Red Stick Ramblers

As I sit in my office on a quiet Thursday (I'm the only one teaching today, so it's always quiet around here!), I'm jamming to the Red Stick Ramblers on my iTunes. I'm getting in the mood for my night out with Whitney! We're going to go see the band at the World Cafe Live! :) I love hanging out with her like this...she's a great concert going partner!

Can't wait to see these guys live again - the last time was when they played with the Wilders out in PA somewhere. That was the first I had ever heard of them, but I was immediately hooked. Can't beat cajun, swing, jazz, bluegrass (or something like that!)!

P.S. I was going to edit my To Do List again, until I realized that the only thing I'd be able to change is that I slept last night. Not so good! :)

My To Do List, edited to reflect things done (those in white) and still to do (in pink)! :)

- prepare lecture about NAFTA for Mexico
- prepare practice talk lecture for Thursday (as in tomorrow!)
- read and take notes on prelims stuff
- ride my bike
- grade papers for two 103 and one 104 class
- finish up Barnes Foundation Micro-Grant documents
- practice my Spanish
- ride my bike
- grocery shop so Chuck has food to eat while I am in Mexico
- do last minute Mexico shopping (clothing, toiletries, etc.)
- pack for Mexico
- do laundry so that I have clothes to pack for Mexico!
- go to the gym
- get a new battery for my heart rate monitor strap
- get a new battery for my watch
- ride my bike
- contact the bank to let them know I will be out of the country and using my debit card!
- teach
- eat
- sleep
- did I mention ride my bike?

How did I get so little done in one day?! Or, did I get a lot done?! Totally not sure! :)

To Do List:

In no particular order, although most of these need to be completed within the next two days!

- prepare lecture about NAFTA for Mexico
- prepare practice talk lecture for Thursday (as in tomorrow!)
- read and take notes on prelims stuff
- ride my bike
- grade papers for two 103 and one 104 class
- finish up Barnes Foundation Micro-Grant documents
- practice my Spanish
- ride my bike
- grocery shop so Chuck has food to eat while I am in Mexico
- do last minute Mexico shopping (clothing, toiletries, etc.)
- pack for Mexico
- do laundry so that I have clothes to pack for Mexico!
- go to the gym
- get a new battery for my heart rate monitor strap
- get a new battery for my watch
- ride my bike
- contact the bank to let them know I will be out of the country and using my debit card!
- teach
- eat
- sleep
- did I mention ride my bike?

No Riding!

While the temps are perfect for a team ride off into the hills of Montgomery County, they are also perfect for melting just enough snow to make the roads a slush covered wonderland! Not so perfect for crusing along on our skinny-tired bicycles at 18 mph! So, alas, our training day has been postponed.

This is particularly poopy for me, as I am leaving next Saturday for Mexico, not to return until after the following weekend. Which means, in short hand speak, I can't ride with the gals for at least 2-3 weeks! :( Boo Hiss! I was really looking forward to today's ride.

Know what else I am looking forward to? WARM TEMPERATURES! I can only hope that by some grace of God (you listening, up there????), when I return from balmy Mexico, I managed to bring some of the nice warm and sunny temps back to the chilly northeast with me! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!!!!

I'm Gonna Regret This!

I went to the gym with Chuck this morning to lift weights. I really need to do this more often, because I tend to go once in a while and not consistently, and then I just live to regret it for the next three days! :) So, anyway...I went....and I lifted. I did some arms, I did some legs and squats, and then I came home and rode for an hour.

And then we made the next mistake that I will regret in the morning...

Chuck and I just got home from bowling with Bernadette and Glenn. We had a great time, as we always do with these two. I beat Chuck in 3 of the 4 games that we played. Since Chuck went to college on a bowling scholarship and, as all who have bowled with him know, is still very good, it was a LOT of fun to kick his butt! :) Actually, the last game was awesome for me. I bowled 4 strikes in a row and ended up with my second highest score ever of a 177! Woo hoo!

We always have such a great time with Glenn and Bern. They are expecting twins sometime this summer, which is highly exciting since they have been through a lot to get to this point! It was fun to talk about baby names and hear how excited they both are for this new adventure. They have decided to not find out the gender of the babies, which I think is really cool. In this day and age, when there are so few surprises left in the world, this is one that I hope to experience one day - the absolute joy and surprise of hearing a doctor say, "Congratulations...it's a ----!" How cool.

Early Dismissal?

I have never quite understood early dismissal at schools. Chuck had to get up this morning and drive through all of that crap, just to get to school to be told that they were going to dismiss everyone at noon. I fail to understand this. The snow has stopped at this point. It is raining a little and the temps are expected to rise above freezing, effectively melting the nasty-wasty snow. Hmmmm....

The worst part? He still has to wait around for me to get finished here at 1:15 before he can go home!

P.S. GREAT info on the MSN page this morning regarding one of my favorite foods...quinoa! Yum, yum, yummy! Check it out!

PHEW!

We got pummeled last night. With snow. At least, pummeled for this area - if I were home in Michigan, we'd call it a light dusting! ;) What's funny out here is the fact that all you hear on the radio is how we knew this was coming and so the crews were out "all night" working on clearing and salting the streets. Yet, somehow...the roads are still a disastrous mess. They are covered in slick snow and slush and extremely dangerous (even by Michigan standards!).

Much to my surprise, Chuck had school this morning. Not sure how that worked out, but I must say, considering our drive in, I'm pretty glad that he did have to go to work.

About a half a mile from our house, we have a 90+ degree right turn to make. Just as Chuck finishes the turn and starts to straighten out the wheel, the car decides that it likes the look of the guard-rail and begins heading straight for it! Keep in mind, this is only a two lane road with virtually NO shoulder.

I swear to you, if I had been driving, our car would currently be pinned up against a guardrail in New Jersey. SOMEHOW, Chuck manages to miss the rail by a few inches - and I am NOT exaggerating here. I was pre-emptively hearing the sound of the crunch of our front wheelwell just before the car sidled up to the side of the railing and stopped. I guess those defensive driving lessons he took when he thought he was going to be a cop paid off.

So, despite the near collision, we managed to both make it to school safe and in one, undented piece. I only hope that the ride home is less exciting! :)

Lunar Eclipse

It was an incredible sight last night. It's not often that one gets to see the moon turn red.

I suppose we were lucky. Despite a terrible day in terms of weather, it cleared up just in time for us to be able to stand on the front porch and view this wonderful event.

Congrats!

Many congratulations to my alma mater swim team. The Wayne State Warriors Women's team won the GLIAC championships for the third year running last weekend. And Sean Peters, my former coach, won coach of the year for the third straight time.

It's amazing to see such incredible things come out of a team that once referred to ourselves in glittering gold paint on a banner as "Ghetto Superstars." We were straight out of Detroit...the warmups that I wore my first two years must have been from the late 70s, and we only got new ones when they changed the mascot from the Tartars to the Warriors! We were the team that often got accused of stealing things when we were at meets. I mean, it was often true (some ladies will recall our visit to Northern Michigan University!), but we got accused of it because we were from D-Town.

I wish I could have been a part of such a winning squad, but I'm happy to know that I was instrumental in establishing the base upon which this mighty team now stands. Congrats again, ladies...way to rock the pool!

VERY IMPORTANT

Ok...so I have a VERY IMPORTANT request for any and all blog readers out there with a keen aesthetic eye. Honestly, this is an issue of great importance. Ready?

What color water bottle cages should I go with for Falco? (Told you! MAJORLY important issue here!)

Do I go with two blue cages? Two white cages? Or do I maintain my eclecticism by having one of each?

Come on now, folks...I need your help on this! :)

3 hours and 45 minutes

That's how long I was on my bike today, 3 hours and 45 minutes. 60 miles and one flat after leaving Center City, we returned...very hungry, a little chilly, but feeling great from a few hours in the saddle, I am still so thrilled with my new bike. I can admit that, since my body is in a new position on the bike, my legs are FEELING it! Of course, this could also be the pleasurable pain of getting my BUTT back in RACING shape! hee, hee....I love it.

I can't wait for the season to start! I know that I am already so far ahead of last season in terms of training and readiness. Now, I am getting the urge to really put the training pedal to the metal. My goals for this year are highly personal - working on challenging my limits to see where they are and where they can be, helping my teammates get podium spots and upgrade points, and just generally improving my racing skills. While I hope to be a podium contender myself at some races, I must admit that it's kind of nice to think of the season more in terms of these personal challenges than where I am on finish lines. I think that these issues will actually make for a much more difficult, frustrating, and rewarding season for me.

Maiden Voyage!

I got home a short while ago from the Maiden Voyage of my new bike! It was a gorgeous day out - not a cloud in the sky, so even though the weather channel said that it was only 34 degrees while we were on the road, there were actually moments when I was a little too warm in my thermal jacket. We did a nice ride out past Haverford college - some nice climbs, some swift decents, and some great company (Josh and Jen - it was GREAT to meet you!)!

Oh, but I guess you want to hear about the bike. It was ok.


JUST KIDDING!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Sorry...I know that my enthusiasm is a bit goofy, but think about it....while I love my Felt, I went from a 22 pound, aluminum frame with carbon stays and fork, 105 component, 2 sizes too big for me bike to a 15 pound, full carbon fiber, Dura-Ace, fits like a glove bike. People asked if it was really so different, and I just shook my head and said, "It is a different WORLD on this bike."

The ride today was great. I was comfortable, the hills felt so easy and fast, and the way this bike reacts to pressure on the pedals is really incredible. When you push down, he reacts, reacts quickly, and reacts FAST.

So, all in all, the maiden voyage was really incredible. Best yet...I now know his name, too! As I was riding today, a name simply popped into my head - perhaps it was inspired by the three hawks that crossed my path today. I wasn't sure at first that it was actually his name, but I realized on the way home that it was.

His name is...

Falco.

Yes, like the 80s guy who sang Ammadeus. And like the last name of Keanu Reeves character in the Replacements (Shane Falco). But his name refers to his swift ability to attack his prey - not unlike a falcon!

Welcome to the family, Falco. :)

Fundraiser Follow-Up!

What a night, what a night!!!

We had an incredibly successful Cockatil Party last night at the BEAUTIFUL home of Molly and Jo. Sally had the head count at 105! 105 people attended the soiree and brought with them even more incredible raffle prizes and fantastically positive vibes.

I got to thank Mike from Specialized for their sponsorship of our team and for helping to hook us up with some SWEET rides! Thank you, Mike!

Here's the place prior to the inundation of bodies! :) I think my decorations were pretty darn hip!

The lovely Robin and Dana!

Ben and Doreen Crowle

Anne and Lenore!
Visit their blogs, these two are GREAT!
Keep an eye on Lenore Pipes this year, girls...she's going to knock our socks off this season!

Sally and Luly!
Co-Founder and Raffle Coordinator extraordinare.

We had a great time at the party! And, I came home with some pretty cool raffle prizes - a beautiful necklace and earring set, $20 in gift certificates to the Reading Terminal Market and an homemade scarf! Candace won a Sturdy Girl goodie bag, Doreen won the Team Ultralink goodie bag and Krysia...the lucky ducky...won a brand new set of Roval Fusee SL wheels! The same wheels that came on my Tarmac...I tried to win them, but I'm happy with my prizes.

Thanks to all the incredible folks who came out to support Sturdy Girl Cycling, to Dana and Sally for creating such an incredible club and team, and to my teammates for being fantastic people that I adore!

Sturdy Party!

Tonight is the big

Sturdy Girl Cycling Cocktail Party fundraiser!

I'm in charge of decorations...which is quite nerve wracking, I tell ya! When I decorated for my birthday party - mind you, I had about 3 hours notice - I was warned (lovingly of course) by Dana that my decorations for the Cocktail party had better outshine my birthday decor. Uh-oh! :) Such pressure! So, I went bananas...I picked up all kinds of fun goodies to toss around Molly's house for tonight. I did control myself and put back the hot pink and yellow maracas...but it was a tough move. :)

The Cocktail party is a fun night. I went last year, although it was a little strange because I didn't really know anyone. This year, though...I'm sure I'll have an even better time because I'm no longer a newbie! I've got my camera - digital disk empty, batteries fully charged, so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them to this site and the Sturdy Girl Racing Blog.

There's a rockin' raffle tonight and I'm gonna win me some stuff!
I'll be seeing some of you Wild and Crazy Gals later! :)

Happy Valentine's Day...

Boy, I hate Valentine's Day! I used to think that I only hated it when I didn't have a "Someone Special" to share it with. Turns out, I just don't like it. Why is it that we need a holiday to tell someone we love them or buy them a card and flowers? Don't get me wrong....I love the fact that my friend Heather's Hallmark store does a KILLING around this time of the year, but REALLY....doesn't it seem a bit hollow when someone tells you they love you today simply because it's marked on the calendar that they are supposed to?

Deep thoughts, eh? Or not! :)

He Has Arrived!

I just got home from Keswick. I'm happy to have brought this beautiful boy home with me. He's currently unnamed, but I'm sure after a few rides, he will reveal his inner Sturdy title.

He's a little self-conscious about the fact that he has pink bar tape and pink cable caps, but I assured him that real men can wear pink with pride and not lose any of their masculinity! :)

Dura-Ace deraillure and pink cable cap!

As Paris Hilton would drawl (complete with vacant look), "It's Hot."

Finally HERE!

My new bike has finally arrived! I'm planning to stop by the bike shop tonight after work to pick it up! :):):)

Now if I could only figure out how to make it stop raining, make the streets dry up and be free of slush, and somehow turn this afternoon into the perfect day for riding my new toy, I'd be truly content! :)

Alas, I'll just have to settle for being really, really excited and happy!

Dreams are Strange

When I was young, I had a friend. A Best Friend. And then, one day, she just wasn't. My best friend, I mean. To this day, I can't really understand what happened to our friendship. It just suddenly ceased to exist. There were times when I tried to rekindle the connection that we had, but it just never happened. It was over.

Last night I had a strange, strange dream! I was walking along, on my way to the library at Temple. I reached in my bag to pull out my ID and realized that it wasn't my ID in there. Instead, the ID held the countenance of my friend of all those years ago. In addition, there was text scrawled all over the ID. It started, "To my EX-Best Friend," (ouch) It then continued on to tell me in politely scathing terms that "if you ever try to look me up again, I swear I'll..." Most of it is lost to the foggy realities of waking up, but I remember the card being covered with phrases that sounded friendly at first, but on closer inspection, were cruel reminders of a friendship gone wrong. I also remember that, again, I woke up not knowing WHY we were no longer friends.

Friends come and go...this is a fact of life. Sometimes, this happens purely by accident or circumstance. I dearly miss my friend Molly, but I live on the East Coast, she lives in Canada - it's hard to see one another, hard to make international phone calls, and sometimes just hard to keep up. But, we've lost touch out of these issues, not because of some great conflagration of words.

Then there's the friends that you lose and you don't know why. I haven't thought of this dream person in years, and yet, here she is...in my dream as clear as day...dredging up this question of why? I know that I will never know why she and I are no longer friends. I imagine that in her mind, the fault lay with me. The fact is, if I saw her tomorrow, I would be truly happy to see her and happy to hear about her life. I wonder if she could say the same?

Green Eyed Monster!

I should preface this post with two statements. #1 - My bike has not yet arrived! :( #2 - I'm not REALLY jealous, but it's fun to think that I am!

Ok...so, I took a chance on the weather this morning and slipped into Philly to ride with the gals. It was a small but cheerful group that hit the street this morning under questionably dreary skies that seemed more than eager to open up a rainy can of whoop-ass on our butts.

Fortunately, it did not and though it was chilly at times, we ended up with a great ride out to Blue Bell and back.

Upon arrival, I meet up with Naomi's altar ego Mountain Bike Takahashi, who is heading out to meet the other Dirty Girls on the trail, George and Sally, Dana, and Roy and Candace. This is where the Green Eyed Monster arrives!



Candace shows up on her brand new Specialized Tarmac SL! :):) She ordered hers just a day or so before me, so I know that mine is "in the mail" as they say, but I was a bit jealous that she was riding her speedy little demon today! :) She loved it, which makes me so happy to hear! It's great to see a teammate on a new ride that she is totally stoked about.

Can't wait to get mine so that I can turn everyone else into a Green Eyed Monster! :)

Oh...my other funny story from the day was my parking experience. I was sitting in my car, early for the ride as usual, and I was on the phone with my dad. As I'm talking to him I tell him that I may have to get off the phone soon. He says "Why?" I say, "Because the old woman trying to park in front of me is about to hit my car."

Sure enough, not two seconds later, my car rocks backward as she bumps the front end trying to parallel park. So, as I sit there, she pulls forward, and then backs up and hits me AGAIN!!! This time, I lay on my horn. What does she do? Yes, you have it, she WAVES at me!!! She then proceeds to get out of her car and walk away as I am standing there making sure my bumper was ok. I was like, "Hello????" The least you could do is apologize!

Anyway...it was only my Escort and she only bumped me, but seriously people, I was SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT!!!! Crazy! FUNNY!

A Nice Surprise

As I was leaving school today, I had the pleasure of encountering a very nice surprise, although it started out with a bit of a scare.

I headed out from my office for my 2 1/2 block walk to the train station. I had my headphones on and was jamming to some rockin' 80s tunes. I got to the intersection of 16th street and waited for my light to turn green. It changed and with a pack of pedestrians, I began to cross the street. Just as I was halfway across, this woman in a maroon Mercedes (you know who you are :) ) came barreling towards the line and slams on the breaks in time to avoid hitting said pack of pedestrians and yours truly! Obviously, I notice this car coming at me and quickly stop walking. She does end up stopping, although well into the crosswalk, and all of the foot-traffic continues across the street. (This was the scary part)

As I continue walking, this young man next to me asks if I am OK.

I say , "Yes, thank you! I was really not sure if she was going to stop...it was a bit of a scare."

We then continue to walk together to the train station, chatting about living in the city and the things that you learn as you grow and mature in that environment - he made a joke about how, as a kid, he would have just strolled in front of that car with the belief that she WOULD stop, not the hope that she might!

The last two blocks of my walk to the station were filled with a wonderful conversation with this gentleman, who went North when I went South. I hope that the rest of his day went well and I wish that he knew that he really made my day today with his genuine concern and congenial company.

Candide and Stuff

I have been reading a lot lately. Not just scholarly articles on boys with squirrels, but also novels and other things.

I recently reread Voltaire's Candide. I remember reading this years ago and enjoying the tale of this character whose life is devoted to the optimisitc search for the explanation of the human condition. I reread it now with a more refined understanding of the philosophical issues of transcendental thought, the folly of optimisim, the contradictions of satire and Panglossian idea that "everything is for the best."

This is actually a text that has a lot of relevance to my current life and that of the world around me. Candide's journey, wrought with trial, tribulation, joy, sorrow, love and hate and his journey toward self-awareness and understanding seems very close to my current search for self-awareness and acceptance. I continue to be reactive to the fact that I grew up uncomfortable with myself and being made uncomfortable by others around me. I rarely felt truly at home in my own skin, although I have continued to grow more and more aware of myself as I leave behind my 20s and move into a new decade of my life.

I also find that I tend to question the "reason" behind events in life, even though reason often has nothing to do with it. I fail to believe that "everything is for the best" in a pure sense, although it seems that even when things go wrong, they tend to somehow influence an aspect of life that ends up "right." For Voltaire, Pangloss is as mislead as many of the philosophers of the Englightenment who believed that God existed and as a perfect being, he created a perfect world and was incapable of mistake or imperfection. Voltaire's continual punishment of the main characters suggests that God, if one exists, is (as Jim Carrey put it in Bruce Almighty) simply a "mean kid with a magnifying glass. And we're the ants."

So, I continue my search. I continue to look at my own person - trying to make me better. Better to me, better to others, better all around. And, I continue to deal with my spirituality, which has always been strong, if someone undirected. Who knows...I may find something out there!

Thanks to Dana, who gave me a great book for my birthday that is helping me move from the satirically sadistic world of Candide to a more introspective sense of spirituality...more about that another time, I suppose - still have to finish reading! :)

Cat Food Run!!!

So, last night, around 8:30pm, Chuck reminds me that we have no cat food left. Oh, crap! Since our kitties are treated right and fed good-for-you, yummy, mainly meat product food, I decided to run to the nearest Petco to pick up their dinner. All is well and I am on my way home. I notice the police car behind me and I become very aware that I am settled in at a decent, albeit above the speed limit, 30 mph in a 25. Sure enough, the lights start to flash, and the daggon cop pulls me over. I was sitting there thinking, what the heck is wrong with this guy until I realize....

it's my friend Glen! :) The big goof pulled me over so we could chat! :)

Oh, to be a boy in the 18th century...

What fun it would have been to sit and play with my very own flying squirrel...on a chain. Do you think that they are well behaved when you take them for a walk? Yep, this is what I have been immersing myself in lately at school.

I have begun studying for my prelims, starting with articles dealing with the late 1700s and heading into the turn of the century. In about 8 months, I will spend 14 hours answering questions about the work I'm doing now. 8 hours of written testing and 6 hours of oral testing will grant me my candidacy, and I will be on my way to becoming Dr. Sarah. Now, I just have to study my rear end off and make sure that I pass.

I am currently reading Jennifer Roberts' article on this image by Copley and how it symbolically represents the ideas of travel and the "dilemma of transit." This work, done in 1765, was shipped to London as Copley's first major international exhibit. It came back to rave reviews of its beauty, with only slight criticisms of its "over minuteness." All in all, she makes some interesting connections between elements of Copley's painting and the activity of travel to which the work was exposed. Interesting, and a great example of the ways in which American scholars of today are drawing connections where earlier scholars have only hinted or skimmed.

Well, done with the musings and back to my readings....

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Sometimes I question my reaction to things. I have tried in the last couple of years of my life to learn to balance my passion with a sense of control so as to not let emotional reaction get the best of me. I find that, for the most part, I manage to do this pretty well.

Often, I am envious of those who are more detached, who can hear a comment that is offensive or impolite and allow it to roll of their backs and not bother them. Sometimes I can do this, other times, not so much. I find that at times like now, when things are BUSY, life is CRAZY, and I am stretched to the extent of what I think I can take - the passion rises up and I have a very tough time letting things go. Other times, when I feel content, secure, solid, grounded - you can say pretty much anything to me and I can simply follow through with a witty retort and forget the event.

So, here I sit, attempting to determine what it is that irks me so much about certain comments and why I let them impact my life. I know that, to some extent, I feel engulfed by people who do not really know or understand me. Worse than that, they have no interest in knowing or understanding me. Yet, they are intent on projecting their goals and ideas about what I should be doing upon my life.

I also know that sometimes I envy the lives of those who have it different than me. I would love to be like my sister-in-law...raising three great kids and being there to watch them grow and change...there are times when I am very envious of the life she has and the struggles that no doubt come with it. So, when comments are made to me about having kids (often rudely like "Why don't you have any kids?" or "Isn't it about time for you to have a baby?"), I'm tired of politely trying to explain why they don't fit into my life. My life is hard to explain to some people - I work hard at work, I work harder at home, I study my tail off, I play as much as I can, I enjoy my marriage, I enjoy my cat-kids, I like my life as is...for now.

So, my February resolution is this...brush 'em off. Take the snide comments, the rude questions, the condesending tones, and brush 'em off. Feel good for others without feeling crappy about me.

...hope it works!

Why music?

I'm honestly hoping that someone out there, stumbling upon my simple ramblings, might help me to answer this question...

Why do some web designers insist on adding music to their sites? Maybe I'm the only person who finds this obnoxious, but I hate going to a website only to have it start singing to me. It's very embarrasing to be at work - doing legitimate searches, mind you - and suddenly, the computer starts belting out some jazzy tune. Why do this? Unless they're visiting a website of a musical group or band, most people don't want to hear the music, they want to read the content. Some of the sites graciously allow you to turn the music off (thank you, thank you!), but many don't - it just starts up without warning. Just something I encountered while doing research today and thought I would open up for comments!

On another interesting web-related note - Dave Zabriskie finally came back to the blog! :) Hooray...we again get to read his crazy notes about riding and visiting action figure manufacturing companies??? God, I love this guy! Keep on writing, Dave. And, race your heiny off in that rockin' Argyle kit! :)

At an End...

The week is at an end. And, it's ending on a very sloppy note! Today is chilly and rainy - YUCK! I don't mind rain in the spring and summer, when part of you desire taking a long walk in it just to enjoy the feeling of warm rain, but cold rain is another story entirely. I don't think that I would make a very good Pacific Northwesterner - although the incredible landscape is a strong draw!

Yesterday was great! I got out on the road with Luly and Leah for some incline repeats. We had a nice time and enjoyed trying out some different tactics on the hill and pushing one another to attack the incline each time we went up. I'm looking to do some more hill work on Sunday, since it will be a beautiful day and I can't make the club ride tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Uncle Matt's funeral. Funerals are so strange, I think. They're sad, by nature. Yet, they are a chance to spend time with family and friends that you tend to neglect due to life. And, you feel the love and kindness of so many people in one day. So, in some ways, they're kind of uplifting.

My grandfather's funeral was an amazing spectacle. Unfortunately, I have been to MANY funerals in my time. But his...it was the most incredible celebration of a long and inspirational life. The church ceremony was held in a large cathedral in Cincinnati where my mom and dad were married. It was FULL of people. And, I mean FULL. There were people in every pew, standing in the aisles, and even up in the choir. It AMAZED me that so many people were there to say goodbye to a man that I knew only as my grandpa. That he had managed to touch the lives of all of these people in some way was truly moving and powerful. I hope that I can touch lives like he did.

But, I digress...Sunday is SuperBowl Sunday and Museum Day (my very own holiday). I'll be taking my class to the Museum and then (I hope) hopping on the bike for a few more hill repeats. I'm going to CRUSH those hills this year! :) Then, it's off to the Mother-In-Law's house for football and birthday cake for Chuck's Grandpop. Should be an interesting weekend...is that even considered a weekend? hmmm. :)