Monday, November 26, 2007

Cheap crap

I just can’t believe how cheap they make electronic stuff these days. I needed to go buy a long ethernet cable. I walked into the local big-name ripoff store. Found the cable I needed - it was $42. Kinda pricey, right? On a whim, I was walking down the aisle with all the networking junk, and looked at some wireless routers. They had a Belkin that was $32. Ten bucks cheaper than the fucking glorified phone cable. Duh…it was a no brainer. My Mac (and just-bought Playstation 3) have built in Wi-fi, so I went for it - it was all I needed.  The little thing works like a charm too.

Maybe I am dumb, but it  is just amazing that they can make something that sends digital signals magically through the air for cheaper than a cable. I mean, come on, how can that be?

Posted by STEVE at 16:31:53 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Gawd’s Dandruff

It is snowing outside. Today is my last day of work for six days.

Here’s looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner, the upcoming end of cross season (and the beginning of fun MTB rides again), the offseason fat-kickoff at Nordic Lodge, and fresh new opportunities on the horizon.

Posted by STEVE at 15:19:45 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, November 16, 2007

There was a lot of wind

Today I actually rode my bike. Did cross skillz drillz in the park, and felt like a human being on a bike again. Can’t believe how terrible I felt this whole week after my near death experience last Saturday, but the strength seems to be coming back, thanks to a good olde-fashioned rest week.

So it was nice and cold, and windy today. Just what I like. The park I ride in reminds me of the tundra fields of the Steadman GP, coming up in a few weeks time, and the conditions today only reinforced that. Steadman’s is the only venue on the Verge circuit where I have a cunt-hair’s chance to do anything results-wise. The course is one big power wind tunnel. Almost custom designed for guys like me.

Well, guess fucking what, they aren’t having that race at the same venue this year, it it moved to God Damned Goddard park. The weekend double header now features two races at Goddard.

So it’ll be a double bad-result, 50th place here I come. Stick Fucked again.

Posted by STEVE at 18:45:12 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Eating Starbursts and playing with my own dick

That basically amounts to what I’ve accomplished so far today. Outside, it is pouring rain. I wonder if I’ll actually feel like riding my bike later.

Cuban Revolution rocks. My belly is currently full of pork, rice and beans. Maybe a nap in my car is in order?

Posted by STEVE at 18:03:36 | Permalink | No Comments »

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Strung out in Plymouth

 

click for the strung out view from the Tundra land.

Now go read the race report!

Posted by STEVE at 21:07:34 | Permalink | No Comments »

…And another thing

As an add-on to what I posted yesterday, I’m not saying that everyone should be riding bikes instead of cars. Even as an avid cyclist myself, I realize it’s not something fatass, lazy Americans are ready for. Maybe some would. Overall it won’t work, simply because the infastructure around here sucks for bike riding, the roads are just too dangerous. Maybe if there were less cars on the road…

I think the real problem is the average American’s perception (esp around here) that only poor people ride public transportation.  Until people get over that, the problems will just keep getting worse and worse.

Posted by STEVE at 16:18:12 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I hope gas goes up to $10 a gallon

Because maybe it will teach these assholes that live in America a lesson.

The other night I was watching the news, flabbergasted at the words that were coming out of some of my fellow RI’ers mouths, as they were being interviewed at the gas station. Talking about how the price of gas is affecting their lives.

This one woman, filling up her new Range Rover SUV, said she might have “selected a different car if she knew gas prices were going to go up .20 to be $3.20″. Uhh, what? You spent $50,000 + on a new car and can’t handle a 20 cent increase? Get the hell out of here.

Another guido-ess said she “doesn’t know what she’ll do” if gas prices go any higher because it “isn’t worth the drive to work anymore”.  Nice one.

These people think that it’s a god-given right to drive a car and have cheap gas. Let me tell you people something GAS IS STILL CHEAP IN AMERICA. Do you even have a clue how much other parts of the world pay for gas? If the current prices are breaking your bank that bad, how about try NOT DRIVING A FUCKING CAR.

Posted by STEVE at 17:48:03 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Parents on Mars?

My crazy parents. Two weeks ago my dad retired, mom was already retired. They proceeded to load up their van and drive across the country. I haven’t heard from them for a while, so I wasn’t sure everything was OK or where they might be.

This morning I get a cryptic email from my dad that has the subject “This morning at sunrise” with this photo attached, and no other text.

Nuts….it looks like somewhere on another planet, not anywhere in the USA. I wonder where it is? Ideas?

Posted by STEVE at 15:03:36 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Monday, November 5, 2007

List of things that happened yesterday

  • Drove out to Northampton, MA to race at Look Park
  • Raced as hard as I could, proceeded to get killed anyway
  • Ate McDonalds French Fries on the way home
  • During an in-car confessional, I found out that Chuck has very vast and intimate knowledge of the film “Dirty Dancing”
  • I proceeded to do my best impression of “She’s like the Wind” by Patrick Swayze
  • I could only think of “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” for the movie quotes, while Chuck “impressed” me as he rattled off several others, right off the top of his head.
  • The conversation degenerated into a discussion of Jennifer-what’s her face’s plastic surgery disaster
  • My wife had a kick-ass dinner waiting for me when I got home, including a fresh pan of gingerbread!
Posted by STEVE at 21:27:59 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sunday, November 4, 2007

It’s 6:40 AM on Sunday

I’m sitting here drinking my coffee. Contemplating the fact that I’m pre-reg’ed for the NoHo race today, and I don’t really feel like going.


Yesterday was Chainbiter out in the sticks of CT. Under the threat of a an approaching hurricane, I went out and did combat in the 35+ race. Too bad I felt really good and was killing it, then I crashed in some sand, plowed my shift/brake lever in the granular goodness, and that was it. Stuck in the 27 cog, and no way to shift down - too far from where my spare bike was in the pits to be worth trying to salvage the race. File one more DNF and a trashed Ultegra lever…arrg.

So my pit bike got relegated to “spare parts” bike status last night as I did a shift lever organ transplant. It’s crazy that you can use a $150 item only a few times and then it ends up in the dumpster. I guess when you use something in conditions for which it was not designed these things happen. As I am currently under a spending freeze, that’s the end of having a pit bike for me (or silky smooth brake lever action, for that matter!).

I just don’t know what’s going on this season with me. Just seems like no luck has been coming my way. No Cross love for Steve. Maybe I need to get laid off, change my name to one of those goofy gender-unspecific names, or, go all the way and get a sex change so maybe someday I can race with the elite women too. Those things seem to be all the rage these days. It seems like all you have to do to be fast in cross is have a life wrought with no responsibility or do something stupid with your name. I dunno, maybe I’m too olde-fashioned. All I can think to do it just train more on my substandard equipment. 

I guess I am going today, as I agreed to carpool with somebody, and I’m driving. We’ll see how it goes. Maybe this really will be my last race of the season, details at 11.
Posted by STEVE at 12:00:30 | Permalink | No Comments »