Baby Jebus is a Mexican

I'm happy to be home from work, showered and well on my way to the other side of sober. My latest best client today gave me the best Tequila ever, Cazadores. Feliz Navidad y’all.

Santa Got His Ways

Snowbound and Down

6 monthes in Durango, 4 months in Tucson and 2 months in Richmond...but which 2

John Cohen

leaving my past to find my future because the future is ahead of us, but we're getting closer.

Bon Scott AC/DC

Check out Angus rocking the messenger bag circa 1977

I think I called this around a year ago.

What we’re looking at here is the face of the Conservative movement, leader of The New White Supremacists, one the biggest narcissist the world has ever seen. And the sheep in line step like so many ill-informed hate followers of the past that have heard the same thing so many times they believe and hang on every word of misinformation. The white hoods have come off and now the Klan is calling themselves the Real America and are gun loving Soldiers of Christ.
Fascism has come to America wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross…a burning cross.

What’s Wrong With Me

Three weeks ago it started with aches and pains, congestion, sneezing, coughing, typical cold coming on. It happens every year at least once and this time it went on for 10 days. Depending on the work load I usually work right through being sick but the project I’m on is physically demanding and the virus had killed all my energy and I thought it was possibly the Swine Flu but no fever. Then last Sunday I felt fine, work all last week and by Friday felt sick again and with a half day of work scheduled for Saturday I was getting tired of being sick and tired. I sucked it up did the work then went to Patient First on the way home to see a Doc in the Box.
Now the reason for this post; I walked in handed them my insurance card and walked out an hour later having had blood work done, a flu test, met with a doctor who handed me the results of the tests along with a prescription that was filled there all for 10 bucks.
What hell would I have to pay if I was uninsured? How long would I have to work to pay for this not to mention all the other medical attention I get?
Here’s a rundown on what’s wrong with me: Food allergies as a child, asthma for 40 years 4 different drugs every day for that, Pneumonia 4 times over my lifetime, 2 allergy shots twice a month, 3 hernia surgeries over 30 years due to my work, cancer in 1990, back surgery in 2007 and all I had to do was walk in and deal with being sick and not whether I’d be turned away and left to die because I was uninsured.
How could I not want everyone to have this kind of access to medical treatment?
What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with affordable insurance for all?

I didn’t miss veterans day

I was home sick and watched a couple war movies, saw the President walk through Arlington and thought about calling my dad. (Pictured receiving a Purple Heart after Iwo Jima) But he wouldn’t have cared about the significance of the call just that I called, so I waited a couple of days.
I’ve been so back and forth on war, as a kid I played it with my friends, have an interest in WWII history and selfishly want to hear more about my dads experience during that time even though I know it pains him to talk about it which is why he rarely does. I supported Desert Storm and lost a couple friends because of that and got fooled into supporting that idiot “W” and his puppet master Chaney’s “war on terror’ when we went to Iraqi. But even then I thought it better to use our military resources to lock down the castle, meaning tighten security at home in the US while probing and surgically removing the terrorist threat.
Recently I’ve not become passive because I like seeing fundamentalist get their ass kicked no matter the ideology, but more anti “taking the fight to them.” And not just being in Iraq or Afghanistan but having our military in Japan, Germany and scattered all over Europe and Asia. Have we become Rome though not in the same vein but still spread thin and spending vast amounts of resources let alone cash to keep the Soviet Union from rolling into Europe all Stalin Style?
Could we not evolve our military into peace keepers by bringing the majority home to aid with the reconstruction of the US infrastructure?
I think maybe that would be a great way to thank those who serve.

So There!

Spreading The Word

is it the pig or do I just feel like shit for no reason?

Dimensional Glass Art

Uncoholic scores one off the Nephew and all it cost me was a mountain bike.
http://agrahamofglass.com/

Bout To Go BIG

Someone New in the Bike Shed

http://blog.punchphoto.com/2009/10/05/a-likeable-douche-bag/
Bike Shed is about camaraderie and beer. Friends are always welcome to bring a bike, a cocktail and spend some time either wrenching themselves or have me do it.

Time Flies When You’re Oxygen Starved

And I don’t mean from the altitude of Durango but from not stopping to take a breath while drinking the best Bloody Mary ever…or the best 4 Bloody Mary’s ever.
Wasn’t it just an eye blink when I was obsessing about a bike race in ColoRADo?

Dgo is like home for some reason and I’ve already made flight reservations for May. There’s this bike thing called The Iron Horse on Memorial Day weekend but I’m turning it into a week. May-be spend some time looking for a project, something to keep me coming back…like I’d need an excuse.

Durango Is Just So Friendly

Everyone stops to say hello.

Sunday Post

Its fashion week in Milan and all the big name intelligent designers will be there along with top models working the catwalk. Look for this years highly anticipated new line of men’s resurrection wear.

Schools Back From Summer

Soon all the children will put on their best new clothes, shove brown bag lunches into backpacks along with books, pens, pencils and dreams of what lies ahead for them in the next 9 months.
I remember those days but more as a forced march to the drum of disinterest that left me waiting for a piece of paper that my parents felt was the only gauge of success. All the while I was doing the very least to obtain it for them. Once freed from the shackles of desks and used books that didn’t contain the answers to my questions, I began my real education by taking the long way around to get here which is by no means where it will end. What I found along the way is that mediocrity must be avoided at all costs, satisfaction leads to complacency, hard work keeps you thin, hard play keeps you healthy and alive and don’t let youth be wasted on the young.

What would Jesus do?

Kinda know but the real question is what SHOULD the Religious Right do?

Have a few beers then tell it like it is

How’s your summer going?

Mine? Just fine, but I have noticed as the dog daze of August linger I’m feeling spent. My youthful enthusiasm is at odds with my only tolerably adequate energy level. I need a break from something, either work or riding. If I cut back on the latter I’m concerned that my fitness will diminish but my work is most important to me so it looks like I’m taking some time off the bike. Right after this weekends race then the trip to Durango and of course once the Fall riding season ends, cause that’s the best time of year around here, can’t miss that. I’m thinking late December will be perfect.

Another Sunday Post

I’ll go a long way to goof on Jebus. Italy has a lot of low hanging fruit ripe for the picken.
Now the challenge is finding me some Mohamed to make fun of see cause the Muslims don’t have that fucker hanging on every street corner.
But I’ll keep looking.

I hate it when he does this

Shouldn't I just call the cops?

Instead of calling the BB&T security task force. “to report a bank robbery in Spanish press one.” I wonder if the call center is in India?

Capitalism, Socialism, Imperialism, all these isms don’t come easy.

Go here, read this, then do what you can

http://www.fatcyclist.com/2009/08/05/dont-say-she-lost/
http://www.fatcyclist.com/2009/08/07/susan-nelson/

Until you use me up

And You Can't Make Me!

no...YOU shut up!

Cranky race number 1 done.

What the hell was I thinking!? Going into the woods 2nd after the sprint start on the road felt fine but I hate having all those guys behind me. I held my position for the 1st lap but then guys that had been sitting in started picking me off; bastards….beat me at my own game. Next race, Fountain Head, with lots of technical climbing and fun down hills. Game on!

Another remnant from my youth

I wonder if this guy keeps a full tank of gas in this death trap.

My right brain has been in overdrive

Could it be due to some social stimulation I’ve recently encountered?
Fricken Facebook, love, hate or indifference it cannot be denied.

I believe Sundayz for Racing!

Over worked or over trained

Either way I’m over it. Monday had me exhausted from all the preparation for the up coming race series http://www.ex2adventures.com/cranky-monkey.php so much that I over trained and had to rest for 3 days the first of this week. That’s not as easy as it would be if I was a pencil pushing, paper shuffling desk jockey. But instead I had a floor to install for ‘The Peahen’ in his new condo. Fortunately he’s in France leading a couple bike tours through the Pyrenees and Alps so no rush or pressure to get it done other than self inflicted. I’ve got a schedule of sorts but plenty of time to recover in time for my race Sunday and finishing the install. End result will be fantastic on both fronts…the 12x12 slate is beautiful and I will be kicking some old man ass in Wakefield.

Beautiful way to ride a long slow day

The start of my ride at the top of Afton Mountain with a descent to Waynesboro was windy and cold but I knew that the valley would be warmer and calm for my ride toward the climb of Vesuvius. The 3 miles up the climb took 30 minutes and had me drenched in sweat as I entered the Parkway on a windy up hill but it dried me off quickly as I rode the white aggregate surface. The Parkway always rewards each climb with smooth, fast downhill’s and sweeping turns that require no breaking, if you have the handling skills and nerve, let it eat!

one hundred thousand words

VCU’s expanded fine arts program is starting to show its good side.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a good piece of urban art in Richmond and I hope there’s more to come.
This is on a piling of the Lee Bridge and can be seen from the suspension bridge that hangs from the underside of the Lee Bridge which is used by pedestrians and mountain bikers to reach Bell Island. The island has a fun section of single track on its hill top and a gravel road around its base circumference. Bell Island is also known as ‘Titty Island’ due to all the young ladies that sun on the rocks of the rapids. Needless to say there’s a lot to see around here. Get here if you can…

Butt Rocket

Have a safe 4th of July

My Ass Is Back!

I’ve been ignoring this here blog due to a couple of things. First of which is that my laptop checked out and I’ve been using Julies work computer when she brings it home. Not a good enough excuse in itself but it doesn’t have a camera card insert thingy to download pictures and I need visuals to inspire me to write so I bought the necessary hardwear and soon more unsavory images will appear here. But the big source of this uninspired period is Facebook; it has stolen a little of my soul while at the same time filled in many missing pieced of my past. Just like everyone else on the planet I’ve reconnected with people that were a big part of my youth and whether they wanted to see my Face or not I’ve put it in front of them. I’ve also given them the opportunity to see my ass which I’m sure most would say is what they thought of me when they knew me 20+ years ago. One friend in particular has surface that is holding a certain picture of me that I had lost decades ago and has promised to scan it and send to me. When that little piece of history arrives many questions about why I am who I am will become clear.

Because I’m Worth It

I’ve been working like a $2 whore on quarter night and just as sore so I’m taking the rest of the week off and abusing myself in a different way. 12noon ride with ‘the peahen’ then Saturday helping a new friend with his bike build at the ‘bike shed.' On Sunday after brunch in the gazebo I’ll head to Cville and build that tree house for the grand niece and then hit the trails with her dad the nephew. But I’ll be back in the salt mines on Monday to grout the floor I just tiled and fix a leaky toilet then a few days at the beach, but now I’m just bragging.

stoll it

Sure, I'm a douche bag but at least I'm not these guys

If it takes a complete asshole to be a billionaire then how come I’m not swimming in cash?

Paints like a construction worker

Little Miss Smarty Pants

My computer crashed and burned but I put the IT department on it. The tech said I’d blown the mother board but she thought the files could be saved. It’s going to be expensive though…I’ve got to build her a tree house and if I through in a Barbie she’ll keep what she finds to herself.
Never trust a 7 year old…Happy Birthday kid.

Insert banjo music here

Seneca Rocks West Virginia