Sep 27-28 - Stateside again

Travel back to the U.S. was uneventful -- Tram to the train station, train to the airport, on-time flight back to the U.S. I got in some reading and some sleeping on the 8 hour flight. Customs and USAirways and the long-term parking lot were both efficient (the parking lot had to process my lost ticket) and we were at Stef's before 4pm with a stop along the way to buy some wine ...

Stef was joining some friends for dinner so we went out for dinner to the Japanese Hibachi with Aaron and the kids. Hibachi food was the same as it always is -- consistent -- no complaints. At this point it was after 8pm but our bodies were convinced that it was 2am, so we crashed onto the blow-up bed. Stef and the kids could have continued to watch TV, it would not have bothered me in the slightest ... but I don't THINK that they did.

Of course by midnight I was ready to get up, but I dozed until 4am and then had a shower, coffee and breakfast and read a book. I was due downtown by 7am to meet with an attorney working on behalf of TP, my former employer in a dispute with EDS, so I left at 5:45 and comfortably got to the parking lot by 6:30, went to Starbucks for yet another coffee (make that a dry, nonfat cappucino please) and headed over to the attorney's offices. I was there until 10:30 then left for my GreatClips location in Trooper for a much needed haircut, followed by a salad from the Genuardis salad bar -- my usual lunch if I'm there at the appropriate time.

Afterwards I went over to Performance Bicycle, picked up a few things, went back to Stef's and cleaned my bike in preparation for the ride tomorrow and otherwise idled away my time. We are going out for dinner this evening with Mariadella and Leonas Bekeris, friends from the local Newcomers club.

While I was doing my thing, Sandy went over to the bowling alley to meet up with the "girls" after their weekly bowling ... and of course join them for lunch.

Saturday and Sunday will mostly be taken up with bike riding -- 100 miles on Saturday and 75 miles on Sunday. These are relatively easy rides compared to what I've already been through this year, since the route is flat. The weather is supposed to be good albeit cool in the morning in the low 70's. Aaron and I will leave here around 4:30 tomorrow morning to drive to the start, get to Ocean City around 12:30pm tomorrow, leave Ocean City around 6am on Sunday and be back to the parking lot around 11:00am.

However ... and there is a however ... I have not done much riding for the last few months so my butt will likely be sore and my legs will be crying out "not again" ... "what are you doing to me ?" ... just a taste of what it will be like getting back into shape this winter.

That's it for now. I don't know if I'll get back to the blog until we get down to Florida next week -- we intend to leave early Monday and go straight through.

Cheers ...