That’s what Marvin Gaye wants to know too. Well, I’ll tell you (and show you).  One of the first orders of business was to get the storage shed built. I was counting on a tenant to move in to my place by May 1 so we needed somewhere at the new location to place tools and extra stuff from my  other house. Here is the end result:

click here for an extended gallery

I’d say it turned out pretty nice! Remember that I was able to use all of the lumber from the wedding benches and tables to construct this humble edifice. For those of you who didn’t make the wedding, here is what the shed used to look like:

So, shed got built, I gradually moved stuff from Prospect over to Munson St., the next task was to settle in and organize/beautify. Being the biking fools that we are, we needed some serious bike and gear storage, So the bike room got an extensive makeover and we now have lots of room for bikes and clothing, helmets, shoes, parts, etc.:

Colleen had long wanted hardwood floors in the house, well, because carpet just sucks. The dog peeing in the living room carpet was just about the last stand. We finally broke down and settled on some nice laminate flooring. I’ve never been a fan of laminate due to it’s “fakeness” and cheap feeling compared to real wood, but when you examine all your options, it’s a pretty good deal. Laminate technologies have come a long way, not only in improving the look, but the durability of the product. You can get laminates with a lifetime warranties these days. We settled for 15 years since we don’t plan on staying here forever and just needed something that would install quickly and look nice and that’s exactly what we got:

Concurrently, I was still moving in and getting my office setup. Cousin Christie had moved to Farmville, VA about two weeks after we got back from Costa Rica and that freed up her room for the office. It’s nice having a fully dedicated office:

All this taken care of, it was time to move onto the bedroom closet project. Our bedroom had a good sized 2’x 7′-3″ closet, but it was only accessible via a 32″ door centered in the wall. It was difficult to get to edges of the closet and there was a lot of wasted space. In a house with 800 sq ft. with a person moving in from a whole other house, wasted space is not an option. We decided to rip the wall out and put in an Ikea system, much like a Californian closet. Here is progress so far:

and here is what it’ll kind of look like when done:

I have not had much time to get the business running but that all stops this weekend as I travel to Dallas for a 2 day investing seminar. I’m going to come back and hit the ground running! It’s nice to have a tenant in Prospect already and not have to worry about those expenses any more, but I’m ready to start earning some good income again. There are people to help, places to travel, and maybe some bike upgrades here and there, none of which are free.

Racing is still postponed indefinitely, and in fact, I have seen little to null physical activity since returning to Austin, other than all the work on the house. I did make it out to Glen Rose this past weekend to watch Colleen race the 1st annual Cat Claw classic, but didn’t feel racing would be in my best interest. I was able, however, to pre-ride and volunteer as a sweep rider for the 10-12 year old boys and girls. It was very interesting being in a race, but not racing, and I really enjoyed the change of perspective. My job was to just to cruise along behind these kiddos and assist in any way that needed assistance, whether it be untangle a crash, put a dropped chain back on, help a 40 lb kid push a 20 lb bike up a muddy incline, or keep a 10 year old girl from falling off a bridge 10 feet above the ground, all of which I ended up doing.  These kids are the future of racing, and I highly recommend volunteering as a sweep rider if you ever get the chance.

Thanks for checking in, and keep doing so every now and then as I’m getting more time to keep up with the blog.

Cheers,
Greg

Well, it’s been a while since anything has been posted here. I’ve got married, been on a 11 day honeymoon to Costa Rica, have been gradually switching residence, have been prepping the old residence for rent, have postponed racing and training indefinitely, and have pretty much just been doing all the things one does to transition in such a period of their life. Times are hectic, but they are exciting! As I get more settled in I look forward to sharing with you stories of the wedding, the honeymoon, and life as a married man. Check back in every now and then. Spring is here, get out and enjoy the weather in the meantime!

Greg

And that can only mean one LOTS of things:

• Of course, the wedding is this coming Saturday. Everything is running smoothly and we are looking forward to a great time.
• The trees and wildflowers are starting to bloom.
• The weather is much more pleasant.
• Usable daylight is longer since daylight savings occurred last weekend.
• It is XC racing season. I’m taking a hiatus from racing though. With the wedding, new business, new living arrangements, etc., I’ve just got too much going on to even think about racing. Much like two years ago when I had to take the spring season off due to injury, this can be a good thing. Racing is not life. However, I share in the excitement that hardcore racers across Texas experience this time of year.
• South by Southwest is in full swing and the hipsters are taking over Austin. I used to really enjoy this event but now I’m starting to dislike it due to the congestion factor it brings to town. I normally ride a bike and it’s no big deal, but I’m having to run a lot of errands by car, and if I want to take Ladybird to the greenbelt, car is about the only way to go until we can get a cool bike trailer for her. Traffic is noticeably much worse than it normally is, and it normally sucks anyways. And apparently it’s ok for groups of tattoed chain smoking grungy music fans to walk down the middle of the streets of my neighborhood to walk between shows and where they are staying with the Austin hosts. Now I fully support pedestrians having the right of way, but there is a reason sidewalks are separated from roads! Use them!
• It is prime hog hunting season. Again, I don’t really have the time for it now, but my brother is out in the bush as we speak trying to secure a hog for the wedding feast.
• It’s St. Patrick’s day! Hope you had your green on today.

Overall, it’s just my favorite time of year. It’s a time of cleansing and new beginnings. I hope you’re having the chance to enjoy the weather and time of new beginnings as I am. Look forward to seeing everyone at the wedding! Slainte!

No, nobody close to me has passed. Ladybird is fine. I’m certainly not dreading my wedding in a few days. By all accounts, I am in great health, superb spirits, and really enjoying life these days. What could be so catastrophic that a chipper fellow like me could actually be dreading? Well, my friends, yours truly has finally acquired a CELL PHONE. Those of you who truly know me know what a big deal this is. I’ve turned my back on them ever since they came out. I was a devout refusenik, and even planned on writing an entry under my Live Simply section about the benefits of not having a cell phone. I’m sad that I’m having to write this one before that article ever got published.

But alas, I have started my own business. A business that will all but demand a cell phone. I’ll be out looking at properties, calling realtors, calling sellers, calling buyers, calling title companies, etc etc. I’d just be shooting myself in the foot not having a tool like this. Make no mistake, that is only what it will be used for, a business tool. I’ve disabled text, media, and internet on this phone. Furthermore, I won’t be publishing the number to friends. My goal is to use it as little as possible, not only to accrue maximum rollover minutes for months that I will have a lot of calls, but to also maintain my sanity and status as a caveman. I hope you understand.

I also bundled internet home service with it since this too will be an important tool. Check out the new Parham Solutions webpage. Its a work in progress, but when I get more time perhaps it will be fluffed up a bit. For now, it’s just a place where I can send potential clients and acquaintances for more info about the company.

It sure is a nice day here in Austin. I’m heading back outside to finish up my latest landscaping project. I am in the process of fixing up my property to have it rented following the honeymoon in a few weeks. If you know anyone looking to rent a cool house in east Austin, give them my contact info! Enjoy the spring weather!

I took off work Tuesday to observe Texas Independence day, a tradition that I’ve long wanted to practice, and frankly, haven’t been able to until now. I rolled out of bed thinking to myself  “what sounds like a good Texas breakfast?” I was hungry, and looking to get in a good meal before heading over to the Texas State Cemetery for a 9am Ceremony. Actually, I didn’t really roll out of bed. I just layed there thinking of some place nearby to go eat. Then all of sudden it was 8:40, and I wouldn’t have time to go somewhere, so I fried some eggs over easy in a bunch of butter, inhaled them, then left for the ceremony. It was cold, and only a few brave souls plus the diehard Texian re-enactment soldiers made it out. The formalities of flag allegiance pledges led to a very neat history lesson about some of the revolutionary folks buried there, including the captors of Santa Anna, and of course, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.

I did have to make a few business calls prior to lunch, but after that, it was off to pick up Ladybird and down to the greenbelt for her greatest adventure yet. Not before stopping at the Green Mesquite BBQ for a 1/2 lb chopped beef and a side of slaw. I was hoping to get utterly lost in the wilderness and in doing so find some new trails, meet some more dogs, and have a bunch of mandatory creek crossings to get her comfortable with water. What underachieving goals those were! Not only did we do all of these, we did it to the max. When we got far enough away from the main trail, it was time to let her off the leash and just be a dog. Boy, was she excited. We went deeper and deeper into the bush. We successfully forded waist deep and whitewater creek crossings. We got off the beaten path and cut our own. At one point, I was looking across the creek and could see a trail etched into the cliffside opposite us. The water was neck high for a while and I didn’t feel like getting completely soaked, so we waited until finding some shallow rapids to proceed. The way up to the trail was a mad scramble up some steep rock. I didn’t think  Ladybird could handle it, but we’d been running along for a while through some nasty terrain and I thought I’d at least test her. Never underestimate the spirit and prowess of a Texas Blue Lacy. She would’ve impressed a mountain goat the way she flew up the rock. It was absolutely amazing.

After that, I figured she could handle just about anything that I could, so we set out exploring this great new land and making it as adventurous as possible. I threw in sprints and hopping through rock gardens to make it even more fun. We did not come across one single part of trail she couldn’t handle, and I mean to tell you it was some nasty stuff. At one point we crested a hill and were probably about 80 feet directly above the water. The penalty for error was pretty steep, but it didn’t phase out either one of us and we frollicked along at blistering paces. The sun was getting low at this point, casting a yellow glow over the vistas beyond us. It was truly a day to cherish and honor those that fought to secure the independence of this great land. This high trail eventually spit us back out to the Gus Fruh entrance and from there it was a quick run back to the car just before sunset.

Ladybird was clearly a very happy pooch, but also a very tired pooch. I too was tired from running around 4 hours in the woods, and quite hungry. Upon getting back to Colleen’s, it was agreed by all that the proper thing to do would be to eat BBQ for dinner, so we piled in the mazda protege and parked our butts at Ruby’s, where spicy chopped, brisket, and smoked bird were ready to be consumed in mass quantities. I must confess that I also broke a lent commitment by enjoying a Lonestar beer. I had not accounted for Texas Independence day when making the commitment, so I figured God would just have to forgive me. What a great day it was to be alive in Texas, and to be a dog named Ladybird…

Mardi Gras and Lent really snuck up on me this year. I am not Catholic, but the Methodist church is one of the few protestant churches that observes lent and despite what denomination I take part of, I’ve always felt it is an important experience to participate in. Heck, even if you aren’t religious, there are benefits to reap from abstaining from some controlling habit in your life for 40 days. What is some such habit that holds power over you? Food, alcohol, cigarettes, pornography, gadget addiction, sex, coffee, shoes, bikes, clothes, housewares, friends that are poor influences, going out too much, TV, internet, work, lack of sleep, money, you name it? Did you notice the key words in this question: “Has Power over you” ? You are a smart, capable being. Things like these shouldn’t hold power over you, but rather vice versa. To me, this is the self awareness aspect of Lent that forgoing such pleasures can help you achieve even if you aren’t religious. If you are religious, Lent can be a way to take your spirituality to a whole new level.

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him

Matthew 4: 1-11

And from Mark 1:12-13 we have this reading:

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

From the Mark passage I just can’t help but relate Jesus’ time in the wilderness to some awesome Caveman experience long before Jesus even came along. A Caveman no doubt endured such hardships without food among the beasts and terrain of the wild. As to whether he had a spiritual epiphany out of such circumstances, I cannot say. Very likely, he was just very, very hungry. I would have to optimistically believe, however, that he had great faith in his skills and the abundance of the earth to eventually find food. I digress, though.

In the past I’ve given up coffee, sodas, alcohol, and some types of food, like sweets. Having adopted the paleo lifestyle, I don’t feel like there is much to give up anymore. Plus, I’ve got a wedding to attend right smack in the middle of lent that I have no intention of turning down a few glasses of Shiner Bock at. If I dig real deep though, I can find some things to give up that will bring me closer to enlightenment. I’d like to share these with you.

I will absolutely give up alcohol until the wedding night. I will give up coffee or any caffeinated beverage until the honeymoon. For the full 40 days, I will forego ice cream and Tex-Mex, two foods I never gave up after switching to Paleo. I will try as absolutely as hard as I can to limit internet usage to work and blog posts. I will keep my house absolutely spic and span. (bet you didn’t think about giving up clutter, did you?) I will not buy one single thing for any of my bikes. If something breaks, oh well, I’ve got another bike. I will not turn on the heater at my house. I normally don’t run any kind of heat or AC anyways, but it has been a cold winter and I have enjoyed the comfort of my gas heater. No more though. I can sure as heck go without heat for 40 days at this latitude if Jesus went 40 days without food. I absolutely will not consume any food product that is derived from a grain or contains a sweetener. I was pretty disciplined about this leading up to the 12 hour race, but might eat tacos with corn tortillas, or tortilla chips, or a rare soda once in a while. No such tolerance this time. Fruit, veggies, nuts, meat, and water. That’s seriously going to be it.

If you’ve ever wondered why lent last 40 days, check out this Crossroads Initiative article… All these “forties” are a necessary and not-so-comfortable prelude for something new. I’m looking forward to my “something new” in forty days, I hope you are too.

To your success,
Caveman

Meet Ladybird.

Colleen found her on petfinder.com yesterday. We’ve been thinking about getting a Blue Lacy for some time now. When this gal popped up in the Lampasas animal shelter, we jumped at the opportunity and I made the drive up this morning. She is 11 months old and not 100% Blue Lacy, but a good source thinks she might be 3/4 full blood. The Blue Lacy is the official state dog of Texas. They are known for their strong work ethic, especially when it comes to herding and hog hunting. Colleen and I look forward to our adventures together with Ladybird, and who knows, maybe one day she’ll corner a pig and I’ll knife it and bring home some tasty pork!

Hello friends, family, acquaintances. You might or might not have heard the good news recently that I’m starting my own business. As of today, February 11, 2010, the Texas Secretary of State recognized Parham Solutions, LLC, as a new business entity ready to do business in the great state of Texas. I’m sure you’re wondering what kind of new business I might be doing. No, it is not architecture, although I will continue my small hourly services to pay bills until the new endeavour is fully off and running. I’m getting into Real Estate. This county’s housing market is in an absolute mess, and there simply isn’t enough government help or investors to help fix it. I’m not going to real estate school nor do I plan to become a licensed realtor. On the contrary. These modes of conventional wisdom limit creativity and profit potential, not to mention the ability to help more people and help them in more beneficial ways. I have the utmost respect for realtors and their skills will be critical in my success, it’s just not quite what I’m shooting for.

Parham Solutions, LLC will set forth to help individuals facing foreclosure or having any other real estate related problem. Zig Ziglar once said “Help enough people get what they want, and you can have anything you want” My goal is to help people first. Then and only then can I be rewarded for my efforts. In addition to the fulfillment that comes with helping others, the pay can be very,very handsome. Hard work is important, but no so much as initiative and smart work.  Passion.  I’ve long thought real estate would be my ticket to independence, I’ve just never acted on that hunch, until now.

I used to think I was sitting pretty comfy at $40/hr, but mark my word, there will come a day when my time is worth $1000/hr, and perhaps even greater. Of course, I won’t be working 40 hours a week nor every week of the year. I still reckon that will build some nice wealth. I’m not the kind of guy to wipe my butt with $100 bills though. I like to share the love. A lot of friends and family could definitely use the help in these lean times. What about the people of Haiti? The third world countries all around the globe? The overburdened animal shelters? The homeless right here in Austin? They could all use a hand. It’s a win win win situation. Help families in foreclusure, help banks avoid having to call the sheriff, earn a living, help others. You will never see me in a Hummer or Porsche. A 6,000 sq ft house with Travertine floors and gold leaf trim? No way. Cozy cabin on 10 acres of Texas or Colorado land, that’s more like it. And you might see me in a Subaru Outback or an off-the-shelf Chevy Silverado 4X4 to get out to said cabin, but nothing more. Toys don’t buy happiness, but freedom does. I dream of visiting every national park in the country, every major city, doing more cool bike races across the nation, and even the world.

There will be naysayers. People who will say it can’t be done. People will ask “If it’s so easy, why doesn’t everyone else do it?” It’s no wonder people like this are stuck behind a desk or some other job they don’t like their entire lives just making endsmeat. You gotta think big. You gotta think for yourself. You gotta take action now. Consider this my invitation to become part of my network. I am currently seeking out Austin realtors, especially ones who deal with REO properties or have clients that are overfinanced/upside down/etc. on their mortgages and are trying to sell. Even better if they have 2nd or 3rd mortgages. I’m not actively seeking out hard money lenders or investor partners yet, but there will come a time when such services are needed. If you are interested in seeing handsome returns on your investment, to the tune of 10-18% secured by the property itself, give me a ring. The government will even let you use IRA roth funds for investments! Put that tax free lazy money to work making more tax free money.

Any-who, that concludes the good news for now. It is very exciting times for me. I’ve been studying diligently and preparing for all the new things to come. Stay tuned for even more exciting news to come in the following week. Cheers,
Greg

I have spent the last two days basking in the glory of victory at Warda on Saturday. I finally got to see Avatar in 3D at the Imax Sunday. Then Colleen and I went to Fiesta to buy some Superbowl goodies. I then proceeded to drink a beer, gorge on some hot wings, and top it all off with some Blue Bell Pecan Praline ice cream while the Saints beat the Colts. Today I got a 90 minute massage at Performance Wellness, then went to one of my favorite hangouts in Austin, the Screaming Goat. There, I enjoyed a Bacon Burger with chips and guacomole, and two glasses of Dr. Pepper! I don’t necessarily miss all these things since switching to the Paleo diet, but on choice occasions when I do splurge, let me tell you, they are absolutely delicious. Below is the link to the official race write up. It is long, and I didn’t want it taking up the whole home page, so I gave it’s own page. Hope you enjoy.

The 2010 Dirty Dozen 12 Hours of Warda Race Report

The Dirty Dozen 12 Hour MTB race at Warda is right around the corner. The herd is assembled. My gear is packed. The caveman energy bars are in the fridge. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale is awaiting deposit into the escrow account setup for a friendly little wager between team Caveman Productions and Team Currently Known as Awesome!. The Team Currently Known as Awesome! is a group of 4 low life aggie alum whose only goal during this race is to defeat Team Formerly Known As. Little did they know that Caveman would have a bone to pick with them and wager a 6 pack of beer as to whether he could finish the race within 2 laps of them. Can I actually do it? A one man show against 4 decent riders for 12 hours straight? Physically, I believe I can. I have unprecedented faith in my primal diet and fitness. I’ve stayed disciplined since cross season ended and have all but eliminated processed carbs from my diet, eating mostly large amounts of fat and protein. I’ve gotten at least 9 hours of sleep every night. I’ve put in quite of few hours of base training, and just as much effort in weights and sprinting. You never know what’ll happen at races like this though. Crashes, bike failure, acts of God, etc. It will be an interesting way to keep motivated and Take it to the Limit. Who cares about the solo category?! If I can actually pull this off and snag a six pack of Shiner from these scum sucking aggies it would be a victory for the ages! Tune back in next week for the exciting recap!