Friday, August 24, 2007

Whew, Friday Wrapup

Good afternoon all, I have the day off today and I've been running errands and cleaning the kitchen. Pretty soon I need to get after the rest of the house, but I don't want to.


Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Last night I got home from my Thursday Night Run and felt inspired to get on the bike for a few minutes. I've had my bike rollers for over a week now and have only used them once. I got everything all set up last night and rode for maybe 10-15 minutes just to work on my balance. Let me tell you, riding a bike without the wind gets you sweaty in a hurry.

This morning I suited up for a proper cycling session, put a fan right in front of me, cranked up some offensive music and got to pedaling. At this point I can pretty much balance on the rollers without having to lean on the doorway. I'm not so confident that I'm willing to move out of the doorway yet, but I managed to get about 35 minutes of riding in before I called it quits. I haven't sweat like that in a longy long time, and I hardly got my heart rate or breathing up. Next time I should really put a towel on the floor.

Once I really get the hang of it, I'm gonna have to set up where I can watch a movie or look out the window or something. Despite what you might think, staring down a hallway is not the most motivating spot for such an activity.


Kickin' New Flavor in Your Ear

I just picked up a new album this afternoon that I didn't even know was coming out. No, it's not Craig Mack's newest hot jam, it's Talib Kweli's new album Eardrum. I'm rocking out to it as I type and I have to give it a preliminary rating of Da Bomb.

For all of you Hip-Hop Haters out there, what you probably really hate is club rap, as you should. It's all the same bullshit about hoes, stackin' that paper, bling, cars, etc. You should know there's also what's called Conscious Rap out there, which is what real hip-hop is about. It's got a message, a unique beat and doesn't get much radio play. Anyway, Eardrum is worth checking out. I don't know why he's gotta look so thuggish on the cover, but maybe it's a marketing ploy.

If you still need convincing, I think he performed on Chappelle's Show.


Gimme a Hand

Well, I filled out the form, cut a check and sent off my application for The Josh Billings RunAground to be held September 16th. I was able to pull the trigger and sign up for the Ironman division, meaning I'll be the sole person on my team.

"What's your team?" you're probably asking. Well, I hemmed, hawed and poured over all the possible team names that would both describe my finely tuned athlete status and sound cool. I was close - real close - to going with The Maestro, from The Beastie Boys lyrics:

How can he be so skinny and live so phat? You know why 'cause I'm the maestro


The more I thought about it, the more it seemed a little presumptuous. Plus, I don't care for the word 'skinny'. Finely tuned athletes like me can't be skinny; the term is ripped and drop dead gorgeous.

Then, out of nowhere it hit me. If Handsome Boy Modeling School Graduate didn't fit, I should go with El Guapo. Anyone who had a pulse in the 1986 must remember the movie Three Amigos. If you remember, the villain in that movie went by the monacher "El Guapo" which translates directly to "The Handsome". That settled it right there.

While Team El Guapo may seem to have everything, it is missing an important ingredient: The Support Crew. In the case of Team El Guapo the support crew will be called The Entourage.

The Entourage has a very important but very easy role in Team El Guapo's success in this event. At the end of the first leg of the race, the bike section, The Entourage will have help El Guapo transition from the bike to the kayak and take the bike the 1/4 to 1/2 mile back to the car. The Entourage will also have to wait at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac for El Guapo to come in on the kayak.

Once landed, The Entourage will paddle the kayak a few hundred yards to the take-out point, carry the kayak to the car, head to the finish line in Tanglewood (maybe another 1/4 mile across a field) and enjoy the festivities. There will be music, food, drink, sexy dames in lycra or at least short shorts and generally good times.

If anyone out there in Readerland is interested in being The Entourage I would appreciate the help. I'm going to be looking around pretty hard for someone to perform this important task, because without help I'm ineligible to race. I'll be out $40 and a season worth of training. I don't want anyone to feel obligated, but this is one of Berkshire County's premiere events. The energy and excitement draws thousands of people out every year to participate, volunteer, support and watch The Josh. If you want to be part of the magic, holler back. There are 500 teams, so don't think you'll be standing at the transition points by yourself. It's a party!

Minus the booze, at least until the afterparty.


Tender Vibular Nuggets for Dom

I wasn't sure what the etiquette was on this, but my e-homegirl Maven did it first so I figured it was alright. I'm can't go into details but Dom, one of my best homies from back in the day (CHS represent!!) has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It sounds from his description that he's got everything working in his favor, so it's just a matter of doing what the doctors say and he'll have that bullshit whipped.

Dom was an integral player during my formative years, when I learned that being silly is not a break from regular life, it's a way of life! If you find me at least mildly tolerable, Dom is one of the people to credit. To this day he continues to crack me up in person, and over all kinds of electronic media. If everyone could take a moment to send some tender vibes in Dom's direction, I would appreciate it.

Dom, in lieu of a moment of silence I'm gonna wild out to The Pharcyde's Soul Flower Remix. I can't hear that song without getting buck nutty.

Over and Out,
Old Coot

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

<<<<< Good vibes from the HECOW & ECOW >>>>>

"Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him.' and I just took off." -Pre