Returning soon

Thought I'd leave this for those on RSS feeds. Back soon been fishing, lots to tell for now this sums up the last few months for me. Random, fun but sometimes shit too- fever is over though so no excuse not to train now

sswc07

Wedding Bells

Ah it feels like so long since I last wrote here, I guess it has been though.Spent 3 days in Latvia on my, now brother-in-law's, stag do which was awesome and followed not long after by my sister's wedding. It's only the second wedding I've ever been to which I've always been bit worried by as I've been to more than half a dozen funerals. I found it a weird event inasmuch as I was both so excited at the prospect of such a nice guy as a new brother but also sadness at not so much a loss of a sister but certainly her starting her own wee family. I'm still well chuffed though as there are very few people I can think of that deserve to be happier and her husband is a great guy that has to put up with a lot of nonsense from the many and varied disputes that course through our family.

In other news I've signed up to Sleepless in the Saddle as part of a 4some (couldn't handle a pair with Chris) Not ridden for 4 weeks got a sore throat and the race is in less than 3 weeks, bring it on mofos! Sadly Matt the spaz wont be there as it's too close to the Worlds so no more bike graffiti :( never mind Ill see him soon for some abuse.

the happy couple


v o g u e !

Quickie

Just put pics from my sister's wedding on my computer and thought I'd share a couple.

TR doesn't like champagne



The boys looking swish

Meet the gang

This is my impression of G using the Simpsons character maker



and Alec



Christoff



That man Jam



and finally my good lady

My first day as a graduate

Ah well it appears that my grade is in fact true! No sooner had I recieved my degree and sat down that I piled into it to check it all again but yup its there in black and white. A sigh of relief and the realisation is starting to creep in, fuck yes. On a more annoying note I've discovered I fly back from a stag do on Monday night not Monday afternoon as I'd assumed. (This clashes with my Grad Ball the same night) As Fraz once told me, "If you assume you make an ass of you and I." Yes, quite.

So how am I spending my first day as a fully fledged graduate? Well I'm in my boxers typing this for a start (Why the fuck am I up so early?) but also looking forward to flying to Riga with my brothers for a weekend stag. Also after seeing G's Simpsons character I decided to give it a crack myself, so so much fun! You can leave your verdicts on the comments, I've even included quarg.

what the f u c k ?

What a week! Was planning to post a single speed race report but I'll have to summarise: Chris and I attacked Matt the spaz at the race start I sat on him while Chris stole and threw away one of his shoes, we then attacked him out on the course chargin him down despite gruesome hangovers from the night before [sidenote on the night before: plenty cider, free hotdogs- "we work in the bike trade, we pay for nothing" was the battle cry, bike jousting, more cider inc Dr Jon's downin a half pint before you get a full pint rule, watching Alec take the full force of an impact with a van so he could steer Chops' steed away to safety, getting free Bonty stuff, watching Dr Jon joust unsuspecting (non-single speed) bystanders and trying to navigate our way back to our tent and then trying to sleep through Chris' IMMENSE snoring.] So it was after I threw up twice and struggled to stay upright and Chris strained to be able to move without getting cramp that we dragged ourselves to the startline. However seeing the cocky wee bugger fired us right up and we both made it through a lap (though i spent most of it alone after getting my crotchless jeans caught on my saddle and upending trying to pass someone) It was all good and an a-mazing weekend all in all, drinking, riding, mates-what else can you ask for?

So it was with total nonchalance that i checked my results on Thursday night, more trying to determine what I got for my dissertation rather than any expectations of a finding an overall mark (Joint Honours course put up results at different times it seems) I was dumbstruck when I found this:



I called Carla and got her to check and the Alec for the same reason. I still can't take it in and I won't believe it until I get my bit of paper next week. Haven't had a big night for that reason but been in the pub last few nights and ride today was great fun. The day after my graduation I fly to Riga for my brother to be's stag do, the day I get back I have my Grad Ball. It's gonna be very very messy, I can't wait.

This is my fixie, even Carla likes it.

Kirk and Spock, mano a mano

Three friends, two races and only one gear

What a weekend! So much fun and it's all still filtering through in my head. Where to start? Well despite Chris sleepin in (well it was a half 5 wake up call) we got checked in without any problems and arrived in a very warm Brizzle in the late morning. Nervous rebuilding of bikes ensued but they all survived the trip intact so we headed to meet the Spaz for a swally at Mud Dock. The shop's been revamped and a mezzanine floor added and it looks incredible, it oozes quality kit and still maintains a relaxed atmosphere. We were loving the bikes that customers rolled in on, bikes that most people have as their 'proper' bike were bein used as hacks by some folk. We drooled for quite a while before getting a jar and some food.

After some revision to plans we decided to camp on Friday night. Thank fuck because it was quite a ride from Carli's house to the race site but after a few beers and a barbecue the four of us crashed out in the same tent. (I needed body warmth as I'd not brought any sleeping bag or thermarest)

Race day saw me huddled amongst hunners of riders for a Le Mans start and after managing to find my bike I entered the inevitable bottlenecks as loads of riders-tried to squeeze through the same wee spaces. A lap later and I felt ok but not great but felt relaxed as it seems to take me a good hour to get into any ride at the moment. We'd decided to do 2 lap sets and my second was similar to the first, less crowded but still lots of bodies on the course and with so much singletrack it was difficult to pass anyone. I swung into the start/finish and tagged out feeling good but pretty thirsty. The day was so fucking hot and anyone who has seen me in a moderately warm room will testify to my incredible ability to sweat so I was pretty nervous about staying hydrated. Luckily our pit bitch Alec was able to carry bikes and assist in refueling. Chris charged round in scary quick times so all too soon I was back out on the bike plodding around in 45ish min laps to Chris' 35 min average.* I was having fun though and I really enjoyed the rigid fork, made you think so much about lines and forced you to try and stay smooth but after 4 laps I needed to switch to the rebas as my back was killing me and my hands were getting blistered from being battered so much. After coming in from my 6th lap I tagged out to a still eager Chris and went to collapse somewhere, I just felt totally fucked. I'd managed to empty a camelbak earlier in the race and my lack of strength was made worse in the heat which I really struggled with and at this stage I desperately needed proper food rather than energy bars and sweets. I can't really remember what I ate/did/saw directly after this lap, there were definitely noodles but beyond that I draw a blank. Chris came back after his 2 for a rest and was putting in quick times despite getting a puncture! We both felt pretty miserable by that point with cramp becoming a feature of any movement, Chris' 'fish out of water ' a definite highlight. Alec wrestled our limbs which helped but neither of us could reach below our knees without our bodies twinging into spasm. Burgers followed and Chris got a quick massage before 'manning up' for a 7th lap. Fair play to him I felt awful, I hummed and ha'ed about a 7th lap but it was never really on the cards for me, I just felt too fucked. Chris came back from his 7th without his sunnies, a crash had shattered them on his face! We called it a day and went to enjoy the rest of the event.

Spaz had managed 19 laps in his single speed solo event which was enough to win by a decent margin but fell shy of the overall win (he still placed 5th!) Carlien was racing as part of a ladies 4 and the responsibility of the last lap (anyone coming in after the 12 hr mark wouldn't have their lap counted!) fell to her. She rocketed round and got in 2 minutes before the buzzer securing second place for her team, well done! There then ensued the 'preparations' for the single speed national race. Not so much of a race as an excuse to ride bikes and drink we were all given a special one-off pint glass in which to get a free pint of cider and another of ale. This came on the back of a few stellas and was chased by the same. At which point Shaggy brought the cider keg as there was still loads left, however, Dr Jon made it compulsory for anyone who wanted another pint to down a half pint of it first. So we did. I think that's when it started to get messy. It was defininately after that when Charlie the Bike Monger said I had to take part in some bike jousting because 'i was wearing glasses'.....

*Had a look at lap times and 34 minutes average would bemore accurate, even after a puncture Chris lapped in 43 minutes!

Beasted

Phew! Went for a road ride with G today and discovered my 'fifty miler' is only 45 miles long. :( Ah well I'll need to find a wee loop to bring it back to 50. The boy looks strong, big ringing it until the climb over the Campsies and taking lumps out of me at almost every point on the ride. He's also got a 34 tooth chainring on his Rig, not for the first time today I'm scared. Good fun though and a cracking day for it but loads of work needed before Brizzle. It's gonna hurt. *gulp*

People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people

Just for Jam I'm gonna stick up yet another repost; however, please read and be afraid, be very fucking afraid. To summarise for those too lazy to read then essentially some guy in the States was riding away from an airport on his bike and was accosted by the police including being tasored! Insane. Read more here:
scary shit

Weird how threatened people feel despite cyclists and bikes bein so much more susceptible to being mullered? Maybe we should take it as a positive reinforcement of the idea that small things can still threaten the system? Or more likely it's probably just another indication that any outward signs of resistance will be swiftly crushed. I'm scared.

finally over

Well that's it then. My illustrious uni career has come to an end, finally. 4 years (ahem, well 5 actually. I spent a year at Art School) are all done. I have to say the sadness is mixed with relief it has been one kick in the balls after another. It took me 2 years to decide what to do at Uni and when i did i got kicked out *sigh* but I managed a proper blag and got into Glasgow during Freshers Weeks. Admittedly it was into the Science faculty but I knew i could transfer. I also posited the idea of doing 4 modules in a year instead of 3 thereby leapfrogging a year in my studies. Which was all groovy until halfway through the year when they dropped the bombshell that actually that wasn't allowed! Anyway prob didn't hurt to take bit longer because as it turned out I was pish at literature and got turfed out of English lit leaving me with the prospects of not making Homours (perhaps this is why i got booted?). Scottish lit threw me a lifeline which i grabbed with both arms, it turned out to be a godsend and the other half of my degree (which I had anticipated was going to be amazing) slowly developed into utter shite. Incompetency and idiocy ruled supreme. Like I said a kick in the balls every year. But it's over now. What next then eh? Who knows and right now who cares, first port of call is some food then some sleep (just finished a 4 day exam on Polish History-relevance to a literature degree? Welcome to my world) after that the pub beckons.......

decisions, decisions

Ah so I've started my 4 day exam and I'm already bored. So figured I'd do a repost to save time and more importantly to piss off Jam. Anyway read on for what is a terrible decision to have to make...yeah right

ohh baby

baws tae that

Some amazing accents on display on Scottish Quest website, enjoy!

Aye!

nice. pink. expensive

Pretty cool but a stunning £120! For a jersey!

surely not?

Seen on drunkcyclist.com - a worrying pic of Tom Boonen mid race. I mean I know he's getting beaten but even so.

almost there

One left, one exam separates me from unemployment, one 4 day exam on Polish history is all that stands between me and actually finishing uni! Weird and you're all invited to the party that will ensue. Until then I could watch this all day and very soon that's probably exactly what I'll be doing...

fixie fun

pink

Put the pink CK stuff on my new black Rig and looks nice but maybe a bit too black. Hmmm enter straitline components, bar end caps, levers and bash guards all available in pink.....


pink pink pink

dirtragged

Reading on Car-R-Coffins that Brad Q. and Jeff Guerrero have both left Dirtrag for undisclosed reasons, rumour mills are in operation and possibly not without cause-after all to lose one member of staff is careless but two seems weird. As someone who lifts his head above the parapet far too often it's humbling to see two such established members disappear for reasons unknown. Must remember to keep mouth quiet in front of the suits.

swivel

After more frustrating marking on essays this picture of Master Cash (yoinked from endurosnob) sums up my feelings toward comp lit

Happy Bidet!

Whingin' Ginger Fraz has informed me that he has turned 24 today, happy birthday Frazzle! I shudder to think what 'cashpoint' car will be sacrificed in his honour....

It's the final(s) countdown

Ok I've only got 3 finals but I did hand in 9,000 words of essays last week so it's not all drinking and riding my bike. I'm not scared to say I'm a wee bit nervous but slowly getting there, the first one (Friday) is on Victorian Literature and has been really interesting not only because the texts are so good but also because the era emotes such sharp images for me; it must have been such a strange world when Darwin's theories (Origin of Species, 1859) came to light, the end of the century was shortly followed by the Monarch's death and all around the world seemed irrevocably changed and at an alarming pace.

The second exam is going to be awful, the lecturers don't even know what's happening so I hold little hope for a decent mark.

The third? Well as I'm studying literature it makes sense that it should be a 4 day exam on Polish History, doesn't it?

Ah, the final stretch, it'll all be over soon...and then to sleep, perchance to dream.

More likely an extended visit to a drinking establishment- see you there

wrong, just wrong

Ok it's bad how much bling is draped on my bike but it could be worse, much worse. Look at what should be a gorgeous Phil Wood/indy fab piss off with not only a thudbuster but risers and bar ends. Nice hubs though.

ve shall over ze (big wheeled) vorld

Thank you to Dave chops for linking me to some pics of the new 29er stuff for 2008, a sexy blue paragon that looks not too dissimilar to Trek's 69er so will hopefully be uber stiff and fun and also a new (shit brown rather than travis brown?) carbon 29er hardtail! Where will it all end? In a ti EBB 29er hopefully..

In blind faith we trust

When Chris sent me this link I initially thought it was tongue in cheek. However, further probing reveals it's genuine (*i think) scary, scary stuff.

conservapedia

...stolen...

Ok so the first is yoinked yet again from bummerlife but when a video is this good it deserves to be stolen

shake it

and again another one you've prob seen but Ive watched it dozens of times and hell it still makes me laugh

panda

my magic number

How cool does it look? Who knows one might actually arrive sometime this year. First reports sound good-uber stiff and gorgeous paintjob but if only it came as a full 29er! (and without mavericks) Never mind. Im still in two minds about the Ferrous, hmmm we'll see. Im also interested in building up a hack or a fixie....

Ok? Go!

yeah so everyone has this on their myspace/facebook/blog etc but it doesn't mean that it's not funny. Who knew treadmills could be this much fun? Don't forget to check out their garden video too. The scary thing is I can imagine the Alpine boys doing this...

ok go

come all ye faithful

I don't care what you ride
Clunker, hack, road, jump
All welcome
Sweat and tears or pride and joy
Thirty gears or one

I don't care what you ride
29er, 20 or 650c
If it's a king or a nexus
Show it some love
Lube it up and bring it along

I don't care what you ride
Just ride it

hubba (bubba)

I was wondering how nice the buenos would look with a black respray and a pink headset and bartape when i came (not literally) across this peach. Oh my, oh mighty me she is pwwwwwetty

shexy beashts

As they said on the Mt Nittany Blog would you trust these guys? (our worlds organisers)

promises, promises

Only 6 weeks left of uni, I can't wait to finish (yes I know I'll change my tune in 7 weeks but nevertheless) so let me put it on the record that in recognition of Carla's hard work on my behalf and cooking, cleaning and generally not hassling me about the 'bike room' i shall be:

1) Cooking for her for 5 out of every 7 days for the next 3 months
2) Clenaing the flat properly (critical point there) particularly the afore mentioned 'bike room' so that it becomes simply the 'other room' rather than housing hunners of bike shit
3) Wtf? aren't two enough? Hmmm ok what about muchas besos para mi novia para siempre?

Tres Che

Chris Guevara, he will lead us to the land free of tyranny, oppression, continuous sales, fucking Zebranos and Tiso, viva la revolution!

and 29ers shall inherit the Earth

or something like that. Pics of a Fox 29er fork have surfaced in all too funky white-that'll set off the pink very nicely....

i want doesn't get

Ah that's me crested the hill into the last two thirds of my life apparently. As such I think it's time for more bling. Top of the (current) list is an Eriksen ti seatpost but with pink rather than red, oh baby


I'd also quite like some brakes that don't sound like they're being tortured but bling must be sorted first practical concerns second.

propaganda machine

This is all too familiar for some of us- truth becoming embroiled in petty self serving nonsense only made worse by the fact that it takes years to uncover the truth and every time you turn around there's a new batch of unsuspecting victims.

can you guess what its is yet?

Half inched from Mystical Illusions webshite here and found on goclipless.com this demonstrates the potential for function and form in urban enviroments. Why oh why is such thinking so rare in the UK? If you look at the buildings that inspired high rises in Britain you'll be amazed; they were cool ideas- 'streets in the sky' founded on the principles of a community. Ah well rant over enjoy!






ta- dah!

argyle st

Ah another weekend drifts into memory. Thankfully. Not one of the most enjoyable weekends of work I've ever had, nothing in particular just an accumulative effect, all the while underpinned by the one man propaganda spouter's nonsense at the back of my mind. Ah well back to the sanctuary of the interweb. After recently purchasing a Paul Smith riding jersey on evilbay I found a sporty number from Yank company TwinSix that Rustler bring in, hmmmm



schnazzy!

yeah whateva

Im tired, Im writing an essay On the validity of Scottish literature (I hope it's valid Im two months away from having a degree in it) but I visited MTBracer this evening and thought it deserved a mention. this is all

singlespeed vids


ps. is it really obvious Im avoiding my essay?

wtf

If you scroll down you'll notice my pictures have automagically morphed into pics of other people! (Chris and Big Dave in one and Aridan-sorry can't spell Adrain) Ah how fleeting fame is

and so it continues

G's gutted because there aren't any photos of him on the Trek webshite, ha serves him right for not having a cold since 2003! Thankfully the Alpine flag is still being flown by those two rascals of the singletrack Chris and Big Dave

rebranded

Got an email from the Korean letting me know the mountain cycle blog is now up and running (clickly linky) so head on over and leave a comment, if you're feeling fruity leave 2. It's not a brand I've seen too much of and I think (Ill ask the man involved) that there's a mix of old designs and new at the moment but with the Korean as industrious as a hamster tanked up on acid then there will be undoubtedly some good stuff coming through.

zoooom

One of the nicest bikes from the American Handmade Bike show, Indy Fab's track bike - gorgeous

some of us have it

I'd like to beckon Pete into fame's glaring spotlight today (appears bout halfway through the vid). Although he was clearly in this video before i was on Trek's website it's my blog and i take centre stage. (Also I was in an Indian soap opera a couple years ago so there) Obviously his comments are taken out of context and refer not to the World Cup downhill riders but instead to Alpine GOE boys world beating weaselling out of work tactics.


petey

get in!

Up yours mister Carr! Not one but TWO pictures on Trek's site, oh yeah and I haven't managed to clock a single session on the turbo trainer, into the net!

fame, i wanna live forever

I've emailed almost everyone i know so its unlikely that anyone who reads this won't have heard about it already but yours truly has made it onto Treks webshite! Go to Trekbikes.co.uk and refresh the page until you get a chap in a blue jacket and on a red bike-that's me that is.

genius

When some random prick from [insert name of arsehole company here] calls asking if you'd be interested in a new phone contract/double glazing/a timeshare in Uganda then hit them up with this:

hello?

para mi novia

te quiero xx x xx (look away Alec there's *sniff* something in my eye)

beatles

Flat google

Today as I licked the remaining noodles from the sieve I started thinking about my (far) better half and how good she is to me. I threw the sieve into the pile of washing up that only gets done moments before she gets back from work despite being the only chore I'm responsible for and cast my mind back over the last year of living together. Ah how time flies when you're waited on hand and foot. Alec and I were earlier discussing (via the wonders of the interweb) how quickly we manage to lose the simplest and most frequently used items in such a small living area and yet how instantaneous our respective halves could find the same item, the phenemenon he described as 'flat google' simply punch (well not literally domestic violence is never cool) in a description and said item will appear in seconds. So this is my wee tribute to the lady that keeps me fed (bloody well too) and bears me no ill when I disappear to play on vastly expensive 2 wheeled nobbery.

The good, the bad and me

With a title stolen from my brother this is one of the few, about 5 currently in existence, good pics of me. Vain I know but with a forehead like mine you gotta take the chances when they come, cheers Tommy

Ride it like you bought it from Halfords

Had loads of fun on Friday at Tress. Sure Chris showed me a clean set of heels on the steep climb and we both sat down more than we should have but hell it was fun. The trail really needs some TLC but that only served to make it more fun, especially when some fairly grumpy looking guy came past while we lounged at the top of a descent and we proceeded to chase him on our one speeded steeds. Never did catch him but in our defence, well we were tired and he had gears and everything. Anyway it was so good to get out during the day (even unpacked the car at home during daylight! How bizarre.) Still not sure whether to wait on the Ferrous but prob will as its steel, has an EBB AND can be geared and is (relatively) cheap.

Chris built up his King front wheel and I have to say Im not sure what to do now-I had decided to go with a 340 hub (ahem except i bid on an old overpriced 240 on ebay when i got home pissed on saturday night annnyyway) However having seen the glory that is a full King complement then hell i may have to sell my soul and get one. They are fucking expensive though so we'll see how finances hold up, so pretty though, so pretty. Fraz would love the opportunity for renewed (has it ever stopped?) criticism of expensive (some would say overpriced) bike kit- this from the man who buys and sells cars quicker than fucking Clarkson!

And finally, a great rant that anyone that's ridden on the road will empathise with, G and Jam especially, take it away Samuri:

rant

got milk? got rythmn?

ok so it was on the bummer life but its well worthy of another look (merci G for makin me go back and watch it)

beat lightly

you pleb, no wait tube

one, two, three, four, five


6, 7, 8 , 9 , 10


11



12!




I make you laugh? I'm here to fucking amuse you?
What the fuck is so funny about me?

pure nice

Ah finally the second hand dura ace cranks i bought off someone arrived. Slightly scuffed but still lovely.

one more for luck

G, sorry Mishta Cobra, is worried my blog is getting a bit EMO kid so I've to lighten it up a bit. Hmm, he probably has a point. Before any lightening of the mood occurs, however, check this guy out:

Brave guy


P.S. In Monty Python fashion i want swearing at my funeral and 'Bright Side of Life' playing very loudly

sun is shining (sort of)

Feeling better today the sun was out but seems to have popped home for a late lunch now. I should point out that in my previous post i wasn't gutted based solely on Monday's ride it was just the icing on the cake. It's more that uni is almost over and aside from that final year panic about money/jobs/life in general I'm getting really frustrating marks. Due to the nature of my course almost everything we hand in to be assessed contributes to our degree which is good because it means less exams at the end but also hard as there is no way to gauge your performance until you get your work back. Last week i found out that i have got yet another 17 for a module, the third module i have at 17 now, which is a good result but only one mark off a first. So if i had managed to get one more mark in each of those modules i would have a quarter of my degree sitting at a first, which would be needless to say fucking a-mazing. However, as it stands I've come close but no cigar, damned frustrating.

a world of pain

I should have known it was going to be a bad day when we left 2 hours late after i ran about trying to find a seatpin long enough that it wouldn't snap my frame. Chris and i descended on Kirroughtree far later than intended but eager to get out and ride during the daytime, a novelty after months of cold nightrides. From the off Chris promptly pulled away from me, never a fan of first hills i wasn't too concerned but over the course of the ride i felt i was going backwards. Sweating out the haggis supper I'd consumed enroute i figured it would at least get better but it didn't. And when i struggle on the climbs i invariably get so fucked that come the descents I get (even) sloppier and fuck up lines all over the shop. Truth be told the most fun i had all day was riding Chris' new singlespeed which only has a front brake, it's the first time i haven't been keen to get my Rig back after playing on someone else's bike. After holding onto it as long as i thought gentlemanly (it was Chris' first ride on it after all) I got back on the 29er begrudgingly. I don't know what it is that went wrong but the last few rides I've felt the length of it more and more, constantly feeling I'm trying to reign it in which i know is far more attributable to my lack of riding style than the bike but i am starting to wonder if something smaller ie 26" wheeled would suit me better. I know i'd get thrown about more on long descents and feel weird climbing on it after the 29er but through switchbacks, up and down, and just being able to point and shoot i think i might get on better.

However, having said all that Chris' first ride on a singlespeed was excellent, he powered his way through climbs and the lack of back brake only served to make him faster descending. (it is fun everyone should try it) Longer climbs such as Tress may test him but to be perfectly honest i only think he'll need a handful of rides to sort out what's the best technique for him to get up long dragging climbs before he makes short work of them too. And with a possible 10 hour race this summer on his shiny ss steed it could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

As for my own riding the fault lies sqaurely between handlebars and saddle, i don't think it's really my fitness although it could be improved rather it's my riding in general has been woeful although yesterday was the worst ride I've had in over a year. Normally, assuming I'm moderately fit, i can keep geared riders in sight up and down but yesterday the only reason i saw Chris is because he was good enough to wait on me catching up. Gutted and demoralised, roll on summer.

helmets out

What a crazy week! My cousin wrote off his car, Carla's folks got robbed in Barcelona and me mate G got knocked off his bike. Luckily everyone is ok but it's scary how close we come to calamity everyday, so kids; seatbelts on, eyes open and helmets out.

when maths gets ugly

cyanide and happiness

anodised monarchy

Realised there wasn't any pictures of pink king stuff! How foolish

wii-sales

so near, so far

I'm almost at the end of my degree (update for those not aware I'm studying Scottish Literature and Comparative literature) I feel like I've been in Uni forever and I'll be glad to finally leave, although I'm sure a day later I'll want to go back. Which i may do....Im really feeling it now as every day seems a chore, not helped by total inadequacy on the part of some departments and my own inability to write a good essay. Nontheless I have made several good friends and i will be sad to leave the lenient timetabling behind but getting a day off at the same time as my lover will be amazing. I wish had something more inspiring to say but after an excellent weekend at work and eating and drinking far too much with Zarka and Carli Im starting to wane.

Carli's mum, however, raised the point that our generation of students have done nothing internationally despite protestations. She attributed it to the fact that she had been given a grant whereas today students have to pay back their loan and are therefore far more accepting of a capitalist society. Riveting stuff and the copius amounts of wine only served to make contributions all the louder. Brilliant.

....haggis update....

After a short delay by Don King's apprentice Master Carr (well who else talks as much?) I completed the first leg of the haggis challenge. Last night we ate copious amounts of neeps and tatties so tonight i accompanied the haggis with another traditional Scottish fare, chips. It went pretty well and I'm feeling slightly smug as i managed to bury 2 plates of the stuff leaving only a pittance in the sheep's belly. Of course I'm not going to get complacent I know the importance of the last 20% as it's invariably the most difficult of any task so I'm not going to underestimate the potential pitfall. The only question that remains is when and how to finish it all off, tomorrow for tea? At work in a sanner? Suggestions welcome.

burns victim

After accusations of my posts being both dull and far too focussed on cycling Ive decided to relate my other major hobby - eating. Last night was Burns night (a celebration of a Scots poet for all those from the Sarf) and as a result we had haggis although of the vegetarian persuasion as our guest is that way inclined. However, I'd already bought a haggis (the meaty kind ie the best kind) the day previous and as my good lady is away this weekend and my good friend and neighbour is also otherwise engaged i have endeavoured to tackle the sonsie faced chieftain alone. This is not for the faint hearted, as in true solo 24 hour racing style ill be tackling it unsupported. (well it wouldn't be my blog withot a cycling reference would it) Some would say that eating a haggis alone is no great achievement but the sheep's stomach in question is a bit of a brute. If you look closely you can see from the picture that it weighs close to a kilo! This will be no mean feat particularly as it will take forever just to cook the bugger. There will be tears, hard work and hopefully some sense of accomplishment but with a bit of luck it'll go better than my 24hr solo attempt which to coin a phrase, was pure shite.

carbon fun

we're all made from it so maybe it's no surprise that carbon is such an amazing material. Yesterday i had the pleasure of riding one of Trek's 9.9s that had been converted to one gear. I thought it would be a great bike, its over a grands worth of frame after all, but i hadn't ridden a 26" wheeled singlespeed before and was blown away by how fun it was. Sure it doesn't crush things as well as a 29er but it scoots along nicely and being carbon it rockets away when you put the power down. Im sure over the course of a 2 hour ride, and particularly a rocky trail, it'll be a hard ride due to the stiffness of the frame but by christ its fun.

turn it around

After a week that seemed to bring nothing but annoyances Im feeling pretty positive. Probably attributable to getting shexy new cranks on my Rig and a special fat boy gear courtesy of the Bike Whisperer (the same dave from Alpine mentioned in Dr. Jon's blog) Looking forward to getting out riding although my snotters were yellow this morning which is not a good sign, still a wee blast on the Lemond can't hurt....

man cold (like bird flu but worse)

I missed Hogmanay this year because of an infection i can't shift and now I'm missing Tommy's birthday bash. I haven't seen some of my friends at all this year because I've been moping about the house feeling shite. I can't wait to get out on my bike or go for a run or see mates safe in the knowledge i'm not infecting them. Endless. Enough of feeling sorry for myself though, have a look at this:

star wars kid

Aw bless, he's very, very special.

start again

First of all let me just say how nice it is to see snow, even if it is nearly the end of January. It's not so nice to wake up with yet another sore throat, that makes 3 in the last month. Got an appointment to see my GP though so hopefully i'll get rid of it this time. Yesterday i sat, and failed, an entrance test for the Foreign Office. I thought at the time it was the hardest test i'd done but also thought i'd done enough to get through, clearly not. I had had misgivings about the job for a while (bizarrely the main character in the book i'm reading out of nowhere started talking about becoming a diplomat and how you would have to do what 'fuckwit politicians' told you) so perhaps it's for the best i didn't pass but it's still gutting to fail rather than decide not to do something. Still i thought it'd be interesting and give me the opportunity to see how governments operated with regard to other nations interests the long term plan being to work for an NGO. However, it's not to be, at least for now as i can apply again next year but it has been a bit of a wake up call and my numerous potential plans for next year have recieved a kick up the arse as a result.

the future is now

In a day that included someone telling us they're a cultural agnostic, 'it never gets better or worse, it stays the same,' and sitting an example professional entrance test I started wondering about, well, the future. I don't make New Year resolutions because i never keep them but I do always think the same thing every year-I really should see my friends and family more. And every year I know I'll never see them as much as I want to. Obviously it's impossible to see ALL your friends ALL the time but I feel every year there is at least half a dozen people that every month for a year I've had the intention of seeing and never have. It's made all the more gutting because you seem to spend so much time seeing people, specifically incompetent lecturers and inept retail managers, more in a month than you'd like to in a lifetime.

Anyway. I'll try to keep the rants to a minimum in this blog but I'd like to say a massive 'I will try my best to see you this year I promise' to several people. You know who you are and writing a list would only emphasise how bad I am at staying in touch.

virgin- be gentle

Ah my first post and I can't think what to write. I can assure you, however, it won't be as thought provoking as Master Ga Ken Wan's. Hmmm, well I've been ill again for nearly a week but managed into work today spurred on by the thought of getting to ride my singlespeeded buenos aires. So so much fun! Bit of a big gear at 46:16 but it'll help get me fit again for riding offroad and it's a blast to ride even if I am shitting it about busting a wheel. I won't go on about the simplicity, purity nonsense of singlespeeding-it's just fucking great fun.