Bikes, Backs, & Caffeine

Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On!

2010-01-10T15:24:00.001-08:00

I had planned to FINALLY start updating this scree and let you know more about the surgery I underwent last August, but then something a little more important came up...

Yesterday at 4:27 pm, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit Humboldt County. Although not as large as the Loma Prieta quake that I experienced in '89, this was still a good sized shaker. It started rather innocuously, so I just sat there. Then there was a loud "boom" and the place started shaking back and forth with quite a bit of force. The power went out and I watched the rhody bushes out back shaking as if in a strong wind. I could hear things falling in the office (nothing broken though). I got to the nearest interior wall and waited for the shaking to stop. It seemed to shake for about 20 seconds. Afterwards, I went through a mental checklist of things (water, checking for gas leaks, powering up the battery radio, etc.). I waited to hear the sirens of a tsunami alert, but the radio said there was no threat.

I drove down to the coffee roaster to see if there was any damage there, but the flashlight I had was pretty dismal (note to self - get better flashlight for roastery). Again, checked for gas leaks and other than a few things that fell off the wall and no power, everything appeared fine. I went back today after power was restored and everything is okay.

Charlie is out of town on business, but we've talked a few times since the quake. It appears that Eureka came off worst in this. Lots of broken windows, a few buildings knocked off their foundations, chimneys toppled, etc. There are lots of pictures on the web and a couple of videos. My favorite is the PlazaCam looking towards Tavern Row. You can check it out here.
And here's a video from inside the Arcata Co-op.

I will write about my recovery from surgery soon. And this time, I mean it!

Time to get back to it

2009-08-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've written anything here and there is much to talk about. I am putting my brain back into writing mode and will update this blog (maybe even with pictures) later this weekend. Promise!

T Minus 18 Days

2009-08-02T12:01:00.001-07:00

As the title says, only 18 days till I get my spinal column drilled into. I am really looking forward to some pain relief and having the ability to walk more than 50 feet without my legs going numb.

Charlie's work travel schedule is positively insane these days. Today she's on a flight to NYC. From there it's Arkansas, home for 2 days then back on a plane to Chicago and Milwaukee. Of course being out of the office means longer days at the office playing catch up, so our time together right now is pretty limited. I miss her...

One trip that she's looking forward to is to Vicenza, Italy for a trade show in September. We had hopes that I could take a few days off to travel with her, but the recovery from surgery will not allow it. I am heavily bummed since Vicenza is the home of Campagnolo and I would love to pay homage to one of the legendary brands in all of cycling. Maybe next year, I guess.

In the meantime, I have been working on a number of projects all leading to Interbike next month (!). Stay tuned for more news as it develops...

Ta ta for now.

And We're Back On!

2009-07-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Al-righty then! So now we have a NEW scheduled appointment for my back surgery on August 19, a week earlier than the old appointment. So I only have about 4 more weeks to prepare - unless they change things yet again, of course...

Not So Fast...

2009-07-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

An interesting week.

Charlie got a call from the doctor's office - the appointment for August 26 wasn't going to work for the doctor, so we'll have to reschedule. So now it could be as soon as July 29 or as late as August 19; we just don't know. It makes it just a little difficult to plan things that way.

As I said in my last post, Charlie and I are taking this chance to focus on losing some weight and getting into better shape overall. After my ride today (30 rolling miles @ about 17mph), my weight was 218.5, down about 5 pounds from last week. I am sure that some of that was sweat weight, so I won't be surprised to see it come back up when I weigh in tomorrow morning. But I am feeling better and can feel the weight difference. So, I need to keep riding more, drink less alcohol, and try to get some better sleep patterns going. The last appears to be the hardest to achieve, as I am not a fan of drugs (I only take ibuprofin for my back pain). Maybe the fitness will help the sleep - I can only hope...

52 Days

2009-07-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we finally have a surgery date -August 26. That means I have 52 days to get myself in the best shape possible, to make recovery as quick and pain-free as possible.

This weekend was the 4th of July Jubilee on the Arcata Plaza. As a Chamber of Commerce Board Member, I was expected to be there, and so I was. But I was in so much pain that I was pretty much useless to do anything. There's something embarrassing about standing around being in a conversation and, right in the middle, say that you have to sit down (before you fall down). The pain and numbness are really starting to get to me. I blew off two parties to which I was invited this weekend, simply because I knew that I wasn't going to be very sociable. Sometimes I wish I had some serious pain meds, instead of my friend, Vitamin I...

I've been riding but not nearly hard enough. So, yesterday I decided to push myself a little on the loop out to Blue Lake. I did the 14 city/hilly miles out in just under 45 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The headwind on the ride back slowed me down but I averaged almost 17mph for the ride. I am working on getting into a daily ride routine, riding to work and either riding the trainer upstairs or going for a longer ride after I get home. Add in some weight work and I think I'll be in good stead come August 26th.

This morning, I weighed 223.1 pounds. I want to get that down to 215 before I go in to the hospital. I think it's doable...

Oh yes, the doctor who will work on me is NOT the doctor I have been working with over the past 1 1/2 years; it's the Doctor from whom we got the second second opinion. My doctor doesn't feel an operation is called for (even after 2 second opinions), but won't say why - unless we drive down to see him in person. No telephone consults for this guy! Somehow, I just don't think it's worth driving 600 miles roundtrip, both of us taking a day off work (while losing a weekend) and spending a night in SF for a five minute explanation of why he doesn't want to work with me. I'll wait for a phone call instead...

Uh oh...

2009-06-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Charlie found that the test results were finally sent over to my doctor's office, so she called to set up a conference call with the doctor and me, so we could talk about surgery. Well, the call did NOT go as planned...

The receptionist was not our usual and was, from Charlie's perspective, abrupt and somewhat rude. And for some reason, the doctor, relaying through the receptionist, is not interested in taking the surgical route! I really do not understand; why, if he didn't want to do surgery, did he have me get two "second opinions?" Even worse, he gave no explanation for his decision.

At this point I no longer trust this doctor, and Charlie is in conversation with the doctor we saw 2 weeks ago about having him open me up. In my opinion, if the doctor doesn't want to work on me, I certainly don't want him cutting in to my spine!

So, for now, it's back - yet again - to Square One. I had prepared myself for the operation, and now we don't know when or where or even if I'll be getting my back fixed.

Frustration is nowhere near strong enough to describe my feelings right now. Stay tuned...

Waiting again...

2009-06-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

It's been almost two weeks since we visited the doctor for the second opinion and my doctor has not received the transcripts. If I offered the kind of "customer service" that UCSF Medical Center does, I would be out of business.

So I sit here waiting for the reports to get to my doctor. Meanwhile, nothing happens. The doctor doesn't want to schedule a phone consult until he's had time to review the report, which is understandable. And of course, since there's no phone consult scheduled, there's no surgery scheduled. The doctor goes on vacation for the first two weeks in July. So, the soonest surgery MIGHT be towards the end of next month.

So I wait. And wait. And continue to live in increasing pain and sleep less and less.

A Second Second Opinion

2009-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Got home yesterday from another drive to UCSF Medical Center, this time to meet with the head of the Spinal Center. Dr. McCormack wanted another second opinion on a course of action (the neurologist recommended a triple partial laminectomy).

After waiting for 3 hours in the lobby (we had been warned by staff that he was running late), we finally had a chance to speak with Dr Weinstein. He was very personable with a friendly bedside manner. After the now-obligatory walks around the room (walk away, walk on your toes, walk on your heels) and reflex tests, we got to the meat of the matter.

We were basically given a choice of all-at-once or two-stage surgery options. The all at once option would be to fuse the four vertebrae in question and also deal with the spinal stenosis. This would be a major surgery, with significant invasion and recovery time. An interesting side note: in looking at the x-rays, the doctor noted that the L5-S1 area was almost totally fused on its own, due to the deterioration of the disc.

The second option would be to deal with the stenosis now to relieve the numbness in my legs that hampers my mobility and see how that affects the back pain. The possibility exists that relieving the pressure on the spinal canal and the nerves emanating from it might diminish the constant pain I feel. This surgery would be done with minimally invasive surgery and result in only about 10 days of recovery time. Needless to say, we are leaning toward this option. The possibility exists that we would still have to deal with the fusion at a later date, though. But I have lived with back pain most of my life, so I ma willing to give this a chance.

Now we wait for the report to Dr. McCormack and another consultation. Then, with any luck, we can get surgery scheduled right away. Charlie's travel schedule has a couple of openings coming soon, and it would be great to have this not be too disruptive to her work schedule.

This situation has been very debilitating. I have been able to spend less and less time able to stand and/or walk without having to take time to sit to recover. I find myself getting depressed and angry a lot as we wait and wait for some sort of resolution. Charlie has been wonderfully supportive, in spite of my moods. She is an amazing woman and I love her so much and look forward to the time when we can travel and have fun together again soon.

The Arrogance of Non-Profits - A Rant

2009-05-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had two very different experiences dealing with two different non-profit organizations. One was local, the other national, which may explain some of the differences. Let me explain...

The first one is a local non-profit to which we had donated product for the past 5 years for their annual fundraising raffle. The name is not important. This group is not particularly close to our mission statement of supporting cycling and outdoor non-profits, but we had first supported them when we had just started, so we continued to donate someting each year anyway.

This year, I first get a call from a member of the group, not so much asking as telling me that we'll be donating again this year! Okay, so the "presumed close" is a well-used tradition in sales, so I wasn't all that offended, but after I agreed to donate, he then told me (no asking) that he would be by to pick up the donation over 2 weeks before the event. As many of you know, I pride myself on the freshness of my coffee, so I asked if it didn't make more sense to pick it up the week of the event. "No," he said, "It would be easier for me if we could get it earlier. So please have it ready."

So, I put the basket together on the requested day, and guess who doesn't show up? Guess who doesn't call? Guess who sends an email the next day (to "undisclosed recipients") stating that it would be more "efficient" if the donations would be picked up the week of the event? No "I'm sorry for the inconvenience" or anything. Oh, and the following was at the end of the note: "Please advise your staff that we'll be picking up the donations." Sir, yes, sir! I wrote back stating that the basket was ready per his earlier request, and that the only day to pick up the basket that week would be Monday, as Kinetic Koffee would be closed the rest of the week. No response...

The week before the event, another "undisclosed recipients" email. This one states that the donations would be picked up on Wednesday and again, "advise your staff" as these people are very busy and can't be kept waiting around while someone finds their donation. I again politely respond, stating that the office will be closed after Monday, per my last email. The guy calls me and acys rather exasperated that no one would be there on Wednesday, but he'll change his plans and come on Monday. Gosh, thanks! Sorry to inconvenience you!

So he shows up on Monday, not looking happy at all about having to change his plans to accomodate my schedule. I give him the $60 basket and he finally smiles and says, "Thank you" and quickly leaves.

But wait, there's an epilogue! About 2 weeks later, there's another email. Was this a Thank you?" Well, no. This one is addressed to all donors and says that many of us had not picked up the commemorative items to which we were entitled as donors. Attached was a spreadsheet showing what you could choose to receive, based upon the value of your donation. Remember, I gave a $60 basket. Well, since I gave less than $100, I was not entitled to anything. At the bottom of the email were words to the effect, "Please disregard this message if you did not qualify for these items." Someone at the organization could have (and should have) taken the minute or two to figure out who was eligible and who was not. Those who did not "donate enough" should not have even seen this email, unless the intention was to shame us into donating more next year.

You can be assured that Kinetic Koffee will most definitely NOT be supporting this group in the future. Luckily, not all non-profits are this bad.

On the other hand, I had the absolute pleasure to work with Chris Strout at World Bicycle Relief again. The experience was a polar opposite to the local group. Kinetic Koffee always does fundraising at the Sea Otter Classic, and this year we chose to support WBR. Chris and his staff were very enthusiastic and excited. They asked what we wanted or needed to make it a success for both groups and supplied us with a banner, pamphlets, and stickers to give away. The fundraising didn't go as well as we had hoped (hot weather is not very conducive to sampling hot coffee), but the folks from SRAM (WBR's founder is a co-founder of SRAM) came over often to check in to say how much they appreciated what we were doing and seeing if we needed anything. I had said something to one of the SRAM folks about how disappointed I was in our sales and he said that the money didn't matter. Just the fact that we were doing what we could to spread the word about WBR was enough. Truly heartwarming to me.

You can be assured that Kinetic Koffee will do all it can to support this group in the future. And I would ask that anyone who wants to support a great group with a wonderful misson to send a donation to them, please!

Respectfully submitted,

Has it really been over a month???

2009-05-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Things have gotten a little out of control this past month - both in a good way and a bad way. I promise to give a full update tomorrow.

Lots to write about...

Caffeine, the last legal stimulant

2009-03-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

I will give an update on my back this weekend - promise! In the meantime, my friend Dirk sent me an interesting link on the effects of caffeine on athletic performance. You can read it here.

I was a test subject in a similar study at Cal State San Jose back in the mid-90's. Of course, this was when I was racing and much, much fitter than I am today. I'll have to dig out the results and post them...

Starting the Positive Spin...

2009-03-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, if there is one bright spot in this whole surgery thing, it's that it'll be great motivation to really get in shape before the surgery. I figure that I've got about 6 weeks to work out and lose about 10 pounds before I go under the knife.

Why get fit before surgery? It will (I hope) allow me to recover much faster than I would otherwise.

Why wait? Well, this week is Canoecopia and next month is Sea Otter. Both are very important for Kinetic Koffee and we cannot afford NOT to be at either event. Ergo, the operation must wait until the end of April.

Make sense?

It's Official

2009-03-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

Well, today I received the news I had been preparing to get for the past 6 months - surgery was recommended by the neurologist that I visited today in Redding. He looked at the MRIs and the results of the EMG, tapped me with a hammer (not my head, though) and stuck me with pins (feel this? feel this?). His prognosis: partial laminectomies in at least two locations.

So, now it's back in the neurosurgeon's court. And of course I need to bring someone up to speed soon as a roaster so the company can continue in my absence. Looks like I have a lot to work on.

But first, there's Canoecopia next week (I am really looking forward to spending time with my friends in Madison) and Sea Otter next month. They'll be interesting, that's for sure...

Saturday Ramblings

2009-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, another month is over, and none too soon. I'll be happy when the rains stop (or at least aren't happening daily) and I can get outside on the bike more often. I just finished a nice ride in the Bottoms - my first ride outdoors in over two weeks, I think. The roastery has been busy this month, up over 10% over last February, and that's meant less time on the trainer than I would like. At last weigh-in, I was still over 220 (although just barely) and I had set a goal of 215 by Sea Otter in April. Let's see if I can hit it...

We're just about ready to pull the trigger on all new labels for the coffee, and I am really stoked at how they turned out. Lush did a great job of giving each roast a distinctive look - yes each roast will have a different label; horrah! - and I believe that it will encourage better sell through in the stores. If all goes well, we'll make the transition before the end of March.

Speaking of March, it's time for one of my favorite consumer events - Canoecopia, in Madison, WI. My forends at Rutabaga Paddlesports have created THE paddlesport event in the Midwest and I feel honored to be invited for the past four years. It gives me a chance to interact with customers, and it feels great to have the same people come by year after year for my coffee. Best of all, Canoecopia give me the opportunity to see many good friends - Jeff and Darren, John, Bill, Pat, my friends at both Yakima and Thule, and others. I'll be staying at the home of an old friend from my SBC days, Al. I am really looking forward to seeing all of them!

Team Lost Coast Brewery visits Kinetic Koffee

2009-02-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Team Lost Coast Brewery has been conducting a training camp here locally over the past week, and Friday they stopped into the roastery for a visit. We started sponsoring the team last year, and they've been an absolute pleasure to work with! This is a group who know what sponsorship means - not just taking product to use, but actually promoting the sponsor and doing what they can to sell the product to prospective customers. To that end, they asked for a tour of the roastery and wanted to know more of the story behind the coffee as well. One team member actually worked for one bike shop account, recently moved and is now working for another. How cool is that?

Here's a picture of the team with GearHead.

And because it's what I do, here are some sunrise/sunset pictures from this week - a spectacular week for 'em.

Enjoy.

Photos from Friday the 13th

2009-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was supposed to be an unlucky day, but there were spectacular sunrise and sunsets, bookending the rain, wind, and hail for the rest of the day. Unlucky, indeed!

Morning sunrise from the Kinetic Koffee World HQ.

Evening view from the porch at the house.

And people wonder why we live here???

Out of the Habit...

2009-02-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I just noticed that it's been more than 2 weeks since I've updated this thing. I blame that evil Facebook for sucking me in to its gaping maw...

Anyhoo, the call with the doc didn't go as we expected. Instead of moving forward, we're moving sideways. Rather than surgery, he now wants me to see a neurologist for more testing. Seems the neuropathy is worse than I thought, and he wants it checked out by a specialist. And I had myself all psyched up to go under the knife, too.

On the plus side, it means that I can move forward (carefully) with travel plans for Kinetic Koffee. So, I've booked the flights to Madison, WI next month for Canoecopia and hotels for Sea Otter in Monterey, CA in April. I am really excited to go to both of these events, since it's an opportunity to talk directly to customers and see old friends. I just hope my back can take the stresses involved (plane travel, long walks between flights, booth setup and manning). Time will tell.

Another advantage of waiting is that it gives me a chance to get into better shape, thereby possibly cutting down recovery time and keeping the almost inevitable weight gain to a minimum. To that end I've set up a trainer upstairs at the roastery so I can ride at least 30 minutes a day at the office. I feel really good about riding four out of the past five days.

On a completely different subject, I am planning to start scanning some of my old racing and touring photos into digital format. I'll probably post some to Facebook, as my old friend Jeff Morseburg has. Man, it's been a real trip down memory lane seeing the old Montrose Cycle Club photos. I rode for them for about 4 years and, with Kevin Lutz, coached the velodrome riders. I thnk I still have an old business card from the club showing VP and Coaching Staff. I hope to start the process this weekend, as it's supposed to rain, rain, rain...

That's all for now...

I'm Nervous...

2009-01-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

...because tomorrow afternoon is a tele-conference with my doctor in SF. We're expecting that he'll finally have enough information from all the tests to decide on a course of action, and if so, when we can do the deed.

I see it going one of two ways - either it'll be a simple arthoscopic surgery with minimal downtime, or it's a major, open up the back for 6-8 inches and fix a bunch of things with a 3-4 month recovery.

Of course, there IS a third option - unable to pinpoint the problem, so more tests and attendant delays in treatment.

I just want to get it over with and get back to being pain-free...

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on?

2009-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

When I read about the newly discovered fault in Arkansas the other day, it got me to thinking about quakes around here as well.
I live in one of the most seismically active areas in the country, right next to the Mendocino Triple Junction of the North American, Pacific, and Gorda tectonic plates. Not that I don't have reminders every day. Here's a sign that sits in front of Kinetic Koffee.
Somehow, I always feel a little better when I pass one of these signs. This one is on US 101 climbing away from Moonstone Beach.

And I somehow feel a little more nervous when I ride past this one.

Be safe out there...

What is that bike?

2009-01-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

I have had a few people ask about the bike in my header. It's a frame I built back in the mid 80's when I worked for Santana Cycles in Claremont, CA. The head builder taught me how to braze and this was my first attempt. It's a track frame made of Columbus Multi-Shape tubing and entirely fillet brazed. Every tube is a differnt shape, from the teardrop shaped down tube to the left chainstay's triangle shape and the right chainstay's oval/round cros-section. Why didn't I just pick a set of round tubes for my first complete frame? I don't know; I thought I might as well try something a little more difficult, I guess. I had the painter at Santana paint it the same color Imron as the Arriva S racing tandem. Sadly, I screwed up the geometry and the seattube ended up far too slack for use on the track (it's conical and I lined up the jig on the back side, giving about a 68 degree angle). So it's a fixie these days.

If there's interest, I'll post more pictures of it.

Back behind the Redwood Curtain

2009-01-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend in the Bay Area, attending a reunion of ex-Specialized employees. Man, it was so great to see so many faces from my memories. Specialized was not always a fun place to work (many have called it "Pressurized"), but I have many fond memories of the place and especially the people. I still see many of them at Interbike each year, but others have moved away from the industry. There were many I hadn't seen in 10 years or more!

I had hopes of seeing a couple of my old outside rep partners, especially Dave and John, but neither was able to make it.

I was supposed to see my doctor while I was down there, but the local imaging center did not send the last x-rays to him to review. Maybe I am not understanding, but to me, when a doctor orders x-rays, I would think that the doctor would want them to be sent right away. Somehow this escaped the logic of the office, and they had simply filed them away, waiting for a phone call, I guess, to send them on. Dumb, dumb, dumb...

Anyway, the last few days have been spectacular here in Humboldt. Clear, calm, and unseasonably warm - in the 60's! I took an hour out of the day yesterday to go for a ride and it felt GREAT! Usually in January, it's cold and usually overcast and raining. And the Aleutian geese are migrating in huge flocks right now. Many of them land in the marsh behind the roastery. What an incredible din as they honk at each other.

And a redtailed hawk was watching them carefully from on top of a temporary structure built by World Shelters. We may incorporate part of a shelter into our booth at Interbike this year. Stay tuned for more...

Finally, here is your sunset du jour. Enjoy.

So much for New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

It seems to be hard to make the time to write this thing! That said, I have been spending WAY too much time on Facebook recently. It's been a lot of fun reconnecting with old friends and such, but it really eats into the time that I could spend working on this!

I got involved with Facebook due to a fun event that I'll be attending this weekend in San Jose, the X-SWorkers reunion, a gathering of former Specialized Bicycle Components employees. It's being organized on Facebook, so it just made sense to start using it. It looks like over 50 folks will be there - I am excited to see them! I'm bringing a bike, since the weather is suppose to cooperate. It'll be good to ride some of the old roads after so many years in Arcata.

The holidays were full, with Kevin coming home from NC for a week, and all the madness of the season. It was especially stressful for me since it rained almost every day, so I couldn't ride outside, and Kev was staying in the guest room/workout room so the trainers had to be put away for the duration.

Here are the obligatory holiday snapshots for your viewing pleasure...

The Tree

The traditional Dinner (with lots of Pinot)

The Family

I plan to update this more frequently, but we all know how those plans can go awry...

Bad Bicycle Designs Website

2008-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

My old friend Gary Coffrin sent a link to a site by Charles Kelly of some of the worst bicycle designs in recent memory. You really need to check these out!

The interesting thing to me was the Alenax, which used levers rather than cranks to propel the bicycle. I remeber seeing these at the trade shows for years, but I don't know of any dealers who acually sold any.

Not exactly a new idea, as I have a poster from c.1909 with the very same concept.

Look familiar?

Again, this shows that there is very little that is truly new in the bicycle industry. Sometimes it takes a while for technology to catch up with concept (full suspension bikes were made in the late 1800's) and others are just plain wrong no matter the era...

Playing Catch Up

2008-12-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

I just realized that it's been a while since I've added anything to the blog (some would argue that I have yet to add anything...), but today is my first day off at the roastery since my last entry. Even then, I was in the office for three hours today getting caught up on long-neglected maintenance there.

A highlight of the past few weeks was having my brother stop over on his way from Portland to the Bay Area. We hadn't seen each other for awhile and it was great to see him and his wife, Shelley again. Of course, the week he chose to drive down corresponded with our first major winter storm. So the usual 7 hour drive turned into more than 10 as he had to drive through rain, hail and snow to get here. We even had snow here, but it didn't stick.

We went to dinner at one of our favorite hang-outs, the Plaza Grill, where we shared a bottle of Seven Deadly Zins and a fabulous dinner.

Mike, Shelley, Charlie and me. Note the check is still sitting there...

Too early the next morning, we bid adieu to them as they had to drive another 7 hours to their son's house in Livermore. Charlie and I really have to get up Portland way to see their new house in person...

It was the worst of times; It was the best of times...

2008-12-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

Things have been more than a bit crazy the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving weekend was very full - a full-on dinner Thanksgiving Wednesday evening for our daughter, a bike ride on Thanksgiving am...

Overlooking Moonstone Beach

...followed by dinner with our friends, the LeBels. The rest of the weekend was spent tucked away at a neighbor's "cabin" in Willow Creek, a 45 minute drive from Arcata, and almost literally a world away. No internet, no cable tv, just a chance for Charlie and me to relax and chill (this would be the "best of times" part of the program) ...

The view from the kitchen

We took our AeroPress and some freshly roasted Kinetic Koffee Holiday Roast Sumatra with us and life was GOOD!

After a very busy week (including roasting both Saturday and Sunday), it was time to drive to Lakeport (3.5 hours south) to get ready for a 10am appointment Monday at the Neurology Center there. I spent over 2 hours being electrocuted while the doctor tried to figure out what was going on with my back and the numbness in my legs. Final diagnosis: "undetermined." (This would be the "worst of times" part). I have some neuropothy in both legs (meaning that the nerves are being damaged by the compression in my back) and I have lost sensation in both feet. Not enough to worry about yet, but rather troubling..

On the plus side, local dungeness crab is back in season and Charlie and I just had our first fresh crab of the season tonight, with a very nice Napa Viognier. Mongo like crab!

Sunset du jour

Another nice weekend

2008-11-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Since it rained on Saturday, it was a good day for doing chores around the house. After spending some time on the trainers, Charlie got busy making some homemade Apple Butter with the friut from our tree out back...

... while I went to the Roastery, to clean and service the roaster.

Believe me, it's a dirty job, but it sure beats having a fire in the roaster from the build up of oils. Note the black build up on the inside of the doors; that is evidence of a small fire from a few weeks ago. It's a bitch to clean, I'll tell you!

As the storm cleared late in the day, it made for a spectacular sunset that evening!

On my ride around Humboldt Bay this morning, there were quite a few egrets, but I could only get one to stand still for me.

I made a quick stop towards the end of the ride at Cafe Brio, on the Arcata Plaza, for a nice sticky bun and some excellent espresso from Blue Bottle Roasters of Oakland. Competitive Analysis is a tough job, but when it comes to coffee, I am glad to do it.

Back at home, I finally completed a project that has been going on since March - the Rossin is now ridable!

New toys

2008-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Fed Ex left me two new toys today - an NOS Cinelli 1-A Stem in 140mm and a set of Campagnolo down tube braze on shifters. The joys of eBay...

Cool! This weekend, the Rossin will be fully operational!

Sadness

2008-11-19T05:44:00.000-08:00

At the end of the day at the roastery, I received the following:

My friends,

Bonnie passed away on Monday, November 17th.
Memorial plans are still pending; I will let everyone know what is planned, after I meet with her family this coming weekend. I have lost my best friend, my muse, my soul mate.....do something kind for somebody, in Bonnie's memory.
Larry & Jennyanydots
Larry and I have been friends for over 30 years and he has been as close as a brother to me . He's been through some bad times, but the last time I saw him with Bonnie, he seemed at peace for the first time in years. My heart goes out to him and everyone whose life has been touched by Bonnie.

Weird Weekend

2008-11-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

It was a strange weekend for me. I woke up on Saturday really bummed out for some reason. I think it was because I slept so poorly because my back hurt so much. I had seen a new PT/Massage Therapist on Thursday who really tweaked me hard and I was unable to sleep since. All I know is, I was a real shitty person to be around all day. Poor Charlie...

And it was a beautiful day outside! Here was the sunrise looking out the front door. I love the fog down in the bottoms.

So I spent the day doing chores around the house, feeling like shit and feeling sorry for myself. Strange, I had NO interest in going out for a ride. For me, that's beyond bizarre.

On Sunday, I felt better, so I went for a 30 mile ride to sort my head out and get some much needed exercise. I came home in a much better mood, and Charlie and I had a nice dinner and watched another spectacular sunset. I am so lucky to have her in my life...

It's Coffee Time!

2008-11-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Abrand spankin' new shipment of beans arrived today. WooHoo! Time to ROAST!

And I got home early enough to witness another lover-ly sunset at the house.

And tonight is Date Night.

Yes, life is good...

Rainy days are good...

2008-11-08T16:51:00.001-08:00

For wrenching on bikes in the Bike Haus...

And, yes, I learned how to use the auto-timer on the new camera today!

It's raining in Humboldt (again)

2008-11-08T14:03:00.001-08:00

The fall/winter storm track has certainly started with storms seemingly lined up over the Pacific, waiting patiently in line to hammer us with rain and wind.

So, it's back on the trainer...

Watching the 2007 Tour of Flanders

I love stormy weather (except for the not riding part). It's been a nice week for sunrises at the roastery...

Taken two days ago

And sunsets from the front porch of the house.

Last night.

We went to see Martin Short last night at HSU. A VERY funny show that seemed to be over much too quickly.

Sunset over Humboldt Bay

2008-11-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Election Night from the front porch.

Back To Work

2008-11-04T11:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was both frustrating and encouraging. Frustrating because the doctor wants more tests. Encouraging because more tests means a better chance of pinpointing the root cause of my pain, rather than simply opening up the spine to "check under the hood" to see what's what. So, it's back to the hospital for more x-rays and an EMG. What fun...

Now it's off the the polls to vote. Have you voted yet? If not, GET IT DONE!!!

Waiting for the Doctor

2008-11-03T06:59:00.000-08:00

We're in San Francisco to visit with the spinal specialist this morning to discuss surgical options. Very slow internet connection, so just a brief update. Wish me luck...

Pics from the Haunted Lab when I return.

Long Days

2008-10-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is as bad as a trans-Pacific flight! Up at 5:30, to the Roastery by 7 to roast, close up at 4:30, head to the Kinetic Lab, set up the Kinetic Koffee tent, work the Haunted Lab of Horrors until midnight, then go home, go to bed and do it all again the next day. Rinse and repeat for 3 days and nights...

Here's a shot of the tent at the closing of the first night. I shot this with my new camera (Olympus FE-340) and no flash.

Only 3 more nights to go! I'l try to get some shots of the crowds and inside later.

Sunrise at the Roastery

2008-10-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Pretty spectacular view from the back door yesterday morning...

Tonight's the first night of the Haunted Kinetic Lab of Horrors. I'll try to get some pics. Everyine has really worked their collective asses off to bring this together - and all volunteers!

It's going to be a long, long rest of the week - working at the roastery from 7-4, then going to the lab and working until after midnight. At least we'll have some Kinetic Koffee to keep us going.

Kinetic Lab of Horrors

2008-10-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the weekend at the Kinetic Lab, helping to convert it from an artists' studio to the Haunted Lab of Horrors. This is the fourth year for it, and this year looks to be the best yet. Here's Charlie looking rather stunned in "The Vortex." Imagine trying to walk around in a room like this. Then try it in the dark - with a strobe light. And that's just the beginning of the tour...

See you there?

I LOVE my job!

2008-10-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

I just received some sample coffees to roast - An El Salvador and a first for me, an Indian coffee. I will be roasting and cupping them tomorrow. Maybe one will become next month's Special Roast. Yum!

Yesterday is your Birthday!*

2008-10-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I turned a year older - yet again. But you know, it sure beats the alternative...

It was a great day, a beautiful day for a ride, so I went for a ride from home out to the coast and north to Trinidad. I stopped at the old railroad bridge on the Hammond Trail over the Mad River and took this shot:

It was an incredible day; the view of Clam Beach from 101 near the airport towards Trinidad Head was spectacular. Here is my homage to MasiGuy's blog. It was reading his blog that convinced me to give it a try. So blame him (sorry, Tim)...

I rode past Camel Rock, a local landmark, and stopped for a shot of my Merlin, since I didn't get the Masi Gran Criterium I wanted for my birthday...

After the ride, Charlie and I went to a friend's house for appetizers before heading back up the coast to Moonstone Grill, where we had a wonderful dinner, including an excellent 2000 Lambert Bridge Crane Creek Cuvee, watching the surfers and beach walkers while the sun set into the ocean.

A day just doesn't get any better than that...

*a bad, bad play on the Beatles' "Happy Birthday." Sory...

Greg LeMond needs to go away

2008-10-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to say that, as I have been a fan of LeMond since his days as a junior rider in Northern California. He was undoubtably one of the best riders of his generation. But this drumbeat of accusations aboot Lance Armstrong is getting, well, boring.

Now, with Armstrong making a comeback to professional cycling after an absence of 4 years, LeMond says that the anti-doping doctor that was hired to assure the public that Armstrong is riding clean isn't good enough for him (LeMond, that is). LeMond now seems to consider himself an anti-doping expert who knows exactly who is doping and who is not - without even needing to see data to back it up. Yes, cycling has been going through a bad doping era, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel, with the new tests for CERA (see Ricco, Schumacher, Piepoli, etc.), the biological passport and other measures. But to LeMond, that light is an oncoming train...

Greg, you disrupted Armstrong's press conference at Interbike, and now you claim that all the sports physiologists are engaging in an "omerta" to save their own skins. So, in your mind, the entire sport is corrupt - except you.

That's just sad, and you need to just shut up and go ride your bike. I suppose that Greg will sue me for defamation now...

Another meeting with the Doctor

2008-10-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had a follow up visit with the Pain Center doctor. The cortisone shots did not help things, so we needed to talk about next steps. He suggested some electrical implants to "short curcuit the pain. Interesting stuff, this. I would get wires attached to my spinal column and connected to a battery under the skin next to the spine. As I understand it, there'll be some sort of control that woudl allow me to turn the stimulator on or off and change the intensity. There's a lot of research for me to do before I even consider this option; it just seems kind of sci-fi to me.

Dopers Suck!

2008-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

I am just disgusted... Cyclingnews.com just announced that Stefan Schumacher and Leonardo Piepoli just tested positive for EPO at the Tour de France. That makes, what, four or five stages out of 23 won by dopers???

I think I'll go for a ride tonight after I finish at the roastery. I really need to clear my head...

Bachelor's Weekend

2008-10-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Charlie's gone this weekend, visiting her son, so what do I do? Spend most of the weekend at the roastery, tearing down and cleaning the roaster. Man, I sure know how to party... I did get on my trainer both mornings. If you haven't tried the Kurt Kinetic Rock N Roll trainer, you are missing one of the most realistic riding trainers I have ever experienced.

I had a wonderful coffee from a friend's roastery today - a Kenyan coffee by Drake's Fine Coffee Roasting. John, the owner, also owns a bicycle shop (see a pattern here?), and he was a customer of mine when I was at Specialized. A little smokier than I like, but a nice smooth cupping coffee. I need to see what organic Kenyan is out there for a Limited Edition Roast...

The Back Story

2008-10-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a hectic time lately, with the Interbike trade show and appointments with a pain specialist. So, here's the story on my back.

It appears that I have a congenitally weak back. I first had troubles in my teen years when I went through a tremendous growth spurt (6 inches in just over 3 months, finally stopping at 6'5" tall). My first big issue came when I herniated a disc (L5/S1) in 1989 and had a partial laminectomy. The recovery time was about 3 months before I could get back on a bike. The doctors noted that I had rather advanced arthritis in my back for a 35 year old and said that back issues were going to be a long term issue for me. Instead of moping around, I got back on my bike(s), continued to work out and have completed many of my cycling goals in life. I exercised caution when lifting things, and kept my back in pretty good shape for quite a while.

But in the past year or so, the back has gotten much worse. Besides the sharp pains in the lower back, my legs would go numb after only a few minutes of standing and walking became unbearable. There were many visits to my chiropractor, massages, homeopathic remedies, all with no results. Finally, a series of MRIs and X-Rays showed extensive bone spurs, 3 bulged discs, advanced arthitis, and stenosis in 3 vertibrae. I find it increasingly difficult to walk or even stand for any period of time, although I can sit and even ride a bike without pain. The specialist I saw at Cedars-Sinai Spinal Center in LA told me that my cycling has, most likely, kept me out of a wheelchair. We've benn working on a conservative pain relief approach, using cortisone injections to lessen the swelling and the pressure on the nerves, but after three injections and no relief, it's time to look at more aggressive measures, including the option of surgery. I'll be meeting with my local pain specialist this week to discuss what we can do.

So, I ride as much as I can, wear a back brace when I am going to have to stand or walk, keep the weight down (I saw 214 for the first time in years today!), and make preparations for some down time after the first of the year. Being pain free would be really nice; I have a lot of things I still want to do in this life, and most of them require walking or standing...

Today was a Good Day

2008-07-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

I started the day with a nice big cup of Kinetic Koffee Breakfast Buzz that I roasted a couple of days ago. Mmmm, smooth... After making breakfast for my lovely wife, Charlie (a regular weekend ritual in our house), I got on the Merlin for a nice semi-easy 28 mile ride past Blue Lake, up the hill to the weigh station on Hwy 299, then down the mountain, back through Blue Lake on 299 and back to Arcata. Average speed was only 15.4mph with the final climb back to the house - not bad for just getting back on the bike again.

The best part of the ride was seeing a doe and her two fawns crossing the road near Blue Lake. As a SoCal born and raised kid, I am constantly amazed at the wildlife that surounds us here on the North Coast. We have had deer, foxes, racoons and opposums in our back yards, while the mountains around us are also home to black bears and mountain lions, both of which occasionally come into town to shake up the neighborhoods. As I finished my ride, I was pleaseantly surprised to come across Charlie and our friend Ellen just finishing a ride of their own through the Arcata Bottoms .

The afternoon was spent working in the "Bike Haus" building up an old Rossin that a friend had traded with me. Late 70's vintage frame, so Campagnolo Nuovo Record components were the only choice possible. It's almost complete - I only need to find some braze-on shifters and glue on some tires to make it ridable. I need to find a longer stem for it, though; the 12cm Nitto needs to be replaced with a 14cm. Cinelli 1A or 3ttt SuperLeggero to make it really "right." It's going to be a sweet ride...

And so to begin...

2008-07-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's about time I joined the world wide blog, so here I go...

This blog will tend to be about two of my favorite things (bicycles and coffee) and one that I deal with on a daily basis (my bad back). I will probably write about other things as well, so let me know what you'd like to hear about. My inspiration to finally get started on this has been reading and enjoying two blogs, MasiGuy and canoelover, both of whom are far, far better writers than I.

I hope you'll enjoy my occasional rants on this page.

Ever onward...