Small Venues = AWESOME concerts

Generally speaking, I feel that small venues provide a more intimate and relaxed setting for a show. When you're going to a stadium show, your expectation for lavish displays and grandiose performance is heightened. Take a U2 concert, for example. With their latest stadium tour, they have turned to putting the stage in the center of the arena, expanding walkways out in to the crowd and dropping huge television screens from the sky! Now, their shows are still utterly amazing...but, I can't even fathom the intensity of seeing them in a tiny venue like the Electric Factory. One day, many years from now, when the Killers are playing Lincoln Financial Field to 50,000, I'll be able to say that I saw Brandon Flowers with 999 of my closest friends at the Electric Factory.

The show last night was AWESOME. The man has the most amazing voice. The power behind his performance was incredible (as was his band) and it was truly fantastic to get to see him in such an intimate setting. Soooo glad I was there with Dana and Sara! Thanks, ladies for a great night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day!

Or, to those of you who might be slightly alternative on this festival of fantabulous food,

Happy Tofurky-Turkducken Day!

OK - so, to be slightly mushy today...I have to put out my Thank You list!

My family is, well, AWESOME! I am thankful to have parents that have supported all of my wacky choices in life. Parents that I consider friends. Parents that I call up with good news, bad news, to get advice, and to share my thoughts with. Thank you to my mom and dad for being AWESOME.

To my siblings, I have always looked up to you. You have always shown me (as the Littlest One) the options in life and have helped and encouraged me to find my path through the world. Today, I look to you both as parents - I watch you raise your children with love, adoration, amazement and patience, and I admire you even more than ever. I am grateful that Emma, Noah, and Eloise will have such amazing people to learn from as they grow up (and that DEFINITELY includes Scott and Liz!).

To my friends - I am often amazed when I look around and I see the people that surround me. I am lucky to have friends that have walked with me through life for the past 20+ years and lucky to have those that have just entered my life in the past 20 months! You guys know who you are. I thank you for accepting me and all of my flaws. For helping me daily to become a better person and better friend. For supporting my endeavors and providing great advice. You keep me sane in a crazy world, you keep me crazy in a boring world, and you keep me happy ALL the time!

(Don't worry, good readers, the mushy stuff is nearly complete)...

To my hubby. You are nearly indescribable. You are my best friend. You are my rock, my partner, my joy. I am thankful each day for you.

So...to all - STUFF yourselves silly today! Eat your hearts out! Enjoy family, friends, and food!

I'll see you on the flip side!

Wasabi Weekend

This 2010 is running out fast. Before I know it, it's going to be 2011. And, you know what 2011 is? It is the year of the Wasabi. :)

To think that only one year ago, I was "pledging" CAWES. Crossing my fingers that the girls would like me on and off the bike. Hoping that I would be asked to join an amazing team of women that I highly respect and admire. I feel like I was really lucky. (Lucky that they didn't realize what a goofball I was until it was too late!! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!)

Now, after 12+ months, the team has changed a lot. While there are aspects of these alterations that make me sad, the reality is that I'm trying to remind myself that change is a part of life and that it can be good.

So, as 2011 nears, I find myself surrounded yet again by an amazing group of women. A group of women who have a consistent set of goals for the bike and who LOVE spending time together off the bike. Therefore, this is my year of the Wasabi! I hope that we can win some races, show off some decent skills in the NRC circuit, and compete in the Liberty Classic again. But, regardless of what our stats look like at the end of the season, I know that this will be a great year to be green.

2 Months

That's right...it's just a 2 month countdown until the most fantabulous holiday that ever existed! What? What do you mean, you've never heard of PorkChop Day?!?! Well, allow me to enlighten you.

PorkChop day occurs on or about (the entire week is typically considered PorkChop Week) January 16th. It includes celebrations of the best kind: great food, better wine, cool evenings in front of a roaring fire with at least one cat on the lap, cuddles with the hubby, and just general pampering of the PorkChop. YAY!

I suppose it's not much of an important week if you're not a PorkChop. But, if you are...well, then you're set.

Last week was tough. Lots of introspection, self-doubt, long days, short workouts, and shorter fuses. The weekend really turned things around for this week thanks to an amazingly warm and gorgeous couple of days. Oh, and being ensconced in a bubble of pink love for a 56 mile jaunt through the hills of Pennsylvania.

A VERY special thank you must go out to my friend Dana. I am truly grateful for you in my life...that pretty much sums it up.

Change

I'm trying to figure out if I am good at dealing with change. My thought at the moment is that I'm trying to be good at it. But, the reality is that it challenges me. I suppose it challenges everyone.

Some change is undoubtedly good. The shift from a cruddy job to the job of your dreams. The change that involves finding the perfect life partner. The change of meeting new friends that affect your life in a positive way.

Some change is less obviously categorized. That's the change that I am currently struggling with. Change that clearly has a positive and negative to its character. An alteration in my life that was inevitable due to the choices I've made, but nonetheless brings with it an undesirable outcome. So, my conundrum is how to deal with this? How do I allow myself to embrace the decision that I've made (I have no doubt that it was the RIGHT decision) and simultaneously accept the consequences of the action; consequences that I knew would occur but do not want. Therein lies my dilemma.

My Niece...The Dinosaur

I'm not sure when my niece became a dinosaur...but nothing else could explain the roaring she does in this video!

My little niece-a-saurus-rex!

Respect the Turkey

That's right, folks...it's that time of the year. The time of the year when I request, politely, that we all RESPECT THE TURKEY. Our dear gobbling friend would like his time in the sun (and eventually in the oven), so please make sure that you are not one of these folks that simply jumps from October to December! November exists and has it's own special day...a day that involves this guy.
I mean, come on...George Bush respects the Turkey. In his own special way.
And, please be aware that the Turkey has it's own legion of defenders. Like this guy...

He WILL get you if you fail to Respect the Turkey.

You've been warned.

Puppies!

The puppies were born last night starting at 9pm and with the last of the 6 arriving sometime around 2 in the morning. Chuck and I stopped by this morning to visit with them. Here are some photos of the little munchkins. Seriously, they resemble hamsters or gerbils a lot more than dogs right now!

Pretty cute...for now...while they can't bark. They only squeak currently, which is sort of cute. Once they start the yapping though....I'll keep my cats! ;)

Happy Halloween!

Last night was Movie Night! It was a success, with everyone enjoying the movie and the food and the decorations! Thanks to all that made it out and enjoyed the festivities by arriving in costume! :)

Coyle, Lisa, Pedro, Sara, Kacy and me (I was dressed up as Sarah from the TV show Chuck!)!

Halloween morning started with a gorgeous ride with some great folks! Thanks to Kacy for getting me out of bed and on the road! I'm sure that this little gal is thanking her, too!

I saw this little Downy sitting in the middle of the road as we rode past. I just HAD to stop and turn around and get her out of harm's way! I think that this made for some excellent karma on the ride. The weather was perfect and we had a GREAT day out there!

Hi Mom!

My mom reads my blog. Wanna know how I know this? I got an email this morning that said, "What's with your blog? Been waiting for some stories!!!" Well, we can't possibly let down the mom, now can we?

So...here's what we've been up to.

Halloween preparations....

Of course, the Halloween preparations have been underway for some time now. We went pumpkin shopping a few weeks ago. I crafted some new homemade Halloween decorations with some inspiration from my sister-in-law Cheryl. Finally, Sara and I worked on carving the pumpkins the other night. We made a spooky spider and a kurious kitty pumpkin and I even carved an owl into a fake pumpkin! Sweet.

Chuck and I went to the zoo. He posed with a monkey - I was one.

Just today, we visited the mother-in-law. Well, actually, we visited her puppies. See, of the 9 dogs that she currently has, the smallest of them became pregnant by the newest addition to the household. Now the poor, tiny Rootie Toot is going to have SIX puppies! That's right, I said SIX! Holy Shamolies! These puppies must be so tiny...we'll find out soon, she's due to have them as early as Monday. Groovy.

Shout Out

This is a shout out to my friend Jen who is walking across Pennsylvania this month. That's right, I said walking. With her good friend Geronimo the Mustang turned pack horse in tow, Jen is trekking her way from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh this month enjoying the beauty of this great state and all the people and places within it.

A local Berks County paper got wind of her journey and published an article about her and Geronimo.

If you want to follow her and her four-legged ferryman as they follow the westward sun, please check out her blog!

SAD

No, it's not that I'm teary eyed at my desk or anything, but I fear that my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking in again. Ugh. I LOVE Autumn and I LOVE the month of October, but it really does get to me.

I feel a bit like a groundhog prepping for hibernation.

All I want to do is stuff my face and sleep. I'm lazy, I'm a bit grumpy and tetchy, and just basically not very Porkchoppy. :( Zzzzzzz....


I think that I will soon have to visit my dear friend Marnie - she'll stick some needles in me and I will undoubtedly feel much better!

Sushi Ninjas

If this photo is any indicator of the amount of fun we're going to have this season, then we are in for quite a treat. Robin and Ky came up from the southern regions this past weekend to spend some time on the bicycles. Ky and Alaina went out to rip it up at the HillBilly Hustle, while Becky, Robin and I went out to Lancaster for a gorgeous 75 mile road ride with a crew of the prettiest Sturdy Girls I ever did see (and Alex!).

But, of course, before we could ride our bikes on Sunday, we had to stuff ourselves with sushi on Saturday. Hey, even ninjas have to eat!

Yeah...we're a wacky crew...but I love it. Go WASABI and orchid!

Oooh....shiny

The bits and bobs of my new bike arrived with a Badger and a Ramba at my doorstep on Saturday evening. There are, of course, still things to be purchased and a bike frame to build. But, for now, I'm pretty happy pulling the pretty shiny parts out of their boxes and just looking at them every once in a while.

Ooooh....shiny!

You Got BURNED

Ok - so, I freely admit that I am a bit of a klutz. Of course, I seem to be less klutzy when on two wheels as opposed to two legs, but...whatever.

So, last week - while prepping for the Special Olympics event and our trip south to Baltimore, I baked cookies. My favorite white chocolate, craisin oatmeal cookies. YUM.

Somehow, in the midst of baking, I managed to tap a 375 degree cookie sheet against my bicep. Yes, people, I burned the UPPER part of my arm with a cookie sheet. Super smart, I know. Fortunately, it is healing rapidly and soon, I will only have a faint scar for my stupidity.

Last night...while making lasagna for dinner, I reached into the oven and, yep...you got it...burned my OTHER arm! OK - so, now I am just a giant walking disaster.

Please save me from myself before I scorch my eyebrows off.

Big Team News on the Horizon

The team has been working tirelessly on sponsors, new riders, and possibly some new threads? I am super excited about the prospects that lie before us as a team. We spent last weekend down on Baltimore for the Special Olympics/Junior's Day Out event. Some of the new recruits came out for the event with us and just spending the day/weekend with them proved to me that this upcoming year is going to be GREAT! We laughed until we cried over our sushi dinner and have been laughing with one another ever since. We all have really strong personalities that somehow blend together wonderfully. And, we all have individual and team goals that mesh well together. Essentially, it is looking like CAWES is going to have a great 2011 season!

I know that I am being a bit cryptic in terms of who these new recruits are, but I can tell you that they include a sprinter, a climber, and a wicked awesome domestique. The identities of these gals will be revealed VERY soon on both our blog and our website - so stay tuned to those channels for more info!

In other, purely random news...I thought that the following thread of stuff from Facebook was funny enough to do a screen shot and post here. Thanks to Alex, Lenore and Rob for helping me make a funny! :)

Happy Thursday, everyone.

Green Machine

So, I've been told that lime green is the new black. I mean, it was certainly a popular color this year in cycling kits - soooo many teams had adopted the "Green Means GO" mentality. Apparently, this has recently been taken up by the car industry as well. My most recent favorite addition to the fleet of cute little hatchbacks like my Vivian is this one...the Mazda 2.

I mean, seriously...how cute is that?! New team car? What do you think, Mazda? You wanna sponsor a wicked crew of ladies in lime?

Me...

I think that I looked a bit like this when I woke up this morning. Minus the yummy noodles. Yep...that pretty much sums it up.

Honestly, I think that I'm pretty cute in the morning. Totally.

Apocalypse Cow

According to the Bible, there are signs for the Apocalypse. These include things like seas boiling, the dead rising from the grave, dogs and cats - living together. Okay, maybe that last one is just a line from Ghostbusters, but did you ever think that certain things happening around you may be indicators of the Great End of Days?

Take my afternoon for example. It's a beautiful day...sun shining, birds chirping, construction guys jackhammering things outside my office, la-dee-da. Then, I make the trek to my lunch truck to nom some delicious dumplings. Without even paying much attention, I walk up to the window and ask for my favorite lunchtime nom and I am told that they no longer have them. It's only then that I peer over at the menu to discover that the entire thing has changed. My beloved truck is no longer the sushi, chinese food, dumpling truck of Spring 2010, but it has become a generic, run of the mill cheesesteak sandwich truck. What the HECK is going on here?!?! No DUMPLINGS? What in the world am I gonna do?!?!

So...I have come to the only logical conclusion...the end is nigh. Yes, I see it on the horizon....it's APOCALYPSE COW!!! Save yourselves, good people!

Back to School

New books, new classes, new students. 176 new students this semester. Ouch. It's going to be a busy year. But, so far...my classes rock. The students are interested and interesting. They are already active online and in the classroom.

I admit that I wasn't entirely mentally prepared to head back to the "office." In past semesters, I've been itching for the first day of classes....ready to get back to a routine after a summer of lazy days and bike rides. This year, while I was not ready for the bike rides to end, I didn't really have the lazy days. So, I wasn't entirely ready to give up the few lazy days that I did have in August. Still, once I got back on campus and things got rolling, I found myself right back where I usually am...excited to have a new group of students to work with, looking forward to department activities, working with the clubs and organizations that I advise, seeing my colleagues...happy hours at the pub!

I feel lucky to have a job that I enjoy and look forward to...even if it drives me snarky once in a while. :)

Back to school...back to school....