Responsibility is an acquired taste.

When I was a college freshman, I started journaling a lot. It was a great way for me to develop and cope with the new freedoms of college. I drew pictures, wrote down song lyrics that hit home, and sometimes came up with pithy sayings like, "responsibility is an acquired taste."

That one idea in particular is something that I think about quite often. I consider responsibility to be like a zip tie - once you click it up a notch, it doesn't come back down. When you add pets, car payments, mortgage, health insurance, etc to your life, they will likely always be there. It's something you probably don't think much about these days, as you've acquired the taste. Sometimes, I have to admit, I think back to simpler times. Especially this week - my little brother Alex is coming in town for Turkey. He's a college frosh in NorCal and he's experience a little taste of the freedom and growth that college allows. He's doing a good job bucking responsibility like a rodeo bull with a big fat cowboy on its back. I know what that feels like, so I have to somehow have to relay my experience/pains/triumphs to this young lad in a compassionate manner. Alex is a fine fellow, I'm sure he'll do just fine. He can make his mistakes on his own - he doesn't need my help. Maybe I'll share some journals with him.

These days, blogs and the internet have taken over the journaling experience for me. It's kind of a shame, but it allows a whole different level of expression. Pictures, videos, links, and music are the new form of expression, but not a lot of it is unique to the individual. It's more about sharing what you think is cool. So today, I write for a little self-expression - and because I don't have a whole lot of compelling photos or videos to share;)

Well - I've got a few....

Jesse sent me a trailer for the new Props video:

This could come in handy when riding the rollers this winter. There's nothing like watching people ride bikes while you're riding a bike, training so that you can ride a bike better.
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You're probably wondering what the hell is up with the image at the top of this post. Well you see...Jackie and I have a new business idea that we've been playing with over the years. She's an incredible baker and I kinda like bicycles. So we are combining our dreams to plan up a natural bakery/bike shop. For those of you that don't know her too well, Jackie is rather feisty (in the best meaning of the word), she loves animals, and 'Jack' is the name that she prefers to be called. So this business will have it all - the best bakery in Colorado, a sweet bike studio, BEER, and maybe even a petting zoo where people can pet themselves a goat or two. And goats are a rather feisty creature, so we thought that would make the most sense for our logo. The one above is one of our favorites. There are a bunch more submitted here: http://99designs.com/contests/14463

(This is a really cool site BTW - you can create contests for logos, ads, t-shirts and you pay the winner a fee that you determine yourself. And you only pay if you select one that you really like.)
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I've been building up a bike for the Winter Ralleye. I'm getting really excited about it. It's a ride that I haven't done before and in my imagination it sounds like a killer time: cold, carharts, work boots, and a nip of booze here and there. So here's the bike I plan to ride...
It's a single speed road bike. The only thing I had to buy for it was the flask cage - everything else was in the archives. I tried to set it up without a chain tensioner, but the chain ring was far from round and the chain had one very loose spot and one very tight spot. It's not the prettiest set up, but hopefully it'll save my freehub.
Not a whole lot of clearance with these 28's! Hope there's no snow on the ride. (yes - I will put on brakes soon)
The coolest part of the bike: my Ahearne Flask Cage. Don't worry Mom, I'm only going to put chocolate milk in it.

And one more photo...
I hit the trails rather late in the day yesterday. I can't believe it's DARK at 5pm! This is always a nice part of the ride: the 1st downhill at Hall Ranch. It's actually 1000' up from Lyons. A ride at dusk is prime time for Mt Lions, but I have not seen any yet! Maybe I should ride a bit slower.