I saw this video featured today on Razor Apple. I thought it was worth re-posting. If you had any doubt before, as to the sanity (or lack thereof) of NYC bike messengers, this film gives a pretty impressive slice of footage to base your conclusions on. I want to know how in the world they shot some of this stuff. Were they following in a car (impossible for most of the shots splitting lanes), motorcycle, or another bike? Pretty impressive stuff.

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.

I took a ton of pictures, as usual. Here are a couple that I really liked. Click here to check out the rest.

Reagan and I wanted to make sure that we took full advantage of the remaining warm-weather weekends (the alliteration is for flare). We definitely got our plan off to a banging start this weekend. We took a lot of pictures too, but I haven’t even had a chance to load them up yet, plus I forgot to bring the camera with me today. I will try to get them up by tonight, especially the new ones of Piper.

Saturday, we had an impromptu biathlon. Not the kind were you ski and shoot, but the kind that is a triathlon, minus the swimming. It started at 6 A.M., with running a couple of laps around the Central Park loop. For those who keep score, that is 12 miles.

After the run we showered and got on the bikes for Summer Streets. The ride was awesome, again this week. I really hope that NYC starts doing it every year. It is so amazing to be able to roll the whole way down Park Ave. completely devoid of any motorized traffic. It almost felt like I was Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, or Will Smith in I am Legend. Ok, not as dramatic, but definitely some similar qualities. One of the coolest parts of the ride is going through the tunnel portion of Park Ave., that cuts through Grand Central Station. During our ride, we met up with one of our friends from my work, who had just picked up a new single speed. We rode together from Union Square, to DUMBO, in Brooklyn. On the ride back up town, we met up with our friends the Carters, who were also out enjoying the event. We all had lunch together before finishing off the ride.

After 12 miles of running, and 30 miles of cycling, we took a much deserved nap, before spending the remainder of the evening with Piper. Sunday was a lot of church, lounging, and Piper visiting. I hope that we can keep up the action packed weekends before the weather starts to crap out.

Today is the typical kind of cliché Friday, where I every time I look outside and see how nice it is, I just want to leave work and start the weekend early. Unfortunately, I’m having a bit of a busy day. I keep thinking about how great the weather was last weekend, and how much I enjoyed it. It isn’t helping me get my work done any faster.

If we stick to our plans, Reagan and I will be spending the majority of the day outdoors tomorrow. We are going to try to hit the “Summer Streets” path tomorrow on our bikes. Since Reagan had to work last weekend, it will be the first time for her. Our ride, will come after a super early morning run. Now that I’m writing it, it seems like a little much. But I’m sure that it won’t feel like that tomorrow, if the weather keeps going how it is right now.

Our Alley at night — ↓

Piper’s doctor called me yesterday to tell me that they switched out her GJ tube for a regular G-tube, again. They said that the GJ tube seemed to be leaking and may have come dislodged. I was surprised that they didn’t need our consent, and that they could do it without a interventional radiology team. But they said that she is doing ok, so I’m not going to complain.

I rode my bike to work yesterday for the first time, since my last one was stolen. I now have the biggest, most expensive bike lock there is. It weighs like 50 pounds. When I rolled up to work, there was a security guard standing near the bike rack. Since I am now paranoid, I went down to check on it a couple of times during the course of the day. The security guy was standing there every time. Where were you 2 weeks ago security guy?!!! Reagan rode her bike to work yesterday for the first time. Her lock is kinda crappy, but she can lock it up right in front of the salon, where she can basically see it the whole time. Unfortunately, she is also paranoid, because of mine being stolen. So she was compulsively checking it. Hahaha, poor thing. I plan to buy a 50 lb. lock for her too.

Marathon training is still going great, for Reagan, so-so for me. Reagan has been getting up every morning to go. I have been joining her for the long runs on the weekend. This week is a 10 mile run. She wants to do it on Friday morning. I like it better when we do the long runs on Saturday, but I’m thinking that it will give me a good excuse to go into work late. I know that I suck at training, but at least I’m getting a lot of riding in. That has to count for something, right?

Our newish little fish are starting to grow. Reagan loves them when they are little and wants them to stay that way. I must admit, they are pretty cute when they are so small. I am pretty impressed that they have all held their own, so well. Even though they all pick on each other, there still haven’t been any fatalities.

For whatever reason, I really just haven’t been into the Olympics this time around. I feel like a total loser, because suddenly this year, everyone seems to be obsessed with them. I used to love them when I was younger, especially track/field and gymnastics. I grew up in the era of Michael Johnson, and Mary Lou Retton. Beijing just isn’t doing it for me though. I have a tough time even reading the highlights from the previous day, each morning. I find myself being more interested in the peripheral political issues, surrounding the games, than the actual events. Speaking of politics, I really enjoyed Jim Nelson’s commentary (as always), this month. It hasn’t been posted on the GQ site yet, so I can’t link to it. But if you get the magazine, I suggest you check it out.

After our visit with Piper on Sunday, we decided that it was ideal weather for a bike ride. Reagan is really starting to look comfortable on hers. She wasn’t afraid to call out “on your left,” when passing people or anything. On the way home I had trouble keeping up with her. All I could see was her vapor trail, hahahaha. Seriously though, she was cruising right a long. We took a break in the middle of our ride, to just sit on the pier and soak in the gorgeous weather. We were trying to speculate how many more weekends this year, we would be able to be outside like that. The convo was getting kind of depressing, as late summer traditionally is, for me. It used to be going back to school that would bum me out. Now it is digging in for the fourth quarter push. I am still curious to see how its going to go down this year, with the market being so screwy. Even if banks keep unloading, the way that they have been for the past few weeks, I imagine that Reagan and I will be seeing a lot less of each other this fall. Anyway, just as we were getting all bummed about the summer quickly winding down, Reagan brought up the fact that we have 2 races coming up, that we are both pretty excited about. Hopefully our races, coupled with college football, will be able to provide us with a depression free autumn, hahahah. Hooray for fit wives and college sports.

I love this picture, because I feel like it captures Reagan’s excitement about bike riding, so accurately.

NYC had this great idea of closing off Park Ave. to vehicular traffic, and opening it for pedal bikes and foot traffic, only. Reagan had to work today, so I hit it up with one of our friends from church, whose wife is out of town. He brought their little daughter a long too. It was a really fun ride. We went all the way down to the Brooklyn Bridge, over into Brooklyn, then back. On the way back up town, we stopped at Reagan’s salon and had lunch with her. They are doing it again next week. Reagan doesn’t have to work next Saturday, so we are planning on doing the ride again that day, so that she can join in, this time. Here are the pics from today.

I could hardly wait to get out of work today and ride home. Even though it clouded up this afternoon, it was fantastic weather again this evening. I came out of the building, only to discover that my mike had been jacked. Soooo lame. I had the “New York proof” Kryptonite lock. So much for that. It was right out in front of my building, in front of a security camera and in plain view of the cops that sit on Liberty Street all day long. I was so pissed off that I decided to run home. So I went to the running store in 3 WFC and bought some running socks. I was pretty much calmed down by 42nd street. By the time I got to 125, I decided that running with a backpack on totally sucks. Anyway, I already committed that I would run 8 miles with Reagan in the morning, so I didn’t want to overdo it tonight. So I walked over to the 1 and rode it the rest of the way home. Well, at least there won’t be anymore posts about bikes, or the weather today.

It was such a beautiful morning for a ride. When the weather is like this, it doesn’t even seem like work, when I’m riding. I left a pair of shoes here, the other day, so I didn’t have to pack any, on the ride in. Having the reduced weight really seemed to make a difference. When I was riding the section of the Hudson River Park path below 125, but above the boat basin, there was this guy who was working out with a huge piece of drift wood. It was pretty funny. He had it lodged into the rocks, standing about 8 feet in the air and was punching it with his kicboxing gloves. It was pretty hilarious, the way he was dodging and ducking, like the driftwood was fighting back. I hope that I never get that lonely and crazy.

Reagan has to work tomorrow, but I’m hoping to go riding with her soon. She took a trip to Target yesterday and bought a pump and a lock for her bike. So she is all set for riding to work now, also. Hopefully we will have more beautiful weather for the last few weekends that remain, this summer. Recreational rides in the rain, don’t seem as appealing.

I took this picture from our dining room (at work) this morning, to show how awesome the weather is. It doesn’t really do it justice, but you can get an idea.