Day 4 of Grow Jebus

Sometimes all I need after a rainy winter day is a hot Jacuzzi to make me feel whole and it would appear that tiny Jebus responds well to it also but still looks like a dirty Hippy…or is it Jerry Garcia, which is one in the same.

After 48 hours outside in the cold, Jebus gets a warm bath.

Unsatisfied with the slow progress Grow Jebus was making and rereading the package I decided the little guy needed to come inside for a more controlled environment. This exercise has evolved (pun intended) from a project to an experiment and the conditions in which it’s performed must meet all standards set by the Grow Jebus governing body. Last thing I need is for the World Anti Doping Agency or (NAMBLA) to accuse me of using HGH to aid in my Grow Jebus. If I’m to be responsible for the Second Coming and the start of the Rapture then everything’s going to be done by the book, and by book I mean the package that tiny Jebus came in, not the other one that doesn’t have any answers to my questions.

And NO this is just shaky hand photography not “He is risen.”

Jebus update

Not much happing on day 2 of the Grow Jebus Project. He does seems to be getting fuzzy around the edges and there’s a residue halo around him but be assured that it’s nothing more than some kind of chemical byproduct that has settled on the bottom of the container he’s submerged in. So don’t start your pilgrimage to Richmond just yet; give this a little time before you crawl up to my house on bloodied knees looking for salvation cause you ain’t getting any.

Grow Jebus

Just like any kid with a new toy I HAVE to play with it and Grow Jesus has been sitting there looking at me long enough so out of the package he came. I want to see just how big this little guy can get. Personally, I can’t see Christ getting much bigger but that’s what the Romans said. Next thing you know I’ll have a yard full of Catholics tearing up my grass.

As a comparison I have him next to one of my Jebus Candles and our dash board hula girl and as you can see he’s tiny

The package said he’d reach 600 times this size and if my math is correct he’ll be 300 inches in 10 days. That's just one more thing I don’t believe about this guy. Even in this 10 gallon container I doubt he’ll get to a foot and a half. Stay tuned for daily up dates on the growth of Jebus.

It was another great week for riding in Richmond. After last Sundays hell ride I didn’t get on the bike until this Saturday but I did some good stretching and strength work this past week with my coach at http://www.motionmomentum.com/ Patrick Burns has helped me recover from the L-4 disc repair I had in May and is also working with me on some other movement issues. I hadn’t been on the mountain bike much for anything other than social riding and have not been on the downtown loop for about 9 months. The downtown loop is one of if not the toughest trails in the Richmond area and probably one of the hardest urban trail systems on the east coast if not the country. It’s used for the Xterra east coast championships and is the favorite bike course of most of the pros because of its roller coaster feel. But for me it’s a love hate thing. I’ve raced it a couple of times during the Urban Assault MTB races and finished well for my age group but it kicks my ass every time I ride it. So we have come to an understanding, I’ll show some respect and it won’t try and kill me. This Saturday was meant to be a reintroduction to the trail, just a chill ride to enjoy what a great resource we all have. I had a couple of dabs here and there but all in all a great ride. Monday I went over the Ellsworth Truth and pulled down the rear suspension, head set and greased all the pivot points and crown race and reset the headset all to find that the nagging creaking sound was coming from the rear shock. Freaking thing has maybe 40 hours of riding on it but I have a spare so it got swapped out then on to Powhite Park to do a short shake down ride. After that, to keep the base miles up I went on a 2.5 hour road ride around the city with a friend. The pace was just right for this time of year and I haven't heard yet but I think we finished in time for him to take the christmas turkey out of the oven before it burned. Then today with everything lubed and noise free I went back downtown for a little faster run at the trail. Still not dab free, although it never is, but a great ride just the same.

Grow Jebus

I love Christmas morning. Julie and I have a great tradition of getting up and hanging out together for a few hours before the crawl thru the family tree. We like to get each other stocking stuffers, just small inexpensive things that are fun and useful along with a gag gift or two. She’s a pro at the gag gift giving. The best thing about or marriage is the time we just sit together making fun of the life around us. This year she once again brought the laughter with “Grow Jesus.” It’s the toy that keeps on growing which is a good description of Christianity itself. The instruction for use parallels the religions history; “the larger the container the better it will grow, as it grows it may distort in shape,” and my favorite, the slimy, icky, texture is normal and harmless.” Well I’m not convinced about the “harmless” statement and plan on leaving this toy in its package.

1968 Championship Baseball Team

Back when the sport meant something to me. Now...not so much.

Big week for riding

First I got the 78 degree day on Wednesday then the annual holiday “Pie Ride” night mountain bike trail poach at Poor Farm get your drink on, and today an epic, if only for me, road ride. Thursday’s weather was iffy for the Pie Ride but it’s one of those get togethers that won’t be missed. Alcohol and peer pressure is a powerful combination. It starts at the hosts, Dans personal trails on his property so the family dog can enjoy a run with the crew. The leaves had been cleared and the secret cooler stash of beer was placed at the top of the “Separator” hill where each of us could down 12 ounces of courage before the decent to the bottom. Then after the hour loop it was on to Poor Farm to ride the public trails under the cloak of darkness. The leaf covered trails made it challenging to hold a line but the shot of Makers Mark helped ease any concerns. The sprint back to Dan’s was again won by Tim. After a quick clothing change it was on to Dans basement for the festivities of beer tasting, oysters, shrimp, 7 layer nachos and other finger food. But the reason of the season, pecan pie was once again butchered by the master of culinary disaster, Jim.. The last 2 years it came out of the oven burnt, this year it came out raw. There’s a lot to be said for tradition.
Today the weather was cloudy and damp but the promise of better skies got me motivated to do some training. Sundays have been a good day for LSD, long slow day, where I like to head east to meet up with a group ride for part of it and then head back home. As the sky cleared the wind picked up blowing east giving me a good ride out but a hell ride back. My LSD was transformed into a struggle to keep moving forward and upright and ended as a four hour 52mile suffer fest. I’m done.

Typical Richmond weather.

78f in Richmond in December is quite a treat but it happens sometimes and is nothing new. I got out for a great ride today for about 2.5 hours. I’ve always wanted to keep a training log but never found the right format so since nobody reads this blog anyway I'll keep it here. I rode east to the battlefields outside of Richmond starting a little before 2pm. It’s mostly flat with little rollers that are fun and keep it interesting. There was a light wind out of the southwest but not bad at all. I felt good for not having been on the bike for over a week but the rest helped me dodge a cold that had been lurking. All in all a great day to be in Richmond. Someday the rest of the country is going to discover what a great town we have here a ruin everything. But as long as we can keep the northern carpetbaggers out then we’ll be just fine.

Its easer than it looks.

Sometimes it’s like working on a sinking submarine, waters pouring in, you squeeze down, pump it out, patch the hole and hope it holds long enough to reach the surface. It’s gotten to where I can tell you how much rot is under the cracked tile and tilted tub in that 60 year old bathroom.

She's a great worker that girl

Hanna is the apple of my eye.

I always knew there was something special about me. Even as a kid I had a way about me, a certain attitude. I thought it was because I was a genetic superior with asthma but it’s actually deeper than that, something cosmic. It really didn’t become clear until I bought that black 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo and matching Members Only jacket back in 1981 that I realized my destiny. Now it’s clear to everyone that after decades of dedication to my cause I have found my true home.

dc visit

Every couple of years I like to drive up I95 to DC for a bike ride around the Nations Capital to check out the memorials and stop by the White House to check in on the First Family. This Fall I visited a young friend of mine that I hadn’t seen since we visited just after he finished his Ride Around America, which he rode nearly 10,000 miles in the summer of 2006 to raise money and awareness for Meals on Wheels. He’s a sub 25 year old that is fun to hang out with and knows DC well. After meeting up with him at his George Town apartment next to the Russian Embassy, which I thought was cool in a James Bond sort of way, we headed out to terrorize DC proper. After quick ride around the local cycling park we headed to the Memorial Mall and then to the White House to say hi to W and the family.