Goodbye, Sam

Chuck's godfather Sam passed away this morning.

He was a really interesting guy who became part of the family after Chuck's grandfather and he were in World War II together. He didn't have much family of his own...no siblings, no children, no wife...just a few distant relatives living in the southern Atlantic area. So, he became part of our family. He was Chuck's godfather and Chuck's Mom's godfather. Sam was essentially a cross between an uncle and another grandfather for Chuck. He remembers fondly growing up with Sam around the house, babysitting him and his cousins, and basically being around at all times.

Needless to say, Sam's great sense of humor, hilarious stories (not that he always meant for them to be funny) and bright eyes will be sadly missed.

We love you, Sam. Rest peacefully.

November?!

Um, excuse me...when did it become November? And don't say "9 days ago." What I mean is...why does time seem to get faster and faster as I get older and older? Geez. It feels like the first day of classes was last week and now, the semester is nearly over.

I keep saying to myself - "oh, this week it will calm down at school and I will get to work a lot on other stuff." This NEVER happens. Ugh. Maybe this week? hehehe!

Weight Lifting

Did you ever have something just sitting on your back and weighing you down? Something that you were DYING to talk about? Something that you really wanted to express, but it just wasn't the right time, you didn't have the ability, or heck - things were really finalized in such a way that you could talk about it? That has been my life for the last month or two.

Yesterday, I was finally able to get some relief. Here's what happened...

I got a phone call around 6:30 last night from Wendy. It was a phone call I had been anxiously awaiting because it was a call that had the potential to have a huge impact on my life. See, Wendy is the President of the CAWES cycling team (Capitol Area Women's Elite Squad) also known as CycleLife.

Last weekend (over Halloween), I (and Alaina the Flying Gurski...but I'll get to that later!) was invited down to Baltimore to visit with the women on the team. It was what we would call a "Meet and Greet" Sturdy Girl ride. They wanted to meet with me, get to know me, ride with me...see if I fit the team. It was a really nice weekend. Wendy put me up at her house. We took Michelle out for a sushi birthday dinner in the city. We hung out and chatted about what we do, riding bikes, our families, etc. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt with them and hoped that the feeling would continue to the next day when the rest of the team arrived and was mutual!

The rest of the team descended on Wendy's house in the morning. We had planned a nice long ride out in the rolling hills of Maryland, but our plan was foiled by a constant, cold rain. We decided instead to set 7 trainers up in Wendy's living room and ride our bikes there while watching a movie! It was actually pretty fun because we could all talk to one another without worrying about losing concentration on the road or moving around in the paceline. It would have been nice to get out on the road with them, but that will come in due time!

After our ride, we sat and talked about the team, our goals (both personal and as a group), the expectations, sponsorship, training, etc. Again, things really felt right as I sat there talking with these amazing women.

So, after getting home on Sunday, I sent a message to the team letting them know that I was still interested in a spot on the squad if they would have me. Last night, the phone call from Wendy was to let me know that I had been unanimously voted onto the team!! I was so excited, I literally hopped around the house!

Then I realized that the hardest part had come...breaking the news to the Sturdy Girls. I called Dana and Sally and George. I really wanted to TALK to them and not have them find out in a mass email. Dana was awesome - as expected! She told me how proud she was and how happy she was and then asked the most important question...."Will you still be able to come to CAMP?!?!?" hehehehe!! The answer to that question by the way is...I certainly plan on it! :)

I actually didn't get a chance to talk to Sally and George (both were out for the evening), but G already knew what was going on and I am certain that Sal has a pretty good idea herself. Still, I plan on talking with them today.

The rest of the team got an email that took me quite a while and a lot of tears to write. I hope that all of you Pinkees out there know that I'm not going anywhere. Not really. I am ALWAYS going to be Pink at heart. ALWAYS. I will always be around for training rides, parties, movie nights, and any other events to which I am invited.

I love you guys.

Halloween

Halloween is October 31st.
That would be tomorrow.

I know that I am stating the obvious, but it seems that there are folks out there who need to be reminded.

There is no such thing as "Trick or Treating Night." More importantly, if there was such a night, it would only occur one night a year, and that night would be HALLOWEEN (aka, October 31st). At no point in time will Halloween fall on October 30th, 29th, 28th, or HEAVEN FORBID, November 1st. Therefore, it is not called "Trick or Treating Night." It is called HALLOWEEN.

When I was a kid, we went out on Halloween to trick or treat. It didn't matter if it was a Saturday, a Wednesday, or a Thursday, we went out to trick or treat on the 31st. That's what you do. You do not randomly assign neighborhoods "Trick or Treating Night." What the heck is this crap? Lately, it has become commonplace to assign these bizarre rules to trick or treating. I'm sorry, but if some kid comes to my door tonight asking for candy, he's going to get what Charlie Brown always got in his bag...a rock. Come back tomorrow, kid.

I suppose that it's just my love of Halloween that causes me to become so incensed with this concept. Thanks for allowing me to vent, most non-magnanimously! ;)

Magnanimous

This is a great word. More people should use this on a regular basis.

"With the help of some magnanimous folks I know."

"You are a magnanimous individual."

"I am magnanimous today."

"That's a very magnanimous dog you have there, sir."

You know...there are a variety of ways to utilize this term.

But, I digress....

Sturdy Girl Party Pictures!

Here are some shots from the Sturdy Girl Party and our Halloween party. :)

Car Doors + Cyclists = Not Good!

Got some very bad news today. When I sent my "text of the day" to my good friend Alaina, I got a rather unexpected response. Our friend Kelley writes back from Alaina's phone letting me know that Alaina was in the hospital with a possible broken collarbone and finger after having a little run-in with a car door.

For a cyclist, the opening of a car door can be a terrifying thing. I've had a few come toward me in my many hours on the road. However, I have not come into direct contact with one before. Tonight, unfortunately, Grizzly was not so lucky. On her way home from work (daily commuter) she ended up becoming intimately familiar with the business end of the door. The latest update from the hospital (thanks, Hoov) is that one doc does not think she broke her collarbone, but that it's just a bad separation. They were currently waiting for a second opinion. Poor Grizzly! :(

Chuck asked me an interesting question about this...who is at fault?

I looked up a few instances and was actually quite surprised at what I found. On the books in Oregon, it is the fault of any driver who opens their door without making sure that there is nothing (car, bike, pedestrian) headed towards their door. If they hit someone, it is their fault.

However, in Madison, Wisconsin, a woman on a bicycle was CITED and ticketed when someone opened a car door in front of her and she somersaulted over the door. The reasoning? According to an obscure law in Wisconsin, cyclists must stay 3 feet to the left when passing a parked car. Now, while I think it makes sense to keep as many feet between me and a parked car as possible - just in case of a situation like this - it does lead me to one major issue.

Ok - let's just say that I am riding my bike alongside a bunch of parked cars. If I am 3 feet to the left of those cars, where am I likely to be? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIGHT HAND LANE OF TRAFFIC!!! So, according to Wisconsin law - I would be safer traveling in the middle of traffic then for someone being responsible for LOOKING around before opening their daggon door?!?!??! Now, really...does that make any sense?

Anyway...I'm not sure what the law is in Philadelphia/PA, but I truly hope that it makes more sense than Wisconsin's crazy law. And, more importantly, I REALLY hope that Grizzly does not have a broken c-bone, that she is quick to recover from this, and that she's back on her feet and bike soon! Take care of her, Hoov!!!!

Sturdy Girl Party!

Tonight was our annual end of the year Sturdy Girl banquet. What fun we all have together. The broken record sounds again when I say how lucky I am to be surrounded by such wonderful women! They really are some of my closest friends and my favorite people! They are funny, kind, happy, caring, and beautiful folks.

Again...I will post some photos of everyone soon enough.

An enormous

THANK YOU

to G and Pam for letting us take over your house! You two are the best!!!

So Busy...So Bad

I am sorry, my friends (if anyone is actually out there reading) for my lack of posting of late. It has been a busy time out here in Philly and things have just been keeping me away from my beloved blog. So....here's a little update. I plan to include some photos later, but I have to download those. Yeah, that might take a while!

So, I had a great opportunity to go visit my sister and brother-in-law in Colorado. It was a fantastic trip because we got to celebrate the impending arrival of my new niece! They're due in January (just one week after my birthday, so I'm hoping the little girl comes early)! It's so awesome to see my sister all mom-like! She's got the cutest little belly on her, and I was so excited to get to feel my little niece kicking and moving around in there. Truly an amazing thing.

I totally surprised her with my visit. My parents had gone out a few days prior, and I worked it out that I would crash with them at the hotel and surprise my sis for her baby shower. I flew into Denver and got the shuttle up to Fort Collins. As soon as I arrived, I hopped in the shower. I had made the suggestion that they should call Julie and tell her that they wanted to pick her up and take her to lunch. They thought that might not be a good idea because she was working, so we decided against it. I wasn't in the shower for more than a few minutes and Julie called THEM asking if they could come over and pick her up for lunch.

So...we hopped in the van and drove over. I sat way in the back and when the door opened up and she saw me, I thought she was going to drop! There I was! It was really great. She just kept looking at me and shaking her head saying, "I can't believe you're here!" It was really wonderful! It felt so good to be there with her and Scott and to celebrate with them.

We did a lot of shopping for her (clothes) and the baby (necessities) and also got to go see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt in concert. That was REALLY AWESOME! They were so fun.

I will try to post some pictures of the sister, the family, and the baby's room soon. Only about 3 months until she'll be here in person...can't wait to meet you Fiona-Tallulah-Desdemona-Jane-Ramona-Kate! :)

Sick Kitteh

Oh, my kitteh has the sniffles and the sneezes. Poor little guy. We had to take him to the dreaded Vet's office today to get checked out. He's going to be fine, after a round of antibiotics and some Sub-Q fluids.

Poor little dude really wants to run around the house, but he's just not feeling up to it!

He'll be back to his crazy ways in no time...

Limping Along

Without my stalwart student sidekick, Danielle, I am forced to limp along in a feeble attempt to keep my First Fridays full of activity. Tonight, I head out for the first Fall semester visit to First Friday. It was so much fun when we had a posse! Now, I'm just a lame old Art History prof out walking around and looking at art. Oh, where has my posse gone! On to bigger and better places for sure, but I miss them something fierce.

To the members of what used to be known as the First Friday Flaneurs...please know that you did my heart good. I will miss you this evening, and all first Fridays from now on.

Wow...way too much alliteration in this post! :)

U2/Muse Concert

While the drive home is one I would certainly like to forget (the torrential downpour and massive 90 mph semi-trucks who were oblivious to it did not make for a pleasant drive home), I will not likely soon forget the concert from last night.

It was a surprisingly easy drive up to Giant Stadium. No traffic to speak of, 70+ mph the whole way, and right into the parking lot without a single issue. I was pretty early because I was so afraid of sitting in traffic for 4 hours, so I just camped out in my hatchback, reading a book, drinking some yummy Mike's Hard Pomegranate Lemonade (yum, yum) and listening to U2.

The rest of the crew showed up a while later and we had a nice little tailgater before heading inside. The stage was incredible. A full 360 degree stage (hence the tour name) allowed for there to be very few "bad" seats in the house. We were up high in the stadium, but in a great spot to look right down onto the stage and see EVERYTHING! It was, in my opinion, far better than being across the stadium from them in the first row of seats!

Muse came on a little after 7pm. They ROCKED Giant Stadium. They played some phenomenal tunes, including some of my faves. I was really, really impressed with them. Seeing them live certainly inspired me to come home and gather together as much of their stuff as I can.

I tried to take some videos...but my poor little camera could not handle the sound level. So, while the videos are pretty cool visually, the sound is just a bunch of screeching noise. I figured, best not to load them here! :(

A short while after Muse left the stage, it was time for the big guys to take over. The Major Tom entry was pretty funny, actually, with the pinnacle at the top of the giant olive green tarantula with bright gold buttons! But, when the house lights dropped, the crowd went mad. It was incredible.

They played a lot of stuff I was expecting...starting with a few from the new album and then heading into some of their older stuff (Breathe, No Line on the Horizon, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday). However, it should be noted that their arrangement for I Know I'll Go Crazy, If I Don't Go Crazy was...well, CRAZY GOOD! Larry Mullen leaving the drum kit to walk the catwalk with a bongo was so cool. It's one of my favorite songs from the new album and it was really good to hear it all funky-like! They played a few that I wouldn't have expected, but knew were coming from others who had seen them already (Ultraviolet). And they played a few that I had no reason to expect (The Unforgettable Fire, Your Blue Room, MLK)! All in all, it was an incredible show (not that I expected any less).

Thanks again to Fred and Beth for making it possible for me to see this show and to Corinne for being a great concert partner! Any time, my friend...any time!

Turn My Green Eyes Blue

I was becoming quite the green eyed monster. I was listening to people talk about the U2 concert in various locations across the U.S. And, here I was, knowing full-right well that the Irish quartet had decided to skip over Philly this time around. They are planning to hit Giant Stadium in Northern NJ (essentially NYC) and Washington D.C....but Philly? Not a note being played.

Oh...the green eyed monster was quietly rearing its ugly head.

And then...the craziest thing happened. I got a message from Beth letting me know that there was a chance I could get two tickets for the show at the Meadowlands. REALLY?!! Only problem was that the show is on a Wednesday. No problem here - I don't have class on Thursday and I am done early on Wednesday! :)

Needless to say my biggest challenge was finding someone to go who could get the time off to travel up to NYC on a Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, that person arrived in the form of Corinne! Yeah, baby!

So...thanks to Fred, I am hitting the road tomorrow afternoon to go see my favorite band of all time. This will be my 5th U2 concert, my third distinct tour experience, and this will make it my 3rd state (I've seen them in Michigan, PA, and now NJ). Awesome!

Thanks Fred for having two tickets to spare!

Thanks Beth for knowing that I love U2 and getting in touch!

Thanks Corinne for being up for PARTYING our butts off at the Meadowlands!

WOO HOOOOOO!

Star Wars

To paraphrase from the great Star Wars original trilogy...

The insanity is strong in my family. I have it. My brother has it. And my niece and nephew have it.

Bike? Check. Helmet? Check. Game Face? Double Check!

Noah and Aaron

Emma during her warm up. She knows that you need to legs the pins warmed up before the big race!

Start line...you can see Noah in the yellow next to Aaron and Emma. You can see from her stance that Emma, like her Auntie Sarah, is ready to "Go from the Gun!"

Proud owner of her first cycling medal!

Noah contemplates his sprint.

Their first bike race! Noah took 4th and Emma was 5th. Oh, I'm so proud! Sniff, sniff!

Tour des Farms

I spent an absolutely lovely day on the bike today with Beth and Barb. We decided to do the Tour des Farms....here is my ride report!

What: The Tour Des Farm

Where: 54 miles of slightly undulating roads in Burlington County South Jersey

# of riders: some 250

# of Sturdies: 6 that I saw...Beth, Barb, Thunder (she did the shorter ride with a friend), two other pinkees seen in passing, and me!

The ride was an amazing jaunt around the farm country of South Jersey that included stops at several farmstands along the 54 mile route. At the stands, we could spend Farm Bucks or our own bucks to buy whatever we wanted. The best part was that the farm stand would keep our goodies and the ride organizer would come around and pick up the bags and bring them back to the start finish.

The weather was PERFECT. Sunny, cool, a little windy, and totally fantastic. Even though there were over 200 riders on the roads, it was NOT your typical ride

. The road was not full of bikes, you really only saw people at the farm stands themselves, and the 54 mile route was not super popular, so once we got out on that loop of the course, we were essentially alone.

We made out like BANDITS today! We picked up carrots, beans, apples, potatoes, preserves, corn, etc. It was amazing. The two best stops on the trip were McGregor's and Strawberry Hill Farm. McGregor's was an amazing stop with a HUGE selection of ENORMOUS veggies (check out the carrots in the photo above!), a giant wall of preserves, and some fantastic looking pies and cakes!! I know that it would take me at least an hour to drive out there to shop, but I would do it in a heartbeat...the place was that AWESOME!

Strawberry Hill Farm was cool because it was essentially a pick your own fruit farm. Since it wasn't really a "shop," we weren't sure at first what to do. But, the guy running it came out to meet us and said, why don't you just take a walk out in the orchard and grab an apple. :) So, that's just what we did. We walked out, picked a row of Red Delicious, and grabbed three off the tree and ate them RIGHT THERE. They were AWESOME!

Look at how HAPPY I am! Thanks to Barb and Beth for doing this ride with me...it was GREAT! :)

News Across the Nation

So, it's been a busy week out here on the East Coast. After a fun and enjoyable summer, I have started back to work. Classes are actually going really well. Things are moving along with plans for Merida and for departmental stuff (new hire, exhibition stuff, museum trips, etc.). I'm working hard to get a lot of my administrative stuff done at school so that I can really hit the road with my dissertation work.

In Michigan, my little nephew actually started school this year. He's only three, but he is taking a bus to school. Such a little man, he is! Not to mention my little Emma-girl! She's not a little tike anymore, but is really growing up FAST! Apparently, both she and Noah raced their bikes at my brother's last race. He said that he is going to send some photos, but I haven't seen them yet. I hope that they send some along...if so, I will post them for sure.

Further west, my big sister is expecting a little nudger of her very own! Last week, she found out that they are expecting a little girl. How exciting! I am trying to figure out how I can get out there to see her before the baby is born and DEFINITELY afterward!

It's very exciting around here, I guess. Lots going on, lots coming up, and lots on the burner right now.

Hitler...and Cows

So, we recently started broadcasting on a cable channel at work. This is a really cool thing, and my colleagues and I spent a few hours last week recording our own program for the TV Channel. We're doing short Art History lectures (3-5 minutes) on works of art that will be shown in rotation over the next semester or two. I was a little hesitant about it at first, but I really enjoyed the filming and am looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end! :)

Anyway...the point of this is that I have been having a little fun with our programming, especially when walking in one of the main doors at school. See, if you walk in one particular entrance, there is a TV in the lobby that is broadcasting the channel. However, the TV is muted, so there is no sound.

Day 1: I enter campus and look up to see Hitler on the TV! All I see is him standing behind a podium, talking with his usual dynamic hand gestures. Maybe this wouldn't have been any less confusing with sound, but at least I could have, possibly, understood what the program was. Maybe?

Day 2: Far more confusing than Day 1, I entered the building to see random shots of black and white TV footage starring....cows. Yep...cows. It was flipping through random shots from programs, all of which included cows. Now, without sound I have absolutely NO IDEA what the heck this was supposed to mean. To be honest, it scared me a little and I'm not sure I want to know! HEHE!!!

Hopefully, no one has the same reaction to our program!

Visit from the Rents

It has been a busy week!

Last week at this time, I was busily cleaning my house for the arrival of the Parental Units! They arrived late last Thursday night and stayed until very early Tuesday morning (which also happened to be my first day of classes for the semester)! We had an AWESOME visit!

We drove down to visit Chuck at the shore for one day. We went to the fish market in Cape May, we went to the Farm stand in Stone Harbor, we took a stroll on the beach, made a delicious dinner and played some cards. It was a great day to spend with them down there, just talking, catching up and cooking together. Much fun.

We spent one afternoon window shopping in New Hope! My only experience with New Hope prior to their visit was cruising through there on bikes one day during one of our Fall century rides. It was neat to walk around. Lots of people and things to look at and enjoy! :)

We made a few yummy dinners here at home and really enjoyed just hanging out, drinking wine, and chatting. It really was a fantastic time. I'm so glad that they came out to see me/us. It's pretty tough living 11 hours away from your parents, when you'd rather live 11 minutes away. Alas, that's what I get for moving to the east coast to marry some boy! :) hehehe!

Here are a few photos from our visit to the shore and to New Hope!

Excitement Abounds

Again...life has been handing out heaping portions of "What the heck is going on?" lately!

Getting back into the swing of things at work has actually been pretty great. I really do love my job, despite any complaining I might do (is there anyone who really never complains about work??). It's also nice to be back to a routine. Routine helps me a lot, I've realized. It's actually much easier for me to get things done when I'm busy. When I have a lot of free time, I tend to fill it with fun stuff or stuff that makes you feel good rather than things that need to get done! Alas, back to work for me really does mean back to work!

I got a call the other day from my mom who says, "Do you have plans this weekend?" I quickly say, "Nope! Why?! Are you coming to visit?!" And she says, "We were thinking about it." Within a two minute conversation, they had decided to drive out for a visit and will be arriving tomorrow! Wah-hoooo!! This makes me very happy.

So...my last weekend of total freedom will be spent with my parents, which will be awesome. Then, my nose really hits the grindstone. Teaching, researching, writing, grading....it's all waiting for me on Tuesday!

Bring it on!

Back to Real Life

Well...real life has intervened on my summer of pretending to be a Professional Cyclist. Notice, I say pretending. I guess it was more like impersonating. I got out there and rode alongside Tina Pic, Ina Teutenberg, Alison Powers, Kelly Benjamin and so many other women that I have only read about in magazines. It really was a dream come true to be on the start line for the Liberty Classic and to climb the hills of Fitchburg in the pro peloton.

It was a year full of ups and downs...from my wins at Mount Joy and Greentree to my embarrassingly awful time trial at the Giro de Jersey, I felt nearly every emotion possible this year. Elation, fear, sadness, joy, pride, anxiety, serenity, and nearly everything in between.

Thanks to all the amazing women I raced with this year. To the Riptide and Ciclismo teams, my buddies in ripping legs off. You have heart, you have soul, you have awesome attitudes! You love to race, you love to compete, and you do it with grace, style, and a smile. You are awesome ladies!

I was surrounded this year by not one, but two teams of amazing women, Sturdy Girl and Salamander. To my Sturdies - I love you guys. You are such an amazing group of women. I am really lucky that I stumbled upon this team in the fall of 2006. I am lucky that George decided that I was worthy of wearing pink. I am lucky that so many others have stumbled upon this team and become some of my closest friends. Without you, I never would have taken such a joy in riding and racing my bike. Without you, I never would have had the support and encouragement to race my guts out. To my Salamanders - you ladies taught me so much this season. Getting to ride along side you and learn from your experiences in the peloton made me smarter, stronger, and more confident this year, and I really appreciate it. I hope that we can join amphibious forces again next year for Philly. It would be a blast to hit the road with you all again.

Thanks to George - coach extraordinare. You ROCK. Do I need to say more than that? I am so proud to call you a heck of a lot more than a coach. You are a confidante, a mentor, a sounding-board, a counselor, and most importantly you are my friend. I appreciate your constant belief in me and your support.

To my Bubba...you put up with all of my bike-dorkiness, and I love you dearly for it. I couldn't ask for a better partner to share my life and my soul with.

Well, thank you for this Academy Award...they're playing the music now and soon the giant hook will come out to pull me offstage. hehe!