Cell Phone Sanity
Would this work?
I understand greed. I'm just not sure why we are so supportive of it.
We all want to talk on mobile phones. Many of us want to surf and do email on mobile devices. Some want to use Droids, some iPhones, some Blackberries. All of that is cool.
But why do we put up with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc, using our airwaves to provide competing services when we could have one system on which any manufacturer's phone could work. The carriers subsidize the phone purchase price to get us stuck with their service contracts, virtually none of which are understandable.
I'd rather have our taxes provide the service and let each of us choose which device suits our need - much the way we choose which cars to drive down the common highway.
Of course without Verizon Wireless and the others advertising heavily some other industry would have to pick up the tab for our TV shows. Maybe we can't win.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Prize Is Mine!
This year's award for the last yard mowed on our Street goes to me. I will spend the rest of this Easter Sunday basking in the good life that awaits me.
Even though I now work at home most days I have been assiduously avoiding yard work during the normal working hours. Do you think this was because I don't want anyone to see me working on the lawn when I should be in the office on the second floor? Nah, not really. It's because I just didn't want to do lawn work - perhaps a gift from Poe's imp of the perverse.
Over the past several weeks I've been in my office listening as a retired neighbor drove his lawn tractor around his yard cutting grass. The professional lawn service companies would come to other yards and work their magic. I'd hear their high-powered equipment droning. I'd give them a look through my street-facing window, and wonder if there was a chance in hell that they would come over and do my lawn also. That hasn't happened yet.
Finally on Wednesday evening the last neighbor with long over-the-winter grass got home early enough to ride his tractor over all of his yard. That meant that the prize was mine. All I had to do was mow my own lawn so that people would know that I wasn't dead or uninterested in the competition.
Today, Easter 2011, I rolled the Honda self-propelled mower from the garage, filled the tank and cut the grass.
My prize? You may be wondering what I won. A free at-home service call for my lawn mower? An azalea for that needs-something spot along the west side of the driveway? A glass of Gatorade?
No. There is no prize. In fact, there was no competition. I didn't attempt to win anything by taking so long to mow my lawn. I have just been too tired and lazy.
But having mown once in the season the next time will be (or at least seem to be) much less of an ordeal. Isn't that so often the case with those chores we put off over and over?
This year's award for the last yard mowed on our Street goes to me. I will spend the rest of this Easter Sunday basking in the good life that awaits me.
Even though I now work at home most days I have been assiduously avoiding yard work during the normal working hours. Do you think this was because I don't want anyone to see me working on the lawn when I should be in the office on the second floor? Nah, not really. It's because I just didn't want to do lawn work - perhaps a gift from Poe's imp of the perverse.
Over the past several weeks I've been in my office listening as a retired neighbor drove his lawn tractor around his yard cutting grass. The professional lawn service companies would come to other yards and work their magic. I'd hear their high-powered equipment droning. I'd give them a look through my street-facing window, and wonder if there was a chance in hell that they would come over and do my lawn also. That hasn't happened yet.
Finally on Wednesday evening the last neighbor with long over-the-winter grass got home early enough to ride his tractor over all of his yard. That meant that the prize was mine. All I had to do was mow my own lawn so that people would know that I wasn't dead or uninterested in the competition.
Today, Easter 2011, I rolled the Honda self-propelled mower from the garage, filled the tank and cut the grass.
My prize? You may be wondering what I won. A free at-home service call for my lawn mower? An azalea for that needs-something spot along the west side of the driveway? A glass of Gatorade?
No. There is no prize. In fact, there was no competition. I didn't attempt to win anything by taking so long to mow my lawn. I have just been too tired and lazy.
But having mown once in the season the next time will be (or at least seem to be) much less of an ordeal. Isn't that so often the case with those chores we put off over and over?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Poetry and Song Writing Workshop for Young People
January 17 at Shamrock Music in Purcellville
January 17 at Shamrock Music in Purcellville
The Young Voices Foundation will be presenting a poetry and song writing workshop for middle and high school students at Shamrock Music in Purcellville, Virginia. The workshop will run from 8:30 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon on January 17, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.
Bobbi Carducci, co-founder of the Young Voices Foundation, says this is the third of five workshops the foundation has planned to coincide with school holidays this academic year. Bobbi and her husband Mike established the foundation to provide opportunities through which young people might find encouragement for written expression.
In addition to the workshop series the Young Voices Foundation sponsors writing contests for writers from elementary through high school. More information about the foundation can be found at their website: www.youngvoicesfoundation.org/.
Tuition for the Poetry and Song Writing workshop is $60. Interested parents should contact Bobbi at (540) 338-5064.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
NaNoWriMo on the Mend
Division of Labor Rebalanced
My characters and I have gotten back on the same page. We have decided that they will still compose the novel, and that I will do the typing. As you can see from the numbers to the right this arrangement has been working out pretty well for the past several days.
We still have a lot of ground to make up, but we're running at a rate that will get us to the finish line (50,000 words) just on time.
Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and monetary help.
Division of Labor Rebalanced
My characters and I have gotten back on the same page. We have decided that they will still compose the novel, and that I will do the typing. As you can see from the numbers to the right this arrangement has been working out pretty well for the past several days.
We still have a lot of ground to make up, but we're running at a rate that will get us to the finish line (50,000 words) just on time.
Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and monetary help.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What a disaster!
I should have seen this coming.
How many times have you been talking with other writers and you've heard someone say about their short story or novel, "Oh, the characters just took over and wrote themselves." Must have been hundreds of times, right?
We should all be so lucky to have characters like that.
This is November, National Novel Writing Month, although not through some act of congress or anything like that. And I'm writing a novel. The working title has been "The Glitch." Anyway, things were going pretty well for a few days. It's a sort of Sci-Fi thing with nice characters, a few really cordial people.
So, a few days into this, maybe around the 5th or 7th of the month, one of them, Rod, says to me, "Hey, man, you are really on to something here. The story is slammin' and the guys, and Tabby, and I are having a really good time. It's like I've known these people for years."
Well, actually he has, because they have all been working in the same lab for a long time. Not the brother nor the guy who lives on the hill. Not Earl Weaver, either. But there are a bunch of lab rats who do get a lot of face time in the book. Rod is one of them.
"We've been talking," he said to me, "and we all sort of agree that we could actually write this thing ourselves."
What? This really happens where characters take over a story? I thought it was a metaphor or something, but it's real.
So I say, "This is so cool. I'm glad you're all getting along and I'd be glad to 'step back and let the story take on a life of its own' as writers like to say."
And that's what I did.
This weekend I started getting curious about where things were headed. My wife was sleeping and I had to find something to do, you know? I turn on the computer and take a look at the file.
Nothing had been written! I couldn't believe my eyes. These clowns, the characters who were going to write this on their own hadn't written a single word!
Now I'm way behind and have to work like a motherfucker to get up to 50,000 words by the end of the month.
If you ever in your life hear an author say that her characters wrote their own story, tell her and everyone else in the room that she's full of shit.
I should have seen this coming.
How many times have you been talking with other writers and you've heard someone say about their short story or novel, "Oh, the characters just took over and wrote themselves." Must have been hundreds of times, right?
We should all be so lucky to have characters like that.
This is November, National Novel Writing Month, although not through some act of congress or anything like that. And I'm writing a novel. The working title has been "The Glitch." Anyway, things were going pretty well for a few days. It's a sort of Sci-Fi thing with nice characters, a few really cordial people.
So, a few days into this, maybe around the 5th or 7th of the month, one of them, Rod, says to me, "Hey, man, you are really on to something here. The story is slammin' and the guys, and Tabby, and I are having a really good time. It's like I've known these people for years."
Well, actually he has, because they have all been working in the same lab for a long time. Not the brother nor the guy who lives on the hill. Not Earl Weaver, either. But there are a bunch of lab rats who do get a lot of face time in the book. Rod is one of them.
"We've been talking," he said to me, "and we all sort of agree that we could actually write this thing ourselves."
What? This really happens where characters take over a story? I thought it was a metaphor or something, but it's real.
So I say, "This is so cool. I'm glad you're all getting along and I'd be glad to 'step back and let the story take on a life of its own' as writers like to say."
And that's what I did.
This weekend I started getting curious about where things were headed. My wife was sleeping and I had to find something to do, you know? I turn on the computer and take a look at the file.
Nothing had been written! I couldn't believe my eyes. These clowns, the characters who were going to write this on their own hadn't written a single word!
Now I'm way behind and have to work like a motherfucker to get up to 50,000 words by the end of the month.
If you ever in your life hear an author say that her characters wrote their own story, tell her and everyone else in the room that she's full of shit.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
NaNoWriMo Marches On
Productivity on pace for completion
Here I am at the end of NaNoWriMo Day Three with 5164 words in the bank.
My characters are having a good time chatting among themselves. They don't have any idea what kind of clothes to wear - other than motorcycle jackets and lab coats. Some lamb stew has been eaten. And without giving too much away I can say that two of them enjoy playing "Jutland."
A one dollar prize has been posted and will be snared by the most unlikely of winners.
Other than that, I'm keeping things to myself.
Productivity on pace for completion
Here I am at the end of NaNoWriMo Day Three with 5164 words in the bank.
My characters are having a good time chatting among themselves. They don't have any idea what kind of clothes to wear - other than motorcycle jackets and lab coats. Some lamb stew has been eaten. And without giving too much away I can say that two of them enjoy playing "Jutland."
A one dollar prize has been posted and will be snared by the most unlikely of winners.
Other than that, I'm keeping things to myself.
Monday, November 01, 2010
National Novel Writing Month Starts
Good Start
November is National Novel Writing Month, a month during which thousands of novelists across the nation will forsake bathing, returning calls, walking the dog and raking leaves, just so that they can string together 50,000 words they will call a novel.
That's a lot of word stringing in 30 days.
Sixteen hundred and seventy words each day will get that done.
Those of us taking the challenge look forward to entering December with a pile of characters, situations, and actions that might eventually turn into something that others will eventually read.
Day one comes to a close and I've got a three hundred word cushion.
Good Start
November is National Novel Writing Month, a month during which thousands of novelists across the nation will forsake bathing, returning calls, walking the dog and raking leaves, just so that they can string together 50,000 words they will call a novel.
That's a lot of word stringing in 30 days.
Sixteen hundred and seventy words each day will get that done.
Those of us taking the challenge look forward to entering December with a pile of characters, situations, and actions that might eventually turn into something that others will eventually read.
Day one comes to a close and I've got a three hundred word cushion.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Long Autumn Journey
Can a theatre critic read a play?
Today I picked up a copy of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" with the plan of actually reading it. The particular edition I found at the Blue Ridge Hospice thrift shop has a foreword by Harold Bloom.
Over the next several weeks I will be reading the play and commentary as an experiment in play reading - something I've rarely done in spite of having seen many plays. Through this blog I'll be keeping track of my progress and impressions as this new activity unfolds.
Can a theatre critic read a play?
Today I picked up a copy of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" with the plan of actually reading it. The particular edition I found at the Blue Ridge Hospice thrift shop has a foreword by Harold Bloom.
Over the next several weeks I will be reading the play and commentary as an experiment in play reading - something I've rarely done in spite of having seen many plays. Through this blog I'll be keeping track of my progress and impressions as this new activity unfolds.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Driven in by The Heat
Seeking cool refuge in the Barnes & Noble reminds me of the summer of 1970. Many July and August days found me in the air-conditioned comfort of the Silver Spring library reading Hemingway and thinking about a woman in France.
Both she and autumn returned. Cooler.
I've recovered, mostly.
Seeking cool refuge in the Barnes & Noble reminds me of the summer of 1970. Many July and August days found me in the air-conditioned comfort of the Silver Spring library reading Hemingway and thinking about a woman in France.
Both she and autumn returned. Cooler.
I've recovered, mostly.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Whites Ferry On The Loose
Ferry Drifts on Potomac's Strong Current
On scene report from Whites Ferry, March 20, 2010.
On Saturday, March 20, at 4:09 pm the Gen. Jubal Early came loose from its cable and drifted downstream from the course between Virginia and Maryland at Whites Ferry.
Shortly after the boat left the Virginia side workers on board could be seen working to free the craft and its cable from a piece of floating debris that appeared to be a log. After coming to a complete standstill in the Potomac the ferry proceeded toward Maryland for a very short while before beginning to drift with the current, still stronger than usual.
Within a few minutes the boat had drifted several hundred meters downstream while continuing to make way to the Maryland shore. Workers on shore quickly launched a small blue tug boat that helped pull the ferry upstream to the ramp. Eventually the ferry's bow was secured.
The full load of cars on board could still not disembark because the boat remained out of alignment with the ramp. Workers on land used a tractor to pull the stern upstream, finally allowing the autos to drive off. The ferry was secured and emptied by 5:12 pm.
Ferry service had just restarted several hours earlier after a protracted outage due in part to debris on the river.
It was unknown when service would resume after this latest incident.
Ferry Drifts on Potomac's Strong Current
On scene report from Whites Ferry, March 20, 2010.
On Saturday, March 20, at 4:09 pm the Gen. Jubal Early came loose from its cable and drifted downstream from the course between Virginia and Maryland at Whites Ferry.
Shortly after the boat left the Virginia side workers on board could be seen working to free the craft and its cable from a piece of floating debris that appeared to be a log. After coming to a complete standstill in the Potomac the ferry proceeded toward Maryland for a very short while before beginning to drift with the current, still stronger than usual.
Within a few minutes the boat had drifted several hundred meters downstream while continuing to make way to the Maryland shore. Workers on shore quickly launched a small blue tug boat that helped pull the ferry upstream to the ramp. Eventually the ferry's bow was secured.
The full load of cars on board could still not disembark because the boat remained out of alignment with the ramp. Workers on land used a tractor to pull the stern upstream, finally allowing the autos to drive off. The ferry was secured and emptied by 5:12 pm.
Ferry service had just restarted several hours earlier after a protracted outage due in part to debris on the river.
It was unknown when service would resume after this latest incident.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Ghosts
Still haunting us
This week I completed an article dealing with haunted places in the Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia area. When I got the assignment I told the editor that I was not a believer, to which she said okay, that doesn't matter.
It has been at least 50 years since I could say that ghosts in the poltergeist fashion exist. I'm not sure what convinced me way back then that there was no need to bother myself with the possibility of ghosts. Most likely, an evening of gentle kindness in the arms of my loving father eased me into a life without ghosts.
Later, but not too much later, the religious side of my intellect rejected the whole notion of ghosts on new grounds: Jesus freed humans of ghosts. That notion evolved over time, eventually becoming: Christ's life - in spite of the possession story in the Gospels - makes ghostly spirits meaningless. Sometime in my early twenties I blended my understanding of Christianity with my understanding of Whitman's "oversoul" and realized that there was no place on Earth (or elsewhere in the universe) for ghosts, again, of the poltergeist fashion.
Of course, a very good reason for having a world view that does not include ghosts lies in the fact that there are no haunted physics laboratories. No physics experiment in a laboratory has ever been influenced by the action of ghosts. That would be enough, even if I hadn't experienced the love of my father and the Christ.
So, here I am: not just a skeptic but one who knows that ghosts do not move things around or glow or create chill drafts in old houses.
Having read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I cannot get into this discussion without recalling the passage in that book in which Robert Pirsig and his son ride through the Dakotas, I believe, and Pirsig says something about the Indian ghosts. The son thinks he has caught his father in the untenable position of having told the son there are no ghosts and now speaking of the Indian ghosts as though they are real. What I don't recall is the exact way that Pirsig explained this apparent internal contradiction to his son, so I suggest to my readers that they read the book and find out from the original source.*
Anyway, I know there are no ghosts such as the ones that inhabit our European-dominated American ghost stories. And I just assume that anyone would agree with me. Now, I am learning that I assume incorrectly.
At my writers group meeting tonight each of the other three in attendance said that she does believe in ghosts. This astounded me. I was asked, as if my disbelief in ghosts needed to be explained rather than the opposite, if I hadn't ever been in a bad place - not referring to the wacky relationship that I endured far too long many moons ago. My fellow writers told me of places where people had died and that since we are energy the energy of the dead must still be there. I heard them speak of places that generated eerie feelings, strange sensations, discomfort, as though that might convince a reasonable person of the presence of lingering spirits.
All of a sudden I felt like I had followed Alice down the rabbit hole. Why was it up to me to accept the absolute lack of evidence of supposed phenomena as evidence of those phenomena? Why was I supposed to abandon the scientific method so that I might rejoin others clinging to notions that I had discarded in my first decade?
Are there any answers out there? Please post if you have one.
*Should one of my readers know how Pirsig responded (either at this time or after reading the book) I would be pleased to see an explanatory comment here.
Still haunting us
This week I completed an article dealing with haunted places in the Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia area. When I got the assignment I told the editor that I was not a believer, to which she said okay, that doesn't matter.
It has been at least 50 years since I could say that ghosts in the poltergeist fashion exist. I'm not sure what convinced me way back then that there was no need to bother myself with the possibility of ghosts. Most likely, an evening of gentle kindness in the arms of my loving father eased me into a life without ghosts.
Later, but not too much later, the religious side of my intellect rejected the whole notion of ghosts on new grounds: Jesus freed humans of ghosts. That notion evolved over time, eventually becoming: Christ's life - in spite of the possession story in the Gospels - makes ghostly spirits meaningless. Sometime in my early twenties I blended my understanding of Christianity with my understanding of Whitman's "oversoul" and realized that there was no place on Earth (or elsewhere in the universe) for ghosts, again, of the poltergeist fashion.
Of course, a very good reason for having a world view that does not include ghosts lies in the fact that there are no haunted physics laboratories. No physics experiment in a laboratory has ever been influenced by the action of ghosts. That would be enough, even if I hadn't experienced the love of my father and the Christ.
So, here I am: not just a skeptic but one who knows that ghosts do not move things around or glow or create chill drafts in old houses.
Having read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I cannot get into this discussion without recalling the passage in that book in which Robert Pirsig and his son ride through the Dakotas, I believe, and Pirsig says something about the Indian ghosts. The son thinks he has caught his father in the untenable position of having told the son there are no ghosts and now speaking of the Indian ghosts as though they are real. What I don't recall is the exact way that Pirsig explained this apparent internal contradiction to his son, so I suggest to my readers that they read the book and find out from the original source.*
Anyway, I know there are no ghosts such as the ones that inhabit our European-dominated American ghost stories. And I just assume that anyone would agree with me. Now, I am learning that I assume incorrectly.
At my writers group meeting tonight each of the other three in attendance said that she does believe in ghosts. This astounded me. I was asked, as if my disbelief in ghosts needed to be explained rather than the opposite, if I hadn't ever been in a bad place - not referring to the wacky relationship that I endured far too long many moons ago. My fellow writers told me of places where people had died and that since we are energy the energy of the dead must still be there. I heard them speak of places that generated eerie feelings, strange sensations, discomfort, as though that might convince a reasonable person of the presence of lingering spirits.
All of a sudden I felt like I had followed Alice down the rabbit hole. Why was it up to me to accept the absolute lack of evidence of supposed phenomena as evidence of those phenomena? Why was I supposed to abandon the scientific method so that I might rejoin others clinging to notions that I had discarded in my first decade?
Are there any answers out there? Please post if you have one.
*Should one of my readers know how Pirsig responded (either at this time or after reading the book) I would be pleased to see an explanatory comment here.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Mountain Stage Revisited
A second try pays off
This morning my bike carried me to the end of the pavement on Mountain Orchard Lane, a hill that defeated me during my pseudo-tour in July. The difference between the two attempts probably was the air quality. Back in July the air was hot and hazy. Today's weather brought cooler and cleaner air.
As to strategy, this morning I decided to use the small chain ring and the big rear gear almost entirely. After all, I am not really racing. I just wanted to see if I could make it to the top of the hill - however long it took. New strategy, new air, new legs - who knows what made the difference. All I know is that I made it.
Following my ride up the hill - an almost 10 km round trip from home - I tacked on the 38.6 km round trip to the end of the pavement on Airmont road. I managed to cover the distance of this little impromptu ride in 1 hr and 30 minutes for an average speed a little better than 24 kph. My speed on Mountain Orchard Lane, of course was much slower. I hadn't even bothered to time it.
A second try pays off
This morning my bike carried me to the end of the pavement on Mountain Orchard Lane, a hill that defeated me during my pseudo-tour in July. The difference between the two attempts probably was the air quality. Back in July the air was hot and hazy. Today's weather brought cooler and cleaner air.
As to strategy, this morning I decided to use the small chain ring and the big rear gear almost entirely. After all, I am not really racing. I just wanted to see if I could make it to the top of the hill - however long it took. New strategy, new air, new legs - who knows what made the difference. All I know is that I made it.
Following my ride up the hill - an almost 10 km round trip from home - I tacked on the 38.6 km round trip to the end of the pavement on Airmont road. I managed to cover the distance of this little impromptu ride in 1 hr and 30 minutes for an average speed a little better than 24 kph. My speed on Mountain Orchard Lane, of course was much slower. I hadn't even bothered to time it.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Slo-Mo Time Trial
While the competitors in le Tour were in their 40 Km time trial I took a 48 Km ride here in Round Hill. I averaged 23.8 kpm with a time of 2:05:18.
By slightly over one kilometer this was my longest stage in my pseudo-tour, and the fifth fastest average speed. Probably none of the days I've ridden a previous stage has had humidity as high as today's.
While the competitors in le Tour were in their 40 Km time trial I took a 48 Km ride here in Round Hill. I averaged 23.8 kpm with a time of 2:05:18.
By slightly over one kilometer this was my longest stage in my pseudo-tour, and the fifth fastest average speed. Probably none of the days I've ridden a previous stage has had humidity as high as today's.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Success on the Hills At Last
No flat this week
This morning I started my ride at about the time that the competitors in France were half way through their stage. My pseudostage included four ascents of Stoneleigh, just west of Round Hill.
Total distance for the ride was 26 Km which I finished in one hour and 26 minutes for an average speed of 18.1 kph.
The real riders covered 207.5 Km. Alberto Contador won the stage in a time of 5 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds. His finish blew away the competition. Lance Armstrong, for whom I have been rooting, is now a super-domestique.
No flat this week
This morning I started my ride at about the time that the competitors in France were half way through their stage. My pseudostage included four ascents of Stoneleigh, just west of Round Hill.
Total distance for the ride was 26 Km which I finished in one hour and 26 minutes for an average speed of 18.1 kph.
The real riders covered 207.5 Km. Alberto Contador won the stage in a time of 5 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds. His finish blew away the competition. Lance Armstrong, for whom I have been rooting, is now a super-domestique.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
On the Road Again
Two days of rest were just what I needed
Did I not ride Thursday and Friday because all my bike shorts were in the laundry? Don't be silly! I just didn't feel like riding. But I did today.
In the interest of taking advantage of a chance to do something together Hiroko and I took a ride to King Street in Leesburg by way of the W&OD trail. The distance covered was 32 Km. Due to the fact that Hiroko's bike has flat pedals we took our sweet time and spent a lovely 2 hours and 50 minutes enroute. The average speed was 11.2 kpm - certainly not my fasted time, but at least I got to ride with my sweetie.
And regardless of how slowly I went, I did pass the 300 Km threshold today.
In France the boys rode 199 Km in not much more time than it took us to ride 32 Km.
Two days of rest were just what I needed
Did I not ride Thursday and Friday because all my bike shorts were in the laundry? Don't be silly! I just didn't feel like riding. But I did today.
In the interest of taking advantage of a chance to do something together Hiroko and I took a ride to King Street in Leesburg by way of the W&OD trail. The distance covered was 32 Km. Due to the fact that Hiroko's bike has flat pedals we took our sweet time and spent a lovely 2 hours and 50 minutes enroute. The average speed was 11.2 kpm - certainly not my fasted time, but at least I got to ride with my sweetie.
And regardless of how slowly I went, I did pass the 300 Km threshold today.
In France the boys rode 199 Km in not much more time than it took us to ride 32 Km.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunrise Ride
Up before dawn for a quick ride
My stage today began at 5:36 AM. What was I thinking?
Maybe I was thinking that the sky would be beautiful as the darkness over the Blue Ridge began picking up pink tones from the eastern sky. Perhaps I was anticipating the cool still air. Or it might have been that I hoped to watch a hawk carrying its breakfast across the road and into the woods by the pond.
No matter the reason for my early morning insanity, I logged 20.8 Km in 56 minutes. That's an average speed of 22.3 kpm.
Later today the boys in France will be riding 192 Km at considerably more than 22 kpm.
Up before dawn for a quick ride
My stage today began at 5:36 AM. What was I thinking?
Maybe I was thinking that the sky would be beautiful as the darkness over the Blue Ridge began picking up pink tones from the eastern sky. Perhaps I was anticipating the cool still air. Or it might have been that I hoped to watch a hawk carrying its breakfast across the road and into the woods by the pond.
No matter the reason for my early morning insanity, I logged 20.8 Km in 56 minutes. That's an average speed of 22.3 kpm.
Later today the boys in France will be riding 192 Km at considerably more than 22 kpm.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Back In The Saddle Again
Tire fixed and rolling
During the rest day yesterday I bought an inner tube to replace the one that failed on Sunday. The failure was at the point where the valve merged to the inner tube proper. Installing the new tube presented no problems at all.
Today my ride was delayed by a job interview - one of the best reasons for delaying a ride, I must say! My ride didn't start until after 4 PM.
One hour, 59 minutes later I had completed 46.4 Km in rather breezy conditions on a one mile lap. My average speed for this run was 23.2 kpm.
Tire fixed and rolling
During the rest day yesterday I bought an inner tube to replace the one that failed on Sunday. The failure was at the point where the valve merged to the inner tube proper. Installing the new tube presented no problems at all.
Today my ride was delayed by a job interview - one of the best reasons for delaying a ride, I must say! My ride didn't start until after 4 PM.
One hour, 59 minutes later I had completed 46.4 Km in rather breezy conditions on a one mile lap. My average speed for this run was 23.2 kpm.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Mountain Stage 3 - Mountain of Disappointment!
A short and slow trip over Stoneleigh
Today marked the third and final day in the Pyrenees for the real riders, and marked the third day for me to be a pseudo-climber here in Virginia. I had planned to make four climbs to the top of the Stoneleigh development, a tough ride over safe residential streets. An alternative would have been riding from Round Hill over the Blue Ridge and down to the Shenandoah River. I received so many negative comments on my sanity the last time I did that I haven't attempted it again.*
However...
After huffing and puffing myself to the top of the hill and coming down the other side, my return climb came to an abrupt end after 200 meters with a flat rear tire. A kind couple gave my bike and me a ride all the way home.
Bottom line for the day: 6.4 Km in 25 minutes for a speed of 15.2 kpm. This isn't my slowest performance, but it surely is my shortest of this tour.
As disappointing as it was, my bike and I did attain the 200 Km level in just nine stages. With 12 stages still to go I need only 100 Km.
Tomorrow is a rest day, thank goodness, so I'll have time to get the tire back in order before riding again on Tuesday. But since I have a job interview on Tuesday I'll probably be taking a short ride even then.
The boys in France logged 160.5 Km over a Cat One and an HC climb today with the leader finishing in 4 hours, 5 minutes and 31 seconds - without a flat tire. That's pretty impressive.
* I have to admit it was sort of stupid to be riding a bike on a steep highway with 55 mph speed limits and almost unridable shoulders.
A short and slow trip over Stoneleigh
Today marked the third and final day in the Pyrenees for the real riders, and marked the third day for me to be a pseudo-climber here in Virginia. I had planned to make four climbs to the top of the Stoneleigh development, a tough ride over safe residential streets. An alternative would have been riding from Round Hill over the Blue Ridge and down to the Shenandoah River. I received so many negative comments on my sanity the last time I did that I haven't attempted it again.*
However...
After huffing and puffing myself to the top of the hill and coming down the other side, my return climb came to an abrupt end after 200 meters with a flat rear tire. A kind couple gave my bike and me a ride all the way home.
Bottom line for the day: 6.4 Km in 25 minutes for a speed of 15.2 kpm. This isn't my slowest performance, but it surely is my shortest of this tour.
As disappointing as it was, my bike and I did attain the 200 Km level in just nine stages. With 12 stages still to go I need only 100 Km.
Tomorrow is a rest day, thank goodness, so I'll have time to get the tire back in order before riding again on Tuesday. But since I have a job interview on Tuesday I'll probably be taking a short ride even then.
The boys in France logged 160.5 Km over a Cat One and an HC climb today with the leader finishing in 4 hours, 5 minutes and 31 seconds - without a flat tire. That's pretty impressive.
* I have to admit it was sort of stupid to be riding a bike on a steep highway with 55 mph speed limits and almost unridable shoulders.
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