Manic Monday: A Somewhat Valentine's Day Edition

My Valentine was whisked away yet again to serve her corporate masters, which leaves me Valentine-less, so this will be a fairly un-Valentine's Day Edition. as I try to drown my loneliness and longing with some rambling randomness.

Welcome back to Manic Monday. This week's musings on laundry, the finer features of drywall and more after the jump.

If you can't be with The One You Love on a beautiful day that just happens to be a Hallmark Holiday, I highly suggest riding your bicycle in the mountains with like-minded individuals to make up some of the gap.

In fact, random things learned on the Valentine's Day ride:

• The perfect riding temperature is somewhere between 55 and 65 degrees.
• You know you're really a cycling family when your wife looks at your unshaven winter legs and quips, "So, what's up with that?"
• The dog population on the watershed climb has increased by three. Keep a wary eye out, cycling friends.
• The world is made up of letter writers, mix-tape makers, and everybody else.
• There is something to be said for being "blissfully normal."
• A newly buffed Litespeed sans decals on a sunny day is a site to behold (as well as one that gives considerable bike envy to yours truly).
• Outfitting a classic steel Bianchi with anything but Campy Record with downtube shifters is a crime not only against humanity, but against Art (We're looking at you, Timmy Granger).
• The world's problems are easily solved by two friends having a conversation while riding bikes on a beautiful Monday (Thanks to Master Tedd for coming along).

It's always a good sign when the "workout stuff" pile of laundry far and away outstrips the "regular stuff" pile.

Drywall is the new sexy in Casa Zeta. I imagine that anybody who's done work on their house would agree.

Painting brick, on the other hand, is going on my list of Things Spawned By The Devil Himself, right along with water oaks and their offspring.

It's not like we needed it, but, with that hatching out of the egg stunt at the Grammys, I think we finally have confirmation that Lady GaGa is an alien.

In honor of Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray) for his win yesterday in the Pebble Beach Pro-am. You've come a long way, my friend:

Jadeveon Clowney better be worth the wait for Gamecock Nation. I think he just might be.

Finally, even though I think Valentine's Day is just another one of those Days In Which We Must Consume Stuff, I'd be remiss if I didn't send this little ditty to my beautiful, brilliant soulmate:

This lucky fool misses you...