Family

The CPSS household should be nearing normal today. Karen came back from Seattle last night and her luggage should be following sometime today. NorthWest Airlines did it again. The bathroom remodel project will be up and running again too. If we need to order a tub it'd be nice to get moving on that before the end of the week. Flooring and paint selections can also be made now that "the foreman" is back in town. It's getting harder to use my useful phrase at work now that more is expected of me, and it doesn't work at home either... "I'm only an apprentice, I just do what I'm told." It may work with the Tinners, Plumbers and Carpenters, but it won't fly with Karen.

I've had an interesting conversation with my brother in Dallas. I'd been helping him with his own single speed project and he'd completed it recently.

Hopefully it'll see some trail time once he figures out what gearing will work with the 39t on that road crank. I think he's using a hydration pack of some kind too, I don't think that single water bottle cage is going to be useful in the Texas heat.

In a recent Road Bike Action magazine there was a feature about Eddy Merckx bikes and the 7-11 team riders on them. When I relocated to Wisco I ran across Tommy Matush. He'd been at plenty of races when I was pack fill in the Pro/1/2 races and there were a few occasions were I'd been elbow to elbow with him in various Crits, until he'd smoke me and everyone else in a sprint. He'd been dropped by 7-11/Motorola after some "issues" he'd had so he was back in Madison living temporarily by Rusk and Rimrock. He had his 7-11 Merckx he wanted to sell so I bought it knowing it'd fit brother Dan. I owed Dan for a few things, not just money but for other things so I thought he'd appreciate it. He loved it and still does. Its been repainted and outfitted with a mix of early 90's Campy. The RBA features an interview with Tommy and an image of what might be the frame Dan has. After reading the article Dan contacted Merckx customer service folks with the serial number. With that they confirmed it was made for Tommy and even provided Dan with the frame's birthday. Very cool.

I worked on my ghetto tubeless conversion yesterday. I'd wrapped a set of the Bontager rims in packing tape and stretched a 20" x 1 3/8" presta tube on the rim and cut it on the outer circumference. After wiping the talc off and applying a film of dish soap I put a tire on and drove over to the gas station to use their compressor. It inflated without a problem. I then trimmed the excess tube at the bead and "ta da" I have a tubeless wheel. The down side is it was flat about 4 hours later. I think if I add the Stan's I bought from TBS it should hold air. I don't want to add the Stan's until the weather gets warmer because I've heard it'll get like cottage cheese in the cold.

I do have a pair of the Bontrager tubeless valve stems, but I'll be putting those on the wheels I got from Russell.

Oh yeah, after picking up Karen we went to dinner at Takumi. We were going to do the Sushi Boat but it didn't have enough rolls on it for the three of us. So we ordered what we wanted and Sephie made the couple at the table behind us marvel at her. They were eating a more "midwestern" selection of items: lots of tuna and avocado. When Sephie ordered the squid and unagi sashimi without any prompting they asked if she knew what she was ordering. She gave them the low-down on what all the different items we'd ordered like an old pro. She may be the only blonde 7 year old in Wisco that will eat eel.

When the bill came I had to laugh. I'd ordered a Sam Adams to wash my diner down but I failed to rearize how Mr Adams acturally sperred his name...

too funny.