This and That, or How I spent Monday

I wound up staying home on Monday so we could take care of some "issues" we were having with the kid's situation. Their Daycare is under new ownership and we have not seen much good come of it. On Friday, Chase had gotten into some trouble by not listening to a teacher and then running outside (no fights or nastiness) and had upset one of the child supervisors. I was told about it when I got there, but didn't see that anything really bad had happened so we went out to the car to go home. Evidently the supervisor was writing up an incident report and was angry that I left without signing it. (The report was not necessary since they are only used for injury or serious disciplinary problems like fights) Chase realized that he had left his jacket and so ran back inside to get it. The supervisor that had "handled" the situation saw him and made a very bad decision to express his displeasure - he stopped Chase from leaving, pushed him against the wall, pinned him there and threatened him about following the rules at the school. Chase came out to the car very angry and told me what had happened. My reaction was somewhat less than pleasant and I went back inside to pointedly make my opinion known to the person, although I kept my cool and didn't make any physical threats or contact. Both Krista and I were furious and contacted the school owner, who astonishingly was so spineless and wishy-washy that he made no decision to discipline the person. He apologetically told us that he would have to discuss the situation with his board and let us know the next day how they were going to handle it. We informed him that effective immediately our kids were no longer staying there. That's the unpleasant news - the good news is that we took Monday off and hunted around for a new aftercare for the kids, and found what is practically the Holy Grail of daycare in this area. Old Fountain Academy is only 1.5 miles from the house and has ratings and earned certifications that rank it as one of the best facilities in the state of GA.

We were both very impressed with what we saw and decided to enroll the kids before we could even roll out of the parking lot after our tour. We took them there after picking them up from school and both of them said they loved it. So we filled out all the paperwork and started them right then and there. Today was the first afternoon for them, and Chase said that he asked if he could please just stay for a little while longer! So good has come out of an initially very bad situation. (BTW - we're not going to force the issue with the old school by pressing charges or the like - if the new owner is that weak about his own employess and staff discipline, he'll self destruct without our help. The next parent likely won't be so nice, and they take child welfare investigations VERY seriously in GA.)

On a humorous note, I have decided that we do not actually own a Pomeranian, we in point of fact own a PomerDaneian. Harlow does not drink out of her own bowl, she stands up to her full height and drinks from Clouseau's bowl. She does not want her puppy food, she is much happier to try and chase the Danes away from their food bowls, and actually succeeded in that with Clouseau - Kato would have none of it and a sharp growl and nose punch established that, quick... Now Clouseau eats even faster than he did before, just in case that terrifying little 7lb raider comes 'round again. Harlow chases both Danes around the yard while nipping (literally) at their heels, and she unhesitatingly tackles both of them while they lay on the floor trying to sleep. In her mind, she is every bit as big as they are. Kato and Clouseau on the other hand are about the size of Chihuahuas. It's sad, but terribly amusing.

Sunday Wrap-Up

Two big Sunday events to report on this time - first, I finished Thera's new bed and we got it set up this evening. Thera had been using her daybed for several years, but she's sprouting fast and her head and feet could touch the ends of her bed when she stretched out, so we decided it was time for new sleeping accomodations. Krista went and scoured Craigs List and found a four poster bed frame, which I dutifully went out and bought, then refinished (as mentioned in my last post). It was worthwhile work, but I'm glad to be done. The past week has been a whirlwind of bedding, pillows, pillow shams, ruffles and so on and so forth (Krista - not me, I failed interior decorating years ago). Finally today we got the last pieces and I had enough good weather to paint the bed. By evening it was dry so I assembled it and Krista got it all set up. It is quite the beautiful girls room and we're very happy with how it turned out. Mostly... Krista has decided that the green in the comforter is too light and we need something more sage green like the pillows. So it HAS to go... Anyways - pictures attached. Let me know what you think!

The other BIG event is - it's my favorite time of year again! It's time for Cyclocross practice. For the uninitiated, cyclocross is kind of a mix between road cycling and mountain biking. The bikes look like standard road frames, except they run larger, off-road worthy tires. And unlike a road bike where you use standard caliper style brakes, Cyclocross bikes use cantilever or disc brakes because there is a lot more clearance for the wheels - good for muddy conditions that would clog up and stop a normal bike. The courses we ride and race on are a mix of paved roads, open grassy fields and wide mountain bike paths. At several points in the course there are either man made or natural barriers that force the rider to dismount, pick up the bike and leap over the barriers, run up the hill, slog through the sand - whatever the obstacle happens to be. Well, the racing season starts in October, so we had our first practice session today. A large group met up at Little Mulberry Park in Auburn, GA and we headed out for some skills drills, and a few easy laps of the course. Then the hard work started. We lined up for three 10 min. race pace intervals with 10 minute recovery periods. Since the terrain is so varied, and mostly on grass it's really not possible to rest or soft pedal to try and recover. You're on the gas from the start to the finish, so it's a real gut check and a great test of where your fitness is. I started well, and was actually quite surprised and pleased at the fact I was riding right up front with several of the guys that have always been very strong and extremely fast. I was riding well within my abilities and did not have to dig too deep to keep the pace. As a comparison, this time last year I was completing the intervals a good 30 to 45 seconds off the pace. A good start, and I hope that I can further improve my fitness level so I can be competetive in this year's race series. I'll be doing a lot of work on skills this year, too. There is an art to riding Cyclocross well - you have to be able to dismount the bike smoothly, hit the ground running to clear the obstacles and then leap back into the saddle and get clipped into the pedals and start riding again - all in one smooth, efficient series of motions. The really good riders can just flow through the obstacle sections. Riders like me look like they're working too hard. Practice, practice, practice. No one had a camera today, but maybe next week I'll have a few pictures to post. The one below is from a race last year - it gives you a good idea of what we put ourselves through.

Weekend Riding

Pretty much a normal, low key weekend - no big plans, a few bike rides, a clean house and a few projects done. I got Chase & Thera's sitter to come over on Saturday and drove up to Ft. Yargo to meet up with a couple of friends - Bob Kuhn and Torre Smitherman - for a few laps on the outside loop mountain bike trails. It was a nice morning for a ride, although still rather warm and humid. I'm looking forward to fall and winter! Bob is preparing hard to defend his GA State Champion's jersey for Single Speed Mountain Bike and is riding strong. I did my best to hold his wheel, but quickly discovered several "slight" problems. I'm riding too big of a gear for the steepest hills, my handling skills still leave a lot to be desired and last, riding a mountain bike is a whole world of difference from the road. I can hold my own on a road bike and maintain good speed and power, but on a mountain bike there is no steady pace - it's on and off the entire time. At a "race pace" you are constantly having to slow down for turns, obstacles, hills, etc... then jump hard again to regain your speed. There really isn't any rest, which is much different than road biking. There I can draft someone for a minute or two and drop my heartrate by 40 beats per minute or more, but on the MTB it's go, go, go. Even the "easy" sections aren't since you have to keep pedaling. Coasting on the trails does not work since you slow down really fast. Still, having Bob just within sight for nearly the entire ride kept me going and pushing hard to see if I could make up some ground. I also have to remind myself that I've done this maybe five times now since 1997. The handling skills will only come with time, and the fitness will take work. At least the tough hills can be helped by buying more cogs! All together I got in just over two hours of riding and had a great time. Then it was back to the house for the usual Saturday cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, meals, dogs and projects. No rest for the weary!

Today was another episode of a ride I have done many times - The Dan's Macabre. This ride is so named because it's typically run as a fast race training ride and no mercy is granted for those who don't keep up - the warning posted for the ride is to the tune of "keep up or bring a map". However, today's sojourn was more of a Dan's Macabre Lite... No blazing pace and a regroup after the hardest part of the ride. Well, that plan kind of worked out. The turnout was great - possibly the most riders we've had all year. For most of the first half the pace was mostly civilized with just a few folks attacking off the front for a county line sprint. The second half was a lot faster with a few determined attacks and chases. I finally decided I'd had enough of the hard riding and eased up a long climb with my good friend Dan while a couple other riders kept charging. We waited at the top for the rest of the group and started a good, steady ride back to the cars. Well, that's what I thought. I was having a grand old time on the front, pushing a big gear and keeping my heart rate nice and steady. After a long time, I looked behind me at - Dan. No one else was even in sight. My puzzled question was - I wasn't going that hard, was I??? No matter, we caught up to the three guys in front of us and I had fun putting in a few hard, fast pulls in the last few miles of the ride. I finished my efforts with one final full power lead-out to the last sprint point of the day and then it was an easy spin back to the parking lot and a chance to catch up with everyone.

The rest of the day was relaxed and I'm finally just about finished with one of my projects. We bought a bed frame off of CraigsList for Thera, and it needed to be stripped and repainted. I'm doing it pretty much old school, just a paint scraper and sandpaper. It's tedious and not very easy, but I'm nearly done getting all of the old (and really bad) paint off of it. Now a good sanding and we'll repaint it and get it set up. It's a nice looking bed and should look great once we get it into Thera's room. Photos to come when we get that done! We went to our new favorite Mexican restaurant - Fernandos - in Dacula for dinner and a BIG beer. If you live in the area and want a good dinner, give them a try!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

OK, so this is not a "new" event, but I was going through my photo album and figured I'd share our experience of the Balloon Fiesta in Albuqureque, NM. Krista's Mom & Dad live out there, right at the foot of the mountains and invited us to come out for the Fiesta. This is the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the U.S., and probably the world. Over the course of a week, over 600 balloons take part. The real "action" is very early in the morning during the mass ascention. The balloons are staged in rows all over the main field and inflate then rise in waves. What is so amazing is that you are right there - you have to move out of the way as the crews lay out the fabric. As they begin to inflate the balloons they first use huge fans to begin the process, then they lite off the torches. At 0:My God It's Early AM it's in the 40's and those flames burn at over 1,000 degrees. If you are right next to the basket you get a rush of heat that's enough to make you want to take your jacket off. At least while they're doing the burn... Once the balloon rises the crew and passengers board the gondola and wait for clearance to lift off. The whole event is coordinated by the launch master and a slew of on field officials called Zebras - as they dress in black and white uniforms. Kind of like NFL officials but with a lot more eclectic style. The way they keep things moving, balloons launching and prevent collisions is like watching a ballet.



The experience starts off with the Dawn Patrol. This is a line of 10 to 12 balloons that inflate in the deep darkness just before dawn. Once all of them are up, they start to perform "burns" where they light off the gas torches at full volume. The whole balloon lights up. They will all light off at the same time, in sequence, randomly, in patterns... It's a light show like no other. Every balloon is colorful and they are lighting up in a riot of color. The show continues even after they ascend since it's still early twilight and they light up like giant unearthly fireflys as they rise into the morning sky.

After the Dawn Patrol lifts off the balloon crews go into high gear. Double rows of balloons - up to 30 at a time start to go rise and lift off. If you've never been up close to a hot air balloon it's amazing how big they really are. The two in the photo above are only half way inflated and they still tower over the spectators standing next to them. Now picture 30 of them all in a row as they ready to take off. Pretty amazing!

The show goes on until about mid-morning when the temperature starts to rise and the breeze usually picks up, making conditions too difficult for the crews to take off safely. It's a show you'll never forget. The best balloons are the "special shapes", and you'd be amazed with the variety and color. If you want an unforgettable experience - by all means find out when the Fiesta is and plan on going!

Back to School

Monday, Aug.11th was the kid's first day of the 2008/2009 school year. Chase is going into the 5th Grade and his last year of Elementary School. Thera has gone into Year 1 - Kindergarten. It's going to be really nice this year as both kids ride the same bus to school, and Chase is very good about looking out for his little sister. Not that she really needs it - she was extremely excited about her first day, and finally getting to ride the "Big Bus" after years of watching Brother get on it is a real thrill. Chase is helping her out with navigating the school, which can be quite a maze since all the hallways look the same. Fortunately he's an old hand at it now and walked her to the classroom before dashing off to his.

Another nice thing for Thera is that one of her best friends - Pria - lives just a few houses down from us and she is going to Kindergarten this year, too. The two had a great time playing over the summer and think that being able to ride the bus together every day is just way cool. They're not in the same class, but that's probably not a bad thing - especially for the teachers! Their classrooms are side by side so at least they see each other at lunch and during recess. Chase also gets to see his best friend Christophe during the day since their classrooms are next to each other as well.

Sunday Ride at Ft.Yargo

Instead of the usual road ride I do on Sunday, today I decided to head up to Ft. Yargo and ride the mountain bike around the trails. I still feel kind of like a kid in a candy store going out and doing trail rides. I did not even have a mountain bike for over ten years, and getting this one was a stroke of luck - it's good to have friends with sponsorships! I'm riding a Salsa El Mariachi 29'er, full rigid (no suspension fork) and set up as a Single Speed. For those not "in the know", Single Speed is where you take a standard type mountain bike and remove the shifters and derailleurs. It's just one chainring on the cranks and one cog on the back wheel - just like a kids BMX bike. Not having gears lets you just focus on riding. Hills mean pedal harder. Downhills mean pedal as fast as humanly possible then coast the rest of the way. The rest of the time, just ride as hard or as easy as you want and don't worry about it. That's about it...

I think the outer loop trail is between 10-12 miles long with lots of great singletrack. The weather was beautiful - at 8:30AM it was still in the upper 60's. I was really surprised at how few people were out riding - I did not pass one single rider while on the trails and only saw a few in the parking lot. Of course, I am DEEP in the Bible Belt so most folks are at church, which is fine by me since I don't have to deal with the crowds. Around here I guess I'm considered to be a Godless Heathen. Oh well... The group I ride with have taken to call ourselves the "Holy Rollers" just in case some morally offended Evangelical asks us why we aren't at church. Works for me! It's nice to be out in the woods enjoying the outside, and Ft.Yargo is a beautiful, heavily wooded park. It made for a very enjoyable Sunday morning.

A Lucky Find

I went out this morning for a short 28 mile ride so I could be back to the house before Krista had to go to work. The ride was going great - nice and cool for the first time in months, slightly overcast and a nice breeze to make things challenging. As I was cruising along I spotted something "electronic gizmo looking" on the shoulder of the road, so I quickly slowed down and turned around. I figured it would be something like a broken mobile phone or a childs toy, but it turned out to be an iPod Nano! I gave the dial a quick spin and the screen flared right up to the main menu. Being pressed for time I tossed it into my jersey pocket and continued home. I was the only person on the road and I never saw another rider, runner, walker or even a car. Being an honest man, the first thing I looked for on it was a contact page, profile or anything that might identify an owner, but there is nothing but (pretty lame) music on it. Unless the unknown owner has a psychic connection and follows it to my house, it appears that I've got an iPod now. I'll need to get cables and headphones to use it, but that's not much to invest seeing as this model is selling for $299.00 on Amazon. I do feel bad for the person who lost it though, I know that I'd be pretty unhappy.

Cheap Babysitter

Damn but these dog crates come in useful. Now I can go out for my Saturday rides and not have to pay a babysitter $8.00 per hour!

P.S. - Please don't tell Georgia DFCS...

Spiders - what next?

For the few that have not seen it already, a few years ago I got the idea in my head to get a tattoo. Krista actually was the one who found the studio I wound up using - All or Nothing Tattoo ( http://www.allornothingtattoo.com/ ) in Smyrna, GA. I'd had an idea for a tattoo for years but just never found it to be the right time. However, I'd been a key member of a project at work and received a nice bonus check shortly after finding the studio, so I went ahead and made an appointment. I got the spider tattoo because of a very vivid and meaningful dream I'd had shortly before Krista and I got together permanently. In the dream, I was lost, standing before a vast plain with threatening skies and not knowing whether or not to go forward into the distance or turn back. I looked down at my left arm where an impossibly large Wolf Spider was resting. Instead of being afraid, I remember how calm I was and how it seemed that the spider was radiating a sense of purpose, telling me to go forward and brave the unknown. Things got fuzzy after that as dreams do, but I kept that clear image and feeling for years before discovering that the spider is a very revered and meaningful symbol to the Native Americans - referred to as a Totem. To them the spider is the weaver who created the framework of the world and is a spirit guide. I decided that to have had a dream that was so memorable and vivid was worth expressing - so that's why I graced my shoulder with an unearthly looking Wolf Spider. That dream was something I thought about a great deal and it played a big part in my deciding to come to GA to be with Krista for good.

Whoa, deep thoughts! My artist was Jeff Paetzold. He's moved back to Chicago but I check his profile on a great tattoo website once in a while. He does some great work!

Company on the AM Commute

I've been bicycle commuting to work three to four times a week this year. Since I have to pick up Chase and Thera from their daycare in the evenings, I drive to a Home Depot where a lot of car pool riders park. From there it's a 15 mile ride to get into work, and about the same to get back (I take a slightly different route on the return leg). (From my house to work is 23 miles.) The route is on pretty decent roads and there are a lot of rolling hills, so it's not an easy ride by any means - I keep a pretty high pace since I am riding against the clock. I have it dialed in so the 15 miles takes almost exactly 40 minutes to ride, which gives me time to get a quick shower and be on my desk by 8:00am. It's a great way to start the day off, saves on gas, and can actually save me time in getting to work. During the summer the roads are pretty clear, but when school is in session my drive can be as long a 1 1/2 hours with all of the traffic congestion. The drive / ride takes me 55 minutes, and during the bike portion of the trip I am moving faster than traffic. Some of the backups have cars moving at 10mph or less for miles in stop and go conditions, and I'm passing them doing 20-25mph. There is just something very gratifying about that! There are very few people who ride bikes to work, so most drivers are not aware of cyclists. I have to stay attentive, but I very seldom have any trouble. The bike I ride is a Cyclocross bike, which is much like a traditional road bike but with slightly larger tires and can be taken off-road. I have tire liners which are pretty much flat proof, so if someone is not paying attention - or being a deliberate jerk - and is crowding the shoulder, I can just veer off the side of the road and pass them in the grass. I actually wind up doing that a lot since there is one section of road which has practically no shoulder at all. I've gotten so that does not slow me down at all, though. I do have a bit of a New York City Bike Messenger attitude and don't hesitate to ride very close to cars and take advantage of drafting dump trucks and buses. It's fun to get in the draft of a big truck and find yourself going down the road at 45+mph. That may not sound too safe, but by riding that way it keeps me right in the traffic flow and sometimes gets me moving just as fast as cars at the speed limit.

My friend and teammate, Kirby Newman is in Atlanta right now with his wife and two girls visiting family. We've been trying to no avail to hook up and train together since he got here, so he decided to wake up early this morning and meet me on the road for my trek into work. Despite being so short, it was nice to have some company on what is usually a pretty solitary ride. Kirby and I rode together a great deal when we were both still active racers in the 90's, and we both rode for the USPro Team Richbrau. He's coming off an unfortunate injury, but looks to be doing really well. Too bad we could not have gotten out for longer distance, but hopefully that will work out later this year. Besides, I have to avenge myself for a ride we did last year. I was comparatively out of shape, and tired from three days of hard training, so Kirby kicked my butt on a long ride we did out to Lake Lanier. That's not a big deal, but then he had to go back to Virginia and brag all on his bad self... Don't worry, Kirby - I'll remember that!

Year to Date - 64 days commuting to work @ 30.4 miles per day = 1,945.6 miles. Thats about 1,200 lbs of carbon for my 2.3litre 4 cylinder engine that's NOT going into the already polluted Atlanta air. Doin' my part!

Yet another furry thing in the house...

Not as though no-one knew it, but we currently have two Great Danes, Kato and Clouseau, two Maine Coon cats, Mavic and Genesis and a couple of fish. Well, Krista got the idea that it would be nice for Thera to have her own companion animal to be able to sleep with and take care of, so we started looking at small dogs. The focus narrowed down on either a Pug or a Pomeranian. We made inquires to several adoption groups and very quickly got a response about a 6 month old female Pomeranian at the Clayton County Humane Society. We had to make several long trips to visit and "interview" with them, but our application was well received and after a long wait to get the dog spayed, approved. About a week ago, Harlow made a grand appearance into our lives. She is a very sweet and obnoxiously cute little dog, and Thera is one very happy girl. Harlow did not have one bit of trouble fitting right in, and was trying to play with the two house horses almost immediately. It's quite a sight to see a tiny little 7lb Pom frogging with a 120lb Dane. She is going to be quite a spoiled little Diva, as she gets to sleep in Thera's bed, has full furniture privileges and will be going to Doggie Daycamp at Krista's PetsHotel several times a week. Maybe we're a bit crazy, but I like the idea of paying $16.00 for an all natural gourmet bag of dog food that will last for a month vs. buying a $40.00 bag of quality dog food that will last two weeks. We will enroll Thera and Harlow in training classes at PetSmart later on, and want to think about training them to do therapy work or be able to visit retirement or nursing homes. Grand ideas, but definately worth considering.

Kick-Off

A few random ramblings to start this thing off. I figured I'd finally join the rest of the world and come out of the dark ages by at least starting my own blog. And to think the earth didn't shake and the skies stayed sunny. I certainly can't say that I'm net, computer or tech savvy, but this does not get any easier, and I've been able to figure out how to post a Playlist even! With all of the things going on in our lives right now this forum is perfect for keeping up with family, race reports, pets and whatever life throws at me that seems to be interesting. And now, I'm going to do something completely different and go back to work.