can't think of a title

Nope, no brain power today at all. Not that I am overly endowed with brain power at the best of times, but today I am running on fumes.. no gas in the tank at all.

Bean is not feeling to chipper, not sure what's up with her. She said she felt post natal or something earlier. I am quite sure we don't have a child so it must be something else! Sum ting wong! Still makes me laugh.

Anyway, I didn't get to spend a whole of time with my good lady this weekend. She worked Saturday and I was out all day yesterday. I really don't like weekends like that, even if I'm just around her to annoy the crap out of her, that's enough for me.

My weekend started a little early. I buggered off early Friday afternoon, grabbed the S&M and went to Severn to ride. I had hoped the race would be one, but the club is going through some turmoil with "he said" "she said" BS, which is sad. Hopefully it will be resolved as low and behold some of the people there have actually started to speak to me. I know I'm an arse, but I'm not an unpleasant arse am I? I had plenty of fun trying to do a bubba scrub over the big doubles. Whatever possessed me to try this I don't know, but once I bonked my front wheel on the lip of the landing whilst I still had the bike lying down I quickly stopped. That could have been very messy for sure. My gates are rapidly improving on the ABA start sequence, so much so that I was pulling and staying with my buddy Chris Agard from the lights, quite an achievement believe me. Chris squats 500lb for fun. I squat 200lb in sheer protest. I've put my Shimano DX platforms back on and with the Vans it feels like I am clipped, my feet don't budge at all. My first straights were on point so I was happy. I guess several cans of Abbot Ale can do that for you.

Saturday the wife worked, whilst I toured DC on foot. It has been a long time since I have been down town, in fact when NMKY was here in April. I enjoyed the walk. Went to the White House, had a nose around and was highly amused by some 60+ dude, slightly overweight pretending he was CIA and scouting around the lawns. Absolute pratt. For a start he had a hat on logo'd CIA. So that meant he wasn't. Then he was trying to do Thai Chee ( is that how you spell it?) and worse he was getting in people's business. What is it with Americans? I don't understand their level of patriotism at all, it's like an obsessional football fan. It's great on the one hand, and I do wish the English took more pride in their country for sure, but it's so over top here. It strikes me as faux patriotism in a lot of instances. Why is there a need to shout about it? If you are civic minded and want to contribute, well done my friend, but don't go on about it, do it and move on. And the whole thing of being a Veteran. Now that is tosh. Sorry, you are not a vet until some dip shit with an agenda has shot at you. Pushing paper around an airbase in Arizona does not put you in the same category as fighter pilot who has had missiles up his chuff, or some poor squaddie stuck in a cave on the side of a hill in Afghanistan whilst Taliban Tom takes pot shots at him. Can't agree with that all. You might be contributing to the war effort but are you putting your life on the line? I wonder if it was like this pre 9/11? Maybe it's just the culture here and one more thing for me to adjust to. Maybe it's just because England is so different and we lived through the 'troubles' and the fall out of the IRA that I don't grasp it. English cynicism, American optimism I guess. I'm guessing optimism is the right approach, but hard to change your ways.

Saturday night we went to Maneqin Pis, a Belgian restaurant up the road with Rachel, C's good friend, and her parents. We had a great evening. They are awesome people, really warm and friendly, and C was really happy to catch up with Rachel too. They also remembered Matt Allen from our wedding, I think he made an impression there. Now, if he was loaded he might be in with a shout! Everybody has mussels, supposedly a fav, but I went with the trout. Now I do enjoy a good trout on a saturday night after a few beers. :)

After that we went back to Rachels to watch the Wisconsin somethings take on the Ohio Brewsters, whatever, I have no idea, but college football is more fun to watch than NFL for sure. Still a bunch of girls in leggings and a helmet though. haha

Sunday I spent the day in Hagerstown. It was the MD state champs and I was doing a clinic. The race was a small affair, with only 17 motos, but somehow managed to take 3 hours to run. Good fun, except for the mountainbiker who ate sh1t over the triples. he walked away but will be sore today. My clinic started at 4.15 and we ran for about 3 hours. It was great, really good turn out, 31 kids in the end I think and I think they all enjoyed it. Certainly the parents were happy and we made $300 for the club which is great. I also had more people than the Stileman clinic. Maybe I can go into business. I love doing it though and the Hagertown BMX crew are a real cool family. Totally dedicated to the kids and keeping them out of trouble. Hats off to Brian, Diane, Chad and everybody else there. Nice to see something positive and genuine. Well after a bloody long day, I got home about 8.30 and passed out on the sofa. Bean had been gardening, and we now have pansies all over the place and fresh dirt for the squirrels to forage in. lovely