Good to relax

This weekend should've been more productive, after such a crazy week last week. I was bound and determined to get a bunch of work done that I wasn't able to finish during the week. We're in the midst of several major projects with overlapping deadlines, so there is no shortage of things that can lead you to have a minor aneurysm all day, every day. I left the office just shy of 9:00PM on Friday and still had plenty of work to do over the weekend- like finishing writing the catalog copy for the new catalogs that are due to be completed any second. It wasn't like I wanted to spend the weekend working, but it was clearly becoming a necessity as I left the office on Friday night.

I woke up Saturday and my lovely bride made sure that I got myself together and out on the road for a ride and she headed off to the YMCA to go for a swim (her thing is swimming). I had a great ride with one of the local groups I irregularly train with. I won't spin a yarn of epic pitched battles and sprint won by bike lengths... but I did have a great time. My legs were "OK", but not stellar. I screwed up my positioning and timing on the main sprint of the ride, so I missed out on the bragging rights (until next weekend any way). BUT... I had fun and realized my fitness is not too terrible, though not anything spectacular.

After the ride and some lunch, Ann and I headed off to a local cafe I recently turned her on to- one that I used to spend nearly every waking hour of my life in nearly 20 years ago. With coffee in my veins and free wifi, I was convinced I'd bang out the last of the catalog copy in short order... but as is frequently the case, I was distracted by my surroundings and the fantastic weather. So, rather than get any meaningful work done, we drove t othe beach and enjoyed the rest of the sunlight and then watched a very nice sunset.

Sunday was a day to sleep in a little and then we hopped on our SoulVille bikes and headed off to ride around the neighborhood and then to the Farmer's Market to get our week's worth of fruits and vegetables. Before we knew it, it was late night and I was sitting here at the dining room table finishing the catalog copy after 11:00PM... but it got done!

(Note the lock; there is only ONE BRAND of lock I trust my bikes with- period. )

In the end, contrary to my intentions to get work done in an orderly fashion, it got put aside for the weekend so I could spend time with my wife and enjoy the weekend... and THEN I scrambled my brains to get the work done! It's not the right technique for everybody... but it worked this time for me.

Tim

Oh... the prettiness is too much!

I posted this picture collage over on the company site and the Masi Twitter feed yesterday...


I know I'm a terrible hack with Paint (how else can I make photo collages on a PC- suggestions appreciated), but you get an idea of how sexy the new bikes will be. There are SO many good looking bikes coming out over the next several months.

As always, I'm really, really, REALLY excited about the new bikes. I would be here being my usual exuberant and gushy self, but as of late I've just been struggling- with only a little success- to just keep my head above water. We're beyond busy with numerous projects and rapidly approaching deadlines, so I've been nearly invisible here and elsewhere online. I hope to be back to my usual verbose self soon. I keep wanting to record more of my Masiguy Podcasts as well as get more discussions going over on the Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid site. Hopefully soon... please be patient.

First round jersey design is done! I'll post the final artwork soon, as well as get the ball rolling for feedback on the matching jersey and bib short "Team Masi"designs. So far, the early design comps' look mighty cool. Hopefully we'll have the first design ready to ship by the Interbike tradeshow in September, so stay tuned for more news.

Ok I gotta run and get to the office. Hoping to sneak out a few minutes early after I get all my catalog copy written and turned in today; tonight is race night at Fiesta Island, so it's crit night! Hoping to get out of the office early enough to pick up my wife from home and bring her to the race to watch- she's very excited about watching me race because she's never seen a bike race up close before. So hopefully I can power through the remaining copy needs and get out of the office quick enough to get her for the race.

See you all again soon... I promise.

Tim

Coming up for a quick breath of air...

In case you don't follow my Twitterstream and didn't see the news elsewhere, we recorded a new episode of the Spokesmen last night with a new special guest... so check it out.

Still running around busier than a one-armed cotton picker, but I've been managing to ride my bike here and there and have not completely regressed to tubbiness. Got through the filming of our video last week and have been running through other major projects this week... and now have to focus my attention on getting the next edition of the catalog written. We've done all the studio product shots and the new bikes look simply astounding. I always say this, but I am extremely proud of the bikes we have created and I am sure they are going to turn more than a few heads... and hopefully find a way into YOUR living rooms (rather than mine, though I'm sure I'll get a few more).

Married life has been great- my lovely wife and I have been spending as much time together as possible as we settle into all this newness- hence my lack of presence here lately. I'll be back though- I promise- as work settles down a little and things get a bit calmer.

Alright- time to get ready to head out the door to work.

Tim

Video day

Today is the start of filming- fresh shave... bringing the pretty...
sorta...

Bikes Rock at Bicycle Film Festival

If you're in New York, you MUST check this out! Masiguy commands you to!

BIKES ROCK

MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion perform at Bikes Rock hosted by 42BELOW to kick off the Bicycle Film Festival

WHO: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plus special guest kick off the 9^th annual Bicycle Film Festival with an explosive free concert at South Street Seaport.

Originating in New York City, the Bicycle Film Festival is celebrating its 9^th year and is held in over 39 cities worldwide with over 250,000 people expected to attend this year. Signing on as the title sponsor of the BFF, 42BELOW has pledged to support bicycle culture and the way it brings the community together. 42BELOW Vodka was launched in 1998 in the premium vodka segment and has shown strong volume growth since its inception.

WHAT: Bikes Rock a free concert at South Street Seaport with performances by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion including VIP room hosted by 42BELOW for 180 notables and influencers featuring exclusive cocktails created especially for the BFF.

Bikes Rock concert kicking off the Bicycle Film Festival sponsored by 42BELOW

WHEN: Wednesday, June 17^th

6:00pm

WHERE: South Street Seaport

Fulton & South Streets (Pier 17)

PRESS: Kat Van Leer Colu Henry

Full Picture Full Picture

212.995.2480 212.995.2858

kvanleer@fullpic.com chenry@fullpic.com

Follow 42BELOW’s 42 Ride on twitter at welikebike42, where you can follow 42 bicyclists’ cross country journey to benefit the Alliance of Biking and Walking

I SO wish I could be there!

Tim

Insanity

I rode at lunch today for the first time in a long time- seems like months, but maybe it hasn't been. My schedule and workload has meant a lot more rides on the rollers than I would care to admit to. That said... I'm trying not to complain too much.

Tons of projects going on all at the same time right now- each on it's own would be enough to cause headaches, but all of them combined is enough to cause an aneurysm.

I've been wanting to post more and to share more about the wedding, but I still have another week or two of total commitment to these projects that require the small, remaining amounts of cerebral capacity I still possess.

I will be back- promise. And, as always, I'll have lots to say... or at least I'll say a lot.

Tim

It's not you, it's me...

Hi Blog, I've missed you. I know I've neglected you a lot lately and we haven't spent much time together. I promise that will change when things settle down a little more. It's been crazy and I know that isn't an excuse. But just know that it isn't you, it's me. You are still very important to me and I promise I will show you that and do my best to make it all up to you as soon as I can get my head back above water and catch my breath. Promise.

You know I love you.

Tim

Is it Friday yet?

This has been a nutty week- with the jetlag and the work I came back to, and fighting off a cold... and adjusting to a wonderful new life... it's been nuts. I think I've gotten rid of the cold, but the jetlag is kicking my butt for sure. I've only managed to ride twice this week and it has been hard to do that- simply because of the fatigue. All that whining aside, it's great to be home with my bride and with my daughter.

On a much better note, I had my first blood test this week since beginning my cholesterol medications. The tests came back and my cholesterol was super low! With the change of diet, return to frequent riding, the cholesterol medication and taking Omega-3's (fish oil) I have lowered my cholesterol so much that I am now already off the medications! I'm going back in for another blood test in 8 weeks and if the test results are similar I'm off the medications until I really need them again. It feels so good to be "drug free" and even more satisfying to know that simply returning to a better and healthier lifestyle has gotten me to this point. AND... I managed to only gain a few pounds while gone and am now back down to 199.2lbs... which is awesome for me!

Thank you again to everybody for the amazing anount of support and encouragement as I've recovered from the accident and also gotten back to my old, healthier habits.

Alright, it isn't all that late yet, but the jetlag is kicking my butt so I am giving up for tonight. Here's to hoping the weekend allows me a little time to recover further.

Tim

We're back!

Needless to say, last week was amazing. I am totally jetlagged, as is my new bride. I plan to write a post or two, but thought I'd start by simply sharing the photos from the day.

This is the Flickr gallery of the photogrpaher; George Chen. He's an amazing photographer and a great guy as well. Please leave him a comment if you like what you see. You can also check out some of his other pics on his blog.

I'll be back with more... but for now I need some sleep and need to fight off a cold that is trying to take over.

Thank you again for all the warm wishes and support- it means more to us both than you can possibly know.

Tim