Funeral for a marine
When the order that my brother belongs to was trying to find a place for him to spend his deaconite summer, the one thing Bill was really hoping for was someplace where he would experience the full range of the sacraments that occur in a parish (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage), and the full experience of being part of an active parish.
He got it in spades. He chose the parish that he's at because he's good friends with Fr Anderson, and had worked with some of the groups there. Last week they got the word that one of their parishoners was killed in combat, and yesterday and today are the viewing and the funeral for a popular kid from a small town. If you're of a religious bent, please say a few prayers for the marine's family and friends, and for Fr Anderson that he has the words of comfort that would be helpful to those who need it.
HUH?!
Holy mackerel - this year's tour
without Ullrich or Basso, and to a lesser extent no Vinokourov or Sevilla? The mind boggles. And who the hell is keeping a central database of illegal activity? How stupid is that? I thought that went right out around the time of Capone. Apparently EPO destroys brain cells.
Not having a long history of watching the tour (I started watching in 1998), I don't know really how this compares to the
Festina Affair, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this year's
Operacion Puerto is an even bigger deal than that. Will it lead to any clean up of the sport, who knows. But the outcome of this year's race has been blown wide open. So who's it going to be?
Top 10 from last year:
1. Lance Armstrong: Retired
2. Ivan Basso: Out on Doping Charges
3. Jan Ullrich: Out on Doping Charges
4. Francisco Mancebo Out on Doping Charges
5. Alexandre Vinokourov Could end up out because of team's doping issues
6. Levi Leipheimer Still a contenda
7. Mikael Rasmussen Still a contenda
8. Cadel Evans Still a contenda
9. Floyd Landis Still a contenda
10. Oscar Pereiro Still a contenda
So when I look at this list, I kinda can't see anyone but Landis. Obviously there are a lot more guys on the overall, anyone of whom could shake this thing up. If Vinokourov and Astana-Wurth manage to survive the fact that NINE of their riders were implicated for doping, well Vino is tough. But then...who?
What a freakin' mess.
And what proof of Bill's comment below. This sucks.
Holy Mackerel
Sweetie, we need to get back to Europe, stat! No, wait, after seeing
this commercial, maybe I better go by myself... Or with a few girlfriends.
I get dibs on the dairy dude!
Hospital laugh
So the funny story from last night - and there always is one - is that after they took Chris back to the examining room, we decided to get him out of the wet (it had rained), sweaty, bloody cycling clothes. They went ahead and cut off the jersey because it was already trashed. But the shorts were fine, so once they got him settled, I helped him switch from the cycling shorts into the civilian shorts we had with us. So I got the shorts off of him and was checking out the road rash on his hip (very pretty) when the woman walked in from registration to get us taken care of. What she saw was me on my knees in front of a guy with his shorts around his ankles.... She backed out in a hurry.
Road Racing Jeopardy
The answer is: the traditional injury of the local cycling association's picnic races
The question is: What are a broken clavicle and road rash, Alex
For bonus points: this year's recipient of the traditional injuries
The question is: Who is my husband, Alex!
It's that time again...
For the past 6 years mid June has been the harbinger of Tour de France season. It's always kicked off by the Lance doping story du jour. And as Vica mentioned in one of the comments below, despite the fact that Lance is focused on his dating as many women who look like his Mom as possible, he's still managed to be the
focus story. Again.
This one kind of kills me because I really liked Frankie Andreu a lot in his racing days. He's probably the first bike racer I actually sort of followed. I hate to see him and his wife caught up in all of the mess.
Does anyone really care that Lance doped over 10 years ago. No, really. Does anyone think he was the only one? What if Lance hasn't doped since cancer? Under innocent until proven guilty, that would be a fair assumption. So how would his win in the tours 4 or more years after the years of using EPO (which I understand to have a limited efficacy) be any different than anything Richard Virenque did after he was suspended for 2 years?
In other words....please, Lance doping is SOOOOO last year.
Steps
Finally spent Saturday morning in the bedroom. There was much pushing, pulling, swearing, moving, until I finally had to wrap it up and get the hair cut. At first getting everything positioned seemed to be an issue, but finally I was really pleased with the progress! I'm surprised the poor haircutter touched my hair given how sweaty I was, it was a tough morning, but things really came together.
You're welcome, Bill.
So the good news is two large "dish barrel" boxes out the door, and two smaller boxes that I cleaned up last week, and suddenly there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Now the real key is whether I can manage to find places for things like suitcases, and a few boxes that I know SHOULD be thrown away, but somehow I just can't bring myself to do. I take an outrageous amount of photos, so those need to be sorted and ruthlessly pruned. It's sort of funny in sorting through this stuff what I find I can be totally unsentimental about, and what I just can't let go.
Proud moment of the weekend: Finding those old albums from when I was 12 or 13:
Soundtrack to
Grease (My husband is just thrilled that we don't actually own a record player)
Soundtrack to
Xanadu (as one co-worker has called it, the movie that MUST be made)
Anne Murray's Greatest Hits (why, no, I wasn't a cheerleader in high school, how did you know?)
Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA" (one of these things is not like the others...)
Oh fer cryin' out loud
The question is how much is real? Is Le Monde the ultimate moron or the injured party? Does anyone really believe that Lance
didn't do drugs before he got cancer? And could Lance be a good boy and just go away now? There are newer, hotter...er...newer riders out there to watch these days, let's shift the spotlight a bit. You know to Ivan Basso. Mmmmm, Ivaaaaannn...
Ride #3
Yes, yes I've racked up my third bike ride of the year. Hold your applause.... This time, having conquered a flat 15 ish mile ride, and a short mountain bike ride, I went on a 30 mile, rolling hill disease ride. Except it wasn't to raise money to cure some disease, it would to raise money for a school that works with ...er...developmentally challenged (mentally handicapped?) kids. I never know what the proper description is. I know that what I grew up hearing would probably have my fired from my job and spit upon by children.
Anyway, it went pretty well. I was expecting to step off my bike at the end totally decimated. But other than being sore, I felt pretty good. It's a funny thing about getting into cycling around here. When I first really started riding as an adult, I lived in Houston. Which is dead flat. So other than a sore butt and occasionally a sore back, I never experienced aches and pains associated with riding. But here you can throw in sore quads. I duck walked a bit before I got my land legs back. It's an interesting crew that goes out on disease rides - we saw a soft ride with a kick stand, and then there was the poor woman who was about 7 miles in to the ride while we were returning. She asked "Is it flat from here?" to which we decisively responded "Yes!"
Although the worst was yet to come. There was the 12 year old boy on the Trek 1000 that was far too big for him. Poor kid's back was killing him and no wonder. Then there was the little kid on a Trek 220 who was coming into the rest stop just as we were leaving. It amazes me sometimes what these really little kids can do. Especially when I'm struggling myself.
Funny thing about this ride - it came so fully stocked with food at the rest stop and at the end that I probably gained weight. Mmmm tasty white-chocolate-macadamia nut cookies.
Hmm, who knows, maybe I'll even try to squeeze in another ride this week. I know, I know, getting all crazy and all....
Warren Buffett
Ok, I know very little about Warren Buffett. Except that he's giving away an estimated $37 Billion to charity. And I like his take on leaving money to his kids.
Good read. Wow, and the story next to it is about how there are now 300 million Americans. So Warren Buffet could give each of us $123 and still have $900,000 for charity. Hey Warren, baby needs new gears!
Seriously, this is just amazingly cool.
Trinity
Ok, for some religions (including Catholicism), the Trinity is a central tenet of our faith. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Episcopals have decided that 2000 years later, the names are not inclusive enough. Rod Dreher has come up with a new contest -
name that holy trinity! I personally like rock, scissors, paper and of course, being into South Park - Kyle, Kenny & Stan with the devil to be known as Cartman. For those of you into horse racing, maybe it should be the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont. For triathletes, I'm sure the holy trinity is swim, bike, run.
It's all so ridiculous...
Overheard
The best thing I ever personally heard while in a Victoria's Secret
Man to female significant other: Oh c'mon, honey, it'll stretch!
EEEEeekkkkkkk
That keening sound you heard this afternoon was the realization that I'm going to have to finish the dreaded back bedroom. NOW. We had offered to put up people at the upcoming big area races. And today a friend called and said "I may have some one who needs a place to stay." Which is good! Very good! Except... Well this means that I have 2 weeks to finish clearing out the back bedroom. You know, the back bedroom that I worked on clearing the ...um... stuff out of for 2 months and then refilled when my brother arrived? The back bedroom that I can't walk through? The only room with a screenless window where we can install a window AC for a guest?
(sound of breathing into a paper bag here)
I went through two more boxes tonight.
I think I can, I think I can.
RIP
I got an email today from a co-worker in Houston, letting me know that a former co-worker had passed away this morning. Steve was probably one of the kindest, most open-hearted people I ever met. He was Texan to the core, and I remember one of the proudest days of his life when he was commissioned an Admiral in the
Texas Navy (Come to think of it, GW Bush was probably responsible for that, it was during his tenure as Texas Guv). One of Steve’s favorite lunchtime pastimes was to find the diviest barbecue joints on the planet. Two became favorites – the wife swapping barbecue place, and the police station barbecue place. Thusly called because of their proximity to the wife-swappin’ bar and the police station respectively. (He swore he knew that they swapped wives at the bar only from the stories) He and another co-worker were incredibly intimidated by the computer, and Steve named his machine Fred –as in Fucking Ridiculous Electronic Device. His counterpart in computer fear was called Elmer (as in the glue) after he learned to cut and paste in Word. The work that Steve and I did in Houston was a strange combination of monotony and stress. We did a lot of configuring items for which there could only be 42 components. It became a favorite game to walk by and shout out “25!” to which the response was “17!” And as dumb as it was, you couldn’t help but laugh.
Alas for Steve, he did not take good care of himself. He was overweight. Smoked like a chimney. Never exercised. And we strongly suspect (although it was never officially verified) that he was alcoholic. He was in bad shape already from cirrhosis of the liver, and this morning he had a massive heart attack. It was a shock, but not really a surprise. I’ve asked one of my co-workers to let me know funeral arrangements. I’m sending flowers, but I probably should send some Shiner beer and barbecue.
This week's Random Thoughts
I have tomatoes! This is the first time I've raised a tomato plant that actually has gotten to the point of forming the fruit. SWEET! I'm so excited that I ran out into this morning's storm to make sure I got the picture. That's the kind of hard hitting reporting you get on this site, folks. Cell phone photos of tomato plants in bad lighting.- I like clothes from La Redoute. Chris likes that I like clothing from La Redoute because they were the title sponsor of Paris-Roubaix this year. The only thing I don't like is the packaging when the clothes arrive. When I get a package in the mail, I'm all Captain Christmas. Unfortunately, once the post office has finished wadding up the package and playing basketball with it, the clothes come out unrecognizable. What a bummer, I'm excited to get the clothes, and then all I can think is "ironing".
- We had storms roll through the area starting around 2:30 AM this morning. My car pool buddy lost power. We didn't, but that does explain the insanely loud crash of thunder this morning. I listened for a little while to see if Fredly was stressing, but no worries. He was totally under control, and didn't get into bed until his designated hot bunking time of 5:30 AM. And anyone who thinks dogs can't tell time has never met Fred. He knows I get up between 5:45 and 6, so every morning around 5:20 he climbs into bed so that he can be first in line to get my spot when I get up.
Experiments in Living
So essentially I'm a hippy wannabe, I've decided. The wannabe part comes in the form of not being willing to sacrifice certain things to make the plunge to being green. Like not wanting to put up with the smell of patchouli. And not wanting my hair to feel like straw. And not buying things that taste disgusting, just because they're the hippy food of the month. So after about a year or so of trying to be a bit more green, here's what I've learned:
The Good- CSA - Essentially you pay a subscription and get several months of whatever the local farmer is harvesting from his fields. There is a lot of good to be said about food that was picked that morning. And of course the green benefit is that there's low gas costs associated with the food.
- Soy - This won't apply to everyone, but we've discovered that cutting back on dairy has led to less sinus problems. And since together we're the king and queen of springtime allergies, we'll take any relief we can get. However, I can say that we just can't completely give up pizza, cheese, and ice cream. We do eat a lot less of it these days though.
- Vegan Planet - Great recipes which don't take hours to make - and you can feel a teensy bit virtuous about them, even if you do substitute regular cheese for soy.
- Grass-Fed Beef - We're working our way through the second shipment of grass-fed beef from a somewhat local farmer. I like the taste a lot, actually. I wasn't sure what I expected, but I can tell a difference in quality from what the local Shop -n- Save offers. And after reading about the process of fattening cattle in feed lots, I feel like this is a more humane way to treat the animals.
The Bad and the Ugly
- Low Flow Toilets - this actually was not my idea, the result of a plumbing problem which led to an impromptu bathroom modernization. Keep a plunger handy.
- Shampoo - I've tried two different types (one of which came highly recommended) and my hair feels like &%*(#. (pick the curse word of your choice, heaven knows I've used them all). There's a reason chemicals are used in shampoo - because they work. I'd be willing to try again, but for now the two I've tried are off to a friend who's much better at this hippy thing than I am.
- Tofu Sour Cream - I know, I know, even the description sounds disgusting. But I figured if I could find a reasonable alternative to sour cream, that was one more dairy thing I could remove from our diet. Fortunately I tasted it before it got to Chris, and it went down the drain before it could kill again.
- Organic Milk - actually I didn't drink this since I just don't drink that much milk. But I bought some for Chris to use in his espresso. The plus side was that it frothed up impressively. Unfortunately he didn't like the taste. Not sure why it would be different, but it's less of an issue now anyway since we transitioned more heavily to soy.
I'd like to try some "green" cleaners, but I'm keeping the 409 at the ready, just in case.
Even though I know cows are resource intensive, don't look for me to go vegetarian/vegan. Ever. I'm a good beef-fed midwestern girl. I like it. I can absolutely respect those who are vegetarian or vegan, but it's not me.
Slippery when Wet
So this weekend Chris decided he was in the mood for some Bon Jovi. Thinking back to my college days, I suggested he download "Slippery when Wet". Yesterday he did, and he really liked it. Which unfortunately led to math.
"When I first started listening to that album, I was in college. And youuuuuu...
...were playing with GI Joes."
Don't marry much younger, it's really depressing.
Decorating tips
I was reading a magazine this weekend called "Designer", a cheap-o decorating mag that I got for $1 at the grocery store because it was out of date. And I'm pretty sure that there was a section in there about how to decorate with bikes. An art form which we have mastered around our castle. And just the other day, I was thinking "What this dining room needs is MORE BIKES!" So picture this bike adding that splash of color that our dining room was lacking. Purty, no? Yup, my hubby finally cashed in that birthday money that was originally going for the Pugsley (think "the world's ugliest bike") and got him self a 29er. He'd been riding the shop demo bike for ...um... a month, and absolutely lusted after one of his own. So the shop will get their banana yellow bike back, and Chris will be cruising town on his gorgeous red goner. After Mount Washington though. Because red goes faster...
Sad news on his bike,
Charlene (named after the woman who hit him and cracked the frame on his previous bike, thus making a new bike possible). A factory flaw has lead to her demise. The factory will be sending a new frame, in red. That will definitely help pull the dining room color schema together, as long as they aren't CLASHING reds.
Travel Dog
Ok, he may not be travel-sized, but he's still an awesome traveller. The Fred monster on the 9 1/2 hour trips to/from the Adirondacks took the opportunity to sleep. And rest. And sleep some more. And bark at tollbooth operators. Fred does not like agents of the state. They keep coming onto his territory (damn those mailmen!). In his former life, I have no doubt he fired buckshot at revenooers.
Labels: Dogs, Travel
Whiteface Chalet
Cross a motel with a bed and breakfast and you get the Whiteface Chalet. And it's the good things that are in the cross. The owners are personable and the central room next to check in comes complete with fireplace and big chairs. But each room has it's own outdoor and indoor entrances, so if mingling is not your thing, no worries. Yes, the continental breakfast was pretty standard fare....EXCEPT for the apple/raisin muffins made fresh. I met Deeks last night, the 13 year old yellow lab who's deaf as a post. And his little stuffed animal. The structure is motel like, but the whole place is decorated in knotty pine, dark green paint, black bears and elk. Last night we got in around 9:30, and the owner was prepared to dig in the kitchen to see what she could feed us. Fortunately the Hungry Trout restaurant was still open, so we could get a normal meal. This will definitely be the inn of choice for any future adirondack trips. Oh, and did I mention the price was reasonable? (Pictures to follow, this place is a hoot...)
I love it up here. We did the marathon drive yesterday - 9.5 hours starting around noon time because I had to work yesterday AM. But the payoff is no driving today. Chris could conceivably ride to the race, although I'll meet him at the top. I'll probably look for some place to get a hike in. But other than that, it'll be all about chillin' in the adirondack chairs outside of our room. And drinking my Lady Grey tea. And trying not to wake my hubby. The weather is grey and rainy, which is going to make him very, very happy when he wakes up. He seems to race better on ugly weather. So for his sake, my fingers are crossed that it gets uglier closer to race time. If it's epic, he's there. Unfortunately I'm there too, but I'll be sitting in a car with the Fred monster. I'm off to ponder the mysteries of tall knotty pines, and small mountains...
Labels: Travel
Homesick
I talked to a guy I used to work with yesterday, and it's making me a little homesick for Texas. Gib is a bubbly, outgoing Texan. I know those two words are not normally associated, but if anyone could be named Mr Texas, he would be it. Anyway, a co-worker is off to Kerrville TX, and if there's any person in the state who would know what to do in the Kerrville area, I knew it would be Gib. We caught up on families (by the way, did I mention I got married? Your daughter is HOW old?), he gave me pointers on the good things to do in that area (heck, now I'm ready to go), and he ended with "Well bring your husband down to San Antonio. You can stay on the boardwalk (his favorite hotel for visitors is next door to the Alamo), we'll take you out to for some good Mexican food, drink beer and margaritas..." Good grief, I am SO ready to go back.
And for some reason it reminded me of an icehouse that used to be near where I lived. For a long time there were stables in the area, so every once in a while I'd drive by and see horses tied up outside. This is in Houston, the 4th largest city in the country. Next to a 4 lane road. Does it get any more Texas than that? Oh and did I mention that ice houses aren't air conditioned? No point when you have ice cold beer flowing and football on tv. Every February you had the pre-Rodeo barbecue cookoff, and then followed by two weeks of Rodeo. To add to the incongruity,
Rodeo was held for a long time in the "
Eight Wonder of the World". By the way, Mr Texas's sister at one point used to compete at Rodeo...with her husband in Steer Wrestling.
Anyway, this weekend we're going in the opposite direction. We're off to the Adirondacks!
Geeks in Love
How big a geeks are we? We're sitting at home, next to each other on the couch, working on our respective laptops. Ahhhhh, love...
You'll Laugh, You'll Cry
Having nothing profound to add for the day, I can only link to
this for those in need of a good laugh.
And for those who remember the Challenger shuttle explosion,
this is an amazing story from one of the flight surgeons. (Although for anyone who isn't conservative, don't fish around too much on this site. You won't like it). I was in college for engineering at the time this happened, it was one of those mile marker events. The moment when you start realizing the Dilbert Risk/Reward matrix for engineers: Good work earns you a certificate in lovely plastic frame. Screw ups cause people's lives. Have a good career. I got out of college and went into sales. I knew there was no way I should be allowed to mess with lives.
Flick
I have to admit that knowing who
this guy is, I'm totally stunned that I like his blog. I've seen him on a few email lists and ... let's just say I'm not a fan. Having since gotten off of those lists, I'm now able to say to each his own. His writing is awesome, and
the stories are great. And he doesn't show off the worst of the email personality. So credit where credit is due, it's worth a read!
Labels: Other Blogs
Steeler Country
The only way
this will not be on the front page for the next week would be if California fell off the map. Taking Jerome Bettis, Rocky Bleier, and Terry Bradshaw with it.
Signs of Success
Last night I volunteered to help sort clothes for
Dress for Success. That's sort, people, not give fashion tips. That's why I opted for the tennies and ratty jeans. Fortunately no one was around because I was not the billboard for success. That might have something to do with my getting stuck in the stairwell. Sigh. I can't follow directions. We were supposed to meet on the 12th floor, and then there was a sign that said to go to the 16th floor. I went to the elevator and it only went to 15. So I went back and double checked the sign. When I was waiting for the elevator, a woman got off who was with Dress for Success, and she gave me convoluted directions about going to the 15th floor and then something something room 1645. So I got to the 15th floor, and there were steps, conveniently located. I walked up to the 16th floor, pulled on the door and....nothing. Totally locked. Crap. Down to the 15th, tried the door, down to the 14th... crap, crap, crap. I resigned myself to walking to the bottom, when I noticed the 11th floor door was a different color. And it did indeed turn out to be unlocked. So I got on the elevator, and hit 15. Sure enough, we stopped at 12 and the nice lady who gave me directions to begin with stepped onto the elevator. She was a bit surprised to see me, but had a good laugh. And got me to the right place. All told, I was 1/2 hour late getting there between misjudging the time for the train, and getting totally lost. But someone else was an hour and a half late (for two hours of volunteering!). Based on the whole "You don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than the slowest person in your group" theory, I guess I did ok. And we did get the sorting done and the inventory mostly done.
On the way home, the train passed an apartment building I could have hit with a paper airplane if the train windows opened. On the side it had a huge sign that said "For Rent: QUIET 1 Bedroom Apartment".
And speaking of volunteering, big kudos to Angie. She's committed to 8 hours/month at the SPCA, (that's 96 hours/year for those of you keeping track at home) and 1 hour/month at the Tejas Auxiliary Alliance. Given how many animals the SPCA ended up with after Katrina/Rita, you know that they're probably still feeling the fallout. Work it, sister! You inspire me! My 40 hours a year is a mere pittance!
Random Thoughts
- The 80s were a great time in pop music. At what other period could the geeky dude next to you in Physics class have as good an opportunity to be a rock star as the stoner with the guitar or the chick with the serious pipes? Nirvana put an end to all of that, of course. Thanks, Kurt Cobain, from all of us geek types
- My friend Christine hooked me up with "Ideal Bite" which is sort of a green version of "Daily Candy". You get daily emails from them with what's cool in their respective areas. Daily Candy is more for the hip spender/fashionista (I can't afford a lot of the things they come up with, and there's plenty that I'm just not cool enough to consider!). I'm not sure I should get daily reminders of ways to spend money, but... oh well.
- I really like our new mattress, I actually get out of bed in the morning without an aching back. SWEET! Now to find out what Chris thought of the new pillows that came with it.
- In keeping with TRM Cycles current Top 5 people you would like to meet or have met in cycling:
Laura Van Gilder - Local women's sprinter who stopped to meet Fred at a race in Harrisburg once. We had a great conversation about how having cute dogs probably means ugly children.
Dede Demet Barry - she was very cool - and we gave her a ride to the airport. We got the early scoop that she was pregnant (Woohoo!), and she gave me a hug when we dropped her off. I'm pretty sure that my husband hugs me just to touch the same are that she did.
Adam Hodges Myerson - Nice guy, although we have to be light years apart in personalities. Pitted for him at a truly disgusting cross race in 2004. I've also liked reading his
coaching articles over the years.
Tyler and Havens Hamilton - Yes, I'm probably a sucker, but I still believe - and will always believe - that he's innocent. They were wonderful when we met them (in passing) at Mt Washington. He has always struck me as a guy with a lot of integrity. And his wife has been through a lot with him, so she definitely deserves a mention.
Phil Liggett - As much a gentleman in person as his tv personae would imply.
Farmer's Market
Let me tell you about my new problem addiction. (Should I lie down on the couch?) There's a farmers market on Saturday mornings 2 blocks from our place now. That means a few local farms have produce, one stand with grass-fed meats (!!!!), pasture raised chicken/eggs, all of that good stuff. Some bakery bread. Arturo's company is there with salsa, and I bought two little herb plants. And it's every Saturday. Two blocks from our house. Every...Saturday...until fall...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!
Of course Fred decided to pick a fight with another dog while I was trying to balance two bags of produce, fresh bread and a dozen eggs (which I un-wisely said "Oh I don't need a bag" to.) Grrr. The best possible moment to make me look like I had no control over my dog - because I didn't. I went back with more money, and without the dog for Salsa, plants and tomatos.
Chris is off working the MS-150 mechanics area. Just a little hint, folks: be very, very nice to your mechanic. They have long memories. Tip them $5, bring them cookies or beer, or even just say "Thank You!" when you see them at these events, and you'll cut your repair wait time down. If it's a really good tip, you may not have to wait for the smaller stuff when you're at your local bike shop. I bring this to you as a service announcement because I didn't know until I met Chris. The only people I had ever tipped in my past were hairdressers and waiters. (Oh and skycaps). But apparently it's de rigeur to tip anyone who does a service for you. Who knew? I'm a cubicle jockey, the best I can hope for is a pat on the back or occasionally an oversized polo shirt with the company logo on it.
Oh Houston friends....
Just thought you'd want to know. Miss me yet?
WOOHOO! Do the Dew!
Last night was the family mountain bike outing. We loaded up the car with Fredly, Chris, and I, two bikes, and the
CSA basket, and hit the road. Or more precisely drove to the park and hit the trails.
It's important to note here that even when I rode a lot, I was never a mountain biker. I always sounded like Goldilocks:
This trail is tooooo roughThis trail is toooooo smoothThis nice, flat road is just right!But we had a good time last night. Fredly ran along side, pausing to sniff, mark territory, terrorize other dogs, and swim in creeks to cool off. I was only passed by one of the little sisters of the poor. And Chris throughout was very patient on what was probably the worlds most boring mountain bike ride. Although Chris did notice that my stem is way too long for me, which just opens up vistas of equipment blaming for me. "I'm a horrible mountain biker because my stem's too long - that's the ticket!"
The saddest part was before the ride we were parked in the parking lot where we used to meet our friend Erin and her dog Baker. They had a sweet deal, being only 1 block from that parking lot, so we used to stand there and look down the street. The minute they would come into sight, both Fred and Baker would strain at the leash to begin play
now. Really that 3 minute walk seemed endless to both dogs. Last night, while we got ready, we made Fred wait in the car. But it didn't keep him from staring intently down the street, waiting for his best friend to materialize.
Come Back Erin & Baker, we miss doggy time and Taco Loco time!Before going to the park, we stopped to pick up our
CSA basket and drop off last week's basket. We're splitting it with our friend Barb, so after the ride we drove over to her house to drop off her share. On the way over we saw this great sign
Call me silly - but wouldn't part of the spring clean up be removing out of date signs?
Out for a spin
When I got home from work/farmer’s market yesterday, Chris had the bike cleaned up, and the tires filled. (Have I mentioned lately how awesome my husband is?) A little running around taking care of things – dog walk, trash day, picking up chips to go with
Arturo’s Cinco de Mayo
salsa - and I was off for my ride.
It’s a little weird not having been on the bike for the last few months, how tentative I was. First of all, to get to the trail meant riding across gravel and train tracks. The only two real crashes I’ve had as an adult (not counting some mtn bike issues) have been on gravel and on train tracks. Natural love there. But having survived the gauntlet, I headed down the trail. It’s a gorgeous paved trail, with overhanging trees and the river off to the left. At 7PM, the sun is setting, and it’s beautiful. I smelled honeysuckle and took a deep breath GACK! EW! BLLLLAAAAHHH!! Damn, I hate clouds of gnats. And the bad thing is I inhaled one so far back in my throat that there was nothing to do but swallow it. Grrrooossss. Sigh. But as my mom would say, it’s just a little more protein. Anyway, the romance was off the ride, but it still was nice to get out and get moving. I know that I’m out of shape because the false flat on the return trip felt like Mt Washington. And I know that I’ll need a good pair of gloves because my hands were getting sore on the way back. Yes, I know, don’t lean so hard on the handle bars. Whatever. But I still managed to pass a few riders along the way, so all is well.
It was fun! And the goal for tonight is to mountain bike at a local park. So I'm looking forward to it.
YES!
Can we just agree that
the departure from this mortal coil of a mass murdering terrorist is a good thing?
Itch
I'm
finally starting to get the itch to ride again. I literally have not been on my bike in a year. Which is funny, because I would guess the vast majority of people that I work with, and a hefty portion of my friends, think of me as that woman who rides a bike. But two days ago I felt a little twinge of "I need to get the road bike out of the basement". And for the first time it wasn't a "I really should eat my lima beans" kind of feeling. Maybe this evening after I walk the dog, go to the farmer's market and get the trash out to the curb, I'll sneak a ride in before I pick Chris up from the races. We'll see how bad a shape the bike is in when I drag it out of our basement tonight. Given how wet it is down there, I'm willing to bet the chain is completely rusted. But I'm sorta looking forward to breezing down the bike path with the wind in my hair (helmet...whatever) and my butt and quads going "Do-what?! We haven't done this in AGES!"
How much of a rock star is my dog? I was walking past the train station with him the other night when an older gentleman yelled out of his car window "I like your dog!"
"Thanks!" I replied, smiling and waving.
Then the gentleman said "He REALLY hates trains and buses!"
Oh lord, now they know his likes and dislikes. I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time before Fred's the centerfold of
Tiger Beat magazine.
Mother Nature is a bitch
Last week we had several days of mid 80s with humidity temps. For those of my Houston friends, don't EVEN think of laughing at me from your air conditioned rooms. Let's see how you do with a single window unit.
But I digress, poor Fredly-monster was suffering, since designated fur shedding month is June, and never shall he shed early. Essentially this means he was dressed for 20 degree weather while it's 80 outside. Poor guy was hugely apathetic, and could barely get around the block without an air conditioning stop at the local hardware store that lets dogs in.
This weekend, the weather flip-flopped. Yesterday we wore jackets to walk Fred. Needless to say this gave him an extra shot of energy and he was ready to play! and chase squirrels! and run around! The catch being...it rained. A lot. Which he hates. Which we therefore hate because that leaves us with Captain Energy pacing through the house, barking at passing dogs, people who MIGHT have a passing dog, people with roller bags, passing squirrels, passing butterflies. This sucks
On the plus side, cool temperatures mean that I could actually snuggle with my sweetie last night instead of doing our summer "snuggle" - touching fingertips while flipping the pillow to see if there was a cool spot on it somewhere.
A bite of burger
I got our second round of the
grassfed beef a couple of days ago. I have to say I'm really happy with it. So far my ground rules on the organic stuff has been that I don't mind spending money on that which we like. But I'm not buying "good for us" stuff that we end up trying to avoid. But this has been totally worth it. Overall, I'm with a friend of mine from Houston who said that they were buying grass-fed beef from a co-op, but stopped because it was sort of a religion for people. Since I'm buying frozen, and my total interaction is via telephone, I don't have to light incense before cooking. So thumbs up!
Wee hours
The last few nights of sleep have been a little uneven.
Two nights ago, I was awakened at 2:30 AM by Chris calling the police on our new neighbors down the street. Apparently they had been partying on, Garth, for quite awhile. I, sedated by a lovely glass of Leffe, had slept right through it. But I wasn't sedated enough to miss the 5:30AM shriek of "
I DON'T GIVE A F***, NIGGA" that had Chris leaping out of bed for the second time that night. Apparently the police were having another round with our lovely partying neighbors, and someone was headed at least to the drunk tank if not actual jail. After 15 more minutes in bed, while the heart still pounded, I got up and walked Fred monster which was actually a good thing. The rains hit about an hour later.
Last night, our immediate neighbors who share a driveway, and whose windows directly parallel ours, got a knock at their door at 3:40 AM from their college age daughter. Or more correctly, she pounded on their door for 5 minutes with no response from inside. At which point Chris went downstairs to get the phone. And I slammed our parallel bedroom window shut. The pounding on the door stopped.
Our next house is going to be 3 miles from anyone.
