searching...

there seems to be an inherent road block that exists between single people - particularly those of the opposite sex. it's one that i've come to accept, but frustrating none-the-less.

case in point, a friend who i met in the fall and was tight with... we would hang all of the time and things were cool... randomly, late spring... he vanishes. emails stop, phone calls not returned. gone. just like that.

one can't force another to not detach. all you can do is let it go. i learned that a long time ago.

interestingly enough, just the other day i ran into people on the bike and said friend's name came up (randomly - not because of me)... and it sounds as if he's back with an ex. and another friend mentioned a sighting with a female around town.

good for him. i hope he's super happy.

BUT - why does this mean that we no longer are friends? i've gone through this many times over now. friends fall in love, get married, move away. communication becomes limited to pictures of little baby joey smearing chocolate birthday cake all over his face or burping up strained peas, intermixed with the occasional hallmark card - "i miss you - visit soon".

seems like the more this happens, the less inclined i am to truly open up to new people and consider them good friends.

do friends temporarily fill voids while we search for that perfect one? does a relationship or marriage supersede any friendship no matter how deep or developed? or do the single ones fill the voids and then you meet married, more stable ones that are less inclined to "disappear"?

???

black mo and jerry garcia iced teas

yesterday i felt inspired to go on a nice flat ride. :) initially the plan was a loop up purdue that luna and i used to do once a week before work. however as the day progressed and i realized i would be riding solo, purdue turned into black mo solo. and black mo solo turned into black mo con a psu cycling club contingent as we played leap frog up to rattlesnake pike. even after suggesting they keep going, they waited and looped back to get my sorry tired ass as i crawled up rattlesnake - one other of their pack was near me so i guess it made sense. it was a good ride - no wind, full sun, and the spring along rattlesnake provided a refreshing break with crisp, cool agua.

on the way home i got a text from my girl Nicole who PASSED her candidacy exam. they only made her wait 4 weeks to tell her this.

4 weeks!

there was an obligatory celebration downtown so i hopped on the rockhopper in my 4" platform sandals (an experience in and of itself) and like a little kid riding a tricycle, with really sore gimpy legs, made my way downtown at a record setting snails pace. Nicole & I joined the grad student posse & enjoyed jerry garcia iced teas at Pickles. today is a slow, tired day... heavy eyes, weighted head.... but after a great day like yesterday, it's worth it.

obstacles

today was back to the grind of work work work. a new project is in the works and it means that i need to learn some basic .net via visual studio pro, arcgis server and geodatabase setup via sql server. yikes. i'm designing the interface of the web application which means being able to work with the code (not necessarily write it - thank goodness). i enjoy the challenge of learning new things, but the big man wants prototypes of this done in a few weeks. atleast the programmer that i'm working with is patient, communicative and cool.

in other news, i was at the gym tonight and had an interesting conversation.

guy: "i saw you on your bike the other day"
me: "oh yea, where? you shoulda said hi"
guy: "well i didn't want to startle you with the horn... but you were doing this" (he holds out his hand and signals like you would to turn) "do you remember that?"
me: "well, i do that a lot - every time i turn in fact"
guy: "oh"

this was of course no surprise as i am most often on my bike. however i guess turn signals are not generally understood by the non-cycling public.


breaking news... it has been discovered that 25% of the general population believes that 75% of the cycling population suffer from random, involuntary hand and arm movements.


it's hard not to laugh when people say things like that to you because the natural response is that they are joking.

only they're not.

and speaking of chickens... in more random news, jess and i are concocting a plan to setup an obstacle course in my backyard. is this possible? it needs to have small logs and perhaps a log pile... and i need to be able to easily assemble and disassemble at will as they mow the lawn here once a week. i'm thinking something along the line of tent stakes and randomly collected logs, however decreasing the possibility of impaling myself in my own backyard would be nice.

the tandem

i've always wanted to try out a tandem... now that cnn endorses them via breaking news - 'tandems are cool'... maybe i should jump on board.

Not just daisy's bicycle built for two...

the end.

30 something guys and the yap

there is a breed of man out there that i always heard about... the late 20's, early 30's guy, who may or may not have a degree and whose only goal in life is to drink, hang out, get high and hook up. somehow i've always managed to avoid this breed - as kinda like a schitzu or a miniature schnauzer, the incessant yapping (about drinking and smoking) is kinda like fingernails screeching down a chalkboard.

however, as a single female, i've been, up until this point, inclined to give a guy a chance thinking... it's just a front. there's something deeper to him. really there is.

however like the miniature schnauzer, i've come to realize that they just can't help but yap. sad but true.

case in point... i met a guy - about my age - on myspace during the past semester. he seemed nice enough, although his myspace page talked a lot about drinking - he also mentioned reading, philosophy, he had a degree and a professional job. when the semester ended we went out once downtown and had a fun time bar hopping and dancing. naturally, no serious conversation involved.

a few weeks later we decided to hang out again. it was up to him to come up with the plan. the creative night out involved dinner, a movie at home and a bowl (and we're not talking ice cream people). no more than 10 minutes into the afternoon, drinking and partying and his friends who have gotten locked up / arrested for various idiotic offenses had come up - multiple times. he was trying to impress afterall. i tried my best to divert the conversation in another direction. afterall, i've had lots of experience with dog training and have learned many attention diverting tactics that will prevent / deter incessant yapping.

for instance, when talking about healthy food, i learned that banana peels can processed and smoked for that "natural fruity goodness high". i discovered that he could blow smoke rings and that i should be impressed by this talent. on the way up to dinner at the sushi restaurant, it was unveiled that eating enough wasabi could also have a mind altering effect. there was no topic that could be discussed that did not, in some way, create a convoluted reference back to some sort of mind altering substance.

i tried to divert - really i did.

i guess he'd be easy to shop for. if ya like wasabi, try this value-sized jar of horseradish on for size.

to make matters worse, said boy was a terrible kisser, and towards the end of the evening, had this irritable habit of poking me when i started to get too comfortable. and this, my friends, is just a brief synopsis.

in the end, all i wanted to do was get the heck outta dodge - without hurting any feelings. and when the movie ended, that i did.

it's not that i don't enjoy / understand partying, going out and having fun. i've certainly had my share of wildly insane times. but that share has decreased over time, and i can only truly enjoy going out, if my life is fulfilling in many other ways. and i certainly don't need to talk about it 24-7. it's incredible to think that someone my age is completely focused in a totally different direction. and, oh yea, i'm destined to live alone with 4 dogs or MOVE if this is any representation of the single boy gene pool in this area.

i've always tried to not judge a book by its cover, even though i'm a graphically inspired individual with great respect for creativity and presence. but unfortunately a cover can be quite telling and sometimes, not judging leads to painfully long evenings with random people who are stuck in a teenage / early twenty something party time warp. sorry folks but i might have to revert to judging as i simply can not stand yappers. i guess i'm just a big dog type of girl.

rockin the century




at 8am friday we rolled out to conquer what has been the elusive first century of the year. Linda and I had been determined to complete a century in may... and 112 miles later we rocked it.

while i was initially worried about the group - the pace, being dropped, cracking... it was perfect. Linda, the edrley's, jim G and raymo - eric n, kurt and another jim joined us for a stretch and then turned back due to other obligations. my girl jess is gearing up for her tahoe century next weekend and was sans bike and thus unable to join. it was an awesome day. we cruised through the first 60/70 miles at a perfect 19MPH average. slowing down a bit on the way home post climb, as the legs started to get tired. no flats, little / no wind, no rain, some stray barking dogs and a few interesting road kill scenes later.... it was a 7 hour day, 6.5 spent on the bike. my second century and my fastest century / ride by far. being the weakest link, i barely had to pull (thank you thank you!!). i probably spent 10 or 15 minutes on the front in my drops.

and in the end, 112 miles later - ok, well 111.9...we rocked it and it was sweet. even being the weakest in the group...i've come a long way from last year. it feels awesome.

just buzzin'

today after work, chaya and i took a long walk. then she curled up in the front yard and watched me circle around the neighborhood. practicing bunny hops on my bike. my neighbors are probably convinced at this point that i'm wacked out. maybe they're right. i can't seem to lift my tires / bike as high off the ground as i'd like. AND, i also can't do it without being clipped into my pedals. AND i can't make solid, tight left hand turns without losing balance.

tonight was movie night. after much persuasion, i rode the rockhopper over to seth's to hang with ry and other random boys and watch movies. the movie was pans labrynth and it was actually really cool. i'd like to see it again from the beginning. one beer on an empty stomach has left a cool buzz and is stirring up contemplative thoughts about life and goals.

for some reason, i'm most motivated when i'm most challenged. unfortunately, when left unchallenged, i become lazy, and inclined to only focus on active tangible things that provide immediate satisfaction and enjoyment like bikes, dogs, hiking, etc. for some reason, this lack of focus might be ok if i had that other missing part of my life - aka an amazing boy who filled that void creating a whole. after all, isn't that what makes life worthwhile? but left unfilled, i know that i need to do something more. and if the last few boys that i have met are any representation of the state college pool, the void is gonna sit unfilled for quite some time. so the question remains - what more do i need to focus on?

this is not my boyfriend's truck

jessefx, chaya and i hit the woods tonight for a little after-work hike. she brought the badass, lifted, w/clear tail lights and front grill monster truck. hell yea!

the trails in rothrock continue to present themselves as a maze. just when i thought i had a few figured out, they transformed into lush, foliage filled corridors. they all look so different now. one day i'll figure it all out...

snuffles & the bunny hop

yesterday, ll, jessEFX and biggie smalls (yours truly) braved the trails of scotia. It was another great ride AND i was able to get through small obstacles that had tied me up in previous weeks. i picked up and ran into a few branches and trees along the way... added a few nice scratches to my legs and arms... but it was a fun ride, and another great confidence builder. on the way home we ran into todd who was out with his dog snuffles (whose real name is kona, but linda thought snuffles was more fitting).

Today was all about the dogs. We went to the usual spot down in boalsburg where they splashed, chased balls and sticks, and managed to get as muddy as possible.





Some how we managed to get them all to sit still long enough for a picture. call it luck. they weren't there long.





my girl is all about swimming. she's super slick in the water - guess she wants to be like mom was back in the day.

mad ups

I CAN NOW BUNNY HOP - BUNNY HOP - BUNNY HOP.
AND flip up my rear wheel.

AND go over small log piles. :) :)
word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what if?

what if things had been different?

what if - a dangerous question that we all ask at one point or another. a year ago i was in a bad place. fighting to be released from a long-term turned negative relationship that had been sucking the life out of my heart and soul for close to 2 years. although it wasn't pretty, i emerged riding an enormous wave of relief and rode that wave for the upcoming months gaining a clear understanding of my inner self, and what is really important in this world. cumbersome, weighted thoughts vaporized into weightless hopes and dreams. it felt so good to be free.

but the question at hand is ... what if. what if, i had done what was best for me earlier, instead of "hanging in there" for so long? what if i had left this town and moved west in pursuit of bigger and better things? where would i be today?

i live life with no regrets, however i can't help but wonder. then again, it's never too late to make a change...

green goblin & the elusive 100



yesterday we rode to arch springs. 5 hours on the bike, 2+ hours of waiting to be on the bike. it was a memorable day. we started out chasing the "a" boys out whitehall road to marengo. they kicked our ass, but it was fun to try to keep up. we split from the boys at marengo and set forth on our travels with an eclectic assortment of individuals - Jess and I pulling the way. We passed the retro hair salon where i contemplated a new 80's do, and the custom butchering shop (NOT to be confused with the custom butt-checking operation which i swear is what the sign said from further out). The green goblin met up with us at warriors mark, and served as our fearless leader hence forth. we're not sure what happened to his ear, but don't worry, he's safe and sound at my house now and will spend the rest of his green days in my jersey pocket, exploring the back roads of central pa.


"WS", aka weed socks, was en route, with a bag full of goodies and a diverse assortment of bike clothing in toe which made frequent gear changes quite convenient. gear aside, we're not exactly certain what other goodies he had in his pouch (take note of the touring bike with the fenders and saddle bag), but we're certain it was good.

We stopped at the cave on the way back for a second look at it with spring time foliage. Paul, our true fearless leader, helped me stage this green goblin photo opp.


jess was all about having her picture taken. i heard something involving an "ass kicking" and phone confiscation but unfortunately, sometimes i suffer from a selective listening disorder. on the way home, i added the local cattle crossing signs to my mental map as it's my new goal to sprint for just those (so i'll always win

it was supposed to be a century for me, but after feeling great for 75 miles, the legs cracked after hitting a few small rollers and wind on the way home. I had to settle for 90 and once again, miss out on the elusive 100. there's always next week.

Jess and I capped the evening off at Ottos - scoping out the boys (who were all with their parents), talking about cars, bikes and the days' adventure and drinking apricot wheat beer. mmmmm. we were both spent and called it an early night. but hey, we rode 90 miles, so we had already earned our keep for the day.

what's the 411?

I am in a state of connection / communication confusion.

just a decade ago, connecting with friends and family was as simple as picking up a receiver, remembering 7 or 10 digits and hitting "send". and ps - i was terrible at it and consistently lost touch. it was as simple as..."call me".

The advent of the cell phone brought with it text messenging. Wireless hubs has brought universal internet accessibility (or close to it), and has made email and IM immediately convenient. And then there's the online "connection" sites and of course blogs.

Today, i had to laugh as I was chatting with a friend online (who was at starbucks on her laptop). here i am logged into 3 chat accounts, checking two email accounts, and all the while getting texted by various friends. 5+ email accounts, 4+ im names, a cell phone and who knows how many other accounts later, the girl who used to never keep in touch, is in a perpetual state of "keeping in touch". myspace, facebook, linkedin, msn, aim, gmail, hotmail, comcast, not to mention yahoo, psu... the list goes on and on. i need to moderate my login schedule at work to maintain productivity, yet still be accessible to those who i work with. and thank goodness i'm not compelled to always answer my phone.

it would be too simple for everyone to use the same communication method. it's like the dvd, some people are + R compatible, some -R and then there are the select few that are the dvd rams -- all the while something new and better is on it's way that is gonna render all of the others obsolete any day now. and keeping things straight, it's not like I own a huge collection of dvd's. it's just that they ALL require different mechanisms in order to properly play!

so if you wanna get in touch with me... you know the 411 (Mary J Blige - good old school). if i don't pick up (and i probably won't), text, email, im - just pick an account. i'm probably there.

llamas


tonight we took a spin out to visit the llamas. naturally, if you are up on your camelids, you'll realize that the picture to the left is in fact an alpaca. they're similar and both very cool to check out.

as expected, jess, kicked my ass the entire way. in her big ring, she takes off and it takes everything i have to keep her in sight, let alone stay on her wheel. i can't figure out why i always struggle to keep up with people on long flat stretches.

my place seems to be on long climbs. riding with her will definitely improve my skills on the flats / rollers. this weekend will be devoted to riding and hanging out with chaya. a few nice long rides planned - should be fun.

there are footprints so we must be somewhere close to something, somewhere...

the twisted trails of scotia contain a magnet that throws off even the strongest mental compass. for the past year I've hiked lots and rode some on these trails - always the follower. On my own accord, I end up lost in the woods and a 2 hour walk turns into a 4 hour journey in search of a way out.

after a few rides in the woods, and with the assistance of a friend's home-made map, jess and i braved the trails tonight on foot - determined to retrace our ride route from the other day. Chaya was our fearless leader.

It took us close to 4 hours - BUT - i think we figured it out. Chaya is now pooped. I'm content. and ready to do a little solo riding out in the woods - hopefully with my little fearless leader close in toe.

we talked about boys, riding, hiking, snow boarding, dogs and all that's outside. it was a chill way to spend an evening. and a chill way to discover a new friend to hang with.

instinct

in general my instinct is on point. however sometimes i doubt it and give people the benefit of the doubt. it's rare, and i'm just about always disappointed.

i let my guard down one evening with a colleague. rum and cokes will do that. it was a particularly difficult time in the semester. i was tired and stressed. and it felt good to talk. i applied for a job and was not invited to interview... it happens. i'm a tough cookie when it comes to these things. i told him things that in the back of my mind, had i been sober, i wouldn't have said. but i figured somehow that it would be kept in confidence. and it felt good to have someone who was listening.

today, i realized that this confidence had been broken. an after work drink with another colleague lead to a discussion that i would have rather not had about my 'application', my 'marriage to state college', and some other things that should not and would not have been brought up without input from someone else. i know he spilled the beans. i'm pissed. but, in typical 'me' fashion, i sat there and listened - poker faced - and provided the minimum information that would get me by without being rude. and it was only after, when i began to consider the conversation, that i really got upset.

i had this discussion already with the department head, do i really need to have it again?

i recognize that i can't stay in state college forever. but right now, it's right. one year ago my life was in shambles. a year later, this month, today, i'm starting to feel whole again. and here in state college, the riding is great. my house is great. my job is great. and i'm working towards my doctorate. why should i listen to someone else suggesting that i should leave? someone who has no idea where i've been or where i would like to go? Why do people always feel the need to step into situations that they just don't belong in? but more importantly, why can't people keep their mouths shut?

only i know what's best for me.
end of story.

if the shoe fits

I had a epiphany the other day... dating = (or atleast is similar to) to shoe shopping. stick with me, this really does make sense.

Here's how it goes. You go out to the store in search of shoes. There are all sorts of stores to chose from. The specialized shoe store, the department store, the trendy fashion store. So from the start, you have many decisions to make. You select your store of choice, and enter hoping to find that perfect pair of shoes. What will it be... the risky, daring stilettos? Modest pumps? Sneaks? Kick ass knee-high boots? the trendy wedge? And, once you settle on a style, you try, try, try them on until you find the right shape.

Now the kicker is, even when you think that you have found "the one" that will work best for you... even after you try it on...you need to walk around in it. At home, at work, outside, inside, to see how that puppy holds up. Will it leave blisters? Will it slowly wear in over time? Are you patient enough to bust out the bandages to moderate the blisters as it wears in? Is it durable enough to last any period of time? Does is just fit right off of the bat? Or is it just suitable for special occasions? Or is it completely incompatible with your particular style, daily activity regimen and taste? And, on top of all of this - is that shoe even for sale? in your price range?? remotely interested?

ahhhh...but the true kick in the ass in this little metaphor is that the coolest shoes are often the least comfortable to walk around in - atleast initially -- and thus are the most risky. AND, typically that perfect pair of shoes is in the store that you would least expect - so you can't really expect to successfully seek them out.

Like many females, I love shoes. The right pair has so much to offer. however unlike most females i hate to shop. i hate stores. i hate having to find the right one amidst an enormous selection of mostly unsuitable options. and i have an extremely limited tolerance of blisters. also, when in the presence of a potentially cool shoe, i'm shy and often afraid to pick it up and try it on -- ah the dredded *shoe rejection* (yes, one can be rejected by shoes!).

when it comes down to it, i'd rather just be outside somewhere, with my dog, wearing (or with if you're following the metaphor) the shoes that are cool, most comfortable and allow me to have the most fun.

I love shoes, but shopping for them sometimes isn't any fun.

diet



i'm on a diet by default. it's called the "my dog snatches all of the food off of my counters before i can eat it myself" diet. don't be fooled by the lovable brown furry face, the clown-like behavior, the chewbacca like noises or the ridiculous sleeping position (see above pict).. she's cunning, quick, and isn't afraid to go in for the kill the second your back is turned. lemon bars, salad, croutons, bread... and don't forget the kiddie toy that came out of the last box of cereal... mmmmm nothing like a little plastic to wash down a nice leafy salad with croutons.

i think i can



i've spent a good portion of my life avoiding things that scare me. always sticking with what is safe, and with what i know; lacking confidence to try anything new. self confidence can get you far in this world. A confident individual can often outcompete the more fit, knowledgeable, skilled competitor.

recently, i decided to conquer a fear of mtn biking. i honestly, deep down, never thought that it would be something that i could ever do. tonight, i was out with the ladies for our monday night spin. I was on the back as usual, however the ride was going well for me AND i even was getting through things that I couldn't do last week.

At one point in the ride, a fairly short, steep (in my world) descent came up. naturally i hit the brakes. a woman who i was riding with came back and said "you will go down this hill". It was inspiring. You will. No question mark involved.

Will implied the I obviously could and would. I approached the first attempt with extreme hesitation and failed miserably as as i braked and unclipped as soon as i started. However, my second attempt, I clipped in, committed and told myself i could do it (instead of wondering). And I did.

A confidence boost like that was just what I needed today. I did something that I was told in the past that I could never do. and it was great.

riding a bicycle is a beautiful thing. but even more powerful is believing in yourself.

goat on a couch

these past few days have been all about the bike. purdue, then coburn, and up next is a nice mix of purdue / centre hall mtn to penn cave.

enjoyment of these rides often comes from the unique and often bizarre central pennsylvania scenery. for instance, there's the small town store in coburn that sells odds and ends including soda and chips, sans gatorade but offers an ample supply of stale jelly beans on the picnic table that consumes about 1/2 of the store's floor space. there are baby sheep, ponies, turkey vulchers, loose dogs, cows, and more cows. but most important is the goat, chillin on the couch. Yes, today we saw a huge, male hanging out on alove seat appropriately positioned to "people watch" from the pasture.

I'm not sure what is more bizarre. The fact that there is a love seat in the muddy field. OR that the goat took full advantage of the situation and decided to lounge on the couch.

regardless, he was chillin' on his couch, we were havin a great ride. it was a good day.

NIMBY

it is ironic that those who are running for government positions -- who theoretically will strive to support upholding the law -- have no regard for it what-so-ever. case in point - in this lovely state of Pennsylvania, one must ask permission to post a sign of any sort on another person's property. in my quaint condo community, we jointly own (by nature of it being a condo) a nice chunk of highly visible land along a busy road. this strip is 'prime retail' for campaigners who have been plastering our grassy knoll for weeks with butt-ugly signage. (note to campaigners - consider design of your friggin signs - they suck)...

naturally, we have been pulling and discarding these signs as they pop up. The other day however, a woman apparently attempted to ream out our condo association president for pulling her sign.

"don't steal our sign" she says.

"Don't place your butt-ugly stinkin' signs on other people's property" he retorts. ok so i wasn't present for this particular altercation however that is what i would have said.

needless to say, i won't be voting for steve sloan or any of the other jerkoffs who keep putting their signs on our property.

to digress, a few weeks ago, i was asked by a seemingly nice couple if they could place a for sale sign on the corner of our property. i am also on the association board you see so they did ask the right person. the association voted "no" and we kindly delivered the "bad news". one sign leads to many you see. Our property is not "for sale / yard sale / vote for me" billboard central folks!

A few weeks later i was driving home and i noticed a shiny new "for sale by owner" sign with their address on it - on our property! the sign was promptly removed and they received a phone call explaining that this was far from model citizen behavior.

why bother asking assholes?

perhaps my new mission in life is to come up with totally obscene signs and place them, in retribution, on these people's yards. NIMBY - not in my backyard - but in yours! hmmmm... what could such a sign say?




rockhopper



today, was the first exploration of a little single track in rothrock, on the rock hopper. i've ridden my share of fire roads, but never trails. we conquered rocks and roots (small ones of course) and a few small logs (branches)... and it was awesome. i got to roll down a rocky stretch of gettis which was a blast although my quads burned at the bottom. i also attempted my first stretch of single track in the forest - longberger. a laid back rolling ride which was a perfect place to start. naturally, the above picture is not where i road today, but the character is the same. there was a slight breeze and plenty of sun bringing plenty of smiles.

it's funny how a somewhat downer day can all of a sudden transform into a great one after just a few hours on the bike. all is forgotten. all is good.

broken


Last friday was a typically long day. Teach for 3+ hours in the AM, work all day. Hope on the soma, ride home, work some more. back on the soma for an evening picnic at EP's home where I had the pleasant surprise of running into dr leech and hanging out with most of my favorite students (some were mia). Then back on the Soma to hang out with my girl Nic and Luna in celebration of her finishing the candidacy (go girl!). I was on my bike ALL day commuting around town.

At 2am when the evening finally came to a close, i hopped on my bike only to realize that the shifter was no longer functional. Someone decided to go dr jeckyl on my bike. I recognize that i'm *still* whining about this days later, however the repair will cost lots and will take time. to make matters worse, i can't ride it (grinding up hills in the small cog is no fun). this is putting a serious damper on what would otherwise be a chill week. sometime soon i'm going to learn how to work on my bikes so i don't always have to rush to a shop to get things fixed. grrrr.

but in the meantime, i'm down because, it's my favorite ride.

does age matter?


these past few months I've become obsessed with age to the point that i only would hang out with those older than me. For some reason, i convinced myself that 2 failed relationships - with the last one miserably failing, were in part caused by the guy being younger. In recent months and then weeks, through discussion with friends and through hanging out with people older than myself and then with the 'youngins', I've come to discover that age is absolutely irrelevant. AND, in fact, that age does not dictate maturity, class, intelligence, etc.

It seems the only question that one should really ask is "am I having fun". If the answer is yes, then it's all good.

Think less. Live more.

goodbye

been saying goodbye to everyone lately. one by one, they're moving on temporarily (or permanently in the case of snacky). this week it's goodbye to snacky d aka old man yawner (OMY). he's movin to pitt. last week it was woman of steel aka pamela. next week it's goyo - aka luna.

last night i hung out with the 'youngins' @ zenos. OMY and I shut the bar down at 2am and thus today is a slow day.

goodbye #2 of the week goes to my cross bike. this past weekend someone decided to break my bike - locked up down town. the shifter is busted and a new one needs to be ordered. Who knows how long this process will take. it's depressing to be sans the favorite bike. the mtn bike just isn't as fun.

climbing

Yesterday, we rode the 5 climbs of annoyance. Today, I am sore. My out of shape legs decided to take off on climb 3 only to realize it was much longer than anticipated. Around the bend, the grade hit over 10% and then came the burn... all the way home.

Today will be a recovery day.

Guilty as Charged




While I was going to write about an awesome bike ride through the mountains today, i have a better story to tell... the large rat that lives in my house - also known as Chaya the labrador retriever - was caught today. Well, not in the act, however the evidence is strong and quite convincing. She is an artful and skilled counter surfer and has been caught in the act numerous times. she has been perfecting her trade for months cleaning dirty dishes in the sink, and finishing various items left on the counter. This time, she has gone too far. Please take note of exhibit a (above):

Take careful note of the unusual white growth on the snout. This my friends, is sugar, remnants from the HOME MADE lemon bars that I was hoping to enjoy after dinner tonight. This same crusty discoloration is also abundantly spread around her neck and upper chest. see exhibit b - i think the connection is quite clear:


those bars had NOT been touched when i left for my bike ride. And if you know me, then you know that I am a sugar fein... you don't mess with a girl's sweet tooth. Has she no shame? (exhibit A1)This means war. You, the jury, are left to decide. Guilty? or Not Guilty? and PS - she didn't want dinner tonight.

Now, the bigger question is how am i ever going to satisfy my sweeth tooth tonight?