Meathead

Yesterday's post was basically a cathartic exercise. I like the word cathartic... just typing the word cathartic or saying the word cathartic can be... well, cathartic. I feel so much better now, don't you?

Speaking of cathartic..

It had to go. I think I had all the fun I could have with it, and I'm sure I proved that I can grow itch-free hair in the winter as long as I keep the chemicals away from the follicles.

There was some regret as I shaved away at five months of effort, but I decided it's time to get serious. I might not be racking up the base miles, but I look a lot more racery now.

I was gonna keep the chops, but I tend to lose my self control when I'm standing in front of a mirror with a razor. Chops, goat, and eyebrows are now surfing the brown wave that is the CMUD.

Waking up to snow was quite trippy yesterday. It's been awhile since I've had the white fluffy stuff to play in while riding to and fro in name of the almighty dollar. I heard we got our new president yesterday. I missed it, but from what understand Michelle Obama was wearing something that rivaled our economic and foreign policy problems in importance and newsworthiness. Musta been a helluva dress.

Yeah, the ti bike is back in action. The creator of the Mothership is taking another crack at reproducing the magic in steel (with some slight modifications), and he finally returned my repaired (well, sorta repaired by a NASCARian welder with a ti seat rail) frame. I figured why not use it for my knobby work bike and retire the Berserker for the time being. I remember fantasizing about a ti work bike years ago, so now I'm living the dream. No paint to chip, tubes to rust, or giant junkyard magnets to fear. The cyclocross knobbies provide plenty of resistance to forward movement thus forcing me to work harder and stay warmer with the added bonus of getting a good return on investment for what little time I spend on my bike. I kinda wish I had some low rolling resistance full fatties I could install... kinda like the Kenda Karma I just sold...

Taking away TMHTE yesterday was not an easy thing to do. I now have no short term happy goals to look forward to till April. I wanted to do something in March, but there's a slight scheduling conflict that will keep me from going to an organized playdate with my adult playmates. The Pie will be going to a rural orphanage in Haiti's Kenscoff Mountains for two weeks to volunteer at God's Littlest Angels. She will be taking care of orphaned and abandoned children who are sick, malnourished, and sometimes premature. I can't even wrap my head around the experience she is going to have, but suffice to say it is very obvious that she is my better half. During that time I am in charge of holding down the fort and keeping two children alive and fed. That also means no early morning training miles before work since I'll be getting The Fajita to school in the AM and going straight to work a little late every day. The sacrifices that the family unit will have to make on the homefront pale in comparison to what The Pie has committed to while she's in Haiti, and when you think about the people she is going to help while she's down there our "needs" seem down right silly and overindulgent.

If I have succeeded in making you feel guilty about buying a double mocha latte' frappachino today I do not apologize. If you feel the need to put your karma back in balance there are about a million different ways to contribute to God's Littlest Angels without dusting off your passport and going to Haiti for two weeks. Paypal, checks, and all manners of payment are acceptable, and the organization has offices in the US and A so you can feel confident that your money is not freeing a wealthy prince in Zaire from political oppression. Seriously, your $5 goes a very, very long way down there...

Sorry to get all Sally Struthers on you, but whatever.