No sleep...

I've been having bouts of insomnia as of late. I don't know why. Having said that, I'm going to bed and I will leave you with this gem:




Goodnight (hopefully).

M.

The ride home...

Data analysis interrupted by gazing out the window. Not getting very much done, might be better to call it a day; It's 5:30 anyway for 'crissake. Shut it down, pack it up. Say goodbye. Walking the bike down the hall like she's a purebred at a dog show. Best in show, I'd say. Lift her over the shoulder as you walk down the old stairs and through endless sets of double doors.

Outside it is glorious, a rare confluence of sun and warmth and blue sky in a usually dreary April.

Mount the bike as if it's a steed; lean it and swing a leg over, in part because the frame is slightly too tall. Giddy'up. Avoiding pedestrians on the way to the street.

3.

2.

1.

Go.


Heart starts pumping faster going down the first hill. There are two things to remember when riding a fixed gear: the first is that you can't coast. The second is that YOU CAN NOT COAST. Going very fast, to the point where the eyes water and upcoming potholes get harder to spot.

The fear doesn't diminish the grin, it only broadens it.

At the bottom of the hill, pedaling hard to save the momentum to get up the next one. Legs are starting to feel the incline beneath them. At a stop light and sucking more wind than would be preferred. Wait for the cars to pass before turning left.

Potholes.

Straining to get up to speed, from a car waiting to move,

"You're almost there!"

Strangers are strange. But he is right.

No more straining or sticking to the hole-stricken side of the street. Move down into the drops, take weight off the saddle, back straight, neck up. Focus on form. Take the lane. As fast as the cars behind. Better than Armstrong, Schleck, or Contador. Better than anyone at that exact moment. The greatest ever. Power through the intersection just as the light turns green then lay off a bit.

Turn onto the country back road and the mind starts to wander from adrenaline withdrawal. The streets of Baltimore and the cobblestone of Fells' Point. Wonder how feasible cycling will be there. Logistics of moving. Think about summer in Hanover. The trick is, I think, to not fall in love.

Snap back as the smell of the dairy farm is carried on the wind, signaling the final turn of the trip back. Climb the dirt road out of the saddle, like a mountain stage on the Tour.

Reach the apex, take a breath, and sprint. Leave nothing in the tank. The speed is put to a rhythm supplied by the pedal strokes and tension in the chain. It is music, it is beauty. Feel the cool air as the street invades the forest. The house is not far now. Pull into the driveway and dismount on the wrong side of the bike, every single goddamn time.

Lift her up again and walk around the back of the garage. Looking up: squirrels and birds on barren branches. Looking down: grass growing from under the dead leaves. The reflection in the window shows nothing different; inevitable change and a new life.

See you all Wednesday,

M.

Keeping it short...

Good evening.

There isn't a lot to discuss this week, as the weather in Massachusetts is unbearably variable and limits my ability to ride. One day it's snow, then beauty, then rain for ages, with intermittent windstorms and a sprinkling of nice days here and there. With that said, I have been focusing more on diet this past week. I swear, the other day, I bought more fruits and veggies than I usually eat in 3 months. I'm somewhere in the mid 190lb range for weight, but I feel really good. I don't mind looking at myself in the mirror anymore.

For the first time, really, I have become self motivated to better myself and it feels quite good.

Anyways.

That's really all I have to talk about for right now... My life is in an unfamiliar place right now (not bad, just unfamiliar) and I feel this song sums it up perfectly.



For Sunday: A divergence from the usual; a narrative.

Noah, the anachronistic hipster...

is the exact content of a text message I received at 5:19AM yesterday from my friend Matt.


Let me back up a bit.


At some point last week, I was sent an invitation to a party being thrown on Friday by my friends Matt and Kristine, who live near Boston. I live in Amherst. Thusly, I declined.

This smacks of Kristine.

Aside from the 2+ hours it would take me to drive there after work, this party was going to be an "alter-ego" party where you show up, not as yourself, but as your alter ego.

I don't have an alter ego. Or, at least I didn't have one.

I was agonizing over whether or not to attend as the week went on and on. Finally, on Thursday night, my housemate Caitlin convinced me to go. All day Friday I was thinking about what my alter-ego would be. At first came "nerd", then "tough-guy-loner", but it finally came to me: "out-of-touch-hipster".

Meet Noah.

Glasses, messenger bag, keys, belt, shoes, shirt, pants: all old hipster fashions.

Long hair, mandolin on back.

Sailor tattoo I did with sharpie in lab on Friday. Pretty proud of that actually.

After work I was still torn on going, but I ended up leaving at 7ish and got there around 9:30. And I have to say,

Best. Decision. Ever.

I sometimes forget that I need friends and how many quality ones are a phone call or a drive away. I just wanted to use this Sunday's post as a Thank-You to a few folks.


Thank you Matt, for letting me drunkenly explain electromagnetic wave propagation to you and for offering "bite pear".


Thank you Kristine, for being so genuinely proud of me when I told you I was going to Hopkins and for showing me what an "interpretive dance party" looks like.


Thank you Michelle, for all the great conversations we have and for laughing at my dumb jokes.


Thank you Nelson, Pat, and Ryan, for getting Adele permanently stuck in my head.


Yea, that one.


Thanks to everyone who was there that night; it's going to be a glorious summer.


Goodnight all,

M.

Laundry list...

Oh hello, I didn't see you there...

Ohh, it's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep.

Today I took a rest day, as my entire body is sore from working out on a regular basis. Tomorrow and Friday are going to be glorious out, so I plan on riding my bike to and from work on both days (we'll see how I feel on Friday though....).

Looking over Margaret, now that riding season is upon us, I have come up with a short 'to do' list:

• Straighten Chainline (critical for fixed gears / single speeds)
• This may come down to me purchasing that Phil Wood Bottom Bracket I mentioned a couple of posts ago that would allow me to put in a more narrow spindle (that I purchased years ago)
• Install new chain and fix eccentric front crank
• I think the chain is being stretched and worn out from an overly eccentric front crank (some points in the revolution make the chain tenser than others)
• Take off the red paint on the front fork arms, revealing glorious chrome much like this:

Oh so classy. Only the fork ends would be chrome though, the connecting bit would still be that candy red.

I'm pretty excited about those fork arms, As I just noticed the chrome under some of the red paint that had been scuffed off.

So that's the sum total of the situation thus far. The disparity in effort between actively getting fit and passively getting fat is unfairly enormous, but I'm staying the course and not sabotaging myself; I know this is going to take time and it will be worth it when I come out the other side.


Have a good rest of the week everyone!

M.

A quick "fix"...

Good evening,

Another week passes, and my time in the area grows shorter and shorter. Technically, I have until I move to Baltimore (more on that at a later date) to do the century. It's going to take a LOT of work though...

Between work and going back home every other weekend and the ridiculously unpredictable weather, it has been difficult to ride at all. I just took a quick one today, and it reminded me of how wonderful riding a fixed gear bicycle can be. So I have a couple of neat videos that basically demonstrate that sentiment, with a pinch of history and a glance at the "fixie" sub-culture.

By the by, the last video, along with this article by Sheldon Brown, inspired me to start riding fixed. P.S., that's Lance Armstrong in the white shirt and Livestrong bracelet. Awesome.

fixed city | Trailer [subtitled] from e r t z u i ° film on Vimeo.


MASH Austin with Lance Armstrong 2008 from MASH TRANSIT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.


As far as blog business is concerned, I think I will start posting only twice a week. I often miss Thursday updates, and I feel like I will start running out of worthwhile things to post doing three a week. So posts will henceforth be distributed on Wednesday and Sunday of every week.

I didn't weigh myself today. Don't plan to.

Shut up, I know.

I have been working out quite a bit though, so that is good. Unfortunately, a muscular frame (particularly upper body) is not ideal for cycling. It adds to your weight on a bike while not helping to move said weight.

Andy Schleck, more commonly known as a twig. Very fast.

Thomas Jane, from The Punisher. Although the height of bad-assery, not as quick on a bike as Andy above.

If I had the upper body of Thomas Jane in The Punisher, I wouldn't give a damn if it slowed me down on a bike. Also my body naturally puts on bulk muscle, not lean. Oh well. I guess I'll make it a point to not over do it with the chest and arms.

Anyways, I'll post on Wednesday about God-knows-what.


Best,

M.

A wild post appears!!...

Good evening!

Today I'm going to show you some pretty pictures of bike parts.


Sounds fun, right?


First up: Campagnolo, who most consider the best of the best when it comes to bike parts for racing.

Daaammmmnnn.

You know what this is? IT'S A WATER BOTTLE HOLDER.

Gorgeous.

Phil Wood: Machine specialists who does what everybody else does better , as well as make what others do not. Serious quality here.

THIS. THIS would be sooooo nice. I could put a modern bottom bracket into Margaret.

My machining senses are tingling.

Lastly, Crank Brothers: pure, unadulterated beauty.

Clipless "egg-beater" pedals.

Not modern art, but a handlebar stem. Yes, seriously.

So there are some parts that I consistently lust after, but will probably never shell the money to purchase.


Oh, I wanted to direct you all to another cycling blog that sort of inspired the idea for this one, the Fat Cyclist. He's a pretty funny guy and I enjoy his posts, so I though you all would too. Here is his latest.


For Thursday: Surprise!!!

Priorities...

Howdy...

Long time no see, right?

Well I have to admit that this week was a bit of a wash. I had a lot of things to deal with and I actually didn't ride at all, which is not good.

Which is to say: bad.

I have been trying to work out though, and it feels quite good. Apparently, as my labmates, P.I. and I discovered amidst drunken shenanigans last night, I am the strongest in lab! And although having more physical prowess than a bunch of fellow nerds may not be the biggest accomplishment of my life, I'm going to chalk that one up in the "win" column.

So, like I said, I haven't been able to do a whole lot this week, which means that there isn't a lot to talk about in this post... I'm just under 200lbs as of this morning, but I was at 197 midweek (let's just say I temporarily fell off the wagon). Here is the BMI chart that I'm working with:

http://men.webmd.com/weight-loss-bmi

According to WebMD, a score of over 25 means you are overweight, while a score of over 30 renders you obese. Just looking at this chart, though, makes me want to call shenanigans. For me to not be overweight, I would have to clock in around 150lbs, which is mind-boggling. Do you know the last time I was 150lbs??

Never.

Well, not never, obviously. But sufficiently long enough that I can no longer recall.... Maybe that is what I'm supposed to weigh. Damn. This is a picture of me when I weighed around that much, I'm guessing.

Wait, WHAT?

 AAAAaaannnddd now:

Obligatory photo credit to Laura of http://laurasbloggityblog.blogspot.com/, which she never updates anymore *cough*cough*slacker*cough*

Wow. Obese. Yes. My word...

Well. Yes. I have a ton of work to do. But this will be good.


I hope...


Tuesday (I swear I'll post on time): Bike parts I would sell my hypothetical first-born for.