Let's see the other title could have been . You know you're a big ol' homo if you wanted a Easy Bake Oven as a kid. But it's the holidays and I'm going to spill the beans about gay youth.

Did you secretly pine for or ever get an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas? Or you could sing the little jingle. , Suzy Homemaker,Suzy Homemaker, What a busy girl are you! If so this is one of the first warning signs of where you were headed. Maybe your Mom overrode Dad's " That's a girl's toy." and you got one for Christmas and were the happiest kid on the block. Plugged that oven in and were whipping out little cakes before Dad even got his presents open. You were so proud of your pastry skills and Mom affirmed them. The day was spent being fascinated by a light bulb cooking toy. Finally you ran out of Easy Bake cakes and had to resort to actual recipes and your career towards gaydom took off. Thanks Mom. The pic is of a vintage Easy Bake. Check Ebay and see how many ere there. This one belonged to a friends son. Hmmm?

MOre impending doom weather wise. But hey, I have an Easy Bake and go back in time.

Cupcakes anyone?

Bike related News I have a "NAKED" LaPierre Kross frame now. Sweet 12k weave. In a word light. This bike will be like a light saber in Jedi hands next season. Bobber scored me some black socks with a Krown on them. Now the King will have to defend the Kingdom. Looking forward to it. At the DPM I had legs for a bit. It was fun to hit the front and turn up the pain. I guess you can never leave what you love. The sirens call was strong at the end of the season.

Look I got another new ride the Jetta became an Audi. Just like that. Simple. Bobber pulled another trick out of that hat and hooked me up with a Caddy emblem too. I'm so blinged out

That's how I roll.

Whats on the Ipod?

Cliff Eberhardt 12 Songs of Good and Evil

Ralph Stanley

Greg Brown Over and Under

David Bromberg The best of David Bromberg

Bike shop party tomorrow. That will be a hoot.

Happy Holidays to all. May your life be as filled with happiness as mine is.

Eat good food, drink good beer, thank your friends, hugs. OGQ

Tuesday found Country mouse not having to to go work with a snow day. This meant City mouse would be here earlier and we could roll to the "O" even earlier. Sweet. Traffic was light with the advantage.

Got into NYC early walked around and checked a couple places to eat that Vince had gift certificates for. We decided on the Turkish place. ODD no on here,Oh well menu looks interesting. So in we went. After a normal lobby,they took you through a curtain into the "tent". The decorator basically bought bolts of fabric and made a fort like you did as a kid,ceiling walls, fabric every where. I had a lamb dish with "Palace spices" what ever they were. In the end it was OK. We went back to the O and watched "The Big Eden" a great flick anyone could watch.

Wednesday found us heading out to the Metro diner for breakfast fuel up for a big day of walking. Our goal was Signature Cycles. A Ultra high end bike shop. En route we came across the Toga bike shop. A NYC standard that's been around forever. A cool place. They still rock the black jerseys of death. I think George Hincapie got his start with them. Signature was right around the corner. But no one knew how to get in on the second floor. People kept directing us to back to TOGA. We called and go in. Well lets set the record straight. I will never be buying a bike here. Super high end builds. Parlees, Seven, Serotta. But I guess they're best known for their fittings. They had Rapha clothes too. Those things are like a Hickey Freeman suit of the cycling world. I lucked out they didn't have the color I wanted. Anthony took the time to talk to us. Turns out he's a first year Krosser and had done the Ommegang race. So we talked all things Kross. Then it turned into beer. We asked him where the good beer places were. He said he drank at the Blind Tiger. Bingo! We did too and were headed there saturday. He said "I'll see you there". This story will pick up later.

Then we headed to see the opening of MILK. What a great movie. Sean Penn was amazing in it.

Simply put go see it.

Toady's dinner found us at the Heights one of Meg and Kevin's old stomping grounds. Turns out we sat next to the owner. He had food recommendations for us. It was decided that we'd have calamari and try the wings. We split a large. Vince went with mild I headed for the "Inhuman". They came out dressed in more of a salsa. Very hot and tasty. Good stuff. Home and we watched Zodiac. It was OK. Too long,they could have taken out a half hour and no one would have noticed.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. So we watched the Macy's parade on tv till we saw Meg on the float. Then we headed off to Joisey for dinner. Little Grampa Karl was drafted to teach the kids how to ride bikes. So LGV, Kevin, the kids and I headed to the ride zone. After the ride we were off to The Garden Eden to pick up dinner. Some winter ales were poured and we settled in for dinner. After dinner we played card games with the kids. Then back to the O.

Friday it was up early and make a nice breakfast. Fresh fruit,eggs, multi grain bread and some good coffee. Then it was down to P0rt Authority to pick up Mike and Sarah. Do tell what tales of terror their bus ride has wrought? Sure enough. Mike calls and they be 20 minutes late. Some wacko went nuts at the bus station and wouldn't get off the bus. Ahhh, the bus. More innocents injured mentally. Cliff will never ride again. So we whisked them back to the O and headed for Canal St in search of knock offs. Watches, Pashimas, handbags and bad cologne abounded. Where were the carbon fiber wheels? I wondered? Turned out the Indians and West Africans would deal. Mike wanted a watch, Sarah sunglasses. In the end Sarah got a watch. I got another Swatch too. Love Canal St. We then decided a little snack was in order and went to the Garage in the Village. More calamari and spring rolls. Topped off with a couple beers. Back to the O to get ready for the show. Kevin got us great seats for Wicked. The "Grampas" made a nice dinner. Salad, crab cakes and fresh veggies. Some nice cheeses with stuffed peppadews to start us off. A couple Harpoon winter warmers. Then a Sauvignon Blanc. Time to go.

We leave an hour early to get to the show. Then the problems start. First the inspector is holding the train. Three times later and that train is out of service. Yikes. We hop on another after hearing a Charlie Brown adult voice tell us what to do. This one rolls out then stops and crawls at a snails pace. I see Vince eye the watch. More directions from the conductor. What to do? Ride it out. Then it stops again. More options. It's decided we'll walk. WALK FAST. We did and made it with three minutes to spare. This time even Vince was worried. Settled into our seats and the show began with a bang. Very impressive set. Lots of movement. FUN. After the show Kevin's dresser met us and took us back stage to meet him. He took us on stage. Very cool. Then Kev had to go. We headed to Times Square to Heartland Brewing for a couple beers. I tried the winter ale. Tasty. At last call we headed back to the O. 1:30 what was I doing up that late?

Saturday was another homemade breakfast and then head off to see the sites. Rock Center, The Twin Towers site, Macys, Bloomies, Lord and Taylor. Sarah had a Longchamp bag to return.

This was like the price is right for Mike and I as she and Vince decided colors. Key chain 63 dollars. Handbag 2500 dollars? What? We weren't their target market. She did get a nice new green bag. All the big three had great window displays. You wouldn't have know there was a recession. One of the stores had the had Vince wanted for Christmas so he became a hipster in his Kangol hat Sooo Samuel Jackson. We walked through the garment district. More color decisions by Vince and Sarah. Mike and I hit the "Husband seating area" all it lacked was a cooler with beer. We got a call from Bill and Janet. They had the last two seats at the Blind Tiger. We were on our way. When we got there they had a table for two. We grabbed as many empty seats as we could. Then a couple got up and we grabbed their table before they even had their coats on. Now we were set. I was again in a winter mode. Had Elysian Winterfest, a couple Criminally Bad Elf ales that were cask conditioned and a winter stout that was truly the bottom of the cask. Food was ordered. again the quesadillas rocked. The cheese platter a joke. Wings tasty. Pommenade salty. The cheese dip tasty and the deviled eggs were excellent. Ran into Anthony and his girlfriend along with a couple friends of his. So we talked Kross and motorcycles. Vince chatted him up too. It was great to see Joe and Clare. Good to talk to them they brought a friend too. Sorry forgot her name. After dinner we parted ways and Cliff took us to Brooklyn Heights for a view of the city. Then we dessert in a little bistro and headed home.

Sunday was breakfast at the Broadway diner. Turns out they shot Joe Black there. OK. A big breakfast and were on the road to Bingo.

Enjoy life. I sure have been. OGQ

Okay, Okay I'm back. I've been accused of being lovestruck a slacker ot just a busy man for not posting in forever. I almost forgot to my password.

Much has happened. I tried to get in some sort of KX training,but the head wasn't into it. So I did the best I could.

Lets see we did a dinner party for Vinces Bday in NYC. I had the bus ride from hell in. Nuff said.

We pulled off the dinner.(YES folks FOOD and DRINK) It was a fun mix of people. Got to see Cliffs crib in the city. Hectic but fun.

Went to Fruita Colorado and rode my bike with all the cool kids. Drank beer and ate well. Rode at altitude. Was pointed skyward and told to have a good time. I did. Thanks

We did all the trails out there. We met retired teacher Tim Leonard out there as he was doing the Moab/Fruita tour. Seems he said "We punished him. "I can say I did Zippity Do Dah. Youtube it. It was nuts. A ribbon in the sky with a roller coaster finish. I liked Kessels better.

Mack Ridge was the best. I took the Dillinger and was looked at like a nut case for taking a single speed. Well, That's all I own. I did put a REBA on it for the trip. The carbon would have killed my hands. Was I at a disadvantage? I didn't think so. A bike is just a tool to get the job done.

So you'd think with nine days at altitude. I could kill it when I got home. Well it was reversed.

I was killed. No motor for a few days and Kross was looming again. I'd done the Kirkland race and didn't do so well. I missed the double at Cuse which usually makes me strong. So I substituted the double at Ommegang and did pretty well. Pain is just part of the ride. Vince was getting his initiation to Kross. But I think it was the discount that really sealed the deal. HA!

So race promotion was in full swing when I get back. Had to crank up the sweatshop to get the trophies done. Hard to believe that the race will be 20 next year. So we rolled up to Em City and

find some nice presents. big dirt piles that became whoops, a big bark pile, and the pit. The course rode in nicely. I blew my start and didn't get clipped in had to battle forward. So I have one speed this year and one match to burn. But I hung in there

Next came the DPM. Now this has been the season final for a few years. I was out grubbing prizes etc right up till the last minute. The Kross Kontingent bailed me out, they're a big help.

We get the course setup in the 18mph winds. BRRRR, my skinny reptile ass doesn't like the cold. So I go to suit up and lo and behold I forgot my bag with the arm warmers etc. I need that aggravation at this moment. So I hop in the truck and race home. Make it back get one lap in.

Announce the start. Get a good launch around fourth. Ease up in the second turn and dive under into second. Felt good to be up front again. The motors started to come. Team mate off the front.

Race settled in Bill E. Is dogging me. Keeps falling and coming back. All I can do is race forward. Again one speed and one match. Didn't even notice the cold. Fun course and it really made we want to get fit for Kross. We had a ton of food and prizes for the raffle. Dawn, Full House Bob and Skinny fill flooded the raffle and took home a ton of loot. I think everyone left happy.

I know I did. Exhausted ,but happy. Thanks all.

Kristin had her baby, a month early. But all is well. That's a good thing. That makes Grandpa Vince's number six. Karl hasn't been Grandpa to these kids yet. That day will come.

Woke up to a perfect Kross morning today. How the snow would have changed it all.

But now to tie up loose ends from the races. Bust out the Hooligan 69'er and dial it in.

Thanks to Mills for capturing the "pedal slip" at the start. Yes I'll keep my head up.

Hey, there has to be a food pic.

Enjoy life. OGQ

Lets see if my memory is working. Work has started again. All goes well. Days I am reminded of this is "where I work". Meaning the ignorance of some people.

We had the birthday party. Vince transported food from Picsburgh. Chef mike did up a couple great shrimp dishes. Cliff did wine. I made a Thai salad. D-N-A had tuna and bruchetta. Mike and Sara made a salad as did Frank. Dawn, Tish and Bob did desserts.No one went hungry or thirsty. Cliff summed up the night. 'We couldn't get food this good in Binghamton in a restaurant". A winner.

Kross has started and practice shave been picking up. The Kingdom has expanded to Kirkland NY. Margaret and Krew put on their first race and did a great job. The course was fast and wide open. With a tough run up and the first sand pit in the area. A super additon to the KX circuit.

This past weekend. Was Buckhill. It started pouring Thursday. I wasn't feeling the love for all things Kross. I got the bikes prepped the truck loaded etc. The head and heart weren't in it. Even though I'm a good mudder. I wasn't feeling it. I have seriously cut back the racing now. I shot Pops an email. If it's "pouring I'm snoring " for the race. It was and breakfast out was a better choice. Ommegang is coming up and I will do my best to improve the course with whats there. Will be a lot of work. But it can be done.

Now the rain definitely threw me into a funk. Not sure why. But it did. Bobber and I snuck a road ride in. I did my hills and circle back. Legs were so so. But good to get out. Today was rain, a break, more rain. Did yoga instead. Looks like Monday is the break in the rain. Then the weekend looks good. Well that's all the news.

Random pics. Portland, Bday party. I love mangos,not so sure now and of course KX and Beer.

Enjoy life. OGQ.

Well it sure has been awhile. Anyways we made it to Portland. Beervanna, Bicycling's number one city, Stumptown etc. We picked up the bikes from the clueless shop. Even though I'd ordered them a month in advanced. We rolled out an brand new Fuji Kross bikes. Checked into our boutique hotel. Very nice and right on the river,easy access to the "Bike lane" system.

We wanted to ride and see what the city was all about. River City Bikes was first, we plotted a route that was stymied from the word go. CONSTRUCTION! This seemed to be the theme of the city. After a few turnarounds. We made it. Word from the bike shops was find the best way and use it. So much for the bike lanes etc. River City had bikes that cost up to 15K. My car was barely that much. The Zook half that. Never would I lay out that kind of coin. Good shop, friendly people and free coffee drinks.

Next on the list was beer. We tried to hit as many breweries as possible. Here we chatted up locals and found even more beer. We made it to Laurelwood, Bridgeport, Rogue, Henrys,Jakes, Widmers , an Ale house, Lucky Lab, and the Portland City Grill.. We stopped in a McMenimans. They had something like 20 locations. All reclaimed buildings. Very cool places. Rogue would be my favorite. There we met a girl from Pa that knew the VW Punchbug game. Too funny. Jake's was our first clue in to great food at low prices. Ahi Tina a buck ninety five!. We never actually went to a restaurant for dinner. Beers and appetizers, were the M.O. Also Henrys had great service and ice strip around the bar to keep your beer cold. Pretty cool.

Race day took us to Kreugers Farm for a dirt Kermesse, Kross without barriers. It was fast and fun. ROUGH. My hands were toast at the end. Got the hang of the FUJI on lap three. Three of us lapped the field and moved up into the 35+ guys. Did I say Fast? No prize or money. The guy who won said he didn't expect a guy from NY to "beat up on the locals". Had great food from Salvador Mollies.

An around town trip took us to Veloshop, of blogger/kross guy Molly Camreon. I met Molly at a UCI race in Del. Now he's male, identifies as female and has a girlfriend named Pete. Very Portland. Vince got an eye opener here. Molly's shop had NO BIKES. One frame. But in the dimly lit bowels all things Kross. No lack of want for Kross stuff there. Molly gave me the skinny on a few rides. We also hit Stumptown Coffee and hung with the messenger crowd. Good coffee.not great. Not worth buying and dragging back to NY. Right down the street was Voo Doo donuts. Go there, Eat one or two. I'm not a donut guy. But these were the best donuts I've ever had, bar none. Clever Cycles had all things cool for commuting.

We also got to meet some other "netizens" . Steve gave us a nice tour of the city at night. Dick and his friend provided laughs for us at the Grill. Don who used to live in N-D-Cott came out to the race and shot some great pics. Good to see you.

Came home in time to go back to work. But that's another tale.

Enjoy life. I am. Ride your bike. Smile. OGQ

Friday the Caddy and Subaru rolled in to the drive for the trip to the Kingdom Trails. This was our return visit. With Bobber getting out of work early. We had a well timed trip up,missing major traffic and letting us hit Long Trail Brewing, Harpoon and finally Trout River Brewing.

What a start to the trip. Dawn had co-ordinated the whole thing and we had half a house for the weekend. We hut the hay and left the light on for the late arrivals. Never heard them come in.

Morning found us at the Lyndonville Diner for a big "Vermont" breakfast. We picked up our trail passes and away we went. The objective was to hit some of the trails we didn't last fall. The Kingdom trails live up to the hype. Go there. Pay your money. Ride yourself into the ground.

This was George,Lorrie, John and Jims' first time there. High praise from them too. I may get this wrong but here goes. We did Harp to Coronary Bypass,River Run,Bemis,Tap and Die,back to River Run to Dry feet.(lots of new trail work in theses areas)West Branch to Old Web's. I did a Old Web's in both directions. I love that trail. It would be a great training loop or short race course. It challenges all your skills and rewards them dearly. We had lunch here. I was looking at the bikes. My weapon of choice this time was the Dillinger and nearby sat a Ti Lynsky 29'er. So i chatted him up. Turns out he's running a FIXED gear! Never owned a geared bike. He let me take it for a spin. Now that would take some getting used too. Your technique would have to be flawless.That bike was wicked light too. DUH, forgot to take a pic of it. Bob, Dawn and Lorrie decide to head back after lunch. John was in the "I want to ride all day mode" George and Jim were "let's do it". So we parted ways and hit Knob, VAST, East Branch,River Wood and Beat Bog.

A spin home and showered to head to Trout River Brewery and beat the crowd. Got a table quickly and had out waitress from last year. Gourmet pizzas abounded, The Scallepeno, Scampi. Magnifico. Beer flowed as we planned and plotted for the next day. We tried to get our"other" growlers filled. No go. So I turned up the charm and put Trout River Stickers on one and Isaac, said "That looks like on to me". So with two growlers of Nitro Stout and an IPA we went home.

Picked fresh berries while sipping stouts along the river and in the garden. Then we hit the Outback Pub. More beer flowed. The foosballs table beckoned some and it was "Game on". The rest of us fooled with Tavern puzzles. Easily amused or frustrated. You choose. Goodnight.

Another breakfast at the Lyndonville Diner and away we went. We repeated our ride and it flowed and we switched it up at mid point for Tody's Tour. More technical than Tap and Die. Lorrie had a new favorite. This time at the bottom we took Hogsback to the Sidewinder. Now we all had a new favorite. Half of it is built in a ravine. So it's like a giant steep half pipe. Go ride it. A new trail wended back up to the top. Again whoever builds thses trails does a huge amount of work. We hit Old Web's again and I did a race pace lap. This is the first time I've ever got both wheels of the Dillinger to drift,the berm brought me back. Shades of Bubba and Villipoto. Rocked that lap full tilt. My lunch highlight was Jim's idea of Whole wheat peanut butter and fresh blackberries sandwich. It had mushed itself enough by then to be almost fresh jam! Sweet.

The group split again. We took Jaw(Which turned into hike a bike) to Sugar hill,Bill McGill to Widowmaker. Last Year Dawn wasn't having anything of a trail named that. Turned out to be quite tame and a nice trail. From there we took the Pines,to Leatherwood, Beat bog to Vast and home on Kitchel. Then the road spin home. Back at the ranch we had a very tired group. Decisions were hard to come by. We had planned to cook fresh produce from the garden. None really wanted to move from the comfort of our chairs. Finally we decide to walk to the River Cafe,where we were greeted with "Do you have a reservation?" HUH? They could take us at 8. This town shuts down at 9pm we thought. Plan B, The Valley View or the new Chinese Buffet?

The buffet won out. We were tired and hungry. We could serve ourselves eat till we were stuffed and not deal with anyone. Beers were not seen at this meal. Does that say how tired we were?

Back at the ranch. George whipped up Margaritas. It was Night of the living Dead. We were all that tired. I even abstained form beer,despite all the tasty beers in the fridge. The old man was pondering a suspension fork in place of the carbon. As my hands had had enough. A dip in the hot tub. Brought a peaceful sleep.

Monday found up doing a quick ride. A quick breakfast sandwich. Then ride Worth it to Nose to Leatherwood,to Herbs. Herbs was more then Kitchel. Shower and pack. We stopped at Long Trail for lunch. Another fun trip filled with fun people and good times.

Ride your bike,drink good beer. Enjoy life. OGQ

Pointed the big Zook west again. This time cooler temps and no rain. Took the new route in,way better. Passing lanes seem to be better thought out going south than north. But truck traffic was light.

I got to "interface" with Vince's brother Mike and his new wife Cheryl and her two kids Matt ans Abby. A good time .all really nice people. Mike and I shared many musicals interests. Cheryl helped the Luddite get the Bluetooth going. The kids were both outgoing and friendly. Nice to meet them. Mike met Cheryl on the net too. So there's more proof it can work. "I like today".

We went to Dirty Harry's bike shop. They're always in Dirt Rag. The shop lived up to it's rep. A friendly outgoing staff. A well stocked shop. Picked up some tools etc. Then they recommended a brewpub down the street. Well I couldn't pass that up. It was wing night. 50 cent wings. I ordered FIRE, Vince got Asian. The cook brought them out and asked "Who got FIRE?" I did. He looked at me like, Are you nuts?. They were pretty much Durkees with extra butter. A nice tang,but FIRE? They were tasty we enjoyed a summer ale and left. Again way too many people in Pittsburgh smoke.

We hit a few bike trails in the area. Some leisurely riding along the river. Also did a local loop. Had a big downhill i it. I wanted to go up the hill. I will another day. Vince made the climb out of Tarentum for the first time. What a difference the new bike makes. A little coaching helps. Now to master those pedals. Confidence is the key.

The beer food tour continued. Friday found us at the Church Brew Works again. This time for "Geek Night". Todd organizes it. Well it held up to it's name. It was like being in a living Ralph Steadman illustration. I don't think one person had a straight spine. They were all either on their laptops or blackberry. Social skills were minimal. The free buffet had pizza,wings, chips and Spanish rice. Where did that come from? We had a couple beers and made our way to Fatheads.

This place gets a lot of press locally and nationally. Super beer list. We had a Belgian Trippel made for them. Yummy. The sandwiches were good too. Vinces tuna was a little overdone.

The next day we we enetertaing the girsl and went to PF Changs Chinese. Another excellent choice. Bloody Marys were the beverage du jour. When we got home we tried a dessert beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company. Their Creme Brulee. RUN out and buy a bottle. Share with friends. About two ounces in a snifter is all you need. Do it now.

Saturday night was Brew at the Zoo. Fifty beers and you could walk around the Zoo. Wev saw the baby elephants and worked the crowd. I swapped shirts again. This time a Long Trail Ale for a Berlin beer fest. Cool people. We hit the food court just in time. Our return down the hill met us with the masses and no more beer. There was beer at the main tent along with a HUGE crowd. We left.

Sunday night was supposed to be a free John Hiatt show. But we called to find out about the venue and found out he wouldn't be there. Bummer.

The trip home is always harder. No matter where you go. This time it took me three and a half hours to get to the 219and 86 junction. Too long. I was a little tired so that might have been it.

Then buzzing along in the endless construction of 86. I'd just throttled down and BOOM on goes the light show a trooper. I got nabbed in a work zone. More time wasted. Not guilty. Aren't we all? So we'll see what happens.

Going to Shindagin today. That will be way better than South Mountain. Shirking my duties? No. I'll get the painting done. But Shindagin is the best. Besides that's what summer is for.

Off to VT Friday to ride the Kingdom trails.

Movie review. Neil Young Heart of Gold. If you're a fan rent it. Good show. A little insight into Neil.

Enjoy life. I sure am. OGQ