Times Gone By

AULD LANG SYNE

Words adapated from a traditional song
by Rabbie Burns (1759-96)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne

Ditch!

I've been very blessed over the past several years to have put roots down in a wonderful part of the country, the Colorado Rockies. I bought a house up at 10k feet in August and have fallen in love with all things West. Did I say all things?

I've driven into a drift of snow and/or a ditch twice in the past three days, the pipes at my house froze this week and took a day, or so, to thaw and then there is the crazy amounts of snow, the howling wind and the bone-chilling cold to contend with. What's not to like?

Like one of my neighbors told me recently, "we crazies need to stick together." Yep.

I hope the holidays have been everything you and your family could ever wish for. My holidays have been great so far, having been adopted by a co-worker and his family over the Christmas holiday. Firefighting takes no holiday and so I found myself at work yesterday, on Christmas, watching the Simpson's Movie and trying to cram down another traditional holiday burrito. Caught a cold overnight and now I'm up at my chalet warming up and thawing out, just like the pipes.

Bring each other close this holiday season, now and forever. It's warmer when there's more than one...

Tim

Holidaze

Just sitting here at home debating when and how to ride indoors on the rollers today. I snowboard and have alot of fun every time I'm out in the dry Colorado powder, but the bike keeps calling my name. I've had kind of an odd schedule recently with business in and out of work. Consistency hasn't been my strong suit but I think we (the non-winter athletes) give ourselves a "free pass" this time of year, what with the weather and the holidays and the you name it. I have a real hard time accepting down time. Yep, I have to accept down time and don't readily take it. A bit of a secret is that I have the Race Across America, and my Boulder team, on my mind every single day. The RAAM creeps into your bones and I find myself feeling very insecure every now and then with respect to the RAAM. I'm going to race (not ride) my bike across the country next June. Looking out my window June seems a long way away. Looking on my calendar is an entirely different story. I'm wondering what the Jure Robic's and Rob Kish's of the world are doing right now as I sip my coffee and type on the big glowing box.

Better get riding...

TC

P.S. - I like this song by the Old 97's. It reminds me of the asthmatic, hard puffing, weak little kid who grew up to become a firefighter and bike racer.


Friends Forever

I was a debater
Was not a stoner nor an inline skater
Was not a player nor a player hater
I was just a bookworm on a respirator
Who’s to say that’s wrong

I was in the chess club
Didn’t have a swimming pool much less a true love
Didn’t have a dalliance much less a hot tub
I was just a brain whose brain would never let up
Who’s to say that’s wrong

The twelve years after five
Are years we’re lucky to survive
Hang in there friends forever
In memory far away
Hang in there friends forever
In memory far away

Went out for the football team
Found out the hard way you can’t live your Dad’s dream
Had pretty thin skin to be in the machine
Then I found a guitar and the rest’s a fanzine
Who’s to say what’s wrong

The moral of the song
Is that the high school kids are wrong
You know they have been all along
Come graduation you’ll be gone
Hang in there friends forever
In memory far away

Inchoate, etc.

I love the word inchoate and met the embodiment of that word recently. Everybody's always getting somewhere better...why don't we smell the roses or the stinky person next to us?

For something entirely different, the weather out here has taken a turn for the, well, wintry. So, indoors we go! I've been at the gym alot and bought some Spinnerval dvd's to pass the time. Sore butt anyone?

Not much new to report. I'm headed to Cali in February with some teammates from Horizon Organic. Looking forward to the trip and now I have the first target to strike...need to be ready to train and ride and drink. Rinse, wash, repeat.

Off to bed...

Tim

Come and Gone

A co-worker of mine at Boulder Fire told me recently about the sudden and unexpected passing of ultra endurance bike racer, Mike Janelle. Some of you may know Mike from his exploits as one of the members of the Catlin/Beaver Creek 4-person Race Across America team. Yep, the team to beat for the past several years.

By all accounts, Mike was a rider and human full of life and vitality. This was cut short the day after Thanksgiving as his pregnant wife found him dead of an apparent heart attack, at 40 years old.

Mike's death reminds all of us, myself included that we have but one life to live and must take this into account every single second of every single day.

Keep the rubber side down.

Tim