It's been a spell since I've been through here.

For that I am sorry to anyone who cares, but most especially to The Boss, to whom I made a commitment.
I wish that I could say that I've been absent due to Malibu rehab, driving the cross country stripper bus, or water slide R&D camp, but it was none of those things.
Ignorance and apathy are generally my two worst enemies, but I've vanquished my foes for just long enough to get my two fingers on the keyboard.
El Capitan Sporty Pirate called me the other night and he may very well have been the second drunkest person on the planet. Of course the first was his friend Dave who was busy training for the upcoming Wizard Staffs Around The World event, with cans of Guinness.



You know that didn't end well. That's why real wizards tend to stick with pilsner. It may be considered bland to beer snobs, but it's at least guaranteed to keep the contents of your body in place.

Anyway, his holiday weekend was arguably more action packed than mine, as I spent a good portion of it either lounging with my partner in crime;



Riding various types of bicycle machines with the likes of FP and Mr. Blacksocks;



Drawing drawings, or finding dirt on which to bomb with the bomber of dirt;



It's a Soulcraft kind of life, and I for one couldn't be happier to be living it.

Flagstaff Shred Season

Gorgeous Flag spring riding has been in abundance this year. I'm in nursing school, not working much, so there has (so far) been plenty of riding time. Racing? Not so much...but I discovered that some people I ride bikes with actually bring pickles and whiskey to ride The Pickle. Bleah.
There has also been time to stuff beer and sandwiches in the Camelbak and have a picnic on a hill in Sedona. Hooray!

Sarteneja, Corozal, Belize

I miss my bike(s), and I look forward to riding very soon.

I found out on Tuesday where I will be living and working in Belize. Up until this point, I have been in training in Belmopan, and Salvapan. My home will be Sarteneja, and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I was blown away by the decision. http://www.sarteneja.net/

Sarteneja is a small village, population of about 1800, on the Northern Shores of Belize. Smack dab on the ocean! The village is a traditional fishing community (this means I will be eating plenty of fresh fish), and they have also expanded into tourism. My understanding is there are lots of boats, cycling, hiking, scuba/snorkeling, museums, culture, food, and homestays.

In cycling news, I attended my first cycling race on Easter weekend. What can I say about this? Well, we got up early and waited for awhile for the cyclists to ride by. The build-up until they rode by was enthralling to say the least, and then they rode by. Highlight of the day. Of course, there was the lone rider off the front, peloton, and then the people off the back. And there was a sno-cone dude selling concessions.

Here is a picture of Breezie and I waiting for the cyclists.

Here is a picture of other people waiting for the cyclists.

Serious motorcycles for motopacing, and the cyclists are coming.

Finally, the cyclists.

Over and out.

I've got stones

When you work at a place that does laser engraving I suppose you would throw all kinds of things in the machine to see what will happen. Brent from Laser Impressions sent me some bricks (and some money as you can see there) to use if I ever build a new shop for Soulcraft. Or I might throw them through someone's window.

I have been to the pain cave

photo courtesy of Craig Lindner. The Almanzo 100 went off on Saturday, 14 May, and let me tell you, it was like riding through peanut butter, sand, and chocolate milk. The good organic kind... Anyway, read about it here.

I Love Rock and Roll

That there is none other than Ross Shafer working on Joan Jett's Mesa Boogie amp chassis in our shop.  For those that don't know, Ross is my former boss at Salsa Cycles, my current landlord, and works on amps for a couple local companies.  

11 years of Soulcraft now in Tucson, AZ

In addition to Absolute Bikes in Flagstaff, AZ, the other Soulcraft outpost in the desert is at my house in Tucson. I bought my first Soulcraft road bike from Sean (and Matt) when I arrived in Flagstaff in 2000. I'm going to ride that bike today. I'm also going to begin assembling the classy new 2011 crossbike that you see in the foreground (photo above). It's not mine, although I wish it was, but a good friend's bike that I am helping to build and "dial in" for him while he is away. Although he doesn't know it, I'm going to break it in for him. The virgin ride. Is that unethical? I don't know. I just know it will be hard to stay off of it. It's a safety thing you know and any good mechanic would do the same. You will see another Soulcraft 26er mountain bike in the photo (also blue) that dates back to around 2000. It's getting a tune-up. Pretty cool. Good work Sean (and Matt) and the rest of the fam. I sure have enjoyed the ride so to speak.