Saturday, June 2 - Day 0

Got up bright and early to go to register for the lifecycle.  It's pretty much an all day affair.  You have to wait in many, many long lines and watch a one hour orientation video.  Ugh.  Ran into Wilfredo when I first showed up:

There were a lot more riders this year than last and I think they had a little trouble with them.  It was a 90 minute wait to register, a 45 minute wait to get a tent assignment, and we had to go back for the orientation video because the first time we went it was full.  Kind of frustrating, because at the end of it all you feel like you've accomplished something when really all you've done is wait in line.

Here I am at bike parking with a "I've finally finished" smile on my face.  Registration was tougher than the ride.  We all left our bikes at the Cow Palace overnight.  The next morning we return with our luggage at 5AM, put it on trucks, retrieve our bikes and off we go.

Friday, June 1

Busy busy day.  I had to finish up at work and then get the rest of the stuff I needed.  They didn't have the clips I needed at REI so I went to Performace Bike and they had them.  The guy that rang me up was doing the lifecycle as well! 

Thursday, May 31

I went out riding over lunch.  Another glorious day in San Francisco.  I ran into my cycle buddy Kari Boatner, who is a hottie, loading stuff into trucks for the ride in the front of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Wednesday, May 30

I went out to the ocean after work and rode up Anza street in the Richmond.  I don't get out there very often and there's this huge hill in the Thirties and you totally can't see it from anywhere in the city and I'm totally suprised every time I'm up there.  But you can see the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unfortunately my big monkey head is blocking it.

Monday, May 28

We had to go out to the east bay today in my truck to help my friend Sandra and her fiance Randy pick up some stuff at Ikea.  Here's Mr. Poe in his new car before we left with a big smile on his face.  Hello gorgeous!

Ikea is in Emeryville which is a former industrial area that is now filled with large commercial structures and big condo buildings.  Everything is kind of fortress like and there aren't a lot of people on the street.  We managed to find Ikea pretty easily because the building is

1) Enormous
2) Blue

Here's a picture of Mr. Poe standing next to flowers that match his shirt.  Hello gorgeous!

They were all done shopping by the time we got there so Jeff only had time to cough down one hotdog and a glass of lingonberry drink before it was time to leave.  We didn't have too much trouble getting everything in the truck.  Randy, as most straight men do, tied everything down tight enough that the cargo wasn't going to move in any circumstance be it tornado or godzilla attack.

Here are Jeff, Sandra, and the ever glamorous Michael Fantasia before we headed back.

Sandra and Randy had just moved into this unbelievably fabulous place right by McLaren Lodge.  They're still unpacking but it's going to be spectacular when they get it all finished.

After we finished unpacking we headed over to the rose garden to see what was blooming.  It was sunny, warm, and everything was in bloom:

Hello gorgeous!