Because I'm currently on winter break I've had more time to watch TV. I mostly watch reruns of old shows, usually M*A*S*H, Law & Order, Roseanne, and The Cosby Show. While the shows are great, I'm getting tired of the commercials. I'm sick and tired of advertisements for stuff that makes your teeth whiter or for electrical pads you stick to your body for purposes of massage or "exercise". At least before Christmas we had some classics, like the Clapper and Chia Pet. I don't know if this is directly related, but I was also bothered by hearing the muzak version of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" while at the mall. Sacrilege!
2021 Ride the Rockies
In January of 2020, I set my sights on riding Ride the Rockies. After finishing my 5th RAGBRAI in 2019 and riding both the Buffalo Bicycle Challenge and Pedal the Plains that fall, riding the premiere bicycle tour in Colorado was something I wanted to do. As spring approached, I trained, kept my weight down, and then saw my plans change as the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the cancellation of all the summer bicycle tours. Given the choice of a refund or moving my registration to 2021, I moved my registration. Riding the Rockies would have to wait another year. As it turned out, even if the organizers hadn’t postponed RTR in 2020, I wouldn’t have done it. In April, I had shock wave lithotripsy to break up a kidney stone, and in May, I got a deep vein thrombosis in my left calf. (These were unrelated. I’d had bouts with kidney stones for a few years, and, the best I can tell, the DVT was triggered by the abrupt transition from a super-hard Zwift ride in the late evening to sleeping wit