Stink eye

That's what they should call "pink eye." There is nothing fun about people avoiding you like the plague. I have had a 16 year streak of never missing a day of work that has been broken yesterday when my boss requested that I don't come in, in the case that I am contagious and get the other employees sick.

Yesterday was one of the worst days ever. Unlike most people, I love my job. Being stuck at home and not being able to work was depressing. I longed to be at work like people at work long to be home. To make matters worse, my boss told me to stay home today, too. I barely made it through yesterday by reading (with one eye), doing housework, and cooking. Now that my house is clean and the fridge is full, I don't know what I'm going to do. This stinks.

The moment of truth

I have successfully done what I had set out to do. No pressure, be myself, and just have fun. Things went as well as I could have hoped. Perfect weather, perfect conditions, and the perfect setting. Today was a great day.

Doin' things right.

Oh, and as far as this relationship is concerned... I didn't get shot by a Cupid's arrow. Instead, I got stung in the ass by a bee. Draw your own conclusions.

ABC

Another Bad Creation rolled out of the shop tonight. "Rolled" is the key word there, since I have been waiting over a month for my wheels. But now that they are here, I couldn't be more excited about this bike. We're both looking forward to our first race, but not before we get some good practice time in. A to the B to the C!

It's pants weather

I woke up today feeling really good since I got to sleep in a bit. I also had a great dream that in actuality only took a few seconds, but left a lasting mark that would set the tone for the day to come. There was definitely a chill in the air when I left my house this morning and the overcast sky suggested snow. Winter will be here soon. Some unfortunate people suffer from that seasonal affection disorder, but not me. This is my favorite time of the year. A transition period. When I left work, the smell of the air and sight of my breath brought reminders of good times spent on nights just like this. How can anyone be depressed by that?

Another good thing to happen to enhance the mood of the day is that my long awaited cross wheels have arrived and I began at once the process of gluing my tires. I'm excited for cross season for a few reasons and now that it's getting colder, it fills me with anticipation and excitement that what's to come is drawing nearer. On the drive home, all the right songs were coming up on my shuffling iPod. I opened my windows and sunroof and enjoyed the rush of cold air. I'm thankful for the seasons. I'm not one for routine and the same old, same old and I love how a change in the weather brings changes in me.

Going steady and another failed attempt at a relationship.

So I went on a blind date today. It's funny. I never saw myself as the type to do such a thing, yet I've found myself on no less than five blind dates this season alone. I subscribe to the belief that it's important to get to know someone well enough, perhaps become more familiar with them, build up some trust, or at the very least be their friend first before taking things to the next level. That way I can be sure I know what I'm getting into. But that never happens and this time was no different.

I won't give up any names here, but their initials are "J.H." and although I like to take things slow, I jumped right in with this one like I always do. In the past, every time I thought I had a shot, I'd get all nervous in the beginning, not be myself, come on WAY too strong, and ruin any chance I might have had by falling hard. Today, I "fell" head over heels. Twice! By the time I realized that I was taking things too fast, there was really no way to salvage the relationship. A steadier pace and holding back just a little may have helped. Maybe that's why they call it "going steady?" It seems the only way for things to come to that point is to take your time in reaching that comfort zone and letting things just kind of happen on their own.

To say the least, this relationship was destined to be rocky. And it was. Ah, love on the rocks! It was a turbulent... Okay! We get it! Well, the important thing is that I always end up learning a little more about myself each time and realize my mistakes and how to avoid them in the future. I believe that we're put in a succession of relationships that are indeed destined to fail to help shape us into the people we need to be when the right one does come along. I know when it does, I will be ready. It will be amazing, beautiful, and unlike any other I've ever known.

The good news is that I have one more chance to put my new-found skills, gained from the last failure, to the test next weekend, since I actually have another date. This one won't be blind though. As a matter of a fact, I'm quite familiar with this one since we've had a few moments together in years past, and a few others more recently. I'm hopeful that it will go the way I want it to, but there's only one way to find out and I've got nothing to lose. Wish me luck!

And nice guys don't always finish last. Sometimes they come in 8th place. ;-)

Me, coming on strong.

The tunnel of love.

Common Threads

Photo dump. Words to come.

5am, Newark Airport.

Sunrise at the Cycle Hostel.

I call top bunk!

Preferred parking.

Jamie and Erin from Vancouver and their V-dub.

I just had to.

Lawrence successfully bleeds his own brakes.

We return by car to capture Mt. McLaughlin with a decent camera

And we're greeted by some unexpected visitors.

My new best friend.

The two best signs to be seen one after the other.

Dave and Damion

Dave and Damion's van, Falcor.

I've taken a lesson from these two.

A brush fire that broke out way too close to us. This was just the beginning.

The graduating class! Back row, (L to R) William, Jeremy, Greg, Mike, Canadian Kris, Nathan. Middle row (L to R) Nicole, Suzy, Dave, Adrian, Tim, Lawrence, Susan. Front row, (L to R) Texas Kris, Nat, Jamie, and Me.

Nice work, Tim.

5am, Medford Airport.

From the airplane, Mt. Shasta still with snow on her peak in late September.

The most epic ride ever

The beginning. Shapes on the horizon eluded to the ride that was to come.



Starting to climb what would become 19miles of amazing switchbacks.

No guardrail between us and a 1,000ft drop.

Still climbing...

A glance aft, the road we were just on barely visible on the hillside below and Ashland, OR in the distance.


Looking ahead, we'll be there soon, still climbing...

And we made it, 19miles later.

Yeah, Jeremy!

Edge of the world, straight ahead.



A place where I could live.

Mt. McLaughlin. All 9,800ft of it. Wait til you see the pics I took with my good camera!

This cow somehow found its way out of the confines of the fence. You're free!

Midway through the 9 mile descent back into Ashland, a picture at 30mph and one big smile.

Pausing to take it in one last time before returning to Ashland.

Photos now, words later.