Hey there, Mr. Blue.

Finally.

Chicago was rainy, cold, miserable yesterday. We didn't believe it when folks said Wisconsin was sunny and clear, but they didn't lie. By the time we hit the Muir parking lot, it was fifteen degrees warmer. It was a gorgeous day to be out there. Too bad I'm still busy playing chicken/Piglet and let the off camber rocks get the better of me. I'll just swallow my completely overblown and ridiculous fears and ride as fast as I care to tomorrow. ("Hello tree! Hello rock! Are you having a good day, too?")

unaccomplished.

I'm trying really hard to keep all the ends tied. It's hard. Something about this weather is really crawling under my skin and making me feel like I'm just not getting it all done, and no matter how caught up I am and how many small tasks I've put off for months I finally complete, I just seem to have lost my sense of accomplishment. If you find it, please do let me know. I sort of miss it.

In compensation for this lost item, I'm doing everything. I'm stretching, I'm making dentist appointments, I'm taking care of getting Molly legal again, I'm doing double workouts, I'm unloading the dishwasher before work, I'm insane. I think Molly is starting to clearly favor Ben, because when he's home he sits on the couch and pays attention to her, whereas when I'm home I'm running around like my pants are on fire trying to dust the baseboards and call my grandmother.

Workouts are going well, and feel easy. I'm slacking on my morning runs, since I'm saving for the afternoon rides, but it's all working out. (Ha ha, get it?) I am averaging ~7,000 calories a week burned, which is perfect for enabling my beer habit. I should also mention that we had Half Acre's Daisy Cutter on tap at the Beer Bistro on Monday and WOWSA- what a perfect summer beer. Hoppy but not heavy or too tart- very carbonated and refreshing. Go try some!

In the "I still listen to the same music I listened to in 1999" department, I found a new band I like, credit to NYC Tim. Curiously enough, I once again unknowingly and randomly picked a band with more than 12 members, which seems to be a criteria for me to like a band. I just downloaded two I'm from Barcelona CDs, and I'm quite excited.

please do not mistake this for any sort of competitiveness, which i still wholeheartedly lack.

...but I'm really looking forward to a pre-ride at John Muir. Actually, let me amend that post title to include "also, please do not mistake this for any sort of interest in riding at Muir, since given the option, I will choose Palos every time."

Yeah, it's true. Last time I rode Muir was last year's WEMS, and before that it was for the 2007 WEMS, and honestly I think those are the only two times in my life I've ridden those trails. And last year's race wasn't so much riding, since I do recall spending several minutes laying flat on my back on the trail with my bike on top of me, staring through the leaves at the blue sky. Because.

Seriously, though, Palos is about 45 minutes from our house. That's a one hour difference each direction, or two hours of my life. That alone is huge. The only thing that in my mind makes Palos inferior to Muir, excepting the odd people drinking at odd picnic areas, is that the trails are two-way. But that's not all that big. I'm no speed demon and I listen very carefully when riding anyway, given my long-standing fear of Killer Deer and their friends, the Attack Gnomes. So why waste the time driving? I guess "racing" there Saturday is excuse enough.

So, four of us will be cheeseland-bound Thursday. Go team.

This morning, the fog was thick while I was running and I imagined leaving a visible tunnel of dry air behind me as I cleared out all the wetness in my path. It was like rain that somehow lost all interest in falling down but instead decided to hang around and be about as enthusiastic and interesting as a crowd of hipsters at an emo show. It was odd. I ran very slowly this morning out of fear of awakening a hangover I should have had after a night of drinking with Suzie, Brandon, and Ben to celebrate Suzie's 21st bday. I probably drove her nuts trying to impart as much knowledge about drinking as possible. I am a very knowledgeable drinker.