Cold Weather, Country Music and Course Details
It got a little chilly again here in flag. Not exactly cold, mind you, but cold enough that the flowers and bushes I just planted in the front bed are going to be a pain in the ass because I gotta drag some fabric over them to keep them from freezing. Par for the course, I guess.
Luckily the 6 hop rhizomes in the back bed against the fence should do just fine since the ground hasn’t been frozen for a while. Hop shortage my ass, I got beer to brew!
The chill in the air was also just in time for the first concert of the year at the Pine Mountain Amphitheater. The show in question? Dierks Bentley.
Never heard of him? Then you’re not a country music fan. I, on the other hand, am a closet country music fan.
Alright, sometimes it’s not that ‘closet’. How can you not love songs like What was I Thinkin, Chattahoochee, or The Watermelon Crawl.
Earlier in life an intense hatred of country music was instilled in me via 45-minute each direction school bus rides with nothing but country music. Alas, when I got to college, I realized that I missed a little bit of that midwest heritage. Plus I knew all the words to almost every country song that came my way. A mixed blessing, to be sure.
Whatever the vice may be, I enjoyed the concert tonight, despite the cold. I came prepared with a blanket and some rowdy friends, and we had a blast. I highly recommend it.
Finally, I took a look tonight at the courses for the MBAA finals up here in flagstaff. I’m glad to see that they’re using some nice trails, but a bit disappointed in the length and trail selection for the marathon course (not really anything new). Too much forest road in my opinion (and really, is 30 miles a ‘marathon’ race?)
Unfortunately I’m not going to be in town that weekend, or I’d definitely go try to steal some points on my home turf.
Growing hops? You’re getting back to our rural roots.
“Earlier in life an intense hatred of country music was instilled in me via 45-minute each direction school
bus rides with nothing but country music.”
Oh my, ain’t that true. Now I kind of like country, too. I even own some Dolly Parton CDs. I try to pass as urbane but really—there’s a little redneck girl inside. Nathan, I realized one day when I was trying to say something in proper broadcast English—to leave a message on someone’s machine—that I even still have some of that Hoosier accent left. Do you?
- Cindy
Link | May 2nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Alright, I’m just gonna throw this out there one more time for you to mull around: Handlebar Sandwich Jerseys. Just think about it…
- MJ
Link | May 2nd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Cindy – I’m not sure if I have a hoosier accent still, at least nobody makes fun of me for it, so I guess I’m alright.
MJ - Funny you should mention that. I’ve decided to go low-tech, old-school on the jersey front and ordered a wool short sleeve jersey from portland cyclewear a few days back, and bought a couple sheets of iron-on flocked lettering to do up the cutters-style simple jersey. I’ll let you know how it goes, and if it looks like it’s gonna be sweet, I’ll hook you up with one.
- Nathan
Link | May 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 pm
That sounds awesome. How do merino wool jerseys work out in the summer? If you need money for a jersey I’ll definitely throw down…
- MJ
Link | May 4th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I’ve heard that wool actually does pretty well in the summer, but this will be my first wool jersey, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
By the way, check this out: t-shirt. Looks like they may have stolen your idea. . .
- Nathan
Link | May 5th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Those dirty bastards. They do look nice but I like Curious George better.
- MJ
Link | May 5th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
If you like country music (even if you are just a closet country fan), we hope you will check out the Due West website http://www.duewest.com/buy.html and download our free mp3, “Sweet Gravity.” Rather than go the traditional route to spread the word about our new single, we’re telling bloggers about it first, and giving it away for free. You have good taste in country, and we hope you like “Sweet Gravity.”
If you like it, we hope you’ll tell your friends.
Thanks- DW!
- Due West
Link | May 14th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I run in a wool jersey sometimes…but those are just short runs and it generally stays pretty cool here by the SF bay. Wool works well for hiking in the high country, but I’ve never used wool over an extended period of time for a high-impact aerobic activity. I’m curious how it works out for you.
- Cindy
Link | May 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am