All Good Things...

This is probably the last time I'm going to blog for a while. Not forever, but since I'm starting in a - hopefully busier and more fulfilling job next week, I won't have time to hang out online as much as I have. Something I think is good. Good for my sanity.

I almost called in "fuck you all" today, but saner heads prevailed. Besides, I don't generally call out from work. In all fairness, this is far from the worst job I've ever had. When I was a kid, I had a summer job that almost killed me. But why I'm mentioning my initial thought is this: as I biked home yesterday, unsure of whether I would come in today or not, I had a moment of bittersweet. I thought, "This is maybe the last time I'll bike this route, so goodbye all you shards of glass, goodbye no existent bike lanes, goodbye Sammamish High with all your incompetent drivers." Of course, all those sweet thoughts were a big fat waste, and probably used up my monthly nice quota for nothing, since I came into work today as well.

But I will be biking in this route for another week - which I forgot - since I'm doing training all next week across the way from where I am now. That is, if I survive Portland.

I guess Satan did get his weather back, because it's considerably cooler today. So, thank you, Dark Lord for taking back the weather. During a temporary insane moment, I decided it was a great idea to lug all my belongings home yesterday in a ginormous backpack during the tail end of the heatwave. That load probably added about 15 lbs and the ill fitting backpack constantly threatened to topple me over. And I'll tell you this, that biking with a backwards tilting backpack up a 16% hill doesn't work well.

Anyway, until next time, take care and get some good bike rides in. I will write about the Death Ride of Portland, though.

Sunshine Makes Me Wet

As in sweaty of course, all though... never mind. Yesterday was another scorcher and per usual I forgot to carry water, so while my legs were strong, the rest of my body was weak. Things are looking up or down weather wise in Portland. Whether it's up or down depends on your point of view. If you're a nutball like +Matt Campbell, you'll say up. I'm hoping for overcast but no rain.


Only three more days in this job. I could feel very strongly yesterday that I'm just done with this bullshit. I don't know if I told you this before, but my current place of employment caters to the rich and powerful - or at least they're powerful in their own minds. With that warped sense of self comes entitlement. Not all of our patients are like that, but the majority is. Yesterday's schedule was full of the latter. I've been tolerating this behavior before, even humored it, but yesterday I just couldn't take it. I found myself being short and not very friendly. Time to move on.


Me on Saturday

I'm meeting up with a friend on Friday after work and I really, really need it. Now that I'm done with this job I can shed some (not much) light on the comment I made about a certain police detective who turned out to be a major fuckboy. I met him by coincidence, as with most things in life. I won't go into details because it ended well for me, but let's just say he was a mindfuck of epic proportions and is probably one of the reasons some people have little to no faith in law enforcement. I seriously can't comprehend that people like him can even function in life. Much less serve and protect others. Oh, well, I'm done with that now.

I've lost a total of 16 lbs now so I'm a lean, mean biking machine. Watch out, Portland! Here I come!

It's Getting Hot In Here And Pay It Forward

Let it be said that I love sunshine. I don't care much for roasting on a beach, but I love having the sun around because it makes me happy. What I don't like is biking in it. Yesterday biking home I was reminded of how I really, really don't like biking in heat. And I definitely don't like doing hill climbs in it - which is probably why I liked the High Pass Challenge a whole lot better than Tour de Blast. HPC was a rainy and cold affair whereas TdB was a high 80s scorcher.


As far as my weight loss goes, I'm down 14 lbs now. The rapid weight loss seems to have slowed down. I'm not dieting but just cut out the heavy evening meal. I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but it seems easier and lighter to bike uphill now. I suppose it makes sense that it should feel lighter with 14 lbs less to drag uphill.

Four more days at work here, but my week seems to end on a very good note.

I have heard about this stuff happening, but never experienced it myself until today. This morning, a stranger reached in front of me with a ten dollar bill and bought my coconut water and protein bar while I stood, stunned, staring at the "out of order" sign taped to the credit card machine, my card still in my hand which was locked in the mid-air swipe position.

I had dashed to my local 7-11 before heading to work to grab a couple of things my sleep dazed head had forgotten this morning.

So, I stared blankly at the tall, 50-something man, and suddenly felt like an extra in  "Oliver Twist"… "for me, Sir?"... I whispered. The line was stacking up fast with folks with a single cup of coffee and places to go. He stuck his hand out and said, "I’m Dan. Enjoy the rest of your ride.", and off my angel went.

Now, I’m kicking myself. Had my cognitive processing skills not been completely shut down by his generosity, I would have realized that the ATM, which I have used a zillion times, was in the back of the store, and I would have gotten my own cash and paid for my own items. Nope, none of that, I just stood there, feeling the tears starting to well from this kind gesture. But the worst part is that I didn't even say "Thank you." I just stood there like a tongue tied moron.


So I'll say it here; thank you Dan, I will do this for someone else very soon, someone more deserving than myself , and if they thank me, I’ll tell them it was all you, good man. But you know, me being me, I'm a little annoyed by this gesture as well as being thankful. I prefer my mornings grumpy, and this - it completely ruined a perfectly good morning routine.

The Final Countdown

This week marks the final countdown for a couple of things; it's my last week in this job and it's the week of RondePDX. As I've said before, the latter is probably what will lead to my demise. I told +Peter Warton that I'm about 70% sure I will die. He said he's 100% sure I'll be awesome. Thank you for having more faith in me than I do at the moment, but even if we split the difference, there's a chance I will die.

Speaking of dying. A lot of our patient have died lately. Relax, there's no angel of death at work but I guess that's par for the course when dealing with an elderly population. It's just sad. Here's a piece of advice for y'all - don't break your hip when you get old. That's how it all starts.


In honor of my patients

This weekend was wonderful and it seemed to go on forever, just like when I was a kid. I actually thought Friday was Sunday. That's how long it seemed. The weather was perfect and I got a lot done. Non-bike related but even so. I feel very productive because of it.

Five days to go...

Weekend Update

I didn't go to work yesterday. Turns out giving notice is enough to trigger a monster migraine.


When I gave notice I jokingly said to my boss that this would probably send my coworker into labor - and it did. Most likely completely unrelated but nonetheless, into labor she went yesterday.

My other coworker, the one that gets away with everything, is having a love fest with my boss this morning. In other words, business as usual. On that note, I am really trying not to leave this job with a bitter after taste, because I want to leave on a positive note. The thing is - there's nothing worse (job related) to be somewhere when you're mentally done.

The more I think about it, the happier I feel about my choice. I'm getting a little excited about the change of jobs - of course I might not be alive to start my new job considering RondePDX is next weekend. I haven't really trained any for this lunacy so it is what it is. Either I'm ready for it or I'm not.

'Round The Bend, Here I Come!

I don't like straight roads. Never have. I find them boring and predictable.

Unless you're on this road... who's to say what kind of bend we're talking here...

My life is now approaching a bend in the road. What's around it might be better, might be more of less the same, or it might be worse. Whatever it is, it will be exciting in and of itself because it's new. It's a change. The best part of it though is that I'm leaving primary care.

My new bike commute won't be as good, if one can call it a commute. Basically it will be down a hill, and I'm there. At least I get to bike uphill home. And, if I feel like it, I can always bike around the lake just to add some mileage. Easy fix.

I gave notice today. While this particular task is never fun (at least not when your employer is a good one), it was far less painful than anticipated. No drama and they wished me well. Phew!

I realize that my previous post was somewhat enigmatic and vague, but it's for a reason. I don't know where things are going to land currently and one of the things that I have going on in my life is a little tricky. I don't want to make a mountain of a molehill or make assumptions so for now I won't write about it.


I'm not in any trouble with the law. The detective I mentioned is of a personal nature and has nothing to do with legal issues.

What the change of jobs will mean for my online presence is that there will be far less of me here, but I will continue to write about my biking and other kinds of adventures.

All Quiet On The Eastern Front

Yes, I know it's really the western front, but since I live on the eastside - east it is. But yes, everything is quiet. Asshat's car is parked at the same spot every morning and I haven't seen him since the photo ambush. I'll take the unspoken truce.


Tomorrow I'm setting out on the first loooong bike ride of 2016 and I'm really excited about it. My biggest problem with biking now seems to be hydration. I am just not good at maintaining the proper amount of fluids while biking. I know, I know, as a healthcare provider I should know better, which makes it even more stupid. But you know, the baker's children and so on and so forth - but this morning I'm downing water like it's going out of style.

Still have a bit of a headache and lost another lbs. Hubby thinks I've lost a lot of water weight whatever that means. Nine lbs and counting.

On another note, I might take a break from blogging life for a while. Too many balls in the air at the moment and I feel I need some quiet and private time away from the online universe. This feeling may or may not linger, and perhaps I just need a full weekend of biking to cure whatever it is that's riding me at the moment.

I'll tell you this much - feelings are exhausting. Especially when they go from one extreme to the next, which is why I'm generally not a fan. Of feelings, that is. If you meet me in real life, you would never guess I'm such an over-sharer as I might come across here. Most people say I seem aloof and cold in a non-work setting. Funny how one puts on different hats in different situations.

Until then. Have a great weekend and I wish you lots and lots of sunshine and biking.

Thunder And Lightning And Babies

My coworker is very pregnant. Yes, there are degrees of being pregnant. We all thought she would pop when they forecasted thunder storms last week, but then there was no thunder and she didn't pop.

I read over one of my previous blog posts - more specifically this one, and I realize that it was a bit vague, so I want to clarify that nothing happened other than meeting and talking. After all, I don't jump into things carelessly or without consideration. The only reason I'm not using Matt's real name is because I've chosen to keep my writings at least somewhat anonymous. Protect the innocent and such. Notice how I say the innocent and not asshat drivers who attempt to take out any and every cyclist on the road.

Jesus, take the wheel - or something...

I considered not writing anything about changing my route in case the asshat had found my blog, seen his picture, and is now cyber stalking me as well as in real life. But judging by his use of a proper old-timey camera, I doubt he even knows what the internet is. Maybe they didn't have technology past 1980 in the hole he climbed out from like a god damned angry mole.

I biked the new route last night but not this morning. I thought about it but decided against it because, 1) if he wants to take photos of me, then be my guest - and 2) if I see him again, I'll offer a truce. Maybe he had a terrible day or maybe he hates his life. And since I generally don't hate mine, I can afford to look the other way this time.

Anywho, I'm over it now. Biking is just too good and so is life in general.

This weekend I'm doing my first long ride of the year. Most likely south to Puyallup or thereabouts.

Eighty degrees today! Holy guacamole!

Oh, Baby, Baby, It's A Wild World

First - I didn't do the Emerald City Bike Ride. Hubby threw away the registration so between that and having to get up at 5 am to do a less than 100 mile ride, I decided against it and instead bike around the lake - twice. Just so I wouldn't kill my husband.

Second - this really isn't about biking, so if you're expecting a sweeping tale about languid biking along Lake Washington, this isn't it.


Because though biking this weekend was spectacular, that's not what made this weekend a wild one. All I can say is, "WOW!" Mind blown. This weekend was absolutely FANTASTIC. It was everything I needed and more.

I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with, let's call him Matt, this weekend. Twice. And there really aren't words to describe my sentiments properly, at least not here on this blog. So maybe that should be another blog. Because this is a blog mainly about biking and I think it ought to remain as such. Let's just say that by the end of this, I will probably have enough material to write an entire book of reviews about places to meet when one is up to no good.

So with that in mind, I think I need to go on a long, hard ride sometime soon. I'm thinking Puyallup. Or Canada. Potato - potatoe.

Stealing Toilet Paper And A Tom Hardy Disappointment

I went to a Pampered Chef party last night with a friend. I didn't think I'd make it, but I'll get to that later. I got roped into this by my boss who said that she would only go if I went so I went and, of course, my boss is a no show but luckily my friend went with me.

I quickly realized that the Pampered Chef is 1: freaking expensive and 2: fucking retarded. I realized this when my friend leaned over and said "Oooh look this thing minces garlic and slices it!" My rebuttal was, "Ya, it's called a knife" Then my friend asked why I went to this in the first place and I said I really just wanted to hang out and get free wine and food.

Who needs a fucking brownie pan for individual slices?

The Pampered Chef catalog was teeming with crap that no one needs. For instance, an avocado knife? What's wrong with using just a regular butter knife? A thing that mashes ground beef, aka a spatula? Spice blends that I could make myself? I am convinced that women will buy literally anything at any price as long as it comes in pretty packaging and all their other female friends are doing it.


My friend said that the point of all these extra kitchen gadgets is to make cooking easier, but really it's overpriced stuff that you don't need. The only way that I would buy a $20 spatula would be if that spatula would buy the food, cook the meal and then have sex with me after the meal, wash the dishes and be sure to call me the next day.

The reason for my larger cloud of snarkiness than usual was due to bike troubles. Tom Hardy failed me again. I was less than two miles from home, midway up the 152nd Ave SE hill, when my rear gears just wouldn't shift. Each time I tried shifting to a lower gear, the chain shifted to a higher gear. Then the gears just stopped responding completely. The front gears worked fine.

So now I'm in the highest gear possible in a 15.7% hill. Great. So I got off my bike, walked it up to a flatter area to see if some momentum would fix the gear situation. It didn't. I got up on the sidewalk, flipped the bike on its head, then tried shifting like that. Still absolutely nothing. Well, I wasn't about to walk my bike home so I called hubby to pick me up and take me to a Volkswagen dealer - kidding. I just like saying that.

Hubby took me to Gerk's, my LBS, and I made it there 20 minutes prior to closing. This is where greasing your bike mechanic with a case of beer comes in handy. My bike mechanic saw me walk in, dropped what he was doing, and tended to my bike. Yeay!


What turned out to be the problem was inside the gear housing. One of the metal ends had come loose from the rubber tube so whatever grabs onto the wire to make shifting possible didn't have anything to grab onto. I dont' know if this makes any sense. Anyway, he fixed the problem, and Tom Hardy is back in action today.

Biking In Shorts!

I decided to brave the cold and pretend it's summer this morning. The problem with pretending it's summer when it's freezing fog, is that exposed body parts tend to get very cold. Pretend summer or not.

I rode Tom Hardy in this morning and man, how I've missed him. Channing is great too, but he's a beast of a bike and doesn't handle the same way as Tom. Tom is far more elegant and nimble but I have decided that he's a fair weather bike.

I still haven't thawed yet from my ride in but it's looking promising for my ride home. Turns out it's not pure lies that come from Nick the weatherman.


This weekend is the second organized ride of the year. Well, when I say ride, it's not so much a ride rather than an experience. Anything less than 50 miles is not a bike ride. I'll add a few miles to it by biking to the start line at the UW and I might just bike the south loop of Lake Washington post ride. If it's not raining - again.

Tour de Cure - Again

Hello my spandex clad friends. It's that time again that I come knocking, hat in hand, to ask you to contribute to my fundraising for diabetes.

Please, please, please, donate.

You can donate here.



Trust me, you don't want me to sing, dance, or play any instrument. Your eyes and ears will start bleeding.

However, if you give me your address or email (privately), I will send you an autographed photo of me.

Here's hoping for a happy ending!

Ps! Not that photo.

Pps! Or whatever. If you really, really want a photo of my butt with my name scribbled across it, then so be it. Who am I to judge.

How Bike Chick Learned The Virtue Of Patience At Costco

The rain thing is no longer charming or funny or pleasurable. I hate the way my pants go "swoosh swoosh" and I hate wearing that portable sauna also called rain jacket.

I'm not asking for much. Not an entire month. Just a week. One week of sunshine and short sleeves.

I'm too invested to quit biking so that's not an option to change status quo, so the only option left is for the rain to stop.


Why this sudden burst of bike hating? Come to think of it, I think I like hating on stuff as much as I like biking. And Tom Hardy.

There are times like these I have to remind myself why I love biking so much or optionally just let my body go on auto. Besides I need biking these days as I have tons on my mind and a big decision to make. I have two solid offers from great employers with tons of opportunity for growth but the thing is - I know that I have it good where I am as well. I am bored - yes, but these people treat me well and that's nothing to sneeze at. I know too well what it's like to work with real assholes. A certain cardiovascular surgeon is at the top of my shit list.


Speaking of assholes. Apparently, it was "Asshole Day" at Costco (which is always, really). As I pulled into the parking lot in the pouring rain, I noticed a woman just getting into her car which was parked right up front, near the store. Great parking karma and all that I thought and pulled up near her, put on my blinkers and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. I could see her rooting around inside the car. Didn't she understand that time is precious and that I wasn't getting any younger?!?!?


I got increasingly annoyed. Unless you have some weird Costco fetish and are in desperate need to rub one out to scratch that itch, there is absolutely no valid reason why you need to tinker around in your car for several minutes when other people are waiting. I didn't get the Costco fetish vibe from the woman in the car, ergo zero excuses for robbing me of my youth.

After waiting a couple of more minutes, I honked my horn. She glanced back, looked at me, then continued doing what she was doing. Just as I was getting ready to lose my shit, I saw a man heading towards the car opposite the asshole in the first car, so I pulled up directly behind the asshole car, put my blinkers on the other way and waited for the guy to move. He had a huge cart filled with Costco loot, but by then I was in no hurry anymore so I leaned back and waited.

Of course, by then, the asshole in the first car was done with whatever needed doing and was ready to leave. Well, I was in no position to move or I would lose the parking spot to my right so I ignored her small honks.

As I was sitting there in my new found meditative state, I heard tapping on my window. It was asshole lady. I rolled down my window and gave her the "can I help you?" look. "Would you mind moving your car so I can get out?" she said. I explained that since she hadn't moved for several minutes, I'd assumed she had decided to stay. She looked slightly embarrassed and mumbled something about things she had needed to do in the car before she pulled out. (Like knitting a scarf or growing a tree?) I assured her, with a smile reserve for asshole patients, that I'd be happy to move right out of her way - as soon as I could pull into the space ahead. She stared at me for a moment and then, apparently having decided she didn't want to engage in a full-on brawl in the middle of the Costco parking lot in the rain (the only other option), she retreated back to the safety of her vehicle.

And no, she wasn't driving a Prius - the new Hummer, whose only good thing is that having one saves you from going door to door telling everyone in your neighborhood that you're an asshole. The Prius has an added bonus: you don't have to announce that you're vegan. All though, being vegan doesn't come with a limitation on announcements.

White Way To Delight

Sounds a little racist, ya? No, this isn't about some Donald Trump dream rally. It's a reference to one of my favorite books.

 

 

What does today's ride in have to do with Anne of Green Gable, you might ask. For one it was an excuse to include the best book/movie ever into this post. Secondly, this:



Today's commute was cold. Freezing, in fact. There was frost on the ground and a cocoon of fog at the top of the hill.

Cherry blossoms and a clean sidewalk, what more can a girl ask for?

Yes, I did bike on the sidewalk but do you see any pedestrians? I think not.

My gloves sucked balls but I'm not doing anything about it now since it's almost spring - well, technically it is already, and I don't feel like spending a Benjamin on new gloves. So for now I'll just have to live with frost bites. Small price to pay for being able to bike to work without getting drenched.

A thing I've noticed is that my legs don't have the same amount of strength from day to day. One day I'm fine biking up a hill on a lower gear and it doesn't bother me at all. The next day I can barely make it up the same hill in the granny gear. I suppose that's par for the course. Probably dependent on what I ate the day before, the amount of sleep I had, and then there's also the sun, the moon, and the tide - and whether Jupiter aligns with Mars.

Only a month to go until the insane thing I've committed to doing. There sure are days when I shake my head, thinking "what in the world am I doing!", but then I think it'll be a nice notch on my metaphorical bed post. And what a story to tell the grandchildren! If I live to tell the tale...

The other thing I mentioned yesterday? It's happening tomorrow.

A Blast From The Past

Remember how I was all drenched in melancholy last year around Halloween? Well, one should be careful what one wants for. He's back. Last I checked, my conjuring skills weren't very strong, so I doubt it was my wishful thinking that made him surface. Whatever it is that brought him back into my life, he's here.

So happy together...

When I say "here", I mean that we haven't actually met up yet. And I don't even know if I want to. Hell! Who am I kidding! Of course I want to meet him. I'm curious as all hell to see how he's been, what he looks like, how me smells... ugh! don't even get me started.

He always had a knack for timing, so it would only make sense that he should show up now when my marriage isn't exactly great. So there's that.

Completely unrelated, the bike ride in today was amazing. Cherry blossom galore and friendly drivers.



I can't decide whether I should be sad or glad every time I make it safely to my destination. It ought to be a given that I'm not risking death by pancake, but it's not. I guess it comes down to a risk-reward sort of thing. Kinda like this, but swap out crazy for risk and hot for health benefit.



That show was crazy good the first and second season. I stopped watching after that so I don't even know how he met their mother.

The Ins And Outs Of Marriage And Priorities

Seems I'm in a lonely boat. Not lonely in the sense that I am the only one in the world who's in this situation, but lonely in the sense that the roles usually are reversed. This doesn't make it less of a problem, though.

But if there's one thing being married has taught me, it's this: you can't make other people do what you want. You may want them to exercise and eat healthy but they won't always do it. You may even want them to, say, pick up their dirty socks or stop leaving 1,000 pairs of shoes by the door, but they won't do that either (not that I'm talking about anyone in particular). For some reason, these people we get involved with tend to make their own decisions. And that's part of the problem.

Lies!

About a year ago hubby expressed a desire to get in better shape. I thought it was a good idea and wanted to be supportive so I did it too. However, we chose different means to achieve said goal - he started going to the gym, I took up road biking. I've stuck with it for the past year and, started to compete in cycling events, and have commuted to work by bike ever since. He stuck with the gym for about three days and then went back to his old habits.

He has gained about 50 pounds over the past few years.

I've been trying to get him to bike with me, and we did bike together for a while - until the weather got cold and wet.



Look, I realize that the problem might be mostly mine. I'll admit that I'm a little... obsessed with biking. I love biking so much and I think that's affecting my brain to not being able to comprehend why other people might not love biking as much as I do. When it comes to biking, my husband and I aren't exactly bike compatible. I love – and live – to ride. Hubby? Not so much.

Me

Hubby

It's not all bad. Hubby has been very supportive of my biking and hasn't complained - even once - about the bike expenses. Tom Hardy was a birthday present from hubby purchased by me, but that was for practical reasons. A bike is a very personal thing, like buying a bra, where no one size fits all.

So yeah, at first glance this sounds a bit like a First World Problem, but here's where the rubber meets the road:

I'm not proud of my feelings, but I'm just not as attracted to him physically anymore because he is overweight. I'm also not attracted to him mentally because he isn't even trying and I'm frustrated with his lack of determination. I don't know what to do. Many people say to continue to be a good example and it will rub off on him... but that's clearly not working for hubby. I don't pressure or nag him to eat right or exercise but I do try to include him and ask him if he wants to go to biking. For the time being, it's just a thought and nothing actionable.

How Maslow Stole My Husband

Ultimate nerd cave
Beam me up, Scotty!

If you want the nerd cave above, you can buy it here. Believe it or not, it's for sale.

The 27,000-square-foot home is overflowing with boldly themed rooms and entertaining areas, including a home theatre modeled after the bridge of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, complete with signature “woosh” sound when someone enters through the door.

I wrote about hubby's man cave a while back. While he hasn't played much Magic lately, I hardly see him anymore because the cave apparently is so cozy and perfect that he doesn't need to come out. Ever again. The cave covers all of Maslow's needs. All the way up to the top.


1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

How the man cave covers hubby's needs:

1. Given that he has internet and cable in the cave, the sex part is easily covered. The other items are obviously covered.
2. Yeah, that's also covered.
3. This one is a little trickier, but I'm sure the internet can cover this one as well.
4. Winning the online battle and protecting the world from the kid next door will cover this one.
5. Between the internet and the cable, this one is covered as well.

If the weather was nicer, I most likely wouldn't notice his absence as I would be out biking. However, the weather thing is currently in the wishes-fishes category so I'm starting to feel slightly less humorous about it and more annoyed.



How much gaming can a person do?!?!?

This is our evenings:

Hubby usually comes home before me because it takes me an hour or so to bike home. We have dinner, then he does his vanishing act right after. Last night I felt myself getting annoyed so I sulked in silence downstairs, then after having had various dialogs/monologues with myself in my head, riling myself up to how I was justifiably insulted, then I stomped upstairs, opened the door to the cave and announced that I was going to bed. Very mature, I know.

This morning I gave hubby the silent treatment as we prepared to leave for work.

But I guess I made my bed, resulting in having to lay in my non-metaphorical version alone. I encouraged him to have a space that's all his, I even found it endearing. I'll admit I might have had some ulterior motive, thinking ahead of all the weekends I will be gone biking. But those weekends are still far, far away, and meanwhile there's no hubby to be seen. Is being a man-cave widow a thing?

So now I'm going to bed alone.



I suppose there's always Channing or Tom.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!

You guys rock!



Since my plea for help on raising funds for diabetes yesterday, you guys have helped me raise $81! That is nothing short of amazeballs! Thank you specifically to +Jessica Lucas and +Tim Moffatt. Is it coinsidence that the two of you share last names with two of the coolest people in the world - George Lucas and Steven Moffat? I think NOT. Jessica stalked me a little yesterday, but the good kind of stalking, the kind of stalking that helps the world.

I still need help reaching my goal of $200 (or more) so anything you can do will help - even if it's a dollar. I will not accept kittens, puppies, or food. Just money. American dollars. Again, you can donate here.

To thank you, I'm giving you this:



Granted, he's not on my list but he's not exactly hideous and I probably wouldn't turn him down should he throw himself on me. Just saying. I wouldn't stalk him or anything, nor name any bike of mine after him, but I bet he looks sexy-sad and that's hard to turn down.

Sexy-sad = sad puppy eyes + rockin' body + great hair

The commute in today was great! I finally outbiked my arch nemesis! Yeay! I encountered him at 164th and Newport as he came huffing and puffing up Newport as I came down the 164th hill. Our eyes met and IT WAS ON. I reached the three way stop first, zoomed left on Newport and kept a steady but not super fast pace up the rest of Newport, down 153rd, left on 38th, got lucky with the light at 150th, didn't even have to shift up the small incline by Chevron, and didn't see him again as I turned right at 152nd Pl and he continued down towards Factoria.

In other words, it wasn't much of a race. But it kinda was, and I won. Suck on that, arch nemesis!

The intern is back. Sigh, but I armed myself with plenty of this:

As a bonus it helps release stubborn pet hair

Should be a good day.

Diabetes Isn't Bringing Sexy Back

I'm having trouble raising money for my Tour de Cure bike ride and it got me pondering why that is. A friend of mine did a run for cancer not long ago and she had no problems meeting her fundraising goal.

Diabetes versus cancer. Yeah, not as sexy. I don't know if this is due to successful propaganda from the media or if it's a personal problem, but diabetes just isn't as sexy as cancer.

To quote Amy Winehouse - "no, no, no!"
In this case, cancer wins the sexy

Diabetes isn't pink or sexy. It doesn't involve boobs or football players or cute t-shirts or catch phrases. Diabetes is about being grateful that you or your loved one wakes up in the morning. It's about the 3 am blood sugar checks, the low blood sugars, the needles. It's the smell of insulin on your hands after changing a pump site or filling a syringe. It's the depressing feeling that you're a pin cushion.

And this is pat of the problem when it comes to raising both money and awareness for diabetes. I'll admit that my knee jerk thought when I hear diabetes is fat people - people who should take better care of themselves but don't. I think lazy and that they have themselves to blame. In contrast, cancer is pink, it's sexy, it's strong people who didn't deserve the diagnosis. This isn't right, and I know it.

While weight clearly is a factor, both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles in the cause of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery.

2013 data

Diabetes is an expensive disease. An American Diabetes Association study found that in 2012, diagnosed diabetes cost the nation an estimated $245 billion, including direct medical expenses and the cost of reduced productivity. The number is up $43 billion (adjusted for inflation) from 2007, the last time the ADA crunched the numbers - a result of the growing number of people with diabetes. According to this study, people with diabetes spend an average of 2.3 times the amount people without diabetes spend each year on their health. That works out to an average of $13,700 a year per person, about $7,900 of which is directly attributed to diabetes.

With its increasing prevalence and high cost of treatment, diabetes places an enormous demand on the economic resources of the U.S. Approximately 20% of the nation’s health care dollars go to treating people with diabetes. Annual per capita medical spending for people with diabetes is more than two times that for those without diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% to 95% of diabetes cases, has been found to be preventable through lifestyle or pharmacological interventions. The high cost associated with diabetes suggests that reducing incidence through prevention might lower lifetime medical spending and alleviate some of the future economic burden of treating diabetes.

Make it rain!

Your donation will help fund research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; deliver services to hundreds of communities; provide objective and credible information; and give voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.

So - again, please donate to the American Diabetes Association by sponsoring my participation in Tour de Cure. You can donate here. 

Ps! I'll bike no matter what, because I'm a sucker for any good century.

What A Difference A Day Makes

While cold, this morning's ride in was nothing short of terrific. I even heard birds chirping. Usually a sound that annoys me but today it added to the wonder. Don't worry, I haven't gone all Polyanna on the world, but I am acknowledging a perfect moment in time. I have far too much rage in me to spin everything in a positive way.

My emotions this morning

The only thing subtracting from my ride was the asshat fellow bike commuter who - surprise! - surfaced as the rain paused for a while. Per usual he zoomed passed me with about a foot's clearance. As a measure of how perfect the morning was, I didn't take up chase to punch him off his bike. Had his bike been a nicer bike, maybe, but being the clunker it is I lacked motivation to exert the excess energy.

On a random note; why do people assume Pepsi is an acceptable substitute to Coke? I would rather accept urine before I accept Pepsi as a replacement for anything. Pepsi tastes like ass. Don't ask me how I know. But it really does. And while there might be a time and a place for its taste twin, there is absolutely no reason to have a meal with a side of ass. No.



Phew! That was a close one! I almost became cheerful for a moment there. Emergency avoided.

But judging by the weather, I suspect someone heard me complaining the other day and wants me to keep biking. Or most likely, it's a big, fat coincidence. Whatever it is, I'll take it!