Semester Done!

I have actually finished the semester. There have been days this semester that I did not know if I would make it to today. It is here and now it is time to head to NC for a few weeks. Then back here for riding and lots of writing papers for publications. It is now summer time and I and going to be very happy to get a little time to relax and get some miles in with friends back in NC.

Finishing strong

At the end of last week I finished two more studies that did not have the best results from a quick analysis. I still have a lot more analysis to do and there is a hint that I might have something significant to write about but as usual nothing is clear and easy to see. Atleast I have been able to get two new IRB proposals and hopefully the process with the IRB will go quickly and we will have everything taken care of that they need and I will have two more studies to run this summer which should be even more likely to produce significant results.

I have finished everything this semester with the exception of 1 final that I have on Thursday. After that it is time to head back to NC and see some friends and family for a few weeks before I have to head back and get back to work. Atleast this summer I will have to main things to focus on: Riding and Writing!

Now to study for the final and get everything taken care of so that we can leave.

Light at the end of the tunnel

So on the first Wednesday in many weeks I had time to ride today but of course the forcast was for some nasty storms so I figured that staying in and finishing up some stuff from the semester was the best bet and of course no rain has come and I would have had time to ride. I guess from now on when debating the answer is always to ride. Rain or Shine.

Atleast the semester is almost over and the number of things that I have to do are much lower. In fact at this point the majority of my big tasks are at the point that I just need to put some finishing touches on three projects and I will only have two finals left! 7 classes left for me to attend until I am only on the other side of the class (teaching that is) and getting paid to be in a classroom!

In addition to the end of the semester coming soon I only have a week and 2 days until two studies that I am running are complete. If things work out then the last two years of work will all pay off. If not then we will see. Maybe some exploratory work will provide some publishable material when standard analyses have not.

Plus at the end of the semester I get to head to NC and see some old friends. With the little amount of riding I have done lately I have a feeling my friends are going to make me pay for it.

my day on 4/16

What a difference a few weeks can make. Just two weekends ago I felt like a real person. I got to ride on Saturday and Sunday, my wife and I spent time together on Satruday and Sunday afternoon and we got to sit outside and grill on Saturday night. However, since that time I have done nothing but work work work. Now I don't mind working hard. I like to work hard. It lets me feel good about playing hard when I get to but what I don't like so much is working hard 7 days a week all day and never getting time to spend relaxing with my wife. This semester should be over within a matter of weeks and the list of things that I have to do just keeps getting longer. Many of the things on the list I don't mind and I am looking forward to doing because I know that they are important to my career and they are the reason I am here any way. I really want to work on this journal article that I have been needing to get to for the last month. But instead I am spinning my wheels doing pointless work that will not benefit me professionally. At least this is the last semester of classes that I have and from now on the work that I will be doing (research and teaching) will be the reason that I am here.

This morning I am fighting with the computer in the lab that I use. It is on it is way out and not starting for me. On top of that my laptop won't connect to the internet thanks to this schools weak wireless network so I can't even use my laptop to get the work done that I need to do! So I figured that taking a minute and writing this so I could post it when I get home would be the best way to try and restart the day.

Crashing

I hate crashing! Today I crashed on the road for the second time since I have been riding seriously. I should feel luck that in 6 years I have only crashed twice but the first time cost me the frame on the bike my wife got me for Christmas. This time the only thing that it cost me was a new saddle and a new team kit. I had been looking at replacing my saddle for a while and luckly I just found the saddle that I wanted on sale and got it pretty cheap (75 bucks). Now I have a sweet looking selle italia SLR! The thing that kills me is the loss of my brand new team kit. I am hoping that I can get a another one since these were the most comfortable shorts and jersey I have ever worn!

I am still working on figuring out exactly why I crashed. I was taking a corner quickly but no faster than normal and suddenly my tires lost their grip and I was skidding across the pavement. I either leaned to far into the turn, hit some gravel, or a bump. Either way the result was the same. Hopefully getting back on tomorrow will not feel to bad. In fact sitting on a saddle will probably feel better than sitting anywhere else considering where the road rash is. Now if my pinkey finger will return to its normal color rather than the blueish color it is now!

I guess crashing is part of the game and the pro way is to get back on.

NEW TEAM--FCS/Metro Volkswagen

My new team kit is finally in and I can't wait to put it on and go for a ride. The new team has a club level team (the one that I am on) and an elite team (the big boys and girls). The elite team women are all working for a shot to go to Europe this summer and race over there. It is nice being on a team with an elite squad of young folks who may make it to the big leagues one day! Just trying to keep up with them provides all of the challenge I need.

Go Metro!

Austin Pictures

While we were down in Austin/San Marcos we made it down to the Alamo and Nici was not really all that impressed. She was so unimpressed that the only pictures that she wanted was a 140 year old live oak tree outside the Alamo:




On Sunday we managed to make it to Gruene and the we had a great lunch at the Grist Mill. It was a little cool but sitting out on the patio looking over the river was very nice.
Here is downtown Gruene:





After lunch at the Grist Mill we drove out to Wimberly and got to see some more of the Hill Country.






So hopefully it is obvious why Nici and I are ready to leave North Texas and either head to NC or down to Austin if we can't get back to NC