hell pellet

I'm moving

2009-09-24T18:23:00.001-05:00

Hi guys! I've moved all my stuff over to Wordpress. Visit me there and tell me what you think.

My favorite

2009-08-24T09:54:00.003-05:00

It's still summer because I have 3 pairs of flip flops in the kitchen.

It's still summer because I can hear the cicadas whirring outside.

It's still summer because the air conditioning is running.

It's still summer because the huge fan is in the living room.

It's still summer because the kids can go to the city pool.

It's still summer because school starts on Wednesday, not today.

It's still summer because it's not my birthday, yet.

It's still summer because I can go outside in my bare feet.
And it will be summer until I have to put on winter boots.

August already?

2009-08-19T11:46:00.004-05:00

After my Blackberry went through the washing machine in February, I had to make a few decisions. I had two cell phone contracts. One with Verizon and one with AT&T.
I know, I know. That's one too many.

The second contract with Verizon was for a business cell. I hadn't been with that "business" since December. The contract had 22 months left on it but I was compelled to cancel. I'd had the same cell number since 2001 so that phone number and contract won out. And later on, when the AT&T contract renewed, I could get an iPhone. If I really wanted one.

Initially I was torn. I'd been a Blackberry gal forever. Forever.

Now I can't believe there was even a question.

I went to the Apple Store yesterday and bought an iPhone.

I'm so excited to have a phone that did not come over on the Mayflower. I'm excited to have my contacts in one place. I'm even more excited to have a calendar and "to do" list somewhere other than on paper.

Pardon me, I've got to go. I have a huge hole of online data I need to fill. I'll see you sometime next week.

Just for a few....

2009-06-16T14:28:00.003-05:00

I've been helping my Grandmother through a tough transition. She moved into a nursing home in January. I helped her move, liquidate most of her personal belongings and helped her through some complicted financial matters. It's been a long haul physically and emotionally.

I celebrated about 2 weeks ago when I received a letter that her Medicaid had finally been approved. I began applying for Medicaid, which pays the balance of her healthcare, in mid-February. Three months of applying, processing insurance, providing documentation. Three months of working with a government agency was stressful. There was always a threat, however slight, of "your application can be denied". That's what every document I received said.

Today I received a really official looking document that stated Your Medicaid Application XcIMo 19 XGeoKl has been denied.

I muttered to myself, "Wow. I'm pretty sure I got a letter saying the exact opposite thing. Now where is that letter? It was right here..."

A little panic ensued. Just for a few minutes. I dug to find the original letter. I found a bunch of random things. But no letter. Hmmmmph.

Carefull re-read the new letter. It was much more official looking. And a lot of it was in all caps. So, basically the Fed was shouting at me and telling me I'd been denied.

I finally found the original letter. I compared the two. Yes, part of her application had been denied. Both letters confirmed this fact.

Then I turned the new letter over. It continued, in all caps of course, to say that the majority of my application had been approved. It shouted out to me that I'd done a good job and had been approved. All was right with the world.

Jesus Horses and other things

2009-06-07T22:39:00.003-05:00

I spent 3 hours with an old friend on Thursday night. We met at Caribou Coffee in Columbus. The one on Lane Ave, right by his house. I could have spent hours longer with him, but we both had places to go. A couple of things really struck me while we talked.

Wow, I thought, we're still friends. We're catching up with each other like time has hardly passed. I didn't doubt our friendship, I just didn't know what kind of turn it would take. The turn it took is great.

We had a blast! He is funny as hell. He told me the "latest" phrase. I'm not sure it's a PC term or maybe a "churchy" term. Doesn't matter, really. It's funny and I like it. The latest term is "jesus horse". Dinosaurs? The new term for them is "jesus horse" Ridiculous and funny all at the same time.

We laughed about politics, the state of things USA. We talked business a while. We "people shopped". We talked social media...me=yay, him=nay. We even had a gossip session about people from 25 years ago.

We caught up just like old friends do. I'm glad we had the chance to get together. I'm glad we caught up. I'm so grateful to still have him as one of my dearest friends. Welcome back, my friend, welcome back.

7 Random Things About My Work History

2008-10-21T16:03:00.003-05:00

Jill's recent post about work inspired me today. So, here goes.

1. My first job was as a lifeguard for the Boy Scouts. I was 15 and fresh out of my Advanced Life Saving class. We had to lifeguard while Boy Scouts took classes to get their swimming and canoeing badges. It was also my first experience working for cash. That's right, 15 years old and getting cash under the table.

2. My first summer job was lifeguarding at a local athletic/raquet club. I showed up for the orientation meeting drunk. I was 17 and had just graduated from high school the day before...I had been up all night and I was still drunk. I got away with it, no one caught on that I was wasted.

3. In college I always wanted to work on a home construction crew. Grandma wouldn't let me. Maybe girls don't "do those kinds of jobs". She would never explain why.

4. Job I never returned to: Siding and window sales. I didn't go back for day 2. It had been billed as a job selling "home construction" projects.

5. Job I never should have returned to: A local temp agency selling "temps". It was a churn and burn telemarketing job. And the corporate trainer was a lecherous weirdo. I have great stories though

6. Always wanted to be: Chrissy Hynde

7. Another job I'd love to have: pilot

no wonder

2008-10-06T11:39:00.003-05:00

Tim Kolln Photography

I think this is why a size large cycling jersey doesn't fit me, or really anyone else I know. Dude needs to grab the extra pork chop.

I viewed this photo at a cool website that chronicles pro cyclists immediately after races. Tim Kolln provides us absolutely stunning cycling related black and white photography. Enjoy.

oooooh, yeah, I'm going to have to go ahead and ask you

2008-10-02T13:42:00.002-05:00

to add a little freakin' capacity to my Outlook inbox. Anyone sends me over 1 meg worth of documents and it tanks.

yeah, that'd be great.

Flight 93

2008-09-30T08:12:00.004-05:00

A friend of a friend writes this great blog. She's running a "one day only" contest to get tons of traffic to her website. The proceeds from her ads will be donated to the planned memorial at Shanksville PA for Flight 93. Go to her site today to help her get more traffic and more ad revenue for the memorial. When you get there, click away!

Also, go to the post about her visit to Shanksville to visit the memorial that is currently in place. I can almost feel how empty and still it is out there just by looking at the photos.

As directed, leave a comment on her post to win fabulous prizes. My pick, predictably, is something from our dear UncleCrappy.

So help "burgh baby" do a very meaningful thing and visit her posts.

techno-

2008-07-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

I just started Twittering and Uncle Crappy apparently can't take the stress of the Outbreak.

Little by little I'll add more things...Twitter was yesterday. Facebook was in January. At this rate I'll be up to date online within the year. Realistically, I'll be horribly behind.

I'd rather read everyone elses stuff than add my own.

Team Fatty

2008-05-08T19:02:00.004-05:00

I love to read blogs. Well, let me qualify that. I love to read good blogs. I'm hooked on several and I check in most days to catch up and be entertained.

I'm mostly drawn to well crafted pieces, sarcastic or cutting humor and laugh out loud stories about life. Oh yeah, I'm also a junkie for great photography coupled with great writing.

Well, I'm addicted to reading Fat Cyclist. "Fatty" is a self decprecating cyclist who lives and rides in Utah. In an effort to lose weight (skinny = fast), he posted his weight every day. Weight loss through humiliation. I like it.

I've been lurking on his site for about a year. I've been secretly coveting the Twin Six cycling jersey he had designed to help his wife's battle with breast cancer. For a long time, his wife Susan, has been way ahead of her cancer. Fatty has been posting his usual insightful, witty posts and all is good.

Then came the post from last week. I read it and couldn't get over what it said. I read it and cried. A lot. I read all of the comments, which at the time numbered in the hundreds. I've checked in every day since. I even stopped lurking and actually commented. A lot of good things are happening for Fatty and Susan. They're being very strong and battling this thing every day. With news as dire as they got last week, they're going through treatment and looking for a miracle. Or maybe that's what I'm looking for.

an old friend

2008-03-27T13:01:00.003-05:00

So, about 5 years ago I got my very own compy. And a desk. And a chair. None of it was new or for that matter, very shiny or spiffy. What it was was mine. The compy was the best part of all. I got some crazy dial up internet provider and I was off to the races. ( a slow race but a race nonetheless)

A Yahoo Mail address. Somewhat instant access to GratefulDead.com. Somewhat instant access to Yahoo News and Weather.com. I was in heaven!!

I sent ridiculous chain letter emails and jokes to All My Friends. Yes, I spent hours a day sending ridiculous chain letters. Until I really irritated a lot of people. I read the news endlessly at drudgereport. I found some cool sites that I tended to read every day.

Cool sites like this...and this. Then I found my first blog. Love this lady and her blog, absolutely love her. So for whatever reason, I kind of stopped reading her blog every day. Then I forgot it was out there. Then I couldn't even remember the name of the blog, just the general idea. Flash to today where I have to "catch up" everyday with about 5 or 6 blogs.

What was the name of that cool blog? She also has a graphics business, what the hell was the name of that? And just like that I remembered the name of her business and found her "instantly" (I have a cable modem now)

Jen from VeryBigDesign rules. I love the graphics on her sites, especially VBD. It reminds me of my Grandmother's Butterick patterns from the 70's. Also reminiscent of Grandma's "hostess gowns" she'd wear when she had poker parties (whiskey parties) with she and Grandpa's cool "couple" friends. Really the graphics take me back. The commentary makes me laugh.

I'm glad I found you again! Thanks for a great day.

Gorgeous View

2008-02-24T15:32:00.003-05:00

A little bit of inspiration for our ride. How high up are we going to go???

not dead, just a little tired

2008-02-24T14:31:00.007-05:00

We just had our first official team ride today. I was a little nervous because my fitness is most definitely not what it should be.

About 20 of us got together to meet quickly then take a spin around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was 11 degrees at 9 am! By the time we actually got on the course, 2 1/2 hours later it was in the low 20's. That's a tolerable level of cold. Tolerable if you're dressed for it, that is! It's a beautiful, clear, sunny day and you really have to take advantage of that.

Like I said, it was a quick ride, 10 1/2 miles. Really short but still enough time for two stops. One for a photo op and to remove the chemical "toe warmers" from my shoes. The other to help a teamate who's chain had popped off her chain ring.

The hill that has always been my nemesis was actually fine. It's never been "fine" this early in the season. Since that's the case, I have very, very good things to look forward to this season.

Here's a list of the gear I was wearing. No frost bite for me today!

wool socks plus neoprene toe covers over my cycling shoes

thermal full length cycling pants

long sleeve base layer, long sleeve fleece top, wind shell

neck gaitor thing

glove liners, cycling gloves, fleece gloves

helmet and sunglasses

I was completely warm so I probably could have ridden more. My hands and neck felt a little like what I imagine Gumby feels like. Kind of wide and only a little bit flexible. All very serviceable though, so this is good! I'm so super glad I've gotten my cold weather ensemble down to a science so early in the year.

For anyone that's new to this site, DD and I are training to complete America's Most Beatiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe, NV on June 1st. We're raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's our third event and promises to be exciting and quite scenic. Our goal is to raise $10,000 this year! To help the cause, you can donate securely at our website. You can also go there to see our thoroughly photoshopped photo of El Tour de Tucson.

I am thankful....

2008-02-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

It's easy to get wrapped up in the day to day to do lists, isn't it? It happens to me almost every day. I try to remind myself, at least once a day, all that I am thankful for. I'm really a lucky person.

Here's a quick list:
I'm thankful for my sweet, fantastic husband. We're really lucky to have found each other.

I'm thankful for my nice little life, my old house and my silly, fuzzy kitty.

I'm thankful for the car I have to drive. It's got a ton of miles on it, it's taken me lots of great, fun and interesting places.

I adore my friends. I've known some of you since I was a kid. That's huge. Others have come along in the last 5 years or so. All fabulous.

I love my family. We've been through a lot together and I know I can really rely on them.

I really like my job. It's flexible enough to let me occasionally blog during the daytime! I meet cool people, when I "knock it out of the park" it's ridiculously satisfying.

I love my house. Have I mentioned that? It's a great house. I live in a great cozy neighborhood. It's actually a neighborhood because I know my neighbors and we tend to look out for each other.

DD and I took a fantastic vacation last year at the beach. I am so grateful to get to know DD's fraternity brothers and their families. They are fabulous. We had such a great time. And lucky still, we have another one planned for next August!!

That's my list for today. Things just off the top of my head.

What are you thankful for on this blustery February day??

I'll autograph this if you'd like

2008-02-14T18:54:00.005-05:00

Here's an amusing meme from Uncle Crappy. DrunkDude did it too. I'm a visual junkie so I love this stuff.

Here's how it works:

Pick your band name by going here. You may have to refresh a couple of times to get something appropriate. (CEMA was a kinda weird one I got)
Now you can pick your album title by going here. Pick the last quote entry on the page and use the last four words as your album title. My title is a quote from Florida Scott-Maxwell, O Magazine October 2003.
Choose your album art...Go to this fun spot on Flickr and choose the third image. You may need to refresh a few times to get an image that can be used under a creative commons license. (Don't use any copyrighted materials or the blog police may nab you!)

You can paste the whole thing together to make the album art for your new band. Have fun! I may do one every day.

2007-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

DD has a birthday tomorrow! Poor guy, he hates his birthday. In 2008 he's actually going to change his birthday and celebrate on June 9th. Get it? 6-9. He was born in 1969 so his birthday will now be 6-9-69

It's kind of silly to be obsessed with a number, isn't it? Well, not really. DD is in a band called drunkdude69. On his website, there is a page devoted to "69 of the Week". Anytime one sees "69" on a package or price tag or restaurant bill it is a sign that the Rock Gods are pleased and want everyone to be happy. It happens all the time if you've trained yourself to watch for it.

Even more apropos, DD69 will soon be releasing their first album in a few short weeks. Really, they mean it this time. They are done and ready to send to press. No shit, dude, they are. More details on this as things unfold.

Above is a receipt from Guitar Center. The Drummer in DD69 purchased some gear. Look at the total....
It's a sign, I'm telling you, it's a sign.

December, part Deux

2007-12-17T11:29:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I had mentioned that everthing was a bit "delayed" this Christmas Season. Here's why. Normally in December, my priority is all things Christmas.

This year it's different and lots of fun. In the first week of December, DD and I decided to tear up our old, crappy, stained, impossible to clean carpet. Luckily, the carpet was only in the living room. We moved the books shelves (4) and all of the books into the dining room.

We wanted to get rid of the carpet and we were curious as to what was under the carpet. We have hardwood floors in the rest of the house...and we just wanted to see.

Holy finished oak, Batman! We have luscious hardwood under the carpet. I had always feared that the wood under the carpet was horribly flawed. So in my mind, the cheap, impossible to clean carpet was a cover up for something even more ugly. (this is a theme that has run through our home since I first lived here in 1999)

So, as soon as we realized we were "good to go" DD hauled off and ordered a ginormous area rug for the room. We had stalked this rug since September. I picked it out. DD approved. It's big.

9' 9" x 12' 9"

Why would this take so long and delay normal Christmas decorating, gift buying and cookie baking? Because we sorted all of our books. Yikes.

So after sorting, discarding and sifting, it finally arrived. We rolled it out, placed furniture on it and took a couple of deep breaths. It's beautiful. It's lush. It's the perfect scale, color and pattern. Oh, and It really ties the room together.

December!

2007-12-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

I promised Uncle Crappy I'd have a slow work month so I'd be able to post and "catch up"

I probably should have posted all month in November. Work was slow and I had the time to post. Or at least it seems like I did! This month has been busy work-wise. Busy enough that when work is "done" I vegetate on the couch while watching HGTV. That has been my favorite Guilty Pleasure of late.

So, here's to vegetating, reading about 10 books and watching hours on end of Iron Chef and house "fixer-up" shows and not doing anything much for Christmas.

Here's what I've done over the past 24 hours:

Bought Christmas Tree

Cleaned garage (DD did this, not me)

Extricated 15 boxes of Chrismas Decorations from garage attic. Brought them in the house.

Installed lights and decorations on the front porch. Everyone on our block thinks we've converted to Jehovah's Witnesses. I did this during the teeth of the Blizzard yesterday for added style points.

Put up tree, installed lights and ornaments

Listened to Nat King Cole and Wynton Marsalis Christmas music (prerequisite for trimming the tree)

Purchased food gift baskets for my boss and co-workers in our Arizona office (late? maybe a bit)

Today the goal is to clean the dining room and decorate in there. I'm usually Johnny on the Spot at Christmas but everything is a bit delayed this year. Well, it will get done. It always does!!

August!

2007-11-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

So, we went on vacation to the Outer Banks in August.

We took two days to drive there so we could take a small side trip to Monticello in Charlottesville. I've wanted to see the home TJ designed. You know, see his digs. We did.

It's a show stopper. The entire estate, from the siting, to the gardens, to the plan, to the home is stunning. He is a mastermind. Maybe even a freak.

Then we buckled down and drove the rest of the way. We figured it'd be about 4 hours.

It ended up being 8 hours. It was an odyssey of 97 degree weather, no air conditioning and stifling traffic. Note to self: Get there next year on Friday nite instead of Saturday. That equals one extra day at the beach!

The beach vacation is a long family tradition. Requirements are: big beach house very close to the beach, a house-ful of friends and/or family, swimming and walking during the day, cocktail hour and dinner at home every night. The only decisions to make are:

To swim in the ocean or to swim in the pool
What to have for cocktails
Which book to read next
What color souvenir tshirt to buy

Everything else pretty much motors along by itself. Each family in the group cooks a meal for one night. The party planners pick the cocktail to go with the dinner.

Easy-Peasey-Pekingese- ee.

I'm sure it sounds boring. Let me assure you, I am in my bliss at the beach. I love the water. I love walking on the beach. I absolutely love the joy of "being" while I'm at the beach. It doesn't really matter what I'm doing, as long as I'm there.

See ya'll on the beach next year!

NaBloPoMo

2007-11-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

See the comments on my previous post for a note from U. Crappy. Maybe if I were really nice, he'd keep posting on my blog for me.

So, officially, I'm off the map. Incommunicado. At least for now.

Mid October I actually considered signing up for NaBloPoMo as Fussy.org. I've even written some posts on actual paper. (shudder) Well, they're solid outlines. Now it's the 8th, I never signed up, nor did I start blogging.

I think my mind is churning so fast that I can't sit down for more than a minute to concentrate, write and then post. Notice the word "churning". My mind is not actually working, just churning. I think they have drugs for this!

It's all kind of blur...

2007-07-23T17:12:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe what I've done in the past two weeks.

stripped wallpaper in the kitchen and prepped walls for paint

picked out a paint color, finally

painted kitchen a sagey green

oiled the kitchen cabinets, instead of replacing the beasts

cleaned the house. I mean, really cleaned it

Then we had a party! Nothing like having 15 people over to inspire a few projects and a thorough cleaning.

We worked our "regular" jobs all day then came home and worked on the kitchen until at least 10. We did that little routine for about 5 or 6 days in a row. That's the way to get shit done, just do it.

Then, the wine party. It was really pretty cool. It sounds kind of snobby and top-drawer, but it ended up being a lot of fun. It seemed a lot less snobby, at least, after I got a few small glasses of wine under my belt.

Now, this week it will be a little crazy too. I had a big presentation this morning, along with the requisite lack of sleep. And I leave at zero am on Thursday to work an apt. assoc. trade show in Nashville. I'm pretty excited about that!

Then back to Cleveland late nite Friday. Whirlwind 3 weeks, huh?

Tucson Rocks

2007-07-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Check out the bit of film about my favorite desert cycling town. Snagged this little gem from my favorite cycling blog www.drunkcyclist.com

DD and I vowed to crush El Tour de Tucson in the next year or so. Yes, we will give it the crushing midwestern style, drinking a six pack while tooling down the last 10 miles on Silverbell.

oaaahhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh

I might actually fucking log in

2007-07-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading one of my fave blogs: www.arcticglass.blogspot.com

I love reading her blog, am usually inspired to write and then I relax, take a few deep breaths.
And then I don't write.

So today, I will write. At least a little.

My favorite ride so far this year was sometime in early June. It had rained, it was still fairly cloudy and massive thunderheads were threatening to the south. Not heeding any sane advice our coaches had givenin the past, we decided to head out.

The ground was nice and soggy, the trail was still pretty wet. There were tons of puddles on the bike trail and in the road. There were tons of blossoms, seed pods and general treee-type detritous in the path. We were riding our mountain bikes (set up specifically to nearly mimic road bikes, but anyway...)

The park was deserted, no doubt because of the threat of rain and possibly thunder and lightning. No one on foot, no die-hard long distance runners, no recreational bikers with the "baby carriers" attached. Not much of anything or anyone. It was bliss.

We went a few hundred yards and it started to rain. Just a nice, soft, friendly rain. No thunder. No lightning. The mean black clouds also started to roll away....to be replaced by happy, grey rain clouds. You know the kind of rain that rains all day and soaks your yard and vegetable garden with rainy goodness? Yep, it was that kind of rain.

We were like little kids playing in puddles. We were pretty much soaked in about 15 minutes. Within 5 minutes we were covered with mud, road muck and tons of "tree stuff" Our bikes were coated too. No one was around, so were rarely even changed cadence and rarely had to use our brakes. When we did actually brake, we gave good thought to it because most of our braking involved slowly pushing the brake levers so as to "scrub" water from our rims so we could force a stop.

We were out about an hour, I have no idea how many miles we went. We were soaked. We were filthy. We were elated. The point on a day like that seems more about the experience, the fun, the dirt, the water than any average speed record or interval training. It's more like that for me anyway...the Zen of biking, not the quantity.

Hi my name is HP and I am a consumer

2007-05-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

I'm probably not that much different from ya'll. I login, check my email, surf some blogs, catch up on some celebrity gossip, check some more blogs. Then I check my email again, just to be sure I don't miss anything. You know, like a really good email from Orbitz or something.

If it's the weekend, I go on a walk or a bike ride. Most likely I collapse in a heap on the sofa and graze some catalogues, leaf through some magazines. Maybe read a chapter or two from a novel. Then if I'm really bored, I'll turn on the tube and graze through the fantastic five: TLC, Discovery, HGTV, FoodTV and E! If I get hooked on I Love the 90's or 80's or a fantasy fest of the Girls Next Door, forget about it. My day is done. I am glued until I fall asleep or have a snack and then fall asleep.

So, in reality, I can create. But mostly I consume. Yep, I am a consumer. No fantastic artwork, no magazine article, no outstanding first novel. I guess it's not that big a deal. Most people are 100 percent consumers. It ticks through my brain occasionally....most likely because I used to create. It was my job, I got paid to do it. But I did things, there is a record of things I did. There are even a few "monuments" to my creation.

Isn't it funny how things cycle through your brain? Maybe it's because Thursday is a "blue moon" or maybe because it's the beginning of Summer. Who knows? What do you think??

mountain bikes are cool too!

2007-05-21T18:35:00.000-05:00

3 weeks ago DD and I go on a quick bike ride. It was clear and windless. It's probably a bit cold too, I actually wear pants over my cycling shorts. We need to be outside on a bike so badly that we go despite the cold. My knee has been "acting up" so I take it pretty easy. Everything is good until the way back. We hit just the tiniest bit of a slope, a bit of a head wind and I drop way back. I actually beg DD to let me draft for the rest of the ride.

No stamina or endurance. My knee feels strangely weak and a little bit wobbly. When I stand up to pedal I feel SHARP pain. Not a good combination on my 2007 Inaugural Outdoor Bike Ride.

(Insert Wayne's World "funny, way back, remember when sound...dodooloodo....dodooloodooo...here)

Cut back to May last year. My knee was sore, swollen and would not bend past 90 degrees. Stairs were a bitch. Sleeping on my back or stomach was uncomfortable.....you get the idea, it's not a pretty.

I marched off to my orthopaedic "surgeon". We Xrayed, we MRI'd. Diagnosis was that I had arthritis under my patella and that was the cause of the pain and swelling. The course of action was to rest, let pain be my guide and all it would all eventually "go away".

I rest. I baby it. I ice it. Then I train during late summer and fall. DD and I complete El Tour de Tucson. Then we get the real training bug and start intervals with the evil Coach Troy in January. Somewhere in Jan or Feb, I do something to my knee. It swells up like some horrible alien sucking the life from what was formerly my knee. I stop training.

Time for a 2 nd Opinion. Lets just start by saying that Dr. Wayne is the bomb. I have a diagnosis I trust. I am getting physical therapy. My knee seems to be improving a tiny bit every day. What's really up with my knee? When I bend it, my patella ends up on the Outside the joint. So in other words, my knee cap is not "tracking" right.

I need something easy to do, something pain free. But I crave the sweat and endorphins of a tough work out. I remember my sweet, beat up but friendly mountain bike. We go for the same ride that was unsuccessful 3 weeks ago and it is a huge success. 10 miles today! The only pain is that of unused muscles in my legs and a few twinges on my "sit bones".

YAHTZEE!!

Sometimes a little change of scenery, a change of equipment, and some targeted therapy is all that you need to get rollin' again.

secret getaway #369

2007-05-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

Yay, I love surprises! DD took me for a little getaway weekend to Mercer County, PA. OK, I probably would not have gone had I known it was in Mercer....but it really was marvelous.

We had planned to go visit Mom of DD and Howdy and hang out for some family time. The night before, I was planning on crashing early in my own bed. Then up early and drive to Piksburke.
That's not exactly what happened.

On Friday, we went to Sharon, PA and checked into a fabulous B & B. It is a huge stone mansion right on the main drag. DD had reserved the Tropical Nights room. It was a lovely room with a huge hot tub in the room, a luxurious bath and fantastic view of the gardens and conservatory.

While enjoying our champagne reception, the host, Amy was kind enough to call and order our dinner. Two antipasta salads and pepperoni pizza from Aldo's, which we ate in our room with glasses of red wine. Very romantic. Very relaxing.

Wonderful night's sleep in a huge four poster bed with one thousand pillows....a huge breakfast of steak and eggs, omelettes and fresh fruit all topped off by a huge pot of coffee. I spent about an hour in the spa steaming and sauna-ing and then having an invigorating "monsoon" shower. Why it is always so pleasant and easy to get cleaned up in a spa? Probably because you don't have to take any "get ready" items of your own. Also because there is no possible way I can be distracted by needing to scrub the tub, throw in another load of laundry or clean the cat box while I perform my ablutions. I love having no distractions!

Now, if the mansion B & B, the pizza dinner and fabulous spa are not enough, just wait for the this.

Sharon is home to Duffin's Chocolate AND the World's Largest Shoe Store. As a matter of fact, the B & B is situated in between these two fabulous attractions. Heaven, absolute Heaven! DD and I practiced some retail therapy. We bought about 3 pounds of assorted hand made chocolate and a pound or two of "penny candy". Then we were off to Reyer's from some much anticipated shoe shopping. Somehow we got away with only buying 3 pairs of shoes....one pair for me and two for DD.

In a nutshell, I find Mercer County surprising exciting, scenic with some serious doses of history and antiques. If Sharon was without the shoe store and chocolate shop, I'd probably still go back. With them, additional visits are ensured!!

Maybe even the occasional sales trip to Sharon is warranted. It is in my sales territory!!

Spring might have sprung!

2007-04-25T19:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in what seems like years. I almost forgot how to login!

Really busy running around, selling things, trying to do laundry, cook dinner and work out. It all seems to get 90 percent done....then sometimes I just crash and nap for two or three days.

I'll start from last weekend and work back.

I went to Columbus this weekend for some much needed and anticipated family time. Then, as a bonus, got to have some pretty hard core Ground Hog Time.

I stayed with Grandma of HellPellet on Friday nite. I took she and her boyfriend to dinner at Golden Corral. First thing, I would normally never go to Golden Corral. Second thing, my Grandma has a boyfriend. The two go freakishly hand in hand. Grandma's boyfriend is very particular about what he eats. He says he likes to go to buffets so if he is not satisfied with his food, he can go back and get a 2nd, 3rd or 10th plate of something else. So, Golden Corral it is.

My Grandmother is going to be 90 years old this fall. Yep, 90!! She has a boyfriend. Scary. She hangs out with someone who is not my Grandfather. Grandpa, who incidentally hung the moon, passed about 7 years ago. I still really miss him and I really can't see her with anyone else.

So, the combo Boyfriend-Golden-Corral-Outing was pretty much a success. Bob liked his food, Grandma had a good time, liked her food. My food: no comment. I bet the breakfast buffet might be a better bet next time.

On to visit Juan, Wilfredo and Mary May.....
we had planned to go see Lucinda Williams on Saturday nite. Juan had experienced trouble getting tickets for the show from the TicketBastard phone lines, so we trotted down to the venue to plunk down our cash for tickeys. The ticket windows weren't open. I slowly read the sign that said the windows "are open at noon on the day of a show" Something was wrong, but I couldn't figure it out.

I slowly back away from the window with a quizzed look on my face. I stare at the Marquee...
It says....

April 20 Lucinda Williams
April 21 Upper Arlington High School Prom

Juan swoops by in the Lexus, I jump in. I grab my phone and check the date. It says April 21, 2007. We missed the concert by a day. It's a crazy world we live in when I don't know the date, Juan can't get thru on the Ticket Line, and the original planner, Tam, doesn't know the date either. Shit. We were all looking forward to it, too.

We should have just gone ahead and crashed the UAHS prom, don't you think?

Hello Coach Troy!!

2007-03-05T09:20:00.000-05:00

After multiple weeks of inactivity, it's time to get back on the bike. Yep. I mean it this time!

DD and I went to the Cuyahoga Valley Loop yesterday morning to run SAG for the TNT Lake Tahoe team. We finally reached the Valley after a slick, snow covered 45 minute car trip. Our coach was sitting in his warm car wearing jeans and work boots. No ride for the team, no ride for the coach, no SAG for the boopies.

Our partner in TNT crime, Mercedes, was also there, geared up in her running stuff. Who wants to run when it's 22 degrees, windy and snowing sideways? Apparently she did. Lucky for her, we talked her out of it. We greeted several other team members who were crazy enough to show up for the ride...and sent them all home. "Go train inside. Or go take a nap.... " we said.

OK, if it wasn't obvious before, I'll admit, I am no Jill Homer. See her blog. She is a crazy cyclist who loves to ride in horrific conditions. I was pretty sure that DD and I would be training outside this winter but then we foiund the luxury and warmth of doing interval training inside! Yep, climate controlled, no precipitation, no side winds blowing us off the trail.

Don't get me wrong, I am jones-ing to be outside riding. But I am really longing to be outside at a temperature somewhere above freezing. Just call me a candy-ass, because I am.

holy hawaii Batman!

2007-02-26T20:26:00.000-05:00

Sales contests are cool. Actually, they're only cool if you win them.

Yep, I am one of the winners of President's Circle 2006. No, I did not have to make it thru 2006 Circles of Hell. No, I didn't have to "do" the President. I just had to sell a lot and at the same time, not lose a lot.

So, what does President's Club entail? 5 days and nites in sunny, beautiful Kauai. No shit, Kauai.
Just one of my top 5 favorite places in the world. So, needless to say, I am pretty wound up about it. We are actually going to stay an extra 2 days... so we can have some fun by ourselves.

Here's the scoop....
When: March 22 thru 29
Where: Princeville Resort, Kauai, Hawaii
Who: Only the cool people
Why: Because I treaded lightly thru at least 5 or 6 Circles of Sales Hell and somehow kept my base of business together

I'll keep you posted on the plans and how it all goes...

One moment please while we process your request

2007-02-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Here's what I have been doing....
just have not been really motivated to write.

1. Celebrated Ground Hog's Day with another rousing weekend house party. This time the party was held at Juan and Wilfredo's pad.

2. Participated in a week long send off of one of our close friends. He is moving to N. California to live with his girlfriend.

3. Got a horrendous cold that lasted two weeks.

4. Put a temporary hold on indoor interval training. The cold coupled with a sore, swollen knee has put the kibosh on training for a while.

5. Read 10 or so books, 800 magazines and watched 45 movies.

6. Enjoyed a Friday nite party with Skinny Moo at the fabled Greenville Inn.

Blue Monday

2007-01-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

According to Dr Cliff Arnall, today is the most depressing day of the year. Dr. Arnall is a psychologist and former tutor at Cardiff University. Being the little smarty pants that he is, he has used mathematical equations to reach his verdict.

There are many reasons it's supposed to be so blue. First things first, our holiday spending (or credit carding) has probably caught up with us. We still continue to go to work when it's dark and then drive home when it's dark. We've also broken most if not all of our New Year's resolutions. You know what? I don't need no stinkin' mathematical equations to tell me I should be blue today. The reasons above are enough.

But wait, I'm not really blue today. I have a little case of "Damn, it's Monday. I'm having a hard time getting going". But it's certainly not a case of the "knock down-haul me off to bed now" blues.

So, check in with me folks...how is your Blue Monday? Blue? Deep Marine Blue? I can't get out of bed, Midnight Blue?

In the meantime, here's some internet fun to possibly cheer you....

Did we really??

2007-01-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

OK, another post about bikes. Gets kind of monotonous, huh? Probably almost as "one tracked" as Uncle Crappy with all his Buckeye Goodness.

Anyway, did DrunkDude and I really ride 109 miles in the desert about a month ago? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure too.

Well, we're spinning inside now. We got workout DVD's for Christmas. The photo above is our "coach", Troy. He is absolutely crushing us. We are doing 45 minute sets of intervals every day and are both crippled. As in, "Sweetie, can you give me a hand? I can't freakin' walk!"

I have to lower myself down the stairs at our house. One. Step. At. A. Time. After sitting for a while I have to hoist myself up with my arms and abdominal muscles. That's because my legs give out on me about halfway thru.

All this training goodness is in response to our problems and ridiculous slowness in the hills of Tucson. Really, I'm pretty embarassed by my performance on the ride. Yeah, I know. I know. We rode freakin' 109 miles, in the desert, in the blazing sun, while it was 90 degrees. Still, I pretty much sucked much of that day.

Just can't wait for tomorrow's training tape. It's called Mental Toughness. Yikes. I'll let you know how that goes. That is if my quads don't explode!

Birthday Lovin' Part Deux

2006-12-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

DD's Birthday Present: The Best Ever

What: Steelers Game, DD's first one in the new Heinz Field
When: December 24th 1 pm
Who: Stillers vs. Ravens

Details: Tickets bought on Ebay, nose bleed seats behind the team. Not a bad seat in the house. Price included parking pass in the A #1 lot at the field. Schweet.

Other particulars:

Stillers play just a little bit better than the Browns usually do, but lose the game.
I cheered like a total lunatic for Ben. Even cheered for the Stillers a bit. Mostly because I hate the Ravens.
Were able to buy Penn Pilsner or Yuengling on tap at the bottom of the shoot to our section.
If I decide to buy additional Stillers tickets next season, the thrill will not get old.

full of Christmassy Goodness

2006-12-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

err... due to technical difficulties beyond our control, hellpellet is unable to broadcast in the proper "politically correct" fashion today.

Yep, ladies and gentlemen, it's Christmas. What? A Christmas Tree? Christmas Presents? Christmas Cookies? Christmas Cards? Christmas Carols?

Nope, no "holidays" here. No holiday tree, no holiday vacation. Christmas. Santa Claus. Away in a Manger. All that Christmassy Goodness.

Why the rant? I got my first E-card today that didn't even stoop to a "Happy Holidays" or even "Seasons Greetings". It said "Have a great Winter Season!"

Even worse, it came from someone in California, where it is usually never winter. Or at least it's not a real winter. Is the "Winter Season Card" person taunting us for having winter in the Midwest? Or are they just dropping the PC Christmas handle of the year on us? Is it a holiday tree? Or is it just a Winter Tree?

Maybe we should just stick with the tried and true complete scouring and bleaching of any holiday or celebration: Festivus.

Happy Frickin' Festivus!!

I'm down with that. How 'bout you?

Small print: No animals, Santa Clauses or elves or even Babes in a Manger were harmed in the posting of this blog. Only recycled materials were used in the manufacture and mailing of this Season's Holiday Cards.

Some Birthday Lovin'

2006-12-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

DD's birthday is Dec. 20th. I know he hates that it is so close to Christmas. He got his first Birthday/Christmas card today. He cringed.

I am really excited about what I got him for his birthday. So excited in fact that I am ready to give him his gift today.

I'll wait though. And will let you know how it goes and if he really likes his gift.

consumed by the evil blog

2006-12-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

Struck by what my husband uttered today, I have fianlly decided to post. He said, and I quote, "Sometimes I find myself getting sucked in to some inane topic on the internet. I stop myself and wonder why I am wasting my time. Why am I not creating something of my own?"

Point well taken.

This past month is a combination of slogging thru work tasks, selling stuff and consuming a bunch of crap from the internet. Or as I've heard it called, "the inner nets". Nope, the crap of which I speak doesn't include the latest updates from my blog pals. John or Jill or Mrs. Kennedy. Yeah, you'd think I am personal friends with these people. How about Penny Pressed? Or Wendy McClure. Big Johnny at DrunkCyclist? Nope, I just lurk at their blogs. Occasionally I'll comment. I also surf people I actually know: Uncle Crappy and... Umm, well, you know, people I actually know, umm, they are....

OK, OK, I don't really know any of the people I read except Uncle Crappy.

The crap of which I speak is those crazy celebrity blogs. Yep. I can't get enough of Lindsey Lohan, Matthew McConnaughey and Kate Moss and her horrible crack head, smack head BF. I thought I was even ready for a Britney Spears come back. But in 10 short days I've already seen more, much more of Brit Brit than I ever needed or wanted. No come back for you, Brit. Sorry, girlfriend.

Another dirty little secret of mine. I have a really stupid, unfulfilling MySpace page. What is that you say? A MySpace page? What? Is hellpellet 25 and trolling for some internet strange?
Nope. I'm not. Ask Uncle Crappy. (he's perhaps my only internet friend who can truly vouch for me) I am a leetle bit older than 25 and am not trolling for any kind of weird internet "social" activities.

Why MySpace? I thought it would be fun. It is really just pretty lame. See note at Fashionable Chaos. I am totally on board with Penny's comments. Look at me referencing my "friend" at her blog. I have totally lost my mind.

I troll MySpace looking at horrible spelling errors, stupid animated gif's, and listening to music.

Wait! Listening to music? That's something worthwhile. Yep, that's exactly what I do on MySpace. That's all I ever do there. That explains it perfectly.

Me 'n My Uncle

2006-11-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

Anticipating the snowfall this friday, or more likely the slushfall, I am pining away to live in Arizona. We just arrived home and I am ready for it to be unbearably shitty, grey and winterlike in Cleveland. Yep, ready for winter to start now and be like a thorn in my side until at least the end of March. Then I expect a huge, freak blizzard in April.

We really loved Tucson. It is a little bit more manageable than the sprawling metropolis of Phoenix. I also like the food better. I even like the route we took on the ride. Luckily I am not stupid enough to ever try to do that ride in its entirety until another Tour de Tucson.

****As a side note, I started this post at the end of November. It's now December 17th. We have had a few inches of snow and one blizzard since then. This is an acceptable amount of snow. But I am still pining away. sniff, sniff, snurff. I love Arizona.

To do list, El Tour de Tucson 2007

2006-11-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

Continuous improvement is our goal here at Hellpellet Intl.
So here's a list for next year's ride.

Buy and use a Camelback We had planned to stop 4 times, but ended up stopping 10 times to get water and Gatorade
Train on more hilly courses
Gain higher levels of endurance
Take peyote at mile 30. Hell, we're in the desert, right? Redose at mile 80. That should pretty much cover us.
Finish in less than 8 hours.
Don't forget to take Kewyson's cell phone number. Sorry we didn't hook up in Tucson.
Don't get 2 flat tires on the course. That plus 10 other stops = way too much course time.
Take lots of photos. Most of the time it's about the journey, not about the finish.

El Tour es Finito

2006-11-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I have a great idea. Lets go on a 109 mile bike ride....in the desert...in 90 degree heat. Awesome, why not?

It was a beautiful day in Tucson. Completely clear, blue skies. Crisp in the morning and blazing hot by 11 am. Overall, the ride was really hard, probably much harder than I thought. Luckily I was somewhat delirious between mile 50 and 87, so I didn't notice it much.

I've never participated in such a huge athletic event. There were 8000 participants of which around 5000 started the 109 mile ride. The rest all completed shorter races, either 30, 50 or 80 miles. There was a mass start at 7 am and we were about half way back in the pack. The first 30 miles were pretty much smooth and easy. Except DD's flat tire. Our other cycling partner noticed DD was gone. I ended up turning around and riding a mile to find him.

Next was a series of rolling, uphill bumps in the road. The first part was pretty steep and I pretty much hosed my legs for about 20 minutes. So I rested a bit in the miniscule shade provided by a cactus. (see photo, next post) There is always a good for every bad, or in this case a down for every up. We raced down a series of rolling hills on Freeman Road for 2 or 3 miles, sometimes hitting 39 miles an hour! What a huge reward for my blown out muscles.

The real fun was yet to come. We had to cart our bikes over a half mile of wash right near the Canyon Ranch. It was just starting to get really hot. We knew we had a really steep uphill to get out of the canyon, and as luck had it, we also had about 8 miles of uphill through the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Somehow we did it all, I think this is where the hallucinations set in at first.

Lucky SAG stop at mile 56. It was our non-riders from Team in Training. They had PB &J, pretzels and cookies. If they hadn't been there, I would have done "ride through" at Pollo Loco or Karl's Junior. I was just that hungry.

We still had another series of climbs and many miles to go. This series would end up equalling about another 10 miles of nearly all uphill combined with just enough flats to catch a breath or two. Somehow we did it. As I said, I'd gone a little loco. Which in hindsite was a very good thing.

Jump to the last stop at 87 miles. Somehow the rest of the team caught up with us. That would be 4 more of us. Our coach said, "You know, if we want to finish this, we better really hit it."

DD, Kate and I took off like the devil was chasing us. We averaged 16 mph over the next 22 miles. (up until then our average was around 12 mph) We went flying around some really kooky looking mountains then down Silverbell Road, which was 10 final miles of "homestretch". Right about then we had to turn on our "running" lights, because it was now completely dark. Yep, dark, as in really super dark in the desert kind of thing. We were able to follow along our 2 foot diameter pools of light. You know how you're not supposed to outpace your headlights? We were!

Finally we lurch around the last bend of Silverbell to Congress. We see a mass of flashing lights, street lights and magical fire engines. We know it's finally the finish. Our entire team, who handily kicked our asses, was waiting at the finish to cheer us on. So was my cousin and her 2 year old son. We rode to finish and we did. We rode to survive in the desert and we did. We rode to raise at least $7000 for Team in Training and we did.

to do list

2006-11-05T17:23:00.000-05:00

To Do List:
_X__ Raise $7000 for Team in Training
_X__ Schedule time off over Thanksgiving Weekend
_X__ Reserve hotel rooms in Arizona
_X__ Buy AZ/DC shirt (see www.drunkcyclist.com)
___ Get cash donation from Juan
___ Pack bikes in huge truck
___ Complete a few more short rides on Mountain Bike
___ Leave for Arizona on Nov. 16th
___ Complete the 111 mile El Tour de Tucson

So far I'm about half way through the final list in preparation for our ride. My cousin, who could be flipping her lid, sent me a two page, funny poem about our ride in two weeks. I might flip my lid over the next two weeks.

Last year I was OK, mostly because I had no idea what to expect. This year I know I can do the ride, physically. I am not so sure I can do it mentally. Really. Cold feet I guess. Iknow I will be able to work out the kinks in the first 15 to 20 miles. We'll see how it goes.

on the road again

2006-10-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

We're off to Niagara Falls this weekend. We're even taking the bikes. We've talked about taking the bikes for years now. A nice long ride down the Niagara River is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Oh, and a little more r & r too. You can really never go to resort-type areas too much. We are staying in a very nice, new hotel. It is about 2 or 3 blocks from the Casino and it has great views of the Falls. I love to see the Falls at night. Very cool. The hotel is a kind of Arts and Crafts design. Well, the lobby and public areas are very, very Arts and Crafts mixed with little bit of modern. It is comfortable and still very elegant at the same time.

I can't wait to crack open a couple of bottles of cold Canadian beer. Like I said, it's just what the doctor ordered.

lots of fundraising, not much cycling

2006-10-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

Went to a fundraising party for a teamate last weekend. Gave her $50 plus some raffle ticket money. My gal, KSS, had a fundraising party two days ago. We raised about $250 in profits for the cause.

It's weird. This flurry of fundraising but no cycling to speak of. DD and I have both hit our 100% mark. We actually intend to raise $1000 more, just for giggles.

We had a bye weekend the last weekend of October and should have ridden anyway. We didn't.

I caught a cold on Friday, felt like utter shit Saturday and Sunday. No ridey this weekend. Just sleep and some painting. No ride tonite, the cold has migrated to my lungs. I break a sweat just thinking about going up the stairs.

I feel like I've lost something. I feel like we might not actually do the ride b/c we haven't ridden in almost 3 weeks. What is wrong with us??? Where am i?

the results are in....

2006-09-20T19:01:00.000-05:00

left to right, "bad knee", normal knee

Notice the slight scarring on the right knee. Now I have a matched set! Results not typical, 12oo calorie daily diet and moderate exercise must be incorporated to see similar results.

Liberal amounts of hydrogen peroxide, 75 cents
One quarter tube polysporin, $1.25
One container Nuprin medicated pain patches, $6.69

Two trips to the chiropractor: Priceless!

It's all good now. I even swept out the cobwebs and spooks last night with a ten mile ride. And I did a big old hill. Gotta get right back in the saddle or you never will!

(this is nothing compared to Big Jonny from on drunk cyclist, I am just a dumb ass. http://www.drunkcyclist.com see post on August 7 and August 9th 2006 for the details.
Makes me sound like a real whiner....)

bit it

2006-09-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

Here is one of the final products of our ride on Saturday. It was a 50-miler that almost killed both of us.

The ride is pretty scenic, rolling through country estates, big horse farms and even past an alpaca farm and a poodle kennel. What do you get when you breed a poodle and an alpaca? DD says it's a Poodl-Aca. I call it a Poodl-Paca.

After our last sanctioned stop to get water and more calories, we headed up a pretty wicked country road type hill. Five of us were all in a little line about 25 feet apart. I was last, Nicole was next, then Debbie. The hill was short but pretty steep. I ground it out as long as I could, unhooked my right foot and put it on the ground. Feeling pretty defeated, I looked ahead and saw Nicole and Debbie do the exact same thing. We all finished that hill by walking our bikes!

Now we've moved on to the really fun stuff. Another country road type hill, this time it has lots of tar and gravel mixed with tar. I am one gear from the Granniest of all Granny Gears. I'm moving along pretty slowly now....need to shift down one more.....I do so. Something gets jammed or stops and I flop to my right, still attached to my clipless pedals. I have unceremoniously dumped myself into the country ditch. The Ditch full of cinders, gravel and weeds. Many of those cinders wound up in my knee.

Somehow I found this funny. I started to cackle and then went on to a full belly laugh. You gotta love going "yard sale" when you really have no control over it. DD was 25 yards ahead and thought I was crying or sobbing. I quickly had to yell that I was ok, so he didn't have a heart attack.

I cleaned up and hopped back on my bike.

Next hill. Oohhh, this one was bad. I made it about a third of the way up. Well, a third of the part that I could see. It disappeared into the trees after a couple hundred feet. Little did any of us know it would be several hills, all up, all steep for what seemed like miles. It was probably only a mile...

I finally had to stop and rest. I waited for DD to catch up. We took off together. I clipped in on my right foot, couldn't clip in on my left to get myself going and fell into the ditch again. This time it was a deep ditch, so I fell on my side and then rolled over and pogo'd on my head. My free foot was up in the air tangled in my bike and I was crushed underneath. This time I didn't laugh, I just sat up in the ditch and wondered what the hell happened.

The recovery was a little longer on this one. So far it's lasted about 3 days! I rode about another mile downhill while totally freaking out. I called for SAG to cart me back to the starting point. I'd had enough! Take me home now.....

update on my liver

2006-09-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Not really drying out. At least not completely. Just kind of rolling drinking into 1 or maybe 2 nites per week, so far.

Friday after making statement about not drinking.....drunk again.

Next friday....same thing, only worse. Drinking for 7 hours straight and not being in Las Vegas. Not good.

Next Tuesday. Three martinis with dinner.

Hi, my name is Hpellet, I am an alcoholic. Welcome to my world.

no excuses now

2006-09-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Well, after riding solidly in the B Group on our last team ride, I am ready to give up the ghost. I was chatting with our coach while grinding up another hill. I told him I thought I was ready to graduate to "clipless pedals" He said, and I quote, "I used every excuse I had, then I got an all carbon bike. No excuses now, I just have to ride faster"

Oh shit. I was thinking I would be more efficient and maybe even a little faster with the addition of clipless pedals. You know, my coach somehow just managed to sound exactly like my sales director. Just ride faster. Come out and win or don't come out at all. Git er done. Or really, anything else like those quick, quippy comments. Shit. I'm accountable. Really. 80th percentile don't get it done. Even 90th percentile. Fuck it, I'm screwed. I just need to get out and fucking do it.

Nike says (or said) Just do it. Fuck me. I'll just do it.
Bike Riding(Lance) Golf(Tiger Woods) Baseball (Mets, Yankees, Detroit)

God help us all.

nope

2006-08-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

A few posts back I commented on being in the A Group on a long ride.
Do I cut it? Or am I a poseur?

Mostly I am B Group material. We did a 42 mile ride yesterday that made me want to quit 10 minutes into it. It was hilly, then rolly, then really hilly, then more hills on top of that. I finished though. Total B Group fashion. The saving grace is that by constant repetition of hills, I learned how to do them more efficiently. (and with a lot less pain) I'll continue to work on the technique and also think about going a little faster. (10 mph is pretty demoralizing.)

I'm actually committing to a better diet and way less alcohol so the training goes a little easier. Maybe I'll even lose a little bit of my beer belly. The final goal is to kick some ass on the fundraising ride in Tucson. What? Less drinking??? Ya'll better sit down....I've decided to hang out my liver for a while.

Working on and up the hills

2006-08-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend's ride is called the Medina Meander. I missed this ride last year. I hear it is not fun...because the hills are sickening.

Let me say this about that. I am not good at doing hills. Something about the gearing. Something about trying to muscle through them. something also about getting psyched out by them.

So this week is all about the hills. Mind you, it is also about regaining some aerobic fitness. I hadn't ridden in 16 days. Monday was rough. Had flown in on the red eye that am. Must, must, must ride on Tuesday or get slaughtered this weekend. Did a short 5 miles including one hill. We'll call it Storey Road hill. I had to stop half way up as I tried to pop it into granny gear and my chain balked at the idea.

Readjust, start up again, cannot get left foot into pedal cage. Can't get it into granny gear. Crank a few more times, get it into granny gear. Spin the rest of the way up the hill and die at the top.

Forward to today. We had gone farther to warm up. We did a big uphill having cranked it up to speed on a pretty steep downhill. Then a few more miles of warm up. A quick pop over what was last year's nemesis hill, the Sneaky Hill. No problems there. Then a quick stop to stretch out before Storey Road hill.

Today was better. Way better. I popped it into middle chain ring to start with. I somehow couldn't get it into granny gear, again. So I did the entire hill in 2nd gear and avoided granny gear. It really hurt, but I did it. I didn't stop. woo hoo. I finally did it.

One or two more days to hill train so Sunday does not actually kill me. I must get better at this or Tucson will kill me

Living Las Vegas

2006-08-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

We stayed at the Mirage and it was a surprise until we pulled up to the lobby. (There's one driveway for Treasure Island and Mirage and I didn't know exactly where we were!) The days were filled with sunshine by the pool, lots of Rum and Diet Cokes and lots of dips in the fabulous, cool water. The pool at the Mirage is fantastic. Lots of palm trees, lots of nooks and crannies and a huge rock outcropping with yet more palm trees and circled by a waterfall.

First nite: Dinner at California Pizza kitchen including 32 oz. Miller Lites. Then off to the room for some special cocktails and bed. But wait, it's 10 pm Vegas time, we're a little tipsy. Let's get dressed and go out!!! We end up at Tangerine at Treasure Island. (Treasure Island has actually changed it's name to TI, who knows why) There were 3 "burlesque" dancers wearing tangerine fringed bikinis. The would dance to the lounge type music. Then a three piece band trotted in and played three songs. While they played, the blond dancer cavorted behind the bar. Think 60's bikini dance and you've got it. We felt old, tired and fat compared to all the young twenty-somethings, so we left. We proceeded to the sports bar at Mirage and played video poker and kept after the cocktails.

Next day: A little crispy. Very hungry. Lunch/breakfast at the diner. A nap for DD, very crispy day for him. I lounged by the pool. Got a pedicure....blah, blah, blah.

So it went for what seemed like days. Out to the pool to grab chairs before they were all reserved. Sunning, lunch, shopping, napping, dinner, shows. All of it was pretty much heaven.

Just a few insights on Las Vegas.

We mentioned to a cab driver that we couldn't believe the amount construction on the strip. He commented that he thought that when he first starting driving a cab. When was that? Thirty years ago!
Wynn is really lovely, but unless the rooms come with a 24 hour butler, I'm not sure why you'd stay there. It's the same story with Bellagio, Venetian and Mandalay Bay.
There is a Jo Malone store in Wynn. I spent most of my gambling allotment there!
If you are a man, do not go to a strip show with your mother and father in law in tow. It will most likely scar you for life.
Fake Red Bull is a drinking "no-no" If you are going to do Jaeger or Cherry bombs, make sure you have the real stuff.
Surprise birthday vacations Totally Rule. I had a blast. (We had a blast together, too) I got a tan. I drank a lot of rum and diet cokes. I didn't lose too much gambling. All in all a very sucessful Vegas trip! Thank you DD for the fabulous trip. Yes, I did have a great time!

Viva Las Vegas

2006-08-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

We are headed out tomorrow morning for Sin City. I am so excited to be going on vacation. DD planned this trip as a surprise. Well, I figured it out last week.

It will still be a surprise, because I don't know where we are staying. I am ready to lay by the pool, drink funny colored drinks and get a suntan. Maybe a little shopping and a visit to the spa, too. That's really about all we have planned.

We need a vacation and we are actually going on one. Long live vacation time from work. Long live fun in Las Vegas!

sleeping....again

2006-08-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

We didn't go on our team ride on Sunday. We won't know whether we are "A Group" material for at least another 2 weeks. So you will have to wait until then.

Sleeping again?? Well, I'm really good at it. And, I went to the chiropractor on Weds, Thurs and Friday. My upper back was all wacked out and I needed some serious adjustment. I haven't been to a chiropractor in A long, long time.

When he pulled on my skull to give me much needed "traction" it felt like several M-80's going off in the base of my skull. Then he did my spine between my shoulder blades. That was like someone hitting me with a pick axe. So, I went home Thursday nite and slept. Then I napped Saturday and went to bed early. Then I napped more on Sunday and went to sleep late Sunday nite. Very restful.

I went back this am and found that I didn't need a whole lot more adjusting. Just a little tweaking was necessary.

And, well, maybe a bit more napping later....
zzzzz

sleeping now, come back later

2006-08-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

Time of Departure: 9:10 am

Temperature upon Departure: 85 degrees F

Miles completed: 44

Miles for August: 44

Saturday was our first longer ride. We completed one of our favorite loops around the west side of town. It starts thru the metro parks, winds thru a cute suburban neighborhood and then into the cornfields on the southwest side of town. Then onto 5 miles of a busy, narrow street with lots of bone jarring bumps and holes. OK, that part sucks. If you make it thru that in one piece, you are rewarded with a great view of Lake Erie.

Our view on Saturday was fantastic. Not a cloud in the sky, nice white caps on the lake and lots of big sailboats. You ride along the lake for a while through a tony, older neighborhood. It seems like it might be against the law to work on your lawn and expansive gardens yourself. I bet you're not even allowed to turn on your own irrigation system . Your gardener or landscaper must do that.

Sorry, I digress. Back to the ride.

Now it's just a few more busy, city blocks and a few busy corners until the joy of a nice downhill. Ripping down a shaded, curvy hill to the finish line is the icing on this ride. Greet everyone on the team with a few high fives and then a quick ride home to hit the shower and then the couch.
(sleeping is good, I slept all day Sunday to catch up....)

DD and I both worked very hard. Something pretty puzzling happened too. We're still trying to figure it out. Last year our average speed was 12 mph. Last Saturday it was 16 mph. And, the weirdest part...we were in the the lead group of all of the 15 riders. The fast group. What the hell is that all about? Add 4 mph average and that does it, I guess. Were they "slumming" or is that as fast as they normally go?

We'll give it a test this weekend to see how it compares. Will we get smoked? Or will it be good? I'll let you know.

One more Friday nite

2006-07-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

The show I saw on Friday July 14th was as near my 20 year Grateful Dead Show anniversary as could possibly be. I didn't realize it until I was there. Actually, none of our group of attendees knew it was my 20th year Dead Reunion. I made it a point to dance with all my friends near the end of the 2nd set to truly celebrate my Grateful Dead soul mates. I thought I met my soul mate at my first show, but I was actually with my Dead mates at my 20th.

Great line up. Some of my absolute favorite songs. Great musicians. Great venue. Great friends.
Read about the details here. Uncle Crappy describes the what, when, how and who so much better than I. My Dead Bliss reached its peak in the second set when they started into "the Wheel". Really, I needed the duct tape, my head almost exploded.

(Joan Osborn was fabulous. I love her. I want to be her. As a matter of fact, I'd even hit it. That's how much I like her.)

Seeing a show like that makes me want to take 2 or 3 months off and follow Phil. He and whatever line up is available is the best!

Part Deux, the first show

2006-07-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

I remember running into Uncle Crappy and giving him my shoes. They were not good dancing wear. I then disappeared into the crowd. I danced the entire show. I ran into a couple of other friends from my high school. We danced a little bit and hung out. I remember Danno walking up to the top of the rubber bowl to use the bathroom.

I remember meeting Petey's friends who were going to continue following the Dead that summer. Petey's friend, B-man and I danced for about two songs and decided we were Dead Head Soul Mates. Wow, were we messed up. We were such great soul mates that I never even saw him again. He wanted me to go to the Rainbow Fest with him for the weekend. That didn't happen. In hindsite, thank God.

I was a little too polluted at the show to be able to give you too many details. But here's what I remember. It was mystical. I saw the whole world before me. I was happy. Then, therefore, the whole world was happy. Little ghost like creatures kept coming out from the stage to say hi to me. Jerry was alive on stage but he was also a spirit flying around the stadium. All in all, a great show.

Well, the show fianlly wrapped up. We walked back to the car. I walked without my shoes because Uncle Crappy had them (I think he had them for like 5 months) I sat in the back seat and continued to hallucinate. I thought I was still at the show and the Dead were still singing "Sunshine Daydream" I couldn't sleep at all because my mind was still racing. I know that I wanted to follow the Dead that summer. I've wanted to follow them ever since.

My first show

2006-07-13T08:19:00.000-05:00

T"he summer between freshman and sophomore year in college I saw my first Dead show. I was 18 going on 16. I had to lie so that I could go.

I lived at home with my Grandma that summer. She was a little strict. I told her I was going to see the show with my friends Danno and Petey and Danno's girlfriend. The only way I could go with two older "boys" was if it was a double date. So I lied. And then I went to the show just with Danno and Petey.

We rode to Akron in a cute little honda. We listened to the dead the whole way there. We pulled into the Rubber Bowl parking lot. There seemed to be no real sense of lines or lanes for the parking. We got there just in time. We walked a good 15 minutes to get into the show. It took so long because we were surrounded by hippies. Real hippies. Real hippies in all their unwashed, rattily attired glory. There seemed to be people selling things, overtly and covertly. Food, tshirts, trinkets, stickers, toys and of course, covertly, intoxicants. Yeah, I know, hard to believe. What an eye opener for an 18 year old white girl from the suburbs. Well, luckily we didn't have to buy anything, we had our tickets and everything else we needed.

It gets a little bit sketchy beyond this point but I will try to give you the highlights.

The bill was incredible. Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and the Goddamn Grateful Dead. Mind blowing, even now. As we walked in, I slunk over in front of the stage to see Tom Petty singing Straight into Darkness. My head nearly exploded.

My friends, Phil and his friends

2006-07-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

Baseball weekend in May with Uncle Crappy and The Wife was great. During the weekend, I was informed that my attendance was mandatory the weekend of July 14th. What? Where? Why? Mandatory? Holy crap, that sounds like college or something.

Technically, it is. Well, maybe more like a "refresher" course. We are all meeting in Columbus for an evening with Phil Lesh and Friends. I am totally stoked. I love to hang with my buddies. I love to get a little polluted, from time to time. And, I'm needin' me some hippie music. I need to cut loose and dead dance a little bit.

It's all Juan's fault. He gave me a cassette tape with American Beauty on the A side and Shakedown Street on B. I was 15. I'd been listening to AC/DC and the like. Given the general weirdness of some of the Dead's music, this was a really good choice. FRIEND OF THE DEVIL, BOX OF RAIN and CASEY JONES were the "hits". And I use that term loosely. I don't think "hippie music" and popular have ever been used in a sentence together. (Eventually, they broke the Top 10 with TOUCH OF GRAY)

Well, that was pretty much it for me. I loved the stuff. Blue grass, blues, honky tonk, funky, freaky, whatever. And I'd yet to go to a show. That really blew the doors off. That was in 1986 at the Akron Rubber Bowl.

But, that is a whole 'nother story. I'll save that for the next installment.

Grand Prix of Cleveland

2006-07-12T15:33:00.000-05:00

I guess I'd never really watched the masses at the Grand Prix before. Maybe I'd never been in a healthy mind set at the race before. I guess I will never really know for sure.
(the race is just like a huge outdoor bar...people walking around with cold tall boys of beer and cigarettes or cigars)

4 or 5 of us put our bicycles on stationary trainers and "rode" to raise money. Yep, we rode in the 90 plus degree heat and blazing sun, heckling the crowd, asking for money for charity. Over the 3 day race, we raised $800. Not too bad for technically "selling" air. Thanks to all those fine people who each donated a buck or two to the cause.

We were also able to provide a lot of information. People were interested in raising money, learning more about blood cancers and learning more about what the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is all about. There were a number of people with questions and comments about their own friends and family members who are battling blood cancer. We helped them out, too. I went down there thinking I'd spin a bit and provide some moral support for my Team in Training team members. Well, it was that and a whole lot more.

If anyone wants to donate to DD and I as we ride for a cure in November, visit our fundraising homepage to donate securely online.

vroom vroom

2006-06-22T11:47:00.000-05:00

OK, we're somewhat officially on our way. Northern Ohio Team in Training will have a large tent set up at this year's Cleveland Grand Prix. I think there is going to be some sort of "race track action" suppporting Team in Training, plus we will be cycling on trainers in the tent. I'd prefer the trainers be set up in a pace line. I'm pretty used to training and looking at a butt or two in front of me.

Our coach is so excited about this weekend. He loves cars, he loves car racing and he loves Team in Training. I'm pretty sure this is the ultimate event for him....a combination of his two favorite things.

I'm pretty stoked too. I like things that go fast. I like to go fast. Too bad I can't drive a race car this weekend. I'll have to settle for my bike going 10 mph while hooked to a trainer. What the heck, maybe I can hit 55 mph in my SUV on the way to the race. Hhhhmmmm, maybe even 60 mph.

My husband, DD, well, he's probably not so stoked. I "volunteered" him to ride this weekend too! He didn't know about it until I told him. He can't be too thrilled. Wives are allowed to do that, though, right? "Volunteer" their men for the greater good.

Guilty Pleasure

2006-06-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

OK, I have to admit it. I am addicted to celebrity gossip, stories and photos. I really don't like most celebrities, but still I am fascinated. People like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Brit-Brit make me laugh. Michael Jackson absolutely scares me. Oh, yeah, Tom Cruise now scares me too. The latest on Brangelina and Vaughniston, however, is riveting.

What is wrong with me?

I love to read snarky comments about celebrities even more. Check out this blogger rag to get the latest details on people you may have heard of, and some people, well....
If Kathy Griffin is "D list" then these people must be E and F. At least.

I check out blog-0-sphere almost every week day. I check my work email and voice mails quickly so I can get to the good stuff. Then on to my favorite: the celebrity gossip. When I've had my fill I go to my favorite writers, then I check my yahoo mail.

I am totally addicted, that's all I have to say. Is admitting you have a problem the first step to recovery?

ooof

2006-06-13T23:26:00.000-05:00

My neighbor has a 2.5 week old infant. She wanted to go out drinking tonite. I think I am getting too old for this. (she is on a real rip, not having been drunk for 10 months)

Too much Miller Lite makes me want to swim in Lake Erie and cleanse this filth from my pores. Can anyone help me? Does anyone have any Great Lakes or New Holland?

Even a cosmo with tequila instead of vodka. Helllllllppppppppp, please.

Shameless Plug

2006-06-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Here's some good stuff. I found Mrs. Kennedy through our gal, Penny Pressed. They both rock.

She has some really cool merch, too. Remember, it's all about the merch.

I have ordered some of fussy.org merch for certain reporter type friends of mine. So don't jump the gun and get some yo'self. (Doorprizes will be awarded at next official or semi-official FOG outing. Prize quantity and quality may vary, no prizes or goodies are inferred or implied. Legal details can be found on the reverse side of this label.)

long time gone

2006-06-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. Sorry for the delay.

It's been a combination of lots of work, projects in the yard, selling advertising and doing mountains of laundry. (ok, just kidding on that last one)

No really, I did work in the yard as mentioned in the last post. Next weekend, I planted 75% of my flowers. Why only 75 percent?? My husband, DD, always wonders too. The leftovers are always sitting by the side door. After 4th of July, I usually throw them away. Another testament to my inability to finish everything I start.

Work is totally cool. Believe it or not, I've reached some sort of a threshold on the internet. It seems I can only be online about 8 - 10 hours per day. Most of this time is currently spent working for the Man. This threshold means that I've not been getting lost in someone's blog or writing my own blog. Apologies to the two or three people who currently read my blog.

Go Tribe!

2006-05-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

Yikes. It's summer all of a sudden. Only last friday, May 19th, it was 50 degrees and rainy. Today it was blazing hot, sunny and lovely!

With all this loveliness, you have to work in the yard. Yesterday I went to visit grandma, we planted flowers at the cemetary and then the craziness began. We dug up two shrub type plants from her yard. Remind me never to dig up hydrangea bushes again.

So, today I had to dig holes for the bushes.... so, I dug holes for the bushes. Oh, I also cut the grass, edged, weeded, trimmed hedges and a few other things. The other things I did were: put in new flower bed, remove sod from top of new flower bed, scrape up scummy sod by side door and transfer the pretty sod to the new hole by side door. Then I put all my toys away and went inside.

Wow, that was a lot of stuff. Oh, did I mention it was hot, too? OK, it's still hot. We are going to turn on the AC now!

See me after class

2006-05-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

As I said early on in this blog, I've never been good at writing a journal. I think the only other time I did anything near this was for my English 101 class, exactly 1000 years ago. The only reason I did that was because my cranky prof required it. Actually, it was pretty cool. He wanted us to write at least once a day for 5 - 10 minutes. He preferred stream of concious stuff over anything polished or thought out.

Hell, I could do that. It seemed the more insane it was, the more he liked it. That says something about him, I guess. He never told us the purpose of the exercise, he just wanted us to do it.

Here are some snippets, as I remember them:
"My roomate is insane, everything she's brought with her to school is monogrammed. Like anyone would want to take any of that preppy shit. But boy does she love to borrow my slouchy Girbaud ankle pants. She's so freakin' rich, why doesn't she buy her own pair?"

"stacy down the hall is really cool and funny. She has a teddy bear named "wittle bear" how cool. I have my own stuffed animal. His name is Peeg. no, not pig. Peeg. he's French. He wears short pants, a waist coat and a pink velvet jacket. His previous life was spent as a Beatrix Potter character"

Back to the cranky prof.

I like to think of myself as a funny person. Our next assignment was to write a short, humorous essay. Something that we thought could appear in a newspaper column. I was totally stoked for this. Wow, I was funny, I like to write. I could do this. I wrote a short ironic story about the food in the dining hall, I think. Much like the theme Ralphie wrote in "A Christmas Story", my essay was a masterpiece.

Here's a synopsis of the prof's comments: Not remotely funny or even cute. D+
See me after class.

That's all I remember, the rest of the week is a fog. Freshman writing dreams ripped at the seams.

Thanks for tolerating my "not even remotely funny or cute blog". Ya'll are the best.

Ohmigod, this is great

2006-05-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

Perfect for any NASCAR race, OSU tailgaiting or fun around the neighborhood

TNT 2006

2006-05-05T00:39:00.000-05:00

OK

All serious and stuff. This post is not about drinking, the Weather Channel or my husband's band. Nor is it about my drinking problem or lack thereof.

We rode a Century Ride last year and raised over $7000 for TnT, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Yep, we rode 100 miles. And that was in ONE day. What? Yah, I know, we're insane. We plan on doing another Century Ride this November. Yes, we plan to raise over $8000 for this endeavor.

OK, I'm down with the ride. I did it before, on a mountain bike with slick tires, and I can do it again. (buying into the bravado? I am at 80%) The 4000 simolians apiece?? Help a brother out. That's a lot of cash-eesh. Anyway...

We were also selected as "mentors" for the team:

One, we were willing.
Two, we rode last year.
Three, we will ride and raise funds this year.
Four, we are social and willing to commiserate.

OK, no foolin' around. We're on board this year. Holy crap, we need to raise money, train and complete the ride. You know what? I love this cause, it's near and dear to my heart. I'm confident I can train....can I fundraise again??

Can I fundraise again?? Yeah, I think so. As we progress, more training details, less drinking details. OK? I hope you have the program. I hope I have the progam. Comments and smart ass remarks, that's up to you.

Engineering Glasses

2006-05-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, DD and I attended a wedding of one of his college buddies. Let me give you a little background....my husband, DD, is a degreed engineer. He went to a fancy schmansy engineering type school. A lot of his college buddies, including the one who got married, are also engineers. Don't let me confuse you, I love engineers. The Engineering Way of thinking is a good one, however much it contrasts my way of thinking. (I'm a woman, that should be your first clue)

The whole weekend was fun. I love my husband's friends. I love their wives, too. Its a good situation all around. Imagine the fun we, the 5 wives, can poke at our 5 husbands. Imagine the fun we can poke at 4 engineers and 1 token educator. I think at times we, the ladies, were kind of mean. But very funny at the same time.

We all had independent conversations about our husband's 80's style "engineering" eyewear. No, not safety goggles for a chemistry lab, "engineering" eyewear. You know, "engineering" eyeglasses. The kind Bill Gates wore in the early years. Yeah, those. I guess almost all of our men wore them. Probably wore them for too long, too. You know, into the new millenium.

God love our engineers. God bless every one.

Working for the Man, again

2006-04-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently, many people in the Greater Cleveland area started new jobs this past monday. Me too! Even though I now have a home office, and my boss resides two states and one time zone away and I can plan my own day, I still apparently have to work. At least a little bit. Oh yeah, even though I am excited about my new job and learning new things, it's still a brand new job. That means its all new, new politics, new people, new lingo and yikes, new responsibilities. I tend to work pretty hard at a job, new or not. I take pride in "a job well done" mostly for the sake of doing a good job. I also find that I need to be a "good girl" I want to be the "go to" girl. I want my boss to like me, I want my coworkers to like me, confide in me and ask advice of me.

You know, "I'm a good person and godammit, people like me"

There's one for you, nineteen for me

2006-04-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a week. While perusing some of my fave blogs, I realize other people have had very similar experiences and similar reactions, too.

Yes, it's tax time. I agree with John, Uncle Sam takes away on a bi-weekly basis. At tax time, we tell him what a.) we made and b.) he took. If we're lucky, he gives some of it back. If I had to pay him once a year, I would be far less happy with the amount he takes. I'm not, by the way, happy with what he takes now. When he takes a little at a time, in comparison, we are less likely to notice how much he's in our pockets.

A few years ago, I found myself "underemployed". That is to say I had a job, but my responsibilities and therefore, my pay, was substandard. I cut way back on all of my paycheck deductions so I had ready cash. I needed every cent I earned to run my household and feed myself and family. I risked an "accounting roll of the dice". How much would U. Sam take, how much of my pittance would I owe? I guestimated pretty well. I owed the Great State of Ohio 24 bucks and Uncle Sammy owed me 32 bucks. I happily paid Ohio and paid HR Block online my fee. (My fee could be deducted in the following year!)

So, the game continues. Roll the dice, fiddle with deductions and hope you don't have to pay a lot and all at once on April 15th. Roll the dice and figure what it takes to not get a huge tax return. What, no return? Why give Uncle Sam the money? He's not giving you interest on the loan.

- Today's rant sponsored by concerned citizens

I'm right, just ask weather.com

2006-04-04T23:45:00.000-05:00

UUUUUhhhhhhhhh

Such a weather idiot, I am. Well, my dearest wish, barring "Multi-Millionardom", I'd be on the Weather Channel. Yeah, you me and Homer Sease. Yeah, really, that's his name. At least, in the morning.

Really, I'd love to be Jim Cantore. All Italian and bald headed. Really, I'm assuming "The Italian Part". He's hot. And bald. And covering the hot, on the spot, national weather "things." Love that man!

Anyway, I guess I missed out on the "I'm going to college/meteorological/weather thing". I guess, I didn't know that it was so exciting. I wish I didn't miss on the whole thing. Or did I?
Let me know.

Can I still go to the "Ball"?

Is there a "Ball"? or was it Katrina?

Oh, BTW, best wishes to all you "Weather Watchers".
You make the world spin!

Was Punxy right?

2006-04-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

I know Mother Nature is kidding right now. It's been sunny or partly sunny and a little rainy for the last several days. Oh, did I mention it was in the 60's on Thursday and the low 70's on Friday?

To the uninitiated, it would seem spring is finally here. It is spring in nice, more southern places like Cincinnati or Dayton. But if you live on the North Coast of the U.S. don't be fooled. It's not here just yet. Old man winter is still cranking in Canada and we're not far from there. Oh, did I mention that the average water temperature today on Lake Erie is 34 degrees. That's not helping "spring" at all.

So, I'm enjoying it while I can. Yard work, outdoor projects...I'm all about it. I'll even take out the garbage...as long as it's not snowing or sleeting.

Indescribable Cabbages

2006-03-30T20:37:00.000-05:00

Bless his little pea pickin' heart...My husband, DD, is a computer programmer. More specifically, he writes web applications. You know what that is right? Well, if you don't you can skip this entire entry. If you do, bless your pea pickin' heart, too.

So, I have been bugging him about "writing code" for some time. Like as in, "If I could write code, I could make the big bucks, too!" He's always told me, "Sure, I can show you. But, I'm not sure you'll really like it."

I was hanging out around the house the other day, as usual. I was having my afternoon snack. Which that afternoon was a huge slice of fresh red cabbage. Sans garnish or condiment, of course. I was cruching away and dear DD corralled me into "helping" him. I went to his office, pulled up a chair and asked how I could help. DD needed to figure out the a way of setting up the logistics for a menu system for a new website. Could I help him? Sure, I guessed I could.

So far, so good. Except I kept Crunching on my cabbage. As he described his "programming pickle" he glanced over at me and said, "That is Indescribably Irritating" I said, "What? My bad cabbage breath, now way."

'Nope, it's your irritating crunching.'
Then I breathed on him and said, "What? This isn't irritating?"
"No, that's just totally rank."

On to more programming, more crunching, but no more strategically directed exhales. We worked on the problem of the sequencing of the menu. DD actually began to write the code, test it, then revise, rewrite and revamp the code. I said that I likened it to doing a Rubik's Cube. (Which, by the way, I could never complete) It's a giant puzzle where one move inevitably influenced the next move and so on, and so on, and so on. (and they told two friends, and they told two friends) Well, he said he had to agree with my theory.

I watched him code, test, revise and revamp for another 10 or 15 minutes...then I asked if my presence had somehow helped him. He said it certainly did. And then I bailed. It was all I could handle. Yikes.

I never want to learn to write code beyond very, very basic html. My hat's off to him and all the other web app developers. You do what you do, I'll do what I do and it will be a fine world. Oh, when I'm ordering more crap from Amazon.com, make sure that freakin' website and database keeps on working.

Website results:
DD and HP "working" on coding = 25 minutes Problems solved by coding = 0
DD really working on coding = 5 hours Problems solved by coding = all of them

He's a genius.

Heavenly

2006-03-29T23:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, this is so freakin' nice. I have a new 'puter, lovingly assembled, maximized and tweaked by my loving, sweet husband. I am really fired up to have the newness.

I feel good using it and having it in our home as it was Uncle Rudy's. Uncle Rudy passed on right after New Years, this year. He was kind enough to bequeath the compy to us...a good thing all around. His sister, Betty, wanted to get him a computer last year for Christmas. We ordered it for her and delivered it to him at Christmas. Now it's back at our home again. He enjoyed it...and I will too.

Bless you Uncle Rudy....love the crazy recipes for Italian cookies, love your funny stories, you are a gem. We miss you!

Dr. Covey horrified!

2006-03-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

OK, time to get it back together! I woke up this morning at around 9:30. I lazed around and read a good book until.....

DD came in at 10:50 and kindly reminded me I had promised to be at the Leukemia Society at 11:00 to do volunteer work. It's a ten minute drive, how was that going to happen?

Holy smokes....time to slide into dirty jeans and sweater, brush teeth, brush greasy hair, throw on shoes, grab coffee and run out the door. I knew I could get ready fast and be there by 11:20...somehow I made it.

So the upshot of my rushed departure is that I need to get my shit together and start checking my schedule....yikes. I actually still have a schedule, believe it or not. I guess everyone gets more efficient the busier they are...well I need to get busy, I guess!

SNASU

2006-03-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

Situation normal, all sleeped up!
So here's a little synopsis of our days and nights. Still currently unemployed, still loving sleeping in, walking around in sweat pants, sweaters and slippers. DD still working in the basement as a consultant, in jammy pants, sweater and slippers. Big dumb sweet fuzzy cat curled up within 5 foot radius of me. Still surfing away.

Search a little on the internet for jobs. (usually pretty lame ones) Network on cell phone with contacts, set up coffee or lunch appointments, then chat with some of my employed friends. Drink more coffee, maybe eat lunch, maybe just more coffee. Surf a little more.....my favorite. The walk downstairs, install myself on the couch and check out Stacy and Clinton, or my other favorite! I know, it's a stressful life. Sometimes, I even leave the house!

Sometimes I will do a few projects. Clean, laundry, organize etc. (all on my New Years Resolution list) but usually, not so much. It usually comes in spurts, sometimes I will clean all day. Then the next day I will need my rest because I am so sore.

OK, I told you about the run down on my/our days. Evenings are usually a little different. They usually involve beer or vodka, music, hanging out......or movies, beer or vodka, popcorn. But, you will notice, none of these options include leaving the house. Yep, you got it, hardly ever leaving the house. Once every 2 or 3 weeks we will venture down the street to grab a bite to eat and some more beer/vodka. This fun is also punctuated by the gigs my husband plays. I am kind of a music snob so I only go to the gigs that I like. (You see, it's all about me...the beer, the vodka and skinny moo) So, that's it in a nutshell.

Oh no, where'd the kitty go? Better go find him

ZZZZZZZZ....

2006-03-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been more than a few days and I probably have some 'splainin to do. DD and I had some wicked kind of bug. Some flu thing, I reckon. I slept about 15 hours on monday and about 18 hours yesterday. Now, I know I can sleep alot but that is ridiculous! Really, even for me!

Pending any significant change in the overall temperature, the trainer is still set up in the living room. To my blogger friend, Jill, I know I am a wimp. I'm looking for 40 degrees or above with little or no precipitation. That's what you get when you're a suburban biker! Well, let me rethink that....Our fundraising ride isn't until November so I'm not keen on riding in cold, wet weather just yet. Still a wimp, huh? Yes, my lady, I believe so.

errand girl

2006-03-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

I think I lost my calling. I need to be someone's executive "go-fer" DD and I ran errands, shopped and did a little
git Er Done today. Now that I'm looking for a job, I should market my services.
Go to dry cleaners, movie store, grocery store, return purchased items, drop off shoes at cobbler.
Yee ha!

Anybody want some of that?

Yinzers Unite

2006-03-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

DD and I just spent a fabulously slothful weekend at the PGH headquarters of his family. As is typical with any vacation, we spent our time eating, sitting around talking about what and when we should eat next and then eating again. Oh yeah, I also did some mean napping. So, all in all it was a great weekend of family and fun.

DD's Aunt is cleaning and purging her home in anticipation of moving to a smaller, more convenient home. We were there to help out a bit and collect the family wine press. It was apparently last used by DD's great grandfather very early in the last century. How cool is that??? And if it turns out that it is impossible to sanitize...it will make an absolutely awesome planter for our front porch. (I have to have priorities, don't I?)

Yes, to piss off nearly everyone from Cleveland, DD was also the recipient of a ton of Steelers Super Bowl gear. Two foam "Steel Heads" for he and Louis. One million tshirts too! I got a Ben Rothlisberger tshirt...I can cheer for him as he is from my alma mater. (no comments, Uncle Crappy)

a quick ride

2006-03-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

Went for a quick 12 mile jaunt today. It was about 45 degrees out, sunny and very dry.
We layered up with all our cold weather gear and set out. It was unbelievable to be out again. We made good time and didn't get too frosty. I'm really proud of myself. When we started training last year, I was in pretty poor shape. I also was not at all confident in my ability to put in the mileage, do hills, deal with traffic and get fit in general.

I remember our first ride. It was on the bike path and I think we went a total of 4 miles. I almost passed out from the effort! Everything I did that day was very tentative and somewhat uncoordinated. Now I'm saying we did a "quick" ride of 12 miles. If we could have rested in a warm place, I could easily have done 20 more! That's huge. I guess I didn't realize how far we'd come since May of last year until our "first ride" of 2006. We are gonna kick some ass this year!

Next on the "gear want list" is glove liners, new cycling gloves (my favorites got ruint in Maryland) and some wind proof socks! My toes were pretty chilled by the end of the ride. Everything else was warm!

Hope for clear sailing tomorrow too!

Mission Statement

2006-03-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, the title is a joke. The main reason I am blogging is to post updates on cycling, post photos and rant and rave to the whole blog - 0 - sphere. Thanks for joining me!

Really the current phantasy for 2006 is to ride the Tour de Tucson in November of this year. Unfortunately, DD and I will not be joined by Uncle Crappy and the Wife, since it is Ohio State vs. Michigan weekend. (Better luck next year, I guess.) Our best beer friends will join us yet. Maybe Lake Tahoe in 2007!

We're riding the Tour to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training . We rode in the Seagull Century Ride last year. It was an amazing feat as we were accompanied that entire day with the remains of Hurricane Tammy. It would have been no small feat anyway, but the constant driving rain and intense winds really did us in. We had a great team that raised over $70,000 that day for the Leukemia Society. It was a great way to bond with new friends and do something fun...but mostly to do something for a great cause.

Lurk no more

2006-03-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

So, upon looking at my blog, I see I started it just a little over a year ago. 3 posts so far, not impressive by any stretch. It's not public, yet, that would be a huge step. I am a major "lurker" at other's blogs. I might as well set up my own so I can be "lurked upon"

Kudos to Penny Pressed, John Wilder, Jill Homer and the original, the masterful, the most-est, Uncle Crappy!
Thanks for letting me lurk for so long!

I've updated my profile, updated my settings and now it's time to go live with all this shizzy.

Wish me luck

oooof

2005-08-10T01:11:00.000-05:00

So far, my blog has been prettty lame. I will do my best to hit it once a week. Especially considering I am absolutely obsessed with Uncle Crappy, I could post my own stuff, you'd think.
(back to previous post, I have never been good at keeping any kind of a journal)

TNT update...we're taking at least a week off training. I got the Boop's righteous cold and my head and right butt cheek are literally FULL of antibiotics. I reallly miss going on rides. I am pretty sure I'm addicted!
Just in case you're counting, we both have raised about $2000 each of the total $3400 we need to raise for the ride. A little over half way there, not bad. It's really like having a second job...

Training at least 10 hours a week and working on fundraising, too. Oh, it is like a 2nd job, a part time job but a really cool 2nd job!

Happy Monday!

2005-02-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

Who knew that Pittsburgh is a cool, interesting and engaging city? I just spent a long weekend there & it was really a lot of fun! Good brew pubs, good food, fun shops....

The Andy Warhol Museum is stellar! I'm not sure I expected such a large museum. All of it was very nicely done. I was surprised at how large some if the Warhol's actually are. The "Elvis" with the gun was about 25 feet long, maybe longer! I even got to see a great series of the classic "Campbell's Soup" screens.

And, to top it off, Pittsburgh has a decent sized downtown area. Wow! Beautiful bridges, great stadiums and really impressive architecture. The William Penn Hotel is lovely.....go to Hotwire to get a great deal.

So, here's to friends, family and more long weekends investigating the sights in PGH.

for once I'm speechless

2005-02-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

We'll see how this goes. I've never been good at keeping a journal. I'll get into the reasons later....maybe.

Why a blog? Why wouldn't I?