Current projects

I saw my friend Michelle's blog and it reminded my how badly I've neglected mine. I figure that I may as well post an update of what I've been working on lately even though I never remember to take photos while I do these projects, and posts never seem that interesting without a pretty little picture.
Lisa and I have been doing a bit of work in the basement since it flooded again in February when the rains came whilst the snow and ice was still present in the back yard. Our back yard isn't well graded to begin with, so when the low spots are filled with snow and ice there is not a clear path for water to flow away from the house. It thus flows into the house, through the back door. This is not a good thing. Our basement did have a family room with wall to wall carpeting, and wainscoting on the walls, prior to the flood. After the flood we tore the carpet and some wainscoting out, along with some Sheetrock that got moldy. We have managed to do some Sheetrocking (by we I mean my dad did the Sheetrocking while I watched in amazement at the fact that what would take me weeks to accomplish too him mere hours) and painting. I've begun to lay flooring down. We decided to go with Marmoleum Click because it is relatively easy to install, and made from natural materials. Unlike the carpet that it replaced it won't do the following: off-gas formaldehyde, collect dust/dust-mites, smell like a wet dog. Before winter comes I will have to take steps to remedy the whole flooding thing so that we don't have to replace this floor since it is NOT CHEAP. So far it looks pretty excellent though, so I hope that we will be happy with it.
I've been trying to get my mountain bike ready for my bike trip in September with the boys on the San Juan Hut System Mountain Bike Adventure. My fork hasn't been rebuilt since I bought the bike in '02 so I figured that I had better do that before it died on the trip. Unfortunately for me Manitou only sells rebuild parts for forks for four years after they are sold. You do the math. So I had to spend $300 on a new fork. I may do a writeup on the installation, but it is pretty much covered elsewhere. Aside from that I have replaced the worn brake pads as well as the brake levers that have been thrashed via a few crashes. I still have to get around to replacing some cables and cable housings that are getting pretty ratty looking. I also bought a new wheelset when I got the fork but I think that I'll trash my old wheels until the trip so that I'm riding on fresh new, true wheels. I'll have to be sure to true my old ones a few times between then and now so that I have soe experience in case someone's wheels get tweaked on the trail.
I've also been doing a lot of work on myself physically. I've been really tracking my calories (kilocalories) and trying to stay below 2000 per day. I've managed to lose about forty pounds so far, so I may not die on the bike trip. I may, however, die during the triathlon that my wife has signed us up for. Still a bit worried about the half-mile swim. I bike about fifty miles a week and we've been to the the pool a few times. I even swam about three-quarters of a mile last week. I still haven't done it without grasping the side of the pool a few times to take a bit of a breather though, and the triathlon will be in the Long Island Sound, not the community pool. I think that we may have a chance. I suppose it will be a whole different story when I am faced with the fact the I can swim, drown, or face the humiliation of screaming for help.