Hanging out in CT, yo.

This day got off to a slow start to say the least. I decided yesterday, and had a good idea of it the day before, that this was going to be a rest day. I saw television almost ceaselessly. Game shows, Yankees vs. Red Sox, cooking, whatever else. Bethany stopped by to drop off a book that she'd told me about: The Unbearable Lightness of Being. She's trustable with books - I'm barely started, but I think this one is going to be a winner. I watched more TV.

Bethany stopped by again, just before my aunt Gerry went to sleep (around 7pm). We watched some TV, and finally I just asked if we couldn't please just go anywhere at all. She drove me all over the area. A somewhat aimless tour while we talked. It's kinda crazy to have a cousin that I didn't even know, and have so much to talk about. We ended up at her dad's house - where she's living now. Her dad, Jerry, was a cousin by marriage - now divorced from my aunt Gerry's daughter. He used to ride me around on the back of his motorcycle. I have vague memories from when I was small and my family stayed somewhat in contact with this piece of the puzzle. Same era: a dog named Bear scared the shit out of me, and made me think I didn't love dogs for many years to come.

So I went to this house and talked to people I haven't seen in a long time or ever. There were some fireworks, and a good spread of food. I talked to the neighbor at length. More accurately, he talked to me. He likes bicycles. He owns thousands of dollars worth of high tech. He told me about going to the Tour de France fifteen times, jumping out of a helicopter to snowboard, how his wife is going to trail run 31 miles. He's very active in both actions and speech. I don't think he got any sense of what I'm all about. At all. He did however give me a grocery bag stuffed with bicycle clothing. I am very happy with the gloves, but I'm not sure when I'll be wearing this man's castaway bib shorts or sleeveless jerseys. But Saeco gloves? That's cool. Everyone knows he's a talker, and after awhile I was literally extracted from the conversation. I got some food. I had to politely decline his offer to let me borrow a bicycle for my trip more than once. Somehow I don't want to continue on either a full suspension mountain bicycle or a fifteen pound time trial bicycle. Oh yeah: and my bicycle is fucking awesome, and I built it up, and it has major bonus points for sentimental value. City Bike is cheap as hell with a nasty overbuilt frame - and even more importantly it has provisions for racks and fenders, and can carry a serious load without making me wince. Cheers to that.