Rainy Labour Day Reflections

 

August 31, 2025

Hello dear reader,

Happy Labour Daye weekende!  I hope that you have been doing well and prospering, at least in some regard.  As you may have imagined, I have been to a Renaissance Faire recently.  I purchased a game called Daldos that is pretty fun to play.  Snot Jr. purchased a foam long knife/short sword of some type that he was delighted with for a few hours and which has know taken up residence in the Dracomobile.  My first batch of hard cider has been refrigerated and I am “enjoying” a small glass of it right now.  The first sip was kind of a sour slap to the tastebuds, but now that I’ve acclimated a bit I actually like it!  I would estimate alcohol content of about 8 percent or so – at one point I had a device for measuring alcohol content, but the cats broke it and it seemed kind of complicated to actually calculate the alcohol content.

Last Thursday I made it over to the Bellevue Berry Farm's taco ride.  After riding down the hill by my home, I realized I’d left my water bottle on my desk!  Doah!  Luckily I decided to stop at a park on the way to the BBF to get some hydration from the excellent water fountain and take a rest break.  Another thing I noticed on my trip was that ye olde Olympia Cycle / Farmers Home building had been removed!  Here is it’s former location.

So long faithful landmark and local bike shop!  It was great to have you around all these years.  

There were also sunflowers aplenty along the banks of the Papillion Creek.  

Upon arrival at the BBF, it seemed a bit sparsely attended for such a beautiful night, but that may have been because it was the Huskers American futbol (!con accente! !por favor!) season opener against the Cincinnati Bear Cats!  Although not great for the BBF, it was kind of nice to have plenty of open seats and a nice view of the charismatic band Parfait.  

The tuba player was especially gregarious and had some wicked dirty dance moves and managed to bring around the tip bucket whilst simultaneously charming the audience.  They had quite a few upbeat funky versions of pop hits, such as Billy Joel’s “I’m Movin’ Out” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious”.  Here is a song I was not hithertofore familiar with:

On the way back, I considered stopping at Pint Nine to see how the HuskerDu was going, but I thought I might be able to watch it at home and thereby save some time and money.  You may consider this move a non-awesome cheapout, and you may be right.  However, I’m grumpy and I don’t get out much so what do you expect!?  You sassin’ me!?  Why you whippersnapper!  Get back here!  Anyway, once I got home I found out that I would have had to pay for some special ESPN channel to watch the game.  We only get a few ESPN options through Verizon/Disney Plus.  So instead of futbol, I enjoyed a couple sets of women’s tennis.  The dynamic Amanda Anisimova is having a good U.S. Open so far.  She seemed a bit uncontrolled during the sets I saw, but she was able to get the ball where it needed to be when it counts.  The announcers informed me that she was runner-up at Wimbledon, so that is a big accomplishment!

Well I hope you are enjoying some moderately active fun these days and enjoying the cooler days of impending fall and/or other fall-like activities.  I recently had a pumpkin cookie with some white chocolate and macadamia nuts that was quite tasty.

Many blessings to you and your habitat.

Corporate Cycles Back to Boulder

August 17, 2025

 Hello fellow bicycle enthusiasts and others,

I am here to inform you that I recently completed the always rewarding Corporate Cycling Challenge in the Omaha area.  The last time I can verify completing this event was back in 2012!  Last time I was mounted upon the Old Bastard, but this time I enjoyed the relatively easier pedaling aboard the noble Shifty.  Here is a Wild Man top bar pouch that I added to Shifty for the event:

Although my photo doesn't show it, there is a handy cell phone compartment on top of the pouch.  It was kind of nice, since I didn't have any decent pockets on my person; however, my phone overheated towards the end of the ride and had to shut down to cool off for a while.  I think I will invest in one of those phone holders with no plastic cover that just attach to your handlebar to avoid the likelihood of overheating.

I saw a hops farm on the way out, which was pretty exciting to me as I enjoy an occasional quaff of hoppy beer.  

I also met up with my dad and we shared some of our recent life experiences.  Here we are at the spacious and well-maintained gazebo 

in the Fort Calhoun park known as West Market Square Park.

Here is a rock that Lewis and Clark tried to pick up back when they were exploring the area a bit further upriver of Fort Calhoun:

Although they were not able to pick the rock up, they did have their men pick the rock up and carry it downriver (not with their arms of course! - they just put it on one of their boats for a bit of added ballast and a nice place to lounge around during the abundant free time they enjoyed back in those days) on the way back after they finished exploring some parts of the northwestern U.S. and left it in Fort Calhoun as a marker for future explorers.  Although it was originally much closer to the river, it has since been  moved, the engraving has been updated a bit, and it still serves as a welcome stop for travelers in the area.  There is also a disc golf course in the vicinity.

One recent life experience for me has been doing some SCUBA diving lessons over at a local swimming place called Diventures.  We also have to carry ballast to help us sink to the bottom of the pool where we practice various skills designed to help us feel comfortable and to be able to survive some mishaps in the depths; however, no boulders have been used so far.  It has generally been good; however, I seem to have a eustachian tube dysfunction situation that I am hoping to resolve before I commit to my open water certification diving.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.  Dad also did some SCUBA diving back in his younger days and he said it kind of messed up his ears, so maybe there's an inherited trait that makes us more prone to these types of problems.  Snot Jr., however, is loving it and doesn't seem to have any of these issues.

On the way back from the gazebo, my dad cruised off over the horizon and it got kind of hot with a headwind.  I probably should have stopped for a rest break, but I kind of wanted to get back to meet up with some corporate comrades so I pedaled on and did some minor suffering to cap off the experience.

So that was how I spent my Sunday morning and I do not regret it.  Please join me again in the future and I will regale you with more heavy tails of moderate activity and/or adventure.

Your traveling buddy,

BSO

Crazy Days

 

July 29, 2025

Dearest Intrepid Venturer,

How does it all happen?  Crazy, right!?  So much has been going on lately it’s hard to know where to start.  In summary:  it’s hot out, I just got back from a vacation up to Wisconsin, and I bought a used trampoline!  Luckily, whilst vacationing  I was able to procure some of my ol’ favorite Wisconsonian beer – Spotted Cow and I’m sipping on a cold one as I type! 

Here is one thing that didn’t seem all that crazy, and I’m honestly a bit surprised it didn’t happen earlier:

The Bike Commuter’s Forgetfulness – Level 2 (Not so bright foresight)

A few weeks ago I thought I had a reasonably nice office-type shirt stashed in my storage area at work.  I’m guessing you can guess where this is headed already?  If not, perhaps I can shock your eyes (which I’m pretty sure are part of your brain) into realization.

Yes, I did not actually have any type of my usual nearly-business-casual-level attire available.  So when I arrived at my place of employment I fount that my shirt choices were a nipple-emphasizing bicycle jersey (as shown above) or a slightly stained and wrinkled, company-logo-branded-hi-viz t-shirt.  

Which would you have chosen?  Please write your response on an index card and send to me, along with a self-address stamped envelope, and I will provide a personalized response and perhaps a special prize for non-snarky responses with some rationale behind their choice!  Thank you for your consideration.

I chose option b because I am dedicated to the success of my company (for those of you who know where I work) and I knew that anyone adorned with our esteemed corporate logo may as well be protected by the shining armour of God! 

And, for everyone else, as I am guessing you’ve already surmised, I am a spineless corporate shill.  Sorry for the snark, but that’s my own self-addressed-amusement reward for my choice.

Moving on, here are a few highlights / items I’d like to document in my diary regarding my vacation to Wisconsin.  It was just me and Snot Jr. this time around.  Mrs. Snot and Ms. Snot decided they would partake in some other activities.

Mississippi Palisades State Park provided a reasonably located overnight campground to break up the trip.  Whilst Snot Jr. preferred to abide in the car to avoid the mossies, I ventured out to appreciate some river views.

 

This sign about platform viewing tickled my fancy bone.

Here is the platform for your viewing consideration:

I dragged Snot Jr. to Taliesin – Frank Lloyd Wright’s longtime home that may or may not be a ghost haunt due to some arson-related deaths.  FLW had some serious drama in his time!  Although Snot Jr. resisted, once it was over he actually thanked me for taking him on the self-guided tour.  He said it made him think about the constant relationship we experience with our surroundings/environment. 

There were many Buddhist-related statues and a Japanese dragon (not pictured) at the estate.  

I’d recommend you stop by the next time you are in the vicinity.

The next day I met up with a representative of the Wisconsin Canoe Company so they could shuttle us up to our put-in point (Mazomanie) for an overnight, 6-hour trip on the lower Wisconsin River!  

After approximately 3 hours of easy paddling we set up on a non-vegetated sandbar (the vegetated sandbars are reportedly more mossie-infested).   The next day we got an early start to try to get out before the forecast rain arrived.  

It was sprinkling a bit as we started out, but it gradually intensified and we were treated to some moderate lightning.  The GORP got drenched, likely due to operator error or maybe my penchant for cheap bag-purchasing?  In the absence of milk, the generic Cheerios were a bit less endearing when soggy.  We sheltered along the banks of the river during the peak lightning times.  

During our sheltering, Snot Jr. and I entertained ourselves with several rousing rounds of hangman.  “Kaiju names” was a pretty common topic.

As you can see, although GoT names were not part of our hangmanning our brave vessel was christened Khaleesi.  

If you are familiar with the television program Game of Thrones you will likely never forget Khaleesi as I’m told she’s quite memorable.  

Although I’ve not watched any GoT, Mrs. Snot has a Khaleesi coffee mug that she was gifted a few years back and so it reminded me of my beautiful lady back home.

Snot Jr. also formed a strong connection with a hitch-hiking damselfly we christened Beryl.  So that’s a quick summary of the craziness from my perspective.  Please let me know how things look from your side and then we’ll all be a bit more informed/aware.  Constant vigilance my dear ones!  Hey!  I said constant!

Constantly,

BSOzzy!

Amalgamation Triad

 June 810, 2025

Hello and many greetings,

What have you been doing lately?  Hell yeah!  I have been working on getting large video files off my phone.  Mrs. Snot's phone crashed and I wouldn't be surprised if mine is soon to follow, as it is approximately 5 years old.  I hope you've been enjoying the warmer spring/unofficially summer weather.  I have been doing some of the moderately active things that I enjoy and use to define myself as a person.  Here are a few specific items:

Back in March I went out to Hitchcock Nature Center on a balmy spring day to enjoy the loess hills of Iowa.  I took a nice walk out around the serene Lotus Loop and the relatively newly-opened-to-the-public trail out to Mount Crescent.  There had just been a prescribed burn and the underbrush was still smoldering.

I meandered around a bit and got off trail for a while, but eventually I achieved some clarity

and made it up to ye olde ski hill

and back again

Then, back in April I went on a nice bike ride on the West Papio Trail, as I often infrequently do.  I stopped at the phenomenal Eagle Ridge Park.   

There I stretched out a bit and went on the Papillion Library-sponsored StoryWalk® where I read about a kid's snow day.  She went out and enjoyed being a graceful snow ballerina of sorts whilst also kicking ass in a snowball fight!  A kid who improvises and has is a versatile heroine - truly inspirational in a whimsical way and (spoiler alert) story ends with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

As you can sense, the life of the snow dancer required balance in more ways than one.  That can be tricky.  And speaking of tricks, here is an amazing slo-mo video that my son shot to try to disprove my ability to switch my fingers from one hand to another!?  Also, as I may have mentioned, I had too many videos on my phone to get updates.

Also, today on Sunday I made it out to an F3 workout.  I refer to it to my family as an "exercise cult" but it was actually pretty fun (but pretty intense for this moderately active guy).  I went with a couple of elementary school friends.  I will note that the above finger exchange can (with caution) be performed with three fingers, which would make it more of an F3 kind of workout.

So that has been a few things I've been up to lately.  The triad is complete!  Hope you are doing well!

Love,

BSO

Get on the Woody Snake

                                                                                                                                             February 1, 2025

Hello and good day!

I hope that you are doing well and staying healthy and alert.  I went out for a bicycle ride to church and back this past weekend and it felt great!  I haven’t been out and about on 2 wheels for a while because we had a bit of a cold snap here for a while.  I rode past ye olde Olympia Cycle building, which has seen better days and I think is on the list of structures to be removed soon.  

I have fond memories of the shop because I purchased my 1990 Bridgestone MB-5 there a few years back and I still use that bike (fondly referred to as the Old Bastard due to his transition to single-speed) for everyday commuting, errands, etc.  I have also rode the Old B a few times to go exercise at a bouldering gym that is somewhat nearby!  This gym (MW Climbing Omaha) is where ye olde dollar theater used to be.  It is great!  The proprietors do a great job of keeping the place in good condition and setting new routes.  As a moderately active, middle-aged man who formerly did a bit of rock climbing, I was drawn to the establishment like a plant to the sunlight.  For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of bouldering, I’d say it’s pretty similar to rock climbing but instead of using a rope to prevent a fall to the ground there are typically pads placed in potential fall zones so that if you fall you won’t get hurt. Here is a good video about bouldering:  

I have to tell you, this place is great!  Unfortunately, they have a 2-week introductory deal for around $35.  “Why is this unfortunate?” you may be asking?  Well, it’s because in addition to being moderately active and middle-aged, I am also moderately thrifty.  So I thought I should try to go as many times as possible during the 2 week timespan that began on St. Stephen’s Day.  I enjoyed my time at the gym immensely and I’d highly recommend that you try some bouldering in your vicinity if you have the time and interest.  However, I did end up with some sore muscles, joints, tendons, etc.  I also have some of those today because I was back there again last week.  Yes, I may have been a bit too enthusiastic for my own good.  I’m sure I’ll get back to normal here soon, but I think I really need to pace myself and/or do some good warm ups / cool downs to compliment the gym experience.  The problem is, neither of these are as awesome as actually bouldering!  And time is precious!  Anyway, I guess we all have things we can work on and for me it will be finding a good way to enjoy some bouldering (I’m thinking maybe once or twice per week might be good for me for now) without feeling sore for several days afterwards. 

 

“How might my ambitions fair in the Year of the Wood Snake?”, you may be wondering?  Well let me take a look at some pundits to see what has been prognosticated.  Alright.  I have found, thanks to the infallible Buddha and Karma, that snake years should involve some deep thinking and strategic planning.  Implementing these things should certainly help with my bouldering gym experiences.  I may also use some strategic planning to put together some type of "escape bag" in case things get too crazy here in the US-iness of wackitude.  Let's make politics here boring again ASAP.  I believe in separation of politics and entertainment.  

In addition to the Olympia Cycle building and an unpopular administration, another thing that is going away is Mode Shift Omaha.  I appreciated all the things they did for local multimodal transportation options here.  Apparently they are putting their remaining resources to work with Bike Walk Nebraska who is planning on becoming more active in the Omaha area in the near future.  

The weather has been pretty nice these days so I should be able to get some more 2-wheeling in soon.  I hope you have a chance to enjoy some outsidey activities soon.  I have been thinking about getting out to try Brent’s Trail over in the loess hills soon, so I’ll be sure to let you know if that happens.  

Now that I am nearing my mid-50s I have been trying to be a bit more diligent in my exercising habits.  To that end, I have begun using a device that I received for my birthday that I thought was a kettleball.  Well, it turns out it's a kettlebell, and it's not meant for tossing around unless self-defense, destruction, and/or trickery is required.  If you are not familiar with kettlebell culture, here is a quick intro:

I am still learning the basic moves.  Due to overindulgence in my bouldering habit and/or my desk job that involves a lot of keyboarding, I often have some wrist tendonitis and/or golfer's elbow discomfort that makes me want to avoid putting pressure on wrists and elbows.  So I haven't gotten very far on the way of the kettlebell, but I think I might make some progress down that old kettlebell road.  

Well, I guess I’ll get back to you if I experience any exciting adventures in the near future.  Please do the same.

Bless you and the snake.

Your, 

BSO