My cat loves laundry day. She spends the day on the hot water heater, and then heads to the clean laundry.

After a rest week, I'm ready to put in a few more weeks of good training. Now, I just have to find the time to do so! Thursday afternoon I have to give a 30 minute seminar on a published, scientific journal article, which is pretty much my worst nightmare. Public speaking is not my forte. Mom asked what will be contained in the flask I'll carry in my purse. Ha!

I will be heading to Salt Lake City to visit Rusty and Deborah for part of my Spring Break. I wlll have to take the new, unused snowshoes Ted got me for Christmas, as the weather in Pullman has been far too nice for snow sports. Not that I am complaining... but, in a way I am.

And, now, on to watching the rest of The Dark Knight.

Which car looks faster?

Which F1 car looks faster? Ted and I have opposing opinions. Based on comments on this blog, loser buys the other a drink. So, which car looks faster - Ferrari (red) or McLaren (silver)?

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/image/7702.html?page=1

Starting Up the Ol' Blog Again

I kind of miss updating my blog regularly, so perhaps it's time to start it up again. Afterall, I'm in my final semester of grad school, the racing season will soon be starting up again, and well, surely there must be some things to write about.

January in Pullman has been awesome this year, which, I have to say, I needed after the last two Winters from hell. Trainer rides in January 2010? Zero. Enough said. And, knock on wood, my back has been relatively happy, so I may actually be able to train and race for this season. I hope so!

I am definitely approaching the point when I will be ready to be done with school. Three more full months of classes and research, and then I will be nearly done. After that? A move to Spokane will happen soon after the semester ends. After my time in Pullman, I am definitely ready for a change. With Ted living/working in Spokane during the week, I am only more anxious to finish up.

Hitcher and I walk together nearly daily. For one year, I want to see how many miles the two of us walk together, so we will be carrying the GPS with us on all of our daily walks. So, until January 23, 2011, how many miles will the hound and I walk? Maybe I should have a contest with the nearest guess winning a small prize.

I am really craving a post-dinner dessert, but alas, there is nothing in the house. Must keep the goal in mind: get to race weight by the season!

Wow... 2 months since I last did a blog post. It doesn't seem like it has been that long.

I have been plagued with back trouble since April 26th, making this by far the worst back pain episode I have had. There have been a few days here or there when it has been okay, but otherwise it has been fairly consistent. One evening a few weeks ago was particularly horrible, as I was unable to even walk down the hall to the bathroom without help. With nothing stronger than Tylenol, I downed a bottle of wine, just to be able to sleep.

I have been going to PT for the last few weeks, and things have definitely improved, so I am really hopeful that I will able to complete a race soon - preferably this weekend!

Follow-up on the experiment

The experiment with the nasty girls continued in the weeks following Spring Break, with me arriving early to class to steal their seats. The first occasion resulted in lots of whispering and glares, which gave me secret pleasure in knowing I had "gotten" to them.

For the next couple of classes, they arrived after me, forcing them to sit on the other side of the classroom. I have given up with getting up early just to spite them (30 more minutes of sleep!), so they can have their seats. The point was made and it was surely satisfying.

Experiment Update

The experiment did not work today... bummer. I set my alarm early, and arrived to class 25 minutes early, thinking this would be more than enough time. Nope. The girls were already in their seats. They still scoffed and scowled as I walked past, whispering like junior high school cheerleaders.

Since Spring Break is next week, the 2nd attempt at the experiment is going to have to wait, but I am not giving up. Tuesday after Spring Break, I will arrive in class even earlier - perhaps I'll enjoy breakfast and coffee there. Results to follow...

The Experiment

I was floored yesterday when I walked into my biochem lecture, which is held in a large lecture hall with stadium seating. I was a couple minutes late and looked for the seat that would cause the least interruption to the class. The back row is split, with a cluster of 3 seats nearest to the entrance I came through. The left seat was unoccupied, while 2 girls sat in the other two seats (they always sit there). This seat was the only open aisle seat. I walked over to the seat and asked the girl to move her coat and backpack so I could sit. She shook her head and refused. I could not believe it. She would not let me sit there, instead forcing me to crawl over people to get to an open seat. I could not help but make a comment to her when I saw her on my way out of class (comment not to be repeated here).

I am setting my alarm early for class tomorrow. I plan to get there 30 minutes early to enjoy the paper. I am thinking the middle seat of those 3 seats is where I shall place myself tomorrow morning. Hmmmm... those girls are going to find their routine disrupted, and I have a feeling they are not going to like it. I have noticed that the left seat of those 3 seats is always held by this girl's belongings, so I have a feeling I am not the first to be denied the "right" to sit there. I am taking back that right tomorrow, and I can't wait to see their reaction.

Boo!

In highly disappointing and unprofessional fashion, my team sponsor from last season, Bob's Bicycles out of Boise, Idaho, decided to spontaneously yank their sponsorship of our women's team. Never mind that we had finalized our roster months ago, or that we had all signed contracts. Needless to say, I will no longer patronize this business. If they had made this decision prior to the signing of contracts, that would have been one thing; to pull out when the season is a month away is despicable. In some ways, I am actually glad that this has happened, for I would rather not represent a business that acts in such a poor manner. Plus, I have a feeling that things are going to turn out fantastic!

Photos

Lily, my neighbor cat, loves to come over and harass Pazza. She'll take a running start, launching herself up to the bedroom window where Pazza is sunbathing. She'll hang from the screen by her claws, which is really funny, but she is also ruining my screen!


Psycho Lily.


Lazy Hitcher after a walk.

I haven't updated my blog for quite some time because I really have had nothing cheery to write about. To put it mildly, it has not been a happy several months. The death of Jimmy was incredibly hard, and simultaneous relationship problems made it only that much more difficult.

Lots of changes for me. Ted decided to end our relationship 3 weeks ago, and moved out today. After 5 years of living together, it is incredibly sad and surreal. Many of his things are already gone, but he'll get the last of them in the next day or so. It seems quieter. One of the worst parts is the splitting of Shamus and Pazza. Who knows what the right thing is to do with them? They adore each other, and it pains me to think of separating them, but I selfishly also want Pazza to still be with Hitcher and me.

Hitcher is doing his part to keep me from staying too "down in the dumps." One particularly blue day, he and I headed out for our afternoon walk. I had realized a nap would be impossible when I caught him standing on my chair drinking my soup, so out we went. Hitch did his standard precursory laps around the house, sporting his spiffy black and red coat, of course. I patiently (well, kind of) waited by the front gate, leash in hand. It was at about that moment that I saw the squirrel, and realized just how close H was to it. Too late. As he violently shook the squirrel, incredibly thrilled with himself, I ran across the yard to capture him. I let out a pathetic "damsel-in-distress" scream, which caused the group of camouflage-wearing, football-playing men to come running from the park across the street. How embarassing. They asked what was wrong and I had to tell them my dog got a squirrel. They were highly unimpressed. It gave me a much-needed laugh for the day once I was sure the only blood on Hitch was from the squirrel.

Other than that, school is progressing. Since I'm in school again, I may as well throw in a few collegiate races.

Not a bad way to spend Christmas break.

It's very cold in Pullman, so we put some of Ted's bike socks on Hitcher's paws. It didn't go over very well, but it was entertaining!

We have lots of snow here now and it is currently 6 degrees outside. It's sunny, so it looks pretty through the window, but it's just way too cold. It's not even fun to play in the snow at these temps, but I take Hitch out for little play sessions; when he starts "dancing" I know his feet are getting too cold and we head back in.

I finished my first semester of grad school yesterday, and I am relieved to be done. One of my finals was in the last possible slot of the finals schedule, which could have been good if I used the entire week for prep. I didn't.

It still doesn't seem to me like Christmas is just a few days away. We don't even have a tree! I do hope to get one in the next couple days, though. Just a little bit behind the curve this year.

Seeing as it's vacation time, I'm off to take a nap with my warm pup. After that, a trainer session is in the plans. Fun, fun, but it has to be done.

Little Me

Jimmy

One of the greatest people I will ever know.

I have had the fortune of knowing many good people in my life. I will never again have the privilege of knowing someone like my cousin, Jimmy. Jimmy was the rarest of people, an amazing combination of humor, caring, and fun.

I have one true brother, Rusty, but Rusty and I really grew up with two other big brothers, our cousins David and Jimmy. Our family is very small, with the four of us as the only grandchildren for our maternal grandparents. Summers were often spent at Grandma and Granddaddy's in Baltimore, often with a stop-off at Aunt Suzanney's in Milford, Delaware. As the baby in the family, and the only girl, I was often annoying to Rusty and David (understandably so). Jimmy, however, never ceased to include me and play with me. I have memories of him chasing me around Grandma's house.

When we were at Aunt Suzanney's, Jimmy, Rusty, and I would "stake out" in Jimmy's room and wait for David to come home from his dates. We'd heckle him through the window, infuriating and embarassing him to no end. I thought Jimmy was the coolest thing.

I remember being very little and riding in the car with Jimmy and Aunt Suzanney. Jimmy said to Aunt Suzanney, "Allison will be pretty when she's older, won't she?" He always had a way of making me feel special. For as long as I can remember, Jimmy gave hugs unlike any other. He didn't give the half-assed hugs most of us give. No, he gave you the kind of hugs that lifted you off the ground, spun you around, and made you know you were loved. He gave the best hugs ever, and he gave them unabashedly. Few of us let our loved ones know what they truly mean to us as often as we should, but Jimmy never failed to let us all know.

As we got older, we all saw each other less and less, but things never changed when we all got together. David and Jimmy were still like big brothers to Rusty and me. Jimmy and I both had a tough time at Granddaddy's funeral. We went into the viewing room arm-in-arm, and we were chosen to take the offering to the altar. Though Jimmy was having a hard time himself, he was constantly watching out for me, more concerned for how I was doing than for himself. When we all went our separate ways, Jimmy picked me up and hugged me, telling me to take care of myself. I wrote Jimmy a letter and told him about how lucky I was to have him in my family, and I stuck it in his duffel bag. I don't know if he ever got it, but I like to assume he did.

Four years ago, Jimmy called to tell us all that he would be a father. It was obvious that he was nervous, surprised, and scared. I first saw him with his baby, Taylor, at Grandma's funeral. Taylor was just an infant, but it was easy to see that Jimmy adored her.

At Jimmy and Jessica's wedding a couple years later, which was a huge party in the Florida Keys, I got teary watching Jimmy with his daughter. You could not have asked for a better father. You could tell by the way he looked at Taylor that he could not love that baby more. I told him that night how amazing it was to watch him with his baby, and I am so glad I got the chance to do that. The wedding was such a fun time.

Rusty and Deborah's wedding in August was the last time I saw Jimmy. Our entire family: Dad, Mom, Rusty, Ted, Barbara, Cote, Aunt Suzanney, Jim, Jimmy, Jessica, Taylor, and me all rented a cabin in the Smokey Mountains. Rusty's friends Adam and Tom also stayed with us.

The eve of Rusty's wedding was spent in the hot tub with Rusty, Jessica, Jimmy, Ted, and me. Many childhood stories were told, along with things our parents would prefer not to know. Somewhere in the middle of our hours-long sweat-out, and after a few drinks, I told Jimmy how much I love him (I won't say "loved" as a past-tense because I will always love him). We shared an embrace that I did not think much of that night. He proceeded to tell Ted that he liked him, but should Ted ever hurt me he would kick Ted's ass. He told Ted, "I love this girl."

Taylor was Rusty and Deborah's flower girl, but she didn't want to go down the aisle without Daddy, so Jimmy walked along the side the whole way, urging Taylor to drop her flower petals. At the end of the aisle, little Taylor turned over her basket and shook it violently. Poor Jimmy was at his wit's end, trying to get little Taylor to wear her crown of flowers. He gave her every bribe under the sun, handing her juice cups and grapes, and shaking his head, smiling the entire time with Granddaddy's blue eyes.

It was sad for us all to part at the end of our wedding celebration in Tennessee, but it was such a fun time that it was hard to be too sad over it. The last time I saw Jimmy was on the front porch of our cabin. He and Jessica got Taylor into her carseat and said goodbye to everyone. As always, Jimmy's hug was the best, just like when we were seven and thirteen.

Grandma told me once that God gives everyone something and "he gave Jimmy personality." Jimmy had more personality in his ear lobe than most people have in a lifetime. His eyes sparkled and he brought joy to everyone he encountered. He had the rare gift of being able to converse with anyone on any topic. The other person always knew that Jimmy was interested in what they were saying, regardless of whether the topic was truly of interest to him. He just cared about people, and Aunt Suzanney can be credited with raising two very amazing men. I know with certainty that they would both agree with me that they would be nothing without my lovely Aunt Suzanney.

Two weeks and four days ago, I received a call I never wanted to get. One of the greatest people in my life had died on his 34th birthday. My big brother died on his 34th birthday. Once again, the whole family congregated, this time in Orlando. The most painful days of my life, to this point. The one person who always made such unbearable circumstances tolerable was the one person who was not there, and I seemed unable to handle it without him.

Few of you will ever have the fortune of knowing one person as wonderful as my brother, Jimmy. While my time with him was cut far too short, I can say that I was one of the lucky ones for getting to spend any time with him at all. Jimmy, I was so lucky to have known you. I know you loved me. I love you. You will never be replaced.

Pazza and me.


Over the barriers


Ted going up the run-up.


I caught this shot of Louie Fountain from Moscow





Racin'


After the start of the women's race last weekend near Coeur d'Alene.


A view from a recent mountain bike ride at Moscow Mountain.

Blueberry, the Bealls' old cat, died this morning. If you recall, a few months ago we all thought her time had come, so Mom and Dad drove her to the vet, only to have her suddenly revive. Home she went for a few more months. Over the past week, she had a massive down-turn, so an appointment was made for this afternoon. Crafty Blue decided to take care of things herself, dying this morning before she could be taken to the vet's. She had a long life - in cat years she was 102.

School has been brutal this semester, so I am already counting down the days to the end of the semester. I am becoming a trained wine panelist, so twice a week I attend training sessions. It's really pretty fun, though it takes more of the free time I do not have!

We have been attempting to stay fit in this off-season, so running has become a bigger part of our repertoire. It takes so much less time than riding, so it's better for me during the week. We are not taking cyclocross as seriously this season, only having done three races so far, though we are heading to Walla Walla this weekend for back-to-back races. I may be unable to race, as my back is once again gracing me with major pain. The culprit this time? I think it was my first weightlifting session a couple days ago, though running this morning probably didn't help it either. I'm crooked and bent, and trying to move as little as possible. Hopefully the massage tomorrow will help - usually they do.

We raced near Coeur d'Alene last Sunday, and the weather could not have been better. The A women's field was very small, with only 4 of us at the line. My road teammate, Jenni, took off from the rest of us on the first lap and rode to the win. I thought I might be able to hang for a little while, but then my lack of fitness became evident, and I couldn't do it. I had fun, though, and it felt good to ride really hard for the first time in a while. I'm still optimistic that I'll race this weekend too, but we'll see! If nothing else, we should have a good dinner!

Ted's race last weekend went really well, with him riding near the front for the whole race. He ended up feeling good and finished in the top 10. He has been running a lot more than I have... and I guess it's working!

We have yet to solve the Hitcher/garbage problem, though a solution may be on its way. Ironically, I was recently invited to test some pet products, and my survey answers qualified me to test a product designed to keep your pet out of areas where you do not want them to go. It sprays some sort of liquid at the pets when they approach the area. I should be getting it any day now, and I get to keep it at the end of the test period, so hopefully it works!

School and Cyclocoss

Mud!





Ted heading up the run-up.


Hanging out at the races.


Up the run-up.







School is keeping me far busier than I anticipated. It will be a big relief when this first semester is out of the way. I will be starting my research in October, rather than a year from now, so that will just add more to the plate. I'm not sure how much cyclocross I'll end up doing this year, but we did two big races in Seattle a couple weekends ago.

Starcrossed was first, which is always really fun. The combination of tons of spectators, a beer garden, and racing under the lights makes it a unique race experience. We have done Starcrossed four times now, and this was the first time we had rain... and boy did it rain. It did not stop all day, leaving what was a grassy course a mess of slippery mud. I had never raced in those conditions before, so it was a new experience for me! I crashed several times, but the mud just let me slide. I quickly found myself at the back of the field, which was not a huge surprise, and I wound up finishing last.

About halfway through the race, I felt like I had a fat lip and like my cheeks were swollen, but I tried to ignore it. After finishing (in last place!), I asked Ted if my face was "fat," and he said it was! No idea what happened, but I had an allergic reaction to something. My face was completely symmetrically swollen. It gradually went down throughout the evening (maybe the beer helped?), but I couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

Ted also had the pleasure of slipping and sliding in the mud, arriving at the car with a mud-speckled face. His sister and nephew made it out to watch, which I think just reinforced their opinions that we are somewhat crazy.

Sunday's race at Steilacoom was much drier and warmer, which was a pleasant surprise. Ted's lungs were bothering him, so he backed off of his race pace, and just rode it in. I rode as hard as I could, finishing near the back of the field. That 80 meter run-up is brutal!

Last Week

Me with my beautiful TT bike.


The swim-to-bike transition.


All of the bikes on the rack, including mine, #189.


The running leg of the sprint triathlon.


First off, I just want to say that my thoughts are with Jen.


Ted was in Chicago last week, visiting his parents and his grandmother. While he was away, I continued settling into my new routine as student, and also tried my first sprint triathlon. Mom and Dad came up to watch and take photos, and the weather could not have been better.

I did not train for the running or swimming portions at all, and I wasn't optimistic about my time since I was sick for 10 days beforehand. But, I figured it would be fun, so why not? A guy I have worked with is an avid swimmer, so I asked him what sort of time I would do for a 500 yard swim (they seed you by your swim time). He estimated that I would swim in the range of 7 to 9 minutes, so I put down 8:15 when I registered, which put me in the final swim wave, of 6. I shared a lane with 3 other women, swimming within our lane counter-clockwise. It did not take long for me to realize that I had WAY underestimated my swim time, as I was lapped 3 times! Oops! I guess someone needs to work on her upper body strength, eh?

Anyway, it ended up taking me over 12 minutes for my swim, and I was the absolute last person out of the pool. I was so relieved to hop on the bike and be back in my element. I did not realize that my transition times would end up counting toward the splits of my individual legs, which is something I wish I had known since I was not fast in the transitions! I ended up catching a ton of people on the bike, putting me back ahead of all the women I swam with, and giving me the course record for women.

I decided to run at a decent, but not overly hard pace, with hopes of avoiding too much soreness. It turned out that it didn't matter, as I woke up the next morning to screaming Achilles tendons. I wound up finishing 2nd in my age group and 5th overall for women, with a time of 1:05:00. It was definitely fun for something new, and triathlons are a hard effort!

We still have not solved the garbage problem with Hitcher, so we have stuck to our temporary plan of putting the garbage in the "cat room" every time we leave the house. We no longer even have baby locks on anymore, as he completely snapped them off last weekend. Suz suggested putting the garbage in the tub since dogs don't like to get in the bathtub. Of course, my dog absolutely loves to get in the tub, climbing in several times a week. He once even peed in there! Yes, he's weird. He's also the only dog on the planet who won't touch peanut butter.

I am going to be doing a wine project for my masters degree, starting next year sometime. I am doing the wine processing lab on Fridays, which is going to be really fun. Now if I just didn't have to take organic chem...

Dog-proof Garbage?

Hitcher has been posing a new problem recently and we're not sure what to do about it. We keep our kitchen garbage in a normal can in the cupboard under the sink, and he has discovered that it holds wonderful food scraps. We have tried baby locks - 2 different kinds - but he can still break in. Ours are at the top of the cabinet door, requiring that you press down on a piece of plastic to release the door. The other kind we have tried is also plastic and requires that you push two pieces of plastic together to pop the door open. Apparently, my 2 year old Treeing Walker Coonhound is smarter than the average 3 year old human because he can open both kinds.

We have resorted to moving the garbage to the back room (behind the baby gates that safeguard the litter boxes) each time we leave the house... which is a royal pain. Last week, Ted put a kitchen chair in front of the cupboard, but we still came home to trash, in addition to finding that he had eaten a chocolate cake retrieved from the ABOVE-counter cupboards; oh, and a loaf of bread. Yep, not sure how he got those cupboards open either. Next, Ted put a new 35 pound container of kitty litter in front of the cabinet, but he somehow managed to move that too, leaving garbage scraps strewn on the floor.

While it's super annoying to come home to garbage, the real concern is that he'll eventually eat something that makes him sick, so we have to figure something out. Until then, we'll be trying to remember to put it in the back room. Any suggestions?

Back in school

My first week of grad school is officially over. It's strange to be a student again, and I can tell it will take a while to get used to it. This semester has me taking organic chemistry, microbiology, and a wine microbiology lab where I learn to make wine. I am also a TA for a "Vines and Wines" class, which is a class I would have enjoyed sitting in on anyway, so it's a pretty good deal.

My task now is to officially determine which direction I want to take within the Food Science department. I have to choose between doing a wine project that involves making my own wine (hence the wine lab) and product development/dairy science. Both directions interest me at this point, so I'm not sure which way to go. The wine lab would be super fun. I have already met with the potential advisor with whom I would work on the wine project, and I will meet with the dairy/product development advisor this week. Then it will be decision time.

I have been encouraged to look more at the skills I hope to have when I complete graduate school than at the actual commodities. Afterall, I will be able to spin my job title any way I would like, but my skills are what truly will be evaluated.

I was hoping to spend much of my first long weekend on my bike, but it's not happening. I have amazingly already gotten sick! I came down with a sore throat during our Wednesday ride, which has progressed to a nasty cough from my chest. I haven't been on the bike since that Wednesday ride. It's not worth pushing it and getting worse, so I'm waiting (and sleeping!) it out. Yep... 12 hours of sleep last night, followed by a huge breakfast (?) around noon at Old European.

Next weekend I plan to do my first sprint triathlon, followed by a mountain bike race the next day; not sure how either will go, considering that I haven't been on my mountain bike since February, and I don't even know the last time I swam. I have, at least, done two 10-minute runs in the past couple weeks, but considering that the run will be over twice as long, that may not get me all that far!

Mmmm...

Homemade s'mores cupcakes with toasted marshmallow frosting.