Proof that my head is messed up.

Over the years friends and family have said that I'm "crazy" or that I've got a "screw lose". As reported on Yahoo this past Sunday, I now have proof that my brain is damaged.

My first migraine occurred in the 2002 and I've had a total of 4 since then. In the Yahoo article it's mentioned that migraines are often preceded by "aura" which are a series of visual disturbances that can include flashes of light or black spots. I found this fascinating because I've had black spot visual disturbances since I was 9 years old without having a migraine, though my last migraine did start with a black spot aura.

Anyway... Here are some points of interest if you don't feel like reading the whole article.

• People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen..."

• Two studies, including one published last week in the Archives in Internal Medicine, show that people who have migraines are more likely to have heart attacks.

• A 2004 study in the British Medical Journal found that migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as people who do not have the headaches.

It's not bad enough that I feel old, slow, and fat after my bike ride to HubBub yesterday. Now I've got heart attacks and strokes to look forward to. This is just the best news ever. Yea for me!!!


On a positive note I got a call from Mike Zanconato this morning to cover any last minute questions. Mike is going to be building for me one of the finest, race specific cyclocross bikes you can own. And of course it's going to be total Euro-trash. More about Zank and the frame build later.

Also check out my bro EPO. He's kicking ass at RATL this year! I can't express how happy I am for him. John has worked extremely hard to become the bike racer that he is today. And it's not like he has all the free time in the world to ride. John is a devoted husband and father to three cool kids, holds down a full time job (I still can't grasp what John does at the Cleveland Clinic other than you've got to be very intelligent to do his job), and is in the process of getting his Doctorate Degree at Case Western Reserve University. He does all this and fits the bike riding/racing in when he can. Now that's Belgian spirit.

It's up to me to keep Belgian dreams alive.

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."

--Jack Handy

The benefits and repercussions of weight gain.

Last year at this time my weight was at 157 lbs. By society standards that’s very good. But according to the laws of cycling I still could’ve lost a few pounds to be more competitive. Now fast-forwarding to today on the scales of truth. My weight was 167, which is 2 pounds less than a month ago from when I started keeping track in 2007. At my height of 5’ 10 5/8”, 167 lbs is a lot of weight for me or any other cyclist. To put this into perspective, on July 23, 2001 I was 142 lbs with a body fat percentage of 6.2.

Now I’m not going to make excuses for the weight gain. I got fat… It’s time to move on. Still there have been some interesting discoveries I’ve uncovered while spending time with my soft, warm friends.

Pros:
1. Not once during the winter did I get sick. On average once or twice during the winter season I’ll be fighting a nasty cold that has me suffering for 1 to 3 weeks. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of spring (and I’m felling good) it’s safe to say that the 10 lbs must be keeping me just a little bit healthier.

2. I’m less likely to be hurt in a bar fight. There’s more padding to absorb the blows. Plus guys are less likely to start a fight with big, fat dudes.

3. I wasn’t as cold this past winter. My wife can testify that there have been many past winters where I’ll be freezing to the point that my teeth will start chattering and I can’t control my body from shaking. Not only did this not happen but I didn’t have to wear as many clothes to be comfortable inside or out.

Cons:
1. My clothes don’t fit anymore, especially the dress pants. Sad but true… I can’t button up any of my pants and have only one pair of jeans that I can button up.


2. By mid-afternoon my chest starts hurting. It’s the same feeling that I had in college when I was carrying a few extra pounds. Though the pain could be stress related too. One thing’s for certain, I don’t have any pain when the pounds aren’t on my body.

3. The first rides and races of the year are going to be flat out painful especially when the road starts to turn upward.

Well… It’s time to do what my bro, John (EPO) Ehrlinger has prescribed for rapid weight loss. “Don, just get on your bike and ride!”

Eddie Van Halen

Where have all the good times gone? My rock and roll gods are crumbling to dust in the wind. For example, at the pace Eddie Van Halen is aging he's going to end up looking like Eddie from Iron Maiden.

It not Euro-trash...

Still I'd follow whoever is wearing it.