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.

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.

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.

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."

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).

Loving Racing...

CX is not exactly my sport. I was tripping, crashing, derailing today...you name it. But it was soooo much fun out there. I had spectated at this race a couple of years ago (near the Taj in Golden), little did I know that this is where today's race would be. Fortunately, when I had seen it before, it was very muddy. Today it was dry and dusty. Definitely preferred.

It doesn't matter what the details are, it is great being pushed hard and having to overcome fears and having small victories...all part of every race I've ever been part of.

Dreaming of next year's road season, but having fun in the meantime remembering the adrenaline rush of racing...good combo! Still no CX pics. I've been leaving my camera at home for fear someone might get a not-so-smooth picture of one of my amateur moves.

"A pleasant surprise is in store for you"

...so read my fortune cookie tonight. After dinner, I went to visit a very sweet dog who needs a home. I don't think I can possibly take care of this adorable pooch, but maybe you can! (He's a small rottweiler, contact me for more info.)

The pleasant surprise was not the dog (as that wasn't a surprise since I knew I was going to see a dog), but was the place where the dog lives. It's an industrial space (probably meant to be a warehouse) that two guys (brothers of a co-worker) have fixed up into a living space and music studio. It was pretty cool seeing such a different space turned into a home. I really appreciate inspired spaces.

First Race of the Season...FINALLY

I did it...after years of talking about trying cyclocross, I actually went out there and participated in a race. Yeah, I kind of raced it, too. If there hadn't been barriers (that I so gracefully fell before a couple of times), I would have not looked like a total newbie. That was also the very first real interval of the season for me. Ouch, a 45-minute long interval. Barf. No, but almost barf. I added to the collection of bruises on my right leg (must be from hitting the bike against my body when picking it up).

For the record, I'm pretty close to the most non-technical person EVER on a bike. I learned so much about trusting my bike, not being scared and just going for it without over thinking everything that looked scary (which was much of the course). After further review and actually surviving the race, I've come to the conclusion that cross racing IS fun. Yup, and if a total chicken such as myself can say this, it must be true.

The crowd was chill and Colorado Springs put its best foot forward. It was a beautiful (almost too warm) day, absolutely the best way to usher in the cross season (and yes, there was mud in the course).