Thank You

Thank you Tom for sending me lots toys.

I like this one

and this.

But this one scares me.

Is there tiny dog inside?

First Day of Spring

My weight has started to inch down but I need to get out riding more. The weather is certainly right but I have been a bit exhausted. We had a plumbing emergency with no money for a plumber so I was busy and stressed for a couple days, not to mention dirty, and though I was exhausted Sunday I took a short ride to the stadium. The southern slope has had daffodils blooming for some time now. And baseball season isn’t too far off either.

I took some rims for a beach bike into Emery’s to get trued. Always helpful informative and they will be matching any price from the upcoming Bike Expo that same weekend. They are already getting busy repairing bikes and it will be up to two weeks before the rims are done. Didn’t see a used bike that excited me. I go by the Cyclesmith in Waukesha every week while working but usually don’t have time to stop to see what they have in used bikes.

Maybe I will just get a new rim for the old road bike though the shifters are on the down bar, making it a very undesirable design. Also I would want some larger tires to make a smoother ride over our not well maintained roads. Looking for baskets, since we cannot afford another car, and a new helmet too to round out my spring shopping. I will spend some time on my mountain bike and decide if I will get it professionally overhauled or try to work with it. Money is tight and gas is over $4/gallon.

The monthly meeting for the Metro Mountain Bikers was last week. WORBA, IMBA and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin all seem to be converging onto a common path. Volunteers to work their table at the Bike Expo may still be needed Friday morning.

More time outdoors lifts my spirits. I expanded our composting operation and am looking forward to enjoying work in the yard. The rhubarb is coming up. It worries me that a cold spell could hurt the garden and the peach tree, but the open waters and warm earth will mitigate any cold mass that may approach. The frigid days are truly past but Ike says look for snow to fly in June.

Alois finally got back to me on my latest book. He actually stopped reading in the middle of the book over some confrontational scenes. He found the story hard to stomach as Germans are very disturbed by stories of unhappy war circumstance. But he thought it would make a good movie. My cousin, who also wrote a novel himself, was very encouraging over what he had read of my work. Hope Alois will post this summer some of his gliding adventures. I am sure Misao will give you more pictures of Ike.

I'm waiting for you

Waiting

for you to come home

all day

It's a Dog's Life .

Sugar Sugar

I have definitely increased my physical activity but the weight hasn’t moved down much yet. I believe the less something is processed the healthier it is for you. In a desperate effort to provide some compelling photography that doesn’t include Ike I took a photo of the kitchen table. Misao bought this sugar sometime back and it is very rich. I don’t use as much in my coffee in the morning and it tastes very good. I can’t go back to white sugar for my coffee, blah,  and this isn’t brown sugar. Teavanna, a luxury store we treat ourselves to occasionally, sells a German rock sugar that has a similar color.

And talk about fresh making a difference, we stopped by a famous noodle house near the airport. San Dong Express is most notably famous for their homemade noodles. I recommend the jajangmyun. These are no instant cardboard noodles. You can eat a big pile smooth as silk, tasty and satisfying.

But there are few things sweeter than the “WORS Racer Handbook” arriving in the mail yesterday. The races I am most able and likely to attend are heavier on the back end of the season which works well for me. I didn’t see my favorite chain dry lube, ‘Squirt’ as a sponsor of WORS this year. Kinetic features their rock and roll trainer in a full page add. Convinces me that every month I wait the trainers will just get more realistic and advanced. Next year will be the time to buy something for myself.

After visiting the tax preparer, becoming aware of the damage our government is doing to our personal economy (and yes we do pay federal tax, not just the payroll taxes) we can now plan out this years monetary contortions. Most likely we can’t afford a second car this year. I plan to purchase a used bike in the very near future to get around town when I need to. I will put off overhauling my race bike for a month or so. The shops will be busier then, and I may be without it for a while, but you never know. The bike shops have been quite busy already with the sporadic spring weather. Today was over 60 degrees but I had no time to ride. rain tonight, cold tomorrow. This weekend we turn back the clocks and it will open evenings up for riding as my days become increasingly busy.

My new hair style

After taking a bath...

I'm look like pineapple....

Or looks like Conan O'Brien.

Sports

Yes, this blog was to be predominantly about sports and fitness, most notably mountain biking. I am still waiting for my “Mountain Sport” to catch on. Wow! It’s been nearly five years since I wrote that? Soon my ideas will sweep the world. But somehow the dog is looking to subvert my plot for world dominion and looking to claim himself supreme ruler. But his early successes, as his image attempts to smother this blog, far from guarantee ultimate victory.

Here is Ike in one of his more determined poses thinking, “When He least expects it I will leap into his lap and harass him with assaults of affection until he submits to my will.” …The attempt by cats to overthrow dogs as supreme consumer of human fondness is the ultimate definition of futility.

Enough about Ike. There are so many sports stories here in Wisconsin these days. Most notably Matt Kenseth, #17 of Wisconsin, went down to Florida and won his second Daytona 500. After many a delay, tribulations and trials, rain and fireballs, the race concluded over 36 hours after it was set to start on Sunday. You couldn’t have asked for a more odd chain of events, but that’s what happens when you let those open tire racers into NASCAR.

Then there is the Ryan Braun story. Seems hard to discredit either Braun or the collector for Major League Baseball in this drama of a failed drug test overturned. Heh, why was the collectors young son, studying here at UW Milwaukee, Ryan’s chaperone; the one watching the collection? Did he handle the sample? Could someone put a drop of testosterone in the cup and it not be noticed? They say one drop would account for the excessively high levels of the substance the test supposedly found. And if that drop dries on the bottom of the cup can it be easily seen? I just find it odd this college student, and we all know how foolish college students can be, is the only one hiding from the media.

But Major League Baseball still is trying to smear Braun. What next? Will they change the rules specific to Braun’s situation to try to drive him out of Baseball? It didn’t work on Jonathan. I’m talking “Roller Ball”, the James Caan version not the morally bankrupt remake. They tried to get rid of him and he ended up RULING THE WORLD!

Yeah…

And the Wheel and Sprocket Bike Expo is only a month away. Nothing says Spring like warm weather and wet muddy trails. As it was in the 50’s temperature wise today I had to go out for a ride. It went from partly cloudy to overcast by the time I got out. I started with a climb into the wind, and then the wind got stronger and colder as it began to sleet. I would have stuck it out but cut my ride short as I wasn’t wearing any gloves. No pictures from the ride.

And nothing says Summer like grilling, and grilling at a WORS event just makes my mouth water. And grilled cheese is in the news again. Yes, my weight is going down and this picture isn’t helping. I am watching what I eat and most likely will stick to the plan that I will not race until I am under 250 lbs. I am still shopping for a trainer but most likely will settle for overhauling my race bike and buying a used bike for riding around town on errands and to go to the gym. Need to manage our resources.

Ike had a bath today. Umm, smelling minty. You can’t do that yourself can you Ike. And no one likes a dirty dog, …almost no one. I own you Ike, I own you.

I hate car

I heard TunTun and Shippo loved car very much.

They think I should too.

But I'm sorry .

I hate it!

If they buy doggie seat belt for me ,I might enjoy riding car.
I don't know...I hope ...

I'm Ike!
Every dogs different ,Right?