Weekend

The weekend turned into a nice little adventure. We got up Sat AM to drive the Eurovan to the race. Unfortunately, the alternator had other ideas and it appears to have ceased. We made it back home and by all calculations had just enough time to still make it to the race. Well, my calculations were off and I missed my start by about 5 minutes. AJD made hers and finished 7th. Did I mention it was raining and about 50F? Sunday brought the crit and I was pretty amped to start, however, I ended up only about 5th. I never thought I could be so disappointed with a 5th. AJD was 7th again. The TT in the PM was not fun and AJD was 7th to end up 6th overall. An excellent weekend for her.

The ride home saw us stop for some dinner in Wisdom, MT where we shared an awesome meal with BC, PDowd and CRoy. Wisdom is an area that defines the term Big Sky. It seems that you can see forever in all directions and that it is all virgin. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and I recommend it to anyone who is traveling this way--though it is really out of the way which is why I like it.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. (Note: The ability to post larger images is the reason behind the new format.)

Til next week

Today's weather? Same as yesterday and the day before. Lot of the nearby rivers are near or at flood stage. Several areas have been closed to fishing, though with the water so high I can't believe you would catch anything anyway. Lola has been a pain in the a$$ the past few days. I think she is tired of the weather too.

Heading over to Hamilton, MT for the Tour of the Bitterroot this weekend. Both of us are racing in it. Last year the crit was during a torrential downpour and the forecast makes me think it could happen again this year. We are going to use the Eurovan to it's full capabilities and I have contemplated putting the Jura in too. Alas, I think a french press will have to do.

Good luck to the boys racin in Poki this weekend!

Rain and snow...

The awesome weather I mentioned yesterday continues today. Forecast is for rain/snow 80% chance with a high of 42F. It was snowing here in town yesterday afternoon. Good times! Hopefully the weather will be nice in Japan. Oh and before someone asks, this is not "normal" for MT this time of year.

This is picture of Bozeman Pass, just east of town today at noon:

Montsoona

The weather here continues to be awesome!

I spent a good chunk of yesterday working on the fence in the back yard. It is coming along nicely. If the weather improves, Lola might have a yard to run around in soon.

Jon Lester

I knew last night when I got Sandy's call and a text from TracyB that something was going down. Unfortunately, I missed it; my boy, Jon Lester, threw a no-hitter last night. Pretty impressive on its own. Add to the mix he is 24. Also, add that he won game 4 of last years World Series that clinched it for the Sox. Then add that he survived non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It suddenly becomes even more impressive.

But if you follow sports you knew all that. What you may not know is that Schwinn Armstrong had to get in on the action. He called into SportsCenter this afternoon when they were interviewing Lester. In my mind, there is no comparison. Lester is in a league with Mario Lemieux, Mike Lowell, AJD's mom, my Uncle Joe, SBP Sr., and all the others that have not let their cancer define them. Lance is a sell-out and has used his disease to inflate his ego. Don't get me wrong, he has done some great things to help raise cancer awareness, but I strongly believe he is a dirty, rotten cheater. Not only in his profession, but his wife. Why did he need to get in on Lester's moment? Shame on ESPN for letting him. Don't get me started....

Oh and Manny gave another high-five after making a pretty good catch last night. Is this going to be the next big thing in baseball?

Boston is a sports town

We went to Costco after the Celtics game was over. Anna had on here pink Manny shirt on and one the managers told us that the Sox had one, sweeping the Brew Crew in the process. At least Rob got to experience Fenway for only $45! We got to see most of the game--while not working in the yard. Anyway, we chatted with Brian who is from Woburn. He knew Crotched Mtn and Pat's Peak, both ski areas I skied at as a youth. Always good to meet another fan. The Celtics game was great and Shaughnessy is usually a good read. I noticed his favorite moment and appreciated it too. I really like hockey for that reason.

I raced the BLC on Saturday which was 104 miles at over 27 mph. As my luck would have it, I flatted in the first 10 miles and was lucky enough to be able to chase back on--thanks Richard! Unfortunately, it took some juice out of my legs and I still cramped toward the end. It was a gorgeous day and great to see the boys.

I leave for Japan one month from today. I am nervous and excited as mentioned below. More updates before I leave and I promise to update at least 2 times per week while away. I am pretty sure I am not going to have a cell phone so everything will be via the wide wide world of internets. Anyway, this is where I will be (click on it to actually be able to see it!):

Manny being Manny

If you haven't seen SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight since yesterday's game between the Sox and the Orioles of Baltimore, Manny had one of the best plays I have ever seen. Check it out here.

I had just finished the post below and went to finish my coffee, etc. Baseball Tonight was running again and they had an awesome Manny being Manny montage. This guy can make anyone happy!

Tres Borrachos

What a great name for a horse! This horse in not favored to win the Preakness this weekend, but it definitely has the best name. It translates to "Three Drunks."

I am not going to lie: I have been a bit down lately. There are many reasons including missing Riley. In addition, my Uncle Joe who has been battling cancer for a while has had setback. His outlook and faith are stronger than ever showing what he is truly made of. I am bummed to be leaving AJD for so long. I am worried that something will happen while I am gone and there will nothing I can do about it from so far away. And so on...

I am also a bit down on my program of study right now. I am positive that it is largely due to being burnt out. Between finishing my research, defending my thesis, buying a house and moving last summer, I kept the mental sweat going straight through from Aug 06 until last week. I am fried this week and crashing my bike over the weekend didn't help. In short, I feel like packing everything I need into a backpack and heading into the mountains with AJD for a while so I don't have to talk to anyone. Nothing personal.

Yeah, I know this post is a lot of BLW...but it is all about me!

Spring? Hopefully for serious...

Well the house has been quiet for a month now, though Lola is doing her best to keep us busy. She is turning into a great pup. Riley is now watching over things from the hilltop above where we got married.

Spring seems to have arrived, though we are not completely sure. It seems that every Wednesday or so, we get another 4-6" of snow in town and this week may bring more of the same. However, the weekend was beautiful and we rode bikes and worked in the yard after a quick trip to CdA.

The trip was to pick up a vehicle that is new to us. It is a '93 Eurovan, complete with bed and table. It is not a fast vehicle, but it did fine on the drive back. We are looking forward to using it to go to bike races, camping and general travel as we have time.

I got my travel arrangements to go to Japan and AJD will make hers shortly. Originally, the host institution was going to provide me with housing, but something was lost in translation and I am now having to rent an apartment while I am there. The upside is that I will have my own apt rather than possibly being stuck in a dorm situation. I am really looking forward to this trip as I am really kind of burnt out on school right now. Working straight through last summer to finish my masters has taken it's toll.

Other than that we have pretty much given up watching regular TV. Instead when we want to veg we have watching movies and TV shows on Netflix. Among our new favorites are Weeds, MI-5 and Sleeper Cell. If you have the chance, Weeds is really quite hilarious; a rich suburban housewife becoming a weed kingpin? Talk about far-fetched....but funny. Of course, remember this is from the guy who loved the way the Sopranos ended and figure the best new movie I saw last year was No Country...

Oh yeah and the Sox are solid.