It's official!

Alright I have met my goals for 2011, at least most of them. We got our puppy about a month ago and now, finally I will have my bike this week! I ordered it yesterday! I purchased the 2011 Reign 2 and I got a killer deal! I got the 2011 for a better price than that other bike shop, that I will no longer mention, was going to sell  the 2010 for! haha, jokes on them, they lost a sale and a customer for life, plus I'll never refer anyone to that shop. Well like I had mentioned earlier this week I had been emailing multiple bike shops over the last couple weeks to try and find some close out models that I could hopefully get a good deal on. Most of the shops didn't carry the style of bike that I was looking for, which I kind of figured since there isn't much demand for all mountain bike, probably because there aren't any real mountains around here. Some offered to give me a "deal" but that turned out to be like 10% off or so. Ok that's alright but not really what I was looking for and it probably wasn't going to be in my budget. I did have a couple shops offer me a couple '08's but a little older then I wanted to go and then there was the Bicycle Chain in Roseville. They told me they would check out and find me a close out from the manufacture as long as I was willing to order it. I was like ok. They told me that there was a few Giants and maybe a couple Specialized. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get there till Saturday and I guess they all sold except for some big travel freeride bikes, a little bit too much bike for me! Then, I think he felt a little bad that they all sold, he said he would give me a deal on a '11. My heart sank a little. I wasn't holding my breath and I began to believe that I wasn't going to find a bike but when he gave me an offer that I couldn't really resist. I ended up with a bomb bike for quite a bit under MSRP and only about $100 over, after shipping and tax, my budget. So it was a win for me and I have nothing but great things to say about him and his bike shop.
Bike shop review: 4 stars out of 5 (it's tough to get 5 stars in my book, especially around here, to get more then 4 around here, you would have to have a pump track or some proper test ride area and maybe some good mtn bike videos playing!)
I do have to say, the he was super friendly right off the bat. My man Dave was prompt with his emails and eager to help a fellow rider out. When I got there nothing changed he was super friendly. We shot the shit for about 30mins and then got to business. We looked at numbers and then weighed the pros and cons of the bikes and a bit more shootin' the breeze. The other guy there, the mechanic, builds his own frame! A-train frames! Bomb! If you want one or to check them out there are a couple at the shop and I'm sure he could make a custom for you!
I'm super excited about the whole experience and I would totally recommend you check this shop out if you are interested in purchasing a bike or if you need anything along the lines of cycling or mtn biking!

Isn't she a beauty! Oh I can't wait to get it and be able to put it through it's passes and give you a good review after I give it a proper thrashing!
The recap for the week/weekend. Thursday, not much going on. I had a great work out. Friday, work dragged on, I had to work till 5 since I had to drop the pup off at doggy daycare, when I got off I was already thinking about Saturday. All I could think about was getting a bike! We did hang out with some friends on Friday night, ordered pizza and watched Mega Mind. It was pretty good for a kids movie, for what I saw. I fell asleep with about 20mins left. I don't know I guess I'm just an old man. Saturday, besides hanging out at the bike shop. We went to Kelly's parents and hung out for a bit and then went to Hall Pass. Now that was a funny, funny movie. I laughed my ass off, the whole time. After the movie we went to Ray J's for some food. I had an amazing burger with some white garlic sauce, it was unbelievably tasty! Today, it is just me and the Jer. We started off with a good nap and then some play time and then he turned into a terror until I had to lay the law down, now he is napping like a good boy so I can type this. I will be going to the gym in a couple mins and then hopefully taking a look at my car's back wheel to see if I can figure out where that noise is coming from, and then we will be going out to see Kelly at here championship race since she promised her racers they would get to see our pup. After that I don't have a clue, you'll have to check back!
Keep it Real!

day 3

Ok, we have made it half way through the week, things can only get better from here, right? Well I sure hope so. Things are looking up in the bike hunt. I've sent out about 20-25 emails to bike shops around the greater metro area and some even farther out. I figured if I sent an email to every Giant, Specialized and Trek dealer I would pretty much cover every bike shop that would carry a mountain bike that I would want. I'm open to any brand as long as it meets my criteria of 120-160mm of travel and be full suspension. I want something that I can ride aggressively, take drops, jumps and abuse a little. Plan is to race a little XC give DH a go and be able to ride some fun single track. I'll be riding around the metro area, Redwing and up north for sure and I'm planning on taking my bike to Tennessee to the smokey mountains and out to the Black Hills to do some shredding. I've gotten a good response from a lot of bike shops already. Some didn't have what I was looking for in stock but are willing to look close outs for me to see if they can help me out so I will be following up them and heading to some bike shops this weekend so see what they can offer me! Time is still on my side but I will feel better when I have that steed in my possession!
Work in this position is way better then my other, I love just doing the work at my pace and jamming to the tunes. After work I went home and Kelly and I took Jerry for a walk, then I made hamburgers and watched some TV.  Life is pretty good right now, I just need a bike and snow to melt and it would be golden!
Keep it real!

let it snow

Got to sleep in a little longer today and spend a bit more time with the pup this morning. Thanks to the snow work was delayed till 10am. It was great to sleep in, by that I mean 7am, and I'm actually able to do so these days since the pup will sleep through the night with usually only one bath room break. Work when by super fast since I was only there for about 6hrs! I wish everyday was like that. Still looking for a bike but this weather doesn't have me too itchy to ride. I've finished going through my LHT, minus the bottom bracket since the crank puller I have doesn't fit my cranks. Oh well it's just going to be a commuter till the fall so I'll gets some help and go through it thoroughly before then.
After work I drove home and just hung out with the pup and played in the snow. He loves playing in the snow and it's so funny to watch him! Hope this week goes well for all of you!
Keep it real!

Braving the storm

This weekend was a bit of a blur and not a Santa Cruz blur, that would be too sweet, haha. It was a blast though. Friday I worked til 4:15, it was the first day that it dragged on. I think it had a bit to do about looking forward to going back to my parents. When I got of work I hurried home, we loaded up the car and got Jerry ready to go meet Scooby and the parents. The drive to Aberdeen when off with out a hitch. Jerry didn't have any accidents and only had to stop a couple times. When we got to my parents the craziness began almost instantly. The dogs went at it doing there yipping and smelling and running and chasing all over the yard and then carried on with that for at least 2 hours in the basement until Jerry got a cut in his mouth and started bleeding all over the place so we had to settle them down. Needless to say Jerry slept really well that night, didn't make a peep till just after 7am when Scooby came to bang on his kennel.
Saturday was much of the same, the dogs played all day and we just hung out with my family did a little shopping and had a good, relaxing time.
Sunday was definitely interesting. We were going to stay till about lunch like normal. We normally eat lunch with my parents and then they fill up the car and we head out but this time we decided to leave about 10 to beat the storm and then my dad was called into work about 745am. It started to snow before we thought it would so plans changed again. We loaded up the car and said our good byes and hit the road early and it was a good thing. Right away it was just a little windy and some blowing snow but quickly turned into white knuckle driving. I handed off the wheel about 2 hours from home and we hit a break in the weather till we got into the city and then the shit hit the fan. We got some serious snow which I think shit on quite a few peoples hopes and spring dreams, but it's ok with me. I don't have my mtn bike yet and until I do I don't care if there is snow on the ground. We aren't even into March yet, which is historically the snowiest month in MN, so don't put your shovel away yet! haha
Keep it real!

Bummer dude!

Well the guy at the bike shop didn't want to play ball. I flashed the cash and he was havin' none of it. So I'm still holding a fat stack of hundies and he still has the bike I wanted. I actually have a sense of relief for some strange reason. I would have rather had a sense of joy with my new bike under my ass but I guess it's back to streets. I'll keep my eyes peeled and ears open. I've already put the word out to some of my biker friends to see if they know of anything or if they hear of anything to let me know.
So the recap. I walked into the bike shop, started chatting with the owner guy that I had emailed previously. I showed him the bike I was interested in. He seemed super cool and then I asked how much. He punched some numbers into the computer, gave me a number that was a little off the sticker price. I told him I had a fat stack of cash in my pocket, through out a low ball figure just to check his reaction and pulled out the hundies and didn't even hesitate with a quick no way. I was like come on I'm paying in cash, what's the best you can do. He dropped it a bit more, now we're talking getting a little closer. I gave him my absolute best offer, straight dirty Benjamin's and nothing. He wasn't budging and as soon as we started to haggle he turned into a huge douche bag. He wasn't in the mood at all, I knew when I got there and started to look around and saw all these '08 and '09 and a couple '10 and no '11 mtn bikes only '11 bikes I saw were roadie wagons, I was in for an up hill battle. I guess they don't like to move stock. I gave him a fair price for my final offer and he just gave me some bull shit spiel about how many of those bikes they sell.
The truth, that bike has been there for over a year, it is the same bike I test road in August, and September last year, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. The first time I went in there to talk to them about it they tried to sell me two other bikes before I could even talk to them about it. Honestly there aren't very many people coming into bike shops around here asking for 6" travel bikes. There is no market, the bikes sweet but I'm not that set on it. Other shops don't even carry the bike because there is no demand. Oh well fuck that guy and fuck his bike shop, Apple Valley Bike and Ski just lost a customer and any free props or referrals. Too bad I thought there staff was pretty cool, but there boss is an ass!
After that I went home and started the search for a new bike and hung out with Kelly and Jerry.
Definitely looking forward to this weekend, can't wait to get home!
Keep it real!

Made it to the summit again!

Well we are on the way down to the weekend. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I'm going back home to a-town. I will be my first time back since Thanksgiving and we're bring Jerry to meet my parents and Scooby, my other dog. So we'll see how that goes.
Work was good, it's kind of crazy saying that. It gets a little hectic and slightly stressful but it's nice to just process my work and the days go quickly. After work I went to the bank and got out the cash money! and the anxiety started. All I could think about from that point on were the multitudes of different scenarios that could go down with the negotiations for this bike. I tried to keep them positive, like a pep talk, but that occasional negative one slips through, like what happens if they don't want to wheel and deal. Oh well all I can do is try, and that is what I'll be doing as soon as I get off work today! Big money, big money, no whammies! haha
Besides conniving about my future bike purchase, I spent the evening running errands, groceries, dog stuff, ect. and hanging out with Kelly and Jerry! Hopefully I'll have good news for you tomorrow and maybe some pics.
Keep it real!

the shot heard round the world

haha ok maybe not around the world but it sure did f'n hurt! I went to the orthopedic doc yesterday morning and they told me that my x-ray looked perfect and my range of motion is good, there is a little popping but it looks like bursitis and he gave me some exercises to strengthen my gluteus minimus and then he gave me the cortisone steroid shot. Damn did that one hurt and it was kind of sore the rest of the day but I didn't wake up with my usual pain, there is some risidual soreness from the shot but I'm so excited about having my hip back, I really hope that this was the fix. I will be taking the rest of the week off and starting back on Sunday with my strenght program. He told me to give it a solid week before I got on a bike or start running so I will do that and hopefully in a week or so I can get my lungs back together.
Yesterday work went super fast again even though I had to work till 7pm to make up for the time I missed with my doctor appointment. After work there wasn't a lot going on. Just played with Jerry and watched some TV.
This weather is really giving me cabin fever and I want to ride my bike bad. Unfortunately the LHT is in pieces in the basement as I'm going through that getting it ready for the gravel racing series and some commuting this spring/summer. It was super dirty! And my mtn bike is still sitting on the shelf at the bike shop, hopefully not for long. I'm going to the bank tonight to get the cash money and I will be going to the bike shop tomorrow to hopefully wheel and deal my way on to some new wheels! Keeping the fingers crossed! I'll let you know!

Keep it real!

where did the time go!

I don't even know where the time went today. I hope it stays like this, probably not but I can hope. My day just flew by. I almost skipped all of my breaks and lunch I was so into jammin' my tunes and doing my work, if it wasn't for my stomach telling me it's time to eat. It's also cool because right now I don't have any pressure to get work done right now. It's basically as much as I can get done is good work.

I got the good news today, my tax return is all in! Holla! With in seconds of seeing that money in my account I could feel it burning a hole in my pocket, just screaming spend me! Buy that bike! Oh yeah hopefully it will be going down Thursday after work, but I have a number in my mind and I need to play hard ball to get/ stay as close to that number as possible. We will have to see how good my "pawn star" negotiation skills are! Tomorrow is another big day. I have a doctor appointment. I'm hoping they are going to say it's nothing big and probably give me a shot in my hip and by the weekend I'll be feeling amazing. The hip has been feeling pretty damn good lately. Jerry even slammed the door knob into my hip and it hurt but it didn't put me down like it would have a month or so ago.

After work I went to pick up Kelly to take her to drop off her ice climbing boots since she couldn't drive her care because she sliced her tire and unfortunately it's not salvageable and she has to get a new one and her tires are spendy, like 2 bills spendy! yikes!

Well I wish you all the best this week!
Keep it real!

another wonderful weekend!

Before we get too much in to the recap of the last few days I wanted to touch base on a few things that will help us all even if you don't always agree with my riding philosophy. The first is a video from Bikejames.com, it's called Barefoot pedaling or as more commonly known flat/platform pedal use but it's not a rant about why you should use them but it talks about how to properly use them. More importantly how to pedal more proficiently and correctly, it discuss the mobility and posture needed to improve your pedal stroke. The second thing is also from James Wilson but I got it off of pinkbike.com, another one of my favorite sites, it's 3 steps to faster corners and I know that anyone that rides a mtn bike loves railing berms and who doesn't want to be faster and more confident at cornering.

Ok on to the boring stuff, haha, the recap. Friday was my last day of training for the new job now I start officially doing my job on Monday, yuck! Work was alright, nothing serious except a knowledge test, which I rocked. I got the best score in the class. We had a little "graduation" party. Someone brought donuts and bagels for breakfast another brought brownies and cookies, I brought drinks and we ordered pizza. Unfortunately the person that ordered only ordered 2 mediums for 6 people! What the hell were they thinking. I can eat a medium by myself, they should have at least got 2 larges. So I was hungry all afternoon since I didn't bring my normal lunch and snacks with me. I just assumed there would be plenty of food but I guess you know what they say if you assume you make an ass out of you and me. After work I just hung out with Kelly and watched Despicable Me, it was pretty good for being an animated film. I actually fell asleep with about 20mins left but I was exhausted from trying to keep up with the pooch.

Saturday, Kelly, Jerry and I met Stu and Mitch up at Sandstone to do a little ice climbing. It was to be Jerry's first adventure and it went really well after he got acclimated to the cooler weather even though it was 25-30 degrees out. Ice climbing was fun, there was a lot of people up there so we got pushed to some more challenging climbs which was cool with me but Kelly was with to climb and she struggled with the climbs. Saturday evening we just hung out together, our little family, and watched Dinner for Schmucks. What a weired but funny movie. It did get a little slow in the middle but Steve Carrell had a great performance.

Sunday was a day to get stuff done or at least try to since it was just me and Jerry. I started off the day with hanging with Jerry and Kelly and Then she went to ski and I went to work out and run some errands. When I got back the plan was to start cleaning the LHT(long haul trucker) but that didn't go as planned right away. Jerry turned into a little monster and I was too busy disciplining him and keeping him from chewing on everything. Eventually his little gas tank ran out and I was able to get to work. I only was able to give it a good cleaning. I couldn't figure out how to get the rear hub apart. I don't know if I didn't have the right tool to get the axle out so I could take of the freewheel hub or maybe I'm just dumb but it was way different then any other hub I've ever worked on and I even looked it up on the Internet and they claim there is a lock nut on top of the cone, I don't know whatever, and I couldn't pull the cranks because the crank puller I have didn't fit the cranks I have! GD why can't anything just go smoothly. Oh well it was fun to work on my bike. Between that and the nice weather I really have an itch to get on my bike and ride! The plan is to go sometime this week after work and buy my bike. I got part of my return Friday and the other part should be here Monday or Tuesday. Wish me luck! I hope to get a good deal. I hope you all had a great weekend! I can almost touch the spring weather and mtb trails!

Keep it real!

brand new ride!

Haha jk, I didn't get a new car, but it feels like it. I changed my spark plugs last night so my car is now running smooth like butter! I finally got to experience the new clutch and all it's glory! and damn it is nice! One last minor thing to take care of, get the rear tire rebalanced. I think the weight got knocked off and then go to the auto parts store to use there computer to shut off the check engine light and we will be ready to rock and roll!

Yesterday was over all a pretty good day. Work went quickly and wasn't stressful. I was finally able to get back to my normal routine of working out after work and it was a good work out. I had someone ask me about my work out and told them all about it and gave them bikejames.com to check out some of the other stuff and discussed the pros of riding platform pedals. He loved the work out but thought I was a bit crazy about the platforms but I told him not to believe me but check out the facts on bikejames and give it a try! After work I rescued Kelly from the puppy for a little bit, made dinner and fixed my car. Kelly's brother Tommy and his friend Dante came over and hung out with us. They are watching the dog today since Kelly will be out of town all day today and I can't go home to let him out.
I hope you all are as excited as me for the weekend! We will be going to Sandstone to go ice climbing on Saturday, I'm pretty jacked for that! I hope you all have big plans, it's suppose to be mid 30's! Holla!

Keep it real!

what day is it? what a hot mess

Well let's just make it clear, I think we underestimated the undertaking of a puppy in the winter! Potty training is ridiculous. I'm tired and my days are starting to blur together, this weekend needs to get here soon along with the warm weather! I mean seriously, he loves to play in the snow but hates to poop in it! This morning we went out side he peed and wouldn't go for a walk, ok I'll give it to him it was F'n cold out, so we went back inside and like 5 mins later he was right back by the door. They say that alone is progress, ok, so again we went back outside. Nothing this time 3 steps outside and right back to the door. Go back inside and he starts to poop, grab him run outside and nothing. He wouldn't even finish so back inside and I warned him that he would be going into the kennel. 5 mins later he was back at the door, so outside again and again the same thing 3 steps out and right back in. He was all rambunctious but then hot mess on the floor, same spot! So before I blew my top I put him in the kennel and he didn't even really wine. He knew he was in deep shit! After that I got my stuff ready for work took him outside and again nothing but I had to leave then so back to the kennel.

On the way to work my check engine light came on. Call my pops and he told me that he's 90% sure its because my plugs are bad and my engines not running efficiently and set off some O2 censor, so I get to replace those asap, I was trying to hold out to this weekend when it's warmer out!

The recap, yesterday at work we started doing our first "live" work, which means that I was working actual customers stuff. That was exciting and stressful. Work went quickly. After work I went home to relieve Kelly from dog duties. She went to do some much needed work and watch some of her taped TV. After about 2 hours we went to Petsmart to get a Kong dog toy, it was suppose to be the greatest thing since slice bread. I was hoping it would keep him occupied for hours so in the morning I could get ready for work and it was suppose to help with kennel training and bed time but it was a huge flop! He doesn't like peanut butter! WTF what dog doesn't like peanut butter! Yeah so now I have to go back to pet smart and get some of the other spendy flavored fills, like bacon! Everyone loves bacon! The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, he was pretty good all night. Only went out twice and didn't wine too much! Still pretty tired today! Well I hope you all are as excited for the weekend as me!

Keep it real!

some more pics of the pup!

fat puppy!

Jerry had to go to the vet yesterday for the first time. He was surprisingly good there, he just wanted to smell everything and everyone loved him. They were calling him the little stud and they couldn't believe that he was 30lbs, yes that is correct he is 13 weeks and a huge fatty! haha, the vet said it's because he probably has worms. He does have some of the signs, like eating like a horse, a pot belly and belching a lot. So he got 3 shots and was given some powder to kill the worms. I was told he will poop a lot the next couple days and then he will be about 5lbs lighter, skinner and eat less! all good things! haha.

My day was pretty good, training is drawing to an end. I'm kind of sad about that. I love the slack days with no real work to do. After we took Jerry to the vet we went home and ate and then I went to the gym. It was a good work out, I can definitely feel the work out doing what James promised and I'm only on week 2!

Again I ended up sleeping on the floor. I think Jerry has anxiety about being abandoned for some reason. I don't know if it's a good thing that I sleep by him but my thoughts are that it will get him use to the kennel at least, since I make him sleep in it with the door shut. He is slowly getting better about letting us know when its time to go to the bathroom so less and less accidents! Unfortunately I think the wormer got the best of him. I took him for his 6am walk and he deuced and then came in and ate. I thought I was all good to start getting ready for work, nope! Turned my back and another big hot mess on the kitchen floor! Dang it! So I woke Kelly up for back up since he likes to be right on top of you when you try to clean it up! Oh fun time with the new puppy! Hope your mornings are as eventful as mine!

Keep it real!

tired!

Well there are no more uneventful days at our house, that's for sure and puppies don't like to poop in the cold! haha. He only pooped once last night after going out 4 times and this morning he wouldn't even go for his walk, he peed and then ran back to the door. I couldn't get him out of the driveway. So we went back in and ate breakfast and as I was packing my lunch, deuce! At least it was on the kitchen floor so ti was easy to clean up. I am very tired this morning and the dog has driven me back to drinking! coffee that is! I am now artificially operating on caffeine.
Yesterday at work nothing really to report. It is my last week of training, which means last week of stress free slacking. What a bummer. I hope this new position is a lot better then the last. After work the plan was to go get my car and then go to the gym but the car wasn't ready when they told me it would be so I went home to give Kelly a break. So I played with Jerry for an hour and then went to get my car. It ended up costing just under $1500, $200 more then expected. pretty shitty if you ask me and to boot it doesn't feel right. My dad told me to give it a couple days because I'm not use to driving it but I thought with a new clutch it would be rock solid and just rip but I can't even start in 2nd gear from a stop and I could do that with my shitty clutch! Oh well, they welded up my exhaust so it doesn't sound like a stock car. I found out that my back tire is out of balance so it shakes and howls a bit when I'm going 60+ so I have to get that balanced and there is a bit of miss firing going on so this weekend I have to change my spark plugs. I hope that fixes that. It hasn't been done in awhile. After getting my car we went the grocery store and got home. It was pretty late so I said forget it I will just do back to back work out days this week, no biggy.
The rest of the night was spent playing with Jerry. I hope you all had a great start to you week! ;)

Keep it real!

pics

Ok, I've got one and I'll post more later

and here is another pic of him sleeping, he poops and sleeps a lot

what a weekend! but a good one!

Ok where to start. I guess I will try to go chronologically. Friday was a pretty easy day of work, it did seem to take a little longer then normal but that is to be expected, a little weekenditis. To add to the excitement, Kelly was emailing me all afternoon with pictures of puppies that she wanted to get, this weekend! Talk about short notice. I was also worrying about my car and what I was going to do if it didn't get finish. Plus I always have the anxiety that I'm going to get that call that something else needs to be fixed. Of course something came up but it's not going to cost me more, just delay me getting my car back. The part they ordered was defective and they had to rush order it, so now my car wont be ready till tonight. Not really an issue since they gave me a free loaner but it will cause me to have to work out at Woodburry Lifetime which is a mess at that time! Oh well. After work, when it finally ended, I went and got my loaner car and headed to the gym. I've officially finished week one of my DB combos workout. I have been doing it on and off for a couple weeks but I wanted to start it at the beginning of the month and I figured it would be good to figure out the correct weights and learn the routine well so I can get the most out of my program. After the work out there was a lot of debating about if we were ready to get a dog this weekend or not and verdict was just go for it. So Kelly set up a meeting for Saturday to meet the puppy.

Saturday we woke up ate, headed to the pet store and picked up the necessities for the puppy, ate lunch and headed up to East Bethal, MN to meet the puppy. As I figured Kelly fell instantly madly in love and I couldn't help myself either. We paid for the dog and headed back to Kelly's parents. Of course everyone loves a puppy, so it got lots of attention. Now the fun begins, potty training and all the other training that is associated with a new puppy as well as the sleepless nights from having to take the dog out every 2 hrs to go pee! Oh well he is too cute to get mad at and stay mad. The rest of the afternoon was spent just playing with the puppy.

Sunday was a fun day. It was just me and Jerry, that's the new puppy's name. Kelly had to go skiing. I wasn't going to get up till when Kelly had to leave but of course that didn't work out.  A new puppy is definitely a hand full, especially for Kelly, because she's never had a dog and she is big softy. Jerry wines or bats his eyes and she melts, haha, but she's getting better. Anyways she was trying to get him outside and he deuced on the carpet and she needed help cleaning it up and taking care of him. Jerry and I went for a walk when Kelly left, we played in the snow and hung out for pretty much all of the day. He just had to spend about 1.5hrs of alone time as I went to the gym. That evening we all went to Kelly's parents for a Superbowl party. I think it was a bit overwhelming for Jerry. All the attention and all the people and noise, but he was really good. Only a couple accidents, peeing on the carpet, no big deal. The Superbowl was cool, I didn't really care who won but it was a pretty good game.

On a side note, I did get my tax return filed! and it was pretty good so I will have enough to get my bike and pay off my car repair bill! Yeah, I can't wait to get the money in my account so I can go wheel and deal and get my bike! I'm so excited about that! Just so much exciting stuff happening right now. Can't wait to get home to see Jerry, he's so cute. I'll try to post some pictures tonight!

Keep it real!

Why hello ms. weekend, you sure do look lovely today!

Ok so I don't have much to write about since my day was pretty uneventful, but I feel like I might be letting my 2 followers down if I don't put something up for them. So yesterday like I said was uneventful went to work went home, dropped my car off at the shop to get the clutch replaced, picked up Chinese went and ate it at Kelly's parents, went home and watched TV. Yippee! haha. So today Kelly had to drive me to work, I'm sure she's not too happy about getting up early but she'll get over it I'm certain.
So the topic today will be an email I received from James Wilson about Goal setting and how important it is. I have copied a bit of the email here, just below so enjoy:

" Goal setting, it all boils down to understanding the 3 levels of goals and when to focus on each:
1. Ultimate Goal: This is just what it sounds like, the end result of all your hard work. Where exactly do you want to end up. If you don't know what the destination looks like you won't know when you've arrived.
2. Product Goals: These are the smaller "stepping stone" goals that will lea d you to you ultimate goal. No one achieved greatness in one swoop and so knowing the steps you'll need to take to get there will help.
3. Process Goals: These are the day-to-day things you must do to make your Product Goals come about which, in turn, leads to you Ultimate Goal."

So, for me, my one of my Ultimate Goals is to be an extremely well rounded rider with no holes in my game.
Some of the Product Goals to get me there are to iincrease my descending and ascending skills, so I can climb quickly and in control and fly down the steeps smooth and flowing and to iincrease my Cornering Ability, so I can go faster, corner harder and fly out of the corners.
To make those happen some of my Process Goals are to continue with my DB combos work out 3 times a week, eat properly, practice my cornering drills 2 times each week and ride my bike in some form as often as possible!
So there, a little more incite into my life and how I think. I hope this helps some of you out there with setting your own goals and they don't have to be related to mtn biking. I simply picked that to keep with the general topic of this blog! Thank God it's Friday, I hope you all had a great and stress free week and I wish you all the best on the weekend!
Keep it real!

:) smile because you have to!

Well Well, the weekend is approaching quickly, of course I wish it was Friday already but to stay on the positive note, it is Thursday and work has been going quickly. I almost have all of the documents to file my taxes. I'm getting pretty anxious to by my bike, even though I wont really be able to ride it for another couple months. I will on the other hand be able to sit on it and track stand in my basement while watching TV. I know it sounds dorky but track stand practice is important, balance is a great skill to have and speaking of TV we had to get a new box from direct TV since ours doesn't work anymore. The box is free but we have to pay $20 shipping and handling. I think that's pretty bunk. If thier equipment doesn't work they should send it to us for free!
This week started out great for my hip, it felt awesome. Probably the best it's felt in a long time, Mon = 9, Tues = 8, Weds= 7.5 and today I'd give it a 6. It appears to be going down hill and I'd have to say it's from sitting so much and how do I get away from that? I can't! I work a desk job, I do some mobility drills and stretches in the morning which helps 90% of the time a lot, not so much this morning and I strength train and do mobility drills 3 times a week and on my days off I stretch and foam roll, which seems to be making progress on the problem slowly. I'm excited to go to the doctor and hopefully get this resolved in a couple weeks. The season is drawing closer and it's about time to buckle down and get serious.
Another thing I'm actually pretty excited about is getting my clutch fix in my car. I'm not excited about spending the money but I am excited to not have to nurse it everywhere I go and be able to drive it pretty reliably.
Work yesterday was ok, it went quickly and I guess I learned some new stuff. I haven't spoke to my boss since the review and don't really have any plans to, at least any time soon that is.
After work I worked out, pretty solid quick work out. I went to the Woodburry Lifetime, because I wanted to beat traffic since I would be going to that end of the world for dinner but it didn't end up saving my any time since that lifetime was a zoo, 10mins driving around trying to find a parking lot, then waiting for a locker. Thankfully my work out doesn't involve treadmills or work out machines or I would have never finished. That's probably the main reason I wont be going back there anytime soon.
No plans for after work today besides my mobility and foam roll exercises. Ice my hip if needed, drop my car off at the shop and relax! I've got my work face on, hope you got yours on! ;)
Keep it real!

Get Your Work Face On!

Well my day started out great hearing about Ben's success, congrats again and continued with a pretty mellow tone until it drew closer to my lunch time. I had forgot my lunch today so I had the stress of going someplace to get food, not that big of deal as there are plenty right by my work, but doing it in 30mins and with no room for error because I had my annual review right after my lunch, which I wasn't too excited about.  The lunch worked out fine, I got my burrito and ate it in the allotted 30mins. The review also was ok could have been better but could have been a lot worse, I was given a 3 over all which is a satisfactory score. I had a little agenda I was going to discuss but had to change a bit on the fly when I found out my new boss was going to be sitting in on the review, didn't want to start off on a bad foot with her. Well I learned a few valuable lessons today. 1. No matter how good of relationship you have with your boss, it's probably not real and you should keep how you feel about work related things to yourself at all times especially when they are negative. 2. You are not allowed to be negative at work, so put your fake face on at all times no matter your opinion about anything even if it is really stupid and for sure if it isn't a positive remark about "how great the company is." 3. In corporate America it pays off best to be an ass kiss and a yes man.Which I am neither. Basically I wanted to say Fuck you and walk out but I decided that it would be as good as time as any to put on my happy face tell them thank you for your time, I will listen to your suggestions and try to be a better corporate zombie!
I don't get it, I'm not a negative person, which bums me out even more, and I'm usually very energetic, but as soon as I sit down at that desk, I am a huge Debbie downer and become very tired! My new motto is now going to be "positive with out passion or protest!" so that when I get to work I can put my work face on do my job, lie to myself and my co-workers, especially the management and then walk out the door whisper fuck you and grab my bike and smile. Just keep telling my self, self sponsored cycling this place is only a means to an end = affording to riding my bike! After that meeting it took me a little bit to cool down because I didn't get everything off my chest that I wanted to but it is what it is and now it's time to forget about it. New department, new job duties, new co-works and new management, an all fresh new start! Minus I still work for the same company and I'm sure this review will haunt me like everything else at this GD company!
After work I went home hung out with Kelly, made dinner and watched TV and forgot about work, till I wrote this, oh well at least I have a job! End it positive right?
Keep it real!

Way to go Ben!

Looks like Ben did it! First time out there and finish in 5th place! Just under 19 hours! What a beast! Congrat to Ben all the other crazies out there doing this, check out the results here but don't forget there are still races going on. There are foot racers and skiers as well and they might be psychotic, but I do know a guy Mitchell that attempted it but it looks like he didn't finish it. Oh well I give him props for even trying it. I don't know if I would want to walk/run 135miles in the summer. More later or check Ben out at http://justbike.blogspot.com/ he hasn't posted yet but I'm sure he will when he wakes up!