Do it now!

Get on your bike and ride!

Thankful for 2009, looking forward to 2010

Cycling is a never ending pursuit. After my last round of power testing (highest power yet) I was still disappointed because I thought I could have/should have done better. This led me realize that, now more than ever, it's all about the journey and not the destination. Even though we're always dreaming of bigger and better there is so much to be thankful for right now.

2009 was a great journey:
some of the moments that stick in my mind
Tour de Latonka
52:37 40k ITT
4th place ITT in VA with food poisoning
1st place ITT in PA
Riding a 40k ITT at the oval in a torrential downpour
doing an MTB race the next day and beating Dirty Mike in an off road race for the first time ever
my best time ever in Ironcross
riding to Ohio with Steve and JohnieB for a cross race in Akron
All of the great/cold/muddy times had with team mates at cross races this fall
Winning the Tour of Lancaster TT
The list could go on, it was a great year for racing and spending time with teammates, new and old

Plans are already underway to make 2010 the best year yet and I can't wait.

Super Hottness Simpkins Aero Brakes

These brakes are supposed to save between 3-5 watts as opposed to regular brakes. I don't know if they do but they sure look cool and work well.

Training, all mixxed up

I've been trying some new things with my indoor trainer season this year. (the indoor trainer season started earlier than normal due to my shoulder injury) For the last week or so I've had a rough time completing my workouts at the prescribed wattage output. Then today after another workout in which I was unable to meet the correct power I set out to figure out why. Then I found it was a very simple problem with my math. When I was figuring out the power output for my steady state intervals I figured out my workout range 10 watts too high. Now 10 watts isn't much but it changes the workout completely. Hopefully now things can get back on track. I was just working too hard during the intervals and not allowing myself enough time to recover before the next hard set.

Rethinking winter training

I guess it's not winter yet but since I hurt my shoulder I've been advised to stay inside and ride on the trainer (and I have for the last month).
Now, if you know me and talk to me then it is inevitable that the subject of "bikes" comes up often. I often talk about bikes and about the fact that I spend alot of time riding and training. Yet it seems like even though I talk with friends often about training theory all of the time I rarely ever talk with them about specific intervals they do, when they do them and how long they rest between them. I haven't had many of these particular conversations until lately with Dirty Mike. Once I started my winter training early this year he asked me "What workouts do you do on the trainer?" I told him about the one workout I do everyday, all winter, for the last 3 seasons. Then he asked "Why? I've never heard of anyone doing anything like that."
"Because I read about it in an article about it once. I think it was in Bicycling Magazine," I said.

Then I started my quest to find out where I had read it and why I did it. I reread much of what I have read in the past and some new things. I even bought Carmichael's new book. What I found was what I had thought originally. I was essentially doing steady state intervals at lactate threshold-LT (as described in just about everything Carmichael writes) which are effective for raising LT but not much good for increasing max power. I found that even though this method of training was pretty good for increasing TT power it probably isn't ideal. So now the difficult part begins. What should I be doing instead?

2010 Specialized S-Works shoes

Long story short, I love these shoes. I had a pair of the S-works shoes a few years ago and didn't like them very much because although they were comfortable they made my feet fall asleep and I switched back to my trusty Shimano shoes fairly quickly. I think part of the reason I like these new shoes is because they are supremely comfortable like the old ones but they are more adjustable because of the 2 ratchet devices on the shoes this year. Also, these shoes are extremely light. You might say, "who cares if the shoes are light?" Well, in a world were people are willing to spend upwards of $1500 to save that much weight in a set of wheels it actually makes these shoes seem like a bargain. It's no wonder these shoes are showing up all over the pro peleton with some pros even defying their teams shoe contracts to wear them.
Pros:
1:Supremely comfortable
2:Super light weight (450 grams for the pair vs 650 grams for my old Shimano shoes)
3:Very secure ratcheting mechanism and much easier to adjust on the fly than traditional straps or Velcro. (the 2010 model features a ratchet that blows everything else out of the water)
4:These shoes look much better in person than the pictures show (much to my delight because I thought they were ugly from all of the photos I had seen)

Cons:
1:None so far:)

My Halloween Socks

I can't believe it's Halloween, I've got these socks and I'm have to work so I can't do a cyclocross race with them. This is ridiculous!

I did my T-max interval testing this afternoon and wore these socks to celebrate. Then I went to Taco Bell to get my free black taco (like trick or treating for kids of all ages)

Final race weekend of 2009

2 days, 4 races, 8 hours driving, unlimited amounts of fun!

Saturday's race was a mud fest. It was cold and wet and muddy. I decided to do the cat. 4 race and 3/4 race. The cat. 4 race came first. I started out well and got off to a pretty good start but then, of course, I had an asthma attack three quarters of a lap into the race. From there it was all I could do to hang on til the finish. I ended up 8th finishing just behind Dirty Mike. It was good enough to score some nice socks, a Camelbak bottle, a bike light and some candy:)
Next came the 3/4 race and I couldn't get clipped in at the start. I ended up just riding it out and finished 27th. My lungs felt awful and I wanted to quit but I gutted it out.

Sunday started with a trip to Duncan Donuts on the race to the Raccoon Twp. for another 2 race day. The weather was significantly better than on Saturday and less muddy so I decided to run my Kenda small block 8 cross tires. It was a huge mistake. Once the corners started to get muddy and ripped up the mud completely filled the tread on my tires and turned them into slicks. Slowly making my way through I ended up finishing in 3rd just behind Steve (he had a great race) too bad we couldn't quite catch the leader.
In the 3/4 race Henry, Steve and I decided to just ride at the back of the pack and parade around the course together and heckle the hecklers. It was a great way to show support and end the season.


I almost forgot to mention something. It turns out that the reason I was having problems getting clipped in all weekend was that one of the clips had broken off of my right pedal making it only have 2 engagement points instead of four:(

Ironcross VII weekend

Ironcross lite was a complete bust. It started well enough and I was mid pack and felt fine for the first lap and a half. Then a disaster occurred. Todd S. had just passed me heading into the single track section of the course and then the guy infront of him came to a screeching halt right before a large log that we were all going to attempt to bunny hop. (At this point I would like to point out that I had bunny hopped the log successfully on the first lap) Todd had to just about stop and so did I. With no momentum I had no chance of clearing the log but tried anyway. I ended up doing a spectacular somersault and landing on my left shoulder. End of race, much pain, bad sensations. I decided the best idea would be to go home ice my shoulder and take an anti-inflammatory.

Day 2: Ironcross VII
I decided to go harder than it was possible for me to maintain so I could make it cleanly though the traditional cyclocross course and get into a good strong group for the first road section of the course. Although this was a good idea and allowed me to sit in on some sections but also forced me to work harder than I was comfortable on the hills and kicked off an asthma attack that lasted roughly the first 55 minutes of the race. Eventually I fell into a good rhythm where I was not pushing too hard or going too easy. I lost some time in the single track sections but not too much. I was in front of some people that always beat me so I knew I must be having a good day. It took Betsy Shogren until mile 53 to pass me. That was a great place for her to pass because it was right before a pretty technical downhill section and I was able to follow her line which I'm sure saved me a ton of time. The course went on like it always does. It was a perfect fall day. Cold in the morning but cool and sunny during the race. I ended up finishing in 4:43:08, in 71th place overall and 39 in Male >40. More importantly I averaged 0.6 MPH and 18 minutes and 5 seconds faster than I was last year.

Steve came over for the race and he has plenty of his own stories to tell. We're already making plans for next season including a better/faster way to spread our stories. More details will be coming over the winter months. Let me leave you with one thought: CORE everyday!

Dream bike

Dream bike

Dream bike with SRM!

At least for now. I'm sure something better will come along before too long.

Ohio/Pittsburgh Cross weekend

Friday night Steve, JohnnyBrison and I went to Ohio to Duane's house to for the Cross race on Saturday. Steve did a great job and had a great race finishing 3rd in the "C" race. As soon as his race ended the skies let loose a downpour that lasted my whole race. Soon after starting the rain made everything super slick. After raining for a while the course became ride-able again and didn't even get muddy and slippery. There was one lightning bolt 25 minutes into the race and it was over that fast. I ended up finishing 10th but I felt good and think I could have done better if it had gone on.

Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Pittsburgh for the Month of Mud race. A slight miscalculation had us arriving there about 4.5 hours before our race. There were 6 of us. Henry, Mike, Richy, Ray, Steve and I. I was told it had been raining there for 2 days prior to the race so the course instantly turned to mud when the first pre-riding began. The course got further ripped up during the elite race. Our race began in a slight drizzle the stopped just after the race start but the damage was already done. The course was all but unrideable. It was more like stopping at each corner and then seeing how fast you could spring to the next one. I think everyone in the race managed to have a spectacular crash at some point. I ended up finishing 8th on the day through a battle of attrition and being a superior runner.

Overall it was a great weekend. I got lots of bruises and scratches and my shoulder is killing me. I can't wait for Ironcross weekend to do it all over again. I have an MRI on Friday to check my shoulder the I landed on while warming up for Saturday's race but assuming it comes back OK I'll be back asap.

Labor Day weekend, 7springs 24 hour race, and I'm working

Once again it's a beautiful Labor Day weekend and the 7springs race is going on and of course I'm working all weekend. The only time I was able to make it to this race it was raining and 40* (as seen above). Last year I had the weekend off and I went to the State ITT race instead (that was dumb of me)

Devil's Backbone Mountain Cross (like Ironcross but better)

Let me start by stating that things did not go well. I was sick and in no condition to race but that was OK because the event promoter was clear that this was not a race, it was a ride. That went out the window when J. Bishop and some other local cat1/2 guys showed up. Being that I was just recovering from a miserable cold I was on a mission to Ride with Steve B. and just try to enjoy a bike ride on 62 miles of back-country gravel roads. Steve agreed with this idea because he wanted to destress from his week of tests at IUP. The ride started off with a killer hill (Steve told me it was 2000 ft elevation gain in 2 miles but I don't have a GPS so how would I know but it was tough). This first hill was all on a paved road. Upon reaching the top the road turned to gravel and we were treated to a hair raising descent that left several riders thrown into the woods and at least one with a broken frame. We managed our way through 23 miles of gravel and then the almost unthinkable happened. Steve's pedal stripped completely out of his crankset. Try as we might there was no fixing this one. With no way to continue Steve had to stop and I decided to abandon with him so he wouldn't be stuck waiting around for hours for me to finish. We got a ride back to the start area and got cleaned up.
The day ended in disappointment because we didn't get to finish but it was still alot of fun. I'm going back next year to try and race this thing. It was like Ironcross but better. Don't ask me to explain that statement because I don't think I can other than saying I'd rather do huge climbs on gravel roads than moderate climbs on single track. The two races have alot in common and one is great practice for the other. I can't wait for Ironcross(coming next month) and I can wait to give Devil's Backbone another try. Next time I'm in it to win it;)

Racing into shape

The phrase "racing into shape" just never made much sense to me when used to describe how Grand Tour riders would show up for the event slightly under trained and get faster over the course of the event.
Well,.................I guess I was wrong. This summer I've done more racing than ever before between weekend races, Tuesday night races in Shippensburg, and Thursday night time trials with YBR. Throw in a few more YBR/Ship/South Mountain smackdown races and I've been racing about 3 times a week all summer. It's great because on days when I don't race I don't have to worry about intervals because I'm just doing recovery rides.
The only reason I'm thinking about this is because after a killer Tour de LaTonka over the weekend and a hard ride with Sean yesterday I was going to take today off to get caught up with some stuff around the house. I ended up deciding at the last minute to go to the Shippensburg race and ended up winning the sprint even though I thought I was too tired and should have stayed home. Just goes to show you how much I really don't know. Suprise, Suprise!

YBR TT new PR tonight

I set a new PR tonight at the YBR Thursday night TT. 23:01, almost started and U23 club. Conditions were perfect and I think I could have done it if I had a cassette with an 11 tooth cassette because there were parts of the course that I just ran out of gears:( Looks like I may be getting faster after all. Hopefully the good times will continue.
Ironcross VII is quickly approaching! Registration opened Saturday and it'll be here before we know it. So clear the weekend of October 10-11 and get ready for a party at my place. Also, it's time to get your cross bike to the shop for any work that needs done and don't wait until the last minute. The first cross race of the season was last weekend in NJ so it'll soon be in full swing:)

Tour of Lancaster Day 2, TT and Crit

Day 2 started with a 10 mile ITT on a mostly flat course. It was a torrential downpour and I'm sure it affected the final results. Some riders got lucky and no rain, some (like me) got intermittent rain, and some got hurricane like rain and winds.
I ended up winning my TT and so did Steve. On the back stretch I went off of the road once just because I wasn't really paying attention. Then on the return on Snake Rd I almost wrecked in the first corner because I was carrying too much speed. That really was a difficult road in the rain (lots of turns).
Things started to dry out for the Cat 5 crit and Steve managed to stay safe in the pack for a good finish and 5th place on GC.
I was really tired and wanted to go home but decided to stay and do the crit simply because I had already paid for it and the weather was getting really nice so the course was completely dry. I'm glad I stayed. I hovered around the back of the group for the first half of the race and then moved up to about the front 1/3 of the group. From there things were status quo until the bell lap (that's when all Hell broke loose). We took the first left hand turn3 wide and I was on the outside line. The inside guy didn't hold his line causing the middle guy to jerk his front wheel to avoid him. This sent the middle guy towards me but I was leaned hard into my turn and I wasn't moving for anyone. He ended up smashing his face off of my shoulder and then wrecking. I got bumped a little off of my line and I was skirting the edge of the road so rather than trying to save it and catching the edge of the road and possibly wrecking I decided to do some cyclocross action through the field and then rejoin the group. Problem with this was that it relegated me to the back of the pack and with only 1/2 lap to go I just sat in and rode to the finish. Then on the final corner there was one final wreck involving a couple riders in the top 5-10 positions. Who says the front is always the safe place to be? I went looking for the guy who wrecked into me to make sure he was OK but I couldn't find him so apparently he got up and walked away.
I ended up tied for 10th place on GC. Only 2 points from 8th place (and in the money). Who knows, if I hadn't been bumped off the course and to the back of the pack on the final lap I may have got those points. I would have only needed a 18th place finish for 2 points. Oh well, it was a great time and I learned alot.

Thanks to Steve for coming over to race with me.
Very special thanks to Hanna (Steve's wife) for coming to cheer and for taking some wonderful photos.

Tour de Lancaster RR

It was 5 10 mile laps. 1 climb of significance per lap. 50 starters. My goal: not to get shelled out the back:). The race started out pretty easy and a few riders broke away. I'm in this thing for the whole weekend and not just the RR so I decided to stay in the pack and not do anything crazy. Things started to heat up a little and the speed picked up but a strange thing happened. I was still with the group and actually feeling pretty good. The fourth lap started really fast and when we hit the climb I had to go hard just to stay with the group and I was the last person to make the junction and not get dropped (another plus). Another group of riders broke away on that lap and I spent the rest of my lap working my way back to the front. I finally got near the front when we arrived on the flat section prior to the big climb for the final time. I was talking with a guy from one of the larger teams at the race and we decided that there were already too many people off the front to pick up all of the points from the stage so a group of us decided since there was no time cut off and no points to be gained we would just soft pedal it to the finish and prepare to come out fighting again on Sunday at the TT. Steve Brewer was also at the race and finished 16th place in the cat. 5 race, Great Job! I ended up finishing 34th position. I could have done better if I had killed myself to the finish but still wouldn't have got any points. I'm happy I was able to ride with the pack and not get shelled as I normally do so I am making progression. Now we'll just have to wait and see how Sunday goes with a morning TT and afternoon crit scheduled.

Bad day on my bike but it didn't last very long

I was planning a 40-50 mile ride with lots of hills in sunny 88 degree weather. It was gonna be a great ride. 7 miles in I hear sudden hissing and then flat. My front tire is flat but I'm undeterred. I fixed the flat and I was getting ready to go again and flat again. Not my fault, bad/cheap tube came prepunctured:( Left me sitting beside the road calling for the neutral support vehicle
(aka: corolla with my brother at the wheel) to come pick me up. Lucky for me he was home and willing to come get me:)
I'll try to do better tomorrow.

My dream bike is finally here

Today after months of procrastination I finally built up my dream bike, well almost. Last weekend I decided that since I will be riding my Florida bike for a while longer I should build it up with the usable parts from by Six13. So that was my mission for today. It was a pretty easy switch out since I wasn't changing most of the stuff. First I removed the rear deraileur pulleys from my destroyed DA deraileur on my Six13 and transplanted them onto the 9 speed ultegra deraileur that I have on my FL bike. Next I transplanted the handlebar/stem/shifters in their entirty from the Six13 to the FL bike. Finally I switched the Easton wheelset on my FL bike with the Ksyrium SL wheelset from my cross bike. Now I have my Cannondale Caad7 frameset built up with DA 10 shifters, 9 speed RD with 10 speed pulleys, 105 9 speed FD, and of course Cdale Hollowgram crankset and Ksyrium SL wheels. This is truely my dream bike. I'll add the SRM in the coming days and it will truely be a killer machine.

Oh yeah, I also stole the headset from my Six13 and replaced the Campy Hiddenset that came on the frame and was now completely trashed.

Amazing ride, amazing bike.

I can't wait to pick up a BB30 caad9 and Supersix later this year:)

Two Race Weekend

Friday night was the we toed the line for the 25 mile Washington Blvd track TT. The sky turned black several minutes before the start and the rain started to fall several minutes later. I felt surprisingly good, having only ridden my TT bike twice since the state ITT 3 weeks ago. I thought the track record was within my grasp but ended up falling 4 seconds short with a time of 0:54:25. The worst part of this was that I thought the record was 0:54:3? so I thought I may have beaten it by several seconds. Maybe next time. It won't be this year because I have to work the next time this TT is happening in a few weeks:(
Saturday was the Shannock Valley MTB race. I have a real soft spot for this race. Mostly because strength is placed at a premium and MTB skills are a distant second place. I showed up late at the start line and had to line up at the far back of the field (Bruce and Sheila) can attest to this. The race started out on a road section before hitting the first climb which always seems to go on forever. Between the two of these I was able to pick my way through most of the field and enter the single track in 22-25 place. I passed a couple more riders in the first section of single track and on the next up hill section. Then I held my position for a long time with no one passing me and only one guy on a single speed in front of me (he seemed to never get closer or further away). Later on in the race I was finally passed by one guy but I stuck close to his wheel and over took him on the final uphill section and then blew him away on the final downhill section of single track and then the short road section to the finish. I knew I had to pass him because at one of the final checkpoints the guy was telling everyone what position they were in and I was in 21st position so I had to kill my self to make that final pass to break the top 20. It's possible that I could have caught the guy infront of me (single speed guy) on the final road section but I thought it would be wrong to pass him at that point after he beat me up the entire course with only one gear. If the state ever starts to pay me again I may start a fund to buy some of these single speed guys bikes with gears. That can't be fun:) I ended up in 20th position overall and 6th in my age group.

A special thanks to , my great friend, Rich Seevers for letting me crash at his place for the weekend and cooking me lunch today:) Hopefully he will soon have to change his name from Afib Rider back to Rocket Rich and finally be able to train and race again.

Any can train...........

"Anyone can train when they feel like it, champions train when they don't." This is how I felt yesterday. I wanted to stay home and sleep but decided to get out for a ride anyway. I thought I'd feel better within a mile or so after leaving home and I did. Hopefully today will feel better:)

Who needs two 65 inch TVs anyhow?

I've been asked this question many times and the answer is "ME".
"Why?" You ask.
Because when one of them decides to blow a picture tube virtually making itself into an instant radio the day before the opening time trial of the Tour de France you need to have a back up.

Happy 4th of July!

Just returned from my ride and getting ready to watch the TdF. I was absolutely flying today. Sunny and 76* will do that for me. 46 miles at 19.5mph on my road bike. It wasn't flat either. It was through the hills of Michaux over to Shippensburg and back. A good hard ride on a georgous day. Happy Birthday America:)

2009 PA 40k ITT Championships

Sunday was the 2009 state TT championships. A date that I've had targeted since the end of last summer when I finished second in last year's edition of the race. Henry and Steve B. came over the evening before and we went to eat at Panera bread. When we got back to my place Henry and Steve were busy making last minute cassette changes and we still had to look up directions to the race but still ended up getting into bed at a decent hour at about 11 o'clock. Sunday morning we had to leave at 6:45am so for a race day that is like sleeping in. At the race we met up with Steve M. and Skip who decided to make the drive from Pittsburgh that morning. Everything was going smoothly until I went to put my disc wheel on and noticed that the hub had come loose and the entire wheel could move back and forth about 1/4 inch while in the drop outs allowing it to rub the brake pads with each pedal stroke (maybe this is what slowed me down most in VA). Anyway, 10 seconds and an allen wrench later and that problem was solved. My warm up felt great and I was off the trainer and ready to roll at 9:11am (10 minutes til my start time). Put on my glasses and helmet and head to the start line. I get there with about 5 minutes til take off. Time to take a final drink (I didn't take any water with me) drop my jersey and line up. It's a good thing they were sending us out at minute intervals this year because the official at the start line had more instructions than I have ever experienced before so he needed the whole 55 seconds to fit them all in before the 5 second count down. I start out and start down the initial false flat. I feel like I'm going slow but I just focus on keeping my cadence up and hammering. I was trying to keep my cadence high so I wouldn't burn myself out on the uphill sections on the first half of the course and have something left for the return trip.
I felt really good the entire race (which probably means I should have gone faster) and I even waved at Henry when I passed him. He was about 3 miles into his race when I was 3 miles from the finish. I flew through the finish because I wasn't sure of where it was and I didn't slow down until I realized I was back at the start which was just around the next corner before a major intersection. I felt like I had ridden well but I still wasn't very confident in my ride until someone actually came over to my car and told me to get over to the awards presentation because I had won and they were calling my name. We headed over and sure enough I had won the Cat 3. Steve M. won the Cat 5 and Steve B. pulled out a bronze medal in Cat 5 after not even wanting to enter the 40k event because he said it was too long for him (sandbagger). Goal accomplished! Now I just want to thank everyone who helped me get here and everyone who will help me move on in the future. (tears welling up and starting to sob) You have all been great and I love you all but I'm keeping the medal and I won't share it:)

Great balls of fire (VA state ITT)

(this was the only welcome I revieved in VA and by later in the day all I could think about was getting as far from here as possible)

My journey to the VA state ITT started at around 11am on Saturday morning when I left Mt. Holly Springs for VA. With no lunch in my belly I started to get the rumbles in my tummy at around 3 so I decided to stop and get something to eat and being the type of guy who hates to waste time and loves to multitask I decided to fill up on gas at the same time. Now I'm sure there are many places where you can get gas and some good food at the same time but I chose 7-11. Now for the food part, I picked the last 2 roller dogs that have been rolling for God knows how long (Mistake #1). The rest of my trip was uneventful and pleasant enough. I arrived in VA just before 4pm and got checked into my hotel. After unloading my car I decided to go for a small ride to stretch my legs and see the TT course. I got dressed and started down the road. It was only 2 miles to the course and completely flat. So I rode the course armed with 2 bottles for my 25 mile ride since it was 97* outside. On my return to the hotel (3 miles to go) I started to get the rumbles in my tummy again but these were a different kind. These were the kind of rumbles that tell you that you've eaten something that you shouldn't have and you need to get to a bathroom or else. I hurried back to the hotel and scurried through the lobby, up the stairs, and down the hall with my bike in tow to get to my room to relieve the "situation". Great now I'm nauseated, probably dehydrated, and I have a 40k in less than 18 hours. Force myself to eat dinner and get to bed relatively early. Maybe a good night's sleep will fix this mess.

Up in the morning and feel fine. I had a good breakfast at the hotel and it was off to the race. I get registered and get everything ready, maybe it's going to be OK after all. I get on my trainer for my normal warm up routine and my legs feel dead. Every movement is so difficult. "Maybe this will pass", I think to myself. I get off the trainer and to the start line in pretty good time for my start.

I'm off and going well. I passed my 30 second man and 1 minute man only 6 minutes into the race. I must really be flying (and they must be really slow). I continue to chase and pick up people til the turnaround and I'm feeling pretty good. I make the turn and within 30 seconds I get passed. "What is this? This is crazy. How is it possible that this guy is passing me?" I keep hammering and keep him in sight the rest of the race but he is pulling away. With 8 miles to go both legs start to cramp simultaneously and now this is difficult. With 5 miles to go I feel even more pain and the first thing that pops into my head is Jerry Lee Louis singing "Great balls of fire" and that's not a good thing to be think with 5 miles left to race with your legs already cramping. The rest of the race is a blur of pain/suffering/dehydration induced delirium. I ended up finishing 4th with a time of 0:55:53 but I wasn't even close to 3rd. Now it's time to try and recover this week and try to be firing on all cylinders at the PA state ITT next Sunday. I'm officially off 7-11 roller dogs for good.*

*if all of this just sounds like the ramblings of a madman it's because I have a million thoughts running through my head right now and wanted to put just a few of them out there for others to enjoy/make fun of.

*Update: 4th cat. 3, 7th overall. If I had been a cat. 1-2 I would have placed better:)