A Royal Christmas

With Christmas later this week, it's time for my girlfriend and I to begin preparing for our annual Christmas tradition.  We celebrate a bit differently than most.

First of all, we live across the street from the Manitou Springs Town Hall, where they host an annual community dinner, so we go over and eat.

Then, we head up the avenue to the Royal Tavern, our favorite Manitou dive for a couple pitcher's (the Royal has a very limited choice, but it's the cheapest beer in town.)

We do this, not because we're atheist (OK, a little because of that,) but mostly because neither of us has no family to hang out with.  Her family lives out of state, my family and I don't speak, and haven't in years.

So we imbibe instead.

And that's our thing.

In the meantime, happy whatever holiday you celebrate.

I Love My Baby

Usually, guys will refer to their cars as their "baby."   My "baby" is my mountain bike, a 2009 Trek Fuel EX7 that I bought in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Because this bike is my "baby," I like to take pictures of it, especially if I find something interesting to lean it on (there is a Facebook page dedicated to such photos.  I was kicked off the page for using the word "bong" in a post.)

I took this particular pic this summer as I was riding back from an appointment at our local VA clinic.  In the background is Colorado Springs' famous Garden of the Gods park, and behind that, Pikes Peak.  The trash bag in front of the bike is a nice touch, if I do say so myself.

And that's my baby.

From the iPod #4 - Solitude

My iPod is a very important piece of my world.  I am a man of music, and therefore need the thing several times a day to satisfy my musical needs.

My iPod contains 749 songs, the majority of which I consider favorite 's.  One of those is "Solitude" by Denver-based Caustic Soul, a sort of goth/industrial band originally from Cody, Wyoming.

"Solitude" is from the band's second album, An Absence of Warmth, which is a concept record vocalist/guitarist Mike Atchley wrote about his grandfather's experiences in World War I.

Don't let the "goth" designation deter you from listening to the link below.  It's a great, relaxing, late-night tune that more than lives up to it's title.

Solitude

I Love My Bike

I started mountain biking in 1993.  I have, since then, owned four mountain bikes, as well as a road bike and a cruiser.

My first was a Trek 930, which I finally sold about seven, maybe eight years ago (broke my heart. I loved that bike.)

I upgraded to a Specialized full suspension Rockhopper, which I owned less than a year before it was stolen.

A Gary Fisher Sugar 4 replaced that, and I rode that thing into the ground for a few years. And while it wasn't exactly stolen, some bastard stripped the bike of everything, leaving me with just a frame and front wheel.

I've owned my current bike, a Trek Fuel Ex-7, for about six years now. It's my favorite of all the bikes I've owned, and I ride it everywhere: singletrack, road, bike path, wherever. In fact, I've ridden over 1000 miles on that thing for two summers in a row (it's my yearly goal.)

I love taking pictures of my bikes, and plan on posting them here on a regular basis. This particular photo was taken the day I bought it. It's leaning against the bowling alley on the grounds of a VA hospital in Sheridan, Wyoming, next to the homeless shelter I worked at (the shelter is on VA property.)

I love my bike. You'll be seeing a lot more of it here, as well as an occasional pic of my other bikes as well.

Happy riding.

The Bob Newhart Marathon

My girlfriend and I are in the middle of a major Bob Newhart Show marathon. We checked out all six seasons from the library.

The show is as funny as I remember from my childhood, maybe even more so since I actually get some of the jokes now.

It also reminded me that Mr. Carlin was the show 's funniest character.

Which got me thinking about some of my favorite sitcom characters.

In no particular order:

Mr. Carlin
George Costanza (Seinfeld)
Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)
Barney Fife (Andy Griffith Show)
Colonel Klink (Hogan's Heroes)
Vince (Mike and Molly)
Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory)
Niles Crane (Frasier)
Red Forman (That 70's Show)
Ok Cha (Sullivan and Son)
Al Bundy (Married with Children)
Burt Campbell (Soap)
Doctor Johnny Fever (WKRP in Cincinnati)
Archie Bunker (All in the Family)
Edith Bunker (All in the Family)
Bubbles (Trailer Park Boys)


And a few more that have slipped my mind at the moment.  I'll add them as they come to me.

Welcome to the World of Teamfreak16

Welcome to the World of Teamfreak16.

I spent 11 years writing on Epinions.com as Teamfreak16, mostly music reviews, but books and movies as well.

When eBay shut Epinions down, I followed a lot of Epinions writer's over to Bubblews.com, where I spent just over a year writing as Chuck_Schick, up until that site crashed and burned last week.

During those years, I had no interest in blogging.  However, with writing sites shutting down seemingly on a daily basis, I figured I'd give it a shot.

So here I am.  I'll be writing about music and cycling primarily, with books and movies filling out the main topics.

Otherwise, anything goes.