What a nice Fall day. Slept in this morning, spent a while reading a book in bed before getting really ready for the day - i love Camus.

Had a quick lunch and darted out for an afternoon of quick errands and such before I took off on a really rainy bike ride.

I was determined to do a 50 miler, but the rain was suggesting that I curtail it. I decided to go for it - and met up with a fellow century rider en route. We chatted it up, drafted, and pacelined others as we biked out to Ashburn.
I was admiring his snap-on fenders...he said where to get them... I asked if he's hit a deer (being facitious) he said, actually yes...and launched into a story about how he was biking last November on the same trail..and saw a deer jump across the trail...and said "oh cool...it passed" then forgot the theory of deer "if there's one...there's more"...well..he collided with that theory..and broadsided this fawn...going about 23 MPH...went over the entire deer...feet still clipped in pedals...over handlebars...huge ass descent... Broke his pinky finger...bent his $2,100 bike frame which was just recently repaired...

So he was a little ambivalent about the question and his experience.

I came home after the 51 mile bike ride...completely soaking wet, took a shower and began an evening of multitasking...
Laundry, homemade pumpkin soup, bike detailing...

I made two huge-ass batches of pumpkin soup (to take up to my relatives for Thanksgiving this next week) - took me 3 hours to prep, carve, bake, saute, simmer, and puree. Meantime, I was doing laundry and drying all my bike stuff from today's ride. Brought the bike in and took it to the basement for the 1.5 hours it usually takes me to clean, degrease, disassemble, reassembel, grease, lube, full love action of the bike. I take better care of my bike than my car.

Then onto more chores...finished the pumpkin soup...finished bike...then time to finish the xmess project I'm workin on...catch up on email...chat wiff friends...all that.

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I was just chatting with a friend and I simply said "blogs make life easy...you can write it all down...then let others read it...so ya don't have to re-explain how yer day was....lol"
Oh so strangely true.

Well, today was - how shall I put it...a huge pile of dog poop, on fire. Lemme rephrase - it was a surly black fly on a huge pile of dog poop, I mean it was the festering puss oozing off the 6 crotches of the surly black fly on a huge pile of dog poop. Oh screw it..it was just a shitty day.

Let me paint the background...with puffy little clouds like Bob Ross... At work, there is a project which I'm managing which was due end of business today, for several weeks - and managed well. The deliverable was supremely milestoned and accurately checked. Smooth sailing until ABBA (Asshole Bipolar Boss Asshole) came into the work area and asked what's going on, being interested n stuff (even though he's been removed from the day to day business operations and run of the projects...he's now just a "VP of Sales" - bogus title).

I very cautiously let him know that we were about to send off the final email to confirm signoff on this particular project from the client. He casually asked if I could send it to him to review before I send it. I was like..ok. Fired it off to him. Now being that it was the last day of this deliverable - I had to send this email off. So I knocked on his door to ask if he had a chance to review it ("it's getting late in the day, we need closure to this project", I say). He said, give me like 5 minutes.

So then this where the festering puss starts...

He comes in and immediately starts asking why this project has been done - "we are looking like idiots, don't you fucking understand me?" "I know we told them that it would be done before today, don't make me look fucking stupid!" "I know you are a smart person, but why do you say things that make no sense? I know I'm dumb but I'm not stupid!" "If you cannot understand what I'm fucking saying then you can just fucking leave, I don't have time to be made look stupid" On and on and on...i clocked it, i know because I got yelled at for looking at my watch "Don't you fucking look at your watch, you need to be paying attention to why you should not involve me in these projects"....

This is where the puss on the fly landed on the poop...

So then I realized that this guy has snapped, especially when he berrates me in front of my staff "you should have never fucking asked me to look at the email you are sending, I never asked for that." "you know never to fucking interrupt me, never ask me again for my opinion, do you hear what I am saying?"
This went on for another 20 minutes until one of my colleagues blurted in the truth, which is what he didn't want to hear - and then threatened to fire my whole staff. He stormed out of the room in a total huffy after I said that we needed to finish what we were doing. But before he left, I asked "should I not confer with you with any part of this before I send this out?, or shall I just honor your request to not be involved, I'm confused with what you are saying - I need to be clear on your direction". Then he left just like a 4 year old child in a total huffy.

Everyone in the office and on my staff was visibly upset - what a total dick. He took a complete crap on the already minus 500% morale in the office.

This is where the fly sitting on the poop took a poop, and the poop caught on fire...

So then later before the deliverable was sent, I need to confirm wiht a colleague that the project was updated - and ABBA was in the room (who seemed to have been councilled about his behavior and outragous unprofessional performance art peice he conveyed) and made an incredibly awkward and embarrassing attempt to apologise "I'm deeply ashamed of how I behaved, can you accept my apology?" I looked at him, then turned my head to my colleague and said "I need to to confirm..." then walked out of the room (not accepting nor acknowleging his apology).

Fucking asshole.

He later came into the main work area and made an incredibly awkward and embarrassing attempt to apologise to everyone - we ignored him.
So coming this Monday - I'm going to have a heart to heart sit down with the owner - this is beyond abuse.

Well, it's the weekend. After that abhorrent debacle, I decided to go on a really long bike ride - in the dark, cold and rain. Far more enjoyable than dealing with the wrath of ABBA's paranoid phsychodramatic overpatronizing bullshit. 42 miles. It was foggy - very spooky. I was only about one out of 4 cyclists out there in the two hours I saw. It was strangely peacefull. I felt calm and collected, like a jet cruising at a high altitude through clouds.

Ahhh...the weekend. Will be a busy one, I have to make 4 large batches of Pumpkin Soup for Thanksgiving - will be alot of fun. Xmess shopping to do, bike rides, other errands, haircut, car wash....life is never dull.

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Very busy day at work - was hustle hustle hustle. Glad it was over, went for a good long 34 mile bike ride in relatively cool (not freezing) weather. Since the weather was more cooperative - there were more cyclists out (and deer).

Time to work on my project. That about sums it up.

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Welp.... 10,008 miles baby! Hit the 10,000 mile (16,090 kilometers) mark of how many miles I've biked since this past February. That's 555 hours at 18mph (I took the lowest average speed). To break it down, i usually bike 2 hours a night, average of 32-42 miles a night peak times 40+, less peak, about 30miles. Late Spring, Summer and early Fall - is peak, the other months are less. Average 300 miles a week (+/-) about 1200 miles a month. Add an extra 50-60 miles to that if I'm doing a weekend Century.

I'm stupidly proud of this. Althought, I could have biked back and fourth the USA 3 times (roughly 3,300 miles across)

Another work day - was very busy. Went on (oh gasp) my bike ride - was very uneventful for a significant ride. Just dark, chilly.

Every night - I see the same UPS lady when I return to my car after my bike ride. She looks to be in her early 50s, very stern lookin woman. She pulls in front of the building, turns the truck around, spends a few minutes shuffling boxes around in the back, then she checks the UPS drop off kiosk thingy. We usually exchange a few words because we see each other almost every night - rain or shine, hot or freezing, light or dark.

She's always very friendly, asking "how many miles tonight?" I reply, she's like "oh my! you are in great shape!" We nod and say farewell. Eventually I'll catch her name.

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Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...Work, Bike, Blog, Write...blah blah blah...

Well, i worked today, biked today, and and writing this blog. Broken record. The good news to report is that after tomorrow's bike ride - I will have biked 10,000 miles since February. Nothing to sneeze at there.

I am planning to be with my parents and my relatives of my Father's side up in Deleware for Thanksgiving, some of whom I have not seen in 3 years. Will be a short but busy trip.

Welp, back to my project (which is turning out nicely).

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Monday, Monday....
standard day at work, even for a monday. Sorta humdrum. Was really excited to go on a bike ride - being even freezing and dark. Went on a standard 32 miler - it was really freezing. I was counting the different smells along the ride. From Sterling heading East towards Vienna - there are several distinct smells along the way. There's a section of suburbs where I smell roasted garlic, sausage, onions, oregano - or meatloaf seemingly everytime I pass. Then it's dryer sheetland - an area that smells like everyone is doing their laundry. There is a place near Vienna where I smell this plant or tree, smells like cellery for about a 1/2 mile. Then there's the area after that that reaks of deer musk (there's a huge family of deer there). Skunkville I slow down - worried that I might frighten a skunk and get sprayed.

So speaking of counting things, I never had done this before (strangely enough) - but I counted how many bike strokes (full cranks) i do in one mile (yes, I have too much time on my hands when I bike) - 286. So if I bike 30 miles, that's 8580 strokes - 40 miles, 11440 strokes. Booooring...

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Early morning with family - children can be devestatingly devilish little attention whores....I mean, all focus all the time on kids. They are only young once - I won't spoil it for them. I was once like that too.

Was a chilly fall day, made a horrible attempt to get my dirty car washed. Seems that in early Novemeber, all full service car washes now opt to close before 2pm on Sundays - unbeknownst to me. So no car clean. I feel no love.

Went on a 42 mile bike ride - very crisp and cold, but very sunny. Twas beautiful. Came back and thawed my fingers and toes. Drove home, had dinner...

Well, it's sunday night - anxiety settles in. Sitting here working on a cookbook project, sending out resumes, chatting with a few friends.

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