Packing Day #1

Much of the fun of traveling is thinking about it and preparing for it. Since I have absolutely no idea what to expect, what things will look like, who I will see and interact with, etc., I haven't been spending much time thinking about the trip.

I'd love to report that in the past few months since I decided to go on this trip, that I've learned Italian. No, I've come up short (really short) in that area. I have accumulated a stack of books on Italy and its various regions, its cuisine, history and novels that are love letters to it. Most of the reading I've done dealing with Italy are books finished well before I decided to go there. My main excuse (if that's what it can be considered) is that I've keep incredibly busy with a variety of extracurricular activities of all kinds and work has been full-on as well.

I have accumulated an interesting set of information on this place through jumping around in these books and talking to others who all report they absolutely love it there. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the List, the restaurants of where to eat, landmarks to visit, people to see. I will do my best to see and do everything (as my nature makes me inclined to try) and I'll do my best to blog back as often as possible.

Hopefully the Italian CDs that I've been listening to (yes, I even practice aloud so long as no one is anywhere near to hear me) have leaked into my brain. My iPhone is set to the Italian language. Every standard label on the phone is not translated...I'm beginning to understand. Thank goodness the "Call" button is green and "End Call" is red.

Tonight was the first real prep in the way of trying to pack. REI can hire another employee now that I got through there. The first cut of important things includes wipes that work in place of a shower (I trust I won't need them, but you never know), a very fun toothbrush holder that incorporates toothpaste and a skirt that is below my knees--so as to gain admittance to the Vatican and nearby venues. No knees or shoulders showing. I'm hoping it'll be cooler temps there then than it is right now.

I've been told to watch the movie "Angels & Demons" for a view of Vatican City and Rome. This afternoon I did a movie search and it turns out that tonight was the very last showing of the movie anywhere in Denver. So I ran up to the theater to catch it after REI. Yes, I saw more of Rome/Vatican City than I've ever seen before.

Did I mention that this trip is going to include a lot of bike riding? Yep, lots. I've never put in so few miles as I have in the past few weeks. Between racing crits at the end of July and a lot of random distractions, the miles have not been adding up. Thank goodness Italy is at sea level. The oxygen will make up for the fitness I've lost recently.

Time to get some sleep. The one thing I need more than anything else as I leave: a 100% immune system which includes not being overly tired, fatigued or stressed.

Back to Blogging

Buongiorno!

Keep watching this blog...it'll become far more interesting very soon. There have been many adventures since the last post, just *no* time to write anything here.

Ciao!

Something to Share...Love or Infatuation

I've been too busy to blog, short updates on Facebook have been just about as much as I can squeak out. Tonight I finally got a chance to sit down and clean out some old papers and things that make an otherwise tidy home not so tidy. I ran across an article that is so well written & I think a lot of people could benefit from it. Regardless, I want to hang onto it, so best way to do that is to record it here...so I can go back and read it.

Old Love Advice Bears Repeating, by Ann Landers

Love or Infatuation?

Infatuation is instant desire. It is one set of glands calling to another. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows--one day at a time.

Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity. You are excited and eager, but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits and pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon not examine too closely. It might spoil the dream.

Love is quiet understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you--to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by his presence, even when he is away. Miles do nt separate you. You want him nearer. But near or far, you know he is yours and you can wait.

Infatuation says, "We must get married right away. I can't risk losing him."

Love says, "Be patient. Don't panic. He is yours. Plan your future with confidence."

Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. If you are honest, you will admit it is difficult to be in one another's company unless you are sure it will end in intimacy. Love is the maturation of friendship. You must be friends before you can be lovers.

Infatuation lacks confidence. When he's away, you wonder if he's cheating. Sometimes you even check.

Love means trust. You are calm, secure and unthreatened. He feels that trust, and it makes him even more trustworthy.

Infatuation might lead you to do things you'll regret later, but love never will.

Love is an upper. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before.

Rock Band

J-Force turned into a real band this weekend. We're ready for a tour bus and manager.

Blogging Vacation

Hi out there in blogland to those of you who haven't given up on my blog (I understand if you have). The extent of journaling on this trip so far has reached as far as a few Facebook status updates. It's a good sign, though, it means I haven't been attached too much to the computer. 

I'm back east, visiting family and friends and I've also incorporated in three days of work with my boss...so it hasn't eaten up my very valuable vacation time which needs to be saved for an end of summer trip to Italy (yes, Italy, finally...the plane tix are bought, I'm going). 

I've squeezed quite a lot into the time out here. I arrived last Thursday (it was a fully day of travel to get to my uncle's place near Princeton), but dinner at Whole Foods was wonderful. Friday we had breakfast in Lambertville (sort of the standard first day of the trip fare) and then got on our bikes and rode around Princeton taking tote paths most of the way. Spring time is here with the beautiful blossoms and even though there aren't any leaves on the trees, it's still so green. 

Saturday we rode bikes in Manhattan. We were on the 7 am Staten Island ferry and had Wall Street, Ground Zero and SoHo to ourselves, it was awesome. Unc took lots of photos, so I'll be sure to post them when I get a copy. Then we headed uptown to Cafe Lalo for breakfast. A good place to let our wet riding clothes dry out some...yes, between the surreal, warm riding just after we disembarked the ferry to 83rd, it started to rain a bit. By the time we got to Lalo, it was coming down. 

I had a haircut appt 30 blocks south of Cafe Lalo at my favorite hair place ever, Ouidad. They specialize in curly hair and when they send you out with newly cut hair there isn't a frizzy hair in sight (and yes, your hair is styled curly which I have yet to see any other salon do successfully). 

Terrible to have salon-beautiful hair on a rainy day, but I did get to enjoy it quite awhile because after the cut, getting back on the bikes wasn't an option with the rain and cold. We found a nice hang out area next to Nike Town and near the Apple store & spent a few hours reading and relaxing. 

Finally, the rain did subside and we jumped back on the bikes and took the bike path that runs down the east side of the city back to the ferry. The moment the sun came out, it was warm and made for a beautiful evening. Dinner was at On the Border (I wasn't hungry) and it left just enough time for me to make the Easter Vigil mass at a church not far from home.

Easter Sunday was a magnificent morning! The sun was up, not a cloud in the sky (it was windy and cold, but that hardly detracted from the beauty of the day). I attended a 10 am Easter mass at the same church (I really enjoyed the community of people who I saw there, everyone seemed close). There was a visible lack of people between the ages of 25-40. Unc and I took a hike later in the day that was close to three hours, I love hiking in woods and it's close to where he lives. 

Monday I woke up insanely early (4:30 am EST, ouch) to go to the gym for a spin class and then get to NYC where I caught a bus to Boston. $19 one way for a 4 hr 15 minute ride to Boston. What a deal! Everyone on the bus was my age or college age (a refreshing change) and the driver was cool. That bus had wi-fi on it so I played on the computer, did a little work, the time flew by fast.  

I met up with Juliet (friend from college) at her place, very cool! The architecture of the homes and apartments out here can't be beat. Not a square room in sight (not that I mind my square home, but non-square ones w/o carpet are automatically cool). We went for lunch at a place just down the street...they served wraps with rice and different veggies/fillers and white flour wasn't an option, white rice wasn't either. Yummy! 

We wandered on over to MIT and she toured me around the place. You should see the architecture! The coolest was seeing their hacks. Basically, the school is proud of the pranks the students put together. And these are the most creative, technically able group of students so watch out, they do some crazy stuff! Check this out: http://hacks.mit.edu/misc/best_of.html

Her finance joined us, then, we wandered through a huge cool park (I know it has a name, I just am not sure of it) and saw some great really old neighborhoods (around Beacon Hill) and ended up with really great Vietnamese food. This may be my first Vietnamese dinner and I'm already looing forward to the next one. Tasted good and was light, just how I like dinner to be.

Then they saw me off on the subway that took me out to near where Erica (friend from middle school) lives. She also lives in a cool place with no square rooms. It was late at that point so we didn't have tons of time to catch up, but I've stayed with her all week (and I've been working with my boss who lives near here) so the visiting time has been great. 

Today she took the day off from work, we're going to see the sights, I'll report more later & post pics. The sun is shining here and it should be 70 degrees today. 

Testing blogging from my phone.

Tour of California - Day 3

Le Tour of California proved that life just wouldn't be the same without racing. Sure, I might not have been racing (or even wishing that I was racing), but once again (you've heard this in previous posts), I went on a trip that I might otherwise not have gone on and I visited towns that I might never have seen if it weren't for the racing...and getting to share the whole experience with others is always the coolest.

The people who attend races are the best. How can you go and not interact with the locals? Impossible. Everyone is smiling, though it might mean getting poured on, freezing, being absolutely miserable...but not really.

There was an element of this weekend that was simply comical. Yesterday it rained over 3” in the Bay area. Today we were able to avoid the rain (it down poured twice while we were in Santa Cruz, but there were ample awnings in the very cute town of Santa Cruz). Oh yeah, it also hailed some for a few seconds. Yes, really.

From trampolining to watching Lana play indoor baseball with a stress ball and IT Band-roller with da boyz, having nearly no reprieve from driving rain or wet clothes, watching a movie, making dinner and eating family-style with Lana and her guy friends (who are the equivalent to family to her, well, me, too, when I visit), nearly starving because watching the women's crit was more important to me than worrying about food...then being unable to navigate to find said food, again, a laughable, very enjoyable, definitely memorable, adventure.

Now I'm in the airport waiting for a plane to take off that is a full 2 hours late to leave. I have not been ready to leave, I don't care to go back to standard everyday life just yet. And here I am, not leaving. No part of me is tired, I think the adrenaline of the crowd and today's finish will keep me up for awhile still. Oh wait, that's right, there is no choice in the matter.

Below is a pic from the Santa Rosa final circuit portion of yesterday's race. More later, we're finally boarding!

Tour of California - Stage 1

Finally, finally I got to see a stage of the Tour of California up-close and personal! Yippee!!! The conditions were FAR from ideal with chilly temps and constant rain coming down at a substantial pace. Lana and I arrived at the women's criterium as they were finishing their first lap. As we approached and they passed, five women crashed out (it was a straight-away), so I'm not sure if that had to do with slick road or sketchy bike handling (don't forget this is one of the first crits of the season for most of the racers). Other than that crash, it appeared there may not have been many more as the race wore on, the field size stayed constant. 

The pace was very high and the talent deep in the women's field. It was awesome to spectate and be able to appreciate what happens out there from a different vantage point. They must have been so miserable out there, though, it was not fun to be on the sidelines and the field hit a corner every 15 seconds for one hour (assuming 2 minute laps). 

Now to the men...we were dying of hunger by the time the women's race was over (breakfast was an apple) so we needed to hunt down food. Not easy driving through Santa Rosa with the blocked streets and all of the good places seemed to be closed. Finally, we ended up at a restaurant, that, unbeknownst to us, was next to where the men would be doing their final three circuit laps in a couple of hours! 

I wandered along the circuit, enjoying the crowds of people lining the course and imbibing the energy and excitement of being at a race. The rain actually subsided, too, long enough to lure me outside without a rain jacket. The men finally came in (after the rain started dumping again), Mancebo ahead by minutes and two chase groups, the first of which held Lance...there were lots of other big names up there, but it's really hard to see anyone for any period of time going at the speeds they're going. I got lots of pics but am not in the position to upload any right now. Will post everything more soon. 

It was a super exciting finish (I couldn't see the finish so wasn't sure if Mancebo had out sprinted two men who had bridged up to him). Unfortunately, though, it rained and rained and it's still raining and raining. Tomorrow I wanted to ride up to a really cool climb they're doing, but at this rate, it sounds ridiculous. 

Tonight Lana and I cooked dinner (pasta) and we hung out with her group of friends, watched a movie and hung out until everyone who has to work tomorrow decided it was wise to go to bed. And now, it's wise for me to hit the hay, as well. Good night!

Valentine's Day in San Fran

Yesterday the rain didn't come as promised and there was a chance to go out for almost a 3 hr ride. I had overdressed, good problem to have! Today looks like it will really be rainy, so who knows if there will be riding time. We're (Lana and I) are heading to Santa Rosa in a few minutes. Now we're in San Francisco preparing to make the journey (only an hour from here). Last night we went out on the town, we went to a few bars (had some excellent beer, they have a great selection here). We stayed with Lana's friend, Rachael, she's the one who hosted the Halloween party. The nightlife is pretty cool and fun here, a bit more mainstream than it is in Denver.

I'd better get going now, but figured it would be good to get this out since I have no idea how the rest of the day will go. Valentine's Day went well, it was fun and getting to spend it with friends didn't disappoint. Bye for now!

End of Day 1, the fulfilling of a childhood fantasy

The sky opened up yesterday just before I went out for a ride. So no ride...however, there was a far more interesting adventure in store. Lana, Aaron and I went to the gym (24 Hr Fitness) and lifted for a little over an hour. We grabbed a little dinner and then headed over to a friend's house where a huge group had accumulated...

...everyone was going to go trampolining! CA is a different place, indeed. We went to this place where there were rooms full of huge tramps. And we jumped for an hour. I've never sweated so much. But I felt like 10 again and didn't want to stop. That was so much fun to fly (maybe 5 feet?) in the air again and again. Have pics, will post when there's a chance. Time to beat the rain and go for that bike ride. 

Oh, and probably going to skip the 3 hr drive to Sacramento to see the prologue...it'll be raining by then and we'll have far more fun hanging out in San Francisco.

Almost forgot, Happy Valentine's Day!!!