3.30.2008

sick

and bummed. i missed a great opportunity for ride saturday with the weather being so nice. sucks. the only reason i'm not full on frustrated about it is i had a great day with the kids.
i'll watch the weather this week and if i'm feeling okay i'll take a day off and just go ride. i need a vacation day anyway.

3.28.2008

bleh

wednesday night i felt the sore throat coming. yesterday i felt like i was elbowed in the head. last night i felt like i was kneed in the head a couple times. today i feel more like a couple elbows in the head.
i took some tylenol cold and sinus which hasn't done shit. i knew i should've drank some thera flu, that shit is the shit.
casey doesn't seem interested in bmx tonight. maybe she'll change her mind. if not, we'll find something to do.
no plans this weekend. hopefully ride if it stays dry.

3.27.2008

i hope that's chocolate




gross.
but oh so sweet (when sleeping anyway).

pee bee n jay

i made casey a pb n j sandwich for lunch. she's on her way to the field museum with the neighbors. i haven't had one in ages so i made zoe and myself one. i forgot how good they are! mmmm... zoe finished hers as well. except for the crust.
can you believe the weather is crappy today? yeah, me neither. who'd a thought.
i didn't make it out on a ride yesterday so i'm a bit bummed. probably for the best anyway with having a cold.
today i'm stressing out about a lot of things... i'm trying to motivate myself to go through the kids easter things. i know its easter and its fun and all, but, and i don't mean to sound unappreciative at all, but they got tons of junk. and not just candy junk... but toy junk. things they'll never play with or give a second thought to. just things to make the basket look full and pretty i guess. i feel like its such a waste of money. it's one thing if its just like one person... but everyone on john's side buys for them seeing as they are the only kids. his aunts and uncles have no grandkids... some will never and others have a long time before they do.
i'm caught up at work, not counting the shipping error i was part of for a qbp shipment, but i'm trying not to dwell on that. but its hard. i hate making mistakes. hopefully i'll stay caught up for a bit. but DI meetings are the week of sea otter this year which brings about tons of frustrating work. so i have a couple weeks hopefully.
i'm thinking of trying to ride waterfall glenn this weekend. apparently the trails (multi-track) there have been rideable all week. but seeing as its raining right now, who knows.

3.26.2008

colds

i made it through all of yesterday and today (so far) without eating any of that candy. i can hear many co-workers crinkling the bags for their hourly chocolate fix. i'm not sure how i made it and still going strong.
it could be because i have a head cold and feel like my cheeks and forehead are going to explode. theraflu to the rescue (i hope). i knew it was coming when katie emailed me and asked if i made it through the winter alright with sick kids and everything. i emailed her back, knowing full well when i wrote "actually none of us have been sick" that i'd be sick. but i didn't think it would be less than 12 hours later. there were a couple reasons against me. that and the fact its 50s and sunny today. there was another, but it has left my mind for the moment.
maybe i'll leave early today. i'd love to get in a ride.

3.25.2008

no will power

i'm sure i've posted this about myself before. i brought all the candy from easter here into work so i wouldn't pig out on it at home. kit kats, reeses, kisses, malted milk eggs, m&m's peanut and milk chocolate. i didn't touch it all day yesterday. today all i can think about are the little reese's peanut butter cups behind me on the table wrapped in their little pink and purple wrappers.
i know i will cave, it's just a matter of time.
i still need to order my stan's rims. i may just head to the shop and have them take care of it.

3.24.2008

spring:delayed

i find myself checking the weather every day in hopes of getting a glimpse into warmer temps. i'm never satisfied. i'll have to remember these days when it's 90s and humid as all get out.
the weekend was uneventful but i can say we were never bored so it was satisfying.
i started to panic a little about off-road riding. i know it sounds silly, but i'm so paranoid about the season being so short already.
nothing really going on this week. it's my sis' birthday today. happy birthday steph. lost is on hiatus til april 24th so i don't even have that. hopefully get some riding in.
casey's on spring break and gramma liz stole her for the next two days.

3.21.2008

a few miles a way

leaving work it was blizzard conditions. i wiped inches of snow off my car. nearly froze in the process, the wind was brutal.
about 1/2 way home the snow was less and less. upon pulling into my driveway, absolutely no snow. just rain. i even ran a bunch of errands after i was home in only a hoody and jeans.

131.2

driving in this a.m. visibility was super low. not a lot of snow, but very slushy and wet. north is supposed to be hit harder than us south. i'm hoping we don't get accumulation (as i'm sure everybody is). maybe it will be melted by monday. i can only hope. weird to have snowy conditions for easter.
john's having a gamer night tonight. halo nerds galore in the basement. i kid. they should have a good time. i'll be picking up their gamer food on the way home. i thought it was doritos and mountain dew, but was told the cheese causes your hands to slip off the controller, not to mention making the white controllers a nasty yellow-ey orange. so far the requests have been m&ms, licorice and swedish fish (my ultimate favorite candy). i don't think the swedish fish will make it downstairs.
i've decided i'm going to bust out of here early which means i better get to work

3.20.2008

winter storm watch

great. i look forward to the snow should be awesome.
watched the hawks kill the capitals last night. it was boring towards the end so i went to bed.
i have a caffeine headache today. no coffee or caffeine yesterday and so far none today. i forget how painful these can be.
i've been waking up well rested a bit after 5am lately but today i feel a bit like dragging. maybe it's because i overslept?
hoping to get a ride in later this afternoon, beat the snow.
no real plans this weekend. easter sunday is about it. we'll split our time with the family.
john wants to have gamer night on friday and invite some friends and the neighbor kids over to play video games. i may have to find an alternative.

3.18.2008

yuck!

what a shitty day! at least its not snowing i guess. i suppose this rain'll wash all the funk off the roads so that's something.
spokes and hubs are in the house. now i just need to order those rims. next paycheck maybe.
blah. it's 2:48pm and i just wanna go home.

3.17.2008

yep

the weekend was pretty uneventful. for john and i at least. casey had a lot going on.
we got some small things done around the house, some errands taken care of and each rode our bikes for a short time.
i felt like shit yesterday. i wasn't sick or anything, just real tired. i had no energy.
i feel great today. went to bed at a decent hour and woke up a bit before 6am feeling very well rested! i have not felt like this in awhile.
i was in the office a bit early so i'm hoping to get home early. maybe beat the rain and mess that they are forecasting. doubt it, but i'll figure something out.
no plans for the week really. just try to ride or be active i guess.
i still need my hair cut.
rock cut is about a month away. i still think no way. but i'll think positive from now on.

3.14.2008

mellow

bmx plans were foiled again. the fun fair at school took precedence and then it was her best friend's cake and ice cream birthday party.
she has chuckee cheese tomorrow and sunday some princess party. her weekend is booked!
zoe is hanging out refusing to go to bed. she must realize its friday night.
saturday no plans other than errands and cleaning, rides hopefully. sunday more of the same.
for some reason both john and i are exhausted. hopefully early in bed and fingers crossed zoe sleeps through the night.
i am hoping my weekend is more exciting than this post.

3.11.2008

color



i'll get a better pic when someone is awake to take it or my patience cells recharge.
and probably when it's not swollen, shiny and sore.

fuck trainers

I’m seething mad right now. And wait til you hear why. I’m not laughing but you might.
The cyclops took a shitter last week. So we bought a new one. John says he fixed the old one, go check it out.
So I go downstairs (it’s late because I had color on tat today) to get some form of exercise in. So I get in my new road shoes (I've never ever worn road shoes or cleats) that I just put cleats in (I’ve had them for over a year) and walk around slipping all over the place (even more reason why road shit is lame (i kid so don't get your panties in a bunch))… So I get my bike all loaded up into the trainer, get on. Dammit. It’s not fixed. So now I’m slightly irritated mainly because it takes me a really long time to get my bike in it (I’m embarrassed to say how long).
So now I have to put the new trainer together. Mind you I’m sitting on the floor in my road shoes with ipod shuffle and earphones hanging off myself. The fucking headphone cables keep wandering in front of my view, so I irritatingly ripped them off. I go to crouch but fall over spread eagle because the fucking cleats on the road shoes don’t allow my foot to go flat so I lose my balance.
I can read directions fine, but following them is a different story. I couldn’t figure out how I was supposed to put the pin in the resistance unit being my uncoordinated self! Finally I figure it out. It takes me a while because it’s all about lining shit up and I’m in a dark corner in the basement. I’m almost crying I’m so mad at this point. It was so nice out today and I missed riding outside for a good reason but still.
So I finally get all the bolts lined up and go to put the little nut on and the directions say “make sure you put the bolt in the square side first.” Ooh lemme guess which side I didn’t put it in! Fuck. I’m so mad, I’m still mad. So I take the bolt back out, put it through not so easily because I have to realign it all up again.
Finally through both holes I start to put the nut on and it’s hard to put on… so I think I’ll get back to it after I put the skewer thingee on.
That was easy. Okay, it took me two tries but I expected that. So I get it all put together and decide to put the bike on. “must use skewer supplied.” Dammit. Take my skewer out and put the saris one in. it won’t tighten down neatly because of my dropouts. I’m really, really pissed now and ready to throw my bike and the wooden block next to me and then kick the trainer.
I get the skewer good enough. Try to get it in the dropouts and realize just how much of a moron I am when it comes to putting a bike on a trainer.
So I get the bike on the trainer. Ah, finally. Then realized I didn’t tighten the fucking nut.
So I think it’s one of the 3 wrenches hooked on the bench. So I grabbed two. Mind you I had to walk all the way across the basement (painted concrete) in my fucking road shoes there and back. Get to the trainer and neither fit. It was all I could do to not throw the wrenches. I walk back to the workbench grab another wrench, back to the trainer knowing this wasn’t going to work and gave the fuck up.
The only good that came out of it is my heart rate was skyrocketed the whole time so maybe I burned some calories. But really the only thing I did was reaffirm to myself that TRAINERS SUCK!

3.10.2008

sexy bars

i rode my mountain bike last night. i love mountain bikes. i can't explain it. there is something about them that just makes me feel more alive than any other type of bike. i try to find drop bars sexy but i can't. sexy to me is my flat bar with a 9 degree bend. i feel like my mountain bike is a part of me. i have yet to feel that with any road or cross bike.
i'm going to swap my drop bar on my cross bike back to a funky bar and see if i can't fall in love with that. at least until i'm back offroad.
speaking of sexy, thanks to john for putting cleats in my lake winter shoes for my lazy ass. i don't know how i've ever ridden in the cold without them. if you don't have a pair you must figure a way out to get them. it was strange to come home after my ride last night and not have burning white cold toes.

busted



impatient and dumb would be how i'd describe sunday's ride outside. i have a sore knee and arm to prove it today.
john and i went on matt's memorial ride last night. his family was there, all avid cyclists. also there were a good group of people that were touched by matt.
headed home and in bed early last night only to still not be able to get up this morning. late for work.
now i just have to motivate myself to get to working. so tired.
tuesday color. wednesday nothing so far. thursday's lost episode is rumored to be killer and friday hopefully hit the bmx track.
supposedly the weather is supposed to warm up a bit. i'll believe it when i feel it.

3.08.2008

desperate



it was sooo icy. i had to walk a lot. should all be melted mid-week and then all we can do is hope it doesn't snow again.

more fucking snow

sigh.
edit: it has melted already. sweet.

3.07.2008

no bmx

i felt lost. what to do on a friday night? we got nothing. so we sent casey to the neighbors and grabbed some tacos. now hockey. i like good hockey and the hawks have been playing it lately. casey should be walking in any moment. john's sleeping on the couch with zoe cradled in his arm. the dog is cuddled in a ball at the other end of the couch and i'm contemplating giving up on the night... but it's only 9:30!
i wish we had another day like last weekend. looks like its gonna be another cold weekend.

3.06.2008

dang

am i the only one who hasn't gotten their new wors book yet? we'll probably be the two week waiters.
the sun is out today but it's butt cold.
reading about palos trail conditions was kind of a bummer. ice from beginning to end. studs are even dangerous.
i will be sane for the next 20 minutes, after that i will lose all sanity for 5 hours due to picking up a few kindergardeners from school.

3.04.2008

tuesday

nothing new really. i was driving home tonight and looked down at the clock. it was 5:47. i thought after this sunday it would be this light at 6:47. kind of exciting really. it's not that hard to get me excited these days. i'm so looking forward to riding. yeah i know, who isn't.
my front hub arrived today but no rear. lame excuse as to why it didn't show but was promised i should have it by the end of the month. i don't have the rims anyway, so it really doesn't matter.
one week til color.
this weekend no plans as of yet. i don't think anyway. none for the rest of the week really.
i should make an appointment for a haircut. i'm due. it's like puffy or poofy or something. i end up having to use product to tame it.

3.02.2008

my ass is sore


it was wet and now its sore. first time on a bike in quite some time.
i ventured out on the bike path yesterday afternoon. it was a lot more slushy and snowy, but just as wet, as i thought it would be. good for the bike handling skills i guess. at first i thought i'd be turning around real quick, but then i realized i just had to get used to my bike. it turned out to be pretty fun. it was so warm!
before then john and i did some bike washing. finally i can get to work on some maintenance. zoe had a blast in the water... but then was so soaked i had to take her in. she passed out on the couch. casey pretty much spent the weekend playing with friends. i kinda missed her.