The new Job and the season that never ends...

Wow sorry for the long delay in posts.I'll try not to let this kind of lapse happen again.Here we are on the brink of xmas my least favorite holiday.I'm looking forward to spoiling everyones cheery xmas mood...I;m not what you would call a Scrooge but i'm in the vicinity. Lots to report from my last post...New job at the Trek Bicycle of Downers Grove concept store.I'll be a manager at that store or the new store we just built in Naperville when the season gets here.That seems like a long way off though.As for right now it just seems like time is standing still. I'm stuck here in December with barely any motivation to do any kind of physical activity.I need to wake up and snap out of this funk and soon.Luckily i havent gained any weight yet.But i sure have lost some fitness and strength.I can tell you that with absolute certainty.I have started doing some exercise at work during the downtime i have at the new store.Which anyone knows is alot if your employed at a bike shop in the offseason.I started doing 20 pushups to build up a little strength.WOW.Ouch. In the days proceeding this my chest has ben wicked sore.So im just going to have to keep up the routine until im hardened up.Ya im wishing myself good luck right now. So i went to the Thursday Nite Apres Ride tonite and it seems that they had the yearly (which now will be somewhat weekly or bi-weekly) Pull-up contest for yearly bragging rights.We have alot of these yearly contests i guess...I'm the reigning 5k run champ for the past 2 years,but thats my only title...So back to the story...i walked right into this mess..Apparently Mike disqualified himself for lagging to much between reps so he didnt win but at the same time argues he did win because he did do more but because he took himself out of competition he didnt.That mess could go on for hours.My thoughts on the matte are that if you DQ'd yourself you finished last...Am i right???...So the was much heated debate about th winner so we decided to go to the 2nd event of the nite...This is where i fucked myself...PUSHUPS...FML...So i made a show of it or rather did not make a show of it only being able to do a whopping 2...Thats correct 2 pushups...Im really ashamed to admit such a horrible result but i take solace in the fact that the is a Pro MTB'r by the initials of JHK who is said to not to be able to do a single one...but he is a pro and i dont have a great reason like he does...So now after we all pulled out our man cards tonite(my card was an adolescent one), we are all laying it down on the line and going for broke and training to beat each other...I am at an extreme disadvantage here...Our champion tonite Adam Matson(previously mentioned in a past post) wrecked us all in pushups and made us look like girls and me like a crustacean with no backbone...He unfortunately for all of us, works outside all day lifting heavy stuff and shit so we're all screwed...But i am only going to try to not look like an amoeba and do a respectable amount...Hopefully that renewed motivation will not only get my strength up but will also get me physically ready to rock and roll this coming season...Only time will tell and we will see...More news soon...Later...

I dont think I'll ever have enough bikes

How many bikes is the right number to have?Keeping in mind that you should pay attention to all of them.Lets go down the list.Road/Race Racing Bike,Road/Race Training Bike,Mtn Bike/29er,Single Speed Mtn Bike/29er,Full Suspension Mtn Bike/29er,Cruiser,At least 1 CX(cyclocross) bike,TT(time trial) bike,Track Bike, Commuter or Beater bike....hmmmm there has to be more than that but all i am saying is that i dont have enough.Which was made abundantly clear this morning when my friends and i went on a mega mtn bike excursion before we had to work.I woke up at the wee hour of 545 in order to make sure i got some adequate riding time in.We were to meet at 7-730 am in the first parking lot at Palos.I was there just after 7 and was the only person there until Darryl showed up about 15 mins later.Darryl has never ridden a mtn bike off road ever before in his life.More on that later.When i was in the lot there was a older man also just getting ready to go out for a ride.We spoke briefly about riding and we discussed several trails in the area.I mentioned that i had an fair amount of single track by my house in Plainfield.Never having heard of these trails before he was interested but i had to shut down his request for their location due to the fact that they are a secret and are only known to those who are worthy of knowing the main trail keeper, my friend Bryan.The man took off onto his ride and there i was waiting.After Darryl arrived,Nick showed up shortly after that.And then there was 3.I have never met Nick before but we work at the same bike shop in Chicago but at different locations.I knew tho, that when Nick pulled his bike out that he knew his way around in the dirt.I was relieved because i thought i was going to be riding with a bunch of beginners all day.We all got ready while waiting for our other friends and co-workers and by then it was 745.I hate it when people are late for the ride.Normally on our thursday nite ride we only have a 10 min grace period and then your solo.A call was put in to determine the whereabouts of the rest of our party and they were expected in another 15 mins.Great a whole 30 mins late.FML.I could've slept later. I was there a whole freakin hour before we actually rode.Finally everyone got there and it was time to dance.On the ride roster was Me, Lad, Benjy, Nick, Darryl, Seyamak, Alfredo, and Charles.Half of the group was beginners so we were kind of screwed.I am all for getting people on bikes but bringing them to Palos on one of their if not their very first ride is asking alot out of them.Its kind of like a bad parent teaching their kids to swim by throwing them in.Oh well.All started out well with some gnarly downhills, switchbacks, logs, rocks, burms, and other awesome natural features.We had to stop frequently to get the group on the same trail if we were making a transition to a new one but all in all it was a great ride.We had some wicked terrain that i cant believe the new guys handled really well.Big drops, Huge rocks, blind downhills, tight turns, and just all in all pretty expert stuff.There were a few crashes by them but i was wowed by their ability to hang on and not give up.Lucky for me,and for most of the rest of the beginners we were all riding our new fleet of 2011 Specialized Test/Demo bikes which touches on the subject of this post.I NEED A FULL SUSPENSION 29ER MTB!!!After 2 1/2 hours of riding today, if I brought my Single Speed Mtn Bike with no suspension at all, that would have been a hell for me.The difficulty of Palos far exceeds what my SS Mtb can handle.Thank god for the bike industry realizing a need to try before you buy or else i would've been royally fucked today.To close out, once again a great job to Darryl, Alfredo, Seyamak, and Charles for their rockstar rides today.I know one thing for sure after today.They're hooked.

November

Well here we are in this abyss we all call November.This is definitely one of those transitional months in between fall and winter where we get a myriad of weather and other great stuff.We are going to be raking and blowing leaves which is at some times enjoyable except for when u have to do it on an average of 3x a freakin day.WTF leaves.Is it leaves or leafs?Who the H E double hockey sticks knows?I can tell you one thing for sure tho, when the first of the month came we had our first frost.Thanks for waiting until after Halloween mother nature.I know a  great month of mtb'ing is ahead of us with awesome colors in the trees and solid trails not dampened by rain.I am excited about that.I think i am going to dress up in all black(ninja gear) and scare my friends on their Thursday nite ride this month.Hide in the trees or bushes or something like that and scare the shit out of them.I am kind of excited for Thanksgiving though,i get to cook the turkey again.In the front yard!I learned this special technique from my friend Adam M. he uses a metal garbage can, but i have procured a giant stock pot that transfers heat better.It also does a great job of keeping the oven from being crowded.Check with me later to see how it turns out.Last year it was a big hit.This is also the time of year when idiot Amuricans(derogatory) over crowd the mall and walmart parking lots to buy dumbshit for their family and friends.Do us all a favor and get in and get out dont wander around aimlessly and look at all the lights.You've seem em before and you'll see em again.While im on the topic...I hate Christmas...call me what you will, a scrooge or whatever you'd like but im over it.As Amuricans we exploit every holiday we can get our hands on and this is especially true for Xmas.I mean really, there was Xmas shit on the shelves even before the end of October.WTF Amurica?Most people don't even know why we celebrate Xmas.And now its politically incorrect to wish someone a Merry Xmas.FUCK OFF.I understand that there are more than just Christians people in this country but since when cant we just be cheery about the time of year.Its all the corporations fault that we say Happy Holidays now instead of the traditional Merry Xmas.That and once again i'll say it.....Amuricans....Please keep in mind that when i use that term i am not referring to everyone that lives in the United States of America just the idiots that live in this country who make us all look bad.These are you under educated walmart going rednecks,and well i cant think of anymore examples right now but i will post a list when i think of them all.Let me know if you think of any BTW...Now back to my point everybody who is offended by Merry Xmas is so lawyer happy and ready to sue someone at a moments notice that's why we are screwed.Those people are Amuricans.Well that's enough of me ranting for today check back with me soon.Thanks.

Ninja Squirrel

We need to get this dude on a bike...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/ninja-squirrel-is-watching-you

I'M LOST

So here i am about to write my first blog entry and i have nothing notable to write about.Cycling right now is kind of dead due to the month of the year.So is work for that matter.So while we are on the topic of the time of the year lets talk about it.HALLOWEEN.By far my favorite holiday of the year.Free candy,little kids dressed up as monsters and such,haunted houses, and best of all women dressing like skanks.No thats not true, my favorite thing is definitely seeing my nephews dressing up and grabbing as much sugar as possible.I would like to mold them to be great trick-or-treaters.They are still young but they absorb information and training like a sponge.Right now its just about fun for them,but in a few years from now they will be eagerly running from door to door to build up their candy stash with hopes that it will last until Thanksgiving.Thats what i want them to learn, something that i like to call The Hustle. This is especially important in our current society due to the fact that people are overly paranoid and cut the hours of Halloween down to about 3 hrs of fun once a year. That really fuckin bothers me. Who the fuck comes up with this shit? Let your children go out and have fun,stay out til they are exhausted and have blisters on their feet because they walked 5 miles in search of candy. I know i did when i was a kid so what the hell happened? Who changed the rules? Do you want your children to come home early and play video games and sit on the couch? They probably dont get enough exercise as it is. But thats another topic I'll tackle some other time.I know all you parents know what I'm talking about because you got the same experience as i did when you were young. This is especially insulting to the homeowners who really go all out for the holiday and deck out their house with extravagant lights,statues, and animatronics.That stuff look the best at night...when the trick-or-treating hours end.So what are we to do to restore this great tradition?I'm not sure but as you can see it bothers me.Now onto the skanks...I love going out with the wife and our friends and looking at the barely legal skuts trying to draw sex appeal.Its fun to talk about them and make fun of their wardrobe choices.We are in fact having a Hallowwen party this year at my house,just a little get together with some great laughs and a few drinks.It is something i am looking forward to because in that time there are no worries and all you have to be concerned with is having a great time and chatting with friends.The wife and I are also going out with my Thursday Nite Cycling friends and their significant others on saturday nite. Our group theme for the evening is ZOMBIES................
...brains....brains.....brains....this is always preceded by our yearly thursday nite costume ride which i have no clue what i am dressing up as.Who knows,maybe I'll just go as a ninja.....