Early to bed, early to ride.

Back at it. Gave up on the boot - this whole foot issue seems to be the same issue I've been having with my hamstrings/ITB/bicep/tricep/forearm/sartorius/etc for the past 10 years. I wondered if it would ever gravitate to my back or neck or feet/hands... Don't have time to explain, but I'm pretty sure it's what I've always thought: Adenosine Monophosphate Deaminase Deficiency. No real tests or knowledge on this all those years ago when I self-diagnosed myself after several wasted DR/specialist visits. Quite a bit more info out there now and it all makes perfect sense. I've just learned to live with it and keep stretching - doing enough to retain muscle plasticity but never able to work the muscles to exhaustion. Too much, it gets bad. Too little, bad. Once after a squat workout when this first came about, it took me nearly a month to get the knots worked out of my hamstrings. So now it's in my feet and I'll just have to be careful and have a good excuse to go spend hundreds on better shoes/orthopedics. But to be able to do this makes it worth it. ...

(re)Stumble Upon

I've been a little unproductive on the artistic front this past year (in regard to personal work), but I've been scouring the internets and nature lately to spark some sort of renaissance that will get me painting again. Just now, I was inspired while cleaning the house of all things. Found these old linocuts and a slide project I did 20 years ago in school. The slides project was for us to work on a miniscule canvas then we'd present our works in critique on the projector. These have lost a little detail over the years getting scratched and banged around in moves/storage, but they were fun. I still look back and see I haven't progressed much in the way of "loosening up" my art. Perhaps I just need to sit down with the paint and a board and see where it takes me instead of spending so much time in the concept/composition phase that I end up losing interest and never getting my ideas out. Or go for a bike ride.

restlessness

Figure if I can walk in this boot, riding will be even less stress. Sure enough, and it was worth it. Active recovery...

Homework

Still sucks. Kids get too much of it these days but I can see that it helps hold parents accountable. I'm having fun with Jack's class animal project. We're doing the head tonight (due tomorrow!) but here was the skeleton. Best smelling meerkat ever.

Ok, starting..... NOW

Need to rest this foot but a day of cleaning the garage led to tinkering on the bike (fork oil exchange, invert my FU2 bars on the Edwin, fix several flats...) which led to me wanting to get out ONE last time before I (may) have to cast or boot this injury up for six weeks. Rolled out back in a light rain for about an hour, then the sky darkened near home so I cut toward home early. Quite an electrical show it gave me with a seemingly distant rumbling then CRACKKKKK right above my head while I was riding out across a field. Dove down and hugged the tree line despite not having a trail and instinctively sulked home - naively thinking my crouching down would help lessen my chances of getting struck. Foot felt great the entire time but stiff cycling shoes are like little ortho boots. It was a good time trial, just me, the frogs, the herons, the owls.

REBOOT

Gonna have to take this foot thing serious for a bit longer. From today onward, I'm wearing this stylish boot I bought at Red Racks for $2.95. Special thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act. I'm not even going to entertain doing the Dirty Kanza 200 which I've already registered for. Selling my seedy, edge of Emporia motel reservation to the highest bidder.

....