just ride 115 kilometers with minimal rest stops. trust me. i'm pretty sure i lost inches. the scale says i only lost a couple of pounds but the mirror says, "you weren't this skinny before!"
i'm just sayin...
Monday, August 31
Tuesday, August 25
why i ride
it's not for the wind through my hair or the unexpected gravel through my gears. it's for the time alone, the outdoor perspective...the knowledge that i can.
about 7 years ago i thought about buying a road bike. i was living in chicago and an add for the annual midnight ride caught my attention. a fellow city dweller encouraged my desire to ride and i kept on saying, "i'm going to get a bike." it became a promise. "i will get a bike." i even went to a bike store, but alas, i moved away bikeless.
my reasons for not committing were varied. money was often limited but then unexpected left eye blindness struck. it sort of sealed the no deal, voided the check, etc. after all, riding through a city with limited depth perception didn't seem like a bright idea. but the joy of riding remained in my psyche.
i've enjoyed riding ever since i was a little girl. in the early years my older sister and i would ride as our parents followed on foot, stroll-paced. then in jr high i got a purple mountain bike from Kmart or Meijer. it got me oriented to my new surroundings. i'd escape to the local cemetery or just cruise around the neighborhood. riding has been a source of peace.
so sight or no sight, my adult years couldn't escape the good memories of me, a bike, and the open road. once i recognized my fear i determined to get over it. and two years ago i bought "30."
yes, my bike's name is 30. s/he is a black trek 7.3fx (whatever that equation means). buying 30 didn't cancel my fear, it simply smacked it. cruising to and from work or school is no big deal. it's the actual cardio workout sort of ride that make me nervous, the stuff that involves car traffic and random bugs hitting the back of my throat without warning. i still fight my thoughts each morning, wanting to ride but hoping for torrential rain.
solution? well, in addition to positive self-talk, i've found it helpful to find a challenge or cause. by riding for United Way i get a challenging cause. fabulous!
wish me well. add some dollars to the fund if you can. and no matter what, don't worry...one-eyed riding is quite fashionable these days. but really though, don't wait too long to ride a bike or whatever your equivalent may be.
.m.
http://ride4unitedway.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=303905&lis=1&kntae303905=ADD6BC41F78A410A80BAEC9C78C731B7&supId=267573850
about 7 years ago i thought about buying a road bike. i was living in chicago and an add for the annual midnight ride caught my attention. a fellow city dweller encouraged my desire to ride and i kept on saying, "i'm going to get a bike." it became a promise. "i will get a bike." i even went to a bike store, but alas, i moved away bikeless.
my reasons for not committing were varied. money was often limited but then unexpected left eye blindness struck. it sort of sealed the no deal, voided the check, etc. after all, riding through a city with limited depth perception didn't seem like a bright idea. but the joy of riding remained in my psyche.
i've enjoyed riding ever since i was a little girl. in the early years my older sister and i would ride as our parents followed on foot, stroll-paced. then in jr high i got a purple mountain bike from Kmart or Meijer. it got me oriented to my new surroundings. i'd escape to the local cemetery or just cruise around the neighborhood. riding has been a source of peace.
so sight or no sight, my adult years couldn't escape the good memories of me, a bike, and the open road. once i recognized my fear i determined to get over it. and two years ago i bought "30."
yes, my bike's name is 30. s/he is a black trek 7.3fx (whatever that equation means). buying 30 didn't cancel my fear, it simply smacked it. cruising to and from work or school is no big deal. it's the actual cardio workout sort of ride that make me nervous, the stuff that involves car traffic and random bugs hitting the back of my throat without warning. i still fight my thoughts each morning, wanting to ride but hoping for torrential rain.
solution? well, in addition to positive self-talk, i've found it helpful to find a challenge or cause. by riding for United Way i get a challenging cause. fabulous!
wish me well. add some dollars to the fund if you can. and no matter what, don't worry...one-eyed riding is quite fashionable these days. but really though, don't wait too long to ride a bike or whatever your equivalent may be.
.m.
http://ride4unitedway.kint
Saturday, August 22
Friday, August 21
the first line
during today's morning walk, my mind happened upon a line, a really good line, a line i wrote down once i got back home so that i can one day complete the story.
i often wonder what would happen if i intentionally wrote each morning...
Wednesday, August 19
of lowes and limits
so i'm truly a product of my mother--DIY makes me happy.
today we went to Lowes desiring to find a new kitchen faucet, among other things. a kind man from hardware took us to our plumbing destination where the expert helped us locate our faucet of choice. a major deciding factor was the degree of pot-collision.
pot-collision: when the faucet hangs so low that it collides with a pot placed in the sink.
we wanted pot-clearance and found it! (thank you Moen for your beautiful pewter displays and lifetime warranty.) professional Grant discussed the installation process with my very knowledgeable mother. he even showed her the vital tool used to unscrew all the bolts under the sink (sorry, no wrenches will help you there!) and discussed other fine points of the process. and then he said something that could have but a wrench in our beautiful encounter. he said that certain things shouldn't be done by any old willing heart. (that's my loose paraphrase.) circular drill use = professional labor. okay mum? ok.
and it truly is ok. she's fine with it. she knows her limits. i just hope the professional driller isn't offended when s/he finds that everything else has been taken care of by a DIY woman.
today we went to Lowes desiring to find a new kitchen faucet, among other things. a kind man from hardware took us to our plumbing destination where the expert helped us locate our faucet of choice. a major deciding factor was the degree of pot-collision.
pot-collision: when the faucet hangs so low that it collides with a pot placed in the sink.
we wanted pot-clearance and found it! (thank you Moen for your beautiful pewter displays and lifetime warranty.) professional Grant discussed the installation process with my very knowledgeable mother. he even showed her the vital tool used to unscrew all the bolts under the sink (sorry, no wrenches will help you there!) and discussed other fine points of the process. and then he said something that could have but a wrench in our beautiful encounter. he said that certain things shouldn't be done by any old willing heart. (that's my loose paraphrase.) circular drill use = professional labor. okay mum? ok.
and it truly is ok. she's fine with it. she knows her limits. i just hope the professional driller isn't offended when s/he finds that everything else has been taken care of by a DIY woman.
a portion sized thank you.
i live in what at first sight (my sight) seems like a small town...it just has that flavour. a lot of small businesses, little this, little that. yeah, there's a walmart and other major stores but it still has that small feel to it. when a friend and i decided to go out to eat, i started to research food options wondering if i'd really find something good. thankfully, i was happily surprised by Bistro 238.
this lovely little eatery is tucked behind other more visible businesses and doesn't even have a wonderful front-store graphic. sad but true. but once you walk in, you're encouraged by the good layout, the use of black boards advertising the daily special and thursday's jazz night, the real table cloths, the wood tables and chairs, the lack of a strong food smell (= good ventilation) and the food. it is good. ummm hmmm.
but there was an even bigger surprise. the portion size. it was small. i anticipated biting into a normal american-sized foccacia-and-grilled-veges-with-feta sandwich right after finishing a normal american-sized mixed greens salad. i pictured two separate dishes, two separate relatively big dishes. what did i get? one. and on that one came both items. a small salad and a small sandwich.
i quickly wrestled with the reality, the small reality, deciding to get over it and appreciate that this eatery was actually in line with my current desire to stop overeating. yes, i would be grateful for Bistro 238, i should be grateful. i am grateful.
honestly. i am. i ate well. the company was great. and i'm not now in the sleep-induced state that overeating provides.
thank you B. i will return.
ps. your prices are nice too...
this lovely little eatery is tucked behind other more visible businesses and doesn't even have a wonderful front-store graphic. sad but true. but once you walk in, you're encouraged by the good layout, the use of black boards advertising the daily special and thursday's jazz night, the real table cloths, the wood tables and chairs, the lack of a strong food smell (= good ventilation) and the food. it is good. ummm hmmm.
but there was an even bigger surprise. the portion size. it was small. i anticipated biting into a normal american-sized foccacia-and-grilled-veges-with-feta sandwich right after finishing a normal american-sized mixed greens salad. i pictured two separate dishes, two separate relatively big dishes. what did i get? one. and on that one came both items. a small salad and a small sandwich.
i quickly wrestled with the reality, the small reality, deciding to get over it and appreciate that this eatery was actually in line with my current desire to stop overeating. yes, i would be grateful for Bistro 238, i should be grateful. i am grateful.
honestly. i am. i ate well. the company was great. and i'm not now in the sleep-induced state that overeating provides.
thank you B. i will return.
ps. your prices are nice too...
Saturday, August 1
hair
it's funny. it's real. it's unfortunate. etc. watch the trailer. http://www.facebook.com/ChrisRock
i typically wear my hair in twists. i'm scared of weaves. i picture myself walking under a tree while a great gust of wind permanently connects my weave to a strong branch. but that melodrama aside, i just don't believe in the fake stuff. perhaps i'll change my mind one day but for now i'm pretty satisfied with my locks. and many will say, "well, you have good hair" to which i'll reply, "i take care of my hair."
and that, my friends, makes a world of difference.
i was a curious child when it came to my hair. at a young age, i began experimenting for hours in front of a mirror. my mum gave me the freedom i needed to gain hair doing independence. i haven't been to a salon in 5 years and i've probably only been to 5 in my entire 30 years. every blue moon, i'll ask a friend to temporarily straighten it for me. other than that, i'm my own stylist (for better and for worse).
and i've had my bad days. i had a really bad hair braiding day the summer of '98. by that afternoon, i had a short afro. snip snip snip. no one's perfect. but i'll never call your hair bad. perhaps mismanaged but not bad...
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