Phone Call

Caller: How long are you open today?

Me: Is this for a delivery?

Caller: No, I just need to drop something off.

Me: So you're delivering something?

Caller: No, I just need to drop something off.

Me: We close at noon for deliveries.

Caller: I can't make it by noon, but I'm not delivering, I just need to drop something off.

Me: As long as you're not delivering, someone will be here until 3:30.

Caller: Ok, I can be there by then to drop something off. Thanks, good-bye.

Me: Good-bye.

Guess I don't have to be in hospitality to enjoy stupidity.

Happy New Year All Y'all!

Back to the Grind

Christmas was quiet and chaotic.

Work this week will be busy and slow.

Happy Monday!

Merry Christmas

Great....

now I feel guilty about owning dogs.

Article.

Telecommute

Yesterday, I worked from home. Even though Sam and Julie were in and out throughout the day, I had very few interruptions and was able to do and fix things that I've been trying to get through for quite awhile.

Today, I could feel tension in my neck and head withing two hours of arriving at work and I feel like I've gotten very little done.

Wish my position were more conducive to a virtual office.

Maybe it's time for some change.

Happy Friday, all y'all!

The Big Ten is considering bringing another school into its conference. There will be a twelve to eighteen month study done to see if it's a viable and worthwhile move.

Congress wants to push the healthcare reform bill through by Christmas. This bill has not been around for even close to twelve to eighteen months.

Is the Big Ten trying to act far too slowly or is Congress trying to act far too quickly?

No Lost Screws

No extra screws either. That's the good thing. The bad? The problem wasn't the switch. Well, guess I'll move on to the fan and see if that's the fix. Unfortunately, if I keep moving through the 4runner like that, it will be a very long project. But, I'd end up with nearly an entirely new vehicle.

I have a few days to burn in the next couple of weeks. Think I'll look at the forecast and see if I can find some daylight hours and decent temps to take Rocky-cross out for some miles. I haven't been seeing the sun much lately and it's really getting to me.

I Need to Make a New Rule for Myself

No sitting in the 4runner during lunch when I have my Leatherman with me. It seems that approximately one-third of the dash has been taken apart. The intention was to replace the heater fan switch, but the switch is at home in the garage. What are the chances that I won't lose any screws by the time I get home? Maybe I shouldn't carry a knife with me on a daily basis.

Words I Don't Care to Hear

"We are going to spend our way out of this recession."

Spring Thoughts

I know that this is way early. And, by no means does it mean that I don't want winter. But, I'm thinking that my b-day gift in May should come early and it should be a roundtrip flight to somewhere in the Southwest in say April or so.

It's strange, normally this time of year I don't think that far ahead. But, right now when I do I almost get giddy. I've sat down, pondered, and layed out some plans and goals to be hit step by step. I think what's driving it is the huge let down I experienced from the lack of racing and riding... especially at the end of the season. Now that I no longer see daylight during the week, I really miss saddling up any of my trusty two-wheeled steeds.

Motivation is here now. I need to run with it in a smart way to carry through the next months.

It has started

My lawn is still green, but the flurries have started. Not like we've gotten 4 inches of snow that would cancel a crit. But already, with barely any flurries, I heard someone complaining about snow while I was at lunch.

Hey! Moron! It's December in Wisconsin! Quit the complaining, act like this is completely normal - because it is - or move!

Champange Hand-ups... Wisco Style

Photo by J. Curtes.

This is one of my favoite pics of the year. No spillage. Many cheers. I love the cross scene. I seem to be having some internal issues that I'm going to need to address. Ben may or may not remember what I agreed to. We'll see next season.

Check It

Thanks for the link CB.
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/5687735/

I was going to post some things today, but I spent too much time commenting elsewhere. Now it's time for coffee and getting prepared to split wood.

Happy Saturday all y'all.

I must have

a timeshare somewhere that I need to find. I keep getting emails telling me that I can rent or sell my timeshare for top dollar. I feel that I may really be missing out on a spectacular money-making oportunity.

Up in the air

Have some type of bug. Missed two days for the man this week. Hate doing that. Saturday cx is out because of schedules. Maybe I'll fight dano for DFL on Sunday. If I'm feeling a bit stronger, that will be the plan.

Went to my favorite lunch place today and saw an old Toyota with Fuel Cafe stickers on it. Thought I had the only one of those.

Lost my racetime babysitter for tomorrow. Not good. Have no idea how I'll be able to do the Halloween CX now.

Blaster Results - Courtesy of Big Steve and Julie Timeworks

Ladies
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	1 08 04	101	Melinda Propson	Green Bay	Performa
2	1 09 46	102	Margaret Ruf	Platteville
3	1 20 09	103	Heather Utech	DePere	Performa
Men
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	53 20	104	Constantine Peters	Milwaukee
1	53 20	105	Darwin Peters	Milwaukee	Expo Racing
3	1 06 42	106	Dan Hutter	Oconomowoc	MOJD Marine
4	1 09 21	100	Thom Mathie	Barrington IL
Ladies
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	1 42 42	218	Amy Plato	Grafton	Twin 6
2	1 48 53	205	Heidi Kraut	Oconomowoc
DNF		207	Brittany Nigh	West Bend	Team Pedal Moraine
Men
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	1 22 56	209	Josh Bartoszuk		Fuel Café
2	1 26 30	212	Chris Volgrecht	Milwaukee	Treadhead Cycling
3	1 27 07	66	Igor Norideski	West Bend	No Ride Ski Racing
4	1 30 18	211	Marcin Nowak	Verona	Polska
5	1 31 10	201	Steve Cummins	Slinger
6	1 31 22	215	Jeff Wren	West Bend	Extreme
7	1 31 37	204	Paul Kekstak	Green Bay	Performa
8	1 32 17	216	Jeremy Walworth	Oshkosh
9	1 32 24	203	Don Freitaig	Marshall
10	1 36 00	206	Andrew Schumacher	Kewaskum
11	1 36 01	219	Mark Husband	Shorewood
12	1 31 30	202	Dean Zigman	Sussex
13	1 40 17	213	Luke Utecht	Greenville	Performa
14	1 45 51	208	Guy Archambeau	Menasha
15	1 47 28	210	Chris Cooper	Milwaukee
16	1 57 26	214	Jim Schuldenberg	Dallas TX
17	2 03 25	200	Big Bob Neidinger	Slinger
18	2 05 37	220	Nathan Keopke	Glendale
19	2 10 38	221	Jeff Trepanier	Jackson
DNF		11	Jay Curtes
DNF		217	Andy Schinpke	Cedarburg	Twin 6
Ladies
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	2 01 49	516	Lori Sable	Thiensville
2	2 06 10	329	Abigail Strigel	Madison	Mafia Racing
3	2 11 15	318	Claire Cannon	Milwaukee	WORS/Twin 6
4	2 11 24	320	Lindsey Kriete	Milwaukee	Gear Grinder
5	2 15 46	311	Pamela Davis	Edwards CO	First Descents
6	2 22 27	302	Regina Campbell	Wauwatosa	Alterra/Twin 6
7	2 31 39	327	Rachel Gatto	Oak Forest IL	Twin 6
8	2 43 03	319	Gabriela Bartnova	Zion IL	Club Tread
Men
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	1 44 37	315	Rotten Ron Knutowski	West of Madison	Fuel Café
2	1 44 44	321	Randy Wegener	Plymouth	Fond du Lac Cyclery
3	1 51 09	330	Kevin Tith	Madison	B K B
4	1 52 04	317	Greg Jones	West Allis
5	1 56 10	301	Brian Petted	Cedarburg	Fuel Café
6	1 59 30	306	Aristotle Peters	Hartford	Expo Racing
7	2 00 48	316	Ryan Santoski	Milwaukee	Team Seagal
8	2 02 53	303	John Lanser	West Bend
9	2 04 44	324	Bob Phelps	Milwaukee
10	2 06 17	328	John Timm
11	2 09 08	322	Michael Martens	Grafton	Buc/Nomad Cycling
12	2 09 21	309	Ryan Cowles?	Mpls MN	Twin 6
13	2 11 15	414	Matt Gehling	Madison
14	2 13 18	305	Jake Schipke	Cedarburg	Team Extreme
15	2 19 31	421	Jim Michlar	Whitefish Bay	Gear Grinder
16	2 22 25	325	Jared Pleus	Sheboygan
17	2 22 32	312	Justin Latham	Germantown	Got Wood?
18	2 22 33	313	Jeff Bublitz	Green Bay	Gen-X
19	2 26 20	304	Blake Schlaeppi	New London	Bean City Brewery
20	2 30 07	310	Todd Neidinger	Waunakee
21	2 31 39	307	Keith Wolf	Wauwatosa	Extreme/Twin 6
22	2 42 28	331	Paul Makela	Grafton
23	2 43 32	323	Mark Scheultheis	Wauwatosa	Chriropractic Partners
DNF		300	Jon Hirsch	Hartford	Fuel Café
DNF		308	Andy Thieman	Edina MN	Twin 6
DNF		314	Marc Engelhardt	Milwaukee	Team Seagal
DNF		326	Al Ruhoff	Plymouth
Men
Place	Time	#	Name	City	Team
1	2 04 33	402	Darrin Braun	Butler	Adverture 212/Specialized
2	2 07 34	864	Joe Curtes		Fuel Café
3	2 07 53	417	Ron Stawicki	Waukesha	Team Polska
4	2 10 25	415	Ray Nelson	Woodstock IL	Tread Head Cycling
5	2 12 42	401	Maiciej Nowak	Waukesha	Team Polska
6	2 14 52	407	Chad Boyles	Cedarburg
7	2 15 03	412	Jack Hirt	Wauwatosa
8	2 18 07		Mike Curtes		Fuel Café
9	2 19 16	420	Chad Hindebrandt	Wausau	Team Polska
10	2 21 40	419	Nathan Guerra	Oconomowoc	Mr. Tree Racing
11	2 21 41	408	Ben Cisheros	Waukesha	Team Polska
12	2 22 54	410	John Lirette	Menomonee Falls	Hayes Disc Brakes
13	2 23 36	411	Carlos Haeckel	Waukesha	AdventureGuatemala.com
14	2 24 26	413	Glenn Kirst	Menomonee Falls	Wheel & Sproket
15	2 27 26	409	Ben Neubauer	Oshkosh	Performa
16	2 29 48	400	Bill Nigh	West Bend	Pedal Moraine
17	2 30 37	405	Dan Schaefer	Adell	Pedal Moraine
18	2 32 14	404	Mark Burkholz	Menomonee Falls	Extreme Bike
19	2 56 03	403	Berry Davis	Edwards CO
DNF		406	Kevin Plato	Grafton	Fuel Café
DNF		418	Brian Merklein	Hartford	Fuel Café
DNF		422	Joel Johnson	Wauwatosa
DNF		423	Nate Johnson	LaCrosse	Mt Borah
DNF		424	Sam Wellskopf	Campbellsport

Shakedown Cruise

Layered myself up to ward off the lower 40 degree temps and took the Rocky-cross out to Beechwood tonight for its inaugural ride. Have some adjustments to make. Front end chatters a bunch under hard braking. Rear brake needs to be dialed in better. It's been awhile since I've set up cantis. Guess I've lost a bit of the touch. Shifting was pretty good. Need to move the hoods up a bit higher. So, for just taking it off the work stand and hitting the trail, it worked quite well. Hooked up nicely. Ran it up False Summit five times and hurdled some logs on the lap that I set up. Have a lot to work on. Legs have very little left in them right now, but it feels great. Maybe tomorrow I'll hit the local park and try out the "course" that Sam and I walked off a few days ago.

It is Built

Since I'm out of the running for total lap count this season, maybe I'll try this on some sections at Beechwood tomorrow (today... I really need to get to bed.)

The plan was

to finish the x-bike and head to Lapham to see how awful I can make myself feel. But, during the Saturday night assembly I found that the cable hanger for the front brake won't work. Decided to not do the race if I didn't have a front brake. So, no race update.

Some Parts

I have the parts. Time to put the Sam-man to bed so I can start building. Maybe I'll snap some pics for all y'all so you can see what a little old, a little new, a little used and a little off my shelf will turn into.

Sam was coloring... on the 57" screen in the living room. Luckily Clark must have figured that something was wrong, so he ate the crayons.

Thank you, Sam.
Thank you, Clark.

1 Thing I REALLY Don't Like

Seeing the sunrise,

at work,

on a Saturday,

of a holiday weekend.



Tonight's Booyah Bash and tomorrow's corn roast are helping to keep me going.

Guess I better get back at it.

Happy Labor Day weekend all y'all

It's nearly Friday!

Cows, Broken Hand and the Po-Po

First thing I saw when I was pulling into the Beech. At least it was penned. BTW, there are a number of cowpies on the trail.

Not me. Heal fast and well, Bob. For others out there, the berm/bowl is a wholelotta different at night. And, it may be renamed.

I think he was on a fishing expedition. The "said" reason he stopped me before I even got a chance to get on the road was b/c I have no front license plate and he also wanted to warn me about the few cows still on the loose. Told me that one had already been hit by a car. Glad I made, for some unknown reason, the decision to not have a single beer. Nothing on breath. Nothing in the truck. Hope no one else had any issues.

Happy Wenesday all y'all.

Showed up at the race venue on time.

Made my donation to the Titletown Flyers and the Reforstration Camp.

Road the course set up for racing.

Felt good.

Beat some that had been beating me.

Didn't place as high as I thought.

Was bottle biotch for the Curtes bros and Maciej.

Went home.

It's Friday. Been a poor weather and ride week. Beech was canx due to rain. Bro-in-law ride was canx due to late schedules. Worked until 6 last night - no ride.

But, tonight, the plan is to ride 16.70 miles broken down into two 8.35 mile legs. How's that for a goal? Heading to doubleBs to sample the first-ever batch of Blaster Octoberfest. We need to make sure that it will be worthy to serve at the Beechwood Blaster before he makes a large batch.

Happy Friday all y'all.

Doing a lot of data entry and deciphering today. Zune is on shuffle. Last five artists: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Rob Zombie, Blink 182, Anthrax, Clifton Chenier. What the heck will be next? Wait for it, wait for it... London Symphony Orchestra playing Russian and Ludmilla.

Waiting for lunch, but moreso waiting for a hopefully early release to head to the Beech and maybe do some cow chasing.

Happy Tuesday all y'all.

It's Monday.

My turkey sandwich wasn't satifying.

My blueberry yogurt was spoiled.

I'm eating a banana.

Hope I can keep from raiding the fridge when I get home.

It's Friday.

Cows and Lights

Tried to get out of work at three o'clock... four-thirty was the real time, but, I was out and headed north to the private course. Last night's Beech went much better than last week's. Brought the gears again. Been really enjoying the cush and being able to climb everything out there - well, except for the "CX Run" part of False Summit. I choose to dismount and run the hill. Yeah, Joe may be trying to talk me into attempting some cross racing this season, but this big ol' body may be telling me otherwise.

Finished lap one w/ only a small amount - compared to Sam anyway - of cow dung in my treads. Seems some of the neighbor's cows got loose yesterday. The lap was strange for me. Started out pretty normal and once I was warm I felt good... quite good actually. More like I normally would on lap two. There were parts of the course where I felt like I was not in contact with the ground. More of a floating feeling. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. Felt in control, but always preferred to be on the ground with bikes, motos, snowmobiles, atvs, whatever. Didn't get to be unnerving, it just felt very different.

Quick mount of the light as an "in case" measure and I headed out for number two. Felt good again. Didn't really need the light until the Penalty Box section. Must have made a difference as I didn't tag either tree that I did earlier in that short ST piece. Finished in the dark. First night lap out there for me. Very different course without daylight. Glad that I've done one-hundred eighty miles out there this year. Got out of the wet kit, pounded some water and took a seat by the fire. Very pleasant evening.

Out after work with the bro-in-law for some pave.

Word is that Thursday night CX nights will be starting. Have not yet broken the news to Julie that I'd like to ride Tuesday, Wednesday and now Thursday evenings. Wonder how she will take it.

Happy Wednesday all y'all.

One for CB's D-bag Report

White tank-topped, teased blonde hair complete with bangs lady driving a Ford Exploder, elbows on the bottom of the steering wheel, right hand with cell phone up to ear, left hand with cig to mouth taking one last puff before flinging the butt out the open window toward the car in the next lane while trying to maintain a straight line on the expressway.

Ladies Night

Thursday night typically means it's Julie's turn to go out with friends. I get Beechwood Tuesdays and Bro-in-law Wednesdays, so I have no beef whatsoever with this set up. But, thanks to glorious weather, this Ladies Night means a ride for Sam and me. Well, Sam will ride, I'll pedal.

Happy Thursday all y'all.

Last night's ride didn't go so well. A huge thanks to all of those who helped me out. Nearly all symptoms are now gone. I'll be addressing the issue soon so I can figure out what the heck is going on with me.

-Big Steve

It's no longer Monday. Sweet! Tuesdays during riding season always mean something good. Goal today is to better keep the rubber side down.

Happy Tuesday, all y'all.

Wet

Woke up this morning a little bit later than a normal. Julie got ready for her every other Saturday trek to the office for a 1/2 day. Sam and I were going to do a charity ride for cancer sponsored by the local hospital. We didn't pre-reg and the plan was to show and make a double donation for the cause. Unfortunately, the weather is being less than cooperative. The picture here was taken before 9a this morning, and, yes, that is a street light glowing. Didn't get a pic of the harder rain. But, we've certainly had some downpours where it's been difficult to see the neighbors' houses. The lawn needs this as do the water tables.

Happy Saturday, all y'all.

CB chillaxin' during his extended weekend after the 24/9 win.

Julie and Sam along for the ride.

Ouch

Beechwood got me tonight. Yup, it hurt. Monster bruise on the knee should arrive by tomorrow morning.

24/9

I went to the 24 Hours of Nine Mile this year, but as support instead of racing it. Was a completely different experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Got about 3 hours of sleep in a 40 hour period. The drive to Door County for a few days of chillaxin' after the race seemed to take forever. At least CB was able to get 1 song on the playlist before he crashed hard in the passenger seat of the toy. I'll throw up some pics from the weekend soon. As far as race write-ups, CB said it best here.

Mt. Trashmore aka Crystal Ridge

I had no front brake for ~1/2 the race in tight twisty singletrack, big ring singletrack and a rough ski hill downward double traverse. Lots of skidding. Slower pace than normal. Skidding changed my lines in the ST resulting in numerous and various sized branches to the arms, shoulders and head. Was seeing stars for a bit and couldn't always remember where in the course I was. I finished, not quite DFL. But, it was Sam's 1st race venue ever. He did great. He truly just loves being outside where the action is.

Counting the hours

until I'm outta here. Very limited saddle time as of late due to some issues. There are things that are more important that riding, but it's not always easy to accept that the rides won't happen, especially when riding has very much been my release lately.

As I type, CB is enroute. Heading to 24/9 tomorrow to support JB and CB in their 24 hour duo effort.

Then off to the water and beach in Door County for a few days followed by meeting at the Beech for Tuesday night. Quiet Wednesday with a trip to the airport to send Chris back to AZ.

Good luck to those of you partaking in any Superweek activities and a safe weekend to all.

Saw the Beach Boys last night. They still sound pretty much the same. One of the few "old" groups that I've seen that haven't dropped their singing by an octave.

Private fenced area with food, silos of beer, advertising Fuel, comped whirlpool suite at the hotel. Was a good night.

Today, although a vacation day was back to reality. Work on the Toyota. Hopefully it will be dependable. Really need it for the next couple of weekends. Still hasn't let me down as many times as the Heep grand cherokee did.

Tore apart the vacuum cleaner to fix it.

Yup, life is good.

Just got back

from a nice near two-hour ride with a neighbor. I think I've found a good riding partner. He makes me push up the hills but not to the point that I blow up to quickly. This is something I really need. My bro-in-law is still coming up to speed on the bike. Hopefully he'll be able to join us on some of these morning rides. He and I are slated to ride after work on Wednesdays. That will make a ride with Neighbor Mark on Saturday or Sunday, Beechwood on Tuesday and Chris on Wednesday. Throw in a solo or two and I should be able to make that jump up.

Today's ride was a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be, but most of that was due to the wind. They're blowing at 15-30mph and we had a 7-mile stretch that was open and right into the wind. Add a couple of hills during that and you have a clyde's least favorite combination: uphill into the wind. Had to get out of the saddle a few times, but I think that helped the legs. Plus knowing that we'd be making the turn soon to have help from the wind made the process more bearable. We had some nice rollers that the crosswind didn't seem to matter much. Then at about mile 18, we made a left and were treated to a couple of 40+ mph downhills. A few more turns and we were heading back into town. Held a nice pace with the wind at our backs and got ready for the little uphill sprint that ends behind our house. Felt stronger than I thought I would and got Mark to the stop sign. He told me he's not going to let that happen again.

Time to get ready for another ride. Family to the park and coffee shop after Sam's nap.

Sunny in the 70s, park, coffee shop, two rides and family time. Happy Sunday all y'all.

Why is it that the people who are complaining about the heat today are the same ones that were complaining about the cold a few months back and as little as a couple weeks ago couldn't wait until we finally got some summer weather?

Beech tonight. Still recovering from the virus and have some aches so I brought the gears. Wanted to have a bit of a softer ride.

Happy Tuesday all y'all.

Finally starting to feel better. It's been a long, long week. Should be able to ride the Beech tomorrow for some laps.

Happy Monday, all y'all.

Well...

I have some explanation about Tuesday night's poor showing and pain. Went to the clinic on Wednesday evening. Right now they're saying that it's a viral infection. But, because I am also showing symptoms of Lyme Disease, sans rash (less than 50% of patients exhibit the rash), they ordered a Lyme titer. No results of that yet. Maybe today.

Happy Friday.

Don't Know

Last night at the Beech I felt quite crappy. Only two laps crappy. I just hurt. My obliques, my shoulders, bi/triceps, neck. I tried to wash the feeling away with some good conversation and a Smithwick's and a Guiness, but it didn't work. Today my hams and quads hurt so much I can barely walk. I've been riding more, but nothing of a muscle teardown in over a week. I'm starting to feel like it may be a medical problem with the amount of pain I'm experiencing. If this keeps up, it will really complicate the decision I'm pondering.

I find it amazing how many wings fans are stuck on Crosby. Chump, Cindy, Cindyrella, crybaby, whiner, wuss, pussy, etc. How good can he really be, he only had one goal in the entire series?

wtfe!

Your team was so concentrated on him that you let the rest of the team beat you. And, if your measure of a good/great player is the number of goals they score in a series, then there are many players who will not even meet the criteria and should not even be playing.

I started my dislike for Michigan fans and their teams in the early nineties because they seemed like such fair weather fans. Not something I was accustomed to as I have always been with people that stuck with their teams no matter what was going on. You may have complained, but you always stuck with your team.

Happy Monday all y'all.

Legs felt tired but good yesterday. Feel great today. Family ride this afternoon. Happy Thursday all y'all.

Reached a New Stretch Goal

Beechwood last night -4 laps. Absolutely shredded my legs. They're toast. Was the fourth lap fun? Nope. Was it excruciatingly long and painful? Yup. Any problems? Yes. The biggest problem is that I want to do it again. I've noticed that I'm finally making little steps at getting stronger out there. The SS is killing me and helping me all at the same time. But, as I said, little steps are being made. Each week seems to bring a better feeling further into lap three. I'll take it. I have no idea how this will transfer to the speed and "endurance" that I'm going to need on Sunday. It is my hope that this will be of great help.

Woke up early this morning and easy-spun on the trainer for 20 minutes. Had trouble turning the cranks when I started. I could feel every area that was cramping last night. Julie was on the elliptical next to me and noticed, as well as commented on, how slowly I was pedalling. I mostly refrained from a smart-a$$ed, cynical comment... mostly. After about five minutes, I started to feel much better and could actually make circles. Sitting here and having to get up and down from my desk, I'm very glad I did what I did at 5:30am. Legs are tired - very tired, but, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it will be a good thing.