WTL?!

Time is flying by so quickly, I have 3 more weekends in the UK then I'm off. It's quite a daunting prospect.. I was successful at obtaining my Visa last Friday, it wasn't a bad experience at all, a few questions here and there, a little bit about your past, and reasons why you want to travel to the US. I suppose they just want to make sure you aren't some pyschopathic axe wielding maniac hellbent on destroying Western civilisation, or pillaging its townships..

None of which I'm interested in, obviously. Maybe i'll reconsider in a year or 2.

But anyway, it's sorted, and like I said it's quite daunting, but terribly exciting. I have decided to take one of my bikes on the plane with me, so that i can have wheels when I land, and get about the city to explore and take in the sights.

I am flying on the 12th of February from Gatwick I think, so that'll give me the remainder of that day, Friday and the weekend before I get down to business in the office on the 16th. Sheeeeeeet.

I kind of have an image of the office like something out of Dallas, I really do hope it is like this, and some eccentric, money mad, womaniser walks around all day in a cowboy hat. That'll pretty make the trip for me, I wonder if anyone wears a holster too?



Still have a few things to do, a medical, arrange the shipping firm to come collect my (few) belongings, set up a US bank account and other litle bits like sort out a party. 6th of February, 51JR 8pm onwards, then onto Plug for some D&B in your face. Dress Code - Hip Hop You Don't Stop.. Get on it. Baggy Slacks and Stacked out gats, and a gold chain that'll make Queen Elizabeth Jelly! I plan on buying in a tonne of Ice, Booze, and limes, creating a large playlist of heavy tunes, and mashing it up a touch. Join me.

NYC Styles upon Styles.

Spinning?!

You know everyones perception of hell is different, its the way the world is, but I've always believed hell to be a place where they take something you enjoy, and intensify it so much so, that it becomes God awful.. I enjoy cycling, in fact I love it, so i imagine my hell will be a little like my spinning experience this afternoon. A sweaty darkened room, with failing air conditioning, and a fixed wheel bike, and i'll spend my eternity spinning, sprinting, climbing, and doing press ups on my bloody handlebars, with some pumped up psychopath on her headset screaming at me to go faster, and follow the 280bpm trance tune playing through half blown speakers.

That my friends, will be my hell.

Coffee Triggered Emotions

I got in to work quite early this morning as i'm taking an extended lunch to go Spinning - Yes, spinning, i'm even wearing lycra and 661 BMX clip shoes. A spinning fashion faux paux, or just a faux paux in general. I remember doing it many moons ago at the gym I went to on Tottenham Court Road in London, and I also remember almost going over the bars as i forgot about the fixed wheel, and thought i'd have a bit of a coast.. I seem to recall swearing to myself - Never again.. Yet here i am, bag packed, session booked to put myself through that misery again! I feel very heavy at the moment, in fact 87.9 kg heavy, and the road bike although nice on short blasts feels horrible on long rides, i guess the winter has a lot to do with it, but i just feel like such a lump! BMX and XC is okay though, and I guess thats more fun anyway!

So I thought with spining i'm not really having my weight work against me, and hell, it may even be fun.

The point I was going to make, and yet again I defer from course, was this morning I had a fresh cup of coffee, I never normally drink coffee so early in the morning, unless i'm on the France roadtrip. And it hit me a bit really, a convulsion of emotions that left me feeling, well, a bit shit. I'll not be tasting that proposturiously overpriced Formula 1 coffee this year, being served it by some sour faced old hag. But God love her really. She is the beacon in the morning fog, the drive for my day, without that horrid, horrid woman at the Formula 1 Montpellier last year, i'd have struggled, no doubt about it.

And it isn't just that, of course it isn't. There is so much I love here, and so much that i'll miss over the next 12 or so months.

On Friday they announced that the firm was struggling (we saw it coming to be honest) and they are to make 400 redundancies in the interim. This recession we're in has come about very fast, and has hit every industry hard, there is work in the Americas Region of my firm, but after my year in NY is up, what will happen?

My plans are to attend the 2010 Worlds in SA that much i'm CERTAIN about, but right now I'm sure i'll want to come home too, but who knows the state of the economy, or my industry, and who is to say i'll still have a job here. I may end up a Littlest Hobo of the CAD world, following the work around the globe.. Where Revit takes me, no one knows.

But it was this realistion, all after a gulp of coffee, no family, no Lauren, no Warren and Hannah, Will, Alec, Cooper, RB.com, 51JR, UrbanAir, the BMX scene, the riding circle, the amazing friends I have, the opportunities here in Sheffield.. It hurt quite a lot to think about it, and I suppose I haven't thought about it until that blasted gulp of fresh hot coffee.

I know it'll be an amazing experience, and flip, my visa interview is on Friday and it may not even be granted.. Although i'm sure it will, but you know what the Americans are like, I have a beard, therefore i might be an extremist.

AN EXTREME BIKE RIDER BABY!!11!!11 LOLzzzzzz

But seriously, we'll have to see how I fare against Homeland Security before i get too excited (or depressed!)..

But know that I love you all, and the open door policy is just that, come see me whenever. I'll be coming home a couple of times too for sure, and i'm sure the time will fly by.

Keep checking www.richardbaybutt.com/365 Great work from the boy!

DC x

New Year, New Challenges

Yes! Happy New Year one and all, hope you all had a great one, mine was pretty chilled out, but seeing the new year in with some of my good friends, and Lauren was really nice, and was all i wanted, so it was ace. A good night at the Green Room raving it massively to electro/grime and some dubstep, feel the bass in the face!

I got back to work tomorrow and make a start on things for my immigration. I have to get an interview arranged fill out a ton of forms and then head to London for an interview at the American Embassy. Sheeeet. It's all good though and i'm psyched for it. This holiday has been great i've ridden almost every day and had some intense training sessions, hit 130kg for 8 on the squats, i feel like a train has hit me still.. 2 days on! But it's a nice kind of pain. I've had some great nights raving, seen most of my friends and enjoyed not being in work.. I have come down with a bug though over the last 24 hours, i feel pretty dog rough, so no riding yesterday and maybe just a 30 minute blast at the hills to loosen up and get some fresh air today. I hate being sick, its very rare i come down with out, but when it happens i tend to get hit hard.

Anyway, just a quciky to say Happy New Year and i'll keep ya'll looped on the deats.



Big up to RB for an awesome set of shots from the Bolehizzle, i love shredding for you bruv!

RB.com Peep it.