cien cervezas por favor

FRIDAY.... the end to a long shit week of 11-hour days with a minimum of sleep and training. no morning swims with alex, no tues nite track, and strictly solo rides. solo rides lack the excitement induced by the group-ride fred who, finding himself ludicrously overgeared on a climb, suddenly crosses over your front wheel and nearly takes you down. solo rides lack the influence of E, who temporarily mutes the soundtrack in my head and wakes me to the things i normally tune out on a ride –- like housing tracts that spring up overnight or the fucktardery of asshole drivers.

case in point: a couple weeks ago E and i were approaching a busy 3-way stop. WE'D stopped, signaled and begun a left-hand turn when an SUV to our right rolled through the stop and turned left directly into us. ranking discretion over valor, i yielded but E neither slowed nor flinched as the SUV's side mirror whickered past his shoulder. as it did, he scolded the driver through the open window.

- you're supposed to STOP! - he barked at the woman inside. i caught a glimpse of a 40-year-old becoming a truculent teenager.

- i did stop!! - she squalled defensively, fully aware that we and the cars stacked behind her would testify otherwise. and E wasn't letting her off easy.

- no you DIDN'T! - he reprimanded her loud and clear. i expected him to whip out a ruler and rap her knuckles.

alone, i would have been satisfied throwing the driver a scathing glance which, along with the possible repercussions of her dumbfuck maneuver, wouldn't have registered at all. but because of E maybe next time through that intersection she'll stop.

tomorrow is another jersey duathlon; competition will be much tougher than last week. i'm putting my faith in rudy and trusting that my medial hamstring will NOT give way like an old frayed rope because the few workouts that i've shoe-horned in this week have been the only things keeping me from combusting before another “ambitious” deadline for a client deliverable. fuck “ambitious.” just be honest and say “impossible, unless you do a shit job, or give up the rest of your life for a while.”

at least there is music.
and Lapples.
Renholders.
E's, D's and F's.
and 3-day weekends. back tues. maybe.