Race report: the author takes an epic beating in the Black Hills.
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Politically moderate. Mildly adventurous. Always thinking (but not too hard). The Upstairs Project is Chris Congdon's blog.
green bananas
A prayer. A curse. A life uncertain.
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weekend update
A couple of progress reports while I am away.
bad news
The news industry doesn't respect us. They don't think we're smart enough to interpret events for ourselves, so they help us by inserting their opinion into nearly everything they report.
boogers
What should we do when the Nazis come to town and there's no Kleenex?
WARNING: includes that word that MSL prefers me not to say. That one that starts with F.
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back in the saddle
My heart beat 170 times in the last sixty seconds. I’m sweating a bit and out of breath, but don’t call anyone, this isn’t a medical episode … yet.
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kitchen sink
The sorting crew works all summer, picking out out the Playboys from the National Geographics ...
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badass melon
It was one of those “Oh S#!T” moments. I knew right away I had made a mistake and wished mightily to be able to rewind the last two seconds of my life.
potato salad
When Gramma said, “I’ve made some potato salad”, the proper response was, “I’ll be right over”.
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steamroller
I had the new bicycle for less than a day, and I wondered if I had made a mistake.
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flat tire of the soul
An identity crisis is nothing that a new bike can't solve.
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come on over to my place
We don’t do a lot of entertaining - partly because we’re a couple of quiet introverts, and partly because it’s awkward asking our guests to listen to each other use the bathroom.
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I climbed into the same Chevy Suburban that my wife had disappeared in an hour earlier. We turned onto a dirt road directly behind the convenience store and climbed a steep hill.
what's the story?
It's an odd piece of clothing in an odd place.
bridges
When the tourists spotted her and realized what they were looking at, they’d stop and point and talk to each other in German, Hindi, Korean and Arabic. It’s a poignant moment when you see people of other nationalities react that way.
grand prix
It felt more like it was passing through me than by me and I ducked my head, spilled the beer, and said some words you don’t say in church. It was gone as quickly as it came.
pizza town
The crowd at the counter spills out the door and into the street making it nearly impossible to get in or out, but with their mix of English banter and Italian insults, the red shirts keep the line moving so nobody has to wait very long.
last call
The last call in that two-hour span came at 3:22 p.m. After that, it’s likely that he lost interest, and just as likely that he was too drunk to operate the phone.
38:55
Will today be the day I set a new personal record? I’ve already walked the route, assessing the conditions - noting the obstacles. The weather is good. I’m hydrated. I like my chances.
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The stoplight ahead turns red and I’m saved for a moment. We stand there, each one exaggerating our nonchalance, trying not to breathe too heavy or lean on the bike as a sign of weakness.
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