Update.

At this point I hoped I could talk at length & in depth about the progress of the Trek Store of Santa Rosa. I would talk to you about which colors I had chosen for the building, and where I was putting the tech center. The fact is that I am in the same place I was in 6 months ago. The fact is that things just move super slowly here. The fact is that there are just no acceptable retail locations here. There is no new construction, no real city planning, no parking & no money to invest into new projects. This has left deep impressions on my patience.

For lack of a better word, “faith” has replaced optimism.

It’s not that just the Commercial real estate market is abysmal here; the Residential situation is arguable worse. Trying to find a reasonable sized dwelling for at or below what my mortgage was in Madison is near impossible. I have been told that, because the College just went into session, this was the WORST time to be looking for affordable living. I have spent about $600 in hotel fees just looking for a place to live. Everyday, up at 7, on the fixie and about town checking up on Craig’s List postings and looking for newly posted For Rent signs.

In California’s defense, I am not the easiest fellow to please when it comes to a) living quarters and b) business real estate. I refuse to live in an apartment “complex” & will not accept wall to wall carpeting as a “perk”. I will not accept that Californians are “use to” having to pay for parking and walk a block to get anywhere.

So agreed, a lot of my troubles are self inflected. It’s not that I am some glutton for punishment or that I like taking antacids. I just like what I like and have for the first time in my professional life, the opportunity to do things as much my way as I ever have.

Some say that I cannot make decisions. I say that not making a decision is indeed a decision to be made.


I will beat California. I will not let it win.

-gg

The Gates of Hell

Albeit for me to say, Great America is about half as cool and twice as dirty as I recall from my youth. My right arm still hurts from getting slammed around from the classic rides of my adolescents, such as the Eagle, the Demon & the Viper; all wooden rides that should have been torn down a decade ago.

My three day headache and future aneurysm were worth it, as I was able to spend quality time with the nieces and nephew.


Get use to this view girls. Anyone with this much energy will definately be going to jail at some point in their lives.


Pretty much the coolest uncle ever made.

1st, 2nd & 3rd place loser.

Mo' and I took some PBR's and headed out to watch ID take on Silicon Valley's best 4's in a do or die race around a research park. They say knowledge is power, and from experience comes knowledge. If I had known the experience of what it was like to go to an amatuer bicycle race, on a 110 degree day, sit in a parking lot and watch over priveledged white men ride in circles for hours, and not actually be a participant; I could have saved half of my relationships by not asking my girlfreinds come along.

Lesson learned; I need to be a participant next time.

Well, atleast Mo' and I had the foresite to bring some beers' along for the ride. Although we got caught up people watching and admiring the size of a horses hum hum, missing the finish of the race all together, we did get to snap a shot or two and re-live EVERY SECOND post race with ID himself.

I'll give it to him; he rode a smart ride, sitting in back the whole time only to react that split second to late to get beat by himself, but also to just nip himself at the line. A 1,2,3 finish for the Dew-man!!

Very exciting stuff!

road kill

Mar' had a bunch of North Facers meet at the Ranch at 6am (thanks for that) for the LiveStrong Ride out of San Jose. About 15 of them showed up between 6 & 7am. Luckily Ian had woken me up at 5am (thanks again) to watch the Tour so I already had 3 cups of Joe and was bright eyed & bushy tailed by the time the livestronger's arrived.

A bunch of energetic 30 & 40 somethings milled around the compound airing up, changing & josling for attention & recognition. None for you; especially so early.

Ian & I decided to poach about 20 miles of the ride heading down to the hole on our way to Coe & a 1 hour march up & up & up. 6 hours later I had run out of water twice and Ian had 6 bottles in him. Hard day in the saddle, but super sweet. I lost 6lbs to get under 170 for the 1st time since Highschool.

Upon arriving home Ian & I discoverd an unearthed mummy sitting on Mary's 50's era revival recliner. Imagine our suprise when said mummy began to speak to us! Poor Laura, it must have been like dipping herself into acid for that first bath. I asked her to send me pictures of her scab collection & told her to buy stock in neosporin. In case you have never seen it, this is what it looks like to go down at 40MPH with a litte tank top and tri shorts.

manual labor

Another visit to the Dewar/Mohagen compound & I am put to work immediately. 200lbs of indoor/outdoor carpet, rocks, gravel, plain ol' dirt and cinder blocks loaded up into the Canyonero: straight to the land fill. If you have never been to a full blown American landfill you are missing something existential. The remains of the unwanted, piled hundreds of feet into the blue cloudless skies of the Central Valley. Enormous cranes collect one man's treasure and drag it to an untimely death. Metal drums out of a Kubrik film regurgitate the mess until unrecognizable as methan gas spews uninhibited. You literally drive up and onto the pile of waste until you come to what looks like a reasonable spot to park and discharge your wares.

Thanks for the experience Mar'; and the emphysema.

Flat my ass.

6 miles long with the last 2 at about 13%.

Happy Birthday buddy.