Hello Again

As per my usual tardiness in posting, I am back yet again. Obviously, there is much that has happened since my previous post. I am not sure an incredibly detailed post would do anyone much good, so I will hit some highlights, and make my usual promise to update this thing more often. Anyway, here it goes:


This is the Logan Class of December 2009; Best Beard Contest/No Shave November. We had nearly 30 participants in this years edition. In years past, it has only been those around the bike shop participating in such an idea. I was humbled to see such a wonderful turn out. We had some great beards, and some beards that were lacking, but the bottom line is beards rule, regardless of the thickness, consistency, or added warmth. Here we are in this photo giving the public a demonstration of one of our most popular orthopedic tests, the Valsalva Maneuver. This test can be seen on toilets across the country, or in the gym by some meat-head trying to up his bench max 2.5 pounds.

So if the Best Beard Contestants were the personification of the District Qualifiers, this bunch of fellas would be heading to Sectionals. Those of us who dressed up were on our way to State, and I am proud to say I brought home the State Championship. So, we didn't shave 1 day in November, took some pics of our Beard on 29th, and sported this look for the Sweetest Stache Contest. Many categories were up for grabs, and you can see, none of us took this lightly. Notice my boy Cam playing the guitar on my leg.

This could have been the pose that won it all for me. Keep in mind we were in class for about 10 hours that day...Yeah, does that make you feel good about your future Doctors of Chiropractic of America? Go here for more pics and info.

So, school closed for the year, and things went relatively well. Grades are good, burnout was not quite achieved, and I am looking forward to going back on the 8th. This trimester will be a double milestone: not only will we have taken our first round of National Boards (St. Patty's Day Weekend), but by the end of the tri, we will be halfway done with school. Hooray!

So, the evening we finished with classes, there was a little shin-dig...An Ugly Christmas Sweater Party/9-19 Party. The first is self explanatory, but the later, well, that is two birthday parties rolled into one. This is K and I minutes after returning from the thrift store. Notice my Christmas blouce? Thanks for the tie Dad.

From right to left, we have my buddy Cam-boy, Katie (birthday girl #1), and myself. I am witnessing something that happens pretty regularly around our class...Cameron is confessing his love for Katie.

You may have noticed my hair was longer than normal in many of these pictures...well, when you get a hair cut, and your hair is 5 inches long, you have to sport a mullet for at least a day or two. This is the closest I have ever been to racing in Europe. I actually sported this guy for two days, and survived trips to Chesterfield Mall, the Mills Mall, and many coffee shops and Firestones in between. Oh yeah, I watched nothing but NASCAR during the 48hr period.

One night, I felt like a pirate...
Mullets are sweet!

Anyway, it is 5:45am on the day (Jan 8th) we go back to class, and it has taken me since the day after Christmas (which was wonderful in itself) to get this far with this post, so I am going to cut my losses, and release this amazing bit of info to the world. The rest of break was great. I watched no fewer than 61 movies (some of those were repeats), did a lot of laying around, a little bit of bike riding, a lot of cleaning, a little doctor shadowing, and a lot of internet surfing...obviously not enough here at this site. And I really will try and be more timely w/ these things.

-Colonel

Bubba # 4...yeah, I had to skip # 3

The Colonel has been up to the same ol' crap. School is cool, riding is going pretty well, and we got out of town last weekend to relax in Branson. Other updates of note:
-I will have my new road bike back this coming weekend...and a new sram force group to hang on it; pretty pimp!
-I no longer have a power meter...but Micah does. I traded him some of my watts (watts from 04') for a few extra chips. Don't worry Micah, you will get your wheels someday.
-I have entered the world of 29ers...not officially, but I have something in the makings.
-I will have a super pimp TT bike for sale...if you are interested, drop me a line.
-Because of said sram group, I also have an immaculate Dura Ace Group up for sale.

K, Parker, and Paola are all doing well. K and I have been busy around the house as usual. Our trip to Branson was great. It is always good to get away from the hustle and bustle of STL.

Well, things went better this round of the Bubbaness.
Josh came in and put together a pretty stellar course. It was a tad longer than what we have been used to at previous Bubba Shows, and the length definitely wore on me. I started out near the back, and because of a first lap bottle-neck, I found myself next to last in no time. No sooner than Butthead passing me on his way up to the winner's circle, I began picking riders off myself.

I must have some weird affiliation w/ riding behind the two Marks, because I found myself chasing them down, just as I did two weeks previous. Thankfully, this time I didn't go yard...twice. I was making pretty decent time back on them, and then the gap just stabilized. With three laps to go, I began getting tired. Then, with two to go, I flat out hit the wall. I was passed by three riders, and couldn't respond to save my life. One of them had a mechanical, so I was able to take back one of the spots I lost.


Rounding the final few corners, I could hear someone coming up on me...I knew Anthony was on my trail. I had just enough left in the tank to kick up the heat, and hold onto my 7th place spot.

Oh yeah, this guy was there too. It was awesome to get to race w/ Tyrone, aka "White Bread".

So, things I learned...don't eat 4.5 hours before a cross race and expect to keep a full tank. As soon as I crossed the line, I pounded two bowls of what some circles would consider chili (don't get me wrong, I am extremely thankful for free food, and the people who provide, cook, and clean up), six bags of orange sport beans, a few bottles of water, and then immediately headed to Chipotle for some burrito madness. I completely hit the wall. I haven't had that feeling in quite sometime. There is some good to this story; my body hasn't even been fit enough to allow for such a beating in quite some time, so I appreciated being humbled.

Other than that, I have been running a little, and studying a little. Things have been tough around the family front. Not soon after my Mom's surgery, the Docs found a spot of cancer in my Dad's colon. He went under the knife yesterday, and took it like a trooper. Mom and Dad have had a tough time this last month, but I am super happy they have kept open minds and positive outlooks on their situations. The have found a home here in STL, and will be closing the deal in a week or two.

Thats all for now...cross race back at the Alma Matter this weekend...can't wait.

Bubba Part Duex

To begin the weekend, K and I met up with the crew from Logan for a beautiful day at Oktoberfest: we drove down on Saturday morn, and left early that eve. This pic was from Stone Hill. We spent most of the day @ Hermanhoff, which somehow we didn't get any pictures. I volunteered to drive, since K is usually the DD.

Well, things started off good...Mark, Dr. Mark and I hit the gas from the go and made a pretty small selection coming through for the second lap. The Marks dropped me and maintained about a 25 second gap, while I kept about 40ish seconds to the 4th placed rider.



Then, about half way in, I began to get greedy...my body was hitting that "numb" state, so I decided to hit the gas, and try and close the gap between the Marks. I was making a bit of headwind, when I came into a corner too hot to take the right line and totally ate it after slamming my front wheel into this gnarly root. I was going to try out for a spot in the chimney sweep crew for Mary Poppins...I was digging dirt out of my nose and ears all night long.



Good news is: I not only kept all of my teeth, but they maintained their less-than pearly appearance!




Total Damage:
>1 tufo tubular tire (or tyre if you are euro-trash)
>1 700c x 28mm tube
>1 brand spankin new pair of Mercy Cycling bib shorts (not as bad as Anne's though)
>My ego for the rest of my life

My excuse: this is what I was doing before and after the race:


Just for the record, I pulled all of the rocks I had laid down, dug everything about an inch deeper, reset a drain, and leveled everything off by the end of the night. I am still suffering from that. I am pooped. Until later

Bubba Cross

It is that time of the year again...not that I have every really raced cross on a consistent basis, but this year is different. Since the weather has been almost cross worthy, we decided to break the crock pot out for the first pot of chili. Matt, and his gal Sarah joined us for dinner and drinks, as we watched MU blow their game w/ Oklahoma, and sat out on the deck to enjoy a roaring fire.

My legs definitely are not fried from a long grueling season, so CX is where it is at. This is Bubba #1 I guess, even though there was a race in Carbondale a few weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, cross still hurts like hell, but I am definitely a lot fresher this season.
I was able to make up the most time on this scorching downhill, from dirt to pavement.

They had this little loopty-doop that kept things interesting just after the start/finish area. I am pretty certain there were a few people who ate it here.

The barriers were few today, in fact, only two; but word on the street is each week will bring more obstacles. I say bring on the obstacles, and get rid of the climbing...just my thoughts.

So, all in all, the first race was a relative success. I didn't die, crash, break any equipment, or puke. I may have came in somewhere between 7th and 9th. Results will be on STLbiking.com
If I am grossly off my placing, back off, my head was spinning most of the way through the race.
Lots of work around the house over the weekend, so we stayed busy at the Kippenberger household.

On a sadder note, my buddy from high school Dave's grandfather passed away last Wednesday. K and I rolled to Rolla for the arrangements on Friday and Saturday. If you know the Busch family, please keep Marvin and Norma, and the rest of the family in your prayers. Marvin was pretty much my grandfather too, as he was always up for keeping Dave and I entertained.

Wow, two blog entries within a week...could I be making a come-back? Stay tunned. --(disclaimer: though the previous entry says 9/26, I really finished it early last week)

I have been called out!

Here you go A!

So, a lot has happened since my last post...quick recap. I survived another round of Chiropractic school, more than doubled my races on the year, vacationed in Wisconsin, and got to hang out with a ton of friends that I haven't gotten to see in a long while. Here are a few pics to commemorate the last few months












While it would be easy to end the conversation here, I am infamous for dragging out stories and situations. I have been riding my cross bike enough to hopefully to survive the attrition Butthead will present to us all @ the Bubba Cross Series. I may sneak to KC a time or two in November/December to race, but for the most part, it is hard to rationalize traveling to races, when races are in our backyard. I plan on making the trip to BoCoMO for the collegiate/bubba race, and hopefully I won't be too drained from finals to make Nats in December.

Most recently, we traveled to Columbia to hang w/ everyone, and see Thomas off for his "Three Month Vacation" to Cali. I can't say I am not jealous, so I won't.

We have a pile of rocks in our back yard, waiting for a drain to go beneath them, so they may blossom into a beautiful walkway...right now, it is just a pile of crap. Pics to come (like next century).

A few weeks ago, my Mom found out she had breast cancer. Since then, she has went through surgery and will begin radiation treatments soon. The docs caught everything super early, so things look good for Mom. Thanks for everyone's thoughts, and prayers, as we think Mom is well on her way to defeating this awful and debilitating disease.

That is good for getting my feet wet again. I will have some more to talk about soon. I may even make a ridiculous statement as "I will update this thing more often...maybe even tomorrow!!!" Well, don't let the exclamation points excite you, b/c realistically, I will see you again in two-three months.

Colonel Out

Wow!

That was the worst post ever...I thought I was supposed to be getting smarter. I am sorry for wasting your time, and hopefully can come up with something better next time.

I yammied @ Soulard

Yeah, thats right...and no one got a picture of me exploding. What a waste of projectile emesis! So, I did Soulard. Actually, I was felling ok before my incident; I had to dig deep a time or two, but in general, I felt ok. My equilibrium must have been off, b/c I clipped like 5 pedals during the race...good news now is I have 4 degrees more clearance on each side.

At about an hour in, I decided my time was limited if I was to do something worth while in the race I needed to act quickly. There was a group of 11 up the road, and the race pays 10 deep. They had a large enough gap that pulling TJ up to the break seemed like too large of task, so I went for a 50 dollar preme. If you know Soulard, you know it is hairy; Mark Nagy was leading another team mate out for the prize so I jumped them on the back side, just after the pseudo climb, and juggled my way through the final turns. Things were looking good, but the other Dogfisher came around me at the line...damnit!

Now I was at redline, and my stomach began cursing me. Instead of making turn one, I blew through the sprint barriers only to begin yacking my brains out. It was pretty sweet. Man, it stunk like something serious. Thanks to all that helped in my emergency situation.

All else has been the same...summer school still sucks. Good news: we are heading to Columbia this weekend to catch this years edition of the State TT. I am hoping my boy Tim @ Santa Cruz comes through with my bolts for my seatpost, so I might actually get to ride this weekend.

Happy Birthday Alicia

A-

Happy birthday...Busy times in STL led us both to forget to call at a decent hour. Hope you had a good one!

Trackin'

The pursuit race my be my new favorite thing ever. With a good group of fellas, I think things could be a lot of fun.

I went down to the track tonight, after a disaster of trying to get ready and out the door on time. I got to the track, only to find out I forgot my spacers for my "normal" handlebars, which I still had to put on my bike. After frantically rummaging around in the mechanic's tool box, I was done for the evening...but then, a nice fellow let me borrow one of his spares, and Dr. Mark did the same...now, I have to change a flat (mind you, I had just changed the flat before I left the house). No biggie. Oh, wait, I need a rim strip too???? Luckily, the guy from Big Shark had a ratty rim-strip that did the trick for the night. Ok, now can I race my bike please??

Sure, if you don't mind that your seatpost will be slipping the entire time b/c some jackass (me) stripped my binder bolt (which is extremely hard to get a hold of...Mark, Thomas, anyone with a clue of how to help a brother out, please drop me a line before the first week of July).

With all of that, I still had a great night. Mr. Hill, Dr. Mark, Mark O and many more were down at Penrose, and they definitely brought the pain. I missed the mile, but raced all the other events. I don't think I have anything of note to mention about the night, maybe a couple of 4th place finishes in there somewhere, but certainly nothing to get a roar about.

School was tough this week...lots of exams. Story of my life. I am going to a seminar all weekend, then racing on Sunday again @ the Dogfish Crit. Maybe I will see you there.

ps...Noah Singer, fellow team mate, is rocking the house in Ohio. Good job guys, keep up the hard work!

St. Louis Sucks

Well, so do the people that inhabit this god-forsaken city as well. I have never been in a more unfriendly place. Usually, when I am out riding my bike, I say hi to everyone...whether you are a cougar with a wedgie, or a group of boy scouts building a bench it doesn't matter. NO ONE around here returns the favor, or even acknowledges your existence. I got spit on from a dump truck in the oncoming lane during rush hour on Chesterfield Airport Rd. Whoever you are, you are incredibly lucky that I would have died trying to turn around and chase after you (which I still almost did). Driving...enough said. Orange air quality every other day???? I am from Rolla, the only thing orange down there is the General Lee. Speaking of Rolla, the St. Louisans trying to play red neck need to stop. If any of you drove your $40,000 truck through Newburg, chanting your ignorant comments as you do, they would have you torn out of that truck and hanged by your pinky finger over a large fire that has consumed said truck, all the while, their kids will shoot you with a 22 like you are a pinata (22's are synonymous with bb guns down in the sticks). I have a better chance of riding my bike in the most atrocious lycra through the middle of town, then you no talent jerks have on the 4th of July with a Confederate flag flying from your truck bed.

Sorry, I am just upset that people have forgotten that they themselves are people too. Anyway.
So, I last left you right before the Tour de Winghaven...which I did, and survived about 75% of. It was great to hang with some of the guys, and get my first mass start of the season. I think I would have finished the race, if I had not found myself at the front of the field on lap 13; oh well, what do you do?

Lots of school and stuff. We made it to Rolla on Dad's day to hang with the Dads; good BBQ @ K's house and back to hel...I mean STL.

I have a to secret training plan, so beware...I have ridden more than once in the last week.

Good luck to the boys out in Ohio, and the guys @ Nature Valley.

Lucky you

Not only are you getting a post, but also a peek at the little face-lift I gave my E-life.

It is Logan's Homecoming, and we have a few days off from class. Unfortunately, we have an exam the Monday we come back, so things won't be all fun and games over the weekend. Today, I took care of a bunch of yard work, and got a short spin in. I plan on riding out to Alton tomorrow, to meet K for a wedding rehearsal dinner. Saturday the wedding mentioned kicks off @ 3:30, and Sunday, Tour of Winghaven will consume all of K's day, and a good portion of my evening.

I am looking forward to the race; a few of the guys are coming up, and Tyrone will be present as well. I haven't seen anyone since January, and really look forward to suffering like a dog and hanging out with the guys.

Speaking of Homecoming, this is a pic from what I can only explain as Logan Prom:
I must say, I did alright for myself when I snagged K...I still haven't figured out how I have gotten her to stick around for so long.


And while I am on the topic of bringing up photos from several months ago, here is the Logan crew @ a Super Bowl Fiesta:
Notice how K and I are at opposite sides of the rooms from each other??

That is what happens when you are on camera crew, setting the camera up on a stack of 100 books in order to take the timed photo. Good times, and great people.

I have some new pics of the deck, and will post them when I update from my office. Until then, stay tuned for more riding than I have done since November!

-The Colonel

I have lost status

Apparently, I am not cool enough to have a link on Josh's blog anymore. Maybe it is my lack of posts about cycling, lack of posts about wit...or just lack of posts. Anyway, I was incredibly disheartened when I discovered I was no longer on Butthead's A list.

I raced my bike again over the weekend; I skipped the State RR (maybe that is why Josh was mad, Rolla boy skips big race) but did attend the first addition of the Clarksville TT. I had my reservations, and speculations about the course, all of which were wrong. The course was actually great. There was one short steep bump in the middle of the effort, but it was only slightly more painful than a perfectly flat TT. I gave everyone else a handicap (since I am so incredibly fit right now;) and rode my track bike. Now, before you say I am an idiot, hear me out. I let TJ borrow some of my aero equipment, and I would have had to build my TT bike back up from scratch (my track bike and TT bike are synonymous). So, a 48x16 was a tad to large for the climb, and definitely too small for the flat portions of the event. None the less, I received a great workout, and had an enjoyable ride.

That afternoon, we headed over to Herman for Miaefest, the spring version of the famous Oktoberfest. We had a large group from school on hand, and good times were had by all. We camped out in some guys who wasn't home at first but came home later--s yard, and went home the next morning. Lots of fun!!

School still consumes me.

I am out

Things of new

Track racing is fun...that is all.

No excuses

I had an entire break to update this thing, and didn't. Shoot me!

I didn't just sit on my butt and do nothing, but I did sit on my butt a lot. I even played with my computer, contemplating on updating my blog but didn't. That is OK.

I survived another round at Logan...I thought I was going to crack several times throughout the trimester and didn't. I think the school likes this whole push you to the edge, let you teeter, and then totter your way back into the game. Whatever works. I came to the conclusion that if I can survive Tri 2, I am good to go.

To kick off the break, Thomas and I scooted down to Georgia to catch some of the Tour, do some riding, and chill out. Our trip was a bit shorter than planned, but quite refreshing in deed. I have some pics, but they are on the other computer and K is typing away on something considerably more important than this (or, at least she thinks so).

We build a deck...it is neat.
This is where wood comes from when it rains outside.

I skipped all of the boring structural details, but here is the skeleton.

...

...

...done and done...well, except for the railing and real step; my dad wants to make sure everyone knows that this is just a temporary step. Funny guy. Big thanks to him, my brother Tim, Father in-law Dennis, buddy Jake, and neighbor Pete for helping us out with this project.

We broke the deck in nearly minutes after we finished by BBQing for all of the returning Logan students (well, not all of them, just the cool ones that we could get a hold of at the last minute). Most everyone either flew in to the airport (which is like 1300 paces from our house) or traveled down the 70 corridor that ultimately ended in our back yard. Good times.

It is good to be back in school, and to be riding a bit. I am a bit jealous of all the racing that I have missed this year, but that is the name of the game. I am hoping to cruise up to the Clarksville TT this weekend...we will see. It is also the MO State RR, and even though Rolla is the host city, I think I will have to pass due to the fact that I have only ridden my bike over 70 miles a handful of times this year. Bummer. Crit season is among us, and hopefully I can manage to hang on in the whirlwind of pain.

So, this is usually the part of the post I try and promise to keep this thing more updated. Well, you know the routine...see you within the next two months!

Hi there

Some of you may think I have dropped off the face of the earth...truth be told, if you consider Logan a parallel universe, I have. Not much has changed in my month+ of absence from the blogging world but hopefully I can brush the borders, and keep this post shorter than my usual novel-update. I will attempt an outline format:

1) Recovery from the plague...thanks K for hooking me up
2) Survival of a wedding in KC/got to hang out w/ the Darbs for a few days!
3) Began riding my bike semi-regularly...watch out, I may be able to take 11th in a 30 min race!
4) Outline and design of spring project...a new deck. I can't wait!
5) 3 weeks, 24 exams/quizzes/practicals away from a much needed 17 day break from school
6) Hopefully heading to Georgia w/Thom to ride bikes and watch big bike races during said 17 day break
7) Remembering I am the worst friend ever...Angela, I will E-mail you sometime very soon
8) Secured myself a rockin' intern for next semester...Andrew is going to hook me up!
9) My hair is the longest it has been since we all went to Tucson...I miss Tucson! (actually, I think I miss hanging out with everyone who went down)
10) I said I was going to keep this short, so better end now.

Hopefully, I will throw a leg over for a bicycle race sometime soon. I am hoping I get a chance to go down to JMSR w/ the Mercy boys , who have been rocking the cycling scene in several different states.

Congrats to Brad Huff for taking the Bronze in the Track Worlds Omnium...that is incredible!

Hopefully it won't take me a month.5 to update this thing again. We still miss Columbia, and everyone who is and once was there!

Curt

Sick as a Dog...and my dog is sick too

I think the plague has hit our household...nothing short of an epidemic. K and the kitty are still showing signs of light, but in the end, the plague may still get them.

We had such a nice beginning of the weekend too. Disclaimer, I would kick myself in the nutz for suggesting K and I do this, but this is not the case. She heard it from a few of my friends, and my friend's spouse.--We went to a semi-formal put on by Logan (I know, infinitely gay), but it was 25 bucks per couple for food and open bar (now, that is cheaper than a wedding!) Anyway, we had a good time there. The next day, I had to wake up early for a seminar...I was hanging a bit, but not too bad, just a little dehydration headache. Got to the seminar, and couldn't eat anything. Able to eat lunch, and dinner, then lights out (@ 5:30pm). I woke up Sunday feeling horrible. I couldn't eat again, and I was due back at the seminar at 8:30. I began to feel better after the show got rolling, but by about 11:30, my world went downward into a spiral. 30 minutes drive time and a jump into bed later, I realized I had a 103 degree fever, and a boat load of nasty symptoms. We iced my head, and neck, began drinking as much water as one is able to drink in the fetal position and slowly my fever came down...to 102.5. By this time, it was 10:00, and I needed to get some rest to make it to school the next day. I popped some tylenol against my own will and fell asleep. My fever fell another degree overnight, but I still felt like a pile of doo-doo--> snowless snow day. Since then, the fever has bounced back and forth from as low as 96, to 102.

Now, I am usually one that really enjoys hanging out in bed...but you have to draw the line somewhere. I am going to go stir crazy if this stuff doesn't clear up.

Monthly whine done.

I am still alive...barely

Exams have begun at Logan College of Chiropractic...needless to say, I thought I would need CPR before the end of the week. It all started with Biochem part duex, and then today was the big dog: neuroanatomy. 100 questions over a two hour block...and we have like six of these this tri. Seriously, next to impossible. Lets just say that I never thought I could be taken to such a limit. The road has not turned however, as we have 4 more exams and two major quizzes next week.

I know I said I was done with the catch-up game, but in this case I will make an exception. Last weekend, I headed down to Arkansas for the second edition of the Mercy Team Camp. The location was absolutely perfect. Jasper boasts an undulated horizon, coupled with serenity and beauty. Most of the guys cruised down to Springdale on Friday, in order to traverse 95 miles to our weekend retreat: an amazing cabin tucked into the Boston Mountains. I had obligations at school on Friday, so I rolled into Springpatch on Friday evening. Doug and I took off early the next morning. We stopped at a little diner in Jasper-proper, and had a wonderful meal. Then, upon our arrival, the team had breakfast number two ready. Grant it we had just eaten 20 minutes earlier, I still indulged in a little bit of grub (hey, I was getting ready to double my yearly miles this weekend...a little kid has got to eat!) After breakfast, we took a short hike it the woods to catch up with everyone, and do a little team building exercise. TJ was stepping lightly, as snakes are near the top of his fear list. I assured him that snakes were long gone by this point in the winter, except for the cryophibious species.

Ride time: 11:00am, maybe 30 degrees and windy. We had most of the team there, so hiding in the pack was pretty obtainable. The 12 of us rolled out, an really did not know what to expect. Andres did not really fill us in on the route, but rater required some of the new guys to use the radios and communicate the ride details with the rest of us. This worked out ok...only three wrong turns, and a lot of miscommunication later and we had defeated the first day. There were three major climbs today, all of which buried me. The first climb I managed to stay with the guys, but the second two put nails in my coffin. The last bump reached pitches of 20%, and all of the climbs were at least 4 miles long. I was destroyed, but good-spirited. All of the scenery, being around all the guys, and just being away from school kept my moral high. I limped in, but felt horribly good!

That night was typical camp protocol. Eating, sitting, chattering, meetings, and of course, sleeping. Staying at the cabin was nice; no noise, no distractions.

Day two: Ride time, 8:30am, temp...I think we saw the needle hit 13 degrees before we left. The good news: day two was sunny. We set sail to tackle 2 major climbs today (which really turned into 3): the climb out of Ponca, and the bump out of Boxley. Ponca was by far the steepest average grade of the weekend, but it was over pretty quickly. The last kick of 18% was nasty, but still doable. Boxley wasn't bad either: I was able to stay with the guys all day today. Descending down into Jasper was a bit sketch: there was ice on some parts of the road, which Doug and I both found under our rear tires. 45 mph on ice isn't something you look forward to. Anyway, both of us kept the rubber side down, and made it down the mountain. The secret third climb came from Jasper back to the cabin, which was about 14 miles all in all. Grant it, the average was 6-7%, a non-climbing brother like myself, who is not in all that great of shape to begin with, got spit off the back nearly half way home. It was almost better that way, b/c I stopped at all the scenic overlooks to take a peek at things like the Arkansas Grand Canyon, Lookout mountain, and a few without names, that were nearly as breath-taking.

Quick to pack and quick to leave, Doug and I stopped at the diner on our way back, and bolted to MO. I made it back just in time for our "Logan Family Dinner", hosted by Shelby, where I think I ate more than everyone combined.

Today (Sunday), K and I are hosting the get-together for the Stupid Bowl. That is all for now, hopefully, I will never have to play the catch up game again.

Short and Sweet

It is somewhat hard to believe, but K and I have been together for 10 years today! I don't understand how she has put up with me for this long, but I am sure happy she has. Happy original anniversary K!

"Back to School

...back to school; I've got my boots laced up, my strings tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight"

Yeah, I am back in the swing of school...or should I say, I am back so school can take a swing at me. This will be one of, if not the toughest 15 weeks of my entire collegiate career (including what is to come!) 30 hours of fun with Physiology, Microbiology, Neuroanatomy, Gross Anatomy 2, Biochem Part Deux and others to boot! But, what does not kill me will make me stronger, or smarter...or cry.

Good news is, bikeleling has been going well. I have been seen riding a bike around with no gears and absent brakes. Today, I finally took it to the place it loves best; the velodrome. Now, this was my first time at the track and I learned many things. First of all, you don't go to Penrose without a broom, and a gang of tubes. I got three flats that finally sent me packing for the day. Secondly, riding the track is no walk in the park. However, it is crazy fun. I think the asphalt and I will get along quite well indeed.

I have also been playing with the total gym...that thing is painful too. I think I know how to do at least one exercise correctly on that thing. I will be huge in no time! Prozenberger, you better watch your back!!!

Lazy Days

I think I have finally kicked my flu bug, or what have you. K and I snuck up to BoCoMO to hang with the Ozenbergers for the New Year. Niether couple had anything to do, so we watched Jackass 2 and consumed much wine and champagne. I had planned a ride for the first day in 07, but cold temps kept us inside Monday morning in Columbia. K and I drove back pretty early, only to get a quick workout indoors at home. Most of the day was spent upon the couch, watching the idiot box and playing with the animals.

Last night, I was up a bit late lacing my new track wheel, when I heard several "Bangs" in succession. It woke the dog up, and I ran in to check on K (already in bed). I was certain the noises I heard were gun shots. Being the redneck I am at heart, I pulled my rifle out and loaded it up just in case. The cops were in the neighborhood at the exact instant, so I knew something was up. I heard another "bang" nealy an hour later; this one kept me up most of the night monitoring the house.

So, K came home today and mentioned that there were piles of fireworks just down the road from our house, the exact location the cop was creeping by last night. So, I think all of the excitement was for nothing, but holy cow, it did make me sweat a bit.

This evening, I played with one of our new toys I have wanted one of these for a while, and we finally got one for ourselves for Christmas. No, Chuck and Christy didn't come with this one, but I assure you I will have a round-house kick that will take Walker Texas Ranger out in no time. Hopefully, a bike ride of some nature is in store for me tomorrow, along with more fun from the basement!