But first, an update…

So I’m getting over a bit of a cold. Suzanne had a sinus infection and… wham! 5 days later so do I.

Funny how that works.

Actually, it’s not that bad, and as of today, Dr. Austin has cleared myself for training. I like that guy, and he’s one hell of a doctor too. The funny thing with me is, when I’m healthy and training hard, I try very hard not to get sick. Yes, I know… that’s just logic and nothing profound, so let me explain. When healthy, I don’t touch escalator rails, stair rails, public phones, public restrooms, and generally anything else deemed by my tribal council as “nasty” or “filthy”. I used to go as far as to carry a small bottle of Instant Hand Sanitizer in my pocket…

Jeez…

And then I met Suzanne… and she carries a bottle in her purse so I can now leave mine at home. If that isn’t love… well, I just don’t know what is.

It’s funny though, when I’m sick and out and about in public, I generally throw all germ worries out the window. Sorry… I mean, I’m already sick right? So why worry about someone else’s germs? They’re probably no meaner and greener than mine? That somebody needs to worry about this guy right here and his big bad snotty germs because my germ cautions and courtesy’s are on vacation. Normally, healthy Austin would have walked into the Mall and thought, “Alright Austin, lets try and not touch everything in here and avoid anyone coughing or hacking. I need to train tomorrow” and when Sick Austin walks into the Mall, he thinks, “FEAR ME BIT&%#$”… (Sorry Mom, there’s no more cursing from here on out. Although I do say “Hell” in the next sentence, but I don’t really think “Hell” is that bad of a word. Do you? Hey, sorry that I might have got you sick. Everything I just typed is in regards to being out in public and not in your house. I don’t consider your house as “public”, you know. When I’m in your house, I do try hard to not get you and dad sick. Ok, I gotta go and finish typing this thing).

It’s kind of nice. Hell, I’ll even lick that stair rail. I’m not scared. I’m already sick, man.

What I do hate about being under the weather, is missing out on good rides… like last Saturday’s group ride. Speaking of group rides… that’s my segway into the whole beautiful purpose and existence of this post:

Will Write for Rock N’ Roll Memorabilia.

You see, a few Saturday’s ago the local group ride was stopped at the store at Bartlett Lake filling up water bottles when some talk of my silly excuse of a website came up… In the midst of all the talk, a good friend of mine, Lewis Freed, said that he had a used Led Zeppelin concert ticket from a canceled show at JFK Stadium shortly after John Bonham passed away.

Whoa!

He then said that if he could find it, he’d give it to me.

Double Whoa!

So… that got my large and bulbous yet ruggedly handsome bald head thinking…

“Now self, if you can’t convince people to give you cash money for the rambling babble of incoherent words you type… maybe you can convince them to give you some good ol’ Rock N’ Roll memorabilia. Hmmm?”

So, that’s my plan and I’m rolling with it… People, I will type the you-know-what out of this site if you send me that old, dusty, box of sweet sweet rock n’ roll goodies that your wife’s been asking you to get rid of for years now… all in exchange for my sweet sweet holsum yet delightfully refreshing gospel. I’ll type whatever you want to hear. You people just let me know and I’ll type it till the wheels (or in this case “keys” or “button thingys”) fall off. Send a box, pick a topic and I’ll go to work typing like a madman. Speaking of madman… I’ve got Elton John’s “Madman Across The Water” signed by Elton himself… but no Bernie Taupin. That’s like having Batman’s signature without Robin’s right next to it. Not right people… So, if you’ve got it… let’s do this thing and I’ll write up a storm about anything you want. I’ll even include illustrations. Tons of them. Everybody likes a good illustration…

Like this one:

Now, go and do you thing… and I’ll do mine.

We’ll talk soon. Be safe out there.

Categories: Daily Jibber Jabber.
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Now that the Holiday dust has settled, I’ve been able to check out my Fall semester grades…

Yes folks, 4 A’s for this guy right here.

Now… I know they were fairly basic classes. Yes. Thanks for reminding me… But to me, they were very important.

Allow me to take you on a journey through time…

You see, about 6 years ago, when I was just a young warthog, I decided to stop going to college. I had a full head of hair, was sharp as a tack and had a mind like a steel trap. Life was looking pretty damn good at that point. So you know what?… I figured I was done with college for now. I wasn’t excited to go to school in the first place and… drum roll please… had managed to already fail one remedial math class… Think that’s pretty bad? Well, I also failed a beginning weight training and cardio class.

Yes, this professional cyclist failed a basic gym class… Like permanent transcript kind of thing… GPA buster… “F” as in “Fail”… Bad.

Ok, back to the story…

So, I figured the 20 or so credits I had in my possession would be suffice and that I’d pass on school and give this biking thing a go. So I did just that. I even became spokesperson for the National Association For Cyclists Who Think School Is For Idiots and Dummies. I had a great time telling everyone why they should just ride their bike and pass on school for now. It pissed a lot of people off… which come to think of it was a lot of fun for a young man like myself. While I still think there is some truth to a young person riding full time, I also think it comes with a fair amount of…well… dumbness I guess.

School nowadays is pure cake. They’re practically giving you a degree if you can just tolerate 4 years (or 10 for some of us) of lectures, homework, presentations and projects. Last February, I decided to slowly step back in the classroom and begin excercising my brain after it’s 6 years of hibernation. I’ve been taking mostly online courses because they fit my training and racing schedule perfectly and if you have the discipline, they’re enjoyable. There’s a deadline for the class work, but you do the work at your own pace and then e-mail it in. Lets also keep in mind I’m 6 years older and paying for it myself… those are two big motivating factors right there. Since last February, I haven’t pulled anything less than an “A”. I think training and racing full time is a great thing, but I would recomend keeping one foot firmly planted in a classroom in order to keep chipping away at school…

There… I said it. Wow! For those that know me and are saying “I told you so”, write that last sentence down, quote it, and sign my name at the end because I said it.

So parents, feel free to print this out and show it to little Billy… and Billy, if you invite me over for dinner, don’t bring up school… or you might just find yourself lugging a backpack full of books around next semester.

Cheers.

Categories: Daily Jibber Jabber.
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