Rolling Contemplations

Is this thing on?

2007-06-29T22:11:00.000-04:00

So it's been a while since I posted here. To all of you who check this every day waiting to get some speck of contact from me - I wish you existed. Seriously, though, thanks for reading if you're here.

Winter was not kind to the ol' physique...and heading into this summer I was definitely behind the 8-ball (albeit heavy enough to be clearly visible to either side) as far as fitness goes. Last year was a rough one physically, especially with the whole 'blind-sided by 700 lbs of steel to the back of the leg' incident. But this year is going to be different.

I signed up for two 50+ mile mountain bike races - the Hampshire 100(k) and Vermont 50. So far so good, although finding time to ride is very hard when you're working late every other night and trying to maintain a house on top of that. But I'm already in better shape this year than I was at any point last year. I've got 7 weeks left until the Hampshire 100 and I intend to make the most of them.

Random thought: I love fresh strawberries. Love love love love them.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

2006-11-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

If anyone still reads this thing, you might remember that I had a post way back in June about how I had finally done it - applied to Bensonwood, that is. Well get this - I'm driving out there to interview tomorrow. I don't think I've ever been this nervous for a job interview. Of course, I've always been exceptionally well qualified for other jobs I've interviewed for. That, and I think my father is a bit disappointed. Not necessarily in me, but disappointed that I'm not going to be working for him. I think he had always hoped I would take over his business and turn it into some monster company. You know, take what he built and expand it - just like sons are supposed to do. Maybe I'm just putting too much pressure on myself. I know he just wants me to be happy, but dammit - it's hard being the oldest son. So many expectations, real and perceived.

Oh well, nothing to do now but show up and try and wow them, right? Think good thoughts about me tomorrow...

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Winter is coming...

2006-11-02T22:09:00.000-05:00

Famous words from one of my favorite books, and a reflection of what I see out the window. This time of year always makes me a little sad, yet at the same time fills me with almost giddy levels of hope. The cold signals that another year has come and gone. I guess this year hasn't been all that bad, when I sit back and look at it. Sure I didn't get to ride that much, but I thoroughly enjoyed each ride I was able to get in. I bought a house (and all the problems it came with) and started down the road to financial independence. A subtle reminder to get my life in gear showed up in the form of a 700 lb steel plow frame (funny how I'm still dragging even now). And I led my first NHOC trip in almost two years. Man, this sounds like I'm saying goodbye to 2006! Two months left.... Guess I better get busy - if I can describe my year in one paragraph I need some excitement before the new year!!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

The strangest thing happened this weekend...

2006-07-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

I rode my bike. Twice. For the first times since the first week in May. My mom was right, too - I was smiling so much I think my face is stuck like this forever

Man did it feel good to be out. It's kind of funny, really. This winter I was planning to start racing this summer; this was going to be my best year of riding ever! I was able to ride clear trails in Jan, Feb, and March for the first time. I even got a sponsorship from a local shop. Then I bought a house. Then it started raining and flooding. Then my left leg got blindsided by 600lbs of steel at work.

I was finally able to start (sort of) walking again about two weeks ago and yesterday I decided I could wait no longer. With beautiful weather and some manufactured free time the bike was calling my name! I'm happy to report that my leg actually feels better on a bike than it does when walking.

It feels good to be back!

A couple pics of Arm on Fire:

I'm getting sick of painting.

2006-07-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Brett and I are going completely through our second apartment right now. Sanding, painting, priming, sanding, priming, painting.... If you ever own an apartment building....DO NOT LET YOUR TENANTS PAINT THE DAMN THING!!!! That's the deal with this apartment. Apparently some tenants previous to our purchase 'painted' the place. I use the term 'painted' loosely here. Mopboards two different colors, with brush strokes just stopped like they were too stoned to remember to keep going. Ceilings with a few roller strokes here and there, walls painted almost to the ceiling, but never quite finished... yeah. On the brighter side, I'm getting good at painting, just in time to get sick of it. Looks like my place is going to have to wait until winter to get some paint.

On the brighter side, my foot is doing better. I was able to throw a couple bales of hay today, and I can walk around almost normally. Remember kids, the Positive Mental Octopus is your key to healing quickly! That, and good nutrition. When you eat an orange make sure to not peel all the white stuff off - it's full of Rutin (a part of the Vitamin C Complex) which is excellent for your vascular system.

Well, off to bed. I leave you with this wonderful picture of a the anti-summer in hopes it will help those of us sans air conditioner sleep better tonight....
Good luck on your drive west Pat and Steph!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

I finally got the balls to do it...

2006-06-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

I applied at Bensonwood. Looks like something of importance has finally come out of my foot injury. Perhaps this was what the whole thing was about all along? Who knows. Anyway, if you want to check Bensonwood out, follow this link.

Also, if you're looking for a book to read, check out The End of Faith by Sam Harris. Freighteningly good. Read my review of this book here.

Hope all are well, and leave me some love in the comments so I know people are actually reading this!
May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

I can walk!!!

2006-06-25T19:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I can use the leg/foot again. Not well, mind you, but it can bear weight. Within two weeks the Rolling Bodhisattva will ride again!

Trying out Performancing for Firefox

2006-06-24T15:17:00.000-04:00

I just downloaded Performancing for Firefox, and I'm trying it out. Supposedly this extension lets me post to my blog from the comfort of my own browser! Check it out at https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1730/!

Whoa - where have I been?

2006-06-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've been here. What's new in my life? A whole bunch.

Brett and I moved into our new house and are now enjoying (cough) our new lives as landlords. It never ends with a house the size of a small village. Anyone want to help us paint this week?

Also, the NHOC Jackson Cabin project has been moving along. We now have the entire frame raised and part of the roof on. All that's left is to get the insulation up there and we'll be set to get it finished! If you'd like to see more on this, check out nhoccabins.blogspot.com

Bike riding? What's that? The house, the weather, and now a mashed leg has kept me off the trail in this, what was to be my most intense riding year ever. Funny how life works, huh? Check it out, though:

Looks nice, huh? That happened last friday and I still can't walk on it. I'm going to see the orthopedist today, so hopefully I'll be walking again by the weekend.

Anywho - hope you're all doing well, and if you get a chance, check out this book. Some good, yet scary, stuff to make you think.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Home Inspection!

2006-03-22T16:54:00.000-05:00

Six hours and $600 later, I have a much deeper understanding of 45 Hough St (the place I may buy). Built in 1890, it has an old barn that was converted into two 2BR apartments. The barn and the house are connected by an added on section. Here's what I learned today:

Powder post beetles can live for up to 300 years in wood. In the old days none of the wood was kiln dried, meaning the beetles lived on after the boards were cut. Nowadays that's not an issue. In this house it is a bit of an issue, especially under the barn/connector parts.
Old construciton is OLD. They wood they used is also old now, as are the bricks, blocks, and other things that make up the house. When things get old they sag, crumble, split, crack, and otherwise deteriorate. I've got one non-loadbearing wall that's crumbled (block foundation in the connector) and one non-loadbearing sill that actually rolled out from under the gabled end wall and off the foundation (and also happens to be full of above beetles). The barn roof is also in need of some repair, although in the whole place we only found evidence of one leak. All the chimneys are essentially reverting back to the original clay the bricks were made from. Problem? Maybe someday, but it'll be ok for another decade at least (I hope).
One furnace is great, the other three could go at any time. Three water heaters are great, one could go at any time.
Moist dirt floor basements make me sneeze.
One electrical panel needs to be updated from fuses to breakers.
If I ever need to climb up the fire escape onto the roof again, there had better be a raging fire. That thing was terrifying.
Most of the tennants didn't know there was a coin-op laundry in the builidng (two came home with laundry from the laundermat while I was there for the inspection.
The attic wasn't originally designed for living space, but now contains three bedrooms. Electric heat was added at some point (the rest of the house is FHW) in the rooms up there. The joists are also undersized, and the floors are spongey/springy/droopy. That should be fixed.
If you need a home inspection, call Guardian Inspection Services (in Manchester, NH). Steve was great - he was crawling around in racoon shit for chrisake. And he knows his stuff.

So there's lots to think about now. I might try to get some money off, or I might say f* it and pass on the place. I suppose it's not as bad as I think it is. I'll get some more opinions, the furnaces inspected by a furnace guy, and think about it.

What I really need to remember is that this house is not "my dream home". It's a means to an end. It's a way to get other people to help me out with my equity, reduce my immediate cost of living, and be able to get the 'place of my dreams' sooner than I would by just putting cheddar in the bank. Sometimes it's bad to expect everything to be done right, I guess. After all I don't live in the basement, nor am I going to live in this place forever.

Decisions, decisions....

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

An update on the house

2006-03-21T16:59:00.000-05:00

Well, they accepted my offer on the house. Frikkin A! I am both excited and scared shitless at the same time. Financing is pending, and my home inspection is tomorrow morning. I'll keep ya posted!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Buying a what????

2006-03-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

So I might be buying a house. A multi-family, actually. Hope to put an offer in on it in the AM. The place is freakin' beautiful! I hope we get it. Finances will be tight, but it's worth it in my book. Now, I just need to be able to pay for it. Wish me luck!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

2006-03-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

Simple, Green, Beautiful.

2006-03-12T12:55:00.000-05:00

AOF...

The gear gods hate me!

2006-03-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

What a weekend for riding! Saturday brought cold temperatures and even colder winds, but with the predictions calling for a return to warm weather I figured I had better get out and enjoy the bike(s) before the trails entered their yearly spring unrideable-ness. Z and I decided to hit FOMBA, then head over to Nault's. I love riding with Z because he's without a doubt the best rider I know. Every time I ride with him, I get amazingly challenged. Saturday was no exception. By the end of the ride, I was cramping in 50% of my major leg muscles. And I loved every minute of it! Except the minute where I hit that tree on Moose Tracks, went OTB, dragged my shin across the bars, and landed 5 feet down trail only to find a shoe still clipped into my pedal and no longer on my foot (I guess it's a good thing my foot wasn't still in the shoe. Although with the foot warmer still on, it looked like a complete foot and ankle...). After putting the shoe back on, straightening my stem, and reattaching my camelbak hose to the bladder, off we went. Not ten minutes later, I managed to somehow kick up a rock the size of softball (except without any round edges). Where did it hit me? In the exact spot on the top of my shin that I had nailed in previous encounter with that tree. What was even weirder was the type of pain that ensued. Not so much point acute pain, but more of a throbbing ache - almost as if all of my bones in that leg had split in half lengthwise. Very strange, and not so pleasant. Oh well, that's biking. I'll take that over a cubicle any day. Moral of the story: I rode with Z and was physically destroyed.

So Sunday I ride with AOF over at Ft. Rock. I figure I'll take the gearie out because I'm tired, and those nice, easy gears will help out. I spent a bunch of time swapping tires, brakes, and wheels over to the Gunnar to prep it for a good ride in soft sloggy snow. And it was a good thing I did, because soft, sloggy snow was the soup de jour on Sunday. About 3 seconds into the ride, I realize that the only gearing that would really help my tired ass is 4:11's in a Jeep. Not only that, but the Gunnar fits me like a woman's size 8; it looks about right but just feels awkward, and I can't get comfortable on it. We ride with Phresh (thanks for all the VW info!) and AOF's bud R and get in two hours of laid back weather-enjoying good stuff.

Here's where the bicycle gods come in.You'll notice that the bike god has no shifter-thingy hanging down in back. I've known this for a while now, but still chose to break out the gears on Sunday. How do they repay me?
By mangling my rear derailleur with a stick, of course. Shame on me for succumbing to the shifter-thingies!!! Now I'm out 45 bucks, which sux.

Fortunately, I listen when the bike gods speak. (except when they tell me to buy a new custom frame each morning) I see their dislike of the complexity of gears and associated shifter thingies. And, I agree. So instead of buying another easily mangled shifter-thingy for $45, why not get this for $120?

Isn't it sexy? And in that nice polished aluminum, it'll look great with my pretty silver Gunnar. Especially without gears!

View pics from Sunday's ride here. And get out and enjoy the nice weather!!!!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

A day off...

2006-03-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

After a nice therapy session at the gym last night, working things out with cold hard steel to the sounds of D4 and Propagandhi, man am I sore this morning. But hey, it's a good sore. At least my brain is working (as much as it ever does) again. Yesterday when trying to get work done on my thesis the screen started doing weird swirly things. I could see the page, but had no idea what it said. Shiza, if you ask me. So today I'm taking the day off. Of course that costs me about $250, when you figure I'm not working and I'll need to take another day off to work on my thesis, but mental health has to count for something. I think I'm going to take my pup to Vaughn Woods for a run/walk/stumble (depending on the ground conditions). She looks as bored as I am with my life right now.

On the bright side: I go see Bob Saget tonight. You know, the dad from Full House? I hear he's hi-farking-larious. A humorous end to a not so inspiring week.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Just when you get things almost figured out...

2006-03-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

...a dozen more wrenches get thrown in the works. I went to the 'career fair' last year with high hopes. I was going to find my dream job in green building, and everything was going to work out great. What did I find? Shiza. Not a thing. "Green what?" So for the past year I've basically been planning my life under the assumption that I needed to approach sustainable devolpment from the building side of things rather than the engineering side of things.

Then yesterday happens.

I wasn't even going to go to the career fair. After all, I saw all I needed last year, right? For some reason I went anyway, armed to the teeth with resumes and professional dress. I walk in thinking I'm just going to look around, and walk out two hours later with essentially 5 job offers. Not a big deal, really, since I got a bunch of offers last year to do things I don't want to do. But this year, three sounded very interesting.

That's where the problem comes in. I was all set to start building houses. Heck, I'm almost ready to buy one in the coming month or so. Now this. I've got too many options, and I can't narrow them down. Don't get me wrong, it's good to have options. But I've got so many damn options floating around that empty space above my shoulders it feels like an arena football game inside there. All sorts of action. And all I'm getting out of it is brain overload.

So here's a Poll. Partly to get some opinions, partly to see if anyone reads this stuff.

Should I:

A) Suck it up and do some engineering. After all, you did go to school for 12 years for it.

B) Suck it up and do some engineering. The pay will be much better in the long run.

C) Stay working for my father's excavation business. You like being outside better anyway, and the pay is about what you'd start at in engineering.

D) Start building houses. It's the only way you'll ever get to control your 'sustainable development future'.

E) STFU. I'm sick of your whining. You should just move to Nepal and become a monk. That way no one will have to listen to you talk ever again thanks to your vow of silence.

F) Does it really matter? You won't be happy no matter what you do. Work sucks. Accept this now, and find stuff outside of work to meet your happiness quota.

E) Other. Please explain.

So that's my poll. Please respond, feel free to haze me. It's good for me.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Oh motivation, where are you?

2006-02-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

So I've got none. Zero, zilch, not so much as a shred. Well maybe a shred...I am writing this. I could have been finished with my thesis by now. I could have been done with this whole college thing all together. I could be working and making money, owning a house, and living in marital bliss with cute little rugrats. But for some reason, none of that has happened. Am I waiting for what's really supposed to happen to me? Or am I just dragging my ass? Who knows. I'm caught somewhere between contentment and expansion. I'll never be happy with being content, that I'm pretty sure of. But will I ever find anything that makes me happy? Or is my happiness found only in the search? It is not an easy thing on those who are close to me, when I am always restless. It probably never will be.

I want more out of life, but I don't want to give up what I have. There you go - the story of my existance, in one neat sentance.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

Another step closer...

2006-02-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

Well, today I finished my final course requirement for my graduate work. Yep, one crappy presentation half-assed a couple hours before it was due, and I'm that much closer to having a Master's degree! They'll give those things to anyone these days, I hear.

What is my research on, you ask? Well, here's the short version. I'm looking at the role of dissolved oxygen and microorganisms in the removal of MtBE from drinking water by granular activated carbon (GAC). Huh? Here's the slightly expanded version: MtBE is part of gasoline in urban areas here in the US. It's used as an oxygenate to help gas burn cleaner, therefore reducing air pollution. That's great - if there's never a leak or spill of gas. MtBE is very soluble in water (unlike most of the rest of the components of gasoline) so once it gets into the groundwater it travels quite far. It also isn't easily degraded, so it sticks around for quite a while. Top it all off with MtBE's status as a potential carcinogen and Houston, we have a problem.

I looked specifically at small treatment units in people's basements here in NH. The treatment units use activated carbon - essentially the leftover 'popcorn-like' residual from extreme heating of things like coal and coconut shells. It's the same stuff that you find inside your Brita filter. Basically what it does is absorb things out of the water - when contaminants float by in the water, they stick to the surface of the carbon and are 'removed' from the water. So this carbon has a certain amount of surface area - like a velcro tennis ball. You can only stick so much stuff to it before you run out of room to stick any more. Same idea with the carbon - it has only so much surface (capacity) to absorb MtBE from the water. Thing is, other stuff sticks to carbon, too. It would be great if it would only absorb the bad stuff, but it's such sticky stuff that almost everything sticks to it including any oxygen dissolved in the water and some of the microorganisms that naturally occur in groundwater. (If you're a sterilization freak I hate to break this to you, but there are about 1,000,000,000,000+ microorganisms in every ounce of water that comes out of your tap)

So what I was looking at is this: What happens when you have oxygen, MtBE, and microorganisms in the water? There are a couple possibilities.

The oxygen and/or microbes stick to the carbon, meaning that there's not as much capacity for MtBE.
The oxygen and/or microbes don't make a difference, and MtBE gets removed the same no matter what's in the water.
The microbes eat the MtBE, and more MtBE gets removed than the carbon could otherwise hold.

Bored yet? Hope not, cause there's more...

So we grabbed some carbon from someone's existing treatment system to test in the lab. It was assumed that this carbon had existing microbes stuck to it, since it had been in operation for about a year. It was also thought that these microbes might be adapted to MtBE (and thus able to eat it) since they were in a system treating MtBE contamination in the source groundwater. We also got some fresh (no microbes on it) carbon from the manufacturer to compare to the above mentioned 'fouled' carbon. We then split the virgin and fouled carbons up into 4 columns - 2 of each - and supplied two with oxygenated water, and two with anoxic (without oxygen) water. We ended up with one column containing fouled carbon and oxic water, one containing fouled carbon and anoxic water, one containing virgin carbon and oxic water, and one containing virgin carbon and anoxic water. We then pumped water with MtBE through each for a couple months.

What did we find? Well, a couple of things. First, if your microbes are lazy and don't degrade MtBE, then you're better off having no oxygen in your water. Otherwise, the oxygen competes with the MtBE for carbon space, meaning there's less room to adsorb the MtBE. However, if your microbes are hungry (or able to use MtBE for food), then it's better to have oxygen in your water. Why is that? When you eat, you need to breathe. Same deal with the microbes. If oxygen is there, they can then eat the MtBE fast enough to make a difference. If the oxygen isn't there, they breathe other stuff (like sulfate, iron, or nitrate) that still works, but much slower. They may still be eating MtBE, but not nearly fast enough to make a difference.

So what's the best solution to our problem? Stop driving your damn car so much! There's nothing in gasoline that's particularly healthy whether you burn it, breath it, or drink it. Make a statement that you care about your health by supporting alternative fuels and alternative transportation methods. Purchase fuel efficient vehicles - vote with your wallet and let them know you care about our health! There will be no change in the market until consumers demand it, and that starts right here with you and me.

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

A 'sublime' haze in the valleys south of Mt. Washington

2006-02-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

Nothing like a warm day up north to get a little sublimation haze going in the valleys! Taken Feb 2005...

Tuckerman Ravine, Feb 2005

2006-02-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

The world famous Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington. Taken Feb 2005. Those of you missing winter take heart. From what I hear in the month after this picture was taken over 26 feet of snow pack made for excellent March, April, and May skiing this past season. There's hope yet!

I love winter

2006-02-21T19:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe we'll have one next year. This was taken two years ago. Probably my first picture I was ever proud of taking. I like how the sky and the mountains wash into each other, almost blurring the line between heavens and earth...

Mts. Lafayette and Lincoln, from Lonesome Lake

2006-02-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

50 days till Moab, baby!

May compassion be always in your heart, and peace be always on your tongue.

- J

2006-02-20T22:18:00.000-05:00

Artificial Sweeteners. Discovered as leftover crud that won't wash off laboratory beakers. Tested on rodents, approved for human consumption when less than 50% mortality is observed. It's big bucks in the time of low carb, low fat, low nutrition foods. Everyone wants to eat like Chunk in Goonies, but look like Heidi Klum or that guy with no personality from the fitness commercials (you know him). No responsibility for their actions. That's what it boils down to. "I don't care how bad it is for me, so long as I feel satisfied (and look like Antonio Banderas)."

I never realized how bad that shit is for you...until I stopped eating it all together. About 7 years ago, I was a bit overweight and out of shape. So I hit the gym and the trails, at the same time giving up all refined sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated oils. What's left to eat, you ask? Well, there wasn't much. Things have gotten better lately, with supermarkets offering large natural foods sections and smaller, local (yea!) stores catering to the health concious. But the big push still seems to be "low guilt marketing" rather than high quality foods. Within 5 months of my aforementioned lifestyle changes, I went from 190 lbs and 26% body fat to 175 lbs and 12% body fat. You put good fuel in and burn it, good results come out.

So now the point of this ramble. For Valentine's Day, my girlfriend's mom gave us some 'sugar free' chocolate bars. The gourmet kind, where little elves in small European countries mix each batch by hand and beautiful billionares' wives in skimpy lingere and surrounded by strawberries nibble decadently with sultry eyes... Anywho, the stuff is expensive. I have developed a chocolate craving of late, not sure why. But tonight, I damn near ate a whole bar. I should be in bed right now, but instead I'm up writing this with a massive case of stomach disorder. About ten minutes after scarfing the chocolate, my stomach began to object. Shortly thereafter the brain buzz came on. It's kind of like the feeling you get just before you get the spins from drinking too much - light headed, can't concentrate, stomach is floating, the purple Smurf flips you off from across the room... Three hours later, I still can't sleep. My leg tingles. My stomach has noticable lumps moving around inside it. My head feels like I have a hangover. That shit really f'ed me up.

I've never felt better since I went au natural with what I put into my body. But the real proof to me is what happens on the rare occasion I eat a typical American foodstuff. Diet Coke sends me to the moon with dizziness. Sugary cakes make me see double. White bread binds me up and makes me tired.

I guess here in the good ol' US of A, we're free to put just about anything in our bodies we want (unless the government doesn't want us to, of course). Of course that assumes you know what you're putting into your body. I, for one, haven't the slightest clue what Malitol is. Do you? The FDA (F'ed Digestion Administration) says it's ok for me. My body does not. I'm thinking the only reason I know this is because I ingest that kind of stuff so infrequently. I never used to feel this way when I ate a typical American diet, and you probably don't either.

It's like living downwind of a powerplant. If you never breath the smog, you know it's bad for you when you get a whiff. If you live and breath it everyday...you're surprised and confused when you wake up one morning with the Black Lung and Torso Cancer. Give yourself a chance to know the difference. Take three months off from all things refined and artificial, and see what happens. It takes a while for your system to readapt to good food, so you might not notice the change right away. But after that three months, go and get yourself a 20 oz Coke and pound it. Just make sure you have a place to sit down.

It's your body and your life. You owe yourself the chance to make it work to its potential. And besides, wouldn't it be nice to know the difference between feeling good and feeling like crap?

May peace be always in your heart.

- J

2006-02-20T12:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's ride

I was supposed to go do some surveying yesterday, but the weather was too nice. I got the call from Z and immediately cancelled my plans. The weather was perfect: 24 degrees, 20 mph winds. This was Z's first ride on the new singlespeed! since I had been trying to get him out on the bike for a while and he had been wanting to ride Mt. A for a couple years now, we decided to kill two birds with one poison dart. The trails were in prime condition, frozen solid except over the fastest running water. After some bundling up, we hit the trail. Down through the gate, off to the right, and out to TJ to pick up LT. LT was looking good, if a bit hard to follow due to the leaves and the recent wind storm. I'm still not used to the disc brake on the front of the On-One, and coming around a corner with speed I grabbed a bit too much brake - the leaves slid out of the frozen ground and left me with a big flapper on my knee. I love cutting dangling skin off with scissors. Z was loving the SS, so we rode all the way back up to the earthen dam, and hit up AT for a quick out and back as the sun was setting. Man, I love that place. It was a rough day for future offspring, though, as both Z and I got a little too friendly with the top tube a couple of times. All in all, an excellent ride. Who would have imagined completely bare trails on February 18th???

May peace be always in your heart.

- J

2006-02-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Riding Lynn Woods (just north of Boston) on the Rigid SS. Photo credit: BrianC

2006-02-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. If you're interested enough to read along, great! What I hope follows is a small window into my soul. Keeping stuff inside has never been my strong suit, and really, is keeping stuff inside really good for you anyway? The more you get off your chest, the less weight you carry around with you every day. My life has seen a myriad of changes over the past 15 years - High school 'all american kid', college frat boy drunkard, hopelessly depressed nomad, reclusive gym rat, awakening outdoorsman, promising graduate student, disillusioned political spectator, and content pedal pusher. Each experience has helped shape my continually evolving person. Many people will run from their past, try to bury their ghosts or lock the skeletons in the closet. I believe that a balance exists in everything. The bad that I have experienced is what truly allows me to appreciate the good that now permeates my life. After all, the Buddha says "In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true." What is really good or bad? Are they not just creations of our own mind based on societal influences? For example, the alcoholism I lived with for a time is often seen as a sickness, a weakness on the part of the afflicted. But that implies that the alcoholism is the root of the problem. I say it was not the problem, but a symptom of a larger problem. Life sucked, alcohol was my escape. So what was the real problem? Take away the alcohol and life still sucked, right? Anyhow, to make my point - maybe the alcoholism was a good thing overall. It may have caused some not so good outcomes at the time, but it made me look back and examine what was really going on with my life. Why was I feeling the need to drink? Why were things so out of control? What was causing me to be so depressed? So like the Buddha said, good and bad (east and west) are creations of our own mind. Sure the drinking was not good for my life at the time, but perhaps it was good for my life in general, as it helped 'wake me up' and see what I was really all about. What's my point? Live your life in the present. Don't dwell on what you or others perceive to be negatives, especially if they are in the past. Examine your life with an outside eye, objectively. Learn to see you life for what it is - not good or bad, but indicative of where you are. Most importantly, remember that there is a balance in life. When the 'bad' stuff happens, use it as a springboard, a lesson, a reminder - that the 'good' stuff is waiting for you to let it happen. Thanks for reading, have a great day!

- J