Ted's birthday cake.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Good weekend
We had a fun Memorial Day weekend, doing a wide range of things we don't normally do during the racing season. The first stop was in Coeur d'Alene where we went to a casting call for the "Amazing Race." Ted is slightly embarassed by the fact that we went to an audition for a reality TV show, but I figure he'd be pretty happy if we actually were chosen and got to travel around the world on someone else's dime.
About 100 teams of two were there to audition, and 75 of those were selected randomly to actually be interviewed on camera; we were selected about 2/3 of the way through, which meant we ended up standing in line for a couple hours, for a couple minutes of air time. I will say that people watching there was great, as you truly had all kinds there; one particularly amusing team to watch consisted of two flannel-wearing women with pig tails, whom Ted called the "Meth addicts."
We finally got our two minutes of time for which we had not rehearsed a bit. Ted definitely was the one who carried it for us, with me piping up here or there. Some teams had whole song and dance routines rehearsed.
After the audition, we headed to the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane, which was my treat for Ted's birthday. We got a nice penthouse on the 14th floor and the hotel itself was really neat to walk around in. We had dinner out, followed by some drinks at a new martini bar (mango mojitos are good).
On Saturday, we decided to ride our bikes up Mt. Spokane, which is a 12+ mile climb. It started misting about half way up and then began to pour. I knew I was going to have trouble going down when my hands were numb and we were still going up... and I was right. I was frozen, so we stopped at a lodge part-way down the climb and Ted rode down to get the car. He was a good sport because I know he was frozen too.
The weekend in the Spokane area finished up with a visit to Ted's aunt and uncle, with good food and a soak in the hot tub. We also watched most of the Indy 500, which I had never seen before, and found surprisingly exciting. I was hoping for Danica Patrick to do well just because it would be neat to see her do well in such a male-dominated sport.
I made a cake for Ted's birthday on Monday, which was my first fondant cake. It's definitely far from perfect, but I think it was okay for my first try. It's definitely not low on calories.
Off to Hood River, Oregon tomorrow for the Mt. Hood Cycling classic, which goes through Sunday. It'll be a tough one.
About 100 teams of two were there to audition, and 75 of those were selected randomly to actually be interviewed on camera; we were selected about 2/3 of the way through, which meant we ended up standing in line for a couple hours, for a couple minutes of air time. I will say that people watching there was great, as you truly had all kinds there; one particularly amusing team to watch consisted of two flannel-wearing women with pig tails, whom Ted called the "Meth addicts."
We finally got our two minutes of time for which we had not rehearsed a bit. Ted definitely was the one who carried it for us, with me piping up here or there. Some teams had whole song and dance routines rehearsed.
After the audition, we headed to the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane, which was my treat for Ted's birthday. We got a nice penthouse on the 14th floor and the hotel itself was really neat to walk around in. We had dinner out, followed by some drinks at a new martini bar (mango mojitos are good).
On Saturday, we decided to ride our bikes up Mt. Spokane, which is a 12+ mile climb. It started misting about half way up and then began to pour. I knew I was going to have trouble going down when my hands were numb and we were still going up... and I was right. I was frozen, so we stopped at a lodge part-way down the climb and Ted rode down to get the car. He was a good sport because I know he was frozen too.
The weekend in the Spokane area finished up with a visit to Ted's aunt and uncle, with good food and a soak in the hot tub. We also watched most of the Indy 500, which I had never seen before, and found surprisingly exciting. I was hoping for Danica Patrick to do well just because it would be neat to see her do well in such a male-dominated sport.
I made a cake for Ted's birthday on Monday, which was my first fondant cake. It's definitely far from perfect, but I think it was okay for my first try. It's definitely not low on calories.
Off to Hood River, Oregon tomorrow for the Mt. Hood Cycling classic, which goes through Sunday. It'll be a tough one.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Horses
I love horses. When we lived in Laramie, Wyoming, Rusty and I had a horse named Lady. She was the sweetest horse in the world and we would often just hop on her bareback, bribing her with hay until she was parallel to the fence so we could jump on. She had to be put down years ago when she became sick; we had all discovered bike racing by that point, so she didn't get ridden nearly often enough. I have not been on a horse since I was last on Lady. Seems like forever ago.
I find myself longing to ride a horse. Anytime I see a horse by a roadside, I just want to hop on. I would love to own one again - to be able to just go for a ride at the end of the day. It is so relaxing and fun. I hope someday to be in the position to get a horse again.
Watching the Preakness on Saturday was awful. It was so sad to see Barbaro break his leg. I just hope he'll heal and be able to be a stud horse.
I find myself longing to ride a horse. Anytime I see a horse by a roadside, I just want to hop on. I would love to own one again - to be able to just go for a ride at the end of the day. It is so relaxing and fun. I hope someday to be in the position to get a horse again.
Watching the Preakness on Saturday was awful. It was so sad to see Barbaro break his leg. I just hope he'll heal and be able to be a stud horse.
Enumclaw
Racing in Enumclaw didn't turn out so well for Ted and me. We both started out okay, but then tuckered toward the end of the weekend. I was plagued with mechanical problems in the RR, causing me to lose some minutes and some G.C. places. Ted blames himself for my mechanicals, as he is the one who works on my bike, but I tell him it isn't his fault. Afterall, he warned me not to cross-chain, yet I did it anyway (not once, not twice, but 3 times!), causing my wheel to completely lock up each time. Just a part of bike racing.
This weekend will be a weekend off, which will be nice since there is so much consecutive racing coming up. Plus, it's Ted's birthday on Monday, so it'll be nice to spend it somewhere other than a bike race.
This weekend will be a weekend off, which will be nice since there is so much consecutive racing coming up. Plus, it's Ted's birthday on Monday, so it'll be nice to spend it somewhere other than a bike race.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Weekend recap
Thankfully, I came home relatively happy on Sunday evening. All in all, I think I raced pretty well, considering the small number of races I have done this year and the fact that I have been sick. I ended up getting second in the time trial, which I have to admit was disappointing to me. I wanted to win the time trial. A fellow racer was drafting off me in the time trial, which I have never had happen before. Irritating, to say the least, though I'm guessing it was not intentional.
For the crit, I really needed to get some points to maintain my status... which did not work out so well. I did, however, ride the crit well, which is an accomplishment in itself for me since I am a big wuss in crits. I stayed near the front the entire time, which I almost never do. So, I stayed near the front for the entire race, except for the final few hundred meters when it really counted; hmmmm... something's not right there. I guess I should work on that!
The road race course was pretty tough. We had a mild 12 mile stretch to start it out and then headed up a 12 mile climb. The climb was, of course, followed by a long descent, and then a long flat, windy section back to the start/finish. The woman who had won the tt and the crit got a flat a few miles before the climb. It shocked me to see a couple teams head straight to the front to pick up the pace in attempts to keep her (and some of her teammates) from catching back on. Bad etiquette, in my opinion. The pack should have maintained its pace until the climb, giving her a fair chance to get back on.
Anyway, she didn't manage to get back on before the climb and things broke up quickly there. Pretty quickly, I was in a lead group of 5, which then shattered itself (I was the first to fall off). I recovered and rode at my own steady pace, which allowed me to catch everyone except the leader before the top of the climb. At the top, I was with a girl who is a very good climber, but who apparently does not at all like descents. I looked back after the first two switchbacks to see that I had a huge gap on her, so I gunned it and kept going. I was gaining on the leader, but never did catch her.
So, that's how it all went. We'll be racing again this weekend in Enumclaw, Wa, so hopefully the upward trend continues. Summer is finally hitting the northwest this week (high of 92 today). I like summer and all, but this has just come on a bit too quickly for my taste. It was 29 when I was driving to work one morning just a couple weeks ago!
For the crit, I really needed to get some points to maintain my status... which did not work out so well. I did, however, ride the crit well, which is an accomplishment in itself for me since I am a big wuss in crits. I stayed near the front the entire time, which I almost never do. So, I stayed near the front for the entire race, except for the final few hundred meters when it really counted; hmmmm... something's not right there. I guess I should work on that!
The road race course was pretty tough. We had a mild 12 mile stretch to start it out and then headed up a 12 mile climb. The climb was, of course, followed by a long descent, and then a long flat, windy section back to the start/finish. The woman who had won the tt and the crit got a flat a few miles before the climb. It shocked me to see a couple teams head straight to the front to pick up the pace in attempts to keep her (and some of her teammates) from catching back on. Bad etiquette, in my opinion. The pack should have maintained its pace until the climb, giving her a fair chance to get back on.
Anyway, she didn't manage to get back on before the climb and things broke up quickly there. Pretty quickly, I was in a lead group of 5, which then shattered itself (I was the first to fall off). I recovered and rode at my own steady pace, which allowed me to catch everyone except the leader before the top of the climb. At the top, I was with a girl who is a very good climber, but who apparently does not at all like descents. I looked back after the first two switchbacks to see that I had a huge gap on her, so I gunned it and kept going. I was gaining on the leader, but never did catch her.
So, that's how it all went. We'll be racing again this weekend in Enumclaw, Wa, so hopefully the upward trend continues. Summer is finally hitting the northwest this week (high of 92 today). I like summer and all, but this has just come on a bit too quickly for my taste. It was 29 when I was driving to work one morning just a couple weeks ago!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Random Stuff
Heading to Wenatchee this afternoon to do an omnium: http://pazzovelo.com/events/races/2002/wenatchee/
I am really hoping to have a good race this weekend since my racing has been less than great so far this year. A good race would really restore my morale and my confidence in my training, so here's hoping that I come home happy on Sunday. This nasty chest cold is still hanging on a little, but I am definitely on the up-swing.
I got my hair cut last week, along with my mom, by a woman who was my neighbor my senior year in college. She seriously could be a character in a movie with a voice like Minnie Mouse, a professional bodybuilding boyfriend, a collection of 3000+ angels, and her whole outward appearance; she is petite with short, spiky white hair, a round face, and an odd skin tone. She is extremely forgetful, asking questions over and over in a matter of minutes, and constantly giving you compliments. She's very nice and friendly, and I think she's good at what she does. Plus, she's entertaining. I switched to her recently after years of having a friend's wife cut my hair, which got me thinking about how awkward it would be to run into my old hair stylist, as she would obviously know that I have been going to someone else. Hmmm... not sure how I would handle that.
My boss has been getting grumpier and grumpier lately, leaving me to determine that he really does not enjoy what he does. When I interviewed with him, he told me this romantic story of how he left his other job late in life when he walked into a bakery, realizing that his true calling was to own a bakery of his own. All of his employees talk about how hard he is to work for when he is gone. My one fellow employee told me a couple days ago that he thinks our boss would be a great guy to know outside of work, but he's just so miserable inside those walls that he's awful to work for. It's really too bad because I, along with all of the other employees, see numerous changes he could make to his business that would make him happier. To start with, he could stop being the delivery boy and actually do some of the baking himself. Anyway, I'm just ranting now.
I'm off to make a pasta salad to take with us this weekend. And, to play "da bird" with Pazza. If you have a playful cat, you should get one of these toys: http://www.thecatconnection.com/Da-Bird-Cat-Teaser.html Pazza and Shamus both love it. Pazza actually goes looking for it and pulls it out whenever she can.
I am really hoping to have a good race this weekend since my racing has been less than great so far this year. A good race would really restore my morale and my confidence in my training, so here's hoping that I come home happy on Sunday. This nasty chest cold is still hanging on a little, but I am definitely on the up-swing.
I got my hair cut last week, along with my mom, by a woman who was my neighbor my senior year in college. She seriously could be a character in a movie with a voice like Minnie Mouse, a professional bodybuilding boyfriend, a collection of 3000+ angels, and her whole outward appearance; she is petite with short, spiky white hair, a round face, and an odd skin tone. She is extremely forgetful, asking questions over and over in a matter of minutes, and constantly giving you compliments. She's very nice and friendly, and I think she's good at what she does. Plus, she's entertaining. I switched to her recently after years of having a friend's wife cut my hair, which got me thinking about how awkward it would be to run into my old hair stylist, as she would obviously know that I have been going to someone else. Hmmm... not sure how I would handle that.
My boss has been getting grumpier and grumpier lately, leaving me to determine that he really does not enjoy what he does. When I interviewed with him, he told me this romantic story of how he left his other job late in life when he walked into a bakery, realizing that his true calling was to own a bakery of his own. All of his employees talk about how hard he is to work for when he is gone. My one fellow employee told me a couple days ago that he thinks our boss would be a great guy to know outside of work, but he's just so miserable inside those walls that he's awful to work for. It's really too bad because I, along with all of the other employees, see numerous changes he could make to his business that would make him happier. To start with, he could stop being the delivery boy and actually do some of the baking himself. Anyway, I'm just ranting now.
I'm off to make a pasta salad to take with us this weekend. And, to play "da bird" with Pazza. If you have a playful cat, you should get one of these toys: http://www.thecatconnection.com/Da-Bird-Cat-Teaser.html Pazza and Shamus both love it. Pazza actually goes looking for it and pulls it out whenever she can.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Florida trip
The trip to Florida was a great vacation. Mom, Dad, and I went down several days before the wedding itself to spend some time in Key West, which is an interesting place. It was extremely busy and touristy, with a very active night life. I have never been to a place where I could feel the gay community so strongly, though I guess that's not surprising since Key West proclaims itself to be the "Gay Capital of the World." They even have a pink section of the phonebook that is dedicated to gay businesses, along with a pink taxi company, and signs saying, " The End of the Rainbow." We did have some great food there, and tried to go snorkeling once, though there really wasn't anything to see.
Key West was fun to wander around, but it was nice when we finally headed north to Islamorada, where we met up with everyone else. Our hotel was right on the beach and was a huge complex, with several tiki bars, pools, and restaurants. We all went to the tiki bars pretty often where I became a fan of key lime coladas. Yummy. Rusty, his girlfriend, Alex, Ted, and I hoped to try parasailing, but it wasn't too be; too much wind one day and a broken boat the next. Instead, we rented jet skis for a half hour, which I had never been on. Rusty and Alex lucked out with a faster jet ski, topping out at 51, while Ted and I only hit 41. I got bucked off at one point when Ted was driving and made a sharp left. I was holding on, but I guess it wasn't tightly enough. At first I thought I was going to pull Ted in with me, but it was just me.
The wedding itself was held right at our hotel too, which was super convenient. I barely made it to the ceremony on time because Rusty's Alex was having trouble straightening my hair, which then led my cousin's wife, also Alex, to take me to her room to finish the job. We were the last people to the ceremony before the bridal party. Oops. I later found a message on my cell phone from my aunt, telling me I needed to get down there. The ceremony was short and the reception was nice, held under a tiki hut on the beach. I think everyone had a good time.
All in all, it was a nice trip. My only regret is that I didn't get to swim with a dolphin, which is something I have wanted to do since I was little. To make it worse, I found out on our last day there that I could have done it at a place right next to our hotel. Oh well.
Key West was fun to wander around, but it was nice when we finally headed north to Islamorada, where we met up with everyone else. Our hotel was right on the beach and was a huge complex, with several tiki bars, pools, and restaurants. We all went to the tiki bars pretty often where I became a fan of key lime coladas. Yummy. Rusty, his girlfriend, Alex, Ted, and I hoped to try parasailing, but it wasn't too be; too much wind one day and a broken boat the next. Instead, we rented jet skis for a half hour, which I had never been on. Rusty and Alex lucked out with a faster jet ski, topping out at 51, while Ted and I only hit 41. I got bucked off at one point when Ted was driving and made a sharp left. I was holding on, but I guess it wasn't tightly enough. At first I thought I was going to pull Ted in with me, but it was just me.
The wedding itself was held right at our hotel too, which was super convenient. I barely made it to the ceremony on time because Rusty's Alex was having trouble straightening my hair, which then led my cousin's wife, also Alex, to take me to her room to finish the job. We were the last people to the ceremony before the bridal party. Oops. I later found a message on my cell phone from my aunt, telling me I needed to get down there. The ceremony was short and the reception was nice, held under a tiki hut on the beach. I think everyone had a good time.
All in all, it was a nice trip. My only regret is that I didn't get to swim with a dolphin, which is something I have wanted to do since I was little. To make it worse, I found out on our last day there that I could have done it at a place right next to our hotel. Oh well.
Racing Updates
So, to complete the Willamette updates (finally), it was a good weekend for the team, as my teammate, Suz, won the G.C. For me personally, the remaining stages didn't go so well. For whatever reason, I could not focus in my time trial. When I found myself thinking about what I would eat for lunch later that day, I knew I was not having a good one. Not sure what was going on, but I just couldn't get into it. Hopefully I can fix that soon, as I have a bunch of more important tts coming up. The final road race didn't go great either - I could tell it was my first stage race of the season because my legs were complaining from the start.
I had hoped to race in the WA state championship road race this past weekend, but found myself with a nasty chest and head cold, so ended up sitting it out. I always get a bit grumpy when I am watching races I would rather be doing. I am going to race next weekend in Wenatchee, WA, so I'm crossing my fingers that everything comes together better for me there.
I had hoped to race in the WA state championship road race this past weekend, but found myself with a nasty chest and head cold, so ended up sitting it out. I always get a bit grumpy when I am watching races I would rather be doing. I am going to race next weekend in Wenatchee, WA, so I'm crossing my fingers that everything comes together better for me there.
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