My tribute to Tim "HOT SAUCE" Finkelstein

While some of our fellow comrades are lucky enough to be training in the hills of Georgia and Kentucky some of us are still stuck here in Michigan forced to ride in what can only be described as "toilet bowl" conditions. Today's ride was another solo one as everyone bailed because of the weather. The ride began with temperatures in the 40's and a relatively stiff wind from the west. About 10 minutes into the ride it a heavy thick wet snow began to fall and the temperature seemed to drop. It wasn't so bad at first but as the snow came down harder the visability grew worse and worse yet the snow that was accumulating on the front of my thighs and shoulders began to melt leaving me with that cold wet feeling. Needless to say an hour and forty minutes was all that I could muster. I tried to play mindgames with myself in an attempt to lengthen the ride to 2 hrs but I couldn't perservere. The only redeeming benefit from all of this toilet training is that windburn tends to turn into a deep tan especially on the cheeks and nose which leads alot of people to ask the question "you look tan, have you been on vacation lately"? The answer of course is no. Looks like its time to break out the sunscreen after all I don't want to end up with those Hot Sauce like tan lines.

WHY DO WE DO THIS

The outlook for today was bleak. With some home improvement stuff to work on in the morning the only time I could ride was in the afternoon and judging by the chill in the air the thought of riding anywhere outside just didn't seem exciting. However since I knew it was supposed to snow later today and possible tomorrow I decided to once again brave the elements and head out for a little local road ride that lead to Stoney Creek Metropark. As the wind ripped across my face (which seemed like the whole ride) I began to become jealous of those lucky people that live in the warmer climates. I imagined what it must feel like to be able to ride this time of year in shorts and a short sleeve jersey. My aunt who lives in South Carolina recently tried to convince me to move the family down there. The thought does seem mighty tempting but unless my mom decides to move there as well I don't think that will be happening. That and the fact that the Michigan economy is so crappy that I would have to practically give my house away in order to move. The thing is usually after a ride like today's I usually feel a sense of accomplishment. I figure how many other poor suckers like myself are out there getting in some good base miles before spring is really upon us. Today however I found myself getting increasingly aggitated with each pedal stroke. How much longer can this cold weather last. How much more snow can we endure. For the time being I'm able to hold on as I keep telling myself that shortly the weather will turn and the trails will dry up. I think that is the only thing I can do because I don't see any moves to SC in my near future, but you never know. TC

UNTITLED

There is something to be said for winter riding. I must admit I love riding Pontiac with the old studs on. It is amazing to think that for most of the winter Don, Terry Mike and myself have been riding the trails. Yesterday the ice started to give way and the trail really took alot of work to push through. It was really hard work with little recovery. The one thing though that gives me satisfaction is knowing that with the exception of one other set of tire tracks from a mystery rider we have been the only ones riding out there. The sad thing is that probably in a few weeks every knucklehead and their brother will be out there choading the place up. That's okay for now it's like we own the place and that's not a bad thing. Here's a tease for my next blog. It is loosely based on the Finkelstein big prize giveaway (although there is no evidence that Tim ever gave anything away) It will include a picture of my studded tires the winner will have to correctly name the manufacturer and the name of the tires (here's a hint think really old school).

I used to have a coke problem

Well not only Coke but also Mountain Dew. It's funny I haven't owned a bathroom scale in over two years but this winter I decided to really get strict about my diet in an attempt to lose some weight. I remember Dave telling me years ago that one easy way to not only drop weight but also feel better was to stop drinking pop. I've always been a caffeine addict. Not so much coffee but sugary sweet pop...now your talking. So about 8 weeks ago I decided to quit cold turkey. I had to admit I almost didn't make it past the first day. I remember sitting in the cafeteria at work watching a co-worker pouring a pop into a white styrofoam cup, it was shear misery. Eventually the cravings went away and I can honestly say that I've lost 8 lbs since I stopped drinking pop and I feel SOOOO MUCH better. I'm only drinking water, green tea, gatorade (during rides) and vitamin water if I want to change things up a bit. My goal now is to start to focus more on my diet. I'm trying not to eat as much junk but I just can't seem to shake cookies (Oreo's and Girl Scout thin mints). Oh well at least I've got the pop monkey off of my back.

Whew I just made it

Three days ago I received a simple text message from the Finkelstein. I cannot recite it verbatim but the underlying message was simple. I had a mere 3 days to update my blog or be permanently removed from the sacred Finkelstein blog link list. My mind was racing...How could that be? I know it has been a long time since postings (maybe a month or two) but quite frankly there hasn't been much on my mind lately. You see I used to do some of my best work well while I was at work. Well times are rough at the old hospital and the IS team has decided to crack down on all "UNAUTHORIZED WEBSITES". You see, it appears that this website has been classified as having "SOCIAL CONTENT" and has therefore been banned along with other sites such as Facebook and Myspace. But really I haven't been doing much other than skiing, riding PLRA and hitting the Kreitlers. I must admit that over the winter I have developed one secret indulgence which has consumed all of my spare time. So word out to the Finkelstein. Hope this entry saved my ass. Look for some tasty tidbits such as the Sacred G paper, Turtle Racing and Net guns in my upcoming blogs. TC