Budreaux, when asked, got me Reanie's shoes as I was getting her ready this morning.
They teamed up for breakfast. Reanie gave him the stuff she didn't want to eat, and he gave her the stuff off of his plate to share.
Reanie helped Budreaux get in the trailer for the ride to school.
Noah missed warm ups for the swim meet today because I couldn't find something as small as a country club. But he dgot to work anyway and picked up two firsts and a third. I know he set at least one PR (freestyle) today.
So, how was YOUR day?
Monday, June 27, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Going on a ride with Barbie
Here's an advance look at the column I wrote for the next issue of the magazine.
I was going to kick Barbie’s ass.
We’ve been having such good family time in the evenings lately that I’ve sworn off late afternoon—evening training rides for the time being. How noble of me to give up riding when the pavement is melting. Anything for the kids. Riding, instead, comes in the form of the morning commute with the kids to their respective places of business.
Kid #1, who started racing this year, has swim practice in the mornings about three miles away. Too close for loading up the car, too far to walk, and he needs to ride anyway, so we make it a part of the “training” ride each day.
Mama now has to be at work at 7am, which means she is leaving just as kids #2 and #3 are getting bright eyed and bushy tailed. I thought that I could grab a couple more miles in the morning with the kids in the trailer and let Mama get to work without having to rush.
So, Kid #1 and I can ride to the pool, and Kids #2 through #3 can ride with me to their school. These aren’t 100 mile endurance days or anything, but I’ll take what I can get. Besides, by using the bike as our transportation we are saving the planet and letting our kids breathe Metroplex fresh air. Or something like that.
Today we got everyone up and like a clock; we had the cogs turning and working together. Mama is putting fresh drawers on one kid while I finishing clothing the other. Kid #1 is getting his swim stuff together, the tires aired up and the bottles filled. Mama jumps into her car as I’m stuffing food and kids into the trailer. And just as I look down at the clock on my bike’s computer and think, “we’re going to make it,” Kid #2 makes it very clear that for this trip to be pleasant for all parties, it will require Barbie as a companion.
We organize a search party to find Barbie. This task is complete with instructions from a two-year old about the current location of Barbie. I ask, “Where’s Barbie?”
Kid #2 responds, “Yes.”
I change it up a bit, “I’ll get Barbie. Where is she?”
Kid #2 responds, “Barbie wants her super suit.” That’s code for swim suit around here, and it makes much more sense if you’ve seen the movie The Incredibles.
Getting a little stressed, Kid #1 goes on the hunt, finds the Barbie, and we all manage to get rolling in such a way that if we lift our pace just slightly, everyone will make it to their place on time.
Kid #1 tucks in behind the trailer and drafts our rig, and we make record time to the pool. I give him instructions to be ready to go directly after practice because we have a full day planned, which will culminate with track racing. That’s good news to him, and he’s off to his thing.
Kids #2, #3 and I get on with the tougher part of the commute through the hills to their school. Along the way I get a few smiles and thumbs up for having the kids in tow, but I also get a motorist with a cell phone shaking her head and hand at me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to slow you down for three seconds. Nice Navigator, by the way.”
Along the way, there is some disruption in the trailer, but they manage to sort it out among themselves. Though, when I saw it resolved, one kid had two sippy cups and the other two bagels. Hey, if they are OK with it, I am too.
At about the half way point, Kid #2 lets it be known that she is upset that Barbie’s leg came off and that Kid #1 is chewing on it. We didn’t have to bring in arbitrators or ex-presidents, but we did negotiate terms and make the situation livable for all in close quarters.
There is a stretch on this commute of about 300 yards where we have to get on a fairly busy highway. The shoulder big enough for a bike, but not big enough for a trailer, so we have to get on the road a bit. Unnerving somewhat, but nothing kicking it up a few watts (and trust me, I can only kick it up a few) can’t manage.
About 200 yards past that 300 yard section is where I heard Kid #3 say, “Barbie uh oh.” Then Kid #2 beckoned, “D-A-D-D-Y!”
How Barbie got pitched out of the trailer I will never know, but sure as Ken has a schizophrenic girlfriend, Barbie was in the lane of traffic right in the middle of the lane where there isn’t much shoulder.
We wait for a break in traffic, I make the u-turn, we haul it to a point about 50 yards past Barbie, make another u-turn, get the thing rolling again, and we are blessed that at that moment there are no cars coming, and during all that Barbie had managed to dodge becoming Mrs. Macadam. Demonstrating a talent that is utterly useless in competitive cycling, I reached down while riding, scooped up Barbie from the highway, and tossed her into the trailer. Kid #2 even made a decent catch of it. Yippee yahoo, let’s go to school.
The rest of that leg of the trip is uneventful, though we did have to sort out that Barbie was staying in the trailer and not going to school today.
I, dressed in cycling togs including my new Atmos helmet, take the kids to their classrooms. This is when I’m told that today is “Splash Day” and, “did you bring their swimsuits?”
It must have been a funny sight to see someone time trialing all out with that trailer, especially since I didn’t care if it was missing the edge of the road or the potholes, and even more especially since I was taking the highway to pick up Kid #1. We were in a hurry because “Splash Day” was going to happen in 45 minutes, and I needed to ride seven miles to get Kid #1, and then the three miles back to the house, get the swimsuits for Kids #2 and #3, and then get to the school in time for them to get dressed.
And that is exactly what we did.
Originally, this was going to be a pleasant commute. Get in a few miles, save the planet, enjoy some fresh air. It turned out to be one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done.
Looking forward to doing it again on Monday. However, Barbie is gonna just stay in the road next time.
I was going to kick Barbie’s ass.
We’ve been having such good family time in the evenings lately that I’ve sworn off late afternoon—evening training rides for the time being. How noble of me to give up riding when the pavement is melting. Anything for the kids. Riding, instead, comes in the form of the morning commute with the kids to their respective places of business.
Kid #1, who started racing this year, has swim practice in the mornings about three miles away. Too close for loading up the car, too far to walk, and he needs to ride anyway, so we make it a part of the “training” ride each day.
Mama now has to be at work at 7am, which means she is leaving just as kids #2 and #3 are getting bright eyed and bushy tailed. I thought that I could grab a couple more miles in the morning with the kids in the trailer and let Mama get to work without having to rush.
So, Kid #1 and I can ride to the pool, and Kids #2 through #3 can ride with me to their school. These aren’t 100 mile endurance days or anything, but I’ll take what I can get. Besides, by using the bike as our transportation we are saving the planet and letting our kids breathe Metroplex fresh air. Or something like that.
Today we got everyone up and like a clock; we had the cogs turning and working together. Mama is putting fresh drawers on one kid while I finishing clothing the other. Kid #1 is getting his swim stuff together, the tires aired up and the bottles filled. Mama jumps into her car as I’m stuffing food and kids into the trailer. And just as I look down at the clock on my bike’s computer and think, “we’re going to make it,” Kid #2 makes it very clear that for this trip to be pleasant for all parties, it will require Barbie as a companion.
We organize a search party to find Barbie. This task is complete with instructions from a two-year old about the current location of Barbie. I ask, “Where’s Barbie?”
Kid #2 responds, “Yes.”
I change it up a bit, “I’ll get Barbie. Where is she?”
Kid #2 responds, “Barbie wants her super suit.” That’s code for swim suit around here, and it makes much more sense if you’ve seen the movie The Incredibles.
Getting a little stressed, Kid #1 goes on the hunt, finds the Barbie, and we all manage to get rolling in such a way that if we lift our pace just slightly, everyone will make it to their place on time.
Kid #1 tucks in behind the trailer and drafts our rig, and we make record time to the pool. I give him instructions to be ready to go directly after practice because we have a full day planned, which will culminate with track racing. That’s good news to him, and he’s off to his thing.
Kids #2, #3 and I get on with the tougher part of the commute through the hills to their school. Along the way I get a few smiles and thumbs up for having the kids in tow, but I also get a motorist with a cell phone shaking her head and hand at me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to slow you down for three seconds. Nice Navigator, by the way.”
Along the way, there is some disruption in the trailer, but they manage to sort it out among themselves. Though, when I saw it resolved, one kid had two sippy cups and the other two bagels. Hey, if they are OK with it, I am too.
At about the half way point, Kid #2 lets it be known that she is upset that Barbie’s leg came off and that Kid #1 is chewing on it. We didn’t have to bring in arbitrators or ex-presidents, but we did negotiate terms and make the situation livable for all in close quarters.
There is a stretch on this commute of about 300 yards where we have to get on a fairly busy highway. The shoulder big enough for a bike, but not big enough for a trailer, so we have to get on the road a bit. Unnerving somewhat, but nothing kicking it up a few watts (and trust me, I can only kick it up a few) can’t manage.
About 200 yards past that 300 yard section is where I heard Kid #3 say, “Barbie uh oh.” Then Kid #2 beckoned, “D-A-D-D-Y!”
How Barbie got pitched out of the trailer I will never know, but sure as Ken has a schizophrenic girlfriend, Barbie was in the lane of traffic right in the middle of the lane where there isn’t much shoulder.
We wait for a break in traffic, I make the u-turn, we haul it to a point about 50 yards past Barbie, make another u-turn, get the thing rolling again, and we are blessed that at that moment there are no cars coming, and during all that Barbie had managed to dodge becoming Mrs. Macadam. Demonstrating a talent that is utterly useless in competitive cycling, I reached down while riding, scooped up Barbie from the highway, and tossed her into the trailer. Kid #2 even made a decent catch of it. Yippee yahoo, let’s go to school.
The rest of that leg of the trip is uneventful, though we did have to sort out that Barbie was staying in the trailer and not going to school today.
I, dressed in cycling togs including my new Atmos helmet, take the kids to their classrooms. This is when I’m told that today is “Splash Day” and, “did you bring their swimsuits?”
It must have been a funny sight to see someone time trialing all out with that trailer, especially since I didn’t care if it was missing the edge of the road or the potholes, and even more especially since I was taking the highway to pick up Kid #1. We were in a hurry because “Splash Day” was going to happen in 45 minutes, and I needed to ride seven miles to get Kid #1, and then the three miles back to the house, get the swimsuits for Kids #2 and #3, and then get to the school in time for them to get dressed.
And that is exactly what we did.
Originally, this was going to be a pleasant commute. Get in a few miles, save the planet, enjoy some fresh air. It turned out to be one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done.
Looking forward to doing it again on Monday. However, Barbie is gonna just stay in the road next time.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Bad Blog
Friday--I was planning to race the sprints at Master's Regional Track Championships, but when it came time to pack up and leave, I was just getting home from what ended up being an all day affair of buying our new scooter. I'll have pics of her (we're narrowing down her name) soon.
See, we were about to buy a new car. We'd done some research, mostly avoided arguing about it, test drove a ride or two, and even haggled with a salesman about a Mazda3. But the whole ordeal of shopping, financing (we like to buy things outright), and figuring out needs vs. wants and trying to predict what would work best for us in the next year or so...we said "screw it" and spent the down payment on a red, 150cc, 4-speed, hot rod.
I was sunburned and tired from being outside all day, and I nearly melted when I saw a bank sign say the temp outside was 109, but I was riding a scooter through Dallas and down 121 and passing trucks at 60mph.
Yeah, we got a scooter. We're that much further away from being cool, but we're having more fun. Especially on me and Chloe's first ride together.
Saturday--Woke up early, ran over to get Noah from his Mom's, and we went to the second session of Master's Regionals. The events of the day were the Kilo and the Pursuit. I had no business racing a bicycle at all, but I figured I'd make my donation of an entry fee, run a few laps, and call it a day.
I picked the kilo because it was the shortest event on offer, thus leaving me on the track for the least amount of time to be embarassed. There were only five people in the 35-39 category, but my bronze medal is forever.
We motored home and got to work on the garage. We emptied that thing out, cleaned the floors, filled up the truck with trash, got all of the TRP stuff out...and then put everything but the trash back in the garage because it looked like it was going to rain. The garage is clean and organized now, complete with weights set up, a place for the scooter, bike crap organized...
We'll see how long it lasts. But I do think it will stay tidier now that we don't have team stuff and TRP stuff in there. Well, the TRP stuff will be out completely this week.
Sunday--For Having Sex With My Wife Day, my kids gave me this cool plate that has their hand prints on it. The handprints are made into fish. Cutesy, but they're my kids, so I think it is cool.
Mama took me to Lowes and we got a workbench and some stuff to organize the bike tools and such. We also got some long-needed florescent lighting. Good times.
Noah and I went for a ride this evening, and we chose to hit the hills, complete with an assault on Hilltop the short and steep way. Now, we didn't go up it fast, but we got up it just fine.
Mama made a wonderful sauce for some pasta tonight. Made it with some fresh tomatoes from our next door neighbor. But we have our own tomatoes growing just fine. Because we are farmers and all.
Stuff that doesn't fit into a particular day--We came across a copy of The Muppet Movie on DVD. It is the favorite move around here lately. As long as we ignore Fozzy's "Wakka wakka," which annoys everyone, especially Buddy.
Reanie doesn't wear a swim suit. She wears her "super suit." This makes more sense if you've seen The Incredibles.
We wore out the bouncy slide. But we are taking it back to get another. You'd think they'd make those things kid-proof.
I've been sick with some chest/head thing for a week. Probably should have gone to the doctor for it, but I'm tired of going to the doctor lately.
I love my kids.
See, we were about to buy a new car. We'd done some research, mostly avoided arguing about it, test drove a ride or two, and even haggled with a salesman about a Mazda3. But the whole ordeal of shopping, financing (we like to buy things outright), and figuring out needs vs. wants and trying to predict what would work best for us in the next year or so...we said "screw it" and spent the down payment on a red, 150cc, 4-speed, hot rod.
I was sunburned and tired from being outside all day, and I nearly melted when I saw a bank sign say the temp outside was 109, but I was riding a scooter through Dallas and down 121 and passing trucks at 60mph.
Yeah, we got a scooter. We're that much further away from being cool, but we're having more fun. Especially on me and Chloe's first ride together.
Saturday--Woke up early, ran over to get Noah from his Mom's, and we went to the second session of Master's Regionals. The events of the day were the Kilo and the Pursuit. I had no business racing a bicycle at all, but I figured I'd make my donation of an entry fee, run a few laps, and call it a day.
I picked the kilo because it was the shortest event on offer, thus leaving me on the track for the least amount of time to be embarassed. There were only five people in the 35-39 category, but my bronze medal is forever.
We motored home and got to work on the garage. We emptied that thing out, cleaned the floors, filled up the truck with trash, got all of the TRP stuff out...and then put everything but the trash back in the garage because it looked like it was going to rain. The garage is clean and organized now, complete with weights set up, a place for the scooter, bike crap organized...
We'll see how long it lasts. But I do think it will stay tidier now that we don't have team stuff and TRP stuff in there. Well, the TRP stuff will be out completely this week.
Sunday--For Having Sex With My Wife Day, my kids gave me this cool plate that has their hand prints on it. The handprints are made into fish. Cutesy, but they're my kids, so I think it is cool.
Mama took me to Lowes and we got a workbench and some stuff to organize the bike tools and such. We also got some long-needed florescent lighting. Good times.
Noah and I went for a ride this evening, and we chose to hit the hills, complete with an assault on Hilltop the short and steep way. Now, we didn't go up it fast, but we got up it just fine.
Mama made a wonderful sauce for some pasta tonight. Made it with some fresh tomatoes from our next door neighbor. But we have our own tomatoes growing just fine. Because we are farmers and all.
Stuff that doesn't fit into a particular day--We came across a copy of The Muppet Movie on DVD. It is the favorite move around here lately. As long as we ignore Fozzy's "Wakka wakka," which annoys everyone, especially Buddy.
Reanie doesn't wear a swim suit. She wears her "super suit." This makes more sense if you've seen The Incredibles.
We wore out the bouncy slide. But we are taking it back to get another. You'd think they'd make those things kid-proof.
I've been sick with some chest/head thing for a week. Probably should have gone to the doctor for it, but I'm tired of going to the doctor lately.
I love my kids.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Pause for Dramatic Effect
Reanie took off downstairs after I put clean drawers on her. It was quiet for a bit. Then she came upstairs (my office is upstairs) wearing her swimsuit.
I figured Noah helped her put it on and that they were going to to play on the bouncy slide thing. But Noah was nowhere to be found. Hmmm....
After calling for him a few times, I went looking out the windows to see if he was outside somewheres. Sure enough, he's teaching himself how to rollerblade out in the driveway.
I'm not getting any work done, but the kids are loading up the cute points.
And I got my coffee mug with that action shot of Noah (posted a few days ago) today.
Bad day for work. Crummy day cuz I'm illin'. GREAT day because 2/3's of the kids are here being cute.
I figured Noah helped her put it on and that they were going to to play on the bouncy slide thing. But Noah was nowhere to be found. Hmmm....
After calling for him a few times, I went looking out the windows to see if he was outside somewheres. Sure enough, he's teaching himself how to rollerblade out in the driveway.
I'm not getting any work done, but the kids are loading up the cute points.
And I got my coffee mug with that action shot of Noah (posted a few days ago) today.
Bad day for work. Crummy day cuz I'm illin'. GREAT day because 2/3's of the kids are here being cute.
160,000 rolled pennies per month
I love my kids. Really, I do. But we send them to this school so they can learn a bit and be social a bit. But this school, to which we pay a healthy sum for the opportunity to send our kids there daily, has made it a habit of calling me to come pick them up on a weekly basis. And I don't mean when it is time to pick them up; I mean like in the middle of the day because Buddy coughed or Reanie had a runny nose.
This week, I've had one or the other child here for three days. It would be one thing to just have them here from when we wake up until we put them to bed, but what this is has to do with dropping them off at school, coming back home to work, only to have the phone ring just as I fire up the computer. "Mr. Williams, this is Joanne from the Merryhill School, and Reanie/Buddy has...you need to come pick him/her up and take them to the doctor."
See, at this school, when they tell you to come pick up the kid, you have to have a doctors note for them to return. So, you lose the time that you had to go pick them up, the time you were going to work now that you have them at home, AND the time it takes to take them to the doctor.
So, I've been sick the last two days--sore throat, coughing up oysters and whatnot. This morning, we had to get everyone rolling earlier than normal because Mama had to be at work earlier than normal. My truck is in the shop, so we are down to one vehicle, and that means everyone piles in. But me. I get to stay home and be sick and be working. Fine. Cool.
25 minutes after everyone leaves, the phone rings. Mama says I need to take the kid's swimsuits and towels up to the school because it is "Splash Day." Hokey dokey. I'll ride my bike and take them up there. The car shop is very close, and I can go pick up the truck while I'm at it.
Took me 20 minutes to find their swimsuits.
Then Mama called and said she left a folder on her desk that she needs for work, "please bring that to me this morning." No problem. Forgetting things happens (right, Noah?)
Just as I'm stuffing everything into a backpack, Noah's Mom calls and says she's on 407 (a main road around here and the same road in which the car shop and the kid's school is located) and asks if I could meet her to get the Big Boy. "Sure," I tell her, but you'll have to meet me at the car shop, since I'm on my bike and have to pick up my truck..."
Just as I stuff my phone in my jersey pocket, it rings. This time it is the school. Reanie seems to have a "rash" and is "scrathing a lot." "Please pick her up and take her to the doctor."
I ride to the shop, pay the guy $200 for a hose, which isn't much of a stretch to create the metophor--I got hosed. Noah jumps out of his Mom's car, helps me load my bike and stuff, and we drive over to the school to give them Buddy's swimsuit and pick up Reanie. Both kids are soaking wet, by the way. They tell me that, "We tried to keep her dry."
I grab the soaking Reanie and hand over the now pointless swim suit for Buddy, and we pile in the truck to take Mama's notebook to her.
Now that we are home, Reanie wants to show me every picture she is drawing, and she wants banana and apricot. Hearing two year old girls say "apricot" is enough to make you stop what you are doing and get it just because it is cute. But she's on apricot #4.
Ain't no work getting done today, and Mama leaves for NYC on Sunday.
[ Oh, and a special note (read: inside joke) for Rob, Burke and JR: ... ]
Reanie's ailment? The tag on her shirt was rubbing her back.
Mama and I get to argue tonight about keeping the kids in this school. She loves it, and I think it is a decent school but a huge pain in the ass. I get more done here having the kids underfoot than I do by dropping them off only to turn around and pick them up and take them to the doctor 2 hours later. And then wait the 24 hours that the school says they must wait if they are ever picked up early due to itchy tags and whatnot.
This week, I've had one or the other child here for three days. It would be one thing to just have them here from when we wake up until we put them to bed, but what this is has to do with dropping them off at school, coming back home to work, only to have the phone ring just as I fire up the computer. "Mr. Williams, this is Joanne from the Merryhill School, and Reanie/Buddy has...you need to come pick him/her up and take them to the doctor."
See, at this school, when they tell you to come pick up the kid, you have to have a doctors note for them to return. So, you lose the time that you had to go pick them up, the time you were going to work now that you have them at home, AND the time it takes to take them to the doctor.
So, I've been sick the last two days--sore throat, coughing up oysters and whatnot. This morning, we had to get everyone rolling earlier than normal because Mama had to be at work earlier than normal. My truck is in the shop, so we are down to one vehicle, and that means everyone piles in. But me. I get to stay home and be sick and be working. Fine. Cool.
25 minutes after everyone leaves, the phone rings. Mama says I need to take the kid's swimsuits and towels up to the school because it is "Splash Day." Hokey dokey. I'll ride my bike and take them up there. The car shop is very close, and I can go pick up the truck while I'm at it.
Took me 20 minutes to find their swimsuits.
Then Mama called and said she left a folder on her desk that she needs for work, "please bring that to me this morning." No problem. Forgetting things happens (right, Noah?)
Just as I'm stuffing everything into a backpack, Noah's Mom calls and says she's on 407 (a main road around here and the same road in which the car shop and the kid's school is located) and asks if I could meet her to get the Big Boy. "Sure," I tell her, but you'll have to meet me at the car shop, since I'm on my bike and have to pick up my truck..."
Just as I stuff my phone in my jersey pocket, it rings. This time it is the school. Reanie seems to have a "rash" and is "scrathing a lot." "Please pick her up and take her to the doctor."
I ride to the shop, pay the guy $200 for a hose, which isn't much of a stretch to create the metophor--I got hosed. Noah jumps out of his Mom's car, helps me load my bike and stuff, and we drive over to the school to give them Buddy's swimsuit and pick up Reanie. Both kids are soaking wet, by the way. They tell me that, "We tried to keep her dry."
I grab the soaking Reanie and hand over the now pointless swim suit for Buddy, and we pile in the truck to take Mama's notebook to her.
Now that we are home, Reanie wants to show me every picture she is drawing, and she wants banana and apricot. Hearing two year old girls say "apricot" is enough to make you stop what you are doing and get it just because it is cute. But she's on apricot #4.
Ain't no work getting done today, and Mama leaves for NYC on Sunday.
[ Oh, and a special note (read: inside joke) for Rob, Burke and JR: ... ]
Reanie's ailment? The tag on her shirt was rubbing her back.
Mama and I get to argue tonight about keeping the kids in this school. She loves it, and I think it is a decent school but a huge pain in the ass. I get more done here having the kids underfoot than I do by dropping them off only to turn around and pick them up and take them to the doctor 2 hours later. And then wait the 24 hours that the school says they must wait if they are ever picked up early due to itchy tags and whatnot.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
New Team Bike
Here's my new sled. Instead of new wheels, we got the bouncy house/slide/climbing thing pictured below. Very good choice.
For those with an eye for it, this is one gorked out bike. Compact frame with 140mm negative rise stem with Biomax, shallow drop bars. I jacked up the chain on installation, but Robbie sorted it out so that it is rideable until time for the next chain replacement (which will be 2008 if I keep up this training schedule). I left the pump on there for the picture because it is my blog. I also put the bike in the big ring for dramatic affect.
Actually, I've ridden for three of the last four days. We would have grabbed another day in there, but just about the time we got to the track, Noah realzied he forgot his shoes. I wanted to ride with Noah, so I skipped the ride out of sympathy. I mean, I've forgotten to take cycling shorts to a race on two occasions, so I don't have much room to give him grief about it.
Let the good times roll
Here's Reanie on Nonno's motorcycle.
Nonno stopped by Sola Stella for a night on his way up to Canada. He had a couple things to do, and one of those was to ride from one end of Canada to the other. The other was to get engaged. He did both real good.
Reanie is all about Nonno's motorcycle.
Slip and slidSlide on Steroids
We've been doing some crosstraining lately. I'm gonna suck at bike racing for awhile longer, but I can do a somersault at the top and still land sliding into the pool at the bottom. Next trick is to make it a 1-1/2.
Buddy likes to slide, but it takes him a trip or two to remember. Reanie climbs up this thing all on her own, and she throws herself down the thing. Noah, I'm convinced, becomes obsessed and completely spaz's out with this thing in a good way. Mama ain't shy about giving it a run either. Heck, even Grammy slid down the thing once or twice.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Bootleg Sittin' In, June 2005
Many of you won't be on the mailing list for the magazine anymore, so I'm posting my column here. If you want to be surprised and read it when the next issue comes out, you need to cover your eyes now. Anyway, nobody is making you read this...
“Juniors are the future of the sport!”
It is a swell and spirited rallying cry, for sure, and you’ll have to trust me in that I’m a believer in the cause, but I’m just not so sure that all of those sounding this sound bite actually understand what it takes to get juniors involved with the sport. For instance, bicycle racing must compete with birthday parties, date night, baseball, swim team, other siblings, and mowing the yard. And that is only one weekend at our house.
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my desk cranking out work stuff when I looked at the clock and thought, “Gotta hurry, Kid #1 gets out of school in 45 minutes.” The phone rang at 2:17p and I answered to hear, “This is Miss Tendez at the school, and I wanted to let you know that though Kid #1 is very sweet and we enjoy him here at the school, the students were released at 1pm today for the summer.”
On my way to pick up Kid #1, I received a call on the cell phone from Kid #2 and 3’s pre-school. “Mr. Williams, we wanted to let you know that you need to pick up Kid #2 because she is running a fever.”
After picking up Kid #1 we motored over to the pre-school to pick up Kid #2. As I entered the place, Kid #3, whose class was changing rooms, saw me. For those of you with kids under 2 years old, y’all will understand that there was no way we were going to be able to leave that school without taking him with us.
So the four of us squeezed into the two seatbelts in my pickup because I didn’t have Kid #2 and #3’s car seats in it--we were planning to have Mama pick up Kids #2 and 3 while I took Kid #1 to his baseball game that evening. Mama ended up working late, so the lot of us went to catch some little league action. Someone out there give me a pinch when it looks like “Juniors” and “Bike Racing” are coming into focus, and keep in mind what I do for a living here.
After a dinner of hot dogs and big league chew and a game that had to play out the tie (we are in the playoffs), we got everyone home and reasonably bathed by 10freakin’pm. As I tucked Kid #1 into bed, he reminded me that now that school was out, swim team practice was now in the mornings at 7:30a. “Got it,” I told him.
We got through Friday morning just fine. Kid #3 was taken to his place of business, the older one taken to swim practice, and Kid #2 was serving a one day suspension from school for getting a fever. Mama had to be driven to work, because we were all taking her car to the track (Bike Racing!) that night, and it was easier for me to corral the herd and pick her up on the way. While Kid #2 slept, I even managed to get the yard mowed mid-day before loading up the car with bike gear. As I loaded up Kid #1’s bike, he told me he got a flat the last time he rode it, which was two weeks earlier.
We made a rush job of making some sandwiches and snacks for the night, filled up a water jug, picked up Kid #3, picked up Mama, and then made the 25 mile, 80 minute drive to the Superdrome for a night of track racing against five other juniors. Kid #1 set a personal record by completing one race without being lapped by the older kids.
After his last race, we picked up anything that looked like it belonged to us, be it a bike, gear, food, or person, and we threw it in the car, drove home, and had the lights out just a tad after midnight.
Mama and I actually cheered a little cheer when we heard the storms hit that night, because that meant the 10:00a baseball game was likely to be rained out. That also means there would be an extra game the next week, but sometimes that bit of breathing room is all we need. Then again, if you have to loosen your belt a notch after a big meal it isn’t because your pants just got too small.
After a big clap of thunder, Kid #1 comes into our room and asks, “If the game is rained out, can we go race bikes instead?” What happened to Saturday morning cartoons?
There wasn’t enough rain over night to cancel the baseball game, so we loaded up to be there the customary 45 minutes early for warm ups. Made it almost to the end of warm ups before the game was postponed due to rain, and since it was only postponed, we loaded up three wet kids and two soggy parents into the car and just sat for another half hour waiting for the rain to let up. When the automatic sprinklers turned on while we waited in the rain, we figured that was it for the day.
So, we all went back to the house, and Kid #1 said, “Let’s race!” We dropped off Mama and Kid #3 because he was invited to a birthday party, and I loaded up the bike and gear, grabbed some dry clothes for Kid #2 and me, and we hurried our way to Mesquite for the race. Along the way, Kid #1 kept saying, “I hope it rains. That would be epic!” Kid #2 kept saying, “Donut!” It was sunny from the house all the way to the race and all the way up until they said, “Go.”
Kid #2 threw a near fit when I loaded her into the car just as the race started, and not even donut holes with sprinkles could get her to calm down. I drove us to a spot on the course where we could watch from the car, and just as I opened the tailgate to give us some shelter, the Juniors came around for their first lap. We cheered for Kid #1 like the Tifosi would for a returning from the dead Pantani. That was our boy out there racing in that weather with kids twice his age!
Just as we were settling back into the car to wait for the race to come back around, Kid #1 surprised us by jumping in the car. He sat there dripping all over Mama’s interior and told us the race had been postponed and that they were supposed to wait in their cars. The race didn’t end up happening, and by the time we were on 635, I had two kids whose lips were blue, but they at least they were sleeping.
That evening we were invited to a party held by some friends we hadn’t seen in some time. While there, Kid #3 locked himself in a bathroom and Kid #2 busted her lip open on a pitcher of margaritas.
The next day was me and Mama’s anniversary, so we mowed the yard, caught up on laundry and went to the grocery store. That evening Grammy came into town, so Mama and I went on our first grown up date in about a year. We had plans for dinner, dessert and a show, but after dinner, we tagged out and called it a night just too tired to pretend that we weren’t tired.
Monday was Memorial Day, but I didn’t take that into account when I scheduled some work that needed to be done. While the kids went “swimming” in the sprinkler, I got a call from some friends, who live in Ft. Worth, wondering where we were, since we said we’d meet them at the bike race…
And then I realized the solution to the “Where are the Juniors” problem. If you really want to get Juniors involved with racing, the races need to be held at suburban Mexican restaurants on $3 pitcher night with free babysitting provided.
“Juniors are the future of the sport!”
It is a swell and spirited rallying cry, for sure, and you’ll have to trust me in that I’m a believer in the cause, but I’m just not so sure that all of those sounding this sound bite actually understand what it takes to get juniors involved with the sport. For instance, bicycle racing must compete with birthday parties, date night, baseball, swim team, other siblings, and mowing the yard. And that is only one weekend at our house.
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my desk cranking out work stuff when I looked at the clock and thought, “Gotta hurry, Kid #1 gets out of school in 45 minutes.” The phone rang at 2:17p and I answered to hear, “This is Miss Tendez at the school, and I wanted to let you know that though Kid #1 is very sweet and we enjoy him here at the school, the students were released at 1pm today for the summer.”
On my way to pick up Kid #1, I received a call on the cell phone from Kid #2 and 3’s pre-school. “Mr. Williams, we wanted to let you know that you need to pick up Kid #2 because she is running a fever.”
After picking up Kid #1 we motored over to the pre-school to pick up Kid #2. As I entered the place, Kid #3, whose class was changing rooms, saw me. For those of you with kids under 2 years old, y’all will understand that there was no way we were going to be able to leave that school without taking him with us.
So the four of us squeezed into the two seatbelts in my pickup because I didn’t have Kid #2 and #3’s car seats in it--we were planning to have Mama pick up Kids #2 and 3 while I took Kid #1 to his baseball game that evening. Mama ended up working late, so the lot of us went to catch some little league action. Someone out there give me a pinch when it looks like “Juniors” and “Bike Racing” are coming into focus, and keep in mind what I do for a living here.
After a dinner of hot dogs and big league chew and a game that had to play out the tie (we are in the playoffs), we got everyone home and reasonably bathed by 10freakin’pm. As I tucked Kid #1 into bed, he reminded me that now that school was out, swim team practice was now in the mornings at 7:30a. “Got it,” I told him.
We got through Friday morning just fine. Kid #3 was taken to his place of business, the older one taken to swim practice, and Kid #2 was serving a one day suspension from school for getting a fever. Mama had to be driven to work, because we were all taking her car to the track (Bike Racing!) that night, and it was easier for me to corral the herd and pick her up on the way. While Kid #2 slept, I even managed to get the yard mowed mid-day before loading up the car with bike gear. As I loaded up Kid #1’s bike, he told me he got a flat the last time he rode it, which was two weeks earlier.
We made a rush job of making some sandwiches and snacks for the night, filled up a water jug, picked up Kid #3, picked up Mama, and then made the 25 mile, 80 minute drive to the Superdrome for a night of track racing against five other juniors. Kid #1 set a personal record by completing one race without being lapped by the older kids.
After his last race, we picked up anything that looked like it belonged to us, be it a bike, gear, food, or person, and we threw it in the car, drove home, and had the lights out just a tad after midnight.
Mama and I actually cheered a little cheer when we heard the storms hit that night, because that meant the 10:00a baseball game was likely to be rained out. That also means there would be an extra game the next week, but sometimes that bit of breathing room is all we need. Then again, if you have to loosen your belt a notch after a big meal it isn’t because your pants just got too small.
After a big clap of thunder, Kid #1 comes into our room and asks, “If the game is rained out, can we go race bikes instead?” What happened to Saturday morning cartoons?
There wasn’t enough rain over night to cancel the baseball game, so we loaded up to be there the customary 45 minutes early for warm ups. Made it almost to the end of warm ups before the game was postponed due to rain, and since it was only postponed, we loaded up three wet kids and two soggy parents into the car and just sat for another half hour waiting for the rain to let up. When the automatic sprinklers turned on while we waited in the rain, we figured that was it for the day.
So, we all went back to the house, and Kid #1 said, “Let’s race!” We dropped off Mama and Kid #3 because he was invited to a birthday party, and I loaded up the bike and gear, grabbed some dry clothes for Kid #2 and me, and we hurried our way to Mesquite for the race. Along the way, Kid #1 kept saying, “I hope it rains. That would be epic!” Kid #2 kept saying, “Donut!” It was sunny from the house all the way to the race and all the way up until they said, “Go.”
Kid #2 threw a near fit when I loaded her into the car just as the race started, and not even donut holes with sprinkles could get her to calm down. I drove us to a spot on the course where we could watch from the car, and just as I opened the tailgate to give us some shelter, the Juniors came around for their first lap. We cheered for Kid #1 like the Tifosi would for a returning from the dead Pantani. That was our boy out there racing in that weather with kids twice his age!
Just as we were settling back into the car to wait for the race to come back around, Kid #1 surprised us by jumping in the car. He sat there dripping all over Mama’s interior and told us the race had been postponed and that they were supposed to wait in their cars. The race didn’t end up happening, and by the time we were on 635, I had two kids whose lips were blue, but they at least they were sleeping.
That evening we were invited to a party held by some friends we hadn’t seen in some time. While there, Kid #3 locked himself in a bathroom and Kid #2 busted her lip open on a pitcher of margaritas.
The next day was me and Mama’s anniversary, so we mowed the yard, caught up on laundry and went to the grocery store. That evening Grammy came into town, so Mama and I went on our first grown up date in about a year. We had plans for dinner, dessert and a show, but after dinner, we tagged out and called it a night just too tired to pretend that we weren’t tired.
Monday was Memorial Day, but I didn’t take that into account when I scheduled some work that needed to be done. While the kids went “swimming” in the sprinkler, I got a call from some friends, who live in Ft. Worth, wondering where we were, since we said we’d meet them at the bike race…
And then I realized the solution to the “Where are the Juniors” problem. If you really want to get Juniors involved with racing, the races need to be held at suburban Mexican restaurants on $3 pitcher night with free babysitting provided.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Hey, hey, hey
So I got my new road bike all built up. Still needs an adjustment tweak here and there, which is normal for a new build, but it is otherwise ready to ride as long as I have a 4mm and 5mm allen wrench in my pocket when I go.
I gave it a 1 mile test spin to make sure I bolted everything down and such.
When I ride, my belly hits my legs. That just ain't gonna happen.
What are your ideas for making belly fat disappear?
I gave it a 1 mile test spin to make sure I bolted everything down and such.
When I ride, my belly hits my legs. That just ain't gonna happen.
What are your ideas for making belly fat disappear?
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