So this is what it’s like to wake up after getting a little (and I’m not over-exaggerating) exercise. Good thing I had some peach bread that I bought at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit on Saturday to knock back any of the benefits I gained this weekend.
ITP Flickr Pic
Well it wasn’t 18º F on Saturday morning, but it certainly couldn’t have been much more than 28º F either as we met up in order to hike to the top of Arabia “Mountain” to shoot sunrise. I took a lot of shots (especially relative to my 2011 output) and this is what I consider to be my best.
I was trying to get the sun between those two trees, but I didn’t quite manage that. The shot would have benefited from some light clouds as well, but you can’t expect Nature to give you everything.
Country?
After shooting we headed to Waffle House for some breakfast. When did “Country” (sausage gravy) join the vernacular of scattered, smothered, covered, peppered, capped, chunked, diced, and topped? I had two eggs with hash browns (capped, country) and sausage.
After Waffle House we drove to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit where we shot inside the cathedral for awhile (oddly, no lightning struck upon my entrance, though The Lord did smite me by producing condensation upon my lens forcing me to wait a little while before I could shoot). The monastery also has a gift shop in which the sell literature as well as food products. I bought a jar of F.R.O.G (fig, raspberry, orange, ginger) jam and a jar of spiced pumpkin butter, before caving and also buying the loaf of peach bread mentioned in the opening.
Guess what I had for breakfast on Sunday? Pancakes? Good guess, but no. French toast made from the peach bread. Oh my, what a wonderfully sinful breakfast.
OTP Country
I decided to go Wheelhoppering yesterday. With knowledge of one of the hares, and the location of the ending (thankfully, for without which I may be dead) I headed to Roswell Mill for the start. I took off with the pack, and within two minutes I was a boy amongst men (and women) and was dropped like a hot potato. Single-track trail which was a piece of cake for most proved challenging. It was as if I’d not tried to mountain bike in years. Oh, that’s right, I haven’t. For some reason I chose the “Eagle” trail at the “Chicken/Eagle” split. Look at me crossing not one, but two pipes over creek while I carried my bicycle! And in shoes which are barely suitable for walking on flat ground no-less!
My heroics ended quickly as I felt more dead than the dead opossum we passed at the top of the next road climb. The single-track proved too technical for my skills behind The Cottage School. I bit the dust once while hiking my bike down the steep carpet of leaves decline. And upon reaching what appears to have been a fun downhill for real riders I walked my bike to the bottom of the hill to Riverside Drive. When I hit the “Short/Long” split there was little, no, no doubt which I’d be taking. Unfortunately, “Short” didn’t mean “Short and Easy” because it took me up Old Alabama from Riverside to Holcomb Bridge. I was passed by two roadies as I walked my mountain bike up Old Alabama. I would have been passed by the old woman using her walker had I not knocked her into the woods as she tried to pass on my right.
When the road flattened again I navigated traffic (something I was very good at doing prior to the wreck) and made my way along Old Alabama. When I saw the arrow directing my into the Big Creek trail system I uttered a curse word and played my knowledge of the end, and how to get there, to its fullest.
It’s easy to sat that I was FRB, because I probably did half of trail in total. But I was spent. No, I’m not kidding. It’s a damn good thing I wasn’t wearing a heart monitor yesterday because I’m certain it would have auto-signalled for some EMTs. I was huffing. I was puffing. My heart pounded my ribcage to the point that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see my heart jettisoned forward, which unfortunately probably would have sent me headed backward. Was it a good idea for me to ride? Hell yeah? Did I have fun? To some degree. Am I in pain? Absolutely.
After the hash I had a wonderful dinner with ITP-Reader Barb and Allan at Lucky’s Burger and Brew. Take that, exercise!
I’m Ashamed Of My Home State
Sorry Packers fans. Please keep in mind that I am a Jets fan, and not a Giants fan when cursing New Yorkers today.
On The Fence For RPS Tonight
I didn’t submit a photo for critique — the subject was “Open (vintage)” — a subject of which I am not a fan. And given that I visited Roswell and ate dinner at Lucky’s Burgers and Brew last night, I’m not feeling the tug to travel north after work this evening. We’ll see, I can always change my mind.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – worn out
Current Music – listening to a KEXP “Music That Matters” podcast
Website Of The Day – Even though Zappos (an Amazon company) just got hacked I still think it’s a great place to buy shoes online.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – some this weekend, little of note
Morning Weigh-In – shit, I forgot
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 2.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 6.0 miles (a complete guess)
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)
Vegetarian Days – 0
Carnivorous Days – 15
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
January Goals
– Lose at least one pound (net weight loss)
– “Completely” recover from the bike crash (though I’m beginning to think that this will never happen)
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
– Not get fired from my job, nor quit my job
– Follow up with doctors, lawyer, women in whom I have interest
– Participate in a least one dinner party (perhaps held at my house when plumbing issues are addressed?)
– Go out on a least one date with a woman in whom I have interest
– Submit 2012 paperwork for Sharpened Stone, LLC
– Gather all tax paperwork for 2011 income taxes
– Request free credit report
– Successfully arrange for automatic payments for my mortgage
– Watch all of the classes in the 2011 Winter semester of Stanford’s CS193P (iOS Development) course
2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5?), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]
The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue to, make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
We managed to skip that steep downhill, we were in a group of 5, only one saw the turn to go downhill, and after a discussion of how steep it was (without actually seeing it), we decided to take the road around. I’m sure I would have walked plenty of it, I can ride some steep downhill, but only when I know what is at the bottom.
Those road climbs on the mtn bike sucked, I do agree, but the trails at Big Creek were fun, you would have enjoyed them. But then, the neighborhood roads to get to the end had just enough hills to make me very glad to be done.
We were both beat when we got home, thought a soak in the hot tub would be helpful for the sore muscles, then went to bed early.
Exercise like that is good, if we’d do it more often, it wouldn’t hurt so bad, right?
Had I been feeling a little better, and warmer, I would have attempted the Big Creek portion. Perhaps if I get more exercise like this I’ll work myself back into good enough shape to do this again? 😉
I passed out relatively soon after getting home. I finished watching one program I started watching prior to the hash, and then I was done.
Paulie!
:-p
See you tonight at RPS…
JG/HamWithCam
Most likely you will, John.
Barb, it looks like the gang is going to Mr. Taco. Isn’t this the place you (or maybe Stacy) have been recommending?
oh yeah – Mr. Taco is awesome – though I couldn’t understand half the stuff on the menu. Now you HAVE to go to RPS……… it is next to the CVS, right there by Olive Garden on Holcomb Bridge. I didn’t even think of that for last night, but a burger was calling Allan’s & my name.
Nice photo, Paulie. I initially thought “I wish he had centered the sun between those two trees”, but now that I look at the picture again, I kind of like the fact that the sun almost appears to be climbing the one tree – or ascending out of it’s root system. Besides, the trees aren’t symmetrical, so why should the sun be equidistant from each?
Happy MLK day everyone. OK, back to my own form of vounteering – working on a company holiday. Lisa is working today and the sitter already owes us hours this month, so we figured she might as well earn her salary…. 🙂
No one in the group I was in rode that downhill to the river. The buried logs under the leaves tripped me up just walking down the hill, much less riding. The trails at Big Creek were fun, but without marks and not knowing the trail system, all I could think was that I was off trail. Fortunately, the marks reappeared. I was pretty much over it at that point, so didn’t flinch at the L and S option towards the end. I did manage to screw myself when I missed a mark at a left turn and went straight up a paved cliff- Trick said she used to run up it and a guy would sit on his porch and watch.. and laugh!
And Paulie, you got out there and rode! You’re working toward your goals.
Happy MLK Day to those that have it off.. I’m watching the weather and might go for a ride.
-FP
I do not have the day off – but we do technically have 4 floating holidays, so we could take the day off if we wanted to. But none of our customers are closed, so I may as well be here.
Steve – I know that steep climb all too well, and because I’ve complained about it before, Bob took us the long way around to the house, to avoid it. Glad you got to do it……..
Allan was beat – he said it was 18 or 19 miles, which with all those hills, that isn’t an easy day at all. I rode a little over 10, and my rear derailluer wasn’t working correctly, so I was sort of learning how to single speed it. I LIKE my gears, I’ll never own a single speed. Climbing without those lower gears was a challenge. Luckily for me, Allan came along in Big Creek, and did the adustment I needed. but when I was alomst finished.
I couldn’t make it up some of those inclines even with my granny gears! I just made a rough gap of my ride and it was all of about six miles.