Looking back.

Interesting.

First time I have looked at this in a very long while.

Blogging used to be quite fun. And something to do while waiting to heal....

I wonder if it is still fun...

Post Doc

just got back from the 6 week check. i don't think i impressed him with my range of motion or my muscle strength.

but the fracture seems to be healing well. i have no more restrictions on use other than not being allowed to fall on it.

i go back in 5 more weeks. at that point i may be allowed to fall on it. however, we will probably schedule the surgery to take out the plate and screws for 2 weeks after that. as he says, the bone will then be weaker than it was with the plate and screws in. so, no falling for 6 more weeks after the surgery (but no other restrictions).

so, it looks like there will be a two or three week window in which i can race cross. those had better be some fun gawdam races.

oh, i learned one other thing. apparently i get to keep some of my ti hardware. i didn't know (because he didn't tell me...you really have to pry the information out of these guys...) but he put in an extra piece of thick wire to act as a pin to hold one of the fragments in place.

just what i needed, extra parts and more weight....

quickie review

two more....

Ronin. Great cast, but a fairly mundane plot. Lots of shoot em ups, if you are into that sort of thing. 3 stars.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. That Downey Jr. guy....he is just beggin to be slapped, isn't he? Val Kilmer was great though, more than made up for it. 3 Stars.

I suppose I could review the Coors Classic/Red Zinger DVD. I am still watching the last edition of the race, 1988, I think. I don't remember the race that year at all. And I have no idea if it was any good, because the TV coverage that year was AWFUL! No wonder the race never happened again. Potential Sponsors had to have been lulled into comas by that one....

The coverage varied from year to year up until then. Connie Carpenter was a commentator for a few years. She was a bit on the dry side, but she knew her shit and provided decent insight into the races. Alexi Grewal was just OK. When Jim McKay narrated, I thought it really gave the race an air of legitamacy.

The racing? It varied from absolutely boring to pretty darned exciting. My gawd Hinault and Longo came across as arrogant. Of course, so did Davis Phinney. And Lemond was just as much of a kook back then as he is now.

I loved seeing a then skinny (sort of) Bob Roll win a stage.

Oh, and I saw a crash in which a woman did the exact same thing that I did to my shoulder, in exactly the same way. Ouch.

4 stars.

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BTW, why are movies given ratings with stars? Really, couldn't it be any random object instead of stars? Like fig newtons. Or Kumkwats. Or dust particles....

Mmmmm, weekend coming up, yay!

healing

PT....Oh how it hurts so good!

"Ok, last time we got to 110 degrees, this time let's get 115."

110 degrees felt like a very good, deep stretch. 5 more? You gotta be kiddin me.

But it went. My eyes popped out of my head, but it went.

Sometimes you just have to force things.....

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The shoulder is getting better, little by little.

Today was sort of a breakthrough day. I wore a T-shirt. I even got the thing on AND OFF (all sweaty after a run) by myself.

I'm so happy....

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Two more movies watched:

The Prestige. This one was just yummy. Twists and turns in a plot are always fun, and this one had a bunch. I should have guessed; Michael Caine may not be the worlds greatest actor, but the films he is in are almost always really good. 4 stars.

Borat. Um, well, I was told I needed to see it so I'd understand all the references and jokes about it. Ok, I look forward to those. Meantime, I think I am mentally scarred from seeing the naked wrestling scene. 2.5 stars

Saturday night amongst the trees

OK, it's been at least a couple days since anyone added to the list of movies I need to see.

That last post was sorta like when I pop popcorn in the microwave (real popcorn, not the lung killing kind).

I wait until I think it is done popping, then just as I am ready to take it out, POP! So I wait a bit longer. Just when I think it is done again, POP! This usually goes on until I have burnt quite a bit of popcorn, which, by the way, is perfect.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll ever have time to watch all the movies that have been suggested and/or loaned, but I'm sure gonna try. So far, I have seen at least two:

Shaun of the Dead. OK, this was cute, had some funny bits, and the ending wasn't too bad. I could certainly see keeping my zombified best friend around for playing video games with. 3 stars.

Dead Man. I thought that the artistry of this movie was really good. It was funny, sad, witty, all the good stuff. And Neil was digging deep with the six string for this one. I need to look into finding the soundtrack. My ony complaint was that the ending seemed a bit...anticlimactic. Still, I will watch this one again sometime. 4 stars (maybe 4-1/2) (oh, thanks to VB for these two!)

I am also in the midst of the three disc set of all the old Red Zinger/Coors Classic races. Fun stuff. Besides all the old cycling stars, I saw Les Ernest officiating, an old friend that used to own a bike shop in Davis, and what is now the Velo Promo truck (we think). Thanks kitties, I'll definitely finish this one, although it may take a while because I have been watching in bits while I ride the trainer....

...and I am hoping to be done with that horrible device for a while. That's right, "On the Road Again" has been playing in my head. Today was sort of a real ride. 2 hours, 30 miles. Some stiffness and soreness in the upper body for sure, but the legs felt OK. Technique sprints on tuesday, baybeee! (disclaimer: I'll be sprinting while seated. Pulling up on the bars is strictly forbidden. So is fast cornering, and especially, crashing)

And, since I am now officially working out, I figured I deserved a recoverita tonight. Its funny, I'm drinking alone, and I prolly need it the least in this house....

Bunny is working on Halloween costumes. I don't know how someone can stress over something as goofy and fun as Halloween, but Bunny seems to have found a way. Migo is relaxing, trying to recover from the stress of having the vacuum cleaner scare him earlier. They are two very silly critters.

Me, I'm just blogging and procrastinating--I need to do more shoulder stretches and strengthening exercises. The lady at PT is KILLIN ME!

Help!

I have been watching movies. A lot of movies. I know, I should be reading more, but face it, I am a lazy american.

Besides, I really like movies.

But I am running out of movies on my "to see" list. The netflix selection is good, but I find I am renting more and more 3 star movies because I have seen all the 4 and 5 stars. I also watch some online on websites that may or may not be entirely legal, but the selections tend to be pretty meager on those sites. Unless one is a big B-movie fan. I'm not.

So, I need your help. I need suggestions.

I love a good scifi, action thrillers are ok, war movies, period pieces, slapstick comedies, even a good documentary. Musicals, not so much.

Anyway, in return for all your generous suggestions, I'll give you a brief review of the movies I have watched since I made all this spare time for myself. No particular order here....

Saving Private Ryan. Close to an epic. Pretty intense and sad though. One of those 'puts things into perspective' movies. 5 stars (out of 5)

The Motorcycle Diaries. Very interesting and entertaining. Not a typical biography piece. 4 stars.

Syriana. Meh. So the oil companies are corrupt and america screws over other countries. Tell me something i didn't know. Too much dialogue for watching while on the trainer. 2 stars.

Bridge on the River Kwai. Epic. I've seen it many times, I can't get enough of Alec Guiness. 5 stars.

Kelly's Heroes. Another long time fav. 5 stars.

Some PR documentary about Yellowstone. I really want to go see wolves in the wild. 3 stars.

The Philadelphia Experiment. Like most time travel stories, it just never makes perfect sense. Also kind of predictable. 3 stars.

Amadeus. I liked this a lot better the first time I saw it, 20 years ago. 3 stars.

Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut rules, but this movie wasn't as good as the book. I keep saying that. I really should read more.... 3 stars

The Girl from Monday. Weird. Kind of reminded me of The Man Who Fell To Earth. 2 stars.

Attilla. It wanted to be an Epic. It failed. 2 stars.

The Sixth Sense. Good story, loved the ending. The main child actor irritates me a bit though. 3 stars.

Rushmore. Offbeat and wacky, this was a surprise. Can't go wrong with Bill Murray. 4 stars.

Beowulf and Grendel. Troll piss is funny. The rest of the movie was weak. 2 stars.

The Hard Road. Fell asleep. Twice. 2 stars.

Star Wars Revelations. A homemade movie by some geeky Star Wars nut. don't know how he got away with it, copywrite-wise. Not the worst movie I've ever seen. 3 stars.

B.I.K.E. This was.....wild. Has anyone else seen this? Did I somehow miss the buzz about it at some point? See it. I thought it was well done artistically, if nothing else. And damn funny at times. Yikes. 4 stars.

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There were probably a few more, but I can't remember them all.

I have expectations for you people. Olaf, you have a pretty good track record recommending stuff. Get on it, please. Marscat, you are such a good writer, I think you should be good at this game, too. BellaSlaveboy, you have GOT to be good for a scifi flick that has been under my radar....

All y'all, HELP!

training log, 2008 season

monday aug 20

30 minutes on the cycle-oops, divided into two 15 minute sessions

saddle adjustment in between sessions was of limited help.

fatigue level: moderate

post ride hunger level: extreme

moral level: through the friggin roof......