24 of March till 24 December

Long pause
and then it's pretty unlikely that I will be writing you much Tao as I can't get my picasa web albums to work properly and without photos I don't blog.
I would like to write something profound, especially as it's been so long since I've spoken to you, but... I really don't feel up to it.
I'll try a little more before I give up completely.
It's christmas eve or noche buena, the good night. gotta love them Spaniards hey.
Even though I don't really think too much of them today. or at least the enormous number that seem to delight in throwing fireworks around day and night, reducing poor little eni to a nervous wreck who hasn't taken a crap all day as he's just to frightened when he's in the street to even think about what he normally does there.

well, on a sidetrack, the most amazing and ridiculous coincidence. I just noticed that the link to eni's blog in the sidebar was broken, (it's fixed now) and went in to the template to fix it. and I did it wrong the first time. Instead of putting http://hallegadoellider.blogspot.com, which is his URL for his blog, called naturally enough HA LLEGADO EL LIDER, the leader has arrived, I put http://hallegadoellider.blogpot.com and look where it leads. Surreal completely. How can that address be that site. There is no logic to that one!!

Well a bit of a search and the answer comes, or for those who enjoy a more entertaining although Spanish version. So it's just not a miracle of christmas after all.

well, there's a heap more I should tell you about, but I am feeling like turning in and think I might leave it until another moment.

tabblo test

yes a big group of keen as punch, breveters showed up early in the morn to partake in this event, and a bunch of the peña went along for the ride.
below you can see my good mate Molina who drove me there in his taxi.
... See my Tabblo>

more on cycling

some weeks back, when I was on the trainer Lourdes came and took some photos.
Doesn't really do much justice to the suffering but there you go.
oh I don't know what I want to say here, or, more accurately, don't know how to go about saying what I want to say.

I mean, why do I do it? Why do any of us amateurs and enthusiasts do it? It's a hell of a lot of suffering and sacrifice for, well, nothing, or just about nothing. I mean the closest I could go to describing why I do it would be that it's a hell of a lot of suffering and sacrifice. full stop. (redundant)
It gives me a feeling of accomplishment and, I suppose a feeling of superiority but the overall effect would hardly be called positive. The practice of cycling as a sport means that every sat and sun are completely taken up by first the early rising, the dog walk, the actual cycle outing (four hours or so now, much more in the coming months) and then the long afternoon of suffering; so called recuperation!
of course I have to take the doggy out again for an extended walk in the afternoon, to make amends for the hours that he has to spend waiting for me to come back.
And a couple of weekdays have to be about the same!
all that time that I could be painting or studying or fucking or sleeping or any of a number of other worthwhile pursuits. Dog knows I could just be watching television. But the same could be said of the time that I am here writing this. (not that I spend much time doing this, not at all.)
(and I don't watch television as a conscious act, or choice, just as I don't spend much money as a conscious choice, and because I don't have any of course.)
but it is a mystery.
anyway, I am not really saying what I want to and I have remembered another cycling related chore that I must do, so I think I might just leave it at that and go to put a sleeve in my front tire, after just one and a half outings, or about 200 kms, on a brand new tire, I got a puncture which was actually a cut, and although I didn't realise it was a cut and repaired it without a sleeve, I have a bit of a bulge there and would be happier if it was sleeved. so knowing that by the time I get around to having a coffee and organising the repair and so forth it will be time to get ready to go take my Monday classes.
so on that note, I wish you well tao and hope to come back soon with something to actually say.
love from Scott

hey-di ho

I don't know if I will be doing much of a post.
I really should be doing something else with my time, I suppose.

but seeing as I am not in so bad a mood as normal and I have been feeling guilty for not posting...

maybe I could write you about cycling.

as you probably know I do a bit of cycling. 3123 kms since the first of jan. plus 17 hours on the trainer. what is not so apparent maybe is the level at which that cycling is done. I could point out the average speeds from outings, (between 30 and 34 km/hr) but that also might not mean much

I have recently received a new cycling computer, (a gift from some very good friends of mine) and it's a doozy and it has some tests, fitness and recuperation etc.
anyway it does a resting heart rate test and then estimates VO2 Max. and it gives me an estimate of 68. and tells you to compare with this

Fitness Level Classes

Your OwnIndex is most meaningful when comparing your individual values and changes in them over time. OwnIndex can also be interpreted based on gender and age. Locate your OwnIndex on the table below, and find out how your aerobic fitness compares to others of the same gender and age.

Top athletes typically score OwnIndex values above 70 (men) and 60 (women). Olympic-level endurance athletes can reach values as high as 95. OwnIndex is highest in sports that involve large muscle groups, such as running and cross-country skiing.

Men

Age / Years_Very low_Low_Fair_Moderate_Good_Very good_Elite

20-24____< 32__32-37__38-43__44-50__51-56__57-62__> 62

25-29____< 31__31-35__36-42__43-48__49-53__54-59__> 59

30-34____< 29__29-34__35-40__41-45__46-51__52-56__> 56

35-39____< 28__28-32__33-38__39-43__44-48__49-54__> 54

40-44____< 26__26-31__32-35__36-41__42-46__47-51__> 51

45-49____< 25__25-29__30-34__35-39__40-43__44-48__> 48

50-54____< 24__24-27__28-32__33-36__37-41__42-46__> 46

55-59____< 22__22-26__27-30__31-34__35-39__40-43__> 43

60-65____< 21__21-24__25-28__29-32__33-36__37-40__> 40

Women

Age / Years_Very low_Low_Fair_Moderate_Good_Very good_Elite

20-24____< 27__27-31__32-36__37-41__42-46__47-51__> 51

25-29____< 26__26-30__31-35__36-40__41-44__45-49__> 49

30-34____< 25__25-29__30-33__34-37__38-42__43-46__> 46

35-39____< 24__24-27__28-31__32-35__36-40__41-44__> 44

40-44____< 22__22-25__26-29__30-33__34-37__38-41__> 41

45-49____< 21__21-23__24-27__28-31__32-35__36-38__> 38

50-54____< 19__19-22__23-25__26-29__30-32__33-36__> 36

55-59____< 18__18-20__21-23__24-27__28-30__31-33__> 33

60-65____< 16__16-18__19-21__22-24__25-27__28-30__> 30

The classification is based on a literature review of 62 studies where VO2max was measured directly in healthy adult subjects in the USA, Canada and 7 European countries. Reference: Shvartz E, Reibold RC. Aerobic fitness norms for males and females aged 6 to 75 years: a review. Aviat Space Environ Med; 61:3-11, 1990.

so although I am just about to turn 41, it tells me I am elite level for a young man. so that makes me feel pretty good. of course it's only an estimate and I haven't got the bucks to do a real sports medicine test to find my actual VO2 Max.
still what do I care.
look tao, I'm going to have to take my little buddy down to the street and stuff, and then I suppose I better get on and study, top athlete status not with standing, nothing that I do that isn't being a good little worker cog pays the bills.
so I will continue this at another time.
bye for now

get a bit of extra milage from this image

having posted this as my first entry on Illustration Friday Night I thought I would post it here for you tao as well, although I could have just sent you over there I suppose.
I titled it London Tube Map 2050, which is actually what Mike Moony called it when he saw it. It is just a watercolour that I did last year.
I think that the sound of my typing is disturbing my 'better' half, who to be fair is studying not wasting her fucking time on the internet like I am.
so I might stick a fork in it, and call it an entry
chow

hmm, tired very tired

and in a bad mood too.
not sure what the story is today
been in a bad mood all day.
had an argument in the street with the driver of a little water truck.
I hate those fucking bastards.
I'm going to go get my camera, download the few piccies on the card and post one of this fucker.
jeez I'm still seething



What the fuck do they think they are acheiving with this?

all they are doing as far as I can see is throw water away, dirty the street, and cause pushbike accidents

and the arsehole had the nerve to tell me not to take photos of him.
at which point I really lost my cool and told him in no uncertain terms to go fuck himself and that I would take photos of what ever I wanted to and dared him to do anything about it, at which point he calmly drove off down the street at 2 miles an hour spraying water over everything.



I hate that I am losing my cool more and more often lately.
living in this enormous densely packed city is really getting to me I suppose.
and reading the sort of stuff I read is also not good for ones calmo meter
but we are really a fucked up bunch of shit in our own nest supposedly sentient beings



every night, it's the same thing. every night! these photos are from last night but I have thousands of similar ones. and there are these collections of enormous bins every ten meters or so, on every street. full of basically packaging and wasted food and organic material from the war on trees, and used once only cartons and crates and polystyrene flat screen tv packaging material and it's driving me bonkers




así que voy a ir me a la cama
I think that's enough ranting for now.
I'll leave out the story of the bunch of young fucksticks who nearly got to relieve my tension in the metro. I could have battered all four to death, even though one was a girl and was laughing at me, the main fucker seemed to get the idea that that mad anglo saxon looked a little too mad and they took off. I will be looking in the local rag for stories of some incident as they were looking for trouble.
jeez I sound like an old fool but I'm not kidding.
I'm going to take my little friend down to the street and not try at all hard to stay out of trouble.



if this is the last post that appears here you will know that I am an old fool after all.

still around ?

old buddy, old pal.
really shouldn't be here doing this. Be much more useful to be doing some work or even some painting.



oops, looks like I should have cleaned these scans up a bit before posting them.
sorry 'bout the black lines at the edge.
my bad.



this one is really so strange. I still haven't decided if I am wasting my time with it or not. At this point, (above) it has cost me a lot of work but now I have decided to paint a turquoise circle inside each of the blue spaces, as you can see below.



this is obviously going to take me a while more.
(Insert smiley winky face here)
sorry these images come through so small.
it's a very dissapointing aspect of the new blogger. I liked it more when I could put the bigger images on the front page, even though I know that really caused problems for anybody who doesn't have broadband internet access. I suppose that what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabout.
I have included a detail of a small section of this ongoing work below.



I know you know this, but just in case, by clicking on the image, (or right clicking and choosing open link in new tab, or new window for those stubborn enough to still be using Internet Explorer), you can see a much larger version.

well I really should think about taking my little buddy down to the street and that stuff. although it is raining so he won't be too impressed with that and will not want to actually go out the door. Sometimes I have to carry him to a place that has a few square metres covered and let him have a run around there.
I find it quite incredible that they can build a city in a place where it rains in winter and not include awnings on the buildings so that one can walk around without an umbrella, or should I say with the umbrella folded up. I mean, with the population density that there is here it's not at all easy to walk around under an umbrella. The sidewalks are narrow, in places inexistant, the cars park on them willy nilly, the average Spaniard doesn't give a fuck, or even look before stepping out in front of you and yet there is no protection from the rain. I really can't get my head around most things these days. I guess I am reaching my limits on living in a big city.
I remember that Lucas told me I wouldn't like it, or wouldn't be able to stand it, and I guess he was right really, but I am pretty stubborn as well, and I have now clocked up more than five years.
Well, anyhow, I don't want to get on to bitching about the big city 'cause I might not be able to stop. and speaking of stopping, I really should be thinking about doing something with my day. I am starting to fear that I really might not finish my course in the alloted time and then I will be in a fine pickle.
The book has fallen through, or at least I reached and passed my limits of dealing with the idiots and I really don't have too many options left. Fuck the modern world. I am sure that a few hundred years ago I would have been quite secure at this age and not so disapointed in the human race and therefore a little more amenable to doing what it takes to get along and so forth. But now, in the year of our dog 2007, I am just waiting for the crash. Hope it comes along soon.
-On that uplifting note-
here comes my little buddy to ask me why we are here and not in the street. and I have no good answer, so to the street we must go. so tao, nice to talk to you and see you soon

well that went alright sort of

once again I apologise tao, if you haven't got a high speed connection to the net my habit of putting the big photos on the front page must really drive you nuts.
but for me it's kinda important as that's the way I like it. I'm sort of assuming that you are either patient or you're not reading this anyway. but who cares. It's here to read if you want to. Don't know when I'll write something that makes the whole thing worth while.



life goes on as usual for me. geologic time scales are bloody frustrating to live through. Well not quite geologic, but something along those lines.
I'll go into that another time.
Ran into an anti-facist march out on Paseo de Extremadura but being with the better-half, who was scurrying from metro entrance to metro entrance, (boca de metro, literally metro mouth sounds better), I didn't stop to join in. I wanted too, but let it ride, as I usually do. Don't really go for people power all that much. Interesting looking bunch though. Just don't know exactly what manifestation of facism they are protesting.





nor would I be able to define well what it would be for me. but it's probably different than theirs.

well I am getting to be super tired, here smoking cones and using my time on writing meaningless drivil to you my estranged pal.
spose I should try again at another time.

until nuevas noticias

I'm going to put up a new banner.