Even though I love to watch SpongeBob, this is proof that television rots the brain. I took him to an outdoor park immediately after the show, promise.

I rode up Old La Honda today for the first time in 2008. It was a good ride with Mike and Jose, climbing up 1300 feet of elevation within the 3 miles to Skyline road. Mike had his altimeter and informed us that we started at 250 feet above sea level. Starting the ride at Alpine Inn in Portola Valley was nice on our Friday off. Nine o'clock and we were off to see the road. The first mini hill right out of Alpine Inn up Alpine road to get to Portola Valley road is a good warm-up and we all three spun our gears to get the blood in the legs. I didn't even realize I was using my big ring for the first part of the ride. Turning right on to Portola Valley road is a nice fast mini descent to lead up to the entrance to Old La Honda road. I decided to stretch my legs a bit and sped away from the two and met back up with them at the intersection of the hill. Climbing Old La Honda road was gorgeous today. It was sunny with high clouds so the sun was still warming up the trees. The redwoods were as grand as I remembered from last year. Jose was glad to have his triple chainring and Mike was trying out his new sports drink gu2o. We got to the top and had our snacks: I had a mint chocolate clif bar, Jose had his chocolate chip clif bar, and Mike had his accel-bar. Descending was the usual, riding the brakes while trying to navigate the potholes. Getting back to Alpine Inn, we had our celebratory beer. Afterwards, we parted ways and Jose vowed never to do Old La Honda until next year. We'll see...

I love the Cookie Monster! this came out about two weeks ago and I saw it on yahoo. there are great facts about the psychology of the cookie monster that come up during this interview that are important to note to all adults, especially if you have children--like the fact that he (Cookie Monster) will not trample over anyone or anything to get to his food. Some other interesting facts are given in this interview but I won't spoil it for you.

I cut my hair to be donated to Locks for Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. It took me about two years to grow this hair and I'm proud to say that it's all natural color. Thanks to Millbrae Hair Salon for cutting my hair and securing it with appropriate bands so the hair wouldn't separate.

The Golden Gate Bridge is always a good ride and this time I rode with my friend Jose up to the lookout. The top of the lookout was cutout to put cannons facing the Pacific Ocean, done by the US Army during world war 2. It was so early in the morning that taking pictures facing the bridge caused washed-out shots so we opted to take pictures facing the Point Bonita Lighthouse. The Marin Headlands climb up to the lookout was a good workout and we were there early enough that there weren't a lot of tourists with their cars, or bicycles for that matter. Jose rode all the way up on his double chainring front!

My friend Josie recently celebrated her birthday. I took the opportunity to celebrate with her halfway around the globe with a beer for her. Cheers Josie.

I don't believe I posted my new wheel for my Langster yet. I was so caught up in the excitement to ride it that I totally forgot. Deep-V rim, Surly hub, Soma fabrications 14-tooth cog. I love the anodized red look of the rim.