Well…here’s the first installment of my mental cleaning and it starts with a question: Is there something magical about tactical? If you’ve seen any daytime tv, you’ve seen ads for tactical lanterns, flashlights, sunglasses, and even visors for you car…and now let me add a new one to that list…tactical hat. As you know, I just bought a new fleece hat to wear in the cold on the bike and I just looked at the tag that came with it…it’s funny enough that the company that makes it is called Condor…I’m sure trying to invoke the image of the raptor…but the funniest thing is the description of the hat: Watch cap, tactical. Now, what the hell is tactical about a damn fleece hat? I wonder if it’s all a part of the military fetishism that I have written about before where people in the military are held up to be heroes when there is no reason for it…now, some of them are, but not all…all I know is that I don’t feel like a Navy Seal or a Ranger wearing the hat…but, it is warm so I guess that’s something…..

Well…another night of pretty crappy sleep and I feel pretty worn out today so that puts me in go slow mode right now…and I think that will continue most of the morning or at least until I get on the bike…have an overall soreness today but my legs seem to be really bad today with both thighs just screaming and I’m not sure why that would be…maybe it’s from riding in the 28 degree cold yesterday…who, knows…all I know is I will be taking some ibuprofen before I work out and ride…had an okay day yesterday but didn’t do much but watch sports and laze around here…didn’t really have too much to do so I don’t feel bad about that…and today will be the same with getting back to pool this aft…I do have to clean up a little today since they are coming to do the fall furnace check…not sure why they have to check a brand new furnace but no big deal…I do have to prep for a trip to Mt. P on Thurs to get some business done and that will be the most I’ll drive my car all winter….but first, more coffee….more later….

Well…on time again today and slept in til 6 again, too….so that is a plus…I think the new pillows are working to help me sleep and that’s not bad for 10 bucks…my back is stuck again and not cracking so I have some pain again but I can live with it…but, as always, my right foot is swollen a little because of it and I may have to try to manually crack it today…I did get my new hat for riding yesterday and I think it’s going to work okay…it’s very thin but keeps my ears warm and my head was sweating when I got back here so it seems to work…I may have to take the hem in a little to make it fit tighter but we’ll see after another ride…not sure if that will be today or not with it not getting over 30 until around noon or so…it was pretty cold yesterday and I’m not sure if I’m up to freezing my butt off again today…didn’t get a lot done yesterday but will clean some today…I do have to cook today, too, and with all of the sports on I may just have all of the distractions I need to keep me from getting bored…more later…

Well…running about on time today with getting up a little before 6…slept okay and didn’t toss and turn too much so that is a good thing…my neck is still stiff, though, and is is getting pretty annoying…the weird thing may be that the lack of tossing and turning is causing the neck pain and stiffness…oh, well…I did get a bike ride in yesterday but today looks like a bust with the snow we got last night…it looks like one of those years where we just go straight into winter without any transition time and I don’t like it…still have a week to go in shorts and it is only 27 out there right now…didn’t get a lot done yesterday but didn’t need to…I did fire up the instant pot to make some rice and chicken but didn’t put enough liquid in the rice and it came out a little gummy…but still edible and the chicken came out great so I can live with that…not much to do today…just waiting for soccer to start and the coffee to work so I can get moving…and maybe cleaning…who knows, more later…

Well…damn, I think I’m getting a cold…woke up with a cough and a little sore throat and my head is all plugged up…and they are shutting my water off for maintenance so I am a little grumpy this morning…slept okay last night and didn’t get up til 6:06…woke up at 5 but didn’t get out of bed until later….and that normally doesn’t happen…I did get a few things done yesterday and the car is almost ready for winter so there was progress…and I am going to clean some if I can’t get on the bike…it is only 34 and snowing right now so it will have to wait a while anyway….so, this may be a hunker down day with some ibuprofen to help my legs recover and my neck is a little sore again so that should help that, too….I do need to pay a couple of bills today and get some info on new Medicare plans sent to me so I can decide what I want to do for this year…might change to and advantage plan but I’m not sure yet…more later…

Well…this one is a little late because I just keep forgetting to do it…hit another milestone last week when I got to 3,000 miles on the new bike…and now it’s almost 3050 but close enough…it looks like I may be able to get to 3300 or so before the snow closes the trail for the winter…not a record by any means but not a bad summer of riding…ended up being pretty sore today after going into the wind the past couple of days…and my legs have been really heavy, especially today so if it snows tomorrow, I may just take the day off…not sure how many years in a row I’ve gotten to 3,000…will have to look at my records but I’m sure it’s probably better than 10…

Well…it looks like the routine is returning with coming here about on time for a Thursday….slept kind of crappy last night as seems to be the new normal but I don’t feel too bad this morning so I guess I can live with it…and I’m not too sore today so that is a plus and I don’t think I’ll need any ibuprofen…I did get a bike ride in and it was not too cold but the wind was nuts and made it more work than I like…I did buy a new fleece hat for riding from Amazon yesterday and it only cost 8 bucks…can’t wait to see how it works…the stocking hats I’ve been using lose their shape after a while and really don’t keep my ears warm enough…I did start to get the winter wheels ready yesterday by sanding the rust and treating them with rust converter and I’m going to re paint the fronts this morning so I can get them on the car today….that will probably be all that I do today since there are some maintenance tasks I need to do on the car that will take a while and should fill the morning after I ride the bike…more later….

Well…up way too early again today with getting out of bed at 5:04…but, maybe that’s normal with the time change…didn’t sleep very well either and that is piled on top of the bad sleep since last Wed and I am exhausted from it….have been trying to eat more to make up for the fasting over the weekend but I don’t have any food here that I want to eat and don’t want to do a grocery run until tomorrow so that leaves peanut butter and crackers…maybe I’ll rummage through the freezer and see what’s there…my back started cracking as soon as I got out of bed this morning and it was a little weird to have it do that just walking into the living room but that means that it won’t hurt today and that is a good thing…will have to get back into full thermasuit for the ride today and I think I am going to buy a new hat to wear in the cold weather since the one I have stretches out and loses it’s shape…saw a fleece one on Amazon for about 8 bucks and with free shipping that’s not a bad deal so I’ll probably order it today….not much to do today…I think I’ll clean some but I did most of that yesterday so maybe I’ll just watch Man U lose this aft….more later…

Well…have been trying to avoid any election coverage today to keep my stress level down and to avoid a repeat of 2016…I read a great piece of advice from one of the writers that I follow today and he passed on this gem: “turn off your tv, pour yourself a drink or five and watch a few shows on Netflix…and whatever you do, don’t tune in any election coverage until at least 10:15 when real vote totals will be available…everything else until then is just crap…” I agree wholeheartedly with that advice…this election is just too important and I need to stay away from any “analysis” while the votes are still being counted….after all, I don’t have colon cancer and I still won’t have it tomorrow…and I still got to go out on the bike in shorts today….

Well…I think I’m running on time today and slept pretty well with trying to catch up on the lack of sleep from Sunday night…and waking up to the knowledge that I am as healthy as an old guy can be is pretty relieving….but, I’m not sure why my BP is still high this morning…I wonder if it’s still a hangover of stress from yesterday or from not eating for two days…whatever it is, I am not going to worry too much until I get a couple of days back into my normal routine….and that means a workout and a bike ride this morning but the rain and wind may have something to say about that…it is blowing at almost 20 with gusts over that so that will make it difficult but after being off for two days, I need to get out…maybe even in shorts for the last time since it is 50 out there….as you could tell….I didn’t get much done yesterday but I am going to try to do something today…not sure what that will be but it will be something…more later…