Christmas Melancholy

My daughters new bike
'neath yon tree (ok next to)
She's growing so fast

Anniversary #2

Wow. I totally missed my blog anniversary. This blog was started two years ago November 20th. I knew it was close and I thought it was today.

Any way, I hope all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Carl

Hmmm... not so much.

A friend of mine wrote something on his blog that while very nice, and I understand where he's coming from, it's just that I don't have the same feeling of hope.

At the place where I work there is a program for recovering addicts. Or rather, thats what it's supposed to be for. However , what I  see is a revolving door of recidivism. The "clients" come in, dry out, do the 12 step stuff, leave, fall into the same old shite and then they're right back in and begging to be let back into the program.

I know that there are success stories of recovery. My father, whom to the best of my knowledge is 35 years sober is one of them. I really think that there needs to be a seriously profound and scary shock to the person as the catalyst. Otherwise there isn't the goal or impetus for them to really want change.  For my father it was us leaving his abusive rages.

I've seen more than one person go through the devastation of a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse. I have seen men that when I first met them 10 or so year back were intelligent, thoughtful  (when  sober) individuals. Then through the years, the poisons take their toll. Turning the people in more than one instance, blithering, drooling, or suspitious and paranoid.

And then they die.

I know that working at that place has changed me. I know that once upon a time I cared. Now, I try to see the best in people but sometimes, it's so far off that I need a telescope to see it.

I'm 'avin that

A wee bit ago. I learned through The Fred Cast of the existence of the VeloCast. A podcast put on by two Scotts (well one is Scott the other is John).

I very much enjoy this show. I find John and Scott knowledgeable and insightful. One of the things I do when listening to these podcasts is to try to put a face with the voice. Now in many instances I have seen a photo of the podcast host or guests The Fred Cast above, Tim (The MASI Guy) Jackson, Richard Fritz Masoner.

Now Scott and John have been very cagey. I have looked through the pictures they have put up and haven't managed to pick them out for certain. So that leaves my imagination with a lot room to work.

Now, as near as I can tell. The basic format of the show is that both find content to discuss and then Scott will present the subject and then John will give his thoughts. This works for them.

Anyway, the images that have been put in my head because of this are that John is or can be very curmudgeonly (like Waldorf) and Scott is the techie nice guy (like Scooter).

Now all of this is said with the utmost respect. I really do enjoy their show and have laughed out loud when listening at work. (much to the amusement to those around me).

So until such a time as I see a photo of them, I'll be keeping the image above in mind.

Carl

Mirror, mirror.

So now I’m an LCI (League Cycling Instructor) what am I gonna do now?

Last weekend is almost a blur, long days, late nights. There were some in the class saying that they didn’t work this hard on their masters.

During the class I was given an assignment (which I totally hosed) on the importance of scanning and signaling. Earlier in the day I had the opportunity to try one of my classmates mirror and was quite surprised at how much I could actually see back there. As I was winding down the disaster of a presentation, I mentioned that I had tried a mirror and planned to get one soon.

After the other presentations were done the instructor came up behind me and asked quietly if it was me that was going to get a mirror. I nodded and he set one in front of me. At first I thought it was just one that his club had stuck their logo on.



It wasn’t until Monday that I learned that I was given a custom, handmade, one of a kind, as in no two are alike Chuck Harris mirror.

I didn’t know what it was until I began searching for this “old man back in the woods” as my instructor; Preston Tyree told me when he described who made it. Oh, that’s another thing. Our class was taught by the Director of Education for the LAB. Yeah, that’s right, THE man.

Now this wasn’t because of any special reason though, when the class got set up, he asked who could do it all and apparently all of the other master trainers were already busy. I don’t know if our class was better or not because of that, but I feel very thankful to him for the class and the gift of the mirror.

If you blog it. They will come.

Just saw this Apparently Lance Armstrong and Gov. Bill Ritter are reading MY blog. Yeah, yeah I know. NOT! But still, it would be kinda cool.

Susan Nelson

I just read that Susan Nelson wife of Eldon "The Fat Cyclist" Nelson passed away this evening.

I weep.