Katelyn

For those of you who have read earlier post about Jess and mine's friend Katelyn, I am very sad to say that she has passed away a few weeks ago. Many people will say what an amazing person she was and how her art was inspired. And both of those are very true. What I wish to touch on here is how difficult it is to know how amazing something is until it is gone. I always knew that Katelyn was an exceptional individual. Just her art could tell you that. But beyond that she was caring person (though one who would not baby you). Katelyn could be curt and introverted, but she was always there when someone needed her.

On New Years Ever two years ago, our Italian Art History class was in Rome. Most people went out to celebrate the New Year. I was too tired to head out. Lindsey didn't feel like it either. Katelyn couldn't go out because of an allergic reaction she had had to something (one of her eyes had swollen shut). The three of us sat in my window that night watching the fireworks across the city. The Collesium was exploding with colors as was the Palatian Hill. Every hill top had its own display. For that matter, most building had their own amateur display. We sat there talking about who knows what. But I will always remember and cherish that night.

Bike

As Jess can attest, I really do have a one track mind. Every once in a while (ok, almost every day) she catches me staring into space and asks, "What are you thinking?" She usually follows this with, "Bikes, right?" And she is almost always right. Lately I have been preoccupied with what bike I will be racing for 2011. My trusty F1 is a bit tired and as I will be racing for the shop's team, I will have to race on a Trek.

My original pick was a Superfly Elite. This carbon 29er  hardtail is the first 29er to place in a World Cup and World Championships. That's pretty slick. However, I am not a fan of how the bike handles. Yeah, it's light, well spec'd, and has a racing pedigree. But it just feels sluggish.

The other bike on the table is the Top Fuel 9.8. This is a carbon 26er 100 mm fully suspended race bike. The spec isn't what I want, but the XT components are easy to sell and switch to an XO/X9 mix. Here is my plan.

Buy the 9.8 and sell off the XT components before I even ride the bike (this might be difficult for me to pull off). Purchase the follow tasty bits.

XO Crankset (carbon crankset that is slightly stiffer and lighter than X9)
X9 Rear Mech (not much different than XO other than price)
XT Front Mech (gota go with Shimano for front mechs)
X9 Chain (ummm- almost the same chain as the XO for half the price)
XO Cassette  (100 g lighter than X9 + half the price of XX= winner)
XO or X9 Shifters (this is where I have some issues, XO are identical to X9 but have adjustable reach for the levers)
Other changed tidbits will be ESI Chunky grips, possibly a flat handlebar and different saddle.
Wheels may get upgraded with something  hand built of my own creation (thinking Stans Crest rims, DT Swiss spikes, DT Swiss 240 s hubs).

So let me know what you all think of my build.

A Ride

So last night was pretty rough. I went to pick Jess up from work last night with plans to go night riding. We did everything right. I packed the helmets, shoes, socks, tights, jerseys, and so on an so forth. I even remembered the lights and batteries. We grabbed food to go, ate at the trail head, froze our butts off as we changed and were good to go. Until I realized that my front tire was flat. And I had forgotten my floor pump. So I sat there with a mini-hand pump trying to inflate a 2.3 tire. Yeah right.

I don't think I have ever been as angry with the world as I was last night. Just ask Jess. You see riding is my emotional vent. And I mean riding, not sitting on a bike locked into a trainer. And I haven't gotten to ride much lately, though my stress level is through the roof. Between Katelyn's accident, Jess needing to find, me having "fun" at work, and so-on-and-so-forth, I have been racking up the stress knots in my back. I was furious to the point beating my self up.

I did what I had to do. I called David, canceled our workout and fixed my flat tire. And man did I ride. I don't think I have gotten that much relief from a bike ride.


So life is almost good again. But please keep Katelyn in your prayers and thoughts. And for those of you who actually pay attention to my ramblings, here is a snippet of whats coming next.

Damn it!

So I am already addicted to one online comic (Yehuda Moon). While Sarah was up over her winter break, she and Jess stayed up until 2 a.m. reading Questionable Content. I really don't need another website to check everyday. Nor do I need over a thousand comics to read over this weekend. But guess what I have been doing for the past hour. Yeah, catching up on QC. Here's is a link to my favorite one yet. QC If you like art/have a basic understanding of art history, you will enjoy this. If PG is your thing, just ignore it. Enjoy.

A Friend

Some of you reading this might already know this. A friend of Jess and mine was involved in a car accident about a week before Christmas.

Katelyn was Jess' "Sociology Twin", dorm neighbor, and trailer mate over the past few years. For me Katelyn was a traveling companion in Italy and a fellow art freak in college. She is also a friend. A friend who will tell it like it is and take no b.s. A staunch vegetarian, Katelyn used to buy meat that was about to expire to paint. When she complained to me that if felt wrong to buy meat. So Jared and I (at that point living in the trailer that Katelyn and Jess would later share) began taking our spoiled meat over to Emory for her to photograph. For Katelyn I once carried a slightly rancid fish across campus!

Katelyn has been in a coma since the accident. She seems to be making some progress, but as with anything this traumatic, there are good days and bad days. If you read this and are the praying type, please pray. If not, then keep her in you thoughts.

Here's to a great friend.