Visions of Lance Dancing in my Head...and other musings..

Well it's that time of year again when you find fit skinny men parading all over France in rainbow colored costumes for the world to see.  Yep, it's Tour de France time (not sure what you folks thought I was talking about). Here @STC Headquarters it a time of many arguments when I want to watch the Tour coverage but the other members of the family just don't get it....  I guess it's an acquired taste.

Because of these TV images, most of my riding ends up being on the road this time of year.  I pedal around the area on my slick tire equipped Airborne Delta with visions of Lance Armstrong dancing in my head (but with out the needle in my ass cheek). I effortlessly attack every hill like I'm on a solo break away in a crucial stage of the tour... sweat dripping down my fore head as I reach for the luke warm water I have (how come no one hands me up water bottles on my rides?) .  Luckily there's few Cumberland Farms and 7-11's on the route.

To prove  my total lack of mountain biking lately, I'll give you this ScopeThatColon exclusive that I didn't want to share with anyone.... it was my mountain bike ride from Tuesday,  I had big plans, but I just turned the GPS off and survived the loop.... Click on the ride name and it shows some neat info though, for those of you into that stuff...

Not too pretty... I don't understand why that when it's really hot, every stone is taller and sharper than they were before.   Everything on the bike creaks and squeaks and you just don't get comfortable... go figure...


Here's a few other nuggets:
-Waiting to here back from  the state to confirm the date for the first annual Ride Your A$$ Off.  I really wish I started this process earlier, but those of you who have grown close to me and the family probably realize why I didn't... that's for another day though.  

- Coming up on the 14th my family is doing the ERRACE event....  More info here
http://www.errace.org/  Wife and kids are doing the walk and I'll do the 25 miler... We'd love to have family and friends join us,  let us know.

- We have a few friends doing the 3Day breast cancer walk....http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage&JServSessionIdr004=tlavkaitl1.app320b... if you have a few extra bucks, throw it their way....

- Our SSDR (Super Secret Dads/Dudes Ride) group is having out first annual "Ride Up North presented by FSR Energy" (they hooked us up with a bunch of energy shots and drink for the trip).  We're heading up to Killington on the 15th, the more the merrier, drop me a line if you're interested...

- If you find something you love, never change, caress it and profess your love and never take it for granted....yes, I'm talking about bike seats.   Specialized bikes seats suck big time.  I picked up a couple lighter racier styles to take the place of my old, chunky looking ti railed WTB saddles and I regret it.  The Specialized saddles look "Euro" and all but they creak and the snag your shorts and on the cross bike the sharp edges scrap your thighs on remounts....  back to the WTB's for my butt.

And now to finish up, I'm going to rant all over you...

You all have killed it for me and have made me a bitter bitter man.  Let me explain.
I'm coming up on 45 and for most of those adult years, I've worked retail in some capacity.  Everything from small business  to mega giant box stores.  There was a time when I enjoyed helping people.  Talking to them, offering my "expertise", and putting a smile on their face when I was able to help them out.  And 95% I did it with kindness and common courtesy.
You all ruined it for me.  I realize we live in tough economical times and every dollar counts, but customer service doesn't mean "bend over and let me take it up the ass".
"Stop arguing with me that you forgot your five dollar off coupon to a competitor and we should still match it anyways (is the $5 worth it looking like a douche bag?)."
"Your 47 years old, it's about time you learn on your own, the basics on how a helmet fits... I'm not asking you to split an atom"
"Even after explaining that $150 is not alot of money and this isn't really a  "full suspension mountain bike",  I shouldn't have to replace your rear wheel for free when you go complaining to management that I want to charge you"
"We're not a playground... stop letting your kids run around the store unattended!"
"Your failure to plan ahead does not consitute an emergency on my part... I will do my best to fix your bike so you have it for your trip tomorrow.  Stop yelling at me if I can't get it done though, from the looks of the rust, two flat tires and spider webs, I would bet that the bike emergency didn't happen over night."

Yes, I'm bitter.....

Hollywood does it all the time....

Hollywood does it all the time....

So why can't I? Take an old idea that worked and resurrect it?   I tried to do a new blog, but it just wasn't working out for me.   ScopeThatColon was my first real "foray" into using the internet for something besides nudey pictures, that it became too much of a part of me to let it go  (the blog, NOT the pictures....).

But let's be honest with myself here.... I've been kind of lost trying to figure out which direction I need to be going in.  Things haven't been going quite as I had planned/hoped and there's alot of reasons that I won't get into here, but I decided the first step to recovery was to go back to where it all began, so here I am.

To keep you all updated on what's going on, here you go.....

- My health (cancer wise) is pretty darn good.  All the test have come back clean and no one seems to be overly worried, which is a good thing.  Still at the chiropractor 2X a week to clear up my locked up hips and some tendinitis in my shoulders, though
- I'm not a Airborne Flight Crew member this year, but they did ask me to help out with developing and testing some new product.  I guess they value my insight... (they're suckers, huh?)   They have some neat projects coming down the pike... keep and eye on them (I might even be able to share an exclusive or two on here!)
- Except for this past week, I have been riding reasonably consistently.  I have a few things planned that I will update you all on in future posts but let's just say this... it involves alot of bike riding.  The one thing that's lacking is consistency in my training.  Something I gotta work on.  Keep an eye out here and my Facebook page for pics, videos and really cool GPS downloads....
- Work, well work is work... not really sure that this is where I belong, but it's working out for us at the moment, so it'll have to be that way for the time being...

So there you go... to sum things up
1) Hollywood has lost any originality....
2) I'm reasonably healthy and riding a descent amount for now...
3) It's going to be a fun year...If I can just get off my ass and get organized...
4) I have Airborne fooled in thinking I can contribute something to product development  (just kidding guys....)
5) I need to find a new job at some point in my life...

Thrilling stuff... check back soon!

The end

Well this is it... the last post for ScopeThatColon!
I've been thinking about this for a long time, but just never pulled the trigger. This blog has meant alot to me over the years. A place to vent, have fun, shill some product of friends and really, it was a rehab experience for me, too.
Many of these posts got me thru the tough times of cancer.

But don't worry, you aren't all getting rid of me that easy! I still have alot to say and much to accomplish.
I've started a new blog here...http://doit4others.blogspot.com

Go check it out. This one will be a blog with a purpose.... I hope I can get you guys to follow and support the new blog just as much as you have this one.

Thanks to everyone who followed this blog over the years, put up with my sarcastic (and some times inappropriate) humor and had fun with it like I did. My goal was to help and inspire others, I hope I accomplished that....

Work to do...

George Costanza: The sea was angry that day, my friends - like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli. I got about fifty feet out and suddenly the great beast appeared before me. I tell you he was ten stories high if he was a foot. As if sensing my presence, he let out a great bellow. I said, "Easy, big fella!" And then, as I watched him struggling, I realized that something was obstructing its breathing. From where I was standing, I could see directly into the eye of the great fish.
Jerry: Mammal.
George Costanza: Whatever.

So full disclosure: I haven't really been riding as much as I should or would like. Up to this point in my life I've been all about bikes and riding, but as I get older and my family grows, I realize I now have many diverse interests like eating Cheetos, doing half-ass home projects and "sharing" funny pictures on Facebook. Sometimes a healthy bike ride just needs to take a back seat.

So today was the first mountain bike ride in a looong time. And just like with George saving the whale, "The trails were angry that day, my friends..." Slick trails, some mud and hills that some how got much bigger....
Just one of those days where my mad skillz just weren't there... kinda like the Patriots for the last 45 seconds of the SuperBowl....
Then there was the issue of me forgetting my riding shoes about halfway to the Res...had to turn around to grab them... I did remember my NEW GoPro HD (yeah baybee, HD!) camera but it took me a while to figure out why it wouldn't record (forgot to put a memory card in it)...
But you know what? It was a gorgeous "Fall-esque" February day and I did have fun....

I keep promising some big changes to the blog... but again, there's a bag of potato chips that aren't going to eat themselves....

On a more serious note, I continue to be appreciative of everything I have and everything I can do. It was two years ago this past Saturday that I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.... I'm one of the lucky ones because of great family and friends... remember there's always some one worse off than you... help them out....

New Year's ....Again....

So it's been awhile since I've posted last. Lot's going on over here... holidays, Noah's tonsils out, house work.. the usual.
But I wanted to check in with everyone on the new year and encourage everyone to make 2012 their year to remember!
Just like everyone else, I've always made past resolutions and did ok with some, and failed miserably with others. So this year I'm changing the process up...
It's a New Year's Revolution !



I think that maybe if I put some "panic" behind them this year, it may just all work out.

So without for adieu, My 2012 New Year's Revolutions!!!!

#1... Cut out the Diet Coke fountain soda (and any of those "extreme" energy drinks for that matter). Those of you who know me, know my affinity for a good fountain soda... well that affinity has become border line addiction. The stuff is just not good for you and certain parts of my body are reacting to that. Thus far in 2012 I've been pretty good with substituting FRS and water with the occasional can of Diet Coke here and there.
(BTW, don't let anyone kid you, the can is NOT the same as fountain..no comparison.)
I did cave yesterday and I bought a fountain... it was sooo good... but my conscience got the better of me and I dumped it after a few delicious sips.

#2... Pay it forward in a big way. I was given a gift at the end of 2010 in surviving cancer. Lot's of people went out of their way to help, I met some very brave people and I met others not so lucky... It's time for me to step up and help. I have a few things stewing in the pot... stay tuned for some big news....

#3... The usual "Just watch what I, and the rest of my family, eats", it's a no brainer....

#4... Help my kids experience life. There's alot out there that I missed as a kid, I don't want them to go through that.

#5... Start welding again. A few years back I went away to learn how to build bike frames. Time to start plying my "trade" again. It's going to take awhile but it's something I need to do. My goal is a road frame this summer.

#6... Drink more beer. I know this sounds like a strange one, but follow me on this one. I don't really drink, maybe a beer once in awhile, but even after 2-3 beers, I feel like crap the next day and regret doing. There fore I never "hang out and have a beer" with my friends and I end up missing out on some good times. So I need to condition my body to be able to have a beer once in awhile and not feel like crap the next day. Practice starts soon....

#7... Keep riding and flying the Airborne flag. There's a process every year in selecting Flight Crew members and none of us are guaranteed a place. I may not be back with them in 2012. But you all know my fondness for the guys in Ohio and how what they have done for me the past couple of years has gone way past bikes and trips and such. My debt to them runs very deep and I will continue to sing their praises (at least until #5 kicks in, anyways).

There you have it, all doable, I believe...wish me luck...

I challenge all of you to make 2012 your best year yet!
What's your New Years Revolution?

Chaos.....

So that's what my life has been lately. Having 7 and 9 year old boys at home constantly makes this house look like a tornado has hit it. Black Friday and the holidays are coming up at work which makes for a constant state of bedlam there. Then throw the freak snow storm in the mix....

I don't handle chaos well anymore. My brain just doesn't look at the big picture and say "OK Todd, here's what we need to do." I don't function that way anymore (never really did to begin with). I'm contantly loosing things, forgetting things or just not using my time efficiently (I'm one of those guys who's going to be late to his own funeral). I am taking steps to fix it though, not sure if it's working, but I'm trying.

So a couple of weeks ago I found that my wallet, cell phone, camera I take riding, and probably my IPod, were stolen out of my car. I grew up in a small town where you don't lock the car and leave everything in it. Old habits are hard to break. Now I live in a descent sized town and I need to be more aware. That just added to it all and I beat myself up pretty hard over the incident and promised that I will be more conscious of what's going on.

So here I am, last week, a school day, wife commuted with her friend to work, scrambling trying to get breakfast ready, kids dressed, and lunches made .. My yelling was in rare form that day. Walked the neighborhood kids to school (daily ritual) .. just another typical chaotic day... with work @noon....

Crap, I didn't do laundry so I have no clean clothes to wear (we have a dress code).. express wash time (which by the way, takes way longer than the 28 minutes it says on the machine).
Let me run a quick errand to the bank to activate my new debit card... Connie is parked right behind me and I can't get out... where the hell are the second set of keys? I just had them the other day... How can I loose them AGAIN? CRAP.... the laundry isn't going fast enough... where are the keys? what about my debit card? I need to get to work!!!!!!!!
Just another typical chaotic day.

Then I found the answer as I walked thru the garage. hanging on the wall was my Delta cross bike.... I haven't had a chance to commute to work at all this year (I'm usually late, remember?) but this was the perfect time. It was almost 11... I had one hour to get to work.

I dug around and stuffed my back pack with sneakers, deodorant and some work clothes that MIGHT not have been the cleanest in the world. Got my riding gear on and hammered... I can't be late...

Suddenly the chaos in my life disappeared... I found the rhytmm I needed and for that brief 30 minute commute, I put it all behind me. The bike and I were one and everything in my world was good again. Got some funny looks walking into the building with my riding garb on but I knew I was ready for the day. I needed a drug and the Delta was my prescription.....

Walked in, realized I was an hour late (I was supposed to be there at 11, not noon), there were a couple of pallets of freight to be put away and oh, my wife had both sets of keys in her pocketbook....
Just another typical chaotic day.

Total Tear Down....

Yep... that's what's going to happen now from this point on out. Total redesign of my "sporting" life. Things just didn't work out this past season quite like I had hoped. It was still a fun and great year, but not what I had hoped and promised.

Not really sure what happened toward the end of the season, my body just kind of fell apart. I think I can trace the reason back to last fall when I finished my chemo. I went all out balls to the wall and tried to pick up where I left off. Not the smartest decision on my part. I think I just plain over did it and ignored the little stuff that I needed to do for proper recover.

Then I did stupid stuff like screw my ankle up a Warrior Dash (oh, and we're signed up for next year) and then messed my knee up playing Ultimate Frisbee in the dark with glow sticks (oh, I'll be there this week, BTW).

So here's the deal... totally starting over with what I need to do. Starting from scratch and doing all the little things I didn't do. Unfortunately it won't be all that glamorous, so certain people are probably going to be a bit frustrated with me and my lack of "content" on the subject. Not sure where this will take me, but I think it can be a fun ride.


I've already started the steps to the "new me" and I can already see and feel the changes. Things are getting done (although the storm may have pushed me back a bit) and I can't take anything for granted anymore.

The other thing planned is a new blog/website. This one has kind of worn out it's usefulness to me so I have something new planned. Not sure if you folks noticed, but I'm not the most computer literate person in the world



May have to call in some help for the new one...
Ok time to rake leaves and wash the Goblin and Delta... more on that soon....
Take care all.....