Why this site may get a little stale...

I'll check in when I can kids...

You know you're from New England when...

I had this long rambling post almost composed this morning at around 4:45 and then figured out that even I had lost track of what the hell I was saying. The summation was this: You know you're from New England when you have a full understanding and associate fear of ice dams. At 9:30 last night I noticed the kitchen ceiling was wet. At 9:45 I was waking up children and neighbors trying to chip ice off the roof. I quickly gave up and remembered that the task is most easily completed mid day, preferably when it's about 40 degrees... huh, that kinda sounds like the past couple hours so I need not tell you what I've been doing. Damage sufficiently minimized I think. Stupid house...

The Big Man is Goofy

Nothing like a nice day off to catch a little winter fun with the youngins. The daycare was open so with the schools closed the big boys were able to hit Wa-wa-wa-Wachusett for a little snowboarding fun today. A few years back me and my brother-in-laws went and took a lesson and it was a trainwreck. We still debate whether the one of them had a concussion, the other one gave up and was just sitting on his board and sledding, and I was sore for many days after. After reading up a little before this trip (everything on the internet is true right?) I decided to try something different and switch my stance from the last time I went. Well apparently riding goofy was the secret because I genuinely felt like I got it this time (note I did not even imply that I was good). Couple that with the fact that 6 and 8 year olds do not yet know fear so they had no problem bombing down the hill and I think we'll all be going back. The younger one did give us a scare when he wiped out some lady coming into the bottom of the hill too fast and panicking thus forgetting how to stop quickly. Everyone was ok and she was probably nicer about it than I would have been. The oldest is convinced he's Shaun White now because he sort of half hopped his board about a half inch off the ground on one run so he can't wait to go back and throw some more steezy tricks (see, even old men can learn all the lingo the yutes are using these days).

Oh, and the snow this weekend really f'd up my long ride. I am already starting to hate my trainer and it's looking like I've got a while to go on that bad boy...

Cross training is supposed to be good for you

Over the years I've dabbled in a pretty ridiculous number of sports from running to rock climbing to bike racing to ice hockey. I basically suck at most of them that require any amount of coordination (which explains why running is good for me), but that usually doesn't stop me from trying anyways and having fun reveling in my suckitude. For some off-racing-season fun I managed to hook up with the company ice hockey game. It's not really a league, but it's more than a pickup game too (they pick 2 teams and you basically keep those for about half the season unless there's some week with a bunch of no-shows). As a nice coolness factor, we get to play at Walter Brown Arena, former home of the BU Terriers. I give myself no more credit than being an ok player... maybe a high c-level when I've been practicing a bit. For the bike racers out there, think of it as a cat 3 roadie... you're definitely above the new guys racing in t-shirts and you could show up for the big boys race and not hurt anyone, but you're just going to get smoked if you do. The legitimately good players accentuate my lack of coordination. Ok, wait, I had a point here... oh yah... here it is... So at this morning's skate I tweaked my back a little in a moment of skating grace. It's my extreme lower back to the point that I'm calling it my ass. So it was a bit uncomfortable all day, but nothing exciting. At the end of the day I was sitting down and bent all the way forward to tie my shoes. When I sat up and tried to stand up, I almost fell back down. I could now no longer stand up straight without extreme pain. So now I'm parked in the chair, watching hockey, and hoping Opa Opa IPA works as a muscle relaxer. Right now sitting = good, standing = bad. I'm hoping it's just a weird muscle thing because I've heard all manner of horror stories that sounded like this. Nothing like a lasting reminder that you suck...

Poor man's year in review

My time bank is on overdraft these days so I'll count that as being poor. I'm hoping at least a few caught the irony of calling myself poor man... there I go with the digressions again...

When all was said and done, I got the competitive juices flowing 30 times last year. Yup... 30. Surprised me too. I think this was the breakdown:

17 Cross (including last Jan's Beer Cross)
2 Road
2 Crit
2 Wells (might have been 3)
1 Circuit Race
1 Solo 6-Hour MTB
1 24 Hour Team MTB
1 MTB TT
1 MTB XC
2 Running (1 track, 1 cross country)

How's that for variety? Definitely an off-road bias there and that is likely to continue this coming year although we'll see. Due to that time bank thing (already been interrupted once while writing this), I haven't looked up my goals for last year, but as I've mentioned, I think I hit most/all of them. Progress throughout the season was noticeable. Sure I would have liked more, but I surprised the hell out of myself a couple times so that was good. I have been tossing around some goals for this year, but having a hard time nailing them down. If it snows again this weekend and I get stuck on the trainer for multiple hours again it'll give me time to think about it. One thing I know for certain is that my season will start late because I have to finish up school... 2 classes to go. 5 hours every Wednesday evening for 16 weeks and then they let me out. Have I mentioned it can't come soon enough?

Rare work post

Some may know I'm a manager (stop laughing, yes they put me in charge intentionally). A little while back they expanded my group to become quite sizeable (at least enough for my liking). I have 18 full-time staff. I think it's like 23 total... I should probably know that... but I digress. We just finished our yearly review process. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was left with a grand total of 2 work days to conduct a performance review and discuss goals with 18 people. At the end of it all one person had told me I clearly put a lot of thought into it and several people had thanked me. I think I may have even done some of that coaching stuff I think I'm supposed to do in there. Yay me. And nobody seemed overly traumatized... then again if you hear of a workplace shooting in Cambridge you may know why.

And the amazing thing was that I was absolutely spent after holding 18 meetings in 2 days. Who'd have known sitting in my chair talking with people could be that taxing.

Really, I'm going to post something interesting

Having missed the chance to ride today, I'd somehow feel a little redeemed if I were able to bang out the obligatory end of year/new years post, but I don't think that's happening easier. My day went like this:

Alarm at 4:15 (and 4:25 and 4:35 and 4:45)
Get ready for work, make lunches for me and the boys
At work (40+ minutes away) by 6:15
Start the first of 9 performance review meetings at 6:30 a.m.
Conduct 8 of the 9 planned reviews by 3:45
Drive 1 hour to pick up 2 of 3 boys
Coach seven 6 to 8 year olds in basketball for an hour
Drive to next town with oldest for a baseball game
Watch U10 indoor baseball until 7:30
Drive home
Get kids ready for bed
Eat dinner at 9:15
Open beer at 9:16

I do this to myself... oh well, time for bed so I can do some more stupid stuff to myself tomorrow.