the top. Probably 9 to 10 miles of almost constant uphill. We continued on to Rt 60 where we turned around to head  back. the last section was now a long steady downhill. We all stayed together and had an impressive pace line going. Finally we made back to where we started. It was a nice 38 mile ride. A little chilly at first, but not too bad. It's an absolute joy to ride with great friends in beautiful surroundings.

NBM #13 Zombies

   First to recap the cookout last night. It was a great time. We had around 25 people or so. We did some night racing with jello shots thrown in, had lots of good food and drink, and a warm fire. It turn out that if eat a lot of jello shots, drink a couple vodka and juice drinks, and have a bunch of shots of Evan Williams, you will get very sick. I was throwning up well into wee hours of the morning. Somehow today I have felt pretty good, other than just tired. It was worth it though. :)
   This evening I started a new book that my mom gave me. It's called Day By Day Armageddon. It's about a zombie apocolypse. I also have the sequel to read. I love anything to do with zombies. I get it from my mother, she does too. I'm halfway through it already. It's a very fast read. And tomorrow night is the third episode of Walking Dead on AMC. It is an excellent show. I'm ready for the zombie attack!

NBM #12 Cookout

   Tonight is our Dire Wolf racing team cookout and bonfire. We are all meeting at one of the team members house. He has a full cyclocross course in his backyard. We will have lots of food, night racing, and a big bonfire to help keep us warm. We are also planning on having one race where the leader of each lap has to take a shot of vodka as they go by! :) It should be an excellent time.

NBM #11 Friends

   I feel so lucky to have so many caring friends. When the world seems to be harsh and even the people close to you, who should support you, are not. I know that there are people who love and care about me and will always have an ear for me to talk to. And in return, I am always there for them. A good circle of friends is the best defense against the anything that gets you down. Some of these friends I have known for many years and some I have met on Facebook. I am equally grateful to all of you for all that you do for me. I like to surround myself with friends that are as open minded as I am. I have friends from all walks of life. It doesn't matter what you believe, what you do for work, or what you do in your spare time. As long as you don't judge other's by their looks or stereotypes and are a good person. I am very pround of my friends, I love you all.

NBM #10 Heat

Today was very warm. After Fall went missing and temperatures dropped like a rock, today we almost went back to Summer. It's no wonder so many people are getting sick. Can't we have a nice gradual cooling into Fall?

NBM #9 The Future

   Nobody knows the future. And for good reason. If you knew the future, it might affect your decisions, thereby altering that future. So the original one could have never existed in the first place. A paradox. The future is a dark highway. We try to shine our headlights to see the way on our journey, but it only illuminates they time we are currently in. Your future is never set in stone. Good and bad choices affect it equally, and in the end, it's still your own future that you determine.

Bud

   I have, what I think, is one the coolest cats ever. His name is Bud and he's going on 12 years old. When I was renting a room from a friend in a townhouse on Timberlake Road, her Cailco cat had a litter of kittens. Most were also Calico, but there was one solid black kitten. I decided to keep him. Soon my friend moved back to Delaware and I took over the townhouse. I would let Bud out to rome daily, he would be back in a few hours. One time, after he had been out for a while, I suddenly heard high pitched sqeeling from outside the door. I opened it find a baby rabbit in Bud's mouth. I took it from him and saw that it was not seriously injured. I ended up releasingg the rabbit a few just outside f the city that evening. A couple weeks later, I opened the door to let Bud in and he had another baby rabbit. This time, he must not  have wanted me to take it because there was only half of it left. Bud was having rabbit for dinner.
   One Sunday, when Bud was about 1 year old, I let him out as usual. The next morning I was leaving for a business trip to Puerto Rico and Bud had not returned. I asked my girlfriend at the time to come by and let Bud in that  evening. I was sure he would come back soon. Tuesday morning I got a frantic call, she had found Bud at the door. He had drug himself there with one of his back legs barely hanging on by a little skin. She took him to the emergency vet. They off what was left and stitched him up. We never found out what happened, but the vet said it looked like a clean cut. I think maybe he got into an engine compartment and got caught in the fan. When I got home later in the week, I found a 3 legged cat. He healed very quickly. Within a day or two, he was hobbling around and had figured out how to walk well with 3 legs in a couple weeks.
   Now, 11 years later, he still gets around great. When he runs, you would never know a leg was missing. Since I had his front claws removed after the accident, he was never an outside cat again. Although he has managed to escape a few times over the years. But he's always back in a few hours. He loves to sit in an open window and watch birds and squirrels.
   Bud is one of the few cats that loves people and will let you rub and play with him whenever you want. When we have parties, he always makes the rounds to all the guests, looking for attention. He even hops a little more to get people to feel sorry for him. When the day comes that he dies, it will be a dark days. I am not looking forward to it. But for know, I will continue to enjoy my cat that beat the odds.

Nutrition

   It's that time of year. All the food holidays are coming up. It's time for me to get back on my nutrition plan.  I've fallen off of it over the last couple months. Starting this week, I will go back to my large breakfasts, mid sized lunches, and light snacks for dinner. Hopefully I can keep off the holiday weight. :)

VA Tech Cross

   Today was the cyclocross race in Blacksburg. This was a fairly large event with around 70 to 80 racers total. When we arrived, the temperature was 36 degrees and it didn't warm up much, if at all. The cold wasn't the worst part. The  course was very tough, a lot of steep climbing and sketchy downhills. After 1 lap, I was hurting. I settled into a groove and tried to hold my position. Finally after 5 gruelling laps, it was over. That seemed to be the consensus from all the racers all day, "I'm glad it's over". I ended up in 6th place out of about 15 in my class.

The Jeep

   I love my old Jeep Cherokee. I was never big into SUV's or 4 wheel drive vehicles, after driving aircooled VW's for many years. But when my first Saturn coup was totaled, which I love them too, I found a great deal on an 89 Cherokee. It was nothing special, slightly bigger tires and a 5 speed. It would go anywhere and everywhere. There's something about the older Jeep transmissions. Even some of today's computer controlled All Wheel Drive systems don't perform as well. After a couple years, I sold that Jeep and bought another Saturn. I still wanted another jeep though. Finally a friend was selling his 89 Cherokee and I grabbed it. This one is automatic, which I don't like as much as the 5 speed, but it already had a 4.5 inch lift and 33" tires on it. After making some much needed repairs to it, I have been driving it for over 4 years now and it is well over 200,000 miles. I wanted a safari look, so I built a full roof, and then some, rack for the top, with a ladder mounted on the side to climb up. It's now badly in need of some body work and new paint, which I hope to take care of next Spring. The old Jeeps seem to go on and on. Hopefully this one has a lot of life left in it.

NBM #4 The mall has it all!

Or does it?  I think Lynchburg has quite possible the worst mall in Virginia. The worst that I have seen anyway. Even when I came to this area in the mid 80's, it wasn't great, but it had decent stores and was clean and modern looking. Still nothing compared to the malls in Northern Va. Now, the same decor from 25 years ago doesn't fit well in 2010. Many of the popular brand stores are gone and only the same old tired names remain. Most of the newer stores coming in are super cheesy clothing stores or dollar stores. There's one saving grace, and I believe it's a last ditch effort to save the mall. They built a new, large movie theater. The old one was terrible, tiny theaters and uncomfortable seating. Now it's a stadium seating style theater. With not much else to offer though, I wonder how many more years the mall will survive.

#3 NBM ???

Wow, day 3 and I'm already getting stumped for topics. I have a lot I want to write about, but I want to save it for later in the month, when the crunch is really on. I guess I should make a list of possible topics. So today will be about the onset of Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. The air is cool and crisp and the leaves are so pretty, well usually. This year the trees seem fairly drab. The rain at the very end of Summer was not enough to make the colors as vibrant as usual. I still love it though. A nice jacket, a hot cup of coffee, and sitting on the porch. Which reminds me, I want to look for a new jacket. Maybe some kind of peacoat or something with some warm fuzzy faux fur around the collar and cuffs. :)

Day #2 NBM, Cyclocross

   Adding to the list of firsts for me in bike racing this year, is cyclocross. Cyclocross is a strange thing. You take a slightly modified road bike frame, put thin knobby tires on it, and go go race Criterium style through fields, mud, and rocky terrain. It's very intense and exhausting, with virtually no chance to rest during the 45 minute race. Of course I don't have a cyclocross bike yet, but I have borrowed one for a race( 4th place) and I've used my single speed mountain bike in one race ( 3rd place). Mountain bike races are still my favorite, but cyclocross is definitely getting my attention. Unfortunately the season only lasts 2-3 months. I guess I need to add a cyclocross bike to my want list, along with a time trial bike. :)

National Blog Month

   Ok, I'm back. I've let this go for too long. My dear friend has challenged me to blog with her everyday for the month of November. So this will not be just about cycling, but nything and everything I can think of. Since I'm blogging about blogging, this counts as day 1.