Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Hope you all have a candy-filled, scary Halloween. It's rainy here today so I'm hitting a gym, then celebrating Halloween...tomorrow will find me in wine country *somewhere* (no, I don't know where yet). There may not be a new blog entry for a few days, but I am accessible via email (thank you iPhone). Btw, the GPS on the iPhone has been a lifesaver here.
Day 6 - Rest Day
Today was the bike's vacation. For a rest day, today didn't involve a lot of rest. I slept in a little, finished blogging from yesterday, then went to town to search for a Halloween costume and run a few errands.
There's a party store very close so that offered the obvious choices. And there was one obvious choice that will suit me fine: Wonder Woman. Typically in years past, I've enjoyed the self-made, more creative options. Nah, this year it's okay to be standard. I won't have to change my hair much, though I should work on the make-up. This costume is a little cuter/far more comfortable than the real Wonder Woman's: it has a skirt. And I'd love to use this costume as an excuse to get another pair of knee-high boots, but it comes with boot covers that are too tight the way it is (are my calves just that big? In my dreams.) So a cheap pair of dress shoes should suffice.
Funky plant. A rhubarb plant on steroids? The leaves were very hard.
I headed into San Fran for some touristy activities. The first stop was the Exploratorium. I could just hear Mom and Dad tell me how disappointed they were in me for being in SF for so many days and not going. So I went to be able to tell the tale. And I'm glad I did! The Exploratorium is packed with interesting exhibits--all hands-on. Kids, of course, must love it, but big kids (like me) can almost enjoy and appreciate it more. There were very few people there today (oooh, it was raining: everyone, stay inside and dry YOU MIGHT MELT). Though it was raining, it was surprisingly warm. I only wore a sweatshirt and I found being rained on was pleasing to my senses which are so much more alive since I can pay attention to them (note: stress levels are at an all-time low).
Back to the point, the Exploratorium was well-worth the visit. Next time I go, I'll plan to spend the day. Another side note, there was a part of me that didn't want to go to this place where I expected to see hoards of kids. Typically, I try to avoid any kid-like thing not because I don't enjoy kids and not because they annoy me (they don't) but because I'm afraid that I'll start to want one of my own. I'm afraid of that thing (whatever it is) that will make my biological clock start to tick. I fully expect it to someday, but it isn't allowed to start now. I am happy to report that I made it safely through the Exploratorium, learning a lot and the only thing it left me wanting was someone to play in the magnetic sand with me and to discuss the science behind some of the more obscure exhibits. It would be a good date place. I digress.
This was a dancing chain that had quite the personality, for a chain.
Demo of how a steam engine works. And they even had an engine from a Toyota Land Cruiser! Cool stuff.
And this was just too weird. You're looking at a mirror reflecting the bottom of a clear tank of water. My hand is in the water & there's an air pocket in the palm of my hand. But see how it looks like my hand is dry & I'm holding water?
Yesterday evening I broke one of my self-imposed rules and that is to not buy a book until I'm done with my current book. In this case, I am currently reading two books and, therefore, I should not have been allowed to go in the bookstore. So I went in with the intention to only look but not touch. But then I saw a book that has had me curious, I've heard good things in the general way, but nothing about the "plot." The book is entitled "Eat, Pray, Love." I bought it out of compulsion, maybe, and since I was looking & not touching, I didn't read the cover, just picked it up to purchase it.
Turns out the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, has become my travel companion. Only she is in Italy and taking the reader with her through her life's woe's as well as on this 4-month trip to Rome. But I can relate to her in many ways and I'm finding that it's helping me vacation effectively--since it makes me slow down and find a place to hang out where I can relax and read. And do nothing else. Funny, though, all of the fun books I've read in the past couple of years have all been armchair travel books to Italy. At least she'll also visit India and Bali, so my world "travels" can start to include more countries than just Italy.
Lucky find: an organic restaurant, this was the most wonderful beet, goat cheese, walnut & fennel salad. Just what I was craving. Hopefully this is where I can eat next week during the conference. (It's a bus ride, though.)
And here's the steepest/twisty-iest street (Lombard & Hyde).
After all of this touristy stuff, it was time to hunt down a bathroom, which was eventually found in Macy's. I would have gotten home an hour earlier if I could have been patient.
There's a party store very close so that offered the obvious choices. And there was one obvious choice that will suit me fine: Wonder Woman. Typically in years past, I've enjoyed the self-made, more creative options. Nah, this year it's okay to be standard. I won't have to change my hair much, though I should work on the make-up. This costume is a little cuter/far more comfortable than the real Wonder Woman's: it has a skirt. And I'd love to use this costume as an excuse to get another pair of knee-high boots, but it comes with boot covers that are too tight the way it is (are my calves just that big? In my dreams.) So a cheap pair of dress shoes should suffice.
Funky plant. A rhubarb plant on steroids? The leaves were very hard.I headed into San Fran for some touristy activities. The first stop was the Exploratorium. I could just hear Mom and Dad tell me how disappointed they were in me for being in SF for so many days and not going. So I went to be able to tell the tale. And I'm glad I did! The Exploratorium is packed with interesting exhibits--all hands-on. Kids, of course, must love it, but big kids (like me) can almost enjoy and appreciate it more. There were very few people there today (oooh, it was raining: everyone, stay inside and dry YOU MIGHT MELT). Though it was raining, it was surprisingly warm. I only wore a sweatshirt and I found being rained on was pleasing to my senses which are so much more alive since I can pay attention to them (note: stress levels are at an all-time low).
Back to the point, the Exploratorium was well-worth the visit. Next time I go, I'll plan to spend the day. Another side note, there was a part of me that didn't want to go to this place where I expected to see hoards of kids. Typically, I try to avoid any kid-like thing not because I don't enjoy kids and not because they annoy me (they don't) but because I'm afraid that I'll start to want one of my own. I'm afraid of that thing (whatever it is) that will make my biological clock start to tick. I fully expect it to someday, but it isn't allowed to start now. I am happy to report that I made it safely through the Exploratorium, learning a lot and the only thing it left me wanting was someone to play in the magnetic sand with me and to discuss the science behind some of the more obscure exhibits. It would be a good date place. I digress.
This was a dancing chain that had quite the personality, for a chain.
Demo of how a steam engine works. And they even had an engine from a Toyota Land Cruiser! Cool stuff.
And this was just too weird. You're looking at a mirror reflecting the bottom of a clear tank of water. My hand is in the water & there's an air pocket in the palm of my hand. But see how it looks like my hand is dry & I'm holding water?Yesterday evening I broke one of my self-imposed rules and that is to not buy a book until I'm done with my current book. In this case, I am currently reading two books and, therefore, I should not have been allowed to go in the bookstore. So I went in with the intention to only look but not touch. But then I saw a book that has had me curious, I've heard good things in the general way, but nothing about the "plot." The book is entitled "Eat, Pray, Love." I bought it out of compulsion, maybe, and since I was looking & not touching, I didn't read the cover, just picked it up to purchase it.
Turns out the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, has become my travel companion. Only she is in Italy and taking the reader with her through her life's woe's as well as on this 4-month trip to Rome. But I can relate to her in many ways and I'm finding that it's helping me vacation effectively--since it makes me slow down and find a place to hang out where I can relax and read. And do nothing else. Funny, though, all of the fun books I've read in the past couple of years have all been armchair travel books to Italy. At least she'll also visit India and Bali, so my world "travels" can start to include more countries than just Italy.
Lucky find: an organic restaurant, this was the most wonderful beet, goat cheese, walnut & fennel salad. Just what I was craving. Hopefully this is where I can eat next week during the conference. (It's a bus ride, though.)
And here's the steepest/twisty-iest street (Lombard & Hyde).After all of this touristy stuff, it was time to hunt down a bathroom, which was eventually found in Macy's. I would have gotten home an hour earlier if I could have been patient.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Yesterday - Part 2
I fell fast asleep last night when working on part 2. The day was the equivalent to two.
After the massage, I caught the train, transferred to Bart and ended up in SF. There wasn't anything on my agenda for yesterday aside from getting comfortable with the trains so the evening definitely didn't disappoint.
On the walk there, the sun was setting and the fog was lazily perched atop many of the buildings. A long walk from the Montgomery station took me uphill to Coit Tower (Telegraph hill).
From the base of Coit Tower (which just had its 75th anniversary), the view was breathtaking. And one of my passions is cities at night. Without fail, I get weak in the knees when I've gotten to experience cities (namely NY, Seattle and Denver) at night...I'm adding San Francisco to the list. It was tugging on my heart strings last night.
Looking waaay up at the tower.
From the top of the tower looking out at the city. What a view! This was reminiscent of being at the top of the Washington Memorial late at night years ago. That was the best way to see Washington DC and there was no one around. Same deal last night.
Stair scene from "Vertigo?"
I was trying to be tactful in capturing the scene from dinner without making it obvious I was taking pictures. The iPhone is sly. I stopped at this restaurant because of their very large sign that advertised gnocchi. I had been dreaming of a gnocchi meal for a couple of bike rides, it was time to have some. But the gnocchi on the menu came with sausage and in a cream sauce. So I very nicely asked for mushrooms, no sausage and tomato-based sauce. Viola! A few moments later the most melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi was served up. It was the perfect consistency and was obviously made fresh on premises. I understand this place is close to where my conference will be next week...but I'm not sure if I should go back. Along with the check came the waiter's phone number.
Also from the table where I was sitting was a view of the church where Joe DiMaggio and Dorothy Arnold were married. His funeral was also held here. It's called the Italian church of the west...I hope to be able to make it to mass here this weekend.
After the massage, I caught the train, transferred to Bart and ended up in SF. There wasn't anything on my agenda for yesterday aside from getting comfortable with the trains so the evening definitely didn't disappoint.
On the walk there, the sun was setting and the fog was lazily perched atop many of the buildings. A long walk from the Montgomery station took me uphill to Coit Tower (Telegraph hill).
From the base of Coit Tower (which just had its 75th anniversary), the view was breathtaking. And one of my passions is cities at night. Without fail, I get weak in the knees when I've gotten to experience cities (namely NY, Seattle and Denver) at night...I'm adding San Francisco to the list. It was tugging on my heart strings last night.
Looking waaay up at the tower.
From the top of the tower looking out at the city. What a view! This was reminiscent of being at the top of the Washington Memorial late at night years ago. That was the best way to see Washington DC and there was no one around. Same deal last night.
Stair scene from "Vertigo?"
I was trying to be tactful in capturing the scene from dinner without making it obvious I was taking pictures. The iPhone is sly. I stopped at this restaurant because of their very large sign that advertised gnocchi. I had been dreaming of a gnocchi meal for a couple of bike rides, it was time to have some. But the gnocchi on the menu came with sausage and in a cream sauce. So I very nicely asked for mushrooms, no sausage and tomato-based sauce. Viola! A few moments later the most melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi was served up. It was the perfect consistency and was obviously made fresh on premises. I understand this place is close to where my conference will be next week...but I'm not sure if I should go back. Along with the check came the waiter's phone number.
Also from the table where I was sitting was a view of the church where Joe DiMaggio and Dorothy Arnold were married. His funeral was also held here. It's called the Italian church of the west...I hope to be able to make it to mass here this weekend.
Training Camp Day 5 - Part 1
The theme of today's ride was intensity: leg-burning time-trialesque efforts uphill. This was the first group ride since I've been here. The group is led by a former coach of one of my friends out here and they do a crazy climbing ride on Wednesdays (but I didn't know anyone on the ride). The fog was thick this morning and with a very early start to the ride, it made it tricky to figure out how to dress.
After having issues meeting up with the group since I didn't know where to park and the light that I got stuck at (for 10 minutes) made me miss the start, it was possible to drive ahead and then ride fast to meet up with them (~6 others) at the bottom of the Old La Honda climb. It's a 5k, 1200 ft climb. Little did I know that it was the appetizer. A very fast and fun descent followed the climb and then came the searing West Alpine, 5 mile climb that was quite steep and seemed to be never-ending. Afterwards was a steep, twisty (read: slower) descent and the ride was over. 3700 feet of climbing, 2 1/2 hours.
I returned to home base to take a shower and read prior to getting an hour massage. I was so tired, even though I was sitting straight up and reading interesting material, I fell into a deep sleep for a few minutes. The massage was another chance to rest (though it was intense enough, per my instructions to the massage therapist, so a nap wasn't going to happen).
After having issues meeting up with the group since I didn't know where to park and the light that I got stuck at (for 10 minutes) made me miss the start, it was possible to drive ahead and then ride fast to meet up with them (~6 others) at the bottom of the Old La Honda climb. It's a 5k, 1200 ft climb. Little did I know that it was the appetizer. A very fast and fun descent followed the climb and then came the searing West Alpine, 5 mile climb that was quite steep and seemed to be never-ending. Afterwards was a steep, twisty (read: slower) descent and the ride was over. 3700 feet of climbing, 2 1/2 hours.
I returned to home base to take a shower and read prior to getting an hour massage. I was so tired, even though I was sitting straight up and reading interesting material, I fell into a deep sleep for a few minutes. The massage was another chance to rest (though it was intense enough, per my instructions to the massage therapist, so a nap wasn't going to happen).
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Training Camp Day 4
Vacation will henceforth be referred to as "Training Camp." Camp manager is a drill sergeant. Seemed to make sense to have today be a shorter, flatter ride considering yesterday. 3,900 feet of climbing and 4 hours later, the short/flat ride was over. It was pretty hard to get my heart rate up to where I wanted it to be (low zone 2--that's pretty low), so I tried not to fight for it too much and went off of perceived exertion. Just because HR isn't responding doesn't mean the pace isn't decent.
The ride today involved a large loop that goes near Stanford, it's pretty popular amongst bike riders. I stopped an hour and a half into the ride for an ice cream bar (yeah, it was warm enough and the liquid sugar was needed for the ol' legs). That's when a group ride rolled past that I would have liked to have joined in on. Alas, the ice cream was only half eaten. Everyone else I've seen out on the roads are either individuals or a small group where it's obvious everyone on the ride are friends (vs a bone fide group ride).
At the end of the loop, there was a nice climb called Old La Honda road. I rode this climb with Lana last summer. Fortunately, I didn't remember most of it (possibly due to the fact that I was doing very hard intervals all the way up it last summer) so every twist and turn was a pleasant surprise. Here's the vista from the top, yes, those are clouds below at the top of the picture.
After the climb and descending back down to the loop, it was time to be a tourist for awhile. I tooled around an outdoor mall area (Stanford mall?) and then ended up over in Palo Alto. This is a view of the entrace of the Borders bookstore! Cool or what?!
And here's a really big egg made up of stripped circuit boards. See the close-up below the egg. As much as I think circuit boards are cool, I'm not sure this piece spoke to me...at least not like these fish do!
If there's one place I've wanted to visit for years and years, it's IDEO, the company that I consider to be the absolutely coolest one in existence. They are a design firm, and the best of the best. These guys have helped design many of the things in our lives that we may take for granted. Check out their website for a list, it's wild some of the things that are explictly designed not just engineered.
A few IDEO employees visited Denver for a design project a few years ago for some firm that was going to be buiding lofts somewhere (we weren't entitled to the details). It was such an experience to get to talk with them and see how they asked questions to extract info from me and the group of interviewees. (They were already my heros years prior to that interaction.) Anyway, it was pretty darn exciting to be able to stand outside of their door today.
Dinner (a small garlic, basil pizza and a huge salad) was fetched from Trader Joe's (yes, they have lots of them out here!) Hopefully my legs are ready for a group ride tomorrow. I'm ready to log some non-solo miles.
The ride today involved a large loop that goes near Stanford, it's pretty popular amongst bike riders. I stopped an hour and a half into the ride for an ice cream bar (yeah, it was warm enough and the liquid sugar was needed for the ol' legs). That's when a group ride rolled past that I would have liked to have joined in on. Alas, the ice cream was only half eaten. Everyone else I've seen out on the roads are either individuals or a small group where it's obvious everyone on the ride are friends (vs a bone fide group ride).
At the end of the loop, there was a nice climb called Old La Honda road. I rode this climb with Lana last summer. Fortunately, I didn't remember most of it (possibly due to the fact that I was doing very hard intervals all the way up it last summer) so every twist and turn was a pleasant surprise. Here's the vista from the top, yes, those are clouds below at the top of the picture.
After the climb and descending back down to the loop, it was time to be a tourist for awhile. I tooled around an outdoor mall area (Stanford mall?) and then ended up over in Palo Alto. This is a view of the entrace of the Borders bookstore! Cool or what?!
And here's a really big egg made up of stripped circuit boards. See the close-up below the egg. As much as I think circuit boards are cool, I'm not sure this piece spoke to me...at least not like these fish do!
If there's one place I've wanted to visit for years and years, it's IDEO, the company that I consider to be the absolutely coolest one in existence. They are a design firm, and the best of the best. These guys have helped design many of the things in our lives that we may take for granted. Check out their website for a list, it's wild some of the things that are explictly designed not just engineered.
A few IDEO employees visited Denver for a design project a few years ago for some firm that was going to be buiding lofts somewhere (we weren't entitled to the details). It was such an experience to get to talk with them and see how they asked questions to extract info from me and the group of interviewees. (They were already my heros years prior to that interaction.) Anyway, it was pretty darn exciting to be able to stand outside of their door today.Dinner (a small garlic, basil pizza and a huge salad) was fetched from Trader Joe's (yes, they have lots of them out here!) Hopefully my legs are ready for a group ride tomorrow. I'm ready to log some non-solo miles.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Vacation Day 3
This was an intense climbing day. It involved five hours of pedaling with 5,ooo feet of climbing in two installments: the first 1/2 of those were gained in the first 1.5 hrs of the ride. The second 2,500' were between hours three and four. The natural beauty of the ride, again, is impossible to describe. The picture above doesn't quite do much of the climbing justice as the foliage was so dense in spots, few rays of light met the pavement.
At the top of the climb, the fog could be clearly seen. Moments after this was taken, the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees in a split second. 
After a fast descent (past many pumpkin patches that were packed with happy people) and getting back to sea level, there was the ocean, the sand, the crashing waves...a warm, lovely scene that I rode next to for quite a few minutes before getting back on a road that tipped upwards. It was just as steep as the first road, 8-10% grades much of the distance..JPG)
And on this kind of ride, typically half-way through, I'll start thinking about food and the perfect end to an epic day. Sushi was the cuisine of choice so after the necessary shower and recovery shake, I ambled to town to devour a bowl of chirasi (sushi on top of a bed of rice) at a local Japanese restaurant. The night was topped off with kicking back and watching a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean). It's time to get some zzzz's now since my appetite is coming back in a big way and I don't feel like eating anything more today.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Vacation Day 2
Russ & I got a later start, but it didn't matter since the only time constraint was at 6:30 tonight. Total saddle time was ~5 hrs, total mileage was reasonable, though. Still good to get my body warmed up for the miles coming this week. Today involved a good tour of the area so I'll know where to ride tomorrow and during the week. (Below pictures in reverse order of the ride.) 
Water skiiers with kite/parachute things. Just prior to this was lunch in San Mateo in a yuppy grocery store (their salad bar was beautiful, but I can't eat salad in the middle of a ride).
Upper crystal Springs reservoir.
Is this Italy? Isn't this sort of what it looks like?
Tonight I visited the local Blockbuster & grocery store. Watched a stupid chick-flick (with Patrick Dempsey), but yes, it was fun. This is vacation!
Question to readers: what should I be for Halloween this year?
Water skiiers with kite/parachute things. Just prior to this was lunch in San Mateo in a yuppy grocery store (their salad bar was beautiful, but I can't eat salad in the middle of a ride).
Upper crystal Springs reservoir.
Is this Italy? Isn't this sort of what it looks like?Tonight I visited the local Blockbuster & grocery store. Watched a stupid chick-flick (with Patrick Dempsey), but yes, it was fun. This is vacation!
Question to readers: what should I be for Halloween this year?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Vacation Day 1
Today was loooong. But it was outstanding from beginning to end. The day began by taking an early train to San Francisco...nooo, it started with me putting my bike together at 6 am. Fortunately, it traveled fine and was easy to get together. Once in San Franciso, Russ (my host) and I rode around the eastern portion of SF next to the water, he pointed out all of the cool things to see and it was a nice, leisurely ride.
This is Russ with a dirigible (helium-filled) in the background. It made news, we were lucky to see this vessel flying overhead.
The ride took us past the fine arts place (get name) and over the Golden Gate Bridge. There was a great climb on the other side with a vista at the top. The descent down the other side was quite steep--I could smell my brakes burning. We ended up in Sasalito, but not a lot of time to enjoy it.
I really liked the vibe there, and the fruit smoothie from the local ice cream store. The ferry boat ride back to SF was fun, I *heart* ferry boat rides. We got back with time to spare before catching the train home. I had 15 minutes to shower up before Lana picked me up to go to an outdoor concert that was held as a benefit for the Bridge School (Neil Young has connections to it).
Lana, Aaron and their random assortment of friends (from college, work, friends of friends), it was a fun group.
Lana is a good friend from CA, but she lived in CO for a couple of years, during which we logged thousands of miles together (sitting next to me in the above pic).
The lineup of bands was wonderful. The first few were ho-hum, but then Death Cab for Cutie came on and the night air was alive with awesome sound.
Everyone agreed that Sarah McLachlan was the performance of the evening.
This was a first for me, being on a lawn during a concert. It was a good thing we were on grass, too. I was so tired from the day (still somewhat tired from the trip out), I laid down, shut my eyes and was in that happy place that involved hearing the music vividly, but being so relaxed there was only a tiny line between being awake and asleep. It felt like summer. A light jacket was almost sufficient for staying warm. Amazing. Got home at 11:45 and had the most restful sleep that I've had in a long, long time.
This is Russ with a dirigible (helium-filled) in the background. It made news, we were lucky to see this vessel flying overhead.
The ride took us past the fine arts place (get name) and over the Golden Gate Bridge. There was a great climb on the other side with a vista at the top. The descent down the other side was quite steep--I could smell my brakes burning. We ended up in Sasalito, but not a lot of time to enjoy it.I really liked the vibe there, and the fruit smoothie from the local ice cream store. The ferry boat ride back to SF was fun, I *heart* ferry boat rides. We got back with time to spare before catching the train home. I had 15 minutes to shower up before Lana picked me up to go to an outdoor concert that was held as a benefit for the Bridge School (Neil Young has connections to it).
Lana, Aaron and their random assortment of friends (from college, work, friends of friends), it was a fun group.
Lana is a good friend from CA, but she lived in CO for a couple of years, during which we logged thousands of miles together (sitting next to me in the above pic).The lineup of bands was wonderful. The first few were ho-hum, but then Death Cab for Cutie came on and the night air was alive with awesome sound.
Everyone agreed that Sarah McLachlan was the performance of the evening.This was a first for me, being on a lawn during a concert. It was a good thing we were on grass, too. I was so tired from the day (still somewhat tired from the trip out), I laid down, shut my eyes and was in that happy place that involved hearing the music vividly, but being so relaxed there was only a tiny line between being awake and asleep. It felt like summer. A light jacket was almost sufficient for staying warm. Amazing. Got home at 11:45 and had the most restful sleep that I've had in a long, long time.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Things that you don't want to hear...
I should be 1/2 way to San Francisco right now. However, I'm amongst hundreds of people hanging out in the A concourse at DIA. The PA system just said that we're delayed for at least another 1/2 hour because "they're fixing the plane." Terrific. Fortunately, I have 2 days of Wall Street Journals to read, two books and a journal to write in. Oops, and I forgot the booklet explaining all of the Amendments & Referendums (referendi? how is that plural?) so I can cast my ballot from San Fran.
Now that it's officially vacation time, I don't want to use the computer much...except to do such things as blog. The packing process was exhausting, I'm tired and would be very happy to catch some shut eye.
Fortunately Ed (the fish) has a place to stay (with a neighbor...I just started knocking on doors and one neighbor that I don't know was walking through the hall). Is this what it means when they say it takes a village? And, let me remind you, we're talking about the simplest being ever to take care of (with the exception of a sea monkey, maybe).
Back to reading and waiting in style. More updates soon from the land of very steep hills and cool bridges!
Now that it's officially vacation time, I don't want to use the computer much...except to do such things as blog. The packing process was exhausting, I'm tired and would be very happy to catch some shut eye.
Fortunately Ed (the fish) has a place to stay (with a neighbor...I just started knocking on doors and one neighbor that I don't know was walking through the hall). Is this what it means when they say it takes a village? And, let me remind you, we're talking about the simplest being ever to take care of (with the exception of a sea monkey, maybe).
Back to reading and waiting in style. More updates soon from the land of very steep hills and cool bridges!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Enjoy the sunset...
Isn't this a beautiful sunset? And it was much more beautiful in person. Thought it would be nice to share.
Caved to txt
FYI, I now have a txt plan on my phone. Held out as long as was humanly possible, but it finally seems to make sense. So, ignore everything I've ever said along the lines of "please don't txt me." :)
Birthday #3
This was simply a continuation of birthday #2. There was enough (homemade) chili, beer, chips and cake for many, many more people than who showed up Sunday. In order to help out, I brought home 3/4 of a gallon of beer...and it's going to go flat, soon! What shall I do? It's a crime to let it go to waste, but it's equally as criminal to drink it like water. I love beer, but it must be savored and not squandered. Hmmmm....
"Sorry Ma'am"
Friday I was left (at dusk) waving my arms like a maniac at a bus stop when my bus flew right by without stopping. Upon calling RTD, it appears the bus driver just didn't know he was expected to stop at his designated stop. My tax money pays for this and it costs $4 a ride. The RTD people said, "We're sorry." And they wonder why no one takes public transportation here.
Today the bus that I was on stopped in the *fast* lane on 36 in order for the bus driver to pick up a fallen bike rack. Seemed like an awfully dangerous move, so I felt compelled to asked her about it when we stopped. She explained that when a motorist didn't see the bike rack and ran into it, it caused his SUV to roll three times.
Tomorrow I'm driving.
Today the bus that I was on stopped in the *fast* lane on 36 in order for the bus driver to pick up a fallen bike rack. Seemed like an awfully dangerous move, so I felt compelled to asked her about it when we stopped. She explained that when a motorist didn't see the bike rack and ran into it, it caused his SUV to roll three times.
Tomorrow I'm driving.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Birthday #2
The cake has ponies on it...and it tasted just as good as it looks.
Cristienne has always wanted a pinata, so here it is. Isn't it too cute to smash?
Nope, she took some pretty hard swings at the kung-fu panda. A few people later...
He wasn't looking quite so cute.
I got a chance to take a few swings. Took a few moments to figure out where the pinata was hanging, though.
Seamus helped finish the job. There was candy and ponies inside (Scott provided the fillers).
What a scene, eh?What a weekend! I'm ready for the week to begin so as to have things slow down just a wee-bit.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Cross Racing, Road Riding, Friends...
This is the weekend of birthdays (more blogging later to include unmentioned details). The girls and I went out for dessert tonight...the time to catch up was so nice. Dessert was particularly good after a simply marvelous day on the bike (actually both of them). The day began with riding a lap of a cross race in Longmont, followed by 3 1/2 hours on the road bike, followed by another lap at Longmont and watching the women's race. It was a full day, but one that I wouldn't have shortened by a moment. And it's necessary to mention the weather: in the 70s, perfect summer weather, but with the beauty and pleasant scents of fall.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rainy Days
Have I ever mentioned, that behind the possible griping about rain, is my secret happiness when rain comes? Thank goodness for that since today and yesterday were rainy days and would have been tough to bear if there hadn't been outdoor activities. Both days were spent wandering the trails of mountain-like places near Denver with good friends. The fall foliage is so beautiful and there were red leaves covering much of the ground. Gorgeous!
Pictures (hopefully) to come of the fog. Just imagine walking through a cloud with a tree or two growing in it, and there's the picture for ya.
This is from a vista point on the Sunday hike. What do you think is out there, through the cloud?
Found on the tag on my tea bag at lunch today (trying to warm up after the hike) was this:
"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."
Pictures (hopefully) to come of the fog. Just imagine walking through a cloud with a tree or two growing in it, and there's the picture for ya.
This is from a vista point on the Sunday hike. What do you think is out there, through the cloud?Found on the tag on my tea bag at lunch today (trying to warm up after the hike) was this:
"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Learning to love the trainer again...
Even though my trainer has picked up some interesting new noises, it's being used again. It's just so easy to get on and get training over with w/o having to deal with traffic. Today I figured out how to use the iPhone as a remote control so as to be able to flip through the podcasts and iTunes without getting off the trainer. Small victory. It's supposed to rain/snow tomorrow. Fantastic. So scrap that hike? hmmmm..... let's see, hopefully not.
No new racing news. Will probably not do much more CX racing between now and next year. Hope to do more in the future, but after learning the technical aspects. Base training takes most of my energy, at least that's how it's feeling now.
This week's exciting news is that my 401k was vaporized...however, it's not gone since I'm not about to sell out. Unfortunately, it's everyone's 401k ($8.4 trillion has been lost in the market this year).
No new racing news. Will probably not do much more CX racing between now and next year. Hope to do more in the future, but after learning the technical aspects. Base training takes most of my energy, at least that's how it's feeling now.
This week's exciting news is that my 401k was vaporized...however, it's not gone since I'm not about to sell out. Unfortunately, it's everyone's 401k ($8.4 trillion has been lost in the market this year).
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