NYC Journal

Arrangements are being made for a car to pick us up and bring us to the location in Clinton Hill. My thought was to drive in, but I like the idea of a car picking us up and dropping us off at home. EZ-PZ.

Still need to do a zoom call with the stylist.

I have been doing two sets of 60 pushups every day, but today I did 65 in the first set. Still have to do my second set. If only 60, I’m cool with that. At one time I could do 100 pushups n one set.

I have to consider starting to do inclined pushups to increase the loading and to get the numbers lower.

I think tomorrow I’ll do some dumbbells and the kettlebell in addition to the pushups. Pretty much I’m pumping up and getting toned for next week.

Been getting good sleep and eating right. My skin looks great. I think I’ll try to get in a ride tomorrow to pump some blood.

I went to Peekskill Coffee today and our friend Randy saw me last Sunday in Yonkers at the train station along with some other bikers. He said hello, but somehow he did not catch my attention. He probably held some distance, because today it was as if he was not sure it was me. I was wearing a helmet and in a ways it is a disguise.

So pretty much I’m getting ready every day for the big gig. I have to dig through some of my clothing. Pretty much some of my actual clothing might be utilized. Of course I have a lot of vintage clothing, a t-shirt collection, and even formal wear, but basically I’m not a fashion model. I’m a health, fitness, and wellness model, and pretty much it is my actual lifestyle.

Cal
 
I got high score on a covid test and feel awful. It was only Thursday that I had ridden my bike to work so this illness hit me hard and fast.
100% of the parts for the “Monster” are here but I’m not going to be doing anything other than resting and hydrating for the next few days.
Cal, when you clean those shifters, make sure to only use silicone grease. The 30 year old dogs in there are notorious for cracking, and a lot of that is because people use the wrong lube. NLGI 00 full synthetic silicone lube should be applied sparingly with a brush.

Phil
 
Phil,

Get well soon.

After the shoot next week “Maggie” and I will be getting our Flu shots. Also I think we will start to wear masks.

I don’t think we can afford to get sick. The thing with Covid is that it takes a long time to recover. For me the cough lasted and lasted. I don’t want to go through that again.

Thanks for the insight on the proper lube.

In a way the Yo Eddie is a dream come true. How did it happen? I guess A.J. Has become a great friend to hand me that deal.

Cal
 
Only 60 pushups in my second set. Oh-well.

Been doing 2 sets of max pushups every day for several days. My trick is to do them fast as I can. Mine I would call sloppy and violent. Pretty much it is a maximum effort and I think I’m at a point where I can add a third set and be able to do this every day.

My friend A.J. Is physically a muscular and strong man. He is my height but packs likely 15-20 pounds of more muscle.

Pretty much he wanted to be a pro bike racer when he was just a kid, then he became a NORBA Pro.

I remember back in my motorcycle days how some racers did pushups and pull-ups as well as squats for training. A.J. Can do 20 pull-ups in a set. These take a long time to get to those numbers.

”Maggie” mentioned to me that in Blue Mountain there is a children’s playground and that there is a place where she “dangles” to stretch her back. I need to start doing them again. Last year I saw a guy doing pull-ups in Depew Park, so after he was done I wanted to see how many I could do.

I did eight, but I was expecting only maybe 5-6. This really fit guy asked me my age, and when I told him 65, he said I want to be like you when I‘m your age. This guy was mucho fit doing over a dozen pull-ups. Here was a guy who could actually be a fitness model.

I was deeply flattered. I guess I don’t look my age. I’d be happy to get to 12 pull-ups in a set.

Certainly this will help in my biking.

Cal
 
I’m cooking fried Matza with a good dose of scallions because we ran out of sour dough bread from Trader Joe’s. Always good to buy a case of Matza around the Jewish Holidays on sale. This stuff has a mucho long shelf life, and in times of emergencies like today, no bread, it means I don’t have to panic or get stressed. Pretty much I can just be a lazy-slacker.

Instead of maple syrup I use olive oil for a healthy fat for flavor.

”Maggie” is going to spend time with the kids, meaning her daughter and the grandkids. This translates into a free day for Calvin to exploit like perhaps a marathon long ride where I can embrace “long-slow-distance.”

Pretty much LSD for me is healthy and counterintuitively creates endurance and stamina. Not only is physical strength important, but the cardio vascular system likes to pump mucho blood over long periods of time. It will be a cold day, but there does not appear to be windy, so I likely will wander around on the back roads that are rolling hills. In other words wandering around aimlessly and getting lost is actually a great thing

I dug in and wanted to know if my memory was correct: first off the Yo Eddy is a racing bike that was developed for a specific racer that demanded that the bike could accommodate a tire called a new “Ground Control” tire that held a 2.5 inch width.

Pretty much a mucho fat tire for cush, traction, and evidently racing. So basically this advantage also has the penalty of added weight and since wheels and tires are rotating mass it takes more energy to spin. Simple physics: basically a flywheel.

At Blue Mountain the wide fatter tires are welcomed assets. Not only are the tires wider but they are taller. Bigger tires travel over rocks and roots better because of the increased diameter. This is just simple geometry.

Anyways understand that my art and science backgrounds emerge and are utilized when riding a bike. Out of all my bikes the Yo Eddy has some capabilities my other bikes don’t have. I’ll have to dig in and find a great 2.5 wide 26 inch tire to exploit.

A.J. Has taught me the merits of the older retro bikes. Understand that even expensive carbon fiber high tech full suspension 29’ers typically can weigh over thirty pounds. For me thirty pounds is a bloated amount of weight since I only weigh a bit more than 150 pounds.

The exception is an IBIS Excie racing cross country bike that weighs 23 pounds, but costs $13K when properly ordered with appropriate options. Pretty much I kinda need the Yo Eddy, I’m not racing, and AJ has demonstrated it is more about the rider than the bike again and again.

Perhaps this is why AJ gave me the Yo Eddy at a giveaway price. Now my eyes are wide open of why Yo Eddy prices are so crazy.

My Serial Number is YO SM 2309. The “SM” I learned last night is a “small-medium” in size and not meaning a “small.” So pretty much this bike really isn’t small for me. At 5’10” I am average height or in other words “extra-medium” using my friend Eddie-Jeff’s term. I like it and it is kinda cool.

With a set of Schwable Billy Bonker tires I can see that this small-medium with the air shock would be a great bike for a pump track. It also seems like I’m a retro fan of triple chainrings. Part of my style is the big jumps in gearing utilizing “chainring-jumping.” I do enjoy pumping the bike and taking advantage of gravity after cresting a climb.

Know that full suspension bikes and bikes with larger than 26 inch wheels are not really good on a pump-track, and innately that is kinda my style.

Anyways the Yo Eddy is a really great bike for me for Blue Mountain. Maggie thinks it is romantic that we both own Fat Chance bikes, and the stories behind them. I’m cool with riding the Yo Eddy inappropriately equipt with oversized heavy tires intended for off road use on paved Empire State Trailway. Pretty much the flywheel effect and higher rolling resistance translates into a higher work load. This could end up balancing the difference in our ages and our state of fitness. I too love the stories, and the romance.

I built Maggie’s Yo Betty especially for her using many of my old retro vintage parts that I hoarded and saved as treasures, then she paid for my Yo Eddy that kinda fell from the sky.

I think AJ has become a really good and generous friend. I think he sold me a Thompson seatpost at his cost. Anyways I really appreciate his background and knowledge. I’m so grateful…

How great is retirement. I’m so pleased and grateful.

Cal
 
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I found my 26x2.5 inch wide tire: A Maxxis Minion DHF that has extra sidewall protection. From my readings and research I already was acquainted with this tire, but what kept me away was the weight penalty, even in narrower sizes.

A nice thing is that I found a site that is running a sale, and there is a version that does not use sealants that saves me money that is lighter that would save me almost 4 1/2 ounces of rotating mass. This over a quarter pound is really significant, especially because it is rotating mass. Simple physics again.

Time to place an order…

WOW. This opens things up for me. More traction, control and Cush is pretty much all I need. Strength and skill will be coming. And because I live so close to Blue Mountain my exposure to the cold can be contained and controled. Don’t forget I have mucho cold weather technically engineered clothing.

This is going to be a really great winter. Counterintuitively fresh snow actually smooths out the trails. I kinda love how snow automatically performs a bike cleaning. No soap or water required. Then there is this still quietness in the woods especially just after snowfall, or even better yet when snow is falling. Unless a northeaster there tends to be no wind. I find riding in the snow peaceful.

In previous seasons I followed the tracks and the lines made by the guys that ride fat bikes at Blue Mountain. Of course the snow masks the trails, but these guys really have the trails down, and I can follow their tracks.

BTW I think the “small-medium” frame with the super sized wide tires will look “savage” and will be “boss” cool. “Brutal,” I say.

Also know that you are not going to see many Yo Eddy’s in the wild. A bit rare at this point. I love the novelty. I guess the styling is not so different than my 1984 Jeep Scrambler with a Corvette engine.

Cal
 
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Phil,

I was not hallucinating, Fat Chance is building a Yo Eddy, but it is not a 26’er.

Two wheel sizes: 29’er; and 650b.

$2349.00 for just the frame.

Pretty much a Yo Eddy in name only.

I think I love my $800.00 Yo Eddy from 1997 more. I look upon my Yo Eddy as a gift from a friend, meaning AJ.

AJ said, “I know you could tag on $1K and just flip the bike, but I know you would never sell it.” AJ know that I will keep and ride the bike.

Vintage original Fat Chance Yo Eddy’s are being offered at crazy prices and dumb money is paying stupid prices.

Don’t know if this Fat City is Chris Chance. I have doubts. Last I heard he left the biking part of his life behind and got into wellness after getting divorced. As far as I know he has a different life now.

Cal
 
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I rediscovered the turnoff to Montrose Station Road. A real pretty twisty scenic road of gentle rolling hills where you can really attack and do some serious road bike speeds. The road leads to Sunset Road which is also pretty and free of traffic and cars. Then there is dog leg into George’s Island Park on the Hudson that descends to the river, a former location of a brick making factory where the Island is now a peninsula because of discarded bricks.

This area and also parts of Croton was a major source of building materials for NYC before steel and concrete displaced the brick industry in the Hudson Valley.

There is a road that leads back to 9A where I can loop again and head right instead of left to head to Verplank and Buchanan.

So now I have several loops of rolling hills to avoid repetition and I can ride with very limited exposure to cars and traffic, yet I am mucho close to my Baby-Victorian. An idea is to do the initial loop further south to Furnace Dock Road to get beat up by the rather long rolling hills for strength, but then on a second loop head back to Washington to the beginning of the long climbs, but do the earlier turnoff at Montrose Station Road as a second loop.

Just these two loops is about 19-20 miles combined, then I could do a third loop, turn down Montrose Station Road again, but this time make the right and vista the sleepy villages of Verplank and Buchanan. To get in a 30 mile ride.

I could also head east on Furnace Dock Road and head up to Maple Avenue to add on another 10 mile loop. These hills are the most gentile, but then there is the long descent down Hudson where you can hit terminal velocity easily if you are foolish.

There are three great things: one is that all these loops are nice rides by themselves, but when blended offer variation; all the rides are pretty and are lightly trafficked by cars; and the best is that it is nearby and all I have to do is leave my house.

There is no reason to not ride except being lazy, sick or bad weather. I could stop at home have lunch or go to the bathroom, and then ride some more.

I forgot that I could also backtrack or reverse direction. I think you see my point that there is lots of opportunity for variation, and lots of choices.

BTW I can tell that the strength from all my pushups is an aid and asset to my biking. I can generate more power to my pedals and staying on top of my gears is easier. AJ was right.

Cal
 
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You may be able to find out from the serial number. Chris Chance learned frame building at Witcomb and those he produced (along with Richard Sachs, Ben Serotta, and Peter Weigle) all had personalized serial numbers. If not them, the frame was definitely welded by one of the top framebuilders in the country, probably one of the guys that started Independent Fabrications.

Phil
 
Phil,

Thanks for the link. Of course an interesting read.

Pretty much my Ti IBIS Mountain Trials was a result of Gary Helfrick joining Scot Nicol at IBIS. Gary of course worked at Fat City.

Interesting to note that Chris Chance and Scot Nicol were both friends and competitors.

Gary Helfrick learned to weld while being a roadie for the band Aerosmith. He abandoned a full scholarship at MIT to do sex, drugs, and rock and roll. LOL. If you were in that position what kind of nerd would you want to be? Anyways one DEefinately was more fun.

An odd fact is that Fat City and IBIS both used an odd 29.4 mm seatpost diameter. I don’t think 29.4 is used elsewhere other than these two bike makers.

BTW lots of stories on the IBIS web site. Very colorful… If you read some of these there were a series of playful practical jokes that went back and forth, coast-to-coast. Very playful.

Cal
 
Our agent, Vanessa, is sending her assistant to attend the gig. Pretty much Fern will be like a “handler” making sure we are pampered and well taken care of. Pretty much this is evidence that this gig might be only a start of something bigger. This is looking to become an even bigger gig.

Meanwhile this is kinda my first gig. I would not say I’m scared, but pretty much I don’t know what to expect. These things kinda have a life of their own, and anything could happen.

In the past I was just on the sidelines, but now I’m a performer in front of cameras. I kinda feel the pressure because I’m kinda being “groomed” and cultivated. “Maggie” has mucho experience, while I’m a new-B.

I feel like Woody Allen and will be glad when it is over.

Maxxis makes automotive tires and truck tires as well as bike and motorcycle tires. There is a selection of compounds and casings, as well as other options that make selection not so easy. Lots of things to consider…

It seems the abandoned house had a bathroom demo’ed. The dumpster is about 3/4’ers full, and I have seen a few workers coming and going. Pretty much steady progress.

Let’s see what I can do today. A deep frost happened with temps in the twenties.

Cal
 
Today around lunchtime we will have a zoom call with our stylist. The idea is to assemble clothing that might be a combination of our personal wear and what the stylist will bring. The look is suppose to be casual, and pretty much not high fashion.

Let’s see…

I mounted knobs and had to figure out how to deal with a screw that provided interference. I ended up screwing the wood screw into the knob and cutting off the head to make use of a “blind” hole that made for a clean install. Anyways it was mucho clever.

Then I mounted the doors, but I had to trim the side where the hinges mounted for additional clearence. I had allowed 3/8 of an inch clearance for the flush mounted brass hinges and for door swing in total, but that was not enough. I ended up using the table saw to trim the width of the saw blade off the hinged side, and now I have a perfect fit. I was hopeful that I would have enough clearance, but live and learn.

Of course fitting the doors required thoughtful planning and lots of assembly and disassembly. Pretty much took the afternoon, but it was relaxing. Didn’t want to rush, make any mistake, and wanted to keep it an artful job. Turned out both relaxing and rewarding.

Today the finishing touches: stain the recut side of the doors, and of course this will require yet again another disassembly/reassembly. Then I can drill and secure the door frame hinge full with the remaining screw holes. Pretty much I used only two screws to trial fit.

This cabinet which is wall mounted because it is top heavy, not so deep, and rather tall, kinda is like a skinny closet that looks like a period correct arts and crafts/craftsman built-in that might date back to 1910-1920. Obviously not something you could buy unless custom built.

Anyways took more time than I could imagine, and used a lot of creative energy. I love the scale and proportion that is the perfect size for a rather thin and narrow bathroom. In a ways it is the centerpiece that elevates the new bathroom. The bathroom actually looks big because there is a lack of clutter, and it seems more open.

Cal
 
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65 and then a set of 60 fast/sloppy pushups before breakfast. The big deal is usually it takes this old man a long time to recover. Each set is so taxing that pretty much it is to exhaustion. I think pretty much what I’m doing is using all the locally stored glycogen stored in my lean muscle mass. Also know that my physiology is that I have the genetic propensity to have a large amount of “fast-twitch” muscles which caters to both strength and speed.

I’m eating breakfast now, and after breakfast I will see if I can do another 60. Pretty much not much rest to pretty much simulate interval training. It seems my heart is not being strained or taxed. In earlier weeks I was also maxing out my heart rate, but that now is past history.

I feel pretty confident that with some time adjustment for rest I can likely do at least 305 pushups today in 5 sets. This is kinda where I want to be, but then again it is a start where I can recover a lot of strength that fades with age. My genes support this. Kinda interesting though that I might be gaining weight because muscle is more dense than fat, but pretty much I don’t have the bulk of a body builder and remain boyish in proportion, yet I’m an almost 66 year old man.

I am hopeful that I recover a lot of what gets lost from just life and aging. Understand that being Cantonese and the almost a thousand years of feudalism in it’s history that pretty much natural selection created a gene pool for fighters. Strength, agility, and speed are the best assets to bring to any fight, along with experience. This is my genetic ancestry. I’m exploiting it now to my fullest and it seems like I’m having my way.

Cal
 
At 10:00 AM I did the third set of pushups and I was able to do another 60. The extra rest was a good idea. I could see that I likely could do two other sets over the course of the afternoon relying on ample rest, but not today.

At the abandoned house workers I saw removed a cast iron bath tub and a kitchen countertop that included the sink. After that they demo’ed the already collapsing front stoop. Evidently they are remodeling both at least a bathroom and the kitchen. The house is so small that likely it has only one bath.

I intervened because they were dumping the bricks and broken concrete into the dumpster; and I suggested just making a pile so I could harness the clean fill. The crew actually did me a favor by dumping the rock pile next to the guardrail in the deadend.

So more prison work, basically moving a rock pile. Some of these chunks were large and perhaps half my body weight, and rolling my dump cart over irregular terrain and up hills pretty much was like doing pull-ups. I would lean backwards and use mostly my lattes in my back to roll a cart with tires that bulged because of overloading.

Then I had to lift these out of the cart and into the ravine that I’m trying to stabilize. I likely moved about 1 1/2 cubic yards of ruble. It’s lunchtime and I’m having a protein drink that is raw protein and organic. Pretty much I did a strength workout and pretty much I’m not wiped out.

Just a few weeks ago I would have been hammered, so the biking and strength training has had a profound effect. I’m kinda believing AJ’s advice of how strength training can make me a better faster rider.

It gets better also because this crew does landscaping and masonry work. I was asked if I would like 4-5 yards of material, but I had a stipulation that I would need advanced notice to avoid problems with the city. I can also recruit my neighbor, the monster, because he too is looking for clean fill.

On the modeling front the zoom call with the stylist did not happen. This is typical of the last minute frenzies that happen. ”Maggie” had a 1:00 PM call and needed the earlier zoom call with the stylist to begin 15 minutes earlier to avoid overlap, a tight schedule, and conflict.

Meanwhile there are piles of clothes, jackets and shoes in our living room in anticipation of the zoom call. Also know that Maggie kinda tried to micro manage me, which I found oppressive. Pretty much I had to establish the boundary of expressing myself.

At the last minute we learn that we can’t be accommodated, then maybe in the afternoon at 2:30 PM, but this did not work out. So now it stands maybe tomorrow… Pretty much I can expect a confirmation at the last minute maybe tomorrow. This is what I hate about this industry. I want to be free and not tied down to this nonsense.

Pretty much this is how this industry works: everything is last minute and stressfull. This is BS. So pretty much I don’t want to be last minute, nor do I want to get tread on, so my best interest is not to be A-Comma-TIVE, and the pressure falls back on my agent and especially her assistant who basically are responsible for dealing with these important details.

Pretty much I want the pressure and the fulcrum to be on the people who need to not be last minute. Fug them. Pretty much this is not important enough to get upset about, Maggie on the other hand gets upset over not only these disruptions and intrusions, but also tends to get upset over stuff that is really nonsense.

Oh-well.

I’m going to relax and gather flower heads for the seeds. I want to harvest the seeds. Likely they already reseeded, but I want to have a supply to have potential to seed elsewhere. I also need to do a prune and cleanup.

So despite all the modeling nonsense I’m having a great day. I’m so relaxed… Now would also be a good time to round up some of the leaves that are accumulated already.

Cal
 
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I had a great day. I don’t really feel tired or hammered, even though I did a lot of work. Pretty much I was relaxing.

The back slope I cut back brush and did some cleanup after removing flower heads for the seeds. I have two zip-lock sandwich bags of seeds. I imported some of the leaves that were stored up the block by my leaf blowing neighbors. The mulching already started as well as the compaction. I just did a few trips with the dump cart.

Also very excited about the Yo Eddy. The 2.5 inch wide tire capability for me is a game changer. It kinda puts me in the realm where I might not want a 29’er or full suspension, and with some weight weenie antics the bike I think will remain light in weight, even with heavy tires.

Next week we should have the grandson for 3 days and the grand daughter for one. Looking forward to it and also a Thanksgiving where I don’t have to cook.

The Dyson air purifier/humidifier is staying close to 50% humidity, but I had to bump up the setting to 60%. I’m cool if all I need to do is create an offset. We are in the real heating season now with 20 degree mornings. I top off the water level once a day, and I use water that is filtered by a Brita water pitcher.

So far EZ-PZ.

Cal
 
Today the markets think inflation is tamed and the FED did its job.

Pretty big swings in the market lately.

My spin is that the CPI came in low because of lower energy prices. Of course this counts, but if we ask why energy prices are low it is because China’s economy has slowed and of course with less demand prices go lower. Basic economics.

So what could be said for the lower energy prices. China’s economy has slowed, they are actually experiencing deflation for the second time this year. Remember deflation means excess capacity.

So my spin is the reason why we are experiencing lower energy prices is China’s economy. Don’t forget that the Russians and Saudi’s are cutting production to limit the supply so they can try to increase prices on oil.

In another post I mentioned my UPS driver’s report. Could it be that Amazon has created so much market share that their verticals and horizontal integration is killing other carriers?

The markets are very confused, and the swings are huge. Someone is going to be wrong.

Also trying to slow down spending is hard. On the lower end of the income level people are living on debt. Credit card balances are up. Meanwhile the upper income people are still spend-spend-spend it seems.

One thing I have noticed, car marketing is a hard sell and pretty much I’m getting targeted and spammed with car offers, meanwhile many are falling behind on their car loans. They say that bad auto loans are on the scale of 2007-2008 housing crisis.

I scratch my head: a lot of things don’t make sense…

Cal
 
The mad scramble to do the shooting and video kinda jumped the shark and will not be happening this week. The client was in a rush, and I guess things are really not lining up.

Next week is daycare responsibilities and Thanksgiving. Oh well, and pretty much we have other things schedued. This Thanksgiving I am not responsible for cooking and I’m looking forward having time with the kids.

At this point I don’t know if this gig can get rescued, or if it is going to happen. Life goes on and pretty much this is getting annoying. I’m cool if it does not happen. Today we got a delivery of product to sample, but right now I don’t know what is going on or what to expect. In the rush we have no contract.

We put away all the clothes and shoes we pulled for the zoom call with the stylist that never happened or did not get rescheduled. Oh-well again. Anyways this is somewhat typical of this industry. Pretty much chaos and last minute BS.

If this gig does not work out, it likely will be a good thing at this point.

I feel a bit tired from yesterday’s lugging and lifting. I ended up taking it a bit easy today, but I still loaded another 4-5 dump carts worth of concrete and brick anyways. My hands are sore and tired.

I took off the cabinet doors, removed the hinges, and applied stain.

Cal
 
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