Some stuff and whatnot

I won't go into details of today other than to say; I've had better days.

Tomorrow is going to be better though, without a doubt. Why? Because I am gong to be at Shimano HQ getting the lowdown on what's coming in the next year... the stuff they didn't even whisper about at Interbike. Yeah... the really cool sh@%. What's even better is that not only do I get to see my friends there and then touch and feel the newest of the new, but I also get to go for a ride on the parts! I get to ride a bike as part of "doing my job". Sadly, it won't be a Masi, but I'm sure I'll get over it long enough to enjoy being on a bike ride. Any bike ride is better than no bike ride. And the icing on this joy-filled cake? Sushi. Ah yes, the joys of spending time with Shimano- sushi for lunch! My old friend Daniel Limburg is no longer working for Shimano, having left the industry to pursue a different career, but his "replacement" (which there never really will be) is a great guy- Tyler Meyers. Tyler is new to Shimano, but no stranger to the biz and seems fit for the job. If nothing else he possesses the two main ingredients to a successful Shimano OE Sales contact; 1) a great sense of humour and B) a Shimano credit card! WOO-HOO!

If you're as big a bike dork as I am, and I know many of you are, then you are familiar with New Belgium Brewing and their bicycle friendliness... hell, they have a beer called Fat Tire Ale! And... they have a damned cool website! You should go check it out and play around... man I wish I had that kind of budget! They are in the midst of something they call The New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride. Which brings me to this... scroll down a bit and tell me what you see? That's right; one of the coolest beer brands on the planet is riding around spreading beer-flavored love aboard a Masi SoulVille! Baby... that's damned cool! AND... New Belgium and I are like family; I was photographed on the first day of Outdoor Demo with one of the cuter members of the New Belgium family for the Show Daily that is printed each day by BRaIN. So, if you're 21 or older and into beer, I hope you'll give New Belgium a little look-see.

Thursday is the day I leave for Taiwan and then Japan. I haven't finished unpacking and doing laundry from the East coast demo event last week and I am already heading back out the door. The good news from the week is that I am healing very well. The knee is doing great and if the slight soreness I have around the knee is still bothering me around January/ February, the doc will do arthroscopic surgery on the knee and clean it out- if needed. So... I'm hoping it isn't needed, of course. But it's still good news. The arm is slowly coming along, regaining the last few degrees of extension and the thumbnail is growing back as well. All in all... I'm getting there. Even the blood is doing better and is stabilized with the thinners. I should be off of the thinners by the end of the year as well.

Ok, I gotta get to bed here before the long day tomorrow shows up bright and early. See you all later!

Tim