While riding through the ever-lovely streets of Philadelphia the other day, my mind played an interesting trick on me. Cruising along, my nose caught a whiff of the often-unpleasant aroma of rotten eggs, or maybe sewer gas. To me, this formerly repugnant smell signified something totally different, ONSENS!!! I was instantly jonesing for the lovely relaxation of sitting in a geothermal bath, nude, with 10 to 30 perfect strangers somewhere in the mountains of Japan. Shane, my man, if you're reading this now and it's raining and shitty in Montreal like it is here in Philly today, you know exactly what I'm talking about. What I wouldn't give to be in the lovely tide pools under the Yakushima stars cavorting with the mudskippers and Mr. Goshi-Goshi telling me to scrub my nuts with more vigor.
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On a different front, bike racing is going pretty well. Last week I ended up 5th in my category 3/4 race in Mullica NJ. This weekend was slightly less good, with temps starting at 52 and ending up somewhere in the 45 degree range on a rainy course through Farimont park. In the category 4 race I was only 9th, somewhat worse than I was hoping. My big problem was that while last week I was able to get away in a breakaway early on in the race, today was not quite so conducive to such attempts. The rain and the wind were de-motivating factors for a lot of other riders. My legs were also pretty frozen by the time the sprint finish rolled around, and one thing that we all know, is that Aaron can't sprint. I'm hoping to avenge myself tomorrow and work my way up in the rankings a little bit. I'd really love to win back my entry fee if nothing else.