When I was in LA last week, we had some down time due to working nights – so we trekked off one morning to see the Chinese Theater and walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A few shots:
Enjoy 🙂
Hollywood
What I didn’t know about curling before…
Spent some time last night at the Cape Cod Curling Club along with the sidekick and friends watching another friend curl…
What I didn’t know before is that Curling is really another name for sitting about kibitzing and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Scotch, preferably.
And since I adore scotch, the Sidekick was told repeatedly, “Oh, there’s lots of curling clubs in Minnesota-er”.
Minnesota-er, of course, not Minnesota. Because this is Massachusetts, and they do strange things with the letter R when speaking.
Back to the Twin Cities
After a week in LA and another week at home split between working and pleasure I’m back on a plane to Minneapolis for a two week stint.
Much to come in the weeks ahead – projects to advance, strategies to scheme, and fun to be had. It will be fun to be back.
Pleasure this week consisted of paying a landscape company to clean out the entire property – cart away the compost pile, four years worth of underbrush in the woods behind the house, and the fall remnants as well. Some tough negotiating in the front yard, but I’m quite pleased with the results. Now to plant new grass, fertilize, water, flowers, and wildflowers for the wooded spots. More to come on my next trip back home.
The other side of pleasure was biking over an hour a day. I’ve some strength to regain from last fall – some of the hills and climbs left me winded, but thus is the pitfall of living in the great white north. And it’ll be the same in Minneapolis. I’m gonna need a winter activity. Recommendations?
Tomorrow night in Minneapolis, I’m going to buy a new bike. A road bike this time to complement the Trek 4500 that serves as my mountain bike. What will it be? Another Trek, of course. Probably the 1200 or the 1500, but depends on the deal that they make me. Penn Cycles is the chosen shop – and then it’ll be a 2.6 mile ride back to my hotel. New bike, new helmet (a Giro, I think), new gloves, a cage, a water bottle, spare tube (of course), and some other minor goodies to complete the package. That’ll be my one gift from my annual bonus. The rest goes into the bank and towards paying off student loans and the like.
There’s a guy from New York sitting in front of me wearing a Yankees visor, and to think, I packed away by Red Sox cap into my luggage, so that’s not gonna work well for me to point out who won the World Series last year now is it?
Self-Portrait: Geared Up
Might look a bit nutty – but it’s the best thing to avoid getting creamed by motorists while riding to Massasoit – and great eye protection for when you’re blasting down a hill at 20 mph in the deep woods… ahh heaven.
Jersey by Pearl Ozumi, camera by Sony, shorts by Pearl Ozumi, glasses by someone I forgot. Photo by me!
I was Lance’s Teammate
Unfortunately, this article from Bicycling magazine is not online, but I couldn’t resist taking the time to repeat the story here:
The rider had flown by in a blur, on a black and silver Madone, in US Postal bibs and a Nike jacket – another wanna-be from the city, dressed like his hero, I thought. We were on River Road, my usual route across the bridge from New York City. I figured I’d play it cool and catch him on the hill ahead. But then I noticed: the chiseled legs, a worn Selle San Marco Concor saddle – not a poseur’s expensive carbon – a saddle bag. And as he started up the rise, he took both hands off the handlebar to take food from his pocket. Maybe he was someone.
I am no one, a Cat 5, new to my club, but I wanted to see. I dropped my hammer, up the climb, down the other side, but he was still out of reach. It took me 8 miles to work up to his wheel. And then. He looked back, “Do you know where this road goes?” And I was certain, but my brain had not caught up. “Oh, it goes to Route 9W,” I said. Then, finally, “Lance?”
“Yeh, yeh.”
I said “Wow, I’m Konstantin,” and then nothing, trying to be cool. I knew that one wrong move could scare him off. Everything about him was familiar, his body, the way he talked, the cadence. I had experienced him, but only on TV. He rode close to me, 5 to 10 centimeters from my handlebar, too close for comfort. He kept asking about the road. I listened. Answered.
At the juncture, he was going left, back to the city. I grew bold and asked if I could join him for the 15 miles home. He said OK, and that’s when it happened.
We talked. About everything – fame, the Tour, saddle position, food and wine, Russia (where I’m from), Ekimov, riding in New York City, which he does when he’s in town. Cars drove past, not noticing.
He is The Man, but he could have been any guy from my club, just out having fun, shooting the breeze.
– Konstantin Dzbibilov, Bicycling Magazine, May 2005
Nicklaus’s Goodbye
45 Appearances and 6 Green Jackets…
“I just said thanks for being an unbelievable example for everyone out here, not only with his game but how he presented himself to everyone in golf,” Haas said. “He makes being a competitor an art form.”
But there is nothing left to add to the canvas upon which Nicklaus, with meticulous brushstrokes, painted a masterpiece. No final touches are required at Augusta National, where the breathtaking number of records he has set only frames the inspiring portrait. That the public wants more from him he understands, but whatever else he applies to the picture might obscure its resonating brilliance. [Golf Web]
A week down, a lifetime to go
I’ve biked 6.4 hours in the last seven days, covering just shy of 80 miles, and burning up around 3,470 calories.
In the process, I’ve also reduced my calorie intake by around 400-500 calories a day – and significantly increased the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet – while pulling back on bad snacks, dessert, and fatty foods. So that’s good.
And it’s paid off, I’ve lost nine pounds this week – which leaves me with about 51 more to go.
I’m pretty confident if I can keep up with the 10-20 miles of biking each day and mind my diet (which will likely be the more difficult challenge), I’ll be able to achieve this goal.
Now if I can just kick my caffeine habit that i’ve re-created for myself!