running email

Handsome

This last week has been a firestorm of events. Punches coming at me left and right, but the good news is they were all good punches, similar, if not equal to the Hawaiian variety.

I could list out each day and make some Venn diagrams describing my week but instead here's the abbreviated list in no particular order:

- Finished school for this term, and already got pretty good grades. Hopefully with another "A" coming my way if my teacher finds it in her amazing, forgiving soul to not punish me for turning in part of my final in late

- Created an acting resume which I subsequently turned in to a production agency and ACTUALLY got a call back for an audition. I have no idea what is going to happen but I would wager that I'm probably going to prepare exactly the same way that I did to create the resume; by putting "how to prepare for an audition" into Google. Praise the internet.

- Got to hang out with my good buddy Boone who just got back from touring with Portugal. The Man. Some very interesting music from that neck of the woods and I'm always curious what kind of crazy John Gourley is going to shoot out, probably in the form of a cherub like falsetto. (TWSS)

- I finally got to print a version of my "WHY?" poster, something I've been meaning to do for months now. You can thank Kayleigh, my roommate, for that one. If there's something I don't feel shame for, its using PNCA's screen printing ink for my own personal gain.

- #3. Maybe two people might get this reference. Lucky for me none of them read this.

Crazy week with guaranteed more crazy to come. ( I think )


Danny

Damn bro iss' Cold out

2009 has been the year of extremes.

107 degrees in August, and currently, as in as I'm typing this right now, 20 degrees.

This reoccurring weatherman fantasy keeps rolling through my head where I see a scurry of people rushing around a war roomesque area with a fevered roar of voices saying things like, "inconciveable!" and "the numbers just don't add up!". And yet at the same time I know people live in places like Minneapolis, and Chicago, and I realize that its not just cold there, its agonizingly cold or as I have dubbed "angry cold".

0 degree bullshit


Life Persists


DBF

A Sick Acceptance

For those who don't know today is Black Friday, which is basically a holiday that that was created in leu of when to officially start the Christmas shopping season. Any other year I'd probably just be pissed, upset about the various ramifications of what it means to actually have crowds that trample each other just for a deal, and yet this year I didn't see any of that, (in Portland anyway). I went to Pioneer place to crowd watch, seeing as today would be a particular good day to do that, and even in the masses of various people of different colors and creeds all I saw was a bunch of people shopping. Yes, I'm sure there was intense deal mongering between more than one late forty year old that I probably missed, but overall I was actually left quite cheery.


Which led me to my this next conclusion,


1. Is Christmas intensely fueled by capitalism, yeah I would say so
2. Do people over over-indulge, probably

And even with these shortcomings, I'm really amped about this years holiday season. I'm ready for a pleasant reclusiveness brought on by the seasonal cold, a chance to be able to appreciate those who I've met, and a willingness to meet so many more new individuals; all carrying their own specific eccentricities.


Hellz Yeah Holidayz


Danny

Sauvies

As cyclocross season comes to a close, winter begins its initial decent upon Portland, and subsequently my existence. However, before that whole process actually commences there's still the Kruger's Farm race on Sauvies island, and in terms of races its basically designed to make one feel better about themselves after a hard season of racing and possibly losing.

You can have the worst season racing the Cross Crusade, never truly doing well, but if you race Sauvies things are basically guaranteed to end nicely. Its flat, quick, there are no call ups so you can just go to the front of the line of racers, and most importantly, almost all the fast people are too tired to show.

Its like being Hershey's and going to a chocolate contest only to find that Nestle didn't show up.

SO great

Pissing Rain

I just thought I'd get that out of the way considering it would inevitably come up in the posting. For the record it rained from approximately "all morning" to "most of the afternoon", so yeah.

My return to 'cross occurs tomorrow, and when I say return I mean I took a week off last week and I may/may not be able to keep up. I strive for a lack of ambiguity in my race predictions and from what I've calculated, the previous sentence seems to be a mostly accurate summary of how I could perform.

Mostly


Danny?

Unholy hard to fucking find Grail

Cross Crusade Grail hunt; you are a bitch

today I decided it would be a good idea to wander around some of the map locations and see if I could find any "medieval grail weapons".

HORRIBLE IDEA ON A BICYCLE

I mean its not like the landmarks are "that" inaccessible but damn, I rode around a bunch, and of course I came up with nothing. I'm not that tired now but I probably will be tomorrow.

SO tough


danny

Fright Town

I specifically labeled this post after what I'm doing tonight so that when I frequent my homepage I'm more inclined to write. SO HELLS YEAH WORLD, more of Danny Felts spamming the internet!

In all seriousness tonight is one of the nights that Fright Town, ( local crazy ass haunted house ), is running, and while last year was fun I'm particularly looking forward to this go around. I happened to be a straggler in last years job picking and went from being a fairly harmless ghost covered with a typical uniform white sheet, to having to sit in a small room that was pitch black, with a strobe light, with fake dead bodies swinging all over the place; all this accompanied by low moaning sounds for 2+ hours.

lolz


No Astoria this weekend, as much as I would like to race I could use a week off, and I was sick for the majority of the week, which was awesome. The Crusade will have to wait

The bamboo bike project is also under way, if all goes well I should be at the very least a satisfied owner of something I could other wise never get unless I knew Alan. Should be sweet.

Wort uber,


Danny

Many things have happened

Fall is being greatly appreciated this time around.



I don't have any definitive answer why, maybe I'm more prepared for the cold then I've been in previous years, or I'm slightly more of a badass in ways I don't know, (I expect this to be the eventual truth), but thus far the only thing I've been noticing in Portland is how much I'm in enjoying the tree's change colors.

Fall/Spring: better half of the year for reals

Summer: sweet, but sweaty; kind of like raucous love making

Winter: Contains only two good things: My birthday (JAN 7, 1988), and the fact that I get my fix of video games during winter break. Otherwise it can suck it.


Cyclocross:

Been doing well lately, ironically enough with my best finish up at Rainer. 35/125 in the C's. Not that bad, although it would be cool to race with the rest of my age contingent up in the B field, after all somebodies got to get 90Th; might as well be me. Hillsboro is tomorrow, looking forward to a fast course, and people complaining about getting amoebas from falling in the cow shit. LOL



Other than that?

My feelings on people who think they are friends with professors just because they are old remains the same,

They, like winter, can suck it.




Danny

Stuff that I want to write about

For the most part I'm a very future oriented person. Most of the time I prefer to see things as how they could possible turn out, and while that is slightly pointless it doesn't take away from the fact that I find it hard to believe its already the middle of September; maybe not the exact middle but halfway through all the same.

CrossVegas is fast approaching and while I look forward to hanging out in Vegas and begining my Cyclocross season, I am worried about school. Not so much in a " oh, I don't want to go back to school because I don't want to work " kind of way, but rather the fact that if everything goes correctly this year, then I will probably be done. Which I think is a sort of unsettling concept.

And then on the other hand other people may look at it as an opportunity, a chance to do something completely different, travel new places, become integrated into society as one of the masses, yet it does not feel right, not yet anyway. Its strange being relatively close to the edge of my education, although I suppose (insert life long lesson neatly wrapped up into one sentence),


Danny

Cashing in my lack of leaks

For some reason or another my encounters with tires flatting is quite similar to the changing of the seasons. While it doesn't happen often, every couple of months something drastic happens and my rhythm is thrown off for a couple of weeks. Basically I get a flat, try to patch it, fail, try again, and then proceed to buy a new tube in concession. Right now I'm in the middle of the cycle and hope that this will be my last patch before something inevitably goes wrong, for while some may enjoy buying tubes (their 6$ now), I do not.

CrossVegas approaches incredibly quickly and I'm pretty excited. While last year was fun, this year I have the privilege of actually getting to compete, which should be curious indeed.


Not much else to report but I'm sure I will think of something later...

My frustrations

Right now, that is to say exactly at this moment I've had almost all I can have of designing. I'm sitting in Smith right now and for whatever reason Illustrator is not having whatever I'm trying to accomplish. After nearly an hour of fumbling around trying to wrap text around a spiral almost all of my attempts have failed; and quite frankly there's no reason why they should.

I guess the good news is that I did, (and this is a big did), actually get permission from a musical artist to design a poster.

Astronautilis to be more specific, google him people its good stuff. Kind if like Why? were slightly folkier and weirder if thats even possible.

Should be a good design when its done but for now, fate is against me.



And I think i might start a new blog for Faux Sho specific stuff.


Danny

The internet actually has monetary value

So get this world

Just now I was searching the internet, as I normally do once I've eaten my 12:00PM breakfast and made my way to campus, when I discover this little jem.

http://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.sosovelo.com

And all this time I thought people were making websites to be hip and cutting edge when in all actuality, they make a profit. But does it really work?




Bikesnob: $24060.8 USD
Facebook: $602.25 Million USD
Sosovelo: $2423.6 USD?


Answer: I think so.

CREATIVITY: It ebbs and flows

8th

After one 3rd place finish, two mechanicals, and some technical mishaps that was my overall placing at Short Track. Pretty cool considering I've never ridden mountain before. In some ways its like Cyclocross but in many ways its not. I'll keep it at that.


Designing has slowed rapidly but I really think its just my inability to actually print anything, that and Menomena hasn't gotten back to me yet but hey maybe they're just really busy. After all they did say they were trying to master their album during mid august, which is almost here by the way.

Other good new though, I have a good design for AU that I'm trying to work out. Its amazing what I conceive in my head and how I sometimes manage to get it out on paper. I suppose its all part of the creative process that change in medium. From...




to

Time to Recap!

I've neglected this blog like a prostitute neglects her crack baby, for shame Danny

But cool stuff has happened, and PIR Short Track is in full swing and doesn't show anytime of stopping soon, (or at least for three more weeks...) I've been happy with my results thus far but have been trying to ignore the point count up seeing as it ruins races. All's I know is that I've scored well and will attempt to keep doing that, and hey, I might even get something cool in return. (Isn't that what its all about, FREE SCHWAG YEAH!)

I'm also on a binge design fury and have been in front of the laptop like crazy. I'm just going to say it and say Adobe Illustrator has to be the best software ever created, and keep in mind I'm including Kidsdesk, Paint, and Hypercard when I say this.

I'll post some stuff up eventually,


Also there's a Christian band playing in the background of the Broadway and a I can faintly hear screaming children.

DOUBLE YEAH!

hitting home?

"Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.

Now, I realize Portland considers itself the home of "bike culture," and I'm sure it's a lovely place to ride a bike, but seriously--it's enough already. Is there any news or pop cultural event around which the people of Portland will not form some sort of kitchy theme ride?"


BSNYC posted this a couple days ago and while I do enjoy living in Portland, I can't help but feel that he's somewhat hit the nail on the head. "Bike Culture" as it is now has become one of those synergistic words, born from the increasing amount of people riding these days, and as much as I embrace the the whole DIY attitude of some of the subgroups of said culture, I can't help but sometimes feel that sometimes we cross the line. Keep in mind the line is blurry, ambiguous, and will be argued upon until the apocalypse, but every once and a while something like this happens and I do think to myself "really?"; either that or, "eh, I'm not surprised"


That and I just never really liked Micheal Jackson.

Last Year around this time

So I'm back in Seattle taking an obligatory do nothing week with my parents week, and while I suppose it is technically summer, its progressing at a different pace than last year. For those who don't know last year I found myself in a weird creative slump and it was all the excitement and involvement in Portland's bike scene that sort of kept me afloat and involved, but this time around things are a little different. Before it wasn't a matter of training, or competitive edge it was just a sort of fun involvement in a great progressive scene. The excitement of not knowing what was coming up next, not knowing what a challenge racing on mt tabor was, or having any idea of what the swan island criterium could be; there is something to be said about being completely in the middle of everything and simply knowing that things are fine how they are.

I'm not sure if its the kind of personality type I am, or if I just crave the new or unknown but things are different. I used to ride a pista, now I ride a scattante. Track used used to be my favorite type of racing, now I look forward to cross. I used to be tired all the time, now I eat 2500 calories a day.

Changes, I say, changes.

Danny

I will never have this or, Old people/dentists rejoice!

While it may come as a surprise to some, sometimes I'm not the best mechanic. Over the past year I've "overcome" (fucked up) a variable cornucopia of "hurdles" (bike parts), and its just now that I'm actually beginning to get a grasp of what I'm really dealing with when it comes to fixing my shit. Yes, it can be discouraging and to a very extent dangerous ( crank arm falling off twice...), but the great puzzle that is bike tuning is now actually coming to fruition, myself having just found all the edges of said metaphorical puzzle. However no matter how long I ride or how much I try to learn, I don't think I'll ever truly understand the mystery behind cables and housing. Sure, the concept is simple enough, cables connect to derailleurs, which then stretch cable to different increments to change the gears, etc etc, but for some reason or other when ever that faithful time comes around when I'm having to put all my weight on my shifters in order to change gears because their so full of gunk, I always know it will be an involved laborious process. TO contrast here's what most mechanics go through:

Replace cables and housing when worn/tattered:
- Remove old housing
- Remove old cables
- Put on new cables
- Put on new housing
- Adjust accordingly
- Eat a sandwich

Now here's what those fat cats in Washington aren't telling ya! Or how I go about the same process...

- Remove old housing
- Accidentally messing up shifting
- Curse
- Pay for new housing
- Mix shifting up with brake cabling
- Curse
- Measure old housing length
- Accidentally cut too short
- Cry
- More crying
- Laborious rebuilding/repacking of self-esteem ( like hubs, time consuming )
- Put shifting back on
- Put cables back on
- prematurely cut cables in foolhardy move
- figure out that I need shorter housing with current cable length


The list goes on. But wait! A light at the end of the tunnel? It can't be...



Excalibur! There is a God! Finally a system built just for me. Oh, I can't wait... What? Wait a minute, whats the you say...




Oh...Well at least the dentists will be happy. Until then my plight continues: the endless battle between cables and myself. I believe Captain Barbosa put it best...

Barbossa: Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?


Answer:
Probably

Culture going wireless

If I've learned anything over the past year its that people obsessively cling to things, whether it be people, pass times, what have you, and in conjuncture cyclists are no exception to this rule, and in many cases the outliers we all hear about. Case in point; my own personal flow chart on some of the various divisions of the sport.

Fixed Geared Culture:
njs culture , track culture, city fixed gear culture , riser handle bar culture, 144bcd culture

Road Culture:
Campy/Shimano/Sram culture/obsession, century culture, STP culture
Cross Culture:
Embrocation Culture, Pain/Nihilistic Culture, Winter Culture

Touring Culture:
Riding long distances and watching pretty sunset culture... the list continues.


It seems for whatever discipline people settle on there's the corresponding culture, and subculture that go along with said culture and while I have no real problem against any of this I'm curious to see where this particular innovation lands...

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/product-road-bike-root-category/2009-shimano-dura-ace-di2-st-7970-sti-levers-5957.2333.0.NONAV.html

Yes, Shimano has apparently perfected that which can sometimes be the most annoying thing on a bicycle, and subsequently the reason why many ride fixed to begin with, besides the culture side of it anyway...

NO MORE CABLES! Shifting cables that is but don't trust my word, competitive cyclist has already beat me to it...



For all the chatter about electronic shifting replacing mechanical, the place where people will love it or hate it is at the shift lever. Shimano rightly lavished plenty of attention when they designed the Dura Ace Di2 Dual Control levers.

In order for the Di2 levers to work at shifting your bike, they must be used in conjunction with the Di2 front derailleur, rear derailleur, battery pack, and wiring kit.

The most obvious advantage to going electronic is the fact that the cable routing doesn't add friction to the system. No cables = no friction. Add to that the system is fast. Really fast. Faster than downtube shifting. 30% faster than shifting on mechanical Shimano Dura Ace 7900. Better still, the shifting feel is much lighter. You can do it when you're tired. You can do it with "weak" fingers. You don't have to move your wrists or forearm.

Unlike mechanical Dura Ace, the Di2 shift lever blade doesn't move inward. Instead there are two paddles behind the unidirectional carbon-fiber lever blade. The one closer to the handlebar still does the traditional shifting with the spring (aka onto smaller cogs in the rear, onto bigger in the front), and the one further does the traditional shifting against the spring (aka onto taller cogs in back onto smaller in front). They each have 2mm of travel. Each push results in one shift. Though if you're coasting, you can "pre-shift" any number of gears, and the system will take up the shifting when you start pedaling.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for any following "cable culture" to emerge from the dust that is Dura Ace Di2 but I'm not sure where exactly it will go in my little flow chart, or if it should be there in the first place.

Yonkers, NY

After several days of wonderful weather I think the people of Portland can somewhat officially say that summer is here for what I hope to be at least a couple months...after this week that is. In a last ditch effort to give one final post spring time flourish I think the weather is trying to rain one last time. Kind of...







In an attempt to surprise people into thinking they needed their raincoats today, it rained for about two minutes, and while one could call the actual "shower" lame it was moisture that was the lasting effect on peoples minds. Overall it left me in a lethargic kind of mood but beyond sweating a little more and moving a little slower it reminded me of New York and how long its been since I last visited. Maybe I'm over dramatizing it, but I'll always remember the very distinct feeling of NY humidity and for a couple moments today Portland almost matched it. The only thing missing really was the lack of insects chirping in the background. Specifically...




Fascinating

Team

This is a question that has wracked my mind over continuously since I started riding. In all honesty I'm not entirely sure if I can even say my own opinion is not somewhat biased, but from what I can understand its something along the lines of " a group of like minded individuals with a common goal. "

Case in point...

Team Beer: A team of pub goers
Team Cthulu: A team of metal
Team Ironclad: A team of late 20 somethings
Team Guinness: A team of 40 somethings
Team Cyclisme: A team of enthusiasts
Team PSU: A team of college students?

During Collegiate season, yes




During OBRA season,

?

Da bidness at Marymoor

compared to...




It was the opposite at Marymoor the other day but it really does add new meaning to the phrase " traction speed "

BKW

While Belgian Knee Warmers always puts out good race photography, I also always appreciate they're insight when it comes to race politics and tactics. Read the last two posts about Armstrong and Boonen. Both are quite enjoyable.

Stupidity costs 10.00$

As the weather is ramping up to summer status I am now yet again finding, or rather falling upon, some of the blank spots with my knowledge of bicycle parts/mechanics. Over the past year I've experienced various mechanical failures, not only including loose crank arms, broken seat posts, bent handle bars, broken derailleurs, etc..., and yesterday after a relatively good streak of incident free days I was once again humbled.


The Seat Post Binder Bolt:










A relatively simple part of the bike most notable for the excellent job it does in keeping the seat post from falling, yet yesterday I truly understood the meaning of the saying, " don't over tighten the bolt or you'll fuck it up "; and preceded to over tighten the bolt, and thus fuck things up.






Luckily the damage was not permanent and fortunately enough fixable. So with that a big ups to Peter from 21st Cycles, I believe this would be the third or fourth time you've been present during one of my points of stupidity


EPIC WIN


~DBF

Vanity costs $8.99

At least according to specialized bicycles. I was recently on their website looking for new sets of road shoes when I came across this little number...
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=40468

Of course Rivercity has them for exactly the same price, and yet they do not have the white version. With shipping at about nine dollars this would be heracy if anyone ever found out that I was tempted to order them, what with the push in Portland to get people to keep going to bike shops rather than the internet.

And yet I fail at this as well...
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=17144&item=50-2103&slitrk=search&slisearch=true

perhaps the mother of all online retailers, Performance has once again roped me in what with their low, low prices.

Perhaps if I were a rich dentist things would be easier.

Cody

There's a fragility in opinion that I think I no longer can say that I am immune to.


It was a feeling a haven't truly encountered for some time; true objective sadness. Yesterday when I was talking to my father I learned that one of my families three dogs was diagnosed with liver cancer and that it had already spread to his lungs terminally. At first I didn't really know what to say, and truthfully there wasn't much to be said.

He received the shot today sometime in the afternoon not a day after my knowledge

He had done nothing to anyone, at times he could be yappy like any other small dog, and of course sometimes that yappiness transcended into a full scale hate factor where I was the one wishing death, but given the opportunity to strap him down to a table and give him the lethal injection would I? Absolutely not; and here, all of a sudden, something completely beyond my power does, in such a short span of time that it throws me into shock, almost like a joke. A fatal infallible truth; and now he's gone.

It was the first time I've heard my father cry in a long time. As a kid I was very lucky, both of parents despite their eccentricities had a firm grasp on reality and were seldom brought to tears; brought to vulnerability, and despite this I hear the sniffling of my mother over the phone, and the hushed crying of my father in the background.

No one is an island. I thought I was beyond emotion, and yet all it took was the unmitigated pattern of truth and fate. I'm not a religious person but I do wish a peace upon my family, and a peacefulness in the dog that I now recognize to be good.


Danny

POINT OF INTEREST FOR THE DAY:
Generally speaking I think its a good thing to live in the present, although recently I've found myself doing the exact opposite.

School has been good to me thus far. This term I'll be finishing up FIlm History which turned out to be far more interesting than ever previously thought. Overall I'm glad I'm a film major, maybe its not the most conventional study, but it beats solving math problems.

The OSU and WWU/UW races went very well, more and more I'm finding I like Criterium's much more than Road Races. They remind me of Cross and I like that.

yeah

Winter Term: Done

After a steady completion of final after final, my Winter Term is for all extensive purposes over. I have to say taking 20 credits wasn't as bad as I imagined. Granted most of my classes functioned a little differently with the work load emphasized in different places, but overall not a horrible experience. The weather has been off and on this week with random downpours and bouts of sunlight.


Typical manic Portland; can't make up its mind to save its life.

I've mostly recovered from my brief bout of sickness, its always a weird feeling re acclimating after being bed ridden for a couple days. The real test will be this weekend. I'm not sure how people fair doing 30 mile bike races and what not after being sick but I'll see soon enough.

I hope I don't die

the end

Sickness

I has it.

And have had it for the past four days.

Lame

S&D III

Spand and Deliver #3: Half Messenger/Half Road Race. Alley Cat

If there is any indicator to how I've improved since last year, (coming up on almost exactly last year now), this is it. I did this alley cat last year and got DFL, attributed mostly to my lack of coordination between checkpoints, but either way by the end I was more tired then I had ever been and in last.

Things I learned during the race last year

- do the checkpoints in the right order
- try not to fall
- how to descend Mt Tabor correctly

Things I acquired from last years race

- DFL
- A Candy Bar
- A Nickname

Concluding thoughts: no expectations, have fun.

Banana #1

Today was the first race in the Banana Belt series for OBRA. I suppose it was my first race of the "season" and overall I did fine considering I've never actually done a road race before. 19/31: slightly below mid pack but I mainly attribute it to the down hills I had to deal with 2/3 through the last lap. I had kept a pretty good pace but after failing to keep on on a very sharp turn down a monster hill I lost the pack and had to sprint just to keep up. Again, descending is something I'm not very good at but I mostly attribute it to the fact that its hard to be steady in any situation when your gangly, and 6'3.5", this isn't including the fact that it was going down a wet hill at 35mph and having to make a 90 degree turn. So overall I didn't do horribly. I would have liked better if I finished higher, but for a first road race that wasn't too bad.

On a slighter more ironically positive note it rained almost consistently through my race and for the most it didn't really bother me, I can thank the Cross Crusade for that one.

As far as road racing in general, its something I need work on so I suppose I shall continue to proceed.

Thats all for now?

Theft

Recently I was unfortunate/fortunate enough to get my wheel set stolen and then get it back. I've got to say, as far as gut feelings go, getting something stolen from you definitely leaves the sourest, emptiness taste. I'm really lucky I got an opportunity to get my wheels back but this little theft has been floating around for about two weeks now and as far as emptiness goes its somewhere between Dick Cheney's heart and a black hole.

I'M GUNNA GET YA!

http://bikeportland.org/2009/02/18/thief-swipes-high-end-bikes-from-pearl-district-condo-photos/

I've got to say as far as thefts go this guy has really screwed himself. When my shit got stolen the only person who cared enough to look was probably me and a few other close friends/cyclists, but this guy is offering up a 1000$ bounty. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Moots company aside from the fact that they actually decided to name a bike building company Moots, but if I so much as see the slight gleam of Titanium anywhere in the Pearl, this guys pretty much done. I had a day dream just a second ago of unclipping and pouncing on the guy while riding, so one can imagine what social justice/universal curvyness coupled with bounty of 1000 means to me right now.

Headcold

its been about two years since I fell ill to any illness that kept me bedridden, but ever so occasionally a stray head cold will catch me off guard and I'm forced to weather waking up feeling like a foot, and walking through the day in a half daze.

So why fight and forced thought when I can just go on the internet.

Thats what I thought

Busy

Any idea of consistent riding this week has been promptly thrown out the window because of a recent two day head cold, and the onslaught of mid terms that goes along with taking twenty credits.

I do think Saturday will be a productive ride though

Also, I still don't have a house.

Danny

Craigslist is...

I came up with plenty of adjectives to try to finish that previous statement, really though, the only thing I've learned about Craigslist, is that when you give people a foot, they generally want a mile.

The housing search soon comes to close. Its very possible that I might find myself either living way out by interstate or relatively close in near Belmont. My biggest concern at this point is finding tubs to put all my shit in, so overall things are not that bad.

While I can't quite put my finger on it, I do think the days are getting slightly longer
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_pap.pl

Which is always encouraging

Danny

I've got back into the swing!

Winter break is know weeks behind me and I think I can say that despite all the sidetracking that I do participate in, there is now some sort of strange pattern to my daily living.

Good things that have happened:
- I'm taking twenty credits this terms at PSU, so I never can say "I'm not busy", or "I don't have homework, ", or something to that extent. And yes, this is indeed a good thing despite what some may say.
- PSU cycling has been interesting to say the least. I'm going on weekend rides, in addition to training every day in some form or another. Again, sometimes difficult but a good thing.
- Its not raining, point made.
- I'm eating more, or, I'm not going into muscle depletion because I'm riding more than I'm eating.

Not as good things that have happened:
- My landlord is evicting me and my three roommates on the grounds that " he needed to live there to fix everything that was broken ". To his credit many things were broken, ( i.e the fuses, outlets, dishwasher, heating system, etc ), and because of his own lack of responsibility, ( not fixing these things one at time months ago when we asked him ), we are now mostly homeless. SO if anyone has a room/closet ( 8*8 will work,) that they are not using, I'd love to rent it!
- Its cold. No surprise but its to be expected.


Belated New Years Resolutions that I forgot about:
- Go on a ride with every single Portland Based Cycling Team
- Eat more
- Successfully write a song with a vocoder. (Maybe)
- Be more successful than I was last year

The last is the same resolution Akon has, although I'm sure his is much more linked with rap music production.


Danny