September 29, 2006

One more thing before I take a weekend blog break.

I took a lovely photo of the beach on Monday.

I'm going into hiding. I'm being chased by boys. (Cue sound of inflating balloon to represent my ego.)

Posted by megabeth at 05:51 PM | Comments (2)

I've been riding my new bike for a couple of weeks now. One thing that really stands out about the Scott CR1 is its responsiveness. The bike seems to react before I even think to start accelerating. If there's a gap in the field, I can close it fairly easily. Let's say the field/paceline has gapped you, and you want to catch up. That initial push to start the hard effort takes up the most energy. But on the CR1 it feels almost effortless.

I was worried that with a lighter bike, I wouldn't descend hills as quickly. And Lord knows I need the downhill to recover from the uphill. The CR1 cuts through wind like a knife; I find myself having to sit up or feather the brakes to avoid crashing into the rider in front of me. The Rolf Vector Prima wheels have a deeper well so that they are more aero — this really makes a differene on the downhill slope.

The gears change very quietly and Campy adds stealth with the thumb shifters.

Sprinting is excellent, also. The bike's stiffness makes a difference in a sprint. It feels solid despite the feather-light weight of the frame.

I'm so motivated for winter training. I'm going to love racing this bike next season.

Posted by megabeth at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)

For the first time in my life, I have a career plan. It's rough in the early stages, but I have a career counselor helping me make the transition from what I am doing now to what I want to do.

The simple possibility of loving what I do for forty waking hours per week has risen my spirits significantly. It makes me realize that it is silly to spend one's life doing something that one doesn't enjoy. I don't necessarily hate the career I'm in currently; I just don't think it's a good fit for me. The gratitude I've had about the good life I've earned has kept me trapped in a sense of complacency.

While riding someone will sometimes ask me, "How was work today?" or "How's your job going?" It started to bother me that I was answering, "Okay" or "The usual". I mean, why does life have to be like that? I've always said that I take my job off, like a shirt, before I go home from work every day. I don't think about work while I'm not at work. But I want that shirt to fit me so I don't feel compelled to take it off, so that I want to come up with new ideas in the shower or solve problems while doing laundry.

So, having a new career plan is like going from being trapped in a room with no windows or doors to walking down a tunnel with a bright light coming from the opening. I'm happily anticipating change.

The career change is one component of an overall "Megabeth says NO" campaign. It's a major change in my modus operandus. I've said no a thousand times in the last week. I'm emulating Bartleby the Scrivner: I prefer not to. Because I prefer not to be stuck in the muck that was previously bringing me down. Because I prefer not to continue living my life with my needs placed secondary to anyone else's. My word of the month for September, November, December, and every month following is No. And in saying no, I will say yes to the things that I really want for myself.

(If you were wondering why I left out October, it's because the word of the month is "Trickortreat". Gotta love H'ween.)

Posted by megabeth at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2006

I've been riding my bike even though my bronchitis isn't completely gone. I can't help it; the new bike is beautiful and begs me to take it out in the cooler fall weather. On Tuesday I had a coughing fit during a ride that was reminiscent of a smoker with emphysema. This will pass.

I love showing off this beauty to fellow cyclists. Even bike shop employees are drooling over it, and one guy asked me if I spent fourteen grand. (14??? I am far from being THAT nuts.)

Next year I'm going to race a lot because I want to utilize the CR1 to its maximum capabilities. Buying a new bike is a huge motivator.

Posted by megabeth at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2006

I'm addicted to watching the markets. I should finish my MBA and take the CFP test if I like this so much. My job for the group project is to take $1.5 million of our $10 million endowment and invest it in commodities. This led me to do a bunch of reading on commodities and then look up the charts that trend the movement of each individual commodity. Commodities have done pretty well over the past five years and the upswing may be over (recently the index has taken a dive). I wish I knew about this five years ago. Commodities have a very low correlation with the S&P 500 so you would want to buy them for diversification.

I talked to my broker yesterday about buying into more commodities funds. I bought a small amount of a natural resources fund in 2005 and it's been kicking butt since then (energy has done well, but that run seems to be over). He said that people with portfolios of $2 million and up should put a small amount (5 to 10%) in commodities. I said, what about the poor people like me? Why can't I invest in commodities? The answer is that the commodities market has a high volatility, so you want to limit your investments to small amounts of high risk when you don't have much to invest. Nevertheless, I'm tempted to invest more because my 2005 selection has done so well.

This stuff could drive me crazy. I keep trying to time the market on my play portfolio since it doesn't matter if I lose the money.

I like commodities, because I am a realist and I can imagine the actual timber, soybean oil, gold, copper, and so on, as physical objects. But it seems to be very complicated, and I have only grazed the surface of it.

Posted by megabeth at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2006

In class we were discussing how gas prices used to be around 99 cents a gallon. I decided to look for some receipts at home to see if I could verify that price. That's when I realized that I haven't thrown any receipts or credit card statements away since the year 2000. I realize that could be construed as somewhat obsessive compulsive, but really I'm just forgetful, and storage space is not an issue in my house.

The lowest price I could find was somewhere around $1.30 in 2001. I think the 99 cent price happened in 1997 or 1998.

I decided not to throw any of that stuff away, because one of these days when the power is out and there's nothing else to do, I will sit on the rug and peruse my personal history by candlelight, and laugh at myself.

Posted by megabeth at 10:32 PM | Comments (2)

I feel refreshed and motivated after my vacation. I wonder how long that will last. My bronchitis is gone except for a lingering residual cough, but I'm going to try riding today anyway.

While I was on vacation, a fairy farmboy came over to my house and removed the monkey grass in my backyard, tilled the dirt with manure, built a bed, and planted a fall garden. The courtship a la Princess Bride is nice; I appreciate the support much more than receiving material items as gifts. I hope to have a gaggle of males at my service, who live in my closets when not in use.
Just kidding. My head is getting big.

Posted by megabeth at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

September 24, 2006

Just thought you would like to know, so you can be jealous. ;)

I did no thinking today. I sat in my beach chair and stared at the waves and the sun glimmering on the ocean for hours.

Posted by megabeth at 09:47 PM | Comments (1)

September 23, 2006

At the beach this weekend: I found an internet connection at the neighboring building so I'm sitting in a car with my laptop, the glow illuminating my face. It rained most of the drive down here but as soon as we arrived, the weather magically changed to sunny skies and gentle warm breezes. Today was absolutely gorgeous weather, with uncrowded beaches and gulls hopping in flocks around the beach. This is a great time of year to be here. Fall has welcomed itself to Birmingham, but summer is still hanging around in Destin.

I didn't drive my car down here, so when I go out to run errands, I'm driving this borrowed Toyota Sequioa. I have never driven a vehicle this large before. I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would want a SequoiaSuburbanYukonMilitaryTankHunkOfMetalTonnage. The monstrosity takes corners like an 18 wheeler. It has so much momentum that I don't have to give it gas for three hours, once I've speed the thing up to 50 mph. The guard at the front gate yelled "MONSTER MOM!" when I drove through yesterday. And I keep wanting to leave notes on neighboring cars in the lot, saying "I'm sorry. I hate this thing, too." I imagine that even other SUV drivers (like JeepCherokeeToyotaHighlanderNissanPathfinder) are talking about how much they HATE SUVs when they see me driving by in The Tank.

I will also mention that the visibility in The Tank is crap. I can't see compact cars at all. Especially behind and to the sides of the vehicle. Keep that in mind so you don't get smooshed by one of these things. I doubt I would even notice if I ran over a compact sedan in this Sequoia.

The rear view mirrors? Like, 12 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Oh, and there are FOUR sunglasses cases in the ceiling - those things you push out and they drop down so you can put your sunglasses in them. Additionally, I bought a small powerboat and stowed it in the back.

The obnoxiousness rating of The Tank is through the roof.

I can't ever own one of these things, even if I have eight kids.

Tomorrow, I hope to avoid any further trips in The Tank. I think the weather is going to be beautiful, again.

Posted by megabeth at 09:23 PM | Comments (1)

September 21, 2006

I'm headed down to the beach this weekend to squeeze the last rays of sunshine out of the remaining dregs of summer. Or rain, since the forecast calls for it. Whatever the weather, I will enjoy some rest and relaxation on the Gulf Coast.

I've been fascinated lately with personality tests. I took the Keirsey Temperament Sorter(Myers/Briggs scale) and the ISTJ profile sounds a lot like me. I also took the Holland Self-Directed Search. The SDS results are CSA (conventional, social and artistic). This seems highly contradictory. I like to work with data and numbers and follow instructions, yet I am artistic and want to be creative, and I want to help people too. Hmmm... any jobs out there for a Database Adminstrator Childcare Painter?

I think the Kiersey is outdated. Professional psychologists do not consider it a thorough test, so it falls more within the realm of pop psychology. It's fun to take and compare results with others as office entertainment.

What I'd really like to take is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III. Those are much longer and thorough tests. They can pinpoint personality disorders such as narcissism, compulsive behavior, masochism and dependency. Fun stuff! Take the test, get the results, and BAM! It's in writing: You are crazy. Heheh.

My interest in these tests is related to my kicking up some momentum on my career plan, trying to figure out a definitive direction, what is it that I would like to do that would cause me to spring up out of bed every day joyously.

Beach Bum sounds like the perfect job, at least for this weekend.

Posted by megabeth at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2006

Went to doctor, got shot in butt, got bottle of pills, ate chicken soup that a friend brought to me. I have bronchitis. I'm still happy, though, as long as it's temporary (don't want pneumonia, of course). The other day I was thinking about the things I want to accomplish this fall. Before starting school this semester, I wasn't sure how I was going to manage without passing out from exhaustion. Now that I've gathered some momentum, I am confident I can accomplish everything I planned to do. Even with a bout of bronchitis.

Posted by megabeth at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2006

The local newscasts are stupid, and fifteen minutes of each half hour is devoted to college football. I turned off my TV a week ago and found that this makes me very happy, not hearing about who was killed and what was burned or blown up and who made a touchdown. Then I started opening the doors and windows in my house during the evening hours, filling all of the rooms with the freshness of cool fall air and the high-pitched buzz of chirping insects.

Being under the weather has its benefits; it forces me to slow down and enjoy small blessings that have always been there amidst the noise in my life.

Posted by megabeth at 06:42 PM | Comments (1)

My cold is sticking around and I have a little bit of a cough. I hope it doesn't get worse. I went to class last night so I could spread my germs everywhere. ;) For the first time in my pursuit of an MBA, I am LOVING one of my classes. I am loving that both of my classes involve group projects, because that reduces my stress level. I am going to keep my portfolio theory textbook, all 1100 pages of it, so I can cuddle with it at night. And I want to ride my bike today despite that I have a cold. Who cares?!! I am going on vacation on Friday! The weather will be magnificent!

p.s. My Kiersey Temperament Sorter came out as I-S-T/F-J. I have a battle in my mind between thinking and feeling.

Posted by megabeth at 09:11 AM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2006

First long ride on the new bike today. I woke up feeling awful but went anyway, and rode 60 miles. The last ten I don't remember, except that I was trying not to pass out. Arrived back at the shop and laid down on the sofa. Then all the people in the shop were trying to feed me electrolytes, gel, coke, energy bars. Diagnosis by the doctor in the group: I was not looking good. My cycling friends went and fetched my car, loaded up my stuff, and drove my car home for me. I proceeded to fall in bed and lay there for two hours. I have a low grade fever and feel absolutely like crap.

Have I mentioned how wonderful it is to have support from this group of nice people? I was so dizzy that I was unable to drive home.

There are two possible, uncorrelated people who I may caught this from. I was burning the candle at both ends, so my immune system may have been compromised.

Click on the link below to see photos of my new bike.

Here are photos of my bike. It is so beautiful. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Oooh la la. Rolf Vector Prima wheels, weight around 1450 gms.

Easton ES70 stem with carbon handlebars. I forget what the handle bars are called but they have a shallow drop.

Carbon shifter thingies.

Campy Record crankset (carbon and titanium). Compact, 50/34 with an 11/23 cassette in the rear. This is art.

Record rear derailleur

\
Easton carbon seatpost. My Terry butterfly seat is old, yes. I will look for a new seat, but I do like my cushy seat and it feels sort of like a security blanket to me.

Posted by megabeth at 03:09 PM | Comments (7)

September 15, 2006

Put my seat on it. Rode it. Loved it. Bought it.

(Left out the part about going broke.)

I'll post photos soon.

Posted by megabeth at 08:35 PM | Comments (1)

September 14, 2006

I test drove a Scott CR1 today. How was it? Well, riding my old bike and riding this one was like a completely different sport. The ride today took significantly less effort than riding my Specialized. I think this bike weighs like 15 pounds. It is crazy insane light.

Specs:
51 cm carbon frame
Rolf Vigor Prima wheels (1450 gms)
10 speed Campy Record
Carbon seatpost, handlebars
And a men's seat that hurt my crotch.

So last night I was at the shop getting a fitting, and after they took the measurements they told me which frames would probably fit me. They knew I was interested in the CR1, and lo and behold! one of the bike shop guys has the bike in exactly the size I need (except the handlebars are 2 cm too wide). He has been riding it for two months. He let me ride it tonight, and he wants to sell it to me. So I'm going to get more good stuff than I anticipated getting (like the Record component set). This rocks!!!

I may use my old bike for winter training, since it's like swinging two bats on deck before going up to bat.

This CR1 just about climbs up hills without me. It feels like it has its own motor. I sprinted well on the bike, also. Handles superbly around tight corners. I could stall and try out other bikes some more, but heck, there's only one direction to go when upgrading from my bike, and that's up.

Things have been going my way lately.

UPDATE 9/15: I'm going to put my seat on the bike and talk to the guys at the shop some more about it. I want to make sure the bike fits before I lay out the dough.

Posted by megabeth at 10:13 PM | Comments (4)

My paw is retiring today. He also did his first triathlon recently, and he did not drown, and he ran 8-minute miles with little training. I am proud of my dad. Change sounds enticing to me right now. I'm looking forward to seeing what he decides to do now that he is free from The Man.

Posted by megabeth at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

I volunteered to do the research on commodities in my portfolio class because I'm familiar with most other types of investments and I know little about commodes (har har). Also, I hate bonds. I wanted to be able to tell you that I bought some pork bellies, but alas, it won't be so. Instead I will recommend managed futures, which is like a mutual fund of various commodities in order to minimize risk and avoid putting all of your pork bellies in one basket.

The question I have for every analyst I meet is: "How can I get a rate of return between 7% and 10% but still keep my investment liquid?" In other words, I am looking for something different than a savings account, MMA or CD that has a better rate of return, yet I can still fish the money out in a few days' time. I haven't received too many good answers to that question. Bonds have been sucking lately; my MMA pays better than most bond funds do, currently. Munis are tax-free, but are only paying around 3-4%. Blah.

A year ago I bought into a closed-end ETF that pays around a 9-9.5% dividend, and that means a better tax rate, too. However, the 4.5% front end load set me back for about a year before I start making money. (Yeah, I know that one half of 9% is 4.5%, and that should take six months to recoup, but the share price dropped after I bought into the fund.) This is a decent 3 to 5 year investment, but isn't liquid until then, without taking a loss or turning the venture into a waste of time.

Thus, the search is still on for the right investment for my current needs. What I want probably doesn't exist; it's like saying, "How can I make a million bucks and double it in two years while investing pre-tax dollars and taking the money out tax-free with zero risk?" Haha. Pipe dream.

I enjoy this stuff. Yes, I'm exploring finance careers. Maybe I can be the next "Jamie" Cramer.

Posted by megabeth at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2006

Nobody liked the poem? Well, scratch "professional poet" off my list of career possibilities, then. ;)

I like to use my career benefits to their full extent. My grad school tuition is paid for by my employer. And the university has a career services department at the B-school. One night recently I was having dinner with my cycling teammates and one of them mentioned the Kiersey temperament sorter. I took that test in college and don't feel that the results apply to the person I am today. I discovered that the Kiersey is offered free of charge to students, as well as the Holland Self-Directed Search. I started the process of taking the tests today. Next week I'll meet with a career counselor to interpret the results.

I do not think that the career path I have followed fits my personality that well, so this is the first step in finding what it is that I would enjoy doing for forty hours a week. One reason why I don't have a five-year career plan is because I can't predict anything other than further misery. I'm excited about this exploration. It will take some time for things to fall together, but they will.

Posted by megabeth at 03:39 PM | Comments (3)

September 11, 2006

I was with you in the summer at dusk
safely ensconced in your arms
while the crickets chirped louder and broke the silence
on and off, on and off, my head buried in your chest
your heartbeat loud then silent, loud, silent.
The darkening air, thick, humid, smelling sweet
of honeysuckle and wisteria blooms
This moment came and left so quickly.

The dregs of light seep through my hands
and crickets buzz in joyous anticipation
of the coming darkness. We sit in silence,
save for rhythms of the heart and insects.
I want to rise up tall and dance in the darkness,
for you walk with me into the night I no longer fear.
Your face is draped in shadow,
your breath falls on my neck like the humid air.
This is when I take your hand in mine, and we stand,
careful not to disturb the evening symphony.

My hopes rise with us.
We might dance, we might.

Posted by megabeth at 10:46 PM | Comments (3)

September 10, 2006

Last week and this weekend were too busy for me to get over to the shop for a fitting. Maybe I should take half a vacation day at work just to get some stuff done during daytime hours. Sheesh.

I'm shooting for Wednesday. Definitely it will happen this week.

Three of my riding buddies have Scott CR1s with Campy Record components. I like the bike a lot; it weighs between 15 and 16 lbs, and it's purty lookin'. The top tube on the 49 cm frame isn't longer than what I have on my Specialized WSD. I won't get my heart set on anything at this point in order to avoid disappointment, but the CR1's looking mighty fine. Or perhaps I'm just a conformist who has to get what everyone else has. I did poke around at the other bike shops to see if anyone would say something negative about Scott; none of them would.

Posted by megabeth at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Good weekend. I started off with a celebration of the release of the Y website. That's a major milestone, and this project took full advantage of both my technical and artistic talents. Then I rode a metric century Saturday morning in perfect weather and with my teammates, who are my favorite people to ride with. During the ride I was feeling grateful for having the time and ability to ride my bike with friends, and I was enjoying the scenery of the country. (I couldn't get that Hem song Half an Acre outta my head, though.) On Saturday afternoon, I accomplished several errands and bought a dining room table and six chairs. Saturday night was the weekly dinner at Fish Market with the cycling folks; there's usually a pretty large group. I realize I am supposed to be an adult and all that, but I laughed harder than I have laughed in a long time at the guys making a hush puppy into a projectile with a fulcrum and a fork. Especially when one of those guys is my dad's age (60ish), and he's being that silly.

Sunday is more work, until the new farmboy helps me retrieve the furniture from the store ("As you wish," he says). Then my niece is having a birthday party (she is 3), and I am going to steal my baby niece and hold her the entire time, unless she poops in her diaper in which I will then give her back to her mother. But when she's clean, I will steal her back again.

Posted by megabeth at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2006

My magnum opus will be propagating through the internet this afternoon. The client and I are meeting at Workplay at the end of the day for a celebratory cocktail. My work will continue, though, because I am revamping their content management system on the back end.

For the past couple of months I've felt like Mozart in the movie Amadeus, writing furiously while the knocking on the door never ceases. My client is far from demanding, but I wanted as much as they did for the project to go live as soon as possible.

Check it out. (I'm holding my breath. I just hope it works on most operating systems and browsers.)

Posted by megabeth at 03:20 PM | Comments (1)

September 07, 2006

I shouldn't be surprised. I'm discovering that my 1100 page textbook Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management by Reilly and Brown is juicier than a leisurely fiction novel.

Perhaps a career field change is order, although Emanuel Derman's book My Life as a Quant did not paint a rosy picture of the financial world.

Posted by megabeth at 02:22 PM | Comments (2)

September 06, 2006

For the past few weeks it feels like I've been working two jobs; I have spent most of the evenings and weekends outside of my day job on my freelance project. I'm not happy working sixty to seventy hours a week; humans were not created to be machines. What I've learned from this is that working all the time is a stupid choice. We only get one life to live; this makes time so much more valuable than money.

What can you do with the time that you are given? Chase a career that brings high income and/or status, for the purpose of boosting your ego? Or choose to do something that you enjoy, reducing your level of stress and leaving you time to nurture relationships and give something of yourself back to the world?

It may simply be the stress I'm currently under that is forcing me to rationalize my choices. When you get in an uncomfortable situation, you'll be more inclined to take action to eliminate the discomfort. However, I've been looking at how my relationship with my folks (an emotionally distant father and a cruel, hot-tempered mother) has shaped me into who I am today. I've been separating my emotions from past events, which has been very helpful. That leads me to to the understanding that I don't need to compete to prove that I am worth something. Not that competition isn't fun, it's just that winning isn't everything, and I'll always be grateful for having the ability to compete.

I'm thinking about making some shifts, but the big ship takes a while to turn around. And I don't have a compass. Make the plan first, then act on the plan.

Posted by megabeth at 09:29 PM | Comments (1)

September 05, 2006

It seems like every season I become addicted to a different stupid TV show, and since I don't have cable, my addictions are limited to the network channels. This fall, my show of choice is Prison Break. Unfortunately, Prison Break is on Monday nights when I have class, and last night I was having dinner with a friend, so I couldn't watch it. But lo and behold! They're showing every episode of Prison Break this season via the web.

Posted by megabeth at 12:49 PM | Comments (2)

September 04, 2006

When I'm busy with work I prefer running over cycling because running packs the most punch (calories/fat burned) per minute than any other easily accessible sport. Today is the last good day I have for working on my Magnum Opus before it is released to the public on Friday (I'll post the link here too). I decided not to ride 60 miles knowing it would take until lunch, then I'd want to sleep for two hours. An entire day, gone. I headed off to the greenway for my first 5.25 mile run since April. And it felt GOOD. I enjoyed every step of it. What I missed about running is the ability to get into a rhythm or a trance and covering the miles in blissful ignorance.

So I am excited about the transition. I'll still ride, of course, but will try to run twice a week as I did last winter. I trained for the half marathon with two runs and two rides per week. It wasn't textbook, but it worked for me. This winter I want to greatly increase my time in the half, so I may need to run three times a week.

Today I tried the fancy shmancy $15 a pair Asics socks I won in a duathlon — the kind where you have a right foot and a left foot and can't switch them around. Those socks ROCK. I forgot they were even there.

When the weather cools down, I'm anxious to try out the two pairs of CW-X Expert Tights I bought for half price at a sale this summer.

Posted by megabeth at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2006

Just after I preached to you about simplifying things, I'm now about to write up a big ol' whine about "How in the earth am I going to get all of this done without going mad?"

I'm thankful that Monday is a holiday. I will be laboring my butt off on Labor Day.

My father came over yesterday to weed-eat the weeds and edge the lawn. The brush in the backyard was getting so thick that vagrants could have been living there; I wouldn't have been able to see them. He did this while I shirked responsibility on a four hour bike ride.

My client's website is being released this coming Friday so I'm at home for the weekend working on it. My new bike is already paid for; now I'm earning the laser eye surgery. I've been working with this particular client for six years. We have an excellent working relationship and they don't have a budget. That's good for everything except my free time. I'll be working on the content management system throughout the fall, while taking two MBA courses and working full time. I can double up my time when not busy at work by studying there.

I'd also like to ride my bike this fall and train for a half marathon in February.

I'd also like to conquer the entire world and get everyone to hold hands and sing songs about peace.

Like marathon runners, I'll probably hit The Wall around mile 20, which would be... late October to early November.

My surrogate cycling father gave me the book The Purpose Driven Life. I'll read it when the marathon's over. Perhaps I can stop overloading myself if I change my self-focused ways.

Posted by megabeth at 01:14 PM | Comments (1)

September 02, 2006

I started the process of shopping for a new bike by taking three models out for a ride today after my morning ride of 55 miles. Thought it would be good to try something new after being on my own bike for a while. The first was a Bianchi 928 with Campy Veloce and I thought it rocked, but the reach (from seat to handlebars) was very far. The second was a Scott CR1 with Shimano. The third was a Look 565 or 555 (whatever) with Campy Chorus.

This try-out simply made me more confused about what bike brand to purchase. It did cement my decision to purchase an all-carbon frame as well as the highest quality of Campy that my money can buy. (And, like my current bike, a compact crankset.) What I discovered is that Campy gives me a feeling of security during shifting. Shimano has that resonant ping! sound when shifting from the big ring in front to the small. And each gear change on the rear cassette is kind of noisy (I've been using an Ultegra/Dura-Ace mix, so quality is not the issue.) Campy's shift from big to small and back in the front is elegant and quiet.

What I will do next is get a computerized fitting done at the bike shop this week, and then they can start ruling out brands/frames that don't fit.

The components are the easy part to spec out. The frame will be the challenge.

The responsiveness between the stiff carbon frames and my aluminum Specialized was huge. Also I could tell a significant difference in the way the carbon frame minimized the vibrations from bumps in the road.

Consistent with the recent performance of my bike, my computer kicked the dust. I decided to ride without it for a while, for a change of perspective. I have an engineering-type personality, so I love numbers. I find security and comfort in quantifying things. I realize, though, that numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Perhaps they mean something at the moment or in a specific context, but are meaningless otherwise.

On my ride this past Thursday, I mentioned to someone that I must not be feeling well because I was having a difficult time keeping up with the group. She told me that the group was going 30 mph up a gradual incline, so my health wasn't the problem. Had I seen that on my computer, I may have become excited by the speed, or perhaps intimidated and then decided to drop off. On the other hand, if my computer said something like 6 mph while going up a hill, I would certainly be discouraged. I'll definitely go back to using a computer, but this reminds me to take a break from the numbers every once in a while and pay more attention to how I'm feeling rather than the distance I've covered or the speed at which I'm traveling.

Posted by megabeth at 01:33 PM | Comments (1)