Commentary on recent world events
Sep. 11th, 2022 12:44 amDing dong.
We pick back up the fight tomorrow, but today, we celebrate.
There were been scattered cheers throughout the neighborhood all morning as people woke up to the news. I took a short walk to the store (Walking! In the boot, no other assistance! And it didn't use up all my spoons for the day!) and there were people waving signs and tambourines out their car windows, lots of happy honking, and someone standing outside Whole Foods literally banging pots and pans together. I was blasting "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". :)
We are building up a new world, do not sit idly by
Do not remain neutral, do not rely on this broadcast alone
We are only as strong as our signal
There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking, you are winning
Resistance is victory, defeat is impossible
Your weapons are already in hand
Reach within you, and find the means by which to gain your freedom
Fight with tools!
Your fate and that of everyone you know, depends on it
--Flobots, "We Are Winning"
There were been scattered cheers throughout the neighborhood all morning as people woke up to the news. I took a short walk to the store (Walking! In the boot, no other assistance! And it didn't use up all my spoons for the day!) and there were people waving signs and tambourines out their car windows, lots of happy honking, and someone standing outside Whole Foods literally banging pots and pans together. I was blasting "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". :)
We are building up a new world, do not sit idly by
Do not remain neutral, do not rely on this broadcast alone
We are only as strong as our signal
There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking, you are winning
Resistance is victory, defeat is impossible
Your weapons are already in hand
Reach within you, and find the means by which to gain your freedom
Fight with tools!
Your fate and that of everyone you know, depends on it
--Flobots, "We Are Winning"
My alarm went off at 8:15 this morning. I barely registered it, because I woke up, noticed it was still dark, and immediately fell back asleep because it was still nighhttime so obviously I dreamed my alarm. Half an hour later a text woke me up and I realized that it was in fact nearly 9am... but still dark outside.
The sky above the Bay Area today was varying shades of dark, hazy orange (that one's the view from my block at 11am), like nothing I've seen before, even through multiple fire seasons in California and Colorado. It really felt like the sun never came up, and making myself focus and be productive at work was a struggle. My body and brain are both still pretty cranky about it.
In a 1:1, my coworker said "And here we are at work, like it matters," and babies let me tell you I almost shut it all down and went back to bed.
At nearly 7pm, the sky is actually... a little lighter, now? Lighter than it should be on a September 7pm. Even more confusing.
I don't have any social, political, or environmental commentary here. It's just fucking weird.
The sky above the Bay Area today was varying shades of dark, hazy orange (that one's the view from my block at 11am), like nothing I've seen before, even through multiple fire seasons in California and Colorado. It really felt like the sun never came up, and making myself focus and be productive at work was a struggle. My body and brain are both still pretty cranky about it.
In a 1:1, my coworker said "And here we are at work, like it matters," and babies let me tell you I almost shut it all down and went back to bed.
At nearly 7pm, the sky is actually... a little lighter, now? Lighter than it should be on a September 7pm. Even more confusing.
I don't have any social, political, or environmental commentary here. It's just fucking weird.
Good for the soul
Sep. 8th, 2020 07:57 pmI was literally just this weekend thinking about how much I missed AnonCon and LJ Valentine's Day anonymous confessions, and here is the universe with a gift: Dreamwidth Confessional, 2020/Quarantine Edition!
Tell me a secret! Tell me a not-so-secret! Whisper sweet somethings in my comment box. Express your maddest crush or deepest curiosity! Ask about personal habits you've always wondered if you're weird about! Expound upon the fabulousness of your friends or lovers or would-be friends or lovers! Or people you know or want to know. Share your best self-care for the political climate! Do it anonymously or with your name attached*; anonymous commenting is on and IP logging is off.
*I encourage you to default to anonymous comments unless there's special value in being identified with your comment.
How do I tea?
May. 20th, 2020 11:30 pmTea friends:
I am spending way too much on delivery boba and Thai iced tea, and have decided that it's silly to not learn how to make them myself the same way I did with coldbrew and espresso drinks. So I want to buy a couple good black teas (Assam? Probably? I think?) to start experimenting with.
Just like with coffee, I don't believe that drinking it iced or with other flavorings means you should use the crappy stuff, so I want the good stuff. Affordably so, especially until I learn how to not ruin it and confirm what I like, but still the pretty good stuff.
But I am like a little baby in tea land, where there are many, many different options for purchasing tea and I don't know how to assess whether the names I recognize are the ones actually worth trying, or whether $25 for 2 oz. is in fact a reasonable price.
Where should I start?
Please consider this a solicitation for any and all tea-related advice you'd like to share.
I am spending way too much on delivery boba and Thai iced tea, and have decided that it's silly to not learn how to make them myself the same way I did with coldbrew and espresso drinks. So I want to buy a couple good black teas (Assam? Probably? I think?) to start experimenting with.
Just like with coffee, I don't believe that drinking it iced or with other flavorings means you should use the crappy stuff, so I want the good stuff. Affordably so, especially until I learn how to not ruin it and confirm what I like, but still the pretty good stuff.
But I am like a little baby in tea land, where there are many, many different options for purchasing tea and I don't know how to assess whether the names I recognize are the ones actually worth trying, or whether $25 for 2 oz. is in fact a reasonable price.
Where should I start?
Please consider this a solicitation for any and all tea-related advice you'd like to share.
(no subject)
Jan. 23rd, 2020 12:41 amI just found out a former coworker and old LiveJournal friend, Evilbeard, passed away last week, at the extremely far too young age of 49. His obituary is brief but bursting with the joy he took in life and brought to those around him. He was one of the good ones, and I'm so glad to have gotten to know him in the ways I did.
He would appreciate my dark amusement at the fact I am writing a serious obit post about someone I knew best as Evilbeard.
He would appreciate my dark amusement at the fact I am writing a serious obit post about someone I knew best as Evilbeard.
We're only immortal for a limited time
Jan. 10th, 2020 04:56 pmRest in peace, Neil Peart.
I didn't expect to be near-Bowie levels of sad at this, but I am. My love of Rush has survived childhood trauma, terrible boyfriends, bad trips, getting over my "I'm not like other girls" phase, getting over my libertarian phase, losing my hearing for three days after forgetting my earplugs the first time we had front-row seats, an atrocious covers album, and a painful breakup. And so much of what I love about Rush is Neil.
I was grateful to be working from home today when I heard the news, so no one could see the brief tears, or complain about me putting 2112 on at top volume.
I didn't expect to be near-Bowie levels of sad at this, but I am. My love of Rush has survived childhood trauma, terrible boyfriends, bad trips, getting over my "I'm not like other girls" phase, getting over my libertarian phase, losing my hearing for three days after forgetting my earplugs the first time we had front-row seats, an atrocious covers album, and a painful breakup. And so much of what I love about Rush is Neil.
I was grateful to be working from home today when I heard the news, so no one could see the brief tears, or complain about me putting 2112 on at top volume.
Happy New Year!
Jan. 1st, 2020 12:18 amA poem to carry into the new year and new decade:
The Journey
Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.
The Journey
Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.
Welcome, Yule!
Dec. 21st, 2019 02:24 pmO the shortest day came, and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing
To drive the dark away... ✨
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing
To drive the dark away... ✨
Settling in
Nov. 30th, 2019 09:59 pmIt has been exactly 2 months since I moved.
People keep asking me if I've settled in, and after many weeks of "I'm getting there!" I finally feel like I can say yes. It was only about a month ago that my stuff arrived, some of it broken and much of what wasn't broken needing to be donated or dumped because it didn't actually fit. Several donate-and-dump runs, Ikea deliveries, and minor furniture-assembly injuries later, I no longer feel like I'm still in the middle of "moving in". Even though I still have one single box left to unpack, and a lot of organizational optimization to do to make the most of the small and awkward space, I feel at home.
Homes need a name, and (with some helpful inspiration from friends and strangers on Metafilter) this one eventually told me its name was The Burrow.
It was very nearly Bag End, but that was just too too, even for me.
**********
It didn't take me nearly that long to feel settled into the spaces outside my apartment. Walking around the city, getting to know my new neighborhood, feels like I never left. I already know my way around on transit and bike and foot. Every event I go to, I run into someone I know. A couple weeks ago I got my hair re-purpled at the same salon I went for nearly a decade before I moved to Denver. Byron and I had dinner at a restaurant on Valencia and realized we'd sat together at the exact same table twice before--at two different restaurants. The Chinese massage place I used to frequent is still there, and they remembered me even though it was 4 years since I'd last been there.
There's a lot that's changed, too, both for the better and for the worse. And that, too, feels familiar and just right, even when it's bittersweet or infuriating.
**********
The new job is taking a little longer to feel settled into. Which isn't unexpected, because it is a new job, and I'm having to learn a lot of new things while also trying to sort out the baggage I've brought with me from all the previous jobs I've had here and navigating an entirely new manager and team. It's still exciting and interesting and I'm in exactly the right place, but I'm feeling the Smart Kid Syndrome pretty hard.
Next week my team and I are going to Denver for some face-time with our partner teams, which is a thing that will happen roughly quarterly. It'll be weird to be back, but I'm looking forward to being able to share what I like about it with my team, and enjoy it as a visitor without all the complicated feels that came with living there when I'd left my heart somewhere else.
People keep asking me if I've settled in, and after many weeks of "I'm getting there!" I finally feel like I can say yes. It was only about a month ago that my stuff arrived, some of it broken and much of what wasn't broken needing to be donated or dumped because it didn't actually fit. Several donate-and-dump runs, Ikea deliveries, and minor furniture-assembly injuries later, I no longer feel like I'm still in the middle of "moving in". Even though I still have one single box left to unpack, and a lot of organizational optimization to do to make the most of the small and awkward space, I feel at home.
Homes need a name, and (with some helpful inspiration from friends and strangers on Metafilter) this one eventually told me its name was The Burrow.
It was very nearly Bag End, but that was just too too, even for me.
**********
It didn't take me nearly that long to feel settled into the spaces outside my apartment. Walking around the city, getting to know my new neighborhood, feels like I never left. I already know my way around on transit and bike and foot. Every event I go to, I run into someone I know. A couple weeks ago I got my hair re-purpled at the same salon I went for nearly a decade before I moved to Denver. Byron and I had dinner at a restaurant on Valencia and realized we'd sat together at the exact same table twice before--at two different restaurants. The Chinese massage place I used to frequent is still there, and they remembered me even though it was 4 years since I'd last been there.
There's a lot that's changed, too, both for the better and for the worse. And that, too, feels familiar and just right, even when it's bittersweet or infuriating.
**********
The new job is taking a little longer to feel settled into. Which isn't unexpected, because it is a new job, and I'm having to learn a lot of new things while also trying to sort out the baggage I've brought with me from all the previous jobs I've had here and navigating an entirely new manager and team. It's still exciting and interesting and I'm in exactly the right place, but I'm feeling the Smart Kid Syndrome pretty hard.
Next week my team and I are going to Denver for some face-time with our partner teams, which is a thing that will happen roughly quarterly. It'll be weird to be back, but I'm looking forward to being able to share what I like about it with my team, and enjoy it as a visitor without all the complicated feels that came with living there when I'd left my heart somewhere else.
(no subject)
Sep. 23rd, 2019 10:37 pmLots of people have been asking, so I figured I would write it out.
Things I will miss about Denver:
Things I will miss about Denver:
- Breakfast burritos and green chile{s}
- Urban bunnies
- Fruition Farms cheeses
- Being able to bike to work almost year-round (OK I can do this in SF, too, but it's a different kind of prep)
- The free Mall Ride bus
- 1Up
- Cart-Driver, Señor Bear, Sarto's, Reunion Bread Co., El Five, Hop Alley, Acorn, Jones Family Spirit House
- Hiking in the snow and not actually being cold
- Brief and intense afternoon thunderstorms
- Being able to hop on a bus and be in Boulder in under an hour
- Cheaper-than-SF rent, and a housing policy that (for now, at least) still allows for new dwellings to be built
- Public art everywhere (even when it's bad)
- Mountains
- Denver Airport conspiracy theories
- Being only a 45-minute car ride away from being able to see the Milky Way unassisted
- My Denver work family
- Opportunities to spend more time with
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
randomdreams and threemeninaboat - Shorter flights to the east coast
- Having superpowers when I return to sea level
- High facial moisturizer and body lotion budget
- One of the highest transit fares in the country
- Strong car culture --> Major gaps and lags in transit infrastructure, especially for getting out of Denver proper
- Not being able to bike more than 25 miles in any direction without having to go up the side of a mountain
- Recycling being so difficult that I sometimes throw away even the recyclables that actually get recycled
- Most of the concerts I want to see being at a place that is beautiful but nigh-inaccessible for folks with mobility issues
- Hail, and hail bruises
- Extreme rapid weather changes
- Having to go to the suburbs for good Chinese, Mexican, and Vietnamese food
- Everyone wanting to go to Linger and Snooze all the time
- Maintaining the polite fiction that TAG Restaurant Group restaurants are any good when people enthuse about them to me so I don't come off like a total California food snob
- The Denver Airport
- The Denver Airport Bathroom Smell
- Dog food smell days
- Cow poop smell days
- Basically all the smells, especially all the apartment lobbies, hotels, bars, and street corners into which artificial scent is pumped
- Also all the smokers of all kinds, smoking in public as if that is somehow not unspeakably rude
- Everything being about weed
All the snow has turned to water
Mar. 14th, 2019 09:11 pmThe Bomb-Ass Cyclone died down relatively early last night. Before it did, it left a legacy of record-breaking windspeed and pressure.
I was lucky and never lost power, and did not have any trees fall on anything I own. Several of my coworkers were not so lucky, though everyone's okay.
Today there was a lot of "What blizzard?!" joking, and indeed at first glance today looked like just another normal day-after-a-snow-day. But when I stepped outside this morning everything was covered in a thick glaze of ice, and every tree, post, and building was frosted with frozen snow on the windward side, all the way to the top. It reminded me a bit of the water marks left on trees after a flood, in a weird way.
It was a very slippery walk to work (I'd have taken the bus but the route starts much farther out where many roads are still closed, and so it was very delayed), and I nearly regretted not getting my YakTrax out of my bag several times. A lot melted throughout the day, so the walk home was a game of "Is that water or ice? Let's not find out!" I have managed to remain upright.
The weather's supposed to be much less exciting for the foreseeable future. It's forecast to get to nearly 50degF this weekend, which means I'll get to go on a much-needed bike ride.
I was lucky and never lost power, and did not have any trees fall on anything I own. Several of my coworkers were not so lucky, though everyone's okay.
Today there was a lot of "What blizzard?!" joking, and indeed at first glance today looked like just another normal day-after-a-snow-day. But when I stepped outside this morning everything was covered in a thick glaze of ice, and every tree, post, and building was frosted with frozen snow on the windward side, all the way to the top. It reminded me a bit of the water marks left on trees after a flood, in a weird way.
It was a very slippery walk to work (I'd have taken the bus but the route starts much farther out where many roads are still closed, and so it was very delayed), and I nearly regretted not getting my YakTrax out of my bag several times. A lot melted throughout the day, so the walk home was a game of "Is that water or ice? Let's not find out!" I have managed to remain upright.
The weather's supposed to be much less exciting for the foreseeable future. It's forecast to get to nearly 50degF this weekend, which means I'll get to go on a much-needed bike ride.
Hello from the Bomb Cyclone zone!
Mar. 13th, 2019 01:57 pmLast weekend was one of the nicest weekends we've had, weather-wise, in ages. Yesterday was gorgeous, too--it got up to nearly 60degF and I went on my lunchtime wander without a jacket.
So it was really weird to spend yesterday prepping and building contingency plans for blizzard conditions due to (I am not making this up) an impending Bomb Cyclone.
I have been through many, many tropical storms in my life, but this is my first one in a landlocked state.
We closed the office today and told everyone to WFH to keep people off the roads, and last night I managed to get the the grocery store early enough to get ahead the French toast frenzy and stock up on the essentials, so it's been a cozy day of working from the couch with soup and muffins for me.
The snow here in Denver proper has been relatively light compared with the forecast--we might be just barely at 3" so far?--but it's wet and sticky and freeze-y, and the wind is ridiculous, with peak gusts at 75mph (cat1 hurricane territory!). The winds and ice have led to power outages across the area, and downed power lines are keeping the snowplows from getting around. Many of my coworkers who live in the suburbs and beyond are without power. My power has been flickering all day, but hasn't yet gone out completely. I've got all my devices plugged in, the Goal Zeroes and other backup batteries charged, and flashlights and headlamps at the ready just in case.
I'm okay. I hope everyone else is, too!
So it was really weird to spend yesterday prepping and building contingency plans for blizzard conditions due to (I am not making this up) an impending Bomb Cyclone.
I have been through many, many tropical storms in my life, but this is my first one in a landlocked state.
We closed the office today and told everyone to WFH to keep people off the roads, and last night I managed to get the the grocery store early enough to get ahead the French toast frenzy and stock up on the essentials, so it's been a cozy day of working from the couch with soup and muffins for me.
The snow here in Denver proper has been relatively light compared with the forecast--we might be just barely at 3" so far?--but it's wet and sticky and freeze-y, and the wind is ridiculous, with peak gusts at 75mph (cat1 hurricane territory!). The winds and ice have led to power outages across the area, and downed power lines are keeping the snowplows from getting around. Many of my coworkers who live in the suburbs and beyond are without power. My power has been flickering all day, but hasn't yet gone out completely. I've got all my devices plugged in, the Goal Zeroes and other backup batteries charged, and flashlights and headlamps at the ready just in case.
I'm okay. I hope everyone else is, too!
(no subject)
Aug. 10th, 2018 11:10 pmEvery textbook read said bring you the bread
But guess what we got you instead?
But guess what we got you instead?
Denver (Quarter) Century Ride
Jun. 19th, 2018 06:55 pmOn Saturday I did the Denver Century Ride, or at least about a quarter of it. The headline: I finished! And I finished with most of the same people I crossed the starting line with, which feels like an accomplishment to me, especially given how long it's been since I've done a timeboxed, large-group ride and how much I hated life for several stretches. And in spite of those moments of hating life, it was a lot of fun.
Here are three things that are lies:
"mostly flat"
"mostly cloudy"
"25 miles"
Other than the heat and sun I was doing just dandy until we hit the first climb at mile 15. And, look, I know that for most cyclists in good shape, that was not "a climb." But it was up a hill that's so very a hill that the neighborhood literally has "Hill" in the name, and it sucked. I challenged myself to stay on the bike instead of succumbing to the temptation to hop off and walk it like I usually do, and when I got to the park at the top of the hill, I collapsed on the grass for a bit. The SAG wagon happened by and gosh I am so grateful for them but I have never figured out how to properly and politely express "I am thankful for you and appreciate that you stopped to see if I was OK and offer me every foodstuff you have in your car but I am really OK and I really need to you to go away and let me recover in peace so I don't have to waste the breath I am trying to catch reassuring you." Thumbs-up is supposed to work, but it never does.
I caught my breath, slogged through an annoyingly perfectly flat bit (perfectly flat means no opportunity to stop pedaling and coast!) to the one and only rest stop at mile 18, and pushed myself through a love-hate relationship with gravity about 4mph faster than my average for the last 10 miles of ups and downs. I probably shouldn't have pushed myself, the ride home and the next day would have felt much better if I hadn't. But it was nice to have a fellow Athena catch up with me just before the finish line to tell me my pace kept her going. <3
People were expectedly super friendly and supportive overall, and there were only 2 people I wanted to punch: the parent who lectured her ~7-year-old son on his attitude and technique as he was struggling up the aforementioned hill as if he were a professional athlete who needed a tough-love pep talk, and the guy who thought it would be HI-larious to come up to me as I was clearly dying on the final overpass to ask "So how many laps are you gonna do today? Hahahaha." I did not respond with the single raised finger I wanted to, but I death-glared the back of his helmet so hard when he passed me.
I would definitely do this again next year. I'm looking forward to a much more leisurely long ride this weekend, though.
Here are three things that are lies:
"mostly flat"
"mostly cloudy"
"25 miles"
Other than the heat and sun I was doing just dandy until we hit the first climb at mile 15. And, look, I know that for most cyclists in good shape, that was not "a climb." But it was up a hill that's so very a hill that the neighborhood literally has "Hill" in the name, and it sucked. I challenged myself to stay on the bike instead of succumbing to the temptation to hop off and walk it like I usually do, and when I got to the park at the top of the hill, I collapsed on the grass for a bit. The SAG wagon happened by and gosh I am so grateful for them but I have never figured out how to properly and politely express "I am thankful for you and appreciate that you stopped to see if I was OK and offer me every foodstuff you have in your car but I am really OK and I really need to you to go away and let me recover in peace so I don't have to waste the breath I am trying to catch reassuring you." Thumbs-up is supposed to work, but it never does.
I caught my breath, slogged through an annoyingly perfectly flat bit (perfectly flat means no opportunity to stop pedaling and coast!) to the one and only rest stop at mile 18, and pushed myself through a love-hate relationship with gravity about 4mph faster than my average for the last 10 miles of ups and downs. I probably shouldn't have pushed myself, the ride home and the next day would have felt much better if I hadn't. But it was nice to have a fellow Athena catch up with me just before the finish line to tell me my pace kept her going. <3
People were expectedly super friendly and supportive overall, and there were only 2 people I wanted to punch: the parent who lectured her ~7-year-old son on his attitude and technique as he was struggling up the aforementioned hill as if he were a professional athlete who needed a tough-love pep talk, and the guy who thought it would be HI-larious to come up to me as I was clearly dying on the final overpass to ask "So how many laps are you gonna do today? Hahahaha." I did not respond with the single raised finger I wanted to, but I death-glared the back of his helmet so hard when he passed me.
I would definitely do this again next year. I'm looking forward to a much more leisurely long ride this weekend, though.
(no subject)
Jun. 3rd, 2018 05:36 pmToday's ride (Strava, photos): south down South Platte River Trail/Mary Carter Greenway to the cute little trailside cafe at Hudson Gardens and back again, ~28.5 miles round-trip. A few more miles than last weekend, at a slightly better pace, and a lot less hating life. Partly because I learned my lesson from last weekend and I did eat a food and refill my water bottles appropriately, but also tbqh partly because it wasn't infinity degrees today. Slowly but surely working my way back up.
I still need to figure out what to do about my poor hands. I hate biking gloves so much, though. Maybe I'll just suffer a bit longer until I build up some calluses?
I really wanted to keep going the additional 10 miles from Hudson Gardens to Chatfield State Park, but I would have had to go those 10 miles there and back, and knew I didn't have that many miles in me today. Another time in the not-too-distant future.
I still need to figure out what to do about my poor hands. I hate biking gloves so much, though. Maybe I'll just suffer a bit longer until I build up some calluses?
I really wanted to keep going the additional 10 miles from Hudson Gardens to Chatfield State Park, but I would have had to go those 10 miles there and back, and knew I didn't have that many miles in me today. Another time in the not-too-distant future.
Back in the saddle again
May. 28th, 2018 11:14 pmLike last year, I did the 30 Days of Biking challenge in April. Unlike last year, I didn't lose momentum after April 30. To encourage myself to keep it up, I signed up for the Denver Century Ride--well, a quarter of it, anyway.
Before I moved to Denver, I was doing ~50-mile event rides a few times a year. They were challenging, but I was riding regularly enough and long enough distances that they weren't insurmountable challenges. Lately, my weekend rides have been ~5-12 miles, and as recently as last weekend I was having second thoughts about having signed up for a 25-mile event ride--y'know, where I have to ride with hundreds of other people at a reasonable pace while exhibiting basic group riding skills.
Yesterday I set out to ride 12-15 miles with a friend from work, and ended up doing 23. It kinda sucked! But that was mostly because of the brutal heat (91degF in direct, unmitigated sun), and because it had been so long that I had forgotten the important lessons I learned the first time around about longer rides. To wit:
So now I know I can do it. I just need to spend the next couple weeks practicing doing it with the right fuel, hydration, and weather-appropriate gear so I don't want to die, and within a reasonable amount of time.
After that's under my belt, the next biking goal will be rebuilding some climbing endurance, because anywhere else I want to go from here involves riding at least partway up the side of a damn mountain.
Before I moved to Denver, I was doing ~50-mile event rides a few times a year. They were challenging, but I was riding regularly enough and long enough distances that they weren't insurmountable challenges. Lately, my weekend rides have been ~5-12 miles, and as recently as last weekend I was having second thoughts about having signed up for a 25-mile event ride--y'know, where I have to ride with hundreds of other people at a reasonable pace while exhibiting basic group riding skills.
Yesterday I set out to ride 12-15 miles with a friend from work, and ended up doing 23. It kinda sucked! But that was mostly because of the brutal heat (91degF in direct, unmitigated sun), and because it had been so long that I had forgotten the important lessons I learned the first time around about longer rides. To wit:
- Eat a food you idiot
- You need more water than that
- Cycling gloves exist for a reason
- Just wear the shorter bike shorts already, no one cares about your fat knees
So now I know I can do it. I just need to spend the next couple weeks practicing doing it with the right fuel, hydration, and weather-appropriate gear so I don't want to die, and within a reasonable amount of time.
After that's under my belt, the next biking goal will be rebuilding some climbing endurance, because anywhere else I want to go from here involves riding at least partway up the side of a damn mountain.
(no subject)
Mar. 19th, 2016 11:38 amLast night my coworkers took me to a place that had jalapeno popper cheeseburgers (with half a brick of deep-fried cream cheese on top) and key lime cheesecake milkshakes (with an actual chunk of cheesecake inside). Last weekend, we got hot dogs topped with grilled onions and cream cheese, and fried mac-and-cheese sticks on the side. Denver is very good at stoner food. (But today I think I will have a salad.)
(no subject)
Feb. 29th, 2016 10:22 pmHappy Leap Year Day! Have I not made you watch today's ridiculously adorable Google Doodle yet? Here you go!
This is just to say
Feb. 21st, 2016 11:16 amI have fed
the cats
that were circling my feet
and mewing
and which
you probably fed
like
half an hour ago
Forgive me
they were adorable
and trying
to kill me
the cats
that were circling my feet
and mewing
and which
you probably fed
like
half an hour ago
Forgive me
they were adorable
and trying
to kill me
(no subject)
Nov. 4th, 2015 10:00 amBye Bye Fog see you later
Tell the egrets wait for me
Give my love to shoreline breezes
So long ocean view
We’ll be back beside the bay
Sure as tides and sunset
--Poem found at a shellmound
Tell the egrets wait for me
Give my love to shoreline breezes
So long ocean view
We’ll be back beside the bay
Sure as tides and sunset
--Poem found at a shellmound
Gem, not Jem
Nov. 2nd, 2015 12:05 amSerious life updates soon, I promise. For now, here's this year's Halloween costume, which was the first in awhile to come together exactly as I'd envisioned, as well as the most comfortable costume I've ever worn for any purpose ever.
Sneak peek:
( If you need me I'll be in my room eating garbage )
Sneak peek:
( If you need me I'll be in my room eating garbage )
Sex, chocolate souffles, and King Lear
Sep. 29th, 2014 09:50 am“Human beings took our animal need for palatable food … and turned it into chocolate souffles with salted caramel cream. We took our ability to co-operate as a social species … and turned it into craft circles and bowling leagues and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We took our capacity to make and use tools … and turned it into the Apollo moon landing. We took our uniquely precise ability to communicate through language … and turned it into King Lear.
None of these things are necessary for survival and reproduction. That is exactly what makes them so splendid. When we take our basic evolutionary wiring and transform it into something far beyond any prosaic matters of survival and reproduction … that’s when humanity is at its best. That’s when we show ourselves to be capable of creating meaning and joy, for ourselves and for one another. That’s when we’re most uniquely human.
And the same is true for sex. Human beings have a deep, hard-wired urge to replicate our DNA, instilled in us by millions of years of evolution. And we’ve turned it into an intense and delightful form of communication, intimacy, creativity, community, personal expression, transcendence, joy, pleasure, and love. Regardless of whether any DNA gets replicated in the process.
Why should we see this as sinful? What makes this any different from chocolate souffles and King Lear?”
— Greta Christina, Sex and the Off-Label Use of Our Bodies
None of these things are necessary for survival and reproduction. That is exactly what makes them so splendid. When we take our basic evolutionary wiring and transform it into something far beyond any prosaic matters of survival and reproduction … that’s when humanity is at its best. That’s when we show ourselves to be capable of creating meaning and joy, for ourselves and for one another. That’s when we’re most uniquely human.
And the same is true for sex. Human beings have a deep, hard-wired urge to replicate our DNA, instilled in us by millions of years of evolution. And we’ve turned it into an intense and delightful form of communication, intimacy, creativity, community, personal expression, transcendence, joy, pleasure, and love. Regardless of whether any DNA gets replicated in the process.
Why should we see this as sinful? What makes this any different from chocolate souffles and King Lear?”
— Greta Christina, Sex and the Off-Label Use of Our Bodies
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif){kind=small}
(no subject)
Jun. 13th, 2014 02:57 pmSex Without Love
Sharon Olds
How do they do it, the ones who make love
without love? Beautiful as dancers,
gliding over each other like ice-skaters
over the ice, fingers hooked
inside each other's bodies, faces
red as steak, wine, wet as the
children at birth whose mothers are going to
give them away. How do they come to the
come to the come to the God come to the
still waters, and not love
the one who came there with them, light
rising slowly as steam off their joined
skin? These are the true religious,
the purists, the pros, the ones who will not
accept a false Messiah, love the
priest instead of the God. They do not
mistake the lover for their own pleasure,
they are like great runners: they know they are alone
with the road surface, the cold, the wind,
the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardio-
vascular health--just factors, like the partner
in the bed, and not the truth, which is the
single body alone in the universe
against its own best time.
Sharon Olds
How do they do it, the ones who make love
without love? Beautiful as dancers,
gliding over each other like ice-skaters
over the ice, fingers hooked
inside each other's bodies, faces
red as steak, wine, wet as the
children at birth whose mothers are going to
give them away. How do they come to the
come to the come to the God come to the
still waters, and not love
the one who came there with them, light
rising slowly as steam off their joined
skin? These are the true religious,
the purists, the pros, the ones who will not
accept a false Messiah, love the
priest instead of the God. They do not
mistake the lover for their own pleasure,
they are like great runners: they know they are alone
with the road surface, the cold, the wind,
the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardio-
vascular health--just factors, like the partner
in the bed, and not the truth, which is the
single body alone in the universe
against its own best time.
(no subject)
Jan. 20th, 2014 01:55 pmThis, so very much:
We need to move away from this constant need of coming across as calm, cool and collected. We weren’t built to be calm, cool, and collected. If we were, it wouldn’t feel so fucking exhausting all the time. It would, you know, come naturally to us. You know what comes naturally to human beings though? Being open, being messy, being raw, being unfiltered, having lots of feelings. Why should we have to stifle our true nature? Let’s go after the things we want, let’s love each other brutally and honestly, and not worry about the consequences. Let’s release the feelings inside of us and let them land somewhere special. Otherwise, we might have a lifetime of longing in front of us.
—Ryan O’Connell, You Need To Go After The Things You Want
The Thief Will Enter
Sep. 23rd, 2013 11:55 amNo matter what plans you make,
no matter what you acquire,
the thief will enter from the unguarded side.
Be occupied, then, with what you really value
and let the thief take something less.
--Rumi, Masnavi II, 1505-07
no matter what you acquire,
the thief will enter from the unguarded side.
Be occupied, then, with what you really value
and let the thief take something less.
--Rumi, Masnavi II, 1505-07
Jesus, be a raindrop
Sep. 7th, 2013 09:57 pmSome days are for napping lazily in sunbeams. Today is not one of those days. Today is a day for finding the darkest, coolest corner of the apartment and sprawling out on the floor, in your underwear, with the fan aimed directly at you and your laptop far enough away so that you don't feel its heat but close enough that you can shop online for sundresses because you never want to wear pants ever again.
It's hot as hell, is what I am trying to say. And like the amazing krissychula, I do not approve.
It's hot as hell, is what I am trying to say. And like the amazing krissychula, I do not approve.
Napa Valley Tour de Cure
Jun. 27th, 2013 11:13 amI am way overdue on a writeup of last month's Tour de Cure. It was a good ride! I sort of met my goal of finishing faster than last year--my average speed and moving time was about the same, but my elapsed time was shorter--and I felt great afterward.
I'd been really worried about the heat, but it turned out to be a blissfully overcast day, with a few light rainshowers, even. The hills that had so surprised me last year were much more manageable, and while there were plenty of headwinds, there was nothing like last year's home-stretch slog. I rode most of the way with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gayathri, and we met up with byronium where the final rest stop for his route and ours overlapped, so we all got to cross the finish line together.
The one thing that went wrong: I managed to forget my sports bra, and there was nowhere around that sold bras of any sort in my size, so I did the ride in the one bra I did have with me--a very pretty but not very supportive molded half-cup. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived. The bra did not. RIP, Curvy Kate Daily Boost! "Sports bra" is now at the top of every packing list ever.
Since I joined a team this year, I got to go chill in the team tent for awhile afterward. Team tents are awesome.llamaeyes, gayathri, and all the other Team Red volunteers did an excellent job making it a fun, comfortable, and welcoming place to recover. There was massage! And recovery beverages! And tasty things to nibble on so I didn't have to go wait in the food line! Thanks, Team Red.
And huge thanks to everyone who supported me through donations and encouraging words. My friends, family, and community are amazing! If you donated to me, keep an eye out for something in the mail in the next couple weeks (if I don't have your address, I'll be contacting you soon to get it).
********************************
Paul came up to Napa with me so we could spend the rest of the weekend winin' and dinin'. It started off poorly, with a dinner at Morimoto so comically bad I had to write a Yelp review, but the rest of it was great. A fantastic dinner at Bouchon Bistro, coffee and ridiculously decadent pastries at Bouchon Bakery, and (of course) a lovely meal at Ad Hoc. Clearly Thomas Keller holds the keys to our hearts. Or stomachs.
I'd been really worried about the heat, but it turned out to be a blissfully overcast day, with a few light rainshowers, even. The hills that had so surprised me last year were much more manageable, and while there were plenty of headwinds, there was nothing like last year's home-stretch slog. I rode most of the way with
gayathri, and we met up with byronium where the final rest stop for his route and ours overlapped, so we all got to cross the finish line together. The one thing that went wrong: I managed to forget my sports bra, and there was nowhere around that sold bras of any sort in my size, so I did the ride in the one bra I did have with me--a very pretty but not very supportive molded half-cup. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived. The bra did not. RIP, Curvy Kate Daily Boost! "Sports bra" is now at the top of every packing list ever.
Since I joined a team this year, I got to go chill in the team tent for awhile afterward. Team tents are awesome.
llamaeyes, gayathri, and all the other Team Red volunteers did an excellent job making it a fun, comfortable, and welcoming place to recover. There was massage! And recovery beverages! And tasty things to nibble on so I didn't have to go wait in the food line! Thanks, Team Red.And huge thanks to everyone who supported me through donations and encouraging words. My friends, family, and community are amazing! If you donated to me, keep an eye out for something in the mail in the next couple weeks (if I don't have your address, I'll be contacting you soon to get it).
Paul came up to Napa with me so we could spend the rest of the weekend winin' and dinin'. It started off poorly, with a dinner at Morimoto so comically bad I had to write a Yelp review, but the rest of it was great. A fantastic dinner at Bouchon Bistro, coffee and ridiculously decadent pastries at Bouchon Bakery, and (of course) a lovely meal at Ad Hoc. Clearly Thomas Keller holds the keys to our hearts. Or stomachs.
Napa Valley Tour de Cure
Jun. 27th, 2013 11:13 amI am way overdue on a writeup of last month's Tour de Cure. It was a good ride! I sort of met my goal of finishing faster than last year--my average speed and moving time was about the same, but my elapsed time was shorter--and I felt great afterward.
I'd been really worried about the heat, but it turned out to be a blissfully overcast day, with a few light rainshowers, even. The hills that had so surprised me last year were much more manageable, and while there were plenty of headwinds, there was nothing like last year's home-stretch slog. I rode most of the way withgayathri, and we met up with byronium where the final rest stop for his route and ours overlapped, so we all got to cross the finish line together.
The one thing that went wrong: I managed to forget my sports bra, and there was nowhere around that sold bras of any sort in my size, so I did the ride in the one bra I did have with me--a very pretty but not very supportive molded half-cup. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived. The bra did not. RIP, Curvy Kate Daily Boost! "Sports bra" is now at the top of every packing list ever.
Since I joined a team this year, I got to go chill in the team tent for awhile afterward. Team tents are awesome.llamaeyes, gayathri, and all the other Team Red volunteers did an excellent job making it a fun, comfortable, and welcoming place to recover. There was massage! And recovery beverages! And tasty things to nibble on so I didn't have to go wait in the food line! Thanks, Team Red.
And huge thanks to everyone who supported me through donations and encouraging words. My friends, family, and community are amazing! If you donated to me, keep an eye out for something in the mail in the next couple weeks (if I don't have your address, I'll be contacting you soon to get it).
********************************
Paul came up to Napa with me so we could spend the rest of the weekend winin' and dinin'. It started off poorly, with a dinner at Morimoto so comically bad I had to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/mori
I'd been really worried about the heat, but it turned out to be a blissfully overcast day, with a few light rainshowers, even. The hills that had so surprised me last year were much more manageable, and while there were plenty of headwinds, there was nothing like last year's home-stretch slog. I rode most of the way with
gayathri, and we met up with byronium where the final rest stop for his route and ours overlapped, so we all got to cross the finish line together. The one thing that went wrong: I managed to forget my sports bra, and there was nowhere around that sold bras of any sort in my size, so I did the ride in the one bra I did have with me--a very pretty but not very supportive molded half-cup. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived. The bra did not. RIP, Curvy Kate Daily Boost! "Sports bra" is now at the top of every packing list ever.
Since I joined a team this year, I got to go chill in the team tent for awhile afterward. Team tents are awesome.
llamaeyes, gayathri, and all the other Team Red volunteers did an excellent job making it a fun, comfortable, and welcoming place to recover. There was massage! And recovery beverages! And tasty things to nibble on so I didn't have to go wait in the food line! Thanks, Team Red.And huge thanks to everyone who supported me through donations and encouraging words. My friends, family, and community are amazing! If you donated to me, keep an eye out for something in the mail in the next couple weeks (if I don't have your address, I'll be contacting you soon to get it).
Paul came up to Napa with me so we could spend the rest of the weekend winin' and dinin'. It started off poorly, with a dinner at Morimoto so comically bad I had to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/mori
Less Cinderella, More Pumpkin
Apr. 12th, 2013 12:14 pmI'm not very good at trying something I know I'm going to fail at. I'm (kindasortamostly) okay with failing something I tried my best at, because that's how we learn, but if there's something I'm reasonably certain is beyond my abilities, I just won't do it, at least not until I've gained the skills to try.
Which all seems very reasonable, but at some point last year I'd decided that 2013 was the year I was going to try for a metric century, and I registered for the Cinderella Classic. I hadn't done much riding between November and January due to weather, travel, and illness, but I put together a nice training schedule, and between that and having conquered a 50-miler last year, I had no doubt that I'd be able to ride 65 miles by the beginning of April.
And then there were many weeks of rain, and more illness, and lots of distractions.
I still managed to get in a bunch of riding, but not nearly as much as I needed to, and certainly none approaching the distance I was hoping for. I joined a fun-sounding ride with a local cycling meetup a few weeks ago because sometimes I ride better when I'm chasing others and thought it would help me get in some miles, but between a mechanical and tactical error at the beginning of the ride I never quite recovered from (toughing out a steep hill climb without the ability to shift into the lowest gear? Really dumb!) and much of the rest of it being hillier than anything I'd done since the fall, it did not go well, and I trailed way behind everyone else. I was determined to try to finish anyway, but after waiting for me to catch up on a challenging-for-me climb that wasn't nearly as challenging as the one coming up, the ride leader kindly and firmly directed me to the bail-out point. On what was supposed to be a no-drop ride.
After that disheartening experience, and with only couple weeks to go before the Cinderella, I was ready to call it off. Not even trying would suck, but I wasn't even close to the shape I was in last year, and there was no possible way I could get there in time for the ride. So why do it and embarrass myself? What's the point of starting a ride I know I can't finish?
I talked with my partners about it, who said they'd support me no matter what. I angsted on AskMetafilter about it and got a resounding chorus of "go for it!" Most helpfully, though, I talked withgayathri, who was also registered and also hadn't gotten in the training she'd wanted to yet. We both recognized we might not be quite prepared for the full metric century, but after chatting decided we'd go to just have fun and go for a ride, and let the SAG wagons take us back whenever we decided we were done.
So I rode, and had a great time. There was a little bit of struggling on the hills, and some annoying headwinds, and a minor injury that turned out to need more attention than I gave it, but there were also some really fun descents and I kept up a great pace in the flats. And at the halfway point, ~32 miles into the ride, G & I both decided we were done. And it was okay! I did think Real Hard about trying to go farther, and mayyyybe I could have done it (just 13 miles to the next rest stop!), but I knew I'd feel awful, physically, if I pushed myself that hard. And since I biked to and from BART as well, I ended up getting in a bit over 40 miles all told. So I feel pretty good about it. I'm really glad I didn't quit before I'd even tried, and I'm looking forward to trying again next year--with considerably more training and preparation. :) And a costume! Everyone was dressed up all girly and princessy--with all the plastic tiaras, pink dresses, and feather boas it looked like a giant bachelorette party on wheels--but I didn't really bother (other than a failed attempt to attach my tiara to my helmet without damaging either) because I wanted to focus on the ride. Next year, though, I'm thinking superheroine.
********************************
I've still got plenty of 2013 left in which to complete a metric century. The Rapha Women's 100 looks interesting, especially since it's a thing where everyone rides on the same day rather than a big group event with a set course, and once I'm done with the 50-mile Tour de Cure next month, I may start planning for that. In between a few short tours, that is, because I am super-excited about putting my rack back on my bike and heading off for more bike camping.
Which all seems very reasonable, but at some point last year I'd decided that 2013 was the year I was going to try for a metric century, and I registered for the Cinderella Classic. I hadn't done much riding between November and January due to weather, travel, and illness, but I put together a nice training schedule, and between that and having conquered a 50-miler last year, I had no doubt that I'd be able to ride 65 miles by the beginning of April.
And then there were many weeks of rain, and more illness, and lots of distractions.
I still managed to get in a bunch of riding, but not nearly as much as I needed to, and certainly none approaching the distance I was hoping for. I joined a fun-sounding ride with a local cycling meetup a few weeks ago because sometimes I ride better when I'm chasing others and thought it would help me get in some miles, but between a mechanical and tactical error at the beginning of the ride I never quite recovered from (toughing out a steep hill climb without the ability to shift into the lowest gear? Really dumb!) and much of the rest of it being hillier than anything I'd done since the fall, it did not go well, and I trailed way behind everyone else. I was determined to try to finish anyway, but after waiting for me to catch up on a challenging-for-me climb that wasn't nearly as challenging as the one coming up, the ride leader kindly and firmly directed me to the bail-out point. On what was supposed to be a no-drop ride.
After that disheartening experience, and with only couple weeks to go before the Cinderella, I was ready to call it off. Not even trying would suck, but I wasn't even close to the shape I was in last year, and there was no possible way I could get there in time for the ride. So why do it and embarrass myself? What's the point of starting a ride I know I can't finish?
I talked with my partners about it, who said they'd support me no matter what. I angsted on AskMetafilter about it and got a resounding chorus of "go for it!" Most helpfully, though, I talked with
gayathri, who was also registered and also hadn't gotten in the training she'd wanted to yet. We both recognized we might not be quite prepared for the full metric century, but after chatting decided we'd go to just have fun and go for a ride, and let the SAG wagons take us back whenever we decided we were done. So I rode, and had a great time. There was a little bit of struggling on the hills, and some annoying headwinds, and a minor injury that turned out to need more attention than I gave it, but there were also some really fun descents and I kept up a great pace in the flats. And at the halfway point, ~32 miles into the ride, G & I both decided we were done. And it was okay! I did think Real Hard about trying to go farther, and mayyyybe I could have done it (just 13 miles to the next rest stop!), but I knew I'd feel awful, physically, if I pushed myself that hard. And since I biked to and from BART as well, I ended up getting in a bit over 40 miles all told. So I feel pretty good about it. I'm really glad I didn't quit before I'd even tried, and I'm looking forward to trying again next year--with considerably more training and preparation. :) And a costume! Everyone was dressed up all girly and princessy--with all the plastic tiaras, pink dresses, and feather boas it looked like a giant bachelorette party on wheels--but I didn't really bother (other than a failed attempt to attach my tiara to my helmet without damaging either) because I wanted to focus on the ride. Next year, though, I'm thinking superheroine.
I've still got plenty of 2013 left in which to complete a metric century. The Rapha Women's 100 looks interesting, especially since it's a thing where everyone rides on the same day rather than a big group event with a set course, and once I'm done with the 50-mile Tour de Cure next month, I may start planning for that. In between a few short tours, that is, because I am super-excited about putting my rack back on my bike and heading off for more bike camping.
Mandatory leisure
Feb. 1st, 2013 04:31 pmAfter weeks of unusually persistent rain and chill the weather has once again started delivering the gorgeous crisp sunny days it's supposed to this time of year. Perfect bike-riding days! Except that I am STILL sick, and dealing with vicious cramps, to boot. I'm trying not to be all whiny about it, but it's haaaaard.
I'd started feeling a lot better last week, and was well enough to go out over the weekend and again Monday night, though I was still coughing a bit and never quite got to 100% better. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling most unwell again, and I've been down since. I did go to the doctor yesterday, and she ruled out strep, flu, and bronchial woes, and says it's likely just a very stubborn cold virus and/or a sinus infection. I've got antibiotics for the sinusitis (since it's recurred so soon, it's a safe bet it's bacterial) and codeine for the coughing, and I'm resting as much as I can.
I guess it works out that the vicious cramps have come while I'm already curled up on the couch and can get all the misery out of the way at once, but damn. I'm glad regular exercise over the past year has made my cycle more regular again, but I could really do without two days a month of feeling like I'm being repeatedly kicked in the abdomen. (I am so, so sorry for quietly doubting people who claimed their cramps were debilitating back when I didn't get them. If you believe in karma, you can count this as my punishment.)
The upside of all this enforced downtime is that I'm getting to do the things I often have a hard time letting myself indulge in, either out of weird guilt (I should be doing something productive! Or training for the next ride!) or simple inertia: reading, writing, and playing video games. It feels nice to be away from screens for awhile each day--or at least doing something brain-stimulating in front of them like reading, puzzle-solving, and kicking bad guy ass.
I'd started feeling a lot better last week, and was well enough to go out over the weekend and again Monday night, though I was still coughing a bit and never quite got to 100% better. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling most unwell again, and I've been down since. I did go to the doctor yesterday, and she ruled out strep, flu, and bronchial woes, and says it's likely just a very stubborn cold virus and/or a sinus infection. I've got antibiotics for the sinusitis (since it's recurred so soon, it's a safe bet it's bacterial) and codeine for the coughing, and I'm resting as much as I can.
I guess it works out that the vicious cramps have come while I'm already curled up on the couch and can get all the misery out of the way at once, but damn. I'm glad regular exercise over the past year has made my cycle more regular again, but I could really do without two days a month of feeling like I'm being repeatedly kicked in the abdomen. (I am so, so sorry for quietly doubting people who claimed their cramps were debilitating back when I didn't get them. If you believe in karma, you can count this as my punishment.)
The upside of all this enforced downtime is that I'm getting to do the things I often have a hard time letting myself indulge in, either out of weird guilt (I should be doing something productive! Or training for the next ride!) or simple inertia: reading, writing, and playing video games. It feels nice to be away from screens for awhile each day--or at least doing something brain-stimulating in front of them like reading, puzzle-solving, and kicking bad guy ass.
Plague Diary
Jan. 19th, 2013 01:21 amVarious virii have been knocking over my friends and loved ones left and right, so it was inevitable I'd eventually get hit, too. Monday night I was feeling a bit out of it, and I woke up Tuesday with full-blown ick. I thought it was just a head cold at first, but then the fever and achiness and chills soon joined forces with the sneezing, hacking, and snorfling to knock me flat. I've pretty much just been camped out on the couch for the past 3 days, half-watching Daria and Avengers prequels between naps and forcing myself to eat soup and drink juice. I don't have much of an appetite when I can't breathe well.
I started getting a little energy back today, so I got some groceries delivered (hooray for TaskRabbit!) and made a pot of chicken and stars with enough garlic to keep Sunnydale vamp-free for years. It was awesome. I ate three bowls, and then made some bittersweet chocolate ganache which I had over a huge bowl of ice cream. I guess I'm starting to get better.
*******************************
Making the ganache I thought, Man, if I'd known how easy this was as a kid I'd have gotten fat a lot earlier than I did. But thinking about it more, I'm not so sure. The poor eating habits that contributed to my weight gain in early adulthood can all be traced back to thoughtlessness--eating what was put in front of me because that's just what you do, eating out of boredom or sadness or social obligation, eating junky convenience foods because they were what was at hand--and I think being actively involved in the preparation of what I'm eating makes me more mindful about it, and therefore less likely to reflexively make poor choices. Not that I don't still make poor choices these days, but they're few and far between, and almost always involve grabbing something packaged or pre-made to quickly satisfy a craving. And when I feel the desire to eat because I'm sad or bored, if I cook rather than just grabbing a convenience food the cooking process itself is generally enough to make me less sad or bored because I enjoy the creativity and craft of it so much. I still enjoy the hell out of food for sure, but it's a deliberate and mindful enjoyment. Those three bowls of soup tonight were on purpose, whereas the increasingly rare occasion of suddenly finding myself at the bottom of a bag of chips or on my fourth soda of the day never is.
*******************************
Things that have been keeping me from going insane with boredom:
I started getting a little energy back today, so I got some groceries delivered (hooray for TaskRabbit!) and made a pot of chicken and stars with enough garlic to keep Sunnydale vamp-free for years. It was awesome. I ate three bowls, and then made some bittersweet chocolate ganache which I had over a huge bowl of ice cream. I guess I'm starting to get better.
Making the ganache I thought, Man, if I'd known how easy this was as a kid I'd have gotten fat a lot earlier than I did. But thinking about it more, I'm not so sure. The poor eating habits that contributed to my weight gain in early adulthood can all be traced back to thoughtlessness--eating what was put in front of me because that's just what you do, eating out of boredom or sadness or social obligation, eating junky convenience foods because they were what was at hand--and I think being actively involved in the preparation of what I'm eating makes me more mindful about it, and therefore less likely to reflexively make poor choices. Not that I don't still make poor choices these days, but they're few and far between, and almost always involve grabbing something packaged or pre-made to quickly satisfy a craving. And when I feel the desire to eat because I'm sad or bored, if I cook rather than just grabbing a convenience food the cooking process itself is generally enough to make me less sad or bored because I enjoy the creativity and craft of it so much. I still enjoy the hell out of food for sure, but it's a deliberate and mindful enjoyment. Those three bowls of soup tonight were on purpose, whereas the increasingly rare occasion of suddenly finding myself at the bottom of a bag of chips or on my fourth soda of the day never is.
Things that have been keeping me from going insane with boredom:
- Texts from the Avengers
- This gorgeous interactive script for Moonrise Kingdom
- This mostly thought-provoking but occasionally infuriating Metafilter post about women and makeup
- The Worst Things for Sale
I really, really like this list of resolutions.
It's funny how we often cycle from doing something because it's just the thing everyone does, to scorning it because it's too mainstream or meaningless, and then coming back around to realizing that there's some use in it after all. This is me with new year resolutions. While they can be empty and silly, and I believe you should make change whenever you decide change needs to be made, I do find value in taking the calendar flip as an opportunity to set goals and make plans. Even though I accomplished some really cool things and had a lot of great experiences in 2012 I also spent much of it feeling aimless and unmotivated, and I know I will be happier and get more done with goals to help keep me focused this year.
Goals for 2013
It's funny how we often cycle from doing something because it's just the thing everyone does, to scorning it because it's too mainstream or meaningless, and then coming back around to realizing that there's some use in it after all. This is me with new year resolutions. While they can be empty and silly, and I believe you should make change whenever you decide change needs to be made, I do find value in taking the calendar flip as an opportunity to set goals and make plans. Even though I accomplished some really cool things and had a lot of great experiences in 2012 I also spent much of it feeling aimless and unmotivated, and I know I will be happier and get more done with goals to help keep me focused this year.
Goals for 2013
- Declutter. Organize, sell, donate, dispose of, or otherwise take care of at least two Units of Stuff a week until my living space is liveable again. Accept the fact that there are parts of my living space I have no control over.
- Reach out more. Over the past couple years I've gotten a lot better about saying yes more and accepting more invitations, and now it's time to start making those invitations myself. I've been feeling pretty down about how challenging this is, because I'm not able to have people over often or host parties at all, and scheduling and logistics can be difficult in general. But even if I can't invite people over, I can and will find other ways to proactively reach out to the people I like and let them know I enjoy their company.
- Take every opportunity to ride my bike. I have two specific bike-related goals as well--complete a metric century in April, and do more bike touring in the Summer and Fall--but over the past year, every single time I passed up the opportunity to ride my bike I regretted it. So even beyond training for the century and planning for tours, I will make a deliberate effort to say "Yes" every time I wonder if I should take the bike. Even in the rain and cold.
- Take more photos, more mindfully.
- Stretch more. Doing yoga and my PT stretches regularly keeps me pain-free, makes my knees happier, and makes me a lot more comfortable in my body. I slacked off both during the past few months and I've been feeling it, and getting back to it feels like starting from zero. I don't plan to get to a place where I have to start over again.
- Write more (and LJ more).
- Spend some time each day not staring at a screen. (Unless the screen is displaying a book, because I'd also like to read more).
- Learn Spanish. The next two goals will be difficult without this. I've already signed up for a class at BCC, as my efforts to teach myself haven't been going well (I pick up languages quickly, but need the structure and motivation of a class).
- Find a new job. I'd kinda been hoping that things at work would be stable enough that I could hang on to the reliable paycheck and flexible hours at least until starting grad school, but the paycheck is no longer reliable and the hours are only flexible until there is a crisis, and there's a crisis more often than not. So once the current one has passed, I'll be polishing my resume and starting the hunt.
- Apply to grad school. I can't start grad school until I get in to grad school, which I can't do until I apply!
With zero apologies to Mr. Frost
Dec. 1st, 2012 02:29 amCats and Porn
Some say the 'net is great for porn,
Some say cats.
From what I've seen of naked chicks
I'll go with images and flicks
But if I needn't choose 'tween this and that
I think I know enough of LOL
To say that for use of bandwidth cats
Are also droll
And where it's at.
Some say the 'net is great for porn,
Some say cats.
From what I've seen of naked chicks
I'll go with images and flicks
But if I needn't choose 'tween this and that
I think I know enough of LOL
To say that for use of bandwidth cats
Are also droll
And where it's at.
I swore off traveling during the holidays quite a few years ago because it's expensive and stressful and tends to upset whichever family members I'm not visiting, but somehow I keep letting Aunt jensmitkil talk me into flying across the country for Thanksgiving--probably because it's always so danged fun. This year we all converged on the Outer Banks for the week, in two cozy little condos a stone's throw from the ocean and a few short miles from xandyssin's place for our teeny tiny Smith family reunion.
Paul and I flew in Monday and left Friday, so we really only had three days there. We couldn't do much of the stuff we wanted to do because Highway 12 was closed to non-4WD traffic south of Oregon Inlet, leaving the entirety of Hatteras Island inaccessible, but we still managed to pack our days there quite full with running around, shopping for food and gifts, lazing about, hanging around, sharing stories, and consuming a not-insignificant amount of seafood and wine. And coffee. And bourbon.
And there was cooking! Oh so much cooking.
I wanted oysters and Dad wanted me to make my famous French onion soup and Caesar salad, so we did both as a little moveable feast on Wednesday night: six of us demolished nearly a bushel of raw and steamed oysters over at Aunt J & Uncle R's condo, then everyone came over to ours for soup and salad. Then we spent Thursday going back and forth between condos for nibbles (Sausage cheese balls! Devilled eggs! Pimento-stuffed celery!) while working on Thanksgiving dinner in our respective kitchens.
Cooking without access to my usual equipment and ingredients was a challenge, but it was kind of a fun one to tackle. I felt a little like MacGyver, or Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, and it was like all my years of cooking experience and food geekery was training for the task of cooking Thanksgiving and dinner for 6 in a tiny rental kitchen with a random assortment of cheap, abused utensils, an unfamiliar electric stove, and very limited seasonings. No potato ricer or masher? No bowls big enough to mix anything in? Knives too dull to chop broccoli? No problem! I was also pretty proud of my hastily thrown-together travel cold-brew coffee setup, though I've since purchased a more efficient piece of equipment to take with me next time. My obsession with vintage household handbooks was finally justified, too, when I used half a lemon and salt to scrub old scorched pots that were otherwise refusing to get clean.
Thanksgiving dinner itself was wonderful and abundant. From J & R: turkey, stuffing, chicken-cornbread dressing, two kinds of cranberry sauce, asparagus, beer bread, crescent rolls, two pies. From us: unstuffed stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheesy broccoli, and one pie that had an accident and didn't make it to the table (not an oops-we-ate-it accident, but a lost-the-battle-with-gravity accident). Entirely too much food, of course, but it was all delicious. And we left Dad with enough leftovers to feed him for weeks. :)
I'd planned to do some bike riding while I was there, and rented a nice hybrid from what turned out to be a really great shop, but I had so much fun chatting with the bike shop guy about vintage bikes and east coast vs. west coast cycling that I left without picking up my helmet. And didn't discover it until Wednesday afternoon, when he (and everyone else who might have helmets for rent) was closed. D'oh. At least I know where to go for a rental next time I'm on the Outer Banks.
We all agreed that we should definitely make the Smith family reunion a regular thing, but at my request, NOT during the holidays. I think we're thinking of going down to J & R's place on the Gulf coast next time, during a warmer time of year, maybe when there's an art or shrimp festival.
jensmitkil talk me into flying across the country for Thanksgiving--probably because it's always so danged fun. This year we all converged on the Outer Banks for the week, in two cozy little condos a stone's throw from the ocean and a few short miles from xandyssin's place for our teeny tiny Smith family reunion. Paul and I flew in Monday and left Friday, so we really only had three days there. We couldn't do much of the stuff we wanted to do because Highway 12 was closed to non-4WD traffic south of Oregon Inlet, leaving the entirety of Hatteras Island inaccessible, but we still managed to pack our days there quite full with running around, shopping for food and gifts, lazing about, hanging around, sharing stories, and consuming a not-insignificant amount of seafood and wine. And coffee. And bourbon.
And there was cooking! Oh so much cooking.
I wanted oysters and Dad wanted me to make my famous French onion soup and Caesar salad, so we did both as a little moveable feast on Wednesday night: six of us demolished nearly a bushel of raw and steamed oysters over at Aunt J & Uncle R's condo, then everyone came over to ours for soup and salad. Then we spent Thursday going back and forth between condos for nibbles (Sausage cheese balls! Devilled eggs! Pimento-stuffed celery!) while working on Thanksgiving dinner in our respective kitchens.
Cooking without access to my usual equipment and ingredients was a challenge, but it was kind of a fun one to tackle. I felt a little like MacGyver, or Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, and it was like all my years of cooking experience and food geekery was training for the task of cooking Thanksgiving and dinner for 6 in a tiny rental kitchen with a random assortment of cheap, abused utensils, an unfamiliar electric stove, and very limited seasonings. No potato ricer or masher? No bowls big enough to mix anything in? Knives too dull to chop broccoli? No problem! I was also pretty proud of my hastily thrown-together travel cold-brew coffee setup, though I've since purchased a more efficient piece of equipment to take with me next time. My obsession with vintage household handbooks was finally justified, too, when I used half a lemon and salt to scrub old scorched pots that were otherwise refusing to get clean.
Thanksgiving dinner itself was wonderful and abundant. From J & R: turkey, stuffing, chicken-cornbread dressing, two kinds of cranberry sauce, asparagus, beer bread, crescent rolls, two pies. From us: unstuffed stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheesy broccoli, and one pie that had an accident and didn't make it to the table (not an oops-we-ate-it accident, but a lost-the-battle-with-gravity accident). Entirely too much food, of course, but it was all delicious. And we left Dad with enough leftovers to feed him for weeks. :)
I'd planned to do some bike riding while I was there, and rented a nice hybrid from what turned out to be a really great shop, but I had so much fun chatting with the bike shop guy about vintage bikes and east coast vs. west coast cycling that I left without picking up my helmet. And didn't discover it until Wednesday afternoon, when he (and everyone else who might have helmets for rent) was closed. D'oh. At least I know where to go for a rental next time I'm on the Outer Banks.
We all agreed that we should definitely make the Smith family reunion a regular thing, but at my request, NOT during the holidays. I think we're thinking of going down to J & R's place on the Gulf coast next time, during a warmer time of year, maybe when there's an art or shrimp festival.
(no subject)
Nov. 16th, 2012 03:38 pmOur friend T is in town for the traditional Rush show visit. The show was last night, and it was fantastic, as always. More so, actually, thanks to the addition of an 8-piece string ensemble for the second half of the show. The new album hadn't really grabbed me yet, but now that I've heard it live with string accompaniment I see why everyone loves it so much. And the cellos were a great addition to "Red Sector A," too.
It was a pretty long performance, though, and as fun as it was I was ready for it to be over well before the encore. So of course the encore was like half of 2112. I stayed upright for it, but then fell asleep in the car before we were even out of the parking lot.
**********************************
Some really fascinating long reads for this rainy Friday afternoon:
It was a pretty long performance, though, and as fun as it was I was ready for it to be over well before the encore. So of course the encore was like half of 2112. I stayed upright for it, but then fell asleep in the car before we were even out of the parking lot.
Some really fascinating long reads for this rainy Friday afternoon:
- I want to read this guy's book: I hold the Guinness World Record for the longest breath hold of 22 minutes, AND for the longest freedive under ice on a single breath of air (236 feet) in speedos. My name is Stig Severinsen, I am a four time freediving world champion, and hold a PhD in Medicine. Ask me anything.
- Why Coke Cost a Nickel for 70 Years
- What Scientologists Actually Believe (at least according to this one guy), part 1 and part 2
(no subject)
Nov. 5th, 2012 04:52 pmI love that modern (and some not-so-modern) technology allows me to: 1) Find out that my sister and her husband are celebrating their first anniversary at a local-to-them hotel tonight, 2) Discover which hotel, and 3) Sneakily order celebratory goodies to be sent to their room, all within the space of half an hour from 3,000 miles away. And less than an hour later I was able to watch their discovery of their surprise delivery unfold on Facebook. Yay technology!
And, once again, happy anniversary toyamantha and John. I'm glad you feel so loved today, because you are indeed loved and supported, both as awesome individuals and as a beautiful couple. We gotta celebrate love wherever it is found.
*******************************
Here are some ephemeral celebrations of technology, language, and art:
And, once again, happy anniversary to
yamantha and John. I'm glad you feel so loved today, because you are indeed loved and supported, both as awesome individuals and as a beautiful couple. We gotta celebrate love wherever it is found. Here are some ephemeral celebrations of technology, language, and art:
- My favorite parts of The Diamond Age are coming true: Ethiopian kids hack OLPCs in 5 months with zero instruction
- Y'all need some other ways to say "y'all"?
- These elaborate icing murals make me feel kinda funny. I don't know if that was the artist's intent or it's due to my own quirks, but I find them at once beautiful and wasteful and gross and tantalizing.
(no subject)
Nov. 4th, 2012 05:47 pmSince I'm not entirely sure what I did to my wrist and the only thing I do that puts any strain on it other than working at the computer is cycling, I decided to get a professional bike fitting to make sure I'm not hurting myself while I'm riding. I'd actually been thinking about getting a professional fitting for awhile but have been really intimidated by the idea, since most shops that do fittings cater to cyclists who are in much better shape than me and have more expensive bikes and drastically different goals. But I was inspired to start researching earlier this week and happily discovered that a local bike shop I've always liked and felt comfortable at does fittings, and I made an appointment for a 2D fit for Friday.
It was nothing like I'd feared. The guy doing the fitting (who was also the shop owner) had a bunch of intimidatingly fancy equipment and absolutely knew his stuff, but he was also really down-to-earth and friendly, and seemed to genuinely care about making sure my special snowflake of a body was happy on my own beloved bicycle in the way that I like to ride it. He explained everything to me as we went along and was willing to answer the zillion questions I had about how and why and what-next, and I really appreciated that he respected my limits but still pushed back on the things I was resistant to but he thought was important. We also turned out to have friends-of-friends in common and a similar sense of humor, so it was actually fun. It was also long and kind of exhausting (like 2 hours of yoga and spinning, oof), but I learned a lot about my body and the bike.
According to the fitting I have great posture on and off the bike, and am quite symmetrical and square as far as bone structure goes, so there's nothing to correct for there. Thanks to my physical therapy exercises I'm surprisingly flexible along some axes given how un-flexible I am along others, but neither of these things work against me while I'm riding. I also apparently have unusually strong shoulders for a woman who doesn't lift or do lots of push-ups or pull-ups, which baffled the fitter, but I'm pretty sure carrying around these 40Gs for the past couple decades might have something to do with it. ;)
It was nice to know that I haven't been doing anything dangerously stupid to myself, but we still tried a bunch of different configurations to find just the right balance between comfort and efficiency. Ultimately we leveled my saddle and raised it by 4 centimeters, ordered some customizable insoles for my biking shoes to give my feet more support and more pedaling power, and set up drop bars to put me in a position where I'm slightly more efficient and my hands and wrists have several different options for positioning, which will make them much happier. It's all going to take a little getting used to--it must have been pretty amusing to watch me try to dismount before I remembered that my saddle had been raised!--but I'm excited, and looking forward to being more comfortable on long rides.
Guess I'll need to celebrate with a couple long rides! I'd been worried that I wouldn't be able to get in another overnight trip before the rains started, but the forecast for the next week or so is nothing but sunshine.
It was nothing like I'd feared. The guy doing the fitting (who was also the shop owner) had a bunch of intimidatingly fancy equipment and absolutely knew his stuff, but he was also really down-to-earth and friendly, and seemed to genuinely care about making sure my special snowflake of a body was happy on my own beloved bicycle in the way that I like to ride it. He explained everything to me as we went along and was willing to answer the zillion questions I had about how and why and what-next, and I really appreciated that he respected my limits but still pushed back on the things I was resistant to but he thought was important. We also turned out to have friends-of-friends in common and a similar sense of humor, so it was actually fun. It was also long and kind of exhausting (like 2 hours of yoga and spinning, oof), but I learned a lot about my body and the bike.
According to the fitting I have great posture on and off the bike, and am quite symmetrical and square as far as bone structure goes, so there's nothing to correct for there. Thanks to my physical therapy exercises I'm surprisingly flexible along some axes given how un-flexible I am along others, but neither of these things work against me while I'm riding. I also apparently have unusually strong shoulders for a woman who doesn't lift or do lots of push-ups or pull-ups, which baffled the fitter, but I'm pretty sure carrying around these 40Gs for the past couple decades might have something to do with it. ;)
It was nice to know that I haven't been doing anything dangerously stupid to myself, but we still tried a bunch of different configurations to find just the right balance between comfort and efficiency. Ultimately we leveled my saddle and raised it by 4 centimeters, ordered some customizable insoles for my biking shoes to give my feet more support and more pedaling power, and set up drop bars to put me in a position where I'm slightly more efficient and my hands and wrists have several different options for positioning, which will make them much happier. It's all going to take a little getting used to--it must have been pretty amusing to watch me try to dismount before I remembered that my saddle had been raised!--but I'm excited, and looking forward to being more comfortable on long rides.
Guess I'll need to celebrate with a couple long rides! I'd been worried that I wouldn't be able to get in another overnight trip before the rains started, but the forecast for the next week or so is nothing but sunshine.
There, and Back Again
Jul. 31st, 2012 09:29 amWhen I was little I dreamed of bike touring. I didn't know that's what it was called, or even that it was an actual thing that people actually did. I just knew that I saw these mysterious little signs on the road during trips to see xandyssin, and the idea of hopping on my bike and following those signs all day sounded marvelous. I used to sit on my bedroom floor with my NC road map spread out in front of me and try to trace the routes I wanted to take, mapping out how I'd get there from home or Dad's and how I'd get back.
I never thought much about the logistics of it--how I'd carry my stuff, where I'd sleep, how long it might take--because it was just an idle fantasy, not something I thought I'd ever be able to actually do. Once I outgrew my childhood bike and left home I pretty much forgot about it.
Then a couple years ago I started cycling and absolutely fell in love with it, and suddenly I started dreaming of touring again. Sometime near the end of last year I started reading touring forums obsessively, and thinking that once I became a stronger rider, I'd start planning one- and two-night bike trips. A few months ago I realized that doing the sort of rides I am motivated to do is exactly what will make me a stronger rider, and started planning for real. And early Saturday afternoon I took off for my first overnight bike adventure.
The plan: Leave from Embarcadero BART around midday, ride to and over the Golden Gate Bridge, then head ~30 miles north to Samuel P. Taylor State Park to enjoy the scenery, camp overnight, then return the next day the same way. It was a solo trip, partly because I wanted to work out any awkward navigation or loaded bike handling issues on my own, and partly because I've been needing a bit of a retreat and this sounded like the perfect way to get it.
I got a much later start than planned since breakfast with Paul and a visiting friend took longer than usual, and then getting to the bridge took a ridiculous amount of time because tourists on rental bikes. After that, though, the ride up was mostly very pleasant. I was surprised by how much of it was on bike paths and well-marked bike routes. I was using a route I'd created on Open Street Maps and loaded onto my Garmin for navigation and that worked really well, but it doesn't recalculate for the many detours there were. I had my phone, of course, but the bike route signs kept me from having to consult it much. I wasn't sure how much my gear would slow me down, but I was able to keep up a decent pace, at least on the flats. Climbing the hills was of course much slower and harder, but even they weren't that bad until the end.
The worst part of the ride--of the whole weekend--was White's Hill on Sir Francis Drake Blvd, about 8 miles from the park. It's a short, steep climb that would have been challenging for me under normal circumstances, but with 20 pounds of gear strapped to my bike, at the end of a long day and right after another long, steady, draining climb, felt nearly impossible. I had to stop a lot, and I walked the steepest parts. Knowing how long it was taking me to travel a single mile, and how little daylight I had left, was really disheartening. There was a bit of a fun descent after I reached the top, though, and then I shifted into the big ring and booked it toward Lagunitas, where I planned to stop at the last little store before the park for water and dinner supplies.
It was, of course, closed. D'oh. Thankfully there was an Indian restaurant nearby that was still open, so I bought water, soda, and dinner there. The food was meh but it was fuel, and I foraged some blackberries from the roadside for dessert.
I finally made it to the campground just before sunset. The ride through the redwoods in the twilight was stunning, and mostly melted away the frustration of the hill ordeal. I stopped at the ranger station and asked if there was any space left at the hiker-biker site and the ranger said, "Technically no, but I'll let you in anyway. That'll be $5, please." I love state parks.
I had just enough time to claim a rough, uneven little spot and set up my tent before it got fully dark. A couple of the other bike campers stopped by to ask if I needed any help and remind me to lock up my food to keep the raccoons away, but after that I had the evening to myself. Well, once I shooed the two GIANT FREAKING RACCOONS away from my bike, where they were trying their best to get to the empty food bar wrapper I'd accidentally left in my top tube bag.
I was really happy with all my gear. My tent sets up in minutes and is exactly the perfect size for me and my stuff, and my sleeping bag and sleeping pad were quite comfortable and warm--even with a minor zipper malfunction. Having both my lantern and headlamp as well as my bike headlight for light was useful, and I love how my white tent amplifies the light. The backup battery I brought was perfect for keeping my phone charged through two full days of heavy use, though I wish I'd brought the cable that would have let me charge my Garmin, too. And little stuff like the headband I wore around my wrist to wipe the sweat and dirt from my eyes, the insulated Klean Kanteen that kept my iced coffee cold and my chicken biryani warm, and the comfortable technical shirt I wore instead of a bike jersey were really nice to have. I packed pretty well, too: I was aiming for 15 lbs. of gear, allowing for 30, and ended up with 20. Other than my camera and first aid/emergency kit I didn't pack a single thing I didn't use--and I wish I'd used my camera. I really should have brought an extra pair of bike shorts, though, and more food, and maybe my camp stove. Sunglasses would have been great, too--riding into the setting sun on Saturday and then into the rising sun on Sunday was kinda rough. I've been putting off ordering the nice prescription sport sunglasses I want because they're so expensive, but I think protecting my eyes is definitely worth it.
In the morning I packed up and headed out early enough that I'd have time to enjoy the scenery I wasn't able to on the way there, and make any stops I wanted to. The Lagunitas Grocery & Deli was open so I had a leisurely breakfast in the sunshine there, and 10 miles later I stopped for coffee at a little Java Hut in Fairfax that's such a popular stop for cyclists that they have nice pumps leashed to the benches and the gaggle of young, giggly baristas seemed to know many of the cyclists by name, even the ones who weren't local. I chatted with a bunch of other riders, including couple of French roadies who invited me to join their ride up to Point Reyes and reminded me that "There is no bike ride without coffee."
I was having an issue with my bike shorts that was starting to make riding unpleasant, so instead of riding all the way back to the bridge I stopped in Larkspur and took the ferry back to SF. I love ferries, so it was a nice way to end my adventure.
Next time--there is definitely going to be a next time!--I will leave earlier, bring more food and extra bike shorts, and either take a different route to get to the bridge or just skip it and take the ferry from SF to Sausalito and start there if I'm heading north again. And I might consider reserving an actual campsite rather than taking a spot in the hiker-biker camp, since that way I'll get a flat piece of ground and my very own table, firepit, and raccoon locker. :)
xandyssin, and the idea of hopping on my bike and following those signs all day sounded marvelous. I used to sit on my bedroom floor with my NC road map spread out in front of me and try to trace the routes I wanted to take, mapping out how I'd get there from home or Dad's and how I'd get back.I never thought much about the logistics of it--how I'd carry my stuff, where I'd sleep, how long it might take--because it was just an idle fantasy, not something I thought I'd ever be able to actually do. Once I outgrew my childhood bike and left home I pretty much forgot about it.
Then a couple years ago I started cycling and absolutely fell in love with it, and suddenly I started dreaming of touring again. Sometime near the end of last year I started reading touring forums obsessively, and thinking that once I became a stronger rider, I'd start planning one- and two-night bike trips. A few months ago I realized that doing the sort of rides I am motivated to do is exactly what will make me a stronger rider, and started planning for real. And early Saturday afternoon I took off for my first overnight bike adventure.
The plan: Leave from Embarcadero BART around midday, ride to and over the Golden Gate Bridge, then head ~30 miles north to Samuel P. Taylor State Park to enjoy the scenery, camp overnight, then return the next day the same way. It was a solo trip, partly because I wanted to work out any awkward navigation or loaded bike handling issues on my own, and partly because I've been needing a bit of a retreat and this sounded like the perfect way to get it.
I got a much later start than planned since breakfast with Paul and a visiting friend took longer than usual, and then getting to the bridge took a ridiculous amount of time because tourists on rental bikes. After that, though, the ride up was mostly very pleasant. I was surprised by how much of it was on bike paths and well-marked bike routes. I was using a route I'd created on Open Street Maps and loaded onto my Garmin for navigation and that worked really well, but it doesn't recalculate for the many detours there were. I had my phone, of course, but the bike route signs kept me from having to consult it much. I wasn't sure how much my gear would slow me down, but I was able to keep up a decent pace, at least on the flats. Climbing the hills was of course much slower and harder, but even they weren't that bad until the end.
The worst part of the ride--of the whole weekend--was White's Hill on Sir Francis Drake Blvd, about 8 miles from the park. It's a short, steep climb that would have been challenging for me under normal circumstances, but with 20 pounds of gear strapped to my bike, at the end of a long day and right after another long, steady, draining climb, felt nearly impossible. I had to stop a lot, and I walked the steepest parts. Knowing how long it was taking me to travel a single mile, and how little daylight I had left, was really disheartening. There was a bit of a fun descent after I reached the top, though, and then I shifted into the big ring and booked it toward Lagunitas, where I planned to stop at the last little store before the park for water and dinner supplies.
It was, of course, closed. D'oh. Thankfully there was an Indian restaurant nearby that was still open, so I bought water, soda, and dinner there. The food was meh but it was fuel, and I foraged some blackberries from the roadside for dessert.
I finally made it to the campground just before sunset. The ride through the redwoods in the twilight was stunning, and mostly melted away the frustration of the hill ordeal. I stopped at the ranger station and asked if there was any space left at the hiker-biker site and the ranger said, "Technically no, but I'll let you in anyway. That'll be $5, please." I love state parks.
I had just enough time to claim a rough, uneven little spot and set up my tent before it got fully dark. A couple of the other bike campers stopped by to ask if I needed any help and remind me to lock up my food to keep the raccoons away, but after that I had the evening to myself. Well, once I shooed the two GIANT FREAKING RACCOONS away from my bike, where they were trying their best to get to the empty food bar wrapper I'd accidentally left in my top tube bag.
I was really happy with all my gear. My tent sets up in minutes and is exactly the perfect size for me and my stuff, and my sleeping bag and sleeping pad were quite comfortable and warm--even with a minor zipper malfunction. Having both my lantern and headlamp as well as my bike headlight for light was useful, and I love how my white tent amplifies the light. The backup battery I brought was perfect for keeping my phone charged through two full days of heavy use, though I wish I'd brought the cable that would have let me charge my Garmin, too. And little stuff like the headband I wore around my wrist to wipe the sweat and dirt from my eyes, the insulated Klean Kanteen that kept my iced coffee cold and my chicken biryani warm, and the comfortable technical shirt I wore instead of a bike jersey were really nice to have. I packed pretty well, too: I was aiming for 15 lbs. of gear, allowing for 30, and ended up with 20. Other than my camera and first aid/emergency kit I didn't pack a single thing I didn't use--and I wish I'd used my camera. I really should have brought an extra pair of bike shorts, though, and more food, and maybe my camp stove. Sunglasses would have been great, too--riding into the setting sun on Saturday and then into the rising sun on Sunday was kinda rough. I've been putting off ordering the nice prescription sport sunglasses I want because they're so expensive, but I think protecting my eyes is definitely worth it.
In the morning I packed up and headed out early enough that I'd have time to enjoy the scenery I wasn't able to on the way there, and make any stops I wanted to. The Lagunitas Grocery & Deli was open so I had a leisurely breakfast in the sunshine there, and 10 miles later I stopped for coffee at a little Java Hut in Fairfax that's such a popular stop for cyclists that they have nice pumps leashed to the benches and the gaggle of young, giggly baristas seemed to know many of the cyclists by name, even the ones who weren't local. I chatted with a bunch of other riders, including couple of French roadies who invited me to join their ride up to Point Reyes and reminded me that "There is no bike ride without coffee."
I was having an issue with my bike shorts that was starting to make riding unpleasant, so instead of riding all the way back to the bridge I stopped in Larkspur and took the ferry back to SF. I love ferries, so it was a nice way to end my adventure.
Next time--there is definitely going to be a next time!--I will leave earlier, bring more food and extra bike shorts, and either take a different route to get to the bridge or just skip it and take the ferry from SF to Sausalito and start there if I'm heading north again. And I might consider reserving an actual campsite rather than taking a spot in the hiker-biker camp, since that way I'll get a flat piece of ground and my very own table, firepit, and raccoon locker. :)
There, and Back Again
Jul. 31st, 2012 09:28 amWhen I was little I dreamed of bike touring. I didn't know that's what it was called, or even that it was an actual thing that people actually did. I just knew that I saw these mysterious little signs on the road during trips to see xandyssin, and the idea of hopping on my bike and following those signs all day sounded marvelous. I used to sit on my bedroom floor with my NC road map spread out in front of me and try to trace the routes I wanted to take, mapping out how I'd get there from home or Dad's and how I'd get back.
I never thought much about the logistics of it--how I'd carry my stuff, where I'd sleep, how long it might take--because it was just an idle fantasy, not something I thought I'd ever be able to actually do. Once I outgrew my childhood bike and left home I pretty much forgot about it.
Then a couple years ago I started cycling and absolutely fell in love with it, and suddenly I started dreaming of touring again. Sometime near the end of last year I started reading touring forums obsessively, and thinking that once I became a stronger rider, I'd start planning one- and two-night bike trips. A few months ago I realized that doing the sort of rides I am motivated to do is exactly what will make me a stronger rider, and started planning for real. And early Saturday afternoon I took off for my first overnight bike adventure.
The plan: Leave from Embarcadero BART around midday, ride to and over the Golden Gate Bridge, then head ~30 miles north to Samuel P. Taylor State Park to enjoy the scenery, camp overnight, then return the next day the same way. It was a solo trip, partly because I wanted to work out any awkward navigation or loaded bike handling issues on my own, and partly because I've been needing a bit of a retreat and this sounded like the perfect way to get it.
I got a much later start than planned since breakfast with Paul and a visiting friend took longer than usual, and then getting to the bridge took a ridiculous amount of time because tourists on rental bikes. After that, though, the ride up was mostly very pleasant. I was surprised by how much of it was on bike paths and well-marked bike routes. I was using a route I'd created on Open Street Maps and loaded onto my Garmin for navigation and that worked really well, but it doesn't recalculate for the many detours there were. I had my phone, of course, but the bike route signs kept me from having to consult it much. I wasn't sure how much my gear would slow me down, but I was able to keep up a decent pace, at least on the flats. Climbing the hills was of course much slower and harder, but even they weren't that bad until the end.
The worst part of the ride--of the whole weekend--was White's Hill on Sir Francis Drake Blvd, about 8 miles from the park. It's a short, steep climb that would have been challenging for me under normal circumstances, but with 20 pounds of gear strapped to my bike, at the end of a long day and right after another long, steady, draining climb, felt nearly impossible. I had to stop a lot, and I walked the steepest parts. Knowing how long it was taking me to travel a single mile, and how little daylight I had left, was really disheartening. There was a bit of a fun descent after I reached the top, though, and then I shifted into the big ring and booked it toward Lagunitas, where I planned to stop at the last little store before the park for water and dinner supplies.
It was, of course, closed. D'oh. Thankfully there was an Indian restaurant nearby that was still open, so I bought water, soda, and dinner there. The food was meh but it was fuel, and I foraged some blackberries from the roadside for dessert.
I finally made it to the campground just before sunset. The ride through the redwoods in the twilight was stunning, and mostly melted away the frustration of the hill ordeal. I stopped at the ranger station and asked if there was any space left at the hiker-biker site and the ranger said, "Technically no, but I'll let you in anyway. That'll be $5, please." I love state parks.
I had just enough time to claim a rough, uneven little spot and set up my tent before it got fully dark. A couple of the other bike campers stopped by to ask if I needed any help and remind me to lock up my food to keep the raccoons away, but after that I had the evening to myself. Well, once I shooed the two GIANT FREAKING RACCOONS away from my bike, where they were trying their best to get to the empty food bar wrapper I'd accidentally left in my top tube bag.
I was really happy with all my gear. My tent sets up in minutes and is exactly the perfect size for me and my stuff, and my sleeping bag and sleeping pad were quite comfortable and warm--even with a minor zipper malfunction. Having both my lantern and headlamp as well as my bike headlight for light was useful, and I love how my white tent amplifies the light. The backup battery I brought was perfect for keeping my phone charged through two full days of heavy use, though I wish I'd brought the cable that would have let me charge my Garmin, too. And little stuff like the headband I wore around my wrist to wipe the sweat and dirt from my eyes, the insulated Klean Kanteen that kept my iced coffee cold and my chicken biryani warm, and the comfortable technical shirt I wore instead of a bike jersey were really nice to have. I packed pretty well, too: I was aiming for 15 lbs. of gear, allowing for 30, and ended up with 20. Other than my camera and first aid/emergency kit I didn't pack a single thing I didn't use--and I wish I'd used my camera. I really should have brought an extra pair of bike shorts, though, and more food, and maybe my camp stove. Sunglasses would have been great, too--riding into the setting sun on Saturday and then into the rising sun on Sunday was kinda rough. I've been putting off ordering the nice prescription sport sunglasses I want because they're so expensive, but I think protecting my eyes is definitely worth it.
In the morning I packed up and headed out early enough that I'd have time to enjoy the scenery I wasn't able to on the way there, and make any stops I wanted to. The Lagunitas Grocery & Deli was open so I had a leisurely breakfast in the sunshine there, and 10 miles later I stopped for coffee at a little Java Hut in Fairfax that's such a popular stop for cyclists that they have nice pumps leashed to the benches and the gaggle of young, giggly baristas seemed to know many of the cyclists by name, even the ones who weren't local. I chatted with a bunch of other riders, including couple of French roadies who invited me to join their ride up to Point Reyes and reminded me that "There is no bike ride without coffee."
I was having an issue with my bike shorts that was starting to make riding unpleasant, so instead of riding all the way back to the bridge I stopped in Larkspur and took the ferry back to SF. I love ferries, so it was a nice way to end my adventure.
Next time--there is definitely going to be a next time!--I will leave earlier, bring more food and extra bike shorts, and either take a different route to get to the bridge or just skip it and take the ferry from SF to Sausalito and start there if I'm heading north again. And I might consider reserving an actual campsite rather than taking a spot in the hiker-biker camp, since that way I'll get a flat piece of ground and my very own table, firepit, and raccoon locker. :)
xandyssin, and the idea of hopping on my bike and following those signs all day sounded marvelous. I used to sit on my bedroom floor with my NC road map spread out in front of me and try to trace the routes I wanted to take, mapping out how I'd get there from home or Dad's and how I'd get back.I never thought much about the logistics of it--how I'd carry my stuff, where I'd sleep, how long it might take--because it was just an idle fantasy, not something I thought I'd ever be able to actually do. Once I outgrew my childhood bike and left home I pretty much forgot about it.
Then a couple years ago I started cycling and absolutely fell in love with it, and suddenly I started dreaming of touring again. Sometime near the end of last year I started reading touring forums obsessively, and thinking that once I became a stronger rider, I'd start planning one- and two-night bike trips. A few months ago I realized that doing the sort of rides I am motivated to do is exactly what will make me a stronger rider, and started planning for real. And early Saturday afternoon I took off for my first overnight bike adventure.
The plan: Leave from Embarcadero BART around midday, ride to and over the Golden Gate Bridge, then head ~30 miles north to Samuel P. Taylor State Park to enjoy the scenery, camp overnight, then return the next day the same way. It was a solo trip, partly because I wanted to work out any awkward navigation or loaded bike handling issues on my own, and partly because I've been needing a bit of a retreat and this sounded like the perfect way to get it.
I got a much later start than planned since breakfast with Paul and a visiting friend took longer than usual, and then getting to the bridge took a ridiculous amount of time because tourists on rental bikes. After that, though, the ride up was mostly very pleasant. I was surprised by how much of it was on bike paths and well-marked bike routes. I was using a route I'd created on Open Street Maps and loaded onto my Garmin for navigation and that worked really well, but it doesn't recalculate for the many detours there were. I had my phone, of course, but the bike route signs kept me from having to consult it much. I wasn't sure how much my gear would slow me down, but I was able to keep up a decent pace, at least on the flats. Climbing the hills was of course much slower and harder, but even they weren't that bad until the end.
The worst part of the ride--of the whole weekend--was White's Hill on Sir Francis Drake Blvd, about 8 miles from the park. It's a short, steep climb that would have been challenging for me under normal circumstances, but with 20 pounds of gear strapped to my bike, at the end of a long day and right after another long, steady, draining climb, felt nearly impossible. I had to stop a lot, and I walked the steepest parts. Knowing how long it was taking me to travel a single mile, and how little daylight I had left, was really disheartening. There was a bit of a fun descent after I reached the top, though, and then I shifted into the big ring and booked it toward Lagunitas, where I planned to stop at the last little store before the park for water and dinner supplies.
It was, of course, closed. D'oh. Thankfully there was an Indian restaurant nearby that was still open, so I bought water, soda, and dinner there. The food was meh but it was fuel, and I foraged some blackberries from the roadside for dessert.
I finally made it to the campground just before sunset. The ride through the redwoods in the twilight was stunning, and mostly melted away the frustration of the hill ordeal. I stopped at the ranger station and asked if there was any space left at the hiker-biker site and the ranger said, "Technically no, but I'll let you in anyway. That'll be $5, please." I love state parks.
I had just enough time to claim a rough, uneven little spot and set up my tent before it got fully dark. A couple of the other bike campers stopped by to ask if I needed any help and remind me to lock up my food to keep the raccoons away, but after that I had the evening to myself. Well, once I shooed the two GIANT FREAKING RACCOONS away from my bike, where they were trying their best to get to the empty food bar wrapper I'd accidentally left in my top tube bag.
I was really happy with all my gear. My tent sets up in minutes and is exactly the perfect size for me and my stuff, and my sleeping bag and sleeping pad were quite comfortable and warm--even with a minor zipper malfunction. Having both my lantern and headlamp as well as my bike headlight for light was useful, and I love how my white tent amplifies the light. The backup battery I brought was perfect for keeping my phone charged through two full days of heavy use, though I wish I'd brought the cable that would have let me charge my Garmin, too. And little stuff like the headband I wore around my wrist to wipe the sweat and dirt from my eyes, the insulated Klean Kanteen that kept my iced coffee cold and my chicken biryani warm, and the comfortable technical shirt I wore instead of a bike jersey were really nice to have. I packed pretty well, too: I was aiming for 15 lbs. of gear, allowing for 30, and ended up with 20. Other than my camera and first aid/emergency kit I didn't pack a single thing I didn't use--and I wish I'd used my camera. I really should have brought an extra pair of bike shorts, though, and more food, and maybe my camp stove. Sunglasses would have been great, too--riding into the setting sun on Saturday and then into the rising sun on Sunday was kinda rough. I've been putting off ordering the nice prescription sport sunglasses I want because they're so expensive, but I think protecting my eyes is definitely worth it.
In the morning I packed up and headed out early enough that I'd have time to enjoy the scenery I wasn't able to on the way there, and make any stops I wanted to. The Lagunitas Grocery & Deli was open so I had a leisurely breakfast in the sunshine there, and 10 miles later I stopped for coffee at a little Java Hut in Fairfax that's such a popular stop for cyclists that they have nice pumps leashed to the benches and the gaggle of young, giggly baristas seemed to know many of the cyclists by name, even the ones who weren't local. I chatted with a bunch of other riders, including couple of French roadies who invited me to join their ride up to Point Reyes and reminded me that "There is no bike ride without coffee."
I was having an issue with my bike shorts that was starting to make riding unpleasant, so instead of riding all the way back to the bridge I stopped in Larkspur and took the ferry back to SF. I love ferries, so it was a nice way to end my adventure.
Next time--there is definitely going to be a next time!--I will leave earlier, bring more food and extra bike shorts, and either take a different route to get to the bridge or just skip it and take the ferry from SF to Sausalito and start there if I'm heading north again. And I might consider reserving an actual campsite rather than taking a spot in the hiker-biker camp, since that way I'll get a flat piece of ground and my very own table, firepit, and raccoon locker. :)
Napa Valley Tour de Cure
May. 8th, 2012 06:58 pmSunday I rode 50 miles for the Napa Valley Tour de Cure. It's the longest ride I've ever done, and probably also the hardest, though it feels weird to say that right now when I'm feeling so great. I was expecting to be wrecked for days, but I woke up the next day feeling surprisingly okay. A little stiff and achy, but my PT stretches took care of a lot of that, and an amazing intense deep-tissue massage at Spa Villagio too care of most of the rest. Today I'm still feeling pretty good--my most notable sore bits are actually from the massage and yesterday's long trek home, not the ride.
It was definitely a very challenging ride, though. I was most worried about the heat, and it did suck, even with an early morning start and being vigilant about staying hydrated. By midday I'd unzipped my jersey all the way and was seriously considering taking it off and riding in just my sports bra and shorts, and sheer vanity (which I don't usually have on the bike, but there were too many cameras around) is the only thing that stopped me.
I hadn't been too worried about the hills, so I wasn't fully prepared for ~20 miles of rolling terrain. The upside: I didn't have a chance to psych myself out. The downside: every time I thought, "Surely this is the last climb!" there was another.
There were also long stretches of crappy pavement that made me fear for my rims and my wrists, killer headwinds that made the last 4 miles feel harder than the first 40, and the unfortunate and uncomfortable discovery that the padding on my fanciest and most expensive bike shorts bunch up and chafe most unpleasantly after about 20 miles. I ate well and frequently enough, but there were a couple times where I needed fuel but the thought of anything on my stomach made me want to puke, so I just chewed some Sport Beans and spit them out in hopes that I could trick my body into continuing until I could handle eating again.
But overall it was a great ride. Lots of gorgeous scenery, and it was fun to pass the wineries I've visited with friends and family and remember the great times we had. Even though I was slow up the hills, I got to spend a good deal of time going very fast on the descents and flats. My new bike performed beautifully. The rest stops were pretty well-stocked (one even had Dr Pepper!) and they helped a lot--not just having an opportunity to refill my water bottles and replenish calories, but also a getting the chance to get off the bike, stretch my legs, and rest a bit, just like I do on my solo rides. And at the end I'd ridden 50 miles! And it didn't suck! And I would totally do it again!
I rolled into the finish shortly aftergayathri and llamaeyes, and we didn't have to wait long to cheer byronium on as he finished the 100-mile ride, which still blows my mind. I am so proud of all of us! And grateful to everyone who offered their support, in the form of donations and cards and texts and other well-wishes. Cycling is a very personal, self-centered activity, which is one of the reasons I love it, but it's still very nice to know my loved ones are rooting for my success.
After a little rest and the best shower I've ever had, we all met at Hurley's for a very tasty recovery dinner (Cocktails! Pasta! Wine! Steak!), and then I went back to my hotel. I'd thought I might go for a swim, or hang out in the bar, or even find some trouble to get into in town, but while I was thinking about it I promptly fell asleep sitting up, with my laptop in my lap and a water bottle in my hand. It was a very good sleep.
******************************
What's the next challenge? As far as organized events go, the Gran Fondo is coming up in September and I want to kick last-year-me's ass on the Piccolo and finish it faster and stronger, and I think maybe I'd like to try for a metric century (100 km/~62 mi) sometime next year. Maybe. I've got my heart set on bike touring, though, so my main goal is to ride from home to Point Reyes for an overnight trip by my next birthday, so I'm going to keep riding until that seems doable and then do it.
It was definitely a very challenging ride, though. I was most worried about the heat, and it did suck, even with an early morning start and being vigilant about staying hydrated. By midday I'd unzipped my jersey all the way and was seriously considering taking it off and riding in just my sports bra and shorts, and sheer vanity (which I don't usually have on the bike, but there were too many cameras around) is the only thing that stopped me.
I hadn't been too worried about the hills, so I wasn't fully prepared for ~20 miles of rolling terrain. The upside: I didn't have a chance to psych myself out. The downside: every time I thought, "Surely this is the last climb!" there was another.
There were also long stretches of crappy pavement that made me fear for my rims and my wrists, killer headwinds that made the last 4 miles feel harder than the first 40, and the unfortunate and uncomfortable discovery that the padding on my fanciest and most expensive bike shorts bunch up and chafe most unpleasantly after about 20 miles. I ate well and frequently enough, but there were a couple times where I needed fuel but the thought of anything on my stomach made me want to puke, so I just chewed some Sport Beans and spit them out in hopes that I could trick my body into continuing until I could handle eating again.
But overall it was a great ride. Lots of gorgeous scenery, and it was fun to pass the wineries I've visited with friends and family and remember the great times we had. Even though I was slow up the hills, I got to spend a good deal of time going very fast on the descents and flats. My new bike performed beautifully. The rest stops were pretty well-stocked (one even had Dr Pepper!) and they helped a lot--not just having an opportunity to refill my water bottles and replenish calories, but also a getting the chance to get off the bike, stretch my legs, and rest a bit, just like I do on my solo rides. And at the end I'd ridden 50 miles! And it didn't suck! And I would totally do it again!
I rolled into the finish shortly after
gayathri and llamaeyes, and we didn't have to wait long to cheer byronium on as he finished the 100-mile ride, which still blows my mind. I am so proud of all of us! And grateful to everyone who offered their support, in the form of donations and cards and texts and other well-wishes. Cycling is a very personal, self-centered activity, which is one of the reasons I love it, but it's still very nice to know my loved ones are rooting for my success. After a little rest and the best shower I've ever had, we all met at Hurley's for a very tasty recovery dinner (Cocktails! Pasta! Wine! Steak!), and then I went back to my hotel. I'd thought I might go for a swim, or hang out in the bar, or even find some trouble to get into in town, but while I was thinking about it I promptly fell asleep sitting up, with my laptop in my lap and a water bottle in my hand. It was a very good sleep.
What's the next challenge? As far as organized events go, the Gran Fondo is coming up in September and I want to kick last-year-me's ass on the Piccolo and finish it faster and stronger, and I think maybe I'd like to try for a metric century (100 km/~62 mi) sometime next year. Maybe. I've got my heart set on bike touring, though, so my main goal is to ride from home to Point Reyes for an overnight trip by my next birthday, so I'm going to keep riding until that seems doable and then do it.