GREAT TIME IN THE 210

Well, another Alamo Bowl has come and gone, and this year's edition has to rank in the top two as far as close finishes. The Missouri Tigers wound up beating the Northwestern Wildcats in overtime, with Chase Daniel hooking up with Jeremy Maclin for a touchdown in OT, which the Wildcats could not match. Aside from a few obnoxious assholes behind us, it was a great experience. Leave it up to a couple of idiots to spoil things for everyone else.

It was awesome to spend time with the boys again. We hadn't seen Matt since Michael's graduation from UTPB, and I hadn't seen Michael since this summer in Dallas. Mel and I thoroughly enjoyed their visit; it was like old times again. Although they have both grown into strapping young men, they are still my babies in my mind!

After arriving Sunday evening, we sat and had a few beers and some shots, then had a nice steak dinner grilled by yours truly. Monday, we headed out for La Cantera to walk around and check out the sights. Before the game, we lunched on some wings at Hooters, then headed for the Blossom Stadium Park N Ride to the Alamodome.

I swear, Park N Ride is the ONLY way to attend large events downtown. A $4 round trip charge covers parking and a bus ride to and from the game. I wish the Fiesta organizers would snap and make more events accessible with Park N Ride.

This morning it was a breakfast of scrambled eggs and left over steak, then the boys hit the road for Dallas since Michael has to work later today. Friday the boys will be going to the Cotton Bowl, so Matt will be in Dallas for a few more days.

It was so good to see them again; we can't wait until the next time the Boys Are Back in Town!

THE BOYS WILL BE BACK IN TOWN!

Tomorrow Matt and Michael will be coming to town for the Alamo Bowl. Mel and I are so stoked to see them; we can't wait! The Alamo Bowl is an annual tradition for us, and this will be the third time the boys will be attending.

The last time they were here, we got to see the Texas Longhorns defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes 26-24 in the 2006 Alamo Bowl. Prior to that, we saw Nebraska beat Michigan 32-28 on the last play of the game. Last year, Mel, Bert, and I saw Texas A&M lose to Penn State 24-17 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. Still, it was cool to see all of the Aggie yells and to kiss Mel after every score!

Hopefully this year's game between Missouri and Northwestern will be a good one to see. We plan to partake in the pre-game fan fest and festivities. Last year we cut it so close, we only had time to board the park-n-ride and find our seats!

I'll be riding tomorrow morning for the first time in over two weeks. I've been sick and the weather has been crazy, so I didn't ride last week. I'll give a full report tomorrow.

Lata!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have to admit, this year I haven't been in the Christmas spirit much. I don't know if it's because we are having a tough year at work, because there was a week less time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, or what.

Thanks to God for his blessings and Dave Ramsey for his financial advice, this will be the second straight Christmas that we haven't used credit cards to buy gifts. Both years we budgeted early in the year and saved up for Christmas. It is a real good feeling knowing you are in control of your expenditures and getting out of debt instead of creating more. During today's economy, that is very important.

I digress. Like I said, I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit this year, so on my way to work this morning, I decided to do something about it. I tuned my stereo to the all Christmas music station to hear some holiday music during my drive. That seemed to help quite a bit. There is something to be said about hearing Gene Autry's version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", or Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby".

That got me to thinking about Christmas when I was a boy. I remember getting Captain Action and GI Joe action figures with all the accessories, every Hot Wheels car available at the time, and my first bike! My first bike was a classic banana seat version with chopper style handlebars.









I remember that particular Christmas, Santa (or his elf) must have been drunk when he was assembling the bike, as one of the training wheels was higher than the other. That created a permanent tilt of the bike, which resulted in my only learning how to ride the bike in circles in our driveway. After a couple of weeks I snapped and realized I could go straight if I leaned the other way! I loved that bike, as I later learned to customize it on my own. Soon after came the sissy bar, head rest, tassels, extended front forks, headlight, etc. I was stylin!

Ahhh, memories...

Anyway, the music seemed to help, but my cold hasn't. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. I get out of work early and Mel, Cindy, and I are planning to make a day of getting out in the hubbub, then having an early dinner, opening gifts, then settling in to a glass of wine and A Christmas Story marathon!

Hope you and yours have a safe Merry Christmas!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

It's been a blur since Thanksgiving. Christmas has just snuck up on us this year. I don't know if it's because there is one less week between the holidays this year, or just because we've been so busy at work, but it seems like I just blinked and Christmas is next week!

I finally got the lights and exterior decorations up a couple of weeks ago. Mel has been sick, so she was barely able to get the tree decorated today. Last Friday was the McNay Christmas party and we had a great time. After a nice dinner, we all danced to a DJ who actually spins vinyl albums and is less than 50 years old! We had a great time dancing, which we hadn't done in years. My hips were very sore the next day.

The following day, Saturday, we hosted my staff's annual Christmas Party at Soluna Restaurant here in San Antonio. We had a great time and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Sunday, I rode at OP Schnabel and was able to get 12.5 miles in a couple of hours. If the weather holds this week, I'll probably try to ride Madrone longer than two hours.

This Saturday Mel, Cindy, and I are going to the Annual San Antonio Symphony Christmas Pops concert. We went last year and really enjoyed the traditional carols they performed. Then next week, I'll have to work part of the week, but will have Christmas day off. I am looking forward to just chilling out and having a nice, quiet holiday at home.

This has been a long year and I'm ready to get it over with. I look forward to the promise of a better 2009!

WHAT A WEEK

Last week Mel and I were both on vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday. After cleaning house as well as the carpets the weekend before, we prepared for a full week ahead of us.

MONDAY - I had hoped to ride my bike, but the weather was crappy and foggy, so I got a late start. I rode a little over an hour at McAllister Park

TUESDAY - got my hair cut and waited for Mom and David to drive in from Midland.

WEDNESDAY - Mom & David drove to Houston to pick up the Batcycle. I rode 13 miles at McAllister Park and had a good workout. Mel and I finished last minute Thanksgiving shopping, then I grilled steaks when Mom & David returned from Houston.

THANKSGIVING - David and I rode 10 miles at OP Schnabel. David wiped out a couple of times and ripped his brand new Pearl Izumi riding shorts - OUCH! The Gonzos drove in from Brownsville after lunch, with Aidan in tow. Welcome to the Terrible Twos! Bert flew in from San Jose around 4 PM, so we finally had dinner around 6 PM. A 10 mile ride and football games all day and night, WHAT A GREAT DAY!

FRIDAY - Mom and David decided to head home early to get some chores done around the house. We kind of just hung out while everyone else went shopping. Later that evening, we celebrated Mel's birthday early, so the Gonzos could participate.

SATURDAY - I decided to ride Madrone solo. I did the first circuit a couple of times, for 6+ miles total. I also tackled a particular ledge that I have been avoiding until now. That gave me a great sense of achievement. Later that afternoon, the Gonzos returned to Brownsville.

SUNDAY - Mel's birthday. She and I spent the whole day together; no bike riding; no football. We had a nice late lunch/early dinner at Red Lobster. At some point during the week, Mel picked up Aidan and messed up her back. She has been in pain the whole day. Ibuprofen and a couple of Cosmos didn't seem to help.

MONDAY - back to work to rest!

All in all, it was a good week. We got to see family and catch up and I got in a few bike rides to work off my stress and enjoy the outdoors. Now it's on to Christmas and New Years!

Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21

Boy, talk about painful to watch...last night's complete drubbing of Tech by Oklahoma was even more painful than watching the recent Dallas Cowboy losses. OU amassed over 600 yards of total offense and completely dominated both lines.

Although the Red Raiders still have a chance at winning the Big 12 South to face Missouri for the Big 12 Championship, they have to beat Baylor next week and hope that OSU can beat OU in Stillwater. Stranger things have happened...

Although few expected the total annihilation of Tech's offense, OU's win should not have come as a complete shock. Optimists like me hoped Tech had improved over last year's team, which beat OU in Lubbock. Here are some things to consider:

• Last year, Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game early and his backup didn't perform well.


• Mike Leach was OU's offensive coordinator under Stoops in 1999, so Stoops is very familiar with Leach's offense.


• Stoops had two weeks to prepare defensively for Tech. Leach did as well, but I think he and his defensive coordinator underestimated Oklahoma


• Don't forget the revenge factor. Last year's OU loss in Lubbock knocked them out of BCS Championship contention.

We have to remember that Tech only has one loss, as do Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and other powerhouse teams in BCS contention. Although they realistically have no shot at a BCS Championship, they will wind up in a nice bowl game. This was the year they had to make their push for the BCS Championship though, as Graham Harrell is a Senior and his backup - Taylor Potts, will only be a Sophomore next year.

Now, I can only hope for a good matchup in this year's Alamo Bowl. I got my tickets in the mail this week, so I'm stoked. Right now, they are projecting Iowa (Big 10) vs Oklahoma State (Big 12). That would be a great matchup. Regardless of who plays, I will be wearing my Texas Tech colors at the game!

On a side note, I read in today's paper that OHS lost to Arlington last night, so Permian is Odessa's only hope for a state football championship this year.

WOW

It's barely into the third quarter and OU is absolutely SPANKING Tech 52-7. This was most unexpected by most of the country as well as the TV analysts. I can only hope Tech can do a gut check and make the rest of the game respectable.

ONE STEP CLOSER

With apologies to my family who has Odessa High ties, Mojo is one step closer to the State 5A High School Championship! The beat the crap out of Burleson last night and will face a DFW team tba next week in Texas Stadium.

I for one am glad to see Permian's rise to the elite ranks again; it's been a long time coming! I have many fond memories of attending Permian playoff games at Ratliff Stadium with my then brother in law, Manuel Valles Jr.

Most of the games were played in the blistering cold, so we would tank up on alcohol before the game, drink hot chocolate during the game, then run to the car at halftime to drink more alcohol...good times!

I'm not sure if OHS won their game this afternoon in Abilene, I couldn't find the results online. I hope they did. Now, I am settling in for the Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma game tonight. I can't wait!

GUNS UP! GO TECH! BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF OU!

THE BATCYCLE

No, actually it's David's newest velomobile. He and Mom will be coming to San Antonio on their way to Houston to pick it up after having it shipped from the Netherlands after David's last visit there. I haven't seen it in real life, but I think the picture looks pretty neat. His Alleweder reminds me of those old silver bullet travel trailers from the 50's.

If you've never seen one, they are actually very cool. As many of you know, David builds velomobiles at his shop in Midland. We are looking forward to their visit next week!

RACKING UP THE MILES

Since I bought my cycle computer in August, I've ridden over 200 miles! I know my roadie friends out there may scoff at the thought of so few miles ridden since August, but I've done this on trails alone!

Riding once or twice a week since August, that averages out to a nice ride every week. My Marin East Peak is still performing like a champ and I'm enjoying every minute on the bike! I can't wait until next week when I'm on vacation. I hope to ride three or more times if possible!

GRAHAM HARRELL

This email was forwarded to me by one of my friends in Lubbock. I found it interesting with today's ME, ME, ME, attitude in the sports world, there is still hope. Here goes:

Ok, so you're in your early 20's, your team is #2 in the country looking at a National Championship run, you're THE BIGGEST star in the entire town, you are the leading front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, you've beaten the "then" #1 team in the nation and rival school one week, followed by beating another top ten team the next week, you have a chance at being the #1 team in the country when the BCS rankings come out tonight........

You're a college kid, big man on campus, king of a college town, SO what do you do those Saturday nights after those HUGE wins? Go out, celebrate til 4am and then sleep all day Sunday, right?

NOT GRAHAM HARRELL, last week he was at our church Sunday morning helping the youth with a fundraiser luncheon. This week (today) he was at church again talking to a 5th grade Sunday school class about making good choices. Last year, after LOSING on the road in Austin to the rival UT and getting in at 4am, he just went home and slept and felt sorry for himself, right?

NOPE, he was back at church a few hours later helping with the youth group. Do you realize what kind of influence a potential Heisman Trophy winner can have on a group of high school kids at a church? He's got my vote! Errrr, if I had one!

I'm sure this guy has a world of temptation at his fingertips, yet seems to have his priorities in line. I'm sure he's not perfect, but he's definitely inspires me to keep my priorities right regardless of what's going on in my life.

I have a friend whose cousin plays baseball at Tech and is Harrell's roommate....According to him, what you see is EXACTLY what you get. Great kid, solid values.With all the bad stories you hear, I thought this type of story might also need to be put out there.

REMEMBER THE WIND CHILL

Temperatures are finally starting to cool significantly for South Texas. This morning, it was 40 degrees when I went to ride OP Schnabel Park. I planned everything out. I had a long sleeved undershirt, thick socks, my regular riding shorts (as long as my upper body is warm, my legs don't bother me), and my new Pearl Izumi riding gloves.

When I arrived at the trail head, the sun was shining brilliantly. "I couldn't have picked a better day to ride", I thought to myself. After a quick stop at the men's room, I headed out for the trail. Despite all my preparations, I forgot to allow for two things - shade and wind chill.

Although I was wearing a long sleeve undershirt, tooling along at 6 or 7 mph creates a certain degree of wind chill and it was cutting through me! Crap! I was worried I might have to cut my ride short due to frozen extremities. Fortunately, my body soon warmed up and the cold was not a factor.

After the initial 2.5 mile loop I ride for warm up, I was ready to head down to the Leon Creek bottom for the main trails. I headed down the main trail and came to the portion I first tackled 3 weeks ago when I last rode OP. I negotiated that part with no problem and headed for another downhill that I like to ride.

As I approached the other downhill section, I noticed it had been bulldozed over and virtually decimated. The city of San Antonio is working on expanding our parks and walking trails. One of their current projects is building a series of cement walking paths along the bottom of Leon Creek from Bandera Road to connect with Baumgardner Park a couple of miles north of OP Schnabel.

Although I applaud the city for their efforts and desire to make San Antonio leaner, they are really screwing up the trails at OP. The series of trails was hard enough to navigate as it was; now it's worse. Just when I learned my way around, the trails will stop abruptly, interrupted by this concrete expanse of a walking trail. Then you have to search for where the trail picks up again to resume your ride.

Once everything is finished, I'm sure it will be great. If they wind up butchering much of the existing trail system, I just won't ride OP as often. It will be a shame if that happens. Until then, I'll do the best I can with what is still there.

I had a great workout this morning, riding over 13 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I worked out at the gym twice this week and it seemed to help my overall stamina during my ride today. I am really stoked about Thanksgiving Week, as I am on vacation and plan to ride several times that week. Not only that, but we will have a house full of guests for the holiday and we are both looking forward to that.

RANT

I know that I can be hard to please, and I know many times my expectations are too high, but is it too much to ask that my damn newspaper be delivered on time?

I am a morning person. I look forward to sitting down at the kitchen table with a fresh cup of coffee and the newspaper to start my day. I'm not asking much. That's my quiet time before Mel and the dogs get up; before the day's chores need to be done; it's MY time.

This morning I woke up about 6:45 and went outside to get the paper. I looked in the yard, on the sidewalk, the driveway, I even got on all fours to look under our trucks; NOTHING. Resigned to reading Mel's latest issue of Glamour while I sat on the throne, I was not pleased.

Oh well, I thought, I can have my second cup of joe while reading the State High School playoff scores, to see whether Permian and Crane survived the first round (OHS plays this afternoon). NOPE; still no paper to be found.

By now I was pissed. I went to the local paper's website to email their customer service department. Try to find ANY business' complaint department online; I challenge you. You have to almost try every link at the bottom of their website page.

Finally I found the correct link and described my issue. Now it is almost 8:30 and still no paper. Although I consider myself PC literate, I still prefer to have a real newspaper in my hands. Besides, the power cord to my PC is not long enough to reach the bathroom. I know I could always get a laptop to address that issue, but then there's the problem of it overheating and burning your thighs. I'm sure you have a vivid mental image now; sorry about that.

Any way, it just reminds you of life's simple pleasures. A cool morning breeze, the sound of birds chirping, the sun shining on your cheeks, AND MY DAMN NEWSPAPER DELIVERED WHEN I NEED IT!

There. I'm done. FOR NOW!

BACK ON THE HORSE

so to speak....

I didn't ride last weekend. I really don't know why, but I got up early last Sunday and followed my regular pre-ride routine. Then something in me said, "Don't go". My hips had been hurting my the night before and continued that morning, but normally I would take a couple of Ibuprofen and hit the trails. Maybe the time change had something to do with it; I don't know. Either way, I didn't ride and I was MISERABLE this past week.

I've found that even if I don't push myself to my physical limit, as long as I ride weekly, it helps keep my stress levels under control and I generally have a more positive outlook on everything. Not this week.

Eager to atone for my poor choice, I was stoked about riding this morning. I decided to go to Madrone trail to get in a good workout. The morning was beautiful, but a bit chilly, so I dressed in layers with a Under Armor undershirt with an Under Armor top layer.

My gears have been acting up a bit, continuing to shift erratically, but I found a set of gears that didn't complain much and I was underway. I was a bit apprehensive because there were around five cars/trucks in the parking lot so I was worried that the trails would be crowded. Fortunately that wasn't the case. I did see a handful of riders throughout the first section of the trail, but nothing unbearable.

I did have some neagtive effects from not riding last week, as my stamina was diminished somewhat, but I just took breaks as needed and didn't let it bother me. I did have to walk some sections of the trail, but that happens every time I ride there. It's worth it for the downhills! I attacked almost all of the downhill ledges and drops, getting chicken on only three. I'll conquer them at some point, as it is a mental challenge that I have to work though.

Madrone is really a pretty, scenic trail, although Canyon Lake's water level is so low, it looks a bit sad. The trails make up for it though. I like having a few trails to pick from depending on my riding mood. If I want to hit some climbing, rock gardens, ledges, and other technical sections, I go to Madrone. If I want a long ride where I can build some speed, with a few technical sections, I go to OP Schnabel. If I just want something close where I can get in a long ride with little technical sections, I run over to McAllster Park. If I really want to challenge myself, I head out to Government Canyon for a hike/bike day out.

I am very fortunate to live near trails within a reasonable drive, that let me experience so much varied terrain; I love it! Oh yeah, I almost forgot....

GUNS UP! GO TECH! BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF OU!

LOVE THE GLOVES!

I was recently given a gift card at work and decided to use it this weekend. My riding gloves are starting to wear a little thin and I needed some with more padding in the palm to help reduce fatigue from the vibration of the bike.


After dinner Saturday night, Mel and I stopped by Performance Bikes to see what they had in stock. I found a pair of Pearl Izumi Cyclone gloves that seemed to be what I needed. They have plenty of padding in the palm, with the requisite terry cloth snot wipe on each thumb (what will those bikers think of next?).






My rubber handlebar grips were starting to wear and crack, so I needed to upgrade. I found a pair of Lizardskins Peaty clamp on grips with red ends to match the paint on my bike. Sweet! After getting the old ones off (bit of a struggle), I fitted the new ones on in less than 10 minutes. I'll keep the old ones for spare parts in case I need them in the future.

This morning I went back out to OP Schnabel for my weekend ride. I had to get the Marin tuned up again this week, so I didn't ride during the week. OP fit the bill. I had a nice 2 hour ride and covered 10.5 miles. Best of all, I was able to conquer a part of the trail that I had avoided for weeks. It is a very rocky downhill section that for some reason, I hadn't been ready to handle mentally.








Today I made up my mind that I was going to ride it! I was already at the end of my ride and headed toward that section of the trail. I had already avoided it at the beginning of my ride, so I was determined to do it. I stopped at the top of the section to study the downhill and pick my line.


Satisfied with the line, I walked my bike back to the top of the trail and headed down. I navigated the first portion of the downhill, then lined up for the hard part. I shifted my butt off the seat and just above the rear wheel, in case I needed to jump off the bike. I hit the first rock and my bike absorbed the hit, then kept on going. At the bottom of the downhill, I gave a fist pump for my small victory! Then I headed back to the truck to load up and come home.


It seems that riding alone the last few weeks has helped my stamina, as I challenge myself to take shorter and fewer breaks throughout the ride. Daylight Savings time will end next weekend, so that virtually eliminates any chance to ride after work. I guess I'll have to make do by simulating my rides at the gym.


Once showered, I super glued my butt to the recliner, having earned my afternoon of guilt free football watching!

GOTTA LOVE THIS PICTURE!

Boy, does this bring back memories of "I am Batman". When I was little, Batman was my hero. My mom went as far as to sew a Batman costume for me to wear. It wasn't Halloween either. I would wear it in the front yard, at the park, anywhere I pleased!

Now, so many years later, IT'S STILL COOL TO BE BATMAN!

YAY, BERT WAS HERE!

As mentioned in a previous post, Albert was in Austin for a friends wedding. We were able to meet for dinner Sunday night to spend a couple of hours with him and his cousin Chris, his wife Jennifer, their son Allister, and good friend Brian. We met at Waterloo Ice House and had some good burgers and tater tots!

It was good to see Bert and catch up a little. Hopefully we will have more time to spend with him next month when he comes to town for Thanksgiving. Until then, it was great to see him again after nine months. California seems to agree with him!

AWESOME RIDE!

Although I rode quite a bit Friday, I decided to ride again this morning. It seems to help my stamina when I ride more than once a week, so I didn't want to lose any momentum. I have to admit, I almost talked myself out of riding this morning, but I ignored the voices.

I decided to head out to O.P. Schnabel and hit the trail a little before 9 AM. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning, with a little nip in the air. It was cool enough that I dressed in layers, with a long sleeve undershirt under my regular shirt. An hour into the ride, it had warmed up enough for me to take off the undershirt.

There were a few bikers and hikers on the trail, but not too bad. The ones I came across were very friendly, which was a nice change from usual. I ultimately rode 12.6 miles in around an hour and a half. Hopefully I can keep up my momentum for another try at Government Canyon next month.

Now it's time to rest up before we head to Austin to see Bert!

BEAUTIFUL DAY!

It has been pretty stressful at work lately, so I decided to take a personal day to ride off some stress. I hit Madrone Trail about 10 am and decided I was going to try and ride the entire trail. Although I like the first two miles the best, I figured since I had the whole day to myself, I would try the whole thing.

The sun was shining and there was a crispness in the air. I love fall! When I was younger, summer was my favorite time of year, but especially since I've been riding, Fall has taken first place. Sixty five degree temperatures make for a VERY comfortable bike ride!

Although the first part of the trail is challenging, having several climbs, I was able to complete it with few breaks. I finished the first three miles within an hour and took a break to rest and eat a GU packet. After five minutes, I was back on the trail headed for the dreaded Madrone rock gardens. As you will see from the pictures, these rocks are large and treacherous, some with very sharp edges.

I stopped for a couple of minutes at the bottom of an old boat ramp, that is no longer in use. It was kind of sad to see Canyon Lake, as it is several feet low. There was probably a hundred feet or so of exposed ramp that is usually under water.

I continued to the West side of the trail and stopped to take pictures of a canyon facing the lake. There were several tires strewn about; I don't understand how people can toss trash about as if it was a dump. Cigarette butt tossers are a huge peeve of mine, but that's another story.

I wound up finishing the 9 mile trail in 2 hrs and 45 minutes, but I stopped a few times along the way to take pictures and catch my breath. All in all, it was a good ride. I really like Madrone, but I hate having to drive almost an hour each way (depending on traffic).

Once home, I washed and detailed my bike, cut the front yard, and played with Hershey and Mattie. I am pretty tired right now, but it was a great day off. Tomorrow will be another COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAY, with Tech playing A&M at 11 and Texas vs. Missouri at 7 pm. Sunday we will head to Austin to have lunch with Bert, who is in from California for a friends wedding. It will be good to see him.

Depending on what time we have to be in Austin, I may or may not ride Sunday. If I do, it will probably be close to home, just so I can get another workout in. Until next time, GO TECH!