So I left work a little early, came home, and went for my first bike ride of the year!!
18-105mm lens @ 62mm, 1/125 sec @ f/5.3, ISO 200
Mar 082012
Oct 132011
You never know what’s going to come out of nowhere and broadside you!
Aug 052011
No, I’m not talking about condoms, that was Monday’s Swing Shift post 
Just before my lunchtime bike ride on Thursday I noticed that the tread on the tires wasn’t looking so good, this photo shows just one of the numerous defects in the rear tire. Of course, I went for a 22 mile ride anyway and it’s only dumb luck that I didn’t end up with a flat tire along the way.
105mm macro lens, 1/125 sec at f/3.0, ISO 400
After work I stopped in at my favorite local bike shop and picked up 2 new tires. With the “help” of Princess Persistent I swapped them out after dinner. Doesn’t this look better? I’m looking forward to riding on Friday!
105mm macro lens, 1/125 sec at f/3.0, ISO 400
Jul 252011
It’s purely coincidental that I use the moniker “Hubman” and live in the Boston area, which is also known as the Hub (which dates back to the 1800s and Oliver Wendall Holmes calling the Boston Statehouse “the hub of the solar system”). Veronica coined Hubman, I’m her hubby and I’m her man, so I’m her Hubman.
Anyway, I got an e-mail the other day that made me chuckle, take a look.
What I like best is that it’s a sharing program
Have a great Monday!
May 222011
Princess Persistent has shown an interest in her brothers old bike, she’s not quite strong enough to ride it by herself yet but she’s trying and is happy to coast down the driveway on it. She just turned 5 in March, in comparison DB got this bike for his 7th birthday and he didn’t learn to ride without training wheels until just before his 9th birthday. Her enthusiasm for riding warms my heart, I love to ride with my kids
She’s our little daredevil!
105mm macro lens, 1/400 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400
Sep 262010
In some way, it hardly feels like I was gone for 10 weeks. While Veronica had shared some concerns about an adjustment period when I returned, we settled right back into a normal routine pretty easily. The kids are used to having more than 1 parent to harass, Veronica is back into her normal routine of going to the gym several times a week and having someone to share in the parenting duties, and believe it or not, we even managed to resume our normal sex life right away 
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There have been some odd things though, mostly at work. Before I left I set the Outlook out-of-office assistant to notify anyone who emailed me where I would be and how long I would be gone. I have a dry-erase board on the outside of my office door and left a message there as well, again with where I would be and how long I would be gone.
I swear, some of my co-workers embody the absent-minded professor stereotype! At least 4 or 5 of them said something along the lines of “hey, haven’t seen you in a while, have you been away?” or “long time no see, what have you been doing?”
Really?
I do have to admit, those people were a distinct minority, most people realized exactly where I was and what I was doing there and wanted to hear all about my time in Texas. Of course, I couldn’t tell them everything, they don’t need to know about some of my various adventures!
One saving grace was that my boss was on vacation all week. I really like my boss and he’s been instrumental in my professional development, but I just know he would have driven me nuts this week with pushing me to re-engage with projects I left idle while I was gone. Without him around I could ease myself back into work, dealing with e-mails, catching up the status of some stuff c0-workers were taking care of for me, etc.
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Starting last January I had been seeing a chiropractor for my back, it seemed like my lower back was always bothering me, even first thing in the morning. The chiropractor definitely helped, but the pain never fully went away. I felt like the chiropractor was doing a good job, but there were limits to what he could do for me, so I learned to cope with the occasional really sore back.
Whenever I traveled throughout the spring, it seemed like my back was better when I was gone. I didn’t think too much about it until I got to Texas and my back didn’t bother me all summer.
The culprit? Our mattress.
In the spring of 2009 we replaced the mattress that we bought sometime in the late ’90s with one of those fancy memory-foam types. It’s nice and comfy and apparently not supportive enough for me. As soon as I returned home my lower back issues returned. Veronica and I will be going mattress shopping sometime this week…
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Sunday morning DB and I will be in Boston for a bike ride, the Hub on Wheels event starting at City Hall Plaza. Several years ago he and I did a 10 mile ride together, but that was when I was still pulling him on his trailer bike. This time, he’s on his own, riding alongside me. I hope he enjoys it as much as I will! I’ll be carrying my SLR in a backpack, so be prepared for pictures tomorrow!
Sep 022010
Wednesday evening I went for a bike ride a little later than usual and didn’t finish until well after the sun set,
so I needed my lights to be seen!
Aug 102010
Admit it, you saw the title and expected to see a naughty picture, didn’t you? The naughtiness is (usually) reserved for Wednesday and Thursday, you should know that by now
Instead, you get my poor dirty bike. Monday afternoon I realized that the rear tire was flat, after I removed the wheel I realized just how dirty the poor thing has gotten. It’s a far cry from a few months ago when it was brand new, as seen here and here. At least I got the flat repaired and got in a 15 mile ride after dinner.
Speaking of nakedness, if you really want to see me, it’s Tits for Troops day and there should be a picture of me included in the mix.
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On a completely un-sexy note, there was a tragedy in the blogosphere last week- a woman lost 2 of her young children in a fire. Veronica has a post today about it, including a link to Dana’s blog, where there is a button to make a donation to the family via PayPal if you’re so inclined. I can’t imagine the pain this woman is feeling right now….
Jul 032010
Princess Persistent is getting an early start on giving directions.
God forbid we go for a ride around the neighborhood and I DON’T do as she says.
But we have a great time, every time, and I love our rides together!
Jun 152010
The first Speed Demon picture featured Darling Boy zipping down the driveway on his bike.
Now it’s my turn!
Occasionally I’ll leave my truck at work and ride home. It’s an 18 mile ride and there is a net elevation gain of about 400 feet, 250 of which occurs in the last 3 miles. Because of the climbing, I’ve struggled to finish the ride in under an hour.
When I left work on my bike Monday afternoon, I decided to really push it.
I turned into my driveway with mere seconds to spare, but I did it! Yay me!
