Living the dream...

...of the Adult Frat boy is really shaping up. I mean, come over to our house any given Sunday. You'll find people in the front yard. You'll find yard games. You'll find ME flipping various meats on the grill out back. Oh yes, and the beer is free. God Bless Sundays at the ATX Frat House.

This past Sunday was one to remember. 65 degrees and completely cloud free. Brett just bought a new (used) Cannondale road bike, so we took off for his inaugural ride. 20 miles mostly laps around Wash Park...he was worried about his beater front tire going flat, I wanted to look at pretty girls. We both won. No flat tire, lots of pretty girls. When we got back to the house, we broke out the Cornhole boards and started tossing bags. Not familiar with Cornhole? Its sort of like horseshoes, only you toss bags filled with corn and try to land them on a piece of plywood with a hole but into it. 1 point on the board, 3 points in the hole. Its a beautiful thing.

The Wixa Weiss from Wynkoop flowed freely until the keg ran dry. Brats. Burgers. The Ice Cream Truck. I know a few of us got the first sunburnesque color on our faces. When the sun was no more, when we could not even see the corn bags that we were tossing, when it was time to put on light fleeces, we moved it inside. Some people said goodnight and thanks, but the smart people stayed - for the best part of Sunday was still ahead of us:

Rambo: First Blood...and the first kill of Rambo: First Blood II. Althought it is still up for debate whether the guy actually was killed by the huge knife that was thrown into his chest. I vote yes.

On a more serious note (not that I wasnt serious before...I really do think that guy died) - Team ATX is coming along for the MS 150. Donations are beginning to surface and even people that arent riding are excited about somehow contributing to the National MS Society. The Team is starting to train a little harder (or just "a little") . A big thanks for all of you that have participated thus far. Ride ATX, ride.

Oh yes, thanks...

...for reminding me: Time to Rage Against the Machine a little.

So, I live in the USA. I love my country. I really do. And thats a pretty tough statement to make, especially here in Denver. It seems that everybody hates the government. Hates the President. Hates the "establishment." Yet, they do nothing. Nevertheless, I stand up for what I believe in and verbally react to most statements that people make. Sometimes its for stupid things:

Guy on the street: "Impeach Bush, man!"

Me: "...um, for what?"

Guy: "War crimes, man."

Me: "...yeah, you should maybe take an online Goverment class or something. Goodbye."

America, the land of freedom. A country established on the point of self-establishment. You know, the "American Dream": Start your own company, work for yourself, self-regulation, all that shit. Well, I've done it. But you know what? I paid a f-ing SELF EMPLOYMENT TAX this week!

I quit. Im going to go drink a Starbucks, grab some underwear at Wal-Mart, drown my sorrows in some Budweiser products, quit my business, and get a job with a super-conglomerate. Pfizer? Stryker? Here I come...

Its kind of...

a Purgatory of seasons here. A limbo if you will. I think that I have made official my stance: I am ready for the warmer things in life. But yesterday changed that...a little.

I went up to the mountains yesterday for my "last day of skiing." Not that I am not going to ski anymore this season, but my days will be more based on hanging out on the Beach at A-Basin. One of my buddies wanted me to meet up with him up there because HE had a buddy in town...who, in turn, had a buddy that lives in the mountains. Over all, it was a buddy fest. Three things to say about aformentioned buddy fest:

1. My buddy's buddy was none other than Geoff Aaron - Motorcycle Trials Champion and Red Bull Athlete. Cool dude. Skied on straights, which is honorable. http://www.redbullusa.com/geoffaaron

2. I know it is April, but the freakin' snow feels like February Snow. For all you non-skier types (or those that thing Spring Skiing is "the best") here is what I mean: Skiing is better when it is cold. The snow is composed less of water because it freezes faster. It is light, fluffy, and fast. If you have good gear, wear Windstopper, don ONE pair of good socks, and dont put bargain basement gloves on your hands - you can stay warm. Rant over...back to the snow. For me, skiing in April means wet snow. Slushy, slow, and all around not as fun. But yesterday, February snow. I dont want it to get warm. Im going to keep skiing as long as it stays cold. Global warming my ass.

3. My buddy Stewart skis like Frankenstein.

Last night we celebrated Jo-Jo's birthday. I think I can sum it up quickly: there was lots of face licking and we ended up at the Rockbar. And now, I have a long training ride...gonna be a little painful.

I learned two...

...things this week. Well, okay, Ive learned more than two things. But bear with me:

1. Business travel isnt so bad. Maybe I am just getting accustomed to it (finally, after 3 years). Maybe it is because I have roomies now. I love those guys, but I get some alone time when I travel. You get a clean room every night. You get to eat at different places. You get to enjoy different places and climates. For instance, Phoenix is perfect right now. I just walked around in shorts at night, and I believe that it is room temperature outside. It rained in California this week while I was running. The wet didnt bother me because the smell of summer rain was overwhelming and perfect. Ive found that Pho tastes the same wherever you go, so you can always go home. I mean, not home home, I dont live in Vietnam - but you get the drift. You start to learn the lay of the land. You can give directions to strangers. You start to learn where the good food is. Where the good golf courses are. AND in my particular case, where the little breweries are. Which leads me to...

2. If you are going to open a brewery, its probably a good idea to hire a beautiful waitstaff. I cant think of anything hotter than a beautiful woman talking to me about beer.
Hottie Beer Girl: "You want another IPA? Its really hoppy."
Me: "Yes."
Genius.

Its about time...

...to say goodbye to winter sports. Not goodbye-forever, but goodbye-see you later. Dont get me wrong, I will be skiing until they wont let me anymore - but it will be a different kind of skiing. You know, the kind where you take breaks. Take your shirt off from time to time. Flip burgers on the beach between runs. Wear funny clothes. Oh, and beer.
So, next time you see the Top Gun Ski Team on the slopes, they might be in their proper drab-olive attire.
Hello fly-fishning. Hello camping. Hello Wednesday Cruises. Hello Monday Ultimate Frisbee. Hello Cornhole. Hello Jazz in the Park. Hello Red Rocks concert season. Hello grill. Hello day games. The transition is happening, buckle up.