In 2003 I chased a dream of riding my bike for a living and moved out to California. I lived briefly with my Dad in Truckee, then out of my SAAB for another 6 months. I finally settled down in Santa Rosa (arguably the best roads to train on in the country), and lived in a chicken shack (literally) for a year.
While clicking through an old folder on my computer, I stumbled upon an archive of mini-blogs I wrote while making the transition to a Californian pseudo bike-pro. Those were hard times, but I remember feeling really free.
11.09.03 @ 4:34pm
I left ant poison out overnight, and by the morning all the bugs were gone. Hurrah! Now I am bothered by the prospect of 10,000 dead ants underneath my floor.
11.09.03 @ 8:06pm
I woke up this morning to an army of ants patrolling my kitchen.
From now on I will do my dishes more than once a month, and clean more than once a year.
11.01.03 @ 2:48am
The people of Santa Rosa celebrate Halloween with gun fights in the street at 1 am.
- Mister Rogers | PAGE 4
10.29.03 @ 8:12pm
Try cramming 4 bikes inside a house with the square footage of shoebox. The army should use my studio as a model for their obstacle courses. I feel like I'm living inside an episode of American Gladiators. I expect to get tackled by Blaze or Turbo every time I go out my front door.
10.27.03 @ 7:48pm
Today was my first time out on a mountain bike in a few months, having spent all my off-road time on a cyclocross bicycle. 700c wheels are a million times faster than 26." I felt like I was riding in sand the whole time.
It seems that Rabbobank team leader Levi Leipheimer is stalking me from his headquarters at Annandale State park. We cross paths all the time, but never going the same direction. I'm waiting for the chance to whoop his ass on an ascent with my feathery climbing prowess.
10.26.03 @ 7:04pm
It has been over 100 the whole weekend. Since it is the "off season" I am not too inclined to wake up early, ride and beat the heat. So instead I spend my time soldering cadence wires and arting it up like a mofo. Here are some sketches for an online comic I am working on. Although it may seem to be, Hitler will not be featured in the comic. Sorry.
- Sketchbook | 53x11
10.25.03 @ 10:05pm
When I am sick, I don't ride my bike. When I don't ride my bike I have way too much extra energy, so I don't sleep. When I don't sleep I make random art.
- Brush Pen | BABY SKEKSIS?
- Frazetta Style | RED PARN
- Watercolor | BALDO
10.21.03 @ 3:02pm
And somehow the sun shines through the darkness with some dude finding my phone. Can I get a hallelujah?! Stay tuned for the next turd to fall on my head.
- Say NO to color | PARN
10.19.03 @ 6:33pm
"The eternal assfuck" also known as my life never ceases to amaze me. Just when things seem to be looking up the shit hits the fan again.
I lost my cell-phone today in some backwoods single-track. I just mailed out 30 sponsorship applications with my phone # on them. How are those companies going to contact me now? How am I supposed to afford another damn cell-phone?
How the FUCK do I make lemonade out of that!!??
10.18.03 @ 10:46pm
So I skipped riding the Davis Century today in lieu of a 2 hr hike in at Annandale park. Good choice because I ran into Rabbobank team leader Levi Leipheimer out on the trail. Those euro pros are much smaller in real life.
Afterwords I went and saw "Kill Bill." While it had some powerful scenes, the movie wasn't that great overall. The "wait-till-2004" ending was a letdown as the film doesn't work well in two parts.
10.09.03 @ 3:39pm
Bring on the sponsorships! ...please.
- Man in black | SELF PORTRAIT
10.08.03 @ 7:26pm
Fall marks the return of the fixed-gear bicycle. After a solid 7 months on my road bike, I need a change of pace. What better way than on 72 gear inches of non-stop pedaling action! 40rpm up hills and 200rpm down, with no way to recover in-between. Yippee-kay-eh motherfuckers!
- Mister Rogers | PAGE THREE
10.06.03 @ 12:25am
Surf City CX Series starts in a week! Wee! Here is more parody mayhem.
- Mister Rogers | PAGE TWO
10.01.03 @ 3:27pm
Here is a one page preview to tickle your taste buds.
- Mister Rogers | PAGE ONE
09.29.03 @ 10:51pm
After a 7 year absence, everyone's favorite drug dealing, slave laboring, cigar smoking public access show host has returned. Well...maybe, you know me and how these things go.
- Free watch? | MISTER ROGERS
09.27.03 @ 2:55pm
Rode an insane 20+ mph pace for 60 miles on Thursday. Felt pretty tired on Friday so I went out to Annadel State Park to work on some cyclocross skills. On my second or third running remount, I jumped right into my rear tire - making a knobby mess of my inner thigh. No racing for me today.
09.24.03 @ 1:20pm
Sorry to leave everyone in the dark for so long. I was finally able to find a place to live in Santa Rosa. For $550 a month I get to live in a 350 sq. foot barn built in 1901 that was cheaply converted into a studio. Here is a photomontage of my shanty.
My Sprint service was disconnected and I still don't have a cell phone thanks to an AT&T screw up.
I am back on a weekly training schedule and am now preparing for the upcoming cyclocross (CX) season. I took my CX bike offroad yesterday and double flatted. I had to run 3 miles out of the trail with my bike – then ride home 10 miles out of the saddle with a flat rear tire.
08.26.03 @ 10:45pm
Life has been rough lately... Living and sleeping out of my car while trying to move to Santa Rosa has been taxing. Bloody Bay area housing costs.
I certainly haven't been riding half as much I would like to be. But on the plus side I started drawing again - writing too. And I have this great new laptop for all my "mobile computing."
If you're bored, Call me – cause jobless, homeless transients sure got a lotta' free time.
Fuck Happy! Right?
07.13.03 @ 10:20pm
I haven't been able to use my wounded left hand for almost a month. Every time it is nearly healed - I end up crashing and blowing open my palm again.
Yes I fucking crashed today. A touch of wheels on a horrible road. 45 out of the 60 miles in the race were on roads that hadn't been repaved or paved at all in 70 years. An awful wreck, a 5 mile chase back into the pack and 100+ degree weather shattered any hopes I had to place.
Somebody rode over my butt with their chainring and I have the big ole' bloody scars to prove it.
07.07.03 @ 10:42am
Boca Road race #3. 1st in KOM and 5th overall on a day when I would have been satisfied with finishing with the pack. The next night I destroyed the 30 man Paco's group on their team ride.
06.18.03 @ 10:20am
I raced an 8 mile (2100 ft. elevation gain) uphill time trial yesterday. Finished in a respectable 8th place. However on the way back down the mountain (after the race was over) my tires gave-out over unseen gravel. I slid about 20 feet across pavement on my ass. I am now covered in bandages and gauze, my hip is torn wide open with little fatty deposits hanging out, and I think I broke my right wrist.
06.11.03 @ 11:06pm
There has got to be a better system for shifting front chainrings. I was the fastest climber in the race today - but the slowest descender as I was spinning out - stuck in my 38 tooth. I am gonna go back to moving the chain with my finger.
I finished in like 30th something place.
06.09.03 @ 11:20pm
I am now an owner of a light blue, 1985 SAAB 900 Turbo. It has 2 doors and a spacious hatchback. It came with a spare set of wheels, t-shirt and 430,000 miles.
05.28.03 @ 10:07pm
Never eat a sushi buffet before a race. Halfway into the crit my heartrate was low and my legs felt great as I moved up the pack on a very technical course. However deep inside my bowels a monstrous gut-rot creature was growing out of all that raw fish and rice. Ten minutes later I am dropped out the back of the peleton, out of the race course and in search of the nearest toilet. I'll let your imagination finish the story.
05.22.03 @ 8:41pm
Fuck Cannondale and their bullshit corporation/backwater Pennsylvanian hillbilly factory workers. "Not obliged" to tell me why my warranty CAAD7 SI frame has yet to be finished after 7 months of waiting. My Record kit deserves to be draped on a something from the homeland.
05.16.03 @ 10:50pm
I won my first road race on Tuesday night. I made an 8 mile breakaway to the finish after a solo attack on the last climb. I guess that means I am used to the altitude up here now.
05.07.03 @ 1:20am
Well - I live in California again. I pedaled up my first snow covered mountain today. Cresting the top 5 minutes ahead of my riding buddy (a local of the mountainous Tahoe area) helped me realize why I am here: To destroy all who challenge my climbing prowess.
Let the fucking games begin.
03.23.03 @ 11:00pm
Just when you think "time is on your side." What to do?
03.19.03 @ 11:24pm
Hey my phone finally showed up in the mail. As if I had anyone to call...or to call me.
03.15.03 @ 4:19pm
Now that's the type of shit I'm talkin' 'bout! First 4+ hour ride of the year and not a snowflake or frostbiting wind in sight...oh wait it is going to rain all next week. C'mon Mother Nature - help a brother out.
03.04.03 @ 10:52am
I just finished barfing into the toilet. An old cinnamon roll and a Chipotle burrito came out in an undigested heap. The vomit pile plugged up the toilet. FUCK MINNESOTA!
03.04.03 @ 9:54am
I have decided to begin posting and updating the website again. As if anyone cares.
I feel sick and I don't want to ride into work because it is –10 F outside. I lost my cellphone 2 weeks ago on a run. My phone is the only means I have to contact the outside world – while I hate using it, the little bastard would come in handy right now.
11.09.02 @ 11:29pm
Added all of my multimedia and web projects to the site.
11.08.02 @ 10:59am
Every time I rebirth this website there seems to be about a 6 month period of gestation - as the idea ferments in my brain. Enjoy my mind lager.
Article was last edited on Friday, August 8th, 2008 @ 4:33 AM
