Bike to Work

Last week, we got an email: Bike to Work! For a good cause, to save gas, to get exercise! Like most people, my initial reaction was, (whiney voice), "But its tooo haaard!!" Not to mention I had a distinct fear of being hit by a car. Geesh, I am not even that comfortable with Baltimore drivers while in the confines of my Cavalier. I was not about to brave the shoulderless hills of my typical commute on my bike.

We got a second email: Bike to Work! And join us for fun bike activities like tune ups and rail trail rides! Raise money for a good cause, save gas, exercise! Still, I resisted. Sure, I like biking. My mountain bike is a prized possession. But mountain bikes are meant for woods. I have heard very few accounts of trees zooming in fast from behind and speeding past with inches to spare while spewing emissions in one's face.

A third email: We figured out a car-free route! Just meet us at the park and ride! Support charity, blah, blah, blah....OK. They got me. At the last minute, I sent the reply committing myself to meeting someone so I could Bike to Work. And save gas. And exercise. And get my car into the shop. I really needed brakes. They were making an awful grinding noise when I tried to stop, and frankly, I was afraid to drive the car.
(Aside to mom - Just kidding!! I say this fopr dramatic effect! Surely I would not be so lax in car maintenance! I am responsible and reliable!!)
(Aside to everyone else - Seriously. I had premonitions of flying down a hill, unable to stop in time and being splatted in all directions.)

Monday morning: I awoke at 6:15am and left the house at 6:30. We have showers at work, so no sense in losing (much) sleep. I rode my bike 38 minutes to the rendezvous point. This would have taken less time, but I rode about a mile out of the way to avoid crossing the interstate on-ramp. Then, the back road route. Hill #1, not too bad. Hill #2, ummm...ok. Hill #3, must...get...to top. Hill #4, seriously? Again? Hill #5, I gave up. My guides (on road bikes) waited patiently while I huffed and puffed. I began to actually feel my ass weighing me down. Granted, I am aware of its gargantuan size, but I can normally manuever the load. Apparently, a few miles uphill make gravity a bit stronger. Hill #6, the steepest of all. One of my guides pointed out that the office was just to the right. Great. I climb this hill, and I get to work for 8 hours. What motivation.

The emails suggested we try to bike to work every day this week. I am going to try one more day. Maybe it will get easier??

PS-The brakes were $672! But it is nice to have a car that does not resemble a death trap....

My Achin' Bum

Owie! Yesterday, I suggested that we take the bikes up to my old stomping grounds in York, PA. Before Adam joined me south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I learned to ride the mountain bike by participating in beginner group rides at Rocky Ridge Park. It was quite the feat to race from the office with disassembled bike in trunk of Cavalier, through seas of cars going SLOW for NO REASON and meeting the group by 6pm, where I would reassemble the bike NASCAR-style. (Wait - does NASCAR get all caps? Is it an acronym for something? Oh, yeah, that's right: I don't care.)
Anyway, I stopped making this trek after Adam moved, but we still went up to York from time to time, not only for "the Ridge" but also for Cobblestones, which serves 60 beers (beer snob heaven) and "Skillet of Skins". This consists of a hot plate of red potatoes smothered in ranch dressing and provolone cheese, baked to perfection. It is also a quick and delicious way to completely negate any calories you may have inadvertently burned while biking.
Our "new" apartment (we just renewed our third lease) grounds are bordered by Loch Raven Reservoir, which boasts miles of mountain bike trails. This is a great feature, but it has made us somewhat lazy - we never travel to other biking areas since there is one in the backyard.
Which brings me to my achin' bum. You may be curious as to why Rocky Ridge was christened with this name. Well, boys and girls, it has a lot of ROCKS and it is a RIDGE - 750 acres of trails split down the middle by a peak about 350 ft above the parking area. The downhills are fun (mostly - there are some steep areas which cause me to envision several ways my body could fly and/or crush). The uphills? Hurt. So much. And once you get hung up on the first rock, your "ride" becomes more of a hike, only you have 30 lbs of bike to lug up the hill as your calves begin to cramp. Despite all this, it is really quite fun.

Until today, when I decided to take a spin class at the gym. It was then that I realized I am actually pretty sore after yesterday's excursion. Our first track was a standing climb, thankfully, because every time I sat down, I began squirming back and forth on the seat trying to find a more comfortable position. I never did find one, but soon my legs began to burn and scream and whine, saying why? After all we do for you! My legs threatened to go on strike, and my bum got lost in the shuffle.
I am sure you are asking yourself why I do this to me. The answer is because I feel wonderful when it's over. I am tired enough to sleep, and perfectly content with life.

...but I just realized I forgot to add those wonderful potatoes to my log...

Addicted

Cara may have created a monster. Oh sure, I have heard the stories about "blog addiction" but like most people, I thought, "It won't happen to me." I have always thought of the computer as a tool - a necessary item to use when I have to bring work from home, or check directions to a friend's place. I only occasionally used it for leisure, and then only to do some crossword puzzles or sudoku. Now, I turn on this same computer and become immersed for hours in the world of blogs, and often forget my original mission. Earlier in the week I thought, "I can quit at any time." And I can. I think. I am not as certain as I once was.

Since I have been so busy blogging about blogging, I bet you are wondering how the 'ole diet is going. For that, I did manage to drag myself out of the blogosphere (that's what they call it). I updated my spreadsheet, trying to sort through my hazy memory in order to determine exactly how many beers, chips, mozzarella-tomato thingies, and glasses of wine I had last night. My slight headache and gorilla breath indicate that it could be a few more glasses than I might like to admit. And then there was the cheesecake. I had been forewarned of this fabulous concoction, because my friend is actually considering marketing it. Anne, I think you have a winner, as I would definitely pay money to eat your cheesecake again. Luckily, I don't have to - there's more in the fridge!
But sigh....once again, the diet goal has not been reached. So close! Yet so far away. At least the glass is half-full, though. I got back to the gym, and after the storm on Wednesday night, we had three days of gorgeous weather so I took the mountain bike out. I had hoped this trend would continue a few more days, but alas, I am currently typing on my porch and sweating like a really sweaty thing. (Forgive me, I just want to go inside to my air conditioning now.)
Hopefully I can redeem myself from my shameful addiction to baked goods this week. Did I mention there's more cheesecake in the fridge??
Sigh.

the HAPPY LIST

Inspired by the ever inspiring Cara, my own happy list:

HAPPINESS IS....

....coming home from a great bike ride in the woods, muddy, exhausted, and completely content

....taking a long shower on a day when I've got nothing to do, then sitting down to read a book and sip tea ALL DAY

....coming up with a kick-ass genius idea for a particularly tough structural issue AND having it work

....catching a football during a game or making an awesome volleyball save

....when Adam puts his arms around me or rubs my shoulders for no particular reason

....going to a concert and getting caught up in the music

....the first flower of spring

....listening to the Grateful Dead and watching the sun come up or go down

....spending the day in the kitchen making yummy food and listening to NPR on a lazy Saturday

....driving past a building that I designed (when it is still standing - I haven't had one fall, but I imagine that would be the opposite of happiness)

....autumn leaves and that fresh smell of October

....when my purry pussy cat jumps on my lap and curls up for a snooze

....the feeling after a great workout or yoga session

....being able to fit into the jean shorts that were too tight two years ago

....cheesecake, of course!

Off the Wagon

Ugh. I fell off the wagon yesterday. After coming home from an extra large grocery trip (tying to buy enough for 2 weeks since I won't have time next weekend), I began the task of preparing my soup for the week, and chopping veggies for planned meals. Only this time, I also made two batches of cookies for some upcoming events. Well, it is just no good to make a cookie dough and not know what it tastes like! You need to make sure that everything is well mixed! And, of course you can't package them up for consumption by others without trying one yourself! And then there's the broken one, well that's just no good to anyone, so you better eat that too. Oops, this batch is a little bit burnt. Better check to see if they are still edible. Well, maybe they are edible enough for you to have them, but you shouldn't include these in the public batch...and so on.
So my industriousness turned into a binge of uncontrollable eating. And I didn't stop at the cookies. I had also bought ice cream - damn you, half price sale!! You see, it melted a little bit in the 10 minute ride home on the 80 degree day, and I love it when it is a little melted. (I am not usually patient enough to wait...)
Luckily, I was able to offset the damage a little bit - it was a beautiful day, so Adam and I took the bikes out. But, I was so out of control that I turned a good week into a bad one, just like that!
Today, I have come to my senses. I have only had one cookie...so far...