Welcome to Mud and Cowbells! You made it! I’m stoked you took the time to read my stuff and even cruise on over to this sort of vain ‘about me’ page. Let me break things down this way...
Me
I don’t want to die. I swear I obsess over this most days as I love life and everything about it so much that it ironically causes confusion and distress. But mainly the life-lust is due to the people that surround me. I truly live for them. That includes the ghosts of my past, the raw spirits I’ve befriended in the here and now and the promise of great ones I’ll meet in the future. There’s so much to live for even in the face of what’s bad....you just have to keep driving. I’d consider myself a recovering guilty Irish Catholic with way more energy than sense some days....but always the need to quantify and reason. Laughter is the one adjective I want people to have in my memory.....in that I caused them to laugh hard. Especially when it has to do with gas or anything potty humor-related.
Family
Family is everything. From the family I came from to the family I married into to the one my Amy and I have created. They’re everything. It’s a built in team that needs you as much as you need them. Hearing my sons play with each other is a true dream that lives itself out every day. Seeing my wife blossom into the mother she's become is awe inspiring. Family is for me that protective blanket that enables who I am, allows me to retreat into it for help as much as it propels me on to bigger and better things.
Cyclocross
It’s dirty. It’s super hard. It’s incredibly fun. ‘Cross is the equalizer between all-horsepower/no skills bike racer types and all skills/weaker motor bike racer types. It immediately exposes the inabilities of those who should probably just pick a discipline where you stay on the bike and spin pretty circles. Cross is athleticism and it provides an ability to hone and display more skills than the average cyclist can typically display. I think about ‘cross every day.
Work
In 6th grade I was a newbie in the 6-8 middle school. I lived in absolute fear of the big kids and was such a geek, the only thing I did was build models. So, with the forcing of my parents to enroll in the Social Studies fair, I brought in my models....specifically only those from my ‘WWII” collection....and a subset of
those at that: Those that fought in the Ardennes in ’44....and I just spoke about them. And I won. Best of Show. Nothing has changed. I am a career product manager...building product, believing in them, and evangelizing the living shit out of them. It’s a game of Jedi Mind Tricks and technology, timing and resources. But of all these, you’ve got to believe in what you do.
Balance
So, when you bake in the ingredients above....me, family, cyclocross and work...you get a game of balance that is simply tough, It’s GOT to be done though. I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ll hear me talk about the ‘three part teeter totter’ a lot. Three sides...family, work and racing...with a daily goal to keep them in balance. Doesn’t always work....and you’ll know it when I’m all bent on certain days.
So thanks for stopping by! Read what you like. Comment on things. Link through to other people and companies that inspire me. But mostly, be well.
Ride on.
Greg
Use the 'Contact Me' link above to send me a note!
