My Private Nation

This Sunday morning I took a walk out behind my apt. Took approx and hour 1/2. Not sure whats worse, climbing or coming back down but it's a good workout. This little slide show is in chronological order and I put a Train song to it as that's kinda what it feels like where I walk. Like its my own private nation......

Blog is working again - Labwork

Most folks who've known me for a bit know one of my biggest fears is getting blood work done. So I got a new Doc out here and he wanted lab work done right off the bat just to see what kind of poison he was dealing with. The week of blood work #1 I called around to the 2 places to make sure they weren't busy because I knew if I had to wait bad things would happen. I fasted at least 3 times that week but couldn't find my window of opportunity until later in the week. I rolled in and only 1 person was there. Got it done before I had time to think about it. So the results came back...My triglycerides were over 600. Runs in the family. He put me on a med and says do more labs in a month and we'll talk again. Lab #2 didn't go so well. I got a bit cocky and rolled into a crowded waiting room. Sat there and my mind started racing. When it was my turn something weird happened with the lady in front of me as they had to clean that room with bleach. By now I'm sweating and worked up/down into a bad state. She stuck me and I completely passed out! When I woke up 2 people were over top of me saying my name loudly. My ears and eyes were working but my brain was still off. I had no idea who I was let alone them. The brain engaged and I woke up to what felt like a hangover. Went back to work soaking wet with sweat and felt so shaky I skipped the lunch ride. So now I get the call the the blood is still fahqed up so Thursday I get see what sort of new and wonderful thing I get to try AND go back for labs in another month or two. How can something so non painful get into my head like that.

Dwayne and Brittney

We've known each other since the mid 70's(high school)....long long time. but we're the type who goes their own way and sometimes months will go by without contact. Our natural rhythm is this way. During high school Dwayne's folks bought him and his brother a motorcycle to share. We had a gang much like the lunch time riders of today that would ride motorcycles as much as possible. On the weekends we sometimes ended up with crowds watching us race around this little plot of land between a Highs convenience store and Townhouse development. Currently its 1 big parking lot. When they starting building houses we also had fun while that lasted as there were new piles of dirt to explore almost every day. I'm a true believer that my little Honda XR75(1974) kept my mind active on more positive things. Fast forward a bit and Dwayne joined the Air Force right after high school. For some reason I can't remember what I did yesterday but I remember sitting in his car the night I said goodbye to him on that night. He was stationed in England for 5 years at Fairford Air Force base. Upon his return to the states he had no place to live and I had just bought a condo. So we were re-united ....He lived with me while pursuing his bachelors degree at Hood College. Needless to say there were many beers consumed during this period as we were only 23 years old. Dwayne lived in Baltimore for a bit before he got the u-haul bug and ended up in Colorado Springs and eventually California.So now we're 46 and still trying to make sense of it all. Cheers to a good friend....

You might meet a little fox in an atheist hole

New video from Todd Snider.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dSyK7uqgIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FetXbNUduEo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbByWrP-MyU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9g6bRgfy6Q&feature=related

I'm Shakin it Boss

Saturdays ride consisted of lots of doubletrack with some fun rock challenges and 1 nice watering hole. The water hole made me feel like a kid again and watching Josh shake at the end of this thing is worth the trouble. I'll let the pics do the talking. Jeff assumed the roll of GPS agent, photographer and writer so I'll just have to leave you with a pic of me and my boy and divert you over to bikecarson.com. I'd like to thank Kenda tires, Newcastle Brown Ale, Negra Modelo, Kathy's custom ass wipes, Josh's quake and shake, and Lesters cool style(and beer supply)...and obviously Jeff for putting the thing together.


http://www.bikecarson.com/2008/10/19/expedition-into-el-dorado-canyon/

Mickey...written by Leslie

Mick, this little one in the picture, died suddenly tonight. He was very special to my family. One morning in 2003, while driving to work in the rain, he was on the side of the road in traffic wandering out. I jumped out of my car, stopped traffic and picked up his fuzzy, wet little ass up and put him in the car.

He was in a good part of the ghetto, so I started walking up and down the street asking if peeps knew him. Oh.. yes they did..
"He live there to the right, he live to the left, he live up dat street." He actually didn't live there at all..duh as I called in late to work and brought him back home.

I put out flyers everywhere, blah blah blah.. put his picture up in the city, online and on Md Penny Saver ect. One night I got a ton of calls from Pomeranian fans who just wanted to talk about him, but didn't own him. I entertained these stupid calls for hours.

And then that night, one call came in from this smoky little baltimore voice saying, "Hon, I think this is my brothers dog... My brother has terminal cancer but stayed at home until it got bad, and he called me to pick him up to take him to Good Samaritan Hospital last Sunday night... he brought his little dog, Penny too.. We left Penny in the car, a sandy colored Pomeranian.. and the next morning, I went to leave and the dog got out and ran away. (This is within 2 blocks of where I found him).

Smoky Baltimore hon said it'd be best I kept him, as her brother would be dead soon and she couldn't care for the dog. She thanked me and got off the phone.

The day of this picture above, I'd already talked to my Mom and asked if she could possibly take him in. Mom wasn't so happy as her Yorkie was very possessive, but she accepted. This picture was the moment I met Mom and Dad in Frederick and handed Micky off. He ran right to Dad and laid next to him on the carseat, and never stopped being close to Dad.

Mickey and Max, the Yorkie hit it off.. easily. And each day when Dad would come over to Mom's house, Mickey would run to Dad and hang with him for most of the time. When Dad was dying at his home, we brought Mickey over to his house to be with him. One bad morning, Dad woke up and told me he'd never felt such pain as I was planning to get him to his Baltimore docs..He had 2 days left.. As I walked down the hall to make phone calls and get ready to leave, I heard Dad talking to Mickey in the same playful voice as always as if everything was perfectly fine.

Mickey was Dad's bud. When Dad was gone, he was Mom's buddy, but lost a bit. Long before Mom died, she told us that our cousins wanted to take him if she died before him.

When that day came, Mickey had a home planned, but Max the Yorkie did not. This sucked and my cousin Jolynne agreed to take them both. The day she picked them both up, was awful as Sheila and I handed them off. BUT it ended up being great because the dogs loved being there, and we were sent pictures and updates.

So tonight as Scott and I were chatting on the phone, I opened the email detailing Mickey's quick passing this evening. I scanned it, stopped Scott from talking and asked him to take 2 deep breaths.. then read it to him. We sat on the phone quietly and cried hard like little kids.

Mickey had a weird life of rescues, good homes and re-locations, but will be fine hanging with Mom and Dad and even his previous Dad who died around the time I found him.

Yet needless to say, it's sad when a baby dies. Luckily he died quickly at home with my cousin loving on him closely until he left. He was buried on Dad's home turf in PA with loving ritual and appreciation.

Cheers to that little found boy.. he made our family better!

Couple cool paint jobs from Street Vibrations