Uncle Sam Doesn't Care

Since I usually owe money to Uncle Sam, I usually delay my tax preparation until the last possible moment. I seem to delay it more each year. I still haven't started my taxes, but I did make a move in the right direction this weekend. To keep my sanity, I made up a new rule this year. The rule is something like this: As soon as I feel frustrated with my taxes I quit immediately and move to something more fun, like differential equations, healthcare reimbursement forms, watching CSPAN, going to the DMV, or watching the The Real Housewives. Pretty much anything but taxes. On Sunday I downloaded turbo tax federal, and the NC and SC state forms. Since I work in SC and live in NC, I have to pay SC taxes and file for a credit in NC, PLUS pay the difference in the NC rate. That means I end up owing more to the Tarheel state. As you might have guessed, taxes didn't last long and I was off running an errand at Target. Uncle Sam doesn't really care that I have other interests besides doing my taxes.

After most of the day was spent and the kiddos were in bed, I cracked the last Sunny Haze beer and headed out to the garage to tackle some much needed work on my bike. Since the man trip to Pisgah last October, my mountain bike has been ridden twice. I punctured my tire in Pisgah and never went back to full tubeless so I had a small project ahead of me.

While removing the rear wheel, I noticed my cassette was looking rather craptastic, so I broke out the citrus degreaser, completely disassembled it and scrubbed it clean, and reassembled it before tackling the rear wheel. I meant to take care of this the previous week during the cabin trip but I forgot the valve stem (still in my Camelbak from October). Doh! Once I retrieved the Pisgah encrusted valve stem from it's hideout, I removed the old tube, put the (clean) stem back in, poured in two cups of Stans tire sealant magic juice and reassembled everything. Then I did the NoTubes dance to seal it up. I also added a scoop and a half to my front tire just for good measure.

My bike area is a complete mess. Take a look. Since the Winter Challenge, I 've been in stack mode. At some point in the near future, I'm going to need to clean this mess up, but it wasn't today.

I regreased my through axle bearings and reinstalled the tires. My rear brake has been dragging for what seems like forever, so that was going to be next, but when I reinstalled the rear wheel, everything was ok. I guess my rear wheel was slightly off axis before. A quick driveway test ensured I had achieved success.

Next up on bike maintenance:

• air pressure check on front and rear shocks
• chain cleaning and wear check
• shift check
• general cleaning

After that, I should be in good shape for the race. Then I'll need to finalize my hydration/nutrition strategy for the race. Sheesh, lots to do before Friday.