Years

We never thought it would ever turn out like this
Every once in a while I can't help feeling pissed
Some of the things that we stood for
Just don't matter anymore

And now the whole damn generation's going down the tubes
Say goodbye to your generation

-The Methadones, 'Say Goodbye'

Take those lyrics, smack them over some Ramonesy pop punk guitar riffs, pump your fist in the air and you've got an anti-anthem twist on one of the biggest 30 year old punk rock cliches this side of Stiff Little Fingers. And I unapologetically love every minute of it. Who needs an mp3 player? Every infectious melody and hook laden chorus is permanently burned in my brain and it replays over and over as I ride my bike over the weekend.

Say goodbye to your generation
I'm left wanting more than what we can do
Say goodbye to your generation
Soon to be forgotten for something new

Cruising along the bucolic path next to the South Boulder Creek with beautiful views all around, gorgeous wildflowers, baby prairie dogs playing, and a perfect sunny, blue sky Colorado day these lyrics border on the absurd. Yet 26 miles later they've worked their way under my skin and they're starting to itch.

The author/singer, Dan, is someone I knew in Chicago a long, LONG time ago, 15 years and several lifetimes ago. I'm not normally one to haunt people over the internet but when I discovered the Methadones a couple months ago I shot him off a quick email to an address listed on the band's website. I wasn't really expecting a reply and was doubtful he'd even remember me, I just wanted to give him some praise for his band and ask him to put me on a mailing list for future shows. I then completely forgot about it until several weeks later when I was pleasantly surprised with a reply. He'd been on tour when I'd written and apologized for the slow reply. He had in fact remembered me, though it had taken him a while, and he commented on how long it had been, 'Years. Fuck where did they go?'

Where indeed. I don't usually worry about it, I'm so busy with my hectic schedule I hardly know if I'm coming or going let alone how long it's been. However with time now on my hands his lyrics started to bother me a bit, that loss of community is a sad thing. I guess I just went through it a long time ago and moved on to a different community. A 40 year old at a triathlon or marathon is kind of cool, a 40 year old at a dog agility trial is a non-event but to many people a 30 year old, let alone a 40 year old, at a punk show is just plain sad. I don't agree and I'll keep going to see bands I like even if they have to wheel me in but I certainly don't feel any sense of community with the 16 year olds in the mosh pit. It was interesting to see someone stick with it so long and so passionately. Dan must be in his mid-30's right now and is easily one of the most talented musicians to ever come out of Chicago yet very few people have ever heard of him or his bands. It must be incredibly frustrating to watch all the young crappy, generic Blink 182/MTV type punk bands striking it rich practically overnight. With that sort of stubbornness and dedication he should take up some kind of endurance sport, he'd be a natural.

As for me, I just bought tickets to see Alkaline Trio, another punk rock band from Chicago made up of old farts. And if anyone gives me any crap, I'll toss my colostomy bag on them from my cushy seat in the balcony.

Little Miss Lola 

Crazy Cody 

Getting Better

This was a pretty good week, my neck feels better, my fractures are bothering me less. I'm up to walking 3 miles and managed 26 miles on the bike yesterday. Today was a 1 1/2 hour 'hike' in the woods with Jonny & the dogs in Fraser, outside of Winter Park. The trail is one of my favorite mountain biking trails, winding through the woods and following a creek and old logging flume remains. You pass through some meadows full of wildflowers and marshy ponds. One year I saw a mother and baby moose right off the trail, hanging out in a pond. They weren't the least bit bothered by me though I guess moose are extremely nearsighted so they probably didn't even know I was there-very cool. No moose today though. The part of the trail we hiked on was pretty flat, which was perfect for now. I'm not really cleared by the doctor to be hiking but I had to get out in the woods soon or I'd lose my mind and this trail was pretty tame. It was hard to watch other people biking on it but I'm just not ready for mountain biking yet. I've been riding my full suspension mountain bike on the paved bike paths and roads around Boulder which is kind of like taking a Hummer to the mall but I like the extra cushiness for now.

Back to the doctor on Tuesday, hopefully she'll tell me it's o.k. to expand my horizons a little bit.

Hey Ho Let's Go

I'm finally back to some sort of a training routine though most of what I'm doing is rehabbing and rebuilding rather than actual training. I started riding my bike on the road at the urgings of my physical therapist. I rode for around 6-7 miles almost every day then a whopping 17 miles on Saturday. It was such a beautiful day that I couldn't bring myself to turn around at a reasonable distance. That was probably a bit too ambitious of an increase but I felt fine on Sunday, just a little sorer than usual, though I was more sore after my daily strength training exercises. I hate doing those exercises, so boring, but they seem to be helping to I'm sticking with it.

I also went back to the pool on Thursday since my neck seems to be doing much better. I can finally turn my head to breathe properly and my stroke felt a lot better. There's still something not quite right, some muscles in my left shoulder/arm/neck area not working quite properly and it's throwing me off a bit but not too bad. The outdoor pool is glorious and it feels so good to be back in the water though it's boring swimming on my own. I'll try to go back to master's in another week or so and maybe go out to the Rez this week for some open water swimming. I managed 1000 yards on Thursday and 1200 yards on Sunday before I had to stop or die of boredom.

I've been walking nearly every day too, 1 1/2 to 2 miles. Sounds pathetic but I'm so happy to be out doing something, even if it is a slow meander around Wonderland Lake.

No agility training this week. The grass was too high in the yard and I just don't feel stable enough yet to go to the practice field, which is bumpy dirt. It's also too hot for the dogs to do too much. I usually tone down their training in the summer anyway.

The bathroom saga has turned into a nightmare. I now have a hole in my bathroom floor and some mysterious substance (is it mold, a spider colony, blown insulation? I'll take whatever's behind door number 3) growing underneath it. I'm going to hire someone to rip up the vinyl flooring and replace the rotting plywood but it'll take a week just to get the vinyl ordered, never mind the time for the labor. On a positive note I guess I did an o.k. job with the caulk, at least according to the handyman guy who came to look at the hole in the floor. This was something because believe me I'm no Bob Vila. Now if only I could learn to cook.

Home Improvement?

I'm finally to a point where I can walk around somewhat competently and almost turn my head 90 degrees without screaming which only means one thing-I'm starting to really get antsy hanging around the house. So I've been tackling the little projects around here that have been neglected for years while I was out having fun. I thought today would be simple, just putting new caulk in the bathroom. Everyone tells me this is no big deal, a 10 minute job. Except that the previous owner of this house used some kind of cement/epoxy mixture to grout the tub, there's actually tile all the way up to and on the ceiling, AND there's one of those stupid glass door enclosure things with even more grout. After several hours of two of us hacking away (where'd I put the jackhammer) and we still weren't even half done I decided to enlist the help of some chemicals. They're stewing away right now, hopefully in a few hours that stuff will just slide off like butter.

The house has been going into decline for quite some time now since I like to spend my weekends training and doing fun stuff. Between triathlon and dog agility, I'm lucky if I can just keep on top of the dog hair. I don't think there's been new paint or carpets in this place since 1986 and the situation with the moldy, crumbling caulk in the bathroom had really reached critical level. You know you're in trouble when you prefer to shower at the public rec. center because your own shower grosses you out too much. Yes, we live like pigs.

Though, while I draw the line at mold spores, I've made my peace with the dust bunnies and the salmon pink walls in the spare bedroom. I figure if I cover the walls with enough agility ribbons noone can see the hideous hue anyway. So the hundreds of dollars spent on trial entry fees are really saving me fees to a painter and lots of horrible paint fumes. Nobody wants to look back on their life and think 'Boy, my floors were clean. And you could eat off my toilet'. Of course you can't take this logic too far for obvious reasons but I've decided that's what injuries are for, to catch up on your housecleaning.