Still living for the weekend, and least with one part of my life. I still like my work, though I am fighting with the desire to be gone already, still six working weeks (as of today) out. The drill however remains the same; I have a good life outside work, and like them both to exist in a robust form. The best of my colleagues have the same. The ones who don’t come to work looking (unconsciously, I presume) to fill holes in themselves, and in this line that will not hold up long.

So, here’s how I’ve spent my weekends thus far this year:

Jan
6 Lurking at home, running a bit, icky weather
13 Camp Lynda
20 Truck in the shop, discontented me, run up Glassford Hill
27 Antelope Peak Challenge

Feb
3 Grand Canyon 40 miler, AZ primary
10 RATS ride, b-day in Tucson
17 Red Hot 50k DNF, three day weekend in Moab w/Fred, Susan, M
24 Granite Mtn circ on foot, chillin’ @ home on a rainy day

Mar
2 Matt breaks his finger, Chad and I ride the snow and BCT
9 Royal Arch route
16 end of AZSF, leave for week in Cali
23 C2M 100k
30 Grad school acceptance, Moab Rim Ride DNF

Apr
6 305 and Whiskey time trials, chillin’ @ home
13 Dawn2Dusk, Sedona BFL
20 Erin’s wedding, just hangin’ out
27 Start of Bike Camp

May
4 End of Bike Camp
11 Riding with Eric and Dan, Grand Canyon hike with M
18 KTR
25 Abbreviated CDC, riding and visiting with Brian

Jun
1 Prescott-Grand Canyon solo tour

I’m quite pleased with that record. 5 weekends without trips outside town (one mechanically induced). My habits haven’t changed that much. January was no fun. March might beat out April as best month overall, though not by much. Some more random superlatives are in order (“ranking” seems to help order my recollections):

Best meal: All-you-can-eat Sushi with Brian and Carol Ann
Best new recovery food: Blue Bell Banana Split ice cream
Best new bike food: Chili Cheese Fritos
Best climbing performance: Hardscrabble on the Bike Camp WRIAD
Best descending/tech performance: Holy Cross
Best ride: Sedona BFL (maybe)
Best day on foot: First day (TH to Copper Canyon) of the Royal Arch route
Most cooked: tie between C2M, KTR, and Prescott-GC tour
Best new gear: tie between Osprey Talon 22 and Ergon GR2
Best old gear: Lenz Sport Leviathan
Biggest relief: getting into grad school
Bestest, most generous, patient wife ever: M (without whom I would have given up on more than half of the above, and left myself to die in the woods)

The rest of the year will be quite different, but I think equally good, if not better.