THIS GUY

In his element on his birthday. Happy birthday Evan!

SOFTBALL SEASON

MEET WILLIS

This is Willis.

Meet Willis, my new road bike.  We are going to be spending quite a bit of time together over the next couple of months, so I wanted to introduce him properly. 

Our maiden voyage, a 35 mile ride on the Cherry Creek and Platte River trails, was great.  I even managed to learn a few things along the way.

1. One water bottle is not enough for that distance.  I was out of water by mile 12. I now have two...and will most likely get two more
2. A snack of some sort would be great, and even necessary, for a ride this long.
3. You should always carry some cash or plastic in case learning points 1 or 2 are realized (This was just stupidity on my part.  I follow this rule on my long runs and it should have been a no-brainer on a bike.) 
4. By the end of the ride, I realized why cyclists wear those fingerless gloves.  I now have some.
5. I also realized a bike jersey (with the pockets on the back) would be very beneficial.  I now have one.

MAKIN' BEER & LOSIN' FINGER TIPS

I’m a little late on this update…but I suppose better late than never.

I’ve got a buddy who has the knack for making some of the best beer on this side of the Mississippi.  So, when he asked if I wanted to come hang out and learn a thing or two while he was making a new batch I instantly agreed. 

I took as many pictures as I could to try and capture the event but just as we were starting a situation occurred which caused the lesson to be shortened.  I’m sure you’re like, “What?!?! What type of thing could cause a master to halt his craft before completion?”  I’ll tell you—his wife chopped a portion of her finger off and he had to take her to the ER.

Below are the pictures I was able to capture of the brewing process and the finger emergency.  Beware, if you don’t want to see some pretty graphic pictures you should stop reading, close out of this post, and come back tomorrow.  You’ve been warned.

Picking up the supplies

All the ingredients

The start of the process.  Boiling water, hops, and malt added.

This is where the fun ended.

Cauterized to stop the bleeding. (Thanks for sending Scott)

Bandaged up and good as new...minus the missing piece.

NEW INK...BUT NOT ON MY SKIN

SPRING IS NEAR

I love sleeping with the windows open.  I woke up with a little chill in the air and to the sound of birds chirping.  It was amazing and means that spring must be near!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Did someone accidentally hit the fast-forward button? 

Between work being crazy busy, an intense training schedule, everyday life chores and responsibilities, and (gasp) trying to squeeze in some social activities I've been going 100 miles an hour...and I don't see anything changing anytime soon.

Whoever said "Idle hands are the devil's workshop" must not have had to move through life at breakneck speed just to stay above water.

I need a vacation.