The Wind is Your Friend

If you're a cyclist, you've heard this phrase. If you're like me, you usually want to punch the person that says it.

In fact, the wind is not your friend. It is just another element that cyclists face when riding. You can lump it in with chip seal, gravel on the road in a turn, debris in intersections, cyclists that hit the brakes in a paceline, and other challenges you encounter on the road. The wind might be a friend if you use it to your advantage in a race or to take a rest when you have it at your back, but it hurts so much when you ride into it, if it's a friend, it's the worst ever.

Yesterday, I met Speedo at 5:30p to ride the scheduled Thursday night Team McAllen ride. Much like Austin, where the official temperature is taken in a low spot near the airport and always seems to be much lower than what everyone really experiences, Speedo tells me that the wind speed at McAllen is taken next to a hangar at the airport, and is always lower than what we really see out on our rural rides. So when I checked the wind speed history on Weather Underground and saw the below graph, I knew why yesterday's ride was so tough.

It's a bit hard to see unless you zoom into the image, but we faced winds of 15-20mph, with gusts of 25-30mph. We both think that is a 5-8mph underestimation. As we rode side by side, Speedo commented that he was leaning over about 30 degrees to counteract the wind, and that was while riding in my generous leeward side. And not only was the wind stiff, it was blowing air that was superheated: 100F at the start, 92F at the finish. If the wind was indeed our friend, it was counteracted by the actions of its weather buddy Mr. Temperature.

When you cycle in Texas, you have no choice. I know...Texas ain't the only hot and windy locale, but I write about what I know. Speedo and I faced the hot wind, and rode 25 miles. We hammered, but we could only hold 16-18mph into the wind. On the back side of our loop route, we pushed up to 35mph. Is that the part where the wind was my friend? I think not, as friends don't usually push your heart rate to 95% of your max. I told Speedo that I wasn't about to puke, but I could see the point of no return.

We did four loops, 6 miles each, and I was cooked. I had consumed 2 bottles of sport drink, and half a bottle of water. It was time to go home. As tough as these 25 miles were, I LOVED IT. If not for other commitments, I would be out there again today, accompanied by my friend Speedo and my supposed friend the wind.

For the data-philes, here's a link to my ride data. I wish it accurately portrayed the pain.

POSTSCRIPT: Perhaps I'll write another blog post about this; if so, here's a preview. About 1.5 years ago, I decided to train for and ride a 2-day ride from McAllen to San Antonio. I used a technique I've used in my professional life: find some mentors with proven ability and skills, and learn from them. I didn't tell them, but I chose Speedo, the Major, and Dutchman. I rode with or near them every chance I got, and still do. Their mentoring has been invaluable and I have enjoyed their friendship. When I leave the valley, I will miss them all.

Getting Two Job Offers During the Recession

Over the last 5 months, I've been very open about my job search. I've blogged about it, tweeted about it, and frequently updated my status on LinkedIn and Facebook. I've received lots of encouragement and advice, and when I posted to LinkedIn that I had received two offers, one of the members of my network immediately asked me what I had done to be able to get two offers.

Since I was out of work for 5 very long months, I know the frustration of not having offers, not getting call backs, and thinking more about what happens if you don't get work instead of how to go about getting work. I'm going to publish what I did over the last 5 months, not because it is groundbreaking, but because it led to 2 offers and perhaps someone else will find it useful in their job search.

Clearly Defined the Jobs and Industries for my Job Search

Most of us have held more than one title during our careers. In my case, I have been an engineer, an engineering manager, a program manager, an IT consultant, a manufacturing manager, and a plant manager. I narrowed my search to 3 job titles: plant manager, senior engineer, and program manager.

Additionally, I decided to focus my search on electronics manufacturing, medical, and energy. This was based partially on my geographic focus, but also on factors such as future growth, opportunity, and match to my background.

Focused my Search Geographically

I spoke with my spouse, and decided I would only look for jobs in Texas. Specifically, I would look in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and McAllen, and by that order of preference. Before I narrowed my search, I was getting calls from recruiters all over the USA. If I had not narrowed my search, I think I would have been overwhelmed with non-productive inquiries.

Revised my Resume to Match Career Goal

This one might sound simple, but I took my 3 job titles and created 3 different but similar resumes. I then created 3 geographic versions of each: one with my current address, one with a family member's address in Houston, and one with a family member's address in Austin. The math is easy: 9 different resumes. Depending on location and job, I would select and submit the best match of the 9. It's important to note that when interviewed, I quickly mentioned that the address was temporary and that I was transition from South Texas to another geographic location based on job availability. I didn't want anyone to think I was a liar, and simply being totally straightforward during the interviews resolved the potential issue.

I also revised the content of my resume using feedback I received from job search websites, recruiters, and friends. I made some very drastic changes based on feedback I received from The Ladders.

Networked and Used Social Media

I networked 3 basic ways: by phone, by e-mail, and by social media. The day after I was laid off, I sent a global e-mail to all my professional contacts telling them my situation. I then called a few key contacts. Lastly, I updated my LinkedIn profile and status.

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: one of my offers originated through a former boss that noticed my status change on LinkedIn. I had communicated with him about once every 6 months since leaving the company some 8 years ago. Weak link? Yes, but strong enough to get my name in front of a recruiter.

I also used Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to keep my network updated. I updated them daily, often more than once per day. It is amazing how much positive feedback and referrals you can get from friends and acquaintances that you primarily only know through social media.

Worked the Job

I worked on my job hunt from 8a to 12p every day, and often more. I was lucky to review all of my automated search e-mails, websites, and network messages in 4 hours. Some people say it's a full time job -- I disagree. It's not truly full time, but sometimes it's HARDER than a full time job, and it always feels like more is at stake.

I also attended two career fairs, which were a total waste in terms of job leads, but helped me hone my interviewing skills. They also made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something, even if I didn't land a job through the fair.

Diligently Worked Job Sites

There are tons of job sites. Three that I really like and used daily were Indeed, Trovix, and The Ladders (paid subscriber). I also dabbled with Careerbuilder and Monster, but it wasn't fun. I received more spam and junk from Careerbuilder and Monster than I did real job leads.

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: The offer that I eventually accepted originated with Indeed, although Indeed was linking to a posting on Monster. I WOULD HAVE NEVER FOUND THE JOB THROUGH MONSTER if not for Indeed.

Turned Down Inferior Positions

I wasn't scared to tell potential employers that I wasn't interested. It's a key part of building your career, even if you're hungry for employment. I told two different employers, Eaton and Scott Fertilizer, that I was not interested in pursuing the opportunity they presented. It scared me to do it, but I knew that the jobs were not right for my career. If I had accepted one, I would have missed out on two very good offers.

Executed on the Basics

This one might be obvious, but it's important. Any time someone talked to me about a job or my career, whether they were an employer or recruiter, I sent a thank you note. I prefer e-mail for recruiter follow-up, but I sent letters on 100% cotton paper to anyone who interviewed me. I also followed up any application with a phone call, e-mail, or letter IF I could find good contact information.

I hope someone out there finds this useful. Me? I hope it's the last post I ever write about job searching. I'd rather be cycling, and writing about cycling!

How to Hurt Yourself Cycling

Here's one of my favorite ways to hurt myself cycling:

1. Don't ride much for about two weeks. A little jogging is okay, even a day or two of interval training. But you can only ride less than 100 miles each week.
2. At the end of two weeks, mow your grass in 100F heat. Make sure you don't hydrate, and that you're exhausted when you're finished.
3. Plan a ride for the day after you mow the grass. The start temp for the ride has to be at least 80F.
4. On the day of the ride, drink a Coke Zero and eat a breakfast bar. Don't consume too many calories, as you don't want to have much energy for the ride.
5. When you ride from home to your scheduled team ride, really push. Try to hold 20mph into a 10mph headwind. The absolute best day for a ride like this is the last day of the Tour de France. It will make you work harder because you'll be excited about cycling.
6. When you get to the start of the ride and they call out for the "fast" riders to start, go with them, even though there's only 5 in the group. Don't second guess yourself and ride with the big group of intermediates. Remember -- the less people, the more pulling, and pulling is a real key ingredient in the "how to hurt yourself" recipe.
7. As you ride along in the 5 man paceline, don't admit to yourself (or to the paceline) that you can't hold 26mph into the headwind. When one guy drops out, don't even think about dropping back with him. That might reduce some of the hurt. Instead, keep rotating and pulling in the now FOUR man rotation.
8. When you finally finish your first course of hurt and just can't do another turn at the front, you shouldn't drop back and ride 19mph with the 20+ intermediates that are enjoying drafting in a double pace line. Instead, lose the wheel of the rider in front of you, and let them get 50 yards ahead of you. Then let a really strong rider drop back and pick you up. You'll feel challenged to suck wheel back to the other two "fast" riders. It looks easy on TV, but drafting back to the group HURTS, and never forget that you're looking for hurt.
9. Once you're back to the main group, keep struggling through your pulls in the paceline. Eventually, someone will hurt you in an entirely different way, and tell you to sit out a turn because you look exhausted.
10. Lastly, as you near the end of the ride and the sprint to the gas station begins, go ahead and get out of the saddle. Even though you've been living in a world of hurt, there's a wholly different universe of hurt waiting for you in the sprint. What will hurt the most is realizing that there is no way that you can catch the other 3 "fast" riders in the sprint. You won't be on the informal podium. But you will be at the top of the podium of HURT.

Of course, these 10 steps are based on a real series of events that culminated with my Sunday ride. It hurt. It hurt badly. Here's a link to the hurt data.

Let me know if you need any other help with ways to hurt yourself cycling. I've got more.

Summary of Very Long Week

It has been a tough but good week. I haven't had time to write a blog post, but I want to show my dear readers why:

Monday

Drove 50 miles from Smithville, Texas to Austin for a drug test. Drove back. Packed and loaded kids, bikes, and tons of stuff. Drove 5 hours from Smithville to Mission, Texas. Umph. Long, long day.

Tuesday

Recovered from being away from home for over a week. Unpacked, then rode 40 miles with Speedo. Received offer with Austin company. Woohoo! Started preparations for traveling to Tampa, Florida to interview for Houston job.

Wednesday

Prepped for interview and flight. Had to iron and starch my best cotton dress shirt with french cuffs. This proves to be harder than interval training. Flight departed at 3:55p, and I arrived at hotel in Tampa at 10:15p. Shirt was wrinkled again, so I had to do a little touch up. Oh the humanity.

Thursday

Got up early and rode 30 minutes on hotel exercise bike. The wide, extra-padded seat felt like I was sitting on a lumpy pillow on top of my Fi:zik saddle. How can anyone think a seat like this is comfortable? If I had ridden much longer, my thighs would have caught fire from chafing friction.

Interviewed with all sorts of VPs from 9:00a-2:30p. Had a delicious Italian meal at lunch, and managed to not get any sauce on my white shirt. This was a good sign. Flew home, and walked in the door at about 10:45p.

Oh yeah -- it was my 15th wedding anniversary too. What a day!

Friday

Received verbal offer on Houston job. Wahoo! Drove 1.5 hours to drop off kids with wife's sister. Drove back home, and had a date night with my love. We and 8 other patrons saw Public Enemies, which I thought was a pretty good flick. I love Micheal Mann's films. We then ate at a chain Italian restaurant that serves chianti in water glasses. It was still pretty good, and we had a great time.

Nutshell? It was obviously a long week. Next week will be a slow down, so I hope to get in some rides and some substantive posts. And the most important part...make a decision on the two offers. Wish me luck...

Ride it Like it's Hot

Actually, it IS hot. Not stolen, but 100F+ hot. I read yesterday that McAllen has reached 100F or more for the last 20 days. We have had very little rain. Vegetation is parched, brown, and ready to burn. On my way home from Smithville yesterday, I drove through a grass fire along the highway. It...is...hot.

If I want to ride, I must fight the temperature. I can either ride early on the hybrid bike with kids in tow, or ride late on the road rig. Today, I will choose riding late on the road rig. It will probably be around 102F when I leave home. But it's worth it.

When I sweat, I'll drink from one of the three bottles I'll carry. If sweat gets in my eyes, I'll douse the eye burn with cool water. Sunscreen will prevent the hot sun from charring my skin. Sunglasses will block the sun's searing rays. The wind I create by riding at 18-20mph will cool me down just a little.

Even with all of my measures and counter-measures, it condenses down to the purely mental: do I think it's too hot to ride, or is it just another item on the long list of pains and discomforts that comprise cycling? I choose to believe it is mental, and I choose to ride.

There Aren't Any Pine Trees in Texas

When I first moved to Austin, I worked with a guy who had spent most of his life in California, and had only lived in Texas for a few months. One day, we started talking about the differences between California and Texas, and he said "I just wish we had pine trees in Texas. I really miss the redwoods and pines". I politely told him that I grew up in east Texas, near the Big Thicket, and if he left central Texas and headed east, he'd see as many pine trees as he wanted to see.

In fact, you barely have to drive 35 miles east of Austin before you find large stands of pine trees in Bastrop. The area is so beautiful that the state designated two state parks in the area: Bastrop State Park and Buescher State Park. When I lived in Austin, I heard lots of stories about driving along secluded and shady Park Road 1C between the two parks, and also that the MS150 ride traveled that route on the second day of the ride. Even though it was close by, I never rode Park Road 1C when I lived in Austin.

About a year ago, Victoria's cousin bought some property in Smithville, near Bastrop, and this weekend I find myself staying with them. We've visited before, only I've never had my bike with me. This weekend, I have it. I got up this morning, and decided to ride Park Road 1C. I got up at 6a, brushed my teeth, and ate a breakfast that included mandatory pre-ride nutrients: calories and caffeine. I almost never drink a real Coke, but that was the only caffeine available. The pastry is a delicious kolache from Hruska's in Ellinger, Texas.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

I rode east on Highway 71, which is an uber-busy highway connecting Austin and I-10. Luckily, I only had to ride about a 1/2 mile until I turned towards Buescher State Park. I rode in, and the park headquarters was closed, but the gates were open, so I kept riding. I was immediately in awe of the smooth, twisting, hilly road, shaded by pines and other trees. My rides in both McAllen and Austin rarely have shade, and almost never are on a road as solitary and isolated as Park Road 1C. I only encountered two cars, even though I was on the road from about 6:45a to 10:00a. I took the photo below, but most of the road was even shadier than this slightly inclined section.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

The road rides a ridge line just east of Highway 71, and rolls from hilltop to creek bottom over and over again. I paused at the top of one of the ridge lines to take the below photo with my iPhone. It's not a mountain vista, but for central Texas, it is sweetness.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

After the short stop, I rode on, using all the gears in my drive train. I alternated between slogging up steep but short grades, then bombing down to the next creek bottom. I would easily hit speeds of 25-30 mph, then slow to 7-10 mph on the uphill. One one downhill, I encountered a group of cyclists that were on road bikes and dressed in full road kit. They seemed a bit less fit and experienced. Several were just chugging up the hill, but one was walking his bike, one was zigzagging / paperboying up the hill, and one had her bike upside down on the side of the road with what I suspect was a chainsuck problem. I had to whistle a couple of times to keep from hitting the zigzagger and another in the group that wasn't paying attention. Scary stuff, because a car would potentially have hit them.

While zooming down, I kept an eye out for more errant cyclists as well as gravel and pine needles, which were piled deep on the sides of the road, but only drifted into one intersection requiring me to slow to a walking pace. For the most part, the road was free of gravel, potholes, and debris, and the road surface was excellent.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

While riding the up-and-down rollers, I took a photo of one of the more picturesque creek bottoms, known as Alum Creek. There was still a little water in the creek, but the deep drought has reduced it to stagnant pools. It was hard to imagine that there are times when the road is an impassable low-water crossing, and that the water would reach up the 5' depth stick installed near the creek bed.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

A few miles into the ride, the road exits Buescher State Park, passes through private property, then enters Bastrop State Park. Eventually, you reach the Bastrop State Park headquarters. I had been wondering if I should have paid an entry fee, so I stopped at headquarters and looked for some help. It was closed, but I found my answer.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

For my non-Texan readers, if a park sign explicitly references bicycles, then the park must be getting TONS of bicycle traffic. Otherwise, we cyclists usually just get ignored. I dropped my $5 entry fee in the drop box, gulped some fluids, and simultaneously watched a few golfers on the park course. It's a public course, and seems to be fairly heavily used.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

After my short break, I turned back towards Buescher State Park. This time, I really bombed the downhills, and made sure I used momentum to keep from exerting too much energy on the short climbs. I still found myself out of gears and out of the saddle a couple of times, but it wasn't too tough. I stopped in one gorgeous stand of pines that had been thinned by a fire a few years earlier. The iPhone photos can't convey the beauty of these pines in the early morning sun.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

On the way back home, I took a detour down KLBJ Road, which cut off some of my travel on dangerous Highway 71. while on KLBJ Road, I had to stop and take a couple of photos: one for my loyal reader and Twitter follow GTratter, and another for M.E.-Rider. GTratter wanted a "Blue Bell Ice Cream Cow Heaven" cow photo, and M.E. makes fun of my dorky face shots. Quick explanation of the surreal face photo -- I was making a face that my 2-year old calls "skeewry", and pulled the camera away while the shutter was in action. It's a freaky photo.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

SUMMARY, RIDE STATS AND MAP

This is now one of my favorite short rides in Texas. It's smooth, shady, picturesque, lightly traveled, and close to both Austin and Houston. I highly recommend it. If you want to ride Park Road 1C, here's a link to the route I took and my ride data, with a screen shot of the map shown below. If you're not a click-through kind of reader, here's a summary of the ride data:

Distance: 34 miles

Elevation Gain: 2436 ft

Calories: 2419

Avg Speed: 16.3 mph

Max Speed: 35.5 mph

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

Lastly, when I was looking at the map, I clicked over to the satellite image, and saw a stunning landscape modification / satellite photo easter egg that a local landowner has created. Have a look at the right edge of the photo. It should be obvious.

From Bastrop and Buescher State Park Ride

My First Ride in Houston

Today was my first chance to get in a decent ride this week, and I took advantage of the opportunity and rode a 40 mile loop around Fulshear, Brookshire, and Katy. This was the first time I'd ridden in the Houston area, and before I selected this route, I was concerned about finding a route that was relatively safe.

I posted route requests to a couple of cycling forums, and the route I chose was suggested by a member of the University of Houston Cycling Team. Based on the source, I was pretty confident that it would be a good, relatively safe route. I dropped Betsy off at camp, and drove about 2 miles to a convenience store that was on the route. I drove part of the route on my way to the store, and was glad to see nice, wide shoulder.

Once at the store, I prepped all of my gear, and by the time I got on the bike at 8:30a, it was already about 85F. I felt great from the first pedal stroke, and started riding with high intensity. I was holding about 20mph, but I could tell my heart rate was surging. I haven't been riding much the last 2 weeks, and it felt great to push myself and even to be short of breath.

A few miles down the road, and I stopped for my first of several map checks. I was sweating like crazy, so I snapped a quick self portrait. It's hard to tell in my low-res iPhone photo, but sweat was dripping off my nose. I was soaked already.

While stopped I took another photo of the parched coastal prairie. The drought has browned most of the grass, except for areas that have been irrigated. As you can see in the photo, it's flat in Houston just like in the Rio Grande Valley. I felt at home, except it wasn't nearly as windy as my RGV rides.

After I took these photos, I turned onto a small two-lane road, and suddenly there were rolling hills, creeks, and pasture land. It was very pretty, but I didn't stop to take a photo. I plan on riding again tomorrow, so perhaps I'll stop and take a photo.

During the 40 mile ride, I saw about 15 other cyclists on the route. I take that as a good sign, as it was a weekday and a little late for most cyclists. My guess is that this route will be very heavily traveled on weekends. The route I took is shown below, and a link to my ride data and map is here. I highly recommend the route, and look forward to riding it tomorrow and maybe more frequently in the future.

The 2nd Longest Day

Today felt like the longest day. Ever. I drove all over Texas, had an interview, drove all over Texas again, and made it back to Houston in time to pick up my daughter from camp. I couldn't name this post "The Longest Day", because it felt tangentially disrespectful to D-Day since there's a movie about D-Day with that name, but I'm okay with this being the 2nd longest day, so long as you understand that for ME, it was THE LONGEST DAY.

The day started at 5:00a. I woke up, showered, got dressed in my monkey suit, and was on the road by 5:30a. I'm not a real fancy lad, but my monkey suit consists of undergarments, nice 100% cotton dress shirt, cuff links that were a gift from my brother on the occasion of his wedding, dress belt, a non-Timex Ironman watch, my black summerweight wool suit, nice tie, and real shoes and socks. I wore all of this, sans jacket, while driving 170 miles from Houston to Austin. I still felt uncomfortable in the remaining clothing and accoutrements, but I got used to it all after about 50 miles.

I stopped in Brenham for coffee and a scone for breakfast, managed to not spill any on my white shirt, and still made it to Georgetown (just north of Austin) in barely three hours. I lived in Austin from 1994 to 2006, and never visited downtown Georgetown. It's a lovely town, with an old town square area around the courthouse. It's filled with buildings that look like the one in the below photo.

I made it to the interview with plenty of time to spare. I met with my potential manager, as well as a few other folks. Afterwards, they took me to lunch at The Monument Cafe, which was absolutely great. Good food, great building, and the service was prompt and courteous. The interview was my 2nd on-site, and my 3rd including a phone interview. I'm very optimistic about this opportunity.

I left Georgetown about 1pm, and headed southwest the way I came. I took TX-130, which is a new (to me) toll road running north-south along the eastern border of Austin. It allowed me to avoid I-35, probably shaving 30 minutes or more from my trip. It's not exactly heavily used, at least at 1p. I don't think I was passed by even one car heading the same direction, and maybe passed 50 cars going the other direction on the 20 mile segment.

On my way back to Houston, I took a different route to facilitate picking up my daughter. It took me through the outskirts of La Grange. Yes, that La Grange....but now, I might...be...mistaken....hmm...hmm...hmm...hmm.

I arrived back in Houston about 1.5 hours early to pick up my daughter. I tried to think of a place to change out of my suit, and remembered that Starbuck's usually has "one holer" bathrooms. I found one along my route, and luckily it had the restroom I expected. I occupied it for a few minutes, and changed into shorts and t-shirt. More than one person rattled the door handle, which is unfortunate for them, but it worked out great for me. It didn't surprise me that when I left carrying all of my clothing, I got a few strange looks from the patrons. I'm not sure if they were angry that I occupied the room for so long, or if they were surprised to see me using the restroom as my personal dressing area.

I still had time to kill, so I drank a non-fat latte, got a quick haircut, then picked up my daughter just in time. We made it back home by about 6pm. I've crammed more stuff into a day, but 340 miles of driving and almost 4 hours of interviewing tweaked this into one of the most stressful and long days I've experienced. Now if I can only land the job, it will all be worth it!

Houston Means that I'm One Day Closer

The Trip to Houston

Victoria and I packed up the truck on Sunday, and I drove to Houston with the girls. Victoria's cousin Lori had invited us to stay the week with her, and arranged for Betsy to attend horseback riding camp all week. With three of us in my little Nissan crew cab, I had to stack luggage in the front seat, as well as pack some gear in the truck bed. It was a little crowded, but we managed to get all of our stuff in the truck, plus I had room for my cycling kit and bike.

I haven't traveled alone before with both girls, but we're now 24 hours into the trip and things are going well. No meltdowns, either by me or by them. Everyone ate well yesterday and slept well last night, and this morning I dropped off Betsy at camp right on time. If the rest of the week goes this beautifully, I'll be elated!

Home to Houston?

One of my strongest job leads is for a position in Houston. I've interviewed by phone with Human Resources, as well as with the VP that I would report to if I am hired. I found out late last week that they will be flying me to headquarters in Tampa for another interview. Unless something goes terribly wrong, I think I'm moving quickly towards an offer and moving to Houston.

Although my blog is based on my move from Austin to the Rio Grande Valley and my cycling adventures in both cities, I have a deep history in Houston. I grew up 50 miles from Houston, and earned two degrees from the University of Houston. Additionally, Victoria and I moved from Austin to Houston for a couple of years (2001-2002), but moved back to Austin when it didn't work out. We still like Houston, and consider it a close 2nd to Austin in terms of preferred relocation cities.

Being here with the kids AND having a good job lead makes it feel like I'm home. Of course, if I'm home, I need to figure out how to work in a good ride. I'm scouting some routes, and plan on liberating the bike from Lori's game room later this week. Wish me luck, as Houston isn't know for being friendly to cyclists.

Lastly, even though it feels great to be in Houston and I might get an offer for a Houston job, I still have a strong lead in Austin and a 2nd interview this week. Who knows...next week I might be writing a post about returning to Austin!

Dead Critter

Something is dead under my front porch. I smelled something today while on the side of the house working on my broken air conditioner, and when I went to the porch, I noticed a stronger smell as well as some flies buzzing around the end of the porch. All signs point to dead animal.

The porch is huge. It runs the full width of the front of my house, and is maybe 45' x 10'. There isn't enough room between the ground and bottom of the porch for me to even get a good look under the porch, but there's plenty of room for an animal to make a home. If you need evidence, I caught this cute little baby opossums in the yard a few weeks ago:

Around the same time, using some crack detective work we figured out we had a raccoon living in the crawl space in the deck ABOVE the porch. Try as he might, he couldn't hide his claw marks or urine stains from Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. We initially boxed him up in the crawl space, but when we heard him scratching, I removed some wood and let him out. I'm not kidding.

My best guess is there will be a raccoon or possum funeral in the next day or so. I hope all of the mourners find their way home, and don't decide to stay permanently.

Staycation

My brother and his family are staying with us for the next few days. It's a modified "staycation", and we'll be going to South Padre, the local parks and destinations, and generally enjoying each other's company. I won't be able to update daily, but I might get in a post here and there.

At worst, I'll resume semi-daily publishing on July 13. Enjoy your time without me!

Just a Tiny Taste

A few years ago, my brother Troy and his girlfriend Kristin decided to move from Los Angeles to Austin. They had moved from Chicago to LA about a year prior, and we never thought they would move back to Texas. When we found out they had decided to move to Austin, Victoria and I were really happy.

They lived with Victoria, Betsy, and I (Lola wasn't born yet) for a few weeks until they found an apartment. We swam, laughed, ate, and enjoyed communal living with extended family. We all got hooked on HBO's Deadwood together, and we ate at Chuy's every chance we got. Once they moved into their own apartment, we didn't see them quite as much, but we were still together all the time.

About a year later, they were married. It was bittersweet, because while the marriage added permanence, at about the same time I found out that I was being transferred away from Austin. Permanence for me was destroyed.

While we were away, both Troy and Kristin had a son Osby, and we had Lola. Two and a half years passed, and I found out that my company was transferring me back to Austin, except we didn't get to enjoy even the thought for very long. Before we could relocate, I was laid off and our dream of getting back to Austin seemed distant again. The economy was weak, and jobs were hard to find.

Fortunately, job growth in Austin is strong. As of today, I have a very strong lead on an Austin job. A professional network contact referred me after a long discussion, I've interviewed extensively with the company's contracted recruiter, and today I found out I will have an extended on-site interview this Monday.

Coincidentally, we were already planning a trip to Austin to attend an Independence Day party being hosted by Troy and Kristin, and to spend the rest of the long weekend with them. Having a long weekend visit with a strong possibility of a permanent move in the background will be just a tiny taste of what it will feel like to move back to Austin and be close to Troy, Kristin, and Osby. It's very exciting. I'm looking forward to the weekend, and many weekends after that.

The Burn of Running, Mowing, and Riding

After a long, strenuous ride on Saturday, I took a rest on Sunday. Vic and I watched TV, then watched the latest X-files movie, ran a few errands, but in general tried to stay out of the oppressive heat and humidity. By the end of the day, I was restless and ready to exert some energy on Monday. I set my alarm for 5am, and planned on riding intervals.

Lola decided to be an insomniac Sunday night / Monday morning, and around 4:30a on Monday I abandoned my early morning exercise plan, and reset my alarm for 6:45a. I woke up tired, thinking that maybe I would take Lola to the park later that day. Instead, I took the cat to the vet, and it was another long day without exercise. That night, I set my alarm for 5:30a, and planned to get up and go for a run.

Lola cooperated, so yesterday I got up on time and ran 3 miles, albeit at my plodding ~10 minute mile pace. I knew I would be getting a little more exercise later, as I planned on mowing the grass, so I didn't push hard during the run. The run felt good, and after a shower and breakfast, I felt great and ready to face my daily job search.

Typicall, right when I wrap up my job search, Lola cooperates and naps from 11a-12:30p. I planned on mowing the grass while she napped, but a recruiter called me at 11a before I could get Lola in her bed. We talked until 12p, so Lola wasn't asleep until 12:15p. I threw on my work clothes, then walked outside into the south Texas oven and mowed the grass for 1.5 hours. We have a 20" human-propelled mower and a large lot. It ain't easy, and I was literally cooked after being in the midday sun for over an hour.

Speedo e-mailed me shortly thereafter and asked if I planned on riding our Tuesday evening ride. Since we're planning a family trip this weekend, and I knew I wouldn't get in a long ride, I said yes. I felt tired, but I wanted to ride.

We left from our usual start point, and put in 31 miles. The 15mph ESE wind was stiff, and we had a long, tough stretch of chipseal riding directly into it. We averaged 17 mph, but it felt like 20 mph. Once I made it home, I asked Vic if she would take care of Lola's bedtime activities. I was pooped.

I added up the calories for the day, with data from LIVESTRONG and GarminConnect. Here's the burn:

Running, 6 mph, for 0.5 hrs: 381 kCal

Mowing, Push, for 1.5 hrs: 907 kCal

Cycling (GarminConnect for my ride): 1963 kCal

TOTAL: 3251 kCal

I didn't feel guilty at all when I drank my MGD 64 while watching the Strangers with Candy movie on DVR, and I definitely felt no guilt when I did not set an alarm to wake up and exercise this morning.