Off The Road Again

After weeks of pondering the matter, I finally bit the bullet and bought my first full-suspension mountain bike, a 2005 Cannondale Scalpel 2000. It is not the top-of-the-line model, but its still a fine cross-country racing machine that suits my needs and my budget. I've ridden it 3 times already this week, and after each ride I became even more convinced that it was money well spent. The bike's traction and handling are so exceptional (compared to my other MTB, a hard-tail) that it makes you feel like Spiderman - you just stick to the trail w/out being bounced all over the place. And, thanks to the rear suspension, I felt zero back pain after my ride. With my old bike, my lower back ALWAYS hurt after a ride.

Scalpel 2000



After a 2.5 hour mountain bike ride this morning on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, we threw down some Kim Phung take-out, which is about as perfect as post-ride food can be: cheap, healthy, filling, and delicious. I had chicken. Nada had tofu.

Bun Ga Nuong (a.k.a. Vermicelli w/Grilled Chicken)



The little sugar-booger started daycare this week. He seems to enjoy it, meaning that he isn't fussy, and he smiles, giggles, and talks alot (more like gurgling and squeaking). On his first day, he wore this preppy outfit from his Aunt Tammy:



But he's still got his daddy's G-town roots, yo... A couple of weeks ago, Danielle brought Faris this outfit during her visit from San Antonio. This is sure to annoy a couple of my co-workers, who are die-hard Houston Rockets fans and HATE the Spurs. Being from Galveston, I'll cheer for the Rockets first, as they were the team I watched growing up. But now that I live in Austin, the Spurs are the closest team geographically. Texas pride (if you are a REAL Texan, that is) dictates that you cheer for the next team from Texas after your favorite team is eliminated from the playoffs. So, for me, the order of teams goes like this: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas. I make an exception for Dallas, though. They are the only Texas team I won't root for at all, b/c the owner, Mark Cuban, is such an annoying jack-ass.

Faris gets Ghetto in Spurs Get-Up