At Home Sick

Stayed home sick today. Took forever to get out of bed and get my head drained to the point I could move around without thunder rolling through my temples. If you were at the wedding you saw this:

When my sister and I were younger and we got sick, we layed on the couch all day with the dogs (there are two dogs in that picture). It was the only time the dogs were allowed on the couch and the only time we were allowed to watch gameshows and soap operas all day.

Not much for laying around on couches anymore (even when I'm sick), I worked on our website. Lots of maintenance type stuff you're not likely to notice. Though if you're able, you might want to clear your cache to get some of the changes sooner (you probably still won't notice anything different). I tried doing other things like get the mail and fill the bird feeders, but they left me exhausted. I can sit here all day and feel almost fine, but get up and move around some and I hurt. So back to the internet for me. While blog hopping I found a few interesting links. These two have some cool photos - Oil is for sissies and Pajama Library (it's not what you think).Then I found a link to an archive about Grove Innovations. Grove made bikes down the road from State College when I was going to school. Besides lusting after their bikes, my buddies and I headed to their shop early one morning to drop my friends Cannondale off to get the paint stripped. It was a cool little adventure in our many mt. bike experiences in college. I guess that was about the time we started to get "serious" about biking - shaving our legs, suspension forks, clipless pedals and training. Didn't last long as that was our sophomore year and things started to get busy with school, jobs and girls.

Speaking of State College - one update I did make today was adding more pictures and data to the Memorial Day Weekend Rides page. I finally got around to digesting the GPS data from our Michaux and State College rides. Check it out here.

No Go

Decided against the night ride tonight. A couple of hours of fun isn't worth three or four more days of misery. It's not like I'm desperate for ride hours this time of year and I haven't been sick in over a year. It's time to just let it run it's course.

A couple of thoughts on my mind as I rode home through "cousin lovn' land." This morning as I passed my neighbors driveway I noticed the head of a decapitated buck sitting in his lawn. I guess he got his for the year. I didn't so much have a problem with the scene (unless of course my dog came running through the yard with it in his mouth) as I did the song it brought to mind. A little while ago XPN was playing a song called "Deer Head on the Wall" as part of their regular rotation. I could hear it looping through my head for the rest of the day. Finally I looked it up. It's on the album Boxing Mirror by Alejandro Escovedo. It's a catchy tune in my mind, though not very happy. There's more info here. When I got home tonight, the deer head was gone. Sorry no picture.

The other thought on my mind as I rode home in the fog was how courteous the "cousin lovn' land" drivers are. It's a stereotype I know, but I'd expect the pickup/SUV driving, deer head hanging cousin lovers to be bastards to bike commuters. They're not. Back in the big city of Paoli I got all kinds of crap and passive aggressions from drivers. Out here, even in the fog, they're mostly very nice. It's pleasant. It's gives me even less reason not to ride to work.

One last thought. If this warm weather continues and we don't get a snowy winter, it's my fault. I ordered studded tires and back country skis finally. Because of that, it won't snow. It won't even get cold. I'm sorry. It sucks.

Sick!

Not in a cool way. Whether it was riding through Buddy's sicky snot rockets on Sunday or the cleaning of rodent filth in my house, I'm sick. My head's full of snot and I don't like it. Can't sleep. Can't breath. Can't feel good about anything.

Rode to work anyway. Took a little while longer then usual, but the cool breeze against my swollen face felt nice. Debating the Wed. Night Ride tonight. It's fun - even if you're sick. Haven't been in a while and starting to feel guilty - not sure why. If I go, I'll ride beyond my current capacity. I'll make things worse and will sleep less. I won't be able to ride to work at all. I'll waste gas, spend money and make things tighter for affording my new ride. Ooooooh the new ride. Custom paint and everything. I've been riding floor model crap forever. Time to treat myself even if I have to eat peanut butter sandwiches (can't even afford the jelly) for months. Is it decided? Will I skip tonight, rest and make things more affordable for me and my new bride? Undecided. Wed. Night ride is really fun. Trails are probably perfect. Fall nights are perfect. Rippn' fast singletrack through the dark.

Still not sure. Drink some tea, OJ, take some more pills and think about it some more.

Beer Page

I should add another disclaimer for my beer  page. It's my page. I favor IPAs and APAs. An occasional Pilsener, the right kind of Stout, American Strong Ales and some weis beers are also on my list of favorites, but I'm a sucker for pale ales. So don't expect much from it. It's more a list for me I guess.

On a side note, we just got another exchange case from Jen's work. I've been updating regularly.

Ductwork of Death

So the previous owners of our house had a mouse problem. In reality they had gap issues. This house is full of gaps. Holes in walls, ceilings, attics etc. There's practically a yellow brick rodent road into our house. The previous owners for whatever reason dealt with the symptons instead of curing the cause. Their tactic was poison. They literally created poison traps in the walls to attract and kill the mice. The mice go in and never come out. Only the stench of rotting mice is left. Until of course the next troop of mice find their way in. Last spring I spent some time cleaning up and/or identifying such locations. One such location is the receptacle of death. If you get real close and take a big wiff, you'll smell the death. Unfortunately I haven't brought myself to cleaning up that "situation". There was another spot in another wall we did clean up when we had our F.I.O.S. installed. There was a stinking gaping hole in the wall. I had no choice. The receptacle, which doesn't even work, has been conviently neglected by me.

While this was taking place, we noticed one of the ducts downstairs wasn't working. All the downstairs ducts have louvers to turn them on or off. This one particular duct wouldn't work regardless of louver position. The other difference between this duct and the others is it's made of flexible ducting. It's got some plastic outside shell with fiberglass insulation on the inside. In the middle there's what appears to be a tear of some kind, though I never got a chance to look very closely at it. My guess was the mice got in and made a cozy home out of it. Tonight I pretty much confirmed that theory. As I was spraying foam insulation in the cracks between the downstairs wall and the overhang, I bumped and moved the flexible ductwork around quite a lot. It didn't take long for the putrid stench of death to come wafting out. It's nasty. The fact it's so strong means there's multiple deaths residing in there. Probably poisoned, they made their way back to their nest in the ductwork and died - clogging and stinking it shut.

What a pain in the ass. It really doesn't bother me that I have to buy new ductwork and install it. That will be the easy part. Ripping that stinky-ass crap out and throwing it all away will be disgusting. It's just nasty, but it's my house. It has to be done.

Out with the old and in with the New

The longer I wait to write a post, the more it sounds like a grocery list and not something I truly tried to write. Oh well. Better to get something down, then forget it all away.

Started yesterday with a ride at Fair Hill. Couple of Spot guys, Bean's guys and some Wooden Wheels guys. Fun ride. Got warm fast - the weather not the pace. We kept it to a nice late November stroll. Henderson showed up nearly right off the plane from Australia. Jet lagged and dizzy made him a little silly, but he rode well.

Back home to finish the yard. The trees no longer have any leaves, so I'm hoping we're done. The pool area still has some, but at least they're contained. After the yard it was onto the ugly stuff. Our second floor overhangs the first floor by about three feet. In some of my previous projects I've had the pleasure of getting into that space and messing around with wires, insulation and everything else nasty that's there. Each time I've pulled out insulation completely infested with the presence of mice and things a little bigger then mice. Finally I decided to pull it all out and start over. It's a nasty job. Every couple of minutes I'd ask myself was it worth it. Should I leave the insulation alone? It might be nasty, but it still works right? I'd find a wire chewed to the copper, a mummified mouse, or worse things a little bigger then mice. Then I knew it was worth it. It's my house. I'm not living there with all this filth beneath the floorboards (or above the ceiling depending on your position). So I got all the old insulation out and vaccumed the space. Tonight I'll fill holes with spray foam insulation and try to reinsulate the exposed wiring. Maybe tomorrow I'll start replacing the insulation with new and clean R-19. Hope it stays that way.

On a happier note I rode into work today. I left before coffee was made, so I got to use my new travel french press at work. It's nice. Tasty coffee at work is quite a treat. Ordered some snow/studded tires today. Going to try and make a habit of this bike commute thing.

Chore Whore

Two beautiful days and lots of chores. Started and finished yesterday mostly with the furnace exhaust. Was supposed to take only an hour, but crawling around in the mud under the deck stretched to well over two. Then we ran off to the dance studio to do some chores. One of the contests for the T.O.C. was a handful of "improvements" for the studio. We fixed a drawer and ceiling tiles. With chore points earned, we took a lesson with a different instructor to earn more. During practice at nine we won the toilet paper dress contest for even more points. Hopefully that puts us in the lead for this week.

Up today and chore some more. First installed a new light in the laundry room. Had the light for months. Got tired of seeing it sit on the floor. Moved onto guest room closet. Installed the rack and shelf we ripped out almost a year ago. Still no molding or door, but at least we (or guests) can use the closet. After the closet I moved onto the War of the Squirrels. They've found our bird feeders and are using them for their own afternoon buffet. First step in the war is to provide some kind of alternative feeder for them. When that doesn't work, I'll move onto squirrel proofing the bird feeders. Damn tree rats! Meanwhile Jen starts with the leaves. The yard is still too wet for the tractor, so she did the prep work with the blower. A couple of hours later, a few tanks of gas and she's got it ready for the heavy equipment.

Speaking of heavy equipment. We've been keeping the tractor in the garage with the cars. It's kind of a hassle, but no big deal. The problem will be the snow. The plan is to plow our driveway with the tractor. Having it squished against the wall in front of Jen's car, doesn't make for good plowing logistics. A little reorganization of the detached garage and I got the tractor staged and ready to go for the snow. Unfortunately I can't get to anything else. Whatever. I haven't used any of that stuff in the eight months it's been in there. I'll manage.

So two beautiful days and no riding? It's true, but I got a little over seven hours in this week. Between that and the time of year, I can afford a couple of days off. Planning to ride tomorrow. Debated putting a real manly gear on since I'm riding flat and flowing Fair Hill. Instead through on some new brake pads. That should be enough of a workout. After the ride it's finish up with the leaves and maybe some insulation.

And people wonder what we do without TV.

Cooked

Thanksgiving 06 - a day to remember? Started with a ride at Wissahicken down in Philly at 7:30am. But it wasn't just any ride. It had rained all night, so the trails were mini streams. If that wasn't hard enough I forgot to switch the cleats on my winter shoes, so I couldn't clip into my pedals for the entire ride. Wet slippery pedals and wet slippery rocks, make for a challenging ride. It wasn't all bad. The trails are a blast and there weren't many people out at that hour.

From the ride I had to rush back home for a shower. So much of a rush, my wet muddy stuff is still in my car from yesterday. That's first on the list of things to do today. After my shower we hit the road for Princeton Junction to catch a NJTransit train to Secaucus Junction. With the nasty weather yesterday and the holiday traffic, there was no way we were sitting on the NJ turnpike all afternoon trying to get north. On the way to the train station Jen decides to try a different way then we've always gone. It probably would have worked, but we were already late and I wasn't in the mood to try something new. After a few aborted attempts at different ways and a loss of precious minutes, we headed in the direction we knew and I was comfortable with. We got there just as the train should have been getting there. Luckily it was late. On the train and headed to Seacaucus - crisis averted.

In Secaucus her aunt picks us up and we head to her grandmother's for Thanksgiving. Nobody else was there, but the food was hot and good. We dig in. MMMMMM meat stuffing. It's like a finely ground meatloaf but way better. Over the hours the rest of the family shows, but now it's time to go. Again we're rushing to meet a train. Running from the car, through the terminal and down to the landing, we arrive as the train does. Hour long ride back to Princeton and tryptophan take there toll. Six thirty feels like ten thirty.

Back at the car it's on the road to Robbinsville to see her brother and his family. We miss dinner, but have some desert (again) and hang with guests. Jen's little cousins are typical tykes full of boundless energy.

A cup of coffee gets me to their level and it's time to tickle. Giggles bangs and crashes time for bed. A couple of hours of adult conversation, one for the road (coffee) and it's back to home.

What a day! No rest for the weary. Time to do chores.

Wedding Teaser

Teaser pictures are up. Don't have the professional ones yet, but put these up in the meantime. You can find them here.

Dumbass Freak

Rode into work today. I think the temp was around 30 when I left. I was loving it. The air was crisp and the sun was shining. I was having a great day till I got to work and realized I lost my shorts that had my work badge and keys in them. I didn't care so much about my badge, but the keys had the only set of keys I have for my car on them. I called Jen to see if she saw them. Sure enough she saw something that looked like shorts in the driveway, but didn't pick them up. I got one of the girls at work to drive me home and get them. A "one less car" day wasted.

Ride home was uneventful which is good, though in the spirit of bike commuting/messaging here's a cool link.

At home things got busier. The fan in our main bathroom sort of stopped working this morning, so up on the roof in the dark I went. Looked ok and clear. Have to wait till tomorrow morning to see if still a problem. After that I hit the basement for some spray foam insulation fun. I missed a few cracks when I did the attic gap job, so I finished that up to get things back together. My gear room had been a mess ever since. Some website updates and now this.

ps. know anyone that needs packing peanuts or has a cure for night sweats?

Blog Rules

This blog is edited/moderated by both Jen and myself. Entries written by me will use the Arial font, while entries written by Jen will use Verdana. It's a subtle difference, so hopefully our writing styles will be more significant. The purpose of our blog is to simply record what we're doing and/or feeling as a history or time capsule for ourselves and our future. It won't be specific to cycling, boxing, dancing or whatever we might be participating in at the time, though it will have a lot of those things. Like our website it's a collective memory of what we did. Twenty years from now I want to be able to answer "what the hell was I thinking or doing?" - I think. If not, maybe it will provide some laughs.

Happy reading, even if it's only Jen and myself doing The Notebook thing and reading it to each other when we're old and gray.

Up and Running!

Holy crap! It's nice to get this thing working finally. No more manual formatting, copying and all that other crap I was doing to get this silly thing to work. There should be a few tweaks to menus about the site in the near future, but nothing too drastic. For now if you get deep down somewhere in our site, get yourself back to homepage and you can get back to where you want.

We also renewed and changed our webspace account. We were running at something like 500meg. Now we've got some rediculous 100GB of space and 2,500 email addresses. Oh and this silly editor has a spell check! Don't expect me to use it to often.

On to the good stuff. Another busy as hell weekend for us. Friday night started with a dance party. Our studio is having a contest till the 14th of December. We're competing in all kinds of goofy things like who can bring in the most toilet paper for a chance to win an all expenses paid dance gala evening. Saturday I got up and headed to our much neglected yard. With the wedding and a few days of rain, it's become quite a mess. I spent three hours in and around just the driveway. Couldn't have done it without this.

I had so many leaves I actually had to back over them so the mower could mulch and suck them up. I'd only get two or three passes before the containers were full or the tube would clog. My neighbor Dino did it right. He's been out every week mulching his before there got to be too many. I'll have to work harder at that next year.

Came home today to find these - all full of dishes and popcorn packaging. I have almost as much popcorn and bubble wrap as I do leaves. Need to find somewhere or somehow to recycle all that.

Still need to get the teaser wedding picture page together - maybe tomorrow night. Also need to ride more. Went for a ride Sunday morning. We did 27 miles. That's more in one ride then I did in each of the last two weeks. Granted it's the off season, but I've got to get out more. Gonna try and ride to work tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. The hardest part is just getting out of bed. Speaking of which I should get to bed to make that morning task a little easier.