The temperatures are correct for biking. I will leave work around 4PM, and will have daylight. I have energy and desire. There will be a puppy at home who will have been all cooped up all day long, needs attention and supervision, and afterwards, the NFL season opens up with Steelers-Titans. SO, even if I wanted to put my bike on the trainer to ride after dark...how can I miss the opening game of football season??? This kind of stuff has been happening to me all summer, where the choice is "ride, or do something else that is equally beneficial, but in other ways".
Alas, all summer, the "other ways" have been more important. Today will be no exception, I have no doubt. The only chance lies in if my wife comes home early enough for me to perhaps only miss a little of the game while I ride...in which case, I can turn on the radio and listen to it. I suppose that will have to do.
That being said, it's time to work on building the specifcs of my off-season training program!!! This part of the year is a lot of fun for that. Of course, the real goal is to win, to succeed, to be better than I was. But how best to do it? Part of me wants to spend 200 miles a week on the trainer. That.....that is a lot of time in my garage, and I seriously doubt I have that much time to spend. I may get a week or two in with that much, but every week??? That's kinda silly. No, I think this year, the goal will be a much more reasonable 120-150 miles/week. Work it out, and it's 6 days of 20 miles and 1 day of 30 to reach the top-end of the goal. That's not all that difficult, but it is pressing just a little. It may mean that I do ten easy miles in the morning to wake up and ten harder ones when I get home. It may mean a lot of things. But it's reasonable, and that's the most important part.
So, there you have it. The goal is set, and you've all been notified, so now I'm accountable to you. If I don;t do it, you all have permission to berate me like crazy!!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Of puppies, automobiles, and impromptu house renovations....
So, we got a puppy. There are a few differences in getting a puppy, and getting a dog. A dog usually already knows how to communicate. It also usually knows the important stuff like "No, don't eat the electrical cable," and other such useful information. Puppies do not know these things, yet. And so the teaching process has begun. Sad/funny: teaching a puppy is not unlike teaching a child. The major difference, of course, is that the puppy is MUCH faster in ascertaining that it is to the puppy's advantage to do what you say, when you say it. Children??? Well, I know I didn't do it that way! But repetition is key, and a few things some fella named Pavlov figured out are quite useful, too. For example, ring the bell hung from the doorknob every time you put the dog out, saying "OUT". The idea is that she'll learn to ring the bell when she wants to go outside. But she is learning very well what the first thing to do outside actually is. This is a good thing. Business first.
So, here I sit, with a puppy by my feet, whilst my wife is off kicking tires. Hey, it doesn't hurt, right? Of course, being campers, there is a problem with adding a new family member to join you: how do you pack them in an already overfull car? Well, the solution, of course, is to continue to bail out Detroit!! Somehow, we gave them a ton of money, and they didn;t give us cars - we still have to pay for them. This just seems a TAD UNEQUAL to me, but what do I know? Oh well, I'm sure this is going to be another road of fun. She actually looked at this one online, though, so it;s very possible that my wife will come home in a vehicle other than the one she left in. After all, she said she was "only looking". This is a phrase at which I cringwe, because every time we "just look" - and it usually doesn't matter at what - we end up "just spending". So basically, I'm "just scared s!!tless."
And phase three. NEVER "just look" in a home improvement store. Particularly if you are the one who will have to do said repairs/upgrades, NEVER EVER go and "just look". It will mean "just work", which will leave you "just tired", "just covered in paint", or, the best: "just bleeding" because whey mean that you will put your blood sweat and tears into a job - they're actually serious! I've taken care of the sweat and blood already today - though admittedly, we're talking about a single drop of blood...well, maybe two drops. hardly a mortal wound. But basement steps can be tricky, and painting them is never fun. Granted, they look tons better than the ancient carpet that WAS covering them, but still, it's not fun. Particularly when the felines of the house need to use them to get to the litterbox. Now, I have kitty prints in my freshly painted stairs, and paw-prints all over my basement floor. My grey basement floor. With the lightest green possible in prints. Wondrous.
Now, my only hope is that my wife does not go and get the new vehicle - because it can fit more project supples....and I don;t want to work any more on my day off!!!!!
So, here I sit, with a puppy by my feet, whilst my wife is off kicking tires. Hey, it doesn't hurt, right? Of course, being campers, there is a problem with adding a new family member to join you: how do you pack them in an already overfull car? Well, the solution, of course, is to continue to bail out Detroit!! Somehow, we gave them a ton of money, and they didn;t give us cars - we still have to pay for them. This just seems a TAD UNEQUAL to me, but what do I know? Oh well, I'm sure this is going to be another road of fun. She actually looked at this one online, though, so it;s very possible that my wife will come home in a vehicle other than the one she left in. After all, she said she was "only looking". This is a phrase at which I cringwe, because every time we "just look" - and it usually doesn't matter at what - we end up "just spending". So basically, I'm "just scared s!!tless."
And phase three. NEVER "just look" in a home improvement store. Particularly if you are the one who will have to do said repairs/upgrades, NEVER EVER go and "just look". It will mean "just work", which will leave you "just tired", "just covered in paint", or, the best: "just bleeding" because whey mean that you will put your blood sweat and tears into a job - they're actually serious! I've taken care of the sweat and blood already today - though admittedly, we're talking about a single drop of blood...well, maybe two drops. hardly a mortal wound. But basement steps can be tricky, and painting them is never fun. Granted, they look tons better than the ancient carpet that WAS covering them, but still, it's not fun. Particularly when the felines of the house need to use them to get to the litterbox. Now, I have kitty prints in my freshly painted stairs, and paw-prints all over my basement floor. My grey basement floor. With the lightest green possible in prints. Wondrous.
Now, my only hope is that my wife does not go and get the new vehicle - because it can fit more project supples....and I don;t want to work any more on my day off!!!!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
The unknown use of a cycling jersey....
For those not "in the know" those handy-dandy, lycra-infused shirts with zippers down the front and - if your' elite enough to get them - sponsors' trademarks/logos all over them are called "jerseys". Yes, they make one look like a stock car on two wheels, and yes, they are designed by the same fellas who design clown outfits. That being said, there is nothing quite like a matching "kit" - and yes, it can be candy-apple red, puce, and purple, and a cyclist somewhere will call it "sweet". Oh, and the complete kit (matching shorts, socks, jersey and sometimes even shoes) will probably run about $250.00. But I digress.
In a hurry to get out of the house tonight to head to play rehearsal, I tossed on a jersey. I was merely thinking of something that could possibly keep me cool on stage. I did not yet know of the cool usefulness that was to come. So there I am, thinking that I'm looking pretty cool in my jersey, going through rehearsal. Now, I must explain that the particular scene for which I was called - the one where I play the character "Peasant" - is a physically active scene. I have two lines. They are: "My arm's shot" and "The baby's still in there." BUT, in this scene, I must feign smoke inhillation, a shot through my bicep, an injury of the head (just for giggles) and that my home is burning down and my child is still in the house - even though I assume when you're a parent, you largely stop mattering at all, and only the child is important. Oh yes, and my stage"wife" is also pulled from the building without thinking of the child. Riiiiiiiiight. So, it's a physically active scene. Coughing, shortness of breath, terror, awe, gratefullness, etc, etc. All this must be conveyed to the audience.
Now, to memorize my lines is no great task. I can at least manage this much - you see, I've acted once or twice before - and to memorize my cues is likewise no great task. All I have to do is listen for my cues and then go. For this, the time that I need to spend with my script is limited, at best. But, since I'm still allowed to have it on stage, you'd better believe it's coming with me! So, after about 6 takes of the scene - which was only "blocked" (for those not theatrically minded, "blocking" is where the director tells you what he wants, even though he's going to change his mind about the whole thing three days later) yesterday - I discover that I am really without need of it, and there I am, on stage with a lot of paper in my hands, and I'm supposed to be escaping from a burning building.
Now, cycling jerseys usually have three pockets sewn into the back of them. This is where riders will stash all sorts of useful things: food, water, iPods, race radios, biological passports, spare tubes, cell phones, etc. You name it, a cyclist has probably tried to put it into his jersey. Why? Well the pockets are THERE, we might as well use them! In fact, I once heard of a cyclist who tried to pack a chihuahua into his jersey. That one...it didn't end well. Now, this particular jersey is one typically worn when doing off-road stuff - so it only has one big pocket in the back, which zips open and closed. Well, I didn't need my script...and I. Have. One. Big-assed. Zippable. Pocket.
So, into the pocket goes my script, and I sputter, cough, heave, fall, bleed, forget my baby, remember that I fogot the baby, and hug my stage wife (who, I should mention, is a brilliant actress and really makes it easy to act with - thanks, Elizabeth!). It was brilliant. BRILLIANT, I say! Hey, for the first night of actually working the scene, it was some good work! The director was pleased - and that's not always easy. All in all, it was a good hour's worth of work, and further proof that the cycling lifestyle is benficial to everything.
In a hurry to get out of the house tonight to head to play rehearsal, I tossed on a jersey. I was merely thinking of something that could possibly keep me cool on stage. I did not yet know of the cool usefulness that was to come. So there I am, thinking that I'm looking pretty cool in my jersey, going through rehearsal. Now, I must explain that the particular scene for which I was called - the one where I play the character "Peasant" - is a physically active scene. I have two lines. They are: "My arm's shot" and "The baby's still in there." BUT, in this scene, I must feign smoke inhillation, a shot through my bicep, an injury of the head (just for giggles) and that my home is burning down and my child is still in the house - even though I assume when you're a parent, you largely stop mattering at all, and only the child is important. Oh yes, and my stage"wife" is also pulled from the building without thinking of the child. Riiiiiiiiight. So, it's a physically active scene. Coughing, shortness of breath, terror, awe, gratefullness, etc, etc. All this must be conveyed to the audience.
Now, to memorize my lines is no great task. I can at least manage this much - you see, I've acted once or twice before - and to memorize my cues is likewise no great task. All I have to do is listen for my cues and then go. For this, the time that I need to spend with my script is limited, at best. But, since I'm still allowed to have it on stage, you'd better believe it's coming with me! So, after about 6 takes of the scene - which was only "blocked" (for those not theatrically minded, "blocking" is where the director tells you what he wants, even though he's going to change his mind about the whole thing three days later) yesterday - I discover that I am really without need of it, and there I am, on stage with a lot of paper in my hands, and I'm supposed to be escaping from a burning building.
Now, cycling jerseys usually have three pockets sewn into the back of them. This is where riders will stash all sorts of useful things: food, water, iPods, race radios, biological passports, spare tubes, cell phones, etc. You name it, a cyclist has probably tried to put it into his jersey. Why? Well the pockets are THERE, we might as well use them! In fact, I once heard of a cyclist who tried to pack a chihuahua into his jersey. That one...it didn't end well. Now, this particular jersey is one typically worn when doing off-road stuff - so it only has one big pocket in the back, which zips open and closed. Well, I didn't need my script...and I. Have. One. Big-assed. Zippable. Pocket.
So, into the pocket goes my script, and I sputter, cough, heave, fall, bleed, forget my baby, remember that I fogot the baby, and hug my stage wife (who, I should mention, is a brilliant actress and really makes it easy to act with - thanks, Elizabeth!). It was brilliant. BRILLIANT, I say! Hey, for the first night of actually working the scene, it was some good work! The director was pleased - and that's not always easy. All in all, it was a good hour's worth of work, and further proof that the cycling lifestyle is benficial to everything.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
OK, so I'm bad at blogging...
How else can one explain letting this go for more than a year? Actually, what I found is that I've got nothing worth saying, really, on any sort of a daily basis. Oh, I have my moments, but they are few and very far in between. So what have I been doing???
OK, biking this summer was a complete and utter loss, after what I thought was a pretty decent off-season. Whoops - I had the indoor trainer set at too low a level, and my brilliance was diminished significantly. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But - I fear I've gotten worse this summer, because I've had very little time to ride. Not riding is bad for the fitness, and I find myself now in the unenviable position of having to get back on the bike for some serious exercise, else all my hard work previously will be for naught.
I find myself currently involved in a production of "Mother Courage and Her Children" (Brecht), set to go up in October. It's a nice show...little in scope, broad in message and size of cast. I have two or three smaller parts in it, which suits me just fine. I don;t think I'd want a larger role at the moment. I'm on stage - that's good enough for me.
I'm also working on a short piece for a writing contest, entitled, "The Fifth Son". I hope to have portions of it available for sharing soon. It's a modest length piece - 5,000 words is the contest limit. A nice little exercise for the Epic Fantasy Writer.
Busy, busy - with Christmas around the corner, I'm designing things left and right in my head. Luckily, I have a little time off ahead of me, so I will hopefully be working on some of the preliminary items then. If all goes well, I will be able to get much accomplished.
OK, all for now - This will hopefully get more interesting as I move forward.
OK, biking this summer was a complete and utter loss, after what I thought was a pretty decent off-season. Whoops - I had the indoor trainer set at too low a level, and my brilliance was diminished significantly. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But - I fear I've gotten worse this summer, because I've had very little time to ride. Not riding is bad for the fitness, and I find myself now in the unenviable position of having to get back on the bike for some serious exercise, else all my hard work previously will be for naught.
I find myself currently involved in a production of "Mother Courage and Her Children" (Brecht), set to go up in October. It's a nice show...little in scope, broad in message and size of cast. I have two or three smaller parts in it, which suits me just fine. I don;t think I'd want a larger role at the moment. I'm on stage - that's good enough for me.
I'm also working on a short piece for a writing contest, entitled, "The Fifth Son". I hope to have portions of it available for sharing soon. It's a modest length piece - 5,000 words is the contest limit. A nice little exercise for the Epic Fantasy Writer.
Busy, busy - with Christmas around the corner, I'm designing things left and right in my head. Luckily, I have a little time off ahead of me, so I will hopefully be working on some of the preliminary items then. If all goes well, I will be able to get much accomplished.
OK, all for now - This will hopefully get more interesting as I move forward.
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