Do you know where your bike parts are?

I think I do:

5/25/2007 10:31:00 AM THE DELIVERY INTERCEPT REQUEST FOR THIS PACKAGE  WAS
SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED;THE ADDRESS HAS BEEN CORRECTED. THE DELIVERY HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED SUNNYVALE, CA US

Expected:Jan. 1, 1900 12:00:00 AM 
HUH?

Waiting, waiting, waiting....

The poor UPS guy. I'm probably going to jump on him like the homemaking wife of a traveling sales guy.

One of my best friends is getting married in two weeks, in Dallas. I didn't know until two days ago. She had my latest address wrong, and the invitation was lost. Another of my friends had a showing of her movie, but I didn't know. Her hard drive had crashed, and she lost her email addresses. Whenever I see my sister, we rush to tell each other everything that's been going on in our lives. We are both so hungry for intimate female friendship.

I asked myself how did my life get this way? When I was younger, in school, friends were everything, I don't think an invitation getting lost in the mail would have prevented me from knowing about the wedding, or a crashed hard drive would have kept me from seeing the movie. My sister and I were close, we knew everything about each other.

Modern life is so hard on friendships. I know I spend my days at work, my off hours riding or taking care of some other business, then I'm tired. I don't keep in touch regularly anymore. Neither do any of my old friends.

Am I the only one that thinks something is wrong with that? Or is this freedom we have to live our own way and to roam about the country (or the globe for that matter) for a better salary or a preferred lifestyle truly the way to go? I mean, for the most part, I like the choices I've made and what I've been doing these days. But not knowing about the wedding of a friend who has been such an intimate part of my life for so long, it just really made me take a step back and look at things.

So, will I make more of an effort to call? Hmmm...I'm starting to feel sleepy again.

Ahhhhh

Sore legs. Tight back. Tight abs. Three days of dirt.

How sweet it is!

Big Bears Like Skirts

I'm down to the dregs of the laundry.

Usually I wear jeans to work. Something about bending over to help students in a skirt is just uncomfortable. Plus, I like my comfortable shoes.

But I haven't been doing my laundry. Last weekend I was at a conference and then I've just been working and riding this week. So I had to wear a skirt to work, or really gross way too recycled jeans...

So, I walk towards my classroom, and the boys all look at my legs (another thing that weirds me out, when they look at my ass in jeans at least I don't know).

After I unlock the door, a boy who is called Oso, because he actually does have the shape of a big bear, comes into my room and says, "Hey Donna, Danny say you look pretty today." I say "Marco, I think you are the one who thinks that, and now you are embarrassing Danny." "Yes Donna, you are pretty today," he said back with a red sheepish grin before he shuffled off to the right class.

Are men really that easy, or is it just hormonally challenged adolescent boys?

Envy During the Wait

Sometimes I wish I sat in front of a computer most of the day, so I could blog before work gets me tired. My boss always seems to find too much for me to do. Damn saving the world takes a lot of time...maybe I should send him this:












Then there's this whole salary issue. Over the course of building this bike, I am sooo jealous of those who don't have to wait patiently for all of the deals to come along and sponsors to send product, and blah blah blah. I know I am lucky to have the resources I do have, but damn, at my age, I could've had more dough, you know? I've been thinking a lot about the ways we pay, and when we pay. Because you've always got to pay, right? So I pay with low pay, but I get all the time off, I run my little classroom world, and, I get to feel damn good about what I do most of the time.






But I want to ride my new bike, NOW! It's not the same since I rode Jeni's bike in the Sugoi Clinic. I want my BIG FIVE INCHES NOW!!!! I want to jump and hop and drop off RIGHT NOW!!!

But will I feel this pain when the bike is done? I don't know...








And then there's the worst jealousy: all you lucky folks who have found a mate who wants to ride with you or go to races with you or even lives near you.

Just 'cause I chose to be a weirdo and make no money doing God's work doesn't mean I wanted to become a celibate nun. Just someone who I like who likes me, too. That's all I ask. Why is that so hard?

Belated Race Report

So, back like a week and a half ago when I was in Austin, I went and did this Driveway Crit.

It all began with a bit of confusion as Smith Road was divided by a highway, and I turned on the wrong side. I stopped and asked a meandering trucker with bad teeth (I was in an industrial park) if he knew where this go-kart racing track was. He spoke with a meandering drawl, put a lot of thought into it, and then decided he really couldn't help me.

So, I used the old noggin', went across the highway, and found the other side of Smith Road. From there I wound over a narrow road through Texas jungle and decided the directions would have been better if they had read, "turn left at the old woman in the moo moo on her porch, go three miles passed the folks in the trailer, and continue until you see roadies warming up." There was nothing but dense tree cover and old houses until I popped out at the race track.

I parked and then went to register. The guy at registration didn't seem to understand me when I asked about the women's categories. Seems there were none. They put me in the master's men. "So this is bike racing in other places," I thought. "Great."

I did a two second warm-up, then lined up. I saw one other woman in pink and a tall skinny person who I suspected could have been a woman, but I was not sure. We were in a pack of about 20 guys. I decided it was going to suck, but did my best to hang with the pack. I did so for about 1/4 of a lap. I am proud to say that the other two (one?) women were also dropped pretty quickly.

Since I was dropped with no hope of recovery, I decided to have a good workout and practice some racer skills. I've been reading oV's race tips, and was inspired.

Unfortunately for this guy, he was also dropped, and I was ready to practice drafting. The race track was a series of right and left turns causing a constant change in direction, and there was a constant wind, so I decided to stay on his wheel and practice moving in order to let him take the wind for me. I remember back in the team clinic days learning this sweet spot stuff, so I decided to give it a go with someone who didn't know me. He let me ride his ass for about three laps, then he dropped off the course. Dammit, I had to go it alone again. So I decided to practice cornering and picking good lines. It was fun on the race track.

Some people know I am almost always smiling for the camera in races. Notice I am not smiling here. Headwind, loneliness, and a dedication to suffer it out had me going hard. My hands also fell asleep on this bike. Why does that happen?

The biggest shame of it all was that I was lapped twice by the field. Well, the Master's men. I am a non-training Cat-4 woman. So, it was twenty minutes of zone four to zone five heart rate; I think my heart rate monitor hadn't seen numbers like that since I did my max test with a great coach .

Turns out I took third in my category. I guess there were three women out there...

I was disappointed to see so few women racing. There were a ton of them watching, or coming to pick up their men at the end of their races. Chris told me there would be women from UT there. Maybe it wasn't their night or something. Now I know why this woman and this woman work so hard to get women's racing supported and recognized.

All in all, I think it is cool that in Austin they can race all week long after work. I'd like to see some of that around here. I asked someone to organize it, being she is sooo good at these things. A vague smile was her reply. I guess I'd better figure this one out on my own...

Hard Drive Death and Chain Driven Lust

My hard drive took a vacation on me, and that's why I have virtually disappeared. Some people have blog stalkers and nasty comment leavers, I just have a lack of being prepared. Listen to me good, now, BACK UP EVERYTHING. Did ya' hear that? if you don't already do this, do it now, right now. Avoid the pain of losing you beloved files and then paying a greasy-haired guy with odd social skills too much of your hard-earned dough to fix it and get your life back.

and now for something completely different...

I'm in Texas again, yay! This blogger thing has opened up a world of bike riding possibilities! I rode with Chris. The details and pics are on his blog. We rode over the Colorado River, through some beautiful scenery of the rolling hill country (gorgeous spring time wilflowers included), and I saw a great big dam. The climbs had some intense moments. My ass was kicked. Chris just floats up the climbs.

I rented a bike to ride out here. It is sweet. A Lemond Zurich. Light, responsive, and fast. How sad I will be to return to my old steel wonder...and just when I was about to stop buying bike parts and hence free up my extra cash each month, along comes new bike lust. This is how addiction gets started...

Something else occurred to me while out on this bike, too. Bikes are kind of like lovers, or really, they become the other in a pretty significant relationship. I felt guilty liking this new bike. I felt like I was betraying my custom frame back home, with its beautiful lugs. It has been so faithful to me, you know? But this new carbon bike, God, it got the juices flowing in a way my old bike just can't.

Tonight I am going to a race. Yep, you read that right. I, who do no training, am going to race a Criterium with college girls from UT. After I get past feeling old and silly, I think it will be fun. Especially on this rented bike.

I'll keep you informed, race fans!