Winter's here

shot this with the dusk/dawn preset. it's as cold as it looks

oh well. it was inevitable. the snow's finally come down and might stick around for a while. a warming trend's coming monday. we'll see how much of this stuff sticks around.

Riding and Papa'ing

preparing for the col de la croix de fer
went for a pre-thanksgiving ride with my kids (with the moose in tow) today. probably went only for an hour and change but boy was it fun.
here they are smilin' and downhillin'

ridin', talkin', and being proud of my kids; that's pretty much it. the weather was in the 60s for late november. twas a great day for riding and being a dad...
here's the moose preparing after preparing for the col de la croix de fer

Score!

got paid today kids so on rare occasions i peruse the goods at a used cd joint named angelo's near the high school where i teach. it started as a looky-lou session. purchased two, used cds. purchased a steely dan cd called two against nature-nothing really to write home about; but, the score-o-matic was hank mobley's no room for squares. oh shnap kids! not only is it arguably his best work (with a supporting cast of lee morgan, philly joe jones, and herbie hancock-to name some heavy hitters), but it's a rudy van gelder edition (blue note kids...c'mon). yeah. tell me you purchased your edition for the low, low price of $6.99. didn't think so. long live bop and long live angelo's cds. for those of y'all who can empathize with this aural sublimity (i don't think that's a real word y'all), aren't you happy that jazz like this exists? for those who cannot, i can start you on your way with a few recommendations. leave a comment if you'd like some suggestions for your foray into the world of bop. i might be looking too much into the cover art but don't you think the circle surrounding ole hank looks like the symbol for the roman god of war-mars (albeit the arrow's at the 12:00 position rather than the conventional 1:00)? what a great way to start the thanksgiving break. speaking of which, hope all of y'alls giving of tanks is truly exquisite in such a way you have to unbutton the top button of your pantaloons because y'all have no self-control in turkey feasting-o-rama (aka experiencing personal growth-especially near your tum-tum). if you're smart, you'll have a special pair of eating pantaloons (or sweats).

Night Ridin' with the Coyotes

here's me in the night, with no lights.
hey kids. nothing happening that was worth mentioning for the past couple of weeks. global warming's keeping our property snow-free whereas in years past it would've been insulating the ground at least a foot thick by now. crazy. one good thing from the melting of the polar icecaps is i can get an occasional night ride in. i went for a night ride about a week ago with my boy alec after not riding for months. the volume of traffic that evening was unusually high. all manner of people were out there either hiking or biking. on the second lap at green mountain we had to cut it short due to a cold front coming in and getting the temperature near freezing. it's always a deal breaker when the feet get numb. i ditched the helmet in favor of an ear covering beanie. man it got cold...
anyhoo, i did it again. parked at a different trailhead parking lot than last. as i got there and started putting all the cold-weather gear on i hear a bunch of coyotes hootin' and hollerin' pretty close by in the nearby field. it's pitch black out here in the foothills by this time. it always inspires confidence when you see a posted sign near the trailhead saying there has been an unusually high number of break-ins. please keep valuables out of sight.
the trail has less intense climbing if you go a certain way. tonight i wanted to do some intensity so i climb a super steep fire road (when back in the day when i used to own a dual suspension rig, i hit 50 miles/hour on the descent). it's that steep and long. nocturnal activity hits the sensory organs in not quite the same way it would if it were diurnal. your senses are heightened just a smidge and the lack of sunlight and crisp, night air make it seem like a novelty. i like the way it works on my brain and legs. it's almost a distraction from the lactic acid creeping in when i'm attempting to climb with some intensity.
the mind also has a tendency to wander to the morbid. my mind for some reason or another has the knack of squirreling away nutty factoids like mountain lion attacks. so, whenever i'm climbing in shoulder high brush i'm always thinking is there a mountain lion waiting to sink his/her canines in the most vulnerable of human structures (i.e. the neck)?? needless to say the adrenaline kicks in and i'm doing my impersonation of il pirato (r.i.p.). i'm getting tired so i roll back on the road, trying to tap out a tt-like pace on my hardtail. i can't maintain the pace so i ease up and ride at tempo back to the car.
i'm the only car in the lot and as i get nearer the coyotes sense me coming and they start to hoot and holler again. again, it freaks me out because they are soooo close. if you've never heard a pack of coyotes hootin' and hollerin' they sound like teenage boys on acid trying to imitate a five-year old imitating a siren on a police car. very surreal. i throw the yeti in the back of the truck and hop in the cab to change. once i turn on the truck lights they quiet down and so does my mind. i change in relative quietness and strip in the parking lot. it's amazingly liberating being in your birthday suit and leisurely changing back into your civies. on the way back i hit the cheapest gas station in town and fill 'er up at $1.59/gallon. yeah good night too the weather was in the mid-40s so rather comfy except when it wasn't.

Couple'a Things

Obama will now be our 44th president-elect as of last tuesday. ah yeauh! people are going nutty now here, especially gun owners. gun owners are thinking a democratic majority for the powers-that-be'll start cracking down on gun owner's rights and their snarfing up guns. awesome y'all, because you know more guns is always the answer...
AND, amendments 3A and 3B are pretty close to my heart because it allows individual school districts to do their thing and to keep their teachers happy at least technologically and financially...and they both passed!!! We're asking for $215 for remodels, for some new schools, funding a full-day kindergarten program, and a summer school program. this was 3A, a mll-levy so if you owned a $200k house it'd run you $10/month. not bad if you value education. it would also give teachers a much needed raise retroactive this january. yeah! the fuc*ed up thing about this, is that since it's by individual districts across this glorious state, some homeowners oppose any raising of new property taxes. consequently they didn't pass their 3As and 3Bs like my district, which is pretty diverse and urban. i guess these lame districts don't value their children's education. that's boosheet y'all.
one of these lame districts is jefferson county (another is douglas county), where i reside but don't teach. oh well, thought about switching districts; but for now, i think i'll stay put. getting paid is a great incentive in staying professional. people i know are getting effected by this, in addition to our economic recession we're currently in...

Texas

well kids, did the 800 some odd mile trip to texas. took the dog too. so instead of hauling butt non-stop for 13 hours and slamming red bulls, i chilled and stopped whenever mason needed to pee or to play on the various roadside playgrounds as well as to feed, water, and to make the dog go too. all in all it took about 16 hours. ouch. it was mind numbing but thank god i own a toyota and mentally didn't need to worry if it was going to implode or anything. the weather was exceptional for making such a long trip. i was worried about one particular mountain pass-raton pass in nm-and the general high altitude in colorado.
here's the road-side view of capulin volcano
i finally stopped at capulin volcano and rest assured it was worth all the five bucks i paid for the entrance fee. snapped some pretty cool shots. would love to ride my bike up there one day. there was a 10k race up and back down the volcano the day after we sightsaw. seems intense. no guardrails either. scary if you fall. could be fatal for both car and pedestrian.
here's the birds-eye atop the geographical anomaly...
Sunday
after getting in late saturday evening; and, after mason and i eating like fiends; and, after not sleeping-in late we started our first official day of vacation on sunday. i've been a member of my hometown church in plano for forever. there, i met an old high school chum of mine. we hung out for years as close high school buds but now as forty somethings it's funny that we still appreciate each others' company. he married a friend of mine's wife after he passed away (what i'm trying to say is she's a widow). then i got to see another close high school friend, jimmy. jimmy and lisa are new parents and i like them a lot so it's always a treat hanging out with them and their daughter gianna. time is fleeting people. time also has a way of making people live larger (if you know what i mean). that's why i ride. coupled with my vanity i really don't want to let my body go. i regress, anyhoo it's no longer a cute, north texas town in the middle of nowhere with useful amenities; it's now home to major fortune 500 companies like frito-lay, jc penney's, and eds to name a few. and along with these bastions of capitalism come the cumulative, radiative infrastructure of progress like...streets! all the roads i would normally travel on are now arterial, multi lane, toll roads and as luck would have it, i'm coin less. my hometown has mutated into a non-descript aggregation of homogeneity replete with boredom, trophy husbands and wives, manicured residential areas, restaurant chains, malls, all made with infinite surface areas of concrete, glass, wood veneer, and shiny steel. thanks, but no thanks.
Monday
we went and visited some close friends of my parents and in fact she was responsible in helping to raise me when i was a toddler back in the philippines. she has cancer and we wanted to visit her to catch up and to be empathic because she's such a great spirit. also down in that neck of the woods was my alma mater, the university of texas at austin. i always wax nostalgic about that place; and, it was another opportunity to visit my cousin gerard aka gerry. after my dad and i hung out in austin we met gerry. here's a funny cycle of life episode that occurred to me: you know, my ulterior motive in doing this trip was for a chance for me and my son to bond (which we have and i'm karmically thankful and humbled); but what's also happened is my father and i got a chance to do some bonding as well. three generations of father-son bonding. very, very satisfying and meaningful as a son and father. when we were at my aunt's house, since she had company there already, i invited my dad to join me in austin. he did, and we chatted away like the way fathers and sons should. being in close quarters in the car and then taking a pedestrian tour of my beloved campus with me sharing the places i used to frequent: the commons, the six pack, the stadium, my freshman/sophomore halls...aww it was great! just me and him walking around shooting the shit. mason opted to stay with lola at aunty's house. i felt really confident and proud having him as my dad and we were just like two buds walking and talking away in a campus that's near and dear to my heart. i certainly hope that my mother and father's monies did not go in vain for my top tier educational degree and experience with our shared, ground level, walking tour o'austin machmoud-style.
the fountain shot with the infamous bell tower
we then met gerry for dessert and coffee at the flagship whole foods store and he said it's been a while since he hung out with aunty so we all caravaned for a late dinner at aunty's house. it was awesome! before we left we bought some fine, hand-made, quality cannellonis and two maredsous trappiste ales (one triple and a double) to compliment our dinner. when you're surrounded by family and presented with a fine dinner and exquisite beverages to wash down said food-it...is...sublime. it was also an almost perfect day weather-wise. the only thing missing was my children and my lovely wife. the moment was still near perfect. whatever part of the brain that's responsible for joy and happiness was kicking out the appropriate hormones in excess. we spent the night at aunty's house too.
Tuesday
in the morning i cooked breakfast which was breakfast burritos with the filling of hash browns mixed in scrambled eggs. aunty's husband, chuck, also owns an '05 corvette zo6 where he gave me a joy ride. to ride shotgun in a 505 horse powered beast is always fulfilling for a car lover such as myself. wow.
the rest of the day was spent fighting dallas rush hour traffic to get back in a decent time. it was also my mom's birthday so i bought halloween themed cupcakes and made stir-fry for celebratory purposes. guess what we washed down the dinner with...maredsous!
the high alcohol content made my dad take a nap; when he napped and my mom did some work-related errands, mason, ruby, and i walked down to the playground where we commenced to bond and took play-making to the next level.
Wednesday
my mom and dad and their largess went clothes shopping for my family. i am thankful for such gracious parents and i certainly hope when my kids are in college or are parents themselves, i can reciprocate likewise. so as a sign of my thankfulness i made another vegetarian dinner of creamy walnut pasta without the nuts. if you're a philistine (not a beer snob), you'd probably know no better and would drink trappiste ale in a generic pint glass; but if you're a beer snob (like me!) you'd instead, partake of this nectar in a wide-mouthed goblet or a chalice.
this helps retain the fruitiness, maltiness, and alleviate the carbonation of this divine beverage constructed under the supervision of holy men wearing robes, living in monasteries speaking mostly flemish. amen.
Thursday
since my folks dig my breakfast burrito concoction, i made this again for our last breakfast before my trip back home. today was the day i pack our stuff for my return trip. instead of doing the 800 mile trip in one day, i'ma break it up into two and spend the night 'round the halfway mark in a small town called dumas, texas. pretty podunky, filled with price gouging hotels.
Friday
we head out at six in the morning and once in new mexico with the sun just poking through, it broadcasts this flat light onto the grass sitting above the volcanic base layer. just straight roads, with mt dora in the background and dormant grass all around. kinda surreal so i play some surreal music: sufjan stevens' enjoy your rabbit.at raton pass, since i'm westbound, i arrive with the sun just poking through the mountains. it made a scenic little vista...i arrive with time to spare to take a nap and head off with sweet melissa and mason to our daughters' halloween festivities at their school. phew! what a break it has been! i'm making plans to road trip again in may...

Yee-Hawww!....

well kids, i'ma head to texas this weekend. it's my fall break (unfortunately my daughters don't have this as we're in different school districts), and i'm rounding up mason and ruby for this shin-dig. 13 hours and 800 or so miles later and voila-i'm in plano, tx. original hometown o' lance armstrong and me (one's a famous cyclist-i'll let you chew on that one). no bikes for this go 'round. just quality hang time with folks and friends. i'll make some quality vegetarian dinners, washed down with some manner of siraz-cab blend or some trappist, unfiltered ales. quality hang time with my boy too. i'll bring my running shoes and do a road trip to my alma mater-the university of texas at austin (who is currently ranked number 1 on the a.p. poles). i'll probably purchase some paraphernalia at the bookstore because my texas fanfare is running a wee bit low. i'll probably stop at waterloo records and pick up some hillcountry esoterica and see what uniquely texas stuff lance's bike store's waiting for me to discover as well. i'ma shutterbug up a storm taking pictures of my beloved campus and some of the my old haunts like the congress street bridge, towne lake, zilker, pease, and hyde parks. i'll probably be shocked by the urban sprawl that's typical of landmark destinations of fine living like austin. on the way down i'm going to stop at the capulin volcano to check that out. hopefully i'll get to see an old homeboy who's also a singer songwriter-colin boyd-play one evening. ite den.