work and play

I've been stripping wallpaper for the past few days. I thought it wouldn't be that bad. The room is small, the wall paper is only on the top half of each wall and I only needed to remove it from 3 of the 4 walls. Even after I did a little test spot to see how many layers I needed to go through and what the paint was like under the wallpaper, again I thought it wouldn't be that bad. It appears to be just 1 thick layer of wallpaper with about 2-3 coats of paint on top but no paint underneath. Looks as though someone just slapped the wallpaper right onto the plaster. Sweet, this won't be that hard. rrriiight.

Let me tell you, never underestimate the time it takes to remove wallpaper and what a arduous job it is. After 3 days of work I have all the paper removed from the plaster walls, but still have a couple sections where there are drywall patches that are much, much harder to work on. Having the wallpaper on the top half of the walls and having 2 of the wall slant in is very hard on your shoulders since it seems all the work has my hands above my head. I've got some sore arms and sore hands from using the big scraper but progress is being made, all-be-it slowly.

After a fun mix session out in Bellevue yesterday, I had plans to head down to Opry Mills Mall to meet up with a bunch of cycling friends and watch Race Across the Sky. We met at Dave & Busters for a few beers before the show and ended up taking up the entire bar in the game room. I was amazed at how many people came out and really enjoyed catching up with some old friends like Reed & Daniel. After I finally was able to get and enjoy a 25 ounce Yazoo Pale, it was time to mosey into the movie.

The movie was about the Leadville 100 race which is a 100 mile ultra-endurance mountain bike race held in Leadville, CO. It started off with a panel interview session with Lance Armstrong, Dave Weins and the race organizer and 2 other big name riders who competed this year. It was fun to hear them talk about the race and also to hear them share how much they enjoy hearing the stories of the folk to compete in these races and aren't Tour de France riders. The movie seemed to do a good job of showing what it's like to compete in the Leadville 100 but yet it still didn't really show how hard it is. It was inspirational to see everyone in the movie pushing themselves realizing just how far they truly can go. It was fun to sit next to Thad too and hear his comentary as he's raced the Leadville 100 and finished in under 12 hours to earn the coveted buckle. The scenery was amazing. I loved the trail that wound through the tall old growth forest. It makes me want to take a trip and ride somewhere new and totally different. Something that is nothing like TN and NC or GA riding....maybe out west riding.

It was a great movie, but more importantly it was a fun night with friends. We hung for another beer after the movie then we all disbanded and went our separate ways. Would of been a 100% complete day if I'd been able to fit a bike ride in. I just got a new handlebar for my Surly that I'm itching to try out!