Friday Was a Good Day

Taught a spin class in the morning. Felt good. Went to band practice, and our new singer Josh showed up and we got the PA to work and he sang. It was magic. He's got talent and experience, knows what sounds good. He used to sing for Cuddle Machines around here and was in 16, a seminal sludge metal band that did two amazing splits with Grief that I remember loving when I was 19/20. Stoked. I checked my email and Annie from Quest for G casting sent word that I had made it to the second round of casting and I needed to send another audition tape in, this one 10 minutes long, by Monday.

Cue freak out. I rode to Affinity to talk with Jay about this impossible task. I totally had a panic attack. I GChatted w/ Luke and he was slammed with work this weekend and couldn't help. He helped me out so much with the last video I couldn't bitch. He's my life coach. Really.

I gave Danimal a call and he set me straight about how I should approach it. I took the impossible and broke it down into small tasks and got Luke to agree to let me barrow his apartment and computer to edit the footage on Saturday night. I found a camera to barrow. They wanted people in my life to talk in this tape about me as an athlete. I decided to just set up the camera in Affinity on Saturday and shoot who ever would come by, go shoot at Crossfit, talk to the coaches there and just slap it together quick and dirty using leftovers from the first tape. 

I had a plan and it was time to de-stress doing some squats. I left the shop headed home to get ready for the gym and my second spin class of the day. Colin called me to tell me about a new client. I told him that all this management was getting to be too much without enough money coming back in return. He agreed. We decided that it was time for some other people in our collective to start pulling more weight.

I squatted 235# 5 reps, 3 sets. Did 50# weighted pullups 4 reps, 3 sets. Taught a good class too. My attitude was been super positive. I checked my email and the woman casting the show sent me an email saying that the first audition was all they needed from me. I called her up to confirm this and she gave me the dates for the "boot camp." So glad I called. She thought she emailed me the dates but she realized during our conversation she didn't. Questions answered! 

I ate some food with Elizabeth and we drank a bottle of wine. We saw Frost Nixon. It was good. The end bothered me. It left you with the impression that Nixon was a broken man after that. In reality he was consulted by every president following him on foreign policy matters, including Clinton. He was a true statesman.

The New Atakke

Yesterday I did "Elizabeth" the workout at Crossfit NYC Black Box. Both my girlfriend and my mother share that name. Anywho it 21-15-9 reps of squat cleans and ring dips. I did it in 16 min with 115# cleans and unassisted ring dips. Last time I did it with 95# cleans and used a rubber band to help with the dips. Plus I learned how to kip my dips. Progress feels good!

That night Elizabeth and I went to see Atakke last night for the first time since they kicked me out. They played with Amebix and Kylesa. A whole bill of gibberish band names. I got there early and Atakke was sound checking, they sounded good.

My old train hopping friend Toby was there. Blast from the past, yo! I spent the bulk of 2001 riding freight trains across the country with her. I was awesome to see her. We chatted a bunch. My old boss, Ian, from Dragonfly Courier was there too. He'd been laid off from the architectural fabrication job he took after selling Dragonfly and was looking for work. He asked me for a job. It was depressing.

Seeing Atakke suck, sucked. They were sloppy sounding and Nick (the guy who replaced me) was stiff, barely moving. By the end of the set they were out of tune. My lady friend gave me a Twinkie for some reason and sheer willpower kept me from throwing at them. They ruined my band. I think would have been happier (jealous but happier) if they were better without me, but they weren't. It was just sad.

Kylesa just killed it. I was rocking out hard until this one drunk kid ruined it. He kept getting on stage and putting his arm around Laura while she was playing. My girlfriend pulled him off stage twice and he hurt himself pretty bad. I was in a shit mood, so once he this happened I went from rocking out to watching this kid to see if he would fuck with Elizabeth so I could justify beating him up. When their set was over I turned to the guy next to me and said "If that kid stage dived one more time I was gonna steal his shoes." He replied with "I tried but they were double knotted."

I left two songs into Amebix. I have to admit I like their artwork way better than their music. Kinda like the Velvet Underground. Out front I watched the bouncers fuck with a drunk punk kid trying to get in to see Amebix while Elizabeth talked to her friend Scott from when she worked at NY Mag. Ian came around the corner, stumbling drunk and tried to get back in and the bouncers wouldn't let him back in either. He shared a cigarette with the young mohican as we hailed a taxi back to Brooklyn.

Thrash Crust

1 rep thrusters 7 times. 170 #. I am buff.

Crossfit Total Strength Gains

DL=275#

SQT=275#

PRS=145#

TOTAL=695#

Just Letting it All Hang Out

1 rep hang power cleans

198# (body weight! personal record!)

Big Day/Blog Love

So check this out. Friday morning I taught my usual spin class, hopped on a train to Northport Long Island to buy a Greco Flying V Bass. Two hour round trip. Came back went to band practice. Went home took a nap.

I spent the week chasing down footage for this audition tape, and now I had to actually get it in my hands. I had to meet Jon Van Tuliken at Columbia at 4:00 p.m. to pick up what we shot of a unfinished short film and then downtown to 115 Broadway by 5:00 p.m. to meet Mike from Kissena Track Racing Blog. I woke up late and I didn't leave my house until 4 o'clock. I got to Columbia at 4:40 met JVT and then had to book it 7 miles across Manhattan to catch Mike as he got out of work. I met him at 5:15. I had another spin class to teach at 6:30, so I couldn't really mince words. He snapped a couple of pics, which he posted on his blog. Thanks Mike.

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Hangin' Tough

1 rep max hang power cleans. 190# a personal record. I remember when, not too long ago, I couldn't deadlift 190, let alone clean it. Crossfit gets the goods.

Fame and Fortune Await Me Across the Sea

So what follows is my response to the email that Victor sent to me yesterday for this documentary/reality show that is casting a NYC messenger to race for reals. I think I am a perfect fit, but I have to convince them.

Hello Marc. I was referred to you by Victor Ouma regarding your documentary for XXXXXXXXX. My name is Alex Farioletti, and I have been a New York City bike messenger for the last six years. I am also cat 3 track racer and the current New York State Champion in Keirin racing. I will be a good subject for your documentary, as I am both a bike messenger and a track racer who has the potential and discipline to be competitive on a national level, possibly beyond. I also have a very unique back story and lifestyle (there aren't very many tattooed metalheads in the track racing world) that would be good fodder for a documentary.

I grew up in Weed, California and was raised by my mother. I left home for the Bay Area and junior college before finishing high school, and it wasn't long before I felt stifled by school, so I left to ride freight trains for a year. I lived in Portland for a year, working in the tech industry; it was there that I stopped driving completely and started riding my bike everywhere.

I quickly grew sick of cubicle life. An old friend of my mother's needed a roommate and offered me a cheap place to live in New York City. So I moved here in 2003 intent on working as a messenger, the only job I have ever really wanted. I started racing in alleycats and it wasn't long before I started winning. I won Stupor Bowl 8 in 2005, the biggest alleycat in the world. I won the skid event at the Cycle Messenger World Championships in Sydney Australia the next year and the sprint event at the 2007 North American Cycle Courier Championships. The messenger racing scene was my life, it was during this time that I opened Trackstar, a track bike boutique in the East Village.

My success in the underground prompted me to pursue competitive cycling more seriously. I quit the bike shop and I started racing on the track two years ago with the goal of a national title in the match sprint. In 2008, I won the Keirin and took silver in the match sprint at the New York State Track Championships. I couldn't afford a coach and I wasn't racing for any organized team. I did it all by myself, all while founding my own messenger collective and rehearsing, gigging and touring with my metal band Atakke. I am no longer in the band, and I am completely focused on the 2009 racing season. I training to compete at the Elite Track National Championships.

I love the unique people, opportunities for travel, and freedom cycling has given me. I have ridden my bike around the world; competing in races all over the US and in Australia, Japan, Switzerland and Ireland. I am very competitive and a natural athlete. I love how pressure brings out the best in me and my opponents. The lessons that I have learned through racing have helped me overcome some large obstacles in my life. This documentary would be an ideal opportunity for me, and I am excited at the thought of what I can accomplish with the right training and resources.

I look forward to talking to you more.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

I got shit for sleep. Blake threw a party for his friends from Boston, Ramming Speed, Saturday night. I didn't go, but I got both my roommates, Natalia and Jessica, to go. The both came home, with guests at 5:30 and 6:30 respectively. In the goddamn. I had to wake up kinda early so that I could teach my spin class Sunday morning. I need some ear plugs.

I put on some books on tape and I got some sleep, woke up a little late so I had to workout after class. Class was full, and I did a 5x5 squat set at 215# afterwards. I skipped Crossfit because they were doing 5x3 deadlifts and I did a 5x5 on Friday.

I came home and Blake and Kayla had just gotten back from brunch with Natalia. Jessica awoke and Nats brought out a bottle of tequila. This is at 2pm. They were still going at midnight when Elizabeth came over and we disembarked for her house.

This morning when I got home I found Jessica and Natalia in Kris' bed and bloody napkins all over the kitchen. Jessica slipped on the stars and had a 1-2" cut above her brow. If I had stayed I would still be in the E.R.

It's like they made a TV show for me!

Victor passed this email on to me. I got pretty excited.

Hello Victor. This will be a weird one for you... I've been hired by XXXXXXXXX to cast a documentary that will follow eight athletes as they train for up to 8 months out here in Los Angeles. One of our sports is cycling and they specifically said they would love to get a NYC bike messenger to come train and compete to see how far he/she could go in a competitive cycling environment (different from yours). Anyhow, they want this sort of "out of nowhere" story line, so I'm coming to you. Does this sound like something anyone you know might be interested in? They would have to be seriously committed as they would be put up in a place to stay. Be paid a weekly stipend. Train at least five days a week with serious trainers that we provide. They would have some of the worlds top nutritional scientists from the XXXX (XXXXXXXXX sports and science institute) working with them, etc. It's for anywhere form 4-8 months out here in L.A. If this sounds interesting AT ALL please don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks for your time.