I've been laying low. Riding a little. Resting a little. Drinking a little beer. Eating some holiday candy (or as Thad would say, some "day off" candy). Working some. Playing some.

Here is a short list of happenings and thoughts and such in my life lately...

• I was feeling stressed on Tuesday, so I split from work early and went on a ride. Nothing too long, but it was good to get out and spin the pedals and get rid of some aggression. I was riding alone, so no real (measurable) tests of strength, but I am content with where my fitness is right now. I may (will probably) feel differently after the pain that will be the snake creek time trial in a couple of weeks.
• Last night, I went to see the Ben Folds show at the Exit/In here in Nashville. Word is that there were only 450 tickets sold. I would say that there were about 400 people squeezed into this smallish Nashville venue. We got there 15 minutes after the doors opened and still had to wait in line about 30 minutes to get inside. It was some craziness. But it was well worth it. Ben Folds and his two cronies up on stage put on a great show and played a solit 90 minutes or so. Probably a little longer. He started out with 5-6 new songs that they are working on in the studio right now. They were excellent and there were no complaints from the audience about not recognizing what was being played. Then, he went into a long set of older songs. The rest of the show was actually older songs. Very good. Very entertaining. Ben Folds is a pretty amazing piano player and a great performer... especially for Nashville and "our generation".
  For those of you that don't know, Ben Folds lives here in the city. It's not unusual to see him out and about seeing shows or whatever... living his life. He even showed up for one of the Team Yazoo Alley Cat Race/Parties. He was there (at the old Radio Cafe) to see the bands Justin had lined up.. not to race. So this show was most likely an occasion where some powers that be (whether he or a promoter) decided it would be cool to have a smallish local show. Relatively intimate. Very chilled. Glad I was able to go.
• TransIowa training is right on target. That means there is beer in the fridge, I ride my bike occasionally, and I am still looking forward to it. What more could you ask for to prepare for a super-long gravel-grinding ride through the countryside of Iowa.
• So I have been working for Rustici Software for a month and a half or so. I enjoy my job. I enjoy the really chilled out work culture, the ping pong, the schedule flexibility, and the work isn't bad either. Yesterday, Thad and I were playing ping-pong on the company conference table when a package came in addressed to me. I opened it to find twelve beers in a nice protective packaging. Then I was told it is my x-mas gift from the company (or from Mike and Tim who own the company). And it is a gift that keeps on giving. It is a one-year subscription to a Micro-brew beer of the month club. Sweet.
• And the best news of all...... Emma will be back living in town after the holidays. Her stuff is moved back to Nashville already. No more monthly trips to TX and alot more of Emma on a regular basis.

Have a good holiday. Cheers.