last chance fixes. michigan or bust.

Today is the last home day before Ben and I hit the road tomorrow for the season's start. One last tweak on the derailers*, some tugs on the bars, brakes, and cranks, and I'll feel good. Tonight I assemble the road tool kit, which will reflect my minimalist view on this sort of thing. Allen keys, cable puller, a few extras of this n' that, that damn star pattern ratchet, a can of PAM, a bottle of lube, some tubular sealant, and I think we'll be fine. With two bikes anyway, I don't foresee having to screw with headsets, bottom brackets, or anything severely complex while traveling. This weekend should be a dry, fast race with few problems. Knock on wood. Ben's feedback from last night's practice was that Johnny (the A bike) is "dialed in and feels great." Yay.

I ran a faster 5 this morning, matching my fastest non-race time for that distance to the second. Listening to Rancid instead of Belle and Sebastian seems to make a big difference. I think it would have been faster, though, had Ben and I not both fed Molly dinner last night, 50% more food than she usually gets in a day. That girl was a pooping machine this morning.

And finally, unrelated to anything... the woman in the office next to me has taken to listening to the classical/orchestral station. When I was in high school, I spent two years practicing my violin 3 hours a day with hopes of going pro (until I was rashly told that my fingers are just too short). I listened nonstop to the orchestral station and knew most of what's on it but since have totally forgotten all but era/genre and sometimes composer. It's killing me. I'm hearing works that I love but just can't remember what they are. Aging sucks.
*Sheldon Brown spelling.