Prologue



Just notes. I haven't thoroughly proofread any of this and tried to 
limit the editorializing. I didn't work on this every day, so the days 
furthest from when I recorded them are a little sketchier. Someday, I 
might record a single day and provide a bit more about what I'm doing 
and a lot more about what I'm thinking while I'm doing it.



Just keeping in touch, guys. Recent pic attached.


Monday, October 18



I'm in Center, TX, 180 miles from home. Off work an entire day early. 
This never happens. Jump in the car at 9:30 AM and get half a mile down 
the road before my car sputters and dies. I call a wrecker; He shows up 
at 10:30. Get towed to a mechanic, who takes about 15 minutes to tell me 
that my car doesn't have a simple problem.



I walk down the road from the mechanic and grab a barbeque sandwich 
while he get changes the plugs, wires, and some gasket – a $280 
preliminary, diagnostic first step. Get back, hang out for a while, and 
find out that the car still won't stay running. He changes the timing 
belt. At this point, I'm no longer bothering to ask what any of this is 
going to cost me.



I call Carrie Ann, who offers to pick me up. She's on her way by 4:30 
PM. I'm writing all of this in the present tense, but this is the point 
at which I actually start taking notes in VIM. Yeah, VIM. Can't touch 
type, can't understand a C++ header file, don't especially like Star 
Wars or Trek, but I do like VIM. I do have a geek side somewhere in 
there, and if you know why by biggest problem with VIM is typing y, u, 
b, or n to move diagonally, then you'll know what even geekier think I'm 
doing waiting for Carrie Ann to pick me up.



Carrie Ann gets there a little before 8:00 PM. By this point, the 
mechanic has traced my problem back to contaminated gasoline, so Shell 
might end up paying for the repairs. Carrie Ann and I leave my car in 
small town Texas and head home. We arrive around 11.



Tuesday, October 19



No car, of course, and a lot to do. Carrie Ann leaves for work a little 
after 8:00. It feels too early to be up the day after work, so I lay 
dawn again till 9:30, which feels just right. I take a shower, get 
cleaned up, type a few notes, have some chicken and a protein drink, and 
I'm ready to go by 10:45. Run to the garage to jump on the BMX, but I've 
got a flat. I make some coffee, have a cup while I walk outside with the 
dogs and have another while I change the tire. It's almost noon now, and 
I'm not feeling "just right" about the time anymore. I feel like I'm behind.



A few pullups, a few pics, and I'm out the door on the bike. Finally, 
over 24 hours after getting off work, I'm actually doing something. I 
have a new bike at home in parts, and my intention when leaving the 
house is to hit the hardware and auto parts stores for supplies I need 
to get the bike assembled. The day is too nice and I spent yesterday 
confined at the mechanic's, so I'm not ready to get straight to "work." 
I put off the bike parts and head over to check out the progress on the 
resurrection of my favorite gym.



I take the long way along the bayou trail. I stop a few times along the 
way to walk down and look at fish or into culverts. At one stop, a real 
live Venus Flytrap pulls up on a bike to make sure I'm all right. "Got 
troubles, my man?" Venus says. Cool guy, and on a cool bike. Exactly the 
type of thing I'm building and I imagine he spends a lot of time on it, 
weaving though Houston and helping people with troubles.



Bally's on Dunstan was my hangout last year. The lockers were on their 
own floor and, including that floor, the gym had five stories. I worked 
out there for months before I realized there were more than three. Bally 
lost their lease, but 24 Hour is reopening the gym. I arrive to check on 
the remodel progress around 1:30 and see they've still got a long way to 
go. I'll be back to see you, favorite.



 From the gym, I head towards Daniel Boone's bike shop to look at 
saddles, but I won't make it. I stop along the way at an automotive 
store and pick up some mag polish for the bike, and leaving, notice a 
slow leak in the back tire. I top off the air at a gas station and race 
towards the Blue Line Bike Labs in the Heighs, where I know I'll be able 
to find the right sized tube. I make it as far as West Gray before the 
tire is too flat to ride on. I walk the bike to a Quick Lube, air up the 
tire again and gun it towards Blue Line.



Construction at the I-10 underpass on Studemont, so I have to carry the 
bike to cut through. When I set it down, I see that I'm out of air 
again. I walk the rest of the way to Blue Line, get a tube, and discover 
a piece of glass in the tire.



I head back to the Montrose area from there, stop at Southland Hardware 
for some boiled linseed oil. Head towards home on Westheimer and pick up 
a hundred pack of training pads for Boni. Boni is trained, but he can't 
go outside by himself, so we keep these down as a backup when we're out 
of the house. The hundred pack is a bit much to carry on the BMX. I have 
to limp home pedaling from the seat (the bike is intended to be ridden 
standing) and squeezing the pads between my elbows. Two blocks from the 
house, I hit another piece of glass and get a third flat.



Carrie Ann comes home shortly after that and she, Lilly, and I head off 
to watch the Gorillaz. After the concert, we meed Cody at his house and 
pick up my bicycle wheels. We bullshit with Cody a while and then home 
to bed.



Wednesday, October 20



I drop Carrie Ann off at work, so I've got a car to use for the day. 
Head straight from her office to the body shop where she's recently had 
the car painted. The body shop has a few decals yet to put on, but the 
owner tells me he wants to rebuff and touch up the car, so he'll need it 
for an entire day – not today.



I drive home and pick up my bike and box of parts. Then I stop by 
Jessica's for a haircut and a nearby bike shop where I meet a friend of 
Cody's who has agreed to assemble my bike for free. I ask him to just 
put on the parts that require expensive tools and we hang out for a bit 
while he does that.



 From there, I get to the real business of why I've borrowed Carrie 
Ann's car for the day. Today is her birthday, and I intend to have her 
radio fixed as a gift. She's been two years without a radio in her car. 
Takes a bit of doing, but I get this taken care of just in time to go 
pick her up from work.



I get Carrie Ann home, make a quick run to Home Depot for something I'd 
forgotten to pick up at Southland Hardware, then sit around the house, 
play a few rounds of Street Fighter with Lilly, and go to bed.



Thursday, October 21



I poke two holes into a potato, insert a pen into each of the two holes, 
and use these pins to hold my new cork bicycle grips while I lacquer 
them with amber lacquer.



And so goes the rest of my day: small details on the bicycle, breaks to 
eat and jump-rope, and a bit of time spent thumbing through a Clarence 
Bass book.



When Carrie Ann gets home, I borrow her car and make a trip to the 
grocery store.



Friday, October 22



More messing with the bike today. I put on my decals and take a nice, 
long test ride.



Around noon, I spend a few hours working on decals for another bike.



After that, I ride over to a bike shop and Westheimer and pick up spare 
tubes for the Moonlight Ramble Sunday morning. Obviously, my BMX tires 
have no flat protection, so I pick up some puncture-resistant BMX tubes 
as well.



Carrie Ann gets home around 5:30. I run and grab some tacos for her, 
Lilly, and Timo (it was his birthday Wednesday as well).



I mess with the bike a bit more while Carrie Ann cooks food for a party 
we'll attend tomorrow.



Dani shows up a bit later and she, Carrie Ann, and Lilly leave for 
Numbers. I stay behind and dig through some boxes in the garage looking 
for lost tools.



Saturday, October 23



I go to bed around 2:30AM when the girls get back.



Get up at 7:30 to meet Chris at Ballys gym near I'10 and Gessner. Around 
8:30, I climb aboard the BELAFONTE and ride over to the gym. We 
workouot, and I make it home around 11. Carrie Ann has made some 
incredible soup.



Carrie Ann is still cooking and preparing gift bags. I'm trying to tie 
an old CD player to my bike. I get the player attached, but all of my 
CDs are in my car which is still at a mechanic's shop 180 miles from 
home. I try to burn some CDs on my computer, but my computer is falling 
apart. I don't give up until almost 3:00, long after Carrie Ann, Lily, 
and Dani have left for the party.



I ride over to the party myself, meet up with Jake, and stay there till 
around 9. Head home and wait for my mother to show up for the Moonlight 
Ramble.



Mom shows up around 11.



Sunday, October 24



Dani went out. Carrie Ann and Lily are still at the house. Those two, my 
mother, Jake, and I (and later Dani) kill time watching youtube videos 
on the PS3 before we leave for the ramble at 1:00AM.



My mother, Jake, and I get to the ramble around two and meet up with 
Dustin and Nathan. We are among the last to leave and don't finish the 
ramble until after 5. Get home, snack on soup and some cookies my mom 
brought over, and go bed around six.



I get up at 10. Not enough sleep. I'm too tired to do anything 
productive or fun.



I successfully delay the TV binge for a few hours while Lilly, Dani, 
Carrie Ann, Jake, and I enjoy each other's company and the breakfast 
Carrie Ann has made. I can only put them off for so long, however, and 
the zombie time eventually starts. I'm into it for a couple of hours, 
but try unsuccessfully to escape by napping after that.



I'm the only one with food in the house, so I ride over and pick up 
roasted chicken and Mexican Cokes for everyone around 3:00.



A little after 7:00 and I know Jake's got to get on the road soon, so I 
suggest we all bike down and get gelato before he has to go. Lilly, 
Jake, and I make the trip. They have gelato and I have some steamed 
chicken buns.



Monday, October 25



Get up around 7:30AM and am once again aboard the BELAFONTE headed 
towards the dentist's office at 8:15. It takes me 40 minutes to get to 
the dentist's and 6 hours to get back.



I stop at Home Depot to find two small tools. Can't find them.



I decide to take the long way home through Terry Hershey park. The 
entrance is closed, so I walk the bike over to the edge of the bayou and 
find that someone has conveniently left big chunks of granite over which 
I can walk to cross the bayou. Getting out isn't as easy. The exit is 
closed, but I eventually find a way around.



I get to a second Home Depot and am disappointed again, so I backtrack 
to Lowe's. Here, I find what I need, but I've taken a lot of time and 
haven't eaten in several hours.



I find a Pho shop and have lunch. Get home at 4:00PM.



I reheat some chicken and leave for the gym at 5:00. I'm going to have 
coffee with Carrie Ann after the gym and I'll be travelling back into a 
strong headwind, so I take the BMX to the gym.



1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir



Carrie Ann, Chris, and I work out and then I put the BMX in Carrie Ann's 
back seat and we go to Brazil for coffee. I come home tired and go to 
bed early intending to catch a bus at 5:15 tomorrow.



Tuesday, October 26



I fell asleep on my cell phone and didn't hear the alarm this morning, 
so I've missed my bus.



Carrie Ann leaves for work at 8:10 AM, and I sit down to plan out my 
new, grain-based diet. I eat almost nothing but meat now and want a break.



Around noon, I reach a stopping point and work on this journal till 1:16.



I need to go to the store, but I feel a little nauseas, so I put it off 
and piddle around for a couple of hours. I leave on the BELAFONTE around 
3:00, but then Carrie Ann calls and lets me know that she'll be going 
later anyway.



I turn back around, do some laundry, change clothes and leave for Krav 
at 4:30. I take the long way, along the Bray's bayou trail.



I get to Krav around 5:30, change, and start class at 6:00. After class, 
I take the long way back home and get there around 8:15.



I hang out with Carrie Ann and Lilly for a bit and then go to bed around 
10:00.



Wednesday, October 27



I get up at 4:15, shower, eat some chili, and walk over to catch the 
city buss at 5:15. After riding the buss downtown, I catch the Greyhound 
at 6:30 to Center, TX to pick up my car.



7:00 AM. I'm in Humble – fuck Humble.7:35 AM. I'm in Cleveland – fuck 
Cleveland.8:00 AM. I'm in Livingston – fuck Livingston.8:25 AM. I'm in 
Corrigan – fuck Corrigan.9:00 AM. I'm in Lufkin – fuck Lufkin.9:35 AM. 
I'm in Nacogdoches – fuck Nacogdoches.10:25 AM. I'm in Center – fuck 
Center, but my car's here.



The buss stops in front of a yogurt shop and I get a ride to the 
mechanic's from one of the locals. I pick up my car, BS with the 
mechanic for a bit, and get on the road by 11:00 AM.



I drive back to Houston and arrive shortly after 3:00.



I catch a short nap and meet Chris, Lilly, Arron, Erin, and Carrie Ann 
over at Chris's house.



We talk for a few minutes and get the bikes tuned up before Chris, 
Lilly, Arron, Carrie Ann, and I take off on a downtown bike ride. I'm on 
the BMX.



We ride downtown and end up running into free concert from a band called 
"Black Queen Speaks." The band isn't bad (I end up buying their CD), but 
Arron has just tonight taught me how to jump stuff on the BMX, so I ride 
around for a good part of the concert practicing this new skill.



After the band, we ride around downtown for a while and stop at a couple 
of bars. The last stop ends up being pretty long. Lilly and I stay 
outside to watch the bikes, but I spend most of the time practicing my 
jumps.



We head over to Discovery Green and play around in the park for a bit 
then back to Chris's house at 11:00 PM.



I load up the bikes, drive home, and go to bed.



Thursday, October 28



I sleep in a bit and then leave the house, in my car this time, 
mid-morning to go shopping. I hit REI, Sun and Ski, Sports Authority, 
and Target to buy cold weather clothes for work and a few things for my 
Halloween costume.



I get home around 3:00, get cleaned up, and drive over to Krav at 5:30.



Krav lasts from 6:00 to 7:00, and I'm pretty worn out by the end of it.



I drive home, relax for a bit, and then go to bed.



Friday, October 29



I get up shortly before Carrie Ann leaves at 8:00 AM.



I install a new component on the BELAFONTE and then drive out to go vote.



After voting I hit Costco and pick up a new ipod.



After Costco, I drop off my car at Firestone. It's a little before 1:00 PM.



I have brought my BMX with me, so I leave Firestone on the BMX to kill 
some time while the car gets an oil change and a new battery.



I bike into Target and then down Westheimer for a bit, ride back towards 
Firestone, and then bust up my leg (and nuts) pretty good fooling around 
on the bike in the Firestone parking lot.



Some jerkoff in a Lexus warns me that I'm likely to hit a car jumping 
around the parking lot like I'm doing. I remind him that I'm a grown man 
with insurance.



I rest inside Firestone for half an hour, watching Judge Judy and 
recuperating from my injuries, and then my car is finished at 4:30.



I get home and then Lilly, Dani, and Carrie Ann begin to arrive. I 
intend to catch critical mass at 7:00, but I spend too much time trying 
to load up my ipod from a Linux computer. My mother and Jake gave me a 
bicycle dock for my birthday, but the ipod I bought for it is too new to 
work with Linux. I burn the mp3s I want onto a CD, carry them over to 
Carrie Ann's laptop, and then transfer those mp3s onto the ipod – or so 
I think. This takes a few tries and false starts, but I eventually get it.



And not a minute too soon. The girls will go out to the club tonight and 
are getting into their clubbish mindset. Lilly is playing some cheesy 
German techno on her laptop. I'm not sure this is the song about crying 
polar bears, but I can guarantee that if it's not, it's about something 
equally if not more stupid. They're gyrating and Karate-chop dancing and 
unleashing their repressed, office-worker aggressions on invisible 
demons in my kitchen ... and I'm fleeing out the front door.



9:00 PM, and I've escaped the noise. I'm cycling out of the neighborhood 
listening to Tom Waits's album, "Alice."



everything you can think of is true

and fishes make wishes on you

we're fighting our way up dreamland's spine

with black flamingos, expensive wine



I'm slowly pedaling towards downtown when Dustin calls. He's on the way 
to a friend's house and offers to meet me at my eventual destination, 
Minuti coffee house in Downtown.



I try to hurry  but just can't manage it with Tom Waits on. I switch to 
an '83 demo album from Black Flag.



Just a few miles from the house, I figuratively (as I am on a bicycle, 
the distinction is important) crash. I take off my jacket and am so hot 
that I want to take off my pants.



Here I should back up (again, figuratively). I've been dieting for weeks 
and dehydrating myself for a day and a half. I've gotten skinny. I look 
like an animal, and I don't mean an impressive animal like a Rotweiler 
or Pit Bull. I look a bit like a sick animal. Like Dracula when he's 
half-way turned into a bat. Anyway, I'm curious to see just how skinny I 
can get before changing my diet at the end of the month. So, nothing 
scientific, but I've been dropping water and salt. I'm like a boxer at a 
weigh in. I'm light enough to make my class, but I'm in no condition to 
fight.



I eat a sweet potato out of my bag and begin to feel better. The song 
"Black Coffee" begins to play and I'm once again feeling motivated to 
make it downtown to Minuti. Why have a made myself this sick for no more 
compelling a reason than to see a small number on my bathroom scale? As 
I begin to ride away, the next track starts and Henry Rollins offers an 
answer:



Noooooo method to my maaaaaaad ness

Beat my head against the wall

...

Running around like a chicken without a head.



The sweet potato has given me my third wind, and I'm feeling like my 
usual self. I meet Dustin at Minuti, we have a coffee, he mentions how 
skinny I look, and we ride together over to his friend's house. It's 
around midnight by the time we arrive.



Saturday, October 30



Dustin's friend's house is near the bars where Carrie Ann, some of my 
friends, and occasionally even I hang out, so I decide to ride through 
that area.



I stop at Catbirds to look for Wiley. He's not there, but the crowd know 
who he is.



I ride past numbers and Carrie Ann happens to be coming out to drive 
some girl over to the girl's house to pick something up. I say hi.



Then it's back towards home.



I'm again listening to Tom Waits as I ride through several bar areas and 
see everyone in their...



AND THERE'S A DOG WITH A PUFFY TAIL!



COME HERE PUFFY! COME HERE PUFFY!



I chase the dog, intending to catch him and look for a phone number on 
his tag. A guy in a pickup pulls over, gets out, and begins chasing the 
dog as well. A girl in the truck tells me that the dog is hers and asks 
me to help catch him, but I'm suspicious. The guy from the truck calls 
to the dog, "Hey. Hey. Over Here!" The dog ignores him, but for good 
measure, I ride up and accidentally on purpose chase the dog away from 
both of us.



Pickup truck guy gives up and I keep following the dog, intending to 
tire him out. As the dog cuts through a parking lot, a German guy flanks 
him and calls to him. The dog runs over to the German guy and I'm sure 
the German guy is his owner. German guy thanks me and offers me 
something for my trouble. I decline the offer and let him know that 
someone was trying to steal his dog. Be more careful, German guy.



I ride home and Carrie Ann, Dani, and Lilly arrive shortly after. I go 
to bed a bit after 2:00 AM.



I get up around 10:00 AM and step on the scale (166.6 fwiw). Weight loss 
thing is over, so I have some bread a bottle of water.



I work a bit on my costume, run to Staples for costume supplies and hang 
out till Carrie Ann leaves to get her hair done at 5:30 PM.



Lilly helps me out with my costume and she, Dani, and I hang out till 
Carrie Ann gets back.



I leave around 8:30 to Chris's house where we're all going to meet up.



There are a lot of people at Chris's house. We hang out and compare 
costumes for a while. Carrie Ann shows up around 9:30. Chris takes some 
pictures of her and then we leave for Numbers at 10:00 PM.



Sunday, October 31



Leave Numbers at 2:20 AM and head to Bibas restaurant. The restaurant is 
busy, but Carrie Ann and I eventually get fed and get home to bed at 
4:00 AM.



Up at 10:00 AM for Jessica's and Wiley's baby shower. Carrie Ann, Lilly, 
and Dani leave to at 10:45 to pick up something at Target. I ride the 
BELAFONTE over to the shower.



Get to the shower at noon, leave at 2:00 PM. I stop and have a key made 
for Dani on the way home.



Carrie Ann, Lilly, Dani, and I watch Scott Pilgrim then Dani leaves for 
dance class.



It's evening now and I'm typing on this journal. Carrie Ann and Lilly, 
who don't watch TV, are watching TV. It's not a smoothie; It's a fruit 
blend!



And I'll end this here.

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