Got a new brain bucket. So there’s that. Not sure what I’m gonna use this for, but it’s pretty nice.
Feb 162013
Feb 152013
I’ve had far too many occasions to do this in my life.
Today I found out that an old friend and fellow Guardsman was killed.
Another friend taken, another star extinguished before it could reach its zenith. The world is a lesser place for lack of the light that was my friend, Tina. May she rest in peace, and may her family find comfort in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy.
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Amen.
Feb 142013
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and I attended my church’s service, which included the traditional imposition of ashes. The choir sang, I was asked to sing the verse of the day, and the sermon was so good, I joked with Pastor Voss afterward that it was almost too good to waste on a Wednesday night service. It was about the famous question Pilate asked Jesus during his trial: “What is truth?” There is much we can learn from Pilate’s exchange with Jesus, but I can’t improve on Pastor’s sermon, so just go here and read it instead.
At the end of the service, we sang all eight verses of Abide With Me, a hymn I always have to fight back tears while singing. With how particularly difficult this winter has been for my family and close friends, and the passing away of several of our loved ones, I found it even more moving and soothing than usual. If you are struggling now as my family has been, I hope it will bring comfort to you as well.
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea.
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.
Thou on my head in early youth didst smile,
And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee.
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Feb 132013
Morning is not a calm time for me. Most days, I’m doing good to leave the house with all of my clothing in the appropriate places, so making breakfast isn’t really on the agenda. Enter the home made breakfast burrito! It’s cheap, it’s healthy, and it’s just about perfect (with a to-go mug of orange juice) to start my day during my commute.
We start with some tasty organic salsa. I like this brand quite a bit, but haven’t picked out a favorite flavor. I think I’ll actually be switching to a locally made salsa from Second Street Market soon.
Fresh, cage-free, drug-free eggs from Innisfree Farm in Pleasant Hill. This picture has not been color enhanced. The yolks really are that bold in color, and they’re SO tasty!
Freshly shredded, organic sharp cheddar. Looking for a local cheesery (is that the word? sounds right…) to start getting this from.
Tortillas from Dorothy Lane Market (not their brand). Nothing special taste-wise, but they’re almost entirely organic, so there’s that. Is there a local tortillary (see what I did there?) I should know about?
Wonderfully tasty chorizo from KJB Farm in Tipp City. You have to squeeze it out of the casings, which is a little bit like pooping with your hands, but once you’re past that it’s all good.
Huevos con Chorizo!!
Assembly of the aforementioned ingredients. I left the salsa out this time to see if it’d make them less messy for eating while driving. It did, but I miss the flavor. Lesson learned for next time.
Now that’s a pile of happy if I ever saw one. Quick, easy, wholesome breakfast for a bit over two weeks! And not one GMO to be found (I’m looking at you, Bob Evans). Share your favorite quick breakfast recipe in comments!
Feb 122013
I like beer. I like organic things. So why not organic beer? Oh, but my hopes were high. Could I level-up in hippydom? Well, no. Not really.
Great idea, mediocre execution. 6/10 on taste, but +1 point for trying.
Feb 112013
My flexibility rates somewhere between 2×4 and lead pipe. Reflecting on some of the problems I had in the second half of last season, I think my lack of flexibility may have been part of the cause. So this year, I’m making a concerted effort to stretch, often, and thoroughly.
This may not look that impressive, but being able to touch my toes is something of a victory, for me!
Feb 102013
Meet the girl behind many of the pictures you’ll see this year! This is my lovely and talented wife, Katie. She is both my motivation to work hard and do amazing things, and (by virtue of her baking/cooking/ice cream making) the reason I have to work out so much.
We took advantage of the slight warm up to take a couple laps of the neighborhood on our bikes. Spring is so close I can almost taste it!
Feb 092013
This morning I officially kicked off my 2013 race season, by competing in my very first “dry-athlon.” I signed up for the Ultimate division, which meant a 20 minute row, 30 minute stationary bike, 25 minute run, and 15 minute elliptical.
The row went awesome, and I completed 2.72 miles. I had a new playlist from a friend of mine pumpin’, and it totally worked for me. Then I cranked out 9.89 miles on the bike, and despite burning hamstrings, hammered out a decent little sprint (125 RPM!) at the end. On to the run, which I was worried about, since I haven’t run a step since 1 December, trying to let some overuse injuries heal. It was hard, harder than I thought, but I still finished 2.92 miles. Even better, my hip didn’t hurt, and my new shoes worked perfectly! Then I trudged over to the elliptical, a piece of equipment I haven’t used in probably three years. I got in a groove and gradually worked my SPM up to about 140. I got about a minute from the finish and went into an all-out sprint, working up towards 200 SPM when the thing just let go! Something inside the machine just broke, and it stopped counting my strides about 15 seconds from the end! So I got 1.36 miles on that, but should have been closer to 1.5.
I won’t know where I placed for a few days yet, but suffice to say I’m very pleased with my overall performance. Especially that I kept a sub 9-minute pace for my whole run, even having not run for 2 months! I don’t have another race scheduled until 9 March, but I may be looking for something else to do before then.
And special thanks to Mike for the absolutely BAUCE workout mix!
Feb 082013
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, June 2012.
This picture represents the beginning of a new chapter in my riding. After an extended, Air Force mandated hiatus, I got back on track and spent a day with Jason Pridmore’s STAR school. It made me look at my riding in a whole new way, and taught me the things I’m supposed to be doing when I “slow down to go fast.”
Read the full report on my experience here.
Can’t wait to spend another day learning with Pridmore and the gang! Come on, spring…
Feb 072013
Grattan Raceway, September 2009.
This was the weekend I discovered Grattan, a track built by someone with a deep understanding of the capabilities of racing motorcycles, and a pathological hatred for those riding them. Every corner on the track has some trick about it. It’s off camber, blind, has an elevation change, rippled pavement, or some sinister combination thereof. And if that wasn’t enough, in the mornings, the turtles like to come out of the ponds and sun themselves on the track surface, making an already impossibly challenging track into an obstacle course.
I kinda love that place. Can’t wait to go back.
Feb 062013
Summit Point, September 2007. After spending a couple seasons at my two local tracks, I had the chance to try something completely new. And it. Was. Awesome. Summit Point is a track that seems to have a little bit of everything, including a long front straight leading into a downhill, hairpin right for the first turn.
Through the afternoon sessions, I had been using what I thought was a mark on the track as a brake marker for turn 1. Turns out, that mark was actually a shadow, and as the afternoon wore on, it moved ever closer into T1, until I suddenly got in there way, way hotter than I thought was prudent! Summit Point is the track where I learned just how good my brakes are.
Feb 052013
Mid-Ohio, September 2006. This was the day I finally got to get on a “real” race track, and one that I had been dreaming of for years. It was everything I thought it would be, and then some. Mid-Ohio has been a source of triumph and frustration ever since. I always love to ride there and have made some huge strides in my riding, thanks to the challenging layout, but I always leave feeling like I didn’t go quite as fast as I could have. There is perpetual unfinished business at that place, but I always look forward to going, and always have left with a smile.
I miss that helmet, though. It’s been retired.