Photo by d. scott gregory

Yawns, stayed up way too late last night. I was fortunate to have a great late morning wind to get all the things done that I needed to on such a pretty late Spring day - then took off towards Purcellville for a 52 miler training session up in the hills, out near West Virginia. In a few weeks is the Mountains of Misery, training is going well - I just keep a REM tune in my head, early REM ("gardening at night" and "don't go back to rockville").

I came home and began preparations for this huge feast I'm doing for my mother on Mother's Day (tomorrow). I made the Key lime Pie (pictured), started prepping the lobster and asparagus. It's going to be quite a culinary solopsism. Least I can do for the person who brought me into the world is to make her a feast of all the things she likes.

Photo by d. scott gregory

Tomorrow will be a similar day of training and then the huge feast. Happy Mother's Day to all that it applys.

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Was a pretty Spring day, but on the chilly side. I enjoyed work - twas relaxing for a change. The day blew by without any drama or triviality. Followed by a fairly uneventful but relaxing "low endurance" training ride (Fridays are my "off" day - I do low endurance to recover before the weekend), 38 miles.

Came home, relaxed, did a few minor domestic things and then I spent part of the evening in preparation for a dinner I'm making for my mother for Mother's Day (made the Hollandaise Sauce tonight, from scratch - all recipes soon to follow and will be linked on my cookblog), menu so far: Broiled Lobster Tail baked in Garlic Herbed Butter served on a bed of Homemade Pesto infused Pasta, Lemon Herbed Asparagus, Gorgonzola & Pine Nuts wrapped in Prosciutto drizzled with homemade Hollandaise Sauce. I haven't yet decided what to make for a dessert - maybe a homemade key lime pie. It was fun shopping for all the ingredients - but damn, lobster can be expensive (Mom has expensive taste).

Will spend tomorrow looking at 2 apartments out in Ashburn, that village area is growing on me. I spend alot of time biking out there. Then will mow part of my parent's lawn (they are out of town), followed by more dinner preparation. It's going to be a feast Sunday night.

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Brrr... When is it going to stay warm? This past week, the weather is inconsistent with how Spring is supposed to be. In the mornings, I wake up with frost - it's Cinco De Mayo, 05/05/05. < / RANT >

Was a crazy day at work, deadlines aplenty. But everything eased up in the afternoon. I was finally able to suit up and head out to meet up with my cycling club for a hard core ride. Huge turnout, probably about 70 of us - was another impresive ride. Was great weather to ride - but had to quickly get covered up afterwards, that sweat to hydrothermia factor. We covered a schweet 40 miles total, but I put in 3 miles before and three after to get back, 46 total.

We had a few scary moments of an almost pileup, going about 30mph - then recovered, then later we had a huge pileup - I felt bad for the dude in front of me, his wheels locked with another team member, he went down hard. We have zero room to react - about 3" from wheel to wheel, when he went down - I literally ran over his leg. The whole pileup was, to quote Kevin Spacey's character in the film American Beauty, "...spectacular". Fortunately no one got seriously injured. Just road rash - a recipe mix of raw hamburger legs and elbows mixed with road gravel. I'm hoping to not get into a crash or a pileup that will impede my training or for me to miss my goal of finishing the Mountains of Misery.

I am utterly exhausted - I was intending to ride with the BB group tonight...but got mixed with the A group. Them boys wear me out.

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I have decided that today was an okay day - just that. Well, better than OK, it was rather upscale mediocre.

Nothing to "report" out of the ordinary - just work, ho hum...and pretty Spring Weather (a little on the chilly & cloudy side, nothing dramatic), ho hum...then a long ass training ride, great weather - no wind, was almost orgasmic.

Biked with a few blokes I know - we headed out to Purcellville and then turned around and headed back, schweet paceline - finished 44 miles in zero time. Cool people too to bike with - 2 "tri-chicks" and 2 NoVA racers, all of whom are involved in patent trademarking of internet/software applications...total dorks, but in great shape.

Came home, had dinner, few domestic chores - then did a "lick and a promise" clean & lube for Ms. Trent (my bike) - I was in major clean & lube of her chain. Tomorrow is my club training ride - that chain better be clean enough to lick (if you like the taste of spray on parafin wax).

Speaking of which, should be a rather enjoyable club ride tomorrow night - weather will be cool. I understand we are going for a 50 miler. I'll be spent afterwards.

Welp, time to "bone" out - gotta finish a few things before i hit the hay.

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Damn, what a busy day. Boorish as it was - I got a lot done. Work was packed with one thing after another, got it all done. I left the office early to go on a quick 38 miler training before I went to mow my parent's yard before it rained again (my father has a foot injury, which is healing - grass doesn't mow itself).

Spent the evening confirming reservations for a few cycling events coming up, paying bills, following up correspondence, and yawning. That's pretty much it. I'm spent.

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Click to enlarge photo by d. scott gregory

Click to enlarge photo by d. scott gregory

For a rainy, dreary day - it turned out to be phantasmagoric day, on multiple levels.

Work was a crazy mess of drama appeasment, ego genuflexation and general extradiagetic bullshit. Just work - but I was on a roll. Completely out of the blue, I was informed that I got a very substantial raise (promotion always there...but the $$ is the real prime), like a 1/3 of my regular pay increase. I was astounded as to the "generosity" - which I am more than greatful. But It must have come from a level of fear - things seem to work that way. Fear of someone leaving. No details - and no reason. Was glossed over for the "Above and beyond Leadership" and "Commitment to..blah blah blah..." My theory is that it's fear. Fear is always the greatest motivator. Just "office stuff" is what I'll refer to it.

Click to enlarge photo by d. scott gregory

So I headed out on a really drastic training ride - out towards Purcellville and back, total 44 miles. Rainy and gusty headwind on the way out - clear sailing glorious tailwind all the way home. Had a flat tire near Leesburg, quick fix - but annoying....from some asshole who broke a glass bottle on the trail. Dick. There was a really pretty sunset on the way home (pictured, taken in reverse, near Smith's Mountain Switch - looking West).

When I finished up, I was heading off the trail to near my office - and there was this bunny rabbit who was standing his (or her) ground. I had to take a pic. It was looking at me for an intense minute - with this "wtf are you doing her..and why are you dressed like that, mr asshole human...get the fark off my trail". It finally scurried off when I was about a 1/2 foot from walking over it. Damn bi-polar rabbits.

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Yay! It's now May! Unsure where to begin, but afterall - just another day. Woke up to a brilliant crisp chilly Spring morning - but no longer raining. Everything was green. I spent the morning mowing my dad's lawn (he has a foot injury - and not capable this week to mow the lawn, takes about 3 hours to do the entire thing) and then headed out to look at an apartment in Herndon, the place is nice.

W&OD Bike trail, looking west over Rt 28 photo by d. scott gregory

I finished up and then headed out to Vienna to do a long cycling training ride - something flat and something hilly. Did the flat all the way out to Peonian Springs, then headed up into the hills for some mountanous training - breaking into my triple crank. Worked a loop or three, then headed on back with a nice tailwind. It was very pretty, the picture is from the top of the bike bridge heading over Rt 28 in Sterling, VA heading West - the trail seems to go into a solid pinpoint vantage point - to give you the idea of the milage, see the mountains in the far distance, I biked out there to them, then biked around, then came back (the place the picture was taken from is 12 miles from where I began). All told, I did a sweet 68 miler today. The schweet part was sailing back to Vienna with a tailwind with the "tri-girls".

Came home famished - I took a long shower, then cooked a great meal: Grilled Filet Mignon slathered with vedallia onions and mushrooms sauteed in a Marsalla Butter sauce, Sweeet potato, and a romane salad with onion, pine nuts, croutons, feta & gorgonzola cheese with a ceasar dressing. It was a feast.

Followed up with a fun night of watching Desperate Housewives - then finished chores, reading paper, et al....ready for another work week.

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