Wake Up, Get Up

I wake up a lot of times in the middle of a song that's been repeating in my head since before I became conscious. This morning it was some Tori Amos song. Then, during my bike ride, it was a bunch of Modest Mouse. Specifically these two songs.

Want to see something cute? Click the image on the left right there to get a whole mess o' cute right in your face.

The Sheldon Brown memorial ride I humbly put together went down pretty well. About seven people showed up, including one guy I found via Google and cold e-mailed. I thought a reporter was going to show up, but either they were too late or didn't bother coming.

We took off, lights a blazing, and did a ten mile circuit through the nearby neighborhoods. Three fixed gears, one mountain bike, two road bikes, and an ancient Dahon folder manned by a fellow named Doug, who took three months off doing whatever it is he does and biked from coast to coast. The mood was playful as we took to the streets, owning lanes, freaking out dogs, getting chased by a group of children, and generally enjoying ourselves. Group rides can be a lot of fun with the right people.

In other cycling news, I was a fast mofo today. I've started toting around my GPS unit again (after abstaining from doing so when I realized I was watching my speed more than the road) to get an idea of where I am in terms of commute time, average speed, etc. The first few days were a let down, as I was sure my average speed was around eighteen miles per hour. Imagine my disappointment when upon the LCD screen was a paltry sixteen and a half. I blamed the wind and heavy load and vowed to get that number up.

Apparently a fire was lit under (and behind) my rock-hard behind, because as I checked the numbers as I panted on the strip of grass in front of my office I saw a beautiful 32.4 kph for the moving average and a maximum speed of 54.6. Which, in these parts of the hemisphere, is 19.44 mph and 32.76 mph, respectively. Take that! Although to be fair, I'm sure the large overpass had something to do with that last number.

I'm nearly done with two or three books, including but not limited to, The Art of Urban Cycling and World War Z. Each has it's own place in the house where I am prone to sit for relatively long periods. You know what I'm talking about.

Today is a Hell of computer problems at our remote stores. Multiple people in multiple cities calling with multiple issues. It's so hard to keep your cool when you're trying to walk people through something over the phone when they obviously aren't even trying to comprehend what you're saying.

On that note, I'm outy. Keep it reel.

- David