October stuff

I’ve gotten to do some fun things the past couple weeks since coming home, but unfortunately I just haven’t found the time in my busy work schedule to go down and protest Amurica with the Occupy Portland people. I’m going to have my secretary clear my schedule later this week, even then I might still have to skip a few board meetings to find the time. I’ve just been so busy lately. I just don’t know if I’ll have the time.

With some  luck I’ll actually have something productive to do here  pretty soon. Well, not here actually, but in Boulder Colorado. I’m leaving November 4th for good, at least until April. I’m crossing my fingers for a particular house painting job to still be there for me when I arrive. Painting, as some of you may know, is one of my oldest professions, dating way back to before my cycling career. I started with College Pro Painters, and then graduated to my own painting business, Peterson Bros. Painting Company (formerly known as Tri-Corp. Industries. The name ‘Tri-Corp’ didn’t go so well in group market surveys, based on the lack of interest my pamphlets raised. Research showed that homeowners didn’t want their houses painted by a three-pronged corporation, and preferred a more home-grown name to trick them into false confidence, something like Fannie Mae would have been good. Unfortunately that one was already taken).

In other news, I’ve decided to start my novel. That way when people ask me what I’ve been up to I don’t have to talk about bike racing, since no one knows anything about that and I’m tired of seeing glazed-over eyes once I start explaining the intricacies of drafting, breakaways, and echeloning caravans. I guess I’d like to start a novel mainly so people will ask how the novel’s going and I can have an even more awkward conversation in which I explain in great detail what it’s about, what the plot is, what it represents in this crazy world we’re living in, and then I’ll end the conversation with the fact that I haven’t actually gotten any of the physical writing done yet, but the process is coming along REALLY well and I’m just waiting for the right mix of inspiration to get things turning, and then it will basically write itself.

Topics for my novel that I’ve thought up so far:
-A story of two runners, one from the US and one from somewhere in Africa. They meet in the Olympics and later end up shooting each other’s legs off in a war. First person pov.
-A story about a cyclist who slowly, over the years, goes insane. Written in the form of a diary or a blog. First person pov.
-Zombie love story, like The Twilight saga, except with Zombies. This was actually my dad’s idea I think. First zombie pov.

Last Thursday I rode down to my brother, Galen’s, house in Corvallis to hang out with him and his friends and sit in on a few of his classes at OSU. I learned from his physical chemistry class that I am dumb. I found out that I’m currently rock climbing at a beginner’s level (I used to pull pretty hard), I found out that I suck at rowing after I sat on an erg for a few minutes (I used to pull pretty hard at this too), but I still get belligerent on a single beer. After the physical chemistry class I beat Galen at a game of chess though, so my brain cells are still putting along somewhat okay. Galen, Kenny, and I climbed a mountain, or nearly did, on Friday night/Saturday, and I rode the 70 miles home to Sherwood on Sunday with extremely sore legs.

That’s all for now. It’s time to go turn over the dirt and plant a couple kilos of garlic.

North Sister