There's A Buzz In The Air...

A couple of us here are getting pretty excited about the upcoming weekend. We're headed up the hill to celebrate a friends 40th and get in a little snow time. We're happy for the old man but the birthday's not what's causing the buzz (sorry C). Little M is excited because we're bringing her best friend and she can't believe she gets to spend the whole weekend with her. "It's like a three day sleepover" she exclaimed on the way home from school today.


I'm jazzed because I get to strap on the boards for the first time in over two years. Long time readers know I like to skate. Before winter training for cycling it's what I did most weekends in the season of short days (in fact I have as many pairs of XC skis as I do bikes). I learned to ski late in life and enjoy coasting down hill now and then but I didn't really get the ski bug until I started skating. In my mind it's the perfect combination of quiet snowy solitude and exercise. You can noodle along and enjoy the evergreens if you're feeling pensive. On the other hand, you can shift it in gear sending your heart rate through the top of your head and searing your legs and lungs while you grind up a hill. Stepping over the top you tuck and run, blasting down the hill and swooping around corners at speeds you're pretty sure aren't safe (kinda like cycling now that you mention it). Over the years the trudge up the hill starts to wear on you and when Little M started school we were stuck in traffic with all the other snow nuts. So I opted for the convenience of triathlon and cycling but I still love to skate and now I can hardly wait.

I Likes me Some Family Dinner Time

Is it just me, or did 2009 welcome in the year of the door-to-door solicitor?


We have LITERALLY had someone ring our doorbell every night this week between the hours of 6:00-7:00, asking for a donation to their cause: Peace Action Group; Young Democrats; students trying to raise money for college by selling magazines. It's all for a good cause, but after giving 8+ hours a day to molding 13-year-old mathematical minds of our angelic Berkeley youth, I just don't feel like I need to give after-hours as well. I give in a lot of ways, both financially and of my time. But damned if I'll give my time or money at 6:30pm in the middle of dinner.


EVERY NIGHT? I'm not sure how much longer I can take this. So, if you'd like to ask for my time or money, I'm all ears, but don't mess with my dinner, please.

Boys on Bikes

The Metromint Men's team held their annual camp this weekend. Eighteen of us made the trek down to a quiet little region of the state near the tiny town (intersection really) of Lockwood. The roads were great; quiet, smooth and beautiful. On Day 1 we put in some big miles with lots of climbing during a trek through Fort Hunter Liggett out to the coast and back. Day 2 was a flatter tour southeast of Paso Robles with the normal boy shenanigans. The weather was cool but clear (yes that's frost on my saddle).

This was my first Men’s Camp and it was a blast! I’m looking forward to All Team Camp in a few weeks.

I still have some work to do before I’m on form but the boys in dots are going to have some weapons this year…brace yourselves ;).

Bellas and Bellies

I owe a huge thanks to Erika and Linda for inviting me out to the Bella ride today. I learned a great lesson in the power of the group ride. Flashback to yesterday: Mike and I head out for a ride. I turn around at the top of Tunnel Road (5 miles from home) feeling fat and depressed that my belly has gotten so big that riding the road bike cuts off circulation in my legs. I ride home alone, lamenting the fact that this might be the last ride on my beloved Moots for the remaining 4 months of pregnancy.

A few hours later , in swoops Mike (from aformentioned ride), declaring that the Moots is ready to rumble on tomorrow's Velo Bella group ride. Mike has added spacers, flipped the stem, and tilted the handlebars up towards the heavens, allowing me to sit upright while I ride. Although it didn't look like this handlebar attachment, it felt about the same.

So, today, I was a new woman and clicked away 55 miles with a crew of fabulous Bellas and Left Coast women. I think I have about 3 weeks left with this current upright setup, and then I might have to hang her up and become friends with my new mountain bike.

Coffee Talk

I'm midway through my pregnancy. Our little Buddah is kicking regularly, even as I type this post. These daily reminders that he's healthy and growing are a thrill and Mike and I have already started 'watching' baby TV, meaning that we sit in silence with our hands on my belly, entertained by our little guy's actions.

The second trimester has been a breeze so far. My only complaint is that I sure could use a few more gears on the bike to get my extra 24 pounds up the steeper climbs. I did my first mama group ride yesterday with Taitt and Emily, both of whom are due within a few weeks of me. It was a blast.

One additional perk of the second trimester, is that coffee is starting to sound appealing again. Although I have been pregnant for 21 weeks, today was only my 3rd cup of coffee. It's freezing cold and raining and a good cup-o-Joe at Cole, along with some real cream, sounded like a great way to start this lazy Sunday.

You cannot imagine my surprise, when I discovered this article on the cover of today's SF Chronicle. Simeon, the boy pictured with his mother, enrolled in my pre-algebra class last May. He was living in a shelter and had missed the entire year of school up until that point. His mother was eager to get materials for him to study at home. Simeon shined, not just in math class, but in English where he was students' favorite choice to read Shakespeare aloud because of his gift for intonation and making the books come alive. He was my student again this year in algebra until his sudden departure at the end of October. His mother stopped by the office to return his textbooks, but we never knew why she had moved him to another school.

Coffee mug in hand, rain crackling on the Cole Coffee awning, it was a great morning to read the SF Chronicle and discover that there's a happy ending to his departure from my school.

Kickin' on the Coast

We spent the weekend up on the Sonoma Coast. We found a little house overlooking the water and surrounded by good rides. We took along enough of the kitchen and 'wine cellar' to assure we could fully participate in the season of gluttony. Then for four days we

rode

and ate

and rode

and ate

and recovered.

Big Weekend Spills Over...a little.

Wow, that was some crazy fun. First it was the Big Game. My grad school buddy scored me a ticket. My first big game in many years and while the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium has changed a bit (fodder for another post) it was great fun. Neither team executed particularly well but The Bears had enough tricks up their sleeves to bring home the 'W'. Nothing like a sea of blue and gold on the field at the end of the Big Game.



Then, Sunday was the Big Ride. I'm sad to admit this was my first. About 100 Cal, Stanford and random cyclists gathered in Sproul Plaza early Sunday morning. After ascending Tunnel Road in one big mass groups split off in about 5 different directions for rides of varying intensity and length. I chose to stick with these cross dressing collegiate guys on the long-medium paced ride. We probably averaged a medium pace but most of the time it was either Hammer or wait.



Finally, today I extended the fun a little and journeyed out to the Tri-Valley area for a flat land spin with the 'G' man. I also brought him his new duds. Damn sexy if you ask me.