Throughout the last week in June I get in a number of great sessions with the weights after work. I continue to increase the weight by a pound or two as I push and pull and struggle and groan and make lifts that I've never made before. And, as expected, I get in great sleep due to the lifting and the subsequent release of growth hormone. The week at work is kinda blah as I look forward to the 4 day weekend to celebrate Independence Day.
On Saturday I get up and do the (almost) 30 mile loop ride on the road bicycle. It's a great ride and I finish it before the hot weather picks up. After a quick shower I do the laundry and do grocery shopping. Qualifying for the US Grand Prix from Indianapolis is next and it's a bit boring this time. Later Person C_T comes over and we rush over to see "The Devil Wears Prada". I like the movie and laugh a lot at it. After wandering through a bookstore and buying a couple of magazines, Person C_T and I have dinner at a Thai restaurant that Person C_T has wanted to try for a while. I only know how to say "hello" in Thai, so I use that and the waitress responds in kind and eventually asks both of us if we speak Thai. (Which neither of us do.) After dinner we relax and don't really do much because of the heat. I speak on the telephone with Person T_U, but it doesn't sound like any clubbing will take place tonight.
On Sunday I get out early for a bicycle ride to beat the heat and because today is a big day of racing. There's the MotoGp race (where valentino Rossi comes from 12th to second with the broken bone in his wrist), the US Grand Prix, and the 250cc race from Donington park. Amongst ther acing Person C_T goes and does yoga and comes back and we get into a disagreement about things. Person C_T eventually leaves and is not happy. And I am not either. Thus I go work on abdominals and lower back and clean the roses a bit (in the hot sunshine). And then relax with the newspaper.
Later on Sunday Person C_T and I have an hour long conversation. Before, during, and after the call neither of us is happy. I go to bed early on Sunday night and read for a while before dropping off to sleep.
On Monday I'm up early for the loop ride of almost 30 miles. It's a good ride and I'm glad to be done with it before it gets too hot. After a quick shower I do a lot of paperwork as I sift and sort through files and piles. Near 11 am I start out on errands with a trip to the liquor store (to cash in the winning lottery ticket for $2), the hardware store (for rose food), and the grocery store.
Later I start washing windows to take my mind off my problems. At first I am just going to wash the inside of all of the windows, but pretty soon that is done. So I start in on the outsides. Now this takes longer and involves a fair amount of climbing on and off a chair, so by the time the last window is finished, I am getting tired. I lay down in front of the television for a while but, of course, nothing of interest is on. Thus I continue with paperwork that has to get done. But get distracted with pulling apart the rear wheel bearing on the bicycle. As I pull it apart I clean each piece and set it down so that I won't lose track of what goes back together first. Before you know it it is all apart and cleaned and ready to be lubricated with bearing grease and put back together. When it is back together I ride the bicycle up and down the street to see if it is ready for a ride in the morning. It is!
On Monday night I've already taken the Kava root extract by 7 pm and have dropped off to sleep very very early.
On Teusday, the 4th of July, I get out for a good loop bicycle ride. I can tell even in my driveway that there is less friction and rolling resistance. The rearr axle of the bicycle feels good, is fairly smooth riding, and is quieter than before. I guess the 20 year old bicycle will stay around for another year or so. On today's ride there are already people staking their claim to beach access at 7 am to watch the 9pm fireworks show from the Queen Mary. As I'm heading north on the San Gabriel river trail there are many many cyclists heading towards the beach. I'm glad that I passed through the beach area early enough to avoid a majority of the traffic.
Just after the space shuttle launches I head outside to glue a table together, trim a tree, and care for the roses. Though I'm in the shade during the tree trimming, I'm sweating up a storm. And then I trim, feed, and water the roses. When everything is put away I take a cool shower and lie down for a nap. But sleep doesn't come. So I get up and drink many glasses of ice cold water and take an Aleve and a Vicodin that I have laying around. Eventually I start to feel better, but there's nothing like completely wearing yourself out and then recovering!
On Sunday night I spend the majority of the time reading, cutting up music files to use at work for Outlook email notification, and getting ready to go back to work after a 4day weekend.