AGHHHH

I don't like exams. They blow my mind up. I'm hoping to get to bike ride in tonight since I'll be done with my hard test and will have a few minutes to breath before starting studying for the next.

Let's move this party inside

Wow! It got cold fast. I think that I'll be biking indoors for the rest of the season. I can do about an hour before my brain melts and my legs just stop moving. Liz sits on the couch and laughs at me, but deep down I know she is jealous.

Bump in the road

I made a fairly large scheduling error today. As a result, I can't go to my race tomorrow. I'm sad because it will take me out of the overall point contention, but that's life I guess. Mistakes happen, and riding isn't as important as collecting the data for my masters.

Riding in the rain

I went for a ride today and it sprinkled on me just little bit. I didn't even get that wet, but I realized that rain hitting your face at 20mph feels quiet different compared to just hitting your face when walking. It feels more like hail I think.

In sad news, one of the psychologists in the department was murdered over the weekend. I didn't know him very well because he wasn't a professor, but his office does share a wall with mine. Right when you think you can hide from the real world in academia something horrific happens.

It's getting colder

I have had two enjoyable rides over the last two days. For the first time today, I donned my long sleeved compresion shirt. It fit really well when I tried it on in the store, but apparently my arms have gotten a bit smaller. The only thing being compressed if my body. The arms are all loose, and I think it make me look silly. I tried putting my purdue jersey overtop, and it didn't really help. 

From a functional standpoint,  it works just fine. It certainly kept me much warmer than yesterday's short sleeved outing. 

My toes are even starting to feel the chill during the bike ride, and my nose seems to generate a lot more snot. I know what everyone is thinking, and you are all correct. I am not very attractive when riding, and I'm ok with that. 

I think that it is safe to say that for Christmas I will be requesting a wide range of cycling type cloths to help me deal with colder weather, warmer weather, and even normal weather. I really like having jerseys with pockets. 

I have discovered that semi trucks going the opposite direction on country roads are about the most annoying things ever.  It's scary when they past, but the wind they create can about blow you over. There is nothing being at a point in the ride when you are going uphill, feeling really tired, and having a semi vortex swirl about you. I find it very disheartening at times. 

That's about all for now.

Semi-trucks.  Good for buisness. Bad for bikers.

New glasses and gray skies

Here is a picture of my new glasses. We think they are a dark green color.




I'm not good at rotating picures



Penny was stocking up on sun yesterday in preperation for the winter months. Today is pretty dreary, so I think a lot of homework could get done.

Back on the bike

My knee is feeling better so I went out for a short and easy ride today. All systems go for a harder training day tomorrow.

I have a week and a half to get ready for the next time trial. I shaved off another 4 seconds from my time last Wednesday which put me in 4th place (most improved) for the race and 5th place in the overall point standings. Two more races to go.

Watching the Marathon made me think about running a little bit again, but the feeling is fleeting. Staying with Liz's sister was a good time (as always). I felt very hip for the night.

I bought new frames and lenses today. Our insurance policy stinks, but it had to be done even though it cost a bit of money. Liz is going to get a pair of frames next month.

More of the same

Thankfully the weather continues (for the most part) to be fairly nice. Although, it is getting noticeably cooler outside. I did one training session on the trainer I bought since it was raining out. It made me sweat and gave me a decent work out. The bonus was that I watched 1.5 episodes of cops while doing it.

On Wednesday, I had another time trial and shaved four seconds off my time. That put me in forth place for improvement. Most people were slower due to 5 miles of a wicked headwind. I'm also in forth place in the point standings. If I have two more good races I think I have a chance of moving up a spot or two.

This is day two of a few days off of the bike. I twisted my knee a few days ago, so I'm giving it a little rest. I'm going to try a light ride on either Saturday or Sunday.


That's all the biking stuff.

School is now much less stressful now that I have gotten some of my tests back. I did better than I thought I had on both, so that helps out a lot. My presentation went well yesterday, and now I'm finishing off the week with grading and working at mfri. I'm excited for break and hope to make big progress on some research things that I'm working on. The Thursday night screenings are almost finished. I'll be excited not to have to stay at school till 8:30 anymore.

Almost ready for winter

I'm almost ready for winter. A kid on the cycling team decided to sell his indoor trainer so I took him up on the deal. Now I can bike all winter long next to Liz while she ellipticals on the machine we salvaged from the dumpster. The is a whole other story in itself that Liz can tell you about. She may have posted about it a long time ago on her blog.

I'm trying to figure out how to take pictures on my cell phone and get them on the computer. There is a ugly llama that I pass regularly that I would like to share with everyone. It makes me laugh.

That's all for now.