I want to see your face in every kind of light
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
(Originally sung by Frankie Sinatra)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Making work
Well, we finally found out why Jonnene hasn't received her visa from the US Consulate yet. They don't have the official envelope to mail it in! Back when she went to Sydney for the interview, she forgot to bring the envelope that had been provided. No worries, when informed that she needed that envelope she went to purchase one, returned to the consulate with it, and turned it over to the security staff to deliver to the official who had interviewed her. So she returned to Perth after being told that it should arrive on Friday (12 January). Well, it's now 18 January and a few inquiries had been left with the consulate on where the visa was...the post office said that such a package had not even been mailed yet! Jonnene had the tracking number but there was no such number in the system. Well, the consulate left a message on the phone today saying they had not sent the package yet because they still didn't have the envelope! Apparently, the security staff at the consulate had not delivered it like they were supposed to! Jonnene will call them on Friday and try to straighten things out. This is quite frustrating in that she did what she was supposed to do and we have no results because of it. I'll be waiting to see how it turns out. She only leaves for America on 30 January and it would be quite nice to have that visa!
We're still stuck with the possibility that it could be as long as 90 days before Jonnene can officially work in the States. Like most beauracracies in most countries but especially in the USA, there's a love affair with "make-work", almost a culture of creating unnecessary work to justify keeping a job within the immigration community. It's one of the reasons why it's so difficult for people who want to come here legally, yet Congress and other "do-gooders" trip over themselves to make things easy for those who illegally slip into this country. Since the legals are doing things right, they pay the penalty of huge amounts of paperwork, legal fees, application fees, and waiting, waiting, waiting. Then they do it all some more. Legals follow the law and suffer greatly....illegals knowlingly break the laws but appear to suffer few consequences.
The main thing is that she'll be here soon. We'll deal with everything else and make it all work. I feel that we've been through too much already that we can't let the little things in life mess with us. This should make us put our priorities in order and appreciate what we have, and make us stronger as a couple. Things will get better because we'll make them better.
The truck's at the shop getting some repairs done and getting a look-over for the trip. It's got over 187,000 miles on it and after we're back certainly some additional things will need to be tended to. Jonnene will get her own vehicle shortly after she arrives, making her independent and way more active around here.
My friend Paul is driving down from Little Rock Friday night to visit and drop off the luggage carrier that I'll be using for the Cali trip. He'll head back on Sunday morning. It'll be fun to hang out with him for a while and I might talk him into going to Monroe for the Warhawk's mens and womens basketball games on Saturday night. There'll be a reunion of the squads from 1981 thru 1985 there as well as a big crowd so I think we could have a good time touching base with people we know.
We're still stuck with the possibility that it could be as long as 90 days before Jonnene can officially work in the States. Like most beauracracies in most countries but especially in the USA, there's a love affair with "make-work", almost a culture of creating unnecessary work to justify keeping a job within the immigration community. It's one of the reasons why it's so difficult for people who want to come here legally, yet Congress and other "do-gooders" trip over themselves to make things easy for those who illegally slip into this country. Since the legals are doing things right, they pay the penalty of huge amounts of paperwork, legal fees, application fees, and waiting, waiting, waiting. Then they do it all some more. Legals follow the law and suffer greatly....illegals knowlingly break the laws but appear to suffer few consequences.
The main thing is that she'll be here soon. We'll deal with everything else and make it all work. I feel that we've been through too much already that we can't let the little things in life mess with us. This should make us put our priorities in order and appreciate what we have, and make us stronger as a couple. Things will get better because we'll make them better.
The truck's at the shop getting some repairs done and getting a look-over for the trip. It's got over 187,000 miles on it and after we're back certainly some additional things will need to be tended to. Jonnene will get her own vehicle shortly after she arrives, making her independent and way more active around here.
My friend Paul is driving down from Little Rock Friday night to visit and drop off the luggage carrier that I'll be using for the Cali trip. He'll head back on Sunday morning. It'll be fun to hang out with him for a while and I might talk him into going to Monroe for the Warhawk's mens and womens basketball games on Saturday night. There'll be a reunion of the squads from 1981 thru 1985 there as well as a big crowd so I think we could have a good time touching base with people we know.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Cold, windy, all that stuff
It's freakin' cold around here! I doubt the temps will get above freezing today. As a result I can't get the engine in my truck steam-cleaned because it's too cold. I need to get that oil sensor fixed before I leave for Cali and we can't confirm that it's the problem until the engine is cleaned of all the sprayed oil on the side of it, and then we can look for any new leaks. But that's a minor problem...we'll get 'er done on Thursday when it's warmer. In the meantime, the oil has been changed and I hope to have everything else done by the weekend.
As bad as it is here in Louisiana, with a few closed roads and some sleet, it's definitely worse in places in Oklahoma and parts of Texas along with a few other states. But it's a typical winter in the middle states and the news media is making it out to be the end of the world. The snow and ice isn't the real problem...the coming floods will be. There's been so much rain at the beginning of the year that most of the ground around here is soaked to the gills. And, you know, this is pretty much typical, too. It's a big deal to the people who are affected but it's what weather does and there's nothing unusual about that.
Los Angeles got nuked on the show "24" last night! It's still being debated as to whether that's a loss or not....joking. After 5 seasons, Jack Bauer finally wasn't able to stop the disaster. This is one of my favorite shows so you know where I was Sunday and Monday night for 4 hours total. I hope Jonnene lets me keep watching! I heard that "24" was very popular outside the United States, especially in the Middle East, for one primary reason: everyone likes watching the USA getting blown up and having all these disasters! Ha! Of course, the meaning of the show is way deeper than that but, hey, if you're watching it then you must have a reason. I like it because of the character that Keifer Sutherland plays, Jack....the character understands quite clearly what his role is and is willing to do what he has to do to accomplish the right thing. It's not always clear-cut for him but he tries to see the big picture and how even the smallest thing he does can affect so many people and situations. I'd like to think I'm like that but I'm not nearly as brave as Jack!
As bad as it is here in Louisiana, with a few closed roads and some sleet, it's definitely worse in places in Oklahoma and parts of Texas along with a few other states. But it's a typical winter in the middle states and the news media is making it out to be the end of the world. The snow and ice isn't the real problem...the coming floods will be. There's been so much rain at the beginning of the year that most of the ground around here is soaked to the gills. And, you know, this is pretty much typical, too. It's a big deal to the people who are affected but it's what weather does and there's nothing unusual about that.
Los Angeles got nuked on the show "24" last night! It's still being debated as to whether that's a loss or not....joking. After 5 seasons, Jack Bauer finally wasn't able to stop the disaster. This is one of my favorite shows so you know where I was Sunday and Monday night for 4 hours total. I hope Jonnene lets me keep watching! I heard that "24" was very popular outside the United States, especially in the Middle East, for one primary reason: everyone likes watching the USA getting blown up and having all these disasters! Ha! Of course, the meaning of the show is way deeper than that but, hey, if you're watching it then you must have a reason. I like it because of the character that Keifer Sutherland plays, Jack....the character understands quite clearly what his role is and is willing to do what he has to do to accomplish the right thing. It's not always clear-cut for him but he tries to see the big picture and how even the smallest thing he does can affect so many people and situations. I'd like to think I'm like that but I'm not nearly as brave as Jack!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Rainy updates
1. The Saints won last night. For the first time in the history of the franchise they'll be in the NFC Championship game next weekend. It should be snowing in Hell, Michigan right now.
2. Jonnene comes to America on January 30th! I leave on the 26th to pick her up and bring her back. This weekend has consisted of getting the junk/bike room in managable shape. The coming 12 days will consist of working the rest of the house, too. The bad part is that it could take as long as 90 days after she gets here before she will be able to work due to the type of visa she has. I hope we can shorten it (and that's very possible) and get her busy!
3. We've had 4-5 great days of warm weather here in Louisiana. It's been nice not to use the heater. But now a storm front has moved in and the temps are dropping. The same system has left snow and freezing rain in Oklahoma and Texas but it's too warm here for us to worry about that. I'm more concerned with the weather when I prepare to drive to California.
4. Haven't done much riding. I went out Saturday and knocked out 30 hard miles but my legs didn't show up. I'm encouraged that I can average over 20 mph for the distance with dead legs. I'd ride today since we have an obvious break in the rain but I'm too lazy to load up the truck for a 20-minute drive (one-way) and then have to deal with a wet, dirty bike (and clothes) when I come back, along with the chill. I'll just have to be a serious bike rider when February gets here since the next three weekends are jammed. Rouge-Roubaix is looking more and more like a lost cause....I just won't be ready for it.
5. Looks like I'm going to be doing ads and publication layouts for Blackwell Research this year! BR is a company that makes and sells bicycle components like various types of wheels, seats, handlebars, cranks, and other parts. Their website is at http://www.blackwellresearch.com/ and I hope it's a lot of fun and pays well. It'll be something I'm interested in. I'm still free-lancing, though...this is not a regular job but another client. That's good since I don't have as many of them as I used to. I've lost several through retirement, closing the business, moving, whatever. At least I can say that it hasn't been because of ME!
6. Finally got some money! Paid some bills! Bought some food! Now I can get some work done on the truck before my trip. I have to get the tires rotated, state vehicle inspection, a tuneup, an oil change, clean the inside/outside, and fix a leaky oil sensor. Unfortunately, I have quarterly tax payments and car insurance to pay this coming week. I hate doing that but, you know the drill, it has to be done.
Like the song says, there's never been a day when money didn't get in my way.
2. Jonnene comes to America on January 30th! I leave on the 26th to pick her up and bring her back. This weekend has consisted of getting the junk/bike room in managable shape. The coming 12 days will consist of working the rest of the house, too. The bad part is that it could take as long as 90 days after she gets here before she will be able to work due to the type of visa she has. I hope we can shorten it (and that's very possible) and get her busy!
3. We've had 4-5 great days of warm weather here in Louisiana. It's been nice not to use the heater. But now a storm front has moved in and the temps are dropping. The same system has left snow and freezing rain in Oklahoma and Texas but it's too warm here for us to worry about that. I'm more concerned with the weather when I prepare to drive to California.
4. Haven't done much riding. I went out Saturday and knocked out 30 hard miles but my legs didn't show up. I'm encouraged that I can average over 20 mph for the distance with dead legs. I'd ride today since we have an obvious break in the rain but I'm too lazy to load up the truck for a 20-minute drive (one-way) and then have to deal with a wet, dirty bike (and clothes) when I come back, along with the chill. I'll just have to be a serious bike rider when February gets here since the next three weekends are jammed. Rouge-Roubaix is looking more and more like a lost cause....I just won't be ready for it.
5. Looks like I'm going to be doing ads and publication layouts for Blackwell Research this year! BR is a company that makes and sells bicycle components like various types of wheels, seats, handlebars, cranks, and other parts. Their website is at http://www.blackwellresearch.com/ and I hope it's a lot of fun and pays well. It'll be something I'm interested in. I'm still free-lancing, though...this is not a regular job but another client. That's good since I don't have as many of them as I used to. I've lost several through retirement, closing the business, moving, whatever. At least I can say that it hasn't been because of ME!
6. Finally got some money! Paid some bills! Bought some food! Now I can get some work done on the truck before my trip. I have to get the tires rotated, state vehicle inspection, a tuneup, an oil change, clean the inside/outside, and fix a leaky oil sensor. Unfortunately, I have quarterly tax payments and car insurance to pay this coming week. I hate doing that but, you know the drill, it has to be done.
Like the song says, there's never been a day when money didn't get in my way.
Monday, January 08, 2007
The End Game
At the time I'm writing this, Jonnene and her Mum should be in their last hour of flying to Sydney. At 5pm Tuesday (my time), she'll be at the US Consulate downtown at her appointment. I'm hoping that sometime Tuesday night I will hear some good news from her. Then in 20 days she'll be here in the USA!
Busy day today....several things to do work-wise, sent off the first invoices of 2007. Picked up two new jobs, one was just a revision of some copy on an ad I did 18 months ago but I still get to charge for it! I'll be busy for most of this week and that's okay with me.
Here's a question that's plagued mankind from the beginning: "Why am I surrounded by so many stupid people?" This question usually pops up when you're driving or at Wal-Mart. I say Wal-Mart because most of the bad driving habits people have are transferred to what they do with their shopping carts at Wal-Mart. It doesn't seem to happen as much at other stores and I don't know why. But people have no problem pushing their carts out from side aisles into main traffic areas without looking....they don't mind blocking an entire aisle with the cart on one side and their bodies on the other, all the while studying what item they want as other shoppers stack up behind them....or, as they make a sharp turn into an aisle, hitting a product on a shelf, knocking it to the floor, and continue on as if nothing has happened. Yeah, pretty much like going down Youree Drive or Airline Drive. I like going to Wal-Mart but I have absolutely no problem ripping the kind of "other" people who also go there. I guarantee that at any one time, about 33% of the people under the roof have no functioning kind of IQ level that allows for attending a secondary school. What's bad is these "normal" people have no excuse for not having a clue as to what's going on. I think I remember the term that a columnist on Fox uses...an "obliviant". I do whatever I can to not be one...I have failed before and will fail again in the future but at least I'm aware of the possibility and do what I can to avoid being one. At least I'm trying in some small degree to improve....it's those OTHER people. As Charlie Brown says, "Aaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!"
Busy day today....several things to do work-wise, sent off the first invoices of 2007. Picked up two new jobs, one was just a revision of some copy on an ad I did 18 months ago but I still get to charge for it! I'll be busy for most of this week and that's okay with me.
Here's a question that's plagued mankind from the beginning: "Why am I surrounded by so many stupid people?" This question usually pops up when you're driving or at Wal-Mart. I say Wal-Mart because most of the bad driving habits people have are transferred to what they do with their shopping carts at Wal-Mart. It doesn't seem to happen as much at other stores and I don't know why. But people have no problem pushing their carts out from side aisles into main traffic areas without looking....they don't mind blocking an entire aisle with the cart on one side and their bodies on the other, all the while studying what item they want as other shoppers stack up behind them....or, as they make a sharp turn into an aisle, hitting a product on a shelf, knocking it to the floor, and continue on as if nothing has happened. Yeah, pretty much like going down Youree Drive or Airline Drive. I like going to Wal-Mart but I have absolutely no problem ripping the kind of "other" people who also go there. I guarantee that at any one time, about 33% of the people under the roof have no functioning kind of IQ level that allows for attending a secondary school. What's bad is these "normal" people have no excuse for not having a clue as to what's going on. I think I remember the term that a columnist on Fox uses...an "obliviant". I do whatever I can to not be one...I have failed before and will fail again in the future but at least I'm aware of the possibility and do what I can to avoid being one. At least I'm trying in some small degree to improve....it's those OTHER people. As Charlie Brown says, "Aaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!"
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Somewhat busy day
Three days in a row on the bike...I haven't done that since September! Today we were back doing the Rocky Mount ride in the north hills. It was supposed to be a recovery ride but it turned into something a little faster and there were numerous attacks on the hills (not from me!). I'm slowly getting back into shape as I did this ride a little better than last Sunday. I hung in for a longer time, was able to catch back on if I got dropped, but I still have a long way to go. We did about 40 miles, so I was able to total about 120 miles from Friday to Sunday. I hope to get to a point soon where I get many more miles than that in just the Saturday and Sunday rides. I am definitely taking Monday off!
I spent much of the morning sorting through the closet of my junk/bike room. I got rid of so many T-shirts today, many of them to be donated, others as cleaning rags. I kept anything that had been designed by me (about 25 years worth of T-shirts right there) or had significant memories attached to them. But I must have tossed out over 50 shirts. Then I moved a lot of my clothes, the more casual stuff, to that closet. I'm emptying out the bigger part of the bedroom closet for Jonnene to put her stuff when she gets here as I move my better clothes and boxes to the smaller section. But the junk room closet looks good! Hopefully the rest of the room will follow suit.
Jonnene has her interview with the US Consulate in Sydney this Wednesday. She arrives there on Tuesday and returns to Perth on Thursday. Hopefully the return to the west coast will be one to celebrate because she should have her visa number and approval by that time if some beaurocrat (sp?) doesn't screw it up. I'm already working the plans to drive out to California to pick her up and bring her back to Louisiana. There's so much to do...it seems even more involved than the wedding was, at least from my point of view. I'll get into more of that as time goes on. I'm just ready to get her here!
I spent much of the morning sorting through the closet of my junk/bike room. I got rid of so many T-shirts today, many of them to be donated, others as cleaning rags. I kept anything that had been designed by me (about 25 years worth of T-shirts right there) or had significant memories attached to them. But I must have tossed out over 50 shirts. Then I moved a lot of my clothes, the more casual stuff, to that closet. I'm emptying out the bigger part of the bedroom closet for Jonnene to put her stuff when she gets here as I move my better clothes and boxes to the smaller section. But the junk room closet looks good! Hopefully the rest of the room will follow suit.
Jonnene has her interview with the US Consulate in Sydney this Wednesday. She arrives there on Tuesday and returns to Perth on Thursday. Hopefully the return to the west coast will be one to celebrate because she should have her visa number and approval by that time if some beaurocrat (sp?) doesn't screw it up. I'm already working the plans to drive out to California to pick her up and bring her back to Louisiana. There's so much to do...it seems even more involved than the wedding was, at least from my point of view. I'll get into more of that as time goes on. I'm just ready to get her here!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Saturday, Today is
Long ride today.....for me at this stage of getting back into shape. Fifty-six miles in 3 hours....hope my legs will forgive me. Tomorrow is another day in the hills of north Bossier Parish. For now, I have earned my nap.
Finally got a check today! Unfortunately it wasn't one of the bigger ones but this one will keep me good for a couple of days and pay a handful of bills. Hope the others get here sooner than later. 2006 just wasn't good for me work-wise and it really put me behind. I hope 2007 is better and lets me catch up.
Finally got a check today! Unfortunately it wasn't one of the bigger ones but this one will keep me good for a couple of days and pay a handful of bills. Hope the others get here sooner than later. 2006 just wasn't good for me work-wise and it really put me behind. I hope 2007 is better and lets me catch up.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Power...more power, Scotty!
I replaced one of my 128mb RAM sticks in my computer with a 512mb (half-gig, baby!) to go with the other 128mb and 256mb sticks in my Mac G4. Now I'm stocking 856mb of raw RAM...yeah, it's not much by today's standards but I'm replacing the other two sticks with two more 512's in another week or so, and then I'll have 1.5 gigs which is the max this model G4 (circa 2002) can handle. When I get this bad boy upgraded in another couple of weeks I'll need to have as much RAM in it as possible to handle the new operating system (finally getting into the 21st century with Mac OSX...lovingly known as System Ten) and the new software that Dan will be installing for me. He'll also be putting in a second larger hard drive and a DVD/CD player/burner. That should keep me going for at least two more years before I need to actually get another computer....the G5 will probably be totally replaced by then and all the Intel bugs will have been worked out.
The nice thing about having the 856mb is that I can already tell my G4 is FASTER. Programs are opening up a bit quicker and, even with dialup, the internet is popping up quicker. I should have done this years ago! Even the monitor looks brighter and happier. By the first full week of February, this will be almost a competely different machine. Of course, I'll have to learn System X and I've heard the learning curve is in the 2-3 month range. I'll still be able to do work but maybe not as fast until I figure it all out. But everyone tells me that once I "get it" I will be in love with the OSX and will never go back. I'm excited already!
I knocked out 25 solo miles on the bike late this afternoon before it got dark. Mostly I did some power work, lots of standing on the pedals, pushing the big gears....no fast cadence or easy stuff...all on the flats. That was my first ride outside this year although I've already put in a bunch of time on the wind trainer since New Year's. Hope to ride both Saturday and Sunday if the weather permits. I'm using my "slow" wheels, a couple of 15-year-old Wolber 32-spoke triple-cross rims with Campy hub on the front and Shimano on the rear. The thinking is that if I can move these wheels fast in a couple of months, my faster wheels will be easier to push come race day and on the fast training rides. The funny thing is that they are my lightest wheels but they're aerodynamically slow.
The nice thing about having the 856mb is that I can already tell my G4 is FASTER. Programs are opening up a bit quicker and, even with dialup, the internet is popping up quicker. I should have done this years ago! Even the monitor looks brighter and happier. By the first full week of February, this will be almost a competely different machine. Of course, I'll have to learn System X and I've heard the learning curve is in the 2-3 month range. I'll still be able to do work but maybe not as fast until I figure it all out. But everyone tells me that once I "get it" I will be in love with the OSX and will never go back. I'm excited already!
I knocked out 25 solo miles on the bike late this afternoon before it got dark. Mostly I did some power work, lots of standing on the pedals, pushing the big gears....no fast cadence or easy stuff...all on the flats. That was my first ride outside this year although I've already put in a bunch of time on the wind trainer since New Year's. Hope to ride both Saturday and Sunday if the weather permits. I'm using my "slow" wheels, a couple of 15-year-old Wolber 32-spoke triple-cross rims with Campy hub on the front and Shimano on the rear. The thinking is that if I can move these wheels fast in a couple of months, my faster wheels will be easier to push come race day and on the fast training rides. The funny thing is that they are my lightest wheels but they're aerodynamically slow.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
If
If I had words to make a day for you,
I'd sing you a morning golden and true.
I would make this day last for all time,
Then fill the night deep in moonshine.
If I had words to make a day for you,
I'd give you a day both golden and true.
I would make this day last for all time,
And fill your night deep in moonshine.
I'd sing you a morning golden and true.
I would make this day last for all time,
Then fill the night deep in moonshine.
If I had words to make a day for you,
I'd give you a day both golden and true.
I would make this day last for all time,
And fill your night deep in moonshine.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
I didn't get to bed until 2 am this morning but it wasn't all due to celebrating the new year. I called Jonnene to share the passage of one year to another, just as she called me about 15 hours earlier when the new year passed through Perth. Both calls lasted quite some time and I'm dragging about the house now. I'm trying to get motivated to do a relatively short bike ride later and then go to a friend's house for a chili party he's putting on...something he's done every New Year's for about 17 years. This will be the first time I've been able to attend.
I got in my last ride of 2006 yesterday and it was up in northern Bossier Parish, or as we call it: the Rocky Mount Ride. This was my first foray into the hills since I did the road race in Monroe back in September and it was painful, just as I thought it would be. By the time it was over I felt like I'd been hit in the thighs with sledgehammers. On a couple of hills I climbed pretty well but the rest were pretty ugly. Ten of us started and I managed to hang on for the first 26 miles through crossed eyes and scrambled brains. Then I had to give up and let the group go....I had warned them this might happen and to go on without me since I knew my way around the countryside. I turned onto Highway 2 and about 200 meters later my rear tire blew out, so forcefully that I felt the air rushed past my legs with a sound that was similar to a gun shot. That was fine with me, since it gave me a chance to rest a bit while I removed the damaged tire and installed the spare. Then I limped back to where we all had parked, put everything up, and left a note so that everyone would know what had happened. I covered 41 miles all told but the last 15 were pretty weak since the hills had taken a lot out of me. I still had to climb those hills on the return! Personally, I think downhills should be equal in time to the uphills but they go by way too quickly.
So, for the year I totaled 4,126 miles which is about 3,000 less than I would like to do but this year was interrupted so much by a lenghty illness in March, the wedding in May (which was fine by me), and my time off in November. After each of these times I had to practically start over from scratch to get back into race shape again. But if you take in both 2004 and 2005 when I rode a combined 7,483 miles, when I had this constant, irritating pain in my legs every time I rode (which, by the way, disappeared last March and hasn't returned), 2006 doesn't look so bad. I think 2007 will have an increase in miles and some better results in my races. My only interruption will be traveling to California to pick up Jonnene and Sophie (the dog) in late January or early February, and I'll probably be needing a brief break by then anyway.
And.....I put in about 164 total miles of running in 2006, including my half-marathon trail run last November. After a weak 69 miles in 2005, preceded by 237 miles in 2004, that was quite an improvement. I'll try to go for 200 again.
Resolutions for 2007 (that I think I can actually keep):
1. Be a good husband.
2. Eat better.
3. Read more.
4. Attempt to improve in everything else.
5. Constantly be amazed. When you think about it, everything is pretty darn amazing.
I got in my last ride of 2006 yesterday and it was up in northern Bossier Parish, or as we call it: the Rocky Mount Ride. This was my first foray into the hills since I did the road race in Monroe back in September and it was painful, just as I thought it would be. By the time it was over I felt like I'd been hit in the thighs with sledgehammers. On a couple of hills I climbed pretty well but the rest were pretty ugly. Ten of us started and I managed to hang on for the first 26 miles through crossed eyes and scrambled brains. Then I had to give up and let the group go....I had warned them this might happen and to go on without me since I knew my way around the countryside. I turned onto Highway 2 and about 200 meters later my rear tire blew out, so forcefully that I felt the air rushed past my legs with a sound that was similar to a gun shot. That was fine with me, since it gave me a chance to rest a bit while I removed the damaged tire and installed the spare. Then I limped back to where we all had parked, put everything up, and left a note so that everyone would know what had happened. I covered 41 miles all told but the last 15 were pretty weak since the hills had taken a lot out of me. I still had to climb those hills on the return! Personally, I think downhills should be equal in time to the uphills but they go by way too quickly.
So, for the year I totaled 4,126 miles which is about 3,000 less than I would like to do but this year was interrupted so much by a lenghty illness in March, the wedding in May (which was fine by me), and my time off in November. After each of these times I had to practically start over from scratch to get back into race shape again. But if you take in both 2004 and 2005 when I rode a combined 7,483 miles, when I had this constant, irritating pain in my legs every time I rode (which, by the way, disappeared last March and hasn't returned), 2006 doesn't look so bad. I think 2007 will have an increase in miles and some better results in my races. My only interruption will be traveling to California to pick up Jonnene and Sophie (the dog) in late January or early February, and I'll probably be needing a brief break by then anyway.
And.....I put in about 164 total miles of running in 2006, including my half-marathon trail run last November. After a weak 69 miles in 2005, preceded by 237 miles in 2004, that was quite an improvement. I'll try to go for 200 again.
Resolutions for 2007 (that I think I can actually keep):
1. Be a good husband.
2. Eat better.
3. Read more.
4. Attempt to improve in everything else.
5. Constantly be amazed. When you think about it, everything is pretty darn amazing.
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