Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A birthday tune. Sort of.

Happy Birthday to the much better half of my whole!

This one's for you.... :-)


Thursday, December 11, 2008

Behold! The McLovins!

Who doesn’t love a band that starts in mom and dad’s basement rec room. These guys are the next big thing.

The McLovins. An apropos moniker. I want to see these guys in concert.

Note for note on much of Phish’s “You Enjoy Myself.”



A funky version of The Meters "Cissy Strut"



And they even have an original or two out there. The title of this song is perfect:
“Please Refund These Sleeping Pills”

Monday, December 08, 2008

Training Wheels

I'm terrible at dedicating myself to good health and fitness. No matter how many times I say I'm going to start working on the core, or lifting some weights, or eating sensibly, it just doesn't seem to happen. Horrid self control.

But when it comes to some aerobic work, I was pretty disciplined last winter about hitting the treadmill and eventually the trainer. It helped out significantly in losing some weight and gaining some endurance once cycling season hit. I didn't start in earnest until after the new year, but it did help. This year I planned on starting a bit earlier to stave off the holiday lazy poundage that so easily occurs.


With that, yesterday I hooked up the bike to the trainer. The loud, boring, go nowhere trainer. It's a necessary evil if I plan on being able to hang with anyone next spring for more than the three miles of warm up on the Tuesday night ride.


Having something to watch is essential or the trainer/treadmill become unbearable for more than about 10 minutes. With some entertainment to distract attention away from the monotony, time slips by more efficiently.


Anyway, here's the Winter Training Camp setup. Note the massive 19" color TV, the luxurious surroundings, and the lovely scale off to the bottom right corner. Gotta know that progress is being made, or at least regression kept at bay, no?





Alright, that's that. But look at this setup. This is what makes riders weak and soft and slow. Who would want to train in such miserable conditions? The temptation of the candy in the curio cabinet. The stocked wine rack. The relaxing recliners beckoning. Bah. Aham, this is not right, my friend!




I am only a little bit jealous, but love to keep in mind how Rocky Balboa trained by chasing chickens in miserable back alley Philly to go the distance with Apollo Creed and ran up a mountain in cold snowy Siberia while wearing a leather jacket en route to whupping Ivan Drago.


Or something like that.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

I'll Have A Pint

The bloodmobile was at work today, so I stopped in to drop off some of the good stuff. Don't worry, I'm not banking it for next cycling season.

It's been far too long since I've donated blood. I need to get back into the regular habit of doing so.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure.... Pete Townshend's "Give Blood" featuring David Gilmour on guitar and about fifty backup horns, percussionists, and singers. The edits throughout just scream 1985. The original album on which this song appeared White City: A Novel was one of the first things I ever taped from my brother when I was 12. It's not Who's Next, but it's still a great record.