The Hidden Tour da Chicago Clue

Now that the holidays have officially died down I’ve got a chance to get back into the swing of a regular schedule. I cannot explain how wonderful it is to be able to lift weights and ride my bike again after essentially having a gimp left hand since smashing it when captain intelligence went for a ride at dusk while the streets were wet and the temp was falling below 32 – glare ice is something to have a healthy respect for. Yes, it is true I graduated from college. I promise to try to never again do something that so easily creates the chance for injury – both to me and my bike (thankfully it wasn’t the Orbea). That having been said, I’m racing in an alleycat in Chicago on Sunday. I expect to not do too well considering I’ll be riding my track bike, but being able to actually grip the handlebars will be excellent and I’m a winner for just competing. Sounds like loser talk to me and Mike Ditka would certainly yell at me over it.

Sometime during this past summer I noticed a friend had a Hardy Boys book on their shelf – The Clue of the Screeching Owl. He loved the books as a child, that was his favorite, so he bought it at a library sale for kicks and old times’ sake. Embarrassed, I confessed that I had never read a Hardy Boys mystery – I was an Encyclopedia Brown fan. Fast forward to hitting the big 3-0 this past fall. I found myself in the thrift store here in Madison browsing books and there was a nice little stack of Hardy Boys books. The blue binding, matted finish and $1 price tag were all I needed to see. A struggle for a lost or unrealized past ? – perhaps. I read The Secret of the Caves in one sitting and completely enjoyed it. I am now hooked. So my new goal is to burn through all 58 this year and make Fenton proud (I bought a lot of all 58 on ebay for a song so I’m fully stocked at this point). As an epilogue I did also pick up a few Encyclopedia Brown books at the thrift store and found to my sadness that I still cannot solve each mystery without flipping to the rear – most yes, but not all. My success rate is higher than it was 20 years ago though, so its progress. Yes, the English degree is certainly being put to good use. My thesis advisor would be proud.

Here in Madison its too warm for hockey, but that only means cycling is easier to do – hopefully without injury.

We’ll see if Chicago treats me well on Sunday.