I've been sick for almost a full week. I haven't made much of an improvement, it seems to be moving from one debilitating set of symptoms to another.

Hopefully I can get into the doctor's office on Monday and see if I can just grab a Z-pack and wipe the slate clean.

So I got the race results back for the Boulder Series #2 CX race out at Interlocken East.

46th.

Out of 77.

HOLY FUCK.

I did a lot better than I thought! Not spectacular but this is at least, in some small part, some kind of motivation.

Images:

Photos here by Six Degrees to Slush

Can you spot the SA Jersey?

Image by Dejan Smaic

I look like my family has just been murdered.

If you want to see what the race was like from a cockpit cam:

Here's a full multilap sequence. This is from the SM35+ heat, which is easily one of the most competitive and was much much earlier on in the day. This is the track in as pristine a condition as you could ask for, having only had 1.5 hrs between open to this race. I was racing almost 5 hours after this guy and the course had been altered significantly in some of the turns and the significantly windy bits. They also didn't have to deal with the tangent hill ride portion in SM35+. Assholes.

Miraculously, I didn't wipe out at all.


This dude's blog has some other videos that show the course about an hour afterwards. You can already see the difference.

So I finished the race.

I picked up with Full Cycle's grass roots CX team. It's been fun so far. I still have to pick up my jersey - but Kaj and Karli were there, along with Jenn. It was pretty rad - but it became clear that the Interlocken Race was possibly the worst one to start out on. Holy shitballs. It was around 10C at best, maybe 15? There was ice, it had snowed earlier in the morning and everything was covered in a film of ice, or was soaking wet. Mud. Everywhere. Thank god Kaj had spare tires I could use for the event. I was woefully underprepared clothing-wise and tire-wise.

( a brief description of the course )

I was told by the Full Cycle people there that:

1) I finished. That was an accomplishment.

2) I finished in a decent position for someone who has never ridden CX before, and has had only two training sessions beforehand - with no real race preparation. Karli actually said, with no offense intended, "you finished a lot better than I thought you would." Apparently Jenn wasn't able to finish her race as her lungs killed her due to the low temperature and lack of preparation.

3) I wasn't last. This was important to me, beyond just finishing. If I could just finish, that would have been great. To not be last, regardless of placing in the bottom third of the participants, is enough to make my day. I had no idea going in to the race how it would be, didn't get a chance to try out the track beforehand (I made one lap and called it good - a major mistake), and was underprepared as a result.

4) I need racing tires. This is something that I will have to remedy immediately. Thankfully Kaj had spares I could use for the race and I needed them badly. Even with good knobbly tires, I was wasting about a quarter to a third of my energy just trying to get the tires to grip and move me. I obviously need to learn gearing more effectively since that would have changed everything, but for the race, I was spinning my tires a lot and it killed me.

I may skip the Valmont Bike Park CX, to give my body time to rest and heal, but I definitely should be at the big Boulder Res CX bash. Hopefully my thermals will be in by then and I won't freeze my ass off.

Oh god.

I'll be making my start in C racing at the Boulder Cross Series race (#2), out at Interlocken East.

I'm in cat 4, so my race begins at 2:45 pm. I'll obviously be there earlier.

Feel free to come cheer me on as I am humiliated by the professional racers.

Thank you for failing to deliver my packages from Newegg.

I called your very helpful customer service hotline and was informed that my packages, in fact, were delivered, but not to my own address. They were delivered to 5124 Williams Fork Trail. While my address is 5124 Williams Fork Trail #105, the #105 is very important. I live in a reasonably large building, and the fact that you did not obtain a signature from the person signing the package - despite instructions on the paper saying, "a signature is required for proof of delivery," is a pretty reasonable indication that the person you delivered to (which is merely noted as "customer, a boy") was not, in fact, related to me in any way whatsoever.

Now while I can understand you are pressed for time or do not want to deliver such heavy packages (one ATX barebones computer and one box containing a new video card and a blu-ray DVD drive) I fail to see how having, as your only means of information, the customer name of "a boy" and the lack of signature as "confirmation of delivery."

I hope you burn in hell.

Cheers!

I am now officially a team members of the Full Cycle Cyclocross Team. As if my fall season wasn't already packed with retarded shit I need to do - such as competing in all the comps at The Spot for SBS V.

I have a burst joint capsule, so I'm starting slow - the joint is pretty tender and I'm not too sure of what to do about it other than massage, ice, and heat. We'll see how the climbing season goes with it.

Other than that, I'm trying desperately to train as much as possible for both the climbing comps and the CX races this season. I've never done CX before, but if the "basics" such as the running dismount (to hefting the bike and shit), and the running mount are any indication, I may kill myself. But it will be to get healthy and help me with my neurotic need to lose weight and be fit.

People should feel free to help me with these goals by going to meets, competitions, or just helping me train! Go running with me, or go cycling with me! It will help make me feel less lonely during my training days (the TA cycle at CU is horrible right now, so everyone's busy) and help me stay focused.

Be a partner in my masochism!

Also:




I need to buy some bibs instead of shorts...

I hate that I am so intimately tied with my cellular phone. I wish it weren't the case, but (like the iPod) while I don't think I need it, the convenience and utility of when I do have it is stunning, which only encourages having it around.

So I don't have my phone or my wallet with me today. I am effectively broke and incommunicado.

Oh well.

So I watched Char's Counterattack with JRR Friday night.

Well.

It wasn't as good as I remembered it being, but the last 30 or so minutes was probably some of the best shit I have seen in space battles in a while - the obvious caveat being that you have to sit through the first hour or so of the movie. JRR's rip of the bluray DVD was top notch, except VLC kept barfing at the end 15 minutes of it. Fuck you, VLC.

I can pretty much summarize everything in the following set of short dialog (minus a couple of superfluous details):

Amuro: "Oh man I can't wait to get into this new Gundam I designed, called the Nu Gundam! Also, I love you Chan, a new character introduced just now in this movie so I can have a love interest since the VA for my other love interest from Gundam 0079 died! Even better is the fact that I have a PSYCHIC Gundam frame now!"
Char: "Oh man that Amuro guy is a badass but he is a dick because he accidentally killed the woman I wanted to be my mom even though she was half my age because she got in the way of Amuro stabbing me, of her own free will no less; but obviously the fault is with Amuro because he did the stabbing I can't wait until my intricately planned evil plot to destroy the Earth to save the Earth that could never possibly fail is executed in the name of the Zeon patriarchy that I overtook! Hail Zeon! Down with the Earth forces I commanded and fought for just one odd series ago!"
Quess: "Hee hee I just got introduced and I'm a tart! Also, I'm the tartiest Newtype you will ever meet and if I can't get in the most powerful Newtype's pants, then I guess I should try to suck the second-most powerful cock in the galaxy! Maybe that's Char since he's not a Newtype, but is the leader of the Neo Zeon forces! Teehee!"
Hathaway: "I'm a moron! and a plot device!"
Gyunei: "I'm a plot device!"
Nanei: "I'm a completely superfluous character, but at least I am the hottest bitch in the galaxy."
Chan: "I like Tetris and Gundams."

And now that introductions are out of the way:

Amuro: "Why are you trying to destroy the planet Earth, Char? Don't you see how retarded this is?"
Char: "You could never understand how I feel because you are from Earth and not a spacenoid and therefore not from space even though you originally are from a space colony! You Earth Federation people have no idea just how horrible you are and to save the planet from you assholes, I'm going to fuck it up by dropping two asteroids on it and also causing a planet-wide nuclear winter!"
Amuro: "Can't we all just get along?"
Char: "Not anymore, since you murdered the only pubescent teen that I could ever love as a mother figure since I have a galaxy-sized hard-on for an Oedipal complex! I can never forgive you for taking away my chance at true ephebophiliac love!"
Quess: "Oh wow, that's Amuro Rei, the most badass pilot in the universe, I wonder if I can fuck his dick until it falls off, teehee!"
Amuro: "Oh, thanks for getting the new gundam gear to the new ship, Chan! You are awesome!"
Quess: "Oh that bitch, Chan! She must be riding his cock already and since I can't stand not having Amuro Rei's cock in my pubescent poison womb, I guess I'll set my bar almost as high and try to get Char to indoctrinate me!"
Gyunei: "I'm jealous and a plot device!"
Hathaway: "I'm a moron and a plot device!"
Amuro: "Goddammit, why are you so insistent on dropping asteroids on the planet and fucking all this shit up, Char?"
Char: "The planet Earth must be destroyed so that it can survive you Earth people so that we space people can repopulate it so we can be Earth people instead of you, and this really was just an elaborate plot to get you to come out and fight me because I really hate you so hard it gives me a man-boner for fighting you!"
Amuro: "This shit just doesn't make any sense why the fuck are we all doing this?"
Quess: "Teehee! I can't stop moaning and killing people! War is awesome! I can't wait for Char to be my new baby-daddy!"
Hathaway: "I'm a convenient plot device!"
--TETRIS TIME--
Hathaway: "I have successfully executed my role as a plot device!"
>>>Insert Mobile Suit Gundam: Do You Remember Love? moment here<<<
Char: "I win!"
Amuro: "No you don't! I am saving the Earth with my Gundam!"
Char: "Fuck your Gundam and fuck you too, you never understood me!"
Tetris Block: I AM THE TETRIS T-BLOCK AND I CAN MAKE SHIT DISAPPEAR BECAUSE I AM THE SOURCE OF ALL NEWTYPE POWAAAAAAH! CHECK THIS SHIT OUT I AM GOING TO MAKE GRAVITY DISAPPEAR AND DEFLECT AN ASTEROID USING JUST MY ABILITY TO ROTATE AND FIT IN AWKWARD SPACES AS I FALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL~!

NOBODY WINS!

...credits...
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..
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IT'S OVER!

so sick.

I hope it is not pig flu.

I made it home.

Alive.

I don't mean to be racist, but holy god the flight out of Amsterdam was filled with the most malodorous, personal space violating, rude Middle-Eastern citizens and Indians. They had children running through the aisles wailing, walking in front of carts and cutting them off, letting personal bags and luggage spill out into the aisles blocking paths to the restrooms, and generally smelled like really horrible BO and urine.

Thank god I was hopped up on valium and slept or didn't care.

Woo valium!

Time to fly home now.

Train to the airport in 1 hour.

I am slated to arrive home on the 7th, at 1:26 pm. Hopefully everything goes without a hitch.

I'm going to need someone to pick me up - HAY JRR DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT????

I have no idea if Jacquie's sister Laurena can/will. Who knows????? Plus, I have something to give Mssr. Raith THIRD STRIKE, Esq.

Still in pain.

Still pissed off about the truck hit and run.

No word back from the case officer that took my information on Wednesday.

It's going to cost a nontrivial amount to get the bike repaired, but it will have to wait until after Spain.

Doctor's visit showed that I have what amounts to whiplash (muscles are so tight my upper spine is no longer curved) and a lot of soft tissue injuries. I have a lot of valium. I have to take it every three to four hours. Unfortunately, I become so sleepy after just one.

Thank god I can take them to Spain with me.

A truck driver cut me off and took me out at the intersection of Pearl and Foothills. I was doing 15-20mph, had right of way on a green light and walk indicator on the bike path. He cut me off and took me and the bike out.

Then he swore at me and took the fuck off.

The bike's stem is misaligned now, tires need truing and I hurt everywhere.

zoom zoom zoom

The bike was a joy to ride in on this morning. It's just the teeniest bit short on the bike length - so I'm guessing I'll need a 0.5-1 cm adjustment on the stem extension, but otherwise I can fly with this bike.

The Shimano 105 shifts like a goddamn dream. I still love my suicide shifters on the panasonic, but holy god the new CX bike is sturdy, takes punishment from harder trail, and flies.

Fly like an eagle.

I'm guessing I brought up the average speed this morning by a couple of miles/hr, and shaved at least 5 minutes off the commute. I wasn't even pushing hard either. Hopefully later this week when my legs recover from Chaos Canyon I will be able to really push it on a ride in to work and see just how fast I can make this sucker fly.

Also, District 9 was a really good movie! I haven't seen a gut-wrenching, visceral sci-fi movie like District 9 in AGES. Also, it was like a really well done HALO commercial that lasted 1.5 hours!

Well, after a long search and such, I picked up a new bike. I ended up picking up the financing for the bike because I got an extra 10% off the bike (which was already marked down 200 bucks) as well as tune-ups once a year for life (up to $75) and an extra fitting and fine-tuning in two weeks.

Full Cycle is fucking awesome.

I'd been speccing out bikes and testing them out for the last week. I hadn't found anything that was comfortable enough, nor did I find people who were as willing to adjust and spec out a bike as much as the guys at Full Cycle.

I ended up with a top of the line 2009 CX bike from Felt (the F60X).

I took for a spin and fell in love with it. The Full Cycle model had the specced build on the website. Compared to anything University Cycle or Performance could get me in something from Specialized or Red Line, this was the way to go. The Fuji/Mongoose builds are much more square and only came in 52 or 54cm frames. The Felt came in a 53, which was a good compromise and meant a minimal shimming on the stem extension.

Overall, it feels great and is the lightest and toughest bike to date. It rides as smooth as a road bike, but is as rugged as the Specialized rock hopper that I lost - if not more stable. I took it for a quick 8 mile run around through lookout to 75th, back through Jay rd, and then Spine to the house again. It was fast, quiet and it took less effort than the Panasonic, but I wasn't working so much less - but the advantage was that in the rough areas and on dirt, this bike flew as fast as if I were on pavement.

The added bonus of having a bike I can ride in inclement weather and through the mud and grit without losing on durability and speed is light years beyond the Panasonic. I'm sorry Super Deluxe - it was great while it lasted but the Felt F60X is just too hot.

( LOOK AT THIS NEW HOTNESS )

Getting this thing fully loaded, including lights, pouch, gear, and all the security locks, came to just over $1k. I've got it on 1 year no interest, no finance charges for 12 months. I've already got a buyer on the Super Deluxe for at least $100, so this will work out to be much much less than anything anyone else could get me (Univeristy Cycle had bikes with worse gearby two tiers starting at $999, and both Performance and Bike Village didn't have any CX bikes that would fit or come under $900). I guess I came on the right deal at the right time since the CX season is just about to start!

Now I just have to "harden the fuck up" and try to finish out the training for ABS and drop the fifteen pounds I have been promising myself I'd lose before the ABS season finished so I can try to make it to nationals.

stole my bike.

My bike was stolen from outside the chemistry building. I guess this is what I get for using a bolt chain. Someone waltzes up and shears off the chain and takes my bike. They even took the cut chain too, which is hilarious.

What is not hilarious is that I am out one very nice trail bike. I still have the commuter, but it still blows to have a nice trail bike get lifted from right outside the doors you are walk in every morning.

Still biking.

Still working out.

Still fat.

Unfortunately, biking in to work does not work for JRR. It either throws off his schedule entirely, or is too strenuous for him. I do not know.

Papers are finally being edited.

Spain is in two and a half weeks.

Scary.

I biked in to work with JRR today and learned a very valuable lesson:

You are never as fit as you think you are.

I thought Iw as moving at a good pace, but it appears JRR's massive leg-length gives him more push power and it seemed as though he was getting bored with my pedal-pace. I know otherwise, but that is how it seemed to me. the next time we bike to work, I will have to endeavor to move faster and more consistently in pace.

Man, I hope this makes me healthy.

I beat Castle Crashers last night, with jrronimo's help. It was a blast.

You should play this game.

I wish that the netcode was a bit better, but it's better than no netcode I guess. I'm no programmer, so I guess I have no idea what it takes, but you'd think that good netcode wouldn't be that hard to copy from somewhere else.

Overall, a great game. Not so much replay value, but there are a couple of characters I want to unlock and, naturally, I want to max out the stats of my dudes. That is how I roll.

Go play it.

And now, onto my alien love triangle in Mass Effect and super tits extravaganza in Lost Odyssey.