Finally, a post not about cycling... well not completely anyway

On the work front... As I am now the boss (or am allegedly, as I have yet to reign in the behaviors that have been lax too long), I am at the mercy of every possible calamity that could befall anyone simultaneously. It seems that if something COULD have gone wrong in the past 2 weeks, it did. All the while, every Tom, Dick and Harry has been vying for my time, or the time of my team, I am trying to catch up on the status of projects and the vultures who think that their department is the MOST IMPORTANT department in the world, deserves the undivided attention of every engineer, all the time. Meanwhile, systems are failing left and right, projects are STUMBLING forward (at best) and the opposing troops, or at least those who wish to see me fail for a varying number of reasons, are marshaling at the gates.

All the while, all I can think about, if how can I get ANY time to ride? Perhaps I really am done with the city, the long commute, being a slave to the long hours, high stress, and ultimately, the golden handcuffs. I can certainly live with less. I can live a more meager existence. In fact, the freedom that would come from having less, would be far reaching across all aspects of my life. I suppose the real question remains: Do I have the courage? Have I lost too much already? Has the price been paid? Will I ultimately regret it and wish it could be undone?

Perhaps teaching is the way out....

So perhaps this blog is really about cycling with a few added other things mixed in. Why is that? Probably because I enjoy that more than most anything else in life. It is solitary. For anyone that knows me well enough, people are NOT my forte'. In fact, most people annoy me, so being all alone for hours making myself suffer is perfect for me.

I remember as a kid, we used to ride all the time, my friend Rob and I. We rode and rode until it seemed that the world was far too small. We had no concept of distance back then. No cyclometers, no mapping tools, no GPS, no cell phones. Just us, our bikes and some destination that was far away. We didn't worry about whether or not it was hilly. We didn't worry about rest stops, or what might happen if it rained. We just rode. We didn't know how far or how fast, only that we were riding. I remember getting my drivers license and swearing that I would still ride. We could have logged thousands of miles.... and we just didn't care.

Those are the days I want. Long summer days, riding all day, for 50 miles or more with only a destination in mind. I want this area to be too flat, and too small. I want to ride until it hurts and then keep riding until I can't remember what hurt anymore.

This weekend's metric century is going to be tons of fun. If you are looking for me... I will be on the carbon fiber racer. Keep up if you can!

So much to report....

So there are 3 big things happening... The first is work. My boss has gone and gotten himself fired... That leaves me to do that job. Back in the saddle again doing management, which I don't mind at all, but it is hard to pick of the pieces of a broken team and try to get everyone back to the point that they are comfortable and ready to work again. Oh well, Rome is being sacked again, and the boss wants another shiny new coliseum. Yah....

The other big news... A few weeks ago, my bike was stolen. S.T.O.L.E.N. Absconded with. Ridden away by someone who doesn't own it. A thief in the night (or day as it happens). It happened AT the bike shop. Dropped it off for a tune up before a big ride up in Warwick... and went to pick it up. Stolen. So I got a rental for the ride, no biggie. Which leads to the next section of news... the new bike. The new bike is a Specialized Tarmac Elite. A very nice machine. Black and Blue. Sweet. Carbon Fiber. 19.0 lbs. I picked it up today and took for about an 8 mile ride. It is FAST...

More updates to come.