What a busy weekend – one that I still need to recover from. Like many great times it developed quickly and out of the blue. Thursday night and into early Friday morning found plans for going to Chicago that night for Om at the Empty Bottle. We would be returning late that night. The show was terrific. Om feels like getting hit by a slow, trudging freight train. I really need to pick up some of their stuff. The abundance of hipsters at the show was strange though, something none of us could come up with an answer for. I was dropped off at 4:30 am to walk through the chilly, 40 degree Madison night to my apt.

Mid-morning Friday my boss offered me 2 Badger tickets for Saturday’s game – 11 am. How could I say no, even though I had already made plans for the Chicago trip. My Orbea was still in the shop so I might as well try doing something other than biking in my free time. I was up at 8:30 and we were walking towards the flowing tailgating parade by 9:15. I had a little tickle in the back of my throat, which I mainly ascribed to having no sleep and spending so much time in a smoky bar the night before. The game was excellent and all of the people that have told me that I needed to go to at least one game just to experience it were correct. I wonder what my college experience would have been like if I had attended a school with that component of student life. UIC has basketball, but in a city like Chicago it is so easy to disregard any non professional teams. If they hadn’t of canned the UIC hockey team I might have been on board with that. I believe I was the only one at Camp Randall not wearing red.

Still no Orbea come Saturday afternoon. They are in the process of drilling, yes drilling, out the bottom bracket. The word is that the crank and frame are in perfect condition, but still – drilling.

Come Sunday morning (after 10+ hours of sleep) the scratch in my throat is now a full blown cold. I watched the Bears, still had no road bike, and recovered from a busy weekend. I saw Bucky and now need to buy some Om records. No complaints.

No news here, but Hemingway endlessly fascinates, confounds, and challenges me. With any luck I’ll keep uncovering Hemingway factoids throughout my life, even though I try to avoid letting that happen. Call it a lifetime quest for knowledge I hope is never satisfied. Stay Hungry (as Twisted Sister has said).

I understand that he was challenged to write a story in 6 words, to prove his economical style at it’s most extreme.

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

It seemed for a moment that we were gaining ground, only to have the man ultimately shut us down yet again.

On Tuesday my coworker alerted me to a wonderful fact about the candy and chip vending machine downstairs. When you put a dime in, the display registered the .10 increment while also letting your dime drop into the coin return. I walked down with 2 dimes and came back with 2 candy bars and 2 dimes.

On Wednesday I walked down with a few dimes hoping to cash in yet again. The dime went through, the .10 was registered on the display, but the dime actually went into the machine without dropping into the return. Fair enough. I pushed the coin return button and watched while the display cleared to 0.00 and my dime stayed inside the machine. The same thing happened on Thursday to my coworker. He put in 7 dimes, realized the chips he wanted were .50, selected the chips, and promptly received the chips and no change.

The machine, it seems, is making up those lost dimes.

I first tried to ride through the old train tunnel on the Badger State Trail a few weeks ago but didn't bring a flashlight, so that failed. If you're assuming I figured on being hardcore enough to not need one, you would be correct. Well, the tunnel is about a 1/4 mile long and has a 15 degree curve in it halfway to it is not a simple as just heading towards the light. Armed successfully today with a headlight (thanks to the Tron door prizes), I made it through. Very fun and very unique. Oh, and yes, I also pictured the entrance to the Tomb of Horrors or The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth when gazing upon it. My brain does work that way, and it does make me cool. Honest.

...


The Tron race was near perfect. It devilishly sent us into the maelstorm of Taste of Madison while also winding us through the Badger football traffic. Against all previous self promises, I rode more aggressively that I should have, though remain unscathed. To the older gentleman at Regent and Monroe that turned a bleached white when I just missed his hood, all apologizes. As many riders have said over the years in response to being called an asshole (usually rightly so) after some sort of intersection craziness, "It's a race, man." The after party is easily the best post race party I've attended. We savaged the chips, keg, Boca burgers, real burgers, and brats (yes brats. It's happily - eternally - Wisconsin even when racing). Thanks, Lyle.

I finally won a MOTAB trophy after many middle finishes and 2 DFL's. This time it involved a relay race with ThunderJet bikes. So much fun as always. Heading home with some hardware is even better.

It was so great to be in Chicago for 4/5 days for work training. The weather was pissy rain most days, although thankfully it abated when I needed to walk somewhere. I didn't gain any weight, which is a miracle considering I ate at Heaven on Seven twice, Francesca's, Giordano's, and Lao Sze Chuan. I believe they have each been on Check Please! -- maybe not Giordano's though. That is how I live and eat -- at the direction of Alpana. I still love Chicago, but every time I visit I realize that it is best as a place to visit for me.

Back in Madison now, listening to Electric Wizard, and heading to the Tron race in about 45 minutes. No trophy this time for sure, but a good is guaranteed.