beets, bikes, and banjoes

Summer's here, and for the first time ever in the four years I've been up in the 'Burgh, I'm actually able to enjoy it the way you ought to. I've got huge muscles, ridiculous tan lines, thick callouses on my feet, and everything I do has something to do with a bike ride, a cookout or a get-together with friends. I went up to Ohiopyle with the gang from Legume a few weekends ago and did some kayaking on the rapids for the first time ever, and it was a complete blast. One of the servers is a river guide up there, so we had a free campsite on the hill behind the outfitter.

We definitely had some good eats and drinks, and I managed to avoid flipping my boat over at all. I think I could get into paddling. Also, pictures were taken--people have been asking what I look like with a recently shaved head and blonde hair, so here we go. I would've just put some up from my camera, but I still can't get the damn thing to sync up. I think the USB hub on my laptop is just about shot.

Here's me at before the trip, staring longingly at a big plate of bacon.

And, uh, here's what I look like from behind. That's really all I've got.

So that's it. I now have a social life. It's a big deal. More later, I need to eat succotash.