Back from Pittsburgh...........

Went out to the University of Piitsburgh to pick our daughter from Governors School for Healthcare. Lots and lots of very smart kids.

The director said something like 110 of the best and brightest kids in PA. And my kid is one of them.

From Carlisle Pa to just outside of Pittsburgh there is a whole lot of this......

Lots and lots of open spaces punctuated by small clusters of houses.

I saw a couple of trails leading off into the woods at different places- I kinda wish I could of rode some of them.

Here's the view out my hotel window.................

I've never been to Pittsburgh before, man that place is hilly! Looks like I might be going back to the area quite a bit in the next few years-our kid really like it out there and she is looking at several schools in the area.

Sunday is my last day of vacation, I think I am gonna be spending it doing yardwork and taking a nice leisurely mountain bike ride .................

Till later.

Technology..............

I love gadgets. I was one of the first people in the family to buy a computer and hook up to the internet. I think that was back in 1994 right before Win 95 came out-anybody remember Windows for Workgroups 3.11? Yikes, we sure have come along way since then.

Yesterday I helped a family friend get her fairly new computer up to date and helped her set up some new programs. She had a family member fairly accomplished in computers help her set it up but they plugged one of the color coded cables into the wrong color hole so she hasn't had sound up until yesterday.

Oops.

As easy as computers have become to use-they are still intimidating to someone new to them. Most older folks think of computers as something locked away behind glass doors that only guys with pocket protectors operate. For the most part-that's not true anymore-as long as someone has a good firewall, up to date anti-virus, spyware software and pop up blockers..........(did I forget anything?)

Well maybe it isn't as easy as it sounds but if someone has a fairly intelligent geek in the family(that would be me I think)-it's not that hard to set up a computer.

If you are using a podcatcher client-this article might be of interest to you.

If you are my father and you're reading this, check this bike out.

How can you go wrong for 380 bucks? Everyone should have a back-up bike.

Check out this lawnmower. 2,300 dollars? Holy shit, that amount of money would buy close to 2 dozen of the Wal-Mart mower I use currently.

I need one of these. How over the top is that? Damn thing probably shoots snow a 1/4 of a mile.

I think I would soil myself if this happened to me. Check out the rest of the site-really cool pics and ya'll might learn something too.

Till later..........

I lied..............

Couldn't wait for a week to start putting the ole hardtail back together...............

It sure is purty.

Rode it over to my folks house and my mom wants me to paint her car with that paint.

Not too sure about the paint on the cranks-I have a feeling that it isn't going to take much abuse-I didn't use the same type of primer on them and they seem to chip easy.

Since my folks started to read this I have to take a time out here and point something out to my pop, the older posts are archived under "Previous Post" for fairly recent postings and "Old Stuff" for anything older then a month.

It's on your right ------>

Till later.

Turned out good........

Wow, that paint job turned out better then I thought.....

I painted the cranks while I had them off, I am going to have to cover the faces with helicopter tape to preverve the finish on them. Probably slap a few pieces on the top of the top tube and the bottom side of the down tube as well.


You can sorta see the color shift in this pic..........

I almost hate to hang all my old parts back on it. It will be a week or so until I get it all put back together-I want to wait until the paint is fully cured before I start handling it very much. I did color sand it and compound it-I have to give it the final polish and some wax yet. Not bad for a quickie rattle can paint job. I never use Krylon for bikes -it chips to easy- I always use some sort of lacquer like Dupli-Color. And always use at least 4 coats of clear so you can sand one or two away to get the finish smooth.

I did have to get my rear wheel fixed. Thing about having wheels made with freeride rims is that they are so strong-I didn't even notice I had broke one spoke and bent another-the wheel was barely out of true.

.............................Been reading this guys blog for some time. I really like this entry. I used to have a brother-in-law that ate like he was never gonna get a chance to ever eat again. It was like watching one of those front load washing machines run. You could watch individual pieces of food spinning around and around. The sucking and slurping noises he made were an additional bonus.

.............................My mother-in-law has been over quite a bit helping clean up our daughters room. If there was anyone that gets a free pass to heaven-she should be first in line. She has more energy then people 20 years younger then her and is always doing nice things for other people. I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law and if my wife ends up like her when she is that age-I'll be a lucky man.

Like I'm not already.

Most normal guys don't own a fleet of expensive bicycles and have a wife that doesn't bat an eye about it. You might have the bikes but not many guys also have the understanding wife....................

My Test-It-Thursday item this week is the paint I used to refinish my hardtail.........

As you can see this stuff comes with 3 cans of paint and I used 2 kits to paint my frame. Each kit was 20 bucks. The first is a black primer like paint. The second paint you apply is the color coat and the more coats you can apply-the more the color will shift. The third can is the clear coat-this clear coat is a pearl type clear-it has tiny beads of plastic in it, so it's not entirely clear, it's very luminous when it goes on. Here again-the more coats-the more of a color shift.

Very trick stuff for a rattle can paint job. This type of paint is very sensitive to the angle at which you hold the can to the object you are painting-90 degrees is best, they don't tell you this on the box, I just knew it from reading about it previously.

Couple things about painting with rattle cans of automotive paint. Lacquer paint will dry to the touch (flash) in a couple of minutes if you do thin coats. When it's hot and humid-it will flash almost instantly. You can do numerous coats in one sitting if you time this flashing process correctly.

With the humidity we have been having-I did all my coats in the space of 2 hours. That was about a dozen coats of paint spaced out at roughly ten minute intervals. It also helps if the paint is warm. I placed the paint in a pail of hot water so the paint went on as thin as possible even though it was close to 100 degrees outside when I painted. Thin is good. You are never gonna get professional results with spray cans but if you prep correctly and have a steady hand (long even passes with the spray can) you can get pretty nice results.

My repaint went really well, I managed to get 6 coats of clear on before I ran out of paint-this is important because if you color sand-you'll be taking off 1 or 2 coats with 2000 grit sandpaper wetted down with soapy water. This takes all the surface imperfections off and leaves the surface somewhat dull. You then use a mild rubbing compound to buff the paint until it's shiny again and then use a fine polish to remove the scratches from the rubbing compound..................

Ya'll see this? Now I ain't a rocket scientist like the folks at NASA.......but why the hell are they using foam for insulation on something that goes 27,000 mph? Doesn't seem to smart to me. Whadda I know, I make donuts for a living.

This place has "awesome" written all over it. Damn. Check out the pics of those wall rides. If only I had a set of pads, a full face helmet, a freeride bike, several spare thousand dollars to rent one of those spiffy houses and a set of balls to ride some of that stuff-I'd be set.

Till later kids.

Traffic

Traffic where I live has become horrendous in the past 25 years. I remember growing up in York back in the sixties when this intersection had "0" traffic signals. Now it has 6 separate sets and I bet it averages at least one major collision a week. When traffic is light, I can make it to work in less then 5 minutes using the interstate and when traffic is busy-it can take up to a half hour. Yeah, I'd love to ride to work on my bike-but working 3rd shift and having time constraints in the morning during the school year.....it ain't gonna happen.

It's like that all over the county. I know our traffic isn't nearly as bad as larger cities but it still sucks nonetheless.

Less then 30 miles in either direction we also have Gettysburg and "Amish Country"-Lancaster county. I've ridden my bike to both places and during the tourist season, traffic is actually worse in both locations then it is in York. If you have to pick one or the other to visit-skip Lancaster because the traffic and main roads are some of the worst you'll ever experience just to see some fake Amish crap. Ya wanna see the real Lancaster County? It ain't anywhere where the tourists are.

Go to Gettysburg and take a bike. You will be able to see and visit more of the battlefields on a bike then you will by car or tour bus.

Just keep an eye out because nobody is paying attention to where they are going. Riding a bike in an urban setting is getting to be like a bloodsport. I've had folks cut me off, squeeze me out of lanes and turn right in front of me. I don't take any of it personally, folks just drive with a perpetual RCI.............tourist traffic blows.

On the bright side, my wife and my mother-in-law have completely gutted and cleaned our daughters room while she has been at college this summer............

Click da pics to make big......






Clean carpets, no longer smells like teenager :-)

Since I am on vacation this week and it's 900 degrees with 8000% humidity............why not stip all the old chipped paint off of my hardtail frame and repaint it?

I forgot to take a before picture, here's what it looked like 1/2 way through the "getting the old paint off" stage.........







I think I lost about 10 pounds of sweat taking the rest of the paint off, I never really liked the red paint it came with.

I was planning on painting the bike "Bass Boat Blue" but when I went to the parts store, I found this...........


Gotta love purple/green color changing paint..............

3 primer coats, 4 color coats and 6 coats of clear later................




The pictures really don't do it justice, whenever you or the bike moves-it changes shades of color or turns an entirely different color.

I'll probably wet sand off a coat or two of the clear and compound it out to get it nice and smooooooth-out in the direct sunlight it really does change from different shades of green, gold, blue and purple and it has huge metalflakes in it. It's sick, different and cool at the same time.

I like it way better then the red and somewhere I have the old Schwinn head badge from the first Schwinn I owned........I think it's gonna have a new home.

Tonight is "boy's night out". Our 11 year old and I are gonna go down to Baltimore and watch the Orioles kick some Texas Ranger ass. Maybe not, but it'll be a fun night out and we have 3rd baseline seats.

Till later........

Link dump time...............

Death and taxes. Fees still accrue. WTF?

Golf is kinda boring but I've never won a new car mountain biking.

I'm not single nor do I ever plan to be but I'd love to go to Wal-Mart and check this out. Too bad they stopped it. It woulda be fun to go to and see who shows up for something like that.

There's always some asshole each year that doesn't understand bike racing.

I've posted this before. Read this article. Then watch this. Damn.

Here's a site for all the anal/retentive people out there that like to correct people on massage boards.

Planning on going to Disneyworld? Read this before you leave.

Exactly what the hell is Roscoe doing with his right hand? Mmmmm.

My favorite? The Gert Jonnys. Positively fey.

Beer League. Hell, why not. Hockey rocks.

Crazy dog, crazy owner. If it was me, I'd mace the little bitch.

OMG, that poor guy needs some help.

Tip your waiter. Or else. Nicely written blog. You'll like it.

Say what you want about Lance, the dude is doing something most athletes fail to do............. finish on top.

Anyone ever go to Wildwood NJ? Remember this? Good times.

Till later.

Slacker time...........

It's vacation time again. Not 100% sure of all my plans for the week, But I'd like to get some time in practicing with my new camera. I'd like to take it along on some of my rides this week and show ya'll some of the scenery around where I ride.

Gotta love digital photography-you can take 200 pictures and keep 10 or 20 and it doesn't cost anything until you print them out.

Here's some pics of my ride on Saturday down to the Susquehanna river................

Click on the pics to enlarge.............


My trusty Surly.


Suburban sprawl-this used to be a drive in when I was a kid. Not any more.

York County has plenty of..........


Corn.


Cemetarys.


Cows.


Apple trees.


Alfalfa.


I've always wondered what's at the end of this dirt road........


Green tunnel.


Share the road.


Wanna buy an old car?


Downtown Wrightsville.


Plaque on the bridge.


I could never spell it correctly when I was in school.


Bridge from the side.


View of old bridge supports. It was burned down in 1863 to prevent the Confederates from crossing.


New bridge built back in the late 60's/ early 70's


Old quarry located right off the main road. Hardly anyone knows it's there. I stuck the camera through a chain link fence to get the shot.


My favorite pic. I didn't see any "slow" kids...............

Till later tater.

I'm not that good...............

I'm good at lots of stuff...........

-Teaching people how to bake and I make really good donuts, pies, pastries and breads.

-I think I'm a fairly good parent and husband.

-I'm fairly good with computers.

-I'm good at catching shoplifters where I work.

-I am an excellent smartass.

One skill that has kinda fallen by the wayside this year has been bicycle fitness.

While I still enjoy riding as much as I always have, due to concurrent back and foot injuries last year-I sorta fell off the fitness train.

Oops.

Started really taking it seriously the last few weeks but I betcha it will take an entire year to get back to where I was. Should be a fun but it sucks to be at the back of the pack all the time on social rides. Not that I mind the company at the back of the pack, I just want to get back all the fitness I lost.

Most guys my age (45) are happy to park their fat asses in front of the TV and watch NASCAR on the weekend. TV is okay if that's what trips your trigger but ain't nothing beats a bike ride in my opinion:-)

Here is another bloggers entry on carrying ID- I always have an old drivers license or something with me so that the authorities can identify my bloated corpse.

Our son and my mom went to see Willy Wonka yesterday. As I expected, my mom liked the original better and our son liked the new one better.

I had said something about my folks being online a couple days ago.

I was mistaken.

They were online briefly but some jackass from a computing consulting company my moms former employer uses came over to install some stuff for her and also thought he would do her a favor and install the router I had bought.

Not sure what he did but I'm betting this dumbass couldn't compute his way out of a wet cardboard box. Looks like I will have to go over and undo whatever this clueless spacktard did so my folks can go online. I'm no computer expert but I do know how to read and follow instructions. I have to same exact router and it works perfectly for me.

Maybe I should start one of those "geeks for hire" companies. Computers intimidate the hell out of alot of people-it's just a bunch of 1's and 0's and most of the time, if you can read and follow the instructions that come with most new software and hardware-it's a piece of cake to make stuff run. That's not always the case, but with most modern boxes nowadays-it's really hard to permanently screw something up.

I have helped a few friends with spyware removal, maybe I could do that for a part time job. Most folks have no idea how much crap is lurking on their boxes.

I do enjoy reading about all this "Peak Oil" bullshit, hey-whenever the oil runs out or slows to a trickle-no problem. You know why I say it's no problem? There isn't anything I can do about it. So why worry or waste a bunch of computer keystrokes getting all worked up in a lather about it?

I'd rather go for a ride or something. Life is too damn short to debate shit like that on a message board.

A really good friend of mine came in last night to talk, haven't seen him in ages-it was great to catch up on stuff. The fact that he is black matters not an iota to me but it's really weird how people react to seeing a black guy in a mostly white area. People tend to give black folks a wide berth. Whatever. Gordon and I always joke that we could be twins because we have both have wives with the same jobs and we both have kids that are the same age.

Moral of the story-racism sucks. The only things I am prejudiced against is ignorance, laziness and stupidity.

I like reading about Wal-Mart. Like any other huge company-they have good points and bad points. Since I work for a international company that is in head to head competition with them in many markets- I can tell you one thing-they are a vicious competitor and they know how to run a store. Oh, remember the old wives tale about supermarkets making a penny for every dollar? That's bullshit.......it's way more then that.

Been reading a few biker blogs about night rides. I'm on vacation next week and I am thinkin' about doing one. I gots the lights so why the hell not?

Till later.

An actual bike ride............

That's right-I actually got in a ride that lasted longer then 20 minutes yesterday. I rode 31.785 miles in a little over 2 hours. Had a deer jump out right in front of me last night. Usually I enjoy watching deer but I was going about 35 mph down a steep twisty section of road and just about soiled myself. It was close.

Mapped out my route with the link a fellow bike blogger so kindly left in my comments section yesterday. Next time I crack open the template to this blog hereNT, I'll make sure I add your link.

I gotta say-it must be something in the water out there in Minnesota-you folks have the best blogs out of anyone-you kids talk the talk and walk the walk. Fine, fine blogging going on out there.

Thought about what to feature on Test-It-Thursday and the answer was right in front of my handlebars.........

Specialized Armadillo tires. I freakin' love these tires. Couple of minus's though........for one thing-they are wire beaded and heavy due to the thick center section.........then again, anyone that runs a bugle horn on their touring bike can't really complain too much about weight. Secondly,they were a bee-otch to get on my rims.

Positives? I've never had a flat even though I abuse the living shit out of these tires. Example? On the way back from my ride last night, I took a shortcut through a construction site. Rocks, mud, broken up asphalt-it's all good. Last year I rode through a washed out section on our local rail trail at about 15 mph and ran over fist sized rocks with no problem. I'm a real finesse rider.........like a water buffalo in a china shop.

I listen to a few bike advocacy related podcasts at work and I wonder what it would take to get bike lanes put in around where I live. Since our city is always strapped for cash, maybe they could institute a "congestion charge" just like London does. Probably never see either idea come to fruitation but it would be cool to have more room to ride sometimes. Or at least a little bit more respect.

Our son is going to see the new Willy Wonka movie today, maybe I can con him into writing a review here on my blog tomorrow.................

Till later.

I'm an artist............

No, not really...........I was bored.............I went to Cafepress and made my own t-shirt.

I'm famous even if I had to generate my own publicity :-)



Kinda hard to read the print because I enlarged the image. It has my web address below the image. If anyone is dumb enough to want to buy one-lemme know and I'll open up a store. Maybe I'll do a "Bike Riding Donut Guy" thong. Maybe that isn't such a good idea after all.........the only woman I know that would wear one are my daughter and my wife..........how weird would that be?

Anybody use Google Maps? I really like it, I had to find a place in Baltimore and using the "satellite view" I was able to zero in on the exact building I am going to. Very cool.

HI MOM!!!!!

My folks will be online, uptight and outta sight by the end of today with their new laptop. First time they have ever had a computer and internet access.

The cable people are coming to install their cable modem. All I will have to do is install their router sometime this week and they will also be wireless as well.

My mom is familiar with computers so teaching her some tips and tricks will be easy. My pop on the other hand...........let's just say he's set in his ways. Once I get him hooked on some sites concerning his hobby (photography) I think he will be hooked. Hell, they'll be fighting over who gets to use it probably..........

Wow. This was a ton of work. Probably several tons.

Holy crap. Is 2008 here yet? He can't be that clueless for real, can he?

Here's an photo update on our daughter's room reconstruction........


I think my wife has filled up over a dozen egg boxes full of stuff.

We always thought there was a bed in her room, first time we have seen it for a couple of years.

There was ALOT of stuff on these shelves.


Only area that hasn't been tackled yet.

Been reading a lot of other bikers blogs and I enjoy reading them all. Sometimes reading about "Peak Oil" gets a little old but overall....... it's all good. I'm sure my blog isn't everybody's cup of tea either-if you don't like what I'm writing here-just skip it and go on to another web site-no worries-you ain't gonna hurt my feelings :-)

I did enjoy the comment Scout left on the comments section of my previous entry about wearing helmets........By the way-check her blog out-girls on bikes rock!!!! And she's a pastry chef-way cool :-)

I've known lots of people who don't wear helmets, and I never understand their moxie. Whatever. Survival of the fittest. Since you're related to the dummy, tho, maybe you could point out that he doesn't have to worry about himself so much as other people.

I think there's also got to be a picture or two online of helmets that have been split in half from a blow to the head. Pictures of LIVING people holding their helmets, y'know?

Also interesting is that you post this exactly ten years after the death of Fabio Casartelli, who probably would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

I did take my nephew to the LBS and let the guys fit him with a new helmet-he promised me he would wear it all the time-I'm gonna so totally kick his ass if I see him riding without it. I've seen what people look like after they've had a wreck. Road rash heals up way faster then head injuries.

I saw the same thing happen when I was at an AC/DC concert.

Old people need to retest for their driver's license every couple of years. Lucky he didn't kill anyone.

So simple, it's hard to believe it hasn't been invented before.

Really liked OIFS's latest blog entry. You can have lots of fun with not a whole lotta bike.

Granted-I have 6 bikes but none of them were ultra expensive-my favorite bike of all the ones I own was the cheapest. I bought my Surly Cross-Check used from the owner of my LBS. I paid about 500 bucks for it and it was worth every penny. Not the lightest bike, nor the fastest but it has a sweet, sweet ride.

Hard to describe but it's smooooooooth :-)

I'm not much of a bike snob and while I like the latest and greatest- it ain't about the bike-it's about the ride and how much fun it is to rip a solo ride off on some sweet singletrack on my singlespeed or get my ass handed to me on a group road ride.............it's all about having fun.

Does anyone have a pair of these?

Saw them in a magazine article and they cost something like 125 bucks.

They have metal springs in them.

Sounds like a lot of money for a pair of shoes-but then you reading a blog written by a guy that has 6 bikes so I'm not sure it's fair for me to say they are expensive. Just curious if anyone has any experience with them-my wife has some back problems and thought maybe the extra cushioning would help.

Not sure what I'll have for my next Test-It Thursday article-I'm sure something stupid will come to mind.........

Till later.

If I ever................

I enjoy my job for the most part.

Not a whole lot of paperwork, very little supervision and I can be creative. The hours kinda suck but hey, ya can't have everything. I used to be a dept. mgr for my company, but opted out of that position 6 or 7 years ago to take the job I am in now doing most of the on the job training for new bakers.

I just spent 8 hours counting every box, carton and bag of ingredients we have-some of that time is spent in a freezer that is 10 below zero............Not much fun.

Our company makes dept. managers do an inventory every 4 weeks to determine how profitable each department is. A total pain in the ass.

Last night, I told one of my friends that if I ever say I'm going to be a manager again to hit me in the face with a hammer................I hate walking around counting stuff.

First day off since a week ago, I might actually ride one of my bikes later today. I was gonna do a little ride yesterday but the forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms and since I've been nearly been hit by lightning a couple times-I elected to catch up on some TV shows I had taped.

Is TV nowadays geared to someone with an IQ of 70? Man, there is a lot of dumb shit on TV. I've never understood why people will eat hog intestines, goat testicles, etc so they can win some money and be on television. Unless I am guaranteed the big bucks-screw that. I do a fairly good job of being an ass already-just ask anyone that knows me.

I mostly stick to the "Chopper Channel" (Discovery), TLC, PBS, History Channel and ESPN 1 and 2. Lots of other good stuff on as well-just lack the time to fit it all in. Sure wish we had OLN...........I woulda loved seeing George kick some ass on Sunday.

Till later.

Wear a helmet dumbass.............

................That's what I wanted to say to my 17 year old nephew when I found out he was doing road rides on his bicycle without a helmet.

Needless to say, his mom wasn't very happy either. He told his mom that the helmet he has is too hot. I'm gonna get him to the LBS and get him fixed up with a newer more ventilated model this week. I know he probably thinks nothing will ever happen to him and he's right to a certain extent but it's the one time that shit goes pear shaped that his lack of common sense will bite him in the ass.

When I am king.............

-I am going to ban the use of empty margarine containers for the storage of leftovers. My wife used to do that and it drove me nuts. Sometimes I would open up 6 containers of leftovers before I found the margarine. She got the habit from her mom. I love my mother-in-law almost as much as my own mom but she hasn't thrown anything away since 1965.

Haven't posted much about the Tour here, there are plenty of other sites for that, but it looks like Lance has another win in the bag as long as he stays upright and keeps a couple of key opponents within sight.

7 wins?

In a row?

Who woulda thunk it was even possible....... I know there are some Lance haters out there, but the guy has busted his ass for his entire career-he and his team earned every win.

Here's an hour or two of your life you'll never get back.

Retards.

Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka? Gimme a fuckin' break. Nothing will ever top the original. Or failing that-read the book.

Is this cool or what? Instant family.

This kind of shit really pisses me off. Most "religious" folks are assholes.

My recently retired mom will be reading this blog on a regular basis since she now has internet access. I will have to behave from now on.

Yeah, right.

Love ya mom :-)

Till later...................

Finally caught the bastard..........

Where I work at, retail theft is a constant problem. Since I've been in retail for close to 30 years, you kinda develop an "eye" for people who look like shoplifters. Someone can be white, black, male or female-you just get a feeling for it after awhile...........There has been this guy who comes into our store who always gets a bottle of flavored milk off the shelf, shops, drinks it while he shops and puts the empty bottle back on the shelf.

Last night the guy came in and did his usual and I saw him and several of our surveillance cameras captured him drinking half of a bottle of milk and putting it back on the shelf. The look on his face when I brought the 1/2 empty container up to the register as he was checking out was priceless. I plopped it down onto the belt and asked him if he "forgot" it. He kinda stammered and didn't know what to say.

Is a 99 cent bottle of milk that big a deal? No not really, it just pisses me off that someone can think that stealing is okay.

The only reason he didn't get arrested was because he had his 10 year old son with him. I'm a heartless bastard sometimes, but I'm not that heartless. No 10 year old needs to see their daddy get arrested.

Ya know, these folks do have a point. They're probably moving to Kansas.

Oh no, this didn't smell...........

Dad of the Year .........they oughta put his ass in the ring with a real boxer for 15 rounds. I'm sure he'll get plenty of practice being a punching bag in prison.

This isn't news. Go into any burger or taco place and the food never looks like the pictures.

Daisy Duke she ain't. SFW video on a NSFW website.

I'm sure this guy doesn't need reminded...........The internet is forever.

I'm gonna wear one of these next time I go mountain biking during hunting season. Or not.

My wife was talking to our daughter and she thinks Katie might want to go to med school. How awesome would that be? Not too many folks on my side of the family have gone to college......... come to think of it-our daughter will be the first person I know with my last name to go past high school. Ever.

Looks like we might be in the poorhouse for a long time:-)

Bought another one of those Specialized Body Geometry saddles for my Surly. Yeah, the bike I planned to be buried with. Not the lightest bike in the world, but any bike you can ride downhill at 35 mph with no hands and steer by sticking a knee out into the wind is a keeper in my book.

I know lots of folks think Specialized stuff is overpriced and maybe it is, but I'm sold on this particular model of saddle and their full finger gloves.

This is some scary shit if you drive a car and even scarier if you ride a bike.

Air powered car. Not sure how it works but it sure is butt-ugly.

I could have some fun with this site.


No, that's not me......... I don't smoke.
.............nor is my stomach that hairy.

Till later...........

Freeride bikes.........

No, not that kind of "freeride"...........actually ride some new bikes for free. My buddy that runs a bike shop here in York is having a demo day.........

Here is part of the e-mail he sent me...........
********************************************************
Here is the first installment of the Ed’s Ski & Cycle newsletter. Thanks to everyone so far who is making our first year with bikes, a great one. Here are a few reminders for you to further your cycling experience with us.

Mark your calendars for the bicycle demo; Sunday July 24, 2005. This event will be in conjunction with Jamis Bicycles and the York County Parks. The demo will be at the Lake Redman boat launch from 10a-2p. Come out with your riding gear; sans bicycle. If you have clipless pedals, be sure to bring them so we can swap them onto the demo bikes. This day will give you a good idea of the caliber of bicycle that is coming from Jamis. This year has penned Jamis as Bicycle Magazine’s Editor’s choice in the mountain and road segments. The Redman area is prime for this event because of its great trail network system and nice roads. Road and mountain bikes will be there for your leisure.

In celebration of the Tour de France, Ed’s is honoring the sport with a TDF sale. Swing in for special in store savings on hardgoods, softgoods and personal fittings.

Starting next Tuesday the 19th we’ll be having ‘Tech-day Tuesday’. This first clinic will cover the steps involved with maintaining your drivetrain; including, degreasing, cleaning, lubrication and adjusting. If you can make this free clinic, please reply to this email with your intend to attend. The class will start at 7:15pm, feel free to bring your own bike. There will be an extra repair stand if you want to do your rig as we step through ours.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and we hope to see you soon.
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Will isn't payin' me to flog his new shop, I just thought I'd help put the word out to any local area riders that wanna try out some new rides. If ya go-try out the Jamis XLT-that's an awesome ride...........and tell him the Donut Guy sent ya:-)

Not to change the subject, but is it hotter then the innermost ring of Hell outside or what?

I just love working when it's this hot out, about 10 minutes after I start-my shirt is pretty much soaked the whole way through. Since I've been in bakeries most of my career-I'm used to it. I don't like it but that's the way it is.............

Today's Test-It-Thursday is the most awesome invention ever........


George Foreman's Lean Mean Grill. All the fat drips out the front and all that's left is delicious MEAT. It does a really nice job with chicken breasts too. If you don't eat meat..........I guess you're shit outta luck. Sorry, maybe I'll test out a salad shooter sometime but don't hold your f**king breath.

Another candidate for Mother of the Year. Let her ride in the trunk.

You want weird? This is weird.

At first, I thought this was kinda retarded, but I thought about it and it's actually pretty neat. Folks that are handicapped can go out, wear funny clothes, and drink beers like "normal" people.

My mom bought a new laptop, we started out at Sam's with a really nice HP but through a comedy of errors, we ended up at another store with an even nicer Toshiba. I'm in the middle of updating it and getting it ready for her to use. First thing I did after updating Windows and install a firewall and anti-virus software was remove AOL from it. Some folks consider AOL to be a virus. I tend to agree................

Till later.

Just some random thoughts today.......

Just some random thoughts today................................some of the links might not be work safe or they might even hurt your feelings if you're the sensitive type.

If you come here often, none of the preceding is news to you.

Here's an interesting web site. Some of his ideas are a touch radical in my opinion but he does make a lot of sense.

Not sure when Peak Oil is going to happen, but one thing seems to be sure-it's going to happen sooner or later.

I was at Wal-Mart last week and saw that they now offered road bikes in addition to their other bikes. I stopped to check one out.

What a piece of shit.

Twist grip shifters on 2 piece ? drop bars, bolt on wheels (no QR's) and the thing weighed at least 30 pounds. If anybody wants a serious road bike, don't buy one of these.

It will ruin your idea of what biking is all about.

Save up a few hundred more bucks and buy an entry level road bike from a real bike shop- it's worth the money.

This is way, way cool. Find out the mileage of any route you want. I like this.

Wassup with this dog? Did it forget that it has back legs or what?

I love the white socks.

This little guy is lost. I wonder why............

Governor of Michigan? Hell, I'd like to see him run for President and have Jesse Ventura be his VP. Not sure how things would go but it couldn't be much worse then it is now.

If it was me, I'd change my last name. Can you imagine the teasing that poor guy got when he was a kid?

Helicopter chase video. Surprised the police didn't Taser him.

More Tourettes fun...........



Till later...........

Meet new people...........

I love reading spam. Along with free credit reports, cheap Viagra and penis extenders-I can find friends for free online. Hell, as long as they ride bikes-I'd be okay with that. On the other hand, our local Parks system is having some issues with men looking for "dates" with other men and then having those "dates" inside the public restrooms or their cars on Park property.

Personally? I don't really care if someone is gay, it really isn't any of my business. I belong to a parks volunteer group that hikes and rides the local trails to offer assistance to park users. I don't think this is part of our assistance program..................

Work continues on our daughters room while she is at college.



At this point, my wife has filled up a dozen large boxes with stuff. Rocks, old toast, ribbons, petrified Play Doh, you name it-it's in there. Evidently, our daughter has inherited the "pack rat" gene from my wife's side of the family.

My in-laws have stuff they bought back in the 60's packed away just in case they "need it" sometime. For example- my father-in-law has a collection of jars packed with assorted nuts and bolts. No problem, most guys have a jar or two like that. My father-in-law has shelves full of them. And he has no idea what's in any of them. I love the fact that they have a 2 1/2 car garage and have never parked a car in it.

Not sure where or what they are planning to do with all their stuff when they move into a smaller house. It would take days to help them move.

That about it for today except for this link to a fellow blogger. Not too sure I wanna see how "peak oil" is gonna shake out, but i don't think I am going to have a choice.

Ride your bike.......till later.

Flame overload..........

I'm probably the only person around with a flamed Shuffle......

I suppose I have way to much spare time............


As I am typing this on Thursday afternoon-we are getting a monsoon type rainstorm, it doesn't look like it in the picture but it's like being inside a car wash.

On to Test-It-Thursday..............

Whenever I ride off road in the summer, some sort of bug spray is almost mandatory here in South Central Pennsylvania. Due to some of the tight singletrack we have around here, picking up deer ticks is a very real possibility.

I use this stuff here........

We are talking Repel 40% Deet.

Not sure how healthy it is to wear something with that much Deet in it, but it does an awesome job of keeping the bugs out of my face on climbs. Let's face it, ain't no way I'm fast enough to outrun the bugs on most climbs. It cost about 5 bucks a can and is worth every penny.

This next item is sure to gross some folks out.

Mmmmm, donut shortening :-)

Here is a close-up of the nutrition panel.

Not sure why it's called a "Nutrition Panel"

1890 servings of pure fat calories in a 50 pound block and I use a block of this stuff every night I work. Yum. And people wonder why they have trouble losing weight. This stuff (hydrogenated soybean oil) is some nasty-ass shit. It and high fructose corn syrup are in just about everything except toothpaste and toilet paper.


I am saddened by what has happened in London.

Terrorism isn't the answer to the world's problems.

I have a wonderful family and I feel for those folks.

It just isn't right.

Till later.