Traffic

Too much early morning or for that matter anytime traffic. Not used to all the vehicles. I guess I was spoiled with the levee in New Orleans. Speaking of NO, I was back there briefly to retrieve some equipment. Man was the food ever good! You take things for granted when you are somewhere for a while. But going back, I went to Mandina's on Canal. Got the seafood platter with grilled fish and shrimp. I totally recommend getting the fish and shrimp grilled instead of fried. I ate dinner and lunch the next day on the same tab and was full after each. It was wonderful. That amount of food here would have cost me an arm and a leg and wouldn't have even come close to the flavor. Still looking for the good food.

I know what it means...

A few weeks ago we had to say good bye to New Orleans and have been missing it since and will continue. The day we drove out C couldn't even speak she was so broken up. I had tears flowing down my cheeks. It really didn't hit me why I felt so bad, but now I know.

The people. There are far too many stories to talk about in a simple blog, but to all you guys on the levee, my neighbors, the local dj, my coworkers, the bus drivers, the supper club, the artists, the musicians, the professionals, the blue collars, the unemployed, etc. Just to pass by any of you there and you get a smile and "how ya doin'?" Next thing you may be having a beer with them at a local bar or even in their home. Tasting some food off their table or offering some off yours. I miss sitting on the porch and conversing with whomever walks by, tossing a few back. The ease with how the city went about. Most don't get it and it isn't the most efficient way of going about business, but that's the way it is.

To all you suburbanites, You Suck! This life sucks and it will take you down rapidly. I just hope our house will be done soon so we can move closer to the city. Maybe we will see Austin in a different light then. But now, I see the green city isn't so green. Most democratic Texan city is very conservative, what's up with that? Music scene? I miss the tuba guys on the corner practicing into the night, give me some Funky Liza. Where is Chris Rose?

I know what it means...

Last levee ride

Well it looks as if I have done my last levee ride as a New Orleanian. We have a contract on our house and have to vacate this Friday. Lots of crap going on with the move as we have had inspectors a plenty come through yesterday, appraisers today and more inspectors tomorrow. I am spending my days looking for housing in Austin. Looks like we have a place far from town. Not the New Orleans commute that I am so used to. Suburbia life is going to suck! We have a home being built, but due to all the rain TX construction has been delayed. I sure hope Austin will have safe roads for riding. Due to the population increase there I have found quite a few vehicular accidents involving cyclists. Could be a stressful commute down the road. I will definitely look forward to another day up on the levee, but until then got to find somewhere to ride.

Erin gone no rain

Well Erin passed us up without a drop and it is still damn hot. Got out to the levee, late as usual, and had someone pass me as I was warming up. I should say loosing up the legs as it was all ready in the mid 80's and I was sweating profusely. I jumped on his wheel and went for the ride. He was down on his tt bars so I sat in. After a few miles he let me take the pull and I asked if he was done or heading out further. He said he was going to the end, so I pulled until I met the group, just past the parish line and jumped in with them for the return. For the days of summer here it was unusually windy and we had a cross head wind on the return. It was a nice workout but sometimes a little of "what the @#$% are you doing".
At work now and starting to pack things up for the move to Texass. At least they are having a wet summer. I better not say too much or we will get crushed by Dean. Speaking of not saying too much, why is this snippet from Cheney just making headlines. What a hypocrite. 1/20/09 isn't close enough, get rid of 'em now!

Storm's a brewin'

We are looking at Tropical Disturbance 34 in the Gulf and Tropical Storm Dean out in the Atlantic. I wish 34 would turn due north and drop some rain on us. Man is it hot. The AC just won't shut off and it is 84 in the house. As for Dean, he can stay out in the Atlantic and head north for some of those hobnobbers up on the eastern seaboard.
Finished a short ride today in a full soaking of sweat. Seems to be a pretty repetitive experience these dog days of summer. Met up with Elyse at the zoo, she has been out of commission for the last month. So we rode out slowly to Florida chatting about photography and bike racing. I decided to turn with the group and head home, problem about having to go to work. I was pleasantly surprised to find the pace civilized. Good since I have no form right now. I found out from Randy that Tulane made the top 25 of US News for recovering schools. They actually headed the list. At least they made some list.

Sweatering

It has been so hot lately I feel as if I am wearing a wool sweater on my rides. Had a nice dinner at The Pelican Club downtown saturday night which lead to a late sunday morning ride. Kind of dehydrated due to the many cocktails consumed whilst eating a delicious meal. Richard sure knows how to cook but not to good about showing up for rides. This morning wasn't any different than the last 2 weeks of sweltering heat. 20 miles and completely soaked to the bone. If we don't get some rain soon I am going to have to water the roof for some relief. Anyone out there wishing to buy a house in NO? We are selling and heading to Austin with new job positions. Got to sell, but the market really sucks right now. Insurance, taxes, economy, crime,... just depressing. Somebody help!

Tinted windows suck

My fitness level is pathetic right now. I practically melted this morning on the levee. Tried to stay with a 4 man break that was just smoking and only lasted 5 minutes. Almost heaved my mango juice. Met up with Richard and we soft pedaled it in. As we were going through the Zoo parking lot a small SUV decided to back up right into us. Or course they had tinted windows so dark that you couldn't even see the driver. No eye contact is a bad thing. We yelled and they continued to back up as we swerved to miss. I have a feeling they were busy adjusting the radio and not paying attention to the surroundings. Hey your behind the wheel of a 3500lbs weapon. PAY ATTENTION!

Heat and Age...

just don't mix. I was as usual late for the levee ride this morning, but caught up to Joe on the way out. Joe is about 500 years old and he looked it today. We had a slight head wind going out and I had him sit on my wheel. He kept dropping off so I kept dialing it down. We made it to Florida St and saw Donald with two girls and I really thought we should have turned around there, much better scenery, but Joe wanted to meet the larger group. We finally saw them just past Williams and we turned before they arrived, but Joe didn't have the speed when they passed and he couldn't catch on the tail end. I kept looking back and decided to pace him home. Clayton was on the tail end of the group and if you are used to riding with him you always keep your distance. One he doesn't ride often and when he does he is always at his limit and only mm's from the one in front of him. Jerky moves in the paceline makes for a nervous ride. So anyway I kept Joe with me as I could hear the squeak of his chain. Everytime I lost that sound I would slow down so he could catch up, because it was damn hot. I am talking Africa hot!!! Once we passed the playground I had a look at ole Joe and he is leaning to the right barely on his seat. "You all right?" "Age is not on my side." was the response. So we soft pedalled it home. I left him at the park hoping he is still alive. I am sure he made it home, but I bet he is one tired old dude.

Remember the Hokies

Below is an excellent article that explains the Hokie community and how special it is to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and local residents. Ut Prosim.

by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com

General Manager and Managing Editor

Apr 18, 2007

I am in the business of writing, of articulating my thoughts, of putting into words what others may only sense as a blur of feelings. I have never backed down from the challenge, be it capturing the emotion of a landmark victory, the pain of an agonizing defeat, the triumph and heartbreak that are part and parcel of athletics, even the horror of 9/11 over five years ago. It is my calling, my passion, my God-given talent. But I fear this ... this is too much. I am not speaking lightly when I say that I cannot comprehend the loss suffered by the families, friends, and loved ones of this tragedy. I have tried to imagine what it must be like to suddenly lose someone close to you in this way. But I can't. I have a wife and three children, and when I try to put myself in that place, that terrible place where so many people have been thrown with no recourse, I can't. It has only been two days since it happened, but it feels like forever. I am exhausted from being exposed to the brunt of it, from the message boards to the constant news coverage, to the conversations of family and friends, to the scenes on the Virginia Tech campus. Others have said they can't sleep. Not I. When I have fallen into bed past midnight the last two nights, sleep has come easily. It's getting up the next morning that has been difficult. We never thought this would be us. We have watched these kinds of tragedies from afar, but this one has hit us where we live. The media have descended from around the world, poking, prodding, and worst of all, trying to place blame. An immense amount of pressure has been brought to bear on the Virginia Tech community, first by Cho Seung-Hui himself and then by the crush of international attention. While some of the coverage has been compassionate, much of it has not been, and some of it has bordered on cruel and sensationalistic. None of this surprises me, but being at the center of it still stings, and it changes your perceptions forever. As I searched for meaning in what happened, I finally found it. I found it in the incredible poise, control, and togetherness shown by the Virginia Tech family. The true character of a person, group, or institution shows itself under pressure, and what the Virginia Tech community has shown us is grace, cohesion, intelligence, and compassion. I have always thought that there was something different about Hokies, and the last few days have proven it. We always talk about the passion that Hokies have for Virginia Tech, about the special connection they feel to the university, and this tragedy has shown that talk doesn't ring hollow. If it wasn't true, if there wasn't a special bond between members of the Virginia Tech community, then they would have flown apart in the face of this adversity. They did not. They drew together and showed the world a united front. Those interviewed by the media refused, for the most part, to be drawn into the baiting questions that sought to place blame on university president Charles Steger and the Virginia Tech Police Department. The very students who were in danger Monday let the world know where they stand when they applauded Dr. Steger at Tuesday's convocation service. The vultures were circling, hoping to pick the bones, but the people at Virginia Tech refused. They showed what it means to be Hokies. They drew together. The students in particular have exceeded my expectations. We tend to think of them just as kids. Loud, shallow, self-centered, focused on the trivial, often spoiled. Adorned with body piercings, tattoos, and too much facial hair. What we have seen instead, in the countless interviews of students on news channels up and down the dial, are bright, articulate, respectful individuals that any university would be flattered to call its own. Well-groomed, well-spoken, wearing dress clothes, ties, even suits, patiently answering questions, keeping their composure in the face of more than most of us will ever experience. I am on the one part humbled -- they are better people than I was at their age -- and on the other part proud. Well done, students of Virginia Tech. You are representative of the type of people Virginia Tech is admitting and producing -- you, not Cho Seung-Hui -- and I am proud of both you and my university. From the beautiful and gifted Reema Samaha to the cheerful, intelligent and talented Ryan Clark, Cho's victims were pictures of inspiration. These were not vapid, self-centered individuals. It is sad that their lives were cut short, but perhaps the way they conducted those lives will inspire others. They make me wish I could go through college again, to be more like them. By the nature of what I do for a living, my window into the Virginia Tech world is athletics. Among the fans, athletics is about passion. It is about pride in victory and anguish in defeat. These emotions are always strong, always out of proportion to the importance of the games themselves, but I have always felt that with Virginia Tech fans, there was something beyond the typical fan relationship with their sports teams. Now that I have seen that passion and togetherness extend beyond the playing fields and the stadiums and coliseums and into the glare of this awful spotlight, I know it to be true. Being a Hokie is not a mercenary relationship. It is not a business proposition. It is not an exchange of goods and services for money. It is a shared bond, a love that comes from somewhere we don't understand and can't explain to others. We do not take from this university; it gives to us. Perhaps when we first arrive on its campus, we have our own selfish interests in mind, but by the time we leave, we are transformed. We are Hokies. It is sad and tragic that this happened to us. Because we love this university, we are devastated by what happened here. But if it was necessary for us to suffer in order for others to benefit, it is a burden we will bear, because our motto -- Ut Prosim, That I May Serve -- tells us that's what we must do. If our tragedy brings you together, if our loss makes you safer and makes you value what is important in life, if our suffering is not in vain, then we are prepared to shoulder this load ... so you don't have to. That has always been the mission of this university, and we are honored to carry it out. Do not let the deaths of these 32 victims be in vain. Look into your hearts and see what it teaches you, and how you may be better because of what we have gone through. And know that when the bodies are in the earth, when the media has left, when others have moved on and life resumes its course, that for us, there is only one emotion left: Love. Love for this university, love for the people who died on April 16th, 2007, and love for those who are left behind. Remember this, and what happened here will not have been for naught. William Neal Stewart Virginia Tech, BSEE 1987

Ridin' again

Finally got my fat ass back on the bike. The weather has been nice the last week and didn't have an excuse not to ride. It was good to catch up with the group and see everyone is in much better shape than I. Since there are no races that I see myself participating in, I'll go at my own pace. Beer is a good thing and I don't plan on giving it up. So easy rides will get me to my goal of losing a few pounds and enjoying those endorphans.
Been busy with work, catching the passing fronts out off the Atchafalaya River with our tripod. Looking at sediment movement along and off the shelf. Pretty cool stuff. We hope to be able to come up with some kind of plan for coastal regeneration, but everyone here knows there just ain't enough sediment coming down the rivers to promote it. Thanks ACOE! Love dem dams and doze levees. I guess NO would have been gone a long time ago if we didn't have levees or would it? Another question for another porch drinking day.

slacker

The slack Jack is writing again but not really riding yet. Gained a few pounds that the only way I can loose them is to run. Not too fond of running but the weight dose eventually come off. Just trying to get into a normal routine again. Had a couple of trips to UNC, weather got crazy cold, and just generally got lazy. Trying something different to get motivated again. I was actually going to ride this morning but the roads were wet. Boy I have alot of excuses. Just do it, right?! If anyone is reading hope you are doing well and have some more motivation than I do. Happy Holidays.

Ali's defense

Congrats to Ali for finishing his PhD in Isotopic Geochemistry. The "old crew" of Tulane's EENS faculty were on hand, as 3 of Ali's committee members were former faculty members. Now they are at Texas A&M and UNC. I got to catch up with my former boss and ready his laboratory move to the east next month. Man there is a lot of stuff, and most of it is very heavy. Not going to be a fun week of lifting things.
As for riding, it has been pretty poor as of late. I went on my first ride in about a week today. Just 90 minutes of spinning and I was pretty pooped. I really wasn't looking forward to sampling the river after that, but it went well. Still freaking hot here. Sure a cold front came through, but the heat is still around. Looking forward to some cooler days in the near future. Maybe that will motivate the clean up around the Big Easy.

Bathroom remodel

Can you say fun? Well remodeling our only bathroom is a big pain in the ass. It started at the beginning of last week and this past Labor day weekend was full of labor. New sink, fixtures, paint, crown molding, tile. Thank goodness we kept the toilet and tub. It does look nicer, but when you have your wife breathing down your neck to hurry up in finish, who gives a rats ass what it looks like, just get it done. A few touch ups with paint and move in the new storage thingamajigs and we will have it. I hope she doesn't decide to jump into the next project right away. I need a break. I haven't riden much at all the past month. But I had a nice little ride this morning. It actually felt some what cool. Where did that come from? I shouldn't say cool, but tolerable. Had a nice chat with Richard and David about why carpenters are expensive. Good ones should be, crown molding is a pain in the ass. No matter what tools you have it takes about 3 to 4 pieces before you actually get the cuts right. I finally made myself a template so I hope I can save it for the next time... that is if there is one.

Napa

This is the way to see Napa. I haven't been riding much this past month but was happy to go on a short tour of a few wineries via pedal power. Catherine and I had a blast on the bike and I was really glad that she enjoyed it. The rest of our trip she wanted to go riding. The weather there was incredible. Very different from what we have been experiencing in New Orleans. We had a blast. Not too fast and not too slow, we had lots of time to check out the scenery and taste quite a few wines around the Yountville area. If you are ever there and want to ride check out Napa Valley bike tours and they can hook you up. Great people. They were even impressed with our use of the "water bottle" cage. As for coming home work has been crazy and I head out into the field sunday. Man o man summer sampling is here and won't stop until the weather cools in NO. That will be a while. Not much else to say, just going to hook up with my sister and one of the bros this weekend with all their kids at the parental units home. Should be a mad house.

Sluggo

Boy, have I been a slug lately. Just don't feel that snap in the legs for the past week and a half. I am sure that this funk I am stuck in has something to do with it and the sampling yesterday whipped me. Man was it hot. I actually waited until there was a pretty descent cloud cover but that didn't help. The ramp at the Audubon landing was very steep and pushing up 120 liters with a dollie is no joy. It is about 50 paces up but by the time you reach the top you are panting and the sweat is beading up all over. During all this I was sweating so profusely that when I was done it looked as if I had just jumped into the pool. I don't think I took a piss until just before going to bed last night.
Well I slugged my way through another uneventful bike ride on the levee. Of course I was 10 minutes late due to a jersey problem that I had tired to fix before departing but soon gave up and will try and fix later. Threw on a dirty one and got on down the road. Ugh, my legs had no gas and so is everything else associated with this body. At least I have a vacation to look foreward to, starting manana. Napa will be a nice relief, as long as the wife can ease up on the worrying.

catchin up

Been a while, but it has been pretty busy at home, work and on the bike as much as possible. After the boring trip to Galveston we had our annual pilgrimage to Avery Island where lots of good food and cocktails were readily consumed for 2.5 days. We had a full house and enjoyed entertaining our guests, but it really wears you out. So this week has been detox time. I finally got back on the bike tuesday and suffered through a fairly easy ride. I had to sit up at the end unexpectedly due to the rumbling presence in my lower intestines. Time to get home! Only problem was if I tried to go faster the worse it was. Relief came about 30 minutes after I got home since the wife was occupying our only bathroom getting ready for work. Not a fun 45 minutes.
Wednesday's ride was much better as there was a smaller then normal group and no one really attacked. Nice and steady. Thursday I went later with David, Luke, Mark, Joe and Margeret. We went later to get Richard to ride with us. Of course he was a no show so we soft pedalled for about 5 miles before we got into a nice rhythm. We saw the early group just past Williams and decided to jump in. Ronnie was pulling around 25 on his TT bike and kept it going for about 2 miles then VJ took over and did the same. Once Randy got to the front the pace picked up slightly and I felt like the guy in front of me would attack when Randy pulled off. Sure enough he did and we were going 29. When he pulled off I kept the pace for about 3 signs and pulled off thinking I could then ease back to 25. Well the same guy attacked again but it was a pretty futile attempt and he was gone. VJ came around me and we kept it steady at 25 and rotated a couple of times. My pulls being shorter as I was about at my limit and then let him go thanking him for pulling. Soon Randy and Ronnie caught me and I just hung on to the end. Once there Richard showed up. Imagine that. So I turned around with him and rode a few more miles and headed in. Boy was it hot. Enough rambling for now. Until next time as a local radio host says, "Entertain your own damn self."

Bored in Galveston

Got back from a work cruise in Galveston yesterday and man am I pooped. I don't know if it was lack of sleep on board a 60 foot vessel with 5 other people working 24 hours a day for 5 days or the boredom of doing seismic lines. We would just go back and forth parallel to the beach at 5 knots for hours on end. Each line 100 meters further or closer to shore from the last. I thought I was stuck in jail with little room to move around and the coast within swimming distance all the time. Sure was nice to get home.
Went out for a ride today and felt pretty crummy. My stomach ahas been bothering me ever since I got back from the trip. Well I met the fast group before I got to the normal turnaround. I really didn't want to ride fast but got sucked up into it. When I finally made it to the front I noticed we were keeping it around 26-27 and I hadn't rode in a week. My stomach was on fire. Not good, I thought I could crap myself at any minute, but I held tough for a while. Until there were only 4 of us rotating and about 10 just sitting on the back. Finally I had enough and pulled out leaving a nice gap for the sitters to try and make up. I really don't know if they caught the three out front, I was soft pedalling and letting my stomach settle. It was nice to be back but I should build into this again.

A chill in summer

Today was the first real summer day in NO. No wind and high, high humidity. The riding of late has been nice and my legs are feeling good, until today. Today seemed quite hard and we weren't going at a particularly fast pace , 21-23. With no wind, you just feel like it is a headwind since you are creating it. David and John were helping with the pulling and we had a nice ride to the parish line. On the way back we picked up Wes and John flatted just before the Huey P. As we stood around while he took forever to change the tube, seat was just pouring off me. I can be one salty son of a bitch and this day there was no doubt. I left a puddle where I was standing holding John's bike while he tinkered with the wheel. Then the only relief to a hot day is starting back up once you have been standing around for a few minutes becoming a raisin. I actually felt a chill and it was nice. It only lasted for a few 100 meters but it felt great. We just soft pedalled after John fixed his flat and that was ok with me. We have had 2 down pours since lunch and looks like more later today. I guess the city is finally experiencing a normal summer day here.

wet... no rain

Humidity is back. Those few weeks of dry weather were wonderful. Now just copletely soaked half way through a ride. I am always amazed at how much I can sweat. I really think I may live in a state of dehydration. How do those guys manage to stay upright when they have nothing do drink? I can't go on a ride without at least 2 large bottles of water.
Today was pretty nicewith John and I taking most of the pulls and Bob and Joe sitting on. My computer batteries are pretty dead as I don't think I registered an accurate speed all morning. Some of the time it was 0.0. Off to the store, and we will see how I have been training this weekend.

Triple shooting on the 4th

The riding has been ok as of late, just feeling a little rundown. Could be that summer is in full swing here with the humidity back to normal and the winds dying out.
The fourth was pretty relaxing for most of the day. C made some sangria and we hung out on the back deck and the front poarch for most of the day until the rains started. We heard the occasional firecrakers and whistlers throughout most of the day. But around 5:30 I noticed a fire truck pulled up to the corner of our block. No sirens, just guys walking down the street with EMS stuff. Maybe someone got burned. Oh well back to the sangria. About 15 minutes later a barage of news vehicles are lined up down the street. Oh shit, something bad has gone down and we missed it all.
Around 6 I took the dogs for their daily ride to the park to play some ball. As I passed the corner, I saw crime tape across the street. I asked someone with a notepad walking away what had happened. A triple shooting. Turns out about 10 people were on a porch playing cards. Some joker was standing on the opposite corner talking on a cell phone. After about 10 minutes he approached the game and opened up. Hit three people, two are fine, and the other we don't know about. Three kids were present at the time also. What is happening here? People just don't care about life anymore and they are not scared about committing crimes. Seems if they are picked up, they just get let out after a while to go about whatever they want. I am just down right sick of this. The city needs to get its act together or we will move. I don't know what I can do except complain right now. I know it doesn't help, but I don't have a gun and don't plan on having one anytime soon. I still believe that is a police matter.
Just wondering if things are going to get worse. A woman that gave a description of the shooter was upset but her description was very weak. White shirt, green and pink stripped pants and an umbrella. No skin color, height, weight... he stood there for 10 minutes before and you didn't notice. Is this description accurate? Are they planning their own retaliation? What the fuck?
Anyone who gets picked up by the police should have to do hard time cleaning the city. I don't care what they have done. Use the national guard to watch them pick up trash. Bring back the chain gangs. I think some good hard labor would rehabilitate some... at least I hope so.