Blitzkrieg

13 and 14 July – One wonders what to do about it all – could have made some amends with someone I didn’t like but chose not to and tried to make amends with someone I think I like but didn’t have much luck.  Could this be the end?  Perhaps it could be but not yet.  I’d thought I was mostly over the latest bout of influenza but a late night alcohol and remedy session with some of the old pals plus a very nice non vegetarian meal from one of my favourite vegetarians meant I didn’t get the rest I really needed for an event that I really probably shouldn’t have taken part in on Saturday.  The Global Gutz alley cat, so named because of its nature – at last count 12 cities all conducting a 21km checkpoint based traffic race – all starting at the same time (well, two different times but close enough) - was not the thing my fragile body needed to be involved with.  I realised it was going to be one of those races when half the field turned up in lycra (myself included) and with a far too large proportion of roadies in waiting.  As always, there’s nothing better than an alley cat start when the field is still packed together and the traffic just stops as 18 bikes fly through their midst – for one bike they’ll honk, for two they’ll scream but after a dozen or two they know that’s something is going on which they’d better just stay put and wait for them to get out of their way.  Only a couple of close calls throughout the race and as far as I'm aware the only impact was when one of the participants (who shall remain nameless) took out a couple of wing mirrors in a squeezing gap.  Luckily, there was nobody from the Neutral Bay vigilante group to take down the number plate (and there was only one biker with a number plate and he was nowhere near the incident).  Took some very interesting shortcuts that shaved some time but also took a couple of crap ones and was hawking up huge amounts of phlegm throughout the entire event and when I did come in (nowhere near the end but nowhere near the start – Big Rob took it out with ease on his shiny geared machine) I found myself totally overcome with a sneezing fit that lasted for an hour and never really let off all day.  All plans of catching up with people and being productive where pretty much thrown out the window by the pain in my chest and the total onslaught of the virus in action but I was rather impressed with my backyard hack of L’s phone – who needs an iPhone when you’ve got an iPhone skin – it’s got all the good stuff that Mr Jobs wanted but none of the proprietary crap.  Saw an average movie in the Good German (huzzah) and an absolutely awful one in You Me and Everyone You Know which was unwatchable ... After the 14 year old got every teenage boy’s dream I felt it was time to get that Canuckian crap off the screen and out of my life.  Bah.